#One Year Apart Zine

[smilesobrien]

FINALLY got around to making an itch.io page...!! allow me to promo Halloween for Mice parts one and two... haha...!!

[lord-prey]

I like buying charms to put on my keys n backpacks :)

Sometimes I leave extras or ones I don’t wanna take out on my cork board as well. Aka the current Yuuji, Taka n demifiend, they’re not kept that close together btw I did that for the pic 😩

Oldest charms I got are the Jack Ryan and Jazz one, my ex mailed me those back in my jr year of highschool :)

Newest one is the Levi n weeping scope one, got em 3 days ago but my god I scratched em tf up already 😩

N uhhh the Taka, Yuuji n Demifiend came before the Levi :)

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 32 (2024)

By Aj, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

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

~ EDITORIAL ~

Two Issues in one week?!

Yes, it’s us again!

Since Issue 31 came out on Wednesday instead of the regular Saturday and we tried really hard to make this one on time, we’re back once more, just a few days apart.

We sincerely hope you’re not getting sick of us yet!

We want some feedback!

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

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

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

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

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

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

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

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : IF Short Games Showcase 2024 ~

December 1st 2024 to January 1st 2025

Short games tend to get less love than longer games in general-purpose, non-speed-IF comps, while the ones released outside of a competition or jam may not get eyes on them at all. The IF Short Games Showcase 2024 aims to give the shorter works their very own place to shine!

The Short Games Showcase is an opportunity to show off shorter interactive fiction works made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they were previously released.

Authors can submit up to three games - each of them should be completable in 30 minutes or less. The showcase has a broad view of IF. It will accept anything usually considered to fall under that umbrella, including parser games, choice-based/choose-your-own-adventure games, visual novels, point-and-clicks, and text-focused Bitsy games. In addition, a work must not have been submitted to more than three prior jams or competitions.

The SGS will have both a Best Overall winner and winners in several specific categories:

Best Use of Short Form

Best Use of Interactivity

Best Story-Focused Game

Best Puzzle-Focused Game

Most Replay Value

Best Previously Unawarded Game

There might be no prizes, but bragging rights are great too.

Do you have a short project that deserves it’s own moment in the spotlight? Then don’t hesitate and join too!

To read more about the rules and overall goal of the showcase, visit the Itch page.

~ ENDED ~

The voting for ECTOCOMP 2024 is officially over! Check out the results!

You can now check out all 16 entries to the Videotome Jam!

Disabled Rep VN Jam has a very simple premise but a very important message. Check out the submissions!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

A Very Hallmark Game Jam has entered the voting phase. You can now vote for your favourite out of the five entries.

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!

This year’s Yuri Game Jam is in full progress. The devs have until December 2nd to submit their projects.

Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.

Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.

The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.

IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on your projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they are previously released! You have until January 15th 2025 to join.

Winter Visual Novel Jam 2024 is here! You have until January 1st 2025 to submit your projects.

Are you familiar with Decker? Then why not take a part in the Deck-Month 2?

Another bitsy jam is here. This time with the theme "better late than never".

SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.

~ OTHER ~

Intents to enter are open for Spring Thing 2025. To submit an intent to enter, you'll need a working title for the game and a few other pieces of information. Intents for the 2025 festival can be submitted any time between now and March 1st, 2025.

~ NEW RELEASE ~

You’re a promising officer in the Teranese military, a force which has not seen major engagement in decades but which holds vast influence. Thanks to the… complicated circumstances of an injury, you’ve been quietly reassigned. Now you’re to be the bodyguard to a child of a famous scientist who is attending a wilderness boarding school for the children of the richest and most powerful figures of Teran society. What could go wrong? Play Honor Bound (CScript) and find out! (There’s also a mini prequel game about the Honor Bound PC, aged 17 - Honor Bound: Recruitment Day (Twine).) @hpowellsmith

I Fell in Love with a Mailman (Godot) is set in the RADICAL 1980s with the rise of the claw machine industry, play as a girl boss big city girl who's grappling with the realization that her successful corporate life might not be as fulfilling as she imagined. Return home for the holidays and discover a new side of yourself: will you win a prize in the game of love, or is romance simply a rigged game of chance?

You are the Dark Queen—the most powerful being of your entire universe. Your lair is breached by an aspiring hero—a pitiful thing, easily crushed. Except they keep coming back. The Dark Queen of Morthlome is a 20 minute anti-game about an unconventional relationship and the capacity for change.

Two people show signs or attraction to you; however, only one truly loves you. "Eric or Alex?" The same question appears over and over again in your mind. Now it's time to really find out the answer! Go through different apps, discover and gather information in order to decide who is the true love in Attention (Unity)!

