From 220c3bbc2afe5c5e696e8b9fa59b35a9138948ee Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 12:45:46 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 01/16] chore: [temp fix] add members intent

---
 modmail/bot.py | 8 +++++++-
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index deb66464..a1d2a428 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 import arrow
 from aiohttp import ClientSession
+from discord import Intents
 from discord.ext import commands
 
 from modmail.config import CONFIG
@@ -26,7 +27,12 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         self.config = CONFIG
         self.http_session: t.Optional[ClientSession] = None
         self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
-        super().__init__(command_prefix=commands.when_mentioned_or(self.config.bot.prefix), **kwargs)
+        intents = Intents(
+            guilds=True, messages=True, reactions=True, typing=True, members=True, emojis_and_stickers=True
+        )
+        super().__init__(
+            command_prefix=commands.when_mentioned_or(self.config.bot.prefix), intents=intents, **kwargs
+        )
 
     async def create_session(self) -> None:
         """Create an aiohttp client session."""

From 9db00afa24d60d402b19dbff0efd1edd8e545ab5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:27:31 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 02/16] [launch]: refactor bot creation and bot run

---
 modmail/__main__.py |   5 +-
 modmail/bot.py      | 130 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------
 2 files changed, 115 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/__main__.py b/modmail/__main__.py
index 4b4aaa84..3a98cc25 100644
--- a/modmail/__main__.py
+++ b/modmail/__main__.py
@@ -17,10 +17,7 @@
 
 def main() -> None:
     """Run the bot."""
-    bot = ModmailBot()
-    bot.load_extensions()
-    bot.load_plugins()
-    log.notice("Running the bot.")
+    bot = ModmailBot.create()
     bot.run(bot.config.bot.token)
 
 
diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index a1d2a428..0e09bb7a 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import signal
 import typing as t
 
 import arrow
+import discord
 from aiohttp import ClientSession
-from discord import Intents
+from discord import Activity, AllowedMentions, Intents
+from discord.client import _cleanup_loop
 from discord.ext import commands
 
 from modmail.config import CONFIG
@@ -20,32 +23,127 @@ class ModmailBot(commands.Bot):
     Has an aiohttp.ClientSession and a ModmailConfig instance.
     """
 
-    main_task: asyncio.Task
     logger: ModmailLogger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         self.config = CONFIG
-        self.http_session: t.Optional[ClientSession] = None
-        self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
-        intents = Intents(
-            guilds=True, messages=True, reactions=True, typing=True, members=True, emojis_and_stickers=True
-        )
+        self.start_time: t.Optional[arrow.Arrow] = None  # arrow.utcnow()
         super().__init__(
-            command_prefix=commands.when_mentioned_or(self.config.bot.prefix), intents=intents, **kwargs
+            **kwargs,
         )
+        self.http_session: ClientSession = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
 
-    async def create_session(self) -> None:
-        """Create an aiohttp client session."""
-        self.http_session = ClientSession()
+    @classmethod
+    def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
+        """
+        Create a ModmailBot instance.
 
-    async def start(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
+        This configures our instance with all of our custom options, without making __init__ unusable.
         """
-        Start the bot.
+        intents = Intents(
+            guilds=True,
+            messages=True,
+            reactions=True,
+            typing=True,
+            members=True,
+            emojis_and_stickers=True,
+        )
+        # start with an invisible status while we load everything
+        status = discord.Status.invisible
+        activity = Activity(type=discord.ActivityType.listening, name="users dming me!")
+        # listen to messages mentioning the bot or matching the prefix
+        # ! NOTE: This needs to use the configuration system to get the prefix from the db once it exists.
+        prefix = commands.when_mentioned_or(CONFIG.bot.prefix)
+        description = "Modmail bot by discord-modmail."
+        # allow commands not caring of the case
+        case_insensitive_commands = True
+        # allow only user mentions by default.
+        # ! NOTE: This may change in the future to allow roles as well
+        allowed_mentions = AllowedMentions(everyone=False, users=True, roles=False, replied_user=True)
+        return cls(
+            case_insensitive=case_insensitive_commands,
+            description=description,
+            status=status,
+            activity=activity,
+            allowed_mentions=allowed_mentions,
+            command_prefix=prefix,
+            intents=intents,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
 
