#they plan to give their month page to their significant others

[frogaroundandfindout]

Firefighter Nightwing lives eternal in my heart of hearts

[azlrse]

hello, can I request boyfriend gush for Malleus please?

[boyfriend gush/drabble: malleus draconia]

cw: spelling errors (pls do tell so that i'll fix itt) pure fluff & slight book 7 spoilers

a/n: wrote this while in a boring family function lmfaoo (maybe leona is next on the list)

malleus didn't expect that the one creature who would took his heart is none other than (m/c) themselves. if the princess of briar valley is alive along with her own husband, malleus would say that the both of them would be in a state of shock; skeptical even that their own son would chose a magicless human as his lover. his own mother would disapprove of you but for the sake of her son's happiness, she would accept you.

his grandmother on the other hand, is on the same page as her deceased daughter but over the course of time, maleficia saw you as her own and accepted you into the family.

he is also the type of fae who is deeply in love with them so much that he could get mad if someone would bad-mouthed them. malleus also remembered on how he confided into his caretaker, lilia, regarding his feelings for you. a romantic feeling to be percise. upon seeing and realizing on how malleus's eyes enlightened whenever he talks about you for months, lilia is delighted and excited to hear that malleus finally found true love on his own. he even encourages him to court you the way his own kind does.

when he does court you, he is surprised to see that you accepted his gifts but quite oblivious on what he's indicating. for you, these gifts are his way to thanking you for being his friend but for the prince, it's his way of saying that he's in love with you and wants your hand to be his significant other. this excruciating shenanigan went on for months until sebek had to intervene through a letter.

the student even pointed out that malleus is deeply in love with the prefect and couldn't shake off on how solemn his face looks after giving you another trinket but didn't say anything other than "thanks", thinking that you rejected his own feelings for you.

you felt really bad and immediately ran towards the diasomnia dorm just to apologize to the headwarden, mistaking his gifts as simple souvenirs and reminded him that this is the first time a fae courted you without actually knowing it. malleus also apologizes that you didn't know these acts of courtship because of you being a human and are unfamiliar of the said acts.

for your first date (you introduced that concept to your fae boyfriend), malleus invited you to sightseeing gargoyles in different locations within the school. malleus isn't used to explaining gargoyles and dragons to someone due to the latter's lack of interest but to you, you listened tentively and stared into his eyes as he introduced you to different statues. you didn't know a thing about statues but seeing how malleus explained each and every single statue puts you in a trance on how handsome he looks.

if (m/c) is the type of person who loves whole cakes, malleus would be amazed on how you ate lots and lots of cakes and not having heartburns nor a stomach ache. malleus knows that he despised those pastries due to an incident that took place sometime in his life. for him, (m/c) is known to be a sweet tooth and takes notes that he could give you cakes and sweets from his kingdom if you plan on visiting.

over the course of him dating you, this guy would occasionally scare you to bits by surprising you; malleus appearing in front of you out of nowhere, hanging upside down and surprising you (like how lilia does) and even hugging you from behind. he likes it on how skittish you are and the way you hit his arm as he laughs at you. he would apologize to you if he scared you to an extent or making you uncomfortable due to his antics.

he's also the one who gave you your first kiss. during one of your walks, you mentioned that you dated for quite sometime but didn't receive any kisses from him. at first, malleus thinks that giving you cheek kisses are enough but you murmured that you haven't got your first kiss on the lips. unfortunately, he heard the said plea and asked you if you really wanted that kissed.

you nodded and puckered your lips, preparing for his lips of touch yours when all of the sudden, he dips you down and kisses you. you were surprised, yes, but quickly melted into the kiss as you placed both of your hands into his face. malleus really likethe way you hid your face with your hands and the said kiss. he didn't say anything but placed a chaste kiss on your forehead as you recovered from the surprise kiss your boyfriend gave you.

note: want this but with your twst character? send me an ask!! <33

Do not republish, edit, or repost to other websites.

Reblogs and likes are appreciated! 💕

[its-jaytothemee]

A Blanket of Bear

Read on AO3

Word count: 1,098 one shot

Tags: Halsin x reader, fluff, fluff without plot, ear nibbles, soft Halsin

Summary: Halsin refuses to take a break since the two of you returned to Thaniel's Realm. Luckily for him, you always know what he wants without him needing to ask.

A/N: Just some more Halsin fluff that nobody asked for but you all definitely need. A quick one shot from a prompt in a discord server. Enjoy some tooth-rotting marshmallow fluff and ear nibbles.

Bedtime must have been an ordeal tonight.

You sit in your bed, book in hand, waiting for Halsin to finish his nightly rounds with the children. Normally, you’d be there helping but he insisted you get the evening off. The past week or so had been a long one. Two of the old buildings in Reithwin were crumbling beyond repair, causing a significant delay in rebuilding. On top of that, a couple of the children dared each other to eat spoiled mushrooms, causing a fever to spread through many of them. Then today, you found out that the new berry patch you had started a few weeks ago had been infected with a blight and had to be burned away.

You’d really hoped to have fresh berries to top the honey cake you planned to make for Halsin’s birthday.

Over the sound of the fire crackling in front of you, you hear the soft clack of your cottage’s door opening and closing. The familiar sound of his footsteps causes you to mark the page you were reading before setting it to the side. Not a moment later, Halsin is standing in the doorway.

“My heart.” He has a tired smile on his face, his eyes look heavy, and his shoulders are drooping.

“What is it, love?” You hold your hand out, inviting him closer.

“Just the fatigue of an old druid trying to keep up with eighty-some children.” He takes a deep breath before coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Then you should have let me help you.” You reach out and gently stroke his back. “You know, I could always give you an evening off as well. I’d say you more than deserve it.”

“Oh no, that’s not necessary. Besides, I shudder to think what chaos the children will cause should I fail to deliver a bedtime story.” His affectionate chuckle makes you feel warm from head to toe. He would never admit it, but he was tired. As much as he adored the children in their care and how much he believed in their cause of building this community, he just wouldn’t admit that the past months had also exhausted him to the bone.

“I can tell stories! I’ve told many, you may remember.” You cross your arms, a playful scowl clouding your face.

“Yes, usually with my help if I’m not mistaken.” He smiles that perfect smile at you, the one that makes your heart flutter, and your cheeks redden.

“Well, you do have the best voices for the monsters, my love.”

He leans over and presses his forehead to yours before placing a light kiss on your lips.

“You’re so sweet to worry about me, my heart. But this task was one I decided for myself, for us. I owe it to you and everyone else here to see it through.”

“Halsin,” you reach up to tuck a runaway hair behind his ear, “you don’t have to be everything for everyone every second of the day. You’ve spent more than enough time feeling responsible for others. Let someone take care of you for once.”

“Well, that’s what I have you for, is it not? The only person in a century to give me the chance to sit and enjoy nature once again.” He kisses the back of your hand before staring back into your eyes. Those gorgeous, hazel eyes have seen every part of you, loved every part of you.

“Of course.” You smile back at him, knowing exactly what he wants right now, although he’s never willing to ask it of you.

You scoot back in the bed to lean against the headboard, a pillow propped behind your back for comfort. A knowing grin tugs at his lips from the movement. You hold your arms out, inviting him to come lay against you. He turns his back to you, snuggling himself between your legs, laying his head on your chest.

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, letting your hands rest on his chest. He takes a few deep breaths as he relaxes into your embrace. With every stroke of your hand across his torso, he melts further into you. You slowly trace your fingers around his shoulders, the lines and grooves memorized from your nights together. He mirrors the light touches on your thighs, sending shivers throughout your body.

Halsin nestles himself further in between your legs, his warm body a comforting weight pinning you down. You know that if you can get him to relax just a little further, he’ll easily drift into a trance in your arms.

You continue your gentle massaging, easing the tension in his muscled shoulders and earning you soft, content sighs. When you run your hands through his hair he leans further into your touch.

“My heart?” He asks with the tired tone of a child fighting a nap.

“Yes, my bear?”

“Would you…” He trails off, still not willing to ask for anything for himself. You smile to yourself, thankful that you know what he wants without him needing to ask.

You pull him closer to you, once again wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders. Despite his size, he always feels so much smaller when you hold him like this. Like he shrinks himself down to fit into your embrace better. You lean forward a little so you can press a kiss into the skin where his hair meets his neck, just behind his ear. Slowly, you move your lips to his ear, grazing them up and down the edge, every now and then pausing to nip in the spots he liked – the pointed tip, the lobe. Your gentle nibbles cause little bumps to rise up all over his skin. You let your lips wander up and down his neck before coming back to his ears, those perfect kissable ears. Alternating between kissing and nipping his earlobes and nuzzling your face into his hair and neck, you hear his breathing slow down and you notice his eyelids have stopped fluttering.

 “I love you, Halsin.” You lean forward just a little more to whisper the words to him.

A small murmur escapes his lips, cutting through his trance to make sure you know he feels the same. “I love you, my heart.”

He may not be willing to take an evening off yet, but you can sleep soundly next to him knowing how relaxed he is in your arms. Knowing that at least for tonight, he’ll rest.

And how lucky for you to fall asleep with your loving bear as a blanket.

[frownyalfred]

But how would Bruce sweep in to help the Kents without raising suspicion on himself? Even if he did it anonymously, theres few people in Gotham that could have the power to so quickly get them out of the public eye. And if he does it publicly, I'm assuming he claims he was doing it to protect the JL as Bruce publicly funds them? Or would he essentially release a statement saying that as a close friend of Clark Kent, he wishes to protect him from the media as he of all people knows how vicious they can be? Idk, I completely agree that Bruce would be the one to get them out, the question is just how?

My heart also breaks for Clark because this is obviously one of the last things he ever wanted to occur. Superman's love for humanity is obvious to everyone and the loss of his civilian identity destroys any chance of him being able to interact with them outside of his superhero identity. Its one thing having to wait for something in the media to 'blow over' but this isn't your everyday politic scandal or other media story, this is the reveal of the man behind one of the Trinity itself, the reveal of Superman. It could easily take months before it stops being the front page cover of every newspaper and after that, what then? How do they move forward?

