To Olympus, Thank you, and Goodbye ; The Rafa Yapfest to end all Rafa Yapfests

[Rafa 2822]

For this post, I wished to have a collection of thoughts and statements reflecting my tenure as Staff w/ the second highest ticket count (Could be someone else now idk, also it might've been 3rd) SAPD, Senior Support, and the motherfucker who wrote like 75% of the wiki, and above all, a member of this community. If I call you out or put you on blast, just remember that this is only Olympus and that's as deep as these feelings go. I do not bear any ill will towards anyone and can genuinely say there is nobody on this server that I don't like. One of my deepest regrets is that I don't know that I can at everyone who has had an impact on me or improved my life, but at the end of the day, that truly is each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. 

It'll be a long one, but I hope my inate ramblings reflect the experiences you have all had and similar sentiments towards Olympus as I have and brings us some semblence of joy in having shared such an experience that has brought us all together and make the community what it is. @ Millennium  I even formatted it and did not write it on my phone!!!

 

 

An Open Letter to Olympus Staff 

 

 

While I knew that I was going to eventually sit down and write this post, I never knew what I was going to write. A better question yet, what could I write? What words can do justice to what the Olympus and ArmA 3 community has meant to me? I began playing this game, as many of us did, upon watching youtube personalities like jackfrags and FrankieonPC playing games like KOTH, DayZ, and ArmA Life. I have always had a weird fascination with roleplaying servers across many different games, and so many strange constants persist across this medium as a whole, most notably the mental health of the players, or lack thereof, and their probable, if not definite, need for counseling and adult supervision on the internet. Another constant that kept me coming back was the opportunity to escape from life and immerse yourself in a completely different world with the opportunity to meet an abundance of strange, hilarious, toxic, and wonderful strangers from across the world that populate it. Now, while Olympus isn't exactly the gold standard for those looking for that experience, it almost sort of is in a way. The world of Olympus is an insane rollercoaster of toxicity, massive egos, absolutely brain dead individuals, desync, request medic, 911 dispatch, unhinged forum posts, RoundTable deathmatches, he is dpi glitching comp or ban, and the most wonderful and sincere people you will ever meet. It is maintained, in all aspects, by an astounding group of people who do so out of a passion towards the community, the game mode, and most importantly, Staff Points  .

However, while they may make mistakes and err in judgment, they are all wonderful folks who dedicate a lot of time and energy towards Olympus in spite of IRL obligations and the amount of dirty bowls on their computer tables, and for the most part, I can say with certainty that almost each and every one of these Staff members and contributors do so because they value the experiences and memories they've made with Olympus. Speaking for myself, I joined Support Team in late 2019 because I had gotten so addicted to Olympus that I wanted to do everything I could to provide the opportunities to make such memories and friends that I had during my time. My only goal in every role I've held in this community has been centered around this idea. I want to be able to help provide the amazing experiences and friends that I've made on Olympus to as many people as I possibly could. Don't ask me how many staff points I had, or how many warpoints I got from doing tickets, because I do not remember. What I do remember, is the time that I spent one of my first staff points on 10 fully decked-out tempest devices and spent the weekend trying to hand them out to new players. I remember finding a player in the middle of a town, not knowing his mic was active, crying at his desk because he was a 16 year old kid with autism who had issues regulating his emotions and he was upset that he kept getting robbed or killed, and having my whole gang buy him a fat truck and airlift it by Taru to each point in the runs he wanted to do. I remember the satisfaction I would feel each and every time I had the opportunity to confront some of the most retarded toxic douchebags who seemed to cause problems for everyone and, by the merit of them being shit people, sending them the autofill message that their appeal was dogshit and if they had an ounce of sense or decency in them they could just learn from their mistake and play again but that's too high a bar so you can stay off the server. I remember each amazing person I've met that have not only taught me or shown me  the way throughout my development as a staff member and whatnot, but how to be a better person, a better leader, and a better friend. When I say better leader, a lot of you might think that I'm speaking of barking orders and yelling at people in interrogation rooms, but the best lessons I've learned are in leniency and patience. For those who don't know, I manage restaurants for work across the midwest, and something I was definitely guilty of was something that I've seen, and still see, in a lot of other people in positions of power in life. Taking yourself too seriously. Both in instances where someone was ego'ing out, and in instances where people were demonstrating good judgment in a situation, I learned that you need to keep yourself grounded. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the other person and think about how you would want to be interacted with if the roles were reversed. I've seen so many admins deny appeals on the grounds of "yeah he broke the rules and he can just get fucked idc", but the ones that I've been most beneficial for not only how Staff interacts with and is perceived by the community, but the wellbeing of the community as well, is one in which the player has an opportunity to learn from their mistake and move on. The overall goal should be to keep people playing on the server and utilize the potential to make sure people understand and register what they did wrong and what they can do to make the situation right. Of course, I am in no way saying this is an issue for staff at large or even any current staff. It is just something I have always kept in mind while doing my duties, and I honestly just felt like talking about it. The best leaders are patient, empathetic, and kind, and even if it is just in the capacity of an ArmA 3 roleplay server, I urge all who hold any modicum of power in this community to keep that in mind as it will lead to your success and enjoyment of the community. Overall, I am so glad that I was able to be an admin, and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had, I just love this community so much and am so grateful for everything I've been able to take from it and for your trust in me. The efficacy and permanency of this thing for the whole is indispensable, keep being great at what you do. In reviewing the incidents of my tenure I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I hope they are viewed with indulgence and that, after 4 years of my life that I've given to this community with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as I myself shall soon be. 

