No Ties (Patreon)

Hey all,

The latest poll has become quite contentious for a number of reasons. Obviously there's a lot of emotion about this choice and a part of me is grateful to see how many people connect so passionately to this show, it's inspiring in a way.

However it seems a small number feel like this justifies unkindness, mean-spiritedness, manipulative poor faith arguments and moreover a reason to just no longer treat others in this space with respect. That is unacceptable.

Furthermore, it seems like a great deal of this issue is stemming from the "rule" about No Ties, one that I've said in the past. This has never been an "official" rule but a way to articulate my feelings on the ties and rather than continue this way - let me be decisive myself:

From here on, there will be no ties. If there is a tie, I'll simply choose one of the options myself.

Why? Because ties are not intended to be an aspect of the "game" or story. When we had 10 voters, ties were much more common and there was a bit of an interesting story element to having the meta "punish" the indecisiveness of the voters. The idea that between two branching paths - you are struck with indecision was a compelling thought and one that was worthwhile seeing the results of... but that's no longer the case.

Instead, people are attempting to tie not because of indecision but because of intention. Either wanting the worst possible outcome, wanting to "choose both" or wanting to just cause frustration to other fans. This forces others to feel they need to defend either my intention or the integrity of the vote; rather than both parties voting for what they want to vote for.

So, as much as I truly did love the notion of ties at times - the idea that without being decisive you could not walk either path - I'm just going to officially stop the fun and say, "No Ties" anymore.

Finally, circling back to my first points about unkindness, maybe it's just the weather but I'm not okay with it right now. Any unkindness, subtle or overt, will be acted on. Whether it's refunding your pledge, removing your comment, blocking you from the Discord or simply changing the voting system altogether; I'm not in the mood.

This is the end of Season 5, it's meant to be a time of reflection on where we've come and excitement around this vote. If you cannot, even pretend, to have common courtesy then I don't think you deserve to be apart of this.

Good luck.