ourselves

Courtesy of our brand new artbro, ProNice.



1. Announce you're creating an obviously derivative project that follows in the footsteps of a beloved earlier work to which you will never live up.2. Tackle a delicate subject that most people are uncomfortable with.3. Accept a couple people onto your team who occasionally post on reddit so you will forever be labeled a reddit project (which is a bad thing I guess?).4. Release previews in which you mostly drop the names of more successful and popular works (to increase your nerd cred!) instead of saying anything of substance about your own.5. Profit!It's no secret that Missing Stars has a bit of a bad reputation in some circles. We would be the first to admit that we've made mistakes, of course, and that maybe some of that reputation was well-earned.Recently, though, the hate aimed at us seems to be dying down somewhat or, at least, balancing out with the more positive impressions. We're probably loved and hated in about equal measure these days, which is okay with us. Most of you likely don't know what to think yet, which is also okay – and may be the most sensible position of all.But about that shift in public opinion – what can this mean? Have we all gotten better at our jobs? Is Missing Stars finally being taken seriously as the OELVN masterpiece it is destined to be?Uh... no. I don't think so. No, definitely not.Most likely, it's just that the novelty of hating on us has worn off, and I'm not sure how to feel about that. I don't know about anyone else, but for me, the naysay has always helped; often, more than the praise. Every negative comment, even the most bile-filled condemnation, contains a nugget of useful, helpful truth: some genuine criticism, real concern, some honest belief that "This cannot possibly work." And every one of those can change our minds or make us reevaluate what we're doing. If nothing else, they can show us how sensitive this topic is that we've decided to take on, and remind us to tread carefully.In the end, they can make Missing Stars better.So however you feel about Missing Stars, don't hold back. There are no hard feelings. We'll never please everyone, but even the harshest words can make us push for that extra inch – to address the problems you point out, to prove you wrong, to prove tothat we've got it in us.And whether you love us or hate us – thanks. We'll keep trying to live up to your expectations – or prove them wrong – as best we can.Oh, and –-alabaster