#ANYWAY. EXCITING developments. I love websites.

[autistickfigure]

YOU CAN MAKE THE PINBORD BIGGER I CAN PUT SO MUCH crap DO you like the color of the BOB? Let's think about this

[readymades2002]

something difficult about writing/storytelling but only in short disconnected bursts is that writing anything longform is very difficult. there isn't as much time to practice long-term character development or subtlety (implying character instead of immediately clarifying) when its not really meant to go anywhere but a notes app. its a little frustrating...i'd love to do something more longform though. i've considered maybe just doing some short writing scenes in my various original universes a lot recently mostly because i just havent had time to draw anything fancy recently </3 maybe that would be something...

[hayacode]

The excitement of working on my first full stack project (aka software development bootcamp graduation project) 🥹🥹🤍🤍🤍

For this web app, I will use C# for backend and React js for frontend

So this web app is supposed to be

- Responsive because most people use their phone now and I can't make a real app yet so that the better options (and it doesn't have that many pages so far so that's good)

- Give you many questions to test your Japanese language, the more you practice the better you get and the easier the real test will be.

I plan to use real questions from old mock tests (unfortunately I couldn't find data ready to use so l will have to make it myself)

(I have been helping people with their Japanese journey for more than 10 years now and this time I will build a web to help them with it too. That’s how much I love this language 🇯🇵✨)

What I have been working on so far

- Already decided on the theme and design

- I made a diagram for the entity I will use (and what they are supposed to contain)

- All the websites that I needed for this project are ready in one place so I won’t forget about them

- I sketched the website pages and what it will look like

- Already have an idea of how to fetch specific data (that I will make myself) but honestly, I am not sure it will work or not but I already have plan B for that

- Already choose the name of the project and its “Ganbare” which means do your best in Japanese ✨

- I have an extra feature that I will not work on until I finish the basics but it is the one I am excited about it the most (It’s leaderboard where we get to see the user with the highest scores as a way to motivate them ⭐️)

Next I have a few articles and YouTube videos I need to check soon to make this project easier

Oh imagine if they say "Hey so you guys should create an ecommerce website for your graduation project!"

Pffff yeah they already said there is a 90% chance it's going to be that but I asked them to reconsider because that would be boring right?

Anyway even if they say no to any other project I will still do mine 😌 6 weeks and we will see did I win or did they make me shut up and do ecommerce

[malkaleh]

For this to make sense read this gorgeous fic by @nocompromise-noregrets and also have knowledge of my OT3 verse. This is an in universe fandom post (on a tumblr that it is like, Good Website But Also Still Hell Site)

So I went to the panel discussion at Welles Hall (with a friend which was life changing levels of great) and I wanted to write a book report for the tumblr.

Natalie is actually Aphrodite. Like, I was speechless. I do not know how us mere mortals can gaze at such beauty and anyway, I was the most useless of lesbians.

I’m not personally into men romantically or sexually but like, aesthetically James and Jon and Rupert are very appealing. Like a sunset or a piece of art. Also very charming, A+

Ahmed is a sweetheart and very funny.

The questions/answers were all great but uh, some highlights:

Ahmed really talked about how much he admired the work Rupert did in particular - that he really sat down with the primary sources and asked great insightful questions (quote “I think in some ways actors have a similar drive to historians - to understand people, even repellant ones”)

“People ask me if I have any sympathy for him [Norwich] and the answer is no! I loathe him - the historical study is fascinating and important but I have never liked him”

Rupert said it was hard to be in [Norwich’s] head - that he ended up developing a ritual for getting in and out of character to separate himself - he really gave credit to the shows intimacy coordinator for the workshopping before anyone was on set.

(Aside we learned that Rupert was cast really early on - apparently they didn’t want anyone else because he’s quote ‘handsome and charming and a brilliant performer and that’s what we needed’)

Maya said there were times she had to stop herself from quote ‘making excited squeaking noises’ on set (world renowned historians - they are in fact just like us) and that her favourite set was the Arthurian Masque plus “one I can’t talk about yet” *eyes emoji*

Maya “I went into the process of revising it (The Tudor Triad: New Edition) with delight and sadness” she talked about how she loved being back with these three but also the heaviness of it - how she wrestled with how much to include.

Ahmed interjected and said that it was one thing he really struggled with as well - that only having Norwich’s voice, Noriwch’s details on the abuse was something particularly sickening and that’s in large part why it was so incredible to see James’ performance.

(“I think, I hope that somewhere in the afterlife Thomas Cromwell is glad to see that he is given his story back to him”)

Both James and Rupert really talked about how the townhouse visit was the most confronting part - that Norwich’s journals are awful and chilling but somehow being in the space where it happened, that made it all the more real, especially because by this point they’d both been in their characters heads for a while.

“It was horrible - i actually don’t like to talk about it in detail honestly”

They both talked about how great Ellie at Welles Hall was - that she and Ahmed and Maya really talked them through the diary/papers and the decoding. (“All props to Rupert and James - not only is the content not an easy read, reading/interpreting Tudor handwriting is a process and reading Tudor handwriting in a mix of languages is even worse”)

Natalie “my guiding sense was that Anne would rip him [Norwich] apart with her bare hands and dance on the remains - I just found that through playing her, reading her own words even if it’s never referred to directly”

Jon was very sure he wanted to have what Henry says to Norwich remain a mystery (though Rupert knows!) and he didn’t want the audience to see Henry’s face when it was sad - Rupert said that it was ‘incredibly bloody satisfying’ to play the moment when Norwich realises that he has ‘fucked around and found out’

Rupert said he thought that Norwich absolutely believed in his own mythology - that essentially, might makes right, that he was a great Roman General etc. (Which apparently Ahmed is currently working on an academic article about Norwich and Ancient Rome)

I’ll be back for part II: the Lionel Discussion Panel later.

