#newspa

[gwydionmisha]

ABC's decision to fold in a case they were likely to win if we still have rule of law is complying in advance that leaves less powerful news media dangerously exposed. I'm furious.

I hate linking to the Hill, but I think we ought to make a not that he's suing Woodward for publishing the truth.

Judge denies Trump’s request to advance suit against Bob Woodward

[terrence-silver]

Would terry have more trouble taking beloved who is famous/ a celebrity?

---

-"In 1983,"- Demetri holds up the old, tattered gossip periodical they've fished out of Mrs. Moskowitz's attic stash of dusty trinkets and forgotten keepsakes, reading carefully, wide eyes following every line, every word like it was lifechanging --- like they could find the Yeti or the Sasquatch hidden somewhere among the many columns, Hawk perched up beside him on the squeaky floorboard surrounded by boxes, scoffing, clearly not appreciating the great mystery they were so close to uncovering together. -"After their subsequent movie one hit wonder one the Red Carpet, the dazzling career of one of Hollywood's and LA"s aspiring sweethearts takes a sudden nosedive nobody foresaw coming."-

He acutely feels Hawk's amused eyeroll burning a hole in the back of his head.

How was this not exciting for him!?

Binary Bros, uncovering the puzzle behind a 80's mega-star slipping into obscurity?

Practicality overnight!?

Sus.

-"Reports on retiring from public life took the jet-set of Hollywood by storm."- He narrates on, the article, admittedly, being incredibly and annoyingly vague. Offering no real intel. Only suspicious amounts of formality. Followed by pictures of aggrieved fans circling the streets of LA in front of MGM studios strewn all over the glossy page. Maybe it was easier to disappear back then. No Internet. No Instagram. Nobody slipping into a celebrity's DMs. Just speculations and handwritten fanmail. Landline phones at best? He continues, practically out of breath, finding a quote. -"'Our goal is privacy and civilian integrity. Just that. We ask to be respected in our decision.' Beloved, as affectionately nicknamed by their fanbase, not wanting to give any statements had their acting manager explaining, having no further comments."-

Beloved? He supposed that was a stage name of sorts? Like Cardi B? Weird.

But that bit of dialogue by their manager ---

If that didn't stink, Demetri didn't know what did.

Not even extensive True Crime Google searches or sifting through Missing Person reports gave him more clarity than what they right right in this celebrity gossip magazine from, like...what? Thirty years ago? Forty? Man, his parents haven't even met back then. They were both still kids!

-"C'mon. It's just some ancient, unconfirmed conspiracy theory from back when the dinosaurs were still roaming the planet."- Hawk shrugs and Demetri turns the page, finding sudden epiphany. -"No, no! Listen to this, though!"- He perks up, tugging at Hawk's forearm, nearly jumping on the attic floorboard with the flashlight he was holding in his hand. Wasn't even dark. He was just doing it for the spooky vibes, to be honest. He found it! Found what he was looking for! Photographic evidence, receipts and all! -"Pictured with Corporate Business Moghul, Charity Entrepreneur and one of LA's most eligible Billionaire bachelors, Terrence Silver."- The description under an image says and how did he not find this online? Was this just conveniently fine-combed off of the web? -"The young starlet's colorful choice of date, deemed controversial by some still declared the most photogenic Red Carpet couple of '83."- There he was, Ponytail Sensei --- Sensei Targaryen --- eons younger, dark haired for contrast, looking like one of those shiny, perfect Ken dolls, hand in hand with the object of their research. They were a thing! Like, together-together. -"I knew it!"-

He holds up the tabloid, pointing at it vigorously, feeling victorious.

Gloating just a teeny, tiny bit.

It was The Valley's very own unsolved urban mystery!

-"You nerd."- Hawk laughs from where he was sitting, knees bent under him, chilling on the busted parquet that has definitely seen better days, still skeptical. Okay, alright. Demetri saw how it was. His amazing talents and privately investigative research in tandem were clearly not appreciated around here. That was his thanks then? -"Yeah, some asshole from the newspapers retiring like a million years ago and dating some Bond Villain who hasn't changed his hairstyle in decades. Spooky."- He shakes his head, wiggling around his fingers and pursing his lips for emphasis, clearly unimpressed, taunting him, making fun of the whole concept, about to get up and climb down from the attic and just about ditch him. Call quits on this whole project. -"You and your head in the clouds, I swear."-

A realization hits Demetri like a train at full speed.

