#i've been thinking about making this blog for a loooooong time

[of-acid-and-steel]

Welcome to my Game Dev Blog!

My name's Ender- I'm a game developer as a bit of a hobby (Even though I've been looking for jobs as a developer for a while now;;), and this blog is meant to record and show off the progress of a game I've been working on for a while, now!

I'll be using this blog to post updates on the game's progress, ideas I've been thinking about, and maybe other miscellaneous, game-development-oriented things!

I've made a personal promise to myself, that every element of this game is going to be made by me, personally! I'm using RPG Maker MV for the engine, but besides that- Music, Art, Writing, Design, and everything in-between is my own!

I hope you enjoy the game- The summary of which is extended below the "Keep Reading" line!

"Of Acid and Steel" (The title's still a bit of a work-in-progress) is a Fantasy RPG, where you play as a dracokin by the name of Cernos Talonswallow, who dreams of becoming a great hero, one day.

For an unknown reason, Cernos was left, by his parents, in the care of Erickson Ironbeard, a dwarf blacksmith in the small village of Pimaia. As he grew up, Cernos only heard second-hand stories about his family and the Talonswallow clan, of whom his parents were the leaders.

After learning of how important family and clanship was to his kin, Cernos began to draw his own conclusions about why he was left in the care of Eric, his uncle. He believed that, in his early childhood, he had made a mistake, or was lacking in some manner that warranted his abandonment. From this conclusion, he resolved to prove his own worth to his parents, one way or another, by becoming a hero; Such that his name would reach his parents' ears, and he would be worthy of the family name he inherited.

Years of begging his uncle- Who he loved too much to leave without approval from- Training, and growing up leads to a fateful day, when Cernos finally proves that he's ready to take on the world outside the small village he grew up in.

But, his adventure is bound to reach much further than even he expects...

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2023 - 01: Introduce Yourself

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

(I'll put my favourite tropes under the cut because this post is getting a bit long, oops lol)

Re-Introduction

I've been in the Tumblr whump community for a couple of years now, but hello and welcome to everyone both old and new to my blog! I'm emc, and I'm an Australian writer and artist specialising in the bloodthirsty subject matter we all love here on whumpblr! I mostly reblog at this stage, but I love to participate in community events, and have plenty in the works :)

I create original whump works. I'm only in one fandom, Danny Phantom, so I will occasionally reblog stuff from there.

Project Updates!

I'm completely, totally obsessed by one singular whumpee... so everything I work on centers around him... lol

Anyways, so, it turns out that SP multiplied...

Shifting Phases - This is gonna be a loooooong fic lol, but! I'm making good progress, and I've managed to stay inspired and motivated for +6 years, so you can count on it getting finished, no matter how long it takes :)

10 of 59 chapters are drafted, one of which is pending review,

8 of the remaining 50 chapters are in progress,

The word-count as of writing this post is 23.5k.

I'm sure a few of you have followed for this fic/pieces of the boi, and I think about that constantly especially since it's still a major wip lol ^-^' Not worry, I will not rush uwu

I'll link the masterpost of it though because I keep it updated with my progress, and also any good snippets I write :)

Full Moon Waning - Because I'm horrible and have so many thoughts all the time, I've actually started planning this; the sequel to Shifting Phases! I think I have some cool whump ideas, and it provides another chance to explore the worldbuilding and character backstories, so I think it has a lot to offer and will be fun to write :)

Plotting; jotting down vague ideas and arranging them in a semi-coherent order.

Eclipse Descending (AU) - Oh this one is incredibly fun and fucked up, and somehow manages to be SO much darker in which Pete falls down a terrible path and becomes a hunter. It goes about as well as you'd expect lol. I explained the premise to a friend and she wondered, since it was so compelling, why it wasn't canon, and man, that's a fun thing to hear. It also means it's gonna be an absolute behemoth...

Plotting and detailing scenes simultaneously.

Caesar Salad (AU) - Remember how I said I wanted to stab my whumpee during the Ides of March? Guess which concept got WAY out of hand XD It will be a much shorter fic, but it's still a major project. It's an alternate secret reveal, so, it's an AU.

