#no reblog ill just update as needed

[aces-and-kings]

LOOKING FOR RP

. Genre: Piracy, cyborg, samuronin, adventure, slice, combat, fluff, angst and more.

. Writing: I like mild plotting with a lot of "go with the flow". I write semi para to multi. In-game or discord are fine.

. Open to: friendships, employment, enemies, competitors, social connections and more.

. I'd prefer to write Thor with other mains, as he is mine, reoccurring or long term connections but will consider short arcs or one offs. I lean towards writing with late 20s+ crowds but it's not a must. 21+ is. Still working on a house for Venom Brand things.

You can read about my oc here or DM me with any questions.

Also looking for rp for Seven, Grey and Alex as well.

Currently in rp: Nik, Thor and Ravka.

If you're interested in an alt alreadyin rp, let me know. I might can still rp if you're cool being patient for a reply.

Thanks.

[aquared]

where did this small victorian london orphan boy find wifi

[beesorcery]

hello it's part 3 of 3 for my cool fun graphic design adventure!! part 1 and part 2 got too long. to recap i am recreating this t-shirt design but with the magic 8 ball songs instead of city names:

here is the current draft, updated through 3/27 (pittsburgh) (!!!!)

[alltimefail-sims]

If I don't post anything sims-related in a minute please know I'm not going anywhere and I will have original content soon, I'm just trying to fight my ADHD demons and all the distractions it loves (such as playing TS4 and mindless timeline scrolling) so I can make progress on the book I've been trying to write for a little over a year now <3 <3

[zeawesomebirdie]

Yes I've enjoyed spending the last two months reading nothing but fic, but man am I so glad to be back to researching stuff for my family's farm!!

[bunnihearted]

.

[danzinora-switch]

(Writing) Update?

Honestly, the past month has been a blur.

For good and bad reasons. The downside is that it's been next to impossible to write with all the craziest stuff that's going on. The last two weeks I worked MEGA overtime and there's been big stuff going on with my friends (both wild and fun and deep and vulnerable). And I have not been taking care of myself well.

MAU has a lot of new readers (hello!!). I've had other comments and requests from various people that i just haven't been able to get to, and at this point I don't know when that will change. Work should ease in another month or two, but then that puts us in the holidays. I've been taking on a lot of things I shouldn't have because stuff irl just isn't settling down like I thought it would.

This is all to say: I see you guys, I love you guys. I just need to pause for right now and get my life in order.

[ashenberry]

For your blorbos: apollo, TRUCY, jove, big man :3, the snakes from metal gear i cannot tell them apart i am so sorry, your ocs are all so blorbo to you as well but im on 30mg of weed gummy so i dont remember any of their names

God your so correct I do love all these characters an unnormal amount

[mousedetective]

Please Help A Mentally Ill, Mostly Queer Homeless Family Stay Housed This Holiday Season?

PAYPAL | AMAZON WISHLIST | KOFI | GOFUNDME

VENMO: @penaltywaltz | CASHAPP: $afteriwake23 | ZELLE: DM me for email address

12/27/23 - Updated Post!

NEW GOAL!

$1290/$2013

(Original goal met, now edited for additional room help, food, bills and other things needed)

If I can get the entire amount still needed, I can do the following:

Get the hotel room for over a week, which will let us come and go without worrying about having to spend all day trying to raise money and we can run important errands next week

Close three open collection accounts my mom has by paying them off in full via her debt consolidation company, and pay off two defaulted payday loans

Pay off her PayPal debt so that PayPal will reopen her account

Have money to make a payment if I can get the debt collection company to find her other credit card account I need to arrange payments on

Get food after the 10th, because I fully expect both myself and my mom to be out of food stamps by then (also, I don't know who did it, but BLESS YOU to the person who bought us three DoorDash gift cards off the Amazon wishlist...I just wanted to put that out there in case you didn't send a gift receipt)

Most of this will be a huge help in getting us to be able to qualify for housing that requires credit checks, and helping Lena get her health stuff sorted and figure out if she has any other debilitating illnesses will help give her disability appeal more strength, which will help her get an income to support herself. So please reblog this version if you can, and help with money or wishlist items if you can (the restaurant gift cards go a long way, plus I desperately need the clothing for me because I've lost 40 pounds this last year and most of my stuff is now too big). Thank you for reading this, and I hope you have an awesome day!

[remy]

Hi everyone. Its me again. My last donation post was not getting many notes so I am remaking this with a solid goal to just cover my rent

Yesterday at 8 AM I was the victim of a sex crime. I would prefer not to go into detail but I have been left afraid to leave my apartment as the man who did it lives within 100 feet of my front door. I have been struggling financially for the past few months and right now the thought of leaving my apartment makes me physically ill.

