Hello, denizens of OT.
My name is Puzzle. I've been visiting the OT forums for about a day. In that day, I've had one passion, and one passion alone: Investigative Journalism. I've been an investigative Journalist for that whole day.
Since some of you might not be very familiar with me, let me start by writing up a brief history on myself. A biography, if you will. I started out playing Osu way back when, in 2012. Joined. Made an account. Played for a bit. Fell in love with the game. Visited the forums, to see what was crack-a-lackin'. I found the FG forums in a period of exploration, and was immediately enthralled and enraptured. Thread games on a forum for a game? What bigger waste of time could I possibly find? I was hooked and addicted instantly, and have stayed there these long 7 years - albeit off and on - until recently.
Now, for those of you who don't know, FG is a totally different land than OT. While OT is a blossoming - well, maybe budding is a more appropriate term, given the age of the government - democracy; FG is total anarchy.
Some people have a very visceral reaction to that.
Some people look at that, and think; "How awful! I would never want to live there." But it's not as bad as you might think. While there is no government - no laws and rules - I think that helps build a very strong sense of community in the members who live there. We all look out for each other. There's no big brother, no anonymous authority figure constantly looking over your shoulder. Instead, there's a sense of community - a few unspoken rules, and those rules contribute to a sense of friendship and comradery. We're there for each other. Support each other. Work for each other.
Yes, that does make me an immigrant. Yes, I understand that may be confusing to some people - why would an immigrant want to be an investigative journalist for OT?
You'll just have to keep reading. I have a very good reason for that, and that reason will become clear soon enough.
Now, put yourself in my shoes. I'm a member of a society that operates off anarchy. And here I am, minding my own business, when I hear a story about this wonderful land called OT. There, they have a democracy, a government. Laws and rules. They work together. Imagine it! Living a life with no sense of government, and suddenly being shown this new and encapsulating idea. Protection. Laws. Structure.
I was intrigued. I decided to visit. Lurk in this thread, lurk in that thread. Check things, here and there. Find out what the deal is and see what's going on. And boy, let me tell you, I was star struck. A real government! A democracy! Royal scientists! Parliament! Presidents! Laws! Think of all the improvements to the quality of life!
So I lurked, and got more interested. And then I lurked some more and got even more interested. The government was fascinating. The concept was intriguing. The execution was romantic. I loved it. All of it. It infatuated me.
Then the Tad the Tadpole thread came along.
For those of you who aren't aware, this is the thread in question: https://osu.ppy.sh/community/forums/topics/926421
And here it is. The thread that changed everything. A joke thread. A seemingly innocuous comment on a pun involving one of the OT thread parliaments members names. All in good fun, right? Doesn't the OT constituion protect the denizens right of free speech?
Then I see something. Something awful. Something that goes against humanity, reason, and law. The thread was nuked.
That's right. You read it right. WMTs (Weapons of Mass Threadstruction) were unleashed upon the thread. Denizens were evacuated, and the place was incinerated and turned into a wasteland.
Video Footage of the event
The Aftermath
circa 2019
The devastation was total and complete. Homes obliterated. Uninhabitable. Land desolate and grey. What was once a bustling and sprawling thread, full of the homes and lives of many denizens, was turned into sand and dust.
It was a striking sight. A haunting one. Something I'll never forget.
And why? What was this all for? A little bit of a joke? An expression of freedom of speech that's protected by the OT constitution? Something wasn't right.
My investigative journalist senses were tingling. When you've been in the biz for as long as I have, you start to get a sense for these things. An understanding. Something here just didn't add up. The Puzzle pieces didn't fit together the way they should, and I would know, since I'm literally a goddamned Puzzle.
So I started to investigate.
This is Finding The Truth.
My name is Puzzle. I've been visiting the OT forums for about a day. In that day, I've had one passion, and one passion alone: Investigative Journalism. I've been an investigative Journalist for that whole day.
Since some of you might not be very familiar with me, let me start by writing up a brief history on myself. A biography, if you will. I started out playing Osu way back when, in 2012. Joined. Made an account. Played for a bit. Fell in love with the game. Visited the forums, to see what was crack-a-lackin'. I found the FG forums in a period of exploration, and was immediately enthralled and enraptured. Thread games on a forum for a game? What bigger waste of time could I possibly find? I was hooked and addicted instantly, and have stayed there these long 7 years - albeit off and on - until recently.
Now, for those of you who don't know, FG is a totally different land than OT. While OT is a blossoming - well, maybe budding is a more appropriate term, given the age of the government - democracy; FG is total anarchy.
Some people have a very visceral reaction to that.
Some people look at that, and think; "How awful! I would never want to live there." But it's not as bad as you might think. While there is no government - no laws and rules - I think that helps build a very strong sense of community in the members who live there. We all look out for each other. There's no big brother, no anonymous authority figure constantly looking over your shoulder. Instead, there's a sense of community - a few unspoken rules, and those rules contribute to a sense of friendship and comradery. We're there for each other. Support each other. Work for each other.
Yes, that does make me an immigrant. Yes, I understand that may be confusing to some people - why would an immigrant want to be an investigative journalist for OT?
You'll just have to keep reading. I have a very good reason for that, and that reason will become clear soon enough.
Now, put yourself in my shoes. I'm a member of a society that operates off anarchy. And here I am, minding my own business, when I hear a story about this wonderful land called OT. There, they have a democracy, a government. Laws and rules. They work together. Imagine it! Living a life with no sense of government, and suddenly being shown this new and encapsulating idea. Protection. Laws. Structure.
I was intrigued. I decided to visit. Lurk in this thread, lurk in that thread. Check things, here and there. Find out what the deal is and see what's going on. And boy, let me tell you, I was star struck. A real government! A democracy! Royal scientists! Parliament! Presidents! Laws! Think of all the improvements to the quality of life!
So I lurked, and got more interested. And then I lurked some more and got even more interested. The government was fascinating. The concept was intriguing. The execution was romantic. I loved it. All of it. It infatuated me.
Then the Tad the Tadpole thread came along.
For those of you who aren't aware, this is the thread in question: https://osu.ppy.sh/community/forums/topics/926421
And here it is. The thread that changed everything. A joke thread. A seemingly innocuous comment on a pun involving one of the OT thread parliaments members names. All in good fun, right? Doesn't the OT constituion protect the denizens right of free speech?
Then I see something. Something awful. Something that goes against humanity, reason, and law. The thread was nuked.
That's right. You read it right. WMTs (Weapons of Mass Threadstruction) were unleashed upon the thread. Denizens were evacuated, and the place was incinerated and turned into a wasteland.
Video Footage of the event
The Aftermath
circa 2019
The devastation was total and complete. Homes obliterated. Uninhabitable. Land desolate and grey. What was once a bustling and sprawling thread, full of the homes and lives of many denizens, was turned into sand and dust.
It was a striking sight. A haunting one. Something I'll never forget.
And why? What was this all for? A little bit of a joke? An expression of freedom of speech that's protected by the OT constitution? Something wasn't right.
My investigative journalist senses were tingling. When you've been in the biz for as long as I have, you start to get a sense for these things. An understanding. Something here just didn't add up. The Puzzle pieces didn't fit together the way they should, and I would know, since I'm literally a goddamned Puzzle.
So I started to investigate.
This is Finding The Truth.