#edited to reflect current participants

[within-your-eyes-if]

May 1st Progress Update

Hello all!

Very long update, so I apologize ahead of time.

April has been an incredibly productive month for me. I've made substantial revisions and have taken some time to reflect on possible changes for the future.

There are decisions I made earlier in the development of this story that, in hindsight, could have been handled better. While I will continue with the upcoming update as planned, I intend to take additional time afterward to revisit and refine various aspects of the game.

I truly love this story and want it to be the best it can be. I aim to look back on it with pride and minimal regrets. These changes will be comprehensive, affecting everything from narrative elements and gameplay mechanics to the presentation on itch.io.

I hope this update doesn't cause any concern; rather, I want to share this as part of my journey in developing this game, a process that occasionally requires stepping back and reassessing to move forward effectively.

With that said, here are some developments I've been working on that I haven't yet discussed. If you have any thoughts on some of these, I'd welcome the insight:

Guilt System Overhaul: I'm currently refining the code for the guilt system. The upcoming changes will significantly alter how guilt is calculated and displayed, emphasizing the impact of your relationships. For instance, lying to a character you're romancing will carry more weight. However, I'm carefully considering how to balance this to respect player agency, recognizing that not everyone may want their character to feel guilty in such situations. Your feedback on this would be appreciated before I start making final decisions — edit: you are welcome to comment on this post! (Sorry ;-;)

Skill System Overhaul: The foundation for the new skill system is done and functional in a test environment. However, I'm still evaluating whether its inclusion genuinely enhances gameplay or if it complicates things unnecessarily.

Extensive Coding Overhauls: Overall, I've done so much coding that I couldn't begin to tell you what all I've done. I combined things to both organize and streamline (though this might just effect me overall).

There is more to share, but I want to keep some surprises under wraps for now.

Future Support Update: I am in the process of setting up a Patreon, which I aim to launch next month. Initially, I considered using Ko-Fi for all supporter interactions, but the exclusive access features offered by itch.io make Patreon a better fit for what I want to achieve.

On Patreon, I will be providing a couple tiers. While one offers more than the other, here's a general overview of what I'll be offering: detailed progress updates, sneak peeks, alpha builds, special acknowledgments, early access, among others.

Ko-Fi will remain available for those who prefer to offer one-time support. Your support, whether recurring or one-time, is immensely appreciated and makes a significant difference in the continued development of my projects.

Beta Testing: Given the aspects of Patreon, how I approach beta testing in the future will be different. However, I will continue as I did last time with this one.

This month, I am aiming to begin the beta testing phase for the new Vice System. In light of changes to the test's parameters, previous applications have been cleared. If you're interested in participating, please reapply.

Please note, this test covers a lot of adult content — you must be 18 or older to participate (though really, you should be 18+ if you're even reading my story *finger wagging*). Ensure you are comfortable with explicit content before applying.

Application is found here.

Tumblr Asks: I will be making a separate post soon to address the reopening of Asks. Please be patient with me as I work through a couple of reasons why it was temporarily disabled. I appreciate your understanding and look forward to hearing more from all of you soon!

Closing Thoughts: Sorry again for the lengthy update, but thank you all for your patience as I continue refining and revising. Work on Chapter 3: Part Two is progressing, though there's still more to be done.

Wishing you all a wonderful month ahead!

[midnight-mourning]

He’s a Little Confused but He's Got the Holiday Spirit

Hello! As the title implies, it's time for this to become a fic, for those that don't know, I wrote a prompt response that's basically a christmas au of confused spirit (curtosey of @divinit3a) and it was so good that I decided to make a full fic for it. this post contains the basic info of the fic, some lovely designs brought to life by Pom and will include links to each chapter as it posts ^_^

There's also a little poll at the end to vote on the title if you'd like to participate~

The Plot:

You're a blacksmith/animatronic technican in a small, mountain village, known far and wide across the kingdom for it's holiday decorations and delight. So much so that the royal family themselves visit yearly to partake in the festivities.

However, due to some recent threats and strange has happenings, there's much more security this year, and among that security is two royal guards who seem keenly interested in keeping you from investigating too far into the matter. And you, they're also interested in you.

The Characters:

Y/N - You! With the same personality, motivations, and goals as Y/N from Confused Spirit, and with a similar job as well. You run a shop in town with a small team of smithies, tinkerers, and inventors at your side. (I don't have a design currently but imagine a the most androgynous blacksmith/medival peasent outfit ever <33)

Sun & Moon - The two guards that have been meddling in your affairs. Though, given they've been a surprising help with your siblings, you can't say much. Also with the same personalities, and characteristics as Confused Spirit. However, they're motivations and goals are different and do not reflect their CS counterparts. Meaning, anything discovered about these two does not apply to or justify any actions taken by them in CS. Designs below are by Pom who brought my vision to life <3333

The Shop Crew - the parts & infastructure team from CS! with an adjustment here or there :)

Melissa & Gabriel - Your siblings. Still adorable. And still a menace.

All others - You'll just have to see :) There is some overlap from CS, such as Abby as some already know, among many more

Where to read:

I'll be posting these to tumblr & ao3! Tumblr first/only (until I can think up a title) but then I'll also have it on ao3 for better reading bc these will be long chapters.

Speaking of, there will be seven chapters total, including the one I've already posted!

Timeline:

Honestly want to tell y'all i'll be sharing a chapter every day or so, but after the disaster that was me last week with feeling unwell and getting behind, I'll just say, she'll be posted completely hopefully before my break is over 😅

Title (and tagging):

While I admit it WOULD be funny to just name it Holiday Spirit, I'm gonna let y'all decide for sure. I'll leave the poll up for a week since I'm not in a rush to post to ao3 (and I unfortunately doubt I'll have it done in a week lmao) everything related to it though will be tagged with #HS! au and #Holiday spirit au as the au is called Holiday Spirit, this is just for fun pretty much

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

https://www.tumblr.com/midnight-mourning/771893744939270144/2-animatronics-dancing-oh-and-you-youre-there?source=share (this is an inline link bc it KEEPS SHOWING SPOILERS)

EDIT: messed up the poll, so sorry >_< if you already voted and it said 1 day pls vote again shkjdf

Tag list for the usuals (if you would like added, see this post for more info):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8

@luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @amarynthian-chronicles

@robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva

@juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml

[bleachbleachbleach]

 °𐐪♡𐑂° Gotei 13 Compatibility Test  °𐐪♡𐑂°

Editorial Notes:

※ It has come to the attention of the editorial staff that past data from old versions of the Computer Fun Compatibility Test--concerning participants who have since disappeared mysteriously--were mistakenly included in the current version. The staff apologizes for any mental distress this may cause.

