#Some people really DO use right wing arguments as part of their cult like devotion to a fucking website and can’t see the irony

[convoy914]

Here's what the anti-censorship, pro-filtering crowd are actually worried about:

Minorities are going to write stories with racist villains, and those villains might use slurs. Should that be banned from AO3?

Child sexual assault survivors might want to tell their own stories to process their trauma. They aren't going to hurt real children while doing it and might not pull any punches to avoid diluting the horror of what happened to them. Should those stories be banned?

Transgender writers are going to write stories where their protagonists suffer from transphobic hate crimes and microaggressions. Should those stories be banned?

Figure out a solution that won't get innocent people caught in the crossfire because the far right wants to shut those perspectives down, and THEN we'll listen.

But sure, keep parroting Far Right Propaganda about how sinful and evil AO3 is! I'm sure that won't backfire when homophobes push to have queer coming of age stories labelled as child porn!

OOOO, lots of whataboutisms. You seem to be under the impression that it’s one or the other. That it’s necessary to keep things as they are in order to prevent The Dark Ages. That the Holy A03 is tho only bastion against the Evil Puritans. That people won’t be able to tell. Why is that, exactly? Why do you assume that it has to be one or the other?

But sure, let’s play this game: If we ban white people for saying the N-Slur on Twitter, then what about black people who say it? If we ban pedophiles from Twitter, will that mean banning people who talk about their experiences? And as for the commonly repeated “it’s actually survivors” thing, okay sure. Why do they need to SHARE it? Why is that part necessary? I have never gotten an answer there. Do you have an answer? Depiction is NOT automatically endorsement but in the cases where it clearly IS, or will in fact cause harm because, guess what, tagging doesn’t magically solve all problems, putting it out there for everyone to see won’t actually help and has more risk of harm than anything else, then it’s absurd to suggest that we NEED to keep ALL of it. ESPECIALLY, might I add, when it’s porn or REAL CHILDREN that they refuse to take down.

Frankly, the idea that being against CHILD PORN is “far right homophobia” is insulting. It is fucking deranged that we’re at the point where people are using right wing arguments about censorship to whine about even the slightest amount of moderation and then acting like the people who call out this hypocritical nonsense are the “real” conservatives. Because that’s all this is: The same exact arguments I hear against moderation on Twitter, the same “it’s just fiction” excuse I hear from lolicons, the same hypocrites that calls themselves “anti-harassment” and then harass the hell out of actual children. WE’RE the ones using “far right” arguments? YOU’RE the one fearmongering about what will happen if we try to introduce even the slightest amount of moderation. If we even TRY to sift through what’s endorsement and what isn’t, because clearly that’s impossible. To even TRY to improve A03 somewhat, because if we do that then it’s the second age of homophobia

Look, I’m not going to deny that things were hard and this website was founded for a reason. Mostly, it’s incredibly helpful. But it’s gotten to the point where people react violently to the suggestion that their precious anarchist website might have some flaws, that maybe a LITTLE moderation would be helpful, and to the point where they’re defending ANY depiction of child porn or anything else because it’s either that or the homophobes win. How do you COME to that conclusion? How do you tell yourself, with a straight face, that leaving ALL of that up there is somehow “protecting” people? There comes a point where the reaction to something is just as bad as the thing it was reacting against, and this cult-like devotion to a website and all the hoops you’ll jump through to pretend like there’s no other way is definitely one of those cases.

Anyways, when I call this “cult-like”, I’m not being facetious. I know how this works: Feed people stuff that sounds reasonable while hiding the true intent, slowly normalize to that idea, and then we get what you’ve just done: Defending leaving ANY depiction of these things up because there’s definitely no other way, using the exact same “it’s just fiction” excuse that lolicons and their ilk use, acting like it HAS to be a “one or the other” based on what you IMAGINE Conservative Christianity to be like (which, might I add, is the exact same thing exclusionists do to justify why asexuals aren’t “oppressed enough”). WE don’t provide the alternative? YOU’RE not willing to hear any alternatives out. Because no matter how much they may protest to the contrary, it really does come down to “any moderation = bad” just like conservatives love with absolutely no sense of irony.

