Site updates and the pachyderm cohabiting the local vicinity:

[HumanHyperbole]

Good evening fellow Browncoats,

Some of you may have noticed, and for others this may have slipped under the radar, but a Firefly RP site has been created by some current FS members and other players were invited to join. While everyone here has always been free to join other sites or start them, there's an elephant in the room and while the site is stable now, we feel it's time to address it. We have been assured by the other site's head admin that this was not done maliciously. And what started as a backup measure for one player's ship evolved rather quickly into a place for members of this community to play without what they felt were unfair restrictions and treatment from FS's admins.

After much discussion behind the scenes, our official stance follows: while we find the timing unfortunate and the recruitment methods questionable, more RP is a good thing. More choice is a good thing. Not every ruling works for everyone, and sometimes people aren't going to get along. And we're okay with that. We're also 100% okay with any players from FS who wish to play on that site should they receive an invitation. There will be no Admin or Moderator interference, nor will there be any repercussions, public or private, for any member of our crews, our captains, or our narrators who wish to play on both sites.

In addition to being assured that this site was never intended in any way to "replace" http://findingserenity.net nor replicate a "classic" version, it has also been agreed that the new site is in no way an official offshoot, spinoff, etc. of http://findingserenity.net and is instead a new timeline following the events of Serenity, Miranda, and the Signal, and that what has happened there will have no bearing on what has happened here, and vice versa. These are two distinctly different places to play, with purely unique staffs, settings, and events that act as true alternatives, and not exclusive competitors, for any and all among our community who want a little more Firefly RP in their lives.

Regarding how this may affect Finding Serenity, we want to make one thing perfectly clear:

Finding Serenity is not going anywhere.

This community has gone through a lot since its founding. Entire player bases, admins, and narrators have come and gone. There have been fights over story direction, rules, decorum, and this isn't the first time a player, or group of players have departed to create a new space to RP how they see fit. But we're not here to rehash any of those issues, or even delve too deep into this one in particular. Today, we focus on the future. And we feel the future is bright for FS and everyone along with us on this journey. And if sometimes you want to ride along on someone else's journey, we're okay with that too.
So, to all our players, we love you, and we support you.  Thank you for being part of this community and if any of you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to DM us, or reach out to any of the staff over discord.

Keep flying, my friends

[HumanHyperbole]

Greetings fellow Browncoats,

I'm saddened to say I'm addressing you now to provide an unfortunate update on my last announcement regarding the existence of another Firefly-based site within our community. After Desertpuma and Chimera opted to set up their FireflyRP, using assets lifted from Finding Serenity, an agreement was struck that they'd generate their own content and we were given assurances that the other board was simply a back-up that snow-balled into its own thing.

Unfortunately it's come to light that those assurances we were given were knowingly false.  After being invited to FireflyRP's official Discord by Desertpuma, Rune awoke the next morning to find he'd been kicked from the server. Desertpuma had offered up the explanation that his decision to do so was influenced by messages from members who expressed concern at Rune's very presence and insinuated some fear that another admin would be invited to the Discord by extension.

This does not fit the definition of "spirit of community" to us. Nor do the content of screenshots and logs Rune made when he attempted to rejoin FireflyRP's discord via their open invite before being banned permanently by Chimera. These logs and screenshots show that Desertpuma and Chimera had the specific intent to use content from FS (including rules, site history, and the contents of Ronin's entire subforum) in order to start a new alternative board. These logs also show a pattern of fixation and animosity towards an FS admin, who Desertpuma and Chimera apparently blame for all ills. In the interest of transparency, this evidence can and will be made available for anyone who wishes to view it. Per Rune, any requests to see his recent chat logs with Desertpuma and Chimera on the matter will be made openly available as well.

The entire staff at FS have viewed this evidence  and find it damning. As of today, Finding Serenity's staff - by unamimous vote - has banned both Desertpuma and Chimera from findingserenity.net and it's Discord server. This is not a decision we have come to lightly, having tried to exhaust all other options to allow coexistence and cooperation. But sadly there has been continued deception, targeted harassment, and attempts to vilify any attempts at moderation, compromise, or even simple opinions that differ from their own.

I address those of you who may feel caught in the middle with frankness, and openness. I recently rejoined this community after years of absence, and was glad to see there were attempts to update and streamline the site experience, and now as a member of staff I'm proud to say we've come a long way.  But in order to continue forward those who have firmly planted themselves in front of progress, harass and repeatedly lie to the staff, and intentionally aggravate discourse within the community must be exised.

We wish for this to be the end of this matter. For those that choose to play on both FS and FireflyRP, continue to do so with confidence and the assurance that this staff stands by the idea that more RP is a good thing. If you are a player aboard Ronin, we apologize for any disruption as Ronin will be shelved as a result of no longer having a Captain or Narrator. However, we are happy to announce that we will be opening extra positions aboard all of the other ships and look forward to working with everyone to find new homes for their characters. For players who wish for their characters to find a new home together, we will work to accommodate those wishes as best as possible. Alternatively, we are more than willing to discuss any ideas for new ships to rise in Ronin's place if the crew decides they want everyone to stick together.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: we love this community. We love the stories we've told together. I'm proud to say most of this community has continued to write great stories despite any of the noise and we're grateful to all who share them with us.  If you have any thoughts or concerns, please feel free to contact me or any other staff member on Discord or by PM.

Keep Flyin',
HumanHyperbole