do you feel like you are indeed part of this community?

[Altairis]

Probably. Sometimes I feel like I'm just there and not really part of things but people do recognize my name and I don't THINK I'm hated, so yeah probably.

 

[alisaie]

Far more than I used to the past few months. Especially with the Underground being introduced I've met such a great group of unbelieveable people there and it'sjust been... amazing. Probably the best that I've felt in a long time.

Not saying the other places I go to aren't amazing too, like Pokemon Trivia and such, but with the skype chat and epic mafia and such the Underground group is just... a blessing. To say the least. I honestly don't know how active I would be on here right now if it weren't for the Underground, as PT and FG are kinda places that I enjoy in spurts as they're a bit repeatitive in nature.

 

[Kikaito plush]

Not really that probably cause I'm not active much.

 

[Nakuzami]

I was basically a baby when I joined PC (meaning I was like eleven or twelve), and I've been here since. It's really the only website that I check daily, though I don't necessarily always post daily. Most of the people I interact with are people that I've met on PC, so yeah, I feel like a part of the community. I'm kind of surprised to see so many people saying "no."

The reason being Ive not been enjoying the forum as much as it seems thats is become far to based around Roleplay and this "Mafia" thing, so it kinda feels if your not part of the RP of Mafia, your kinda not in the core of the community, I don't know if its just me that thinks that or if anyone else does (I'd love to hear if other people think so to).

granted those are my main two forums .-. RPT was basically the only place I was active in for a few years. Even now I really only flit between the RPT, UG, and now The World of PC. I sometimes mosey on over to the battle forum and I do currently have a project up in A&D.

The thing is, most of the other forums, such as the treehouse here, are for discussions and debates. Those are cool and all, but I think the reason it seems like the RPT and UG are "the places to be," so to speak, are because with roleplaying and games like mafia, social interaction is a core aspect of the media, so of course people are going to talk more and get to know each other. Honestly, though, so many people stick to one or two forums here on PC that each forum seems to have its own little group, and some of those groups are just more active than others, so it brings in differing levels of "inclusiveness."

I don't think most people do this intentionally, or that most forums do. Obviously not everyone is going to be into roleplaying or mafia, but we certainly don't scorn newcomers (more like we're constantly recruiting omg). A lot of it depends on how active you are and how much you try and interact with others.

I do tend to be a quiet and unremarkable person; so people probably don't notice when I actually am participating or being active. This in and of itself can be depressing sometimes. I do sometimes find myself encountering situations where I don't feel welcomed to something that is open to all; due to some rule or requirement.

Melody, for example. I do see you posting in mafia occasionally, but you're not an active player, so you tend to miss out on a lot of the interaction. It's not that we're trying to exclude you, and you're certainly not the only one that this happens to, but since you're only around every so often, it's kind of hard to get to know you and interact, you know?

Anyone in the UG can tell you that I'm no fan of Bardothren (omg), but he's incredibly active and I see him quite often, so I have gotten to know him better than some other people around the forum, so I do think one's own personal activity plays a big part in it. I basically grew up in the RPT, but lately I haven't been too active there so I couldn't tell you anything about what's going on there, and there's a lot of faces that I don't recognize there now. And that's my fault for losing activity in that section, but I do still feel like I'm a part of that section when I actually get around to posting. It helps that a lot of us interact on Skype, so even when I'm not active I am at least talking to many of the active people from the section.

So yeah, it can get rough, and sometimes it's out of your control, but for the most part, just like in life, how you feel depends on how proactive you are. Even outside of PC I've noticed this, as I used to never talk to anyone in real life. I just hugged to the internet and stayed indoors. I'm still not a social butterfly, and sometimes I do still feel like shit when it comes to life and the people in it, but I can say for certain that ever since I've started putting in more effort to meeting and talking to people, my life has improved greatly and I've met plenty of wonderful people.

In the end, it's all about perspective.

 

[Seth Rollins]

Of the community? I don't know.

People in the Underground tho, I never felt alone there. Everyone loves everyone. Seriously I love you guys <3 I feel so special here, even more than any time I've been on PC. This isn't an user appreciation thread, but I want to thank everyone in the UG and I MEAN EVERYONE!

