#review posted 4 December 2024

[eeveeistired]

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? - Billie Eilish

I like this album, and have found myself coming back to it several times over the last few months. Billie has probably become my favorite pop artist (although to be honest, I listen to very little pop), and the songs on this album are a lot of the reason. I honestly don't understand Bad Guy being the highlight of the record, with my favorites being Xanny and You Should See Me in a Crown. I just don't see it being significantly better than every song on the album to warrant it overshadowing the rest. Another thing I've noticed is how much I enjoy the vocals and the vocal effects! This is probably a big chunk of why Xanny is one of my favorites; those vocal effects are just sooo good. Apart from that, there's not terribly much else that stands out about this record to me, and honestly as you progress farther through it does somewhat lose the intrigue. songs 11-14 just aren't terribly memorable to me, and definitely aren't what I listen to the album for (if I have a particular song in mind). Overall good, but definitely not great.

[6/10]

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 33 (2024)

By Aj, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

The new year is upon us!

To give us more free time during the holidays, the Team decided to merge last and this week’s Issues together.

The same will be done with the next Issue, which will come out on January 4th! This makes this Issue the last Issue of the year.

More feedback?

As the year comes to an end we in the WNIIF team are once again looking for feedback! The goal of this form is to find out our readers' preferences and wishes, so we can make the 2025 edition even better!

Please spare a few minutes to fill it out. None of the questions are required, so you can answer only what you want!

Small Talk with Harris Powell-Smith! @hpowellsmith

Our Interviewers are currently working on a Interview with the awesome Harris Powell-Smith, an award-winning narrative designer and writer of the Crème de la Crème series and Blood Money!

Do you have something you always wanted to ask them? Now is your chance! Send us a message on one of our socials or send us an e-mail. We’ll ask them for you!

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : Velox Turbo 2 ~

December 13th to 17th 2024

Velox Turbo is a challenge edition of Velox Fabula (or "Quick Story"), which is a ranked jam about making a complete visual novel based on a community-determined theme, hosted by robobarbie and Allie Vera. The Velox Turbo edition gives creators 4 days (instead of the usual 10) to complete their project, encouraging speed, accurate scope setting, and creativity.

The Velox jam series is heavily inspired by Ludum Dare, a global game jam about making a game from scratch based on a certain theme in a short amount of time.

This Jam's theme: The Eye of the Beholder, was revealed at the start of the jam. Voting was held across several rounds in the week leading up to the jam starting.

Other themes in the Velox jam series were:

Unreliable Narrator

Morally Ambiguous Promise

Enemies with Benefits

Flower Symbolism

Doomed by the Narrative

Trapped with Someone

Forbidden Romance

You Shouldn't Be Here

Participants can now vote for their favourites until December 31st. There are six categories: Overall, Theme Incorporation, Narrative, Visuals and Sound. Even tho you can't vote unless you submitted your own work, definitely check out at least one of the 15 entries!

~ ENDED ~

The voting for A Very Hallmark Game Jam is over. Check out the results!

This year’s Yuri Game Jam is in over. There’s an unbelievable number of 109 entries to check out!

Another bitsy jam has ended. You can now check out 8 entries with the theme "better late than never".

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!

The Queer Winter Game Jam is in full swing. Those interested can submit their work until January 16th 2025.

ShuffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition where you make games based on songs, which are submitted by other entrants. Creators have until January 20th 2025 to upload their works.

Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.

Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.

The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.

IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on your projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they are previously released! You have until January 15th 2025 to join.

Winter Visual Novel Jam 2024 is here! You have until January 1st 2025 to submit your projects.

Are you familiar with Decker? Then why not take a part in the Deck-Month 2?

SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.

~ NEW RELEASE ~

Gentleman, Adventurer, Crocodile (Forked) is a twenty-second romp around the Victorian world in the company of an adventurous crocodile. It is a story filled with wondrous lands, strange people, wealth, power, friendship, betrayal, shipwreck and delicious pastry.

Murder Gods Play Pachinko (Super Videotome Engine) - A group of friends gathers in a remote house for the first time in two years. This is the place where Kaya took his life. Tensions are high, to say the least. The snowstorm isn't letting up. It appears they're trapped. The only company they have is each other. Little do they know -- time isn't on their side. He's on his way.

A new era begins in Maroland… The Ancient Talking Dragons have nearly all been annihilated… The Elves hide in their ancient mansions. The future belongs to humans… However, naive human wizards long for immortality. It’s only a matter of time before one of them finds something they can’t control. The Elves of Maroland is now available for free downloading in English language.

You are a prisoner of the jaguar empire, being forcibly marched by your captor to the blood pits at the heart of the empire. In your condition, your choices are limited -- but you refuse to let them have you. Escape your captor, explore the continent, and struggle for survival in this unique text-based roguelike, Wild Continent (Unity).

Echoes in the Deep (Twine) is an atmospheric, choice-driven narrative game set in a failing underwater research station. As Dr. Evelyn Moore, you must uncover the station's secrets, restore failing systems, and escape before time runs out. Will you survive the depths, or will its mysteries drag you under?

Calmaria is the newest companion app developed by the Design School in partnership with the Informatics College, the Student Engagement Office, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office of the University of ≭∘⊊⊚. Please enjoy Calmaria.

Dive even deeper into the world of A Date with Death with an all-new route. Starting with a fresh Day 6 and unfolding all the way through Day 10, this DLC brings you new conversations, stunning art, four new endings, and of course, the same beloved Grim Reaper. - A Date with Death - Beyond the Bet (Ren’Py). @twoandahalfstudios

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Everyone knows vampires: bloodthirsty, unholy creatures, some barely any better than animals. You never thought you'd become one yourself. You're a believer in the new gods - but here you are, trying not to feel that they've abandoned you. Feed, fight, and flee from the sun, all while looking for a cure to turn your life, or lack of it, right again in Glass Fangs (Twine). @glassfangsif

You are the heir to the Dracian kingdom, born of dragon blood and royal lineage—but you know nothing of this truth. To protect you from the tyrannical king of Dracia—your own grandfather—your parents sacrificed their lives. They hid you away, ensuring the prophecy that foretells his downfall would survive, even if they could not. - Rise of the Forsaken (CScript).

Dazzling phantom thief heists, romantic meetings in the dead of night, and making a name for yourself; The Mysterious Thief, Forget Me Not (Ren’Py) is a mostly linear girl's love visual novel that features multiple POVs throughout. The story is set in the fictional city of Twinbells, England, and shows how the lives of our four main characters are changed forever when a ballet company — and its treasured jewel — visits the phantom thief-loving city. @solsketchbook

Rigor Mortis (Ren’Py) is a visual novel for goths of all stripes who are surviving under late-stage capitalism. Discover the adventures of Lunis Culpeper, 12-year-old newlydead, as she learns about (un)life in the (under)world the hard way.

Your life as an alchemist has been safe and comfortable so far... but when your sister makes you one last wish before passing away, you'll embark on a dangerous journey that might change your life—and the lives of your two companions—forever. Hopefully, you'll also learn to see the world in a new light after this Trek to Dead Water (Ren’Py).

Take centre stage as a former-rockstar turned actor navigating your new career and the chilling grip of fan-obsession in Scapegoated (CScript). Your once-famous band may be nothing short of a ghost of the past to you, but the rest of the world cannot seem to let go. The split in 1968 was scandalous, abrupt and mysterious. And although you’ve thrown yourself into acting and secured your first major role with a big time Hollywood director, whispers of blame have been on your tail ever since.

You are the illegitimate child of King Aldric the ruler of one of the seven kingdoms Ceryndor, marked by your half elven heritage and shunned by society. Born under a cloud of prejudice and tragedy, you are feared as the “Black Wolf” – an omen of misfortune and a harbinger of chaos. When the son of a wealthy trader is found dead, the fragile peace in your land begins to crumble. The investigation leads you to uncover secrets that could shake the foundations of the seven kingdoms. Will you embrace the tyranny they accuse you of, or will you rise above the scars of your past and forge your own path in War of Crowns (CScript)?

