Site News

Hello Berry Bazaar community members!

We are looking for a few new moderators to join our team. If you have interest in volunteering your time and contributing a bit more to the Berry Bazaar community, please continue reading! If you are not interested at all in this sort of thing, then carry on and just expect to see a few new faces on our moderator team in the future.

Who we're looking for:

1. Active community members or members who want to play a more active role in the group's normal processes/activities. Events do happen from time to time, but they generally sit second seat to the stuff we would like to have open or happening regularly.
   
   
2. Team players who would be comfortable working with our current moderator team. Communication is important for a lot of what we do, due to the team effort nature of how we problem-solve.
   
   
3. Patience. Those familiar with the group should be aware we are not a super fast-paced group. We try not to overwhelm our community members or moderators. At times on the moderator side it calls for it, but generally we spend a lot of time considering feedback when implementing or modifying existing group systems/activities. It is not a quick process and so we definitely need moderators who can patiently bear with us as we work on setting things in motion.
   
   
4. Individuals that can keep moderator-only/behind-the-scenes information private. Moderators have the perk of knowing inklings of things we are planning or that will happen in the long-term future. We ask this information not be disclosed publicly until it is posted to the group, not even to close friends. A lot of what we work on is liable to change and even if something seems not liable to change, we expect it to not become public knowledge. This is to avoid any unfair advantages to parties that we would account for if they were a moderator or foster false hopes/information if it changes. Moderators should not be pressured to give any behind-the-scenes information to non-moderators. We expect them to not disclose details so it is fair that they are not pressured to do so. We encourage fairness in how we approach moderators being involved in group activities given they have this knowledge (you may have noticed we like random number generators/RNG as it's often the fairest way we can let moderators participate without concerns of favoritism or unfair advantage). This is a courtesy to our fellow group members.
   
   
5. Individuals that have good communication skills and a generally positive attitude. We know everything is not always pomus and kittoms levels of positivity in the group, but there isn't a single moderator role in our group that is not involved in communicating with community members in some way! When possible, we want the group to be a positive space that others can enjoy in their off time, so we try to keep our communications with community members in line with that.
   
   
6. Individuals that can regularly commit to helping with group work monthly and communicate weekly with other mod staff. Moderators must be able to regularly communicate with other moderator staff without prompting to ensure moderator tasks are being completed and areas of the group they are helping in are effectively covered.

Position Details

This position/work is purely volunteer. Moderator rewards are occasionally granted, usually in the form of group items/mutations/slots for volunteer work done, but they are not promised or guaranteed. Please keep this in mind when applying that being a Berry Bazaar moderator is not a paid position, and while some rewards may have monetary value added to them, moderator compensation is not what the team works for or expects on a regular basis.

We acknowledge there are perks to being a mod. However, the community and group's welfare should always be the highest priority when acting as a mod, above self interests. It's a lot of fun getting to meet new people and contributing ideas to how the group runs. Generally, this also means moderators will know about group plans in advance and other details that should not be community knowledge until solidified.

While the community is a high priority, please know we also work hard to make sure the moderator team is a safe space. The mental health of our moderators is a priority when we organize and plan how the group runs events among other things. We are 100% respectful if a mod wishes to or needs to step down to take care of themselves. This is volunteer work, so it should be enjoyable. If there are things that come up that would put a potential strain on moderators owing to a long term absence, please notify us in advance. We understand some things aren’t planned and happen suddenly, but communication is key and working together to make sure we all have the necessary support is essential.

At the end of the day, moderators are group members too, and while we contribute a service for the group that goes beyond the average community member, the decisions we make impact everyone, including ourselves. Moderators are also expected to understand that community interactions are relative to the group and often we're speaking on behalf of the group in ways that are transparent across the whole team. This means a lot of the feedback we're receiving and giving is in no way personal, so we're really working through things as a community and internal team.

While most mods currently are capable of wearing multiple hats, we have mods that specialize/focus on certain areas more than others.

