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hummingbird-games · 9 months

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2023 In Review (Indie Games)

Last year's! | 2021

I apologize in advance for how long this might be. As a reminder, I don't bash games here so even if I hated something with every fiber of my being...I ain't sharing. As a second reminder, my more in depth reviews and live blogging has moved to Gem's Game Gems so I don't clutter the HBG's main blog. Okay. ON WITH THE REVIEW!!

DEMOS

Diffraction (Demo)- A rainy day otome indeed. I love the quiet gentleness of this game, the two romance options, and the fact that our MC is a photographer and struggling with her art and stack of life "failures" (because...SAME!!)

Alaris - I was asleep and now I am awake: I came late for the advertised fae and dragon lore, stayed seated and waiting for Fenir zjgjdf. Oh, and I guess the mystery surrounding our MC's abilities LOL.

The Summit Library - When I say I was maaaaaad when I realized I blew through chapter 1 and would have to go back to waiting for more content??? LOL, I was very miffed. Anyhoo, check out this title for the gorgeous art, another intriguing mystery (like what is *up* with the magic in the poor library?? who or what is to blame?? 👀) and of course the lovely characters we've been introduced to thus far.

Of Sense and Soul - I'm a regency romance girl. Like after you strip away the other stuff, I am but a poor woman with simple needs: a good ass love story 🤧💛 It's about the yearning and the slow burn and the will they/won't they/PLEASEEE they...I've never been so charmed by a demo, and the full game is going to be amazing I just know it!

Made Marion - This project is a game I've been keeping tabs on for a hot minute but hadn't taken the time to sit and properly enjoy the demo. I'M SO GLAD I DID!!! It's in early access now, so I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to carve out some time to play, but guysss Velvet Cupcake is doing the Thing?!? No idea which love interest I'll go for first, but I had a fun time meeting the Nottingham peeps in the demo.

Herotome (Super Demo) - Oh gosh. Oh gosh oh gosh oh my GOSHHH. Where do I even began?? (Really the question is where the hell do I end because this is one of those projects I talk about a lot/think about a lot and surprisingly haven't run out of things to say zkjfksjd). Another game I've been following for a while, it 100% lives up to the superhero genre in its aesthetic, the characters you interact with, the music and sound design, and of course the slowly unfurling story. Jade and Mia had come out as my top faves, Warden is still there, like hovering in the backgroud, shhhh but I have a special place in my heart for Griffin too (that conversation we have with her?? I have so many screenshots just so I can go back and reread and sear the words in my brain. Like a weirdo. Yup.)

Celestial Crowns - Stats building, celestial royalty, dating sim where you fuck around and find out your choices directly affect your MC's personality?? I'm sat. I supported the Kickstarter and now I try to practice patience for the full game's release siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighh.

OTOME/JOSEI JAM

Please note this is a SUPER abridged list for my sanity and I fell a little more in love with these 2 jams with each entry I played...

Intertwine - As embarrassing as it sounds, I've never given much thought to the "red string" thing, and I consume more than enough romance media LOL!! But Van is suuuuuch a beautiful man, the UI for this game is so interactive and lovely, the music is ALSO lovely, just lovely-love all the way around teehee. (Also this game encourages replayabillity so like, do with that info what you will.)

Spring Boy [Demo] - I believe this game is going through a complete rehaul, so my thoughts and feelings refer to the original jam entry I played. The art is bright and cute and it's a super super short demo, but I was intrigued by the other student we meet on our mission to plead with our professor about our bombed exam lol!

Assignment Due: Project Blue - IRl group projects??? Suck absolute ass. Group projects with a guy name Asher?? Suddenly it's my new favorite thing in the world 😁

Cryptid Campaign Manager [DEMO] - Remember the last time I looked over a cryptid dating sim??? Remember how I was SUCH a fool?? Good thing I didn't make that mistake again!! The prologue is such a tease but you get an idea of what the full game is gonna be like, and I'm excited to see where my career involving love (and politics) goes!

