#Entry-level Servers

[voidedtea]

[ID in alt]

my pieces for @strawberrij's thespius fashion zine!! quite the endeavour and adventure that turned out pretty neat i think :]

special thanks go to @ratchetclankarecute for posing/cloth references + the bulk of the image descriptions! that first image would Not have happened without them <3

[cuddleswinchester]

Job searching sends me between euphoria at all the new things I can explore! And then just the most miserable pathetic begging and pleading worthlessness of all time.

Can’t help but remember my senior year job fair in college which I helped ORGANIZE by the way and I had fabulous grades, I met with all the reps that came and gave them tours and answered their questions and brought them refreshments and my classmates ended the day being offered like accounting positions and marketing positions and international market positions and the rep from cracker barrel asked if I wanted to be a hostess there on weekends when I didn’t have class. So like something is wrong with me.

[2-kamikou-1]

just make the legal working age 18 anymore what the hell

[elbdot]

We've gotten 29 SPRITES in LESS THAN TWO DAYS HOLY SHIT 😍🥹💖💕

At this rate we may even unlock Akala island's dex before the end of June!! 👀

COME JOIN US and we may be able to fill an ENTIRE POKEDEX worth of sprites!! :D

El Trainer Sprite credit to @jsketch12

ALOLA EVERYONE!

I have a special announcement for you all! :D On July 1st I will be hosting a special Livestream for my Birthday: I will start a Let's Play of the original POKEMON MOON!

While illustrating my webcomic "El's Alolan Adventures", I've often been told by a lot of readers that, despite being fans of the comic, they actually aren't familiar with the original story of the Sun & Moon Games the comic is based on! So I'll be starting a playthrough of Pokemon Moon so we can experience the story together!

Now HERE is where you guys get directly involved in the stream: Like many other Pokemon Let's Plays, we will have active images of the pokemon currently in our party on-screen during the gameplay. The idea is that, instead of using the official Pokemon sprite art, YOU GUYS get to draw the Pokemon sprites we'll be using! We need YOUR simple, silly, cute or whacky doodles of ALL Pokemon found in the Alola region! :D And THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA DO IT:

HOW TO JOIN

To prevent the potential chaos of everyone drawing the same Pokemon, you will need to join our Discord server to officially apply for a Pokemon you want to draw! We're opening free 1-week trials on my Patreon for the entirety of June, so people can temporarily join our Discord to apply for the event!

We will have a chatroom open where you can share which Pokemon you'd like to draw, but you must list at least 3 alternatives in case the Pokemon of your choice has gotten assigned to someone else!

You mainly need to be on the server for the assignment-period. Once you've gotten a Pokemon assigned, we will send you a friend-request so you can DM us your Sprite, should your free server-trial run out before you finished your entry.

You will have till June 27th to submit your Pokemon sprite! For now we're aiming to cover all Pokemon inhabiting Melemele island, since we will be spending quite some time on that island before moving on to the next!

And since we won't be actively using ALL Pokemon in our Pokemon Moon Let's Play, we will feature EVERY sprite submission with credits in a gallery at the end of the stream! Should we be missing sprites at the end for a Pokemon we end up using, we will simply use the official art of said Pokemon, but we're looking forward to every sprite submission you'll send our way!!

CLICK HERE to join the event!

NOTE: Make sure to cancel your free trial in time if you only want to stay on the server for the assignment-period! You are NOT required to become an active patron for this event!

And by the end of the event, I hope I'll get to see you all at:

THANK YOU ALL for your immense support of me and my little Pokemon Webcomic, you guys are the reason why I still find SO much enjoyment in drawing my comic and organising community events like these! :D

I'm looking forward to your submissions!! See you on Discord! :D CLICK HERE to join the event!

[piratesexmachine420]

Thoughts on Linux (the OS)

Misconception!

I don't want to be obnoxiously pedantic, but Linux is not an OS. It is a kernel, which is just part of an OS. (Like how Windows contains a lot more than just KERNEL32.DLL). A very, very important piece, which directly shapes the ways that all the other programs will talk to each other. Think of it like a LEGO baseplate.

Everything else is built on top of the kernel. But, a baseplate does not a city make. We need buildings! A full operating system is a combination of a kernel and kernel-level (get to talk to hardware directly) utilities for talking to hardware (drivers), and userspace (get to talk to hardware ONLY through the kernel) utilities ranging in abstraction level from stuff like window management and sound servers and system bootstrapping to app launchers and file explorers and office suites. Every "Linux OS" is a combination of that LEGO baseplate with some permutation of low and high-level userspace utilities.

Now, a lot of Linux-based OSes do end up feeling (and being) very similar to each other. Sometimes because they're directly copying each other's homework (AKA forking, it's okay in the open source world as long as you follow the terms of the licenses!) but more generally it's because there just aren't very many options for a lot of those utilities.

Want your OS to be more than just a text prompt? Your pick is between X.org (old and busted but...well, not reliable, but a very well-known devil) and Wayland (new hotness, trying its damn hardest to subsume X and not completely succeeding). Want a graphics toolkit? GTK or Qt. Want to be able to start the OS? systemd or runit. (Or maybe SysVinit if you're a real caveman true believer.) Want sound? ALSA is a given, but on top of that your options are PulseAudio, PipeWire, and JACK. Want an office suite? Libreoffice is really the only name in the game at present. Want terminal utilities? Well, they're all gonna have to conform to the POSIX spec in some capacity. GNU coreutils, busybox, toybox, all more or less the same programs from a user perspective.

Only a few ever get away from the homogeneity, like Android. But I know that you're not asking about Android. When people say "Linux OS" they're talking about the homogeneity. The OSes that use terminals. The ones that range in looks from MacOS knockoff to Windows knockoff to 'impractical spaceship console'. What do I think about them?

I like them! I have my strongly-felt political and personal opinions about which building blocks are better than others (generally I fall into the 'functionality over ideology' camp; Nvidia proprietary over Nouveau, X11 over Wayland, Systemd over runit, etc.) but I like the experience most Linux OSes will give me.

I like my system to be a little bit of a hobby, so when I finally ditched Windows for the last time I picked Arch Linux. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to treat their OS as a hobby, though. There are better and easier options for 'normal users'.

I like the terminal very much. I understand it's intimidating for new users, but it really is an incredible tool for doing stuff once you're in the mindset. GUIs are great when you're inexperienced, but sometimes you just wanna tell the computer what you want with your words, right? So many Linux programs will let you talk to them in the terminal, or are terminal-only. It's very flexible.

I also really, really love the near-universal concept of a 'package manager' -- a program which automatically installs other programs for you. Coming from Windows it can feel kinda restrictive that you have to go through this singular port of entry to install anything, instead of just looking up the program and running an .msi file, but I promise that if you get used to it it's very hard to go back. Want to install discord? yay -S discord. Want to install firefox? yay -S firefox. Minecraft? yay -S minecraft-launcher. etc. etc. No more fucking around in the Add/Remove Programs menu, it's all in one place! Only very rarely will you want to install something that isn't in the package manager's repositories, and when you do you're probably already doing something that requires technical know-how.

Not a big fan of the filesystem structure. It's got a lot of history. 1970s mainframe computer operation procedure history. Not relevant to desktop users, or even modern mainframe users. The folks over at freedesktop.org have tried their best to get at least the user's home directory cleaned up but...well, there's a lot of historical inertia at play. It's not a popular movement right now but I've been very interested in watching some people try to crack that nut.

Aaaaaand I think those are all the opinions I can share without losing everyone in the weeds. Hope it was worth reading!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi there! I'm writing a barista character and got a bit stuck. Do you have any notes on how to write baristas (e.g. what shifts are like; what you have to learn to be one, etc)? Thank you so much!

