Player Complaint: spacevoidagent, The Storyteller, Etc.

[Eliot Clef]

BYOND Key: Aedan

Player Byond Key: spacevoidagent, The Storyteller (presumed, forum name)

Staff involved: N/A, this complaint is forum-centric, although the effects of it do extend into the game itself, the complaint will not cover anything there as I have no recent logs.

Reason for complaint: As you are doubtless aware, there is currently a bit of controversy on the subject of Tajarans. Many people are upset with the behavior of Tajarans in-game, for a variety of reasons. Some of them think they've exceeded the bounds of lore, and some Tajarans have. Some others dislike "Furries" categorically, and that is their reason for voting against them. Others still are, for whatever reason, very hostile to non-humans OOCly as well as ICly.

And therein lies the rub. People have begun to express extremely nasty, hateful sentiments to all Tajaran players. Not just along the lines of, "Obey your lore!", but going on insane hyperbolic rants suggesting that they believe the Lore should not only be completely accurate concerning X inferiority, but that we're not going far enough with the measures that are being proposed.

I have highlighted spacevoidagent and The Storyteller here, but I am absolutely certain they're not the only people expressing this sentiment, publicly or privately.

An example from spacevoidagent:

 

Tajara filth are barely capable of processing the thoughts of science and true leadership. The leaders of Adhomai are rotten and smell of canned cat food and rotten sardine oil. They live lavishly with fancy robes and shit, while the other cats live in warstruck villages of death. Tajara obviously are natural-born shitheads and have no concept of fair leadership. NanoTrasen attempted to 'help' the Tajarans and introduced them to the wonders of humanity, and taught them the correct way to get shit done, and quick. We gave them a space program in ten years, fuck yeah, HUMANITY. NT gave the kittens of Ahdomai some shitty education to 'prepare them for the future.' which is just to make it look like they care. Meanwhile, millions of digusting, inbred cat fucks are out doing menial labor, like humanity and NT want's them to do. They mine rocks and shit, and cut down huge trees all day in hopes of becoming as advanced as #HumanMasterRace. This can never be accomplished as the Tajara cat race is inferior in everyway. They are hairy, smelly, borderline mentally handicapped, smelly, have useless tails, and have ugly looking fur. They can't even speak Common or Basic, and scream and purr all the time over the fucking radio.

Some lucky cats got selected to be aboard one of NT's so-called fancy (P.O.S Station tbh) Plasma Research Station. Somehow, some 28 year old cats got command positions, despite previous policies restricting the disgusting, lowly catbeasts from command positions. The People of the NSS Aurora Public Uplink are finally speaking of the outrage that is catbeasts. I myself demand that all Tajarans be restricted to simple civilian jobs, like cleaning shit from our toilets and making drinks for the useless lesbians and cargo workers aboard-station. The humanitarian efforts to rid the Tajaran of society are failing, as the disgusting catbeasts talk shit on humans all the time and threaten to kill us, even though we are like a third god to them. Messa and whatever the hell the other ones name aren't even real, and Tajarans should shut their smelly muzzles.

Thus ends this transcript. BAN TAJARAN FILTH FROM COMMAND, RESTORE HUMAN POWER. A PRODUCTIVE TEAM IS A HUMAN TEAM*.

-spacevoidagent

*Human studies have shown a positive correlation with the amount of human commanders and average work productivity in deep space. The study is in no way/shape or form affiliated with NanoTrasen or Sol.

An example from The Storyteller:

Hey, guys! I know it's been a long time since I've been on the forums, let alone on the servers, and I'd like to apologize to all of my friends and fans for my absence, but rest assured that I am alive! Now, on to the much more pressing matters at hand, the command status of the walking rat beasts.

I believe that the really important question that no one seems to be asking is, where is the fourth option? Looking over this whole topic, I thought it was quite obvious, but that's alright, sometimes we gloss over the things that are truly valuable in the heat of a riveting argument.

So, the fourth option, "rat beasts shouldn't be allowed in any position, ever, and should be purged from existence in The Great Rat Animorph Purge of 2457."

Now, don't worry! I hear all of you big lore buffs crying, "but wait, Scholar-san! If we just remove the walking dumpsters, that'll put plot-holes in our wonderful immersive roleplay fantasy we've got going on!" And, don't worry! As previously stated in this very post, they won't simply be removed altogether, they will be systematically destroyed by the human race in a Holocaust scale robust-ing murderbone-ing death party. And, as the last Tajara lies mangled, spattering blood from his overflown maw, and choking back salty red tears, murring, "why? Why he do this?" We humans can finally be at blissful peace.

I implore you to add a fourth option, at which point I shall vote.

