#so people can easily crop and edit them further for their own use. i encourage editing all my shit further if ur heart so desires

[fureiya]

ココロ図書館 // kokoro anime icons

✨Free to use, credit not necessary ( ´ ▽ ` )

[yukiobeyme]

Your tattoo shop AU sounds cute! I’d love to hear more about it!!

I’m so sorry for how long this is, but thank you to you and @s8ncake , @asmos-pet , @aguacats , @dj-night-owl , @avellanna-world for enabling me to write and share this. I am putting it under the cut because it is extremely long, like way too long. I am so sorry.

So AciesGecko on Twitter Piercing Diavolo has been living in my mind rent-free and like Tattoo Shop! AU. Their @ here is the same but they suffered from me tagging them once but here is their tweet that inspired it ( x) (it can also be found on Tumblr here: x)

This was originally found on my Twitter but I have made edits and added more details to indulge everyone because I really like this idea. I don’t have any relationships in it, but it could easily have DiaLuci, Solomon/Asmodeus, and Barbatos/Simeon. I have this currently have Lucifer being Satan’s biological father and Lucifer is a single parent. But anyway now into the actual meat and enjoyment of this Tattoo Shop! AU

Welcome to Royal Art and Design (RAD) owned by Diavolo Rey. (It’s my default last name for Diavolo, in my modern DiaLuci fic his name is Diago and someone suggested Rey because it meant King in Spanish and so it’s just stuck.) Diavolo was supposed to take over his father’s company but fell in love with tattooing instead.

This caused major tension and Diavolo’s dad just thinks Diavolo is being rebellious and will one day realize his mistake and crawl back to his Dad but as Diavolo is in his late twenties to early thirties, Diavolo doesn’t regret the tattoo shop. Diavolo is covered with piercings and tattoos that he shows off constantly. Something that also upsets his father because it isn’t professional to have all those tattoos and piercings.

The shop’s main receptionist is Barbatos, a childhood friend of Diavolo. Barbatos’ family lived on the Rey’s property and were their butlers. Barbatos is about 10 years older than Diavolo but they are close friends and Barbatos would follow Diavolo anywhere. Barbatos has far fewer tattoos and piercings than Diavolo. Most of his tattoos are covered except for the ones on his hands.

Then you have the six “brothers”. They aren’t by blood but by choice. They all grew up in (and out of) the foster system. 

The oldest is Lucifer, a renowned tattoo artist (honestly no one knows how Diavolo convinced Lucifer to work with him) Lucifer has a unique tattoo style, something that is sought after. Diavolo loved and adored Lucifer’s style and could recognize his work from a mile away. Diavolo begged and pleaded with Lucifer to work at his shop and was glad they came up with the agreement.

I haven’t decided yet but Lucifer is either covered in tattoos, that he always has covered. Long sleeve button-ups and long pants are a part of Lucifer’s everyday wear. Something Diavolo has told him isn’t necessary. OR Lucifer surprisingly has no tattoos but either way has his ears gauged and an eyebrow piercing and is constantly covered up. (I am leaning towards him being covered in tattoos)

Diavolo constantly compliments Lucifer’s skin and say how it would be a dream to tattoo because he is so pale. Any color would pop and look good and honestly, Diavolo is waiting and hoping for the day, Lucifer lets him tattoo Lucifer.  (Spoiler Lucifer will probably let Diavolo tattoo a huge back piece)

Soon after getting out of foster care, Lucifer got a girl pregnant. He didn’t know until he was contacted. Saying how the mother had given up her rights to the child and he could either sign his rights way or take the child. Not wanting his kid in foster care, Lucifer adopted Satan.

So while Lucifer is in his late thirties Satan just turned 18 and is a walking contradiction. He already filled up one of his arms with tattoos and has plenty of piercings, he loves nothing more than to curl up and read books (he wears big chunky black glasses). Lucifer tried his best to be supportive of Satan wanting to get tattoos but also had to play the bad cop and make sure Satan understood how permanent they were and if he really wanted them.

Satan more or less just hangs out at the shop all the time, that he might as well work there too. He interested in Art and is hoping to attend college for it. Diavolo said if Satan wants to intern at RAD and be a tattoo artist all he had to do is say the word and Diavolo is willing to make it happen.

The second oldest of the “brothers” is Mammon. Mammon was more or less a pity case went it comes to getting his job at RAD. He got in and out of trouble and found himself in jail for a bit, gambling and tax fraud isn’t a good mix. During his time Mammon found himself getting prison tattoos and even taught himself how to tattoo. Something that honestly was encouraged because if it allowed him to have a skill he could use once he was out then it was a skill worth him learning.

Once Mammon was released, he found he still had a gambling problem. Lucifer allowed him to crash on his couch and Diavolo put him through the wringer but told Mammon if he could prove himself he earned himself a spot at RAD and Mammon passed with flying colors.

Mammon’s tattoos are old school and traditional but have a uniqueness to them because of where he learned his skill set. It’s also evident in how Mammon moves around the piece and even how he holds his equipment. Mammon isn’t a fan of piercings, “they hurt too much!” “You have tattoos on YOUR FACE!” He does have his tongue and septum pierced though. 

Third is Leviathan, an otaku but has beautiful Japanese-style tattoos. Even went abroad to Japan to learn about tattooing. In between appointments you can find him either watching anime or playing some game on his phone. Levi had his tongue pierced for a bit but went ahead and committed to having his tongue split. Definitely talked Diavolo into having a fish tank and Levi own reptiles (Is this important to the story? Not really but good to know)

The fourth is Asmodeus. He is the head piercer at RAD and it shows. Asmodeus only has tattoos on his fingers and they are small dots, very minimalist. He also helps Barbatos with receptionist duties. Loves wearing crop tops to show off his belly ring. And flirts with everyone, mainly because it hard to be nervous when you have such a gorgeous person flirting with you.

Finally, the last two “brothers” are the only ones that are related. The twins, Beelzebub and Belphegor. Their style of tattoos are the complete opposite. While Beelzebub focuses on lots of colors, Belphegor works in black and white with maybe one or two colors. Beelzebub is really fit and has full sleeves on both arms and one leg. Belphegor has both hands tattooed and one-half sleeve. He has a hard time finding and committing to a tattoo design, so he waits until it’s perfect. He also is one of the only people Diavolo knows that can fall asleep while being tattooed, it’s quite impressive.

Then you have the current interns Solomon and Simeon (and MC if you want to include them) The application process was intense and it means something to be an intern at RAD because you are honestly learning from the best and learning multiple different styles and perspectives.

Solomon is learning how to pierce too if it’s because of the attraction to the head piercer well no one needs to know about that. While Simeon is strictly doing tattoos and focuses on traditional styles, nothing too modern and not too many colors/ complex colors; “You can’t use the color straight from the tube Simeon, that’s just not right!”

Simeon is the legal guardian to his godson Luke, who is constantly found at the shop too. Energetic and loves to draw then show it off to everyone. Simeon is a little old to be an intern but Diavolo took the chance with him. Something Lucifer disagrees with.

“Wasn’t he apart of your family at one point?” Diavolo asked at some point

“Yes, but he was adopted. We are brothers no more”. was Lucifer’s only response, and didn’t talk any further on the topic.

That’s all I have at this point, but it’s a lot and I just need it in my life. Someone help me do punk edits of the boys. Like maybe I’ll write a small piece on it eventually, but this could easily turn into a huge work that I don’t currently have the time to plan or write. Because tbh I would make DiaLuci a thing for sure, but add Simbarb and Solodeus just for fun or have them as a side relationship.

[lifeofaernthota]

Peach Sorbet (PG-13 Please Read The Warnings Ya’ll)

title from Girls With Slingshots

this is like pg-13 maybe a little R but there’s definitely vague references to silver’s dick so read at your own risk. uhhh warnings? kink play, begrudging acceptance of said kink play, and comedy so please don’t come in expecting to fap this time just hold off on that.

