#last update will just have 3 pages instead of 2

[cosmodynes]

back at it again with another 2 pages

(join the knife carby club here)

#cosmodynes art #comic #ffxiv #ff14 #emet-selch #hades ffxiv #hythlodaeus #hythemet #hythades #every week im like should i post another panel? #and every week im like yeah why not #anyways i'll be done in... #2 weeks? #last update will just have 3 pages instead of 2

[fltwoodsmonster]

hey hold on a sec

I just realized both op and the commenter are insane trad christains so im deleting my reblog (because im not platforming their shit -- this is ALSO why im censoring their URLs I’m not going to give them traffic) and instead reposing it with the following links/information:

1) The WHO still actively hosts a guide on how to create safe milk substitutes when access to breastmilk/milk substitutes are unavailable on the Institutional Repository for Information Sharing (iris). The guide is called “Infant Feeding in Emergencies: A Guide for Mothers”. Relevant information starts on page 38.

2) Here is a link to the archived guide WITH THE CAUTION that I was not able to find out why its no longer provided by the WHO or iris. It could be that the information is out of date. I am only sharing it because I think the visuals may be helpful for people who have trouble reading written directions. Consult the above link first, then refer to this guide only if you need clarification on how to perform certain actions. Link to archive.

3) The language in that second comment throws up so may red flags. I cropped it to only the information needed to understand the context of this post because I find it immensely suspect. The repeated allusions to 2020 for no apparent reason (but I can guess why, as an infection disease scientist) come across as loaded or dog-whistely. I would advise against sharing the OP for that reason. But because the information being provided is important and not well known, I’m making this alternative post for people to reblog. 

4) The implication that the WHO is censoring information based on a 404 page is a really flimsy and extreme conclusion to jump to. The “Infant Feeding in Emergencies” guide I linked above also goes to a 404 page on the WHO’s main website - but again, can be accessed through iris instead. So no, the information on how to feed infants in a food crisis is not being censored by the WHO.

5) A more likely cause for the guide disappearing is that the link broke and they didn’t fix it. If you look at the original URL it indicates the guide was posted in a subcategory on the WHO’s website about International Crises, specifically in the Middle East. If you try to type in a shortened versions of that URL (specifically https://www.who.int/hac/crises/ or the slightly modified http://www.who.int/hac/crises/en/) you’ll see that the subdomain that was present with relevant info breaks around 2020. In fact, while testing this hypothesis, I came across this information page in a November 2021 version of the URL https://www.who.int/home/cms-decommissioning (which I was redirected to automatically from http://www.who.int/hac/crises/en/):

There is no nefarious conspiracy theory. The link simply broke - as many many many many links do on the internet. The second commenters reply is proven bunk by a little bit of fact checking.

sorry for the long post, but I think the information on infant nutrition substitutes is genuinely useful, lifesaving info -- but i’m not going to give more people with dangerous ideological views spouting nonsense a platform.

update (5/20/22):

I had hope this was a given, but I want to be explicitly clear.

Using an at-home formula substitute should be a last resort. Contact your infant’s physician or a pediatrician before attempting to make your own milk substitute.

I am also going to leave a link to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s statement on breast milk substitute shortages.

Do not blindly follow internet posts in regards to the health of yourself or your children. I wanted to share this post simply because I, myself, did not even know it was possible to make milk substitutes and thought it was useful to be aware of in an time when access to substitutes is unprecedentedly difficult.

#breast milk #mothers #mom #infant care #baby #formula #<-- sorry for the weird tags but i want to make sure this is accessible to ppl who would benefit most #pls share this instead of the other post btw #if you want the URLs i censored to block them just shoot me an ask

[alienssstufff]

JUANAFLIPPA CASE COURT HEARING (A very thorough) RECAP

APRIL 12, 4:00PM PST (2023) FAMILY COURT COURTROOM NO.2

JUDGE: Maximus (SapoPeta) PROSECUTION: SLIMECICLE (Charlie el Backflipo), Quackity (esp), Jaiden, Fit, BBH, Foolish DEFENSE: MARIANA, Roier JURY: Dapper, Leonardo777, Tilin, Trump, Bobby, Ramon

OBJECTIVE – To determine whether a crime was committed by the Defense, finalise Flippa’s custody amongst parties (divorce)  

Link to the full update timeline of the JuanaFlippa case can be found HERE

A/N: The following was recap was taken from Slimecicle’s (and a bit of Quackity and Philza’s) POV. This is 4 fucking pages long.  

PRE-TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

A small courthouse was built for the event - presumably during server maintenance.  

Mariana, Charlie and Quackity dressed up irl in suits for the stream! The couple + Jaiden’s minecraft skins appear in suits too! This isn’t relevant to the case but I respect the dedication :]  

Private conversation where Mariana asks Foolish to represent him in court. Foolish rejects :[

Initially Charlie had hired Roier to be one of the Prosecution’s representatives but had backed out last minute - choosing to instead take Mariana’s side on the Defense.  

Charlie had also requested to hire Philza to be one of the Prosecution’s representatives, to which Philza rejected the offer because of Charlie’s murder attempts on his son Chayanne.  

Individually, Charlie speaks to each of his lawyers in private. As of prior to the hearing, none of them are aware they are not the only lawyers representing the Prosecution.  

A few emotional words were held between Mariana and Charlie. Mariana via Twitter DMs sends Charlie a photo edit of them and JuanaFlippa together as a happy family. They cry together – it’s snotty and kinda gross ://

THE TRIAL:

SapoPeta opens the trial under court of law and representatives of both the Prosecution and Defense introduce themselves to the stand. It is here where all five of Charlie’s lawyers discover there is more than one representative (but it’s cool they play it off and agree to work together).

In defense of himself, Charlie argues that by everyone’s willingness alone to defend him should more than prove the strength of the Prosecution’s case. Quackity (esp) further reinforces Charlie’s first point and brings forth the opening statement outlining three objectives the Prosecution aims to achieve in the following hearing: 1 -To revive JuanaFlippa 2 -For Charlie to have complete custody over JuanaFlippa in the divorce 3 -To sacrifice Mariana to Satan  

As Charlie’s second lawyer, Jaiden drops probably one of the hardest statements in today’s hearing. It’s so sick I’m including the full transcription: “This case isn’t about winning custody. It isn’t about divorce, or even bringing back the life of a child. It is about Justice. Justice that was taken away from an innocent egg JuanaFlippa. JuanaFlippa’s childhood was born into a broken home, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less deserving of life.” “We’re here today standing before you Your Honour to write the Wrong that happened to a defenseless egg that simply wanted love. My client el Backflipo is a good parent. He cared and provided for JuanaFlippa, was always there for her, and at the end of the day Showed Up. All things the Defendant did not do. He knows the family isn’t in the best of situations, but he still did everything within his power to give JuanaFlippa what he could.” “In this case we will be revealing how the Defendant, el Mariana, was not present as a parent, not a good partner, was a bad influence on JuanaFlippa, consistently showed zero care for anything he subjected to her – and now is the ultimate cause for her untimely death.” “The facts in this case are straightforward and we are able to supply evidence and witnesses to stand to prove this point. I believe the Defendant, in a rage of not being able to escap el Backflipo’s custody papers, plotted to gain just enough of el Backflipo’s trust to be left alone with JuanaFlippa where he could then take her life.” “All el Backflipo wanted was to give JuanaFlippa the best childhood he could. He wants to right the wrong that was made in the hands of Mariana. For all those reasons and after you’ve heard all the evidence, at the end of this trial we ask you to return a verdict in favour of el Backflipo. That you find the defendant GUILTY of murder and to have his soul SACRIFICED in the resurrection of JuanaFlippa. Thank you.” (holy hell.)

