Jeric

Should the night rule forever, or do we praise cherry cough syrup?

The carpet pone with the chill attitude vs Luna's Pet opossum

Button's Mom is officially knocked out of the tourney, and we now have the predicted Pie Sister vs Spa Sister match. Winner moves on to Somnambula.

Just an FYI, World Cup Team Cloudsdale lead by Rainbow Dash is ready

And Flutterbat wins! Rainbow Falls is composed of Sunset Shimmer, Sweetie Belle, and Flutterbat.

Maud is gaining ground. I can't say I am disappointed that Minuette is looking like she may be the face of her team. Her colors would look awesome on a jersey

@Key Sharkz ultimately whenever I start thinking about disallowing anyone volunteering their time from participating personally on the site, I can't ignore the sensation that it feels wrong and a bit like overkill. Most of the Admins, and myself personally, have been publicly accused multiple times over the very things you warn of, and sunlight was always the best disinfectant. Our reputations have survived many assaults like that. A disgruntled member that feels that they were wronged in some way can be addressed as needed without a layer or to of punitive bureaucracies in the way of ultimately sharing ideas. As far as having checks on how Mods work reports, that is more in-line with something that can done without restricting anyone. Quite frankly I have done that for years to make sure we are calibrated. Lately, since we actually don't field many reports, I have been able to check every single one, and have made adjustments when needed. I often am in there giving my opinion on some issues. Unless it is a simple move from one forum to another, there is usually multiple eyes on a report, and an Admin is almost always one of them.

Okay, I believe that everyone that met one of the three criteria for the Raise The Sun badge now has it. If I missed anyone ... send me a PM. Thank you.

@Key Sharkz, this brings up a much larger issue that I've noticed with some staff over the years. Those staffers that don't engage the community tend to lose a connection with the community. Sometimes, upon becoming staff, they back off commenting completely in most areas because they have a fear of appearing biased. What you suggest makes sense, but it comes with the idea that the people overseeing the discussion could wind up being viewed as faceless overseers by the users who only post in Debate Pit. On the other hand, to illustrate why your concern may have some validity, while uncommon, I have seen staffers participating in debate go to other staffers and ask they address an issue instead of them. While in their heads it may be more about avoiding the appearance of being biased, I was always uncomfortable with that solution as well as I'm sure there exists the possibility of using such a tactic to hide a personal bias, or even a grudge. So basically I see both sides of this issue clearly. Anyone that has paid attention to me personally in DP will know that I tend to be forthcoming and honest, and even to a point that I have to pay attention to what I say in there. The rules apply to me too. I also have stood up for probably every position on every topic trying to encourage a sense of equal voice to all the issues. Others have tried to do the aame. But, nobody lasts forever in this role ... so it also makes this a trickier decision. ... This isn't a specific request that I could make a call on without proper thought and consideration. But it's given me something to chew on with the others.

That's going to get a resounding 'To each their own' from me since I liked Rebels more than Clone Wars, and absolutely loved TFA, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi. Solo was what I expected so no rage on that one. On the flip side, Hasbro hasn't been the best steward of their own alien/tech based sci-fi property. Rian Johnson was allowed an immense amount of creative freedom with no interference from Disney, so perhaps interference would have led half of the fandom to enjoy it more? Back to the Fred Rogers idea. I don't think there is much there to fill an entire episode, but a cameo or a nod to the series would be fun.