#Don't set precedents you don't want to uphold

[muffinlance]

[Bats eyes at you] What if Azula DID do something after her father burned half her brothers’ face off

"What did you do?"

"I am my mother's daughter, Zuzu."

And also her father's. How nice of him, to leave her his crown as his dying act.

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: Sand is becoming Ray's addiction

Something that leapt out to me from Episode 2 is that Sand is becoming Ray's new addiction, and the motif of fire/smoke is used to mirror the dynamic of their relationship.

Sand is the fuel to Ray's fire

When Sand lights Ray's cigarette in Episode 1, that was the official kindling of their relationship. They settle their differences and start afresh on a more amicable note. Sand agrees without protest because it's a genuine gesture of making peace. The act of igniting also parallels this being the first encounter where Ray appraises Sand through the lens of attraction. He eyeballs him as he leaves, as if seeing him in a new light.

In Episode 2, Sand once again lights Ray's cigarette. He is what fires Ray up, and will continue to fuel him. This is in reference to the sexual undertones in their relationship but also the care-taking dynamic which is developing between the two. When Ray feels down or lonely, Sand immediately extends his friendship or tries to cheer him up. He will be a light in the darkness that keeps Ray going.

Ray's nature is closely reflected in his addiction to alcohol. He needs a crutch; something to provide him with solace and reassurance. But due to the way he is, he has a tendency to become unhealthily attached to that very something.

Sand is very happy to be a source of support for Ray, but I don't think he's fully absorbed the extent of Ray's admission, "If you're my friend, you have to look after me in every way." Ray doesn't require his basic needs met as his circumstances do that already. So what Ray is referring to here is everything else: attention, love and care. Whereas Sand has offered his company within the confines of friendship, but nothing more. Sand doesn't seem to know about Ray's crush on Mew, which would give him an indicator that Ray has precedence of falling for his friends. Regardless, their respective stances on what constitutes a friendship are at odds with one another. 'I want you to give everything' (despite us just being friends) VS 'I'm not offering you everything' (in spite of us being friends).

Ray struggles to maintain boundaries without getting emotionally involved (because anyone who genuinely cares about him is seen as a form of love). Sand is trying to uphold boundaries whilst his actions say otherwise (his care for Ray derives from his impulse to be considerate, but that's not exclusive and it doesn't mean he intends it to come across as love).

When he's flirting with Ray, he stokes the fire, he quips back like-for-like because he doesn't want to be outdone or out-manoeuvred. But telling an addict "you're gonna keep wanting me" is playing precisely into Ray's weakness. Sand will eventually be both the object and enabler of Ray's addiction to him. And we know this because Sand already finds it very hard to say no to Ray, which means he won't be able to adhere strictly to the boundaries he set. He's going to contradict himself, and therefore seem like he's giving Ray mixed messages.

Fanning the Flames

Ray has a fiery personality, and his eagerness and passion are contagious. We see this in their love scene. Sand repeatedly hesitates. But Ray has a particular talent for riling and stirring him up through his continual flirting, and Ray knows it too. This fearless, upfront and confrontational quality in Ray is what Sand is massively attracted and drawn to, (which he gladly exploits to get Sand to give in), but is also the source of the fire that could potentially destroy them both.

I mentioned in a response recently that Ray has a 'fuck it' mentality, and Sand has a 'fuck that' mentality. Ray tends to throw caution to the wind and acts first, thinks second. 'Why not? What have I got to lose?' (Funny how the name of the bar is YOLO huh?) Whereas Sand is more rational, his 'fuck that' mentality means he tends to take a step back and observe, to call out behaviour that he doesn't agree with or he doesn't believe is 'right'. But what happens what that person is himself? What if he's not sticking to his own rules? What then?

"Yes, it's possible. But you need to be careful. Don't feel more than that. It's like playing with fire." Sand looks visibly troubled after he says this, as if he's recalling something specific in his mind. This line can be read in reference to either character. The most obvious being Ray as the source of fire. Which would mean Sand is saying this in response to previous bad experiences he's had and doesn't want to risk repeating. Alternatively, the more unlikely but intriguing option would be Sand as the source of fire. If so, this is a warning. He's aware that someone being entangled with him may end in disaster or self-destruction. Perhaps a sign that Sand can be irrational or unpredictable when in love, a stark juxtaposition to his usual, overly-rational persona.

