My future in AO (or maybe possibly lack thereof) after the NY Times article

[__________THEDEACON!]

http://www.nanoclan.com (in the 'general' forums)

I posted this on the Storm boards. Please let this stay up

[Servivious]

1) To begin what will doubtless be a bump-fest of ensuring this stays in view.

2) To reiterate my support for THEDEACON, both IRL where I wish every success in his attempt to find some measure of justice from NYT, and in-game, where I know I will not be alone in saying - "You better not leave boy!".

Seriously Deac - noone will ever win a universal popularity contest, and that's no big deal. People posting unpleasant or untrue things about you, based on the recent article is unfair, unkind and just a little stupid. They have no idea who you are or what you do, so why should their opinion matter? Add to that the fact that they have been fed a pack of lies, and you will begin to see that it's not their fault; they are unpleasant people handicapped by ignorance, stupidity, and inaccurate information.

The AO community - your community - loves you. You're one of the most valued, respected and important members of our world - please don't let the idiots get you down.

You can't leave - we need you, but most importantly, we want you.

Oh - and don't think you'll be seeing {Moderator: Keep names out of this} online anytime soon. He seems to have very little moral fibre - too little to even attempt to appologise for his actions.....

[_____________Daetona]

{ OOC~

Give em hell, Deacy !! Don't take this load of garbage laying down man ! It just goes to show how much of that article is a bunch of lies to see you so appauled, and work so hard to show it... and others can see this. If not the NY Times, then @#$% em ! Like the majority of the junk any newspaper publishes is true ? *laughs* Maybe it's just me, but the papers are owned by people with political affiliations, and cater to their party's interests... truth has no place in the news anymore.

It really sounds to me, that the guy who wrote this article felt that if he submitted an article showing how discouraging something like AO can be, it would gain more notice and credit than one filled with how great a community like this can be. People want to hear bad news... they want to hear that the guy on the ledge jumped... whether they admit it or not. It helps them feel like a better person to know how lousy other people either can be, or have it... which I think, makes them a worse person.

The "journalist" who wrote the article must know this too, and put a spin on it to accomplish this very thing. He knew that an article explaining how detrimental a game like AO can be if taken too seriously would gain more attention, and be better for his career. Giving in to the cry-baby majority, he becomes just another " It's that evil Devil-Music / Movie / Game / Whatever that caused little jonny's life to fall apart " loser who took the easy road to a better career. Now, had he published an article telling it how it is, he might not get the attention he will now, but he might be able to look at himself in a mirror... then again, maybe he doesn't care, I don't know.

Point being, stay strong Deacy. There's nothing wrong with having a sense of humor, or a fetish for feet, if that's what you're really into. heheh Don't ever second-guess what makes you happy because of what someone else thinks about it... though, by the sound of it, I don't think you need to be reminded of this. =)



I am a recluse...

I am a subversive...

I am a social out-cast...

I am a MMORPG Addict...

BUT !!!

I have a job that I enjoy, and earn enough to pay the bills...

I have a girlfriend and a normal relationship...

I have a social life, when I choose too...

I have an average home, clean, and well cared for...

I am happy with the life I have for the most-part...

How many of the NY Time's Readers can say that as well? Can the writer of that article?

I dunno Deacy... Good luck with this mess, and I hope you find fun in playing again soon. AO won't be the same without ya!

[__________THEDEACON!]

Yeah, I noticed that he hasn't been online since it happened either. But if we flame him on these boards, this thrad will get removed >.<

Aye, I love this community. I really wish there was something I could do to show the outside world how AO is like one big happy family. We're not a bunch of social rejects, there's alot of good people here. And Funcom is good people too. Never before have I seen game creators dive into the community they have created like Funcom has. Gawd, I wanted to see shadowlands so badly too lol. Not saying I'm leaving, I just don't know what to do. If I quit, then he wins. I love my AO peeps, I love my Funcom, I enjoy AO, so why quit? I've never been a quitter. The very thought of giving in to someone else's whim disgusts me and undermines who I am as a person.

But if I stay, I'm going to get that sinking feeling like I'm being judged for my online time every time I load up AO. So I'm completely torn :/

Last few days, I've been getitng lots of tells like "Dude, are you ok? You're so quiet", etc. The answer is both yes and no. I look at the damage from the article and how no matter how hard I try, I can't get it out of my mind. I can't put the viciousness of the article's nature from the forefront of my conscious thought.

