[Guarantee of Staff Age]

16 hours ago, Zelmana said:

-quote to not busy up the thread with pictures-

7 hours ago, Shimmer said:

--quote to make this easier to read-

Both examples feature mistakes, yeah, you can fix them with Photoshop, but that's exactly my point. It takes effort. Like, the first example doesn't have the state of Indiana in the top left, and the second example garbles the word commissioner. Sure, those can be fixed in Photoshop. Maybe even running it through an AI more than once can fix it. But again, it takes effort. And the more someone has to edit something, the more liable they are to overlook mistakes in it. Not to mention, I acknowledge again and again, a 100% foolproof system does not exist. Cannot exist. Without breaching privacy to an insane degree. like yeah, I can go fake a discord message right now. Does that mean that discord messages should just never be trusted and it's never justified for someone to show their DM's since it's a breach of another person's privacy? Like, admins still make judgments on those.

Also, it would concern lettering, not faceswap ID. Showing both birthdate and face ID would, I think, be too much information. If the team wants it, they can.

The point is, the more information is available about an individual, the easier a judgment becomes. Yes, some 15-year-olds can show up with their dad's ID that says he's 35. Now we know he's supposed to be that age, does he behave that way? Do his linked accounts corroborate that? Maybe there have been messages in the past where he said he's 23 or 25. Younger people are not very likely to try and claim they are above 25. Again, it's more info, it's more effort, it adds to the admin arsenal. And again, this will be used on a very limited pool of users is what we have to remember. Two admins in here already claim they can, with 100% certainty, claim they know everyone in the team is above 18. As Zelm pointed out, we thought this too back in the day and ended up with mods that were as young as 13. If we had this system, I am confident some of them would have either not even tried to get on the team by faking it. Or would have made faulty fakes.

I do hope nothing like this happens. But it did. It can again. And if it does, I hope the bravado and jokes get y'all through that one, too.

Anyways, I'm just kind of answering the same questions in circles at this point. So I won't really reply unless a new one shows up.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

1 minute ago, Fyni said:

We can use anecdotes of our younger days all we want.

I have no idea what makes your anecdotal claim more valid than mine. Yes, you are a unique case. As am I. We cannot account for each individual; we can, however, reduce the pool to very specific cases.
 

2 minutes ago, Fyni said:

 Are you saying we know that some IDs are wrong, because it shows they are old, and we know somehow they are not that old? You're back to just using trust and judgement calls again. You entire system breaks down, because it relies on the same judgement call of other staff.

Having more information about a person/situation generally leads to having an easier time making a decision, yes. This is like claiming that gamelogs are worthless, because having extra information about the round doesn't matter, since the admins are making the judgement calls anyways.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

5 minutes ago, Fyni said:

In what world is this "hard to fake"? As a teenager I regually was able to get my hands on my parents IDs and the like. Useless to buy things with - there is a picture and as a teen I was obviously not older - but 100% useable for your proposition.

It is completely worthless as an age verification meathod.

Again, much harder to steal your parents ID and take a photo of it in secret with a snippet of paper, unless your parents also allow you to just take photos of their IDs. At which point, like I said, eventually it's not on the staff, it's on the parents. As I said, there is just a line we have to draw on how far we can take internet safety. Full ID? I don't trust admins enough for that. No ID? I don't trust the admins on that. Date of birth? I believe this is the best compromise.

To counter anecdotal evidence with my own. My parents did not let me just grab their IDs william nilliam. When I was at home without them, they worked, and their IDs were with them. When they were home, they would have spotted me doing that. So I never considered doing it. Even though I was in situations in which I wanted to buy alcohol over the internet and an ID verification was required. Of course, I live in Eastern Europe, so I simply approached the clerk and bought alcohol at the store by telling them I am 18, and I did not look 18. We call this a literary parallel.

Outside of that, it's just more likely that a parent is going to be around 30-40 (Statistically, average age of a parent in Europe/North America is around 30). This age is a lot harder for a teen to fake than 18, doubly so if they have some kind of an existing internet footprint. It increases the chances of other admins spotting if something is sketchy.

If someone indeed has very inattentive, very young parents who allow them to have full access to their IDs, take photos of them, and they are so inclined as to get into our admin team. Well, that is simply something we'll have to accept might happen. But it is much less likely to happen and requires quite a few more conditions.

 

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

I typed up a really big and handsome post but it logged me out.

Lightning Round:

"My government ID" - Repeatedly conflating a fully blacked-out ID card except for one window, with posting the whole ID card is, at this point, a malicious misinterpretation meant to ellicit an easy "And then the whole bus stood up and clapped". As Stripes suggested, I think a slip of paper with a Ckey, current date, and a completely blanked ID except the date of birth is a perfect cross of private, secure, and hard to fake. Not to mention, it would allow admins to no longer admit their age to the whole server, as that field could be taken out. Which would help prevent cases of cyberstalking.