And all of this doesn't even begin to consider the guilt Clark would feel for ruining Lois and the kids' lives. Everyone would reassure him it wasn't his fault but Clark would obviously take responsibility for this, telling himself he should have been more careful, more secretive, more vigilant. That as a result of his lack of caution, he'd ruined any chance his kids and Lois had at a (somewhat) normal life. I feel like I could even see him being embarrassed to accept Bruce's help, chastising himself for not planning for contingencies like Bruce had.

Sorry to dump all this on you, I'm just so intrigued by the aftermath of the reveal itself.

No it’s a very valid question! In that media/public world, getting them out of the public eye as quickly as possible is the number one priority. That doesn’t need to be attributed to Bruce right away, or even at all — the Kents (all of them) disappear as quickly as possible. They fly to an agreed-upon rendezvous or they are taken there by private security hired by Bruce.

Once there, that’s when the PR shitstorm hits. Superman and his family are found out, maybe there were a few brief videos of them leaving or being escorted out of their workplace (Lois) or flying away from their school (Jon) but nothing long, nothing conclusive.

The media cycle begins. Interviews with the Kent’s’ friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc proliferate the news. Everyone is cashing in on what they can. Bruce, if he’s smart, has Clark and his family locked down somewhere they can’t watch television and is handling the response on his own.

But the reality is, there is not much Bruce CAN do, for the reasons you mentioned. Publicly tying himself to Superman and his family puts WE under greater scrutiny. Coming out in defense of Clark’s lies suggests he 1) knew about them and 2) approves of Superman’s decision to hide from the public.

I’m not sure that conversation between friends will go well. Bruce telling Clark there’s no way to return to their previous lives, not without significant security risks (not to mention the social strain) and Clark spiraling as he realizes he’s inadvertently taken away his Ma’s knitting circle, Lois’ job, Jon’s school.

It’s all different now. If he’s lucky, Bruce has plans to funnel them into a sort of witness protection, maybe in a few years when things settle down. But that would mean splitting them up — and that’s non negotiable. Even keeping Ma and Pa together is a stretch. They’re too easily recognizable.

I imagine maybe Bruce can give them a sort of asylum in the Watchtower, operating outside of any Earth’s jurisdiction. But that puts scrutiny on the Justice League instead. And Bruce is the kind of person to keep the JL autonomous and take the heat on WE if needed — even if he never mentions it.

There are things that Bruce would need to step in on: connections starting to be made between himself and Clark, accusations of Clark not being a US citizen (and Jon too, but because he’s an alien) and Lois for lying to the US government. Accusations that the Justice League was culpable in any way for Superman’s civilian actions. Scrutiny on WE and how much Bruce Wayne knows or should know, or how his funding is connected to a JL that is now under investigation etc.

But yes: I think Bruce could get them out and hidden without tipping his hand. But everything else, yeah, he would need to step into the spotlight at least a little. And he would do that for Clark, because that’s his friend. He’s had this complex series of contingencies ready since…maybe Clark and Lois’ engagement?

Having been in some PR crises, you need a Bruce. Someone not affected directly and cool/calm enough to speak to media, move people around, and make judgement calls. Clark is lucky he has such a friend, even if he’s beating himself up over his own actions and missteps.

I have more (probably more coherent) thoughts about this, but that’s my initial reaction — Bruce gets them out fine, but next steps are very, very complicated. And things won’t ever be normal again.

[losergames]

Chop Shop is strictly 18+ for language, themes, and potential explicit content. 

🔗 - Game Intro | Bug Report | ko-fi

WE ARE LIVE!!! Chop Shop has officially relaunched on Itch.io! Available to play on desktop, tablet and mobile.

Prologue - EP .02 are ready to play - the same as the previous demo - with a new word count of 120k. The choicescript demo will be taken down at the end of the month.

Thank you so much to those who have helped me during this transition period of development! It has been crazy frustrating but I am so much more in love with the game than ever. And thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting - hope you enjoy all the new bits and bobs!!

PLAY THE NEW DEMO NOW!

AN: CS has had some significant rejigging and rewriting. You can read the authors notes under the cut.

chop shop now has it's own UI! woohoo! (totally did not kill me) this, of course, will come with teething problems and accessibility issues. i am welcome to constructive feedback!

there are a lot of new dialog boxes to explore, especially the dashboard, which includes the PC's profile, inventory, contacts and a glossary page. (the stat definitions page from the old choicescript demo has been scrapped, too much text that wasn't needed.)

chapters are now called episodes! not a huge change but i prefer the vibe yknow.

there have been some extensive rewrites - especially in ep .01, the bar scene got a lot more fleshing out - so i expect typos and grammar errors have slipped through. this doesn't bother me too much but i appreciate any one who spots them to send them in!

there is now an 'end game' scenario in ep. 01. i won't be providing a walkthrough as i think it's relatively obvious given the scenario but it does give you an achievement!

i've kept achievements like the old choicescript demo but it no longer rewards points. maybe i will think of something to reward the player with later down the line?? who knows

i don't want to explain ALL the new details as i really encourage people to go find all the new flavour text and other things etc!!

next -- if you have not noticed, i have added a bug report to the links list. all issues, bugs, and errors found in the public demo can now be reported via the new bug report form.

in terms of writing, i am now porting episode 3. i have had rewrite plans for this chapter for a while, so i imagine this port will take some time. i was in the middle of writing episode 4 when i decided to make the twine jump lmao, so it hasn't been touched for a LONG time, probably since march. i plan to jump straight back into writing when episode 3 is all done!

like before, ep 3 won't be released until ep 4 has a first draft and i'm happy with the shape and direction. so it will be some time before i am able to release new content. but - we ball!

thank you for reading this far and i hope you enjoy the new and improved demo! happy reading! - becky :^)

[mythaura-blog]

Development Update - December 2023

Hi folks, a very Happy New Year to you!

In the spirit of new beginnings, Mythaura has entered a new chapter in its development, which we detail in our December development update. We also take time to review what was accomplished in 2023 (our first full calendar year with Mythaura!).

We've also got our color contest winners, the winning Fighter companion, and much, much more. And of course: our demo is now live! We're so excited for you to traverse the Wild Area, a procedurally generated map with monsters for your team of three Beasts to defeat.

Demo Trailer

Message From The Developers

We're thrilled to share this pivotal update about Mythaura’s development journey, which showcases many of the core features we have planned for this game. Today marks a significant transition: we're shifting from the intricate and challenging phase of game engine development to the exciting realm of feature development.

Since beginning this project, our focus has been on scoping and then crafting robust and core components. Features such as wild areas, battle, and multiplayer systems, not to mention the complex breeding system, passive effect management, player inventory system, and the beast image engine. We've also been diligently integrating these elements with complex user interfaces and ensuring they will work on most devices (an ever ongoing battle). It's been a journey of overcoming unknowns and technical challenges, and we're proud of what we've achieved.

Now, we're entering a new chapter. Our attention turns to fleshing out the game's features, with a special focus on developing an immersive questing and dialogue system, towns & shops, skill trees & progression, and tools for content development among other needed feature development. The hardest challenges have by and large been solved at this stage and our focus can now be how to best deliver an amazing gaming experience by bringing them together. This shift doesn't mean the work is done—far from it. But it's a major milestone that brings us closer to realizing our vision for the game.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and enthusiasm, and look forward to a jam packed 2024.

Year In Review

This year has been marked by numerous milestones. Below is a recap of our key accomplishments, excluding the latest updates which have been a major focus of our efforts for the past several months.

1. Introduction of 'Supers': Enhanced breeding complexity by introducing 'Supers' as a new mechanic, making well-structured breeding projects more valuable. We started with the debut of our first Super: Tegu.

2. Special Additions: Welcomed the special Panda to our list of Specials.

3. Expressions for Beasts: Implemented expressions for beasts, a significant and ongoing undertaking that gives life to your beasts as they interact with NPCs.

4. Elements System: Introduced the Elements system, assigning each beast a pair of inherent elements. An element page was added that delves into the lore of each element.

5. Beast Sizes: Standardized beast sizes, assigning each beast a unique size within its species' range.

6. Beast Classes: Initial build of beast classes, providing each beast with a class-based playstyle and initial items.

7: Radiant Companions: Unveiled Radiant companions, rare alternate colorations for companions that are bound to be highly sought-after.

8: Deep Dive into Seasons: Explored the planned feature 'Seasons', designed to reward ongoing gameplay.

9: The Weekend Traveler: Designed the Kobold NPC known as the Weekend Traveler, who deals in ultra-rare goods, along with the Kobold non-player species.

10. New Colors on the Wheel: Established a sustainable method to introduce new colors to our color palette, allowing us to add 16 new colors this year (including the 3 contest winners).

11. Ephemeral Inks: Introduced Ephemeral Inks, a way to alter the colors of a beast.

12. Color Wheel Page: Created a dedicated page listing colors and corresponding inks.

13. PvP Battle Demo: Rolled out a demo showcasing our multiplayer technology in PvP battles.

14. Mutations Feature: Added Mutations as a rare breeding-only feature, beginning with our first Mutation: Piebald.

15. Items By You: Crafted 11 sponsored companions (excluding recolors), 5 sponsored apparel pieces, and 2 sponsored items.

16. New Game Engine: Designed a render pipeline that can create the 2.5D effects used in Wild Areas during exploration. Including, but not limited to, dynamic shadows, volumetric fog, real-time lighting, collision detection, special & particle effects, and gravity simulation, all accelerated by your GPU.

17. Granular Settings: Created a UI to manage game settings, graphics settings, audio settings, etc as well as added gamepad support with keybind remapping to Wild Areas.

18. Procedural Map Generation: Developed technology to procedurally generate bespoke Wild Areas.

19. Ongoing Production: Work on ongoing behind-the-scenes features such as worldbuilding, map design, systems design, and the exploration features we showcased on this update!

UI Update

You may notice the UI has received an update. This redesign focuses on being accessible for players using controllers, which is something we are working towards supporting on all screens and not just the Wild Area demo. The about page has also been updated. All the links to informational pages you would have found in the left-side menu of the previous design can be found on the about page with the exception of the /species page, whose contents has been moved to the about page.

