http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXircX3VdM

So this is something that I've been thinking about on and off for the last few months. I've vanished from around here more than once, and underneath whatever other excuses I had was this:

The fact is that I think we've reached a point where I don't like the memberbase here and they don't like me. You feel free to spin this into whatever melodramatic thing suits you, but at its core it's just simple utilitarianism; removing myself from situations and environments that cause me pain. I'm just not satisfied being the designated Mean Jock around here, and there certainly isn't any payoff. You can't hold a very good conversation with someone who's desperate for an acceptable target.

As for the RP itself, I already tried cutting ties once and I think it's time I went through with it once and for all. It's been a constant distraction from my other projects, and if there's one thing I've learned about myself it's that I'll always look for a distraction. I don't enjoy the RP, and I'm no longer able to enjoy talking with most of the memberbase due to the weird power struggles.

So is this happening because of that thing just happened? Sure. It's also happening because every time for the past few months I've tried to ask myself why I was still here, I could only come up with half an answer.

And when you get right down to it, it's happening because you couldn't handle me after all.

So, cheers. I'll stick around for a bit to handle all the weak baiting and shaky assurances that no, you didn't really care about me at all, honest.

(And I get that this is awfully backhanded but maybe if I burn my bridges it'll be tougher to go back on it this time. This is really something I need to do.)

e: This is the theme song for this goodbye.

This is sounding more and more like Magical Diary.

Quote (Fera)

Completely missable and difficult-to-access ecchi scenes.

Make them poorly-drawn so no one wants to see them anyw --

who am I kidding?

While making different "paths" for each faction would probably be more trouble than it's worth, the back-and-forth sabotage and covert hostility between them seem like good framing devices for whatever conflict you want to base this thing around. It basically writes itself.

(Also Iris and Cheshire as freelance reconnaissance slash burglars, natch. BI)

Ahaha, whoah! I think it was just a month ago I was looking through old posts and thinking "man, it sucks that these people disappeared". Welcome back, guy!

More an indicator that the chat's a better choice for this sort of thing, probably.

I mean, that way you don't have maudlin nonsense from a year ago hanging over everything you say.

It's cool to see that we've had an influx of new members recently, but I wish they'd spend more time around the chat.

Then again, the fact that the chat is 90% of the way I keep in touch with the forum is maybe just a personal problem.

It looks as if people have found more or less all of the most promising propositions, skin-wise. At least, everything that's been found so far is familiar to me from my preliminary search. The Invisionfree skinning scene isn't nearly as popular as it once was, I'm afraid, meaning that most of the options we have are mid-00s as hell.

Also, a reminder that (provided the creator's conditions of use allow for it) we will be subtly altering the colouration of whatever is selected. Primarily the message backgrounds, to make sure that the coloured text that many members use to symbolize spoken lines is still visible.

Cheshire stood frozen in the booth, her ear pressed against the cool metal door. Over the dull pounding o f the blood in her ears, she heard the gurney and the footsteps of its entourage fade away. She slid the door open just a crack and peered out, waiting for some sign of movement to betray itself before stepping back out into the room. She smiled; There, cast aside by one of the chefs, was the solution to her camouflage problem. The black silk wrap that covered her body gradually drew back as she picked up the article and examined it, leaving only a gentle criss-cross of ribbons coiling behind her back and between her hips. The result was anything but decent, and she could feel her skin pebbling in the cold despite the steam. She hurriedly pulled the apron on and tied it at her waist; its owner had thankfully been wide enough that it came together in the back, but...

She glanced at her arm, black silk standing out plainly against white clooth and white steam. There was still something to be done about that, wasn't there? There was a faint sound of tearing cloth, and shortly Cheshire was tying strips of white cloth over the silk arm, the "skirt" of the impromptu camouflage much shorter than it had been before.

Her silent footfalls brought her near to the exit leading into the west hall, but some movement out of the shadows caught her eye and she spun toward the cages, hurriedly slipping out of sight and proceeding closer between the few remaining statues. A smile crossed her lips as she regarded the imprisoned figures, casually striding out of cover and looking the captives over. "That's quite a mess you're in..."