#adding to my point in the post: any amount of engagement you get in THIS fandom environment is rare so someone leaving kudos seriously care

[the-millennium-curse]

You're not wrong for feeling sad or disappointed or even betrayed when a fic you put time and work into gets very little attention. But I do want to remind you that one (1) kudos is a whole-ass human being who read through what you wrote, experienced it, thought about it, and realized they felt so strongly positive about it that they had to send that feeling to you. Try to let the feeling reach you. Feel that you changed someone's day, maybe even more.

Be proud of what you've done, even as you wish you did more.

[honeyhotteoks]

I heard dom!Yunho and aftercare? 👀 I’m being so needy lmao but what can I say, I’m whipped for this man (always have been but let’s just say it’s gotten significantly worse since I started reading your fics *pointed stare*)

it’s okay i am whipped for him too. i’m answering this one, but i saw a few others asking the same so i’m lumping it all together in this post on his aftercare.

let’s get into it under the cut —

aftercare. a topic and a post in itself because truly i think this is the most underrated part of any d/s relationship and something more people outside of d/s dynamics should actually be doing.

i was trying to write some of this up in my reply on yunho’s ideal sub, but that post keeps getting eaten by tumblr so i’ll just quickly add that note here as well -> doms need aftercare too! doms are people who just engaged in a scene, and just because they were “in control” it doesn’t mean they don’t need checking in with. so at the bottom of this aftercare for his submissive list, i’ve added aftercare for yunho too.

aftercare for his submissive looks like:

soft kisses, tender touches. after a scene, especially a harder one that involved any amount of degradation or humiliation, yunho would be the type to soften his voice, press kisses all over your face and any marks, and soothe you with his words - “you’re safe, i’m right here, sweetheart,” and lots of praise, “you did beautifully for me, so perfect, baby,”

physical care and checks. especially if the scene involved rigging, spanking, or any more intense element, yunho would be quick to check your body over for any injuries or marks. especially with rigging, a good rigger knows how to assess nerve endings during and after a scene to ensure that there’s no damage and i know yunho would have done enough research and would care enough to do that job well.

babying, doting. he’s the type to want to keep you close after, for you but also for himself. he’d scoop you up in his arms and cradle you, tell you he’s going to take care of you, and maybe even run a bath and just pamper you.

boundary checks. this one is key, especially in an intense scene, but once the initial high of a scene fades, he would want to debrief and ensure he didn’t do anything too far, if he tried something new how did you like it, etc. he’s always improving and working on himself, that means his relationship too.

food, water, vitamins. these are key! once you’re ready for him to step away, yunho’s ready to cook or order something for you and get your levels back up, and makes you drink multiple glasses of water to replenish. vitamins are also something underrated from an aftercare pov, and i think as yunho got more experienced as a dom and did more research this is something he would bring back in to help stabilize all those rushing endorphins and sudden serotonin drops.

praise, communication, and compliments. this is outside of just the tenderness he’s giving at the start, i think he would be the type to tell you clearly what you did well and what he liked so you don’t have to wonder and hope if he liked it / if he’s pleased etc.

aftercare for yunho:

clear communication. providing him with clarity on the fact that you are safe, you feel safe, and you feel respected is important. especially in harder scenes or more intense dynamics. this might look like saying something as clear as “you made me feel so safe” or “you always take good care of me” etc. to reiterate that they are doing right by you as a dom

food! water! vitamins! if they’re important for a sub they’re important for a dom too. after a scene he may need to dote on his parter, but soft reminders for him to care for himself or maybe getting these things for him later on would be a reciprocal moment of aftercare he would appreciate.

boundary checks. they got both ways like i said - so ensuring that he’s asked how the scene was for him, if he was comfortable, etc., are all very important parts

cuddles. he’s going to be giving them, but sometimes after a scene it hits the dom harder, so crawling into his arms, cuddling, all of that would be something that he would appreciate. yunho’s very physical, and i think to be able to physically feel that his submissive is safe and happy would be a huge comfort to him.

a little quiet. after the checking and the cuddling and all of it, a lot of people can feel flattened out by a scene. i emphasize quiet because i could see yunho as the type to need his partner present and physically next to him/touching, but need a moment of mental quiet to just process and reconnect in that silence.

i’m sure there’s more, but these are the big ones! i hope this was fun and hits what you were looking for.

[globalrebrand]

The Marriage of Music and Alchemy: Chapter Three

Warnings: None!

A/N: Posting from AO3.

~Cater helps out his underclassmen, and you receive an unlikely visitor.

3.8K words

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

Cater never had reason to visit Octavinelle, and he quite liked it that way. Honestly, any sophomore ambitious enough to take the house warden position after their first year was generally a nightmare to deal with, Riddle included, so Cater just opted to mind his business and stick to his leisurely hobbies of skateboarding, music, and gossip. He loved it even more when gossip evolved into (harmless) meddling. 

In the short few weeks of the semester, it seemed his underclassmen had come to know him quite well. A harebrained scheme to get two professors together was exactly the distraction he wanted to over-invest copious amounts of time into.  

While he was kind of upset, it was you…the absolutely smoking new music teacher, he could be the bigger person just this once and let Crewel have you. Admittedly, Cater had many fantasies about being seduced by and or seducing you during one of his cello music lessons, but even after so many of his smooth attempts at flirting, it seemed you weren't taking the hint or maybe just insisting on a professional boundary. Lame.  It's a total bummer but also a sign to move on. 

And besides, if you and Crewel did hit it off and he knocked you up, seeing you as a milf would be more than enough of a reward for his efforts. Cater keeps all of this in mind as he heads to the Monstro lounge after class to make a pact with Azul. Ugh, boo…

The lounge doesn't open for dinner service until 5:00, so hopefully, Octavinelle isn't bustling with students, and the tweels are preoccupied with prepping for the evening rush. 

But as Cater strolls into the purple watery depths of Azul's office, he finds no such luck. It's obvious he and Floyd are engaged in some futile argument. Yet, ever the businessman, Azul's formerly irritated expression morphs into something much more disingenuous but, at the very least, more pleasant. 

"Cater! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Azul opens his arms in welcome, standing from his seat at his oversized leather desk chair. 

Cater offers a bright smile and casual wave, preparing for the performance of a lifetime and momentarily questioning again why he agreed to help out his underclassmen. Maybe he was too much of a shameless gossip if it led him to Azul's desk, and perhaps it was time to seek help. But Cater supposes in for a penny in for a pound. 

"I have a bit of a tough ask." Cater demurrs. 

"I assure my dear senior nothing is too challenging…with the right price." Azul can't help but add the last point. 

"You're too shameless," Floyd rolls his eyes. 

"I need you to figure out Crewel's weekly schedule."

Azul scoffs with an incredulous raised brow as if to say, 'Is that it?'

"Easy. Consider it done~" Azul says without hesitation before being promptly interrupted by Cater's groan.

"Not finished….I need Crewel's schedule about his goings-on on Sage's Isle when he's not on campus." Cater winces at how insane of an ask that is, but Azul is nothing if not boundariless for the right exchange. 

Azul pauses, unsure if he heard correctly. Cater can see the gears in his head turning as he processes before eloquently barking:

" What ?!" 

"Why are you trying to figure out Professor Beakfish's schedule? Kinda weird." Floyd interjects. 

" Classified . Can you do it or not?" Cater could see Azul running over the feasibility of this request while staring off into a distant corner and running the numbers. Seconds later, after a 'tsk' and shrug of his shoulders, Azul presents the deal. 

"Fine. Sign away your signature spell for two months." 

"Two months?!!? Two weeks!" Cater rebuts. "I don't care about it that much-"

"You're essentially asking to stalk our Professor, which I have no problems with, of course." Azul raises his hands in a placating gesture before adding,  "Your business is my business, and you know I keep things confidential. However, let's be clear: this is a crime."

Cater rolls his eyes. "I would say light surveillance and certainly not malicious."

"We're taking on a serious risk by doing this for you. There needs to be meaningful collateral." Azul insists. 

"Oh man, could you imagine Prof. Beakfish's face if he found out what we're doing? He'd probably be lividdddd."  Cater sighs. He knows this tag teaming is a part of Azul's brand of dealmaking and is largely just an act. He can walk away…but he came all this way. He might as well finish what he started. 

"One month." Cater relents.

"Deal ." Azul smiles sinisterly. 

"Whatever, you need to get the full schedule by this time next week. 

"Of course! It will be done."

Cater reluctantly shakes on the agreement, and with a flourish, Azul presents his notorious golden contract. 

"The froshes owe me big time." He mutters under his breath. Cater will probably just get Acedeuce to do whatever work he has to do around the dorm for a month. And the Prefect has it hard enough managing Grim. He'll let them be.

Cater promptly leaves the office and will share the good news with the freshman at their weekly check-in tonight. He just hopes Azul will come through. 

As he watches Cater retreat from his office, Azul is only slightly worried he's bitten off more than he can chew. He begins formulating a cadre of plans while drumming his fingers anxiously on the desk. The tweels are certainly expert sneaks, but Professor Crewel is incredibly keen. Deceiving him might actually be a nigh impossible task. Floyd was right. If they were to get caught, it would be a severe offense. 

"I'm kind of excited. What if we find out some horrible secret about Prof. Beakfish?"

"Ugh…well? No. Crewel seems like a poor choice of target for blackmail." Azul says mindlessly.

"Wow, no one said anything about blackmailing Azul. You're one twisted guy, you know?" Floyd flashes a toothy grin and is obviously teasing, but the task ahead of them has him a bit more unsettled than he'd like to admit. Azul waves a dismissive hand.