I need to raise $375 to cover my rent. I will keep the post updated with the amount in the replies.

My vnmo is negans , here is my paypal

Thank you for your help if you choose to donate or reblog

EDIT: I have hit my goal, thank you for everyone's help. I will be keeping reblogs on, so I don't have to worry about money while I deal with this honestly traumatizing experience

[hello-from-the-night-archives]

hello from the hallowoods dashboard simulator

😈 valerie-meme-stone

I'm not ready for my spotify wrapped to just be stonemaiden. like i get it spotify i know i'm gay

53 notes

📝 the-poetry-panopticon Follow

Unfriendly reminder not to sign up for a Dreaming Box subscription! The Botulus Corporation is not to be trusted! Here's an article explaining the language in their contract and why it's concerning! In addtion, they use AI generated images in the Prime Dream, which we should all know by now is unethical.

14,034 notes

🥗 bisexualranchdressing Follow

dang this is crazy. i thought wildfire smoke was bad but what the fuck is this????

🌅 nerdy-tragedy-theorist Follow

well according to color theory

🌅 nerdy-tragedy-theorist Follow

never mind i've got nothing

739 notes

⚡ evil-electrician Follow

friendly reminder to stop spreading misinformation about the black water! people are saying that it brings people and animals back to life but that's not exactly true! although their body may be back, they're not the same person and they will likely become violent and dangerous. please stay inside and be really careful what you and your pets eat or drink.

🐈‍⬛ cats-not-capitalism Follow

fuck you op i'm keeping my undead cat

⚡ evil-electrician Follow

good luck keeping your fingers

48,230 notes

🐧 morally-grey-penguin Follow

1,383,248 notes

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

i must not go to sleep in the lake today. afternoon nap is the mind killer

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

mmmmmm cozy

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

where is my skin

eccentricelina-deactivated04232030

going back to sleep honk shoooooo

635 notes

🌮 mysteriously-crafty-nacho Follow

reblog this post to go north with the person you reblogged this from

54,092 notes

🧊 botulus-corporation Follow

The Botulus Corporation is with you during this difficult time. Join our happy dreaming family where you and your loved ones will be safe from the rain. Tumblr users get 30% off on a Dreaming Box subscription!

🐨 chief-koala-typhoon Follow

73,932 notes

🌿 shiny-wolf-tragedy Follow

it fucken rainny

🐼 dreamland-panda Follow

love that they'll be a literal apocalyse and tumblr users will just make memes. never change tumblr

72,138 notes

👁️‍🗨️ the-magnus-brotocol

choosing between the irl amazing digital circus or probably fucking dying was not on my 2030 bingo card but okay

👁️‍🗨️ the-magnus-brotocol

at this point i just gotta expect that if the year is divisible by 10 then something terrible will happen

94 notes

🐺 werewolves-are-hot

hey do you think i can get a real werewolf boyfriend now that monsters are real

🐺 werewolves-are-hot

any cute werewolf boyfriends in this part of the woods

429 notes

🌷 pleasant-arcade-land

oh man it's been a couple months since I last updated this fanfic huh! so I just drank some black water by accident and now I have a few extra fingers, and honestly that took some getting used to, but it's actually pretty convenient now and is really helpign me get more words in lol im still here writing homestuck fanfic in 2030 hehehehehe anyway new chapter here

38 notes

🌑 the-void-whispers Follow

so, it looks like tumblr might be dying soon due to, well, *gestures wildly.* You'll have to kill me before I join Twitter now that the Botulus Corporation bought it (and no, I am not calling it B, that is just stupid) so if you want to hear from me you will simply need to look out for passenger pigeons. in the meantime, ill be here until tumblr straight up dies and i have a crying session about it

🦌 gamer-guy-bath-water Follow

we do not grieve ice when it melts, or celebrate the sapling when it rises from the soil. they just are. life and death and rebirth are one constant state. and without change, there would be nothing to watch

⚔️ sword-lesbian-enthusiast

add that to the list of banger quotes from tumblr memes

82,362 notes

[inniessick]

Just thinking about softdom!jeongin, and vocal!jeongin...

warnings: this is smut, mentions of cum, begging, dom/sub dynamics, and unprotected sex (don't do this).

thinking about softdom!jeongin who gently rubs circles on your thighs, while pushing them further apart, holding them like that so he can thrust into you deeper. vocal!innie who whispers such sweet praises into your ear, cutting himself off with a moan, every time he feels you clench around him. "prettiest girl, love y- fuckkk.. love you so much." he kissed along your neck, groaning against it. "'s too much innie, cant, cant." he would slow down, just barely pulling out of your sopping cunt, before pushing back in. "do you want to stop, my love? just wanna make you feel good." "dont wanna stop, needed a break, wanna keep going." he'd give you as many breaks as you needed, just as long as he could feel you.

