Can I just say it already?
There was this dude named Aris or something that was sexually harassing female players around the time I came to the offline scene last year in his podcast or whatever. Trying to put cameras all on them or something. I can't be bothered to remember every stupid detail of what stupid people do. But so many people downplayed it so hard and his "apology" for the incident was a back handed, "suck it up, ladies, this is just the way things are".
We're still seeing the damage this kind of attitude causes - because we only have 2 damn female tournament players in one of the strongest, most tight knit and downright stubborn communities of the entire FGC lol.
I've tried to get more ladies to offline events. I offer free room sharing, a friendly ft5 sponsorship, my digits and the promise that I will not allow anything nasty to happen to them. I get vaguely protective of the MKC. But the women know they will be gawked at, judged and gossiped about more than any other player at the event, and get turned off. So why put yourself through that kind of aggravation?
And when you're paying for flights, hotels, tourney registration, other travel expenses and practicing and working hard exactly the same as everyone else there - you're asking to be treated exactly like everyone else. You've downright earned it IMHO.
Troll me, by all means - I'm putting myself out there for the communities' entertainment. I'm aware of that and I can take it lol. Call me free or scrubby or say I use a brain dead, OP character or whatever you need to. Call me or Jade trash or fish or something if you like.
Just keep your freaking hands or camera or whatevs off certain body parts. And speculations about my personal life to a minimum. I'm not even saying don't talk mess or troll me - just do it the same way every other offline player gets. Somehow, this is still too much to ask.
But when you run to the MK station and say, "Quick! There's a creepy dude following me! One of you is my bf!" (the "not it" look between Pig and Bit was priceless lol) Or ask JamesMK to make a stalker disappear (just don't ask him how he did it
) they're always there for you. Which is why I'll always love the community, even when I want to shake some freaking sense into it lol.