My Response to Kades
Some of you might have seen me mentioned by name in Kades' post quoted on Surrender at 20. Yes, I did get a reply from him. Yes, I was quite upset and terse in my original post. However, S@20 neglected to really mention the reply that I made to his post, which actually has more upvotes than Kades' posts at the moment. I've decided to list my reply below the cut, in full, for you all to come to your own conclusions.
Kades, First, thanks for taking time out of your day to come in here and offer up some insight into the goings on of the situation. Really, no sarcasm in the slightest. Far too infrequently does Riot tend to overlook or not respond to a vast majority of the Lore Community, myself included. And while I don't expect you guys to really come in and hang around all the time (case in point the Lore Community not having a Red like IronStylus to discuss things with us), it is nice to see someone from Riot respond to the thread. Now, allow me to make it clear that I am not a hater of Riot, nor am I a hater of the Lore Team in general. I honestly love those guys. I have my moments of screaming "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?", but by in large, as an author, I "get" where they are coming from for a great deal of situations. I mentioned earlier that I chatted with Runaan via Skype about the JoJ being discontinued, and actually agreed with the reasoning behind it. In fact, I've even defended the Lore Team from insults made by other members of our community. I know you guys care about lore. I've spoken to people like Runaan, Harrow, etc. People who love this. I know how seriously people at Riot take their jobs. I recall a statement made some time ago about a Red having something of a breakdown because a player, or a large chunk of players, had blamed them specifically for "ruining and destroying everything I have loved about such and such champion" when that particular Red had worked endlessly and tirelessly to try and make that champions something wonderful. I'm not beyond understanding how much love goes into making League, Sir. Mr. Tom Abernathy is someone I have never met. In fact, I didn't even know the man existed until this article came out. I'm more than willing to admit my entire perception of the man and what he does is based upon the quotes mentioned in the article I linked at the beginning of this thread. As a consumer and player of your product, that's all I can really know. I cannot pierce the veil between gamer and company and truly understand your machinations with just one article, despite the small understanding I have. And I accept that. I can, however, be upset by the statements made. You're very right. I do care passionately about the lore of the game world. I might even care to the point that it's honestly a bit of an embarrassment. Few things could make me as happy as having a chance to be a part of the League Universe and write content for the game world, because it is so rich and vibrant with literally endless possibilities. That kind of thing really gets my blood pumping as an author. I've seen fit to apply to Riot a few times before, even, but seeing the statements really hit me hard. That said, I do not hold the Lore Team in contempt. I'm just trying to understand why something as integral as the core plot of a narrative is "overrated." As I've stated in the thread, I just cannot understand why someone so vested in the writing of League Lore could say "plot is underrated." I've posted images containing my BA in Creative Writing to try and add credit to what I'm claiming, but as an actor and a writer, I simply can't understand. I'm upset, confused, looking for answers. Clearly, looking through this thread one can see others are like me, wanting to understand why such a statement has been made. Some of them are also writers, authors, like myself, who cannot make sense of why it has been said, when, throughout the history of literature, plot, characters, story, setting, all of them have been vital to the storytelling process. Rich characters and a rich world create the ability for people to create their own stories, certainly. I'm doing it myself with my D&D and Pathfinder game every Saturday. I've written fanfiction (which is buried somewhere on the forums), I've made Original Characters, I've even gone so far as to portray my very favorite champion in the game over on the Roleplaying Forums, and recently on Tumblr as well. League, the world, the characters, all speak to me in a grand way, but I would never belittle the importance of plot in the narrative process, even when it comes to a character-driven-plot or medium like League. I'm not actually sure how much of the thread you've read, or how many of my posts you've seen. My initial anger and confusing regarding Mr. Abernathy may have been an overreaction on my part, and I'm willing to admit that as a fault. However, the key worry with the statement is still the same. When someone in his position, regardless of his love for lore and the setting, makes such a statement that can mean so many different things, how should one such as myself, or the community, react when we believe so passionately about this world you've created? The article also suggests that gamers don't finish games, or have a vested interest in the plot or story of them. Yet, we have a thread here filled with people crying out in unison that they do, if fact, care about the story, the characters, their interaction, the plot, everything, and they are feeling forgotten and neglected. This feeling of neglect was present even before Mr. Abernathy made his comments, which, in turn, made the situation worse, and left a whole group of people feeling alienated and betrayed by the very people in which they placed so much faith. Honestly, this thread is not me hating on the Lore Team, or even me hating on Mr. Abernathy, who I am sure is a really nice guy to work with, as I've heard most people at Riot are. This thread is me reacting to, responding to, and asking for answers from the Lore Team, or another Red to try and explain what all of that was supposed to mean. I said before I was passionate about the lore, as did you, Kades. And I am indeed. If anything, this thread should be a testament to that, as well as the dedication I've had to writing these posts. If I didn't care, I wouldn't take the time out of my own day to try and explain these things, or ask for clarification, or provide a place where others like myself can discuss their feelings on the matter. So, again, thank you for taking the time out of your day to respond, Kades. I hope this wall of text has perhaps explained something of where I am coming from, and what I mean with all of this.