Vote, vote, vote.

[icarus]

I have two favors to ask of you.

First: Vote.

Second: Post about the Livejournal representative election. Urge your friendslist to vote and then post about the vote.

If massive numbers of fandomers surge to vote, then we will have our pick of fandom candidates. Instead of being a race between an anti-fandom candidate, jameth and fandom candidate legomymalfoy, we can have a race between legomymalfoy and rm.

I know we can easily reach 14,000 fandomers. I've added up the f-lists of those who've posted about the vote already. And you don't have to wait. Because you can change your mind between now and Thursday.

The three top fandom candidates:

legomymalfoy
rm
vichan

As of this moment, the numbers are:

jameth - 2508 (17.8%)
legomymalfoy - 3785 (26.9%)
rm - 1522 (10.8%)
vichan - 707 (5.0%)

I've nothing against this guy personally, but I don't like his paranoid campaign and troll history.
jameth attacked fandom once he fell behind, accusing us of sockpuppeting with up to 200 puppets per fandomer (seriously?) all based on an "anonymous tip." (Other moments that smack of conspiracy theories include fears that LJ is locking in votes and jameth blaming legomymalfoy for a supporter being kicked off IRC chat by burr86. Let's not forget the backhanded pre-emptive swipes at all the candidates, with the caption "I don't think _my_ platform is going to change. Not sure about anyone else's, though." Not someone I would want to work with. For more paranoia: He now fears Legomymalfoy's ahead because the LJ support team doesn't like him.)

Longstanding fandomers like telesilla (whom you might remember from her reporting of strikethrough and FanLib) and caras_galadhon and others, remind us jameth is a known troll, while bethbethbeth points out the strongly anti-fandom attitude of his supporters, which he's made no effort to contradict.

But hey, let's plague an epileptic's journal with flashing icons!
So I guess it should come as no surprise that his supporters are deliberately posting flashing icons in the comments of an epileptic's journal. At least one other epileptic has been affected, so turn off graphics if you click to rydra_wong's journal. The bigdecision08 community which is run by three jameth supporters has posted about this, unfortunately directing jameth's supporters to her journal. I've asked jameth what, since he's seeking a leadership role and has been comfortable telling people to vote for him in all three categories, does he have to say about this? So far, although he's fine with directing people to vote for him and then null out in all categories, not a peep. To rydra_wong it's not his problem. Nice guy. ETA: I asked him about it and he replied "what post?" This guy's totally full of shit. He'd already replied to rydra_wong's post several times. He's attempting to run on his RL credentials, but I've learned in comments here that someone who's worked with him IRL "does not have complimentary things to say about his skills with dealing with people."

I've collected endorsements of legomymalfoy here.

I've collected endorsements of rm here.

We've got great candidates. The current second-place candidate is someone I don't want, I don't know about you. He is anti-fandom.

Comments

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

A couple here and there, sure, probably. No doubt jameth and other candidates have supporters who've done the same. People who troll or post a lot of cat macros will often have one journal for everyday wear and one for the nasty stuff.

But 70 RP journals? *snorts* No way. No one I know has that many.

[node-ue.livejournal.com]

Yes, but Jameth recently specifically asked anyone who voted twice (or more) for him to nullify all but their first vote. It may be a symbolic gesture, but I think it's a key component to a truly clean election.

[jameth.livejournal.com]

bingo! thank you

[bitchtakeit.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiousity, every single post I've seen discussing the election so far, I've seen at least one comment from you - how are you finding all of these?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Jameth told me that he couldn't ask people not to put flashing icons in an epileptic's journal. According to him, he has no influence over them.

So.

Is he telling the truth that he has no influence over his pals? Then we can expect them to vote for him with all their lolcat sockpuppets, no matter what.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Yes, but which is it?

Either it's a problem, and a problem for everyone, as you indicate, above, or it's not.

This is the problem I have with this issue - first it's denied. Then, when proven it's happening, it's marginalized. Then, when credible evidence that it's happening more than just a little is put forth, both sides are accused.

No matter which point you take, however, the fact remains that this vote is being manipulated, fraudulently. Period.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I find it amusing that this didn't become an issue until you and jameth started falling behind.

What I'm noticing is that they're both your friends (or acquaintances) who've admitted to casting fraudulent votes. Tell me. Would we have heard about this if a candidate you were in the lead?

[cambler.livejournal.com]

You keep bringing up the strawman of Jameth. I have nothing to do with him.

I was always behind. I never led, nor did I ever have a chance to lead. I brought up the issue a good day before he did, in fact.

Again, your ad hominem attacks do you no credit.

Whomever is in front is irrelevant. Would I have brought it up if I were in the lead? Maybe not!

