Sleuth Home - Message Boards - Sleuth Talk

Dec-29-2010 15:19

To some of you, this may sound a bit harsh, but I think it really needs to be said. What does it mean to be a community? To me, a community is a group of people with common interests who support each other and is generally a good thing.

I joined Sleuth a little over three years ago on July 25, 2007. Within a day of my subscribing, I was taken into a top ranked agency, and helped to build my character up. The members of the agency I joined even spoke of how excited they were for the next Sleuthcon. For those of you that don't know, yes there was actually a time when the community was close enough to hold a real life 3-day event!

http://noir.playsleuth.com/map/cityhall/updates/sleuthcon.spy

In the 3+ years that I've been here, I've seen much of that spirit disappear. The "To all my friends" thread became such a blatant slap in the face of the code of conduct by people who I honestly expect better out of, that I stopped looking into the thread.

At the beginning of 2009, when the announcement that Kas had passed away came, we saw a little bit of that community coming back. People wanted to make donations in her name and genuinely showed their support for her friends and those who were close to her.

Lately, there has been a tone of bitterness among the community. People who are supposed to be setting the example. Top ranked players who are well known throughout the community are constantly getting into pissing matches and arguments with each other over the stupidest things. Yes I said it, the stupidest stuff. At the end of the day, it's a game. It's a good game, it's a fun game, but that's what it boils down to, a game. It's meant to be fun, and we shouldn't have the level of drama that I've seen on this site.

I get it, you're bored. I'm bored too. I love this site, but playing cases has become boring for me. I hesitate to say that much of my reason for staying here is for social reasons.

Dec-29-2010 17:58

I think Shell Marple loves both herself, and the game enough to delete content written on the board that ain't constructive Hannah/Nephi.

We are not as stupid that we cannot see that posts that are just trying to tear down Heimlich's constructive post.

I am sure that if I had seen what was deleted, I would be thankful it was.
That is the good thing in a community, to have mods that do try to care for the whole community, and protect the people that are weaker from those who just want to destroy.

ref. your ideas that tearing everything down, and introducing more problems for us who work hard will actually inspire.

Dec-29-2010 18:52

Well, I actually read your first post before it was deleted, hannah/ Nephi/ whoever you are, and you know what? What you wrote had NOTHING to do with the topic that Heimlich started this thread to be. So shut up.


Now, onto the actual topic:

Well said, Heim.

I haven't been here for a few months. Life got busy, I was a bit bored, and I was able to talk to most of the friends I've made here that I'm closest to in other ways. And the community wasn't holding me in.

When I first joined almost two years ago, I was welcomed with open arms. The main reason I switched to Noir was because of the community. I had (multiple) bad experiences in Shades, and it was suggested to me to come over here because the community was much nicer. I was helped when I was stuck, I was encouraged when I felt like I'd never ever figure out how to do AI cases, made to laugh and smile and have a generally amazing, awesome time while I was on. I haven't been feeling that at all lately.

Yes, it would be nice to get some new stuff. But what would be nicer? If everyone played nice. And if everyone before complaining looked around to see what they could do.

Now to steal a line (or two or three or four...) from a song. And no, this isn't what I usually listen to, but a friend gave me this song awhile back when I really needed it, and I think we ALL need it right now.

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps

Just replace "the world" with "Noir", and you are set. :)

Dec-30-2010 01:49

Thank you Anais, but I don't appreciate you telling Nephi to shut up. Nephi has just as much right as anyone to make constructive comments. That being said, Nephi, Anais is correct in her assertion that your comment was not germane to this thread. In fact I couldn't even understand it, and it was at my request that it was deleted. It demonstrated the exact bitterness and resentment that I am speaking against.

I realize that you're frustrated with the way things are going, but by responding the way you do, you're encouraging others to respond negatively and your post could be regarded by many, including myself, as a troll. If you think you're immune from what I've said in this post, well I'm sorry, but you're not. It's often said that those who show up make the decisions, but it's also said that presentation is everything.