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

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

In Swapped (Twine) you play as a 17 year old senior, anxiously awaiting the day you graduate, pack your bags, and ditch Sunnyview. But one day, all of that changes when filming for a movie is announced near your hometown. A chance encounter with the one and only Taylor Victory, famous actor with eerie facial similarities, leads to a deal. You will swap places—Taylor will experience a normal week of high school as you, and you will live the life of an actor in their place. @aurelim

In the grim remains of a shattered world, Voxhaven stands as the sole surviving city. The air, thick with pollution, carries the stench of decay and betrayal. The government’s watchful eyes are everywhere, controlling every move... every whisper. Survival means more than just enduring the endless haze���it's about navigating a city built on lies and deceit, where trust is scarce and death lingers in the shadows. In Voxhaven, freedom is a distant dream, and every breath you take is a reminder of the world’s broken past. - Requiem of the Fallen (Twine) @miss-briar-novels

This Too Shall Pass (CScript) delves into a reality in which you were once the Chosen One- Destined to save the world. But you had failed. You now navigate that same world 22 years later as it slowly succumbs to that fate you were supposed to save it from. @thistooshall-if

MEMORALYSIS (Ren’Py) follows the psychic detective Philon Delancy to a strange seaside town to solve the murder of one of its most notable public figures. What starts as a routine house call quickly reveals a tangle of messy relationships, local superstitions, and past unsolved mysteries — and at the center of it all is the victim’s enigmatic niece, Celosia James. But surely the rumors about the young heiress have been greatly exaggerated. After all, everyone knows demonic possession isn’t real.

To Allison, life is just an endless cycle of exhaustion with no escape route – wake up, study, work, fulfil family duties, sleep, rinse and repeat. But sometimes she can't help but wonder... Is that really all there is to life? Soon, Allison stumbles upon a group of people who may be just as lonely as she is, and little by little, their encounter returns colour to her world... - Re:Curse (Ren’Py).

In All the Way (CScript) you play as a young woman living in a time and place a little like the early 90’s in California that is about to have some serious run ins with the supernatural. Her life and that of her friends are quickly disrupted by beings that seem to have a bit of a vendetta for her - but what has she ever done to these creatures and why are they targeting her and her friends?

In the Halls of Asgard (CScript) you play a Norse God trying to survive in Asgard, and preparing for Ragnarök.

You play as the amnesiac protagonist, trapped in a mysterious house with two other captives. You quickly learn that the only way to escape is to have one of the three of you die. Will you kill or be killed? Who is the mastermind? Is there no way for all of you to survive? The mystery deepens as you find that no matter who dies, the killing game begins anew in Yet Another Killing Game (Ren’Py).

The Corpse Road (Twine) is an explorable fiction about death.

~ UPDATES ~

Ashenmaw - Dragons of Marrowoods (CScript) updated their demo. @ashenmaw-if

Fellow Traveler (Twine) released Episode 3 “tease” and Act 1. @robotvampire

The Soulforge Order (Twine) released Chapter 1. @thesoulforgeorder

The Sword of Rhivenia (CScript) released Chapter 5.

The Thousand Of Us (CScript) added new content to their public demo. @ivanwm-05

We Wretched Creatures (Twine) released Episode 6. @darkfictionjude

Azrael (CScript) updated their demo.

Drink Your Villain Juice (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @drinkyourvillainjuice

New Era (CScript) updated their demo. @newera-interactiveif

Starways Saga (CScript) added new content to the Navy Path.

After Dark (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @dalekowrites

Exit Through the Gift Shop (CScript) updated their demo.

Haunted (Twine) added a “Side Story” to their demo. @hauntedif

Meteoric (CScript) released Chapter 5.

The Unwilling Sword of Lamenthria (CScript) released Part 1 of Chapter 3. @lamenthria-if

Trouble Brewing (Twine) released Chapter 5. @troublebrewing-if

~ OTHER ~

Thom Baylay’s Kitsune (CScript) is now in Open Beta.

Issue 29 of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin is out now! @amaregames

The Twine Cookbook is now available in print and through December 2024 it's 25% off! All proceeds from sales go toward the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation and its support of Twine.

~

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

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

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

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

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom by S. John Ross (Inform 7)

Comes with a fake manual for the 1979 TTRPG it's purportedly "adapting". Well-crafted, sincere, and really funny.

//submitted by Carter X.//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

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

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

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

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

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

Carter X.

For sending us a Highlight!!

And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue!

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

Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you for reading and see you next week!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 32

[seat-safety-switch]

Most weird hobbyists are trustworthy. Once you're in the community, you can treat them like your second family. Except better, because they won't judge you for having a weird hobby.

There is, however, the problem of money. Most hobbies cost money. Maybe you're buying some ancient junk that a long-dead civilization left behind, or you're trying to negotiate for a fair payment for some horrifying art you are constructing at the demand of a random person you've never met. And as we all know, money ruins everything. It destroyed our planet and killed the whales, and it breaks up friendships, too.

The reason why is simple. Money provides a quantifiable value on things. If you give someone five dollars worth of stuff, and you get three dollars in return, well, you're going to be at least two dollars worth of mad. Things get even worse when you're dealing with largely subjective things, like weird porn commissions or bricks of Garbage Pail Kids cards. How do you price them? Better to just trade things back and forth for free, and then enjoy companionship rather than worrying about money. Until the other jerk puts something you gave them on eBay.

There's only one solution: abolishing money entirely. By dumping all of your hobby cash into Switchbux™, you can trade confusing fetish content and handmade 'zines without having to worry about getting screwed over. How? Two ways. First, Switchbux™ has no numerical value. It's the world's first currency to be traded entirely on vibes. How much did you sell that for? Nobody knows, and importantly, nobody can tell. That's why you can't take Switchbux™ back out of the system and trade it for evil regular dollars, which is where this whole thing would fall apart. Bad feelings, don't do it.