Heart Cage [Demo] - Yoooooo I stay my ass far far far away from yanderes (could never get into the trope or the character type). WELP. Guess I just needed to keep searching because I really downloaded this off a whim--well, the whim being one of my fellow dev peers playing and rating-- and proceeded to get sucked in 🤧I thought being a detective would be the highlight, but I guuuueeesssss I was more into the romance options than I thought. Oops.

Evernight - I tried to explain what this game meant to me on the side blog, but words failed me. I still don't know what to say other than I loved it?? Which is like ummm I say I love everything, and yeah I'm easy to please BUT Y'ALLLLLL if you play no other game, play this one. Please. Date a werewolf. Or a vampire. Or a fae. Plz. Also figuring out the mystery of your MC's abilities and past is just delightful, ugh.

Bright Oak (demo) - Anotha one I wrote about on the side blog!!! Play this one!!! The writing is lush and atmospheric and the characters are all delightful and it's another game with a mystery to untangle!

The Faithfulness of the Universe- This one gets the award for most unique all around entry that I played. Theeeeee prettiest pixel art to bless my eyeballs, and this tasty mystery concerning Fate and witch Faustina's future (or lack thereof 👀) and what it all means. As a player I very much want to know what it all means!

A Cup For All Seasons - Another game that needs its flowers y'all. It's short but super healing and super cozy and the voice acting and music really tie the gaming experience together???

The Working Woman's Guide to Burning Bridges - DEMO - It's the way I played the demo twice and I've been thinking about it ever since 😭😭😭🙃 obviously life happens and things come up, plus this was a demo. But. BUT!!! I am on my hands and knees prayinnggg the team gets together again to finish the game. I love playing as a stressed, lowkey bitter hot mess who doesn't have her life together 😂somehow the fictional version is soooo much more entertaining!!!

Keyframes (Spring Demo) - After the game College Craze, this is legit THE college, slice of life visual novel of my dreams. I cannot wait for the updated demo next year, and the Kickstarter whenever that rolls around. And now that the developer is on Tumblr, I've definitely been stalking the account and reading each new post like it's my day/night/weekend job 🤧

Hello Counsel 💋 - Okay I take it back, Evernight is like a 20/10 but Hello Counsel is like an 100/10 👁️👄👁️ This game is necessary for my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, alright? The banter ✅ the character designs ✅ the music ✅ the sizzling chemistry between Poise and Salem ✅ I wish this game had more buzz because IT'S SO GOOD!!! (also the dev, Miseri, is who I wanna be when I grow up. I've made it through almost their whole backlog of games and there are no misses and EVERY game is different from the rest and it makes it hard for a toodler dev--ME--to cope LOL)

Candied Hearts - Isekaied into a candy themed game?? Sign me TF UP!!! (Peppermint I love you dearly, you must understand.)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

The Knight's Dilemma - I don't even know how I originally stumbled upon this??? I just know it had been in my backlog for a hot minute and I was intrigued enough to save it way back when. Y'ALL WHY DIDN'T I PLAY SOONER SKJFHFJFH! There's a couple different endings, I loved the voice direction, AND it's such a simple concept of a game that was just executed beautifully.

Trouble Comes Twice - If I had to make a top 5 list of romance VNs, guess who makes the list?? Guess. Guess guess guess. Have you guessed yet??? LOL! I have been in love with TCT since it's development days and with each passing month, waiting in anticipation, playing the Pateron beta builds, screaming on the main blog about every single thought I had about Jace and Hazel (shoutout to Jace for helping me figure out *me*) Lol if you're curious about said thoughts, those posts are on this blog and not the side blog.

Aelfric the Wondrous - 10/10 would love to forget my first play through JUST to have that experience fresh again 😭😭💛Cute and funny and a wonderful parody type game all around.

A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 - Goodness, there's no excuse for why this took me years to finish but anyhoo, I finished, I loved it, I recommend it! It's romantic and achingly authentic and the art is soooo gorgeous I literally can't stand it 😭

The Things You Do For Love - Unhinged yandere manages to entertain and garner sympathy and laughter from Gemini. And that poly ending is chef's kiss too????

