flowers and sunshine

Dear subscribers, dear members of the WoX community.

We need to talk. Honestly, I never thought I'd get out of my usual posting frame, but I have to post.

Like any member of the WoX community who's active on Tumblr, I've heard of the Behind the WoX blog. While at first the purpose of this blog seemed constructive, I think that now some people are using it to spread their hatred and disagreement (in a rather crude way, if I may say so myself).

Let's start with the criticisms of the people who run the sites that have been launched, or the way they run them. Do you run a WoX site? Or even a site at all? No. So those who haven't are in a VERY POOR PLACE to be talking!

Next, let's talk about the phenomenon of the moment: WoE.

I'll remain as objective as necessary throughout this post, but I do have some comments to make. These criticisms have been well received, and here's my personal point of view (so please don't overwhelm others or myself, but remain respectful and kind!)

First of all, let's not forget one thing: WE ARE ON THE INTERNET. Every comment, every negative thought expressed badly has its consequences. So, if you have any comments to make, try to express your opinion by being peaceful and not attacking or judging.

The various complaints regularly target Kyah and Satake, WoE's MoM and HM, so I'm going to express my opinion on that too. When I arrived on WoE, I didn't know them and I hardly knew anyone. Then I started talking to a lot of them, helping those who needed help and congratulating those who'd achieved something. In short, I'll only speak for myself, but I wanted to say that even the team in general never put anyone down.

Of course, our duty is to ensure that everyone abides by the rules, and if they don't, sanctions apply. HOWEVER, our other mission is also to represent you (yes, I'm rep on that!) and to be your spokespersons, so to speak!

My Tumblr DMs (and Discord for those who know me on it) remain open as long as you write with respect (even your contentment!)

Have a nice day and night !

If you are writing a book/story that takes place in another world, I have provided for you the complete world building checklist to ensure that you know your world inside out.

Economy A. Currency B. Poverty rate/line

Government A. Crime & Legal System B. Foreign Relations C. Politics D. War

The Land A. Physical & Historical Features B. Climate C. Geography D. Natural Resources E. Population

Society & Culture A. Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation B. Architecture C. Calendar D. Daily Life. E. Diet F. Ethics & Values G. fashion & Dress H. History I. Dining Customs J. Education K. Language L. Gestures M. Manners N. Meeting & Greeting O. Religion & Philosophy P. Social organization

Magic A. Magicians B. Magic and science C. Magic & Technology D. Rules of Magic

Technology C. Technology D. Medicine D. Transportation & Communication you're welcome <3

Fell free to reblog and fill it out if you want. I am curious to see the worlds in my fellow writers heads.

BUT, whenever someone is very happy about something, they never really bother to express it. therefore, i think we should reflect on that in all the drama that happens on the wox sites.

some people are eager to create drama, and to be the center of attention. when they can't get that, they seek other ways to find attention, and that's when the negativity starts.

Unless something of major importance shows up, I'm not posting anything more about WoE for the time being. I realise that this blog could potentially make the drama a lot worse and as far as my original intentions are concerned I've achieved my goal: people have been heard, both sides of the story have been shared and constructive criticism is now public. The gears have been set in motion.

There's a reason I decided to only summarise and share bits of the many submitted posts I got, and I'd already made the decision to leave it at that (just forgot to add in to the last post, I'm sorry for those of you who were concerned there would be more drama added). Sharing more won't be productive or helpful in any way, it's far more likely to be destructive. My goal isn't to destroy the good that exists within, and in connection with, WoX. If anything, I want to strengthen it. Sometimes that means poking holes and doing a bit of damage but I'm not trying to tear the whole wall down, I'm just trying to get the process of repairs and reinforcements started.

I've been informed that the site leaders have taken the criticism and responded correctly, opening up for criticism and making changes accordingly. That was the goal, it's been achieved and I'm done here. Despite the harsh words, none of the harsh words I've received in return are from the leaders themselves and I'm confident that WoE is in good and professional hands.

As a former site leader myself, I wish the WoE leaders the best of luck. It's not an easy job and working with people is hard, but based on what I've heard and seen I believe they've got what it takes and I look forward to see where it will go. If you can get through a trial of fire drama like this, I have no doubt you have what it takes to tackle the future challenges as well.

There are two sides to a coin, so here's the other side of the story - the positive comments and praise for WoE.

Anon D (from the criticism post) [...] I can say is that the MoM was really nice in my DMs, calming me down and stating that the issue would be fixed [...] She is the absolute sweetest, I promise. The problem is not the MoM, nor the HM. They are wonderful!

_ _ _

Anon E I think the MoM is a lovely person and they always make an active effort to be welcoming to new users. As for the management, I'd say that so far, they're doing their jobs as is expected of them. In my honest opinion, I feel like the claims of the server being "a toxic place" are being peddled by certain users who have been told off by management for questionable behaviour, and are therefore salty.

_ _ _

Edit Note: I'm really amazed by how much love this post got. Guess it just shows we're all in the same boat. I do have other humorous writing memes on this tumblr under the same tag, if you're interested. Never give up writing! ❤️

It's true that we've had to deal with a lot of drama the last couple of weeks, and I am so so thankful for the HM and the rest of the management for taking care of it the way they did. Unfortunately, we've met an issue where a specific friend group creates even more drama for us and nitpicks on everything that is being decided on the server and how we tackle the situations that occurs. This has created great obstacles for us, and though I'd like to believe that their actions comes from a nice place, the results of their actions leaves me believing something different. The server isn't even a month yet, and we are all learning along the way. And regarding the comment about the MoM keeping stuff away from some staff, and saying stuff to others - this is completely false. The HM and I (the MoM) got in a situation that left us no choice than to ask a person to resign. The reason why the person had to go is something that should only stay between the MoM, the HM and the person it regards. No one else knows about the full situation, which is why that has been kept away from said staff members. It is really sad to see this comment given the time and energy me and everyone else puts in to make the server safe and a fun place for everyone. Unfortunately, we can't please everyone and when someone is misbehaving and is making a great amount of the server feel uncomfortable, we have to take actions. My deepest apologies if anyone feels differently and if we have failed anyone of you. We are still learning - all of us. I also can't stress enough how I always keep my DM's open, and if anyone has any issues - please come to me. I am here to help you, but I can't do that through anonymous texts. - Kind regards, The MoM of World of Elements

[5 years later]

highly throwable imp: hoohoohee