softdom!jeonginnie who listens to everything you say, 'faster', 'harder', 'deeper', 'slower', 'do that again'. softdom!innie who does exactly what you want every single time, he's there to serve you. vocal!jeongin who groans everytime he enters your pussy, "my baby, so good for me. ahh- shit- mmm... always take me so well, dont you?"

softdom!jeongin who praises your very existence, never letting up with his compliments. 'look so pretty like this', 'keep making those beautiful noises', 'you feel so good', 'always cum so easily for me'. softdom!innie who doesn't care if he gets to cum, only there to help and please you. rubbing your clit slowly, coaxing an orgasm out of you, always helping you ride your high out. he just loves how you feel around him.

vocal!innie who will beg to cum inside you, "please let me, feel so good, wanna fill you up." softdom!jeongin who will put you in your place so gently, "stop whining, you know ill give you what you want, you just need to be good for me."

softdom!innie who is the fucking king of aftercare, always cleans you up, gets you anything you ask for. massages your body, kissing you everywhere. "innie, want you to cuddle me, so tired." "of course, princess. love you so much." "love you too, jeonginnie."

a/n: mini drabble to hold you all over until im done with part three of the series, you may all think nana for putting these thoughts in my head. innie being a soft dom and service top will always hold a special place in my heart. taking a break for the rest of the night i think, i'm very tired. see you all with an update soon hopefully.

likes reblogs and feedback are appreciated! ♡ my requests are open! let me know if you would like to added to a taglist for future works!

[angelofthepage]

Thoughts on the "Updated" Bendy Employee Handbook

Before we go any further, let's make it very clear what kind of post this is: we're not here to hate on the book, and none of anything I'm about to say is said with ill intent. I am here for analysis, constructive criticism, and discussion. This post is a little more critical than what I would usually share, so viewer discretion is advised.

Today we're talking about the newly updated Bendy Employee Handbook, which just recently released as of this month at the time of this post. And I have a lot of questions about this entry, and really, game guides as a whole in our modern gaming world. This book appeared to advertise itself as a rerelease of the original handbook with additional content for Bendy and the Dark Revival, but upon comparing the two, I've noticed there's actually a number of changes they've made, some good, some bad, and some that I'm not sure what to make of. So come and join me under the cut, and if you have some thoughts of your own, feel free to comment or reblog and add to the discussion. Without further ado, here we go!

Part 1: The Baffling Amount of Cut Content

Our story begins where most stories do, the table of contents. So right off the bat, when comparing this book to the original, you'll notice something off.

No, your eyes do not deceive you, an entire section of the original book was cut, on top of making other sections shorter. And the weirdest part? Some of these things were exclusive to that original book, they didn't appear anywhere else in the Bendy franchise. So already we're off to a weird start. Some of these missing pages aren't so bad though. In some cases, they're just format changes to make the book flow a little better/take up less room. Sometimes they succeed in that, sometimes they end up feeling more cramped, it's pretty subjective whether or not this improved the book. But it certainly does cut down on pages. Case in point, the beginning of each chapter of BATIM.

Don't worry, Joey's letter hasn't been cut, but it has been moved to earlier in the book, so it's no longer in Chapter 1. This was a very odd change. Other things that are missing are character monologues, but it's inconsistent. Alice Angel's speech about the screaming well of voices and Joey's monologue right before the final boss were kept, but Sammy's "sheep sheep sheep" speech and Bertrum's audiolog right before his boss fight were inexplicably cut.

Here are a few cuts I found pretty significant.

These pages are all missing from the update. In the case of this newspaper article, what does that mean in regards to whether or not this is "canon" or "retconned"? Joey Drew, did you or did you not have plans to expand into a Bendy themed toothpaste? The people need to know! X''D But seriously, while some of this is inconsequential, some of it matters. The mascot costume in particular, that's the only sketch we get (that I'm assuming came from Bertrum or Joey regarding that part of the parks, no one is specifically credited for making it). It doesn't show up anywhere else in the series (to my knowledge). It's strange that it's just, gone now. The Bendyland spread is such an unfortunate loss, that's some of the closest we've ever gotten to seeing the map of the park. Yes you can see it in BATIM, but being able to get up close and personal with it without having to control Henry was really nice. It makes me wonder if they're trying to erase the past details so they can do more with Bendyland in the future, something that's different from the original vision. I don't think that's it, but it could be, though they'd also have to go back on The Illusion of Living too, given it’s discussed there with some really fun details.