-"What if he like, you know, went all Fatal Attraction?"- He grabs Hawk by the elbow, stopping him in his tracks, whispering like the walls suddenly grew ears. -"What if, there was a kidnapping involved and he scooped them up, got his Doctor Evil scheming and Scrooge McDuck connections to erase all traces of them and has been keeping them in some crazy mastermind lair all these years? You know, like a hostage? Made it seem like it was just some out of the blue retirement?"- Demetri lets it all pour out, without filter, saying exactly what he was thinking no matter how insane it sounded and it kind of did sound insane, admittedly; feeling himself fall into a frenzy of rambling regardless, all his long weeks of thinking and thinking, trying to figure the mystery out and it all so suddenly made sense. Cobra Kai's current new Sensei, no matter how surface level nice he seemed, had more than one skeleton in the closet and this was one of them. But, if that was the case, just how powerful was this guy? The frozen intensity in Hawk's eyes matches his in the darkness of the attic illuminated only by their flashlight and for a second, Demetri thinks he's believed and then --- Hawk snorts loudly. Then he chortles to top it all off, grabbing him by the shoulder, startling him. Very funny. Hilarious.

-"Yeah, wow, okay, I don't believe that. Nobody can pull that off."-

He pats him on the back, leading him downstairs.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Solitary Cyclist pt 1

This one I know I like, but also I get it mixed up with Copper Beeches. I think they're kind of similar?

Many startling successes and a few unavoidable failures were the outcome of this long period of continuous work.

Watson protecting Holmes' reputation here. He only fails when it's unavoidable, you know.

For this reason I will now lay before the reader the facts connected with Miss Violet Smith, the solitary cyclist of Charlington, and the curious sequel of our investigation, which culminated in unexpected tragedy.

Ah, that's another reason I get this mixed up with Copper Beeches, they are both called Violet and my brain has a tendency to switch off after first names.

This is why I always get Barry Manilow and Barry White mixed up. They are both called Barry, they both sing, my brain decides they are the same person. I know one of them's dead. Don't ask me which one. Genuinely.

Also, we are being prepared for tragedy.

And yet without a harshness which was foreign to his nature it was impossible to refuse to listen to the story of the young and beautiful woman, tall, graceful, and queenly...

A flattering description this time, and a very determined Violet. Holmes is setting aside a case for a millionaire for this. I'm not sure it's entirely for the reasons Watson is suggesting here, though.

It was vain to urge that his time was already fully occupied, for the young lady had come with the determination to tell her story, and it was evident that nothing short of force could get her out of the room until she had done so.

She will clearly take no shit. I like her already. (Well, I already liked her because it's one of my favourite Holmes' stories, but you know what I mean.)

“...so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy.” She glanced down in surprise at her own feet, and I observed the slight roughening of the side of the sole caused by the friction of the edge of the pedal. “Yes, I bicycle a good deal, Mr. Holmes..."

I really like this exchange because yes, she's surprised, but she immediately follows his train of thought and isn't put off by it. It's a neat way of establishing that she's clever and not easily thrown.

Also, Watson follows the logic, too. He's learning!

Also, hands up all of us who are a little bit sad that it's the wear on her shoes that singles her out and not the dreaded 'bicycle face'.

It's period appropriate, you're missing a trick with the terrible Victorian medical science here, ACD.

"You observe the spatulate finger-end, Watson, which is common to both professions?"

Such a complimentary way to describe the fingers of the woman whose hand you just grabbed without consent.

"There is a spirituality about the face, however”—he gently turned it towards the light—“which the typewriter does not generate. This lady is a musician.”

I assume this means he turned her face towards the light. He's really just getting all up in Miss Smith's business, isn't he? Also the idea that musicians just glow with spirituality is wonderful. What does spirituality as a facial feature look like? I'm imagining a glow, but that's at least partially because light is referenced and partially because I come from the western Christian tradition of halos and radiant beams of holy light.

“My father is dead, Mr. Holmes. He was James Smith, who conducted the orchestra at the old Imperial Theatre. My mother and I were left without a relation in the world except one uncle, Ralph Smith, who went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word from him since."

Hmmm... a mysterious relative in Africa.

(I am now realising that much like with the other stories I remember the gist, but not the steps of how we get there.)

"When father died we were left very poor, but one day we were told that there was an advertisement in the Times inquiring for our whereabouts. You can imagine how excited we were, for we thought that someone had left us a fortune."

People have got to stop believing that notices in the newspaper will bring them fortunes. Let me guess, it's going to turn out your Uncle Ralph was a Nigerian Prince?

"There we met two gentlemen, Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Woodley, who were home on a visit from South Africa. They said that my uncle was a friend of theirs, that he died some months before in great poverty in Johannesburg, and that he had asked them with his last breath to hunt up his relations and see that they were in no want."

I absolutely believe and trust these people. There is no way this is a scam at all.

