TSSZ is gone?

[Tomzilla98]

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask about this, but does anyone know why the TSSZ website is suddenly gone? I have been following both that site and Sonic Stadium for years. I usually check each website like once or twice a week to see what the newest Sonic news is, but today I just saw that the whole website seems to be shut down and I am really confused as to why. Did someone say something? 

 

Also if this is a totally inappropriate form of entering/inquiring about this, please let me know if there's some sort of chat box or something I could revert to to ask folks about this. It seems to be a really recent development (Google Images tagging the current stock image on the website to about 6 hours ago), so I figured maybe it would be talked about soon somewhere...

[Cuz]

To my understanding, the other day their twitter account posted some tweets about the protests and riots happening in the states right now. There was a bit of falling out over them. A writer quit and a house of cards effect ensued. 

[Marcello]

From Resetera:

Quote

It’s been known for years that TSSZ owner Tristan is a pretty shitty person but this is something else.

The story basically goes he was using the TSSZ twitter handle to report on the US Riots. People were commenting saying he should use his platform to share ways to help the cause or to educate people, not just report on it as if it were a news broadcast. To which Tristan responded:

People were rightfully pissed off about this comparison which led to the following tone deaf response video doubling down on the Sonic comparisons:

(Video Removed)

People have responded saying that nobody took issues with him supporting BLM, they have taken issue with the extremely poor taste of him comparing the very real world problems to the experiences of a fucking cartoon hedgehog. It is frankly straight up offensive with how tone deaf it is.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-news-site-compares-blm-riots-to-sa2-and-forces.216699/

And the Tweet announcing the closure:

 

[Starry Skydancer]

I feel like closing it is a bit much? What about the other people that run the site?  It seemsl ike Tristan pulled a "Guess i'm taking this site with me." which....please don't do that.

[Dreadknux]

Yeah, this is quite a surprising turn of events. For what it's worth, I was supporting of TSSZ's coverage/amplification of news surrounding the BLM protests before the 'Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Forces comparison' tweet happened. I can certainly see the argument that, as long as you're not editorialising anything, letting your audience (who may only know about Sonic depending on what accounts they follow) know about a huge cultural event taking place is important. Even if he did go a bit ham on the retweets, but that's neither here or there.

The comparison tweet was a misstep though, and should have resulted in a walkback from TSSZ. Sadly, that didn't happen - maybe it was heat of the moment (always a good reason to take a break from social media every now and then), or lockdown anxiety or something, but the response to community reaction to that particular tweet could have been handled better.

It certainly doesn't necessitate a shutdown of the site. For better or worse, TSSZ has been an important part of the online Sonic community and we're all the poorer for it not existing (at the very least, in archive form). I hope Tristan takes a few days to cool off and figure out a new way forward.

[Indigo Rush]

At the very least, there's been action taken to preserve some articles. @SSF1991 was able to salvage his work and archive it online. He shouldn't have needed to, Tristan should never have shut the site down, but thankfully a valuable chunk of our community history has been saved. 

If TSSZ does return, I am not confident in Tristan's ability to lead or manage it. He has shown time and again through his actions and demeanor that he is unfit for such a role, and if this whole debacle doesn't prove it, nothing will. 

I wish the best to all of the staff who were just as shocked at their loss of work. Hopefully they can also archive their articles and features and move forward to better things in the community.

[Blue Blood]

Although I'm in full agreement that Tristan was incredibly naive and inconsiderate in drawing such allegories between current events in the US and Sonic the fucking Hedgehog, the way that the community responded was similarly awful. Yes, Tristan has provem himself to be an unlikable, unkind and generally unpleasant person time and time again. He's got a bad reputation as a journalist and as a member of the community that he's responsible for himself. But after he made a couple of very problematic tweets yesterday and then defended them, he's been hounded and torn down by the community. The collective efforts of the community in this case have been bullying.

