From the Editorial Desk
In 2011, an IRC chat operator kicked a user for saying "/v/ is such a pile of insecure one-upping f*ggotry" in conversation, and soon 24-hour banned them for fighting the decision. While the latter action received little pushback per standard policy on sarcastic attitude towards ops, the former action spurred debate on allowing slurs in #site19. No one actively promoted homophobia or other bigotry, but the common opinion excused slurs given they're "not a harmful slur" or "not directed at anyone", and "we're [not] losing much should [someone offended by casual slur usage] leave in a huff of butthurt".
This came to a head when a user used the same word in conversation, and the 05 thread represented a similar reaction. An admin fiat-allowed their usage, telling dissenters "you may tender your resignation", and a moderator cried "CENSORSHIP IS NOT OKAY, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES". "By attempting to protect the interests of a group of people, you are imposing your will upon another and limiting their capacity to express themselves," they said.
That is, expressing themselves by casually using slurs.
Strength, in the internet's early days, constituted sucking up and lifting your chin at every vile thing you see. It's the internet, after all. One should have expected such heinous occurrences or messages, words and phrases that hurt. "That is a damn fool thing to get offended by on the internet." Strength, then, represented hiding emotion, excusing vitriol under "comedic" or "nonharmful" pretenses. Attempting to change meant "hypocrisy in the extreme" in the face of the early internet. Clearly this is how strength will be forevermore defined.
3 years later…
Similar arguments and actions emerge in another thread on slurs. Another admin attempts fiating certain actions without consulting others, stating they "will consider [snark against their decision] the next time promotions are made", though this admin smartly retracts their fiat once receiving such snark. Even another argument on censorship, calling it "a slippery slope" when deciding what to ban, and once again citing that definition of strength. "It's the internet."
Yet this does not form the predominant voice. While still not fully modern, the consensus trails towards a brighter and more considerate future. Maybe slur usage is bad. The thread does not have a definitive conclusion, nor does it need one.
I think it is clear who won the battle.
Strength changed. Strength doesn't mean blindly accepting what goes on around you because it's "the status quo" or "how it always was" or "the internet". Strength isn't letting old habits continue for the sake of old habits. Strength is standing against those traditions. Strength is being yourself when facing hardship. Strength is making active efforts to change the rules, do the right thing, help your fellow human. Strength is taking pride in what you know is moral and just. With strength, with pride, you can make a community change.
While, in our internet bubble, acceptance becomes much more common, such trends do not continue elsewhere, at times regressing. Strength continues to mean repression and oppression in those spaces. Perhaps, just like the forebears in 2011 and 2014, users can take their strength past the internet, into spaces that need it, and transform definitions. The work and time it requires pays off eventually, and everyone will feel all the more prideful for it.
Happy belated Pride, everyone.
The biggest news of June was the voting period of the SCP-6000 contest! The contest officially finished in July, but since we are behind, we will go ahead and cover the results.
Overall, there were 92 entries in this contest to survive until the end of the voting period. We had a great turnout! Big thanks to everyone who contributed to the contest!
Featured Articles:
SCP-3706 (by DrBleep): 50,000 Krakens Under the Sea [SCP-6000 Contest Reviewer Feature, requested by DrBleep]
- "Greetings new aquaneer, please disregard the above message. This aeronautic does not require human blood sacrifices to operate."
SCP-5787 (by J Dune and PlaguePJP): Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia [SCP-6000 Contest Reviewer Feature, requested by HarryBlank]
- "Yes, sir. Coming up right away, sir. You've made a terrible mistake, sir."
Featured GoI-Format:
Away From This Place [The Fifth Church/Fifthist Church] by GerrymanderBassist [Featured by Zyn and Tracque_]
- Hey, how’d we get here again?
- Oh right.
Featured Tales:
ERICS MEGA ZINE VOL 50: THE CUTOUT ROOM by pastarasta1 and faminepulse [SCP-6000 Contest Reviewer Feature, requested by cybersqyd]
- inside da world of The scps
Reviewer's Spotlight Articles:
1 June 2021 - selected by fairydoctor
Featured page: SCP-2544 (The Call of the Void) by undergroundmonorail
- As the effects of SCP-2544 are widely believed by the general population to be a naturally occurring side effect of normal cognition, no efforts to impede SCP-2544 are necessary.
