Adventures in Video Part Two, I Married a Sewer Monster
After having put my 7th diamond painting video up last week on my sprout of a YouTube channel, I have mad respect for anyone who has even a modicum of success in that medium. This last video I posted was my longest yet at just over thirty minutes, and it entailed multiple cuts and parts and bits and bobs, including my first attempt at a “WIP and Chat.” It was such an ordeal I broke down in tears six hours into the editing process. I keep reminding myself that I’m still very new to all of this, and that there is a huge learning curve even with the relatively simple open source editing software I’m using, but I still get surprised and frustrated every time. However, I got through it, and the video is up and it has some views, so I’m happy. I will keep going, slowly adding sound-improving equipment and better lighting, and eventually I will have a regular production schedule and may even try some live streaming. It all just takes...so...much...time. It’s good though. I hold firmly the to belief that eventually I’ll have it all down to a science and I’ll be able to churn out weekly thirty-minutes videos full of compelling content with crisp swiftness and efficiency. A girl can dream.
To decompress from the stress of all of this video production hubbub, I have plunged feet-first back into my first farming sim love, the venerable Stardew Valley. I love this game deeply, and having put hundreds of hours of play in over the years, I know it very well. It’s been a solid three years since I fired it up, and in that time, there have been some updates and new content, including an adorable family of raccoons who live in a tree stump and trade you handy items in exchange for luxury goods such as smoked tuna and pickled eggplant. But most of the game remains pretty much the same, including the townsfolk and its ever-present bachelors. I’ve played the game long enough that I’ve married almost every bachelor in Pelican Town, and each and every one of them has been uniquely disappointing. They ruin my beautiful, carefully-decorated farmhouse with their man-caves, and they barely do a thing to help around the farm, yet they are quick to point out each and every minor chore they do manage to muster. “Oh, sweetie, I filled the cat’s water bowl!” Oh, whoop-dee-do. I just spent all day harvesting cauliflower and chopping hardwood trees. But thanks for...filling the water bowl. You must be exhausted.
I’ve done my research. This time, I’m wising up and hitching my wagon to Krobus, the monster who lives in the sewer and runs a specialty shop. To be clear, you can’t actually marry Krobus, but with proper wooing, he will become your roommate. The best thing about Krobus so far is how incredibly easy he is to please during the courting process. First of all, unlike the other bachelors, he has no schedule to speak of, so he’s always in the same place and super-easy to find. He never leaves the sewer. He accepts the same three gifts with great appreciation and doesn’t seem to care if you give him the same gift over and over again. So I made a huge batch of Void Mayonnaise, and I present a jar to him twice a week. (Unfortunately, I do have to listen to him remark that he will eat some of it and spread the rest of it over his body as a moisturizer, but that part’s over quickly.) Also, apparently he’s very sensitive to sunlight and won’t go outside, so once he’s your roommate, he’s a constant companion and won’t be leaving on books tours like Elliot or band tours like Sam. After years of playing this game, I think I finally hit the bachelor jackpot!
--Kristen McHenry
You can view my YouTube channel here:
If this be a hobby, it's certainly one you are mastering with skill, zeal and creativity! 😋
Keep on with your videos. Good Job!