"It's easy to fake" - No, no, it really isn't. It IS easy to grab a fake ID off of an internet, it is much harder to photoshop a convincing physical timestamp into it. And if a child is stealing their ID from their parents, well at that point that's a family issue not a server issue. There are limits to all systems. We can put a warning not to put forks in microwaves, but we cannot anticipate putting grenades in it.

"People can get through this with effort" - There is a gap 3 miles wide between the effort it takes to fake a photo with a timestamp and the effort it takes to go "I am 18 I just look 15" on an application. 

"UK law and 18+ sites" - This is irrelevant. I am not asking for an entire ID. The issue for them is mostly traffic, as mass traffic requires mass identification, which requires bots to simply identify basic signs of an ID. I assume the staff team does not have the traffic of pornhub, so checking should be a lot safer. Not to mention, they've admitted in 2023 to hosting illegal content knowingly and accepting money from advertisements. So I do not give a shit about them. 

"We are friends and we trust each other" - Okay, that's a perfect environment for such a system then.

Arguments I agree with:

"This is uncomfortable" - Valid reason to oppose this, and no way to argue against this. It's emotional, yes, but it's a video game, and those should not make you uncomfortable. It's why it is a policy suggestion. I simply urge you to consider whether this comfort offsets the potential ramifications that might come of this right now, or down the line.

"The other suggestions are laughable." - Yes, I already said they're flawed in the proposition. Because they were alternatives. Because I am not trying to "le ebin goddem trolge XDDD" the admin team. I am trying to meet them all down the middle. I admit my responses had been snippy and curt yesterday, because the first two posts were already trying to poison the whole discussion. The date of birth idea is simply, I believe, the best cross between security and anonymity. Yes, other alternatives are easier to fake, but I believe ANYTHING is better than nothing.

If the administration does not consider that a concern. Well, I hope nothing happens in the future. But I would at least like to suggest that the moderator sign-up rules be updated to include that rule enforcement staff should be above 18 years of age.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

Stripes usefully pointed out, nobody is demanding the whole ID. You can just black out the whole thing except for the date. Something I already said in the initial proposal. So I'd like to use this to ask the staff team to respect the rules of this forum and read the whole thread before posting in it. 

"Someone can edit theirs or check metadata."

1) The point is to complicate the process, not to make it impossible to bypass. The more steps there are, the less likely someone is to put in the effort to bypass it. It's important to acknowledge there is a limit to what the team can do. My point is to be a tiny bit more strict than a checkbox that goes "are you over the age of 18?" 
2) You would be sending this picture to literally 1 person, an existing admin (or a headmin). If you do not trust an existing admin not to datamine a picture and dox you, then genuinely, why are you applying to be a moderator on such a server.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

3 hours ago, CampinKiller said:

I'm not submitting any form of government ID to anyone on this server nor am I going to ask someone to submit theirs either

As demonstrated in this application, there are many ways to show one's age without revealing their ID. The point isn't to doxx admins, but rather to simply complicate the sign-up process for someone who would potentially be a teenager and to better check the current team. Which is why I included two other alternatives to showing ID. An ID is simply the most objectively provable, and came to mind as the simplest and most obvious solution.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

1 minute ago, Loorey said:

I genuinely cannot tell if this is another attempt at baiting by you, or not. But let's assume you mean this.

If we are going by your vague reasoning of "...they're the most likely to get exposed..." then we should make this entire server 18+ and have everyone provide identification at entrance, because if (a bad actor, community member or whoever not) talks about NSFW things or NSFW-leaning things - what here makes us more exposed to the content than anyone else that is also on the server? Your reasoning has zero foundation, really.

Beyond that, I think I can confidently say all of the modmin team is at least 18 or above from interactions and their applications alone. 

 

The rule enforcement team investigates (presumably, maybe this has changed) not only people saying naughty words or posting a bad picture. SS13 is a game full of very odd people, and historically, there have been many more serious cases that required genuine long-form investigation, which also meant long-term engagement with the inappropriate content. Not to mention the many times a griefer will simply harass an admin or spam them with death threats.

To simplify it.
While everyone can have their house burn down, a fireman is going to be exposed to much more fire than the average person. So I believe it would be good if the firemen were adults.

I would rather be secure in knowing the person who is volunteering to deal with some of the worst things in SS13 is an adult. This isn't to prove a point or be an ageist. It is simply an increased degree of assurance. As I said, a written confirmation of age would be the best and safest. But there are other (more flawed) ways of doing this.

Lastly, entering a thread saying "I don't know if you are being serious or not," then completely misreading (misunderstanding?) what I said, does not make me feel very assured that you have any idea if someone is an adult over text or their application alone.

[Guarantee of Staff Age]

Staff have been talking and enforcing the rule of "This server is 13 up" on the server and Discord a lot more.

I believe this has left a blind spot, which is the staff itself.

Adminstaff and Modstaff, in particular, enforce these rules, which means they're the most likely to get exposed to NSFW, graphic, violent, or illegal content. ( I am excluding Lore/CCIA/Coders as those aren't required to view harmful content for rule enforcement.)

Logically, minors should not be on the rule enforcement team, and as of now, the only thing stopping them is a single question that asks how old they are. This is easily lied about, and there wasn't a ruling on underage admins before. I started when I wasn't 18.