"Just go get Jade." Azul barks before adding, "We don't have a second to spare."

Floyd leisurely saunters out of the room. "Whatever you say~"

*            *           *

You must have been doing something right as a Professor because (not to toot your own horn too much, but…) your students seemed to be obsessed with you if it wasn't the ramshackle Prefect coming in nearly every morning to sit next to you at the Piano bench, asking about your daily habits and weekend plans. It was Deuce Spade helping you put away the music stands after class ended and before club activities started. Sometimes, the Prefect and Deuce would come together after class, energizing the music room, much like today. Between those two and how your homeroom students absolutely dote on you, you didn't have to guess that you'd already become a fan favorite. 

As you sat at your desk, reviewing music theory quizzes, you and your students chatted casually about all manner of subjects, but their topics always turned rather personal. Not that you minded and not that their lines of inquiry were ever inappropriate. You found their interest in you rather sweet, if at times odd.   

"Professor, how long have you been living in Foothill Town?" The Prefect poses the question nonchalantly, continuing to sort books on the carpet near your desk.

"Since July," You answer casually, "us teachers have to return to school early to prepare for your arrival. I moved in over the summer."

So you haven't been here much longer than us Professor." Deuce observes. 

"I certainly haven't," You concede.

"Vil would call you a spudling, too." Deuce adds, and you let out a laugh.

"I'd like to see him try." You scoff, but the sound is light and airy.

"Foothill town is really beautiful, but it's so small. Have you had a hard time making friends on the island?" The Prefect changes the topic. 

You consider the question thoughtfully. It has been a change since moving from Fairest City, which was home to millions of people. The place you had largely grown up since you started your music education after moving from the Land of Dawning when you were eight. You left all of your friends behind to get a new start; of course, they were a phone call away and, most conveniently, a weekend mirror trip, but that didn't mean that you shouldn't start building community on this little island. There were a few hundred thousand people living on Sages Isle, and while it was certainly still early days, you had a few potential connections you could see crystalizing into friendship.

"Not really, I'm friends with a few women in my yoga and pilates classes, and the other faculty members are quite kind to me." 

"Oooh? Which faculty members do you get along with?" The Prefect inquiries coyly/

"Or not get along with?" Deuce amends.

"Oh, I won't answer any leading questions; I like all my co-workers just fine." You demur. 

Deuce and the Prefect pouted at your answer as if it wasn't quite the one they wanted to hear. 

"Which area do you live in? I haven't gotten off campus much, but it's a really beautiful island." 

"Oh, it certainly is. I have a little house by the coast with a little yard. I've recently renovated it; when I first purchased it, it was nothing short of a hovel." 

"You like to garden?" Deuce chimes in, crossing the room with two collapsed stands in each hand.

"Oh, I have no natural talent for it, but I would love to start one. I am an avid cook, so homegrown produce would be amazing. Though my dogs might try to eat the vegetables before I can get to them?"

"You should ask Professor Crewel for help! He manages the gardens here on campus and he always help me with planting and cultivating." Deuce offers. 

"Yes!" the Prefect seconds enthusiastically. "And he loves dogs. I think he has some."

"Oh, he definitely does. Two, Apollo and Achilles." You correct without hesitation.

"Those are exactly the types of names Professor Crewel would pick for his dogs." Deuce crinkles his nose in distaste.

"Aren't they? I've only known him a short time, but he's horribly predictable sometimes." You chuckle to yourself, and despite the sharpness of the words, there is not a hint of malice in your tone, if anything, perhaps a bit of appreciation.  

"Do you two get along? You seem like you would have a lot in common." You pause at Deuce's question. Your smile doesn't leave your face, but your eyes narrow skeptically.

"What makes you say that?" You question, curious about such a supposition.

"Nothing, you two just have the same type of humor when you teach." The Prefect is quick to clarify, not without throwing a disapproving glare in Deuce's direction. 

"Really?" you ask, raising a thoughtful finger to your chin, adding, "I suppose Crewel is quite humorous-" but your words are interrupted by a man who stumbles noisily into your classroom, pushing the door so hard that the knob clangs raucously against the wooden paneling. 

A lush bouquet of flowers obscures his face and most of his torso, only leaving a pair of unsteady legs with crisply pressed slacks visible.  You don't know who this man is or what he could want, but his outburst has clearly startled your students. The Prefect stops tidying the choral books on the carpet in front of your desk and leaps to their feet defensively, holding a book, while Deuce holds a music stand with both hands, raising it over his shoulder much akin to a batting stance.  You had no idea where the children learned such attuned fighting reactions, but you move to stand between them and the approaching stranger. 

"A little help," he calls. The man doesn't look to be much of a threat, so you immediately rush to pick up his flowers, and your eyes meet warm hazel ones, widened and struck they look at you with soft admiration.

"Uh, excuse my manners, these are for you." He hoists the flowers into your hands, now leaving you engulfed in foliage. You sense the Prefect come to your side as they guide you by the elbow to your desk. 

"Oh, whatever for?" You call behind the blooms, you're not sure you have any admirers at present who would gift you such a lush bouquet for no particular reason. 

"I should introduce myself. My name is Clifford. I'm the musicology Professor at RSA."

"Nice to meet you," You throw your name over your shoulder as you place the flowers on your desk. "That still doesn't quite explain the florals." The Prefect stands close to your side and casts a nasty glance towards Mr. Rogerson. You get a better look at him, too, but you can't quite understand the seeming contempt your students have developed for him. 

He seems like a normal man, quite tall and rather gangly. His tan trousers don't quite meet his ankles, and expose garishly bright socks.

"Ah well, I was on notoriously bad terms with the former musicology instructor here, and admittedly, I am a bit of a fan of your work." Oh? That was a bit of a surprise. Of course, you were a well-known musician in the classical music world, but outside of major metropoles, it wasn't common for you to be recognized. People didn't tend to be very fanatical about classical musicians. 

"When I heard you were hired, I knew I needed to do whatever it took to get in your good graces," Rogerson says earnestly, gesturing to the flowers.  

"Well then, you're off to a perfect start." You smile, stroking soft petals. "I love dahlias. I perfect the black ones, though." You thumb the cloying pink petals with appreciation, but the Prefect is convinced there's an almost imperceptible disgust in your eyes at the saccharine color. 

"Noted for next time." The young man grins at your seeming appreciation for his gift. 

You point to Deuce and the Prefect, introducing them.

"These are my students. They were just helping me tidy my room after class. As you can see, I'm already quite a popular instructor." You tease, walking back over to Rogerson and clasping your hands in front of you. 

"I completely understand. If you were my teacher, I'd never even want to graduate, erm so sorry, that was a bit much." Rogerson has managed to fluster himself and you truly take in his appearance, his has dark blond hair and pale complexion, his accent is like Crewels, meaning he is more than likely from the Queendom of Roses. 

You chuckle coyly, more than used to these types of confessions but seldom from people who weren't old enough to be your parents. You spare a glance at your students, both of whom are glowering at the new face in the room, Deuce in particular, trying to look as intimidating as possible. 

"Darlings, why don't you run along to your club activities so Mr. Rogerson and I can have a chat?" At that, Deuce and the Prefect exchange concerned glances and very, very slowly begin to back up their belongings. You scoff at their petulance but carry on with your conversation. 

This is bad. The Prefect thinks, is this just how you are, or are you actually flirting? Well, whatever it is, it has Rogerson all in a tizzy. 

"I'm truly honored that you would make time for me, but afraid I can't stay and chat. I only came to deliver these flowers, but perhaps we could meet tomorrow evening. I know this cafe in town stays open late, so could I meet you after classes?" Rogerson proposes, a slight bit of apprehension in his tone. Fear of rejection, it seems. You are inclined to accept his invitation, but as you go to nod an acceptance, the Prefect is quick to interject. 

"Professor, isn't there a meeting tomorrow for cultural fair planning that you'll have to attend after classes? "

"Ah, you're right! I'm sorry. I'll have to decline the invitation. Perhaps another-"

"Well, not to be too insistent," Rogerson interrupts, "but if you're not opposed to an even later meeting, we could go for a drink. You're new in town, right? I'd be happy to show you the best spots.”

"How indecent!" The Prefect remarks, aghast, and hand on their chest. They were nearly out the door, but Rogerson's invitation has caused them and Deuce to dart back through the door. 

"Are you propositioning our Professor!" They accuse, feigning indignity.

"Excuse me? I would never, I just think-" The RSA professor is already stumbling over his words in embarrassment, but Deuce and the Prefect don't let up. 

"Yeah!" Deuce adds. "That's totally out of line! You came all this way to ask our teacher on a date?"

Rogerson starts to stammer when your students so confidently accuse him of indecency, but you quickly come to his rescue. 

"I will see you two tomorrow. Rest well, darlings." You dismiss your students for the second time as warmly as possible and wait for them to filter out of the room at the most leisurely pace you'd only thought Leona capable of. "Thank you for your help today." You call once they've finally departed.

"Sorry about them." You gently place a hand on Rogerson's forearm in consolation, but another presence enters the room.

"I didn't take you for this much of cad. Rogerson, it doesn't suit you." As if on cue, Crewel steps onto the scene. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice the Prefect's shoulders droop with a sigh as they depart the room. 

But more importantly, you swear you feel the temperature in the room drop, the tension between the two men recalling a decade of animosity.

"Ah, quite. That was always your game if I recall from our school days." Rogerson replies without skipping a beat. His focus is now entirely on Crewel and his apparent former classmate, if context clues are anything to go by. Your fellow colleague steps further into the room and takes up a place at your side.

