A Room with a View

[Grandpa Troll]

I have decided to write a story about the life of an average Apolytoner and what it takes to be a man for all reasons and a man for all seasons.

I will take a journey and hope some will jump aboard and join in a trip from kibbles to bits about what compels one to be an active member at Apolyton and the qust that thrusts your drive!

I hope I am in the correct place, if not I apologize and would ask to be moved to the coorect forum

Grandpa Troll

[Grandpa Troll]

A Room with a view Chapter One

I had for a very long time stared at this monument to ‘Poly Heaven. This seemed at once unobtainable and yet here I am. Deity Status. I had many notions and conjured up explicit preconceived notions of what it is that in fact went on here. Hogwash is now what I had thought and in all fairness very secretive dealing are about here. We will expose what all Deity Status members discuss for it is important what exactly we do once we achieve this state.

I had started out my journey years ago and this is where I believe I should start my story.

I came to Apolyton after hearing of its existence while playing Call To Power online some 4-5 years ago. I looked about and took the name from my high schools days of Dr Danger, a parody from the love of American Basketball in the 1970’s with my eyes upon one of several stars I attempted and ultimately failed to emulate, Dr.J, Julius Erving.




I have a twisted sense of humor, love to barb people and goad them into discussions I know little or nothing about, try to frustrate them and then watch ‘em squirm to try and rationalize to me something I could really give a rats tail about. I soon found out from the one and only, Apolyton Troll that I was but a metamorphosis and I should actually be known as a Troll. Troll? I like this and thus learned indeed what I was and well, if the shoe fits then wear it I said, so I did. Like Cinderella the shoe fit and I was off to the ball known as Apolyton Forums.

Wait, hold da presses, I was like the analogy not the person Cinderella. Keep that to a minimum folks!

Ok, so now I go back and change my name to Troll and just so no one can accuse me of being a DL I aint hiding nothing I don’t use the Dr Danger handle anymore and haven’t since.

Ok so here I am an official member of Apolyton and yes, a truer Troll perhaps may exist but as my sweetheart put it this does describe me to a “T”!



Ok so off I be headed and then well, I start talking and posting and well, I sometimes let me anger which I realize I should control and it not being a good witness for my Lord, I sometimes let it slip out and well, it has consequences.

This will be discussed in the next installment of a Room with a view!

Grandpa Troll

[Grandpa Troll]

A Room with a View Chapter Two

I was deeply immersed in a most unsporting past time known as Flame warring. Bad place to be for doer and receiver but alas there I am.

I chose a most undeserving individual in the MP forums and was quickly taken to task.

What? Moi? Troll but yes the old cigarette smoking Forums ruling Mod known as Solver called upon the one and only taskmaster known as Ming. Yes I was sent first to Solver-Hall for processing and then to Mingapulco for “implantation of corrective memory realignment and behavior procedures”.

I have to say that while there I spoke to some sordid types and quickly realized I never wanted to return there again. I was not the first mind you and surely wont be the last but certainly I deserved my sentence handed down to me.

I felt as though I was now a soiled commodity. But now upon the path of rehabilitation and well, for some reason I now no longer felt the urge to obstruct any forums and well, even I felt the urge to adhere to moderators. Must have been something I ate in the time spent at Mingapulco.


Ok off we go and now I am starting to actually learn from the forums. I am learning about how to play games. I am learning about history and all that goes with views and writings, many different subjects with a multitude of Monday morning quarterbacks to judge the decisions of the Generals on the field.

I feel somewhat of a tourist type though, you know, I have a tour guide and well, I am told to steer clear of the OT that is the Off Topic forum. This is a wasteland and yet even a very subculture of its very own. They have bottom feeders and mammoth wooly types each with its own gathering. Some stay to the left side of the pool and even some to the right side while some just seem to be disturbing or stirring the surface to get the crowd excited to see what happens!

I tend to go there and see for entertainments purposes why exactly these are here. They seem to believe we whom play civilization games are intruders and well, the eco system that is Apolyton is nothing more than a survival of the fittest. The OT doesn’t tread into the never land areas and the civilization players don’t or shouldn’t go waltzing into that arena for there are no gloves and only bare-knuckled brawling about.


Until next time

Grandpa Troll

[Grandpa Troll]

A room with a view Chapter Three

I am somewhat in awe and feel the necessity to at the very least open up the observations from this Grandpa Troll of why the Off Topic Forum seems to exist. There are many cultures, genders and political views that circulate and give fuel to one another.

The winds of war seems to fan some and war I am speaking of the word war which probably starts many debates and fuels many heated discussions. The very idea of sexual posting is curtailed for there is certainly appropriate posting places on other forums for that, although on occasion a thread pops up and well attracts many of the very inquisitive to view what is being said and done. Mind you, tact and accountability are always there.