@ Ryan  talked to you like 3 times, cool guy, audibly hebrew, nevertheless, thank you for all of the cool shit over the years

@ Grandma Gary  based head admin, crooked sense of humor, all around loveable oaf. Long live gourdma gory and may the powers that be never bring you to justice for what you have done. 

@ David Miller  Even as an admin, you were a great person to learn from and a great example of what the ideal staff member looks like. You have incredibly sound judgement, abundant patience, and a solid determination to fulfill your role. nobody will ever forget you used to be a senior medic though. 

@ Fraali  you have a really deep voice, i think thats sexy check dms for phone number 

@ Zahzi  you're like the worm guy from smiling friends but i fw it? also, know that you spend thousands on height altering surgery every year, ladies and gentleman he is now a stout 4'9 

@ Mako  makopanic 

@ WALT  I've been a big fan of WALT on youtube.com for a long time and its so great to see you in the CM role. 

@ destruct  you're ok even though you speak frog. You were great at training admins and were always a great cool. 

@ ThatNerdyGuy  I will always remember shooting the shit in support rooms and listening to you yell at headless. Probably one of the one's who gives "you actually seem too sane to be here" vibes as is evident by his successful relationship that isn't on a military simulator. We have very similar taste in music and I always loved when you would show me new artists or songs. Literally the only reason I'm such a huge Neck Deep and Wonder Years fan now which I can never thank you enough for xD 

@ King  Sir we came up together and you should already know if I went all out on how much i love you this shit would be 10 pages long. I wish you would arrest me irl so that you could have your way with me and leave me dead in an alley with one between the opticals while your still warm seed fills my ear canal. It's been an immense pleasure getting to work with you on Support Team, SAPD, and Staff. One of the best friends ive made on this community, truly  

@ Mighty  who is mighty? You are one of a kind type of individual and a great cool 

@ Caden  Bagged milk enthusiasts will tell you everything you need to know about this man here. He's canadian. In spite of this horrible afflication, he is a wonderful guy, a great staff member, probably one of the best the SAPD has ever seen and an absolute gem of a guy. It was amazing to see you come up in the community and you've brought a lot of good to it. 

@ Xlax  YOU ARE SEXY I WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU. One of the best comeback stories in olympus history expert hacker xlax is now protectin the same streets he used to commit hate crimes on and does a damn good job of it while looking damn good. damn. 

@ notsodank  Literally one of the funniest, kindest, and best dudes I've met. I will always miss our deep fried late night sessions in teamspeak and making up lies about you in cop channels to see if I could turn people against you. Notsoharam, you are truly one of the best and you were a machine when we would work together. Always going to be the other best Sr. Wiki Curator in my book. I love you sexy .

