#this is exhibit a of their predatory behavior!!

[thisgodwontforgiveyou]

god its so funny how the only thing ppl do now that mcr fans have arbitrarily decided gerard way is a trans woman is sexually harass him online

[todropscience]

THIS TRUMPETFISH IS USING ANOTHER FISH TO HIDE ITSELF WHEN HUNTING

And is working

Many animals use camouflage to avoid detection by others, yet even the most inconspicuous objects become detectable against the background when moving. One way to reduce detection while moving would be to ‘hide’ behind the movements of objects or other animals. Now, researchers have demonstrate experimentally, following field observations, that a trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus), a common marine predator, can conceal its approach from its prey by performing a behaviour known as ‘shadowing’, hiding behind, swimming closely next to another, larger and non-predatory fish.

Bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus), form highly localised colonies within structures on the reef substrate and exhibit characteristic anti-predatory responses, and are common meal for trumpetfish. Marine researchers working in the coral reefs off Curaçao, set up an underwater system to pull 3D-printed models of trumpetfish and the stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) being hand-reeled along a clear nylon line from one tripod to another, passing over the colony in the process, which was positioned halfway between the two. When these two 3D printed fishes were together, damselfish were quiet and show low antipredator responses.

-After field observation, marine researchers modeled the ‘shadowing’ behavior.

This is the only known example of a non-human animal using another as a form of concealment. According to researchers, this evidence reveal how predators can actively use another animal as a form of concealment to reduce detection by prey.

Reference (Open Access): Matchette et al., 2023. Predatory trumpetfish conceal themselves from their prey by swimming alongside other fish. Current Biology

VIDEO here

[andypantsx3]

thinking about your fiancée shouto taking you to meet his older brother touya for the first time.

shouto's been a pro for years now, having outpaced his family legacy and come to define himself in his own right, but his family still matters greatly to him and he makes time to see them—all of them.

and now that you're engaged, he wants you to meet all of them too. he tells you touya only has a few years left on his sentence in a high-security detention center. and touya's supposedly reformed now, after the war, exhibiting good behavior and becoming eligible for parole faster than anyone anticipated.

but you're not quite so sure touya is as good as shouto says, not with the way his eyes burn right through you as you settle across the quirk-reinforced glass from him. his gaze sharpens into something predatory, alert, altogether too keen and too interested, and it sends a shiver crawling down your spine.

and you immediately recognize the look for the simple human truth of what it is—the look of a child whose little brother is playing with a toy he's suddenly decided he wants too.

[jubileemon]

Hazbin Hotel: The Terrifying Reality of Overlord Domination

Both Husk and Angel Dust are victims of their circumstances, having their souls bound to the will of their overlords. Their experiences mirror real-world issues of abuse and exploitation, where individuals are trapped in cycles of control at the hands of those with power over them.

While both characters are subjected to manipulation and control, the nature and extent of their abuse differ significantly, reflecting the individual sadistic tendencies of their overlords. Valentino exhibits traits of control and abuse. Alastor's sadistic tendencies and enjoyment in inconveniencing Husk are paralleled by Valentino's predatory behavior towards his workers like Angel Dust.

While Husk's servitude to Alastor is marked by manipulation and intimidation, Angel Dust's experience with Valentino is characterized by sexual exploitation and abuse. These narratives serve as a grim reflection of real-life issues, where individuals find themselves trapped in cycles of control and mistreatment at the hands of those with power.

Valentino's Control Over Angel Dust

Valentino exerts control over Angel Dust through a soul contract, inflicting pain and torture as a means of coercion. His actions escalate to heinous levels, including sexual exploitation and physical violence, as he seeks to punish Angel Dust for his defiance and escape from servitude.

Bound by a demonic contract to Valentino, a moth demon, Angel's autonomy over his soul is compromised. This contract, which he signed under his given name, Anthony, effectively transfers ownership of his soul to Valentino, leaving him at the mercy of the demon's whims. The contract's terms are non-negotiable and enforce a grim reality where Angel must comply with Valentino's demands, no matter how degrading or exhausting they may be.

Husk's Fall from Grace and Enslavement to Alastor

In contrast, Alastor maintains a psychological grip on Husk, leveraging his vices and inducing fear to ensure compliance. Despite occasional gestures that may seem friendly, Alastor's true nature is revealed in moments of rage, where he threatens Husk with severe consequences for disobedience, highlighting his capacity for cruelty.

Once an Overlord, Husk experienced a fall from power after a losing streak in gambling led him to Alastor. The bet that cost him his soul also stripped him of his status, leaving him in a state of servitude to the Radio Demon. This power dynamic is a stark reminder of the precariousness of status in the underworld.

The episode 'Dad Beat Dad' serves as a chilling example of the extent of Alastor's control over Husk. When Husk dares to mention Alastor's own soul contract, he is met with uncharacteristic fury and threats of violence. This encounter leaves Husk in a state of terror, illustrating the abusive power wielded by overlords like Alastor.

His immediate threat to destroy Husk's soul if he divulges any information is a display of psychological warfare. The fear instilled in Husk, leaving him a 'shivering, terrified wreck,' is indicative of the abusive power Overlords hold over their subordinates. This incident serves as a reminder that Alastor's charisma masks a deeply sadistic nature, which can be as harmful as the physical abuse perpetrated by Valentino.

The Shared Victimhood of Husk and Angel Dust

Hazbin Hotel's portrayal of Husk and Angel Dust's situations is a grim reflection of the terror that comes with being under the thumb of an overlord. The show's narrative serves as an allegory for real-world power imbalances and the devastating impact they can have on individuals, making it a poignant commentary on abuse and the struggle for autonomy.

[stormy-river]

Transcripts from the Humanity Hotline

If someone else has done something similar to this, I haven't seen it and I apologize. Otherwise, this is something I thought would be funny, and writing allows me to procrastinate on other things. Without further ado,

As an effort to foster trust and good will in the wake of the intergalactic treaty convention, many ships from the allied planets began to integrate other species into their crews. The need for experts and mediators to handle interspecies conflicts became quickly apparent. Of all the species, humans were reported to cause the most problems and misunderstandings, leading to the creation of the Humanity Hotline.

-------

Thank you for calling the humanity hotline. You will be connected with an operator shortly to answer any questions you may have regarding humans. This call may be recorded for training purposes.

Operator: "Hi, thank you for holding. My name is Mindy. What can I call you, and how may I help you today?"

Caller: "Yes, hello. I am Krryssk, the Personnel Officer of my ship. We recently hired a human, and she has been exhibiting strange behaviors. I am unsure how to handle this, or if I should worry for the safety of the crew."

O: "Alright, could you describe the behaviors? When did they start?"

