cheryl-writes

[cheryl-writes]

i think one of the most important things you learn about making connections with others is that a significant portion of the time people just do not know theyre doing what theyre doing

[cheryl-writes]

Merry Crisis—Features

Romance-focused x Slice-of-life x Queer x Non-Euro-centric x Character-based

As a late 20-something year-old fresh from a recent break-up and struggling to pay rent in New York, life throws up more questions than answers.

Demo | Cast of characters | Dev log | Back to Main Post | COG forum thread | Dedicated tumblr | Ko-fi

Gameplay features

Full character customisation (with wide-ranging effects on story and gameplay): pick your gender, height, build, personality, tennis style, physical appearance, dominant hand, and many more!

Patch things up with a (very recent) ex, who also happens to be your flatmate in Brooklyn—resolve the issues that had slowly caused a rift between you, or call it quits and move on.

Run into your first-love and find closure or rekindle an old flame. They’re doing ridiculously, absurdly, well—at least on the outside, but you wonder if anything has changed since you’d left Singapore for college.

Have a whirlwind romance with the sexy neighbour that your mom despises, mostly because they’re in an indie band (not a real job), have tattoos, and leave muddy mountain bike tracks on the common corridor.

Survive a week back home with family—and possibly even strengthen your relationships (or quickly lose your sanity when your aunt asks for the fifth time if you’re still single).

Watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks—and contemplate if your future still lies in New York, or if you should finally return to Singapore.

Author’s note

The game explores being in one’s late 20s, being torn between a place you’re born in versus a place you’ve chosen to build your life in, the tension between familiarity and adventure, duty and freedom, and asks: what does ‘home’ truly mean, and is it really where the heart lies?

[cheryl-writes]

edit as you write. use adverbs. use said. outline. or don’t. plot it. pants it. make a mary sue. who cares! just write whatever makes you happy. that’s all this is about. be happy in what you make.

[cheryl-writes]

What's New In IF? Issue 24 (2024)

By Brij, Dion, Bex and Jen

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3

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~ EDITORIAL ~

What’s that? A surprise you say?

If you’ve read our last Issue carefully, you might have registered that we are brewing up a surprise! Read Announcements to find out more.

We want some feedback!

As we’re starting to get a hand of things, we would love some feedback from you guys! What you enjoy, want more or less off, how we could improve... Anything goes! We even have a nifty form!

Still looking for members!

Due to the severe changes in the Zine team, we are once again looking for free hands with a couple of hours to kill, and minds, looking to make a little difference in the community!

If you too would like to help us out in a more official capacity, please shoot us a message! You can check out the available positions here, but if you’d like to help in any other way, feel free to contact us as well!

No Small Talk for some time!

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

BRIJ, DION, BEX AND JEN

~ BE PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Excited as we are about next week's interview and have questions for our guest? Or want to see a certain author answer questions next? Message us!

SMALL TALK... IS WAITING!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

64.media.tumblr.com

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : ECTOCOMP 2024 ~

La Petite Mort or Le Grand Guignol? Either way, it’s going to get spooky!

Ever since October 2007 spooky-game enthusiasts all over the world have a chance to participate in ECTOCOMP, an annual competition for interactive fiction celebrating the SPOOKY MONTH OF HALLOWEENTOBER. Whether you celebrate Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Saint's Eve, or just love ghost stories and creeping people out, this is your time to shine!

Previously organized by Jason Guest for ADRIFT games, the jam is now open to all development platforms. Since the beginning of this initiative, there has been a motivation to unite and strengthen ties between international communities in the IF world. Creators can submit games either in one of the four main languages - English, Spanish, French and German or any other!

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ghostbusters. Named after the Ghostbusters’ car license plate number ECTO 1, this year the jam pays tribute to the film that inspired the title! Some other subthemes and inspiration prompts are: Spooky adventure, Sweet supernatural, Halloween fest, Día de Los Muertos, All Saints', All Souls' Eve and any other festivity or mythology around the world.

As per tradition, Ectocomp has two categories:

La Petite Mort, for those who want to speed-write their game in 4 hours or less.

Le Grand Guignol, for games that, for whatever reason, took longer than 4 hours to write.

When the jam is over, all of the submitted games will be uploaded to the IF Archive.

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~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

The voting for IFComp is still in full swing! Until Oct 15, you can play and rate at least 5 of the 67 entries! Yup, only just 5 games to be an official judge!

Entries have been submitted for the 6th Spooktober Annual Visual Novel Jam! You can vote for your favourites until October 27th! Every October Friday you can also watch Chizu's sponsored Spooktober Stream where she plays through all submissions!

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Another edition of the Bad Art Visual Novel Jam is upon us! The submissions are open until October 19th for anything following the theme Super Hero/Super Villain. Just remember: No good art!

Find inspiration in dusty old decrepit corners, revivify the forgotten - the Revival Jam 2024 is here! You can submit anything you want until the 20th of October.

Strip IF to it’s bare bones and all it become beautiful text. That’s what The Bare-Bones Jam is about.

It’s spooky month and with it comes the annual ECTOCOMP 2024. If it’s spooky or supernatural why not submit it?

Running until Halloween, the Phantasia Jam is a three months game jam to create a fantasy narrative game, with the theme of “Hidden Magic”. It accepts both VN and IF.

On the CoG Forum, Halloween is already there! Until Oct 31st, you can submit your projects to the Halloween Jam - but don't forget the theme! VAMPIRE, Murder, 70’s Disco!

~ OTHER ~

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running! If you have completed an IF piece this year, consider submitting it! It is happening only on itch!

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~ NEW RELEASE ~

Room 310: The Awakening (ZX Spectrum) is now available for all ZX Spectrum fans and text adventure enthusiasts.

Sigh of the Abyss (Steam) is a dark fantasy visual novel with choice-heavy narrative and optional, inclusive romances. Play as the Envoy, a product of a bloody ritual and discover the splendor of a Renaissance port city.