“Mr. Woodley seemed to me to be a most odious person. He was for ever making eyes at me—a coarse, puffy-faced, red-moustached young man, with his hair plastered down on each side of his forehead. I thought that he was perfectly hateful—and I was sure that Cyril would not wish me to know such a person.”

Aw, Violet Smith, you too can join in with Watson's judgemental description club. Although you do start with the 'making eyes' at you bit, so this comes across as a little less straight up judgement based on appearance and a little more informed by his personality. The last bit is kind of weird, but I guess Victorian. Of course your boyfriend gets a say in who you know. I think a little more is coming back to me now though.

"What I wished to say was that Mr. Woodley was perfectly odious, but that Mr. Carruthers, who was a much older man, was more agreeable. He was a dark, sallow, clean-shaven, silent person; but he had polite manners and a pleasant smile."

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the nicer ones who hang out with the worrying ones are, in the end, always worse.

"He inquired how we were left, and on finding that we were very poor he suggested that I should come and teach music to his only daughter, aged ten."

Ah, yep, it is a lot like Copper Beeches. I'm contemplating whether it's worse here that they're doing this all privately or worse in the Copper Beeches where Violet Hunter is hired through an agency and it still does nothing to help her. Probably Copper Beeches.

She's getting £100 a year from this suspicious widower, which is £10,000 a year. Not exactly a fortune, but she's also getting food and board for the week.

As soon as the text is telling me he's a widower, though, I'm absolutely looking for him to be trying to scam her into marrying him. Convenient lack of wife and a suspicious interest in the young woman? It's all very Jane Eyre. (I don't think he has a wife in his attic, though.)

"The child was a dear, and everything promised well."

This Violet lucked out on the child front. At least the child she's caring for is not a psychopath in training.

"He made odious love to me, boasted of his wealth, said that if I married him I would have the finest diamonds in London, and finally, when I would have nothing to do with him, he seized me in his arms one day after dinner—he was hideously strong—and he swore that he would not let me go until I had kissed him. Mr. Carruthers came in and tore him off from me, on which he turned upon his own host, knocking him down and cutting his face open."

That's a little bit more than just 'making eyes' at you, Violet. You really buried the lede on this one. But he gave Mr Carruthers the opportunity to be a knight in shining armour. Oh dear. It's really not hard to look like a good guy when you're in direct comparison with someone that rapey.

"The road from Chiltern Grange is a lonely one, and at one spot it is particularly so, for it lies for over a mile between Charlington Heath upon one side and the woods which lie round Charlington Hall upon the other."

When was pepper spray invented? Does she have a hat pin for stabbing? She should get a nice sharp hat pin.

He seemed to be a middle-aged man, with a short, dark beard. I looked back before I reached Farnham, but the man was gone, so I thought no more about it.

GHOST CYCLIST

"I mentioned it to Mr. Carruthers, who seemed interested in what I said, and told me that he had ordered a horse and trap, so that in future I should not pass over these lonely roads without some companion."

Oh I bet he did. I just bet he leapt at the chance to offer you more help.

“The horse and trap were to have come this week, but for some reason they were not delivered, and again I had to cycle to the station."

Hmmm? That is very odd. Almost as though no one ordered them.

"I slowed down my machine, but he slowed down his. Then I stopped altogether, but he stopped also."

This image is hilarious. Also what's going through mystery man's head. Clearly he's not trying to be subtle. It's all got a very scooby doo feel to it.

It's good to see her taking the initiative and actually trying some things out, though, including the trap that is never sprung.

“Oh, it may be a mere fancy of mine; but it has seemed to me sometimes that my employer, Mr. Carruthers, takes a great deal of interest in me.”

Yeah, super Jane Eyre vibes.

“Well, at least he is fairly well-to-do. But he goes into the City two or three times a week. He is deeply interested in South African gold shares.”

Gold, you say? I smell motive. I smell a great deal of motive. And South Africa is where your estranged dead Uncle used to live, correct? Whose death and last living status have only been told to you by these two men who both appear to be interested in 'wooing' you?

"One more point. What sort of a menage is it which pays double the market price for a governess, but does not keep a horse although six miles from the station?"

These are the kind of little Victorian details you just can't pick up on in the 21st century. I certainly don't know what the going rate for a governess was in 1895. Although I probably could have guessed that not having a horse when you're six miles from the station is a bit weird. I guess they never take the kid anywhere.

“No, my dear fellow, you will go down. This may be some trifling intrigue, and I cannot break my other important research for the sake of it. On Monday you will arrive early at Farnham; you will conceal yourself near Charlington Heath; you will observe these facts for yourself, and act as your own judgment advises.