C: "Yes, when we first hired her approximately six days ago, she was very quiet and kept to herself, fitting perfectly with the usual dynamic of the crew. But today, multiple crewmembers have reported that she has been making gestures at them and gave them things she calls, 'crochet', that she claims to have made. The crew is unsure of their purpose, and why she seems to be targeting only some of them with these actions. I searched our archives for this 'crochet', and found that is is made of yarn from an Earth animal's skin? What should I do to stop this? Is it some kind of code or signal of predatory intent?"

O: "Ah, I see. First, the yarn used for knitting and crocheting is not made from skin. Some yarns are made from the wool, or hair, of an animal, but yarn can also be made from sources other than animals. I believe I know why your human is acting this way, but to confirm my theory, are the crewmates she is... 'targeting'... the ones she works with the closest, or interacts with the most? And do the gestures involve moving an open hand back and forth in the air?"

C: "Yes! Yes, how did you know?"

O: "Alright. It is most likely that she is trying to befriend her crewmates. Hand-waving is a non-vocal greeting, acknowledgement, or goodbye, and some humans give gifts, such as handmade crochet, to people they care about or want to get to know better."

C: "So there is no predatory intent? I had heard that humans needed to socialize, but the captain said they hired the least social human they could find."

O: "Yes, many of the asocial or low-social species have done that, only to find that the human wasn't actually asocial, just shy or introverted. If possible, the crew can make their own gestures of acknowledgement in response to a wave, and just say, 'thank you,' for the gifts. That will likely keep her happy. For the long term, if the rest of the crew are asocial and uncomfortable socializing with her, you may want to hire another human or other social species. It's never good to have only one social crewmember."

C: "I will speak to the captain. Thank you."

End Transmission

[wildpeachfarm]

the “abusers” thing reminded me of a concept this whole situation brought to my mind and it’s how george is the one that is framed as being in the wrong situation and way too old, but really caiti was the one that shouldn’t have been there. she was way younger than everyone else and her friends suck for taking her there, but george and dream should not be blamed for engaging in adult behavior (the cuddling + how they were framed as predatory for playing games that ask about sex?) at an adult gathering. if caiti wasn’t ready for that then she shouldn’t have been there Anyway

okay it is way too late for me right now to open this conversation up for super intense discussion however I do think there is an incredibly real argument to be made that caiti has exhibited the behavior of someone very sheltered from adult environments and she had convinced herself she was more mature than she really was, which led to this all going sideways when she was put in a real adult situation and didn't know how to proceed in a way that was safe for her and safe for everyone else involved.

[anokayapple-blog]

Lessons in Being a Fan/in a Fandom

In light of what happened with III and the possibility of Sleep Token no longer making music, I would like to refresh some of us who participate in media and fandom on how to engage with media in a healthy way and keep these artists safe and comfortable in interacting with their fanbase.

Of course, it isn't new for artists and content creators to feel hesitancy in interacting with their fanbases. Taylor Swift has been accused of being queer for a very long time and there are some people in her fandom that still refuse to believe she isn't queer and will become enraged at the suggestion she isn't. There is the rumor that Markiplier and Jacksepticeye don't make videos together anymore/rarely will make videos together because of the Septiplier stuff getting out of hand. So, I'm not saying this is a new behavior for some fans to exhibit, I just want to do my part to try and encourage good behavior among not just other fans, but other people in general.

Things to not Do:

This will be a comprehensive list of things I've seen in most fandoms that i would call "feral" behavior. If you do these things currently, i would highly encourage you to stop. It is not healthy behavior, and it certainly isn't good for you or whoever is on the receiving end.

Doxing in general. If you seek out the addresses/phone numbers of an artists/content creators/influencers at all, it's not okay. If you do this with the intention of going to visit them, you are weird. Think of it like showing up to a coworker/classmates home uninvited. No one really wants that, especially if they don't know you that well or at all. This is not healthy behavior and could land you with legal issues. Please, please do not do this.

Sexual advances. I'm sorry to say this, but you are not in a Wattpad story, and you are not Y/N. It is very, very unlikely that an artist/content creator/influencer will EVER take you up on these advances or date/marry you. Honestly it's kind of predatory if they do. Sure, it's fun to imagine, but to chase after them like this (especially at a meet and greet or just running into them on the street) is really uncomfortable for them, and frankly is super cringe to watch. Just to add onto this, please do not send these people explicit messages and images. If you don't want them from randos, they don't want them from you.

Hateful messages. Sometimes our favorite artists and creators do something we don't like. This could be them saying something insensitive or doing something dumb or dangerous. This does not mean we get to fill their comments or inboxes with hate (more on this below). The Taylor Swift situation is a good example for this, Taylor Swift has said many times that she isn't queer, and she gets hate for this. She in no way has done anything to lead people to believe she is homophobic or transphobic or anything, but she still receives hate just for being cishet. You see this a lot in kpop fandoms as well, especially if a certain idol has put on weight or has done something to not abide by/naturally does not abide by beauty standards. They receive hate for interacting with idols of a different sex because they "could be flirting" or "could be dating." Honestly i feel bad for kpop idols because i feel like they get hate just for breathing. I will say this again: if you send hate to an artist or creator for something miniscule like this, you are being weird. You need to stop. This is not healthy behavior and you need to stop and think of why you do this because. It is very damaging behavior not just for the person on the receiving end, but for you as well.

Being delulu. It's kind of a meme, but honestly it's startling to see how many people genuinely believe in their delusional fantasies and try to bring them to life with artists and creators. Please stop doing this, it is cringe and can at times be distressing for creators and artists.

Just to double down on this: this behavior is dangerous for artists and creators. It is harmful to their mental health and can at times be harmful for them physically. I am begging you on my hands and knees to not continue with this behavior and to make better choices.

Engaging Healthily:

This is a list of ways to engage with fandom culture in a healthy way and to encourage others to do so as well.

Engage with content. Leaving a like on an artist or creators media is always a nice, arm's length way to participate in fandoms. Lurking is absolutely fine, leaving a comment to tell them how much you enjoy their content is even better. I highly encourage you to do this with smaller creators, as feedback is the best way to keep them posting! Share their media as well! Please keep in mind when you do this, keep it positive! There is such a thing as unproductive criticism! Please also do not be creepy!

When going to meet and greets, it's absolutely okay to tell creators and artists that their art has saved your life. If their art means a lot to you, let them know! Please always ask before you hug, please do not kiss them. It's okay to cry. When it is time to move on, please don't linger too long. Please don't make sexual advances on them or touch them inappropriately. If you want to be silly or goofy, ask them to participate! If they say no, that's sad, but move on. Don't be mean.