Speaking of which, that's the weirdest piece of cut content: the missing section that ends the old book (that was reiterated in The Illusion of Living). It's Joey Drew's tips for making a cartoon. It's formatted differently and has no images in TIOL, but the basic information is still the same. What's not the same though, is the loss of the tutorial pages for drawing the toons. These are another thing that don’t show up anywhere else in the series, making them a much more permanent loss. And even though this section is cut, it’s still referenced on the back cover of the new book, which is a bit odd.

These were really cute and showed so much personality for not just the toons, but for Joey as he described them. Cutting this was genuinely disappointing for me. Same with the paperwork in Joey's apartment. Those were some of the highest quality images we had of what was on his desk and bulletin board, and I liked being able to see them clearer. The biggest loss of the cut content isn’t just the pages themselves, but the personality they gave to this book, and the Bendy world as a whole. 

This was the very first Bendy book to be released, and therefore our first look into this world in this format. And while I don’t think it’s the greatest thing in the world in terms of being a game guide, I didn’t pick up the original for a game guide. I picked it up because I wanted to see if it provided more context for the world. And when it does that, it does a good job. The memos from characters we know, Joey’s financial records, the images from the desks of people like Joey and Bertrum, they give us insight into how things were going at the studio. Some of my favorite details from the original are Joey’s memo about how Susie was replaced by Allison, and the receipt for Joe’s Fine Dining. The fact that that memo was distributed to everyone but Susie enhanced what we already knew from BATIM, and it paints him as a much crueler character than we knew him to be. Not to mention the repeated use of “I have to say, I’m an instant fan”. Having Joey say those words makes the concept of him creating the cycle so much more interesting. Like did he script out every little action these characters take? Or is this something Susie picked up and recycled from him after potentially finding this memo in real life? Oh there are so many delicious possibilities. And the lunch date, oh my gosh. One, it started my quest to build the Joey Drew menu using all the things he eats in the books, because damn does he have good taste. And two, it was so cool to have a look into an interaction Susie told us about in that one tape. Like that was REALLY GOOD. Give me more like that! When you have other parts of the series back up things we’ve heard only one character say, it gives more credence to the idea that they actually happened that way, or gives us a clue that we need to check for character biases when they tell us their side of the story. And in a series where MOST characters are unreliable narrators, that is REALLY IMPORTANT for establishing timelines and figuring out what’s real versus what’s fabricated. That was my biggest hope for the update, for more flavortext and world building that expands on things we already know. 

But um…the dark revival part of the book doesn’t do that. 

Part 2: The Dark Revival’s Minimal Offerings

After an abrupt jump from Bendyland to BATDR, we get into the new stuff. The Bendy and the Dark Revival section of this book is alarmingly short and has very little substance. There is no new expansion of the worldbuilding or insight into these characters. I mean, the book describes Heidi as being a female lost one? So if you wanted a confirmation on her gender, there you go I guess? I guess that detail was never like, stated explicitly, but this is me stretching to find something new that it gives us. Actually, wait, it does give us one new thing, but I’m gonna be honest, it kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

The book refers to Allison having a “pet wolf” when we get her introduction in Chapter 1. It then later describes that Tom “likes being pet” when we get his introduction in Chapter 5. Which by the way, is the only image of Tom in this entire book, since his original render from the old version was cut. Now, I’ll be honest, I used to like that second detail, I thought it was cute that he doesn’t just tolerate Audrey, he actually LIKES being pet. Those are two different things, having some insights into Tom’s feelings and characterization would have been a breath of fresh air. But no, when I reread the book and saw that first detail, that made that really weird and uncomfortable actually. It would be one thing if in-universe, Tom called himself a pet, or Allison called him that with consent. Heck, if there was another character in-universe who wanted to purposely insult Allison and Tom by saying that, that would be fine too, then it’d be reiterating the narrative. But on its own? I take issue with taking Tom of all characters and calling him her pet. The Safehouse Boris never got treated that badly, hell, Buddy in the books never got dehumanized this badly when he became a Boris. But Tom, Tom gets to be the one that’s dehumanized? There is something that really rubs me the wrong way about that. Especially if he turns out to be Thomas Connor or has some connection to him. I can’t assume if he is or isn’t anymore given all the stuff BATDR pulled with Allison and Henry. But on the chance he IS Thomas Connor, do you have any idea how bad that looks, to have a character that, because of details written in Dreams Come to Life, many fans speculate to be a person of color, referring to him as Allison’s “pet”? And even if he ends up not being a person of color (I say as I groan about the inevitable discourse for the DCTL graphic novel that’s coming out), it’s still kind of awful to say that about anyone. Tom is a character that has repeatedly gotten the short end of the stick in this series. He’s relevant to BATDR for all of a couple of minutes, and he’s incredibly underutilized and lacking details or depth for most of the series. Thomas Connor, he gets a bit of depth as of The Lost Ones, that novel does great things for him. But Tom Wolf? Short end of the stick. And I’m sad to see that continue here. 