A Life in a Year (Unity) is a narrative-driven adventure game that explores the emotional challenges of studying abroad. You play as Laura, a 16-year-old exchange student in a Nordic country. The game navigates themes like language barriers, cultural differences, friendship, family, and more.

Your trade as a Keeper is suffering under the rule of the current Emperor, but you've just gotten lucky – the Summit Library, the largest and most important Library in the Eawin Empire, has requested your services. But when you arrive you suddenly find yourself in a dangerous magical mystery: something's wrong with the books, and the Library is falling apart at the seams. Also, there might be a war? But The Summit Library is situated on neutral territory, so that doesn't affect you... Right?

~ UPDATES ~

A Sun Asunder: Post Apocalypse (CScript) updated their demo. @asapostapocalypseif

Meteoric (CSscript) added new content to their demo.

REMEMBER, YOU WILL DIE (CSscript) released Chapter 5. @vapolis

The Ultimate Magic Student (CScript) updated their demo.

Thicker Than (CScript) released their monthly update on Ko-Fi. @barbwritesstuff

Virtue’s End (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @virtues-end

A Warmth in the Cold (CScript) added new content to the demo.

Spire, Surge and Sea (CScript) updated a new second Chapter.

The Adventures of Alaric Blackmoon (ADRIFT) released Episode 10.

Sentience (Twine) released Chapter 5. @sentience-if

Adrift With You (CScript) released Chapter 2. @kathrinesadventures

A Shriek of Ash and Fire (CScript) released Update 6. @krogpile

Drink Your Villain Juice (CScript) updated their demo. @drinkyourvillainjuice

Oh Mother, Where Are Thou? (CScript) updated their demo.

Dragon Kin (CScript) added new content to their demo.

Soulmates Inc (CScript) is back with a new update. @soulmatesinc-if

Voiceless: A Siren’s Song (CScript) released a re-written Chapter 1.

War of the Divines (CScript) updated their demo.

Hunter’s Requiem (CScript) added new content to their demo. @huntersrequiem-if

~ OTHER ~

Crown of Exile (Twine) offers a limited Access up to Chapter Ten for all their readers. Check it out before it’s too late! @ramonag-if

The Rosebush released an Interview with Chandler Groover, an interactive fiction author known for his influential games such as Eat Me, Toby’s Nose and Midnight. Swordfight., as well as his contribution in Fallen London’s storylines. @the-rosebush-mag

Devil On Your Shoulder is looking for beta testers.

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

I.A.G Alpha by techniX (INSTEAD)

The interactivity turns the idea of an IF piece on its head!

//submitted by Max//

The Master of the Land by Pseudavid (Twine)

A night of celebration with many storylines to explore. Replay again and again to understand, not to win.

//submitted by Sera//

Wonderland Noir: Behind the Looking Glass by Slim Pickens (Ink)

Delves into heavy topics, reminds me of Disco Elysium. Incredibly evocative writing, almost no attention given.

//submitted by Mouthofdirt//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

Max, Sera and Mouthofdirt

For sending us a Highlight!!

And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue!

What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!

Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We all wish you a great start to next year!

We will see you in January with a 2025 edition of What’s New in IF!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 33

[holly-poly]

Holly Poly Helpers Wanted

Holly Poly is, as the name implies, an exchange for polyamorous relationships. OT3s, OT4s, OT6s, orgies, open relationships, sedoretus, whatever strikes your fancy, as long as it involves three or more entities.

As the event keeps growing every year, we've come to the realization that it's necessary to get more help to deliver the best experience to this year's participants.

Currently, we're looking for 4+ people who can help us with mod duties during this exchange. Below, you can find the different areas where we need help. You can choose to help only with one task, which is why we're including the timeframe for each task as well.

Helpers must be 18+ and be comfortable reviewing all types of content.

We're looking for help with the following tasks:

Help with tagset and nominations (October 2024): This would be checking tagset sanity for both the 2023 tagset and the final 2024 tagset, checking nominations validity and formatting, helping with any editing from the 2023 tagset to the 2024 tagset (i.e. new disambiguations)

Help with social media announcements and pinch hit formatting for those (Mid October 2024-January 2025): We currently use twitter, tumblr, discord, dreamwidth and google groups. If you are proficient in one specific social media site, please let us know.

Help reading/looking over works (Late December 2024-January 2025): This would be checking for Do Not Wants/request fulfilment and completion of stories

If you're interested, please comment on the DW announcement post. All comments are screened.

Tumblr:https://holly-poly.tumblr.com/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/holly_poly_ex Google Groups - Holly Poly Updates: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-updates Google Groups - Holly Poly Pinchhits: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-pinchhits

[zedecksiew]

THE BLOGGIES 2023: FINALISTS

(If you just want to skip to the list of BLOGGIE finalists, scroll to the "Who Are The BLOGGIES?" section below.)

+++

WHAT ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Awards for some of the best tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) blog posts to come out in 2022. There will be five awards: Best Theory Blogpost, Best Gameable Blogpost, Best Advice Blogpost, Best Review Blogpost, and, the biggest one, Best Blogpost.

I won Best Blogpost, last year. So I am hosting the BLOGGIES, this year.

+++

WHY ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Blogs are worth celebrating. Barring the actual playing of actual games, they are our most fertile field, our most volatile laboratory. Longform, text-based, and informal---they are a place to jot down our most outre design ideas. Free and publicly available---they are a vector for open debate and serendipitous discourse. Perhaps most importantly: relatively free of algorithmic social-media pressures---they are the best chance we have at a cultural memory.

I got into TTRPGs because of blogs.

The BLOGGIES are, at best, an affirmation of the above. At least, they are a way to celebrate 64 excellent blog posts from the last year, and maybe get them in front of people who did not read them the first time.

+++

HOW ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Nominations: I put an open call for blog-post nominations on Christmas 2023; I also canvassed the TTRPG communities I am part of. Nominated posts had to be from between 1 December 2022 to 31 December 2023.

I closed the nomination period on 1 Jan 2024 with 149 blog posts for consideration. I read / re-read them all.

I chose a slate of 64 finalists, according to the following metrics, in order:

Enthusiasm---a post got multiple nominations;

Diversity---no one blog was allowed to be a finalist more than once in a category (except the Reviews category, where this rule was tied to individual writers, due to shared review blogs);

Notability---a post was extraordinary in presenting a novel idea, addressing an important subject, or reflecting a community current.

Obviously, that last metric is highly subjective, and limited to my knowledge and perspective in the scene. I did my best.

I will not have final final say. Finalists will go head to head, vying for to be anointed best of the best by ballot. The bracket was seeded in order of number of nominations received. The BLOGGIES await your vote, o TTRPG folx.

+++

WHEN ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Throughout January 2024! Voting is >>>NOW OPEN<<< on Google Forms according to the following schedule (I will link to the forms and result threads as I post them):

First Week January - THEORY

3 January: Round of 16

4 January: Round of 8

5 January: Round of 4

6 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Second Week January - GAMEABLE

10 January: Round of 16

11 January: Round of 8

12 January: Round of 4

13 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Third Week January - ADVICE

17 January: Round of 16

18 January: Round of 8

19 January: Round of 4

20 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Fourth Week January - REVIEW

24 January: Round of 16

25 January: Round of 8

26 January: Round of 4

27 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

31 January - FINALS

+++

WHO ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Your BLOGGIES 2023 FINALISTS are (presented in bracket order):

(High-res version here)

+++

THEORY

🥉 (1) being a problem - playable orcs at the limits of humanity, from Majestic Fly Whisk Some deep thinking about the racialisation of the orc in elfgames, why mainstream fixes fall short, and ways to move beyond.

vs

(16) #132: Axes of Game Design, from The Indie RPG Newsletter An exploration of the design axes / spectrums on which every TTRPG may fall.

(8) The Genres the OSR Can't Do, from A Knight At The Opera Sketching the limits of the OSR playstyle by looking at genres which are too differently-bound for it to emulate.

vs

(9) RPG Transcript Analysis: Critical Role, from Trilemma Adventures Examining a style of play through transcript analysis (looking at what is actually being said during a session), with Critical Role as case study.