Detailing the scenes while trying desperately to come up with a resolution ^-^'

Anything Else? - Yep! I have a few other little scene/whump ideas that I'll eventually write out, but for now, I just keep them stored in a little au/idea doc. I'm still also working slowly on my BTHB card, and also the gift and several treats for the exchange I mentioned earlier, but I shan't be spoiling those :)

Favourite Tropes

Those of you who've been around me/know me will find that I am indeed very consistent XD Some of my favourite tropes include:

Bad caretaker/s

Collapse

Compromised mobility

Dehumanisation and animalisation

Domestic abuse

Emotional whump

Environmental whump

Hyper/hypothermia

Long-term injuries and scars

Near-death of the whumpee

Nightmares/Night terrors

Nonhuman whumpees (usually vampires, demons... and especially mer)

Panic attacks

PTSD

Restraints, especially creative ones

Secret angst-- whumpee having to keep their species/identity secret for their personal safety, and because they fear they'll be rejected by the ones they love most

Severe sickness

Species-specific whump

Starvation

Transformation whump

... and so many more...! Also, caretakers and whumpers are not necessary for me to enjoy the whump ^-^

[thaleleah]

it's amazing that an actual language was made for this franchise!

yesss neteyam, his death was heartbreaking. i've seen a lot of edits on him on tiktok 👀 i'm assuming he's really popular in the fandom, right?

it makes no sense how far these people would go when something bothers them so much. like focus on real shit 🤦🏻‍♀️ so many people just like reading non con because it's just a fantasy of theirs (there's literal studies on this being a common fantasy amongst women; and these people should educate themselves) and so many people who read and write non con are also survivors of sa and it helps them. so stfu with telling people what's wrong and what's right. it's fiction. it's their life and there is nothing you can do about it 🙄

(Does that person you mentioned who writes for Avatar write smut? Or is she a minor? I'm so curious)

all her stuff is smut and she's a grown ass woman. her blog is very cringe because she literally acts like a 15 year old. and she's really bitter and hateful tbh. a very negative person. she's always trying to start something.

tal... your spider fics were sooooo good. i loved the rumor mill (he honestly looks like someone who eats a girl out well 🤭) and push me, push back (a lil dark too, huh?) you capture is character so well because he's already so cocky as it is 😌 tal... you sure did him justice 🩵✨

so who's your favorite character to write for from the avatar fandom? 🥰

oh the dog story is def bs! it was either stepshit or stepshits shitty brother!

istg stepshit literally has a death wish. i honestly wouldn't be surprised he does it on purpose to rile you up to get your mom to turn against you. cause that's what stepmonster does with me.

i still can't believe that pos isn't helping your poor mom clean up with anything... 🤦🏻‍♀️ what a fucking loser.

i'm doing well, tal 🩷 kinda been spending the week only watching shows and movies so it's been quite relaxing!

also since we're on avatar. i saw this photo on insta a couple days ago of tom from halloween:

https://www.instagram.com/tomblythfan/p/C01gk9WJjFo/?img_index=1

i'm assuming the guy below him is neteyam...? such a cute lil crossover we having going on here 🥰

and this photo of jack...

https://www.instagram.com/p/C25CGECAhnx/?hl=en

this has me feral. but i'm curious tho. is he going to be an avatar in the next film? because of his suit?

- 🍯🐝

I'm so impressed with everything world-building related to Avatar cause its just so amazing. Very few things capture my attention and heart for as long as Avatar has.

Neteyam is def the most popular in the fandom lol. No other character can compare to the amount of fics there are for him (except maybe Jake). Neteyam is my fav character to write for though. I feel like his personality just comes through really easily in the writing.

EXACTLY! I'm so glad you get it cause I'm so tired of seeing people get put down just for liking to read something. It's all fantasy - what's wrong with letting people read what they want? It also makes me sad because I struggled with wanting to read noncon for a loooooong time cause of the guilt I felt about it, and it took me a long time to finally understand that liking it isn't bad. And it makes me sad to see other people getting bullied for liking it too when I know they either probably struggled with the same thing or are still struggling and the nasty assholes who don't know how to mind their own business won't leave them alone. So frustrating.

all her stuff is smut and she's a grown ass woman. her blog is very cringe because she literally acts like a 15 year old. and she's really bitter and hateful tbh. a very negative person. she's always trying to start something.

The way my curiosity is shooting through the fucking roof. You should send me a separate ask with her tumblr name so I can know who this person is. I don't think I interact with anyone on my other blog that's said this but now I'm nervous.

I'm so glad you liked my Spider fics! Eeeeeeeee~ The Rumor Mill is def my fav so far. He's actually really fun to write for too.

🤦🏻‍♀️ what a fucking loser.

You said it, babes. Both our stepparents are fucking losers.

