#( i'll update these as things get released! )
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laugtherhyena ¡ 3 months ago
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Continuing the rant-iness of last post's notes onto this one i think (I appreciate if they're read, i think I'm too self-conscious to have them in the post itself)
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paimonial-rage ¡ 2 years ago
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secret identities and whatnot
ship: xiao x reader x venti
synopsis: in which reader finds out xiao is a fellow fan of a certain musician and venti wants to find out who
notes: idol!au; follow up stories will be posted following venti's route and xiao's route
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You frowned as a soft melody traveled through the halls of Teyvat Entertainment. Having worked there for months, you knew it didn’t belong to any of the groups or talents. Their songs fell more into the pop category with the occasional ballad, but this was different. It was a delicate piece, beautiful, yet subdued. And as you followed the sound, you couldn’t help but feel you knew this song from somewhere. But where?
When you opened the door to the practice room belonging to 5WIRL, there was Xiao mid-pirouette, and then it sunk in. You did know this song! In fact, how in the world did you not recognize it in the first place!? You used to listen to his songs on continuous repeat when you were younger. But more important was Xiao! After all–
You rushed up to him and took his hands in excitement.
“You know who Barbatos is? Are you a fan??”
There were practically sparkles in your eyes as you gazed up at the soft-spoken man in sheer excitement. With your heart beating so fast, you didn't even realize you didn't give him a chance to respond before you continued.
“This song is ‘Cecilia’ from his first album, ‘Der Frühling,’ right? While he has gotten a bit more traction over the years, most people aren’t even aware of this album!! So obviously you have to be a fan, right? What is your favorite song from the album? Is it this one? Mine is ‘What is a Windblume?’”
Perhaps you did sound a bit fanatical, but could anyone blame you? Barbatos, though a phenomenal composer, was not necessarily well known. While it was said he ghostwrote a lot of songs for groups and movies that immediately topped the lists, his personal works were few and far between. It didn’t help that he opted to remain anonymous. So to find someone that actually knew who he was absolutely astounded and excited you! You finally had someone to gush over Barbatos with!
It was unfortunate that in your excitement, you didn’t notice the rather confused expression on your companion’s face. While you were a regular face in the office and at concerts, you were usually fighting with Venti or assisting the other members of 5WIRL. He always assumed you were intimidated by him, but seeing how you were practically up in his face with sheer giddiness, he concluded that wasn’t the case. 
“I’m not that much of a fan…” He mumbled, turning his face away. 
You frowned.
“But you have to like at least one of the songs to be listening to this album!!” You pleaded.
He let out an exasperated sigh. And after a few moments of silence, he finally responded.
“‘Floating Lights…’”
Your heart suddenly stopped… before jumpstarting a mile a minute. A wide grin blossomed upon your lips as you squeezed his hands and hopped excitedly.
“You mean the song he was rumored to have made during a trip to Liyue for the Lantern Rite?? That’s not even on this album!!! There’s no way you’re not a fan! Which part is your favorite? The beginning with the lyre? Or is it that floaty part with the flute?”
If you weren’t up in his face, you were definitely there now. Or at least that’s where you would have been had a rather… annoying voice not joined the conversation.
“Oh? What are you both talking about?”
Your lips immediately pulled into a pained grimace. And just as expected, you turned to see the leader of 5WIRL with his green tipped locks and deceptively sweet smile. 
It was not a secret among the members and staff of 5WIRL that you didn’t get along with Venti. Where all the members of 5WIRL were calm and sweet (for the most part), Venti was lazy and uncontained. How many times were you called in the middle of the night to pick him up from random taverns? How many times did you find yourself cleaning up after him in the practice studio? You had no doubt your life would be much simpler if he just weren’t around.
Still, as much as you hated to admit it, he wasn’t popular for no reason. The picture he painted of himself to his fans was of an impish fairy. Ethereal in looks, yet mischievous in nature. Sweet-tongued, yet as unpredictable as the winds. If anyone asked you, though, you’d say he was more akin to a demon. But… you supposed he was a great songwriter and lyricist. Not as good as Barbatos, mind you, but still halfway decent. 
“We’re talking about our shared love of a very amazing songwriter,” you replied with an upturned nose. 
“A songwriter? Which one? Maybe I’ve heard of them!” he replied with curious excitement.
You gave a wry snort of laughter.
“Oh, I highly doubt it. He’s very underground. Certainly not mainstream like you. And his music has a lot of depth, I’m not sure you’d understand…”
“Really? Then I’d love to know who he is! Maybe I can learn a thing or two, hehe!”