I too have my standard response initiators deep within my fiber of my soul. The certain things that make me stand up, shove my arse upon my shoulders and post a reply. Perhaps the person who made a certain statement is nothing more than a moron or perhaps, just perhaps they are much deeper in thought than we give them credibility to conceive a puzzle neatly laid out with traps and then along come a poster and springs a trap for which a debate is hotly contested!

I am not an overly educated or “schooled” individual but more so have gotten a lot of life’s certificates of competency by living through instead of reading about areas, which are not so pleasant. I think we all have stories to tell; just finding an audience to share with is another thing.

I wouldn’t want to say be pitied over or doted upon but rather have inquisitive minds reach back to the place where human emotion is and open the door and say that we all can and should make a difference in another persons life.

I watch the sharks that hang out by the wading and very shallow area known as the OT and they obtain a frenzied attack upon taboo subjects for this sort. It is odd that some things are and some things are not allowed. Sexual purity is something that is not discussed to a great degree and woe unto thee that condone or allow such talks for thee shall be chastised. I often wonder with these whom post if they had daughters whom were whores and sluts or sons that tagged any piece they could, how they feel toward promiscuity? Does it even stir a little in the soul that what is joked about?

Ok no talk of God or limited. Shame but that is what the underlying rules are. Yu will be shot down and an Apolyton Jihad will start. I don’t think this is an Apolyton creed but more so a defense mechanism from the kind folks that protect the freedom of their rights at OT. Not the moderators but the actual sub culture that lies in a semi dormant state.

Until next time


Grandpa Troll

[Grandpa Troll]

A Room with a view Chapter Four

I would like to pause and offer for a moment my views on the position of moderator.

I would have to say for a non-paying, highly abusive position; my hat goes off to you all. I am a real life manager with 40 people whom report to me. Then I have contractors, venders and of course bosses and owners that all need some sort of attention (as do I sometimes) and I get so worn out at times dealing with things that are so minute to me and mountainous to those that carry this luggage.

Moderators have to weigh out the position of the sites stance, is it within tolerable bounds or not and if so next does this insult or incite hatred to any certain group and again if so is it outside the acceptable boundaries.

Where does a moderator stop being human with their own personal views and start being above and separated from the emotional tissue of the thread? I know I personally am an impassioned person. I love life with all its pitfalls and snares. I enjoy learning and yes I have to say I do learn a lot from these moderators.

I would love to one day sit down and meet in person Solver, Ming and Urban Ranger. So, does Rah really have that ferret, whom knows?

Would I even be acceptable in their very presence? I am not a educated person and perhaps I wouldn’t have a lot in common but they seem like decent people. This brings up a subject that is heavy upon my heart. Why should anyone abuse a person that is simply being a traffic cop and keeping the general flow of the forums moving? I know one moderator whom told me that they have had their life threatened. Threatened I say over Apolyton Policy. Shame that we cant just get along.

I sometimes feel my back become rigid and an attitude of indignantcy, if that is a word, that someone would dare tell me what to post or how to post it. Then I realize I don’t have to be here but I want to. I love Apolyton, with is many faces and many diverse qualities. I learn that we are not all alike and yes we all are subject to fall short of where we should be perhaps more often than we would care to admit.

That’s when a moderator has to step in and say No or watch yourself before I make a decision for you!

I think that Mark and Dan don’t have to be here but thanks to them and many staff of theirs we all have a place to come, even ***** at them or belly ache of fairness to resound in these hallowed halls.

This is indeed the crux we face, enjoy yourself laugh a little post a lot but be ever mindful even these fields we sow seeds upon have parameters to stay within.

Until next time

Grandpa Troll


Thanks to the Moderators who do try to bring justice to an unjust world of Forum posting

[DrSpike]

Neat. There are more story oriented forums, but I think this goes fine here. A/C could use a boost.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Neat. There are more story oriented forums, but I think this goes fine here. A/C could use a boost.

Ill write more this is just a pause for the site that I enjoy most

[Grandpa Troll]

A Room with a view Chapter Five

I enjoy many forums and many threads. I particularly like discussions on martial arts. I as a former instructor and active competitor in Korean Tae Kwon Do, Okinawan Isshrynru and Chinese Teik Soo Chang thoroughly enjoy debating and carrying on intelligent conversations with fellow arts enthusiasts.

I feel for all their posting, David Floyd and Pekka seem to be knowledgeable. I enjoy them debating and sometimes am amazed at some of the folks they have encountered to get to their form of enlightenment with other arts outside of their own.