"I don't," Crewel replies coolly. "I take it you were just about to head out? The door is that way." Divus is always so shameless, but there is no excuse for blatant discourtesy…even if there's a history you're not quite privy to, Rogerson has been nothing but kind, and as a frequent recipient of extravagant bouquets, this one certainly had to cost 30,000 thurmarks at least. 

"Professor Crewel, that is hardly a way to treat guests." You chastise lightly, with a disapproving frown.

"I'll walk you out, Mr. Rogerson." You insist, linking your arm with Rogerson's as you attempt to guide him to the door. You spare your colleague a glance, and while the reaction is ever so minimal, you swear that Crewel deflates a bit at your gesture.' That won't do,' you think to yourself.

"You don't have to." Rogerson weakly protests, eyes flicking between your arm in his and your warm, pretty smile in apparent disbelief, but it's apparent that he's delighted by the prospect of taking a long private walk to the school's distant entrance.

"It's the least I could do after the flowers." You reply as you head out of the music room, but not before turning to address Crewel who came and awfully long way to visit you from the alchemy room. 

"Professor Crewel, I'll meet you in your room once I'm finished."

Crewel instantly perks up, his brow slightly raised. You only reply with a playfully nonchalant look. As you two share a cheeky glance—an unspoken understanding passes between you. 

"Of course, Professor." Crewel smiles before departing, passing his old peer and only offering a much less warm acknowledgment, "Rogerson."

You turn back to the man who most certainly got more than he bargained for when he came all the way to hand-deliver these flowers if you can tell anything from flushed cheeks. 

*            *           *   

Crewel has only three ancient rivals. One, of course, is Professor Trein he and that stuffy old man have never gotten along, the other is…going to be a bit complicated if he wants a future with you, but the third is most certainly that stuck-up prick Clifford Rogerson.

Rogerson was a student at RSA, perhaps a year older than Divus, although Crewel would have to say he's aged quite poorly in comparison. 

And while the optics of their contempt for each other might not cast Crewel in the best light, he was almost certainly the instigator of past conflicts, Divus thought that they had come to an tacit agreement to stay in their respective territories on Sage's Isle, but for whatever reason, namely you, Rogerson has decided to break this treaty. 

But perhaps Rogerson's greatest offense is the mere thought that a woman as urbane, beautiful, and talented as you would ever have anything to do with a pallid husk like him. Certainly, you recognized Rogerson's attentions to what they were. Just the obsequious obsession of a musician, not with not even a tenth of your talent. Perhaps the way mortals bow to gods might be an apt metaphor for the leagues that Rogerson is beneath you. Crewel sits with his feet on his desk, eyes scanning passively over the courtyard as he drums his twirls his pen in contemplation.

You knock at the door before entering. 

"Professor Crewel?" You call softly.

"Professor Bellamy, as expected, you are a woman of your word." Crewel, takes his feet off his desk, leaning forward to greet you with a small grin. 

"Of course. My apologies for not coming sooner; I was occupied with you, dear old classmate." Your tone is dripping with sarcasm as you lean against the doorway. 

"Ah, yes, he didn't speak of me, did he?"

"No, not really." You assure Crewel.

"Coward." He hisses.

The vigor of your laugh takes you by surprise.

"Never mind him." You encourage walking closer to Crewel's desk. "I thought, well hoped, maybe you came because you wanted to give me another ride home." 

Crewel scans your smile and finds the corners of his lips rising to match.

"There isn't any rain, dear Professor."

"I know, but it is awfully chilly." 

"A bit presumptuous, but I can be accommodating. We'll have to hurry before that meddling Professor Trein catches us."

"I can keep a secret." You wink at him, and for the first time in quite a while, Crewel feels himself blush.

"In truth, I came because I was looking for Spade. He needed to make up a failed exam."

"Oops. I'm sorry to have kept him." You apologize sheepishly.

"He'll just have to do it tomorrow." Crewel isn't too bothered about it, Spade will simply have to make it up later.

"Can I trust you won't hold him hostage, tidying away music stands?"

"Hostage! I'll have you know the students come to me."

"Ah yes, you're already quite the favorite, aren't you?"

"Your words, not mine..." You shrug. "Now, are you going to give me a ride home or not?" You quip sassily.

"You know," Crewel begins, "not many people who talk to me like that have lived to tell the tale."

"Well, I'm not 'many people' am I?" You smile, now at the door, with your jacket in hand.

No, he supposes you're not.

Series Masterlist

[marimayscarlett]

We're all so quick to reblog these posts about keeping fandom spaces alive, but look at the Rammstein fandom, look at it! 😭 It's getting quiet and nobody wants to admit it. 😓 Everyone is just quietly lurking or waiting for someone else to do something and it's heartbreaking!Same cycle, different fandom. 😣 We say we care, but we don't engage, we don't reblog, we don't hype each other up anymore! Some just resort to like posts as if they were on instagram! No reblogs! Some blogs that used to be so active just vanished! Where are they? 😭 We need to actually show up if we don't want this space to disappear like so many others! Thank god at least you and some other blogs still post content! 😭 I'm not aa creator, but I try to reblog everything with commentary, but it's getting increasingly frustrating because I'm screaming into the void😭😭😭

Hi 👋🏻

I guess this is in regards to this post.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I suppose it depends on how you look at the matter. Allow me to describe my impression:

I entered this fandom on here in 2015 and spent some time here. It was admittedly very lively, very open — lots of people reblogged things with their thoughts added in the caption (which admittedly isn’t as common anymore, at least from what I’ve noticed). There was a lot of joy and excitement when Rammstein in Amerika and Rammstein in Paris came to theatres.

And after I came back to Tumblr, I witnessed the same excitement for the tours in the last two years! Which isn’t surprising, considering the tons of new concert material we got in the form of official reels and pictures, as well as the vast amount of fan videos (which was absolutely not a given during the festival tours, mind you).

I’m not sure I share the view of the Rammstein fandom as stated in that ask, but I do understand the feeling of looking back wistfully and yearning for more excitement, joy, and togetherness. Surely, the activity on here isn’t as high as during the tours, but I think that’s only natural.

Let’s not forget that there are various reasons for reduced activity:

– No new material: no tour or other events this year, so there’s not much new apart from a few selfies of the band members. Reblogging and posting older content is always nice and plays into the bittersweet emotion of nostalgia, but even I can’t spend my whole day on it.

– Real life happens! Plus there are different focus points in life. The members of this fandom don’t only exist on this little platform. They have family, work, responsibilities, friends, worries, and things to deal with, as well as offline hobbies and other fandoms they’re part of — which is a good thing! There’s a risk of becoming too absorbed in one thing when there’s no variety. I can only speak for myself, but I also find joy outside of Rammstein in other areas of interest. Which is nice, life’s too short to miss out on all the fascinating topics this world has to offer.

– Other fan spaces: Instagram seems to have a considerably large Rammstein fandom, and there’s a fairly active (I think) Discord server for this fandom here as well. Some people just need a change of pace when it comes to platforms sometimes.

And yet — we’re still here. We have wonderful and incredibly skilled artists who spoil us with beautiful Rammstein art. We have very talented and creative fanfic authors among us who bring the band to life in various scenarios. We have diligent gif-makers who pick out funny and striking moments for us to stare at endlessly.

As someone without an ounce (!) of creativity in my body, I deeply appreciate all of them, as well as every single person in this fandom. Every like, reblog, and written thought — whether it’s opinions or thirst — contributes to keeping this fandom alive. 🤍

It’s always good to encourage more engagement — I totally get you! But I don’t think this fandom is in any danger of dying out anytime soon. At least from the blogs I interact with and based on my dash, there's quite a lot of activity happening. Maybe not as much as there used to; yet perhaps it will be more if we get new content ✨

[aotopmha]

More Cosmic Exploration/gathering thoughts:

- Reached level 70(+) for Botanist, the timed node quests sucked, but I'm done with them forever (unless I want to level BTN on alt, which might be a possibility far, far in the future at most, crafting/gathering will probably stay on my main).

- Finally used Cordials. What I didn't realise is that they also have a cooldown (logically, like all potions do), so while I already wanted it before, now I definitely 100% want faster GP recovery in Cosmic Exploration. It's just unfun to wait on what is now straight up two cooldowns.

- Another awkward element I noticed was the Mission timer running out while using a node and not even giving you a window to finish it. It lead to some frustrating close losses.

- I actually think the animation lock for gathering (and also Collectibles) might also be an issue. I feel like making the animation alone faster would avoid the frustration of the close calls much better because it would put failure and success further in your hands. This issue can also compound with ping issues and as a result close calls can feel absolutely dreadful because of that lack of control on your part.

- I've had an unreasonable amount of luck with getting in the mech earlier in the day. Very obviously when there are fewer people around, you indeed seem to have a much bigger chance to be chosen.

- The C level Stellar Mission to build gathering chains became kind of a cheese moment for me because it was so easy to get gold on and it was so commonly on the list of missions.

And if not gold, I got at least a silver almost every time I did it (I think I only failed it once) and most of the time I didn't even need any GP to complete it. Got a level in like 10 minutes just spamming it.

So, I kind of got in a rythm of doing some easy golds/silvers between the big gold attempts for missions that were harder and I didn't have a gold medal on yet. I don't know how efficent leveling it was, but it felt rewarding.

- You absolutely don't "need" the golds, but they are also really rewarding to achieve when you do get them.

- In terms of rewards, so far I've gotten the Micro Rover, some dyes and the Parasol.

I got the cheap dyes though, so I suspect I've been missing the new ones.

