RIP The Sandbox 2007-2021

[The Entity]

That sounds exactly like me buddy. I'm still working from home and only know how to communicate via Teams now.

I have the forum open throughout the day so it's easy to follow new posts. Plus with living in the UK it's usually the same members I interact with.

There's still a good handful of older members about however they aren't as active as they used to be.

Good to have you back!

Same here! It's a bit of much needed distraction from work

 

[Otomofan]

I joined this forum back in 2009 to almost exclusively discuss the upcoming Medicom AKIRA stuff, as my username indicated. I only discovered the very entertaining movie/book/off topic discussions a few years back and it was really refreshing.

I'm a 43 year old "toxic white male"....I'm middle aged now, from a different generation, and like all generations before me I detest what I see culture devolving into.

I was a young boy that had big plans
Now I'm just another ****** old man
I don't have fun and I hate everything
The world owes me, so **** you.

I've decomposed, yet my gut's getting fat
Oh my god I'm turning out like my dad
I'm always rude I've got a bad attitude
The world owes me, so **** you.


"Yeah, well that's the way it was, and WE LIKED IT!"

It was nice to have a tiny haven free of all the political correctness and identity politics that have consumed everything we've ever loved and enjoyed. Not to mention the fact that we spent half our lives being ridiculed for it, but now some tumblrina buys a Deadpool Funko at Hot Topic, and therefore thinks Xzhe/Xzher knows and cares more about the character than some of us that actually picked up New Mutants 98 off the rack.

I don't know. It's exhausting. It's a cultural "war" we lost at least five or more years ago. I just wanna enjoy the things I love and stay out of it, but even that's not good enough cause now they wanna retroactively destroy the things I love and build them in their own bizarre gender fluid world view where we will all eat bugs and sleep in shared cubicles and all the other crap.

I know you can "never go home again" but I'm so grateful for the toys, comics, and movies that are still out there, unedited, unaltered, so that I can still enjoy the things I loved in 7th grade. If nothing good ever comes out of Hollywood or TV or comics again (and I doubt it will) I'm at the very least extremely grateful I still have the good stuff. I need to make back ups of my back ups and make sure they can't get it and destroy or alter it for "wrongthink" though.

 

[greygoose]

Same here! It's a bit of much needed distraction from work

Indeed. Just don't tell the bosses.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

The pandemic, to be honest.

I've been working from home for the past 16 months and counting, and my social life (which wasn't the most elaborate to begin with) really has taken a beating since that started. I see my collegues pretty much exclusively via Teams and those are the mandatory team-meetings with not much room for small talk. And even then, no-one is into movies, tv-shows or collecting as I am.

So I came back to a familiar place, hoping to see some familiar faces.

E!! Long time no see!

It's great to see you back on the board, ol' buddy.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

@The Entity
Almost gave up then came back. Much better place now. Not as busy as it used to be but a lot less trouble and hostility.

What pulled you back in?

Boredom

 

[greygoose]

Boredom

 

[devilof76]

Boredom

That’s why I left.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Almost gave up then came back. Much better place now. Not as busy as it used to be but a lot less trouble and hostility.

What pulled you back in?

I came back a few days ago. I backed away start of July this year because we had a sudden influx of trolls and that lit the fire under a few of the old "cranky types" - net result . . . it started getting a bit like Facebook & Twitter. Things seemed to have calmed down now though.

Great to see people I appreciate still hanging out here (yourself included).

Also great to see all the forum upgrades (and that all those I had on ignore REMAINED on ignore after the changes )

Dropped off Statue Forum at the same time - suppose I should check in there too at some point

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[greygoose]

I came back a few days ago. I backed away start of July this year because we had a sudden influx of trolls and that lit the fire under a few of the old "cranky types" - net result . . . it started getting a bit like Facebook & Twitter. Things seemed to have calmed down now though.

Great to see people I appreciate still hanging out here (yourself included).

Also great to see all the forum upgrades (and that all those I had on ignore REMAINED on ignore after the changes )

Dropped off Statue Forum at the same time - suppose I should check in there too at some point

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Good to see you buddy!

The place is much better now. Still not as busy as it used to be - we've lost lots of good members over the years.

The troll and bot problem seems to have been eradicated now however there's always one that pops up every now and then.

Happy posting!