Okay, so maybe if I didn't, in that case, I'd be a bad, bad person. Mea cupla.

The fact remains - there is voter fraud and the election is meaningless as a result. Call me all the names you want, question whether I'd have brought it up if I were winning, and make a strawman as to whether or not Jameth and I are good buddies (hint: I've never met the guy).

The facts remain.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Show me your evidence. So far I've seen a screencap of three people discussing it. None of them are big RPG players.

Is the friend who told you she voted with 70 accounts leah_lightwing?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I wish I knew how to edit comments.

That should read: What I'm noticing is that they're both your friends (or acquaintances) who've admitted to casting fraudulent votes. Tell me. Would we have heard about these friends of yours if a candidate you didn't like weren't in the lead?

[node-ue.livejournal.com]

Much like if you are broke and can only give your mother a hug and a promise of something more grand at a later date for mother's day, it's the thought that counts here.

Jameth made a point of posting in his journal that he was removing the icons, setting an example for his fans. Although he did not specifically request that people take it down that I know of (and I think he should do that, despite the fact that one of his better friends is a photosensitive epileptic and the icon is far too small to cause anybody any harm), I have seen a sharp decline in the number of people using that icon since he took it down himself.

Having said that, with or without the seizure icon, I'm sure you'd keep finding other problems with him. I doubt asking his supporters to remove the icons would gain him any votes, and as I have already noted, it is too small to cause any problems for photosensitive epileptics. So the two possible reasons I see to take it down: avoiding physical harm, and winning more support, are moot.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I lost a friend of mine to epilepsy years ago. She was fine, Nancy hadn't had an attack in years, and then she was gone. We still don't know what triggered it. I had a roommate with epilepsy (still alive) who had a seizure triggered by driving down the highway at night. When an epileptic tells me something will trigger an attack, I take them seriously.

I know there's some political advantage to pointing at his icons and saying, "Oh, what a jerk," and I do oppose his campaign on the grounds that he attacked fandom (including me) when he started to lose. But I'm willing to toss politics aside to get rid of a real risk. I'm glad he got rid of the icons, but he has said no to posting about it.

[node-ue.livejournal.com]

What epileptic told you it would trigger an attack? I've seen epileptics say it was insensitive, and other epileptics say it *wouldn't* trigger an attack (more specifically, photosensitive epileptics). It's not that I'm not willing to believe it - if you can link me to an epileptic saying it triggered an attack or almost triggered an attack, I am not one to withhold belief when a credible source tells me something that isn't far-fetched.

Also, as far as epilepsy is concerned, only photosensitive epileptics could possibly be effected by such an icon if it were, in fact, to have that effect. I am sure that if a credible source claimed it was physically damaging to them, James would tell everybody he knows to take it down in a heartbeat. Saying it is in bad taste is one thing, and anybody saying it is potentially harmful to *others* but not themselves could just be wrong, but if I see a single photosensitive epileptic who has been physically injured by this icon or is really worried that it could possibly trigger a seizure in anybody, I will personally urge James to take it down (not that I really talk to him much, but he's much more reasonable than you seem to think). James has gotten responses from friends who are in fact photosensitive epileptics to make sure the icon is not potentially harmful. He's not an evil person, and is not a jerk, even though many of the people on his flist are.

As far as attacking fandom goes, you already weren't going to vote for him. He made a post that has been characterized by many in the fandom community as stirring up drama, but I certainly don't see it that way - he received a tip, he posted about it, and it has since been shown to be true. Despite your claims that it is not widespread, or that people do it for James, too, his initial post has nonetheless been proven to be completely correct. James certainly doesn't hate fandom, though many people on his flist are hostile to fandom. Although I have never been much for writing fanfiction myself, I do enjoy it occasionally and count among my IRL friends some people who are cosplayers, furries, etc., even though I have people on my flist who have negative opinions of those sorts of things, so I think it's unfair to paint somebody with the opinions of some of the more obnoxious people on their flist. More importantly, even though you may be coming at it from different perspectives, James essentially wants the same things for LJ as fandom, and one of the main things in his platform is a strong stance against any form of censorship, something he has come out in force against on LJ in the past. I, for one, would not trust anybody from LJ Abuse or Support communities with anything related to first amendment rights, but I guess I'm one of the few who sees it that way rather than "James is an asshole; LMM is one of us!". For all the people ranting about this turning into a simple popularity contest, that seems to be exactly what it has become.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Here (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/758270.html?thread=10995710#t10995710), and here (http://icarusancalion.livejournal.com/758270.html?thread=11019262#t11019262). Pre-seizure effects, migraines. rydra_wong herself has turned off images because of visual effects.