It's obvious that you're very passionate about Noir, but this isn't the place to vent your grievances. I think everyone here would love to hear any suggestions you have on the conditions that you present them in an orderly fashion, and that you realize that these need to be realistic expectations. It is said that we reap what we sow, and I believe the time to sow is now.

Dec-31-2010 23:30

Whilst I thoroughly agree that Nephi has as much right as any other random player to make constructive comments, I do feel like I need to say that his (or her, who knows what the eff he's sporting under that mormon wear these days) comments are neither to be received as from a random player or as constructive.

To construct is to build. Nephi has a five year history of being unable to build anything. His thing is abandoning. Good thing for him that sleuth doesn't make him pay alimony for everything he has started then let fall away.

Anais' comment was based on the Nephi she understood in that context, and as such it makes a lot of sense. He's had lot's of opportunities to prove he deserves a second chance, and failed at each. Good luck getting him to present his issues in an orderly way Heimlich...most likely he'll either send you or post a bunch of garbled nonsense separated by dots that reads like the owners' manual to a swedish banana.

To be passionate about noir is not the same as being committed to noir. I agree about the difference insofar as I think you are talking about loving something versus being addicted to it. It really is a fine line, and your post makes me wonder whether Nephi has a counselor on speed dial. If he loves it, he'll just let it go. If he's a shameless junkie, he'll post more garbled, glue-scented nonsense and apologize when his words smell a little like a ten-year old boys' model airplane.

I very much appreciate your efforts to give someone a chance to prove themselves. I really think that one of the nicest things a person can do for another person is to take them at their best.

But I also have a lot of history here, and I need to say that Nephi has never been his, your, or my best. He has a tendency to use the site the way a thirteen year-old boy uses an underwear catalog, and to leave the place equally messed up. So I'm saying that while I appreciate the spirit of generousity you have expressed, I hope you will trust me when I s

Dec-31-2010 23:39

(eep, limit, sorry)...
when I say that he has yet to prove he deserves anything other than derision, mockery and three years worth of inside jokes via private message. Little of what he says is "germane" to anything that would be recognizable to anyone who was not either a fifty year old barbie collector, a stuntman for a smurf movie, a fart pillow or a failed literary critic. By virtue of his continued literary references and concomitant failure to matter, I'm guessing the latter.

Jan-1-2011 05:23

Happy new year to all of you !

Jan-2-2011 12:11

And to you, VS!

I may have missed some of the bitterness and pissing contests which Heim refers to, not having been a very regular vistor recently, and not being in the right part of the world to use bar chat. The only thing I've been aware of is the tension and strife resulting from some of Nephi's recent posts.

A suggestion: any time anyone posts something which you feel is unhelpful, obnoxious, irrelevant etc etc, do not reply to it. Leave that thread alone. Instead, go and respond to something else. Post something in a game thread. Add to a roleplay. Start a new thread to find out what everyone's favourite fish is. Anything, just Don't Feed The Trolls.

I know I'm guilty of troll-feeding myself, but my New Year's resolution is to starve them out...

Jan-2-2011 20:32

THANK YOU Cordelia, finally! Been wanting to say that for I don't know how long.

Lengthy conversations over someone's insane rantings just gives credibility/fuel. Somethings deserve to be completely ignored.

Jan-3-2011 09:48

That is a good idea Cordelia.Let’s pretend they don't exist.

Jan-5-2011 20:44

Ta both for the support!

I've realised I didn't really express myself very well. It's not just about ignoring trolls, although I still think Don't Feed the Trolls is a good motto for life (recently I've confused both my mother and my husband by saying this, but hey). It's about what you do instead of posting that troll-induced reply. The plain fact is, trolls will always get people in the mood to post. What I'd really like to see is all that posting energy that the trolls stir up being redirected into other contributions. If every time someone got wound up by the latest 'why I think this game and its admins are crap' post they took a deep breath, counted to five hundred or however long it took, and then went and contributed something somewhere else on the message boards, then that would be the best way I can think of to a) help keep this community going and b) put the trolls in the small dark solitary corner where they should be.