-        This just serves to create the http session.
+    def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         """
-        await self.create_session()
-        await super().start(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        Start up our instance of the bot. Since this method is blocking, it must be called last.
+
+        This method sets up the bot, loads extensions and plugins, and then executes the main task.
+
+        A blocking call that abstracts away the event loop
+        initialisation from you.
+        If you want more control over the event loop then this
+        function should not be used. Use :meth:`start` coroutine
+        or :meth:`connect` + :meth:`login`.
+        Roughly Equivalent to: ::
+            try:
+                loop.run_until_complete(start(*args, **kwargs))
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                loop.run_until_complete(close())
+                # cancel all tasks lingering
+            finally:
+                loop.close()
+        .. warning::
+            This function must be the last function to call due to the fact that it
+            is blocking. That means that registration of events or anything being
+            called after this function call will not execute until it returns.
+        """
+        loop = self.loop
+
+        try:
+            loop.add_signal_handler(signal.SIGINT, lambda: loop.stop())
+            # this one we may want to get rid of, depending on certain things, and just hard stop instead.
+            loop.add_signal_handler(signal.SIGTERM, lambda: loop.stop())
+        except NotImplementedError:
+            pass
+
+        async def runner() -> None:
+            try:
+                # set start time to when we started the bot
+                self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
+                # we want to load extensions before we log in, so that any issues in them are discovered
+                # before we connect to discord
+                self.load_extensions()
+                # next, we log in to discord, to ensure that we are able to connect to discord
+                await self.login(*args)
+                # now that we're logged in and gotten a connection, we load all of the plugins
+                self.load_plugins()
+                # alert the user that we're done loading everything
+                self.logger.notice("Loaded all extensions, and plugins. Starting bot.")
+                # finally, we enter the main loop
+                await self.connect(**kwargs)
+            finally:
+                if not self.is_closed():
+                    await self.close()
+
+        def stop_loop_on_completion(f) -> None:  # noqa: ANN001
+            loop.stop()
+
+        future = asyncio.ensure_future(runner(), loop=loop)
+        future.add_done_callback(stop_loop_on_completion)
+        try:
+            loop.run_forever()
+        except KeyboardInterrupt:
+            self.logger.info("Received signal to terminate bot and event loop.")
+        finally:
+            future.remove_done_callback(stop_loop_on_completion)
+            self.logger.info("Cleaning up tasks.")
+            _cleanup_loop(loop)
+
+        if not future.cancelled():
+            try:
+                return future.result()
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                # I am unsure why this gets raised here but suppress it anyway
+                return None
 
     async def close(self) -> None:
         """Safely close HTTP session, unload plugins and extensions when the bot is shutting down."""

From 1d9388302bfcbfb979fe89953df955ab02f5da16 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:35:00 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 03/16] chore: make status update on_ready

---
 modmail/bot.py | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 0e09bb7a..d82bb503 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -228,3 +228,4 @@ def remove_cog(self, cog: str) -> None:
     async def on_ready(self) -> None:
         """Send basic login success message."""
         self.logger.info("Logged in as %s", self.user)
+        await self.change_presence(status=discord.Status.online, activity=self.activity)

From 472302cf421837e92a012284dea94ff7c54632c1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:53:25 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 04/16] chore: move creating the clientSession to the run meth

---
 modmail/bot.py    |  5 ++++-
 tests/docs.md     |  6 ------
 tests/test_bot.py | 19 +++++--------------
 3 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index d82bb503..d15c1101 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         super().__init__(
             **kwargs,
         )
-        self.http_session: ClientSession = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
+        self.http_session: t.Optional[ClientSession] = None
 
