Manifesto of an Angry Saint Seiya Fan.

[ariadnem]

Today I had to make a decision and because of that, I closed stseiya_daily. It just bothers me that after two months of that infamous incident, things are still happening and worse of all, people are still getting hurt.

Just the fact that annonymous people contact Aurea to tell her that she's an art thief because she "re-posts" arts in another place is not my idea of respect.

In the community we posted fanart we considered was worth sharing. We gave credit and links for people to go and visit. It was for everyone to enjoy and we were spreading the love towards StS fanarts. I kept the community alive since Aurea decided to step aside from the fandom for the time being.

I find it the most disrespectful act, to do things and not saying them straight forward.

Of one thing I'm sure, one person alone cannot have the final word over a matter. Just because someone doesn't agree with the vox populi and has their own way of thinking, doesn't necesarily make it God's spell. And I'm feeling terribly irate against such acts.

Speaking in private wouldn't do me any good and that's why I'm speaking openly.

Having deleted the community saddens me profoundly, however, I won't make Aurea go through any of this anymore because the place exists or existed in this case. If you go and visit her website, you will find her pieces of art, both original and fanarts and once again, it will be proven that she's not what this person has called her. Aurea is an incredible artist. She owns her own comic, and trust me when I say it, she's got no need of claiming other people's arts as her own. Aurea's amazing works stand alone and give her the credit she deserves.

I had truly believed this matter was over. It hasn't and now, I'm sure it will never be finished.

I just keep learning to be more cautious when it shouldn't be like that. As a good friend of mine has adviced me before, it is better to take it all with a pinch of salt.

Too bad for me, I guess. I really used to enjoy this fandom.

To the person who wrote the mail, and FYI, Aurea is not South American, but North American, I, Margarita, am from South America. Colombian to be more precise. Contrary to what you may think, people from my side of the world, doesn't need to go on stealing for a living. That's not a career we have here. Most of us have pretty decent lives, and since one can only speak from experience, I'm wondering what kind of person you are. So go ahead and keep getting us into your stereotypes. As if we could care any less.

I truly hope this incident ends here. For good.

Comments

[torquemadman.livejournal.com]

Tsk. Pity you'd deleted the comm, really. You could just pass it over to, say, me. Haven't been flamed for ages and feeling somewhat rusty, so a mail from some righteous and full of shit blockhead could be a niiiiice distraction.

Think about it, will you two? >:-)

Besides, you said that was an anonymous mail? Then you should really ignore it. Coward's opinion isn't worth a shit.

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, this has become a delicate topic for both, Aurea and me. This time it was Aurea who received the insults, and I'm just not going to take that, no matter if it was anonnymous or not, it's just unnacceptable.

As for the community, I'm sorry; we've decided to keep it closed for the time being.

Thanks for the support, anyways.

[torquemadman.livejournal.com]

Heh. Aurea seems to possess some kind of magnet for attracting anonymous creeps, 'cause it's totally not the first time. She might go through her "people I have dumped" or like list and check if there was anyone who'd develop a long-term grudge. :P

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

Well, I think they're messing up with the wrong person. Anyways...we'll see what happens. Something tells me this ain't over ¬¬

[milosflaca.livejournal.com]

well, yes, it's not the first time that it happens. It just happened once and it as when I posted something about Therion. The culprit was indeed my ex-boyfriend who wanted to call me stupid infront of everybody and call me names, because the guy couldn't do it to my face.
This time? totally unrelated Torque. When people see e mail forms where they can leave messages without risking themselves, they feel encouraged to write whatever they want to write, even if it's plain idiocy what they are writting.
They should have probably read my entry about my opinion on this matter and surely felt in the need to tell me that I was wrong. (they did mention a couple of the sentences I wrote)
To avoid annonymous posts or annonymous mails, I'm gonna disable the e mail form at my site. As esy as that. problem solved and ta-dah!

[torquemadman.livejournal.com]

So that douche was your ex. Heh, funny how grudge makes people stupid(er), because, if I remember correctly, it was him who came out as utter idiot in that accident. :P

Well, at least you can gloat a bit about a fact that those people so earnestly care that you know their opinion, that they take trouble browsing around your page. >:P Also, *snif*, why nobody flames me? I even have anonymous comments enabled on LJ, but noooo! Unfair! ;_;

[duque-mizar.livejournal.com]

Desafortunadamente, hay mucha gente necia en TODOS los fandoms y nunca falta la pieza de discordia en una comunidad. Pero una cosa sí te digo. Muchas cosas buenas tienen que acabar para dar paso a otras mejores ^^.

Lo que pasó, pasó y tu y Aurea saben perfectamente quienes son y no tienen que rendirles cuenta a NADIE. Y menos a una persona necia que no conoce ni un poco de ustedes.

Esta no será la primera y única vez que suceda, pero uno aprende ciertas mañas con estas experiencias. No te desanimes, que no todo el fandom es así ^^. Todavía tienes a tus amigos cerca y Aurea tambien. Que no se desanimen por las palabras de alguien que no tiene idea de quienes son ustedes =).

Saluditos ^^!