Much to your dismay, Venti didn’t become irritated nor upset. Rather, he seemed to be even more interested. Xiao, on the other hand, became more and more concerned with each word that left your mouth. In fact, had you been paying attention, you would have seen him hesitantly holding his hand out as if to stop you from driving your train of sheer arrogance straight off of the cliff of rude awakening!
“Well, for your information, his name is–”
“First!”
You nearly jumped out of your skin. Spinning around, you were shocked to see that it was Xiao with a more intense look of frustration on his face than usual. Even though it could be no one other than him that yelled your name so loudly, you could hardly believe it. But now that he finally had your attention, it seemed he didn’t quite know what to do next. If you were paying attention, however, you would have noticed a pair of very observant eyes watching the scene unfold before him.
“... The… manager wants to see you,” he finally got out. 
You frowned. The manager? You were pretty sure you already handled everything they asked for… Maybe they needed you for something else.
“Did they text you what they wanted?” You asked curiously.
He shook his head.
You sighed.
“Well, hopefully I didn’t forget to do something. I’ll see you two later.”
With that, you slowly trudged your way over to the door. You were really hoping you weren’t needed for something important. Today was supposed to be a slow day. But before you could get any farther, a hand grabbed yours.
“Wait! Can you tell me the name of that composer first, please? If he’s better than me as you say, then you gotta tell me who he is!” Venti begged sweetly.
Xiao’s shoulders stiffened.
“The manager has texted me twice already. Don’t make them wait,” he interrupted.
“Aw, c’mon, Xiao,” Venti groaned. “It’s not going to take them any longer to tell me. Who is it, first?”
“First, they’ve just texted me again.”
“Please? I just want to know his name! Tell me? Pretty please?”
“Just go already.”
“No, don’t listen to him!”
“First.”
“First!”
You exploded.
“QUIET ALREADY!”
You turned to Xiao first.
“The manager can wait just five more seconds! Do you want me gone so badly?”
You then turned to Venti.
“And you! If you really must know, his name is Barbatos. He makes the most wonderful music in the whole entire world. The way he can paint the most beautiful scenes with his lovely melodies is proof that he is an angel in human form. For some time, I couldn't even sleep without listening to his music, so I really owe my life to him! He was my first love and he's way more the musician than you’ll ever be!”
You then turned, stomped off, and slammed the door behind you.
After a few moments of silence, Xiao let out a long drawn out sigh.
“This is why they dislike you so much.”
[[SIDE A: Venti]]
“Ehe!”
—
[[SIDE B: Xiao]] (coming soon)
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pikachu-deluxe ¡ 6 months ago
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got like 1200 ish lines of code for a thing in like 2 hours yippeee
it's a thing to make it easier to modify stuff for mario kart 64 it'll make my life 1000x easier i just have to enter a few numbers in and out comes a file i can apply to the game with some other program instead of having to copy and paste stuff for like half an hour to an hour every time i want to make changes
a game changer you could say *gets dragged away by the neck like a cat*
#listen this is such a big deal to me#and only me bc i'm the only person in the world who cares about doing this very very specific thing for a very specific game#now after this is done i can get my changes to the game ready in like an hour at most depending on what i want to change#instead of a few hours#if i just wanna change stats and not characters that means i just open the program and put in the numbers then have the game ready in like#5 minutes#massive improvement#but yknow if i want to change the characters too then it's still gonna take a bit#like 30 minutes to an hour but still a massive improvement#anyways yeah you can probably tell i'm excited about this#once this is done i'll maybe start working on getting the proper graphics update to the game#it's gonna be a rebranding on my mk64 pokemon thing to make it distinct from another thing someone made that was called pokemon kart alread#didn't really care all that much before since i didn't want to make it public or at least not in mk64 circles but i do wanna share it more#now that i've put this much work into it#since i'm already using pmd sprites i might as well change it to something related to pmd so i'm gonna have to come up with a title for it#also have some fun character surprises for when i release the new rebranded version#since last time i showed it here there have also been a lot of new pokemon added but i have some i haven't shown yet to anyone#not even in the places i playtest with others (if you see this mo hi i have some more i haven't shown off ;3)#but it might be a while before i get that to a public release#we'll see#depends on how i feel about working on it these next few days#so it's gonna be a surprise release
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aromanticasterisms ¡ 8 months ago
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so no furina story quest 2 :((
