#was going to make stickers + charms out of these designs back in 2019/2020(?) but ended up scrapping them lol

[amebunnie]

{ old art }

“Moomin whats that in your hand?”

“A knife!”

“No!!”

[mirika]

The usual Comic Con post incoming, this one being the one in Ahoy Rotterdam. I went as Ladybug as that is my easier go-to outfit.

After an extremely stressful way there (no miracle I have a headache), I arrived at Comic Con safely and for the first time ever I spent money within the first ten minutes I think? I bought quite a few items, good thing I had birthday money lying around from last December.

So these are all the goodies I bought:

The first thing I found was PlayStation playing cards. They are inside a metallic cover and well... when I was paying I was just realizing I have a PlayStation wallet. I guess it’s clear what is my preferred console, haha.

Other than that two dice sets. The right one is colourful and magical, which will be perfect for my child wizard in the future. The left set with pink and black are for my halfling rogue. The darkness for how she stays within the shadows, and the pink for the softness she carries. The pink is stronger in real life than on the photo.

I actually bought the bard card set before I got the dice, because the dice were a purchase I made after I decided I had leftover budget. I was not kidding when I say I want to go bard in a future campaign. Now I am absolutely prepared. Also, the spell card deck is much cheaper than online as far as I recall. I only know this cause I recently had been looking for a druid deck for a friend.

The Digimon image is actually a magnet! I am not over fond of square designs, but finding Digimon is rare and it’s a cute picture (Taichi is munching something while seated on Greymon’s head). I also saw another artist with flabbergasting amazing art, like holy shit, it was amazing, but they only sold prints and I prefer stuff that can be stuck on something (magnets, stickers, keychains, buttons). 

Which is why it is probably odd I bought Overwatch prints, but they were 50 cents each, I couldn’t resist. He even sold Lucio, come on. I appreciate anyone who actually makes content for Lucio!

The last two things are the Lucky Charm sticker and the button of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but the latter was actually a gift! The vendor saw me walk by, asked if I was Ladybug indeed and then handed it to me. I was actually quite surprised (and like any Dutch person I accept free things). 

Literally all the shop keepers at Comic Con were so nice in general. It was a very small con, which is why I have no cosplay selfies (plus the fact it’s harder when you are alone), meaning they had more time to make conversation.

I also did one commission even if I was tempted to do more. Budgeting and all... so I commissioned my hobbit from Lord of the Rings Online. Because she’s not a D&D character she’s often overlooked when commissioning, so I went for it.

She looks so pretty, but also young, so I imagine this is what she would’ve looked like in her earlier years perhaps. Since the artist forgot her scar, definitely before her adventuring days. I really like it, and I find it so interesting how she colours. It was made by @nathaliejang and although I was forced to leave later for the train because of the commission, it was worth it.

While I waited for the commission I was actually able to play D&D though! I got to test out my dice (used my rogue dice) and they seem to roll me good numbers.

I joined the 13:30 campaign and I think we ran until 15:45. They had five characters. Two fighters, one rogue, one cleric and one wizard. Cleric being a favourite class of mine, I called ‘dibs’ before I even got to look at its sheet (mostly because I did not want to play melee and get anxious over wizards). I ended up being a dwarf... alright, fine. I was a little racist towards our elf wizard, but to be fair, he was high on himself so he deserved it. Our human fighter (who was played by a lad in actual armour, very awesome) was also not over fond of the elf, and we had a halfling rogue join us mid-game. This was the knight:

It was quite fun, though it is hard for me to play a pre-made character with pre-defined goals and flaws, and a race I’d never see myself play. The DM was rather chill (and reminded him that people roll death saves at 0 HP, our wizard fell), so that was nice. 

Did I expect to play D&D at a Comic Con? Absolutely not. Will I do it again? Possibly, dependent of the edition. Comic Con in Rotterdam and Amsterdam are so small that there is time to spare, but in Utrecht? No way, too big of a venue with too many events.

The way back was hellish again due to really loud boys (they don’t deserve to be called men with their behaviour) and I have a headache that’s killing me, but at least it was fun.

Oh, and I didn’t even mention I bought fudge... mint flavour, coffee flavour and baileys flavour...

--- RCC 2020 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) WDCC 2019 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) / Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2019 - no report, little happened

DCC 2019 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) / Mimi (Digimon) DCC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) ACC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) DCC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) RCC 2018 - Mimi (Digimon) WDCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) DCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) RCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2016 - Hook (Once Upon A Time) DCC 2016 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) DCC 2015 - Sunday - Hobbit (Lord of the Rings) DCC 2015 - Saturday - Ellie (The Last of Us)

I have been to Elfia in 2015, but I cannot find this post. I was Donna Noble and I actually had a really bad day, which is why I have never returned to Elfia.

