Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2006 4:01:04 GMT -5
IN LAIMAN'S TERMS - EDITION 3
August 8th, 2006
If the title is any notation to which the main section of this column will be relating, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the Pay-Per-View that will commence very soon, and any storylines to which will follow. No, this column is about a bigger issue, one currently plaguing the OOC boards and most of our sanity simultaneously. But first, let me delve into my background of both RPing and running an RP federation.
It's been almost nine years since the first time I sat down at a computer and sent out my first RP, which would've likely made Blade look like a world champion. It was at the height of the attitude era, and mostly a bunch of kids who just wanted to be their favorite superstars. The results weren't even determined based on your RPing abilities; they were simulated on the owner's Nintendo 64 console. Quality results right there, let me tell you... Well, at least it was to a bunch of twelve-year-olds.
Soon, however, it got very tiring and redundant. You'd check your email and have 163 messages, some from people sending out six or seven five-line promos, and then getting into arguments with each other because they didn't know the difference between character insults and personal ones. When that first federation of which I was a part finally died down, I recruited some of the members and formed W4L, named after the at-the-time co-owner's website, Wrestling-4-Life. There were ten of us, and yes, we were all terrible. The results were terrible, the RPing was terrible, but damn it was a lot of fun. A few of us were in school together, and we were always talking about what we were going to do next.
About a year passed, and the co-owner who never became active informed me of his decision to quit, and ordered me to change the name because of his site being copyrighted (Zellmo, anyone?). At which point, a match was about to take place between two of the biggest stars we had, if you could call them that... Bryan Fury and Happy Fishmore, in a little match I came up with, but didn't have a name for it yet. A two-caged, brutal match beyond all our wildest dreams at the time, and since it was at the height of all the ECW-hardcore bloodfests, we came up with the name "Hardcore Hell". It became the moniker of our federation, although it started as "Hardcore Hellacious Wrestling", we shortened it down to "Hardcore Hell Wrestling". So for those of you who were wondering, that's where it all began.
All throughout junior high, I ran three events a week, if you can imagine that. Tuesday Thunder, Thursday Smackdown, and Saturday Night's Main Event. There was a Pay-Per-View every other week, and believe it or not, RPing and results were consistent for almost three consecutive years. People came and went... as a matter of fact, I think we had seven different people playing the Rock over the course of that time, but the mainstays were Vincent Coldblood, Tricia Briggs, and Bryan Fury. We fought each other and tagged with each other more times than we could've counted, and though Bryan and I were best friends in real life, the four of us became rather tight, though it was inevitable the latter two would never meet us.
In 2002, I put HHW on a hiatus for a little while. After such a long time of playing real wrestlers and bland characters, I felt the need to create a new personality. One that represented me as a person, one to which I could filter in my personal life and make things interesting as a result. "Al", which is a shortened version of my name, "Alexander", is what I came up with first. Then, due to my constant feelings of mediocrity, I decided to alter the term "Layman", and use the name "Laiman." I entered Al Laiman into a place called UVW, which was short-lived, but probably the kickstart of my RPing career as Al Laiman. Al Laiman was the up-and-coming underdog superstar, teaming with the legendary Captain Caveman, who later became the only UVW champion in history by defeating Al Laiman, ironically. UVW was different from any other federation, in the sense that the matches didn't take place in the ring. Instead, they took place in a pit, which was like the Lion's Den with no mat. UVW was headed by Steven Creed, a guy who ended UVW by virtually killing his character. However, what made UVW a success was the keen participation. Once a week, there would be meetings with all characters involved, and Creed would inform each character of their progress. A lot of interactive things made UVW a lot of fun, and a damn shame when it collapsed a mere three months later. No one ever complained to Steven Creed, and no one ever quit UVW. He inspired me to re-open HHW and make it a lot more fun.
Before I did, however, I took part in the EWA, which is where a friend of mine named Eugene (you all briefly knew him as Geno) realized that he and I had been participating in the same activity and didn't even know we knew each other in real life. Al Laiman was a two-time EWA champion and only lost a grand total of one match in his six-month EWA career. An HHW: Invasion angle spelled the end of EWA, as Tricia Briggs and Vincent Coldblood were the cornerstones of a re-forming HHW. Business was high, RPs were stellar, and with the addition of a good friend of mine, Joey Cranston, a collaborative effort made HHW the best it had ever been.
