AonEne

Massive salt warning and a few allusions to spoilers near the end 

Okay so you guys know how I’ve recommended RWBY in the past? No. Don’t. Just don’t. The first three volumes were okay and then V4 and V5 I enjoyed more. One of those “it’s good enough that I can ignore the flaws (and there are a lot of flaws) (but again, good enough for me to still love)” deals. 

V6...happened, and I had this uneasy “I don’t have a good feeling about this” throughout but it was still pretty minor. There were a few Very Big Things which I did not like, but overall I thought it was still worth it. 

V7 hits and I was honestly feeling meh from the get-go. Just not as hyped as last time. I watched it and I knew there were issues but had a hard time vocalizing them to myself. 

I looked around the internet and found a teeny tiny corner of the RWBY FNDM that somehow said everything and said it perfectly. They analyzed and did character studies and looked at what was shown on screen; these few, few people were smart and I genuinely felt like my eyes were being opened. Wow, that sounds stupid lol, I’m talking about a show. But the issues are really big writing issues, some of which have permeated society and some of which are newer/more specific to this. 

I ended up watching the rest of the volume through a new light and looking for the problems myself, and oh dear. O h. D e a r. 

Well anyway I’ll still be watching but it’s sure not for the writing quality! *halfhearted yaaaaays*

So I can’t in good conscience recommend this to anyone. It promotes unhealthy behavior and straight-up lawbreaking, as well as the notions that adults are utterly unnecessary (let’s ignore the fact that everyone but two people in the main group are adults because who needs logic), lying and secret-keeping is pure evil when *anyone* other than the core cast does it (though they’re lying and keeping secrets about the exact same stuff...plus even more...plus with much bigger stakes...plus the person who did it to them had very little reason to trust them whereas they have every reason to trust the person they decide not to tell...) in which instance they’re perfectly correct and also wAy dIfFeReNt from the first person (no, no they’re not lol), alcoholism, trauma from murdering your years-long abuser/around-a-year-long abuser, PTSD from literally being ripped into pieces and then coming back to life, a bunch of other PTSD, whatever else I’m forgetting - oh that stuff is literally just dropped, never touched on, pffft who needs realism with mental health when we can toss it out the window for a fight? It’ll be well-animated, so no one will care that logically no one should be fighting it, for various reasons depending on the fight! 

In every case possible it feels like reason and logic and past characterization is just thrown out the window??? Oh and let’s not forget the sexual assault, and the emotional assault, and the physical assault, and the many cases of neglect, and the abuse, and how male abuse victims aren’t given an inch while female abuse victims can use it as an excuse for everything, the romances are objectively unhealthy hidden behind a veneer (sometimes very thin) of cuteness, everyone who has been been enjoyable is thrown on their heads by the writers to make no sense, the good guys literally fight other good guys of their own volition and team up with their enemies and also what happened to the humor in this because I could rant about that alone for an hour. It’s either funny but woefully misplaced, or just not funny. 

I just can’t. Can’t ship the characters I used to love because now I’m screaming at them. Can’t trust the writers to write anyone correctly. Can’t stop writing this impromptu rant PSA status update, apparently. 

I’m happy to go into detail about anything. At this point you could mention just about any moment or theme or character and I’d be able to go off. There’s so much it’s overwhelming. 

Sorry about this. No, it’s not out of my system. It probably won’t be until the series is done. Idk how they can even do five more volumes of this. 

Give me V1 RP where I can pretend all is well. (Of course I still need to write a ton for that. Gah. So much to write and here I sit ranting instead.) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYY, ily fren  

DISREGARD THIS 

Life is...confusing. And hard. 

It’s weird to learn that like eighty percent of who you are has possibly been your mental disorder all along. *writes, deletes* Ugh. You can feel free to ignore this, I just thought I’d say it somewhere. 