There are also very good friends of mine who I just met recently but they're awesome!

Because of these guys, I am going to say yes. I feel like an asshole, but heh, that's what I think. I may not be super popular or a PC Celebrity but I feel like I'm accepted and I have a lot of friends.

 

[Nick]

I used to be, but now I just come on every now and then, browse, maaaaybe post, and then leave for a few days.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

I... don't really know. I would actually say I'm not because I sort of stick to being on my own. I don't mingle much with others like most do. I also feel somewhat intimidated by the higher staff at times too. I also don't engage much in PC events and stuff because I either have a hard time keeping up with them, or I'm just too shy and timid to speak up amongst a bunch of other people. Like, when it comes to PC chats and Skype things... I tend to sit those since as I said before... I can't keep up with everyone, and I can't really stay on everyone else's topics. A lot of this is autism-related as well as anxiety-related.

I don't really mind whether I feel part of the community or not. I like being here because the people are usually really nice. I've met a few fellow autistics here that I can relate to at times as well. I don't feel like the odd one out like I did in previous times I've been here. That's one of the reasons why I've stuck around for this long. I guess in a way, I am part of the community to an extent. Mostly because I've been here for eleven years now. It's something I feel is important to me because PC was the first forum that ever really shaped me into the living, breathing person I am today. Without it, I'm not sure if I would have learned the proper way to function on a forum the way I do right now.

...sorry, I kind of rambled there. ^^

 

[Lapis]

Not really sure yet. Only time shall tell.

 

[Mana1]

simple
do you feel like you are part of the pokécommunity? do you think you are accepted, liked, etc?

whether or not you wish to be accepted/liked is irrelevant in this thread

I feel like I'm a part of this place, in that I have influences at least some of the changes that have happened here in the 6 years I've been around. However, its taken me a long time to feel accepted and liked.

I felt pretty liked back when I was first modded, but that quickly faded and I slumped a lot. Even though I was always around (and pretty productive) I felt that people didn't really know me, care for what I said, etc. Some of that was probably in my head, but it must have had some reality and reason behind it somewhere.

These days, since around February, I feel much more at home. I've pushed myself a lot more to get to know people and become less of a recluse, and I think its slowly working. I have some way to go but I'm sure at least a few people like me outside of RPT - and hopefully I'm much more recognisable now than 12 months ago.

 

[Perriechu]

Not really. But it's my own fault, in 2012/2013 I used to feel like a part of this community because I was super active, but then I left for a while, I mean I came back for short periods, had my username changed and stuff but when I came back properly everyone had a different username and people had left etc I didn't know who was who it was all just really confusing lmao so I don't particularly blame anyone for it, it is what it is.

 

[Melody]

Melody, for example. I do see you posting in mafia occasionally, but you're not an active player, so you tend to miss out on a lot of the interaction. It's not that we're trying to exclude you, and you're certainly not the only one that this happens to, but since you're only around every so often, it's kind of hard to get to know you and interact, you know?

Anyone in the UG can tell you that I'm no fan of Bardothren (omg), but he's incredibly active and I see him quite often, so I have gotten to know him better than some other people around the forum, so I do think one's own personal activity plays a big part in it. I basically grew up in the RPT, but lately I haven't been too active there so I couldn't tell you anything about what's going on there, and there's a lot of faces that I don't recognize there now. And that's my fault for losing activity in that section, but I do still feel like I'm a part of that section when I actually get around to posting. It helps that a lot of us interact on Skype, so even when I'm not active I am at least talking to many of the active people from the section.

So yeah, it can get rough, and sometimes it's out of your control, but for the most part, just like in life, how you feel depends on how proactive you are. Even outside of PC I've noticed this, as I used to never talk to anyone in real life. I just hugged to the internet and stayed indoors. I'm still not a social butterfly, and sometimes I do still feel like shit when it comes to life and the people in it, but I can say for certain that ever since I've started putting in more effort to meeting and talking to people, my life has improved greatly and I've met plenty of wonderful people.

In the end, it's all about perspective.

