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While we& #39;re calling out creeps, harassers and predators in the #ttrpg community I& #39;d like to talk about my first DM, @ozmills, whose behavior seemed so normal at the time. I came to realize that he was predatory. This is gonna be a whole thread so buckle up. 1/24
Before @ITUCrew there was @OzMills and Role Out, which included me, most of the Trash Crew and a few others. We were already streamers but were brand new to tabletop. It was an exciting new world to be in and we took to it quickly, thinking that our DM was safe. He wasn& #39;t. 2/24
Our DM, @OzMills, had an ego. Self-confidence is helpful in the streaming game, but his concern with viewer numbers and chasing followers began to detract from the quality of the game. At one point, he joked about "catching a whale" to quit his day job. Like, really. 3/24
He took on more and more projects, and it was clear that with each new game the novelty would wear off. @ozmills would lose interest in his own stories, forgetting player backstories, and stop putting in as much effort to writing plot or making us feel safe and comfortable. 4/24
Not caring about his players as he moved on to other projects started showing up all over @OzMills& #39; behavior, and in increasingly predatory ways. It was getting harder for us to enjoy or attend his games. We were ill, and some started drinking during sessions. 5/24
When you stop looking forward to a game and start dreading it, when the presence of your GM makes you feel ill, something& #39;s wrong. But @ozmills kept saying that he would do better. Be better. Even after sessions, I couldn& #39;t put my finger on why it still felt bad. 6/24
Outside of games, @ozmills wasn& #39;t much better. He regularly talked about players on Twitter with other people, once joking about how he would punish us for following his side quests. 7/24
And then @ozmills was at it again. He announced in our game chat that we were being replaced. He meant it as a joke, but he& #39;d not only found a new roster of players, they were planning to play in the world we had built together. He was shocked when we didn’t find it okay. 8/24
Things between @Ozmills and his players degraded and we had to confront him in something of an intervention. Did he listen? Well, he said he did... 9/24
When @ozmills announced my going into labor on Twitter a day before I actually did, people messaged me before I was even at the hospital, asking questions. And even after, the labor was horrific. I almost died. Would he have announced that, too? Surely not. 10/24
After this, live on stream, @ozmills tried to announce the birth of my child. I remember shrugging instead of saying anything. I couldn& #39;t believe the ego. We were friends, right? Who does such a thing? I gave him the benefit of doubt. Again. I had hope. 11/24
At one point, my character wanted to go on a date with an @ozmills NPC. When we talked about the probability, he said "it& #39;s about time the goddamn GM got some". See, I thought this was between characters. But he said & #39;GM& #39;, not the NPC& #39;s name. This is sexual harassment, simple. 12
Suddenly being sexualized live on stream by @ozmills stunned me. If he hadn& #39;t taken down the video, I& #39;d show you the moment my fight or flight response kicked in. I remember laughing to save face, but later that night I cried. 13/24
I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, and I know that off-color jokes are a thing. But it made me feel ill. No one else had reacted poorly. Was it in my head? Surely I had misunderstood. Besides, @ozmills was my friend, right? Surely he didn& #39;t mean it that way? 14
Small things added up. In an attempt to name drop a collab, @ozmills used a streamer& #39;s legal name, making me complicit in violating her privacy. I struggle with this every time she tweets. Privacy isn& #39;t a joke. It exists to protect us. It& #39;s a good thing I& #39;m not some weirdo. 15/24
Whenever we gave @OzMills any criticism, no matter how constructive, he would give an apology for his wording, thank us for taking the time, and say he& #39;d take it on board. But he didn& #39;t change. Eventually he dumped us. Not by ousting, but by alienating us one by one. 16/24
After we started our own games, more stuff came to light from other members of the TTRPG community.
This doc contains some stories, and a transcript of a chat we had with @OzMills towards the end of our group& #39;s relationship with him, all names changed.17 https://bit.ly/2VtW0LE ">https://bit.ly/2VtW0LE&q...
This doc contains some stories, and a transcript of a chat we had with @OzMills towards the end of our group& #39;s relationship with him, all names changed.17 https://bit.ly/2VtW0LE ">https://bit.ly/2VtW0LE&q...
The thing is, @Ozmills& #39; MO is to say he& #39;s taken your advice on board and he& #39;ll change. He might even & #39;thank& #39; you. But he doesn& #39;t change. I thought he had learned from his past behavior. I was fine leaving his streams quietly, let him grow as a person and make better choices. 18
When I saw how @ozmills & #39;defended& #39; a woman online 2 days ago, it was a gut punch. I can& #39;t stay quiet any longer.
This is why I’m tweeting now, years later, and I& #39;ll give some context. CW for slut-shaming. 19/24
This is why I’m tweeting now, years later, and I& #39;ll give some context. CW for slut-shaming. 19/24
Long story short, a black woman was recently harassed out of a geek space essentially for her costume choices, along with some racism and slut-shaming. @ozmills jumped into the conversation and you can read it for yourself. I just. Sigh. 20/24
That was 2 days ago. And that& #39;s the classic @OzMills MO - say something sexist, then seem to accept corrections but only as a way of shutting everyone else up. But you can see here, it didn& #39;t work this time. Everyone saw him.
He later slid into their DMs as predicted. 21/24
He later slid into their DMs as predicted. 21/24
That& #39;s all for now.
If @OzMills sees this he& #39;ll start damage control. Maybe DM me, maybe DM anyone who likes or replies or RTs this. He feeds on people& #39;s misplaced faith and pity. He& #39;s an expert at getting sympathy. I thought he was my friend once. No one is immune. 22/24
If @OzMills sees this he& #39;ll start damage control. Maybe DM me, maybe DM anyone who likes or replies or RTs this. He feeds on people& #39;s misplaced faith and pity. He& #39;s an expert at getting sympathy. I thought he was my friend once. No one is immune. 22/24
