#Reduce server response time

[raineofthedragons]

Making a list of things Iskall did in the video that feel manipulative. Quotes won’t be exact because I’m not watching that for a second time.

1. Opening with his own mental health struggles. Talking about mental health is important but being suicidal is a known excuse for people, especially influencers, to get out of facing accountability. Opening his first video in months with his own struggles is a diversion. Regardless of his mental health, he still needs to be held accountable.

2. Minimizing the allegations. The literal first thing he does in that video is reduce allegations of sexual harassment to “consensually talking with an adult woman.” This wasn’t an issue of flirting, this was an issue of sending explicit messages to his own employees & taking advantage of the power imbalance inherent to that. He talks about how, legally, he did nothing wrong. There’s lots of things that aren’t illegal but are still bad. Most workplaces will still fire you for sexual harassment, even if it’s not illegal.

3. Emphasizing his own virtues. Half of the video is him talking about what a great person he is, what he’s done for the community, how much of his own money he spent making Vault Hunters, things like that. I shouldn’t have to say that good people can still do bad things and bad people can still do good things.

4. “Guilty until proven innocent” and the whole pitchforks and witch hunts metaphor. We have the screenshots. We know what he did. These aren’t baseless accusations with no proof. Things like that tend to get proven false very quickly.

5. Emphasizing everyone else’s wrongdoing. He makes his (alleged) victims out to be these evil conspirators plotting to ruin his life. He talks about how HermitCraft only gave him an hour and a half to defend himself. To be fair, that is far too short a time window, but it’s interesting that he can’t actually defend himself, he just discredits everyone else.

6. Distracting from the allegations. Near the end, he talks about how HermitCraft is actually bad and secretly doing terrible things, without actually saying what they are. Regardless of if this is true, it has no bearing on the topic of the video— the sexual harassment allegations against him, which he has done nothing to actually refute.

7. Making the community response seem irrational. He emphasizes the worst people in the community, the ones sending him harassment and death threats (to be clear, this is not okay. We do not send people death threats) as a way to discredit everyone who cancelled him. He talks about how it’s his private business and therefore not important for the public to know. It’s fine for him to have that opinion, but if someone learns about things you’re doing in your private life and decides they don’t want to interact with you anymore, that is their right. This applies even more so to the members of the HermitCraft server. These allegations could have impacted both the reputation and safety of other people on the server, damaging the trust their viewers place in them, and harming their financial well-being.

8. Completely avoids any accountability. Every apology needs accountability, regardless of if the person did anything wrong. Iskall could have easily included an apology for the damaged trust that comes along with allegations like these, talked about how being silent for several months increased that affect, the betrayal and uncertainty felt by the community. Instead he deflects and places blame on everyone but himself. Even if he’s innocent, it’s really not a good look.

That’s everything I can think of right now. Might add some more later. I don’t trust a single thing he said in this video, especially the vague stuff about HermitCraft being actually problematic and censoring him.

[llamagoddessofficial]

Thank you @cari-canes for this delightful commission. I'm so sorry I went so overboard... but I just could not resist the opportunity to write the bad guys in the cafe au. Cafe au has got everything!!!

---

You unlocked the glass door and stepped through, out of the bitter cold, watching to make sure the little ‘closed’ sign didn’t flip itself over as you shut and re-locked it behind you. Though some dim morning ambience made its way in through the big front window, it was still pretty gloomy with all the lights off. 

Honestly, though? You didn’t mind. 6:30am was a relatively late start for you. You used to get to your old bakery for 4 so you had all the time in the world to bake everything for the displays. A 6:30 start was a walk in the park.

First day nerves are normal. Just take a deep breath.

You put your coat on an antique wooden hanger by the door, and headed deeper into the still-closed cafe. It was a relatively quaint establishment, a medium sized room with about six tables of varying sizes. A nice oak counter, a glass case with room for sandwiches and pastries, a blackboard with coffee types lined up alongside chalked prices. A big pretty coffee machine with a shiny top. A sign on the wall behind the countertop declaring that they reserved the right to ‘remove anyone from the premises’. The only abnormal thing wasn’t even all that abnormal; most of the back wall was a continuous bookshelf, full of books of all different sizes and genres. The sort of thing that’d definitely give this spot enough charm to make it some people’s cafe of choice.

By all means, a perfectly normal, perfectly ordinary looking place.

... Nothing at all like its owners.

You moved behind the counter, floorboards ever-so-slightly creaky underfoot. The kitchen lights were on, you could see through the little round windows in the tops of the doors; someone was already in. The first day nerves kicked into high gear, butterflies making a racket in your stomach and throat... you kept telling yourself that you didn’t need to be as worried as you were, you wouldn’t have gotten hired if you made a bad impression on the staff. But nothing seemed to ease the anxiety that’d firmly lodged itself in your stomach.

You’d had other plans for the week. Nothing major - nothing that couldn’t be cancelled. But you had plans. Who wouldn’t? You lost your previous baking job with absolutely no notice, through no fault of your own. You’d been expecting to suddenly have a lot of free time you didn’t know what to do with. But here you were, plans cancelled, and little more than three days spent unemployed.

The hiring process had been.... Well. For lack of a better word, weird. Not anticipating any responses or interest but eager to reduce your chances of not being able to pay rent, you’d printed out your hastily-updated CV, taken your out-of-touch uncle’s advice and tried walking around town handing out copies to any place that let you breathlessly approached the counter. When you got to this cafe, a place you’d admittedly never even been inside, you had an experience that stuck with you for the rest of the day.

“Are you hiring?” you asked. 

The server at the counter was a skeleton monster. You’d never seen a skeleton monster before. He had his hood up, but you could see sharp red eyelights shining out from underneath - they looked bored. By this point in the day, you had just about gotten over the jitters that had followed you from shop to shop. But this guy was bringing them back.

He didn’t say anything.

“Uhm. Can I give you a copy of my resume?”

...

He clearly wasn’t interested. You’d definitely had some half-assed responses, but no one had outright IGNORED you yet. It was pretty disheartening.

“... Nevermind,” you said, small. “Sorry for bothering you - ”

A delighted voice right behind you. “we’re hiring.”

Startled, you spun around. Wait - another skeleton monster? This one was the polar opposite of the guy at the counter, he was grinning from nonexistent ear to nonexistent ear, a smile full of pearly white teeth. He had a dark serving tray tucked under one arm. Somewhat alarmingly, there were large black lines running down from his empty sockets to his jaw, but living in Ebbott city meant you’d seen more than enough strange monsters. There were far scarier looking (but completely harmless) monsters out there. 

“O-oh. You are?” you replied, flustered by his enthusiasm after a long day of little more than side-eyes. “I didn’t see a sign,”

“ain’t had time to put one up yet. your timing couldn’t be better.” He held a gloved hand out. He was so friendly - he looked so happy you were here. “i’m killer. that’s dust. ignore him, he’s a dickhead with everyone. can i have two copies? i’ll pass one on to my boss.”

“S-sure!” you said. Wow, what a positive response! You were suddenly riding a little high. You made a mental note to remember this particular place.

“we’ll be in touch,” Killer said, beaming. “promise.”

He wasn’t lying about being ‘in touch’. Literally the next morning, you had an email in your inbox, asking when you were free for an interview; when you politely responded that you were available as soon as possible the response came in asking you to be there later that day after the cafe had closed. You were pretty sure that by the time you walked into that building for the interview, most places hadn’t even read your resume yet.

And the interview itself...

You bit the inside of your cheek. That was a story for another day. You did your best to bring yourself back to the present. You took a breath, shifting your bag around on your shoulder, then stepping through into the light of the kitchen.

... Horror was the one already in the kitchen. Of course he was, he was the chef. He had his back to you, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows; he was kneading dough on a heavily floured work surface. Batch making bread?

He was a huge guy. That had been clear during the interview, but he had been seated for most of that. Now, with him standing? You got to see his full size and height. He must’ve been almost seven feet tall, his back alone was twice the size of you. You couldn’t help but wonder if he got his shirts tailored specifically for him... where was a guy that big realistically going to get reasonably sized clothing, other than someone making it for him?

You were going to be spending hours in the kitchen alone with him. 

At the sound of the door, he looked over his shoulder at you. His big red eye took up most of his socket. The iris widened, just a fraction, at the sight of you.

“... you’re... early,” he said. His voice was very deep. He spoke each word like he was measuring it syllable by syllable.

“Y-yeah.” You fiddled with your bag strap. “I know I was told to come in at seven, but I thought I’d just get in a bit earlier. Get a feel for the place.”

...

“... experience?” he asked.

You tried very hard to keep you voice light. Perhaps too hard. “Lots. I’ve worked in plenty of bakeries and cafes before. What about you?”

He shook his head. His bony hands were covered in flour, up to the wrist.

You did a quick visual sweep around the room - the shelves full of perfectly organised and dated ingredients, equipment clean and sorted, shiny countertops, ovens you wouldn’t mind cooking your personal food in. The place would pass its health inspection with flying colours.

“This room looks... really good,” you said, honestly. “I’ve seen kitchens full of seasoned pros that look much worse than this. You won’t believe the state of some of the kitchens I’ve worked in. It’d make you never want to eat out again.”

