A Question of Answers

[MICrophone]

Yeah.

So.

I was just browsing the 14th LDC topic as a guest just to see if there were any major progress updates, and as I was skimming through the posts I came upon the most recent one, Blablob's. His signature caught my eye, and I was like, hmm, well, maybe I'll just see what it is SO I CAN STALK HIS STORIES, just to see what shenanigans the guy is up to.

I very quickly became intrigued and read/skimmed the whole thing. And I felt that it warranted commentary. Hopefully I'm not repeating what has already has been said; I see that there are a lot of lengthy comments and I lack the time and energy to go through them all.

So to the point. The story is very well written, and explores some interesting issues. And though I realized that it's a fictionalized account of your own modship, I do feel that a lot of it rings true. Especially the whole part about the consequences of being a mod/global mod.

I never was really as conscious of the power struggle resulting from being a mod that you portray yourself as being here. When I was asked to become a moderator, I accepted, because I was honored by the offer and because the forums meant a lot to me. Had I always wanted to be a mod? Maybe. Most users do. But I didn't care too much whether I ever became one or not, because the real reward of the forums was not a position of power but the friends I made. That said, I was happy to bear the responsibilities of being a mod, and I enjoyed them well enough. Even when I stepped down, it was not because I no longer found the forums fun, or because I no longer cared for my responsibilities.

But you're right. It sucks up a lot of time. And as time goes on, you realize that you do not want to spend most of your time maintaining an Internet forum. As rewarding as the experience can be if you know what you're doing, there is a greater reward in experiencing the physical world than the virtual one, and being a moderator makes it hard to do both.

I was halfway through my first year of college when I came to this realization, and I realized that, for all of the friends I had made here and all of the good times I had had, it was time to move on. It was a worthwhile phase of my life, but it was only that, a phase. I learned a lot about people, about human interaction, about memes (which is very useful in college by the way), and so much more here that I will always carry with me, and I will carry them fondly. And I will never forget the friends I've made. But it was time for me to move on.

So that's my take on the whole issue. That said, I believe that my time as a moderator was worthwhile, and I wouldn't have passed up on the opportunity had it been given to me again. But I'm more than happy that the new crop of mods are getting their chance now. When you're ready to move on, I think you'll find that the experience was worth it in the end.

Anyway, good job Blab. You've inspired me to make my longest post in quite some time. Now excuse me while I find some mist to vanish back into.

[Blablob]

Yeah, I know, I'm inspirational. Everyone tells me that, it's nothing new.
: D

In all honesty, though, thanks a bunch for the review, Ven and MIC! It especially means a lot coming from you, MIC, with the fact that you rarely visit the forums now yet you still went out of your way to read and review the story. Also, interesting comment about college by the way. I will keep this in mind. *keeps rubber chicken tucked away *

For anyone who is potentially interested in my future writing (anyone? HELLO?), we'll see what happens from here. I'd like to write more for the forum, but with school coming up I'm worried about how much time I'll have to work about stuff like that. Everyone's aware that it's been months since I've written anything, and the praise I've recieved has definitely revived my interest of writing anything else, so this is definitely not the last story I'll ever write.

And we really do need a Thumbs Up option is this section, don't we? *goes to bug Suyo about it*

[SuperMIC]

If there was a thumb up button I would thumb up your post for bugging Suyo about adding a Thumb up button.

[Doram]

And that goes for the lot of you.

Wow. I have to say, that I am indescribably proud of all of you. I came to this forum, after a great wild wandering coming-of-age of my own, in search of a key to unlocking myself, and I got caught up in trying to help unlock all of you. I am a firm believer in the potential of all humans to rise above their day-to-day experiences and just glimpse something better - something more powerful and wonderful and important than they ever could have imagined before - and take hope and courage and determination from it, and use that to make themselves and their world a better place. I see that today. Reading every last word of this thread and seeing all of you recognize your infinite potential. I hope to fully realize that potential in myself one day too.

Bravo, Blab. For writing a story that not only got people to think, but to talk about it. Bravo for touching the Truth, and using it to make something that makes a difference, by connecting us all. Bravo to everyone who was touched by this, for sharing in a fundamental connection to something True, and sharing in the excitement over it. Bravo to the whole unimaginable universe for getting us to this point. And bravo to the Truth, that shows us that we are all connected in countless ways, and that there is always hope.