Foreshadowing: Going up in smoke

Though Ray's attachment to Sand may not occur to him immediately (as Ray is stunted in the emotional maturity department), it will hit him hard when it does. The thing about an addiction is once you've realised you're hooked, it's far too late. It creeps up on you slowly. And that's why it's dangerous. Part of addiction is denial. Denial that you have a problem. Denial that you are drawn to the crutch you've come to rely on. You convince yourself that you can easily quit, that you can easily operate without it. And because of that, Ray is going to hurt Sand first. And when he does, Sand may choose to back off and put some distance in between them as an ultimatum.

If things do lead in that direction and Ray becomes aware of his reliance on Sand, suddenly having that torn away from him is going to cause a huge emotional upheaval. Like an addiction to anything, without it he won't be able to cope. He'll spiral. Withdrawal at it's worst.

There is the common saying that when something 'goes up in smoke', it's when all efforts have come to nothing. We could see both Ray and Sand's attempts to maintain just a 'friendship' backfire in their faces. And judging by how quickly things are moving in this show, this is going to happen sooner than we think.

[eff-plays]

Am I the only one who sees Spawn!Astarion as stronger than A!A? Not in the literal power-muscle-strong sense but emotional strength? Spawn!Astarion grows so much throughout the game and it takes a fuck load of strength to deal with and overcome trauma. I feel like ascending him is just the „easy way out“ and A!A stans don’t want to deal with the emotional part that comes with healing. A!A is literally born out of fear, especially if it’s romanced Astarion.

Also with that said, I ascended him once, got the bed scene afterwards, hated it all and pressed F8, ascended him again, kicked him in the nuts, pressed F8 again and continued my save game with non-ascended spawn!astarion.

Also I agree with your take on A!A and his stans, not enough people talk about it, ty

I mean they literally harassed Larian to the point where they’re gonna change Tavs facial expressions for A!A 🤡

Congratulations on perfectly understanding the story Larian was telling! You'd be surprised at how many self-proclaimed Astarion fans do not get this far.

Cuz yeah, that's the point. It takes emotional strength to give up the lure of physical strength and power, to realize one's inherent worth. A!A fans just want the power, not the man, and the man putting a pretty face on said power is just a bonus. They actually don't like the emotional openness of Spawn!Astarion, they think it's weakness, which has a lot of unfortunate implications about how women also very much perpetuate and uphold patriarchy, but I've covered that before and won't get into it again.

Anyway, if Larian actually makes Tav smile during those scenes, I'm losing all the respect I've left for them ngl. And I'm for sure never buying any games from them either. Not because they're letting the "other team" win, but because I can't respect creators who have no backbone whatsoever, plus it'll set a really dangerous precedent where, if you just harrass a dev enough, they'll do what you say. And that sucks ass and is cowardly if they do that. Like don't let bullies win maybe? Idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

“Everything that happened after the dance is the greens fault” really what the fuck are you on about?

Rhaenyra sons become kings after the dance, why didn’t they challenge the patriarchy and continued the legacy of their gurlboss mommy? The blacks won the dance, aegon 4 - The Biggest misogynist of all times is Rhaenyra’s grandson. People were petitioning for Deana to become queen but viserys - Rhaenyra’s son - stole her birthright.

Blaming everything on the greens when the blacks won and Rhaenyra’s sons were the ones to uphold the patriarchy is wild

I do agree that Rhaenyra being queen would’ve been a step in the right direction, but her son viserys had the opportunity to fix the past and let his niece become queen and he didn’t.

The ones to rule Westeros after the war were the blacks.

“Everything that happened after the dance is the greens fault” really what the fuck are you on about?

The truth, sorry that you can't handle it.

And whose fault is that Viserys got the throne? The Greens.