I'm glad you're doing good! That sounds soooo relaxing and I def need a week like that. What kind of stuff have you been watching? Got any recs for me?

The pics are so cute! Tom looks adorable as Shaggy lmaooo. And Jack is a cutie. I hope that this is him getting an Avatar, but I doubt it. Mayyybeee in one of the future movies but I know he had to wear a motion capture suit when filming A2 I think to make up for the height difference between him and the Na'vi. He had to film every one of his scenes twice lol

[mylittleelphie]

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long, but I’ve just started reading ‘Accidents Will Happen’ - I’m only a few chapters in so far, but I’m loving it (I always adore your characterisation of Glinda).

What I really wanted to ask is would you ever consider writing a sequel or an epilogue of ‘The Princess of Oz’? That has to be one of my absolute favourite fanfics ever; literally everything about it was perfect, and, every time I re-read it, it’s as though I’m watching a period drama in my head.

Thank you for taking the time to write such in-depth works, I really adore your writing. 🖤

Oh man.

You know, this is the first inbox message that I got on here that was not from some questionable p*** blog. So I went into this with the lowest expectations possible and getting such a wonderful ask instead of "check out my sexy videos" just blew me away 🤣 I'm not sure if I'm functioning properly right now 😂

So yeah, thank you so much!!

I'm happy to hear that you're interested in AWH, but I can understand if it isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's nearly finished and I'd say a lot more people started reading it than managed to see it all the way though lol Which is fine. I'm mostly content with my choices. I guess it's a bit less mainstream. It certainly is not The Princess of Oz (or "PoO" as like to abbreviate it for convenience and giggles).

Thank you for your praise, it's very touching. I'm quite aware of the fact that PoO is a favourite among my works so far--as much as that can be said, since I myself ain't exactly a fan favourite lol. I guess it just struck the right balance between "well enough written" and "not too ambitious, difficult, abstract etc" I could improve on it for sure. The plot is mostly fine, except for the slightly unsatisfying ending, but the writing could be more polished. But it has a touch of commercial appeal to it, doesn't it?

Which leads me to: PoO was always meant to be part of a duology or even trilogy. I think I might have said that in my ANs? Not sure. Either way, that does go some way to explain the ending, I guess?

Well. This never happened. For millions of reasons. These days there is one particular one that stands out and unfortunately more or less forces me to give you a negative answer to your question. No, I do not plan on writing more for this series. Not as fanfiction that is.

The truth is, I've been scheming for years to make the jump from fanfiction to original fiction, to become a "proper" author. I know I'm not quite there yet, or at least nothing I published so far ever went through that rigorous polishing process. But it has been a dream, even though it's daunting. And I picked my project. It's an overhauled version of PoO and its never published sequels. As a trilogy.

Ambitious plan, I know, and most likely I'll crash and burn, but at least I'll be able to say I tried. It won't be just a case of "filing off the serial numbers". More like a new re-telling from what I remember the story to be, alongside with slightly more mature and thought-out elements. And sequels. It's all planned out in the macro scale. I just have to write it. I'll probably start early next year and I expect that the first book alone will take me about half a year to a year until it's ready for querying (sending it to agents). So I can't even console you with the fact that you would be able to read the original version soon if you're so inclined--it's a loooooong way till any of that gets published (if ever), especially if you're waiting for the sequels.

Ok. Sorry for bombarding you with such an essay, only to tell you no 😅 I guess I got a bit excited there.

I can't begin to express how excited I am to get such feedback and I hope you'll be able to enjoy AWH enough to at least temporarily forget your disappointment over the PoO sequels.

Thanks so much for writing to me (though you might regret that move now 😂)! What a wonderful Christmas gift!

Take care and have a few wonderful days of Christmas cheer!!!

xoxo

MLE

Note to everyone else: always feel free to message me and make my day! But beware, THIS is what you might get back in return! 😂

[flameontheotherside]

Volunteer Work

I started doing free intuitive reading on my other blog a loooooong time ago. Honestly I've gotten so tired of answering questions for free that I decided to close it out for a bit. It gets tiring after a while even doing something I love for free. Getting the same old questions or same old people asking questions. It just got to the point I'm just tired of it. I'm not getting paid. Why commit to another year of it? Why not take a break?

So I have orientation to volunteer for the Humane Society. I'm excited because I love animals and I only need to do 6 hours a month for six months which is simple for me. I hope that it's fun and rewarding. Being stuck at home has gotten boring.

I don't work because I don't really have to...

