Hi Elysian Fields Fam,
As an update to our last post, we heard you and your concerns and made the decision to reinstate the story in question, with apologies to the author for what we know was an upsetting day. The metadata, including the comments, summary, images, likes, and so forth have already been reinstated. The chapter content itself is a different recovery tool and generally takes more time, but we welcome Dusty to repopulate that without waiting for us. While we stand by the reasoning described in the initial post regarding our validation, selection, and hosting process, our first priority is the wellness of the community.
Wellness of the community also means wellness of the Mod team. We are, after all, a part of the community. The tone of discussion should always remain civil, even if you don’t agree with a decision that has been made. Certain members of the Mod team received individual messages that were not only uncivil but downright abusive. These are messages beyond: “I disagree with what you did and here are the reasons why” or any similar grievances. These messages were personal and vicious, and as this behavior would not be tolerated if aimed at any one member, it will not be tolerated when aimed at the Mod team. You don’t have to agree with us and you don’t have to like us, but hate mail is never acceptable under any circumstance. In this case, it was also not without casualty, as OffYourBird has formally resigned her position as Mod and opted to remove her stories from the archive. She has also placed her name on the Do Not Distribute list, so we ask members to respect that decision.
Going forward, we will ask that authors do some due diligence with stories that require a heavy amount of disclaiming in addition to the provided warnings. This is not to say that every fic idea, premise, outline, or chapter needs to be run by the Mods—God, how we do not want that. But we also don’t want to be here again, ever, ever, ever. So, we’re asking authors to be cognizant of the rules and, if a story flirts with the limits of our submission guidelines, check in with us for what is and isn’t permissible. Many authors already do this, as we mentioned already. We do not delight in telling anyone “no” and are open to discussing with any author how to ensure their story meets and maintains the required qualifications that make them EF appropriate. We understand that not all authors know where their story is going and that’s fine, but as members of a community with guidelines like ours, the onus is on each author to verify that they are in the right place. This is also nothing new, but perhaps not widely known, and we thought it best to reiterate it here.
As of the time of this posting, we consider this matter closed. You are welcome to come to us privately with any comments, questions, or concerns, and you are welcome to leave a response to this post, but we will not permit discussion on EF or any of its platforms in any area.
--The Mods on March 02, 2022 01:27pm 76 Comments
I am incredibly sad to see OYB leave both as a mod and an author, I wish her the absolute best and I'm terribly sorry people sent abusive messages. You didn't deserve that, and those that sent such messages should be ashamed.
I hope that the community can heal from this conflict, I've had some of the most fun I've had in a really really long time here and it would break my heart to lose it.
The community isn't going anywhere without a fight from me.
That said, it cannot be understated how much OffYourBird has contributed to EF. She poured her blood, sweat, and tears into the site and navigating without her is not something any of us are looking forward to. However, she has our complete support and understanding in this decision, as she must do what is best for her.
I am so sorry that OYB resigned and is removing her stories. Those that were abusive and hateful should be very,very ashamed of themselves. This is a great community and a wonderful place. I am heartbroken. I wish you the best OYB.
I didn’t comment on the previous post because I could see it from both sides. But the fact people were sending hate mail over it is not acceptable. This is supposed to be a safe space for everyone, readers, authors and mods alike. I'm genuinely very upset that it got to this level.
All the best OYB. I hope you can come back from this, but I can understand if you can't.
I am so, so sorry about this fallout. Katie is a one-of-the-kind person, author, friend, and community member.
I do understand that the removal of the story was both quite reasoned on the mod side, while seeming sudden and unexpected on the member side. I'm glad it's being reinstated. But the whole hate mail aspect, toward mods who keep this site the warm and sunny spot it is, is horrifying.
Much love to all the writers, readers, and mods who make EF EF.
I agree with Sigyn. This is a tragic outcome, truly. I can't believe that OffYourBird has gone away over this.
None of this is her fault nor should she or the other mods ever have been targeted for abuse. The mods thought they were doing the right thing - and they listened and listed their reasons for doing so. And gave us a platform to explain how we all felt in response. It seemed to me to be a fair exchange of ideas over what was permissible on the site.
I'm happy to hear that Dusty's story has been reinstated because I honestly believe that it stayed within the guidelines, but it's a debatable issue that is somewhat subjective for each person. However, I'm sorry to hear that so many mods received personal invective over it.
There is no wrong or right here - only a difference of opinion that surely should have been worked out in a respectful and congenial manner. I'm sorry to see that so many feelings were hurt all around - the community here is a really precious thing and I can understand both sides feeling a bit put out.
The loss of OffYouBird's stories is terrible for EF - no one should be hurt so badly that they are driven to leave the site.
I also hope that she knows how much her stories meant to the many fans and readers who populate EF and how much those of us who have followed this site for a long while also appreciated her wonderful moderation and efforts to make the site so inviting to Spuffy readers.
I hope that she reconsiders her decision.