I finally got this thing edited and got @kurt-l-fahrenheit‘s approval.

also bless @silverlining-ffxiv for being the best husbando on earth and letting me vaguely humiliate our roes together. 

Evenings passed slowly in the comfort of the mismatched basement. This suited Silver well enough; a few moments without the world ending were rare these days it seemed. But there were still comfortable chairs, finely upholstered and sturdy enough for the large Roegadyn to relax upon, and piles of books to tear through at his leisure. It was a bit of the homey comforts he’d left behind in Thanalan when he began his adventure, some he wasn’t going to give up on so easily.

Of course, it also helped that Aernthota was there as well. Sprawled across the couch, her feet resting in Silver’s lap as she too enjoyed the moments of stillness.  They could always find time to linger in each other’s presence; usually with Silver busying himself with notes and thick tomes he’d snatched from somewhere while Aern devoured serials and transcriptions from wandering bards. As much as she complained about her perpetually low funds, Aern could always scrape together enough gil to snag a new book when the travellers came to town (though she had to believe that Silver had something to do with that since he never seemed to be as shocked as she was). For hours, the pair would sit in relative silence and enjoy their books and each other’s company; their only breaks were to eventually eat and then sleep.

But that evening felt… well, off.

Not in the traditional sense of panic and terror; those were things that they had both grown used to and were ready to jump into action over. Instead this was closer to tension, something that Silver noticed as he finally broke away from his own work. It prickled the back of his neck a bit and he glanced over to where Aern’s head rested against the arm of the large couch. Unusually, she hadn’t said much since they had both settled in… Her attention hadn’t shifted once from the thin book she’d picked up from the last trip out. There were no markings on the spine or the cover, only black leather embossed with a simple flourish. For all Silver knew, there were untold secret hidden on those pages… or something worth giving a look at himself.

“New? I don’t think I’ve seen you reading that one before.” His eyes lingered for a moment on her, caught the gentle bob of her head as she nodded wordlessly. But nothing more in response beyond a slight shift of her legs in his lap.

A few more seconds of silence fell, and Silver finally gave up on making more progress in his own reading. This newfound mystery was so much more interesting…

“Speechless huh? If it’s that good, I might just have to read it myself someti-”

He was cut off by a small squeak from the other side of the couch as Aern straightened up and finally looked up at her husband. “Ah! N-No need! It… I mean you know bards; they always just embellish. All fluff and no substance… Ahaha…”

And that’s when he knew that something was very seriously amiss. Aernthota was never the type to be so coy, especially not in private. Not to mention, she constantly encouraged him to indulge in her low brow fiction to “broaden his horizons.” She was definitely hiding something, but he knew Aern well enough to not press any further. She would crack sooner rather than later. Until then, Silver only had to wait for her to crumble. He gave her a nod before picking up his own book and returning back to his reading.

A few minutes later, almost as if he’d planned it himself, Silver heard the small thump of a book being closed. He kept his head down, smirk hidden by a thoughtful hand as Aern began to shift some on the couch. Finally she settled back, her head in his lap and her eyes shut. The hand to his mouth drifted down to her hair and began to stroke languidly. Whatever tension seemed to come from the book in question was quickly dissipating. “Finished already, dew drop?” His voice was soft and playful, hopefully enough to coax out whatever seemed to be bothering her.

Aern stay silent for a moment, humming listlessly as she enjoyed the affection. Eventually, she spoke up. “Mmm… Just curious. In my reading, lovely stuff really.”

An eye cracked open to look up at Silver’s face, and he shut the book he was no longer focused on. As soon as she was certain his full attention was upon her, she continued speaking. “It… Well it works on a theory on how if someone loses a sense… the others. Ah… The others kinda… kick it up a notch. Is that…. Well does that sound about right to you?”

“I… suppose. Though that seems a little heavy for a bard to be selling in some bar. If you’re interested in medical information, starlight, there is plenty to be discovered.”

Aern’s cheeks grew slightly red at this and she shook her head (gently as there were some very important things nearby that she wanted to keep in good shape). “It… It’s less medical and more… Well… Say you weren’t able to see? That would make you hear better and ah… make you feel more right?”

Well… This was going somewhere and Silver wasn’t entirely sure if he liked it. His hand paused against her head and he looked down into the eye looking back up at him. “Are you plannin’ on me going blind anytime soon? I am older than you, yes, but I’m still pretty far from the grave.”

“N-No! Just… ah… Nophica’s thighs how in the wor-just!” She sat up, careful to not smack anything as she leaned over to grab the small black book from the floor. With a small guilty smile, Aern pressed into Silver’s hands. He opened up to a page at random and began to read the tiny text.

And he too quickly found his face growing hot.

“Master Momomi, please be gentle. The cruelty of my Nuhn has left me so delicate there. Even the ministrations of my fellow Seeker females is almost too much to bear!” The miqo’te girl trembled as her new master approached her with a thin strip of linen held between his hands. Her eyes closed as he stood before her and the soft fabric settled over her eyes, blocking anything from sight.

“Come now L’fsor. For I am born and raised of Ul’dahan merchantry and am familiar with your people. Know that while it may be strange, you will feel nothing but pleasure by my hands.” Quickly, a strip of leather wrapped around her wrists as the Lalafellan noble began to kiss his newest prize.

Silver had to pause at that point, if only because his laughter kept his eyes from following along any further. Aern’s sound of displeasure was smothered in a giggle of her own when the sudden outburst hit the silence that had fallen around them. A few seconds of Silver’s untamed laughter quieted as he wiped his eyes and carefully held the book up to check the front cover for a possible source of such drivel.

“S-So… Do you often have fantasies of being a ravished Miqo’te maiden? Or can I blame a wandering minstrel for instilling such ideas in you?”

Aern responded by snatching the book out of his hands and turning away from him. For a brief moment, Silver actually wondered if there was a nerve he’d pressed a little too hard before her shoulders began to shake with silent laughter.

“Gods forbid, could you imagine me turnin’ into one of those types? No it’s… Well I’m not gonna make you read any more of that but it… Well.” Aern turned back around, her cheeks a little less red but her eyes still not fully meeting Silver’s. “It’s more just somethin’ to try. What’s the worst that could happen? I mean besides the terrible dirty talk but ah… What’s t’say being tied up and a little helpless wouldn’t be fun.”

“Er… Aernthota, not to say I’m not fascinated with the whole idea, but are you sure you really want to try this? You said it yourself, they tend to embellish this sort thing. what if you start to panic some when you can’t see? Or some kind of emergency crops up? I’d hate for y-”

Aern leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her husband’s nose, enough to make him trail off into silence for a few moments and allow her to speak up. “Oh but my dear sweet Sylb, there’s no way I’d be the one tied up.”

And before Silver could even force a distressed sound out, Aern stood and headed for the stairs.

And then there was silence on the topic for a few days. Given her initial embarrassment over the subject, Aern seemed to maintain her regular jovial attitude around the group. Silver did as well, though he was constantly on the lookout for any shifts in her demeanor. Every time she spoke to David or Popola, he watched carefully. Any giggles shared between her and A’onisya were treated with mild suspicion. If his wife was planning on tying him up like some parcel, he wouldn’t be caught unaware under any circumstances.

But days passed with the same normalcy as ever. The routine of gathering and hunting and being social kept them secure and eventually Silver assumed that, like most things, Aern had let the entire situation slip her mind.

Until the package arrived.

It was too large to fit inside the mailbox, so the helpful delivery moogle had placed it upon the steps for the first resident to retrieve when they returned home. Silver had almost tripped over it and brought it inside to Aern who was carefully brewing something on the stove.

“Those damned pombrains… Nearly killed myself over this. Were you expecting anything? It’s a bit hefty if you ask m-”

There was a small clink of glass against glass as Aernthota hastily sat down her half full vials and wiped her hands against the thick leather of her coat. “Ah! I was waitin’ for that! Let me!” She took the package from him with a small kiss to his cheek and rushed down the stairs. Silver, a bit dumbfounded, watched for a few moments before simply ensuring the heat had been turned off on her potion mix and pulling off his long casting gloves.