What he said was stupid, astronomically so, but that's all that it was. Sheer stupidity. He's been driven to the point where he felt it necessary to shut down the website he's been running for over two decades, something that he's never done before despite all the controversy he's been caught up in (and often brought upon himself). That has me worried about his state, and how he's being treated by people.

The site didn't need to go. The site certainly will be missed despite him saying "we will not be missed", and he himself will be missed. He needs to take a step back to reflect and regroup, and the community needs to back off now. The response he got to his actions was totally overblown because everyone had to have their own little take. It's so vitriolic and ugly. I hope that he comes back soon and that his apology of accepted. His apology, to my knowledge, came at the same time he decided to shut the site down. So I don't know how things would have gone down had he just said sorry and tried to move in from there. But I'm not loving the response I've been seeing...

EDIT: I feel like this post has got a strong sense of me insulting the guy whilst also calling for people to be nicer to him. Point is, he's behaved poorly in the past but if he wants to better after this debacle then a line should be drawn under everything and everyone should move on.

[SBR2]

I don't think the shouldn't have been covering the current events because I do support BLM and just because you're a news site about a specific thing shouldn't factor in to saying Racism is wrong and George Floyd's death was unjust. That being said comparing everything that's happening to Sonic games is unbelievably tone deaf.

Tristan has always struck me as a bit of a dick so I'm not too shocked he took the whole site down with him but it is ridiculous to do that instead of admitting you made a tasteless tweet and apologizing for it.

[Eurisko]

I felt it was an over-reaction to get some attention. I only say that because out of all the Sonic fan/news sites they react to EVERYTHING and always find some way to rub everyone up the wrong way. 

I wish TSSZ no harm and all the best but I feel a lot of drama will be avoided now they've gone.

On a side note I'm glad Donnie managed to get all his work backed up and saved. That dude works hard.

[Multikaris]

I wonder what happened to SonicCult, Sonic Blast, etc. 

 

Sonic websites are becoming a dying breed... 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Such a bitter end of TSSZ if this was it.  I mean 21 years of collective work...

[ComeAsYouAre]

The whole situation feels like a mess 

[Guergy]

It is a shame. I really like their articles especially the one on Shiro Maekawa.  

[KittyNakajima]

On 6/1/2020 at 4:24 AM, Marcello said:

From Resetera:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-news-site-compares-blm-riots-to-sa2-and-forces.216699/

And the Tweet announcing the closure:

 

^ Essentially this in a nutshell. Tristan Oliver took to making a tone deaf parallel between the adventures of a fictional video game character to the death/rightful outrage over it caused by police brutality. Sonic can come back to life at any time in any of his games with enough rings. George Floyd and the many others treated like him can not. Not only was it an incredibly flippant comparison, it also came across as some misguided plug for the website. That's what pissed people off, myself included because it was misguided empathy. I'm sure he won't ever have to worry about being stopped in a strange neighborhood and given a hard time by police because you don't sound/look/act so and so....

I don't think it would have been an issue if he had simply just covered the news with retweets and not added that comparison or started his own personal account to voice his views. Yet rather than be mature by deleting that tweet and issue an apology, he took to deleting over 20 years of work because he felt like he was being shouted down. Keep in mind that I'm emphasizing him as I know there were other people associated with the site who did not agree with or share the same stance on using the news account in such a way.

That said, will I miss the website? No, not really. I haven't read an article over there since that practice of his where he'd lurk here and other online forums during a Sonic dry spell to report on forum drama. That and the fact that he's proven time and again to be particularly apt at being a smug prick.

But I feel for those who wrote or collaborated with TSSZ that weren't pricks, who may have now very well lost years of hard work because it's so difficult for Mr. Oliver to humble himself by saying two simple words.

P.S: To those of you who remember me, hi. Just dropping by because I saw this in real time and it pissed me off something terrible.