Band Camp Boyfriend - There are a handful of games I found and loved before I began my game development journey, and this is one of them. BCB is so dear to me, because of the story and characters but also because of the Dynamic Duo creators and their team behind the scenes. I was never a band kid I was a chorus kid but just as the band geeks loved this game to pieces, us normal folks do too!! Even the boys who I didn't like I STILL managed to find joy in playing their routes (still have a few more to finish at the time of this posting lol, GOTTA GET THE FINAL ROUTE YO). Anyway, this game more than delivered for me and I hope more people keep discovering it!!

Belle Automata: Chronicle I [RELEASED] - While only Chronicle 1 is out at the time of this posting, I already know that the 2nd and 3rd parts are going to be just as amazing???? I wrote about this one on the side blog, so here's my copypaste that still rings true:

I love TNP (The Nightmare Prince) but Victor’s route hit the sweet spot for me. Maybe it’s the slow(er) burn nature of this route, maybe it’s the reserved nature of Victor and watching him slowly start to care (AND NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE FEELINGS TEEHEE) for me.

A Date with Death - I wrote about this on the side blog--again--. The demo. And then right after finishing a route. And then again where I was fully awake and still managed to sound deranged. No copypaste for that, I shall be nice. But yeah!! Another game where I was screaming at the sky about how much I love it and how I'll never know peace as long as I live.

Our Life: Baxter DLC - I need to offer an official apology to both Cove and Derek because falling head over heels, down the stairs, crashing into the parking lot, falling again but down a manhole for Baxter's infuriating ass was NOT on my 2023 bingo board??? HELLO???? I bought his DLC just to complete my OL collection. Was not expecting to love it this much. Was not expecting to be called to write fanfic and abandon all responsibilities to do this. WHILE DOWN WITH COVID TOO. Allow me to play the song of my people. *Send in the Clowns plays*

Our Cinderella - (this is so funny I'm taking about a side game before the main game LOLOLOLOL) Guys. Guysss. You guyyyysss 🥹if you're looking for a cozy, hilarious, equally oddly and wonderfully sweet short game, this is the one!! You may have your personal favorite Iggy ship (like me) but all the pairings are so amazing and just make sense lol!

Wylde Flowers - This is the only non visual novel game on here but it gets the spotlight because I did NOT spend 90+ hours on this game to gatekeep this beauty. No. It the coziest, the funniest, the funnest, the most addictive Switch game (after Teacup) I've ever played.

Fully Released (& still on 1st playthrough)

Garden of Seif: Chronicles of an Assassin - Life kicked my butt and then sat on me SO while I finally got my grubby hands on the full copy, I still have only played the entirety of the demo. But. We will return to this in 2024 and hopefully I'll have a full review for the next wrap up!

Our Wonderland - I looked back at the side blog and I can't believe it was only THIS year that I started OW??? Because I'd known of the game and the dev for longer than that??? So basically what I'm saying is that I was chicken shit for longer than I've been in love with this world that Developer Carrot has created kjzhhshggj. But OMG to get me, who is scared oh so easily to get hella invested in this clearly labeled horror game??????????????? And even with shit gets super absurd and hella disturbing, I cannot stop playing. At the time of this post, I'm only in Act 4, hence the category above, but it's only because I play each act in a sitting and lose track of space and time and myself. That's a compliment btw.

...

Okie!! That's 2023 in a nutshell! I played a looooot of really good games this year and while I would have liked to talk about them all, I think this list provides a nice overview.

Let me know if we share any favorites!

- Gemini 💛

#gaming year in review #gamedev rambles #yeah no I cannot keep creating more work for me #2024 I am GOING to make a shorter list 😭🤧#hmmmm fun drinking game:#take a shot every time the word 'mystery' is used ☠️

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foragerknits · 1 year

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Knitting in Victorian England

I wrote this for a class on Victorian Literature because my professor let me research knittinf and make a cape instead of writing a literary analysis paper. The cape that is discussed from The Art of Knitting is what I created for this project, with the illustration from the book on the top right and the cape I knit on the left. The book is from 1892 and is free on Internet Archive, and Engineering Knits on YouTube made a wonderful video about it. (More photos of the cape at the end!)

