I [i]was[/i] going to make an exhaustive post and quote every relevant post that I wanted to reply to but the thread had since moved with such speed that I'm just abandoning the idea and going with a more general approach. Thank you for your concern, by the way, [@pugbutter]. I'm already feeling better. 

First things first: no, I cannot speak for Mahz or his actions. In the end, this is his site and his site only -- we're not equals. [i]But[/i] I'm a strong, independent [s]black woman who don't need no man[/s] co-Admin so I'm going to assert my authority anyway. And, knowing what Mahz is dealing with at the moment, I think he'd want me to take charge of this situation, so here goes. 

We (the moderators) have talked about these issues very extensively over the past few months. In fact, this has been practically the only thing on our plate for ages. I believe the only unrelated permaban we had to hand out these months was Ace of Hearts. Everything else has orbited around this particular piece of drama, so it's obviously a serious situation and I understand its gravity. And I would like to apologize on behalf of all of us. We regret the sequence of events that has led us here and understand that we're not blameless.

Several of the bans in question will be overturned -- some starting immediately, others in the near future. I will contact the parties involved myself. Those who said that the rules haven't been applied uniformly and that emotion was a factor are right, I won't deny that. But we're humans, we're all emotional creatures, and especially when it comes to something we're as passionate about as the Guild. Sometimes people, who are just as passionate about it, bring up issues they have with combative rhetoric after previous attempts to get something done (and nothing much happened) and it's easy to fall trap to the idea that they're being disingenuous in their concern. To those people, and especially [@Odin], I want to emphasize my regret over how this situation has escalated (in part) because of our inaction.

We will become more transparent. One way or another, preferably with Mahz's help (but I don't blame him if he can't spare the time right now), the staff will maintain a public audit log of our actions against offenders and, if possible, we will engage in dialogue with offending users to make sure they understand why we're taking action before we hand out bans. Discord, being as fast-paced as it is, will have to accordingly be moderated faster & looser, but such is the nature of chatrooms vs forums. 

That said, the rules are not going to be rewritten again. They were changed recently and I believe in them as they stand. I am, however, open to suggestions on the [i]application[/i] of said rules and the moderation policy itself. 

I am also not going to change the staff roster at this time, nor will moderators be elected democratically. I reiterate that this isn't a country and real life political systems do not apply. But your concerns have been heard and lessons learned by all of us. 

Now. 

In return, I want to ask something of the community as well. Please help me in deescalating this situation. I have taken a step back, evaluated the current situation as objectively as I can, and in the future I want to hear & fairly treat everyone's concerns with staff members, should they arise again... but not in public threads like this. You've all seen how quickly this got sidetracked repeatedly and it was only through frequent reminders of both moderators and regular users that it hasn't spiraled out of control. Threads like this are always a hotbed for drama. And I understand that many people feel the moderators should be held to a higher standard than the other users, and that's definitely true to some extent, but the rules are still the rules and witch-hunts against moderators are just as bad as witch-hunts against regular users -- which are against the rules. I know [@pugbutter] doesn't want us to cry about how tough our jobs are, but we're still people with feelings trying to do our best. Alright?

Not speaking for myself, by the way. I have no feelings. Shit on me as hard as you want, I can take it. :gray But show a little mercy to the others and if you want to vent and rage about a moderator, do it to me. 

Any questions?