FOREWORD/DISCLAIMER
Before you delve into this document, I acknowledge the potential repercussions for the JToH Community and, to some extent, the game itself. By publicly releasing this account, which I have withheld for several months due to suppression and censorship from the JToH Team, I am aware of the consequences.
I accept full responsibility for any drama that arises from publishing this document. This includes the JToH Team potentially banning me permanently from their Discord server and the game, as well as removing my contributions and towers from the #tower-whitelist for revealing the truth.
However, I will not be held accountable for any subsequent consequences within the JToH Discord, the JToH Community, or the game’s state. Nor will I be responsible for the impact on JToH Team members mentioned in this document, whether positive or negative.
Any attempts to target my personal life, family, friends, or colleagues will be met with immediate action. This includes blocking and reporting your Discord account and, if necessary, legal action in extreme cases.
Such attempts include: harassment, stalking, doxxing, hacking my accounts, forgery, unsolicited deliveries, identity theft, DDoS attacks, death threats, IP leaking, invasion of privacy, and any efforts to censor, cover up, or delete this document. Actions that negatively impact my public and private life, such as threatening my job security or stalking me in other communities with malicious intent, will also be met with immediate action.
This document is created without malicious intent towards the game, its developers, or its owner. Its purpose is to share my firsthand, uncensored experiences working on the game for educational purposes, critical thinking, open criticism, free speech, and to express my opinion.
For any questions regarding the document’s content, please contact me at Discord account: Lightsynth#7896.
Do not contact me with malicious intent. Legal action, along with reporting and blocking your Discord account, will be taken if you attempt any of the aforementioned crimes.
Finally, to you, the reader, please read this entire document before drawing conclusions or making statements about its content.
Use the bookmarks to resume reading where you left off. I recommend taking breaks between sections and adding this page to your favorites for easy access in case the link becomes unavailable.
Trigger warnings: Mentions of suicide, bodily harm, mental health issues, stress, isolation/loneliness, split-personality, neglect, verbal abuse, mistreatment, pedophilia, grooming, false accusations, NSFW artwork, CP distribution, emotional manipulation, backtalking, backstabbing, gaslighting, death threats, and stalking.
If you understand and agree to these terms and conditions, you may proceed to read the document below.
With that disclaimer and foreword concluded, grab a snack and a drink. I hope you find this document enjoyable and informative.
Thank you, and without further ado, let us begin with…
My Exposé of the JToH Team
(And the JToH Community’s Toxic Side)
INTRO
Hello everyone. I am Ari, also known as Safari, or Lightsynth, my former identity within the JToH Community and JToH Team. I was a developer for the game Juke’s Towers of Hell.
I appreciate those who have joined my server recently. It’s heartening to see members of the JToH Community still curious about my life after leaving the JToH Discord and community, wanting to connect and socialize with me daily.
Thank you to everyone who has joined, offering companionship and interest in my next chapter. And to those who found this document without joining my server, especially if you found the link before it was presumably deleted from your Discord server, particularly the JToH Discord, welcome to this journey. I have written this for you and everyone else to gain a firsthand perspective on my experience working on a game I loved and was passionate about.
While I am grateful to those in my server and happy to have moved on from the JToH Community and its toxicity, I have one last piece of unfinished business before I can truly leave the JToH Community behind and find genuine peace and closure regarding the game.
Now, you may be wondering:
Lightsynth, or Ari, why have you kept this extensive 400-page exposé hidden, and why reveal it now?
The reason is that I have unresolved issues with the JToH Team and the more toxic elements within the JToH Community.
I began writing this document around late February of this year, striving to keep it secret to prevent early exposure, especially considering the potential reaction from the JToH Team.
Had I attempted to expose the JToH Team and Community earlier, coinciding with my initial resignation, they would have immediately silenced me, preventing my story from being heard. Furthermore, if this document had been discovered sooner, the JToH Team would have banned me from their game and Discord server much earlier, limiting the document’s exposure and allowing them to suppress the truth.
However, with the publication of this document, that is about to change.
