#been so tired lately...

[manonamora-if]

This time appropriately at the 6-month mark(ish), if a bit too late...

So earlier this year, I made a resolution:

Get things off my desk and shelf it for good!

This... didn't really happen. I had shelved MtP, before fixing some more stuff again... I think it's shelved for good now? I hope so at least.

Another one was avoiding adding new projects to the pile (failed), entering jams and comps on a while (absolutely failed)...

There's still 6 more months to correct that (and so many new shiny jams to participate/organise), so maybe I will keep my promise? We will see...

Looking back first:

(Damn it, it should say Chapter 4 in May... and missing the Orifice Comp in June...)

In the past 6 months:

I have been or helped with organising 4 game jams/competition: the @seedcomp-if, the Anti-Romance Jam (ongoing), the @neo-twiny-jam, and the Orifice Jam (ongoing)

I have participated in 5 other jams/competitions: the French Comp (which I won 🥳), the SpringThing, the Spring Jam (Twine Server), La Sens Dessus-Dessous, and the Text Adventure Literacy Jam.

All this saw the release of: DOL-OS, The Rye in the Dark City, The Roads not Taken, À la Campagne, Entre d'oeux Coquilles/An Eggcellent Preparation, Collision, Intersigne, and Clarence Street 14.

I also updated P-Rix - Space Trucker, and The Trials and Tribulations of Edward Harcourt (twice!).

And finally, I added the Settings Template, the Space/Tech Template, and lately, the SubgarCube Guide (along with answering SugarCube questions on this blog).

As one extra points, I reviewed a bunch of games too (@manonamora-if-reviews) and actually played games outside of Comp/Jam times.

It's been more busy than I think I realised... and I've done more than I thought I did (I really have been feeling like I've not done enough, that there was more I could have done, that I've wasted some my time...) So while progress on the planned things has not really been happening, or not as much as/the way I hoped (i.e. shelving projects), I did:

Make P-Rix mobile friendly, with some QoL (I still need to fix some)

Add 2 chapters for TTATEH (with one coming soon-ish?)

Actually released all the points about the templates from last January, with the Sci-Fi and Settings ones, and added the Guide on top of it.

On the other hand, Exquisite Cadaver and Crimson Rose & White Lily were more or less just pushed to the side. Other smaller games like La Petite Mort or Goncharov Escapes! have also not been opened in a while... And, having created new games, there's still the issue of finishing those (The Rye), or editing them a bit (all of them).

On the other other hand, I was able to test ideas and gameplay with those new lil games, try out new IF programs, win some prizes and get lovely reviews, played some really good games and learned from them through reviews...

...and most importantly: I've had loads of fun.

What now?

Preferably... fulfilling this year's resolution to shelve projects. So actually finishing them without crumbling under new WiP ideas. Aside from more jams I'll be organising, I probably won't be part of large comps. There are some ideas I want to test out still, so you may see new smaller things that I've done in like... a week, popping up here and there.

Concrete things to look forward to:

the new chapter of TTATEH dropping some time this summer (with potential of completion by the end of the year?????? <- infinite question marks)

fixing some issues of An Eggcellent Preparation and getting the French version up to speed.

the translation of Clarence Street, 14 (and fix of the UI, cause it's a bit of a mess)

the Disco Elysium inspired UI (I am this close with the base page, I still need the Main Menu, Class Choice, and Level/Inventory pages to finish)

more Guide pages (and a better organisation/linking)!

more jams!

more reviews!

For the rest... it is a bit more up in the air. I will try to complete/fix the smaller WiPs (especially the ones started this year) as fast as I can so I can go back to focusing on the larger projects (and the new ideas I've been stewing).

On to trying to fulfill my new year's resolution :D

And having fun while doing it!!

[krysmcscience]

Call this the Whoopsie AU (it's barely an AU)

I mean. Narinder never explicitly SAID the Lamb would stay dead... :3c He probably should have been more specific. >:3c

Part Two:

Well. The Lamb tried, but...sorry, Nari, the crown hates you now. Shouldn't have been so quick to lend it out, I guess. :D

Aaaand Part Three:

'Isn't he just adorable?' -The Lamb, probably, while their followers smile and nod and internally scream at the brand new hellcat they now have to share living space with...

