#test mail server

[bashamanik]

How to select an alternate target email field in MassMailer campaign?

MassMailer is an elegantly simple Email solution for Salesforce CRM. MassMailer is the best solution for sending marketing or transactional emails via the MassMailer Outreach wizard or campaigns without hitting any Salesforce email limitations. MassMailer provides solutions for Sales, Marketing, or any other corporate team that needs to send emails right within Salesforce. MassMailer supported industries like financial services, higher ed, real estate, franchise, e-commerce, hospitality, retainer, staffing/recruiting, and others.

[komaedalovemail]

komaedas have you tried straw.page?

(i hope you don't mind if i make a big ollllle webdev post off this!)

i have never tried straw.page but it looks similar to carrd and other WYSIWYG editors (which is unappealing to me, since i know html/css/js and want full control of the code. and can't hide secrets in code comments.....)

my 2 cents as a web designer is if you're looking to learn web design or host long-term web projects, WYSIWYG editors suck doodooass. you don't learn the basics of coding, someone else does it for you! however, if you're just looking to quickly host images, links to your other social medias, write text entries/blogposts, WYSIWYG can be nice.

toyhouse, tumblr, deviantart, a lot of sites implement WYSIWYG for their post editors as well, but then you can run into issues relying on their main site features for things like the search system, user profiles, comments, etc. but it can be nice to just login to your account and host your information in one place, especially on a platform that's geared towards that specific type of information. (toyhouse is a better example of this, since you have a lot of control of how your profile/character pages look, even without a premium account) carrd can be nice if you just want to say "here's where to find me on other sites," for example. but sometimes you want a full website!

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neocities hosting

currently, i host my website on neocities, but i would say the web2.0sphere has sucked some doodooass right now and i'm fiending for something better than it. it's a static web host, e.g. you can upload text, image, audio, and client-side (mostly javascript and css) files, and html pages. for the past few years, neocities' servers have gotten slower and slower and had total blackouts with no notices about why it's happening... and i'm realizing they host a lot of crypto sites that have crypto miners that eat up a ton of server resources. i don't think they're doing anything to limit bot or crypto mining activity and regular users are taking a hit.

↑ page 1 on neocitie's most viewed sites we find this site. this site has a crypto miner on it, just so i'm not making up claims without proof here. there is also a very populated #crypto tag on neocities (has porn in it tho so be warned...).

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dynamic/server-side web hosting

$5/mo for neocities premium seems cheap until you realize... The Beautiful World of Server-side Web Hosting!

client-side AKA static web hosting (neocities, geocities) means you can upload images, audio, video, and other files that do not interact with the server where the website is hosted, like html, css, and javascript. the user reading your webpage does not send any information to the server like a username, password, their favourite colour, etc. - any variables handled by scripts like javascript will be forgotten when the page is reloaded, since there's no way to save it to the web server. server-side AKA dynamic web hosting can utilize any script like php, ruby, python, or perl, and has an SQL database to store variables like the aforementioned that would have previously had nowhere to be stored.

there are many places in 2024 you can host a website for free, including: infinityfree (i use this for my test websites :B has tons of subdomains to choose from) [unlimited sites, 5gb/unlimited storage], googiehost [1 site, 1gb/1mb storage], freehostia [5 sites/1 database, 250mb storage], freehosting [1 site, 10gb/unlimited storage]

if you want more features like extra websites, more storage, a dedicated e-mail, PHP configuration, etc, you can look into paying a lil shmoney for web hosting: there's hostinger (this is my promocode so i get. shmoney. if you. um. 🗿🗿🗿) [$2.40-3.99+/mo, 100 sites/300 databases, 100gb storage, 25k visits/mo], a2hosting [$1.75-12.99+/mo, 1 site/5 databases, 10gb/1gb storage], and cloudways [$10-11+/mo, 25gb/1gb]. i'm seeing people say to stay away from godaddy and hostgator. before you purchase a plan, look up coupons, too! (i usually renew my plan ahead of time when hostinger runs good sales/coupons LOL)

here's a big webhost comparison chart from r/HostingHostel circa jan 2024.

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domain names

most of the free website hosts will give you a subdomain like yoursite.has-a-cool-website-69.org, and usually paid hosts expect you to bring your own domain name. i got my domain on namecheap (enticing registration prices, mid renewal prices), there's also porkbun, cloudflare, namesilo, and amazon route 53. don't use godaddy or squarespace. make sure you double check the promo price vs. the actual renewal price and don't get charged $120/mo when you thought it was $4/mo during a promo, certain TLDs (endings like .com, .org, .cool, etc) cost more and have a base price (.car costs $2,300?!?). look up coupons before you purchase these as well!

namecheap and porkbun offer something called "handshake domains," DO NOT BUY THESE. 🤣🤣🤣 they're usually cheaper and offer more appealing, hyper-specific endings like .iloveu, .8888, .catgirl, .dookie, .gethigh, .♥, .❣, and .✟. I WISH WE COULD HAVE THEM but they're literally unusable. in order to access a page using a handshake domain, you need to download a handshake resolver. every time the user connects to the site, they have to provide proof of work. aside from it being incredibly wasteful, you LITERALLY cannot just type in the URL and go to your own website, you need to download a handshake resolver, meaning everyday internet users cannot access your site.

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hosting a static site on a dynamic webhost

you can host a static (html/css/js only) website on a dynamic web server without having to learn PHP and SQL! if you're coming from somewhere like neocities, the only thing you need to do is configure your website's properties. your hosting service will probably have tutorials to follow for this, and possibly already did some steps for you. you need to point the nameserver to your domain, install an SSL certificate, and connect to your site using FTP for future uploads. FTP is a faster, alternative way to upload files to your website instead of your webhost's file upload system; programs like WinSCP or FileZilla can upload using FTP for you.

if you wanna learn PHP and SQL and really get into webdev, i wrote a forum post at Mysidia Adoptables here, tho it's sorted geared at the mysidia script library itself (Mysidia Adoptables is a free virtual pet site script, tiny community. go check it out!)

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file storage & backups

a problem i have run into a lot in my past like, 20 years of internet usage (/OLD) is that a site that is free, has a small community, and maybe sounds too good/cheap to be true, has a higher chance of going under. sometimes this happens to bigger sites like tinypic, photobucket, and imageshack, but for every site like that, there's like a million of baby sites that died with people's files. host your files/websites on a well-known site, or at least back it up and expect it to go under!

i used to host my images on something called "imgjoe" during the tinypic/imageshack era, it lasted about 3 years, and i lost everything hosted on there. more recently, komaedalovemail had its webpages hosted here on tumblr, and tumblr changed its UI so custom pages don't allow javascript, which prevented any new pages from being edited/added. another test site i made a couple years ago on hostinger's site called 000webhost went under/became a part of hostinger's paid-only plans, so i had to look very quickly for a new host or i'd lose my test site.

if you're broke like me, looking into physical file storage can be expensive. anything related to computers has gone through baaaaad inflation due to crypto, which again, I Freaquing Hate, and is killing mother nature. STOP MINING CRYPTO this is gonna be you in 1 year

...um i digress. ANYWAYS, you can archive your websites, which'll save your static assets on The Internet Archive (which could use your lovely donations right now btw), and/or archive.today (also taking donations). having a webhost service with lots of storage and automatic backups can be nice if you're worried about file loss or corruption, or just don't have enough storage on your computer at home!

if you're buying physical storage, be it hard drive, solid state drive, USB stick, whatever... get an actual brand like Western Digital or Seagate and don't fall for those cheap ones on Amazon that claim to have 8,000GB for $40 or you're going to spend 13 days in windows command prompt trying to repair the disk and thenthe power is gong to go out in your shit ass neighvborhood and you have to run it tagain and then Windows 10 tryes to update and itresets the /chkdsk agin while you're awayfrom town nad you're goig to start crytypting and kts just hnot going tot br the same aever agai nikt jus not ggiog to be the saeme

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further webhosting options

there are other Advanced options when it comes to web hosting. for example, you can physically own and run your own webserver, e.g. with a computer or a raspberry pi. r/selfhosted might be a good place if you're looking into that!

if you know or are learning PHP, SQL, and other server-side languages, you can host a webserver on your computer using something like XAMPP (Apache, MariaDB, PHP, & Perl) with minimal storage space (the latest version takes up a little under 1gb on my computer rn). then, you can test your website without needing an internet connection or worrying about finding a hosting plan that can support your project until you've set everything up!

there's also many PHP frameworks which can be useful for beginners and wizards of the web alike. WordPress is one which you're no doubt familiar with for creating blog posts, and Bluehost is a decent hosting service tailored to WordPress specifically. there's full frameworks like Laravel, CakePHP, and Slim, which will usually handle security, user authentication, web routing, and database interactions that you can build off of. Laravel in particular is noob-friendly imo, and is used by a large populace, and it has many tutorials, example sites built with it, and specific app frameworks.

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addendum: storing sensitive data

if you decide to host a server-side website, you'll most likely have a login/out functionality (user authentication), and have to store things like usernames, passwords, and e-mails. PLEASE don't launch your website until you're sure your site security is up to snuff!

when trying to check if your data is hackable... It's time to get into the Mind of a Hacker. OWASP has some good cheat sheets that list some of the bigger security concerns and how to mitigate them as a site owner, and you can look up filtered security issues on the Exploit Database.

this is kind of its own topic if you're coding a PHP website from scratch; most frameworks securely store sensitive data for you already. if you're writing your own PHP framework, refer to php.net's security articles and this guide on writing an .htaccess file.

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but. i be on that phone... :(

ok one thing i see about straw.page that seems nice is that it advertises the ability to make webpages from your phone. WYSIWYG editors in general are more capable of this. i only started looking into this yesterday, but there ARE source code editor apps for mobile devices! if you have a webhosting plan, you can download/upload assets/code from your phone and whatnot and code on the go. i downloaded Runecode for iphone. it might suck ass to keep typing those brackets.... we'll see..... but sometimes you're stuck in the car and you're like damn i wanna code my site GRRRR I WANNA CODE MY SITE!!!

↑ code written in Runecode, then uploaded to Hostinger. Runecode didn't tell me i forgot a semicolon but Hostinger did... i guess you can code from your webhost's file uploader on mobile but i don't trust them since they tend not to autosave or prompt you before closing, and if the wifi dies idk what happens to your code.

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ANYWAYS! HAPPY WEBSITE BUILDING~! HOPE THIS HELPS~!~!~!

-Mod 12 @eeyes

[imagine-shenanigans]

sighs dramatically.

Okay but the ghost distribution system as we call it is hysterical but can we tlak about how None Of The 141 are built to date.

Like, sure, Gaz is great at flirting, and he's charming, but DATES? He's the type who asks you on a date because he thinks youre pretty/handsome/adorable/etc but by the time the two of you actually go on a date he's ready figured out like. the whole rest of your lives together. He's already imagined up 20 different scenarios of different dates, stalked your front-facing social media and found your secret or hidden accounts that theoretically don't link back to you. Sure, he's scrounged through your discord servers and your private messages and texts and a thousand other things while he was bored on leave. He knows enough to know that he's happy with what comes next. All dates are simply... ritual at this point? Something obligational, other than the fact he gets to spend time with you.

You're not going anywhere, he's just the least heavy handed of them, the one who'll let you think its your choice to keep him around until he's got his ring officially on your finger. Life won't go according to plan but he's prepared for that too. In his head, you're already married anyway, he's just working his way up to that part. He'll manufacture any scenario to keep you with him, because he wants you to be. And he'll make sure you want to be too.

Soap on the other hand is WAY less tactful about it. He's charming, and he'll take you on dates, sure, but the moment he spots you it's incredibly easy to get obsessed. He immediately drops an arm around you, purring in your ear and talking to you. Doesn't ask you on a date so much as demands it, puts his number in your phone and presses a kiss to your temple, his fingertips squeezing your chin before you leave. God forbid you let him into your home - he'll never leave if you do. Johnny's SUCH a physical guy that while, yes, personality matters, it seals the deal for him the moment he's got his tongue down your throat and his fingers in your pants. Something about the way you settle in against him makes him feel like he's home, and you will never get rid of him.

He's willing to take you on dates if you need more proof, but he won't even pretend like he doesnt already have a copy of your key. Like he's not telling the guys about the bonnie little thing he's going home to - he slips into your apartment/house/etc and into your bed without changing, barely finding time to slip his boots off. Presses one hand to your mouth and just... holds you. He'll fuck you within an inch of your life later when you're less panicked, sure, but he just wants to press his nose to your neck and breathe you in. If his hips rut against your ass, ignore it for now. (Haha... unless? No? okay in a minute then)

Price is just as manipulative as Gaz can be, just as charming as Soap and Gaz too. But he just... doesn't care, just like Simon. There's a reason so many people have Price with like... mail order bride or a "one day you look up and hes your husband" scenario and thats because he's good at what he does. And by that I mean being a husband and pumping you full of kids whether or not its physically possible. (Btw check out Ceil's mail order bride western au its good shit, or Bo's Kingpin Price drabbles, makes me lose it every time.)

He sees you walking about and the MOMENT you do anything remotely domestic - pick up a neice/nephew/babysitting kid/etc and put em on your hip? Rock hard. play peekaboo with a baby across from you at a cafe? pick up after yourself just to be polite to the waitress? he's already stalking you on multiple platforms theres no goddamn way youre getting away from him. He'll figure out where you go in your free time and insert himself there as naturally as possible. He's not particularly hiding what he's doing either - he likes to test you, to see if you notice things missing or moved. If you do, he'll be a little more cautious, use it as reason to drive you into hsi arms. If you don't he jsut views it as all the more reason to take you away - poor thing, you just can't help yourself can you? You're lucky nobody else has got their claws around you, hm?

[mymoodwriting]

Request for Anon (TBZ The Invitation AU) 5.1k, vampires, supernatural, witch hunt, fire, nightmares, manipulation, stalking, kidnapping, drugs, needles, blood, fangs, yandere (@starillusion13)

“Oh my gosh… it’s you…”

“Pardon?”

Working as a server for fancy rich events meant that getting grabbed by some random guy was bound to happen. A night on this job hasn’t gone by where you didn’t get harassed. Although this dude just grabbed your arm and nearly caused you to drop the tray you had in your hand. The normal thing to do here was yell and get away from this person, but if you wanted to keep the job you’d have to bite your tongue and just be polite.

“Sorry, I just-” The guy let go of your arm. “You look so familiar to me.”

“I’ve worked these types of events before, maybe you’ve seen me at one of those.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just… okay, this is going to sound crazy, but bare with me, do you perhaps know about your family lineage?”