Anyway. Part of my OCD is apparently perfectionism OCD, and to tackle it I need to do things quick and reckless and not avoid them just because I can’t do them to my own standards. So I’m going to join some RPs and write posts that might be short and that is okay. 

Storms, this feels awkward. I hereby conclude this update from Ene?  

Hi anyone who bothers to read this,

I'm gonna be on a cruise ship sometime from in the afternoon of the more Western-US timezones (idk how this will work, I think we're crossing one?) to around nine or ten days later. I should still have WiFi, but if it cuts out unexpectedly, I will be a very sad Ene then that's something anyone talking with me at the time should be prepared for, I guess. Sorry in advance about that.

Okay, I’m gonna try a thing. Who knows if it’ll work, but you never know if you don’t try, yeah? And I haven’t tried this before. If you don’t care about things I may creatively write, no need to read this. I can elaborate (and would be delighted to elaborate) on basically anything, just ask. 

So welcome, everyone, to Ene’s Tentative Writing Schedule: 

Mondays - Longer RP posts, plot, character/flashbacks 

Tuesdays - planning (and later maybe writing) for my current book child; I haven’t written anything like a book in ages, and I’m really nervous, but more details later 

Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays - miscellaneous projects and/or finishing anything unfinished from other days 

Saturdays - A long multi-chapter fanfic I’ve been wanting to do; again, more details on this later 

Subject to change without notice because it do be that way sometimes. My plan for the next week can be found in my About Me for easy referencing, as can the following list: 

Misc. Projects: 

Planning things *shrugs* 

Editing, particularly editing certain RPs into something more like a coherent story. It would take so much editing on so many levels, and I’d want to gain permission from some peeps before doing some of it if I planned to publish, but there are gems of potential in certain RPs especially. Happy to give more details if asked. 

Mod projects 

Oneshot fanfics (possible series of these, I have some ideas which I’d love to elaborate on should anyone be interested) 

Finishing the sequel to the Augury poem already because it’s been a freaking year... 

Song parodies, especially Sanderson/Shard-themed ones. Billion ideas  

Revising Enemies and making a version of it that’s purely original fiction, then writing a sequel or maybe prequel of the same characters 

A series of essays on consent, both critiquing and defending Twilight, because it has problems but it also does some things very right (highlight on soulmate tropes/why I’m not pissed about Jacob/Renesmee) (possibly doing some other series/topics along the same lines) 

Okay but I had this idea (famous last words lol) to write a short story, doesn’t matter what about, where all the dialogue is in a fake language that means nothing, and how much context I can get people to figure out from actions alone 

That cosmere Monopoly board. I haven’t forgotten I swear 

...if I have time, maybe the roast thread. MAYBE. 

I just have this odd urge to write Alleyverse oneshots sometimes, and it’d be a good way to get out random cosmere character ideas, so: that, perhaps 

Like fifty other things that I just...don’t remember right now  More things will be added to this list as I come up with them, and things will be taken off as I complete them. 

I just want you all to know, before I begin, that I’ve been hyped about writing this literally since I posted the last one. I’ve mulled over what to say, tried to remember parts...yeah. So that’s fun.  (Despite this, I’m still managing to write most of this way too late at night.) 

I’m posting it both in a status update and in my blog as a way of transitioning this tradition to my blog in the future. I’ve only done it once before, so does it need a transition and can I call it a tradition yet? Who knows. 

With that out of the way...another year happened. Which is a decently big deal on the Shard, for those of us who haven’t been around for ages, at least. It’s now been two years since I read the Sanderson Memes and Sanderfan threads during school, then decided this place was pretty cool. 

In the last year I’ve gone from thirty-one followers to fifty-four, thirteen days won to fifty-seven, and 1,038 reputation points to 3,904 of them. I made a blog and submitted my crappy art to the gallery. (Be glad I never submitted my Inquisitor sculpture...) I started some more forum games and some more roleplays too - who’s surprised - and the old ones have been just as fun. I even participated in a few discussions about the actual books.  

