Public post!

RE:

readywithmusic.

Just to clarify some things, as a kind flister expressed concern that I'm stepping on toes: readywithmusic was not created to be competition with stillness_storm.

I have been a member of, and participant in,

stillness_storm since its creation. I have and will continue to participate in challenges when I am able (hell, I just did this week.) It's a good comm that's been around the block a few times, and it's still going and still producing fantastic icons.

readywithmusic was created for a handful of reasons:

1. The first and biggest is that in every fandom I have been in before Arashi, there were at least four icontests which meant that I could make and submit icons all over the place. I am not, and never will be, cut out for LIMS contests, and

stillness_storm is the only other active Arashi icontest I'm aware of.

2.

stillness_storm is a stillness contest.

readywithmusic will allow animated icons for specific challenges (I am still deciding whether every-other-challenge will work or not.)

3. There are aspects of

stillness_storm that I would change, if I ran it. But since it's rude and unreasonable to suggest someone change the way their community is run, especially in ways that would make more work for the mods, I decided it would be better to make my own, run the way I would run it, and let that be that.

4.

readywithmusic, as I mentioned above, is run differently. It allows 3 icons, to raise the entry count. I use a voting method that prevents icons from placing in more than one slot. Icons can, however, place in both the normal running, and a special category, as I think that certain icons deserve first AND 'best ____'. I will be handicapping my own entries in two ways: docking myself points automatically to lower my chances of placing, and should I place, I will not enter the next week's challenge.

As stated, these differences are things I did not feel I had any right suggesting to

stillness_storm, as they change the structure of the community significantly.

I don't believe that

readywithmusic will 'steal' iconmakers from

stillness_storm, because iconmakers make icons. It shouldn't matter how many icontests there are; if you can make 2, you can make 5. We have different challenges, different deadlines, and different systems. We are different communities.

So please; take a look at

stillness_storm AND

readywithmusic. Join the challenges that inspire you. Vote for the icons that impress you. This isn't a popularity contest; this is just an attempt at opening up some new space for additional creativity. ♥

PS: I would really love to affiliate with

stillness_storm, if they're interested? I need to send another PM, I think my first one gotten eaten...