 

It seems to me based on the contents of this thread, his actions in-game (samples of which can be seen here >> http://aurorastation.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3661&start=20 << , his statements in OOC (which most unfortunately I can't quote reliably), that spacevoidagent at least is not merely spewing joking hyperbole. I am less certain of The Storyteller's motivations, but the net outward result is the same.

Comically vitriolic behavior is being aimed at Tajaran players, by people who do not appear to me as if they would ever give positive input on Tajarans, regardless of what has occurred. It may well be isolated to these two, but I don't know, and I think it bears looking at. The Storyteller in particular even admits that he hasn't been around recently, having last posted in July, and yet he sees fit to express an incredibly hateful opinion with regards to Tajarans.

Not just that, but both newish (Zidaniyah) players and well-established players that I consider friends (Ryfer) tagged Storyteller's post positively, in effect cheering on this conduct.

The purpose of this complaint is to ask the administration of Aurora Station: Is this truly acceptable behavior? Is this really something people should be doing and cheering on? Should we really be encouraging people to vocally fantasize about subjugation and the genocide of people's favored characters, not merely in these circumstances, but at all?

I find these exchanges to be mildly disturbing, and I'm not even a Tajaran player.

Approximate Date/Time: Variable, post times can be viewed throughout the complaint. Mostly this complaint has risen as a result of the Cats in Command thread here >> http://aurorastation.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=3652 << which was posted on September 17th, 2015, at 7:19 P.M.

[Frances]

These are both joke posts (yes, I can 100% assure you on my life that they are). Storyteller's is actually well-written, whereas I think spacevoidagent's has a bit too much cursing and could definitely benefit from a bit more subtlety.

While they'll most likely get removed by admins in efforts to "make the forums a nicer place", I want to express I'd be equally amused and horrified if any Tajaran players actually took offense to this. A few weeks/months ago, I would've said I weren't particularly worried, but now, who knows what might happen?

Because we can't make fun of fictional species the slightest. The feelings of Tajarans are very srs.

edit: yes I'm admitting space's racist jokes are shitty and somebody should probably tell him to step up his game

[The Storyteller]

First of all, I'd like to make it very clear that I've never directly insulted, or harbored ill-will to any specific player. So, stating that my "extremely nasty" post was aimed at Tajaran players is entirely inaccurate. I never once expressed any distaste towards the people who play Tajara in my post, but simply an IC lore-related request to have the species removed from play, in the form a little bit of genocide. (No big deal.)

That being said, to assume anything I say is ever in jest is also a misconception. For I am always serious. I never lie. I never joke. Fun is for children. We're all adults, here. If you want to make jokes, go to a light RP server.

[Eliot Clef]

Frances, if you say they're both 100% joking, then I believe you. And I'm going to have to admit that I'm feeling... I don't know, particularly guarded lately? People have been a bit unreasonable recently, and I guess it's put me on edge.

To be perfectly honest, I enjoy black humor, and if I knew Storyteller (and I guess spacevoidagent) then I might not have thought this looked like it was just being nasty. Legitimate extremism in action and parody can be difficult to separate, and I suppose I'm not assuming the best of people at the moment.

[Baka]

I'd have to admit, I laugh at both of their shit because it's like the far extreme of what I've been reading lately concerning Tajarans. It's great satire.

Bravo.

[the_furry]

*snip*

[21:21:12]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Fuck off, Catbeast.

[21:21:18]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Your kind have n oplace here.

[21:21:43]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Jesus, im loosing track of all these cats.

[21:25:25]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Catbeasts have no place here other then to clean shit from toilets and fix windows.

[21:11:46]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : No filthy languages like that.

How are we supposed to rp in any believable way when this unrealistic racism is rampant. We had a good four or five cats in science and all of them pretty much quit and went to the outpost. Behavior like this puts us in an impossible position. We can either get mad about it (the way any normal feeling creature would) at which point we’ll be accused of sassy cat bullshit. Or pretend it didn’t happen which is equally unbelievable. Every cat in that round just left because there was no way we could rp that with out bullshit happening.

*edit*

no it's not a joke when it makes the round unfun for a fifth of the server and is endangering other peoples whitelists.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Guest

[Susan]

Is it a joke? Let me ask you, then. So what? If I made a joke about how the Jews deserved the Holocaust, would that be in good taste? It's not funny. In fact, it makes my job difficult. You want me to deal with Tajaran who break the lore? You want me to reevaulate whitelists and see who is being bad? Then stop fucking antagonizing them. Is that so difficult a concept to grasp? By partaking in this 'filthy furries/catbeasts' dichotomy you are literally creating an us vs them mentality between Tajaran players and the rest of the server, which has in part led to sassy cats and drama cats.