Let me explain it to you. The Greens started a war because they didn't want a woman on the throne, and that set a negative precedent. Viserys was the youngest boy, he was never set to inherit anything, Jace was supposed to be King. And whose fault is it that Jace wasn't king? The Greens.

Now, I don't excuse anything to do with Aegon 4 or Viserys 2, but you have to realize that the way they grew up to be, and their thoughts were largely a consequence of what happened to the Realm after the war. And honestly every dynasty has some rotten eggs, they are some of them.

Had Rhaenyra ascended the throne peacefully none of that would've happened. Shit, Aegon 4 wouldn't have existed.

[whinlatter]

hi! I might be childish but I am 100% agreeing with McGonagall not getting Ginny’s Christmas card…🙃

Can you please tell us some about her mindset? Is it just trying to get the school through this year, is it really though love, remorse or..?

the mcgonagall discourse continues to tickle me no end. anon i for one applaud an encourage any and all childishness. also i agree! dropping people from the christmas card list because you've got major beef with them is a time-honoured and noble tradition and ginny is right to uphold it

i don't want to say too much that will end up in the fic but! i think mcgonagall in beasts thinks she is trying to Do Her Best - for ginny, for the other students under her care, but also for hogwarts as an institution, which is an institution whose mission and ethos she really believes in. a lot of this is is (understandably, and not necessarily wrongly) bound up in her loyalty to her mentor, dumbledore, someone she didn't always agree with but whose vision for hogwarts she consistently throws her weight behind.

minnie's got a huge amount on her plate stepping up as headmistress in 1998. she's the headteacher of a student body who are individually and collectively traumatised, who are only just beginning to process what happened to them, and whose traumas are extremely complex and diverse and don't really have the tools to grasp each other's often very different but no less serious sufferings (obviously the the pureblood/half-blood students who endured life under the carrows during the war and the DA lot who actively resisted the carrows and paid a huge price for it, but also muggleborn students who were on the run, and all those who were in azkaban.) she's dealing with a lot of guilt for all that she couldn't shield her students from (more to come on this), and she's sincere in her belief that young people who have gone through enormous upheaval need structure, routine, accountability, and a kind of compassion that manifests as someone saying no, you can't punch whoever you like because they said something horrible to you. you do have to hand your homework in. you do need to not sneak out of the castle at night and make everyone worry about you. partly this is generational - she was born in 1935, she has a set of ideas about acceptable and unacceptable ways of expressing your distress as a child. but i think this is also a not inherently cruel or abusive child welfare philosophy, even if it doesn't really take on a lot of what we know of how trauma manifests in young people and adolescents. minerva would say: it's my job to look after my students, i'm the adult and authority figure, i need to reimpose and safeguard the social contract that holds an institution like a school together, and also to make sure that i care about each individual student while also managing the impact of students' behaviours on each other. (in canon, she repeatedly does enforce the rules in strong terms and doesn't make excuses when harry - a character who is well within his rights to act out given his life experiences - gets in a fight or fucks up and breaks the rules in ways that meaningfully impact his peers.)

when it comes to ginny, i think mcgonagall sees lots of herself in her. they share a fierce protective streak, they're both very loyal, they're both incredibly stubborn, and they both are petty as hell and show their emotions by way of biscuit/christmas card deprivation. but that also means mcgonagall expects more of ginny than most, especially as someone who rode hard for the hogwarts student body the preceding year. mcgonagall wants ginny to help her keep hogwarts standing and continue to play the part of a role model for her peers as someone (she knows) they look up to. ginny does not want to do that. and mcgonagall's massively frustrated that ginny has (also understandably) held her hands up and said fuck that, role model schmole model, i've gone through it and you're all now saying back to normal and pretending it never happened. what's hard is that they're both kind of right! but neither is able to say it. and that's why gryffindor girlies are so fun and massively annoying to smash into each other when doing the literary equivalent of playing dolls (writing fanfiction)

[roetrolls]

You say that was your choice, but surely he had a hand in it

"Yeah, man, I'm sure the two famous fleet generals I had as role models growing up both played a role in my wanting to be a famous fleet general.

