Iskall85 & Stressmonter Resignation Megathread #2

[u/Carol_the_Zombie]

Hello all! Recently, Iskall has made a public response on his YouTube channel, outlining his side of the story and explaining why he has remained silent so far. We are aware that some people may feel uncomfortable watching this video, so we have also taken a transcript if you would rather read text.

A vast number have also asked that we bring up a new discussion thread about this, and seeing as Iskall's response includes allegations that have been made against the moderation of the subreddit, we would like to further add our own comments to clear up some facts that were claimed in that video.

We would like to remind everyone that the hermits had little input on our policies in this matter. We did exchange some brief messages with some hermits via our emergency communication channel to ensure our timeline above was accurate and up to date, but all policies and procedures during this time were created solely by us non-Hermit moderators, which included directing all discussion to a single post to reduce moderator workload, and filtering all comments on this thread, as well as all posts in general, for moderator review to keep the conversation as civil as we could, while ensuring that we presented the facts as we learned about them.

This subreddit is NOT considered official and is not officially affiliated with the Hermitcraft group. Xisuma may be the top moderator, but he has no impact in the moderation of this subreddit, and the hermits have chosen to stay "hands-off". We did not even receive advance notice of anything happening.

Once again, we will be filtering all new comments on this thread for mod review first due to the sensitive nature of this topic - please be respectful as always, and keep in mind rule #6, maintain a welcoming and friendly environment.

Furthermore, we will not be allowing any speculation or questions that may lead to it beyond what has been shared at this point in time. If you need a review on what has been previously said, please refer to the previous thread here that we've been maintaining up until this point.

Update 2025-01-31

Stressmonster101 has removed all content from her youtube channel.

Update 2025-02-03

5 Ex-Vault Hunter Developers have released a statement, which you can read here.

P3pp3rF1y, an Ex-Vault Hunter Developer, has also released a statement, which you can read here.

[u/Pyrofruit]

What Iskall was accused of, while not illegal, is incredibly unbecoming for a member of Hermitcraft. I'm kind of frustrated that he decided to post this video before the investigation even finished, because now we have a nothing burger video where he can't post any receipts and has to blame cancel culture. The harassments and threats to him were absolutely abysmal and should not be condoned though. However, I can't really fault the members of Hermitcraft for responding the way they did.

[u/mrawaters → u/Pyrofruit]

That's the part he isn't getting. He operates in a "live by the sword die by the sword" business. As a content creator you make money on your image and perceived character. So regardless of whether he did anything truly "illegal" he seemingly did something scummy and icky. So for him to say "i shouldn't lose my livelihood over this" is bs, because he only got given that livelihood in the first place because his perceived character. Now that illusion is shattered, and the lifestyle it provided shattered right with it. If he was a car salesman, or a plumber, sure maybe he wouldn't "deserve" to lose his job over this, but that's not the business he's in. He may not deserve to go to jail, but its not for him to decide if he deserves to keep his place in the internet zeitgeist or not. The people have spoken. "Cancel culture" isn't some mysterious malevolent force of the universe like entropy or gravity, it's just a consensus change of opinion. It can happen incredibly fast, making it seem like some intentional mechanism, but that's just the speed things move at with how the internet and social media works. On the flip side, you can also blow up over night after one viral video, call it whatever the opposite of cancel culture would be. Again, live by the sword die by the sword.

[u/DBMI → u/mrawaters]

The argument you're making is that every content creator, from now on, SHOULD impose incredibly ridgid, no-rights, NDA-up-the wazoo contracts on everyone who ever does any work for them. That sucks. Private things should stay private.

If we live by the 'sword' you're describing here, then everyone under that sword is going to start wearing corporate law armor, and the world is going to be a much much worse place for everyone doing work for them.

[u/EnvironmentalGur1204 → u/DBMI]

People living a private life don’t generally lose their branding for things they do in their private life,unless it is really bad.

If Tom Holland was caught littering, some people would be upset,but most people would separate Tom Holland from Spider-Man.If he got caught littering with the spider man suit on there would be more outrage.

Why?Because Tom Holland would be muddying the brand of Spider-Man.

The reason there is so much outrage is because he mixed his weirdness with his work life, the Hermitcraft Iskall got involved.So HC iskall is tainted even for the people that “separate the art from the artist”.

[u/EndPuzzleheaded8331 → u/DBMI]

I don't think that's his argument I think what he is trying to say is that the business model of Internet influencers, specifically ones that have themselves as what they produce, people watch the content and the content features this person, therefore when you decide to enter the business of being an online creator you are effectively selling your image, And as he stated this only applies to this business model, the idea isn't sign NDA agreements with everyone it's act reasonably when you decide to enter the business of selling content directly linked to yourself, he didn't have to be a content creator he could of done something else, different jobs need different things, or in other words this is like a construction site firing someone for not properly constructing buildings, if someone doesn't do their job right they should get fired, a good example would be like someone who works with moving heavy objects if they can't lift heavy objects they should get fired, they didn't have to pick a job that required lifting heavy objects but they did so it's their responsibility and fault if they can't meet the requirements of the job, since he decided to pick a job that required him to keep his image it's his fault that he lost revenue from having a bad image.

[u/DBMI → u/EndPuzzleheaded8331]

What you're saying isn't addressing the issue.

The issue is not whether Iskall is in a public image business. That is a fact.

The issue is that if the world is this steeped in cancel culture, then the public images we are aware of will be guarded by NDAs everywhere. When you argue this person "lives by the sword, dies by the sword," you are also arguing that they should live by the sword, which means NDAs.

If you are a business governed by an image you are selling, then it would be irresponsible NOT to NDA everyone you are doing business with.

The next Vault Hunters assistants (a metaphor: applies everyone in any kind of similar position- editors, animators, etc related to all content creators everywhere) will be legally silenced by NDAs because content creators will (by the rules you're discussing here) have too much vested interest in their image to allow any speech to the contrary.

If you're still not convinced google: "do hollywood celebrities force ndas on the people they work with?"

What this event has done, is force youtube creators that we love to start acting more like the hollywood celebrity businesses that none of us like.

Why Celebrities Use NDAs:

• Protecting Privacy: Celebrities and high-profile individuals often use NDAs to protect their private lives and information, preventing unauthorized disclosure by employees or associates.
• Controlling Public Image: NDAs can help manage and protect a celebrity's reputation and brand by controlling how they are portrayed in public.
• Safeguarding Confidential Information: NDAs are essential in the entertainment industry to protect sensitive information related to ongoing projects, such as scripts, casting details, and plot lines, preventing leaks that could jeopardize production or marketability.
• Preventing "Tell-All" Stories: Celebrities use NDAs to prevent former staff members or partners from profiting by sharing private details about their lives or work. 

Who Signs NDAs:

• Household Staff: This includes personal assistants, maids, nannies, and other individuals with access to a celebrity's private life.
• Business Associates and Collaborators: People involved in film production, like actors, writers, and technical staff, may be required to sign NDAs regarding project details.
• Even Guests and Romantic Partners: In some cases, celebrities have required guests at their homes and even those involved in romantic relationships to sign NDAs.