announcements!

[imepro]

Hello! It is still Sunday in the underworld.

Before we get to actual announcements, we have a few important things to address. First off, we want to make some clarifications on things we've seen going around recently regarding unit transfers and the processes surrounding them. To begin, unit transfers themselves:

A unit transfer can be done by either dropping a character and re-apping onto a new unit, or by being transferred while still playing. However, we only offer non-drop transfers on a case-by-case basis, as they are generally a big deal for everyone involved that requires a lot of planning and finagling two units worth of people (and potentially more if transfer options don't work out). In addition, consideration must be paid to the queue and those waiting for that specific unit, and there is the need for constant monitoring of the situation as it's ongoing on our end.

Because of this, our criteria for offering non-drop transfers is as follows:

• The issue is urgent, as the situation immediately hinders playability
  
• The issue is unique to that specific unit and situation, such that moving the character to any other unit with better IC compatibility would resolve the issue (ex. characters ICly aren't compatible morality wise)

In cases where the problem is not an urgent one or would not be solved by a character being removed from a specific situation, we would ask that the player drop the character and then re-app onto a new unit. Previously we did not make this process known because we largely offered it as a last resort in cases where mod intervention was requested for a character playability problem, rather than having it as an open option for people to request outside of unique cases like the profile edit unit transfers. However, enough characters have transferred at this point that we wanted to make it clear exactly how transfers work and at what point one should be expected to be able to do one without dropping.

Additionally, we would also like to inform everyone that since transfers are generally OOC matters, and caused in part or in whole by OOC considerations such as playstyles not meshing or OOC desires for games not matching up, old unit/new unit drama should under no circumstances be or become serious IC issues, as such issues become frustrating OOC and possibly even unsolvable IC. This is not to say a character cannot have negative feelings towards their old unit, but such drama should be played with the consent of the parties involved and affected, and in general should be on the downlow so as to not affect future members of the unit.

Should your character have been given a negative impression of a unit from an ex-unit member, we would ask that you consider that impression and how deeply it will impact your character, and if you feel it will be a lasting impression then please contact the members of the affected unit to make sure they're OK with playing with that tension, and if not, we would ask that it be quietly resolved. We understand that this is a big ask, but we have reason to believe that this has impacted players' enjoyment of the game due to something they did not have any IC involvement with on any level and did not even consent to OOC.

We want to note that this was an oversight of the mod team for not being totally consistent with pre-empting this issue as we were previously under the impression that certain circumstances would yield to acceptable drama, but we have since revised our stance on this after hearing the opinions of players affected by this issue. No player with a transfer character is in trouble for this change; we have learned through this experience and we ask that everyone be patient with everyone in this matter.

Because we've seen a few questions on Discord and Plurk about the matter over the past couple months as well, and because it's relevant to transfers insofar as it adds another layer of logistical difficulty, we also want to shed some light on how 9th slots on units work and when they happen.

In order to alleviate the queue for particularly stable units with little to no turnover, and in order to allow for urgent transfers, we may sometimes add an extra slot temporarily, which would bump a unit's total characters to nine instead of the normal eight. However, much like unit transfers, we do not treat additional slots lightly, and it is not entirely our discretion as to when a slot may be allowed.

The criteria and process for adding a 9th slot is as follows:

• A player must be in the queue for multiple months, or otherwise we must predict a unit will not have an availability for multiple months and no other placement is possible or desired—the latter being especially in the case of a player new to Imeeji as a whole
  
• OR, a character must be transferring from another unit due to an urgent playability issue, and all potential transfer units must be full.
  
• Once one of the above criteria is satisfied, we send an email to the members of the unit in question, asking each if they are okay with a 9th slot, as well as the circumstances under which a 9th slot is being created.
  
• We wait for responses, which can take a while based on both player and mod availability, as well as whether or not further clarification is needed for any player involved in the process.
  
• If at least one player on the unit does not wish for a ninth slot for any reason, the process ends and no additional slot is added. This is to ensure that players who are in the game and not experiencing any trouble continue to proceed as usual.
  
• Once someone has dropped from the unit, the ninth slot is removed and the unit continues to be treated as full—however, in cases where a unit's queue is consistently overfull, and players consistently wait multiple months for a specific unit, we may ask the unit if they are okay with keeping their slot and will continue doing so until their queue is no longer in the same state, with the understanding that at any point any member of the unit can refuse, and the ninth slot will not be kept.