#personal stuff#delete later#AUUUGH.#i guess since she isn't technically an archon she'll get one at the same time as everyone else. but no neuvillette quest either??#we don't get to dive deeper into the previous hydro archon or anything?#no spices from the west either... what's the point of this update even#kidding. dainsleif quest at last. oh my god#looked like remuria during the trailer?#also i am simultaneously getting immernachtreich and hexenzirkel vibes from certain places in the trailer. hmm#SPOTTED ALBEDO'S FLOWER ON THE STAINED GLASS#OHHH SHIT. SIBLINGS. HOORAY [afraid]#okay i thought we would go back to remuria for the dain quest but it DOES make more sense to go back to sumeru with its links to khaenri'ah#oh my god the eng pronunciations of these names are killing me. i have never heard them said like this before <//3#but yea sigewinne and clorinde look nice :]#sethos!!!!#love him.#he's traveling!! visiting sumeru city!!!#interesting to me that he was a spear user in the story quest but now he uses a bow#hermanubis took my polearm proficiency can't have shit in the temple of silence#was kind of hoping we'd at least get the polearm he used to flesh out that weapon set#aww the animation looks nice. kind of hate that they're leaning so far into the ''aether as the mc'' thing but whatever. it's fine#SECRET ROOM IN THE MONDSTADT LIBRARY. HEXENZIRKEL DESIGN DETAILS. LET'S GOO#OH IT'S PERMANENT? WOOO#i don't even care abt the rewards for the most part i'm more excited by the hexenzirkel implications and getting to go to mondstadt#natlan teaser wooo. i'm not. super excited about any kind of mount system i'll be 100% honest#maybe i'll change my mind on release but like. i did not love the sorush system#i enjoy exploring as Me and My Characters. idk#i really hope we at least get gourmet supremos. christ. we didn't see them at all in fontaine
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risingsunresistance ¡ 9 months ago
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oh yea i forgot to post about this but. somehow we have managed to already get 3 of the new perfect gems
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i got citrine and onyx from mineshafts, which from what i understand is dceently low odds, and ark managed to grab the aqua crystal from some random umber corpse FKJDHG
i think it's crazy that we managed to have no repeats up to that point, now all i need is the peridot and opal ones >:) you used to be able to forge perfect opal without the crystal, but i never bothered before the update bc gemstone grinding is kinda lame when you arent doing it for progression OR profit, and now that's not an option lol
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getting-messi ¡ 2 years ago
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BREAKING NEWS🚨🚨🚨🚨
I AM ALIVE!!!🥳🤩💃🏾💃🏾
#omg im so sorry for being offline for so long#i miss this website so much :((((((((#life was beating THE HELL OUT OF ME😮‍💨#okay so first i'll talk about some of my thoughts with football and what i missed and then updates about what's been going on with me#**i really wanted to come back online and let y'all know what's up but my sis's getting married this Sunday so i ill FULLY be back Monday#i just wanted to catch up on my notification but I'll go thru my inbox on Monday/Tuesday#okay FOOTBALL:#screw psg like sincerly#i cant believe theyre causing all this mess with him after he took his family on vacation😭#like the pics are SO CUTE??? how could you possibly punish him for that#also it speaks SO MUCH to his character that he FULLY recorded an apology vid like i thought he just released a typed statement#he really showing them so much more respect than they are treating him#im still salty about the lack of wc celebration....and fans booing him outside his house?? losers LOSERSSSS#i also think they're trying to act snobby about not extending him but with neymar most likely leaving they literally have too much to lose#also neymar expecting a child???? how did not know the girl he got pregnant?? so crazy SO crazy#anyways im also not optimistic about barca and messi....as much as they may talk the big variable here is La Liga allowing it to happen#they were the reason behind messi leaving and they're the only thing stopping him from coming back#as much as i dont BELIEVE messi would go to Saudi Arabia right now....i still really hate the rumours about Al-Hilal...like shut up please#if all else fails.....Pep por favor please just bring Messi to city...its not too late#he can be on the bench i don't even mind....i just HATE him at psg but i don't want him to leave Europe#In other news....Arsenal.....my heart hurts too much and I've expected that they wont be winning the league :'(((((#NOW about ME :))))#bad news first - DESPISE my job LIKE to the point where I'm crying almost daily about it but i cant quit. i jus want one summer to relax#good news: OFFICIALLY DONE MY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREEEEEEEE💃🏾😭🤧✨#THANK GOOODDDDDDDD ALHAMDULILAHHHHHHHHHH#SO DAMN HAPPY SO SO SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!#i also took my graduation pictures yesterday (thank you to the anons that told me i should get them done)#and i took the NEW ARGENTINA JERSEY WITH THE 3 STARS AND MESSI ON THE BACK AND POSED WITH IT😭😭🤣#im OBSESSED with the pic omg if i wasn't so paranoid about showing my face on this website i would've shared it#but yeah and my graduation is JUNE 9th!!! I AM SO EXCITED! Got a really pretty dress and it literally couldn't come soon enough :)
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losernumerouno ¡ 2 years ago
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you know what paint tool sai has the best blending tool or whatever in all art programs. i've yet to use a program that is as good as paint tool sai's
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victorluvsalice ¡ 6 months ago
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Yeah, I saw that, and I am very happy that the Romantic Boundaries system is going to be a free update! :D I've got my poly trio currently thanks to the power of mods (and I'm unlikely to give up Open Love Life and Wonderful Whims anytime soon), but it's good to have a base-game system backing it up, especially for people who can't/don't use mods.