I generally only use the Big Bang tickets because the difference of odds really does feel pretty big.

I think the junk options like prisms really need to go though and as before, I definitely continue to agree with having more pity options.

(Apparently we do have a deterministic version of the mount, which is locked behind a massive grind at that. I'm all for a few options like this. Gives reason to stay around longer for those who want something to chip away at for bit by bit.)

Or if they really want to keep the wheel, even just halving the ticket price or giving other ways to get the better tickets seems somewhat of a solution.

- Collectibles are an interesting system that took me a bit of time to understand, but I like it for variety between all of the regular gathering.

- Looking at CE in the bigger picture, I really feel like this could be the foundation for future zones in general because one criticism of the game's zones for me has been that there's been barely anything to do in them once they're done in terms of story. I feel like adding similarly urgent goals, bigger variety and more substance to FATEs would automatically give the zones more longevity.

We already have the gemstones for a reward structure, too. Shared FATEs are a start, but they wear on you really bad because they're so basic and similar to each other.

- One big element I didn't mention in my first post was that you can queue and use PF in Cosmic Exploration, so you can effectively work on something while waiting, which also ties to my point of this being essentially a possible prototype for new zones.

Making the overworld elements more substantial would effectively make entire zones something to still actively engage with long after MSQ is done and just give you something to do even while just waiting for a queue to pop or your party to fill. It'd fill the "dead air", if you had the wish to fill it, of course.

- Finally, reiterating that the big FATEs that transform the base should probably have a smaller solo version that triggers when someone who missed a previous step enters the content and plays out in intervals when they missed multiple because not everyone can be there for it.

The "story" has been really minor and I'd say the big FATE is probably my least favourite bit of content in terms of gameplay, but on the other hand, it is also a cool moment to evolve the base you've been working on by putting in that final bit of effort to get it done.

In a general sense, I really have been enjoying Cosmic Exploration and gathering. CE came out at the right time because I've been in the mood for grindy content (and I've also been looking for something to do while waiting for the party to fill in PF or for my queue to pop).

With Occult Crescent also coming out next month, I think I'll have enough of it for quite a bit of time.

[derpymule]

Hey, I don't appreciate you saying what I believe without even knowing me. I'm Ancom, I don't believe Capitalism provides anything but starvation wages for anyone except the rich fucks at the top. However I am pointing out that while we are *stuck* in this situation, stealing from another artist, not some corporation but an artist, is kind of shitty and taking what they could possibly need to survive.

By your logic, Disney could take someone's artwork, copy it and make it their own, with no payment, no need to do anything. Said artist could be surviving paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by, or not even surviving paycheck to paycheck, needing medical/financial help, and they're desperately trying to get commissions in order to get it. But hey it's just art and it didn't *steal* the original, right? So Disney shouldn't have to pay or do anything, right? That artist should just get fucked because they put all that work into something, and someone else came along, scooped it up, and just claimed it as their own. Personally I'd rather corporations like Disney didn't exist, but this is the world we currently exist in.

My counter is this: what exactly has the artist lost in this situation? Their followers will still know they made the work first, so there’s no loss there. People who would have found it will still find it, and if it’s posted online they’ll have proof to show those people that they made it first. It’s not like the copy entirely replaces the original, both exist and the original will remain exactly as popular as it would have been anyway.

But, there’s an added aspect. These days, if a corporation steals fanart or something, they get massively called out. The company takes a reputation hit and the original artist gains a massive following from the publicity the drama produces. This is, unequivocally, a loss for the copier and a win for the original artist, no copyright law needed. Now, why exactly do you think this wouldn’t happen in a world without copyright law? Companies may try to steal works, but they will basically always get called out on it. And even if they didn’t, they’re still introducing a large amount of people to that specific kind of art, people who may very well search for more of the same and find that original artist. And even if only something like 1 in 1000 people do this, those large corporations regularly get 10s-100s of thousands of engagements, which means 10s-100s of people redirected to this artist.

To follow up on that: is this not a huge gain for the community? If it’s art good enough that a large corporation is willing to associate it with themselves, that means it’s art that will enrich many people who see it. This would have been art only a few people saw, but now it will reach several orders of magnitude more people who may be inspired or encouraged. Imagine if the Mona Lisa, or any other incredibly influential work, had been made by a tiny artist with a negligible following. Would it not be far preferable if a larger artist, one capable of corralling a large audience, displayed it among their own work? Would that not be far, far better for the entire art world? Do you not wonder how much work, how many cultural shifts have been lost to time because a small artist was too protective of their work and so it died with them?

I should clarify, this still isn’t optimal. In the best case scenario, big corporations would take fan works and display them, but they would credit the original artist. And I personally believe this would be how it would generally go in a world without copyright law, out of fear of reputation hits if nothing else (it’s not like it costs corporations anything to credit). But my argument here is that even in the worst case scenario, where corporations “steal” art with absolute abandon, there is still no real loss to the original artist, in fact in most cases there is gain, and there is always gain for the wider community. There is literally zero downside to this scenario for anyone but the corporations themselves, who will lose their stranglehold over IP.

[amberstarangelle]

Amber Watches Kamen Rider Saber - Mid Season Review

Or well almost mid season review. the actual mid point was episode 23 and i'm on 26 now but ehhhh. I didn't think to do this until now so we ball. my posts on here have mostly been briefly reactionary, and most of my actual thoughts on the show have been reserved for private conversations, so i thought it might be nice to share at least some of them now. my midseason thoughts as a first time watcher below the cut (also this will be in two sections since tumblr hates me, so please reblog the version with both parts)

PART 1

so, i would like to start with a brief preface. I am relatively new to kamen rider, and tokusatsu as a whole. I have completed only 3 shows so far (build, ooo, w) and am current on 1 (gavv). so know that my expectations and comparisons only come from a relatively small pool (forgive me for my lack of broader expertise) I would also like to take the time upfront to say that what i am about to say are my biased, personal thoughts and takes. your own mileage may vary, and everyone's tastes are their own. i am not trying to declare the objective worth of the show, nor would i want to take on such a task. all of which is to say, i feel obliged to note that a lot of my feelings on the show's first quarter are... well, mostly unfavorable. if you love the show and are not interesting in reading such things, be kind to yourself and click off this post. seriously. I'm not saying this to be cheeky or as a challenge, i just genuinely think people should only engage with stuff (especially fandom stuff) that sparks joy. If reading criticism of a show you like is not fun or constructive for you, you should seek out those who share your thoughts, rather than engage with those who don't. now, not all of my thoughts are going to be negative, especially as i get into the show's second arc, but keep what i said in mind if you decide to continue. The First Arc To begin, the best way i would describe the show's first arc (from episode 1 to kento's death) is overwhelming. While in my (again, limited) experience, the first few episodes of any rider do tend to ask the audience to 'get cool with a lot of stuff real fast', this show asks too much. not only are we being introduced to the world, the main character, the basis of the conflict, and of course the mechanics of the driver, we are also asked to get cool with like 15 other things. in addition, while this note is probably supremely subjective, the use of super brights colors and flashy graphics and effects kinda strained on my eyes, which added to the overwhelming feeling. (for me, this was off the back of rider circa 2009, which yeah production tech and quality wise is a vastly different beast altogether.) New powerups were being introduced at an astonishing pace, and not only were they for the main character, they also were for the new riders that were just as quickly being introduced. Which are only a few examples of one of my main criticisms for the first arc: Pacing

This is kinda the biggest one for me. I think most of my other problems with the show, in isolation not so bad, were made way worse by this one. For example: This show has a large main cast. This is not an issue. What is an issue is that the show introduced much of that main cast so rapid fire that we had no time to really sit with and get to know any of them. It was not a good feeling sitting at like episode 8 and I didn't feel like understood Touma, our protagonist, as a character that well. I understood the basics - loves books, likes keeping promises - but much of the depth i was used to at least beginning to understand in other main riders, i didn't here. It made him feel shallow, and that feeling was shared amongst the main cast as a whole. this was also a problem that affected other aspects as well, like the aforementioned powerups. within a pretty short amount of time, we are introduced to the book system, getting more 'non combo' books, and then we got King of Arthur and then full three book combos. in the first arc. i hear you say: 'but, Amber, what about OOO? Doesn't Eiji get his first full combo in - checks notes - episode 6?' yeah, he does. but the power system in OOO is not scaling. so him getting one of his strongest forms does not matter, as he does not get a form that is objectively more powerful in all circumstances until much later. tldr, each powerup in saber's first arc felt quickly introduced and discarded, which sucks because the powers and suit alterations introduced by them are cool! and I want to see and enjoy them. This rapid pace also leaves no room for, as mentioned, character exploration. Even in episodes which introduce one of the central riders, they do not get the episodes to themselves! they way i talked about this in my private convos was this: if most shows have an A and a B plot, this show at the start has an A, B, C, and D plot. (well more like a D runner for those familiar with the term, but semantics.) In any given episode, we would follow Touma (A), the rider of the ep (B), the other riders (C), and maybe the villains for a bit (D). because focus was often so split, no one story had any time to get explored. This in turn effected even the way the scenes were cut, where it became notable to me if the show lingered on a single scene for more than a minute at a time. The overall effect was that things moved very fast, i didn't know any of the characters very well, and I had a hard time both following and caring about the development of the plot. oh, speaking of- Plot & Character Motives As i just discussed, the show's lightning pace left little room for breathing. But what was the pace in service to? exploring and expanding on the world, plot, or character motives? not... really The basics of the plot are given to us right away. there is a Wonder World that, when the bad guys use their evil book powers, intersects and threatens the real world. humans become trapped in these pockets of space, and only by defeating the Megid are these pockets closed. the swordsman wielding Sacred blades are the only ones who can do this. Touma, a novelist and bookstore owner, becomes the wielder of the Sword of Flames. He, alongside the others of the Sword of Logos fight to save the world.

