After the MineCon map was finished, I think everybody wanted a little bit of a break. Most of the builders on the team are between the ages of 12-20 (yes, I am an exception) and they had final exams, holiday plans, and all of that.
There was a lull, at least for a little bit. The rumors of releasing Blackbeard (a mini-game type of map) had been quiet; the same with Juggernaut. Additionally, I had heard that with the new resource pack, the team might want to go back and revamp Kingdom of the Sky I.
I set my sights on that, and began with transcribing all of the Youtube sound files BTC had recorded as the audio.
(For those who might not know, in the original game, there were signs placed around the adventure map saying 'Watch Video 1'. There was a menu on BTC's channel where you could sit and listen to the character dialogue for what you were seeing at that particular moment, and directions as to what to do next.
With the resource packs, these sounds could now be included in the game with no break in the player's immersion.
So I got that transcription all written out and posted to the private Build Team forums.
(Somewhere along the way, I also acquired a promotion to moderator on those forums, so I could help evaluate new lore writer applications. I turned down a few; the process was highly selective.)
Then BTC contacted me directly. He had a pet project that had been on a back burner for awhile; in a TeamSpeak call he laid out the basic premise and the ideas he had.
I practically couldn't talk. I mean, I'm sure I tried to sound intelligent. I hope I asked good questions. There's proof that I took notes, but at the time I couldn't tell you what they said.
(It is so embarrassing sometimes to be a fangirl; you come off as a star-struck idiot.)
TL;DR: I was informed of a new map that he wanted to do, that hadn't even been started yet. Woot! I was thrilled; this meant that I didn't have to try and figure out what all the parts of a pre-made map were for!
(The worst part about writing lore for a pre-made map is what if you missed something cool, and because you didn't write a quest or something for that one particular area, the players never get to see all the artistry and hard work that went into it?)
And then another surprise--I was added to the admin group. (Don't even know if I should say that here.) There's an admin group for the team leaders and such so that they can discuss new applications, the progress of the small build groups as they are assigned to different tasks, and tricky things like problems with the fan servers.
(I would have loved to have seen the conversation that occurred before adding me to the group. But then, I think all people want to know what 'right' or 'good' thing they did that gets them approved for a promotion/more responsibility.)
All that aside; I came into the group right before there was a major restructuring of all the little build teams. It was done in an effort to organize our resources better and keep ourselves on task amidst the resuming busy school year.
And then something even crazier happened: BTC had made a custom Broken Buttons t-shirt for his build team members and made it available in his spreadshirt store. You could have your name put on the back, which I thought was nifty.
But then he bought mine for me.
And sent it to my house. (I saved the envelope it came in, along with the stickers inside.)
Fangirl Fiesta!
To be fair, he bought two dozen of them and sent them out to his builders all over the world. Doesn't mean my little fangirl heart went pitter-patter-pitter-patter-boom. (That was the implosion of fangirl love at the end.)
My very own Build Team shirt! My face was aglow with bemused happiness!
And I have promised myself that if I ever manage to go to a large convention of geeks that might have the slightest clue about Minecraft, I will wear that shirt. (I'm going to practice by wearing it to the SC Comicon that's coming up on May 17, in less than two weeks!)
Bonus points if BTC is actually at the large con I attend, because I will muster up all of my nerve, say hi, and wait for him to ask me to turn around (so he can read the name on the back).
(No joke, that's what he did to Akeisu "the Woolmaster" at a con in Atlanta earlier this year. Best story ever!)
Tomorrow I'll have to tell you about how I became the head of the lore writers.
(WHAAAT?)
Yeah, you heard me. That was a twist I didn't see coming!
But for now, I leave you with this exclusive, rarely-seen belated Christmas photo of Team Canada:
(What do you mean, I never told you I'd made an Etho?)
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