Under Care of the Forest (Ren'Py) is a VN about a young witch bride chosen for the Lord of the Forest. Available in English and Russian.

Kingdom of the Seven Stones (Commodore 64) is where thee, the curious stranger, have the chance to enter the realm to embark on a journey of epic proportions.

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Help! I Got Isekaied as a Lamia (Twine) is a story where you discover that you have been isekaied not once, but twice. @succubus-interactivefiction

In In The Future You Are My Best Friend (CScript) you take a place of a medieval slave, who is rescued by a time-traveler who claims they share a deep bond.

Nightmare Blunt Rotation (CScript) is a comedy themed IF that focuses on online relationships and how it effects real life perception. @app-ifs

Sabbatum Sanctum (CScript) is a story set in Philippines where you play a former vigilante who decided to turn on a new leaf after taking on revenge against your biggest adversary.

In Talewarden: Riders of the New Day (Itch) you wake up on the desolate wasteland planet called Notoria with no memory of how you got there. Perhaps you will find your way back home... Or get stranded here.

~ UPDATES ~

Chains of Destiny (CScript) added extra content to Chapter 2. @chains-of-destiny

College Tennis: Origin Story (CScript) released Chapter 5 for Ko-fi supporters. @collegetennisoriginstory

Help! I can't find my Glasses! (CScript) added new content to the demo. @lacewing-if

Midnight Bay (CScript) released the first half of Chapter 3. @midnight-bay-if

Orphic Love (CScript) released Chapter 5.

Ouroboros (CScript) released Chapter 2 on their Patreon. @louroth

Path of Martial Arts (CScript) added extra content to their public and Patreon demos. @nicky-if

Pythium.exe (CScript) added content to their Prologue. @deputyrook

Spire, Surge and Sea (CScript) added Chapters 5 and 6 to their demo.

Starways Saga (CScript) updated the Naval path.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (CScript) created a Lestrade minigame. @doriana-gray-games

The Bar of the Abyss (CScript) added The Archive to their demo. @thebarontheabyss

The Catalyst (CScript) released part 1 of Chapter 1 to their demo. @rheaofficial

The In-Between (CScript) released early access to Chapter 10 on their Patreon. @dalekowrites

Weeping Gods (CScript) released Chapter 1. @jcollinswrites

Summoner's Return (Twine) added new content to their demo. @king-of-fae

Tales of Wocdes: The Silver Protector (Twine) added Chapter 2 to their demo. @tales-of-wocdes

The Ballad of Devil's Creek (Twine) added Chapter 7 to their demo. @devilscreekballad

The Gray Ascendancy (Twine) added extra content to their demo. @thegrayascendancy-if

The Reaper Watches Me (Twine) added Chapter 2 to their demo. @thereaperwatchesme

Viatica (Twine) added Chapter 10 to their demo. @fir-fireweed

~ OTHER ~

The Retro Adventurers podcast released Episode 8, where they take on two classic text adventure games - Swiss Family Robinson 3 and Valhalla.

Drew Cook released let’s make IF #12: formatting and forgeries, where he walks us through the process of making Inform 7 games!

The VNture Podcast released episode #119, where they discuss unusual conflicts in Visual Novels.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse has released a new DLC: Those Who Refuse to Die, the book and both DLCs are on sale until October 17th.

You can now play demo Innsmouth 22 thanks to Early Access.

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

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~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

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~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Aquarium by Harris Powell-Smith (itch.io)

First episode of a very intriguing story about dating cute guys and secrets. There’s also Thanksgiving (episode 2) and the unfinished Valentine’s (episode 3).

//recommended by Dion [Team]//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

64.media.tumblr.com

I don't think you guys know how i literally wait for these issues. I always find something really good i haven't heard of or that i didn't know updated.

Thank you so much. This always puts a smile on my face. You guys are awesome! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

- @elegantunknownphantom

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

Everyone’s favourite holiday is upon us, and as a celebration, we in the WNIF team decided to make the next two issues HALLOWEEN THEMED! What does that mean? Aside from a slight graphic change, we will be adding a recommendation section - something of a larger version of the Highlight on... section you’re already used to.

But for that, we will need your help! Is there a game that you love that just screeches "Halloween!" at you? Share it with us and we will include it in one of our Halloween double-issues so all our other readers can check it out as well.

We even have a form for it!

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As always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on the last issue!

What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!

Thank you for cheering us on this journey

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We now have a Linktree! Accessing all of our links has never been easier.

See you again next week!

BRIJ, DION, BEX, JEN

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 24

[cheryl-writes]

did someone say update?

This was the last step on the Update everything because SugarCube broke everything with the last update tour: the templates. As of today, all the templates are now compatible with SugarCube 2.37.3 (passage code + APIs!).

The changes also include some fixes in the explanations, as well as reformatting the interface (a bit). The whole log of all the edits can be found by clicking on the link below:

The older versions of these templates (2.36 compatible) have been archived on my GitHub. And as of today, any new template created for SugarCube will only be available for 2.37 (too many changes).

If you liked a/some template/s, consider sharing the following posts:

User Interface Template:

Simple Book

One Page (à-la-Chapbook)

Space/Tech Double Whammy

VN-lite RPG

Title Page

Code Template:

Settings

Character creator (+ Guide/Tips)

Also, don't forget to change the IFID when using a template!

[cheryl-writes]

There is no actual game. This is just a game mock-up created for the Mock-up Game Jam by JaylusX

Two of Us is a fantasy visual novel game where you play a wizard on a quest to find herself after she meets who might be her lost twin.

— STORY —

You were just passing through the city when you bumped on someone you didn't know could exist. She looks like you, sounds like you and her life is like a carbon copy of your own. The only difference is that she uses a magic that is similar but opposite to yours.

Could it be that you aren't a single child like you thought?

— FEATURES —

— Choose between on you the two wizards and possible twins.

