Meepers clearly abiding by the social distancing rules

Welcome to The MeepTimes, the twice-monthly update to keep the community in the loop with what’s new, behind the scenes, and in the works.

Server Updates
Mute Update
The chat plugin has been reworked to improve /mute. In addition, players can now use /checkmute to see if they are muted and for how long.

Ignore
Players can now ignore other players with the /ignore command.

Super Chat
The chat colors for SuperMod, SuperArch, and SuperTech have been updated to the beautiful light turquoise color.

Spawn Ice and Barrier Maze
The beloved ice maze from the 2013 spawn is back with a twist! The second level of the maze now utilizes barrier blocks to increase the challenge. Go to /warp maze to test your patience and navigate your way through the ice and barriers for a meeble prize every 24h!

1.16 Compatibility
Players are now able to log on Meep on 1.16 and 1.16.1, but bear in mind that the best playing experience on Meep works with 1.12!

Boomo Clarity
Boomo now has a sign at /warp boomo telling players to /join a game.

Bugs Squashed
Parkour Commands
/ewb and /ec no longer work in parkour.

Spawn Lag
Spawn Lag has been decreased.

Jobs
/feed works again for Farmer level 100. Breaking placed diamond ore no longer pays money.

MeepTimes Contests
In this section, the community will get a chance to participate in a quick contest in each MeepTimes! There will be a 25,000 meeble or 4,000 skull prize (from the MeepTimes writers) given to the person with the best answer, chosen by the MeepTimes team. To be entered, just reply to the thread with an answer! The winner will be paid with the release of the next MeepTimes.

The contest for this issue is: Submit a photo of the night sky that you took and you’re proud of. We’ll showcase all submissions in an album and feature the winning picture in the upcoming issue.

The winner of the last edition’s Meeptimes contest is @Katronica2 who managed to adopt the Australian timezone sleep schedule whilst being in the PST zone during quarantine. Those are some super skills. Please try to sleep normally now!

The Project: Chat Overhaul
Meep’s chat plugin was recently overhauled and revised by @EnergyAssassin in order to add additional features for the community and staff team. Among these features are the ability to check mutes, ignore other players, toggle different chats, and the caps and posting filters have been relaxed.

What needed changing about the chat plugin?
A major change was making mutes work better. Muted used to just be a permissions group, which wasn't ideal. As we try to ban less players and just put them in timeout, it's important that it works well.

I also wanted /checkmute so that it was clear to players if/how long they were muted for. Also, many changes were needed to help staff out. There are now individual channels for Techs and Media.

Staff can also track mute history just like ban history. There's also /stoggle so we can ignore @SpongeyStar . There's also many slight changes made to make the experience better. This includes /ignore, and Staff not bypassing /gtoggle.

We also noticed we missed some suggestions in this update, and the following should be in game soon: Recording the reason for a mute (visible in /checkmute), /ignore expiring after a week, double post filter -> triple post filter, tagging players bypasses /gtoggle, remove/relax caps filter, toggles for local, world, and towny chats. Rainbows.

Was this project any different from previous ones you've worked on?
This project is heavily involved with cross-server communication (literally), and the database. Usually plugins don't need to rely on that. I enjoyed understanding a bit more about that.

What was your most favorite change to add?
Disabling the staff bypass for /gtoggle. I can ****post in global now without guilt!

Where did /poke go?
It died peacefully in its sleep. It's survived by its weird cousin, /m qazini poke.

What was the biggest challenge?
This plugin is a perfect example of "technical debt". It's not very easy to add new features too. I spent a good chunk of time rethinking the code to be cleaner.

When is poke coming back?
No? Yes. Maybe. Unless?

Story-time with the Crew: Where’s Stanley? by @SpongeyStar

The last known place Stanley was seen, before he disappeared

A cold breeze stirred through the land of MeepCraft. Players bustled into their homes, keeping safe from the bitter weather. Electricity was cut, one by one.

A player by the name of Spongey, retreated to her usual home of her casino, making sure everything was in shape. Spongey did not expect to see any visitors come to her casino since it might have been too dangerous to come over due to the severity of the weather. So she started to close up shop, until she saw a silhouetted figure standing at the entrance of SpongeySlots.

“Hello?” Spongey called out.

“Spongey,” the figure answered. The figure started walking towards the cake bar, where Spongey was at.

“Who are you?” questioned Spongey. “What do you want?”

“I would like you to help me,” the voice replied. “Here, take care of this. Please do not lose it, or else, fate will be on your side...”

The figure disappeared, and Spongey realised she was holding onto something the mysterious person had dropped. It was a piece of salmon, named Stanley, with a note attached to it. This read:

[INDENT]Dear Spongey,
It is by time that I give you my friend Stanley to take care of. Stanley has always been with me since I was young, however my Moderator duties prevent me from spending as much time with him as I would. This weather is also affecting Stanley very much, and my home is not suitable for him as it is damp, and cold (and the roof just got blown off.). Therefore, I would like you to take care of him for me until I fix my house. Please don’t lose him, or else, fate will be on your side..
From, SaltKnight49x (Dark)[/INDENT]

“Me? Taking care of a beloved fish? Why would anyone trust me with a fish!” Spongey thought, looking at the fish whilst licking her lips. “No. I must not eat Stanley. I must take care of him with due respect!”