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orteil42 ¡ 22 days ago
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hey! if you've been following me for my game dev stuff here's an end-of-year summary
i would've liked to release a lot more things this year but between me moving and other life events i've been a little tight on focus and that's before accounting me being just very slow as a person!
nevertheless, here's what's been accomplished this year:
Cookie Clicker android update - this one was a LONG time coming and is the main reason i'm not writing this year off as unproductive. i've put a lot of care and time into it and i can say i'm proud of that release. some of it will help improve Cookie Clicker on web and Steam in future updates, ie. full offline idling and UI rework. a second, sizeable mobile update is planned at some point later to add sugar lumps, minigames etc
substantial headway on Cookie Clicker's dungeon minigame! it's been a lot of gameplay + layout tests, some resulting in design dead-ends ie. this whole "making the world map in Blender" notion i had. it's regardless seen the most progress it's had in a long time; i'm hoping next year will have me keeping my ambitions in check and keeping it simple enough for a proper beta release. sorry i couldn't make it happen this year again!…
various prototypes that started off as minor side-projects for a laugh or as code warmups but turned out oddly solid? i'd really like to keep pursuing some of these next year to the point where i can start showing off screens and playable alphas. said prototypes include an embeddable music composer/player, a painterly mini-photoshop and some kind of Pokemon-lite with level editor, all browser-based
a good amount of other behind-the-scenes Cookie Clicker-related stuff i'm hoping i get to disclose next year
2025 will see me starting fresh in a new town and hopefully with a steadier outlook on the way i get things done. i've started a good amount of new stuff this year that i'd like to finish in the next one. i'm writing this when i should be packing to visit my family for christmas i'll be right back
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batmanisagatewaydrug ¡ 1 month ago
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2025 book bingo time 📚
want a completely arbitrary set of reading goals for 2025? want to try something new in your literary diet but don't know where to start? just like a challenge for the sake of a challenge? just love a good game of bingo?
boy do I have something for you!
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for anyone planning to participate, please know that I LOVE attention and talking about books, so I would be STOKED to be tagged on any and all updates about what you're reading or planning to read. I'm so, so excited to see all the different ways these prompts get filled, especially if and when they bring people away from the kinds of things they normally read. not to mention snag some new reading recs myself, hopefully!
and of course, I want to know whenever somebody gets a bingo - and ESPECIALLY if somebody fills the whole board! I don't have any prizes for you, but I can offer a sense of accomplishment :)
note that this is designed to be played as 1 book = 1 space, so even if you read, say, a fantasy graphic novel published in 1923 from an indie publisher that has a bat on the cover, you'd only cross off one space. I'm not a cop and I'm not in charge of what you read, so if it sparks more joy to check off multiple spaces per book then go nuts, but I am throwing that disclaimer out there.
EDIT: the 2025 book bingo challenge is now also on storygraph, thanks to @obi-wann-cannoli!
wondering what some of these spaces mean? seeking a couple recommendations to get you started? no idea what a zine even is, let alone how to make one? worry not! I have a guide to all 25 prompts, including recommendations + an example of what I'll be reading throughout the year to fulfill each space. read on beneath the cut!
Literary Fiction: I find that a lot of people are reluctant to check out literary fiction, as it’s often written off as not being about anything but adultery and divorce. If this is you, I implore you to take a chance, acknowledge that adultery and divorce are compelling sometimes, and also remember that lit fic has a lot more to offer than that. At Writer’s Digest, Michael Woodson describes literary fiction as “less of a genre than a category,” which “focuses on style, character, and theme over plot.” My recommendations include Raven Leilani’s Luster, Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed. 
I’ll be reading: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
2. Short Story Collection: You know, a bunch of short stories together in one book? It doesn’t get much more self-explanatory than that. Could be a collection of stories by a single author or an anthology—it’s up to you! I recommend checking out Mariana Enríquez’s The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (translated by Megan McDowell), Nalo Hopkinson’s Falling in Love With Hominids, and Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. 
