Rimuru

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org 2 of 2 Do your followers belong to you or to your administrator? Mastodon decided they belong to your administrator. An odd position for a decentralized network. If your admin/mod terminates your account because they gave in to peer pressure and social backlash — not because you did anything wrong — you're screwed. Much to my surprise, there were a lot of admins who agreed and believed me (see screenshot). But proof and being right weren't enough. I suspect that is why my block list is still popular. https://github.com/Fediverse-Express/Fediverse/blob/main/block_spam_scam_users.csv @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org I am known by another username, Linux Is Best. I uploaded the video that "joy" took down of her claiming to be in Gaza, when there was a building-sized poster of the Supreme Leader of Iran. There is also another video where the self-proclaimed group's spokesperson admits they don't understand a word of the language and they're using an interpreter, who also wants your donation. The scam group was Gaza Verified. It was a smart scam. Pick something politically charged where people will blindly fight on your behalf. My profile, for example, reads: "I believe in and support the idea of a free and independent Palestine and Israel. I want everyone to live a good life. 🇵🇸 🇮🇱" That harmless statement kept getting flagged originally, because I said: "I believe in and support the idea of a free and independent Israel and Palestine. I want everyone to live a good life. 🇮🇱 🇵🇸" That small difference sets people off. The scam group had an edge. 1 of 2 @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org 2 of 2 In fact, their latest official account was created 2025 sharkey@sharkey.team This was when they decided not to import their old post and start fresh. @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org 2/2 The so-called "Join Sharkey" website never did get professionally designed. In fact, except for the subdomain with their Git (source code), the main site remained offline for over a year and eventually was released by one of them, where they only list their friends' sites and not the other several hundred Sharkey sites like they originally claimed. But they also claimed they'd have it professionally done, too, so... yeah. That said, as personal opinion, my observation is that many people would point out how toxic the Pleroma or Akkoma website are. They typically draw in a kind of crowd of people you'd not want to socialize with. Most Sharkey sites today (not all, but enough), also seem to be draw in a toxic type of individual. Not the same crowd, but still toxic. But again, I'd need a busier site since I can at times be fairly active. @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org The Sharkey Development team attempted to delete the old posts, but didn't get all of them. Eventually, they deleted their account and moved it elsewhere. But that didn't go so well either, so they once again moved their account. I may have old screenshots on my other PC, but I am uncertain. This was back in 2023–2024, and we're now in 2026, soon to be 2027. The one odd thing you may recall was how, after raising money for their server — which ended up becoming their personal computer — they wanted to raise more money to become an LLC. There was a bit more pushback on that one since a lot of people were surprised they didn't want to become a non-profit. So you may recall it if you were around. 1/2 @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org That site isn't really up to date. A few of the sites they recommend don't even exist anymore. That said, I can be at times a very active user, sometimes posting between 1 and 300 posts in a day. Think about how many replies I have had with you alone in this thread. This is to say, I need a fairly active site where I will not dominate and possibly flood the local feed — someplace where my posts would be hidden among all the many other people posting. Unfortunately, most of the larger active Misskey sites are in Japan or South Korea, and about half or more of those would rather you speak in Japanese or Korean. You guessed right. Sharkey was the other scam-like event that I, and actually originally quite a few others, all commented on. They raised money claiming they needed a new server and a professionally designed JoinSharkey website. They got their server, played Minecraft, and 3 months later claimed "new management" and kept it as their PC. 1/2 @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

@HailsandAles@metalhead.club Post 2 of 2 On paper, the Fediverse should be far superior. In reality, the Fedi is mostly people who could not gain a following elsewhere, likely were banned elsewhere for a legitimate reason, and spam, scams, and general fraudsters thrive here with approval. When the infrastructure itself rewards local power trips and protects malicious actors under the banner of "decentralization," growth is impossible. Platforms like Bluesky and Reddit succeed because they enforce basic standards of accountability. Until the Fediverse cleans up its moderation culture, it will remain a cautionary tale instead of a viable alternative. Decentralization without governance just becomes feudalism. Admins act like petty lords of their individual instances, shielding their friends while weaponizing rules against anyone who threatens their echo chamber. Also, IN before some troll argues quality over quantity, missing the whole point, they are likely part of the quality issue themselves.