I keep asking myself, "why"? I tried so hard to help folks, to cheer them up with silly stories or comments ingame, emotes, anything to bring a smile to someone's face, especially if it seemed like they were taking the game too seriously.

that's all I wanted was to entertain and be a positive energy ingame. My RL is totally settled. I work from home, so I have a bit mroe free time to play AO, my wife hangs with me while I play during the day and at night during the week, there's not a whole lot of partying going on. She likes TV, I hate sitcoms and after hanging together at work all day long, we do our own separate thing (I play AO like 20 feet from her) so we don't get at each other's throats, or we go for walks or watch movies together.

I don't sit an obssess about when I get my next AO fix, all the while hiding in the house, afraid to go outside, I'm so the opposite of what that article says. It hurts alot to see what was said about me in that article. ALOT. And then it hurts worse to see what others think about and I feel helpless to show anyone the real me.

I normally don't care what people think about me, but with my name out there being attached to some serious social issues, it's having a bad effect on potential clients, perhaps potential career prospects, I haven't been able to sleep, etc.

*sigh* I'm rambling again. No matter how hard I try to write one or two lines, I'm so upset about this that the moment my fingers touch the keyboard I've written the great American novel. I'm shutting up this time, I promise :/

But again, we can't flame anyone directly in this thread, as much as I'd like to. It'd get this thread rightfully deleted in a New York Minute. Can't blame the mods for that, they got a job to do and rules to uphold >.<

[Windguaerd]

Personally, in-character I don't give a leet's ass about you, really.

But OOC, you have proven to be a good player, helpful (even with that feet fetish crap you pull sometimes) and unselfish by sharing the knowledge you've aquired.

I read the NY Times article, and I don't see much wrong with it. The reporter described you from his point of view, and he mentioned things he shouldn't have, but then...you gave that information. Never give information you don't want the whole world to know to a Reporter, NEVER, just common sense. Why would a Reporter agree NOT to disclose financial information, and then you give it?

If you don't want the world to know, just don't say it.

From my point of view, that reporter was a bastard, he gave information which he SHOULD not have released, but you gave it to him, trusting a Reporter, specially from NY (which I resided at for 15 years before moving to another state)...bad idea.

If I see the guy in-game, I'm going to call him for what he is, a lowlife son of a leet (can't say bitch in-game, don't need my account to be suspended).

If you allow this man's so called work to get you down, then the problem is not him, but you. Why would you feel bad, over someone who is not worth a second of your time?

You're better than that man, forget the mistake you made in trusting that sob, and have fun in Las Vegas.

Think of this...somewhere, there is someone whiping their behind with a page of the NY Times, it's just paper, life moves on.

And good job with Black Sunday btw, good show man.

[ntrox1]

Deac m8, quote:
"He is an ugly mutant, prideful and lewd. The spectacle of his wealth is surpassed by the vulgarity of his tongue. He sexually accosts strangers - be they female, male or neuter - and is renowned for his undying fetish for feet "

You deny this, but you have changed your tag line from Teh Footness. You DO have a fetish for feet ingame bud, we all know this. I mean, just look at the avatar on your Storm site hehe

Why did you drop your tag line and sig?

[jokzer]

OK, here's my 2 cents.

As you say, Deacon, if you quit, he'll win. For your own sake and also for the community's sake, dont let him win, you are in a class so far above him and his kind.

As for your wondering why it happened to you when all you tried to do was help others, both with the game and with having fun - well since it wasn't me I can only guess. But here in my country we have a way of putting others down when they shine at something. It is, I guess, a kind of envy - "If I see someone do something/be someone that I can't, them I stick it to them and feel better".
That such a move may/will actively hurt you IRL in any way is of no concern to the person, who is doing it. At least not at the time. (we are being moderated, so I'm staying calm...)

Whatever your lifestyle, as has been said before, it is yours to choose, within certain limits set by legislation. You do not transgress those limits, afaik.
As for others not understanding us gamers (even if I'm only a casual one) - well, they don't and it's their loss.