— Guide them to the mysterious wizard tower set deep in dark forest, hidden behind a thick curtain of fog. It has been calling you both and you must answer.

— Discover the truth behind the secret annual meetings that the highest wizards of the kingdoms hold inside the tower. It might not be what you expect.

— GAMEPLAY —

This being a mockup means there is no actual gameplay, but you can download the screenshot with high resolution and see the images at a higher quality!

LINK

[cheryl-writes]

normalize writing tutorials to yourself

[cheryl-writes]

Being actually for real serious about a series name for Blood Moon and Thicker Than... I was actually thinking about calling it something like 'City of Monsters' or 'This City of Ours' or similar because the city itself is the one constant character throughout.

Thoughts?

[cheryl-writes]

The Great Nation of Alyera had known only prosperity since the young monarch of the royal family took the throne. Great things were promised, and delivered, and nothing seemed to be able to stop the growing bonds within the nation.

Until the monarch’s consort perished…

Until you died… Due to an assassination attempt on the monarch’s life.

Wrought with grief and anger, the Monarch of Alyera promised revenge on all those that took their love from them; no matter the lives that may be taken in order to conquer such a feat.

A land of prosperity and harmony soon falling into war and bloodshed. Something that no one could stop due to the power of the royal family.

It’s for that very reason that the rebel group enacted a ritual that would transport someone to the past; before the kind monarch turned dark.

It’s for that very reason you were resurrected— from your place in limbo— to go back in time and stop the love of your life from turning into something they never should have been.

Will you be able to succeed? Even if it means letting them fall in love with someone else?

Demo Features

This story is 18+. Please be aware of this before continuing forward!

Customizable MC: name, appearance, gender, sexuality, parts of your background, hobbies, and a smattering of other things!

Go back in time to a time before the love of your life became the love of your life. Before they were wrought with so much grief they turned into something you could never imagine.

Will you be able to stop yourself from falling in love with them again? Especially if it means saving them from themself?

Romance a single RO that will hopefully offer enough enjoyment that you don’t mind that there isn’t more! (Customizable appearance— barring their height and few other things.)

Remember your mission… Especially when you’re back in the future and have to deal with the reality of what happened to your love after your death.

DEMO

King/Queen/Liege Shaerian of House Elanil

Shaerian, or simply Shae, has been the prospective heir of Alyera since they were born— bypassing their older brother completely. With a gentle heart, that’s filled with compassion, and a warriors spirit, it’s no wonder that Shaerian would later become the ruling monarch of the great elven kingdom.

It’s only when they chose you, a simple human, as their consort that any sort of disfavor for their rule became known, but Shae wouldn’t hear any of it. They didn’t care as long as they had you by their side…

If only you had been able to stay there.

Set Appearance: Shaerian is 6’4” with a lithe/athletic build that all elves seem to possess. Their elegance being negated by the great strength and dexterity of their species. (Hair, eye, and skin color are all customizable. Along with other things too.)

M!Shae has his hair to just above his ears. F!Shae has hers to just beneath her shoulder blades. NB!Shae has theirs to their jawline.

[cheryl-writes]

My writing process:

Stare at blank page for undetermined time (may be minutes, may be months)

Write words

Read words

Delete words

Write different words

Delete words

Write the same words

Keep some words

Delete 90% of the jokes

Question why I write so many deeply cringy jokes

Repeat

[cheryl-writes]

The 100% Good Ready-to-Use Tweego Folder!

The 100% Good Ready-to-Use Tweego Folder is both a coding guide for the Tweego compiler and an easy-install for the program. It is meant to complement the official Tweego documentation, and update the Tweego download folder (formats). The Guide is fairly short and goes over installation of Tweego in Windows and MacOS, the Twee Notation (a.k.a. Passage set-up), and use of Tweego in Windows and MacOS as well as with Twine 1 and Twine 2 formats.

While the Guide was compiled with SugarCube 2.37.3, and the Ready-to-Use Tweego Folder has a base project with SugarCube 2.37.3, Tweego can be used with any Twine 1 and Twine 2 formats. Annotations are also provided to change formats.

READ THE GUIDE & DOWNLOAD THE FOLDER

Note: setting up Tweego is different depending on your device. Check the Guide for full instructions before downloading the Folder (esp. for MacOS).

The Folder includes:

the Ready-to-Use Tweego Guide

Tweego, all official Twine 1 & 2 formats, and relevant scripts

a Base New Project with annotations

GITHUB REPO | RAISE AN ISSUE | TWINE RESOURCES TEMPLATES | SUGARCUBE GUIDE | CSCRIPT 2 SG GUIDE

Twine® is an “an open-source tool for telling interactive, non-linear stories” originally created by Chris Klimas maintained in several different repositories (Twinery.org). Twine is also a registered trademark of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation.

Tweego is a free (gratis and libre) command line compiler for Twine/Twee story formats, written in Go, created by TME. The Ready-to-Use folder is based on the one put together by Sjoerd.

READ THE GUIDE & DOWNLOAD THE FOLDER

The previous version of this Guide and Folder (SugarCube 2.36.1/Windows only) is still available for download on my GitHub.

[cheryl-writes]

Looking for New Members!

We are still looking for new members to fill in the following positions!

Social Media Poster (1): someone who will post announcements (new issue, next interview, other) on our different accounts (X, Mastodon, Bluesky, Itch Devlogs, CoG Forum). Potentially will need to interact with other users tagging/replying to us on those platforms.

~

Transcriber (1): someone to transcribe the zine for Tumblr and in the .txt format before it is posted. Templates are already ready for both formats, requiring mostly some copy-pasting and formatting. We would need someone free on Saturday (mid-day UTC).

~

Editor (1): someone who will write the Editorial and Thanks section, select the event to spotlight and games to highlight, and checks the columns sent.

From past experience, we expect a couple of hours per week to complete either the task. You won't be assigned any other duties than the one you signed-up for (unless you want to contribute more).

