Character name: Ellusiion Last thing you did: Ate cereal Why do you think you got banned?: Because I can't access forums. Ban message when attempting to log in: Violation of ToS What GM banned you (optional):Sila (Disregard the whole thing if you want to and stop here, as this is ban evasion!) Welcome to the appeal We made it, fellas. Prologue How is anyone that receives a forum ban meant to defend themselves without access to the ban appeal section? 1. Morning Wake up one morning, and it's absolutely beautiful outside. In the middle of the US at this time, it's not often that it's ~50 Fahrenheit. Open the windows and allow some air flow to the room. My roommate exclaims, "a wonderful Sunday! And you've finished all your class work too, huh? What are your plans?" This was a good question, what to do? I showered and got ready for the day, and it was just one of those days where your hair does exactly what you want it to. What could go wrong? 2. The Perfect Day Finally the idea comes to light that we should get breakfast. Our dorm building had a dining hall right below, making it a perfect convenience. On weekends, they serve breakfast paired with lunch until 2:00 as well, further adding to the convenience with our college-life based schedule. Upon arrival, we're met with the lively faces of our friends. Bursting with joy, one exclaims, "Hey! You guys made it. Did you hear the news? Danny and Samantha got engaged!" And news it was. Danny and Samantha had been together for so long and they were just perfect together if you ask me. With absolute delight, we head back to our room, ready to explore what the rest of this wonderful day has to offer. I further thought to myself, what could go wrong? 3. The Beginning of the End My roommate decides to play through a game of League of Legends, where he's winning by a landslide, they just didn't stand a chance! I was about to log in myself, when I thought, hey what about that maple story private server I used to love so much? It's been some time now, surely they've released a new update! I click on Chrome, so giddy I almost miss. At this point Im so hopeful and optimistic it's practically oozing from my pores. The homepage of Chrome only has room for about ten bookmarks, but this site deserved a spot, for it was so fun and just great in every way! I click and enter the shoutbox, where I quickly learned that even the best of days can take unfortunate turns. 4. The Royal Defence I check the message above the shoutbox for the latest update, but it appears unchanged. While this was disheartening, I retain composure, surely there's some sort of mistake. I proceed to consult the shoutbox, "No update in a week? This is fairly unfortunate! Could anyone please confirm that this is indeed the case?" Shortly after, two replies were received. They were rather blunt, but aside from that they did indeed confirm that no update had taken place. The color drained from my face. Could it be? Is this really the end for royals? I begin to type out my monologue. It entailed an emphatic string of text, bringing to light that I don't particularly agree with the current state of the game, and am overall disappointed! It was at this time that the royals backup squad was alerted. They turned off their alarms and got into teamspeak. "We've got a code red and before you ask this is NOT a drill. Someone is in the shoutbox RIGHT now talking bad about the current state of royals! Log in, team, the time is nigh!" They frantically remove dorito dust off of their keyboards in preparation for the event. They pull out their scripts from under the desk in case of such emergency and read over which line would be perfect for the situation. The list has a wide array of arguments that vary in effectiveness, and they knew with an opponent like this, they'd have to choose wisely. 1. The team is doing all they can! 2. Complaining about it won't speed up the process. 3. Be patient. It will be done in no time. 4. Why not go outside and get a life 5. The game works just fine. I've done so many quests. While it seemed like they were prepared, in actuality they were worried they might not be able to pull off the mission. They start frantically typing when it all takes a turn. 5. Confusion I decided to express my opinion further on the current state of the game, bringing up that the extended downtime has unfortunately driven players away, and if nobody is there to show opposition to the rate of progression, the staff will think they're doing just fine. I stated that everyone willing to show opposition has relocated to other servers, leaving us with nothing but blind encouragement. "One month? Is that all it's been? Let's go for two." Says one royals fan to another. "I'm enjoying the game how it is now, who needs trading?" Exclaims another. Enter Sila, unfortunately she wasn't having as great of a hair day as some of us, I presume. She immediate came in, and, without warning, placed a shoutbox ban on the account, followed by removal of messages. She said to herself, "we did it Sila. We're what this server needs. Keep up the great work, cleaning up the streets." This seemed rather unfair in my opinion! My voice had been silenced, a pain I now wish on no man. I decided no more will I stand for these shenanigans! I proceeded to create a second forum account to expose the nonsense that had occurred. I posted a screenshot in the shoutbox, exposing the negligence! Sila readily staring at the shoutbox, sees the message and her day has turned around. "Today is the day" she whispered. "No longer will someone say mean things about the server I moderate" She used the term moderate loosely. She turned on caps lock so excitedly the key almost flew off its board. "YOU CANNOT HAVE TWO FORUM ACCOUNTS!!!!" She hovered over the enter key and paused. She rolls her chair back and stands up, making her way to the mirror. "What are you doing, Sila.. this isn't you.." and made her way back to the keyboard. Erasing the sentence, and rewriting in a calmer manner, "You cannot have two forum accounts." 6. The End I wondered if this was really the way this story ends. I trembled, finding my keys again, and typing out "well, I suppose you must forum ban me now" a tear rolled down my cheek as I struggle to press the enter key. I try to read over what I've written but at this point everything is a blur. The words plaster across the screen "You do not have permission. You have been banned." My roommate offers me a tissue, and in an attempt to comfort, says, "everything is going to be alright. Maybe just message in the royals discord and sort this whole thing out?" A glimpse of hope sparks in my eyes. I visit the royals discord and ask Sila if the ban will be expiring in time, only to be met with removal from the discord. I begin to wonder if it's possible to run out of tears. Surely it's possible, the body can't supply them forever. It definitely didn't seem that way. This concludes the story of the man and the shoutbox. Was the ban justified? My answer would be no. That being said, I expect Sila to receive full support from the administration. Thank you