[internisus]

Alright, look. I've tried to refrain from posting GUARDIAN THREADS because of how they usually turn out, which, yes, I recognize as being due to my general failings as a writer. I also realize that I'm self-conscious about this and tend to react poorly to resulting banter and become too defensive. Also humor doesn't always register. Also I am really really cool and sometimes that gets in the way too.

Anyway, I think things have been pretty good here, though I find myself only interested in 4 or 5 threads outside of Force Feedback at any given time. I'd like to see more of the general/abstract/theoretical/GUARDIAN topics, of course, but it is also true that expecting to find such discussions popping up frequently, even with so many great minds bubbling in one place, is unrealistic and perhaps a little foolhardy when the site/community overall has no overt purpose or mission.

A long time ago, I raised a stink about how all of these interesting ideas came out of insert credit, but they inevitably sank into oblivion over time. Some kernels here and there may have been picked up by individuals for their own, private examination, but what I wanted was to see some effort at organizing the results of the group. Would a collected book of insert credit theories and observations carefully edited and organized and presented as something greater than the sum of its parts have been so hard to believe in or to push towards? Isn't that somewhat how TGQ works? Isn't that something that communities have done before? It's not far from SB's current model of turning successful threads into rough blog posts; truly worthwhile threads can be taken one step further and cleaned up from a group discussion into something more singly voiced.

But it seems to me that, regardless of the eventual outcome or format, a collective understanding that we're actually working towards something just by talking to each other like we have been would create a lasting boom in discussion. Without that kind of communal inspiration, most of what we'll see is pretty mundane game conversation. That's fine, but it's not what I want, and I seem to have company in this.

Well. That's that. Since GUARDIAN THREADS are remembered so fondly, I'll try to contribute more frequently once again. I'd like to say "I'll try to do a better job than I used to" or "I'll try not to be a whiny shit again" but I'm not sure how realistic that would be.

Also, Toups, sorry about that time with the robust emo. Reading your reasons for banning James has given me some appreciation for the difficult pragmatic and moral decisions involved in moderating a diverse community's behavior.

Final note: Whatever we've got and not got, guys, remember that this is still amazingly great. Thanks for being this forum.

[internisus]

Thanks, Toups. I like 'dorkus malorkus'; it suits me well. I also like Neil Young. Awesome!