The one positive thing I have to say about this section is that it’s really nice to have so many of the audiolog character transcripts here. Most of the notes and logs from BATDR are here with all their words typed out. The ones that in-game had a chiller styled font are transcribed a bit strangely, as now they’re written like the messages written on the walls in-game. But it’s not the worst. If anything, all of this gives me a great resource as a theorist. Having a record of all of these and what chapters they appear in makes my goal of constructing a timeline and cross checking information much easier. 

Though from a graphic design standpoint, these pages frustrate me a little bit. They’re so cramped, and there’s several spots where the text isn’t centered properly within its text block. I get the sense on some parts, it’s because it’s placed so close to the spine of the book, so they don’t want any information getting cut off, but it still looks funky. And there are several spots where that explanation doesn’t really apply. There’s also some weird placement of fun facts. While I love that this book lets us in on some secrets, they’re not always placed in an area that makes sense? Like, there’s a note about how to get the Inkjets Concert, but the steps for how to get it are placed way after a point in the narrative where you’d be able to get it, and I’m kind of scratching my head as to why it was done that way. Is it to encourage a second playthrough? Or is it to not spoil the story? Why not split the information up? Or have a dedicated secrets page like they do with the achievements and theMeatly’s cutouts? 

Though speaking of not spoiling things, this book is really odd about what it chooses to focus on. So, Henry’s model is in this book, right next to a passage about a “mysterious man” you can meet in the Cyclebreakers area. They showed his model but didn’t name him as Henry? I don’t quite get that choice. Also, despite the cyclebreakers being very important to this story, they aren’t really mentioned before this very brief section. However, Porter? The character shown for all of a few seconds? He’s got at least three images throughout this book. The balance feels off with what this book chooses to put emphasis on. 

Also, this one really annoyed me: Allison. So for everyone who’s actually played BATIM, you would know that Allison Angel is never referred to as Allison within BATIM. We only know she’s called that because people dove into the game’s files and revealed her and Tom’s names upon the release of Chapter 4. And the book follows suit with this, it does not call her Allison in the original handbook whatsoever. HOWEVER, the BATDR section messes this up. When it introduces her, even though in-game she introduces herself as Alice, the book introduces her as Allison. But when we get to Chapter 5, the part where she’s actually named Allison by Audrey, it suddenly switches to calling her Nice Alice? It’s a weird choice and I don’t understand why this happened. 

It leaves me wondering just how much the new author of this section and their editors know about the Bendy series before going into this project. What context were they given to write this thing? It makes the book feel unpolished to have so many mistakes in its formatting and information. I don’t know what the quality control team for this release looked like, but a part of me wonders how many editors this went through before making it to the final release. I don’t work in publishing to know what that looks like, but I’d genuinely love to learn more on this subject, it’s fascinating. 

There’s also a very strong dissonance in the imagery. While I’m glad to see the renders from BATDR’s advertising so clearly and up close, the difference in their coloring looks strange when put next to the rest of Bendy’s usual color palette. It leaves me wondering what assets the book team was given for use in this release. There’s a lot I could say here about the importance of press kits and brand guidelines, especially in this day and age when so many fans are making just as high quality of content as the official releases of media. And that leads me to the most disappointing part of this book. 

Part 3: Stolen Content

If you’re active in the Bendy fandom and know its many creative members, then you may already know what I’m about to dive into. MLSpence3D is an artist that enjoys 3D modeling, rigging, animating, and rendering. He can often be found engaging in all sorts of corners in the indie mascot horror community, such as playing a notable role in the production of SuperHorrorBro’s upcoming title, Glitched Out, as well as providing the renders used on the Bendy Wiki of the in-game characters. Spence has had his work mistaken for official renders before, and unfortunately, it’s not just fans making that mistake. The render of the Piper used in the BATIM portion of the original handbook is Spence’s, and it unfortunately hasn’t been removed in this update, nor has he been credited or asked for permission to have it used here. I’ll admit, his stuff looks so official that I’ve mistaken it as such too, and it speaks to a much needed conversation on assets, metadata, and protection for artists of all mediums. 

