Hey Arn, I know you're trying to be the objective outside voice here, but saying that the entire staff of FS is about a "good ole boys" club isn't really the case and you know it. Pardon me for taking it personally for being called "corrupt beyond all recognition", but if you're going to lump all of FS staff in, I've got to object that. You know how hard many of the staff members (past and present) have worked on behalf of the linkshell to make the rules objective and to make a linkshel where everyone was able to benefit from the overall picture. If some people aren't as active now as they used to be, it's because everyone needs a break once in a while, hence why the linkshell voted 3 new staff people in to assist. Yes, that's right, voted, so I'm at a loss to see how you can put Myskhal, Alpsyche, and Ladislav in some sort of group of people who are just staff because they're in the "in club". Just had to object to the blatent generalization that is a reflection of your personal conflicts with a couple of the FS staff members
The problem of why the club issue wasn't handled quickly and discretely like it should have been stems back to when Vaelen ran the shell and he did handle people based on which crowd they were in, and who was in his. Everyone who has ever been in staff since that point has had to work to overcome how the linkshell was founded. You've been in the position yourself of working against the founding ideas (think Leak's osode), so you know what I'm talking about. Please don't come here acting like there's some sort of conspiracy on the part of FS staff to screw over the linkshell. But hey guess what, people are still people and everyone is bound to make a mistake sometimes. I'll be the first to admit that mistakes have been made in FS, but I challenge any other person to say they act perfectly every time in every situation. The biggest mistake here has been the lack of communication based on the initial response of all involved parties when the sale happened.
And dear god, I'm going to even make a public statement about the Kraken "gasp".
Out of the people in FS, only 4-5 who were even in the shell at the time the Kraken was obtained still play in FS. Dust, Kilik, Backlash, Karlyne, and myself. I may be missing one or two and if so, I apologize.
From what I've talked to about people who were actually there, and from what I remember, I've got to say that it was handled like a money camp. First off, people who were online were told not to come. Now, if it was going to be a linkshell item, logically you would want all the help you could get to ensure a win, espeically considering that many of the people weren't even 75 at the time. I mean, you don't hear people saying "nono, don't come to Kirin, we have enough". However, if it was a camp for money item, sometimes you limit the number of people in the group so that when the item is sold, everyone gets a decent cut.
Second, Vaelen took possession of the crub and started lending it out to people who were at the camp. They all got first crack at it, then other members of the linkshell got to use it. There were many requests made to Vaelen to sell the club after the initial campers had their turn with the club, and he always said no, not because the item belonged to the linkshell, but because he enjoyed having it around as a status item and he felt that the privilege of lending out the Kraken throughout the linkshell was more beneficial than a few million to each camper. I remember a few of the campers disagreeing with this and they kept arguing to sell the club (this was back in the day where most people in FS were struggling to build up their character and save money for things we take for granted now, like haubys and scorp harnesses).
Third, eventually Vaelen started playing less and less and asked Poptart to handle the rotation of the club to LS members who wanted to use it. Poptart had responsibility for the club for about a year, then took a break and passed it on to Alpsyche. During this time period, most of the people who were in FS at the time the club was obtained (Oct 2004) either quit the game, or quit the LS. Vaelen quit and no one ever asked me to sell the club while I was in charge except in jest. To my knowledge, no one asked Kilik either. New people joining FS saw the sign up thread for borrowing the Kraken and assumed it was linkshell property. Eventually, Dust was the only one left in FS who was there at camp when the club was obtained and the majority of the linkshell assumed it was LS property due to it being lent out all the time.
Such are the facts at hand, and whether I agree with Dust being able to sell or, the manner of how he sold it, and whether anyone else should get a cut is something I won't discuss in public until I can get all the participants in a room together, tie them to their chairs, and tickle them until they talk it out and come to a resolution.
Vaelen deciding that he didn't want the issue or any FF "drama" issue on his forums is his perogative, since he pays for and maintains the site. The FF FS shell has been there on his sufferage since he quit, and being forced to change to a site run by an active member will probably only be better for the shell in the long run, as my gaming experience has always shown it's bad to have a person in a position of power within the structure who doesn't play the game anymore, no matter their former status (current situation being a case in point).
P.S. Arn - If you have proof positive information that it was Karlyne who set up the whole Lyndis fake death and not Lyndis, then send it to me and I will make sure that Karlyne is removed from FS as well as make sure any other LS leadership people I have contact with know about it. As I said, messing around with people's emotions like that is severely messed up, and against every reason I still play FF, despite all the BS. I couldn't tell for sure, whether it was Karlyne or Lyndis who started the hoax, and believe me, we tried to figure it out, and I won't condem Karlyne without proof, despite my distaste for her outlook on appropriate handling of personal situations.
Also, I know you're bored at work, and that's your motivation for continuing these type of topics, but I'm going to ask again. You're not involved in this anymore. Why keep stirring the pot by bashing FS? Let it go, you still have friends in the shell, but constantly bashing those who chose to stay will eventually get old. Or at least, don't restrict your bashing to one shell. I'm sure you have plenty of dirt on other shells, share the love so it doesn't come across like you are only interested in bringing down FS, which includes people you claim to still care about being friends with.
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