...but I still have to pay my credit cards off and pay for my spending habits plus soon I'll have 2 cats to care for. But I'm sort of working on Keen for that and hoping to get myself going on Fiverr. But idk I'm feeling pessimistic about all this. When it comes to selling anything like this I hardly get anywhere. When I did phone sales as an actual job, I was great at it. Probably only because it was heavily scripted. But I hate that kind if work. Why does doing something you love have to be such a pain in the fucking ass this way? At least for me it's proven to be a pain in the ass.

I want to get PAID for doing what I love.

...But people don't want to pay me. I don't think it's because I'm bad at what I do. People are pretty honest in their feedback. I feel like people are just freeloading and taking advantage of me and I welcomed it at first and done it for a while. Even shut down my store when the pandemic hit. Not like I was making much on it anyway.

If people don't want to pay me, they don't want me to succeed because...

...Why pay for cow if you can get the milk for free, right?

I'm the cow giving away free milk and I had to cut it off. How does anyone make it as a "psychic" online? I've done a lot of the footwork. Which usually includes a blog, giving away free services, and advertising. There is not much else to it. It's frustrating knowing I have what it takes because it's been proven yet I feel like people don't take me seriously because they don't want to pay. I feel like they only care about me if it means they get something for free. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

"I hope you're okay...my free question is____"

...Becsuse if I'm okay it means I'll answer your "free question"?? (Some days I can't answer because I'm too tired or just not feeling well) I mean that's the feeling I get when I read my asks. It comes off to me that they only care as long as I give them what they want and I don't like feeling that way. I could be reading far too much into it because I tend to overthink things and beat myself up.

Am I being unreasonable?

I'm just trying to earn a living and trying to do what I love to do. Is it wrong of me to be frustrated in this line of work? Is earning an extra income so bad? Am I being seen as greedy just because I "technically" don't need the extra income? Maybe I'm not as good as people say I am. Professionally, the only way to find out is to keep trying on platforms like Keen or FIVERR. Even though it all looks bleak to me.

Ok rant over, I need to get to the gym and this morning we are going to try to catch the lunar eclipse.

[nfly5]

Hello, hello! Your EXOLSS Secret Santa here! I hope it's okay with you, but when I checked your blog for "secret santa" keyword I see you joining another SS event? So I'm thinking I'll specify from which event I am just to spare you the potential confusion. ^^; And I hope you have fun with both events! :3

I'd also like to apologise for the loooooong overdue followup. Sigh, life. *vaguely gestures to everything* I hope your flu has gotten better, if not fully recovered!

OMG, yes!! I saw the comeback news! Right about time, too -- I'm still somewhat a Baby EXO-L and only recently finished listening to aaaall of the group's songs. I can't get enough of a lot of them so they've been on loop for days, but I also want new soooonnggsss! I reaaaaaally can't wait for the CB!! I wonder how their new songs will sound like, will they venture to new territories or stick with their upbeat hip-hop/rnb? Either way, I'm sure it'll be great! Especially if Baekhyun'll be there too. That vocals 👀 like, damn!

I've also seen your edits and gifs when scrolling through your blog. They're really well made but I hope you'll understand that I hesitate to rb them because I don't want to be found out. ≧︿≦ Once the cat's out of the bag, though, I'll be sure to reblog to my heart's content. :3c

Oh my gosh, I've talked so much and none yet about your gift! Well, umm, here's a quick one: what would be your top 6 Baekhyun eras/looks? Just, you know, curious. 👀

Hopefully in the next message I'll get to the gift questions quicker. ^^; Take care, and I hope you're having fun!! <3

-🎅

hi! so sorry for the delay responding :( i'm just stuck in a terrible cycle of flu! cannot stop getting sick it's unbelievable, completely lost my voice in midst of job interviews week!

i'm organising a secret santa for n.flying this year hehe first time trying it out. i'm sorry you've stumbled upon my endless reblogs promoting it! i'm not personally participating so don't worry it's not confusing since i'm not expecting any other secret santa. i'll make sure to tag our conversations properly so you can find them easier (#exoss22) but let me know if you can't see my answers!

awww that's really sweet that you got into them during this group hiatus period, their music really is so timeless!! i absolutely agree, it's going to be so fun when they come back and all the new eras and promotions *fingers crossed*! i'm super curious about what kind of music they'll be back with as well. to be honest i just really need a part 2 of obsession era LOL that was peak creativity and a new musical height or me.

thank you so much for saying such kind words about my gifs, it really means a lot to me <3 i cannot wait for christmas!

ohh i have so many favourite baekhyun looks!! silver haired baekhyun during obsession, un village, blooming days and that whole end of 2017 kokobop era awards seasons omg. and i absolutely loved tempo and love shot looks, very very superior, flawless styling!!

i hope to speak with you soon again, take care too!