Horror made a sound in the back of his throat. Then went back to kneading the bread, back to you.

... 

“Hey, I... I know Nightmare hired me to be ‘in charge’ of baking back here.” Your voice was shaky. “But this was your kitchen first. I don’t want you to think I’m coming in here to move all your things around and steal your job. I’m just baking brownies and pastries, and stuff. You’re the chef.”

... He paused, turning fractionally, red iris catching you again. 

Your employer was... well, you weren’t wrong about there being scarier monsters out there than Killer. Nightmare was a perfect example. You shuddered, remembering his cyan eye staring at you during the interview, flanked by the other three skeletons. That had felt less like an interview and more like an exercise in not displaying fear in front of predators.

“Honestly, I thought I blew the interview when I asked him if he only hired skeletons. But I guess not, since I’m here.”

Horror... 

... Chuckled. 

Phew. The sound visibly relieved you. You put your bag down. “Sorry. I know I talk too much. I’ll look around, give you some peace.”

...

“... i... like... when you talk.” He looked back to his bread. “... nice voice. fills quiet.”

You blinked.

... You got the overwhelming feeling you’d completely misjudged him. He suddenly didn’t seem quite so tall. Horror was clearly trying really hard; talking, laughing at your bad humour attempts, trying to make you feel more comfortable. 

Was he just... shy?

... The smile you gained must’ve really been something, because you could’ve sworn there was a little hint of red on the high edge of his cheekbone.

“When you’re done with the bread, do you mind showing me where things are kept?”

This time, his smile was higher, and nod was much more resolute.

Just like that, you didn’t mind being alone in the kitchen with him. Not at all.

---

You and Horror worked like a well-oiled machine. Not a word needed to be spoken - you weren’t sure what it was, but Horror just seemed completely in tune to everything you, he knew where you were going and what you were reaching for and why you needed it. His huge physique translated into incredible strength, he single-handedly managed tasks that would’ve taken your old kitchen three people. When the ingredient delivery car came, it took all your strength to carry just one box. Horror carried four. 

By the time you and Horror were done prepping, you emerged from the kitchen in a flour-dusted apron that was a little too big for you, really craving coffee. You were a tad more confident, glad to have made a friend, and you were determined to figure out how to use that lovely big machine. Maybe you could offer Horror something to drink?

... Dust was there. You hadn’t heard him come in. He was leaning against the counter, reading a book whose title you couldn’t see - sunlight was coming in through the cafe’s front windows, catching the edge of his hood and lighting up what looked like some specks of dust he hadn’t brushed off; it must’ve been late morning now, getting closer to opening time. You somewhat admired his commitment to dressing casual. He was wearing his barista apron over top a white shirt and hoodie, he was absolutely dedicated to dressing like he didn’t want to be there.

You paused just outside the kitchen door. Had you not just spent an hour with Horror, you definitely would’ve considered Dust an intimidating figure - now, though? He didn’t look like much. You hadn’t forgotten your first encounter with him, nor the dismissive way he’d treated you. But he didn’t cause the same pit in your stomach as he had when you first walked into the cafe. 

You fixed a polite smile onto your face.

“Hey,” you said softly, taking one or two steps closer but still giving him room. You awkwardly put one hand on the counter. “Morning. You know how to use the coffee machine, right?”

His dark, crimson eyelights flickered up to you from his book. You opened your mouth, about to ask him if he minded showing you how it worked. 

... Then he rolled his eyelights at you. 

You bristled, a hundred different insults sprang to mind, but your ‘years of working with assholes’ instincts kicked in and your teeth clamped together. You couldn’t help the way your brows twitched, though. What the fuck?

His expression shifted, slightly. But you didn’t really care to stay around long enough to figure out how, or why. If he wanted to be like that, you weren’t going to put up with it, you’d had more than enough experience dealing with terrible coworkers and you weren’t about to waste a moment more with him. You just turned around to head back into the kitchen. After such a pleasant time with Horror, it was whiplash to be treated so badly. You didn’t even want a coffee anymore. 

“told you he’s a dick.”

You almost jumped out of your fucking skin. It was Killer. Right behind you, in front of the kitchen door, where you had just come from. How did he get behind the counter? Flustered from being frightened, you put a hand to your chest and let out a few small shocked laughs. “H-holy crap. I didn’t hear... How did you...?”

Killer beamed at your laughter. He leant back against the inside of the counter, folding his arms over his chest. He was remarkably well-dressed, wearing a spotless dark turtleneck underneath his apron and a few silver rings on his phalanges, he stood in stark contrast to Dust. You could definitely imagine him being popular with customers.

“don’t take dust’s needlin’ personally,” he said, tone light and playful. “he’s like that with everyone. works at the coffee machine all day, an’ he point-blank refuses to ever make me or horror any coffee. we just gotta band together and ignore him.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him, letting out a breath through your nose, lowering the proverbial hackles that Dust had made you raise. Killer’s aura was... infectious, really, it was brightening and easygoing. You know what? Two out of three coworkers being nice was great. Better than some people had.

You turned around, glancing over your shoulder, to get a look at the guy who was being such an asshole to you.

... Dust was gone. 

“Eh?” Your back straightened in surprise, and your head swiveled back and forth. You couldn’t see him anywhere in the cafe.

“he’s on a smoke break, probably.” Killer clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Wait - did he? He made a sound that resembled the action, for sure. But he didn’t have a tongue, right? He was a skeleton. You looked back at him.

“But we haven’t even opened yet?” you said, bewildered.

“toldja. he’s just the worst. don’t ask him for anything, he’ll make you feel dumb for askin’.” He shifted his weight onto one foot, bending his knee slightly. “if you wanna know where anything is, just ask me.”

“... Ah. Okay.” You smiled again, appreciative. “Thank you, Killer.”

He grinned anew, corners of his sockets lifting. 

“you’re cute. i’m real ‘excited to be workin’ with you.”

... Your mouth opened slightly, taken aback. What? Did you hear that right? 

“Yeah, excited to be working with you too,” you blurted, absolutely no idea how to respond. Did he mean cute like adorable? Or cute like... “But I’ll be in the kitchen most of the time, right?”

“course. but it’s a quiet cafe. nice.” He tilted his skull, talking so casually and warmly, like he didn’t literally just call you cute. “we’ll get lots of chances to chat. lots of time to get to know each other better.”

“Sure.” Your head was spinning, heart starting to thud. You were glad your voice came out so much calmer than you actually felt. Was this just his personality? That had to be it. He had to just be the kind of guy that sounded flirty. Your hands twisted in your apron. “That... that sounds great,”

Killed leaned, resting his elbow on the counter and putting his chin on his hand. 

“i’d love to get to know you better,” he purred.

Okay, no, you were definitely being flirted with. A flush of heat prickled your cheeks. Oh my stars, he probably wanted you to respond. How were you supposed to respond?

Fwump! A blue cloth landed on Killer’s skull, then flopped onto the counter. It made you jump, but Killer’s only reaction was a slight annoyed downturn in his smile. You looked over your shoulder - Dust was walking away, toward the back of the cafe, probably to put his book away.

“I-I should get baking then, huh?” Taking advantage of the lull you quickly darted past Killer, turning around and using your back to push the kitchen door open. “I’ve got, uh... dough. That needs... attending to,”

You kept backing up. Killer advanced, still smiling. “mind if i come see? not much of a baker, myself.”

“I-I don’t know if...”

A massive shape moved into your field of view. Suddenly, Horror’s hand slammed into the door frame. He had moved with a startling amount of speed for such a large guy. With just that move, he body blocked the doorway entirely, sending Killer reeling back.

“kitchen staff only.” Horror didn’t sound happy.

“since when was that a rule?” Killer didn’t sound happy either. “stop getting so possessive.”

... You couldn’t see anything. Only Horror’s back. But you caught the way Killer’s face twisted, smile falling.

“fuckin’ hell. message received. don’t have to get so weird about it.”

You didn’t wait to find out what happened next. Flustered and confused and just grateful to be back in the kitchen (clearly a safe zone), you turned away from the mess happening in the doorway.

... Something on the counter caught your eye.

A fresh coffee. In a pretty stoneware mug. It was on your side of the kitchen, but you definitely hadn’t put it there. 

Just from a glance, you could tell it was your usual. And it was clearly new, made within a few minutes, there were still gentle wisps of steam rising from its surface.

... Cautiously, you picked it up. There was only one person who had been at the counter the whole time Killer was flirting and Horror was baking.

You took a sip.

...

You were getting some pretty mixed signals from Dust.

But damn. He knew how to make a good coffee.

---

When you envisioned the sort of person that ran a cute little independent cafe like this, you definitely pictured someone that matched the decorations. Someone friendly, bookish, tasteful. Perhaps an owl monster, or a plant monster with big monstera leaves, or even a human (specifically one who wore dungarees). Someone who looked like they probably had a beautiful private Instagram. 

... The person behind the counter shifted, at the sight of you entering the cafe once again. It looked like he had been cleaning the coffee machine until you walked in, a small rag in one giant clawed hand.

“ah. thank you for coming in after closing,” he said. His voice, soft and deep and satiny. His smile, ice white. 

When you envisioned this cafe’s owner, you didn’t picture Nightmare.

