I'm going to attempt to answer your question even though I checked your info page and noticed that I'm not on your favorites list. :(
I think it all started back when a newbie posted a comic and asked for feedback, and one of the regulars posted a picture of a guy with a "pondering" look on his face. The resulting firestorm of controversy seems to have been somewhat divisive, and, for some, irreparably off-putting.
Or, that may not have had anything to do with it at all.
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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.