Ooh, Watson goes alone. And he's to act as his own judgment advises? That seems... risky. He's liable to just tackle the man to the ground. Which would solve the identity problem, I suppose. That is something to look forward to. I wonder if Watson will spot all the wrong things and completely ignore the things that Holmes wants to know.

[catsafarithewriter]

A/N: PART 8 of the Bedlam au!

X

Toto hasn't returned to the Sanctuary in a week, and Muta isn't worried.

He's not.

Toto is old even by the Bureau's standards, an accomplishment not reached if one is probe to recklessness. (Baron doesn't count; Muta is fairly certain the cat Creation has only lived this long because Toto has kept a beady eye out for him.) Toto is the sensible one, the pragmatist (or as close as the Bureau has to one). He is not the sort to be dragged into some dramatic nonsense; he is the sort to drag the rest of them out of it.

Neither is he the sort to vanish for a week without notice.

So Muta isn't worried, not even a little bit. The lie that he told Baron to satiate question on Toto's absence (that he's gone to visit his artisan) don't weigh heavily on him, not at all. Which is why he hasn't been thinking about Toto these last few days, glancing up to the birdbrain's column enough times to give hinself neckache.

"You'll have plenty of time to bicker once he's back," Baron remarks, seemingly out of the blue. Muta had been sure that Baron had been caught up in his paperwork, and yet somehow, even with his back to him, Baron manages to give the air of a raised eyebrow. "Honestly, keep this up and I shall have to conclude you feel some kernel of affection for him."

Muta's gaze betrays him and detours to the courtyard on its way to Baron. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Baron makes a sound in the back of his throat which Muta has come to know as hiding a laugh. "My mistake. You are clearly merely distracted by the weather; a curious habit, as the Sanctuary isn't known for its variation."

It is Muta's turn to snort now, refusing to dignify Baron's remark with an excuse. "You don't think it strange?" he hazards. "That he's not back yet?"

Baron flips through another file, mutters, and relocates it to its proper place. "Not really. It's been a while since Toto paid his artisan a visit. I'm sure they have plenty to catch up on." There is only a hint of something which might be bitterness; Muta knows the relationship between Baron and his own artisan has been... fraught.

"Yes, but a week?"

"Time works differently in his artisan's world," Baron replies off-handedly. "He may not have realised so many days have passed."

"And if he's not?" Muta asks. "In his artisan's world?"

Baron pauses, and lowers the file. "Why would he not be in his artisan's world if he's visiting his artisan, Muta?" he asks in a deceptively pleasant voice.

"Bonding road trip?" Muta offers weakly.

"Is he on a bonding road trip?"

Muta makes a face. "Probably not?"

"Where is he, probably, then?"

Muta makes a noise in the back of his throat, only this is less stifled laughter, and more seagull-choking-on-a-too-large-chip kind of sound. "With Haru?"

Baron takes this better than Muta had been expecting – but, then again, Baron has always been a bit of a swan when it comes to emotions: calm and collected on the surface, furious paddling beneath. "I see," he says. "And why am I learning this now?"

"He would've been back by now if everything was fine."

"Why would everything not be fine? Now she's no longer with the Bureau, she shouldn't be getting into trouble."

Muta gives Baron a withering glare that, unfortunately, Baron doesn't see, what with his back turned to Muta. "We're talking about the same Chicky, yeah? She's been throwing herself into nonsense since before she ever joined us. Being part of the Bureau didn't start that."

"It just encouraged it," Baron mutters, but he finally turns to Muta, retrieving his hat and jacket in the same, practiced move. "Then perhaps it is time we paid her a visit." He starts towards the door, faltering beneath the indoor balcony as if only just remembering he couldn't hitch a ride with Toto. "And Muta?"

"Hm?"

Baron smiles brightly. "If this is a trick to get me to talk to Haru, and Toto is actually visiting his artisan, I'm moving the postbox to Toto's column and you can have fun fetching your newspapers from there."

It isn't really fair that he's the only one getting threats, Muta grumbles internally. The both of them had conspired behind Baron's back. If Toto has just bunked off, Muta fully intends to make the postbox a problem for everyone involved.

[manonamora-if]

A tradition with the French Comp is to interview the winner of every edition. Since I won Best Game, I got to partake in this tradition, and answer a bunch of fun questions about my entry and my creation process.

The interview is now available on the French IF community website:

Since it is in French, here is the translation, under the cut. Spoilers ahead. Note: the French article was over 2k words...

Interview with manonamora, winner of the contest 2023

This year, manonamora won the competition, with her entry, DOL-OS. We spoke with her to learn more about her creative process and her future projects!

