Ok, so what are you proposing?
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Because Pinkunz has literally suffered another crisis, where he has lost access to a number of online accounts, and he explained (through an emergency communication channel, likely arranged at the nearest public library) that he is trying to repair and reestablish these as quickly as possible.
Iāve tried sending messages directly to his personal number, but they arenāt being received. He is MIA right now and I am worried sick.
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Gawd, you could be at a coffee shop, where someone is dying on the floor in front of you, and you would be demanding to know why they havenāt served you coffee yet.
I hope you heal.
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It is about you, because youāre asking in an abrasive manner. If you want something to happen, then reach out to help it along (as others in this thread have done) instead of yelling from the sidelines-- when pinkunz is back online. And if you do, try to be understanding for once.
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@inventor200, please refrain from trying to make this personal ā itās really not called for. This post is an example of exactly the dynamic that I was describing in the quote that you used.
@jwalrus, Iām not proposing anything. I can say that, were I in Pinkunzās situation, I would be publicly apologizing for having let down the community, working openly to create an emergency committee of volunteers to help in getting the awards for 2023 games out (and taking that help when offered), publishing a current status report and a timeline for the steps needed to finish the awards for 2023 games, keeping up regular weekly public posts on progress (good or bad) to promote accountability for myself and keep the community informed, and starting a process of nominating and selecting the next organizer to take over for the awards for 2024 games. Iād be doing that regardless of the reason(s) for the problems I had been experiencing, because I know that the XYZZYs are important to this community ā not to mention the longest-running awards in videogame history. But thatās just me.
@pieartsy, Iām listing facts, not making personal attacks. Iām asking you not to make it personal, as well.
You would not actually be doing any of that because you would not have the ability to communicate with anyone. Listen to people when they are talking to you.
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That is just you.
You are concerned about a videogame tradition.
I am concerned about the health and safety of my best friend, in a period where contact isnāt even possible.
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You made it personal towards him. You are telling someone that despite not being physically able to contact anyone, that they should publicly apologise. Thatās personal and makes no sense.
Also, for someone who specifically prides themself on only listing facts, this isnāt a fact. Itās second longest-running.
I care more about my friend than an awards ceremony. But now Iām just repeating what other people said, so Iāll stop.
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I havenāt been on the forum a lot recently because Iāve had a rough couple of months and because I am broken in some weird way, I pull away from people instead of embracing good company. So it makes me REALLY FUCKING SAD to check in and see this ugliness.
Dan clearly has bigger concerns right now than awards, or organizing something for anyone else. He does not owe anyone any apologies. We should all be doing our best to help him feel better, not worse, OK?
OK.
The XYZZYs can happen if someone just does them. I nominate you, @otistdog.
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You donāt get to exist as some disembodied ghost on this forum, free from consequences.
You make every post personal the moment you hit the reply button.
You are an individual on this forum, and I can refer to you with second-person pronouns.
Claiming that a reply to your post should not be āpersonalā implies that youād rather your posts justā¦what, appear from the ether? Are you ducking away from the possibility of disagreement? Did you expect your words to go unopposed?
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I also nominate @otistdog, partly to reduce pressure on my friend.
But mostly because I want to see if this whole long-standing ādonāt make it personalā evasion crutch can be removed, and we can see if otistdog actually puts their drive into action, as payment for taking opportunistic pot-shots.
I also want it on record that I am not nominating out of lack of faith for Pinkunz.
I also want it abundantly clear to future readers that the actions of
- Refusing the nomination
- Accepting the nomination and succeeding
- Accepting the nomination and failing
all mean that either otistdog leaves Pinkunz alone, or otistdog completely invalidates and surrenders all prior excuses of supposed professionalism, because all of these actions will put them in a position to have nothing further to say about Pinkunz.
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Then what are you aiming to accomplish by bringing this up again?
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Iām also listing facts about your demonstrated behavior. You asked in an abrasive manner, have not done anything to help pinkunz in lieu of criticism, and are not being understanding (ie sympathetic) of his situation. This is not a personal attack about your character, it is describing what youāre doing.
Are you going to respond to my point, which is that you should actually help? Are you going to start up the XYZZYs like several people here said theyād prefer you to do? Or are you going to keep making demands without action?
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(COPIED FROM THE HOT TAKES THREAD)
Now, I havenāt read very far back in this thread (because frankly the world has enough strife these days to willingly subject myself to more, no matter whoās in the right), so maybe Iāll get some of this wrong, or repeat something someone else has said.
It seems to me rather than casting blame at anyone or aspersions on someoneās character or actions, maybe we should do something to alleviate the situation in the short run, while Dan is unable to run the awards. I suggest that we temporarily form an XYZZY Awards committee, with Dan as chair, so that the necessary actions can be taken in an expedited, open fashion. The committee could be made permanent at the discretion of Dan when heās able to take on the responsibilities again. During Danās absence there could be an acting chair, but the important point is: responsibilties can be distributed amonst the members of the committee so that no one has to take on the burden alone.
Of course, anyone currently in contact with Dan should get his sign-on to this proposal; I wouldnāt want to forcibly wrest the awards away from him.
I would nominate myself to be on the committee. Once the committee is formed, an acting chair can be elected.
Anyway, I hope Iām not repeating others, or rubbing someone the wrong way. Iād like to see the tradition continue.
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While itās frustrating to see people carping about the state of the XYZZYs without any suggestions about how to resolve the situation, I donāt think putting someone on the spot and telling them to do it themselves is actually a viable way of resolving the situation. If the community was likely to see an individual stepping in and running the awards without the involvement of @maga or @pinkunz as acceptable, Iām pretty sure someone would have done it already.
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Iām leaving this thread open for the time being, because information is being shared and proposals being made. But please refrain from personal attacks, and trust that everyone involved is doing what they can to make things work out.
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This seems like a reasonable idea to me, butā¦
ā¦Iām not sure if Pinkunz is actually able to contact anyone right now, or if anyone here is able to contact him:
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If anyone is able to contact Pinkunz, though, it does seem like a good idea to arrange to have someone who can be responsible for communications and (temporarily) making decisions as needed in his absence.
Edit: Pinkunz, if you are reading this laterāmy reasoning here is that it would be a good idea to have this burden not all resting on one person. No implied criticism intended. Iām sorry youāre having a hard time. We care more about your well-being than about the awards.
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It might not be the most urgent thing to use that channel for, though.
Iām sorry to hear that life is still treating Pinkunz terribly 
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I can understand peopleās frustrations about XYZZYs - itās a long running tradition that for the past couple years despite best intentions has fallen through the cracks.
In the larger scheme, XYZZY awards being inconsistent isnāt the worst thing that could happen. Mathbrushās IFDB Awards were specifically created to fill in some of the gap left by the XYZZYs, and so was the People Choice Tournament which has accumulated support and excitement from the community. These are both positive solutions which hold as much āweightā as an XYZZY - all of them boil down to low-stakes popularity contests IMHO.
I also agree that blaming a specific person does no good. Itās a volunteer position thatās a lot of work for little reward. I suspect if they are ever to get back running well, it needs to be organized by a committee and not one personās sole responsibility year after year.
Perhaps the IFDB could eventually absorb the cool award name since the qualifying list is culled from IFDB. Is there any reason the IFDB awards couldnāt just transmogrify into the new and improved XYZZYs?
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