Meta v Canon

There are two terms thrown around a lot on AustraliaSim: Meta and Canon. The dynamics of these two are critical to AustraliaSim, and it is important to know the differences.

Canon:

Canon is quite simply anything that is part of the simulation. Anything typed, said or posted in a canon chat is part of the simulation unless said otherwise by the Moderation Team. Anything can be used against you in the future in a canon chat, so one should watch their words. Common examples of canon places include:

All subreddits with the exception of r/AustraliaSimMeta
#twitter, #house-floor and #senate-floor on the Main Discord
All Press Channels on the Main Discord
Channels in other AustraliaSim Discord Servers that are labelled as canon or unlabelled.

Some key canon roles include:

Prime Minister
Leader of the Opposition
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate

Meta:

Meta is anything done outside of the simulation. This is usually also the referral to any administration business of the server as 'Meta', or it is used to distinguish between channels where one can discuss anything and one where it is part of the simulation. Examples of Meta include:

r/AustraliaSimMeta
Any chat in the discord with the exemption of canon chats above.
Any text in a canon chat which is formatted as follows: (M: This is a meta message)
Anything said in a voice chat.
Channels in other AustraliaSim Discord Servers that are labelled as meta.
DMs with other players (especially within your own party, don't rely on your opposition to feel the same)

Some key Meta roles include:

Guardian
Head Moderator
Electoral Moderator
Parliament Moderator
Community Managers
Members of the Electoral Team
Clerks (also help out with canon)

Interaction Between Meta and Canon

It is generally not a good idea to mix Meta with Canon under any circumstances, but there are some rules worth discussing in that respect. Here are some more common interactions between Meta and Canon:

Meta Messages in a Canon Chat

- This is usually used as a method to ping someone on discord or to make a side-comment.
- Is done by enclosing a message in brackets with M: at the front like this: (M: this is Meta)
- Reactions to a message count as Meta as well.

Decanonisation

- This is usually done in extreme circumstances when the moderation team feels that someone in canon has gone over the line of what is legitimate canon. It can also occur when an event in real life is too complicated to simulate, or is particularly harmful. Some famous examples include:
  - A member staging a terrorist attack in Melbourne
  - A member opening a drug den in a parliamentary office
  - Real Life decanonisation - The event in Christchurch that took place in March 2019.
- The Head Moderator reacts by posting a message on r/AustraliaSimMeta declaring the event to be decanonised, stating the reason why it is decanonised, and if it is extremely serious, banning the member who caused the event.