(Your posts here are invaluable, by the way, and super helpful. 😄)

Writing Notes: Barista

Barista - specializes in making a variety of coffee and espresso beverages.

Usually works in a cafe, coffee shop or bookstore where they take customer orders, complete transactions and serve drinks.

May also prepare and serve a few small meals and pastry options.

Day-to-Day Tasks

As a barista, you would:

prepare the premises or outlet ready for opening

welcome customers, take orders and process payments

prepare and serve coffees, hot snacks, sandwiches and cakes

clean and tidy work areas, equipment and coffee machines

check and order new stock

Preparing Beverages. One of the barista’s primary duties is preparing various drinks to meet customer preferences. This involves:

Crafting Espresso-Based Drinks: Baristas skillfully pull espresso shots, steam milk, and create drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos. They ensure each beverage has the perfect balance of flavor and texture.

Brewing Specialty Coffees: Many coffee shops offer pour-over coffees, cold brews, or French press options. Baristas must understand brewing methods, grind size, and extraction techniques to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Creating Latte Art: For many customers, presentation matters as much as taste. Baristas often add intricate designs, such as hearts or rosettas, to elevate the visual appeal of lattes and cappuccinos.

Customizing Orders: Customize drinks to customer preferences by adjusting sweetness levels, switching to non-dairy milk, or adding extra espresso shots.

Other barista duties may include: 

Welcoming patrons to the shop

Building a relationship with regular customers and remembering their orders

Explaining the cafe’s special menu items as necessary

Recommending beverage options if requested

Following recipes and presentation guides to make beverages

Preparing plates or takeaway containers of pastry and food items

Cleaning and maintaining the commercial coffee machine, steamer and blender

Following health and safety policies

Removing dishes from the table as patrons finish their drinks

Preparing checks and taking payment from patrons

Work Environment 

Baristas work in a variety of coffee shops with the following characteristics:

Standing and walking around for extended periods of time

Lifting and carrying food and drink trays to tables

Working near many other customers, servers and kitchen staff

Wearing a uniform if required by the restaurant

Working environment may be noisy

Typical Hours

40 to 42 hours (variable) per week

Evenings / Weekends / Holidays (on shifts)

Cafes and coffee shops typically open early in the mornings

May require baristas to be flexible with scheduling to meet customer demand

The work can be fast-paced during busy periods

Suitable job for students and part-time workers

Career Path & Progression

There may also be opportunities to move into:

barista staff training

equipment maintenance

coffee tasting and buying

product development and marketing

You could become self-employed and open your own coffee shop.

With experience, you could become a:

store manager, then

regional manager, with a coffee retail chain or franchise.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Flexible Hours: Perfect for students or part-time workers.

Skill Development: Learn customer service, multitasking, and coffee expertise.

Social Interaction: Build relationships with customers and colleagues.

Career Growth: Opportunities to advance into management or specialty coffee roles.

Cons

Physical Demands: Standing for long periods and repetitive motions.

Irregular Hours: Early mornings, weekends, and holidays are typical.

Modest Pay: Entry-level wages can be low, though tips often help.

How to Become a Barista

You can get into this job through: a college course; an apprenticeship; applying directly; training with a professional body.

College. Although not essential, you could do a college course that would give you some of the skills needed for this role. Courses include:

barista skills

food and beverage service

retail skills

Apprenticeship. You can apply to do a Hospitality Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This will usually take 12 months to complete

A mix of on-the-job training and time spent with a college or training provider

Direct Application. When you start, your employer will put you through training in barista skills and product knowledge. Some employers may prefer you to have experience in customer service, retail sales or catering.

Common Personality Traits

22,778 baristas were surveyed to learn what personality traits and interests make them unique. Based on the Holland Codes:

Baristas tend to be predominantly conventional individuals, meaning that they are usually detail-oriented and organized, and like working in a structured environment.

They also tend to be realistic, which means that they often enjoy working outdoors or applying themselves to a hands-on project.

Based on The Big Five:

Baristas score highly on openness, which means they are usually curious, imaginative, and value variety.

They also tend to be high on the measure of extraversion, meaning that they rely on external stimuli to be happy, such as people or exciting surroundings.

Barista Tools

Baristas use a wide variety of tools to complete their duties. Some common tools:

Espresso Machine. Allows you to brew highly concentrated black coffee. During this process, the machine forces pressurized hot water through finely grounded coffee. Some types of drinks you can make using an espresso machine include: Macchiato; Cafe latte; Cappuccino; Mocha; Affogato; and Americano

Frothing Steam Pitcher. Used to create any drink that requires milk. A frothing stream pitcher helps you create a milk foam to top off a cup of coffee. You can also use this type of pitcher to create an assortment of latte art. Frothing pitchers are stainless steel and feature a handle and pouring spout. A narrow spout can offer control when pouring latte art, such as a heart or rose. You can also find frothing pitchers in different sizes, depending on the amount of milk you want to froth.

Foam Frothing Spoon. After creating foam from a steam pitcher, you can use a foam frothing spoon to control how much foam you pour over a cup of coffee. Using a frothing spoon can prevent spilling that may occur when pouring the foam into a cup of coffee. This type of spoon features a flat tip that makes it easier to scoop only foam from a steaming pitcher.

Thermometer. When making espresso, it's important to consider the brewing temperature, along with that of the milk froth. If your espresso machine doesn't come with a proportional-integral-derivative, use a thermometer to measure espresso as it leaves the brew head.When making a drink that requires steamed milk, it's important for the milk to reach the ideal temperature of about 149 degrees Fahrenheit. To reach this temperature, consider using a frothing thermometer for complete accuracy. A frothing thermometer can also help you avoid burning the milk while ensuring a caramelized milk finish that can elevate the flavor of any coffee.

Commercial Coffee Maker. This type of coffee maker lets you brew a standard cup of coffee. After filling it with water and coffee grounds, a coffee maker filters hot water through a basket holding coffee grounds. After filtering, black coffee enters the coffee pot. You can use this black coffee for a standard cup of coffee or for other drinks such as an iced coffee or latte.

Tamper. Baristas use tampers to brew espresso, whether in a machine or through a stovetop espresso maker. A tamper lets you pack loosely dosed coffee grounds so they're tightly pressed, ensuring a quality espresso shot. You can also adjust the length of a tamper depending on the espresso dosage.

Scale. Helps you achieve a consistent and accurately measured espresso shot. In terms of measurement, a scale helps you determine the amount of beans you use for one shot. If you use a quality grinder with a doser, you may not need a scale.

Coffee Grinder. Grinds fresh coffee beans before the brewing process. A coffee grinder lets you grind as much coffee as needed, whether for an espresso shot or a large batch of coffee. Many coffee grinders have conical burrs that let you select the size of your coffee grounds.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, thanks so much for your lovely words, you're too kind! Hope this helps with your writing 💕

[anim-ttrpgs]

A.N.I.M. Patreon Rewards and Progress Reports May 2025

Man it feels like it has been forever but it’s only been a month since last time, and a lot has gotten done despite me feeling like I haven’t gotten much done.

Editing progress on Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy has finally crept up to the speed it was before our slump. Plus, lots of polishing and tweaking of the rules has been done thanks to lots of helpful feedback.

The Eureka game jam mystery modules are being playtested and polished as well.

Eureka: The Fanservice Files has received some pretty extensive updates and tweaks in both art and actual rules content.

Not much to report on Silk & Dagger: A Sesible Drow RPG besides the fact that we have gotten a lot of good and useful feedback which I am continuing to collect in preparation towards shifting focus back towards it.

Meanwhile our lead designer(me)’s focus has been on Death Bed: An Impenetrably Medieval Dungeon Game. Previously, this was called Death Bed: A Souls-like RPG. The changelog for it is absolutely massive because I’ve been building it from the ground up, progress you can follow in real-time if you join our Patreon discord server. It isn’t yet in a state where I would call it playable, but you can see an awesome preview on the patreon.

