#events membership website

[happywebdesign]

Planque

[sexybritishllama]

in further neopets discord news, oh boy is there drama in my awful virtual pet game website today. strap in if you want way too much information on neopets’ broken economy

for some context, an event has just launched called the faerie festival. this is the first event to be run by the ‘new’ TNT (aka. the neopets team aka. the staff) since the leadership change, and they've said in recent editorials that this year’s faerie festival is going to be a combo of two previous popular events:

the faerie quest event, wherein people can get a free quest from a faerie every day in exchange for a reward (something that’s normally limited to random special events and therefore quite rare)

the charity corner, a highly requested event that hasn’t run since 2020, where you can donate random items to get points that can then be exchanged in a prize shop

there’s a LOT of ultimately worthless items on neopets that people gather from doing dailies and things, but charity corner actually gave a use to hoarding all of these, so people have wanted it back for ages. people have been going out of their way to hoard extra junk items for like 2 months now, after TNT teased the event in an editorial

this event was originally meant to start on 20th august, but got delayed 2 weeks, presumably because of issues behind the scenes. people were generally a bit disappointed but relieved if this meant they were going to get a proper, well prepared event without bugs

flash forward to 2nd october, the actual start of the event. nothing actually opens up for several hours on the day- that’s somewhat waved off by the fact that staff presumably need to be in the office to launch everything, a midnight launch isn’t expected

but, eventually, it opens!

well… kinda. there’s one page with one dialogue scene available and a link to an event page for spending neocash (the premium currency that costs irl money). the faerie quest page is giving out free daily quests, which is nice, but literally just the same as they did back in 2020. where’s the item recycling part? did this really need 2 weeks of delay?

the next day, the FAQ page for the event is published neopets support site (but not announced via news). still no sign of the actual event starting- seems like that might not be until moday?

as well as multiple grammatical errors, the FAQ had a few… concerning elements. most notably:

only 10 items could be donated per day

points would be awarded based on the rarity of the item, with the maximum rarity being r200-500, worth 15 points each

this meant people's hoarding of junk items for months was... essentially useless

r200-500 items basically means either hidden tower items (rare, expensive items that can only be bought in an account age locked shop with a purchase limit of 1 per day) orrrr….. neocash items. In other words, players could either spend an exorbinate amount of their in-game currency to buy up items to donate, or they could just hand over their credit card and pay to win

people were Not Happy about this

not long after info spread and the outcry started (and a sizeable number of people cancelled their premium membership in protest), the FAQ was quietly updated to remove mention of donating neocash items. that took away to pay to win element at least

however, now there was a new problem. a tombola man problem.

i mentioned already that the highest rarity items are pretty rare and expensive. one of the least expensive of these is an item called the Squeezy Tombola Guy Toy. you can probably see where this is going already

because you can only buy a maximum of one tombola guy per day from the hidden tower, your only option if you want to buy more than that in a day is to go to user shops. however, in light of the event, people had already started buying and hoarding tombola guy toys. equally, others were buying them purely to sell at a profit. this made the perfect storm and caused the price of the tombola guy toy, which was normally 110k NP, to explode up to 500k, 600k, even 700k within just one day

BUT THEN THE FAQ GOT UPDATED AGAIN. surprise, you can now donate 30 items per day! also they just got rid of the highest rarity tier altogether. the maximum you can get for an item is now 8 points, for rarity r102-r179.

this has now made the squeezy tombola guy toys useless. unless you’re a collector they don’t serve any function beyond that of a normal neopets toy (of which there’s thousands of much cheaper options). the price has now plummeted down to BELOW what it originally was and many users now have piles and piles of the dolls sitting in their inventory, mocking them

so what now? well, because no one ever learns, everyone is now flocking to what is now the cheapest high-rarity item eligible for donation. most are going for omelettes, which have a few different options at r102+. these have also inflated by like 400% from before the event, but unlike the squeeze tombola guys, these are only worth a few thousand neopoints, so not as bad a potential loss in comparison

it’s worth noting that while all this is going on in preparation for the recycling event, neopets is also experiencing insane inflation in a lot of other items right now, including those required for people to complete faerie quests. for example, a Griefer, which cost 5000 np just last week, is now worth selling for 1 MILLION

So yeah. 3 days into the event and that’s where we are so far. who knows what tomorrow might bring

[robins-egg-bindery]

A year and a half ago, I made a post about @renegadepublishing launching their code of conduct. I’m pleased to report the community has been thriving, and is abuzz with even more growth!

Over the past year and a half:

The Discord size has doubled.

The membership has skyrocketed to nearly 200 members.

Our events have also doubled in participation!

We’ve started four brand new events!

We’ve launched 12 satellite servers with 414 members!

All this, and yet, there’s more to come! I’m pleased to announce yet another massive undertaking has finally come to fruition…

THE RENEGADE BOOKBINDING GUILD WEBSITE!