I’ll be reading: Your Utopia by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur 
3. A Sequel: It could be one that you’ve been meaning to get around to, one that’s not releasing until 2025, or the sequel to something you read to cross off another space on this very bingo sheet!
I’ll be reading: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao, sequel to 2021’s Iron Widow 
4. Childhood Favorite: Go back and read a book you loved as a child, tween, or teen! There’s no wrong answer here; anything from a YA novel to a picture book would be just lovely, and I can’t wait to see what people pick for this option! I’m not sure which of my old favorites I’ll be revisiting yet—should I go for the warm and fuzzy Casson Family series, or straight towards the mindfucky sci-fi of Interstellar Piggy? Or maybe I’ll go see how Artemis Fowl holds up...
5. 20th Century Speculative Fiction: For those not familiar with the term, speculative fiction can encapsulate science fiction, fantasy, and anything else that falls into the unreal. You’re spoiled for iconic choices here: the 20th century gave us Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Kindred, L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, the beginning of Pratchett’s Discworld series, Diana Wynne Jones’ Howls’ Moving Castle, and countless others.
I’ll be reading: Dawn by Octavia E. Butler, love of my literary life 💜
6. Fantasy: Fantasy comes in a thousand different shades, from contemporary urban wizards with day jobs at the office to high fantasy spellslingers chasing dragons away from castles. Some examples I’ve adored are N.K. Jemisin’s The Killing Moon, C.L. Polk’s Witchmark, Fonda Lee’s Jade City, and Nghi Vo’s Empress of Salt and Fortune.
I’ll be reading: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty  
7. Published Before 1950: This one could not be more straightforward if I tried. You have all of human history (or at least, all the parts that have surviving literature), just not the last 75 years. Dig deep! 
I’ll be reading: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, published in 1938 
8. Independent Publisher: Did you guys know that just five publishing companies (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group) are responsible for 80% of books published in the US each year, and 25% of books globally? Break away from the big five and see what some small presses are putting out! If you need some ideas about where to start, check out this list of nearly 300 independent publishers with notes on what kind of books they put out!
I’ll be reading: Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translated by Lin King, from Graywolf Press
9. Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga: Despite my personal obsession with Batman, the world of comic books is sooo much wider than Gotham City—or anything else that DC and Marvel have to offer. If superheroes aren’t your speed, check out the Southern gothic of Carmen Maria Machado and Dani Strips’ comic The Low, Low Woods, splash around in Kat Leyh’s graphic novel Thirsty Mermaids, or stop waiting for a new season of Dungeon Meshi and go read Ryoko Kui’s manga, translated to English by Taylor Engel. 
I’ll be reading: The Fade, by Aabria Iyengar and Mari Costa
10. Animal on the Cover: Yes, yes, don’t judge a book by its cover—but do go find one with a critter on the cover and give it a read! Absolutely no other requirements here, get silly with it.
I’ll be reading: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
11. Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Fiction or nonfiction, doesn’t matter so long as it gives you a little glimpse of a country you’ve never visited in real life. If you’ve somehow visited every country currently recognized in the world, then I guess you get to go read something set in space.
I’ll be reading: A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon and Kim Sanho, translated by Anton Hur 
12. Science Fiction: A genre just as diverse as fantasy, with a little something for everybody! I recommend Becky Chambers’ Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for those who want to kiss an alien in the stars and Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers for those who want a surveillance state dystopia that hits much closer to home.  
I’ll be reading: Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
13. 2025 Debut Author: Read a book by someone who’s releasing their first book in 2025. Fic or nonfic, any genre, no further requirements. Not quite a free space, but pretty close!
I’ll be reading: Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani, coming out March 11
14. Memoir: Per Wikipedia, a memoir is “any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author’s personal memories.” Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, some are both! I recommend Carman Maria Machado’s In the Dream House and Roxane Gay’s Hunger, because I tend to lean heartbreaking! 
I’ll be reading: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Again, I like heartbreaking!
15. Read a Zine, Make a Zine: Not familiar with zines? No problem! Check out some of these digital archives for inspiration, and then craft your own zine with this simple guide (or do it your own way, I’m not in charge of you). 
Internet Archives: https://archive.org/details/zines
Gay Zine Archive Project: https://gittings.qzap.org/ 
POC Zine Project: https://poczineproject.tumblr.com/ 
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/collections/zine-web-archive/ 
16. Essay Collection: Like a short story collection, but it’s nonfiction now. Some of my favorites include Samantha Irby’s We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, Elaine Castillo’s How to Read Now, Aimee Nezhukhumatathil’s World of Wonders, and Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings.
