#vault of zero

[vaultofzero]

i made this for every broke gen z kid clawing for a way out

not everyone has parents to fall back on. not everyone has a savings cushion. some of us are literally trying to build an empire on 2 hours of free time and leftover Wi-Fi.

you wake up tired. scroll past success stories. open 10 tabs on “how to make money online” and still feel like you’re nowhere closer.

i know that feeling. so i made something for it.

this isn’t a trend. it’s not crypto, not dropshipping, not “manifestation.”

it’s a blueprint.

it’s called Digital Domination, and it’s built for people like you: broke, hungry, anonymous, and done playing the game by their rules.

📘 what’s inside?

how to pick a digital business model (that’s not BS)

how to build a brand without showing your face

how to post content that actually works

how to create something digital and sell it over and over

how to automate the chaos so you can breathe

this PDF was made for:

the students whose degrees are collecting dust

the burnt-out creators who feel invisible

the freelancers tired of begging for gigs

the people who want to earn without becoming a walking ad

you don’t need to go viral. you don’t need a ring light. you need a system that doesn’t burn you out or break your spirit.

that’s what this is.

grab the full guide:

or get the free preview to decide:

they called us lazy. we’re just unfunded. and now? we’re building our way out.

Follow me on my socials:

[mutualcombat]

robbing cazador's vault in the counting house together 🥰

(they forgot he doesn't show up in photos so the pictures just look like the bag is floating. it's in a frame on their mantle.)

[nataliedecorsair]

What if there was a Borderlands cartoon instead of a movie? Here's my take on it, I drew some "fake screenshots" showing what it could've been. And there is a hidden frog in there 🐸 It's also my AU stuff mixed with canon, in case you were wondering.

Btw, the loader here is the Loader Bot from Tales. I was thinking how he's slowly started getting conscious, that's why he's looking at Jack like that. Generally speaking, I prefer older Borderlands games, so this art is my ode to them. Hope you like it

I also have other fan art posts dedicated to the early 2000s animation, and Hades + Eris crossover

[ore-ion]

HTTYD rewatch and i can't remove that one scene from brain, same goes with these two

[Keferon's monter hunter au]

[g0ne1997]

GOES THE BANDIT

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 81

for the real tumblr oldheads. yall remember those "the signs as" posts? and the running gag of making ones that were just increasingly obscure homestuck references? this was one of my faves. put it in my art tag back in 2018 thinking id draw the trolls in all their respective sburb planet fits. WELL I GOT TO IT EVENTUALLY BABEY!!!!

full lineup here!!

[arian-nya]

Starting to wonder

if there might just be

a specific type

of setting I enjoy

[zinderant]

I've been thinking about corru.observer and what I like about it even if it's a hodgepodge of genres and never keeps doing one thing for long enough that you get bored with it (mostly anyway) which also means it's not essential that the thing it has you do at the moment is polished and high quality, since it's fleeting. I was still impressed though! Only the last section down in the groundsmindry core wasn't as enjoyable, especially not on the heels of that awesome jailbreak; it was finicky and illegible in ways the other parts weren't.

Anyway, that's beside the point, because regardless of what genre corru.observer is on, it never stops doing the one thing I enjoy the most, which is drip-feeding lore. There is a main story (the events inside the embassy) but it takes a while to get going and there's enough going on around it that I can pretty confidently say that the slow reveal of all the contents of this alien artifact you're probing is the main purpose of the game, and I love it for that!

It got me thinking of how the game mechanics aren't the primary focus and it's more of a vehicle to deliver all your cool worldbuilding through and make it feel like an investigation rather than an infodump. This is also what I enjoy in fiction, but these things take different skillsets. There are writers that are really good at making it enjoyable for the reader to piece the worldbuilding together, and they're good at lots of other things besides because you can't write a novel just from that. Then again, making corru.observer didn't just require tons of cool lore, but also a great sense of aesthetics, cracking sound effects and music, and enough programming skills to put it all into an unassuming browser game, so maybe it's not the hack I'm thinking of.

Book of Hours is lore-centered in much the same way. The main mystery you're uncovering has a reveal that's so underwhelming in the context of everything else, that if it was the climax of a book, I would throw it out without hesitation. But it's the history of Hush House and the understanding of the world beyond (in every sense) that's the real reward. That lore drip feed is plugged into every single gameplay mechanic; no matter what you do to progress, you'll have something to read. Without that, it would fall utterly flat as a management game, so I'm tempted to call it a reading simulator instead. I don't know if I'm the first one to use that term because the Steam game by that name dominates the search results, but it seems pretty apt.

Are there other games like this? There are obviously lots of games that have rich worldbuilding but restrained presentation, like Disco Elysium, but they're not about reading, they would still be recognizably similar games if you took out (most of) the reading. They would be worse, no doubt! But when I think of a reading simulator, I think of a game that has absolutely no point left to it if you took out the reading.