[weareyour4]

10 small businesses you need to follow on Instagram - LaurenET

There is nothing quite like receiving a one of kind, hand crafted product from a small business. Not only does shopping small mean amazing products but it’s also so important for the local economy. By supporting smaller companies and businesses, rather than huge corporations, you’re helping to create and sustain new jobs and income for individual business owners themselves and their families. Shopping small fosters individual creativity and innovation as well as it usually being much better for the environment. With these factors in mind, I’ve put together a list of 10 small businesses you need to check out on Instagram.

1. Peach Fuzz Candles

Instagram handle: peachfuzzcandles

Anya started candle making in 2020 and she’s now making the most gorgeous hand painted soy wax candles that are creatively molded into realistic fruit shapes. From peaches to her new addition pears, her candles are a huge triumph with her business going from strength to strength. Usually, she sells out almost immediately leaving me still desperate to get my hands on her strawberry trio.

2. Illustrated by Charlie

Instagram handle: illustratedbycharlie

The Manchester based illustrator is an absolute talent who produces colourful, bold and intricate graphic designs of quotes, song lyrics and iconic celebrities. Not only are they affordable but they come in all shapes and sizes, from mini postcards to A3 designs, making them perfect for any space and room. So far, I’ve bagged myself two postcards and birthday cards of my own with many more purchases to come.

3. Browniegod

Instagram handle: browniegod

By now you’ve probably already heard of Browniegod as she’s extremely popular on Instagram and has managed to go viral several times on TikTok. Reviews from this small business are always positive with people being sent surprise brownie packages in the post that have been fully customised – from the decorations to the brownie flavour. She offers several mouthwatering options like Oreo cheesecake, Nutella, biscoff and even gluten-free cheesecake options. You can also have your brownie slab decorated with a loved one’s name, celebrating any occasion, and even the newest option ‘hot girl summer’.

4. Lazy Disco

Instagram handle: Lazy_disco

Rosie’s shop ‘Lazy Disco’ was opened in April 2020 where she began selling cute and fun accessories, most popular being her smiley face clay earrings. Her shop also features ‘leftover lazies’ where she uses her scrap clay to make charming new accessories to sell and ensure her shop creates the least amount of waste possible. It’s not only her earrings that are best sellers, Rosie recently introduced Lazy Disco prints and ‘better things are coming’ clothing that has been a big hit with customers. Not only does Rosie offer a pop of colour and joy for your wardrobe but she’s very transparent about the challenges of running a small business and the importance of looking after yourself.

5. Posey Home

Instagram handle: posey.home

Posey home advertises her Depop based shop on Instagram with an aesthetic feed and even better homemade candles. This black owned business has taken the bubble candle trend and driven it even further with a range of gorgeous fruity scents, colours and shapes. What sets Posey home apart from all the rest, besides from the incredible products, is her amazing customer service. Although she might only just be starting on her small business journey, Posey Home is a small business to watch.

6. Olivia’s of York

Instagram handle: oliviasofyork

Olivia offers brilliantly crafted gift bouquets and hampers ideal for any occasion. First Olivia started with bouquets of flowers and Yankee candles but expanded to include chocolate (including vegan) bouquets and most recently has designed her own personalised candles. Although she only began selling in October 2020, her shop now has over 200 five-star reviews on Etsy. Olivia is paying her success forward by offering advice and a small business handbook for other Etsy shop owners to help them gain she same success.

7. Yellow Bloc Prints

Instagram handle: yellowblocprints

Emily started Yellowblocprints in August 2020 to lift spirits and radiate some positivity during the second Coronavirus lockdown. If you’re looking for inspirational and positive prints, stationery, and stickers then check out her Instagram and peruse her Etsy shop. She also offers custom illustrations and designs making Emily’s shop a great place to shop for gifts.

1. 8. Creations by Elli Kenn

Instagram handle: creationsbyellikenn

Based in Hull, Elli’s products have gained her over 13 thousand followers on Instagram as her sweet themed accessories have gained more and more attention. From Percy pigs, fried eggs, sweethearts, Jammie dodgers and cola bottles, Elli’s handmade clay accessories and aesthetic mirrors are completely realistic and one of a kind.

9. Elle Create

Instagram handle: ellecreate_

Elle’s business has been circulating for months on Instagram and TikTok as she has gained increasing traction for her designs. Currently Elle is offering self-love and other graphic design prints, as well as t-shirts, jumpers and tote bags with the same inspiring designs. One of my favourite and undoubtedly most relatable designs to date is her ‘professional overthinker’ clothing line. Since her freelancing time in 2019 and designing for her Etsy business since July 2020, Ellecreate is proof that time, patience, and hard work can lead to success.