Our fandom is not the only place where this happens. Back when FNAF: Help Wanted was in production, the cover art mistakenly used fan renders as a part of its photomanipulation. Developer Scott Cawthon was quick to apologize and make things right, removing the renders and replacing them with officially made FNAF models. Heck, we had something similar happen right here with Bendy back when the voice cast of BATDR started working with Streamily. The initial post that advertised their Streamily debut used renders from Spence and a few other artists that had to be tracked down, and they didn’t have the rights to use them, nor were they credited. It makes a lot of sense that this happens, when you don’t have sufficient resources and aren’t an active member of the fandom, if you’re a graphic designer trying to make a piece to advertise something, you’re going to need assets to make that. And if you’re not given sufficient assets by the people you’re designing for, you turn to other sources to get the job done. They may not know what on Google is official vs fan content. The fans are so skilled and passionate about what they do, and with the number of series that have fans steadily joining the official teams, it’s incredible what can result from being passionate. But it also makes for a much needed reminder to add metadata to your files so that they can be traced back as belonging to you. Watermark your stuff, clearly mark your work as fan content in the tags, captions, and descriptions, in an effort to protect yourself. Don’t use images you find online unless you have a very clear idea of where they came from, so you can direct people back to the source when they ask about it (or better yet, link the source in your description from the start). Give people another reason to pause and double check their work in the chain of command (they should be pausing to double check anyway, but let's be real, we don't live in a perfect world). In a world where credit and sources are more important than ever, remembering to give credit where it’s due from the start will save you all kinds of headaches in the future. Video game developers, especially those of you in the indie scene: please develop press kits to give to people your teams collaborate with. By giving them assets they can reliably use to advertise for you, you will save everyone a lot of hassle in the long run. And if this is still happening even with a press kit, it merits having some conversations to evaluate why and solve the problem. If there is no other takeaway anyone gets from this post, this is the big one I want to see some positive change on in the future.

Part 4: The Functionality as a Game Guide

This book works for your first time through BATDR, but not for any kind of sequential playthroughs. The way it directs you through the game uses the audiologs and notes as waypoints. Once you pick them up, they are removed from the environment, and so if you’re picking up the game after a long time away from it, you’re not gonna remember where those were, so it’s likely not going to be useful for navigating. It reminds me a lot of the way my parents talked about one of our old hometowns. We lived in Vermont for a little while, and there were two things about our area that we laughed about. One, never leave your car unlocked unless you want it filled with zucchini. Two, if you ask for directions, you’re not gonna have a clue unless you’re a local, because they word everything in a similar fashion to “you’re gonna drive past where the old barn used to be”. At least give me a landmark that still exists, or a map! The BATIM chapters aren’t much better, they sort of give you a layout map, but it’s not helpful. Especially in Chapter 3, the place where you arguably need a map the most, there is no kind of instruction for how to get through Alice’s fetch quests if you get lost. 

In my mind, a game guide is something you turn to when you need help getting through a game. Now, mind you, I am not the target audience for a game guide. I don’t own game guides. There are a few in my household that my siblings own, for stuff like Super Mario Sunshine, and I guess technically my Pokedex for Pokemon Black and White 2 DOES double as a game guide. But like, we now live in the age of the internet. If you want to know how to get through something, there are a million articles and Let’s Plays that detail how to complete the base story, find secrets, and even suggest strategies for tackling difficult challenges. Some of these are designed to be informative, and some are more reactionary and built for entertainment, there’s lots of flavors to choose from! 

And it makes me wonder, what does that mean for the medium of game guides as a whole? I think they still have their place. For one thing, different people benefit from different learning styles. Being able to read a guide may work better for someone than a video depending on their brain wiring. And for people who don’t have reliable or frankly any internet, or rely on a library for that, it’s nice to have a book so that you don’t have to wait to keep playing. I’ve never seen anyone get a game guide from a library, but I absolutely think it’s something a library could have. It’s also just really convenient to have all of that information available in one book, as opposed to having to search through multiple forums and sources and risk getting spoiled. And when they’re done well, sometimes they can have secrets not even the existing player base knew. Like I knew that there was this secret about a ghost train that appears if you set your system’s clock to 4:14, but I didn’t know if AM or PM mattered. Thanks to this book, now I know that it doesn’t matter, both work, which is really handy to know! But uh…most of the secrets that were revealed in this book were things I knew within the first month that BATDR came out. None of them were new to me as someone who’s plugged into the world of Bendy. There have been multiple videos detailing how to get these secrets, and how to play this game, by many different indie horror enthusiasts. It almost makes it feel like this book came out a bit too late, and it’s only released about a year or so after this game came out.

Which really begs the question, who was the target audience for this book? Was it for new fans who were struggling with these games? Was it for longtime fans who wanted a memento of the occasion and a record of all the stuff in these games? Was it for lore hunters hungry for new secrets and world building? Having read both versions of the employee handbook, I still can’t definitively say who the target audience is. That kind of frustrates me, that’s the first thing they taught us about back when I went to school for graphic design. It’s important to keep your audience in mind when designing something, that way it caters to their needs, appeals to them, and gets your message across effectively. 

