#adiaphoron

[sorairoknife]

Doon po sa amin, Bayan ng San Roque 🎶

[wcdonaldo]

soundless fucking ruled, what a great experience

[milkplusvn]

The Soundless art update is now available for Windows, Linux, and Mac!

This update permits players to choose between the original artwork and new, updated artwork. It also contains a small collection of quality-of-life features, such as security updates and the ability to use auto-forward and self-voicing at the same time.

You can get it now on Itch.io:

Complete Changelog

Updated versions of all main story artwork (sprites, CGs, original backgrounds) have been added to the game, along with an updated version of the opening cutscene. Players can switch between old and new versions of the artwork as they like.

The gallery has been split into three sections: Old, New, and Adiaphoron. The Adiaphoron gallery is only unlocked after completing Adiaphoron.

A new Controls screen has been added to the game menu so players can quickly view game controls.

Ren'Py has been updated to version 8.1. This update adds security features and permits players to use auto-forward and self-voicing at the same time.

Important Information

Players who have already installed a previous version of Soundless: Final Verse (NOT pre-Final Verse versions of the program) will have their persistent data reset upon launching the latest version. This is due to an engine update that increases the security features of persistent/save data, thus making old, unsigned persistent data files flagged as untrustworthy by Ren'Py. As such, you will find that you will be prompted with the initial startup screen again. Please answer accordingly and then readjust your settings before continuing play.

Saves are not affected. Players mid-save will find gallery progress also reset, but upon completing the main story of Soundless the entirety of the main story gallery will be force-unlocked out of consideration for players with in-progress games. (This is also applied to Adiaphoron for players with mid-Adiaphoron saves.)

[cheonmaneechan]

Finished Soundless minus the Adiaphoron post game thing because I kind of only skimmed the post game terminal stuff. Pretty good! Don't feel like giving it a numbered rating or anything but it was nice.

[inksandpensblog]

AvA audience thoughts from a person who just saw the post you made lol

I think the audience difference is from the stickfigure's interactions and content. One, Minecraft as a whole is made for mostly kids and is generally the biggest gaming platforms in media, meaning more kids will be attracted to it, while the fighting part is a bit of an extra. AB's content is also for kids and has a friendlier tone to it (ignore AvA 5) with the general "good guys usually win but forgive antagonist" vibe, only a bit more suspense on the last part.

Most other stick-fighting just includes fighting and not too much story, and when it's not (take Gildedguy vs Oxob) it's a lot of violence; whenever there's ever a fight in AvA (even shorts 5), there's no characters really hurt without having an at least alright ending and no underlying tone that means harm. The colour gang died, but they were revived and "the bad guy" was defeated, and they went home. Pretty good ending, imo. This doesn't really go for the early animations, just starting nearby AvM (when things really kicked off).

A lot of stickfights also include blood, gore, swearing, PG content that AB/AvA doesn't have but i'm not saying this goes for all. I've just watched a lot of them in the dojo and that's what I gather.

TD;LR: AB is more family friendly with a good story, different from the other stick-fighting animations who (usually) aren't, and (sometimes) doesn't have a lot of story to go by. 

Hope u liked reading :)

I do think the amount of influence the story being told holds on the animation itself is a big part of it!

AvA has become mostly serialized; audiences need to watch episodes in a certain order to best understand the story, they're expected to know the characters well enough to understand why they act certain ways, and there's a narrative that reinforces itself with callbacks and parallels as the story's development builds.

While the majority of other stickfight animations are episodic. Even if there is a serialization to them, from what I've seen it's usually not crucial for the audience to understand the story being told, as these videos are designed for the story to be adiaphoron to their enjoyment of the fight scenes.

AvA has gotten to the point where even calling it "stickfighting animation" seems a little disingenuous, because there are so many episodes where no traditional fighting happens. Even if it's not the majority, it's enough to remark on. And yeah, the tone makes the series more accessible to younger viewers. (I wonder...we've talked about how the animation influences the audience, but I wonder what influence the audience has over the animation...)

It's apples and oranges, honestly. When people hear about stickfigure animation, they either think of high-energy, flashy, choreographed-to-the-beat fights, or they think of AvA. We can't really say that one is better than the other, because they're so different that finding points of comparison apart from the quality of the literal animation itself is difficult.

[buggie-hagen]

Here’s a poll:

My own tradition for Advent candles is 3 blue and 1 pink. But my own denom and other sources get uppity and keep changing to a "better" standard. What say you? To me, it's an adiaphoron. 

a. 3 purple and 1 pink

b. 3 blue and 1 pink

c. 4 white

d. 4 blue or 4 purple

[hourlywritingprompts]

Writing prompt of the hour: adiaphoron

[milkplusvn]

Happy New Yuri!

Tip: You can get these same posts sent right to your e-mail by subscribing to the newsletter.

Want the above image as a wallpaper? Check the Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lLdmGA07HfqPN8zvqqob198h9nfbaQEk?usp=share_link

Well, everyone, what an active year it was for milk+ visual! After years of near-radio silence with hardly any blips from time to time, it's nice to finally be back in the development ring. Kinda feels like we've been broken out of amber!

