Category Archives: Retrospectives

The Somnolians waxing about the events and personal works of their lives so far.

four becomes five: reflections

Posted on December 26, 2022 by devon

Alternatively: two years in

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Four Becomes Five: Four Years of Somnol!

Posted on December 20, 2022 by bulb

A quick happy birthday to Somnolescent before the day’s out here on the east coast… Continue reading →

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four becomes five: what a year, huh?

Posted on December 18, 2022 by fiveducks

Four years in, five folks under the bulb. Actually, I’ve been around for longer, haven’t I? What’s up with that? Continue reading →

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surprise caby blog post

Posted on September 10, 2022 by caby

I’m sat right now at my laptop, in my bedroom, with the window open. It’s about 11pm, it’s a little cold, and I can smell the last few embers of a barbecue my neighbours had earlier this evening. And I’m feeling… normal. It feels like early-mid September, it makes me think of the upcoming spooky season, makes me think about heading into college in the crisper, cooler air, makes me think of Christmas and New Years. I feel normal. Continue reading →

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Exploring somnol.net’s Old Banners

Posted on July 15, 2022 by bulb

We like to redesign our sites from time to time, and earlier this year, the top-level domain got its turn. The previous design came in the spring of 2020 and featured a rotating crop of big, toony banners at the top of each page that would show up either year-round or seasonally.

While we gave up on that site design, we’re still very fond of the banners. Obviously, they’re no longer featured on the top-level site. That’s a lot of art and a lot of work going to waste! While we’d like to reuse them in another design, for now, this post will have to do.

Being a longtime reader of the Video Game Critic, I decided to take a page out of his book (or off his site, maybe?) and not just write up a bit on my thoughts on each banner, but get the people who made them to tell their stories about each one.

Continue reading →

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The Change

Posted on April 14, 2022 by devon

and the frustration. Continue reading →

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Look to the future now,,,

Posted on December 31, 2021 by caby

Rambles and emotions from a cabybaba on New Year’s Eve Continue reading →

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Back to Basics: 2021 in Review

Posted on December 25, 2021 by bulb

I couldn’t write a traditional year recap for this year because it just hasn’t been a traditional year for Somnolescent. I can’t lay out four seasons of what we all did together–too much has changed, my mind’s elsewhere, I’m ready to do something different and simpler, right now and next year.

Here’s what we’re doing instead: I’ve gone back through the old recaps, picked one thing per person I liked, and I’ll ramble about it some. Art highlights follow, as always, then I’ll talk about what exactly has changed and what the gameplan for Somnolescent in 2022 is. Less to write, less for you to read.

Oh, and Caby drew my favorite thing in the world for the occasion. Let’s review! Continue reading →

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How to Reconcile Your Friends at the End of the World

Posted on December 21, 2021 by mariteaux

I often think of Somnolescent as an island, but we’re a rather interconnected bunch. We span the United States through Eastern Europe, and so, what goes on in a big chunk of the world is likely to affect at least one of us. Given the past two years, it goes without saying that Somnolescent didn’t make it out unscathed, though better than most, thankfully.

Though the world’s in a weird, precarious, unstable spot right now, given the 20th marked three years of Somnolescent (I wasn’t able to get this done in time, but I started it in time at least…), I figured I would write about a bit of an epiphany I had, and something of a silver lining while everyone heals: how social stress can cause good friendships to sour, and how pushing forward with that in mind can help mitigate the damage. Continue reading →

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mariversary 3.0: The Platypus Years

Posted on April 1, 2021 by mariteaux

Well, it’s been a tradition for me, every April 1st here at Somnolescent, to look back at something Neocities-related. I don’t quite think I’ll be carrying it along after this year, but there’s still one major bit of Neocities ephemera I’ve carried with me, something I unwittingly preserved unlike every other of its kind: my very first site design.

Given that I spent last year discussing my various Supporter’s sites, it’s only fair the main one gets its due too. And given that the other two mariversary posts both focused a bit on me and a bit on the community, I think looking back at just what I was up to will prove more positive, or at the very least, rouse the peanut gallery less. Continue reading →

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