Valar Guild

January 1, 2022 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Discord:
Valar Guild/meeting_place

Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for Eastern.]

Attending (and typed): (6)

    Discord: 
A
rien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, Pallando, Sandalf, Varda (presiding)
    ThundersnowSarabi dropped by Jan 3, invited by Tulkas-(Valar). Welcome, Thundersnow!
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
Web:

    General News page now shows only 2023.
    Index images for the new year shows only fireworks related. (Jan 4 back to regular rotating images, with additional model photos.)
Gaming:
    World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, Lord of the Rings Online
Tolkien:
    Topic: Tolkien's birthday. Coin for next year.
After-meeting:
    (non)Flashgaming Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games.

 
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Before-meeting

Eonwλ Valar — 12/31/2022 6:46 PM
As we move from the old year to the new year, let's learn something from a man named Anthony Stark, a man that learns from the past to improve and adapt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk2ocXjjm2g
    YouTube
    ChickenuggetKing
    Every time Tony Stark learned from his mistakes

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:00 PM
Aiya : )

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:01 PM
Aiya! And happy new year!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:03 PM
Heya all and Happy New Year!

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:05 PM
Aiya all and Happy new year as well :d
😄

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:07 PM
Aiya All and Happy New Year! Ein Freues Neues Jahr!

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:07 PM
Thanki you sandalf 🙂

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:08 PM
Bitte

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:09 PM
The same to you

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:10 PM
Pardon, watched your Iron Man video where he learns and adds what he learns to the suits. : )

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:11 PM
When I clicked on the Video, it is "This video is unavailable!'

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:11 PM
Aiya Arien, Phar, Eonwe, and Sandalf : )

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:11 PM
Yeah, gotta click the link that sys to watch on youtube instead of in the mini-window.

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:12 PM
Aye, agree that you think the link is reliable. Wellll, it didn't kill my computer, so you can figure it's ok.

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:12 PM
Happens sometimes.
Or if you don't trust it you can look it up by name directly on youtube, whichever you'd prefer :}

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:14 PM
But you know I just tried it and it was ok. : )

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:15 PM
I got it to go too...it too several attempts. It is a long clip!

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:15 PM
Except for pulling me out of the meeting, le oops. ; )
Yes it is.

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Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!

Membership:

Happy New Year to you all!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:15 PM
https://youtu.be/AhFpbgvmyao?t=14
    YouTube
    PeetrW
    Spaceballs: Would i lie?

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:15 PM
Huzzah for having made it to another year!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:15 PM
And you!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:16 PM
Happy New Year! :}

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:17 PM
@Bounder Happy New Year! Feel free to come to the Valar Guild meeting_place and chat gaming and Tolkien, say hi, or just lurk in peace. 🙂

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:17 PM
/.0.jgfxxvb1
]{l7h365
21':jksfghjkl;3

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:17 PM
That's hard to pronounce, Sandalf. : )

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:17 PM
huch whats that lol?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:18 PM
Looks like a cat running over a keyboard.

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:18 PM
snap i was about to say that 😄

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:18 PM
: )

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:18 PM
Yes. I spilled some delicious Chef Salad on my spill-proof keyboard...had to clean it up. Sorry!

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:19 PM
ah close enough

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:19 PM
Hope you had enough left to eat! And your keyboard is ok.
Attack of the Salad!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:20 PM
Yes to both. I made the salad,,,always have some left over...and the keyboard likes blue cheese dressing, I think....

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:22 PM
It's a key ingredient.
...That was so terrible, can hardly recognize it as a pun.

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:23 PM
So does it deserve rimshot or waah waaaaahh  :}

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:24 PM
Probably it deserves people throwing stuff at me.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:24 PM
badda boom...

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:24 PM
heh

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:24 PM
tomato

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:24 PM
Here's hoping the fireworks with the keyboard is the worst thing experienced and you all had a great New Year's. : )
We had fun with fireworks. Homemade eggnog, friends. All good here.

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:25 PM
shrimp

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:25 PM
Yum : )

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:25 PM
Was it liquor-laden egg nog or regular, straight up eggnog?