This is a monumental piece of writing. not just for the forum, but also for the lives of everyone that it has and will touch. And it is a testament to the power of the human spirit that we all have been able to share in this, no matter our age, race, or religion. A true miracle of the modern age of the Internet.

This is a brilliant piece of fiction, mostly because it is based on truth. And not just the truth of one person's experiences, but the underlying Truth (with a capital T) of the emotions, and thoughts, and actions that lay underneath it all. I have, in fact, in both my online and offline life, dedicated myself to the nurturing and spreading of Truth in all its myriad and oft confusing forms. I also happen to be a neo-pagan and I believe that my perception shapes my reality, so I am both surprised and gratified that my thoughts and words and energy that I have commited to this site has helped us all work together in just the right way to lift us all up. And, in case you are confused at this point, no, I am not claiming that I did all of this somehow. What I am is humbled to be a part of what you have all done yourselves, and glad to have helped make a difference.

For the deepest Truth of all of this is that we are all growing up, and growing up is a long and complicated process, but it is infinitely easier when we all help each other. The caring support that you have all learned here will help you for the rest of your lives. Caring is one of the most primally powerful forces in the universe, you will find. If you care enough, you can do anything. Have friends, have lives. Care about them, work on them, care about each other, work on each other. Live your lives and do it with care, and you will all change the world for the better.

I am incredibly proud of you all. Proud to have watched, and shared, poked, prodded, laughed, cried, and everything in between with you. And I am proud to continue doing so. You have all reminded me that all my work in every aspect of my life is worth it, and it is working, and I thank you, whether you can understand that or not. But, now I guess I've gotten altogether too esoteric on you all.

Blab. You are awesome. And you have absolutely made a difference, to me, and to the whole of the forum. You will be remembered fondly, and welcomed at every visit. We all wish the best of the whole of the universe for you, and I know you will face it bravely, purposefully, and with every last bit of the passion that a well lived life deserves. I'll suggest to the rest of the administration of the site that this story be stickied, because it is Important. It is Important to anyone who will ever want to be a Mod on this site, and Important to everyone else who wants to understand them. Quite landmark, sir. Bravo.

Doram

[Oranjui]

I knew you were making a new story, but THIS? This is f***ing amazing! I thought it would be some sort of novel or something at first. And now, this. Even though it's not as long or intense or action packed *is shot* as a novel might be, this has got to be at least 5 times better than anything else you could have written.

It's inspiring. Touching. Awakening. Awesome (Now don't think of this as just a word, go deep into the meaning of it. An adjective that means "something that puts one in awe." It's not just a simple word saying "THIS IS AWESUMMY", it's saying that you were just awestruck by it. Amazing.). Beautiful. Fantastic. A journey into self awareness.[/spongebob] There's really no one word to describe it.


Okay, I can't say much more now because I'm having some sort of allergic reaction to something and I have to go.
So, here's yet another promising 10/10 and me running away to find some sort of allergy medication.

-insert gif of someone running away screaming with giant puffy red eyes and sneezing here-






Okay look that's probably not what you expected but these allergies weren't expected either. Life happens sometimes, people. I mean, this could be a longer post, but I just can't stand this! I need at least a Zyrtec. baibainoa

[ChaosYoshi]

You make a ton of good points. I agree with just about all of them, but there are a few that I go against (not that I'm going to list them or anything).

Personally, I would only want a position that I'm comfortable with. Your speech (or is it essay?) explains exactly why I think so. Now I'm thinking twice about what I would apply for (if I ever do).

I never thought of people fearing power over using power too much. That explains why many of us want it in the first place, to avoid humiliation. It's natural.

I think this is the perfect way to signify you stepping down and why. Kudos to you!

I can't believe how long it took me to find this...

I didn't find this scary at all.

[AlucardX60]

Oh hey looky a link in Brabrobs siggy. I think I'll click it. Good god that's a lot of text and the intro kinda scared me.

Okay so The thing that struck me so far is that you said it ruined your childhood. Is this because of your advance in maturity? And if so then did it ruin it or simple shorten it? Do you see them as one and the same?

I don't think it ruined your childhood. I think you probably had a great childhood. I just thinks it's shorter then most because of how quickly this caused you to mature.

P.S. Does anyone remember my one story I requested a review for in that one story topic I made but flailed. It had MIC as the protagonist and this strange power thing I didn't fully explain. Well this is kinda what I was going for but with more action, explosions, and action, and plot, and explosions. :3

[Blablob]

Okay so The thing that struck me so far is that you said it ruined your childhood. Is this because of your advance in maturity? And if so then did it ruin it or simple shorten it? Do you see them as one and the same?