-semperlyqueerly

[clyches]

the girls you loved before ୨♡୧ the girls (+ y/n) !

masterlist — ୨♡୧ — piss 4 — ୨♡୧ — act 1; i.

IT was unusual, really — how could have they become so close when they all went to different high schools? well, it’s simple; it’s all-japan youth camp, baby!

IN contrast to her highschool best friend (or rather, annoying neighbor), kageyama tobio, l/n y/n wasn’t really the sportiest... nor had she possessed a passion for sports. but hey! you had to understand her — she wasn’t exactly a fan of physical activities, and sweat, ugh! not sweat, please — since tobio never really did.

ONCE she had heard that tobio had gotten chosen to train in that all-star youth japanese camp — or something, she wasn’t really good with titles, no matter how much her best friend talked about it — y/n, understandably, felt obliged to wait for tobio so they could go home together. besides, it was the only thing she could do, right? y/n barely watched any of tobio’s games because she winces everytime a ball hits something with force, mostly if the latter is any part of the human anatomy. now that she thinks about it, she sounds like a terrible friend.

FURTHERMORE, miya atsumu being annoying as he is, he definitely wouldn’t stop bothering tobio (mainly because how could mr. frowns-a-lot could have any friends?). while sakusa kiyoomi is being dragged into the lot despite feeling exasperated at the thought of having to go with more than 0 people everyday. and about hoshiumi kourai, his friend went home rather early (atsumu and him decided to practice setting and spiking). so by chance, everyone was there.

it was like destiny had pulled them together !

SO now, they’re stuck together, (by chance, not by choice as kiyoomi says) having to tolerate everyone’s different antics!

IN the present day, they’re finally all together in college after being incomplete for 2 years — which felt like an eternity for y/n.

WHILE everyone was seperated a little, almost everyone had developed new hobbies; atsumu loved skateboarding, kiyoomi mildly enjoyed art, while the other two remained the same (still volleyball, forever and always, i guess). it seemed that everybody had changed even a little, besides y/n, of course! she still loved romance, may it be conveyed in books, movies, or a series. (maybe she just really liked the vehemence delusion has given her)

｡⋆ʚ♡⃛ɞ sorta fun facts !

ATSUMU was the mastermind of the gc name.

TWITTER was generally y/n’s influence, hence why everyone has it. though, her account got suspended for inappropriate language on march (she only told atsumu to khs when he posted a meme pic of her?!) and only got back on twitter around september 15.

KIYOOMI refuses to follow atsumu on twitter.

KOURAI doesn’t like using his first name on the internet, that’s why his display name and username is his family name.

TOBIO misses karasuno, his header says it all.

THE “girls” love barging into y/n’s condo, their main reason being that they missed her. (but her empty refrigerator says otherwise :/)

the girls you loved before — a kenma social media au !

sypnosis. you, being the president of the hopeless romantic club (and possibly the only member) of tokyo university, you are an absolute dork for love & adore seeing it in the air. on the other end of the spectrum, kenma has completely given up in love, due to all his failed attempts, and just can’t believe that true love could even exist. when two absolute opposite dispositions suddenly collide, the universe just can't help to make a bittersweet mess!

notes. my tumblr is being bitchy & won’t let me upload pictures, i have to go to the website or on my laptop to get it done (translation: slow updates). hopefully, i can get the other profile chapter ready by later! anyway, i’m very excited and hyped so enjoy readinggg

taglist. OPEN ! — dm or send an ask to be added :D

୨♡୧ @empathum @zephestia @camicocom1a @pauleensstuff @eriiiyoon @princesskakashi @88ksk

[adrianasunderworld]

💕Gift for a Godmother💕

A valentines drabble of Crowley wanting to get Clara a present.

@mangacupcake @marrondrawsalot @writing-heiress @the-weirdos-mind

💝💝💝

The council was not very helpful. And by council he meant his ward and young cousin he had gone to for an opinion on what to buy for Valentine's Day.

Crowley sat on the living room floor of Ramshackle, his laptop open in front of him on the coffee table,several tabs open to various shopping websites. His coat and hat tossed aside on the nearby chair. He wishes he was better at gift giving. He had known Clara for years, getting her a gift should have been easier than this.

Dreary and Isabelle also sat on the floor, just as perplexed, eating the snacks he brought to bribe them into helping him.

“What about shoes?” Isabelle suggested through a mouth half filled with candy, “She always has the best shoes.”

“ Yes, but what kind?” That had been his first thought. “She buys every pair she wants from all her favorite brands. Everytime I peak at her wishlist it's seems to be after she's already bought them.”

“You mentioned she likes clothes,” Dreary said, “Maybe that? Or accessories, like a handbag.”

“Similar problem,” Dire said as he looked through the tabs of all her favorite shops. There was very few things Clara did not possess. If she didn't, it was not her style at all. He had known her long enough to tell her taste at a glance and somehow that made it all the more difficult to find something just right.

“What do you normally do for Valentine's anyways?” The prefect asked.

“A standard card, and flowers she likes,” Crowley replied, thinking of all the years past. They had been standard gifts, and he never forgot a year. “But I want to do something different this year, even if it's a small gift.”

“But why?” Dreary asked, leaning forward with her chin resting in her hands. Isabelle leaned forward as well. “What changed?”

Suddenly the Headmage felt coming to Ramshackle was a mistake as both girls looked at him expectantly for an answer. He cleared his throat and tried to play it off. “No reason. Just felt doing something different to show my appreciation for my fellow Headmage.”

“Uh huh. Now what's that real reason?” Isabelle replied, clearly not buying a word of it.

“It's ok, Dire. You can tell us.” Dreary said softly.

