It's naptime for all y'all.

Well, I am grateful for it, Ellie, and I do appreciate it.

coco

Not EVERYONE. MWAHAHAHAHA

I would point out it is not a whisper campaign. A whisper campaign would be passing around notecarded conversations, and in essence, just whispering about it to friends. I directly made the statement that I believed this was occuring. Not a whisper. If you want to refer to the person who made the statement, you can refer to me, as I made it, and stated my reasons for doing so. I stand behind what I said - do not misrepresent it as some kind of whisper campaign to get you out of the forums.

Maybe whisper campaign is the wrong word to use. It seemed the right one to use to me, because apparently I was oblivious to it.

As for you bringing it up, you weren't the only one, and I was glad to have it brought to my attention. There was discussion of whether or not I could be banned as a result of it. And no, you are not one who wishes to see that happen.

coco

I will tell you honestly what makes me think it, and what I have been told by other people, as I do like you a lot and get frustrated by seeing it. I saw it today in several of your posts. It is one thing to go from small hit and miss posts that have always been your style, even when writing about more serious things. It is quite another when that long post has nearly the exact style of phrasing that Prokofy used, is the same length as many of his posts, and uses the same ridiculous gratuitous capitalization and emphatic admonishments. Additionally, there is often a punctuation quirk that Prokofy would use that you do not ever use in your posts - except the ones that also happen to read as a post from Prokofy. It is eerie, Cocoanut, and it cannot just be attributed to your mad skillz as a professional writer.

I did not raise the issue in any way to marginalize you, but honestly, as more of a way to say "hey, we know this is going on, stop it". Yes, there is a chance I am wrong, and your response to my statement was clear. However, I have lived my life trusting my own instincts and my own eyes, and still I feel I am right on this. I am sorry if that angers you - it is not an attempt to malign you or diminish your voice. I am just telling you how it appears to me, and it is quite upsetting.

PS - this is one of the posts I am referring to:

/120/ce/53985/2.html#post571257

Cristiano, you ARE wrong! How much more ways can I say that? It doesn't anger me, in your case, as much as it puzzles me. You know me a bit in the game, we have had some conversation. When I tell you I am not doing that, why don't you believe me?

You know, a similar thing happened on TSO, with Mr. President. All sorts of horrible things were said about him that just didn't jibe with my experience of him, but, on the other hand, they might have been true. One night I just said, tell me, now, and tell me the truth, DID you do (thing a, thing b, thing c)? He said, "No, Coco, I swear to you, I never did that."

OK, that was enough for me. I took him for his word on it. Nobody ever proved a single one of those things, and Mr. P. went on as my fun and wonderful friend he always was, and still is, to this day, in this game, and no one ever accused him of anything again.

What punctuation quirk?

coco

As I said, I was not going to press the issue. I would not have mentioned again had you not posted about it. I stated my case, and you responded. I take you at your word that it is not occuring, but at the same time, the feeling is there with certain posts, and that is very hard to overlook. You know by now I am not someone who is just prone to wild innuendo or conspiracy theories. Although I can be passionate and even strident at times, I still am logical and well reasoned. I did not say what I said lightly - I gave it great thought, over several weeks of seeing it occur, before I ever spoke of it even privately to anyone.

As far as the punctuation quirk, I will find an example of it and let you know. I did not originally notice it, someone else pointed it out to me.

Cristiano, let's talk about this, just you and me, in the game. I just got off it now because the textures were acting squirrelly, but I'll be back in a couple minutes.

coco

Alright, I am not sure I will be in SL this evening, as I am in the middle of a major system update for a client. You can always look me up on Yahoo if you ever want to talk, I'm generally always connected and my ID is linked here in my profile.

Don't have yahoo, just message me whenever you get in the game; no rush.

coco

It may have been obvious from some of my posts that I too, like Cristiano, have the same almost-absolute gut certainty that some of coco's postings have come from prok.

But even if coco IS prok (and I'm am not suggesting that this is actually the case) I am slowly warming to his/her persona as friendlier, more cooperative, and bit by bit less paranoid and much less aggressive than prok was.