9 June 2021 - selected by REDESERT
Featured page: SCP-4299 (I See Life in Rosy Hues) by HotColes and Uncle Nicolini
- SCP-4299 is a sapient pink rose located in a small rose garden in Domfront, France.
17 June 2021 - selected by fabledtiefling
Featured page: SCP-5393 (To whom it may concern, whales are now considered cavalry.) by Tropinano
- Due to its location and size, there is no method to contain SCP-5393 in its current form.
25 June 2021 - selected by caspian2
Featured page: SCP-5592 (You're Really a Part of Me) by PlaguePJP
- SCP-5592 is the body of John Higgins, a 26-year-old male from Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Week of June 1st:
SCPs
- SCP-5361 ("The Weather Man") "Roughly 2 weeks after its discovery, Doctor Roberts was informed about the manifestation of SCP-5361-1. Doctor Roberts applied for a test to be conducted on SCP-5361-1. This application was approved." - Written by Bread_Tyrant.
- SCP-5394 ("[Ghostin' in the machine]") "SCP-5394 instances are most commonly found in the possession of people who: live alone" - Written by Sound Chaser.
- SCP-5637 ("[Dead End]") "SCP-5637 refers in toto to a parallel reality accessible through an Einstein–Rosen bridge modified to exist within a 3.224-3.286EHz hyperwave band. It is unclear if this reality is a true alternate divergence from/to our own, or exists within a wholly separate universe/dimensional reality." - Written by MalyceGraves.
- SCP-5482 ("I am afraid of being alone in the dark but not of the dark itself") "Due to the extreme inconsistency with which SCP-5482 appears and operates, it is impossible to provide any meaningful information about the disease or the pathology of its sufferers."- Written by Tiamat Elsen.
- SCP-5324 ("There'll Be No Next Time") "Greetings, citizens! I, Messenger, represent the members of the Thought Monarch Network!" - Written by Kensing.
- SCP-5892 ("[ACCESS DENIED]") "After a headline about a resurrected dog was published in an Isle of Mann newspaper, the Foundation sent researcher Aoibhinn1 O'Hara posing as a journalist to recover the anomaly: Parish of Bride, Isle of Man, 54.368°N 4.378°W." - Written by Harriet Farrar.
- SCP-5778 ("Hidden In Plain Sight") "SCP-5778-A instances normally take the form of inconspicuous objects with appropriate variation by location[…]" - Written by MarcusLCrassus.
- SCP-5289 ("Miss Flack") "It is assumed SCP-5289 was previously owned by the American Secure Containment Initiative before it transformed into the current Foundation, as recovered documents describe a similar object being used as a prototype humanoid containment chamber." - Written by VoidLady.
- SCP-5876 ("Holy Mackeral") "SCP-5876 rearranged the blocks to spell the phrase: 'ITS ME. HELP.'" - Written by Marcelles_Raynes.
- SCP-5724 ("Business-Oriented Chairs") "The address given by SCP-5724-1 when hired revealed SCP-5724-A under the same conditions. Subsequent instances of SCP-5724 were found by looking at other employees that had the same address listed in their employment record." - Written by Fishish.
- SCP-5534 ("Test Anxiety") "Dr. Bowes proposed that his interview be conducted in a non-formal setting, hypothesizing that the anomaly could be circumvented in this manner. The interview was conducted at Site-06-3 staff cafeteria." - Written by kantum.
- SCP-5829 ("The Prophet Hen of Boring") "gg hatched on 3/5/2017. Foundation investigation revealed that the two individuals named on the egg held a wedding on that day and had exchanged vows the moment the egg hatched." - Written by fabledtiefling.
- SCP-5384 ("The Late White Shark") "The health of the global marine ecosystem is directly influenced by the rate at which SCP-5384 bleeds, and SCP-5384 in turn is influenced by the global shark population." - Written by CHRISISFUN.
- SCP-5443 ("Apocalyptic evil? We got some in the back") "While being taken into Foundation custody, SCP-5443 expressed relief at having contacted Foundation personnel so effectively, continually speaking of an approaching storm and that it would guide us to safety." - Written by TheyCallMeTim.
- SCP-5528 ("all i am is everything im not") "Scattered around the room is also various chemicals and medical tools. However, it seems that nothing that was originally in the room can be physically interacted with, making gathering samples impossible." - Written by Richman_16.