Thus, I believe that Adminstaff/Modstaff and other staff which deals with OOC rule enforcement should provide legal proof of their age within the confines of privacy laws. I believe the current existing staff should go through this check if this passes. And from then on, every applicant should provide proof before they are added to the team.

I would propose an ID card with all identifying information censored except the date of birth. Logically, only shared with a Headmin or the admin who is doing the interview.  Alternatively, more hacksawed solutions could be taking a picture of themselves buying an alcoholic drink, with a date.  Doing a voice check in VC (although this is faulty, but better than nothing). Or simply showing their face (Again, flawed, but it's better than just asking).

[Remove the art of the Tajara getting domed from the Lobby Art Rotation]

Hello, I am an aurora artist and this is my art.

I posted this piece of art in the discord, I was not warned or told it was inappropriate for the server. At a later date, I was approached by Weezy who asked me for some images, I gave him this one as well as others, since I believe it reflects the Tajara lore well. Mainly in regards to how dark it can go. (After all I wrote some of it!)

I personally disagree with the assessment that it's too gorey.

However, I understand if people are feeling squeamish over it and don't enjoy seeing it. Thus, if the admin decision comes to it being too much, I'd be fine with editing out the blood splatter and simply leaving in the implication of the bullet.

 

[Ban the usage of AI-generated content on the Wiki (and elsewhere?)]

7 hours ago, Triogenix said:

The topic of images on the wiki - and how we get them - is something that has the potential to get the owner(s) of the server in legitimate and serious legal trouble; this is not a hyperbole or overstatement to my knowledge. It might sound silly, and I may be incorrect, but in cases like this, I've learned it's better to stay on the safe side.

Therefore, while I understand people in the community have strong thoughts and opinions on this topic, now that the suggestion has been made, this is something that will be discussed and decided on internally. I don't mean to sound rude or dismissive, but the community isn't the ones at risk of getting into legal trouble or having to deal with similar issues over stuff on the wiki (and how we got it), and I give all the weight to the thoughts of those who are at risk. If I want outside opinions, suggestions, or otherwise, I'll ask for them. Until then, this is the last post I'll make on this thread.

12 hours ago, Triogenix said:

2) Being able to draw/create graphics isn't and should never be a requirement to be on the lore team.

3) It is unfair to expect staff members to spend their own money - in addition to the time they already contribute to Aurora - to commission artists to do stuff for the wiki.

4) EU copyright law (and copyright law in general) is weird, and I don't fully understand it. I don't know what non-AI images/graphics can be taken from the internet outside of ones created for the purpose of the AuroraStation wiki.

This is enough of a justification to suspend their usage. As you said, Wiki has always erred on the side of caution since time immemorial. And as you said image creation is not a requirement for the wiki, nor to join the staff. So there won't be a big loss for suspending them.

We've always banned the use of images from Google specifically because we cannot guarantee we have permission for their usage. Similarly, we cannot guarantee any of the images Cael generated on the Port Antilla page were made by him. There is no signature on the artwork itself, besides it being obvious it was generated. He does not have any files proving he made it, nor can we ask the artist. And I doubt he has screenshots of himself generating that content. For all we know he found these AI generated images on Google, put them on the wiki, and said "made by Dreamjourney" or whatever the software is. I am not saying he did so. But it's an unnecessary risk we're setting up ourselves for. This is a huge vulnerability, mainly now when copyright bots are rampant. As you said, the server owners are the ones who are going to face legal trouble, not the person who uploads these.

Outside of that, to re-iterate others points, insane aura loss. It's at this point proven that most people attribute obviously AI generated images to scams, grifters, and lazy/cheap businesses. The fact that none of the ugly-ass mangastudio images I made for Taj lore were ever the center of this many controversies speaks volumes about how little people value AI images over the shittiest artworks made by humans.  Not to mention we have previously removed images because they created bad associations even if they were legal to use. As a Taj writer, I distinctly remember removing the WW2 propaganda images of nazis and soviets portrayed as cats, because it created a bad association with the species. Even though those images were by that time in public commons and thus allowed.

For flavor, this is a conspiracy theory and I have no way to prove it. But ever since the playerbase has started enaging more and more with AI art, AI articles and AI generated whitelist applications. There has been an exponential increase in bots that prowl this forum. There have always been "waves" of bots. But now they stick around and obviously read anything we post here.

I frankly think it is absolutely bizzare that aurora is batting for this at all. It's already had an internal discussion on this in the past, it was decided to not allow it for reasons stated above. Cael was told multiple times not to do it, it's disappointing he had done it by the time I quit.  It's my fault for not writing that down as head wiki dev at the time as I could have prevented this entire frankly stupid headache. But I suspect it would have been ignored anyway even if I had written it down.

And to put things in context.