Renegade has grown so much and still remains such an incredible, vibrant community, and this step forward will only enable us to do so much more. There is still more work to be done, but it’s absolutely amazing how far we’ve come. I can’t wait to keep building this community with all the wonderful people in it! 🎉

We’re currently kicking off Binderary 2024 with a bang, with 34 workshops planned for the month of February, all completely free and community-run!

If you’re waiting for a sign, this is it! Come join us, and start your fanbinding journey!*

*Discord is 18+ only!

[queenofthearchipelago]

Long Rant about the Watcher Thing

The thing about what's happening with Watcher is that I'm a musician. I understand deeply the difficulties that come with an artist making their art and needing money and the relationship with the people that art is for. So I understand that Watcher needs money to pay their employees and maintain their business.

That said, they revealed that they have 25 employees (half of which are nepotism hires and friends from BuzzFeed) and that one episode of Ghost Files costs "hundreds of thousands of dollars." (Ghost Files being their most expensive show by bar, not their average spending habits per Watcher episode)

I understand from a few people I've seen who are in their Patreon that they make at least 100k per month from the patreon. And then there's the money they get from youtube itself from the views. And then there's the money they get from the ads.

Now I understand that Ryan said this decision came down to primarily 2 things: the ad companies were making them feel stifled with what they could do (which they don't explain how), and they want more money to be able to keep up a higher production quality.

I'm going to skip past the thing about the ads. They never specified how the ad companies were making them change their content in a way that made them feel unsatisfied. I can't speak or provide any opinions on why they want so badly to escape needing ad deals.

But I can talk about the higher production quality they speak of and that's specifically because Ryan said that they wanted to pay for a higher production quality FOR US. "For you guys."

We... we didn't ask for higher production. This is NOT a decision they need to make on our account. I understand and respect if they aren't creating on they level they want. But it's odd that they're speaking towards not being able to afford their current spending habits, as if this is something we asked them to do.

I've read a lot of comments about this and I agree with a lot of you that it's odd that this decision to switch to streaming coincides with the return of Worth It, a show that when produced by Steven, seems like it could easily cost just as much as Ghost Files to produce.

I understand why it feels like this is all Steven's fault. His vibes in the video today, compared to Ryan and Shane, made it seem like he was the most excited about it. It's Steven that has been highlighted multiple times as the business man, the one who makes the financial decisions. It's Steven's shows on Watcher that get canceled after one or two seasons, meanwhile Ryan and Shane's shows just keep going to 5 seasons and beyond.

Shane even said it explicitly, that there are "shows that didn't do as well on youtube, that might do better on a streaming service."

But most of the fans DO watch Watcher for Ryan and Shane, they always have. Steven's shows don't do as well. When Watcher brings in a new host and makes a new show for them, those shows do even worse.

I know this upsets Ryan, he's been very vocal about wanting Watcher to expand beyond himself and Shane. He wants his company to be successful regardless of whether he's in front of the camera or not.

But I feel like this step is trying to force it. Right now, this is still Ryan and Shane's channel. This is why we're here. The people haven't latched onto Steven as much, and the attempts to bring in new hosts have been unsuccessful.

There are lots of comments floating around about why Watcher didn't do what Rhett and Link did and open up youtube membership. Or why didn't they host more live events. Or why didn't they do more livestreams. These all could have been fantastic ideas that wouldn't betray the fans.

Because I do think they forgot that their fanbase is largely women in their 20s. People are right in bringing up the cost of living crisis, in bringing up how many subscription services we're already subscribed to. And my heart goes out to the international viewers who can't access the website at all in their country and the ones who can't afford it because Watcher forgot to consider the currency difference.

I feel that they have betrayed their fanbase. I remember when Watcher started and Ryan admitted he was scared no one would watch. And then we showed up for them because we loved them and what they did.

But now most of the fans can't or won't follow them where they're going. And I think Ryan might know this too from the way he said If this is goodbye, it's been fun.

I wish they would have tried other things before hard launching a streaming service. I wish they would have had a long game plan to get to the place they wanted to be as a company and as creatives.

I feel betrayed but I also don't want this company going bankrupt. If they go bankrupt, then we truly have lost them forever. I hope they take a look at the overwhelming backlash, at their falling subscriber numbers, and I hope they reconsider doing this.

[satoshi-mochida]

Cupid Parasite: Sweet & Spicy Darling coming west in 2024

Gematsu Source

Idea Factory International will release otome visual novel Cupid Parasite: Sweet & Spicy Darling for Switch in 2024 in the west, the publisher announced.

Cupid Parasite: Sweet & Spicy Darling will launch first in Japan on November 30.

