While I am sort of in favor of spreadign the word about Gus, I also agree it's worthwhile examining (a) the point of doing so--what would it achieve? and (b) the possible consequences to us here.

I don't forgive Gus. I am blackhearted that way. However, while I generally think payback is a fine thing (see above, re: blackhearted), I also wonder what it would actually achieve (other than being an end unto itself) and worry that the possible consequences to us wouldn't be worth it.

I feel maybe more proprietary about this than I should, because in re-reading the whole ordeal, it is quite clear I led the charge. I did so willingly, but I did so willingly, only for the Buffistas. I didn't even do it to show up Guy Straley.

I twigged to Gus's fakery from the beginning. I bit my tongue for 3 or 4 years, because I saw nothing more than tall tales from an otherwise pleasant board presence. He was certainly more pleasant than I.

I knew Kimi's death announcement was bogus. I still held my tongue until dcp found concrete evidence that Gus posted on his wiki after death. Then I realized I couldn't let you all mourn and donate your grocery money for the sake of a lie.

But I don't want to be involved in a vengeance quest. I don't want the work I did and the tears I cried for you all, used to harm this person. I did it for one purpose only and that was finished more than five years ago.

I'm an archivist by nature, but right now, I'm seriously considering deleting all my posts from that discussion, because I want no part of this.

The bit with the programming for the new registration process? Not exciting, for the record.

That said, I reserve the right to change my mind if he's doing anything worse than being a bad admin and a shitty mod.

Trying not to speak for Debet, but I don't believe that her intention here is about payback or vengence. It is giving a conversation more information upon to make a decision.

I see it as kind of like a past job check. If you have someone applying for an accounting job, you want to know if they stole from their former employer. The actions of Gus here on our board, I believe, have a place in that conversation.

If I were a participant on a site, I would want to know if a mod had a history of this kind of behavior. Once I knew, I'd then be in a position to judge for myself what to think.

I suspect a lot, if not most, of the TVTropes people would think "He hasn't done anything to me, so I don't care." I'm a little less concerned because as far as I can tell, he's not at this moment soliciting donations or anything to run the site.

Okay, then I think I will just delete my posts and let you all piece it together on your own. Please know, I understand your desire. So much. I just think it is a desire I need to reject. At the end of the day, my opinion of B.org's Gus is that he effed up; our pain was never his point. It was incidental. As ita pointed out, that doesn't help everyone. I am not sure it even helps me that much. It does, however, make me unwilling to go after him, five years later. Peace to you all.

I don't really see the difference there is in anyone telling this story, and me telling Penlind's story. Except Penlind really did die in the end, but after I wrote it.

Fast Eddie, I assume, isn't his real name. I also assume that people who do this continue to do this sort of thing. I wonder where there might be another incarnation of Gus on the web, inviting people to his home, getting bitten by strange beasts in the jungles of south america, dying tragically, leaving people broken-hearted, and then starting useful websites.

HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY EVER MET ANDREW TI?

Cindy, please don't delete your old posts. It feels like you think there's some mob gathering here, that is going to use your posts to start some shitstorm. I don't think that's true.

Personally, I don't see the point in inserting ourselves into any of it, but we would have to have a LOT more agreement here, I think.

And Cindy, I don't know if it's a comfort or if you need to be told this, but I believe the real story would have come out even without you speaking up. This isn't to discount the effort and care you put into the situation, of course.