The 99 Theses

Aaron,

You and I have been friends for a long while, now. Which is why it brings me no joy to be writing any of this – but as your friend, I feel that this is important.

I try to see the best in people, especially those I consider my friends. Usually, it’s not that difficult, even when we make mistakes. As you yourself might say, we’re all works in progress. However, after observing your recent behaviour and decisions, as well as after hearing very concerning stories from others, whom I trust to be telling me the truth, I currently believe that whatever work is required as part of your progress is currently not being made. As such, right now, I do not feel comfortable associating with you, and will be ceasing contact with you. Since this is a very serious thing to tell someone, I believe I owe you an explanation, at the very least.

I am not particularly proud of the fact that I have had some doubts about your character for some time now.
First, there were the numerous stories of you being removed from various FGC sub-communities (all of which, according to you, were due to jealousy or people being unwilling to accept your talent or some such excuse). It was already difficult to think that all of these communities did so on the basis of petty personal drama, but I let it slide because I had no way of knowing the details.
Then there was the incident where you made very inappropriate and insensitive comments on commentary for a Power Rangers Battle for the Grid tournament, which I again let slide, this time because even though you really should have known better, you were at least mostly willing to own up to those comments and promise to do better.
There was also the recent airing of supposed “dirty laundry” via the conversation you had with 956pro staff regarding the rejection of your submission for SFxT at Vortex Gallery, where you accused anyone who spoke positively of the event and its staff (who, need I remind you, are all unpaid volunteers) as having done so “under duress”, which struck me as a claim made in very bad faith, and a very immature reaction to 956pro’s response to your submission, and subsequent appeal. This is where my doubts began to rise to the surface.
Now there is your open affiliation with Freshcut, an outfit whose blockchain-focused social media model almost certainly amounts to just another Ponzi scheme that seeks to use cryptocurrency to make a profit off the FGC, while lending whatever capital it has to the FGC as an investment in their NFT distribution platform rather than to support the FGC in any genuine way. I know that you’ve clarified that your affiliation with Freshcut is based on the work they’ve previously put into supporting the US Killer Instinct scene (under whatever name they used to go by), but even with that history, it can’t be ignored that Freshcut is, materially, not that organisation any more – Freshcut is someone’s get-richer-quicker scheme by way of NFT-powered TikTok for Gamers, which I (and many, many others) do not trust to be willing, let alone able, to make a truly positive contribution to the FGC. And here, I personally think that you should know better, too.

But now that I’ve heard reports from others that not only confirm your true, and far less reputable, reasons for affiliating with Freshcut (which are at least partially based on spite), as well as numerous other instances of poor behaviour, including unwelcome conduct around women and a propensity for making inflammatory remarks and unsubstantiated accusations, on top of everything else I’ve discussed here, I cannot help but notice a pattern of behaviour – and it is not the behaviour of a person that I would want to be associated with.

There comes a point, I think, where one has to consider the singular constant in all these instances of rejection, dismissal and exclusion in our social spaces. This many people and communities don’t come to these conclusions independently based on jealousy and misplaced pride. The constant in all of this is one’s own decisions and actions – your decisions and actions – which can always be different in the future. This is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way, and I sincerely hope you will find yourself able to learn this lesson, too. Until such time that you do, whatever path you are taking in your pursuit of promoting yourself, your games and your personal brand, is not a path that I wish to accompany you on.