None of this is set in stone, but at the moment I am thinking that the pre-alpha for Death Bed will release as a demo to the public some time in June, after which I will keep focus on Death Bed until I am able to consider it in alpha stage, which, for a classic dungeon crawl type of game, means it will need a dungeon. Actually, for the kind of game Death Bed is trying to be, it needs two. I am thinking of converting Tomb of the Serpent Kings for Death Bed at least as a playtest dungeon to test out how the game actually works in a dungeon before creating my own. If I can get permission, I might release that conversion to the public.

The rest of the team is hard at work on Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, either editing, working on art, or working on the third adventure module we promised would come with the Kickstarter.

Anyway, here’s the changelog for all our team’s major projects.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Copy-editing Progress: Thoroughly copy-edited up to p. 356.

CHAPTER 1 

Clarified only one exacerbating factor applies at a time. 

Added sidebar to “Composure” explaining that the system doesn’t simulate ordinary life, it tracks mental state during adventures (which are high-pressure and stressful).

Clarified the purpose of the Quick Terms section

Added a note that Eureka really works best with 3 or fewer players and you really should not go beyond 4. 

CHAPTER 2

Changed how the Burnout Trait works. It is now an ability that can be activated each time the investigator earns a Eureka! Point, and lasts until they take Penetrative Damage as a result of the Trait.

Temporarily took out the Ask Questions Later Trait.

CHAPTER 3

Removed a special thanks credit per that person’s request

CHAPTER 7

Removed certain things like “spotlighting” and other basic Narrator principles for review and rewrites. Some of this is probably going back in once we re-evaluate it.

Removed “How We Play Eureka.” Playing by the rules in the book should already outline the intended experience, and many options given in that section are just RAW now.

CHAPTER 8 

Added several more fan-submitted hunting table entries. 

Eureka: The Fanservice Files

Clarified Sharp Teeth

Clarified some parts of maneater’s severity levels 

Added a Severity Level 5 and adjusted the time both maneater stomach types take to digest, making them all a bit longer.

Silk & Dagger: A Sensible Drow RPG

Changed the page color of An Unforgettable Banquet to more of a grey to match the new grey page color of the main rulebook and be slightly easier to read.

Death Bed: An Impenetrably Medieval Dungeon Game

CHANGE LOG

WHOLE BOOK 

CHAPTER 1

Added Moving Silently Section

Changed Hollowness Rolls to Despair Rolls. 

Changed most instances of strugglers automatically reducing Hollowness to instead be Morale rolls, which are like the opposite of Despair rolls.  

Changed how HP works so that it is now the Vitality Bar, separate from the Vigor stat. Vigor increases Vitality the fastest, but other stats can also increase it a little now.

Wrote out and codified Sex and Sexuality

Wrote out rules for Healing Flask.

Clarified how hollowness affects attention

Drinking from healing flask causes disadvantage to defense and dodge rolls on the following monster turn. 

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3 

Added Stats section

Added stats and what they do

Explained how to roll starting stats

Explained Traits 

Explained Truth

Explained how starting equipment is determined

Added very rough burial item tables. 

Added very rough notes/outlines for the Trait List

Sorted Clothing into Masculine and Feminine, and Fine and not Fine.

Added 19 more Traits

Added Trait Pre-Plotting section. 

Added rough outline of Sex and Expressions of Sexuality section. 

Added Wearing Armor section.

Added Donning Difficulty section. 

Gave different types of clothing donning difficulty. 

Added many new Traits 

Gave almost every Trait an added EXP bonus. 

Removed the rough outline rule that strugglers having Traits that do not match their perceived gender causes them to make regular Despair rolls. This kind of thing is now handled by the Social Status mechanic.

Added Social Status mechanic.

Assigned a Social Status value to all Traits. 

Changed how starting Social Status is determined. 

Added a section showing how to make a not-quite-level-1 character to help with early playtesting.

Added a new Trait. 

Tweaked wording of Eponymous Companion Trait. 

Added “scaling” to all Stats. There are now cross-over benefits to all stats. 

Changed the Social Status roll for a character starting with no clothes from 1D6 to 1D6+4.

Fixed mistake in Method 3 of character creation that still said not to roll any dice.

Reduced Vitality scaling for Arcane, Attunement, and Scripture. 

Reduced number of D6s that Method 3 character creation gives. 

Adjusted various things about the burial item tables. 

Changed it so there is now a specific table for picking items for Method 2 and Method 3 characters 

New trait for women 

New trait for anyone

New Trait for women

Protector/Protectee characters can move in tandem with each other no matter the distance between them.

Lady/Lady-in-Waiting pairs can move in tandem with each other no matter the distance between them.

Tactician strugglers and the strugglers they are ordering can move in tandem with each other even if they are far apart.

CHAPTER 4 

Added Gap Finder special weapon attribute. 

Removed the Light Attack from some weapons and removed the Overswing Attack from others. 

Increased the Str requirements of all melee weapons by 2 and increased the Dex requirements of all melee weapons by 1. 

Added some projectile weapons and rules for how they work

Added Bundles for ammunition and other small items

Wrote out Hook special weapon attribute

Decreased the damage of all projectile weapons by 1 degree. 

CHAPTER 5 

Added Non-Combatant Status section.

Changed the amount of Wounds that Profuse Bleeding causes each turn to 6 instead of 2.

Tweaked the stances a little. 

Added mob attacks and flanking bonuses

Added tandem movement so strugglers can move on each other’s turns to a limited degree. 

Reloading guns and crossbows causes disadvantage to defense and dodge rolls on the following monster turn

Dodging now causes 2 fatigue and resets Stance back to Balanced. 

Changed how having allies in the node affects mob attacks. 

Strugglers can use their shields to add to the block rolls of allies in their same node but it causes 1 fatigue. 

CHAPTER 6 

Started on this chapter. 

[deadhands69]

Encyclopedia of the Apocalypse [1: A Collection of Things That Don’t Matter Anymore]

Toge Inumaki x Reader Zombie Apocalypse AU (Curseless)

Bombarded by zombies and plagued by recent experiences, you and your new found friend, Toge Inumaki, try to find more than survival in the remnants of civilization. this series contains: graphic violence, gory wound depictions, sexual assault (not Toge!!), angst/character deaths, mentions/thoughts of suicide, cussing.

It’s nothing personal, that’s just how the world is now. You tell yourself that every time you slash one of their heads off. 

Just as the newly decapitated skull begins to roll down the street, another approaches behind you.

It took a long time for you to be able to get them in a few swings. Turns out lobbing a machete through a human spine requires a considerable amount of strength and effort, but like most things in life you learn as you go. It’s never easy though. 

Your apocalypse buddy, Toge Inumaki, takes care of the one creeping up behind you with a few well placed stabs before kicking the body over. The two of you hover over them, observing the grotesque forms they’ve been melting into lately. As time passes, the less human they look. Especially the ones that froze over the winter and are starting to thaw out now. You feel a little less bad for leaving them like this.

Well, maybe some parts of it get easier.

“Eww,” you exclaim, Toge nods in agreement.

Sick of the smell, you glance at each other then down the street, indicating it’s time to move on. Spending this much time with someone gives you insight into their subtle cues. In your situation, that’s great because he can’t talk.

You’ve known Toge for a little over two months, or something close to that. The new moon was emerging the night after you met and now, nearly two cycles later, it’s fading again. Initially you tried to keep track of time the old way, but the days faded into each other and it stopped feeling important. Especially when you were alone. 

