1. I want to change forum games. Forum Games has some good threads which are, you know, actual games, but a LOT of bad threads. I propose adding THESE RULES to what constitutes a game: The posts in a forum game's thread must not be able to be predicted (to weed out the counting threads, etc.) and the posts in a forum game's thread must in some way be connected to one another (to weed out "post a number", or "post two words")
    
2. Has there been any word yet on when we get advanced threadsculpting back? When a person makes a new thread which should actually go as a post, in an existing thread, it was a lot easier back when I could just merge them together and have the black magic done with. While I'm on it, I'd really like to be able to sticky and unsticky threads, but if that's a bridge too far so be it. Having access to the advanced MCP again would help my job immensely.
    
3. Not being able to communicate this to the Off-Topic users is KILLING ME. I have always prided myself on being transparent and approachable in everything I moderate (something moderators in other parts of osu! can learn a thing or two from!) and therefor, I'm really worried about doing it on April 1st of all days. Try to let this entire cabal play out as clearly as possible, instead of being needlessly hush-hush about a major overhaul of the subforum. Is there any real reason, any at all, why I shouldn't share these changes with the public? If they know they're coming, they'll be prepared for them, I always think.

They wrote:

Welcome to Off-Topic

• A Word of Warning Beforehand

Off-Topic is a part of the forum that is not quite the same as other subforums you'll find on the osu! board. It is a place where everything you read has to be taken with a pinch of salt: It's a forum that houses jokes about osu!, and its community, but also about Off-Topic itself, and even about parts of the internet entirely outside the game, some of which you might not even be familiar with! This implies two things:

◘ Because of a certain pervasive sarcasm around this subforum and its users, it's very important to have a good grasp on the English language. If not, you will probably misinterpret something or other. But if you don't, look Eʟsᴇᴡʜᴇʀᴇ and you might find that the subforum of your own language has an Off-Topic thread of its own!

◘ Because of a similar pervasive joking attitude, you're expected upon entering this forum to be able to roll with the punches. Be flexible. Take a joke. Learn from mistakes. Act mature. Follow these guidelines and you'll find that the existing community will accept you a lot faster!

We Like It Cozy

So ｂｅ ｆｌｅｘｉｂｌｅ!

◘ Something a lot of people forget when you arrive here, is that the subcommunity in the subforum has a history of four years behind it! There's going to be a crowd of regulars and - like it or not - they'll influence what we consider a "quality" post. So, what can you do about that? First things first, we have a Wʜᴏʟᴇ Lᴏᴛ of Oᴛʜᴇʀ Pʟᴀᴄᴇs where you can Bᴇ Yᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ and Mᴀᴋᴇ Fʀɪᴇɴᴅs. If you don't fit in in this crowd, odds are, with all the thousands of people on osu! you'll find a place where you do. But if you really want to make it work, be mindful of your audience. Test the waters first, take your time and take it easy.

THINGS TO DO:
⚠ - Check if your topic wouldn't fit better in any other subforum linked in the above little bit.
⚠ - Find out if the regulars are people you want to associate with. They won't leave for you, you're joining them.
✓ - Join the conversation on things you like. You'll have more luck with an existing topic than a new one.
✓ - Be yourself in a way that opens you up to us. Show us how you're awesome. You're making friends here.
✗ - Be yourself in a way where you don't care about what people think about you. This is a community.

We Like It Smarmy

So ｔａｋｅ ａ ｊｏｋｅ!

◘ This subforum is built around quick wit, humor, and rough quipping. Especially that last bit is known to cause some issues. What if you post something hilarious, and somebody disagrees with you? They're even calling you names, what a dickwad! When somebody makes a joke about you, they probably don't mean it as a personal attack, even if it's worded this way. If you found somebody's post offensive, don't make a big scene in public about them being a bigger dickwad for calling you one, take it up with one of the moderators and they will get back to you shortly. An argument you avoid is one you both win.

THINGS TO DO:
✓ - Make lighthearted jokes about anything and anyone. As long as it stays superficial, almost anything is allowed.
✓ - Give people flak over the jokes they've posted or things they've said. Joke about them, like the above rule.
✗ - Go overboard with the first two rules. When somebody asks you to stop, stop. Doubly so when a moderator contacts you.
✗ - Throw around slurs and insults consistently without provocation.
✗ - Use the above to weasel-word what constitutes harassment, against a user, person or group.
✗ - Overreact or start a public fight when somebody else throws anything at you.

We Like It Tidy

So ｌｅａｒｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｍｉｓｔａｋｅｓ!

◘ We have a bit of a way of organising ourselves in Off-Topic: keep it simple and consistent. Getting acquainted with the way the forum is built and what kind of topics go where is very important, because a lot of stuff which shouldn't go here ends up here because it is the less-serious part. Especially when creating a new topic, consider the following golden rule: can this thing I'm about to post generate five pages of discussion about the thing? If it can't, we have a Tʜʀᴇᴀᴅ Aʙᴏᴜᴛ Aʟʟ Kɪɴᴅs ᴏғ Tʜɪɴɢs and a Tʜʀᴇᴀᴅ Aʙᴏᴜᴛ Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ Tʜɪɴɢs which are both quite popular, and could get you a better response than making a fresh thread just for your subject would. If you're gutsy enough, you can always try, the worst thing is you'll fail.