When she appeared again, Aern’s expression was impish. The package had been left behind as she stepped out into the room to greet her husband. “So my love… Ah… D’you have any plans for tomorrow? Specifically tomorrow evening. I know you’ve had a long day and I’d hate t’rush into somethin’ brand new but ah…”

“... Sunshine is this about that book?”

“I-I’m just sayin’ I’ve had a few things… prepared for th’whole thing an-”

“Oh gods be good I just assumed you’d lost your nerve over the whole thing. You hadn’t spoken about it in a few da-”

“Lost my nerve? With you involved? There’s no way, Sylb… I want to do this with you, love. Yer th’ one I want t’feel good a-and if y’really really don’t wanna try this, then I’d just appreciate ye sayin’ somethin’ a-”

As she felt her tongue growing looser and falling back into the thick Limsa accent she’d tried so hard to lose, Silver’s finger pressed to her lips. She faltered and grew silent, and he leaned in to kiss her cheek softly.

“Aernthota, we promised each other, before the Twelve and everyone else, to go wherever the other one traveled. That we would explore this whole world hand in hand.” A sigh punctuated his words but there was a smile that crept upon his face as he continued. “So as… hesitant… as I am about trying to recreate something you saw in a shoddy novel, I’m willing to… try.”

Joy blossomed across her face, and she brought the back of his hand up to her lips in silence. Silver couldn’t help but pull her in closer for a few soft kisses against what parts of her face he could reach amid playful giggles. Hopefully those would stifle the bubble of nerves that poked at him.

The following day had an air of excitement buzzing around the home. The pair made their usual rounds of gathering and housekeeping, all the while subtly hinting at plans to those most likely to call upon them that evening. (Which was received quite well by Niah’tan and A’onisya and elicited a few laughs and nudges from Renaud). Once they were certain the night would pass in relative silence, they finished up their daily duties. Late afternoon came, signaling the final sweep of Dravania for any minerals Silver may have needed to collect before heading home to settle in for the night. He flew with a sort of slow urgency, as if heading back to the Lavender Beds was both exciting and nerve wracking. He knew that he had agreed but…

“Sylb, is everything okay?” The ping in his linkpearl almost startled him off the back of his chocobo.

“Ah of course, starlight. Just one final check of the area and then straight back home to you. Are you… Preparing?”

“... Ah… I think. I was wondering if I should bathe before you get here but I think everything else is ready.”

“Oh? And have me miss a show? I’m certain that if you just wait for me to get back, we could share the tub.” Silver’s voice took on a cheeky tone, perhaps in an effort to persuade her to hold off on washing up so they could just relax together.

With a small squawk from Aern on the other side, the pearl went quiet. As much as he hoped, there was no dodging what she had planned for so carefully. No amount of mining would take away from that. And so Silver waited around for the sun to sink down beyond the horizon before concentrating on his home and carefully teleporting himself to his front step. The chilly Dravanian air shifted to the gentle breeze of the Lavender Beds, and he opened his eyes to see Aern leaning against the doorframe, wrapped up in one of Silver’s many robes. He approached her with a smile, carefully pulled her into his arms, and whispered low and rough into her ear. “Gods be good, if I could see you like this after every long day…”

Even with her gentle laugh, there was an edge of excitement in her voice as she fumbled for the doorknob behind her while still keeping a tight grip on the cloth around her shoulders. “Eat something… Wash up… And then…” She sighed as Silver kissed her clavicle, and pressed her way back into the cottage.

Silver looked up while stepping inside, careful to note that the helpers they employed around the home had been dismissed early. It sent a small jolt through his chest, his heartbeat picking up as he followed her downstairs. There were plates set up at the table, obviously cooked with a touch of assistance from somewhere since Aernthota could barely boil water without smoke. It wasn’t a perfect meal by any stretch of the imagination, but Silver could sit there and get through the slightly overcooked dodo and the strangely seasoned vegetables by keeping his focus on the next step.

This would be much easier if it was broken down into steps after all.

Their conversation was sparse, food and nerves keeping their mouths relatively busy. It was only when Aern stood and grabbed her plate did Silver find the words that had been lost. “Wash. I uh… I’m going.” And without waiting for so much as a nod, Silver bolted towards the door into their chamber. The comfort of the close quarters helped him center; pulling off his gear also gave him the chance to relish in the excitement of this new turn, for better or worse. It almost made him nostalgic for their first night together, that thrill of newness coupled with worry. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling, just one that he hadn’t been anticipating ever again.

And sinking down into the hot water with a groan, Silver allowed himself to drift away from the impending moment for a few long minutes of silence. The creak of Aern’s pacing upstairs seemed to die down after a bit, leaving nothing but the sound of Silver’s breathing, the soft crackle of the hearth, and the gentle drips from the faucet. The perfect storm of soothing made Silver’s eyes droop and the tension in his neck slowly ease. The day’s worry and hesitation melted away; hell he could almost feel a shudder of excitement at the prospect of his wife waiting for him on the other side creep down his thighs when...

“Sylb…” Silver started a touch as Aern’s voice came from the door. “When you’re finished up ah… Come out here?”

He grunted in response and stood, the crash of water breaking the peaceful silence. He wasn’t entirely sure he was finished with his bath, but the request was made and any further contemplation in the water was sure to be a bad decision. Grabbing a well worn cotton shirt and simple clean breeches was obvious; there was no point in risking the gear he had fought so hard for when something simple (and easy to remove) would suffice. This was a comfortable night together, a night the pair would have more pressing issues which would preoccupy them. It didn’t matter how they looked at the end of it all. But Silver paused at the closed door for a few seconds to smooth his beard and run his hands through his damp hair. He wasn’t hoping to look put together by any means, but felt right to fake his way into some semblance of “composed” before opening the door back out into their living space.

And he was so very grateful he did when he saw Aern standing there waiting. His old robe that had been around her had been discarded for something impossibly thin and lacy, something he was certain he’d spied upon an Au Ra woman lurking by a market board one evening, but in Aern’s carefully measured sizes. Enough to keep her decent but only just. He felt himself stare for a second, doing his best to discern what fabric it could possibly be made of that would hold the deep green color so well but still show the delicate tone of her stomach (as well as shamelessly oogle his wife’s body no longer under layers of boots and stiff robes) before stepping forward towards her. “Is this what came in that package? Because there was no need to hide this from me when we could have gotten plenty of use out of it already…”

Aern shook her head and beamed. It was clear that if nerves plagued her, they hadn’t worked their way to the surface yet. “S’not the only thing… But now’s not the time. Come over here an’ sit.” She pointed to one of their dining chairs, a terribly delicate sylphic thing that she swore had character. Silver followed the request with a curious smile.

Looking over to the table, several new things occupied their previous dinner space. A chunk of finely worked material, a thick set of leather wristguards connected by simple rings in the middle, and a small pot of something milky white sat there, their presence alone making Silver’s throat catch. “Deviating from the source text, eh? What would that Miqo’te maiden say if she saw your arsenal of new tools?” Hopefully humor would be enough for smooth sailing.

Aern offered another bright smile before simply grabbing the cuffs and stepping behind him. She was gentle but purposeful when she took his hands and placed them behind his back. The movement made Silver stiffen for a moment until the touch of fingers against his neck. A gentle pulse of something he’d grown to recognize as regenerative magic washed over him, and he couldn’t hold in the chuckle any longer.

“Oh hush you. Y’always seem to feel a bit better when I do that… Is… Is this position okay? Don’t wanna hurt shoulders or anythin’ else.” Aern squeezed his hands, waiting for some kind of response. When Silver nodded, he felt the thick leather close around his wrists and tighten down. He could wiggle his fingers, which he did to brush against the fine fabric of Aern’s new attire and tickle her just to hear her laughter near his ear again. As she pulled away, it hit Silver that this wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. No, his arms weren’t accustomed to this yet and there was a gentle burn starting, but it was something he could endure for as long as Aern needed him to.