We have also added an install button to the homepage that will display for users who have browsers which support Progressive Web Apps. This will add Mythaura to your taskbar/home screen for easy full-screen access.

Mobile and tablet users may enable gyroscope to interact with the parallax graphics if they would like.

Feature Spotlight: Wild Area

Wild Areas are a key pillar of Mythaura’s gameplay, and will be where you can expect to spend a lot of your time.

At A Glance

Procedurally Generated Levels

Traverse through uniquely generated levels with your trio of beasts. Control your adventure with WASD for movement and Space for jumps and shift for sprint. This can be remapped in the settings.

Each Wild Area boasts a series of floors. Your goal? Reach the top (or bottom)!

Your Safe Havens: Checkpoint Floors

Leave the Wild Area without any penalties

Choose to start from any previously reached checkpoint.

Encounter formidable bosses or minibosses at many of these checkpoints.

Prepare for the Journey: The Adventure Bag

Your Adventure Bag is your lifeline. Pack it with essential items for survival and success.

Provision Wisely: Stock up and get ready to face the unknown.

Limited inventory space for both what you bring with you and what you find along the way.

Keep Your Energy Up

Your team's energy is key. Keep it replenished with food from your Adventure Bag or found on your journey.

Running out of energy or facing defeat? You’ll black out, dropping your Adventure Bag's contents. But don't worry, you can retrieve them by returning to your last stand.

Encounter the Unexpected

From unlocking treasure chests with lockpicks to aiding NPCs, each exploration offers unique surprises.

Day and Night Dynamics: Encounter different enemies and events. A full day/night cycle completes every 12 real hours.

Wild Areas have natural water bodies, perfect for a fishing escapade.

Escalating Challenges

Increase difficulty with each New Game+ cycle and encounter new enemies and challenging secret bosses.

Multiplayer Co-Op

Up to 3 players can group up to take on a Wild Area together.

Take on enemies as a group with co-op battles.

See your friends jump and move in realtime, split up to make the most of your exploration while keeping tabs on your team-mates through the text chat and the minimap.

Fledgeling’s Forest Demo

The demo features a single floor of the Fledgeling's Forest Wild Area, with unlimited energy.

Day/Night Slider: Experience any time of day at your convenience. (Note: Creatures that spawn remain the same in the demo)

Currently Disabled: Fishing, lockpicking, loot & foraging, multiplayer, and other events are not available in this demo.

NG+ Cycle Update

In last month's update we revealed our plans for Mythaura's New Game+ system. Originally, our plan allowed players from NG+2 and beyond to create any Tier 1-Tier 3 Beast.

We have since changed it so that at the beginning of a player's NG+2 cycle they may make a Tier 1-Tier 3 Beast with up to three Specials, but NG+3 and beyond will not feature any custom Beast creation. The player will instead have access to a pool of NG+3-exclusive items that they will receive items from.

Thank you to our Discord members for all their input, it provided us with a much better direction to move forward with!

Winter Quarter (2024) Concepts

It’s the first day of Winter Quarter 2024, which means we’ve got new Quarterly Rewards for Sponsors to vote on on our Ko-fi page!

Which concepts would you like to see made into official site items? Sponsors of Bronze level or higher have a vote in deciding. Please check out the Companion post and the Glamour post on Ko-fi to cast your vote for the winning concepts!

Votes must be posted by January 29, 2024 at 11:59pm PDT in order to be considered.

All Fall 2023 Rewards are now listed in our Ko-fi Shop for individual purchase for all Sponsor levels at $5 USD flat rate per unit. As a reminder, please remember that no more than 3 units of any given item can be purchased. If you purchase more than 3 units of any given item, your entire purchase will be refunded and you will need to place your order again, this time with no more than 3 units of any given item.

Fall 2023 Glamour: Ghastly Grin

Fall 2023 Companion: Saddleback Rattlecat

Fall 2023 Solid Gold Glamour: Ryu

Custom Color Contest Winners

Last month we revealed the names of the winning colors of our first ever Custom Color Contest--now they've made their official debut in the Beast Creator!

Congratulations again to:

Xander's "Moonstone"

Rhahatl's "Wintergrass"

Andydrarch's "Trench"

We were so impressed by all the amazing entries you all submitted. We'll definitely be running more contests like this in the future, so please stay tuned for them in future updates. Thank you all for participating!

Fighter Class Companion Winner

The brutish Domestic Wolverine will be the starting Companion for the Fighter Class! These brave and hardy creatures are perfectly suited to aiding new Fighters. Next month, we will vote on the next class companion: Rogue.

Meet the Team

We've gotten to learn so much about our supporters over the past year and a half, we thought it was time to share a little bit about ourselves as well! On our About page you can find short bios on each of the devs, including their favorite Mythaura species, color from our color wheel, and other fun and (very miscellaneous) facts.

Safari & iOS Problems

At this time, iOS devices like iPad and iPhone are only partially supported. These are the issues that the dev team is aware of and actively working on:

On iOs, Safari forces a refresh if the memory usage spikes, forcing you back to the demo start page. This happens at different times on different devices dependent on its RAM usage.

Sometimes when starting a battle, battlers start shifted down, then snap to the correct position after interacting with a button.

The zoom in on a beast image is pixelated (Safari bug: https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=27684).

On Mac Safari, battle animations showing with a black background. iOS is fine. Solution is to disable battle animations in the settings.

You will need to be running at least iOS 15 and Safari version 15 or greater in order to use Mythaura.

Mythaura v0.25.1

Improvements to AI Behavior: Improved target selection and behavior profiles for AI enemies.

Class Infrastructure Addition: Added new class infrastructure.

Stat Effects from Classes: Implemented functionality where classes affect stats.

Glamour CMS Process and Fixes: Updated and fixed issues related to the glamour content management system process.

Ability Usage Tracking: Implemented increments in the 'ability times used' counter, enhancing tracking of abilities' usage.

Policy Code Refactor: Conducted a significant refactor of policy-related code, improving efficiency and maintainability.

Item Actions Refactoring and Rename Feature: Refactored item actions and added a new feature to rename items, allowing users to name their companions.

Book Item Type Addition: Introduced a new item type - books, adding to the game's content.

Encounter and Description Fixes: Fixed issues with encounter metadata and corrected miss descriptions.

Shadow Maps Generation: Added tools that allow the system to generate shadow assets.

PHP 8.3 Compatibility Updates: Made updates to ensure compatibility with PHP 8.3.

Queue Configuration and Fixes: Improved the configuration of job queues and fixed related issues.

Fixes and Updates for Battler State: Addressed issues in practical testing and refined the battler state management.

Refactor of Current Effects: Refactored how current effects are stored and managed. Moved current effects to state and resolved turn resolution issues.

Map Generation and Space Management: Improved the map generator to add empty spaces when out of view.

Behavior Selection and Shadow Rendering Fixes: Fixed issues with behavior selection and shadow rendering in battle states.

Party Leader Management Updates: Implemented changes for setting new party leaders upon defeat.

Stat Resolution Enhancements: Updated the resolution of stats, improving the mechanics of stat calculations.

PvP and Demo Battle Fixes: Made fixes specifically for arena PvP and demo battles.

State Management and Pruning: Improved state management, including pruning data when no longer needed by the system.

Species Data Addition: Added species data to the about page.

Rest & Defend Action Health Gain: Resting no longer increases health but does recover more stamina. Defending no longer recovers stamina.

Remade Companion Page: Used the new scene component to improve usability and performance of companion page.

Adjusted Radiant Overlay: This fixes an issue Firefox users had with viewing radiant companions.

Updated Tooltips: Tooltips have been replaced with a more modern library.

Gyroscope Support: The game can use a devices gyroscope to move parallax scenes around.

Websocket Connection Updates: Ensures websockets get cleanly disconnected at the end of every battle.

Improved Hitboxes and Rendering: Objects no longer appear to "float" regardless of their size and their hitboxes have been refined.

Added Global Sound - App can now maintain music across different pages and the settings control master, sound effects, and music seperately.

Enhanced Settings - Greatly improved the number of modular settings a user can use in both graphics and gamepad.

Wild Area Game Pad Support - Wild areas now support game pag usage. Full game pad support is in progress.

Virtual Joystick - Touch screen devices can control movement with a virtual joystick.

General Cleanups and Tweaks: Conducted cleanups and minor tweaks across various parts of the system.

Thank You!

Our first full calendar year with Mythaura has been one primarily focused on foundation-building. We're so excited to use these systems that we have built to create the content that players will engage with as they travel throughout Mythaura. Again, a heartfelt thanks to those who have supported us through all of this--we really couldn't have done it without you. We hope to deliver an experience that you'll want to revisit again and again.

As always: we'll see you around the Discord!

[milk-ly]

Kotoko and her connection to Dante’s Inferno’s Satan

Disclaimer: This is just about symbolism and I know how it sounds but I promise I’m not trying to imply anything or demonize her! I love Kotoko! Ive just been repeatedly noticing details about the parallel for several months now and I just really want to bring it up! This is just an analysis of the details MILGRAM has provided for it. I’m incredibly sorry if I make a mistake!

Kotoko has a lot of parallels to Dante’s Inferno Satan, especially in relation to Es.

To make sure we’re all on the same page, Dante’s Inferno is a Christian poem that outlines the 9 circles of hell. MILGRAM directly references Dante’s Inferno by quoting it in all the t2 door arts.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter.” A quote derived from a sign at the gate of hell in the poem.

Each ring of Hell contains sinners with different levels of sins, and each ring’s sin was meant to be worse the further inside you go. Ive seen a couple theories that each prisoner correlates with a specific ring of hell. (Ex: Haruka is ring 1, Limbo; Yuno is ring 2, lust; etc)

But Dante’s Inferno only outlines 9 rings, what about our 10th prisoner, Kotoko?

While it could be that she’s again the “outsider” to the other prisoners, the last section of the 9th ring of Hell is significant because it is the center of Hell, containing Satan. So it could be reasonably argued that Kotoko correlates with it.

MILGRAM already has a TON of religious references. One that I’ve seen pointed out is how it seems the cover art of each novel is a reference to a famous Christian art piece.