Other than that, the few bites of additional plot or world details are sparse. We know there is a book which created the world that everyone wants. We know Touma has lost memories that he cannot recall from 15 years prior. other than that? nothing. Anything else we learn is a small or related to one of the previous. And every development and revelation related to the memory plot is something we as the audience already know. or could easily surmise. Because we get to see the flashes of his memories more clearly than he can, we understand the basics of what Touma has forgotten. by the time he remembers everything, the only thing we the audience learn that is wholly new is that the girl's name is Luna. now, dramatic irony has its place, but that only works if we know (usually) a substantial amount more than the character or if we know one very important thing that the character does not. and that the learning of said thing or things drastically alters the plot and the character's actions. but the show does not do this here. Touma learns of his past and nothing about him or his motivations change. It is slightly more focused and specific, but not changed. Now, I will give credit where it is due. One plot point that the show's first arc did well was Calibur. the hints and then eventual reveal that he was not whom everyone presumed was handled well. Kento's arc in relation to Calibur was also fine. (albeit, i was not super sympathetic to him for being so reckless, but i think that is due to the pacing issues, not allowing us to feel attached to Kento, so we would care when he was making bad choices). But when Kento (presumably) dies at the end of the arc, as a result, the most i could say was that he 'played stupid games and won stupid prizes'. but that ties at the core of my issues. we don't know the characters, the stakes feel too large and ungrounded, we don't have time to dig into any one thing, and the story expects us to care. but we don't. rather than being people who make foolish choices that we want them to fix because we want to see them become better, we are given flat character who we laugh at when they make dumb decisions and who we don't care if they improve. We are given a world we know honestly little about and a power system that never lets us sit with the newest form for more than a episode or two at a time. the end result was that i had watched (about) 16 episodes of a kamen rider, and I didn't think the story was compelling, I didn't like any of the characters any great amount, and didn't care about any of it. my attachment to Tassel was probably greater than any of the main characters. TASSEL. you probably see my point. anyway, as a result, i was watching a show i did not like. and despite me feeling obligated to continue on this step of my kamen rider journey, i kinda wanted to quit. It was only on the word of someone who has seen all of saber, and his reassurances that the show improved on many of the aspects i disliked, that i decided to keep going, if only to the second arc's conclusion. now, i'm not honestly sure if i've 'finished' the second arc. but i can say I have made my choice on whether to continue on with the show. I will, and here is why. Things got better.

[willows-unnamed-rpg]

Post 1) Overall idea - turn based pirate rpg/ttrpg system

TLDR: I am working on a ttrpg system as a basis for a turn based rpg that is magic, piracy, and exploration. A focus on wealth and growth plus a vast world (hopefully). I am inspired by alot of things, mainly horror and pirate media, so the intent is a more darker setting

Ok onto the post :)

I figured if I actually want to get this bloody game in production I might as well start with a long post detailing some initial thoughts with some hope of any amount of actual engagement (doubtful that is). This thing has lived in my brain for weeks now and it has officially kept me up at night now. Figured I should post something out into the world. Now I guess I should have some form of organizing

Why a turn based rpg

Honestly, it's what I love. I grew up playing RPGs and I love table top RPGs. I figured it was this or action rpg and I don't want an action rpg. Granted it might fit the genre more but also I'm the one making it the thing so I get to call the shots (until someone else hops in if I ever get someone else)

I also Game Master several table top games currently so I have an understanding of combat flow and narrative, I am just used to others adding to the story rather than it being all me (since ttrpgs are inherently collaborative works)

I have some ideas for the system, something I want to go into detail when I am less sleep deprived, but in short I want it to be classless but still guiding the player to general play styles, like mage or tank. I know pirates and magic, but the whole magical dungeon diving fits exploring ancient ruins for money (plus casting a big old fireball at a ship sounds cool as hell).

So a custom rpg system?

Yes. Like I want it to work on its own as a standalone ttrpg system. Since I should be able to make it translate well into a video game. I mean that's the hope. I won't be the first person to do this (look at all the d&d games from the 1980s on dos to BG3, it works)

The idea as said above is classless with point buying perks (kinda like fallout). Unsure if I want it to be a d20 system but I am absolutely going for high roll is better since low roll systems hurt my head (looking at 2e dnd, had to learn it for some dos d&d games and it took a bit of getting used to). But it's all subjected to change since it's literally this post and my brain

Pirates?

You bet. Look, the only good pirate games are Assassin Creed: Black Flag and Sea of Thieves and both are subjective. Of course the big problem here comes from the question of how much time do we put into ship combat to make it fluid. Especially with turn based rpg combat. And I know that will be the challenge. I will not back down from this point. I want ship combat. Even if it's just boarding other vessels. I want fireballs to light gunpowder holds and deal massive damage. I want artificers repairing the ship and manning guns. I want the player to feel at full control and be able to react while making choices that fit into the system. Without it being full on simulation.

As for the player exploration off the boat, that should be easy, like any other RPGs. Of course I have done ttrpg games not video games so I know it will be a pain nonetheless but that's learning and art.

So about that world for exploring

I want that to be it's own post once I nail down the system's mechanics but in short, kinda an Isekai (well not literally, the player isn't from another world, not yet anyway) but all the "Species" (no idea what I want to use for the word) are not native to the world, and so they have been invited over time to explore a long dead universe that they brought in their own beliefs. Does that mean human Christianity mixing with let's say elven nature faith? It's been in my mind as a neat idea but also *yikes* as well. I want to be sure that I consider everything, including cultures who were exploited during the age of sail so I don't propagate more harm. So that will require a lot of research and help from those communities. I also don't want to plop in fantasy races "just because" since they probably won't belong. We tend to see them because Western fantasy is typically "eurocentric", and this game will not be. Pirates were European sure but that ignores so many other groups (Barbary Pirate, Malagasy, South East Asian. Again I need to do more research)

I have tied in my own Mexican culture into my ttrpg games before but that's my own culture and in a small group. This is far larger and I need to give the world the respect it deserves.

What kind of art style?

I am not a very good artist so this one will be in the air until I settle, but I need to grow or get help. I would like something near realism (Honestly like how the Paradox Strategy games tend to do art, EU4 especially since it's the right period of time but again that's eurocentric so who knows)

I can't settle on a style when I haven't even made custom stat blocks for creatures or even know what creatures will be in the game yet. I will say, I love pixel art but I'm aware of exactly how much work it takes to make it wonderful. I have exactly zero skill in most art/drawing and what I do have need work, so best get to doodling to get better

The story?

On my main blog I usually write (though I am bad at posting, let's not make that a habit shall we?) but that doesn't mean I'm good at writing. Writing like drawing is an art, so I need to work on this and get help from others as it warms up. I don't want to disregard writing, it's an rpg, it lives by the narrative.

Other than exploring the world for money, I like the idea of it being focused on either one country or one city. A pirate republic. You could leave on expeditions and come back and those would be arcs. Do everything around town, hang out with companions, romance, and then to move the narrative along we build up to an expedition that changes the republic. Kinda like Dragon Age 2 and Kirkwall (not going into it here since spoilers for the game) but I really like this idea. You can see growth and change and get an impact on the narrative. Obviously this isn't anything new. But it's always a good time

My Inspirations?

That is a hell of a question. I have alot, ranging from Dark Fantasy/Gothic Horror with Ravenloft, Dragon Age, From Software's Library, Lovecraft's work (he isn't gothic horror I know, Eldritch is different but also water monsters in a ocean setting hits good) to pirate media with One Piece, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and the actual historical pirates I know.

And Obviously with any game, Lord of the Rings and System Shock 2 despite how far apart both are and possibly irrelevant they are.

I don't have any current "required reading" minus The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (and maybe The Dunwitch Horror?)

I guess my inspirations lead me to a darker world, which fits real pirates well

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 23/04/2024

How 2 Do Anything

Season 3 Featured on: STRINGS OF FATE ~ SiIvaGunner: King for a Day Tournament Original Soundtrack

Ripped by Scribble1k Vocals by eva twin

(Also check out the Remastered Version!)

Requested by Corb! (Request Form)

In reading the request for me to cover How 2 Do Anything on here, I was made to realize something pretty big. For the 10-plus months that I've been running this blog, and for the amount of coverage I've dedicated to Season 4 Episode 1's King for Another Day tournament event, I've barely devoted any time to its Season 3 prequel on SiIvaGunner. I wrote about an excellent original piece made for it by dante and wolfman1405, FINAL DESTINATION, and I got to gush specifically about Anamanaguchi with Give Me The Fantasy...but I've hardly even touched on the tournament itself. I'm here today with How 2 Do Anything, and its remastered version, to try and resolve that issue - to celebrate the very first SiIvaGunner one-day king, and in some ways, a turning point for the entire channel.

So, first of all - the King for a Day Tournament. Halfway through Season 3, the SiIvaGunner channel was suddenly prevented from uploading videos for a week's time, but were still able to make community posts and tweets. The team was given the perfect opportunity for a channel shake-up, an opportunity to rethink what SiIvaGunner could be, and began thinking of ways to have the channel engage more directly with its viewers. Sure enough, that eventually landed on the idea of a "tournament arc", an event wherein viewers would both submit ideas for contestants to be featured, but then vote between the qualified few to crown a champion - with said champion then getting the reigns of the channel for an entire day of rips. Takeovers had become a regular occurrence on the channel ever since Season 2, be it the Inspector Gadget takeover with Become as Gadget, or the Santana and Rob Thomas takeover with Haltmanna feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 - each of these, as you can tell, brought with them a bevvy of rips tied to the character hosting the channel, and have in some cases become legends on the channel in retrospect. Thus, each submission to the tournament was of a character who represented a specific kind of rips, a "source list" as it's now since been called - and the voting came down to which kind of rip the viewers would most want to see on the channel for a day's time.