Can you introduce yourself in a few words? How did you discover interactive fiction?

My name is Manon, a netizen under the pseudo manonamora for years.

I fell into the "cauldron" of interactive fiction in the spring of 2021, when a close friend had sent me the link to the game A Tale of Crowns. I liked this type of game, and it made me rediscover the pleasure of writing, so I stayed. It’s really nice in this pot, we’re having fun!

People appreciated the different levels of depth of your participation and the care taken at the interface, in particular. How long did it take you to design it?

It was a bit of a sprint… 😅

I think I started scribbling my ideas on pages about a month before the entry deadline.

I wanted to try to incorporate both themes (archives and trahison) into the game, just for fun. So I took the easiest path and went on to create an archive of different documents, all linked by the theme of betrayal. Of my list of documents that I wanted to include, I was only able to include half at the end (the other remained in draft, due to lack of time).

The idea of using a computer as a framework and interface for the game came up fairly quickly and organically, since the archive alone was not enough, to my liking. This led to the possibility of adding puzzles (something I didn’t necessarily do in my other games) that I could also link to the theme (like the hangman’s solution or opening Théophile’s account) and creating animated and pixelated visuals (like a fake virus downloaded). I even made a list of puzzles and minigames to add so that the computer looks like a real computer (that’s why there is a sudoku in the "games" folder, or the keypad to open one of the programs).

From there, I thought I would just do two blocks of archives: one on the guest’s account, where some of the documents would look corrupt, and another on Theophilus' account, where those missing documents would be. But by writing certain documents, such as the note in the trash and the journal entries (which were not separated from the archive initially), I had fun looking for the links between all the different parts and thinking more about the universe in which this old computer was. That’s how the Jupiter-Broker project became an artificial intelligence project, more than a virus.

What are the things that inspired you?

Other than a title I had written down in my drafts, I’m not sure which source inspired me to choose this genre or framework or use of the theme in this way. I’ve been a big fan of science fiction for as long as I can remember (I had swallowed Asimov in middle school/junior high… and now I’m stuck with the anthologies of short stories) and video games in general (especially the history and universe of these games). Everything that has to do with robots, the advancement of technology, futuristic stories, and human dilemmas that have to do with these first points, I’m passionate about it! I wouldn’t be surprised if, somewhere in my brain, I could pick up stuff from Portal or System Shock or Fallout or Asimov’s Robot Cycle, or even WALL-E and Alien, without really realizing it.

In my notes, the only concrete thing I could find was one of the entries of the Intertact-IF 2022 game jam: Logical Choices, especially in terms of its simplicity, and, finally, the newspaper too.

For the visual, I wanted from the start to have something simple, with the look of old computer in black and green, like my grandmother’s minitel. I really tried to search for minitel page images (I even found a page editor!). On the other hand, trying to code everything, it didn’t really go well with Twine, especially the animation of the blocks that appear one after the other. I was quickly tempted to create the game in minitel pages, but well, I only had 2 weeks left… It was a bit short to learn a new system. So I just took pictures of old computer screens.

Are there any secrets the players might have missed?

There are several little secrets in the game.

The first category concerns the names in the game: the title, «DOL-OS», is based on the Greek deity of the same name, Dolos, personifying treachery (and bam, the theme of the contest; and it sounded good as operating system name). The AI is named Janus, the deity with two faces. The program of Theodore’s diary, in which he was summoned by his organization to write his days, is named «Ind.ic», coming from the French word indic, a person who informs the police.

Something a little more fuzzy can be found in the writer’s draft, which is related to one of my other games, Exquisite Cadaver, where the player plays this writer, who has not been able to write for months. This is not the first time I have included a link to this game in my projects, like the "cocktail" Renaud’s Nightmare in The Thick Table Tavern.

Where do you get your ideas, generally speaking?

A bit everywhere. Sometimes, it comes organically enough looking at the theme or the constraints of a game jam (La Petite Mort, Goncharov Escapes!). Sometimes, it’s just the desire to push a kind of puzzle or a type of gameplay into a project (Exquisite Cadaver, well it was also the theme). Sometimes it’s typing “trope [genre]” in Google and taking the first thing that comes out (SPS Iron Hammer). Otherwise I have some ideas that have been inspired by books (P-RIX – SPACE TRUCKER, by Stanisław Lem’s Tales of Pirx the Pilot) or films (Meeting the Parents, inspired by Meet the Parents). Other projects or ideas for future projects are inspired by books on my nightstand, or conversations with loved ones, or even just random thoughts that come and go.