Crowley knew they would not leave him alone now. He could already picture them in his office pestering to tell. “I just… Want to make it special this year. Nothing big has happened to warrant it I suppose. I simply want to give her something she deserves for a change.”

“Translation: You like her and want to actually shoot your shot.” Isabelle said.

“Not how I would have put it, but in a manner of speaking, yes.”

Dreary seemed excited at this development. “That's sweet! I think this will go well.”

“Before you get your hopes up, I need a gift.”

“Ok well what does she like besides fashion?” Isabelle asked as she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. “You might be able to narrow it down more if you just make a list.”

“Besides clothing and shoes, she has one of the biggest sweet tooths I think I've ever seen. Especially for pumpkin flavored treats. Pie, coffee, you name it. It's one of the few things she refuses to share. She loves pastel colors. If it comes in a soft pink or blue, she'll take it everytime. Oh, she loves Romance movies and novels. She always insists she doesn't cry at them, but the happy endings always get to her-”

Dreary and Isabelle glanced at each other as Dire rambled on about Headmage Cristalería.

“-and don't even get me started on her and the autumn time-”

“Dire!” Dreary interrupted. “What about hobbies?”

“Hm? Oh she absolutely adores miniatures.”

“Miniatures?” Isabelle asked. “Like dollhouse stuff?”

“Yes, she's always found them cute. But she likes making and getting them for her mice and the pixies of White Ash to enjoy. She also adores her mice. She's told me she's looked after the mice in the school since she was a child, they mean a great deal to her.” As he said it, Dire finally had an idea. “Wait a minute.”

“What?” Dreary leaned over to see what he was looking up and smiled approvingly. “These are adorable.”

Isabelle peeked as well at the screen to look at the online store Dire was scrolling through. “Aw. She'll like these.”

“I hope so.”

***

“Good morning, Prudence.” Clara greeted her assistant as she walked into the main office of the school.

“Good morning, Headmage.” The woman replied with a nod of her head.

“Anything of note this morning?”

“No, but a delivery came for you shortly after I came in. I left it on your desk.”

“Delivery?” Clara asked, trying to think of what it could it could be. “I wasn't expecting any deliveries.”

“It's seems to be a gift, ma'am. The tag said it was from Mr. Crowley of Night Raven.”

“Ah, I see. I'll take a look at it now. Thank you Prudence.” Clara opened the door to her office and was immediately greeted to the sight of a bouquet of white and pink roses in a glass vase on her desk.

She smiled at the sight as she admired the flowers, picking out the card that was addressed to her from it.

Then she noticed the two small boxes as well. One of the mice that was always sniffing around her office seemed rather interested in the smaller box. Opening it, she noticed it had the logo of a bakery she regularly went to, so she was delighted to see it full of her favorite pumpkin cookies inside. She was already thinking of how they would taste with her morning coffee. Before she got ahead of herself, she opened the slightly larger box. In it was a miniature open carriage. Pink with all the intricate little details molded onto the side painted in silver, it's little seats made with a soft white material. Clara thought it was adorable with all its little details. She set it down, the mouse scurried over to it to investigate. Crawling in, the little seat was just the right size for the little creature.

“Is that comfortable, Augusta?” Clara asked as she reached over to pet her.

Augusta the mouse squeaked in approval.

The fae woman chuckle to herself a bit before finally opening the card.

I hope you enjoy these gifts. I wanted you to have something special this year, simply because you deserve it. Happy Valentine's - Dire Crowley

Clara smiled. As obnoxious as Dire was, he knew when to be sweet. She picked up her phone as she sat in her chair, looking at Augusta the mouse drift off to sleep in the tiny carriage.

“Good morning, Clara.”

“Hello, Dire. I just got your gifts.”

“I hope you liked them.”

“I did, I wanted to call and thank you. They're very sweet.”

“I'm glad. Clara, now that I have you on the phone, I hope you'll let me treat you to dinner as well tonight if you're not busy.”

The corner of her lips curled up into a smile. “I'd like that, Dire.”

[candy8448]

Watching oshi no ko s2

(Previous post)

Ep4

Whoa she traumatised him not cool 0.0

Is it just me or does the shadow thing look like aqua when he was a doctor in his past life? Im guessing that is deliberate. Probably because as a doctor it was his duty to keep ai safe

Anyways this episode was so good, aqua's emotions and panic were portrayed so well in such a haunting way :(

Ep5

WHOAKAY

Kana absolutely destroyed her D:

Bonding! :D

I love the animation in this episode! The colours! The way its so fluid and bouncy! The eyes! So good! I can also see a lot of kaguya sama vibes from aka akasaka whoch is so fun! Also while i was kinda meh about akane, im kinda starting to see more character traita from her that i like, i love how she is becoming more fleshed out.

Ep6

Not much to say about it other than than the MUSIC IS SO GOOD!! I loved it so much and it sounds sick playing loudly in my earphones, especially since its very different from the music in other episodes.

Im so glad that the website im watching from has the sub have background talking in a smaller font or else i would be so lost all the time =_= (also glad it translates everything important, and also in the colour of that text in the animation)

Melt went in a full on magical girl transformation 0.0

I liked the development tho, so cant wait for next episode

Ep7

Is... okay

I guess interesting to see the reasons behind the conflict between arima and akane but this episode wasn't that engaging. I cant wait for next episode though. I kind of really liked the focus on the other cast members tbh.

Ep8

Again it was fine ig but

Hehe

Ep9

WHOA this episode is good! Finally another episode that i like, i was worried since i was kind of bored with thw previous few!