You people keep fucking antagonizing them and then crying when they act out.

Let me point it out to you.

 

[21:21:12]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Fuck off, Catbeast.
[21:21:18]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Your kind have n oplace here.
[21:21:43]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Jesus, im loosing track of all these cats.
[21:25:25]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : Catbeasts have no place here other then to clean shit from toilets and fix windows.
[21:11:46]SAY: Heinrich Adler/Spacevoidagent : No filthy languages like that.

 

Does that ckey look familiar to you folk at all?

You are literally baiting so hard it's bleeding from the forums into IC, where retarded over-the-top racism manifests itself because 'omg filthy catbeasts'. That whole complaint linked is a great example of it. Literally spend thirty minutes making dead Tajaran jokes on comms. Seriously. Seriously.

This behavior is unacceptable and it impedes my ability to do my fucking job because you twats keep baiting the fucking cats.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Guest

[Frances]

Is it a joke? Let me ask you, then. So what? If I made a joke about how the Jews deserved the Holocaust, would that be in good taste? It's not funny.

today, I got to deal with someone who compared enforcing paperwork to raping people with erp

and then, somebody else, on the same fucking forums, on the same fucking day, is comparing joking about tajarans to the holocaust

what the fuck is it with you people

Edited September 20, 2015 by Guest

[Susan]

It's an analogy. It's 11 o'clock at night, I'm tired, and I have to deal with you people being so fucking childish that I literally get called away from my hiatus playing a game that isn't a complete utter waste of my time to come back and slap your shit because, evidently, your crying was so loud it ruptured the admins ear drums.

So I have this to say to you:

Get over it.

Either you have a rebuttal for why baiting cats is funny and cool and omg the oppression n censorship muh rights, or you're just going to flail and further waste my time listening to incessant bitching.

[Frances]

i don't think that analogy is really relevant because nobody's irl tajarans are being discriminated against

so there's that

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I'm the staff member that put their respective posts behind spoilers, with a moderator-edit comment about them being shitposts.

They didn't target or narrow their aim on any specific individuals or groups, so I decided against deleting them. You have to physically open the spoiler to read the post with its contents. I personally found them to be legitimate ways for them to express their stance on the issue, that wasn't overtly targeting anyone specifically. I could be wrong, and another staff member is free to send me angry messages about proper forum etiquette, but that's how I wanted them handled since I like giving the benefit of the doubt.

I have to agree with Sue-sensei on the issue, though. Antagonizing people isn't going to help establish any dialogue. So in essence: I disagree with the message, but not the tone.

The rest of the OOC behavior is questionable, though. I judge these things based on if there's any 'good will' behind it. I don't really... See any.

[The Storyteller]

I don't know what it's been with you defending shitters so much the past few weeks, Frances, but I gather you've spent far too much time deepthroating Halorocks.

Let me ask you, then. So what? If I made a joke about how the Jews deserved the Holocaust, would that be in good taste?[/i]

 

First of all, that opening line was super sassy, and down right disrespectful and unprofessional. There's no reason to be so aggressive, and pretty heartless to your fellow forum users. Especially not as someone on the staff.

And, as Frances as already stated, comparing my (very serious) post to saying the Jews deserved the Holocaust is a mind-boggling stretch. I am talking about eliminating a fake species on an internet role-playing game. Relax.

[Susan]

i don't think that analogy is really relevant because nobody's irl tajarans are being discriminated against

so there's that

 

ok

so how does this have anything to do with the main point being the joke is in poor taste and has been heard over three thousand times since the tajaran's first inception and how ICly and OOCly being a meta shitlord to bait tajaran to react and then come crying to me or using it as evidence to further an ignorant schewed argument and then blame the loremins for not doing anything when you are literally shitting all over players to get them upset being a thing we should allow or disallow

are you a jew

im sorry if i offended u frances

[Garnascus]

i don't think that analogy is really relevant because nobody's irl tajarans are being discriminated against

so there's that

 

ok

so how does this have anything to do with the main point being the joke is in poor taste and has been heard over three thousand times since the tajaran's first inception and how ICly and OOCly being a meta shitlord to bait tajaran to react and then come crying to me or using it as evidence to further an ignorant schewed argument and then blame the loremins for not doing anything when you are literally shitting all over players to get them upset being a thing we should allow or disallow

are you a jew

im sorry if i offended u frances

 

Ooook, this stops NOW. From both of both of you honestly. Disagreement is fine but lets try and refrain from name calling and going back and forth like this in a player complaint that's on its way to being resolved.

