I put it to you...

[Justice Augustus]

A couple of things have happened to me recently (one a couple of months ago, the other last night) that have combined together to create an interesting question in my mind. After a rowing race in Georgia the rowing team stayed in a few huts out in the forest in northern Georgia, where we had initiation. Now, I'm not exactly allowed to tell you all the details but there was the usual stuff (alcohol, blindfolds, forfeits for failing tasks, etc) yet nothing nasty, it was a fun night for everyone. At the end there was a sort of spiritual side to it, where the philosophical questions involving rowing, boat clubs, and everythng else (you really have to be a rower to understand) were asked, and one of them stuck in my mind. "What does rowing mean to you?" There are several layers of answer, but the one which I feel represents my own feelings best is "A community". Community to me is an important thing, it is more than just a group of people who do activities together, we all know that.

Whenever people ask me "What is RPGWW?" the first words that come out of my mouth are "It's an online community". My question to you is: "What does RPGWW mean, as a community, to you?" <p>

---

I am just too damn British.
</p>Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=suicidalsprite>Suicidal] at: 1/15/04 2:20 pm

[pd Rydia]

RPGWW is a place where a good number of spiffy people hang out. <p>

---

Hello, I'm Dia, a dragongirl. And I bite. RAWR!

---

-=- "Y'know, I've always been told that dragons are bigger. And less bi-pedal." -- Cuimacc (MovieMan)
-=- "Got Dragonale?" -- Richard (Nakibe)
-=- "Half elves? Uh oh, they are eaten by Dragons, we call them Dwagon Kibble here..." -- Lord McBastard
-=- "*Today's important Lesson. Dragongirls Bite. Nekojin nip*" -- UnclePervy</p>

[NebulaQueen]

RPGWW: That place with the people that I hang out online with. Pretty fun.

Also: Next time you're in Georgia, preferabbly near the Metro-Atlanta area, I'm kidnapping you. >: Just so you know. <p>

---

<span style="font-size:xx-small;">
"Hello, I'm Troy Mclure! You may remember me from such realms as Hell, and Gaera!"-Shinigori, OOC</span></p>

[BrainWalker]

RPGWW is half of my social life. It's pretty important. <p><div style="text-align:center"></div></p>

[PriamNevhausten]

RPGWW is a collective of individuals who, by and large, understand the finer aspects of roleplaying greater than the majority of folk whom I have encountered. RPGWW is a gaming group, responsible for the formation of a Gunbound player group, a Starcraft group, and numerous RO player groups, among others. RPGWW is eclectic enough to have a collective interest to suit everyone of this broad range of mindsets, but specific enough that you have to have a certain kind of mindset to be welcome. It is as any other social group: always changing, building, growing, expanding, reaffirming, internally supporting, and informing; but also holding ground, deconstructing, pruning, questioning, hazing, and every other imaginable part of a social evolution. None of these aspects are inherently negative, nor positive--they simply show that RPGWW has very little difference from a face-to-face social group.

People bond here, connect, and sometimes find romance. People infight, feud, and develop longstanding bad blood. RPGWW is capable of everything that we are capable of individually, but on a greater scale.

...This was supposed to be kind of poetic, and profound, but I think it just ended up being rambly >_> <p><span style="font-size:xx-small;">"It's in the air, in the headlines in the newspapers, in the blurry images on television. It is a secret you have yet to grasp, although the first syllable has been spoken in a dream you cannot quite recall." --Unknown Armies</span></p>

[Dante Leonhart]

Awwwww

:')

[Lord Hatsuma]

RPGWW is a forum that I check because it usually has entertaining topics. Oh, and I can get art ideas for practice and feedback when I'm done. I realize that there is a deep community here, but I don't really consider myself a part of it, more of a guy who happens to be here from time to time.

~Hatsuma!

[Wolfbelly]

What is RPGWW to me? Hmm ... an adequate way to waste time. I've met a few interesting people here, they make me chuckle, make me think ... and they are likely the only reason I come back here every now and then. Oh, and habit. I come here out of habit as well.

*shrugs*

[SALSAlys]

Hm. Point by point. RPGWW is...

Someplace where I met a great number of people I now love and care about dearly.

Where I rediscovered my love of drawing and writing.

Where I finally could give voice to the many characters in my head.

Where I discovered that being happy doesn't have to mean that you're trivial.

Where I learned that sometimes it's better to give release to emotions instead of bottling them up.

And a great many other things, but mostly RPGWW is where I like to be. ^_^

[PopoSujo]

RPGWW is a place I go to just relax. I still have to worry about getting shit from people, but here I can actually give it back instead of smiling and saying, "I'm sorry about that." It's a place where I've talked to a lot of interesting and fun people and enjoy spending time. It's also very, very addictive. <p>

---

When angry, count to ten; when very angry, swear.
-- Mark Twain

There's no devil, just God when he drinks.
--Tom Waits</p>

[Koneko]

RPGWW is an institution composed mostly of people I respect. Its nature is paradoxical, and therein lies its beauty. It is, in a way, a window to the world in that it incorporates people from many different nationalities and (arguably) different walks of life. And yet, it is also the shutters to the world, a place to go to escape "reality."

It is both a "real" community and an "unreal" one: as was said before, it has many of the aspects of a normal social group. However, each and every person can take or leave the place. Should one decide to never, ever come back, both the person and the community go on; it doesn't chase you, unlike reality which presses its needs on you like an SUV on a hapless squirrel.

And so it is that aspect of unreality which, unfortunately, forces me to answer the question:

"Absolutely nothing."

Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=koneko@rpgww60462>Koneko</A] at: 1/15/04 10:53 pm

[PriamNevhausten]

Koneko wins five Zen points. <p><span style="font-size:xx-small;">"It's in the air, in the headlines in the newspapers, in the blurry images on television. It is a secret you have yet to grasp, although the first syllable has been spoken in a dream you cannot quite recall." --Unknown Armies</span></p>

[Mechanisto]

I'd have to say that RPGWW is Other People. In which case, I have no idea what it is, cause I don't know jack about ANY of you. At appearances, the most vital part of RPGWW is a core of chummy oldtimers. It disturbs me that I spend so much time at a place, and yet still feel like I'm on the outside looking in. Though I can't say I'd actually care to know anybody; I come here to treat people like co-authors instead of friends, and since I don't ask for more, I don't get it. During the process of co-authoring an RP, we may become friends; but this correlation does not represent causation.

RPGWW is not a place where I feel particularly welcome. At all, really; it certainly does nothing to actively welcome me. I'm just here, and that's about it. I guess I could call it the place I went to when ADV! went under, cause there wasn't much choice in the matter.

Though it's also a place where I post artwork if I want to feel like it's being summarily ignored. <p>---
These powerful ships have a tremendous range of fire. Their cannons do enormous amounts of damage to other naval units.</p>