#norbez originals

[norbezjones]

Cthulhu's Son Is A Scene Kid?! is RELEASED! :D

Juniper, a disabled & depressed transgender woman, meets a new guy at the CD shop, and the two of them fall in love.  However, it turns out he’s the son of Cthulhu!  Will their love prevail?

This was made for a fuck-ton of game jams—basically, I saw a bunch of jams from May to June that I wanted to participate in, and was like, “Let’s participate in them all with one game!” 

The primary jam that inspired this is the Cringe Culture is Dead Jam.  I got the idea of a girl falling in love with Cthulhu’s son when I adopted the character design of FR3AK a while back, and was like, “Now I gotta make a game called ‘Cthulhu’s Son Is A Scene Kid?!’.”  That jam was perfect for that idea!

I also decided to embrace doing some things that make me cringe, to really fulfill the jam’s purpose.  Because the older I get, the more I realize that if something instinctively makes me cringe, it’s likely I sign I should embrace doing that thing.  That’s why the music is me humming into the microphone, because singing in public is very hard for me to do!  So I knew I had to do it anyway! >:)

Also, this was originally intended for the REALLY BAD IF jam & the Worst Visual Novel Ever Challenge, as an intentionally bad game.  That’s why the writing & art aren't as polished as it usually is.  But as I developed it, (1) I needed more time to finish it, so I missed the deadlines for those jams, and (2) most importantly, this game started to have some actual quality to it (mainly due to the amazing voice work @auroraaveva & @jalenakers did!).  So I couldn’t submit it to those jams anyway!  A good problem to have!

Let me know what you think of this little game of mine.  It was intended to be a short, fun little project, and everyone involved did a fantastic job.

P.S. Whoever can name the games of mine that Dana And The Pains originates from get 1000 internet points.

[naominorbez]

You are SAL: Simple Artificial LifeProgram©.  You "love" a human.  Don't you?  Can you, a logical, digital being, love?  And do you want to find out?

(The game has music, so may take a moment to load.)

I’ve released a new game!  It’s a short romance Twine (my first dating sim?) about a logical computer and an emotional human.

Don't forget to read the author's note at the end.  I look forward to your thoughts.  Let me know what you think in the game’s comments, or by tweeting with #SNRtwine.

[norbezdraws]

 More fanart of The Heart of Tales by @katy-133​  (play it here!  You won’t regret it!).  I really like this game–I even put together a jazz playlist for it.

The Mithamoore and Sareth romances are probably my favorites.  Last time I drew Sareth; this time I drew Mithamoore!

Branching off the ending where the Hero (Perri Jone in my playthrough) goes with Mithamoore to try and find the person who turned him human. I headcanon that Perri Jone left Sareth in Cole’s care while she and Mithamoore went on their romantic quest.

I did a few sketches this time, of Mithamoore and the hero chilling, then them being romantic.  The bottom one is when Mithamoore turns human, crying and hugging the hero--you decide whether this scene is a dream or not. ;)

Other headcanons:

--The world is confused.  So confused.  The Hero basically peaces out for two years, then saves the world again out of nowhere, and NOW is travelling everywhere with a “friendly dragon”?!  What is this.  The bards can’t make sense of this craziness.

--Once in a while, they reach a town that was damaged by the Earthburner.  Mithamoore has vowed to make up for his mistakes, so they stay a while and do what they can to help the community.   Mithamoore is a helpful dragon!  He can hunt for animals, make fires, make wind with his wings, among other things.

--Not that many communities will have them.  Most places flat-out refuse the Hero entry--even if they are THE HERO, they still have a huge dragon that is also Mithammore the Earthburner, so.  Nothing personal.  It takes quite a while for people to accept this weirdness and let the Hero in--most places need her to keep the GIANT DRAGON outside, though.  The Hero usually goes inside to do her business, but then sleeps outside with her love.  They spend many nights under the stars, and Mithamoore points out the constellations, the ancient dragons watching from above.

--There’s also a lot of people who think that the Hero defeated Mithamoore and basically forced him to serve her, or owns him now.  It takes a while for that misunderstanding to die--and even after it’s mostly gone, there are still whispers of it.  Some people say that the Hero is in love with the dragon--but that would be absurd!  That’s totally not what’s happening here. ;)

--It gets to the point where the king summons the Hero to his castle to find out what the heck this is.  Needless to say, she tells him.  He’s pretty flabbergasted, and keeps their conversation to himself.

