WHY /GTSG/ IS IN RUINS AND WHY IT’S MY FAULT

>inb4 tl;dr

Subject: I committed acts of cheating and fraud within the /vp/ community, which resulted in a ruinous environment for threads in which I actively participated.

Facts: Since the release of Pokémon Bank, I have voluntarily committed several acts of cheating to gain unfair technical advantage and undue aesthetic wealth.  Correspondingly, my active presence in /vp/ communities had a deleterious effect on the health of those communities.  Specific examples include:
-       I cloned Pokémon using an easily exploitable cloning process in Emerald and subsequently traded several dozen cloned Pokémon in /vp/ forums and the Global Trade Station (GTS).  Examples include Extreme Speed Linoone, the entire Unown alphabet, and various legendary Pokémon.  Further, I used the cloned legendaries to obtain several shiny Pokémon from the GTS for which the legendaries were being requested.
-       I purposely obtained an obviously hacked 6IV Ditto from a giveaway thread on /vp/.  Subsequently, I used the subject Ditto to breed dozens of Pokémon for competitive use.  Further, I distributed hundreds of breeding leftovers (obtained directly from my use of the subject Ditto) over /vp/ forums in exchange for other trainers’ Pokémon and items.
-       I employed the services of cloners to clone a shiny Kangaskhan and a shiny Delphox, holding an Ability Capsule and a PP Max respectively.  I subsequently personally distributed 30 of each Pokémon (60 total) via /gtsg/ in exchange for other trainers’ Pokémon and items.
-       I needlessly attached my in-game name (IGN) or a recurrent nickname to posts on /gtsg/ for no other purpose than to gain notoriety within that thread and, by proxy, within the /vp/ community.  However, I did not effectively use that notoriety to attempt to mitigate negative behaviors or affect positive changes within any /vp/ community.  As examples, I did not take an active stand against things like: distribution of knowingly hacked Pokémon, aggressive and abusive posts aimed at other trainers (e.g. shitposting), or space-wasting thread posts that were clearly unrelated to Pokémon.
-       I actively participated in and encouraged Pokémon trading in the /gtsg/ IRC chat room in lieu of the /gtsg/ thread, which unnecessarily reduced the publicly obvious trading traffic that is vital to a giveaway thread.
-       Throughout my posts, I unironically behaved in a frivolous manner unbefitting of a serious member of any community.  More significant examples include excessive use of emoji, symbols (i.e. hearts), and typographical stuttering.

Discussion:  All of the above-listed transgressions are a matter of public record and are easily searchable through Google and the 4chan archives by using my IGN and Friend Code as search criteria.

I have been a Pokémon trainer since the original Red and Blue.  As such, I consider Pokémon to be a hobby of mine and I want to be an active member in a Pokémon-related community.  However, I have made several avoidable mistakes that I consider contributed directly to the degradation and subsequent collapse of the /gtsg/ community in which I was very active.  Correspondingly, I have received significant negative pushback against joining another /vp/ community.

Although I have recently changed my behaviors to ones that I consider more reputable and less unhealthy from a community standpoint, I do recognize that the peer justice system has no ‘statute of limitations’ on behavior.  Several /vp/ community regulars have kindly come to my public defense in direct response to criticism against me; however, I consider it unjust and unacceptable for kind people to put their character and credibility at risk by aligning with me – especially given that I have felt no substantial accountability for the above-listed poor behavior.  While I do appreciate the mercy and grace of other people, I cherish justice and I willingly submit myself to culpability for my choices.

Corrective Measures:  Throughout the latter half of this year, I have taken corrective actions.  By no means do I consider that these corrective actions provide me amnesty from my previous mistakes.  Specific actions include:
-       I have gotten rid of any hacked Ditto used for breeding or competitive use.  I have now been breeding using Pokémon that I believe were obtained through legitimate means, when possible, many of which are Pokémon that have the OT of trainers that I know value legitimacy.  While I recognize that counterfeiting is rampant throughout our community and that it is impossible to positively ascertain the pedigree of a parent, ‘goodness’ has to start somewhere.  I consider my current method to be within moral boundaries.
-       I am rebreeding my competitive Pokémon, and I am purposely not competing using any questionable Pokémon that have been given to me.
-       I have been giving away any shiny Pokémon that I obtained by means of trading cloned Pokémon.  Typically, I will give the shiny as a means of gratitude to a community member that has done me an act of kindness.  While I do realize that forwarding on ‘stolen goods’ does not correct the original problem or restore my personal integrity, I consider any value the recipient places on the receipt of the shiny to be a step in the right direction from a community health and satisfaction standpoint.
-       I am apologizing to all of the reputable trainers that abide by and defend the standards of morality in playing Pokémon.  While I recognize that morality is a spectrum, I am grateful to everyone that has a personal sense of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and choose to operate on the side of what they consider ‘right’.  I thank you for illustrating the standards to which I am re-calibrating myself.  I’m sorry for causing avoidable shitposting and poisonous behavior in your community.
-       I am providing this report as my assessment of why /gtsg/ has degraded to the point of no longer meeting its functional purpose: giving away good Pokémon.  I expect that /gtsg/ may be revitalized upon release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but I also consider that its now-trademark toxic environment has a near-certain propensity for recurrence if people choose to behave in the poor manners I listed above.
-       I am not quitting Pokémon.  I thoroughly enjoy this game and this franchise, as I have for many years.  However, I am removing myself from active participation in /vp/ threads for an indeterminate period.  I can’t stop peoples’ shitposting, but I can remove myself as a stimulus for it.  If I choose to return, I will humbly accept the accountability levied upon me by others – in whatever form each individual determines.  I recognize this may include exclusion from certain microcosms of the community, and I consider any public display of that exclusion to be just.
-       I intend to fulfill my standing promises to deliver some breeding projects to individuals in the community.  I’ll let each person decide if they still want my product.  I give you my word, for what’s it worth, that each product was obtained using legitimate means.

Final thoughts:  Thank you for reading this.

>inb4 “why the fuck did you spend so much time writing about a children’s game?”

A person’s legacy and character are defined by everything we do, no matter how small: our hobbies, our interactions with other people, our mistakes, and our choices in the wake of our mistakes.  I’ve complained throughout my life about a lack of people willing to be ‘role models’; hypocritically, I have not been acting like one myself.  I don’t want people’s final impressions of me to be “a person who cheats at games”.  Although it’s small recompense, I’d much rather be remembered – if at all – as a person who owned up to their errors and tried to make things right.

-       Zoelle (aka Linooneologist), September 2014