Lunaescence Archives

Luna's Downtime

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:21:06 GMT

I originally didn't post here because I didn't think that anyone still checked this journal. After some thought, I've decided that it's probably better to cover all our bases. (Especially since the site has been down for a little longer than expected.) The site will be back. Don't worry guys. It's not gone for good.

Sally posted on the Lunaescence page on facebook. She doesn't run the page, but she does use it to let everyone know what's going on when the site has problems. You can find the page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lunaescence/297801550259769?ref=stream

It's a public page, so I don't think you need to like it to see Sally's post. However, I'll c/p it here just in case.

"So what happened to Lunaescence?

We've grown again. This month we topped the charts at almost 10,000 people a DAY visiting our website.

That much traffic crashed the server. Right before they took us down, we were using 5 times the amount of resources we're allotted. My host brought us down so the rest of their clients that share our server can have their websites.

I'm working to resolve this, but it's going to take a bit of time. I'll keep everyone posted on what's happening. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for being with us to celebrate our biggest year yet!"

The site is down again.

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 05:44:28 GMT

Does anyone know what is happening?

Luna group on Facebook!

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:01:48 GMT

Hey guys, apples4ryuk here. A new, unofficial Lunaescence group has been made on Facebook to keep everyone from Luna together and in the know.

Here's the link, but if it doesn't work just search "Unofficial Lunaescence."

Hope to see more Luna members there!! :D

Hey,

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:36:27 GMT

Is there any word on when the site will be back? It's now January. I'm starting to get a little worried now.

Luna news?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:42:01 GMT

I was just wondering if any of the mods have heard about Luna recently? It's been down for awhile, and a lot of us are just wondering what's going on. I know Sally is very busy but if you guys have heard anything at all, that in itself would be a comfort! Just a small update if you guys know anything? (: Thanks!

Holiday Fic Trade 2011

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:19:37 GMT

Hey, guys. Even with the site down, KS is still running fic trade. A few modifications had to be made due to the site being down, so please pay attention and bear with me through the long explanation.

1. HOW IS THIS GOING TO WORK?

-It will be done entirely by email, not posted on the site. You will be free to post your submissions to the site under your own username on January 1st or later, of course.
-We won't need betas for this round. Since everything is going through email unvalidated authors don't have to worry about finding a validated beta reader who is participating to post for them or going through the queue and having a mod reassign the name. (KS will just "validate" and send it along or "decline" and return it with a list of errors that need to be fixed.)
-If you are not validated and feel that you need a beta, feel free to use your normal beta rather than a fic trade beta.
-KS does have a list of fic trade betas, though. So if you really need one and don't have one already, let her know.
-We do still need spares, though, just in case someone has an unforeseen issue that pops up and prevents them from doing the fic trade.
-Even if the site comes back up before the deadline, KS intends to run this round through email, just in case it's still having issues or goes back down again.

2. PARTICIPANTS.

Thanks to the lovely Kay, who just happened to have the thread open when the site went down, 18 profiles have been recovered. KS believes this is everyone who posted in the original registration thread. Here is the list of people whose profiles are recorded.

-DG
-RyuseiStreamGirl
-Cherezsa
-NyxHarlot
-perfect-to-stay
-Black_Rose
-siruru
-StrawChan
-Miss Chocobo
-Zesty
-Shade
-Koneko Mizuki
-Kawaii_Chan
-Chrys
-crazynekokitten
-AnonymousSong
-RiverMist20
-Kay

If you are NOT on that list and want to participate, email kerrigansheehan [at] yahoo [dot] com by DECEMBER 10. The form can be found below.

3. DEADLINES.

We haz them.

-KS is keeping the posting deadlines as the 25th for most fics and the 31st for the 5,000+ word fics and spares, but the registration deadline will be extended.
-KS is going to hand out assignments on Sunday, Decmeber 11th. She will start matching before then, but she can shuffle things around as long as you get your registration to her by email by Saturday the 10th. The earlier the better, though.
-Start sending in fics at any time after your prompts are given. Email them to kerrigansheehan [at] yahoo [dot] com. They will be re-emailed to your recipient.

4. I WANT TO SEND MY FIC. NOW WHAT?

Email it to kerrigansheehan [at] yahoo [dot] com. She will send it to your recipient.

5. THE FORM.

For those of you who haven't yet registered, here is the registration form. Please remember that the fourth prompt must be regardless of fandom, meaning that it can be written as OF or in any fandom.

Luna Username:
Contact e-mail:

Prompts
Prompt #1:
Pairing:
Fandom:
Max rating:
Length:

Prompt #2:
Pairing:
Fandom:
Max rating:
Length:

Prompt #3:
Pairing:
Fandom:
Max rating:
Length:

Prompt #4:
Type: (RI/OC)
Max rating:
Length:

Personal Profile
Fandoms:
Max rating:
Max length:
What I will not write:
Validated or unvalidated?