--Things are hard in the beginning.  Not only in terms of acceptance and limited living spaces and dragon killers (more on that later), but also with the Hero and Mithamoore’s relationship. Mithamoore still struggles with trusting, trying to force his cynical beliefs out of his heart and believe in the one he loves.  At night, he has dreams of waking up alone, abandoned--or, worse, with the Hero’s sword in his belly.  At first he tries to hide his fears, so he is not seen as weak.  But after a tense night, after lashing out, he apologizes shares them with the Hero.  He waits anxiously for her response, terrified that his fears will come true, that his anger and fear will cause her to leave him.  But she smiles, and puts a gentle hand on his nose.  “I’m glad you told me,” she says.  “You should know that no matter what happens, I’ll still love you.  We can work together on this, ok?” In that moment, he knows--again--that he chose the right person.  After this, he vows to be more open with his partner, for both their sakes.

--He also has trouble being humble, coming to terms with his new reputation--not as a being feared, not even as one respected by humans (because of his association with the Hero and the ownership misunderstanding).  In his time with the hero, he fosters a new kind of strengh: that of compassion and kindness, a strength discovered when he met the Hero, which he grows as their journey goes on.  He redefines himself, comes to understand and expel the darkness in his heart, respecting humankind along with the words of his ancestors.

--So many people want Mithamoore dead, now that he’s vulnerable and out of the safety of his lair.  Think Inigo Montoya types, except replace “father” with “town/farmland/other family member who died in Mithamoore’s wake (who may or may not be a father)”.  The Hero and Mithamoore pay restitution in the cases they can--Mithamoore’s layer is full of gold, after all, and he has grown to be willing to give it to those in need.  But some things cannot be restored--the lives Mithamoore took as a killer will never return to those who grieve.  The dragon would give his own life if he could, but to do so would seperate him from his love forever.  So he lets the person make a request of him--and no matter how obsurd (within some reason, of course), he will do it.

--Growing is not easy.  There are some nights Mithamoore cries himself to sleep--”I am a hidious beast, a terrible being who does not deserve life--I’ve done such awful things in my lifetime; how can she love such a horrible thing as me?”  And yet she does, the Hero reassures him, and she always will.  Which only makes him cry more.

--When/If, then finally find the sorceress who cursed Mithamoore, it is after a long, multi-year search, following rumor after rumor, person after person, until they locate her tiny shack on the edge of the Fifth Kingdom’s woods.  She recognizes Mithamoore immediately, and smiles as she listens to his and the Hero’s story.  “You are not the same dragon I cursed all those years ago,” the woman says.  “Very well.  I will give you your human form.”  When Mithamoore once again has hands and feet--he wears the clothes the Hero bought him the week they met--at once he runs to his love and wraps his new arms around her, feeling her warmth.  The Hero smiles and hugs him back, patting him gently on the back.  “Good to see you again.”

ALSO

if you have not read the book How To Raise and Keep A Dragon,

I PITY YOU.

That book is awesome!  It’s basically framed like a how-to guide for keeping a pet, but it’s dragons!  It’s adorable!  And also very informative in case we ever discover dragons exist. ;)

Mithamoore would hate it.  But you, the non-fictional human being, should read it!

Anyway, thanks for reading this post!  Hope you enjoyed!

https://katy133.itch.io/the-heart-of-tales

[sitespeeddiamond]

Grindr ban

Add the hashtag #twinder so other participants can find you!” On September 25th, 2021, Twitter user big relly tweeted the following: “Alright, the #twinder rules: post pic(s) along w/area & what you’re looking for - a date? homegirls? Brunch buddies? winter time boo? A third? I encourage folks to let it be known if you’re strictly het. A Black Girl Protecting Her Magic September 26, 2021 Stumbled onto this #twinder hashtag and…I’m intrigued. However, there was some recent tension about Tinder as a platform, and we want to dive into that before you pick up that app.