The entire face of the wiki was created from scratch by Kyres. The aurora lobby flashes images made by artists, commissioned or free, from the community. The wiki is littered by works from me, for lore I wasn't even part of or after I had left staff. The entire Unathi page glistens with Wolfies art. Hell, the heads of Idris? Zavod? NT? Made by Lancer in mspaint using mouse and keyboard. Not to mention the numerous small artworks and graphic designs people have made in gimp or photoshop. And of course, the innumerable sprites made by volunteers from every part of the world, dedicated spriters. Hell the code itself! Generations of coders building off of each other's backs to make this server what it is. All of this was made voluntarily, donated voluntarily.

I think it's hyena-like behavior to continuously take from a community and then refuse to simply remove a few images you yourself claim are "unimportant".

Finally, if you haven't read any of the above. I don't hold it against you. Shits long and boring. But I want you to read this lower part.

In Unathi lore there is a page called "Unathi Guilds".

On top of that page, is one painting that Wolfie made. I watched her make it in a stream. It's not her best work, and she'd be the first to admit it. But it's hers, it is there, and it will always be hers no matter what names you change on it. Writer, artist, very controversial figure, and roleplayer, nevertheless she contributed what she could. Beneath it is the Heph logo, made by Nursiekitty, an iconic logo for an iconic company. She was a moderator, admin, and contributor, and the name of her character is still immortalized as the first person to ever encounter Vaurca.

Beneath these two images rest three more. The first one made by "StarryAI" is large, but kept very small, I assume so it is harder to notice the vague nonsensical smear square shape in the middle of it. I guess the free trial ran out before it could be generated out. Even lower, two images by "NightCafe", 200x200 pixels large. Did the free version not provide bigger ones? Or were they shrunken this way? Maybe they're just thumbnails saved off of google images, and that's why they're so small and low quality? I don't know, I can't talk to the computer. But neither of these AI's ever was in the community. Noone here talked to them. Neither of them know what Aurora is. I doubt anyone here even knows these two companies existed (or if they still exist).

I think I'd be on the side of the first two rather than the latter two.
 

[The Many Memes and Images of various Auroratidude.]

[The Many Memes and Images of various Auroratidude.]

Not related to Aurora, I'm just proud of these Mike Mignola studies:

 

 

[The Many Memes and Images of various Auroratidude.]

Uploaded all art into gallery since I forgot my password lol.

[The Many Memes and Images of various Auroratidude.]

New art roasted and posted in my gallery. See above.

[www.adhomaichronicle.com/news]

Scientists Caught; Tajani Launch Revealed to be Sabotage!

14.01.2464

 

Last year a collective of brilliant PRA scientists alongside a foreign aid from the Federation dared to see above the skies and launch a new satellite into orbit. In the name of advancement, the people, and the PRA. However, bad tongues shared this brilliance with those who should have not heard, and Raskaran pens signed the documents that invited the two saboteurs into the midst of the brilliant science team. They have eluded the brilliant police force, until a week ago.

While the arrest was carried out seven days ago, the information was not shared until today, out of fear of interference. According to the freshly published report, Ilvyat Kraschim and his wife Vladya were identified by a local samaritan, and their location, the house of the spouse’s mother, was reported by a neighbor. Both have been rewarded for their service to the government.

After the criminals were located, officers forced their way inside. Despite the officers announcing their intent to arrest them peacefully, Vladya, her father, her mother, and her brother all violently resisted arrest. The officers were forced to defend themselves with lethal force and neutralize the threats. Ilvyat Kraschim was not present and was captured later in a local shop, he was compliant and his arrest was peaceful. The onlookers applauded the bravery of the officers as the entire arrest went off without a hitch.

Today, the authorities released a signed and recorded confession of Ilvyat Kraschim. They will show the transcript here:

Spoiler

A recording of an Orange Tajara with a PSIS officer standing behind him flickers on the screen, it is of extremely low quality due to being streamed from a very remote location. The Tajara seems to look down at something off-camera before he begins reciting

“He and his wife have committed an act of sabotage against the People’s Republic of Adhomai. The Tajani IV was not the fault of material failure or forced prison labor, they sabotaged it. No foreign agency was involved in the sabotage, he and his wife hated the PRA. They supported the violent takeover of Adhomai by religious sects. He and his wife will be allowed to be rehabilitated in these facilities and re-enter public life in ten years. He wants to thank the PRA Authorities for stopping him and for allowing him to reunite with his wife after his confession. He thanks, Hadii’s grace comrades.”

A hand gets in front of the camera and seems to lift away something that looks like paper, the feed cuts off.

 

The Adhomai Chronicle would like to congratulate the diligent agents of PSIS and government police in catching these perpetrators.

Hadii’s Grace!

[Tau Ceti Times]

Free Weekend? We Got Your Back!

You wake up, it’s 8 in the morning and you have a rare free Sunday, what now? Well, worry not, because we at Times Culture have your backs. Our reporters and journalists have gone into the streets to fish out the hottest and newest hits. Some are so hot, you might burn yourself on them, so be careful!

First off is the new-old, old-new band, Bloodstorm! That’s right, our favorite Tajara band is going to be releasing a hit new album. The title? New World Gods! They promise it’ll be as rage fuelled as their previous hits, taking shots at the newly formed SCC and primarily at Nanotrasen, ouch! The spokesman for the band, Vargir Stenovich elaborated to our journalists.