Here is an overview of the game, via Idea Factory International:

About

While working for a major marriage agency named Cupid Corporation, Cupid the goddess of love herself, strived to become the top bridal advisor. She was assigned five hopeless clients known as the Parasite 5! Even after guiding them through mock dates, matchmaking seminars, and the reality show “Parasite House,” all five abruptly canceled their memberships! Yet their departures brought all their personal challenges to the surface. As she confronted these issues with them, they overcame many unexpected obstacles… And she fell in love with “him.” This is the continued love story of the goddess of love, Cupid, experiencing love firsthand. It’s the tale of when she becomes a goddess “only” for him. Marriage wasn’t the end goal, but the start of a new chapter. Whether they began dating or got married, the only thing awaiting them is a series of unexpected challenges! A mysterious new creature has appeared in Los York! Could it be a divine message or evidence of an unknown civilization? A love story so sweet, it’ll make your heart melt! The whirlwind of feelings taking the world by storm is far from over! An endearing, joyful, and chaotic tale that’s richer and more exhilarating than ever! This romance featuring a former goddess is so sweet and spicy, it’ll make your teeth ache and set your soul ablaze! And in Merenice Levin’s route, her days as Cupid are far from over! A romantic and comedic story in the world of matchmaking is set to unfold!

Key Features

Sweeter and Spicier! – Return to Los York with the original cast of Cupid Parasite, plus an all new-character Merenice Levin. Rendezvous with seven of the sweetest and spiciest bachelors in up to three game modes and unlock over 80 CGs, including some that may be too hot to handle!

All Different Flavors to Choose From – Pick from three different modes that can satiate anyone with a sweet tooth. Select “After Drama” mode to follow-up with the original Parasite 6 and pick up from where you last left off. Go with “New Parasite” mode for a chance to experience Merenice Levin’s perspective of the events that take place after the common route of Cupid Parasite. You can also explore routes you unlocked in “Bonus Episode” mode for six bonus episodes with their own unlockable CGs!

In Sweetness and In Spiciness?! – You must choose the flavor of the next course. Will you go with the sweet? Or will you go with the spicy? When prompted with the choice during gameplay, select between sweet or spicy to impact the ending of your selected route. Manage to balance the flavors for a chance at something really appetizing.

Rich, Decadent Visuals and Savory Scenarios – The original scenario writer and illustrator of Cupid Parasite return! Ririka Yoshimura (scenario writer) and Yuuya (illustrator) join forces once again to bring fans a delectable addition to the Cupid Parasite universe.

Watch a teaser trailer below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

Teaser Trailer

[rainyday-deer]

In light of... Events. Insta and Twitter got you down? Miss when DeviantArt WASNT a flaming trash heap? Check out SHEEZY.ART

For actual human artists! They have a system for reporting AI!

Has a GREAT tagging system that is upheld both by mods and the community! See someone missed a tag on their piece that should probably be there? You can suggest that they add it through a form!

Allows ns/fw!! With both mature and explicit filters!!

You can adjust your filters for your own comfort! You can choose NOT to see Mature works, and you can block specific tags!

You can customize your page! A background! A page doll! Even a custom cursor! It's super fun!

3 bucks a month minimum for an instant sign up AND you benefits from doing so!

Sheezy allows you to upload 5 pictures every 24 hours if you have a free membership, but allows 10 if you pay the 3 usd a month-- And allows MORE if you support them through their higher tiers on Kofi or Patreon. it's currently still in Beta, which is why free sign ups have a limited time frame at the moment, though they'll be going 100% public soon enough!

Definitely give them ur support! They're a small team, doing this out of a labor of love for art and artists. Hosting a website costs though, so every dollar they get definitely helps.

I've had a GREAT, very chill time on Sheezy, and I genuinely cannot sing its praises enough.

[charmedhypno]

Charmed! 2025 Covid Policy Update

Charmed! 2025 Covid-19 Policy

Charmed! is committed to hosting the safest event we possibly can as the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, the Convention Committee (“ConCom”) will continue to require up to date Covid vaccinations as well as masking for our attendees, staff, and volunteers at Charmed! 2025.

In addition, hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout Convention Space (“Con Space”) and our Dungeon Monitors (“DMs”) will be extremely proactive in reminding people to clean their equipment - if you need help please ask and it will be provided!

Please read the following policies carefully! They contain several important dates and deadlines – ignorance of these policies will not result in any exemptions.

Vaccination Policy

The newest Covid-19 vaccine update has been evaluated and released for use in the United States to people aged 6 months and older for Fall 2024. People can get the vaccination if it has been at least 2 months since their last vaccination for Covid-19. People who have not previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 are considered “up to date” with their vaccinations after receiving this single dose.

This vaccine update is free under most insurance plans in the United States (including Medicaid and Medicare), but is no longer offered for free by the United States government.

Free vaccinations may be available on a state-by-state basis; so check whether or not your state has a free adult vaccination program if you require a free option. People based in the United States can search for their local Health Department here: https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory

People who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 may wait 3 months before getting the updated vaccine.

In order to attend Charmed! 2025 in-person you must be up to date with your Covid vaccination: a person who is “up to date” with their vaccinations beginning September, 2024 is a person who has received the latest updated vaccine, released in September, 2024.

Vaccinations typically take around two weeks to reach full efficacy; therefore for the purposes of Charmed! 2025 vaccinations will be considered valid if they are received by or before Monday, January 6th, 2025.