@Headless I'm actually pretty shocked that Headless is gone. But I'll still mention him if only to say you are one of the most schizo people I have ever met in my life. Manipulative, Liar, Retard, out of control ego. One of the worst seniors, worst staff members, and all around L person who set out to rape the APD for nothing more than to satiate his own ego. SEEK. MENTAL. HELP. NOW. Would constantly verbally abuse subordinates, lie, fabricate circumstances where he was the always the victim, and would literally abuse the trust of seniors under him for his own gain. It's too bad I never got to tell you this myself, but when you left the SAPD, and then turned around and cried that you were forced out and removed, not only did you set a precedent that would be followed by other shitty seniors yet to come, but you did the APD the biggest favor you possibly could have. You were a really chill and nice guy before you just let olympus get to you. Hope you are doing well, but also eat a dick you fucking jag. 

 

@ Zeuse  one of the funniest and nicest people I've met on this server, You will always be #myRPchief. Deputy Chief of the APD Roleplay Division, signing off for the last time. Protect the medics for me. 

@ Zombie Mall Cop  I am actually shocked you are a designer. You must have finally grown a brain. Good for you man. 

@ Mason Harrison  one of my first friends on Olympus and one of the best corporals the APD has ever seen. I will always treasure playing cop with you, @ maxg , @ Venomm , and Caden. Truly the peak of corporaldom in the APD. 

@ TapTap  Another cool guy until he let olympus get to him. You were cool until you just started causing drama because you were grumpy you didn't have a virtual rank in a roleplaying game and the guy who did have the rank you saw yourself getting wasnt the guy you liked grr angry forums post. IDK whoever was all involved with that but you and @ Iceman   and @ JaydenB  started out so strong only to ego out and spiral like mfs. Don't get me wrong, you guys are all awesome guys and I like you, but also hope you guys are touching enough grass and simply taking a break from olympus ever now and then. It was just funny to see you guys go all victim mode and also say you were removed but you weren't removed and just relied on the mob mentality of the forums to validate your misguided opinions on the APD and to bash Winters. Things could've been different and I wish things didn't go the way they did but also i dont care its arma who cares about any of this you all are great cools and my opinion on shit that has already happened doesn't really matter considering i went into hibernation. 

 

 

 

An Open Letter to the APD

 

Being apart of the SAPD was probably one of the best experiences I've gotten out of this server. Not only did I get to work with some really chill and wonderful people, but people who understood what the APD could be with the best interest of every member at the forefront of their priorities. Faction-life is a very interesting aspect of the game as it provides a setting in which several players from different gangs and different groups have a place where they can meet one another and play together. Some of the most amazing people and genuine friendships were forged for me in the trenches of the S1 cop channels. The APD can be thought of as one big gang, and it is often referred to as such with a negative connotation, however it is one of it's biggest strengths. It is incredibly satisfying when the entire channel is communicating, cooperating, and operating as a single unit and it sets the stage for some of the best experiences one can have on this server. I really could go on forever about how much I value the APD's place in the server and all it can provide to the playerbase. It truly is something wonderful. 

As for the head of this ship, Winters was another that I am convinced was bred in a lab somewhere in order to hold this postiion. While many of you know him as a very controversial chief (for some reason) he has always displayed a level of judgement, patience, and fairness that has far exceeded that of many other staff members, and particularly seniors, during the time I got to work with him. A lot of you seem to think that he's just checked out or holding a role hostage, but genuinely, Winter's has the best interest of the APD at the top of his list and contiuinally shows this in the ways that he works to advance the faction and ensure that fairness and fun are upheld both in the faction itself and the gameplay therein through the process  laid out for us by way of roundtables. He has promoted the best possible candidates to assist him in this effort, and looking across the chain of command, I believe the future of the APD is a very bright one. 

For all Seniors, or those who aspire to that role, I urge you to practice empathy, patience, and to not take yourselves too seriously. The jump from JrAPD and SAPD can be very jarring for some people and a lot of people change when this happens. DONT. A lot of people fail to realize that the reason they were promoted in the first place is because of their own merit, and I'm guessing, when they make the jump to SAPD they believe they need to change it up in order to excel in their new role. This is true, but I always cringe when I've seen seniors turn from chill and smart folk who got promoted for their skills turn into absolute brain dead powermongers who think they're god's gift to the APD. Stay Humble, Stay Patient, Stay working towards your goals. You do not "make it" when you get promoted to SGT and it isn't an excuse to become a shitty person. 

