Hexick has struck me as someone who has performed significant labor in various places and appears to have a good idea of expectations upon promotion. I don't currently have concerns after having spoken with him.

I believe OptimisticLucio, having a pulse on the general community outside of the site, will provide valuable insight as to how policies and positions staff as a body make affects the general fandom outside of the site. These insights are valuable to have.

cybersqyd comes across as someone who mostly wants to use the moderatorship position in order to facilitate everyday cleaning of the forums, for which the staff community constantly needs more hands in. While I have some reservations about ver's intimidation by the prospect of becoming a mod, ve has expressed similar sentiments during the promotion to operational staff, which ve has performed with aplomb. I suspect this is the exact same situation here.

Deadly Bread has performed a significant amount of work for the community on top of being able to address and discuss the pros and cons of upcoming shifts in policy. I do not have concerns at this time.

MalyceGraves performs a disproportionate amount of labor. A failure to recognize their labor across multiple teams (I believe the most teams on this list of candidates) in this case would be a disrespect on my part. That being said, I hope that this user significantly considers criticism by their peers in interpersonal interactions in the future. Addressing and considering one's detractors gracefully and in a way in which detractors feel appropriately heard is a skill that will make for a stronger team overall.

N_Aepic_Fael does not match any existing user name is in with similar reasons as cybersqyd. We've talked about some concern with his activity levels, which we both share, but I also believe we've spoken about solutions to this case and I genuinely believe in his capacity to fulfill them.

Hexick - does consistent work that is consistently fine. But there's something holding me back this cycle. It's a combination of things that other folk have already mentioned - more than not their race to be first to respond to things no matter the cost just makes me hesitate.

OptimisticLucio - I was going to vote no because I've never interacted with this user before, and I tend to either abstain or vote no in that case. But, their interview responses were good, and I want to try and take advantage of the interviews and recommendations of captains, so, gonna vote yes here.

cybersqyd - the easiest yes. Ver interview answers were admittedly nervous, but ve's a nervous person. Sqyd has good instincts and I find myself seeking out ver feedback on things very frequently. The only thing I could really ask for is that ve be a little more confident in verself.

Deadly Bread - There's, like, three Adjective Breads on the wiki now, but this is definitely the best one. I want to see them do more actual policy discussion and interacting with staff outside of MAST, but it would seem that so do they, so wonderful! But given the amount of work they do, heading the tagging subteam, it's hard to vote no. More than displayed their competence.

MalyceGraves - Without a doubt the most controversial vote here. I think their work in performing their duties is unimpeachable and their promotion to mod is inevitable. But their approach to a couple of things gives me pause and makes me vote no.

They're likely the best we could have asked for in terms of being a good source of inter-team communication (they are disc's de facto chat presence and do a good job of it!), but as gee said, I've seen them come down hard against suggestions of greater inter-team communication. Their response to suggestions about the MAST chat being open to non-MAST members particularly stands out in my mind. I am personally of the opinion that a single person being the only effective means of communication between two teams is bad policy.

Outside of that, as Zyn and (kinda/sorta) Modulum have referenced, they tend to be overly harsh. The promotion to moderator comes with increased presence and weight in discussion and policy writing, and that (being unduly harsh) is not a direction I want to see us go down. There are a couple other things, but I feel that other people have communicated them better than I can. Nonetheless, I'd like to congratulate MalyceGraves on their good work and promotion.

N_Aepic_Fael does not match any existing user name - Genuinely distressing username aside, their work on licensing has been impressive and machine-like. Another person that I'd like to see engage a bit more with policy discussion as well as have a bit more self confidence, but a yes nonetheless.

Hexick: Hexick does good work, but has a weirdly competitive aspect regarding staffwork which has caused at least one notable problem somewhat recently and is spreading himself too thin (leading to somewhat frequent slipups in 17 etc.) seemingly without much awareness of this. If that stops, I'd vote yes easily.

