http://tale-of-tales.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=89147#89147

The Autumnal/Vernal (depending on your hemisphere) Equinox fell on Monday, September 22nd. Everyone has been busy for the past couple of weeks with work, school, and some of us (myself included) had to deal with severe weather events.

Now, what I would like to do is gather with all of you for a Equinox party sometime this Saturday or Sunday. I want to find a time that would suit everyone who wants to join, so I'm posing various times for people from which to choose. Below is a list of links to the World Clock websites for different times to help you choose what time would be best for you.

Now that I am finally able to use a poll, I am going to set the gathering times based on votes. The time slots that have the first and second number of people voting is when I will set the times.

***Also, there is a chance that, due to the quality of Internet at my parents' house, I may not be able to come myself. In any case, meet at the Twin Gods Hill and have fun from there, whether I show up or not. I want y'all to have some social fun, after all.

7:00 PM Saturday Houston Time
8:00 PM Saturday Houston Time
9:00 PM Saturday Houston Time
10:00 PM Saturday Houston Time
Midnight, Saturday/Sunday, Houston Time

I'm just curious, what is your real-life relationship with your in-game mate? Is it:

--romantic
--friendship
--Internet pal
--other (explain)

This is just out of curiosity. I find this "mate" phenomenon fascinating.

There as been music at the Twin God Idols for about the last hour. Did the Gods leave their stereo on?

If you have come across me in the past couple of months, you may have noticed me being less friendly than I normally am. This is not because I don't like any of you--the range of my feelings for people here go from neutral (people I haven't really met) to love (to people I know better). I am normally very friendly and helpful, but events of the past few weeks have put a lot on my mind. There are times that I feel too tired to even go into the Forest to interact. Things are getting even more hectic for me with graduation and graduate school looming in the near future.

I don't want to go into the details of what has been going on. I just wanted to let people know that I still care and that I always will care about the players in the Forest, whether I say it or not.

<3

Even though Summer does not officially end until September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere, Labor Day is considered the last day of Summer fun in the United States. I wrote a related post in my blog about my Forest jaunt today. You can read and see the pictures here.

I know I seemed a bit rushed in the Forest today, but I was just trying to take pictures and take it all in before I had to get off and post pictures so I could get started on school work.

Also, if you were this Stag, please don't take offense to the fact that I wasn't casting spells on you. The program kept blocking them. It was nice to meet you, though!

As I posted on the Forums, the Fall semester is starting. This means that I may not be in the Forest, community site, or the forums as often as before. Feel free to send me a private message via the Forums if you ever want to contact me.

This is not aimed at anyone, so don't be alarmed.

I like the community site, and I would be disappointed to see it closed down. It's a pity, though, that people can't just ignore someone else and stop something from becoming drama right then. I'm just thinking about what I think is best for the community as a whole. If I were to be a selfish prick who didn't give a flying rat's rear end about the community, I'd probably just be a drama spectator.

As long as there is no *mature* moderation of the community site, this drama BS will keep coming up as often as it is now. Also, drama from forums and the community site bleeds into the Forest, and then people come back whining about how so-and-so did such-and-such, when it is really no big deal in the first place, and the cycle goes on.

I still think that if the community site can't be moderated for drama, I don't think it serves the community that well unless it were to become strictly a user gallery and story collection. As I said, I am thinking about what is good for the community as a whole, not my personal comfort at all. As Darcy said, I could just up and leave the community site (quietly) if it really bothered me.

That's just my opinion, though. Take it or leave it.

I see the issue of herds coming up again and again. Please know that this entry is not in reference to any particular player, and please read the whole post if you plan on commenting. I don't want to hurt people..

Copied and edited from a forum post:

I'm going to repeat myself on this subject, and after this, I will say no more. I do not mean this in a mean way. This is my just being frank.

Herds would be better suited to a game with a much larger map area and in an environment that encourages making groups that could be antagonistic toward one another, but this is not the case in this game.

Back in September/October of 2007, we had people starting herds. There were even threads with herd member sign-ups. This caused in-group/out-group animosity and drama. People wanted to be the boss, and people even went so far as to claim a part of the Forest for their herd and get in a tizzy when others would hang out in "their spots". The Forest was loud with bellowing and fighting at that time.

Michael and Auriea never, to my understanding, wanted to implement herds. All of the players are meant to be on equal ground and as part as one big community. Even the fawns, being new to the game, are treated with respect. The only players in this game who have any real authority are Michael and Auriea, the Twin Gods.

No matter what the environment, whenver you split people into easily identified groups, antagonism, competition, stereotyping, and other problems occur. I don't want any of this to come to the Forest.

For a scientific investigation of this, check out this page about the famous Robber's Cave experiment by Muzafer Sherif.

Really, I am not being mean. I just want to keep these problems from coming to the Forest.

If you don't know already, I have a blogspot blog called Stagleaf.

I am adding a section of links with links to user created content, such as art galleries, writing, forums, and web pages. Whether you are a player or a developer, I want your links!

I already have a link to the Endless Forest DeviantArt group, so if you already have a gallery on DeviantArt, only post your gallery if you haven't joined that group. I don't want to have redundant links. If you already have a DeviantArt gallery, but have another gallery that is not on DeviantArt, post that link too!

If you want your links on the Stagleaf blog, post them here or send them by e-mail by way of the contact link on this page. If you send them by e-mail, please be sure to put "Link for Stagleaf" in the subject heading so I don't accidentally delete them.

The content you send does not have to be Endless Forest related. I just want to show off what a great community we are!

This updated bio includes my own continuity of the Forest that I started in my mind when I first joined in April 2007. Since the game is so versitile, everyone can play with their own story in mind without it clashing with the Forest continuities of others.

Name: The pictogram, Redkora, or 'Kora.

This deer came into the world as a full-grown stag. Like other deer, his body was drawn from the dust of the magical forest floor, and his being is bound together by the very magical vibrations that pulsate through the Forest. In this sense, the deer are not only in the Forest, but are OF the Forest. They are as part of the forest as the air, trees, rocks, and water. The deer are moving components of a single magical organism. The Forest can not be without the deer, and the deer can not be without the Forest; however, neither can be without the Great Twins who wove the fabric of the Forest from their being.

The object of this short passage, this particular stag, remembers the first fawns, the creation of the birch forest and all that it contains, the first zombie stags, and Demon/Walter's [somewhat] younger days.

He is a kind stag who loves to play and joke around. He understands that the meaning of this world is to provide a place of joy, and he wants to honor this. He loves to run and jump in circles, and he sometimes flies to get from place to place. When he spars with other stags or plays pranks, it is never meant to be malicious. He is also wise enough to try to honor the feelings of the other deer and only lets totally loose with his shenanegans when he knows it is permissable. That doesn't mean that mistakes are made, though.

He was originally more of a loner. After learning the ways of the deer and feeling accepted, he generally likes company, even if it is just to sit and listen to the Forest. He still has his solitary moods from time to time.

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