.....better or worse?....I pried until the center stand foot left the floor? Yet you kept doing it?
You may not need PM's or discussions on the white courtesy phone, but I find its a lot safer talking to someone, asking questions, making sure they understand everything, and that they have the correct tools, rather than just posting something like "I've never done this before, but I did it by prying stuff, so that's what you should do" etc.
Or that's what the person reading what you did may do, since he may think you know what your doing etc.
Not everyone should be undertaking such jobs without the correct tools and instructions, just my opinion.
And as far as your "for better or worse" comment, the damaged TB in the picture(s) was from someone who read your post, and tried to pry it off.
While it worked for you, because you may have had more skill, talent, or patience, the person that tried what you did, obviously was a little heavy handed, and didn't have the same results.
This is why I find that taking time, discussing stuff, and asking a lot of questions before I suggest doing something works better for me.
There have been several times, after talking to people, that I found they either didn't have the correct tools, knowledge, or skill, to attempt what they wanted to do, so I would go to plan B, and get them some hands on assistance, or refer them to someone who could help them.
I'm not trying to find fault on a regular basis, I guess I'm just getting tired of trying to repair damage done by folks following certified youtube mechanics instructions.
Instead of doing normal service work, I spend more time replacing broken and damaged stuff, because "that's what the youtube video said to do" or what I read on the forum(s).
If folks took the time to talk and explain stuff before the job was attempted, it would save a lot of folks, a lot of money etc.