SmashWiki:Requests for adminship/Plague von Karma

Plague von Karma (talk • contribs • edit count • RFA page)

Candidate, please summarize why you are running for adminship below.

Hello! I'm Plague von Karma. I have considered making this RfA for a very long time, mainly deciding against it due to lacking confidence. With the recent stepping down of Serpent King and the clear stress that some staff have been enduring, I'm looking to step up to the plate and help take responsibility for a wiki that has accomodated me so well over the years.

I pride myself on my explosive activity, problem-solving skills, ability to do long and monotonous tasks for exceptional periods of time, and, of course, my opinionated nature. I try my best to be as precise as possible, albeit with...fluffy vocabulary. I'm very active on Discord, incredibly responsive, and stalk #smashwiki more than I should. I am also extremely flexible with time zones, often adjusting it specifically to work with people on projects; for example, I've done this for Chinese and Australian time zones in the past. These traits have made me an exceptional moderator in various communities with a reputation for getting things done in a snappy fashion. Of course, always with ample thought behind everything I do. I am sure that you've seen my proposal history: I write out exactly what I am looking for, always follow through when approved, and respectfully back down when I am wrong.

For benefits specific to SmashWiki itself, I am an advanced player, known for historically labbing King K. Rool in particular, but contributing to any character I know things about in general. For examples relevant to SmashWiki, I revamped the entire Command Input Special Moves page and added tech as it was discovered during Terry's release, making it the best source for fighting game characters in Smash on the wiki, and arguably still so to this day. There are many pages I've made like this, but that one's definitely the most notable. When it comes to Smash, I can be a one lass army. Outside of that, err...whenever I see something wrong, I make it known, either by tagging the page or screeching on Discord for a while. These days I may be more well-known for documenting Smash's unplayable characters, something I made an extremely precise proposal for and have followed through on.

Whenever I access this wiki, I frequently see deletion candidates and various split/merge/move proposals that kind of stagnate with little to no administrative input. Oftentimes, they can languish for a very long time; looking at it recently, some have been open for around a year. I've not exactly helped with this, not pinging the Discord for example, but I do try to make my voice heard on most, if not all of them, in hopes of giving them a bit of a push. I think I could potentially do something in the deletion and merging department, which is where sysop tools could be helpful. I feel like a staff member could dedicate around an hour to sweeping through these, I don't personally see this as a compelling reason to recruit someone new.

Given these prior points, it's apt to mention that my primary motivation for this RfA is from a policy and moderation perspective. To put those into practice, I would naturally benefit from sysop tools; page deletions and merging page history from a structural perspective, blocking problem users, and perhaps being able to give the SmashWiki front page that new featured article every so often. I find it unlikely that I would use these often, though this is a sign of a healthy wiki: A period where nothing has to be used is a sign of success.

My moderation experience spans around a decade. Put short, I began moderating various Facebook pages a decade ago, and most recently upheaved the entirety of Smogon's Generation I community using moderation powers. I am extremely community-minded, doing my best to assume good faith and work even with people I don't particularly jive with. I am socially in-tune despite some mental setbacks and apply everything I know the best I can in spite of them. I'm absolutely not perfect and can be bitter at times, but I at least see myself as a functioning human being.

My most notable contributions to SmashWiki, which can be found on my userpage, include a large-scale project to revamp the Armor documentation, pages for the unplayable cast from Smash 64 to Ultimate, numerous moveset pages, unplayable character documentation, and a ton of competitive and technical information for various mechanics across the wiki. Most Ultimate pages have at least something from myself and much of my edits involve significant restructuring to the page's benefit. I also edit Bulbapedia...sometimes...under Pichu Madman26, mainly documenting obscure ancient fandom things. Finally, I've single-handedly run the Badman Wiki since taking ownership of it a year ago. It's a Fandom-- hey, where are you going? Ok, but seriously, I learned a lot editing SmashWiki and was able to apply it to a small niche franchise I love very much, turning it from a weird place of varying quality from 2009 to a thoroughly established wiki covering most games in the series, not unlike large Nintendo wikis.