A Discord username is preferred for communication.

No preferred time-zone.

You must be open and willing to promote all forms of IF (not just choice-based). <- this is really important to us

Interested in helping make a change?

Shoot us a message!

[cheryl-writes]

The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide!

The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide is a coding guide for the SugarCube format of Twine. It is meant as an alternative to the SugarCube documentation, with further explanations, interactive examples, and organised by difficulty. The goal of this guide is to make the learning curve for new SugarCube user less steep, and provide a comprehensive and wide look over the format.

VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!

The Guide is compartmentalised in (currently) four categories:

THE BASICS or the absolute basics to start with SugarCube. No need for extra knowledge. Just the base needed to make something.

THE BASICS + adding interactivity, and creating a fully rounded IF game May require a bit of CSS knowledge (formatting rules)

INTERMEDIATE MODE adding more customisation and complex code Will probably require some CSS knowledge, and maybe some JavaScript

ADVANCE USE the most complex macros and APIs Will surely require some JavaScript/jQuery knowledge

Note: The Advanced Use includes all the APIs, macros, and methods not covered by the previous categories. This includes code requiring very advance knowledge of JavaScript/jQuery to be used properly.

Each category explains many aspects of the format, tailored to a specific level of the user. More simpler explanations and examples are available in earlier chapters, compared to the later ones.

If something is unclear, you found a mistake, you would like more examples in the guide, or would like a feature covered, let me know!

The Guide currently covers all macros (as of SugarCube v.2.37.3), all functions and methods, and APIs. It touches upon the use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery, when relevant. It also discusses aspects of accessibility.

The Guides also provides a list of further resources, for the different coding languages.

The Guide is available in a downloadable form for offline view:

HTML file that can be opened in Twine

.tw file that can be opened in Twine

source code, separating the chapters, .js and .css files

GITHUB REPO | RAISE AN ISSUE | TWINE RESOURCES TWEEGO | TEMPLATES | CSCRIPT 2 SG GUIDE

Twine® is an “an open-source tool for telling interactive, non-linear stories” originally created by Chris Klimas maintained in several different repositories (Twinery.org). Twine is also a registered trademark of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation.

SugarCube is a free (gratis and libre) coding format for Twine/Twee created and maintained by TME.

VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!

As of this release (v2.0.0), it is up to date with the version 2.37.3. If you are looking for the guide covering SugarCube 2.36.1, you can find it on my GitHub.

Note: the Guide is now complete. There won't be further substantial updates.

[cheryl-writes]

A... hunter sequel? As much as I love playing as a supernatural, that one sounds amazing.

The grey morality of it. Are you a ruthless killer or as someone really conflicted.

Accidentally falling for a werewolf or whatever. Nathan warns you how much of a bad idea it is. It'll break your heart. There was this vampire once...

Being a total badarse. There's so few IFs where you get a crossbow.

It's time to remind these monsters how humans got to the top of the motherfucking food chain. Ain't no where you can run. Ain't no where you can hide. The hunters are cleaning up the night.

[cheryl-writes]

CALLING ALL WRITERS 💗🤓✍️📕📝✏️

Hello! My name is KC Malik and I’m a published writer, indie game developer and editor with over eight years of experience in the writing field. While most of my editing experience has been completely pro-bono, I’d like to offer up my experience to the #writeblr and tumblr interactive fiction communities!

As of right now, I’m working as a game developer on my text-based game Larkin while pursuing a master’s degree in English Education and working as a professional writing tutor. As well as editing my own writing, I’ve worked with editors before and I know what an absolute beast it can be to face such a wall of text. I’ve edited academic work, fiction, fanfics, poems, resumes and cover letters (and of course, interactive fiction 😉) and I would love to help you make your work the best it can be :) With this I offer a variety of packages for editing (all payments through PayPal!)

Please reach out if you’d like to see samples of my work!

RATES:

Under 1k words - $25 + five day turn around

1k-5k words - $40 + 1 week turn around

5k-15k words - $100 + 2 week turn around

Additional Words exceeding 15k - $0.01/word

Faster turnaround - $15/day

[cheryl-writes]

“you’re a writer, right?”

me, staring at the one sentence i’ve managed to add in the last hour and the 12 open tabs on the specifics of shoes in 1845 Ireland: In theory.

[cheryl-writes]

What's New In IF? Issue 19 (2024)

By Marjorie, Axelle, and Noi

Now Available!

Itch.io. - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people sees it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

New faces for a new season!

This week, we had to say goodbye to Erika, who is returning to legal pastures after their incredible hard work with the zine. They were a core member of our team, digging through so many spots to help us find all the news for our readers!

With their departure leaving a big gap, we have been discussing the future of the zine, and have decided to add new faces to our roster!

If you would like to help us out in a more official capacity, shoot us a message!

~

For this issue, we talked with E. Jade Lomax, author of the beloved Stay? and More a Haunting than History, fan-fic writer (dirgewithoutmusic) and podcaster.

We got quite the scoop during our discussion, and dove quite a bit into spoiler territory… So you only get a tease today… and see the rest Wednesday!

Check out our interview with E. Jade Lomax on Small Talk…

We hope you enjoy this extra long issue!

MARJORIE, AXELLE, AND NOI

~ BE PART OF THE ZINE ~

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? HAS EXPANDED!

Since the release of issue #14, we've enacted some changes with the zine. It is now expanded with interviews of creators from all around the IF world, as well as direct contributions from you, our readers!

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Excited as we are about next week's interview and have questions for our guest? Or want to see a certain author answer questions next? Message us!

SMALL TALK... IS WAITING!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : Tales to Thrill Jam ~

Get your snacks, sit around the campfire, get thrills!

Hosted by Catsket (@catskets), who was interviewed in a previous issue of this Zine, the Tales to Thrill Jam is an unranked game jam with a focus on the Visual Novel medium all about stories.