(I also joined Discord, which in my case is essentially an extension of the Shard, and that let me meet and talk to even more wonderful people. I don’t regret that choice.) 

This means it’s also been two years since I started gradually meeting some of the best people in the world. Because really, you are. Again, I can’t list all of you because I will literally run out of original compliments, and it’ll end up as something like “you’re cool! And you can write! I like what you write and how you talk!” for everyone and that’s not very nice of me, so to everyone I didn’t mention - that does not mean I don’t enjoy talking with you, laugh when I read your RP, and overanalyze your member titles. It just means I’m running out of ways to say those things without saying the same thing to all of you and feeling guilty about it. 

I’m going to begin by saying that it wouldn’t be fair to mention the people I focused on last time again, but also I can’t not because they are amazing too, so consider yourselves mentioned! Archer continued to help me through some emotional death sessions and Mist saved my butt recently. Also Po is Po and I really don’t have words for her. (@Archer, @Mistspren, @Blessing of Potency) 

Sorana is another storming awesome human being who must be talked about. If someone had told me a couple years ago that I would eventually be friends with a literal angel who also is an adult in Europe, I would have been very confused. But I am! And you are! You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my entire life, and everything you spend your time on, from sewing/quilting/doing magic with cloth to alltypes of roleplay, is just so grand. Your writing style is so beautiful and also you’re one of those cool smart people who’s bilingual. I know there are a lot of them, especially in countries that don’t speak English, but that doesn’t make them any less smart. So yeah, you’re awesome. (@Sorana, @bilingual people) 

Guess who else rocks? Meta. Meta does. You’re so witty that you should be Ene! Also, you write well. No arguments - you do. In addition, I have come and died in your inbox and you just causally revive me and send me off again to keep living in the world. How do you do this? No idea, but I’m convinced you’re a Feelings Sorcerer. Thanks for the Rioting and recommendations; you’re hilarious and way smarter than anyone has a right to be. Please do not stop being these things. If you do I will make sad puppy eyes at you. (@MetaTerminal) 

Next up on our list of Extremely Fantastic Human Beings is Stick! DoomStick, I will clarify, because this site has a trillion of them! Stick, we’ve been talking for ages and I would like to not stop, because you’re always super fun and clever and interesting. Like seriously, always. You can cook and bake and play an instrument and speak Latin and make epic rainbow loom things...the world is running out of things you haven’t conquered, dude.  Every time we chat, whether on the Longest Status Update or in the plethora of other updates or TLPW or our AMAs or anywhere else, you’re a delight to talk to, and RPing with Tourmaline and Olivia is no different. Thank you. (@DoomStick) 

WYN. YOU’RE A PERSON. A great person who has heartwarming RP, sweet things to say to everyone, and palpable love just...emanating from you. You and your stories are fantastic. James is fantastic - thank you so much for being in TKND. I hope that girl at your school learns how awesome the “janitor man” is. Your faith and humor deserve accolades. (@Wyndlerunner) 

Silva, for all y’all’s information, is also incredible. I mean, how many named NPCs do you have? And you keep them all organized and write awesomely with them! At this point you can’t convince me your brain could make words go together badly. Maybe if you had a concussion. No matter what we’re talking about, religion or magic dreams or cute deer, you are consistently amazing. (@Silva) 

Getting on Discord introduced me to Storm, and I am eternally grateful. I already knew you were fairly cool from our small Shard interactions and the fact that you founded TUBA, but now I know your coolness in detail! You’re funny and an epic storyteller, and I really like our conversations. I look forward to RPing with you. (@Stormblessed Dolphin) 

Lunaaaaaaaaa!!! I’m not sure why I typed your name like that, but! Whatever! You’re exciting! Having adventures with you is a highlight of my Sharding experience, and you seem to be able to just make fun nonsense happen through sheer force of being you. Also you can write! “Well I’ve never RPed before” *proceeds to make characters who I fall in love with instantly* (@Lunamor) 