If you see your favorite creator on the street or out in the wild, please read the room if you want to approach. It is perfectly okay to approach and tell them you like their content. If they seem to not want to have a conversation or take a selfie, then leave it at that. Please don't force it on them. If they seem receptive, go ahead and ask for a selfie or an autograph! If they still say no, then leave it at that! It's certainly okay to be disappointed in not getting that, but being mean about it isn't fair to that artist or creator. Once the interaction seems to be at an end, move on with your day.

Guys, it's this easy. Artists and creators are people just like you and me, and chances are if you wouldn't want this behavior done to you, they don't want it done to them. Treat artists and creators as normal people, they have feelings and emotions and lives just like the rest of us. They are not deities or Gods, they are mortals who fart and poop and make mistakes just like we do. The sooner we learn this, the sooner we can engage with these creators better.

Okay, but Apple, sometimes these people suck.

This is very true. Sometimes these artists and creators suck a lot. Sometimes they make mistakes that boggle our minds and hold beliefs that are damaging for people like them to have a platform. So what do we do, then? How do we vent our frustrations and do our best to lower or totally abolish their platforms?

Hey, super easy: stop engaging with their media. But APPLE. What if that isn't enough? Well, let's gauge it.

For those of you who were on social media back in the wild west days, you may remember Onision. To make a long story short: he is walking garbage. He has been totally deplatformed because people stopped engaging with his media. Not only that, a lot of people told other people about what he did and said to stop engaging with him. Onision did his best to do damage control and at times did some absurd things to try and get some of that sweet, sweet bad publicity, but in the end his channel died. Sure, he still posts, but he has little to no engagement.

Let's look at this from a different perspective. JK Rowling is a known TERF. She does her best to demonize and at times try to erase trans culture and existence. Many, many people do their best to voice this about JKR and do not engage with her media to try and lower her platform. Of course, it is very hard to do this because Harry Potter is a literal cash cow and you can find HP merchandise for literally everything. So how do we deal with this? Well, we simply don't engage. We spread awareness and ignore her. Does it do a lot? No, she's a billionaire. We can't touch her. But we can certainly denounce her and let her know we don't approve.

Fantastic. So when you say "let her know we don't approve" you mean threaten her on social media and dox her, right? Hey, no! That is unhealthy behavior! While some of us would love nothing more than to see JKR get her just desserts for being a TERF, YOU SHOULD NOT BRING HARM TO ANY PERSON UNLESS THEY ARE DIRECTLY HARMING YOU. And when i say directly harming, i mean literally hitting you with fists or baseball bats or something.

It is perfectly acceptable to be mad and frustrated at the inhuman things some of these people with platforms do/say, especially if it is harmful to your way of life. No one is saying you can't be, and no one is saying there is nothing you can do about it. What you can't do is be the reason someone gets hurt or dies. That is the very real outcome of some of these behaviors. I promise you, if someone gets hurt or dies from your behavior, no matter who they are, you are going to feel it and you will never be okay again.

Hey Apple, you're wrong and you should feel bad.

Nuh uh.

If you don't like this, sorry. I'm putting this here in an effort to be a positive force in the world and if you don't agree that is perfectly fine. Not everyone has the ability to gauge when its okay to approach their favorite creators, and not everyone knows when they're getting a little too excited to meet their favorite person. I completely understand that, and it is okay if you make things a little awkward because of this. No one is saying you're a bad person for not being able to figure this out. Sometimes we need learning opportunities, sometimes we simply go on with our lives.

I am saying if you are going into a situation with the intent on harming someone or ruining their day, you suck. I don't care who you are or what your beliefs are, you are propagating bad energy and you should feel bad.

I know it doesn't feel like it, but the world isn't black and white. Everything is gray, some things are darker shades of gray and others are lighter shades. Sometimes the rules in this post won't apply, other times they will. I am begging you guys to take this seriously and stop being feral to our favorite artists and creators because when you act out of pocket you ruin it for the rest of us. Because someone decided to act like a wild child and dox III, it is very possible we will lose a band that could make (and very much have already made) waves in the music industry and possibly change the game altogether.

Let's try to keep this from happening again. Hold your friends and those you see on social media accountable, be the change you want to see.

[victoriadallonfan]

PHO Sunday Retrospective #3!

So before I get into the article itself, I just want to note that we have been given the name of the magazine that published it: Masque

Secondly, L.J.M 2007 disaster might perk some interest, as LJM is the same alias used by the hero Big Picture in Ward. He was a photographer who specialized in photographic nude/extreme pieces of C53’s, often described as being predatory for his behavior. The disaster is likely when he unveiled a blown up exhibit of a C53’s photo, despite making a deal with them that this would not happen.

As a reminder, Bambina is a grown adult woman, trapped in a child body, with a… very perverted sense of morality. She was going to help Pretender escape because he promised to use a celebrity body to do… things. Things that traumatized even Taylor to hear.

So yeah, this tracks with her behavior and use of sexuality to get a reaction out of people. She was also the one who first mentioned villain rankings too. Very apt.

Finally, the idea of the first Argo v Argo case being not only about the conservatorship of supervillain funds, but ongoing while Bambina is still committing public crimes is… astounding. I can only imagine the Movie tier courtroom drama

The idea that a bunch of villains were appalled that a villain or villain group would dare hijack an illegal ranking system is hilarious. They must be members of the leopards eating faces party.

Less funny is her relationship with her villain teammates. It should be reminded, that all of her teammates at the time, were actual children. She was an adult woman carrying young children into these fights and didn’t seem to have any issue talking about her (non-con?) sexual desires in front of them. Her being controlling is not surprising, though it’s interesting no moments have been explicitly stated.

Youth Guard being involved is interesting. Is it because of her teammates or because they handle all parahuman conservatory claims?

I’m sorry hold on

Blacklist publicity events?? What on earth is going on with this site!? Are there a bunch of well-intended vigilantes/rebel without a cause/jackass villains who just love doing cape shit running the site? Like, they care more about the celebrity culture than actually being evil villains? It makes sense, but man, Bambina was already nearly blowing people up when we meet her! That’s a messy business to run.

Also, apparently there are implied official “unofficial” villain management business with publicists and agents… again, this is some wile revelations coming out here. The villain kids being placed next to killers and worse is the least surprising part if I’m being honest.

Bambina being groomed by her mother and the agency isn’t surprising, though I wonder what the evidence is. Certainly, the fact that Mrs. Argo wants her villain daughters ill gotten gains is not a great sign, but I imagine this needs a lot of proof.

I actually do support the Youth Guard here. Wildbow has mentioned in WoG and in the Youth Guard document that they are pretty on the level and well meaning. And villain kids certainly need advocates in a setting where Parahumans are treated as accessories (or worse).

