Should we have a "Rants" thread?

Sedanas

Nocht said:

I think we were pretty clear about what should be in this thread.

If people want to discuss having a rant section on the forums, make a new thread.

So He asks, so I shall do!

What do you think? Should we have a thread to vent our vehemence? Our Disagreements? Speak up, and let us know what you think!

Lavinya

I don't know if it has to be a specific thread for ranting, but I support having a general chat thread. Not everything needs it's own thread (like the time I wanted to bemoan all the errors I made in a newspost because I was too lazy to check my work), and not everything is going to be a rave or a funny quote.

Relieving pressure is healthier than letting things bubble and explode into volcano of malcontent. That's why I like tweets. Little anedotes, amusing tidbits, occasional gripes. It's real.

Nyxx

The problem is that those sort of things devolve into personal attacks and perceived slights VERY easily, sometimes instantly because as soon as someone sees a rant that they know is about them or something they disagree with they are going to jump down the ranters throat and defend themselves, their city, their honour, whatever

Daraius

If every third occasional gripe wasn't about how X is such a Y because of Z behavior, Tweets would be enough. I haven't seen many of those that don't spiral into a mess of name-calling, taunting, and drag queen gifs (which admittedly are fabulous). I don't think venting is actually helpful for anyone. Every minute spent typing up a strongly worded argument is probably better spent taking a walk.

Unzareh

I'm sure we're all adults and capable of either letting the issue go, or argue right back. Life isn't a tea party, it's incredibly ugly. Keeping those feelings locked up inside to fester is not the right way to go about things. You may not have noticed, but people have been letting out their frustrations into all the other threads.

It was suggested there be a subforum just for rants. Why not go with that. Maybe make it toggle-able, so people can choose to see it or not, and keep the policing of it to the players.

Kalnid

Unzareh said:

I'm sure we're all adults and capable of either letting the issue go, or argue right back.

Haha. Hah. Haaaa.

Gabriella

I can understand the need to blow off steam. I've more than once found myself writing what (I considered to be) a scathing reply to something or someone I disagreed with, and then sat and made myself re-read it before I posted it. Nine times out of ten, I deleted it without putting it up, because it wasn't worth the further anger I'd feel with the next response they'd issue. I felt better for having restrained myself, and distracted myself with other things until I was calm again.

That's not to say that I don't disagree with this topic. I do think that there should be a place where people can vent. Drag queen gifs are amazing, and sometimes the griping can be really funny. And you should be able to say, "Man I'm frustrated that I couldn't do this today" in a general thread without fear of being tossed into the Void.  But of course, the problem with the Rants is that some people just don't know when to stop. It doesn't have as much to do with a thick skin as it has to do with people plowing forward and saying, to Nil with it all!

But then again, I absolutely hated and avoided tweets because I didn't like slogging through all the backlash when a bad rant did happen. So - re-open Tweets so that can be what it was originally intended to be - and then provide a place where people can make some general gripes, perhaps. If people abuse it, then close it down, but maybe at least give it a chance or two.  Bury it in a subthread.  People that don't want to see it, won't have to read it, and can still enjoy the rest of the forums. 

It's easier to control it through a single thread, rather than having to fight your way through Tweets.  I know I for one, would enjoy seeing the potential problem limited to a thread somewhere else, then to have to see it on Quotes, Raves, etc.  And that way, at least you can say you tried.

Ayisdra

Daraius said:

I don't think venting is actually helpful for anyone. Every minute spent typing up a strongly worded argument is probably better spent taking a walk.

I would disagree. Venting (and by venting I mean writing a post and posting it, not just writing and deleting it) helps, depending on the person.


The fact that tweets/rants have gone into other threads I think just shows that we should have a thread that contains it all. You do not have to read the thread, it is easy to ignore. I also believe we need to define what a personal attack is, as it can differ between people. Swearing at someone (calling them a bitch or whatever), for example, I wouldn't really consider it a personal attack. But regardless, as it was said, I think people need to grow thicker skin and learn how to take an insult or two.

Shuyin

Venting helps me. We'll just agree to disagree about the usefulness of venting. 

I've already made my suggestion on how to make rants in such a way as to "keep away" from all the good, wholesome threads. Keeping rants away from all the others cleans up the "good" threads by virtue of their existence. SUPER BONUS: no one has to read it unless they want their share of salt. There is literally no chance anyone who wants to read some good wholesome tweets can accidentally wander into the mean old rants thread and see the horrors of drag queen gifs, Elanorwen/Sidd flirting, Arcanis being Arcanis, Lerad trolling ONLY Arcanis, and so on.

Again, it might just be confirmation bias, but there definitely have been more outbreaks of thread derailing after tweets got shut down. Having a thread to talk about anything and everything (maybe even complaints) definitely has its use.

Further, I've already said that personal attacks are bad and should always be deleted, but some of the people in these forums really need to get a thicker skin. Not everything is an attack upon your honour or person.

In a conflict game, you might offend someone for just existing. You should just learn to live with it and accept that you can't please everyone.