“I… I don’t understand what that-”

“Maybe it’s better if I show you.”

The guy frantically pulled out his phone and brought up a picture, showing it to you. As you looked it over you couldn’t help but feel like you were seeing a ghost. You were staring at a black and white photo of yourself, dressed in old time clothes.

“What… what is this?”

“I believe this is your ancestor.”

“Huh?”

“It’s all very complicated and hard to explain, so I’ll make it short and simple. I work with a Mr. Lee, who has been looking for the heir to this woman’s estate for generations. Of course I know you two merely look alike, but the resemblance is uncanny. Would you mind taking a DNA test to see if you really are a descendant?”

“Wait, wait, are you saying you think this woman is my ancestor, and if so, I inherit the wealth she’s left behind?”

“Yes.”

“Uh… well…”

“I know it’s a lot to take in, and this could genuinely be my mistake, but would you please consider submitting a DNA test for me. I can’t let you slip away so easily if you’re truly the one we’ve been searching for. Do you perhaps want to discuss this with your family? Actually, I would love to meet them and see if-”

“No, I mean… I lost my father when I was a child, and it was just me and my mom until she passed a few months back… I never really knew about the rest of my family… it was just the two of us…”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I understand I must sound like some insane stranger to you, but even if you’re not the one I’m looking for, a DNA test could help you find the rest of your family. I’ll take care of all the expenses.”

“I…”

“Please.”

“I suppose… a DNA test isn’t really asking for much.”

“Excellent! May I have your number? My name is Kevin by the way.”

“Y/n.”

After the whole exchange Kevin asked you to let him know what company you’d be using and to let him know how much he owed you. It wouldn’t be much anyway but the whole task would be free and wouldn’t take long anyway so there was no harm in doing it. When you got the DNA testing kit you swabbed your mouth and provided some hair, then mailed it back to the company. A few days later you got an email from them, showing you relatives who had also used the service and giving you the option to reach out to them. You were considering all that when you got a call. You didn’t recognize the number but answered anyway. To your surprise you were speaking to a bank, not your own, that wanted you to come to one of their branches. Of course you thought this might be some kind of scam but they had sent a letter in the mail as well.

You checked to discover they were correct. When you opened the letter your eyes went wide. The bank claimed to have been informed about your lineage and that they’ve been holding on to one of your ancestors’ estate. They had been looking for a descendant for a long time and wanted to meet you in person. This all seemed too good to be true so you needed to think. A part of you thought this was some elaborate scam but you did some research. The bank itself was legitimate and the person you’d be meeting with was an actual employee. If this was all true it would change your life for the better, but it all felt too easy. Still, in the end you decide to go to the bank and hear them out. To your surprise Kevin was there, having been informed of your meeting since he’s the representative for Mr. Lee in the area.

The two of you spoke with one of the bank employees, sitting in their office as they explained everything. Your DNA showed you were related to the original owner of the estate and they had passed without leaving any children or letter of inheritance. The wealth likely would have returned to the government but a close friend of your ancestor vowed to look after the estate and find a descendant. Kevin worked with the current estate caretaker, Mr. Lee, who was overjoyed to hear you’ve been found and wants to meet you. As far as you could tell none of this was a scam and you absolutely had a legal claim to all this wealth. It was still so much to process you couldn’t believe it.

“Take it easy, I know all of that was a lot.”

“Am I dreaming…”

After the bank Kevin could tell you needed to think so he offered to get you some coffee, keeping you company.

“It’s all very real, even if it seems crazy.”

“Just like that… I become rich over night…”

“You still need to meet Mr. Lee so he can hand over your estate but yeah, congrats.”

“I…”

“I can take care of all the finer details, you just need to pack a bag and meet me at the airport.”

“That simple…”

“More or less.” Kevin reached over to take your hand. “Take a few days to process and let me know when you’re ready. This isn’t gonna disappear for you anytime soon.”

You did take some time just to process and see if you really were dreaming. You even went back to work for a bit but it soon stuck that this didn’t have to be your life anymore. When you were ready you reached out to Kevin, and he was overjoyed to hear from you. In a couple of hours he sent you flight and ticket info, telling you not to worry about anything. Of course you flew first class with him, super comfy and still somewhat in disbelief, but you were doing this. A car was there to pick you up when you landed, sent by Mr. Lee himself. The drive took you from the city to a small town, and when you rolled up to the estate your eyes were wide in shock. The place was huge and beautiful. Once you stepped out of the vehicle you could get a better look at everything, also seeing a bunch of wait staff moving around.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, since you’re here Mr. Lee wanted to throw a party for you, a welcome party if you will.”

“What? No, no, that’s unnecessary.”

“He’s very excited to meet you.”

“A party for me? That’s way too much, I’m no one-”

“You’re everything.”

Another voice caught you off guard and you turned around to see a new face. A tall handsome gentleman stood before you.

“… uh…”

“Apologies. I’m Mr. Lee.” He held his hand out. “But you can just call me Sangyeon.”

“… it’s nice to meet you, I’m-”

“Y/n. It’s wonderful to have you. I’ve been looking for you for a very long time, and it’s an honor to finally have you home.”

“Home, so this estate really is mine?”

“Of course.”

“Wow… but you really don’t have to throw a party for me, that’s-”

“I want to celebrate this occasion, to celebrate you. Come, let me show you around.”

You looked back at Kevin who just nodded and gestured for you to go along. He was going to take care of your belongings and would see you later. You followed Sangyeon into the estate, discovering that it was just as incredible inside as it was outside. Everything appeared vintage and real. Sangyeon informed you the whole estate had been cared for over the years.

“It’s all pristine, although for the moment the library is off limits.”

“Hm? How come?”

“There’s a bit of renovation going on. Don’t worry, it should be done in a few days.”

“Alright… uh, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead, I’ll do my best to answer.”

“When I was told about all this… well, I don’t mean to sound rude, but why has your family been looking after this estate? I was told your family was a close friend, but to keep watch for generations and-”

“I understand your concerns. It is odd when you look at it from the surface. Truth is, our two families were nearly wed back then.”

“You mean… our ancestors were supposed to be married? Our families would have been united?”

“Yes. Things unfortunately did not end well, so my family decided to look for a descendant. No one knew how long that would take but now here we are. I was incredibly overjoyed to hear you had been found, so rightfully a celebration is in order. Let me show you to your room.”

Sangyeon led you towards your room, and you were stunned once again. It looked so extravagant, as if you were living in a castle.

“Kevin already brought your belongings up here, and Haknyeon has volunteered to be at your beck and call for anything you might need.”

“Oh… um… okay… so, what exactly happens now?”

“Well, I still need to get some preparations in order, and some of the guests have yet to arrive.”

“Guests? I thought this party was just going to be us and then we’d go over the paperwork…”

“My dear, you are a miracle. One we’ve been waiting so long for. There are so many who are eager to meet you, and they shall tomorrow night. For today, rest, unpack, relax. I’m sure you must still be tired from the flight. Over here is the service bell, just pull on it and Haknyeon will come to you.”

“Okay…”

“Good. Just enjoy yourself, this is your new home after all.”

“Right, thank you.”

It was late into the afternoon when you had arrived at the estate. You were a bit tired, but the excitement of it all had kept you awake. Now that you were here and within range of a super comfy bed the exhaustion was finally hitting you. After a nice shower you were ready to rest, but there was a knock at the door. When you answered, a new face greeted you.

“Good evening, I’m Haknyeon, I have dinner for you.”

“That smells really nice.”

“I’ll relay your compliments to the chef.”

“Thanks, Haknyeon. It’s nice to meet you as well.”

“Of course. Do you need anything else?”

“Not at the moment. I’ll ring if I do.”

“Excellent.”

Haknyeon stepped in to leave the food cart in your room, telling you to just leave it outside once you were done. You thanked him again then had dinner in bed. The food was divine, definitely not something you ever had before. After eating you laid in bed for a while, texting some friends and letting them know how the trip was going. It was finally setting in what was happening to your life. It was kinda like a dream come true. Somethings in your life you wouldn’t have to worry about anymore.

🖤

Sleep didn’t come easy, but you weren’t sure if that was excitement or nerves. After getting a few hours you decided to get up, needing some water or something. You thought to call for Haknyeon, but you didn’t want to ring a bell in the middle of the night and wake up a lot of people. You were certain you remembered where the kitchen was, so you could get yourself a glass of water. You made it out of your room, quietly going down the hall. As you were walking you heard some voices and got curious. You went over to the main entrance, peeking down from the balcony. 

Someone you didn’t recognize was talking with the wait staff. They were giving some directions for tomorrow, then picked someone out to clean the library. Sangyeon told you it was being renovated, so you didn’t understand why someone would go inside to clean. You quietly watched as a hidden compartment was revealed and the library was opened. Honestly you were curious to go inside yourself. Such a place must be just as wonderful as the rest of the estate. You were so lost in the idea you didn’t realize someone had approached you.

“Y/n, what are you doing out of bed?”

“Huh, oh, Haknyeon, you startled me.”

“Are you alright? Do you not feel well?”

“No, no, I’m fine, I just wanted some water.”

“How about I get you some tea so you can sleep easy, let’s get you back to your room first.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Haknyeon led you back down the hall, but you did glance back down once more. You noticed the stranger looking back up at you, offering you a soft smile before going on their way. Just as promised, Haknyeon brought you some tea and you managed to go back to sleep. Although it wasn’t as peaceful as you wanted. You found yourself outside the estate at night. It was a beautiful sight until the house caught on fire. You screamed, hearing cries coming from inside. You ran towards the fire, wanting to help, but instead you woke up. Sunlight was peeking into the room, showing you that a new day had begun.

You didn’t understand why you had such a dream, but perhaps the house was giving you some uneasy feeling. Even if it was a nice place, it was old, and seemed a bit creepy here and there. You weren’t going to dwell on that though, preparing for the day. A while later Haknyeon came by to escort you to the breakfast table. There were twelve seats total, five on either side, and then two together at one end. You were just going to sit wherever but Haknyeon gestured for you to sit at the end, then he took his own seat. A moment later Sangyeon came in, happy to see you again, taking the seat next to you.

“Good morning, how did you sleep?”

“It could have been better, but I’m alright. This place is still growing on me.”

“Baby steps, this will all be normal eventually.”

A few of the other seats at the table were filled, but nearly half still remained empty. Sangyeon had those present introduce themselves. That way you could put names to faces, and recognize the gentlemen from last night as Juyeon. After breakfast you stepped outside to explore the grounds, seeing all the preparations being made for the party. You still felt it was a lot, but there was certainly no stopping Sangyeon. While walking around you suddenly saw the house catch fire, hearing screams of anguish. You thought something was happening until Sangyeon snapped you out of it.

“Are you alright? You seemed frightened.”

“I’m okay, just… I don’t know, creeped out a bit. The estate is gorgeous, but it certainly has those creepy old house vibes.”

“Something you’ll get used to I assure you. Or we can always redecorate the interior and exterior to your liking.”

“You’ve worked hard to maintain this place as is, I wouldn’t want to ruin that.”

“Noted.”

There wasn’t much for you to do to pass the time, but you did realize everyone was busy somewhere, so perhaps you could do some snooping. You made sure no one was around and snuck over to the library, getting the hidden key and letting yourself in. The room was dark with a few candles lit. Just as you had imagined, there were shelves and shelves of books, along with a desk. This was also a study. Although your gaze eventually landed on the portrait hanging above the fireplace. It was huge, and covered up with some curtains, but not all the way. At the center of this image you saw yourself and Sangyeon. It was eerie to see that. You had been told you looked like your ancestor, but Sangyeon’s ancestor looked just like him too.

While starting at that and getting goosebumps you wound up moving back until you hit the desk. You ended up dropping something and quickly picked it up, placing it back on the desk only to notice a file with your picture on it. You grabbed it and examined it, shocked to see what you had found. All kinds of information on you was present, along with pictures. Both of your youth, but also recent ones. You found pictures of you at work at different events, or simply out on the streets. This was truly creeping you out, and your gaze shifted back to the portrait. Something was very wrong here, and you didn’t want to stay any longer. You made your way out of the library and headed back to your room, packing up.

“Hey, I wanted to- what are you doing?”

“I’m leaving.”

As you were packing, Sangyeon came to check on you, confused by your actions. You didn’t care though, merely shoving the file you had found into his hands.

“Y/n… I can explain.”

“Don’t bother, I don’t want to hear it.”

“This is just a misunderstanding. You can’t just leave, not when-”

“I don’t care about the money. I was never planning on staying here anyway. My home is elsewhere, and I want to get back to the life I had.”

“Look, y/n, this isn’t what you think. We just had to be sure you were legit. I’ve been searching for a true descendant for generations, believe me, I’ve had people come to my door claiming to be a real heir but they’re just trying to pull a fast one.”

“What about the portrait in the library, huh? Those two look exactly like us, as if we took that picture yesterday.”

“I know that’s a bit uncanny, but I told you, our families intended to marry back then. All the preparations were set when… tragedy struck… a bunch of townspeople came to the estate, claiming the girl was a witch, and wanting her dead. They set the house ablaze, and she didn’t make it out. The portrait is one of the only things with her image that survived, I’ve taken very good care of it over the years.”

“Oh…”

“I think they’d be happy to see you here. As if she never left her home.”

“… I’m sorry, I just…”

“No, don’t apologize. You have every right to be upset with me, I just hope you won’t really leave. You’re the guest of honor tonight. Everyone will be here just for you.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Sangyeon chuckled. “I hope that’s a yes. I was looking for you to let you know I left your outfit for tonight in your closet. A little surprise and token of my gratitude.”

“Hm, I guess I’ll take a look.”

“See you tonight then?”

“I suppose so.”

“Good.”

🖤

You really hadn’t been considerate of Sangyeon’s situation in all of this. Con Artists were everywhere, there was no way someone hadn’t tried to steal this estate from him at some point of the years. The portrait was creepy, but you couldn’t deny it was old. It was a piece of history for both your families, it would be disrespectful to destroy it. Regardless of how creepy it was. No wonder there was a curtain for it. Sangyeon probably covered it up most of the time. You had a light lunch in your room and then got ready for the party. You found that a beautiful red gown had been left for you, Sangyeon’s gift. It truly was incredible, and you were kind of looking forward to this party. At its core it was this big welcome home celebration for you.