You might ask yourself what I'm going to do with all these worthless dollars I am turning into arbitrary (and unknowable!) amounts of Switchbux™. Well, I'm going to show them to my buddies in my weird hobby. It's called "banking," and our thing for the year is to come up with the dumbest possible currency sca- actually, we haven't decided yet. Fucking Throckmorton Osgood III hasn't gotten back to anyone about the rules.

[solarpunksoup]

PART 2: THE STEW

(aka a resource masterlist/archive from an amateur librarian)

LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 11, 2024

PART 1: THE SOUP (disc. February 28, 2023)

disclaimer: most of these will pull up my reblog, not the original link. this is in no way me trying to take credit, but it was just easier and more efficient to get the links this way, and makes the resource still partially accessible if a blog is deactivated.

just like part one!: if you see your post on here and would like it removed or credited in a certain way, send me a message. i’m more than happy to do that!

this will be continuously updated. click the original post to check if the date has changed.

you can also search “updated version” in my blog to pull up the most recent edit

not all of these are direct guides! a lot of this is inspiration for your own personal praxis

The Featured

some things that are particularly relevant right now or what I find most interesting

Self Managed Abortion

Managing War Anxiety

Testosterone is for Girls, Too! (zine for purchase)

Solarpunk in Different Parts of the World

Gardening + Gardening DIYs

Sharing the Fruits of Your Labor

Healthy Soil

Ani's Tomato and Pepper Harvest

Moostie's Guide to Carrot Tops

DIY [Non-Fibre]

Filtering Rainwater

Tech

Pirating Resources

uBlock Origin's Official Guide to Bypassing Youtube Anti-AdBlock

[Google] Drives

Cooking/Foraging

Scrap Soup

Random Tips for an Amateur Cook

Mending + Fibre Arts

Solar Dyeing

Making Yarn from Scratch

Inspo for Mending a Belt

Inspo for Decorating a Jacket

On Acrylic Yarn

Thought, Theory + Idea Lists

Ways to Live in Direct Opposition to Capitalism

Rural Solarpunk

Activism in the Winter Months

Social Workers, Not Cops

Importance of Trades

Solarpunk in Different Parts of the World

Boomer Positivity

Stories of Transfem Acceptance

Staying Critical of "Self-Sufficiency"

Shopping

Native Seeds Search

Volunteerism, Protesting + Community Activism

Community Fridges/Freedges

Free Little Library for MOVIES!

Nzambi Matee Recycles Plastic to Make Bricks that are Stronger than Concrete

Workplace Advocacy

A Legit Way to Fight the Climate Crisis from Where You're Sitting Right Now

Village Tackles Speeding by Planting Thousands of Flowers Because Drivers Slow Down as They Pass By

Emotional + Physical Health

First Aid for Seizures

Masterlists, Compilations

History of Specific Depopulated Palestinian Areas

UK-Specific Solarpunk Resources

Zines

Testosterone is for Girls, Too!

T-Girl Self Defense

The Shirt, (or How to Explain Revolution to an 8-year old)

a word on the soup and the stew:

hello world!

if you've made it all the way down here, hello! hi:3

welcome to a project I've been working on for many years. 3, to be exact! which may not seem that long to you, but for me, the soup started as a way for me to collect resources as an isolated, abused teenager and give me a source of hope. I think it gave me something to hoard, to call my own, even though it never really was. it was and always has been just my organization of a community's brilliance. and along the way, people seemed to like it. with this outpouring love and a community I could finally call myself apart of, I learned to let go of false ownership and instead grow a true love for archiving, for sharing.

now, I am a free, happy adult, and that time seems like forever ago. yet I continue collecting these resources and sharing our community's brilliance as an ode to that younger self, and because I still believe in the solarpunk community and it's message:

hope! keep hoping! endure! keep enduring! above all else, we must survive, we must dream, and we must LOVE!

I hope you reflect upon these with the same gentle, hopeful heart I always have. Praise the authors, love them, love yourself, and let our hope inspire you to create and act and be.

All of my love!

The Keeper

[mephistopheles]

i don’t know much about the fan reception of the TOS movies but i do believe that k/s zines were already circulating by the time TMP came out which means there absolutely were shippers in 1979 and i can’t imagine being in the theatre as star trek puts forth a film that is thematically centred on two lovers, one human and one alien, reuniting aboard the enterprise after years apart, at the climax of which spock clasps kirk’s hand, stares deep into his eyes, and says he finally understands “this simple feeling.” i think i would have died on the spot

[arctic-hands]

[Image Description: the above and following photos are of a very small printed out zine in black and white. The cover has the word "Missing" in big letters with a black background, and the words "current as of Dec 2, twenty twenty-four". At the bottom it says "a WhatsApp story". In the center are three photos in black and white, the top one showing a man and a woman, a second showing the same man and many children gathered around a table, and the bottom photo showing the family posing in the middle of a city street.]

[The first page of the zine, saying in handwritten lettering "She messaged me goodbye last Sunday." In the middle of the page is a screenshot from WhatsApp, showing the sender saying "I'm sorry, my friend, but if we don't communicate anymore, be sure that I will be killed, burned, hit by a missile that tore me apart, or die of hunger and cold." The next message, by the receiver, starts out "I'm so sorry this is" but cuts off. The second page shows a simplistically drawn "Breaking News" sign in white on black. The text says "Two days before, we were cheering the I.C.C. arrest warrants."

