I am not writing this all out because of any form of official announcement, nor am I providing it because I am forced to do so, I am writing it out because I am someone who cares to give input, to provide a response to whose in anguish waiting for time to tick by in hopes and wishes that at least someone with the time to and energy that can will some words to mend the anxious.
To those who are truly concerned about things that have happened, you have every right to be. At the same time, there are staff who have had to look into, prove/disprove information and conclusions, over very serious and detailed periods of time as often stated in appeals, complaint areas, off-topic forum threads, and whilst I am only and Event Squad Member, I can tell you that there's people who have been just as concerned, and also disappointed with their findings in ways that just make people go silent, because there's nothing else to say.


There's a reason why GM's existed, Help Squad, ToriAgents, Ninjas, SMOD+ because there's levels to initiating actions within the game that can impact the community or staff groups alike, I myself am a staff member, a relatively new staff member that has tried really really hard to provide a fun experience for the game and from my point of view there's dozens upon dozens of times where people can forget every bad moment this game has ever had just to have fun temporarily, because of the players that engage in events, forum discussions, discord chats, and more.
Any game, any culture, any language, practically any way to effectively communicate via human connection regardless if it's a job, video game, family matters, politics, local/state/federal etc, is at risk for any kind of exploitation and bad actors and that includes Toribash, nothing makes this game special or unique in terms of who can come into the community, mask themselves with ulterior motives, and put up a front on being a genuine person with goals that benefit any specific group or event themselves. MOST STAFF in the history of this entire game, have been volunteer individuals who have either applied willingly or have been given the right of passage by the general community to apply for a position because they have been seen as someone who can be more esteemed and responsible than others.


This game, like every other game to ever exist with some kind of public facet of communication, have gone through processes of growth when it comes to communication maturity by players or privileged users, positively or negatively. Players will go through every length of exploitation or manipulation known to human achievement naturally to make friends, rivals, shed themselves of ignorance, learn new things, tilt people they don't like, and more.


You don't even have to be a staff member to look back at decades of information relating to this server, available servers promoted here and on forums, and on the forums himself, to understand the kind of development this game has been through, and STILL to this day there's so much more that can be done, because lots of the growth has come from the community INTERNALLY investing into each other to provide a better or worse experience.


There will be times where something insanely unbelievable will happen, where it reminds people about what we all really are(unless you're Toribot), which is a human being. Human beings can and have been capable of the best and worst things in life. There will be people who would know how to say all the right things and still destroy a civilization. There will be someone who will say all the worst things and possible make bad choices along with it and will be deemed icons. This is nothing new, regardless of the society or digital sphere it will occupy. There's even people who will not even say a single word, and still get to where they are because actions can speak volumes depending on who the actions are derived from.


I care about this game. There's thousands of people who also potentially care about the game just like me, just as much as there will be people who will not care at all and seek to gain from this community in the most covert way possible, or the loudest way. I initially wasn't going to say anything, because I felt that saying something felt worthless, as if nothing I could say will truly mean anything, which is possibly one of the worst ways you could betray not only yourself, your ideals, but those around you that will believe in you. I am typing this out to voice my struggles as not only a player, but someone who has been a lurker, watching and reading, and can truly say that I understand the pain and disappointment anyone could be feeling right now. I have read hundreds upon thousands of messages in the community, and can provide a simple reason for why we have a banlist like we do, because people can simply be terrible.


However, there's a reason why the game has progressed, why MMA is popular right now, why players are still trying to learn how to run, play comp mods, understand how the game works, apply for more responsible roles, make an effort to join clans and engage with people they enjoy being around, why players constantly plead for updates or fixes, and more...Because there's people who still know that so much more can be done with this game and it's community, with the good of the people and those who can see the good and believe in it. There's a reason why right now there's people contemplating dropping what they have done in the game to simply try something new or learn modmaker for the first time and really question the ideal gameplay or mod, because there are people who are interested in the potential good, the achievable good, the actionable good. I may be weird, I may be awkward to talk to sometimes, but I genuinely mean it in every way:


Replaymakers, modmakers, chat commentators, active clans, there's so many ways we communicate and tell ourselves constantly about how we interact with the game that can greatly overshadow the negatives that come with the pure fact that we play a game and communicate online or to those who've had a blessing or curse to know each other outside of the game.
There's a reason why legend lists exist, why we can be grateful to have staff maintaining the game, someone like Sir working on the game, players like Chev and Semari still actively playing the game and competing in events that mean something to their space in the community, Sneaky wanting to host art events, the new ES members coming from the recruitment drive constantly hosting events when I am unable to, ToriAgents fresh from recruitment trying to protect our community and provide a great and informative space, MS members checking in on their workflow providing certainty for duelers and marketeers or wandering window shoppers, Item Forgers wanting to bring more content to the game when they have the time and motivation, all of these actions and events are in every rightful way an example on people who want the game to keep going in their own way.


As much as there are people who have been known to pollute the game with rancor and malice, there's bountiful amounts of things this community is full of that allows me to keep playing and providing my time when I can to dedicate myself even if I might be annoying in doing so. I love this game, and there's people who enjoy it too, even if they are not on or type as much as I do.


I wish every single player that struggles internally to get better at the game, produce their own content either by mods, replays, or art itself, to not give up on themselves nor the reasons that have given you the will and strength to keep going. Take breaks, give yourself time to breathe, and most importantly HAVE fun.