Roier argues in good faith that Mariana is a good person (by shared history) and father who would never intentionally hit his daughter. The Defense pleads instead for manslaughter and that JuanaFlippa’s death was by a misclick.

Jaiden (sent by Charlie) brings new photo evidence to the stand in harm of Mariana’s image, bringing light to an affair between him and Foolish. Foolish is thrown under the fucking bus and is actively against the Prosecution (he is fired during recess). Principle of the item countering the Defense’s claims of Mariana being a good partner.  

Roier brings new photo evidence in harm of one of Charlie’s lawyer’s image of Tilin saying Quackity was also in an affair (???). Jaiden objects as the item is not relevant to the JuanaFlippa case. Objection accepted.  

Roier demonstrates the fragility of the egg beds - easily destroyable by a single click. He challenges the court to review the quality of egg beds in precedent of the murder. This statement is overruled by the Judge for irrelevance to the JuanaFlippa case, saying that such issue must be brought up in a different trial against the company providing the egg beds. The Judge however agrees that Mariana’s kill was an accident.

BBH from the Prosecution argues for the fragility of egg-kind, showing a reckless disregard from Mariana. Video evidence showing the night of the murder (footage wire-tapped by Charlie) is presented.

Roier argues against BBH bringing awareness to the species of the eggs being birthed from a power dragon (dragons are tough).

The Judge presents an audio file, a conversation between Mariana and JuanaFlippa. Due to technical difficulties in the Global Transcription, Quackity ‘translates’ saying “Daughter, I’m gonna be absent for a very long time therefore you need to start eating dirt so your defenses rise up and you don’t die as quick. Motherfucker.” Roier objects in defense that Mariana is a cc and was being a lil silly slash /j.

The Judge declares Recess as he comes up with a verdict.

Nothing much happens during recess other than a failed assassination on Charlie but it’s whatever ^_^!

Fucking Tik Tok edits were submitted as evidence as leverage to Mariana’s image in proof he is a good father to JuanaFlippa.

More photo evidence of Mariana’s and Foolish’s affair are brought to the court to counter this presented by the Judge. He objects himself for this has nothing to do with the murder, he just put it up there cuz it was funny.

Video evidence of the murder was brought up again. The Defense argues Mariana in fact destroyed a JuanaFlippa decoy - not the real JuanaFlippa. Theory debunked due to the current absence of JuanaFlippa today.

Charlie argues, on which will always transcribe (also hard as hell) the following: “And he (lil Satan) told me that he would burn my family to the ground if I told you this, but I don’t have a family left to burn. SATAN TOLD ME THAT IF I KILLED PHIL’S EGG, HE’D GIVE FLIPPA A GUN TO PROTECT HERSELF AND THIS IS THAT PHOTO RIGHT THERE OF BABY’S FIRST TOY, IN A CIRCLE OF FIRE AS WE MADE AN ACCIDENTAL PACT WITH THE DEVIL. AND HE SAID HE WOULD KILL MY DAUGHTER IF I DIDN’T DO AS HE SAYS. I’M SORRY BUT I WAS DOING WHAT A GOOD PARENT WOULD DO!” The Judge disregards the evidence as it is not relevant to JuanaFlippa’s murder. The murder of Chayanne (and Charlie’s homicidal tendencies) would be left for a different trial.

Fit in representation of the Prosecution brings four netherite ingots to the court as a bribe. It is revealed that the ‘netherite’ was forged.

FINAL VERDICT of today’s trial, in case of JuanaFlippa’s death, that she would be given another life. Both Mariana and Charlie would be sentenced to the QSMP Federal Prison for ~10 minutes. Request for divorce has been denied and parents of the Flippa family must work together in couples therapy.

POST TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Mariana and Charlie are thrown in cages as people throw tomatoes at them. They sing together and do a duet of Careless Whisper on the harmonica/kazoo. Cute!

They escape underground just in time to see Flippa get resurrected. The family are reunited. Aww :,]!

Both Mariana and Charlie (WITHOUT KILLING her this time) tuck JuanaFlippa to bed and promise to work together on their relationship from now on. Yipee ^_^!

Both streams finish with Mariana and Charlie having minecraft sex. The end!

#stufff rambles #qsmp spoilers #long post #juanaflippa #slimecicle #el mariana #fliporiana #qsmp #qsmpblr #may or may not add photos - this took so long x_x

[mollysunder]

Another Clue in Viktor's Tarot Card?

I think I figured something out. In an older post I talked about how Arcane used tarot symbology to possibly hint at future developments for season 2. It was specifically how Viktor and Jinx fit into the role of the Magician and Death tarots respectively and how it works for Sevika. There was one thing that was bugging the hell out of me when i finished it. What was the symbol within the Machine Herald's grasp?

At first I thought it was the mathematical symbol for fish (∝), without the curves, like how Ekko' infinity symbol are sharp triangles instead of round loops. I thought it could mean Viktor needed to recognize the balance and proprtions necessary to unlock the Arcane and be an indirect reference to how similar but different Ekko and Viktor are. But I think the answer might be simpler.

It's an 'X', sideways. Obviously, the 'X' could refer to the x-factor the Magician needs to unlock the Hexcore's power. And that's the fun trick of it because there's only been one person I know in League that's been explicitly associated with this kind of 'X', it's Jinx.

When Jinx's character debuted in League of Legends, instead of releasing a bio first, they had her 'vandalize' Vi's page with graffiti (really fun marketing move). The end of the page had a signature tag that said "X WUZ HERE" because they didn't want to reveal her name so they used this special "X" instead. Later, the tag was just replaced with "JINX WAS HERE.". I thought it was a one-time thing, but no, Jinx's special 'X' still remains in the game to refer to her presence. For example, one of Caitlyn's gag interactions has her shooting her rifle that's been tampered with by Jinx. And when it happens Caitlyn goes, "Ready, aim... (gasps) Urgh! Why am I not surprised?". Who else could it be?

So this symbol is still associated with Jinx, specifically as a substitution for her name, and it's in the Machine Herald's grasp. I don't think this is meant to hint at any future control Viktor would have over Jinx, nor would he want to. It could mean that he will need a partner in Jinx to help him complete the Hexcore once he and Jayce have their falling out and he's cast out from Piltover (some real Silco and Singed vibes honestly). But maybe it's another hint at how similar their actions will be perceived by us, the audience, like they fly under the same banner of void-touched outcasts playing offense and defense against Piltover. And more so that they will have a deeply impact full relationship with one another. Look at Ekko and Vi, they both bare her tag and you can't pretend she hasn't left her mark on them and their motivations. It's just odd that for Viktor, her tag is in a different position. Maybe it's a past, present, future thing.

I wouldn't bring this up if the creators of Arcane hadn't said that there were plenty of hints at season 2 that the audience hasn't picked up yet, so maybe this is another one. Also, I have noticed that Jinx sometimes has Ekko's infinity symbol on her marketing but it's still solidly an Ekko thing. Even when she has it on her Flame Chomper grenades it's used explicitly to frame Ekko and the Firelights for her damage because it's so well associated with him.

Update: I don't know why I'm just remembering this, but Jinx is also just wearing a big X on her shirt. In fact she's covered in X's, her shirt, her necklacklace choker thing, her shoelaces, her belt, her bandage, the back of her shoe they all have X's in her design.