You shuffled over to the counter. There was a stool pulled up to it, but you didn’t sit down, too nervous to. “No problem,” you said, tiny. “I was going to come back and prep some stuff anyway.”

Horror may have been taller. Killer’s tears may have been more visually striking, Dust’s face may have been ‘spookier’. But there was no one with an aura like Nightmare’s. By all appearances, he was just a skeleton monster with pitch black and tarry bones - considering there were monsters that were ten-foot springs on fire and giant carnivorous fish with teeth the length of your forearm, a skeleton with tarred bones was nothing. He didn’t appear particularly out of the ordinary. He was wearing a well fitted black button-up shirt, and a silver watch on one skeletal wrist... a perfectly average humanoid monster.

But there was just something about him. You felt it, the moment you walked into the interview. Something about the way he held himself, something about his air, the slightest tilt of his chin. That sharp, brilliantly cyan eyelight - whoever could’ve guessed that cyan could be such a powerful colour? Something about him set off an instinctual nervousness deep inside you, a flighty feeling that told you to pay close attention to every move he made.

You swallowed. 

... It was very attractive. 

You could never, ever say it aloud. Especially since he was your boss. But everything that made Nightmare intimidating to you just made you blush. You felt it the moment you walked into the interview, and you felt it now; his overwhelming energy made your breath catch in your throat. He was handsome. Strong jaw, defined cheekbones, but not too sharp or angular. Just... nice to look at.

There were some papers, and a pen, on his side of the counter. He slid them over to you. You didn’t know why, but you expected the tips of his claws to leave black marks on the white paper - they didn’t. 

“just some documents for you to sign,” he said. His voice wasn’t as deep as Horror’s, but nevertheless, it reverberated inside your chest. “had to be in-person. then you’re all on board.”

“Oh, okay.” You picked up the pen.

“i wanted to check how your first day was, too.” He set aside the rag he’d been holding, and leant on the counter. Both elbows. There was still almost a metre between you, but it felt as if he was pressing into your personal space bubble. You could smell something; a cologne, maybe? It was really good. “how was it?”

“Good,” you replied, shakily, completely unable to concentrate on the words actually on the paper. “Everyone was nice. Horror, especially.”

“i’m glad to hear it.”

“Killer... did flirt with me, though.” 

Nightmare’s brows raised. “did it make you uncomfortable?”

“N-not really. Just confused.” Why did you blurt words out like that around him? You’d done the exact same in the interview, just saying whatever came to mind. You needed to get a hold of yourself. 

He cared whether or not you were uncomfortable... that was sweet.

Nightmare tsked. “he’s like that with everyone. but he shouldn’t be. i will have a word. tell me if it happens again, i’ll beat some sense into him.”

Not expecting that last line, you coughed out a little laugh. Nightmare was clearly pleased, grin inching up his face. 

“let me make you something to drink.” He shifted off his elbows, hands flat on the counter.  

You stood up straighter. “O-oh, it’s fine. I wouldn’t - ”

“you aren’t imposing,” he said, turning around and pushing his sleeves up his arms. “sit down.” 

Your butt was on the seat. Huh? You’d sat down before you’d even thought about whether or not you wanted to obey. You swallowed again, glad he had turned around and couldn’t see your face. He possessed an incredible gift for sounding commanding, without sounding aggressive. 

He took the kettle, bringing it over to the sink and starting to fill it with water.

“I... what’re you making?” you asked, flustered at how easily he was able to make you do as he said.

“it’s a surprise.” He pulled out a mug. “don’t look.”

Well... you had no trouble not looking at what he was making. You couldn’t help the way your eyes were drawn to his arms; the bones that made up his forearm were large and thick, almost as thick as your wrist. 

“You’re sure?”

“my treat,” he hummed.

You turned your eyes down, finally actually focusing on the paperwork. It was the usual... bank details, confirming you’d read the employee code of conduct, right-to-work, all of that. Honestly, you skim-read most of it. You tapped the pen gently against the edge of the paper, rather than on the wood, so you could fiddle without making too much of a noise.

As your gaze trailed up and down the pages, signing and dating whichever ones asked for it, you couldn’t help but note how nice this felt. Sitting at the counter, after closing, listening to the sound of Nightmare making something. The kettle boiling, cutlery and equipment clinking, the gentle hiss of the milk steamer. It all felt very... safe. Cosy.

“here,” he said.

You looked up. He was holding the drink out to you. It was a nice dark blue mug you hadn’t seen on the shelf yet. Was it reserved for him? 

“Thank you,” you said, softly, reaching out. It smelled incredible. It was clearly hot, and frothy, he’d sprinkled a tiny pinch of dry tea leaves on the top for effect.

As you took the drink from him... his fingertips brushed your hand. You could’ve sworn it was deliberate, like he had shifted his hand specifically to allow the tips of his claws to trace over the top of your palm as you took the drink. 

Your cheeks and neck prickled. It must’ve just been an accident. Right? You were looking into it too deeply because you liked him. You cleared your throat, a tiny sound, and sipped the drink. 

... It was sweet, hot, comforting. It was creamy and fluffy - yet somehow floral and sophisticated. It felt deep, but layered, it was an absolute treat.

“Woah,” Was all you were able to breathe out. 

He rested his forearms on the counter this time. More casual than just the elbows, perhaps. To your relief, he’d made himself one as well, you would’ve felt much too awkward drinking something on your own. 

His gaze was relaxed, socket lidded. But at the same time, there was something indecipherable about the way he looked at you. “i’ll take that as a good response...?”

“What is this?” you asked, right before taking another sip.

“lavender london fog. one of my favourites.”

“I’ve always been fond of lavender,”

His eyelight became a fraction wider, and the cyan glow a touch stronger. “... you have good taste,”

“I think I’m done with all the paperwork,” 

He tilted his head. “i intimidate you. don’t i?”

... 

You made a little surprised, confronted sound, where did that come from?! 

“I-I’m so sorry,” you squeaked. “It’s not you, I promise,”

He chuckled. What a lovely sound. “don’t be silly. of course it’s me. i have that effect on people, i always have.”

You were spluttering. You couldn’t deny you were a bit relieved that he knew the whole time, but you still didn’t like that you’d been so obvious. “I feel terrible, though! You’ve been nothing but nice to me,”

“you’ve been nothing but nice, too.” He swirled his drink. You could hear the foam sizzling against the sides of the cup. “despite how obviously unpleasant myself and my employees are, you’ve treated us all very well. don’t think it’s gone unnoticed.” 

“You’re not unpleasant,” you stressed, embarrassed and avoiding the compliments. 

“it sounds unprofessional,” Nightmare said. “but i mostly hired you for that. your pleasant aura, despite it all.”

“Aura?” you parroted.

“metaphorically speaking.” He finally drew the paperwork back across the counter to him, eyeing your signature. “my boys are... difficult. don’t tell them i called them my boys. hiring has been incredibly troublesome, because until now, they’ve never liked anyone who applied. they’ve chased off three other potential hires already. finding someone they all like has been hard work.”

“Pft.” Your cheeks could not catch a break. They were about as hot as the mug you were squeezing in both your hands. You had no idea you were so desirable, nor so easy to get along with. It was very flattering. “How did they chase them off?”

Nightmare raised his brows. “dear, i would like to keep you around. i don’t think i’ll tell you that.”

You laughed. The pet name flew over your head. Nightmare’s smile wasn’t getting any wider, but... it was getting softer. 

“I-I should get to work. I wanted to make some batters now, so they can rest overnight.”

“could i lend a hand?” Nightmare tilted his head. “my baking knowledge is not... extensive. but i’m happy to assist.”

Unlike Killer’s ‘offer’ to help, this one, you were delighted to accept. “Of course. If you don’t mind being told what to do.” 

He chuckled.

“if it’s you, i don’t mind one bit.”

[ms-demeanor]

It seemed like your job was getting better there for a minute under new management. Is it new management that's fucking up now, not "fixable", or is it holdovers from the old guy?

So my company, formerly owned by Gary, was "Strangled Bats LLC". The company that bought us is "BunnyCorp Inc." Late last year, BunnyCorp Inc hired "Bruno" as our new CEO. The middle management are Bunnies from BunnyCorp.

Gary was a shithead who abused his employees but he was a stickler for documentation, standards, and naming conventions. Even though we lost a lot of documentation when BunnyCorp let Strangled Bats' CRM subscription lapse, I was able to save a bunch of PDFs and we actually still have printed copies of a BUNCH of our documents. Strangled Bats LLC was a terrible place to work and was very old-fashioned on some things, but we save our papers.

BunnyCorp Inc has a lot of very friendly bunnies in management who are cuddly and cute and easy to get along with and wouldn't know a configuration manager if it bit them in the ass. BunnyCorp was interested in acquiring and absorbing many companies to become one big company and cared more about purchasing companies (and therefore their client bases) than it cared about integrating those companies into itself OR than it cared about making notes on its customers.

Bruno has a long history of working in MegaBigCo and making things very efficient. When Bruno was hired as CEO, BunnyCorp officers did a great job of putting a good face forward and making it look like they had their shit together. By the time Bruno started, I had been working at BunnyCorp for three months and had mostly been focused on trying to get Strangled Bats' systems to mesh with BunnyCorp.