Wow; you're a hoot. I am active; I'm just not a power poster. I do have things to tend you know; and other sites I also frequent. You talk the same way people do who make me uncomfortable in the first place. Worse you insinuate I'm actually not participating in the UG when I'm actually in multiple active games. Yeesh. It's always my personality to be rather calculatory in mafia games...so I don't post extraneously. It's even more difficult if you've not much responsibility in the game. It frustrates me to no end when people patronize me like that. "We're not trying to exclude you" is just that. You claim not knowing me; yet fail to even register in even trying. I seldom see even an invitation to join the fold despite it being as simple as a PM (I don't leave my contact info in the open, so sue me!)

 

[Nakuzami]

Wow; you're a hoot. I am active; I'm just not a power poster. I do have things to tend you know; and other sites I also frequent. You talk the same way people do who make me uncomfortable in the first place. Worse you insinuate I'm actually not participating in the UG when I'm actually in multiple active games. Yeesh. It's always my personality to be rather calculatory in mafia games...so I don't post extraneously. It's even more difficult if you've not much responsibility in the game. It frustrates me to no end when people patronize me like that. "We're not trying to exclude you" is just that. You claim not knowing me; yet fail to even register in even trying. I seldom see even an invitation to join the fold despite it being as simple as a PM (I don't leave my contact info in the open, so sue me!)

.-. wow you're a rather confrontational personality, aren't you?

Okay. When it comes to activity, yes I do see you around, but your posts are few and far between and are usually no more than a few sentences. Of course you have other things to tend to. We all do. I never said you weren't participating, but you certainly aren't as active as other players and, like I said, you're not the only person in this situation.

And you can't expect to wait around for someone to come and get you. There's a link to the UG Skype chat in the splash. If you wanted to be in it, all you have to do is click on that link. If none of us have you added on Skype and you don't seem to feel the need to seek us out, then why would we seek you out out of the blue?

Here's the thing: I was not patronizing you, and for you to react in such a way might be part of the problem. You read my entire previous post, yes? A huge part of a problem such as this is oneself. Until about two years ago, I was a lonely, self-loathing, self-deprecating, closeted little bitch that thought the world hated him, that the world would be better off without him, that he had no purpose whatsoever, that would sit at home feeling sorry for himself because he was just so pathetic. And you know what changed? I tried talking to people. I tried putting myself out there to see what happened. Because hell, if the world hated me so much, I guess I had nothing left to lose, right? And you know what happened? I realized that the world didn't hate me quite as much as I thought it had. It hasn't been all good and nice going since then—hell, some of the worst experiences of my life have occurred since then, but all of the best days of my life have happened since then as well. Do I still sometimes feel like a lonely little kid that the world would be better off without? Yes. Constantly, actually. Old habits die hard. But the difference is that I'm trying to do more with myself, that I'm trying to put myself out there. I shove myself into situations, social and otherwise, that might not be the most comfortable for me. Does it always work out? Hahaha, no, it does not. Sometimes it goes terribly wrong. But sometimes . . . it doesn't. And when it doesn't, great things happen, and I actually feel happy sometimes. I actually feel like a person, instead of a pile of trash that needs to be taken out of the world. Hell, just a few moments ago I suddenly felt like shit for no reason. There are days where I spend most of my time crying or trying not to cry because, for one reason or another, my world just turns to shit. But you know what? I move past it. I keep trying, I keep putting myself out there to see what comes along. And, despite having some incredibly shitty days, it works. Sometimes, just for a moment, I feel better than I ever have, and it's worth it.

The point is, when it all comes down to it, is that life can be shitty, people can be moreso, but if you don't throw yourself into the midst of it, you're going to stay on the sidelines regretting it. I've learned this the hard way. I'm still learning it. But I know that when I feel like shit, when I feel left out and like the world doesn't care about me, it's because I'm not trying hard enough. I'm not putting myself out there and letting the world know that I exist. This may be an internet forum, but the same rules apply, sometimes even moreso. Here everyone is just text on a screen until they choose to show who they are.

