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Rant thread - do you have something you want to get off your che

    • 50 posts
    April 5, 2016 12:09 PM EDT

    Agree - I can always get another job but some of us really have a bad deal. It helps a lot talking about things even if it's just a post on a forum rather than face to face. I've had several deaths in the family (now I have almost no family at all) in the last 10 years but I won't go into that at the moment. The last 10 years or so have been really bad for me but I'm getting things sorted.

    I'm at the stage where little things in life that probably wouldn't bother most people is a big issue for me. Friends helped a lot.

    • 177 posts
    June 2, 2016 10:42 PM EDT

    It's Pinkie Pie for another, though this time rather depressing, rant. 

    The last few weeks have been very depressing for me, and I feel like venting may make me feel slightly better. About 10 or so years ago, I met one of my best friends, Sammy. I originally met her on an internet forum, and we chatted for hours. She was very similar to myself, grew up poor, optimistic, very jokey and loved video games! I talked to her everyday after school when I got back from school for about 2 years, but eventually we arranged to meet up in person! She flew down from Maine and we went to a con, and it was awesome! We did this for about 6 more years, but we stopped talking for a few months after that. I don't know why, but we did. This might have been a good thing though, as I was going through my horrible drug phase at that time, and it was probably best she didn't talk to me. Anyways, after a while I contacted her, and we started talking over Skype. We did this and after a while, she told me that she had fallen off a building, and her lungs were hurt. Bad. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it started to get worse. She was moved to hospital and she started talking about operations and stuff. I really wanted to visit her, but I didn't have the money at all. Exactly a year ago, I got a skype call from her saying that they were about to correct her lung via operation. That was the last time I ever talked to her. I couldn't even afford to go to her funeral, and I was heartbroken. After this, I went into a deep depression, and just locked myself in my room and refused to leave. I am remembering it a lot today, and I've been feeling quite terrible. I've come to accept the fact that she is gone, but I want her back so badly. I want what came to be my sister back, but I never can. Life is such a rude cunt, and I don't know if the wounds that her death left will ever heal. 

    • 52 posts
    June 3, 2016 3:21 AM EDT

    Oh, I'm so sorry about loss Pinkie. I do know how you feel though. I've been depressed ever since my Mothers crisis happened to me back in 2014. And because of it, I've fallen ill myself in the recent 6 months or so. It just feels like everything around you crumbles and falls apart. I lost someone who was important to me, a friend I've known since 5th grade. We used to get in trouble together and have alot of fun. Even though its been a year since is murder, it still runs deep and I vow to find out what "Really" happened to him.

    Over time, it will get better Pinkie. It may be hard but you must learn how to move on for hers and all of us who lost our dearest friends. Never surrender!

    Thank you for sharing. And another thing . . .

    How have you've been? What else has been going on with you. I ask because, you're someone who needs a friend and well, that's what I'm all about. Being there for people I know who are at a low point in their lives.

    • 17 posts
    June 3, 2016 4:19 AM EDT
    Ugh, i feel so done with school. I don't mind the actual teaching, i just can't be bothered with people! I usually try to think very logically, though i am still just a teenager, so a bit emotional stuff there anyway. But i manage to keep up with school, i just hate the disorder, it doesn't have to be like that..

    You could say i'm tired of teenagers, even though i'm one myself.. It's just wearing me out, everyone talking behind their backs about each other. I try to be as respectful as possible, i get rather angry when most other people blatantly act disrespectfully towards one another.

    Soon i'll at least have some rest with summer.
    • 17 posts
    June 3, 2016 4:23 AM EDT
    I guess a bit of mutual respect and decency is a bit much to ask of hormone-raging teenagers.
    • 177 posts
    June 3, 2016 4:32 AM EDT

    Thanks a ton Ry, that makes me feel better! Well, lately I've been okay, and things have been improving a little! I finally got a job, as a Walmart cashier to be exact, but it's better than nothing I suppose. I'm still with my girlfriend and all my friends are doing well, except my best friend, his dog just died. I'm trying to help him through it though! 

    How have you been yourself Ry? 

    • 649 posts
    June 3, 2016 4:46 AM EDT

    Oh, yeah, I have something to rant about, and it´s going to be short.

    I don´t like when there is a Contest and one of the contestants decides to withdraw his likes from other builds because those builds are breathing on his neck. If you have to lose, lose with dignity, god damn it. Throwing sticks under someone´s feet...If I won´t see those likes back I´m withdrawing MY like from that contestant´s build, just for the sake of fair play...

    Honestly...how would you feel about this, people?

    • 641 posts
    June 3, 2016 5:09 AM EDT

    This sounds like something that should be against the rules, it's essentially fixing the votes.

    • 649 posts
    June 3, 2016 5:35 AM EDT
    So I'm not the only one who thinks that...good.
    • 1467 posts
    June 3, 2016 9:28 AM EDT
    I'm going to take a stab in the dark and...well actually I narrowed it down by simply looking at likes and post dates.

    I agree completely Karver, it just absolutely disgusts me if its true (I haven't seen proof of the original likes but I would take your word for it).

    It's a fucking contest for a tag and some artwork, no offence of course to Curse and whoever takes the Screenshots but it isn't worth being a total dick about and ruining the spirit of an Event.

    If I can at least prove to myself that this is true...then I have no doubt I'll be doing the same thing as you and pulling both my support in likes and comments.
    • 59 posts
    June 3, 2016 9:36 AM EDT

    Yes! That posses me off. If it is a good build, you like it. If it isn't, don't. But they are all really good in this contest so far.