Last year, we released the 5th anniversary definitive edition of Soundless, raised $320 USD in relief donations, and basically nearly completed Three Lilies and Their Ghost Stories. I am so very proud of all these accomplishments, and I'm happy that everyone has enjoyed their time with the new stuff and helped out with getting money to people in need.

We also got a new member of the team on board: Cherimoya! While Cherimoya is currently simply assisting with things like promotional art and editing from time to time, Cherimoya will soon be helping with writing as well.

This year, we can look forward to more great things. Here's the plan so far, granted nothing goes awry:

Three Lilies Release

Obviously.

I’ve been holding off on doing much because of the holidays. Actual progress update this week!

One Month Break & New Mascot

Exactly what it says! After Three Lilies is out, there will be a one month break. Need to replenish the juice.

During this one month development break, Magenta's girlfriend will finally be incorporated into the branding and her official design sheet will be released. Meet Monochrome Matrimony! She is the girl on the right in the above image!

With a penchant for sharp things, Monochrome was recruited into Magenta's roleplay as the surgeon to her nurse. While Magenta wields a syringe, Monochrome wields a scalpel. She is very creepy and wet unlike her peppy chipper girlfriend.

Neither of these people should be performing any sort of medical procedure!

Soundless Android Port & Art Patch & Artbook

Following the one-month break, development will begin for the Soundless Android port and an art update patch. For the art update patch, players will be able to choose between new art and old for the main story, and the CG gallery will be split into three separate sections: old art, new art, and Adiaphoron.

Naturally, the artbook will come with all the new art. Since the artbook wasn’t released at the end of last year as planned, might as well just put it in and release later, right?

7388 Development Starts Up Again

Once everything Soundless is at last squared away, 7388 will at last be worked on again!

At this time, a release can't really be divined from this roadmap. However, making 7388 a commercial project is being floated so that future projects can be better funded. The sale price likely won't be very much. It would be cool if it released at the end of next year, though. But I'm asking a lot from myself there.

The structure is going to be very fun if I can figure out how to organize it...! I'll explain more later.

Releasing on Steam

In the past, I have been wary about releasing anything on Steam due to its bad track record with visual novels, its DRM, and its underhanded tactics to secure a monopoly. However, should the current model of releasing only on Itch remain not viable, Steam may be pursued as another platform to sell on. Because that's life, I guess.

In the event this happens, 7388 would get priority, and then if I'm able to make the $200 to get them on there, Soundless and Three Lilies would be added to our Steam catalog as well. Due to its content, POLYCHROMANIA will not be considered for sale on Steam (or at the very least, I don't plan on fighting Steam alone for that one).

About POLYCHROMANIA

Development for POLYCHROMANIA will begin again after 7388 is released. One thing at a time.

That concludes this (kind of late) New Year’s post. HAPPY NEW YURI!

[milkplusvn]

Soundless FV Release + Donation Drive

Soundless Final Verse has at last released, and is available now on itch.io (link to Soundless Itch page)!

In tandem with the release, we will also be running a week-long donation drive in the wake of Hurricane Fiona and Super Typhoon Noru, and have thus reopened donations on downloads.

Please read through this post for more information about the donation drive, unlocking Adiaphoron, and other important information about the release.

Donation Drive

When Soundless was first released 5 years ago, Hurricane Maria became the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of the 21st century. A donation drive was organized for Soundless's release, and $81 total was donated to a charity's relief fund.

We're doing it again.

We have achieved EVERY MILESTONE instantly (free icon, banner, wallpaper, and reaction stickers) for a whopping $176 and for taxing purposes had to close the Itch donation method, but are STILL COUNTING DONATIONS that are DIRECTLY donated to the organizations and reported using the methods linked in this blog post!

The drive ends a week from now on October 13th. After calculating the tax, itch.io will release the funds within a week, give or take, and then it will be split and sent.

Unlocking Adiaphoron

When you first open Soundless Final Verse, you will be greeted with a dialog box that asks if you've read Soundless or not.

If you have, please hit yes in order to unlock the new After-info. After reading the new afterwords and exiting the After-info screen, you will unlock Adiaphoron.

If you haven't read Soundless, Adiaphoron will unlock after you've completed the story and gone through the other post-game content.

Story Changes

For those who have previously read Soundless, a single important change was made to the story to expand on the dimensions of a certain hidden room. Adiaphoron will reiterate them, so rereading the main story is not necessary.

Saves

As Final Verse is a completely new version of Soundless, saves from older versions of Soundless are not carried over.

32-bit Support

As was previously mentioned, Final Verse runs on the latest major version of Ren'Py. While we are now offering a 32-bit version from the previous major version of Ren'Py for those who still require them, please note that these 32-bit versions have not been tested and may have strange side-effects or bugs.

Known Issues

Due to current engine limitations, self-voicing cannot be used in tandem with auto forward mode. Once this is properly implemented in Ren'Py, we will provide a build that allows for this.

The rollback or history hotkey option only applies to the keyboard and mouse.

Russian Patch

We have archived the previous version of Soundless for those who still need the Russian fanpatch: Link to archives page.

Art Update Patch

The art update patch has been greenlit and will be available in early 2023.