Love the lil peep into when ai was still alive 😭

This is crazy how everything is depicted. (Seeing ai alive feels like one of those "A.I. vine continuations/au trend that my sister has been showing me on instagram, lol)

😭😭😭

(I wanna and probably will draw this)

Kana's pure look at aqua bridal carrying Akane XD

Also "im gonna go ho-" "im going with them" "im in" is hilarious XD

Well okay... 0.0

Im excited again :DDD

(Im kinda dissapointed by the ed. Its nice, and it sounds good, but it doesnt have the energy that makes the ending of each episode just pop. Mephisto made every ending of each episode just go so hard, and i feel like this season also kinda needs that feel, especially how the ed starts during the episode's last min. I get that ppl think it is "op is aqua pov" and "ed is ruby pov" and it does fit that theme, but it just doesmt go as hard as mephisto :/)

(Not me seeing the tumblr posts for this ep and the official art and just letting the most littlest squeals because there is family around but i physically cannot contain myself)

(Unrelated to this episode but i can feel how much the akane nation has grown with this season, this season writes he so well and makes her less unintresting like how she was to me at least in s1)(dont get me wrong, she was cool or whatever, she just failed to keep my intrest in her 0.0)

(Next post)

[thelogbookproject]

If you could do any licensed TTRPG product, what would it be? Someone else's IP, completely redoing an already established one, anything!

It's complicated. This is a thorny subject for me -- I'm happy to answer, it's just messy.

See, I designed Legend of the Elements. At the time, it was a definitive answer to "What Is the AtLA RPG". Fast forward to when Avatar got an official PbtA RPG, Avatar Legends, and despite years of experience adapting AtLA to PbtA, I was never approached, considered, or asked to contribute in any way. I get why the corporation went with Magpie over itty bitty solo me, but it stung. What hurts much more: Avatar Legends is, imo, far worse than Legend of the Elements 2e (in development a year before AL's announcement). I kinda hate it. I didn't like Masks even before it. I won't get into it here or I'll never stop and I'll hurt my professional standing with people I like. Ask me some other time if you wanna know about that.

Anyway, I'm obviously bitter. A big part of coping has been recognizing how freeing myself from the IP allows my game to improve. This isn't unfounded! LotE was originally Avatar World, and about halfway through development I knew I had enough to actually publish and stripped off the labels, becoming Legend of the Elements, and it vastly improved the game almost overnight. So I'm hesitant about working with IPs in the best of cases. I've been stripping IPs off my designs to improve them forever now, and most of my games start with IPs I love that I want to improve by going beyond them. Media provides ideas, but IPs are just shackles on adaptation work.

Still, I do have answers.

If I get complete freedom to adapt and shape the game, ignoring existing products: Avatar the Last Airbender.

If I'm bound to the character constraints of the IP: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

If I can play outside the plots and structures of the original to my own desires: Disco Elysium.

AtLA is, frankly, personal vindication. Plus my game is better and I want people to play it, for their sakes, but the answer here is driven by a desire for vindication.

She-Ra is so intensely character-driven that I don't think you can make a recognizable SRPoP game without directly doing the IP, and adapting LotE(2e) is actually perfect for it. I actually did it, only viewable on my Patreon or website, DTRPG (rightly) blocked it from sale. I would love to explore that further. As much as Thirsty Sword Lesbians is the Catradora game, I don't think a real She-Ra adaptation works without She-Ra herself in the rules.

I don't want to retell Disco Elysium, in plot, setting, or theme. But the underlying structures of what makes it what it is are eminently open to being worked with, and I have a vision. I have that vision right now, and it's in the early stages of being processed. Maybe it won't go anywhere, but that's what I'm excited about right now, so that's what I'm saying.

I have one more answer. All of those share one trait: I know how I'd do them. So if you want the deepest, truest, dark-of-my-soul answer for what IP I wish I could adapt but don't know how I'd even do it to my satisfaction: The World Ends With You.

It escapes me. I wish I knew how to do it. The firm #3 on my Personal Top 5 Games Ever list, I long for the day that I crack the code. Also: I know of, and respect, Vibe Check. It does capture elements, but it's not what I envision.

So that's my answer. Depending on circumstance, Avatar the Last Airbender, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Disco Elysium, or The World Ends With You.

[zorilleerrant]

I like to think that Rose makes fake infomercials for all of her products, and has roped all of her family, friends, and neighbors into making them. which means, eventually, The Doctor gets tapped to star in one, where he gamely holds up toys and talks about their fantastic qualities. now he's pretty charismatic, and he loves teddy bears and all, so I think he'd get very enthusiastic about this, and become very popular all over the internet.

so we know he always calls himself The Doctor, even in contexts where it doesn't make sense, but in a channel of fake toy infomercials (with real handmade toys to buy) I don't think people would question it too much. they even get him to say "trust me, I'm The Doctor" and other catchphrases like that by leaving comments. he develops a cult following, and, owing to this, Rose puts him in even more videos and gets him to talk up all of her most popular products. she's doing great business out of all this.

one time, he tries to show off a talking bear. the bear says something normal, like "I love you", but it's advertised with the ability to email Rose your own audio files and she'll record them for the bear. except this one doesn't turn on immediately - so The Doctor has to sonic it better. works pretty quickly, the bear starts playing music, and he goes, see, what a fascinating product! which, of course, makes the bear very popular after the video goes viral. what else does it do? well it makes people want his sonic screwdriver.

now I don't think almost anyone thinks it's an actual device, they think he was just being funny, but it means that Rose gets to design a whole bunch of novelty penlights and they start selling really well, too. (just cheap bulk ones and she sculpts decorations onto them, well within her wheelhouse.) and The Doctor, by popular demand, starts using them to give the plushies 'checkups' and make sure they're all feeling their best.

so, because he does silly little skits like that, and he's called The Doctor, people think he's a toy doctor, and start sending in their dolls and bears and toy cars and everything to get patched up. Rose can do that easily; that's the same sewing, stuffing, painting, etc. that she's already been doing when she makes things by hand. maybe she learns some new techniques, which I think she'd be excited to try, but most things I think would be very quick repairs and send all the toys home happy and healthy. except it's odd that it's happening so much, because no one has put together that people think The Doctor is, like, The Toy Doctor yet.