My advice: Take a step back and analyze what you’ve said, just…look at what that collection of words put together means. You ARE better than this, I know that. And the fact that you ARE against pointless censorship is a point in your favor. But that’s exactly how they get their hooks into people, convincing them that censorship and moderation are the same thing. And the damndest thing is, I’m not even sure it’s intentional on THEIR part, either. I think they’ve genuinely deluded themselves into thinking this is necessary, because they can’t see the irony. You want a real life example of “going too far in the other direction”, well here it is. It’s a real damn shame that it’s devolved into this “all or nothing” thing, but that’s just how it is. And I’m just responding appropriately.

[flying-guinea-pig]

Season Finale 3/7

Whoops, posted these on OA3 but forgot to put them here!

The previous chapters.

Chapter 3: Into The Bunker

"Remember you're wearing a camera, don't smudge the lens," Steve said, as the boat neared their destination. "Katya and I will mostly follow Tenney and Francesca around, but we use footage from all cams to splice the final episode, so don't break yours. Should anything happen to it, please notify me or Katya as soon as possible."

A short nod was all the reaction he got. Well then.

"The cams record both low-light and regular vision simultaneously. You can watch a live feed of your low-light recording on your watch face. These buttons, see? I can remotely switch the setting of the cams if necessary so if you get confused, just give me a call and I'll make sure they're adjusted correctly."

"Wouldn't vision goggles have made more sense?" Adams said, with the same frown she'd been wearing since he had first laid eyes on her. She was going to be a real delight to work with, he bet. "Instead of a watch? I can't fight and look at my watch at the same time."

"I hightly doubt you'll have to fight anything," Steve said. "Tenney is very experienced in dealing with ghosts. Anyway, we used to have goggles and such but that was bad for the ratings. Viewers prefer to look at human faces without obstructions, makes it easier to relate to them. So we stick to the watches. Katya's camera and mine are equipped with Artificial Sight, by the way - it really eats the batteries, we only activate that one if we're a hundred percent sure there's something interesting to see. If you think there's something invisible, or any kind of presence or aura, give us a shout. Right, now about the other gear, I hope you've read the manuals for the pressure suit and the waterbreathing spells?"

"I've used these before," their other newbie to the world of televised entertainment piped in. Steve turned to April Merrick, granddaughter of one of the few surviving cultists and special guest for this episode. "I used to go scuba diving near old shipwrecks with my dad."

"Good, then you know what to do in case of emergency."

"Question," Adams said, already messing with the few buttons of her cam. "How do you turn this thing off?"

It's a good thing he had so much experience keeping his groan of annoyance inside. "You're not supposed to turn it off."

"I need to use the ladies' room and I'm not recording that."

Right. He'd better show her.

Tenney popped up, unmistakeble in that trademark pinstripe suit and his shock of white hair. "Is everyone ready? We're nearing the platform, I want some footage of our approach."

"Almost done, sir," Steve said. "I'm just checking if everyone knows what to do in case the bunker should flood."

"Oh, you worry too much," Tenney said, throwing an arm around Adams' shoulders. She did not seem pleased. "All these precautions are for show, my dear. Don't be afraid. We go in, get some nice footage of the bodies and the ghosts, I do what I do best, cue a tearful part about how your long-lost relatives are finally released from their doom, and it's a wrap."

"I can't promise tears, but it will be nice to know they'll be free," Ms Merrick said, with a contemplative glance out of the porthole window. "Strange, to think I actually do have relatives who are haunting that place. The cult of Xuerus was mostly a family community. If life had been a bit different, I could have been born and raised down there, brainwashed into serving a demon."

"Perfect, my girl, but can you repeat that while we're on deck? Steve, get those cameras rolling, I'm not paying you to stand around. Hup hup, showtime people!"