Part 5: Final Thoughts

I still can’t say for sure what I was supposed to get out of this.The parts of it that I found charming and appealing were not continued or built upon in this update. There is no new world building or lore. It doesn’t do an effective job as a game guide given its reliance on non-permanent elements of gameplay. It doesn’t give us tools to cross reference what we know from previous entries, nor does it expand upon details that lacked clarity within BATDR or BATIM. It removed some of its more charming content, and it still has stolen artwork from its previous iteration. By the time I got done reading this book, I was left feeling disappointed and kind of exhausted. No joke, I grabbed a friend, and we went through it all to compare it page by page to see what changed. It was something you could make a drinking game out of, not that I would recommend that. 

I would struggle to recommend this book to any Bendy fan, unless you’re a completionist like me who wants to own every book as a physical copy. The original employee handbook was a far better read, and if you can find a copy secondhand or at your local library, you’re in for a small but tasty treat (quite literally if you decide to make the bacon soup recipe, which fun fact, originated in this book and was developed by the wife of Bookpast, one of the writers on this series!). The Dark Revival section feels tacked on and not as well thought out as the original book was. There is a very odd disconnect between the two. I’m genuinely confused as to why it was put in a rerelease of this book rather than making an entirely new book for Dark Revival. Dark Revival is a much longer and detailed game than Bendy and the Ink Machine. I would expect a book that describes how to play it and its world building to take up a lot more pages and go in depth on different details than this one did. So why was it done this way? Does this have to do with some sort of contract with Scholastic that we don’t know about? Was there a time constraint, or a page count that had to be met that they couldn’t meet with just BATDR? Did the people working on Bendy have too much on their plates to dedicate the time to a new book? What happened here? I wasn’t expecting to leave this book with more questions than answers, but here we are. 

Overall, I don’t think it was worth what I paid for it, but it’s going to live on my shelf with the rest of my books. This will be handy for when I need to reference the audiologs and don’t want to look up a YouTube video to remember what was said. It’ll also be nice if I’m traveling. See, whenever I visit my grandparents, their wifi is pretty limited, so if I want to draw anything while I’m up there, I have to print out references or download images on my phone before I go so I can do that. Having some of the new renders in this book will be useful if I decide I want to draw Bendy stuff or theorize while on the road. 

Now it's your turn. Tell me your thoughts on the Updated Edition of the Bendy Employee Handbook! Is this something you want to read? If you have read it, did you enjoy it? Were you left wanting more? If we ever get another book like this, what sort of things would you like to see? Let's talk about it. And remember, if you did enjoy it, that's not a bad thing, absolutely no judgement there. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it's not going to be enjoyable for someone else. Every work of fiction has its audience. <3 Here's wishing you a wonderful rest of the day, and happy reading!

[keichanz]

hey guys.

so. bit of a sad update. that interview i mentioned in my last post? yeah, it was a bust. i got an email from them monday saying i wasn't selected. and i was super upset about it to the point where i started crying, because shit now what? i have so many bills i need to pay. i have my cats i need to care for. i have fucking rent, my car payment, a thousand other little expenses that i can't even think of right now.

so i've applied to a few other jobs, but we'll see i suppose.

y'all know i absolutely hate hate HATE asking this, but i'm getting desperate here because i can't keep asking my parents for help. (my dad legit just gave me $400 for my car payment. i'd feel like a piece of shit if i asked for more)

if anyone could possibly donate to my ko-fi, i would be forever in your debt and so so so grateful. and even if you can't, that's perfectly fine and a simple reblog would be appreciated as well. i feel like i have no right asking this, since i haven't been giving you guys anything to read in a quite a while, and i feel horrible, but i can say that i have a rough outline for the next chapter of neighbors if that counts for anything.

so, yeah. there it is, another pathetic cry for help. and please dont feel bad if you can't. i get it. i mean would i be asking if i didn't?

anyway. thank you my dear friends and faithful followers. i hope you know i love you all and hopefully ill get out some new content for you soon.

ko-fi

[greenheartart]

Hey everyone,

It's been a minute so I wanted to drop in and give a little update. Things have been busy and stressful and I haven't had the bandwidth to do much these last few months, but I promise I'll be back with more fanart and more chapters of A Lovely House of Bones when I can. The story especially. I have so much I want to get to in it, and I'm really excited to get to all the good parts and share them with you! So thank you for everyone who's been reading and leaving kudos and comments, and for those of you who like and reblog my art on here. I really appreciate the continued support, and I hope to have new art and story for you soon. ♥

The longer version of why I've been away is that, aside from multiple illnesses, my boyfriend needing surgery, and a continually flooding basement leading to health problems and strife with our landlords, my job has been killing me.