Time passes strangely anyways. Every day feeling like it’s flying by as you struggle for survival, then as you lay your head down to rest, the entirety of it hits you as if a whole year has passed. Like many things, exact dates shouldn’t have any meaning to you. It’s all moon cycles and seasons now. Preparing for the unsettling dark, extreme heat, and skin burning cold. You don't know which is worse.

Fortunately, right now you have a brief reprieve from the harsh elements. Little green buds are beginning to emerge from the tree branches. That also means it’s been slightly over three seasons since this all began.

Whatever this is. Maybe it’s a virus or some random natural occurrence. You have no clue. It doesn’t really matter what caused it.

You’re not a scientist or doctor. There’s no way you could fix this even if you had a full lab at your disposal. Like every other survivor you’ve met, you had no influence or knowledge of how this happened, yet you’re now living in it. You’d love to say you’ve gotten the hang of things but you’re not sure that you ever will.

Admittedly, your first reaction was “I should google this,” but cell towers went down quickly. You’re also not sure if any servers are up and running anymore, even if you did have service. As a long time resident of the internet, you came up with another solution – creating your own personal version of wikipedia. What started as a composition notebook quickly turned into five with polaroids and stray pages taped in. With the amount you’ve scribbled into the margins, you should copy some of these into new books but haven’t had time for that.

Your makeshift articles have proven themselves to be well worth the weight of carrying them so you continue to write. Keeping them safely tucked into a massive plastic bag in your backpack for the sake of keeping dry. 

You make a mental note of the level of decomposition you saw today, you’d like to add it to your entry on them.

page 1

ZOMBIES!?!?!!!!

Outbreak day zero: October 31, 2028

What you know so far:

They’re slow. Very slow. Initially, that was one of the many problems that allowed this to spread so easily: there was no rush. No one was running at first so people carried on with their day, not realizing the severity of the issue until it was too late. At that point, their speed was less of a concern than their numbers.

What they lack in quickness they make up for in endurance, they can trudge along forever at the same pace. You’re not sure how that’s possible given that movement requires energy which they should run out of at some point, but humans aren’t supposed to turn into the undead either so most previous knowledge may not be applicable here.

They don’t talk or ever seem to communicate or express emotion in any way. Their faces stay slack, pupils unresponsive. They do respond to outside stimuli, but more in an attack onsight kind of way, especially if it’s something they can eat.  Interestingly, they never go after each other. Bumbling through the world as if the others don’t exist. Honestly, that part doesn’t look any different from the old world.

Most importantly: they bite. A lot. And, if you’re bit by one you will become one of them. Excruciatingly transforming for hours until every part of the you that was ever you is gone. You aren't sure if it's just bites or if their saliva finding it's way into an open wound would have the same effect; with any luck you'll never find out.

They also like to scratch. Movies did nothing to warn you about this one, but it’s nearly as deadly without appropriate antibiotics.

You can’t fully kill them without burning the bodies, but you can stop them from being able to chase you. Separating the head renders them relatively useless. They can’t bite without a mouth or follow you without a body. Just be careful where you step and don’t let them swipe at you.

That, plus their decaying skin and stench, leads you to believe they’re not alive anymore (but you haven’t gotten close enough to check for a pulse to find out and you have no intention of doing so any time soon.) Maybe one day they will all rot away into nothing, but for now you’re stuck on this planet with them.

Added: they are definitely decaying rapidly, more so after thawing.

You shudder at the thought.

At least an hour has passed since you ran into the last mobile infected. Toge walks a few steps ahead of you, checking the corner with a mirror. He nods that it’s clear and the two of you turn, making your way down what was once probably a very nice place to spend the afternoon. 

Umbrellaed tables line the street outside of what was previously a restaurant. You could imagine yourself sitting outside on a sunny day, chatting with friends without a care in the world.

Not now though. 

Now it’s just you, Toge, and the occasional body to avoid walking too close to. 

Some part of you feels bad for missing nonessentials. With the death and violence you’ve seen, you could easily make a list of things to mourn and outside cafe seating should be at the absolute bottom of it. Still, your heart pangs a bit at the thought. It was a piece of something larger, something simple connecting you to everything else you’ve lost. 

Given that there’s no immediate danger and you’ve been walking for hours without a break, Toge takes advantage of the tables, throwing his bag on a chair, and pulling out another to sit. You join him. Each of you dig your water bottles out, happy for the moment of rest.

“Do you ever miss things from before, like silly things?” you ask. He pauses, considering. After a moment, he nods and pulls out his notebook, scribbling something before handing it to you. 

“Talk Trolling people online.”

You laugh, trying not to think too hard about what he initially started to write. “That’s definitely not an easy one to replace now.”

He smiles, making the tattoos on his cheeks curve-up. You don’t have many calm chances to look at him, especially without his face hidden under the mask he usually wears, but he’s pretty. His long eyelashes catch the sunlight, making his eyes glow. They look nearly purple in this lighting. His face is cute too, you’re certain if you’d met Toge under any other circumstances you would have had a massive crush on him. You probably still do, it’s just hidden under layers of walls you need to build around yourself to survive in this world. 

Whatever your feelings for him are, you’re glad he’s in your life.

Being alone out here for long enough is a death sentence, you know that as well as he does. It’s probably why he’s stuck with you for so long. Sometimes you wonder if he would have given you the time of day before all of this. You remind yourself it doesn’t matter. That world doesn’t exist anymore so any hypotheticals within it don’t need to either. Still, like everything else, you find it nearly impossible to extricate one from the other. You learned to socialize in another world and thus, you and everyone else you meet are taking bits of that world along with you whether you mean to or not. 

After thinking a bit, he poses a new question: “what are you glad you did in your old life?”

It’s a nice thought, given that it’s easy to spend your time in regrets instead. “I’m glad the hours I spent falling into wikipedia holes resulted in some usable knowledge. How about you?”

His smile widens, giving you a rare glimpse at his teeth. “I’m just glad I spent all my money on video games instead of bitcoin. Learned a lot about zombies that way!”

You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, not all of it was correct.” He rolls his eyes. You both laugh.

A while passes as the two of you converse back and forth about life. It almost feels normal again, if not for the lack of liveliness and the twitching bodies in the street. A few scrape along the concrete, making their way towards you. Toge promptly deals with them. It’s sweet of him, you think, not feeling as horrified by it as you were when this all started. 

You’re getting used to this new life.

The sun hangs low in the sky; you both know that means it’s time to find somewhere safe for the night. You organize your belongings and begin the search.

page 3

FINDING SHELTER

What to look for:

High ground is nice, but not always necessary.

A solid door or place you can lock yourself in, with a reasonable exit is best. The undead are slow, clumsy, and you will hear them from a distance. In this area, it’s the living you need to worry about. Not most of them, but it’s always best to be safe. For the same reason, stay away from apartment buildings or any spaces that used to house people en masse. Given the convenience of many rooms filled with food and cushy furniture, nearly all of these spaces were taken by people or groups who had no issue using force to remove the remaining occupants from their own homes and steal their resources.

After that, you want to spend your time in places that won’t make you sick. So, you look for clean, dry areas. Without a warm bed or medicine, a simple cold is a lot more severe than it used to be. Plus, everything is dirty now. You had no idea how much collective cleaning went into keeping the world hygienic, but none of that is happening anymore. You don’t even have running water to wash your hands with. So, keeping clean takes effort, but it’s just as important as safety.

If you have the option, somewhere nice to sleep comes next. It’s typically quiet now, as long as you’re used to the faint scraping in the distance. The trick is to keep that as far away as possible. Level ground is great too, but it’s not always a luxury you’re afforded all the time.

Toge points to what was once a coffee shop down the street. The front window is smashed out, but it appears to be void of bodies. There are far fewer on the street in this area, but enough remnants that no human still alive at this point would dare to walk through here after sundown.