After washing up you got dressed, taking a moment to admire yourself in the mirror before heading down. Night had fallen, and there were some beautiful stars in the sky. The courtyard was decorated beautifully. As you arrived Haknyeon announced your presence, all eyes turning to you and applause filling the air. It felt like too much, but you couldn’t hide the smile on your face. Kevin came over to your side with a drink in hand, complimenting your outfit. He pointed out a few of the new faces to you, introducing you as well. They were all eager to meet you, and you received one compliment after another. 

Then Sangyeon arrived, drawing everyone’s attention for a moment. A bit of mingling continued before dinner was announced and everyone moved to sit at the table. The set up was similar to the dining room, so you sat by Sangyeon’s side. Now the table was full, and soon enough the wait staff served the main course. Before anyone ate, Sangyeon stood up and raised an empty glass. The other boys did the same and you grabbed your own.

“It’s so good to see all your faces here tonight. I know it has been many years since we’ve been together, and now we won’t part again. I want to thank you all for your hard work, especially Kevin for being the fortunate one to find our beloved bride.”

“… what…?”

“Tomorrow.” Sangyeon turned to you. “We shall be married just as it was meant to be all those years ago. To us, my love.”

The glasses were raised high, then some of the boys grabbed the nearest staff member, yanking them towards the table and slitting their throat with their claws, making them bleed into a bowl. Sangyeon’s words had confused you, but the scene unfolding before you made you freeze. The gagging and smell of blood made you uneasy. For a moment you thought you were dreaming, but even when you pinched yourself nothing changed.

“I… I have to… leave…”

You got up only for Sangyeon to grab your arm. You could now see his clawed hands, looking up to find crimson eyes staring back at you with a sharp smile revealing fangs.

“Where are you going, my love? This dinner is for you.”

“I… I… no, no I have to leave.” You struggled to free yourself. “Let go.”

“Darling, you’re embarrassing me in front of the boys.” Sangyeon chuckled. “Don’t complicate matters.”

“I said let go!”

You managed to break free from Sangyeon’s grasp, stumbling back a step before turning around and running. You didn’t head back to the house, instead going into the woods, needing to get as far away as possible from. Sangyeon watched you go, amused by your actions. Although the others soon got up.

“No, no, let her run and get it out of her system. She won’t get far.”

🖤

Your little head start didn’t do much for you. It was night and the woods were dark. You also didn’t know which way civilization was, but there was no time to stop and think. The dress kept snagging on branches, slowing you down until you tripped over your own feet and collapsed to the ground. You scrambled to your feet only to find a pair of red eyes staring you down.

“Hello, pretty.”

“… please… please just let me go…”

“Not gonna happen, not ever.”

There was no reasoning here, so you just picked a direction and ran, hoping you weren’t running back to the house. You could hear your pursuer and there was more than one. It was foolish to think you could actually escape them. This was likely just a game for them, hunting you down like prey. Just as you were growing tired they pounced in you. One fo the tackling you to the ground and rolling around with you until he pinned you down.

“Gotcha!”

You were exhausted, and hit your head a few times, so your vision was blurry and fading. A few more red eyes appeared in your view but soon the world faded to black. You had no idea for how long you were out for, but when you began to regain consciousness you noticed there wasn’t much light. The sound of a fire crackling caught your attention, and once your eyes adjusted you realized where you were. The same portrait over the fireplace stared you down, except it wasn’t hidden this time. The curtains were fully open, revealing the full image. All eleven boys were pictured, surrounding your doppelganger who was at the center. Now you realized the boys in the painting were the same ones you had been dining with hours ago. Although that just left you with more questions.

“Finally awake, are we?”

You carefully sat up on the couch, feeling sore and still but dizzy. Sangyeon had been at the desk behind you, standing as he spoke and coming over to kneel before you.

“How do you feel?”

“… what is this… what’s going on…?”

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’ll make sense in time.”

“… you… you lied to me… didn’t you…?”

“Not exactly.”

Sangyeon put on a delicate smile, grabbing your arm. His claws ghosted over your skin, dancing along the vein in your wrist.

“As you can imagine we’re not human… but human blood is very important. It grants us life and power, but there are those with special blood, a rare gift I have come across only a few times in my life. Of course I wasn’t going to let such a delicious thing escape me. Even as a vampire, power still flows in their blood.”

“…” You glanced back at the portrait. “… you… you did this to them… all of them…?”

“Except you… the one that got away.”

“She ran…”

“No, no, no, I told you before. The locals came to the estate on a witch hunt, wanting to hurt me and boys, to destroy the monsters that lived here. The house was set on fire, and in all the chaos our beloved was caught and killed, believed to have been a monster too when in reality that wasn’t the case. I made those bastards pay for what they had done, for what they had taken from me. I’ve been looking for you ever since. I knew you’d return to me somehow, and now you’re finally here. I won’t let you escape again.”

“I… I’m not her… I’m not-”

“You are though. Not just your looks, but your soul. I saw it the moment you arrived and now.” Sangyeon lifted your wrist to his nose, taking in a deep breath. “Even your scent is the same. The blood that flows through these veins is the same.”

“I’m not… please let me go…”

“I won’t be doing that. Why don’t you just rest for now love, we have a big night tomorrow.”

As Sangyeon got up you felt a prick in your arm, seeing the needle just as he placed a kiss on your forehead. The world started spinning again and then it cut to black. After that many things were a blur. You were being carried at one point, then stripped of your clothes, then in a warm bath, then in bed. You’d open your eyes to sunlight, then blink and it was night. You were being moved around at times, but you weren’t really present. At one point you had multiple boys waiting on you, dressing you and dolling you up. It didn’t fully hit what was going on until you caught a glimpse of yourself in a white dress. There was a wedding tonight, yours.

You never really thought about marriage, you hadn’t met anyone who was worth entertaining the idea for. Even in your dazed state you could smile, seeing how beautiful you looked. This whole thing was like a dream, one you were likely never going to wake up from. Once you were dressed you were taken elsewhere, seeing that a room had been prepared for the ceremony. Jacob chose to talk you down the aisle, and Kevin was going to officiate the whole thing. You still weren’t fully present, but the drugs had worn off a good amount. It was only you and the boys, no one else. All of you isolated from the world, yet they seemed to be alright. You were half listening to what was going on, but the most dangerous words just slipped right out.

“I do.”

There were cheers and applause, then there was blood in your mouth. Sangyeon had slit his wrist, pressing his bloody wound to your lips. The taste was unexpectedly sweet, so you drank and drank until he pulled away.

“That’s my girl.”

A soft kiss was pressed against your lips before Sangyeon bit deeply into your neck. You screamed from the initial sting and then began to melt into his touch. That wasn’t the only thing you were feeling. The tips of your fingers felt strange, and there was an ache in your teeth. The fog in your head was rolling back as you realized you were changing, turning into one of them. Sealing your fate for eternity. Sangyeon eventually pulled away, holding your head in his hands, staring at you with such a loving look on his face.

“You’re home, my love, and we won’t lose you again.”

Another kiss was placed on your lips and this time you tasted blood. It was your own, but it was just as delicious as his. Even with this your throat began to go dry, you wanted more, you needed more. Then you felt another sting in your wrist, then another and another, realizing the other boys were biting into you. It hurt, but it felt wonderful all at once. You managed to bite back, getting a taste of blood as well and drinking. The room quickly turned to chaos of blood and fangs, but you enjoyed it. This all felt right, and the thought of escaping faded into oblivion.

“Home…” You mumbled with a mouth full of blood. “This is home.”

[daggerfall]

So the GM of one of the big PC/NA raiding servers attended the ESO guild summit and wrote down some notes about questions and answers asked there. A lot of them are about potential future features we could see in ESO's future, and also answers to questions some worried players have had, but most of it is about guild stuff. I'll post the text under a read more.

Hey @/everyone, I recently attended a guild summit with ZOS developers where we got a chance to do a Q&A session. I am breaking down some of the keys points from the discussion for us. I will include the stuff I know a lot of us care about first. This is a really exciting time for us to have some feedback/suggestion for the future of ESO. ZOS has been doing a great job of engaging the community and we can expect more from them in the future. For instance, this guild summit will likely become yearly or biannual. About the questions - I missed some, there’s some interpretation, and comments from me included. I want to keep you guys in the loop on what is going on and how we as a guild are involved. A lot of this stuff is things they are considering doing or testing feasibility on. It doesn’t mean it will 100% happen.

Isiimode and I had a very similar question about the next trial drop. They answered the question by saying watch the global reveal. They said they don’t see a lot of the content drops changing. My interpretation of this was mainly that we can still expect a yearly trial and it might not drop exactly on the day that it used to drop on. They want more flexibility in releases and instead of large drops with a drought they would like to drop engaging content as its ready to keep players more engaged over the year. April 10th will be revealing the new trial/content. I think(?) there will be a new trial like normally scheduled just by interpreting Rich’s comments.

It looks like ZOS is going to be working on guild management tools for us in the future. Guildhalls seem unlikely but maybe if we can do them with limited capacity. They are looking into guild halls more. They are going to try to make it so multiple people can manage a guild home from a guild like an officer permission. This last sentence is my interpretation but based on Rich’s answer it seems like someone still have to own it and this is hard to do.

They are working on guild traders and adjusting how they work. Number of listing was really high and this was hard on the servers. They want people to still be able to sell stuff and understand this changed a lot for trading guilds.

They are thinking of more mechanical ways to make guilds useful. They understand that the only reason for joining a guild is really a guild trader. Otherwise discord is the best place for things to happen. No real specifics on this yet.

Limits on guild capacity and other limit items are there to reduce server load. When they started enforcing the mail limit it turned their mail server from terabytes of data to gigabytes. They are trying to minimize the workload on the servers with some of the choices they are making. They referenced guild history, and even Cyrodil changes. Ideally reducing server load overall should help with performance.

Five guild is somewhat arbitrary but it cant be higher because it is a lot of server load to manage five guilds for everyone. Think about how the server has to be pinged every time someone logs on and off or deposits something in the bank. They might consider reducing the number of people in a guild so you can have more but i dont think this is a good idea. They are going to add a guild search function if possible.

They are going to add a guild communication system if possible. It might not look like in-game mail. It could be a calendar or some other functionality.

They are going to explore adding API for guild bank/roster stuff for addon developers to introduce addons. (I didnt really understand this question)

They are going to consider working on a companion app to allow people look at achievements and other account statistics and have already done this in the past but they always blow up the server and make performance tank.

Servers are expensive and getting aussie or other servers seems unlikely. They are already supporting some servers that aren't really active so it’s hard to add more that might not be active.

Some leaderboard changes might be coming in the future. Ultimately, score is the best metrics to base leaderboards on. It includes vit, speed, and HM so it is all encompassing.

What would console addons look like? Very hard to answer. Strict memory limits make it very hard. On PC memory isnt really the limiting issue so its hard to say what console addon developers will be able to use. Codes combat and lazy writ crafter will likely go to console.

People want lore about the players to be included in the game more.

Do the devs play the game? The team plays the game a lot but not everyone plays the game the same. Rich likes the solo content and does that more. Other developers like world bosses, cyrodil, and trading. Its really hard to make content that every single person will love. That being said the devs do play the game and just see different issues than we might see. These summits are way for us to bring our issues forward.

How many people dont interact with guilds? A lot of players play this game like a traditional eso game but might join a guild for a trader or something. They are thinking of new ways to include the community in the functionalities that they have created. It seems like a lot people find playing with people scary.

ZOS love RP community and they like giving them opportunities to RP. A lot of story development includes ways for people to RP.

There is some consideration for integrating EU console servers.

Increasing limits on furnishing in player homes is something they are thinking about but might be hard to do.

They dont want guild homes to replace going to a major city. They want people to have reasons to go to these areas. No one stop shops!

A lot of the cyrodil related development right now is solely on the performance and the champion campaigin/system(?). No other changes will likely be made in the short term.

Will the game be around in 5 years? The best way to answer this is look at development patterns. New cyrodil stuff is an indication that ZOS is going to continue to support the game. ZOS is committed to the game and will continue to commit to the game.

Update the guild tabards to look more modern. Guild specific decorations would be fun and cool.

[novelistparty]

so you've probably been warned against clicking strange links and to especially avoid revealing your personal information online, even in "private" accounts. But what about a "cute" spin-the-wheel link above a tumblr poll?? (like the post in the following screenshot)

FYI: getting people to click an external link is a great strategy for gathering more details about a mostly anonymous user in a forum or tumblr or wherever. Here's some reasons why: 1. If you shared a unique link in a restricted forum or channel or community or chatroom or public fandom blog or at the end of a fic on ao3, you can be sure only the people of interest could click on it 2. That URL could lead to fucking anything of their choosing. Do they want to do an intensive browser fingerprint or get a log of IP addresses? Do they want to estimate the hardware specs of everyone's machines? Do they want to try loading other things on the page to test for adblockers or other blacklists? (an additional kind of profiling) 3. People LOVE to give away identifying information for the sake of a poll or cute name generator. Here are some questions I've seen recently and what information it can point to: - First anime? (fuzzy proxy for age and country) - First celebrity crush? (fuzzy proxy for age and country) - First album? (fuzzy proxy for age and country) - First name using first letter of last name, Last name using birthday month (do I need to spell this out? last name and birthday month) - What word do you use for [common item]? (region, language, culture, class) - Getting people to talk about astrology (you've all given away your birth month for free, wtf) Another fun fact about "Spin The Wheel" links: they can generate ad revenue for someone! Fun fact about Quizzes: they can help build deeper advertising profiles for linkbait sites like facebook or buzzfeed or the daily mail or tmz Another fun fact: besides the info the Spin The Wheel or Name Generator pages save direct to the server, the page can encode that information back into where the wheel stops or the name it gives you. That makes it easier to gather information because it's recorded 1st on the server (controlled by person fishing to unmask someone) 2nd back in the post notes or in the discord channel or wherever. And we all know how much people want to gab about the Fun poll or survey or quiz and reveal even more information. Another fun fact about Spin the Wheel or Name Generator or Quiz pages: You might be seeing a list of options nobody else saw that only appear for IP addresses from a certain region! And if you post your result (that would be mostly unique) it's an INSTANT indication that the person from [region] is logged in. (same goes for browser fingerprint - which device a certain person has) I remember a line from an article about digital detectives (I think it was feds tracking dark web stuff), it said they wait for YEARS for someone to post or log in just to confirm a person of interest was in a certain place at a certain time. You and I probably don't remember the information we leaked years and years ago in the notes of a post or on a retweet of some idiot, but any people who might want to figure you out probably have a huge spreadsheet with everything recorded. They can and do analyze and annotate it all, and can start to narrow down where you are, how old you are, your interests, hobbies, class background, devices you use etc. You might be thinking: "but I don't worry about federal agents or intelligence agencies, why do I care?" What if tomorrow your post goes viral, truly globally Viral? You can go from tumblr nobody to target for stalkers and/or hate crimes instantly. An even more serious example from this year: What if you've been advocating for years for people that are now scapegoat of the day for the fascists? What if a federal agent is tasked with creating a list of "those people" for surveillance? The less information you have unintentionally posted about yourself the better. A perhaps more personal and private example: what if you had to get away from a city or country or person or persons or family and didn't want them to follow you? People with a grudge will go to great lengths to get back at someone

[treasurechestsubs]

Mo Dao Zu Shi Audio Drama S1 Ep 9 English Subbed

Hello everyone~ :D

Mo Dao Zu Shi (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) Audio Drama S1 Ep 9 is now available~!!