As for not fandom never voting for him: no, that's not true (http://seperis.livejournal.com/607774.html). (Check the size of her f-list.) The initial response to him was positive. Most people in fandom didn't even know there was a vote. I didn't hear of it until Friday, 6pm. Saturday, my flist was still going "Vote?" and "Isn't this a cardboard badge?" It was his accusations Friday (http://jameth.livejournal.com/4349665.html) that pissed people off. Should've let fandom sleep through this one.

Personally, I was for rm initially because of her involvement with OTW. synecdochic's support for legomymalfoy and fandom's support convinced me she's the one who could win.

legomymalfoy should start putting some effort into her own race. I can always switch back to rm. lavvyan is right: it is a cardboard badge.

[node-ue.livejournal.com]

Well, the whole argument about the seizure icons is moot. James has asked people to stop trolling in his names and to stop using those icons.

I didn't say that nobody from the fandom community was planning on voting for James, I'm saying that you in particular had issues with him anyways, and a lot of the vitriol being circulated against him (including a "credible" death threat, according to LJ staff) is either totally false (he didn't start LJ Drama, Frienditto, ED; he does NOT hate gay people because he's gay himself) or stretching the truth (he did NOT go into epilepsy-related communities and make seizure-inducing posts). I personally think you're taking the whole post about cheating the wrong way, after all, what he said did turn out to be 100% true, no matter how you spin it. Regardless of "James' people are probably doing the same thing", "it's only a couple of isolated cases", etc., the fact remains that the premise of his post has been proven to be true.

And with that, I am done with this. The fact that a "credible" death threat has been made means to me that this election wank is no longer worth it. I am grateful for your civility towards me. Good luck campaigning against James getting a cardboard badge.

[julieannie.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that while I have no clue who this person voted for, someone mentioned in a news post earlier this year how they had 70 accounts, but now she is down to 69 per the comment thread.
Link here (http://news.livejournal.com/106731.html?thread=68522219#t68522219). From someone who used to RP, I could barely keep up with 3 accounts so it would be insane to have 70, but it appears it's been done by at least one person.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Man, I could barely keep up with two characters.

I checked her out. She's a major RPer, in at least five RPGs. But apparently all of those RP journals go to the same email. She wouldn't be able to vote more than once anyway.

I also checked out the people in that screencap that's circulating, where people talked about voting with alternate journals. I could only get a bead on two of the three names in the screencap, but neither are big RPG players.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Change them to different hotmail accounts and she's golden. It would take about a half hour, at most.

You seem to be trying very hard to shoot down the obvious facts here with suppositions of your own.

Sorry, you must really think we're all stupid. I find that personally insulting.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*puzzled*

It's a striking coincidence. This is the exact same number of multiple journals that cambler mentioned. Yet he said it was someone he knew in RL.

*checks*

He and this leah_lightwing aren't on each other's f-lists.

I hate to call him a liar, but unless there was some sort of limit on LJ basic accounts (like a ceiling of 70 accounts for the same email?) it's a very big coincidence to have two people with exactly 70 accounts. Perhaps someone remembered her post and the story has grown around it since-?

Everyone in that thread expresses astonishment that she has so many. It's very unusual.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Holy fuck on a stick, you really are trying to find any reason to ignore obvious facts based on some strange insistence at strawmen.

So this person coincidentally has the same number of RP accounts as my friend. Damn! What does this mean?

That we now have 140 accounts across two people?

No! That even though we now have one person admitting in public that she has 70 account, I must therefore be lying.

You really are some piece of work.

Again, you must take us all for fucking idiots.

We're done. I shan't reply to you anymore, you've shown that you're just out of touch with reality. Please, have the last word.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This is very unusual number of accounts. You haven't answered the question yet: is your friend with the 70 accounts leah_lightwing?

[cambler.livejournal.com]

I think the answer should be none of your business, really.

But since you'll take that as a yes and go on some kind of dismissive witch hunt, I'll humor you and say no. I have no idea who Leah is. The number is, indeed, coincidental, and only goes to show that now we have TWO people with that many accounts for role playing.

Or one, if you still don't believe me - and again, I'm fine with that. More than fine, in fact, since we now have someone who admits to it, so you don't need to take my word for it and concentrate on insulting me instead of dealing with the evidence.

And I meant it when I said I was done. I only respond here to spare poor Leah from your assumptions.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm not the one accusing Leah of anything. We have one person with 70 accounts and we don't know how she's voted.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Will you retract your statement that nobody would have that many and apologize, now?

Likely not.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Maybe his friend is leah_lightwing and they just don't have each other friended. I've asked.