Update 2: I found more X's! They're all over her background in the 'Enemy' music video. The art really isn't being subtle when you notice.

Update 3: Pretty sure this is the last one... maybe. After rewatching I noticed Vi's prison uniform actually has the symbol as a part of her ID number. Altogether her ID would be X516. Though whenever Vi was referred to as prisoner 516. Alone it actually says her name in Roman numerals, 5=V, 1=I, and 6=VI (a but redundant). If we treat it the 'X' as Jinx's name it makes Jinx and Vi before Vi even knows Powder has grown into Jinx, already intertwining their identities.

Update 4: I really thought I was done, but I wasn't. I found that both of Ekko's loc rings (which look similar to the bullet shells Jinx uses in her braids) have partial infinities that look similar to her symbol. Ekko specifically is represented with a complete hourglass, and this is literally the one exception. The fact that this symbol is visible when he talks about Zaun and Silco makes me feel ridiculous. If this is a subtle hint at the way Jinx affects Ekko... wow. Jinx isn't even dead, but she's practically haunting all these characters.

Seriously, it's a purposeful choice to do this, his game icon has full hour glasses. But in Arcane they're not, they're drawn to be similar to Jinx's symbol. Just like with Viktor and Vi, it means internally, not even consciously, he's seeking her out for her.

#viktor arcane #the machine herald #machine herald #jinx arcane #arcane #arcane season 2 speculation #it sometimes feels like any mystery can use jinx to solve it #she's a wild card #a loose cannon #jinx is the random ingredient that falls into the cooking pot and when you taste it you’ve invented a whole new dish #it feels so on purpose that almost every league medium keeps viktor and jinx's interactions from minimal to nonexistent #they'd cause too much of an uproar #legends of runeterra technically doesn’t count #vi arcane #ekko arcane #ekko #arcane speculation #arcane meta #arcane season 2

[xoxitgirl]

˚⊹₊ ⋆ updated manifestation routine ₊˚｡

2024 it-girl manifesto

hi all! so my last manifestation routine I feel like I missed a lot + have a new mindset now so I’m going to break it down in a better way lol. a lot of my mindset has been developed through esoteric philosophy, teachings of neville goddard, and edward art.

the foundation—

so this is what i base my thought process on, everything is mental. this is literally the first principle I learned of esoteric philosophy—mentalism. the mind has effects over all; mentally, spiritually, and physically. for anything to be/exist it has to come from the mind, this is also considered the “law of self” or the “law of one.” since our minds literally can’t comprehend what is imagined to be experienced vs what we’ve actually lived through, we can literally change ANYTHING through consciously shifting our awareness. some things may be viewed as “harder” or “more difficult” but in essence its the same exact process every time. and I only mean like conscious manifestation and not like past events/trauma.

rule one: find what works for you and practice consistency.

rule two: if you have it in your mind, it is already yours. feel it, touch it, smell it, embrace it. use your senses.

rule three: what is inside of you is outside of you—let it reflect without desperation, fear, or pressure.

intention comes first

if you lead with no direction where will you go? being able to understand what it is you want is a necessity to me when it comes to manifestation. I like to think of it as a mini ritual; writing or deciding your intention and then diving into the mindset revamp and everything else in store.

journaling, journaling, and more journaling

I journal literally everything in every style—meaning; when I start journaling I write short paragraphs expressing gratitude for my current manifestations. for more in depth desires, I will write pages about the experience of getting my desire, the feelings I felt, the people involved, the setting, etc. similar to gratitude letters, I just write gratitude vaunts. when I’m not vaunting I’m setting goals. goals can easily help us understand what we want and what we can do in the meantime to feel like we have it. I also journal sporadically, I read through all the things i’ve manifested through a couple months—for some reason this works insanely well for me.

state akin to sleep

SATS or state akin to sleep is basically being completely relaxed/in a drowsy state and envisioning your desire so its like you’re falling asleep in the wish fulfilled. this is useful because when you’re in this state, your mind is more accepting and receptive of your desires. neville breaks this idea down in depth but in short, there will be less opposition because you experience having your desire in this state and as I love saying; as above so below. as you continue this method the mental and physical planes will align.

subliminals + affirmation tapes

I always binge listen to subs for around a week to a month and then stop for at least 2 weeks minimum. idk why i just don’t like repetitive tasks but this way of sporadic listening has always helped me manifest better because I allow my manifestation to come to me. especially if it’s something I think is more of a material manifestation like a new car—I made a car sub and stopped listening after like 3 months of constant listening and my dad told me to clean out my car for my dream car.. like let it come to you babes.

detaching!!!

in my mind detaching is equally as important as intention. if you’re obsessing over something its more likely you’ll focus on the lack in the 3d instead of the abundance you have in the 4d. I force myself to not worry about my sp, put my phone down when I’m worried ab sales, and just relax because what is mine will always be mine. ways to detach… going on walks, drawing, focusing on hobbies, working out, yoga, listening to music, hanging out with friends or family, going for a drive, literally anything that brings you back to center and allows you to stop thinking excessively about your desire.

affirming 24/7

im always asking and telling myself how I would think as my most desirable self. when i’m worried about the weather, my designs, if my dates will go the way i want, or if my packages will arrive on time I affirm immediately, “the weather is always so amazing. I love driving in my area’s calm, nice weather. everybody always loves my designs, why wouldn’t they? I’m literally one of the most famous designers in the world. I always have picturesque fairytale like dates with my SP because he loves me and wouldn’t let me settle for less tff” and like its been mentioned before, we have thousandss of thought a day so a negative thought literally cant hurt you or your manifestation but affirming can be extremely helpful for those with anxiety or intrusive thoughts imo.

manifestation lists

i write a list of everything I’ve manifested every month to remind myself of my power. at times ill even throw in a few things that I am wanting at the moment to remind myself it’s already mine. every time I manifest consciously I scroll through the list just as like a confidence booster I guess.

visualizing + vision boards

im constantly visualizing what I want in my present. literally money in my hands, my new computer in front of me—visualize, visualize, visualize. thats definitely a really big part of my routine, also making vision boards and having them on my phone, on my walls, etc. using apps to make it more convenient like vsco, pinterest, notion.

sigils

making sigils helps me kinda detach too! this is definitely not a necessity, I only remake my sigils every year or when I feel uneasy about something. over time i’ve noticed that with ones i’ve used for safety/peace, I have to actively choose which energy to embody. nobody will come into my space causing me to be in a stressful mood unless I allow it—imo it helps a lot with conscious creation.

challenges + rules

I make a lot of challenges that I do privately and every time I stop/revert to thinking about the 3d I have to restart. I always give myself repercussions for feeding into a lack mindset because why would I do that when I live a life of abundance? im not like hard on myself or anything its just about maintaining the idea until it saturates. I also use like 10-20 manifestation rules that I have and follow on a daily basis, I would also recommend making your own list of rules because if you don’t have a standard to follow its harder to stay focused. some of mine are—

ᥫ᭡ everything I desire manifests the second I desire it.

ᥫ᭡ I manifest anything I want instantly.

ᥫ᭡ only my desired thoughts manifest.

ᥫ᭡ nothing can stop me from getting what I want.

ᥫ᭡ the 3D changes instantly for me.

ᥫ᭡ I have such potent undeniable incredible power.

ᥫ᭡ I always manifest what I want on the spot.

as above so below, as within so without.

itgirl ⊹ ࣪ ˖

#vzn #xoxitgirl #manifestation routine

[seedsofwinter]

I have 5 boxes of Good Omens zines and merch in my house and I should NOT by the end of the summer. Did you miss these the first time around? Come talk to me!

