Comments on: Adventure #24: In Defense of Tee Morris

By: Arkle

Arkle — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:08:01 +0000

I was there, front row, right next to J.R. Blackwell, and I can say that you nailed it Jim. I oddly didn’t notice anyone leaving (and considering how loud the door in that room was, I think that says a lot about how engaging Tee can be), but even though you weren’t you still hit the nail on the head. I don’t know if Tee noticed, but I was about to cry too. I could so empathize, because what Tee said about 2008 was true for my 2007. I know that feeling of needing to be talked off the roof. I had only followed the Krakenthief thing for about 1/5 of the time (I’m a notorious late comer), but…

Damn, I lost my train of thought.

By: Michael Spence

Michael Spence — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:51:28 +0000

Jim, you summed it up nicely. A “practical joke” (i.e., not “theoretical”) is so often not a joke in the mind of the target that it is almost a miracle if any good comes of it. The Krakens Quest is a testimony to two noteworthy facts about Tee Morris:

• He’s a good sport, who out of “the year from hell” can scrape together enough good will to treat the situation with humor and camaraderie.

• What’s more (any prospective employers out there, listen up!), he’s a Web 2.0 Zen Master who could take what was at best a questionable prank and at worst outright theft, and turn it into a months-long experience that hooked thousands of listeners, Twitterers, bloggers, and at least one inspired cartoonist-educator. Few of us could have done as well.

As for those who had problems with “The Great Reveal” — remember that “How do you feel?” always has a real answer, and your discomfort doesn’t mean you didn’t get exactly what you asked for.

By: odin1eye

odin1eye — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:08 +0000

Frankly, I’m a bit disgusted and apalled. I was unaware of any controversy, though in retrospect, guess I should have expected there to have been some fallout.

I was not at Balticon, and have never physically met any of the players in this drama, and yet through the magic that is twitter count Tee a friend. That being said, I think I still have a somewhat unbiased opinion.

You take what is mine, make me the butt of the joke, ask me how I feel about it, and then get upset when I say it wasn’t ALL good? Because that’s what I heard. I heard a man say thank you for caring, but please be gentle. You take offense at this? Unmitigated gall.

If you’ve ever gone through a really down time in your life, and the place you went for succor turned out to be just another kick in the gut, I would be surprised if you didn’t feel for Tee during the reveal. Choked me up.

As Pip said, pranks, by their nature, can go bad. Be gentle, be kind, and don’t get upset if the target doesn’t react exactly as antcipated.

By: Philippa Ballantine

Philippa Ballantine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:33:08 +0000

Totally agree with Scott (at least initially) it was an awkward situation. A prank is a dangerous thing. It can easily go on too long, take a wrong turn and end up blowing up in everyone’s face. That is the risk that every prankster has to take into consideration before they set off on a journey that may end in hurt feelings and broken friendships.
From what I have been hearing on the twittersphere, the majority of people agree the prank took a turn south after Dragon*Con. KT seemed to either lose interest, have too much else to do, or generally just have run out of steam. No worries, however at that point, the jersey could have been wrapped up and posted back to Tee. She could even have done that with none of us any the wiser as to her identity. It is unfortunate for all involved that did not happen- because now feelings are hurt all round, and as we would say here, many people have gotten the hump. It was a prank that began with love and friendship and turned into something else in the last 6 months. I know that was never KT’s intention to hurt Tee, but yes… that was what happened.
Tee was ASKED by Jarod what his feelings were. Go back, and you will hear it. Anything but what he in fact said after that question would have been a lie.
If any of you have ever had a bully hold a ball over your head, just out of reach, constantly dangling it above you, taunting you, teasing you then you may know how Tee was feeling for the last 6 months. As geeks it is probably fairly likely you had something similar happen to you. Remember the bitter taste of that.
Anyway, hopefully wounds will be licked, lessons learned and we can all go about our normal business in short order.

By: Scott Breakall

Scott Breakall — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:20:40 +0000

First, as I said on twitter: thanks for the love, you big lug!

Re: Krakenthief — I can’t argue with anything you said. It was an awkward situation and no one could do much to change that. Everyone knew it had gone on way too long, like a movie that takes too long to wrap up when you already know how it ends…

BUT…

I can imagine another way to play it. Treat it like the end of a heroic, daring, challenging quest, and HERE YOU ARE! You’ve sang JoCo, photoshopped the podio-gang, paid tribute to the troops, slayed the dragon, rescued the princess, … AND NOW it’s time to take. back. what’s. YOURS. Yes, YOU are the triumphant quester and you will now receive your prize, and accept the accolades of those who held their breath as they looked on, and rooted and cheered for you at every step!

And basically, go out on a high note.

Just a thought on how it could have been done differently.

By: Tee Morris, Beer Snob and Rum Geek

Tee Morris, Beer Snob and Rum Geek — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:09:21 +0000

Jim…

I am truly humbled and quite blown away from this episode. It was brought to my attention via Twitter, and I’ve had a listen. As far as people saying “How can Jim make an opinion on this as he wasn’t there…” the audio is online and unedited, in its entirety. And as no one locked the door, no one was a hostage. People could have gotten up and left. Some did. If you left because you got uncomfortable, though, did you miss the point where — as Jim mentioned — I said “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”? If you did, then maybe you need to hold your judgment on the panel. It’s like walking out of the USUAL SUSPECTS before the ending so you discover the reveal of who exactly is Kaiser Soze.

As for me, Jared Axelrod, and Laura Burns, we are all friends. I would even argue I feel closer to Jared because of my honesty. Laura also knows I am okay, and I am still her friend. I am hoping we can get into Imagine That Studios — me, Laura, and Cmar — have a sit down with some drinks, and do a less emotional, more critical look at KrakensQuest, both with what worked, what didn’t, and why people are reacting the way they are.

Again, thank you for stepping up and speaking your mind. I do appreciate it.

By: fancyfembot

fancyfembot — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:07:27 +0000

Wow… This was a good episode. Very honest and candid. I like it.