OK, so hot take here apparently. I don't understand why No Exploit is even under a misc. tag. I honestly believe it should be on the board as an extension of Easy, and the other difficulties if someone is feeling brave. I agree with Cap here that the run needs to have a clear and concise ruling on what is and isn't considered an exploit, because opinions may differ, but I also think that just because it doesn't change the route, doesn't mean it isn't significant to the run, as we can clearly see how much these skips have an affect on the run just by looking at the leaderboards.

I understand that its not the most popular category, but I also don't think it's something that should be distanced from the rest of the board. A misc. tag should be for wacky and actually obscure things, like Blindfolded Stampede or All Exits Return, not for playing the game as fast as possible normally.

I don't really do individual levels myself, so I feel like I don't have too much of an opinion here. If it makes things easier for everyone who does to get the IL runs done though, I'm all for it. Hopefully someone else who does ILs chimes in here.

To reiterate a few points from my last post, I'm OK with the mod choices. I'm sure both are wonderful people more than qualified to handle things and I hope they are able to jump into this with much enthusiasm. I would just like to be a part of the decision of who becomes mod, as that truly should be a community decision, regardless of past and/or current transgressions. My only current issue right now is that despite these two mods being appointed, I am the only person to have a run verified recently, and my submission was much later than others.

I also personally did not see an issue with doing verification's live, as our runs are readily available to the public at all times. Anyone can watch all of my past runs and current runs and critique them regardless of someones stream. I am sorry that it did upset you and I wish we had known, as we definitely would have not gone through with it. For the majority of the current runners, we truly wanted the live feedback, as we're trying to grow and improve, and it's not easy with a some of the top runners being silent for us most times. I definitely do apologize though. Everyone with a submitted run should have been asked before had if they were OK with the stream.

For us newer runners though, there isn't this close-knit friend group though. We see everyone in this community as part of a family, and I do mean everyone. We communicate with each other because we are adults and we are having fun with this shared adventure. If anyone is feeling left out, divided, or has a real issue, speak up. Come to everyone, because that is what a community is for. If you purposely choose to divide though, leave whatever drama you have between you and whoever, because the rest of us don't want or need it. We just want you to feel part of this family and support us the way we support you, and that can only happen if people learn to forgive and move forward.

So as one of the newer runners to this game, I feel it might be important to hear from the perspective of someone like me. I don't speak for anyone but myself here though. I absolutely am in agreement there needed to at least be a second mod. This game has been going through a resurgence lately with me and many others, and it was unexpected that there would be so many runs to verify like this. Putting all of that on one person who is working a full time job is unfair.

On the subject of who was chosen, I won't act like I am not slightly upset about this decision. I do not fault anyone involved in the decision and I am sure that both people chosen would be good for the job. My issue simply does stem from the fact that no one was contacted. Ever since getting here, I have been welcomed and shown love and support by everyone here. This community has been life changing for me and has pushed me through some dark times. Being left out of such a major decision gives me the feeling that my voice doesn't matter, and as someone who deals with every day prejudice, my voice is my greatest ally. The community, in my eyes, should always be involved in a decision that affects the community, no matter what.

On the other side, I do agree that having at least one mod that is impartial is a good thing. There is no bias on incentive to do anything other than verify good runs. Anyone can dispute that, but being impartial is nothing but a positive, and I do see that as a gain for the community and mod team. At the same time. I do believe at least one of the people chosen should have been a legitimate LK Genesis runner, as they know the ins and outs of the game and they know best what to look for in a run, especially what might be suspect. I will just say I would have been okay with either Eighttt, Estacaco, Stormy, or Bronkel being made a mod, as they in my opinion know the game better than anyone not currently modded.

Lastly I must stress this because it is the most important thing. Whoever the person was who said Insomnimatics was verifying runs without consent needs to check things before calling foul. Every single runner that was waiting on those 17 verifications gladly showed up to that stream to not only enjoy watching each others amazing progress, but also get help and tips on how to improve further from a top 5 runner. This community has become such an amazing support network, pushing each other to grow and succeed, and I want to feel that I can go to anyone on that leaderboard that is still here and and seek help and guidance and vice versa. The leaderboard from 4 months ago compared to now is a completely different landscape, and it's because of the massive support and respect shown to everyone.

Whatever happened in the past came before me, so I can't say much about that, but what I can say is that no one should feel like they don't have the love and support that I have received here. If someone is hurting, we should be there for them. If someone has a gripe or legit problem, we should look into it and handle it. No one should feel like they don't have a voice here. I know I need to be better and we should all strive to be better. I want nothing more than for us to come together and prove what I keep saying to everyone. That the LK community is the best speedrun community without question.