#one of my favourite isat artists

[insertdisc5]

Devlog #10: Questions and Answers

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month’s devlog!

If you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I’m the developer, writer, artist, main programmer, etc of the game. The game being In Stars and Time, which is the next and final game in the START AGAIN series, following START AGAIN: a prologue (available here!).  You can find out more about In Stars and Time here!!! 

LET’S GET TO IT. This devlog is all about questions!!! So many questions!!! I’m gonna answer them all!!!

Happy 2023, everyone! It’s the year of In Stars and Time! In Stars and Time will release sometime this year on PC and Nintendo Switch! I hope you’re excited!!! In the meantime…

Nothing much to talk about this month! I am still fixing bugs, playtesters are still playing, etc. So… here’s another Q&A (Tumblr asks edition)! They're mostly characters/story based, because that's what Tumblr is all about. No spoilers though, I promise!!!

(PS: you can ask me questions whenever on tumblr btw teehee)

Anonymous asks: Hi!! Thank you for making such a wonderful game with lovely little characters!! I spin them in my head like microwaved macaroni. Can I ask what everyone's hobbies are? And their deepest fears? (If that's not too spoilery) Also have a good day!!

Siffrin likes to do wood carvings! Isabeau likes fashion, designing clothes, sewing them, that sort of thing. Bonnie likes to cook! Mirabelle and Odile both like to read- Mirabelle is a horror fan/YA type stuff, while Odile prefers non-fiction.

As for their fears, most of them are spoilery, but Odile is really afraid of heights.

Anonymous asks: I am DYING to know what that rope is on Mirabelle's outfit is, it's sometimes visible and sometimes not and I don't know what it's attached to?? I want to draw her but this rope!! Is getting me

It’s a rope that works as a belt! It goes around her waist, not her hips. It’s so her dress isn’t all flat and boring

Anonymous asks: oh DOES Sif like wearing slippers?? They seem like a slippers guy. Also what small things ticks the characters off?

YOU FELL INTO MY TRAP!!!!!!!!!!! Siffrin prefers socks. Mirabelle is the one who wears slippers.

Hm… I think saying those would be spoilers also, so I’ll just say that Odile hates when people keep secrets from her.

Anonymous asks: What is each party member's favourite season? While we're at it, what's their favourite kind of weather?

Hm… I think Siffrin is split between winter and summer (they have a good cloak that works for all kinds of weather!). Mirabelle’s and Odile’s are fall. Bonnie’s is summer (coastal kid!). Isabeau hears everyone say every season except spring and picks spring.

They all prefer sunny weather for different reasons. Siffrin because it’s easier to travel when it’s nice outside. Bonnie because they like the sun. Mirabelle because she likes to read outside under a tree, same with Odile. Isabeau because “being under the sun gives your skin a healthy glow!”

Anonymous asks: Questions! Do you have a rough estimate for how long the game will be? If this isn’t a spoiler, how did the gang all first meet? And if it is a spoiler then… what’s each of the gang’s favourite colour? 

I don't want to give any numbers just because playtimes will vary drastically depending on the way you play, but I can confirm ISAT is SIGNIFICANTLY longer than START AGAIN: a prologue!!!

For the gang meeting, first Mirabelle went traveling to try to save Vaugarde, then she met Isabeau in Jouvente, then they met Odile while traveling, then they met Siffrin, and then they met Bonnie. The nitty-gritty details aren’t really that important so I haven’t thought about it much. Most of the details on how they met will be found early in the game, so you won’t have to wait hours to know!

As for their favorite colors (Looks at the game. The game is in black and white) Think you’re funny, huh? HUH!?!???! NEXT QUESTION!!!!!

felikatze asks: how did siffrin obtain their fantabulous hat? and who is your favorite character to draw?

Siffrin was born with this cool hat. Popped right off with it on. And Siffrin is my favorite to draw, with Mirabelle a close second. Bonnie is my least favorite to draw within the gang but I still love them dearly. The King is my least favorite to draw period

inverts asks: why does siffrin wear gloves? what's loop's favourite food? what's the KING's favourite food? teehee

Bunch of reasons, but really the two main ones are 1. Looks cool and 2. Keeps them from biting their nails.

Thank you for the Loop question. No one asked about Loop!!! If Siffrin asked them their favorite food, Loop would say “bananas”. But is it true? Yes. But is it? Yes, for sure. But? Yes.