🎶 “Don't cha wish your bookshelf was hawt like mine? Don't cha?” 🎶

Over 2 years, with a group of friends and fellow fans, I worked on 6 Good Omens print zines (plus another 7 or 8 digital only?) I wrote and was the editor for ones with stories; I did marketing for all of them. I know these books too well, their rising emotions, their jokes, the sexy bits...

Now, I’m the one who has all the physical overstock. Which accumulates..... Oh, does it accumulate haha

I’ve spent the past few days preparing to let you know what is in these boxes.

So!

Fellow Good Omens fans, drop me a line. I have all the books in the 2nd picture and they could be yours instead. I also have various merch which will need homes. Some more pics of those and books below!

This @oursidezines​ Pride 2022 book could be yours! I have most of the pride flag postcards too. Out of and low on a few.

This @WingZine could be yours! I have all postcards to join it as well. And a spare few bookmarks and stickers.

This @ineffableeraszine​ vol 3: Bookshop 1800s could be yours! I have the postcards that go with it; and a tidy number of bookmarks, the Aziraphale sticker, and the Crowley sticker. Plus the lanyard with PVC card.

This @IneffableEras vol 2: Soho 1967 could be yours!

I have the postcards that go with it, a handful of the “You Go Too Fast For Me” Crowley and Aziraphale charm, and a few pages of stickers. Plus the lanyard with PVC card.

Here's what the lanyards and PVC cards look like, so you can know! For other merch, come talk to me. 1800s' card is half an inch slimmer than 1941 and 1967.

All have an about 16 inch lanyard with "Ineffable Eras” printed in an Era-unique font. All with lobster clasp style hook.

I have a hold on all my remaining @IneffableEras vol 1: Blitz 1941 (if someone decides not to get it, or after held copies reach their destination). These were from my personal stash, so there were not many.

If you’d like to roll the dice I can take your name, but it's a long shot. Those who have a hold on a copy know it’s their last chance to get one.

I HAVE postcards, a few stickers, the Aziraphale charm and the Crowley charm, and the above lanyard.

THE EASIEST WAY TO REACH ME is twitter: https://twitter.com/OlivierHennis.

But you can message me here. I’m doing this all myself, so just give me a little time. I haven’t slept in almost 24 hours bc I hyperfixated on taking stock and doing the pictures. XD So I’m gonna go do that. [11:30am EST, May 10, 2023.]

I’ll make updates on this post if/when zines or merch are fully gone!

Thanks! And HAPPY GOOD OMENS 33RD ANNIVERSARY!

#good omens #good omens 33 #ineffable may 10 #ineffable may #crowley #aziraphale #good omens zine

[sailingshellsgames]

The early demo for Tumblr is live!

You can play it here! Thank you so much for following this blog (and for being patient while I wrestled with dashingdon to get it uploaded! ^_^'). I hope you enjoy the game! 🧡 Notable additions this demo:

Chapter 7 Part 2 is complete 🎉 Attend the festival with the date (or friend) of your choice. There will be food! Romance! Probably some weird crap happening at some point! 😆

Some changes to Wren's character.

Choose the style of MC's quarters at the Den in chapter 3!

Choose MC's parent's gender in chapter 3, and get a little more backstory on MC's family situation.

Achievements have been added to the game!🏅

Enter your own pronouns in chapter 1, if the default options aren't your preference.

Change your pronouns from the stats screen anytime throughout the game.

Jewelry choice addition (by request) to Chapter 7 Part 1 in preparation for MC's trip to the festival. 💎

Consolidation of the stats screen (by request). There are now two stats pages instead of three: one for personality and relationships, and the other for MC's skills.

Thank you so much for playing!❣️ This will be the last demo for Leas: City of the Sun until the game is published, but there will still be plenty of content on this blog! Everything you can expect is below:

What happens now, if this is the last demo?

Good news on that front! You can still expect demos, just not for the first game. I've been working on the Fey minigame and will be posting demos of that as I work on the final chapters of Leas: City of the Sun. There will be previews of other things as well in the upcoming months, but that's all I'll say, since I don't want to spoil anything for now 👀 🤫

Will this blog still update?

Yes, absolutely! You can expect business as usual: weekly writing updates, preview snippets on Sundays, answers to your asks, and news on when chapters have been completed. It'll be easy for you to track progress and know how close the game is to completion.

When will the game be complete?

My original goal was to have it submitted by the end of 2023. I'm still shooting for that, but there's a decent chance it'll take a bit longer depending on my life circumstances. I'll keep everyone informed on chapter-by-chapter progress here, so you'll always have a good idea of how things are going.

Will there be any major changes to the existing demo between now and the game's launch?

Probably not. With this demo I feel like I really ironed out everything. I've got the right elements in place to set up the final chapters and future story plots, and the character voices feel solid. So while there may be minor changes to wording here and there, the core of the story should remain the same 🙂

#leas: city of the sun #demo #chapter 7 part 2 #chapter 7 #demo update #final demo

[crimsonstonetranslations]

Translation updates - Mar 2024

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since the last update, and I hope everyone is having a good year so far.

File 3 of Another Files - The Dead's Wish is now up. This is the last file in the volume and admittedly the one that left me the most emotional. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. The epilogue and afterword should be up in the near future as well.

Moving on, I've decided to self-edit my translation in hopes to pick up the pace a little bit as I foresee having to juggle even more real life commitments alongside the translation. I hope it's not going to sacrifice too much of the translation quality.

Next up, about the translation backlog. In case you missed it, Kaminaga-sensei and staff made a major announcement late last year that 1) a sequel to the Shinrei Tantei Yakumo series is in the works and 2) they are making a 'complete' version of the previous volumes. As the series was Kaminaga-sensei's debut work that started back in 2004, my understanding is that they're updating the setting to keep up with the times while keeping the outlines intact to make something that both old and new fans can enjoy. Both are scheduled to start publication this spring. Currently, like most materials that are only available in Japanese, I'm not certain if I'll ever be able to pick these up ever (or anytime soon), so I'll just keep an eye on the official updates for the time being.

Hence, as scheduled, I will be translating Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Another Files - Lamenting Doll next. Like The Dead's Wish, this volume also consisted of 3 files that are self contained cases and an epilogue. As a preview for now, here is the blurb:

Yakumo’s uncle, Isshin, brought him a case of a painting of a man with red eyes. Alongside Haruka and Gotou, they then travelled to a sake factory at Yamanashi, where the painting was located. However, after their arrival, terrifying incidents fell one by one upon Haruka! The case of the painting of a man with red eyes led them to another case with the ghost of a child and a talking doll. Yakumo had to deal with spiritual phenomena one after another amidst heavy downpour!

However! While you guys wait for the file 01 of Another Files - Lamenting Doll to be completed, I'm planning to release another short translation beforehand: if you've been looking at my schedule page, I have a separate backlog of shorter-length materials only available in Japanese that I wish to slowly commission a JP-EN translation out of.

I'm excited to announce that the first item on the list is currently being worked on: Shinrei Tantei Yakumo 6.5 - Unexpressed Feelings. It's a not for sale booklet from a limited-run campaign in 2011 containing 2 short stories with illustrations by Oda Suzuka (instead of Suzuki Yasushi that usually did the paperback illustrations). The first story took place after the end of file 3 in the manga/novel volume 3, in case you'd like to refresh your memory of that particular case before reading. I'm hoping to have it published sometime in April.

This post's getting long, that's everything I have for now. Thank you for reading and do look forward to the upcoming updates!