At least, he could endure if he could continue to shift on occasion.

“Now ah...  Here. Lemme just…” Amid Silver’s shifts and settling, Aern had picked up the fabric and stood before him to wait. As soon as it was clear that he wasn’t in a state of panic or shock, he nodded for her to continue. She leaned and took his face to kiss him softly, the brush of silk against his cheek and the warmth of Aern’s skin too fleeting for his taste. And yet as he leaned to press in further, she pulled back until the soft clunk of cuffs hitting chair stopped him. She grinned down at him with excitement before slipping the cloth over his lovely green eyes and tying it behind his head. It was a little tight, something Silver was certain would loosen over time but still shook his head to alleviate. The pressure was enough to keep his eyes closed, which apparently meant the blindfold had been doing its job well.

But then, there was only silence. He knew that Aern couldn’t have gone terribly far away from him, but it was the first time he hadn’t felt her presence nearby. He breathed for a few seconds before asking (in what he hoped was the proper direction before him) “Aernthota? Are you there?”

His answer was gentle pressure against his neck. Something warm pressed carefully down to his shoulder, light and fleeting but enough to make Silver’s head roll to the side. The giggle he heard from just above him was a relief, and the soft thump of footsteps around him trailed off as he assumed she hit the rug. And perhaps that’s when he noticed (or rather tricked himself into believing) that he could hear more. Tiny things like that sounding so clear… Maybe there was some validity to this whole thi-

While he had busied himself with reassuring thoughts of success in their experiment, Aern had moved on from his neck and suddenly there was much more pressure against his dick than he was anticipating. That caught him off guard and with a soft hiss, his shoulders tensed up and the rings of the cuffs behind him clinked. “Thal’s balls, wh-what are you doing?” Again, no response came from his wife: only careful pressure against his chest and the soft dig of nails into the exposed skin near his neck. A shudder rolled down from scalp to toes, spending an extra throb in his groin against whatever she had so carefully placed there. His hips shifted, something he would swear was only for comfort and not for whatever vestiges of contact he could muster in such a position. But even this less than subtle motion was subdued by a slightly harder press against his chest. The nails bit in deeper and, for the first time, Aern spoke up since the blindfold had gone on. “Be patient… okay?”

It was supposed to be reassuring, but only made Silver groan. “Surely you’re not going to leave me in such a state for too long.”

The nails against his chest pulled down an ilm or two until they caught cloth. He bit his tongue to keep from swearing as he pulled against the cuffs again. If he really got desperate, it wouldn’t be impossible to break the links and say it was a failure in design. He had more than enough strength to do it and surely it wouldn’t be a disaster if things didn’t work out. Settling into a comfortable posture again, Silver paused and waited for the proper time to break out. It had to be perfect or else she might be suspicious and then…

He felt an odd little tremble between his thighs before there was a shift in weight. The nails that had been against his chest had curled up up and then there was only a fist pressed against skin, trying to keep him seated and still. And there was also the softest sound above him of pages turning furiously.

Surely she wasn’t…

“Sunflower… Are you flipping through that book for instructions or what?”

The sound of something crashing into the tea set on the table beside him was the only answer he got. It was at that point that it all became too much. No delicious pressure or thrill of inevitable sex could quell the laughter that spilled out of him.

“Y’know y’don’t have t’be so godsdamned astute, Sylb.” The fabric around his eyes loosened and dropped off, light stinging his eyes for a second before they focused onto Aern’s form again. There was a shaking knee, from fear or nerves or both, placed between his thighs and a resigned expression plastered on her face. “S’not like I’ve ever done this before… I figured help would… yanno?”

“I know,” Silver never thought he would be so pleased to see her red hair and freckles as much as he was in that moment and took a brief moment to simply drink up the sight of her before finishing his thoughts. “and while I appreciate all of this effort and warm up, I don’t believe we need all of this to enjoy each other.”

“I know we don’t but…” Aern shifted herself to perch neatly on Silver’s lap. The chair beneath groaned in protest at the addition of another Roegadyn, but she only tilted her head to press against Silver’s brow. “Can y’blame me for wanting to do something new? I’m always worried with everythin’ changing that… Well. What if tomorrow somethin’ wild happens. All the sudden we’re back on the run again? Maybe when things are safe an’ secure is th’best time t’change and play an’ see new things.”

Without looking, Silver blew a kiss towards Aern’s cheek. His burst of lust had slowly burnt itself down into a smolder; it was easy enough to focus on her words over the tension in his body. His voice was barely more than a whisper as he spoke up. “It’s fine. Even if this rest of this realm changes tomorrow, I will always be completely and wildly enamored with you, darling. You never have to do more than simply continue being the beautiful, adventurous woman who stole my heart.”

“S’that all?” A twinge of a laugh was present as she moved her head in to kiss Silver’s nose gently.

“That and tell whoever made you that ridiculous set of undergarments to make you about eight more of them so I don’t feel guilty ripping them clean off when you unhook me.”

That made Aern laugh in earnest, straightening up only to lean in once more and finally kiss her husband properly. Without pulling away from Silver, she shifted her weight in his lap, brushing against whatever half wilted erection was left with whatever she could carefully manage.

“So…” Her voice slipped down into a sultry purr as her hips rolled slowly, Silver cursing under his breath between occasional tugs against the chair, “Does this mean you’d like to be fr-”

CRACK

“Well what a surprise! Miss Aernthota here after her busy evening. I am to assume that means your plan and subsequent purchases were successful?” Kurt’s voice was clearly pleased, albiet concerned with the slight limp the Roegadyn seemed to carry as she approached him in the Goblet. Though that hardly seemed to be any of his business, honestly. Despite all of his assistance in acquiring materials needed, he had asked very few questions at all throughout the whole process. Perhaps that was why Aernthota had come to him in the first place.

After the appropriate greetings and required hugs, she nodded and held out a burlap sack for the man to take. “Y-Yeah it turned out fantastic but say… Y’think I could call in a quick favor? Things may have gotten a little…”

Before Aern could finish, Kurt had lifted a hand to silence her and reached for the sack. For a second he looked entirely confused as his hand fished around before upturning the whole thing into the middle of his lush lawn. Splintered wood and brackets tumbled out, their delicate sylvan glyphs and designs almost impossible to discern.

The miqo’te man remained silent when faced with the destruction before him until he simply could not contain himself any further. “My gods woman, what happened to this poor chair? Did thirty of you try sitting in the damned thing?”

“Ah… No just… Well just two of us! There was a fair bit of… well. Movement I suppose.” There was no shame in Aern’s voice as she spoke up, something that made interest in her evening and her limp wane even further.

Kurt Fahrenheit had heard many things in his life but this… His ears flattened as he carefully nudged the broken chair pieces into a more uniform pile and placed the bag down on top. With a polite cough and another lift of the hand, Kurt swished his tail and cut her off.

“No no. Miss Aernthota, I respect you far too much for you to tarnish your standing with me by finishing whatever explicit story I am sure you were going to regale. So let me go to my workshop, do “something” for you, and pretend like I never actually had any contact with your coitus chair. I will send you a… Carefully worded message on the Linkpearl when your request has been finished.” And without another glance down, Kurt strolled back to his workshop space with a small determined glint in his eye.

Perhaps he would make the next set of chairs for the Roegadyn something more sturdy if that was the kind of thing they enjoyed.

[andraeking1991-blog]

Twitch Creative 101

A guide to creative streaming on Twitch.tv

by: Bilvy Jane

First: Why

Software set up for a digital art stream

Stream scenes and Overlays

Understanding the Twitch platform

Third party apps

Bots and extensions

Making a living from streaming

First: Why

There are plenty of “How to start streaming” tutorials on Youtube, Reddit, Twitch, and forums all over the internet, but most if not all of them are aimed at video gamers and vloggers. I wanted to make this guide to help artists who want to start streaming, or make the move over to Twitch but don’t know how, and of course to encourage it! The Creative section of Twitch is still a fairly new area, and could do with plenty more artists to share their skill and communities, and help remove the stigma that Twitch is just a site for gamers.