Knitting experienced a surge of popularity in Victorian England, and was even a topic of discussion in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. After gaining popularity due to industrialization, knitting became a common pastime for women. Knitting was important because it existed as a way for Victorian women of all classes to be seen as virtuous and gave them the look of domesticity, while additionally functioning as a means of income for working-class women by either knitting or writing about knitting.

Industrialization shifted the view of knitting from economic necessity to a fashionable pastime for gentry women. In 1589 the first mechanical knitting machine was invented in Nottingham, which industrialized the knitting industry (“The History of Hand-Knitting"). Dyed wool trade with Germany and the subsequent booming industry of knitting pattern books turned knitting into something more accessible and artistic than solely practical (Rutt 112). Knitting became popular and fashionable for gentry women around 1835 (Rutt 111). Women of all classes have knitted long before the Victorian period, but the industrial changes shifted knitting to a popular and fashionable pastime for gentry women, in addition to the economic necessity for working-class women.

Knitting served as a way to keep women wholesomely busy. In The Art of Knitting, a quote from the beginning by Richter reads “A letter or a book distracts a woman more than four pair of stockings knit by herself” (qtd in The Art of Knitting 2). Knitting kept women busy without opening them up to new ideas that came from letters and books. Furthermore, a writer in The Magazine of Domestic Economy writes how useless the items (upper-class) women made were, but praises knitting in its effort “to rid of those hours which, but for their aid, might not be so innocently disposed of” (qtd in Rutt 112). Concentrating on knitting produces something at the end of the hours of challenging work but does not expose women to any material that the Victorians would deem dangerous or immoral. Thus, even when women made something useless, they were keeping themselves busy in a virtuous way.

Knitting also gave women the feminine and domestic look that was expected of them in the Victorian era. This can be seen in Jane Eyre with Jane’s description of Mrs. Fairfax upon their meeting. Jane thinks, “[Mrs. Fairfax] was occupied in knitting; a large cat sat demurely at her feet; nothing in short was wanting to complete the beau-ideal of domestic comfort” (Bronte 145). This is the first time the reader sees Mrs. Fairfax, surrounded by a warm fire, a cat and engaged in a feminine pastime. She is the image of domesticity. Jane admires Mrs. Fairfax, in part, for the comfort her nature, including knitting, brings. Mrs. Fairfax shows the role knitting plays into the idea of women as domestic creatures.

Certain forms of knitting made women appear elegant. Frances Lambert, author of 1842 manual The Handbook of Needlework, advises women to knit using the common Dutch knitting method, in which the yarn is held over the fingers of the left hand and the needles pointed upwards, because it was seen as a more elegant style of knitting (Rutt 113). While Rutt notes that this method was a faster way of knitting, Lambert does not comment on this, but instead focuses on its aesthetic qualities. This style of knitting was popular because it allowed for the look of style that was mandatory in women’s lives.

While gentry women were often restricted to making less practical knit items, some knitting authors disparaged this for frivolity and immorality. Working-class women did not have this criticism as the things they made were out of practicality and meant for regular use. In picking yarn color and material, Mlle Riego de la Branchardiere, author of Ladies Handbook of Knitting, Netting and Crochet writes “...and let her be careful to make all she does a sacrifice acceptable to her God” (qtd in Rutt 116). Rutt asserts that although Victorian knitting is seen as producing useless knits, some authors disparaged this (117). They instead encouraged women to focus on what they saw as the spiritual aspects rather than on aesthetics, as everything women did, including knitting, should enhance their virtue.

While knitting was popular as a pastime, it was still used out of economic need and served as a way for working-class women to earn money. Knitting was taught in orphanages and poor houses, with the first knitting school opened in Lincoln, Leicester, and York in the late 1500s. One school in Yorkshire was established for boys and girls who were “not in affluence” (“The History of Hand-Knitting"). The first knitting book, titled The National Society's Instructions on Needlework and Knitting, published in 1838, was an instructional manual for teachers to teach poor students the art of knitting and needlework. Knitting was used as a personal hobby, but also as a way for working-class people to support themselves.