If you want to find love with a Grindr alternative, there seem to be quite a few. Or can you? Let’s talk about that in a bit. It’s a definite recommendation from us.įinally, you can’t go wrong with the classic swiping app, Tinder. It’s a clean, virtual experience that promises a more professional experience, as it is also used to find friends and mentors.Īre you a a queer femme person? Then go with HER, a pioneer in the gay dating space that’s still going strong. On the other hand, you might want to consider Bumble, the “hive” where “women make the first move”. But it promises a premium dating experience with others who have also bought into the system. Match is an expensive choice at almost $45 per month. But what other Grindr alternatives are out there? Let’s take a look. Thankfully, Grindr is safe for now, and is still on the app store. This raised questions as to whether apps, specifically LGBTQ+ apps, that promote sexual content will be banned. However, though some of the text is correct, its claim that Apple banned Grindr is decidedly false.īack in June, Apple announced new app store guidelines that states apps “that may include pornography or be used to facilitate prostitution” are prohibited. The picture went viral, gaining over a thousand likes and more than a hundred comments.

Under this text is a cartoon mocking the fact that “teenage strippers” being banned is a bad thing (despite that not being what the original text was saying, but we digress). We are descending into a Christan dystopia and y’all don’t want to see it. Texas just functionally banned streippers under 21 and abortion. Starting the day after tomorrow you won’t be able to buy and sell erotica on eBay. Is it true? Did Apple really ban Grindr from their platform? Let’s look into the facts, and dig a bit deeper into a online chats like Omegle and the viral dating app hashtags in the process.Ī user on Facebook named “Wholesome memes of traditional morality II: Trad dames, and too long names” posted a picture that read the following: By: Naomi Norbez Did Apple ban Grindr? All the gay dating app alternatives

[writingsofawanderingwonderer]

Right. So this is a response to @norbezdraws video, "Should We Fix Our Mad Geniuses?" 

Norbez, you asked me for my thoughts on Twitter, so I'm gonna go post a novel of an explanation here, so get comfy in a nice reading chair. :)

If there's anyone else reading this, go listen to the video first, it's really interesting and it poses a rather fascinating question.

Also, sorry for the long wait for my response. ^^;

Also note: Everything I write here is about and from a storytelling and media perspective. Not real life.

I’m gonna use bullet points for my thoughts.

- On a moral level, the character should want to change. This is why Rick's capture in Rick and Morty and the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange (I haven't seen this film) are considered tragic. Because even though their capture will save people from getting hurt, they don't want to be captured or changed.

- I feel like drugs and other forms of addiction should be separated from mental illness, and that abuse should also be separated in the character examples list of flaws, because audience members' views on those different subjects could be contradictory.

For example:

Drugs/addiction is self-harming (a character flaw), so viewers may likely say, "Yes, the character should be fixed and have this removed."

Abuse (emotional/physical--and quite honestly, I think these two type should also be sub-separated; they're so different) harms other people who are around that character. This can make characters who have this type of flaw more villainous (Gothel from Disney's Tangled has been cited as an emotional abuser to her daughter) because if they don't want to change, then we as the audience see that as bad and/or irredeemable because they’re hurting people they care about and/or are close to.

Mental illness affects the character's mind. The mind is linked with personality. Therefore, if you "fix" the character by removing their mental illness, do you make the character no longer "them"? Who do they become?

Additionally, many works (such as Hellblade--which I haven’t played) frame the main character’s mental illness as not something to be cured. Rather, the story frames it as a part of the character. The challenges in the story come more from the outside world not understanding the main character’s different perception of the world.

Particularly with mental illness, opinions will vary depending on the viewer (as well as the individual character), as to whether the character should be "fixed."

Also, some examples, like Sherlock, make the addiction a flaw rather than a trait that is required for them to still be themselves/a genius. Sherlock would still be a genius without drugs. The drugs are his flaw[1], not his strength (intelligence). Take away Sherlock’s addiction and he’s still Sherlock. He’s still a detective.

*Footnote: In the BBC series and in original novels' canon, Sherlock supposedly only uses drugs when he has no case to solve. So drugs actually equals "Sherlock is not acting like a genius." BBC Sherlock actually wrecked this idea with the plot holes in season 4, but I'm going off tangent at this point (and at this point, a lot of BBC Sherlock fans--myself included--are currently not considering season 4 to even be series canon, given the amount of plot holes, out-of-character moments, and retcon-ing it contained. Seriously, what was up with that last episode?! THAT GUN DIDN’T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE A TRANQUILLISER! ARE YOU KIDDING M--).

- When I read the title of the video, I at first thought you meant "eccentricity": Characters who act outside social norms and don't follow the status quo/expectations (in an unharmful manner). Quirky characters. Characters who walk to the beat of a different drum. I understand that's not what you meant, but I might as well say my opinion on eccentric characters: It takes all sorts to make a world. They do not need to be "fixed."