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:25 PM
Pork ribs to go with the black-eyed peas and cornbread and other.

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:25 PM
horseradish There, now you can make some cocktail sauce for the shrimp :}

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:26 PM
Non-alcoholic.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:26 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliebol for us
    Oliebol
    An oliebol (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈoːlibɔl], plural oliebollen, West Frisian: Oaljebol or Oaljekoek) is a traditional Belgian and Dutch beignet typically eaten on New Year's Eve.
    Oliebol

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:26 PM
For those that want to add rum, brandy, or milk, they have their choice of thinner. : )
It looks wonderful, Phar!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:27 PM
Vanilla ice cream was how they did it when I was growing up.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:27 PM
I think an oliebol would go great with some eggnog....do the Dutch have eggnog too?

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:27 PM
ahh, I didn't think of ice cream, it was already pretty thick.

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 4:28 PM
that looks interesting , what is it made with?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:28 PM
Don't hear much about that, Sandalf, though https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocaat is a more popular variation.
    Advocaat
    Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy.
    The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency.
    The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV.
    Its contents may be a blend of egg yolks, aromatic spirits, sugar or honey, brandy, vanilla, and sometimes cr...

[4:28 PM]
I don't like either eggs or alcohol myself, though.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:29 PM
It looks pretty rich even without reading the ingredients!

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:29 PM
Sounds a bit eggnoggy
[4:30 PM]
We couldn't find any at the store, so I attempted to make my own. Lucky it turned out well. It's the "simple" version here:
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Eggnog
    wikiHow
    Make Eggnog
    Nothing says "holiday spirit" like a glass of eggnog! It tastes like Christmas, and when you combine just a few simple ingredients, you have a treat the whole family can enjoy.
    Learn how to make easy eggnog for your family, a traditional...

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:30 PM
Ok, that's it, I can't resist.....

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:30 PM
Main trick seems to be patience. : )

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:31 PM
https://twitter.com/SteamboatLeelee/status/547107626946142208/photo/1
    Steamboat Tweet (@SteamboatLeelee)
    Egg Nog. #christmas #startrek #TREKKIE #DS9 #trekker #holidays #eggnog
    Image
    Twitter•12/22/2014 1:13 PM
    Enjoy the Egg Nog :}

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:32 PM
The pun! The pun!
Nog's face on an egg.
We'd better move to a new subject. ; )

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Web:

The general News is updated to be just for 2023, with 2022 now in the News Archives.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:33 PM
From eggs to webs. Today's theme: spiders?

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:33 PM
Could be! Plenty of those in Tolkien. And lots in LotRO.
On our index page, all images are now fireworks-related. Hit refresh or reload and they pop up randomly. : )
Regular images will return later.
(Membership: Elwing is visiting us right now, so you may be seeing her pop up in LotRO!)
On to

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Gaming!

the gavel nervously hops towards Fionwe
never know if salad or eggnog is about to appear

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:36 PM
A wild salad appears.

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:36 PM
Picks up gavel

Gaming:
World of Warcraft:
Hopefully you got to see the fireworks in game if you couldn't go out and see them.
They were all around and on top of my house, so no problem seeing them here, heh.
This week's bonus event: Dragonflight Dungeons.

The PvP Brawl: Comp Stomp is going until Tuesday, January 3rd.

Diablo 3:
The Darkening of Tristram event is starting January 3rd! ---
https://us.diablo3.blizzard.com/en-us/blog/23893113/the-darkening-of-tristram-returns-january-3-2023-12-29-2022
    Diablo III
    The Darkening of Tristram Returns January 3, 2023!
    Our anniversary event is fast approaching! Prepare to face mysterious cultists and enter a portal into Diablo's past.

For those who don't remember, it's essentially a recreation of the original Diablo game given as an event in Diablo 3.
Fun to do if you haven't done it before.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:40 PM
I did it the first year; if it's still the same, I recommend it!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:41 PM
You use your D3 characters, of course. They're not going to make you play Warrior/Archer/Sorcerer, heh. Although I'm really really tempted to dig out my ME mod files for both D1 and D2 and see if I can get them running.
That's it for my gaming news. I return the gavel now to Varda so she doesn't have to go into the heart of a dying star to forge a giant axe.