The importance of knitting to working-class women can be seen in Jane Eyre. St John tells Jane, “It is a village school: your scholars will be only poor girls—cottagers’ children—at the best, farmers’ daughters. Knitting, sewing, reading, writing, ciphering, will be all you will have to teach” (Bronte 541). Knitting will be a way for these young girls to get jobs and to be able to make clothes for themselves and their families. In this way, knitting was more than a fashionable and artistic hobby, but a necessity for many working-class women.

In addition to manufacturing knitwear, women were able to make substantial livings writing about knitting. There was a boom in knitting and needlework publications during the 19th century (“The History of Hand-Knitting"). Some, such as The Art of Knitting, were published directly by publishers with no one associated author. Others were authored by women and were immensely successful. Cornelia Mee, who published shorter pamphlet-type knitting books, sold over 300,000 copies during their run in print (Rutt 115). Francis Lambert, author of two editions of My Knitting Book, sold a combined 65,000 copies and was translated into several languages across Europe (Rutt 113). Knitting gave working-class women opportunities to earn money, whether it was making knitwear or writing about knitting.

Knitting manuals contained various topics, such as some focusing on the religious and virtuous aspects of knitting as discussed previously, but most, if not all, had patterns in them. Under the chapter “Hoods, Capes, Shawls, Jackets, Fascinators, Petticoats, Leggings, Slippers, etc., etc.” in The Art of Knitting there is a pattern to knit a cape. Victorian knitting patterns tended to be broad and vague. Today's patterns are quite concerned with needle size and gauge, unlike many Victorian patterns. For instance, the cape pattern instructs the reader to “use quite coarse needles and work rather loosely,” (60).

Knitting was an important skill for women in the Victorian era, and they knit for a multitude of reasons. Knitting gave women the look of virtue, elegance, and domesticity. Working-class women used their knitting skills to support themselves and their families through making knitwear or writing about knitting.

Sources:

The Art of Knitting. The Butterick Publishing Co. 1892. https://archive.org/details/artofknitting00butt/page/60/mode/2up?ref=ol&vi ew=theater

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Planet eBooks. 1847.

“The History of Hand-Knitting" Victoria and Albert Museum.

Rutt, Richard. A History of Hand Knitting. Interweave Press. 1987. https://archive.org/details/historyofhandkni0000rutt/page/n7/mode/2up?vie w=theater

#knitting #historical knitting #history bounding #Victorian knitting #knitting history #cottagecore #victorian #knit cape #gothic #slow fashion #handmade #my knits

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pamprinninja · 7 months

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How it started, versus how it's going...

I grew up in the UK, 30 minutes from Games Workshop's Nottingham headquarters; and my childhood heavily featured their games, miniatures, and routine trips to the local Games Workshop store.

During this time, I developed a particular affection for the work of Jes Goodwin. Initially an artist and sculptor, Jes' work was strongly geometric in nature; and displayed an unusually high degree of consistency (a particularly noteworthy achievement during a period where miniatures were sculpted by hand with ad-hoc tools).

For reference - one of Jes' early sketches of a Space Marine in Mk. VI armor; as featured in the guide that accompanied the very first Space Marine paint set:

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Jes in person at Games Day '94; and one of my treasured possessions is the souvenir program, which he kindly autographed:

During my teenage years, I came to possess a handful of Chaos Champions sculpted by Jes. As was so often the case in those early years, the miniatures had been designed as dual use; combining the sort of medieval aesthetics that would warrant inclusion in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle setting, but also the occasional technological greeble that would justify use in Warhammer: 40,000.

As I generally kept to the latter system, I set about cutting up and remodeling these miniatures, with the aim of making the science-fiction elements more explicit. And I was very happy with the end results, too!... Which makes it all the more unfortunate that these miniatures were lost when I relocated to the US.

