tfw when the new tumblr ui automatically switches ur account so you end up accidentally reblogging stuff to the sideblog you haven't touched in years.... _(:3」∠)_
anyways hi guys sorry about the long absence and random posts. I wish I could say I was returning, but the whole "getting a graduate degree" and "working full-time" really put a dent in my plans to keep up with this blog ;v; my bad
How's it going? Its been quiet for a long time since the hiatus notice. I hope things are well over there!
so I know it's been like almost five years exactly since this ask got sent in, and lemme go ahead and say that I truly am sorry for going completely off the grid like I did, but I still wanted to respond and say how grateful I am for these asks even if it's late. I had no idea y'all were still paying attention to this blog even after the hiatus notice went up (I am. really bad at noticing stuff on mobile), so revisiting now and seeing all these kind messages has legit been bringing me to tears 🥺 thank you all so much for your words of love and support, you're all amazing and I am so so lucky for having known you all through this blog.
and to actually answer this question, I've been doing well! I went off to grad school almost right after the blog went on hiatus, spent two years forgetting what having free time was like, and then rejoined the full-time workforce with about half as much energy and twice as much college debt ;v;)b which sounds bad, but considering I now get to work my dream job (special collections archivist), I'd say I got a pretty sweet deal in the end haha.
anyways, I hope all of you are doing well, too. I'm not completely back and don't know if I'll ever become active in the Nanbaka sphere again, but I want you all to know that no matter how much time passes, this blog and this fandom will always be precious to me <3
It’s been awhile. How have you all been? The last few years were...well, not great, for any of us I imagine. It’s been a year and a half since I was last on here, and in the spirit of 2022, I thought I would check in and see how everyone is doing. And also to let you guys know that I’m not dead.
So, you might have some questions, and here’s my attempt to answer them:
1. Where have you been?!
Busy! Very busy. I, uh, sort of lost my job and was unemployed for awhile. It wasn’t great. I eventually got a job in customer service...a few months before the vaccine came out, and right as the Winter 2021 Snowpocalypse hit Texas. It was REALLY not great. But I’m still here, fully vaccinated and not frozen, so that’s gotta count for something, right?
Plus, things have gotten way better! I got accepted into grad school this past fall, and I’ve been working on my masters ever since. I’m not working customer service anymore, and life is okay...ish. (Grad school is hard, okay?)
2. Now that you’re back, will you be working on Nanbaka again?
Unfortunately, no - at least not right now. Admittedly, I’ve been out of the fandom for a good long while, but last I checked Futamata Sho is still against fan translations of her work, and I’m determined to respect that decision. While I wouldn’t mind doing text-only translations again, I believe a few others may have taken up that mantle in my absence, and I’m content to let them handle things for as long as they like. Plus, there’s the little matter of that masters degree I mentioned, which I’m kind of focused on right now haha.
3. So what are you up to these days, if not Nanbaka? And don’t say grad school.
Sadly, grad school is in fact what I’ve been up to for the most part, though I do still do other stuff too. I’ve been playing FFXIV near religiously, working on an indie game off and on, and running D&D campaigns for my IRL friend group. I’ve also gotten into Animal Crossing, Hades, more Fire Emblem nonsense (as always), expanded my reading palette to Korean and Chinese comics, and taken up drawing again, so that’s been fun. I still like Nanbaka too, of course, but if anyone would like chat about other stuff, I’m down ‘v’)b
4. Are you back for good?
Maybe! I honestly have no clue. If there’s anything I’ve learned in grad school so far, it’s that you do not have time for anything. Just got an assignment and think you have time to finish it? No you don’t, get started now. Only two readings for class? Better get them done a week in advance. You want to play games and read comics? Too bad, here’s a group project. You get the idea. Right now, I’m just rolling with whatever I get, and dealing with everything else afterward.
That being said, now that I’m in a better place and things are going alright again, I’d like to be around more than I have been, maybe contribute to the fandom as a fan rather than a translator and all that. At least until I figure out where life is going next, I’m kind of content to just vibe.
5. So...yeah.
I’m here. We’re all still here, despite everything. The past two or so years have been utter hell, but you’re still going. And I think that alone takes a lot of strength. So be gentle with yourself and others this coming year, and focus on what makes life worth fighting for. If anyone can do it, it’s you.
I’m actually working on a comico tutorial now! ‘v’)b it’s coming along pretty nicely, so please expect that within the next few days assuming I don’t get tired and leave it for longer ;v;
Good news: I finally got tentative permission to work from home (yay!)
Bad news: I can’t leave my desk or play ffxiv because I’m technically on call all day (boo!) which means I’m super, SUPER bored (booo!!)
Possibly worse(?) news: this means I’m in a mood to try new things, and one of the things I’ve always wanted to try but couldn’t because of time constraints/work exhaustion/general good sense is streaming. And yes, you guys are my potential victims audience.
SO without further ado, here’s a poll about it! Mind you it wouldn’t be anything too fancy - just a video of me working on Nanbaka chapters, playing old final fantasy games, making art, etc. while I talk about stuff and answer questions from the chat. It’s not gonna be that engaging, but if y’all are bored (like me) and think this sounds like a decent way to kill time (or you think the opposite and want to stop me before I get too far ahead of myself) feel free to click that link up above and let me know! ‘v’)b
I’ve also snuck in a quick question about the future of Nanbaka raw hosting on this site and what changes (if any) you’d like to see. So even if you’ve got no interest in the rest of this poll, please answer question 2 if you’ve got time! It would really help us out :’D
I’ll leave the poll up until Friday Tokyo time and announce the results on Saturday, and if there’s an interest I’ll see about hosting a stream sometime the following week. If not, no worries - I’ll continue as I am without audience involvement just fine lol x’D
I broke them by doing a sick kick-flip into the snow, and definitely not by something lame like coughing slightly harder than normal. Definitely not that.
Hey guys, for those of you who were interested in the stream I announced last week, unfortunately I got word that I’m going to be returning to work starting June 1st and I’ve been a lot busier getting ready for that than expected, so I don’t think I’ll have the time anymore Dx This idea was originally dependent on the free time I’d gained due to working from home as well, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to shelve my streaming plans for now.
Sorry for those of you who might’ve been looking forward to watching my behind-the-scenes editing process, but hopefully I’ll be able to revisit this concept at a later date. Thanks again for all the support you guys have shown, and I’ll see y’all on Sunday for our regularly-scheduled Nanbaka update ^^