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:43 PM
: )
I'd rather not have stars dying. : )

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 4:44 PM
:}

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:45 PM
Depends on how big the star was to start...was it simply a giant, or a super-giant? If the latter, it would probably evolve into a black hole...and you don't want to be around when the black hole collapses on itself. It tends to suck everything around it along with it....but maybe to be born on the other side, like the Mortals who leave Middle-earth?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:46 PM
Well, a black hole has the same gravitational pull as a whole as the star it came from, though far more compact. Of course, if you're already at the heart to begin with... yeah, you're not getting out.

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:46 PM
Thor movie reference.
Unless you're one of the jets coming from a black hole?
Not in the original shape you had before though. : )

Lord of the Rings Online:
The Yuletide Festival runs through January 2, tomorrow, so do the Storvβgϋn and the Battle at Frostbluff instances (from the Instance Finder) for special items some high-level, quest, and generally grab your tokens to do the barters that you want at Frostbluff!
https://www.lotro.com/guides/lotro-yuletide-festival-guide-en
    The Lord of the Rings Online
    The Yuletide Festival Guide
    Celebrate winter during the Yuletide Festival in The Lord of the Rings Online!

Valarites who showed up in the kin this past week (outside kin is not listed, but we have those too):
Landroval server branch (RP-encouraged, full server, our main):
Belladonna
Eonwe
Fangorn
Meriadoc
Nar
Varda

Crickhollow server branch (regular full server):
Eonwe
Fangorn
Varda

Shadowfax server branch (difficulty slider, fast):
Varda

Treebeard server branch (difficulty slider, slow):
Varda
Any other gaming news? Requests for invites? Suggestions? Want something in a kin chest on one of the servers? Other?
Membership news?

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:51 PM
Yes. The big moving van loaded up all of my stuff in my two storage lockeres (Lagerschuppen). They will pick up my spinette Piano at Chet's Moving and storage, all to be delivered to my new home on 16 January 2023. Less than one month ago I had no idea I would be moving back to CO so quickly. An Emotional week. I last moved to Denver 42 years ago in December, also to a new home, that I sold in 1990 when i moved back to Lincoln, NE.
[4:52 PM]
One of the lockers was my stuff, from my old house in the country, and the other storage locked contained the things that I kept when I sold my parents' house in New York.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:53 PM
Gather all the stuff.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:53 PM
Only to thin  it out once I get to Thornton, and have some room to spread it out, look it over, and get rid of the things I no longer need.
[4:57 PM]
My brand new house in Colorado.
[Note: inside]
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1059243918304231455/20221213_111845.jpg
[Note: outside]
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1059243918711062638/20221213_114019.jpg

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:57 PM
Fine looking house!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 4:57 PM
Looks pretty big, compared to the houses we've got over here!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 4:58 PM
2,153 squaree feet, with a three-car garage...

Varda — 01/01/2023 4:59 PM
I'm already adding the fridge and... heh.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:00 PM
You are all welcome to stay with me if you ever find yourself traveling this way...I will have a guest bedroom once I get everything set up. You can see the Front Range from my back windows. I mean that. You are all invited to visit!

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:00 PM
Three car! Impressive size. Make a nice workshop in that or even part of it.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:00 PM
Ya' sure, ya' betcha!

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:00 PM
Very generous. : )  I owe you a dinner already!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:00 PM
That is Oregon talk for "Yeah sure, you bet..."

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:01 PM
Hey, you know you're welcome here. : )

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:01 PM
And yes...I intend to set up a workshop inside the garage.
Varda — 01/01/2023 5:02 PM
Nice : )
Since we hit the hour,  maybe we had better have our Tolkien topic right quick. : )
On to

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Tolkien!

JRRT's birthday is January 3. : )
The Tolkien Society made it a custom, which we also enjoy, to raise a toast and state: "To the Professor!" on his birthday.
The Valar Guild also does this inside our games and even in real life.
Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 5:03 PM
ah right
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 5:03 PM
Congrats Reuel!
Varda — 01/01/2023 5:03 PM
Aiya Sunshine : )
(Our founder, Eru, was also a member of the Tolkien Society.)
In LotRO, we can also smoke a pipe in his honor. (No cancer fears in a game, hah!)
We can also grow pipeweed, that lets us make all sorts of nutty "smoke rings".