#shinrei tantei yakumo translation #psychic detective yakumo translation

[th3-0bjectivist]

Springin' Chip with a 24' page update!

Greetings, dear follower! th3-0bjectivist has appointed me, Chipper the Springer Spaniel, as the official page mascot and acting spokescanine of this blog moving forward. It sure is great to be here! And might I say, the range of my vernacular as a mere canine has increased something like 28000% in just the last few weeks thanks to the hard lessons I’ve endured so far. Late nights in front of an English dictionary, lots of treats, and tons of sleepless nights have transformed me into perhaps the only English-literate puppy that has ever existed on planet Earth. From this point forward, I plan to operate as an empathetic, humorous, and nurturing presence to all of those on Tumblr into 2024 and beyond!

If you wanna know a little more about me to start, so far in life, I enjoy 1. Voraciously sniffing all manner of ass and crotch (if you approach me, please just spread fully eagle for one full minute, it lets me know who you are without you saying a word) and getting my own ass/crotch sniffed! 2. Pissing indoors (preferably on carpets to create an overpowering urine-miasma that permeates the entire room) 3. Attempting to playfully bite th3-0bjectvist directly in the balls with my nasty, bacteria-laden, inverted Spaniel teeth on a weekly basis!!

My pal, th3-0 and I, have long discussed my potential nickname on this blog. It has run the gamut from… Chip the Dip, to Chipper the Dick, to Chip the Prick, to Chipper the Testicle-Destroyer. In particular, the phrases ‘Stop biting me’, and ‘Hey, A-hole, cut that biting shit out’, and ‘Hey, dickhead, stop trying to bite my fuckin’ balls!!’ have strongly resonated with me as a puppy. I’ve realized very early on; it is essential that I improve my behavior otherwise I’m going to be hard-up on quality treats. And that’s what this blog will be all about moving forward… gradual improvement! Luckily, I have the good fortune of being cute as all hell. So, we graciously settled on the tentative title Springin’ Chip to instead highlight the positive aspects of our collective spirits and aspirations moving forward. New year, new positive goals! Folks, just look at my pics! Check out my feathered-ears and adorable face! Do I not have the perfect mug to represent a proper renewal of this blog?? And mug I will! If you continue to follow th3-0bjectivist, you’re going to see me grow up slowly over the next few months and years! Anyways, onto a bit of business…

My new friend, th3-0, has instructed me to give you an official page announcement! He will be back soon (end of March) with new art and drawings, music and commentary, goofy-ass memes, and more! This year (2024) th3-0 will be putting an artistic focus on dimensionality and expression by doing lots of drawings of expressions on human faces! He will also attempt to make some paintings with a little more -- POP -- than in previous years by incorporating a liquid background behind a solid mass of brushwork. If you like music, and who doesn't (??), this year will be the year of the musical double-feature! That means every time you see music on this page moving forward, there will be TWO SONGS by the featured musician(s) to highlight the range of said musician(s). Also, it’s election year! Now, I don’t have the vote myself, but you’ll have me around as your comical, politically neutral, and stalwart companion while everybody else on Tumblr is being just about as polarizing as they can be without directly and openly supporting terrorist organizations on the left or right side of the political spectrum! It’s gonna be a great year with this dog n' this blog!

Alright, gettin’ sleepy over here… you guys can fuck off for now. MORE 0bjectivist! END OF MARCH! NEW ART!!! DOUBLE-FEATURE MUSIC SHOWCASES EVERY OTHER WEEK!!! MEMES AND GIFs!!! SNARKY-ASS COMMENTARY!!! AND MORE OF MY BALL-BITING ADORABLE ASS!!!

Best, Springin’ Chip

#th3-0bjectivist #page update #2024 #this year #new art #new music #new gifs #my new page mascot #GOOD BOY #learned English within 8 weeks #true story... #new content end of month #trying to improve my craft #despite no inspiration what-so-ever #chipper the spinger spaniel #springin' chip #back soon...

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

The Ultimate Vriska Poll - Calling for Nominations

My Tumblr Sexywoman poll is going well and I'm having a lot of fun, so I'm thinking of holding a poll to find Tumblr's most iconic Vriska-archetype character. If you don't know what a Vriska archetype is, Tumblr user @doubleca5t coined the term as follows:

Sexypedia didn't have a specific page for the Vriska archetype (the link shown in the screenshot leads to a page titled "Controversial"), but here's what it has to say on the topic:

Now that Tumblr's had time to get a smattering of blorbos that can be considered Vriskas, I want to pit these bad bitches against each other. I want to put them in a box and shake them until they fight to the death. I want the intense campaigning, voter fraud, and sabotage that happened around the original Vriska Serket in the Tumblr Sexywoman poll by Tumblr user @lutzlig. But I want it 32-fold.

The start date for this tournament will tentatively be February 19th. The structure will likely be like the Tumblr Sexywoman poll. Before that, I will be collecting a list of at least 16, preferably 32, Vriska-archetype characters. I will be considering nominations until February 17th, 6 PM PST.

The character you nominate must fulfill at least 4/5 of the requirements of a Vriska. UPDATE: I have decided to expand requirement 4 to just "queer" instead of strictly "attracted to women." Requirements 2, 3, and 5 are mandatory. This is so that male (and nb) characters like Bakugou from BNHA can still participate. As well as characters that don't really get shipped a lot. Like Lilith from The Owl House. (I'm sorry queen I've found someone more controversial) However, I will reject characters if I feel they fall more into other archetypes. Like Komaedas.

The list so far is as follows:

Vriska Serket (duh) (Homestuck)

Catra (She Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Lucretia (The Adventure Zone)

Bakugou Katsuki (Boku No Hero Academia)

Chloe Bourgeois (Miraculous Ladybug)

Alador Blight (The Owl House)

Edelgard Von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem)

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (Steven Universe)

Ianthe Tridentarius (The Locked Tomb)

Princess Bubblegum (Adventure Time)

Azula (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Mapleshade (Warrior Cats)

Amber Bennett (Invincible)

Starlight Glimmer (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

Asuka Langley Soryu (Evangelion)

Abby Anderson (The Last of Us)

Silco (Arcane)

Magnus The Red (Warhammer 40K)

Yennefer (Witcher)

Alphys (Undertale)

King Andrias (Amphibia)

C!Dream (Dream SMP)

Hiyoko Saionji (Super Danganronpa 2)

Sayaka Maizono (Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc)

Prince Lotor (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Dahlia Hawthorne (Ace Attorney)

Kiwi (Cyberpunk Edgerunners)

Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Alice "Daisy" Tonner (The Magnus Archives)

Nanami Kiryuu (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Grace Monroe (Infinity Train)

If you want to add or remove a character on this list, DM or send me an ask. I may ask you for clarification if I'm not familiar with the franchise or fandom. Remember that this poll is just for fun. While I love a bit of drama, I hope it's kept at a level where everyone's still having fun. This poll, like the sexywoman poll, is about the most "iconic" Vriska. What that means is up to the individual voter.

Pandora

#vriska poll #vriska serket #catra spop #taz lucretia #bakugou katsuki #chloe bourgeois #edelgard von hresvelg #rose quartz #pink diamond #ianthe tridentarius #princess bubblegum #azula #mapleshade #amber bennett #starlight glimmer #asuka langley soryu #abby anderson #magnus the red #alphys #king andrias #alador blight #dreblr #hiyoko saionji #sayaka maizono #prince lotor #homura akemi #dahlia hawthorne #mabel pines #daisy tonner #silco arcane

[greta-van-chaos]

~ Mars' Josh Recs ~

I've been seeing so many people posting their fic collections so I am finally going to unleash mine! I have a whole ass page in my notes dedicated to the fics that I CANNOT stop rereading!

