Dec 14, 2024 1 year ago
Keith
gets around
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Eradication

the shoutbox is a legendary subeta institution—it’s been part of the site since practically day one. we shut it down a few years ago bc the legacy codebase was, frankly, a trash fire, and running live chat on it was… let’s just say ā€œa challenge.ā€ but guess what? IT’S BACK. better than ever, powered by our shiny new live thread functionality.

let’s take a little stroll down memory lane. did you know one of the first customizations on subeta was shoutbox backgrounds? back in the day, if you wanted one, you didn’t buy it or unlock it. no, you had to be friends with me to get one. šŸ˜Ž

(look at all these OG shoutbox backgrounds—pure chaos. mine are BAD) you can click this link and change the sb_keith.gif to any of these to see them. they're.... very of their time

the shoutbox was more than just a chat; it was a cultural moment. drama started there, ended there, and sometimes just looped infinitely. this was back when everyone was online all the time, so no tiny slight went unexamined. if someone so much as typoed, the shoutbox would light up. iconic.

sadly, i don’t have exact records of when the shoutbox first launched. our archives only go back to 2010 bc of a massive code meltdown that basically wiped everything before that.

(this is the ā€œfirstā€ commit for subeta—anything earlier is lost to time and bad coding practices. rip.)

but even in 2014, the shoutbox was still evolving:

(fun fact: frozen users were once able to use the shoutbox. not on purpose šŸ’€)

now, here’s the plan: i’m testing live threads as the new shoutbox format. why? bc it’s so much better—actual forum posts with history, easy moderation, and you can view it outside the tiny sidebar. plus, in a few days hopefully, i’ll add a widget for a more familiar vibe. welcome to shoutbox 2.0. šŸ˜

šŸ’– ✨ šŸ¤—

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May 7, 2026 (4 minutes ago)
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emmie1989

yesterday yeah.

May 7, 2026 (8 minutes ago)
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DruidHeart

I'm not actually torn up about it, it's just weird to think about sometimes. So you turned...37 the other day?

May 7, 2026 (22 minutes ago)
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emmie1989

not much younger than me Druid

May 7, 2026 (51 minutes ago)
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DruidHeart

Oh hey, I'll be 36 soon too šŸ˜„šŸ˜­

May 7, 2026 (2 hours ago)
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emmie1989

I love BHH finds

May 7, 2026 (2 hours ago)
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emmie1989

You purchased:

Gouged Mahar Eyes

  • Wishlist

Gouged Mahar Eyes

May 7, 2026 (4 hours ago)
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Queer

ooh, grats!

May 7, 2026 (4 hours ago)
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Jesus

You purchased:

Xentrilis. damn finding bhh out the ass

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

gnight!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

Thank you, I'm gonna do my utmost. I'm hoping we'll both be asleep soon. Goodnight!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

i'll be 36 this autumn & yet i still remember what that felt like. hope you can get them settled & comfy soon!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I sense a midnight snack and some Ooblets playtime might be required in the next few minutes. The bubs is going through a major growth spurt and has been so uncomfortable

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

oh gosh, good luck!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

Oop, I hear the pitter patter of the small feet of my toddler. It is midnight and that's not a great sign...

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

i do hope we can revive some of the old sb culture now it's back

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

It's very possible! I still have over 120 of the plushies in my vault. I just checked

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

ohhhh i think you gifted me at least once! that sounds super familiar!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I had no particular favored time when I would do my gifting back in the day. But it was always Cuddlefish plushies. I was the Cuddlefish Kid.

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

Morostide is a good time to do that sort of things

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

morostide was my fave time for sb games & anon gifting. 🄰

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I do miss the random themed gift anons. I was one of them for a bit.

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

oh now i miss playing trivia & guessing games in the sb & gifting winners 🄺

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

It's a great icebreaker. Can't say I use it much

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

im gonna have to learn that now, ty

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

Naturally I also remember how to sign 'Jesus loves banana pancakes' because that comes up so, so frequently

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

meanwhile, i've completely jinxed myself mentioning crohns symptoms, rip mr

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

i feel like a few of the signs i know are pretty niche, lol. i do know "thank you", "i'm sorry", "i don't know", "i love you", "bathroom/toilet", but i also know "popcorn" & "death", for example

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I can still sign for 'payroll' 'baby shower' and 'I'm hungry' and my ASL shorthand nickname

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I have held onto some very obscure signs and some very basic niceties/greetings

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

ooh, that does sound fun!!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

hungry, but eating literally anything means more crohns hell…

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

I- many, many years ago, had some basic training and then in HS I was cast as an ASL using character in the school play and had to learn my lines in ASL as well. It was a really fun experience. Some of my homeowrk was watching Princess Mononoke and responding to questions about it from my tutor in ASL only

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

i wish i knew ASL, but sadly i have not started properly learning yet. i know a couple of basic signs & can clumsily finger spell some words, but i forget a lot of letters.

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Ceremonials

Haha, quite the coincidence- I'm trying to schedule nail appointment so my hands look better for the work sponsored ASL classes I have coming up

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Rem

Maybe it is due to all of the different types of currency. sP does not hold the same weight as it used to, it would seem.

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

i wonder if i should make a zasaba based on my lobster 'sona…hmmm.

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Vanessa

I also miss the richest user stuff. It was kinda humbling to look at, as I was never able to reach that much sP

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

morning! that was also a cute UN, but congrats on getting your own name!

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Vanessa

good morning everyone :) My original username was "Thi", as soon as it was available I changed it to my real name - which is Vanessa

May 7, 2026 (5 hours ago)
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Queer

aaaaand i've got We Don't Talk About Bruno stuck in my head bc of the ASL reanimation project.