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 5:04 PM
Cancer as a game obstacle... sounds oregon trail-ish.
Varda — 01/01/2023 5:04 PM
Can be a simple puff, a ring, or a fancy sailing ship. : )
Heh, I remember helping school kids learn to play Oregon Trail. That was a while back. Some volunteer work.
Or just type /smoke
Or for the toast type /drink
For those who earned the emote, we even have /toast
Oh, should mention,
anyone can write some comment in Harbor or for the News page.
For the News page, email or Discord to me and I'll put it online for you.

One more thing, from Pallando-(Valar):
https://i.imgur.com/IiM3JQS.jpg
    Imgur
    A new £2 coin will be issued next year commemorating J.R.R. Tolkien
   
£2 coin

He put that up on Harbor. : )
King Charles on one side, JRRT on the other!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:08 PM
It did not look like Tolkien!

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:08 PM
That should be a major collector's coin!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:08 PM
Can we get one  in the States?

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:08 PM
Not sure if any of you folks in the Netherlands will get them, but maybe Arien in Scotland?
Probably. The same way we can exchange any other money.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:09 PM
Maybe Arien could get some for us, and ship then over?

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:09 PM
Or get one in a plastic sack in mint condition. : )
Be ready to pay. That's asking a bit from a private individual. But maybe!
Might ask at a bank.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:10 PM
It would have to be a commercial bank, i suppose...

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:10 PM
Oh, and we can also type Happy Birthday to JRRT on the forum, even in the Shoutbox. : )
One that does international currency.
Hah, maybe an embassy!
the gavel tries to gild itself to appear to have a coin on the side of the hammer part
the hammerpad looks more like a coin
the gavel had bopped it to make the imprint!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 5:12 PM
Hmm, I suppose there should be a british embassy somewhere in this country... probably The Hague.

Varda — 01/01/2023 5:12 PM
Good thought.

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After-meeting!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:14 PM
It must be pretty easy to get from the Netherlands to the U.K., as I recall from watching numerous ferry boats move across the English Channel, as we traveled north to meet our rendezvous in the Arctic Ocean back in September, 1973. I still have my photo of the sunset from 70 degrees North, off the coast of Norway.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 5:16 PM
Well, sure, compared to the kind of trips you get up to over in the US, it's tiny 😄 UK's not in the EU anymore, though, so there's border stuff.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:17 PM
Oy.

Arien  Valar — 01/01/2023 5:40 PM
Namarie all 🙂

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 5:45 PM
Namarie, Arien!
Are your still there Ar? Anyone else?

Pallando-Valar — 01/01/2023 5:56 PM
Aiya
Happy New Year, all.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 6:00 PM
OK then...the Telegraph Mill is closed for the holiday, so I guess I will spend some time working on Tolkien here at home! I shall check in later. Namarie!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 6:08 PM
Aiya Pallando, Namarie Sandalf!

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Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 6:15 PM
Personal gaming report:
For (non)flashgaming, let's get some rhythm this week!
https://www.kongregate.com/games/fizzd/a-dance-of-fire-and-ice is a one-button rhythm game where you follow a track using an orbiting circle, going at a perfect pace but also going faster or slower to turn a corner, all to the rhythm of some nice music.
    Kongregate
    A Dance of Fire and Ice
    The second hardest one-button rhythm game you will ever play.
    Updates:
    5/12/18 After a lot of bug fixing, finally updated to WebGL! After four years. Wow th...