In-person attendees of Charmed! 2025 will be required to show proof of “up to date” vaccination received in good time – that is, they must show proof that they have received the Fall 2024 vaccine update by or before January 6th, 2025. Proof may be in the form of one of the following: official paper vaccine card, electronic vaccine card, photocopy or digital representation of official vaccine card, website listing your name/vaccination date, dated email for an applicable vaccination appointment, a photograph of some part of the vaccination process (eg. the vial of serum), or other applicable media. If you are unsure that your form of proof will be valid, please contact us before arriving at the event. Proof of vaccination will be verified at badge pick-up.

You can contact us using one of the following ways: Email us at: Covid@Charmedhypno.org Contact us through Charmed! social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharmedHypno Fetlife: https://fetlife.com/groups/121240?sp=1 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/charmedhypno Bluesky: https://charmedhypnocon.bsky.social/ Discord: DM @Noelle - I have answers!

People who are unable to get the updated Covid-19 vaccine for a three month period ending with the final day of Charmed! 2025 (January 26th, 2025) due to a previous Covid-19 infection will be considered “up to date” for the purposes of in-person attendance. Please contact ConCom if you become Covid-positive within this window.

IMPORTANT: if you have a Covid-19 infection that results in you being able to get the updated vaccine within the two week time period before Charmed! 2025 begins – that is, January 8th through January 22nd – you will not be considered “up to date” with your vaccination and will be ineligible to attend Charmed! 2025 in person.

PLEASE NOTE: the three month waiting period is a CDC recommendation and it may be possible for people to get the updated vaccine within that time period.

In-person attendees at Charmed! 2025 will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of badge pick-up, (over-the-counter test is okay), in picture form in order to pick up their badge. Please do not bring a physical test with you to badge pick up - a picture on your phone is sufficient.

Mask Policy

In-person attendees at Charmed! 2025 will be required to wear well-fitting, high quality masks, such as N95s, KN95s, and FFP2s (or equivalent) at all times while in official convention space. This includes both the private convention area and Con Suite, as well as semi-public areas such as registration and the hallway outside of the upstairs classrooms.

If you are unable to acquire an N95 or similar mask, then pleated surgical masks are acceptable as a last resort.

Examples of unacceptable masks include: bandanas, gaiters, and scarfs.

Presenters and demo-bottoms may choose to remain unmasked only while actively presenting.

There are no mask exceptions for evening social events and dungeon play.

Masks may be raised, but not removed, in order to sip water and/or eat small snacks in Convention Space as needed.

A small number of masks may be available via Convention Operations for people who need them; however, we cannot guarantee this so please do your best to procure your own.

Testing Policy

In 2024, we did not require that attendees test daily but did highly recommend that they do so. For 2025, we are again highly recommending that people test daily before entering convention space. Over the counter tests are excellent at detecting a viral load in someone who is contagious, and are currently the best way for people to determine if they need to isolate themselves.

Convention Operations may have a small number of tests available for people who need them; please do not count on this and do your best to procure your own.

Policy Exemptions

Residents of countries that do not offer updated Covid-19 vaccines to the general population may be considered exempt from the requirement to be up-to-date by United States standards as long as they have received and can show confirmation that they received the primary course of vaccinations; that is, the original shot plus the two follow up shots.

We ask that people in non-U.S. countries who are eligible to receive updated vaccines continue to do so.

Attendees who are offered exemptions to the 2025 Covid-19 policy will be required to test daily while in attendance in person at Charmed! 2025 and to send verification of their negative test result to a member of ConCom before they are allowed entrance into official con space.

Failure to follow this policy may result in that person’s badge being pulled and them no longer being able to attend Charmed! 2025 in person.

We will continue to assess the status of attendees with possible medical exemptions on a case by case basis. If you are affected by this policy, please contact us as soon as you can via email at Covid@charmedhypno.org or dm Noelle_8033 on Discord.

There are no exemptions to the masking policy.

Covid Infections & Isolation Policy

Attendees, including all staff members, volunteers, presenters, etc, will be required to report and self-isolate if they test positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2025.

For the purposes of Charmed! 2025, an attendee who is “self-isolating” will remain in their private room as much as possible and will not enter any shared hotel spaces with convention members, including but not limited to: official Convention Spaces (areas past our security check points), shared convention spaces (eg. the badge pick up area, the hallway outside of upstairs classrooms), and the Charmed! 2025 Consuite (the enclosed room outside of regular Con space that is across from the public fireplace seating area.)

ConCom reserves the right to expand this list during the Convention in order to accommodate the number of in-person attendees present at Charmed! 2025.

Out of an abundance of caution, an initial positive test result will be taken as confirmation of infection, regardless of subsequent testing.

**The identity of anyone that contracts Covid-19 while at Charmed! 2025 will be kept anonymous unless otherwise unavoidable, unless that person wishes to share their identity.