You will notice I have never had Rollback. Truth be told, I've never felt it necessary in my time on the wiki so far. Most of my edits here have been informational improvements, sometimes reacting to recent changes when I see someone doing something, and adding to what they did. Rarely do I see vandalism or strange edits - normally, I just see a wall of Cookies and Creme edits and move on with my day. I do check, once every few days in fact, but it just kind of doesn't come up, so I've never had to ask. It isn't required for an RfA, but I think this is worth noting anyway.

I'm not a perfect individual, of course. While I'm...fine with basic MediaWiki things, I'm also a klutz. At least a small chunk of my edits are from me making repeated edits to a single page because I forgot to preview thinking I'd finally fixed this one annoying thing. I am also a somewhat busy fellow, having my own YouTube channel that I manage, and an iguana that takes up my entire morning, often meaning that I have to dedicate specific days to specific actions (which, naturally, coincides with my fluctuating time zones and jetlagging myself). I am a bit of a "workaholic" in the medically diagnosed sense as well, so staff would likely need to hold me back in some areas if I seem as though I am running myself into the ground - I am never the one to notice. I have a lot of time on my hands, but I also use that time a lot, if that makes sense. I do have a history of passion getting the better of me as well, leading to me sometimes getting into heated disputes with people, and occasionally, I will pursue this too far. Again, these are situations where I would need to have someone shake me on the shoulders - I have worked on this for years, but another set of critical eyes is never a bad thing.

If you've read this far, thank you! Seriously. This community has accommodated me very nicely, in a way that I am admittedly not very used to. I hope to continue giving back for a good long time.

- Plague von Karma 19:53, July 29, 2023 (EDT)