Inspired by the campfire setting, the jam hopes participants would be inspired by this vibe: people gathering around a fire to tell stories, any kind of stories. No matter the genre, the aim is to give thrills to the players!

To help participants thinking of stories to tell, the jam includes different themes, from which at least one has to be chosen: Possessive Possessions, Lost & Found, and Forgotten Promise.

There is just a bit more than a week left to mess around and create a thrilling Visual Novel, with at least some plot, a conflict and an end!

And if you prefer experiencing thrills, there are already a couple of submitted entries!

~ ENDED ~

Two dozens entries were submitted to the Velox Fabula game jam. While it is a ranked jam, voting is restricted to entrants. But you can still check and cheer for the games submitted!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

Though the winner of the IntroComp has already been decided, as only one project was submitted, consider checking it out and give it some feedback! The author will only receive its prize if the game is completed...

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

For those who created an intent to participate at the IFComp, there is less than a week left to submit a full game... or wait for next year! (Or you can look our for beta-openings, create an account to vote when the games are released, or offer prizes!) @ifcomp

For the francophones, the French IF community is organizing a summer-long camp to create parsers. Join the Confiture de Parser if you're interested!

With just a bit over one week to go, the SuNoFes is still accepting narrative games, whether they be visual novels or more text-focused.

Do you have WIPs on indefinite hiatus? Projects you've started forced to be set aside? Bring Out Your Ghost is a jam to show off your ghosts (and maybe even spruce them up and finish them)! @neointeractives

On the CoG Forum, Halloween is already there! Until Oct 31st, submit to the Halloween Jam - it has funky themes!

Running until Halloween, the Phantasia Jam is a three months game jam to create a fantasy narrative game, with the theme of “Hidden Magic”. It accepts both VN and IF.

Do you understand or write Ukrainian? Until the end of the year, the Ukrainian IF Festival is happening on itch.io!

~ OTHER ~

There is only a short week left to participate in the Review-a-thon on the IntFiction Forum, whose initiative is to get more reviews for games. Check out this post by Tabitha! This is also a sponsored event, aiming to raise funds for one of the Forum members.

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running! If you have completed an IF piece this year, consider submitting it! It is happening only on itch!

~ SMALL TALK… ~

WITH E. JADE LOMAX (@ink-splotch)

Joining us this week is IF author, fanfic writer, and podcaster: E. Jade Lomax ~ Author of Stay? and More a Haunting than History

The interview below is not in its complete form, but it will be released in its entirety shortly. See at the end.

⟶ Hi E! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and how you found IF?

I grew up playing very few video games (the city-builder Pharoah being a massive exception), and hardly any narrative-based ones. After college, one of my best friends started introducing me to some of his favorite games, all of which had strong narrative elements – I think we started with Witcher 3 – and GDC talks. Not just IF, but computer-games-with-stories in general were something I hadn't really gotten deeply into before.

As the pandemic trapped us inside, we mainlined sourdough and Emily Short blog posts, and I grew more and more intrigued by the idea of narrative with choice and exploration included. It was (and is) just really satisfying to my brain to think about breaking a story and a possibility space down to comprehensible units and stitching them back together to make a navigable whole. You always find something new in doing it.

I made an interactive quiz for my personality sorting system, sortinghatchats, as a small project just to learn the ink tool. (I genuinely don't remember how I found out about ink, but blessings to the inkle guys for sharing that with the world so freely. That sort of generosity, easy knowledge-sharing, and joy in others' creations is one of the things that's made the IF community, like fandom, so enjoyable to engage in). Then I wrote Stay? in a four month binge and I'm a little hooked.

⟶ For those who don't know Stay?, can you tell us more about this game?

Stay? is an IF game in which you play as a young adult attending a magical university, choosing your career path, your relationships, etc. About a decade later, unbeknownst to you, the world is meant to end.

But the morning before the world ends, your taciturn friend Jo pulls you aside and tells you that they've been working, living, and dying for hundreds of lives, trying to figure out how to save it. They've figured out how to stop the final cataclysm (a comet on collision course), but there's so many things that are still imperfect, war-torn, or poisoned in your world. Things Jo wishes they could fix.

But they're tired. And they're done. They don't think they can do any better than this. So Jo is passing the work on to you.

They give you a magical stone that sends you back to the start of the game, to a Jo that doesn't remember any of this, and your work begins.

Over the course of the many lives you lead, you have to figure out how to stop the comet that destroys your little country-- but after you manage to keep from dying and being forcibly re-set every time the comet hits ground, it's not a strict victory. You're offered a choice: do you re-set the world anyway, because you think you can do better, save more people, change more lives, fall in love a little differently if you're given another chance-- or do you decide that this life is the one you want to keep?

Do you choose to stay?

And that gameplay loop is really the heart of the story. It's one of the first things I knew about the game, when it was scribbles in a notebook, and of course it's where the name comes from. I knew that question was going to be the heart of it, and I think that held through in the final version.

⟶ Why center the game around this choice? What was interesting for you to explore in this gameplay?

Hm. Making that the final choice – to stay or to say I'm not done yet, I can do better, or I want something different – changes the focus of the story from being about a challenge or a victory and into a story about deciding who you want to be and deciding how you want to impact the world you live in. The world you will, eventually, have to stay in, to live in and die in for one final time.

It's not about saving the world from the comet – that's just a prerequisite. It's about deciding what the world will be, both on a personal level and at a more monumental scale, and what work you're willing to put in to change, shift, and shape it. What is your happy ending? (There are no wrong answers).

⟶ Stay? is a pretty beloved game in the IF community, often shared in recommendations lists, and ranking among the top 100 best rated games on IFDB. Have you received interesting returns from players?