As for the content - I read some months ago an in-game interview - I don't remember who did it - and it showed you as a fun, easy-going guy with a sense of responsibility. And I give far more credence to that than to anything I see in a newspaper. No surprise that it was twisted though. It's what papers do. I rank reporters just about as high as lawyers and used car dealers anyway.

And for what it is worth: I have only seen you at Black Sunday in-game but read a lot of your posts here. Except for a couple of things I have enjoyed your stories and learned from your OOC threads as much as I could. You are no recluse, you are no social case, you are quite normal.
If you are as conscientious with your work as with life on RK - and I suspect as much, it carries over between the two, usually - then I'd take my business to you if I could.
Go on with your life, now may be a rough patch - but it will get to smooth sailing again. Guys like you cannot be kept down.
Just - dont ever, _ever_ tell anything to a reporter unless you want to see it on the front page from now on.

Oh, and what is a "New York Minute"??? I've seen it before - is it slang for a "second"?? No, I don't speak fluent american. Yes, it is a serious question in an improper place...

[____________esjaytdr]

placed post in reply to your post on storm forums

[Andross]

When i read that NYT article, it didnt appear as damaging for you - to me.. others may see it differently. I took the "facts" he reported as just that and went on - its an article in a news paper's online page that i had to register for first before i could even read the article. So count me out of the 50.000 AO players who NYT lost creditiblity with... I don't care about NYT nor your RL. The article was entertaining to read, thats all.

What you decide to do with your AO life.. is entirely up to you. If you let an article such as this one decide over your fate in AO, then its a pity. Good luck anyway.

PS: You didnt get suspended from the forum due to a disagreement with me. If you were suspended, then it was due to something else. I am not aware of anything you posted which would have warranted a suspension. And if you did post something that got you suspended, then it was not due to me, but due to what you posted

[Demenzia]

Hmr. Prevented myself from posting just in time, I think... else I'd have written some nasty stuff :/

I'll just say here, I'm sorry to see such crap happen to you. And the article *may* not have appeared very damaging at first, but if the consequences of people reading it are that bad, then it means it *was* damaging... else they wouldn't behave like this with you, right?

Oh well. The rest is left to PM discretion... *sighs*

[Evalissa]

Deacon, Every one who knows you knows your a nice, funny bright guy
Dont let him win by quiting

[Astador]

Copy of my post on Storm boards.


**** i hate registering on boards, but I have to comment here.

Deacon i feel for you 100 %, the post is slanderous and paint you as a mental patient to be who is having truble getting enough cash to stay afloat.

I can't begin to understand how much this must have hurt you and your wife and I can only offer my sympathy and hope everything works out.

I can understand if you choose to leave AO, but I believe i speak for hundreds if not Thousands of players when I say, that they day you leave AO will loose a huge part of what makes it special.

In my sometime very very long days at work, the only thing that have kept me going is your stories and your humor.

We have not always agreed on alot of things on the boards, but disagreement is a part of life, and if everybody agreed on everything nothing would ever change.

I hope you and your wife will make it through this and come out all the stronger for it, and I will do what little part i can.

As we speak a mail from me is heading for the editor of the newspaper to offer my sympathy and to state my wish that you receive and official apology from them, as well as a disclaimer that their article was NOT correct.

Best wishes from me and all the others who are TOO LAZY to register to post here.

Chazmyr
_________________
The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled........


Was To Convince The World He Didnt Exist.....

C.F.H

[ntrox1]

Yup Meister I agree. Nuff said. I need to hand out more chill pills I think.

[SinisterCake]

(OOC)

For one thing Deacon, I hope you have learned to never trust reporters at least. What already has been said is all true; but I can see how you got into some medium of trust, as that can happen when you let someone into 'your world' eg you life, your home, your you.

As for the reporter, hope the pay was worth it. And I hope you feel better with yourself should revenge be the high and a reason... But rest assured, I doubt anyone in the US will trust anything you say in game or out of it.

And Deac, its true unfortunately that the nicer one is to others, the more somehow you will be resented.

I'd just like to finally add, that I heard you on the internet radio when you rapped away. It was entertaining and not something a recluse that this reporter made you out to be, would ever do in my experience

Peace Bro, and F**k'em stay here I dont think any more or less of you because of what the reporter said

Sightsee, Crattyjack.