10. Hannah’s Hoops

Instagram handle: hannahs.hoops

In her spare time Hannah has a passion for embroidery and creates beautiful and delicate hoop designs. On her Instagram you’ll mostly find nature-based and animal designs that would make the best of us jealous of her talent. Hannah usually takes commissions through her Instagram direct messages, however she has recently taken a break to continue her studies. Hopefully she’ll be back soon with her delightful designs that make perfect décor for all our rooms.

By Lauren Toulson

[entergamingxp]

When Sony shut down a promising LittleBigPlanet PC fan-game, its creators scrambled to save the project • Eurogamer.net

In 2008, Media Molecule launched its debut game LittleBigPlanet. The idea behind the ambitious project was to make a game where players could create their own stages and share them with a community of players, or as the tagline more succinctly puts it: “Play, Create, Share.”

Upon its release, LittleBigPlanet received almost unanimous acclaim from critics, becoming one of Sony’s most interesting exclusives for the PlayStation 3. But two sequels and several spinoffs later, the series has become somewhat dormant, with the lack of support frustrating the most dedicated fans.

Media Molecule appears to have put the series largely behind it, focusing its attention on its latest passion project, another creation game called Dreams. Meanwhile, those who are still playing LittleBigPlanet 3, the third game in the series developed by Sumo Digital, are reporting persistent problems with corrupted profiles and other glitches that are driving the community away. Problems that have led to some players posting tips on Reddit to avoid limiting the damage done. Things were looking grim for LittleBigPlanet fans. That was, until late 2019, when there was a beacon of hope.

In November 2019, Trixel Creative, a community of creators developing content for games such as The Sims 4, Dreams and LittleBigPlanet, announced LittleBigPlanet Restitched, a PC fan-game that would bring back Sackboy for another set of community-crafted adventures. But, as is the case for most fan-produced projects, it was shut down shortly after its exciting announcement, with Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe issuing a cease and desist via email in January 2020.

We reached out to the team at Trixel Creative a day before Sony sent this email for a feature that was originally going to be about the project’s announcement. But after hearing the news, we wanted to find out what happened instead, how far the team got with the project, and why the developers dedicated the best part of a year to trying to revive the LittleBigPlanet series.

LittleBigPlanet Restitched, as it was in November 2019.

For most members of Trixel Creative, LittleBigPlanet wasn’t just a game, it was a second home. Most of the developers we spoke to said they were younger than 10 when the first game came out. Some of them met their best friends playing LittleBigPlanet and credit it with having led to careers in programming, the arts and graphic design.

“I grew up with LittleBigPlanet from a young age,” says Halston Stephenson, a US-based member of the Trixel Creative team who had worked on the project. “I was around eight or nine-years-old when it came out, and I always played it on a cousin’s PS3. About a year or so later I got my own PS3 as a birthday present, and I immediately knew which game to get. From there it was love at first sight.”

“LittleBigPlanet made me realise from a young age that making games was something anyone could do,” says Ethan Hanbury, another member of the Trixel Creative team, based in the UK. “There were so many of us who would communicate through fan-forums and work on in-game projects together. I still talk to so many people I originally met through the LBP community and it’s crazy to see what everyone has moved on to do. I’m currently in my final year studying computer animation as a 3D artist hoping to join the games industry for myself once I graduate in the summer.”

“I discovered LittleBigPlanet when I was around eight-years-old,” Julian Treveri, another Trixel Creative member from the US, tells me. “A neighbour showed it to me and I immediately started to beg my parents for a PlayStation and a copy of the game. I was totally addicted to creating things with it. I’d spend a lot of time lost in my own little world. Maybe a little too much time.”

The prototype for stickers in LittleBigPlanet Restitched.

LittleBigPlanet Restitched came about when Treveri discovered an open-source code library called ClipperLib and its function to manipulate shapes by cutting and adding. Throwing it into Unity, he built a small prototype where players could paint and erase 3D shapes, similar to the create mode seen in the LittleBigPlanet games.

“The folks at Trixel had been wanting to build a LittleBigPlanet fan game for a while,” Treveri explains. “When they saw this very rough framework for one, they asked if I had any interest in building a LittleBigPlanet fan-game with them, and I said yes!”

From there, the project entered development in early 2019 with the first four months focused on creating concepts, stickers, and implementing the user interface. Eventually, more members were brought on board, growing the team to 20 developers in total. This larger group started building the framework for the create mode, developing the player controls, physics, and a material creation system.

The plan was to create an experience that got fans of the series excited and talking about LittleBigPlanet again. Although, because of their inability to crowdfund out of fear of sparking a cease and desist from Sony, the project would have to make some compromises, such as looking into alternatives to online servers to provide players with a co-op experience.