That's very nice of you to say! And yes, there's been a lot of fun player feedback. I try to respond to most of the itch comments, and folks also write to me on my tumblr and other places. I really enjoy hearing about what their “lives” were like – folks who lived six happy marital lifetimes with Suzie before finally trying romancing someone else and learning about some of the alternate Suzie timelines; or who went back again and again to try to rescue a particular character or fix a particular wrong; who walked off into the hills and lived a quiet life, or found a revelation among the orange groves. There are so

many different orders, connections, conclusions, and most of all feelings that different folks find in their own playthroughs and I like hearing about them all – especially the ones I didn't intend! A couple folks have even written fanfiction, which is a delight to me. I also enjoy hearing from the folks who are new to IF, who knew me through my novels or fic, and tried Stay? anyways. I appreciate them following me into something new.

⟶ Do you have a particular scene or path from Stay? that is your favorite? and one that you found challenging to write/code?

I didn’t originally have a way to prevent the war, in the game. The only thing you could do was win it. That was an eleventh hour epiphany and I think eventually vital to what the game became, but I was all but done with everything else before I went in and added the long walk south, the orange groves, and the various ways to commit treason.

The ability to “fuck off into the hills” had existed from an early date, including the three “lives” you can lead in that little village. It was meant to be a respite or a distraction, but made a wonderful launching point for that final path once I realized I needed it— and realized that I had all the pieces (the poisoned land, the history of artifacts, the famine, the dam upstream, the beginning of the path south) to build players a place to walk there.

So that one still feels very satisfying to me.

Honorable mention also to Suzette’s overall arc, though. Her story has the greatest breadth— her highs and lows are the furthest apart while still being compatible with each other (I think), and I’m proud of pulling that off. I wasn’t sure it would hang true in the end, but it does to me at least.

⟶ You mentioned getting into IF during the pandemic, but what brought on Stay? specifically? How did it come to be?

Outer Wilds. If you haven’t played this game, I highly recommend it. We played through it, and the story is lovely of course, but I was fascinated by how well it was able to maintain a feeling of forward momentum and exploration. I wanted to understand how and why it worked so well. And one of the best ways to see if you understand how a system works is to try to build it yourself.

There’s a few fascinating things that Outer Wilds does, some of which I didn’t implement. For example, they hide secret areas or solutions behind fear. It’s a really interesting pattern. They teach you specifically to avoid or fear a certain danger; and over and over again the puzzle secret is to step into the fear. It doesn’t get old! And it ties so well into the overall narrative themes.

I didn’t do that — with non-parser IF, I don’t think there’s an easy way to lean into that. Instead, I tried to key into one of their other design patterns: concentric secrets.

Outer Wilds is built around a few core secrets; specifically three final secrets that gate your access to the climax/final area. Putting those three secrets together enables you to gain access to that final climax. The path to each of those three final secrets have barriers that are passable if you know certain other secrets. It’s this repeated pattern of “gather secrets → have epiphany → use new conclusions to access new areas and gain new secrets”. This is not in itself novel or groundbreaking, though the repeated, nested patterns of Outer Wilds have a particularly satisfying beauty.

What I tried to hone into and replicate in Stay? was the way Outer Wilds seeds their secrets and the hints that lead to them. Along the path to Secret A, you have to bypass various barriers; same with B, same with C. But after the first barrier on the way to Secret A, you stumble across a hint that points you to something that will help with Secret C, or a secret/key that opens up new possibilities for getting to Secret B. Outer Wilds is filled with distractions – that’s one way to look at it. It’s also filled with constant signposts and will o’ th’ wisps and reminders such that wherever you go, wherever you wish to explore, wander, or wonder, you will find something to answer you and something to lead you on. And what you find almost never immediately points you to what’s ahead of you – it points you somewhere else, over another horizon, almost always.

I loved that feeling and I loved that play space. I wanted to see if I could build it in words. I didn’t make Outer Wilds, of course (and I wouldn’t want to – it already exists!) but I think I captured something of that feeling I was after, and I’m glad of that.

⟶ Were there other sources that inspired the making of Stay?

Nothing as direct as that, though I find Emily Short’s blog posts very influential, and for the aesthetics of Stay? I drew on a childhood trip to the Mediterranean. I can’t think of anything else specific…

⟶ Your next game, More a Haunting than History, has been coined as an emotional sequel to Stay?. Can you tell us a bit more about how that game came to be?

...

READ HER ANSWER AND MORE IN THE FULL INTERVIEW! (to be) RELEASED ON WEDNESDAY!

~ NEW RELEASE ~

LITHOBREAKERS - Defenestration is a collection of 10 short games from multiple interactive anonymous authors, inspired by the secret jam of the same name.

Parser author Ryan Veeder recently published two games: another sequel to the LMG series, The Little Match Girl and His Holiness Pope Pius IX (Inform 7), and the experimental standalone Welcome (Inform 7).

Jerusalem (Twine) is a Twine port of the text-adventure Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna.

Fairweather Friends (Twine) is a thriller game where you can play different characters going through the sadistic Killing Game.

You Are Out of Gas (Decker) is a short horror game set in a gas station.

Rabbitat (Twine) follows the adventures of a rabbit named Paige, trying to go home.

life without honey (VideotomeSuper) is a short conversation about love and life.

Deek's Deed (Adventuron) is a remastered sci-fi text-adventure from the 90s with extra elements.

The Super Tiny Pirate Tale (Unity) is a tiny CYOA story where you play as a pirate captain.

Miss Concepcion's Mysteries and Rumors (Ren’Py) follows Maria, a child-detective on a case to find a missing students and reveal secrets.

Through the Storm (Twine) is a short sim game where you play as a therapist, trying to make your patient open up.

The Last Rays of Autumn (Twine) is a slice-of-life about an average person living an average life.

Concoeur (Custom) lets you play as an emotional king, whose choice may literally break your heart.

A Date to Remember (Ren’Py) is a dating-sim about the highs and lows of online dating.

Maus House (Ren’Py) is a cute slice-of-life visual novel where you play as a mouse.

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Lost in Limo (Ren’Py) is a dark fantasy otome mystery project where you must face your fears to reveal the truth and find your way home. @ravenstargames

Azrael (CScript) is a thriller project where you play as a former legendary assassin.

