[Balthie]

Hello everybody! I hope this finds you all in good health.
But let's get right to it.

I'm making this announcement as an array of short bans are being put into effect, with the purpose of making the thoughts of the GM team very clear going forwards.

For the most part, we're very lenient. It's rare that we're ever moved to ban anybody- far rarer than almost anywhere else I've seen. When GM action has been taken in the past few years, it has almost always only been in the most serious, cut and dry cases we're made aware of.
Truthfully, and to speak personally, I love that about this community- that the vast majority of serious administrative work involves speaking on a personal level instead of taking the harsher route.


But let me be clear now, on behalf of the team.
Our leniency is not to be taken for granted.

A measured hand in the past, warnings and verbal exchanges in place of punishments- these are not excuses for you to play fast and loose with the rules.


So. The crunch here.
BYOND has it's own rules. We have ours, on top of those. It's frankly embarrassing that I have to explain this so regularly, but rules about sexual content on the server exist for a damn reason. In part to uphold ToS, in part because minors actively play this game, and in part to keep it out of the faces of everybody else.
We have logs of everything that happens in game. They are exact logs that we can extract ourselves, and thus clear and without tampering.
It doesn't matter if it's in public or in private- if you're seen ERPing on the server, either ongoing or in the logs, you're eating a ban. Yes, even if you're walking right up to the line to intentionally skirt along it.

Here is a guide, in the hope that it'll help prevent confusion- real or feigned.
-If direct nudity is involved.
-If affection, clothed or otherwise, is taken to an amorous extreme.
-If there is extensive or heavily explicit sexual discussion or dialogue.
-If- and this one's a familiar classic -you're trying to make an in-game IC trade of insert your clearly lewd, non-canon product here.
Then the case of any of the above, there is absolutely no need for that scene to be on the server. It's as easy as taking whatever you're trying to do to DMs. Are you unsure about whether a scene is too much of an edge case? Be safe rather than sorry.
Context matters, but the ERP rule is one we're going to be cracking down on much, much harder.

If you, as a player, see something you deem as clearly inappropriate, report it to any of us and you'll be kept anonymous. Thank you.


However. This isn't the only flagrant abuse of our prior leniency.
If we find that, during an investigation by a GM into an ongoing situation that may result in punishment put into effect, you've been lying- directly or by omission -for the sake of saving your own skin or making the other involved party seem worse...
This should be obvious, but you can expect a ban. Straight up. Don't be stupid. Again, we can see your logs.


And, as a final note, if you're going to drag IC dirty laundry into being a highly public situation, please check at least two things.
One, make sure it isn't OOCly motivated.
Two, make sure it isn't a topic that's verging on the ERP rule.

If you, as a third party player, think an ongoing situation may in fact be to do with potentially explicitly sexual themes, it may be best to avoid getting involved in that drama if you can.


In conclusion, what I'm sure everybody gamewide would prefer is that there is an absolutely minimal need for administrative action to be taken. As it stands, however, far too many people are trying to skirt by as close to the rules as they can, which takes a toll for all the rest of us. Accordingly- and regrettably -the team is going to have to be stricter with certain rules because of them.
For the vast majority of you, this will never become an issue. And for that I personally thank you.

In the hopes that there's never a need for an announcement like this again, please be mindful of your conduct.