Doesn't mean Zerkev ever told me that's what was expected of me. Don't get me wrong, he wants me to do something with my life– the Pravus name means something, et cetera et cetera."

"Hey, you think he ever realized how very Dominion he is about that whole thing? It's like he thinks it doesn't count if the legacy didn't start with him.

No, no, it's not the same at all, he just wants to uphold the precedent set by his ancestor's ancestor's ancestor or whatever the fuck. Totally different."

[thebestpartofwakingup]

Consider the SEVERAL differences between "a civilian/average person breaking an unjust law to protect themselves and/or others, at the expense of no one" and "a LEGAL OFFICIAL refusing to uphold or adhere to the legal system bc of their own personal beliefs."

One is a protester, the other killed Sonya Massey or Elijah McClain or Breonna Taylor. One is significantly less dangerous a precedent to set.

Also yes, unfortunately, if we endorse a leftist legal official breaking policy and disregarding the system they work within for a personal agenda, that makes room for conservatives to do the same. And if it becomes a legal or god forbid PROTECTED choice?

You really don't see how that could get really bad, really fast, for a LOT of us? Not having to think of these things is indicitave of either a lot of privilege or the world's most myopic worldview ever.

Next time just don't open your mouth how about that

Im really good at typing with my mouth closed actually, you might want to talk to a doctor if thats like a consistent problem you are having.

Especially since it sounds like you aren’t old enough to remember the Obama administration and it’s really important that children get medical conditions like slack-jaw checked out as early as possible so they don’t worsen with age

[hes-writer]

I'm the anon who wrote about the reality-AU ask.

And I have a different view from what you wrote, because for me there where 2 major things:

1. Reader wasn't a strong woman

2. Harry was definitely an arrogant, selfish prick to reader.

I will start with 1.

So, what moral and values? I honestly don't understand that part because for me moral and values mean one thing and I don't see they fitting the situation.

Regardless, MC wasn't a strong woman for several reasons.

She allowed her pain get in the way of her child's life several times, she literally got with the first guy that showed her love when she wasn't ready nor emotionally stable, if we take in mind that she met him at halfway through her pregnancy and in 2 years ish she was already living with him and allowing her child to call him "dad". So she clinged to Connor as a substitute and staple to the family she had planned having with Harry, just like Harry clinged to Camille's offer as a way to have what he dreamed having with Y/N. None of them put their child's best interest first, otherwise she would have found a way to deal with her pain while allowing him to be part of Halo's life and he would have found a way to accept that he would never have what he wanted bc of his mistakes in the past.

And the clearest sign of that is her conversation with Harry in the last chapter. She did love Connor, but he was only there because Harry blocked her. If he hadn't, he'd have seen the text and be involved in his kids life. So, I know you said something about being emotionally available as a parent and that's my argument for that. Harry wasn't emotionally a dad bc that chance was taken from him out of spitefulness and he still tried to be there, he made a mistake but he never gave up. He was robbed of it countless times bc MC was never healed properly to let go of her personal feelings and focus on Halo, bc I can guarantee you that if given the chance, Halo would forget it and choose to have a relationship with Harry.

Which brings me to my previous point... He wasn't Halos dad, MC made him her dad because she didn't want to deal with Harry when she knew that he had a right to at least be informed about the baby, regardless of her relationship with him. In the story you make it known that he blocked her and that's how she couldn't tell him, but she kept in touch with his family + he contacted her at some point. So, she uses her own actions against him and he let's her out of guilty, showing a bit of manipulation from her side. Both of them were toxic and manipulative. Just bc you were hurt, doesn't give you a right to act as you please, speacially when a child is involved. That shouldn't even be put to argument and I'd have agreed with you more if you hadn't tried to classify MC as a victim at all costs, even when she was the wrong one.

If this was real life, a girl behaving like her would be concerning, so why in a fanfic she's considered strong? Because she standed up for herself and for her daughter? I mean, did she truly stand up for her child? Can we truly say that? Or did she allow her own barriers and insecurities surround them and keep Harry distant? Wouldn't a healed and strong woman be capable of dealing with her ex for their's daughter sake, speacially when she's in a happy and healthy relationship?