- I also think misanthropic characters don't need to be fixed. I have to be clear on this, because SO many writers get misanthropia wrong: It's disliking humanity. Not wanting harm towards humanity. They just don’t want to want to deal with humanity. It's like being a hardcore grump/hermit rather than a jerk/murderer/rude person. A misanthropic person can have strong bonds with other humans, they just don't like dealing with strangers (often because they have been "burnt" before in past experiences) and can be very caring, selfless individuals with healthy relationships. Misanthropes are often the way they are because they care a lot, rather than a little (the latter being the stereotype I see a lot in fiction). Often, you can’t even tell if someone’s a misanthrope just by looking for them. A misanthrope looks at a smoker and thinks, "Why do THEY get dibs on the clean air?", etc. There is a difference between a grump and a jerk.

- I think series like Rick and Morty and BBC Sherlock have mad geniuses that treat their partner badly/questionably, yet we still like them as characters is less because of their “gifts,” and more because we see that when push comes to shove, Rick/Sherlock will act selflessly to protect Morty/John.

That’s how I interpret it anyway.

Rick is showing signs of being more caring (and hopefully less abusive) towards Morty. As Mycroft predicted, Sherlock is showing his heart more by being with John.

Their characters arcs are actually “fixing” them.

Another example of this type of relationship (or a similar type of relationship) is Eddy and her daughter Saffy’s relationship in Absolutely Fabulous. There’s an episode where Eddy protects her daughter from a guy who keeps bothering her (Saffy). Even though Eddy and Saffy constantly insult each other, at the end of the day, Eddy cares about her daughter. We don’t necessarily see their relationship as good, but we understand why they stay together.

And Eddy doesn’t even have “mad genius” nor traditionally heroic qualities. She’s the epitome of a “UK Comedy Series’ Unsympathetic Protagonist.”

Okay, now some character examples:

I'll start off with examples of abuse/addiction that are either BAD, start off as bad/questionable, or in a grey area:

These examples don't inherently make the works bad. I like all of the works listed below. These are just examples of problematic portrayals that we should pause for thought and reflect on.

- Bullet in the Face (a Canadian-American series about a criminal mastermind helping cops track down a bigger criminal mastermind) has Gunter attacking other characters to help solve cases. Gunter is portrayed as a villain protagonist, and most if not all of the characters he attacks are villains as well, making the protagonist ironically less problematic than if the writers portrayed him as a heroic character. The series basically says, “He’s a villain. So he does villainous things.”

- Dirk Gently: (We're talking BBC-2010-TV-series!Dirk, not the original books/other adaptations, nor the 2016 series.) Dirk is a detective who can solve mysteries others can't because of his odd philosophies. He has a partner, named Richard, who he hypnotises into giving him money, uses as a guinea pig (he injects him with a computer chip without warning him), and steals money from him. Yet Richard still stays with him (which is considered to be one of the biggest plot holes the adaptation has).

- Rick and Morty: Rick still continues to be abusive towards Morty, his own grandson. Rick's selfless act at the end of season 2 hints that Rick may slowly be trying to change his ways. Unity's note to Rick when it dumps him also implies that the writers are self-aware that Rick's abusive traits are a flaw, not a "kooky trait," so Rick could be interpreted as a "good" example too, because the series shows the negative effects of his behaviour.

- BBC Sherlock: As I said above.

Okay, now some examples (you asked for) of GOOD examples of abuse/addiction being portrayed in a non-romantic/kooky/positive/problematic light: 

 - Captain Haddock: In The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws album, Tintin meets an alcoholic who is the captain of a ship. Together, they escape the ship's crew and solve a mystery together. Haddock wouldn't really be considered an archetypal "mad genius," but by being with Tintin, his alcoholism decreases (though never actually disappears completely--writer Hergé liked to portray things realistically). His alcoholism decreases because of Tintin's support and friendship, which is really heartwarming to me.

- Dirk Gently: Here, we're talking book!Dirk. Irony, eh? In the original novels, Dirk is still abusive to his crime-solving partners (he, again, hypnotises Richard into jumping into the River Thames--which is not a nice place to go swimming, unless you like plastic bags and abandoned shopping trolleys). What makes the books different than the BBC series however, are the endings: Every partner Dirk gets, in each book, dumps him by the end of each adventure/novel they have with him because of his abusive tendencies. They don't want to be with him. That paints Dirk’s abuse as a more negative thing, instead of a “quirky” thing.