[Third page says the words "We, a world apart from each other, began to see an end to her nightmare." The picture is of a simple circle representing a globe, with a point labeled Me on the very left edge, and a point labeled Her very close to the right edge. The fourth page has a repeat of the Breaking News sign, this time black on white. The text says "Three days after, a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect."]

[Fifth page shows drawings of crowded tents in various states of sheltering as it rains, forming water in front of the tents. The text says "But she's not in Lebanon." Sixth page has inverted white-on-black, with the text starting in a rain cloud and stopping in the middle of the rain. It says "I don't know where she is now. Laid out in the rain, maybe."]

[Seventh page has no picture, just the words "My therapist told me to have hope..." The eighth page shows a pen-scratched dark tunnel with a small circle of light towards the end. The text says "...but Hayam ran out of it. She told me if she survived the night, she would have a nervous breakdown."]

[Ninth image says "What could I do a world away?" The circle globe is filled in completely dark. Tenth page says "I couldn't even say anything meaningful back to her." The image is of another WhatsApp screenshot. The sender texts three messages: "Kids not stoped craying [sic]", "I am fineshed [sic]", and "I hope if I just die". The receiver says in response "I don't know what to say. But you've got to keep going a little bit longer".]

[Eleventh page is without image, saying "Did I have the right to say that?" Twelfth page shows two flags, one the year twenty twenty-four merging into twenty twenty-five, and the other a crudely drawn American flag. The text says "As of now, I don't know what her life is like for myself. As bad as it is, and as bad as it may get, I don't have her frame of reference."]

[Thirteenth page shows a notebook with a grid in it, made up squiggle words, and at the very end it says "Fuck everything". The text says "I haven't written in my diary since the election. So I'll write it down here. But even as I am a victim of what's to come, I'm still complicit in the now." The next page is blank, saying "What could I do but apologize?"]

[The back of the zine, showing a simple drawing of a boarded up door on a brick rowhouse with one boarded up window and one shattered window. On the door board it is written "If I must die, you must live to tell my story". Besides this is an arrow saying "Refaat Alareer, killed in Gaza twenty twenty-three", and another arrow that says "Actual graff in Baltimore". At the top it is written "Donate to help Hayam's family." And at the bottom is a typed-out link to a GoFundMe. End I.D]

Fundraiser verified by @nabulsi here, Hayam's story detailed here and here

@leieryx is doing art comissions in exchange for donations to the GFM here

I'll let you all know whenever I hear back from someone. In the mean time, please continue to help Hayam and her family.

(zine formatted and printed using the Electric Zine Maker program)

[bernardisgross]

Bim bam boum ! Here's the whole comic i drew for Crossroads @zine--garden , a zine focused one showing and sharing love for Hunter x Hunter ^^

I chose to focus on my two favorite teachers !!!

Bonus, making of & talk in the read more⬇

I was very happy to be able to participate and even more happy to finally share a headcanon i've had for years about Bisky and Wing's meeting.

I don't know how clear it is but basically, Wing is a young nen user who happens to have been taken in by a big criminal family. The boss is using his abilities to forge precious gems from cheap materials, passing them as precious gems he bought for his collection. As a renown collector, he also sells the gems and makes tons of money from it. As Wing's skills become sharper though, his forged gems become more and more precious, making it difficult to tell them apart from real ones.

Having sold a good gem in a batch of "bad" ones, the boss is trying to get it back, framing his client as a thief. He calls for Bisky (a "young" hunter with a good resume) planning to trick her into committing insurance fraud in his place. Unfortunately, she's got a better eye than he thought, and asks for the good gem as compensation.

Feeling antsy about his money, the boss accepts, already planning to get rid of her once the job is done.

Bisky can sense the residual nen from Wing the moment she meets him, that's why she demands he comes with her. She wants to make sure at first that this is a normal child in the wrong place rather than the boss's actual associate.

Making him her disciple just came along the way because she honestly didn't know what to do with that kid LOL but didn't want to return him to a bad place. Also, she saw his potential. Here's a rejected final page (rejected bc I couldn't tie the text properly and wasn't very happy with the visual) where it's a bit clearer that she's got back with the good gem and values it a lot BECAUSE it was made by Wing. (also metaphor, analogy blabla)

I love teachers/masters in stories, i love that trope so much!! It's always so interesting to me to have someone older and wiser share their knowledge with the young waiting for nothing in return. Nurturing and loving, becoming a support with the only satisfaction to witness the growth and blossoming of someone else. I think it's so beautiful to help others in this way, to give a little of yourself with kindness.

I think if touches on other tropes i'm sensitive to like found family etc... So of course, i've loved Bisky & Wings for a looong time, and i'm even more obsessed with the fact they're on the same line of teachers 🥺💕

I was always curious about how they could have met and what could have moved Bisky to take him under ... her ..................... wing.....🔥🔥🔥 lol... anyways !!! I went full indulgence and comics are not my thing at all so if you've enjoyed it, i'm very very, very blessed and happy ^^ !!!

I've also included a rejected sketch of the cover with big Bisky :3

and here's a look at all her outfits !! I love Lolita alt fashion soo much, i do tend to latch onto characters who dress like this... and love making my own outfits for them too !!!

I also made a sticker of Palm for the merch bundles !!

Thank you so much if you've picked up Crossroads, it was great from the start !! I'm so lucky and so grateful to @/gachahugs and all the contributors for having me ^^ !! thank you thank you !

