* Before you begin reading, please be aware that this is going to go over some uncomfortable circumstances that have resulted in permanent bans. Due to the handling of similar situations in the past resulting in backlash, we have made the decision to lay our cards on the table and discuss everything in detail. We have tried to be as transparent as possible, but we also could have fallen short, and if that winds up being the case, I apologize. Read at your own discretion. Staff’s decision on this is final. It will not be negotiable or arguable. There is foul and explicit language throughout the screenshots linked at the bottom; you have been warned. *

Hello, WCC.

Over the past several months staff has been dealing with a testy situation. Until this point we have not taken direct action, but with the evidence we now have, we are completely out of options.

Recently a member came to us to bring our attention to a server where members of WCC were being bad-mouthed and Discord rules were being broken. At this point, the member is entirely anonymous. Only one staff member knows their true identity (and it sure ain't me). They were friends with many of the server members but were beginning to feel that the conversations taking place were no longer friendly venting and were becoming malicious and unfair. At this point we chose not to take action because our understanding was that it was a closed server for a group of friends to chat and hang out and vent. We did not feel comfortable intruding on this safe space, as it was clearly not meant to see the light of day, and their opinions were their own.

After investigating further, this anonymous member informed us that this was instead an open server dedicated to an in-progress forum RP, which was also being advertised on WCC. Screenshots given to us by this anonymous member revealed the identity of the member who posted the anon Comments and Suggestions post a few months ago (which was subsequently taken down by staff for harassment, accusing a fellow member of being “morally bankrupt,” having “main character syndrome,” and calling attention to actions months old that had already been addressed by staff) and apparent plans to doctor screenshots that would incriminate a member they do not like. Their reason for not going through with this plan was that staff could just as easily ask the member whether or not the screenshot was real, not because it was dishonest. We also received evidence that these members attempted to hide such details from WCC staff, should they join the server. Most of these conversations are public to all those who join the server, and are not hidden in private channels. I find it also crucial to mention at this stage that in DM conversations with one server coordinator, I was personally assured that 1) They did not know who made the anon post, and 2) The server was “nothing malicious.” Let me make it very clear that several very serious WCC rules were broken by active members which they then attempted to hide from staff. All of this, taken specifically from public channels which staff was able to find on their own accounts, can be found below.

To members of this server who were uninvolved: You will not face repercussions, and I 100% wish you and this RP platform well. I hope it succeeds as other recent sites have before. Staff would never attempt to extend our authority to another site which is not ours to manage, but the fact of the matter is that WCC members had multiple discussions about breaking WCC rules to negatively impact their fellow WCC users. If that is the type of behavior we can expect from you when you think staff is not looking, then you will not be allowed to engage in this community.

WCC staff has also been informed by staff members of another RP site that this is not an isolated incident. Involved members have allegedly been involved in very similar circumstances where an attempt was made to remove a user from that site as well as WCC. This suggests a pattern.

The narrative that has gone around in our dealings with this issue is that we have displayed nepotism, have been stubborn, and have not been willing to right our own wrongs against specific members who have been disciplined by our staff team. I do not believe this is the case. On one occasion, we had a conversation with some of the involved parties, in which we attempted to bridge a gap and reach common ground, but were unfortunately unable to. Many of the requests, suggestions, and criticisms centered around one controversial disciplinary action. We were told that by reversing it, it might show that we are committed to rebuilding the bridge. We offered this, given a trial period to ensure that the person was truly interested in rejoining the community. At this time, that offer has not been taken, and was rebuffed. We attempted to set a second date of discussion on two different occasions, and those messages were left unanswered by all four participants. Moss, at this point, is blocked by one of those members. I fail to see our unwillingness to communicate. See screenshots of this entire chat log below.

Former staff members have informed us that this, too, is not new. In fact, most things we discussed with other experienced staff members were not shocking to them.

As for the server itself: due to the fact that its server breaks Discord rules by allowing a user under 13 to join, as well as serving as an avenue for discussion of breaking the rules on another RP site, it will not be given affiliate status in the near future. We also have some implicit evidence to suggest that one member from this server threatened a “riot” against WCC in a staff survey and left multitudinous threats and insults in the comments section for each staff member, referring to us (one of whom was, and still is, a minor) as “pigs,” “jerks,” and “dull.” We will take no further action against or for the server in question.

I will say that the immaturity and hypocrisy I have personally witnessed is nothing short of disappointing. It is rude and dishonest and has made me very sad to see. But I am not angry. Those who received brief temporary bans will be welcomed back should they choose to return, and I will be happy to RP with them again, and should those with long term bans decide to apply for appeal, I will be pleased to consider it.

I have refrained from saying names of members or servers as a courtesy, because there are many people involved, some of them children, and many of them only involved peripherally. This announcement serves to answer questions people may have for staff at this time. Please understand our difficult position, as no disciplinary decision is popular, especially not if people you like are involved. If any banned member attempts to circumvent their punishment, intentionally or otherwise, their punishment will be lengthened and peripheral roleplay sites will be informed about this conduct. This is not negotiable. Though this may seem out of the blue to you, this is a situation that staff has been managing since potentially February, and this is not an isolated event by any means.

Since the nature of this activity is tied to misuse of anonymous forums, WCC staff has also made the decision to remove anonymous posting in the Comments and Suggestions board at this time. This will be temporary. We will be putting up a Google Form with an anon feature in its place. As per the rules established by Pikachu as admin, “If I see that people are getting personal and using this privilege to attack other members, this will be shut down immediately. I will not tolerate bullying or smear campaigns designed to belittle or hurt anyone, regardless of intent. You have been gifted with the privilege of anonymity to express constructive criticisms and suggestions to grow the site. If you misuse this privilege, I will find you, and you will be banned from this site.”

The Google Form will be readable by staff only.

Lastly, I want to address the nature of the screenshots included below. We have tried our best to blur any uninvolved parties to save them grief. We are posting these receipts because we have no other choice, but they are decidedly read-at-your-own-discretion. I don’t particularly suggest you read them unless you decide you need further context. The last few times this sort of thing has happened, we tried to keep details private, and we were accused of skewing the narrative or hiding details to villainize/scandalize the member involved. So now, we will hide nothing, and you will be allowed to draw your own conclusions about the situation based on what you have seen. Again, at the time of writing all of these chat threads are public, and can be found by any server member who joins. We have also included the entirety of the group chat between staff and involved parties from March. Upon request, we can produce additional logs we have gathered from private conversations, DMs, and the original anonymous post which was removed by staff. We ask that you take our word for it, given all the screenshots we have already produced, to protect the privacy and dignity of individuals involved.

This announcement will be locked. This will, hopefully, not be addressed again. I've devoted enough time to this document as it stands.

- Grizz

Our logs of screenshots and vital information can be found in the following links to imgur albums, where they are organized by their contents.

File A (Insults, Rumors, Etc.): https://imgur.com/a/pEFKq26

File B (Miscellaneous Screenshots): ​​https://imgur.com/a/DvcVicM

Survey Threats and Harassment: ​https://imgur.com/a/U9uD85l

Delegations: https://imgur.com/a/szcftJ

Dishonesty to Staff: ​​​https://imgur.com/a/u006A1s

Forgery: https://imgur.com/a/V52SzAj

Link to new Anonymous Comments and Suggestions Form: https://forms.gle/BJNtSvFBbak41Nbu5