Damn. I had a nice third post simmering around in the back of my mind but you all went and spoilt it by being, ugh, decent and admirable. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kitty.gif" alt="" />
And then you are conspired to ruin a perfectly nice rant about the nature of community and friendship, and opportunity, by secretly collaborating to discuss it beforehand. Well, sigh, I'll have to, ergh, be brief. (no, I still don't know what it means) Thank you all for not using the my word, fester. I'm taking it with me.
Lol. All so serious, we only get to do this once you know, we can laugh at ourselves and not make it worse. My first 2 posts here had a tongue in cheek and very generic tone, if overdramatic - this post is not, and it will be my opinion, rather than an idea, or questions.
janggut - I have no principles, or morals, I was asking a question about the concept of having a community on the Larian site, there was no judgment from my perspective, though I can understand why you might think so. I presented some things in a very dramatic way, because not knowing the situation specifically or players involved, rattling the cage for an answer about an odd human nature question required, to my mind, that level of emotional incitement. Incitation?
I tried to be clear with my disclaimers, but stylistically there was room for confusion - I never sought to injure anyone, even in the short term, I will not apologize, however, I do hope that anyone hurt can forgive my role and style to the extent you think a positive result could have been achieved in another way. (I will, out of sheer hubris, declare this positive, though with no personal base of reference...ow, headache, headache)
Kiya - Sorry, I didn't know you were reading the thread, nor would I have expected participation, though not because you couldn't or wouldn't. You're always surprising, that's why we love you.
This post isn't just to respond to everyone though, actually it was to point something out about this event.
What Viper, Kiya, and Galadriel have done is perhaps far more extraordinary than you may realize...because now this is a community - and whether it continues and strengthens will depend on each of you. A community - and friends, support each other, in good and bad times, and a lot of secrets were being kept, a lot of private relationships, the opposite of what many said they wanted for the social part of the forum.
Kiya mentioned once how nice it was that the German members had a friendly community, not just "nice" behavior on the surface, but real friendships. People you could share things, even difficult personal issues with, and they would be supportive, they listened and cared. But the English speaking forums never quite congealed into the same thing, IMO there was a bud, but the flower never quite bloomed, though there have been attempts.
Recently it seemed headed in a downward spiral, a splintering of a once beautiful idea that only asked for, lol, simple things like honesty and openness, a willingness to trust people and get trust back. No one person can be blamed for this, for people here, special and valuable people, not quite consistently treating others as they might "real" friends. Not everyone wants this for their experience here, but for those that do - it is possible and takes only your willingness to make it so, to create something magical, something I think a lot of people in life really want- a collection of readily accessible genuine friends.
The cost is effort and potential pain, but the result, I think, is more than worth it. Do you see what we have discovered recently, lessons, and more importantly, information about our friends that can deepen that friendship - about how great their courage is.
janggut mentioned something about active vs passive approaches, my response would be, the pyramids were not build by waiting for them to stack themselves. Relationships take some effort and motivation, I think many people here have the motivation but haven't quite sensed the opportunity where effort would pay off, where lots of real and deep friendships could flower and deeply root.
There is no time like the present. Think carefully about it, if you are reluctant, would you pass up the chance to have a better friendship with a ray of sunshine, like Lucretia, only to find out that the next day she had been in some fatal accident, and you lost something infinitely valuable. Why wait, be passive, janggut? Ah, you know why.
Barta should definitely lead the Larian Amazons, because Kiya has to be the spiritual advisor <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> . But Barta, and others, have to promise to not encourage "polite" or artificial behavior too often. Sadness and fleeing isn't the only option either - though often our society encourages people to fit into barbie-doll molds and hide our anger, or fears, and other, "darker", emotions, this only results in seeing, or being, half of a person. Dealing with these things takes practice too, and it would be nice to have a community where you might pick up pointers.
It's ok to be angry, to be flippant, to tell your friends your passing thoughts, to be funny, even mean sometimes, because after all.... they are friends.
On another note, Lews~ is right about something - if I have a problem with Viper I can leave - and I should, not just for Viper alone, but the sword of vengeance always strikes two victims. One seems to be Seth~, but the bad taste left by my style in these matters is not easily forgotten and will be a source of discomfort. Since I have stated/implied that helping and not disrupting the community is my goal, logically then, I have to remove myself, not merely being inactive, but not visiting either. Though as some pointed out, not being seen as a member, makes it kind of a moot point. I'll give you one or two days to insult me though, but you have to be funny or really offensive, or I'll be bored. And Viper, I want some more original curses, I suspect you haven't fully expressed yourself. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
Loki
[color:"orange"] Associate member of the Viper, Kiya, Barta, Tsel, and NeroJB fan clubs [/color] Hmmm, my cards aren't letting me in the door, I think I sat on a magnet.
P.S. Thanks Lynn, for the thread
P.P.S. Alrik~, I deduced that you were off topic... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
P.P.. um, whatever comes next, NeroJB - MIA the group or MIA as in missing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />, hey, PWA Lives Forever, don't shoot the courier <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />
Viper - No, just Lowkey here, I was just pointing out the danger of assumptions, though I am one of those shifty males. Besides, my avatar is often a wolf, so I certainly wouldn't have a avatar tagline that read, "stealing the souls of wolves", would I?
Seth~ - I have no vested interest in you, though that you found it necessary or even fun to hurt people here I find more bizarre and pitiful than anything else, but if this is a community you want to be a part of, granted many won't trust you significantly for a very, very long time, but I don't know that fleeing is the only option. But with no explanation, apology, or response, I think your address(es) should be banned. And if you can successfully apologize and explain, I will regret missing them, because, boy, they better be good.
HEY - janggut, you slipped in a new post and avatar, I like the avatar, just as well I won't be using one <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> .