I suppose Fallen London, as Alexis Kennedy's first project, is gonna be a likely candidate, but I haven't tried it. Nor did I play Heaven's Vault and Chants of Sennaar but they seem like they fit the bill. Kentucky Route Zero, maybe? Not a lot of investigation to do there. I feel like I would be able to name more examples if I played more visual novels, because those are most obviously going to innovate in the direction of more game mechanics, while traditional games are pretty unlikely to move towards having less game in them.

Am I onto something here or am I just drawing boundaries where there are none? If not, is there anything I'm missing? I'd love some more recommendations!

[indigo-brainspark]

Hi 👋 love your Apothecary Dairies X Dr Stone cross over. Soooooo~ much. 🤩

I just had one question?

Is it just Senku or do we see the rest of the science kingdom in the picture.

(Because having Kohaku trying to blend in at the palace would be hilarious. 😅 Gen would be suffering.)

Thank you for liking it!!! I'll make more snippets for it posthaste o7

As for other members of the KoS.. Senku creating the revival fluid is actually a major part of the story, with him perfecting that formula being the thing that earns him a lot of respect. Bc that is straight up wizard shit.

I'm horrible w OCs being Important, so it would only stand to reason that the people being revived would be canon petrified humans, a lot of whom are KoS members.

My first solid candidate is actually Minami!!! (the journalist who loved photography)

The idea is that Senku demonstrates the revival fluid on a couple random statues to interested nobility. Then when they ask about ppl who are good at medicine/architecture/other fields senku has mentioned as being heavily advanced, he admits he couldn't identify such people. Then suggests a reporter who had been interviewing him for science-prodigy reasons around the time of the Petrification Event, who would totally know how to find these specialists. Thus introducing Minami.

For Kohaku, now that you've mentioned it, I'm thinking of having her seek out Maomao's adoptive father to help with Ruri's illness. Except he tells her that there isn't any cure for pneumonia, just things that can lessen the pain before she dies.

This could happen before Maomao's abduction, so when she returns with Lihaku a year later, she finds Ruri is??? Completely fine????? At which point it's explained that Senku helped Kohaku make antibiotics for her. Which is what would put him on Maomao's radar.

(this plot thread also puts forth the idea of Senku and Kohaku traipsing through secluded hot spring areas only for nobility while on the hunt for sulfuric acid. and possibly meeting someone very important and very reclusive who doesn't like being identified and is already having harrowing experiences w a scientist who likes throwing herself into poison's way. im just saying that would be really funny-)

Kohaku's inclusion immediately suggests Chrome, too. But I'll be real, Maomao already has the "guy who can use local resources in practical scientific methods" market cornered. Better than Chrome does, even. So,,, he likely won't be here.

Gen. Ah, Gen. Remember what I keep saying abt Senku having no fucking manners and that cutting his plans for all the money he needs to do his projects off at the knees bc the entire chain of communication is doing everything in their power to keep him from talking directly to even a mid-ranked noble??? That's no longer an issue once Gen is here. A hundred different attendants sigh in relief. Gen is having a panic attack and doing an illiant-bray job at hiding it. Senku thinks it's lowkey hilarious.

[lowilore]

Duke wearing Zenless Zone Zero Lycaons outfit. With some differences.

Should I do Missi in a ZZZ outfit?

[freyalir]

I saw @gay-robot-boyfriends's cat art of X, Vile, and Zero and was reminded of more old art I have stored away. Observe... Cat Vile with his loving owner Zero who is not at all infected with Toxoplasma Vava in the brain.

[vaultofzero]

you’ll drop $12 on a burger but won’t invest in your escape plan?

you ever realize how easy it is to spend money on stuff that disappears in hours? a burger. a coffee. a late-night dopamine hit.

but when it comes to something that might actually shift your income, your time, your life you hesitate.

you’ll spend $15 on fast food. you won’t spend $15 on your freedom.

not judging. i did it too. i’d buy junk to numb the grind… but not the thing that could break the grind.

so i built something. for me. for you. for anyone tired of just barely making it.

it’s called Digital Domination, a PDF that’s not just theory and fluff. it shows you how to sell, how to grow, and how to stay anonymous while doing it.

you don’t need a huge following. you don’t need to show your face. you just need to want more.

📘 what’s inside?

how to make money without a boss

how to create something real, from scratch

how to go from “no clue” to “new income”

how to build a faceless system that works while you sleep

you’re already spending money. the question is: are you spending it to stay stuck, or to get out?

get the full version: for less than what you spent on Uber Eats this week.

Special Launch Offer!

Use "FIRST100" for 40% off! And if this one runs out, then Use "NEXT100" for 25% off!

or you can grab the free preview.