OptimisticLucio: I was initially going to abstain here, since I have never interacted with this user. However, I have heard almost exclusively good things from their team captain and other IO staff, and their interview was very good. Tentatively voting yes here, and hoping that if they are promoted they'll become more present in wider staff circles.

cybersqyd: Zero concerns, ve does great work and has reliable and well-reasoned opinions on staff matters. Ve would also definitely benefit from the moderator role, since forum moderation is much easier when you can edit or lock threads.

Deadly Bread: Their work on the MAST tagging subteam is great. I hope that when they are promoted they engage in discussions not specific to mast a little more.

MalyceGraves: This was the hardest decision to make in this cycle by a long way. If I could abstain, I definitely would. The staffwork Malyce does is excellent. However, there's a couple of things stopping me from voting yes. Number 1 is, and this probably won't come as a surprise to anyone, the Cerastes situation. Obviously, disc is a team, and Malyce wasn't close to being the main factor in that situation going the way it went. But they did agree with the removal from staff, and I'm not entirely sure that's something I'd like in more mods.

Number 2 is, while maybe something that some will see as comparatively minor, something I feel strongly about. In their interview, Malyce says that they help with communications between staff teams. And this is undeniably true, since they were added to disciplinary I have heard a little bit more from that team through them than I had heard in the past. However, they have occasionally been an opponent to measures to increase transparency and communication between staff teams beyond simply having one or two users on both teams, something I feel would be far more effective than anything one person can do. As already stated, these two things would probably lead me to abstain if that was an option, but since it is not I'm going to have to vote no.

N_Aepic_Fael: Is a solid forum crit staffer, and has been doing mod-level work regarding the images initiative for months. No concerns here.

Hexick: Hex does good work, and a lot of it, but I think Hex could benefit from gaining a better sense of when to hold back; this is largely spurred by interactions in 17 I've seen, but I've seen Hex answer a number of questions in slightly inaccurate ways, or answer questions that would better served by someone more familiar with the issue at hand, and I'm worried that this deficit in communication is more to do with not knowing when to hold back than minor misunderstandings. On balance with the sheer amount of work Hex does, this leads me to abstain.

Lucio: I don't know this user, however their interview and captain recommendation mean I am comfortable supporting their promotion to OS.

Hexick: Great work and presence since day one. Interview responses were surprisingly in-depth and insightful. He'd be a perfect addition to opstaff in a way that I don't really have a lot to say on - just getting work done across the wiki responsibly and professionally. His contributions to MAST have been both vast and invaluable and I'd give him my strongest recommendation.

OptimisticLucio: So I admit I'm not totally sold on Lucio yet - his overeager temperament is somewhat concerning (case in point: the goddamn Discord proposal). However, after thinking about this, I came to this conclusion: Internet Outreach is one of the most individualist teams of the entire staff structure and Lucio's potential applications gain massively from the jump in power to opstaff. He'd be an interesting voice in staff discussions and quite frankly he's been around for far too long to be JS indefinitely. Our PR guys should be OS, minimum.

cybersqyd: I was rather conflicted about this. Honestly, ver interview answers to me had this vibe of unsureness and almost reluctance that was pretty concerning to me as staff. However, I do think I'm ultimately comfortable with ver ability to conduct themselves as a representative of staff and the community and for ver to continue growing into their position. The time zones were the final factor that sold me.

Deadly Bread: What can I say, man. One of my first proteges for collab logs to being a section head in less than a year. Their leadership and management skills were put to the test in MAST and they came out with flying colors. Between balancing the entire tagging system to having consistent roles in other maintenance jobs in MAST, they've got an instinct and a drive for streamlining and getting shit done that the moderator position would greatly empower.

MalyceGraves: This was difficult, but when it comes down to it my vote is about my own comfort level with putting someone in the position and status of moderator, thus: I echo UE's concerns about the Cerastes incident and my strong feelings on that and its consequences are a factor here. In a broader sense, however, I'm approaching this vote with a philosophy of "how do I want the mod team on site to look?" and Malyce feels already too ingrained into the existing structures of staff, another addition to an established group of people mainly concerned with policy wording - fairly uncritical of higher-level leadership, and somewhat aligned more with the more forceful and paternal overall style of some of the older staff on site. I admire and appreciate Malyce's contributions immensely, but I'm going to exercise my right not to endorse here.