The King’s favorite food are uuuh (I go through my rolodex of foods) carambolas. Yeah

Anonymous asks: what are the gang's favorite hot cocoa toppings?

I don’t know enough about hot cocoa toppings to answer this, so have their favorite nonalcoholic drinks instead. Siffrin doesn’t think they have a favorite drink but really it’s sugarcane juice, Mirabelle’s is either tea or orange juice, Isabeau’s is probably milk or something, Odile’s is tea (but it’s gotta be expensive), Bonnie’s is pineapple juice.

Anonymous asks: whos the shortest (besides the kid) and tallest of them all?

Within the crew, Siffrin is the shortest (besides Bonnie), and Isabeau is the tallest! The real tallest is the King, of course.

Jovial-gender-jester asks: did the kid & their sister ever cook together?

Their sister taught them how to cook, so yes!

Anonymous asks: will we learn more about how Siffrin damaged one of their eyes? 

Yes :)

Anonymous asks: what’s your opinion on speedrunning isat/saap from a lore perspective? as in, what do you think goes through siffrin’s head when they decide to do it?

>:3c teehees evil-y (⬅has added an item and lore made specifically for speedrunners)

Anonymous asks: is the gang gonna be okay. are they gonna be happy

>:3c I teehee evil-y once more

Anonymous asks: Is there a map of the world? Where are things exactly (e.g. where is Ka Bue compared to Vaugarde (?) ?)

Have this map I drew early in development of the countries around Vaugarde. The story doesn’t really need me to know about The Whole Map so I didn’t think about it. I only figured out two neighboring countries’ names too so I could say other countries’ names for Worldbuilding Reasons (as in, to show Vaugarde is a country inside a world, and not just The Only Country In The World), but I do see Vaugarde as being surrounded with many other ones. Could’ve figured out more country names, but two is a good number. Ka Bue is on the other side of the world- Odile has been traveling for A While. For country sizes here, think European countries!

jovial-gender-jester asks: is it alright to ask how you came up with craftonomy? it was cool realizing it's different from craftology, and maybe has no bearing? the concept's fascinating!

Welcome to insertdisc5’s brainstorm theater

Hi I am insertdisc5 and I am making the prologue> ok i need a magic system for this world > fuck i can’t use basic fire water grass because one of my puzzles is all around finding a fire > ok well every magic system in rpg games is just rock paper scissors really > so… why not… just… rock paper scissors > ok but what kind of world comes up with that tho > so maybe it’s all around Creating Things… you can make all kinds of art with rock (sculpting) paper (art, writing) and scissors (uh… idk cutting things) and i kind of like the idea of magic being something similar to art, so let’s call it Craft > ok now i need to create events with every fucking thing i added to the maps, and also explain the world a bit more > the study of craft… craftonomy > hey you know how you have astronomy (studying space) and astrology (adding meanings to constellations, horoscope) so it’d be funny if it was the same, it would be a funny joke > craftonomy (studying craft) and craftology (“if you’re rock type you’re probably very strong but gullible hehe”) are born

Punkitt-is-here asks: How is RPGMaker treating you ⬅(best wishes)

Rpgmaker is my little cat that stays on my lap cutely and doesn’t even scratch me anymore. This is in big part thanks to my programmer who takes care of the really hard code for me teehee (THANK YOU ISABELLA!!!)

hummingcrows asks: How do you stay motivated!

I genuinely don’t have a helpful answer for this, I don’t find it hard to stay motivated to finish things in general… The few times I felt discouraged, I just either went “ok what’s like A Small Thing I can finish today, so this day isnt a total wash” even if it’s just doing one sprite, or “what’s one thing that would make me really happy to add” like a small scene or something, or just making the chairs’ backs rounder for Lore Reasons, and then I do it, and I am happy, and I am motivated

Anonymous asks: what was it like converting the character designs to game sprites? did they transfer easily or was it difficult?

Pretty easy! Outside of Siffrin (who already has a very simple design), I knew I would have to convert them into sprites, so I knew I couldn’t go too detailed with them. Even with their first concept art, I made sure to doodle them as sprites as well so I could make sure they would look distinct from one another!

(Very First Concept Art for everyone except Siffrin. Got their faces first try! (Except Bonnie))

Honestly the main problem was with their height… In the prologue, they all are very small, since I used a 48x48 size, and Siffrin has a MASSIVE hat that takes almost half his size, so all the other characters had to be drawn relative to Siffrin’s size, which meant I couldn’t add as many details as I wanted. I’m glad that for In Stars and Time I found a way to make the sprites taller (they’re 48x96 now, but I’m not using the full height), so now they are all cute and not squished.

