Silva

Another year, another Shardiversary. Hard to consider--two years of my life with the Shard as a part of it.

There have been ups and downs, good times and less nice ones, happy moments and more stressful instances, well-constructed sentences and not as well-constructed replies posted. You've helped carry me through some of the lowest points of my life, been there for me, and never failed to share a smile and/or hug when one was needed.

It's been a great two years. 

Looking forward--I'm hoping for the best.

I've set myself up for a very busy year, come fall, and while I'm looking forward to most of it, quick math estimates four hours of work a night. That might sound extreme, and maybe it is, but I'd rather mention this now and have things be nicer, than underestimate and end up worse off. So, this coming year, I'm not going to be around much. Maybe once a week or so and on breaks, just definitely not on a daily, or every other day, basis. Which is sad. I love you guys and I'll miss you and I'll be working extra-hard to squeeze in Sharding when possible. Life, however, has this unfortunate habit of making things difficult. 

Thanks, Truthless. Losing over and over truly is a character building experience.

(Unless it wasn't you... )

*hesitantly steps up to Archer's door and knocks*

Trick or treat?

(I'm dressed as a high school student this year, equipped with heavy textbooks and everything!)

@Nathrangking @Blessed peace חג שמח! Hope you haven't had too much wind or rain.

Let's see how messed up the Hebrew formatting gets this time...

...totally did not forget it was my Shardiversary till just now...*yawns*...

Um...

So...

It's been another year.

I've been here three years. Th-three years. I remember times early on when I saw even being here a year as crazily far away. Well, now I've done 3 * (crazily far away).

That sums up this year fairly well. I...haven't been around here nearly as much. Crazily far away most of the time. Took on a lot irl and then some. It's been insane, stressful, and overall wonderful. I can't promise to be around any more next year--if anything I will have new joys to add to the mix.

But, that said, you guys deserve to know that when I do stop by, my bad days turn good, slogging thoughts become quicker, negative mindsets gain a spark, droughts of creativity become flooded.

Thank you for that.

Thank you for these three years and, preemptively, thank you for the future. Thank you all for existing. For creating the warmest corner of the internet. For being here and being yourselves.

I'll leave it at that. Thank you and goodnight. 

2,000 is only 27 posts away. I'm not a big round milestone number person, but 2,000 is 2,000 and, well, that's a large number.

Ideas of what to do for it, anyone?

(Most likely it'll end up like my 1,000th anyways - in someone's introduction thread )

Arial again?

Why, Chaos? Why?

Seriously, though, it would probably be a permanent change from Calibri to Arial (Arial letters are so sharp and blocky...Calibri is so much nicer and smaller and smoother...) that would get me to leave the Shard. 

As today is Yom HaShoah (Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day), I thought to take a minute and write something. There have been years that I haven't left one of these notes, feeling little purpose in doing so since I'm hardly around anyways, but I often find myself regretting, having failed to do this one small thing to spread awareness where it otherwise might not have reached. I had hoped to write in advance and have time to edit, but time flew by quickly, so please forgive any grammar short-comings.  This year, I want to focus on names, as it's something that's been especially pronounced to me over this past year.
We all have many names. The name given to us at birth is only one of the multitude we gain throughout our lives. There are the nicknames, the terms of endearment, the slurs others apply to us, and the names we choose for ourselves on online forums like this one. Each comes with its own host of connotations and impressions, of memories and regrets.
Those connotations and impressions change and develop as time goes on. I don't view my name here the same way I did when I first chose it and I suspect that others experience similar. Some choose to pick a new name that they feel fits better and some continue with the old, adding further texture to the name's tapestry of impressions. Our names are defined by us and capture parts of our essence, intentionally or not.
It took me a long time to truly absorb what it meant that the Nazis tried to wittle down the Jews and the other prisoners of concentration camps into something less than human, how they sought to forcibly remove that essence of their names by tattooing a number, free of impressions, on their arms.
Some time ago, a teacher introduced me a website called Illuminate (https://www.illuminatethepast.org/). Essentially, each Yom Hashoah, they have people around the world light virtual candles in honor of someone who died in the Holocaust. The website provides a name and a little about the person when possible.
It doesn't capture all the nuances of a name, all the slight implications and meanings so innate to the person and those who lived around them. How can it? But it's something, a start, and that's worth something.
If you feel comfortable doing so, take a minute, light a candle, remember a name for those who cannot. As the days go by and you hear of recent events, please pause for a moment and recognize the fortune of your own world and immediate surroundings; they might not be ideal, but they could be much, much worse. Recognize the power of the names in your life and never think it your right to deprive another person of their own. As many a fictional character has said, names have power; don't take it for granted.