Follow me on my Socials!

[paramoose]

Because Instagram doesn't like my work. Maybe Tumblr might!

Coming to you from Vault 002 😈 Uncensored!

[architectsvault]

ramble ahead!

I want to preface this by going I've been playing 'in other waters' on steam (great game, btw, check it out) -- but man, has it got the braincells churning about below zero & the introduction / robin landing on 4546B

for one, you know how LUCKY ol' Robin was not to get sent flying anywhere else via the meteor storm...It got me thinking like, can you imagine if she had hit elsewhere? The aus that could bring from the sheer distance from Sanctuary Zero

So now I've got a fic idea floating around in my brain going:

Imagine if Robin crashed onto Delta Station

Imagine if she took out the satellite tower and hit those rocks hard

Imagine if it didn't kill her, but she got messed up pretty bad including her mind

Imagine if that caused amnesia

Imagine if amnesia!Robin followed Al-An's distress signal & their relationship went from there

I might...write it. Might. Maybe. Hm.

[sunstonespark]

making a blorb sheet is like.. literally the most self indulgent thing and uhm here it is uwu

[blueeyedrat]

Games I played in 2023.

Last year was stable. This year has been... less so. I've bounced between getting out more and shutting myself in more, and between trying to take better care of myself and letting small issues and stressors start to pile up. My steady job got a lot less steady, and I'm now out of work and finding ways to pass the time. Like video games, for instance. Shall we?

(2022 ⇐ 2023 ⇒ 2024)

Moncage

This was another decent year for getting caught up on games I've tried out and expressed an interest in before. Moncage, INSIGHT, Railbound, URBO, and a few other games you'll see further down the list. I also followed up on some games I've played in the past like Train Valley 2, and even dipped back into some old mainstays like Eternal. One of these days I'll find time for Minecraft or Dwarf Fortress again.

I more or less broke even on my backlog this year, chipping away at smaller games from assorted bundles I've picked up over the years, but also picking up some new bundles to add to the pile. So many games, so little time.

Before We Leave

While we're talking about the backlog, here's a game I've been interested in for a while. A settlement builder in a solar system of small planets, with a quaint aesthetic of wooden ships and massive space whales. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this one. The automation and logistics aspect is an interesting spin on the genre, even it gets a bit complex at times. Never too challenging, though, and there's enough depth and nuance to hold my interest all the way to the final stages and on towards the stars. I'm looking forward to the upcoming sequel.

The Legend of Zelda (series)

It's hard to go wrong with Zelda. I have fond memories of Skyward Sword, Wind Waker HD, and Breath of the Wild, and with a new one on the way, it seemed like as good a time as any to catch up on my library. In order: Link's Awakening DX, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap, and the DLC quests from Breath of the Wild I never got around to. Our Wii U saw more activity than it's gotten in years.

Opinions on each: Awakening was a fun, solid 2D adventure that never overstayed its welcome, though the game shows its age at a few points. Likewise, Ocarina was an interesting look at the series' jump to 3D, but was also somewhat janky at times and it took a while for me to really get into a groove with it. (I think the turning point might've been the Water Temple. I actually liked the Water Temple. Ye gods.) Majora was a sizeable improvement gameplay-wise and played with the format in neat ways, though I'll admit that I butted heads with the time loop mechanic more than once.

I have a particular nostalgia for Minish Cap; some of my earliest memories of Nintendo games are watching my friend's GBA over his shoulder on the bus ride to elementary school. After so long, this was the one I was most curious to see if it held up. Answer: yes. Minish Cap is officially my favorite 2D Zelda, and the highlight of this little retro binge. There's a lot of charm to it, and it just feels good to play.

It may be a bit too recent for nostalgia, but I almost forgot how much I loved Breath of the Wild. My old file was exactly how I left it, and playing through the extra content was a good way to re-acquaint myself with the "new" Zelda style before…

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

This was a daunting one. If I had to sum up Tears in one sentence, it would be this: There is so much game in this game. Even compared to its predecessor, there's so much to do and so many more layers of exploration and interaction, with a wide array of smaller improvements that make it a smoother experience overall.

I wish I could say I put as much time into this game as I did into Breath of the Wild, and I did put a lot of time into it, but… some other things got in the way. Summer is when my work got a lot busier and a good amount more stressful, and this was a game I slowly chipped away at whenever I found time for it. I got pretty much everything I wanted out of it, and after the credits rolled, I put it away and haven't touched it since. I should change that. I'm sure there are more good times to be had.

Mutazione

The word that comes to mind to describe Mutazione is fascinating. It's a point-and-click narrative, light on gameplay, heavy on story and character. Of the other games I've played recently, the vibes remind me the most of Sable – quiet and contemplative, where all you want to do is observe and take in the world and characters that are being presented to you. It dovetails nicely with the story itself, which largely consists of a curious little soap opera playing out around characters who are along for the ride. The writing is some of the best I've seen this year, and gets real fuckin' raw in ways I wasn't expecting. This one will stick with me for a while.