Extras
Spare: (Y/N)

Database Issues... Again

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:37:08 GMT

Sorry guys, it isn't your imagination, but Lunaescence is down again.

The database started having issues about 8am CST yesterday morning and only got worse over the course of the day. By the time I got out of work and got home around 7pm CST, the site was barely functional.

I've disabled the site until I can sit down and have a good look at it. I'm really sorry, but it might be down for a bit.

I work as a software developer (user interface) and I have a demo/beta release due December 15th, so I'm pulling tons of overtime trying to get my work wrapped up. As a result, I'm mostly dead-like by the time I get home. I'll try to have it fixed soon™

Site's Down

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:29:47 GMT

Your site is down again =(

Possible Downtime

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:42:20 GMT

Still trying to figure out why the databases crashed hard. Going to be taking a look thorough the week at the site to see where I can possibly streamline some of the code.

However, this means possible downtime here and there while I work on it. If the database crashes hard again, the site will be out until I can fix it.

Sorry about that, guys!

Lunaescence Down Again

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:41:42 GMT

Lunaescence is down yet again, this time due to a database crash. At this point, I don't know what happened. I could go into all kinds of technical details, but the gist of it is we crashed our database server. Hard.

It'll be the weekend before I have time to look at it. Sorry.

Hey,

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:53:07 GMT

Your site's down. What's going on?

State of Lunaescence

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:21:07 GMT

I'm sorry for taking so long to post something. Real life has been stealing nearly all my free time. I'm trying to find an apartment, a car, plus my mother has been sick. It's been too easy to keep putting off what I need to do for Luna in lieu of everything else I need to get done.

1.) The Cost Of the Server
As you know, the cost a new, dedicated server is going to be a lot. From $20 every 3 months to $50 per month. It's a bill I can't swing on my own. My lease with my friend expires on January 1st and I really need all my money to get on my feet. This means Luna will need donations and ads will have to be a fact of life from now on. If it gets to be too much out of my own pocket, I will have to shut the site down for good.

I promised a donation button and here it is. I'll work on getting a PO box to accept check donations.

I'm sorry for taking so long, folks. I completely understand if folks are looking for a new archive.

EDIT: Okay, trying to paste the button again. I probably screwed something up the first time.

Dear Fellow Lunars!

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:57:25 GMT

~~(If the mods don't like this, then I'll gladly delete this. Please just message me about it!)~~

Hello, fellow Lunars (or whatever we Lunaescence members call ourselves)

resuriichan (from Luna as well) and I run a very tiny LJ Community called "faninfics ." We made the reader insert community just in case Luna were to ever close down or be down for a long period. Then a couple of days later, Luna actually went down for being so popular! Sadly, because the site is down, we've been unable to contact authors to join our community. Right now it only has a handful of members. We've held off from advertising on the luna community because I thought it would be inappropriate but realistically Luna doesn't seem to be coming back any time soon. FOS-FF.net is a great alternative but, as we all know, it has many bugs and crashes often. So I hope to extend a warm, welcoming invitation to all the Lunaescence members on LJ to join faninfics so that we don't have to feel so scattered! The community is very laid back and in vast need of more fanfiction! =D

Thank you very much,
Mrs. Kitty Corpse (Kelly)

Featured Stories for September

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:16:56 GMT

Yo~ This is DG on Hikari_no_Kage's LJ account, since she is still too lazy to get one of her own.

For obvious reasons, selection/announcement of September's featured stories is being delayed until, uh, I can once again look at the list of nominations. The time period for nominations is also extended to the end of (insert here the month when Luna returns). In the meantime, the theme is, once again, school-centric, AKA those that take place in a school setting or where school plays a major role in the stories somehow. If you have any ideas and haven't nominated yet, do keep them in mind. Or you can try browsing Google Cache to see if it has the story archived. (Hey, searching for screenname + story title works... sometimes.)

Have fun? 8D See you guys whenever.

Extended Downtime: We're Victims of Our Success

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:16:24 GMT

Okay, I have some explaining to do.

Tuesday morning, I arrived at work to an e-mail from my host saying that they took my site down. The reason why wasn't hacking, spam complaints, or anything bad exactly. We had simply grown too big, too fast for the server to support. We've grown from a tiny site to a medium site... and now to a pretty large site. My idea from several years ago has become an overwhelming success!

As in, we've been so successful we've overwhelmed and crashed the server. ^_^;;

So my host shut us down and told me I'll have to get a dedicated server.