Fun fact: the heinous personal attacks I've ever received in my 7+ years of griefing have all been tells. The forums have bothered me exactly once, and that was when Xenthos didn't stick to the Xynthin name.

Lavinya

I am definitely one of those who feels better after I've gotten my gripe off my chest. Even if it's vaguely done, it helps.

Shaddus

Venting relieves pressure. Bottling up pressure solves nothing.

Maligorn

I can say, as a person who hasn't had access to the forums for some time, that both walking away and getting it all out in the heat of the moment is soothing to me. Getting distance from the game when you're mad is good, but so is standing up for what you think, even if you turn out to be  completely wrong and out of line later down the road. The only thing banning gets done is squelch opportunity to say "sorry, I fucked up, I'm a dumbass".

Whichever is a more positive venting route is up for debate.

Daraius

That's why you go for a walk. You only work yourself up further by typing up a passive-agressive diatribe, and the only purpose you serve by pressing "post comment" is to make someone else feel bad or angry. 

Anticipating "welcome to reality" responses, I'd say I don't come here for a dose of reality, and I don't think reality needs to be as ugly as all that either. But... I guess I wouldn't have much to object to if that ranting subforum was tucked off to the side somewhere and I could toggle it off and it wouldn't ping me when I get tagged for all my vile behavior. 

Enyalida

Rant: Why is this not a poll thread?

Sedanas

Enyalida said:

Rant: Why is this not a poll thread?

I wasn't sure to make one, apologies.

Gabriella

I think the point here is really, everyone should have the OPTION of being able to vent if they want to. I've done venting in the verbal form, the written form, and the work-off-the-steam-by-doing-something-else form. It's just comforting to feel that you can be heard if you want to be, even if you make an ass out of yourself in the end.

Just banish the trolls!

(Which yes, I realize is almost an impossibility.)

Shaddus

Enyalida said:

Rant: Why is this not a poll thread?

Oi, no ranting!

Gabriella

Ignore this.  I somehow broke my comment and can't fix it.

Leolamins

My rant....still no tweets thread.

Cyndarin

Any single person or group is absolutely not in a position to tell any other person or group how to best handle their frustration or irritation. We're not 12, we don't need daddies (unless it's the hot, rich kind) telling us what to do, we don't need adults telling other adults to count to ten and go walk under the pretty pretty trees and frolick with the squirrels because that's how we should handle our anger and also how rainbows are born.

You think skipping down the sidewalk is the best way to handle your frustration? Great! Go skip. I call that avoidance, but I'm not here to tell you how to do anything. At the very least, the same courtesy should be extended to me. Stop trying to dictate to everyone what their motivation for coming to the forums should be, or how to best handle their own personalities. It's incredibly patronizing. 

Here's my most adult advice: if you don't like hitting yourself in the hand with a hammer, stop doing it. You have full control over what you read or don't read. I find some of these threads boring and tedious as shit. Behold the power of choice: I don't read them.

And this:

Alic

Celina, your gifs are too much.

Why do you have the best gifs.

Cyndarin

It's an art form.

Shaddus

Given the amount of Lusternian who struggle with depression, anger issues, or general BS in their lives, you would think the admin would be onboard with an area of the forums to blow off steam.

Sedanas

Shaddus said:

Given the amount of Lusternian who struggle with depression, anger issues, or general BS in their lives, you would think the admin would be onboard with an area of the forums to blow off steam.

Having those people with "General BS" in their lives argue back and forth doesn't help.

It sounds nice, sure, but someone is inevitably going to take something the wrong way, make some snide remark, and next thing you know it's Lusternian mudslinging. It never really ends well from what I've seen already.

Lavinya

I need somewhere to express my absolute gut-wrenching sorrow at some recent happenings. I can hardly do that in raves.

Alic

@Celina are those rupaul gifs?

The background reminds me of the show he has

Enyalida

Alic said:

@Celina are those rupaul gifs?

The background reminds me of the show he has

You must be new all over the place.

Unzareh

Alic said:

@Celina are those rupaul gifs?

The background reminds me of the show he has

Most of her gifs seem to be of William, but yeah, pretty much all her gifs are from RPDR.

Ciaran

To the OP: Yes

So much angst boiling into every other thread.

/returns to lurking

Rivius

I feel like it's obvious that the rants will show up no matter what you try to do, and it's better to have a dedicated place for them than see them crop up in places where they're really not needed (eg. Raves, Funny Quotes). I think making a locked away sub-forum is a good idea, and putting in big bold letters at the top of it "THIS IS A PLACE TO LET OFF STEAM. SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T MEAN WHAT THEY SAY HERE" would be a good start.

I definitely do think we still need to look after the personal insults though. This is just a game, and there's never a need to go too far.

Luce

Keeping as a subforum (like Q&A, Events, and Mechanics Corner) would also prevent it from showing up on the front page, so that's a thought as well. I have to tentatively agree with the idea that sometimes you really do just need to feel like you're being heard, even if no one actually cares all that much.