N_Aepic_Fael: I was on the fence for a while, but since I can't abstain I will vote yes. He fills the role of the Forum Crit Moderator comfortably well. Despite the smaller scope of work, I liked the vibe I got from his interview answers and I fully believe he has the basic aura of ease and confidence that is more important above all else for me for the moderation position. This is a statement of faith that he'll keep up his work and hopefully expanded it further, but I like what I'm seeing.

cybersqyd and N_Aepic_Fael are my team recommendations, so naturally yes.

OptimisticLucio and Hexick I'm not super familiar with in terms of mainsite activity (which is due to me mostly being on the mainsite forums and the nature of their work/projects), but I trust their Captains' judgment with regards to their work ethic and suitability for OS.

Deadly Bread has done some very impressive MAST work, particularly with respect to tags. Bread is everywhere with tags. Solid yes on modship, since having mod permissions will help Bread continue maintaining the tag system and keeping excellent track of updates.

MalyceGraves is someone I ping often to ask for assistance with various tasks (anything from a staff post to address problematic behavior to writing up O5 threads to checking new page edits). Malyce is reliable, readily active, and a hard worker. My one hesitation is that there have been times where Malyce was more strict than I felt was necessary (usually in chat). Something to think about moving forward, but it does not prevent me from voting yes.

OS Candidates:
HEX - I've personally seen a lot of their work and I find it to be both thoughtful and of high quality.
LUCIO - I do not know them but their interview answers were fine and they have the recommendation of staff I trust.

MOD Candidates
CYBERSQYD - They are more than capable of promotion however it is clear to me from the interview responses and the general level of comfort ve seems to have that it would be a benefit to all if more time and a greater understanding of staff functions were imparted. I feel confident this is going to be a yes vote in the future.

DEADLYBREAD - They're all over the place on MAST (In a good way) and have demonstrated an excellent level of initiative and maturity.

MALYCE - I almost abstained based on bias, given how much I rely on them in the daily functions of my own contributions. But then I reflected further and decided I was being stupid, because this is precisely the perfect justification to not abstain and vote yes.

N_AEPIC - This was a last minute change to a Yes vote, as their contributions beyond their crit work have not been well advertised. Their interview answers were pretty good and they have solid recommendations from others.

Hexick: This is a fairly tentative yes - I'm familiar enough with Hex and his work, and he does a lot of it. I think the move to OS would benefit him and the work he does.
With that being said, I'd like to see a bit more of him on more visible issues that concern staff (i.e. discussions, dealing with problematic users, etc.), but, admittedly, that type of work is largely divorced from his role on the site. His interview answers were very well thought out, so I'm happy enough to give a yes here.

Optimistic Lucio: Their interview answers were very well said, but unfortunately, I haven't interacted enough with Lucio to give a definitive choice here.

Hexick: Hex has done great work in a lot of areas of the site. I do wish that they'd spread themselves a little bit less thin, but I think a solution to that will naturally come with consolidation of duties as an OS. No problems voting there.

OptimisticLucio: I have not interacted with them at all, but the combination of the interview results and the advocacy of others who know them better convinces me that they'll be a fine choice.

Hexick has a large body of work under their belt, and I always consistently see them helping out in the intro forum. I have faith they'll do well as OP staff.

Lucio has done a good amount of work for IO. Even if that's offsite, good staff work is good staff work. I have faith they're also ready to become OP staff.

Hexick's work and demeanor has been good, I don't have any worries here.

OptimisticLucio has done good work on Internet Outreach, and he shows a willingness to pick his battles to ensure things get done.

I was a bit unsure about cybersqyd's promotion. Ve has worked consistently for some time, but ve is rather limited in mostly only doing forum critique work. However given ver timezone and frequent forum management (e.g. needing to lock or snip threads), I'm fine with this promotion.

If promoted to moderator, I would encourage sqyd to branch out and make ver voice heard on site policy matters more widely.

Deadly Bread has been operating at a moderator level as head of MAST's Tagging Section. We haven't had any issues since I handed over that position to him. No worries.

