Invisible Boundaries

[loveofreason]

For the longest time our little forum has been small enough to operate on a sort of 'unspoken agreement' everyone-knows-everyone basis. We had a lot of trust (as much as we INTPs can ), relative openness and fun. Ideas were still the centrepiece, despite the wonderful insanities and quirks of our various personalities.

Members from that time have built up a lot of credit with one another.

Obviously for newcomers, this makes life difficult. As Cow has pointed out, the reality for a newcomer now is how to make a unique place for themselves where all the roles seem to be already filled...

...and I will add - MOST IMPORTANTLY - how to do that without transgressing the invisible boundaries that established members are well aware of.

Now having a set of rules written in stone is not to be desired, but we can have a discussion here.

So, what is and isn't tolerated? What is/isn't acceptable conduct? What do you perceive the boundaries to be? What do you expect of others and of yourself?

 

[Melkor]

I think, as opposed to a rule list, we should have a fun, not entirely serious post which outlines the forum and it's devices, a few of the prominent members and what to look out for, as well as describing how you should act, all performed in a style that suits the forum, thus increaseing their education.

 

[loveofreason]

Yes.

That is exactly what we need. I wondered how to ask the question without getting 'a list of rules', which is exactly what I don't want. I'm allergic.

But I must step aside to watch the drama as it is painted, because I'm meant to be the audience here - I'm conducting a review of the kingdom.

*Hands over the floor to the court's enigmatic, troubled, loved and hated orphan of royal descent and aspiring evil... Melkor....*

Actually, I have a suggestion now... we could tell this as an historic tale, taking turns at narration, with words from the relevant folk of each era, and have side by side a thread for any comments questions, extractions that may illuminate the tale and the morals 'invisible code of conduct' held within....

oh wait... no Melkor's suggestion should work better, but I want to incorporate the history of the forum into it...

 

[loveofreason]

chapt. one. In which we are defined "not a democracy"

A young liege by the name of Ragnar (actually the once infamous Claverhouse in disguise) and his accomplice Lightspeed, being displeased with the state of affairs in their once fair Kingdom, INTPcentral, set out to establish for themselves a new principality. A hidden land within which the true INTP could flourish unmolested, and take his ease from the wearying world....

This new Kingdom was named INTPforum and was declared to be free of that greatest scourge of human society - democracy!

oh... and it was declared OK if INTJs wanted to visit too...

 

[Melkor]

Of course....

but we need everyone to take part....



I'll doa bit..maybe an anaylsis of each member...hrmm a topic would help....

 

[loveofreason]

I'm trying to set the scene with a little background... and yes, I encourage the older members first to take part at their 'bit' or whatever, so that everyone enters the story at something approximating chronological order. Very approximating.

Does this Kingdom have a Code of Honour!? Yes... and it shall hopefully be revealed, along with the characters we have known. And a bit of acting.


chapt two. After the beginning.

The new Kingdom did languish for many months, being the child of depression, and little interested in trade with the outside world. Very slowly a couple dozen visitors passed across its borders, and most kept right on traveling. Yours truly happened across it and was instantly enamoured of the fresh air, the dark setting and lack of bustling populace. Loveofreason felt at home and took up residence, finding Lightspeed a congenial and non intrusive laird. She chatted with the odd traveler passing through and mostly enjoyed the silence.

... one day she returned to find some youngster had persistently been replying to various posts, including her own self absorbed ramblings...

 

[Melkor]

Invisible boudaries - the discussion

Oh my...who could that be?


I vote wisp....

 

[loveofreason]

Aye.

And we really need Wisp to come along at this point and contribute his memories of the beginning.

But if you wish to provide an introduction now to lor that isn't too denigrating... no that should wait for your arrival on the scene, when you tell what it was like finding a hen-house full of plunder... just wait till we get to Cabbo.

from the lore of INTPforum: know the difference between the Ne driven evolution of threads (as seen here) and plain old Hijacking.

edit: Oh damnit!!! Just remembered I'm not meant to be telling you the boundaries from on high ...well, as an observer of the period I can make note of what I observed as well as any other member. Plans can change. Any little bits like the above that I add shall henceforth just be considered the lore or lor because I like plays on words. Don't stone me guys. And yes... we'll get there - we're taking the INTP route​

 

[Wisp]

I was asked to post my memories of my early days. I suppose I should give some background.