Every fic below is smut and majority are oneshots!

(can you guys tell i'm a jake girl? my other lists for the boys are lacking heavily... please send me fics guys)

Last Updated - 10/05/22

Ego 1 & 2 & 3 - @allieboop

Excuses - @hyperfixated-gvf

Keep Going - @gretavanfleetposts

Soft and Wet - @gretavanlace

You Feel Like Home - @gretavanlace

Like a Girl - @themoreyou-love

Virtuous - @cobgvf

Waitin' on You - @bandontherunn

Into the Mystic - @garagebandvanfleet

Merlot Daydreams - @sparrowofthedawn

You Look Like You Were Jealous - @gretasmokerising

Warm Reunion - @gretavanlace

Tell me Baby - @jake-kiszkas-smirk

Divinity (holy fucking shit its so good) - @gretavanlace

Pretty Please - @kissthesungvf

Hush Hush - @kissthesungvf

Laced Up - @joshkiszkas

Off the Top - @obetrolncocktails

I See It - @jakekiszkaenthusiast

The Great Outdoors - @stardustchordssammy

Late, Lake Nights - @stardustchordssammy

Pumpkin Spice - @streamingcolors-gvf + @allieboop

Hard Candy - @garbagevanfleet

Honorable Mentions (more like mars couldnt find the fics she had listed so shes just gonna give you the account instead)

@thelavenderbunnie has some seriously amazing works! unfortunately im working off of a list from my phone and transferring it to my computer so i couldn't find the ones i had down from this account. Love your work!!!

#mars' recs #greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka #danny wagner #josh kiszka #sam kiszka #gvf x reader #danny gvf #greta van fleet x reader #jake gvf #sam gvf #sammy kiszka #sammy gvf #josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka fanfic #josh kiszka fic #josh kiszka smut

[carica-ficus]

"Gideon the Ninth"

03/12/2023 Reading progress: 276/443 (62%) Read through since last update: 133

I've been reading through the book, but just wanted to give myself more time to write out my thoughts. And I wanted to make a longer compilation, rather than many smaller ones. (I believe it's a bit more easier to follow.) I'm thoroughly enjoying the book so far. So much so, that I try to make time for it every single day and feel really excited about coming back to it.

Recent reactions and thoughts:

Hell, yeah! Gideon got back the key from Harrow. No more dicking around for her. Jail time.

A book bound in human leather... Interesting... There are more than a few instances that suggests that Earth and humans do exist in this story, and necromancers are somehow derived from them (including their culture and religion), so I am interested to see whether or not this gets explained later on. If a aci-fi book connects to Earth somehow, to "reality", it usually offers some sort of hint at what happened with it.

"Maybe rigor... mortis," said Gideon, who assumed that puns were funny automatically." Yeah, well, I too find them funny automatically. So she's not wrong.

Ok, that thing with Harrow controlling Gideon?? So cool.

Anybody else completely lost during Magnus's and Abigail's anniversary dinner? Maybe I was just tired, so I couldn't follow what was going on, but still...

Loved the scenes of Harrow and Gideon working together through that fight!!!!! Fuck yeah!!!

I'mma be mean and say good riddance, lol. (Last chapter of act 2)

Dulcinea is so full of it!!! "You wouldn't duel me, would you?" I would when you say it so suspiciously!!!

I find it so incredibly funny that I read "Put it in the hole, Griddle", stopped and laughed at the innuendo, and then Gideon does the same. *insert that meme of two guys waving at each other and saying "same hat", but it says "same brain" instead*

Oho! Another Gideon mentioned in the notes. Could it be the one she got named after? And the G in the "G. & P." must be this Gideon. Interesting... I have a funny feeling about this and I wonder if it'll turn out to be correct... 🧐

I'm glad Harrow and me are on the same page with Dulcinea. This is why I like Harrow. She gets it.

Muir really went for the jugular when she wrote 4 full pages of Gideon violently dying.

Another murder... Hmmm... Things are getting tense...

Corona seems to be avoiding all and every chance to show of her necromancy skills. Suspicious, if you ask me. 🤔

YES YES YES!!! VICTORY TO CAMILLA! (That dislocation was so awful. Loved it!)

AAAAAAAA THE NINTH RAISES TO THE OCCASION!!! Time for pay-back!!!

And Jeannemary too 😭😭

Aw, man. :( No fight.

I love how much credit Palamedes gives to Gideon when in reality she knows jack shit.

Of course Gideon's only thought was Sex Pal. Why would it be anything else?

I am fighting for my life with the need to look at fanart because I am a little worried about seeing spoilers. I did see one (whoops!), but luckily it just approved of one of my suspicions hehe. Still, I am saying clear of the tag for now. My thirst for content will have to wait until I finish the book. That's it for now. I'll return with a new update soon enough. <3

#locked tomb #the locked tomb #gideon the ninth #dnevnik čitanja #reading #reading journal #dnevnik citanja

[wordplayfics]

1D Wordplay Fic Challenge - 2023 Edition

About the 1D Wordplay Fic Challenge

The Wordplay Fic Challenge is a challenge that runs for five weeks. Every week there is a single randomly generated word that acts as the prompt for that week's fics. Those who would like to participate in the challenge are asked only to do their best to write a fic based on that word in a week's time before then getting the prompt for the following week.

This is meant to be a low-stakes and fun challenge to get your creative juices flowing and help get those words out quickly by allowing you to create five shorter works instead of one larger project (as is done in similar challenges such as NaNoWriMo). It is also a fun way to see how everyone interprets the prompts differently giving us a group of incredibly diverse fics all written for the same prompt.

Details

As stated above, the 1D Wordplay Fic Challenge lasts for five weeks. The words used as the prompts are assigned via a random word generator and posted to the @wordplayfics blog and Discord weekly. Everyone choosing to participate that week will have one week to write a fic inspired by that word. This year, the prompts will be given on Wednesday mornings (Eastern Time) with the fics for that prompt posting the following Wednesday. Each Wednesday morning (August 23, August 30, September 6, September 13, and September 20), the new prompt will be assigned and that week’s fics will post a few of hours later. Authors can begin their work on the next week's fics as soon as the prompt is posted and they are ready to do so.

Those interested in participating are not required to take part in all five weeks. It is preferred that all who sign-up have the intent of participating in at least three weeks, but all five would be wonderful. Life happens and creativity doesn't always come about when you would like it to, which is fine. Just to say it once more, this challenge is meant to be fun and as relaxed as a challenge involving this kind of fast turn around can be.

Rules

All participants must be 18 or older. Please respect this rule.

There are no word count limits or other rules regarding content, though as this fest is a One Direction fandom fest, all fics must include a member of One Direction as a main character. 

The only requirements for the fics themselves are:

They are written within a week’s time and posted to the appropriate collection before that week's fics are revealed

The assigned word prompt is clearly used as inspiration for the fic  

Tentative Schedule (Dates are subject to change):

Sign-ups Open: July 26, 2023 Sign-ups Close: August 22, 2023 First Prompt Posted: August 23, 2023 First Round’s Fics Posted: August 30, 2023

Posting Details

Below is all of the information regarding the details for posting your fics to the collection(s) and what information I am asking you include in AO3 when you post. I will update this post every week as I get the new collection set up for each prompt, but there will also be a link to the collection in the bio of the blog where the prompts are listed for each week, so that will likely be the easiest way to find it. 