[RadicalLaRuby]

I'll be that guy and say I don't think it should have been blown to the proportions that it has, much like the tragic events that took place before and after George Floyd. I cannot defend Tristian all the way, as I do not know him personally nor was I aware of previous issues people have had with him in the community. But I will say how he ended up handling the situation was very poor and childish. But are many of the people jumping down his throat any better?

 

While he definitely could have made a better comparison or at the very least, worded better, I do not think it's necessarily "wrong" to draw some parallels from fiction as art imitates life to various degrees. And we all have different forms of art that speak to us, no matter how silly or irrelevant it may seem to another. I've made comparisons to fictions as well (Sonic/DBZ/Tales of Symphonia/etc) and many of these contain stories of corruption, greed, racism and adversity at its most basic levels. 

 

It is very easy to forget these things when you are caught up in heightened emotions, and that's what happened. And it was on Twitter no less, so that wasn't surprising at all unfortunately, which I may add, I am personally sorry for having spent an entire day on that site, not good for your sanity. But either way, agree, disagree, that's all it's gotta be. Not another cancel fest or acting like Tristian himself committed murders.

 

Many people are angry, myself included by what's happening in the US. I'm seeing so many lies, framing, misinformation, destruction, and general hateful ignorance everywhere in regards to these events and it is painful to even witness. But tearing other people down and apart because "we need somebody to hurt right now cause we mad" isn't beneficial either. That mob mentality is exactly what's wrong with all of us. I will miss the site, but I am glad some of the staff have archived their works.

 

Some people just need to chill the fuck out, honestly. One person made a parallel to something that probably means alot to them, and doesn't make the tragedies in real life any less real or relevant.

[KittyNakajima]

14 hours ago, RadicalLaRuby said:

I'll be that guy and say I don't think it should have been blown to the proportions that it has, much like the tragic events that took place before and after George Floyd. I cannot defend Tristian all the way, as I do not know him personally nor was I aware of previous issues people have had with him in the community. But I will say how he ended up handling the situation was very poor and childish. But are many of the people jumping down his throat any better?

 

While he definitely could have made a better comparison or at the very least, worded better, I do not think it's necessarily "wrong" to draw some parallels from fiction as art imitates life to various degrees. And we all have different forms of art that speak to us, no matter how silly or irrelevant it may seem to another. I've made comparisons to fictions as well (Sonic/DBZ/Tales of Symphonia/etc) and many of these contain stories of corruption, greed, racism and adversity at its most basic levels. 

 

It is very easy to forget these things when you are caught up in heightened emotions, and that's what happened. And it was on Twitter no less, so that wasn't surprising at all unfortunately, which I may add, I am personally sorry for having spent an entire day on that site, not good for your sanity. But either way, agree, disagree, that's all it's gotta be. Not another cancel fest or acting like Tristian himself committed murders.

 

Many people are angry, myself included by what's happening in the US. I'm seeing so many lies, framing, misinformation, destruction, and general hateful ignorance everywhere in regards to these events and it is painful to even witness. But tearing other people down and apart because "we need somebody to hurt right now cause we mad" isn't beneficial either. That mob mentality is exactly what's wrong with all of us. I will miss the site, but I am glad some of the staff have archived their works.

 

Some people just need to chill the fuck out, honestly. One person made a parallel to something that probably means alot to them, and doesn't make the tragedies in real life any less real or relevant.

Let's see. Has Sonic ever been dragged by police and had their neck stepped on until unconscious, thus going into cardiac arrest? Has he ever been minding his own business when police have forcefully intruded into his home and shot him in a case of 'mistaken identity'? Has he ever been pulled over by the police for running in a strange neighborhood because he doesn't look like the locals?

