Prepare yourselves for a lengthy entry. But I feel a lot needs to be said here.

It has come to my attention that there have been some rather ill feelings among certain members of the staff, and the board of Poniverse. This has resulted in a couple of resignations, and a ripple effect which blew across the forums yesterday. Things seem to have settled, though there are still concerns on everyone's minds as I would expect, because in all honesty, there are some still on my own mind to some extent.

As the events yesterday happened, I was unaware, and I didn't have the chance to see the threads before they were rightfully taken out of sight by staff. The threads, from what I understood were simply causing more problems than they were solving. A friend of mine saved the topic's main text to discuss with me, and sent me the information, minus any of the replies. So I had the chance to look over the threads that had been causing so much negativity. My response to this is simple. For most members of the community, this whole mess is already pretty well over. As for the internal issues, that need not concern anyone at the moment aside from the people who are working to run the forums. Those who volunteer so much of their time to bring us the community we all have enjoyed, some of us for many years now.

The internal problems of a server such as this one, with such a complex assortment of things that require organization, moderation, public relations and technical maintenance, require a range of talents, and people suited for these positions. Now, regardless of the current situation some of you may be thinking of, these organizations are not immune to problems internally. This is the case for just about any like it. That said, the problems we have seen here concern only a couple of staff members. But as you can see, the ripple effect has caused a lot of negative response, and a lot of cold abandonment in people who have been with the forums for quite a long time. I feel that the actions of a few, have caused a very toxic environment for the whole, which isn't right, but this should not be something we look to worsen. Instead, this is something we should all try to assist in healing.

A community of many can be very easily compared to biology. To put our situation in context, think of an organism, perhaps even your own physical body. If you get stabbed by a poisonous thorn, which breaks off and remains lodged in your arm.. what do you do? You remove it, and wash the wound to let it heal. The cells of your body converge on the poison and clean it up, and seal the wound like it never existed. The functions of the cells, that replace the thorn causing the problems, return to normal, and all is well.

In context with Poniverse, I do not use this analogy to call anyone out specifically, because I don't know the details well enough to make such an accusation. Perhaps there are more than one individual at fault for the issues we've seen. I do however feel that it would be worth the time to investigate where the roots of the problem are situated. If there is a member of staff who causes a toxic environment, this does not mean that person is a bad person.. This just means that they are not suited to be in a position of power, and because they have been given this position, they used it in a way that may have unintentionally caused a toxic situation.

On terms with the general population of the forums, I must urge you all not to react with negativity towards anyone involved in the situations that concern the internal management. Though there may have been negativity spread by a few, regardless of how just their cause for frustration or their attitudes.. it is important that we, as the organism, work together to purge the poison of negativity out of our community. This does not mean we ignore the problems, this does however mean that we don't just abandon the forums, or make comments to people that would be considered rude or negative in some way, or that might re-ignite the fires of debate that have lead us to where we currently stand. As a community, we must embody the qualities we have all joined the forums for. It is important that we work together to work out our differences, but it is more important that we do so in a positive, and inclusive manor, without condescending attitudes or bias.

Love. Empathy. Trust. Compassion. Open minds. These are things we all want to enjoy, just like our pastel pony friends have tried to teach us all. The only way we will achieve this is by being these things.. Embody them, and they will in turn come back to you. Even if they do not always, if you choose to stay by these qualities in the face of terrible odds, your show of strength becomes a monument to which all others can aspire to, and strive to achieve. No one is perfect, no one can always be strong.. but if we all work towards these as goals as a unified whole, then there should never be a time when one of us stumbles, that there is not a pillar of strength to help them back to their feet when they need it most. THAT is what true community means. And that is what we all must try to do if we wish to help our forums and our community mend the troubles we've seen unfold.

In closing, I hope that all of you take something from this, take something from the values of that may sometimes be forgotten. The world outside can be very cold and harsh, but don't let that become you. To quote one of my favourite bands..

"When you change yourself, you change the world." -Gojira

Much love from Scribbler. <3