(You can probably tell I’m tired by now, and this is getting long, but spike it I’m gonna rapid-fire verbally hug you all in no particular order fight me) 

Invo, you are obviously The Cool Kid but also you’re really thoughtful and you give smart advice. I’m glad I know you. (@Invocation) 

Salad, you are literally the best in every way! I love talking with you, and also we are the same in like fifteen different ways. Everything you say, I can relate to or agree with, with the sole exception of your British spelling. You’re a writing ace. hahahahaha worst pun ever we’re gonna pretend that didn’t happen okayyyyy I am so sorry but also I’m leaving it in so how sorry am I really (but seriously you are a good writer) (@The Awakened Salad) 

Ele, you were the first person to welcome me to the Shard, but I only really got to know you on Discord. You’re friendly and funny and I’m sorry I haven’t watched that one general man’s video you gave me yet, but I’m happy to know it’s there if I need encouraging. (@ElephantEarwax) 

Per, you’re supportive and cool and I am so sorry I haven’t been around to watching RWBY with you, it was fun! Jay, it’s great talking to you and I’m going to buy your books someday! (@Emperor Stick, @Jaywalk) 

Lith, you break my brain with your creativity! Zinc, your art and writing are frighteningly good! Star, your enthusiasm for your art is inspiring! Xino, you know how great you are at worldbuilding! (@ShadowLord_Lith, @ZincAboutIt, @Shard of Thought, @xinoehp512) 

Venture, you are steadfastly amazing and brave! Jac, you have really great ideas and chatting with you is a pleasure! Rebecca, I love talking with you in TUBA PMs and thank you for being a great Maid of Honor, even though it went nowhere! Same goes to Ash, who also killed me with her ships! (Condor will never be resolved...nooooooo...) (@Butt Ad Venture, @bees?, @Rebecca, @Ashspren) 

Mac, I marvel at your advice and wisdom! Truthless, I’m sorry I left HAHAR (hold up, that was its acronym? Ha har, a laugh? That’s gold lol) but RPing with you was fun! Honorless, your discussions are always great! (@MacThorstenson, @Truthless of Shinovar, @Dreamer) 

To everyone I have ever roleplayed with, I sincerely thank you. 

Let me get really serious for a sec. A common phrase when people are expressing love is “I love you to death.” Which makes some sense: “I’ll love you even past death.” “I’d kill for you.” It could also be interpreted as “I love you so much I want to kill you.” (Let’s hope not.) And...”I would die for you.” 

The thing is, I do love all of you, as friends, sometimes as much as family. Honestly, more than my own family in some cases. And I will continue loving you in the afterlife that I believe in. I would not, however, kill for you in most cases, nor would I kill you. Or die for you. 

But the last year or so has just hit me so hard that I don’t even want to think of a good enough metaphor. Sometimes the Shard was the problem, or made the problem worse. But most of the time, you guys have saved me. I’m not suicidal, that’s not part of my depression portfolio. But I’m living emotionally and mentally as well as I am because of some of you people. 

So I don’t love you to death. I love you to life, because that’s what your love did for me. 

*hopes that wasn’t as stupid as it sounds in her head as she pulls out a root beer and proposes a toast to another year* 

AYYYYY, at last!

I am the Rambleman.

A small sample of hilarious InspiroBot quotes, because I’d forgotten this bot existed: 

I've officially finished catching up, minus most of The Last Post Wins because nope. Now I can get started on actually roleplaying!

Ih ahiheers Ah ah oh uhgh

https://uquiz.com/quiz/JE844B/are-you-the-main-character-or-a-side-character?p=482275

yeah that sounds about right, the goods and bads  

Should I be scared? 

Me: *leaves RPs because I don’t have the time* 

Also me: But WHAT IF we had a Candy Shop War RP and invented new magic candies  

Hey guys.