but The Doctor has also noticed this influx of orders and is all, well, if people are going to be sending so many in anyway we might as well add a separate order form, and while we're at it let's make our own site, that'll be cheaper and more convenient. and Rose is all do you even know anyone who can make a website because all my friends are, no offense, kind of bad at it, and you shouldn't believe them when they say they know how. and The Doctor's like of course I know someone, it's Mickey.

and Mickey's like, oh sure, I'll do you a favor, and drops by the house to help set up Rose's website because he wants to install some design software for her to make it easier to do mockups and such, and he gets to explaining, and then The Doctor finally comes home, and at first Mickey's like, hey, and keeps explaining, but then he finally looks at The Doctor and he's like. why do you have a different face that's the same face that I thought you already didn't have anymore, and The Doctor has to explain.

and then Mickey's like. I thought you lived with Martha now and also what happened to the version of you who looks like me, did you just abandon Martha? and The Doctor's like. I don't think that part has happened for me yet it's probably yet another version of The Doctor who isn't really The Doctor but just looks exactly the same because that's happened really a lot of times now. or else it's a future version of me! and Mickey is like. right well enjoy your website

and then Rose asks Mickey to do infomercials for her toys and since Mickey thinks the toy monsters are really cool he's very enthusiastic about them and then his videos go viral too

also Mickey is the only one who realized why people think he's The Toy Doctor and has to explain about toy hospitals

[notjanine]

i'm comfortably into my two part time jobs and still training for my third job (which'll eventually be part time up to full time).

this third job is like... i referred to it before as my ~dream job~, but that's only half true.

i'll be getting to do thing i've always wanted to do, but under a broader umbrella that includes things i never thought i'd get into. for years, ppl have been telling me that i should try it bc i'd be good at it, but i just assumed i wouldn't be. but now that i'm like 1/3 of the way through my (intense, partly self-assigned, mostly self-directed) training... i might actually be REALLY good at this. it's much more medically complicated and interesting than i thought, plus would actually allow me to use the deep foundational knowledge of food that i built from the same passion that brought me to this field in the first place.

but boss told me i have to declare sub-specialty areas of expertise, so they know what kinds of cases to give me. i'm like. i just started my career. and my other two jobs are in a totally different and basically irrelevant area. i started building my bio for the website and i was freaking out bc the only areas i could think of were like. conditions/identities i have or my loved ones have. that's fake bullshit! experience does not equal expertise!

but then i remembered that my own perspective has driven my experience in preparing for this field. throughout my higher level academic practice, internship experience, and even formal recreational learning, i have consistently chosen to do work that revolves around these facets of my life. i once joked with my best friend that the running throughline of my gradschool experience was i love autistic people and fat people and trans people actually. i chose to focus on those things and developed expertise out of that love! and i also had to remind myself that sometimes it's not all about expertise. it's also about familiarity and comfort. when you have to be vulnerable with someone, having to educate them about the basics of your lived experience is an extra burden. if you don't have to worry about that, you can put more energy into working on the things that matter to you.

i do not love my chronic illness, however, but suffering can be a good motivator, so i have learned so much about it just so i can try to live with it. i have a pubmed alert set up to send me every new study about it for fucks sake. it's a weird little illness and most of the good data on it is very very fresh (<5 years), so it's hard to find a healthcare practitioner who knows how to treat it well. for example, my old doc put me on a treatment regimen that i now know--with MY expertise--may have caused permanent damage to my body! the benefits did not outweigh the risks! but it's standard therapy. it shouldn't be! and now i can be loud about that, with evidence that i can present to the people who make those decisions!

anyway, it's cool to know that everything i've been through is now benefiting me as a professional. and to know that my loved ones have not only supported me through all this, but also made me better so that i can help them and more people like them. plus, my job will put me in a position to argue work with doctors! which i was dreading, but now i'm kind of looking forward to!

i'm getting to a point where i've barely started my career but i can start to see how it'll go, pivoting in a different direction than i initially planned, but maybe one that'll be better! i worry that i will become a workaholic like my mom, but maybe again my illness will be a benefit, because maybe my body won't LET me do that. i'm excited to see what will happen! but for now, lemme get back to my studying.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

From Walt Disney Animation Studios CCO Jennifer Lee herself, via The Walt Disney Company website:

We are working on so many exciting new, original projects we hope to share soon as well as the continuations of stories from characters and worlds we love like Zootopia and Frozen. We have about ten projects currently in development, and each of them is so exciting.

Par for the course, really. I remember reading off of the Animation Guild blog many moons ago, approximately 2016, that the studio had the next ten years mapped out... A much different ten years, of course, because Lasseter was still leading it back then.

Anyways, ten pictures in development. ZOOTOPIA 2 and FROZEN III namedropped, re-confirming the rumor that FROZEN III's story is so big, a part of it might be saved for a FROZEN IV... Also hints at the possibility of another sequel (ENCANTWO seems likely, to me).

"Sharing soon"... Do we find out about WDAS 2024 by the end of the year? Maybe. Hope so.

[dhampiravidi]

🍰 to bake my muse’s favorite treat for them (Cassia bringing over baked goods for Jayn or for her to bake them something while they're hanging out together~)

They figured it was time for another girls' day since their shopping trip had been pretty fun. The only problem was, the weather had been crappy for the last week or two, and the forecast wasn't showing anything but rain for the foreseeable future. That meant no trips to the city, because the street would be gross the whole day. So the girls settled on a lazy day inside. They could listen to the music they both liked, rant about Dracula (the current focus of their book club), and...

[Cassia]: Want me to bring lunch?

