Monthly Address - Introductory

[Beatrice]

Fellow Orderians,

Communication has been an issue at times within our region. This is something that I'm not happy with, I look back upon the old forums and I see where communication was more present and consistent; we were on the same page. As I settle back into things I intend to give a briefing of the actions which I, and others, are taking in the service of the region. These will naturally be open to commentary from everyone and there will always be at least a week-long period (longer as necessary) for everyone to ask questions, comment, and list concerns we've missed. I am already engaging with Dave on things to be addressed and am currently working on sorting issues with Discord to ensure that newer members aren't faced with a confusing situation given the state of the mainline RP channel.

I have a plan for that though and wish to share it with you all. Please take a moment to read it, provide any insights you might have, or anything that I may have overlooked. There is an upcoming rollout of features, called Onboarding, which will complement the measures I have drafted. I recognize where I've taken a light-handed approach and allowed things to become confusing for newer people, however, I believe this is a first step in sorting the "vibe" of our Discord. We'll have a channel which is fully cannon, where all messages must reflect content on the forums. We'll also have a consultation channel, as we do at present, where things can get somewhat more hypothetical. Finally, the current #roleplay channel, as it's used mostly for banter already, will become the banter channel. I'd rather have such banter confined to one place than to allow it to slip into channels that should be kept canon-based. When Onboarding is rolled out we'll be able to ensure new members are first introduced to the "canon" RP channels, after which they'll have the decision to engage with other channels at their discretion. It's my hope that this will lessen confusion, frustration and increase retention.

The proposal can be viewed in full below. I look forward to hearing your comments, concerns and any ideas that may have escaped my attention. Once this issue is addressed it is my intent that we will move onto a pruning of Discord channels as it has been noted that they've grown somewhat out of control. We'll take a look at things and determine, through consensus, what we should keep and what might be better served merging with other existing channels.

As there have been issues where new members viewing Discord get confused as discussions here don't often reflect the actual state of the RP. At a time where we should all be encouraging new members to find their footing and hit the ground running an environment exists which makes it hard for people to get involved. Some, unfortunately, give up.

To address these issues there will be a few changes to our RP discussions on Discord. These changes are intended to facilitate helpful RP discussion while allowing for people to have fun with what-ifs and hypotheticals. The changes are as follows:

#roleplay: Discussions here should reflect information precisely as it is on the forum. It should support the content there while being reflective of it. We shouldn't have discussions about "superpowers" or content which does not reflect events which have yet to (or ever) happened on the forums. In short, if there is not a topic associated with it on the forum it doesn't exist and should not be discussed here. It will be clearly marked as "canon" so please keep that in mind when posting in #roleplay.

#roleplay-consultation: For consulting on roleplay matters. Hypotheticals are allowed here, questions related to potential RPs can be exchanged, etc. Think of it as somewhat of a help desk of sorts.

#roleplay-banter: This replaces the Twilight Zone. Content here does not have to be fully reflective of the forums, what-if scenarios and alternative timelines may be discussed, basically 90% of what happens in #roleplay will be contained here. It will be clearly marked as "non-canon".

Thank you all for your understanding and cooperation. Let's ensure that everyone can not only enjoy our Discord, but also that we're all on the same page when it comes to the facts and realities reflected on the forums.

Thank you all, stay awesome. ❤️

[Beatrice]

I missed out on September, but as we continue to roll into October I am confident in the state of our region. We continue to see quality content from our members, the RMB is more active than it has been in some time and, I think, our Discord is moving in the right direction. I do want to emphasize that, while speculation and other associated postings have their place, we need to make sure that we never discourage a new member to the region by saying we'll carpet bomb them or reduce them to ruble. I know some RP ideas are difficult to interpret into MT RP (when I started, Beatrice was to be a witch with a good many powers mind you, take that for what you will) but if someone comes onto the Discord and sees their idea being flayed and dissected all sorts of ways I can see where they would withdraw and find somewhere else to RP. Think always, especially in #Roleplay and #Roleplay-consultation how a new member would view those posts. Think before you hit enter!!!

It wasn't too long ago I was sure if I'd still be here in this capacity, being honest with you all I screwed up massively and I had a lot to make up for and prove in response, but I remain happy for the wake-up call nonetheless. I wasn't treating TIO with the respect or dignity it deserved, no, I was taking out my life's aggressions here and that was conduct wholly unbecoming of the Chancellery, but we've people here who care just as much for the Order as I truly do and they reminded me of many important things. Some in my position would hold ire against Daito, others would seek to shift blame from themselves and, yet more, would state with a straight face all was well in those times. I thank Daito for giving me the kick in the behind I truly needed, I accept the blame and won't cast it on anyone else and, with a straight face I forgive myself for who I was in those days and offer her a hug because that was some bare pain that had no healthy outlet in those times, no one to tell her it's okay not to have all the answers in any moment in our life, and that there is a future indeed.

It's been a long road, longer than it needed to be due to my antics, and I'll always try to make it up to you all for the moments I was not my best self. We've 10 years behind us, many more ahead of us I'm confident in, and just as I've shown since a good friend reminded me of what's important, I'll always bring my best self here when I interact with all of you. I know there are Orderians I still have things to make up for with and we'll do that on your timetable. Thank you all for being your wonderful selves and for all you bring to our region, you're all truly irreplaceable. ❤️