Two decades later, and I have taken it upon myself to recreate these miniatures (albeit with the full advantage of the skills I have developed in the interim). The first mini on the chopping block is 021919 from the 1989 Citadel Catalog (frequently referred to by its most obvious physical characteristic, "Nurgle Chaos Champion With Fly Mutation"):

(It feels vaguely sacrilegious, taking a razor saw to what is now technically an antique; but I very much subscribe to the DIY mentality that was so prevalent during the initial Rogue Trader days, and - given that the model originates for the same time period - keeping the old traditions alive seems only appropriate.)

In my original conversion, I removed the haft and blade of the axe; and positioned an old Space Ork plasma cannon over the now unobscured shoulder. I also replaced the sandaled foot and exposed fly-mutated leg with their armored equivalents from a Space Marine Devastator.

This time I around, I opted to angle the right arm, to add a greater sense of movement; and completely reposition the left arm, as if to calling out a target:

(In doing so, I created a great many headaches for myself: the right hand snapped off at the wrist, and had to be repaired. Cutting the left arm free necessitated cutting through the hand; and the pins I inserted into the remains of the palm broke free, requiring JB Weld to resecure.

I cannot underscore the frustration inherent to these two experiences; at the same time, I'm a great believer in the idea that growth as an artist demands taking risks - up to and including potentially ruining one's art.)

The original version of the conversion also featured an extended barrel (fabricated from the Lord Fuegan's firepike, and a handful of random Genestealer claws). However, I wanted to replace this with something a little more appropriate for a follower of the Lord Of Pestilence; which ended up being the better part of a Plague Spewer:

In terms of next steps: I intend to strap a canister of goo-based ammunition to his left side; and continue to add new detailing to hide the various cuts and joins.

#miniature painting #warhammer 40k #nurgle #chaos champion #jes goodwin

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lexlaine · 11 months

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Writeblr Intro

Hi writeblr. I write under the name Lex Laine.

I write fiction exclusively. Speculative, sci-fi, and horror. Maybe some poetry. Maybe some unearthed archives. Possibly some of my TTRPG module content if the mood strikes. I am unpublished but prospecting.

About Me

They/them, 31 yo, queer as heck

Engineer moonlighting as a writer

Consumer of content: books, cinema, art; especially of the horror variety

Submission Calls That Fill Me With Dread

Apex Magazine

Planet Scummy

Clarkesworlde Magazine

The Nottingham Horror Collective

WIPS That Haunt Me

Paragon Parting. Adult speculative horror. TW: just about everything. Tags: paragon parting. A brain-melting prion disease becomes transmissable and extinction is wrought upon humanity. Is redemption possible when survival necessitates destruction? —> https://editor.reedsy.com/s/ueel0Pl

Flora Story. Adult fantastical horror. TW: body horror. Tags: flora story. Dalliance with dark entities endentures two young socialites to propagation of an agricultural beast. What are morals, anyways? —> https://novlr.org/share/65407b08ce63dc3fa1aa9eb3/65407abece63dc488baa6f24

The Neon Mainly. Adult speculative sci-fi. Tags: neon mainly. Utopian cyberpunk gig economy aesthetics consumes Unsolved Mysteries in this plot-driven exploration of ethics and obligation. —> https://novlr.org/share/65407a43ce63dc8452a9ff8d/654078d8ce63dc3c29a8e134

Books I’ve Read This Year That Changed Me

The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James

Blindsight by Peter Watts

The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung

Looking for….

Beautiful words to fill my heart

Beta (and alpha, let’s be real) readers

Community and writer friends

I’m looking for more writeblrs! Please interact with this post if you think I’d enjoy your work. Happy to beta read sci-fi, horror, and speculative fiction.

#writeblr intro #writeblr #writing #wip intro

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talenlee · 5 months

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April 2024 Wrapup

The way this month has ended has coloured most of everything else happening within the month, none of which is stuff I consider meaningful content for the blog in general. Suffice to say this is a month in which I was trying to save money and do my best and by the end of the month I am extremely frazzled and uncertain as to how I’m doing what I’m doing. But you didn’t come here for that, you came here for posts! Posts about Spiderman!

Alright let’s dive on into this. What are the Game Pile articles this month?