This patch will feature the ability to switch between the old art and brand new remade art.

Android Port

Due to how Soundless is presented, the Android port must be specialized for mobile phones. The Android port will release in tandem with the art update patch.

Artbook Schedule

Production of the artbook will immediately follow the completion of Three Lilies and Their Ghost Stories. The artbook will be ideally released by the end of this year.

That's about everything. Thank you everyone so, so much for five years (and one week), thank you so much to anyone who donates, and I sincerely hope you enjoy!

Happy anniversary!!

[milkplusvn]

(SPOILER ALERT) Soundless FV: What Is Adiaphoron?

Tip: You can get these same posts sent right to your e-mail by subscribing to the newsletter.

You shouldn’t be reading this post if you haven’t finished Soundless!

At last, I reveal just what's going on in Adiaphoron. This is the last pre-release issue!

I am warning you again that beyond this point there are spoilers.

I believe I said this before, but Adiaphoron essentially replaces the 1st anniversary side novel, Lonely Ruby Aria. While that side novel took place in the past, this one takes place some time after the main story. Like the side novel was going to, it features Nyn, or as she's referred to now and before: Nina.

Nina wakes up in the town again, with some recollection of what she was doing between her death and her revival. She's found by a revived Delilah who tells her something equally as unbelievable as the rest of the situation:

There are two towns, and the path can only lead to one or the other.

Just how are they supposed to get out of this situation?

Clocking in at only about half the size of Soundless, Adiaphoron ties up some emotional loose ends and focuses less on the denpa and more on the characters and some lore, though it's just as bizarre as Soundless's final act. Everyone save the Head appears, and you are able to see how the characters behave when removed from the cult situation.

Also, girls finally kiss!

I wholeheartedly recommend Adiaphoron if you are attached to the characters first and foremost. It's not required reading at all, and you don't have to finish Adiaphoron to consider Soundless checked off on a backlog. However, if you do choose to read it...well, while it's not as oppressive and violent, Soundless's sharp teeth are still very much in there.

This is the final pre-release issue. I am collaborating with my editors on the final version of Adiaphoron's script and finalizing art assets as I write this. Pretty much everything is about to be implemented.

The PC version of Soundless releases on October 6th for Windows, Mac, and Linux. No exact time for when it will be uploaded, but it will be announced when it is!

[milkplusvn]

(SPOILERS) Soundless FV: Adiaphoron's Presentation

Tip: You can get these same posts sent right to your e-mail by subscribing to the newsletter.

You shouldn’t be reading this post if you haven’t finished Soundless!

Unlike the main Soundless story, Adiaphoron looks a little different.

In SayoOshi, save for a rare few times, the sprites do not change expressions. Instead, you will occasionally see an expression as a sketch cut-in.

Average reaction to an H scene in SayoOshi.

To cut down on asset creation time and staging, I chose a similar approach with Adiaphoron. Everyone looks different, and I felt as if cracking open the old sprite files, adding the new looks, then throwing all the expressions into waifu2x for hours would be too tedious and would also make them not match with the new CGs at all. On top of that, I would have to keep typing out expression changes as I implement the script and spend so much time deciding just which one to use or whether to make a new one and go upscale that one and then provide image descriptions for that expression change...This way, all I need to put in is expression changes of major importance. Everything else can be written in the text.

And this doesn't even go into the presence of a character who needed her pose completely changed because she's not brainwashed here.

It will look a little different from SayoOshi in action, of course. You only talk to one girl at a time at her designated location in SayoOshi (most of the time), so her sprite is always to the right, and her expressions will be aligned to the left. In Adiaphoron, the expression goes wherever it needs to go, because there will often be two characters on the screen. Usually to the other side of its respective character, but not always.

Now, you may be asking...what happens in Adiaphoron? Will you ever talk about it?

No, because it's a surprise.

The next issue will be a bit, and will likely be the last one. I'm running out of things to talk about and the release is soon!

[buggie-hagen]

This is undoubtedly what the Fathers thought. For with lengthy arguments Augustine refuted the opinions of those who maintained that concupiscence in the human creature is not a defect, but an adiaphoron [neutral thing] as the color of skin or ill health are said to be neutral matters. 

~Apology of the Augsburg Confession 2:41

[milkplusvn]

Soundless Final Verse Delayed 1 Week

The release for Soundless Final Verse will be pushed back a week, from September 29th to October 6th. Sorry for the delay!

The script for adiaphoron is nearly finished; however, the time left wouldn't leave much room for editing, staging, and testing, and the final product would come out looking rushed. I'd rather everyone enjoy something more polished than that.

Funnily enough, the original Soundless release was also pushed back a week for the same reason. History repeats itself?

Thank you for your patience and I hope to deliver a celebratory gift that satisfies everyone!

[buggie-hagen]

As long as the divinely ordained necessity of the sacred ministry is recognized and provided for, polity is an adiaphoron as far as the Symbolical Books are concerned.

Arthur Carl Piepkorn, “The Sacred Ministry and Holy Ordination in the Lutheran Symbolical Books” in The Church: Selected Writings of Arthur Carl Piepkorn, Volume One, 68.