I don't think it ruined your childhood. I think you probably had a great childhood. I just thinks it's shorter then most because of how quickly this caused you to mature.

Both a leader and a friend, I realized that my choices symbolized the website in its entirety, due to my role. My power. And to simply refuse such a privilege would be a slap in my own face--almost nobody ever gets an offer like this, where the other leader of the site, Suyo, comes up to you and asks you personally if you want to reside as the co-leader of Runouw.com, to offer you the dream you thought would never become a reality, to bring into question a true blessing that couldn't be passed up. "No" was simply not an answer.

And yet, it was that one word that could have potentially saved me from such a huge commitment towards the site. Commitment was precisely the problem. I had the ability, and I had the enthusiasm, and thus, I was open-arms to my responsibility, but to what avail? I spent every day aiding the forums, any time I saw the opportunity to do so. My time was sunken up; I couldn't do anything else. This was, in a sense, my occupation. Though I had the mindset of a teenager, I had the obligation of an adult. My growth and rise to moderation has matured me throughout the years, but what you may not seem to realize is that maturity and responsibility are not synonymous--we can have one without the other. It is, after all, the ability to maintain an intellectual, multi-sided opinion that defines maturity, and the burden of dependability is not necessarily needed. And thus, several questions arise. Was the privilege of power truly worth what I had lost in the long run? Would my infantile behavior have ever dissipated had I chosen to "grow up" for any other reason, and not for the sake of gaining supremacy?

But more importantly: Where had the fun gone?

In other words, the fact that I was a leader reflected on my maturity, but depended on my responsibility. There's a reason I spent the first portion of the story discussing my childish behavior (looking back now, I probably should have delved into this a little deeper). It was primarily to serve as a contrast between my childish self and my mod self. The point I'm trying to make is that most children and teens lack a proper understanding of true responsibility, but I'm also trying to emphasize the importance of childhood, in that it shouldn't be taken for granted since it can only be experienced once. "Destroying" my childhood was really just a metaphor for the fact that, as you guessed, it had been inevitably shortened; again, it implies the importance of not taking things for granted. The fact that I ask where the fun had gone also kind of reinforces the fact that maturity doesn't come without a cost: realization. But yeah, like I said before, the story isn't designed to be a direct viewpoint, though it is designed to change your own viewpoint a little bit.

Also, omfg tanks for the review, Alucard.

[AlucardX60]

I don't remember reviewing I remember asking a question. :/ But you get 10/10 nonetheless.

So then now that you wish for my point of view i shall give you another long paragraph to read. This is will probably turn into a auto-biography. :/

My childhood was actually pretty short and lasted for about 11 years. It was pretty good if I say so myself but the thing that cut my childhood a bit early was when I decided to make friends with the twins across the street. Sure it was fine till one of them started to change. He became more of a bully and his brother complied but never joined. And I was the idiot who kept coming back. After I had been hurt to many times I started to stay home. Doing nothing but my school work and playing video games.

That's when I found this site. Since then the site has helped me mature. When I went on a walk of nostalgia through my comic's topic I saw the changes from then to now. Misuse of small fads at the time, Grammar mistakes, and general immaturity. However I seem to have not been able to pull myself from this place. I begun to do nothing but run around this site, refreshing my View Your Post page waiting for a reply. I slowly became an emotionless blob but hid it well from my friends in the chat.

As of currently I to ask myself where the fun has gone as I no longer know why I come here. Is it to have fun? For I am not. Is it because I have the hope that maybe today I will have fun? Maybe it's just my inclination as a bartender to not let the most popular topic die.

Of course in retrospect of my first two paragraphs I must now ask what defines someones childhood. In fact I felt strange calling it my childhood at the young age of 15. In 10 or 15 years will I look back at my life up to that point and call it my childhood? If I grow into a old man will I look at my life to that point as a childhood? Maybe my childhood hasn't ended but instead gone into a new, possibly better, phase.

Now I'm just rambling. I don't know maybe this wasn't what you were looking for in a review. nonetheless I silently answered all of the questions which your story rose in my mind after a good deal of thought. And I must say thank you for the things in which I have learned from that thought.

[Blablob]

I don't remember reviewing I remember asking a question. :/ But you get 10/10 nonetheless.

Gotta love reverse psychology, man.