Opening Ceremonies

Note: as of 11/18/2024, this is the text of Opening Ceremonies from 2024 and is subject to change. It will most likely be updated in March 2025.

1. Welcome
   

   Welcome one and all, ye guys, gals, nonbinary pals, and people whose gender is "elf"... to this gathering of elfae and adjacent folk we call Shining Hearth!

2. Committee introductions
   

   First, the committee would like to introduce ourselves. Going alphabetically...

   Andros?

   Arazil?

   I'm Arethinn aTinderel. I use she pronouns, and I'm a sidhe, that's s i d h e, and/or faery - not the same thing to me but either word can apply in different ways. I've been kicking around since 1998 when I found the wyldefae e-list on the old Onelist service. Before about 2010 I used the name Eshari, which was much easier than Arethinn for people to pronounce corrrectly on the first try. I'm the owner of Mythsong.net https://www.mythsong.net, I ran a physical gather here in California four times between 2005 and 2010, and used to be in charge of the monthly San Francisco Bay Otherkin Meetup from 2011 until I retired it in the spring of 2023.

   And Celebron?

3. And the rest!
   

   We're joined by our volunteer staff moderator(s), [X], who will help moderate chat, returing presenters [X], plus presenting for the first time this year, [X].

4. Background
   

   A little background on the event for those who are with us for the first time. In August 2020, prompted by COVID lockdowns, there was a convention on Discord called Othercon. They have become an event explicitly aimed at the very broad audience that is "alterhumans". If you're interested in that, you can find them at othercon dot org.

   The first Othercon went off quite well especially considering its size of over 300 people, but while there were some mythic types there, mainly dragons, the majority of those attending were therians or animal-kin, and modern pop-culture fictionkin. Three of us "two-legged-pointears" on the Committee attended and found ourselves feeling a bit left out, since we were in a very, very small minority.

   At the following San Francisco Bay Meetup in 2020, Andros said he'd been toying with the idea of doing something similar but focused on the elfae crowd, and I said, let's do it. We held the first Shining Hearth in February 2021, and about 30 people attended. People come and go, but this year we sent out [X] new invitations, and we're up to [X] people attending as of about an hour ago. More may join us over the weekend. I'm so pleased and grateful for everyone's continuing interest - and still a little surprised to see a number of dragons, canids, and other non-elfy things finding this elfae-focused event appealing to them!

5. Quick Orientation
   

   Next, a quick orientation for those who are new, and even for those who are returning because we do make a few changes to the channels year to year.

   The things you might expect to find in a convention's lobby are in the Welcome Center section. That is, pick up your badge -- but if you're hearing me, you've already done that!; see the posted schedule; get maps, information, and a swag bag at the info-desk; get help at the help-desk; drop suggestions in the suggestion-box. If you haven't already, we encourage you to post an introduction in the introductions channel. There is a pinned post there with a template you can use. The Welcome Center is also where you can set up the PluralKit bot for your system if you want to do that.

   All of our workshops, meditations, whatever they exactly are are held in the Events section, in the Presentations voice channel. Slides, handouts, or related links will be posted in the Resources channel. We'll announce what's coming up next in the starting-now channel. If you'd like to get Discord pings when that happens, there's a post in check-in-here where you can give yourself the Starting Now role that will get them. Or see the info-desk for a post explaining how to get only some, or even no notifications, if that's what you would prefer.

   On Friday and Saturday nights (in North American time zones) we have scheduled games and videos in the Rec Room channel. At all other times the Rec Room is available for anyone who wants to stream something, so long as it is reasonably on topic. To be able to stream you will need the Rec Room Streamer role. If you're interested in getting that, contact a Committee member with a link or description of what you want to stream so we can check it out and give you the role.

   In the Social channels, please try to stay on the topic of "stuff related to otherkind" in the otherkind-chat channel. general-chat can be used for other general stuff that need not be related to otherkin. You can post art, writing, music, videos, and links to such in the creative-works channels. If you have goods or services to buy or sell, you can post about that in the mythic market. Put your memes, funnies, and internet randomness in the meme-zone.

   This is an 18+ server, so it's OK to bring up mature topics, but try to keep things generally appropriate for 16 and up, and move to the warnable-content channel for involved discussions of things like violence or sexuality, or anything involving not-safe-for-work or disturbing kinds of images.

   Last but not least, there is a general voice chat if you would like to voice chat at any point, and you can tune into our music bot and a themed slideshow in Radio Free Underhill.

6. Remarks
   

   Now that everyone has absorbed all of that, are there any remarks from Committee, Staff, or Presenters?

   ...

   Now, some invocations to set the space. Everyone take a few deep breaths, center and focus as well as you can.

7. Invocations
   

   I call on the woods, winds, and waters;
   I call on the sun, moon, and stars;
   I call on the majik that flows through them all
   and through all of us.

   May a way be opened to that realm that is of both internet and spirit in nature, where we can gather to be in one place and one time even though we are scattered across the Earth, and build together in a starlit forest the home of the Shining Hearth.

   A hearth:
   For those of mythic heart
   Fae-born, Elf-souled, from Otherworld,
   Of dragons' power, angels' grace,
   Chimaeric beasts of eld,
   Shifting folk of fur and tail,
   Spirits of the living Green,
   Of shadows or celestial light,
   Tribe of Danu, Aes Sidhe--

   A hearth:
   For those who walk 'midst humankind
   Oft times unseen, sometimes ill used,
   Who know they are of Other kind;
   And for such friends as they may choose--

   A hearth:
   Where may enchanted mead be drunk
   In sparkling light of Under-Hill
   And peace beneath the stars be found
   For those who enter with good will.

   Shine forth the ancient Dreaming of the Earth!
   Be lit the hearth!

   Hearthfire, homefire,
   Brightfire, Greenfire,
   Whitefire, Nightfire,
   Purefire, Flame!
   Goldfire, Moonfire,
   Truefire, Eldfire,
   Dreamfire, Starfire
   Faefire, Flame!

   May we all see and feel the rainbow flames of the Hearth shining upon us this weekend!

   Our first item up will be [Presentation #1] in about [time until 4 PM Pacific] in the Presentations channel!

 

Last updated: 11/18/2024