I’ve been streaming here and there on various platforms for at least five years. I’ve been streaming steadily on Twitch for nearly 2 years, and have been able to call Twitch my full time job since October 2017. I hope my advice and insight helps some of you enjoy this platform!

If you would like to give feedback regarding this tutorial, or have any further questions, feel free to jump into my public Discord or reply on the Tapas forums.

Software set up for a digital art stream

I’ll be writing this section as if you’ve never streamed before, and have never used a program like OBS. I’ve not used any other streaming app before, so I can’t recommend or explain any of them. Fortunately, OBS is excellent and has everything you need!

OBS, or Open Broadcast Studio, is the program that you run your screen through, and control things like frame rate and resolution.

Download: Get “OBS Studio” from https://obsproject.com/download

Settings: Go to your preferences from the File menu or clicking the “Settings” button in the OBS window.

The Stream category is where you connect OBS to your Twitch account, so when you hit the “Start Streaming” button, OBS knows where you’re going live. Match your drop down menus like shown to connect to Twitch’s servers. The “Stream key” is where we tell OBS which Twitch channel we’re going live to; this is your unique code that connects you to your Twitch page. Don’t ever show it to anyone, or they’ll be able to stream to your account!

To find your stream key, log into Twitch and visit https://www.twitch.tv/USERNAME/dashboard/settings/streamkey , and replace “USERNAME” with your Twitch handle. Copy the code and paste it into the “Stream key” field in OBS, and your account will be linked! Now, if you hit that live button, you’ll start broadcasting on Twitch.tv/USERNAME

If you ever want to test your stream quality and watch for lag spikes, buffers etc within OBS, you can tack “?bandwidthtest=true” to the end of your stream key in OBS. This will push you live as if it were any other stream, except the video will not appear on your Twitch page and your followers will not be notified. Don’t forget to remove it once you’re ready to stream for real!

Output is a little trickier, because these settings are incredibly important but will vary from user to user. This is where we control our stream quality and make adjustments to reduce lag and buffering, by deciding on our Bitrate. To find out your Bitrate, you’ll need to know your upload speed. Your upload speed is basically your maximum allowance, and you’re going to allocate some of that to your stream.

Run an internet speed test on Speedtest.net to find this. Speedtest by default measures in mbps, but your OBS bitrate is in kbps. To convert these easily, 1000kbps = 1mbps. Easy! The following conditions are a basic rule of thumb, and you should test your stream and adjust your bitrate to make sure everything runs smoothly for your particular set up.

If you have an upload speed of less than 500kbps / 0.5mbps:

I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to stream much of anything. While it’s possible to stream on a bitrate this low, you would need a higher upload speed for extra cushioning to ensure your stream runs smoothly. I don’t recommend you try to stream, unless you’ve tested everything and can guarantee a smooth connection

If your upload speed is around 1000kbps / 1mbps:

Use between 400–700 for your bitrate, and you should be able to stream comfortably in 720p.

If your upload speed is 2000–3000kbps / 2–3mbps:

Try 1500 bitrate if you want to stream in 720p. You can try using 2000 for a 1080p stream, but you may want to test and make sure this works fine with your computer and connection.

If your upload speed is over 4000kbps / 4mbps:

You can stream comfortably in 1080p with a bitrate anywhere between 2000–3500. Using a higher bitrate will be harder on your CPU, so consider streaming at a lower bitrate & quality if your computer is older or cheaper.

No matter which category you fall into, be sure to test your stream, watch the quality and adjust if you find you’re dropping any frames. You can monitor this at the bottom of the OBS window when you’re live.

An important note to remember when testing bitrates: Gaming streamers recommend no higher than a 3500 bitrate for 1080p gaming, including first person shooters with high intensity movement and graphics. Higher than that will be lost to most viewers anyway. This should give us a general guide, that if high intensity gaming streams don’t need more than 4000, we definitely don’t need that much for drawing and painting.

It’s widely recommended you use 112 or 128 for your audio bitrate, no matter what you’re streaming.

In the Audio tab you can connect microphones, headsets etc. If you’re using a microphone and playing music, you’ll have one audio channel for the mic and another one for your desktop audio. If you’re running your stream on a Mac like me, you’ll need to run your computer audio through another app if you want anyone to hear what music you’re playing etc. Check the tutorial for that here: https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/using-soundflower-on-mac.50257/

The Video section is where we decide our resolution/quality. Keeping your bitrate in mind, select a resolution from the drop down list. The standard FPS for streaming is 29.97 or 30.

The most important thing in this section is to keep the Base (Canvas) Resolution and the Output (Scaled) Resolution the same. This is a hugely common issue when people experience slow computer processing while streaming.

The Base is the size of your canvas, which has the screen, cameras, images/overlays and text on it. When you record video through OBS, it records it using this resolution. The Output is what OBS sends to Twitch, and what appears on your stream page. If you have a Base resolution of 1080 but your output has to scale it down to 720, your computer is going to be doing loads of extra thinking to be constantly converting the video while sending it to Twitch. The only reason you should have these as two separate values if you’re recording content to upload on Youtube etc later on, or want a higher resolution copy of your stream. You’ll need a decent computer to do this, so make sure your hardware holds up to the challenge.

You’ve finished with your settings! Time to do the fun stuff!

Show your drawing: Hit that plus to create a new source. Select Display capture if you’re using a cintiq/yiynova/huion etc to capture the whole drawing screen. If you’re using a regular graphics tablet, it’s recommended you choose Window capture and select your drawing software. If you’re a traditional artist, choose the Video Capture Device and select your webcam.

For a facecam, choose Video Capture, and your mic will already be running through OBS from your Audio settings.

Customise: Position these on your screen by clicking the source within the scene, or clicking its name from your list of sources. The order they appear in the source list is the order they will appear on screen, just like drawing with layers. If you have any overlapping sources and you don’t want to accidentally click or move one of them, you can lock it by clicking the padlock in your source list.

You can right click on a source (from the scene, or from the list) to transform it, including rotations, flips, stretches etc. Select “Edit Transform” for precise and detailed options like cropping. Cropping is especially useful for fitting webcams neatly on the page.

That’s it for the OBS set up! When you hit “Start streaming”, your viewers will see exactly what’s in your selected scene. You can also switch between scenes and edit sources while live, so have fun customising your own screens!

Stream scenes and overlays

Scene Collection: The folder that contains all of your scenes, sources and settings together. Your default “Untitled” scene collection is automatically selected whenever you open OBS. Find this in the File Edit etc menu, under “Scene Collection”. It’s from this menu that you can switch between scenes and even make back ups, so if you ever switch computers, you don’t have to re-enter all of your settings again. Back up with the Export option, and restore from a file with the Import option.

Sources: The individual items within your scene. A webcam is a camera source, a border is an image source, and widgets like chat windows and alert notifications are browser sources. Every item that you see on screen is a source, basically!

Scenes: The “canvas” of your stream, where you show your drawing screen, cameras etc. This is what your viewers see.

Source Types: In the source section, add a new source with the plus button. You’ll have a variety of options, but you’ll only need to worry about a few of them.

Browsersource: Used for third party add ons mentioned in a later chapter. This covers your alert notifications, donation counters, chat boxes, and anything you’ll linking to OBS from the internet instead of uploading from your computer.

Display Capture: Ideal for Cintiq users, captures an entire monitor to show your screen without any lag or delay.

Image: This lets you link an image from your computer to appear on screen, like a border around your video, characters in the corners, background images etc.

Text: A basic text display. You can type out anything and it will appear on screen, and format fonts and sizes etc.

Video Capture Device: For displaying a webcam or other camera

Window Capture: Similar to Display Capture, but only captures a single application window of your choice. There is a slight visual delay when using this option.