Failure to report and self-isolate will result in the infected attendee’s badge being pulled and potentially a ban from Charmed! in the future.**

Reporting & Contact Tracing Policy

Anyone becoming positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2025 will be required to report and self-isolate. They will need to identify to ConCom classes/areas where they have been, including private spaces, and ConCom will inform the attendee population that they may have been exposed to Covid-19.

**The identity of anyone that contracts Covid-19 while at Charmed! 2025 will be kept anonymous unless otherwise unavoidable, unless that person wishes to share their identity.

Failure to report and self-isolate will result in the infected attendee’s badge being pulled and potentially a ban from Charmed! in the future.**

Charmed! 2025 is committed to providing as safe an environment as possible for our attendees. This may mean that our vaccination/mask requirements are stronger/stricter than those of other events or organizations. We understand that this can be frustrating, and we appreciate your adherence to these policies that are for the benefit of every attendee at Charmed! 2025.

[rz-jocelyn]

[NEWS] Sato Ryuji has been Cast as Matsuno Chifuyu in the "Musical 'Tokyo Revengers' #2 Bloody Halloween"

Preview Video

STAGE INFORMATION

Tokyo Performances

Dates: March 28, 2025 to April 06, 2025

Venue: The Galaxy Theatre

Capacity: 746 people

Kyoto Performances

Dates: April 11, 2025 to April 13, 2025

Venue: Kyoto Theater

Capacity: 941 people

STORY DESCRIPTION

The "Musical 'Tokyo Revengers' #2 Bloody Halloween" is the second installment in the "Musical 'Tokyo Revengers'", and as the title says, will likely be covering the events surrounding Bloody Halloween in the Valhalla Arc.

In the manga, this arc is covered in Chapters 34 to 77, and in the anime, it is covered in Episodes 13 to 25.

Sato Ryuji has been cast as Matsuno Chifuyu, the vice captain of the First Division of the Tokyo Manji Gang, and a close friend of Hanagaki Takemichi.

For more information about the full story of "Tokyo Revengers", please refer to this link: HERE

CAST

Takenaka Ryohei as Hanagaki Takemichi

Kitamura Ryo as Sano Manjiro

Isaka Ikumi as Ryuguji Ken

Suzuki Shogo as Baji Keisuke

Kishimoto Yuta as Hanemiya Kazutora

Sato Ryuji as Matsuno Chifuyu

Sakayori Futa as Mitsuya Takashi

Koki as Hayashida Haruki

Kubo Yudai as Sendo Atsushi

Sasaki Takashi as Sano Shinichiro

Hiramatsu Raima as Kisaki Tetta

Isono Dai as Hanma Shuji

Sato Nobunaga as Tachibana Naoto

Ita Riria (Nogizaka 46) as Tachibana Hinata

NOTE:

[1] Ryuji and Suzuki Shogo have worked together before in the "Engeki no Mouri-san - The Entertainment Theater" where they did "Hoshi no Oujisama" ("Le Petit Prince"/"The Little Prince").

Ryuji played the prince while Shogo played the pilot.

[2] Ryuji has worked with Kitamura Ryo before in the "Live Spectacle NARUTO", the Movie Theatre "Success Sou" and "Kamen Rider Geats".

[3] Ryuji and Sato Nobunaga have co-starred together before in "Itoshi no Hakana" and the "Musical Touken Ranbu".

[4] Ryuji has also been a guest on "Bokutachi no Asobiba", which features Isaka Ikumi as one of the regulars. To watch all the episodes with Ryuji, please refer to this link: HERE

TICKETING INFORMATION

Ticket Types

VIP Seat (all seats in the first 5 rows; stage pamphlet included): 16,800 yen

S Seat (stage pamphlet included): 12,800 yen

Pair S Seat (set of 2 seats; stage pamphlet included; 1,000 yen goods voucher included): 25,600 yen

A Seat: 9,800 yen

Sato Ryuji Fanclub Ticket Application

Application Period: Now to 23.59 (Japan time) on September 16, 2024

To apply for tickets using this method, please refer to this link: HERE

NOTE: A fanclub membership is required for this application. To register for a membership, please refer to this link: HERE

"Musical 'Tokyo Revengers'" Official Twitter: HERE

"Musical 'Tokyo Revengers'" Official Website: HERE

Source(s): ( x , x , x , x )

[thorraborinn]

I want to explain how religious organizations in Iceland work because I keep seeing some incorrect information about Ásatrúarfélagið having a policy of prohibiting Americans from joining. I'm American and I have been a member before, so that obviously can't be true.

In Iceland, religious organizations (and "life-view" organizations) are regulated by the government to a degree that the American mind cannot comprehend. Even the Catholic church is subject to the state's bureaucracy if it wants to operate within Iceland. When a church wants to know who its members are, it needs to get that information from the government. There's a link on Ásatrúarfélag's website that says "Want to join Ásatrúarfélagið? Click here." and it's a link to the same government website you use to register a change of address. If you want to join, take it up with the government.