The Es in each novel seems to be where Jesus relatively is. Remember that Jesus is both the son of God AND God. God gives sinners their judgements which sounds very similar to Es and how they're giving the prisoners (the human sinners) their verdicts.

Plus, the quote Milgram quotes is on the doors the prisoners are entering, and in Dante’s inferno, it’s on the gate of hell so you can compare or theorize that MILGRAM is a parallel to (or straight up is) purgatory. And Es, being the one who decides the verdict, parallels God.

Also, her t2 VD is named “YONAH,” which is the masculine version of the name Jonah. Not only does this relate to her themes of masculinity again, Jonah is a name that originates from Hebrew origins which means “dove.”

It is also a reference to the book of Jonah. A main theme of this book is “Jonah wants God to operate on his timeline [...] He wanted God to dole out punishment on his clock instead of according to God's plan. Yet God showed Jonah that in his infinite wisdom, he can't and will not be rushed.” Which is pretty much exactly what happens in YONAH, and also once again compares Es to God.

Dante’s Inferno’s Satan was an angel, a splendid being, apparently the most perfect of God's creatures… an “Angel of light.” We/Es deemed Kotoko innocent in t1. She had the highest innocent percentage in t1 too because a lot of people thought her murder was justified. You know, the most perfect of God’s creatures. The most perfect out of the prisoners.

“We really can work together.”

But then Satan tried to usurp God.

“If you don’t have the strength on your own, let me take care of it. Es! I can do it in MILGRAM!”

Kotoko wants to be the prison guard because Es isn’t capable in her eyes.

Satan was ultimately sent to Hell and punished as "the ultimate sinner" for his betrayal of trying to usurp God.

We are now punishing Kotoko for her attempts to judge the prisoners herself and “usurp” Es. It works even better now that she has the highest guilty percentage in all of MILGRAM so far as the “ultimate sinner.”

As a lot know, Fuuta also has tons of religious references too. (Ex. His VD is titled Baptism by Fire) By him also passing judgements onto people, you could say that he was trying to play God.

What is that saying about us, the audience, then? And our parallel/foil to Fuuta/Kotoko?

Dante’s Inferno as a whole is very much based around the idea of “evil will be punished,” which not only encapsulates Kotoko’s ideals but MILGRAM’s as well. It makes sense that MILGRAM says that Kotoko is a perfect parallel to the facility.

(I also wanna mention that there's something that could be said about the holy trinity in relation to Es + the audience + jackalope. For example, how Jesus is God in the flesh and Es is the audience "in the flesh," by acting as a personified version of us to interact with the "human sinnners" but I feel like I might be going into tinfoil hat territory.)

[kermahillway]

Update

Hey so it's been a little while. I wanted to give a little bit of an update on my hiatus. Not that it's super important but I thought I should mention this.

As of recent some plans have changed and a lot is happening in my life right now that is quite significant to my overall living conditions. All good I assure you but changes that WILL effect my ability to draw goodies. Which means my hiatus will last a LOT longer than I was expecting. I hit my depresso roadblock as well so I'll have to get that sorted which is very cool.

I also promised to give the Troll fans a final page of the web comic I was making but as things are going right now with all the laid of work I've been doing, that is unlikely to happen. I really don't want to get into something I am not motivated to do anymore. Trolls is no longer a fixation of mine and because of the whole reposting thing it has sort of steered me away from it unfortunately. HOWEVER! I have some stuff I have planned once I've gotten better. A little something you Trolls fans could take home and enjoy, maybe even stuff for other fandoms as well.

For now, expect me to be gone for at least another month or two :)

[em-dash-press]

8 Tips for Writing Crime Fiction

People love a good whodunit. It’s why there are so many crime fiction subgenres: detective fiction, courtroom fiction, thrillers, cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, and more. 

If you want to try your hand at a story centralized around a crime, you might wonder if you need detective experience or a lifetime in the actual crime world to make a great short story or novel.

Check out these tips to find out what you need to get started.

Tips for Writing Crime Fiction Stories

1. Read Crime Novels or Short Stories

When someone wants to become great at sports, they find a coach. When they want to start a new career path, they go to school or find a mentor.

If you want to write crime fiction and you’ve never tried it before, treat yourself to some new reading material. You can browse the latest crime novels or short story collections to see what readers can’t get enough of. As you read with the intention of studying the work through your writer’s eyes, you’ll learn how to pull a crime story together.

Pay attention to how the authors build tension, introduce new facts and pull characters together through the primary criminal act in the plot. Note whatever interests you or makes you excited to read the next page.

2. Pick Your Conflict

While you can have multiple types of conflict in a successful story, you should pick a primary conflict as your crime fiction plot device. The crime itself could kick off your story and push everything forward, or it could be what makes your story fall apart on purpose.

Will you write an interpersonal detective story or involve the criminals themselves? Maybe your narrative will center on a victim’s loved one who becomes your protagonist. Your primary conflict will shape your plot and help you create the best protagonist to carry your story.

3. Create Your Crime First

It’s not impossible to write a crime story without detailing the crime itself before you start writing—but it’s much easier. It’s especially important if you’re planning to write a novel because there are so many elements that rely on things like:

Who does the crime?

What is the crime?

When does it happen?

Why does it happen?

Where does it happen?

What’s the motivation for doing this crime (if any)?

What are the repercussions of this crime (for all of your involved characters and their world)?

You’ll spin everything out from the crime, so start by picking an illegal event you want to write about. If you need help, read newspaper articles or browse true crime documentary descriptions to make a list of possibilities.

4. Save Your Most Helpful Research Sources

The realism of crime fiction plays a significant role in interesting your readers. You’ll need to research so much when you know what your plot will hold and what crime it involves.

You might spend weeks, months, or even years reading about things like:

How your protagonist’s world works before the crime and how the crime changes it

How DNA profiling does and doesn’t work

How first responders and cops handle crime scenes

How people are treated by the media when they or their loved one are hurt in a crime

How the legal proceedings afterward work for your protagonist

Once you know how the framework of each element works, you can create plot twists by causing slight breaks in the systems. I highly recommend saving pictures, links, and detailed notes in digital documents like a Google Doc or spreadsheet. You can also use the resources listed here to find other ways to visually save your research.

5. Give Your Antagonist a Motivation

Many crimes happen because people plan them to their advantage. A robber steals money because they have overwhelming medical debt. A killer murders someone who hurt them in the past.

The motivations won’t always be morally right, but they have to exist. Make sure your antagonist has one before and after the crime occurs. How does the event change their motivations or goals? That’s essential to know to keep them grounded within their own realm of reasoning.

If you’re writing a crime that wasn’t intentional, there has to be a motivation carrying your antagonist forward in the aftermath. What’s making them make their decisions regarding how they cover up the crime or distance themselves from it?

Tips to Take Care of Yourself While Writing Crime Fiction

1. Check In With Yourself

It’s so easy to bury your emotional well-being while writing a dark story. You might want to finish it on time or get through a particularly gruesome part of the plot, but pushing your emotional state to the side will only lead to burnout or worse.

Check in with your emotions to see what you need throughout your writing process. Sit quietly by yourself and ask what emotions are present. Let them speak above your story’s needs or your other responsibilities. Then see if those emotions have been lingering for the last week or two. Journaling can help with this, but you can also record your thoughts in the Notes app on your phone or a spare piece of paper by your laptop.

You might need to step away from your work for a bit or write a more laid-back story to give your mind a break. Maybe a good cry will release the pent-up emotions from your hours of research into how cruel humans can become.

Writing about darkness doesn’t mean you have to be trapped in that darkness for however long it takes to write the story.

Take care of yourself first. You’re more important than any story.

If your mind ever starts to feel overwhelmed while you’re writing a story with heavy thematic elements or violent events, please get help. I highly recommend the sliding-scale therapy available through OpenPath (sessions can become as little as $30/hour). You can access licensed therapists in your area, arrange in-person or virtual appointments, and make each session fit within your budget.

2. Take Breaks

Pausing your creative writing for the day or even the week could be what your mind needs. Research shows regular breaks make people more productive because they utilize other areas of our minds and help us return with fresh energy.

It’s also important to take breaks for your emotional well-being. You may not feel as sucked into your antagonist’s (or protagonist’s) violent, dehumanized state of mind by walking away from your manuscript. Talk with someone you love, watch your favorite show, or go to that farmer’s market you’re always talking about.

It’s easier not to get caught up in negativity when you retain control over it through things like breaks.

3. Don’t Sweat Your Search History

Cops won’t show up at your door if you’re googling which artery pumps the most blood and how long it would take to bleed out if that artery opened. That’s not how the internet works.

There are very few odds that police will need your search history while trying to solve a crime one day. However, if it makes you uncomfortable, look into a VPN and use incognito mode (if you’re on Chrome. Firefox users can use Private Browsing.).

You can also avoid specific internet searches by watching true crime documentaries on a similar crime or reading books about similar cases. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, especially if you’re writing a long-form manuscript that could take months or years to complete.

-----

If you’re interested in writing crime fiction, these are a few ways you can get started. Remember, you don’t have to write a perfect first draft. That’s impossible. All you need to do is start creating your world and use tips like these when you need help along the way.

[thesensteawitch]

What 2023 taught you? {A Nostalgic Hit!} 🎯👀

Pick A Pile Reading

(Left to Right- Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Hey, Senstea Souls!

Welcome to another collective reading. Here you'll get a glimpse of the year 2023 and what it taught you. Also, a tip for 2024 is given at the end of each pile. I hope you find the reading helpful!🤍

Please DM me for personal reading.