Days had passed and Spongey had been carrying Stanley in her /chest to keep him safe. She started to forget about Stanley, but at least he was safe in her /chest, right? It was only when she noticed DarkKnight at her casino, she remembered Stanley.

“Spongey!” Dark yelped to his feet, and ran towards her. “Could I see Stanley? I miss him very much!”

“Stanley. In my /chest. But which one?” Spongey wondered and started searching through her 3 /chest’s. When she got to chest 3, she found Stanley and pulled him into her hand. “There you go, Dark! Stanley is a good boy, you should be proud of him.”

A smile gleamed on Spongey’s face as she handed Stanley to Dark. But on the other hand, Dark’s smile turned to a frown and he raised his eyebrow.

“This is not Stanley. This is not Stanley!” Dark’s temper had gotten the best of him and he started hyperventilating.

“B-b-ut, how could it not be Stanley? I swear this is him! I kept him in my chest the whole time! I never lost him!” Spongey started worrying very much, she did not want fate to be on her side.

“I want the real Stanley. You have 10 days, Spongey. I want Stanley in 10 days, or else, you’ll get the ban!” Dark smirked and disappeared back to his house.

The search for the ‘real’ Stanley continues….

Humans of MeepCraft ft. @GroovyGrevous

Homemade pea-zza

How've you been doing these past few months?
Those past months have been interesting! Just before quarantine started here in Greece, I participated in my first wrestling competition since 2017 (or 2018). I did not actually win any of my matches this time, but what I got out of it, the learning experience, is I think much more valuable- I realised many mistakes that with more practice I can and will overcome. That was before about 4 months, and it was about the last time I ever wrestled, thanks to the quarantine. We must always see the light in the dark however; it had just happened that I had some injuries building up, which thanks to the rest I have gotten have started to heal up lately. I also did online classes for university, which was truly an eye opening experience. In the way that every student including me thought that they would actually attend their classes if it was from their home's comfort, but were we wrong xd . And lastly, I made @cooey the great journalist proud by (finally) getting my first job at a grocery & fresh produce and juices store.

How long have you been into wrestling? Why does it attract you?
Do you do this? “When I was little and my parents were driving I’d pretend there was a man/being/thing running alongside the car who had to follow certain rules like “he can only travel by jumping from streetlight to streetlight” or “he can only walk on fences””

I don't pretend there's a man there, but I'll bob my head around or something to specific patterns, yeah
Yeeeeeeeee. I imagine there is a weird cat thing, like a leopard, that is translucent. In my mind IT could jump from one white marking of the road to another. Sorry for the delay.

That's okay, I just was worried you'd forgotten my question.
Nooo, I’m old, but not that old. Yet.

I started wrestling way back in 2013, as a 13 year old. The initial reason: I was almost mugged at the street because I was chubby nerdy and awkward (still am), so my parents suggested I started some sport to get a zenkai boost, and a family friend suggested wrestling. Fun story: upon entering the place and seeing the athletes perform a difficult warmup exercise (which i've only managed to do about a year ago) I fled only to have my mother drag me back in, an act that I will be forever grateful for. Wrestling has given me confidence, physical strength as well as mental.

Before picking up wrestling I had tried things like swimming and soccer, but quit them shortly after starting. My engagement with the sport really has transformed me, since I now love most sports, having also done track and field & even the previously despised swimming those past years.

Why did wrestling do for you what other sports did not? Why do you enjoy it specifically?
Honestly the whole reason I actually started the sport was that I was blessed to be introduced to it by one of the best coaches in the country. He actually didn't have me start right of the bat, but instead advised me to come and spectate a few training sessions to familiarise myself with the whole training. Solely training wise, now, as a more experienced athlete I can say that it is a superior sport because it trains the whole body, literally from head to toes. It is a combat sport, yet you don't hurt anyone or get hurt yourself and you exhaust the limits of your body during sparring but still keep pushing, challenging your mental power. As they say "A wrestler has the strength of a weightlifter, the speed of a sprinter and the cleverness of a chess player".

I got reminded of another incident now.

What is the incident?
It was after I was wrestling for about a year. Was still chubby and awkward but the training had ofc paid off. My school had a group of bullies pretty much. One of ‘em had targeted me, went to *****slap me but I blocked the slap like a karate ninja, so he left. I don't blame them bullies now that I’m grown up and wise cause I know they had problems of their own to deal with.

Is there a wrestling match that stands out to you?
I mean it was good when I placed 3rd in the national school tournament lmao. But every match stands out for its own reason. My first ever match that I lost taught me not to underestimate my opponent, and to use my body more wisely (acquired an injury that I still have now), my second (set) of matches that consisted of 3 matches taught me to be persistent and keep on giving my all, and my most recent match taught me to stick to the basics and to do what I know best, instead of using a style that is not my own.

