Questions and Some Thoughts

I hate that everyone cowers around their own suns, instead of moving from one to another and basking in the glow.

I hate that a man is guilty before innocent.

I hate that someone currently potentially suicidal and brash and courageous and artistic and nurturing can be reduced to a bannable phrase, a bannable offense, a swear, a curse.

I hate people attaching abuse and racism and transphobia and ableism and sexism and nazism and every other foul movement towards a worse world onto Zak like he attaches art to the wall.

How can anybody who makes the art Zak makes, who says what Zak says, who weathers what Zak has be what the detractors claim?

How can discussion be conflated with debate, and conflict with violence?

How can a safe space become a stockholm prison, a creative drive a constant call for needless conflict that has no reflective or constructive resolution, no mediation, no questions treaties or valid opinions?

Why is the best of the best, who called and had people answer, suddenly put on a stake and burnt, like so many books during a war, like a martyr for intelligent exchange?

Why do we have to get into semantics, why does everyone, including me, get caught up in making sure calling people out and fact checking does not turn to harassment?

Why do so many abusers either maintain an identity or position that has serially shifted radically or are anonymous?

Why does no one answer questions?

Why does no-one provide evidence?

Why do you have to be involved to speak up?

Why does paying attention to people in your community, even if they do not attack you or talk about you constitute harassment or abuse in so many people’s eyes?

Why does Cavegirl respond to a query about Zak with “does your son know zak is a RAPIST”?

Why does Patrick Stuart say things like this?

“Delve too greedily and too deep! (be careful to mine around the antimatter corpse of the fallen Titan).”

Why does Fiona Geist work so closely with Jacob Hurst and Hurst cannot say boo about working on MotBM and Demon City?

Why does skerples think she can categorize Zak as an abuser without evidence, why does she think she can even have a semblance of authority?

Why do so many things teeter over when prodded?

Why can’t I post a review of Zak’s work anywhere?

Why do I have to think before I go to sleep if he is is harms way, if he is drinking, if he is melancholy or depressed or angry or tired?

Why do I have to think about this situation while I am walking, while I make my own art, while I write my own words?

Why do I see so much of him in his work, so much of his art in his world and our community, so much captured and bottled for us to enjoy, and no-one else cares about what was true when he gets put out to dry?

Who included transfolk?

And POC?

And Women of color?

And was sex positive?

And fostered community?

Who was marching with black lives matter?

Who made secret Santicore?

Who made I search the body common?

Who made drop tables popular?

Who helped make art direction a focus?

Who worked to rally around the Ennies as an important event?

Why was Patrick trying to “Vornheim” the underdark?

Who helped make isometric view a common thing?

Who helped edit Lamentations of the Flame Princess?

Who talked with his group and decided as a group to quit escapist when the CEO became a transphobe?

Who has constantly called out for change?

Who has made it their goal to better their community by asking all the important questions?

Zak.

So, here are some questions for specific people.

 

 

 

For Patrick Stuart

     What would Zak have to do to be welcomed back by you?

 Edit:response here==> http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-crypt-of-osr.html

Seems done for!

No conclusions or reevaluating evidence!

 

For Cavegirl

     Why do you think it acceptable to conflate your experiences with Zak, do you not think that this might be creating a large bias?

edit:

 

What A well reasoned, evidence based, and all around wonderful response!

For Ettin

     Why did you block me?

For Scrap Princess

     Zak has talked plenty about knowing you, and has mentioned in passing that he "sent a game whose final draft I sent in to White Wolf from Scrap Princess' living room..." how can you say what you have said after meeting him and knowing him this well?

Edit: We have begin to speak though email, will update as things occur. 

Well, the conversation has been terminated by scrap, as she believes she has explained enough. I am thankful for her in depth explanations and for her time.