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

Sí nena, lo sé, pero ya la cosa es inaceptable por cualquier lado que lo mires.

Si no seguimos las reglas malo y si las seguimos, peor. Buff.

¿Qué la gente no se cansa de joder?

Ahora, lo que más me molesta es que se vengan citando palabras de otras personas a molestar a Aurea!!! Digo, que no puede ir a joder a alguien más desocupado y que en verdad pueda y quiera pelear?

Como dices, siempre vienen cosas buenas y eso será en lo que nos concentremos. Desafortunadamente, esto tuvo que pasar, de nuevo, para darnos cuenta de que el fandom ya no es lo que fue (en el caso de Aurea) y de que la intolerancia y las ganas de pelea no faltan en ningún lado (en el mío).

Y yo que pensaba que el fandom en inglés era más "tranquilo" y sin Doñas, buff

Me han cogido en un mal día y espero que dejen de joder.

Saludos nena, y gracias por postear.

[sagakure.livejournal.com]

It is truly a pity that people went and did something like that. :-/
Anonimous mails or the such do no good to anyone, and are just like flaming etc., always a stupid and pointless thing.

As for what you call the "infamous incident", if you mean my rant about art theft in all its forms being wrong, and the reaction some people had to it, for the longest time I meant to write an LJ post explaining more in detail 1) what I meant in that post, 2) why people were extremely wrong in leading you to believe that I had aimed my (completely general) rant about art theft at you or your community, and 3) how much I was hurt by a number of things that you may or may not have noticed prior and post that "incident".
But then, seeing the violence with which some people had reacted to my completely general rant, even going and acting as if me expressing the opinion that so many other artists share as well was just me being stuck-up or something like that, I decided it was maybe not worth risking to get their fire going again and risk getting people (or to be more exact: you) hurt again by touching the probem again after it had somehow caused so much turmoil already.

However, as I see there is still problems happening in relation to all that stuff, (and even though that person emailing you is totally unrelated to my position against art theft, as I would never condone someone in my knowledge to flame someone or do things like that), I think I'll have to go and write that clarification post one of this days: For the sake of finally telling you what hurt me then, to explain what I meant in the rant post (that was totally not aimed at you despite what you thought or what people told you), and also to get people to understand just why it is that artists don't like unauthorized linking, and how it is truly a wide thing (especially in the japanese fandom), and not "just my opinion" or "a few people's opinion" as some people would like to believe.
It isn't a case of one person's opinion mattering more or having the final word over a question. I just want to get people to understand how the artists feel, and to get people (in general) to show some respect for artists, which won't ever happen without posts to get the problem more widely known in the fandom. (Which is precisely why I rant without giving names, since my purpose is not to point fingers at anyone in particular, but to address a problem in general).

As for the person harassing you, I hope they'll stop and understand soon that violence, be it acting by behind anonimously or insulting and flaming people never have any positive effects.
Which is precisely why I never commented to reply to the insults your friend L. unfairly threw at me and at my friends when I wrote the post about art theft. :-/

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

It really annoys me that it is Aurea the one recieving the insults. As I said, she's an artist on her own merit and she doesn't deserve being called names by anyone.

And yes, I call your post and the subsequent situations "the infamous incident". I understand your position regarding art theft, however, it is the generalisation what I think was out of line. If I remember correctly, you mentioned communities in LJ, and you knew of the existence of stseiya_daily since at some point you posted there yourself. I also understand the position of those who want to protect what's theirs. You have seen my site, everything I have there has been posted under the permission of their rightful owners.

Art theft is not something I feel passionate about since I don't draw and that's well known, however, when we started the community, the idea was to share what we thought was worth being shown. We always gave the due credit and posted a link to the sites.

That's why your entry that day, caused so many reactions. And of course, made it all a delicate topic, especially to us.

I also call it "infamous" because I learnt more about people and their opinions and how they can vary according to the person they talk to, which I personally find shameful. That's why I came here to my LJ and wrote to you directly, asking for the meaning of what you wrote. And for that is that I stand. That's also why yesterday, when Aurea told me about what had happened to her, I came here to my LJ and posted about it. Being quiet is not gonna help anyone, and people like the one who wrote to her, deserve to be shown to the world, so that no one else has to go through the same.

I appreciate that you worry about me, however, it also saddens me to know that you won’t acknowledge that Aurea was also hurt in all this turmoil as you so call it. She went through something hurtful herself, being an artist as she is. You just said it, your rant was general, and that’s exactly where I think the problem was. As I’ve already said, you mentioned lj communities and of course we felt compromised there. Aurea and I owned one of those art lj communities.

I know some people reacted violently. I guess people are mature enough to respond for those acts. In the same way Aurore came to me and told me you meant no harm to Aurea or to me, I’m telling you that my friend “L” as you call her, was just trying to protect Aurea and me. And I’d rather not go through this topic in particular, because as you said, you will explain what you believe deserves to be explained in your Lj one of these days, and everyone has to act accordingly to what they think. “L” thought that her post was the best way of keeping us safe. As of that, you’ve preferred silence. That’s enough for me. You will speak about what you think is necessary to speak about and that’s what I asked for in the first place.

