Questions you’ve asked quite frequently

“To define is to limit.” — Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

You. 🐙🪪 You’re a takobon — a book octopus. It’s a pun on the word tankōbon, a type of book.

You’re my ‘oshi mark,’ represented by an octopus holding a library card. This way, I can keep you close to me.

You’re funny. You already know who I am. I’m Eldra Echo. I’m the librarian at Miskatonic University, and I do not have ‘lore.’

I get this question a lot, and I’ll be honest — I’m not sure why. I’m not a fictional character so I don’t have lore. I just get confused for a character regularly.

While you’re here, can you tell me — what is it about me that has you thinking I’m just a ‘character?’

Is it my height? Don’t tell me I’m the first woman you’ve met who is 19,026,000 lightyears tall?

Okay, my age? I told you — I’m only 40, err…45 million years old. I know, it’s hard to tell — I do a great job covering my varicose veins and I dye my tentacles lavender to cover up the yellow tones in the gray. Old people are allowed to use the Internet too! Heck, we invented it!

“There's a picture opposite me / Of my primitive ancestry / Which stood on rocky shores / And kept the beaches shipwreck-free” — They Might Be Giants, “Birdhouse in Your Soul”

They’re pretty simple! They’re the same I’d have for any of my friends, and we are friends, aren’t we? These rules most apply to the library’s chat feature.

• Obey the law in your jurisdiction.

• Follow the rules of any creator we visit on a ‘field trip:’ Ever so often, you and I will take a ‘field trip’ to visit another person. Maybe they’ll visit the library or I’ll visit their channel for a collab. Maybe I’ll raid into them. Please respect their rules, as mine are relatively lax compared to many other people’s guidelines.

• No minors (anyone under 18 or 21 depending on jurisdiction): Because my channel may discuss mature themes, it’s not appropriate for anyone under the age of adulthood.

• No TOS violations: Don’t violate the terms of service of whatever platform we’re using to chat.

• No ad spam/self-promotion/money-related posts: Spamming emotes is fine. Telling me it’s your birthday or you unlocked a tough achievement in Balatro is great! But, you can’t engage in self-promotion. You also can’t post links to things like fundraisers.

• No NSFW content in chat, outside of humor: This falls under TOS, but, I want to make it clear. I want to be able to share the library with you, but if the platforms find the contents of our conversations too fuego, they could close the library. This includes linking to NSFW content on another platform.

• Be safe: We are not alone in the library. Because our chats are public, you need to be careful regarding what information you share. Don’t publicly share any personally identifiable information: things like where you live, your name, etc.

Things that aren’t against the rules:

• It is okay to make and post NSFW content outside of stream chat: Just make sure any NSFW content is tagged appropriately and on websites that are NSFW-friendly.

• It is okay to talk about other content creators: I love to hear about what other folks are doing! As long as you’re not promoting someone in a spam-like way, it’s all good with me.

• It is okay to have side conversations/be off-topic: If you want to talk about casserole recipes with someone else in chat, by all means, have fun!

• It is okay to engage in ‘backseat gaming’: If I wanted to play games by myself, without input, I wouldn’t be playing them live.

• It is okay to mention media spoilers: What counts as a spoiler is subjective. I can’t promise other people will be okay reading the spoilers you post, but hey, it’s your choice.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.’” —Aleister Crowley, The Book of the Law

I trust people to make wise decisions about their Internet activities. If I’m offended by something, or don’t want to address something, or answer a question, I can choose not to reply to something. It’s that simple.

I’m 45 million years old. I’m too old to be micromanaging people. I have a library to run.

My rules basically boil down to ‘don’t violate the terms of service of a platform.’

“What is a game but a drill that's dressed up in colorful clothing?” — Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age

Absolutely. I insist. I love playing games with other streamers.

“If after I am free a friend of mine gave a feast, and did not invite me to it, I should not mind a bit.  […]  But if after I am free a friend of mine had a sorrow and refused to allow me to share it, I should feel it most bitterly.  If he shut the doors of the house of mourning against me, I would come back again and again and beg to be admitted, so that I might share in what I was entitled to share in.  If he thought me unworthy, unfit to weep with him, I should feel it as the most poignant humiliation, as the most terrible mode in which disgrace could be inflicted on me.” — Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

Absolutely. I recommend you ask during homework help desk streams so that I can more easily provide you with educational resources.

Just know that in exchange, I might ask you to explain certain Internet slang and memes to me.

“See Something Say Something” — New York Metropolitan Transit Authority

Please do let me know if there’s anything going wrong in the stream. I do cleanup on my end. Of course, sometimes The Library is invaded by intruders who enjoy unplugging my microphone, turning my audio interface’s knobs, and causing general mischief. You know — normal problems.

If my camera isn’t working, if my mic is disabled, if the sound quality is poor, I need you to let me know. I tried using monitor headphones but it messes up my hand-eye-tentacle coordination.

I can’t promise I can fix everything live, but I’ll try my darnedest to ensure the library runs smoothly.

“See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places” — Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

By default, I heavily encourage backseat gaming on my channel. If you’re in my ‘car,’ you better be helping me drive! I heavily encourage backseat gaming of all types. I want to have fun with you. If I wanted to play games by myself, I wouldn’t be streaming gameplay.

I only ask that if you troll me when you give me help, that the trolling is at least funny.

“What's in a name?” - William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

You can call me Miss Eldra Echo. You can call me Eldra. You can call me Miss Eldra. You can call me Miss Echo. You can call me El.

You can call me whatever you want, sugarpea — just don’t call me late for dinner.

“Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me.” - Christina Milian, “Call Me, Beep Me!”

The best way for you to contact me is to tweet at me or talk to me during one of my streams. I can’t promise that I will have the time or ability to make everything requested, but I’ll do my best to make content you’ll love.

“He had been lucid, the machine had driven him mad.” — Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

Unfortunately, I do not at this time, because I don’t really understand Discord and don’t have a moderation team..

“Off guard, red handed, now I'm far from lonely” - The Used, “All That I’ve Got”

Go for it! You can make a fan IRC if you want. Go nuts.

I just can’t join because I’ve got so many shifts I’m doing at the library. You’ll just have to tell me what sort of gossip you’ve been mongering when we next chat.

‘Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me, creature of the night.’ — Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

If you’re over the age of 18 (or 21 in some jurisdictions) — yes. Just make sure to post it on the tag #Takonahole and mark it as NSFW so that people don’t see it if they’re trying to avoid it.

Don’t break the law. Other than that, go absolutely wild. Show me what kind of interesting things you can come up with. I can’t publicly share any art that is explicitly NSFW, but I am still flattered you took the time to make or commission it for me.

“No place worth knowing yields itself at sight, and those the least inviting on first view may leave the most haunting pictures upon the walls of memory.” — Algernon Blackwood, A Prisoner in Fairyland

Yes. Just make sure to tag it properly.