Server: Community Banned
Ban Reason: C1.6
Why do you think you were banned: On May 7th I received a 1 week ban for baiting, After seeing this ban, I went into groups discord and made childish comments like "I'll do it again until I get perm banned". However after some consideration I attempted to wise up and open a staff ticket as I have been told that is the correct process when you feel you have been hard done by. I made a ticket to try and convey my thoughts to hopefully talk about it and explain my side. Liam responded to me and said that temporary bans cannot be appealed and then in the next post explained that my ban had been upgraded to permanent due to the comment I made in groups. As soon as Liam wrote this message, I replied with "go f*** yourselves" and called them "freaks", I then had a quick back and forth with Stavik before my ban was then upgraded to a C1.6 due to these comments, the ticket was then closed.
I was initially banned for baiting during an altercation with the Ballas, here is the report for reference: https://www.roleplay.co.uk/topic/146215-report-a-player-robz-ballas-gta-rp/ .
After my ban I made an error, I went in groups to vent. Some people were already bringing up my ban so I commented on it. I made the comment "I'll do it again and again until I get perm banned". I said this out of frustration and with sarcasm, I was frustrated, the people I spoke to were confused and frustrated and I just said something without a filter. I wouldn't actually have waited to be unbanned and then repeated my actions but that's impossible for the people reading my comment to know. Jack McKenzie messaged a staff member on my behalf to inform them of what I was doing and to not take me seriously as he had a handle on things. I know groups is not the place to vent, it is a community discord used to chat with each other across the wide variety of groups on the server so we can become closer as a community. It wasn't the place for me to discuss my ban or cause outrage, I should have ignored the discussion and not given my input as all that did was increase the rate of comments and caused for more people to join in discussing it.
After I made the comment in groups, I chilled out, relaxed a little and thought of what I could do to argue my point and question what had happened in a mature way. I was told by the people I speak to, to open a staff ticket. I opened a staff ticket and I made an attempt to get my thoughts and feelings expressed in order to hopefully open a dialogue about my ban, whether to successfully appeal the ban or just to gain a better more rounded understanding of the server rules and the way the reports are done and handled. My ticket was responded to and I was told that I am unable to appeal temporary bans, I felt like I was shut down and met with a brick wall, what I thought was the best way to deal the situation was in fact a dead end with no way to have a reasonable dialogue, that was my thinking at the time. I went into that ticket to attempt to have a conversation and to feel like I had been ignored in that way was very frustrating and in contrary to what I have been told by others as the correct thing to do. I was then told that my ban had been upgraded to permanent due to my comments in the groups discord. I lost my temper and called staff "freaks" in the ticket. I can't defend that and I regret it, it should have never been said and the staff team are never deserving of that abuse. Stavik then began typing and I told him to hurry up.
Why should we unban you: I acknowledge that my roleplay has been criticised, this being shown by the 2 RDM bans and the recent baiting ban leading up to my 1.6. I'm aware I've given staff the impression that I'm only here to 'frag' and this couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not going to sit here and lie, I love the gang side of the server and I love wars and tension between opposing gangs. It creates excitement and gives a fresh feeling knowing there's going to be a bit of competition. However most people who genuinely know me and know what I do day to day on the server can confirm that I often spend entire days doing taxi jobs and interacting with other people creating different avenues of roleplay and building my characters financial status to pursue bigger and better things. Unless there is actual ongoing hostilities between gangs I am almost always doing what I've just mentioned. However I do feel like it is important that I show you I am willing to change, and I have a few ideas in mind that I would like to pursue if the staff team were generous enough to see me back.
I understand I've made my bed with my actions and that staff are set on not letting me back. However with it being just over a year now since my ban i've had long time to sit and reflect. I deeply regret when I said in groups that I would "do it again and again until im permad". It wasn't a serious comment and was intended to be sarcastic but came across as cocky and serious. It was a childish remark and I don't expect staff to react to it any other way. I would never have actually gone and repeated my rule break, at the time I thought I was being funny however I have realised now why it got me in this position.
I would also like to address one of the reasons that I was denied in my last appeal. Bowen stated that I posted racist memes in discord. I'll be completely honest, I have posted a few controversial gifs that could be considered to be racist, however this has all been in private with people who I know 100% can understand the black comedy that I like to partake in. I could sit here and list off multiple stand up personalities who make all sorts of controversial and potentially 'racist' jokes and comments, but at the end of the day it is all about intent. And my intentions were purely for a bit of dark humour and that is all. I have never brought my dark humour in game, nor in RPUK discord, nor in the groups discord. If anyone ever had any issue with me and my jokes and came to me about it then I would have 100% stopped. However I fell out with a particular member in the discord that I posted these controversial memes and he ended up screenshotting everything and posting it around trying to claim that I am a racist and taking things out of context in order to get me banned. After seeing where my dark humour has got me though I have realised that there is a time and a place for certain jokes and memes and that it doesn't have a place in RPUK/related discords.
Since my ban 1 year ago I have been deployed overseas to Germany and Estonia for work. During this time I have had many periods of reflection where I have come to realise where I went wrong and the position that my actions have got me in. I have had an extremely long break and have been focusing on my own personal development. I feel like I am ready to return and hope that staff can see this, It would mean a lot if I could be given one last opportunity to show what I can bring to the server. If I were to return to the server I would like to prove that I am willing to try different avenues of roleplay by creating a Police character and progress the ranks, meeting new people and experiencing something new.
I would like to end off with an apology to Stavik and Liam. I am sorry with the way I spoke to you. You are both long standing members of the community and staff team who put in ample amount of time into the server and try your best to make the community great. No one is deserving of the comments I made and I understand why I am in the position that I am now. I was an asshole and deserved what was coming my way.
Thanks,
Ryan Swooney
Please confirm that you have read the unban appeal process and rules: Yes
