Hello, darling Q&B folks.

There has been something weighing on both Anzel and myself for quite some time: our Discord server. Today, we are finally making a decision. Some folks may be upset with this and for that we are sorry, but we are stretched thin and something had to give eventually.

TL;DR: The Discord server is closing to the public and going to become invite-only.

Let me try to give some historical context. Once upon a time, we had an IRC server. There were maybe five people because of the technical barrier that deterred most folks. When Discord started to rise in popularity, we decided to move to it, but still kept it more or less a secret. Then we started to host Live Events, which turned the server public once a month before closing up again like a clam guarding pearls. People, of course, wanted to stay. And we didn't see why not, so we eventually opened up to the public.

Fast forward to now, two years later, and we've grown from a small handful of very close friends to just shy of 200 people of rotating activity.

And, to be perfectly blunt: we are exhausted.

Having so many people in one place means clashing personalities. Because we didn't and don't have the time—especially now that Anzel and I are focusing on our careers—we asked our close friends to be moderators. This has led to them feeling like they can't just "hang" because folks treat them with all sorts of ugliness, ranging from passive aggression to outright hostility. It's also led to our relationships with them going through tense patches whenever we would have disagreements of how lenient or strict to be.

On top of that, we ourselves have lost interest in being an active part of our own server. It's stopped being a close, positivity-driven community that we want Quill & Blade to be known for. I, personally, have had to go to other servers to actually enjoy myself because the weight of expectations of so many people in one location was suffocating.

So, for the time being, we are closing the server to the public. There will be no new invitees and the public channels will be "muted" (unable to send messages). Patrons will still have access to their patron-specific channels, but on that note I must stress that this is not a ploy to get more Patrons. We have obligations to them, such as the RPG, that necessitate keeping their access unchanged.

Long-term, we will slowly send invites to people we've known a while to bring them back to the server, if they still want to be a part of it. We don't have the details worked out yet because we want to be cautious and avoid ending up right back where we are, which is exhausted and frustrated.

Please feel free to ask any questions you want here. To answer a few right out the gate:

What will happen to Live Events?

We will go back to how it used to be in the very beginning, with some minor changes.

1. The server will be "open" during the Live Event. There will be a channel that will temporarily be open to anyone. No one will be kicked afterwards, but the public channel will be locked outside of Live Events.

2. There will be a thread posted here on the Q&B Forums to collect any questions for us to answer during the Event.

If I'm already in the server and I'm not a Patron, do I have to leave?

No. You're free to stay, but it'll be pretty boring. You'll have two channels:

1. #royal-proclamations — Updates, announcements, etc. will be posted here.
2. #lobby — This will be an open channel during Live Events.

This just sounds like you're trying to get me to become a Patron if I want to talk to you, you self-centered conceitmonkey.

Legitimately, this is not the case. I know I can't prove it but let me try to give two counterpoints:

1. The vast majority of the Patreon money goes to charities, art, and BronyCon. We only directly benefit from the third. Most of the art just goes right back to Patrons in the form of monthly draws.

2. Once we work out the details, we'll be bringing non-Patrons onto the server. We just need to figure out the best way to avoid stress and drama. ("When can I get an invite", "Why don't I get an invite", etc.)

On a personal note, I will be leaving servers I'm not very active in to try to focus on Q&B again. I mean no offense to anyone who owns a server I've left whatsoever! I am just going to make an effort to... well, be a part of my server again.

This makes me sad. I wasn't the most active there, but I did like to pop in from time to time. Still, I understand managing a large Discord server isn't easy, especially on top of writing and jobs, so I totally get why you had to do this.

As I have said before, I have not changed my stance on how I feel about you. I understand that stress can be an invisible weight no one can see or understand.

However, I cannot suppress my upset attitude about the sudden decision after an hour of fun.

It was thanks to you that I was able to find a community I could fit in. The people I have talked to allowed me to open up and collaborate with several of the members. I know I can still stay a part of the server and I will, and I also know I can still PM those I am more personal with. But this came without warning; there was no foresite or lead up. Perhaps giving some time like a day or two before muting it all together may have been a better choise, but that is my thought on that matter.

I can regurgitate how I know this is a temporary solution and more well known non-patrions will be allowed access. But some will feel left afloat and uncomfortable about all this.

This is just my thought. I do hope that my thoughts don't bring me in negitive light. I just wanted to voice what some may want to say but are afraid of speaking it.

As I said in the message I sent, I completely support the decision even if I don't entirely like it. However Fero does have a point in that some warning would have been nice instead of announcing it and the server is locked down within a few hours. Either way I hope that this decision will help with the problems and maybe you can figure out a way to make it open to the public again without it becoming overwhelming again.

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I do wholly apologize for the aspect of the suddenness of it. From our perspective, this had been boiling for months and discussed at length—obviously "behind the scenes", so that does y'all no good. By the time the announcement rolled around, we were just so very ready for the change. Excited, even. The relief we've felt after making this decision, well before the announcement, did kind of blind us to how it would feel to others.

The announcement at the Live Event is a tricky situation. We wanted regulars to hear it straight from us and not through text. We didn't want the Live Event to just be bad news, we didn't want to try to give bad news and then make a lame attempt at having fun. For better or for worse, we decided to proceed as normal before the news—to try to give tangible proof that we're not abandoning y'all, that we're still here.

I have to agree with Fero as well, I understand and respect the decision made and support you both, however as someone who is relatively new and was starting to feel like I was starting to establish myself in the community It feels kind like I am being left high and dry which I know was not the intention.

While yes we have the fimfic group and your site. I accesses a lot that through mobile and because of that, discord is the best way for me to stay in those groups I am in. Again I respect and understand the decision made and will still be in the server and supporting your works, I just wanted to give the view of s newer member.

I'm so offended that you left my server that I will flop into our PMs and/or side server and flail in your general direction. And maybe call you smol.

Then you'll be sorry >:C

jk ilu <3

Sudden? Yes
Necessary? Probably
Either way, your decisions have only been good and you've always been committed to that

positivity-driven community

you mentioned.

Even though I've never really spoken to anyone on Discord (i'm quiet/shy) this still made me quite sad, but I understand and respect your decision to do so.
I've only been a part of the quill and blade discord community for just over a year (if you consider standing at the side and not really saying anything as being a part) but I have absolutely loved it. It has never failed to make me smile or laugh (birb time).
Either way thanks for letting me be "part" of the wonderful group you created.

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I know I don't poke my head in very often, but it's nice chatting to you folks when I do.

I support your decision, 100%!

I hope you guys can be met with relaxation during the hiatus.

well, i hope you get a rest form "all of the people" i know things like this might be exhausting

I miss everyone there. But I left the server because I felt that I was the cause of too much drama and trouble there. I felt the place was important enough that it did not need a negative influence.

It saddens me to hear what has become of the place.

I do hope the friends I had made there are doin well, and maybe I'll see everyone at Bronycon.

I understand. It was fun conversing with you all on the server while it lasted, even during BronyCon. I can understand how work gets in the way. I myself have just now gotten back into the DIscord server after 6 months. I hope everything works out well