Booking Form|Rate Card

A Nostalgic Hit! + One Line Guidance For 2024

Pile 1

Tarot Cards- King of Wands, The Wheel of Fortune, 10 of Pentacles, Page of Wands, The World, 5 of Pentacles

Animal Spirit- Beaver

Well, pile 1 I see that this year has taught you to come out of the cyclical nature of your mind. This year taught you to be more focused and detail-oriented. It showed you intricate details especially when you were struggling. At the beginning of the year, you were okay with being in a box, in your own tiny space. But the scope for your growth became stagnant. You may have had anger outbursts. The dream you had somehow shattered because a new dream was emerging. You were coming out of your cocoon. Achieving goals became impossible to imagine. But you were divinely pushed to have hope and keep believing in the impossible even though it seemed delusional. And as the year started to approach its end you started to see some clarity. Without knowing you become the master at what you do. Something didn't work out the way you wanted it to but it worked out completely different from your imagination. Some of you may also have felt stuck in family dynamics and now I see healing in that area. You fought so many battles within a year. You broke more than one cycle this year. Wow! You were being prepared for the ultimate abundance that you deserve. Something in your DNA needed to be changed. Something significant happened during April, May, and August. No matter what you did you found yourself coming out of one circle to entering into another one. But now this cyclical process is over! You did it! You learned the importance of planning and understanding life as a whole. You learned the true value of actions and what's the best way to make long-term plans work. Some of you were looking for financial stability which impacted you emotionally. But now I see you are almost out of the lack phase and are entering into the phase of abundance.

One line tip for the next year:

Tarot Cards- 4 of Swords, 3 of Pentacles, Knight of Cups

Don't settle for breadcrumbs or stay in a relationship more than you should. (Strong Earth energy I can sense.) There's a soulmate out there waiting for you to come out of the relationship trauma.

Get your 2024 blueprint and be extra prepared for what's coming. (With Remedies/Recommendations)

3 Months- $10

6 Months- $20

9 Months- $30

12 Months- $40

DM me to book your reading!

Pile 2

Tarot Cards- Temperance, The Hierophant, 7 of Cups, 6 of Pentacles, 8 of Cups, The World

Animal Spirit- Owl

Hello, my dear pile 2. I see that 2023 taught the true meaning of give and take. It taught you how to balance. It taught you that you too deserve to receive love and effort. It taught you to walk away from anything that is not helping you grow or relationships that are keeping you stagnant. You learned the truth of selfless service. You can discern better when it comes to your emotional mind. Now you know what being at peace truly means. Something major might have happened around August. Perhaps, you found the courage to let go. You've freed yourself from always being in your head. You have learned so much that now you are capable of guiding others. You are finally gaining the light that shines within you. For some of you, I feel as though you have understood relationship and friendship dynamics pretty well there's still something lingering around that you need to deal with. There's something you still can't let go of or stop wishing for. There's a wish that you are attached to and you need to let go of the attachment. As soon as you become happy without the idea of having it you'll see it coming. This year brought you closer to spirituality but you still have a long way to go. I hear, “August slipped away like a bottle of wine 'cause you were never mine.” For some of you, I see that somewhere you still hope for someone to change. Perhaps, somewhere deep down you are pretending that you are over someone but you truly aren't. This year taught you a lot in terms of relationships and I hope you carry forward the lessons into the next year as well.

One line tip for the next year:

Tarot Card- Death

A spiritual transformation is coming your way. You may need to let go of something that might hurt you but it will be needed.

Get your 2024 blueprint and be extra prepared for what's coming. (With Remedies/Recommendations)

3 Months- $10

6 Months- $20

9 Months- $30

12 Months- $40

DM me to book your reading!

Pile 3

Tarot Cards- Queen of Pentacles, 8 of Swords, 6 of Swords, 5 of Cups, The World, King of Pentacles

Animal Spirit- Hyena

So my dear pile 3 I sense some conflict between your divine counterparts (Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine). Some of you may be questioning your identity. You thought you were over something but then suddenly this year made you realize that there's more to this world and there's more to you. It was uncomfortable for you to accept yourself. For you, there was no way out of this misery. The problem is that you let the situations define you, and others' opinions define you. You didn't move based on your choice but you moved or made a decision based on what others perceive of you so that you still can be loved. You were or still are trying to prove something to the world. I hear, “You make me glow but I cover up won't let it show.” I am sorry to say but I see that there's a huge lack of self-love here. And you are still making peace with yourself. You are still learning to accept yourself. But the good news is that this tough cycle is about to end as the Capricorn season ends in January. Slowly but steadily you'll be out of this mess. You will find the courage to take the action. You need to. And you must. This year taught you what it looks like to see and feel the truth. It might have been uncomfortable but was necessary for your growth. You've suffered on the soul level and it's time that you take the right action and not what the world deems right.

One line tip for the next year:

Tarot Card- The Star

Deep down you wish to love yourself and that wish is coming true. Stay true to yourself.

Get your 2024 blueprint and be extra prepared for what's coming. (With Remedies/Recommendations)

3 Months- $10

6 Months- $20

9 Months- $30

12 Months- $40

DM me to book your reading!

[justanoasisimagines]

Fluff Alphabet

Hey lovelies, requests are open! My guidelines are pinned to the top of the page! Credit to cafekitsune for the banner and the divider!

A = Affection - How afectionate are they? Do they like recieving affection etc?

Ian is affectionate with his significant other. He likes to receive attention and will often instigate it. Ian's favorite time of affection would be hugs.

B = Bathing - Do they like to bathe or shower alone? What's it like to share a bath or shower with him?

Ian doesn't mind bathing and showering alone. He's used to it and as long as he clean that's what's important. You two tend to bathe and shower when you've not been spending a lot of time together.

C = Cooking - Can they cook? Do they like to cook? Would they cook for you? What type of dishes would they like to cook?

Ian can cook. It's not going to be anything fancy. But he can rustle something up. Ian's good at creating a meal with little ingredients. Ian can create good sandwiches and hearty food. It's important to note he makes a mean mac and cheese.

D = Dates - What type of dates would they like to go on? Do they like to plan dates? Be taken on dates? How frequently is date night? etc

Ian would like to go out on all sorts of dates. Dinner, going to a bar, doing something fun. He's okay with it all. Ian wouldn't mind planning dates, but he wouldn't appreciate having to do it all the time. Date night would be as frequent as possible.

E = Effort - How much effort do they put in? How do they show their efforts? Are they either an all out or all in kind of person?

Ian's someone who puts a lt of effot into someone as long as his feelings are strong enough. If the relationship is casual, he's not putting a lot of effort in. Yet if he believes the relationship is getting serious, he puts more effort into things.

F = Family - Do they want to have children? What would family life look like? How many children do they want? etc?

Ian values family highly. He wouldn't mind having children someday, but he's in no rush to. He would want to give them a stable life with a regular income and a stable home. If he decided to have children he'd have two or three.

G = Gentleman/Lady - How much of a gentleman/lady would they be? Would they hold out doors for you? Pull out your chair? Walk on the road side? etc

Ian doesn't actively or consciously try to be a gentleman. He does these things because he wants to. He doesn't see his behaviour as gentlemanly. He doesn't feel the need to do these things contionously. He just doesn't think it's a big thing.

H = Honeymoon - Where would they like to go on honeymoon? What would it look like? etc

Ian would want to go somewhere warm and hot. A nice sandy beach for the two of you to relax on it. You'd spend the honeymoon, exploring and enjoying the time away. Away from the choas and the drama.

I = I love you - How long would it take them to fall in love with you? How would they confess? Is it a big deal to them etc?

A few months. Ian would be aware of his growing feelings towards you. Him falling in love with you is a big deal to Ian. He confesses to you while you'll watching TV.

J = Jealously - How easily do they get jealous? What makes them jealous? How do they react when your jealous? etc,

Ian does get jealous. He doesn't like having people all over you or believing their allloed to flirt with you and cross boundaris. Ian has no issue confronting them and minding them you're with him. Ian would expect him to do the same.

K = Kisses - What kisses are they more likely to give? What kisses do they like to recieve? etc

Recieving - Public Kisses, Passionate kisses, short kisses, Morning Kisses

Giving - Slow kissses, public kisses, passionate kisses, long kisses.

L = Love Language - What's their love language(s)? What languages are they most receptive to?

Ian would be receptive to Acts of Service and Quality Time. You showing up for him and suport him means everything to him. It shows you're serious about him. On the other hand, Ian's love language would be Physical Touch and Quality Time. He wants to show you physically and show you he's willing to give time up to be with you.

M = Marriage - Do they want to get married? What would being married to them look like? Do they want a large or small wedding? etc

Ian would want to get married. He would want all of your family and friends to be there. Ian is not fussed about the smaller details. He wants it to be a day you'll both remember for all of the right reasons and not the wrong reasons.

N = Nicknames - What nicknames would they use for you? Do you give any to them?

For you - Babe, Baby, Sweetheart

For him - Handsome, Lover

O = Obvious - How obvious are they? What gives them away? Their face or actions?

Ian's actions would give him away. He wants to be around you more. He's asking after you when you're not there. He wants to include you in as much as possible because he wants to spend time with you.

P = Public Displays of Affection - Do they enjoy PDA? How comfotable are they with PDA?

ian is fond of PDA. He's not ashamed to how his affection towards you. He's not ashamed to show his afection towards you. He wants to hold your hand, to kiss you in public. People can make all of the comments they want. They can stare because at the end of the day as long as you're comfortable that's what matters to Ian.

Q = Quality Time - How do they like to spend quality time with you? How do they make time? Can they communicate effectively when they need quality time with you?

Both of you have jobs, you're both busy so making quality time for each other is important. Meeting up to share lunch break togther, relaxing after work. Seeing each other on the weekends. Ian is goodat vocalising when he believes you two are not seeing each other frequently enough.

R = Romantic - Do they consider themselves romantic?

Ian considers himself to be a romantic. He knows how to surprise you. He knows how to plan a romantic night for the two of you. He tries to show you throughout the year rather than solely on Valentines day.

S = Security - Do they feel secure in your relationship? What would they do if they didn't feel secure?

Ian doesn't always feel secure in your relationship but when he doesn't he knows he can seek advice from soemone to see if they can share light on how to help. On the other hand, if you didn't feel secure Ian would help you deal with your insecurities.

T = Tease - Do they like to tease you? If so, how?

Ian is always trying to rile you up. He gets a kick of getting under you're skin. It keeps the relationship fresh and exciting between you two. Both of you are respective of boundaries but you're both always attempting to one up each other.

U = Umbrella - Would they hold an umbrella for you? Would they kiss you in the rain? Dance with you in the rain?

Ian would kiss you in the rain. The two of you are soaked as the two of you get lost in one another. Ian wuld also dance with you in the rain with the two of you laughing and being goofy during a thunderstorm. Both carefree and laughing hysterically.

