Hello,

With so many artists on the mod team, we understand the concern. Many of us reference free-to-use photography or even take our own photos to trace over as we draw! References are an integral part of creating art for us.

We spoke directly with the mod in question to address any potential issues that may arise with our own artists or other contributors. They were very understanding of our questions and privately shared a full explanation of the mods' actions, as well as the artwork and references that raised the initial concerns on their previous project.

Additionally, both them and the previous mod team apologized publicly and privately to the contributor to acknowledge the mistakes made in how that situation was handled. This mod told us of her personal resolve to learn from this situation and to strive to have more open communication so that this mistake isn't repeated — they have explained to us how they would have handled this situation differently, should a similar situation arise in our own project or others.

We also recognize that the decisions and actions made in the previous project were not solely that mod's, but were made by the entire mod team. As a team, we are able to personally ensure this situation won't repeat on our project, especially with this mod's dedication to improve communication if there are any concerns that need to be addressed.

We also recognize that this mod has completed many projects with sincerity and professionality. We acknowledge the full history of their moderating experiences & value their expertise in a variety of fields — we hope to extend grace alongside accountability for all members of our team.

We previously addressed a concern regarding this issue located here: https://retrospring.net/@csmcookbook/a/109703352028981583