We'll be focusing on the following two roles:

• Design Approvals
  
  • This role will focus primarily on any and all design approvals that run through our group. This includes art updates, design edits, MYOs, elnin rank-ups, kittom growths, and guest artist design approvals (including adult and kittom designs). \o/
  • We are especially seeking some folks that feel confident with their math skills and the group's pricing resources for EC/SC group currencies! While you're not required to know the ins and outs of design updates within the group, it will help you if you do.
    
    
• Prompt/Quest Approvals
  • This role will focus primarily on art and text-based submissions for prompts and questing claims through our group. If you're passionate about seeing and hearing more about other group members' elnins, and cross-checking guidelines for drawn and written content through the group, then this may be the role for you! ^^
  • While not largely math-based, this role will still require knowledge of prompt and quest requirements, and making sure proper currency grants are awarded! So knowledge of how prompts and questing works is appreciated.

Communication between teams and mods will still be required, as our tasks often impact other mods in some way. The group is very interconnected. ^^b

Additional info to keep in mind

• Application Window: [02/10/25 at 12:00am PST] - [04/20/25 at 11:59pm PST]
  
  
• Follow up: We will be following up late May to mid June, after the application window closes or during if we have more questions. If we do not reach out to you this time, please don't be discouraged. We tend to like to grow our team slowly so we have time to work with the moderators we bring on board.
  
  
• Application Edits: You will be able to edit your application at any time during the submission window by clicking on the link above/returning to the form page. Once the window closes, application edits will also be closed, so please be sure you include all information you feel is important before the deadline!
  
  
• Probationary Period: [3-6 months] Getting situated working with a team is a process. There are slow periods and faster periods. Should there be any major problems we see causing strain between current moderators and new moderators, we will let you know if something is not working out. We do not want a toxic volunteer workspace for anyone. Working out any confusion or miscommunications will always be done first, but as a last resort, we're making this probationary period known so it's clear we are paying attention to the comfort of new and old mods alike.

Application Forms

If you are interested in applying for a specific role, please fill out the respective application form below. You may apply for different roles by filling out all or some of the forms, but you will only be hired for one position/role within our team. We are using a google forms approach to give us a little more organization and wiggle room with how we handle applications. Thank you. ^^b

• Apply to be a Design Approvals Moderator here
  
  
• Apply to be a Prompt/Quest Approvals Moderator here

If you have any questions about this process, feel free to ask them in the #questions channel in our discord, or submit a ticket to the "Community" ticket type on the WoE site. Thank you for your interest and time! We look forward to another fun year working with and for the Berry-Bazaar community. <3

Happy February everyone! We've been looking ahead in the group and trying to get a sense where things are headed. This post will give a little bit of look into things happening currently or in the future a bit.

Modcation 2025

A much needed modcation is coming for this year. Expect to see group functions halt on all fronts. If moderators wish to work during modcation there may be some movement but nothing is being required of the team during this time, so expect most things to not start happening again until early May!

• March 1st-14th: (Wind down period.) The Moderator staff will be focusing on getting feedback out for February prompts and Quests. Ideally if any edits are needed to prompts or acts, they will be made at this time and we'll address things that are resubmitted after Modcation is over. Starting March 1st, we'll be attempting to get any design approvals feedback out to paid submissions queued before March 1st. This is not a guarantee, but just know things submitted after March 2nd or unpaid submissions will continue to be low priority and may or may not receive a response before the break. We'll make a good faith effort, but if people are submitting a ton of things last minute, and they are fully paid, that will have an impact on the progress the design approvals team makes the first two weeks in March.
• March 15th-May 3rd: (Modcation) Moderators will not be expected to work during this time frame. Users can still submit prompts and design approvals, etc. but please do not ask about turnaround times during this window as well. Staff may choose to work if they desire but it won't be a required thing. We want to make sure the whole team has a well deserved break.
• May 4th-18th: (Wind up period.) Moderators will be slowly coming back. Responses may be slow during this time period but we'll be looking to get back to things at a more regular pace after these initial weeks.