If you can use one of the tables to block the opening it should be a reasonable spot for the night, none of the undead here can do more than crawl so they won't be a concern tonight. 

The sun is setting fast, you unclip the solar light hanging from your backpack and point it inside. 

Coast is clear.

The two of you have done your nighttime routine together so many times that it’s second nature. He unfolds the tent while you begin securing the space. It doesn't take much. You pull a few shelves off a bookcase and slide them lengthwise between the bar-type table in front of the window opening and the sill. They would be more secure with nails, but you're not about to make that much noise and draw the attention of everything on the block to you. This will work for the night. You climb into the tent after him, rolling out your sleeping bag.

Toge hums something you assume is close to “night” before rolling over to sleep. 

“Good night,” you say, turning off the light.

Sleep is almost never immediate, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Initially, Toge didn’t tell you what happened to him. You asked when you first met and he jokingly told you a zombie bit his tongue off. At least, you thought it was a joke considering that he’s still alive. A week ago, settled in under the full moon, it came up again.

A few months before he met you, his party ran into trouble in a warehouse when three of the undead scurried out of the shadows. They had just taken off their backpacks for the night and were about to check the rest of the building when they came across a cluster of them in a back room. The first was taken down immediately by his friend Megumi. Nobara bludgeoned the next with a hammer. The last approached him, slowly.

It could have been a simple kill. However, Toge was being a little shit. He grabbed it by the hair and slashed off its head. In any video game, that would be the end of it. Assuming it was done for, he held the head in front of his face and stuck his tongue out to taunt it. With a snap of its mouth, he became likely one of the few people in history who’ve sustained a zombie bite to the tongue. He also became the only human you’ve ever heard of who has survived a bite. 

In spite of his insolence, he’s still tough. After it nipped him, he threw the head to the ground before it could even unlatch its teeth. Immediately, he turned away from the rest of his party - cutting off and cauterizing most of his own tongue with a pocket knife and lighter to stop the infection from spreading. Everyone stood in disbelief.

Not knowing what else to do, they locked him in the back of a box truck overnight. They chained the door shut to be safe, checking in by knocking every hour or so. By sunrise, the tongue came back to life. Well, “life.” Twitching and flicking around on its own. He heard that his teacher threw up at the sight.

Weapons drawn, the group worked up the nerve to slide open the hatch to check on Toge, fearing the worst. And there he was, fast asleep.

Initially when he told you this story, you were horrified. In your new life, you’ve all had to do things you never dreamed you’d even be capable of, but that's still one of the worst you’ve heard. 

After dwelling on it all night, by morning you have a thought.

“It’s like rattlesnake bite statistics,” you say, while stuffing your backpack full of sugar packets and napkins. “There’s a reason it’s always younger men being bit around the face, mouth, and hands.” He laughs, pulling out his notebook. “That’s the reason for the tattoo,” he writes. “Maki and Nobara said the same thing. They made jokes for so long that when we made our way to a small encampment with a tattoo artist, I traded a bag of coffee for the tattoo. It already felt like it should be there.” 

He smiles, dimples puckering the circles on his cheeks. They suit him. 

If you and his friends came to the same obscure conclusion, you probably have a good amount in common. Maybe the two of you would have been friends outside of all of this.

[series masterlist] [jjk masterlist]

taglist: @kennys-partner @moonstonejpg @wealltiredherelol @crowned-gemini @kitkat13001

[dotzines]

Calling all Madoka Magica creators!!!

Earth Love 2025 is a collaborative zine that celebrate Earth Day with our favourite goddess: Ultimate Madoka.

Check our past volumes:

🌏 Earth Love 2024 🌍 Earth Love 2023 🌏 Earth Love 2022 🌏 Earth Love 2021 🌏 Earth Love 2020 🌏 Earth Love 2019

Like the past years it’s going to be PDF only, and completely free. Artists/Writers of all skill-levels are welcome, all entries that follow submission guidelines will be accepted and included in the zine!

If you want to be part of our discord server follow this link: (https://discord.gg/nGMhkUq) Be sure to write you’re part of the Madoka zine in your intro or you won’t be able to see the zine channels.

We want to accept the hard work of EVERYONE who submits to us, so please make sure to follow the guidelines below:

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Please refer to “what to draw/write about”.

Only one submission per person!

ALL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE DUE BY 11:00pm CET ON APRIL 8! Every piece we receive after that time will not be included.

The Earth (It’s going to be something for Earth Day after all).

Ultimate Madoka.

A background of your choice. Simple, complex… is up to you. Please NO BLANK/TRANSPARENT backgrounds.

(OPTIONAL) You can include other Madoka Magica characters (OCs are not allowed) but please mantain the focus on Ultimate Madoka and the Earth.

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

The Earth (It’s going to be something for Earth Day after all).

Ultimate Madoka.

(OPTIONAL) You can include other Madoka Magica characters (OCs are not allowed) but please mantain the focus on Ultimate Madoka and the Earth.

You can write about the reason why Madoka love the Earth so much, if she does something particular on Earth Day, her job as Earth protector, or if she looks for puppies or cute things on Earth when she doesn’t save magical girl… the possibilities are endless. Remember you can draw/write about other characters, but the focus of your piece must be on the Earth and Ultimate Madoka.

ARTISTS GUIDELINES

Refer to “what to draw” and “general guidelines”.

A4 (2480 × 3508 pixels @ 300dpi), RBG, PNG, portrait orientation. Make sure your canvas is this size.

Traditional art will be accepted, but please scan it cleanly!

Only complete drawings. Sketches will not be included.

WRITERS GUIDELINES

Refer to “what to write about” and “general guidelines”.

All writings must not exceed 1k/1.2k words!

Before submit triple check your piece for grammar/spelling errors. Keep in mind that mods aren’t english native speakers so we might let some errors slip our eyes when we read it. So please get someone that can proofread your work before send it to us.

Please use a google doc link to submit your work.

HOW TO SUBMIT

When your piece is ready send it to dotzines@gmail.com with:

Nickname: (The name we’ll use to credit you. Be sure to check everything for letter case to be as you want -all uppercase, all lower, mixed up-)

Social media: (Up to 2. Please complete url)

Message: A little message for Earth Day ♥ (Please limit yourself to 1 or 2 short sentences)

We’ll send you a confirmation email (so you know we received your piece) as soon as we can. If we don’t after 48 hours please contact us and re-send your email.

You can post cropped wips of your piece (@ our socials so we can reblog/retweet them ♥), but please keep the final thing secret until zine release.

The goal is to have this PDF released on April 22: Earth Day.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or check the FAQ page! Please share this post to spread the word so even more people can join in! (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)

[spideytorch-hovel]

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about spideytorch lately (as I am one to do) and a question popped into my head:

What is the most important spideytorch comic panel?

There’s a ton of great options in my opinion, but I think there also is an answer (at least for me) so now I am going to subject all of you to my thought process. Get ready for a way to long post breaking this down.

The most obvious starting point has to be this classic

Johnny Storm is going full house husband for Peter Parker, I mean c’mon! add in the fact that he’s in his undies and the way that he’s leaning over peter… yeah this is a classic. This might be the most famous spideytorch panel out there, but I don’t think it’s the most important one.

Another classic (but more antagonistic?) one takes place, of course, at the usual place.

To me this is peak identity shenanigans and the stuff that fanfics are made of. The betrayal, the heartbreak, the complications that go into the conflicting way these two view identity, oh boy I could talk about that shit for hours, but as an individual moment, it doesn’t really crack most important for me, it needs a bit more affection (they’re very bad at affection sometimes).

Another panel that came to mind very quickly for me is this set.

Johnny literally only had to say his name and Peter knew exactly what he meant and what he needed. This is top tier levels of communication, both between them and from the creators to us. I think this is another one that I could talk about for hours. That being said, it doesn’t feel important enough to me.