Steve lifted the large hand-held camera and followed his boss up on deck. The sky was blue and cloudless, the wind bitingly cold. Monifa was already there, making sure that everyone was all geared up. Her expression was grumpy as she worked. Steve really hoped she didn't have another argument with Tenney again...

The sooner this episode was wrapped up, the better. The team needed a break from eachother - things had been tense ever since Tenney had benched his co-star only two weeks ago for that small meltdown she had.

The oil rig loomed on the horizon, massive and abandoned. Steve made some shots of their approach, careful to stay out of view of Katya and Flint, who were recording the little speech Ms Merrick was repeating on deck.

"- brainwashed into serving a demon," Ms Merrick finished, with a pondering look at the oil rig.

Tenney patted her hand. "We will give your relatives the rest every soul deserves, my dear. I give you my word."

"Thank you, Mr Tenney."

"Please, call me John," Tenney said, amping up the charm as the cameras rolled. "Now my dear, tell us about your grandmother. Was it her dying wish for you to return here?"

"Not quite, John. She never spoke much about what happened, and no wonder. Nearly everyone she knew had died, here."

"Cultists," Adams muttered, off-screen. Katya turned her cam, in time to record Adams' eye-roll. "That's what you get for summoning demons. All cults end like that, eventually."

Oh dear. Tenney did not seem happy at this interruption of the conversation. It was the way the lines around his eyes tightened. He kept smiling sympathetically though, since Flint's cam was still aimed at him and Ms Merrick.

"True, summoning demons is exceptionally dangerous," Tenney said. "You, of course, have some experience with this, Elisabeth dear. Perhaps you can share some insight about the demon Xuerus with us?"

"I would, if I knew anything about it," she said. "Xuerus is a complete unknown. Most likely a very low-level demon."

"That is all?" Francesca asked, coming up on deck. Her jacket looked bulky with all the gear packed underneath it - she must be more worried about this Bunker than she let on. "He appeared, got a cult devoted to him, slaughtered them all and disappeared into obscurity again?"

"Apparently so," Adams said.

"Is that normal?"

"How should I know? The number of demons is literally uncountable, and no one knows for sure how new ones come into existence. I'm not an expert on all of them."

"Well, if you believe Twin Souls -" Ms Merrick started to say,  a faint smile on her face, but Adams shot her a glare that made her swallow the rest of her sentence.

"Don't mention that nightmare," Adams said. "That drivel is based on nothing but ridiculous fantasies and it teaches teens all the wrong things about demons."

"Back to Xuerus," Francesca said. "There is aboslutely nothing you can tell us about him? You're going into this blind?"

"I'll know more about it if I see his symbol, or whatever remains of his summoning circle. The cultists should have left some signs behind. At least that'll give me a benchmark for his power level. As you know, the more intricate or complicated a demon's symbol, the more low-level they are."

"Really?" Ms Merrick said. "I'd think it was the other way around."

"As if! How often do you hear about someone accidentally summoning Sapheele, demon of invisibility? Never. Because it takes a lot of effort and concentration to summon it." Adams made a face. "Compared to the Dreambender, for example... Well, any idiot could doodle a winged star with an eye and be unlucky enough to catch his attention by utter accident."

A ding! came from her pockets.

Really? Good thing this wasn't live television, because stuff like this could ruin a take. Of course they could edit it out, but it was annoying all the same.

"Isn't your phone muted?" Steve said. "We're recording, please turn it off."

Ding!

Ding!

"Sounds like you're popular," Ms Merrick smiled.

Adams took out her phone to glare at it. "Could you shut up? I'm working. "

Okay then.  Apparently she talked to inanimate objects. This was definitely going to be an interesting episode.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Turn it off, Ms Adams," Tenney said. "No texting on the job."

"Apologies," Adams said. "Just having a small disagreement with my phone, which I am definitely going to throw into the ocean if it doesn't stop making noises."

"You can just mute it, you know," Steve said.

"No. I really can't."

She had the gall to glare at him while saying that. Yeesh. A real delight, indeed.

