[R] Threats, Malice, Defamation in NS Sports

[95X]

For those who are unfamiliar with NS Sports, most of the roleplays use a custom-programmed random number generator that creates random numbers mimicking sports scores. The most popular of such programs was last updated in 2012, never had official documentation, never ran on mobile device operating systems, reportedly doesn't run at all on the newest version of MacOS, and the source code reportedly doesn't compile on current versions of the development package. I have used the software in question for nearly a decade and can confirm it requires a level of technical ability above and beyond the technical ability to access and use NationStates; even then it's possible to use the software in a way that produces unintended results.

Recently, an argument started over the numbers generated by this software due to an error in a users' operation of said software; in laypersons' terms, someone edited their post from something another user agreed with to something the other user disagreed with. Starts here and continues over the next page (quotes have been spoilered and shortened for clarity of what's being reported):
viewtopic.php?p=37110183#p37110183

Are you fucking shitting me?

And you expect me to be OK with this shit? Really?

Whatever you guys do with this, I absolutely NEVER want Xanneria hosting anything I participate in ever again.

Xanneria has not been competent and he will not learn anything from this mistake, or any of the other mistakes that he will make day and day out until people catch a clue and stop trusting him to host things.

Both of you can shove it.

Xanneria does this basically every time he hosts anything. It's not some one-time thing. I tried to warn people on Discord before the host vote was even done.

But apparently his need to play with xkoranate like a kid playing with the controls in the cockpit of a plane is more important than anybody else wanting a competently run tournament.

It's not my first go round with Xanneria being totally incompetent, and I wouldn't be reacting this way if it was the first time around.

It's unclear if Audioslavia is saying this as an NS Sports user or as a moderator:

I'm going to do Sherpa the courtesy of glossing over the 'shove it' line, which is not cool at all.
…
To everyone who wants to give their two cents: take a deep breath first. I don't want this to descend into a fourteen-way shit-fight.

It continues:

And it's pretty fucking dumb that you're complaining about me taking the WC too seriously, but at the same time I've had people saying, "At least it happened to an established player instead of someone new," like they just take for granted that any established player will be too hooked to leave.

You guys need to get over this assumption that everyone's NS Sports time revolves around the WC.

Your fixation on the wording of "shove it" is disingenuous at best and deliberately obtuse at worst. You chose to double down on your scorched earth attacks by insulting me and Krytenia. It doesn't matter whether it was "shove it" or "fuck off" though the latter likely would be obviously worth a red text warning from a moderator. You chose to dig your grave even more by posting that.

The concern here is I believe these posts may violate the TOS itself and if this took place elsewhere on the forum, it'd probably have been reported by now.

[Delaclava]

Full disclosure: I have been co-operating this particular event with the player who made the software error and has since been the target of the potential flaming. (To be specific, this user generated a result in which the offending player had won their game; after we discovered the error, he generated a result in which the player had lost the game instead.)

I would like to provide some additional context here - the user in question also posted this in a separate thread:

The Veiled Islands and the Sherpa Empire are both withdrawing from the WC. I've lost all interest in RPing anything related to WCC events after Xanneria predictably shit the bed in the BOF.

I do recognize my bias in this situation, as my instinct is to defend my fellow organizer, but I do believe continuing on the OOC attacks into yet another thread perhaps crosses the line from simple flaming to harassment.

[Strike]

The Quotes in the OP include moderator intervention so it is obvious that the moderation team assigned to that specific forum is already aware of the interaction. I'm sure that if the moderators assigned the forum feel that the guidance they provided in order to diffuse the situation was not taken to heart and more action than the existing warning is required, then they will be able to take whatever action is required upon further review.

[Audioslavia]

I'm involved in that thread so can't really make a ruling on it. My comment a few posts down is as a player (though I haven't made that clear enough. I'll edit my post).

Either way, this is something that I think NS Sport can handle internally.

[The Sherpa Empire]

I agree with Audio's assessment.

My posts are not threatening. What did I threaten to do?

They are also not malicious or defamatory as they are discussing specific actions, they do not accuse anyone of criminal behavior, and they are my honest opinion.

I was not planning to post again in either of the reported threads.

Xanneria and I have talked since then and I think there is less of an issue between me and him than there is with all the people getting offended on his behalf. There's some history between us because we RP together in another thread, and I think some of the WC people are missing that context. We have our ups and downs, but on a good day, we can enjoy RPing together. He is a decent person at heart, but he is sloppy and I don't think that sloppiness is going to change.

[Sarzonia]

My posts are not threatening. What did I threaten to do?

I wouldn't say "threatened," but you basically told both me and Krytenia to fuck ourselves, just in case you still are unsure why "shove it" is such a problem after we both tried to diffuse the situation.

That's all I feel comfortable with addressing here right now since this report exists and I've been quoted in the OP.

[Krytenia]

Xanneria and I have talked since then and I think there is less of an issue between me and him than there is with all the people getting offended on his behalf. There's some history between us because we RP together in another thread, and I think some of the WC people are missing that context. We have our ups and downs, but on a good day, we can enjoy RPing together. He is a decent person at heart, but he is sloppy and I don't think that sloppiness is going to change.

As an additional to the above, as one of the potential slightees, Sherpa has explained her reasoning through TG and though the conversation didn't conclude in agreement, I understand the reasoning and feel that particular potential slight against me should not be actionable.

[Sarzonia]

As an additional to the above, as one of the potential slightees, Sherpa has explained her reasoning through TG and though the conversation didn't conclude in agreement, I understand the reasoning and feel that particular potential slight against me should not be actionable.

Well that's good for you, but I still have a real problem with being told to shove it.

I don't know that it's actionable or even if it warrants a report, but I'm not ready to be sanguine about it.

[The Sherpa Empire]

Xanneria and I have talked since then and I think there is less of an issue between me and him than there is with all the people getting offended on his behalf. There's some history between us because we RP together in another thread, and I think some of the WC people are missing that context. We have our ups and downs, but on a good day, we can enjoy RPing together. He is a decent person at heart, but he is sloppy and I don't think that sloppiness is going to change.

As an additional to the above, as one of the potential slightees, Sherpa has explained her reasoning through TG and though the conversation didn't conclude in agreement, I understand the reasoning and feel that particular potential slight against me should not be actionable.

FWIW, I was trying to do too many things at once -- different RPs, an RL job that has gotten busier since COVID started -- so that probably made me less patient with you.