A friend in the spideytorch discord server posed this panel as the most important spideytorch moment in the comics.

I’m just gonna put their quote in cause it’s great. “I think this is one of my favorite panels cause Johnny was just speaking generally and Peter was like ‘oh my god! Actual wise words form johnny’ but also, I love that this was a more important moment for Peter than Johnny.” I must say, this entry is extremely important to spideytorch and gave my choice a run for its money. I don’t have a huge reason for not making this one the most important, other than personal taste. For their relationship, this is a key moment and sets them on the path to actually being friends (at least on Peter’s end), but idk it just wasn’t doing it for me.

Another panel I was reminded of thanks to this submission was this moment.

It’s not quite as impactful as the past one by a long shot but I do think it’s important. After being rivals for so long, to see Johnny give a genuine heartfelt compliment to Peter is fantastic (haha). This feels like the other half of the previous set of panels. There we had Johnny encouraging a stranger and here he’s encouraging his friend.

Some other friends in the discord server suggested the moment that Johnny invites Peter over to watch his sex tape (yes this is canon).

(Not pictured, Peter swinging away and saying he needs to take a cold shower). Now I’m not saying that the most important spideytorch moment needs to be serious, but I think this moment might be too unserious to claim that title. This moment was huge for the fanbase because holy shit did, he actually say that, but for their relationship, I just don’t think it was as important as it was to us.

Now I do want to knock out a few honorable mentions that I would hate to miss.

First, this look given to Spidey by Johnny, I mean yeah, he’s in love.

And to balance the lovesick flirty scales I must expose Peter as well.

Next, this heartbreaking moment that basically admits to the audience that Peter’s world becomes chaos when he loses Johnny. That shit hits.

Of course, the moment that gave us the ship name.

A panel that lives in my head rent-free because honestly marvel what were you attempting to convey here other than the fact that Peter really wants to have hate sex with Johnny Storm?

To take us outside of our duo, this quote from Ben Grimm (EDIT: it’s was Peter’s clone Ben Reilly, which honestly only adds more drama), because honestly same.

And of course, I have to include the panel which showed us the first time (on page) that Peter told Johnny he loved him AND gave us canon proof that these two have “date night,” many a fic writer was fed well.

And how could we forget! THE USUAL PLACE! Literally any panel mentioning this is top tier because its so good, like the core of the fandom honestly.

Lastly, before moving on to my own more serious contenders I have to share this parallel that @sciderman shared because I love it.

Now to my serious contenders for the title of most important spideytorch panel (please remember this is all my opinion and I mean no shade). This will be a top 5, but just know some of these rankings are pretty flexible (even flexible with some panels from the beginning), and this question should not be taken as seriously as I am taking it, I am fully aware of that.

Number 5!

So, I know that I discounted the sex tape scene earlier because I didn’t think it was serious enough and it didn’t do enough for their actual relationship, but I had to include this one I’m sorry. A lot of this is personal taste but the implications here are *chefs kiss* The first time I saw this panel was actually on Pinterest with the caption “wait a second, did spider-man and the human torch have sex?” which says it all for me.

Beyond that, this moment also shows how they reach out to each other when they have problems. Strange children show up in Peter’s life and the first person he calls about it is Johnny. Again, this is not the most serious, but I love it. This moment shows the banter of their relationship, how they care about and rely on each other, and also potentially reveals that they’ve had sex. There’s a lot to take in.

Number 4!

I will be honest with you all, this moment is here almost entirely because Ben’s quote lives in my head rent-free. Everyone around them sees how they feel about each other besides them. When they were rivals others could tell they actually liked each other and when they became friends others could tell that it was deeper than that. I think I especially love this panel because it conforms that we’re not crazy for thinking there’s something there but also because Ben specifically cites the way Johnny looks at peter. That is very specific and says a lot. I can’t imagine Ben would say this if the looks Johnny gave Peter were purely platonic, and just ahhhh, there’s so much said here just in one line from Ben. There was of course the Ben moment earlier, which I also love, but something about this one, the more specific phrasing of it I think just shoots it up my rankings a lot.

Number 3!

If you’ve been following me for a while I don’t think this is a surprise at all, I have already done a very in depth post about this panel so I’ll keep my thoughts brief. Red Skull knows that hurting Johnny will hurt Peter, Peter’s Spidey senses go off FOR JOHNNY, and we are given so much angst potential, I love it.

Number 2!

This one is probably a more popular choice than my number one, and I totally get it. The excitement and joy bursting out of Peter when he finally realizes that Johnny is here, he’s real, and he’s alive really gets me. Plus, the added context to the uniform comment being that Johnny literally left Peter his family and his spot on the team in his will. The amount of pure love in this moment and its larger context is abundant, platonic or romantic, it’s there. I feel like everything I could say about this panel has probably been said before, but it is definitely worthy of being the most important spideytorch moment, even if I have one that beats it for me.

Number 1!

For those of you who don’t know, this panel comes from Peter visiting Gwen’s grave and talking to her. That fact alone breaks me in half but then the things he says to her shatter me. Every spider-man fan knows how much Gwen’s death broke Peter, it destroyed him to lose her. Just the fact that Peter admits Johnny brings part of him back is amazing (haha) because that is a hug feat. But then he shatters me even more with his final sentences. After Gwen’s death, we often get a peter who spends too much time as Spidey in order to avoid having to cope with Gwen’s death as Peter, but also as a way to cope with the loss (he’s a complicate man). Spideypool also gets a lot from that arc because of Wade’s reaction to Spider-Man not holding back as much and becoming less of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and that’s true. The fact that Peter feels like he’s becoming who Spidey is supposed to be again when he’s around johnny is huge! But then! He corrects himself. He’s not Spidey again, he’s Peter. The real person, the man behind the mask, comes back. And then you get the final correction. He’s not just peter again, he’s *Gwen’s* peter again. He is the him that existed with Gwen when he’s with Johnny. That speaks volumes and breaks whatever parts of me are left. How am I expected to read this and not think that Johnny and Peter are soulmates?

Now, I will acknowledge that this is much more of a peter moment than a joint spideytorch moment, much like the moment suggested by discord friend earlier. If that disqualifies it for you as the most important spideytorch panel, I get it. However, for me that doesn’t matter mainly for one key reason. So many classic spideytorch moments show a lot of Johnny having feelings for Peter or making a move on Peter. There have been a lot of times when I’m trying to get a friend into spideytorch, and I feel like I have to clarify that its not as one sided as it seems. Johnny is much more out there with who he is and doesn’t hide his feelings very well (except maybe from himself). So, when we get any spideytorch moment that hones in on peter’s feelings and love for Johnny, that feels so huge to me. This moment alone proves that it isn’t one sided, Peter has deep feelings for Johnny, even if he’s not sure what they are yet, he knows that what they have is special, he wouldn’t be telling Gwen about it otherwise. While it may not be as famous of a spideytorch moment, its an important one, and for me it’s probably the most important one.

Anyway, this has been a way too long post about this topic but if you made it to the end thank you so much! I would love to hear other people’s thoughts on this topic so feel free to share those. Also, just a reminder that these are my opinions, and I am not in charge at all so don’t take it too seriously (unless you want to).

If you’re interested in hearing me, go more in depth on any of these panels (or any other spideytorch panels) shoot me an ask because I could honestly talk in depth for a while about most of these panels and I would love to do so. Thank you again for reading this way to long post and good night spideytorch nation.

[ladytabletop]

Lady Tabletop's Primer for Getting into Tabletop Roleplaying Game Design Philosophy

Sam Dunnewold over at the Dice Exploder podcast has posed a fun question to his discord server: where would you tell people to start if they wanted to know more about TTRPGs and design?