Now, what to do with them

All you really need to stream is your drawing screen, or a webcam if you’re a traditional artist. I’m going to assume you want to use a webcam and microphone for the sake of this tutorial, but they’re not at all necessary.

Tiny is a custom bot I run off my computer, using a service called

Phantombot

. It’s completely free and limitless to use, but it’s just a little confusing to get set up for beginners. To get started with basic commands and bot functions, Nightbot is the bot you’ll find in everyone’s channel, and the easiest & most versatile one you can use without touching a line of code.

Log into Nightbot here https://www.nightbot.tv/ And check out some of its features. You can write custom commands, have the bot intermittently announce things in chat for you, take and play song requests from viewers, and even let the bot handle spam. Aside from all the information and silly chat games they supply, bots are like an auto mod. They can purge messages with blacklisted words, hide links, time users out for spam and all kinds of customisable actions. It’s a good way to take some of the weight off yourself and your mods

Making a Living from Streaming

So that’s the basics. That’s the very detailed intermediates as well as the basics, actually. You have everything you need to start a stream and have fun with your set up, but it takes a lot more than just widgets and overlays to succeed on Twitch. Your content and personality will be the forefront of the community you craft, but there are always things you can do to help move things along and encourage more growth.

1. Schedule: The most important step to growing your stream and audience. Even if you stream once a month, to have that day and time set in stone will mean people can always find you, and that will make them more likely to actually catch a stream. Streaming more often is always going to be better, but if you stick to the same days and advertise that schedule clearly, it’s going to be the best thing for your channel

​2. The Benefits of Using a Mic: Some people just aren’t comfortable using a microphone, and it’s definitely understandable. Whether it’s anxiety or just disliking the sound of your own voice, it can be hard to want to turn it on if you aren’t used to doing so. The biggest difference a microphone can make for an art stream comes down to productivity, and being able to talk to people while you work, instead of having to constantly stop and type out responses and lose your place and flow. It also means you’ll always be heard and no one can miss one of your messages in the chat. Aside from productivity, talking directly to your viewers simply helps bridge that connection between you better, and a similar thing goes for webcams —��Although not having a webcam doesn’t hinder a stream in the way not having a mic can.

​3. Tell Everyone: Going live and hoping someone will find your stream isn’t going to get you anywhere! Be sure to cross promote yourself where you know your existing community will be able to find you. Every time you go live make a tweet with a link to the stream, post on Tumblr, notify on Tapas, join a discord for communal promotion and share your stream there as well! Places like Twitter and Tumblr are even more ideal because others can retweet and reblog your live notification to extend your outreach.

​4. Crossing Communities: Networking is just as important for growing a stream as it is for growing a comic. Much like you can’t expect anyone to find you if you don’t tell them where you are, no one is going to know you if you stay inside a little bubble. Watch more streams, host and raid others, get involved with other communities and encourage others to make content as well. The best kind of community is a community of peers, and you’ll all play your own part in encouraging and helping each others streams grow. Furthermore, networking with the intent to make friends is always going to be more beneficial than networking for the sole purpose of getting yourself ahead. You’ll form meaningful friendships and your content will be all the more worthwhile when you’re being genuine about it and the way you share it.

​5. Embrace ‘Sellout’ Culture: This one sounds kind of tacky, but listen. If you want to make a genuine living off streaming, money is going to come into it sooner or later. By ‘sellout’, I don’t mean endless, constant, and harassing self promotion within your streams. It means that if you have a tip jar, people might tip. But if you don’t have a tip jar, people can’t tip. Make custom alerts through Streamlabs for different donation amounts, keep the alert list visible on your page so people can find it and play with their options! Celebrate anniversaries with special streams and make your own merchandise. There’s no loss if nobody buys anything, but if you have it available, you might just make something of it. You need to give people the chance to support you, and you’ll probably end up pleasantly surprised by the level of generosity on Twitch.

[kdyeowritingsample]

Preservation Rationale: Milo Ryan Phonoarchive Cassette Collection

Note: This sample was completed as an assignment for a course in Digital Preservation, where I was asked to provide rationale for the digital preservation of a real or imagined collection. Any addresses to “you” are meant in reference to my professor. 

The Media Arcade has long been home to various digitization projects: most notably and recently, the Milo Ryan Phonoarchive project, which has aimed to make previously unprocessed CBS radio recordings freely available to the public. This is reflective of the broader goals and interests of the organization, which include not only caring for and storing materials professionally and with best practices, but allowing for their access and use by any interested party. Most recently, new stations for digitization of analog media have been made available for students, further indicative of not only these important goals, but a general creative and inclusive vision, as well as firm commitment to preservation services. This audio cassette project is in line with efforts already underway at this organization. 

The lectures and material that exist on these cassettes are vital to preserve as a part of university history and even wider Seattle culture. Also, to be honest, they’re simply just really cool and informative. The digitization of analog materials such as these has been emphasized and encouraged since the 90s; as technology moves forward and the specter of obsolescence looms, it grows more urgent by the year to begin preservation processes and projects – not just to promote access and use, but to help set a standard.  At the Media Arcade, we possess a unique environment and opportunity to contribute to a wider pool of knowledge, historical understanding, and academic progress. 

Potential designated communities include other archival techs at the Media Arcade, academic researchers with interest in lectures by figures such as Carl Sagan, professors at the University of Washington. Expectations by these parties may differ, but I imagine that anyone with interest in these materials would expect presentation and ease of access along the lines of other preserved collections available through the UW library system: indexed and searchable, with relevant documentation and supplementary materials. Most ideally, these materials could be presented as an interactive collection on the libraries (or another) website, perhaps as part of a general research collection.

RISKS/ RISK MITIGATION:

my own lack of experience (mitigated, hopefully, by discussions with my supervisor and with you!) 

too much change-over between technicians, leading to gaps in implementation of plan – mitigated by proper documentation, metadata, and the oversight of a responsible supervisor 

general issues such as loss of equipment, improper or incomplete processes, etc 

decay / obsolescence / unavailability of replay equipment – the archive in general should conduct regular checks into the size of the wider holdings (not just this particular collection) versus storage needs, as well as condition of equipment and its future availability (iasaweb.org) 

faulty technology could potentially injure or ruin delicate tape in cassettes, which are (so far as I know) solo copies (this is hopefully mitigated by presence of people on staff with experience and resources that may be helpful, as well as existence of plan in general and thorough, thoughtful training of archival techs involved in project; damaged sections of tape can be removed, and metal strips/foam pads can be replaced)

In general, it is incredibly important for staff to remember the general instability and vulnerability of audio and digital carriers. Information can easily be lost not only by physical damage to tapes, but insufficient or halfhearted preservation actions. The best mitigation of risk is active concern and care for the project – we need to be flexible and continually evaluate archive needs, available resources, and goals.  

Statement of Organizational Commitment

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS:

UW Media Arcade, in general – responsible for supplying equipment and staff 

Supervisor – responsible for general oversight of project, managing technicians, and broader duties such as outreach and contact with designated communities, decision-making, and wider quality control 

Archival / media arcade technicians – responsible for implementing digitization/migration processes as described in section 4, as well as reporting to higher-ups and participating directly in future planning, research, and general quality control

For myself, the duration of my involvement will likely be for the remainder of this quarter. I am helping to develop and begin implementation of this plan, and will hopefully also participate in more active digitization as I am available. There are currently no other designated technicians assigned to work on this project – at least not as a sole duty -- but it’s open for students working on the Milo Ryan phonoarchive/other projects to pop in and assist with if they have the free time or the desire. 

In the future, I imagine that one (or maximum two, probably) technician may be assigned the project after I’m gone. What their time commitment will be like I can’t say, exactly. Their participation will involve further processing of the tapes, and perhaps figuring out where to “put” the digitized materials (on the Media Arcade website? On an independent site? On a harddrive somewhere?) so that they are more broadly accessible by the public. I plan to make recommendations about this, but due to my own constraints related to time and impending graduation, I don’t know that it’s 100% within scope.