For all Juniors, I know that your seniors will work to make sure your experiences within the APD are as wonderful as the ones I was fortunate enough to have. All you need to do to excel in the APD is communicate effectively, educate lower ranked officers on rules and mechanics, delegate tasks to lower ranked officers, and have a presence in the channel. Nobody ever needs to get yelled at or raged at and even though it is only in Arma, take the opportunity to learn yourself how you can be a better leader if you aspire to rise in the APD. These skills will not only help you to that end, but possibly in your real life goals as well. I always wanted to make sure you guys had the best APD experience possible and I hope during my tenure I was able to provide that to at least one player. 

 

@ Winters  I dedicated an entire portion of this to you, but that doesn't do justice to how highly I think of you as a Chief. Hopefully, now that there is no incentive for me to suck dick, you take this genuinely. Always enjoyed playing games with you and Zeuse and I hope each of you has a nice big bowl of haggis in front of you. 

@ Mako  Mako im not high 

@ Caden  Already hyped this man up a lot but he is an incredible senior and a very good dep chief and a great cool

@ Rexo  If I were to sit here and write everything I want to say about you, this post would not only be extremely long, but extremely sexually graphic. One of the most genuine and kind people on this server and you can tell just by talking to him that he has the best interest of the server and the APD locked in. I know we haven't spoken in a long time, but all of those times you reached out to me over the last couple of months has really helped. My life has p much gone to fucking shit but it made me feel great when you would check in and say hey. Probably the nicest and coolest guy on the server. 

@ YakGod  From couping you from Senior Support to working along side you as a senior, I have to say you have had one of the best comeback stories in Oly History and I am so glad that our friendship didn't end on the same terms as when you left Senior Support. You were the first person I became friends with by way of Senior Support and I have to say it's amazing to see you as a senior now. Keep it up and the sky is the limit for you homie 

@ Zeuse  long live the APD roleplay division 

@headless fuck you jag just had to write it again 

 

 

At the end of the day, all I can think to say is thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the years of wonderful memories, amazing friends,and an excellent community. There is an immense depth to the gratitude that I feel towards Olympus and an even greater debt that I feel to Olympus for having been able to provide that to me. Olympus is truly a special place and I am so glad that I got to reach all of my goals and make memories for life. If you have any videos of me or anything you'd like to share I would love to archive them, so if you have anything like that, please post them below. If I mentioned you here and you want to reach out, feel free, would love to talk to all of you. Again, if I forgot to @ you, I apologize but just know that I love each and every one of you. 

 

@ Hatchbacks  literally the funniest person I have ever met, you have broken my sense of humor, and you are one of the coolest dudes I know. Long live KCE, and long live the CEO. 

 

 

That’s it from me folks. As always, stay safe, god bless, and this entire post was an engagement text hands up or die 

 

 

 

[Garth Flanders 54]

Farewell, thanks for helping me get some people banned throughout the years.

[Joel 1179]

17 minutes ago, Rafa said:

Taking yourself too seriously. Both in instances where someone was ego'ing out, and in instances where people were demonstrating good judgment in a situation, I learned that you need to keep yourself grounded. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the other person and think about how you would want to be interacted with if the roles were reversed.

This entire post was beautifully said, and I couldn’t agree more. This highlighted section specifically more people should take note on and realize not everything is so serious.
Didn’t really know you too well Rafa, but from what I’ve read here and have seen you seem like a great person. You’ll be missed thank you for all you’ve done to help make Olympus a better place. o7 

[Mako 3331]

30 minutes ago, Rafa said:

"....but I always cringe when I've seen seniors turn from chill and smart folk who got promoted for their skills turn into absolute brain dead powermongers who think they're god's gift to the APD."

I am god's gift to the APD.

Known this has been a long time coming. Goodbye lad, safe travels.

[WALT 3291]

Always a pleasure @ Rafa  

Good luck with all your future endeavors. I hope to cross paths again. Remember don’t be a stranger. 

[Big Boss Fredo 749]

Never talked to you or met you, best of luck buddy 

[-Shawn- 4486]

I agree! @ TapTap is a true ego maniac and should be put in his place!!

 

Also once I came back to staff I took over as the ticket junky. So I got you covered there. Never got to meet you but everyone spoke super highly of you. Thank you for your contributions to the server brother. 
 

Also the headless part was wild lmfao

[Frato 807]

Arma jits really be putting more effort into goodbye posts than college applications this shit get serious. W for helping the autistic kid that was wholesome as fuck. Never met you before, but I'm sure your friends would want you to stop by every now and then and say hi. Goodluck in life

[Community Director Sov 134]

Wow...   You wrote a 90lb book about leaving and not one shout out to me?