Tales of Wocdes: The Silver Protector (Twine) is a high fantasy following your progression from a helpless child to the all powerful Silver Protector. @tales-of-wocdes

Viatica (Twine) is a post-apocalyptic romance project where you play a healer named H-313.

Texas Hold’em (CScript) is an experimental game where you can play the said card game.

Scale the Scale with Scale between Scale (Unity) is a surreal humorous VN about ocean life.

~ GAMES UPDATES ~

Dragon Kin (CScript) updated the demo with Chapter 4.

Drink Your Villain Juice (CScript) added the first part of Chapter 7 to the Patreon demo. @drinkyourvillainjuice

Adoriel's Tears (Twine) added extra content to the demo. @adoriels-tears-if

Chains of Destiny (CScript) updated the demo with the second part of Chapter 2. @chains-of-destiny

Blood Moon (CScript)'s demo now includes extra content for Chapter 11. @barbwritesstuff

Vendetta (CScript) made its latest update available to all. @vendetta-if

Crown of Ashes and Flames (Twine) added Chapter 4 to the Patreon demo. @coeluvr

Blood Legacies (CScript) updated the demo with extra content. @bloodlegacies

Starless (Twine) returned with re-writes of its first Chapter. @cheryl-writes

Peninsula Campaign (CScript) updated the Patreon demo with extra content.

Aesemyr: The Withering (CScript) added the second part of Chapter 2 to the demo. @wiz-writes

After the end (Twine) completed Chapter 1. @albywritesfiction

Weeping Gods (CScript) added extra content to the demo. @jcollinswrites

~ OTHER ~

Leas: City of the Sun (CScript) has started the beta testing process. The last version is available to all patrons, but you can request a spot as a beta tester here. @sailingshellsgames

Until next Thursday (Aug-29th), ChoiceofGames is having a sale on all its games with management mechanics. See more here. @choiceofgames

The author of Love the guard - Be the king (Ren’Py) is doing a giveaway for game keys. Just fill in the survey to participate. @ligiawrites

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ THE COLUMN ~

In Defense of ESL Authors

One of my favorite IF creators decided to call it quit recently, after the barrage of negative comments about their writing. This hadn't bothered them when they started: being ESL, they knew their writing wasn't perfect but still wanted to try their best. They used multiple spellcheckers, looked for beta-readers, asked players to send them any errors they would come across. And, in my opinion, it did pay off! Since the first version, their writing improved and flourished. It was a joy to see the progression of all their improvements.

But for some vocal readers, it wasn't enough; it never was enough Every update came with the same criticism: “fix your writing, there are too many typos, it's unreadable”. Like clock-work, they were there, for every update, only pointing out what was wrong with their project, with very little positive comments. The author even asked some if they'd want to be part of the beta-testing - none were actually interested. It was frustrating, for them to keep receiving the same thing over and over, and for us to see them struggle and still not get their due. Yet, they continued to push through, since the project meant a lot to them.

Except... the criticism got worse over time, more and more aggressive. One went as far as ‘advising’ the creator to find a native author to write the story for them instead, because they liked the premise but hated the writing. And when one told them they might as well use AI to write their project, the creator just... gave up.

The problem is... this wasn't the first time or place I've seen this happening.

All over the IF space, ESL authors can't escape those comments. Replies in forum threads, comments on game pages, reviews, public asks... Time and time again, no matter their writing skills, someone publicly will point out that something in the writing doesn't sounds natural, that the structure of a sentence might be technically correct but still not right, that the wrong homonym was used... It's like we all look down on ESL writers for not reaching some unspecified level (that we keep raising every time they get close) of writing quality.

And, honestly, part of me sort of gets it. Interactive Fiction is almost exclusively textual (maybe there's a background or two, or some audio, or you're doing a VN), so the writing will make or break the story. Typos and awkward sentences will break a reader's immersion, the same way bugs and badly built puzzles would. It can be pretty frustrating to butt against every other page because a word is clearly missing or is wrongly spelled. No matter how great a story can be, if the writing is inconsistent, staying invested will be a challenge. Because you can't unsee those issues.

However, what I don't understand is the way the community has decided to deal with this as a whole. And I know, every commenter, every reviewer, every reader is different, and will convey their feelings about a work in different ways, some much kinder than others, some more constructive than others. There are obviously good apples out there, and the MVPs who will report all the typos or issues they've found to the author, unprompted (outside of beta), with a kind message with it should be given their flowers.

But as a whole, the community has not been kind when discussing issues with writings. Worse still, I've noticed a pretty substantial difference when native or ESL authors were on the receiving ends of those comments. People were much harsher to the latter group when reporting typos. While the former would more often get a passing comments or simply a list of found errors, ESL authors were more likely to get condescending comments about their writing to borderline insulting.

It is incredibly disheartening the tone many have taken when discussing someone's prose. From the downward-looking comments (“It's so obvious the author is not native, because the game is riddled with the most basic of errors.”) to the fake-nice ones (“Ah, I really don't want to sound like a dick for pointing it out again, but you really *need* some spellchecking.”), without touching upon the insulting ones (I will spare you an example), I can't blame authors for throwing in the towel and disappearing quietly. It's incredibly dismissive of their efforts, and demoralizing.

Take a moment, just to imagine this: you've spent weeks, maybe months or years, writing a story, to the best of your abilities, in another language than your mother tongue (do you know a second language and feel confident enough to create something with it?); you decided to take the plunge and share it with others, on a public platform, with maybe an invitation for readers to provide comments because you're not fluent. Feeling anxious yet?