@HailsandAles@metalhead.club 1.9 million followers on Twitter, before Elon Musk. Nearly 2 million before I left Twitter for Mastodon. 60,000+ followers on Mastodon on day 1 of joining. Twitter is filth. We can agree on this. You've got more trolls than normal people on Twitter. But trolls move on. Trolls also troll everyone and don't laser focus on just one person. The Fediverse. Exposed two online scams with proof (photos, videos, documents, etc.). A completely dedicated campaign to "cancel" me and pressure admins/mods to join in. Forced to restart my following several times, despite admins/mods admitting I was right, but the "mob" was too much to deal with. Stalked for a few years on the Fedi to continue that agenda. One of those stalkers has a little over 100 accounts, the other 50. Somehow maintains more clout than I do, who did nothing wrong. You want to know why Bluesky was picked over Mastodon? Why Reddit isn't dead? They're more credible, manageable, and less hateful. Post 1 of 2

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org At this moment, I don't recall names, sorry. I am bad with names — really bad. My ex-wife, for example, for the first two months when we first started dating, I called her every pet name you could imagine... honey, sweetie, darling, babe, love, etc. All because I could not recall her simple name. It wasn't because I didn't care, and it wasn't because she wasn't important to remember — obviously, I eventually married her. But for the first two whole months, I kept forgetting. My boss, who I don't normally socialize with since I work remotely and they're on the other side of the planet, I call "boss." I'm sure they think it is a sign of respect, but it's not — I don't recall their name most of the time. So if you want me to pull the name of an anonymous screen name from several years back off the internet, or their real name which may have been associated with their donations, I'm sorry, it's not ringing a bell. I wish I could be more helpful. @HailsandAles@metalhead.club

I'm at the point where if something is not easy or not intuitive — preferably both — I don't care as much to invest the effort. Life has become too busy for me to worry about every little technicality and trivial thing standing in the way, and I'd rather move around it.

🇵🇸 Support trusted organizations in Palestine & Gaza: ⚠️ Avoid scams: Stick to established, transparent groups with proven on-the-ground track records. Here are four highly rated relief groups: 1️⃣ PCRF (Specialized medical care and life-saving aid for children) https://www.pcrf.net 2️⃣ Anera (Emergency food, clean water, healthcare, and shelter since 1968) https://www.anera.org 3️⃣ PAMA (Volunteer medical relief, clinic support, and treatments) https://pamausa.org 4️⃣ MAP (Emergency medical supplies and teams for major hospitals) https://www.map.org.uk Do your research so your support reaches those who need it most. 🤝✨ 1 of 2 #GazaRelief #SupportPalestine #WestBank #Palestine #Gaza #HumanitarianAid #MutualAid #Donate #Mastodon #FediForGaza #MutualAidRequest #HelpGaza #Share #FreePalestine #Treatment #Medicine #FediHelp #GazaChildren #GazaVerified #GazaGenocide #GazaWar #ChildrenOfGaza #Humanity #CeasefireNow #StandWithGaza #PalestinianLivesMatter #SaveGaza #Scam #Fraud

@mho@social.heise.de @fediverse Hello from Burning Board — Germany, Europe. 👋

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org In my opinion, they're indistinguishable. They're a close-knit group of friends. I believe some of them may know each other personally, which means they have each other's backs and they cover for one another, too. That is how I remember their Discord server, because they all sat there laughing their asses off when people were upset that the money gifted wasn't being used as advertised. I believe I gave the most ($1,000) out of the $2,000+ I suspect they received from all the people later who complained about it. But that isn't an official number, only the ones who claimed to have done so and I added it up. They felt so proud of their little action that I was messaged and invited to reconnect now that it was under "new management," only to find out that it wasn't. The original story was that the lead had done wrong and that everyone was caught off guard. It was all a game to them. @HailsandAles@metalhead.club