[Millennium 5332]

o7 bud. One of the chillest and nicest people on Olympus. Fuck you and your phone tho frfr. The amount of times I had to fix your bans cuz you did player reports on your phone was astronomical. Love you tho.

You got me on snap you can always hit me up for anything bitch.

[Lucien 2757]

o7 always a chill guy the few times I talked to you, real as fuck post

[Rafa 2822]

26 minutes ago, Community Director Sov said:

Wow...   You wrote a 90lb book about leaving and not one shout out to me?

Honestly, remember that time you got me banned because I broke your leg and emoted in front of the medic so you couldn’t heal after releasing you? That’s literally the point I evaluated my behavior on the internet and decided to not be toxic anymore. So real talk, you actually had a pretty good impact on who I am today which is as weird to say to you as I’m sure it is to hear 

21 minutes ago, Millennium said:

o7 bud. One of the chillest and nicest people on Olympus. Fuck you and your phone tho frfr. The amount of times I had to fix your bans cuz you did player reports on your phone was astronomical. Love you tho.

You got me on snap you can always hit me up for anything bitch.

Ah yes, I did hundreds of reports on my phone don’t know how proud I am of being hunched over my iPhone with AirPods in scrubbing through evidence during my smoke breaks but that shit did indeed happen 

[ares 316]

2 hours ago, Rafa said:

you have a really deep voice, i think thats sexy check dms for phone number 

 

2 hours ago, Rafa said:

ir we came up together and you should already know if I went all out on how much i love you this shit would be 10 pages long. I wish you would arrest me irl so that you could have your way with me and leave me dead in an alley with one between the opticals while your still warm seed fills my ear canal.

 

2 hours ago, Rafa said:

YOU ARE SEXY I WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU.

This post made me really horny

 

On a real note though I didn't talk to you much but the few times I did you were an awesome guy and the community will miss you!!

P.S. Fuck you for having a name I cant say without making it sound like Wafa

[Community Director Sov 134]

7 minutes ago, Rafa said:

Honestly, remember that time you got me banned because I broke your leg and emoted in front of the medic so you couldn’t heal after releasing you? That’s literally the point I evaluated my behavior on the internet and decided to not be toxic anymore. So real talk, you actually had a pretty good impact on who I am today which is as weird to say to you as I’m sure it is to hear 

No.. that's exactly what I expected to hear.  I've been around from watching you be a retarded toxic kid all the way up to the point where you grew up and owned your actions.  I was also once a retarded toxic kid that grew up.  Take care of yourself Mr. @ Rafa

[Hatchbacks 4106]

my nigga in christ goodbye the kce jet is on the runway fueled and ready goodluck the enterprises will miss you old friend

[Lea 1183]

Go be happy. No matter what. Life is too short for anything less. 

All the cupcakes!

[Revenge 535]

You will not be forgotten.  You are loved..   

[Xlax 2458]

o7 rafa, the most genuine and humble person I've gotten to have the honor of working alongside with. Hope you're doing well, and hope to see you around in TS from time to time. Also, realest post I've read in a WHILE. 

[Marcus 1093]

o7 Rafa thank you for everything you have done for the community.

[Clashingtin 933]

[Diamond 330]

[Winters 1950]

There is a myriad of positive things I could say about you, but I will keep it short and sweet. It was a pleasure working with you as you were a great member of SAPD, a great staff member, and a great member of the community who dedicated himself for the right reasons across the board. I thank you for your dedication. It is sad to see you officially leave now with a post, albeit one of the most truthful I've seen in some time. I wish you the best of luck in life with all of your future endeavors. As always Olympus will always be here so don't be a stranger. o7

[moethirdaccount 4]

I didn't know you well enough but you were a nice guy all the times we spoke. Live a splendid life my friend.

Edited March 27 by moethirdaccount

[Mudiwa 772]

ill never forget how dirty my boy headless did me by making me loose support team for calling a retard a retard

imma miss u pookiebear

[Rexo 775]

o7 Rafa, I will always cherish our RP adventures undercover! Don't be a stranger and yes I will still continue to harass you and send you memes. 

It was a privilege to be a staff member and a Sr with you! Nothing but positives can be said for what you have done for this community.