Now, imagine getting the these kinds of comments. Imagine your efforts being completely dismissed because “I couldn't finish it, there were too many typos”. Imagine your work deemed unworthy of people's time because “you clearly didn't make any effort writing this, it's unreadable”. Imagine being told to “pay more attention to how you write, it's all just... so wrong”. Imagine having readers assume things about your process: “if I were you, I'd at least use a spellchecker”, “you know, there are plenty of people here who would proofread for you, you just need to ask”. All the while, none of those commenters provided a single concrete example of typos or wrong sentence structure. And if you asked, they'd reply “just read your text again, it's so obvious” or “oh, there were just too many to keep track”.

So, you put your heart out, all that blood, sweat, and tears into creating something, only to get a ‘Git Gud’ in return. How can you not be demoralized? Why would you want to be part of a community who is all too ready to punch down?

Over the years, I've my fair share of ESL authors abandoning their projects because of those unfiltered and unhelpful reactions. Some quit writing altogether, leaving behind a hobby that stopped bringing joy and fulfilment; others returned to their mother tongue and now exclusively write in that language; a few pushed through and continue releasing, regardless of the harsh environment. None ever really get the kudo’s they deserve for writing in another language (how many native English IF creator can say they wrote a game in another language?).

Maybe I'm a bit disillusioned by it all, but... I don't understand how, in our community, we are not trying to uplift each other, to help one another, to be kind to one another. Where in this darn community can we find actual empathy and compassion? Because I've seen enough of sweeping under the rug when an ESL author tries to raise their concerns and their feelings on the matter. You know, the “oh, but I do the same thing with native speakers”, or “if it makes you feel any better, I didn't realize you were ESL, so you should take those comments as praise”, or “but there are native speakers here who would totally help if you asked”, or “but there are ESL authors that have done really good work, like so-and-so”. None ever really address the crux of the issue, do they…

Sometimes, I wonder whether the English-speaking side of the IF community really realize how incredibly catered it is. Out of all the languages used to make IF, English is overwhelmingly the most used (it's the lingua franca of the Internet...). Not only are they getting a diverse library of stories from native authors, the community will find ESL giving extra efforts for theirs to be seen. Served on silver (maybe a bit banged up) platter, the community doesn't even need to spend time or energy learning a new language: it's already in English for them!

And plenty are obviously taking for granted this gift.

See, in trying to uphold rigid (and often unwritten) rules about what is proper and improper writing, we lose an incredible amount of diversity in language, of beauty in poetic prose that sings because the author's mother tongue is lyrical, of strange (good!) idioms translated word for word that actually make a scene more impactful than if its “proper” counterpart was used, of personality in writing stemming from the author's identity and background, of bringing forward unique phrasings to an ever-changing language, of flourishes and aesthetic that wouldn't exist otherwise. This is something that cannot be recreated by native speakers. And this is not something that should be suppressed either.

Honestly, if we continue like this, we would lose all these vibrant voices, diverse stories and perspectives, and variety in use of the language. Not just that, we'd also scare away any ESL newcomers.

So, before someone brings up the ‘awesome’ idea of making authors explicitly indicate their fluency in languages in their blurb so “we can all have the same expectation”, or tells us to “stop coddling people because if they can’t take it then they shouldn’t make it public”, or replies that “ESL should use GenAI to help improve their writing” (don't you fucking dare!), I just have one advice for people who comments on an author’s prose (and maybe forget about their tone): please, instead of generally say “there’s quite a bit of typos here” or “it could do with another round of spellcheck”, consider explaining a specific issue and how it affected your experience as the player. You know, the “it made me feel like…” rather than “you did something wrong”. Or reach out to the author with concrete examples of their errors. General passing comments don't help people improve their writing, but explanations and details do.

And for my ESL authors out there… You are truly awesome. The work you put into creating stories in a language that you had to learn, the constant effort put into writing with structures that might still be foreign to you, the commitment you made into creating and translating, it is mind-blowing. You are doing amazing, one word at a time!

ludatwilight

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

The Queen's Menagerie by Chandler Groover (Texture - IFDB)

“honestly, I really hate Texture as an engine, with its frustrating click-drag interactive. So there are very few Texture games that are worth it. And this one. Oh boy, this one is weirdly enjoyable. It's also pretty short (15min), that helps. IF you're into Gothic vibes and guilt, now, this game is going to be worth your time.”

//submitted by anonymous//

Invite the blackbird by ana.merzlaya (Unity - itch.io)

Invite the blackbird is an adorable interactive VN, with beautiful handdrawn watercolor illustrations, where you follow Sonya, a young girl, and a blackbird, enjoying a very chill day. The aesthetic is very charming and surprisingly emotional.

//recommended by Erika//

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich by Rex Mundane (Adventuron - itch.io - IFDB)

A funky nonsensical adventure where the goal is to make a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Except the game twist and turns, and gets pretty meta for a joke game.

If you are looking for a fun silly time, with fairly easy puzzles (it was made for the TALJ), you should try this one!

//recommended by Axelle [Team]//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

i loved your interview with Drew Cook (@golmac)!! All your interviews so far have been so expansive and interesting, full of useful info for gamemakers as well as context for players. This is a great project and I hope it continues. - @adz

so bummed class is starting soon... cause i won't have enough free time to enjoy all the cool IF games being updated every week :( - anonymous

hiiiii! this is for the shoutout bit! to Grayson (@if-30x30), hands-down the best sci-fi author and illustrator (if i wasn't super broke, you'd get all my money!) of this community. your stuff is insane <3 - a super shy fan

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

@adz, a super shy fan, Erika, ludatwilight, SailingShellsGames @tabitha-writes, and a bunch of very helpful anonymous users!

For sending news, interview questions, helpful tips, cool links, filled form, written Sheet line, even emails... all these help us so much to make this Zine possible!

And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us! Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We also hope you join us again next week, for we have a very special guest on the zine:

IFComp Organiser, Founder of ClubFloyd, and IF author : Jacqueline A. Lott is our guest next week!

Want to know more about her work? How she found IF? Or learn more about her community projects?

Send us all your burning questions!

And see you again next week!

MARJORIE, AXELLE, AND NOI

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 19