I have never truly shared my side of the story regarding my experiences within JToH development and its inner circle. In contrast, the JToH Team has often blamed me for certain updates and development decisions, while simultaneously restricting my creative input, particularly under the scrutiny of the team’s inner circle.
They have frequently presented a one-sided narrative, casting me in a negative light rather than truthfully portraying events or allowing me to discuss my experiences with them and the community. They forbade me from sharing information from staff-exclusive channels, citing concerns about community drama. Yet, significant drama within their Discord server, particularly in popular channels like #general, #jtoh-discussion, and #tower-development, remains unaddressed.
Ironically, a former developer sharing their firsthand experience is what they fear most.
I conceived the idea for this document long ago but lacked the courage to expose these issues publicly.
As a developer or staff member, doing so would have led to swift demotion or, worse, a ban and silencing from the game for revealing such information. Even more concerning was the potential for job repercussions in real life if they perceived this as damaging enough to threaten their income and hobby, despite JToH being a relatively niche game compared to larger Roblox titles.
But when did the writing of this exposé truly begin, and how did it unfold?
It started around the beginning of 2023.
Specifically, about two weeks after the “Lightsynth strike” in December, while I was attempting to conquer the Tower of The Dripping Amalgam, an Extreme difficulty tower in Zone 6.
As many know, I temporarily left the JToH Discord in December due to this incident. However, during my self-imposed exile, I reflected on my perceived failings during my time with JToH. These reflections centered on several key issues: my declining mental health, stemming from various factors, including negligence and a lack of proper management and social camaraderie within the JToH Team. This contrasted with the toxic ideals and internal conflicts among developers and staff, which negatively impacted the community’s tower standards.
Unlike many JToH Team members, I am not solely focused on being a developer for a tower-climbing game, especially as my interest waned after Ring 9 for reasons I will detail later.
I sought social connection and, during my 2023 exile, realized I am extroverted and fear loneliness and isolation. Conversely, most of the JToH Team and community are introverted, prioritizing individual work and social detachment. Consequently, my concerns and issues, particularly regarding my need for social interaction, were often dismissed or ignored, especially after my demotion.
But there’s more to this story.
Throughout my four years with JToH, I witnessed countless instances of community drama. These ranged from minor disagreements about difficulty placements and tower opinions to more significant conflicts that sparked infighting within the Discord server, often with minimal intervention from the JToH Team.
Then there were major incidents, such as accusations of grooming/pedophilia, transphobia, homophobia, and general nastiness.
Compounding these issues was the recent excessive promotion of LGBTQIA+ themes on the Discord server and in-game via the pride shop. Additionally, the game and, particularly, the JToH Discord have become a haven for furries. The JToH Team’s practice of concealing past incidents and censoring information, coupled with internal dissatisfaction among some team members who felt compelled to maintain a facade to avoid punishment, silencing, demotion, or bans, contributed to a toxic environment. Furthermore, community members often faced criticism and hostility for deviating from server norms, game conventions, or simply for being heterosexual and cisgender, which, inexplicably, became problematic.
Internal issues, disagreements, and drama within the JToH Team were also prevalent, frequently resulting in demotions or punishments. JToH Team members would disparage community members or each other, especially former team members with controversial histories. Yet, the JToH Team consistently swept these issues under the rug, leaving the community to speculate about the truth.
Moreover, many are understandably frustrated by questionable decisions made by the JToH Team over the years, particularly by higher-ups directing game development, with whom I worked for over four years. Communication became minimal, vague, or even silent compared to earlier years.
I have long awaited the opportunity to share my story about my experiences within the JToH Team, including notable events, developments, and incidents I witnessed and participated in. I am finally ready to expose these events that the JToH Team has desperately tried to conceal to protect their brand.
This secrecy has only fueled rumors and false allegations from both within the JToH Team and the community. Even some JToH Team members remain uninformed due to the team’s failures in transparency. Inner circle members, like Vendetta06, and the game’s Administrators and Co-Owner, have persistently, but unconvincingly, claimed that the JToH Team has learned from past mistakes. However, it is clear that these issues are recurring, and instead of improvement, the same problems persist. Many, from my experience, are weary of this cycle, yet fear prevents them from speaking out or criticizing these issues.