 

Not exactly? Okay. You can probably pull some vague comparison to each of those examples to a real life instance given the nearly 29 year history of this franchise, but that's just it. Vague. Mr. Oliver making that comparison was exactly that. It felt half assed and insincere as he used what is essentially meant as mental escape (i.e. video game) to validate his connection to a real world issue. If the only way you can relate to police brutality/racial profiling et al is through a few select plot points from a fictional character as opposed to seeing recent history repeat itself and a plea for basic civil humanity, then you need to reassess your train of thought. There are more than enough examples of racial disparity within the last 100 years of U.S. history to reference before falling back on a blue hedgehog (i.e. Emmet Till, George Stinney, Eric Gardner, Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile...)

I'll end with this - you can always get an extra life with 100 rings in any Sonic title. George Floyd and the many others before and unfortunately there after do not have such a luxury.

 

[Wraith]

Tristan was given more than a day to deliver a walkback or clarification. It was on him for sticking to his guns and even escalating the situation further by being rude to those offended by the comment. I honestly think he could have said that and gotten away with far less blowback if not for what he did afterward. 

Sonic has some parallels to real life political issues but on the whole a fictional world mostly devoid of the consequences we face from these issues in our day to day. It rarely has any substantial commentary or insight on things like police brutality and systematic oppression even if it leans into those tropes readily. It comes at these issues with a childlike perspective, which is completely fine. It's just not what a group of full grown adults need at the moment when we're facing very real, very tragic conditions. 

In the aftermath of a tragedy where people are seeking real insight and ways to heal, it was a bad comparison. Not irredeemable, but it was absolutely the wrong thing to say at the time. If people had problems with Tristan covering the BLM movement, he could have just as easily told them to eat a dick and carried on because it was important. He didn't need Sonic's permission. 

Everyone says dumb shit in the heat of moments like these though, so I would have been willing to let him off and carry on had it not been for his childish response afterward. Take your hits on the chin like an adult and just be better next time. No need to spite the entire community over blowback from your mistake. 

If TSSZ does return then I hope it's not under Tristan. He's never been fit to run a major news pillar in the community and this is the latest in a long line of incidents that prove that. 

[RadicalLaRuby]

1 hour ago, Wrapped in Black said:

Tristan was given more than a day to deliver a walkback or clarification. It was on him for sticking to his guns and even escalating the situation further by being rude to those offended by the comment. I honestly think he could have said that and gotten away with far less blowback if not for what he did afterward. 

Sonic has some parallels to real life political issues but on the whole a fictional world mostly devoid of the consequences we face from these issues in our day to day. It rarely has any substantial commentary or insight on things like police brutality and systematic oppression even if it leans into those tropes readily. It comes at these issues with a childlike perspective, which is completely fine. It's just not what a group of full grown adults need at the moment when we're facing very real, very tragic conditions. 

In the aftermath of a tragedy where people are seeking real insight and ways to heal, it was a bad comparison. Not irredeemable, but it was absolutely the wrong thing to say at the time. If people had problems with Tristan covering the BLM movement, he could have just as easily told them to eat a dick and carried on because it was important. He didn't need Sonic's permission. 

Everyone says dumb shit in the heat of moments like these though, so I would have been willing to let him off and carry on had it not been for his childish response afterward. Take your hits on the chin like an adult and just be better next time. No need to spite the entire community over blowback from your mistake. 

If TSSZ does return then I hope it's not under Tristan. He's never been fit to run a major news pillar in the community and this is the latest in a long line of incidents that prove that. 

Like I said, the way he handled it overall handled poorly and childish, much like everyone else who was attacking him. Perhaps worse so for what he ended up doing as a whole, with the whole guilt tripping message (yes, that was super ridiculous). And while it's not quite the time to get into all that, I'd still actually like to know if it's no trouble what other transgressions he has with the community, because apparently he's made many mistakes. 

 

Regardless, i wanted to share my perspective, and in fact, this was the only place I could think of doing so. Of course real life is always going to be much more brutal and ugly compared to what media meant for kids would be. Obviously those kinds of things won't really be implemented, but more so the messages will always be told to us in some form or another. They were made and exist for a reason, because something in real life inspired it to be. Some people learn basics of social/racial issues that way, others don't.