I'm back from my little vacation, the time away has been priceless. The idea that I'd return as a "productive member of the forum" was pure PR fantasy. CM Aaron is attempting to reframe my silencing as redemption. As if he's the gracious one, and I'm just another problem child. Let's be honest: this was never about forum behavior, it was about damage control.

I'll give credit where it's due. I did derail a separate thread by bringing up the allegations, and that was clumsy of me. But that's not why I was banned, and this screenshot confirms that.

https://imgur.com/a/8mrI9G2

I assume they opted to use this for a temporary ban so they could justify a permanent one the moment I speak again. But understand I'm not here to win access. Ban me again if you must, I'm not using this forum for anything else. I know a few friends who would log onto this game if a certain developer wasn't overseeing the community anymore.

Silence ≠ submission. Image ≠ reality.

ON CM AARONS REBUTTAL:

In his response (which he conveniently posted after banning me), Aaron admits to being the person in the now circulated screenshots. He says he was 15 at the time, and "doesn't remember the context."

Let's be crystal here: We're not talking about edgy memes. We're talking about the sexualization of minors, and deliberate exposure of minors to pornography in a discord VC while deafened. Age 15 is plenty old enough to understand how wrong that is.
Armed with this information, the screenshots from the GMod server era regarding his younger sexual partner would imply that person was even younger than 15...
Yet today, he's still leading a community. Which is a slap in the face to all of us.

Still banning critics. Still deleting posts. Still dodging accountability.
He hasn't changed, he's just improved his PR strategy.

ON THE VIDEO AND IT'S CREATOR:

Aaron also claims the video that resurfaced these issues came from a "toxic player who hates their game." Based on what I've seen, this is misleading at best. The video creator was involved in early testing, offered feedback, and wanted the game to succeed, just like I once did.

And here's the truth. If the allegations are false, he can prove it. If they're true, the character of the messenger is irrelevant. This isn't a "they were mean to me on discord" problem. This is a CM Aaron problem.

ON THE "CHEATERS AND TROLLS":

He claims the rumor is perpetuated by "salty cheaters." This is a very convenient shield, a way to discredit all criticism with one broad stroke. Throw all the cheaters, trolls, and critics into one pot and hope nobody asks questions.
Problem is, I've never cheated. I've never trolled. I loved this game. I have 33 hours in game and haven't launched it since July 7th. There's no evidence against me because it doesn't exist. Just name calling and bans. Lumping me in with unrelated bad actors rejects this nuance entirely. He's not protecting "player experience." He's protecting himself.

A CULTURE OF SILENCING:

"We don't tolerate ruining player experiences for others.."
The irony is stunning. CM Aaron bans innocent players, has a history of censoring criticism, and misuses moderation tools. All while claiming to protect player experience.
In other words, he thinks you're all stupid. He's definitely ruined more experiences than he's protected. My experience is exhibit A. Banning people for speaking out is more of a threat to this community than any cheater ever was.

If he wasn't guilty, he'd allow open dialogue. If he believed in transparency, he'd let his community speak. But instead? He bans. He censors. He spins and reframes.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

I used to love this game. Ask any one of my friends. I sang praises for this game because it was brilliant, original, and chaotic in all the right ways. The way these allegations are being handled turned my admiration into disgust really quick. I still have love for this game's community. I've spent many nights roleplaying, exploring, and laughing with the strangers who made it worth playing.

This was never about "cancelling a game." This is just honest shock that a man who never should've had a leadership role in the first place was chosen as CM.

Plenty of replies have been added (and promptly erased) from my previous thread. I've been contacted by a separate banned player who was silenced, along with his wife after raising similar concerns. Their story mirrors my own almost perfectly. This happened a month ago, long before I ever said a word.

https://imgur.com/a/DLLZj4L

So ask yourself:
If this is what happens over only a few days... what's been happening over months? Years?

These aren't isolated bans. This is a system of suppression, designed to preserve image and crush dissent. And no, I don't believe "community manager" is a position earned by merit alone. At this point, anyone would be better. Put him in the back doing code or something, not managing a community for ♥♥♥♥♥ sake.

Thanks for reading, I've said my piece. Ban me if you'd like, I'll post this elsewhere. The truth doesn't live in just one tiny forum. Good evening all.