Statement of Financial Commitment

Assisting in the archive – and more specifically, with preservation projects -- is within the stated job duties of media arcade technicians. In the future, there may be interest or need to hire someone solely for these purposes, but as of right now there are a handful of techs who can be assigned to them as required. Equipment already exists onsite that can be used for this project, so there is no foreseeable need for extra funding (at least at the moment). This equipment is also used for other purposes, but not to the extent that it will be unavailable. They are also located in a convenient and private location within the Arcade that is only accessible by employees with card access (so no worries about students or untrained people having access to files or authority to download or delete programs, etc). A shared calendar is in place for claiming hours for use. 

Technicians within the Arcade are also in general contact with one another and are encouraged to make note of any changes or frustrations with equipment – if something goes wrong, people know about it very quickly and can offer help and assistance. 

Ongoing costs related to the maintenance of equipment can be folded into the program/archive budget if necessary. In the future, there may be need for further storage space or updated equipment. Financial commitments and needs should be revisited by archival technicians and other relevant staff on a rolling basis – not necessarily as problems crop up, since we’d ideally be more proactive than that, but perhaps in quarterly meetings. 

In blunt terms, the only clearly defined financial commitments as of my writing this plan are payments of technicians per hour, and [my supervisor]’s salary.

Preservation Actions and Quality Control

Initial inventory of cassettes, including condition assessment for cassette and container (perhaps also a separate system for tracking items as they are assessed, processed, and returned to storage) 

During prep for digitization, information available on cassette (title, date, speaker, other notes – generally, descriptive metadata) is recorded in accessible sheet derived from inventory that includes space for a “digitization log” -- notation of who is processing tape, date, filename, encoding type, etc (administrative metadata!) 

Archival rewind of cassette to determine level 

Use of cassette player/tape deck/physical digitization equipment + Audacity (standardized sample rate & format: 96,000 Hz & 24bit) 

Removal of silence from recording 

Creation of preservation master file + access file (for now, both stored on desktop computer designated for use with this project)  

Use of BWF MetaEdit + Arcade programming script to apply appropriate metadata 

Audio cassettes will continue to be stored until this is no longer an option due to space, storage, etc

For myself, it’s difficult to say what evaluative criteria there are for determining the success of the plan. I will likely not be here to digitize the entire collection. For my purposes, though, I will say that I’ll be pleased if I can create something simple and leave behind good documentation and training materials for other technicians, and (most important) if the organization likes these materials, approves of the plan, and utilizes it in the future.

This list of important and/or recommended parameters comes from Indigitization.ca, a project that I admire greatly. These factors should contribute to general authenticity and quality control:

All media assigned a unique identifier.

Digitization selection criteria such as the order for digitization of tapes (based on numbering already present on the audio cassettes)

Secure, temporary storage of tapes (they all have separate containers and are kept in a dry, safe location)

Naming convention for Preservation files

Digital Storage

Folder structure for digitized files (under construction)Tracking process confirmed (under construction)

Workflow!

Structure for media tracking spreadsheet(s) and other tools 

Policy regarding what “editing” of the audio capture is permissible (cut of white noise/dead air at beginning and end of file, etc)”

Additionally, the general principles of digital archiving should be emphasized and understood by all participating staff and personnel. This isn’t just a preservation project – it’s a contribution to the wider knowledge base of the archive/arcade. As IASA states: “a sound arcade relies heavily on the equipment and processes necessary to preserve the documents in its care and to provide access to the files. It is a requirement, therefore, that the archive works to equip itself with the necessary skills and knowledge and to maintain these at a high level.” There should be awareness and commitment to this, and continual reevaluation of archival processes (and this plan) as time passes, and at different stages of implementation. 

In order to standardize training and possessed skills and knowledge, thorough orientation to the project, processes and rationale should be a priority. These subjects will be covered in more detail in upcoming sections, but I feel that they are integral to general quality control and needed mention.

Metadata Creation

For general ease and maintenance of an archive-wide standard, metadata creation for this project will be in line with processes already defined for the Milo Ryan Phonoarchive, which follows the recommendations of DACS (http://www2.archivists.org/groups/technical-subcommittee-on-describing-archives-a-content-standard-dacs/dacs#.V3RVLJMrKt8) and the Archives West (Orbis Cascade Alliance) (http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/).  

There are two important metadata groupings relevant to the plan as it currently stands, which should be applied to all objects: descriptive, such as identifying information for every tape, and administrative, related to the digitization process. Information will be collected via a spreadsheet derived from inventory (as outlined under Preservation Actions and Quality Control). More specifically, it will be grouped in these columns, modeled after existing projects and documentation at the media arcade:

COLUMN A: AUDIO CASSETTE NUMBER(s) – these have already been recorded on paper within each cassette casing, and should remain in use as identifiers 

COLUMN B: TECHNICIAN—the name of the employee currently overseeing the process and/or actively handling materials 

COLUMN C: PROCESSING DATE—current date, or date of transfer/recording

COLUMN D: LEVEL-- always 4, as this is the designation of “item” needed for EAD generation 

COLUMN E: TITLE/FILE NAME—should follow file naming convention 

COLUMN F: DATE EXPRESSION—YYYMMDD. This is the date of the actual lecture or lecture(s) contained on the tape. If there are multiple dates, simply record them in order within this field 

COLUMN G: CONTAINER LEVEL—“cassette tape” 

COLUMN H: INSTANCE LEVEL—the number of items currently being processed; this has a maximum of two, since we have a maximum of two cassette players/recording devices available at the desk 

COLUMN I: INSTANCE TYPE—“sound/audio recording” 

COLUMN J: SCOPE CONTENT—include cassette number and date of lecture(s) here in one line, no breaks 

COLUMN K: NOTES—anything relevant here; broken tape, speed deviations, etc

These will be used in tandem with an EAD spreadsheet, which will generate an XML document that will ideally work toward the creation of a general finding aid. We will also use BWF Metaedit to ensure accuracy, and a handy script to bind metadata to created files after processing through either WaveLab or Audacity (whatever runs and is available on the desktops utilized). Information as to these exact processes will be available for all staff through an accessible drive (these materials already exist and can be easily linked to this project). Responsibility for the creation of metadata will fall to whatever audio technician is currently at work. In some ways the process will troubleshoot itself (for example, BWF highlights fields that do not match or need to be changed) but it will require diligence and strict adherence to rules and standards as outlined. There should be regular (perhaps weekly) checks to ensure that this has been properly and thoroughly done.

Roles and Responsibilities

This plan -- and the vast majority of digitization/migration processes -- will be carried out by media arcade/archive technicians rather than a supervisory figure. These individuals will almost certainly be students, simply based on the hiring processes/requirements already in effect by the organization (and UW, more broadly) but in the future they may also be volunteers or hires from outside the university. 

As students, they may come from diverse academic backgrounds, though the majority in current employment are in pursuit of a MLIS, and have achieved similar core class requirements through the iSchool (though further training, experience, and interests may differ from student to student). I would not say that a MLIS background is strictly necessary for the average technician, because there are other students who work primarily in the arcade or in public-facing roles that could easily pick up the knowledge and skills required for work with archive materials that may or may not meet that requirement. However, if this were to become a full-time position with a single technician responsible, I would expect it to be a requirement for employment. 