The Basics:

Add your fic to the appropriate collection (details below) by 2 pm EDT on the respective Wednesday

Please make a fic post for your fics and tag @wordplayfics  

There will be a masterpost updated weekly with links to the newly published collection

Each week's collections will be able to be found here: Week 1: Poem Week 2: Run Week 3: Stable - Fics post 13 September Week 4: TBA Week 5: TBA

Please be sure your fic is in the collection before 2pm EDT each Wednesday. 

There will be a countdown linked in each post with that week’s prompt because timezones can be hard. If your fic is not already in the collection when I go to publish the fics, then they won’t be approved to be in the collection. You may still post your fic and link it to the challenge–I will even reblog your fic post to the challenge page–but the point of this challenge is to write a fic in a week’s time. I don’t want to give any one person more or less time than anyone else, thus the deadline of 2 pm and not allowing late fics into the collection. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Also remember: you aren’t required to participate every week, but please do your best to participate in at least three of the five weeks this challenge is active.

Once fics are posted, it is recommended you make a fic post. Be sure to tag @wordplayfics in the fic post so it can be reblogged here. (I also recommend you link to your fic post at the end of your fic in AO3. If you don’t know how to do this, please reach out and I will be happy to help you.)

It would be preferred if the fic posts are scheduled to post within an hour of the fics going live so they don't have to be searched for every week and it also helps lower the possibility of fic posts falling between the cracks and getting missed. Tumblr does not always notify me when the blog has been tagged, though, so if your fic post has not been interacted with by this blog or my main @lululawrence by Wednesday evening, please send the post to me!

Questions? Concerns? Please let me know and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.

If you’d like to see what resulted from the Wordplay Fic Challenge in previous years, you can find all the fics in the Wordplay collection on AO3 as well as a breakdown of the weekly prompts and the resulting fics in the Wordplay Masterpost.

#wordplay 7.0 #2023 information #long post #aaaaand we are BACK BABY

[shai-manahan]

Hollowed Minds Progress Update 5/08/23

Hi! I know I failed at making a progress update last month, so first of all, apologies for that! Things have just been busy tbh and life has been too stressful that at some points I just couldn't write. It's why I've been a bit inactive here as well, and why I've been barely answering the asks I've been receiving.

I cannot report yet how many words I've written for the update so far because I haven't really taken a look at it myself, but I will do so at the end of the month if there's still no confirmed schedule by then. My eye health has just been very consistent at making my life harder as well until recently, and here's hoping I'll at least be able to function properly for a whole month🤞

Some things that will be in the next update:

For Chapter 2's Part 2:

Everything still goes as planned, except now both routes are expected to be fast-paced and action-oriented, though one is still more intense than the other.

This will be a massive one, not because of the word count but because of the variations that will play out. There won't be much issues in arranging the transitions to Chapter 3, so there's at least that, but your choices will matter a lot. So you might have to be careful with them.

One of the routes gets Alonzo actively involved, but please be assured that this doesn't mean you have to romance them. I actually encourage you all to check out both routes once they come because you'll gain more discoveries that way. 👀

Alonzo's route will be so memeworthy, I have to admit. Please try it.

There's an info dump in Chapter 2's Part 1 that I'm not really a fan of, so I'll be moving some of those to this part instead if needed.

For the overall IF:

Alex will now have a set skin tone if a lighter one is chosen for the Ripper. I will discuss this in detail soon, but I just wanted to emphasize that Alex and Ripper's mother are canonically PoC.

You will have options for your Ripper to wear contacts or glasses (or neither ofc).

You'll be able to bring a weapon with you in Chapter 2 depending on your choices so far.

You might remember a section of Chapter 1 where you can choose what your Ripper had been doing for the duration of the five months. I might reduce it to a few, just so I could have them properly recognized in the story.

There will be a couple of changes in the character descriptions in the game's stats page, with plans to make them shorter, too, for easier readability.

I will make sure you'll have saves at the end of this. So please don't be surprised if there'll be more page breaks in the future, as well as more choices (that are still as meaningful.)

In connection to above, I also plan to make the in-game descriptions snappier and easier to read while still maintaining the quality they should have. Your feedback will be very important for this, and this also applies to the beta testers (sorry I've been so silent. I swear I'll get back to you all soon lmao)

Not really too related here, but I also plan to be more consistent with my updates in the future. It's just that my irl schedule is still a huge mess, and it's very hard to be consistent when that happens.

Just a last piece of my mind. Some anons have been very aggressive with harassment the past few months, and I really have no interest for more drama right now. So if you have issues, if you think you can back your own words, send them through a DM or at least turn off anon so we could have a proper conversation.

It's honestly tiring. Being an Asian in this community can already be so tiring, so I am begging people to be mature and responsible with their words. After all, I've repeatedly said that you can always come to me with your concerns or whatever you have against me. As long as we can actually talk about it.

Anyway, that's all, and I hope the week will be good for everyone :) I have a few more things to post on Patreon tomorrow, so if you're a current patron, do look forward to that!

#hollowed minds series #interactive fiction #hollowed minds #wip #writing #hollowed minds book one #if wip #interactive novel #hollowed minds progress update #progress update #interactive game #if game #cyoa

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion June Development Update: Schedule Edition, Straight Talk

[I decided to post our June dev update early, because I have some difficult things to say, but I hope this will get us all on the same page about what's happened with Made Marion since our Kickstarter.]

Hi everyone! I've decided to check in early with a report on our development schedule and some straight talk on some tough stuff. I hope this will help us all get on the same page and be excited instead of worried about Made Marion's development process.

First of all, thank you all so much for your magnificent patience and concern! This is definitely not how I wanted Made Marion's development to go or how it would have gone if things were still the way they were for our team back when we ran our Kickstarter. We have been seriously kicked in the teeth repeatedly, and I'd like to offer a better explanation and our proposed solutions and revised schedule.

I'm also sorry for the lack of pretty pictures this month!  There will be many available very soon when Robin's beta test is ready to go!

The Problems:

1. As of fall 2021, things were going pretty well! We'd just run a beta for Made Marion's prologue and my route outlines were shaping up nicely. Then things began to go wrong. I had some issues at home that took up my attention, and then my darn town flooded. Drat it, ok, lost a couple months, but we can get back on track in 2022...

2. Then 2022, for various reasons was a disaster for pretty much our entire team (I'm only going to talk about my problems here, because those are the ones it is mine to share). It ended up being basically a wash for development. Why wasn't that obvious from our development updates? Because of my brain. I contracted Covid in January of 2022 and a few weeks later, the Long Covid symptoms started. I was near-narcoleptic for several months. It was scary and embarrassing and I didn't know how to talk about it. So I was as positive as I could be. Around May, my body started to recover. I was able to live more normally and I figured that meant I could get back to development.

What I didn't know and couldn't effectively communicate was that the brain fog was still there. I was writing, but not in a straight line. I wrote scenes for all the love interests here and there, scribbled a bunch in my notebooks, but a full, logical route for Robin wasn't happening. And the problem with your brain not working right is that it's very difficult to understand that your brain isn't working right. I thought things were cool! So it appeared that I wasn't being honest about the status of development without me realizing it did or even fully understanding that development wasn't going well. I'm very sorry about that.

3. Around November of 2022 my brain started working better again, but I was demoralized and felt like I'd forgotten how to write. I "eased" myself back into writing with a huge fic, along with finally getting back to putting words together for Robin. I wrote words!  Lots of words!  Good words!  Yeah!  We pulled together as a team and got our enhanced demo out, which was a lot of work but was super exciting.