- SCP-5819 ("Peekaboo Island") "The mythical King Dyrmud is identified as the final king of SCP-5819 to rule prior to the manifestation of its anomalous properties. Sources consistently describe Dyrmud as a fair and just king, who was born on a leap day, and as a result, aged only one year for every four, later earning him the moniker Dyrmud the Ageless." - Written by Dr Leonerd.
- SCP-5427 ("The White Cliffs Of Dover") "Due to this the coastline in the region expands at an extremely-high rate of 20-40 meters per month; if the phenomenon is allowed to occur uninterruptedly, only the forward facing/original cliffs will be affected, this produces a narrow land bridge growing directly toward Calais, France." - Written by locomotivefaox.
- SCP-5341 ("[ACCESS DENIED]") "SCP-5341 seems to have experienced some traumatic and highly stressful event in its past. Due to its reluctance to share information on its past as well as its compulsion to draw and write about the aftermath of some sort of war or great battle it is believed that this event is the cause of its involuntary rampages." - Written by Thogri.
- SCP-5538 ("Holder of Abnormalities") "Upon asking to see the "Holder of Abnormalities", a visitor will gain knowledge of how to proceed to a cell in the basement of SCP-5538." - Written by stormbreath.
Tales
- Forgotten Days, Stolen Lives "You wake up, your bed full of cold sweat. Your name is Daniel Asheworth." - Written by Ralliston.
- Pendulum Station, Relics of the First Hytoth "However, I heard something besides the screams, I heard cry and sob, the same type of sob that many of my partners had, the sound that souls make… when hope is lost." - Written by Dr Jekill.
- A Shell Of My Former Self "He looked down at the bustling city below him, teeming with crabs going about their day." - Written by Mooagain.
- Otel Entra And The Demolition Derby "Why don’t you spee-deez nuts?!" - Written by Tropinano.
- Class C amnestics were administered " I think they're the people. A government agency, or something. I got their attention. They will help us, I hope to God they will." - Written by kantum.
- Get a Room " I ran my hand through her hair, holding her face close to mine, tears streaking down my cheeks — I couldn’t believe it was her. I couldn’t believe I was seeing her again. “Never leave me,” she asked." - Written by DarkStuff.
- Siggy and RoboMonkey and the Return of the Witch "“I…” Siggy tried to speak. “Please… let them live…”" - Written by Ekronak.
- Siggy and RoboMonkey and the Two Promises "“This is war, Robo.” Clef said, gesturing to the scene in front of him. “This has been my life for the last six years.”" - Written by Ekronak.
- The Minutemen "She was looking at the large, deep scar that ran from between his eyebrows to the bottom of his left cheek." - Written by DrDapper.
- Siggy and The Fellowship of the Damned "“Welcome to the Front, Siggy.” Alina said proudly. “The camp where the people of Greattown fight every day to get out.”" - Written by Ekronak.
Misc
Week of June 7th:
SCPs
- SCP-5864 ("Sir Reginald") "Who am I?" - Written by EagleKnight9.
- SCP-5362 ("The One with a Thousand Faces") "SCP-5362 denotes a fictional character depicted in northern European folklore, most commonly referred to as "The One with a Thousand Faces"" - Written by Bread_Tyrant.
- SCP-5629 ("Lumbricina Acid Diethylamide") "SCP-5629 is a hallucinogenic, parasitic subspecies of the Common Earthworm that are native to the northeastern United States of America" - Written by Marcelles_Raynes.
- SCP-252-EX ("A Completely Normal Bomb") "It has since been discovered that SCP-252-EX’s documentation was entirely fictitious. Extensive testing has revealed SCP-252-EX has no anomalous properties and is identical to all other Mark 65 aerial bombs." - Written by ObserverSeptember.
- SCP-5421 ("Don't look up.") "A rippling sound is heard again, this time behind Psi-7-3. A long, dark arm comes out from the wall, caressing Psi-7-3’s cheek. Psi-7-3 shivers, but keeps speaking." - Written by Ecronak.
- SCP-5419 ("A boy and his… dog?") "I’m so scared. Please don’t hurt him anymore." - Written by Ecronak.
- SCP-5372 ("My Gift to You, Oh Love") "Wait for me, my love, I'm coming." - Written by fabledtiefling.
- SCP-5770 ("To Parade 'Pendas'") "A one-meter tall Red Panda, dressed in a black and red suit or a white changshan, a cane, and a monocle, will disembark from one of the avian entities, bow, and approach the individual." - Written by Veralta.