(Some of the first sprites I did for the prologue. Look at how squished everyone looks!)

(Profile sprites for In Stars and Time)

roebeanstalk asks: Have you run into any mechanics you've been excited about, but have decided it's better to save them for a future project to keep this one going? Kind of a "kill your darlings" but for game mechanics?

I’m very happy to say that I’ve managed to add all the things I wanted to add to the game! It helped that there weren’t that many mechanics I wanted to add in the first place lol. I even had time to add one I scrapped early in development because it wasn’t that important! But it made me happy to add it so it’s in now!!!!

galaksyz asks: how many siffrins must be stacked on top of each other until they overtake the eiffel tower in height (ok i just wanted to give you the mental image of the Siffrin Pillar)

actual question: once the game is released, what part of fan reactions & creations would you look forward to most/what would you hope for most?

i think it would be awesome to see fan comics or animations, or OST remixes, or YT playthroughs, analysis/essay videos, maybe AUs... if you had to pick just one of those sorts of things, what would it be that you'd like the most?

212.9 Siffrins. Thank you for asking

And I genuinely love every single fan reaction/creation I've seen so far!!!! I have many folders filled with everyone's reactions/creations that I love to look at when I feel down :')

Fan comics definitely have a special spot for me in my heart tho... Those were always my favorite kind of fanarts to make, as a fanartist myself. The comics I’ve seen from the prologue already make me so so so happy!!!

And also, people just writing about the game… Like, just about things they like, things they’ve noticed, or theories they have, there’s also been a few and they just make me so happy. My brain goes on a loop of “yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah”. This is why I love the theories channel on the discord so much hehe, I tried really hard to add little breadcrumbs so it makes me happy when people pick up on it!!! And someone made a post that was just a list of everything they liked about the prologue and it made me so happy it felt like I was floating for a week hehe

pixxyofice asks: I am always curious about gamedev struggles. So... how hard is it to fix bugs for this game in particular? With the time looping I bet it would be hard to figure out maybe.

Uhhh and also what are each member's favorite colors?

Not that hard! I haven’t done a lot of Big Weird Code inside of rpgmaker, so any bugs are usually because I messed up a switch or variable, so it’s just a matter of figuring out the problem and changing one (1) thing. As for finding out there’s even a bug, that’s what QA and playtesting are for!

Bugs related to the time loop mechanic have (FOR NOW?!?) all been taken care of, so the bugs now are mostly related to choices, since some choices appear/disappear depending on where you are in the story. So sometimes I get a playtester like “hey Adrienne, i don't understand this choice i'm getting here”, and it’s because i messed up and it shouldn't be here yet. OOPS!

As for their favorite colors (I look again. The game is STILL in black and white. I try to run towards you but I'm held back) lemme at ‘em, LEMME AT ‘EM– (a few minutes pass, I calm down) Ok. What's the last question?

itr13 asks: what's everyone's favourite colors?

…..

Mirabelle’s would be a warm pink, Siffrin’s black, Odile’s dark green, Isabeau’s sunflower yellow, and Bonnie's black (but really, light blue). ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!?!?

That’s all I have to say for today! Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s any aspect of the game development struggle you’d like me to talk about! See you next time!!!

AND DON’T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ON STEAM ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THAT’S THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

[eliounora]

Good grief, I don't know how someone could have read your last post and responded with the amount of dismissiveness that last reply did. Apart from the whole thing smacking of Calvinist bull****... that's just not how humans work. We're not meant to function in total isolation, and I've never met a creatively-inclined person who *didn't* hope to see their work connect with people. Part of the joy of making things is sharing them with other people, and even if nobody owes you their time or attention or validation, it *is* disheartening to feel like the things you share in hopes of people connecting with them aren't acknowledged for whatever reason. Please do whatever you need to for your own mental health, but I hope you won't delete your blog here; I'm someone who's generally too shy to interact, but I've adored your art for years, and was beyond thrilled when you opened your quick comms a little while back (I now have an Eliounora original and it makes me so happy every time I look at it <3). Your latest Thranduil piece is gorgeous (and immediately became my favorite visual interpretation of the character I've seen so far) - I saw the Bilibin references in the frame right away and was delighted to see someone marrying it to Middle Earth! It gives the whole thing a perfect old fairytale feel. I hope it helps a little to know that your work has at least one quiet but sincere admirer here.