Truth be told, I wish I had been more involved with the fanbase at the time of KFAD1's unfurling, I can only imagine how exciting the discussions must've been during the unveiling and lead-up on Discord and Twitter. Yet as a big lorehead, a big part of the appeal of the original King for a Day tournament for me was specifically the characters each contestant was represented through. Season 3 was right when the Christmas Comeback Crisis (the channel's main storyline) had begun slowing down, with a lot of the lore additions made being supplemental rather than advancing the core story forward. Even though King for a Day wasn't connected to this main story, it was nevertheless a sudden explosion of character - and characters! - added to the channel, a good amount of which would continue to be relevant outside of the tournament's confines. Like, this was the debut of Ajit Pai on the channel, who basically had his own little narrative spun across his first appearance, A New Threat and Totally Shaaking Out Right Now - this was the debut of Geno, the tragic fallen star of DEARLY BELOVED... who we'd later catch back up with in the Season 6 DoomFes event - this was where we got JOHN NOTWOODMAN as the event's host who I rambled on about in Vote Responsibly!!....and it was, of course, the debut of everyone's favorite, Unregistered Hypercam 2.

Even though I was disconnected from most fan discussion at the time, I'm certain I wasn't alone in having Unregistered Hypercam 2 as my favorite of the tournament right from his unveiling. A source list consisting of every anthem of the old internet - Paralyzer, Dreamscape, Bodies - all wrapped up in a completely original character design, the most Little Guy thing you'd ever seen? Frankly, I was sold right away - and with each example rip made under his name, it seemed we'd only be made more sure of our choice. Throughout his run, and after his victory, it was as if How 2 Do Anything became the little guy's anthem - a modern, reimagined take on the theme that taught us all so many things across the early internet's scuffed YouTube tutorials.

I've covered some rips by Scribble1k on here before, notably the fantastic Guilty Eyes Creeper mashup, but King for a Day and its sequel gave rippers the unique opportunity to shine through full-on professional-grade rearrangements. I've always been partial to the themes that Hypercam brought with him to the channel, you may recall I've covered Paralyzer specifically twice already with YACKER TOILET and Remember when this song was the one related to toilets?, but I'm just as attached if not MORESO to the legendary Dreamscape theme that How 2 Do Anything is arranging. Just the three opening piano chords alone strike such a raw nostalgic nerve: its instrumentation is as far removed from Dreamscape as you could come, yet there's no other song that sounds quite like that, it introduces the theme as an old memory to be recalled through Hypercam's presence - an age of the internet lost to time, brought back all these years later after being buried away for so long. The arrangement itself goes in swinging soon after that, a main melody carried through a heavy electronic, almost dubstep-esque vibe - yet it never wholly loses that sort of melancholic tone set up by the introductory piano. The noise and distortion of the arrangement conveys almost a sense of the Dreamscape theme being at battle with the rest of the internet's noise, almost akin to Your Worst Nightmario, yet its a battle that turns into an incredibly sick listening experience, a balance of light and dark.

It's all topped off with a full-circle piano ending, and a small vocal signoff from guest contributor eva twin, whisking the theme away with a proud reaffirmation - "You can do anything...". And sure enough - the little guy did it!! Through a tough bracket and a close final dual with Splatoon's Off the Hook (hence, OtH Was Robbed), Unregistered Hypercam 2 wound up becoming the tournament's champion - and, in the process, has become an outright mainstay character on the channel. He got to have his Windows Movie Maker-core, day-long takeover, filled rips like Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong, and got to appear as the host of the King for Another Day Tournament, playing a vital role in its storyline and surprise final boss with NIGHTMARESCAPE 〜Unrestrained HyperCam 2〜 (Final Boss Phase 2). He's a core SiIvaGunner cast member, and all of this started with just an idea, a figment of the imagination cast into SiIvaGunner's email address for a silly tournament arc. One that was so successful and beloved by the fanbase, that it shaped the entirety of Season 4's two episodes - and in turn shaped much of Season 5 and Season 6 to boot.

This one little guy helped change SiIvaGunner forever, and in turn helped bring in a wave of incredible original arrangements just like How 2 Do Anything in the years to follow. The King for a Day Tournament may well have been overshadowed by its vastly bigger follow-up, but it has paved the way for everything that has kept SiIvaGunner so engrossing to follow in the years since - a shot in the arm at just the right time, and an incredible gateway for SiIvaGunner's team to flex just how talented they've always been.

[timeskip]

I FINISHED UMINEKO!!!!!!!!

In answer arcs I have 83.5 hours (this includes time idling, which I did more of than I'd have liked. I also played with a voice acting mod, so I spent more time listening to the voices than someone would spend simply reading it) which added to the question arcs playtime means I spent 172.4 hours with it over the past 3 months and 19 days ^-^

Mostly spoiler free overall thoughts:

I feel like Umineko is exactly the kind of story it's trying to be. Any criticism I throw at it is meaningless in that it's not TRYING to be what I want. And that's beautiful. It's a story about mysteries, what it means to create one and what it means to hide the truth. It's about family, how family hurts and helps you, about hope for the future and staying alive for it. It's about how without love the truth cannot be seen. There's a lotttt of things that Umineko is about, and I think overall it hits the mark really well in what it wants to do. And I admire it deeply. It takes some HUGE swings.

However, I feel like it didn't hit me as much as I wanted it to. But!!!! Certain parts (episodes 6 and 3, in particular) I felt were SO INCREDIBLY PEAK, and I enjoyed it the whole way through. It was consistently engaging even when it was confusing, but I feel like I, someone who struggles to create in depth theories on mysteries, am not the target audience for a story like this. And that's fine!! But even though I have theories, it does mean that the ambiguity keeps me from understanding "the truth," which is so vital to understanding the reasons for the game, and for the mystery. But then again, the point is that it's ambiguous. I respect that a lot, even though sometimes it felt like it was unclear in a way that didn't suit what I want from stories.

I also loved the characters, Erika was my favorite because there's something deeply wrong with her, but in general I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the amount of fucked up women in the game. I'll put a spoilery tierlist under the cut ^^

Ultimately I think where it suffers most is that it's unfocused. It's so long and winding, and in a way that fits with what it is, but I feel like there's just so many characters and plot points that the themes end up shifting and changing too much over the course of the story. Episode 1 is a completely different story from episodes 5-8, which is both good and bad. I don't dislike unfocused stories btw (Hunter x Hunter is a favorite of mine and that's really unfocused) but Umineko tries to do SO MUCH, especially with Beatrice, that I can't get a hold on what it's trying to say. Some characters I feel didn't have full clear arcs despite being initially presented as major characters, for example. It's just something that happens, though. I don't hate it for that by any means.

(It's really hard to explain why Umineko didn't hit me as hard as I wanted it to but hopefully you understand my vague feelings...!!)

tl;dr: It's a really good story, an amazing feat that it even exists in the way it does, and while certain things didn't work for me, it was an amazing experience.

---

Spoilery thoughts, especially on the very end of episode 8:

First, the promised tier list: (I have to split it into two images sorry lol)

Not ordered at all within tiers 🫶 I hope my taste isn't too bad (whether Erika being my favorite is good or bad taste... is up to you)

AS FOR EPISODE 8... I really loved Ange's development. I mentioned in a previous post that it's not really the kind of story I want to read about suicide, and that is still true, I feel like the way it SHOWS her dying and only THEN do we get her choosing to live is... odd? Anyways this is all in that past post. I really loved Ange's arc at the end, her hope and her despair both. The fact that the story was ABOUT HER all the time, that she wanted to break into the catbox... oughhh what an amazing twist on the story. So good.

When I say that Umineko can feel unfocused, it ALLOWS for something like that. We thought the story was about Battler, but it's ACTUALLY about Ange, and about her love for Battler, and it's about Battler's love for Beatrice... it's all really good. I wish it was focused more on that, it would've made it hit harder for me, but whatever. It's exactly the story it needs to be.

And the Tohya thing. Augh. Omg. Battler surviving even as he dies. He's able to live on the same way, even if "Ushiromiya Battler" was unable to leave Rokkenjima. Him not being able to be Battler anymore is kind of perfect for him, and becoming Tohya... yeah... really good... I love the mystery author thing, and I love that Ange is trying to give hopes to people the same way Battler gave hope to her. It's a good ending! It's so completely unrelated to the start, and yet it works. It IS what episode 8 was leading to.

Also all the Erika stuff was such a treat. She and Ange are the same for so long until Ange is able to break out of being a Witch of Truth, and their parallels make both of their characters stronger. And Bernkastel and Lambdadelta were such interesting characters at the end too!!! I loved seeing their fight, and their weird witchy love for each other. So fun.

The catbox itself is such a perfect story. It's a mystery that can be replicated, a tragedy that both exists and does not exist. Without an observer, the truth is hidden. This is what Beatrice wanted, as tragic as she was ;-; It's a good story!!

