Aerones

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I still see a pile of concerns though and no headway towards solutionville.

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My solution is just to "Live and Let Live."

If you want gaming advice, there is a whole section entitled "Player Guides" for that reason.
If you want Technical Help, there is a section called "Technical Issues and Bugs" for that very reason.
This entire section of the forums here? "Protector Server"? It is about the Protector Server Community... and our community is pretty chatty.
It always has been.

What I really want to know is "What important information are people having to search through threads here for?"

Ok, I grant you that there are Protector-specific Events (TF team-ups, Robo-Battles, Hami Raids) that can serve an informational purpose here, but beyond "Sign me up" what information is so important in that thread that someone has to go "wading through pages" to find?

We are not Tech Support.
We are not Build Experts.
We are not Promoting cross-server events here (aside for the occasional "There's gonna be PvP... go to the Training Room").
I've even stopped posting art here because it isn't where it belongs (unless, of course, it is earned through some event on here such as when Warface hosted a Costume Contest in a Protector-Specific party, and the prize was a commision by me. But even then I posted the pic in the announcement thread instead of starting a new one here).

This part of the Forums is about us and for us. It is about showing people what we are like. If someone is maybe interested in switching to a new server, and is thinking of joining Protector, this would be the place to look to see if they think they can fit in here.
It used to be that we went out of our way to try and make everyone who posted feel like they could belong... And now many of us who have been here for ages no longer do.

I feel that this section (I'm being repetitive here) is for people to see what the Protector Population is like.
There should be almost no information in this section of the Forums that someone looking for other information would need to find here. There should be no important information to have to sift through in order to complete one's experience here.

We have the highest number of Stickied threads of any server (iirc), already. If someone wants to know about SGs here, there's a thread.
If someone wants to know about Server-specific Events, guess what, there's actually a thread with a calendar for that already.
There is also a thread to let people know what Global Channels are here and for what reasons...

What other information is so important that someone has to go "through pages of nonsense" to find it?

If someone can't be happy unless they are pissing and moaning about something, well, when they start is generally when I leave a thread and don't come back to it again.

I'm sorry, but if I were a new prospective player, I would not feel like Protector is a comfortable fit for me, currently. Luckily I know in-game that it is different.

I also have no qualms with anyone specific. This is not me ranting about any particular person's behaviour... In fact, it is about me defending my own behaviour.

I freely admit to being one of the threadjackingest sonovabitches in the entire Forums. But I don't do it in serious threads in other sections of the forums where that information belongs.
The only information anyone new looking here should really be looking to find is, what kind of people play on Protector. The answer as I saw it used to be "carefree and silly." Now my answer would be "controlling and whiny."

Just learn to Live and Let Live, people.
I've been doing it here for over three years.
If you don't like the way something is going, then just back away and go find something else you like better. That's why I've been spending much more time monitoring the Art Section. The people there now remind me a lot of the way we used to be here.

War! Noiiiiiiiice.
It looks awesome.

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...Does this mean you won't be asking me to do the Prize pics anymore?

Btw: How did your "co-artist" do? I'm curious to see her interpretations.

I, myself, have not felt welcome on this section of the Forum in many months. And I've noticed an immense decline in the posts made by several other members of this community who were once dubbed "The Welcoming Comity."

It used to be that anyone new to our server was immediately welcomed with big smiles and handshakes (and the not-uncommon ribald joke), but a while back other members of our community, for whatever reason, began to complain about all of these discussions that were going in all of these threads and how maybe we should stop acting like such a "clique" because it was commonly the same group of people who were making these posts.

So then those original people, feeling a bit betrayed and upset, stopped making as many posts, and eventually most of them just stopped posting all together.

Flash forward a few months and the group of people who originally wanted the "clique" to stop were the defacto "Welcoming Comity." And then they began to have discussions in their threads. And then someone else came along and started to complain that the same group of people made it uncomfortable for them to post and wanted the "clique" to stop.

...And then the pendulum swung again.

...And now it is again.

And I fully expect that by around Christmastime, a large number of the people posting currently will have vacated the forums because they no longer feel welcome in their "own community."

This is very much like high school. Being a smaller community here, well, everyone knows each other's business, and has an opinion on it.
Also, very much like in high school, everything is a crisis and needs to be resolved "now now now."

I come back here almost every day precisely to see the humor and camaraderie that used to be a staple of Protector. I hunt specifically for posts from Badge, Ishmael, Nylonus, Janlee, Major_T, Shadow_Jinx and several others, because I remember how much fun we used to have until (I feel) we were chased out...

And yeah, I'll go into a thread clearly intended to be a bit of fun and try to have fun in it.

Seriously, if you're not enjoying something, stop participating in it. That's what I'm gonna do for a while.

Again.

She's a Buccaneer.

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...Even I knew that one.

Happy Birthday Foo!

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...I really should have baked some more cakes...

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If he flicks paper, I'm flicking erasers stuffed with black powder with a whick sticking out thats lit

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*flicks paper*

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Walking by ..........gets hit in eye.

"Heyyy what was that for?"

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Motivational Warning Shot.
More art. Now.

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...Armor did it.

There is far too much clothing going on in this picture.

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I still say it is awesome the way you make a picture into a scene of a story, and not just a snapshot. Kudos.

Oh my...
...I have no new cakes ready.

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...All I can say is "Happy Birthday, Mar. " and hope that'll be enough.

You're going to flick paper wads at the thread?

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I like the unconventional pose - like he's on hero patrol or something - not necessarily striking a generic pose.

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I am a firm believer in the "Something should be happening in a picture" theory.

That was something my mother instilled in me while I was growing up. "When people take a photograph of something, it is because something is happening that they think is impressive. A picture should be done the same way." Of course, she also said "Everybody is somewhere... Now put in a background, dammit!" Actually, she left off the "dammit," but still... So, yeah, even if they are simplistic I usually try to put something to show where a character is, and I always try to have at least some part of someone in some sort of motion.

Thanks, Mom.

Wow.

That looks awesome.

*Snuggles back*

Thanks, sweety.

Rob_the_Hero's wife asked if I could draw one of his characters for him, so here is Mr Toasty

I have to agree... i9 has me back on Prot more than I was. Eventually I'll be back on Lib with the Vis but for now, notsomuch.

It looks awesome!

Noiiiice.

I approve.

Oh, I see someone already brought some cake...

Well, I'll just take mine and go back home.

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Sorry I'm late.
I had to get more ingredients to make a cake.

HAPPY ANNIBIRTHARY!!

How many "Aeros" can these forums hold?!

Also: be aware of associated connotations with that name.

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Also also: I should set up a reference shot page so I can quick-link on these request threads...

TA is overcompensating, eh?

*Looks at the awesome pic*

Ohhhhhh yeah. Definitely overcompensating.

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....... My forums get odder and odder :P

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Speaking of which, I haven't seen any otter characters either <_< If there was a clam shell chest symbol, I would create Otter and Otter ^_^

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Mild-mannered ambulance-chaser by day...
...Furry defender of justice by night.

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Happy Birthday, TA!

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...I need to make more cakeguys...
...I'm running out.

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I missed lunch today so i'd like a second helping !

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Careful... That may go straight to your hips.

Happy Birthday, TA!

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...I need to make more cakeguys...
...I'm running out.

Oh... my bad.

I was assuming it was from the 3-year anniversary party on the Test server.

Remember the theme for the party was "Your Alter-ego"... or "Incognito."

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...Apparently a "cognito" is some sort of undergarment.