What have been some of the injuries you’ve acquired from the sport?
I know I said earlier that you don't get hurt, but of course every single sport out there includes possible injuries. My very first injury was on both my big toes, and was caused at my first competition by me assuming the bridge position, so my shoulders did not touch the mat, while having my equally heavy opponent fall on me. It took me about a month to start walking normally again and a long time to run. (ptsd is hitting as I'm writing this, my toes are responding with pain lmao). My second big injury was caused about 5 months ago while sparring, because my opponent wrongly hyper-extended my elbow with force, for three times in total. (that's why I drink bone supplements xd) Honorary mention of the one time I fell on my head with all my small weight of 85kg at the time.

tl;dr @qazini should start wrestling (judo, sambo, and bjj are also acceptable)

You said you work at a fruit store now. Why fruits? What do you enjoy about it?
MONEY

I’m just saying, you mentioned some really fancy smoothie, I do believe, And now you're just being mum!
No, I’m dad, hence the dad jokes, yes.

I swear, you will create a child out of thin air through the sole power of dad jokes.
Good for me cause I'm single for life

ehem

I mean

Juices

The biggest reason is of course to get money. But it happens that I have always liked to be around fresh produce, as weird as that sounds. I like it because it reminds me of two interests I’ve had since I was young: cooking and gardening. @cooey was right all along work is nice.

What do you like about cooking and gardening? What have been some of your best experiences with one or the other?
In both I like to use my imagination, I create my own recipes and usually plant stuff in unorthodox ways, which of course, a lot of times doesn't work.

What did you have for dinner today?
The infamous pea-zza. I made pizza-flavored peas. Jahahahaha. I’m serious though, that’s the good part. Took leftover peas, put ‘em on a pan with tomato sauce, added cheese. Boom you’ve got yourself a pea-zza.

What is your favorite dish to have ever created?
Not the peazza. Probably pizza tbh. I've been making pizza for 10 years.

How’d that go?
Gud thank

You are famous for being an anime fan. What makes anime special to you? How did you get into it and what keeps you around?
Anime has been one of my main interests for about 7-8 years (heck I just realised that). It's special to me because not only it's entertaining, but there is a plethora of titles to choose from suitable for all tastes, much like with normal movies. I can relate characters to myself, I can draw them, I can sing the songs I like, or even use anime as the introduction to another culture and language- I know that in many cases reality is not the same as portrayed in anime, but it's still thanks to it that I can enjoy such things. I have even become a hardcore Sumo fan.

If you could recommend just one title to try and get someone into anime, what would you tell them to watch?
I'm talking to YOU good reader. Yes you. Watch. Anime. The one title I'm going to recommend is Boku no Hero Academia. Although I would not consider it the best anime I have watched, it still ranks pretty up high in my list and is great for WANNABE OTAKUS. In a world where superpowers are a thing, the plot revolves around a teenage boy that has the dream to become a hero that saves people. Only that.. he lacks the superpower. He however never stops dreaming, until one day he happens to meet with the Number One hero, All Might. Could it be that this fated meeting will change his life? (hint it does). Also I want to give @Deljikho credit for being my senpai.

Who is the best staff?
GroovyGrevous. Loved by many hated by none. And is also very humble.

Anything else you’d like to mention?
Honorable mention to papa Ling for coming up with the Groovy part of the name.

Honorable mentions to @Deljikho for helping me out as a newbie staff, advice he gave me back then applies at my actual job now so big thancc.

Honorary mention to Original_Grendal, a Mod at the time in 2012, because it's thanks to him I stayed on the server.

Finally, in about two weeks, the young boy that could not even probably write English let alone speak will have his 8 year meep anniversary. So, to those of you that helped that young boy practice his language skills, that made this server a place he could go back to at difficult and happy times and that became his friends, the BIGGEST shoutout.

Welcomes and Farewells
Congratulations to @EnergyAssassin on SuperTech! Or should I say, SuperNerd...

We welcome @teddypines to Full Arch. May you bless us with a life size tendie build at spawn.

@agnd , being the apple he is, has departed from the Mod tree. We shall miss the seedy fellow and wish him luck sculpting his future.

Thank you @Liam for the wonderful builds you’ve created as an Architect! We wish you the best of luck through your gambling problems.

Farewell @FatUnicornzz, we are grateful for your contributions as a Tech!

Social Media!
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Get involved with the MeepTimes
We welcome you to participate in the Meeptimes! Submit a cover photo or community event for a chance to get 10,000 meebles or 1,000 skulls, or a story for the chance to win 25,000 meebles or 4,000 skulls, if the content is used. To submit entries for the next release of the MeepTimes, send a private message in-game, over forums, or on discord to @BooBear1227 .

Happy Meeping!

The next issue of The MeepTimes will be released around July 11th, 2020. See you then!

This issue was created by:
@qazini @SpongeyStar @BooBear1227