Quote

“New environment, same old [Censored] to take down and tread on,” he explained.

For all fans interested, their first concert will be hosted in the District 6 Arena with police oversight to prevent any hostilities, in just 3 days! However, we have an exclusive scoop that they’ll be performing various secret shows in undisclosed bars and locations.

Advisory: Skrell audiences are advised to avoid the district 6 Arena during the concert.

Next up, brought to you from the famed Konymation studios, the seventh season of the animated series Stormman has finally been released in Tau Ceti! Here only a week after premiering on Konyang, life on the entire planet had practically been put on hold for a couple of days as everyone flocked to their screens to watch the ten brand new episodes! Don’t miss the masked hero as he once more dons his suit, harnessing the raw power of the stormy weather to avenge his loss from season six… and what else? Of course, to beat up those that try to stop him! Watch it now on ETX Network, exclusive distributors in Tau Ceti.

Advisory: Mature audiences only. Contains scenes of violence and gore.

After that, we’ve got some hot news straight from the Jargon Federation! Weshi Beshi, the idol behind such hits as ‘Feel My Wake’ and ‘Carry On’, has announced that they will be doing an online performance of their soon-to-be-released album ‘I Need’ next week. Weshi said in a dual Viv-ID and Chirper announcement that this performance will be streamed on all available services, and as an added bonus it will be performed almost entirely in Tau Ceti Basic! This will be the first major attempt by a Federation idol to reach a non-Skrell audience, so be sure to not miss out on this milestone! Links to the event will be shared on Weshi Beshi’s Viv-ID and Chirper pages.

[The Royal Telegraph]

Cultural Hour: New Act at the Royal Theater; Prince Oliinyk Handles Critique

13.12.2463

 

This week, the usual program at the Kaltir Royal Theater was interrupted as a new, sponsored act was scheduled to appear. Prince Serhiy Oliinyk, a long-term patron and supporter of the arts, was the one to schedule this change. While the gentry was upset at first at the modification of venue from inside to outside, after drinks and food were distributed, courtesy of the prince, the mood improved and the act could begin. On the menu? Crown Voices.

Crown Voices are an all-female band, composed of Masha Il-Azura, Ilvya  Kolovova, and I’sha S’rremich. The singing group was accompanied by a troupe crudely titled “The Underclass Brass”. Their voices rang out into the snow, as poorer Tajara who could not afford the venue flocked to the newly built wooden fences and barricades. A minor scene was caused as the constabulary was called, however, they could do very little as the close proximity of the venue to the day-to-day streets and living areas gave the ill-listeners an easy excuse to avoid trouble with the law.

This was not the only gaffe that had happened that night, as multiple paying patrons left the venue, realizing that both the band and the singer trio did not include a single Njarir or noble. Among them another long-standing patron and lover of the arts, Count Tscherim Sanguszko, who had previously attempted to stop the play but was unable to due to his inebriated state.

While at the time the trio and their band received a standing ovation both from members of lower nobility, and, to remind the reader, non-paying listeners, on the outskirts. The reviews which have recently arrived point towards a less positive reception among the academic crowds. A few excerpts will be featured here; purely to maintain neutrality and journalistic honesty.

Quote

“Prince Oliinyk confuses patriotism and political ideology for art…”
- Journal of High Art, Marquis Krr’ism D’rran

Quote

“While he could appreciate the band, the lack of Njarir-Arkhan points to a concerning racial trend in the kind of work Prince Oliinyk supports and encourages…”
- ACADEMICA, Baron Rrrhan Vlustovych

Quote

“Trite garbage filled with traitorous Natediist and Hadiist ideas…”
- Renewal Fraternity Daily, Count Tscherim Sanguszko

They would like to remind all readers that all copies of “Crown Voices” currently being distributed are not being sold by the Royal Theater Society. They are illegal copies and should not be purchased. For more information, visit the Royal Theater Society website.

[Marlon Phoenix' Unathi Lore Deputy Application]

1 hour ago, Mofo1995 said:

Cut for posterity.

Thank you for addressing my concerns.

[Marlon Phoenix' Unathi Lore Deputy Application]

Marlon showed a lot of courtesy in wanting to avoid mentioning individuals due to the hate they might receive, however, I will have to highlight myself as one of the aggressive individuals in the past specifically so people know where I am coming from. I also want to address Mofo's post, but that comes later.

 

18 hours ago, Marlon P. said:

Cut down for posterity.

The Good

Marlon is very active and an innovator. He approaches ideas in ways that I personally wouldn't think of. We're basically completely on the oppossite sides of how lore should be handled, but I think that is fine. Overtime I've come to appreciate different takes that people have and if they can defend them. Recently we had a discussion about the possibility of DPRA Transhumanists, and while I ultimately disagreed on the addittion on the account of it being a thematically inappropriate, the discussion was still interesting and made me think about ideas I would normally not think of.