- SCP-5396 ("The best that you could ever be.") " the reflection of the mirror changes from that of the subject to a similar image depicting the subject as “their best version”." - Written by Ecronak.
- SCP-5397 (""Justice" (2024, melted human flesh on wall, 15 meters by 10 meters)") "SCP-5397 is an engineered variant of the influenza A virus, capable of periodically liquefying its host into a fluid chemically similar to acrylic paint in a matter of six to eight hours after exposure." - Written by Ecronak.
Tales
- Sapient Clowns: The Right Opinion and The Truth About Them "My name is Rodrick Schaefer from The Bozian Conservative™, and I'm writing this to state my opinions on sapient clowns." - Written by Parad00xx.
- A Risk, Taken "Let me start out by saying you are one stupid son of a bitch. Don’t respond. We’re going back to the old days, just me talking and you listening." - Written by DrDromeus.
- SCP-5056 Audio Transcripts ("The Constant Companions") " Seriously though. He's stuck in that mirror — or one like it — all day, every day. What does he do when you're asleep?" - Written by HarryBlank.
- The New Secretary in Town "“No more deficits, no more budget cuts…” Then his lips drew up into a smile. “We might just about save the damn Foundation!”" - Written by Ecronak.
- Washed Away "An odd paranoia simmered in the back of his head. Likely just a reaction to being about as vulnerable as a human could be." - Written by Dr Gears.
- Where There is Desire There is Gonna be a Flame "Don't let them see fear. Cooperate, buy yourself time, think of a plan, if you can just get out of this space— wait how am I even going to do that with so many—" - Written by DrBleep.
- Jalick and the Omni Bot "Jalick's physical sensory receptors were on fire after he'd fallen from the top of the old building. Well, not so much fallen, more like pushed." - Written by Marcelles_Raynes.
- Irregularity Proposal: 2001-489 "Every night I have to tell myself it's all bullshit. That I won't become a doll like they want me to." - Written by UraniumEmpire.
- Otel Entra And The Complex Disaster of Living Like a Lich "“I’m tryna do, like, a Gnomeo and Gn-Juliet line. It fits because it rhymes, duh!” Flit replied. They were ‘freestyling’, an excuse Otel brushed off." - Written by Tropinano.
- The Foundation is Broke "Seven thousand souls were lost in the tragedy. Forty percent of the Foundation’s anomalies were lost in an instant. And billions of dollars in damage were incurred." - Written by Ecronak.
Misc
Week of June 14th:
SCPs
- SCP-5658 ("Gravitating in the Moonlight") - "During this event, the moon underwent a sudden accumulation of two quadrillion kilograms mass." Written by AnAnomalousWriter.
- SCP-5822 ("A perfectly normal set of garden gnomes") - "Two groups of sentient lawn gnomes that have formed civilizations in a cave near Edgerton, Wyoming." Written by stoner99.
- SCP-5766 ("Somewhere Comfier") - "I understand how this looks, I swear I do. But this SCP…" Written by Owltamer.
- SCP-5426 ("I hate my hate blog") - "Those who view SCP-5426 will begin to develop an intense hatred for Valerie Choco." Written by DianaBerry.
- SCP-5635 ("Hello, this is space speaking") - "That child needs me, all those children need me" Written by Chapmann.
- SCP-5714 ("I Love you to the Cosmos and Back") - "As the two SCP-5714-A instances elevate into the atmosphere, they will then engage in a slow waltz together." Written by HotColes.
- SCP-5793 ("Barter, Infinite") - "Audio recordings indicate repeated calls to barter with other items among the customers, escalating in demand for each successful exchange." Written by wagyusteak.
- SCP-5753 ("duck you") - "Mickey, appearing to be voiced by long-time performer Wayne Allwine, berates Goofy by calling him an “asshat” and exhortes him to “send this bourgeois neoliberal straight to duck hell.”" Written by LordStonefish.
Tales
- Corporate Dealings After The Calamity - "Those bored faces of the passerby are going to stick around in the old nightmare film festival for a while, mark my words." Written by Kensing.
- Otel Entra And The Stupid Hat - "It’s definitely a village that, uh, exists. It is certainly a place to live in." Written by Tropinano.
- Space Cadet Semantics - "You probably didn't care for our survival to begin with, but you do about the length of it. You got to get your test results, right? Classic Foundation, the ends justifying the means…" Written by Sirslash47.