Kind of lost for words right now. I'm wishing the best to OffYourBird. I do want to say, I hope that whatever abusive messages were sent were not sent on my behalf. I obviously don't support that and had nothing to do with it. All communication between me and the mods has been polite and civil disagreement, as it should be.
I'm very thankful my story and the comments with it have been reinstated. I appreciate the listening and the understanding that took. It's not an easy thing to do to change one's mind and listen to other perspectives.
Mostly I appreciate this whole community for rallying for me and my story. It means so much and I love you all. It was an emotional day, and it made me really grateful to all the people who support me here on such a regular basis. So thank you, thank you, everyone 
OYB’s fics were my introduction to Spuffy fanfic and my gateway to this wonderful community. I’m incredibly heartbroken to see her leave. I wish her all the best. It won’t be the same without her.
Oh my god! I can't believe this issue caused so much hate and pain. Poor Off Your Bird. I am so sorry that you went through that abuse from the fandom. We are all Spuffy shippers here. How can we fight over this and hurt others personally? Very horrible day for the site to lose an amazing talent, writer, and person. Shame on those people. I hope you continue to thrive in your journey of life.
Off Your Bird, you have made a gigantic mark on the Spuffy fandom with your wonderful, creative, and heart-touching stories. There will be no one else like you. A huge loss to fanfiction everywhere.
Just dropping by to say that losing OffYourBird to the EF community as both a Mod and an author is absolutely devastating. I hope she will one day feel comfortable enough to return.
DAmn it all! I LOVED OffYour Bird's stories! The stories were so fantastic and some of my favorite and because of some noxious trolls we loose them AND her?! Can't we just get the trolls kicked out and keep OYB instead?
Here's a tiny bit of Elysian Fields history you may not know about. When I first got into fandom in the early 00s, there was a certain cabal of Spuffy writers who decided who got read and who didn't. If you didn't fit the mold or get accepted, you were out of luck in terms of finding community. You could write all you wanted, but it was basically like sending stories into the void. Have an audience? Fans? People who cared about you or rallied behind you? Good luck. EF began because of this vicious gate-keeping (thank you, Holly!) and I am forever grateful. I never felt like I had a Spuffy voice until I read OffYourBird and joined this site. The loss of her presence here will be like a hole in the world - not even joking.
If you are reading this and sent abusive and hateful messages to her or any of my mod team, I hope Karma kicks you in the balls as you well deserve.
To everyone else, I hope we can all be good to each other here. We're all we've got.
I am truly gutted that such atrocious behavior was exhibited by members of this beloved site. Sending hate mail is never helpful or productive, and the last thing we needed today was spreading more pain. As has been said, losing OYB is such a blow to our community. I’m a bit shell-shocked, truthfully. She and her stories will certainly be missed, and after this terrible ordeal, I hope she gets some much-deserved rest.
What an incredible loss to the community and site! Hate messages are never the way to deal with disagreements and I don't blame Katie for wanting to step away from a job in which that could happen. I'm so sorry, Katie, you (and your wonderful stories) will be sorely missed. I hope you can reconsider your decision when you've had some time to heal from the damage caused by people who don't understand proper behavior when expressing their displeasure about something. (I also hope those people are no longer members of EF....)
It was an unfortunate incident, and I'm sorry there was so much fall-out from it. However, I am happy to know that the decision has been re-thought and reversed. I truly don't think the story is violating the rule, what with Buffy and Spike interaction in almost every chapter. Clearly the relationship exists, the feelings are there on both sides, and we know they will end up together.
Having had a similar experience myself with a non-Spuffy fic that included some brief Spuffy, and been booted out of a community devoted to the other pairing because of it, I'm sympathetic to Dusty who simply is presenting a possible and even likely temporary situation in the course of writing an ultimately Spuffy fic.
If there were no warnings given, I could understand some disappointment and unhappiness on the part of readers when it appeared that Buffy was going to be with Angel, but since there are warnings, and we know it will end happily (or at least end Spuffy - maybe Angel won't be all that happy) no one should have been unpleasantly surprised to the point of complaining. If they didn't want to read Buffy/other or Spike/other (and many readers legitimately don't want to have to even consider it) then this would have been a story for those people to skip. Which is an option they have....
Wow.
I'm only echoing what others have said, but it feels like a small bomb went off here today. While I was so, so delighted to see the reasoned, kind reinstatement of Dusty's beloved story, I too am heartbroken and pained to hear about OYB's departure. I've loved her stories like the rest of you have, and to know that she was impacted strongly enough to leave and take her work with her says a lot about our capacity to harm each other. I hope she recovers from what was, I'm sure, a really shitty day.
I appreciate and love this space and community. Thank you for the transparency and updates.
EF was built in response to fandom drama by a team, it was not a solo project. Megan, Dede, Tam, Schez, myself and Holly were this team. And the archive wouldn’t be what it is without the expertise and tech brilliance of Susan.
The strength of this community has always been its supportiveness, and I hope that anyone who got swept up in drama realises it’s not the way.