Marlon also writes very fast and can string a pleasant sentence together. While I dislike a lot of his old articles in terms of their subjects and atmosphere, they've always been very pleasant and easy to read. Something I struggle with myself, as most of my sentences are very unwieldy and square.

The Bad

I dislike Marlon's story framing. I think it's appropriate in certain contenxt, however, I feel like he is unable to write a proper and technical article. While yes, these can be boring, they also help differenciate the individual news outlets from each other. In the hands of Marlon, the atmosphere of pretty much every news article comes off exactly the same. The lore often feels more like Marlon talking to me, rather than any news actually happening. Often being unable to seperate his own vocabulary from that of the reporters.

And as was mentioned, Aurora HAS changed, the lore is less silly and light-hearted and I personally enjoy that. Yes, I make jokes from time to time, Schlorrgo is a silly little thing and Varg being the head of a metal band is a reference. But ultimately, I try to reserve these jokes for a rainy day and when they won't stand out. But Marlon's joking tone often overtakes his entire writing, leading to dramatic moments fizzling out.  The most controversial and pointed to one being the "I can't read the Turkey's mind". An attack on the president of Biesel that was, ultimately framed as a joke. Which makes it very difficult to take any subsequent threats to the president seriously.

It's like, if in Alien when Kane approaches the egg, instead of a facehugger a balloon flies out, creating a farting reverb accross the cave. By all means, this completely deflates the tension and makes us question why we should be afraid of the next facehugger egg.

I don't know if his writing has changed any, as the lore he has written is mostly wiki-based right now and I cannot access his google docs, it's privated.

The Ugly

Personally I do not like Marlon, I don't think I ever will. I can still work with most people I do not like, but I wouldn't like to work with Marlon. I have him blocked and last I checked he had me blocked, I do not plan on changing this due to our history and I don't expect him to either. This isn't an accusation of Marlon, or to tell you that he is unfit for the role of a deputy. I just want to say that I personally dislike him so people know that I am not an unbiased party.

In conclusion, I do not support Marlon's acceptance into the team. But if he does get accepted, I will have no issue with him staying there, provided he keeps to the deputy position.

 

Now, for the second part, adressing mofo:

12 hours ago, Mofo1995 said:

Cut for posterity.

Marlon was not demoted "Chiefly and mainly" for the Skrell deputy fiasco. It was one of the last things that happened in a continous series of mismanagements, poor communication between the heads and general disinterest to address issues due to favoritism. You yourself were part of the backlash and agreed with me on multiple points when I brought them up as issues. The fact I made a staff complaint against Marlon, which did go through, confirms issues were present that the staff was acknowledging. Mofo, around half the lore staff team threatened to step down if he was not demoted, this wasn't a small oopsie, there were a lot of people who agreed that there were issues with his management.

Did a lot of people step out of line and act aggressively for no reason at all? Yes, I was one of them.
Did a lot of people dogpile Marlon in the end? Yes. (I will not comment about the metadiscord, I was not a part of it but I did see the screenshots when they were posted in the lore channel)
Was a lot of what happened childish? Yes.

But were there genuine issues that went un-adressed for a long time? In the end, yes.

It wasn't all unjustified hate and vitriol, it boiled over into hate and vitriol because a large part of the team (including you) dragged their feet and belittled these issues whenever they were brought up. It's the main reason why everything spiralled out of control, because there was a LOT of people complaining and they were being consistently shoved aside. And yes, there WERE complaints about his writing (As you point out yourself there still are), there WERE complaints about his personality (You yourself literally had to intervene in the past because because Marlon started calling me a "bad person" and "arguing in bad faith" over a lore disagreement BEFORE all of this drama even started). Maybe the reason you still think nobody had issues with those two things, is because you ignored them. You were not a passive observer as you like to frame yourself, you were a Lore Writer Master Deputy, you were very much in the middle of this and know very well just how many people brought up genuine issues.

I have to question your agenda here. Because this is less of a defence of Jackboot and more of an indictement of your own behaviours. You are aware of these rumours being an issue, you say so yourself, but you have done absolutely nothing to deal with them in any way. Yes you are busy, I don't expect you to patrol the discord, forum and OOC 24/7, but you are a head. You can make announcements, you can talk to the admin team, you can talk to the lore team about this. In the end you did nothing to actually deal with this "Boogeyman" despite being aware of it. The reason people shit-talked Marlon, TO YOU, IS because you made no effort to defend him in any way. People look at how you behaved and how you behave and assume you also disliked Marlon, because you haven't done really anything to disspell that notion. Now, it has been 2-3 years, the dust has settled, not many people know what happened and those that do have incomplete logs or only parts of the story. I don't believe this post contributed anything to the conversation, besides serving as the most safe and lukewarm defence of your own behaviour to the person you call "a dear and close friend, mentor, and role model".

Do I think he was a terrible manager? Yes, I did and I still do. I am not trying to excuse the things I said and did, they were dirty, under-handed and a plain character assassination. I regret how I did things, not why I did them.
Does this mean anything for his deputy position? No, I think what Marlon's managerial skills should not influence his deputy application. The two are completely different. While I have my personal reasons to dislike him, I don't believe his skills as a manager should be held against him in this case.

