20221215 Deep Space Domain Lord's Weekly Journal Chapter 9

New YouTube emotes are finally live!!!

I finished a novel this week! It's the one I've been following for a while, *Wei Huang*. I was really moved to finally see such a satisfying ending. I rarely finish novels, so having the time and chance to follow this one from its early updates all the way to the finale felt really special. It honestly felt like supporting a VTuber from their debut all the way to graduation.

Speaking of graduations, I've seen a lot of graduation announcements lately, and it makes me a bit sad. Even though new people are always joining the community, a lot of people are leaving too. We always wish them the best, but it's still hard knowing we won't see them around anymore. There are also quite a few creators who haven't officially graduated but just went silent—no updates, no streams. It makes you worry about how they're doing and if they're okay. And it's not just the streamers; I worry about the long-time viewers who disappear, too. You can't help but wonder if they just got busy with life and stopped watching, or if something bad actually happened. Anyway, to anyone reading this: if you ever decide to stop tuning into the streams, I hope you’ll at least drop by every now and then just to let A-Mian know you're safe and doing well.

I also started working on some new commissions this week. Watching the characters slowly come to life makes me feel like I'm painting the eyes on a dragon—it's incredibly exciting and rewarding. Figuring out different effects to create beautiful, fluid animations is definitely a skill that takes time to build! I hope you all check them out when they debut or reveal their new outfits. I'll definitely be retweeting them!

The plum wine I brewed back in April is finally ready to unbottle! My family used the leftover plums to make plum chicken. We didn't quite follow the recipes online, but it still turned out amazing. It had this nice, tart flavor that really reminded me of pickled cabbage and pork belly hot pot—I honestly think it would make a fantastic hot pot broth!

The weather is getting colder lately, which makes it the perfect time for hot soup to warm up. I hope all of you Cottons remember to bundle up—don't wait until you catch a cold to regret it! That's it for this week's journal. See you all next week!