This is all to say that ninth slots, like transfers, should not be taken for granted or as a given even in the case of an urgent transfer—eight other characters is a lot to keep up with in addition to off-unit CR, especially when it is something that suddenly happens rather than how the game works, in general, and people are well within their rights to refuse on those grounds as well as the grounds of not wanting to work around a transfer. We do our best to accommodate issues players are having without putting the comfort of other players at risk, and do not force deviations from established norms without full consent from those involved.

Most importantly, we want to remind everyone to be kind to your fellow players—both those in game or in the queue, and that you maintain respect for your fellow players and their boundaries no matter where you interact with them when it comes to matters involving this game. Remember that IC issues are IC issues and if a solution for them is sought OOC, this communication must occur in a space where both players have agreed to do so when both players have agreed to do so. It is unacceptable to repeatedly, to the point of disregarding a player's attempts to establish boundaries, push for discussions or plans to attempt IC/OOC conflict resolution unprompted in another player's plurks, in private plurks, or in DMs, as this constitutes harassment. We expect you to not just communicate, but also to communicate that you would like to communicate and to find the most amicable way to do so. Please also remember that IC issues do not need to be solved immediately or even at all unless the conflict causes OOC issues such as hindering playability or harming unit dynamics. OOC issues should be communicated as much as possible under the same circumstances, and mods should be contacted when a solution cannot be reached.

As we mentioned last month, any issues, frustrations, or confusion regarding our processes, especially when other players are involved (such as in the case of the queue, games, events, transfers, or placements) should be brought to us directly via email rather than in Discord or on Plurk. This ensures not just that we see it and know there is an issue with clarity or a process itself and are able to respond as quickly as possible, but also that fellow players are neither inadvertently shamed or otherwise made to feel uncomfortable nor feel compelled to answer for things that involve them but which they do not actually control. Venting about anything (including venting OOC feelings about units or happenings on those units) that other players are involved with should not occur anywhere those players will be made aware of it, because this can and does affect those players, their comfort, and therefore the game at large even if the complaint was not directly about them or even any single person at all.

To add to this, please do not be afraid to ask us questions regarding why we do what we do if you are confused or having troubles with something—there is a purpose behind each administrative cog in this game and we are more than happy to explain them to any player if prompted. We are also more than willing to work with players having issues as much as is reasonably possible without disrupting other players or the game's operation—the above two processes are a direct result of this policy. We cannot, however, fix problems we are not made aware of. The worst that will happen if we cannot do something for you is that we will tell you as much and offer other possible solutions if any exist, which is preferable to having made other players uncomfortable and unhappy.

Ultimately, because this is a team game and players therefore must play with and work closely with at least seven or eight other players, any severe or constant discomfort in matters that directly relate to the game often causes comfort issues amongst entire units. Keeping this in mind, please remember that failure to respect each other's boundaries under game related circumstances is a bannable offense. While we will not act on our own in any manner on singular issues of this nature that arise outside of the game's Discord, if we receive any complaints of this nature and find them to be valid or if we witness behaviour that is repeated or has been previously warned for, we will take immediate action regardless of where the offense took place. This is not tolerated under any circumstances to ensure that the playing environment is as enjoyable for everyone as possible.

Finally: we thank you all for being a part of this game. We understand that in this living heck of 2020, things are pretty rough, and we understand that things in Imeeji can get rough too; we're grateful that you've stuck with us for so long, and we work and will continue to work tirelessly, to the best of our abilities, to ensure that everyone is able to play comfortably and have fun. We understand these past few months in particular have been a little rough on our end, and we are grateful for your patience and understanding.

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OK, wow! That was a lot of stuff to say! Here are actual fun announcements now:

• Fox of Taisho Roman Revolution will be graduating on Tuesday, September 22nd


• As a reminder, our game calendar is as follows:
  
• Mora and Youji Ruby💖Sour Luna, Goddess of Love and Justice will be giving you all daughters on Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th!
  
• We're sneaking in Speed Dating in on Saturday, October 3rd!
  
• Asidian and Erin will be running an AU Monster game, starting from Thursday, October 8th to Sunday, October 11th!
  
• Marie God will be sending you all to Hell on Saturday, October 17th!
  
• Ash will be running Monster Bingo from Thursday, October 22nd to Sunday, October 25th!
  
• Gil will be rerunning Pretty Pretty Princess from Sunday, November 1st to Tuesday, November 3rd!
  
• Carly Paloma will be making you LARP politics on November 14th!
  
• Gil will be running Pokémon 2: Electric Boogaloo from Friday, November 27th to Tuesday, December 1st!

Fanmail submissions will be up by next week provided Youji doesn't die to Trigonometry!

Activity Check is already available for you to fill out, but reminder that it's due next week at Saturday 10PM PST!

And we're finally done! See you next week!