We know the wind down and wind up periods make this time seem longer but those periods are time we will still be working, just expect that the team may be working through a flood of submissions prior to and after modcation. Please be patient with us, thank you!

We've also experienced some changes to moderator staff this past year and are expecting more changes to our staff in 2025. In light of this, you'll notice that moderator applications have once again opened! They will be open from February 10th, 2025 until April 20th, 2025 at 11:59pm PST.

Turnaround Times and Questing Updates

We've made a dedicated page to cover turnaround time info since that hasn't had a proper place within the site structure. We've also included those turnaround times, minus the additional info, at the top of our general prompt rules and design edit pages so it's a bit easier to find. Due to some of the staffing changes we recognize turnaround times may not mirror the ones listed exactly. We're a bit short staffed currently, which is why we'll be seeking to hire new staff some time after modcation.

We also wanted to announce that one of our special quests has been updated! The Breathing Exercises special quest now includes bubble breath as an option! We hope others enjoy this trait as much as we have been in recent months!

An important note about older quest acts without claims:

Over the years we've been noticing an increasingly long list of quest acts submitted without claims. In order to process the acts for a certain quest someone is pursuing we need a claim submitted to indicate when all of the acts are fully done. Unfortunately, this has made our list of prompts and acts in the back end of the site appear much larger than it is. The team would like to start seeing our queue of prompts and acts reflect more closely to where they are currently sitting.

Starting March 1st, 2025 we'll plan to do an annual clean up for submitted quest acts that are older than 12 months old. This means, for quest acts submitted without a claim that are older than 12 months, we will check 2 things and that will determine what we do with the submitted act:

1. If the character featured in a given act no longer belongs to the submitter, we will hard reject the act.
2. If the character featured in a given act belongs to the submitted still, we will soft reject the act with a "cooldown" of 365 days to just bump a reminder that acts need a claim submitted for us to review them. If the act is not resubmitted within that 365 day window it will be hard rejected.

Keep in mind in both of these cases you can still resubmit a hard or soft rejected act that was part of an unfinished quest at any time, a hard reject or soft reject does not mean that you can never submit an unfinished quest again. It just might mean resubmitting the acts closer together than a year and submitting the appropriate claim so we know to review them! There will be a generic message to indicate if your quest act has been in the queue too long without a related quest claim submitted.

This annual cleanup will likely take place in early January in future years, but since we're announcing this cleanup work just now it will happen at the start of March this year. We're recommending if anyone has quest acts submitted without claims that are older than 12 months and you want to see them reviewed, be sure to submit a claim before the end of February. After February anything older than February 29th, 2024 will be either hard or soft rejected depending on the status of the elnin attached to the quest act.

Thank you for your patience with us on this! We just feel some amount of cleanup in this space annually would help us out in getting a clearer view of how much we need to review within a given month. Between now and the start of March we will work on language to add to the questing page(s) to clarify this will happen annually, with the goal of having that language added by March 1st. That way there's a reference point if the rejection of quest acts older than 12 months comes as a surprise to any submitters.

Guest Artist Applications

Since we're getting back into some event planning if you haven't submitted a guest artist application in a while, or want to update your existing application, this is a gentle reminder our application form is always open and we revisit it over time! Simply visit our Guest Artists Applications page on site and you'll find a link to the form and guesting info there. You'll need to be logged into your google account to edit an existing form if you've submitted an application to us once already.

If your application is over a few years old and predates the google form's creation we highly recommend submitting an updated application to the form. A lot can change in a few years and we want to be sure our info is up to date. Some of the older forms (back before we used a google form) were missing some fields that indicated user preferences. So they're not very helpful at highlighting what types of events or sales some previous applicants may be interested in.

We want to highlight that this reminder for guest artist applications will likely apply to events held in the later half of this year. So if you don't hear back from us immediately in the coming months, just know that it's because it takes some time to go through any changes and updates to applications on our end and plan events thereafter. We'll also be catching up a lot around the start of May as we get back from the break.