     @classmethod
     def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
@@ -107,6 +107,9 @@ def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
 
         async def runner() -> None:
             try:
+                # create the aiohttp session
+                self.http_session = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
+                self.logger.trace("Created ClientSession.")
                 # set start time to when we started the bot
                 self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
                 # we want to load extensions before we log in, so that any issues in them are discovered
diff --git a/tests/docs.md b/tests/docs.md
index a08cee67..54ff01a8 100644
--- a/tests/docs.md
+++ b/tests/docs.md
@@ -12,12 +12,6 @@ Ensure we can make a ModmailBot instance.
 **Markers:**
 - asyncio
 - dependency  (name=create_bot)
-### test_bot_aiohttp
-Test aiohttp client session creates and closes without warnings.
-
-**Markers:**
-- asyncio
-- dependency  (depends=['create_bot'])
 ### test_bot_close
 Ensure bot closes without error.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_bot.py b/tests/test_bot.py
index 8210be09..d5074a6f 100644
--- a/tests/test_bot.py
+++ b/tests/test_bot.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 - import module
 - create a bot object
 """
+import asyncio
+
 import pytest
 
 from modmail.bot import ModmailBot
@@ -13,9 +15,9 @@
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_bot_creation():
     """Ensure we can make a ModmailBot instance."""
-    bot = ModmailBot()
+    bot = ModmailBot(command_prefix="!")
     assert isinstance(bot, ModmailBot)
-
+    assert bot.command_prefix == "!"
     # cleanup
     await bot.close()
 
@@ -27,21 +29,10 @@ def bot() -> ModmailBot:
 
     ModmailBot instance.
     """
-    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot()
+    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot.create(loop=asyncio.get_event_loop())
     return bot
 
 
-@pytest.mark.dependency(depends=["create_bot"])
-@pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_bot_aiohttp(bot):
-    """Test aiohttp client session creates and closes without warnings."""
-    import aiohttp
-
-    await bot.create_session()
-    assert isinstance(bot.http_session, aiohttp.ClientSession)
-    await bot.close()
-
-
 @pytest.mark.dependency(depends=["create_bot"])
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_bot_close(bot):

From c9e7d6ea3f4938b96028107e4c3eb5020e83e50e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:58:43 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 05/16] changes: add bot creation and running notes

---
 docs/changelog.md | 7 +++++++
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/changelog.md b/docs/changelog.md
index c058072f..d74475a5 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.md
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- Refactored bot creation and bot running (#56)
+    - Bot creation is now a class method, `ModmailBot.create()`
+    - Running the bot is still the same method, but it loads extensions and plugins now.
+
+
 ## [0.1.0] - 2021-08-13
 
 ### Added

From ccc0a4be72185a38cd81994dd46a360bce29226c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 09:42:53 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 06/16] chore: remove discord py docstring

---
 modmail/bot.py | 23 ++++-------------------
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index d15c1101..97876ee3 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -76,25 +76,10 @@ def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
 
         Start up our instance of the bot. Since this method is blocking, it must be called last.
 
-        This method sets up the bot, loads extensions and plugins, and then executes the main task.
-
-        A blocking call that abstracts away the event loop
-        initialisation from you.
-        If you want more control over the event loop then this
-        function should not be used. Use :meth:`start` coroutine
-        or :meth:`connect` + :meth:`login`.
-        Roughly Equivalent to: ::
-            try:
-                loop.run_until_complete(start(*args, **kwargs))
-            except KeyboardInterrupt:
-                loop.run_until_complete(close())
-                # cancel all tasks lingering
-            finally:
-                loop.close()
-        .. warning::
-            This function must be the last function to call due to the fact that it
-            is blocking. That means that registration of events or anything being
-            called after this function call will not execute until it returns.
+        This method does several things, it loads extensions and plugins,
+        and then executes the main task.
+
+        This method was copied from discord.py and modified to suit our needs.
         """
         loop = self.loop
 

From c2275baa8aabe0150e4bcac01250ece59fa969d7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:00:59 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 07/16] chore: refactor the loop runner to be bot.start()

---
 modmail/bot.py | 52 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----------------------
 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 97876ee3..e280a09f 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -71,6 +71,34 @@ def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
             **kwargs,
         )
 
