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I had to laugh when someone told me that the UXO folks weren't really a part of UO anymore. So many of my happy UO memories revolve around Jon (and Calandryll) that I thought I'd share them, so people can see that while he may not Dev for UO anymore, to many people he is/was a VERY big part of UO and always will be, even before he went to work at OSI.
The thing I bet he wishes most he could live down (and never will if I have anything to say about it *laughs*) involves his famous typos. See, years ago, back when Jon was just another player, a friend used to like to create huge ICQ "mega-chats" and 30 or so of us would hop in and chit-chat. Well, one day a bunch were in chat, and Jon apparently was a bit tired. I'm sure what he MEANT to type was "After this I need to get a little sleep", but what came out was "After this I need to get a little sheep". *chortles* I bet he's glad his co-workers at OSI never knew about that one, or I'm sure the sheep jokes would have been endless. I know they made the rounds for as long as he played with us afterwards. I remember how annoyed he'd get when people would misspell his character's name.
How I met Jon and Cal. Wow, years ago. There used to be a message board called Crossroads of Britannia. It may even pre-date Stratics, I'm not sure. It was one of the very few UO boards around at that time, and people across all shards went there to post, tell stories, and socialize. I remember Calandryll somehow managed to go red, a very big thing at the time (because half the towns had no bank, including Buc's Den), by defending innocents from other players. Jon used to post stories about his character (who was a paladin long before the template even existed), and the occasional rant about how much he hated being red for trying to do the right and paladinly thing. I remember Jon's happiness when Cal finally went blue again. Back then, I used to play on Napa. Well, another friend from Crossroads (CoB) made the suggestion that we should start a guild of evil characters on a new shard, so we could play together. A vote was taken, and (to my delight) we ended up on LS, the shard where many of the CoB folk played, including Jon.
So we spawned our group of evil newbies on LS, and Bethel the Witch was born. I knew who I wanted to meet most, and as soon as I had my newblet dressed in something better than her newbie clothes, off she ran to Trinsic, to look for Calandryll and his friend Angus (they came as a set back then heh). I saw him, but only for a moment, as he and Angus were running off somewhere. But I was delighted. It wasn't long before Bethel had wheedled her way into the affections of the young paladin Calandryll, while plotting evil things to do to him. Jon was a wonderful roleplayer, fun to be around, and he still made some of the best typos! *laughs* Even if he couldn't dress himself, or knew what clothes were if they weren't made of metal. *grins* Eventually they were married, and in spite of Bethel's evil machinations, Cal's goodness won her over in the end, and they were very happy.
Jon and I became good friends, talking on the phone about life, UO, the universe and everything (something I've never done with anyone else I've met in UO before or since). He sent me his picture (and I still say he has the worlds BEST smile, the kind you can't help but smiling back when he flashes that grin of his).
And then Cal started to grow dissatisfied with UO, and how limited we were in what we could change or accomplish in the world. We discussed what he could do to get the spark back, and he liked the idea of holding a rebellion against Lord British. And thus was born the famous "Trinsic Rebellion". It started small, and ballooned up in a way that I'm sure stunned him (I know it sure stunned me! haha) Trinsic turned into the very hub of LS, with Jon at the very center of it all. His rebellion even prompted a visit to the rebels by Lord British himself out at Silk's Tavern! There were rebels, loyalists and mercinaries everywhere you looked; something to do, plot, or roleplay every time you logged in. In fact, I'm pretty sure that rebellion was what brought him to the attention of OSI to begin with, cause it wasn't long afterwards that he went to work for them.
Alas, working for UO left less and less time for him to actually play, and I am not sure he really does anymore, though I hope he will again now that he won't be so intimately involved in the more technical side of it all. But to this day, knowing Jon (and Calandryll) has affected my time in UO. I can't go to Trinsic without remembering him and the rebellion, can't go into the Keg and Anchor without a flicker of surprise at finding it empty. My best and oldest character, Rose Red, is a paladin now, because she knew Calandryll, and he so impressed her that she decided to emulate him as much as she could.
So yes, whether Jon works for UO or UXO or moves to some other game and game company, he IS a part of UO. He always will be, because he left a rich legacy of good times and good friends behind him there.
And that is how I remember my friend Jon Calandryll Hanna.