[aplushemporium]

5, 6 and 7 for all!

questions for authors. (accepting!)

//The answers for 5 are here!

//The rest...will be under a read more cuz this is LOOOOOONG.

WRITING.

Do you enjoy your own writing, why or why not?

//Ehhhh I find it okay...? I know I tend to just...ditch a lot of fanfics that I'm working on, but I'm always excited to continue a roleplay. Though that may be because I like the writing of my friends and partners. I mean I like I try to keep it simple but sometimes I fear it's just...too bland for like...the golden standard of professional fiction. Also I suck at formal writing and that's why I hate my writing. College is stressful.

What is your biggest insecurity in writing?

//Not being seen. Okay kinda that, but I often fear that my writing sits uncomfortably between too simple and too fancy and detailed. But I know I've been terrified of offending people and it has happened before. So uh yeah...I am scared of how people react to my writing. But I shouldn't...because I cannot control how folks react and behave. That is something therapy and good friends are emphasizing.

CHARACTERS.

What is your favorite show, but your least favorite character in said show?

//I think for my favorite show, I'll go with "Restaurant to Another World". It's a show I ALWAYS go back to when I want inspiration, or that I need comfort. I mean...a man cooking good (modern day) food for beings from a fantasy setting...it just so cozy!!! People may think it's boring and repetitive but...I like it for the repetition and laid back nature (with dashes of battles) of it all.

//As for least favorite character...

//Why is this guy a dick???? Why does this Alexander fellow feel the need to mock and even conquer the other patrons? Fortunately he does not do that IN the restaurant but...the fact that his jerky reputation precedes him, and the anime does not explain why makes me question him. Maybe the novels (and sequel manga) will explain that better but, from what I seen in the anime and manga: he's a dick. Though he is a sad dick.

Do you believe that characters can be redeemed?

//I mean it seems standard nowadays, but uh...as a jaded adult who has been technically considered irredeemable and seen folks be deemed irredeemable...It's tough to want to stick to that belief. Though, I do have a belief that should...no I don't know how to feel about it. But simply put, I have been trying to access situations from both sides, and it's been stressful. But I hate baseless accusations.

//Ahem, that's a bit too irl-y. But, generally, so long the character hasn't like destroyed countries, or caused deep harm to a character (or several) personally, they should be redeemable...maybe...?????? It's a case by case thing, I think...

MULTI MUSE BLOGS.

What is your biggest insecurity in your muses?

//There is ALWAYS the concern that I'm not doing justice to my muses. Sure I can go a bit haywire and be canon divergent, but I think there's a difference between that, and just writing a character like...super beyond what their original intention was...? (unless the original intention sucked, then go HAM.)

//But yeah, generally being afraid that I can't write a character well is why I'm so picky with them. Like I've dropped characters 'cause I believed I couldn't write a core aspect that defines them? Heck I've been tempted to drop Mama a few times because I felt I couldn't nail the "mother part" that isn't kind affection. Good mums ought to be able to reel their children to a kinder place, possibly with discipline...or not? I really don't know much about being a mum...or a caregiver.

//Granted, you know my Mona...my Mona doesn't want to date Ann, they don't want to be human anymore, they're childish and kitty which the latter they deny being. But apparently they grow beyond that in some games.

//...Also my Morgana uses all pronouns, but I go with they. I'm fine with she/him tho. "He" appears to be canon and generally the default.

What is your biggest pride in your muses?

//I'd like to think I do ...a somewhat decent job in being faithful and representing of the muses that get past my choosiness...??? (well most of 'em actually...though several I either ditched or play rarely due to lack of confidence)

//Though I have gotten some compliments about how I play Ana! Which is baffling to the current me because I am a bit insecure for, reasons I cannot publish publicly. The matter that she's seen as a cute but realistic child is very relieving though. I still think she's kooky though. Children are weird, but that's what makes them wonderful.

//Digit has gotten praise too for being faithful to his "odd uncle-parent but very childish" nature. I blame relating a bit too hard to him, though I have been overwhelmed by folks asking for him and Mama when it comes to writing.

//I love the fact that I can go nuts (or projecting) with a good amount of my muses. And for the most part, people support it! ...Well at least my friends do.