i only write fics when i feel like shit, but at least when i post something on ao3 you know how i feel. if i haven't posted in a while i either feel fine or i'm in the worst state of my life mentally lmfao
i love how for artfight i told myself i would only do my lineless rendering style for my friends and then do my quicker style for everyone else and immediately abandoned that idea lmfao
Note: This post is about the shellcord/shellcell drama and its connection to the Weekly Magmas (WM). My main goal is to spread awareness and share my perspective on a situation that, in my opinion, is being largely ignored.
You know? I don’t like creating drama, but I’ve been seeing something happening in the fandom that doesn’t feel normal to me, and most people seem to be overlooking it. Maybe I’m overreacting, but at the same time, by making this post, I want you to know that I’m speaking on behalf of several other adults in the fandom who are also concerned about this situation. I’ll explain it, and then I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
Are you familiar with the shellcord/shellcell drama? If not, I encourage you to look into the case, which involves grooming allegations and other forms of misconduct.
The main person accused is The Aviary/Abyssal (a groomer), but there were others involved as well, and most of them are no longer very active in the fandom… except for Chila (@/chil-aglia, who has multiple blogs). She was accused, with supporting evidence, of sending two explicit images to minors, engaging in inappropriate roleplay with a minor, continuously defending Abyssal both before and after the grooming allegations, and more. I know firsthand that Chila’s behavior had a negative impact on the victims. Despite all of this, she remains very active in the fandom and continues to participate in the WM on a fairly regular basis.
shellcord/shellcell drama
Note: Please do NOT spread hate toward anyone, hate is not productive. If these individuals make you uncomfortable, it’s better to locate all of their blogs/accounts and just block them.
Although these events took place on a Discord server, what happened there was not normal, and it should not be minimized under any circumstances. So… why is Chila still allowed to participate in the WM?
Note: The weekly magmas (WM, @/weeklymagmas) is a fandom event that has become very popular, and I still believe it’s something very positive in itself. Artists of all ages collaborating and motivating each other to keep the fandom alive. My criticism is not directed at the WM itself.
My concern grew more when I found out that two minors met Chila through the WM and started interacting with her on tumblr because of that. Does that seem right to you? Given this history, I don’t think Chila should be participating in the WM where she’s able to meet and interact with minors. On top of that, I learned that several adults have chosen not to participate because of Chila’s presence. That’s why I decided to get involved and speak directly with Rhys (creator of the WM). And he sent me to a moderator to talk.
conversation with the wm creator
conversation with a wm moderator (part 1)
conversation with a wm moderator (part 2)
I don’t know about you, but all of this seems very messed up to me. Constantly calling the evidence non-substantial? And they refuse to tell me anything else regarding that private evidence, which made the conversation fail to clarify anything for me.
And of course, accused people have the right to defend themselves, just as they have the right to remain silent if they don’t want to speak about it. But I try to put myself in Chila’s position… even if she was innocent and actually had evidence disproving what’s in the document (which I find really complicated) but for some reason chose to stay silent about it… why still attend the WM with such a background? I would stay away from minors and, in general, from large fandom spaces to avoid any issues if it were me. But she continues to participate as if nothing had happened (and meeting minors, as I already mentioned).
But what’s most concerning… why do the WM want to keep that evidence private? They say it’s for privacy… I know they didn’t talk to the victims, for example (as far as I was able to find out), so it seems like the only evidence they care about is the evidence that protects Chila, and it’s private? And don’t they feel obligated to explain to the participants why they’re letting her participate as if nothing happened?
Not to mention they lied about the art theft situation. It’s not false like they say. So to me this all seems, at the very least, highly suspicious and potentially a cover-up. Here I bring firsthand evidence regarding the art theft situation, provided thanks to a copy of the document made by Cimmerian, which was provided by Maple @mapleleavesart (who personally witnessed the art theft when it originally happened).
proof of chila’s art theft
I’m also aware of other things I won’t disclose that make me even more suspicious of a cover-up. And I’m concerned that what is described in the document is being minimized or not taken seriously. It was VERY serious.
Now, imagine that in this context we find out that there is an NSFW section in the WM discord. And just to be clear, I’m not against NSFW content (I don’t like it, but I’m not against it), as long as it’s in the right place (and doesn't sexualize minors). Even if there are measures in the discord to prevent minors from entering that section… It’s not okay that it exists there. Especially knowing that the WM has a NO NSFW rule both in the Magma itself and in the Discord, despite the existence of an NSFW channel. The Discord belongs to the WM, it’s not really a separate space.
proof of nswf in the wm discord
Anyway, to summarize, I think the WM moderators are minimizing what happened, or at the very least refusing to take responsibility for it, despite it being a fairly popular fandom event. Precisely because it’s so popular, simply telling people to filter the content they do or do not want to see is not a solution that truly applies here. And given the seriousness of the situation, I do think they owe people an explanation, don’t you? I don’t know, people… none of this seems right to me. And as I said, I’m not the only person speaking out against all of this. There are more people behind me.
I’m obviously not going to tell anyone what to do or not do. As for me:
I have blocked everyone accused in the document.
I reblogged the document.
I created this post to inform people again and express my disagreement with the WM.
I have never participated in the WM and I never will.
As an act of protest, I will not like, reblog, or comment on any art coming from the WM (I’m really sorry for the artists, I genuinely admire their talent and love their art).
Unfortunately, I can’t do anything more than this.
god i need to come on this site more often. every time i open tumblr i get blasted with rise and i walk away feeling better. every time i open instagram i walk away feeling like shit. thank you rise fans for not making me feel like i want to die
Shout out to all the Black ppl that can no longer participate directly in the fandom they love because of the stresses of racism 👍🏾 you contain multitudes of value and I'm sorry that the color of your skin and the power of your voice makes people not want to acknowledge that.
I'll be honest, the way I see some of you reacting to the series' dark-skinned characters in the notes is less than excellent. Please try harder to make this fandom a place where black fans of the series can enjoy themselves.
RAHHHHHHH THIS IS STILL SO FREAKING SICK LEO AND ITS SO COOL SEEING BOTH PARTS TOGETHER OMG‼️‼️💖💖🌸🌸✨✨🎀🎀 THANK U SO MUCH AGAIN I AM SO HONOURED U PUT SO MUCH FREAKING EFFORT INTO THIS AND IT SHOWSSSSS also u KNOW I am the biggest sucker for lineless art hehe it is so damn pretty… 💖🌸✨🎀
@caramelcrab, @boop-your-dragons, starrienby on af, @mariiilume, @starlaindisguise, @wherethefoolsgather, bunnirune on af, @thenerdy-artist, @starlaindisguise (again), @wukot0kki, @overthinkingspark-blue, @livvylubug, @nameless-oblivion, @willow-wisp-fae, @nyctrilite