I found the forum late one night, after kianara (yes, that one) reminded me that MBTI existed. I had remembered taking a quiz-thing once in the gifted program at school, and I had thought it was pretty cool. However, I went back, and I read the entire typelogic.com website. Then, being an INTP, I thought that was awesome, and looked at the INTP links at the bottom of the INTP page on that selfsame website.

Lo and behold, I was transported into an incredible and mostly deserted land, filled with dark backgrounds, butterflies, and polyamorous posters. Seeing that I was in a psychological upswing at the time, I was seriously psyched about finding the forum. So, I read the entire forum. I could that, because in those days, posts were measured per week, if that. So, I responded to more or less EVERY POST. Now, I did this, having a conversation with everyone possible, and loved every second of it. I soon had the highest post count of anyone around. My post count was around 100. Woo-hoo!

Anyways, then a guy called Cabbo Pearimo showed up, hailing from far away Ireland. (There were a couple people from Ohio, too, including Alie, who has since left us.) Anyways, Cabbo, having too much time on his hands, took me up at my game. He started replying to all of my posts as I responded to all of his! I could hardly keep up! I was delighted.

Anyways, as we generated more material than ever before (some of it fluff, some not) more and more people would respond to us. In this way, we got everyone to start posting on a more or less regular basis. We also attracted more members, to fill the gaps. It was somewhaere after this time that Jesin joined, iirc.

It was in this way that I brought the forum to life. And I saw that it was good.

 

[Wisp]

I didn't actually know that Ragnar and lightspeed came from INTPc, actually. It makes me glad that even though we were originally a split from INTPc, we aren't like them, at least I hope not!

 

[Ermine]

Oh, all right. I guess I should...

I came upon this forum after I stopped going to a chaotic forum that was going out of control. I don't remember how I came upon this place except that it was a quiet peaceful Christmas evening. I was bored out of my mind, and thought I wouldn't stay long so I thought I'd have fun with my original username: Fernando_the_weasel. After I lurked around a bit, I had to keep going. At the time, the forum was so small it seemed like every voice echoed. Just me, LOR, Wisp, Cabbo, Lightspeed, Ragnar, hairlessbluetick, and some other people. It was beautiful how empty and cavernous the place was, though I don't mind all the company several months later.

It was an interesting time. All I really did was lurk, post an expression of agreement in every intro thread ( I still couldn't believe that there were actually people so similar to me) , and chuckle as I watched Wisp and Cabbo's posting contest. That was pretty much all the comic relief we had. Not too much has changed though except for the myriad of new perspectives, and the awesome absurdity that's grown here over time.

 

[loveofreason]

chapt 3. Of Lightspeed and Ragnar.

... around the time young Wisp rode into the Kingdom we also lost the presence of one of our beloved founders: the exalted Ragnar, Master from Germany.

From active to ghost, he ascended to the highest planes of the ether, whence he still resides; our Great Benefactor. Yes. Ragnar pays the bills. Ragnar owns our little outpost of aristocratic design. Only the most direst emergency can gain one audience with the Ascended Master. As in the way of gods of old, he magically birthed us and released us into the world, with not a care for our adventures but the passing wistful thought.... a Father of Mythic proportions.

Behold!

But so... a little vacuum surrounded Lightspeed as he guided the emerging forum from the emptiness of the void, and mayhaps he felt his own ascension calling, as he cast about for some unwitting nursemaid into whose arms he could place the tender brat...

and lo! Loveofreason did one day login to discover the unfamiliar word MODERATOR beneath her name... what mistake was this? No explanation could be had, but lor discovered the mod panel and wandered about in awe like a child in the halls of an abandoned court... her calls echoed... eventually a response was heard... IT IS FATE! or words to that effect...

Now lor appreciates the obscure and absurd, so this pleased her and she set about playing with the new buttons at her disposal, little realising that Lightspeed was, well, vanishing as fast as his namesake...

so it was that lor, a polyamorous butterfly with naught but an obsession for wings, silver/grey hair and anime, role-playing, soul-searching and fantasy... and either saving or damning the world in her spare time, she can't decide which (seriously, some days I still wonder...)... was left in charge.

If we may revisit the era... here is one of the earliest threads of the forum, in which we establish another cornerstone of our existence, please read:
http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=135

 

[Ermine]

Can't believe I forgot about that one. Good times...

 

[Da Blob]

Good stuff, It was illuminating and oddly comforting...
Could more be posted so that others beside my self could perhaps see the high level than can be reached if posters are willing to invest a bit..

