I Am So Proud Of This Group!

[EDIT: This thread originated in the Resident Answers forum. It was moved here by a moderator who did not have the courtesy to mention the move, or leave a link behind. This is why you are confused and bewildered and wondering what the heck this post is advertising.]

You know, we bicker and fight a lot here. We have our little dramas. But last night reminded me of who we really are, and why we're here.

I was at the Hangout last night, with a bunch of other random forum regulars. We were just sitting around, talking and joking. A few of us were dancing.

First, a couple of nonhuman avs show up. Joseph (beautiful cat av), and later Marcel, as a flying book (no, really!). Now, not all places would tolerate that sort of differentness. But this is SL, and this is the Hangout. There was not the slightest indication that these "different" people were anything other than fully equal to any other av in the place. (Not that I would have expected anything less. It was only later that I realized that this "normality" we all take for granted was in fact part of something special.)

Next, I got an IM from another friend, who isn't a Cartel member. I invited her over to meet the gang. She was a little reluctant at first, but I talked her into it. You all didn't let me down. I think every person in the room said "Hi" to her before she had even finished rezzing. You made my friend welcome. Thank you.

A few minutes later, a stranger rezzes on the front porch. A two day old newbie, I think her name was Jazmin. She got the same chorus of "Hellos" and "welcomes" and "come on in and join us" greetings. She wailed that she was lost. Immediately, there came a flurry of questions..."what are you looking for" "where would you like to be" and so on. Within a couple of minutes she had landmarks to some good stores and was on her way.

And that's why I love this group, love being a part of it. Ariel, my friend, asked me if you all were volunteers, and if the Cartel was a helper organization. At first, I said No. It's a lot more informal than that. But then I realized that yes, we ARE all volunteers. And yes, we ARE a helper organization. Or a dis-organization. But organized or not, in world or on the forums, this group is the kind of community that SL is, or should be, about. And I am proud of you.

Cookies for everybody.

It's a good group of people. Call it a clique, or a group or whatever you want, but when it comes down to it, it's a bunch of friends who are, deep down, truly good people who love SL and are happy to share with others. I've made friends all over SL, but my best friends are here. I don't think the bickering is too bad, but that's not unusual in any group. How boring and bland would we be if we always agreed with each other and got along? Blah - who needs that?

I wish I could have been there.

I could do my Star Wars cantina impersonation...."We don't serve thier kind here. Your droids have to wait outside."

I have never felt anything about the get ups people wear. Sometime I do laugh out loud (RL) and my family wonders what is so funny. As an over 50 white male heterosexual I often feel I am in the minority.

That said, I have alway felt welcome at the hang out no matter who is there.

"CX"

/pounces the cookie...disappointed it won't run when he removes his paw from it's back

Lindal, I am so happy your friend finally showed up...she was fun! So were a lot of the others that showed up as well...some, more "unique" than others, but all a nice addition to the conversation.

I think part of what makes SL so appealing for me is the endless possibilities - and strange AV's, role play, silliness and outright absurdity are all part of the fun that arises from that potential.

I, for one, wish to continue to make other's time in SL an enjoyable experience...if I can't educate, at least I'll entertain.


/bounds off for another lap around the forums

I have to add to Lindal's comments.
I have been to the Hangout several times, always to be welcomed by everyone. I am a little shy so I usually don't say much. But I met Claire and Stormy and told them how much I have learned from the forums in the past year. I read every day during lunch.

The forums clued me into what to do when I was attacked in my house. Copy chat history, send AR...all that good stuff. There had been a thread on this happening to someone else and the proper procedures to follow.

The "How to" on so many subjects I can't name them all. Little hints that make my SL experience so much more enjoyable.

And I love to read anything Trout writes.

The people on the forums are always ready to reply in articulate, encouraging, and sometimes philosophical posts. The banter between posters always expands my thinking by looking at both sides of the question.