I’m not trying too hard to think. If it doesn’t inspire me or amuse me, I’ll move on. Creating interactive fiction is all about fun. And I already have a super long list of ideas I want to do…

You only use Twine. Is there a particular reason? Do you intend to try other creative systems in the future? Maybe some of the other entries gave you some ideas?

For the moment, yes. Twine remains my favourite, having been the first program I hooked up with when I started creating interactive games. The software was easy to navigate and rather playful to use (Harlowe has extra help to code in the program) and the program is open source. It was really important for me, who didn’t have any code or programming knowledge that went any further than that techno hour to the colleague where a substitute had taught us to create a basic HTML page. With Twine, it stuck from the start.

And then, personally, I love that the customisation aspect can be pushed as much. You can do hypertext or multi-choice games, dungeons, RPGs, etc. I created a cocktail bar for my participation in the IFComp last year, and there I did a puzzle. I have a friend who has recreated Minesweeper and another who has made Snake with his sauce. Almost anything is possible with Twine!

When I get tired of Twine, I think I’ll try other systems, especially those to create parsers (because making one with Twine is a bit of a mess… /did and done that). And then also test programs made in France. Already during the ECTOCOMP and the Feldo streams of the games of the old competitions, Donjon had intrigued me a lot. And also ink, to make stories that extend to infinity (it takes too much tinkering with Twine for it to work...).

But my Twine fling isn’t over yet. I’ve only been playing with the interface since last summer, and I don’t feel like I’ve discovered the bottom of the iceberg yet. There are still a lot of things I haven’t tested yet, whether it’s in different formats or gameplay. I would like to do some kind of escape room or RPG in the future. I still want to push the envelope a little further…

You participated in the IFComp (the largest English-language event) before participating in our contest. Are there any differences that particularly struck you between the two?

By missing the inclusion of a theme (which the IFComp does not), I think the biggest difference between the two contests is the attitude of the participants and the players. The atmosphere of the French competition is really relaxed and I noticed a lot of support in the Discord. Or even have a person stream all the games on Twitch (it’s very convenient for me who is a loser in parsers…). It’s really positive!

On the other side, there is the IFComp which is really considered the event of the year, where the authors exhibit their best creations, without any real constraints, some having been in development secretly for years. The atmosphere is more professional and harsh towards its participants. There is really a lot of expectation from the entire interactive fiction community. It’s supposed to be the crème of the crop in interactive fiction.

After that, even if the atmosphere of the French-language competition is more chill, I found the level of entries much more uniform in terms of quality. While the IFComp will often have very poor or even zero entries (the bottom of the ranking having an average of below 2.5 out of 10), the overall French competition had a very high level (a sentiment shared by one of the critics on intfiction.org). The attention to each game had a lot of merit, especially as regards writing.

Another thing that struck me as well was the diversity between the systems and formats used—it is possible that the competition, having three times fewer bids than the IFComp, may have influenced my perspective on the subject. But between the French programs (Moiki, and Donjon), the more popular ones (Twine, Inform, ink), or even made from scratch (like the participations of AZ and Narkhos), there were many choices and important differences between uses. It was a fascinating experience that really made me want to try something new.

Finally, I had a very different attitude towards the two competitions. After taking a little slap during the IFComp (arriving in the middle of the stack and having received fair but also severe feedback, read more here), the expectation I had with myself with the contest was less trying to get to a certain position in the standings, but no more fun creating something different. It was much easier to look a little more… healthy competition, with all the lessons learned during the IFComp and new knowledge and experiences between the two competitions.

And on top of that, you regularly participate in game jams like ECTOCOMP or Partim 500, you co-organize the SeedComp! , and you’re going to participate in the Spring Thing. Is there a secret to such productivity?

Delusion that all this is doable in the allotted time. Free time. And spite. But especially the first point. 😂

(this was the gif that came into my mind when I wrote my answer, not part of the actual interview)

Frankly, I’m not helping my cause either. As soon as I find a project that is a bit interesting, I can get all in on it quite quickly and put all my energy and free time into it. It’s not recommended, actually. Even if all these participations taught me a lot of things (and especially to learn quickly), it tires a lot in the end... I am often emptied at the end of each new jam/comp.

It’s probably a little psychological, too. The will to create a lot to leave a trace behind me, a trace that will represent everything I could accomplish, everything I could be able to do or try to do. The desire to prove to others and especially to myself that I can create stuff that I as a child could not have imagined; especially since before 2021, I really didn’t have any programming knowledge… Willingness, or perhaps duty, to prove that I can solve a challenge in a short time (for example: in 4 hours for ECTOCOMP, or two quiet afternoons for Partim 500), or with significant constraints (One-Button and Two-Buttons jams), or just because there’s a piece of spaghetti code that taunts me about unravelling it.