In January, Bruno had been with the company long enough that he started making changes to make things more efficient, because he'd been there long enough to see that there were some problems. At that point, I had started to notice that it seemed like we were duplicating an awful lot of work that was no longer related to issues with un-meshed systems, because I had meshed a lot of our systems. I got promoted and started training someone to take over the simpler parts of my job and was given the responsibility of looking into a lot of our contracts and agreements.

In March, the shit hit the fan and Bruno and I simultaneously realized that BunnyCorp Inc had been papering over a vast chasm of problems, most of which had to do with:

people with institutional knowledge leaving because they were underpaid

previous owners being shit at documentation

nobody except LITERALLY FUCKING ME knowing what modern server hardware standards and pricing should be

solutions for clients that were built with an eye toward reducing cost in the moment rather than planning for growth or longevity

Bruno has good thoughts about improving stuff, thoughts that I support and think are a great idea and think we should try to implement, but he's also a MegaBigCo kind of guy and likes to let employees grind to prove that they're dedicated and worthy of a promotion/raise - this is a shitty attitude that I think is counterproductive and I think is on the verge of leading our entire senior staff into burnout, but he's not at all wrong about the changes that need to be made. Bruno found out that a bunch of our clients don't have spare server drives onsite and shit a brick because of how badly he wants us to get spare server drive to the client sites; he is willing to eat the cost if it means we can get spares to the clients. That's great, it's not wrong, and there aren't enough hours in the day for me to get that done and also do procurement.

Bruno is only just now seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of how utterly fucked our documentation is; if Bruno is the captain of the ship telling us where to steer, I'm the lookout on deck who sees the icebergs before anybody else.

I have been shouting to the Bunny management about icebergs since December and the ship hasn't changed course; Bruno has directed us to put more coal in the boilers and speed up and to patch up some holes and scrape some barnacles off the hull, but I can't shout loud enough to get the Bunnies to pass on the message about the iceberg, so all I can do is make notes about where the iceberg is an when we hit it provide the notes that I took that the Bunnies ignored so that maybe we can start patching up the breaks before water floods in and kills us all.

Things were great for a while because I was no longer working with an actively abusive shithead. Working with Gary was like sighting icebergs on the deck of a ship that leaked a bit and avoided icebergs deftly, but I was left to freeze on the deck all the time because freezing on the deck was all I was good for. Getting acquired by BunnyCorp was like someone handing me a warm coat and telling me to go inside and have a cup of tea and sit by the fire. But then I realized that the niceness and the okayness with taking time off and the slight raise were very comforting but someone still had to go out on deck and watch for icebergs but now nobody is passing on the message that we need to steer away from the fucking icebergs because if you say there's an iceberg that might make someone feel bad and making people feel bad is counter to the BunnyCorp company culture.

I have a constant drumbeat in my head that says "I can fix this, I can fix this, I can fix this." If I work late and go get the info for all the firewalls that I can access, and share info with the team about the ones I can't access, I can update the documentation and fix this. If I get notes on all the servers, and get spares for every machine, and get the techs scheduled to go out and install, I can fix this. If I can go in to the configurations for all five thousand computers and manually check and archive all the old devices, and manually update a field for every one of the two thousand windows 10 machines, maybe our team of sixteen can replace twelve hundred and upgrade eight hundred computers at our two hundred client sites in the next five months. If only I can go through all of those two thousand configurations and update that field before I get dragged away to another phone call from a client or another meeting about how the next acquisition is going to go, so I better do it now, at eight pm at ten pm at midnight at two am when there's nobody to call and no meetings scheduled. If I could just *lock in* I can save us, I can make sure the clients are getting a good turnaround time on their requests and I can make sure the licenses are all getting renewed because I updated all the configurations and I will update all the configurations going forward and I will document this company at knifepoint and I will hold it together with duct tape and spite and I will make it work i will make it work nobody else is doing anything I have to make it work because that's an iceberg, I know some of them see the iceberg, and they're Bunnies and I'm a Bat, some of them have seen this iceberg long before I could see it but they're not turning but if I yell about it and make notes about it and lock in and document it and skip lunch and skip lunch and skip lunch and skip lunch and skip lunch and take half a break so that I can get another device off the list maybe THEN they'll act like there's an iceberg ahead and they'll turn and I won't have to fly off the deck and go find another ship and I can stay on the boat with my friends and the nice bunnies and it will be okay, it will feel like it did after Gary was gone and I could BREATHE and people said that I was smart and good at my job and I deserved more money and I had been treated badly and there were no icebergs because it was so bright and sunny and nice that the whole sea looked like dazzling snow and seemed soft and safe and like I wouldn't have to keep freezing on the deck to stay alive.

So.

You know.

There have been ups and downs. I'm having some trouble staying motivated and even with some decent management it's difficult to orient the team toward the metrics we need to meet in q3 to stay solvent and keep our forward momentum up.

I'm considering sniping our customers and starting my own business, nobody makes the office admin sign a non-compete.

[ceratedfish24]

I'm really not a ship person (nothing against shipping its just not for me usually) but something about Scott rarepairs really intrigue me

Scott rarepairs are so awesome. That’s a man who cares so deeply about those he loves and never expects to be loved back with the same caliber.

The people who he’s commonly paired with are the same people he hangs out with a lot, so they’re more inclined to be aggressive with him when not allied with him. That’s their friend! Of course they’re gonna mess with him.

The people in Scott rarepairs usually don’t talk with Scott as often, but they know his kind of humor because most of them hang out with Cleo and Gem a lot. They also tend to know from the life series that Scott is not a force to be reckoned with. That means that they have a lot of respect for Scott AND a lot of affection for people like Scott.

Something that helps is that Scott is one of the friendliest people in that social circle. I believe that myself, but I say it aloud because so many other people in that social circle have stated such, which is absolutely a testament to how pleasant Scott is to people. People are SO quick to get comfortable around Scott. Tango, Etho, Grian, Bdubs, and Skizz don’t get to talk to Scott very often, and yet they’ve all had on camera moments where they expressed how cool or sweet they find Scott to be.

“Scott’s awesome. Scott’s awesome.” - Tango during his 2nd MCC, which was at Twitchcon, when Scott found him to check on him and encourage him.

“We all need to have people we can trust no matter what’s going on. Bdubs… Scott…” - Etho during Secret Life to Cleo

“Scott is the only person on this server who I trust right now.” - Grian during Third Life

“A birthday party? That sounds- that sounds like Scott or Jimmy- no that’s Scott. Scott’s a very empathetic person.” - Bdubs answering a trivia question this past episode of the Life Series

“Smajor was this other… guy on the life series, and, every time I passed him, he’s kinda nice, and then we talked more and he’s really nice, and now I admire him, and now I like him, and now I- I really like this guy!” - Skizz on the Imp & Skizz podcast describing how he didn’t want to make connections with people for their clout when he joined Third Life, but he couldn’t help but be drawn to Scott. This is also, coincidentally, how crushes tend to develop, Skizzleman.

Scott is a very earnest and caring person, even in the life series, a death game, where that’s not particularly rewarded 100% of the time. Everybody has so much respect for Scott, both because they know that he’s a lot like Cleo and Gem and they have a lot of love and respect for Cleo and Gem and because their personal experiences with Scott have made it clear how sweet and competent he is.

I love Smajor rarepairs, because I’m not into relationships where one person is pulling all of the weight. A lot of mainstream Smajor ships reduce Scott to his relationship and let the other person have their own things going on. There tends to be a lot of focus on the other person, like they’re Scott’s whole world. Rarepairs tend to have Scott’s partner(s) treat him with reverence, which forces Scott to confront his insecurities, how he feels like he needs to earn other people’s affection.

Tango is immune to flirting, but he’s very responsive to Scott’s teasing and eager to banter with him. He doesn’t talk to Scott a lot, but he clearly really likes Scott and how earnest Scott is.

Etho absolutely thinks that Scott is incredible. You can see it in literally every single interaction they have. Etho and Scott probably talk the least out of everyone I mentioned, but I think Etho pays the most attention to Scott and has simply become endeared to him because he sees so much of Cleo and Gem in Scott.

Grian ALWAYS has a compliment for Scott. When he first met Scott, he didn’t trust Scott because “no one’s that happy”. When he learned that Scott’s just like that? Instantly loved Scott. How could you reject someone who’s clearly so happy just to spend time with you? He loves to tease Scott. I think he sees Scott as someone he can properly match wits with, what with how they both love to make short little games and are usually chaotic until they’re the least chaotic in a group and immediately become the responsible one.

Bdubs is terrified of Scott. There’s no other way to put it. Bdubs is more afraid of Scott than he is of Cleo and Gem. He commented during the fourth episode of Wild Life on how Scott is a really hard target. There was fear in his voice. He later tried to convince Tango not to go after him. He really didn’t want to upset Scott. He’s so traumatized after that game of tag. HOWEVER. Bdubs knows that Scott is a man of reason. Bdubs isn’t usually worried about attacking groups that his group is on neutral grounds with, because he knows that they’ll eventually attack him first if he doesn’t beat them to the punch. That’s how this game works. Scott doesn’t do that, and Bdubs has taken note of that and trusts that. Bdubs trusts Scott not to attack him without a reason.