※ Compatibility data is based on ethnographic field interviews very professionally conducted by editorial staff. Data may be reflective of the subjects' self-perceptions, which are not always based in objective reality. The staff apologizes for any confusion this may cause.

※ Questions are taken nearly verbatim from the original Living World Computer Fun Compatibility Test question bank, lightly edited to suit the context of the Soul Society. The staff does not apologize for the plagiarism; there is no copyright law in Soul Society. (But it's also fair use.)

Accessibility Text:

Looking for love? Hoping for a hookup? Whether you are tired of barking at the stars or are just looking to window-shop, look no further than the Computer Fun Compatibility Test!

With 20 probing questions and highly specialized technology, the Test will determine your compatibility with all 27 Captains and Vice Captains (and Super Vice Captains) currently serving in the Gotei 13.

For a limited time only, purchase your results at a steal -- only 13000環!

Proceeds will benefit future special editions of your only monthly Gotei news source, Seireitei Communications.

[diamondsandtoads]

Do you love fairy tales? I want to hear from you!

EDIT: I will be closing the survey on November 9th! Thank you everyone who has participated!!!

My name is Ainjel Stephens and I am a PhD candidate in the Folklore department at Memorial University of Newfoundland. I am currently conducting a research project on fairy tales reception by queer-identifying individuals for my PhD dissertation under the supervision of Sarah Gordon. The purpose of this study is to learn how people who feel queer or identify as queer think about and respond to fairy tales.

Artist: Gustave Dore

If this sounds like a project you would be interested in participating in, then I invite you to take a short survey where you will be asked a few questions about who you are, as well as reflective questions about your thoughts and feelings on fairy tales, and if these tales are “queer.” It should only take about 10 minutes of your time to complete.

The survey asks if you would like to participate further with an interview with myself in order to discuss your thoughts and opinions on fairy tales. This interview will be a recorded hour-long interview through video conferencing platform Tauria or Webex. If you select yes, I will be in contact with you with further steps. If you select no, then that’s it! Thank you for participating.

To participate, you must be the age of majority and no younger than 19, have fairy tale knowledge in English, and identify with the term “queer.”

If you are interested, click the link below to participate in the anonymous survey.

If you have questions or want to chat further, you can contact me at alstephens@mun.ca or through my inbox on my project blog, www.diamondsandtoads.tumblr.com/

If you know anyone who may be interested in participating in this study, please send this post along.

Thank you for reading!

The proposal for this research has been reviewed by the Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research and found to be in compliance with Memorial University’s ethics policy. If you have ethical concerns about the research, such as your rights as a participant, you may contact the Chairperson of the ICEHR at icehr.chair@mun.ca or by telephone at 709-864-2861

[ai-satin-chic]

Let's Get Going!

Firstly, many thanks to @burningpoisonroaster for running the 18th edition of the AI Creator Challenge. It's not easy to run, so I really appreciate @burningpoisonroaster for stepping up this time.

Special thanks also go to @dryndelicate and @danni-gurrl who helped get this challenge off the ground. It's gone from a little game with three creators to a fun competition where multiple talented artists participate. I'd also like to thank everyone who has entered previous themes - I'm always astonished at the quality of the artwork. As always, if you want to see previous entries, click here.

Anyway, on to my entry. As some of you may know, I generally only post single images or videos, so doing multiple images and stories like this definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone!

From the earliest days of my childhood, I've been captivated by the vast expanse of the cosmos and humanity's relentless pursuit to explore it. The grainy black-and-white footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing, though it occurred long before my time, never failed to fill me with awe. It represented not just a "giant leap for mankind," but a testament to human ingenuity, courage, and our innate desire to push beyond known frontiers.

As I grew older, my fascination with space travel only intensified. I marveled at the rapid advancements in technology that allowed us to venture further into the unknown. The Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, and the myriad of robotic explorers sent to distant planets and moons each marked significant milestones in our cosmic journey. These achievements transformed space travel from the stuff of science fiction into tangible reality, bridging the gap between imagination and possibility.

Today, as we stand on the cusp of a new era in space exploration, the progress we've made is nothing short of astounding. Private companies are opening up access to space like never before, reusable rockets are becoming the norm, and ambitious plans for lunar bases and Mars missions are taking shape. The dreams that once seemed impossibly distant are now within our grasp. As I reflect on the trajectory of space travel, from those first tentative steps on lunar soil to our current bold strides towards becoming a multi-planetary species, I'm filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder and optimism for the journey we are all on. And what could be a grander journey than the exploration of space?