This episode can be accessed via our discord server. To request an invite to the server, please fill up this >> request form<<

Please note: In case you try to open above link or any links from us on your phone and get an error message, please just try opening the link in your phone’s internet browser, go to the address bar and remove the “href.li” part and proceed to open the link.

Please also note:When you put down your responses in the above-linked form, please just put down a link to your social media profile or mention something like abc (twitter). If you only write abc, it does not give us any information about which social media website you are referring to, and so, I won’t be able to process such requests. Also, if you just write some random answer (like OK) for this question, your request will definitely not be considered and no invite will be sent to you.

Many a times, it happens that our email to you having the invite link goes to your spam folder in your mailbox. So please do check once check there once and if you still haven’t received an invite, contact us on tumblr. Please note, due to my hectic workload, I might not be able to answer all questions regarding “when will I get an invite?” Since I manually check your responses to the form and send out the invites, it does take time as well.

Also, please do double-check the email address you put down because one reason for you not receiving any invite could also be that you put down a wrong email address and so the mail bounced back. If this has happened, simply reply to the email you had received in your spam. I’ll send out a new invite link.

*********

!!!!!!!!!!!

We’re looking for a

1) Chinese to English (no mtl) Translator for our novel translation project

Please see >> this post << for more details and consider applying.

2) If you or your friends can help us out in translations of our AD projects as well, that would be great! Please see >> this post << for how to apply for the same.

>>> Please note, the tests for the novel translation and the AD translation are different! <<<

!!!!!!!!!!!

*********

Our ongoing projects: >> Link <<

Our revamped Carrd: >> Link <<

*********

Notes:

1) Please use >> VLC Player << to play the file. It is available for a large range of operating systems as well as devices.

For advanced users, I’d recommend >> K-lite codec pack + MPC-HC player << Standard version or above. The player is included from the standard version onwards.

2) Please avoid sharing these files on YouTube and other video streaming platforms. If you wish to share our subbed files, please just reblog or link this tumblr post.

3) Copper Coins, Global Examination, Panguan, Qianqiu, Mou Mou, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Kaleidoscope of Death and Tian Ya Ke Audio Dramas are paid dramas. So please consider purchasing these audio drama if possible in order to support the original content creators. Links to the original CN audio only ADs have been linked in the >> projects << page for ease of navigation.

Happy watching~! ^v^

[life-series-school-blog]

..Server rebooting complete! 100%

~~

:Ping! You’ve received Mail!

•Welcome to Life Academy! I am your principal(and author) Lumy! As the number one academy of the country we offer many things but this year we’ve decided to be generous and make a reserve program! But of course you already know that. You’ve applied after all! This is your acceptance note.

But before you start to get too happy we have a few rules and things you need to do before entering! State your (characters)Name, Age, Gender and we will review it before sending you to one of our amazing student council members! They will tell you everything you need to know and get you situated in your required dorm and club!

~~

Now for the rules:

1, None of those racist homophobic people or slurs here

2, No brain rot or politics please!

3, no nsfw

4, Please respect everyone's opinions and beliefs

5, No spamming asks or any ai whatsoever

6, And have fun but be mindful!

~~

That being said now we’ve got a bit of an intro of our amazing student council!

Grian/Desert -About: Our Amazing and quite dedicated student council president! He takes care of all school events and runs the social media team! Quote: [Student did not provide a quote]

Scott/Light - About: Our special director of business! Scott is our vice president of the student council and takes care of every important test or issue with studies! Quote: [I’m glad to be here another year! If you ever need help don’t be afraid to ask!]

Pearl/Crescent - About: Our fantastic head of security! Have problems with bullying or don’t feel safe? Come to Pearl! She’s willing to do anything to help you if you’re in need! Quote: [Don’t come to me for something stupid. I will help if your being truthful though]

Martyn/Siren - About: Our interesting head of sports. Want to become a superstar at a sport? Then go to martyn!just be aware that his training isn’t exactly easy.. Quote: [Fuck off] (who allowed that in the intro?!?) (it’s authentic!!) (Grian!!!)

Scar/Sunflower - About: Our kind nurse apprentice! Got hurt or have any anxiety? Go to Scar! He’s willing to help in anyway whether it’s mental or physical! Quote: [im supposed to say something? Um… I’ll listen to you if you need it!]

Joel/Chariot - About: Our newest addition and wonderful head of Clubs! You can go to anyone for club help but Joel specializes in it! He’ll help you if you have any problems with it! Quote: [Its all about Family you know? Except Scott, none of them are my family] (I helped you!! Come on!)

~~

-Clubs!-

Part 1

Part 2

~~

Warnings!:

This blog will contain-

•Swearing

•Trafficshipping

•Violence

•mentioned su1c1ce and etc

-everything more dark will be tagged accordingly!!

-That being said nothing in this blog is real!!! It’s all roleplay so please remember that!! Also author is a real person that has a busy life. I will not always post and that’s okay!! I have two other rp blogs, a fanfic, and a main blog to deal with. Not to mention school. This blog will also be a lot more art heavy so yea!

Thank you for reading! Hope to see you soon :)

-Your principal(and author) Lumy!

.

.

~~~

#%Well this will be fun..%#

^We’re back baby!!!^

:Yes indeed we are… but with the world reset.. everyone is um.. different now:

#%Yep. Well let’s enjoy it while it lasts%#

^Yea!!!^

~~~

Other!

-old Story~

-music playlist!

-nicknames 1

Art!

-Art masterpost on main

-minor gods

Intros!

-Goldie!

