what i want to know is what is rue doing rummaging around and finding threads from 06....?
Ahhh Rheza, no need to be the last to know, here's a recent article to fill you in..
"We're here at the archeological dig near the old city of Fornicos, where a team of graduate students from the Lick A. U School of Chat Etiquette at Flirt University, being led by faculty director Professor Bete Bann, are making significant discoveries and unearthing a treasure trove of information that promises to rewrite our understanding of early chat history. Professor Bete believes she's found the long lost ancient Forum, buried under up to nine meters of debris, rubbish, complaints and bickering. Her team is struggling to catalog and learn as much as possible before the looming threat of more server space threatens to pave over this historic piece of our history during the golden age of internet chatrooms. Her team's findings are scheduled to be published in the November 2011 edition of the Journal of Timewasting and Pointless Endeavors, but the ever hospitable Ms. Bann has been kind enough to share a few of her favorite finds with us..
"Dr. Bann, if I may,"
"Please, call me Bete. Or Ophelia. Or Rue. Or Amanda (emphasized if you please) 'Fucking' Palmer, or -"
"Bete it is. Now Bete, can you please tell us about some of these findings? I understand you've an intact mural?"
"Yes, it's lovely, and intact, just beautiful... definitely pre-Sapphira period. It's a mural of a model with what appears to be the very first visual representation of a sybian. I know what you're thinking - they weren't invented until the Puritan Sexual Revolution of October 2nd 1653-October 3rd 1653, when Plymouth's own Goody Prostate famously converted her butter churn into the first recorded foot-pump operated stimulator. But here it is, this beautiful 20 x 30 ft mural of a woman clearly being pummeled. We brought in Dr. Purgatory, head of the Masturbatory Studies department who after carefully recreating and testing such a device concluded our finding is right."
"Fascinating.. and your team is uncovering ancient writings as well, what can you tell us about those?"
"Oh, much. We first came across a couple remaining walls of what were at one time a grand foyer just off of the main Forum. These walls were covered with graffiti sprayed in old Analatin. Luckily for us we had an expert who could translate those for us."
"And what did they say?"
"There were a number literature-worthy quotes, touching pieces such as 'Analatin is the best' and 'You need 2 see Analatin she's way better than anyone else", or "I love you Analatin, why you don't write me back bb?", just amazing, amazing works. And it wasn't just here that we found these.. as we dig, Analatin references and repeat posts are popping up everywhere."
"Amazing. And I understand that wasn't the only work of graffiti you discovered?"
"You're right. Behind the old marketplace in an old cave, dating back to an even earlier era that we don't yet fully understand, we found a very early fingerpainting, mostly faded, but clearly stating, 'LOL, Again!'. Above that our team was able to translate most of a pictograph that reads, 'I Mashfan will leave this place, for real this time!', which is amazing to us because throughout the archeological site we continue to find references to this Mashfan and what appears to be a voluntary exile, though he keeps showing up throughout the ages.. wild stuff."
"Hmm.. and the scrolls, what have you pieced together from them?"
"Oh my, thank you for reminding me! It appears the ancient library was unfortunately ransacked but from the scrolls and fragments that remain, we can make out a very turbulent time in the history of the Forum, when a barbaric tribe from beyond the Whogivesafuck mountains, somewhere on the great plains of Irrelevance began incessant attacks upon the VS Media empire. Several scrolls remain warning Emperor Brad that this tribe, called the "Greybies" were flooding the chatlands and causing panic and poverty throughout. We've pieced together a number of accounts of youthful new models, hastily trained and unprepared (this was before ban buttons) being overwhelmed by the Greybies, sending their citizen members fleeing for the safety of the popular models' chatrooms. Monitors were garrisoned, but they were too few, too few.. This invasion period was long and devestating, and we sadly don't know what happened to the countless new models, but precious few clues point out that many were lost. Dispatches like "Whatever happened to..." and "Angels that Flew the Coop" appear more and more frequent during this period, and we've yet to uncover any answers to these mysteries..."
"Very tragic.. but I understand that wasn't the end?"
"No, not nearly, under the guidance of Emperor Brad it appears the warnings were eventually heeded, albeit too late for some, and Greybie filters and ban buttons were instituted. Credits stamped in the Emperor's likeness advertise numerous promotions and contests such as National Strap-On Tuesday and .00000005 Percent off Credit Purchases of $749.99 or more, although the public appears to have concluded such contests were fixed and the system corrupt. Though the Empire slowly declined, we're still finding evidence of prosperity and heightened optimism. It's during this period that Suggsicus the Elder wrote his 2 000th post, and that we see our first best bit being kissed. Cryptic word games became popularized and would soon evolve into modern recognized games like 'Drop a letter, Add a letter' and 'Finish the sentence' that we see today."
"Wow, just.. wow. Well Professor Bete, it's been a pleasure and an honor, we all look forward to your full findings when they're published this Fall. Good luck to you and your team!"
"You're welcome, likewise a pleasure" ::skates off to do more digging in the ancient forum::
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