★ blind the masses with a grin, stir up the media

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of May through July
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: An Ai catchall for the next month! After a suspiciously well timed vacation out to Hokkaido, Ai's back in Yumemigaoka and ready to catch up on everything she missed. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

[liedol]

Childcare? No thanks! Looking after them on the other side is one thing – can you imagine how much pressure it would be to keep someone else's kids alive?

[ 'someone else's' being the load bearing point here, presumably. ]

I'm just happy teaching them how to spread their wings and watching them fly.

[saynotobugs]

Heh, you've got a point there. Turn your back to grab one off the tower of chairs they're climbing, turn back around and another one's eating podge. I did a lot of babysitting way back when. [She shakes her head and smiles.] The kids you train are lucky to have you, though. Bet they all appreciate it, too.

[liedol]

I should probably say something modest like "I'm lucky to have them" but...

[ Hoh hoh hoh. We have fun here. ]

I guess at this point I'm just glad we still have so many volunteers who sign up even after Awakening.

[saynotobugs]

Maybe they feel like it's their civic duty. The Dreamer Union's PR machine is pretty good, unless you're an edgy teenager. Then again, saw a couple of those actually show up and do things, too, so never say never.

[liedol]

[ Oh, now Maki has visibly got her Having An Idea... ]

I wonder if we could put together some kind of advertisement line to appeal to them as well, though...

[saynotobugs]

I mean, it's worth a try. Something where they tend to hang out, you mean?

[liedol]

That's a good start, but... where would that even be?

[ maybe she can quiz aqua...... ]

[saynotobugs]

You have a point... Going to schools might not work. Online games, maybe, but I have a feeling they're just going to call that "cringe." I know I should leave this to advertising, but even just checking out where the kids who avoid the DU hang out might do something. In and out of the Dream Sphere.

[liedol]

In the Dream Sphere...

[ Now she's really thinking. ]

They'd have to pass through the City no matter where they were going, right? So long as they're living here in Yumemigaoka, at least.

[saynotobugs]

That's still a lot of space for you to cover, but it's a start, I assume. Course, I'm just going off secondhand words.

[liedol]

[ Ah, that's right... Maki's not one of them. Ai's become so used to thinking of her as a fixture of the DU itself that sometimes she forgets Maki isn't actually a Dreamer too.

Maybe someday. ]

It's practically the whole city again... then again, I don't know if anyone's ever actually gone out and measured it for themselves. But maybe we could try changing some of the billboards over there...

[saynotobugs]

[she wakes up from a depression nap in the breakroom and awakens --]

I mean, if anyone's got reach for that, why not? Though advertising's still gonna have to think of a way to appeal to them.

[liedol]

[ "Where'd Midorikawa go?" "She was sleeping just a second ag- OH SHIT" ]

Sounds like I'll just have to drop it into their laps and see what they come up with, then. Advertising to teenagers is a little out of my wheelhouse... well, unless somebody gives me a script, anyway.

Any ideas, Maki-chan? You've usually got a good one or two in your head somewhere.

[saynotobugs]

[She props her head up on her hands.] Could always try and talk them into sponsoring some YouTubers for the bit. There's enough stuff about the whole Dreamer thing on there, and it's gotta be better than wine and audiobooks. Aside from that, all I can think of is ads. Get someone into a monster suit and do something memeable, it'll spread by itself if we're lucky.

[liedol]

Sponsorships might not be bad... and I know there's a few retired Dreamers who do the whole YouTuber thing full-time now. They'd probably be into talking to us, right?

[ She's nodding to herself now... ]

You know, I really do think this could work out if we put our minds to it!

[saynotobugs]

As long as we go in with realistic expectations. We're gonna have to get corporate in on this, but I can send some emails up to advertising.