Artificial Intelligence Reminder and General Warning

It's been roughly a year since our last mention of this topic. We continue to see the presence of AI use within group prompt submissions, mostly written ones. If you're a group member who is doing this, stop. This is a reminder and general warning that use of AI to write or draw prompts in this group is unacceptable. If you're unclear with the group's general stance on this topic you can refer back to this earlier news post (Late September Update) where we go over the group's stance on it and where it fits into the TOS.

We're sorry to have to bring this up again. As we've stated in the past, we understand that there are a lot of group members that don't use AI this way. We still recognize that most of our submissions do not do this, but when we so blatantly see AI use in the group it's very frustrating. We want to be fair to those who have put in the time to refine their craft, be it drawn or written, and fear that users who turn to AI to do it for them diminishes the efforts of their peers.

If you are someone who is using AI in your work as more than just a translator or spell checker, and we continue to see the redundancy of phrases that AI tends to write, or writing in ways that don't feel human, we will approach with revision requests. Ultimately, we want to make it clear it is not fun to moderate AI generated work. In general, we try to be more relaxed on prompts and we will still try to where possible, but we've already seen so many submissions that feel definitively AI influenced that we are ready to start addressing AI submissions more directly. If you continue using AI, despite the group's policy not to, please expect a lot of feedback from us requesting substantial edits to future submissions. If you aren't using AI, please continue submitting written pieces as usual; the team will try our best to avoid false positives for AI.

Staff have to review a lot of prompts and every single time we come across something clearly AI generated it leaves a sour taste in the team's mouth. We recognize the phrases AI tends to like to use. Please be well aware things are not flying under the radar and there will be consequences as a result if we continue to see AI use in the group.

If you have concerns that your submissions may be reading as AI due to the use of a translation tool, please submit a ticket with a google document to your untranslated content, and a link to the tool you have been using to translate your content as well as the name of that tool. We are mindful this could be an extra ask for those who do not use English as their first language, so we want to be extra clear that submitting a ticket is not a requirement, so don't feel a need to do this right away. You may still hear nothing from us in the future, but if you do and you suspect it's due to AI translation, we can work through it and cross compare tool options to see if there's a pattern. Doing this at that time would help not only you but also the community as a whole.

Plans for the future

While we will be seeing some slow and quiet periods around and during modcation, the staff will be working pretty hard prior to modcation to try to set the group up for success in the coming months. There will be a few moderators that will likely still be working on some things behind the scenes during modcation too even if some of the regular queues are on hold.

We won't be giving a definitive timeline at this point but here are some of the things we're thinking about in the coming year:

• There will be prompts that run 2 months long between March and April, as well as May and June.
  • The first prompt will allow a max of 2 submissions and run from the beginning of March until the end of April.
  • The second prompt will also allow a max of 2 submissions and run from the beginning of May until the end of June.
• Our usual Bonds in Bloom seasonal prompt will be skipped this year as we try to catch up to queues in May and June.
• The seasonal Spirits Stirring prompt will be making a comeback this year in place of the usual seasonal prompt!
• We will be looking at what backlogged questions can be answered.
  • Due to unforeseen circumstances in 2024 there's some lingering questions out there that we'll be working to respond to. Thank you to those who have waited.
  • Some questions that relate to elnin lore or specific topics may need to be more directly discussed with manaberri still. Patience will be needed on those!
• Mana and the team will be working through getting traits sorted out for another subtype release.
  • There are still many things that need to happen for the group to get back to breedings, but this subtype and one other thing are blockers for us to get back to doing breedings in the group under any context. These will take some time, so we don't suspect both will be done within the first half of this year.
• We'll be aiming to hire additional moderators to try to get staff numbers back up to what we would like to see.
• The team wants to get back to events with guest artists and possibly do some event activities later in the year.
• We have some exciting things planned to occur starting with a splash around May. Stay tuned.