Anyway...

Do you have other projects underway or coming soon? Perhaps you plan to participate in the contest next year?

Of what happens soon, hopefully, The Roads not Taken, a parser made with Twine, will be finished in time for the Spring Thing. I really want to talk about it, but at the same time, it’s more fun if it’s still a little secret… [note: it is now out!]

Otherwise… Too many projects in progress. Between the demos not yet completed, the translations of my old games finished, the organization of game jams (SeedComp! will not be the only one this year…), and the hope of participating in the next IF competitions, I have given myself a lot of work (too much) to do.

Ha ha ha…

Thank you for answering these questions! Congratulations again, good luck and don’t forget to take care of yourself!

[reclusiveharry]

What was your character's fashion style like before the island? What's it like now?

Harry's fashion tastes haven't changed much from pre-island to current day. Her number one concern has always been practicality, with a outwardly disdainful approach to anything fashionable and girlish.

Increasing acceptance for wearing sportswear outside of sports in the 1930s was freeing for Harry, who relished in wearing polo shirts, plain blouses, culottes, jodhpurs and shorts (examples and reference pagesbelow cut). The problem being that she refused to switch back to wearing dresses or skirts when she wasn't tramping or being active.

She has done her best to keep her oilskin jacket and bushhat in good condition, though they may be on their last legs. She tries her hardest to source modern clothing that is not too revealing, is plain, and preferably made of wool, as when wool is wet it will still keep you warm, while cotton will cool you down. She does like elastication, but hates polyester fabrics.

References:

A collection of vintage fashion pics:

[persephinae]

Companies will try to get away with whatever they can then site "Well there's no law against it 🤷‍♂️"

"We at XYZ company adhere to the law uwu"

Luckily this employee won her case

[someonesomehowsomewhere]

Huh, what's this white stuff on my newspa-

*newsie boy voice* sextra sextra! breed all about it! hot off the mating press!

[telodogratis]

#NewsPA - Verde. Via San Martino. Dichiarazione di Antonino Randazzo (M5S)

“Con una nota urgente inviata al Sindaco di Palermo e  all’Amministrazione Comunale, abbiamo sollecitato l’avvio di sopralluoghi, verifiche e interventi tempestivi in Via San Martino, nel tratto di strada lato Palermo,…  ​Read More “Con una nota urgente inviata al Sindaco di Palermo e  all’Amministrazione Comunale, abbiamo sollecitato l’avvio di sopralluoghi, verifiche e interventi tempestivi in…

[thefrontnewspaper]

संविधान दिवस राष्ट्रपति ने संसद के संयुक्त सत्र को संबोधित किया #newspa...

[sassypotatoe1]

Multiple industries will tell you that this time of year is silly season, and in the case of commercial industries it's because people are getting bonuses and preparing for the holidays and buying gifts and shit, and in the crime and medical industries it's because people are preparing for the holidays and stealing a lot and partying a lot, and in the media industry it's because people are starting to burn out from the year's work and losing their minds a bit and think it should be the media's problem when 97% of the time it really isn't.

We had two silly season sillies in one day today, our first of the season, and I'm a tiny bit entertained but mostly just exhausted and regretting being sober a little, but I'm sure y'all will find it a lot entertaining so here we go.

The first is an angry grandma calling me, I don't know why I always get the angry callers it's rarely because of my articles, and she's demanding to know who published an article, going on about a kid losing and how it's entirely inappropriate to publish him. What he lost and why she thinks this is beyond me, so I ask which article it is, find out it's my coworker from an entirely different newspaper who published it, and ask what the complaint is. Meanwhile she's repeatedly demanding to know who is responsible, and I'm not telling this woman because there's due process to follow and I don't want her harassing my colleague.

Eventually she says that we didn't ask permission to publish the photo of the kid and it's inappropriate to identify the loser of a sports event if that loser is a minor. Okay so the kid is upset he lost and you don't want him to cry about it gotcha. I ask my editor what to tell her, she tells me to make it the colleague who published it's problem, I ask said colleague to call the lady back and explain to her nicely why she's wrong.

Now here's what you need to know about permission to publish and identify minors in the media in south africa. Sports clubs, schools and extracurricular organizations issue a publishing indemnity form at the start of the year to all guardians, who give consent that any related information and photos of said kid can be published in the media and on social media. This is required by law, and we ask all clubs, schools and organizations at the start of each year if they've done this. If a guardian does not consent, the club, school or organization has the responsibility to inform us that we are not allowed to identify, photograph or reveal any information about that child before any events.

