PDG Trouble

Shortly before the incident I will describe below occured, the following conversation occured between myself and Arca:

(20:54:54) ctenetchecker: hi
(20:54:59) Arca: gday
(20:55:12) ctenetchecker: r u planning anything for pdg this year?
(20:55:18) Arca: yeah i am
(20:56:06) ctenetchecker: do you want any assistance with the activities fair
(20:56:12) Arca: actually i cant make it
(20:56:17) Arca: because i have college course
(20:56:24) Arca: at that time
(20:56:42) ctenetchecker: ok so do u think i should get something for it
(20:56:49) Arca: yeah man
(20:56:59) Arca: programming design and gaming bro
(20:57:44) ctenetchecker: ok
(20:59:06) Arca: have like some code on one monitor
(20:59:14) Arca: a website on the next one
(20:59:19) ctenetchecker: ok
(20:59:21) Arca: and then have like game trailers playing on the next one
(20:59:25) Arca: ill give you the game trailers
(20:59:31) ctenetchecker: ok
(20:59:46) ctenetchecker: so we can use those PCs in meehan's room right
(21:00:01) Arca: correct
(21:00:03) Arca: talk to him
(21:00:06) Arca: before you do
(21:00:09) ctenetchecker: yeah
(21:04:33) ctenetchecker: ok when do you want to give me the game trailer
(21:04:33) ctenetchecker: s
(21:04:49) Arca: someday
(21:04:53) ctenetchecker: ok
(21:05:33) ctenetchecker: i still got to do a bit of homework, ttyl

After this conversation, I was very pleased. The work I had already started was now officially appointed to me. I thought it would be great working with Arca this year.

Alright, so it all started on Monday, during a free (I beleive 6th, if not 4th.). I saw (in this order, from left to right) Roderick, Arca, Page, and an empty seat in the best section of the computer center. As I was about to sit in the empty seat, it became a full realization to me that Page was on the forums and in communication with Arca. Instantly this worried me, so I sat two rows back, but close enough that I still had a good idea of what was going on, including even some speech. After a bit, Page was done looking at the forums, and Arca seemed to be showing him and Roderick something completely unrelated. I had a feeling of relief. I guess I must have not been watching closely for a bit (I did have some work to do.), because next thing I knew, Malfa was occupying the previously empty seat and Page was on the forums again, and I think Malfa was making some remark.

I quickly decided that it would be better if the "triumvirate" saw the closing message (I can not change it easily from school.) than it would be if they saw everything else. The closing message at the time (left over from "0.3.9 construction") was:

This board is suspended until further notice by the upper management of Engleman Enterprises.
Sorry for delay. Check back later.

I didn't realize any problem with this at the time, so I quickly locked the forums; however, Page was not active at the time, so he didn't notice it right away (or was it that he noticed it right away, but he decided not to ask me about it for a few minutes). So then Page came back to the row I was in, and when he asked why they were down, I told him he was sitting next to the "triumvirate." He said something like he knew that, but didn't realize it at first. He may have asked why that was a problem. If he did, I told him that I would tell him later. I am pretty sure he asked when they would be back, and I said when I felt like it.

Anyway, they all spontaniously left (Again, I did not actually see it when it happened.), but I think some of them were still hanging around elsewhere. Anyway, this situation was worrying more than whatever work I was doing, so I logged off and sat next to Page, who was still in the same spot. I did not dare re-open the forums again until I could fully assess the situation at home. I asked Page what happened, and he said he demodded me or something, so I said that's highly unlikely. He pointed to the "usergroups" link (then inaccessable, because of closing), and said he removed me from some group. Arca was (and still is) the moderator of two groups: PDG and PDG MODs. I quickly realized that this is probably what Page confused with it. I asked him the obvious question: "Why?" He first said something about me running it without him. When asked more specifically, he then said that Arca didn't like something at the bottom, Page thought it was the "Copyright Engleman Enterprises" bit.

When I got home, I logged in and unlocked the board. When I checked to see, I saw that I was removed not only from PDG MODs, but from PDG. I immediately added myself back into both gropus. I was shockecd by what he did. To me, being removed from PDG was showing much ingratefulness for the fact that I did almost everything not user interface related, and even some of that. Removal from PDG MODs was an act of defiance, it seemed to me. I wanted to find out more info on Arca's session, but didn't feel like looking through the DB. (I still have yet to do this at the time of writing.)

I decided to be a bit more restrictive with information handed out as well as to tell Page not to do it again. Nothing really happened on Tuesday, other than further discussion. I forgot whether this was told to me (I believe first indirectly Monday night, then directly Tuesday.) That Dobbins and Arca had allied and kicked me out. Dobbins says dumb stuff like this all the time. I don't know whether or not Dobbins spoke with Arca, but I think it is safe to say that what he said was inspired by the events on Monday. I didn't make this connection until Tuesday. Oh yeah, Pinko asked me if I wanted him to ask Arca about it. I said no, thinking that perhaps Arca would forget.

Then, today I thought all had settled and Arca completely forgot the whole thing. (He tends to not mention the forums at all unless his attention is brought to them.) After school, I was informed by one of my many sources about a conversation that took place during 8th. Apparently, Arca had had a conversation with someone else about the matter. This time he brought up Mr. Curtin. He was very annoyed at me for the "Copyright Engleman Enterprises" notice at the bottom, even if it did also mention PDG now. Also he brought up the disclaimer line (which is only there to cover my own back if someone complains that noone from the school ever approved it). My sources say that Arca said that he was talking to Curtin about having the forums hosted at school, but Curtin said no because of those two lines. There were perhaps other reasons that Arca mentioned that my sources left out and/or reasons that Curtin mentioned that Arca left out. I am doubtful that Curtin even considered it in the first place, and just gave those reasons as excuses. I also think it is far more likely that Arca talked to Butkowski or did not talk to anyone.

The one thing that never ceases to confuse me is that he has not said anything to me about this matter, at all. We have talked a bit this year, but he never brought it up. It is not my responsibility to bring it up, because I'm not the one with the problem. I will not take any further action until a complaint is filed (We have an entire forum for this sort of thing.), or at least he says something directly to me in some form.

With the activity fair coming up, I hope there is no further trouble, and I may even lock the forums tomorrow during school to prevent the topic of the forums to be brought up that way. As far as the forums at the activities fair, Pinko has already written a local registration program. Meehan is well informed of the activity fair happenings and should be present. He has yet to hear anything from Arca this year. I will be there to set up as early as 6th, if they let me.