Support

1. You know, I'm tempted to oppose because of the callout. Jokes aside, I believe you'll be fine as an admin on the wiki. I've seen the work you've done on the wiki, so I'm confident you know how the wiki works. To me, your Smogon example also shows that you understand what it takes to run a community, as well as show how much effort you are willing to put in a community; the fact that you stepped down with many people wishing you the best is also a testament to effective leadership, and I believe effective leadership often comes hand-in-hand with effective moderation. The only thing I'm wary about is that I think you tend to get yourself too involved in the conversation and are often a bit too steadfast in your opinion to the point where the discussion ends up going in circles, for example the recent discussion with OT. However, the fact that you were able to admit and identify what went wrong shows me you know when to concede your weaknesses. Overall, I don't think your weaknesses are enough to hold you back on the RfA, while on the other hand I think the examples you've provided shows you'll be a good admin. CookiesCreme 22:50, July 29, 2023 (EDT)
2. Support: One knack I can see is you don't seem to be much involved with enforcing policy on the wiki or otherwise actively guiding users; indeed when looking through your past 500 edits that stretch back nearly two years, I found only a single edit of you posting on someone else's talk page. Taking a look through my recent edit history (or Canvas' or Cookies') will show this is something that is still very much important on the wiki, and will be something that prospective admins need to be able to handle. I also haven't seen too much of you handling disputes among other users whether on wiki or on the Discord server. However, I do find your posts on proposals and other talk pages to be consistently among the most insightful, and you have certainly handled yourself well in the instances where you had to argue a point, so I have no qualms in your judgment to make tough calls and handling the unpleasant side of user management. The other knack I can see users holding against you is your sporadic activity, where again just looking through your past 500 edits will show several noticeable time gaps between edits. As I see it though, it is better for the wiki to have some sporadically active admins rather than demand perfect activeness and have no admins at all; as long as one can remain easily contactable outside the wiki for when they're needed, while remaining in touch with the wiki's community and the greater Smash community, imperfect activity won't be issue (I myself have had such activity lapses, some pretty severe, but I'm sure most users would vouch the wiki was still better off with me remaining an admin throughout). For a final note, I'll make it clear here that I do not hold that recent argument with me against you (and hey, if you were on the staff, then perhaps the matter would have been given proper due diligence and there wouldn't have been any escalation to begin with). Omega Tyrant 23:23, July 29, 2023 (EDT)
3. Being even somewhat familiar with your work in Smogon RBY I can tell that you are very passionate and effective in leadership roles. In my opinion, you've shown that you can bring this to SmashWiki as well. Your activity in discussions on-wiki and on Discord in addition to your dedication to large projects such as your recent unplayable characters documentation has impressed me and is what I'd like to see in an admin. If you are to continue on SmashWiki in the ways you have been and have shown you are capable of in your prior experience I believe that adminship will let you be more effective. Levii (talk) 23:43, July 29, 2023 (EDT)
4. The edits I see from you seem to be enforcing policies and/or are good faith. You also seem to be discussing maintenance very well. I'd trust you as an admin. Jordan P., the Sora main 15:33, July 30, 2023 (EDT)
5. Going off of all that I knew about you on the wiki already, the dedication you have to this wiki and this community speaks for itself, and the other examples you provide both in the RfA and in response to Cookies and Creme's comment shows that you're entirely capable of handling a massive online community. Though I have to agree with OT that communicating with the userbase to make sure everything is going smoothly is an important task of being an admin, I still think you've more than proven yourself, and you have my full support. Aidan the Gamer 17:03, July 30, 2023 (EDT)
6. Support - Overdue to be honest. I always saw you as one of the most knowledgeable and reliable editors here, and I'm sure having administrative powers will only supplement that. Sincerely, Ender Ravishing Musk. 17:51, August 3, 2023 (EDT)
7. Support I don't have much else to add that hasn't been expressed above other than to summarize that you are a highly dedicated editor with an outstanding track record for community handling and are well articulate in serious conversations. I would also like to add that I also don't hold our recent argument on Discord against you personally since you did not have the full story (due to no fault of anyone's own but staff oversight), but I have a minor complaint in that I agree with C&C that you were too quick to form an opinion despite not having all the information first (information that should not have been withheld to begin with as per policy, but again, not your fault) rather than waiting until both sides of the story could be heard. However, it seems like many lessons have been learned ever since that incident and it also does not invalidate your vast credentials. VoqéoT 19:09, August 3, 2023 (EDT)
8. Support Not much else to say that hasn't already been said. Definitely one of the best (if not the best) candidates for admin. Señor Mexicano (talk) 23:50, August 4, 2023 (EDT)
9. Support Good editor with very little drama and experience moderating other communities. That alone is enough for a support. Can't add much else, everybody else put it better than me, plus we do need more admins to reduce the workload of the current ones. Unnamed anon (talk) 04:24, August 5, 2023 (EDT)
10. Even though I haven't seen much of your moderation skills in action, after reading the examples and also responses from other users, I think you'll be fine. Ultimate Toad, the Toad Warrior. (I'm the best!) 01:24, August 8, 2023 (EDT)

Oppose

1. ...

Neutral

1. Dunno: As someone who doesn't know you too well (or isn't as active on the wiki as I used to be), I don't think I'm versed enough to make a final decision. However, there are some things I want to mention: I do believe, given the evidence you've provided, you have enough knowledge to do the job well. Being able to manage multiple wikis shows you're able to handle this role well. Although I'm a bit concerned you'll be able to balance this with the sites you're currently active in, I believe in your ability to so. However, I also have a few concerns I want to bring up. Primarily, although I haven’t spoke with you much, one thing I've noticed is that you tend to get a bit emotional over matters. (Not to call you out, but I noticed it while we were discussing Omega Tyrant in the SmashWiki server). I believe emotional stability is sometimes already an issue with the admin team as is (some admins are too passive while others can be too strict), so I worry about how this might worsen the issue, especially combined with your self-proclaimed workaholism. Additionally, less to do with you specifically, but one thing that has me worried is that it may be too soon for a new admin. While I can understand the rush to fill the gap that Serpent King left behind, I don't want that to influence others opinions. I think it may be better to give it some time for things to settle down (say a few more months?) before we discuss a new admin further. But at the end of the day, I don't believe I'm qualified enough to make a final decision on this. If everyone believes in her ability to become an admin, I'll respect it. I just hope everyone properly thinks the decision over before jumping to any final decisions, since an admin role is one that comes with a lot of responsibility, both knowledge-wise and emotionally. Crazy456Rhino (talk) 19:53, August 4, 2023 (EDT)