[ayaheart77]

Hiya!! Happy 1st In Stars and Time Anniversary everyone!! It's hard to believe it's been a year since I saw this game in the eshop and said "huh, thats a cute art style and some funky music, wonder what's going on here"

This is my piece from the @ourtimeinthestars zine! If you haven't checked it out yet please do!! So many amazing people worked on it and they deserve to see their efforts be seen!

While I'm not as active in the isat community anymore, this game will always hold a special place in my heart, mainly cause I got to infect my friends with it and watch them get silly with it (love you guys <3)

I guess all thats left to say is thank you insertdisc5 for the amazing game! thank you mods and zine team for hosting and putting together the project! thank you isat community for being one of the best comunities i've been apart of! and thank you to my friends who encouraged me to join the zine in the first place! I don't think i'd be here on tumblr right now if it wasn't for this project, so thank you! thank you everyone!!

(ID in Alt text)

[birdfrenchforbird]

2025 book bingo tbr

i'm gonna be following the 2025 book bingo created by the magnanimous @batmanisagatewaydrug and i have just completed (to the extent i can today) my tbr! (this has also inspired me into making a list of 25 things i need to do 25 times throughout 2025... so if there's one thing i will be next year, it is occupied). i drew from books that i own/my roommate owns as much as possible.

Literary Fiction: Luster by Raven Leilani (which has been on my libby holds list since mackenzie last recommended it. abt 20 weeks to go).

2. Short Story Collection: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur (advanced reader's copy i got for free from my college's book club)

3. A Sequel: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

4. Childhood Favorite: The Sword of Darrow by Alex and Hal Malchow or Heidi by Johanna Spyri or something i find when i am home for the holidays that calls my soul more than these two

5. 20th Century Speculative Fiction: The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkein (because TECHNICALLY it counts)

6. Fantasy: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (one of the few remaining Book of the Month editions i still own)

7. Published Before 1950: Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, published in 1915

8. Independent Publisher: I Love Information by Courtney Bush, published by Milkweed Editions (will need to either get over my fear of going to the library in person to set up my online account and put a hold on this OR purchase a copy)

9. Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga: Fun Home by Allison Bechdel or Saga by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples, have not decided (both owned by my roommate)

10. Animal on the Cover: Diminished Capacity by Sherwood Kiraly (he was my playwriting/fiction professor and gave me my copy of the novel)

11. Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Euphoria by Lily King, set in New Guinea (owned by my roommate)

12. Science Fiction: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

13. 2025 Debut Author: Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang, expected May 2025 (another physical hold or purchase situation)

14. Memoir: Reading With Patrick by Michelle Kuo (commencement speaker at my graduation!)

15. Read a Zine, Make a Zine: tbd! will probably be more than one!

16. Essay Collection: The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo

17. 2024 Award Winner: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair, NBCC Award for Autobiography (will borrow from libby, audiobook is also available)

18. Nonfiction: Learn Something New: I was paying more attention to the nonfiction part than the learn something new part and i do need to find a new book for this because originally i was gonna go with one of Caitlin Doughty's novels which, while lovely, are not something New To Me. i know i have a biography of Anna Freud somewhere so maybe i will dig that up? otherwise it might be a scroll-through-libby adventure

19. Social Justice & Activism: The Theater of War by Bryan Doerries (read a few chapters first year of undergrad but never the whole thing so technically it counts as a new book for me)

20. Romance Novel: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

21. Read and Make a Recipe: Jane Austen's Table by Robert Tuesley Anderson, specific recipe to be determined upon reading

22. Horror: Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews (owned and recommended by my roommate as a good option for me, because i do not do well with horror. respect the genre so much!! but my anxiety disorder)

23. Published in the Aughts: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (just got my thrift books copy a couple weeks ago. i am making myself SAVOR this series)

24. Historical Fiction: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

25. Bookseller or Librarian Recommendation: tbd upon getting over my fears and actually visiting my library in person! it's a five minute walk from my apartment i do not know what my problem is

[beyond-the-light]

The soon is here!

The wait is no more! It's here! I had the honor of being apart of a Zine for the first time ever! We got to pick a lore entry of our choice and make a piece of art for it! I picked three Cayde ones and in a very brain broken fashion, meticulously copied his hand writing from the TTK collector's edition! I want to thank people for being there and seeing my progress as I've made art this year. I couldn't have done it without any of you and especially @unlucky-phantom who has been my rock through everything! Art is under the cut as well as a tiny update. Link to the Zine HERE!

I'm not going to say for sure what the future holds for me but I'm hopeful. I'll let you know when I do.

[mlbigbang]

2023 Marichat & Ladrien Fic Rec List

It’s the end of the year which means it’s finally time for the ML Big Bang’s yearly fic rec lists! We’re really excited to bring you our contributors’ favourite fics started this year to supply you with plenty of reading material while you’re waiting for the Big Bang fics’ publication in January.

Boulangérella by @aidanchaser

Once upon a time, magic was wild. The two princes of the kingdom have been tasked with choosing their brides by the end of their 21st birthday celebrations. Crown Prince Adrien Agreste will have to choose between a woman who can protect his kingdom, a woman offering the power to wake his sleeping mother, and the woman he has loved and admired for the past year. Then there's also the seamstress that he is suddenly falling for. By the time he realizes he doesn't have the power to choose at all, it may be too late.