I’ll be reading: A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib 
17. 2024 Award Winner: What award? Any award you like! And boy, there are tons to pick from. Any book that won any award in the year 2024 is free game. If you need some places to start looking, check out some of these:
Lambda Literary Awards, for excellence in LGBT literature: https://lambdaliterary.org/awards__trashed/2024-winners/ 
The Alex Awards, for adult books with crossover appeal for teen readers: https://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards 
Ignyte Awards, celebrating diversity in speculative fiction: https://ignyteawards.fiyahlitmag.com/2024-results/  
Women's Prize for Fiction (self explanatory) https://womensprize.com/prizes/womens-prize-for-fiction/
Others: https://www.bookbrowse.com/awards/ 
I’ll be reading: Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, winner of the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction
18. Nonfiction: Learn Something New: I know very little about archaeology, anthropology, or any other fields that involve studying ancient cities, but Annalee Newitz’s Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age was some of the most fun I had with nonfiction in 2024, because every page brought a brand new discovery. For 2025, find a nonfiction book about a topic you don’t know ANYTHING about, and learn something new!
I’ll be reading: Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment by Hi’ilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart
19. Social Justice & Activism: Read a book about a social issue, the history of an activist movement, or brush up on a guiding philosophy or ideology. Arm yourself with knowledge, besties, because I have a feeling we’re going to need it! if you need a good place to start, why not try Angela Davis' Race, Women & Class, Mariame Kaba's We Do This 'Til We Free Us, or Molly Smith and Juno Mac's Revolting Prostitutes?
I’ll be reading: White Feminism: From Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck
20. Romance Novel: Listen to me. Fucking listen to me. I mean a ROMANCE. NOVEL. Not a novel that incidentally has a romance in it. Romance novel, motherfucker. Go check out the romance section and have some whimsy as two people fall in love through the most contrived series of events ever conceived. If you really need a romance that makes you feel smart (that’s still sexy and messy as hell), try Akwaeke Emezi’s You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.
I’ll be reading: Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasche  
21. Read and Make a Recipe: Could be a cookbook, could be a recipe you yoinked from the New York Times, could be something your grandparents lovingly wrote down by hand. Could be as complex or as simple as you like, just make something tasty! Some cookbooks I’ve enjoyed are Sohla El-Waylly’s Start Here, Dan Pashman’s Mission Impastable, and John Wang and Storm Garner’s The World Eats Here.
22. Horror: Slashers, zombies, haunted houses, creeping paranoia, you name it! It’s time to get spooky and scary with all kinds of things going bump in the night. Maybe this is the year to finally keep up with Dracula Daily? Not for me, I'm not doing that, but you could!
I’ll be reading: I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
23. Published in the Aughts: A throwback, but not too far back. Read something published between 2000 and 2009. Maybe it’s time to finally get into Twilight? (For legal reasons, that’s a joke.)
I’ll be reading: The Sluts by Dennis Cooper, published in 2004
24. Historical Fiction: You know, fiction that takes place in a bygone era! Please remember, this isn’t just about reading a book that’s old; we have a separate prompt for that! This is about reading something that takes place in the past relative to the time it was written. Pride and Prejudice is historical to us, but was contemporary when Austen wrote it. Think of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, or history + a bit of fantasy in book's like R.F. Kuang's Babel.
I’ll be reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
Bookseller or Librarian Recommendation: This one is fun, and something I always like to do when I’m travelling and visiting a new bookstore. Ask a bookseller or librarian to recommend something they’ve liked, and check it out! If going in person isn’t feasible, many bookstores and libraries have staff picks on their websites, and the Indie Next List is a monthly list of independent booksellers’ favorite new releases. 
I’ll be reading: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, which I bought at Erdrich’s bookstore, Birchbark Books, this summer :)
lastly: tagging people who asked to be tagged to make sure they didn't miss this! @thebisexualwreckoning @perfunctoryperfusions @reallyinkyhands come get your bingo sheet!
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infamous-if ¡ 4 months ago
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✭INFAMOUS UPDATE IS HERE ✭
238K -> 457K WORDS
Please read this post before playing! It's finally here! After five months of writing and rewriting and salvaging and crying and sweating and bleeding I finally finished sort of kind of! Firstly, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding over this duration of this rewrite. It was stressful at times but I'm happy with the end result and I hope everyone else will be too :)
This will be the last chapter I release without beta testers/other sets of eyes so expect errors. I can playtest until my fingers turn blue but I'm just one person </3 I'm bound to have missed stuff.