Parents are allowed mistakes. None of them know what they're doing and the greatest majority of the world is filled with people who weren't mature enough to be parents, yet somehow were allowed to.

She was unfair and subconsciously used her child to get back at Harry for all the pain he caused her.

He left her, so she didn't tell him about their baby, then when he found out she monopolised his entire relationship with his daughter and did some pretty illegal stuff, and when he committed his first mistake with the child she cut him off completely without taking in account what her daughter wanted.

Have you watched the show The Duchess on Netflix? I think its a great example of my point here, in case you don't understand it.

Also, forgot to say that she was toxic again when she kept threatening him over wanting to be with his kid. Like, we spend tons of times telling people to be responsible with their art, as it can be a door into introducing kids to things. We also spend a ton of time telling boys that they should care about their babies and be there for them. Then you come and write a fic where the guy gets threatened and manipulated when trying to be with his 🤷🏻‍♀️

MC definitely had her right to commit her own mistakes, as I said, parents will do it countless times. But I think that's a bit unfair that she gets as many as she wants bc she got hurt previous to baby being born, yet Harry barely gets one when trying to figure himself out after finding out about his kid. You mentioned that a judge would never give Harry any custody bc of what he did and that was a bit dumb, sorry. Law is based on justice, balance and protecting the victim with fairness and justice, therefore Harry would have been granted at least the benefit of the doubt as his mistakes were minor and the victim in this story is Halo, not MC✌🏽

This is a long one.

Morals and values are not fitting in the situation.

Morals are personal beliefs that a person upholds and values are something that are regarded as important. I think that everybody uses them in most of the things they do so they definitely fit the situation.

She literally got with the first guy that showed her love...

I wouldn’t say that MC clung unto Connor and got into a relationship with him right away. The first couple of instances—they were just friends and weren’t officially together until Reign.

None of them put their child’s best interest first // Reader wasn’t a strong woman

I agree that both parties didn’t act on the best interest of their child but that doesn’t necessarily mean that MC wasn’t a strong woman. Sure, she wasn’t ideal in the context of being a mother—but she mended herself enough to give Harry a chance when he found out, even setting up limits while she was at it.

Wouldn’t you think that that takes courage? Besides the preceding fact that it is courteous to tell someone that you’re having their baby (no argument there), especially to someone who has cheated and betrayed your trust, you are sweeping the pain away. MC was letting Harry back in even if she personally didn’t want to. Harry was a huge part of her life so I think reminiscing on their relationship would never cease; they have a kid together. All the good and bad of their time together will always be present in her mind.

Harry was robbed [of being a dad]

You think that Harry was robbed of being a Dad, I can’t convince you otherwise. You said it yourself though, ‘if Harry hadn’t blocked MC, he would’ve seen the text and he would’ve been a dad to Halo’.

But he did—and the following points of your argument are, in a sense, irrelevant because what you’re pointing out is what could’ve happened if Harry didn’t do what he did. These are the consequences of his actions. “He blearily remembered bitterly blocking her number just as she texted “I need to tell you something,” <- That scene was the turning point of MC’s decision and frankly, a showcase of Harry’s immaturity. MC said she had something to tell him and he retaliated by blocking her.

As well, you mention, ‘if given the chance, Halo would forget about it’—there’s a lot of assumptions in your argument because these aren’t part of the original story. These are what you think should’ve happened.

He blocked her [...] but she kept in touch with his family

MC kept in touch with his family on the pretext that they wouldn't inform harry that the baby was his. This was because of a misunderstanding due to a post on Camille's IG page. H seemed happy with his new relationship. MC didn't NOT tell him out of SPITE—it was because she didn't want to ruin his relationship with Camille.

Harry contacted her at some point // Just because you’re hurt doesn’t give you the right to act as you please

Yes, Harry did contact her—to call her a ‘whore’ and stated that she ‘probably slept around’ during their relationship. [ie. Harry: Why not? Scared that y’gonna have to admit that everything you put on was an act? How can y’move on so fast and give me shit about it?”] I’m guessing that’s probably not the best way for H to ask about MC’s pregnancy and I can imagine that the sheer rudeness and projection will deter most people.