Ásatrúarfélagið does not and can not set policies about who can join. It has no ability to regulate its membership. The real thing that membership in a religious organization actually is, that everything else is an extension of, is checking a box on a government form which tells the government where to dedicate a portion of the money you pay in taxes. How they feel about this is irrelevant and I doubt they've said much if anything about it.

Obviously, the state can't regulate people's actual beliefs and there's nothing stopping you from finding a bunch of friends and participating in your own customs without integrating into the state bureaucracy, but Ásatrúarfélagið sought recognition and therefore integration into this system half a century ago.

This is the same for Catholics in Iceland, Muslims in Iceland, secular humanists in Iceland, dialectical materialists in Iceland, etc.

What the Icelandic mind is correspondingly unable to comprehend is why an American would want to join. What do you think you get out of membership? Ability to attend rituals? As long as you can get to Iceland, you already have that, because their rituals are already open to everyone (sometimes requiring pre-registration if there's a limited number of seats, and sometimes there's a cover charge, but there are also many free outdoor public events). For the vast majority of members, the only difference between being a member and a non-member is that you get a calendar and newsletter in the mail periodically, which is in Icelandic. I can't pretend to speak for org members but my impression is that many think the only reason non-locals would want to join is the weird idealization that people subject Icelanders to, this kind of second-hand nationalism common to heathens that strips Icelanders of their actual humanity and turns them into a novelty.

What I think people might be thinking of is that years ago when the hof (temple) was in the news a lot, they were getting threatening messages from international heathens, mostly folkish ones objecting to their stances on issues like gay marriage and racial non-discrimination; and some from heathens who think Ásatrúarfélagið should have to conduct animal sacrifice (not sure what the overlap is between them and folkish but I imagine it's substantial). There were discussions about how to protect the hof when it was complete. But it's still not complete (though yeah, parts of it are usable now) and Covid-19 both delayed its completion and just otherwise made that discussion less urgent. I'm not sure where they landed on that or if they did come to a conclusion. But it's weird that international people would feel entitled to it anyway. The Icelanders didn't ask to be the custodians of an international pilgrimage site and they shouldn't be obligated to provide one.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

Donald Trump’s idea of being patriotic is not about supporting the United States. It’s about supporting those who help him. That’s why Trump has long praised and defended the Jan 6 terrorists who were helping him attempt to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election. Now Trump is taking this support to a new level by welcoming to his exclusive country club in New Jersey an awards show called the “J6 Awards Gala” created to honor those who attacked the Capitol—including those who brutally beat police officers. This is akin to Osama Bin Laden holding an awards event four years after 9/11 to honor those who waged that terrorist attack. And it’s just as vile and anti-American.

The website for this Sept. 5 event--organized by the Stand in the Gap Foundation--boasts that Trump has been invited to speak—although reports are he’s not expected to attend. But the event website notes other visible Trump allies will be speaking including Rudy Guiliani and former advisor Peter Navarro—who was released in July from prison after serving three months for refusing to comply with the House Jan 6 committee’s investigation. It's no surprise that this event is being held at one of Trump’s marquee properties given his track record. The GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee has hailed the attackers as  “patriots” and vowed to pardon those convicted of crimes— including those “who assaulted officers.” And last year—to little media attention--he spoke at a fundraiser at this very Trump golf course in support of the Jan 6 insurrectionists. Trump has even  kicked off campaign rallies with an announcer asking the crowd to “please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6 hostages” followed by a recording of the national anthem performed by people incarcerated in connection with the attack. Indeed, it’s these Jan 6 prisoners who sang that song--which Trump lent his voice to--who will be honored at the upcoming event at Trump’s golf course.

[...] In addition, the organizer of this J6 awards ceremony is Sarah McAbee, the wife of Ronald Colton McAbee, a former sheriff’s deputy who was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for assaulting police officers on Jan. 6. As DOJ detailed, McAbee despicably held down another police officer who had been “knocked to the ground, kicked, and stripped of his baton by other rioters” enabling the crowd to viciously beat him. As a result, “the officer sustained physical injuries, including a head laceration, concussion, elbow injury, bruising, and bodily abrasions.” These are just some of the Jan 6 attackers expected to be honored at Trump National Golf Club  in New Jersey. Interestingly, the country club’s website explains that for large events like weddings or galas, organizers need to contact the club management to utilize a “membership sponsored program.”  Did Trump sponsor this event? Did he waive this requirement? It’s unclear but one thing is certain: Trump has not denounced the event, called for it be canceled or demanded his photo be removed for the website promoting the “J6 Awards Gala.” At this point, even if Trump were pressured and ultimately denounced the J6 awards gala, it would ring hollow given his record of praising and defending the attackers.  These are Trump’s people and Jan 6 was his attack. As the House Jan 6 committee’s final report summed up well, “the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed,” adding, “None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”  

At the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, Donald Trump is set to welcome the domestic terrorist-honoring J6 Awards Gala on September 5th.