Please let me know of errors! I tested it a few times with no problems but we know how it goes lol
IN THIS CHAPTER THREE UPDATE:
drama
mayhem
chaos
some betrayal
some surprises
just...read it lmao
PROLOGUE - CHAPTER 2 CHANGES:
**chapter two was too large of a file to upload on dd so I had to split it last minute and I uhhhh dont know how that translates in the demo but it should work lol please let me know if its wonky!**
fixed up grammatical errors and typos
expanded some scenes and added some more choices
you can now choose that your mc has "changed" in some way (drinking, no longer drinking, partier, no longer a partier, negative, positive, attached, detached, or a general default. I was asked to add an MC who "gets around" or hookups a lot but I'm still debating on whether I'll add that since there's already quite a bit lolol)
you can choose to have changed your band's genre before/after seven
TECHNICAL CHANGES:
you will be able to explicitly state your sexuality in the beginning. this was a big ask and I apologize for not doing it earlier! I wasn't good at coding when I started and I knew I always wanted to make the genders separate from MC's sexuality but I didn't know how to do that at the start :) So you can still choose the genders of the ROs for story purposes and variety. IF YOU DO NOT SEE ROMANCE OPTIONS THAT IS NOT A BUG. You simply chose a RO gender that doesn't correlate with the sexuality you chose for your MC. Having said that, if you do see a romance option available and it's not supposed to be there please let me know! That means I may have missed it coding-wise.
the stats have been all fixed! I've added all the necessary variables and such. The stat portion of the game has been updated with the appropriate pages but they're not finished. Still, the stats should be fine.
You will now have confessionals in the stat page! The feature still isn't a thing yet because I haven't come up with the confessionals lolol but you can click on it to see what it's about. Essentially, as you progress through the story you will be able to see confessionals from the cast of Infamous throughout. They disappear and appear periodically so if you miss it, THAT'S IT! You won't get a chance to see them again until MC watches an episode where it's relevant.
There is now a: Discography page, Infamous wiki, botb cast and staff page, and other characters page for organization. Those are not finished but they're there!
I changed a few stat names but their functions remain the same.
You will be able to choose how you would like to be described (masculine, feminine, neither, both).
O is officially gender-selectable.
You can set the genders of the ROs at the start or wait till you meet them.
PLAY HERE
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elbdot ¡ 4 months ago
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"WE DO NOT MENTION THE L-WORD HERE"
NEXT
THE GANG IS BACK with El trying to enjoy her final days before the League starts in Alola and things get serious for her... BUT WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT
This update and its follow-ups was available for all Dusk-tier pledgers on early access! :D 🏝️🌺✨
Some of my long-time followers may recognize some of these panels! This comic is a reworked version of an old roughly scribbled comic I released a little over 4 years ago when Pokemon Sword and Shield came out. You can see the old version here!
Thank you to all my Patrons, I couldn't post new updates without your support! I'll see you all again with a new update next week! Patreon | Webtoons
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s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s ¡ 1 year ago
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Hi Friends. Quick update on my life. I'm very excited about having new music to share, but I just wanted to let you know that one of the reasons why I haven't been able to participate in the press and promotion leading up to the release of Javelin is bc I am in the hospital. Last month I woke up one morning and couldn't walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility. My brother drove me to the ER and after a series of tests—MRIs, EMGs, cat scans, X-rays, spinal taps (!), echo-cardiograms, etc.—the neurologists diagnosed me with an auto immune disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Luckily there's treatment for this — they administer immuno-hemoglobin infusions for five days and pray that the disease doesn't spread to the lungs, heart and brain. Very scary, but it worked. I spent about two weeks in Med/Surg, stuck in a bed, while my doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life.
On September 8, I was transferred to acute rehab, where I am now undergoing intensive physical therapy/occupational therapy, strength building etc. to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again. It's a slow process, but they say I will "recover," it just takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work. Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful. I'm only in my second week of rehab but it is going really well and I am working really hard to get back on my feet. I'm committed to getting better, I'm in good spirits, and I'm surrounded by a really great team. I want to be well!
I'll keep you posted as I progress. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. And a huge shout out to all the incredible caretakers of the world working night and day to help us heal. They are living saints.
Be well, be joyful, stay sane, stay safe. I love you.
yours truly from a wheelchair XOXOXO Sufjan Stevens
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sonicboomrevisited ¡ 2 months ago
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SONIC BOOM: Revisited | Issue 1 | Pages 19-20
Previous
Things have officially gone from bad to worse...