[Jayn}: Nooo! You don't have to...

[Jayn]: We can make toasted sandwiches! Is that OK?

[Cassia]: 😲😍🥪

[Jayn]: Haha OK 😁

[Cassia]: What about COOKIES?

[Jayn]: *screams* ♥♥♥ shh don't tell the 🥪

So they were going to bake cookies, talk, and then nom their lovely treats. The sandwiches would get made whenever the girls actually got hungry. Jayn politely asked Evelyn to add chocolate chips, oats, and the usual baking ingredients to the grocery list. Mrs. Danvers agreed, on the condition that she get at least two cookies once they're baked. That meant the girls were making twenty cookies.

"Hey!" Jayn cried, ushering Cassia in so she could get out of the cold and the rain. "I hope Ty and Aaron weren't too gross," she said teasingly. The couple had dropped Cass off, since their D&D group had had a short session scheduled that afternoon anyway.

"Nah, they're always cute." The (slightly) shorter of the two shrugged off her wet raincoat, which Jayn took and put in the closet the Danvers had just for...well, guests' coats. That way it had a chance to dry without dripping on anything. "Hey," Cass echoed with a grin, hugging Jayn. It seemed silly to ask how she'd been, since they texted every day they didn't see each other.

"OK, so fill me in!" They both plopped down on a couch so Cassia could tell Jayn the story of the most recent D&D campaign drama. Cass was an excellent storyteller, and Jayn was a great listener, asking questions about the character development and the plot (Jayn didn't need any lore explanation because she'd binged most of the Forgotten Realms wikia). The whole conversation always ended in lots of giggling, especially when the girls started coming up with ridiculous ways the campaign might end. Then, the subject turned to Dracula, which their book club was reading, and to school after that.

"He's just so monotone," Jayn huffed, talking about her boring Freshman Seminar professor, "I have to take notes, and text you guys, and sit on a textbook just to stay awake...ugh. I feel like I'm boring you talking about him. Sorry--"

"Hey, it's OK! Ranting is what best friends are for," Cass assured her. "So: what makes this recipe you found 'The Best Cookie Recipe Ever'?" She wasn't big on sweets herself, but she was happy to bake with Jayn, and excited to see what Evelyn, her dad, and their friends would think of the cookies.

"Alright! Well, the website said they're the best cookies, but I think they are--or, they will be. They have oats in them. And Evelyn got the rich people-kind of stuff, so they're gonna be five-star." With that, the girls jumped up and hurried to the kitchen. Jayn got all the dry ingredients out, since she knew where everything was kept, and Cass got the milk, butter, and baking tools. It wasn't long before there were globs of sugary dough placed on cookie sheets and slid into the waiting oven. "The best part..." Jayn grinned mischievously, holding up the bowl with cookie batter remnants up to the heavens. Cass just snickered at her friend's weirdness. They talked about the movies that were set to come out in a few months while Jayn ate batter off of the wooden spoon they'd used to mix everything.

"I think it's cute. And it's definitely original," Cassia said about The Proposal, "Do you think we can get Pogue and Caleb to see it?"

"Yeah! I mean, Pogue might complain on the way there, but he'll still go, and he probably thinks Sandra Bullock is pretty anyway. Caleb'll say yes because it's a fun thing for the four of us to--ugh." While shoving the spoon in her mouth, a bit of batter had gotten stuck on the corner of Jayn's lips. She set the bowl down and moved towards Cassia, meaning to get to the napkins in the pantry, but her friend stood in her way.

"C'mere..." Cass took half a step forward and carefully wiped off the stray sugar with her thumb. Without thinking, she sucked her thumb clean and hummed at the taste cutely, completely oblivious to how Jayn's eyes were glued on her.

"Cassie." It was barely a whisper, more like a sigh, really, but it was enough. Surprised by the nickname, she looked up in time to see the look on Jayn's face. They went in for a kiss at the same time, both unsure. And then they quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry. I-I shouldn'tve thought you wanted...I'm sorry," Jayn mumbled, on the verge of tears.

Cass was thrown back to when her friend, her ex-girlfriend, had made her look like a perv when they were caught kissing. She touched Jayn's cheek, which made her freeze, and then leaned in for a slower, warmer kiss, before she tried to step back.

"Cassie," Jayn repeated, desperate this time. She gently put her hands on the other girl's waist, only holding her tightly once they kissed again. It was like a practiced dance, how they moved with each other. Well, at first. They parted when they needed to breathe, and then they collided with each other again, Cassia pushing Jayn so her back was against the counter. She bravely nibbled on Jayn's lower lip, which earned her a gasp, and then her hands moved up to feel her friend's breasts.

"Why'd you wear a bra?" she huffed, and they both laughed breathlessly.

"My ass isn't wearing a bra," Jayn retorted, and before Cass could figure out what she meant, she herself was groaning, closing her eyes while kisses were painted down her jaw, down to her collarbone. Proud of her efforts, Jayn paused to nuzzle at a spot there, mumbling something about pretty girls and little freckles. Cassia managed to calm herself enough to take the hint from earlier and squeeze Jayn's ass, which made Jayn whimper and press herself into the other girl. They both laughed gently, exchanging a few lazy kisses before they decided to just stand there, holding each other.

They would've been the best cookies ever even if they were burnt.

@in--somnium

[bohanzhaoblog]

             Reflections on My Childhood in China

   

"Well, I never thought I would look back on my childhood in such circumstances—in another country and another language. I was born in China and grew up there, witnessing the country's growth alongside my own. While China has encountered and faces some challenges in its development process, they are all part of China. However, they are just one side of the coin.