+    async def start(self, token: str, reconnect: bool = True) -> None:
+        """
+        Start the bot.
+
+        This function is called by the run method, and finishes the set up of the bot that needs an
+        asyncrhonous event loop running, before connecting the bot to discord.
+        """
+        try:
+            # create the aiohttp session
+            self.http_session = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
+            self.logger.trace("Created ClientSession.")
+            # set start time to when we started the bot
+            self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
+            # we want to load extensions before we log in, so that any issues in them are discovered
+            # before we connect to discord
+            self.load_extensions()
+            # next, we log in to discord, to ensure that we are able to connect to discord
+            await self.login(token)
+            # now that we're logged in and gotten a connection, we load all of the plugins
+            self.load_plugins()
+            # alert the user that we're done loading everything
+            self.logger.notice("Loaded all extensions, and plugins. Starting bot.")
+            # finally, we enter the main loop
+            await self.connect(reconnect=reconnect)
+        finally:
+            if not self.is_closed():
+                await self.close()
+
     def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         """
 
@@ -90,32 +118,10 @@ def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         except NotImplementedError:
             pass
 
-        async def runner() -> None:
-            try:
-                # create the aiohttp session
-                self.http_session = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
-                self.logger.trace("Created ClientSession.")
-                # set start time to when we started the bot
-                self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
-                # we want to load extensions before we log in, so that any issues in them are discovered
-                # before we connect to discord
-                self.load_extensions()
-                # next, we log in to discord, to ensure that we are able to connect to discord
-                await self.login(*args)
-                # now that we're logged in and gotten a connection, we load all of the plugins
-                self.load_plugins()
-                # alert the user that we're done loading everything
-                self.logger.notice("Loaded all extensions, and plugins. Starting bot.")
-                # finally, we enter the main loop
-                await self.connect(**kwargs)
-            finally:
-                if not self.is_closed():
-                    await self.close()
-
         def stop_loop_on_completion(f) -> None:  # noqa: ANN001
             loop.stop()
 
-        future = asyncio.ensure_future(runner(), loop=loop)
+        future = asyncio.ensure_future(self.start(), loop=loop)
         future.add_done_callback(stop_loop_on_completion)
         try:
             loop.run_forever()

From b9d8153b5d3a48797995f8d76b52a5a578fa2ba4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:09:05 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 08/16] chore: set initial status to online

---
 modmail/bot.py | 4 +---
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index e280a09f..4d331e42 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -48,8 +48,7 @@ def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
             members=True,
             emojis_and_stickers=True,
         )
-        # start with an invisible status while we load everything
-        status = discord.Status.invisible
+        status = discord.Status.online
         activity = Activity(type=discord.ActivityType.listening, name="users dming me!")
         # listen to messages mentioning the bot or matching the prefix
         # ! NOTE: This needs to use the configuration system to get the prefix from the db once it exists.
@@ -222,4 +221,3 @@ def remove_cog(self, cog: str) -> None:
     async def on_ready(self) -> None:
         """Send basic login success message."""
         self.logger.info("Logged in as %s", self.user)
-        await self.change_presence(status=discord.Status.online, activity=self.activity)

From 298131bf3ca7d754f1e0e46cef867f04df1558c5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:11:58 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 09/16] chore: make intents a global, move description and
 case_insensitive to the constructor

---
 modmail/bot.py | 26 ++++++++++++--------------
 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 4d331e42..23d412b8 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@
 from modmail.utils.extensions import EXTENSIONS, NO_UNLOAD, walk_extensions
 from modmail.utils.plugins import PLUGINS, walk_plugins
 
+INTENTS = Intents(
+    guilds=True,
+    messages=True,
+    reactions=True,
+    typing=True,
+    members=True,
+    emojis_and_stickers=True,
+)
+
 
 class ModmailBot(commands.Bot):
     """
@@ -40,33 +49,22 @@ def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
 