First and foremost, I'd tell people to start with @jdragsky's article about Systems of Relation.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can now understand that the games we played on the playground were identical in nature to the tabletop RPGs I would grow up to play and help design.

Next, check out Thomas Manuel's analysis of the Axes of Game Design over on the Indie RPG Newsletter.

So the basic exercise is trying to figure out the standard axes or spectrums on which every game can fit. The idea is for these axes to be as descriptive and objective as possible.

Thirdly (and lastly for the purposes of this blog - it's entry-level, not comprehensive), check out this reddit thread about lonely fun.

The Lonely Fun is all of the stuff you do as a part of your hobby away from the table, in any way you might engage. For D&D 5e players, this is usually building complicated and elaborate characters on the page, pouring over the books for new races and subclasses, figuring out fun new combinations, and carefully crafting characters.

Read those? Now check out BALIKBAYAN: Returning Home by @temporalhiccup

Will we be able to outrun our Masters and those who hunt us down? Can we use our magic to bring about the rebirth of the city and all Elementals? ill this be our RECKONING or our HOMECOMING? That’s what we play to find out.

Why I make these particular recommendations below the cut.

All of these recommendations are hopefully all entry-level. I tried to stay away from any essays, blogs, or articles that reference game movements you may not have heard of or that require tons of reading before you can even read my recommendations. Some do have links to other stuff, and if you're enjoying the writing, definitely go down those rabbit holes! These are a tiny, tiny portion of my "TTRPG Homework" folder where I save essays, podcasts, etc that have helped me in my own game design journey. I'm always happy to share more, just ask!

The essay on Systems of Relation put into words something I had been thinking about the more I got into indie games/design: I've been playing my whole life, and ttrpgs are just another piece of that. I think it's crucial to break out of the framework of people trying to define play and games into neat little categories. Will I ever write a game as good as the ones I played in the backyard with my siblings? Probably not, but I'd like to find out.

Now that I've told you to stop trying to categorize games, we have an article about trying to categorize games. But I do like Thomas's assessment and examples of using game design axes. I think as designers it's important to figure out the things the game is trying to do and communicate, so that we can make sure it does those things well.

Lastly, I know 5e gets a bad rap (and it's gotten it from me, too!). But the concept of lonely fun has stuck in my craw since I first saw this thread. It's why some people prefer to GM (and therefore why GM-less games might not work for some people). Not all games are going to have lonely fun, but the ones that do are still going to appeal to people! This thread was key for me in terms of considering that no game is for everyone, and it shouldn't try to be, and also helped contextualize the enjoyment I get from the occasional high-prep game.

Balikbayan as a recommendation was a no-brainer for me. I'm not going to say it's the most elegant or tight of Rae's work, but it's the one with the most heart for me. The story this game wants you to tell is so clear, and as an introduction to "Belonging Outside Belonging" as a system/concept/design philosophy. This game really sings in its character concepts and emotional play.

If you've read this far, congratulations! I've been enjoying the DE podcast (even when I don't agree with some of the takes) and the discord has been a cool (if at times intimidating) place to hang out. I've had a hell of a game design journey this year and I'm so excited to keep learning, and to see what media other folks participating in this blog carnival recommend!

To sign off: my best advice to designers, especially those starting out can be boiled down to three things:

When in doubt, simplify or make it silly

The two cakes theory is your best friend - game design is not a competition

Not everything has to be finished. Not every part of the creative process is fun. Find the balance between these two truths (you're going to have to do that every day).

Best,

LT

[marcnathzine]

Hello again marcnath fans! This is the fifth year the NathMarc Multiverse server is running our zine.

If you want to know more, check out the FAQ and this year’s Rules!

All skill levels and zine experience are allowed to participate in this digital free zine. You just have to join our server here.

For this year, we've pushed the zine release to the end of August to give mods and contributors plenty of time with their entries. Life's been hectic, but we're dedicated to spread the LGBT love outside of Pride month!

New content for this pairing has also dropped with Season 6, which is very exciting! Things from season 6 are allowed in zine entries as well. If you're feeling inspired, please join us!

Stay miraculous, and we hope to see continued love and support for this pair...!

[realm-newsletter]

The Ball, The Null, and Skulk, oh my!

March started off with one hell of a bang! The long-awaited Ball happened, people got Thanos-snapped into the Null, and there’s a new kind of corruption plaguing the server: Skulk.

The Ball

How did it go? BAD!!!

The Teal Titans hosted a brief pre-party at their base to get everyone hyped up for the event. While everyone was still hanging out in their base, Ros said that the ball’s entry fee was one diamond block and everyone paid. Beky stole a handful of the diamond blocks, and Aimsey accidentally shot and killed her while she was running away. Aimsey felt bad about that, so he and Beky made a deal with the Keepers to transfer one of his lives to Beky in exchange for loot from an Ancient City.

Couples: Aimsey and Ros, Bad and Foolish, Pangi and Sausage, Scott and CPK, Beky and a Keeper, Owen and Pili. Losers who went alone: Tubbo, Krow, and Sneeg.

Sneeg arrived late after purposefully lagging out the server with the Blender, and then tried to refuse to come if the Keepers didn’t teleport his “date” to the ball with him: Burpus with no Purpose, a pillager whose crossbow was taken off it. He had to be teleported back to the ball twice.

Guests were coatchecked; all items besides tools and armor had to be put into shulkers, including enderchests, and given to Keepers for safe-keeping.

Upon entering the ball, there was Faction-specific seating that was only somewhat adhered to. Beky sat with the Blue faction; Pangi, Sausage, and Bad sat with the Yellow faction; Owen and Pili sat alone at the Green faction table.

Faction leaders gave speeches! For full speeches, I encourage checking out Ros’s vod on YouTube. After the speeches, there was dancing and drinking and general cheer! Ros then gave another speech thanking everyone for attending, Foolish for making the Kingdom, and Bad, Aimsey, Pangi, and Pili for helping in the construction of the ballroom itself. 

The Keepers announced that they had prepared several games for them to play. Sausage played with the Yellow faction, Pili played with Green, and no one played for Red. Everyone was given a list of items to gather from barrels scattered around the ballroom, bingo-style. After this game was completed, the Keepers asked for each faction to nominate one person who had had the greatest impact on their faction. Blue nominated Aimsey; Yellow nominated Ros; Green nominated Pangi.

The Keepers had one more trick up their sleeves: The factions were given 10 minutes to find 50 logs around the ballroom, or else their chosen people would be “wiped from existence.” 😨 They failed to gather the logs in time.

As the nominees were gathering onstage, all of the tables but Yellow’s were revealed to be trapped and were blown up with a button on Yellow’s table that triggered the explosions. The culprit is still at large.

The Keepers urged the factions to work together moving forward, and then the nominees were kicked from the server.

Beky gathered the Realmers at her library with the siren call of secret information. She revealed the Keepers had given her a set of books about “7 Calamities” and the Corruption, which turned the previous occupants of the Realm into the Keepers we know and “love.” Beky speculated that the players (“Outworlders”) were brought to the Realm in order to become strong warriors. Snails are part of the “Project S.N.A.I.L.” directive to further encourage players to level and become stronger. There have been previous Outworlder groups that failed.

There is a calamity called “The Maddening” which happens when an Outworlder dies a dramatic death. Symptoms include a change in eyes, memory loss, aggression, a shift in personality, and an attraction to Corruption. (Remind us of anything?🤔)

The F.A.C.T.I.O.N. pact is made between all people present; the pact declares that, in the face of any larger threat, the factions will work together to overcome it. After signing it, a Keeper declares that new Faction quests have been disbursed to be completed without their most critical members. The quests were: A bed matching their faction color, an amount of froglights, and a plant/flower (Torchflower seeds, wither roses, and chorus flowers). 