So even if it is actually him, wouldn't that be an ok outcome? If we could have prok's brightness and intelligence, healed of all the bad stuff, and now our healthy friend ? Wouldn't that actually be something we could silently welcome ? If this came to be, couldn't we be nice enough not to bear grudges, and to pretend not to notice ?

Which of us could have found a way back from the place prok got to forum-wise, if we had been prok?

Please note I am NOT saying this fantasy scenario is true, or even that I believe it. Its just that - a theoretical musing.

At the moment I personally am slowly becoming able to accept that Coco is Coco, not Prok at all, and beginning to see Coco as a likeable person I could maybe enjoy talking to/arguing with constructively. Isn't that all that really matters ?

LOL, Ellie! Yes, you're right, it would be a perfectly ok outcome if I were Prok, and everyone liked this Prok. That would be totally cool, for all practical purposes. Of course, I am not, and I like the Prok who really IS the Prok, but that's beside the point. Interesting way of looking at it, though.

I always have been a very friendly and cooperative person - just ask everybody who knew me on TSO! I think I was once named most friendly, as a matter of fact. Also several named me "nicest." And everybody knew that nobody was nicer or more helpful to newbies than Coco. For long years I have had this reputation, everywhere.

What happened here, was I arrived here and immediately ran up against the violation of several personal principles I hold in highest regard: Freedom of speech, equal opportunity for all, and no piling on or ganging up on of any individual, no matter what. Making it all the more piquant was a long-time friend of mine, trying to uphold the first two principles, was the subject of the third one.

I try to voice these things without making personal attacks on anyone, which isn't necessary anyway. I continue to voice these principles because they haven't yet been achieved in the game or on the forums. Upholding these principles far and away trumps what happens to my own reputation in this game.

In this game, I am just as friendly and nice as ever, but a lot less outgoing now, than I normally am. As a result of all this that goes on in the forums - and it IS hurtful - I tend to keep to myself much more in the game than I did when I first began. That's not good, though, and I'm working on it. Meanwhile, I'm hopeful that in the end forum reform will happen, my most highly-valued principles will be upheld, and we will all come out that much the better for it.

I say all this for Ellie, really. Anyone who wants to argue with me about it, well, I'm tired of arguing and defending myself, so I won't rebut anything you wish to say.

coco

1)I have not accused you of writing for Prokofy.

2) I have never told you to shut up, so I have no clue why you are railing at me with "this isn't your own private club, party, or restaurant table."

3) Not every post is about you. If you take them as such, perhaps some self examination is in order.

4) My "goal", as you put it, is to expose hypocrisy at its roots, whomever is the purveyor.

5) Please stop assigning responsibilty to me for what others say.

6) Please re-read this: "No, I wasn't responding to you, or anyone in particular for that matter. I was more or less addressing a particular mindset that I see online at times."

You know - like the "mindset" that some claim is the "FIC". Funny how that is ok and doesn't evoke overly indignant, self-indulgent posts from you.

I didn't say you did that, Nolan. I was explaining to you why I went into that painfully-bragging explanation of my profession.

The private club/dinner table thing was in reference to what you mused on in an earlier post.

coco

And that has what to do with this thread?

If you are upset at me for stating my displeasure at being told dozens of time what your profession is, please PM or IM me rather than attacking me in a thread that has nothing to do with it.

Because you brought it up in this thread, Nolan.

coco

I was referring to your personalizing it, Coco.

You weren't in this thread, and I would appreciate it if I could state my world view without you screaming at me about it because of something which transpired between us in another thread.

Not only that, the item you are getting so wound up about was a side note. My main point was that I don't like it when people use the fact that they have raised children as some sort of pulpit to try and modify other adults behavior from.

Personally, I don't think you use your profession in this manner, although, it does become wearisome at times to hear you state it multiple times in one day, for whatever reasons.

So, in the end, it wasn't about you after all, and the issue I raised in that other thread was different.

What was in my mind was two guys in particular who have used their military service as a place to pontificate from.

Moved to Off-Topic.

Jesus ppl can't you keep on topic!!!

The most awe inspiring response yet!

*claps*.

*snores*

*pinches Billy's nose closed*

*whistles innocently*

*makes choking noises*

*coughs*

*wakes up*

Who... where... whaaa happened?

and then.. this one time.. at band camp...