China has another side, the flip side of the record, which existed in my eyes as a normal child. There are picturesque mountains and grand rivers, as well as modern steel forests. There are bustling cities with vibrant lights and life, as well as rustic countryside with idyllic pastoral scenes. I cherish memories of lively outdoor activities and quiet reading in the library. I recall visiting the towering Oriental Pearl Tower and conquering the majestic Great Wall. I remember the everlasting loyalty depicted by Zhuge Liang in the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" with his famous words, "I will exhaust myself in service until death," and the unwavering dedication to country and people portrayed in martial arts novels with the saying, "The greatest hero is one who serves the nation and its people." (These are ancient Chinese texts that are very exciting to read.)

What impressed me the most was my experience of visiting the Forbidden City. The various cultural relics there deeply attracted my interest, as if they transported me back hundreds of years, to my ancestors, allowing me to witness their stories. This experience also fostered a strong interest in history and culture within me."

Anyway, I love China, my motherland, my home town. That’s the pace made me myself.ostered a strong interest in history and culture within me."

Some websites about my community:

We usually don’t have community website. That’s not our culture.So I post the web of our places of interest in our society and community that showed our culture.

故宫博物院 (dpm.org.cn)东方明珠广播电视塔 (orientalpearltower.com)万里长城·八达岭－－八达岭长城管理处 (badaling.cn)

2023/7/4

[pixelbark]

I'm aware it's the end of February, I had this written about 3 weeks ago but family issues have gotten in the way of well, pretty much everything and my free time has evaporated.

That said...

Hello, lovelies!

First of all, Happy New Year! I hope everything is going well for you all so far. I have news, read on for the news! And a thank you gift!

Did you know that the development of My Littlest Skeleton is still ongoing? I know!

So, the funny thing about this little Halloween game that was only going to take 2 months, it's been 4. You could say things have... escalated since then.

I've been having a blast working on it and it's gone and the feature creeped itself out of microgame territory, so here's the deal...

The Pixelbark Newsletter!

Let's start with the big announcement, I have started the Pixelbark Newsletter!

This will be a consistently posted newsletter about all things Pixelbark. For the next few months, it will be focused on the development of My Littlest Skeleton and another project that I have going on which will also be released this year. But moving forward it will also contain tidbits about development and general things that I find cool and exciting. It will be posted monthly.

If you're interested please sign up!

As a thank you; those that do will receive a free Steam Key for my game NEON Ultra which is yours to do with as you, please! Claim it as your own, give it to a cutie pie, sell it on a grey market dodgy website, it's up to you!

Those that are signed up will also get a discount code for My Littlest Skeleton when it releases!

Click here to Sign up for the Newsletter!

January Progress

Anyway, here's what I've been working on this month, it's been a development-heavy month so not much in the way of visuals I'm afraid!

The Big Interaction System Rewrite

This is where the majority of the effort has gone this month, the old interaction system was this mess of custom code, animation triggers and Unity Timeline hackery using Signal Emitters, I won't explain in detail how it works because nobody needs that in their life. It was an absolute headache to work in and adding one new object took several days to do including building the art and animations.

The big challenge I was really facing with this is knowing when an animation starts, and when it ends, so that I can swap out the animated Skeleton with the Ragdoll Skeleton accordingly. Along with having triggers so I know when to play sound effects, update the motives, and so on and so on.

Another huge requirement is the ease of use, which means I've gone ahead and built some editor tools too so I can now quickly put together interactable prefabs. I'm hoping this will speed me up a lot!

This is all still very much a work in progress, since it's the major key element of gameplay I really want to take the time to get this right.

Here it is in action!

There are still some things that need ironing out yet, but chief among them is the Skeleton snapping into place when he interacts with things. I have a solution in my brain to goop already for that, I'll get there as I go down the list of priorities!

Behaviour Trees are exciting until you overuse them

Behaviour Trees are cool, when I built my first one for My Littlest Skeleton I was super excited to use it, and it shows, because I've used it for everything.

So some of the work this month has been taking things that don't belong in the behaviour tree out and replacing them with more custom scripts. The first one of these is the code that tells a motive (like hunger) to update. Long term I just want the Skeleton-specific actions to go in the behaviour tree. I think it will help the game scale more organically as I get bogged down in even more feature creep...

Debugging Tools

Last, on the list this month is Debugging Tools! Those are things I should have built at the start...

Quite heavily inspired by The Sims I've made a method of opening a console and typing commands like rosebud in for increasing the currency, or set_motive hunger 50 to set his hunger motive to a value of 50%.

Nothing amazing or groundbreaking, but it's going to speed testing up that's for sure.

A lesson to be learned here, do this first and keep it updated as you add more stuff. It will save you so much time and energy down the line!

Oh, and No Clip mode! So I can make videos more easily now.

I'm considering just keeping these in because cheat codes and cool and need to come back. What do you think?

And that is everything my commit history is telling me I did this month!

Marketing Push

I will be beginning the marketing push for My Littlest Skeleton as we go into February! It's early days yet but rest assured I'll have a lot to say soon!

Commissioned an Artist

I have commissioned an artist to help make the key art for the marketing, it's someone whose work I've admired for a long time so I'm super excited to start working with him!

Newsletter

As mentioned above there's now a newsletter that you can sign up for and get yourself a free game and a discount code in the future. And also keep up to date with everything that's going on!

For frequent updates and to chat with me directly; I'm dotted around on the internet and always available!

Twitter ~ Mastodon ~ Newsletter ~ Discord

See you next thing!

❤️ Amy

My Littlest What Now?

Never heard of My Littlest Skeleton? Not to worry! Allow me to explain:

My Littlest Skeleton is a cosy and relaxing simulator where you care for your very own little Skeleton chum! Pull your unique Skeleton back from the depths of the Nether Region. Then help them fulfil their needs and keep their furnishings in top shape as they will degrade over time! The happier your Skeleton becomes, the greater the rewards! So make sure you take good care of them, because, after all, there is a Skeleton in all of us!