@dryndelicate @danni-gurrl @gigiprinceton @ai-satin-chic

@softsmooth69 @alyssa-ai @fluffyfaza @synth-ai

@mohairmaster @mistressmaurahypno @hollyjumper

@andysfantasie @milunessence @anderii @bumani

@burningpoisonroaster

[danganronpa96]

Hi hey hello! Progress on the current part of the chapter is doing good things. Man it's been a while since I've drawn these guys (wink wink nudge nudge)

So for a while now I've wanted to change the current blog's header image to something else (even though I suppose 'no boat' Walter and 'no murder' Yuri is kinda iconic hehe). But I thought instead of me making it, I'd force someone else to instead! I love labor!! (/j)

I'm going to be holding a little contest that you can join to create a header for the DR96 blog! Here are the rules:

The header must be 3000 width x 1055 height (in pixels)

You can either draw or make an edit, either are welcome! (no AI-generated submissions please, I have faith none of you would ever do that but I'm just adding it here in case)

For edits, you are permitted to use mine and Rexx's art from the fic (or the blog). Only use other people's art if you have permission to do so (you don't need permission if it's official artwork from the media don't worry)

To make things easier, you may only be allowed to submit one header for the contest

As for content allowed, please keep it DR96 relevant in some way (you don't have to include every single character, just use whoever you'd like). You can use DR69 content, but only if you pair it with DR96. Since this blog is primarily focused on DR96 and it's updates, I'd prefer if the header reflected that

Both silly and serious submissions are allowed

Do not put heavy spoilers in your header (e.g. masterminds, traitors, deaths), but out of context ones are fine (like the ones in the current header)

To submit your header, either reblog this post with your image, send it through the inbox (make sure you do it off anon or I won't know who made it), or post it to your blog and tag me (@danganronpa96) in the post so I can find it

(If you have any further questions, feel free to DM me or comment on this post)

The submission period will run from now until February 8th (which gives a generous month and a bit).

As for the voting, I will compile all the submissions into one post, and link a poll for you to vote for your favourite header. The vote will last for a few days (probably a week), and I'll announce the winner, and the runner-ups (2nd and 3rd). The winner will be credited in the blog's description and pinned post.

Don't feel like you have to participate if you do not wish to. This is just for anyone who'd like to do so for fun ^^

[neonnautilus]

Possible Rule Change Regarding DM Screenshots on Tumblr

Due to an ongoing conflict between Automattic (WordPress/Tumblr) and WPEngine (a WordPress hosting service), CEO Matt Mullenweg has proposed a rule change banning the sharing of DM/private message screenshots (source) (edit: Kellie's article that set off this exchange).

Given the slapdash way this whole situation has been handled, I wouldn't be surprised if the change was implemented and began being enforced without warning.

Transcription of highlighted exchange below cut

matt: Discovery is fair game and goes through the courts to determine what is salient to be included as part of the public record. I'm 100% fine with all my interactions with the plaintiffs being part of discovery; in fact, I think it helps our case.

Kellie Peterson (source): FWIW publishing DMs/texts isn't even against the community guidelines of Tumblr. https:/www.tumblr.com/search/text%20message?src=suggested_search

matt: (replying to another part of the conversation) Are you now suggesting I treat women differently than men? I vehemently deny that. matt: Thank you for pointing out the failure that publishing DMs/texts without permission is not currently enumerated. I will make sure it gets added to WordPress and Tumblr's community guidelines.

Kellie Peterson: So you'll make the internet safer by preventing victims of harassment from sharing proof. Got it champ.

zachflauaus (other participant): This is not the decision you should be making as a result of this conversation, Matt. That you took this so personally, you're changing the rules on a dime to further protect your feelings without considering why (among the many reasons!) people publish DMs, is wild. To quote myself from earlier: But it would, at the very least, get me to reflect on what happened for them to have shared those messages. (Not to mention you are further reducing the content that people will feel safe to publish on your platforms (see: Tumblr).)

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.12.20] 30-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu reprises his self-homage to "The Beginning of the Blue Rose" 

30-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu will reprise his self-homage to "The Beginning of the Blue Rose" with Mika Ninagawa! The photos will be featured in the "Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai," set to be released on March 21.

The "Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai" (scheduled for release on March 21, 2025), currently available for pre-order, will include newly taken photos! For Yuzuru Hanyu, who has just turned 30, Mika Ninagawa has prepared the set from their first photoshoot together, the 2018 "Blue Rose" set.

"The sets that Mika-san prepares have a mysterious power that immediately draws you into their world. Mika-san suggested recreating the blue roses, so I approached the shoot with the mindset, 'If I'm going to create a book, I want to make it something special.' I thought, 'Would it be more interesting to try to capture the facial expressions I had back then?' but as I faced Mika-san's camera, my expressions gradually shifted to reflect who I am now. I hope you enjoy the completely different photographs, even though they are set in the same situation." (Yuzuru Hanyu comment)

"It has been six years since I first photographed Hanyu-san. For the photobook 'Tai,' we had the opportunity for the fifth photoshoot. This time, we used the same blue rose set from when we first worked together in 2018. Because it's the same set, the photos showcase even more clearly the incredible expressiveness that Hanyu-san has developed over the past six years. I'm very excited to see how Hanyu-san's expression will evolve as he enters his thirties." (Mika Ninagawa comment)

Yuzuru Hanyu: The Culmination of His 20s and the Starting Line – Six Years Captured by Mika Ninagawa

The photobook Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai (scheduled for release on March 21, 2025), which contains the best of the best photos taken by photographer Mika Ninagawa of professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, will also feature newly shot images. For Hanyu-san, who has just turned 30, Ninagawa-san has prepared the same "blue rose" set from their first photoshoot together in 2018.

Editor’s Comment:

Yuzuru Hanyu turned 30 on December 7th of this year. The background behind the creation of Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai lies in Mika Ninagawa's desire to capture the expressions of Hanyu-san in his 20s in one volume.

During discussions about the structure of the photobook, Ninagawa-san came up with the idea, "What kind of expression would be created if the current Hanyu-san entered the same 'blue rose' set from 2018?" It was an idea we never imagined, but as soon as I heard it, I was convinced that if it came to life, it would definitely result in an incredible work of art.

Both Hanyu-san and Ninagawa-san are active at the top of their fields. While there was some anxiety about whether we could coordinate their busy schedules, with the support of everyone involved, the "reenactment of the blue rose" came to fruition. The hair and makeup artist, as well as the stylist, who worked with us in 2018, also participated in this project.

Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai contains a wealth of precious photos capturing Hanyu-san at 30. We invite you to look forward to the latest images created by these unique and irreplaceable artists.

Announcing the Ultimate Collector’s Edition Large-Format Photobook Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai (AERA Special Edition / Special Box) – Release Date: March 21, 2025!

The Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai (AERA Special Edition / Special Box), featuring the best shots taken by photographer Mika Ninagawa of professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, will be released on Friday, March 21. Hanyu-san has been photographed by Ninagawa four times, starting with a session before the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. This photobook features the best of the best selections from 18 different sessions, encompassing approximately 5,000 shots. It is a collector’s edition meant for permanent preservation.

This product is available for pre-order only (pre-order deadline: January 6, 2025 / extended due to popularity!).

Yuzuru Hanyu and Mika Ninagawa first met six years ago during a cover shoot for AERA. At the time, Hanyu was 23 years old. His expression, gazing intently at the camera while surrounded by the blue rose set, still showed traces of youthfulness. The AERA cover featuring this "blue rose" shot quickly sold out and became a huge hit.

Since Hanyu-san's declaration of turning professional in 2022, he has had sessions about once a year, each time deepening his expressions. These shoots have resulted in four previous photobooks: Yuzuru Hanyu: The Driving Force behind the Leap (2022), Yuzuru Hanyu: A Solitary Driving Force (2023), Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Shin, and Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Gi (2024).

This December, the fifth session took place! The photobook Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai, scheduled for release in March, will be a culmination of the six-year Yuzuru Hanyu × Mika Ninagawa collaboration, capturing the evolution of Hanyu's expressions and marking a new starting point. In addition to carefully selected shots from the four previous shoots, the book will also include unpublished images and the "reenactment of the blue rose" from the fifth shoot. This photobook will be presented as a large-format edition, measuring 297mm x 297mm, and will be packaged in a special box. The dynamic composition of the photos will allow readers to feel the energy of the shoots. Full of highlights, Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook Tai will be available exclusively through pre-order in a special box!

Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002082.000004702.html

[aurekiwi]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞... 𝒦𝒾𝓌𝒾 🌺

welcome to my blog (˶◕‿◕˶✿) !

about me | inbox open | support me

below, i provide some helpful links to make your experience on this blog a lot better. please feel free to surf through all the links and see how you like it ╰(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)╯

♧ 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋

personal readings closed

for defined time periods, i open up personal readings for the members of my blog! feel free to participate whenever they're open and make sure to follow all the rules. participate when i announce that they're open.

celebrity readings open

celebrity readings are almost always open. i do kpop, non-kpop, and western celebrities. please give me time to familiarize myself with some celebrities that i don't know prior to doing readings for them.

pick-a-card readings open

new addition to the blog! i thought it'd be nice to have some pac readings out to make readings from this blog feel more general and accessible.

♧ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 closed

paid service options

if you'd like to have an overview of the different options that are currently available, please check the link above. i'll constantly be updating the post to make sure it reflects my commissions page.

ko-fi commissions

please head over here if you'd like to purchase a reading from me.

my policies: all policies subject to update. all readings are non-refundable after the purchase. do not scam Kiwi/999Kuromi or recharge the money back after receiving the reading. i usually take 1-3 business days (i.e. only do them on weekdays) to email your reading to you. please provide feedback!

shortened edition for $3

this is a special opportunity! if you want a specific reading from my commissions listings but feel that they're a bit too expensive, please pay only $3 for a 1-page maximum in-depth reading of your desired reading topic. policies are the same as stated in the "ko-fi commissions" section written above!

♧ 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

all general | personal readings | paid readings

i've split the feedback into three different categories so that you can look for feedback more specifically depending on which service you want to utilize. thank you so much for your support!

★~(◡ω◡✿) i accept tips & payments via ko-fi 💚⚡️ 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐰𝐢

[little-paperboat]

2024 Writing Year In Review & Reflections

Thank you to @purpleasters-inseptember and @forget-me-maybe for the tags! I'm merging both games because some questions were quite similar :)

I'm a bit late but we're still in the early days of January so I guess it's fine!

Answers under the cut because it got veeeeeery long (in 2025 i'm a certified yapper). If @swordbisexual @graysparrowao3 or @diaphanouso want to participate, this is a no pressure tag for you (& sorry if you've already done it!) 🤍

Words posted: 64,060 words, of which:

16,450 words on is a heavy heart too much to hold?

47,610 words totals on the four parts of the i burned my fingers on this forbidden fire series

Words unposted: well, the content of two whole chapters that I'm still working on and didn't get to see the light of day in 2024, so probably about 6,000 according to my calculations?

Total word count: 64,060 - keeping this nice and round number of what I *actually* wrote in 2024.

Fandoms: Baldur's Gate 3 and Arcane

Highest Kudos: a mindblowing 342 on heavy heart, I'm still in awe of such a high show of love!!

Highest One-Shot Hits: n/a, I haven't written any one shot (I guess I could try but let's be honest, I don't think I'm wired to write one-shots unless they’re 3km long) but my AO3 currently registers 4,664 hits for heavy heart, which is absolutely insaneeeeee

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

Feel, probably. I'm sure there's many, many more, I just don't want to think about it too much lest it gives me more word anxiety 😬

New things you tried:

Planning a long and multi-chapter fic from start to end

Writing a x reader/you point of view

Writing smut

Writing a fight scene

Very exciting, challenging and rewarding in all cases!

I’ll also add reading stories that were out of my comfort / knowledge zone, and finding myself discovering new styles, kinks, perspectives, emotions. ❤️

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

Well, getting back into writing, for one, and (painfully) (re)learning that writing is hard. Yeah yeah I know it's my hobby and I love all those little freaks in my head, but for it to be good and satisfying, the exercise of writing really requires - for me - a structure and organisation that I hadn't really anticipated the importance of (and still haven't mastered 🫡)

also learning to accept the compliments and love (see question below :))

How has your writing developed this past year?

I focused more on writing *like me* and less trying to imitate others. It's been quite challenging, since there's always a part of me that finds other authors' styles better, more unique, or just overall nicer - and I often find myself wanting to emulate that.

But I've also learned to read, accept and really integrate all the lovely compliments that I've received on my different works, and that tremendously helped me to feel proud of my "style", which was lovingly described as "romantic and whimsical". And you know what? I like it :)

Bad writing habits?

