if you are tired of the culture vicious anonymous gossip blogs have created within our community, this is for you. the bullies have been running the show for far too long, believing that public humiliation and banishment are appropriate punishments for any person they find undesirable. false narratives go unchecked. ableism runs rampant. they assure us that the cause is noble, but they are spreading poison while hiding behind anonymity. how many sites have been targeted and forced to close? how many friends have we lost after relentless bullying? i think it's time we do something about it.
the world is a scary and stressful place, especially right now, and many of us are struggling with our own mental health issues. this hobby is supposed to be enjoyable, a silly creative outlet that allows us to connect with a community. a few years ago, i relapsed into agoraphobia after experiencing several personal traumas, so i don't have much opportunity for community nowadays. when this happened to me as a kid, i found a place in the rp community. now, any comfort i might derive from being part of the rpc is tainted by a feeling of unease and sadness, because i am inevitably reminded of the hateful, punitive blogs terrorizing so many of us. i've never been named on a gossip blog that i know of, but i can care about something that hasn't personally affected me. i can care about all the people being harmed by this cruel game. because make no mistake: it is a game to these people. they get off on making others feel small. they pretend their hostility will somehow better the community, but ask yourselves: does being "annoying" or "flaky" or "weird" or "off-putting" warrant this?
i've never sent anonymous hate in my life. i've never hid behind anonymity to handle conflict. i never will. i am not afraid of the burnbook or any of the blogs like it. i am not afraid of their cronies. i am not afraid of bullies and abusers. i don't give a shit.
so if you want this to end and are willing to take some action, i've got an idea. i initially wanted to organize and make the response more structured, but i'm starting to realize that might be too big of an ask. instead i will ask that you submit positivity to the burnbook. send it every single day if you can. send it three times a day. drown out all the hate in that inbox with an influx of good fucking feelings. bullies like the one running burnbook feed off drama and fear and hurt feelings. they sidestep accountability and laugh at the people they hurt. don't bully them back, don't submit anything remotely hateful. instead, tell them about your favorite parts of the roleplay community. tell them how you started. tell them the positives rping brought to your life. tell them what you love about writing. tell them how you fell in love with writing. maybe this doesn't work. maybe this goes on forever and ever. but at least we're trying, and maybe we'll realize there are more of us out there than this bully would have you believe.
so, please join me and make a difference for your fellow writer. we can do this.