NationStates Jolt Archive


Your Story of MaxChat 3.0

Nanakaland
14-11-2004, 15:37
Don't post in this thread if you are not telling your story or commenting on a story.

Everybody has a story. And when different stories coincide, there are still different points of view. However, here's my challange to all of you: If you were on on MaxChat, tell the story to the other NS audience. The official log is out, now it is time to tell your story. Don't tell what happened, word for word - there's a log for that. Simply tell the whole story from your point of view.

P.S. Not November 2004 nation; March 2003 nation resurrected.

I'll start. Perhaps and example will make it easier to understand:



I didn't go to the first MaxChat, but I was there for the second one. In MaxChat 2.0, all I wanted was one of my questions to be answered. It never happened. Eventually, I quit NationStates for the second time (it is weird how each MaxChat coincides with the number of the period I was on NationStates. (The first time I was at NS was MaxChat 1, later quit. Came back. MaxChat 2. Later quit. Came back again. MaxChat 3. Weird, eh?)

Anyways, I had forgotten that Saturday was MaxChat. I stupidly thought that if it was on, it'd be on next Saturday, or later in the day, or something. Therefore, I was playing a computer game called Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I was on an XP save server, but for some reason, not all of my XP was saved. So angrilly, I left. I then went to the NationStates forums, made a few posts and then realized that hardly anyone was online.

So I booted up my IRC client and connected to EsperNet. For some reason, I decided to connect to #NationStates_General first - probably because the last time I was on IRC, #NationStates had no chat while NSG had a funny one. I noticed that there were more people on NSG than usual. I asked why more people were chatting in NSG and then I eventually got the answer that Max was on NS. I quickly connected to #NationStates, tried to type something, realized I couldn't. Then someone told me that MaxChat 3.0 was on and I had missed almost an hour of it!

My hopes were shattered. The chance of speaking to Max with the chat near the end was low (MaxChat 3.0 went over an hour so I ended up coming half way through, but at the time I didn't know that). Someone told me that I could submit questions in #NationStates_Q&A. Of course, I thought. I'll come up with a good question and they'll have to ask it. However, I found that most of the questions I was asking were already asked. Out of anger and spite, I quit NS_Q&A and almost quit from #NationStates.

I then realized that I had a bad temper, and that I could logically just keep posting questions off the top of my head in NS_Q&A and one of them would surely be good enough to ask Max. I rejoined #NationStates_Q&A. So I asked. And asked. And asked. All of them defeated except two. In one of them, I was a coasker of a question, so my name got mentioned (that was good), but because one of the coaskers was a mod (Tactical Grace), so I wasn't voiced and thus couldn't speak to Max.

My hopes were slightly raised, but then, those at #NationStates were told that there were only two questions left. I held my breath. The second from last question was probably the one I'd end up asking by myself, if any. No. It was Goobergunch's question. There. It was over, I thought. There's always a MaxChat 4.0, but this one is over. All my questions were struck down in #NationStates_Q&A. Or so I thought.

I had forgotten by then that I had asked one other question that no one critisized. I would have never had thought that out of all of my great, well worded, creative (or so I thought at the time) questions, a one I did as a joke would be picked.

I held my breath. Last question. The suspense was so great, I almost left #NationStates. It was all down to this. If the last question wasn't a question I asked, all was over in terms of a chance to speak to Max. I tried to rationalize. I told myself, "There's always MaxChat 4.0. I'll have a much better chance next time. Next time, everything will go well. There's always a next time."

The following is from the log of MaxChat 3.0 with my thoughts as it happend (I know that the log is a little edited by the mods, but it will serve my purpose). My thoughts are the things not beginning with <> or *.

<Karma> Ok, and finally, our last question for maxchat 3.0!
<MaxBarry> where DOES the time go?
<MobileMyrth> *drumroll*

Were the mods trying to give me an anxiety attack? I thought.

<RepProdtheNinjaMod> To end on an amusing note: <Nanakaland> Do you have magical powers?

"What!" I shouted when this came up. Not only was I picked, but the one question I thought wouldn't be picked was.

<Karma> it goes that way. ::points::
<Cogitation> <MaxBarry> where DOES the time go? <-- The Middle of Nowhere, Alaska, USA.
<MaxBarry> hahaha
<IJ> I would gues it depend on what apparatus he has on hand. ;)

Are they going to just ignore my question?

<MaxBarry> Well, Nanakaland, we ALL have magical powers. You just have to really, really believe.
<MaxBarry> And obtain the Sacred Wand of Blue Fire.
<MaxBarry> But I'm not telling you where that is.

It was over. It was done. My question was asked. But I realized that I was voiced. In all of the stress, I must speak to Max. I couldn't think of anything to say. Time was running out before I was devoiced. Finally I just typed what came to my mind.

<Nanakaland> Thank you for answering that important question.

It wasn't an important question, but I decided to keep up the joke.

<MaxBarry> You're welcome.

He spoke to me! I thought. He really spoke to me! At that moment, I nearly died of shock.

<Cogitation> Wouldn't the Gleaming Swords of Vengeance suffice, Max?
<MaxBarry> Well, you can kid yourself that it will.
<MobileMyrth> Or the Meatcleaver of Moderation
* Melkor sets mode: -m
<Unfree> I have magical powers... mua ha ha
* Karma sets mode: +m

Upon reviewing the logs, the mute was gone for just a few seconds.

<Melkor> hey!
<Treznor> Nanakaland Wow. I spoke to Max and I forgot to ask for an autograph.

How could someone quote what I said in NSG? Was he trying to get me banned?

<MobileMyrth> No you don't

See? Point proven.

Well, I tried to stay on IRC, I really did, but I had spoken to Max and I felt like my day was done. I wouldn't be able to speak to anyone lower than Max for another day (and that meant that I wouldn't be able to chat in NS or NSG because in the NationStates community, everyone is lower than Max).



See the point? Tell your story, your point-of-view, of MaxChat 3.0. It'll be quite interesting, especially if someone else who asked a question, or possibly a mod, or someone else even, tells their story while the memory is still in their mind.

P.S. If you're quoting IRC, don't forget to check the box under Additonal Options to disable smilies in text.
Nanakaland
15-11-2004, 03:23
.::BUMP::.