Remember when I mentioned Bardothren? When I first saw the guy, I didn't mind him. Then I started to get annoyed with him, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Then I outright hated him. But you know what happened? He kept putting himself out there, despite me basically shitting all over him for everything he is, and now? Now I don't mind him. Now he's just another face of the UG. Who knows, maybe I'll like the guy someday, but that won't happen if he doesn't stick around and keep putting himself out there. Something tells me that he won't have any problem with that. The question is, do you? If you really don't feel like you're part of anything, then speak up for crying out loud. Saying that you feel left out here doesn't count, as this isn't where the people that you should be trying to get through to are. The folks in the UG are a nice bunch, albeit weird as all hell, and if you simply say something, they won't have a problem letting you in. But if you don't bring the problem up to them, how are they supposed to know that there even is one in the first place?

So please, if you think it's an issue, don't be afraid to bring it up to the people that you have the issue with.

And that goes for everyone in all situations, on this little section of the internet to every other facet of life.

I'm sorry if you feel like I'm patronizing you or being harsh, but what I'm doing is trying to address the problem in my own way. I have nothing against you, nor do I want to argue with or fault you for anything. But god damn if I've learned anything, it's that sitting around and waiting for a problem to solve itself just doesn't work.

 

[Kanzler]

I would have a different answer for this thread if it was two years ago, but simply put, I don't feel that way. I'm fine with it as well, considering how I don't like putting myself out and beyond others, even though I might not be the shyest of people around here. :P

That's a good question, I really don't know. :x

I'm serious.

o hai gaiz :D

I remember a time when we were all plenty more active (and had more pictures in the picture thread :D).

 

[Bidoof FTW]

I definitely feel like I've been a part of this community in several ways.

When I first started out everyone I knew was in the Battle Server, including that guy up there with the pug avatar. We miss you Kanzler. I felt like I really belonged with that group and I remember having wonderful memories in PC and that's why I came back every single day. And I can't help but feel that Nakuzami hit it on the spot with what he posted. You have to put yourself out there. I would never have met any of the friends I had met or probably even stayed on PC if I didn't join a club that involved battling. Granted, all of the members of that club are gone and I haven't talked to them in months, but they were the start of PC for me and because of signing up for the club of a character I liked and because I decided I wanted to meet people here I did everything I could to do so.

And even now that I've moved on a bit from the Battle Server now that most of the old regulars that I loved don't go there or don't talk to me as much as they used to, I've found a new group of wonderful people on PC to talk to. The Underground was quite intimidating at first, but after a little while of playing, chatting, and EMing I've met 40-something wonderful people and 2 new pairs :)

I feel like this community is really open and wonderful to any variety of people. It just takes a couple jumps to find that incredible community and a group of people to call your friends.

 

[Candy]

No. Why would anyone want a weird person like me? :v

Ok I'm just kidding. Back when I returned to PC last year, I started to hang out a lot at the Anime & Manga section, and honestly, that's how I started to rise up in PC. I started to explore other sections, and made a lot of new friends.

Nowadays, I hang out around the UG, but that doesn't mean I don't visit the sections that I used to frequent. PC is a wonderful community that's really unlike back when I was active in SPPf, and I'm glad to be a part of it. <3

 

[Kanzler]

I second Bidoof's comments. A lot of it is putting yourself out there and the rest is serendipity - sometimes there's just a spark and you hit it off with someone or several someones.

I guess to respond to the thread: the tl;dr is yes, I do. I don't hang out as much as I used to, and there's a lot of new and highly active members that I don't know which makes me feel relatively out of the loop. I still maintain a presence in D&D the Round Table though, as that guy who's slightly more conservative than most nah not really actually if that were true that's saying a lot about how the makeup of Round Table has changed over the years someone who is willing to second guess what other people have to say or play the devil's advocate.

Despite not knowing and not being as known, I still feel like I'm a part of this community. I kinda feel like making a graphic about the "five stages of your stay at Pokecommunity" now that I think about it.

 

[Her]

only i am allowed to argue in my threads

 

[Sun]

Used to be during the days of DP, I was a regular in the Current Generation of that time as well as the Trade Corner with my old profile. But it doesn't really matter for me if I'm in or out nowadays, I'm very satisfied with the daily interactions with friends on my current profile. ^_^

 

[Aquacorde]

I used to be much better known and involved but that's kind of dropped off as I wander away more and my primary friend groups stop their activity. :x

 

[Saintscrew7]

I feel accepted, so that what's matter. And you guys showed me that, Thanx!
So far... Yeah, accepted it is!!