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I spend 90% of the time daydreaming and 10% actually sitting down to write + if I get thrown off-schedule for whatever reason, it can take me weeks to get back into it. But if I don't write for an extended period of time, I tend to spiral and feel like I cannot do it anymore. So yeah, inconsistency is a big one. Add overthinking to the mix and, uh. Not exactly an ideal combination.

I’ll add that, although it isn’t exactly a bad habit, I write terribly, terribly slowly. I wish I didn’t, but it’s the one thing in my life (along with not being a morning person no matter how hard I try to re-wire my brain) that annoys me the most, and yet I am unable to change. 🐌

Fic you took the most time on: forbidden fire, between the initial concept, planning the outline, writing and editing... it's taking for everrr - and especially the current chapter 5, which is taking 3 months to come out and for what 😭

Fic you took the least time on: heavy heart, although it's starting to add up!

Favourite thing you wrote?

Ohhhh. Oh. It's hard to say! I think wild winds are death to the candle, because it was my come-back to writing fanfiction and I'm really proud of the care i put into it! I also loved the first salty interaction between Tav and Rolan. Pure spite, zero braincells.

Favourite fics you read this year?

Wayyyyy too many! I've read more fanfics this year than ever before, for so many different characters as well, mostly the BG3 characters and Jayce/Viktor from Arcane. Unfortunately I haven't always been diligent in my AO3 bookmarks and overall it's really hard to make a choice - but I had started to compile a list of my fav Rolan x Tav works, I should post it :)

If I had to choose right now, from the top of my head, I'd say:

Deeply and Immovably So by @dutifullylazybread

Magistrate's Advocate by @cinnamontails-ff

Lead Me Through the Dark by @darkurgetrash

As well as Convergence for the Arcane fandom <3

All these works have been absolute game-changers in my approach to writing, to universe-, characters- and plot-building, and I hold these works very, very dear to my heart (and I have to catch up quite a few chapters actually!)

Biggest win?

I'll steal @forget-me-maybe's words: finding my little space and community in the big bad world. These communities have been an incredible safe space for me, to explore my love for the characters, and to feel like I was part of something. 2024 has been a year of big personal changes and development and getting to find comfort and joy here has helped me in ways I cannot really put into words.

Shoutout especially to Rolan Nation because it was (is?) such a small community and it was so lovely to watch it grow and interact with wonderful people. ❤️

Finding other people who cared as much about my beloved characters has truly been a heartwarming experience. I don't often get to feel like I'm part of something, but this year, I did :)

(Writing) goals for 2025:

finish forbidden fire AND resuming the two-weeks posting schedule. I've accumulated a lot of delay but I care for it so much and I absolutely want to see it through, hopefully it'll be done by spring or early summer!

finish heavy heart: I only have two more chapters planned so this shouldn't be too much of a problem ;)

stealing word for word from dear @purpleasters-inseptember, writing a few one-shots to practice a shorter word count, but also exploring different and more characters

in the same fashion, exploring more tropes that I like

it's not a writing goal but I really, reaaaaally want to begin drawing. I so want to join in and show you all my ocs!! :)

New works for 2025:

a gale x tav fic (and hopefully an astarion x tav too) as little snippets of their adventures together

some more viktor x reader/oc and jayvik x reader/oc

and we'll leave it at that because... that's already a lot haha

What are you excited for in the new year?

Making more friends :)

Reading and writing more stories, and exploring new things in my writing

Getting to improve my writing and expand my vocabulary

Just being around for one more year of fandom shenanigans here - and maybe fall in love with new characters!

Thank you for these questions! It was long but very fun to answer :)

And a merry January to all of you ✨

[ikemenlibrary]

Now announcing.... 'My Ikémen Valentine' Gift Exchange!

A sweet and spicy holiday to celebrate with your true love

The fifth installment in the Ikémen Gift Exchanges hosted by @ikemenlibrary. This one’s a bit different, as it’s not for a specific fandom, but instead, a romantic holiday! 

This is open to all of the current Ikémen games released in English servers!

Main Info:

Event: Gift Exchange

Fandom(s): Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Prince, Ikemen Revolution

Creation time: January 19 - February 16 Gift sharing: February 17-18

You can sign up for the exchange here

The deadline to submit your submission to join the exchange will be due on January 12.

You will have a month to create a Valentine’s gift for your recipient and an Ikémen character that they have given to you out of their list. 

If you're interested in joining, please make sure to get your answers completed and sent in before January 12. You can edit your sign up form after it’s been submitted, but please make sure to let me (the host)  know if you’ve done that, as I do not get notified when that happens and I want to make sure everyone’s happy with up to date information. Once the deadline passes, I will turn off the link to edit or submit so if you have any problems after then, please contact me directly.

Once I get everyone’s information organized and sorted, I will be reaching out to everyone individually on January 19 to let you know who you’ve been assigned to create for, as well as any extra information to share at that point in time.

When your application has been accepted for the gift exchange, I will reach out with a link to join the Discord server (if you aren’t already in it from previous exchanges).**

Please let me know if you have any questions! I can be reached via Tumblr DM or if you have my Discord from previous exchanges, you may find me there as well <3

Disclaimer: **Please note before signing up that I do have a Discord server that I encourage everyone to join. We’d love for all the participants (myself included!) to get to know one another, work together, and potentially help each other out within the event. We also have some fun bots to play with!

If using Discord is something you are absolutely not comfortable with, please message me before you send in an application so I am aware that you will not be joining and can mark it down on my end for organization purposes. (If I’ve spoken to you about this before, just specify in the sign up sheet, there’s no reason to need to reach out again!)

Below the cut, there is a new update to the rules I’ve previously had in place. This is also reflected in the sign up sheet. Please let me know if you have any questions!**

Can’t wait to see you all soon!

