#dotflowweek

[rustedalleys]

Dreamers, are you ready for .Flow Week 2025 this coming February? Last run in 2023, .flow week is a 7-day event with daily prompts to encourage the creation of fan art, fics, music, moodboards, analysis posts, photography, poetry, etc.--anything and everything to celebrate .flow! It will run from February 15th through February 21st in honor of .flow's first release date (Feb 15th, 2009).

The event was originally created and run by @dotflowweek for many years--if you've never heard of it before, I totally recommend checking out the blog and seeing all the awesome stuff people made for past years! +u+

Stay tuned for the unveiling of prompts later this month! When the event rolls around, tag your posts with #dotflowweek25! I will reblog your entries here @rustedalleys of any medium: image, audio, video, text, you name it.

🧡 Get creative~! I can't wait to see your contributions. 🧡

[snowfoxicedemon]

i think it’s a crime that i’m obligated not to draw sabi wearing her hoodie effect for an entire week. a cruel shame /j /lh

[geodebiome]

OKAy im gonna pretend this wasnt for @dotflowweek, cause i DID start it within that week but fittingly, got sick! and didnt finish it until now

not my best work but im proud i finished it, and i DO like it :)

[hereliesyulz]

hEy I KNOW I'M LATe but i really wanted to participate pls spare meeee....... @dotflowweek

// day 4 : school - uniform effect

i hope the tie thing is understandable enough... like it's supposed to imitate the eye's tattoos... and sabitsuki gets reminded of it cause... color and shape... i thought it was clever.

[drowned-debris]

@dotflowweek Day 2: Watering Can Effect, Plant World, Lack of Concentration

The sound of scratching fills the dense, humid air. Out of habit, she tenses up, her gaze flitting from left to right warily. Sabitsuki isn’t certain what it is she’s so afraid of; her tormentor doesn’t have a face, nor a name, nor any body to speak of other than her own. Even so, the fear of this fragile peace being disturbed is enough for her to still the movement of her hand, returning silence to the void around her.

For a few moments, she eyes the door. It stands, imposing in its solitude, among a small group of scattered flowers to her left. It’s not going to suddenly open or anything— there’s nothing in the Flow that can roam freely around like she can. But the thought lingers in her decaying mind nonetheless.

Sabitsuki picks her worn pencil up again and presses the tip to the old, yellowed page of her diary. It seems she only drew a couple of meagre lines before her nerves got the better of her. After taking a moment to steady her hand, she completes the letter, and moves on the next.

She would have preferred to do this somewhere else; the air here is too oppressive, the scenery too bleak and colourless. If possible, she’d be taking comfort in the neon lights and calming melody in the area east of the Flow's entrance. But she needs silence for this.

It’s been a few days since Sabitsuki began keeping her journal. Her first entry was a few pages; a long, scrawled ramble about herself and her situation. The second was just a page. The third, a few paragraphs. She doesn’t mind, though— she doesn’t care much for the consistency of what she writes. In truth, Sabitsuki mainly does it to distract herself. The sound of pencil scratching against paper is soothing for her; it eases her mind, helps her forget about the constant feeling of being watched, of being hunted.

She pulls her attention back to the diary. Her hand has stalled again after a few sentences, but it can’t be helped. The only thing to do is keep writing.

She wonders if, someday, this old book will be found. Perhaps, long after she has rusted away, an explorer too curious for their own good will find their way into Sabitsuki’s apartment, and investigate against their better judgment. She doesn’t know whether they’d even be able to access the Flow— is it different for everyone? Or does this world have a special link to her, unbreakable even through death? She has so many questions, but knows not to expect answers.

Sabitsuki’s arm brushes against the lone white flower on her left, and she glances at it. A while ago, she investigated the plants here— the poignant smell was crystal clear to her back then, but now it feels… muted, harder to discern. The Rust is taking its toll, it seems, but she wonders whether it’s degrading the flowers themselves or her own senses. Perhaps both.

She returns her focus to the journal. About a paragraph, if that. It’ll have to do.

Sabitsuki shuts the book and slowly, carefully gets up from her sitting position. The decay of her body has left her much weaker and frailer, even more so than she already had been.

She doesn’t have long left, and she knows it.

[tak0fuusen]

Day 3 of dotflow week- Flesh Walls

[trophybutnotgony]

@dotflowweek day 7: awakening/sabitsuki's balcony/no effects

[speltfields]

gonna draw sabi for all my warmups~

this is day 1 of @dotflowweek !

[gingeredmink]

@dotflowweek day 6// submarine world + diving helmet effect + hypnagogic hallucinations

I’m a ghost, you’re a ghost. Let’s play

does the starry pier count as part of submarine world? always assumed it was underwater so yeah.

[tetroo]

“....such a terrible dream it is....”