Something was different, though. Something was going on that had never happened before in all my time of running a federation. People were complaining about results, especially if they didn't like what happened to their character. Joey was a hardass, and was often quite frank with anyone who complained. He explained to them that if they didn't like it, they could get the hell out. The door was not locked. That was a strength which I often wish I had, for I have the uncanny ability to try to make everyone happy. Joey was the stronger link in HHW, and I will give him eternal credit for holding that place together.
It really hurts when you put so much of yourself into something, purely for other people's entertainment, and they turn around and trash it on you. They insult you, they belittle you, and strike you on levels you didn't even know you could feel over an internet wrestling federation. I guess with all of us growing up, we were taking it a lot more seriously. Wrestling was not nearly as popular as it once was, and those of us left over in the internet wrestling federations were no longer seeking to emulate our favorite wrestlers, oh no. We wanted to be better than what you saw on television, and through our continuous creativity, believed that we were the better alternative than tuning in to see the Triple H title reign of 2003. However, at that time, I was under constant criticism, as some people believed I was the Triple H of HHW. I had all but given control of HHW over to Joey Cranston, just stayed with a lot of the match-writing, and through his judgment, I was HHW champion. Because almost everyone there had gotten used to me, I decided to create a new character. Not just because I didn't want them to know it was me, but because I wanted to know what people truly thought of my writing.
The character of Lantlas came from a Lord of the Rings fanfiction, in which my then-fiancee Kaylene and I came up with when we laid in bed at night and talked. Lantlas had a brother named Neovan, and that was the elf's weakness. If his brother got hurt, Lantlas could die. Since Neovan was the annoying, self-proclaimed ladies' man, the chances of him getting hurt were extremely high at times. Kaylene created the characters of Kieran Evenstar and Chances, who was a shapeshifter dragon. Because I felt that it wouldn't be the characters of Lantlas and Neovan without the Elven identities, I decided to attempt to pull off actually making wrestlers elves. To give you an idea of how far I've come with those characters, here is the first ever Lantlas and Neovan promo I wrote.
"As the fans are intermixing, finding their way into
the latest HHW extravaganza, the HHW superstars begin
to arrive at the building. Among the favorite
superstars are two gentlemen who look completely
unfamiliar to anyone. One stands taller, maybe 6'7,
with long dark blue hair, turning purple at the tips.
The other stands around 6'2, but heavier than the
taller one, with hair strands that vary between red
and royal blue. The shorter one is obviously the loud
and outspoken type, as the taller one merely watches
everything silently, making sure the shorter one stays
out of trouble. As the two make their way to the
backstage area, they are confronted by an HHW road
agent.
AGENT- Sorry guys, fans aren't allowed backstage.
SHORT GUY- We're not fans, big guy.
AGENT- Sure you're not. Now make your way to the front
gates before I call security.
SHORT GUY- Call security all you want, you incompetent
douche bag. We're the new signees.
AGENT- You mean, you freaks are the ones named Lantlas
and Neovan?
SHORT GUY- You're a quick one. The name's Neovan, and
my older brother Lantlas stands behind me.
AGENT- Why doesn't he ever talk?
NEOVAN- He does... on occasion.
AGENT- How's he expect to make it in this business as
the silent type?
NEOVAN- Apparently a lot better than you did, because
I guarantee he won't be working security anytime soon.
Neovan breezes by the security guard, and runs after
the first woman he sees on the inside. Lantlas watches
his brother unsuccessfully try to pick up a date as
the road agent studies Lantlas carefully.
AGENT- You're a big guy; excuse my earlier comment to
your brother.
LANTLAS- ....
AGENT- So where'd you wrestle before Mr. Cranston
signed you?
LANTLAS- ....
AGENT- You deaf there, guy?
Lantlas looks down at the road agent, peering into his
eyes for a good thirty seconds.
LANTLAS- It would be wise to let any female know of
Neovan's presence in the building.
AGENT- And why is that, may I ask?
LANTLAS- So he doesn't end up with a broken neck and a
swollen pelvis when they do run into each other.
Lantlas steps away, following the signs that guide the
superstars to their locker rooms. Lantlas reaches the
locker room that has been assigned to them, and as he
opens the door, Neovan can be seen inside, talking to
an HHW interviewer at full speed.
NEOVAN- ...And that's why were here, big guy! My
brother Lantlas and I will tear apart anyone they
throw at us! I've heard the names of these goons they
have signed on this roster... They're nothing! The tag
team championship is ours the minute the big guy
upstairs gives us the shot! In the meantime, anyone
who wants a shot at us, line them up! There isn't
anyone in this business who can compete with the likes
of... Oh, hey Lantlas! I was... just...
