# A Public Apology



## Angelsboi (Aug 5, 2003)

I am sorry if I offended anyone.  Someone mentioned in this thread  about what are my posts about the D20 Community.

First, im sorry.  A lot of people dont include their email addresses in profiles and a lot of people want to stay up to date on my health.

Second, I have been around for 1 year before Eric shut it all down.  So ive been here for about 3 1/2 years.

Third, I only update on my medical status when something bad happens or something is going on.  Usually everything is on my diary.  Im developing a cold.  A worse thing for some with AIDS but I didnt make a solo post about it.

Fourth, all my off topic posts are marked [ Medical Update].  You dont wanna know about me.  Fine.  You are interested in my well being and are a friend.  Thats fine too.

Once again, Im sorry for any incoonvience.


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## Nightfall (Aug 5, 2003)

Angelsboi,

I'm interested and am praying for you my friend. If someone else isn't, well that's their problem, not yours.


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## Sir Osis of Liver (Aug 5, 2003)

> Fourth, all my off topic posts are marked [ Medical Update]. You dont wanna know about me. Fine. You are interested in my well being and are a friend. Thats fine too.





Damn straight, that's why this is a community. Don't let jerks bother you, go ahead and keep your friends updated.


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## Teflon Billy (Aug 5, 2003)

I read through the thread you linked and couldn't find anyone who was less than supportive, but even if Ihad I'd say tell them the obvious...

"These threads are marked with [OT], which means no D&D content. You don't want to read it? Don't"

Me? I want to read it.

Hope you are feeling better (and chicken-rice soup _is_ easier to digest than chicken noodle by all counts.


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## Crothian (Aug 5, 2003)

Unless the mods have a problem with what you are doing, I wouldn't worry about the opinions of the others.  Heck, I never have.


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## Amrynn Moonshadow (Aug 5, 2003)

the community is with you man, just don't let some people who are jealous of the attention you are getting spoil telling your adoptive family what's going on with you.


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## Bloodstone Mage (Aug 5, 2003)

*Re: Public Apology*

Don't be sorry, Ryan. Just because a couple of people say some things doesn't mean we don't want to hear about your health and well-being. I mean, this is a community, a community that's there to support our own in tough and rough times. Personally, I like to hear how you're doing, and I always have the best wishes for you. Don't let a couple of comments get you down, man. Keep updating us, and remember, I count on seeing you in person some day.

Godspeed, You Mighty Angel!


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## MulhorandSage (Aug 5, 2003)

As long as the posts are labelled OT and you're not flooding the boards with a lot of threads, don't worry about it. 

Scott Bennie


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## Henry (Aug 5, 2003)

Moved this to Meta.

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Ryan, there are no problems from our end. We watch all the threads like always for stuff that breaks policy, and you certainly haven't.

It's fine to put the "Medical Update" on your titles - it'll actually give well-wishers an easy target to hunt in the forum. 


Keep the food down and the hope up!


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## LightPhoenix (Aug 5, 2003)

I concur - if they have a problem with it, they don't have to read it.  I for one am hoping for at least some measure of health for you in the coming days, and find it comforting that despite everything, you're still going strong.  I also find it comforting that the community (except a few detractors) is behind you.  It makes me happy to be a part of it.


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## Larry Fitz (Aug 5, 2003)

If you conduct a public poll, no matter what the choices are, someone will pick each of them. The two people who were so insensitive and closed minded were just fulfilling statistical responsibility, there has to be one or two closed-minded, insensitive people out there in any situation....

Chicken Broth is probably easiest and then build your way up through chicken and rice and then chicken noodle, and finally up to fried chicken... yeah... fried chicken...  um... I gotta go...


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## BOZ (Aug 5, 2003)

it certainly seems to me that the mods are not only not offended, but genuinely supportive.


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## dsfriii (Aug 5, 2003)

I second Nightfalls statement.


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## Orias (Aug 5, 2003)

Yeah, just ignore the others who bicker for no reason & get well soon!


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## Dinkeldog (Aug 5, 2003)

I hate me, too, posts, but, uh, "Me, too!"

Honestly, Ryan, I'd rather be kept up to date, just as I was thankful for anything madriel would tell us about Holy Bovine.  Maybe a good tack is to try to keep things in one post in General and we'll work from there.  If it gets too long, we'll play it similarly to the Gary Gygax Q&A threads and the Hivemind threads.

