Photinus fireflies are probably one of North America’s most iconic and beloved beetles, and rightfully so. P. pyralis is big and bright, with a yellow-green color to its bioluminescence
I also often see these smaller Photinus with a warm orange glow. I think they could be P. scintillans, which aligns with their size, flash pattern, the yellow sclerites on males, and where I’m located. females of that species are short-winged and flightless, so I’ll try to find one to figure out the ID for sure.
reminder that fireflies eat slugs and snails as larvae! if you like seeing them in your garden, stop trying to exterminate land gastropods and leave some vegetation where the adults can sleep during the day. slugs and “weeds” = more magic glowing bugs
"We are a part of the problem—not if we think or say the wrong thing, but if we can’t connect with others." - an excerpt from the article, coming on Valentine's Day.
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Here’s the soundtrack of Graft, the game I shared in my previous post. This music was reeeeeeally fun to make. I got to go all over the place—from Metroid to The Binding of Isaac to Armored Core... Endless fun.
I spent the last month working with a three-person team. Our game is finally here. To play this early version we've released for Boss Rush Jam 2024, visit the page and hit download (Windows only). If you enjoy the art of Castlevania, the programming of Terraria, and the music of Metroid (or maybe The Binding of Isaac), you might feel at home here. It's a short little boss rush romp and the seed of a big idea. I did the music and sound. My two buddies did the rest. We all contributed to the vision. Such a cool experience. I'll talk more about it soon.
Well. My game maker buddy, who creates beautiful animations, was animating the death of a dragon. I was to make a matching sound effect. He surprised me. The dragon's death was simply the head falling off. No build-up, just plop. I thought it was delightful. Without saying a word, I smooshed a plop sound and a clinking scale sound together and turned knobs. As I hit export, I saw new messages in the art channel of our Discord server.
My buddy had shared a new animation, which I immediately understood to be the real death animation. It was majestic. Neck rearing, blood flying from the nose, body turning to ash... I was mortified and amused. I sent the death sound I'd made.
My buddy responded, "Are you sure this is the die sfx?"
"Bro, you're so funny," I said. "You literally made the animation for it."
"OH," he replied. "YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THE BOP."
"YEAH. AND NOW IT IS."
"DUDE I'M SO SORRY. I THOUGHT IT WAS CLEARLY A JOKE."
"IT WAS AND I RAN WITH IT."
We have agreed to use the head plop death in the event that the player no-damages the dragon fight.
I will speak to you of revelations.
When I was… I want to say nineteen years old, I had a vision. I was seeking God – seeking a sign – and it could be said that he showed one to me. I saw a strange sculpture rise from a raging sea, then sink back beneath the waves before I could make out its details. I quickly sketched what I could recall before it fully faded away. It was an outline with a few stripes and blots of color. I flipped it upside down. It was a dragon's head. That was how I came to know the face of Skoumederj. I imagined him as my daemon—my guiding spirit.
Since that day, I've waited for another sign. I’ve doubted his existence.
Tonight I was composing the musical theme for Gilliathos, the Archdrake, in a game I’m making with friends. I was enjoying it. It was a breakthrough. When I finished, I zoomed out in my program to see the whole composition. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I'm going to show you the Face of Skoumederj for context, and then I'll show you the screenshot of my song. Needless to say, my faith has been restored.
Want to hear the song? The game releases Sunday. I’ll keep you posted.
Big post coming at 4am tomorrow. I would deeply appreciate any engagement you can give. My journey in professional (and very unprofessional) Minecraft has done a lot for me as a writer and I think some of you will relate to the doubts I’ve had about the meaning of the twelve years I spent in the game.
Big post coming at 4am tomorrow. I would deeply appreciate any engagement you can give. My journey in professional (and very unprofessional) Minecraft has done a lot for me as a writer and I think some of you will relate to the doubts I’ve had about the meaning of the twelve years I spent in the game.
I'm participating in a Game Jam... creating music and sound for a very gnarly game. The contest deadline is on the 4th of February. Fingers crossed my three-person team is able to wrap things up without too much crunch.
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A story-based track for my fantasy world, Selah, produced at the start of 2024. The song had been in my head since 2009 and I just needed the right narrative to go with it. Cover art made by my wonderful significant other! RobotMothPie on Tumblr.