**I just wanted to give a quick update on the rules, as I have changed a few things slightly this time around.

The minimum word requirement for fanfiction updated from 800 to 850 words

The fan art requirement has been updated from being lined with a colored drawing, to also require a background as well (this can be a solid color, or scenery, or whatever you decide. The background just cannot be white (of course, special cases may occur and I will leave it up to the artists stylistic choice))

This time around, you cannot select specific characters from a list who you aren’t interested in creating for. That would be too messy with 4 fandoms. Instead, you will get more options of characters to create based on your choices you fill out on the sign up form

You must be ready to share progress during the halfway check in point via Google Drive/Docs if you are a fanfiction creator. If you do not have access to using one of these, please send me whatever you have during the check in, and I will copy it into my Google Drive. This is so if there becomes a time where you lose your progress on something other than Google, there will still be a copy existing, even if it doesn’t completely reflect your current progress. 

This will all be reiterated in the information key you will be given at the time assignments go out, so don’t worry about remembering this for the time being

[devilrose]

2024 Wrap Up

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2024. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Tagged by @babyblueetbaemonster, thank you!

I will tag @ritabuuk @meishali @runawaycarouselhorse @elavoria @samu-art-kingdom and whoever I forgot that wants to do this, just go ahead

Just five... I'll just go in my folders and pick some things without thinking too much about it, okay?!

Dark Prince Satan, attended by bats (see post ->)

It's just fucking awesome. I printed this one in A3 as a display piece for conventions, but you know what? I think I'll frame it, even.

The Gifts of Darkness - Chapter 22, page 10 (see on comic site ->)

I'll pick this one to exemplify the scene of the comic where they're in the forest, and in general all the work I did this year on TGOD.

Vivec (Mirror) (see post ->)

This one instead exemplifies my participation in the TES summer fest :) as soon as I read the prompt I knew what I wanted to do, and I really made this one like an arrow, all in the same evening.

The cyborgize.it revamp (see it on website ->)

I also don't want to forget that this year I revamped my art site from a short selection-portfolio to a complete archive of all my art. Currently 2014 pictures. Not a small feat...

Dyshana (see post ->)

I guess exemplifying all the stuff I've been making in Infinite Painter on the phone lately?

Well, happy new year!

[jotaromonth]

Jotaro Month 2024 is now live!

Welcome to Jotaro Kujo Month 2024: a celebration for Jotaro's character during his zodiac month (January 20th to February 19th), since we don't have an official date for his birthday!

The month has been broken up into individual weeks plus an extra day. Feel free to participate in only one week, or one day, on-and-off, etc, whatever works best for you! If you want to join at all, feel free!

The prompts are as follows:

Week 1: Variation

Day 1: Part 3

Day 2: Part 4

Day 3: Part 5

Day 4: Part 6

Day 5: OVA

Day 6: Irene-verse

Day 7: SBR-verse

Week 2: Friendship

Day 8: Kakyoin

Day 9: Polnareff

Day 10: Avdol

Day 11: Iggy

Day 12: Morioh

Day 13: Italy

Day 14: Florida

Week 3: Family

Day 15: Joseph

Day 16: Holly

Day 17: Josuke

Day 18: Giorno

Day 19: Jolyne

Day 20: Jonathan

Day 21: Ex-wife

Week 4: Character

Day 22: Ocean/desert/home

Day 23: Pride (sexuality/gender headcanons)

Day 24: Graduate student/teaching/stress

Day 25: Favorite platonic or romantic ship

Day 26: Screenshot redraw/favorite scene/missing scene

Day 27: Make up/clothes/fashion

Day 28: Alone/comfort/reflection

Finale:

Day 29: Star platinum/time stop/speed

Day 30: Scars/loss/mistakes

Day 31: Healing/avenge/redemption

Current rules are as follows:

When submitting something for this project, please tag @jotaromonth and tag it #jotaro kujo month 2024! This way your submission will for sure be seen

No NSFW for this project! Dirty jokes and tenderness are allowed, but limited nudity and no sex!

Do NOT participate if you are “proship”/“anti-anti”/"profiction"/etc. Beyond the given moral complications, the moderator has experienced personal issues in their life that make it so they don’t want to work creatively with proshippers — so if nothing else, respect that.

No EARLY submissions please, but LATE submissions are 100 percent allowed! Hell, if you see this two years after it’s over and still want to participate, or if it takes you two years to finish a submission, please do still submit and tag!

Submissions must be related to prompts, but for Character Week (week 4) and the Finale, you do not need to incorporate every prompt listed for one day! For example, if you have an idea for "teaching" but not "graduate student" or "stress" on day 24, please only focus on the "teaching" prompt! No need to include everything. There are multiple prompts just so there are plenty of options to draw inspiration from.

And that's it! Please let me know if you have any questions. Here is a google doc that will record the rules (including updated rules), prompts, dates, and a compilation of the answers to any questions that may arise: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10KPq0aE-HXJj1c8Rudtf9bd7givEhe41UCGPqNhbkA0/edit?usp=sharing

[choicesbookclub]

Welcome to the Choices Book Club! We are currently reading Veil of Secrets. View the reading schedule here.

This Week’s Chapter: Chapter Four: First Blood

Question(s) of the Week: 

What Hogwarts house would your MC belong to? [Vote Here]

How did MC feel about Kate calling them a "project"? [Vote Here]

What was your MC like in college? Were they similar to the flashback or were they different? Share whatever you'd like about MC's college days!

Did you search Kate's bedroom? [Vote Here]

Who read Kate's diary? [Vote Here]

Did MC accompany Flynn to the Marina to search Tanner's yacht? [Vote Here]

What are your thoughts on that ending? (especially to those of you who haven't read this book yet!)

How would you rate Chapter Four of VOS? [Vote Here]

Reading Schedule Reflection [Vote Here]

*If you have a question or poll you'd like to see me add, just let me know

MC Related Prompts from previous weeks:

MC Profile Canva Template [Details Here]

Wedding Outfit Replacement [Details Here]

Wardrobe Outfits Replacements [Details Here]

How else to Participate:

Please note that the mod is working full time and has real life responsibilities, so posts and reblogs may be delayed.