🥈 (5) Critical GLOG: Base Resolution Mechanics, from Goblin Punch A deep dive into dice and resolution mechanics, and what they do in practice.

vs

(12) My favorite problems, from Failure Tolerated A list of design problems in TTRPGs, and a case for game design and theory to be driven by problem-solving.

(4) Roleplay Is Folk Art, from Wizard Thief Fighter An impassioned call to consider TTRPGs as folk art as opposed to corpocratic walled-garden IPs.

vs

(13) ART, PRODUCT, BOARD GAMES AND MAUSRITTER, from Fail Forward Critique of reviews that accuse TTRPGs for being too slick; interrogating the assumptions behind the label “commercial”.

(6) Toolbox Design, from The Dododecahedron Considering the principles of designing TTRPGs like toolboxes, through the lens of Cairn RPG and similar.

vs

(11) Mario vs ActRaiser vs Final Fantasy vs Zelda - Types of Advancement in RPGs, from Rise Up Comus Identifying some general types of advancement in TTRPGs, using videogames as a comparative lens.

(3) Posters, Posers and POSR(s), from Prismatic Wasteland Relitigating whether the OSR is dead, and defining its successor, the Post-OSR.

vs

(14) psychosis is badly written in tabletop games, from paper cult “Attempting to mechanize something so intensely personal, different, and mutable as mental illness is complicated. I think that makes these depictions bad!”

(7) “Rules Elide” and Its Consequences, from Jared Considering the implications of the maxim that "a game is about X when you have rules for everything but X".

vs

(10) Models of High-Level Play, from Benign Brown Beast Loose but useful classifications for types of high-level play: domains; god-like play; etc.

🥇 (2) OSR Rules Families, from Traverse Fantasy Sketching the landscape of the OSR, how various systems function, and how their attributes cluster and trend together.

vs

(15) Moralising and manipulation in tabletop roleplaying games, from Playful Void The importance of having design preferences without tying these preferences to moral judgments.

+++

GAMEABLE

🥉 (1) Flux Space, from Papers & Pencils A point-crawl procedure specifically designed for labyrinths / dungeons that are architecturally confusing / samey.

vs

(16) Generating Elevation in a Hexcrawl, from Traveler's Rest Procedures and advice on how to generate a mountain-crawl: hiking-focused adventure geography.

(8) The Autumn of Summers, from False Machine God-monsters born of summer, the hunting culture around such beasts, and random tables to generate their attributes.

vs

(9) MIMICS, from Vaults Of Vaarn A spread of novel pretender-creatures, with ecological and social implications.

(5) Another take on demihumans as social constructs, from Cavegirl's Game Stuff What if we consider fantasy races not as separate species, but as differing social roles?

vs

(12) The Apocalypse Archive, from Bearded Devil An unfinished by exemplary #dungeon23 attempt that includes wonderful maps and soundtrack notes.

🥈 (4) Pointcrawling Character Creation, from Rise Up Comus A framework for tying character generation to a geography, generating history and familiarity with campaign locales.

vs

(13) how to be erased, from Straits Of Anian Procedures for getting lost and getting led astray, and the kith and spirits one meets in those places.

(6) Dungeon Skirmishing, from All Dead Generations Feature-complete skirmish combat mechanics for OD&D, and the design rationales thereof.

vs

(11) Zelda-Style NPC Personalities, from To Distant Lands A system of generating quick and punchy NPCs, inspired by the way Zelda videogames present NPCs.

(3) GULCH, from Mindstorm A starter town specifically designed for contemporary (horror, urban fantasy, non-fantasy) campaigns.

vs

(14) Down the Road: Local Situation Design, from Deeper In The Game A procedure for quickly generating a powderkeg situation in a local geography of play.

🥇 (7) Laws of the Land: meaningful terrain via in-fiction limits and conditions, from Was It Likely? A method to generate meaningful diegetic terrain and tone in an adventuring region.

vs

(10) False Equivalent Exchange, from The Graverobber's Guide A novel magic system, done in natural language, with discussion on how it could be used in play.

(2) Deeper Catacombs, from Benign Brown Beast Iteration notes and a presentation of a comprehensive dungeon tracking procedure.

vs

(15) Inadvisable Decisions (GLΔG), from The Nothic's Eye An evocative alienist character class, based on drawing the attention of alter-describable things from beyond.

+++

ADVICE

🥈 (1) How to Handle Parley as an OSR DM, from Goblin Punch Comprehensive notes on how to run non-combat encounters without resorting to boring rolls.

vs

(16) GM Pointers: Live-Text Games, from Shadow & Fae Good reminders on how to run live-text games better, so they are better coordinated and don't take forever.

(8) ONLY Roll Initiative, from Bastionland Considerations on how to adjudicate combats, if initiative were the only dice roll in a combat system.

vs

(9) Action Mysteries, from A Knight At The Opera Asserting that good TTRPGs mysteries involve action---not just figuring out the truth but opposing the antagonist's goals.

(5) Modular Ecology, from The Graverobber's Guide A practical approach to including gameable ecology in TTRPGs, by tying materials to specific locations and conditions of the world.

vs

(12) ULTIMATE ANIMIST MECHANIC: EVERYTHING IS A REACTION, from Alone In The Labyrinth How to run a game where all actions are resolved by reaction roll: everything in the world responds by how much they like you.

(4) Game Mastering Like A Park Ranger, from SILVERARM Advice about GM-ing, based on the real-world work experience of being a park ranger.

vs

(13) An OSR approach to Spotlight, from Permanent Cranial Damage The suggestion that intentionally spotlighting characters solves the real-life problem of spotlighting players nicely.

(6) #Dungeon23, from Win Conditions The idea that spawned a thousand notebook dungeons, plus salient advice on how to start / keep going.

vs

(11) The Storyteller Technique, from Possum Creek Games When writing TTRPGs, imagine your game text as a diegetic artefact in the world of the game.

🥉 (3) RANSACKING THE ROOM, from Mindstorm A simple and powerful three-step method to handle room-searching in games: inspect, search, and ransack.

vs

(14) Cairn Crash Course, from Widdershins Wanderings A masterclass example on how to write player guides to a game, for Cairn RPG.

(7) AN EXAMPLE OF FKR (NEAR-)DICELESS COMBAT (WITH COSMIC ORRERY!), from Underground Adventures Describing combat in a Free Kriegsspiel Roleplaying (FKR) game, useful in understanding that playstyle.

vs

🥇 (10) Re-inventing the Wilderness: Part 1 - Introduction, from sachagoat Figuring out problems with wilderness exploration, and applying a mental-map framework from urban-theory academia.

(2) Dungeon Design, Process and Keys, from All Dead Generations A detailed process to designing and keying a traditional dungeon adventure.

vs

(15) THE D&D IN MY HEAD: In Only 6 Load-Bearing Numbers, from I Cast Light! Identifying the essential and minimum rules you need to remember, to run D&D.

+++

REVIEW

🥇 (1) An Empty Africa - PF2E's The Mwangi Expanse and the strange career of Black Atlanticism, from Majestic Fly Whisk A review of Pathfinder’s "The Mwangi Expanse", and a discussion of Black Atlanticism's fraught relationship with its sourcelands.

vs

(16) What Hull Breach Teaches Us, from Mazirian's Garden An assessment of the Mothership RPG third-party "Hull Breach" anthology as a "new standard for anthology companions".

(8) Grave Trespass - Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Adventure Game, from Bones Of Contention A review of the Labyrinth RPG. It’s got all these things which are "bad" in RPGs, so why does it work?

vs

(9) The First Rumor Tables, Part 2: Caverns of Thracia or Caverns of Quasqueton?, from Tom Van Winkle's Return To Gaming An investigation into the origins of rumour tables in TTRPGs. Did TSR plagiarise Jaquays?

(5) Standing up for D&D's Gen X: 2e (Part 1), from Mythlands Of Erce A full-throated defense of D&D2E, viewing it in the context of its time and as a refinement over 1E.

vs

(12) Systemcrawl: Break!! RPG, from Widdershins Wanderings A review and system analysis of Break!! RPG, which marries JRPG and OSR inspirations.