-Milly

-jay

-lazy

-mollys characters

-zeph

-naomi

-calane

-saph

~~~

Lastly but not least, this rp blog is inspired by @life-winners-liveblog and special thanks for botanicalbard and ??? For the motivation.

[electricdissonance]

Kinito stands before an email draft he had found hidden in the KLEC servers.

It's addressed to a whole mailing list of people.

People that were supposed to talk to him.

Surely it wouldn't hurt to send this out?

Surely someone would see it? Maybe even send help? Or even just keep him company...

Surely...?

...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<from no-reply@kinitopet.com>

<to mailing-list@kinitopet.com>

Congratulations on being selected to participate in the KinitoPET Closed Beta! On behalf of the Kinito Entertainment and Leisure Company I thank you for your willingness to assist in this historical moment for both our company and technological advancement. Enclosed in this email you will find a link to join the live session with the other participants selected for this testing period.

-Sonny Chamberlain

Click here to join the live session.

[barricadescon]

Barricades 2024 Final Schedule!

The time is near! Barricades 2024 is happening THIS WEEKEND, July 12-14 , all online!

We have the final schedule available on the website at barricadescon.com or right here, on this post! A more detailed schedule including descriptions is available in text under the Keep Reading break!

BarricadesCon 2024 Program

A full programming schedule of all the panels, their content, their presenters, their times, and whether they will be recorded. 

All times are in UTC, and can be converted to your local time zone at this link.

Key to types of Panels:

Convention Administration panels: Panels run by the Con Committee, to open and end the convention.

Guest of Honor: Special panels from our guests of honor. This year, our guests of honor are Jean Baptiste Hugo, a descendant of Victor Hugo who will discuss his project photograph his ancestor’s house; Christina Soontornvat, the author of the award-winning Les Mis retelling “A Wish in the Dark;” and Luciano Muriel, playwright of the 2018 musical play “Grantaire.” 

Fan/Academic Panel Presentations: Panels on history, fandom, or analysis of Les Mis. Scholars will share historical research, fans will share hobby projects, and the audience may get an opportunity to ask questions. 

Social Meetups: Casual unstructured time to meet up over video call and chat!

Social Games: Games and activities.

Friday, June 12th

Discord Server Opens: Friday Morning UTC

Read through the rules, explore the channels, and chat with other congoers.

Welcome Session 

Friday, 17:00-17:30 UTC

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee 

Recorded: No

In this session, Concom 2024 will kick off BarricadesCon 2024 and welcome everyone. Concom will also walk everyone through some basic information and FAQs to help ensure a fun and interesting con for everyone.

The Cats of Les Misérables

Friday, 17:30-18:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Melannen

Recorded: No

A laid-back social panel to meet your fellow attendees, share pictures of your pets (or have them join you in the panel!) and chat about pets and Les Mis fandom generally.

(Guest of Honor) From Paris to Bangkok: a Thai-inspired retelling of Les Misérables

Friday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Christina Soontornvat

Recorded: Yes

Christina Soontornvat’s Newbery Honor-winning children’s novel, A Wish in the Dark, is a Les Misérables adaptation set in a magical Thai-inspired world. Christina will discuss the inspiration for the book, how she decided when to be faithful to the original, and how Hugo’s powerful themes of compassion and forgiveness resonate across age ranges and cultures.

Learn more about Christina’s work at soontornvat.com.

The Yellow Passport: Surveillance and Control in 19th Century France 

Friday, 19:00- 20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: David Montgomery, creator of the Siecle History Podcast

Recorded: Yes

Les Misérables takes place in a France of police spies, intercepted mail, travel restrictions and other elements of a 19th Century police state. What exactly were these ways French governments surveilled and controlled their citizens? How did they work? And how did people get around them? 

Meetup: Fan Creators

Friday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Eli

Recorded: No

Come meet fellow fan creators! Casual unstructured time to chat with other fans. A good place for people who spend a lot of time on Ao3.

Break 

20:00-21:00 UTC

Early Transformative Works: The First Les Miserables Fanart, Fanfics, and AUS

Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Psalm

Recorded: Yes

This presentation will give you an overview of the earliest works inspired by Les Misérables – including illustrations, comics, poems, pamphlets, and novels. Which ones will stand the test of time? And what can these works tell us about the book’s reception and impact? Come learn about the forgotten, but fascinating first transformative works about Les Misérables.

Black and Pink International

Friday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Darryl Brown Jr. (he/him), Senior Director of Programs and Advocacy, Black and Pink National. Kenna Barnes (she/they), Advocacy Manager, Black and Pink National

Recorded: Yes

This year, Barricades Con is donating all profits to Black and Pink International.

Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. Programming includes wrap-around services for those coming out of the carceral system such as but not limited to workforce development, transitional housing, newsletters to inside members and penpal matching, nationwide Chapters, youth-led research about young people living with HIV, and programming for and by people who do sex work.

Sex work as an issue sits clearly at the intersection of reproductive justice, prison abolition, and trans and queer liberation. Black trans women who engage in sex work face some of the highest rates of policing and surveillance, directly interfering with their ability to access safety and autonomy. We know that when we center the needs of Black trans women, especially those who engage in sex work, we are inherently able to address the needs of other system-impacted people along the way.

The Sex Worker Liberation Project (SWLP) is a collaboration between Black and Pink National and a network of current and former LGBTQIA2S+ people who do sex work across the country. This sex worker led group moves with the intention of building community, providing resources, and cultivating self advocacy tools.The SWLP is on a mission to tackle the urgent and multifaceted issues confronting sex workers, with a specific emphasis on the challenges faced by Black and Brown LGBTQIA2S+ sex workers.

Meetup: Brick Readers 

Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC 

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Mellow

Recorded: No

Come meet up and hang out with your fellow Brick readers! Let’s talk about weird nonsense from the book. 

Beat by Beat: a Les Mis 2012 Deconstruction

Friday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eli

Recorded: Yes

To quote Eli: “As an avid Les Mis fan and also someone with an MFA in screenwriting, I find the script for the Les Mis 2012 movie absolutely fascinating. The choices they made, the added brick scenes, the added song, the pacing, the dialogue, the shots selection—all of it contributes to a very interesting adaptation that our fandom owes a huge debt of gratitude to (whether we like it or not 🥲). I would like to take an audience through the 9 major beats of a screenplay, apply it to Les Mis 2012, and share my thoughts on what the filmmakers did right for this adaptation and what they did wrong. I’ll compare it to the Les Mis musical (the direct source material) as well as the Brick (the secondary source material) for insight on the choices they made!”

History Researcher Meetup

Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: David Montgomery

Recorded: No

A chance for history researchers to meet up and discuss their research!

Atonement: A Theatrical Piece for One Actor, Based on Segments from Hugo’s Les Miserables

Friday, 23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Alexiel de Ravenswood

Recorded: Yes

This theatrical piece is a dramatic adaptation of scenes from Book 1 of the novel, focusing on the Bishop of Digne. Following the piece, actor Alexiel de Ravenswood will engage in q&a on the creative process and the themes explored.

Saturday, June 13th

Guest of Honor: The Photography of Jean Baptiste Hugo

Saturday, 15:00-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Jean Baptiste  Hugo

Recorded: yes

Jean Baptiste Hugo is the great-great-grandson of Victor Hugo. He has extensively photographed Hugo’s home in exile on Guernsey, which Victor Hugo decorated following his own aesthetic philosophies–in particular, the journey from darkness into light, which we see reflected throughout Hugo’s literary career. M. Hugo will share his photographs and discuss Hauteville House as a physical realization of his ancestor’s ideas.

Reflecting on Directing Les Mis

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Cait

Recorded: yes

In Cait’s words: “I directed an amateur production of Les Mis at the end of last year, and would love to talk about how that went and share snippets from the show and behind the scenes. This will include talking about adapting Les Mis for the space and budget, approaches to certain scenes, dual casting lead roles, and probably raving about my lovely cast.”

The Fallibility of History in Les Misérables 

Saturday, 16:00-17:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Syrup 

Recorded: yes

Throughout Les Misérables, Hugo often reminds readers that what they are reading is derived from some form of documentation or hearsay. While this serves to provide credibility to the tales he is sharing, there are certain moments where Hugo opts out of describing exact details, despite his efforts at a historically-accurate record. In this panel, I will take a look at these instances where Hugo either addresses or obfuscates these events, and how by doing so, he reveals the fallibility of history, and highlights how history documentations are not always as reliable as they seem. Thesis: By crafting Les Misérables as a form of historical documentation, Hugo reveals the fallibility of history, and readers are able to understand how history and history documentation are not always as reliable as they seem.

Break  

Saturday, 17:00-18:00 UTC

What Horizon: Tragedies, Time Loops, and the Hopefulness of Les Amis

Saturday, 18:00-18:30  UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Percy

Recorded: yes

In Percy’s words: “I have directed a staged reading of the play and will have video clips to show! My play is focused on the rebellion and Les Amis; it aims to give the barricades the attention they often lack in adaptation and develop the individual characters of the insurgents. I’m working to make this episode of the Hugo novel and its historical context accessible to audience members who may not be familiar with the source material, while hopefully also bringing something new to the story for longtime fans.

One aspect of the story I’m particularly interested in examining is the persistent sense of hope associated with the barricades, despite the insurgents’ eventual defeat and the previous failure of the July Revolution. Linking the seemingly cyclical process of revolution and restoration, the metatheatrical tradition of tragedies aware of their own repetition in performance before the audience, and the nature of Les Misérables itself as a story that has been told and retold countless times, I hope to show the audience the worth of the insurgents’ struggle and the importance of their continued efforts. Many adaptations construe the rebellion as futile or as solely a tragic story, so I would like my adaptation to counter that idea, as Les Amis grapple with the meaning of their sacrifice and the impacts of their actions.

In a presentation, I would discuss these ideas with reference to Hugo’s original text and the ways in which the rebellion has been changed in adaptation, as well as other works that inspired me (namely Hadestown and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead). I’d discuss the choices I made in my adaptation process and show clips from the staged reading, touching on the different characters and the historical setting as well as the overarching themes with which I engaged.”

Cosette: A Novel, The (Fanmade) Sequel to Les Misérables

Saturday, 18:30-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: IMiserabili

Recorded: yes

This presentation is  a deep-dive into the 1995 fanfiction “Cosette” by Laura Kalpakian. It will include a short background on the author and the publication, a summary of the plot, an analysis of represented historical events in the work, character analyses and comparisons to the source material and other Les Mis adaptations, and memorable quotes. 

Musical Eponine and Grantaire in song and lyric edits: Personal research on their development

Saturday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ruth Kenyon

Recorded: yes

In Ruth’s words: “I’m an older musical Les Misérables fan who has watched the show develop from its beginnings at the Palace Theatre. I have a special interest in how the lyrics and the characters have changed over time. As plenty of people know now, I am also writing a book on the musical using these experiences. I’m working on Eponine’s chapter at the moment, and while I know fans have a lot of love for as she is now, I feel quite upset to see what happened to her as she was developed from the original French version of the musical. She seems to have lost quite a lot of emotional agency along the way. Grantaire has also changed over time; he was cut before the previews and there was a big re-write of his character when the show went to Broadway, but I really like what they have done with his character. I’ll provide examples of all this detail with material from my book and (trying) to sing bits of lyrics to explain what has happened to the characters.”

Barricades as a Tactic: How Do They Work?

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Lem

Recorded: No

This session will explore the tactical and strategic uses of barricades, with an eye towards what to consider when writing both canon-era fanfiction and modern AUs. After all, the strategic goals towards which the barricades were used in canon-era urban warfare were often quite different from the strategic goals of similar-looking tactics in contemporary protest movements. Core components of the session will be a map-based analysis of July 1830, a comparison with June 1832 highlighting strategic goals and considerations canon-era characters would have, and an exploration of various parallels among contemporary protest tactics (which may or may not *look* like barricades).

Meetup: Musical Fans

Saturday, 19:00-20:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Meetup

Presented by: Erin

Recorded: No

A casual place to meet up with other fans and discuss the musical!

Break

Saturday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Why is There a Roller Coaster in Les Mis? The Strange History of the Russian Mountains

Saturday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Peyton Parker/Mellow

Recorded: Yes

In Les Miserables there is an actual canon scene where Fantine rides a roller coaster. How did a roller coaster end up in Paris in 1817? And why did this ride, one of the world's first wheeled Roller Coasters, make a cameo in Victor Hugo’s novel?

It’s “Les Mis Meets Defunctland.”

We’re going talk about the earliest origins of the Russian Mountains, the fascinating history behind how they came to France, their many connections to the political turmoil of the time period, what they felt like to ride, why they were shut down, how they fell into obscurity, and why Victor Hugo included them in Les Miserables. It’s time for a roller coaster digression.

Fanfic Round Robin

Saturday, 22:00-23:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Featheraly

Recorded: No

Participate in a round robin to help write a fic together!

Obscure(-ish) Les Mis Adaptations To Watch

Saturday, 23:00-23:30 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Pureanon

Recorded: Yes

Les Mis has been adapted many times over the years, and this means there’s a lot of adaptations to enjoy. Because of this, a lot of adaptations are underviewed or underappreciated. I’d like to use this panel to discuss some of my favorites/the most unique — 1925, 1948, 1967, and 1995. These are all very different, and aside from all being ones I enjoy, they’re fascinating looks at how different countries and different time periods adapt this story. 

The adaptations I’ve chosen are both some of the best and some of the worst out there, but they’re all unique. 1925 is one of the most faithful adaptations out there, and it uses the medium of silent film to full effect. 1948 has Valean get shot at multiple times in the opening minutes, and the revolutionaries fight with BARRELS in the barricade. 1967 is half one of the best Anglophone Les Mis adaptations ever, and half the drunkest. 1995 is more of an adaptation of how people react to Les Mis as a story than a straightforward adaptation, and it’s one of the most beautiful and unique versions out there. I intend to show a clip from each adaptation, so people can get a little taste of what each adaptation is like.

Recovery: a Fanfic Live Read

Saturday, 22:30-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eli, Barri

Recorded: Yes

A full cast will live read a Les Mis fanfic written specifically for the con.

Compared to Some People Grantaire is Doing Just Fine (No, Really)

Saturday: 22:00-23:00

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Ellen Fremedon, Pilferingapples

Recorded: Yes

Grantaire and Marius are the two characters on the fringes of the Friends of the ABC, connected to the group by social ties rather than sincere political belief. In this panel, Pilf and Ellen will discuss the two characters as narrative foils, touching along the way on the problem with Great Men, bourgeois inaction, what it means to have the republic as a mother, and dying for love–plus those two pistols in Marius’s pocket.

Preliminary Gaities

23:00-24:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade

Recorded: No

Preliminary Gayeties is the chapter where Grantaire gets drunk with Joly and Bossuet before the barricades.  It is perfect for a drinking game. 

In keeping with personal tradition, Rare, Percy, and ShitpostingFromTheBarricade will bring you a second year of our dramatic reading of the “Preliminary Gayeties” chapter of the brick. all while following specified drinking game rules (including classics such as “drink for brick quotes that appear commonly in fanfiction,” “pretentious classical references,” and “drink/eat when characters drink/eat”), and enjoying snacks mentioned in the chapter as they are mentioned. Everyone is invited to participate by reading, eating, and drinking along with this activity!

Sunday, June 14th

Publishing, Podcasting, and Promotion

Saturday, 15:00-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: David Mongomery, Alexiel de Ravenswood, Nemo Martin

Recorded: Yes

Whether it’s fanart, Tiktok videos or deep historical analysis, lots of us have THOUGHTS about Les Mis we’d like to share with the world. This panel discussion features creators sharing their advice on how to share your work with the world in a range of mediums.

Femme/butch: Dynamics of Gender and Attraction in Les Mis

Saturday, 15:00-15:30 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Eléna

Recorded: Yes