Right now, we share a server with probably 10 other sites. That's fine for small sites, they won't use all those resources. They're also very affordable. The downside is that if one site becomes a resource hog, it affects everyone on that server.

A dedicated server means it'll only be us on that server. We'll be the only ones using the resources. Everything should work better and faster. The downside is that it's also dramatically more expensive.

How much more expensive is what I'm trying to figure out.

It's not you, it's us. All your stories are safe, that's no problem. But I won't be able to bring the site back online until I get this new server.

I'll also say this... I'm no longer in college, internship is done, and I'm now working in my field... but my free time is now mostly limited to the weekends. I'll get it taken care of as quickly as possible, but it might take a while. Please be patient!

Please spread the word. Luna isn't dead... just kind of in a medical coma for the moment. ^_^;;

Computer troubles ahead!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:36:12 GMT

(This is SunnyStormGuardian formally known as Keeper_of_Halloween!)

This feels a little awkward to me but....

I found out tonight my tower's hard-drive might be dying on me. Mom is going to take it up to my brother to see what is wrong since the whole hard-drive thing is just a guess right now.

I just wanted to post this in case any of the people from Luna that are following any of my stories find this.

I would wish Sally good luck but luck doesn't visit my household very much so I won't curse her with my bad luck. .__.

I really hope this is o.k to post here! I'll remove this if not.

Regarding Luna's Not Working Issue

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:53:59 GMT

(I apologize if this is out of place since I am not apart of the Luna staff whatsoever.)

Lunaescence has a Facebook account you can find here that is run by Sally. It was recently updated with the following status:

"Lunaescence is down again, but this time it looks like we're a victim of our own success. I'm going to have to price options for a dedicated server. We're simply too big now for the server we're on."

Sorry about the big font size -- just hoping to catch some attention. :)

I also asked FOSFF to possibly make an announcement about it since a lot of users tend to use both websites, however I'm not entirely sure if they will. (The sites are not affiliated to my knowledge, after all.)

If you can, spread the word!! (^-^)

Possible Downtime in the Overnight & Update News

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 02:47:29 GMT

In order to alleviate some of the database issues we've been having over the past couple weeks, I'm installing some code that will save sections of the site. There might be some intermittent downtime during the overnight hours while I work on this.

After I install the code, it may take up to 2 hours for some sections of the Archive to update. I have to do this, we've grown drastically over the past couple months and if I don't we might be shut down by my host.

The Statistics page is no longer live information. I currently have it set to update every day at 4:30am. You'll also notice that the number of stories in the queue are listed too. Only section on that page that's currently live is the newest members.

Author pages will update every 5 minutes.
Story pages will update every 2 hours.
Category pages will update every 2 hours.
Top Tens Pages will update every 12 hours.
Statistics Page will update every 24 hours.

I'll tweak those numbers if it looks like I have them set too aggressively. But in the meantime, please be patient with me. Once I know it's working (and that my host isn't likely to shoot me another nasty-gram) I'll add a button for authors to force an update to their stuff.

Lunaescence Back Up

Sat, 29 May 2010 19:08:35 GMT

Lunaescence was taken down due to using too many system resources. So no, it wasn't your imagination that we were down for a bit on Saturday morning.

I don't think it's anything any of you did. I think one of our older sections that may have been hacked or was having a hacking attempt underway.

To this end, the dictionary, the Flea Fan listing, and a few unused sections have been removed. I'll reinstate a new dictionary, but it will be limited to strictly fanfiction-related terms.

The forums will be going down for upgrading and the archive will be undergoing an extensive security test over the following weeks.

To help you still get your Lunaescence fix while the upgrade is underway, you can chat with your fellow authors on Facebook, LiveJournal, and Gaia Online.

Lunaescence.com Down

Sat, 29 May 2010 17:36:00 GMT

My host says we're using too many system resources, but haven't given me any details about what happened. Still waiting on our host to get back to me.

I'll have the site back up as soon as possible!

Sorry, guys!

EDIT: In the meantime, I created a Facebook page for anyone interested.

Last call for applicants!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:14:47 GMT

LAST CALL! I'll be closing the application addresses tomorrow night (October 3rd) at midnight eastern standard time.

SOS! We need moderators!

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:33:51 GMT

I'm sure everyone knows that submissions are often really slow here. I mean really slow. The site has also been seriously neglected in other ways too. Basically, I've been busy with college, work, internships, and life in general and just haven't had the time to care for my own site.

I have several positions I need filled:

Moderators – Read over submissions to the archive and approve them if they meet our rules.
Site Editor (1) – Help us upgrade our informational pages.

Event Coordinator (1) – Your job: Plan and oversee fun things and events for the site!