But man, Bambina? Good luck to handling that…

[uvpartybomb]

how can you condemn the mandela catalogue but still be into dream smp.

let me remind you.

dream: careless behavior centering the use of his parasocial army of fans to attack others

george: sexual assault

wilbur: domestic abuse

many other members of the smp may not have exhibited behavior of this caliber of awful but they have tendencies to say some very insensitive things and some I believe are siding with abusers

In the most respectful way possible..

Wow its almost like.. The Dream SMP is a server that has since ended, its almost as like.. No one is profiting off it anymore due to it ending and the ccs no longer streaming it (Especially if other people have reposted the VODs from those days and, omg.. The shitty ones cant profit off old videos of the server), its almost like the characters arent their streamers that you can basically do what you want with in terms of design, headcanons among other things, its almost like the Dream SMP is not being created by one singular person and if anything, had multiple creators who aren't anything like the people you listed that's sided with the victims of those three people you mentioned.

Mandela Catalogue is purely made by Alex with him getting most, if not all, the profit from it even if he's paid the VAs or artists, hes still the one profiting off the series, its almost like you can condemn the actions of a shitty creator by no longer interacting with their series.

On that note, we're not condemning the series, we're condemning Alex for his predatory and despicable behavior against so many people that have been hurt by him in some way, shape or form. There's probably many people who still wish to interact with tmc by only interacting with AUs, fan content or again, reposts of Alex's videos so he cannot profit from it. Even then, with the VAs quitting, TMC is likely not gonna be able to continue anyway!

You do know you can like something while also being critical of the creator and what he's done while also taking the steps to ensure he can't profit off it, right? Like that is a thing you can do.

So get off your high horse and think a little more critically about what you say, especially about a situation as fresh as this one.

[yanderes-galore]

Can I get a yandere Albert Wesker but in DBD

Sure! He may be a bit different than normal Wesker, due to this technically being an AU.

Yandere! Albert Wesker (DBD) Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, God complex, Obsession, Attempt at mindbreak, Possessive behavior, Murder, Sadism, Forced "relationship", Degrading behavior, Manipulation, Choking mention.

It's clear in his DBD lore he still exhibits a god complex like he does in Resident Evil 5.

He doesn't think much of the survivors in this realm.

It's pitiful to watch them scurry around like pests.

It's up to him to exterminate them.

Wesker is not a sympathetic man.

To get him to obsess over you would mean you'd have to prove yourself.

Prove to him you're worthy of Uroboros.

Most yanderes like a darling weak enough to submit to them.

Wesker prefers something in the middle.

Too weak is not worthy to him in this universe.

He wants you to submit to him like a god, but not be so weak he could easily squash you.

He'd like a darling who can hold their own in this universe enough to have some strength.

For example, you're able to elude him, slam pallets down, unhook/save others, and overall stand up to him.

That behavior he considers worthy enough for him.

He'll weed out the weak from the strong.

Chasing you becomes a game to him.

Some trials he only ever hunts you, wanting to push your limits.

Who cares if he loses? He wants to test you.

He doesn't care what the Entity thinks....

Other trials, he's killing your fellow survivors.

He'll exterminate these pests... then play with his favorite toy.

As expected of him, Wesker is cruel.

He infects you with Uroboros to make you slower, the Entity having nerfed his greatest creation.

Then it makes it so much easier to toy with you.

Unlike many other killers, who are predatory or deranged in nature, Wesker is different.

He's cold, calculating....

He knows exactly what he's doing.

He knows how to outsmart you, manipulating you into his grasp.

Wesker is not affectionate towards his darling in a loving way.

He does it to reward you, to encourage you to continue being the best performing survivor in this realm.

However, it's hard to listen to his praise with his hand wrapped around your throat... pressing you to the wall and staring you down through his glasses.

"You're more worth of Uroboros than any of these lesser beings."

He will not leave you alone.

It's clear whenever he's in a trial with you, he wants you to know he's after you.

He'll chase you off generators just to cut you off.

He looks forward to chasing you to get you alone.

Everything he does to you is because he's determined to get you to worship him.

He's let go of his humanity to become something greater.

He encourages you to do the same.

If/when he finds a way out of this realm... he'll take you and only you.

That way he can continue to toy with you while purging the world of genetic impurities.

Wesker will never see you as an equal.

You will always be under him.

Although, with all his targetted torment and obsessive attention towards you... you can tell you're the favorite.

Wesker isn't one for teasing.

Although... as OOC as this is... he'd probably mark you with his Uroboros and play with your feelings.

Normally he doesn't give a damn about emotions.

Not like he has any visible ones himself.

He may get a strange sense of satisfaction when he sees you fluster or cower against him.

Wesker's not a jealous man.

He doesn't like anyone near you, though.

They're impure and he's working his hardest to purify you.

For that reason... they die at his hands.

Wesker would also be one to degrade you.

Breaking you is a hidden desire for him, all so he can fill your head with thoughts of him.

He's possessive in the sense that he wants all your attention on him.

He's a god... you shouldn't focus on anyone but him.

Your fate in these trials depends on what you do.

You may die on a hook... maybe perish by his Uroboros.

Or if he's merciful... he'll let you go.

Only if you deserve it.

Overall, Wesker is similar to how he was in Resident Evil.

It's just now he serves as your god and tormentor... killing those around you and forcing you to kiss the ground he walks on.

He's determined to make you focus on only him...

Even if it means breaking your fragile body.

"Your resistance is cute... even if it's futile, pet."

[plethoraworldatlas]

If you have been tuned into recent wildlife news, you are likely aware of the disturbing incident that occurred in the town of Daniel, WY, last February, where a 42-year old man injured, tortured for hours, and later killed a young female wolf. According to reports, the individual pursued a wild wolf with a snowmobile until she was exhausted, grievously injured her by running over her with his vehicle, captured her, restrained her muzzle with duct tape, took her to his residence and hours later exhibited her at a bar in Daniel, where she was subject to degrading behavior for photos and videos. Subsequently, he took her outside the bar and killed her – it remains unconfirmed if shot or bludgeoned. The individual responsible only paid a fine of $250 for the illegal possession of a warm-blooded wild animal. There were no charges or penalties related to the most egregious acts he committed: persecuting, torturing and killing an animal, for nothing other than recreation.

