We called trolls "bezoars" at the Bronze, after the creatures in bad eggs that latched onto a host's back in order to control the host.

And then a bunch of ex-Pat Bronzers coined the phrase Pfisters after Norman Pfister (one of "The Three") in What's My Line - because it more aptly described those pests that aren't strictly trolls or bezoars. The Pfister looks human, and can even act human, but he's really just a pile of maggots underneath, and sooner or later, after he makes his way into your home, he's going to devolve and get in your hair, up your ass and even duct tape won't keep him out. There's not enough Raid in the world...

Do I get bonus points for knowing that the name of the original Star Trek episode with the energy creature is "Day of the Dove"? No?

I just wanted to add my perspective on how I use the board. I basically have used it for discussion of the shows, since the highly literate discussion has encouraged me to crank up my rusty critical faculties. I try to follow what's going on in Natter, but have never been able to really participate much, even back in the WX days, because I could never keep up. Now that is even more true. I just try to keep up with the show threads these days, and the Two Towers thread, since I am such a Tolkien fan. I don't feel that I'm on the outside looking in, though, because the right-side threads keep me updated.

FWIW, I first came across DNFtEC on GEnie. I think it's a good policy.

If we want a Buffy-specific reference, it should be "Do Not Feed The Yoko Factor [Creature]".

Do Not Feed Yoko!Spike. DNFY!S.

Sorry, just had to. And thanks, scrappy, that's fine.

t /natter

Energy creatures are a sci-fi staple. It would be hard to pinpoint the first one.

Perhaps this should go on Natter, but waking up this morning after falling asleep thinking about this place, I came to a realization of why this place appeals to me.

It's like the BBS's I used before the internet entered the vernacular.

I used to have 5 or 6 BBS's I'd dial into with my borrowed 2400 baud modem. There were different topics. There was natter. There were emoticons. And, there was a slew of regular posters with their own personalities.

The degree of similarity suggests that this was intentional rather than accidental. It struck me in such a way that I had to share.

I think most of us remember some online paradise or other that went down in flames. Mine would be Usenet; other people remember GEnie, or BBSes, or the old Bronze.

It adds to our dedication to keeping this place from following their path.

amych, I was familiar with the Buffy-creature bezoar first. I read the Sandman comics later, when someone had to get a bezoar and trade it for... something... for Calliope? I was VERY confused.

On the affiliation question, I'd say that Buffistas is not affiliated with Joss as a business entity. Joss as a guy who has the internet, yes. As the creator of shows, NSM. I think the "not affiliated with Mutant Enemy" route is the best one.

You know, there was a time when I read every post by every poster in every thread. Life.

I oppose thread proliferation. Just going on the record really, since the arguments have already been stated. Nonetheless, I fully expect to natter happily in the proliferated threads. Embrace my complexity.

Is there any support for a second (non-archive, regular thread style) page to hold closed threads? To at least diminish the rapidly growing main page length?

I think it's well nigh on time we looked at standard disclaimers, including not affiliated, opinons are the opinions of the opinionated in question, and copyright belongs to the copyright holder.

A disclaimer, if we decide we need one, doesn't have to be too complicated. "Buffistas.org is a comminuty-owned and community-run web site, and is in no way affiliated with Mutant Enemy Productons, the FOX Network, UPN or The WB." That's all we need.