A history of Charas

[GaryCXJk]

Before you go on reading

I've tried to be as objective as possible, otherwise I give a sort of analysis. I am not insulting people, nor making them black, I'm just trying to bring out the facts as much as possible.

Introduction

There have been more than 20000 members on Charas, a lot inactive, but nontheless it's a helluva lot, especially considering Charas didn't exist until 2003. In these years Charas has changed a lot.

Pre-forum

I don't know much about this period, so we're going trough it as quick as possible. Before the forums, there was only the Charset Generator. That was around January 2003 (however, it might also have been December 2002).

The Charset Generator originally wasn't intended to be a big project, but rather a test, I believe a test for the GD Library functions for PHP. However, after some suggested to create a fully functioning generator, a community project lifted off.

It was about three or four months after when I joined. Charas already had a decent amount of resources, and already had three sections, where the small section was actually quite different from now. I don't think I have the resources for that, but it was different.

It was also then when the beta version of the Faceset Generator was created. Around this time the forum was already ready. The forum, this forum, was created by DeKoffie, also known as Steven Rombauts, together with Ralph Rombauts, who created the PUB logo.

Pre-Gary

Charas then got several changes. First there was the Dutch translation, which was done by BabyCatjuh, JP and yours truly. I actually started the translation because I thought that it needed a Dutch version, seeing as Holland was also represented, blah, blah, blah...

Anyway, the one who was the first to write an article was the forgotten, who has not been forgotten. I believe TeamRPG.net made the first award.

Anyway, things were going alright. This was probably the point where Alex asked me to be a moderator, because of my activeness as a spriter at the time. I at first hessitated (don't believe me? Ask Alex, he knows still), but decided to be one anyway. I mean, what can go wrong?

Murphy's Law, and robots

Well, about everything went wrong. Not only with me, but things because of me. Now I'm not blaming myself, it is actually your fault too...

Okay, I'm rambling.

Anyway, seeing as I went to many forums, I introduced some things, like flaming, and topic kicking. Okay, bad move, because everything went wrong from then. However, it was not only because of me, like I said, but there already was something going.

See, I always knew something was going to happen to Charas. The first something began with someone who started abusing the PM system, thinking he was safe. However, seeing as he wasn't safe, and could actually get his brother banned as well, he layed back, and nothing seriously happened.

And nobody got banned, even after I got demoted.

But, let's not go too far.

Anyway, I got actually annoyed by people who were spamming up the forums with dumb questions in the wrong forums, so I got haywire, mostly because nobody else took responsability to do their jobs. And I got crap all over me for that (though I don't blame them for some things).

At that time, another person came. RRWP, which stands for Real Robots Wear Pants. Nobody liked him, and he actually started to annoy be because of his, in my opinion, derrogating behaviour. It was like he was insulting people without actually insulting. And that I didn't like.

So we argued, and then others got beef with me, and then...

Alex made the biggest mistake on this forums.

He created a Gary vs RRWP topic.

And from that day things got even worse. Before things got worse, I got demoted (tempoararily, but not really temporarily), Alex actually got mad at RRWP, RRWP left, nobody heard of him.

As a sidenote: I am glad I'm not moderator here, because I feel that it will be in vain, and the last time I was moderator, the whole moderating crew appeared to be corrupt, which was at another forum by the way.

The philosophy of a wise man

It was also then when the first 'cassualty' came. His name was pop, and he was the first person banned. I actually don't know why, but who the hell cares?

Anyway, other things happen. Midnight, who first had beef with me, got beef with kAiRoU, together with somebody else (I believe Kijuki). Darkfox however started to deterriorate at that point (as seen by his behaviour).

Then there was this Trevlac incident. Yeah, big mistake on my behalf, but the mod control thing was born from it (however, Alex needs to purge it someday).

Anyway, it even got this bad that some crazy crap happened, and everybody started hating Darkfox or something, and Darkfox actually took a gun and ran to a forrest, never to shoot a bullet again... as far as he has ever shot one. Appeared that his social life was crap, and that was reflecting on this board. I forgot what the whole incident was all about, but it wasn't nice.

But there were also sounds of RRWP, not from himself, but from people who remembered him. Yes, it was mainly me, because I knew RRWP was right. However, he could have brought it more nuanced, seeing as most people on Charas were below the age of 16 then, and RRWP was already an adult. Basically.

But anyway, there was one thing we all forgot. We shouldn't act like kids, by fighting and such. If there is something, we should talk it out like mature people, even if that's hard.

In the end...