At Project Coyote, we are profoundly saddened by the incident and deeply empathize with the wolf. We imagine the life she should have experienced that day: waking up in a beautiful landscape, safe among family, feeling healthy and rested, looking forward to the day. She would have stretched, yawned, yipped and howled. She would have played with, greeted, nuzzled, and licked her family. She would have practiced coordinating with her family to obtain food and, if successful, had a satisfying meal and rest in the snow afterwards – looking forward to not just surviving, but enjoying life. We can only imagine what she went through instead: being persecuted and severely injured, and experiencing the fear and distress of being completely overpowered, helpless, dispirited, at the mercy of other beings that dismiss you and interact with you as if the reason for your existence was their recreation

We think about her family as well: how much they love her; their painful howls echoing through the landscape searching and wondering where she is after her disappearance; how much they miss her after she never returned that day, or the day after, or the day after that; how hard it must be to move on with their lives; how their lives may have changed without her (research shows that, similar to humans who lose family members, killing pack members affects their family dynamics). Maybe some of her family witnessed the incident, or maybe they’ll never know what happened. Maybe some of them have already ‘disappeared’ as well. None of these experiences should be misconstrued as ‘anthropomorphism’ – just like as humans, scientific evidence asserts that wolves, coyotes and many other animals have the necessary conscious, cognitive, emotional and social capabilities (among others) to experience all of the above, and we know social animals establish fierce affective bonds with their families, and mourn their loss. Yet, in debates over wild animal treatment, the suffering of those loved ones who remain alive, widowed, orphaned or alone is rarely, if ever, considered.

...

We at Project Coyote unequivocally and emphatically condemn the persecution, torture and wanton killing of this wolf, and any other animal treated in such a way. We also feel it necessary to take this opportunity to explore what social and institutional circumstances allowed this to happen, so as to identify the necessary changes that may lead to the institutionalization of compassion and justice for wild animals that would prevent such incidents from happening again or going unpunished. My intentional omission of the name of the individual that committed the atrocious acts in Wyoming is solely to highlight the systemic nature of this abuse.

Unscientific and unethical wildlife policy

In Wyoming, wolves and coyotes are classified as “predatory animals”, meaning they have no protections whatsoever against recreational persecution. In fact, reports on the practice of coyote ‘whacking’ (running down and over coyotes, the most common target, with snowmobiles) show the practice has been common, known and accepted in Wyoming and elsewhere for years. 

We join other advocacy groups in highlighting that the lack of policies and regulations addressing this type of behavior towards wild animals makes all decision-makers – legislators, governors, wildlife boards/commissions and agency staff, complicit in the pervasive abuse of many wild animals. We also feel the need to stress that this ethical relativism and the permissiveness of abusive behavior towards wild animals, and predatory animals especially, is pervasive throughout the US, as are the worldviews that underlie both the behavior and its allowance (even its promotion) by both state and federal agencies. 

There are deep, institutionalized misunderstandings that prevent a transparent, inclusive conversation about our treatment of wild animals, and about what should be considered compassionate and fair in our relationships to them. Such misunderstandings and worldviews preclude any increases in protections for wild animals. 

Wildlife agencies at the state and federal level generally promote an unscientific and unethical view of wild animals as valuable only for what they can provide to humans. Despite claiming they follow scientific evidence, wildlife agencies create mandates, policies and ‘management’ plans that consistently omit any mention of the science acknowledging animals as conscious, feeling beings that value their lives and wellbeing. Such dismissal of the internal qualities and lives of animals is not benign. By refusing to acknowledge animals as beings with their own lives and interests, agencies objectify them, turning them into ‘natural resources’, sponsoring and sanctioning their ‘use’ for whatever humans want, including torturing and killing them for recreation – likely the most trivial of reasons for harming another living being (whoever that being may be). This means that the violence against wild animals begins within our institutions, making agencies fully complicit in the pervasiveness of the abuse towards wild animals. 

As examples, notice the sanitized language the WY Game and Fish Department (WGFD) spokesperson used when describing the incident: they noted that the culprit was “out hunting”, then “pursued” (i.e., persecuted), “harvested” (severely injured, captured, restrained) and “euthanized” (killed, since it was not done humanely) the wolf. This is common and misleading language used by agencies nationwide when referring to the harming and killing of wild animals. Similarly, coyotes are generally referred to in some states as “varmints”, “nuisance” or “pests” – all invidious and bigoted terms that increase their dismissal, including the acceptability of harmful and lethal interventions towards them.

Undemocratic and dangerous worldviews

To add to this unscientific, unethical view of wild animals, agencies charged with mediating our relationship to wild animals and the natural world generally restrict themselves to concerns over population(s) or species as the only salient metrics of whether such a relationship is appropriate (i.e., ‘ethical’) or not. What’s worse, there is an unyielding refusal by wildlife agencies to consider the wellbeing of individual animals (this is especially pronounced for animals of species misrepresented as problematic, such as predators), leading to managers ignoring barbaric acts like the incident in WY and to lack of institutional support for, or direct opposition to, establishing laws that prohibit cruelty towards wildlife. Given this unscientific, relativistic view towards animals, some states actively avoid having official positions on issues of treatment of wildlife, as exhibited by the WGFD spokesperson when asked if they believe ‘whacking’ is unethical, or by the Illinois DNR when we petitioned to make wildlife killing contests illegal in the state (they decided to leave the matter to the legislature and did not take a position on the bill since, allegedly, some agency staff and managers partake in such contests).

On the federal side, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), responsible for managing imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act, endorsed Wyoming's contentious policies. Before delisting wolves, the federal agency had to approve the state's management plan, making the former complicit in the latter’s allowed practices against wolves. The USFWS just reaffirmed their approval of Wyoming’s “existing regulatory mechanisms” with the decision not to relist western gray wolves as endangered. Moreover, federal and state agencies have done their best to ignore or dismiss scientific evidence from multiple studies noting that reducing protections for contentious species like wolves does nothing to increase humans’ tolerance of them (it may even decrease it), and may even devalue the individual animals, emboldening abusers and killers, and increasing rates of poaching.

Coyotes and their treatment by state agencies provide a window to what happens when populations of a predatory animal are of no conservation concern. Despite being described on many state agency websites as playing important roles in ecosystems, coyotes are seldom provided any protections whatsoever by state wildlife agencies – and such lack of protections extends in some form to many other mesopredators, including foxes, raccoons, striped skunks, opossums, muskrats and others. In most states, there are no limits to how many coyotes someone can kill, no closed seasons (i.e., year-round) or time restrictions (including night-hunting), no reporting requirements, and the allowed methods for killing them are incredibly liberal, allowing the use of electronic calling, baiting, sights/scopes, night hunting with lights, light color, vehicles and dogs. Such permissive regulatory frameworks are what allows and contributes to some individuals’ participation in completely unregulated wildlife killing contests in most states; anyone can satiate their appetite for recreational killing as long as they adhere to the (lack of) regulations.