Drawing with touchpads is starting to become less horrible.

Sylphrena here might not look great and could probably use some cleaning up around the edges, but she resembles something beyond blobs. That's successful art by my definition. 

Happy birthday, Rebecca! 

Happy birthday, Sorana! 

*hugs because is at a loss for something else to put in these asterisks*

Happy birthday! 

Happy birthday! 

Happy birthday! 

Hello, people who actually read these.

I'm going to not be on for about a week for a couple of reasons:

1. My copy of Starsight came and, yes, that takes priority.

2. I want to finish writing my first draft of a book. I'm extremely close to being done and want to just do a big push be done with that world already, for now. Then I go back to drafting, which will actually give more time for the Shard, temporarily. See? An investment that'll, probably, pay off! 

3. I've been overwhelmed with stuff lately and need some time to reinforce the seams of my life before they dismantle.

4. It'll be Chanukah. This isn't really a real reason. Three reasons just looked sad.

That's about it. 

I do apologize to you specifically, Ark (and Truthless, Grey, Chas, and co.), since it'll pause ANF, but I don't think a week will kill anyone. Hopefully. And if it does, I'll show them to afterlife computers and do my best to resurrect them. 

Hey, all. I don't know how stating-the-obvious this will be due to the state of my activity lately, but I'm kind of swamped at the moment. Stuff keeps piling up, one on top of the other. Today, for instance, I had an assessment in every class but one. And that's just the least of it. The next few weeks are going to add in more late nights and stress (unless the coronavirus forces my school to close for two weeks in which case I might end up with a little more time for however long that is--always a possibility, but most definitely not a great one or one to hope for) and even less Sharding than normal. If I'm taking longer than usual to respond to things, this is why.

The good news is, it should clear up by April. Yay. 

But till then, I'm not intentionally spiting anyone by not replying when recently online. It just means that I haven't enough time to formulate response that didn't make zero sense or address what it was intended to. 

Unrelated note: I found a pair of metal size one knitting needles in my basement. Their resemblance to Hemalurgic spikes is uncanny...

Hm..right. So, I leave Tuesday morning and tomorrow I need to stop procrastinating and be productive with my time, meaning there isn't any other for sure time I'll be on the Shard for a while.

Before that, though, I do need to get some things said for Alleyverse characters.

Eiran and Freedom are taken care of. Eiran's doing some unspecified stuff to help and Freedom we're just going to say is wherever the most living citizens of Alleycity are. After most things are cleared up, Eiran is going to Newcago for a bit and Freedom is going to vanish. I'll figure out more explanation for both afterwards.

Eve, however, is not at a vanishing point. Sorana, if you and Itiah could just treat her as an NPC, that would be great. Maybe she can even fall asleep. Whatever works best. I'm really sorry to leave her like this...there just wasn't any way that made sense with her character to have her leave.

That should be it. I'll probably appear sometime tomorrow, but it's not a guarantee. 

If I don't, then, see you all in a month and I'll miss you!

I'm back.

The Shard hasn't imploded yet. What a pleasant surprise. 

Only reason 3 isn't fully dealt with, but that's a very long term project. 

Thanks for the moral support, all. 

I'm feeling profound. Here's something someone I know said today: 

"My decisions are like onions, made of many different layers, and some people like them while others don't."

It's pretty true if you think about it...

If you only think you're here, does that mean you only think that it's your birthday? 

Present enclosed in spoiler tag:

In the likely case that I don't have a chance tomorrow: פורים שמח! 

Though, this does mean that cleaning for פסח is going to start soon. Yay. 

We'll see how cremmy the formatting of this ends up being...Shard isn't a big fan of mixed together language posts normally...

It's back! It's back! It's so storming wonderful to see it back to normal!

Never before has anyone been so pleased by a font change. 

No one say Arial was better. Please. We all know Calibri is the best.

It’s been a year. An entire storming year. A year of wonderful people, too many puns, and laughter. A year of cookies, Voidapples, ellipsis, and Butt Venture. A year of writing, RPing, and MAYBE one too many Acutes. It’s been...a year of all that and more.

It's my Shardiversary and I officially feel old 

People aren't terrible beings.

People aren't evil at heart.

People deserve a better rep. 

People are great. 

People are wonderful. 

There is good in the world. 

- A spontaneous dose of optimistic thinking by Silva's brain 

This is about 21 days early, but otherwise I'm likely to forget to say anything. I'm going away for around a week and a half, not that long, though still an absence. I think I'll be back for Ookla season if nothing changes.

Since this is otherwise extremely dry and honestly downright informative, enjoy a poor attempt at a joke that has no connection to anything:

What's brown and sticky?

And people? Try not to start another war this time ...