About that New Year's Challenge...

[Bill Martin]

Looking at my calendar… yeah, I'm sorry. I completely missed the new
year, busy with stuff at home and at work. I apologize, and realize
that I must step down from it. I'm grateful to Rob for handing it off
to me, and to everyone that submitted fics to the challenges throughout
the year. If someone wants to take up for next year, you're more than
welcome to.

Again, I'm sorry.

[Dave Baranyi]

Post by Bill Martin
Looking at my calendar… yeah, I'm sorry. I completely missed the new
year, busy with stuff at home and at work. I apologize, and realize
that I must step down from it. I'm grateful to Rob for handing it off
to me, and to everyone that submitted fics to the challenges throughout
the year. If someone wants to take up for next year, you're more than
welcome to.
Again, I'm sorry.

Bill -

Don't worry about it. The anime world has changed, as has r.a.a.m. If there
were still people around who were interested they would have posted here
some time ago to ask about it.

It's great that you volunteered and tried to make a go of it, but I don't
think anyone could have brought back the 90s and the old interest in
Challenges in those days.

My feeling is that challenges and other cooperative activities at r.a.a.m.
were a product of the days 20 years ago when there were far fewer anime
available to watch outside of Japan and so there was a lot more commonality
of experience in r.a.a.m. regulars. "Everyone" saw the same anime and so
when folks put together challenge entries they were pretty much assured
that the great majority of r.a.a.m. members would be familiar with the
stories and characters. Nowadays few of us watch the same series and there
is little agreement on any "must see" anime" that could provide that
commonality again.

Once again, thanks to you, to Rob, and to all those in the past two decades
plus who put in the effort to bring some extra fun to r.a.a.m. in the way
of the challenges.

Dave Baranyi

[Hand-of-Omega]

Post by Dave Baranyi
Once again, thanks to you, to Rob, and to all those in the past two decades
plus who put in the effort to bring some extra fun to r.a.a.m. in the way
of the challenges.

Seconded! I'm also grateful that one of my answer-fics was good enough to be used as an example for so long...
But the times have changed and we'll not see their like again. Thanks for the memories, all!

[Aje RavenStar]

Post by Bill Martin
Looking at my calendar… yeah, I'm sorry. I completely missed the new
year, busy with stuff at home and at work. I apologize, and realize
that I must step down from it. I'm grateful to Rob for handing it off
to me, and to everyone that submitted fics to the challenges throughout
the year. If someone wants to take up for next year, you're more than
welcome to.
Again, I'm sorry.

No need for you to apologize. You probably missed it by falling asleep
waiting for the 2014 ones (I think only one attempt got posted. I had a
fairly clear idea for one of them, just never got the time to write it
out with all the still continuing RL craziness 2014 hit me with). We
owe you one.

[d***@gmail.com]

I gotta agree with Dave. Pretty much all-change.

I went to ALA this year and saw ZERO anime. More than a few AMVs to pass the time, no anime whatsoever.

Whatever you may wish my stands on the subject, it is clear that I am, as I said to a number of parties, not part of anime's future.

Mike