His dialogues were an attack on her personality (that she was a liar and disloyal), on the validity of her emotions (that she was faking them), and on her identity as woman solely because he was crumbling under the truth that he was the one who messed up. I mentioned before that Harry’s insults were a projection as a result of his defence mechanism. Meaning that he was—to some extent—aware that MC hadn’t cheated but convinced himself otherwise to feel less guilty. Therefore, at the end of Halo, he judged the credibility of their child.

If this was real life...

And this is a fanfiction.

Once again, MC might not have been the ideal representation of a strong woman, but she stepped up when Halo was introduced.

Imagine going through a break-up with your SO of two years while you’re pregnant because he went behind your back FOR A YEAR, amidst hormonal changes, still going to work, and trying to find yourself when someone has taken so much of you—that’s traumatizing. Healing isn’t linear. Just because you’re wounded doesn’t mean that you’re not strong.

She was unfair and subconsciously used her child to get back at Harry

MC was honest but she wasn’t truthful. Her intentions were human nature yet keeping Halo away from Harry wasn’t very truthful of her—in legalities and such.

I don’t think MC monopolized H/H’s relationship. She gave Harry a chance to bond with Halo, and they did. As mentioned, MC had set limits and boundaries when discussing Harry’s presence in their daughters’ life. It was a legally binding, word-of-mouth, agreement that Harry assented to.

[he was] threatened and manipulated

In that sense, Harry’s hostility towards MC in Reign was threatening her decision to have him around [ie. You’re not something I would take the time to handle,” // You’re a goddamn mistake is what you are,’]

I understand your concern and I apologize for that. I’m not explicitly saying that this one piece of fiction is satirical in the sense that it’s the opposite of what society chants because that would be vile of me to do. Every circumstance is different though—it really is a choice of preference, validation and weighing out the subject matter.

You mentioned that a ‘judge would never give Harry custody’ and that was a bit dumb...

That line was never part of the story.

"Take it up legally if you'd like. Want to have a custody battle? Bring it on. Let's see whose side the judge is on after they find out that you cheated on me while I was pregnant with Halo."

Suggesting that the conclusion can be one of shared-custody wherein MC has more time with Halo (80/20 visitation schedule).

[dirtybiowareconfessions]

So, you don't post character hate but you'll post transphobic things? Weird priorities. Even if their confession wasn't intended to be transphobic, it still is. Intentions don't matter, actions do. And in this case, the action was offensive. But it's great you added a transphobia tag! Maybe you can add a homophobia tag too! Sexist tag?? Sign me up! Or maybe, just don't post anything like that? A comment made out of ignorance can be forgiven as long as they learn from their mistake and do better.

Mod edi here. Long post ahead.

TL;DR: we fucked up, and I am truly sorry. The confession is taken down.

First things first, I am non-binary & demi/pan. I have been here on DBC for a long time, a follower at first, then a mod. What I saw in this blog back when I first found it, what I still want to see in as now, is a friendly place for anyone to explore their sexuality and gender. This is why I joined, this is why I’m still here - for the sake of community in general and my fellow LGBT+ people in particular.

This is why I want to protect our followers, to understand and support everyone.

This is also why I keep fucking up.

I am not outright trans, or gay; I’m always halfway, always coming up with excuses and explanations, always giving people the benefit of the doubt. Reeling in my initial feeling of “this is wrong”.

Maybe they didn’t mean it that way, maybe the OP is trans himself, maybe this, maybe that. I read life stories of trans men who gave birth. I read stories of trans men terrified of those things. There is no universal truth.

But there is compassion.

The negative impact of a confession like the one in question outweighs its possible - theoretical - “positive” impact. For the OP, the subject is likely a fleeting fantasy they might have already forgotten about; for a trans man, it can be a stone in a landslide, the kind of landslide they can’t forget or log out of when it gets too much.