LANTLAS- Setting us up for organization-wide hatred?
NEOVAN- No... Just... Getting our names out there.
Letting the superstars know that there's two new guys
in town, and if they come after us...
LANTLAS- You mean come after you?
NEOVAN- Wh-why would they do that?
LANTLAS- You're the one talking all the trash.
NEOVAN- Lantlas! It's guilty by association!
Naturally, if they come after me, they'll come after
you, too!
LANTLAS- Then I feel sorry for whatever fool decides
to risk his health.
NEOVAN- That's more like it, Lantlas! Now, if you'll
excuse me, Mr. Interviewer Person, my brother and I
have some business to take care of.
LANTLAS- Oh, now I'm excited.
The interviewer leaves the room and closes the door
behind him. The road agent approaches the interviewer
afterward.
AGENT- Who the hell are those guys?
INTERVIEWER- I don't know, but that Neovan guy is
going to get a boot in his mouth if his older brother
isn't around 24/7.
AGENT- Got that right.
The two leave."
It was two years before anyone but Kaylene and Joey knew who Lantlas really was. Even Seth Sinn didn't figure it out until several weeks into PCW, and Anthony Douglas didn't even believe me when I told him. But, you may be asking yourselves, why am I using what is usually an in-character rantfest of a column and now explaining to you my background as an RPer and a fedowner? It is because coming from someone who's been doing this a helluva long time, and someone who's constantly had to put up with people bitching about their characters, about the results on which you spend hours, and just fighting with each other in general, it makes me appreciate how special the PCW really is.
I do not know how much crap Icey takes, but if it's anything like I used to have to put up with, I can imagine it's not always motivating to keep going when you think everyone just shits on everything you do. What I do know is that, despite what goes on, Icey, and now Ace as well, keep on delivering us the best damn internet wrestling community they possibly can. PCW has done me the world of good, for it has transformed me from a mediocre, "tear-apart" RPer into a novelist. How did this happen? It was a slow progression, but through feedback and often-harsh criticism, I realized what I was doing wrong, and I corrected what I needed to in order to bring out the best in my character and go where I wanted to be, which was the main event.
Looking back on it, I realized how angry I was at the time, and I bet I was a pain in the ass to Icey especially. However, I'm grateful for all the help I ended up receiving, as I don't even mention my first couple weeks in PCW as a result of how bad it was in comparison to what I've become. Constructive criticism is not an attack on your writing ability, or as some would take it, an insult to your intelligence and everything you've done. They're not telling this stuff to you to make themselves feel better and to be a prick. They're telling you what they expect, and how you can bring out the best in yourself to perform on the level of which you're capable. I'm living proof of what can happen when you take the criticism and apply it. Others, however, not so much.
I've worked with Anthony Douglas before, when I ran HHW. Trust me, he gave me shit over his character all the time, but HHW was mostly an in-ring, trashtalk promo fed, so he didn't stand out so much there. Despite my constant explaining to him that this wasn't HHW; that there were much higher and different expectations here, he refused to alter his style or take any criticism whatsoever, cause after all, he's a genius and knows everything. We're the stupid ones. Hell, he's insulted every single one of us here, in statements like these...
"djalumnus: Problem is, everyone wants me to expand Anthony, but I look at most everyone else and it's the same crap all the time. Lantlas' pointless meandering, Ace's "I'm the greatest," NCM's constant self loathing. Even you kind of say the same thing and repeat yourself."
The fact that Anthony acted the way he did to two people I respect very much in Andrew and Luis disgusts me. I read over his argument with them, and realized what an ignorant, arrogant, stuck-up, self-righteous asshole he was being. With all the time we spend on the OOC boards being mockingly-angry at one another, I think we have a pretty tight-knit community here. We RP our asses off, we spam on the OOCs, but no one puts as much time into this place as Luis and Ace do, and for someone to insult their intelligence and their ability as he did is not just wrong, it's unforgivable. There are times I don't agree with them, and I handle it in a pretty decent manner. There is no excuse for treating either of those guys like that, especially with all they do for us.
Perhaps this is an extended, not-so-random appreciation thread, but I felt it was necessary. PCW means a great deal to me, and for someone to trash it as a few people I know have, makes me ashamed to know said people. The truth is a virus, isn't it? And as far as I'm concerned, those who aren't down with PCW shouldn't be here anyway. No one is above criticism, and no one deserves to be spoken to the way he did in those group conversations.
Sorry if this was out of line. Next week, I'll return to my regular style. I just felt this was necessary. Thank you, everyone.