Skizz? I could go on for HOURS about Skizz. Skizz has literally admitted to subconsciously treating Scott like he’s Impulse, who Skizz loves to death, who Skizz trusts when he can’t call anyone else, who Skizz kisses on the temple when they haven’t seen each other for a while. Skizz is a very kind person, but, in game, he’s not the most levelheaded person. Scott is both kind AND levelheaded, which Skizz has a lot of respect for. Scott doesn’t even have a temper to lose when it comes to verbal conversation. Hurt him or his friends and he’ll make you wish you hadn’t, sure, but words will never hurt him. I think Skizz honestly sees a lot of Impulse in Scott, whereas most people see Cleo. People compare Cleo to Scott, because they’re both petty and witty. Skizz compares Impulse to Scott because they’re both petty and survivalists. Skizz has commented many a time on how Scott is so much better than Skizz at PVP and how impressed he is that Scott can evade the entire server when they’re hunting him. Apparently, Skizz (and Impulse) thinks that Scott gives the BEST hugs. Apparently, Scott is the only person whose hugs make Skizz feel like he could fall asleep right then and there.

Another thing I’ve noticed about my favorite Smajor rarepairs is that they all love to make Scott laugh. When Tango teases Scott, it’s never about anything serious. It’s always to make Scott giggle. When he’s around Scott, Etho LOVES to do and say things that would make Cleo or Gem laugh, and they work on Scott too. It’s the “wet cat” behavior he emphasizes when he’s with Cleo and Gem, because he knows that it makes them laugh. Scott has never poked fun at Etho for being “washed up” or “a wet cat”, but he does laugh when Etho emphasizes the “lost puppy” behavior. Outside of the life series, Grian isn’t particularly interested in making Scott laugh, but he does like to impress Scott. When Grian knows Scott’s watching, he really challenges himself. I think it’s because he, himself, is very impressed with Scott. Bdubs absolutely loves to make Scott laugh. You can see it in Scott’s escape room videos. He says so many silly things just to get a reaction out of Scott. You CANNOT tell me that “Bdubs, there’s something in this room that will allow you to swim up lava” “the bed” “no, think something you can drink” “the lava” was genuine. I’m completely sure that Bdubs knew Scott meant that there was a hidden fire res potion but just wanted to be silly. Skizz LOVES Scott’s laugh. He’s said it before. Skizz loves to make Scott laugh so much. He loves hearing Scott’s laugh. It’s so giddy and full and joyous.

Maybe I’m projecting a little bit. As a lesbian, you can’t believe how grateful I am that the only traits my mother has ever asked me to find in a partner is 1) someone you can trust and 2) someone who makes you laugh. She doesn’t ask for my partner to be rich or cisgender or a man or conventionally attractive or of a certain race or religion. That’s kind of what makes me love Smajor rarepairs so much. They respect and trust Scott, and they love to make him laugh.

[sly-s-n0nfusion]

The ot2 travelers don't feel like a found family as much as the ot1 travelers - an analysis

This is probably the boldest opinion I've ever shared on socials for this fandom and I am aware this take will probably get me some hate but I feel like I want to say this and compare the two games under this aspect also to know other people's opinions about this (I feel so brave right now) but I have to make a premise: I loved octopath traveler 2 to death as well as the ot2 travelers, this is not a hate post by any means. Also, the fact that the first game is still more dear to me doesn't make me blind to the fact that ot2 did improve its formula under almost every aspect and is overall of better quality than ot1.

So as I was playing ot2, I felt like it was somehow “missing” the same warmth of the first game. Naturally, my first thought was that it was just nostalgia for the first cast, until my boyfriend said the exact same thing to me some time after he started playing ot2. When I asked about it in a small octopath server, almost every response I got was similar to what we were feeling, and many of us pinpointed that the main reason is that the cast doesn't feel as a found family as much as the ot1 cast did, and I'll explain why.

/!\ Spoilers for both games! /!\

The group of travelers in ot2 doesn't feel as cohesive: on the contrary, it often feels like the travelers aren't involved in their friend's adventures as much. They often come off as a bit more individualistic and just casually sharing the same road together while pursuing their own goals. In their banters together, they rarely offer/actively seek each other's help and they generally feel more lonely in their paths

This is kinda ironic given how much more content together the ot2 travelers have, like the crossed paths or the journey for the dawn chapter. The one exception, at least regarding the crossed paths stories, are probably Throné and Temenos

The found family trope is more often than not shoved down your throat in a way that's just less effective and more annoying ex. Ochette calling Osvald and Castti mama and papa (or the general imagery of every traveler seeing Castti as their mom when she is just doing her job as a caregiver) or Osvald getting drunk and mistaking Castti and Agnea for his wife and daughter, when Osvald often shows fatherly instincts only towards his actual daughter Elena

The major issue we all agreed on: the travel banters. The main difference is that in ot1 every travelers had a chance to talk to all 7 travelers during each chapter of their story, which actually gave the impression of them traveling together and also the opportunity for a good balance between more lighthearted banters about disparate matters, and deeper banters that explicitly address what's going on in that moment. In ot2 we had the amazing opportunity to reread every banter without missing even one of them, but the amount of banters drastically reduced! Which left me kinda confused!! Because for every chapter, only a few travelers get to talk with the one progressing through a chapter. And that leaves place for an awkward silence on the other travelers' behalf, because it does almost deliver the vibe that they're just observing quietly, or that they don't care enough about what's happening to intervene. That silence takes a big toll on how believably the concept of found family is delivered, in my opinion. We don't really need 70% of the banters to be about card games, fashion, hobbies and food (why are there so many banters about food lol) when the actually deep/important matters barely get addressed by the other travelers.

An example: the apothecaries' chapters 3. They both are very emotionally heavy chapters, where both Alfyn and Castti are having a really rough time. Having the chance to talk to all 7 of his friends, Alfyn not only gets to talk about his job as an apothecary and joke with Therion about getting drunk at the tavern, but he also receives important advice and active help from his teammates. Like Olberic, for example, you can almost picture him holding Alfyn's shoulder in the attempt of getting him to calm down

Whereas in Castti's chapter 3, she goes through one of the most painful and heartbreaking moments of her life (remembering what happened to Malaya and the Apothecaries) and barely anyone comforts her. You only get Temenos saying "you can count of me" and Hikari, saying more or less the same thing. No Osvald talking to her about dealing with the grief of losing everything?? No Agnea and Partitio reassuring her, telling her she did what she could and that it was not her fault?? No Throné sharing with her the relief of freedom, of finally being free from her amnesia?? ... That does feel like a huge missed opportuniy and really makes it look like the other 5 travelers are just observing in silence, and that really ruins the immersion to me. They do feel more lonely and less of a family, no matter how many times Ochette calls her "mom" , she wasn't there for Castti when she needed it. She didn't say anything. The effort made by their crossed paths story isn’t enough to make up for it to me

Not only that, but ot1 is full of other examples of the travelers actively seeking each other's help: Olberic is constantly asking for his teammates' opinions because he trusts them (Olberic ch4, Cyrus banter) and offering his protection in return, Tressa and Therion often value each other's advice, and many other cases.

Final point: this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but I couldn't help but feel my opinion reinforced by the promoting team's choices; in every piece of art for the first Octopath Traveler game anniversary, all 8 travelers were featured. As they should be! OCTO is in the name, after all. None of them is more important than the others, and it's crucial to me that in their anniversary art they ALL get featured. Well, for the first anniversary of the Octopath Traveler 2 release the official promotional art only featured Temenos and Crick. One (1) traveler and a npc. Well done, that's how you don't want to celebrate your game's 1 year anniversary when the main feature of the game in question is that it's a collective story that features 8 characters. Yes I am not blind I am aware of Temenos and Crick's popularity as both individual characters and as a ship (which by the way I am very neutral about so again, no hate), but my god that official art did leave a bitter taste in my mouth as soon as I saw it. Like really? What about the other 7 travelers? Aren't they supposed to be a found family?

So in the end I think the missing travel banters are what makes the ot2 crew feel a bit more distant and less of a family to me, and the crossed paths and Journey for the dawn really, really struggle to make up for this because the basics of the relationship between the travelers just aren’t quite there.

Now I know this game is dear to many, me included, and that many others may have the complete opposite opinion, and that's okay. We can talk about it! I love hearing different opinions.