- Croak: The main character or this novel, Lex, is introduced as a teenage girl who recently developed anger management issues. She lashes out at people, especially at her school. It’s portrayed in an untraditionally human way: She describes it as feelings she knows are harmful, and she doesn’t enjoy these feelings of charged anger. She struggles to stop herself from lashing out. She also takes great care in making sure she doesn’t hurt her sister. (I haven’t finished the first book yet, so I don’t know how her character arc ends.)

- The Jennifer Ann Group’s yearly game jam focuses on creating games that educate people on teen dating abuse. The game Grace’s Diary is a notable example.

I hope this answered your questions on what my thoughts were on this subject.

[naominorbez]

TOME RPG Demo: An Affectionate Review

Hey friends!  So, a TOME RPG is on Kickstarter, and I wanted to give my 2 cents on it, because I really love the demo (and TOME in general).  Things here are way too long for a comment on the itch.io page, so it’s a lengthy blog post (hooray!).  

If you haven’t, go play the demo and check out the Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1660664362/terrain-of-magical-expertise-rpg-a-game-about-a-ga

https://chrisniosi.itch.io/tomedemo

This is not a review to convince you whether or not to back the TOME RPG on Kickstarter--I’m already super biased and say YES YOU SHOULD!  I also understand that this is an early demo, and doesn’t represent the final product AT ALL, and that this is a game by a small team, not a big publisher.

This is me gushing my thoughts on this new game for a thing I love, while also bringing up criticisms and problems I had with it.

(Side note: I’m aiming to release a TOME fangame sometime next month.  It’ll be on my itch.io page here: https://norbez.itch.io )

And here we go!

(All screenshots are taken from the game’s itch.io page.)

I’ve been a fan of TOME since the first episode (”You Gotta Virus”) hit the front page of Newgrounds and I clicked on it, curious.  TOME is about five friends who bond through an MMORPG called TOME (the Terrain Of Magical Expertise), but are threatened when a strange force emerges: The Forbidden Power, a dangerous item that can hurt players in real life.

TOME is a great series with fantastic characters, beautiful animation & music, and a solid, suspenseful story.  I do have some grips with it, but I still highly recommend it.  Check out all the episodes on Youtube--recommended for a teenage audience.

The game continues the legacy of quality with engaging gameplay, beautiful art design, and lovely color choice.  We have yet to see what the story is, but I have no doubt it will be well done, considering what preceded it.

I keep an eye on TOME news & Kirbopher (the creator’s) content, so I knew a game was in the works for a while.  When the Kickstarter was finally announced (with rewards that continue the TOME tradition of having fans as characters in the game), I got excited.  So I downloaded the demo and gave it a play.  For the record, I played version 03-5 of the demo.

In this game, you play as a “White Hat Hacker”, who teams up with the 5 main characters of TOME (Alpha, Flamegirl, Nylocke, and Gamecrazed [now Gamesoft]) to try and stop malicious hackers.  You run around an overworld and fight enemies in a turn-based battle system.  It’s a separate continuity from the original TOME series, but there are clear parallels; someone who has watched the series can guess where the game will meet the original.

It’s an interesting choice to have the player helping the TOME crew instead of playing as the TOME crew.  On one hand, it creates a story where a TOME fan is hanging out the characters they’ve come to love over the years, and makes the player able to control all 4 characters with the turn-based battle system (instead of playing as one of the characters and having AI control the others--having 4 players to control adds to the strategy and variety to the battles, and means the player is responsible for every move, not a computer).  On the other hand, it makes a story that the player is mostly told to and cannot directly influence (at least, that’s how it looks); in the demo, the player character has basically no personality, and it’s like playing as a camera with legs (and battle abilities).

As a TOME fan who loves the characters, being a camera with legs isn’t a wholly bad thing--but I also know that approach can alienate those new to TOME.  I'm very interested in seeing whether the player character has any influence on the story (or any real personality) in the final game. 

Speaking of the TOME characters, let’s talk about them for a moment.  I’ll first say this: every time @kirbopher redesigns the characters, their designs get even better.  They were redesigned for TOME Season 2, and again for this game; the characters look absolutely wonderful.  In the original cartoon, their personalities are great--each one adds something unique to the friend group, and no two characters are alike.