 

[Artifice Orisit]

When does NoID10ts come into the story?

Also is Ragnar the INTP Jesus or something?
I wish I had a chance to meet him

 

[FusionKnight]

Re: Invisible Boundaries - the discussion

I'm going to try and get back to the original purpose of this thread a bit.

As one of the more senior members around here, I have also seen things change a lot over the last year. When I arrived on the scene, I was in a state of "there are actually other people like me?!". My first foray was into the INTP and personality threads, because my main goal was to try and understand myself as an INTP. I quickly discovered that the most eccentric traits of my personality were shared by others, and I could find encouragement, commiseration, and laughs with people who understood me. That's why I stayed.

In those "early days" the forum felt very small. There were maybe a dozen major posters, and all of them shared a kind of gritty openness. People like Nia, NoI, AI, EB, Cryptionia, JennyWocky, LoR, Cog, (and others - this list is getting too long), promoted an extremely intimate atmosphere. It was like finding a quiet room somewhere with long lost friends. Barriers were lowered, and we shared intensely personal and painful aspects of ourselves, and listened, and stood together.

Maybe this sounds overly melodramatic, but for me, an INTP, to find myself with my armor off, with complete strangers, talking about the things we were, was a totally radical experience. Within a few days, I felt like these people were close friends and confidants, and I would share with them things I wouldn't share with my own family, or my closest "in-person" friends.

I think it is that aspect of this forum that has changed the most. We went through a period of crazed silliness which unfortunately corresponded with the boom in new members. I think the impression of this forum perceived by those new members was that of a schoolyard, rather than being shown into a strangers intimate parlor, to discover the strangers gathered there, you had "known" all along.

I've found a little of that intimacy in the voice recordings section recently. Maybe it's just hearing a real person's voice, but that's a vulnerability that's being displayed. Maybe that's what we need around here. More vulnerability, more honesty, more intimacy, and less "surface interaction". God knows we get enough of that in the real world.

I took something of a hiatus from the forums for the last few months... after Nia left, and number of other members I felt close to kind of disappeared (NoI, EB, AI, etc). Much of the remaining intimate discussion moved into the flash chat, then into the IRC channel. This is hard for me, because I don't have large blocks of time to sit in a chat room. A forum is nice because I can have a sustained conversation without needing to block out 2 or 3 hours of continuous time.

Maybe to best sum it up, after only a month or so of being involved in this forum, members were already talking about having a face-to-face gathering someplace (despite the logistical challenges that exist). I don't feel that same connection and intimacy and trust here anymore. Am I alone in this?

Anyway, those are some thoughts of an "old-timer"...

 

[Jesin]

(I moved the above post from the "discussion" thread.)

 

[FusionKnight]

(uhh... I was gonna edit my post to fit the format of this thread, but my edit button is gone now.... Jesin!)

 

[Jesin]

Yes?

 

[FusionKnight]

Yeah, when you moved my post, it no longer lets me edit it... must get "locked" when it's moved?

 

[Anling]

Re: Invisible Boundaries - the discussion

In those "early days" the forum felt very small. There were maybe a dozen major posters, and all of them shared a kind of gritty openness. People like Nia, NoI, AI, EB, Cryptionia, JennyWocky, LoR, Cog, (and others - this list is getting too long), promoted an extremely intimate atmosphere. It was like finding a quiet room somewhere with long lost friends. Barriers were lowered, and we shared intensely personal and painful aspects of ourselves, and listened, and stood together.

Maybe this sounds overly melodramatic, but for me, an INTP, to find myself with my armor off, with complete strangers, talking about the things we were, was a totally radical experience. Within a few days, I felt like these people were close friends and confidants, and I would share with them things I wouldn't share with my own family, or my closest "in-person" friends.

I think it is that aspect of this forum that has changed the most. We went through a period of crazed silliness which unfortunately corresponded with the boom in new members. I think the impression of this forum perceived by those new members was that of a schoolyard, rather than being shown into a strangers intimate parlor, to discover the strangers gathered there, you had "known" all along.

I was lurking at that time and that intimate atmosphere is what made me want to join. Of course it took me a while to actually do so.

 

[Da Blob]

Afterthought 267, 346 C
There seems to be resistance to an "old-timers' section, so why can't the "Playground" be marked off as such - simply creating a totally arbitrary boundary that simply suggests that the tone/mood is (should be?) different away from the "playground"?