Look for an e-mail from me, I want to take a couple things offline.


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## Tewligan (Aug 5, 2003)

Man, don't waste your energy with needless apologies.  Focus on getting better, and ignore any jerks who either (a) don't care about community members who are having a damn rough time or (b) can't figure out what "OT" or "Medical Update" mean.  Please continue to keep us up to date.

Oh, and remember that there's always room for Jello.


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## Acmite (Aug 5, 2003)

Angelsboi said:
			
		

> *I am sorry if I offended anyone.  Someone mentioned in this thread  about what are my posts about the D20 Community.
> *




I've been around about the same time as you (lurking since before RPG Planet).

Last time I checked, the messageboards are linked under the "Community" banner on the front page.  The boards are populated by posters--some familiar to the older members, some newer and fresh.  I think some of the newer members haven't quite embraced the community yet, and that might have been where that came from.

When I think about the message boards, I don't think about rules discussions, or strange links someone posted, or even the bazillionth thread about how Rangers (formerly) got the shaft.

I think about the Chairman who left us too early.  I think about how ALL the news I got about the terrorist attacks on New York came from people on the boards and about how some of the members were close to ground zero.  I think about my good friend Cor Azer who I met through theboards and of my friend Wippit Guud who I've yet to meet.

Whether people like it or not, _*these*_ message boards are about community.

Please continue to keep us updated on your health, and I hope you feel better.


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## Mark (Aug 5, 2003)

Don't stress out on it, AB.  We're all pulling for you!


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Aug 5, 2003)

Ryan- 

You've got nothing to apologize for. Those of us who want to be kept up to date on how you are doing are here, and that includes the moderators. Don't let a few people make you feel bad about your updates. Keep us up to date, and we'll be here for you. 

Rich


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## kenjib (Aug 5, 2003)

Ryan, do you have a dietician with HIV experience working with you in addition to your doctor?  I think it might be a big help!

As always take care,

-Kenji


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## Aaron L (Aug 5, 2003)

Some people have no taste.  Some people have no tact.  And some people have no souls.  

Ignore them.


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## hellbender (Aug 5, 2003)

I will chime in with people saying you have nothing to apologize for. Any community worth its salt takes care of and nurtures its own. We are all more than a handle here, and our lives and concerns become entwined with others as we spend more time on these messageboards. If this online community cannot support its members, it is nothing. Thankfully, as you can see, this is not the case. Post away, AB, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

hellbender


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## Particle_Man (Aug 5, 2003)

I support you 100%, Angelsboi.  Frankly, I am glad when you post, as it indicates that you are still well enough to post.

By the way, if you are having problems getting motivated to eat, there is a possible solution that is no longer too illegal in BC, and should be available even in the states.  Would smoking a joint help, or would that do more harm than good?  Maybe a doctor would know.  I honestly don't know enough about it myself, but I have heard that it can help.

Best wishes, dude!


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## boxstop7 (Aug 5, 2003)

Don't stress over it, AB.  I'm only a part-time poster, but I'm a full-time lurker.  And even I'm keeping track and reading through every one of your posts.  Why?  Because this community cares a great deal for you, and that says to me that you're a hell of a person.  And any time s**t happens to good people, I pull for them.  As someone else said, the mere fact that you continue posting is a welcome sign to any and all of us who care, b/c it tells us you're still well enough to get on here and keep us up to date.  

Please, please, please don't worry about the handfull of people that may or may not be offended by your postings.  Free choice, man.  You label your posts, and anyone who doesn't want to read them can stay out.  If they enter, they have no one to chastise but themselves.  So to you, dear sir, I say chin up and hang in there.  To those who would say otherwise, I say: eff 'em.

Keep fighting, AB!

~Jason


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## tetsujin28 (Aug 5, 2003)

Screw the rest of them. Get well, and my prayers are with you.


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## thalmin (Aug 6, 2003)

Keep posting, AB. I want to keep hearing from you. We want to keep hearing from you.
Pity the people who can't care about others.


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## Angcuru (Aug 6, 2003)

I agree with what everyone else says.  These boards are not just for D&D, but for talking about good times, bad times, weird times, basically anything that people will listen to (so to speak).  Anyone who thinks otherwise should mosey on down to the WotC boards instead of taking up thread space here.

Get well A.S.A.P., man!