It's a creative Cendrillon retelling with the kwamis as fay, Adrien as the kingdom's prince and most wanted thief, and Marinette as the seamstess and superhero partner stealing Adrien's heart twice over.

Scary, like a little black purring kitten by @h-sunnywet-d

The calendar just turned into October, and Chat Noir has to make sure that his Good Friend Marinette appreciates the new season wholeheartadly. It sure won't backfire on the long run.

Just An Ordinary Girl by @kasienda

Chat Noir and the other heroes are in a bit of trouble, and Ladybug wanted just one weekend off! But luckily they know someone who can help. Someone who is just an ordinary girl…

you will never sleep alone (i'll love you) by @ladyofthenoodle

Marinette had saved up for months to be able to afford this vacation. Not only that, but she’d spent months trying to convince herself that it was okay to even take a vacation, that Monarch was really and truly gone. Which was why Tikki was at home with Alya, so that Marinette could actually relax and enjoy the plush amenities the hotel had to offer, such as a bed that looked like it cost five times her monthly salary. Or, she would be able to enjoy it, if she wasn’t standing in the middle of the villa she’d booked over a month ago, fighting for the bed with freaking Chat Noir, of all people.

May I introduce myself, Your Highness? by @chocoluckchipz

Whether picking up a stray animal off the streets or saving a dying child at the market, Adrien had always strived to be the best version of himself. Truly, he would've been the perfect candidate to be snatched up by a kwami, were he an orphan, dying somewhere remote after a short life full of nothing but suffering and misery. Yet as it stood, the sole heir to the French throne had little to complain about. Apart from, perhaps, a complete absence of a love life. That is until a mysterious girl, wandering around his gardens at night, catches his attention.

This fic has it all - Ladrien, royalty, fairy tale elements, magic and disguises! It's an enthralling read and one of my absolute favorite fics from 2023.

The Perfect Date by @peachcitt

“I dare you to ask this special someone on the date you just described.” “I totally will,” Adrien says with confidence, looking into the camera and nodding resolutely. “Scout’s honor.” He holds up the kitten as if swearing an oath. There is a space of silence. “Right now,” Hanna says. Adrien stares at her. “I’m daring you to ask that person out right now,” she says. or adrien has a little slip up during a live interview, and ladybug hears. for the golden hour zine!!

reserved by @luckyyoyo

“Don’t you think,” he coughed, a blush creeping up his cheeks, “this kind of thing should be.. reserved for my girlfriend?” He gestured to their poses. A squeak came from her mouth and her knees buckled, but surprisingly still had no struggle keeping Adrien up. “You know, you could always be my girlfriend.” Ladybug, saviour of Paris and local damsel-in-distress Adrien Agreste, suggests he gets a fake girlfriend to ward off his zombie fans. While lovingly holding him in her arms, of course. Adrien, far too comfortable in her arms, suggests it could be her. Introducing your superheroine pretend-girlfriend to your strict, uninterested father is a bit harder than Adrien realises.

Displaced by @kasienda

Adrien loosened his tie and dropped his suit jacket unceremoniously across the back of the sofa that was already cluttered with unopened boxes, mail, and unfolded laundry. He really should have listened to Nino and hired a maid or cleaning person of some sort. But well, he still had a secret to keep, and keeping that secret was more important to him than ever. He moved to his bedroom on autopilot without turning on the light, intending to collapse into bed immediately. But when he tried to slip into his space, he found it was already occupied. He flipped his phone flashlight on towards the ceiling to light the room in a soft glow. In his wife’s place, Ladybug lay sprawled diagonally across the bed.

here comes the rush before we touch (come a little closer) by @ladyofthenoodle

When an akuma attacks during Adrien Agreste's beach themed photoshoot on a dreary day in Paris, Ladybug is on the scene immediately. Unfortunately, with a glimpse of Adrien's alluring abdomen and without her partner, it's not long before she's hit, and Adrien with her—but maybe Ladybug can afford a little vacation with the boy she loves. He's certainly not complaining.

On Borrowed Time by @miabrown007

The life of Paris’ Golden Boy is all shine and glamour; blindingly bright smiles, neverending parties, bargaining for just a shard of time for being happy. But that’s alright; Adrien has long given up the false hope that someone will get it. That is precisely why it’s a spectacle when she does, when she barges in like a hurricane in crimson and turns his life upside down. Heaven knows, it’s time for the wind of change.

[miru667]

My 2024 Art Summary!! Oughh apart from Art Fight I feel like I didn't have much time or energy for art this year...;-; But I still managed to draw at least one thing each month by practicing efficient methods! I won't give up!! 💪 Thank you to everyone who's still sticking with me!

The last third of the year actually was dedicated to another zine piece (I drew onceler for it!), but unfortunately I can't show it yet. ;P So I'll see you guys next year~!

Sources: [JAN] [FEB] [MAR] [APR] [MAY] [JUN] [JUL] [AUG] [SEP] [OCT] [NOV] [DEC]

Past art summaries: 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

[malevolenttarotzine]

Update December 28 💛

Please check under the cut for news and updates we have for everyone

Hello friends! We have a few updates today, some good and some not so good. Hopefully everyone will understand and know that we are working hard behind the scenes!

Right now we have received the prints as well as tracking information for our lanyards, memo pads, wooden pin badges, and deck bags!