[hifilounge]

Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy Now On Permanent Demo, The Rebirth Of A Speaker Legend!

Hi All,

So I am really excited to say that we now have the new Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy speakers on permanent demo, this is basically the 9th iteration of the legendary WATT/Puppy design as it went through 8 different versions between 1986 to 2011 when it was retired and as HFL launched in 2012 my only experience of these speakers is within customers systems that I have heard and loved so it is great to have our first WATT/Puppy’s on permanent demo which Wilson Audio have brought back to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.

I had a feeling these would be a special speaker so when ours arrived I couldn’t wait to get them up and running but I was then admitted to hospital for a week then off work for another 10 days or so which was torture as I just wanted to hear our new WATT/Puppy’s, anyway we got them up and running at the weekend and I am pleased to say, as expected, they sound truly brilliant, they are so the right size for most UK homes so I can see them being very popular.

The origin of Wilson Audio's WATT/Puppy dates back to 1986 when founder David Wilson created the WATT, which stands for Wilson Audio Tiny Tot, as a loudspeaker to monitor his own recordings with. In 1989, the companion Puppy was released to increase bass output, and with it the WATT/Puppy combination was born. I was told a while ago that the WATT/Puppy is the biggest selling High End speaker of all time which isn’t a surprise I guess with a history like this, this iteration is basically what David Wilson would create today if he had the resources Wilson Audio have now making it the most accomplished WATT/Puppy yet, I’m sure he would have been very proud of where his initial designs have ended up.

50th Anniversary Meddalion!

A cool touch is that they come with a 50th Anniversary Medallion throughout 2024 to commemorate this incredible milestone, generally this will either come in silver of black, depending on the colour you choose your hardware, ie spikes etc, but if you order them in any variety of red then you get a red medallion making these the rarest version. Well when I heard this I just couldn’t resist and ordered our demo pair in the stunning Premium Cranberry Pearl which really does suit these speakers.

I won’t go on about the spec as this can be found on Wilson’s website but needless to say this is a highly engineered speaker with all Wilson’s 50 years of expertise put into practice into a speaker that for me is such the right size for this county and as I always say there is real magic in the Wilson mid which is so apparent in the WATT/Puppy, they give a big full sound that just feels so right and engaging so if you would like to come in for a demo please feel free to get in touch anytime.

Please find a selection of photo’s below and a like to Wilson Audio on our website -

All the best,

Regards,

Paul.

[tosin-talks]

Tosin Talks about the neverending game

It’s been a long time and a lot has happened within that time frame that’s taken a lot of my attention. There’ve been significant new developments in my personal life. There have also been fun things going on in my professional life. I began my practical experience as a student counselor in February. Being a counselor has surprisingly been the most comfortable role to shift into as well as one of the most meaningful roles. I’m immensely grateful to be entrusted with such an important job and thankful to those who have shared a piece of themselves or their story with me. 

I have just 5% of my master’s degree to complete! When I began the program two years ago, I wholeheartedly thought that it would take me forever to finish and there were days that I really wanted to drop out…and by that, I mean every single day! I received a passing score on the exit exam on my first try so that was a relief! I’ve been consistently receiving good grades these past few semesters.

Another super cool thing that I did since my last Tosin Talk was publish a children’s book! I wrote a children’s book called Tiny Tim that talks about navigating big feelings and creating positive narratives about your emotions and experiences. It’s being sold on the Barnes & Noble website and on Amazon. It’s still surreal to say that I have a children’s book published on websites and storefronts that I frequent…it feels even more of a dream to know that people are actually reading and enjoying it! It’s so rewarding as a creative when your work gets noticed. The book was initially a class project and with some encouragement from my professor and colleagues and collaboration with a brilliant illustrator, I published a book! 

Anyway…what’s next? 

That’s genuinely how quick I move on from my accomplishments sometimes. I don’t sit in my success for long enough, I even make myself feel bad for not having a seemingly bigger accomplishment. I remember sobbing when I won a silver medal at an international science fair because I diminished its importance and only focused on how I could’ve done better.

The week after I released Tiny Tim was spent self-loathing. I was so hypercritical of the work that I put out into the world. I was beating myself up for not making it “perfect” despite not really knowing what the perfect children’s book was. I imagined the faces of people I loved and admired, reading my book and saying all the mean things that my mind made up to make the thoughts seem more true. I was fearful of letting people down because it wasn’t as amazing as some of you made it out to be. I didn’t believe that I was deserving of the praise and excitement that I received. And as a result, I discredited my work and told myself to do better. 

Something I noticed and others pointed out is that I’m constantly moving the goal post. As soon as I score one phenomenal goal, I’m on to a new strategy to earn another goal. I didn’t take a second to do a dance, wave to the crowd, or anything. Doing this creates the belief that nothing I do is ever enough. It’s a bad habit that I think I picked up from my culture and the way I was raised. It’s almost endearing to keep playing this game with myself because it means that excellence is my standard and I know that I can achieve it. On the other hand, it’s so unnecessarily exhausting and honestly unproductive to live this way. What good is it truly doing for me to tell myself that I wrote a “bad” story and no achievement is ever “good enough”? Am I really motivating myself to work harder or am I just making myself more susceptible to burnout? 

I’m extremely grateful and lucky to have received validation and praise from many others these past few months, it makes my accomplishments feel more real. However, I’m trying to remember that this is a real milestone and achievement, whether or not others say so. I did a really cool thing and I’ve done really cool things in the past as well! 

I don’t need the validation to make that true and no amount of criticism will ever make that untrue. At the end of the game, the most meaningful goal is making my younger self proud of who I am today. Another goal that’s important to me is helping at least one person with my words and actions. I don’t need to move those goal posts dramatically because I think I score those goals everyday. 

Background music by creek