Trump himself is invited to speak but currently isn’t confirmed; however, Peter Navarro, Bo Loudon, Colby Covington, and Rudy Giuliani are just a few of the confirmed speakers.

[smashpages]

We learned in San Diego last month that Mark Waid and Dan Mora will follow the Absolute Power event miniseries with a new Justice League comic with a familiar title — Justice League Unlimited. And if you were a fan of the animated series that took an everyone-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to membership, you’ll probably love this title as well.

“One of the things that comes out of Absolute Power is the heroes deciding that this whole event probably wouldn’t have happened had the Justice League not disbanded and they were still properly communicating with each other,” Waid said in an interview on DC’s website. “So now it’s not a matter of the traditional JL working together, it’s a case of enlisting everyone who has powers and wants to be on the team. There’s space for the Justice Society, for the Titans, and it will be Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman knowing based on any oncoming threats who is best to take that threat on.”

Read more

[vignellicenter]

Abe Hirschfeld, who made a fortune building parking garages, turned a parking garage at 330 East 61st Street into an exclusive fitness club in the 1980s.

In 1979, Vignelli Associates designed a logo, brochure, stationery, and membership materials for what their own brochure deemed “a country club in the heart of the city”

“A unique sporting club offering tennis, squash and racquetball”

“No sport and racquet facility like exists anywhere.”

By 1984, the club was the place to be seen with many celebrity sightings [for example, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Ashford and Simpson, Brooke Shields]

Quotes from a 1984 NY Times article about the health club’s social scene:

''The Vertical Club is today's Studio 54''

“People join other health clubs to get in shape before they join here''

“Pure Fellini''

“It is better socially than a singles bar because it's not so obvious”'

Here is what the VC brochure promised:

“Court time at your convenience is always assured, because Vertical Club membership is strictly limited. … The congeniality and prestige of the club us maintained by our Admissions Committee, which interviews and approves all applicants.”

Staff are ready “to make each visit to the Vertical Club a delightful leisure experience.”

Courts

“Courts are stacked vertically atop one another. Each level of the vertical club is equivalent to four stories; the building is the height of a 20-story structure.”

“Architect Eugene Ho has created tennis “al fresco” through open, retractable siding on the courts.”

Courtside Restaurant and Bar

“The glass-walled, elevated Courtside Restaurant overlooks our two exhibition tennis courts and glass-sided racquetball court.”

Graphics

“Vignelli Associates are designers of tremendous scope.”

Fee schedule

“Resident + spouse Initiation fee $4000 plus $125/mo”

And speaking of the 1980s, join us next week for our next Open Houses which will highlight artifacts from the archives from the 1980s. Check out our events page on our website for more details [link in bio]

9/25-9/26, 2024 10am-4pm

And in the spring with a completely different displays of 1980s artifact!

3/26-3/27, 2025 10am-4pm

[kiscon]

K/S Gazette (Jan and Feb!)

First, a reminder: Early Bird Registration for KiScon is still open through Valentine's Day!

If you have not yet registered for KiScon and want that sweet sweet Early Bird Registration rate of $150, make sure you sign up within this window!

The price of in-person attending registration will go up on February 15th to $165. Registration will remain available at that price through the 31st of July. On August 1st the price will go up again to $180. All registration for the convention, both online and in person, takes place through Conline! Register here: https://kiscon.conline.club/ We have also produced a helpful Conline How-To pdf: https://kiscon.org/resources/Conline-How-To-2024.pdf

More information regarding registration, membership tiers, as well as scholarships, can be found in the previous issue of our newsletter, archived here. 2. Submissions for the 2024 KiScon Zine are open! Submissions for the 2024 KiScon Zine are open now through August 1st!

Our editor, @1lostone, is looking forward to working with you.

We are looking for new and never before seen art and writing (both fic and meta!) focusing on the relationship between Kirk and Spock.

For a full rundown of the submission guidelines and access to the submission form, please see the zine page on our website: https://kiscon.org/zine.html

The hard deadline for zine submissions is August 1st, 2024. 3. K/S Spring Fever is in full swing!

February finds you feeling frigid? Not to fret! K/S Spring Fever, our delightful springtime Kirk and Spock prompt fill fest will have you thoroughly warmed up in no time! The prompting phase of the fest has generated 120 glorious prompts, which now beckon to be filled.

You can view said prompts and find out more information about the event on the 2024 Collection Page on AO3. 4. K/S Bingo is also in full swing, and will be for the rest of the year!

If you are active in our KiScord Server you may already be aware, but 1lostone has put together a splendid, low-pressure K/S fannish creation event in the form of a bingo challenge!

The way it works is like this: 1. You fill out this Google form. 2. 1lostone, powerful Wrangler of the Bingo, will then generate for you a custom bingo card, and send it to you either via Direct Message on Discord or via e-mail. 3. You have until the end of the year to obtain the state known as bingo (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, blackout, Texas T – any way you like) by creating fanworks to fill the prompts upon thy bingo card. Don't forget to add your work to the AO3 collection: KiScon Bingo Challenge. 5. Curious what else is going on in online K/S fandom?

