The Hakuouki Zine’s favorite pastime: Double Standards
August 25, 2025
Autumn was disqualified from the Hakuouki zine almost instantly after vague “harassment” claims — no transparent explanation, just a template reply from staff. Meanwhile, vicecommanderhijikata — a repeat harasser with abusive comments, dozens of hostile DMs, and even links to a hate blog — was left completely untouched. And to make things worse, one of the loudest attackers of Autumn, Ladyyomi, openly bragged about her “friends” being selected as zine authors. Why is this the standard? Why are harassers protected while victims are punished? Why the double standard?
I asked the Hakuouki Zine staff to clarify their decision-making process. – Who made the decision to remove Autumn? – Did Onino/vicecommanderhijikata’s accusations play a role? – Were conflicts of interest recorded?
These are basic transparency questions, the kind any journalist or community observer would ask. Instead of answers, I received a “last warning” that any further mention would be treated as harassment.
Why is asking for transparency framed as harassment, while repeated DMs, defamatory posts, and a troll blog are excused as “unrelated”?
This is not about one writer. It’s about power. When institutions or fandom projects refuse transparency, and instead weaponize the label of “harassment” to silence questions, they show their true priorities: protecting their network, not the community.