I am here to finally change that.
Hopefully, after reading this document, which aims to reveal my experiences, you will understand why you should not blindly trust everything the JToH Team says or does. You will gain a clearer picture of the game’s management and the individuals behind the scenes, as seen through the eyes of an insider who, since 2019, was a loyal and passionate developer dedicated to a game they loved.
My journey transformed me from an enthusiastic contributor to someone isolated, socially alienated, burnt out, and pessimistic about the game’s evolution and its detrimental effects on management and community.
It only takes one person—someone within or formerly within the JToH Team—who has endured abuse, neglect, and consistent disrespect from game management and even parts of the JToH Community for not conforming, to potentially trigger the JToH Team’s downfall and, hopefully, initiate much-needed structural changes.
Without further ado, it’s time to break the silence imposed by the JToH Team and share with you…
MY DEVELOPMENT HISTORY WITHIN THE JTOH TEAM.
Written by Ari, a.k.a.: Lightsynth
Told from my firsthand perspective, from Spring 2019 to Spring 2023.
2019 – Humble Beginnings
(From war clan high rank to game developer/helper, problems of self-loathing, self-doubt, and mental health issues.) (Arcane Area, Zones 1, 2, ToRRA Incident, Ring 4 Massacre & Halloween 2019/Christmas 2019)
Chapter I: My First Introduction to the Game
I began playing this game around January 2019, shortly after leaving the war clan community and while participating in the Survive the Disasters 2 community. The war clan scene was becoming increasingly toxic at the time, plagued by doxxing, harassment, exploits, and cheating.
I discovered the game through Vyriss’ badges, the creator of STD2. Her badges were publicly displayed, and one related to KToH caught my attention, prompting me to try the game she played.
Little did I know, this would be the start of a significant chapter in my life.
I joined the game’s community when ObrenTune was the owner, then known as Kiddie_Cannon.
Compared to today, the KToH era was simpler in terms of standards, community, and overall game quality.
While toxicity and elitism existed among players even then, and I still struggled with self-esteem issues that persisted for the next year or two, especially throughout 2019 during my second year of college, the elitism and toxicity were less intense than in war clans or more popular games due to KToH’s niche status.
I clearly recall progressing to Ring 3 or 4 before creating my first tower, Tower of Sword Jumping, themed around and inspired by my former sword clan, Sapphire Guard, led by Cyrashin, now known as Mynded.
While some builders doubted the tower, thinking it broke rules due to its reliance on items—specifically, a dropped sword as a platform—it was considered innovative for the time. Ludovinci, then a staff member, rated it Extreme difficulty shortly after KToH was revived by Jupiter_Five, now Jukereise, the co-owner of KToH at the time, following its initial demise under ObrenTune.
Yes, we’re getting to that moment soon.
The tower’s core mechanic involved dropping a sword as a temporary platform to jump off and then retrieving it. This required precise timing and manipulation of internet lag/latency, becoming somewhat chaotic with multiple players on a server, making the tower largely RNG-dependent.
I often used this technique in my sword clan days to reach unexpected high positions and gain an advantage over enemy players.
Personally, I didn’t mind the nature of towers back then, though I recognized the frustration of sudden, unindicated traps. However, I accepted it as part of the rage-game genre at the time, even if I disagreed with its specific implementation of rage mechanics.
Then, the infamous event occurred after February.
3/3 happened.
I was occupied with my tower when I witnessed the events unfold on the KToH Discord server.
ObrenTune had essentially destroyed the entire server and locked down the game.
This was a shock to everyone, including me, as the game shut down seemingly without warning. I don’t remember which tower I was grinding at the time, but I believe Tower of Shattered Dreams (unnerfed) was my hardest completion, technically an Intense difficulty, which was quite impressive in the KToH era.
Those who were present then remember how devastating this day felt, as if ObrenTune was abruptly ending the game due to an undisclosed incident.