V = Vanity - How do they see themselves? Positively or negatively? What's their favourite part of their body etc?

Ian sees himself as a good looking man. He's positive in the way he looks. Ian appreciates his arms.He gets to hold you, to pull you closer toward him. To hug you, to do things for you with them. Overall, he's positive about who he is and the way he looks.

W = Whole - When you're apart do they feel like part of them is missing? How do they deal with being apart from you?

Ian misses you while you're away. Everyone around him notices the change in Ian. He's sad and more withdrawn. He misses you but he always works out a way to handle it. Spending more time with his family and trying to get things done. Ian definitely notices your gone. He would say it feels like a part of him is missing.

X = Xtra - An extra headcanon

When you and Ian fist meet, he already knew you were something special. He felt drawn to you in a way he couldn't explain. Your originally made him nervous and he had no idea how he was goingto get your number by the end of the night. Luckily, for Ian, Lip stepped in and acted his wingman.

Y = You - What do you they like most about you? Favourite body part etc?

Ian loves your smile. It makes his days better. It cheers him up on a bad day. The smile you have which he's realised is only reserved for him. It's paired with a twinkle in your eye. Ian also enjoys your desire to have fun. He especially loves how you keep him on his shoes.

Z = Zzzz - Sleeping headcanons

Ian sleeps on his stomach. So whenever, you two share a bed, he throws his arm and leg over you in order to touch you. If whatever reason you seperate, Ian will unconciously seek you out.

[skwpr]

A simple planning system for those tired of time management, goals, and to-do lists

To engage in something important to you, you need deliberate intention. However, intentions and plans constrain our freedom. On the other hand, when there's too much freedom, it's difficult to make yourself do anything. Inspiration rarely strikes, and it's not enough to achieve significant results.

Therefore, it's extremely important to structure your day. However, many cannot work within a rigid imposed system. Blogger and author Steven Gaius advises creating your own rules. His planning approach combines simplicity, freedom, productivity, and flexibility.

The essence of the system Most planning systems are rigid, boring, and cumbersome. Even the highly popular strategy by David Allen is too suffocating and costly in practice. Managing the system takes more time than actually doing the tasks. Gaius's approach is simpler and more flexible. His planning system consists of two components: a large calendar and a marker board.

Using the calendar, track progress in habits. For example, you may want to read two pages of a book and meditate every day. When done, mark it off on the calendar.

On the board, write everything else, from one-time tasks to recurring tasks. Gaius suggests categorizing them into four categories:

Frequently recurring tasks. Useful tasks that should be done often but not necessarily daily, such as exercising, tidying up, and replying to emails.

Today's tasks. One-time tasks that need to be completed in a day, like sending a parcel or calling someone. Gaius doesn't include tasks with specific time frames like appointments and doctor's visits - those are recorded on the phone's calendar.

Do soon. Tasks for the next month that don't require immediate attention, like updating a website design or getting a passport photo.

Do someday. Things you want to do in the next 5 years, for example, visit a specific country.

What to do every day

Two or three mini habits. They should be simple, so you won't postpone them, even when tired or short on time.

Two points from the recurring tasks list. For example, work on the computer and exercise. In addition to those or in place of them, any day you can work on tasks from the "Soon" and "Someday" lists. This approach takes into account your primary goals but also allows flexibility to change plans.

One-off compulsory tasks, if any.

Self-assessment at the end of the day. On any day, tasks from the board can be skipped. Gaius calls this "indulging yourself." Not every day can be equally productive. Life shouldn't be rigidly structured and predictable, unless artificially constrained.

The benefits of such a system Intention Every day begins with deliberate goal setting. Without it, much time is wasted deciding which of the many ideas to pursue today. When everything is written on the board, making decisions becomes easier.

Direction Anyone can achieve an outstanding result once. But success comes from consistently doing great things. Treat each day as a step forward. Consider whether your steps are heading in one direction or going in circles. The four lists on the board and mini-habits will help you see where you're going.

Freedom of choice Conventional planning systems turn you into a slave. When tasks are scheduled at the same time every day, you're deprived of freedom of choice. This approach is useful for developing new habits but becomes tiring when applied to several areas at once. A list of ideas to choose from won't make you feel like a hostage.

Control With this system, you become like a general who surveys the battlefield in the morning before battle and determines the next steps. Of course, unforeseen circumstances can't be ruled out, but the freedom of choice will give you a sense of control.

Visualize the process In the morning, you identify the things to do for the day and immediately visualize how to get them done. For example, today you need to write an article, go to a workout and send packages. Knowing your intentions, you will effectively distribute your time and energy.

What is the secret of the system's success In its flexibility. On any day you can treat yourself and take a day off. That is, not to do things from the lists on the board, but to perform only mini habits. To some, this much freedom might seem problematic. But Geis finds it necessary.

I'm not likely to take 20 days off in a row. Unless it's for traveling. When I'm home and feeling good, I want to do something productive. I want to be in control of my own life and take a vacation not just once a week, but when I need it.

Steven Geis, blogger, author of MINI Habits - MAXI Results

Imagine you have a cool boss who lets you take as many days off as you want. You'll do this often, of course. But wouldn't you want to be more productive the rest of the time? With this system, you are that kind of boss for yourself.

No other system gives you that kind of opportunity. Most aim for maximum results in minimum time and don't take your well-being into account.

Why it's important to evaluate yourself It's the most reliable way to motivate yourself. You are simultaneously accountable to yourself and inspired. At the end of the day, simply give yourself a score between 1 and 5. Complicated mathematical grading systems will only create confusion. This way you'll say, “I didn't sleep well today, but I still did X and Y. I'll give myself a 4+” or ”I did a little work, but I know I could have done more. I'll give myself a 3 today.”

This is a visual demonstration of your successes. Take an honest look at the past day. If you're happy with how you spent your time and energy, then you're on the right track. If not, you know what and how to change.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Alabama still demanding people pay back COVID unemployment: ‘it’s just been horrible’ - Published Aug 13, 2024

For Spencer Johnson, memorizing three Japanese writing systems has been easier than deciphering Alabama’s unemployment system.

“The most confusing thing I have ever done,” he said of trying to negotiate with the Alabama Department Labor, a group whose bungled handling of pandemic benefits will wind up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in October.

Johnson, 30, is studying Japanese at the University of Alabama and has launched a business to help English and Japanese speakers broach the language divide. He plans to finish his degree in Japan. But, like many in Alabama, he’s still trying settle an old unemployment dispute, as the state wants him to give back $4,000.

Many Alabamians who got unemployment benefits during the pandemic, both the state money and the extra $600 from the federal government, have received notices over the last four years that they were overpaid and owe money back, often thousands of dollars, in many cases due to errors in the department’s clunky computer system, small mistakes in their applications or missing information.

Expand article logo Continue reading When COVID hit, Johnson was in his last semester at Coastal Alabama Community College. He got hired to work for the Census for the summer and was going to Tuscaloosa to start UA for the fall of 2020. He started onboarding for the job and was immediately let go because of COVID, so he applied for unemployment. After a few months, when school started, Johnson said, he voluntarily quit getting benefits.

A couple of years later, the department told him he owed all of the money back.

He said he doesn’t have his parents to fall back on and he’s living paycheck to paycheck.

“And then having like, ‘Oh, by the way, you owe $4,000 to the state.’ There were times when I’m just like, ‘What am I going to do? Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?’ Because right now there is nothing.”

The Alabama Department of Labor did not respond to a request for comment. In the past the department has said it cannot comment on ongoing litigation.

During the pandemic, the department of labor had staffing shortages and technological problems that contributed to a significant backlog in processing applications. According to the Century Foundation, delays continue. By 2024 Alabama had the slowest rate of processing appeals of any state at an average of 752 day delay. In contrast, other states are processing appeals within 10 days. In 2024, Alabama has the highest rate of denying unemployment claims of any state. In 2024 Alabama’s denial rate was 377 %, more than three times greater than the second highest state, Nebraska, according to the foundation, which notes that rates can be over 100 percent if decisions are delayed.

In 2022, Governor Kay Ivey called the situation “outrageous.”

Johnson doesn’t know if or when his case will be resolved. He has gone through multiple attempts to appeal. After the first, the department decided in his favor and asked for a repayment of just $700, a smaller amount than he was told he owed initially. But it didn’t seem to matter. In the spring of 2022 he got another overpayment letter, once again saying he owed $4,000.

“I called them and said, ‘Hey, I’ve already had an appeal. They awarded in my favor. Why is it still saying I owe this money?’ The woman looked up my (account), she said, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right. They did award it. This seems to be an error. I’m going to take care of this. You don’t have to worry about it. Have a good day.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Okay, wonderful.’”

But that didn’t work either. A month later he got a notice in the mail telling him he still owed $4,000. What was even more confusing, he said, none of the 60 or 70 pages of communication he had received by that point explained why he owed the money. At that point, he sought out a lawyer. He felt it was a matter of principle that he not pay back the money. He said it often seemed that what he heard from the department staff contradicted what he read on the website.

“It has completely shattered my faith in the Alabama Department of Labor, completely shattered my faith in any sort of government bureaucracy. It makes me not want to buy into a system that I feel like everyone should want to buy into.”

He learned later that he could have asked for the overpayment to be forgiven but because he appealed, he lost the privilege to do that. But he said the website only directed him to appeal.

“So all they tell you is, ‘Oh yeah, you can appeal here.’ So by going with the first thing that they suggest I do, I end up disqualifying myself from just being able to ask, ‘Can you forgive this?’”

Read the rest of the report at either link!

[spiritualitygeek]

🌼 What is coming for you in July? 🌼

Pile 1 ~ ♡

Pos Rx, 3oc, 6os

Pile 1, In the month of July, I see you acting impulsively and making rash decisions with the page of swords in reverse. It may or may not have to do with the things or lifestyle that you're manifesting. But you'd be very impatient. Relying overly on actions. You'd feel like you're missing out on something or that you're not giving your best. It's critical that you take a step back and reconsider your plans. Taking necessary actions towards your goals are indeed crucial, but peace of mind and clarity is as crucial. Give yourself some time to reflect.