THINGS TO DO:
✓ - Create new threads with substantial, meaty, original content.
✓ - Post things that aren't as substantial in threads designated for it, so that it may know its moment.
✗ - Create duplicate threads about subject another thread already covers.
✗ - Post in threads that are very old without something extremely substantial and meaty to add to them.
✗ - Immediately shoot down any new thread without letting it have its run. Who knows what could happen?
✗ - Make posts that don't add anything new such as replying with just "lol" or ">w<", or quoting someone without adding to it.

We Like It Serious (sometimes)

So ａｃｔ ｍａｔｕｒｅ!
◘ While Off-Topic is a very fun forum to be a part of once you're settled in, it takes some effort to keep this entire show running smoothly. For this cause, there are two designated Off-Topic janitors: WOJJAN and DKUN. (that's me on the left!) We are responsible for the Off-Topic damage control: when somebody makes a thread here which should've gone elsewhere or already existed, we move and merge them. When a conversation gets out of hand, we lock a thread (and in worse cases move it to the Abandoned Wasteland) but while we don't often administer silences or timeouts to the ones responsible, we have friends who do. Anyone on the Admin team (which are those fine lads and lasses with the Green names) is also moderator in here, and counts as much as they do anywhere else on the forum. They still count here and they will have those powers, and are not afraid to use them. So if you fuck up along the way, and you get enough DINGS for the janitors to notice you as a DINGUS, expect some consequences.

THINGS TO DO:
✓ - Report inappropriate behavior which wronged you or annoyed you to us, through PM or otherwise.
✓ - Contact us for questions or information that's not about somebody who broke something. We can show you the way.
✓ - Call us out on mistakes you think we might have made. We're human! It happens, and we'll gladly right the wrongs.
✗ - Publicly complain about what you consider rude or wrongful intervention. It will only make things worse.
⚠ - Know that moderators are people too, with personal lives, sleep schedules, but also feelings (sort of).

They wrote:

Welcome back to Off-Topic

• Things have Changed

Welcome to the new Off-Topic. Off-Topic HD, Off-Topic osz2, Off-Topic Mk II. We have given the project a lot of stupid names while setting up this rebirth. This forum is functionally near identical to what Off-Topic used to be: a place where people take the osu! community with a grain of salt, having a chuckle with itself, but this spring cleaning is to address some common problems that have gotten too ingrown in the old version: the community had gotten very shut-in, close-knit, and had a generally elitist and cilquey attitude towards new users. Off-Topic's motto has always been "just try to have fun." The new Off-Topic's motto is supposed to be "just try to make others have fun." Feel free to jab at one another, but don't poke somebody's eye out, is what I'm saying.

We (Mostly awp, Sakura, dkun and myself) decided to start anew. The old Off-Topic is not gone beyond salvage, it lies in the Abandoned Wasteland. You will find that in Vᴀʟʜᴀʟʟᴀ MAKE THIS LINK TO VALHALLA FUTURE WOJJIE the highlights of its legacy lie to rest. This forum is permanently locked to ordinary users, and all moderators are encouraged to steer clear from posting in these threads. This subforum will also continue to serve as the Elysium for amazing threads when they have run their course.

Following is a list of things that will change in the new Off-Topic. Some of these things might be confrontational. Rest assured that these have been discussed among the OT resident BATs and OPs: these points of action emphasise the direction in which we want to head with this new Off-Topic.

No Fighting

Talking smack about other users is disallowed. You are free to give people shit for their ideas and opinions when you rebuke them, but who they are should not be criticised. Focus on what other users do, not who other users are.
Posts that are no longer allowed:

Hurr german people

Gtfo my thread, asshole

Posts that are allowed:

Gtfo, you're acting like an asshole

No Agreeing

You're expected to have a decent opinion about the topic when posting. There already is a minimum length on posts, and it is not implemented as a game to circumvent it. If your post is absolutely insubstantial, it will be deleted posthaste. If you see somebody else who has voiced perfectly what you wanted to say, rare as that might be, either state that you agree with this person and add your own two cents or say nothing at all.
Posts that are no longer allowed:

lol xD

Gettysburg wrote:

Lilly is best girl

Posts that are allowed:

I agree with Gettysburg, Lilly's good ending was the best in the game.

No Complaining

If you have an issue with a thread, report it by sending a PM to either of the designated moderators. We are here to take care of them, we sometimes just need a moment to do so. What you shouldn't do under any circumstance is start flaming the user who made it. If you feel a topic of conversation is stupid, the most effective way to boycot it is to not be a part of it. If nobody holds a conversation about it, it dies automatically.
Posts that are no longer allowed:

locked and wastelanded

Posts that are allowed:
None. No complaining, whatsoever.