A new season, a new Lief

It's that time of the year again, the weather cools and sentimentality is in the air. What better occasion to write to another?

The first sprout#

Earlier this year, I created lief, an app for writing personal letters to your friends and loved ones. It's inspired heavily by the letter writing system from Animal Crossing, a feature I used often to write silly notes, sentimental musings, and all sorts of mushy feelings that one could convey via virtual stationary.

In lief, you can write short notes on customized letters that allow you to choose the color, frame, font, as well as allowing you to place stickers (emojis) and drawings on your writing. If you've used Ditto themes or Espy color moments, both items are interoperable as stationary options.

Lief is an attempt to recapture that sentimental, deliberate pace of interaction which has been lost in an era of instantaneous communication. To write things that you might feel too coy to express in a casual chat, yet not formal enough to qualify for something like an e-mail (for those who still write them).

A new lief#

This week, I've updated lief to have a nicer UI and implemented a few advancements from other clients: NIP-55 login, better handling of user events, relay interactions, RTL writing, NIP-50 user/follower search, emoji stickers, and more.

For those more technical, lief has also been fully migrated to ngit, ngit-ci, and nsite (via npanel); it is now a nostr project at every layer.

Wax Seals#

I've also added a new layer of personalization: wax seals. In prior history, a letter of importance would be marked with a wax seal - a personal crest or initial of the author. The first thing you see upon receiving a letter.

You can now customize your own seals for letters, including a set of lovely iconography from other projects, emojis, and your own initials which can be colored in any hue you desire.

Where to find it#

You can find the latest version of lief via the zapstore, the main web app, and Tenna.

Who is dear to you?#

In a world of instant information and convenience, it's good to slow down and think of those you cherish in life. Few things mean more than a written gesture, whether it's a letter or drawing, on paper, in lief, or some other way. Take the time to let someone you care about know how much they mean to you.

https://blossom.dreamith.to/4020df6c63413b1b77fcb86643ef73986a3191a4d706448b095d245461ae1ef0.mp4

Featured emojis by KrakenM.