For some of you, there's a need to improve your communication skills. Misunderstandings or disagreements may emerge if you fail to adequately express yourself. To avoid unneeded arguments or tension, take the time to listen to people and carefully choose your comments. The know-it-all and always-right attitude may sometimes come off as rather rude whether or not you do it intentionally. Observe the way you talk to your peers, family and friends.

Although, with the 6 of Swords, I can see you accepting your shortcomings and working on yourself. You're progressing, learning from your mistakes. There's a mindset shift that I'm seeing for you. A good chance that you'll be moving on from your challenges and into a more stable era of your life. You'll be healing, finding clarity, acquiring support, and making progress. While I am seeing that you tend to be the hardest on yourself, you're learning not to cling onto past mistakes and do better next time.

And do I see any celebrations for you with the 3 of cups? Whether it's a friend group, a romantic connection, or a professional situation, you're more likely to create strong bonds. You're going to be closer to someone than you've ever been before. However, take it in whichever context it resonates in. And this "strong bond" will accomplish something together, worthy of a great or even intimate celebration.

Overall, for your pile, I'm seeing you evolving in the month of July. You will find yourself in an undesirable spot. Being rash, apprehensive, and sceptical of oneself or others. Acting from a low frequency vibration. However, you will rise to a higher frequency. You will learn and grow. Form great bond with people that'd result into great celebrations. Harmony and balance will prevail in overall areas of life.

Confirmation ~ Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio, Teddy bears, Beatles, Piano, Voices?

Pile 2 ~ ♡

The Emperor, Qos, 5oc Rx

There's a theme of leaving behind the old self for you in the month of July, Pile 2. Like a butterfly, you'd be leaving behind your old self, your old home, your old body and will morph into a whole new personality and adapt a whole different lifestyle in July. You will find yourself rising to a more powerful and respectable position than you've ever been before. Balance, harmony, control and order would soon be knocking at your door. You're gonna be more self disciplined. More goal and success driven. Your old self would have never imagined, that kind of a change. You're moving on from what doesn't serve you anymore. People who are harmful for you and your mental health would no longer we welcomed. You'd learn to say No without feeling guilty. Perhaps, this is something you've been wanting for a long time. You've been craving the mental peace this transformation is gonna give you.

A significant lady may also come into your life. She'll act as a mentor figure to you. And while you'd be intimidated by her because of her cold demeanor, you'd be glad you have her. She may not be the most smiley person you've ever known but she's fair and a good judge of character. For most of you, this mentor figure is your future self's energy around you. A protective and powerful feminine. She wants to throw sense into your brain. She wants you to leave behind people pleasing and for once in life do what makes you happy.

However, the woman and if it's your own future self, is very critical of herself and you. She wants to make sure that you're on the right path in life. She can be very hard on you at times. And while she thinks she is doing that for your own good, it will many times exhausted you. If you recognise that it's you, learn to get along with this energy. Don't beat yourself up about the things she says. What I mean is, be patient with yourself. Sometimes a little procrastination won't harm no one. You don't always have to be on the go. You can relax a little. Don't mind her. She's just worried about you. And wishes the best for you.

Confirmation ~ Aries, Capricorn, Aquarius, Scorpio, butterflies, 333, seeing specific flower that mean something to you, rain, rainbows

Pile 3 ~ ♡

8ow, Aow, 9os

Life ain't quite going your way in the months of July, Pile 3. Your energy is making me feel very low. As in, stomach churning, heart racing... Do you perhaps have anxiety? If you don't, you could :( Also I'm seeing nightmares, sleep paralysis and the like. I'm so sorry, love!

You're a creative and strong willed individual, pile 3. Unlike the others your age who have agreed upon a life of slavery, you want to make a difference. There's a lot you wanna do. You wanna have a contribution towards change in the world. You wanna give hope to people. You wanna heal people with whatever you do. Be it your art or you're a doctor? Maybe some of ya'll are medical students?

In the month of July you're gonna feel slowed? You'll feel like forces are at play to prevent you from taking actions towards your goals. For example, you have right deadlines but you suddenly fell ill. You can't particularly do a thing in such a situation can you? And that'd make you very upset and disappointed in yourself. While you really aren't at fault here at all? You have it in you. It's not your fault okay? And you're advised to be adamant and devoted to your goals. The obstacles are temporary.

Time ain't particularly in your favor in the month of July. And it's only getting worse? But know that all your cages are mental. Although, neither you nor your potential is gonna be wasted. There are certain voices in all our heads that are straight up rude. Don't trust them. Don't let them get on your nerves. You know what you want and how you will get it. Just be patient, okay? Most of all, be patient with yourself and trust the divine timing. You're brave! I believe in you. You need to believe in yourself too.

Confirmation ~ 222, 1333, Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Libra, Gemini, k-pop, green, rubies, emerald, shoes

[fettesans]

Top, page from Raymond Buckland, Solitary Seance: How You Can Talk with Spirits on Your Own, 2011. Via. Bottom, photograph via NASA, Toroid inflatable station concept during testing, 1961. Via. More.

Using the pendulum is known as radiesthesia—also rhabdomancy, or cleidomancy. One of the best-known uses of the pendulum is in dowsing, in finding where to drill for water. But it is also used for many other things, not least of all for communicating with spirit.

Unlike many other early space station concepts, this design actually made it out of the concept phase and into production, though no models were ever flown. This particular station was 30-feet and expandable. It was designed to be taken to outer space in a small package and then inflate in orbit. The station could, in theory, have been big enough for 1 to 2 people to use for a long period of time. A similar 24 foot station was built by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation for NASA test use. The concept of space inflatables was revived in the 1990s. Via Wikipedia.

--

‘If an artist who conceived a work says that it is unfinished and should not be exhibited, it isn’t – and shouldn’t be.’ The court felt differently: ‘When an artist makes a decision to begin work on a piece of art and handles the process of creation long-distance via e-mail, using someone else’s property, someone else’s materials, someone else’s money, someone else’s staff, and, to a significant extent, someone else’s suggestions regarding the details of fabrication – with no enforceable written or oral contract defining the parties’ relationship – and that artist becomes unhappy part-way through the project and abandons it,’ wrote the presiding judge, Michael Ponsor, ‘then nothing in the Visual Artists Rights Act or elsewhere in the Copyright Act gives that artist the right to dictate what that “someone else” does with what he has left behind, so long as the remnant is not explicitly labeled as the artist’s work.’ (...)

Essentially a horrific readymade, Barca Nostra sunk in April 2015 between Libya and Lampedusa with an estimated 1,000 migrants onboard, of whom 28 survived. The Italian government recovered the wreck in 2016 and moved it to a base in Sicily before it was placed under the care of the Augusta municipality, a landing site for Operation Mare Nostrum, Italy’s response to the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Mare Nostrum, or ‘Our Sea’, cost the Italian government a reported £7 million per month, and ensured safe passage for over 100,000 people within a year of its launch in October 2013. But after Italy appealed for assistance, EU states criticised the operation for encouraging people to risk the sea crossing, so EU agency Frontex replaced Mare Nostrum with Operation Triton in 2014, with a slashed budget and focus on border security.

Effectively a policy of nonassistance, as Forensic Oceanography concluded in their 2016 report Death by Rescue: The Lethal Effects of Non-Assistance at Sea, Triton created a situation where commercial ships were increasingly called into rescue missions they weren’t suited to conduct – such was the case with the sinking of Barca Nostra in 2015, they found. That year, European Parliament president Martin Schulz called for ‘burden sharing’ based on the fact that five out of 28 EU member states were taking in 50 percent of refugees to Europe at the time. Yet no effective cooperation manifested. Neither in creating humanitarian responses to a global crisis, nor in mediating the ultraright sentiments and movements that rose as a result – as demonstrated in 2018, when Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, launched a campaign to block search-and-rescue vessels from docking in Italian ports, and drafted a hardline anti-migrant bill adopted by the Italian government.

It was within this desperate context that Barca Nostra was brought to the Venice Biennale – in cooperation with Augusta’s municipal council and Comitato 18 Aprile, which lobbied against government plans to scrap the ship – with Büchel covering transportation costs. Presented with little information – not for the lulz, it seems, but out of contempt for a wilful ignorance – the vessel’s arrival was lambasted as ‘tasteless’ by those at the vernissage, seemingly more concerned with the insult of its presence – and those taking selfies with it, like a Martha Rosler collage come to life – than discussing the exclusionary policies that brought it into being. (Granted, as curator Alexandra Stock wrote in a scathing takedown, ‘The optics [were] bad because Büchel set it up that way’.) While the stunt drew international attention – including responses from Salvini himself, countering the idea that the Venice Biennale is an ineffective stage for protest – it also revealed the limits of internationalism, whether in the artworld or the world at large.

Stephanie Bailey, from Christoph Büchel: Fear and Loathing in Venice, for Art Review, April 14, 2024.

[amadeusgame]

The World's Longest And Most Sentimental Development Log (Marketing Retrospective)

It's been a month since the demo release, and Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~  Episode 1 ~ Waltz has just reached 100 wishlists on Steam. I'm incredibly grateful for the support and interest.

Because this has been the month following a major release, most of my efforts have been focused on communications as opposed to development. I still want to discuss these efforts, both as a retrospective for my own reference, and in case anyone else finds it enlightening. This was meant to be a short and to-the-point marketing discussion, but it accidentally... and inevitably... transformed into something incredibly long and sentimental.

The long and short of it is that I've had an overwhelmingly successful month by my standards. Discussing marketing means I have been analyzing why that is. In doing so, I slowly became aware of just how much of my entire life has been building up to this.

I originally planned to mention other things in this update... discuss the recent demo livestream, announce an upcoming "100 wishlists" celebration... but those no longer really suit the tone of this update. I will post about them another time. I wasn't prepared to celebrate 100 wishlists this quickly, anyway! I had no idea I would get that much in the first month! I'm not ready to make that announcement! I would like to do something appropriate for this milestone, so please give me some more time to put proper thought into it.

You can reference here for the livestream video and other resources: https://linktr.ee/amadeusgame

I don't expect very many people to read the rest of this. But I am writing it anyway because it's important for me to express. And if you got anything out of the Amadeus demo, you probably got the fact that I am a bit of a long-winded and sentimental person. Bearing that in mind...