If they do not inform us, and we publish information or photos of a child of a guardian that did not consent, legally the responsibility falls on the organization, and we are only necessitated to remove the information or images in the case of a court order, or because there is a feasible safety concern at play.

If you signed the consent form, you cannot withdraw consent for the year without notifying the organization in writing, and if you didn't, and the organization failed to inform us, your issue is with the organization, not with us, and we will only remove the content per request of the organization, court order, or if a there is a feasible concern of danger.

We identify the losers of sports matches because that is good journalism, we assume consent unless communicated otherwise explicitly by the organization, and we are legally protected in these actions. If your grandkid is sad because he lost that is not our problem, nor is it our responsibility to cater for him. You as the guardian have to help him manage his emotions, expectations and reactions, and if you can't enlist the support of a professional.

The second was a guy who was angry that the electricity tariff went up nationally, and that we refuse to investigate a heavily publicized, legal, discussed and national event, as a community newspaper. The more my colleague tried to explain that there's nothing we can do about a national tariff increase as a community newspaper, the louder he screamed at her about how unfair it is. Sir we are paid roughly 3k below the national average and median cost of living, we know it's not fair, there is nothing. We. Can. Do.

After 10 minutes of this man just screaming at my poor coworker, who is an absolute angel if you don't feel bad using anything other than a very sweet and soft tone talking to her I'm concerned for your humanity, my editor stepped in to talk to him. Now she has 40 years of experience and is the editor for 4 newspapers, and also co-owned a pub and catering service for 30 years, and is an incredible person who is assertive in a way that leaves you feeling like a child and an idiot when she's done talking to you.

It's incredibly admirable I wish I was that assertive. So she's explaining to this man why we can't do anything about the national tariff increase as a community newspaper, and doing the "no I'm speaking" trend every time he tries to shout over her, and this man gives her his full name and ID number and goes "if they find me dead in a ditch it's your fault". No. No it isn't. It's the fault of the national power utility and your financial situation.

So anyway this will be happening frequently for the next 3 months and I feel like the only way I'll cope is by making light of it here so be prepared. By the way, I'm not endorsing the publication of information and images of minors without the consent of guardians, we are given explicit and written consent to do so, if that is withdrawn we need to be informed before an event. I'm also not making light of the second man's situation, it is dire and terrible and I do have the deepest empathy for him, we are not the right people to go to about it.

[telodogratis]

#NewsPA - Impianti sportivi. Dichiarazione consigliere comunale Chinnici

“L’approvazione in Giunta della delibera per l’attuazione dell’accordo quadro sugli impianti sportivi consentirà, in poche settimane, di avviare la manutenzione sul PalaOreto,….  ​Read More “L’approvazione in Giunta della delibera per l’attuazione dell’accordo quadro sugli impianti sportivi consentirà, in poche settimane, di avviare la manutenzione sul PalaOreto,….   Feed RSS – Comune di…

[telodogratis]

#NewsPA - Avvio Raccolta differenziata al Centro Storico. Martedì 7 gennaio, dalle ore 8 alle ore 12, prevista a piazza Beati Paoli una distribuzione mobile dei Kit

Per agevolare i residenti dell’area interessata dall’avvio del nuovo step di Raccolta Differenziata, previsto per il 10 gennaio 2025 in centro storico…  ​Read More Per agevolare i residenti dell’area interessata dall’avvio del nuovo step di Raccolta Differenziata, previsto per il 10 gennaio 2025 in centro storico…   Feed RSS – Comune di Palermo  Notizia 

[telodogratis]

#NewsPA - Fondazione Teatro Massimo I risultati del 2024 e i buoni auspici per il 2025

Notevole incremento del pubblico degli spettacoli e delle visite guidate, risultati economici eccezionali, 60 tra nuove assunzioni e stabilizzazioni del personale, investimenti in attrezzature.  ​Read More Notevole incremento del pubblico degli spettacoli e delle visite guidate, risultati economici eccezionali, 60 tra nuove assunzioni e stabilizzazioni del personale, investimenti in…

[telodogratis]

#NewsPA - Discarica abusiva in via Maccionello. Dichiarazione consigliere comunale Giaconia e consiglieri VI Circoscrizione Li Muli e Salerno

«A pochi passi dall’ingresso dell’Ospedale Cervello, via Maccionello si è trasformata in una discarica a cielo aperto, che si estende per oltre 80 metri. Sacchi, materassi, vestiti, guaine, pneumatici….  ​Read More «A pochi passi dall’ingresso dell’Ospedale Cervello, via Maccionello si è trasformata in una discarica a cielo aperto, che si estende per oltre 80 metri. Sacchi, materassi, vestiti,…