This is expanded in the game with their different abilities in battle--a good amount are from the TOME show, and it’s awesome to see them in action.  The animation, poses, etc all really emphasize each character’s fighting style and personality (and the animation is absolutely beautiful!).  The demo unfortunately ends when the player approaches Nylocke and Gamesoft, whose abilities I was looking forward to seeing.  Especially Gamesoft--I was really hoping to see their* abilities, but I guess that’ll have to wait until the final game. ;)

(*I know that Gamesoft has “she” on the Kickstarter page, but Gamesoft/Gamecrazed has canonically been considered male and female, so I used “they” here.  Hope that’s ok & makes sense.  Also, does anyone else headcanon Gamecrazed/Gamesoft as nonbinary?  PLEASE TELL ME I’M NOT ALONE HERE!)

I really like the different ways to fight in this game.  This is a turn-based RPG, a la Final Fantasy.  You select different ways to fight from four options around you, some of which open a menu for further selection, and the way you select things and fight is very unique from most games.  It kind of reminds me of choosing dialogue options in a Telltale game with the 4 main buttons on a controller, except this is for combat, and choosing different dialogue choices open a menu.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you understand the controls, you’ll be breezing through these segments.  For the record, I played with a keyboard & arrow keys, not a controller.

Your “fight” ability is a simple selection--pick “Strike” and you’re punching an enemy in the face.  But your Magic Attacks are different.  All of them are based on button presses: some need you to press a button at the right time, some are rapid-fire, some need you to fill up a meter at just the right spot.  It’s all pretty creative, adding a bit of complexity to what otherwise would be simple RPG battles--instead of selecting a super strong ability and watching it pummel your enemies, you have to earn that strength with the button presses.

I do recognize that there is a danger to this approach to combat, as much as I personally like it.  The simple menu selection turn-based RPGs offer is a very assessable gameplay feature; nearly everyone can grasp it and start kicking butt quickly.  Adding timed button presses to it reduces the assessability significantly, both for disabled gamers who may not be able to complete them, and generally for those who are hindered by the segments or have trouble with them.  It would be nice if the final game includes an option to turn off these timed button presses.

The oddest thing in the demo--at least from my experience--was how much more damage my player character (an Infernal Morphological Brawler) did compare to my teammates. The demo is surprisingly complex because of its controls and its additions to turn-based menu combat.  Because of this, nearly half of my time with the demo was spent trying to get a grasp of the controls, and it took a while for me to figure out how to do magical attacks without canceling the menu over and over.

What I’m trying to say is that I punched a lot.  A LOT.  “Strike” was my main thing in every battle for a while.  The weird thing was that I would do 10-12 damage per hit (because I’m brawler class, maybe?), and everyone else (Alpha, Flamegirl, and Kirbopher) would do 1-4 damage.  Part of me thinks that giving them low, ineffective damage was to encourage the player to use magical attacks instead, but since I didn’t grasp the controls yet, I couldn’t do the magical attacks, and kept punching.  It’s also possible that the difference in damage is a bug.

I’m sure this issue will be rendered moot in the full game.  But it goes to show that a new control scheme can be difficult to grasp and use effectively, so it needs to be properly explained.  I can’t wait to see that in the final game, because the controls really are unique and interesting, and they need a proper explanation for a player to take full advantage of the battle system.  

(It would also be interesting to see the game’s nature as an “MMORPG” effect the battle system--do players have all abilities right away when they start TOME, or do they only have a few, and get new ones as they level up?  Can players with more abilities challenge players who just started TOME and only have 1-2?  This could be interesting to see, but it could also get super complicated and detrimental to the game’s quality.)

This game has bugs.  Which . . . yeah, that’s to be expected; it’s a pre-release demo.  One of the odder ones was that poor Alpha was stuck running outside the overworld map after a battle, trying to get back on the edge but failing.  He returned to my side after another fight, though, so it wasn’t permanent.  That was the only bug I encountered in my game; I didn’t have any glitches either, that I remember.

Other random notes that I couldn’t fit:

--Edwyn Tiong is the “narrator” of this demo--which is a tad odd to me, because Michele Knotz (as Kindarspirit, TOME’s head of sound design) “narrates” the TOME game in the original series.  Tiong voices various characters in TOME, and a government agent in the--wait a minute.  Is the player character really Agent Giga, going undercover in TOME to seek out The Forbidden Power?!  CONSPIRACY?!

--Neo-C Productions.  Love it. :)

--Things took a pretty long time to load in this demo--no doubt an issue that will be fixed in the final release.