As for the mystery... I feel like I still can't fully understand the implications of Kanon *not existing*... But it's fine. I'll either figure it out or I won't. Unrelated to the mystery, I also feel like some of the incest/child abuse is brushed over a bit too fast, but that's.......... I don't even know what to feel about that. I don't understand why Shannon (assuming she's Yasu...) didn't tell George about the incest thing, unless. I mean. she WAS planning to create a tragedy on Rokkenjima, wasn't she??? I don't understand it, and I hope I can figure out what it means when I think deeper on it (+ read other people's thoughts + Confession...)

Anyways yay yippee what a fun story!!! I'll be thinking thoughts about it for a while I think!!! I spent a lot of time with it and I'm glad I took the leap to start this 1 million+ word long VN ^-^

[aorish]

Re the days earlier discourse: i didn’t do any of these things even when the opportunity arose because it seemed to me that the cultural view was that consent could readily be revoked post-sex, for just about any regret related or non reason, and that ever engaging in this behavior opens me up for these accusations in perpetuity, with essentially zero recourse on my part. Society is quite cruel to peoples accused, and so I never was sufficiently horny or attracted to anyone to have this outweigh the (low) risk of a very bad event. Probably an algorithmic error how I calculated values on these things.

Naturally, I regret all this now. But it’s too late :)

the cultural view was that consent could readily be revoked post-sex

yeah i feel like we don't talk about this one enough but i think this is largely true? i mean, setting paranoia aside, if you think there's a reasonable chance that someone you want to have sex with might regret it later to the extent where they accuse you of forcing them to do it, you should not have sex with them. even if they're enthusiastically consenting to do right at the moment. you can always invent an excuse and the worst that will happen is they might think you don't like them, no point adding even more drama into your life sleeping with someone you don't feel like you can trust!

now, if you're having those sorts of thoughts in general and it hasn't progressed to the point where you even *have* a specific person in mind who you think might want to have sex with you, that's probably an unhealthy amount of paranoid ideation. most people are not like that and if you're writing everyone off before you've even met them, that's not a very accurate picture of reality you have there! but doing new things is hard and scary and most people will take any excuse they can get to not make changes in their life. Maybe the fear of being wrongly accused prevented you from doing something you actually wanted to do, and kept you comfortable in misery?

Naturally, I regret all this now. But it’s too late :)

Now, I don't know your specific situation but I doubt that it's ever truly "too late" unless you're typing this lying in your deathbed. you'll always have more opportunities to have sex if you want it, the fact that you had to unpack some bullshit before you were ready doesn't consign you to a life forever alone.

[firecoloredwater]

Ask meme: 6, 7, 22, 30

...I had the answers 99% done and then my computer froze and I had to restart and lost all of them. So OKAY, TRYING AGAIN

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

Not really! I wish I did. I am apparently very weird in that a fic (or anything I read) needs to be a certain amount of unfamiliar, or my brain won't engage enough for me to enjoy it. If I've reread something too much then my brain will go 'oh I know what's happening, I don't need to pay attention' and wander off and get distracted. Making myself focus deliberately just means being bored and annoyed. I am also really good at remembering stories (and like nothing else) so I can read a fic twice, maybe three times if it's especially long/complex, before I have to put it down for anywhere from some months to a few years to let myself forget enough details to make it new enough to read again. (For related reasons, I basically never read my own fics for enjoyment. I'll reread to refresh my memory before writing more, or while rereading comments, but I know my own fics too well to really ever approach them as a reader. I might get enjoyment from 'oh I actually pulled that alliteration/foreshadowing/etc off well' but not just from reading the story.)

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

Uhhhhh somewhere in the range of infinite. Depends on how you define ideas for fics? If you mean fics I'm actively working on/hoping to write in the near future, that would be... about 6-8, probably? But if you mean fics I'd like to write even if I don't actually expect to have the chance, that gets up into several dozen immediately. If you include ideas that I haven't specifically thought about how I'd write them, then we're probably into the hundreds. I am an endless font of ideas and it does not turn off.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

Usually vaguely! But it ranges from 'and then everything is good the end' to like, a two-sentence bullet point of the ending scene(s). I don't plan ahead in much detail, because I do a lot of discovering and adding things as I write, and what I throw in that way will affect later scenes. So if I had a lot of detail planned for the end, I'd just have to replan/rewrite anyway when I got there, and probably be annoyed about losing lines I liked. So it works out better for me and the fic if I keep my plans minimal. There is an exception for very short fics. If I'm writing a fic that's basically just one or two scenes, and the entire momentum of the fic is writing toward the end, then I can know exactly what the end is. But that's fairly rare, partly because I also need to be able to write it all in one shot, and I rarely have that much time.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

.......................well I was going to dump a scene from one of the self insert AUs here, but it turns out two years is enough for me to no longer love the writing in that. So uhhhhhh guess I'll just. Write a new thing real quick!

(@executeness and @denialcity, enjoy)

Every clan has their own way of finding soulmates. Some are more reliable than others, and most are closely guarded. That's never mattered to Takami: the Uchiha's tradition is reliable, so any uncertainty that other clans live with isn't his problem.

He is fifteen and it is the first dawn after the winter solstice. The fire in the center of the Uchiha compound has burned all night, built steadily larger until it roars, and the flames dance as high as his chin.

Takami is not the only fifteen year old with a sharingan, but he is the clan heir, so he goes first. The entire clan sings as the first rays of dawn break through the horizon, and Takamii steps forward, sharingan burning as he shapes chakra and breathes a thin, precise stream of his own fire into the core of the flames.

He's thought before about how it would look, whether he would see his soulmate's form made of ashes and embers swirled within the flame, or if the flames themselves would twist into the right shape for only his eyes, or....

It's clearer than he imagined. As if he's looking through a window, tinted gold and shifting in the breeze, but otherwise the overlapping images are perfectly clear, as if he were looking at reality directly. But there are so many people--the fire shows the watcher's soulmate, but also everything around them, and there are so many overlapping forms. Takami prowls around the fire in a circle, watching the shifts within it, tracking which faces stay in focus.

He can hear. The longer he watches, the more sound grows. It's still thin and distant, but seems to come from deep within his own ears, so even the whole clan singing together can't quite drown out what his soulmates hear. A song, of course, and orders....

There is one flaw in the Uchiha method of identifying soulmates, Taka realizes: it's public.

He finishes a last circle of the fire. The song hasn't faltered despite the time he took, and it continues as he stops, and turns to face his father.

His whole family: Father and mother and four younger brothers, even Kunimi, who drank enough tea to keep anyone else awake for a week and is standing in his proper place with his face screwed up in determination. But Tajima is the clan head, so Takami faces him first.

Tajima's voice is pitched to carry over the song. "Have you seen what you are looking for?"

"I have," Takami says, steady as if this were any ordinary year. "There were a lot of faces, I had to move to be sure which one is mine. We should make people dance, next year."

"Then your soulmate is within the clan?"

Takami grins. "Hako's mine," he announces.

Several voices falter then, and people in the crowd shift, and surprise makes it through even Hako's near-perfect composure.

Takami is the heir, but Hako is beloved, the most beautiful and the most perfect and the most wanted. No one in the clan had even bothered to pretend they were more interested in learning Takami's soulmate now than Hako's next year.

They're not wrong, all those people chasing after Hako's every glance: Hako is the best and they should all be honored to have his sight fall on them. But he's Takami's brother first, and now no one can ever try to interfere.

In the firelight, so subtle than only the sharingan could catch it, Hako relaxes. Beside him, Madara sneaks a thumbs up, and his grin distorts his singing for a few lines.

It's not this easy, Takami knows. They're soulmates, so they won't be separated now, or expected to put anyone else first. But they'll still be expected to have friends and get married, and the whole clan and half their allies will chase Hako for both of those. Some of them will remember that some people have multiple soulmates, and keep hoping for another year that Hako will claim them even though Taka hasn't.

At the same time, it is this simple. Takami and Hako belong together, and no one will ever question it again.

Takami steps away from the fire, and goes to stand beside Hako instead of in his proper place. He takes up the song as the others look for their soulmates: one outside the clan, and one within it.

There are more traditions, more celebration, and Takami goes through them gladly with Hako at his side. Even so, Hako can read him like no one else.

It's late morning before they get even a few seconds out of everyone's sight, but the instant it's possible, Hako has Takami out of sight and hearing.

Out of sight like this, Hako isn't perfect either: his forehead is creased and worry bites in at the corners of his eyes. "Nii-sama, tell me you didn't lie."

"I didn't."

Hako frowns, his forehead creasing more, but it's true. They're soulmates. Takami didn't lie.

"Then," Hako says slowly, "why are you bothered?"

"I saw you." The images are still in Takami's eyes, hovering with sharingan clarity. The whole clan singing around the fire, centered on Hako, posed and perfect. And overlapping, a training field, four boys and a man with a voice Takami knows, barking harsh orders. "I also saw a Senju. Butsuma's son. One we haven't seen on the field yet."

"He has enough sons," Hako says harshly, then catches himself. "What did you think?"

Takami didn't think. He just watched, and knew better than to reveal anything like that. And Hako was right there to smooth things over, as always. "It doesn't matter. He'll probably just die anyway."

"You don't need him anyway," Hako says. "You have me."

"Yeah." Takami grins. "Always."

"Always," Hako promises, even though there's no need to, and then he moves on to batting a wrinkle out of Takami's clothes and herding him back out to the celebrations.

The next year, Hako looks into the fire and sees Takami alone.

Six months after that, Senju Kawarama arrives on the battlefield. He's grown, but Takami still knows that face.

He puts a scar on it.

[lantur]

self-publishing stuff,

I'm not sure if any other self-published authors read my blog, or if there are any aspiring self-published authors reading. Just in case, I thought I would write a little bit about what I've been trying with regard to marketing/promotion.