Congratulations to the winners of our A Quirky December 2024 Raffle! Everyone who participated has taken away a prize today!

• Herald of Arcana - Endeth
  
  
• Noble Subtype MYO / Upgrade #1 - LeechiPeachy
  
  
• Adventurer Subtype MYO / Upgrade #1- mild-arts
• Adventurer Subtype MYO / Upgrade #2 - missdevichi
• Adventurer Subtype MYO / Upgrade #3 - starimaga
• Adventurer Subtype MYO / Upgrade #4 - renga
  
  
• Kittom Subtype MYO / Upgrade #1 - Sacchim
• Kittom Subtype MYO / Upgrade #2 - jennie
• Kittom Subtype MYO / Upgrade #3 - Snugglymoon
  
  
• Adventurer Standard MYO / Upgrade #1 - ShinPurple
• Adventurer Standard MYO / Upgrade #2 - emacodo
  
  
• Kittom Standard MYO / Upgrade #1 - ghostaris
• Kittom Standard MYO / Upgrade #2 - wander
  
  MYO winners please be sure to send us a ticket before 7 Days are up to detail if you'd like a MYO slot or Upgrade.
  You can send it under Ownership & Masterlist or Community. Feel free to include the stats you'd like.
  
  
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #1 - DearRyufur
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #2 - KelpiePie
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #3 - LadyPipen
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #4 - strabi
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #5 - Nekoyang
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #6 - nyamomask
• Spooky Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #7 - Mowen
  
  
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #1 - Kloana
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #2 - Kireina
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #3 - yumehaeya
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #4 - Binghu
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #5 - sudai-shiro
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #6 - Picnyx
• Spooky Mutation (Any Elnin) #7 - Night-class
  
  
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #1 - Eeviebun
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #2 - Daffupanda
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #3 - Shadonut
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #4 - ForonGur
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #5 - AliLV
  
  
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #1 - Guilyn
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #2 - Keilin
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #3 - Mordecacti
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #4 - Mewwolf
• High Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #5 - Wolllollie
  
  
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #1 - BlackMajixCat
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #2 - SmolPeep
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #3 - FruitCrepe
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #4 - wintry-chan
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #5 - Orangeish
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #6 - Silver-the-wyrm
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Bonded Elnin Only) #7 - Wila
  
  
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #1 - Knife
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #2 - Staarbits
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #3 - Staarbytes
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #4 - Blood
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #5 - SeventhBard
• Lower Tier Limited Mutation (Any Elnin) #6 - Casteds
  
  
• Exotic Mutation #1 - KizzyCosplayer
• Exotic Mutation #2 - Shanyume
• Exotic Mutation #3 - Latusal
• Exotic Mutation #4 - Cynder
• Exotic Mutation #5 - Triggwolf
  
  
• Rare Mutation #1 - Nyxilei
• Rare Mutation #2 - Mewwsic
• Rare Mutation #1 - osteoh
• Rare Mutation #1 - LizzyJun
• Rare Mutation #1 - Jahpan
• Rare Mutation #1 - Malis
• Rare Mutation #1 - Llew
• Rare Mutation #1 - Tatter
• Rare Mutation #1 - CandyChameleon
• Rare Mutation #1 - rayma
  
  
• Uncommon Mutation #1 - blankshi
• Uncommon Mutation #2 - Seaglassmoon
• Uncommon Mutation #3 - Chickolates
• Uncommon Mutation #4 - Giz
• Uncommon Mutation #5 - Milim
• Uncommon Mutation #6 - Belsibeth
• Uncommon Mutation #7 - Angelos
• Uncommon Mutation #8 - ceryskies
• Uncommon Mutation #9 - northfarer
• Uncommon Mutation #10 - SYLSYL12
• Uncommon Mutation #11 - xqtte
• Uncommon Mutation #12 - AkaneTsukino1
• Uncommon Mutation #13 - Katsuki
• Uncommon Mutation #14 - crowlets
• Uncommon Mutation #15 - Sharky
• Uncommon Mutation #16 - Tara-Elani
• Uncommon Mutation #17 - Afrielzi
• Uncommon Mutation #18 - Starbask
  
  Prizes will be delivered as soon as we can. Please be patient with us as we sort though them all. Thanks so much! And congratulations again!