---

Tenney set his first foot on the upper deck of the rig and closed his eyes, tipping his head back slightly, as if he was scenting the air. He always did this. Even after working with him for the entire run of Extreme Exorcists!! Steve wasn't sure if Tenney actually sensed anything special like that, or if it was only for show.

It did make for a dramatic shot, with the looming shadow of the building above and the yellow-edged clouds in the far distance.

"The weather's not looking great, but we should be fine here until tomorrow evening, if the predictions hold," Monifa said. "The ship can withstand a lot, and the stabilising spells in the rig itself should keep the most of a storm away."

"Still, best not to linger too long," Francesca said. "I'd like to get initial reconaissance wrapped up as soon as possible."

"Why such a hurry?" Monifa teased. "Is this place creeping you out?"

"Oh, ha ha. I'm in the wrong business to be scared of ghosts, sweetie. But there's only two experienced ghost hunters here, and we're far away from any backup."

"The more reason to be careful and not rush our way through," Tenney said, opening his eyes. "There is definitely some sort of presence down below."

Miss Merrick shivered visibly, her eyes glued to the stairs leading up from the platform, to the dark insides of the rig. "I'm creeped out."

Steve turned his camera to their demonologist, to see her reaction, but she was glaring at her phone again.

"Let us go," Tenney said, and led them inside.

Monifa stayed behind on the boat, where she'd taken over two cabins with all the screens and gear to keep track of their cams. She could follow everything from up there, and call for back-up should things get iffy. Say what you want about Tenney, the man took all precautions.

Steve had been in many creepy places during his career. For some reason the ghost hunting business rarely led you to brightly lit and lively houses. Abandoned buildings and old grave-sites were the norm.

Remember the hospital episode? It had been a horror of flickering lights and floating scalpels and screaming. Or, oh god, that day-care that had been closed after a madmen with a gun had murdered all those children... He still couldn't hear children singing without getting goosebumps.

This dusty old building wasn't the worst, actually. The corridors and rooms were small and cramped and stank of metal and salt, but he'd seen worse. So much worse.

Then again, these were just the upper levels. The actual Bunker lay underneath this, an unsightly growth of metal and concrete on the limbs of the oil rig itself. These were just the living quarters. And, good to know, the power generator still appeared to work fine, because the overhead lights turned on when Francesca flipped the switch.

"How deep down did the probes go?" Adams asked. "The ones the police sent down to investigate this?"

"Difficult to say," Francesca answered. "The footage is corrupted, more so the deeper they went. They found some bodies about seven floors down from here and shorted out soon after, but what distance they crossed in that time between? No clue. We'll come across them eventually, I'm sure."

"The bodies," Ms Merrick repeated, pale as a ghost herself in the cold white light.

"Your relatives," Francesca said. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Too late to back out now," Tenney said. He glanced at Steve. "We will look through these upper levels first. Flint, Katya, you're with Franscesca. Get some good ambiance shots. Steve -"

"You've got to be kidding me," Adams interrupted him. "We're not going to split up, right? That's what they do in horror movies right before everyone gets killed."

Steve hid a smile behind his camera. Was little Miss Popular with her sarcastic eyerolls getting a bit scared?

"This is not a horror movie, Ms Adams," Tenney said.

"The girl has a point, John," Francesca said, with a frown. "I know we usually split up to get a wider perspective of the place, but this time... there's something unsettling about it. We should stay together."

"Darling, don't worry so much. We've handled hotter fires," Tenney said. "These upper levels are barely haunted. I sense no ghosts up here. I do agree we should stay together when descending into the Bunker proper, however."

"Alright," Francesca said. "As long as we're not going down there yet. We'll meet up back here in, let us say, one hour?"

"Excuse me," Adams said. "What exactly are we supposed to do now? Just look around?"

"Yes, Ms Adams. We're going for initial impressions right now." Tenney's smile was thin and impatient. "Steve and I will accompany you and Ms Merrick, we're not sending you in alone."

"Do not disturb anything," Francesca added. "Especially not bones. These upper levels should be safe, more or less, but you never know."

"Great. I feel so at-ease," Adams said.

Ding! her phone added.