Newsletter Editor (1) – Bring back our newsletter!

Also, to be clear… there's no set hours here. I appreciate any time you would be able to give me. Real life always comes first!

Thanks everyone! ^_^

- Sally

Position: Moderators

Job Description: Read over stories that have been submitted to the site for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and other writing mechanics. We grade stories here at, about, or above the 10^th grade level. So I'm asking that only those with sound writing and grammar skills apply.

Once you're comfortable with reading over stories, you'll be also adding characters and categories to the site.

Applicant restrictions:

- 18 and older. (Preferred, but not enforced.)

- Author on the site for at least six months and have at least one (1) story posted. (No exceptions.)

To apply:

E-mail: site.moderators@lunaescence.com

Include:

- Links to three (3) stories or writing examples that demonstrate your writing skill. That can be on this site or on another site. Please no attachments.

- Explain what you feel the biggest problem is in fan fiction or writing on the web in general. Please be specific.

- What are some things you feel this site could do better? What would you do differently?

- You will have to reject stories in this site and will have to explain to the author why their story was rejected. How would you write the rejection letter?

Position: Site Editor

Job Description: This is a temporary position, but one we really need help with. I need help reading over informational parts of the site, such as our FAQ, Rules, Help, and other pages to check for issues, outdated material, even grammar and spelling. Also, I need your help to update these sections, reword things, or write new sections so our help pages are – well – helpful!

I need help with the following sections especially:

- Frequently Asked Questions

- Rules

- Warnings for adult material.

- Definitions of our genres, story types, and warnings

Applicant restrictions:

- 18 and older. (Preferred, but not enforced.)

- Author on the site for at least six months and have at least one (1) story posted. (No exceptions.)

To apply:

E-mail: site.editor@lunaescence.com

Include:

- Pick three (3) rules you would add or reword.

- Pick three (3) FAQ questions you think need to be added or reworded.

- How would you word the warnings for adult material?

Then write them in the way you would like to see them on the pages. Please explain your reasoning.

Position: Event Coordinator

Job Description: We used to have some pretty fun challenges and events on this site. Then Marohi and I became too busy with college and it started taking longer and longer for us to judge and award the winners or simply come up with things. Your job is to think up new events and challenges and to help us oversee them.

I would like to have events and/or challenges for:

- Major Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

- "Fun" Holidays such as April Fools and Halloween

- National Novel Writers Month

- Banned Books Week

You'll also be working closely with the newsletter person to pick out of any monthly features and the help take care of the whole "Front Desk" page. (Never could quite figure out what to put there, to tell you the truth.)

Applicant restrictions:

- 18 and older. (Preferred, but not enforced.)

- Author on the site for at least six months and have at least one (1) story posted. (No exceptions.)

To apply:

E-mail: site.event_coordinator@lunaescence.com

Include:

- Give some examples of the challenges and events you'd do.

- What would you look for in the monthly features?

- How would you change the "Front Desk" page?

Position: Newsletter Editor

Job Description: We used to have a monthly newsletter that kept everyone up-to-date on what happened here at Lunaescence. Unfortunately, it died. We were short on time and submissions for the newsletter were sometimes pretty sparse. Your job is to help us bring back the newsletter. You'll also be working closely with the event coordinator so the right news gets into the newsletter.

Applicant restrictions:

- 18 and older. (Preferred, but not enforced.)

- Author on the site for at least six months and have at least one (1) story posted. (No exceptions.)

To apply:

E-mail: site.newsletter@lunaescence.com

Include:

- A sample newsletter. This can include graphics, features, etc. Be creative! (Just remember this will go out over e-mail so don't make it too huge.)

- What would you look for in the monthly features?

- How would you change the "Front Desk" page?

Sorry mods -- Tomorrow, I promise!

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:48:19 GMT

Sorry, everyone. This week has been one drama after the other.

I'll e-mail the next wave of moderators tomorrow (Friday).

Thanks again for being so patient and sorry for the wait!

New Moderators!

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:26:47 GMT

Hi everyone! I'd like to announce the first wave of new moderators! ^_^

shadowsirenv
Sharp Shiny Pickle
Tokyo the Glaive
chibi neko alchemist
Jesanae Tekani
TimeErase
moonbeam9992

Thanks so much! Everyone, please be nice to them (not that all of you aren't already) as they get used to things.

Expect another announcement or two in the coming weeks as I finish going through the rest of the applications. ^_^

Thanks everyone!

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:49:37 GMT

I'd like to thank everyone who applied for the moderator position. ^_^ I wasn't expecting to get a huge response like we did! 22 people applied for the position. I'll try to start getting back with everyone this evening after I finish my homework.

Thanks!