- On the Multiversal Cargo Train - "From this moment forward, we are a foundation of nomads." Written by Tufto.
- Unexpected light - "He was scared of the outside- not because he would become one of these shadows, but because he has the horrible feeling that someone would look at him. At his body. At his face." Written by Felixou.
- What the Little Bird Told Me Part I - "I quashed the envy in my chest. None of that mattered to an old slave like me, save that it meant another hard shift bringing down extra furniture for Lord Totch’s victory banquet." Written by chaucer345.
- Outpatient Observation - "Somewhere in that field of grasping hands, stood a fellow too blurred to detail. But as he ripped a piece from the canvas, he let a self-satisfied smirk creep across his face." Written by KrySalems.
- Sapient Clowns: The Right Opinion and The Truth About Them - "Sapient clowns aren't superior to any other species, especially not the human race." Written by Parad00xx.
- A Risk, Taken - "I really, honestly thought you would be the one. The upstanding doctor. Mr. Right. Your record showed as much. How could I have been so wrong?" Written by DrDromeus.
- The New Secretary in Town - "People are bound to step over you in the future with that kind of freaking attitude." Written by Ecronak.
- Washed Away - "Whatever it was, it was massive. His sputtering, burning mind seized onto the outline of a brontosaurus standing on its back legs. No lizard this, though." Written by Dr Gears.
- Where There is Desire There is Gonna be a Flame - "Just a nightmare. He can't hurt you anymore. You're free." Written by DrBleep.
- Jalick and the Omni Bot - "The young mech had "befriended" a parasitic wind spirit a few cycles after he'd booted up for the first time, and it'd been accompanying him since. Always waiting, always watching, and often trying to kill him and harvest his parts for her own nefarious needs." Written by Marcelles_Raynes.
Misc
Week of June 21st:
SCPs
- SCP-5872 ("Goodnight, Moon") - "SCP-5872 is an electronic device which, upon activation, is capable of instantaneously transferring various forms of energy out of a given system and moving it to an internal battery." Written by ManyMeats.
- SCP-5968 ("Starlite Diner") - "Have a stellar meal at the Starlight Diner. ████ Starseed way." Written by Ethan Grebler.
- SCP-5679 ("The Ship's Cat") - "SCP-5679 manifests on ships that are going to sink in approximately 6 months" Written by Lethiathan.
- SCP-5469 ("Winnie's Diner") - "Winnie's might be the heart and soul of the town but Kyana keeps it beating." Written by fabledtiefling.
- SCP-5161 ("Hooked") - "Subjects will additionally experience anomalous phenomena associated with their dreams, often manifesting as small portions of salt water in their lungs and other objects materialising on their person, piercing the skin." Written by Penton.
- SCP-5913 ("Adventures and Arthropods") - "SCP-5913-A is the designation of a collection of three arthropods possessing sapient intelligence." Written by Ecronak.
- SCP-5449 ("Choo Choo Spooder") - "SCP-5449 signed the words "Thank you," and waved" Written by Sirslash47.
- SCP-5459 ("We're Just Better Than You") - "I actually give talks to the chav- er, the downers, demonstrating just how they too can achieve our greatness if they just apply themselves" Written by Sound Chaser.
- SCP-039 Rewrite ("Proboscis Engineers") - "Instances of SCP-039 have demonstrated the ability to operate mechanical tools, and to perform various complex tasks primarily related to automobile construction and maintenance." Written by Kothardarastrix.
- SCP-4911 ("Mound") - "5023." Written by Joreth.
- SCP-5434 ("A literal love god failing at love.") - "Oh gods, is anyone there? Just send me a text or something, yeah? I’d love to see if you guys still need… help." Written by Ecronak.
- SCP-5378 ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotted Beetles") - "SCP-5378 is the designation for two sapient ladybird beetle" Written by FluffyDog00.
- SCP-5853 ("Ticky Taffy Town") - "This space coincides with the features of “Ticky Taffy Town”, a 90's era television program that advertised SCP-5853 prominently." Written by JayKillbam.
Tales
- Staining Boss's Silk Sheets - "Love's just, like, another form of debt. Someone gives you the best moments of your life, so now you're stuck with the burden." Written by UraniumEmpire.
- This Toy Facsimile of Life - "Tap, tap, tapped on the paper." Written by DarkStuff.