(4) Dungeon Crawls in Cinema, from Directsun Games Evaluating several films on the basis of how well they function as dungeon crawls.

vs

(13) Reasonable Reviews, from Rise Up Comus A general overview of TTRPG reviews, and what may or may not make them useful.

(6) Deep Dive: A|STATE, from The Indie Game Reading Club A review of a|state, and how it builds on and departs from the Blades In The Dark formula.

vs

(11) I Read Cloud Empress, from Playful Void A review of Cloud Empress, the first descendant of the Mothership RPG ruleset.

🥈 (3) Plagiarism in Unconquered (2022), from Traverse Fantasy A forensic analysis of how Unconquered plagiarised Ultraviolet Grasslands and Vaults Of Vaarn.

vs

(14) Rod, Reel, & Fist (Review), from Benign Brown Beast A substantial review of Rod, Reel, & Fist, a "system-forward fishing simulation RPG".

(7) Pedantic Wasteland - Vampire Cruise, from Bones Of Contention A review of Vampire Cruise, a largely system-neutral horror-comedy adventure set at sea.

vs

(10) Dragon Magazine: Player Advice Collection Overview, from Attronarch Athenaeum A comprehensive read-through and rating of 143 Dragon Magazine advice articles.

(2) Spire: The Monstrosity of Empire, the Necessity of Violence, from A A Voigt A comparative-literature analysis of Spire RPG through R F Kuang’s spec-fic novel "Babel, or the Necessity of Violence".

vs

🥉 (15) MICROBLOG: CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND TABLETOP GAMES, from Fail Forward Considering the influence of children’s books on TTRPG designers and works like "Barkeep on the Borderlands".

+++

It is difficult to describe how hard it was for me to whittle down the list of nominees to these finalists. I consider each of these 64 a landmark in 2023's TTRPG thinkings, and the folks from which they issue essential reading, going forward. They already deserve a prize.

So here it is, dear bloggers: a hand-carved linocut "finalist's pin" graphic you are free to use on your sites / posts, should you wish:

(High-res downloadable version HERE)

Thank you for writing! And good luck in the coming rounds of voting!

+++

CORRECTION: A blog post from 2021 (Not All Crunch Is the Same, from A Knight At The Opera), was included in the soft-launch posting of this list. An error on the part of its nominator, compounded by a data-entry error on my part. It has since been replaced by a post from the same blog with the actual most nominations (The Genres the OSR Can't Do). I have also double-checked my lists and all finalists. Apologies for my error!

[baekhyunnybyun]

2024 In Review

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!)

tagged by the lovely & incredibly talented @bu99erfly 🫶🏻 tysm beloved!!

JANUARY (Total Edits: 19)

Most Popular: Wonwoo, Mingyu, Dokyeom & Seungkwan for Cosmopolitan Korea, May 2020 Favorites: Baekhyun for Madam Figaro China, Feb 2024 // Kai's Solo Eras Birthday Countdown - Kai, Peaches & Rover

FEBRUARY (Total Edits: 10)

Most Popular: Ten "TEN" Teaser Image #5 'Nightwalker' Favorites: All of Ten's "TEN" Teasers // Donghun in Every Era

MARCH (Total Edits: 2)

Most Popular: The Boyz "Phantasy Pt 3" 'Love Letter' Write Ver. #Memorial Favorite: This Anon Ask about Junhee's teeth (I wasn't very active in March, but I love that this was one of my top 10 posts for that month)

APRIL (Total Edits: 3 and they're all ksoo's concept pics)

Most Popular: D.O. "Blossom" Concept Photos #1 Favorites: D.O. "Blossom" Concept Photos #2

MAY (Total Edits: 17)

Most Popular: WayV “Give Me That” Teaser #1 Favorites: Baekhyun in Every Era // Suho "1 to 3" Teasers // D.O. "Mars" MV Concept Teaser // WayV "Give Me That" Teaser #5 // All of A.C.E's Supernatural Teasers

JUNE (Total Edits: 26)

Most Popular: Jaehyun "Forever Only" Teaser Images Favorites: Haechan in Every Era // Red Velvet "Cosmic" Never Say Goodnight Teasers // Baekhyun for Dazed Korea, July 2024, The Covers

JULY (Total Edits: 28)

Most Popular: Ten “The Highest” Teaser Image #2 Favorites: Wonwoo for Waves China, Mar 2021 // Kun "The Highest" Teaser Image #2 // Haechan's & Jaehyun's "Walk" Road Trip Teasers

AUGUST (Total Edits: 26)

Most Popular: Baekhyun for Harper’s Bazaar Men China, Aug 2024 Favorites: Jeonghan for Noblesse Men, Sept 2024 // Chanyeol "Black Out" Teaser Image #2 // All of Jaehyun's "J" Teaser Images (but specifically #Scene 01 for some reason)

SEPTEMBER (Total Edits: 30)

Most Popular: Bibi "Lowlife Princess: Noir" Concept Images Favorites: Baekhyun 240908 SBS Inkigayo //Jeonghan for Going Magazine Vol. 1 // Baekhyun "Hello, World" Melon Magazine Exclusive Photos

OCTOBER (Total Edits: 29)

Most Popular: Jaehyun “Unconditional” MV Teaser Images Favorites: SHINee for GQ Korea, Oct 2016 // Sunwoo "Trigger" Flash Concept Photos // Hyunjae "Trigger" Riot Concept Photos // TBZ "Trigger" Trigger Photo #3 // Minho "Call Back" Teaser Image #2

NOVEMBER (Total Edits: 30)

Most Popular: Dokyeom for Allue Korea D-Edition, Nov 2024 Favorites: Jaehyun Countdown Week 2 "The 7th Sense" // WayV "Frequency" Teaser Image #4 // A.C.E "Pinata" Teasers - Trapped Mirror Ver. #SOLO & Destroyed Mirror Ver.

DECEMBER (Total Edits: 5+)

Most Popular: Baekhyun, Chen & Xiumin "The Last Christmas" Teaser Images Favorites: Minho in Every Era // Jaehyun Countdown Week 7 "Try Again"

BONUS: Moodboards (Total: 19)

Most Popular: Woozi + Pink Favorites: Kun + Red // Sehyoon (A.C.E) & Dawon (SF9) + Light Brown // Sunwoo + Purple // Minho + Sunshine // Chanyeol & Kyungsoo + Retro

tagging (no pressure 🫶🏻): @yunogf @okaysign @dojaejung @baekslight @antonleez @ohmyminsung @neonsbian @jiwoonhyung @myungjaehyun @hoforwonho @kyufeed @atlantis-area @96z @hongtonie @donghyuckkies @vcrnons @sungtaro @honeydewtual @xiaoten @hyeongseo @seonghwacore @yujaeren @lovesight + anyone who sees this and wants to do it <3

[dandadananalysis]

DANDADAN analysis main post!

If you love Dandadan, this blog is for you!

If you love romcom anime, you are interested in occult phenomena - such as spirits/yokais and aliens/astrology - mysteries in general, this Autumn 2024 anime, Dandadan, is for you! This anime is an adaptation from the manga of the same name, whose author is Tatsu Yukinobu, the one working as an assisstant for the anime/manga Chainsaw Man, by Fujimoto Tatsuki.

[SPOILERS WARNINGS!] R17+

It's a story about a nerdy, but lonely boy named Takakura Ken (later Momo calls him by Okarun), who believes in aliens, befriends with an out-going girl named Ayase Momo, who believes in spirits & ghosts, and a great fan of Takakura Ken, a famous actor. When they first went head-to-head, both of them dared the other that if they find out aliens/ghosts are real, they will become the other's slave. And turns out, both the aliens and ghosts are real!