I see people posting and know they possess no real world knowledge. I however do and thus enjoy talking of such. I am however a complete failure when it comes to computer language but am trying to learn this. I rely on several accomplished individuals such as Martin Guhmann, Locotus, Hatschy and J Bytheway to name a few in Call To Power mod making.

This is yet another reason to celebrate Apolyton and its community. The many skilled teachers here and willingly stewards of talent share openly with others the how to and where fors of scenario design.

I am an absolute lost player trying to learn the game of CIVIII and have learned much under the very patient tutorial ship of masters Paddy, Beta, Snoopy & Modo to name a few. This game is so complex beyond it’s seemingly simply interface.

But that is the reason for these forums. We live and we learn. We play our various games and post our strategies and then lose our Empires to warlords from ancient times only to gather our remnants of humility and again drive our first plowshare into the earth and say, “I think this will be a good place to build upon!”

But isn’t that what we do outside of CIVIII, CTP and SMAC?

I mean, when we go to this forum, the easy going and informative community forum, when we go to other games or even the OT forum, we are starting fresh with a goal of building a relationship with the unknown. The World Wide Web and all of those that would travel stop and even invest in a small portion of time. We could do hate threads, babe threads or even Spam/drunk/bash threads. But that would only generate a cancer to which would destroy us. Thank goodness we do have Moderators reviewing for our owners. The tenants that we live by here at Apolyton should be embraced and then enjoyed as guidelines and not restrictions.

I used to be amused when I saw the DL Dogs attack. You all know them for they are the ones that are four legged vulchers that swoop upon anyone whom is honest and says, “Hi, I’m new here and could you please tell me….”

Then I think what if that person is in fact new and needs help? Maybe we could be a little more tolerant and a little less paranoid. I mean, what if they are a DL, let that be a Mod decision.

For now, I must go as someone is at the door, a new addition to a “Room with a view”

Until next we meet

Greet someone with a smile, welcoming them in to our family!

Grandpa Troll





.

[Paddy]

Well done Gramps

[Rasputin]

better get these meories typed in before he goes completely senile

[Paddy]

hehe

[Grandpa Troll]

A room with a View Chapter Six

The Frailties of exposing oneself to the world in an Internet Forum and how we are left to deal with ourselves is a most compelling matter to decide which way to proceed..


I know that for many this is not possible. For many it is possible but for even more is indeed passable. Passable? By this I mean we so very often find ourselves believing what we read about a person and think we actually know them. Just how well do we know posters?

I remember years ago when my son had a good friend at Western Carolina University. He was o the phone with my son and my son was in the living room and I was in the study. He happened to be on the Internet and so was I. I decided to have some humor. I got on one of the chat services he and my son belonged to and made up a name of Tina. I stated I was a cheerleader, aspiring model and my measurements were “Double Dee-Luscious” to which a loud laughter and a few remarks came out and my son hollered, “Man what did you just say?” To which we all had a laugh.

Later, my son told me that jokingly, only two kinds of people are on Internet chat rooms, female cheerleader gorgeous models and male athletic surfers types.

All kidding aside, when a person puts out a bio on himself or she we don’t know what or how much to believe about that person, now do we?

I remember when Faded Glory was announced he died many tried reaching out to find the family. What we thought we knew came up zilch, zero, nada, squat. He for some reason seemed to have vanished into thin air.

This bothered me, because I enjoyed playing with him. His brother sent Ming, IIRC, a pm stating what happened. This brother knew he was very active at Apolyton but no obituary was ever seen and basically Steve-O was gone, our hearts that knew him, wanted to have some closure but alas we were left with his memories. Maybe this was just meant to be? Maybe he was or wasn’t what he led us to believe? I know that he taught me much and yes we had a falling out a few times but I felt like a piece of me was gone.

I searched all over the Internet for we were told a dunk driver, IIRC, took his life. I share this because many people claim to know people well. Me, well, I am not made up of the kind of fiber that wants to be mysterious and completely private to anyone. I don’t have a lot of money, I do however have a few interesting tales of my life and yes I also am made of hard heart and strong will as well as an emotional woven outer shell when pricked, bleed and strike out like a wounded animal. This is not the best witness but it is what it is, part of Brother Bruce.

I share this because I often wonder about who is on the other end of the post. Next installment, I am going to call out a few posters and tell you why I want to meet them in person.


Until next we chat

I am standing in the bay window of

A Room with a View

Gramps

Look at this picture below. Pause and reflect if you will how we see ourselves and how others see us. Do we see others as they are or have we a predetermined notion they are one way or another.


Is Distortion one of our many senses? If so shame if not shed it then.

[Zoid]

Impressive

[DarkCloud]

*Bump*

[Grandpa Troll]

I will be working on tonight and into tommorrow but will be looking at several installments in next few days


Thanks for kind feedback all