How long have you been an active member of the forum?

I have been registered since 18/05/2008.

Why do you wish to become a moderator? Try and be specific here; the more generic your answer, the less effort it suggests.

There are 2 reasons. Reason one: I wish to make it a possibility for all to have the ability to police themselves. This has been implemented successfully on vorail. Reason 2, as it is above, so is it below. That means, love, compassion, mercy and clemency are what is needed and I believe that if more of that were shown then the less people would, of their own volitions, want to break the rules. Having said that, people need not only to feel like they're being listened to but that they actually are listened to. Moderators have been good at sharing some of what has been discussed on discord and I would do the same within reason of course.

What is your average availability during a given week? Please note: you will not be held to strict time standards, as this is a volunteer position; instead, we simply wish to gain an idea of your ability to commit to this role.

I have quite a lot of free time during the week and weekend. If that changes then I would be free at weekends but for the foreseeable future, that won't change.

What strengths or positive character traits do you believe you would bring to the forum as a moderator, and to a collaborative team environment? Please explain.

I have never worked in a team environment in a position of authority so I honestly don't know. I would however be empathetic and sympathetic toward all users as much as possible. I would even be happy to be a go between for the moderators and regular forum users.

What qualities or history do you possess which might complicate your ability to be an effective moderator? Please explain.

I absolutely refuse to punish or cause another to be punished by being an informant, even if I were told that to not do so would result in the revocation of my moderation status. I have never been in this life time, nor will I ever be, a man of authority. There is only one who has absolute authority and that is not me. Were I to even attempt to sit on that particular throne meaning to be in that role whereby I would be in authority over others, then it would be a lie and I would be a pretender to that role. I am equal to everyone else, no higher, and I will never even try to rise above my station. As for any negative history I have had with the forum users, here is proof of such. While my stance has not, nor will it ever change when it comes to the thread I linked to, I would certainly word things in quite a different way. The proof I've given above also proves that I do not bow to peer pressure and I am not afraid to say things that other people don't like.

Have you ever received a ban from the forum? If so, please explain what happened.

I have not ever received a ban for any reason and I am very thankful for that.

Do you possess a thorough understanding of the forum rules, and are you committed to enforcing them fairly?

I do have an understanding of the forum rules but I rely on common sense rather than the forum rules so my understanding of them is not thorough but I will and have referred to them when unsure. There is no such a thing as enforcing rules fairly when in a position of authority so no I would not enforce them, especially when that enforcement entails the use of negative/punitive might, even if it is done to the bare minimum and no more. I will not compromise my personal beliefs in order to enforce any rules of any kind, be they the forum rules or any other rules. I will however, advise any offending forum user that they are in violation of said rules and that any further violations including the current violations will result in another moderator enforcing the forum rules and they will be punished by them, not me. I will even quote what the rules state and link to the topic in question so that the forum users would know that the rules I site aren't ones that I've made up myself. As for any toxicity that may arise during my tenure if I am chosen, I would deal with it mercifully because that is how the one who is head of my house, the one who is my king wants me to deal with it.

If there was one thing you would change about the rules, culture or overall community environment, what would it be? How would you initiate that desired change?

I will answer the second question first before I answer the first one. I would lead by example and show the community to the best of my ability what being a model citizen looks like behaviour wise. If you are unable or unwilling to make the change within you, then you don't deserve to be a moderator. You in this context means people, not a specific 'you'. Now for the first part of the question. I will first tackle the rules. There should only be one rule, treat others as you would like to be treated. Be kind, loving, compassionate, merciful, forgiving and respectful unto all, even unto those who you don't like or unto those who don't like you. Why? What so ever you do will be done unto you, be it good for good or bad for bad. It is not something that can be enforced, the eye for an eye law can only be fulfilled, not voided nor avoided. So if people use stolen assets then others will punish the thieves, not me. As for the community, I dearly wish that people would not be so toxic. If I had it my way, the forum would be forever populated with those who will never express negativity ever again. That doesn't mean that they won't be able to talk about negativity, nor does it mean that they won't be able to say no; it means that they will not be hateful, vengeful or in any way punitive toward one another in any way what so ever. That cannot be enforced, people must choose to be this way of their own volition; it is their freedom of choice to be kind and good at all times and in all situations.

