I have read through many things, and tried to discuss some sense personally to Duralan, but he chooses not to listen or respect any idea but his own. I know some people have issues with Soft, he makes mistakes and sometimes does some harsh things I known. Overall first thing you all must remember, the original public vote was for a TEMPORARY ban of soft, this council first off has no right to not let Soft back without a public vote again but they have chosen to ignore our rights as players here and not allow a very prolific DM back into the game for personal slights against them. Im not saying Soft was right in doing any of these things but I think as players we should have the decency to give him a second chance and maybe make this place better then it is right now. I do ask you all to drop any of these petty fights you have agaisnt him and to think for yoruself, just becuase certain council members dont like him and have openly tried to troll him and force him to make mistakes thorugh heckling that should not mask your judgement. We all make mistakes just think of how you would feel if you made a big mistake felt bad about how you went about it and wanted to come back to play in a world you had alot to do in molding as a DM, would you want a council to overide players popular opinion just due to there own personal vendettas. This vote is mostly just about if you would like to give a fellow player and DM a fair chance to try to help keep Dming in BM going strong. Please vote yes or no to have soft reinstated as a probationary dm.
Big issue this would be his third to fourth chance already, he's been banned before for the same problems and he keeps coming back with the same shtick time after time. Not only that but he's threatened Duralan more than just once. There is a difference between a mistake, which by it's very nature is something an individual regrets and intentional aggression not just against the person keeping the website afloat but against members, the destruction of a community to 'prove a point' as Soft himself has admitted to be his desire. He insists on promoting the worst kind of atmosphere in a community and has obviously learned nothing or simply regrets none of the actions that caused the various bans in the first place.
If it were anybody else, you'd have an extremely good point, people do make mistakes, people do act in anger and people DO sometimes lash out. But there is a difference between what's pre-meditated, there is a difference when the actions of Soft's little grudge do not only hurt a single person but an entire community, there is a difference if this has been talked about more than a dozen times with no true end in sight each time a chance is given and each time he spits on it's face.
If you think even for a second that Soft is a lost puppy who needs a pat on the head and a hug, then you are kidding yourself, badly. You keep talking about how the 'council' manipulates us but did you know? 2/3rds of the people right now in the council had NEVER been in the council back when Soft was banned. This is not something that happened because Soft was being 'mean' or 'rude'. This happened because Soft wanted to get away with threatening Duralan, harassing myself and Anerisa, promote Bor to a god in the worst manner possible(and most idiotic manner possible) just so he could throw his fit. Because he maliciously edited the wiki, going so far as to proclaim some of Bill's games Invalid under his own ruling, something he has NO authority to do. He threatened to damage NPCs under a whim.
And next up, this whole 'drama' you have with Duralan being in the council due to (lol) Dictatorship. Do you know WHY he's in the council each and every month? Because people DO trust him, because he does the work everyone else cannot do, have no time to do, refuse to do. He gets a little help from each of us at different times, but in the end he keeps the website afloat and does things we don't, for whatever reason. He earned his spot in the council through DMing, through helping those who sought help with their characters, through listening to everyone's threads, questions or whatever else.
To the next point, there is NO community in existence that would allow Soft back inside after what he did, ever, go ask around and give a full log of his actions and attitude, no roleplaying community that even HOPES to maintain a semi-cordial environment would give him a pass or tolerate him for over a year. What Duralan and the rest of the council did was in essence, do their jobs as the websites moderators.
I have no idea if Soft is a good DM or not, why? Because for more than a few weeks he kept trying to kill off my character both IC and OOC for one petty reason or another. And I don't even get involved with him.
And I already know you'll dismiss what I think, since apparently you think I'm some sort of goddamn pet that belongs to Duralan. But then if you're not willing to listen to me or anyone else who argues otherwise, why should anyone give you the same courtesy?
Well other then the fact that this is more of a courtesy, he shoulda been auto unbanned the moment the "TEMPORARY" ban that was voted BY THE COMMUNITY was lifted. Thankyou for your no vote.
Ignoring the fact that while he was not officially allowed back into BM, he WAS given yet another chance and cocked it up with RAYNE out of all people, someone who I know is more than willing to look at the good in people and the situation ended up…….less than friendly? Yeah, no.
As for my vote? Soft should be Banned until such a time as he is seen to make a solid and true change, until he himself knows where he went wrong, how he went wrong, apologizes to each person thoroughly for his behavior, for his aggression, for his promotion of a negative environment. And until such a time when the ENTIRE community has seen it fit to allow him back in. This is his second ban, his third leave and his fifth chance already if you count the events in Artu's game. To make it clear, until the entire community of BM has seen it fit for him to return, he shouldn't be allowed back in. You wanted a vote by the community? It should be the entire community that agrees to this, no exceptions, right?
How can he show to make a change if you wont let him try to prove it and come back on a probationarly basis, your double talking here you cant want somone to change yet not let them have a chance to change, this is about giving hi ma shot to change and have a chance to be here if he messed up then ban him but there was never a permanent ban on him, so he shoudlnt still be banned. your post about this council not being there when he was banned is just more proof since hew as banned under a vote as temporary and this council had nothing to do with it so why is this countil making it permanent when it was never meant to be.
http://blackmarches.wikidot.com/forum/t-521164/07-12-2012-07-19-2012-soft-insanity-s-ban-lenght
This alone should resolve this issue… there was a VOTE. If Soft is not allowed back in, the system truly IS corrupt, as it does not even follow it's own rules
Yes Xanola, that is part of this vote is to get them to realise that they need to follow there own rules due to the vote was made by people before them, also I am not sarcassing Niserie I am stating a valid point that shows her incincerity. But I agree 100% with Xanola thankyou.
Xanola, he WAS allowed back in on probation, his membership was simply not re-accepted as of then, it's his own fault that he messed up yet another chance and somehow, I don't even want to know HOW, managed to make Rayne of all people aggressive. The ban for soft was stated as a period of time during which he could absolutely not be allowed back and not be allowed to play. Even during this period, during which he KNEW he was not allowed to run games or do things, he continued to be present in BM and ran very shady events, I don't even need to mention the piece of trolling that was Bor's 'ascension to godhood', which basically spit on the face of everyone in BM who truly earned and achieved such rank, amongst them being both Tark's Ita and Anerisa's Nightmare. The system was never corrupt, it was extremely, extremely tolerant, more so than Soft could ever deserve in my opinion.
As for you Uala, my comment on the councils being different(at each time these different bans and leaves were enacted) was meant to show that even WITH an changing council, Soft still managed to catch the attention of every single moderator enough to want him out of the website. Your every comment shows a clear disregard for each word I have said, as you simply latch on to a tiny little, seemingly exploitable word twist so that you can basically enact your Soft apologist agenda.
He has HAD chances, something you've obviously covered your ears when being told such, you keep talking about a second chance when he has been given more than three, that second 'chance'? Doesn't exist anymore because he bit that ticket, again and again.
Thank you for your support Animelord btw, I do appreciate it.
And so you know, that vote was requested by someone who has never been a council member, that request was literally a BM community decision, not an arbitrary decision. Someone who has the gall to equate a stranger to a dog or a call them a pet, who does not even, as you've said so often 'give a chance' to the person, has no right to call ANYONE disingenuous.