We should remember the words of RRWP, but we should also know what is right. I know it is hard to act like mature people, especially when things go horribly wrong, but at least we can try. More than half of the members already proved it was possible in the last topic, so why shouldn't we keep it up?

[Razor]

Originally posted by GaryCXJk
It was also then when the first 'cassualty' came. His name was pop, and he was the first person banned. I actually don't know why, but who the hell cares?

Spamming, making a thousands threads or something along that line.

Also, RRWP rocked. Best game critic this forum will ever have.

[DragonBlaze]

Whoa, I thought charas was already pretty old when I signed up in march 03. Wow, so I'm like one of the oldest members, creepy...

Anyway, reading through the history was pretty interesting. I remember a lot of it, but there was also a bunch of stuff i never knew.

[SaiKar]

RRWP was my first friend on the forum and I agreed with basically everything he said. Before RRWP, in game threads and in galleries and stuff, if someone showed off something they had done everyone replied "WOW!" or "This is great!" or "I've never seen anything better". Posting ANYTHING negative AT ALL was a major no-no. While it was probably good for people's self-esteem, it wasn't very useful commentary.

RRWP would reply something like this: "Well, overall I don't like this. I mean, you put some details into this map, and that's a nice character sprite, but the chipset just looks weird with the other chips and some parts are drawn very poorly. It looks like you didn't really put much effort into this map and just wanted to get it done fast."

This started a lot of flame wars because, until this point, no one had ever dared to be critical. Gary had a war with RRWP. Smokey did too. Midnight might have as well. Things got ugly. I was basically the only one that supported him. And when the dust had settled, RRWP was basically driven out of the forum on a rail while I was promoted to Request forum moderator (a majorly important position at the time).

I felt kinda guilty about it, and talked with him on MSN for a while, ut haven't seen him on in about a year. A shame. He was a cool guy.

[GaryCXJk]

Actually, Midnight only had beef with me.

But, you do have to admit that although RRWP didn't start it, he did became harsh after some people complained about him. After that, he started to post topics which annoyed some other people. Basically that was what pissed me off. If he just layed back, nothing would have happened.

However, if he didn't lay back, this forum would most definately go to hell. After his ranting, I started thinking, and I came to the conclusion that he was right most of the time. Not always (I mean, you shouldn't be harsh back when somebody is harsh), but he did make his point. Without him, there would be no people who would live up to what he said. People like you and me, Sai, and perhapse some others.

[Midnight9795]

*blinks* Actually I may have had small 'beef' with you Gary, but I know I agured with RRWP for a whole 2-something pages, :p but he was a cool guy after I got to know him. I miss him too :/

Also, that other person was not kijuki it was Darkfox AND the main person who was causing arugments when Trev was a mod was ME, lol hey I'm a major factor in charas history whadda'ya know :p

Also, bac to RRWP I felt a bit guilty as well..I mean after our little thing, I got to know him and I saw how others were treating him and well in a way he kinda had a right to react the way he did. I guess he was a bit hurt on how alot of people considered hima n00b when in fact he was the only one who was being honest. He was a good person at heart, lol funnie as hell too.

[GaryCXJk]

Actually, now that I think about it, there was a brief moment when RRWP laid a little low, but then some n00bs came and caused crap so we all had to start over again, and that was when RRWP left.

It's damn strange I haven't even made a shrine for him yet

[Midnight9795]

LOL!!! You also forgot the time when he came back using a different account :p

[Kijuki_Magazaki]

Gary, you missed so much stuff

[charaman]

I became right as the RRWP thing was reachiong a boiling point. Wow those were the good old days. Those chats... so memorable.

[FFL2and3rocks]

Ah, pop. He got banned for sending some pretty insulting PMs to me, Gary, Alex, KM, and I think DF and SMB. They said crap like "lol u r al dumbases n ur gay an hav gay sex lolol."

And then Kairou got upset about pop somehow stealing his soul, or something. o_0

[Razor]

Kairou; there's another story right there. His is filled with bizarrities.

[GaryCXJk]

Originally posted by Kijuki_Magazaki
Gary, you missed so much stuff

I missed more than much, but people were complaining about long texts.

[shadus]

Originally posted by GaryCXJk

quote:

Originally posted by Kijuki_Magazaki Gary, you missed so much stuff

I missed more than much, but people were complaining about long texts.

The meh with them.

[coasterkrazy]

Originally posted by Razor
Kairou; there's another story right there. His is filled with bizarrities.

I thought everyone got over that? Didn't he make a thread about it?