Okarun was possessed and cursed by a spirit named Turbo Granny, and eventually, he lost his b@lls/kintama (Japanese for Golden ball), but he gains Granny's speed and her power; while Momo was abducted by aliens who called themselves as the Serpoians/Serpos, but luckily, she unlocked her inner energy/power (?), which is her special psychokinesis ability, and escaped successfully. The two of them worked together to help Okarun find his kintama back thanks to the help with their friends, though they have to come across many spiritual situation, alien invasion... And sooner or later, y'know, they actually become close friends, love and care for each other. [ya know what ima talking abt]

So basically, a story about the main male character on an "adventure" to find his b@lls :)))

As I mentioned before, same as my 2nd blog, @spyxfamilyanalysis, there will be a pin post for this blog as well. There are analysis of the episodes & chapters, descriptions of the characters & relationships, facts about occults: yokais, aliens, and other stuffs in the future.

Analysis:

¬ Season 1: 3rd October, 2024 - 26th December, 2024

Turbo Granny Arc (chapter 1-8): analysis

1. That's How Love Starts, Ya Know!

2. That's A Space Alien, Ain't It?!

3. It's a Granny Vs. Granny Clash!

4. Kicking Turbo Granny's Ass

Acrobatic Sliky Arc (chapter 9-17): analysis

5. Like, Where are Your Balls?!

6. A Dangerous Woman Arrives

7. To a Kinder World

Serpo Arc (chapter 18-27): review + analysis

8. I've Got This Funny Feeling [pt.1 (review)]

9. Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie! [pt.2 (review)]

10. Have You Ever Seen a Cattle Mutilation? [pt.3 (review)]

Cursed House Arc (chapter 28-33)

11. First Love (watch live) [pt.1.1 (review delayed)]

12. Let's Go To The Cursed House

¬ Season 2 (July 2025) Huge announcement!, Official trailer

Cursed House Arc (cont.) (chapter 34-50)

Evil Eye Arc (chapter 51-62)

Kaiju Arc (chapter 63-73?)

Full description of character: (not yet)

Facts: Chapter 30, love Turbo Granny Meow meow :3, Chapter 176, Chapter 177, 177 Cont.1

Facebook: Discussion Turbo Granny, Woofkarun

Polls: What post should I continue work on?

Other stuffs: Welcome!, The reason why this blog is made, My blogs~, 100+1 posts reached, nearly 2AM post: good night, uni life killin' me (?), teacher, why :"))), updating main post (cursed house arc), update my temporary pin post, thank you 250 likes

Thank you for 53 followers 🥰

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

2024 wrapped ! fic writing year in review ! whatever you want to call it ! even though it's the beginning of december !

i was tagged by: No one! I am doing it: Anyway !

note for my post specifically: some stats have been manually adjusted to account for "collection" fics (which i've largely stopped doing, but are still part of the stats in 2024) that have different oneshots in each chapter but count as one "work" on ao3. i'm also going to focus on my trentcrimminallybeautiful pseud and ted lasso related works for 99 percent of the post.

i spent so much time on this. and why? why. i have no idea. i don't know why i did this. i don't even have spotify.

special thanks to @fade-in-the-dark, for our long, riveting conversations, and @medecineformelancholy, whose clever thoughts and kind words have fueled many a fic-writing session <3

tags/rules & links to all fics mentioned under the cut.

rules: fuck da rules. post whatever stats you want. ao3 stats recommended for ease, but anything from quantitative (top 5 most bookmarked fic, most commented fic, most kudos'd fic, etc.; how many kudos/comments/bookmarks you got this year, longest/shortest, number of user subscriptions, top fandom written for, , word count, whatever you like) to qualitative (favorite fic written, favorite comment received, best smut/angst/fluff fic written, fic that was hardest to write, etc, get creative) to a secret third thing. it doesn't even have to be fanfiction you can talk about original fiction if you want. just have fun with it man. you can do plain text or fun little graphics. then tag some people. yay

tagging: no pressure, and you absolutely do not have to do the same level as what i've done, because i don't know why i did it at all. i mean you're welcome to, but please don't feel like you have to. you don't even have to do it at all, man. just have fun if you want to. hell, if you see this and i've not tagged you but you wanna do it, this is me tagging you. tag me as if i tagged you normally by name. it's fine. do it. and if you're tagged here and you don't wanna or whatever don't worry about it. it's cool. no problem

anyway, tagging: @mvshortcut get over here you rascal. @oflightningandstars @writer-and-thrasher @plentyghosts @fade-in-the-dark @thehouseofgrey @vamplanaut

all fics mentioned:

countdown, baby!

delayed reaction

fall into you, sweet thing

hold me down

lend you my lips

lightning and roses

mea culpa

melt like this

moonlight madness

{ pair / pretty / play }

rainy days

reflections

secure

stress relief

suffer the feathers for the song

vita nova

snippets, which were largely excluded from stats because it'd be a lot of work untangling them from one work tbh:

ted lasso tumblr snippets 3 - 8 through 12 done in 2024.

ted lasso snippets 4 - all done in 2024.

e-rated ted lasso snippets - just the fourth one done in 2024.

non ted lasso fics:

Bill Cipher Calls a Temporary Truce for Girl's Night????????? and other notes that Ford will HATE to read in the Journal later - Gravity Falls

dreams of falling - House MD

key without a lock - The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Did Nate Just Kill A Guy?!?! Job - Leverage

[covid-safer-hotties]

Study puts understanding of long COVID and vaccination into question - Published Sept 4, 2024

This article highlights why I haven't been celebrating about recent findings that vaccination reduces long covid:

We still do not have a solid definition of what long covid is.

We still don't know how long it takes some people to develop long covid: Some people develop long covid symptoms months or even years after infection.

Many are undiagnosed with long covid because of a lack of understanding in the medical community.

The reduction stated in initial studies on vaccination and long covid cited about 30% reduction: That isn't enough for me to take off my mask.

Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly has been somewhat off his game in recent months, giving in to hope and showing signs of pandemic fatigue. His desire to be done with the pandemic may be tainting what he writes, in my opinion. As there is no cure for long covid (and we still don't know exactly what causes and perpetuates it), it seems silly to suggest that vaccination is a long covid silver bullet while cases continue to skyrocket worldwide.

I'm a non-medical observer, but I keep track of the latest studies and news, so I'm not totally uninformed, but take this blurb with a gain or two of salt. I could be wrong, but it doesn't look that way yet.

A new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests that being vaccinated against COVID-19 does little to prevent long COVID.

The findings contradict what has become conventional wisdom in the last 3 years—that vaccines offer a chance to significantly reduce the risk of long COVID, or new or persistent symptoms 3 months or more after infection, most likely by reducing the severity of infection.

Melanie Swift, MD, MPH, was the lead author of the study, which was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. She said despite the current thinking that vaccines reduce the risk of developing long COVID, she wasn’t surprised she found no association.

"A lot of the early literature on long COVID was really defining long COVID through patient surveys," Swift told CIDRAP News. Swift’s study instead relied on participants having received a long COVID diagnosis from a physician after having a documented case of post-vaccination COVID-19 infection.

6.9% developed long COVID The study was based on the electronic records of 41,652 people aged 5 years or older with SARS-CoV-2–positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests between February 2021 and December 2022 and a diagnosis of long COVID 30 days to 6 months following infection.

The average age of patients was 41 years, 55.2% were female, and 90.7% were White. At the time of initial infection, 9,744 (23.4 %) were vaccinated with two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and 7,658 (18.4 %) had received more than two mRNA doses.

A total of 8.2% of patients required hospitalization for COVID-19, and most infections occurred during the Delta and Omicron eras (39.8% and 47.1%, respectively).

In total, 6.9% of patients were diagnosed as having long COVID, with no observed difference between unvaccinated patients, those vaccinated with two doses of an mRNA vaccine, and those with more than two doses.

Long COVID was associated with older age, female sex, and hospitalization for the initial infection. It was inversely associated with infection during the Omicron period, the authors wrote.

Swift said that vaccines still play a role in preventing long COVID. “If you don’t get COVID, you don’t get long COVID," she said. "It remains the most important medical tools in our arsenal by virtue of not getting COVID and severe COVID, but we can’t stop there and say ‘if you were vaccinated, you don’t have to worry about long COVID.’”

