--
Who can jam with Captain Fancy? Anybody can!
_{Sainte atha ma u Hrair, kan zyhlante hray u vahra ma hyaones}
MOVED TO ~Effulgently

nice one....I'm done submitting too until we all have some answers. If it is what it seems to be (corporation kicking the shit out of community) than I'm outta here too. Such a sad state of affairs...

--
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

It might look more impressive if most of the people involved weren't wearing such come-hitherish expressions.

*wry grin* Sorry, couldn't find many people staring that weren't eye-candy. Angry people don't usually post stock, sadly.

RE your latest journal entry... I barely knew Jark at all, but what contact I did have showed him as someone supportive and encouraging. That's not why I'm on the bandwagon, or why I encourage others to be. I won't, can't, trust the current leadership with my art, as far as I can see. This isn't about Jark's popularity. This is about accountability. Honesty. Art vs. business. *shrugs* Another way to put it would be that DevArt has been sliding downhill for a while. Jark's yellow alien - which personally gives me nightmares too - is at least a recognizable symbol. This is as good a place as any to draw the line, to say 'no more secrets'. We've got something to rally to. We've got a LOT of reasons to rally. And if we don't do it now, we might not be able to do it later, when it's even more important.

If you haven't read it yet, please, read this journal entry. It says what I wish I had the words to say. If after that, you still think it's silly? Ehh. To each their own.

I just know that I can't sit by and watch something this hurtful happen to a site, a community, that I care about and want to be a part of, and not do what I can.

--
...proud member of ~Reavers...
FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on deviantART? And what is the format for these codes?
°jark - Check these links - [link] [link]

Oh hey, it's the cowfairy woman. Ha, I didn't even notice when I posted. Awesome.

In response, yes, I think it's silly. I think the whole situation is silly. I do not actually hate jark, but I have no reason to like him either. I have no opinion on his character. And despite your links, I still don't know anything about the issue. Whether it came across successfully or not, the purpose of my journal entry was to point out how ridiculous and pointless all of this sudden hype seems to me. I read jark's journal, and I also read spyed's journal, and I'm not picking sides. Both of them seem sensible people, and I have no idea how to go about obtaining more facts about this issue which might give me insight, so I'm going to let it all sort itself out while I pick my teeth on the sidelines and keep an eye out for any interesting fights.

What I do hate is the insane level of sudden bandwagon-jumping by people who obviously know even less than I do about it all but nevertheless spring into action because rebellion is all a big fun game, and the highly-opinionated wild speculation of various people who use the whole incident as an excuse to draw obnoxious cuddle-pictures of aliens. *No one* knows the reasons behind this, because they've been kept secret by both parties for legal reasons. And therefore I don't think that anyone, unless they have inside knowledge or are a personal friend of jark, really has a right to be climbing up on the soapbox. It's like those dudes at uni who try to incite their classmates into Anarchy without actually knowing much about what Anarchy entails.

Maybe it is unfair. Maybe it is a fact that a hardworking and selfless leader of a community has been ousted unceremoniously for insufficient reasons. If this is indeed the case, then I agree. There should be accountability. No one should get away with that sort of crap. But until I have possession of the facts, I'm not going to commit myself either way. It's a fucking dangerous pasttime that too many people indulge in. As soon as more information comes to light, I'm entirely prepared to have an opinion.

Whee, that was a long response.

*smile* Hey, at least you've thought your reasons out. I admit I don't know many of the details. I'm sure Spyed has at least some justification for what he's done, and I don't think Jark's a saint. *shrug* However, I can't help feeling that if Spyed were really in the right, if he had good reasons, he would be able and willing to put them out, openly. Jark has made it clear he has been legally restricted from saying anything, and every other ex-staff-member says the same: their contracts will not allow them to talk. Spyed has no such restriction. Why is he silent? *shrugs again*

I just know that I've seen 'this sort of thing' happen to a couple other sites I treasured, and they're now gone. I don't want to lose DevArt. And I don't think I can in good conscious just wait it out without making it clear that I'm watching. Again, accountability - not just spyed, but jark, and every other staff member and community leader involved, really. I want to know the truth, want to know I can trust the people in charge of this site. And now I'll shut up about it.

...on an entirely unrelated note, having just finished the newest Harry Potter book, your sig deserves some applause. *wry grin*

--
...proud member of ~Reavers...
FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on deviantART? And what is the format for these codes?
°jark - Check these links - [link] [link]

Haha, thanks. I sort of reviewed the book in earlier journals... although 'review' is kind of a generous word.

spyed's journal entry claims that he does in fact have legal restrictions on discussing the site. Quote: "Because of legal issues, we're not able to say why this has happened just yet." Perhaps I'm missing something...?

Aha... he's updated it since I last checked. Hmm... on reading it over and reading the comments there, this link kinda jumped out. It points out that Spyed's previous statements of intent, his plans and hopes for the site, don't seem too artist-friendly... that he DOES plan for changes, and that his eyes are on the $$. Not, in my book, good.

To quote `justthorne, "The founder of this site was sacked without notice or respect. (In fact, during a recent face-to-face meeting at the Summit, nothing was even said about it, despite such a golden opportunity for the weasel to act like a MAN.)

"Regardless of the wisdom of sacking the founder, the conduct itself reflects a poisonous lack of integrity at the top levels of our administration." I agree. The fact that it took him this long to post anything, and that what he did post seems like little more than spin, makes me even more inclined to take anything he says with quite a bit of salt.

Spyed's journal entry directly contradicts much of what I've read already, and pussyfoots around a lot of the rest. He says he's answering questions... but reading it, I didn't see any real answers, just him trying to change the subject over and over. This is just one of several things pointing out that Spyed's claims are pretty shaky. Jark, on the other paw, has made a big point of documenting everything he can, posting copies of every bit of information he can, and encouraging people to keep asking questions until they are satisfied.

At this point, if I found out they were both equally in the wrong, I would still side with Jark, because he at least has done his best to be open and to communicate. He has not done anything in the past to contradict or change my view of him as someone worth respecting.

Spyed, with the way he has handled this, has lost a lot of my respect.

The DevArt community, though... I am now in awe of that. No matter what side people are on, what their stand is, the fact is that almost everyone IS paying attention, talking, discussing, sharing, standing up for what they believe is the right of the matter and trying to find out more. It gives me a lot of hope. I think when the dust settles DevArt WILL still be here.

--
...proud member of ~Reavers...
FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on deviantART? And what is the format for these codes?
°jark - Check these links - [link] [link]

Of course it will. Something this popular can't just up and vanish overnight.

And yeah, that's the main criticism I'm hearing/reading about spyed - that he took so long to say anything about it, and passed up numerous opportunities to do so. I'm not surprised that jark's been so careful to document everything, since he claims to be the wronged party and needs support of members. I'll continue to just sit back and observe for the moment though, I think.