Why'd I post this then?

Because I believe Mofo was purposefully misleading to excuse and downplay the mistakes he and Marlon made in the past. Rejoining/Being Unbanned/Joining the team is about showing one has learned from mistakes, I've personally had to go through a lot of growth to get back into the team and I still slip up from time to time. But every time I did I was either warned or told to knock it off.
With this post, I don't believe Mofo would be capable of properly moderating Marlon's behaviour. I do not hold it against Marlon, who most likely didn't know about this at all he and Mofo are two completely different people and I do not blame him for this post. But it shows very clear bias, favoritism and nostalgia for him. I believe that if Marlon were to repeat his behaviour (not saying he will!), Mofo would do absolutely nothing to step in and we would have the exact same repeat of 2019.

[Adhomai Liberation Network]

Vote of Disclosure Fails; All Parties Outraged!

 

This morning, an emergency vote was called by the Free Tajaran People's Party on the nature of the crashed object. Due to the extremely volatile nature of the event, there were nearly no absentees, with the exception of Ahem Kah’nrir who has been refusing all calls since the discovery of the crashed satellite. The vote? Declassify all known information about the recently crashed PRA satellite.

The fighting started almost immediately, as a member of the Free Tajaran People’s Party physically shoved a member of the Blue Party after a heated debate before the building. When the proceedings arrived to the Assembly itself, the situation was no calmer, individual voices were nearly inaudible due to the heated discussion. The room, however, quieted down once Supreme Commander Nated stepped up to the podium to speak.

Quote

“There has been a considerable amount of continuous missteps, another misstep would be to fully disclose what had happened at the Din'akk mountains and the exact nature of the object. This matter must remain classified, the time will come, but the time is not today.”

The speaking order followed as usual, however, little attention was paid to the speakers as they were continuously interrupted by shouting and arguing from the other seats. The proceedings had to be halted multiple times before the National Assembly finally moved to the voting.

In the end the motion to DO NOT DECLASSIFY won out. Denied by a majority vote which was only achievable by the Adhomai Blue Party switching at the last minute, when they were promised the farmers and land which was damaged by the satellite would be recompensed. The minority supporting the disclosure primarily consisted of Free Tajaran Party and multiple Junta leaders. Ahem Kah’nrir was absent. However, it appeared that the vote was divisive within the parties themselves, as many members of the denying majority stormed out angry, seemingly displeased with their own party’s decision. A peculiar sight was the quiet Commander Kahan Hro’rammhad who had voted “Yes” on the disclosure, he seemed to be particularly upset, shaking his head fervently as he exited the building.

Readers will note, Commander Hro’rammhad had previously unanimously supported decisions made by Supreme Commander Nated. While it is too early for predictions, experts and political analysts state that this could mark a shift in the political climate and that the current approach has gained the anti-war tent “many more enemies than they anticipated”.

[The Many Memes and Images of various Auroratidude.]

Shumaila utilizing girl power.

[www.adhomaichronicle.com/news]

A New Era of Negotiations! President Hadii Deftly Resolves Dispute with One Call!

20.10.2463

 

Horrible tragedy struck two weeks ago when all contact with the newly created satellite, nicknamed “Tajani”, ceased! While the kosmostrelki response was swift, they could do very little without a signal to locate said satellite. After days of anticipation, the satellite's emergency beacon re-activated, reporting from the DPRA territory before being lost, forever. In the Republic, Tajara are taught that mistakes are acceptable, but what happened next was not!

Both Ilvyat Kraschym and his wife Vladya Kraschym refused to report to the government what exactly happened! While Chief Naval Commander Samirro Qarrarhaz repeatedly messaging the scientific team behind the endeavor, he received only vague and nonspecific answers as to what exactly had happened. Only after days, when Qi-Xon Tri independently contacted the Chief Naval Commander, was the failure revealed. Both Ilvyat and Vladya Karschym have in the meantime fled from Hadii Institute of Orbital research and are being actively pursued. If the readers or any of their loved ones have seen those two Tajara, please contact their local authorities.

As it was much too late to respond with a swift rescue operation, which the illegitimate state of DPRA would have surely taken as unwanted aggression. President Hadii instead arranged for a call between himself and “President” Almrah Harlala. While the specifics of this negotiation were not disclosed, the President called a press meeting to explain what exactly had happened.

Quote

“All Tajara, are Tajara,” wisely began President Hadii, “Failures are acceptable, but covering those failures, is not. Thankfully calm heads have prevailed today and comrade Harlala has agreed that the remains of the satellite should be shipped back to the People’s Republic.” President Hadii cleared his throat and drank a bit of water, before continuing; “However, this is not an act of charity as she has requested funds to help those impacted by the catastrophe and transportation of said materials. While this is outrageous, he has decided that such things shall be paid, as the citizens of the DPRA are simply citizens of the PRA in waiting and they should not suffer for the failures of others.”

President Hadii finished his speech, as a roar of applause swept the room. The president then left, before anyone could raise any questions, Minister Zhuldyz Hadii stepped up in his stead on the podium.