The issue presented appears after some investigation to have been a joke and neither posts were intended maliciously. Its also worth noting that neither posts where reported. I understand we are all on edge lately but in particular coming back from "hiatus" to "slap some shit" is not helping.

[Eliot Clef]

Ooook, this stops NOW. From both of both of you honestly. Disagreement is fine but lets try and refrain from name calling and going back and forth like this in a player complaint that's on its way to being resolved.

The issue presented appears after some investigation to have been a joke and neither posts were intended maliciously. Its also worth noting that neither posts where reported. I understand we are all on edge lately but in particular coming back from "hiatus" to "slap some shit" is not helping.

 

This is because I am an idiot and somehow didn't realize what the Report button was, but admittedly, I probably would have thought that it bears discussing anyway.

Last time I tried to draw Mod attention to something I ended up just PMing the Mod group.

[Garnascus]

Discussing it is perfectly fine, even if the posts are legitimate jokes its still possible they might be out of place during this time but then again im not a huge fan of being PC, the report button I THINK for you is the blue exclamation marks you see on posts, might be different for me though since I have some fancy mod buttons XD

[the_furry]

Ooook, this stops NOW. From both of both of you honestly. Disagreement is fine but lets try and refrain from name calling and going back and forth like this in a player complaint that's on its way to being resolved.

The issue presented appears after some investigation to have been a joke and neither posts were intended maliciously. Its also worth noting that neither posts where reported. I understand we are all on edge lately but in particular coming back from "hiatus" to "slap some shit" is not helping.

Bullshit this should be treated as a joke. we're looking at four to five players that might be losing their white lists because of this bullshit 'joke' as you call it. Sue called them out on the bullshit that they've been causing and I'm getting pretty tired of it as well.

*edit*

so excuse me for getting pretty livid about it. but sue is right, it's what i've been trying to say for awhile now. and this baiting bullshit to get a taj player removed is just that, bullshit.

[Garnascus]

The two posts referenced in the OP i think are quite clearly, joke posts, and not meant to be malicious, storytellers post in particular is pretty much satire.

I dont disagree with what sue said about them. I do think its absurd to proport this racism both in and out of character and then scoff when tajaran players have the AUDACITY to retaliate because "lol lore".

[Gollee]

As a note, I DID report Storyteller's post very quickly after it was put up; it was a pointless, gratuitious shitpost designed to cause angry responses, likely from Furry. In addition, Storyteller has already stated in this thread that the post was serious, not satire; and ifbthat was sarcasm on his part, he shouldn't have done it in a complaint thread.

[Garnascus]

As a note, I DID report Storyteller's post very quickly after it was put up; it was a pointless, gratuitious shitpost designed to cause angry responses, likely from Furry. In addition, Storyteller has already stated in this thread that the post was serious, not satire; and ifbthat was sarcasm on his part, he shouldn't have done it in a complaint thread.

 

Huh, looks like you're right. Well even if hes completely serious im not really sure if his intent really changes what he wrote.

[Gollee]

If it's completely serious then it's designed to piss people off rather than make them smile. It's a malicious shitpost.

[Garnascus]

It depends on our perception of it i think. Im mainly grappling here with an issue of when the author dies. Personally I think any work or piece exists independent of its creator, so regardless of their intent I think its up to us to figure out ourselves. The irony here is both yours and mine perceptions are both meant to "rustle some jimmies"

[Gollee]

Aye, the intention was most definately to get a big spoon out and do some stirring. As for Void's post; it's fairly obvious that that is a needlessly rude and abrasive post; I wouldn't support a ban on either of them; but I could see a warning for being overly shitposty without cause.

[Ralph]

Hey there, I'm a new player, decided to have a look here after looking at Reddit. Finding the thread this was about, I can say it's a joke straight away.

Comparing Tajaran discrimination to the holocaust and being aggressive to other players because they don't agree with you isn't, however, shared between Susan and Furry. I'm surprised they've not been dealt with if this is a common attitude between them. It reinforces the idea of Aurora as a bad place, as it was said on the Reddit.

 

 

It's a game. Don't take it too seriously just because people don't see it the same way as you.

[Tenenza]

First off, Sue, chill, seriously.

TheFurry, also, chill, because right now getting mad ain't making this discussion any more productive.

Second off, I'd like to hear what storyteller has to say regarding the accusation that their forum posts were intentionally baiting and antagonizing, as well as what spacevoidagent has to say for their own actions.

Also, at this point, I feel we've reached the fourth layer of complaint-ception, in which I deal with a complaint referencing another complaint, which was referenced by another complaint which was a complaint about complaints. Just for some perspective.