(/OOC)

[kymaene]

Deaky

"This too shall pass"

Stuff the world if they think untruth about you. But we, your AO friends, will NEVER judge you for wanting to be with us.

You are always welcome here please stay

[Tzanntiel]

Deacon, I wanted to post my support. Sure we've never met, but I've seen your posts and stories, and enjoyed everything with your name on it. I would be quite saddened to never again see your helpful and humorous additions to these forums.

Whatever you decide, I wish you and your wife and business all the best! NY Times is getting one heck of bad reputation for their lack of morals and ethics in reporting. I for one wouldn't touch their rag with a 10 foot pole. My husband and I only heard about the article from a non-AO playing friend.

After seeing your posts, we contacted her and told her your side of things. From a non-AO playing perspective, she said she didn't feel the article was that bad, or put you in such a bad light. But she is a long time gamer, and I'm sure could seperate some in character things from the person you really are (ie. the foot fetish stuff.) I guess the main danger is in non-RPers who wouldn't understand that a character isn't the real person.

I am sending my best thoughts that the editors/publishers will react appropriately to your well written letter, and that you will receive proper recompensation for their careless and harmful article. Honestly, if you have lost business because of this, I think monetary recompense would be appropriate. As my husband mentioned this morning as I was reading your posts, a lawyer would probably love to take a look at your case.

Good luck, Deacon.

[Cozy]

Originally posted by THEDEACON!
...
I normally don't care what people think about me
...

Stick to that mate.

[Alzimach]

I've been on AO for a fairly long time, about 2 years if I had to guess. I've never been in an org so none of you have a clue who I am which is the reason I decided to speak up.

What this reporter did was horrible and cruel and all of Rubi-Ka would surely be behind you on this. I don't know you, I don't think I've ever even seen you on AO in person before but I really feel for you and wish there was some magical thing I could do that would fix this mess. For every post on here there will easily be 20 more nameless faces like myself that will hear about your story and will want you to stay on AO. Sticks and stones right?

In all my time spent on AO (and yes, I have had more than a few days at 7+ hours each haha) I have only met one person I couldn't get along with. His name has been lost in my memory, drowned in the thousands of other names of people who are friendly and always eager to help out if needed no matter what faction they belong to. So when a fellow player is attacked like this I take it just as if any one of my friends were attacked.

Please don't feel self conscious about being on AO. I know why you do, I understand how the article has portayed you and now every minute you're on you feel like someone is looking at their buddy list thinking "He's been on HOW long? Someone needs to devote more time to their real life." but I promise I'm not exaggerating when I say this is all in your head and not in ours. The AO populace knows better than to think that. As far as I'm concerned you didn't have to explain yourself in the first place.

I disagree with those who say quitting AO will mean the reporter won. His goal wasn't to cause Funcom to lose one account or to destroy your reputation. He was writing what he knew the public wanted to read because that translates to more newspaper sales (I wouldn't be surprised if they are coached to write like this when they are hired). You were a casualty of the story, it could have been anyone had it not been you. If you decide to leave then thats up to you and you have my support on that for what its worth. Just be sure you go for the right reasons. I like to live my life by a simple motto and perhaps it can help you out right now;

Don't worry about changing the world, whats important is that you not let the world change you.

-****a

[_______________Amona]

Deacon, i don't know you, i don't even recall you from ingame believe it or not, after soon 3 years i can't recall having seen you once. All in all i could care less whom you are.

This might be due to that I actually do play AO +7 hours a day or more, you might call me addicted, but i work ingame with a project, so its not actually playing, but im there.
I'm a very secluded person, i'm actually out of work in real life simply because i got burned out and tired, i am many of those things written in the article, and i seldom get out simply because i'm addicted to coding, which eventually will lead to something in the end for the better. But that doesnt make me a less sucsessfull person, nor less worth.

What i mean is, even if the article was true, no one would judge you, only those who seek to incriminate people does, and those kind of people take the slighests little details , twist them beyoned recognition and spit it out right in your face, it's called malign intend with a hidden agenda. Some people think that's a "intelligent" way to hurt someone whilst always beeing able to go back on it later.