I have three emotions inside me right now. (Well, three main ones, anyway. Apprehension is the first. If you had the number of things to catch up on that I do right now, you'd be freaking out too.

The second is excitement. I'M BACK!

The third is shame. I've been gone for over a week and a half. I've hindered the progress of AT LEAST one roleplay to at least a small degree, and I've missed a lot. There are certain obligations that worry me more than others, but all are important in whatever amount, and I wasn't here for them or you. I am so, so sorry.

At least I can say I had reasons - I was under a lot of stress from TONS of schoolwork, getting rats on Friday, discovering that one rat must have been pregnant when we got her because surprise you have four rats for the price of two now, and then coming home today to find that the two-day-old babies are absent from the cage. No sign of em. Dead? Eaten by their mother? WHO KNOWS, but they're not there anymore, so that didn't last long. All that and more. So at least I wasn't gone for nothing.

I just...I'm sorry. Now I'm going to go try and catch up, because I only have an hour tonight. Sigh.

Me: I should be writing right now 

My Brain: but what if you reread the whole wedding planning PM instead 

Hello guys, I’m in A Mood (tm). Why am I even up this late? 

He's okay he's alive he's okay!!! I emailed him using my Powers™ and he answered and he's okay Ap is okay Ap is okay I can't stop saying it  

He said I can tell you guys and I can't even grammar right AP IS OKAYAYAHYS&&YYYYYYYy 

On a note so different I almost get mental whiplash, rest in peace to my rat Vivenna, she was a good old girl and I hope she wasn't in much pain. 

Also yum, someone brought doughnuts to Criminal Justice. 

Sometimes I just want to hug everyone and give you all hot choc because I is sadness

*hugs the Shard*

HEY HUMAN BEINGS OF THE SHARD:

An actual status update from Ene, rather than just her saying stuff she can't on the forums? This is madness! But it's also what I've got for you today.

From tomorrow afternoon to sometime Sunday, I will probably not have Shard access. I'm not certain. I'm going to Bear Lake, as a friend (who may or may not want me to disclose who they are) has invited me. So, well, at best hardly anything will happen. At worst, the bridal shower, another Alleyverse war, five assassinations, major disasters in half the RPs, and all the ships will happen while I'm gone. Which, I mean, none of that is really NEW - disasters, pshh, old news.

Point being, I'll be back Sunday. I might be able to get on tomorrow morning too. Until then, try not to go too much crazier than y'all already are.

*salutes* Keep calm and write on!

Hey guys, do we have a thread or PM for TDP already? Because if not, we’ve gotta make somewhere to pour our hype into. 

So, I'm feeling happy. Could be the sudden absence of the slight headache I've had all day. Could be having just gotten back from Teen Author Boot Camp, which was AWESOME because I got to meet amazing people (read: Sharders) and also free stuff and of course the talks. Duh. Orrrrrr it could be the fact that as of tomorrow, I've officially been a part of this wonderful, friendly, funny community for a year.

A RUSTING YEAR, GUYS.

Three hundred and sixty-five days after that spur-of-the-moment join, thirty-one people thought I was interesting enough to follow (or heck, just felt obligated to), there were thirteen days when people really loved what I had to say, one thousand thirty-eight times when someone visibly enjoyed a post of mine, and I'm in a countless number of PMs where I can talk to hilarious and intelligent people anytime we're both on. I lead a Great Guild, have participated in and started a few forum games, roleplay like crazy - starting several of those as well - and am known by an affectionate nickname.

The Shard introduced me to Housepets and some good authors. It gave me an outlet for my love of RWBY and obviously Brandon Sanderson's books. It lets me share anything I need to - personal problem, original joke, fanfiction, random idea - and then it helps, laughs, reads, or considers as appropriate. It's a clean fandom, for the most part, and one I don't know if I'd have survived without.