On Marketing Amadeus

Overall, I tried a lot of different things—many of which flopped—based on the question "what kind of communications would I like to see, as an audience?" Some combination of all of these somehow worked. I don't think it is particularly useful to try and pinpoint what specific individual things made Number Go Up the most, because the real takeaway was that I put enough messages out in enough places that over 100 real actual human beings came across them and were interested in what I am making. That number is probably tiny to people trying to earn a living in games, but as someone just hoping to get my art out there... the number 100 is significant and motivating.

I am happy to share the things that I've tried, and my impressions of how well they worked for my situation and purposes. Before that, though, I must stress that having assets to share in these communications in the first place was an invaluable step, especially since visuals and aesthetics are a very core part of my game.

Creating Marketing Assets

(When uploading a game to Steam, there are approximately 8 million different aspect ratios and dimensions you need to create branding assets for, so I chopped that source poster up into different pieces and spent about a week just making different combinations of them to suit various needs.)

Again: I was not thinking ahead to the Steam page when I drew this in October, not really. I was just drawing something that I wanted to draw, inspired by art that inspired me. If I hadn't indulged that desire and "procrastinated" a bit, I wouldn't have the assets to advertise the game when it came time for launch! This is something that I've experienced again and again throughout the process of development: making things for fun, doing things on impulse, taking breaks and indulging whims... many of these activities somehow end up being essential for the game. If I had refused that self-indulgence to focus on Important Development Stuff, I wouldn't have the cool piece of art I needed to successfully advertise the finished game on launch. Moreover, the final art in the game would not be as good, because I wouldn't have gotten ideas about art direction from making this poster.

(Also... I wouldn't have had as much fun making the game. Since this game's budget is $0 and all of my free time, it REALLY matters that I am having fun while making it.)

Even more important than these visual assets, though, was the trailer. How many games have I checked out just based on the trailer? I recently purchased Raging Loop on Steam, a game I have been considering for months, because I finally watched the trailer and realized "okay, this game is me-core." The trailer is so important. It's not about how pretty the trailer is; it's about whether the trailer shows me a game that I, in particular, want to play. I don't know who my audience is, but considering my goals and inspirations, I think it is something along the lines of "hipsters who love some combination of Umineko, werewolves, and unique aesthetics." So I needed a trailer that would connect with those people. A trailer that, if I watched it, would make me realize hey, this game is me-core.

Making a trailer is its own skillset, though! Completely separate from game development. Communicating something in video form is different than communicating it in another medium.

Fortunately... I have actually done a lot of just-for-fun video editing projects very recently! I edited together a "trilogy" out of roadtrip camcorder footage I took, and also put together the video for an audio-visual collab album. I already have tools and a workflow that I like to use.

I am developing a game, but it has helped me so much to have experience making a stupid trilogy of camcorder footage roadtrip videos.

I worked on those video editing projects because they were fun. I had absolutely no ulterior motive. In doing so, I still gained an important skill that transferred directly to marketing Amadeus. As someone who has always struggled to focus on just One Thing, it's incredibly affirming to realize that having done a lot of random stuff is actually really helping me as a solo game developer. I feel like I've finally found an art form where this is an important skill, and not a hindrance or distraction.

So... well, I suppose this means that I have no useful advice for other developers. I want to be honest about my experiences, and my experiences are that I only was able to prepare good marketing assets for Amadeus because I did a lot of for-fun art projects outside of game development. From my perspective, this is amazing news: it tells me that allowing myself space to be an artist and a person outside of this project has actually helped make the project itself better. It tells me that there are no downsides to being experimental and giving time to other projects too. But to anyone reading this hoping for some advice on putting together marketing assets, I'm sure it's the least helpful or relatable thing in the world. I'm sorry about that.

Getting the Word Out

Once the demo released, it became a matter of presenting the materials I had in the right ways, and in the right places. This is what I have been spending most of my waking hours doing this month. A non-exhaustive list of everything I've tried:

E-mailed all of my professors from grad school whose courses influenced my compositions for the game in some way. (This wasn't so much about the numbers, it was just motivating to get nice comments back. :D)

Joined a few Discord servers for communities dedicated to indie game developent; tried to engage in meaningful conversations there and check out other games while also sharing my own work. (I'm asking others for a favor, to take a look at my work, so I try to check out theirs too in return.)

Posted the trailer on the Visual Novels subreddit. (This flopped.)

Posted weekly* on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and a few other places. (This has been the bulk of my ongoing communications; see below!)

Posted on a forum I joined last year to discuss music composition.

Found and followed a lot of other indie game devs making things that interested or excited me.

Shared it in a Discord server I moderate** as a "creative mod." (I host monthly art-focused events, curate spaces for sharing art, etc.; see below.)

Shared it with basically all of my friends! Especially friends who are also artists and creators!

To sum, I used every single available avenue to talk about it. But I really need to expand on the two points bolded and asterisked above. I have something additional to say about them, and I cannot overstate how much it matters.

*Weekly Posts

As indicated, ongoing weekly posts on various platforms are the meat of my marketing. I post regularly, but it's really important to me to not just post the same stuff all the time and annoy everybody. I try to highlight different aspects of the game each time, use different framing, and do a variety of weird and silly stuff. Some things perform unexpectedly well and others are complete flops. But I think it's been key to not be afraid of failure and just try things. That way it's still interesting to the people who already checked out the game, while hopefully reaching new eyes too!

(Full disclosure, however: sometimes I will do something that has 0 chance of doing numbers, just because I think it would be a fun thing to post. Since I am completely self-motivating on this project, I have to do things that are self-indulgent, or I will burn out. So, hypothetically, I might be compelled to, say, post a photo taken on an Instax analog camera of the game hooked up to a CRT TV.)

(Step 1 of marketing is to have fun and be yourself?)

BUT ALSO!

AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS POST!!

I only have any sort of audience on these platforms because of other, unrelated things I've been doing for years. I met a LOT of people on Twitter and Instagram through cosplay and Tales of Symphonia speedrunning, who stuck around somehow. I met some people on Tumblr from recent Ghost Trick ROMhacking, and others from Homestuck meetups in 2012. I met people on Discord from a forum about video games I joined in 2006. I was already connected with a lot of like-minded people to share my game with! I know—I KNOW—that this is something that is only easy to say in retrospect, but: doing stuff and meeting people over the course of a lifetime has added up. I hope that this will continue to be true, and maybe some people who find me through Amadeus will stick around for whatever comes after, once I've fully completed the 5-episode story I have to tell here. And I will see it through.

So, please bear this in mind when reading about how I promote my self-indulgent game every week on Instagram. I did not attend Anime Expo 2015 in order to build an audience for the visual novel I would make 9 years later. I was just meeting and connecting with other cosplayers, because I thought I would still be doing cosplay indefinitely. But many of those connections have persisted over the years, and some of those people are interested in my game. None of this seemingly-unrelated life experience is wasted. In the words of one of my teachers from grad school, "it's an accumulated life." I have ended up somewhere unexpected, and I did not plan to end up here, but all of those past experiences were still a part of getting me to where I currently am.

**Discord Server Mod

I want to highlight this particular place where I've promoted my game, because it's important in a way that connects with basically all of my rambling above. I want to make it clear that absolutely everything that went well this past month started so much longer ago than that.

In this point, I am not saying "step 1 of indie game promotion: simply have been a creative events moderator on a Discord server for years first!" as this is incredibly useless advice. Hear me out for a moment.

About 2 years ago, there was no "creative events" moderator on this particular Discord server. It was mostly a space to talk about video games with friends. You could also post art there if you wanted, and you might have gleaned a react or two.

Also about 2 years ago, I began to think very deeply about my relationship with art and the internet. When I was a tweenager, there was this video game forum—a forum that migrated to the Discord server in question recently—where you could post your art (usually video game fanart, but could be anything), and the moderator would always engage with it and provide meaningful, thoughtful feedback. That space is one of the biggest reasons I drew so much when I was younger, and worked so hard trying to learn how to draw and shade and color better, because I wanted to have my efforts praised, and I knew they would be.

2 years ago, I desperately needed a space like that again. Lacking one, I decided to pick up the torch left behind by the moderator from my tweenage years, and become the person who would always, always provide thoughtful engaging feedback when people posted their work there. Literally some "be the change you want to see in the world" shit. I knew that someone else doing that for me fundamentally altered the course of my life, so I wanted to try and be that for others if possible. More selfishly, I hoped that this would also create the much-needed space for me to share my work and get feedback and responses, too.

Now, about 2 years later, that channel is pretty active. People regularly share their creative works, and it is one of my favorite places to post my own stuff because people are really good about engaging with each other's stuff there. It's been one of the most important places for me to share progress on Amadeus, because that external motivation helps a lot. And once the demo came out, I have absolutely no doubt that this server was a significant proportion of the initial support and momentum it received on launch.

I did not even have so much as a delusion of being a game developer when I made these changes in the Discord server. I was working in IT and considering applying to music school. I just wanted to build a community around art.

So, why am I writing about my 2-year journey as a Discord mod in my development update about marketing? Hopefully it makes a bit more sense now. I'm really trying to emphasize that the marketing I did this past month didn't start last month. It started 2 years ago on this Discord server, it started in 2006 when I joined that video game forum. Really, my marketing efforts have gone as well as they have because—whoops, I am tearing up writing this—I have made a lot of incredible connections in a lot of communities over the years, and now that I have something very important to me that I want to share, they have really helped support it. I've had some friends go so far above and beyond what I would ever ask them to do in sharing my game, and that kind of support just... I can't put a number on it; it's invaluable.

In Conclusion

Go to conventions and meet cosplayers. Speedrun a 6-and-a-half-hour-long JRPG from 2003 on Twitch. Join a forum and when it migrates to Discord, organize art events and comment on other people's work. Draw self-indulgent stuff and make silly roadtrip videos scored with Logic Loops. Make 90% of a ROMhack of a Nintendo DS game. Get completely obsessed with other visual novels on itch.io and write essays in their comments.

My name is Leo, and my marketing advice is You Only Live Once. I hope this helps. Have a wonderful evening and I look forward to presenting you with a more coherent update next month.