Anyway, nothing says 'Dead To Me' like following a person around to loudly remind them of how dead they are to you. Right? Right. Narinder's got this all figured out. <:]

[keymintt]

self-made north star

[bumbleboa]

small collection of recent sketches from my files, Law and Zoro edition

[astronomodome]

ur doing the hermit swap thing right? could i request an eldritch gem? i think she deserves it

something in the water

[zarla-s]

heavy can be a pretty princess if he wants

[patreon]

[bloobydabloob]

Holy shit I love your Dirk interpretations, it's so true and I could talk about this shit forever. I feel like another part of his character that people seem to forget (along with Roxy for some reason) is that he's from the future in solitude in an apocalyptic wasteland. I just see that part of his character always removed which is disappointing because I feel like that's a pretty big part, especially regarding his themes around technology, his brother's theme of Time, his own isolation, and how he plays in the vastness of the universe and spacetime.

Art I drew related to the subject because I like to respond to asks with art.

But absolutely. I certainly understand where the lack of discussion over his isolation + upbringing comes from, considering a majority of the fanbase that I have seen builds their ideas based on their own version of postcanon. I’m not entirely sure how that would be fixed, but certainly even in the somewhat recent past I would see a lot more content regarding his upbringing both literally and symbolically. I don’t have much to add regarding the things you’ve mentioned, because they just are what they are. Dirk being confined to a singular room left to him by a father figure he never met, in a future where the only other person left on the planet is someone he cannot pursue a relationship of because of himself, with purely 3 robots to keep him companion, one being an exact replica of his own brain who is *also* trapped inside a pair of glasses, is about as literal as it gets to me.

The contrast to me involving the flooded, organic world in comparison to the little speckle of Dirk’s apartment packed with the dude and his technics is not only a representation of his isolation and entrapment within himself, but also of his lack of control. I think his obsession with & themes of control are a direct product in the case of Dirk specifically *of* this kind of upbringing. His themes of technology are also related to his themes around control. So much of his character is actually revolved around this to me like so much. Dirk is so deeply disconnected from humanity in every way and so much of his character + symbolism is based around that.

It doesn’t even have to be about the symbolism or anything though. It’s just pretty *interesting* in the literal sense that he lives in the middle of the ocean in the future. There’s not only a lot to theorise on to do with his young life there, but on how it might affect him in the way he acts for the rest of his life. The latter part is probably what I see mentioned the most by people talking about Dirk regarding this, I’m surprised I don’t see more discussion on the former too though. I really ought to actually talk more about Homestuck stuff on here. I will do it myself.

Roxy & Dirk’s relationship is largely ignored though because there is a narrative a certain demographic spreads that Dirk resented and blamed Roxy for her interest in him, and thus too many people believe that their relationship was or would continue to be an abusive one. Realistically, I believe it’s important to acknowledge that the way Roxy treated Dirk regarding his homosexuality wasn’t right while still acknowledging the obvious amount of respect and admiration Dirk had for Roxy. I mean we have a huge piece of dialogue from their post trickster mode conversations on the quest beds from Dirk purely stating how he feels about Roxy that people completely ignore somehow. I think this usually happens to characters that are women though. I know everyone says it, but it is true. Jane gets the exact same treatment of boiling her down to solely her negative aspects. The things I see completely mischaracterising both of them are horrific.

I mean how much more explicit can it get that their relationship is obviously very important to Dirk? But I digress. I think the best or I should say “most interesting” interpretations of their relationship usually come from DirkRoxy shippers actually.

I would be interested to hear about Dirk’s relation to his brother’s theme of time though. I don’t have any thoughts on this and I don’t recall ever hearing anyone talk about it before. If you or anyone else would be willing to enlighten me I’d be thrilled.

[crabsnpersimmons]

"Slow down, Sunshine. You're not falling behind and you are loved for more than what you do for others."

[kaeirou]

4/8/3 future designs for funsies

[mangoassassin]

not related to my inktober idea at all but!!! inspired by a twitter post :'''D

[cynicallyneutral]

sasuke wants his new year's kiss :kissing_heart:

[ewwww-what]

What a cool dude, I hope he isn’t haunted by memories of his dead friend lol

[sunlit-mess]

I can only take so much, but lately, they have replaced my reflection. And realize I'm just as bad as them.

[ryonello]

oomfie take my hand

[that-g3-artist]

emotional support groobs (groose boobs)

[ganondoodle]

ganondoodling ..