Well okay, maybe I remember this a little too. *grins evilly* (And yes, that is the real Calandryll in that pretty pink dress!)
The thing I bet he wishes most he could live down (and never will if I have anything to say about it *laughs*) involves his famous typos. See, years ago, back when Jon was just another player, a friend used to like to create huge ICQ "mega-chats" and 30 or so of us would hop in and chit-chat. Well, one day a bunch were in chat, and Jon apparently was a bit tired. I'm sure what he MEANT to type was "After this I need to get a little sleep", but what came out was "After this I need to get a little sheep". *chortles* I bet he's glad his co-workers at OSI never knew about that one, or I'm sure the sheep jokes would have been endless. I know they made the rounds for as long as he played with us afterwards. I remember how annoyed he'd get when people would misspell his character's name.
How I met Jon and Cal. Wow, years ago. There used to be a message board called Crossroads of Britannia. It may even pre-date Stratics, I'm not sure. It was one of the very few UO boards around at that time, and people across all shards went there to post, tell stories, and socialize. I remember Calandryll somehow managed to go red, a very big thing at the time (because half the towns had no bank, including Buc's Den), by defending innocents from other players. Jon used to post stories about his character (who was a paladin long before the template even existed), and the occasional rant about how much he hated being red for trying to do the right and paladinly thing. I remember Jon's happiness when Cal finally went blue again. Back then, I used to play on Napa. Well, another friend from Crossroads (CoB) made the suggestion that we should start a guild of evil characters on a new shard, so we could play together. A vote was taken, and (to my delight) we ended up on LS, the shard where many of the CoB folk played, including Jon.
So we spawned our group of evil newbies on LS, and Bethel the Witch was born. I knew who I wanted to meet most, and as soon as I had my newblet dressed in something better than her newbie clothes, off she ran to Trinsic, to look for Calandryll and his friend Angus (they came as a set back then heh). I saw him, but only for a moment, as he and Angus were running off somewhere. But I was delighted. It wasn't long before Bethel had wheedled her way into the affections of the young paladin Calandryll, while plotting evil things to do to him. Jon was a wonderful roleplayer, fun to be around, and he still made some of the best typos! *laughs* Even if he couldn't dress himself, or knew what clothes were if they weren't made of metal. *grins* Eventually they were married, and in spite of Bethel's evil machinations, Cal's goodness won her over in the end, and they were very happy.
Jon and I became good friends, talking on the phone about life, UO, the universe and everything (something I've never done with anyone else I've met in UO before or since). He sent me his picture (and I still say he has the worlds BEST smile, the kind you can't help but smiling back when he flashes that grin of his).
And then Cal started to grow dissatisfied with UO, and how limited we were in what we could change or accomplish in the world. We discussed what he could do to get the spark back, and he liked the idea of holding a rebellion against Lord British. And thus was born the famous "Trinsic Rebellion". It started small, and ballooned up in a way that I'm sure stunned him (I know it sure stunned me! haha) Trinsic turned into the very hub of LS, with Jon at the very center of it all. His rebellion even prompted a visit to the rebels by Lord British himself out at Silk's Tavern! There were rebels, loyalists and mercinaries everywhere you looked; something to do, plot, or roleplay every time you logged in. In fact, I'm pretty sure that rebellion was what brought him to the attention of OSI to begin with, cause it wasn't long afterwards that he went to work for them.
Alas, working for UO left less and less time for him to actually play, and I am not sure he really does anymore, though I hope he will again now that he won't be so intimately involved in the more technical side of it all. But to this day, knowing Jon (and Calandryll) has affected my time in UO. I can't go to Trinsic without remembering him and the rebellion, can't go into the Keg and Anchor without a flicker of surprise at finding it empty. My best and oldest character, Rose Red, is a paladin now, because she knew Calandryll, and he so impressed her that she decided to emulate him as much as she could.
So yes, whether Jon works for UO or UXO or moves to some other game and game company, he IS a part of UO. He always will be, because he left a rich legacy of good times and good friends behind him there.
And that is how I remember my friend Jon Calandryll Hanna.
Well okay, maybe I remember this a little too. *grins evilly* (And yes, that is the real Calandryll in that pretty pink dress!)