Please rate your familiarity with Discord on a scale of 0 to 5, 0 denoting total unfamiliarity with the platform, and 5 indicating no problems within the Discord environment.

I would say 1. I've never done anything within a group on discord, nor have I used its audio features. I don't know anything about hosting a discord server, but I have text chatted with people on an individual basis.

Please outline any prior experience (professional or otherwise) that would contribute to your ability to serve affectively in this role. We aren't necessarily looking for a resume here but involvement in the community, personal projects, technical familiarity, etc. Put another way: what do you do? What makes you happy to get out of bed in the morning? What is your super strength?

I have no prior experience of any kind that you are asking for. I am however willing to learn but I honestly have never done anything like this before so I would be a total newbie.

Please outline your individual solution for the following entirely fictional scenario. As this is designed to be a complex assessment of your skills, strengths and weaknesses, please be thorough and, where appropriate, explain your reasoning.
Scenario:
A good friend of yours is a fellow forum member who has generally never fallen afoul of the rules before. Three weeks ago, your friend posted a link to a well-known unauthorized fork, and received a warning for it. The language used in their warning was unusually harsh, even under these circumstances, and it was given by a member of the moderation team that you often do not see eye to eye with; it feels to you as if this team member is sometimes needlessly abrasive in getting their points across. Your friend became defensive and angry, but recognized that they made a mistake and broke the rules and thus deserved the warning itself. You know, but have not shared with anyone, that your friend is going through turmoil in their personal life which may make them more vulnerable to sharp criticism.
You arrive on the forum today, and immediately see the following report from a concerned user:
"Might want to check this thread out. Somebody snapped."
When you investigate, you find that while you were away,  your friend has engaged in a heated battle with at least one other forum member, culminating in a final post which reads as follows:
"Look, I don't care what you say anymore. Just fuck off and leave me alone. I am sick to death of people always picking on me. I mean, I make one little mistake, and suddenly everyone's out to get me. I don't know what sort of god-damn power trip you and the other mod-lovers are on, but I've had enough of it. I really don't care if they ban me at this point, I am fucking done playing nice and playing politics because everyone else gets their feelings hurt and I'm supposed to just eat it. We're supposed to be here to have fun and support each other as gamers, but that's not what I see. What I see is a bunch of immature, whiny assholes who can't understand that sometimes we say and do stuff that isn't smart, and we sometimes need a little time to learn from them. Yes, you're one of them. No, I don't care if that bothers you. You gave that up the moment you told me that I probably didn't belong here if I had such thin skin. Seriously, fuck all the way off with your high-handed judgments."
A quick look at the posts which came before show that other users did indeed suggest that your friend was too sensitive, and had been saying a lot of unacceptable things, in their opinion at least.
You check the staff discord server, and the same moderator with whom you so often disagree has apparently seen this report before you, and has commented on it in chat, saying, "Jesus, what a mess. Can we just ban this snowflake already? I'll be happy to do it myself."
How do you feel? How do you react, both to the situation on the forum and to the potential conflict on the Discord server?

Firstly, the friend. I would advise my friend that it was unwise for them to use such language, not because it wasn't warranted but because they fanned an already blazing inferno. I would empathise with them regarding their plight and I would assure my friend that they will not get any wrap from me. I would also advise my friend that because they retaliated, it would be harder for them to be kind, loving, compassionate, merciful, forgiving and respectful the next time so they would need to try to be the light in action from this day forth. I would also advise them that the danger lies not in what other people do unto us, but in what we do unto them. I would further advise that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and their suffering will eventually end. They have to be the light in action in the mean time. As for the bruhaha on discord, I would request that a ban not be implemented and I would also do all I can to reconcile with the moderator who I did not get along with. After all, how can I give advice if I am not willing to follow it? While it would be very difficult to like this particular moderator, I would try my best because I know that said moderator is not the enemy, it is the darkness within us both that is the real enemy. I would then ask once more that a ban not be placed on my friend but now, my friend's actions can be observed and they won't fall fowl of that particular rule again.