Pikmin 3 / The Wild at Heart

I've never had the focus or dexterity for a really complex RTS, but Pikmin's always been a little more approachable. Played the second game in the series a while back, picked up a used copy of Pikmin 3 at a local convention this year, and with another one coming out, it seemed as good an excuse as any to make it a double feature.

Both games have their charms. Pikmin has a distinct style and sense of scale that's hard to replicate, and a good variety of environments and encounters and puzzles. The Wild at Heart is smaller in scope as a Pikmin-like, and hits some familiar beats while remixing some of the core ideas in interesting ways. The latter also put more of an emphasis on character and narrative, something I'd like to see fleshed out more, but what we got was still satisfying. Both games were fun, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Pikmin 4 soon.

Chants of Sennaar / Heaven's Vault

Another double feature – one game that caught my eye immediately, and another I've been curious about for a while. For a long time I've had a fondness for constructed languages, with scripts and writing systems of particular interest. The idea of decoding such a language lends itself well to a puzzle game, and these two approach it in different ways: Chants of Sennaar features multiple cultures in a Tower of Babel-esque setting, each with their own quirks and traits to learn and translate between, and their own puzzles to solve. Heaven's Vault opts for depth, with a single language and a vast history that you slowly unravel through exploration.

My verdict for both games is the same. The language puzzles are really cool and interesting! I want more of them! …Everything else in between gets sort of meandering at times. Not enough to drag down the overall experience, but perhaps enough to overstay its welcome. Sennaar filled the space with a mish-mash of puzzles and stealth, which felt oddly paced at times. Heaven's Vault's pacing was hit even harder with slow exploration and visual novel-esque story segments – fine enough for one playthrough, but the amount of wandering and backtracking involved makes me hesitant to go back and play NG+ to see the rest of the content. I don't have the patience to play a visual novel multiple times to see what all of the dialogue options do. The story's fine as is, and I got what I wanted out of it.

Even with their faults, these are still probably the games that influenced me the most in 2023. If anyone asks me, as a game dev, what I would make given unlimited time, resources, and creative freedom, from now on I'm going to point to Chants of Sennaar and say "something like that". I want more games like this to exist. I will make them myself, if I have to.

F-Zero 99

This wasn't the only racing game I played this year – a bunch of new content was added to Mario Kart 8, and I also pulled Horizon Chase Turbo from my backlog and spent a bit of time on that – but this is definitely the one that made the biggest splash. I've never played an F-Zero game, and it controls differently enough from other racers I've played that I had to unlearn a lot of muscle memory, but I got the hang of it after a while. The 99-player model is frantic in an enjoyable way, and races are quick enough that it's easy to pick up and play in short bursts… which is good, because short bursts are all my nerves can take with this one. Seriously this game is stressful. Fun, but stressful. Maybe one of these days I'll actually win a 99-player race.

Cobalt Core

I've been playing... a lot of Cobalt Core these past couple months. I don't jump on every roguelite or deckbuilder that comes out, but when one does get its hooks in me, they get in deep. This is another one of those games where everything just works. Great music and pixel art, fun characters (all traits shared with its predecessor, Sunshine Heavy Industries, which I also liked this year), a simple but engaging narrative, and an addicting gameplay loop that I can easily sink an hour into whenever the mood strikes me. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to – it takes a lot of ideas from games that have come before it, and builds on them to create something really enjoyable. One of my favorite games of the year, without question.

Terra Nil

As we build up, so too must we tear down. This is another one I wanted to get to sooner or later, and managed to slip it in during the last couple weeks of the year. It's also a type of game I want to play more often; a lot of the time when I play sim and builder games all I really want in the end is to build nice-looking homes and environments, and Terra Nil spins that into a puzzle game where those things are the only goal. It was a nice time, but left me wanting more – either more content in Terra Nil, or more games like it.

Eastward

This game is… a curiosity. A solid action-adventure game with a memorable cast of characters and impeccably detailed pixel art. Gameplay flips back and forth between slow-paced story segments and fun setpiece levels with a decent variety of tools for combat and puzzle-solving. The biggest sticking point is the narrative: the pacing and worldbuilding felt odd and disjointed in places, particularly in the back half, sometimes feeling like it's saying too much and often like it's said too little. Yet throughout all that, it never failed to be compelling, and I was hooked all the way 'til the end. What's more, the idea of the upcoming Octopia DLC flipping the entire game and setting on its head has my interest thoroughly piqued – something to look forward to in the coming year.

-

Here's to 2024, and here's hoping things turn around sooner or later.