“Everything started to come together after we had all worked separately for a few months, and it was magical,” says Stephenson. “We compiled a build for our reveal trailer to be recorded in and, although it was buggy (as to be expected for such an early build), it all materialised pretty quickly. It was a strange yet welcome feeling to be playing LBP on PC, and it worked and felt a lot better than I think some of us expected it to!”

Aware of the shaky legal territory they were wading into, the team got in touch with Media Molecule’s community manager from the outset and were given some advice and guidelines. Among the tips they were given was to clearly communicate that the project was fan-made, so players would know it was not an official product of any kind. This meant putting a disclaimer in the logo itself to avoid confusion. They were also told to avoid crowdfunding for the game to ensure the project was entirely not-for-profit.

In spite of these precautions, a cease and desist arrived on the morning of Friday, 17th January 2020 in Trixel Creative’s inbox, as well as the personal inbox of one of its members. It was an email – perhaps an inevitable one – that put a swift end to the project.

The prevailing reaction among the team seems to be bafflement. Not only because Sony had managed to contact a team member who hadn’t made their email account widely available, but also because the team were aware of several other LittleBigPlanet fan projects that were seemingly unaffected. The cease and desist stated the reason for the take-down was “commercialisation” of the project, which caused even more confusion among the team.

In December 2019, Trixel Creative excitedly announced LittleBigPlanet Restitched. A month later it was no more.

Was there a degree of naivety among the developers of LittleBigPlanet Restitched, a fangame that, whatever Media Molecule staff may have thought about it, used a Sony trademark and intellectual property without an licence agreement? Perhaps. Nevertheless, the developers now say they understand the move, believing the project’s potential release on PC was likely an influence on Sony’s decision to call in the laywers.

“We always knew it was ultimately up to Sony’s legal department to protect their IP, and rightfully so,” comments Stephenson. “[Although], the takedown was a bit of a surprise for us, considering the support we’d been shown from PlayStation-employed developers and the original creators of the IP, Media Molecule, who helped to support and livestream the reveal of the project during our Tri-Expo 2019 event.”

“I was actually working on LBP Restitched as part of my final major collab project for university,” adds Hanbury. “So it was a bit surreal when I had to explain to my lecturers that it had been taken down by Sony’s legal team.”

“We love and respect LittleBigPlanet and its developers, and we definitely aren’t upset at Sony’s legal actions,” insists Stephenson. “We respect them highly, and they are simply protecting their intellectual property. If LittleBigPlanet were already on PC, then this might have been a different story entirely. In any case, we’re all huge fans of the LittleBigPlanet franchise and can’t wait to see where Sony will take it next.”

LittleBigPlanet 3 is officially playable on PC – via streaming subscription service PlayStation Now.

The team quickly set about scrubbing all mention of the fan-game from their website and decided to retool the project into something original. This new game is to be a user-generated content game in the same spirit as LittleBigPlanet, but with its own characters and visual identity. As to what this visual identity looks like, the team are reluctant to reveal too much.

“I would like this project to be what Parkitect is to RollerCoaster Tycoon,” explains Thomas Voets, a Netherlands-based member of Trixel Creative. “A fresh, new take that modernises some stuff, but keeps the charm of the original largely intact, creating a fresh yet familiar experience. On a personal level, as a music creator, I want to make as many songs for the project as I can, so that people can really go wild with theming their levels.”

“The programmers are eager to use the foundation we’ve made in our new, original UGC game,” says Stephenson. “They’ve sunk several months into creating the setup for the user interface, lighting system, mesh editing for level creation, and player movement.

“We are looking at various UGC titles as a source of inspiration for many aspects of the game, but overall we want it to be something original while still capturing the essence of LittleBigPlanet that we all fell in love with. With this being a new title free from the constraints of strict legal guidelines and community expectations, a lot of opportunities are now open for us to create new content and mechanics. Who knows what you might see?”

We reached out to Sony as well as Media Molecule’s Mark Healey, one of the co-creators of LittleBigPlanet, for comment. Sony has yet to respond, but Healey offered some nice words of encouragement to the team.

“It’s great that LBP is so loved, and obviously I wish the team the best of luck with their future project/s,” Healey says. “I love that LBP and Dreams can be a conduit for creators and teams to come together, blossom and break into new exciting circles, so maybe this story is that story.”

While fans of the project may be disappointed by the news of LittleBigPlanet Restitched’s cancellation, the prospect of a new game in the same style is an exciting one. LittleBigPlanet played a huge part in the lives of so many players growing up, and hopefully whatever Trixel is cooking up can create that same sense of community and inspire a new generation to keep the dream alive.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/when-sony-shut-down-a-promising-littlebigplanet-pc-fan-game-its-creators-scrambled-to-save-the-project-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-sony-shut-down-a-promising-littlebigplanet-pc-fan-game-its-creators-scrambled-to-save-the-project-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net