In our experience, the general public does not know this side of wildlife policy, and agency managers and wildlife commissions are more than happy to keep it that way. Wildlife agencies have been captured by undemocratic and dangerous worldviews that mediate our relations with wild animals and nature. They habitually cater to narrow special interest groups, i.e., animal agriculture and hunting, with specific interests in appropriating landscapes and/or killing wild animals. The animal agriculture industry especially contributes to cruelty toward wild carnivores through vilification and constant calls for increasingly liberalized killing. The agency capture by such interests is incentivized by the economic relationship between hunting/trapping license buyers and the agencies, which are funded in part through the selling of said licenses and so feel compelled to satisfy their demands. Both interest groups habitually promote unethical, selfish worldviews prejudiced against the intrinsic value, wellbeing and lives of wild animals. 

These unethical worldviews enshrined in public agencies stand in stark contrast to those of the broad public, who increasingly value wildlife alive and as part of their social community. As an example of such agency capture, while you can torture wolves and coyotes in WY, ‘big game’ species in the state are protected against cruelty. Whereas in New Hampshire, recreational predator hunters and trappers held enough influence to block a measure that would have prevented the hunting of coyotes during their pup-rearing season, despite no other hunted species in the state being subjected to year-round open season or being legally hunted during the period when their offspring are reared. The influence of such groups is so strong that some state agencies like the Wisconsin DNR are educating trappers on how to portray the activity online as a wholesome tradition, despite the cruelty and suffering experienced by the victims. 

Such agency capture is often codified in policy, as many managers and members of wildlife policy bodies (such as wildlife commission members) are required to be part of hunting and agriculture constituencies. Moreover, this institutionalized agency culture seems to have created a self-selection process for wildlife professionals. Scientific studies note wildlife agency staff hold more dominating views of our relationship to wild lives than the broad public. Another study found agency scientists generally support lower protections for Grizzlies than non-agency scientists. Ask yourself (as I did when I started looking for jobs after my PhD): if you truly care for and respect wild animals as individuals with intrinsic value, would you choose to work for an agency promoting values you oppose but which you must uphold? I certainly wouldn’t, and I’m not the only one. This is an incredibly concerning self-selection process that continues to reproduce a dangerous and undemocratic agency culture that reflects the values of powerful minorities rather than those of the broad public.

Not all hunting is equal or ethical

In the aftermath of the WY incident, PC has joined dozens of conservation organizations in “urging the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to immediately prohibit the use of snowmobiles or other vehicles to run down, injure or kill wildlife on all federal lands they manage.” And yet, we assert that we should not limit our advocacy for wild animals to either conservation concerns over populations or to only challenging the methods that are used to harm and kill them for whatever motive. Hunting and hunters are not a homogeneous group, and not just the methods employed, but the motivations for engaging in the killing of wild animals deserve much higher ethical and scientific scrutiny by the public. 

...

Towards care and respect for wild animals

While some vocal ranchers/farmers and recreational hunters denigrate and abuse wild animals with the consent of wildlife agencies, much of the public seems divorced from wildlife issues – neither educated about nor paying attention to them. As if the continued suffering of these vulnerable and voiceless beings was not reason enough to intervene on their behalf, these are also beings who contribute immensely to our wellbeing simply through their autonomy and agency. Wild carnivores regulate ecosystem processes and provide benefits that contribute greatly to the flourishing of our multi-species communities. Abdicating to ranchers/farmers and recreational hunters the responsibility to regulate our relationship(s) to wild animals is harmful to us all.

[self-loving-vampire]

The best at abolishing gender

TERFs: We want to abolish gender and let people be GNC.

Also TERFs: We must gender absolutely everything so that we can find more excuses to "clock" and misgender trans women and refer to the exact same behaviors we exhibit all the time as essentially 'male'.

Also TERFs: It is bad to use more precise and gender-neutral language when speaking about women. Calling women "people" is dehumanizing erasure!

Also TERFs: Furthermore when trans people reduce womanhood to self-identification they completely erase the meaning of it, which I consider bad despite ostensibly wanting to abolish gender.

Also TERFs: Also I spend most of my one life on earth calling trans women slurs and getting really mad at dubious outrage bait stories about them, especially when they don't meet traditional feminine beauty standards. Sometimes I even accidentally assume cis women who are too confident or athletic are trans but don't mind that.

Also TERFs: By the way I also want to ban people from modifying their bodies across lines that are considered gendered and think that when people want to do that kind of thing (or even just crossdress) it's a sign of either pitiful manipulation by a suspiciously Jewish conspiracy or the result of sexual perversion.

Also TERFs: At a minimum I support more medical gatekeeping for trans people (which traditionally involves demands for extreme gender conformity) and "therapy" to make people stop being trans (which also often involves demands for gender conformity and draws from existing homophobic conversion therapy which does the same, because for the longest time conservatives thought gay people and trans people were basically the same thing).

Also TERFs: On that note I already think men are violent slavering beasts as part of their unchanging essential nature but I especially think men who don't conform to gender norms are especially threatening and predatory.

Also TERFs: I am hearbroken when my child (a trans man) won't shave and I need to resort to bribes, threats, and isolation to make my children comply with gender norms.

Also TERFs: So what if I work with the religious conservatives and neo-nazis? Just because we are politically aligned and working towards taking away other people's rights doesn't mean I agree with them on everything so it's fine and does not merit further reflection on whether or not I am a complete tool.

Also TERFs: I feel offended when a trans person has both a skirt and facial hair on at the same time. I need to mock that whenever I see it.

And so on...

[thesweetnessofspring]

I have to acknowledge that I am in my feelings about this A LOT because yay recent friend (at this point ??? on that description) drama

But this morning, after tossing and turning nearly all night and crying a little, I'm escaping into fiction and I just hate G@le H@wthrone. (mandatory oppressed teenager blah blah blah but this is about his relationship to Katniss)

And I think there's a reason why with the HG renaissance and people who were teenagers in its heyday are looking at him more critically now is that they've grown up been around guys that exhibit similar attitudes/behaviors and can see what kind of shit it leads to.

And the thing that is KILLER is that some people (less now, but they're still around) will defend this with pointing out good things he did without acknowledging the fact that up until the bombs, he was fighting and strategizing to get what he wanted. It's all there. He ponders on how to "convince" Katniss that he loves her, he measures up what he has in his arsenal to still win her ("that's the one thing I had going for me") and he's able to see animal's and people's perspectives in order to trap them and destroy. All of that is just so manipulative and gross and I cannot ever, EVER see anything he did for Katniss as anything but trying to satisfy himself. Going to the Capitol to get Peeta, even, is part of that. It's not heroic. It's still selfish. It's great because it looks so noble and self-sacrificing, but it's not. He needs Katniss stop obsessing with Peeta, she can only do that if Peeta is safe, and so he goes.

And people like to point out that he didn't force Katniss to kiss him in Two when she wasn't all there mentally, but again, everything he does is a strategy. I can't trust that even that wasn't something he weighed out and calculated against his long-term goal of securing Katniss as his partner.