In Eléna’s words: “This is a presentation about parallels between femme/butch dynamics and les mis! The focus is on Marius, Cosette and Eponine and their individual gender presentation and attraction. There will be a focus on the original text, but I will also talk about headcanons & representation in the fandom space! I’m a femme myself, but I’ll try to incorporate butch and transmasculine viewpoints!”

Lee’s Misérables: Jean Valjean, Confederate Hero

Saturday, 15:30-16:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Panel Presentation

Presented by: Sarah C. Maza

Recorded: Yes

Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (1862) was as big a success in the United States as elsewhere in the world upon publication, hailed throughout the young nation as the commanding masterpiece of modern French literature. Why would a novel that celebrates violent insurrection and radical republican ideals be so warmly received in America? One of the (many) answers to that question is that the novel appeared in the midst of the Civil War, and that it provided engrossing reading to the many soldiers stuck in place for weeks or months in camp, hospitals, and prisons. Most surprising, though, is the evidence of Les Misérables’ appeal to Confederate soldiers (who jokingly called themselves “Lee’s Misérables”), as Hugo was on record as an ardent abolitionist. My paper will illustrate and explain the paradoxical appeal of Hugo’s novel in the South in two contexts: first, I will draw attention to the ways in which Confederate nationalists likened their cause to the European Revolutions of 1848; and second, I will explain the novel’s resonance within what Wolfgang Schievelbusch has called the “culture of defeat,” the emotional resonance, in some historical contexts, of narratives of doomed causes and heroic failure.

Guest of Honor: Luciano Muriel, playwright of “Grantaire”

Sunday, 16:00-17:00 UTC 

Session Type: Guest of Honor

Presented by: Luciano Muriel

Recorded: Yes

Panel about the details of the creative process behind the show Grantaire, from the discovery of the character during the playwright’s first reading of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables to the opening night of the staging at the Teatro Pradillo of Madrid. Why Grantaire? Why a dramatic monologue? Why include Amaral songs? What did the awards and subventions entail? All the answers to these and many other questions.

Break

Sunday, 17:00-18:00 UTC

1848 in Chile: The Society of Equality and the Siege of La Serena

Sunday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academc Presentation

Presented by: Duncan Riley

Recorded: Yes

While the Revolutions of 1848 are traditionally seen as a European event, they had a powerful influence in Latin America. In Chile in particular, university students who studied in France during the revolutions would lead a movement to oust the conservative dictatorship that had ruled the country since the 1830s. Inspired by the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine and the ideals of utopian socialism, a group of Chilean intellectuals and artisans founded “The Society of Equality,” a cross-class political club dedicated to creating a democratic and participatory republic. Inspired by these ideals, in 1851 the citizens of La Serena, a mining town in northern Chile, declared their independence from the central government. Members of the Society of Equality transformed La Serena into the torchbearer of their vision of a new “democratic republic” that would restore civil liberties and grant greater autonomy to Chile’s provinces and municipalities. In defense of these principles, La Serena endured a months-long siege by government forces. The conflict inscribed itself within broader international dynamics of revolution and empire, as the British Royal Navy Intervened on the side of the government, while French immigrants built barricades to defend La Serena from invasion. Ultimately, then, La Serena and the Chilean Revolution of 1851 provide a fascinating window into the transatlantic exchanges of ideas that drove movements of democratic reform in both Europe and Latin America during the Revolutions of 1848.

The Unknown Light Examined

Sunday, 18:00-19:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Presentation

Presented by: Madeleine

Recorded: Yes

In the tenth chapter of Les Misérables, Bishop Myriel sets out to perform the last rights of Conventionnel G, a man reviled by all of Digne for having served on the body that voted to execute the king during the French Revolution. The bishop and the dying man debate the nature of equality, divine authority, and resistance to oppression. G’s fierce defense of the French revolution and Myriel’s staunch condemnation of political violence represent diametrically opposed philosophies, but the two men have more in common than first appears. They are both men of faith, in their own way, called to serve by their profound love for humanity. Intensely shaken by this realization, the bishop kneels before the dying sinner and asks his blessing.

What does this role reversal signify? How do Myriel and G’s conceptualizations of God and morality compare, and why does Hugo seek to reconcile them? To answer these questions, this panel investigates the thematic implications of this chapter. We’ll dissect the characters’ debate, discussing the historical and religious context that informs their moral frameworks—and Hugo’s depiction of them. Drawing on analysis by literary scholars, we’ll situate Hugo’s portrayal of the bishop and the conventionnel within this same context, evaluating the extent to which G is based on the Abbé Grégoire. We’ll also examine the impact of this chapter on Bishop Myriel’s characterization and symbolic role in the novel. Lastly, we’ll explore how “The Bishop in the Presence of an Unknown Light" serves as a political and philosophical thesis for Les Misérables.

Revolutionary Rants: “Les Misérables” Onstage from an International Perspective

Sunday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic Presentation

Presented by: Tessa, Anne, Kaja, Marie, Apollon

Recorded: Yes

What started out as an open call online to gather fans from around the world to rant about the musical version of Les Mis has turned into a group of musical fans from four countries getting together to discuss our different perspectives of various international productions of the show. Topics include our favorite cast albums, how our favorite character interactions are staged in various productions we follow (including Enjoltaire), our favorite actors from the different productions, and our favorite memorable moments from the show. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the major impact the 2012 movie had on us as well!

Paint & Sip

Sunday, 20:00-21:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Psalm, Potatosonnet

Recorded: No

A short presentation on the artwork of Victor Hugo, his medium and subject matter, followed by crafting time inspired by Hugo’s work.

Les Mis Letters: Building a Book Club

Sunday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Fan/Academic presentation

Presented by: Mellow, Eccentrichat

Recorded: Yes

There are 365 chapters in Les Miserables. Les Mis Letters is an email subscription that sends you one chapter of Les Mis daily for a year.

Rachel and Mellow have been running the “Dracula-Daily” inspired Les Mis readalong since 2023! Mellow will speak to the behind the scenes process of setting up a Substack and discord server, while other readers will speak to the experience of reading Les Mis for the first time in this format or the small projects they’ve put together while following along.

Les Mis Singalong

Sunday, 21:00-22:00 UTC

Session Type: Social Game

Presented by: Megan

Recorded: No

Let’s let loose by belting out our favorite Les Mis songs together! All singing abilities welcome and encouraged, it’s virtual after all 😀 It will be musical-heavy but we’ll be sure to throw in some other fan favorites!

Closing Session 

Sunday, 22:00-22:30 UTC

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee

Recorded: No

Closing remarks by the convention committee, marking the official end of the convention.

Dead Dog

Sunday, 22:30-24:00

Session Type: Convention Administration

Presented by: Convention Committee

Recorded: No

 “Dead Dog” is a fandom slang term for a laidback “afterparty” that happens when a convention has officially ended. 

[hetascanlations]

Hello! It may be noticed that we are running behind on our releases. This is due to our current team having trouble keeping up with new chapters because of our real life priorities and losing a couple team members. So!!

We are currently seeking ONE to TWO TYPESETTERS/REDRAWERS to add to our team!

:: BASIC TYPESETTER AND/OR REDRAWER REQUIREMENTS ::

Access to Photoshop or an image editing program with similar capabilities that can edit and save PSDs

Experience in common image editing techniques such as clone stamping and redrawing

A discord account to join our server for communication with the team

And of course, a passion for Hetalia is always very helpful~

Interested? Drop us an e-mail at hetascanlations@gmail.com with your Tumblr username and the position you’re interested in as the subject. Include a quick line or two about your experience with image editing; we’ll send you a skills test to complete and send back. If you’re selected as one of our new team members, we’ll contact you privately to confirm your interest before making the final announcements on our blog.

There will be no deadline for application. An announcement will be made when the positions are filled.

Thank you!

[cattimeswithjellie]

Stream Recap, ZombieCleo, 6/09/24

((Since the first few of these I did seem to be going over well so far, I'm doing some more and we'll see how it goes. I am going to call them Recaps from now on though, because in almost every case I'm working off the VOD, pausing, going back to figure out who said and did what, etc. This Recap is from Cleo's Twitch VOD for Sunday, 6/09. I watched the stream live but parts of it were moving much too fast to note down accurately!))

0:00 Cleo goes live. She is on the Hermitcraft server, in the front yard of her base. She says hello to everyone, especially the weirdos in chat. She realizes the chat has been left in emote-only mode and turns them back on. She tells Chat she has just gone through her mail and there is a lot of it. She got two horn-of-the-month club deliveries at once, and she needs to meet with Joel about armor stand work. She has a sand and gravel coupon and a Mission Possible mission, so much to do!

1:40 Cleo goes into the house, warning Chat as she goes that she has “lored” in here. There are eight books she has written just for this room, all for the lore. She goes back outside and spots Cakebot on the roof, then laughs about how she always sees the bot and, thanks to the long distance and long nametag, thinks it’s Scar sneaking up on her.

2:40 Time to get started! Cleo shows off the Tower, which needs to be dug out into a tower base. They say they are actually working today which doesn’t happen often, especially this past week or two. Cleo has been too sick to reasonably work and so has been taking a sensible rest. A chatter asks if Cleo is going to die today. Cleo says they are feeling better, somewhat, and not going to die. The cats are fighting in the background.

4:20 A chatter asks why their message was deleted. Cleo tells them to read the rules. She greets Cam the mod.

5:30 A chatter engages Cleowo mode. Cleowo interacts with the chat and thanks subs. Today is the first day Cleo has been feeling well enough to go outside in awhile. She quotes The Little Mermaid as a prose poem. The Little Mermaid was the first movie Cleo got to watch in the cinema, and that’s how old she is. A chatter plays a spicy jelly bean. Cleo says they also moved into the new office, which is mostly clean and painted and pretty.

7:45 Cleo leaves to get tissues and wishes everyone a happy Pride. She needs birch wood for the build and goes to find it in the basement. Cleowo mode ends. She thanks subs and donos as she navigates through her base.

9:20 Back at the tower build, Cleo needs to figure out something to do with the roof. They contemplate maybe blocking it off entirely. Chat is trying to remember their first Disney movies. Cleo assures them that this is not a quiz and they don’t need to remember or share that information. ((For the record: the animated The Little Mermaid released in the UK in October 1990. This probably makes Cleo slightly younger than the livestreamer, whose first Disney theater experience was Who Framed Roger Rabbit.))

10:30 A chatter asks if this will be on the test next week. Cleo adopts an extremely ominous voice to reply that nothing will be on the test next week because “NEXT WEEK DOESN’T EXIST!… because it’s an abstract concept.” A chatter plays a cheerful musical sting that makes the whole thing sound like the last punchline in a sitcom.

10:40 A chatter says they will not disclose their first movie because they are too old. Cleo says they are not going to force anyone to disclose anything in chat, movie telling is not mandatory. Everyone is cool here, no narcs allowed in the chat. The mod reminds Chat not to get specific about ages. Cleo agrees and promises that one of these days she will remember to support the mods on that issue, but possibly not soon. Cleo lines up a zinger on herself, delivers it, says that was mean and blames chat for it.

12:00 Back to design talk. Chat continues talking about movies and theatrical productions. Cleo removes most of the mangrove from inside the tower in order to replace it with sandstone. She agrees that the Lion King musical is great and reminds Chat that she is very tired. Being sarcastic all the time can be a problem for her because people don’t always understand it and can become offended very quickly. Chat likes that Cleo is sarcastic. Cleo points out that the people who do get offended tend to leave and then badmouth her on the internet. Her first inclination is to ask them to come back, but then she realizes they would not do well in her chat anyway and so she doesn’t care very much.

15:00 Cleo tells a story of someone who didn’t understand their sarcasm, who got very offended when they said Cleo was wonderful and she replied “I know.” Chat is definitely on Cleo’s side for this one. A chatter says content creators don’t owe the attention of sub thanks to their audience, but Cleo believes that it is important to thank donos and subs, though sometimes she does miss things. She says she is known for being a screwup, even as she misjudges the blocks she is placing for her new wall. She sighs.

17:00 A chatter asks if Cleo is doing anything for Pride. They answer that they do not like in-person events because they are not good with large groups of people, but does participate in Pride things online. Being a member of the community, they feel, gives them a pass on having to do too much stuff. Cleo did enjoy MCC Pride. The tower area is clean now, but needs shaping and a couple of floors.

19:00 Cleo organizes her inventory for building. She has a lot of stuff she doesn’t want or need. She finds sixteen anvils and wonders sarcastically where those could have come from. She needs spruce but doesn’t think she has any. A chatter asks why she doesn’t use background music. Cleo explains that she has an Epidemic Music license for her main channel but not one for the VODs channel where this will be uploaded, and YouTube Music has neither sufficient music nor a good player. Other solutions for royalty-free music has gotten streams muted in the past because of YouTube’s overenthusiastic AI. They tell chat that if Chat has any good suggestions, they are listening. A chatter suggests using the Hotdogs on Your Face song exclusively, but Cleo jokingly claims not to have enough cards for that. Cleo has forgotten what they are doing.

23:50 Cleo thanks the subs. She remembers that she was putting in floors. A chatter plays the Hotdogs On Your Face song. Cleo is now hyperaware of the lack of background music. She says that she is not going to upload this VOD, so she will see about doing some Epidemic music. She asks chat for what genre they want. Suggestions include “Silence,” “Lofi,” “Elevator Muzak,” and “Jazzercise.” She chooses “beach destination chill.” A chatter plays “Hug a Creeper.” Cleo says they’ll get there. A chatter asks Cleo to give some building techniques. Cleo suggests making a build more interesting by starting with a basic structure and then adding purpose-based additions. That is the easiest advice they can give, they are all tapped out for building advice. The chatter admits they were hoping to get some building skill through osmosis. Cleo sadly informs them that she has tried the same thing many times by sitting next to other hermits, but it does not work.

26:30 Cleo goes back to assembling supplies. Pixlriffs raids into the stream. Cleo welcomes the raiders and tells them that in this stream they are being obnoxious and facetious and other ous words. A chatter comments “So a normal Cleo stream?” and they respond “No, this one’s got music in.” They try to build a staircase in the tower and decide a ladder is a much better choice for the space involved. Pix’s chat tell Cleo that Pix was playing Elden Ring, a game Cleo knows nothing about. She hopes they had a fun time.

28:00 Etho is mentioned in chat (due to the “Ladders” nickname and his love of ladders). Cleo tells the chat she didn’t know about the ladders thing for a long time after meeting Etho. She didn’t know Etho before Hermitcraft and thus is much less in awe of him than folks who literally grew up watching his videos. She is aggressively _not_ an Etho fangirl. A chatter says they heard he was washed up. Cleo laughs and jokes that he washes up for supper sometimes. Chat is very enthusiastic about Etho, trying to counter Cleo’s amused dismissiveness with a list of Etho accomplishments. This is difficult because Cleo is not an Etho viewer and does not do redstone and is thus unimpressed by the Etho Hopper Clock.

30:00 Cleo decides to create a secret room to avoid having to deal with the unusually-shaped space at the edge of her base, while simultaneously trying to convince Chat that Etho is Just Some Dude. Chat is having none of it. Chat is also very in favor of Etho and Cleo as a Life Series comedic duo. A chatter mentions that Impulse also has a common redstone device named after him, the sorting system. Cleo declares this fact “cool” and reiterates that the things they know about the Hermits could fill a very small book, or maybe a pamphlet.

32:00 Cleo thanks the donos and subs, and makes a few more Etho jokes. They work on coming up with a design for the entrance to the secret room. Chat is still in Etho-mode and suggests maybe Cleo is secretly obssessed with Etho. Cleo points out that they didn’t even bring Etho up, only responded to Chat bringing him up in the first place. She assures Chat her days of not taking Chat seriously are coming to a middle. She blames Chat fully for this.

35:00 Cleo mentions new TCG cards are coming. Two of Cleo’s cards are already done and they are very good! A chatter activates Hydration time and everyone has a drink. Another chatter asks why Etho fans are here and not on Etho’s stream. Cleo laughs and asks why Etho fans are so obsessed with her. A chatter activates Posture Check Time. Cleo’s TCG cards are always good because they choose amazing artists, but they will not say too much so as not to give anything away.

37:30 A chatter asks how Cleo is feeling after Doc’s pigicide. Cleo answers “Litigious.” The tower elevator is coming together and needs signage. A chatter asks what her favorite minigame is, besides Decked Out. Cleo points out that they do not play very many minigames so don’t really have a favorite. They put signs in the elevator shaft to hold back the water.

