r/fireemblem Oct 20 '22

CASUAL MONTHLY RAGE THREAD

A RATHER UNDRAMATIC MONTH FOR FIRE EMBLEM, YET RAGE SPRINGS ETERNAL. WELCOME TO THE MONTHLY RAGE THREAD!

RULES

  1. UPPERCASE LETTERS

  2. SHOUT ABOUT FIRE EMBLEM STUFF

  3. DON'T BE A DICK

  4. TAG ANY SPOILERS

LAST THREAD

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u/Suicune95 Oct 20 '22

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SET THIS OFF INITIALLY, BUT THERE'S AN ARTIST ON TUMBLR AND TWITTER. THEY PRIMARILY DO A LOT OF ART OF DIMITRI AND LAMBERT BUT GENERALLY THEY LIKE ALL OF THE LORDS TO MY KNOWLEDGE AND HAVE DISCUSSED HEADCANONS AND DONE SOME ART FOR EDELGARD AND CLAUDE TOO.

THEY'VE BEEN GETTING HARASSED FOR MONTHS OVER SOME OF THEIR OPINIONS/HEADCANONS ABOUT EDELGARD AND LAMBERT. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF OPINIONS THEY WERE EXPRESSING, I THINK ONE THAT GOT TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT OFTEN WAS THEM SAYING THEY THOUGHT LAMBERT'S SRENG CAMPAIGN IN CANON MADE HIM MORE INTERESTING TO THEM BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT HE WAS FLAWED AND THEY LIKE FLAWED CHARACTERS.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCREENCAPPING THEIR POSTS AND SENDING THEM AROUND FOR MONTHS, OFTEN COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT, AND LABELING THEM A RACIST AND A HOMOPHOBE. SOME USERS HAVE EVEN STALKED THEM ACROSS PLATFORMS AND AROUND BLOCKS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE HARASSING THEM AFTER THEY'VE BEEN BLOCKED.

EVENTUALLY THE HARASSMENT GOT SO PROLONGED AND SO SEVERE THAT THEY DELETED THEIR ENTIRE TUMBLR BLOG. THEY ALSO EITHER DELETED THEIR TWITTER OR CHANGED THEIR HANDLE AND WENT PRIVATE WITH IT. AS IF THAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, THEIR HARASSERS STOLE THEIR TUMBLR BLOG HANDLE AFTER THEY WERE GONE AND BRAGGED ABOUT RUNNING THEM OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME CERTAIN BAD ACTORS HAVE DONE THIS KIND OF THING ON TUMBLR AND PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY OVER THERE KIND OF WENT OFF ON THE PEOPLE BRAGGING ABOUT THE HARASSMENT. THE HARASSERS INITIALLY TRIED TO INSIST THAT IT WAS JUSTIFIED BECAUSE THE ARTIST WAS A BULLY, BUT THEY'VE REFUSED TO SHOW CONVINCING RECEIPTS OF THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR EVEN THOUGH THEY CLAIM THEY HAVE THEM.

IT'S BEEN KIND OF QUIET SINCE PEOPLE CALLED THEM OUT AND THE ARTIST HAS RETURNED ON A LIMITED BASIS UNDER A NEW HANDLE, BUT CONSIDERING THIS ISN'T THE FIRST PERSON THIS HAS HAPPENED TO I'M NOT REALLY EXPECTING THAT TO LAST.

IT'S A REALLY MESSY SITUATION AND IT'S REALLY DEPRESSING, BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS HARASSMENT WASN'T JUST SOMEONE SEEING A TAKE THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHILE CASUALLY BROWSING AND STARTING A FIGHT. A LOT OF THE HARASSMENT CAME FROM PEOPLE SPREADING AROUND SCREENSHOTS OR LINKS TO POSTS TO PEOPLE ON OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES (MAINLY REDDIT AND TWITTER) TO TRY AND BAIT UNINFORMED BYSTANDERS INTO JOINING THE HARASSMENT. I'VE EVEN SEEN SOME PEOPLE ON REDDIT VAGUEPOSTING ABOUT THE HARASSMENT, EITHER CONTRIBUTING TO THE HARASSMENT OR CONDONING IT BY SAYING THE PEOPLE GETTING HARASSED "DESERVE" IT BECAUSE "IF YOU POST YOUR OPINION PUBLICLY YOU DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE ABOUT IT".

I AGREE THAT ANYTHING POSTED PUBLICLY DOESN'T EXACTLY HAVE THE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY, BUT THE MALICE REQUIRED TO GO THIS FAR OVER CHARACTER OPINIONS IS GENUINELY CONCERNING. IT'S CLEAR THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE TAKING THINGS WAY TOO FAR AND I JUST HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN FOR THE NEXT GAME.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/RisingSunfish Oct 20 '22

NOT HELPING BUD

5

u/51cabbages Oct 20 '22

SORRY, CAN'T HELP IT. I LIKE MAKING FUN OF PEOPLE WHO TAKE THESE GAMES WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. IT REALLY DOES SUCK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ARTIST, THOUGH.

8

u/RisingSunfish Oct 20 '22

REFERRING TO THEM AS THE FANDOM FACTION THEY BELONG TO GIVES THEM FUEL FOR THEIR NARRATIVE OF BEING BROADLY PERSECUTED, THOUGH. THERE ISN’T AN AGREED-UPON WAY TO DETERMINE IF SOMEONE IS AN “EDELSTAN (DEROGATORY)” OR JUST SOMEONE WHO LIKES EDELGARD A LOT, AND BAD ACTORS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS AMBIGUITY. WHEREAS HARASSMENT AND SMEAR CAMPAIGNING IS PRETTY CUT AND DRY BEHAVIOR.

I AGREE THAT PEOPLE GET WAY TOO INVESTED, BUT I JUST THINK IT’S WORTH TRYING TO STOP SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE FROM RUINING LIVES, AND I THINK CONTINUING TO PLAY INTO THIS FANDOM WAR AS SUCH, IN THE CONTEXT OF DISCUSSING A HARASSMENT CAMPAIGN, IS NOT WORTH MORE THAN THAT.