I REALLY love this paintish style, it is so cool and funky!!

day 2 - GHOST EFFECT  for @dotflowweek

[wormbrainzz]

[Day 7- Sabitsuki's balcony/No effect]

DAY 7 WOOHOO!!!! happy (two days late) anniversary .flow! this challenge was super fun to do and im very happy i managed to complete the whole thing, even if fell a little bit behind at the end :D i only discovered .flow just last year but its become one of my favorite games so doing a whole week of fanart for it was really fun! im really glad that i had the opportunity to do this because not only has it been super great for my art skills (doing the different poses was a good challenge and so were the backgrounds) but also because i just adore this game and im super happy that this challenge exists! alright thats all i have to say im just super happy

@dotflowweek

[rustedalleys]

Alright, Dreamers! Here are your prompts for .Flow Week 2025~! The 7-day event runs from February 15th-21st! 🧡

My goal is to have a mix of structured & open-ended prompt ideas, so hopefully you'll find something you like! You do not need to do all 3 prompts per day (choosing just 1 is fine!), and you do not need to make something for every day. It's all up to you--have fun & do whatever you're comfortable with! 🧡

And yes, you can start working on your piece(s) in advance! I want to give everyone plenty of time. When February rolls around, share what you made & be sure to tag your post(s) with #dotflowweek25 so I see it! You can also @ mention me in the post. I will reblog it here @rustedalleys~! Any & all mediums encouraged: writing, music, art, video, photography, playlist, sprite comic, you name it! And of course: all skill levels welcome! See end of post for FAQ's.

Get creative~! I'm so excited to see what you all make! +u+

🖥️ DAY 1: Feb 15th (.flow's 16th anniversary!)

[ Television effect / Hazy memory / Favorite character* ]

*If you can't decide on a favorite, just pick one (or more) you really like! Same goes for the other "favorite" prompts.

🔸 DAY 2: Feb 16th

[ Underwater/Submarine world / Mortality / Favorite effect ]

🖥️ DAY 3: Feb 17th

[ Machine effect / Deepest fears / Favorite location ]

🔸 DAY 4: Feb 18th

[ Wild Card/Free Day* / Warmth & cold / Shitpost; Sabi & friends as cats ]

*Want to do something that doesn’t fit into the other days' prompts? Want to make something silly? Do whatever—anything you want!

🖥️ DAY 5: Feb 19th

[ The Sugar Hole / Regret / AU* ]

*Come up with an AU (alternate universe) scenario. For example: Sabi & Oreko as roommates, fantasy RPG team, crossover with other YNFGs, botanical garden visit, tea party, etc. The possibilities are endless!

🔸 DAY 6: Feb 20th

[ Plant effect / Contagion / Alternate outfit or multiple effects* ]

*Depict Sabitsuki (or another character) in an outfit different from what they wear by default in-game—such as the special outfits in the underwater settlement/submarine village, or make up your own outfit(s)! OR, depict Sabi with 2 or more effects applied at the same time.

🖥️ DAY 7: Feb 21st

[ Sabitsuki's Room / Comfort & healing / Endings & Epilogue* ]

*Choose one (or more) of the game’s endings to examine. Or, focus on what you think happens after the ending. Headcanons welcome!

.Flow Week 2025 - FAQ's

Q: I'm having a hard time choosing a prompt for Day X... Can I combine the prompts, or make more than one piece for that day?

A: Yes and yes! If you want to do something, do it!

Q: Is it okay if I'm only able to make something for 1 or 2 of the days?

A: Absolutely! This event should be a fun and relaxing opportunity to get creative and celebrate .flow. Don't stress yourself.

Q: I made something for Day X, but I won't be able to post it on that day OR I finished it a couple days late, what do I do?

A: No worries, you can either queue the post in advance or post it late. I'll still reblog it! The awesome part is you made something and decided to share it--it's okay if it's not on time.

Q: Is this like an "art challenge" and I have to make something every day for 7 days straight?

A: No--not unless that's what you personally want to do. You are free to make your piece(s) well in advance and then share them during .Flow Week in February 2025. And, it's not just for "art"--it's for whatever you can think of making in any medium!

Q: What exactly is .flow week again?

A: .Flow Week is a 7-day event with prompts to encourage the creation of fan works: anything & everything to celebrate .flow! What makes it an event is everyone sharing what they made by posting throughout .flow week (and a little bit afterwards, in case some posts run late, which is fine!). The event was originally run by @dotflowweek and last took place in 2023. You can see my previous announcement post here.

Q: Will this event also run on bluesky or other social media?

A: No, I'm only running it on tumblr because it's pretty much the only social media I like to use. If you're interested in helping run this event simultaneously on another platform like bluesky, reach out to me and maybe we can give it a try.

Q: I'm still confused about something. How can I ask you a question?

A: There are many ways to contact me: you can @ mention me, reply to this post below, send me a message/DM, or send me an ask here.