40:00 A chatter asks what kinds of builds and genres Cleo would like to try in the future. Cleo says she mostly just builds what she is feeling at the time and doesn’t care too much about overarching themes or what other people think about it. She begins filling the elevator with water source blocks. A chatter says the build reminds them of the Owl House. Cleo does not know what the Owl House is.

42:00 Xisuma joins the server, says hello via in-game chat, and asks what Cleo is up to. Cleo tells Xisuma she is finishing her builds before Thursday, then explains to Chat that Things are happening on Thursday. Xisuma asks Cleo if Thursday is a secret. Cleo is not sure but says the details are probably a secret. Chat suspects that it is either a court case or base tours. Xisuma asks if Cleo needs anything, but they reply they are nearly ready and just have to finish building.

44:20 A chatter say that it is not difficult to guess what is happening, Cleo invites them to actually guess, if it is so easy. She says no special guests and no court case is happening, just Hermits doing Hermit stuff. A chatter says Joe mentioned base tours after the Hermitcraft meeting. Another chatter guesses update day, but Cleo explains that only Xisuma cares about update day. Xisuma messages again to offer wood and Cleo asks for spruce for the floors.

46:30 Cleo finishes the elevator and jumps down for more supplies. A chatter plays the Feral Ghoul sound from Fallout and startles her. Cub logs onto the server and exchanges greetings.

47:30 Cleo says there are a lot of things that need to be figured out right now, like whether a particle effect from ender chests goes through slabs. They currently have a floor that seems to consist of dark gray wool, carpets, and ender chests. Cleo takes up some of the wool and carpet and begins placing slabs over the chests. The answer appears to be “kind of.” A few particles are making their way through the wood slabs. A chatter who is the maker of the Armor Poser mod proudly announces that the mod is ready for 1.21 and hopes Cleo is excited. Cleo congratulates them and endorses the mod to Chat but says she has no input on when the Hermitcraft server will actually update. Chat notices that Cleo has not confirmed or denied base tours as a possibility. Cleo says they can see why chat might think that and continues not to confirm or deny. Xisuma drops off some spruce and flies away like the Lumber Fairy. Cleo declares that X is the best and has forgotten again what she is doing. A chatter plays Sour Jellybean.

50:40 Cleo remembers it is time to Hug a Creeper. They set spawn and fly into the air, falling from a high place. They collect up their bits while gloating about being able to legally claim sour jellybeans as a business expense. Pearl signs on to the server

51:50 Cleo responds to a chat suggestion that trapdoors might let in more particles than slabs do. They make a bunch of spruce trapdoors from some of Xisuma’s logs and place some of them down, but it’s hard to see the particles in the current testing area. Cleo begins picking up the floor to move elsewhere and mentions receiving a troubling message from Pearl in the mail. She flies down to her mailbox and shows the large quantity of mail parcels she talked about at the beginning of the stream, including one that contains a single block of purpur and requests that Hermits buy more purpur from Pearl. Cleo confesses that she doesn’t like purpur at all but feels like she should maybe buy some from Pearl anyway as she clearly seems to be suffering. Chat somerwhat incoherently tries to inform Cleo that the parcel is from Joel, who lost a bet with Pearl and was forced to advertise the Purr-Purr shop and raise sales for Pearl. Cleo eventually parses what Chat is trying to say and is no longer concerned about Pearl’s message.

55:00 Cleo goes back to picking up the trial floor from the wizard tower. Pearl writes in the in-game chat that Chat has been losing her sales since 2024. Cleo tells her that purpur is gross, but because it is Pearl selling it, they will buy some. Cleo likes the look of spruce trapdoors over ender chests and decides to buy purpur in celebration. Chat asks what time it is for Pearl. Cleo believes it’s around 6am, Pearl-time. Pearl says she has a minigame to build. Cleo tries to convince her she does not have to build minigames at 6am.

57:10 Cleo arrives at the purr-purr bus and admires the new dumpster, saying it’s a good addition. She doesn’t really understand how Iskall can hate diorite so much when purpur exists and is a much better target. They shake their head over the prices in the shop but buy a bunch of chorus fruit to make end rods, plus some end stone. According to Cleo, buying purpur-adjacent things definitely counts as supporting the shop. Pearl is grateful. Cleo says that Pearl is undercharging and pays extra for all the chorus fruit. As Cleo flies away she notes that between herself and Cub, they have most of the server’s money right now.

59:30 A chatter asks what the bottom half of the vTuber looks like. Cleo adjusts their stream position to make the entire vTuber figure visible. Chat is impressed that Cleo has legs. FalseSymmetry, in stream chat, comments “omg legs (in caps)” to circumvent the stream rule against all-caps. Cleo shows off the limited set of movements available to the full-body figure, then puts the figure back in the usual place.

1:01:00 A chatter mentions that the vtuber figure can walk and can be used to replace the default character in certain games such as Valheim. Cleo confirms that it can be used for some games, like Valorant, and she could stomp around in there as Cleo if she wanted to. She cannot use the model on VR games because it is above the poly count. It’s primarily intended for vtubing. Using it for VR would be pretty rough on game performance.

1:02:15 Someone plays the Poe Poe Siren (Skizz singing the Poe Poe song) outside Cleo’s base. It is definitely Scar, who just signed onto the server. Cleo fetches their own horns and plays Skizz’s “Dang it, Scar!” horn, then yells for Scar to come back with a warrant. They go back inside just in time for Scar to play Xisuma’s “This is Illegal!” horn.

1:03:00 Cleo realizes that this is a war. She plays Etho’s “There was some kidnapping involved” horn.

Scar retaliates with his own “Trader Scar’s not going to eat you” horn.

Cleo plays Grian’s “I’m eating a curly-whirly right now” horn.

Scar plays Impulse’s “Say it and we’ll bleep it out” horn.

Cleo plays her own “Oh no-woh, not Joe-wo” horn.

Scar plays Ren’s “I’d like to see your butt, please” horn.

1:04:10 Cleo yells to Scar that she has run out of horns and demands to know where he is. Scar flies overhead and repeats the Ren horn, followed immediately by the Michael Scott “I declare Bankruptcy” horn. Cleo giggles and declares she needs to buy more horns, then remembers she has an ace in the hole. She heads for her mailbox, finds and plays the “I see you” horn from the Horn of the Month Club.

1:05:15 False logs into the server just long enough to play her own “OMG hiiiiii” horn, then logs out. Cleo play’s Gem’s “That’s Amazing!” horn. Th3Pooka raids into the stream.

1:05:45 Cleo thanks the raiders and welcomes subs. They have once again forgotten what they are doing. Chat reminds them that they are working on flooring.

1:07:00 Someone plays a horn from The Office outside. Cleo plays the “I see you” horn, explaining that even if she doesn’t see him, she has to play the horn. She returns to working on her floors. A chatter asks what program the vTuber model was made in. Cleo does not know but points the chatter to the link for the designer, MotherLyra. Zedaph suffocates in a wall.

1:08:20 Someone plays the MGM Lion horn, startling Cleo. They follow it up with a horn (maybe Etho or xB?) saying “I chop, I dig, your mom is really big.” Cleo plays the “Dang it, Scar” horn again. Someone plays Scar’s “Take a look at how big my booty is” horn. Cleo plays Tango’s “I see you” horn again and yells to Scar that she only has limited horns . Scar, who is stream-sniping, disclaims responsibility in in-game chat, even as someone plays Iskall’s “What are you doing?” horn. Cleo guesses it must be Cub. Cleo decides it’s either Scar or Cub, or both, or Pearl, or Tango, or Xisuma. Scar asks Cub in chat where the alien horn is.

1:09:50 Cleo attempts to go back to work, while admitting that they are not trying very hard to work. A chatter asks why Cleo has so many ender chests. Cleo says it is for the particle effects, then jokes it is because they have an addiction but most people don’t comment on it. In game chat, Cub tells Scar that the alien horn should be at the shop unless someone already bought it. Cleo wants to know more about the alien horn. Outside the window, Pearl plays Scar’s booty horn again and flies away. Cleo plays the “I see you” horn again. Zedaph suffocates in a wall again.

1:11:10 Cleo bemoans her own lack of horns, while Scar suggests that the alien horn has probably been sold. A chatter plays a scary noise, but Cleo is currently immune thanks to all the horn shenanigans. They go back to work, declaring loudly that they are feeling bullied, and it is because the hermits are bullying them. It’s not just one of those feelings, it is definitely bullying. Pearl assures Cleo in chat that it is only love. Cleo replies that one can bully with love, and invites Chat to “Ask me how I know.”

1:12:10 Cleo asks Cub if he’s done the Xisuma legs horn yet. Cub says not yet, but maybe for next batch. Cleo is pleased about that possibility. They want to hear the legs horn, because it is weird. False rejoins the server. Xisuma, who has been silent for a long while, asks what about his legs in game chat.

Cleo tells him they’re very pretty. Cub explains that Xisuma made a remark that tickled Cleo. X says thanks and that he never skips leg day. Cleo chuckles and mutters “nerd”

1:13:30 Cleo confesses proudly in game chat that they always skip leg day. Scar thinks someone got the alien horn from the shop and appears uncertain about what to do. A chatter plays Xisuma’s “Legs Legs Legs LEGS!” sound, which Cleo had forgotten was an available bits-reward sound on their channel. Scar plays the “Darth Vader Breathing” horn but Cleo is distracted. A chatter asks where the Legs soundbyte is from, and Cleo tells them it’s from MCC Pride where they were on a team together. Scar plays the Michael Scott “Inside Joke” horn. Cleo greets Scar and/or Pearl, possibly both or neither, whoever is out to get her, specifically.

1:15:15 Cleo talks about MCC Pride and hopes no one was expecting them to win. Scott has not officially told Cleo that they are being added to teams as a nerf, but that it’s just generally known. Cleo’s role in MCC is “ballast.” Scar asks Pearl if she bought the Alien horn, Pearl does not know what he is talking about. Someone plays the “Hello there!” horn. Cleo runs outside yelling “Oh my god, hiiii!” but no one is there. Cleo is disappointed, and asks that whoever is blowing horns at least say who they are. Chat believes it’s definitely Scar. Cleo plays the “Dang it Scar!” horn again.

1:16:45 Zedaph falls out of the world. Xisuma describes this as Zed doing Zed things. Cleo agrees and says that’s pretty much his job. A chatter asks Cleo what is their favorite “Cleo thing” to do. They say sleeping, mostly. A chatter asks if Cleo has any information on books or info about lgbtq+ issues. Cleo says not really, they don’t read up on it much, just experience it from their own perspective. They refer the chatter back to the chat for recommendations.

1:19:00 A chatter asks why the floor only has a certain number of ender chests under it. Cleo explains that it’s going to be a summoning circle, and the ender chests are in a circle under the floor to provide particles in that exact spot. A chatter asks about using a spore blossom for more effect, but Cleo explains the range is too wide. A chatter plays sour jellybean. Another chatter plays a door noise. Cleo turns the music back on. A chatter notes that Cleo now has a convenient crawlspace under the floor. Cleo agrees, but says they did not plan it that way, because planning is for losers. She parenthetically adds that she is a loser. Zedaph blames Tango for his untimely death in in-game chat. Cleo agrees that most things are Tango’s fault.

1:21:30 A chatter asks how people are playing noises and jellybeans, Cleo explains the Streamloots program. Another chatter admits that they have read a great deal of fiction and anecdotes about the lgbtq+ experience, but not much nonfiction and nothing to really recommend. Cleo agrees that this seems pretty common, and talks about how if mainstream sources won’t provide gayness, the community will make it for themselves. A chatter plays Favorite Things, and Cleo says mostly intangible things, like the way you feel in the morning when the sun is rising and you know people you hate are suffering. She says she doesn’t understand why people think she’s so sinister all the time. She also likes petrichor.

1:23:45 Cleo begins texturing the new floor with slightly lower trapdoors in places. They talk with Chat about queerness in history and how it is difficult to know exactly what it was like in the past because so many things were different. They reorganize their inventory again and go into the mines to find a box of crystals for decoration. Cleo is too tired for in-depth discussion on these serious topics and just needs to get some crystals. A chatter puts the chat into emote-only mode, Cleo refers to that as the “Cleo says stop” button.

1:28:00 Cleo finds the geode and begins harvesting crystals. They love amethyst noises, and wants to put amethyst under carpet someplace in the build. There are not as many crystals as Cleo was hoping for, and they take some time to free up more faces on the crystal-producing blocks. “Crystals are going to become important!” she teases. She agrees with chat that amethyst needs more block variations, since it is a far nicer color than purpur. The crystal noises are very soothing.

1:31:20 Cleo says that the most annoying thing you can call a geologist is a “crystal girlie.” Chat does not understand the term. A chatter says their geologist friend doesn’t like being called a rock-licker. Cleo says rock-licker is fine and if they don’t want to be called a rock-licker they should stop licking rocks. Cleo explains that a crystal girlie is someone who believes in crystals for healing and energy alignment, rather than studying them scientifically. Chat has a discussion about eating rocks. Cleo advises that many rocks are inert and can be licked, but that one should not lick rocks instead of taking medicine. Some rocks should not be licked at all. Cleo specially advises Chat not to eat uranium and suggests (then immediately unsuggests) that they look up radium girls. ((A sad story from history of some workers who became the reason for later regulations.))

1:36:00 Cleo transforms her crystals into “charged crystals” by renaming them on an anvil, then puts them in a similarly-transformed “Lead-lined Storage Crate.” The box goes into the new tower room for decoration. A chatter plays Teeny-tiny Zombie Cleo, Cleo sings the song. Cleo looks for one of the lore books in the library room that has information about crystals. They do not find it, but find a note about crystals in a cupboard. Pearl asks in chat for verdant froglights. Joe has been buying all Etho’s stock, but Cleo has some in storage. She invites Pearl over to get some. A chatter plays spicy jellybean.

1:41:10 Pearl arrives and yells hello. Cleo provides her with several stacks of verdant froglights, even though Pearl only truly needed four. Pearl is happy for the extra froglights because she likes the green tinged light. Cleo says green-tinge is the best tinge. Pearl says that pearlescent froglights are also pretty great. Cleo says they’re not her favorite. Pearl says she’ll let that slide because Cleo has been so generous and flies away. Cleo blesses Pearl’s little cotton socks and calls her adorable.

1:42:30 A chatter says that Pearl was their first introduction to Hermitcraft. Cleo says that is valid but also unusual, Pearl is not one of the more common vectors into Hermitcraft. A chatter plays Giant. The first chatter explains that they started watching in S8 with Pearl and Gem and their friends. Cleo is happy about how the community has grown. They also can’t wait for the new paintings. Cleo creates a painting to cover the secret door, but does not particularly like the only design that covers the space.

1:45:00 Cleo declares it’s time to clean up the roof, because it looks like arse. Pretty arse, but arse. They are not worried about structural integrity because magic, but some crossbeams would look nice. Cleo says that sometimes it is hard to explain their thought process while building because sometimes there is no thought, just building. They begin adding crossbeams to the interior roof and talking about building process or the lack thereof.

1:49:40 A chatter asks if Cleo has a favorite fan song. Cleo says no, they have not heard many and generally try to keep their research in a bubble. A chatter plays sour jellybean. Cleo says she will watch most Hermit stuff, but the fan stuff can be biting. She wants to keep just a little sliver of joy in her life. She goes on to clarify that “I’ve got two diamonds” and other songs written just for her are exceptions, but fan stuff can be mean in general and she avoids it. A chatter mentions that Doc talks about fanfiction on stream all the time. Cleo says Doc is insane. They don’t need to worry about what Doc is doing, because it is always THE WRONG THING. Chat is not happy about the idea of anyone being mean to Cleo. Cleo clarifies that in fan spaces, fans tend to assume she will not be there, and they tend to speak their minds bluntly. When they’re talking about the character, it’s just opinion, but when they talk about her as a person, it’s hard to deal with. Cleo does not fault the fans, it is a difference of perception between Cleo as the person and Cleo as the character. What they are doing is not harmful in itself, but Cleo seeing it is harmful because it makes her feel bad and she has learned to avoid it. At the same time, 99.9% of the fandom is lovely.

1:55:20 A chatter says their partner is trying to watch every hermit, but doing so during Decked out in S9 got pretty tiring. Cleo does not recommend trying to watch every Hermit because that is too much and too difficult. They realize that many people like other hermits more than they like them, and they’re okay with that. They will never be everyone’s favorite and that is fine. Pearl, in in-game chat, agrees that Hermitcraft is fantastic because of its wide variety of creator styles. Cleo has a hard time finding her saplings and wonders if they might be in the orphan-crushing machine. Chat is confused about the orphan-crushing machine, which appears to be a bonemeal farm. A chatter plays Hydration Time.

1:58:00 Cleo reiterates that they avoid fan spaces and explains that fans sometimes just say rude things on the internet. She can know that a take is bad (“Cleo doesn’t deserve to be on Hermitcraft’) but that doesn’t mean it won’t sting. Pearl chimes in with a story about a Tiktok she saw where all the comments were kind except the ones about her. Cleo is instantly sympathetic and assures Pearl she is wonderful while threatening the lives of the haters. Tango alerts the server to potential lag incoming. Cleo says she doesn’t mind living and letting live with people who are mean to her, but nobody can say bad things about Pearl. Pearl says that most of the community is wonderful and she’s just getting used to living with the bad part. Cleo asks for advice about how to do that, because she has been on Hermitcraft for nine seasons and it is still hard. Cleo talks about the fine line between not feeding the trolls and not clapping back when it would be better to do so. A chatter plays Favorite Things. Cleo says it’s the mail system, because they had nine messages today and it was cool.