With all this said, here are the duties and responsibilities of an arcade technician:

Carry out preservation actions as defined in organizational plan and materials, including analog-to-digital migration, creation of metadata, and storage of digital files and objects 

Maintain safe and clean archival space 

Conduct survey of materials/holdings as well as storage and technology requirements as needed 

Participate in other capacities, including assistance of students and other employees in the wider media arcade, as well as relevant organizational research efforts as they appear 

Reevaluate preservation plan based on changing needs or resources 

Create broader plan for public access of digitized materials 

Engage in direct and frequent communication with other technicians as to progress of project, concerns and thoughts, etc 

Participate in quarterly meetings related to the project: employee check-in, evaluation, sharing of materials, etc

The most important requirement of employees, however, is flexibility. Right now the arcade and archive possess a certain amount of funding, available resources, and expertise, but this can change – and likely will. There may be times that this project will be put on hold, equipment might be needed for use in other plans, hours could be cut, etc. An archive technician should be committed to the organization at large as well as this particular preservation effort, and willing to pitch in, learn new skills, etc as these things are required. They should also possess attention (and appreciation) for detail, and a willingness to question the process and actively seek improvement. Most ideally, actively digitizing cassette tapes should take up the majority of the technician’s time and effort onsite (at least 60%). This might vary depending on what’s happening with the wider team, if equipment is already in use, etc.

The supervisor of this project has free reign in regards to their participation. They might want to help digitize here and there in spare moments, or simply check in daily/weekly with technicians to ensure that the process is undergone effectively. Most likely, they will be in charge of general oversight, and their advanced experience and expertise can be put to use in research related to preservation, improvement of the plan based on its effectiveness, input from technicians, and other factors, and perhaps organizing meetings or acting as an in-between for the archive, designated communities, and the broader University.

Training and Education

When first being brought into the project, all technicians should have the same training, and the same introduction to all available materials (digitization logs, outlined processes, etc). There should also be an in-depth demo of audio cassette digitization, including demonstration by either the supervisor or a technician with experience. Technicians should be connected to the organization via briefing re: institutional goals and missions, and given background about other materials and collections present in the archive. I believe it’s just as important for technicians to have a basic grasp of digitization/digital archiving principles along with thorough understanding of our workflow and specific practices. This sort of “background education” will help tie them to our goals, make them more effective and thoughtful researchers, and encourage better awareness of emerging technologies and best practices. It will also foster a more intimate understanding of this plan, processes implemented, and the rationale behind these choices. We want technicians to have a general understanding (and/or ability to explain) these things:

The collection itself: proper care of analog cassette tapes, how to read and interpret information on paper in their casings, importance, identifying vulnerable materials, etc

Our preservation migration process in general: how the technology works, troubleshooting strategies, workflow, proper documentation, proper creation of metadata and why this is important, the general preservation environment  

I would also recommend viewing of materials such as the AV Media Preservation Videos available via the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifiacts: (http://www.ccaha.org/education/videos). 

Additionally, we can make it a stated priority for employees to continue learning – there can be a shared folder in the drive for articles and readings, for example, and perhaps at every quarterly meeting there can be a designated time for presentations related to new technologies, best practices, theory, etc in the broader field of digital archiving and preservation. This can be overseen by the supervisor, or maybe rotated between technicians. We might also engage directly with the iSchool and see if our technicians can sit-in on appropriate related lectures or other events.

Monitoring and Review

This plan should, in all honesty, be considered a living document. It depends on a network of other materials in order to be most effective, and these will hopefully change as archive staff work, develop perspective, and continue to educate themselves – thus, transitively, so will this preservation plan. As previously stated, I would appreciate (and advise) at the very least quarterly meetings to talk about general project progress, reevaluate needs and circumstances, etc. Constant and direct communication between technicians will also help facilitate general awareness of needed changes or review, as well as implemented standards and the updating of the digitization log. 

A satisfactory review of this plan will involve meticulously going through its steps to be sure these all continue to be necessary and useful, as well as reflect best practices and chosen standards. A thorough survey of equipment should be conducted, including performance testing as technicians and/or supervisor see fit. Continual education and research by employees may bring new perspectives or ideas to the table as time goes by, and these should be discussed and weighed during meetings. Documentation of any review processes should be kept within the shared group drive. More specific aspects of a review might be choosing completed AIPs to evaluate at random, asking employees to demonstrate and explain the digitization process to show understanding and competency,  and perhaps actively checking our methods against those of another institution with similar projects. 

Essentially, the main questions that need answering are whether or not we are continuing to meet the needs of the organization, if we’re doing so while fulfilling stated goals and keeping our costs as low as originally planned, if our equipment and standards are up to par based on archive resources and general status/situation, etc. More specifically, we might design our review to be sure that this project is still addressing the basic principles of digital archiving. Here they are as defined by IASA:

• “Each digital copy produced for archival purposes must be checked against the imported file ("verification"), be free of uncorrectable errors, and have the lowest possible number of correctable errors. An error status report has to be produced and kept for future monitoring. Digital recordings entering the archive from outside sources may, however, contain uncorrectable errors; again, an error status report including the position of such errors must be retained.

• Each carrier containing digital recordings must be checked at regular intervals for data integrity.

• Digital content must be copied to a new carrier whenever the number of errors increases significantly - at any rate before uncorrectable errors occur ("refreshment").

• Digital content must be copied before the old carriers, formats, and/or hardware become obsolete ("migration").

• It is essential to keep at least two digital preservation copies and to use additional copies for access as appropriate. The preservation copies should be kept in different locations whenever possible.” 

This can be paired with a general evaluation of the analog cassette tapes themselves – we can do a routine check on their physical status, ordering, etc. Lastly, it may be worth looking into reviews or surveys by students or professors via the iSchool. This could easily be made a project for a student in a preservation/conservation class, for example, or a small continuing project/check-in for libraries preservation staff. Of course, this might change personnel requirements or funding needs, so should probably be a last resort – but it could provide valuable outside opinions and perspective as to the effectiveness and utility of this project.

Consulted Materials

A Race Against Time: Preserving AV Media, CCAHA. http://www.ccaha.org/education/videos

Archives West (Orbis Cascade Alliance). http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/

Becker, C., Kulovits, H., Guttenbrunner, M., Strodl, S., Rauber, A., & Hofman, H. (2009). Systematic planning for digital preservation: evaluating potential strategies and building preservation plans. International journal on digital libraries, 10(4), 133-157

Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (DACS). Society of American Archivists. http://www2.archivists.org/groups/technical-subcommittee-on-describing-archives-a-content-standard-dacs/dacs#.V3RVLJMrKt8

Federica Bressan and Sergio Canazza, “A Systemic Approach to the Preservation of Audio Documents: Methodology and Software Tools,” Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, vol. 2013, Article ID 489515, 21 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/489515

IASA Technical Committee, The safeguarding of the Audio Heritage: Ethics, Principles and Preservation Strategy, ed. by Dietrich Schüller. Version 3, 2005 (= Standards, Recommended Practices and Strategies, IASA-TC 03). International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives. www.iasa-web.org/tc03/ethics-principles-preservation-strategy

Indigitization Toolkit for the Digitization of First Nations Knowledge (D.1 Audio Cassette Tape). (n.d.). http://www.indigitization.ca/indigitization-toolkit/audio-digitization/audio-cassette-tape/

M. C. (2007). The Field Audio Collection Evaluation Tool: Format Characteristics and Preservation Problems, Version 1.0. http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/projects/sounddirections/facet/facet_formats.pdf

Orio, N., Snidaro, L., Canazza, S., & Foresti, G. L. (2009). Methodologies and tools for audio digital archives. International Journal on Digital Libraries, 10(4), 201-220. doi:10.1007/s00799-010-0060-6

Paton, C. (1998). Preservation Re-Recording of Audio Recordings in Archives: Problems, Priorities, Technologies, and Recommendations. The American Archivist, 61(1), 188-219. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40294081

S. Strodl, A. Rauber. "Preservation Planning in the OAIS Model";Vortrag: International Conference on the Digital Preservation, Beijing, China; 11.10.2007 - 12.10.2007; in: "New Technology of Library and Information Service", China International Book Trading Corporation, Beijing, China (2008), ISSN: 1003-3513; S. 61 - 68.

Sustainability of Digital Formats Planning for Library of Congress Collections. (n.d.). http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/

Toal, J. (2009). Observing cassette culture: user interface implications for digital music libraries (Doctoral dissertation, Simon Fraser University (Canada)). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.