Post reactions, screenshots, videos, ramblings, theories,… whatever comes to you while playing

Create drawings, edits, moodboards, fics, headcanons, songs, poems, etc based on the chapters and/or characters

Create a profile page for your MC and submit it to our MC directory

Catch up on any of the previous week's questions/prompts

Posts that tag @choicesbookclub and use “#choices book club” will be reblogged here. Please note that tags “#choices book club” seem to be more reliable than mentioning the blog.

If your post is not reblogged within 48 hours, please dm me a link @lovealexhunt. Thank you!

[Please read the full guide to the event and how to participate here]

[whovianshifts]

returning to shifting

although admittedly documented for only a few short weeks online, this time last august, i was obsessed with shifting. it was something i was thinking about it 24/7. i was so desperate to shift and i think this sideblog got to catch a small glimpse of, that desperation, that obsession, that intense pressure to shift . last year taught me loads about shifting, about spirituality and about myself but mostly that constantly thinking about something makes it 10x harder to accomplish in the end.

and so, with the acknowledgement that, in that sort of obsessive mindset, i would never shift, i decided to take a break. but, with exams, and university, and everything else, it became a year long break from shifting.

but now im back! and having had a year to reflect, here are some resolutions-

social media: constantly being bombarded with shifting content on my socials wasnt helpful *at all*. of course, it can undoubtedly be a useful tool but with all the different feelings, opinions, ultimately it detracts from the fact that shifting is a personal, spiritual journey and overcomplicated shifting too much. this time round, im taking a social media detox and looking into myself for answers to questions, rather than relying solely on shifttok/shiftblr (a bit ironic as im posting on here lol but anyways)

desired reality: i finally understand the issue with the phrase 'desired reality' because it really does set our drs on a hugeee pedestal! whilst i love doctor who, the immense fascination and awe i have for the universe didnt help with this. i constantly viewed it as an elevated realty, a reality so much better than my current one, that shifting felt unattainable. and thats why...

new dr: with a fresh perspective, i felt like i needed a fresh start with my dr and so i decided that i want to shift to the hunger games universe! and i just want to clarify that this is NOT a violent kill dr - i will not be participating in or have anything to do with the games. i simply want to explore the world as i am curious about the cultures, districts etc. i feel like, as it is a dystopian world as well, i honestly cannot place it on that same pedestal as doctor who. its a semi-realistic world, honestly not so different from ours. anyway, more about my new dr in another post!

belief: for the longest time, i naturally thought a lot of my doubt in shifting was to do with my beliefs. that, deep down, i didnt believe in it. but i dont think thats true. i believe in shifting. i just think that i mistake disbelief with feelings of doubt and shame i associate with believing in shifting. i dont know if that makes sense. what i mean is, shifting has an awful rep online. and sometimes, i think, rightly so. all the edits and povs honestly sort of make shifting a natural extension of stan culture, which, though harmless and innocent, makes it seem like crazy fan behaviour rather than a spiritual practice. and so, when i say i believe in shifting, some of those external opinions about shifting - where people make us feel crazy for our beliefs - make me feel ashamed. but im happy to say that im changing that; im starting to see shifting as a part of my spirituality - something that others may disrespect, but can never delegitimise. because we never do this for religions, so why shifting? why should other people, who have a biased perspective, be allowed to slander what i believe in.

finally, obsession: as i talked about at the beginning, the desperation and obsession to shift made the actual act so much more difficult. i constantly felt this pressure and anticipation before bed, finding myself always feeling a sort of performance anxiety (lol) and associating shifting with this. and so, this time round, im detaching from shifting. of course, its super exciting, its super cool. im allowing myself to feel that all, just in a healthy way. this is an *aspect* of my life but its not my *entire* life. i will shift. its a fact of inevitability now. its like sleeping, its a natural part of my life now so it will happen.

there are many more things that have changed, many things that arent perfect. but shifting doesnt have to be perfect. your mindset doesnt have to be perfect. there really arent any requirements for shifting, just an intention and a willingness to understand yourself which is pretty much the formula for doing anything else in life so,

to anyone who got this far,

happy shifting

tish x

[sakarrie-creates]

It’s that time of year! Here’s my 2023 art summary! After two years of having to include non-colored pieces, I finally did enough ‘full’ pieces to fill my art summary template! I did have to get a bit creative with the months since I was able to draw a LOT more during the summer, but I’ll take it! Sorry it's a bit blurry. I'm not sure if that's just for the preview or not, but it was a smaller file than normal and since these reflections are 99% for my own interest, I decided it wasn't worth trying to change.

As usual, I got rambly so reflection questions are answered under the cut. The template I used is available here in case anyone else wants to make their own! My fic summary will be coming in a week or so, so stay tuned for the stats and round-up there. :)

What events did you participate in (with art)? Player Appreciation Week, Fandom Trumps Hate, Dear Fellow Traveler (Animatic), Weird People (Editing), SPN Comfortably Queer Zine (dropped), and lots of zine applications for page artist, merch artist, comic artist, and spot artist roles!

What was your biggest challenge this year? While time, like last year, was still a challenge, I think my biggest challenge was a mix of low motivation and an intense perfectionistic mindset. At the start of the year, I got super into TOH and was super hyped about all the zines with apps opening. I really REALLY wanted to get into them and figured I should apply for art too just cause it would increase my overall chances of getting in. After the finale, I did a screenshot redraw that ended up being absolutely fantastic for where my skill level is. I went deeper into rendering than ever before, and somehow it worked for me. 

That probably was the start of my unreasonably high expectations, and I got it into my head that maybe if I could make a whole portfolio of artwork at that quality level, I actually stood a chance at getting into a zine as an artist. From then on, I was hardcore crash-coursing perspective, rendering techniques, and generally trying to improve without allowing room for mistakes. While I do think it helped me grow a lot, it burnt me out so I struggled to work on stuff past summary (when all the zine apps were) and even dropped from the SPN Comfortably Queer Zine cause my imposter syndrome was so strong. (Though that was also partially because it was a ‘sign-up and you’re in’ zine, so they never saw my art during the application process and had no way of knowing if I was good enough.

