Meta:The Blockening



"The Blockening" is the name of an event hosted in the Gijinkacraft Discord. The event is notable in the Gijinkacraft Community for causing much excitement and to some extent, celebration; new users who join the community frequently do so for the express purpose of being able to attend the Blockening. Despite the celebration, the mods Jack and Tibby, who manage it, see the ordeal as a terrifying, stressful occasion. Due to the chaos involved, all Blockenings have a set of rules to follow.

The etymology of the word "Blockening" can be assumed as a pun on block and reckoning.

Description
During the Blockening, Jack and Tibby open a unique channel in the server where users can submit requests to claim Blocks in a one-hour window while following rules set by the moderators. Despite these rules, the period after the event's announcement and during the Blockening tends to be chaotic, involving much question-asking, panic, and excitement. In order to regulate users who disregard the rules, Jack assigns the JARED role to rule-breakers, preventing them from participating entirely.

Tibby assumes the responsibility of recording every block claimed during the event. After the first Blockening, Jack decided to tighten up restrictions for future claiming events to make it easier for block claims to be registered and to reduce the chances of blocks never getting finished references.

Aftermath
Even though many blocks may be claimed in the Blockening, not all of them are developed or given an image reference after their claiming. If the claimant fails to provide a reference image for the claimed block before a certain deadline (a few days before the next Blockening,) the claimant forfeits their claim except in specific circumstances.

People who claim blocks in a Blockening receive the privilege to not only develop the appearance, but the personality, job, realm, and background of the block they claim.

Blockening I
The first Blockening took place on May 12, 2019, from 2 P.M EST to 3 P.M EST. The event was characterized by simple guidelines and a high block claim turnout. Participants were allowed to claim a maximum of five blocks on a first-come-first-served basis. Even though the Discord community was small at the time, more than a hundred blocks were claimed. Despite this, only around 82 blocks received complete references.

The deadline for submitting block references after the first Blockening was on June 12, 2019. Because of the lack of completion, users leaving the Discord server after claiming several blocks, and the amount of confusion involved, there was a full month between the first and second Blockening.

Blockening II
The second Blockening took place on June 14, 2019, from 2 P.M EST to 3 P.M EST. The event was divided into two claiming windows for different groups - newcomers could claim for half an hour, then Good Noodles. Claimants had more stringent guidelines to claim blocks than in I. The list of guidelines goes as follows:
 * Only one block can be claimed per person in each half of the event.
 * Only active users (determined by Mee6 level) who don't have block claims and Good Noodles may participate.
 * If a user receives a strike before the event, they cannot participate.
 * Privilege to claim may be revoked if the user refuses to read instructions or check the block list before claiming.
 * Participants must know the name of the block, their realm, and their purpose or job when they claim.
 * Those who can't make it on time must inform a moderator.
 * Block claims are first-come-first-served and cannot be traded.

Newcomers who were eligible for block claiming received the temporary CHUNGUS BLESSED role. Due to the stricter rules, only around 25 blocks were claimed in total. Because of the overall smoothness of the event, the delay between the second and hypothetical third Blockening is expected to be shorter.

Trivia

 * The "JARED" role assigned to users who fail to read the guidelines is a reference to the "What up, I'm Jared, I'm 19, and I never fucking learned how to read" vine.
 * Even though blocks can be claimed during the Blockening, Ancestors cannot - specific circumstances in which Ancestors can be claimed and designed are determined by Jack.