And he knew her and he knew how to manipulate her. It's there time and time again, especially in CF. And there's always this cloak of protection around him of their past and how she had to lean on him before which led her to trust him but all of that is still used for his own manipulation. Whatever good qualities he has is put on as a veneer to protect himself from anyone seeing into how he's trying to move Katniss around to where he wants her to be.

And I don't care if Peeta respects him or whatever despite their rivalry. Peeta hasn't seen what we see or experienced Katniss's thoughts like we have and she doesn't talk to him about it. He's just the actual good man in this situation and knows how important the other guy is to Katniss and manages his feelings. G@le after all does have that veneer of "best friend, strong, protective, masculine" protecting him.

I'm so sick of predatory men getting passed by because of the face they put on to look good, while abusing women in order to satisfy their dick. I'm exhausted of trying to get other men to believe us, to LISTEN to what all of the women around them are saying about those men.

Maybe Suzanne kept it tame, maybe she didn't want G@le to be so obviously a conniving douche, but his behavior is reflected in real men who don't have authors with a carefully crafted message, just their own egos and self interests and they hurt people and we know them. We all know them. Some people just can't see it.

[nw-of-dark]

Vampire Clan: Gangrel

The Clan of the Beast, Animals, Bêtes, Outlanders, Outlaws, Wolf's-Heads, Beasts, Ferals

The Gangrel, a clan of nomads, maintain stronger connections to untamed landscapes compared to their urban-dwelling counterparts. They possess a profound affinity for the primal instincts of the Beast and excel in the art of fleshcrafting. Originally, they were among the seven clans that established the Camarilla, but as the Modern Nights unfolded, they grew disenchanted with the sect. Eventually, the Gangrel elders made the decision to sever their ties and forge a path as a predominantly independent clan.

Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean

Bane - Bestial Features: In frenzy, these Gangrel gain one or more animal features: a physical trait, a smell, or a behavioral tic. These features last for one more night afterward, lingering like a hangover following debauchery.

Culture

The Gangrel, known for their feral and predatory nature, are considered the most solitary and unsociable among the Kindred. Preferring solitude over society, they exhibit reclusive tendencies, animalistic instincts, and a loose organizational structure. Their territorial and possessive nature is so intense that entering a Gangrel's domain without permission inevitably leads to certain death. While they are renowned as formidable warriors, convincing a Gangrel to collaborate, even with their own kind, proves to be an arduous and often impossible task.

The Clan's legends, myths, and methods of gaining prestige are predominantly passed down orally. Storytelling and the ability to captivate an audience hold significant social value, as gatherings in the wilderness offer little else besides entertaining one another with grand tales and songs. While most of these stories contain elements of truth, a satisfying and embellished narrative outweighs the importance of factual details. The Gangrel do not engage in outright deception but rather embellish the truth to appear more impressive, much like a cat fluffing its fur to appear more menacing. Honoring one's spoken word is highly esteemed, as the only barrier preventing another vampire from betraying you is their own sense of honor. This is not to say that socially inclined Gangrel cannot participate in the Jyhad. In fact, many of them derive some degree of enjoyment (or at least begrudging acceptance) from the grand masquerade of betrayal, conspiracy, and power struggles that characterizes much of Kindred existence.

The Gangrel also maintain strong ties with the Romani community and go to great lengths to protect and provide shelter for them, especially from other Kindred. However, the Ravnos claim a similar connection to the Romani, resulting in a deep-seated mutual hatred between the two clans that spans centuries.

Despite the Clan's rural nature, it may come as a surprise that even higher-generation Gangrel possess adeptness in managing modern technology such as cell phones, computers, and cutting-edge vehicles. Recognizing the importance of technological knowledge for survival in the modern nights, the Gangrel have adapted, and even the eldest among them possess the know-how to operate a microwave.

The Gangrel's emphasis on oral history and traditions, including tales of their Antediluvian progenitor, puts them at odds with the Camarilla's official stance that such ancient accounts do not exist.

[nekosaskia-v2]

Potentially spicy take: Cis girl chasers are generally speaking not even the same species as male chasers. I don't know whether it's something about feminine socialization, the general societal pressure to be ashamed of your sexuality as a woman, internalized predatory lesbian trope, or something completely different. But every single interaction I've had with a female chaser has been so much more initially innocuous and like normal flirting.

Compared to male chasers who will just slide into your DM's calling you pet names you did not consent to, usually accompanied by an equally nonconsensual dick pic, and immediately openly sexualizing/fetishizing you. (Also sorry not sorry, but some trans girls on this site need to check themselves, because they exhibit this exact same behavior towards other trans girls under the guise of it being ok because "T4T" or some bullshit. Like at least half the trans women that have tried to slide into my DMs acted like this too)

Also for the love of g-d can we please have a nuanced conversation about how fetishization ≠ inherently predatory. Like if a woman has a feeder/weight gain kink, and she dates a girl who engages in that kink with her and fetishizes feeding her and her weight gain, then that's just consensual sexual compatibility between 2 adults, nothing inherently predatory is going on there unless some other form of abusive behavior is at play. If I hook up with a cis girl chaser, and she fetishizes my body as a trans femme top in a way that I like and is not creepy or dysphoria-inducing, then that is not inherently more predatory than the former example.

I'll take a cis girl chaser following me over even a non-creepy/fetishistic cishet man any day and that's a hill I'm willing to die on.

(also for the love of all that is holy these are just my personal observations and lived experiences, I am not trying to imply they are universal or more valid than yours, so don't even try it)

[thefirstknife]

First, I wanna say that I do NOT condone the extenely nasty and toxic behavior of various parts of the fandom, especially towards the devs. But I'm starting to wonder more and more if this is actually something the company brought on themselves? The game at this point relies on an increasingly expensive and predatory FOMO model and a lot of players seem to exhibit symptoms of genuine addiction to the game, or at least a very unhealthy relationship cultivated by that FOMO and "well I sunk all this money in I can't just stop now" mindsets. Which leads to players burning out and being irrational, which leads to some players being ruder or cruel and gives toxic players (who would be toxic anyway) a community that doesn't reject them out of hand because the community itself is so exhausted and frustrated and genuinely struggling to have a healthy connection to the game due to the entire model it operates under. It doesn't mean the devs or other players deserve the cruelty they've faced, but it feels like this behavior breeding among the fans is the natural consequence of the direction the game has gone. (I notice this in various mobile gacha type games that are heavily FOMO and predatory, too--the addition and sunk cost issues seem to make it truly difficult for people to be able to behave rationally)

In a way, I guess? It's not really the devs making these decisions though, it's the executives and marketing which pretty much has nothing to do with the game itself. It's still Bungie, but this stuff goes beyond just Bungie and just Destiny and just game development.