Not too long, but later levels can get quite frustrating
[6:26 PM]
While the early badge for level 1-x is quite doable, I've not actually managed to beat the third level set for the later badge

[6:26 PM]
Blizzard gaming:
[6:33 PM]
Hearthstone:
58 on the reward track!
[6:34 PM]
Also completed the winter veil quest event, saving Ironforge lore-wise, getting some battleground skins as rewards. This one was somewhat battleground themed indeed, as 2 of the 5 quests had you play some of them. And while I'm not too big a fan, I'm okay with going through the motions as long as I don't need to win em.
[6:35 PM]
That said, I did end up top 4 in one of them, which counted as a win for the weekly brawl/battleground/duel quest, so that saved me winning an extra brawl.
[6:37 PM]
Said brawl this week is Gift Exchange, similar to last week's, this time Great Father Winter drops crate gifts on each side of the board, and whoever opens a crate on their turn gets the reward. So in contrast to last week's, you can open your own gifts as well, which opens the way for some niche self-destructive decks like the warlock
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 6:54 PM
WoW:
[6:55 PM]
Last reset with no raids planned, but I'm too far from 70 to get in on thursday. We'll see how late I am.
[6:57 PM]
Did make it to 65 while finishing the Waking Shores, with 2 questlines at the expedition camp, following up with Wrathion at the Obsidian Citadel and bringing home the black dragonflight eggs, getting both the black and red oathstones activated. I'm guessing the oathstones will be a bit like the Pillars in Legion, where the story revolves around gotta catch em all
[6:59 PM]
After that I sought out the last questline in Waking Shores for the Sojourner achievement, and finished up with going for all the dragonriding race tracks for the Tour quest/achievement. I was a bit worried about making them all with only 1 upgrade collected for my dragonriding, but they're actually very doable with gusts of wind to propel you on your way. Getting gold ranks for all of them will require a bit more, though  But for these quests, you just need to complete them. Got the next quest for Ohn'aran Plains already, though I'll do the quests in the zone first
[7:00 PM]
I will say, though, I love the dragonracing. Diving and swerving and dodging bridges and cliffs, going from one gold circle to the next, picking up speed along the way. It'll be fun to find my way to all the glyphs as well, I'm sure.
[7:01 PM]
And of course it's great for getting to places fast as well, if you pick your heights and dives well,  you can get quite a long way across in one ride.
[7:02 PM]
Oh, and for Winter Veil, I got all my gifts on all the alts, always nice to visit em
Next week we start the Plains, as we push closer to 70!
And that's my report for the week.

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 7:10 PM
A very good report, as always. It is dark outside, of course, and when I drove home from Planet Fitness, I saw the clouds gathering in the West. Another storm is approaching from Pacific and the Rockies that should hit us starting tomorrow. It got up to 45 Grad F today, but tomorrow the temperature will only fall. The Front will start as rain and change to snow...no one is predicting how much snow we could get, but whatever moisture we receive is welcome! We are still in a deep drought on the Plains.
What Plains are you starting? The Great Plains?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 7:11 PM
The Ohn'aran Plains, as mentioned slightly earlier in the report

Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/01/2023 7:23 PM
namarie!

Sandalf13 — 01/01/2023 7:34 PM
Sorry...I overlooked that part...I figured it couldn't be the Great Plains, and  I was joking. Maybe a look-alike!

Eonwλ Valar — 01/01/2023 10:35 PM
Heya Pallando and Happy New Year :}


January 3, 2023

ThundersnowSarabi — Today at 3:27 AM
Mae govannen all and happy new years!
[3:29 AM]
New here but recommended to join from Tulkas the strong.

Varda — Today at 8:16 PM
Welcome, Thundersnow.   And hello to Tulkas!
[8:17 PM]
Most of our chat outside the meeting is in Harbor, but we'll see you either place! Sunday at 5pm Eastern is our regular meeting time, and runs at least one hour, with an After-meeting of chit-chat.

Sandalf13 — Today at 8:19 PM
Aiya ThundersnowSarabi! Aiya Varda! Just cruising my laptop and I got a notification you were on!

Varda — Today at 8:21 PM
Discord changed so that if you are in Harbor or meeting_place, you have to click the little person icon on the top to make the list of folks that are on show up. A green dot means they are on actively. Yellow crescent moon means been away a while. Then the offline list is below that list.

And a toast to the Professor, JRR Tolkien, for his birthday today!

Sandalf13 — Today at 8:28 PM
Happy Birthday, J.R.R.!

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