Goodbye, IRC

@Ciaran
I see, thanks for the insights Dearest Mod Ciaran!
It’s slightly offtopic but how do you mean the second one with the SFM Kleenex, correct me if I’m wrong, it sounds like a hilarious diss I’m not sure I get it

Internet relay chat that the staff no longer uses I seen it multiple times.

being on the internet for so long is beautiful and poetic the more of these tech innovations unfold, cuz u get to see the rise and fall of a whole infrastructure of chat go from a popular way of talking to everyone online you want to being used by probably 10 people daily across all networks, and those who can’t admit that while yes, the internet of yesteryear was a fun and unexplored time full of adventure (in some aspects, although it wasn’t the “utopia” teens make it out to be), you won’t gain anything by clinging on to what you want back.

While it was a cool idea, the Discord Server and forums here seem like the better over all choices.
Specially when so few people know what an Irc was, let alone how or when to use it.

However I still think having an on site method to contact mods is important, as not everyone has access, or uses, Discord.
Hopefully the forums here will handle that task, while we have them atleast

Some countries have blocked Discord, such as China, which has restricted it since 2018 due to its “Great Firewall” censorship policies, leaving users to rely on VPNs to get around the ban. However, using a VPN in China isn’t straightforward—it’s considered illegal, with the government tightly regulating it, and unauthorized use can lead to fines or even harsher penalties, not to mention the connections are often unstable. Meanwhile, IRC remains unblocked, perhaps because it’s low-profile enough to fly under the radar. This site used to support both IRC and Discord for contacting staff, but that post announced IRC is being dropped, leaving Discord as the only option. This means users in these blocked regions now face a tougher way to reach staff—either risking a VPN or potentially being unable to connect at all due to Discord’s restrictions, which is pretty frustrating. In the end, while the shift to newer tech might aim to keep things modern, it’s turned into a new hurdle for some users’ communication.

If you are unable to use Discord then you can use reports, PMs, these forums, or if you are banned and need to appeal, the OPS email, if you need to contact staff. The email address is available on the Contact page.

There is no plan to remove the forums. They do not depend on outside services - they’re a part of the core functionality of the site.

@concentratedcobalt
based post and based pfp i fuckin love that g skull image