CALVINIST BULL is the perfect way to describe that mindset hahaha! you're so right, like even when you draw or write or create anything as a kid you often run to a caretaker or a sibling or whoever to show your work! and even when I was a kid, if my scribble did not get the reaction from my mom I was hoping for, I'd be super sad, and I think that speaks to our need to have our work appreciated!

of course you should primarily create for yourself, like writing, knitting, drawing, painting, singing, playing an instrument, all that should be first and foremost fun for you, but I think it's also important to remember that it takes guts to share your work, and when you put yourself out there like that and don't get the reaction you hoped for, of course that feels disheartening. we are bound to believe that the more work we put into something, the more recognition we get!

I know many other people feel like this too (I mean look at artists on this website begging for reblogs), and I think it speaks for the content creator.....isation? of artists and the change in fandom culture which has resulted in lack of community. while disappointment is bound to happen from time to time, like maybe your fic did not get as many comments as you wished for or your art got less notes than you expected, for me it feels like disappoinment is the norm.

I really hope this does not come across as whining about how I don't get the recognition I think I deserve (although that's what it is I'm not going to lie), because I do appreciate every shy and quiet person out there who loves my art, like you💗 and of course nobody has to interact any more than they are willing, but I think the general trend that interaction with people's works is lessening will dishearten many artists, especially those who don't have a large following. and oftentimes even a few excited words about your work will take you a long way! like yours right now, I FEEL SO SEEN!!! my thranduil, your favourite? FUCK YEAH!!!

[kazehita]

How often do you read fics/browse fanfics? And do you have any favourite fics?

Do you have any particular artists you look to for inspiration or learning from their style?

i am a 🔥 hardcore 🔥 fanfic reader 🔥 Jokes aside I'm one of Those people who will clean out the tag for a show/media i have never, and will never, ever see.

I successfully (accidentally) gaslit a group of my friends into thinking I played p5 via my foolproof method - reading tons of fics and cross-referencing the consistencies~!

(fear not i have actually played p5 (royal!) since then sjkdkfja) My favorite fic of all time is indeed marigolds by colbub. It's no contest. My other favorites are usually gen ff7 time travel fic. Naruto fic also. Those authors are always going insano style and I love that for them.

Naturally I've been elbow deep in ISAT fic lately through! As evidenced by the massive rec list I just put out jskdfjks ---- For artists, my inspirations are very many and change very, very fast.

To avoid not giving any answers at all though, I will mention that Sevenchiart was very inspirational to me a few years ago (and now too of course!) when I started drawing seriously.

Ask game

[aria0fgold]

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Hello! My name is Aria! Am 24 years old >:3

I also recently found out that I'm a system! So far I have 6 headmates so I can put their names on my intro post too! There's:

Alerik (I mainly refer to them as Aly). He uses any pronouns! He's also been with me the longest! Ever since I was little apparently :o

Vita. They/It pronouns for it!

Elegy (Elle is her nickname we sometimes use!). She/They/It pronouns for her!

Galahad (Gonna give em the Gala nickname!). He/They pronouns!

Albireo (My nickname for em is Swan! Vita's nickname for em is Almond though!). They use any pronouns :3

Luca. He/him pronouns!

Cerulean (Giving her the nickname Cers!) It uses any pronouns!

Any pronouns okay for me! I don't mind really! I use she/her for myself :3

Am writer! Aria0fGold in ao3 too! And I'm also a beginner artist :D My brain rotates between the many interests that I have so! I'll list out the ones I talk bout the most but for now have the:

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List of My OMORI AUs

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And to the list of my interests that you'll see me talking about a lot in here!

Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku (mahoyaku/mhyk) / Promise of Wizard - My favourite characters in it are Cain Knightley (<-the one that got me into it) and Owen! (<- love him by extension of being a Cain fan). I especially love their caiowe ship too!

In Stars and Time - New interest! Yippee!!! Got into isat and will never get out. I love this game so much. It is everything to me.

OMORI - The hyperfixation that prompted this blog creation. Although I'm not hyperfixated on it anymore, it still holds a special place in my heart.

Persona 5, and by extension, Magic Kaito - Now... They're two different medias... But well you see-- I am a Joker (from p5) and Kaito (from magic kaito) shipper, the captain of it, if you will. So most of the time I talk bout p5 I also end up talking bout magic kaito (mainly just Kaito though).