From now until the end of December, we're hosting a raffle for a variety of MYO/Growth/Upgrade and Mutation prizes.

Please read below for additional info on how to enter and rules. Completing this year’s December Prompt will not automatically enter you for this raffle. You will need to submit a response to the appropriate Google form, so please keep this in mind!

A free participation bonus, a Fey-touched Egg, will be granted to all users who complete the December Prompt ( [M-083] Endearing Eggs ) this month. This bonus will be granted when your prompt is approved. (See the "Rewards" section at the bottom of the prompt.)

A Quirky December 2024 Raffle Details

Nestled amongst some oddities in a certain shop...is something a bit peculiar. Elnin have been hearing rumors scattered amongst communities of finding these compact little surprises left on elnin doorsteps and sometimes directly in bags. This must be one of them! Is that an egg of sorts? Some older elnins mentioned similar occurrences in olden days but the records are quite sketchy. The most impactful advice older elnin can give is to treat these eggs gently and care for them.

Additionally the miasma this season seems unusually thin for the time being. There are more rumors that the eggs have something to do with feyfolk and that feyfolk have been actively working to push miasma back this season. It's unclear how long this odd behavior will linger for or what these strange eggs are but they have to hatch eventually, right?

The raffle winners for the June 2024 Spirits Stirring Raffle are...

Oddly-Colored Pomu (Oddform / Multi-colored) Token Winners"
1. strabi
2. bisflorescentia
3. Malis
4. Silver-the-wyrm
5. BlackMajixCat
6. Chickolates
7. Orangeish
8. starimaga
9. Llew
10. DearRyufur
11. Daffupanda

Overwild (Aquatic) Token Winners:
1. ceryskies
2. Knife
3. Becci
4. Starbask
5. Shadonut
6. Mowen
7. FruitCrepe
8. Nekoyang
9. AliLV
10. missdevichi
11. wintry-chan
12. Picnyx
13. Jahpan
14. Giz
15. yumehaeya
16. Katsuki
17. SmolPeep

Oddly-Colored Pomu (Single-color) Token Winners:
1. Twerpette
2. LizzyJun
3. Mewwsic
4. Seaglassmoon
5. Sharky

Rolling took place in our Discord in the #games_and_raffles channel today!

Thank you everyone for participating! We hope you bring you more events soon in the future! <3

From now until the end of June we'll be hosting a raffle for 15 Overwild (Aquatic) Tail Tokens and 25 Oddly-Colored Pomu Tokens (10 Oddform/Multi-colored pomu and 15 Single color pomu).

Please read below for additional info on how to enter and rules. Completing this year’s Spirits Stirring Seasonal Prompt will not automatically enter you for this raffle. You will need to submit a response to the appropriate google form, so please keep this in mind!

A 3EC participation bonus will be granted to all users who complete the Spirits Stirring Seasonal Prompt ( [S-2] Spirits Stirring) this month. This bonus will be granted at the end of the month. This will allow community members to purchase the latest card frame from the Card Frame Merchant if they wish or put it forward to something else they're saving up for!

2024 June Spirits Stirring Raffle Details

The raffle winners for the March Raffle 2024 are:

#1 - Spring Time Bun - flyingwaysofducks
#2 - Spring Tea Party - aquapyrofan
#3 - Butterfly Garden - DarkfireVengeance
#4 - Bleeding Heart Doe - Daffupanda
#5 - Chocolate Lover - ShinPurple
#6 - Auspicious Spring - SuperLebunee
#7 - Spring Lamb - plumendra
#8 - Peony Ballerina - LizzyJun
#9 - Thawing Meadow - number11train

Rolling took place in our Discord in the #games_and_raffles channel today!