- Prologue - A Great Leap Forward - "Was the file just not there? Would the SCP Foundation ever leave a file number unassigned?" Written by redredred.
- Unveiling - "There’s been an…incident. A Russian anomaly on the loose, and Intergovernmental Affairs wants you to step in and smooth things over during the recovery." Written by weizhong.
- A Selection of Media Referencing the Anomalous - "The Foundation has recovered approximately ████ instances of media which, while not anomalous themselves, contain references to anomalous events, items, organizations, or individuals." Written by Pata H.
- Imagine Being Worthless - "He barely even recognized himself. Not once did he ever think he'd sport a shaved head and bags more conspicuous than the Senior Researcher's ego." Written by Quadraginta.
- Monochrome - "After the first five years, Agent Cervantes forgot there were other colors." Written by Captain Kirby.
- The Heartwarming Tale of Thur'lex the Devourer - "About an hour later, the bandaged man was still stumbling through the desert, albeit far more tired. He reached into his pack and withdrew a can of blood, putting a straw through a slit in the bandages. It tasted awful, but at least it kept him going." Written by Mooagain .
- The Final Termination Attempt - "Some of the lower-level researchers, the ones that would talk to Lee, speculated that 682 might even be the devil incarnate himself." Written by Marcelles_Raynes.
GoI Formats
- UIU File: 2020-650 - [UIU] "Suspect is capable of creating an unknown amount of perfect recreations of themselves and the ability to manufacture a para-narcotic which gives the user temporary use of said abnormality." Written by DrGooday.
- GRANT REQUEST FOR GREENE TO STOP MAKING FUN OF ME - [Prometheus Labs] "So, we effectively call for the end to access to "fun"" Written by wagyusteak.
Misc
Week of June 28th:
SCPs
- SCP-5518 ("Savepoint") - "This box represents our greatest failure, and we have used it only as our last resort, to deliver a warning for the threats we were too late to overcome." Written by Risora.
- SCP-5729 ("The Ghost in the Shed") - "SCP Foundation researcher Dr. Harold Blank is not to be reminded of SCP-5729, or informed of this file's existence." Written by HarryBlank.
Tales
- Thur'lex the Devourer (And Its Eternal Servant Bernie) - "Bernie didn't remember much of his past. He knew he was alive once, long before the calamity. Then he died and came back as a vampire, which wasn't as fun as he'd thought it would be. He couldn't go out in the sun, he couldn't eat anything except blood. Some vampires said they could talk to bats, but there were no bats where he lived so it wasn't very useful." Written by Mooagain .
- A Hole in the Wall on Mars - "Goddammit! A reality restructuring event on a Monday?" Written by ObserverSeptember.
June spotlight: Anti-Harassment Team
Featuring: LilyFlower
Interviewer: MalyceGraves
Interview:
I want to thank you for taking the time to interview with me about the Anti-Harassment Committee. It's the most private of all the staff teams, so I'm certain that a lot of our users would love knowing more. Do you mind giving me a brief overview of the team? What role it plays in the staff structure?
Alright, so, before I start I have to make it clear I can't share anything confidential, obviously.
Absolutely. I wouldn't want you to.
AHT, as in the name, deals with harassment issues on the wiki and related spaces. It's one of the smallest and least active teams, but when it is active it's highly important. It's got an unusual structure because whilst there's a captain, it's less traditionally tiered in the way many other teams are
It's small and so when we do have to deal with an incident, we all share the burden and the lot of us work together.
I realize that a lot of the stuff you handle is very private, but is there anything you can point at (without revealing anything confidential, of course) that you can identify as an accomplishment?
One of the biggest things I'd say is an accomplishment is the recent change in how we present bans; the secrecy of the team has always been a bit of a sore point and I think we've finally struck the right balance. Plus, any time we can help make the wiki a safer place is always a bonus
"Safer place" can be pretty subjective. How do you define it?
In this case, by removing predatory/harmful users. It's not the nicest thing but someone has to do it haha
I know that I appreciate it, and I'm certain I'm not the only one. But, that being said, I'm sure that some of the conversations and situations can be quite stressful. How do you manage your reaction to that stress, as well as having to sift through the pretty awful things I'm sure you sometimes see?
I think that one comes down to the individual. Not to get into uncomfortable details, but I've dealt with quite a few tough situations through my life and I think that experience helps. It's also important the whole team works together to share the burden of it, so it's a lot less stress on any one person
Cases are fairly infrequent, which helps.