The lovely Thia has put together a handy dandy calendar of K/S and K/S adjacent fandom events, anniversaries, and deadlines for the year 2024! It lists the events in chronological order and has links to websites where you can find out more information on many of them listed at the bottom of the page. Neat!

You can view the calendar on Thia's website here.  6. Not enough K/S in your social media feed?

KiScon is now on both Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kisconnews/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@kisconnews/).

Our lovely social media wranglers @cate-adams and @purpleenma are currently conducting and posting a fascinating fannish interview series, as well as KiScon and K/S fandom related news and updates in delightful bite-sized social media format. If you are active on either of these platforms, please consider giving us a follow!

And that's the news! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.

We've said this before but we'll say it again: we love to hear from y'all! If you have a question or comment about anything discussed in the newsletter or maybe a piece of K/S news we've missed, such as a new zine coming out or an online fanwork creation fest or anything else you think might be worthy of note, please let us know! You can get in touch by replying directly to this e-mail. :-) Yours in K/S,

T’Lara & StarshipLillian

[rainbowrollnet]

Are you part of an LGBTQIA+ led Actual Play? Looking for peer support, marketing help, or an event-focused group to join? Rainbow Roll Network is here for you!

For more information about membership, visit our website at the link below ⬇️

[whosamawhatsit]

So tomorrow is a total solar eclipse

I'm sure most of you have heard about it in one form or another already and we've all seen that airbnb map circulating around. But for the rest of the world and most of the US not in the totality path, did you know you can still watch it live?

Here's the youtube link for NASA's live broadcast.

Looks like it's scheduled to start at 1:00 PM UTC (here's a timezone converter for your convenience) but youtube should also give you the option for notifications. And because NASA is NASA, they're also going to have Q&A and science facts sprinkled in.

In addition, there are also indie groups like Slooh who will also be streaming the event on youtube and their website. Slooh is typically membership-only, but the stream is free for everyone via youtube. Unlike NASA you have to be a member to submit questions for their Q&A.

I recommend keeping one of these streams open even if you are in the eclipse path as you're going to want to keep your eclipse glasses ON UNTIL THE SUN IS FULLY COVERED. When I went with Slooh for the 2017 eclipse they gave us a countdown until it was safe to remove glasses, and fair warning when the totality had passed so everyone could get their glasses back on. Here's a Forbes article with a bit more information, but the TL;DR is you should wait until it gets dark before taking off your glasses and as soon as it starts getting bright put them back on.

And for those who aren't in the eclipse path and can't make it to either livestream, don't worry! If the 2017 total eclipse is anything to go by there's going to be plenty of documentation you can catch up on the next day, or even just a few hours after the event passes. In fact, one of the local Utah colleges managed to send up a weather balloon with a 360 camera to get a crystal clear view. Here's a link to the regular video they posted and here's a link you can watch from your phone for a VR experience. Smarter Every Day also filmed the 2017 eclipse including capturing the ISS passing by for a once in a lifetime photoshoot, as did Veritasium sans ISS photos. Both are science channels and go a bit more in-depth on what it's like to actually be there. I'm expecting both channels to cover this eclipse as well. SED already has some pre-eclipse info videos out which I'm not linking to but are all over the channel if you have time to browse around.

It's not quite the same but there was a partial solar eclipse in October of 2023 which OSP managed to cover. Red's video is tons of fun though so I'm including it.

Happy eclipse watching! Hope this helps.

[barricadescon]

Registration for Barricades: A Les Mis Convention 2024 opens today!

You can register at the Barricades website or on our EventBrite page.

General admission to the convention is £12. (See what this is in your local currency.) This covers admission to all panel streams and chat spaces. 

At no additional cost, you can also register as an exhibitor in our virtual Artists’ Alley  — a space to link your shop or portfolio, meet with other artists or fans, and host your own arts programming, such as livestreams and chats. 

We are still building the schedule (and still accepting programming proposals through March 15), but we may add program items with limited attendance, such as games and writers’ workshops. Tickets to these will be available on the same registration form, for no additional cost, under Add-Ons. Currently we have one add-on available, admission to the Fans of Colour Zoom Room — a safer space for meetups and discussion. 

If the cost of the ticket would be a financial burden — for example, because you are a student or disabled or the exchange rate to your local currency is steep — you can email us at info@barricadescon.com to request a scholarship or fill out this form. You do not need to explain your circumstances; just let us know to put your name on the list, and we’ll release a batch of scholarships every month as funding becomes available. Scholarships are donation-funded; the registration form lets you purchase a membership for yourself plus a scholarship for someone else, or to make a standalone donation to the fund. Any unclaimed scholarship funds will be donated to Black and Pink, our con charity, after the convention. 

Registration is open through July 10; however, we encourage you to register early to make sure you receive our scheduling poll, as well as announcements of any limited-attendance events. 

See you on the barricades!