Without Compromise
Nuke It From Orbit. It's The Only Way To Be Sure.
I did something yesterday that confused some people.
Others likely didn’t understand.
A few were probably offended.
A large number of automated accounts were almost certainly disappointed. Bet those porn spammer bots still operate with maximum visibility.
Over four thousand followers logged on to discover one simple fact:
I was no longer there.
The Twitter account was deactivated. This wasn’t something I did on impulse, it’s been something I’ve been considering for a long time.
At one point, the platform had utility. I saw friends. I saw creative work. I saw ideas worth engaging with. Over time, that utility vanished beneath a constant flood of ideological signaling, factional conflict, and demands for alignment.
That’s Twitter’s stock in trade.
The platform rewards provocation, incentivizes outrage and, most importantly, it trains users to believe that pressure produces compliance. Nuance, creativity, genuine and very genuine contributions are punished. There, talking about what you love is seen as an attack vector and will almost certainly be used as one.
That assumption no longer applies to me.
The Nature of the Withdrawal
I’m sure some of you have read my article A Tactical Advance To The Rear. It’s the same idea. When a platform begins to turn, then so should the doorknob on my way out.
Blocking didn’t work. Muting didn’t work. Word filters didn’t work. The system continued to surface material designed to provoke reaction. Eventually, it became clear that participation was only acceptable if it served that purpose.
Right up until I declined, it worked and that will become important later.
There is a difference between being silenced and becoming unreachable to a degree. I chose the latter. You’ll see what I mean later on because I’ll demonstrate it, but I won’t perform it.
When a system cannot extract value from you (emotional, ideological, or financial, etc.) it loses interest. This is something every single one of you should know.
Knowing the game was rigged, I removed myself from the board, and stopped playing.
On Sides, Authority, and Miscalculation
If you support authoritarianism, I am not your guy.
It doesn’t matter which language you use to justify it. Order, safety, progress, tradition I’ve seen the vocabulary changes, but that machine remains exactly the same.
Authoritarian systems require compliance, and they eventually eliminate those who cannot be corrected.
I am not in need of correction by any person or agency who can’t manage that with which they were entrusted to be stewards and their opinion in the matter is irrelevant when faced with fact.
Both “sides” understand this, even if they won’t admit it. Which is why the pressure escalates. Which is why persuasion gives way to coercion. Which is why the expectation becomes silence.
The miscalculation is assuming that escalation produces submission.
It didn’t.
It produced exit and I took it.
Acknowledging the Valuable
Removing myself from the noise did more than preserve autonomy. It sharpened my vision in a way that I needed. Understand, I didn’t want it, I needed it. There’s a huge difference.
I began to see clearly who actually adds value to my life. Who shows up consistently, not for appearance, ideology, or expectation, but because they’re genuine, because they’re invested, because they matter.
And I saw, to my own shame, where I hadn’t reciprocated that effort. Where I had allowed the inferno of the rage chamber to distract me. Where I hadn’t done enough to honor the people I care about. That hurts more than losing friends ever could.
To RuneKnight3 , my co-author: your creativity, discipline, and partnership have carried more weight than I properly acknowledged.
To ServantofShiloh at RPG Elite: your insight, consistency, and patience are rare. I see it now, and I recognize the value you bring.
To Castle Grief : Your love and commitment to your own material hasn’t gone unnoticed. I wish nothing but great things for Kal-Arath and Arathi Sector and I can’t wait for Arathi Sector to land on my doorstep.
To Amazing Gaming Productions: your work and guidance have consistently added clarity and perspective. That matters more than you know. Your recent dropping of Twitter made me think even harder on leaving, myself.
This isn’t just gratitude. It’s my statement: your presence shapes my world, and I will prioritize it from this day, moving forward
Those who remain after incentives are removed, after outrage stops working, after provocation yields nothing, after conformity is no longer rewarded, those people are welcome. They’ve always been welcome.
Everyone else? The door you hoped to kick down isn’t just closed it no longer exists. Permanently.
Creativity Without Permission
The Nocturneverse exists outside all of this for a reason.
It was never built to serve a platform, a faction, or a cause. It exists because two people played games, followed outcomes honestly, and wrote what emerged. No ideological filter. No approval process.
If you enjoy it, you’re welcome.
If you don’t, you lose nothing by leaving.
In fact, allow me to add a little value to your life. If The Nocturneverse ain’t your jam, okay, that’s cool. Go find something you enjoy. If that’s Naruto fan fiction, by all means, go enjoy that. It’s really not my thing but you do you, boo-boo. I’m behind you all the way.
RPGs are tools. Stories are the point. Art does not require moral alignment to function.
Those who try to turn creativity into a loyalty test misunderstand both power and art.
Final Clarification
This is not withdrawal in defeat.
This is not burnout.
This is not fear of confrontation.
This is what happens when pressure is applied to someone who has already had every incentive to comply removed and facing only demands.
You can’t move me because I just won’t be moved.
You can only remove yourself trying and, in the end, even if you win that battle, you still lose because...
I will continue to work on my projects.
I will continue to build where I see value.
I will continue to welcome those who remain once the noise stops.
Everyone else made their choice when they decided pressure would work.
It didn’t.
And that is the end of the matter.
Solid take on recognizing when a platofrm has turned extractive. The pressure-to-compliance cycle you described is spot-on, and withdrawl as strategy instead of retreat makes sense. I've seen creative people stay way too long on platforms that clearly stopped serving them, thinking they 'had to' for reach. The ones who left earlier ended up building better elsewhere.
Calibre is great for that. I save what I want to read in a Libre office document. In Calibre I add a book (the document) then convert it to epub. From there I can fix any errors, add a table of contents and whatever else I want. Once it's saved I convert the epub to a mobi and load it onto my kindle.
I was gonna put a pic of my kindle here but apparently that's not supported.