fixing the submatt problem

[Quazwierdcev283]

If you recently joined this site you are only able to read two of submatt's amazing teases, because he left and took all the rest down.
However, I have a suggestion to remedy this. I was wondering if anyone remembers any of submatt's teases well enough to recreate one or more. I'm thinking, in order to avoid copyright laws or whatnot we could say, "originally written by submatt any deviations are simply an error in memory" or something like that. Eventually we might get all of them back. (Though that might just be wishful thinking. )
Would that be OK to do? Plus that way we might get our teases of the month back or a close facsimile of them . If anyone objects I'm willing to listen to reasons why this is not a good idea.

[The Edge 2.0]

submatt was no doubt a legendary author, he was prolific as well as very talented, and I'm sure no one was happy to see him go. That being said, I would like to offer why I think reposting his teases would be a bad idea.

First of all, if you take submatt at his word concerning why he left, then obviously he felt it was important that he didn't contribute to the potential porn addiction of others. I'm not entirely convinced there is such a thing, or that submatt was an addict, but only he can assess his own state of being. Obviously he felt taking down his teases was a necessary catharsis, imperative to his healing, and it would be a great disservice to him to replace his teases.

Conversely, if you don't take submatt at his word, then you have to ask yourself why he left. Maybe he left cause he was burnt out, or felt it was a stagnant rut, or maybe some random person ranting in a three page thread about how his latest endeavors sucked made all his efforts feel thankless and unfulfilling. Whatever the reason, it was obviously vital to his sense of closure or peace that his teases left with him, so who are we to undermine that?

Like I said, submatt was no doubt a legend, he excelled at his craft and produced many works of art with great frequency. We are a society unto ourselves, I suppose, and like any society we will have our share of treasures that will be lost. Some people may have saved copies that get traded in the underground, as it were, but by and large it's a void in our society we fill with our memories.

I don't think it's really fair to call it the submatt "problem". Calling it a problem implies we're somewhat broken without his teases (though I'm sure that's not your intent to imply). We still have many talented authors, and while there's no one author I can immediately point to as being as prolific as submatt, there's no shortage of talent on Milovana. There's quite a few teases I miss, but they were pulled at the will of the authors who made them, and I respect that. In the interim, many new awesome teases have been posted, and I look forward to seeing many more.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

[MartinC]

Have to agree with Edge's comments here. I think there is another factor too. Let's say the "re-author" found the pics that were originally used. And remembered the plot. Does that means that he could write the tease just as the original author did? Not at all! The best teases are not just the sum of their parts: not just great pics and great plot, they also feature great WRITING. That can't be recreated.

I'd suggest if you find some great pics, and an interesting plot (even if it is lightly based on previous teases - heck, TV drama only uses seven different plots), don't emulate ... create! Write your own tease. I believe the community here will appreciate that more than any well-meaning attempt to bring back the past.

Having said that, "well-meaning" is what I said and I mean it ... I certainly have no criticism of your bringing this issue up (your post sounded a little worried than some people might jump down your throat).

[Miss Tira]

I miss submatt's teases too, but I admire him enough to respect his wish.

I think reposting his teases in any fashion would defeat the object of his leaving, and so it would be unfair to him.

Let's just write some new ones. I'm looking at you, Edge.

[slavechylde]

I have to oppose attempting to recreate submatt's teases, too.

Healing is a tricky deal, particularly if it involves an addiction, which was submatt's rationale for leaving. He specifically stated his concern that leaving the teases up would bring him back to check on the scores.

I miss his teases, especially the Asian multiple choice tease he made (one of my all-time favorites). However, we need to respect his wishes for a clean break. These were his creations. seraph0x has been clear from the beginning that the teases belong to the authors (as much as that matters on the Internet). Therefore, their disposition is his decision to make alone. Any attempt to recreate his teases would be a violation of that agreement.

We have plenty of good material. There is plenty more good material to create. We should create instead of re-create.

JMHO

[seraph0x]

I think, Quaz, you have the noblest of intentions. In fact I've had a similar discussion with dark. Obviously we still have backups of most of submatt's teases. (No need for jealousy, they are stored away safely and I can't watch them either.) But we won't post them, not without submatt's approval. Nobody knows what the future brings and I'm no oracle either, but I'll say that there is a happy ending that I think is quite likely. Just give it some time.

Maybe the teases will return, maybe not and nobody knows when. In some sense, it's a tease in and of itself. I guess that's what makes submatt the master he is.

Let's keep the good memories and look towards the future. There are incredible new authors on the scene and there is no obstacle this community can't master.

[dark]

I think the last month was the month with the best amount of high quality content we ever had. So let's look ahead it's a pity for sure that submatt has gone, especially because of his serious problem, but this community is strong enough to compensate this loss.

[Quazwierdcev283]

Seraphox said he believed I had the noblest of intentions and he was right. I wasn't aware that there were backups made of all teases. I have read all of the replies (and Wow there are a lot) and while I regret that submatt's teases are no longer on the site, I also understand why we should not repost them. Like someone else mentioned I especially miss "The Asian Experience" because we have so few teases that involve choosing a different page depending on who you are and/or what you want, but . . . for now. . . submatt's teasing must remain securely locked away in Seraphox's cabinet of secrecy. Thank you all for your carefully considered thoughts.