Meta Question

rebbel's avatar

If a Troll is "someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community..". what would an Elf be?

Asked by rebbel (35553points) January 12th, 2012

If we take the name Troll from Tolkien, but with the meaning of the internet troll wiki, what would an explanation of an Elf on Fluther be?
A mediator?
A slime?
A mod?
A what?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

28 Answers

Seelix's avatar

Someone who swoops in and lightens the mood. @JillTheTooth, maybe.

JilltheTooth's avatar

Aw, you cutie, but I was (literally!) going to cite someone who swoops in with an elevating cute-itude…Smelly Goat Tragedy, anyone???????

Sunny2's avatar

A troll hides under bridges (They are Scandinavian in origin by the way). Elves hide under leaves or in hollow trees. Trolls are always nasty. Elves are mischievous and make cookies. So, I guess, on Fluther elves would be those who throw nice ideas and phrases into a serious discussion. I think that’s what @Seelix said, so I’m redundant. There’s a word for someone who does that too. A bore. Apologies.

Michael_Huntington's avatar

An Orc would be like a mega-troll.
A goblin would be like a really shitty troll.
An Uruk-Hai would be a super-troll with flame retardant armor and he/she would wield a fucking flamethrowing dildo.

Berserker's avatar

Elves are arrogant know it alls who hate everything other than trees, and themselves. I hate elves. Fuckers. Joking. Elves are cool. But they are aloof and keep to themselves, according to D&D mythos anyway. Well, full elves anyways. And drow and aquatic elves and the almost dissipated Avariel…I don’t see elves as the antithesis of trolls. Trolls exist for the purpose of fucking shit up, and were preceded by the Vikings, who in turn existed to get drunk and then fuck shit up…I think a fairy would be the opposite of a troll. Disregarding Irish mythology where fairies are mostly bastards who deceive you into eternal torment, or, to a lesser extent, cause you to go blind or kidnap babies…fairies are widely known for being all cute, cheery and bringing forth good fortune and generally making everything seem like a My Little Pony meme, but without all the underlying hints at seedy societies.
They’re just fun and lovely to have around, unlike a troll, who is the contrary. And not only because they carry trees as weaponry or just won’t die unless you’re a pyro. I guess elves are fairy like, due to their physical attributes and affiliation with nature. Hippies.

Oh wait this is some online shit. I think I failed my saving throw at subtlety. Goddamn thaco…wait you mean that went out of date?? I knew that moving to Menzoberranzan was bullshit.

…sorry. But yeah, fairies. Or fae. Or pixies. Or wtv online forum you’re on calls em.

Michael_Huntington's avatar

Yeah I’d rather be an Orc.

WillWorkForChocolate's avatar

I like the idea of @JilltheTooth being a mischievous, cute little elf!!!

digitalimpression's avatar

I’d say an elf is the one who, perchancing upon a feud, not entirely certain which camp should befriend the other, skillfully and artfully crafts a linguistic arrow, adeptly aims, fires bemusedly at the conflict before them leaving destruction in the form of peace, and indubitably extricates to a secluded perch from which they pleasure in the confusion below, marking ever so craftily the change of course taken by the unsuspecting victims of their humorous onslaught.

Someone with pointy ears

@Legolas

Some poor sap who feebly attempts to replicate one of his favorite authors (J.D. Salinger) whilst simultaneously being a disgrace to his soul.

digitalimpression's avatar

@Symbeline Yes. I could probably use the axe.

Berserker's avatar

Sweet. Let’s go. Or like, onward ho! or something.

FutureMemory's avatar

@Symbeline That was…interesting.

digitalimpression's avatar

I’m still not quite sure what happened.

Berserker's avatar

I should have added something about brain ninjas. Or psionics. Or however you spell it.

zensky's avatar

I’m going with Liv Tyler

Blueroses's avatar

Elf would be Entitled Little Fucker.

That’s one who jumps right into an online community, ignores its guidelines and doesn’t make any attempt to get on with others.

JilltheTooth's avatar

So much for the Mutual Admiation Society @Seelix and I were starting… :/

Blueroses's avatar

@JilltheTooth As with all things, there are good elves and bad elves. Sometimes trolls can amuse too. :D

JilltheTooth's avatar

Keebler Elves are good elves. Just sayin’.

Berserker's avatar

@Blueroses Ha, entitled little fucker. I like that, and how the abbreviation, ELF, totally relates to what an online troll is. Fuckin elves. I just knew those muthas were up to no good.

SmashTheState's avatar

That’s not what a troll is. A troll is someone who consciously and exclusively attempts to elicit negative emotional reactions. The incorrect definition used by this site is the reason that it is renowned as a pit of priggish intolerance. To be censored on this site, it is only necessary to possess and express an opinion sufficiently different from the status quo to enrage a large number of people. In order to qualify as trolling, the purpose must be to elicit negative emotional reactions. Simply eliciting negative reactions is not trolling, and censoring people for posting something “inflammatory” is what the Catholic Church did for 1800 years – and what Fluther does daily.

Berserker's avatar

That sounds like something entirely different than a troll. I always figured a troll was someone who pisses people off in certain definitive means, (flaming, breaking rules and what have you) whether they’re aware of doing so or not. I base this on what a troll actually is in mythology, and how it’s in their nature to fuck shit up. Hence why it’s not required for the person to be conscious of it (or enjoying it if they are) to be defined as a troll.

However, where the word troll comes from to define the online person, I don’t even know if it does come from mythology…most especially when someone advertising on a site is also called a troll, unless it’s a spam bot. (that, however, may be related to the troll charging you money to cross a bridge?) ’‘scratches noggin’’ It’s weird how I think I know something, but then realize that I actually don’t.

JilltheTooth's avatar

I get that you really don’t like us, @SmashTheState , you’ve made that very clear time and again. Occasionally you do manage to post decent stuff, but mostly you just come aboard to treat us like poorly behaved stupid children. I can’t help but wonder, again, why you bother. I know you probably won’t tell us, you haven’t before, I have no reason to believe that you will now, just gotta wonder, sometimes, when we are so obviously such a huge waste of your time.

You also like to post about poop. I’m wondering if the two things are related, somehow?

SmashTheState's avatar

Censorship and intolerance are poor forms of behaviour. And what makes a child’s behaviour what we refer to as “childish” is a lack of reflection, an inability or unwillingness to grasp the larger significance of one’s actions – such as silencing outlying views, the equivalent of putting one’s hands over one’s ears and singing, “LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU LA LA LA.” Whether this makes Fluther’s MinLove enforcers “poorly behaved stupid children” I leave as an exercise for the reader.

As for posting about poop, Charles Bukowski once wrote an entire poem about a skidmark in his underpants; I console myself that I am in fine scatological company.

WillWorkForChocolate's avatar

^^ Seriously? Did you forget your meds again? OMFG.

Anyway… I’d just like to clarify that my statement about @JilltheTooth being a mischievous little elf came before the decision that an ELF is an Entitled Little Fucker. I do not think darling Jill is an entitled little fucker. At all. I promise. =0)

FutureMemory's avatar

@SmashTheState <Yawn>. You really like the sound of your own voice, don’t you?

RedDeerGuy1's avatar

A lurker who sprinkles points.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther