{"id":39,"date":"2001-11-26T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2001-11-27T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ericbrooks.com\/soapbox\/?p=39"},"modified":"2001-11-26T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2001-11-27T02:00:00","slug":"the-legend-of-the-a-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericbrooks.com\/soapbox\/the-legend-of-the-a-list\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legend of the "A-List""},"content":{"rendered":"

(For Tina<\/b><\/a>, Hoopty<\/b><\/a>, kd<\/b><\/a>, and anyone else perplexed by all this talk of an “A–List”)<\/p>\n

A broken and bitter old man addressed the crowd, gathered around the campfire, with a tale that has long been forgotten. His wooden staff barely holding him up.<\/p>\n

It began toward the end of the twentieth century… where the world wide web was a vast frontier to be settled. There were titans and web gods roaming cyberspace. One man had been there the longest. He had many disciples and was revered as the King of all the web gods<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

He saw that “all was good”.<\/p>\n

A group of titans had developed weblogs and a way for the mortals to communicate as they did<\/b><\/a>. They required no skill or effort… merely the push of a button. Their names were Ev<\/b><\/a>, Meg<\/b><\/a>, Jason<\/b><\/a>, Matt<\/b><\/a>, Jack<\/b><\/a>, and Derek<\/b><\/a>. They were worshipped and created a temple<\/b><\/a> for the mortals to worship the titans as gods. They became known as “The A–List<\/b>“. Ruling with an iron fist… challenged by none. <\/p>\n

On Mt. Zeldman, the web gods grew jealous and bitter. <\/p>\n

The ancient one spoke of one young web god, a vain and arrogant godling with strikingly handsome ice–blue eyes<\/b><\/a>. He repeatedly questioned the king’s favoritism of the titans above all. The godling’s resentment and anger made him too dangerous and unpredictable to remain with the more complacent web gods. The young web god spoke of change and revolution… and many listened. Including the fearful king.<\/p>\n

The king was left with no choice but to banish the young web god, and all his followers, from the heavens. Stripped of their godhood, they were forced to live as mortals.<\/p>\n

The titans known as “The A–List” were slowly being crushed by the throng of worshippers who craved the recognition that belonged solely to the A–List. For there was no love in their hearts, and felt this great power was theirs and theirs alone. The gift of “blogging<\/b><\/a>” was enough for these peasants as far as they were concerned. Their works were bland and shallow… many felt their weblogs were better.<\/p>\n

The bitter and banished web gods bestowed the last of their immortality to the mortals… making some demigods, and sealing their own fate. For only an army of demigods can topple the dynasty of the titans.<\/p>\n

Their temple<\/b><\/a> became the source of their demise… the A–Listers were slowly being tortured and slaughtered by those that once worshipped them. They ran from the temple and were hunted by the demigods.<\/p>\n