My OCs!!! - I love my OCs a lot and I talk bout them a lot and I think about them a lot and I--

I also talk about my other interests too from time to time but those ↑ are the ones you'll see me talking about the most! Along with some random things from me cuz I can be quite talkative!

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Here's a list of some of the tags I use the most!

aria rants - for when I talk about nearly anything!

aria rbs - for when I reblog things! (aria srb for self-reblogs)

arianswer - for when I answer asks!

ariart - for my art! :D

ariawrites - for my writing! >:3 (this is also accompanied by the media tag of what I wrote about)

ariau - for my AUs! So far have used it for my OMORI AUs though.

ariaoc - for my OCs!!! (this is also accompanied by ariaoc: [oc name here])

ariaplays: [name of game here] - for the rare occurrences of me liveblogging some of my reactions to a game! (I've used it for aitsf and isat in which case the tag becomes, ariaplays: aitsf and ariaplays: isat)

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And lastly! A little more stuff about me!

I LOVE CAIN KNIGHTLEY! I LOVE OWEN! I LOVE CAIOWE!!!

Ahem, anyway... I!... I.......! I don't know what to put here actually... I like! Pink. Have you noticed that? I like! Mili. Their songs are always soooo good at beaming the exact emotion it conveys straight to your brain. I like! Many things... Well... I said I was talkative but I didn't quite say that my thoughts are coherent... I tend to keysmash a lot! It's the best way I can convey whatever thought and emotion I have about anything.

Anyway, anyway! Feel free to send me asks :D It can be about anything really! And feel free to tag me! Or send dms! I like interacting with people but I tend to be a bit awkward with it... Am shy! And anxious! But if you're a mutual then well... I'm a little less shy and anxious! More comfy! I love my mutuals <3

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[duffgirl20s]

 RULES: tag 10 of your followers you wanna know better.

Got tagged by @sophiafrederica ty so much! ♥

Nicknames: Hummm I’ve not have any good one. Though my bf at uni calls me Caru which is the shorter version of my full name Caroline.

Height: 1.55 cm

Time right now: 22:03 / 10:03 pm 

Last thing I googled: Hatsume miku. I had to googled it because I got a delivery from my music teacher who asked me to do a cover in a notebook made of felt of this Japanese character for her grandchild.  

Fave music artists: Currently, I’m fond of K-pop: BTS, BlackPink. However, the artists  are never left behind in my mp3 are Coldplay, Sigur Ròs, Ed Sheeran among others. My musical tastes are always changing...

Song stuck in my head: Shape of you. By Ed Sheeran

Last movie I watched: Submarine (2010) I’ve recently watched this morning on ISAT by chance. It really caught my attention, unfortunately I’ve not saw it from the beginning :( So, I downloaded to watch it soon again. 

Last TV show I watched: Humm... I think it was The Big Bang Theory

What I’m wearing now: My pyjamas. I used to wear my pyjama during the weekend. Besides autumn arrives to my country, so it is getting colder here and the best outfit to stay warm is wearing my polar fleece pyjama.

When I created this blog: January 2014

The kind of stuff I post: Quotes: love, literature related, motivational ones; photography; poetry; art, comic strips...ANYTHING would catch my eye   

Do I have other blogs?: Yes. Though I don’t use them. Only this one ;) #paperandinkstand 

Do I get asks regularly?: Not very often, but when I’ve one my heart beats really hard ‘cause English isn’t my MT. So I do my best answering asks. I got really excited tbh and I’d be glad of receiving more asks in my inbox! :D 

Why did I choose my URL?:  Ohh... It’s really funny why I choose this URL . It was only because I liked how the word “Duff” looked like. I got it from the Simpson’s character ‘Duffman’. (At that time I used to watched the Simpsons *hehe*) 

Gender: Female

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Pokemon team: ---

Fave colors: Navy blue, purple, mint green

Average hours of sleep: Uf! actually I don’t know o_o I’ve insomnia. 

Lucky favourite number: 8

Favorite characters: Rae from ‘My mad fat diary’, Lizzy Bennet; Loki, Stephen Strange, Sheldon Cooper, among others (Cannot remember all of them)

Dream job: A job where I could travel around the world knowing new people, hearing new sounds and languages, where I could take pictures of those places. In order of preference exotic countries *_* 

Number of blankets: Now I’m using 2 or 3 blankets! Not sure xD I’m sensitive to cold

Following: miscellaneous stuff 

I’ll tag on:

@childishworm @turpentine-andpatches