Thank you everyone for participating! We hope you bring you more events soon in the future! <3

Between now and next Sunday we will be hosting a short raffle for some premade kittom prizes.

Please read below for additional info on how to enter and rules.  You will need to submit a response to the appropriate google form, so please keep this in mind!

March 2024 Raffle Details

It's March already and this year is flying by.  So once again we're touching base with the community!

Discord Changes and Clarifications

We've made a few notable changes to our discord this month and we want to clarify a few things that we've gotten questions about.

Recent Changes

• We've added a #writing_gallery channel to showcase written works to compliment our art_gallery which is primarily focused on visuals.
• Emoji use in the #questions and #design_feedback channels on discord will now be restricted to moderator staff.

A Few Clarifications

• The #art_gallery is a place for primarily visual arts, this includes drawings, crafts, and heavily curated photography.
  • We have gotten questions in the past on whether or not photography has a place in the #art_gallery, and the team feels that it does. If you're sharing photos though as an art piece, we do ask they not just be casually taken photos that may be more appropriate for other channels like #pet_appreciation, #cook_nook, #discovery_channel, etc.
  • No matter what medium you are sharing visual art of, please be conscientious of spam. If you wish to share many pictures of something drawn, photographed, or otherwise, we ask you to choose your best image or two and then link to a more robust gallery if you want to share more.
• Only responses in #questions and #design_feedback from modberries, prompt team moderators and design team moderators are considered official responses to general questions.
  
  • We have many channels where other members casually try to help out, and occasionally moderators may respond in other spaces too with a best guess, but these are not to be considered official responses to questions regardless of who they come from.
  • Generally questions asked in #questions and #design feedback goes through more than just one staff member to try to ensure we're giving accurate responses. When any moderator or group member replies in a one-off fashion in general channels there is a risk that their feedback may contain their personal opinion in a casual way or misinformation, so we ask group members to take these answers with a grain of salt and know they may not always be accurate.
  • Only discord moderators may hop into any channel to address discord specific tasks or conflicts.

Moderator Changes and Current Queues

We've had some adjustments in our staffing in recent months and many of our mods have had some things cropping up in their daily lives.

Tatter and Leechi Are Off to Other Pursuits!

In the past few months here we've had a few of our prompt team staff step down due to work and family commitments taking priority in their lives. Moderating was an aspect they didn't feel they would be able to keep up with. As always the team is supportive of moderators prioritizing the things they need to do in life. While it is unfortunate we have to see the teammates we enjoy working with go, we're hopeful to continue to see them around the group and taking care of themselves. Tatter was among the older staff members on our prompts team and Leechi joined the team a few years after. We're wishing them some easier times in months to come even as some other things in life ramp up for them!

Slower Responses and Queues this Month and Next Month

We just want to call some attention to regular group systems moving a bit slower on all fronts this month and potentially next month. We've had a few team members step down and several others are still helping out but currently experiencing some rougher times. Work has been strenuous on some of our staff while others are out sick or dealing with some difficult family matters. While we won't be going into many details, we did want to ask the community for a little more patience as the team works through things this month and next month. Please expect things to be a bit slower and try to recognize we're a bit of a skeleton crew during this period of time.

It is worth mentioning Starbask will be out of town for the last two weeks this month with little to no computer access. This means some more involved approvals, questions, or tasks may be on hold during that time and take a bit of time thereafter to catch up on. The team can usually handle many tasks and questions but some still fall to Starbask and Mana to confer on and clarify details on as needed.

A Raffle on the Horizon

We did a free kittom raffle back in December and we'll be hosting another small one this month. The raffle will go live soon, time permitting, and be open for a minimum of 48 hours with intent to be rolled some time Sunday March 17th, 2024 PST time. There will not be a prompt requirement to enter this raffle, however the form to enter the raffle will include a question about what your favorite part of spring is! So start brainstorming if there's some things you are particularly fond of during the springtime!