Peace! ✌️

[cherrypikkins]

heck it, i wasn't going to weigh in on the tumblr staff firings either but

the points contained in this post are on the assumption that tumblr will continue to operate on a skeleton crew indefinitely, and that there are no plans on the table (yet announced, at least) for an apocalyptic shutdown. if it turns out later on that there is such a plan, just know that any reference to the very long-term is moot.

here's what to expect when an application like tumblr is running with a reduced number of staff:

their capacity to answer support inquiries will be reduced. expect longer wait times or no response at all when submitting a support ticket (such as if you suddenly lose access to your tumblr account)

fewer new features will be implemented, and on a slower schedule. could be a good thing if it means giving up on Tumblr Live or whatever unwanted obnoxious features they had initially planned.

in the same vein, bugs and issues will take longer to fix. performance may degrade if they don't have enough people to resolve database and server issues. both will result in a slow and buggy tumblr. (more so than usual, anyhoo)

if there is not enough staff to keep up with security patches and maintenance, there could be a privacy risk to your account and any information tied to it.

if a catastrophic event happens, like if a key part of the application or infrastructure fails, or if there is a hack like the one at 4chan, staff may have neither the means nor the motivation to get tumblr back running again.

edit: oh right - a lot more automated tasks. such as the one apparently marking every blog as mature subject matter? these are likely intended to free up capacity of the remaining staff but as we can see are prone to causing issues of their own.

these are the key points I can think of off the top of my head. list is non-exhaustive, so feel free to weigh in.

it looks bleak, i know. but keep in mind that no shutdown has been announced as of yet. so i'm not making any assumptions that anything drastic will happen in the near future. just know that for long as tumblr has left, you may see the above issues build up, and that the eventual decline of tumblr is likely to come in a thousand cuts rather than one fell swoop - which isn't all that different from the trend we've been seeing these past handful of years.

anyway, you've got time to make plans. and if it turns out tumblr does shut down tomorrow, well - see you on bsky i guess :3;;

[kiquebi]

Farlands destruction scenario with some personal indulgence… Wifies self implosion..

TW: gore???, death

1012 words

———————————————————————

Wifies’ hand is cold.

It’s always been cold, even when they traversed the scorching depths of the nether. So it’s no surprise that it’s freezing as Parrot reaches for it now. Wifies is sitting against a fallen wall, legs outstretched, and Parrot kneels to clasp his hand in his. There’s no visible reaction from Wifies, no tightening of his hold, no fingers tangling around his, but Parrot understands. He fucked up, he sees it now.

The sky overhead is a deepening burnt orange, littered with broken planes of invisible players long gone. The air is suffocating, tingled with red and smelling of tnt that had rained destruction upon the land he so desperately tried to protect. It glows in the approaching night, gleaming crimson from the carnage. The farlands are gone, reduced to rumble from the long battle. A battle that Parrot had lost. A war he could not shoulder despite all his words and promises. The once buzzing civilization was now a quiet symphony of crackling flames and crumbling stones. It’s just the two of them now, just Parrot and Wifies. He feels his heartbeat go faster and faster, erratic in his regret, and there’s a ringing in his ears. Parrot takes in a large breath. His heart doesn’t steady and the ringing only gets louder. The dust in the air burns in his lungs as he exhales, but he pushes down his urge to cough and lowers his head to rest on the hand he’s holding onto.

It feels cool against his skin and comforting in all the ways he doesn’t deserve. Parrot lifts his head so it hovers over Wifies hand instead, tracing circles on his knuckles all the while. “You were right, Wifies. I was being reckless, I wasn’t thinking,” his throat burns as he rasps out word by word. There’s no response from Wifies, but Parrot doesn’t dare to look him in the eyes, not if he wants to finish everything he wants to say. It’s shameful to be unable to meet Wifies’ eyes, cowardly even, but this is all Parrot could muster at the moment. He has to apologize to him, Wifies deserves a complete apology at the very least.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry I ignored you. You just wanted me to be safe. I was-,” he gasps for some much-needed air, and in a quieter voice he whispers, “I was being selfish. I wasn’t being considerate of your feelings. I’m sorry, Wifies. I’m really sorry”. Parrot can feel the beating of his heart at the back of his throat and he takes in yet another breath of air. His heartbeat slows down to a thrum and he swallows.

He opens his eyes- when had he closed them?, and he finds that he’s been gripping Wifies’ hand too hard. Parrot quickly loosens his grip and mutters out yet another apology. He begins gently running his thumbs over the light indents, brushing away the dust he’d left on Wifies’ hand. The dust on their hands feels gritty and the grains stubbornly cling to his joints and refuse to go no matter how he tries to wipe them away. The red dusty air coils around them like a noose, bringing with it the night chill. Wifies still hasn’t uttered a word, but Parrot is alright with that. He doesn’t deserve Wifies’ forgiveness. Not with a measly apology, not with all he’s made him give up ever since the moment he stepped foot on this server. He has to be alright with that. Wasn’t this exactly what Wifies had done? Parrot can handle groveling, he’s got the kneeling part down already.

But his selfish heart yearns and yearns. The hand in his grip may be cold but Parrot knows that Wifies’ pulsing chest is warm, he’s spent enough time huddled close to it that he can imagine the steady hum of his heart and the affectionate cradle of his arms. His eyes shouldn’t water at the lack of response he’s getting. He should be happy that he’s able to hold Wifies’ hand at all, with redstone staining his hands akin to blood. He’ll gorge out his beating heart and serve it to Wifies on a platter if it means he could nestle into Wifies’ warmth again. The biting wind gathers more and more dust and with every ragged breath, Parrot takes in more and more of it. The chill permeates his bones and surely Wifies feels it too. Jagged rocks dig into his knees as he decides to slowly shuffle closer.

Wifies doesn’t protest so Parrot presses closer still, almost straddling his thighs. He closes the distance between them, gingerly setting his head on Wifies’ shoulder and wrapping his arms around him. Immediately, Parrot pulls himself back, his movements frantic as he realises: Wifies is cold. His hands, his sides, his face, they’re all freezing to the touch. He’s never felt this cold before. Parrot finally allows himself to trail his eyes over Wifies, and oh, he sees the problem now.

Wifies’ sweater is torn, the yin-yang pattern on it stained by grainy redstone. Glowing red dust seeps out of the gaping hole in the front of Wifies’ sweater, its color gradually dimming to a dull maroon. The surrounding dust in the air flickers and its glow dies out, welcoming the descent of night. Parrot notes to himself that he should ask Wifies for his sweater tomorrow. He’ll stitch right back it up and Wifies will never have to be cold again. Maybe he’ll make a pair of gloves for him along with it as well for his hands. Parrot takes in another breath, redstone penetrating deep into his lungs and he settles back down on Wifies’ shoulder. He shifts so that his body blocks out most of the night winds and wraps himself around Wifies once again. The mobs have come out, lured in by sparse dying flames, gleaming beacons on a starless night. Tonight, in the rumbles of a once beautiful civilization, Parrot promises himself to keep Wifies safe for a change.

[marshmallowprotection]

I need to hold Suit like this that's all

"You would think that you'd never slept in a bed before," you cooed as you squished Saeran's face between your hands. He didn't seem that bothered by it but that sour look on his face was palpable. He kept it there on the off-chance someone decided to interrupt your playtime and make a stink about what he was supposed to do as the strongest member of Mint Eye. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone know you're the cutest bed bug."

"I sleep at my desk, toy. Who needs a bed for that? So you can laze around all day? It's more efficient and gives me some range to attack right away if someone does something stupid to our servers," he said.

Oh.

Well, you should've expected that, you figured. Ray mentioned doing the same once before, but you thought with the reduced workload... Saeran wouldn't be doing as much as Ray had. Being strong for their paradise was a load of crap. He tried to convince you that he had the power to do anything he wanted to do, but outside of the time he had carted out to sleep in your bed, he couldn't swing by enough.

Even if Saeran was able to get away with more than Ray had been able to do when he was at the front, Saeran couldn't get rest like he deserved.

What was freedom if he could only burrow his face in your chest after he tortured himself?

How was it better than the way Ray suffocated himself just to get five minutes of peace with you in the garden?

It wasn't fair. This wasn't fair to either of them. You shook your head, wondering how in the world he could convince himself this was okay in the slightest. Was it because he didn't know any better? "Do you... do you even have a bed in your office, Saeran?"

"There's a couch," he shrugged.

You frowned. "That's not a bed, Saeran. It's no wonder you always slump over in my bed when you get here... I can't imagine the ache you must feel in your back from sleeping like a shrimp on your desk, much less a lumpy couch."

He huffed. Rather than dignify your response with a comment, he shoved his face against your chest and settled where he wanted to be. It was no different than what he usually did. He would storm into the room, pull you toward the bed, and make you stop whatever you were doing to cuddle with him. Although, he wouldn't call it that. He never used the word "cuddling", instead, he called it "decompressing."

If it was safer for him that way, you couldn't be upset.

After all, calling things what they were had led to Ray's suffering at the Savior's hand. If code words allowed him to exist without pain... you knew you would make do until you could concoct a pain to get out of dodge.

You're my favorite bed bug, you thought. I hope one day you will be able to admit you enjoy our time together in bed, Saeran. You'll have all the time in the world to rest in our bed... and I'll make sure of that. I promise. Just like the promise I made Ray that one day we would be able to have a picnic under the clouds.

"Don't worry," you stroked the back of his head. "I'll be a good toy and watch over you while you sleep."

"Thank you..."

[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 ✨

[sl-walker]

Boldly Writing is going to hopefully be the nonprofit for indie archives; the ultimate plan is to give us an umbrella org that lets donations to our archives, etc. be tax-deductible, allows us to access a lot of services for free or reduced cost through the org and otherwise lets us move forward with championing the causes of more independent and decentralized fan communities while still providing the social networking and cohesion of a single community over all.

My ultimate vision is to expand and clean up our documentation for installing/running otw-archive, offering tech support for new instances of the software (and ourchive when it releases!), eventually culminating in server space we can offer similar to Walter at Squidge.org. Walter's been carrying a lot of the non-OTW side of the fandom on his shoulders for a long time as we've lost more and more independent commuities; another org working in tandem with Squidge (and indeed OTW!) would only be good for fandom.