Confounding factors and health behaviors Clifford Rosen, MD, a senior scientist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, has reviewed studies on long COVID and vaccines. He said the current study may be skewed because of its sample size.

"It’s a small cohort that is relatively homogeneous and likely has different healthcare behavior than other EHR [electronic health record] studies," Rosen said. Instead, he said long COVID studies done based on Veterans Affairs (VA) data offer a more heterogenous cohort.

Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, chief of research and development at the VA St Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University, has been behind most VA studies on long COVID.

He just published a review of evidence showing that vaccination reduces the risk of long COVID. While the effect size varies by 15% to 70%, there is an estimated average reduction of 40% to 50%, almost universally.

He said he found Swift’s study surprising and said it likely suffers from one main confounding factor: The type of patient who seeks out a long-COVID diagnosis likely uses healthcare and is vaccinated.

Al-Aly said vaccination may help reduce some clusters of long-COVID symptoms better than others. Fore maple, his work has shown a "profound effect in pulmonary symptoms of COVID, and less on metabolic effects on long COVID.”

Though more research needs be done on long COVID and vaccination, Al-Aly remains confident that vaccines play an important role in reducing the risk of long COVID.

[offender42085]

Post 1366

Steven Rosales, Wisconsin inmate 737526, born 1989, incarceration intake December 2024 at age 35, anticipated discharge date not yet determined

Bestiality

In November 2024, a former police officer who had inappropriate sexual contact with his dog was sentenced to two years in prison.

Steven Rosales, 35, pleaded guilty to three counts of bestiality - engaging in sexual conduct with an animal for incidents at his Campbellsport Wisconsion home.

Rosales is a former school liaison officer in Washington County Wisconsin charged with misconduct in office and one count of sexual misconduct by a school staff member.

While investigating an another matter, police reviewed the contents of Rosales' phone, and found conversations "regarding Steven engaging in sexual intercourse and cunnilingus with his dog." That information led to the bestiality charges in Fond du Lac County.

He was also placed on extended supervision for three years by the Court.

Before the sentence was issued, Rosales apologized to his family, friends, and the community. He pointed to health issues, work stress, multiple miscarriages by his wife, and other circumstances which damaged his mental health, leading to negative coping skills and sex addiction.

According to the criminal complaint, in the texts, he describes the interactions with the dog, and also explains his behavior.

Police went to Rosales' home in Campbellsport, where they found three dogs, all golden retrievers. Rosales said the contact was with just one of them, a 4-year-old named Tolula.

4d

[ms-m-astrologer]

The Week Ahead: December 2-8, 2024

Lunar Phases

Thursday, December 5, 01:27 UT - Crescent Moon, 28°24’ Capricorn

The key phrase for the Crescent lunar phase is “gather and mobilize resources.” We’re thinking ahead and laying in supplies for the long haul. Feminism, too - “things” are going to get interesting by the time the weekend is through.

Sunday, December 8, 15:27 UT - First Quarter Moon, 17°02’ Pisces

The key phrases for the First Quarter lunar phase are “take action,” and “build new structures to support our intentions.” Moving ahead by … doing nothing?! There are too many ways forward, and we’re not confident about which one to choose.

Void of Course Moon

Monday, December 2, 15:47 UT (Sagittarius) - 21:09 UT (Capricorn)

Wednesday, December 4, 23:34 UT (Capricorn) - Thursday, December 5, 04:21 UT (Aquarius)

Saturday, December 7, 00:01 UT (Aquarius) - 09:49 UT (Pisces)

Retrograde/Direct/Etc.

Pre-retrograde shadow: Mars/Leo (until Friday the 6th)

Retrograde: Mercury/Sagittarius, Mars/Leo (starting Friday the 6th), Jupiter/Gemini, Chiron/Aries, Uranus/Taurus, Neptune/Pisces (until Saturday the 7th), Eris/Aries

Post-retrograde shadow: Saturn/Pisces

Transiting Mercury has its inferior conjunction with the Sun on Friday, December 6, 02:18 UT, at 14°27’ Sagittarius. Many things can be true at the same time. (Makes me think of the final “Star Trek TNG” when Picard had to wrap his head around three distinct realities.)

Transiting Mars stations retrograde on Friday, December 6, 23:33 UT, at 6°10’ Leo. NOT a good time to start anything major. Better to review and prepare - if we were in a war, we’d be in our winter camp, taking care of our weapons and plotting what to do when it warms up again.

Transiting Neptune stations direct on Saturday, December 7, 23:43 UT, at 27°08’ Pisces. I can’t always tell the difference! If you, unlike me, are sensitive to Neptune, you’ll notice less drifting and more flowing. We may be a tad more aware of and sensitive to the General Cosmic Vibe.

Ingresses

Saturday, December 7, 06:13 UT - transiting Venus enters Aquarius

Venus through Aquarius is a wonderful time for our friendships. Spending time with the gang is favored. We value each others’ individuality. Artistically, we take chances and explore different media.

Saturday, December 7, 09:13 UT - transiting Ceres enters Aquarius

Another friendly influence - we want to be friends with our family, &/or our friends are our family. Concerns about how much time youngsters spend online, come up. Not the most fertile time.

Et Cetera

There are two Opportunity Periods this week:

Monday, December 2, 21:09 UT - Wednesday, December 4, 23:34 UT. “Good time for constructive work on projects you started before November 21.” (Which is when Mercury entered its Storm, prior to its retrograde station.)

Sunday, December 8, 15:27 UT - Monday, December 9, 13:38 UT. “Use this OP for fun, adventures, mind expansion, etc.”

Thursday through Saturday will be intense: the Sun-Mercury inferior conjunction, Mars stations retrograde, both Venus and Ceres enter Aquarius (and immediately conjunct Pluto), Neptune stations direct. Take your vitamins and hydrate!

[spyxfamilyanalysis]

Spy × Family analysis (English)

Analyzing the anime's all episodes with English subtitles~

I decided to do an observation & analysis of the currently famous anime Spring 2022 SPY × FAMILY. After my previous-of-previous-of-whatever-previous post, I continued watching the episodes, started thinking about analyzing them, and see if there are any spoilers or interesting facts.

This main post consists of: analysis of full episodes; facts & opinions about chapters & series, characters, ships (if possible); forms to support blog's activity (currently closed); my arts including my OCs, S×F characters (if possible); answers for ask box; help requests & instructions, and other stuffs.

Spy × Family: Season 1, 2, and Movie

I colored the episodes with each color to find the Arcs of the anime/manga easier

Episodes/ Missions:

Season 1: 25 episodes: 1-25

Season 2: 12 episodes: 26-37

Operation Strix [part 1] [part 2.1] [part 2.2] [part 2.3]

Secure a Wife [part 1] [part 2.1] [part 2.2]

Prepare for the Entrance Exam

Interview for the Prestigious School

Pass or Fail

Operation Buddy-Buddy

Target: The Second son

The Counter-Secret Police Cover Operation

Show Off How in Love You Are

The Great Dodgeball Plan

Stella

Penguin Park

Project Apple

Disarm the Time Bomb

A New Family Member

Yor's Kitchen/ The Informant's Great Romance Plan

Carry Out the Griffin Plan/ Fullmetal Lady/ Omelet Rice ❤️

Uncle the Private Tutor/ Daybreak

A Revenge Plot Against Desmond/ Mother Becomes the Wind

Investigate the General Hospital/ Decipher the Perplexing Code

Nightfall/ First Fit of Jealousy

Underground Tennis Tournament: The Campbelldon

The Unwavering Path

The Role of a Mother and Wife/ Shopping with Friends

First Contact

Follow Mama and Papa

Bond's Strategy to Stay Alive/ Damian's Field Research Trip

Mission and Family

The Pastry of Knowledge/ The Informant's Great Romance Plan II

Plan to Cross the Border

The Fearsome Luxury Cruise Ship

Who Is This Mission For?