    • 649 posts
    June 3, 2016 10:22 AM EDT
    I'm 100% positive, DB. And it pisses me off to no end, even while I'm not a participant in that contest.
    • 54 posts
    June 3, 2016 11:14 AM EDT

    I've only been in a contest once, but when I was, I liked every build. Towards the end I kind of fell of the wagon, due to not being as active on the sight, but all of the builds that won I had liked. I was afraid if I tried to just like the "Good" ones, I would end up not liking any/very few to give myself  a better chance. I agree with you, it's disgusting when people do that.

    • 485 posts
    June 3, 2016 11:27 AM EDT
    One thing that irks me is this dividing line between newer and older members in certain parts of the vault. No where is this more apparent than in the Skyrim CB group.

    Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is just a video game fan site. We shouldn't take ourselves or each other so seriously. Because if we're not having fun here and making friends, then what's the point?
    • 1441 posts
    June 3, 2016 11:54 AM EDT

    True Curse, so true

    • 485 posts
    June 3, 2016 12:52 PM EDT

    I definitely dont agree with this person's actions, but I dont think additional rules regarding likes will fix this. 

    • 649 posts
    June 3, 2016 12:59 PM EDT

    If you make a rule that participants can´t like other contest builds, then you´ll prevent at least contestants from doing this shit.

    Sure, it won´t prevent them manipulating other people to not like or withdraw likes, but...

    Sorry, this really got under my skin. I´m rather pessimistic about people in this moment. 

    • 1595 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:23 PM EDT

    Hey Karves  I get why you are so tightly wound up, I am too. It is all so much horseshit. From my point of view there is a fundamental problem with the entire group and building mentality. It is so competitive, so pressured and far from the fun it should be.

    I swore months ago that I would never build again. Even my collaboration with DB was hard decision to make. I had thought I was cured of this, but recent events you are discussing have set me back. 

    That's from me, a long term member and confident contributor. If I feel this, how must new members feel? Far from the welcoming place of creativity other areas of the site display.

    What makes it worse is there is no easy fix. It requires a complete change in culture, one that I honestly do not know whether it  would do more harm than good. This secrecy builders have, this obsession with likes, this inability to drop the walls and create free from feelings of insecurity.... I don't know, I hate it. Like, I get it. I was there once. But with time it ceases to matter. Part of me could happily destroy every build I have ever done. 

    So I get that building and creating is a personal and private thing. I support that. What I do have a problem with is some of the reasons it is private and personal. If it is a thing held close out of insecurity, then there is a huge problem. 

    This unliking of builds, to me, is a symptom of that insecurity. I do not know what the right thing to do is. But I do know it cannot go unanswered to. It has happened before and will do so again until the problem is fixed and until the problem is fixed we have good and talented individuals saying "never again." 

    • 485 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:32 PM EDT
    It sucks, I know. Winning isn't worth being that much of a dick. Still in the interest of keeping contest rules relatively simple, I'd rather not place restrictions on what competitors may like.

    This issue could be avoided in the future if we used judges rather than likes to determine contest winners. But people have loudly voiced their disdain for the idea of contest judges.
    • 1441 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:54 PM EDT

    It's all a load of

    HORSE APPLES

    • 1441 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:55 PM EDT

    Didn't we have judges in the first two contests? Also, what secrecy? Like not revealing info about builds?

    • 485 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:57 PM EDT
    It's a difficult balance unfortunately, Phil. On one hand things like the rank system, contests, and the drive to gain notoriety as a talented builder have motivated people to put forth some awesome stuff.

    On the other hand, as you have said, it can perhaps be intimidating to newer members. But any steps taken to lessen the pressure will cause a noticeable dip in the quality we've come to be known for.

    For example: I could stop death matches altogether. It would certainly make things more novice friendly. But doing so would not only saturate the site with subpar builds, but also leave people with little incentive to put more than half an ass worth of effort into their builds.

    It's hard to say, but perhaps the balance lies not in policy change, but in establishing better community ties. Making a quality build is hard, but nobody should ever feel like they're on their own. They shouldn't feel too intimidated to ask an experienced member for help.
    • 485 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:59 PM EDT

    I didnt mention anything about secrecy.

    • 1595 posts
    June 3, 2016 1:59 PM EDT

    Yeah, judges,didn't work before  Ahh, the glory days! It is so much better than it used to be. Yet there is still a long way to go. 

    I know there needs to be standards, that a build almost represents an idea drawn from multiple areas and as such needs to be good, but I sometimes feel that the standards are too high, or that there is a perception of having high standards that is off-putting. The building environment doesn't feel fun, too fraught with feelings of inadequacy. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a dig at you, or Albino, or anyone else. More a commentary on the culture of building. We all need to relax, not be afraid of sharing what inspires us and enjoy the process of creation without fear of falling short. 

    Like, with competition there should be a code of conduct or something. Accountability. You enter into it knowing that if certain actions are carried out there will be repercussions. Yet even that could do more harm than good. I just don't know Curse. I know how I feel, can imagine how others feel, but don't know what the right thing to do is. 

    • 1595 posts
    June 3, 2016 2:14 PM EDT

    I get it completely. That is why I am struggling. Normally I have an opinion and throw it down, stand by it. But CB? I just don't know. The best builds come from a feeling of competition. It pushes us to be better. There is nothing wrong with that. Competition is healthy.

    Yet with all competition there are feelings. Hurts, insecurities and all that bad stuff. That is not an easy thing to deal with. Yet I feel if builders were more open about their projects and inspirations, the community would be more engaged with one another. 

    In my opinion the best events have been collabs. Bonds were forged, friendships formed and open exchanges of ideas happened. I think it should be like that all the time. 

    I just don't know how.