What was something you were surprised by? I’m pretty sure I discovered the perspective tool is CSP this year! CSP has so many tools I’m not aware of (despite watching tons of tutorials and guides), so it wasn’t super surprising but it was nice. I have to say, they’re a serious hassle to work with and require a higher understanding of vanishing points and such than I currently have, but I could see it being very useful for future scene art pieces.

Did you try anything new this year?

Yes! This year I kicked down the door to the merch world and have been collecting and designing throughout the year. Though the designs have mostly just been for zine app portfolio’s, everything has worked out really well for me and I hope to produce charms for my collection as I improve my skills. Where do you think you most improved? Definitely my confidence in rendering! And probably my rendering itself too. I did a ton more pieces with it this year and it’s definitely a favorite part of the art process for me. I think I’ll have a lot more fun with it this year too, since I’m trying to keep it lower pressure, so I can experiment more to find out what brushes and styles I like most. What are you most proud of? I think I’m most proud of how ambitious I was with my zine apps. Though I didn’t get into any for art and it burned me out a fair bit, I did a lot of hard work and made pieces I can be mostly happy with. As for specific pieces, I’m very proud of my animatic clip for the Dear Fellow Traveler MAP (which is what the Belos art from the summary is from). My portion was about 5 seconds with 24 fully colored and shaded frames. A few of those were moving frames too, so the end result is the closest thing to actual animation I’ve done. I also really like the rendering on the Huntlow Epilogue art and generally how the Steve&Matt hug turned out.

How’d this year compare to your 2023 goals? I honestly couldn’t remember what my goals were, but all things considered, I didn’t do too bad! Thankfully past-Sakarrie was wise and made it a bullet list so I can just check things off. Met: -Player Appreciation Week -Add to zine portfolio -Apply to at least one zine as an artist (fine if don’t get accepted) -Keep experimenting with backgrounds and shading -Pull out some old WIPs -Build more consistency of style

The checked off ones I definitely met, so good for me! This was a very zine-focused year, so I way exceeded those goals. The last two I did do, but they’re a bit subjective. Specifically, I think the ‘WIPs’ I was referring to were old sketches, but most of the old WIPs I revisited were already colored and I was either adding rendered or cleaning them up for zine usage. As for style, I’m REALLY bad at telling haha. That said, my characters seem reasonably similar when I draw them, so I’m going to tentatively count it. Kinda: -One fully colored piece per month

I’m gonna give myself a half check on this one. I didn’t have a fully colored piece every month, but I did have over 12 fully rendered pieces in the end, several of which had backgrounds. So while I didn’t meet the letter of the goal, I feel like I met the spirit of it.

Did Not Meet: -Finish Huntlow comic -30 minutes animatic digitalize rough draft -Maybe make some fanart of my favorite fics

These don’t shock me. They’re all personal projects and this was a very external-goal-driven year for me. The Huntlow comic is a big love of mine but it’s definitely ambitious for where my skill is. I’ve got the whole thing messy-sketched and most of it has been clean sketched, but the jump from that to lineart is gonna be hard, and I have no idea what I’d be doing with color since the panels don’t have a background. That said, I do feel like it’s some solid work and I adore the angst vibe of it, so maybe I’ll get it done one day. I could also see myself posting it as a messy lineart comic so that others could enjoy the concept being executed in case it never gets finished.

As for the 30 Minutes animatic, I still 100% intend to complete it eventually. I love the way it fits to the music and I’m so proud of the thumbnails. Even if it never becomes a full animatic, I want to digitize the frames and line it up with music so I can share the concept I see in my mind with others. My brain was somewhat overtaken suddenly by TOH this year, so now that that’s settled and I’m hoping to follow my muse more this year, maybe this will be something I can get excited about again.

The fanart for favorite fics is no surprise since it’s kinda the tack on. With low motivation and projects with deadlines that needed my focus, personal art like this was buried way below other priorities. It’s a nice though for sure though.

Alrighty then, now it’s time for 2024 goals!! Oh goodness, I really don’t know what to expect of myself. I definitely am going to try to allow for more personal projects with lower pressure, but I do still have some goals. Hopefully most can be accomplished without applying big pressure though.

2024 Goals:

-Number One Priority: Create for my and don’t put myself in a place to get crazy burnt out and still have requirements. If I meet this goal, then it’s okay if I don’t meet any of the others. (It would be sad.... But I would still count it as meeting overall goals.) -Participate in Summergen and PAW Week (Art or Fic) -Design Handplates charm as anniversary gift (November) -Design CS Charm -Have a fully usable Zine Portfolio (Currently need more merch samples and rendered pieces with backgrounds) -Apply to new TOH Zines or other loved fandom zines. If I end up getting into any, I can pull back, but since that doesn’t seem likely, I want to get into the habit of always being ready to apply with what I have. -Make an ongoing project list to pin to my tumblr. This applies mostly for fics, but that way people coming to my page can see what fandoms I’m actively creating for and what they can look forward to (as well as have an opening to ask questions if they’re interested). -Post more (at least 10 times throughout the year) and add my best pieces to instagram (8+ pieces by end of year). -Do ONE of the following:     1. 30 minutes digitized so it can be shared with music      2. Open Up Your Eyes fully thumbnail      3. Fanworks for other people’s fics      4. Participate in an extra bang or exchange with art      5. Design and manufacture a pin -Play with different brushes and rendering styles -Draw something from scratch every month, no matter how small -Not exactly art, but I want to have a finalized long-term merch display plan for all my items Overall, how’d the year go? I think I did well! I didn’t meet all my goals and I pushed myself too far, but I learned and improved a LOT this year. All things considered, I made pieces that last year me would be blown away by, so I think that’s an automatic win. I’m pretty uncertain on how this next year will go (even more so than last year, which is surprising since I was changing schools last year), but I’m hoping to enjoy what I do and create art semi-regularly. Here’s to 2024!