2:03:00 Pearl messages that when she starts feeling bad about fan negativity, she reminds herself that she shouldn’t care about the opinion of anybody she wouldn’t be willing to take advice from. It is silly to let the words of the haters have any impact. Cleo agrees that this is valid. They would not listen to those people’s advice, and would also probably say something very nasty to them. A chatter plays gross jellybean, much to Cleo’s chagrin. A chatter plays Giant Zombie. The jellybean is bubblegum, but Cleo would’ve actually preferred the mouthwash alternative. Bubble gum is a bad flavor.

2:05:50 Cleo wonders sometimes if she goes a bit too far, and mentions she might have been a bit too enthusiastic in verbal sparring with Doc. They reiterate the information about their TCG cards and the new expansion. The crossbeams are almost finished, and Cleo adds some above the windows. A chatter says they would not want to make Cleo mad, and Cleo confesses their bark is much worse than their bite. She also does fake anger a lot, because it is funny. When Doc killed the pig, she did get a bit too into the bit, but it was okay in the end. Doc shouldn’t have killed the pig! It’s okay, Cleo says, because he’ll suffer. A chatter asks what an HHH stream is. Cleo explains it is Hermits Helping Hermits and they haven’t done one for awhile because they and Joe are both busy. Cleo thinks she may have frightened Doc just a little bit and laughs about it.

2:10:10 A chatter plays Cleowo. Cleo says she doesn’t think Doc’s scared of her, more that he felt sort of guilty when the pig thing turned out bigger than he intended it to be. A chatter suggests that Doc didn’t realize Cleo was serious when they said they were attached to the pig. Cleo agrees that’s exactly what happened. Cleo has finished one building and has another one started, but they need to decide what is going to go inside on each floor. She takes a tour through the building. A chat plays emote only mode.

2:13:20 Cleo says it’s about time to call it a stream. They switch to big Vtuber mode and thank the chat for subs and donos. They insist that nobody sends them anymore firstborn children because they already have too many of them. Cleo raids into a non-hermit friend and ends the stream.

[corinne-eaglebridge-sso]

A simple guide to Shilling-banking

So, these are all the methods I've found to save up Jorvik shillings in your closet, without it actually being shillings and counting towards the cap! I personally use these to stockpile for limited events, but you can use it for whatever you want! Most if not all of these methods are aimed towards starriders.

Light Every light sells for 1 shilling, which doesn't seem much - but it is extremely easy to get light! Run around the woods, extract it from wild seeds with your terra powers, gather herbs, etc! Light will easily be your biggest source of shillings if you spend a lot of time in the Hollow Woods. Be careful, though! While light stockpiles easily, dividing from stacks goes one-by-one... Consider taking some time to run around between the woods and closet, making and stockpiling different stack sizes of light - 500, 2000, 5000, etc. You're not going to have a completely empty shillings amount in your backpack very often, and this will save you the pain of losing shillings by selling more than you need to reach the cap!

Archeology The tried and tested method! Focus especially on Epona's special finds, and keep the items you get there in your closet. For ease of stockpiling, do not trade them in until you need the shillings. If you have the time and have a route, Dino valley might be a nice change of pace - however, regarding time management, you're unlikely to make more shillings here than you would if you ran around in Hollow Woods collecting light, and with more different items, it takes up more closet spaces. Only do Dino archeology if you actually like it - it's not very profitable otherwise now.

Championships If you are interested in doing championships, winning and stockpiling ribbons from this can be a good way to fund your spending. There's not much to say about this one - it is dependent on your racing skills. Edit: (thank you @centeris2) every championship you complete will give you at least 200 shillings - store these by not claiming the prizes you get in the mail until you need the shillings.

High Score Races Like championships but worse; races give you payout if you have the daily, weekly or monthly high score of your server. This one heavily depends on your racing skills again, and also shows way less immediate and substantial reward: you might be the first when you finish, but unless you race at 11PM, it's likely someone will kick you off the first place later in the day. This is more like a nice bonus for if you are already training horses than a reliable source of shillings. To stockpile these, simply leave the messages in your inbox until it's time to use the shillings; you can then claim all this mail with shillings.

Flax = hay Another terra path ability is turning flax into hay. And while some of that hay may go towards your horses, depending on your garden setup you may quickly find yourself buried in a mountain of flax. Flax grows fast and interacts with many plants to form the rare flowers, so there's a high chance you have this in your garden. Each piece of hay sells for 5 shillings - take some time to convert some flax every once in a while, then stockpile them in your closet!

I hope this is helpful for people! There might be more techniques, of course - these are just the ones I use! If you know of any others, please feel free to add them in the comments!

[the-insomniac-emporium]

SWORDTEMBER '24, DAY 7: FLOW

{Late because I got a terrible migraine out of the blue yesterday. Very happy with this one, and it references not only one of my main OCs, but the overarching plot of one of my original stories. Please enjoy!} -----

Item ID: 6O-2407 Item Name: Timekeeper’s Cutlass Category: ERROR://CLASSIFICATION INVALID://MANUAL USER INPUT: ARTIFACT Origin Point: Time Immemorial, Voided Owner: ■■■ ■■■■■■■■ (C), Triampheus ■■■■■■■■ (O) Description: A blade of a traditional Earthen design, reminiscent of the age of pirates. Approximately ■■ cm length, with a ■■ cm handle, ■■ cm at the widest point. Samples taken from the blade, hilt, and the guard overloaded the analysis unit. Scans were inconclusive upon repeated testing. Visual assessment indicates the item is most likely made from seaglass and driftwood. In place of a central fuller, there is a hollow middle filled with grains of sand, endlessly shifting from one end to the other, chased by a slow moving strand of water. An hourglass is carved into the bottom of the hilt. If alone with the item, one will hear the sound of rushing water (this sound is not picked up by any recording devices). Touching the item with bare skin induces hallucinations based on whoever previously touched it, regardless of whether or not one has met the previous individual. Cataloger’s Notes: I’m not bothering with any pretenses today. Truth of the matter is that we never should have gotten hold of this, I want nothing to do with it, and nobody is ever going to read this file other than myself (and even then, it will only be as a reminder to myself). As soon as I’m done recording these notes, this item is getting handed off to people far more qualified than myself. Every other record of this item will be wiped from FPA systems, even the backup servers. Nobody needs to know we had our hands on an artifact of this importance… nor do they need to know we unwittingly used it. May the Ancients forgive my sins, and the sins of my partner. We did not know. ERROR://FILE NOT UPLOADED TO PRIMARY SERVER://ERROR://PLEASE SYNC LOCAL FILES WITH CLOUD://ERROR://FILE SYNC CANCELED BY USER C.DELA://

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Cynthia should have known better. By now, she’s catalogued over a thousand items in the span of a decade, from weapons to ancient art, from contraband pharmaceuticals to exotic pets. On three occasions she has encountered items known as artifacts: Relics, both old and new, infused with terrible power. Each one has only briefly been held by the FPA, before being swiftly taken to those with higher authority. But even a minute in the presence of an artifact can change one’s life.

The Timekeeper’s Cutlass is not as obvious of an artifact as most. Whoever tried to mail it must not have known what it was, and those who handled it in between must have worn gloves. As soon as Cynthia was alone with the item, she felt its power, and heard the sea-song in the air. She knew, then, what thing lay on her desk. It was the first time she had ever been this close to an artifact, and her heart raced at the prospect of cataloging such a find. Who could blame her?

She did not forsake her duties, did not set out to play with it. Immediately, she made the proper phone calls, arranged the item’s retrieval first. Only then did she set out to log the details, knowing sooner or later Naomi would be stopping by to take her out for dinner. That was her excuse, maybe, that she’d only work until being interrupted. A foolish thought.

Artifacts set the time of all who touch them.

It only takes a single touch of her bare skin against the seaglass to “activate” the item. An accidental brush of her wrist against the material, a microsecond of contact, and Cynthia is no longer in her office. Now she is falling, falling, flying until she is in another body entirely, seeing through another’s eyes. Feeling what they feel. Voices whisper in her ears, overlapping until one word becomes clear: Triampheus. A Goddess, for one, but a common enough name among worshippers. Once the voices cut off, suddenly, Cynthia is free to witness glimpses into the life of another.

There is war. Long did it brew, across countless planets, at last stirred up by the atrocities of a few madmen. Flashes of combat, of death, a mentor laid to rest when a truce is broken. Rage. Sorrow. Desperation in the hearts of the viewpoint. It has to end. They will end it. Threats are made, are ignored, a display of power is taken too far. An entire planet held between their hands. One last warning, time for innocents to evacuate. Finally they are taken seriously.

But their control is not strong enough. They never wanted it to end this way. Blood from their eyes, their nose, their ears. Too much power- a Goddess channeled in mortal flesh. Either they break or the planet does, there is no letting go. The choice is made for them… and an entire world collapses in on itself. There is no more war, not anymore.

There is only a manhunt.

“Cynthia, please, please wake up,” Naomi’s voice cuts through the end of the vision, breaks away from what might be the future, draws her back into her body. Instantly she’s all but throwing herself into her girlfriend’s arms, pressing her face against Naomi’s neck and sobbing. There are no words to describe what she has seen.

“Don’t- don’t touch the sword,” Cynthia chokes out between sobs. For a moment there’s no sound other than her crying, Naomi going stiff. Was it too early in their relationship for this level of intensity? A few months was hardly enough time for Naomi to grow accustomed to the sort of things Cynthia has to inspect, but surely- her anxious thoughts are cut off by a gentle kiss to the forehead.

“I… I touched it. And I think- I hope- that we didn’t see the same thing. Because I… I really liked what I saw,” Naomi admits, in a reassuring whisper. One hand rubs gentle circles into Cynthia’s back as they sit together, and soon enough the crying slows, then stops. Finally, the archivist pulls back just far enough to look up with questioning eyes. Her curiosity overwhelms. “Telling you what I saw… I’m worried that it might change things. If… if that is the future. So, please, let me say no more than that there will be boundless joy. You will be safe, and happy, and you won’t be alone.”

Nothing could fully soothe Cynthia, not yet, but the words bring her a sense of hope. She may have dreamed of a stranger’s war, but Naomi had dreamed of the life that would come after. A life that would be shared with her.

[frameacloud]

An important note:

Bluesky is NOT part of the Federation. It runs a completely different protocol. And that sounds very technical (and it is) but it's REALLY, REALLY important for VERY REAL WORLD reasons.

Allow me to explain.

Natively, Bluesky runs AT Proto. Fediverse servers run ActivityPub. They can't talk to each other directly. There has to be a translator, a gateway, a bridge between them.

Currently, there is a bridge (that will hopefully stay up); and I use it and recommend it. The existence of that bridge makes it look like Bluesky are part of the Federation - even if they aren't.

There's two reasons all this actually matters in real life. The first is technical, the second is a direct consequence of the first.

First: there is no actual federation/distribution of social media in the ATmosphere. There simply isn't. Literally everything running AT proto (which at this point is mostly BlueSky) has to go through Bluesky's Relay, and has to use the one centralised Authenticator.

Relay is an important concept in AT proto. It's basically message delivery. Without it, even on "your own instance" of Bluesky, all you can do is view your own messages. You can't actually talk to anyone, and no one can talk to you. "Your own instance" is just a database of your own posts, and locally stored replies. Actual communication is Relay's job.

(There are reasons they chose to do it this way. It's how they kept a unified search: literally every post in the entire ATmosphere has to go through Relay, and so Relay can index everything together. Works great, too.)

Now, it is theoretically possible to set up more Relays. They could be controlled by other people. No one has done this past a couple of small test servers, but it has been done on that smaller scale.

But a large one would be incredibly expensive. The nonprofit startup set up to try to get one going is raising literally millions of dollars to fund it, because that's what it'll take, and it has no native revenue source because, well, you know - it's back-end stuff nobody will see.

Setting up a second relay is incredibly expensive. And that's a big problem, because at best there will be only a few of them. Each will be run by a large corporation of some kind, be it profit or nonprofit.

They know this, by the way; they accounted for it. The idea was that you'd choose a Relay like you choose an ISP. But christ it's expensive.

Account authentication is even worse - it's centralised, and can't be decentralised. Literally can't be, not even in theory. There is one authenticator, and that's it. They've launched a semi-independent organisation to do it, but it's still just gonna be the one, forever. If it goes down, no one can log in, no one can talk.

By contrast, neither of these are concepts in the actually distributed Federation. There is no central authenticator in ActivityPub, and all instances all do their own delivery themselves.

There is no one point of failure. Bluesky has two.

And that's what gets us to the second point:

If they want to shut you down completely, they can. Same as on Twitter, same as on Facebook, same as always.

And thanks to them honouring account shutdown and content takedown demands from Turkey's authoritarian government against political opponents this week, we know they'll do it.

Legally, they kinda have to.

If the ATmosphere was genuinely distributed, this wouldn't matter so much. Sure, maybe they'd kick dissidents off of Bluesky Corporate's servers, but those dissidents could move their account to someone else's servers and keep going - servers whose owners don't have to respond, legally, to an authoritarian government's takedown order.

They could keep talking, keep coordinating, keep doing their opposition thing.

But not on Bluesky. They can't.

Because it all goes through Bluesky.

Aaaaand I just noticed I wrote all this in a bloody ask, instead of mail. Nice work, me. Sorry about that.

Thank you so much for explaining this, Solarbird! I was kind of confused about the whole thing, and you have way more understanding of all of the stuff about the Fediverse, as well as about technology and politics in general. I'm posting your ask so that other folks can see this correction too.

[moonlitlamps]

I got a bit creative with my vanilla Minecraft server announcement.

So I wanted to start a new private whitelisted vanilla Minecraft server, but I wanted the announcement to be a tiny bit special. I made a portrait icon for the Discord-Minecraft chatbot and I made a cool little story about her, Here's the post with the server addresses redacted. I hope you enjoy the read.

== You Got Mail! == Testing, Testing, Hello? Oh good it's working. This is Jane speaking, I don't know where I am, or frankly how I got stuck in this yellow void. I don't even know who I am. But I see a terminal in front of me. (What's a terminal?) I don't know how I know that. Regardless, I've been pushing some buttons and I have so far managed to make a digital universe. I know! shocking, I didn't know CRT 'puters could do that kind of shit. I mean, I think I remember working with computers before, but this is a whole new level of weird. There seems to be cubes and planes in this world, I can't access it, given that I'm a higher layer of abstraction away from this reality, but I can communicate with this world through some sort of "bridge" or interface. What's a Discord? Is that where I'm in? I think there was… some sort of accident. Yes, maybe I was torn from reality whilst dabbling in unrealities and abstractions. Now I'm stuck here, but at least I can communicate. I'll be honest, it's been real lonely from where I'm standing. I've walked about 500 to 1000 steps away from this terminal, I can't measure with standard units given the lack of reference points, I can use my body to estimate the distance however, but I'm too chicken to go further out and risking losing the terminal from my line of sight so I'm stuck within this radius. Nothing has happened for the past 20… 30 days? I haven't starved or feel like starving yet, so I think my natural biological cycles have suspended, yet normal physical displacement via movement over time is allowed, curious. At least I can interact with this digital 'verse. I call it Mine Craft, because I made it, and I can craft stuff in it. I love crafting games. This interface is empty at the moment but I notice "Friends" and "Servers" on the menus. I don't remember adding that, but with hope I think I can reach out to anyone, any other intelligence while I sit here on my yellow ass plane of existence. Here's a selfie from me using the integrated webcam of this terminal. The resolution is god awful, I think it has something to do with how dated this technology is. I hope someone receives this message. Nonetheless I will continue journaling this miserable existence, maybe I can make a second universe? The address to this terminal is [IP ADDRESS REDACTED], I managed to even hack into the networking and changed the user profile to [ADDRESS RESTRICTED] which I agree is more cooler than these lunar themed folders in this terminal. I don't want just about anyone snooping around in my space though, so if you manage to see this, hit me up with your name and tell me about yourself. If I think you're an alright entity I will let you into my personal universe. Okay, back to figuring out where I am and what the hell to do next.

~Jane [REDACTED] [NULL] Nowhere The Yellowverse

I'll be sure to make updates and post more of her and her silly adventures in Minecraft and being a server host. I will also start posting her as a full body OC some time in the future. Her full name is Jane Vanilla. That's all folks, have a good day.