Quote

“This failure was very much an outlier and a failure of the individual, they have not abandoned the program and more satellites will be launched. The Tajani-IV was very much a prototype and prototypes exist for this exact reason, failure, learning, and advancement. The people’s work is not always about immediate successes, but also about learning from failures. Glory to Hadii!”

The room performed a standing ovation as Minister Hadii exited the room, ending the conference.

[Adhomai Liberation Network]

Critical Information Stolen; Deserters to Blame?!

 

A bright flash lit up the sky of the Din'akk mountains a two weeks ago as horrified villagers reported to the local authorities. At first, it was a suspected meteor hit, and the junta troops immediately responded to relieve the villages that were impacted by the shockwave. However, when they arrived at the scene, instead they were greeted by a large satellite with the flag of the traitorous PRA printed onto its side. Immediately, government scientists were contacted to properly dismantle and dispose of the object.

Yet, when central government researchers arrived at the scene, they found absolutely nothing besides an alloy skeleton and a few meandering villagers, curious about the crash site. Both the local authorities and government military investigators were called to the scene. After questioning and extensive use of the Liberation Army Air Brigades, pieces of the satellite were re-discovered and safely secured, however, a majority had been lost, perhaps forever.

Quote

“It is an unprecedented case, while they cannot discount the possibility of enemy sabotage, the evidence seems to point to simple theft from the junta troops. Their behavior and movements suggest that they were most likely looking to gain credits by selling exotic and foreign materials to the human smugglers frequently present in this part of the country,”

explained Chief Inspector Vladim Radic.

Quote

“Frankly with the efficacy and speed it had been done, it would suggest this sort of behavior being a regularity here,”

he further added. The local junta leader, Alexeii K’marr has been embroiled in a variety of scandals, including misappropriating captured equipment for personal gain in the past, he refused to comment on the behavior of his troops. While chief inspector Radic does not confirm any allegations, many have pointed fingers that the deed was done either under direct orders of K’marr, or with his agreement.

With the precious little that was recovered, the science team has declared that they cannot make an official statement on the nature of the satellite and will not be attempting to disclose any theories on the inner workings of the satellite publicly without government consensus.

[www.adhomaichronicle.com/news]

Look to the Suns, Free People of Adhomai! A New Satellite Unveiled!

07.10.2463

 

Today the Adhomai Chronicle is proud to announce a new groundbreaking discovery breaching through the stratosphere of ingenuity. A brand new and cutting-edge satellite has been unveiled by Hadii Institute of Orbital Research. This new piece of technology is sure to put to sleep any doubts about the technical ability of the PRA and its unified Hadiist ideals.

The satellite, ironically nicknamed "Tajani-IV", is a feat of ingenuity and a true behemoth. Standing at 20 feet tall and 5 feet wide this giant promises a new outlook on both Adhomai and its surrounding space. Ilvyat Kraschym and his wife Vladya Kraschym, lead researcher director and lead assistant researcher respectively, have both stated that the “Tajani-IV” will be able to simultaneously observe the surface of Adhomai and activity on distant planets.

"While the design is controversial and unusual, we promise great things to come from our ‘Tajani.’" - said Qi-Xon Tri, secondary research director, federation advisor, and the central mind behind many of the critical components used in the satellite’s construction.

"They consider it very much a prototype." - director Kraschym added.

As this article is published, the “Tajani-IV” is already being deployed into orbit, as its launch has been kept secret to prevent any potential of sabotage or third party interventions. Here at the Adhomai Chronicle they wish the “Tajani” a good start and hope it brings glory to the Republic!

 

[Attached, photo of the sattelite "Tajani-IV", alongside Ilvyat Kraschym and his wife.]
 

[(Edit: I'm back, but in a very reduced capacity) Hello Aurora! I'm fine and dandy, but I may be gone forever, don't worry!]

On 18/08/2021 at 02:59, Chada1 said:

First I want to say that my time on Aurora has been incredibly good, I've had some highs and lows but I feel as if it the community has helped me grow deeply in some pretty troubling times, I think we all have had a pretty rough 1 and a half years...

Well, I guess first of all, the lectures held by coders, the spriters who lend a hand on a whim, even the people who help you develop patience... Aurora has been an inspiring community, you all know who you are and what you've done and I thank you soooo much for all of my experiences here, I hope people enjoy the things I've been able to do with all of your help, the chemistry rework, the borg changes, all of it, that wasn't just me, I needed help to ever be able to do all of that. I'm sure many have noticed I haven't been around and don't worry about me, I'm fine, sincere thanks for everything. I dunno if I'll ever be back, please take care!

but like, also, there's at least one person I think deserves an apology rather than just telling bye and recounting good times I think.

@Coalf You didn't do anything wrong, I'm a firm believer that when something festers deeply inside of someone, it's their responsibility, noone elses, to fix that thing and set themselves straight. I'm sorry for the way I treated you in our last conversations, that was wrong, I should never have done that.

Apology accepted.

I'm glad you're okay and I hope you find whatever you're looking for, wherever you're going.