Basically, what people are mad about is capitalism. But since it's much harder to fight a whole system we live under and the system under which games are being made, people instead turn to individual companies and then also on devs, mostly because devs are the ones who are visible online. A marketing CEO from Bungie who signs off on these decisions isn't on Twitter.

I definitely wouldn't say that any company "brought individual employee harassment" on themselves. Like, no matter what state the game is in, you should never go for the random devs online and people should know that, no matter how mad they get. They're definitely not making these decisions and a lot of them are actively against them. For example, this is from a senior narrative designer at Bungie:

Note that the first thing he mentioned is "monetization and business interests overshadowing artistry." This isn't isolated, it's just one person who wanted to share, but it's a general sentiment among the actual devs. Nobody wants their work to be subjected to the aggressive monetisation schemes that ultimately piss off the consumers and ruin the product itself.

But as I said, the issue here goes above and beyond just one game or one dev studio. A lot of people keep talking about awful monetisation in Destiny, but I genuinely can't agree that Destiny, of all games, is the worst game monetisatio-wise. I'm actively involved in games that are worse and especially games that became worse, the best example of which is Overwatch. I don't think Destiny gamers could even comprehend how awful Overwatch became monetisation-wise. And that doesn't even begin to dive into other horrible practices in the gaming industry.

The point isn't to say that just because there's worse than Destiny, that Destiny is fine. It's definitely not and some things have certainly changed for the worse, though there were also horrible practices in Destiny before that were since removed. There used to be loot boxes. Like, actual gambling loot boxes. I would honestly just buy the ornaments directly rather than being tempted to buy 50 loot boxes and gamble. The only good part was that dismantling items from loot boxes could give you bright dust, but that makes sense for loot boxes that you had to buy with silver. So technically you bought that dust with silver. You could get them also for levelling so there's that, but that was really the only way to earn anything. Grind insane hours and hope for the best or take the easy way out: buying boxes for money. I cannot stress enough how much gambling is the worst predatory practice in existence in the gaming industry. Nothing else will ever be as detrimental and scummy as encouraging gambling. People don't really remember this or even know, but the switch to direct purchase is actually better.

However, of course, the increase in the amount of things that are silver-only is definitely felt. One of the worst parts is shaders for me. Shaders got no business being for silver and in bundles where you technically have to spend $10 for a shader. Event cards are also a sore spot; they're literally just Eververse bundles, but with extra steps that tie them to an event so you feel like you're earning stuff in gameplay. They come together with random currency (tickets) that stays unused unless you buy the card. It's 100% made to make people want to pay.

But sometimes the criticism on monetisation is also really superficial and from people who don't understand game development. One of the examples that people often use is dungeon key. Now, personally, I think that dungeon key should be separate for each dungeon instead of forcing you to buy 2 dungeons at once for $15. You should be able to buy just one. Like, come on. However, the idea that we have to pay for dungeons is not a predatory practice. It's content that has to be made and requires resources and dev hours (regardless of what people think of the dungeons). People will usually say "dungeons used to be available with seasons!" This is a lie.

Before WQ, we had 4 dungeons released since vanilla D2. Shattered Throne was the first and it was a part of the expansion. Pit of Heresy was second and it was a part of the expansion. Prophecy was a part of Season of Arrivals (!). And Grasp of Avarice was 30th Anniversary, a separate pack that had to be bought separately. Out of all dungeons available so far, only one was a part of the season and I genuinely don't even know how they managed that and I feel like some devs probably laboured over Prophecy essentially for free. So the idea that "dungeons were just for free in seasons" is just a lie. Only one was, an exception that possibly negatively impacted developers. If we want 2 dungeons per year, we will have to pay for them. And we do. It's either that, or maybe they can include one dungeon in the expansion and that's it. I wouldn't mind that, but the same people shitting on devs are also the people who shit on devs over "content droughts" and "not enough content" so I don't think that would satisfy them.

The point is that while some of the criticism is absolutely warranted, a lot of complete misunderstandings and lies often get mixed up with it and this all results in the situation we're in now where the only thing that the community is doing online is being negative and spiralling into dev harassment. And they end up feeling justified because the company is engaging in predatory practices. It's very easy to get into that mindset and to feel like you're not just allowed to harass, but encouraged.

The biggest issue with monetisation is always people who spend a lot of money aka whales. And by a lot, I mean a lot. Like there are people who buy every single thing in the store (and this is applied to all games). An average player buying a shader once in 3 months is not a problem. The whales are what shows up on marketing reports and what makes soulless capitalist ghouls add more of this shit to games. Which makes it even worse that the people who are perpetuating this hate train against monetisation riddled with incomplete misleading information and lies ARE WHALES. Aztecross who made the big video is a whale. Last time people checked his stream, he literally had 8000 silver in his account and people who watch his streams have said that he frequently has segments with his chat where they look at the store and he buys stuff, ON STREAM, while also asking his chat which items he should get. He's a hypocrite who is doing this to earn more money and is, to me, not any different from the soulless capitalist ghouls that work in gaming industry marketing departments.

The best thing he can do, if he cared about this topic, is to stop playing and stop making content about Destiny. Like, that's genuinely it. If he and other content creators like him are so serious about this topic and believe that the monetisation is such a serious problem in Destiny, they should stop spending money, stop playing, stop marketing the game and stop making content for it. There is no other way for Bungie to get the message, certainly not by going at random devs. And then after that, the next best step would be to involve yourself in political action to bring stricter laws to the whole gaming industry when it comes to predatory and anti-consumer practices.

In the meantime, serious talk: if any video game ever made you feel like you have to spend money, especially money you don't have, and you spent that money against your better judgement, please reach out to someone. It's not shameful and you're not alone. Games are a hobby and entertainment and should never put you in financial risk or ruin. If any video game is too much for you and you can no longer pay for it, but you feel like you have to keep playing and it's risking you financially, again, please reach out to someone. There are people who can help you deal with these feelings, especially if you know you can become addictive. The gaming industry as a whole preys on people's need for entertainment and dopamine rush and if you can't resist it on your own (which is, again, not a shameful thing), there's options to get help. This is mostly about the extra stuff like microtransactions, but it also works for just base game stuff. A year of Destiny content is cheaper than a year of some other games, but it doesn't mean that it's something everyone can afford. You can absolutely skip seasons or even expansions. You can also wait for them to be on sale and I always recommend looking out for sales anyway. There's genuinely very little value in being constantly pushed by FOMO and there IS a way to get out of the FOMO mentality. You can work on that, especially with people who can offer professional help if you need it.

Never let the capitalist scum control you.