I hear that. I've also had to face some pretty unpleasant situations, so I can relate to the benefit of having a team around you to help. Is that part of what keeps you on the team? Have you ever truly considered just resigning?
Honestly? Not really. I like being able to make a difference, and it's an important job that someone has to do. I've been somewhat adjacently involved in a few cases when I first joined the wiki, and it was definately not as well handled or decent as it is now; I don't want anyone to have to deal with that
We've come a long way since those "good ol' days", haven't we? I've found that, in retrospect, the "good ol' days" rarely are.
Yeah, it's weird looking back and realising how long I've been around here
How has being a part of AHT impacted the way you view the site? Does it impact how you approach reading site content? Not forum stuff, but the fictional side of things.
Not too much; I've never felt it's had an impact on site content, as it's user behaviour we deal with.
That's good to know. Speaking of site content, and this will be my last AHT question for you, has being on the team impacted your own fiction? The way you tell stories?
I'd say, but I don't think I've actually finished a story since joining! That's mostly been down to me finishing university this past year though, so hopefully I'll have some more published by the end of the summer
Congratulations! That's quite an accomplishment, graduating university. In that vein, has being a member of staff (not just AHT) been helpful to you in your real life? We all know how real life can impact our work here, but it isn't always just one way.
I think so, stuff like communication and working in teams - all the stuff that looks great on a CV - but yeah. Plus, I've made friends through this, which is important.
Staff News:
New Staffers:
The Maintenance team (MAST) has recruited two new junior staff. Please welcome fabledtiefling and stormfallen!
Staff Changes:
Staff's Summer Promotions took place this past month. Vivarium, Limeyy, pr0m37h3um, Joreth, and CityToast were all promoted to operational staff, and WhiteGuard was promoted to moderator. Please congratulate all of the newly promoted staff!
Administrator Modern_Erasmus has decided to retire from staff. Whether this will be temporary or permanent, we do not know. Regardless, we appreciate all of the work Erasmus has done for the site and wish them the best in the future.
In lieu of Erasmus' retirement, moderator Stormbreath has become the new captain of the Rewrite team, and moderators LadyKatie and YossiPossi have become the new co-captains of the Internet Outreach team.
Operational Staff Limeyy has joined the Site Criticism team and the Rewrite team.
Operational Staff Cerastes and Junior Staff CelesteKara have both joined the Maintenance team.
Moderators cybersqyd and WhiteGuard have both joined the Disciplinary team.
Updates from 05 Command:
Operational Staff Vivarium proposed the MAST Guide Update - Tag Guide which presented a total rewrite of the official guide on tagging. The proposal was met with unanimous support. June 1st
Moderator Croquembouche proposed the Authors' Pages update which as the name implied proposed an update to the authors' pages list. With some minor concerns voiced by staff members rectified, the proposal passed without any issue. June 5th
Administrator DrBleep made a statement in regards to Change in Enforcement of Intrastaff Interactions. Admins and captains agreed that change in staff culture requires consistent enforcement of intrastaff interactions in official staff venues. Internal rules for staff channels were updated to reflect that staff spaces are expected to abide by Rule 0 at all times. June 10th
Administrator Dexanote made a statement regarding a summary of the events collectively known as the “Cerastes Incident”, a miscarriage of the Disciplinary team’s investigative powers in late 2020. Feel free to click on the linked statement for a more in-depth summary of the situation. June 21st
Moderator Yossipossi proposed StaffChat Recaps. This would create a team to watch staff discussion channels both on Discord and IRC and make summaries of any non-trivial events which occur. They will then format these into concise but detailed reports. This was a lengthy discussion, so I won't be summarizing everything here.
Moderator Yossipossi proposed Staffchat Access to Junior Staff and Rearrangement of Staffchat Channels which granted Junior Staff access to staff chat to tackle a litany of issues. The proposal was met with widespread support before being voted into practice.
Administrator Dexanote brought forward a rules update in the form of Rules Update: Self-Deletions where a broadly defined and flexible change in the wording of the self-deletions policy to accommodate for the extremely rare case where we collectively feel that a delay or denial of mass-deletion-of-work is in the better interest of the site or possibly the user. This passed rather unanimously.
A selection of works from active artists. Click on the cropped thumbnails to go to pages with full artworks.