The Symphony Upon the Ship

The Hand That Connects to the Future

Enjoy the Resort to the Fullest/ Bragging About Vacation

Berlint in Love/ Nightfall's Daily Life

Part of the Family

Movie: Spy × Family Code: White (Japan: December 22, 2023, theatrical release in the United States (and the rest of North America): April 19, 2024)

part 1: reviewing+dessert recipe

Facts & Opinion:

first announcement, second announcement

(1), (2), (3), (4), (5) Twilight/ Loid Forger (Part 1/?), (6), (7) Twilight/Loid Forger (Part 2/?)

spoilers for (5), spoilers for (8)

Chapter 96 opinion, Chapter 97 & 98 (Part 1/3), Chapter 103, Chapter 104, Chapter 106+continue family dinner, Chapter 107 (pt1), Chapter 103 (1), Chapter 108

SPECIAL ONLY!!! Did you know?(+poll below)

Google forms: Spy x Family analysis: A small survey, SPY x FAMILY: Questions of choices~ (yeah currently not hyped for any forms)

Arts:

Christmas 2022 Thank you 37 followers, Christmas 2023 (main blog)

Update my OC as spies (Spoilers 1), Post before official art coming out, OC art spies+Bonus, OC doodles, silly doodles when they rest, Old+new+silly OC doodles, Some other doodlez

SxF (ft. FNF MFM) (Pinterest), SxF (ft. FNF MFM) (Twitter), Anya and Yuri tutor funny vid, Wedding (X)

Uni life pt1: Microscope on shallot's epidermal cell, (Not) uni life pt2: Update drawing progress (will I stop?)

Happy birthday to me (18)

Polls: Anya Forger or the Garden, OC art spy edition, (Spoilers 2) OCs: hair colors, What post should I continue working on first?, Should I do analysis for Dandadan?(from special only!)

Ask box: The Desmonds and Project + addition in reblog, Question about Desmond's eyes

Help request: Drafts posts & Art collaborations!!!

Other cool stuff ig lol: (911 posts) funny meme (?), Instructions if you can't click the links above, Some important news that might affect my future, Sh*tpost abt the instruction, Spot logo difference?, Sh1tp0st rly wut the helm?, My ALL 3 MIGHTY!!!, update my temporary pin post

I have added the link of the posts above so you can look for them much easier. Moreover, please check other reblog posts from other Spy × Family fans as they also go deep in the anime and manga and "contribute" to the Anime World of Art with amazing artworks of Spy × Family.

Thank you for 135 followers everyone!~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author(me)'s words: Don't worry, I don't change anything much from the pin post. I just remake it, since there are some weird errors (?) when I tried to update and change the pin post (I posted it on June 21 2022)

-> Pin post Vietnamese version

[cactustreesmotel]

Happy birthday to Clouds, released on May 1st, 1969! 🌥

1. D.H., "Recordings of Special Merit," Stereo Review, September 1969. Accessed through jonimitchell.com. // 2. Clouds album cover, painted by Joni Mitchell, 1969. // 3. D.H., "Recordings of Special Merit." // 4. madraven07, comment under "Joni Mitchell - Clouds (Full Album)" on YouTube, 2024. // 5. Min S. Yee, "Pressed-Flower Child: Joni Mitchell Grew Up With Love for Words," Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey), September 6, 1969, p. 50. Accessed through newspapers.com. // 6. Yee, "Pressed Flower Child," photographer uncredited. // 7. "Joni Mitchell Brings Music of Songs to Kleinhans Dec. 13," The Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York), December 3, 1969, p. 64. Accessed through newspapers.com. // 8. Joni Mitchell, "I Think I Understand," Clouds, 1969. // 9. eBay listing, "JONI MITCHELL rare LP." // 10. Robb Baker, "The Sound," Chicago Tribune, June 22, 1969, p. 13. Accessed through newspapers.com. // 11. promotional poster for Joni Mitchell's homecoming concert in Saskatoon, March 14, 1969. Accessed through jonimitchell.com. // 12. Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now," Clouds, 1969.

[choicesfandomappreciation]

Countdown to 2024!

This blog is officially 3 years old! The first event I hosted was the end of the year countdown as a way to look back and remember all the good things we enjoyed as a fandom in the previous year (as a way to hold on to the good even when Covid had taken so much). So I'm bringing it back for the third year!

Prompts

Please note the countdown number in the prompts is just for fun. You can use that number, more or less, whatever you prefer.

⭐️ December 28: 4 artists or artworks that brought you cheer

⭐️ December 29: 3 writers or stories that made this year bright

⭐️ December 30: 2 edits, moodbaords, social media stories that made you smile

⭐️ December 31: 1+ fandom friendships that made you feel special

*BONUS* ⭐️ January 01: What are you looking forward to in 2024? (this can be Choices stories/books, your own creations, etc) Do you have any creative goals for yourself in 2024?

⭐️ End of Year/2023 Year in Review: Share a summary post of your creations in 2023

Entries will be accepted through January 6

Guidelines + How to Participate

Please make sure you tag @choicesfandomappreciation in any posts you make or share so I can reshare them. You may also use the tag: "choices countdown to 2024"

You can post your countdown as lists on your blog (tag this blog so I can reblog/share) or if you prefer anon, feel free to submit it here.

However, I also encourage you to support the original posts that you enjoyed. Reblog them, leave new comments, or share the creator's masterlist highlighting the parts you enjoyed most.

The number is just for fun, you are welcome to include more or less than the daily “guide” number

You are welcome to self-promote. If your favorite artwork is one of yours, reshare it, tag the blog! If you want to post your personal 3 favorite stories and 3 from other writers, go for it. The goal is to remember things that brought you joy this year! If you are proud of your work, reshare it! I’m happy to promote whatever has brought you joy, because we can all use a little more of that!

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions to make it better! I look forward to a great event!

[zedecksiew]

THE BLOGGIES 2023: NOMINATIONS OPEN

If tabletop roleplaying games were a hydra, blogs would definitely be one of its heads.

Probably the smartest, zaniest one? The one with the unexpected ideas; the silliest quips; the most devious schemes; the most profound observations.

The OSR / post-OSR style of play arose on blogs. I was inspired to make roleplaying games because of a blog post (this one, by Patrick Stuart, specifically).

Beyond the actual playing of games with friends, blogs are the most important part of TTRPGs, to me.

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Last year, Prismatic Wasteland hosted the inaugural Bloggies.

64 excellent posts from across the TTRPG blogosphere were considered. A celebration of our community, our psychic brain-trust---the many heads of this, our TTRPG beast.

All the nominees are worth perusing. Winners list here.

My post, "D&D's Obsession With Taxonomy", won Best Blog Post of 2022. (Thank you, everybody who voted!)

Because I won, it falls to me to host this year's Bloggies.

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Nominations are now open for the BLOGGIES 2023!

Is there a blogpost about TTRPGs from the past year (December 2022 to December 2023) that you think deserves attention and recognition?

Tell me about it! Drop a link to it, tell me why you like it, tell me which category it falls under:

Theory---broad criticism, observation, and analysis about TTRPGs (its cultures, its aesthetics and texts, its politics, etc);

Gameable---cool stuff (monsters, subsystems, bits of design, etc) you could grab and add to your own games;

Advice---ideas, tricks, and procedures for making your games better / easier / more fun, basically adding to the play-culture;

Review---specific criticism of specific books / games / systems / adventures / products.

Drop your nominations in the comments below, or in this Xwitter thread, or wherever else you can get in touch with me on the Internet. Do this before the end of 31 December 2023.

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How BLOGGIES 2023 Will Work

Here's how I am thinking of running things:

25 Dec 2023 - 31 Dec 2023: Nominations open!

1 Jan 2024: Nominees shortlist announced!

First week Jan 2024: Public voting for Best Theory Post!

Second week Jan 2024: Public voting for Best Gameable Post!

Third week Jan 2024: Public voting for Best Advice Post!

Fourth week Jan 2024: Public voting for Best Review Post!

First week Feb 2024: Final round of voting for Best Blog Post Of 2023!

"Imperfection is a feature, not a bug, of blogging," as Warren said about the Bloggies, last year. I am but a single person. I will be copying much of his methodology.

I will be whittling down the nominations I receive to a shortlist of 64 posts (16 per category bracket), via personal judgment. No blog will be represented more than once per category---except for reviews (3 posts per blog).