         This configures our instance with all of our custom options, without making __init__ unusable.
         """
-        intents = Intents(
-            guilds=True,
-            messages=True,
-            reactions=True,
-            typing=True,
-            members=True,
-            emojis_and_stickers=True,
-        )
         status = discord.Status.online
         activity = Activity(type=discord.ActivityType.listening, name="users dming me!")
         # listen to messages mentioning the bot or matching the prefix
         # ! NOTE: This needs to use the configuration system to get the prefix from the db once it exists.
         prefix = commands.when_mentioned_or(CONFIG.bot.prefix)
-        description = "Modmail bot by discord-modmail."
-        # allow commands not caring of the case
-        case_insensitive_commands = True
         # allow only user mentions by default.
         # ! NOTE: This may change in the future to allow roles as well
         allowed_mentions = AllowedMentions(everyone=False, users=True, roles=False, replied_user=True)
         return cls(
-            case_insensitive=case_insensitive_commands,
-            description=description,
+            case_insensitive=True,
+            description="Modmail bot by discord-modmail.",
             status=status,
             activity=activity,
             allowed_mentions=allowed_mentions,
             command_prefix=prefix,
-            intents=intents,
+            intents=INTENTS,
             **kwargs,
         )
 

From 7b6a52176b9c0ebf94b7768644e6e236238c7479 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:12:28 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 10/16] chore: comment the signal handlers

---
 modmail/bot.py | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 23d412b8..c07f2827 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         loop = self.loop
 
         try:
+            # adds signal handlers so the loop is safely stopped
             loop.add_signal_handler(signal.SIGINT, lambda: loop.stop())
             # this one we may want to get rid of, depending on certain things, and just hard stop instead.
             loop.add_signal_handler(signal.SIGTERM, lambda: loop.stop())

From 254c8aa709550725589ccea015139ea7d2f5d840 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:18:04 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 11/16] chore: readd args and kwargs to calling start()

---
 modmail/bot.py | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index c07f2827..4e5f5575 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ def run(self, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
         def stop_loop_on_completion(f) -> None:  # noqa: ANN001
             loop.stop()
 
-        future = asyncio.ensure_future(self.start(), loop=loop)
+        future = asyncio.ensure_future(self.start(*args, **kwargs), loop=loop)
         future.add_done_callback(stop_loop_on_completion)
         try:
             loop.run_forever()

From 268362f977098d6bca233e99d02ad282fbbc79f4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:18:55 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 12/16] chore[bot]: get rid of bot.create() method

---
 modmail/__main__.py |  2 +-
 modmail/bot.py      | 12 +-----------
 tests/test_bot.py   |  6 ++----
 3 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/__main__.py b/modmail/__main__.py
index 3a98cc25..39599e20 100644
--- a/modmail/__main__.py
+++ b/modmail/__main__.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 def main() -> None:
     """Run the bot."""
-    bot = ModmailBot.create()
+    bot = ModmailBot()
     bot.run(bot.config.bot.token)
 
 
diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 4e5f5575..26535090 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -37,18 +37,8 @@ class ModmailBot(commands.Bot):
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         self.config = CONFIG
         self.start_time: t.Optional[arrow.Arrow] = None  # arrow.utcnow()
-        super().__init__(
-            **kwargs,
-        )
         self.http_session: t.Optional[ClientSession] = None
 
-    @classmethod
-    def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
-        """
-        Create a ModmailBot instance.
-
-        This configures our instance with all of our custom options, without making __init__ unusable.
-        """
         status = discord.Status.online
         activity = Activity(type=discord.ActivityType.listening, name="users dming me!")
         # listen to messages mentioning the bot or matching the prefix
@@ -57,7 +47,7 @@ def create(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> "ModmailBot":
         # allow only user mentions by default.
         # ! NOTE: This may change in the future to allow roles as well
         allowed_mentions = AllowedMentions(everyone=False, users=True, roles=False, replied_user=True)
-        return cls(
+        super().__init__(
             case_insensitive=True,
             description="Modmail bot by discord-modmail.",
             status=status,
diff --git a/tests/test_bot.py b/tests/test_bot.py
index d5074a6f..854c4ece 100644
--- a/tests/test_bot.py
+++ b/tests/test_bot.py
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_bot_creation():
     """Ensure we can make a ModmailBot instance."""
-    bot = ModmailBot(command_prefix="!")
-    assert isinstance(bot, ModmailBot)
-    assert bot.command_prefix == "!"
+    bot = ModmailBot()
     # cleanup
     await bot.close()
 