One of those "this job was already hard, but upper management made decisions that doubled everyone's workload, doesn't want to hear that it's not working, and refuses to give us the staff or resources we need to function" sorts of things that's breaking everyone down physically and mentally. We've been dealing with it for 9 months and it's only gotten worse and more exhausting over time. So as much as I miss writing and making art I just haven't had the ability to do it for it for a while.

The good news is I'm quitting.

Might be a stupid decision, but I hit my breaking point and had to. I've only got one more week, and then I'm out. I don't have new employment lined up yet, but I've got places I'm interviewing at and I'm keeping hopeful it'll all work out. And honestly, a few weeks off to rest, get my head back on straight, and hopefully get back to creating again is what I need.

So uh... when you start seeing new art (and especially writing) from me, you'll know things have gotten better. In the meantime, wish me luck on the job hunt. And really, thank you for all the support. I really love the Undertale community and I can't wait to be in a place where I can contribute to it again soon. ♥

[8turning]

⌕ . . . park jay — 02:49 !

bf ! park jay x gn ! reader ★ fluff. comfort. slice of life. established relationship ★ wc 768 ★ warnings: petname seong. let me know if i missed anything!

n. apologies for disappearing, i fell a little ill but am now slowly getting back!! thank you for your patience ♡

— this is a reposted fic from my old blog! this fic is not stolen.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〈 REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED ! 〉

you barely had enough strength in your body to push open the door of your shared apartment, but knowing you could not sleep comfortably outside was enough motivation to walk the last few steps into your comfortable home.

working later shifts came with a few advantages, one of them being very little traffic on the commute both to and back home since you arrived and left at odd hours. and as time went on where you worked later, you've come to the conclusion that that is truly the only advantage.

the apartment was warm - the temperature outside incredibly low due to the late hour - and it felt as if tension was melting off of your shoulders the longer you stayed in the space.

you take a deep breath in, finally allowing yourself to relax as you set your keys and bag down, discarding your jacket to the couch to worry about once you awoke.

although the rest of your home was succumbed to darkness, the faint moonlight that shone through your windows was enough for you to navigate with. being extra cautious to keep the sound of your footsteps to a minimum, you make your way down the hall, your bedroom door cracked open the slightest bit, indicating to you that it wasn't vacant.

with your palm against the cold metal of the doorknob, you push the entryway open and can make out the vague silhouette of your boyfriend, already under the covers and on his side, waiting for you. his soft snoring filled the room along with the low volume of a random show on the television that he usually fell asleep to.

you smile at the sight, your fatigue becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as you make your way to the edge of the bed, unable to help yourself from resting your palm against his flushed skin.

leaning over, you kiss his forehead, pulling away to change into your sleepwear quickly; it wasn't often you and jay could sleep in the same bed due to his schedule being demanding of his time - and now with your updated work plan - nights like these only became more and more scarce.

the feeling of the soft fabric on your skin instantly soothed you, resting your phone on the bedside table as you took extra care in getting into bed without disturbing your lover.

for a moment after you settle next to him, head resting against the plush pillow facing him, you believe you had succeeded in keeping his slumber at peace - that was until you saw a tired smile spread across his lips, eyes opening the smallest bit to see if he actually felt you next to him or if it was just a side effect of his tired mind.

to his pleasure, you weren't an illusion, his smile only growing wider at the realization as his arms snake around you. "why didn't you wake me?" he grumbles, speaking into the crown of your head as he pulls you into his chest, carding his legs between yours to be as close to you as he could.

"you need to sleep, seong," you reply, arms tightening around his torso before you feel the vibration of a hum erupt from his chest. "let's just rest, okay?"

you feel as he nods, pulling away and bringing a single hand to your cheek to hold you in his palm, much like you had done to him moments ago.

in the dim light from the television, you could barely make out his soft smile, eyes already threatening to close as he leans down, a gentle kiss being pressed to your lips.

you could tell he was tired, lips moving slowly against yours as he gave you everything he could offer at the moment - and for you, that was enough.

"goodnight," he begins once he pulls back, his chin returning to its usual place on top of your head while your cheek presses against his chest. "i love you, y/n."

"i love you, too, seong," you reply, a smile on your face as you pull him impossibly closer, hands gripping at the back of his shirt as you feel his breathing and heartbeat even out.

his tired form held you close, the embrace he kept you in comfortable as you listened to the dull sound of the television, the atmosphere calming. you could only hope that more nights like this would come.

if working nights meant you could come home and sleep like this each and every evening, you might start to believe there were two advantages to having to endure such late shifts.

© 8turning 2023.