News Archive: Week 14, 2024

Hey everyone, I’m sure you’ve noticed images around the site starting to flicker out of existence, again. I was hoping to not need to write a post the last few times it’s been resolved, but here we are again and images aren’t loading.

As many of you know, all our images are hosted on the domain https://img.subeta.net, directed to a secure storage "bucket" on AWS. For over a decade, this setup has served us well, housing our item images, avatars, and more.

A few years back, we migrated our servers away from AWS, keeping only a few essential components there, including the S3 bucket. These components are linked to older parts of the site that require a significant overhaul to transfer elsewhere.

Regrettably, for the past few months, our AWS account has been facing frequent suspensions due to "suspicious activity" flagged by external sources, likely trolls. I've had to jump through hoops multiple times, resetting passwords, and rotating tokens just to regain access and restore our images and queues. Our minimal usage means our bill hovers under $100, disqualifying us from upgraded support.

After pleading with AWS support during the last suspension, I learned that false reports of illicit content in our buckets trigger these suspensions. Due to our modest bill, Amazon suspends first and investigates later, leaving us stuck in this frustrating loop. We're constantly at risk of suspension due to these malicious reports.

Currently, I'm awaiting AWS support to reinstate our account. Once resolved, I'll strategize moving our remaining AWS infrastructure elsewhere to prevent future disruptions. This situation is exasperating, and is mostly out of my control. Your patience and understanding are sincerely appreciated, and images should be loading again very soon.

Uh, excuse me. I did not ask for a cold snap. Is this the work of the horrid Hoarfrost and his alliesp? Or is it just the weather being silly? Oddly enough, this snap doesn't seem to mess with Vesnali. Yay!

Snow Goons and Jackalope do not have to be unlocked to fight. Hoarfrost, however, has to be unlocked before battling. These challengers will retire at 11:59pm on April 18.

The flowers are starting to bloom, which means it's the start of Vesnali! Take a look around Esther's Shop for some truly great spring items.

This is the only wave of items.

It's time to arrange your bouquets! Haven't made one before? Esther will help you create a bouquet if you have the right combinations of flowers. Where do you get flowers? Well, they float around the site, and Cinthia has a chance of rewarding flowers for completing her quests.

All quests have been cleared.

"Okay, but how do I get Vesnali Coins?" you might be wondering. You can exchange those floating flowers with users through their profiles. You can also use the following sCode in your status on the forums to direct people to flower you.

Before you go off buying cool items or throwing flowers at friends, you'll need to know a few things.

🌻 Vesnali will end at 11:59pm on April 25. 🌻 When the holiday is over, Cinthia will no longer give out bouquet-related flowers. 🌻 You will also not be able to give flowers to people for coins. 🌻 The Vesnali forums will be open until the end of the month.

You might have noticed Esther's shop is closed in preparation for Vesnali. Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer to visit. Vesnali will start on the morning of April 6.

When the holiday starts, Esther's shop will open back up. We will restart quests simultaneously because Cinthia will have a chance to give you flowers when you complete her quests.

[i]When talking about the items that have been added for the shop in public spaces, please use the spoiler tag. Some people like the surprise when holidays start, so using that tag is a nice compromise![/url]

Are you the type to add things to your chocolate, like fruit or nuts? Do you prefer milk chocolate over dark? This delicious monthly collection from the Cash Shop is a great start for your chocolate adventure.

You can also purchase one of our older April Donation Presents or Collections!

You have until the next monthly collection is released to get these challenger summoners from the Cash Shop. They are were all released in April of previous years. Note: The Fruit Punch Summoning Feather is a Spring based challenger and will stick around March, April, and May.

Step up, step up! It's my special day, and I've got a new venture for y'all to enjoy!

Pick up a ticket today for Woodys Chocolate Experience and probably have the day of your life so far. Activities include smelling the pizza shop next door, looking at pictures of chocolate that I drew in slightly rude shapes, an arid tunnel, and an imaginary lab.

Come to my abandoned warehouse…I mean, uh, my enchanted pizza garden—and remember, when we put on a fake show, at least your kids don't cry. Well, not because of us, anyway. This time.

Happy Elwood Day!