We will have all the wonderful photos to share soon!

In the not so good information, we will not have the deck ready prior to our manufacturer closing for the New Year. What our sales rep has told us is that they will be closed for the entirety of January.

Why did this happen:

There were several things that caused this delay, the number one cause that we are currently still dealing with, however, is the gold foiling.

Because of the nature of the foil, the entire deck needed to be reformatted from the bottom up - this included a complete redesign of the border for the cards. Our formatting mod has worked tirelessly to get this complete for over a month- but we are still back and forth with the manufacturer.

They want to ensure the foiling works, and this means redesign after redesign.

As lead mod for this project I take full responsibility for this delay. I’ve learned that all designs must be done with any foil elements in mind to start, even if the unlock goal seems out of reach.

Right now the remaining items we are waiting on apart from the deck are:

Charms (the standard acrylic as well as shaker and linked)

Enamel pin

Acrylic standee

Zine book

While I want to give a full solid estimate on how long the wait will continue to be, it seems to be unlucky to do so - so I’ll leave it at: “as soon as possible!”

We want the absolute best and that seems to take its time!

Once we receive the remaining items, depending on how long the wait on the deck will be; we can look into shipping out the book and merch items separately!

This is entirely in the planning stage still - so if you have opinions on it please reach out!

Thank you for all the support!

- K.M.

[sukinapan]

honestly would be pretty interested in hearing about all of them, if thats alright

it's no problem o( ❛ᴗ❛ )o i like talking about this

for context, apart from making personal art i'm also an artist and character designer at Smarto Club, so I don't know if these count as OCs but i have posted art of them here: Haco from >Bubblegum Galaxy and Teacup from >Teacup.

you can check the steam pages on those games for more info if u like. i love all my characters but i don't usually make personal art of these two since i already do it as my job.

my newest Smarto Club character is a bit different since she's more in the style of what i'm doing personally so i want to make more art of her soon. her name is Abigail:

she's a kid who likes reading about bugs and catching them but she never hurts them : ) this is a short game in early development but it's about catching creatures called angels. it's got horrorish vibes but i don't think the end result will be full-out horror, since it's also kinda silly...

then there's Peklo, it's a game for which i created the whole concept and story but the plan is to develop it as a studio at Smarto Club. i wrote more context for it on this post, but for the characters, they're my favorites to make art about at the moment. the main ones are Kiku (the cat) and Mi (the bunny):

i recently created these human forms of them for fun but i'm not sure whether i'll establish them as canon or not... they're trapped in limbo/hell so there's space for them to have a past human form. they don't remember their lives but Kiku feels a deep sense of regret about things unkown to her and wants to break out of Peklo. Mi feels trapped in an eternal sadness, she longs to see the ocean, she can always hear it but has never been able to reach it.

the antagonist in Peklo is a frog entity called Guppy but i haven't really shown him outside of his froggy logo

i also have OCs from my smaller games. there's Hlina that i created specifically for >this game that was commissioned to me for a zine. i don't have any plans to use her again for now but i might make more art of her in the future for fun. she's part of a strange dream realm and is hostile to the player:

there's iro from the >game with the same name who's my oldest game OC. i created that bitsy game for her story but she existed previously in my art degree final project, it was a version of the same story but just a section of it. it's a dream of mine to create a full-fledged 3D game for her some day.

she's a bit of a defective space exploration robot, sent to explore planetoid Iridium-3 in search of human contact. it's set in a future where humanity has dispersed among the whole galaxy so lots of groups have lost contact with each other.

my latest game OC is Michtat, a wizard cat that i created just for this silly zine.

lasty, there’s the characters from my comic that I’m working on, called The most distant planet. the main characters are Victor and Mitya, two 9 year olds whose families end up living together.

i'd say these are the dearest characters to me of all. i don't post as much of them because they're mostly in the shape of comic pages and it doesn't spark as much interest as my games. i love drawing them though.

they’re both little weirdos who isolate themselves and don’t fit in much with other children, so the friendship they develop is very special to them. they have almost opposite personalities where Victor (darker hair) is very shy and dorky but also very sweet to everyone, while Mitya mostly gives 0 fucks about what anyone thinks or says, he blurts out whatever he’s thinking and just wants to run around wild.

the story is mostly slice of life-ish but there’s also a science fiction element ^-^ Victor is obsessed with things like ghosts, aliens, etc but Mitya thinks it’s all just dumb tales.

another important character is Alyosha, Mitya’s 17-18yo brother. he doesn’t know how to talk or relate to his little brother and is kinda weirded out by him. they where very close when they were younger, but when Mitya was 2 he had an accident that Alyosha feels guilty about, and has been somehow different ever since.

he still worries about his little brother and how isolated he is, though. at the beginning of the story the two of them live alone with their grandma who does love them but has kind of a cold and distant personality. 

Alyosha was the type of kid to be considered “gifted” but now feels completely burnt out and had to repeat a grade at school. he felt so humiliated by this he eventually stopped going entirely, so he now works part time and just studies at home. he cut contact with his old classmates but he still has 2 best friends from the last few months he spent at school in the grade below, Manon and Min Na. they’re the kind of friends who just show up unannounced at his house and job, and are very involved with his family’s life.

i’ve also included Min Jie in some art, she’s Min Na’s younger cousin and comes into the story later:

i should have like character sheets and stuff for all of these OCs but i’m the kind to just jump head first into drawing/modeling lol, that's why i included all these finished illustrations.

i really wanna publish this comic, i’ve been working on it for a long time and i’m currently waiting for the results of a public funding application here in my country to decide what i'll do next.

hope this could be of interest (^人^) thanks for the ask!

