Just Talk.

[Voodoo Magic]

I did it to three threads yesterday and didn't even realize it. I still say it doesn't count if the conversation naturally progresses to a different topic for a few pages, as opposed to intentionally derailing/shitting up a thread.

Very well said and agreed.

And it happens to all of us. Person A is on topic and says he/she didn't like a specific practical effect and that it reminded him/her of Pumpkinhead. This surprises Person B who asks what was the problem with the FX in Pumpkinhead?  And away we go.

[Immortan Jonesy]

I'm missing the part where Pumpkinhead becomes a fetish to the point where threads are derailed just for the sake of discuss Pumpkinhead.  And maybe one of the guys from the Pumpkinhead  obsession camp is going to say, after some Pumkunhead jokes of course, something like:"Hey seriously, I'm jonesing for news here" as his particular way of saying he needs a break to get back on topic....and of course we should respect that ... it's called Empathy.

[[cancerblack]]

There is undoubtedly purposeful derailment of threads. It exists. I think for the most part though (at least here), that there are many people who don't do it with the intention of causing issue or detracting from the overall conversation. They simply see something funny in a post, or they are close friends with the other posters and are used to sharing jokes and images with each other.

If only the jokes were funny...

https://i.imgur.com/zHRJqQZ.png

Spoiler

[close]

Personally when I derail it's generally mutating the topic into a side tangent bearing little resemblance to its origin, but is still legitimate discussion of some sort, not just spewing clique humour.

But we've all done that too at some point, and without a certain amount of levity/freedom to joke around discussion dies off or reaches critical mass on irrelevance, as has been said.

[Baron Von Marlon]

Voodoo Magic said it better, though. Just go with the flow or something. 

Yeah, you go with the flow.
Until the flow becomes a new stream, river or whatever and then, imo, it's time for a new topic.
Or are those few extra clicks really too much of an effort I wonder.

I'm missing the part where Pumpkinhead becomes a fetish to the point where threads are derailed just for the sake of discuss Pumpkinhead.  And maybe one of the guys from the Pumpkinhead  obsession camp is going to say, after some Pumkunhead jokes of course, something like:"Hey seriously, I'm jonesing for news here" as his particular way of saying he needs a break to get back on topic....and of course we should respect that ... it's called Empathy.

It's not an obsession, it's passion 

Personally when I derail it's generally mutating the topic into a side tangent bearing little resemblance to its origin, but is still legitimate discussion of some sort, not just spewing clique humour.

But we've all done that too at some point, and without a certain amount of levity/freedom to joke around discussion dies off or reaches critical mass on irrelevance, as has been said.

If it becomes a side tangent, why not start a new thread?
Isn't that what a forum's about? Discussing different things?

So what if discussion dies off or becomes irrelevant? Just let it be.
It's like adding extra pages or time to a book or movie, just for the sake of volume. No need to try and stay actual like some desperate fading celibrity.

[[cancerblack]]

Voodoo Magic said it better, though. Just go with the flow or something. 

Yeah, you go with the flow.
Until the flow becomes a new stream, river or whatever and then, imo, it's time for a new topic.
Or are those few extra clicks really too much of an effort I wonder.

I'm missing the part where Pumpkinhead becomes a fetish to the point where threads are derailed just for the sake of discuss Pumpkinhead.  And maybe one of the guys from the Pumpkinhead  obsession camp is going to say, after some Pumkunhead jokes of course, something like:"Hey seriously, I'm jonesing for news here" as his particular way of saying he needs a break to get back on topic....and of course we should respect that ... it's called Empathy.

It's not an obsession, it's passion 

Personally when I derail it's generally mutating the topic into a side tangent bearing little resemblance to its origin, but is still legitimate discussion of some sort, not just spewing clique humour.

But we've all done that too at some point, and without a certain amount of levity/freedom to joke around discussion dies off or reaches critical mass on irrelevance, as has been said.

If it becomes a side tangent, why not start a new thread?
Isn't that what a forum's about? Discussing different things?

So what if discussion dies off or becomes irrelevant? Just let it be.
It's like adding extra pages or time to a book or movie, just for the sake of volume. No need to try and stay actual like some desperate fading celibrity.

You might be taking things a lil too seriously. Having said that when it's the same shit every day I understand the frustration.

Specifically on your question to me: often it's not worth an entire thread, the people invested in the tangent are already in one place, and making a million go-nowhere side threads is imo worse than having a side discussion imbedded in a larger, somewhat related thread.

I'm missing the part where Pumpkinhead becomes a fetish to the point where threads are derailed just for the sake of discuss Pumpkinhead.  And maybe one of the guys from the Pumpkinhead  obsession camp is going to say, after some Pumkunhead jokes of course, something like:"Hey seriously, I'm jonesing for news here" as his particular way of saying he needs a break to get back on topic....and of course we should respect that ... it's called Empathy.

This however... Certainly deserves some level of quarantine. I'm not saying people should stop talking about, uh, pumpkinhead, but maybe that they should limit where they do so a bit more.

[Huggs]

Who dares besmirch the name of Pumpkinhead?

Come forth and present thine buttocks for the lash.

[Immortan Jonesy]

You hear the man, Baron. Now show yourself and no one will get hurt, I promise.

[Corporal Hicks]

Hicks, why have you stoped doing script podcasts? One about Gibson's draft is so good and funny to listen! I would love to hear in depth conversation about Ward's vision for Alien 3. Or Twohy's one.

We've not stopped them, just haven't gotten around to them yet. There's a lot of stuff coming out so we're focusing on the current stuff lately.

Or if it naturally derails when the topic is in its death knell and everybody is having good natured civil discourse what harm does it do?

But who decides when a topic is in its death knell?
Sometimes its only a lull. Happens often people go back to an older topic. And then it's nice if you don't have to sift through unrelated things.

[[cancerblack]]

Who dares besmirch the name of Pumpkinhead?

Come forth and present thine buttocks for the lash.

Did I say Pumpkinhead? I meant the cast of Aliens. My mistake.

[Voodoo Magic]

Who dares besmirch the name of Pumpkinhead?

May it be the Alan Smithee of AvPG Forum off-topic discussion, forever more!

This however... Certainly deserves some level of quarantine. I'm not saying people should stop talking about, uh, pumpkinhead, but maybe that they should limit where they do so a bit more.

I think that's fair. Level headedness from both sides is the reasonable answer. If Pumpkinhead posts arise, after a couple posts the poster should make an effort to curb it, while the most sensitive readers should try their best not to get so triggered over it.

[Baron Von Marlon]

You hear the man, Baron. Now show yourself and no one will get hurt, I promise.

What man?

And what do you mean by showing myself? Trying to be careful here after my bad teacher post 

[Kradan]

Hicks, why have you stoped doing script podcasts? One about Gibson's draft is so good and funny to listen! I would love to hear in depth conversation about Ward's vision for Alien 3. Or Twohy's one.

We've not stopped them, just haven't gotten around to them yet. There's a lot of stuff coming out so we're focusing on the current stuff lately.

Yeah, i've noticed that, Well, I'm gonna wait. 

[Huggs]

I ran out of daylight but still had plenty of fuel left in the mower, so I turned and cut an obscene shape into a nearby field. It's not my best work, but it'll do.

Just in case horny aliens take it as an invitation, I pointed it at someone deserving of their affections.

[Local Trouble]

It's like your own crop circle.

https://www.joyscribe.com/mysterious-dck-crop-circles-are-appearing-in-australia/

[Huggs]

Last year I wrote POOP.