So keep it up! And thank all of you for what you have taught me.

joesph after meeting you in world and seeing your kitty avatar, it is now soooo easy to picture your cat like actions you use here in the forums

(by the way, the image of the cat dancing is stuck in my head, and I tend to giggle at random times for no apparent reason)

hehe

Wait till you see the pic. I took of him dancing on the pole the other night... *grins*

.d

Noooooo, don't say that!
You know why Trout has such big hair? It's to hide that big head! Don't encourage him, dammit.

I once saw Joseph in his sorta human form. Took me days to recover.


.

LOL can not be any worse than seeing an octopus dance on a pole (that happened at my club when I had it open)

sometimes I miss having my club

maybe someday I will reopen it

Uhm...it was late, I was tired, it wasn't me, this is not the cat you're looking for...

Turns out I can adjust my head size with the sliders. I cammed inside it once and it was completely empty, which explains the quality of my posts.

You put you right foot out ...

OMG
That is the pose stuck in my head.... now times 2!!!!!

Goes into a fit of giggles

THIS is not helping my search for a camping model stand for my store LOL

I will pay large amounts of cash money for that one!


Truly, some of my most delightful SL moments have been while viewing the ever-changing floor show at the hangout. And that's speaking as a newcomer, who was welcomed with open arms by the members of the forum! My very first post led to a slew of helpful suggestions, landmarks and the like.

The description that pops up in Search for the Forum Cartel Hangout is "A wretched hive of scum and villiany" -- oh, sign me up to live in this colony!

LOL

speaking of inside the avatar head.....(I am guessing you mean the avatar )

I cammed inside mine once, and it had this weird little red blob thing... I called it the brain...

was strange, wonder what it is, at first I thought... mouth textures... then nope, wrong area, so no clue...

2 new women at the hangout? Gah! I missed it.
Actualy, if the newbie was Ja(something) Jennings, I sent her there. Met her Saturday and did the whole first day intro bit. Went shopping, bought some real hair, gave her a link so she could open boxes and what-not. Thanks for taking care of her.

It sounds like it was fun last night. I had been wanting to visit the hangout and was out exploring last night. I looked up the hangout, tp'd in via the map to a location at the beach cause I was scared of all the green dots and rezzing right in the middle of them (I've been having a lot of issues with my hair and shoes getting stuck in a very uncomfortable place upon teleporting). I cammed over and saw all the people...got stage fright and tp'd home. I know I just need to get over it and pay a visit.

Jes about everybuggy in my in-world family has dat flying book. It's cool!

An ya, I've found the group at the hangout to always be friendly, too. It's a super good ting!

Mari

Smoke,
Now you've done it. We will have to hound you until you show up. You mentioned the hangout so you are part of the clique now. You have been assimilated

Oohh...cash money?
/slides up to Maureen
Perhaps I can give you a live show, eh big spender?
/wraps himself between Maureen's ankles and purrs
On second thought, forget the money..I have better ideas...

It is almost certainly your AO (the red blob).

Lucky..
I only have a tiny wooden cube in there.

*joins in the communal back-patting*

We are great, aren't we?

I love the fact I can turn up and get (and give) a round of friendly greetings. Other places in SL I've been ignored, even when I've spent some time there and tried to get into 'the clique'. Frankly they're the kind of friends I don't need.

I only wish I could be around when the place is busier. It sounds like I miss some of the best stuff (I have seen Joseph dancing, but I missed the dino invasion).

<<edit>> I found a wooden cube in my head once. Freaky. It was before I knew how to cam or edit properly, so I spent ages trying to see it again. Probably the prim my hair was centred on, but it fair ruffled my savoir faire.

Could very well be AO as mentioned, but it could also be hair. The non-prim hair. I put on a bald hair thingie so that I could put on a wig. Put on wig. No problem. Then I shrank myself (don't ask), and I saw some ruth hair sticking out and cammed in and . . hey, there's a ball of ruth hair stuck in my head. I changed to a different bald hairpiece and away went ruth hair. Apparently the "bald" piece I had been using just barely slide the hair out of sight, did not remove it completely.