[snowfoxicedemon]

@dotflowweek Day 5: Restlessness

do you think robots have their own energy drinks that fake their battery state

[geodebiome]

day 01 - apartments. drew some eyes

for the @dotflowweek​. hope i can keep up w all the days x3

still frames: 

[cobalt-memori]

i think im may stop doing dotflowweek ah... ill draw more .flow later i just feel tired today

[drowned-debris]

@dotflowweek Day 4: School Uniform Effect, School, Repeatedly Going Over Thoughts

He should’ve been here two hours ago.

Two hours.

She expected him to be late —he always is— but not by this much. It feels like a jab at her, like one of those half-serious insults he’s so fond of. Mocking her for taking him at his word.

All things considered, she should probably leave. If Smile is gonna be a no-show, there’s no reason for her to waste her time sitting in this classroom any longer. She risks getting trapped in the school when the gates are locked.

…But then again, she doesn’t really have anywhere better to be.

Half the reason she even agreed to meet with him was out of boredom. Hanging out around town with a guy she mostly hates still beats going back to where she’s staying. For the millionth time, she laments her complete ineptitude at making friends; maybe if she talked to her classmates more, she’d have a companion with whom conversations didn’t feel like battles.

Unfortunately, she’s stuck with the smuggest, most arrogant bastard on the planet. It’s just like him to leave her hanging like this; their time together thus far has been an elaborate dance of one-upping each other. He’s probably going to show up tomorrow and laugh at her for being so gullible, for waiting two whole hours for him to arrive. Then he’ll mockingly ask if she’s in love with him, to which she’ll respond by telling him he wishes, and then they’ll kiss to shut each other up. It usually goes something like that, anyway.

What if something happened to him?

The thought comes out of nowhere, shocking Sabitsuki. Her nails stop scraping against the desk— she didn’t even notice they were doing so until now.

Just what on Earth even provoked that thought? He’s proven he can handle himself. Smile knows this town just as well as she does; the idea of him being caught off guard in a bad place is ridiculous.

You can’t say that for sure.

“Urgh!”

Sabitsuki slams her fist hard onto the table she’s sitting on. She wishes she could deny it, but… there’s always a chance. Her eyes dart to a clock in the corner— the incessant ticking only fuels her unease.

With a groan, she pushes herself off of the desk. Sabitsuki feels like she’s gonna start going crazy if she spends another second just sitting here. Surely she can at least go check around the school?

Shakily, she steps out of the classroom and creeps over to the rooftop staircase. She has no idea whether anyone who works at the school knows about the two of them staying late so often— but she’d rather not risk it, so she takes her time heading upwards.

She arrives at the roof, and the cold night air rushes out to greet her. It’s refreshing, good for clearing the head. It’s not even six o’ clock yet, but the moon is making steady progress into the sky. She’ll never get used to winter.

Taking a few steps towards the railing, she bends carefully over it and surveys the area below. No signs of movement within the school grounds. The lights of the town outside the gates glow resolutely, like knights in shining armour riding out to combat the darkness. It’s funny— the night makes this shithole look almost beautiful.

“Not that I don’t like what I see, but that looks sorta unsafe.”

She stands up straight and swivels around instantly at the sound of a familiar voice. It’s him: Mr. Human Garbage himself. Before she even knows it, she’s marching towards him, her steps making heavy footfalls across the grey floor. Smile is standing next to the doorway that leads back inside the school; she grabs the sides of his brown jacket and pins him against the wall.

“YOU!” Sabitsuki yells. All intention of staying quiet vanished the moment he appeared. “Where the HELL were you!?”

“Just taking care of something. Why? Can’t live without me?”

She’d never admit this, but she’s grateful that he’s okay with her shouting; she feels so goddamn angry these days, and he gives her somewhere to let it out.

“Taking care of something for two fucking hours?”

He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “So clingy. If you must know, my sis hurt her leg and I went to help her out.”

Sabitsuki sighs and lets go of him. She knows how much he cares for his sister— it’s one of the few things she likes about him.

Stepping back a little, she speaks, more calmly this time. “...Fine. Just try to be quicker next time! I thought something had happened to you!”

He gasps in mock surprise. “What’s this? Sabitsuki is worried about me? My fair lady Sabitsuki is worried?” He pretends to swoon. “Oh my, I think I might faint!”

She scowls. “Oh, shut the fuck up. I didn’t even want to think about it! The thought just wouldn’t leave my head, is all. Jesus.”

Smile shrugs nonchalantly, then leans forward toward her. “Well, if you need a distraction…” he grabs at the tie of her uniform and pulls hard, bringing her face mere millimetres away from his. He offers up his trademark grin. A complete loser wearing a winning smile. “...I think I have an idea.” Before he even stops speaking, he’s already closing the gap.

She doesn’t need to be told twice.