As i don' t know you, i can't say wether you are a "famous" person or not in "AO" like the article said, i couldn't care less, if you are/were, then you must have done alot of good to deserve it and thus it's well-earned, only bitter people have any problems with someone gaining success in an enviroment, due to their own low self-asteem. You say you are not a public person, thus "not famous in AO" so i'll take your word for it.
But i can assure you, if you weren't before, then you most certainly are now, 99% of those knowing about you supports you 100%, not becase of favorism, but out of plain and simple common sense.

You've been exploited to the worst kind of OOC harrasment there is, breaking any EULA, for also extending it far outside a simple and insignificant EULA ( in comparison to other more severe law-offenses). The crimes comitted against you stretch all the way to including the personal protection law, the comsumer protection laws aswell as the (for the US) laws of contitution, several rules in those 3 major laws have been broken with the actual writing of that article, not to (again) mention the EULA, in which the player responsible har beyond doubt commited EULA-enfrigement against another player punisble by only one thing, permanent banning.

About the rest, of the article, in AO terms and in context to the community, i wouldn't waste my time defending myself in here if i were you, those wise knows what this is about, those not will never be convinced, simply because they have the same motives and have an intend to want to believe otherwise, to discredit you 100%, and no common sense speech will ever highten their total lack of intelligence, but those bitter, malign intended, twisted-sight players are of the fewer number in comparison to the wiser crowd.

However, what i would waste my time on if i were you (i'm not you) is to actually sue NY Times, demand for that player to be removed/banned from AO, not only on behalf of what he has done to you, but as a precaution to protect the ingame community and its enviroment, I dont, and i think alot of people don't feel safe with lunatics abusing their media power running around in a game looking for someone to pound on. In that context i think everyone who feels that as a security issue write to funcom and demand the same for the protection of the well-being of the community.
I would also, whatever the cost, file a lawsuit against NY Times as a media company, for delivering false manufactured harmfull content and breaking the personal protection laws, the US consitution laws, aswell as the consumer protection laws, believe it or not, but NY Times is a consumer product and falls under the same rule-applies (aswell as other laws about media broadcasting), and sue the reporter as a private person for law-enbreakements within the personal protection laws.

I'm sure that would offcourse waste a year or so of your life, but its justice, and right, i for one would go at any length to ensure justice is served, but that's me, whatever you do i'm sure you do the right thing.
But don't think about this article as runing your ingame existance, it wont, again, as i said, most people are wise, and wise people see right through lies at first hand, most wise people spot attempts to ridicule someone out of envy or rage/revenge, which is the exact motivation of that article, nothing else, the motivation was well hidden, just not well enough and thus he has failed.
As for lawsuit, you don't need any proof that it has actually done any harm, all you need is proof of the intend and intentional will/plot to do harm, and with the conversations between you, witnesses(including yout wife and others within the AO community) aswell as the previous article he wrote, and the fact that there was grief between you as a consequence of you disaproving of his article last year is more than enough proof to put 2+2 togetether and build a case prooving beyond any doubt that his motivation , if not from beginning, was to ridicule and humiliate you.

I wish you good luck and respect, you deserve it 100%, just as any person with good inentions does and i've seen no evidence of anything but that, i would actually go so far to saying you're too kind, if i were in this situation i would be infinitatively raged and would go at any length to litterary crush that peron and i wouldn't have given up until i had reached that goal, but then again i'm very primivite when raged, but still, there's a limit to how much one should take, this is that limit.

Everyone gets confronted with a malign retard sooner or later in life, trying to hurt you.
But every malign retard also hits the brick-wall sooner or later in life as a consequence of their actions.
In the i would say to you: Be that brick-wall.

Feel good,

Amona

[Caloss2]

I already said what I have to say about most of this on the Storm forums, and I can't copy+paste it here or the thread would be deleted, and i don't want to do that, Deac put you sig back, the character you creatively created in-game is a superstar of AO long my you keep him alive.

There is nothing scary about the deacon, it's taken by anyone with a brain as intended, as light heartedly as Austin Powers and we all enjoy it.

I think the issue is the history, if a Shmuck can't write something well, and worse yet take any critisium of that appaling that work... then they have the problem, not a talented wordsmith such as your self. And no-other I can think of in a better posistion to critise someone elses writing than your self.

Stay with us Deac, your one of the thee best advocates of this game, people enjoy it more because you are a part of it.

Lub <3
cal

PS
TEHFOOTNESS