Boldly Writing is a non-membership model nonprofit, but you're more than welcome to be a part of the organization via volunteering. Right now, we're possibly looking for a fifth board member -- or more! We can have several! -- for fiscal year 2025. A board member's main responsibilities are just to show up for the four annual meetings required by us, propose and/or vote on resolutions and bylaws and whatnot, and otherwise support the org. Terms are three years. If you're interested in this, you have to be a US citizen and over 18, but that's basically it.

Other things, like committees and assignments, are next on our agenda. (Those can be a lot of fun, too!) Currently, our Boldly Writing discussion takes place on Ad Astra's server, though we might eventually make a new one for the org.

Scroll to the Boldly Writing category for our unofficial first meeting minutes and any org discussion. If you wanna be our fifth board member, hit me up!

[ms-demeanor]

hello! sorry to bother w this but im sort of desperate at this point. given your post about school abuse: so like. i had a similar experience and i thought that i had sorted my brain out. BUT. big but. now im trans and every time i have to correct people w/ misgender or come out to people that i dont already know their opinion on the issue, i get an anxiety attack that makes me unable to do it. ive told many therapists and no one so far has understood why im terrified of making stuff that other people can perceive as me being difficult to work with. would you have *any* advice? thanks!

Okay so first of all it is totally valid to feel that way; that isn't an irrational response, that is your body and brain going "!!!! I have learned this lesson before!" But just because it's a sensible response doesn't mean it's functional in the long term, which is why it needs to be addressed (which I'm sure you already know, I'm just explaining for people in the back).

So now here is some meandering advice:

Spend time with people you already know you can trust. It's okay to take a break from new people and situations (as much as is possible) when you are processing traumatic events and learning to care for yourself. Spending time with people who you don't have to come out to, who don't misgender you, can help you normalize being out and correctly gendered to yourself.

Recognize that you don't have to be out to everyone and some assholes aren't worth it. This is going to depend some on the context, but you don't owe everybody an explanation for yourself and if people repeatedly misgender you after being corrected you may just be better off not spending time around those people.

Loop in trusted people in low-stakes ways. If you get the sense that someone who you think is pretty safe has misgendered you on accident, it might still feel too intimidating to correct them in person but it might be a good idea to follow up with text or a call or a message to say "hey, just FYI, I think I heard you use a/b pronouns for me earlier, I just wanted to let you know that I use c/d pronouns. Did you want to meet up again next week?" the breakdown on why I think this is effective is - Distance means you're safe - nonthreatening "FYI" means you aren't saying "I'm offended" and assumes good faith from the other person - feels less accusatory (not that you need to tone police yourself, but if you're trying to lower the stress level overall then assuming it was a mistake and letting them know you don't think it was on purpose should reduce the overall tension) - request to meet up again or topic switch to something lighter once again says "I'm not mad, that was just regular information, we can now return to our scheduled programming"

I think that, generally speaking, this is also a decent way to come out to people if you're nervous; physically remote and emotionally casual can be a good place to work from (even if you're actually panicking in your head but you can pull off casual in a written message)

Find (or create) a space where people are 100% going to support you. If you need to create a discord server, if you need to schedule a regular coffee date with trusted friends or family members, whatever it is, give yourself a space where you are unconditionally supported and can have people to bounce ideas and concerns off of. Even if it's just you and one other person, it's good to know you have *someone* who you can say "I think I want to tell this other person to use my pronouns but it's scary" to and know that you're not at risk in any way. I'd say try to make sure that you're still interacting with people outside of that space, but have a space to retreat to where you can just drop the worry.

Recognize that somebody else's problem is not a reflection of you. If you have, for instance, a coworker who is being a piece of shit and refusing to recognize your gender, that is not a reflection of your gender that is a reflection of them being a piece of shit. If there is a classmate or a sibling who uses the wrong pronouns after being corrected that doesn't mean you're not entitled to your pronouns that means they are being a piece of shit. Some people are just not going to accept you and that's on them. Try to minimize your time spent with them and if you have to spend time with them at work take steps to ensure your safety, but don't fight losing battles with assholes.

It really is legitimately scary. You have good reasons to be scared and you are doing a very frightening thing (and not to do the meme thing but you are legitimately being so brave about it; the fact that you are reaching out and asking anyone for help, including randos on the internet, means that you are taking steps to doing the scary thing and that is SO GOOD and I'm really proud of you for making the effort in spite of the fear).

Here is some less meandering advice:

Practice. Talk to yourself in the mirror, practice with friends, practice with your therapist. Practice coming out to yourself in a casual way. Practice correcting your pronouns. Practice an introduction for yourself that explains the information you want to give to new people you might meet. Get it down to a quick little patter, get it to be something that's easy to say to yourself in the mirror first, then try it with friends for practice, then try it around the safer people you might want to give the information to. It'll get easier as you go.

Look for a local support group (or an online support group). If there's a local LGBTQ+ center you should see if they've got events going on or a support group you can join or workshops or any manner of social thing where you can go interact with people who have been through similar stuff.

Journal. Each time you find yourself frightened of talking to someone about your gender, do what you need to to get through the day and then sit down and think about that interaction. Write down what happened, write down what you were thinking. Was there something in particular that made you anxious? Is it something you can practice addressing? Was there something you noticed about the person that made you uncomfortable? Is that a common thread in the times you have trouble talking about this? If you're able to narrow down specifically what is making it hard to speak to some people that might make it easier to explain to therapists but will also make it more actionable for you.

Here's some very optimistic advice:

If at all possible find a friend who will be rabid and unflinching in their support for you and hang out with them around new people. Get yourself an attack dog copilot who will cheerfully step up and make corrections for you. I know not everyone can do this and I know that if you can find someone like this they can't be around all the time, but it can be wonderfully reassuring to find that one person who you know is going to be ride or die about making sure that everyone in the room respects you. (Being that person for someone else can also teach you how to be that person for you)

[bumblebeerror]

I’m once again reminding everyone that cPhil wasn’t a bad father

I am once again reminding everyone that cWilbur was a fully fledged adult with a kid of his own

I’m once again reminding everyone that when Wilbur screams at Phil to kill him, Phil had only joined the server moments before and had no reason to know Wilbur wouldn’t respawn, as literally every character consistently displays the basic understanding that everyone except for Phil can respawn.

I am once again reminding everyone that when Wilbur did finally tell Phil he needed help not only was Phil able to help him, he was also happy and relieved to be able to do so

I am once again reminding everyone that Wilbur was not a child, and mental illness in a son does not make the father responsible for his whole life

I am once again reminding everyone that Phil kept in contact with Wilbur via letters and at any time Wilbur could have decided not to lie

I am once again reminding everyone that Phil should not have to stalk his own son to be considered a good father purely because Wilbur didn’t tell him the truth

I am once again reminding everyone that Phil and Wilbur not only remained friendly/positive/affectionate toward each other for the entire time we saw them interact in lore, they clearly cared about and mourned each other

I am once again reminding everyone that reducing cWilbur’s struggle with mental illness to Phil’s fault for not intervening is infantilzing Wilbur as a full adult who can make his own choices.

[wutherwaves]

[NOTICE] Developer Feedback Update (June 2nd, 2024)

A recent developer update was posted earlier today with important information regarding the rest of 1.0, 1.1, and future versions.

Summary of content covered and heavily paraphrased in this post:

Echo development system changes in 1.1

New Upcoming Event

Changes to 1.0 Content

Function & Control Changes

Other Changes

Compensation Rewards & Distribution / Eligibility Requirements

ECHO DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM CHANGES IN 1.1

While Kuro looks into other ways to adjust the Echo and Waveplate systems, the currently specified fixes are:

A new event to yield double the amount of Echo material called "Chord Cleansing" will occur this version.

In 1.1, Echo development will cost less Shell Credits; the reward cutscene of Tacet Fields will be removed to streamlinee farming; and the yield of Echoes and their materials will be increased.

In generally upcoming updates, a Waveplate storage system will be introduced.

NEW UPCOMING EVENT

Kuro will be using responses to the event "Overdash Club"'s design in order to better shape future events. For now, a new event to offer rewards and improve the game's experience will be introduced: "Wuthering Exploration."

This event will reward Astrite x800, Morphable Elite Class Echo I & II, Premium Tuner, and Premium Sealed Tube.

The event will begin at 10:00 on June 13th, until 04:00 June 27th (server time).

CHANGES TO 1.0 CONTENT

Content intended to release further along in 1.0 has been pushed forwards by a week. On June 6th, at 10:00 UTC+8, many new things will unlock, including:

Yinlin's Featured Convene, "When Thunder Pours"

Yinlin's Companion Story, "Solitary Path"

The event, "Alloy Smelt"

Many other events and features

This also means that 1.0 will now be ending June 28th, at 06:00 UTC+8.

Version 1.1, "Thaw of Eons," will include:

New area, Mt. Firmament

New featured resonators, Jinhsi and Changli

New boss, Jué

FUNCTION & CONTROL CHANGES

Many functional changes have either been introduced or planned.

"Combat Camera Correction" on PC has been disabled by default. Other combat camera settings have been optimized and adjusted.