I pledged to be an ally. I claimed to support trans people. And then I fucked up because I disregarded my initial knee-jerk reaction in favor of “maybe they didn’t mean it like that”.

There can be no excuse, and I’m not asking forgiveness. All I can say is that I am, truly, deeply sorry, and I see that post as a mistake.

You, anon, and everyone else who has spoken up - you all are absolutely right to be angry at me for letting this slide, shaking off responsibility with a hand-wave and a warning tag. It’s hypocrysy, and I can’t stand it. How can we do this, claiming technically it’s not against the rules because it’s not “illegal”? I don’t know if I can live with myself as a mod of this blog if we start posting confessions that cause our followers and ourselves so much grief.

Maybe it wasn’t meant as a hateful message, but it left me and Raven both feeling iffy. We have been back and forth on the matter for almost two days now, and I think I’ve made up my mind.

Any amount of joy that confession might bring to someone is disproportionate to the grief it cost. I can’t stand the thought of our most vulnerable followers experiencing the betrayal of us siding with some thoughtless, careless fetishism. These are not the ideals I want to uphold. I might be biased, and there will be people who might call it censorship, there might be accusations of giving in to the pressure, but… the more I think about it, the less I want to set a precedent of betraying my community.

This time, I’m putting my people first.

-edi

[truerescreatuconfessions]

so…. if khione and elohim were caught/removed for cheating, is it only a matter of time before more staff are exposed? 👀

Makes you wonder if there are current staff who are worried about being caught and don't want Schemes to face consequences they wouldnt wish for themselves, doesn't it? There's really no logic in setting a precedent like this unless you feel the need to protect future staff who may be caught cheating too. Although how will it look, if more staff are caught and allowed to keep their accounts? How many more of these incidents will users be able to stomach? Yet another reason to uphold rules to earn the faith and trust of the userbase. I apologize for losing patience, but it's hard to believe we are still begging for such a bare minimum of accountability among staff, especially when a very blatant and easy opportunity to stand up and do the right thing has presented itself.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Do you still think Shiratori should have his sentence lightened and doesn’t deserve Azkaban? Because I disagree, Moody better withdraw his request. Idk why that fucking prick switched up again especially that fast, but I never believed him in the first place. Even if he somehow was being genuine, he only wanted to switch sides because he thought R betrayed him and wanted revenge, it wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart, that’s for sure. I very much doubt he has that much goodness still inside him anyway, none of the R agents are good people. None of the ones we’ve met so far anyway. Before I was neutral about that pathetic creep getting a life sentence, but now I couldn’t be happier. 😒

No one deserves Azkaban. At least, not in it's current state. After it's renovated during the reconstruction era, and all of the dementors are gone? That's another story. But that's not where we are right now. So long as The Dementors control Azkaban, I will never support the idea of sending someone there. I don't care who they are. Voldemort, Umbridge, even Greyback. Subjecting person to perpetual torture, to become the playthings of demons that will devastate their mental health...it's wrong. It's just wrong.

As far as Moody's offer, that's totally gone out the window. I heavily doubt Shiratori is getting any leniency now. Which I understand, and I'm not even saying it's a bad move tactically. He didn't deliver. He didn't really uphold his end of the bargain. His promise to provide more information was just a ruse to once again offer MC a spot in R. If Moody gives Shiratori a reduced sentence or something after that, then it sets a precedent that he probably doesn't want to set. But had Shiratori held up his end of the bargain, I would want Moody to do the same. Morally, it would be shameful to double-cross Shiratori, no matter what a pain in the ass he might be...and thinking long-term here, that would send a message to all of the inmates that the Aurors can't be trusted to keep their word, so don't bother coughing up any valuable information, don't believe their promises, etc.

[formerlyherologiida-blog]

Iida-Kun! If you don't mind me asking, your family has a long line of pro hers right? You're family must be kind of loaded right!? -Toru

Hagakure-kun!

You are quite correct that I come from a long line of pro heroes! I am certain that many of my classmates other than yourself have heard of my brother, but my parents and their parents before them also have a long track record of excellent hero work! My brother, as you well know, is my closest influence, but in setting forth on the same career path, I aim to uphold the Iida family name for the sake of our longer tradition!