MalyceGraves has also been operating at a moderator level for some time. They are level-headed and do a good job at their work. Also no worries.

N_Aepic_Fael does not match any existing user name has been doing great, quiet work on Licensing for some time. He definitely deserves this promotion.

Malyce: Someone said it above, in far fewer words than I'd use: I've never seen a more deserving candidate for mod.

Nae: This will likely only mean anything to the candidate. I have never been as conflicted over a vote. This one actually kept me awake. But at the end, I made my decision. You've more than earned this.

These are both slightly hesitant yesses: on balance, I think both candidates will become good opstaffers with time, but I think both need the space of being opstaff to grow.

Hexick: you are dedicated and hard working; and my main concern is that it feels like you need to just, learn when to step back and be like 'hey I don't know this, here is where you can go to find people who do' sometimes (see e.g. the incident UE mentioned).

OptimisticLucio: my concern is your work is very focussed on off site stuff, e.g. the subreddit and the offsite community; and for me this is something of a double edged sword. Obviously as a IO JS, this is to be somewhat expected as your work is primarily offsite; but my concern is when you start getting into onsite policy discussions as an opstaffer, this limited perspective will hurt you a little; and my suggestion would be to try and get a little more involved on IRC and on the forums and just, be more visible outside the offsite community. I have some concerns re burnout since you've explicitly flagged it as an issue for you in your interview; but I believe you are aware of this and will aim to ensure it doesn't happen.

Hexick is an incredible junior staffer. I have the utmost confidence in his ability and his drive, which is why I most recently recruited him to join my subteam for MAST. I would like to leave a word of improvement for each candidate. Hexick, try to gather some more confidence. You do great work, and although it is a good thing to ask other staffers if what you did is right, I have noticed times that you seemed to lack the confidence to know that you did something right. I have also noticed you have begun working on this already.

OptimisticLucio is admittedly not someone I am very familiar with on a personal level. However, I think one of the duties that staff members have is to put at least some level of research into who they vote for. With that being said, it is my understanding that OptimisticLucio is an active member of Internet Outreach and does good work with what he is tasked to do. With a word for improvement, concerning your interview answers, have some confidence in your ability and the judgement of your Captain. You were chosen to be put up for promotion for a reason. You have earned the right to be here, try to remember that.

Hexick: I'd vote yes if not for an incident yesterday/two days ago (not sure what counts in this situation) in #site17, wherein they miscommunicated a pretty dire part of site policy to a petitioner¹. If they don't come through this cycle, I'll almost certainly vote yes on the next.

After hearing testimony from other staff and learning that this is a persistent issue, my vote has changed to "no".

OptimisticLucio: M_E swayed me on this one in SSSC: Lucio's earnestness belies a pretty good eye for PR, which is a huge plus in our line of work. Giving up on the Discord proposal was the clincher.

cybersqyd: This is a weak yes for me: cybersqyd's interviews suggest ve possesses a good insight, though I'd like to see some kind of project ve can apply that insight to.

Deadly Bread: No brainer. Bread's work stands the benefit the most from access to moderator powers.

MalyceGraves: This was not an easy decision for me; I'd have abstained if that was an option. In pretty much any competency-related respect, Malyce is an amazing staffer. However, the combination of two things keep me from a straight "yes":

• Some of the things I remember them saying about themself call to mind reasons why I requested A Random Day and ProcyonLotor not put me up for Moderator in last year's Feb promotions when the two approached me re:such².
• The Cerastes disc incident, which in my opinion was poorly handled.

If they don't pass this cycle, I'll vote "yes" in the next.

N_Aepic_Fael: Weak yes. I'd like to see him expand the scope of his work, but his interview was sensible and I've no reason to doubt Zyn's judgment.

• Hexick: I agree wholeheartedly with my captain's appraisal of their work ethic; they've done a fantastic job tagging articles in addition to other staff ventures. They're a great person and work well with nearly anybody. Obvious yes.
• OptimisticLucio: I have not interacted with this user and do not know the sort/quality of the work they do.