Thank you for reinstating Dusty's story and comments. I am sorry that OffYourBird has left and taken her stories. They were considered Spuffy classics, and they are a great loss to the archive.
It is terrible that people blamed her for the misunderstanding and then chose to attack her so personally. That is unacceptable and I do not blame her for wanting to get away from people who treated her so poorly.
Best wishes to OffYourBird and the other moderators.
Could this day get any worse? I can't say how sorry I am to lose OYB and her wonderful stories from this site. Just heartbreaking.
I'm am so sad to hear that trolls were personally attacking OffYour Bird. Her stories are some of the best and she truly seems like a kind person. It is very disappointing to have her gone from the community and I hope she sees she has all of our support and love.
There's been so much pain in the last few months in this little corner of fandom. It's been very difficult. I hope that everyone who is hurting in this latest set of events finds relief and comfort. *hugs*
I'm sorry to see any member of this community either leave, or be forced out. That being said, I'm delighted that the wrongful decision of taking down a fic because of 'checks notes' not having Spuffy PAIRING throughout the story was wrong. Many (most) stories don't. I remember when there were stories which were perfectly acceptable with them getting together in the last paragraph. Saying it was because the mods were lax in the past sounded very ominous, and also very false. Censoring the shoutbox was yet another bit of kindling to the fire. While I'm saddened that people decided to go to private messaging channels and be abusive, there is something to be said for allowing discourse out in the open to happen.
I am just so very upset about OffYourBird that I can't even. Katie, I love you and hope to speak to you soon. Glad we reached resolution for Dusty's fic but I am really just gutted at how this went down. Love to the mods and to all my fellow members who remained kind and reasonable even when upset.
I w upset and worried by the original decision, and I am very grateful for the care and thought the mods gave to reconsidering it and reinstating the fic. It is never easy to backtrack, and to do so in a public way takes real courage and strength.
Like others, I am very distressed by the loss of OYB, and very much hope that after some time to cool down and reconsider she will feel able to return. I am very unhappy that members, however good their intentions, felt it appropriate to send nasty private messages. I don't think there is ever an excuse for that. It's one thing to ask for clarification or reassurance, quite another to vent bile. Anyone who did send such PMs needs to have some serious reflection.
I'm glad Dusty has felt supported through this, but very sad indeed that there has been such hostility. This site needs to be a safe place for everyone; there is no point in telling each other how welcoming and kind we are if our actions prove otherwise. 8 really hope we can move on, with an extra injection of genuine kindness and support for the people who work so hard to maintain this community for what it is.
I am so sorry to hear that OYB has left us. I'm glad you decided to reconsider Dusty's story, the fact that you are listening to the community is a great message. But I am disappointed and disgusted with those who thought sending hate messages was the right thing to do. We should be united and support each other, we’re on the same side of the fandom. I really hope Katie will reconsider her decision one day because she is such an important member of our community, an amazing writer and artist. I will always be grateful to her because without the inspiration provided by her "The Darkling" I would have never decided to actively join the creative side of the fandom.
I really hope this doesn't lead to the breakup of this community, I've always considered it (like many others) my safe Spuffy place.
To all the mods, I'm very happy to see that you've gone back on your decision and republished the story with all its metadata. As I said, the loss of that metadata and the incredibly abrupt nature of this whole situation was what shocked and hurt me the most, and I don't seem to be alone in that. Going back on your decision really does you honour, especially so publicly.
That said, I'm very sorry to hear more about these hateful messages and that they have gone as far as driving OYB away. Aside from the HUGE loss to the fandom, I hope she can soon feel better and go back to enjoying this space. Bullying is always shitty, no matter where it comes from, especially when it has to do with people who are doing something for free, in their free time, and offering something to a community. I hope it never happens again.
Wow, I wasn’t around much yesterday and it seems like I missed a lot. I’m so disappointed in the member(s) that decided to send such hateful messages to the mods. I’m shocked and saddened to see OYB leave this community! I loved her stories and saw how much she contributed to this site on a daily basis. I didn’t come into this space until quarantine because honestly, I didn’t even know it existed. This has been such a wonderful find and OYBs story was the first I ever read. I hope that one day she will come back here because it will not be the same without her!
To all the mods, I'm very happy to see that you've gone back on your decision and republished the story with all its metadata. As I said, the loss of that metadata and the incredibly abrupt nature of this whole situation was what shocked and hurt me the most, and I don't seem to be alone in that. Going back on your decision really does you honour, especially so publicly.
That said, I'm very sorry to hear more about these hateful messages and that they have gone as far as driving OYB away. Aside from the HUGE loss to the fandom, I hope she can soon feel better and go back to enjoying this space. Bullying is always shitty, no matter where it comes from, especially when it has to do with people who are doing something for free, in their free time, and offering something to a community. I hope it never happens again.
I very much hope OYB feels strong enough to at least repost her stories one day. A tragic loss to the community.