And yes, it is true that generations of hero work have put my family in good financial standing. I was hoping to keep this somewhat away from common knowledge, lest it affect how people treat me or how they judge my progress as a hero in training. I adamantly believe that fortune or precedent alone should not predispose me to being treated as an inherently better hero candidate from the start! I sincerely hope that my admission to our school was based entirely on my performance in the entrance exam, and I expect that I will continue to be judged on my own work alone, with no external factors! I fully intend to earn my hero license only by way of developing the appropriate skills! That’s also how my family has done it, and I don’t want to lessen the impact of their accomplishments by riding on them rather than developing my own!!

[the8x8theory]

After reading the post you just wrote about defunding hate, I have a question for you. And I want to preface this by saying I definitely don't like Jeremy Hambly or what his channel has become. Although I see how it got to where it is. But my question is this: When does an opinion, or criticism of a person become harassment? People shouldn't be banned for having opinions and WotC set a really bad precedent here where now anyone who disagrees with a comment can cry wolf to WotC, and that is bad.

Okay, so believe it or not, this is something I am genuinely qualified to talk about. I have spent the last few years of my life learning (and in some small part teaching) education and logic and reason. Within those umbrellas come a need to understand how to give powerful criticism without turning that into harassment. So as a result, I can tell you exactly when criticism and opinion become harassment.

Criticism is the analytical judgement of merits and faults. It clearly, points out things in no unsimple terms, with reasoning behind it. It also offers alternatives that allow a person to grow. Ultimately, criticism isn’t made with malice in mind. Critique is made with the end goal of helping the creator of the work reach a higher standard. It also needs to follow a logical progression. “Change X because Y works better with Z” etc. That’s why you typically need to be educated in the field you’re critiquing for it to be a reasonable critique. So, in short. It must be a caring suggestion based on anysis. If you say something is bad, you should always follow up with why, or how to improve it. You should also include something good. 

Opinion is the expression of subjective thought. It is not objective fact, and as such, can be wrong or hurtful. They are nothing more than that.

Now here is the thing. Harassment and Opinion aren’t mutually exclusive. Neither is Critique and Harassment. You can be a harassing critic. Your opinion can be harassing. 

Some people don’t want critism about their work. In these cases, don’t give it to them. Your opinion doesn’t always need to be heard. Repeatedly pushing that opinion despite being told its not wanted is, then harassment. You’re not working to help them be better. If that was the case you’d work on their terms. If you keep pushing it, all you want is to be heard. 

Jeremy was not a critic towards CSprankle. In fact, he’s never been a critic to anyone he’s harassed. He was not voicing carefully educated opinions on how they can do a bit better at her cosplay. He was voicing bitter and toxic opinions he held, and, in the case of Sprankle, insulted both her and her fans. He called her foul terms and outright said that any man following her just wanted to sleep with her. Not only this, but he insighted his followers to do the same. That is aggressive and as such, is harassment. 

If you fear is that someone will view your opinion as harassment, it may be worth re-evaluating what that opinion is. It may well be harassment. If in doubt, talk to the person you’re talking to and try to understand why they think what you’re saying is harassing. And if all else fails, and what you’re saying is genuinely not harassment, live with that knowledge. No one can persecute you for something you didn’t do. 

One final thing. This did not set a dangerous precedent against opinion and critique. Jeremy broke Wizard’s Code of Conduct in a huge way, and as such was banned for life. He signed up knowing full well the expectation that Wizards had, and agreed to uphold them at the risk of being banned. We all do when signing up for a DCI number. If you don’t think that what he did warranted a banning, you may want to read the Code of Conduct. Because it lays out in clear words what warrants banning, and he met the requirements to a ‘T’. If you’re scared you toe this line, maybe you should stop.

Edit: If anyone wishes to discuss this further, please do so at my personal blog linked to bellow. I would like to avoid nitty gritty discussions and filling up people’s blogs with less important things.

—Max, @commandtower-solring-go