Financials Update

Not only did we reach the first tier of our contribution goals (98k), but we're also super close to reaching Tier 2 (150k)! Thank you all so, so much for your contributions. As a reminder, unlocking Tier 1 of our contribution goals allows us to make many updates to our site’s code: this includes things like better moderation tools, two-factor authentication for user accounts, and new bookmark organization features! 

If Tier 2 is unlocked, we’ll be able to implement even more new features, like an attack button on character profiles, character CSS, and a discovery page with new features to help search for users and characters! You can check out the full list of our contribution goals and the rewards to be unlocked here.

While we have met our first tier, please know that a large majority of the features will need to wait until after the fight is over and once we hire a paid developer to be implemented. Please also note that our tiers are not concrete, and instead represent our broad goals for the site's development. These tiers are also representative of paid work; we still have developers who wish to remain volunteers, and are thus free to work on features they'd like to implement, so some features may be added or completed outside or inside of the tiers.

Tracing Reminder

We're aware that there have been a relatively high number of attacks that are created using a background image that's imported into a drawing program, and then traced over as a template. We'd like to take this opportunity mid-fight to remind users that this violates Upload Rules 1 and 2, which prohibit tracing and base usage in attacks. These works of art, while fun, cannot be uploaded to Art Fight, so please help us ensure the fairness of the event by following our rules.

Instead, if you're interested in referencing a famous painting, meme, or existing template, please make sure your art references the image without tracing it. Consider opening the reference in another window or printing it out to look at while you work. We love to see creative homages as attacks, and this is the best way to make sure they can stay on Art Fight.

July Changelog

You can read more about what changed by heading over to our Changelog! Have an idea for Art Fight? Let us know here! We'll periodically check up on this form and add submitted suggestions to our Trello board.

• Added the ability to hide CSS on user profiles by default via settings. Note that if you have this option enabled, you can still view a single user's theme by clicking the right-hand hamburger menu and selecting 'Show Theme'.
• Emojis in places where they would cause cryptic errors before are now removed on submit.
• You can now crop images on-site in places where images were previously limited to certain dimensions. This includes profile avatars and thumbnails for both attacks and characters. You can also now add borders to attacks on-site with an option to disable the cropping tool.
• Account deletion is still in testing, though we expect it to release before the fight ends. 

Thanks again to our volunteer dev fuzzyfuture for these features! 

Extension

Due to the site partially being down on the 1st, bundled with a pesty submission bug and some unexpected maintenance periods, we have decided to extend the fight by two days. The fight will now end on August 3rd at 12:00 MDT. We'd like to remind you that like last year, the point totals will be hidden a few days before the fight ends so moderators can adjust incorrect ratings.

Debug Bar Incident

Regarding the debug menu that was erroneously shown for all users on Saturday, July 13:

• Rest assured that there was no security breach of any Art Fight system. The incident occurred because we brought on the previous contractors (who helped us migrate our servers) to help us evaluate and optimize our new AWS architecture. Unfortunately, they mistakenly installed the debug menu on our production environment due to a lack of communication on our part.
• The only sensitive information accessible through the debug bar was the login token of the currently logged in user. For the brief time the menu was enabled, this login token could have been used to login to your account only if it was shared externally. All login tokens were quickly invalidated and replaced once we took the site out of maintenance mode. No accounts are currently at risk due to this incident, and no information was leaked to other users or Art Fight staff.
• The IP addresses shown in the debug bar were those of Cloudflare proxy servers rather than user IP addresses, meaning that they could not be used to obtain information about your ISP or physical location.

We take full accountability for this mistake, and we sincerely apologize for the confusion and fear caused by it. Going forward, we will be implementing additional measures to prevent any mistakes like this from happening again. This includes:

• Improved real-time communications systems internally and with third parties (e.g. Slack instead of email),
• Formal documentation of all Art Fight systems,
• DevOps workflows to prevent the need to manually adjust production environments.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in, and supported, Art Fight! This year has been particularly turbulent, but we are striving to create the best experience possible for everyone. As always, we greatly value your feedback and patience. 

Keychain Updates

• Shipping has started! Batches of packages will be going out every weekend, so check your email around then for your shipping confirmation. We expect all packages to be sent out within 6 weeks. 
• If you do not receive a shipping email by that time, please contact us at [email protected] or via Shopify! 
• Thank you for your patience and support! 

User Submitted Assets

• Are you looking for thumbnail decorations? What about profile decorations? If so, check out our new Toyhou.se World! 
• Users can submit Art Fight related assets to the Toyhou.se World for every user to use. We're constantly blown away by everyone's creativity! Additionally, you don't need an account to view the world, so anyone can view it. 

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