Public voting for each category will happen in four rounds (16 / 8 / 4 / finals). Winners in each category will face off in a four-way vote for Best Blog Post.

Voting will most likely happen on Twitter, same as last year. (I am loathe to do this, but Twitter is still the social-media network most TTRPG people are on, sadly. But am also considering Google Forms. Thoughts?)

Month-long voting gives us the space to celebrate / argue over all the work our community has turned out this year---and gives me time to create prizes. (Am thinking of making linocut prints, inspired by the winning posts.)

Finals being announced in February just before the Lunar New Year justifies the header art above---as the Year of the Rabbit gives way to the Year of the Dragon.

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Here we go here we go here we go!

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Tumblr Top 5 and Creator Top 5

It's that time of year again! We will be hosting this event again in 2023, but with a couple changes:

This year, both writers and artists can highlight their works - and if you're both - yes, you can have two separate entries.

In the past, it was Top 3; this year, we're making it Top 5.

For those who are unfamiliar with the event, here are last year's lists: 2022 Tumblr Top 3 | 2022 Writer (Creator) Top 3

All creators can participate! Please see instructions below. Entries must be sent as instructed! Thank you!

THIS IS TWO SEPARATE EVENTS:

Tumblr Top 3 5 (here is last year's)

Creator's Pick Top 3 5 (here is last year's)

You can choose to participate in one or both.

TUMBLR TOP 5:

Your top 5 fics or artworks based on Tumblr notes.

You can wait for your Tumblr-Year-in-Review, which will be available in December, to determine your top 5, or...

If you're like me, your top 5 posts may not be fics. So how do you know? There are a couple ways: Use JetBlackCode Tumblr Top 10 (be sure to set parameters to 2023) Or simply use your best judgment and guestimate!

CREATOR'S PICK TOP 5:

This is completely up to you - it doesn't matter if it got 1 or 100 notes - send us your 5 favorite fics/creations of the year. Remember, these are YOUR creations, not fics/art created by others.

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY! You must follow these instructions for your entries to be accepted.

To participate in one or both events, please follow these instructions:

Please send links for your top 5 fics/creations via DM (direct message) to @jerzwriter between now and Saturday, December 23, 2023.

Be sure to provide the following: 1) Your blog name (if different than the one you're sending the DM from) 2) Links to the top 5 fics/creations and clearly state if they are part of the Tumblr Top 5 or Creator's Top 5. 3) Make sure to note which fic/creation is #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Please, please, please do this! Please. 😊 This is a time-intensive project, and this will cut back on that a lot!

You do not need to participate in both events, but if you just wish to be in one, clearly state which you want to participate in.

The lists will be posted in early January 2024. If you have any questions, send us an ask or send a message to @jerzwriter.

WE WILL SELECT OUR JANUARY 2024 CREATOR OF THE MONTH AND MC / OC OF THE MONTH FROM THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT!

[putschki1969]

Hi Puts!!

I hope you’re doing well! Thank you for always sharing information about pretty much everything, along your thoughts. After every event I always look forward to reading your reviews/comments.

You’ve pretty much inspired me to learn Japanese (along with the girls)! I’m even studying abroad in Japan this fall!! My exact days are August 22 - December 22.

I wasn’t sure I would be able to go until quite late (my program sucks at communications info) so I’ve been busy dealing with preparing to go to Japan, that I haven’t applied or bought any tickets! (Pretty much panicking at this point since I don’t know when I’ll be back).

Unfortunately YK vol.#20 tour ends before I arrive which I’m so depressed about since I loved every setlist (especially with Hikaru now performing T_T) (hoping she has more performances). Thankfully there’s still Wakana’s Classics, but I’m trying to figure that out still.

I was wondering if you knew any upcoming performances where there’s a good chance I can buy tickets still (whether online or at door) or have any advice on what I should do? I know there’s the Highway Star Party event but I’m not really interested in that. I will have a japanese phone number, address, and residency card so hopefully even the trickier tickets don’t cause any problems.

Also is there anywhere you suggest I visit? Restaurants and food? I plan to do a deep search and visit places the girls have mentioned ^ ^, more specifically around Tokyo.

Anyways, sorry for the long post/ask. Thank you for everything you’ve done!!

Hello there!

Thank you for this lovely message! And wow! That sounds amazing! I hope you'll have a great time in Japan.

What a shame though that you won't make it in time for the last YKL Vol#20 performance with Hikaru as guest vocalist. As of right now, I don't think they are planning to add any more dates for Japan. They have been known to announce at least one or two additional performances for Tokyo in the past but this year, it looks like they will end the main portion of the tour this weekend in Saitama. However, there are four concerts scheduled for November in China, Thailand and Malaysia. Chances are high that Hikaru will be invited as guest vocalist for these. Keep an eye out for any updates on that! We don't have any details yet but if you get the chance to go on a short weekend trip, I'd definitely recommend you get yourself a ticket and check out one of those places.

Overseas Performances YKL Vol.#20 Tour The performances are scheduled for November 2024. YK and her team will be returning to Shanghai (China), and will be performing for the first time in Guangzhou (China), Bangkok (Thailand), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

It may be a bit too late for this but you should 100% try to get a ticket for Keiko's upcoming fan club event! Just a few days ago, they announced a second lottery round so there's still a chance to apply for tickets until August 4! I don't know if you are a member of Keiko's FC but you could technically still register and hopefully finish the procedure in time to take part in the ticket lottery. Please note though that you'll probably need help from someone in Japan when using Lawson Ticket.

『KEIKO fan meeting chocolate meating #4』 Date: September 7, 2024 (Sat) Venue: TIAT SKY HALL 1st (Day): Open 14:00 /Start 14:30 2nd (Evening): Open 17:30 / Start 18:00　

Aside from possibly joining the YKL Vol#20 Asia tour leg, Hikaru will also be holding her very own solo tour during the winter time. Again, we don't have any details yet but once further infos get announced, I recommend you get your hands on a couple of tickets for one or two of those concerts. The Toyama live in particular is something I'd aim for if you want to have the best possible experience. Also a great opportunity to explore Hikaru's hometown

Hikaru Solo Tour 2024/25 -2024- 24/11/30 (Sat) Toyama 24/12/07 (Sat) Aichi 24/12/14 (Sat) Miyagi 24/12/21 (Sat) Kyoto 25/02/11 (Tue) Tokyo

The FC ticket lotteries for Wakana Classics are already over but there will be other options available soon. Last year, ticket playguide lotteries for non-FC members took place in October (with a subsequent regular sale) so I expect the same to happen this year. Just be patient a little while longer. They will most likely launch a dedicated webpage on the BSFuji website with some more infos on the concert and where to get tickets.

『Wakana Classics 2024 (tbd)』 Date/Time: 2024/12/18; Start 18:30~ Venue: Hamarikyu Asahi Hall

As for food and restaurants, that's very difficult for me to answer because I typically try to visit places that the girls have recently been to (I guess it's more of a spontaneous thing?). I do my best to keep track of all the good spots but it's a struggle T_T I suck at everything that's related to locations. However, you can check out my MEDIA posts on Twitter to see pictures of some of the spots I've already visited. I usually add a little description to my tweets so you should be able to figure out which places I'm talking about.

Three very popular Kalafina pilgrimage places are definitely Tsurutontan Roppongi (from an old blog post), La Maison Kioi (from a SPICE interview) and Shinagawa Aquarium (from a FC Harmony feature). Here's a blog post where I talk about visiting all three of them. One day, I want to eat at all the gyoza restaurants that Wakana has recommended in her fan club magazines but that's actually not so easy since most of those places are tiny and require a reservation.

You should also try to make short day trips to Ishikiri-Sanmyaku and Oya History Museum (best done with a group of locals or fellow fans). Both are beautiful locations which were used for various music videos (Kalafina's "Hyakka Ryouran", Hikaru's "Alterna-ate-", Kalafina's "Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa", Wakana's "Butterfly Dream").

Sorry I can't provide a better list but hopefully, this will help at least a little bit.