I don't have Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter. Tumblr is the only social media I'm active on. I've been able to write and share posts about my novel, and I've been fortunate to have people like and reblog those posts.

Over the past month, I've been reaching out to book blogs that accept review requests. There are a couple of different challenges here. Not all book blogs accept review requests, and many book blogs are only open to review requests from traditionally published authors. Additionally, even among book blogs that accept review requests from self-published authors, some bloggers only read books in specific genres that may not overlap with the genre you wrote.

It takes a good amount of time to search online for book blogs and select those that accept review requests for self-published novels in your genre.

After that, it seems to be a numbers game. In my first round of requests to book bloggers, I reached out to 12 bloggers and heard back from one.

A marketing/advertising budget comes into play as well. Some self-published authors use Facebook/Instagram ads. I haven't tried that yet, because I don't want to engage with FB/IG. I'm open to setting aside a small amount of money every month for other forms of marketing/advertising, like sponsored posts on Tumblr or with book bloggers.

It has been an interesting and eye-opening process. Writing, completing, editing, and self-publishing the novel is just half the battle. The work definitely isn't done at that point. Getting the word out, getting the story into people's hands, is the other half. I've learned a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[jasper-unofficial]

The X engagement numbers that you posted were so interesting to me. Just based on that data it seems like shows like 23.5, We Are, Cherry Magic, Last Twilight and My School President steadily grew more audience interest/engagement over time. Whereas shows like My Love Mix Up, and The Trainee numbers were buoyed by strong fanbases but didn’t seem to attract much interest outside of fans. I’m curious what Gmmtv prefers. I imagine Gmmtv just wants the biggest audience possible but maybe brands/sponsors come into play and therefore they have to hit certain engagement metrics too.

money-wise, i do think they put a lot of eggs into the basket of strong fanbases.

even if we compare something as simple as product placement in we are vs my love mix-up, the former had absolutely no baked-in ads and only one outside ad at the beginning of the episode, while mlmu was packed with three to four outside ads plus a bunch of baked-in ads too. similarly, we are's merch was either present in the series in a very organic manner (e.g. phumpeem's plushies) or was not overly pervasive (e.g. qtoey's pencil case was not shoved into the shot at every opportunity, though it could have been), while some mlmu merch was kind of shoehorned in (e.g. the plushie from the coach) or was an awkwardly constant presence (e.g. the carrot/cabbage blankets). all of this points to how 'we are' was very obviously (for a whole variety of reasons) not expected to be a huge success, while mlmu definitely had an enormous amount of expectations on it from the jump.

that being said, if they are smart (and that's a big 'if'), i do think they should also be quite happy with an organic growth, because that does eventually also result in people who stick around and make up those future strong fanbases that aren't as strong at the moment or don't yet exist at all.

besides, strong fanbases rarely get the same high numbers that steadily growing series do by the end of their run. mlmu and the g4 fandom in general are more of an exception to the rule in that regard, as you could see. obviously, 1-to-1,5 million tweets each week is preferred to pretty much any organic growth that starts from 100-to-300 thousand tweets. but if we are talking about the 500-to-700 thousand tweets each week compared to something that does start at 100-to-300 thousand but grows steadily and gets to 1-to-1,5 million tweets in the last ~third, the lines start to blur. at that point - both, both is good, i think.

[noemitenshi]

Forgive me if this sounds rude it's not intended to, but are you ever going to finish any of your Troy fics? It seems like every time one starts to actually go somewhere you drop it and start a new one. 😟

i've cycled through a ton of emotions after getting that ask, from 'fair enough' to being hesitant/less excited about continuing writing…

Here's the thing. Writing, though a ton of fun, is also a ton of work. Maybe not for everyone, but I take on average about two hours for about 500 words (from first draft to edited publishable version - plotting not included). You can do the math yourself on how long it does take to get a story to the finishing line… Now add to that the ebb and flow of motivation and inspiration. My (and my coauthors) brains are wired in such a way that new things do give us quite a motivational boost (and also.. they make it difficult to get back to older things). We don't even post most story ideas we have! (you get maybe about 10%) But whenever a story really speaks to us/we can't stop thinking about it… well. We gotta write it. It's a surefire way to get it out of our system - and honestly, I am always excited to share a new version. I'd actually love to be able to share every version. Alas both my coauthor and I do have IRL responsibilities (and not too few…) which dramatically cuts into our writing time. And going from story idea to something publishable, even if it is just a summary type post takes quite some time… Then there's not only which story our brains are focusing on/we're excited about writing, there's also low effort and high effort stories and they need, as their names suggest, different amount of work put in. Sometimes, even though we'd like to continue EYK for example (I'd say this is our highest effort story), all we can do is something easy like 'Second Chances' (or 'you're the sin…') and so that is what gets continued. In the end it does mean we get some writing done (instead of not doing any writing) so we've been very happy with this system. Because whenever we do get writing done (esp. a chapter finished) we get a motivational boost too. I mean, listen. We know how every story ends. We know most of the beats we want to hit. The extra effort put in to get a story publishable is for the readers. And I know I'm repeating myself, but it is a lot of effort that gets into it. I routinely get discouraged because most stories are relatively slow in progression and I'd just love to be at a different point in time already. With our big ones (eyk and atm) we haven't even reached the midpoint yet! Yet we keep soldiering on (and no, we haven't dropped any story so far! (I mean, personally, I probably won't ever get to continue 'Kept', sadly. even though I also do know most of what happens there. But I'm also very open to discussing stories with readers, give a plot point or two away ;) )) Which brings me to my last point. A great way to make sure a story you like gets continued (not only speaking about my coauthor and I, just in general), is letting the author know. Know that you enjoy it, maybe even what you enjoy. And yes, I may have added things because a reader let me know what they like (this is by no means a guarantee! But a reader's excitement may feed into the authors (and vice versa)). I also have finished a chapter once that had been sitting around on my harddrive half-done for months, just because someone told me what they loved about the story and what they were curious about seeing, moving forward. Now this may sound like I'm begging for engagement but honestly. I will continue writing regardless. Because it is fun, even with all the hurdles I described. This is more me telling you what means you have in terms of steering authors. Because you do. May be more or less pronounced, depending on the individual author, but there's always a measure of it. Fanfiction isn't supposed to be a one-way street. It's a team sport.

Now about your actual question (which I may have already touched upon but I want to reiterate the point). I (we) plan on finishing all Troy-stories (except 'kept'. or well, maybe once we're done with every other story, i may come back to it. i still love ana and troy a lot. But guess I love troy with lee and ri more). They're all very dear to us, we love every iteration, every universe, and we also love to share them with others! And even though my first part of the answer may sound stern, I wanted you to know that I also got excited about recieving the ask - specifically about being let known that someone cares about our stories. Makes us both feel less like we're shouting into the void. Fanfiction is community, so I hope I haven't scared you off. Your question just tapped into something that's been on my mind for the past few weeks - maybe also because writing time has been even less than normal and so I took the opportunity to lay it all out. I (we) would still love it if you reached out again though.

[dommesticpet]

Kink Advent Grand Finally

And that's a wrap? About a month ago I was surprised by @dommestic with a Tumblr post that resulted in a series of gifts and kinky adventures, which is probably the most thoughtful set of experiences I've ever had thrust upon me. (Thrust.) I got some new toys - some we've tried, some we have not - along with a trip to the local dungeon, a lot of time in bed, and a lot of time out of bed. We've still got a lot of things left to explore or try, and we started the new year off with a bang.

One of the gifts she gave me was a magnetic white board for the fridge, which she is currently using to track orgasms in the house. Initially it was split down the middle with two marks on her side, and one on mine, because that's how the bang went. To anyone who sees it, it's just marks - so I said "We should call it an Org Chart" and she wrote that on the bottom. The three marks were the result of me finding a hood on my pillow when I came back to the bedroom after getting some water, and her talking me down and up and down and probably sideways. I have been instructed if I have fun alone, it has to be added to the chart and I have to make things up to her.

We had more communication. We don't touch base to talk about kinky or sexy things every day - we did in December, because either she had a plan to implement, or because one of us had to say "hey maybe tomorrow" a couple of times near the end. We've been together for a fair amount of time and so far we've been kept very busy by other aspects of life, sometimes to the detriment of this sphere. Kink engagement feels a lot better, although I assume the realities of not-the-holidays are about to take over one or both of our days most weeks.

More stuff is on the way. I was measured for at least one item that's yet to come. She's working on a recording to go with the sleep mask with speakers on it. Other things were alluded to and for all I know, are hidden away or en route or are on a wishlist somewhere. (Send her recommendations?)

Learning is good. We're skimming the local dungeon to see what else is coming up to see as a class... but we're not scheduled for any cons. We do have a book to finish discussing, though.

The hood is weirdly comforting. I was not someone who brought in a proclivity for hoods - she wanted to try it - and I have to say I wonder what it might be like to sleep in one. Maybe it'd drive me nuts. Have you tried it? We used it during various sessions/scenes/etc. a lot.

Unfinished Business. I believe she had a poll and I remember talk of a footstool thing earlier but I was very much focused on other things at the time. I think. I'm a little fuzzy on most of the details of Monday morning.

I am not exactly sure how the scoring system on that Org Chart is going to go. If I did, though, I would point to it as some sort of foreshadowing. Will the interwebs throw things at me I can't ignore? Will I just hold out and not need to do anything to make marks? Will the weather be nice today? Did Echo pack her leftovers for lunch? Stay tuned!

I hope your year is off to a great start and I need to keep in better touch with the very few people on here I keep in touch with.