August 8th, 2006
If the title is any notation to which the main section of this column will be relating, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the Pay-Per-View that will commence very soon, and any storylines to which will follow. No, this column is about a bigger issue, one currently plaguing the OOC boards and most of our sanity simultaneously. But first, let me delve into my background of both RPing and running an RP federation.
It's been almost nine years since the first time I sat down at a computer and sent out my first RP, which would've likely made Blade look like a world champion. It was at the height of the attitude era, and mostly a bunch of kids who just wanted to be their favorite superstars. The results weren't even determined based on your RPing abilities; they were simulated on the owner's Nintendo 64 console. Quality results right there, let me tell you... Well, at least it was to a bunch of twelve-year-olds.
Soon, however, it got very tiring and redundant. You'd check your email and have 163 messages, some from people sending out six or seven five-line promos, and then getting into arguments with each other because they didn't know the difference between character insults and personal ones. When that first federation of which I was a part finally died down, I recruited some of the members and formed W4L, named after the at-the-time co-owner's website, Wrestling-4-Life. There were ten of us, and yes, we were all terrible. The results were terrible, the RPing was terrible, but damn it was a lot of fun. A few of us were in school together, and we were always talking about what we were going to do next.
About a year passed, and the co-owner who never became active informed me of his decision to quit, and ordered me to change the name because of his site being copyrighted (Zellmo, anyone?). At which point, a match was about to take place between two of the biggest stars we had, if you could call them that... Bryan Fury and Happy Fishmore, in a little match I came up with, but didn't have a name for it yet. A two-caged, brutal match beyond all our wildest dreams at the time, and since it was at the height of all the ECW-hardcore bloodfests, we came up with the name "Hardcore Hell". It became the moniker of our federation, although it started as "Hardcore Hellacious Wrestling", we shortened it down to "Hardcore Hell Wrestling". So for those of you who were wondering, that's where it all began.
All throughout junior high, I ran three events a week, if you can imagine that. Tuesday Thunder, Thursday Smackdown, and Saturday Night's Main Event. There was a Pay-Per-View every other week, and believe it or not, RPing and results were consistent for almost three consecutive years. People came and went... as a matter of fact, I think we had seven different people playing the Rock over the course of that time, but the mainstays were Vincent Coldblood, Tricia Briggs, and Bryan Fury. We fought each other and tagged with each other more times than we could've counted, and though Bryan and I were best friends in real life, the four of us became rather tight, though it was inevitable the latter two would never meet us.
In 2002, I put HHW on a hiatus for a little while. After such a long time of playing real wrestlers and bland characters, I felt the need to create a new personality. One that represented me as a person, one to which I could filter in my personal life and make things interesting as a result. "Al", which is a shortened version of my name, "Alexander", is what I came up with first. Then, due to my constant feelings of mediocrity, I decided to alter the term "Layman", and use the name "Laiman." I entered Al Laiman into a place called UVW, which was short-lived, but probably the kickstart of my RPing career as Al Laiman. Al Laiman was the up-and-coming underdog superstar, teaming with the legendary Captain Caveman, who later became the only UVW champion in history by defeating Al Laiman, ironically. UVW was different from any other federation, in the sense that the matches didn't take place in the ring. Instead, they took place in a pit, which was like the Lion's Den with no mat. UVW was headed by Steven Creed, a guy who ended UVW by virtually killing his character. However, what made UVW a success was the keen participation. Once a week, there would be meetings with all characters involved, and Creed would inform each character of their progress. A lot of interactive things made UVW a lot of fun, and a damn shame when it collapsed a mere three months later. No one ever complained to Steven Creed, and no one ever quit UVW. He inspired me to re-open HHW and make it a lot more fun.
Before I did, however, I took part in the EWA, which is where a friend of mine named Eugene (you all briefly knew him as Geno) realized that he and I had been participating in the same activity and didn't even know we knew each other in real life. Al Laiman was a two-time EWA champion and only lost a grand total of one match in his six-month EWA career. An HHW: Invasion angle spelled the end of EWA, as Tricia Briggs and Vincent Coldblood were the cornerstones of a re-forming HHW. Business was high, RPs were stellar, and with the addition of a good friend of mine, Joey Cranston, a collaborative effort made HHW the best it had ever been.