Comments

While I trust the credentials that you've listed in your RfA, I was wondering whether you have specific examples of moderation that you can link here. For example, what do you mean exactly by "upheaved the entirety of Smogon's Generation I community?" I also wonder if you have any examples of handling discussions on SmashWiki, both on the wiki or in the Discord (granted I do believe you've had some, but it's easier if you give examples). CookiesCreme 21:30, July 29, 2023 (EDT)

Absolutely! So when it comes to the "upheaval", I truly mean it. If you look through here and here, you will see various examples of my past contributions to the forum community of Smogon prior to my leaving. I also organised two suspect tests, here and here, and assisted with the implementation of bans on the battle simulators. Prior to my stepping up over there, that RBY forum section didn't even exist - it was all one conglomerate of old gen discussions. I also founded its Discord community, and most Gen 1 Pokemon analyses or guides will have my name on them in some capacity, either for writing or quality checking them, the latter of which is an authoritative position on the site. At the time of me joining, much of the Gen 1 articles on Smogon were over 10 years out of date, the community was in disarray following numerous setbacks from prior authority figures, and there was a world where it could have declined into nothing. Now, it's one of the most popular old generations on the site. It was, legitimately, an upheaval; I can rarely say this about anything in good faith. Indeed, this wasn't strictly through my work: Players like Amaranth, emma, and Sabelette also played important parts — especially Sabelette after me leaving — but most would agree I was instrumental, especially early on where most of these users were not actively assisting. The body of work done here was, frankly, back breaking.

As for my SmashWiki discussions on the Discord — I think my wiki ones were articulated decently enough(?) — the most recent example I'd say is my conversation with Omega Tyrant following that warning he received. I certainly wasn't right in my conclusions — I simply didn't have full information and acted on what I knew and believed — but I believe the way I handled it conversationally was effective. I think I articulated my positions effectively, gave good levels of insight, and defended them appropriately when pressed by Voqéo. My positions on reporter protection, particularly, I think I delivered well. It's a bit difficult for me to find anything else with a simple Discord search, but here are a few other things; distinguishing between beliefs and behaviour with yourself, play feedback with Black Vulpine which could demonstrate game knowledge, and some discussions about the Passive armour page prior to me going into it, wherein I believe I articulate myself quite well. These go back into 2021; I don't think going back further is necessary but I could at a push. I was largely inactive in 2022, mainly because of an incident with OmegaToad, and while I'd rather not go into it, it is a perfectly valid argument if you want to dispute my staying potential. --Plague von Karma 21:57, July 29, 2023 (EDT)

@Crazy456Rhino: One particular part of your comment I want to call out:

"Additionally, less to do with you specifically, but one thing that has me worried is that it may be too soon for a new admin. While I can understand the rush to fill the gap that Serpent King left behind, I don't want that to influence others opinions. I think it may be better to give it some time for things to settle down (say a few more months?) before we discuss a new admin further."

This is just completely irrelevant. For one, this isn't "filling" Serpent King's spot, there never was and never will be a set limit of admin "seats". For two, we been needing more admins long before Serpent King stepped down, as evidenced by me doing like over 75% of the administrative work for the past couple years, and his increasing out-of-touchness and inactivity just expounded that point farther before he stepped away on his own. For three, waiting "a few months" is a long ass time to wait for people to "get over" SK going away, the wiki work itself is not stopping in that time, and the stresses of having to handle wiki matters with so few other admins around aren't going to relax while people wait for things to "settle down". Plague's opening line about the clear stress among the admin workload is very much true, and people holding off on any RfAs will only worsen the stress, there was a reason I outright stated during that argument that other people should be making RfAs. I'll also just come out and note one of the complaints about me was someone claiming I've been trying to "control the wiki", which presumably came from me being at the forefront of doing all the aforementioned administrative work, stuff that wouldn't have been getting done if I didn't step up. So if people are going to complain about me doing "too much" with administrating the wiki, but then also want to drag their feet with promoting anyone else to admin, what exactly is supposed to be done? Omega Tyrant 20:15, August 4, 2023 (EDT)

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