4. Feeling guilty about the wash that was 2022 and excited because of how much verbiage I'd put out, I created an ambitious schedule toward an Early Access release of all the Sherwood routes this fall. It was based on the amount of words I'd been putting out, so I was convinced it was doable. Some of you wrote in to Tumblr with concerns that it was overly ambitious. You were wonderful and primarily concerned for my well-being. You were also correct.

The Solutions:

1. I need to accept that I have a disabling condition that currently has no cure and that, although it has greatly improved since last year, means that I can't always work at my peak capacity. This is super tough for a high achiever with general anxiety. I hate even talking about it, but I want to be as transparent with y'all as I can be.

2. The schedule: I still wish to keep a relatively ambitious target schedule for the remainder of development. I think it is helping us all Get Shit Done(tm). I just need to be a little less ambitious. I still plan to release Early Access this fall and I'm still hoping for October (which was always tentative), but November may be more realistic. It depends on how well my body and mind cooperate over the summer, and on the individual situations of our artists. Early Access will launch with Robin and Will's routes. John is going to need to take more time. It will be worth it, because he will get the full attention and care that his wonderful self deserves.

3. The weekly mini-dev updates: I have started posting mini-dev updates on Mondays on Tumblr. This is the place to go if you want a more granular report of the progress we've been making, and I think they're going to be very helpful for maintaining clarity and helping keep us all on-task.

4. Beta: I have more detailed information about Beta in the Kickstarter version of this update.

Conclusion:

Looking back from here, our original release date estimate from Kickstarter was too ambitious even under ideal circumstances. That was my development inexperience speaking. The rest was a lot of IRL horribleness. However, the gang is back together now, and the game is now, actually, truly, progressing nicely once more. Going forward, I'll be able to post much more concrete progress and I think doing so as I write each route is a better choice than posting a bunch of specific completion dates that we may not meet. You'll be able to see our progress as it happens instead.

Notes and Goodies:

Robin's new expressions are in!  I love the way he turned out and Arrapso (a fellow perfectionist, err, high achiever) seems happier with him now as well.  Awesome!  I will post some previews on Tumblr soon, once I have coded a few of the new expressions into the game client.

John's role-playing choice has been re-configured a bit. I was previously calling it "conflict or compromise," but I was getting stuck on the "conflict" part because I didn't want Marion and John to be fighting all the time if you made those choices. It didn't seem like fun, or particularly in-character for John. I am now calling it "challenge or compromise."  Because John is kind and wonderful and protective but is also traumatized and stubborn and overprotective. Sometimes he needs to be challenged, and it won't always lead to an argument. I think this makes for more interesting choices and for John to have more room to be John.

I coded in Will's first use of his genuine smile expression (you get to confront him about his attitude early on in Robin's route) and am happy to report that it is SUPER EFFECTIVE.

For any of you Ren'py devs out there, I continue to evangelize matrixcolor.  It's relatively new, but you should absolutely check out what it can do. Previously, I used it to tint our characters a bit so they blended in better with evening and night backgrounds.  I also used it to sepia-tone memory sequences.  I've now used it to make images slowly disappear via transparency and turn our blood animation green instead of red for... spoiler purposes.  It is so easy and flexible, you should absolutely play with it!

I'll be reporting in later this month on our Beta test status!

#made marion #made marion dev update #tough stuff #Brains and nervous systems are super duper weird and modern medicine doesn't have a good handle on them yet

[jezmmart]

Unwarped version of the photo from the very end of the Summer Special for funsies.

No more jokes or avoiding questions about exactly how long it's going to be, the Summer Special is truly over now!  Thank you all again for reading. I hope it was enjoyable for those invested in the characters and those who just tune in each week for a quick chuckle alike.

It's been a fun challenge to write my first longform story for the comic, as it's far from something I'm confident in.  All together it clocked in at 85 pages (though shave a few off in spots where I just used negative space for dramatic effect rather than filling the longer pages with panels all the way down).  With the average page taking me 3-5 hours to make, that's about 14 days of work.  If I just didn't sleep I could've cranked this out in less than a month, dang!  Well, next time.

I've had the jist for this story in my head for a fair few years so it's been nice to finally realise it.  I'll get into the nitty-gritty when the trivia posts get this far I'm sure, but while it's still fresh in my mind, here's some off-the-cuff bits regarding the broad story for fun:

(Spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it yet!)

* I originally envisioned this as a thing I'd secretly work on behind the scenes and drop in its entirety for download, framed like a traditional "summer special" magazine. But unfortunately I just don't have that kind of time, and knowing that it would be years of work to do it alongside my other output, paired with the fear that not every reader would necessarily ever get around to reading a longform thing when they're used to just tuning in for a 30 second fix once a week and moving on, it became a no-brainer to just make it a "special" in spirit only and make it part of the main comic.  And I know myself, the only way this was ever getting done is if I just posted that first one and then locked myself in to having to finish it, one week at a time.

* The fact that I did it in 2022-2023, and the pacing of the story for the first half, was entirely dictated by the fact that Chamomile's update day was due to land on Christmas Day in 2022.  If I wanted to make that inappropriate Christmas Day comic joke, it was now or never, and because it needed to be a standalone ridiculous one comic scene in juxtoposition to the rest of the story-driven special, staging it as a dream sequence between the two days had to be the time for it.

* To that end... when I began working on it, I didn't have the whole thing planned out.  Day 1 of the trip was more or less sorted but I still had a ton of comics that were just scenes with no jokes yet, and Day 2 was a big question mark that somehow had to lead to Vi's dramatic reveal to Bri and realisation/meet-up with Sam at the end of it.  Day 2 was only fleshed out and finalised by around December last year, when everyone was going to bed on Day 1!  The idea to more thoroughly conclude Brianna's story in an extra epilogue, segregated off from the rest of the special so Sam and Vi's scene would still feel like a "climax", and also allowing the summer special to continue through this year's summer rather than ending right beforehand, only came to me early this year, and finalising the particulars of it came right down to the wire, with all the comics involved fleshed out and ready to go basically when I began drawing the first (or maybe even second, lol).

* On the note of Brianna, her story here is a lighter version of a story idea I had for her back before Cammie even existed and I was considering making a comic about her - a story in which someone returns to their hometown or a special place to find solace but instead finds out that everything has changed and has to learn a hard lesson about how nostalgia can't save you from adult life overwhelming you etc.  In my head it was to be a relatively sombre mood, but tbh I don't know where to begin writing something like that and have it be engaging throughout.  All I know is how to do jokes!!  So I mourn the loss of that imagined version but I'm happy I made something of it at last.  It's impossible to make stuff to your initial vague vision, it was always bound to change!

* While weekly updates meant I never had the time to flesh out their pre-relationship friendship as much as I'd always imagined I would... Sam and Vi have been destined to happen since Sam was introduced to the comic.  Been playing the long game in trying to make them inconspicious but shippers gonna ship and plenty of people saw it coming, but that's fine, haha!

* The elongated search for a 20p coin to get into the public toilets and then it turning out that contactless card payment could have been used the entire time was a real thing that happened to me and my partner during our 2016 holiday in New Forest.  It was really really funny and I've been sitting on the story in order to use it in Chamomile at some point for years and years.

That'll do for now!  Please look forward to the return to regular ol' classic Chamomile antics from Sunday!

#jezmm #art #chamomile comic #chamomile comic trivia #original character #character art #vienna #samantha #chamomile #brianna #layla