I’m feeling relieved that you also said that you would never condone someone doing this, and here, I’m going to fill you in on something, be very clear in what you write on your lj about this matter when you do it. The person who wrote to Aurea and attacked her, quoted you. Sagakure, forgive me, but that's not appropriate for anyone. I’d really appreciate it if you could do that.

As I’ve told you, I understand what Japanese artists want to achieve when they forbid their arts from being used without their permission and I can only imagine how painful that can be. The basis of all is respect. But, I also believe that being general about it is not the best way of doing it. That’s why I applaud the fact that you will write that clarification. I hope that in that way the people who think just like you and who might take those thoughts beyond anything reasonable would truly understand what you truly mean and stop using you as their shield and stop hurting people who just don’t deserve it.

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

(allow me to continue here)


Confrontation might have side effects, however, I’m starting to believe that unfortunately it is necessary sometimes. I don’t mean violent confrontation, but healthy discussion. The respect for each other’s opinions and most of all the respect for what’s different.

I am very annoyed for what happened to Aurea. That was what this post was about. To show my indignation and the fact that this situation has reached a point in which I’m not tolerant anymore. I will respond to any attack she might suffer from anyone and of course I’ll defend myself if the time comes to do that.

Once again, I’d really appreciate it if you could make things clear for those people who take things with such passion that don’t measure their actions, more if they’re using you as an excuse for doing so.

[boolafaz.livejournal.com]

T_____T

I'm very sorry to hear that... Cowards, oh cowards... and bastards. I don't understand why people can't just let things go...

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

Because people just can't.

And Aurea received the insults and I'm about to get berserk about that ¬¬

[muinteor.livejournal.com]

I remember that unpleasant incident, I remember following the comments posted in various places over the following days, and I remember a feeling of perplexed disappointment afterwards. Although I had my opinions, I voiced them to you in private, for I’m not, never have been, and never will be a member of a fandom, and so my comments wouldn’t have been appreciated, or appropiate in public. In the two months since then, I thought that the thing had died off, but someone, or some people seem to want to drag it on.

I don’t know exactly what that mean heckler said, but I know is that there were references to background. You correct a comment about something to do with people from South America? I personally detest labels of all kinds, “you Irish”, “you vegetarians”, “you republicans”, or whatever group the speaker may have a grudge against, be it fans of another fandom, or even people within the same fandom with a different outlook, like those who prefer blond or dark-haired Milo...

I applaud the way you have responded to this person’s remarks, and I hope, if they or any other hecklers read your words, that they take them into account.

Sorry about Stseiya_daily, I know it has been very close to your heart, but who’s to say that at some future time you won’t re-open it? For now, close that door, and keep the key.

Grá mór, mo chroí.

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

People are just intolerant, and I'm afraid I'm becoming like that myself. I just can't tolerate stupidity and most of all, I can't tolerate seeing the ones I love being subjects of said stupidity.

Aurea has become a delicate subject for me as well, I don't want anyone to come to her and tell her these kinds of things. And I'll do everything I can to protect her.

I'm backing her up 100% and I just hope that as people ask for respect, I also hope she gets the respect she so rightfully deserves.

We'll see what happens, my friend.

[muinteor.livejournal.com]

Tolerance is a virtue, my friend, but we can't be tolerant of unacceptable behaviour, and we've got to stand up for ourselves, each other, and what we believe in.

So, be strong, and know that you have friends at your side.

[scorpioyue.livejournal.com]

It's regrettable and unfair to generalize and believe all the people who live in a certain geographic area behave in a same (stereotyped) way.

I'm really sorry you had to go through this kind of thing, especially when you can't defend yourself because the person isn't brave enough to put a name below such absurd complaints.

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

What has me mad, is that they contact Aurea and they don't even show themselves and it's her the one who's got to go through all of this. Again, she's an artist, she's incredible at what she does, and she doesn't deserve this treatment.

That's got me really pissed off.

But well, I'm hoping for this to be over at some point. From our part, as the owners of the community, it doesn't exist anymore. Let us hope nothing else ever happens.

[shadow-arashi.livejournal.com]

I can't believe this. I had hoped this would have settled down by now! T_T I'm really sorry to hear that your friend was insulted and that you had to close your lj community.

I remember that back then I was thinking of reacting to the post that started the "infamous incident" but I back down at the last minute because I felt I was going to say something stupid and end up hurting one of you and since you are my friends, I couldn't have stand it.

I'm really sorry my dear, I give you and your friend a big hug! Let's hope for the best and that those stupid people will just get a life or something.

[ariadnem.livejournal.com]

I thought so myself, but well Dear, looks like it ain't over. ¬¬

I really thank you for your caution back then, it's a relief to know why you preferred to stay quiet, really.

I won't say I'm not mad at all this, because I am. Very. People just can't stand others having a life on their own, and well, this time it was Aurea, I'm afraid of thinking who else and God knows for what reasons they will be bothered.

Let's wait and see how this ends. I really hope that at least for us, it ends now.

Thanks for the hug!

*hugs back*