And thus we've officially reached the conclusion of Sonic Boom Revisited Issue 1! I want to thank everyone for reading. When I started this project, my only goal was to finish an issue. I just wanted to show myself I could do it. I didn't expect to get a lot of attention. Frankly, I didn't think enough people would still care about Sonic Boom. Every day I am blown away by everyone's responses. So, seriously, thank you. There are a few more things I'll be releasing on issue 1 over this weekend and one more thing later today. Details on Issue 2 will be announced SATURDAY. Before you get too excited: Issue 2 will NOT be released BEFORE the 2024 Holiday's. There will, however, still be updates to look out for between now and then, so stay tuned!
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duplicityvn ¡ 2 months ago
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devtalk #1 11/10 ::
Hey, I've been recently made aware of a... I don't know what to say so I'll just put, "controversial" update of one of the games in this community.
First off, I want to say kudos to @/fantasia-kitt for biting the bullet and putting some actual real dark shit into the game. This is what's been missing from the community.
Personally, I think these devblogs and interactions between community and developer have watered down yandere stories and have promoted an almost unhealthy look towards what a yandere actually is.
It also has caused several people to develop an unhealthy sense of relationships, thinking that you're only loved or capable of showing love if you do extremely toxic things as a "Look what I'll do for you, don't you understand?"
This isn't to say that I think devblogs should be removed, or we should stop dev-community interactions all together. No, this is just me saying, "Hey, guys. These characters are meant to be dark, are meant to be evil, they're morally reprehensible and irredeemable. Remember that."
When you get into dark content, you have to be prepared for dark fucking content, okay?
Onto my second point of this post.
Do I think there should have been clearer warnings in the game before some of this stuff happened? Yes and no. I think FK's warnings are appropriate and clearly stated.
I also think that following a similar format to Boyfriend to Death, where there is a content warning/trigger list for each separate character would help in expectations for these incidents. People get attached to characters, it's a thing that happens. If you asked me several months ago, I would have a different opinion. As it stands, I now have comfort characters of my own.
Do I think anything is wrong with TKATB or FK? No, absolutely not. FK is entitled to create whatever story they want to, however dark they want to. I appreciate that they're bringing this into the community and it's a little inspiring and motivating if I'm being honest.
Anyway, this is just my own personal thoughts and ramblings on this matter. I am but a tiny dev with a tiny following that wanted to make a post about this in general. In the future, I will personally be making a trigger/content warning list for each character before such content is released to avoid this happening. I will also be implementing it into the game itself so it's very in your face about what Duplicity: Revival contains.
You have your own responsibility to listen to and heed warnings that developers list for their games. If ***any*** of that content on those warnings are an issue for you, then don't interact with the game. At all.
I think that's all I had to say about this. I'll add more if I think of anything.
Take care of yourself, bunnies. <3
-Cin
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llamagirl28 ¡ 5 months ago
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Hello folks! I'm back with good news!
First off, let me get the development update out of the way. These past months writing has been difficult due to health issues regarding my hands, but I've still managed to get some work done and make progress on the demo. The updates have been Patreon/Kofi exclusive so far (since they have early access perks) and I've been waiting for content to build up for a public release. Now, I finally bring you something to sink your teeth in!
I also wanted to let you know that I've read the feedback you left me and I've taken it all into consideration. I have made plans for changes, some major, some minor, but I've yet to implement them. Here's a list of the future changes:
I've received feedback that chapter 4 feels slow, overly-descriptive and filled with scenes of tasks and chores; looking back on it, I do admit I've gone overboard with these things. I'll be cutting down on superfluous bits, altogether removing some scenes or changing them into something more interesting and relevant.
Also regarding chapter 4, as well as 5: I've...info-dumped quite a lot, and it slows the pace. I'll be going over the game and try to spread out information better, or withhold it till later.
Guinevere will be introduced earlier, in chapter 3. Really excited about this change :)
Instead of having one main trait for Mordred's dragon friend to choose from in chapter 2, the option will be between four archtypes. These will allow me to better flesh out the character (I've found the current system restrictive and one-note). I'll elaborate more on these new choices when they're added (which I've started to work on) but know that they incorporate the existent personality traits. This change will also come with not just edited, but entirely new scenes featuring the draconic companion.
Adding an alternative route to showing Elaine around in chapter 5, so Mordreds not interested in her can still do something fun
Alright, now let's talk demo update!
What's new?
More of chapter 5 (it's a big one)
Greet the wedding guests. Reunite with Nimue and catch up, meet Merlin for the first time
Talk to, insult, or ignore Galahad
Get on the dancefloor! (with a RO or friend of choice!)
Edits made: some bits of Nimue's conversation in chapter 1 have been reworked and a new dialogue option has been added, a couple of edits done to Morgana's first POV in chapter 3
Demo link:
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