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## Tarrasque Wrangler (Aug 6, 2003)

Angelsboi said:
			
		

> *I am sorry if I offended anyone.  Someone mentioned in this thread  about what are my posts about the D20 Community.
> *




You don't have to apologize to people don't understand this community.  All these folks have to do is read the Hivemind threads, various sports-related discussions, and funny non-gaming related essays to know that this community is about much more than RPGs.  What it's really about is the people who play them.

BTW, that fellow in your last thread (whose name I shall not mention, I think we know who I'm talking about) fairly reeked of Alt-ID.  I mean, he lurks unregistered since time immemorial, then goes through the trouble of registering a name for the first time just to respond to your medical update because you "brought him/her out of his/her shell" or something?  That may be the line he's selling, but I for one ain't buying.  Not saying he/she is for certain, but it certainly has that Alt-ID aroma, doesn't it?

Just so this is not entirely Meta and on topic (bah, I say!): get well soon brother.


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## Caliban (Aug 6, 2003)

Ryan,

I'm not real comfortable posting on threads like these, but I do read them.   Don't stop posting.


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## DerianCypher (Aug 6, 2003)

Hey AB, 

like others have said, just ignore the jerks who don't understand what ENWorld is all about. Don't stress about it, you have enough on your plate and that's something you don't need. Let us handle the jerks...

Okay... I'll be in the back with a baseball bat.. someone lure out the trolls and the jerks.. 

DC


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## Darkness (Aug 6, 2003)

Hey don't worry, Ryan, ok? If you feel the need to talk, or have an update, please go ahead and post it!


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## William Ronald (Aug 6, 2003)

Ryan, 

I would like to second what has been said here.  Keep posting, and let us know how you feel.  I think what makes EN World great is its sense of community.  You, like everyone else on these boards, are a valued member of our online community.

Thalmin, your point about people who don't pity others is well taken.  It reminds me of a saying that I like to quote.  (I am tempted to use it in my sig.)

_"If I am not for myself, who will be.  If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" -- Hillel._ 

To me, this means that I should consider my own needs and wishes while being concerned about others.  By starting this thread, you have shown a great deal of insight and concern about others on these boards.  The last bit of the saying, by the way, remings me to take action on important things -- including being compassionate to others.  (Thus endeth my philosophical musings.)

Hang in there, Ryan.  I hope one day to see you at an EN World gathering. You seem to be a remarkable human being, who is trying to face adversity with courage and dignity.  It is a pity that some cannot see this in you.

You are in my thoughts and in my prayers.  Peace.


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## hong (Aug 6, 2003)

AB, just ignore the whingers and keep posting, dude.


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## Crass (Aug 6, 2003)

1. I don't know you. I am not offended.

2. You have as much right to post as anyone else.

3. If it was me, I'd just ignore the buggers and keep on posting.

4. Sorry to hear about your situation. Keep your spirits up.


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## the Jester (Aug 6, 2003)

Just like everyone else here, I say, Ignore them!  Keep posting- seems like the _vast majority_ here wanna know how you're doing, and would like a place to offer you support besides.  

That's me in a nutshell.

Speaking as someone who's hung out with Angelsboi, he's a great guy- it's really silly to whine about his updates.  Or, in the famous words of Storminator, can we get a seperate forum for Hivemind posts?  Or a way to stick them to the second page?  There's enough drivel on the Internet as it is.


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## Buttercup (Aug 6, 2003)

I'll jump on the bandwagon, here.  If someone isn't interested in your posts, they don't have to read them.  If they do, and then complain about it, don't pay them any mind.  Those of us who know you (at least virtually) want to be kept up-to-date.


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## Mathew_Freeman (Aug 6, 2003)

I'm not going to say I enjoy reading your posts, because that's not the right words. But I hope you keep posting them, because you're another person on these forums that's intelligent, opinionated and good to talk to, and I truly hope you pull through.

Best wishes from London, mate.


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## Henry (Aug 6, 2003)

I'm going to go ahead and close this thread. I'm pretty sure that Ryan knows by now that we love 'im, and want him around here! 

But I do want to close on one other note, too: Let's not take our respect and concern to the point of name-calling other posters, either. People who don't have an interest in this subject have a right to be here, too, just like they have the right NOT to read and comment in threads they don't care about.

Ryan, keep on truckin' - er, posting. 

_edited because someone pointed out that my Southern aphorism was not the most appropriate. My apologies._


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