Examining Gender and Capitalism in Braid. This video got me a comment I liked a lot where a commenter noted that being good at making puzzles doesn’t make you any good at criticising humans’ reactions to puzzles.

Sheriff of Nottingham, a dramatic tension and bluffing game, where players have to construct a language, then lie in it, all with a dash of political manipulation in the form of bribes. A great game in the ‘Anxiety Engine’ model that I like but never am likely to own.

Planetfall and Bioshock Infinite, a long form essay video where I both recapped the basic experience of Bioshock Infinite and brought into contrast the idea that videogames’ ability to affect their audience is directly in contrast to different aesthetic forms.

Gazillionaire, a truly awful looking game that, hilariously, just after I wrote this article I finally played to a victory. Know what happens when you beat the game? The game keeps going and just moves the goal post further.

And then the Story Pile articles?

Hazbin Hotel, a series you should steal about a particularly pre-modern Christian vision of Hell expressed through gnostic mysterio and also the story of a bunch of shockingly hot endearing monster weirdoes.

You Were Never Really Here, which is part of an ongoing series of Positronic Collection movies. This was chosen specifically to mesh with the theme of me, as a person, and it’s kinda eerie how good a job it does at that.

16 Bit Sensation: Another Layer, which is an anime that you might think of as ‘fun’ and ‘good’ and which made me so mad I specifically set aside the time to kick it in the teeth into my April articles.

Oshi no Ko, a series I like just enough to complain about it a bunch. I mean I really like it, and really like complaining about it.

Lords and Ladies, one of the many books I consider one of the best Discworld books. This one’s about elves!

But there’s more! I wrote about a brilliant idiot, in the form of the transformer Wheeljack, and I wrote about my demon boy OC big brother figure, Bael. I wrote about a Magic: The Gathering deck I like and technology in the game I dislike that we’re getting even though I dislike it. I also spent some time reflecting on my current WIP game designs, which I found a lot of fun and want to do more of.

I talk to you a little bit. I talked to you in terms of what I think of you as an audience, I talk to you about creating tension in your writing, and I talked about the way I treat you, and how your time is a gift. I reflected on what it means to be a part of my audience, and whether or not there are things about you I can control. I also encouraged you to make things and show them to me, as a present to me.

There was some world-building talk; I talked about the way planes can be seen and treated as distinct parts of the world, with Planar Lenses, and I also explained a setting element in Cobrin’Seil, a favourite place where the wizards and sorcerers train together but also learn how to swing a hammer. That place, The Laewaes Dramaturgist, also served to talk about the ways that people in universe, in general, discuss the idea of types of spellcasters. While I was on the D&D thread and organisational systems, I dug into the 3rd edition magic item system. While talking about my personal fascinations in D&D, then, I also talked about the druid, and Why Is Druid?

This turning of the years in April, again, does make me think about things I was told about how my life would go. One of the most miserable considerations there was the way I was told that my sex life was going to go, and what that meant and what I should be expecting, all told while we should definitely, definitely not have opinions or expectations for sex. This was told through a metaphor of a jellybean jar.

I noticed that the logo for Hazbin Hotel, the key, looks a bit like the Sonic the Hedgehog winged ring logo and that’s what gave rise to this. Behold! A drawing of two characters with one looking happily at her idiot. You can get it as a sticker, or coasters, or a t-shirt. For example.

I don’t like how much work I got done this month. Obviously, I fear that if I go back and look at all the other posts I made this past year that may be the case. But in the PhD, last month featured a dedicated chunk of work on my literature review, and this month should be the completion of the draft of the methodology. We’re now at the point of getting things onto the page, and as I write this – on the 27th – my birthday has proven to be an impediment for that. Like, turns out that people want to see you on your birthday.

At the late point in the month I devised a new idea for something cool and complicated (and more about that on the Patreon). I have a want to do something cool with a few different systems – a new game mechanical idea, and a push for a kind of video that’s a little easier to make than most.

May has five Fridays in it, and they’re set up so there are going to be three main videos in it, so look forward to that!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Diary

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