 

[Asta]

I came back a few days ago. I backed away start of July this year because we had a sudden influx of trolls and that lit the fire under a few of the old "cranky types" - net result . . . it started getting a bit like Facebook & Twitter. Things seemed to have calmed down now though.

Great to see people I appreciate still hanging out here (yourself included).

Also great to see all the forum upgrades (and that all those I had on ignore REMAINED on ignore after the changes )

Dropped off Statue Forum at the same time - suppose I should check in there too at some point

Good to see you buddy!

The place is much better now. Still not as busy as it used to be - we've lost lots of good members over the years.

The troll and bot problem seems to have been eradicated now however there's always one that pops up every now and then.

Happy posting!

We can catch the spammers more easily when they try to join now.

Yesterday morning I went searching for the ones who were still here from when this place was getting hammered. You find one and it takes you down a rabbit hole to their aliases and accomplices (i.e, shills).

I banished over thirty to that special place in cyber hell reserved for them.


If anyone spots a suspected spammer, even if the post is old and the user looks dormant, report it and we'll sort them out.

 

[a-dev]

Welcome back Heavy Metal Spike

And Asta, have you been a mod all along and I just didn't notice?

 

[The Entity]

Welcome back Heavy Metal Spike

And Asta, have you been a mod all along and I just didn't notice?

I was just asking myself that, as well!

 

[Asta]

Welcome back Heavy Metal Spike

And Asta, have you been a mod all along and I just didn't notice?

Only since Wednesday last week.


It came as a surprise to me too.

 

[greygoose]

Welcome back Heavy Metal Spike

And Asta, have you been a mod all along and I just didn't notice?

@Asta

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

@greygoose & @a-dev - thanks for the posts - EVERYONE - thanks for the "likes"

(* that "likes" thing is new - might take me a while to remember to use that *)​

@Asta - there were a few spammers, but the real issue was trolls - and a sudden influx of them (and the resulting "stupid") in threads I tended to hang in. Seems much better now though. I'm seeing old friends rather than idiots. Welcome to the staff - and good luck!


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[Asta]

@Asta - there were a few spammers, but the real issue was trolls - and a sudden influx of them (and the resulting "stupid") in threads I tended to hang in. Seems much better now though. I'm seeing old friends rather than idiots. Welcome to the staff - and good luck!


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Things did get rough here at one time. A few years back (when I was still Kuat of Kuat) it got so depressing it was making a bad dog out of me as well.

I left with no intention to return, but the hobby is addictive regardless. So I came back after a few weeks as Asta, the good dog, with a more positive and considerate attitude in spite of the trolls.

It worked!

The place has been completely transformed, not only with the slick new XenForo platform (where things actually work!), but the negative elements have largely disappeared too. It's a much nicer place to be.

Angie the Admin has done wonders for the site!

 

[greygoose]

Things did get rough here at one time. A few years back (when I was still Kuat of Kuat) it got so depressing it was making a bad dog out of me as well.

I left with no intention to return, but the hobby is addictive regardless. So I came back after a few weeks as Asta, the good dog, with a more positive and considerate attitude in spite of the trolls. It worked!

The place has been completely transformed, not only with the slick new XenForo platform (where things actually work!), but the the negative elements have largely dissipated too. It's a much nicer place to be.

Angie the Admin has done wonders for the site!

@Heavy Metal Spike
What @Asta said. Plus, make sure to check out the green/grey skin for the site. Looks like old times!

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

. . . The place has been completely transformed, not only with the slick new XenForo platform (where things actually work!), but the negative elements have largely disappeared too. It's a much nicer place to be.

Angie the Admin has done wonders for the site!

Yeah - SERIOUSLY - whoever collectively spent what must have been WEEKS of effort to make all the changes has basically saved this site - blimmin' WONDERFUL work !!!!!

"Angie the Admin" - sounds like a member of a superteam . . . "The Correctors" maybe - we need an action figure

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[Darth Snoopy]

Welcome back to the Freak show, Heavy Metal Spike!

a-dev:
Welcome back Heavy Metal Spike

And Asta, have you been a mod all along and I just didn't notice?

Asta is now a Made Man.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Welcome back to the Freak show, Heavy Metal Spike!

Hiya Snoops (Predator-thread-cleaner extraordinaire) - good to see you're still around too bud


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