Quote from: Thanatos02Wasn't she Joan of Ark in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures? Ah well, that's really off-topic...

:keke:

Quote from: StumpydaveWell there was an attempt to get someone censured for a group attack on fat women the other day (for saying - I believe in jest - that he would divorce any future wife of his if she got fat)...

Which brings us to another problem with RPG.net: the sheer number of militant fatties. We may not have any women here, but at least that's better than being verbally set upon (or sat upon) by the bulge-is-beautiful types and the lonely men who want to impress them by insisting that True Love® is blind to love-handles.

Why am I here? 'Cause I can say what I just said without fear of ban-ishment. So far I've received one warning from the other site but I see the writing on the wall. 'Cause you know it's regional stereotyping (and therefore clearly a group attack) if a native-born Southerner describes a certain attitude that he's found to be prevalent among certain communities in the South. By those rules, they'd have to ban Chris Rock for group attacks on black people. But of course, it's OK to attack Nazis and other undesirables--as long as they're not redneck Nazis!

I'm probably on the fringes of opinion here, gaming-wise and otherwise, but at least I can disagree openly with folks--or at worst, I know how to close the browser tab if I find an argument to be pointless. I don't need my widdle feewings defended by masked cavaliers wielding red-colored type.

Quote from: Black FlagWhich brings us to another problem with RPG.net: the sheer number of militant fatties. We may not have any women here, but at least that's better than being verbally set upon (or sat upon) by the bulge-is-beautiful types and the lonely men who want to impress them by insisting that True Love® is blind to love-handles.

What has any of that to do with roleplaying?

Remember, for many inhabitants of Tangency, the only roleplaying they do is pretending to be a gamer.

Why does it matter if they're fat if all you ever do is talk to them through text? Fat or not, you're only ever going to talk to them. Or is your own beauty so great that it can't bear the presence, even through text, of someone ugly?

And that's another thing you'll find here, Black Flag - people will call you on your bullshit. I find most people think that's a marvellous idea until they're subject to it

Quote from: StumpydaveWell there was an attempt to get someone censured for a group attack on fat women the other day (for saying - I believe in jest - that he would divorce any future wife of his if she got fat)  Ignoring the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the replies, that someone actually thought it qualified as a group attack made me ecstactically happy I had here to come to.

There was?  That must have been after page 39, when I stopped reading the hilarious comments.  And I can pretty much guarantee the guy (Ozymandias) wasn't speaking in jest; but he did make people snicker a lot.  

Quote from: Black FlagWhich brings us to another problem with RPG.net: the sheer number of militant fatties. We may not have any women here, but at least that's better than being verbally set upon (or sat upon) by the bulge-is-beautiful types and the lonely men who want to impress them by insisting that True Love® is blind to love-handles.

I'm here for all the handsome, sleek, witty young bucks that...  Oh wait, wrong forum.  This is The RPG Site.  :rolleyes:

I came here to talk about games, but instead everyone here's talking about each other in this forum. The three or four of us who like to talk about games are getting tired of each other's avatars...

That's a hint, folks...

-clash

Quote from: JimBobOzWhat has any of that to do with roleplaying?

It has more to do with the site being their main source of social interaction, and therefore a key factor of their identity/self-esteem. Personally. I couldn't care less what people on a message board look like (for all you know, I might look like a cross-eyed Deep One with a pot belly and a club foot). But I find it humorous when they demand affirmation on the part of anonymous folks so they can feel good about themselves in Real Life®.

Maybe I don't get the whole Internets thing, but I see this as just a persona that we take on in order to interact with each other in a virtual environment. People who identify too closely with their online selves and get all burnt up about it are probably the same ones who throw a hissy-fit when their RP character gets killed. So yeah, call me on my shit, please. It's not like I'll  have to start seeing a therapist over it.

Of course, maybe I'm lying and you'll see my likeness in the next Chick Tract about how Internet is the Devil, hanging myself 'cause "They killed Black Flag!!!" :eek:

Quote from: Black FlagMaybe I don't get the whole Internets thing, but I see this as just a persona that we take on in order to interact with each other in a virtual environment.

You take on a persona when you post on online message boards?

All internet forum posting is advertising for a persona.

Quote from: Christmas ApeAll internet forum posting is advertising for a persona.

We adopt one by default. I would argue that all  or almost all social interaction is removed at least one step from who we are in person, by ourselves.

I've been reading about house design, recently, and they talk about the "gradient of intimacy" ... which is a fancy way of pointing out that most people do not put their sex toys in the foyer:  in many houses, rooms grow more personal and intimate the further people travel from the entrance.

This is good and proper for two reasons:  One, you (the homeowner) would like to have some privacy.  Two, your visitors would also like you to have some privacy.  By and large they don't want to see your nose-hair trimmer, or the scrap-book of your childhood dog, Woofy.  If they do they're probably happy to walk a few extra steps for that privilege.

I will say that I see a lot more violations of the second part of that social exchange on the internet than of the first.  The people who have asked me questions I'm not comfortable answering are few.  The people who have told me things I would rather not know about them are many

Quote from: flyingmiceI came here to talk about games, but instead everyone here's talking about each other in this forum. The three or four of us who like to talk about games are getting tired of each other's avatars...

That's a hint, folks...

-clash

I wanna talk about games.  

No one else wants to though.  It seems what everyone else wants to talk about right now is RPGnet, and dominus Nox.

Those are really kind of dull topics if you ask me.

I'm just not really interested in the topics over in RPGs right now, and too busy with a specific thing to just start chatting other games. My ADD is pretty strong and I don't want to get sidetracked...my players are really looking forward to the chance to suppressive fire the shit out of some aliens.

Quote from: C.W.RichesonYou take on a persona when you post on online message boards?

Not intentionally. That is, I don't actually construct artificial personas and then post to message boards as if it were some kind of game. I used to know a guy who did that, and I'm pretty sure he's a psychopath. On the other hand, I'd say it's obvious that the degree to which you can actually get to know anyone through this medium is minimal. Face it, we're all just a bunch of talking heads here, except those who might have met each other in person at some point. We pick an avatar and a sig to represent us, and in the course of our interactions, one or two isolated personality traits get emphasized and used for the purpose of recognition and differentiation. But nobody is exactly who they appear to be online. We can assume they're much more complex than that.

Which brings me back to what I was making fun of in the first place: Sure, we try to have fun and fruitful discussions, but an RPG discussion board is no replacement for real social contact. Nor is it a proper basis for one's sense of self-worth, a dating service, a place to seek advice about dire personal problems, an invitation to bear one's soul, etc. To take it too seriously is to forget the point, which is to mouth off about RPGs and other stuff and have a few laughs in the process. And then the Red Letter Army comes riding in to make sure the souls being bared are safe from ridicule.

But I'm sure if you asked :pundit:, he'd be able to explain it in terms of a conspiracy of swine and lawncrappers.

Quote from: C.W.RichesonYou take on a persona when you post on online message boards?

 I don't .

 I am what I am.
 I am who I am
Thats me in the avatar pic.

- Ed C.

Quote from: Thanatos02who we are in person, by ourselves.

Interviewer: "Your definition of an individual?"

LAIBACH: "The sum of one million divided by one million."