The real reason behind this incident was a heated dispute between ObrenTune, AwesDoggo, and another staff member (whose name I don’t recall), both of whom were promptly demoted after ObrenTune’s outburst. This drama, combined with accumulated past issues, led to ObrenTune’s meltdown, culminating in the infamous 3/3 incident.
This event hardly warranted the game’s potential demise. It stemmed from Obren’s tendency to overreact, a pattern seen before. In reality, the incident is almost comical in retrospect.
Generally, serious incidents during the KToH era often resulted in game shutdowns or maintenance modes, mainly due to drama. Or, Obren would instigate something irrational, like involving Jukereise in the “Slamo Massacre” because Slamo’s creator, awesomecoolpop, created NSFW art of his character and acted strangely, writing fanfiction. Instead of professionally managing the situation discreetly and later clarifying his actions, Obren overreacted.
From my understanding during my time on the JToH Team, this behavior often caused the development team to waste time and resources on Obren’s whims, like having Jukereise “kill” Slamos in the game, instead of ignoring or removing them, or focusing on more productive tasks.
As an artist himself, one would expect ObrenTune to separate the art from the artist, a concept even today’s staff team struggles with, particularly in later incidents, as we will see.
Eventually, Obren deleted the old KToH Discord server, but not before Jukereise shared a link to her personal server for community members to join before the KToH Discord shut down.
In her personal server, Jukereise assumed ownership of the game after a community poll about the game’s future.
Obren, facing severe mental health issues, instructed Juke in DMs to “do whatever you’d want with it.” She took over the game, especially after the community overwhelmingly voted for its revival.
What happened next?
The answer is simple: The game was revived and rebranded as Jupiter’s Towers of Hell.
The game was restored to its pre-3/3 state, thanks to Feodoric, a former staff and developer. Without him, the game as we know it today might not exist. Both Feodoric and Jukereise deserve thanks for making the revival possible.
While other former staff members might have had autosaved game files, Feodoric’s recovery version was crucial.
I rejoined the community under Jukereise’s ownership and resumed playing. I even entered an upcoming contest, encouraged by the positive reception to Tower of Sword Jumping and the invitation to create something for the event.
Now, you might be wondering:
Chapter II: How did I get promoted to Developer and Curator?
I became a developer for this game in May 2019, around the time of the Wacky Frames contest. Ciel, then known as blendbadboy112, was impressed by my citadel frame entry, Citadel of the Holy Trinity.
This citadel, along with its gameplay, apparently impressed Ciel and other staff. After observing my work, Ciel promoted me to Verified Builder and then Developer when I expressed interest in helping with the game, especially as I was becoming known in the community.
This decision seemed rushed, as Ciel later admitted in 2023, claiming they were replacing Fauxyde and another departing JToH Team member.
Thanks to Ciel and the staff team’s decision to promote me based on my citadel for the Wacky Frames contest—for which I still question if I deserved even Verified Builder, let alone Developer—I quickly began addressing minor game issues and implementing quality-of-life changes that now seem fundamental.
Examples include: ToTS’ killbricks and other killbricks emitting gray skull particles, Z-fighting fixes, misalignment corrections, design tweaks, minor bug fixes, and ensuring early KToH-era towers emitted gray particles from killbricks.
I also wanted to assist in reviewing tower submissions. Initially, there was some hesitation to give me this task, but I convinced them that my involvement would benefit the game and the curators by helping to streamline the review process and ensure quality content was added.
Initially, I was a lenient and friendly curator, a stark contrast to my later reputation for harshness.
However, a reminder from AwesDoggo and Skittles about being too lenient quickly shifted my approach to the stricter persona known today.
This incident highlighted the JToH Team’s early emphasis on curators adhering to and enforcing format standards. In contrast, current curators rarely correct each other’s reviews, despite outdated standards.
Despite these shifts, enjoyment remained, and still is, considered subjective, although many players agree on which towers are less enjoyable, sharing similar opinions on tower enjoyment factors.
All of this occurred after Ring 6 was released. Following these initial contributions, I began creating new content for the community, starting with a small contest that would eventually lead to a subrealm release a year and a half later.