In the future, a "Disengagement Warning" will be implemented for combat.

Mobile controls have received and will continue to receive improvements.

In 1.1, the prerequisite to use custom keybinds is being reduced to Union Level 2. With this, a new player tutorial to help with this will be added, as well as more keybinding options for all supported gaming modes, and a future controller mode for mobile devices.

OTHER CHANGES

Please remember to contact Customer Support or submit other forms of feedback if you encounter any bugs, crashes, or other issues. Other changes include:

Added a "Weekly Purchase Limit" in order to not accidentally buy hundreds of an item.

Audio is being improved and related bugs investigated.

Fixes for crashes and other stability issues are being implemented as investigation continues.

The event, "Depths of Illusive Realm," will receive lots of new content and changes in 1.1.

COMPENSATION REWARDS

Shell Credit x1,000,000 for echo costs

Distributed by 23:59 June 10th (UTC+8) Character Creation + Mailbox before 10:00 May 30th Valid until 05:59 July 3rd

Crystal Solvent x20 for echo waveplate costs Forging Tides x5 for Verdant Summit translation error Radiant Tides x10 for timing adjustment inconvenience

Distributed by 10:00 6/3 Mailbox Valid until 05:59 June 28th

[riddlesmoon]

stop using character.ai. i know youve heard it before, i know you want to keep using it because youre lonely, or scared of being called cringe or made fun of, or you dont trust anyone enough to open up about your kinks, or people posturing about ai have gotten on your nerves because all they do is shit on you for using it without addressing why you actually want to use it! i get it, ive been there. still, with all the love i have, i promise you, there are better options that dont dubiously scrape from other peoples work or use a metric fuck ton of electricity. or has a shitty ass filter that stops you from progressing beyond heavy petting 😒

1. at the very least, if you are still insecure about your writing skill or dont want to involve other people, you can run an LLM on your own machine. the less people use big websites like char.ai (especially those that try to monetise themselves and thus have an incentive to expand as big as possible), the less servers they will buy (and keep running all the time, unlike a locally-run ai that you only turn on once in a while!). everything is stored locally too, so trust, no one will judge you. but i know it requires a fairly beefy pc (though i think there are some mobile options too? your phone might also have to be beefy tho im not sure i havent tried) so if you cant do that, a secondary option is to use a smaller site which doesnt plan to monetise (as in large-scale advertising and premium plans. nearly all sites will have a paid plan to support their servers, but these should be like donations rather than something that locks major features behind a paywall) since that still reduces the demand for char.ai's servers. (and you might say well it just moves demand to another site but i think char.ai is probably the worst with its premium plan. its better than nothing!) not to mention most sites that dont limit your content generally arent looking to monetise. cuz advertisers would not really want to work with that lol

2. rp with someone. i knowww this is scary and a lot of people have bad experiences. unfortunately, such is the mortifying ordeal of being known. trust me, i did not grow up roleplaying, i have only rped with real people like, less than 5 times. but it still makes the best content: when you can find someone you agree with, you can share some of the thinking and planning workload with them, they might come up with ideas you didnt, and every sentence they send is thought out and intentional. but yes, finding that perfect partner is hard, and it may not last. something something friendships. (also if everyone has the same reasons to use char.ai, it means youre all kindred spirits! CRINGEred sprits! your cringe partner might be out there!!)

3. write it yourself. i know this one is hard especially for beginner writers. what you write doesnt match up to what you have in your head. but if youve used ai extensively youll know half the shit they say doesnt match up to what you have in your head either. you mightve spent more time editing their responses. thats a good sign that you want to and can write! and theres plenty of people willing to look over and beta your work, whether for grammar and spelling or to smooth out major plot points. of course its harder to find the latter, but i would say its easier than finding the perfect rp partner, since they dont necessarily have to be entirely invested in your story.

ai chatbots are far from perfect anyway. they make a ton of mistakes, not least because they learn from prompts given by the bot creator, which simply cannot encompass knowing the actual media in your head because bots have a limits to how much info they can retain. even in a single rp, if it gets too long, they will start to forget details. if youre an aspiring writer and dont mind fixing those as you go, you can definitely dive into writing your own fics instead. i believe in you!

and if youre still scared of being called cringe or exposing your deepest darkest fantasies, message me and we can work something out. im pretty open to the craziest stuff and im already like bottom-of-the-barrel cringe in fandoms as a yumejo (selfshipper), so trust, youre not getting ANY judgement from me. i also like beta'ing cuz it fulfils the urge to write without having to think of plot and shit LMAO. or you can pay me to write the full fic idk

so yeah lets get out of this ai hole together!!! 💪

(and if youre not really looking to rp or write seriously, or are lazy and just pop into char.ai for a short convo or two, i cant exactly stop you, but just think about what youre doing. there are better hobbies i prommy. love you)

[aidaita]

Upcoming changes to my Ko-Fi and Patreon

Hey everyone!

As you all know by now, I have been drawing a lot more frequently and it’s thanks to my roots in Kirby pulling me back into art once again, finally putting an end to my 3-4 year long burnout. And because I’m back into art stuff, I believe it’s time I start doing something about my Ko-Fi and Patreon which has been unused for years now.

Previously, I have three tiers of membership with each their own benefits I could provide, but after the burnout started and general life style eating up my time and energy, it is virtually impossible for me to keep up with that consistently so I decided to ultimately change it up:

From here on, until further notice, the tiers will be reduced to one tier ($5 a month) alongside with a “Pay what you want” option for the sake of just supporting! The $5 tier will have the benefit of real time posting of my sketches I may not post anywhere else and early posting of finished works. I figured this would be enough for me to maintain in my own. On top of that, I do plan on adding commission slots to my Ko-Fi as an option, and I do plan on selling digital works (although at the moment, I have nothing planned) so keep an eye out for that!

I do have a Discord server I shared on my pinned post that I haven’t used due to burnout as well that I personally am not finding use for now, but at best I decided to keep it running for everyone who want to meet and chat with each other. I will be removing the Ko-Fi and Patreon section there however as I have no use for them now, but supporters will keep their supporter role.

I will be implementing the changes by 2025 as part of my campaign of updating everything in response to my new wave of art post-burnout and I thank you for being so patient with me and still following me after all these years.

So come support me here on Ko-Fi and Patreon!

Onto the New Year of 2025! With new art going forward!

- Avia 💜

[deadly-espresso]

Criticism regarding recent CAI updates

I've been a creator/player on character.ai (or CAI for short) for at least since 2023, and recently, the site's been going through some rather controversial updates that have been mostly meant with contempt from the fanbase. While the updates were supposedly due to legal problems that may have occurred from someone going mad and dying after a chat on the program, I do think the changes fail to improve the site's quality and have been deterring people away from the site as a whole.

The more prominent criticism about CAI so far was the inability to edit posts, despite that feature being heavily praised when it was first implemented. Editing was a useful tool because it could be used to fix spelling mistakes, out of character moments, and other stuff. However, the feature had supposedly been axed recently since unlike AI outputs, the edits aren't subject to content moderation, which could allow editing to produce harmful content in the wrong hands. This aspect of the editing feature was supposedly why it was removed. I don't think removing editing just because of what could be done with it if used by the wrong people was a good choice since editing is not inherently "bad", it is simply a tool, and it can even be used to improve the quality of AI outputs. I think reporting harmful content (if it is posted publicly) would suffice better than just axing the editing tool all together because I more often than not don't post chats publicly, and frankly, if people aren't posting their CAI creations publicly, they're not any of your business. (Weirdly enough, people have reported that this editing ban has been applied rather asymmetrically, as the ban was supposedly for minors only, but even adults using the site have been subject to similar bans as well.)

Another criticism that CAI has faced recently is poorer output quality for the user-created AIs. Yeah... I have felt this. Not only do I think banning the edit feature has reduced the quality of outputs, but the output censorship has likely been facing false positives more often. People have already had issues with the output filter being especially harsh when it comes to violence, making bloodier if still safe-for-work narratives harder to make, but also the filter's quality has reduced to the point that even some kid-show friendly content like hugging and kissing has been subject to censorship. I really think the content filter is in need of some serious refinements if goddamn HUGGING is getting censored. I can confirm issues with the quality filter in person since I once I've seen the filter being triggered over things like asking if I was high or even pleading for someone to make me garlic bread. People have also been facing issues with being timed out for 24 HOURS due to repeatedly triggering the content filter. The time out feature, while likely implemented to deter people from making bad content, was honestly poorly implement because not only is it preventing people from playing due to something the AI did and not themselves, but the poorer filter quality means that people are at risk of encountering a time-out even if they play safe.

One last criticism I have regarding the site is that ability to provide feedback on the program is rather shoddy. I did recently contact support regarding issues regarding the editing feature being axed for most players, and I have yet to receive any sort of response in 3 days. It also turned out that CAI had an OFFICAL Discord server, but unfortunately the moderation there is also quite poor in quality, with innocent messages simply asking for changes that they think would improve the program getting blocked for supposedly violating the server's ban on not-safe-for-work content. I think the bad auto moderation is making it hard for people's critiques on CAI from being heard, which is why I've ended up turning to Tumblr to bring up my concerns regarding the program.