We did not reach any mutual conclusions, and most all of what she said makes little to no sense to me, but a large part is feelings, and I cannot and will not say that someone is wrong for having feelings. She has changed my mind/influenced me to look at some things closer, and the conversation was much better than anyone else's who was asked questions so far.

She has said enough to me to make her obviously, in my eyes, have good intentions. Her actions since her initial response however, have not taken into account events that have transpired since.

Her responses repeat false statements, and she openly says thing that make here testimony faulty, but at least she took time to answer before closing off communication.

For Fiona Geist

    Did you commission I am the Weapon?

 Edit: responded, but I cannot respond until I am allowed to follow, due to protected tweets.

EDIT 2: Still pending...

Edit 3: still pending

Edit 4: Conversation has begun!

Has spoke rationally and reasonably, and linked an exceptionally good statement. (edit- In context of the horrible other ones I have received)

Thank you so much Fiona.

Edit 5: well, this seems to have left the window

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OAaXqjiiBAd6s3aAM8k6BzmDQZQYI3b_xc2UrH1kl_A/mobilebasic

her statement that has not been changed since the onset of all these issues.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-x_c9_DgFZwEQ4bgeGQ35ZYHYKpfWb5tjldglNsqBTc/edit?usp=sharing 

My response

for now, seems this is a dead end

 

 

 

For skerples

You have stated the following, "When I told people I was thinking about starting a D&D blog, several people warned me about Zak Sabbath (DnD With Pornstars). Nothing clear, nothing concrete, but the equivalent of "don't get into an elevator alone with this guy" or "watch your drink" or "there's something off about him".

Who are these people?

Edit: responses ongoing

 

 

 

 

And most importantly to me, Zak, 

What is this?

 

 Provide context.

    Edit: I asked Zak and he replied with this. 

https://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-dungeons-and-dragons-is-totally-not.html 

https://armsinthewronghands.tumblr.com/post/157572086858/complete-text-of-the-destroy-post

It shows exactly what it is, and the mystery was due to my inability to search with words. I was using reverse image search and this is why I didn't find anything that gave me enough context. 

I sincerely apologize for not simply asking beforehand, for a couple reasons I wanted to just put it up and have him respond.

Reason #1: I want people to see that he responds, and when making claims, he responds with evidence.

Reason #2: I want it known that for a long time I was on team Hate Zak, and it was things like this that got me out of that camp. Screenshots and assertions like this were what initially convinced me that Zak was abusive, and then seeing him defend himself by providing evidence was what made me go on his side.

Reason #3: This was the only image in my searching that I could not find context for by Reverse Image searching. I now know that it would have been much smarter to do some googling with words or even easier, to just ask Zak directly in the many ways I could have done so. This would have eliminated the confusion I have now caused.

Excuses excuses, In the end the excuses all boil down to an inability to have properly researched it, and the onus was on me to do so, and I failed. I can only hope I did not make any more mistakes, and I anyone sees anything wrong, out of context, or otherwise in need of correction, please let me know. I want to have as much constructive communication as possible.

 I have now added a context section to the side of this oft-misused screencap.

 

For anyone else I did not include, please leave a comment if you want me to ask you questions about your stance on Zak.

Please answer questions in comments, I desperately want there to be discussion around this, because it is so vitally important. 

Anonymous comments will be screencapped, archived, then deleted.

Normal comments will be answered or read, then screencapped.

If you ask a question, I will respond, and I would appreciate anyone engaging to do the same. 

Namecalling, First strike attacks, and any kind of racism, sexism, or otherwise nastiness will be deleted. After being screencapped.

As of right now, I have no comments anywhere on this blog.

Rest assured, from this point on, these rules apply, and I will be watching comments closely.

 

WHY I SUPPORT ZAK- https://systematicrules.blogspot.com/2021/10/why-i-support-zak.html

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE- https://systematicrules.blogspot.com/2021/10/supporting-evidence.html

 

WITNESS VERIFICATION- https://systematicrules.blogspot.com/2021/10/asking-witnesses.html