--Kirb's "Well it's about time!" made me give a little fan squee.  I also love how Kirbopher is now a scrappy little cyborg knight in this continiuity.

--At the start, when Flamegirl, Alpha, and Kirbopher ran toward me after I joined their party, I thought they were going to go in me a la Golden Sun, but they stoped just short. X)

--There’s not a lot of music in this demo, but it’s all pretty nice.  The sound design is good too.

--I did replay the demo a bit to check some of the things I mentioned--as a “weaponry” class, I did 6 attack damage, still more than the rest of my party.

--Hearing that main TOME battle theme during the fight with the Game Theorists and in later fights was AWESOME.  And it’s pretty cool that Mat Pat “stomps” to the beat.

I really enjoyed the demo, and I truly believe that the issues I’ve raised will likely be moot when the full game is released.  Here’s links to the demo and the Kickstarter in case you haven’t looked at it already:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1660664362/terrain-of-magical-expertise-rpg-a-game-about-a-ga

https://chrisniosi.itch.io/tomedemo

Thanks for reading! :) Let me know if there’s something I should comment on, or what your thoughts on the demo are!

[naominorbez]

I made a Youtube playlist for @katy-133 's romance VN The Heart of Tales! :D Play it here: https://katy133.itch.io/the-heart-of-tales

Playing the game made me think of some older jazz romance songs because I'm a nerd for jazz.  So I thought I'd assemble a playlist with at least one song for each moment in the game. Thanks for listening! :)

1. What A Difference A Day Makes: A song that covers the whole game, and how over the span of a few days, the protagonist finds what they need in romance.

2-3: Sunday Afternoon & Lonely Town: The protagonist has nice relaxing retirement life.  But it is a lonely life, and the protagonist needs to learn something.  Enter...

4. Mack The Knife: Mithamoore the Earthburner!  An insidious dragon who's been turned human!  And someone else knocks at the door...

5. Stella by Starlight: Cole, a knight who wishes to learn from the protagonist.  This song is meant to represent how much he idolizes the protagonist because of how they awesomely saved the world once upon a time.

6. Hit The Road Jack: The protagonist wants these two to leave her house so she can get back to her life!  But her talking sword convinces her to kick them out in a more roundabout/genius way.

7. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me): So the protagonist keeps Cole (the "echo") and Mithamoore (the "shadow") around.

8. The Good Life: She sends the two on a fake quest!  But it turns about things aren't as good as they seem out there--danger may be brewing. (I'll be perfectly honest: I wanted to put this song somewhere because I love it so much.  But I also can't find a perfectly-good song for this moment either--and the lyrics in The Good Life work pretty well in places, at least to me!  If you have a better song for this moment, please let me know!  Thanks!)

9. Ain't Got No, I Got Life: Mithamoore has a hard Real Talk moment with the protagonist, and the protagonist has a hard Real Talk moment with Cole.

10. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: The protagonist hopes that their words got through to Cole (and Mithamoore to an extent).  Plus, some feelings may be stirring within her heart...

11-13. I Could Have Danced All Night & Cheek to Cheek & Lullaby of Birdland: The protagonist dances with the one they love.  I associate these songs to Cole’s, Mithamoore’s, and Sareth’s dance, in that order.

14. Almost Like Being in Love: The protagonist reflects on recent events, and recognizes their romantic feelings.

15. I Could Write A Book: Mithamoore's declaration of love to the protagonist.

16. Teach Me Tonight: Cole's romance with the protagonist.

17. All The Things You Are: Sareth’s declaration of love to the protagonist.

Love is in the air!  But so is villainy...

18. Feeling Good: As Anemza returns, I can imagine him singing this song! >:) Yes I know that’s not the context.  The context of the song is actually quite interesting actua--OK FOCUS, BACK ON TOPIC.

19. Everything Must Change: The protagonist realizes what it truly means to put her faith in another person, and that she must do it.

20. Where Flamingos Fly:  The Sareth path with Anemza.  It's a powerful scene.  Also applies to Mithamoore’s path.

21. It's All Over But The Crying: Mainly for Mithamoore's ending, where the protagonist must kill him to snap him out of the spell Anemza's put him under.  This song could be taken straight, or Anemza could be singing it sarcastically to the protagonist.  Maybe 1st verse straight, 2nd verse Anemza sarcasm.

The next few songs apply to the ending choices!

