This has certainly been an interesting forty-eight hours. 

Firstly, I would like to make a brief apology, purely on my own behalf. My life is extremely busy right now. I won't apologise for that, because I cannot always control what happens in my personal life, but I will apologise for the dumb, wacky timezone that I live in - it means that whenever Classic wakes up, I go to bed, and I regret that I cannot be there to check on the site when it is daytime for pretty much all of you. That being said, I believe one of the bigger complaints users have had recently is feeling the need to treat Classic like a second job due to the activity requirements. I agree that it should never be this way, and if you feel so too, then please allow me to take a break and prioritise my schoolwork, my family, and my own health over this website. That need to prioritise my health is also why this thread is locked. If you have any concerns or simply want to say something to me, please message me privately, either here on Classic or on Skype. 

Secondly, here is the plan. There have been a lot of ideas and discussions popping up in a very short amount of time, and they are spread apart in so many threads and so many users that I literally cannot parse them all. I don't think it's even possible to attempt to address all these problems at once. Because this is primarily a roleplay site, I am inclined to first focus on the Clan deletion/Clan overhaul issue. After all, without knowing what Clans we have, how are we supposed to roleplay? 

HERE is the official survey regarding whether we should look into Clan deletion, look into completely overhauling all our Clans, or alternatively neither. The purpose of this survey is to gauge interest in these ideas; once we've confirmed there's enough interest in either idea to justify it, we will hold a formal vote, which will determine what option we take from there - be it Clan deletion, or completely rebooting all the Clans. This is what we focus on right now. Users can of course discuss their own ideas and suggestions for Classic, but if we are to get anything done at all, I believe we must give every issue the attention it demands, and that means focusing on one thing at a time. Currently, that one thing is Clan deletion.  

Finally, I would like to speak a little about respect. It's often said that respect is earned, not given; for a website like Classic, I disagree. Respect is expected and demanded from every user of Classic, be they a staff member or not. I was appreciative of when users spoke to me about problems they had with the administration, and I am still appreciative of it. It allowed for proper discussion, where we could hear out both sides of the argument and could at least begin to feel as if we could examine the problem objectively. I've seen some miracles happen friendship-wise on this site, and I encourage you to stand up for yourself, if you feel you have been wronged.  

However, the behaviour of some users of Classic these past few days has frankly embarrassed me. I have felt it has, at times, been toxic, catty, and self-righteous. (Because I know some may take offense to this, I am going to report myself, and the staff can discuss whether I get a warning for disrespect or not.) I have urged all the administrators to log off for the time being, because I believe that staying in this kind of environment may legitimately be damaging to their mental health. (If anyone else feels this way, no matter their role, then I encourage them to do the same.) I would not be surprised if some of them stepped down because of how this has unfolded. I would even support them, because the way some users (not all) treated them was unacceptable. Disrespect towards any user of Classic, current or former, registered user or administrator, will not be tolerated. We just rewrote Classic's rules - they are not just there for decoration.  

Despite all I've said here, I love this website. I wouldn't still be here, ten years after joining, if I didn't. We can't help each other if we're divided. Thank you for reading.  

- komiharu