[mostmagical]

writing year in review

one excerpt from each month of the year. tagged by @bittersweetresilience. hehe. I can post this now that I shared pitfall.

I THOUGHT I filled every month using my drabbles, despite my two mass effect playthroughs-sized gap, but I forgot May. which is, yeah. yeah. the month I played ME3 for the first time. head in my hands.

01 JANUARY

Consequences of Dating Blindly (Miraculous Ladybug - 4,078 words)

A chorus of giggles broke her concentration, drawing her eyes to a gaggle of girls a couple tables over. They were whispering excitedly and pointing in the direction of the same mop of blond hair, all with cell phones raised. A sudden wave of heat ran up Marinette’s spine as she realized they were ogling him. She wasn’t surprised that girls were looking at him. Chat Noir was the cutest, most handsomest boy in the world, so of course they would. But that was her cutest and most handsomest boy in the world.

02 FEBRUARY

tear-stained (Miraculous Ladybug - 100 words)

Marinette shot up from her bed with her heart in her throat. Bile threatened to make its way up, up, and out, but she pushed it down against the klaxon blaring in her head.

03 MARCH

magical (Miraculous Ladybug - 100 words) my favorite drabble btw

Her throat grew tight as she realized where they were standing. Their rooftop. It was shielded well from the street, providing asylum, but it drained poorly due to the raised gutters. Chat Noir was always apologizing, always covering it with torn blankets and tarps. She never cared, of course. He was there, and they were together, and they were safe.

04 APRIL

Can I Just Kiss You (Miraculous Ladybug - 4,218 words)

The liquid in his delicate cocktail glass was dyed pinker by the spotlight he stood under, so she couldn’t tell if he was actually drinking anything as passion fruit-flavored as the color, or if it was just straight liquor. Her breath caught as he removed his hand from the water-beaded surface, lifting it to adjust the thick-rimmed specs he wore and reminding her of the sparkling green eyes she’d spied earlier. Blond hair. Green eyes.  She wondered if it was some cosmic joke that this always happened to her. Even the cat ears were suspect, but she was trying her best not to acknowledge that.

05 MAY

*loud sobbing*

06 JUNE

Bridges (Miraculous Ladybug - 430 words)

Adrien glanced over his shoulder only briefly, quickly turning his gaze back to the skyline. “I like watching the moonrise,” he answered, shrugging. “I usually– well, I usually don’t have the opportunity to see it from down here.” Félix cast a slow step closer. “Moonrise?” he repeated. “Not the sunset?” The corner of Adrien’s lip twitched in secret humor. “I’ve become a bit of a night person.”

07 JULY

crescendo (Miraculous Ladybug - 100 words)

Chat Noir’s laughter reaches crescendo as Ladybug reaches the end of the block. It echoes off the walls and traces the smile on her face.

08 AUGUST

Get A Little Lonely (Miraculous Ladybug - 2,422 words) technically... this was a zine piece posted on the 1st... so I did not write any of it in August... but shhh

Adrien had once gone on a hike in the French Alps with his mother and Nathalie—before the illness had riddled Maman bedridden. He had marveled at the way Nathalie had used nothing but a compass and a map to chart their course as they went, carefully noting landmarks and any elevation. He had watched with curious eyes, hanging onto every word as she’d explained how she did it. Watching Loveybug fall apart felt like trekking over that terrain with a broken compass. Everything was uncharted territory. Cat Walker hoped he could figure out how to cover it.

09 SEPTEMBER

Heartbeating (Mass Effect Trilogy - 3,600 words)

She fit into Garrus’s angles like a puzzle piece, twisting and turning until they lined up, just right. Maybe the edges had to be folded over a little, but they always fit, eventually. “You know, you humans are bonier than you look,” Garrus commented, wincing as her elbow pressed against an unarmored hip. A smile curled her lips. “Just trying to make you feel more at home,” she teased, a playful lilt to her tone as she finally found her previous position against his chest.

10 OCTOBER

waiting room (Mass Effect Trilogy - 6,565 words. to be cont.)

Shepard watches Kahlee’s rounded fingernails trace over the grooves in the book’s cover. They’re neat. Clean. No trace of dried blood in the nail beds like she knows her own do. The leather must be well-loved, soundlessly absorbing every scratch.

11 NOVEMBER

can't breathe (Mass Effect Trilogy - 629 words)

“Garrus!” he thinks he hears, somewhere over the ringing in his ears It’s hope, he knows—but he shouldn’t have let himself hope He didn’t deserve to get that second chance Why, when they can’t? His lungs’d filled with hope, now he can’t breathe

12 DECEMBER

pitfall (Mass Effect Trilogy - 805 words)

“Wish you’d stop looking,” Garrus sighs, but she can’t stop; she never could. His eyes ask the words he still won’t: Please, Shepard, doesn’t it hurt? Of course it hurts; that’s the point. She’s earned each and every prick, for every unit’s soul she couldn’t save, and for EDI, lain in an imaginary crypt.

if you opened my read more and you're reading this right now, 🫵 you're tagged. gotcha.