22-23. I'll Be Seeing You & Speak Low: The protagonist chooses to let the one they love go.

24. Tea For Two: In the Sareth path, the protagonist chooses to return to retirement with him.

25. Fly Me To The Moon: For when the protagonist chooses to fly away with Mithamoore.

26. New York, New York: A song for choosing to return to adventuring!  With Cole/Sareth.

Bonus: The Lady Is A Tramp: When the game talks about the bards still singing about the protagonist, I'll imagine this song. ;)

Thanks for listening.  This was really fun; I discovered quite a few new songs doing this.  Hope you enjoyed it!  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

[naominorbez]

Made a new Patreon Post (Public, because Halloween).

I have a few things in the works this month, including a fangame of @kirbopher‘s TOME (which I’ve loved since I saw the first episode on Newground’s frontpage).  There’s a Kickstarter for a TOME game right now; check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1660664362/terrain-of-magical-expertise-rpg-a-game-about-a-ga

Read the post to learn more about it & the other things I’m doing this month.  Have a good one! :)

[naominorbez]

The Mouse, my IF Comp game from last year, is now publicly available to download!  

The game, an abuse simulator centering on a college punk named Evelyn Grey, is pay-what-you-want (and you can download it for free!).

The text has been updated from its IF Comp release; it reads and flows much better, and all bugs should be gone. Let me know if you have any issues.

Now a few of you might be wondering: "Why did I wait so long to release this?" It actually isn't because of this year's IF Comp (which also starts today, October 1); that was a coincidence.

It's because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and seeing the game was made to bring awareness to abuse, it was the best time.

There are real Evelyns out there in the world; some of them are abuse victims, some are survivors.  Listen to their stories. Don't mute their voices. Support them.

Here are some resources on domestic violence for you: http://www.nrcdv.org/dvam/about-dv

Now if you excuse me, I have to stock up on purple (the awareness color for Domestic Violence Awareness Month).

[norbezdraws]

“When it comes to stepping out into the Universe, you’re in or you’re out.”

A quick-ish Morwenna from @katy-133‘s Three Guys That Paint.  I had to satisfy my need to draw fanart after replaying 3GTP yesterday.

I’m not 100% happy with some things in this, but I’m happy I drew it.  Morwenna is awesome.

[naominorbez]

Games have the power to change a person's life.  Unfortunately for Adrian and Hanna, it was for the worse.

__________

It’s here!  My first SuNoFes game (it concludes an epilogue I wrote--part 1 of the epilogue is here)and my fanwork of @katy-133's [redacted] Life.  

PLAY THE ORIGINAL HERE!  IT'S GREAT; YOU WON'T REGRET IT!  You also won't understand this story unless you've played [redacted] Life, so you NEED to play it.  It's ~30 minutes, so give it a shot and come back afterward!

Also shoutout to @fakemagicjaye & @yuukipudding for their awesome work on the original [redacted] Life; check them out!

Enjoy!  Thank you for playing! :)

[naominorbez]

@disabledpaladin Dragon Guy Fieri in @samakaphyllis Penn Zero Part-Time Hero!  Episode: Alpha, Bravo, Unicorn.

[naominorbez]

I made a vent game dealing with the recent hurricanes and disasters and deaths.

A personal response to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.  Written August 8, 2017.

This game contains swearing, and detailed discussion of death, self-deprecation, and suicidal thoughts.

Any donations to this game will be given to help the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Irma.

[naominorbez]

I did a new video on a whim, after watching & live-tweeting the new Death Note movie.  This movie displays abuse as necessary for growth and it’s gross.  I analyze its themes of power and romance.  Give it a watch, and let me know your thoughts!

[naominorbez]

Hey, I live-tweeted while watching the Netflix Death Note movie!

Spoilers: I didn’t much care for it.

[naominorbez]

A talking guitar, a message from the past, robots seeking redemption, psychic powers, blinks, self-sacrifice.  distant futures safely kept is a collection of 6 short stories--about humanity and technology, and gaps that need to be filled.

__________

It’s here!!!  My short story collection distant futures safely kept has been released on itch.io!  You can download the first 3 stories for free, and the rest are avalible for $3 USD!  Please check it out!

Special thanks to: @disabledpaladin, @katy-133, @somestrangecircus, @sleepyagents, @nomerceperce, @phanatyy, & @bluebirdplays.  I love you all; your friendship and support means a lot!!!