"The world has changed." With these words, the Fellowship of the Ring film opens. Yes, of course, it is describing a world darkened by the presence of the One Ring. But for Tolkien fans, this line could have just as easily described their fandom communities, which were undergoing massive transformations due to the rise of home Internet use, changes in the Internet landscape, and of course, the films.

This month, in our Cultus Dispatches column, we offer the first in what will be a series of articles about the impact of the two Jackson film trilogies on the Tolkien fandom. This month's column focuses on the fanfiction fandom and uses data from the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey to consider the question of initiation: How the films brought fans to the fic fandom and the kinds of stories those fans wrote once they arrived.

Of course, it's impossible to discuss this topic right now without considering the upcoming Rings of Power television series—and in fact, this series is deliberately timed as discussions about how the show will impact the fandom become increasingly common. As the title of this inaugural article suggests, the main impact of the films on the fic fandom has been to drive fans toward the books, helping to create the very book-centric Tolkien fic fandom we all enjoy today—part of the reason, in fact, that you are reading this now!

Remember, too, that we want to hear from you on this subject. Was this your experience or did you perceive the impact of the films on your communities differently? If you were in the Tolkien fandom before either (or both) of the film trilogies, we are seeking fan recollections of how the fandom did and did not change after the films for use in an upcoming column.