And of course, it's the Sharders who facilitate all that. I can't name you all. I won't even try. But there are some of you whom I have to mention. You've been too great.

Archer. Archer, Archer, Archer. For inviting me to join TUBA. Always being a good friend. Always there with advice, support, love, fantastic humor, everything for everyone. You gave me leadership advice - were prepared to give it to me before I even asked - and talked with me when I needed about personal stuff. From Empty Quiver's beginning to assisting negotiations out of scary spots with TFA, rabbirds and corrupted ducks to Klo and his wrench...at this point, just seeing that you posted makes me smile. If I had an older brother, I'd want it to be you. Thank you so, so much.

Tesh. I don't want to get repetitive, but you know what I said in the KotC chat. Love ya, sule. When you're ready, I will be waiting.

Mistspren...Mist, you've always been such a great friend. Your characters sweep me away. Your willingness to talk and RAFO in equal measure, your mastery of seemingly everything a roleplayer could think of, the way you joke. You'd better know how awesome you are.

Witless, having fun at college? Don't forget to visit every now and then, or a horde of upvote-wielding Sharders will show up at your door! Storytelling, comforting, roleplaying, you throw yourself into whatever you do with obvious eagerness. The dictionary definition of epic is you.

Mraize, or Meeker as you are now. I haven't spoken to you in much depth lately, and I know you parted ways from our gang for reasons that make perfect sense. That doesn't mean the time I had with you was any less fun, and I look at Journey to the Unclaimed Hills with fondness. Your plots are crazy good, and you haven't run out of that playfully mysterious charm yet. Please never do.

Ink! THANK YOU for Housepets. Wasn't it also you who convinced me I was a shipper? That was the right choice. Your roleplay enthusiasm, your determination to stand up for what you believe in and bravery in doing so in front of those you know, your offhand comments that sometimes randomly make my day, these are all things that make up Inklingspren. When you come back to us, I'mma hug you. (BoS, would you mind sending him this - even if not the whole thing, this portion? I'd be indebted.)

Wait a sec, does Potency count? If not, too bad, y'all get to read about her anyway. Po, I'll keep it simple. You're funny, sweet, aware, and I feel irrationally safer when you're driving me around on a four-wheeler than when my dad is. You don't make fun of me for not knowing certain nerdy stuff. You introduced me to RWBY. I'd go on, but I said I'd keep it simple. Must not fantasize about Po's laugh. Noooooo. Stoooop iiiit.

Ax? You're just plain awesome. Ap, if you come back, I miss your company. Zath, HOLY CRAP YOU ROCK. Ash, I'll miss you so much. Fire, your writing is insane and so's your music. Sami, Cole, Phoenix, you've made Knights of the Cosmere a third home (TUBA being a second). Okdes, Arlin, Cae, for V1. Everyone I haven't mentioned yet who's a TUBAist, for being in the best guild and for various other great attributes. Voidus, I have to bring up your humor and devious intelligence. Stick is pretty amazing; same with Lith. Every active Homeless, for making the Alleyverse the craziest family I'm a member of. Jay, Scintil, SF, for today and every other while we're at it.

[Anyone I somehow missed], you know I love you too. I just have an awful memory and can't rant about everyone forever, as much as I may want to.

I love you all. The Shard is the best. *raises glass of water* To next year being even better than the first! WOO!

I just revived 32 AMAs and I’m not totally sure why, but I’m starting to get really deep so I figured I’d better stop before I either revive every last one or the mods call me out for necroing. (Though I think it’s allowed on AMAs? I’m not sure) 

Feeling pretty might have a mental breakdown later

I can officially no longer call myself a teenager. 

I don't feel 20 years old yet...that's two decades. That's "official adult" in my brain. I'm not that. This is weeeeiiiird, guys. 

Can somebody tell me what the Insanity Clinic for the Moderately Brandofandonitis Afflicted actually is? At first glance it doesn't seem to be a RP; what's going on there?