<@&876513288618410034> <@&876513297048928267>
Hello everyoneâstaff has seen many of your frustrations over the new Rule 8 update and would like to clarify our intentions as well as compromise on the way it's implemented going forward:
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First, to everyone in the server: as many systems have been saying repeatedly, ALL alters (regardless of their source) are their own people and have no control over who they are or how they form. If you are not well-versed in DID/OSDD, there are pinned resources in #/chatroom and #/school-smart that can get you started. Per Rule 2, unfamiliarity is not an excuse for disrespectâeveryone's identity is real and valid, and staff will not tolerate members who engage with systems in bad faith or intentionally disrespect them.
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The intention behind the original rule adjustment was to address the increasingly persistent issue of extensive and frequently hostile arguments in our main chatroom (which reached a peak right before the Ithaca Saga release). Many members, both singlets and systems alike, have consistently filed complaints about this problem in the past few months. It was not staff's intention to imply that EPIC-sourced fictives cannot defend themselvesâhowever, we recognize how this decision ultimately came off as infantilizing, and we would like to apologize for the hurt it has caused /gen.
For further context, as this server has rapidly grown over the past year, staff has worked with systems in the community on several solutions for the above issue (such as server announcements suggested by systems, an educational embed drafted with community system input, and pinning system-provided resources in multiple channels). However, large amounts of new and uneducated members in the server continue to trigger systems by falsely assuming they're bots or their sources, and at the same time, many new members have been heavily discouraged from speaking after being repeatedly and publicly criticized over misunderstandings they are apologetic for. In the past month or so, tensions have been high enough that many members have lashed out at others over EPIC jokes and opinions, even when they're not directed at fictives.
Staff has spoken with and heard from multiple systems in the past few days, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to work our way through the unanswered tickets. Thus far, the commonly expressed bottom line is that all members are able to and responsible for managing their own triggers, and that it is especially important for alters to be able to decide for themselves whether or not they want to mask. Therefore, effective immediately, it will now be a recommendation but not a requirement for EPIC fictives to speak through an alternate proxy or base account. This is with the expectation that EPIC-sourced fictives, especially those who are closely connected to their source or sensitive to source jokes, should enter this server with caution and front or engage with other fans at their own risk.
Prior to this, staff has been much more lenient on systems who engage in these arguments (as it relates to respect over their trauma), while simultaneously banning a high percentage of singlets. Moving forward, staff will be equally strict on those who deliberately disrespect alters and those who attack other members over being confused. We would like to re-emphasize that anyone who purposefully engages with systems in bad faith is not welcome in this server, but neither are those who react with hostility to genuine confusion. It is our hope that this decision will not appear to place blame on either side, but rather underscore staff's main priority: keeping hostile arguments, disrespect, and harassment off the server.
As we are constantly learning from our community, please don't hesitate to open a ticket or DM staff with questions, feedback, or input about the above 