Something was different, though. Something was going on that had never happened before in all my time of running a federation. People were complaining about results, especially if they didn't like what happened to their character. Joey was a hardass, and was often quite frank with anyone who complained. He explained to them that if they didn't like it, they could get the hell out. The door was not locked. That was a strength which I often wish I had, for I have the uncanny ability to try to make everyone happy. Joey was the stronger link in HHW, and I will give him eternal credit for holding that place together.
It really hurts when you put so much of yourself into something, purely for other people's entertainment, and they turn around and trash it on you. They insult you, they belittle you, and strike you on levels you didn't even know you could feel over an internet wrestling federation. I guess with all of us growing up, we were taking it a lot more seriously. Wrestling was not nearly as popular as it once was, and those of us left over in the internet wrestling federations were no longer seeking to emulate our favorite wrestlers, oh no. We wanted to be better than what you saw on television, and through our continuous creativity, believed that we were the better alternative than tuning in to see the Triple H title reign of 2003. However, at that time, I was under constant criticism, as some people believed I was the Triple H of HHW. I had all but given control of HHW over to Joey Cranston, just stayed with a lot of the match-writing, and through his judgment, I was HHW champion. Because almost everyone there had gotten used to me, I decided to create a new character. Not just because I didn't want them to know it was me, but because I wanted to know what people truly thought of my writing.
The character of Lantlas came from a Lord of the Rings fanfiction, in which my then-fiancee Kaylene and I came up with when we laid in bed at night and talked. Lantlas had a brother named Neovan, and that was the elf's weakness. If his brother got hurt, Lantlas could die. Since Neovan was the annoying, self-proclaimed ladies' man, the chances of him getting hurt were extremely high at times. Kaylene created the characters of Kieran Evenstar and Chances, who was a shapeshifter dragon. Because I felt that it wouldn't be the characters of Lantlas and Neovan without the Elven identities, I decided to attempt to pull off actually making wrestlers elves. To give you an idea of how far I've come with those characters, here is the first ever Lantlas and Neovan promo I wrote.
"As the fans are intermixing, finding their way into
the latest HHW extravaganza, the HHW superstars begin
to arrive at the building. Among the favorite
superstars are two gentlemen who look completely
unfamiliar to anyone. One stands taller, maybe 6'7,
with long dark blue hair, turning purple at the tips.
The other stands around 6'2, but heavier than the
taller one, with hair strands that vary between red
and royal blue. The shorter one is obviously the loud
and outspoken type, as the taller one merely watches
everything silently, making sure the shorter one stays
out of trouble. As the two make their way to the
backstage area, they are confronted by an HHW road
agent.
AGENT- Sorry guys, fans aren't allowed backstage.
SHORT GUY- We're not fans, big guy.
AGENT- Sure you're not. Now make your way to the front
gates before I call security.
SHORT GUY- Call security all you want, you incompetent
douche bag. We're the new signees.
AGENT- You mean, you freaks are the ones named Lantlas
and Neovan?
SHORT GUY- You're a quick one. The name's Neovan, and
my older brother Lantlas stands behind me.
AGENT- Why doesn't he ever talk?
NEOVAN- He does... on occasion.
AGENT- How's he expect to make it in this business as
the silent type?
NEOVAN- Apparently a lot better than you did, because
I guarantee he won't be working security anytime soon.
Neovan breezes by the security guard, and runs after
the first woman he sees on the inside. Lantlas watches
his brother unsuccessfully try to pick up a date as
the road agent studies Lantlas carefully.
AGENT- You're a big guy; excuse my earlier comment to
your brother.
LANTLAS- ....
AGENT- So where'd you wrestle before Mr. Cranston
signed you?
LANTLAS- ....
AGENT- You deaf there, guy?
Lantlas looks down at the road agent, peering into his
eyes for a good thirty seconds.
LANTLAS- It would be wise to let any female know of
Neovan's presence in the building.
AGENT- And why is that, may I ask?
LANTLAS- So he doesn't end up with a broken neck and a
swollen pelvis when they do run into each other.
Lantlas steps away, following the signs that guide the
superstars to their locker rooms. Lantlas reaches the
locker room that has been assigned to them, and as he
opens the door, Neovan can be seen inside, talking to
an HHW interviewer at full speed.
NEOVAN- ...And that's why were here, big guy! My
brother Lantlas and I will tear apart anyone they
throw at us! I've heard the names of these goons they
have signed on this roster... They're nothing! The tag
team championship is ours the minute the big guy
upstairs gives us the shot! In the meantime, anyone
who wants a shot at us, line them up! There isn't
anyone in this business who can compete with the likes
of... Oh, hey Lantlas! I was... just...
