The Dreamling: A Morpheus/Hob Server

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Discord server
Name	The Dreamling: A Morpheus/Hob Server
Date(s)	2022 - Unknown
Fandom(s)	The Sandman
Scope	Morpheus/Hob aka Dreamling
Related articles on Fanlore.

The Dreamling server was created on the 19th September 2022, and opened to the wider Sandman fandom on the 22nd September 2022. The intention of the server was to create a collated fandom space for fans of the series, as the fandom was distributed over Tumblr, Archive of Our Own, and smaller Discord groups. Though the server (as the name suggests) was primarily to house discussion surrounding the Morpheus/Hob ship and creation of Dreamling fan content, there were general channels for non-fandom-related topics, as well as Sandman discussion not related to the ship.

In April 2023, it was announced that the server would be deleted. One server member TheAllKnowingOwl, referred to this incident as Sandblast. The name refers to both the name of the fandom itself, and the act of removing paint from a wall with a stream of abrasive material. At the time of the announcement, it is believed that the server membership was approximately 675 people.

Context

The Dreamling server was a Not Safe For Work (NSFW) space and server membership was limited to individuals over the age of 18. While all server channels were NSFW, the server also contained specific channels for ‘Spicy’ and ‘Triggering’ content. Many users found the distinctions between regular NSFW content, ‘Spicy’ (extreme kink) and ‘Triggering’ (commonly acknowledged triggering content such as incest and non-con) content difficult to understand, and found it hard to comply with the channel content restrictions. This led to internal conflicts within the community, specifically around moderation.

Fig.1: A graph of sent messages per month in the Dreamling server from Novermber 2022 until March 2023. Courtesy of a moderator

Fig. 2: A table detailing the number of sent messages per month in the Dreamling server from Novermber 2022 until March 2023. Courtesy of a moderator

Moderation mostly involved requests to move discussions and content (both fannish and non-fannish) to different channels within the server. Moderation tickets could also be opened; this process of discussing moderation decisions in private conversations may have resulted in some server members feeling mistreated. It is alleged that some people reported verbal abuse and emotional manipulation during these disucssions, over what they believed were insignificant or non-existing issues. Moderators could also be pulled into moderation tickets for discussions related to their moderation or activity levels.

The administration team later adopted a "three strikes system", but the degree to which this was implemented is uncertain. Some fans believe issues around content moderation were a major reason for the overall drop in activity on the server.

Announcement of Server Deletion

It is alleged there were tensions between one of the mods and the administration team, due to the moderator questioning and challenging administrator decisions. They were demoted from their position as moderator, and it has been suggested that their demotion occurred without warning. Some believe that the inciting event of Sandblast was the opening of a moderation ticket by this recently demoted moderator.

Remaining an active member of the server after their demotion, the former mod posted a link to their latest Dreamling fic in the server. As they did not believe their fic contained extreme kinks, they posted it in the general areas. Following this, they were asked to move their fic into ‘Spicy’ by an administrator. The former mod queried this decision and subsequently opened a moderation ticket on this decision.

This moderation ticket inspired a discussion amongst server moderators. During the discussion, multiple moderators highlighted the different approaches to moderating the distinction between regular NSFW, ‘Spicy’, and ‘Triggering’ works, indicating that these guidelines were unclear even to those who were meant to enforce them. It's alleged that during this discussion the deletion of the server was announced to moderators.

Soon multiple moderators began to send warning messages in the rest of the server. This may have been done with the intention to give server members time to archive and save material. Some also shared links to alternate Sandman servers. It is alleged that some of these messages were deleted by an administrator. Soon after the moderators' messages, the announcement of the intended deletion of the server was given in the ‘server-announcements’ channel.

Server members were disappointed, saddened and confused about the announcement. An alternate server, mentioned in the announcement, put out a statement on Tumblr clarifying that their server was invite only, and that they would not be able to accommodate the population of the Dreamling.^{[citation needed]} A Dreamling server member, TheAllKnowingOwl, posted a personal statement in response to the announcement in the-new-inn channel of the server. Later the same day, TheAllKnowingOwl was muted for a period of seven days. The announcement of the server deletion was later amended to reflect that the new-inn would be placed in read only mode, and the server would remain open for several days past the initial deadline for deletion.

Archival Work

Following the announcement of intent to delete, contemporary and ex-moderators began archival efforts. By the time the public announcement was made, it is believed all of the public channels had been archived, and they were working on the threads. Individual users were also encouraged to archive their own material, conversations, and also any content that they personally felt was important.