Bad and Foolish fulfilled their death pact; Snoozer set off an explosion that killed Foolish. Bad survived and then burnt himself to death. OOC, Bad said that in-character, both were killed in the explosion.

The Null

Ros, Pangi, and Aimsey woke up in a dark room called “The Null.” Each had a color-coded bed made out of carpet. Pangi moved Aimsey and Ros’s beds to be closer together. 

They aren’t sure how long they’ve been trapped, although it’s been at least several days. Aimsey thinks it’s been at least a decade, Ros claims 21 years, Pangi claims 50. They’ve given up on their servermates saving them.

After some back and forth and joking around (Ros is building a castle on an iPad, eating Pangi for rations), a Keeper shows up and says that Aimsey can return to the Realm to complete a deal. Aimsey refuses to leave unless he can take Ros and Pangi with him. All three return to the Realm, albeit changed by their experience. Ros returned with severe memory loss. 

The three are filled in on Beky’s lore books, and decline to sign the F.A.C.T.I.O.N. pact, citing a distrust of the factions’ ability to work together, especially since the ball had been trapped.

Several people interrogate Ros on her memory loss; Foolish and Tubbo say she has lost her joy and whimsy, and Tubbo and Bad separately accuse her of being an imposter. Bad takes her hostage; she is freed by Tubbo and his Snail Army, but Bad continues to chase her saying he just wants to “cure” her. He corners her in the castle and accidentally sets off Sneeg’s alarm system, freaking Ros out more. He continually tries to therapize her, and then chases her around, hitting her with steak to “jog her memory.”

Pangi claims to have returned “fine,” visibly less shaken by his experience. He even asks to be sent back to the Null to avoid Pili 5 Apples Tall, which is briefly fulfilled. He says he knows that the Null was the Keepers’ realm, and that he feels that the Keepers have been against him since day one. He has stolen one of the Keepers’ cloaks, and he wants to hunt them in their own clothing. He wants to kill them because nobody has seen one die.

[We do not currently have detailed information on Aimsey’s activities immediately post-Null. If you would like to help us fill in the gaps in our reporting, send in a contributor application!]

Skulk?!

[We do not currently have detailed notes on the state of Sneeg and Aimsey’s Skulk infections from the beginning of March. Due to its importance, we are still reporting on it to the best of our ability. If you would like to help us fill in the gaps in our reporting, send in a contributor application!]

Sneeg and Aimsey initially met up to discuss the fact that both of them have been hearing things. Initially they only discussed hearing the Dragon, however after further discussion found that they were also hearing the Warden. Auditory hallucination buddies! They theorized that this had to do with the Dragon Egg Shards, and sought out others who might have them to see if they’d also been hearing things. 

The two were instructed to gather ten Warden Souls by the Keepers, and then to spawn and kill the Wardens. The Warden Souls were objects that, when thrown on the ground with a sculk sensor, would spawn in a Warden. Sneeg and Aimsey wandered around an Ancient City, following the sound of heartbeats, to the Warden Souls. They tested killing one Warden in the Ancient City, before returning to the Blender to kill the rest. The Wardens each had a chance of dropping a Cracked Sculk Catalyst, which was what the Keepers ultimately wanted to gather. The Keepers kept three Catalysts for their own purposes, and told Aimsey and Sneeg to each eat one, which they did. Eating the Catalysts gave them back one life, however the Keepers warned them that it would cost them part of their humanity.

Following their Ancient City excursion, Sneeg found that his arm had a Skulk vein growing on it, as well as blocks of Skulk around the Blender and his room in the castle. Aimsey’s second house also has Skulk growing around it.

It has been noted that Skulk acts as a counter to the Corruption, stopping it from spreading when placed around it.

[askagamedev]

Doing this on anon for obvious reasons but is there any chance of getting hired as an entry level game dev in 2025? I've been unemployed for nearly two years since graduating from uni and I'm just getting rejection after rejection from game companies. All the posts are looking for senior devs, team leads, or managers. I have friends who've given up on the industry entirely. Is there any hope? Or am I fighting a losing battle here...

In times of economic difficulty or uncertainty, the number of overall jobs decreases because the number of cancellations rises. New studios do start up, but entry level positions are rare since most of the new studios are looking for funding and they need the core senior dev team to build enough of a prototype to sell the idea to the money people. Were I in your place, I would do two things - I would first widen my search to look for work in adjacent fields where I could train my primary skills, and I would secondly do amateur game dev in my spare time to use as experience as I apply for new jobs.

The first approach is to get a game dev adjacent job. If you're an artist, this could mean illustration, commissions, contract work, or whatever else. Engineering could mean working in simulation software, B2B stuff, graphics, user interface, server engineering, and so on. Producers should focus project management positions and the like. Designers are probably the hardest to find something nearby, a UX designer position or maybe working in training/simulation software or casino games would be a decent fit. Regardless what it is you find, find something to earn some money while you try to get the real job you want.

Secondly, work on your own game dev project in your spare time. Create art assets, build gameplay systems, create game content, do stuff to level up and grow your skills. The self-driven project experience will be noticed on your resume when you apply to positions. We hiring managers want to see that kind of stuff on resumes, especially if you can't find a job in the field. We know that finding a job is hard, we won't hold it against you when we're hiring at entry level.

It's important to remember that entry level work has lots of applicants. Luck plays as large a part in the hiring process as the resume and skills. This could mean that the hiring manager has already selected a candidate or has a candidate further along in the interview process than you at the time of application, or that we already have an offer out for someone, or that the project has changed and the position is a ghost job that the recruiters haven't taken down yet. As such, it's a numbers game - the more shots you take, the more likely you'll get a response (especially if you take the time to [optimize your chances]). If you really want to work professionally as a game dev, you need determination to keep going. Find something to pay the bills, keep doing it in your spare time, and update your resume before firing off a fresh round of applications every six months or so.

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[biodiversesv]

hello hello everyone! just here to tell you all again about our wonderful server, Biodiverse!

Biodiverse is an LGBT+ science discord server! everyone from all science fields and levels of expertise are welcome! you don’t need to be a scientist to join, just as long as you love science and want to know more about it!

we have text channels for a wide variety of science topics! there is a focus on natural sciences (mycology, botany, biology, etc.) as well as topics like chemistry and astronomy; there’s something for everyone!

there’s also fun events and community projects! this includes weekly trivia contests, occasional movie/documentary streams, study sessions, and art contests to celebrate server milestones! and honestly whatever random fun activity we feel like doing LOL

we recently started a community project forum, where members can share in depth information about any science topic of their choosing. it’s basically an info-dump channel, and personally i’m very excited to read everyone’s entries!

OH ALSO. we have custom emojis! lovingly hand drawn by yours truly. here’s a few of them :3c

if any of this sounds interesting to you, please consider checking us out! we’d love to have you!

[osc-headcanon-confessions]

Random gamer headcanon time! 🧀

Paper owns a wii, and Looseleaf pranks him by changing his mii and/or sending it to the mii parade.

Bot has a collection of retro consoles, and their favourite is the gamecube. They also pirate games a lot, and teaches the others how to do it.

Mic does livestreams in her spare time, usually streaming random artsy indie games.

Pickle runs a Minecraft server for the hotel residents, and keeps having to ban Trophy for hacks.

Lightbulb loves Little Big Planet. She got Paintbrush into it too and they've made several levels together. There's a prize bubble with a tiny model of baxter hidden in each one.

Fan likes pet simulator games, and has put more time and effort into caring for his tamagochi than any living being ever.

Balloon and Suitcase play stardew valley together. Balloon romanced Leah and Suitcase romanced Maru.

Cabby likes pokemon, and has a file with carefully copied pokedex entries she's written down.

Would like to specifically call out these

These are amazing thank you i laughed i love ur headcanons /silly