LANTLAS- Setting us up for organization-wide hatred?
NEOVAN- No... Just... Getting our names out there.
Letting the superstars know that there's two new guys
in town, and if they come after us...
LANTLAS- You mean come after you?
NEOVAN- Wh-why would they do that?
LANTLAS- You're the one talking all the trash.
NEOVAN- Lantlas! It's guilty by association!
Naturally, if they come after me, they'll come after
you, too!
LANTLAS- Then I feel sorry for whatever fool decides
to risk his health.
NEOVAN- That's more like it, Lantlas! Now, if you'll
excuse me, Mr. Interviewer Person, my brother and I
have some business to take care of.
LANTLAS- Oh, now I'm excited.
The interviewer leaves the room and closes the door
behind him. The road agent approaches the interviewer
afterward.
AGENT- Who the hell are those guys?
INTERVIEWER- I don't know, but that Neovan guy is
going to get a boot in his mouth if his older brother
isn't around 24/7.
AGENT- Got that right.
The two leave."
It was two years before anyone but Kaylene and Joey knew who Lantlas really was. Even Seth Sinn didn't figure it out until several weeks into PCW, and Anthony Douglas didn't even believe me when I told him. But, you may be asking yourselves, why am I using what is usually an in-character rantfest of a column and now explaining to you my background as an RPer and a fedowner? It is because coming from someone who's been doing this a helluva long time, and someone who's constantly had to put up with people bitching about their characters, about the results on which you spend hours, and just fighting with each other in general, it makes me appreciate how special the PCW really is.
I do not know how much crap Icey takes, but if it's anything like I used to have to put up with, I can imagine it's not always motivating to keep going when you think everyone just shits on everything you do. What I do know is that, despite what goes on, Icey, and now Ace as well, keep on delivering us the best damn internet wrestling community they possibly can. PCW has done me the world of good, for it has transformed me from a mediocre, "tear-apart" RPer into a novelist. How did this happen? It was a slow progression, but through feedback and often-harsh criticism, I realized what I was doing wrong, and I corrected what I needed to in order to bring out the best in my character and go where I wanted to be, which was the main event.
Looking back on it, I realized how angry I was at the time, and I bet I was a pain in the ass to Icey especially. However, I'm grateful for all the help I ended up receiving, as I don't even mention my first couple weeks in PCW as a result of how bad it was in comparison to what I've become. Constructive criticism is not an attack on your writing ability, or as some would take it, an insult to your intelligence and everything you've done. They're not telling this stuff to you to make themselves feel better and to be a prick. They're telling you what they expect, and how you can bring out the best in yourself to perform on the level of which you're capable. I'm living proof of what can happen when you take the criticism and apply it. Others, however, not so much.
I've worked with Anthony Douglas before, when I ran HHW. Trust me, he gave me shit over his character all the time, but HHW was mostly an in-ring, trashtalk promo fed, so he didn't stand out so much there. Despite my constant explaining to him that this wasn't HHW; that there were much higher and different expectations here, he refused to alter his style or take any criticism whatsoever, cause after all, he's a genius and knows everything. We're the stupid ones. Hell, he's insulted every single one of us here, in statements like these...
"djalumnus: Problem is, everyone wants me to expand Anthony, but I look at most everyone else and it's the same crap all the time. Lantlas' pointless meandering, Ace's "I'm the greatest," NCM's constant self loathing. Even you kind of say the same thing and repeat yourself."
The fact that Anthony acted the way he did to two people I respect very much in Andrew and Luis disgusts me. I read over his argument with them, and realized what an ignorant, arrogant, stuck-up, self-righteous asshole he was being. With all the time we spend on the OOC boards being mockingly-angry at one another, I think we have a pretty tight-knit community here. We RP our asses off, we spam on the OOCs, but no one puts as much time into this place as Luis and Ace do, and for someone to insult their intelligence and their ability as he did is not just wrong, it's unforgivable. There are times I don't agree with them, and I handle it in a pretty decent manner. There is no excuse for treating either of those guys like that, especially with all they do for us.
Perhaps this is an extended, not-so-random appreciation thread, but I felt it was necessary. PCW means a great deal to me, and for someone to trash it as a few people I know have, makes me ashamed to know said people. The truth is a virus, isn't it? And as far as I'm concerned, those who aren't down with PCW shouldn't be here anyway. No one is above criticism, and no one deserves to be spoken to the way he did in those group conversations.
Sorry if this was out of line. Next week, I'll return to my regular style. I just felt this was necessary. Thank you, everyone.