@@ -29,7 +27,7 @@ def bot() -> ModmailBot:
 
     ModmailBot instance.
     """
-    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot.create(loop=asyncio.get_event_loop())
+    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot(loop=asyncio.get_event_loop())
     return bot
 
 

From e04c0f60e8e5189d4b97552680e06a89c47d06f4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:22:43 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 13/16] changes: document bot.start()

---
 docs/changelog.md | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/docs/changelog.md b/docs/changelog.md
index d74475a5..ab0ba54c 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.md
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 ### Changed
 
 - Refactored bot creation and bot running (#56)
-    - Bot creation is now a class method, `ModmailBot.create()`
     - Running the bot is still the same method, but it loads extensions and plugins now.
+    - `bot.start()` can also be used if already in a running event loop. Keep in mind using it will require
+        handling loop errors, as run() does this automatically.
 
 
 ## [0.1.0] - 2021-08-13

From f69011ea545edd0bdebcb8571a24c37e40fe0aed Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:23:50 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 14/16] nit: change intents global to REQUIRED_INTENTS

---
 modmail/bot.py | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index 26535090..dcdd3081 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 from modmail.utils.extensions import EXTENSIONS, NO_UNLOAD, walk_extensions
 from modmail.utils.plugins import PLUGINS, walk_plugins
 
-INTENTS = Intents(
+REQUIRED_INTENTS = Intents(
     guilds=True,
     messages=True,
     reactions=True,
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
             activity=activity,
             allowed_mentions=allowed_mentions,
             command_prefix=prefix,
-            intents=INTENTS,
+            intents=REQUIRED_INTENTS,
             **kwargs,
         )
 

From 4029d628b4fbd7db680a4f3655a723b7a1b22be4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:39:12 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 15/16] nit: don't pass the event loop in tests

---
 tests/test_bot.py | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tests/test_bot.py b/tests/test_bot.py
index 854c4ece..cd220cac 100644
--- a/tests/test_bot.py
+++ b/tests/test_bot.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def bot() -> ModmailBot:
 
     ModmailBot instance.
     """
-    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot(loop=asyncio.get_event_loop())
+    bot: ModmailBot = ModmailBot()
     return bot
 
 

From fc72d37ad3145739a97b12e5e3f08e93aa35bf2f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: onerandomusername <genericusername414+git@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:45:12 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 16/16] minor: update docstrings to be more specific

---
 modmail/bot.py | 15 ++++++++++++---
 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/modmail/bot.py b/modmail/bot.py
index dcdd3081..1ba67b52 100644
--- a/modmail/bot.py
+++ b/modmail/bot.py
@@ -69,14 +69,23 @@ async def start(self, token: str, reconnect: bool = True) -> None:
             # create the aiohttp session
             self.http_session = ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
             self.logger.trace("Created ClientSession.")
-            # set start time to when we started the bot
+            # set start time to when we started the bot.
+            # This is now, since we're about to connect to the gateway.
+            # This should also be before we load any extensions, since if they have a load time, it should
+            # be after the bot start time.
             self.start_time = arrow.utcnow()
             # we want to load extensions before we log in, so that any issues in them are discovered
-            # before we connect to discord
+            # before we connect to discord. This keeps us from connecting to the gateway a lot if we have a
+            # problem with an extension.
             self.load_extensions()
             # next, we log in to discord, to ensure that we are able to connect to discord
+            # This only logs in to discord and gets a gateway, it does not connect to the websocket
             await self.login(token)
-            # now that we're logged in and gotten a connection, we load all of the plugins
+            # now that we're logged in and ensured we can have connection, we load all of the plugins
+            # The reason to wait until we know we have a gateway we can connect to, even though we have not
+            # signed in yet, is in some cases, a plugin may be poorly made and mess up if it is loaded but
+            # the bot never connects to discord. Putting this below the login ensures that we don't load if
+            # we don't have a gateway.
             self.load_plugins()
             # alert the user that we're done loading everything
             self.logger.notice("Loaded all extensions, and plugins. Starting bot.")