How soon things change ...

[binidj]

I know I shouldn't go anywhere near it, but every now and then something prompts me to go to the Harts website. Of course once I'm there I just can't help sniffing around and occasionally I dig up something like the following in the Ancestors of Albion section:

The Architect
The Architect was originally an Imperial ancestor and one that lost much power after the destruction of the Empire. He represents wealth, prosperity and civilisation ... and encourages his followers to see such things as signs of personal growth. Worship of the Architect is on the increase, especially in the southern duchies of Cornwall and Winchester. He is however often shunned by Albion's more tribal races (such as the elves).

Now I know this is bollocks on account of how I helped JFS to write it. Ordfinarily I wouldn't bother to raise this but I was fairly sure that confirmation that this was utter bollocks had been found by players several years ago.

I know it's none of my business any more but still ... it's annoying to see something that you have written and were once quite proud of, changed beyond all recognition. A bit like CS Lewis coming back to discover that Jadis had been re-written as one of Aslan's helpers.

Comments

[ephraim.livejournal.com]

Did you keep a copy of the original plot docs and write ups? I have copies of most everything that I wrote (somewhere), so will always have the originals to hand.

To extend your Narnia analogy, I tend to look at the evolution/mutilation of the plot that I wrote for the LT as more akin to Slash fic than anything else. OK, so in the original Aslan and the White Witch never got it on; but someone somewhere wanted them to, and that person is probably writing plot for the LT. Patronising? Yes. Unfair? Probably. A good way for me to deal with the whole business? Absolutely.

Lifes too short to worry about what they have done to your babies, and one should always avoid thinking about the revisionist LT gibbon hunched over his keyboard frantically typing with one hand as he...

[oldnick.livejournal.com]

"...and one should always avoid thinking about the revisionist LT gibbon hunched over his keyboard frantically typing with one hand as he..."

...and is that how you wrote your LT plot John? Remember that the person writing it now is just you, or Bin, or John, or Simon a few years down the line. It's not an evil LT 'central' person, it's not someone trying to corrupt what was written before - it's someone in a plot team, writing something to keep the players happy this year and next year, and almost certainly doing it without reference to anything except what remains on the remnants of the old public website.

Perhaps the former writers could, rather than slagging off those that are doing it now, offer them copies (or even the originals - they don't need them now) of their old notes - the unpublished stuff, that said what they had planned as background. The offer might well be ignored, but it would come over a lot better than the bunch of grouchy old men, bitter and twisted moaning about the good old days that people seem determined to show themselves as on their LJs.

[ephraim.livejournal.com]

offer them copies (or even the originals - they don't need them now) of their old notes - the unpublished stuff, that said what they had planned as background.

Done it. Mr Doran has had the whole of my archive, in an attempt to keep some continuity.

And if I come across as bitter, then it's because I am still bitter. When you throw some much effort, time and heartache into a thing, to have it dismissed by those that come after you is hurtful - even if sometimes it is the right thing to do to keep current players of the game happy.

I try not to look back, as gazing backwards makes me annoyed; but every so often something like this comes along and makes me glance backwards in fury. Its probably not worthy. Its certainly not healthy. But, I'm not going to pretend that its not the way I feel.

Apologies if it offends your sensibilities.

[castorlion.livejournal.com]

When you throw some much effort, time and heartache into a thing, to have it dismissed by those that come after you is hurtful

And sometimes it's not being dismissed. Sometimes it's genuine error. Inevitably, people make mistakes, and to sit there and boil in fury because they've decided to rewrite something you wrote 7 years ago is sometimes doing an injustice to people who are simply trying to carry on the legacy.

During my time on plot team, I didn't have access to information about everything, and I made mistakes about the stuff I did have information on. I wasn't perfect, far from it. But neither was I cackling in the dark about how I was maligning someone's efforts by rewriting what they wrote.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Perhaps the former writers could, rather than slagging off those that are doing it now, offer them copies (or even the originals - they don't need them now) of their old notes - the unpublished stuff, that said what they had planned as background.

You assume we didn't. You assume that we didn't say "get in touch if you need clarification on this, or even if you want to ask." You assume that we didn't pass over plot documents, and that instead we're hear, looking for a reason to piss and moan.

I'm still pretty LT-negative and haven't been to an LT event since Into The Woods, and haven't run one since the Last Battle. But in the last 12 months I've answered a couple of questions that I've been asked (about House Karlennon history) because to not do so would be unreasonable.

And like binidj, forbinporject, ephraim, westernind, etc. etc. etc. I handed over all of my plot related documents, notes and files to the plot team when I left.

Now - you're expecting us grognards to be psychic - to somehow know that the Architect plot was still ongoing, and that somehow through the power of our ginormous branes that the Harts plot team had got something wrong - something that contradicts what's gone before, and that we should motivate ourselves into getting back in touch with people we don't know and save them from their mistake, assuming that they know who we are and actually don't take umbridge at being contacted out of the blue and being told "you're doing that wrong".

Or, the much simpler solution would have been for someone on Harts plot - perhaps the 4iC if that's still part of their job description, to say "we're running with this plot, and we can try and get in touch with the previous writers."

Our action requires psychic powers, there's requires a bit of forethought.

[jayphoenix.livejournal.com]

I'm still pretty LT-negative and haven't been to an LT event since Into The Woods, and haven't run one since the Last Battle.

You ... along with Roz, Simon, Simon and Bin ... are still very much missed IMnsHO.

But in the last 12 months I've answered a couple of questions that I've been asked (about House Karlennon history) because to not do so would be unreasonable.

Your input (if that relates to any of my queries) always was, and always will be, appreciated. When I first tried the LT you are the reason that I came back for more.