I realize I haven't done one of these in a while, partially because I keep forgetting, and also because I feel like I've run out of things to say. But since it's almost Christmas, if there was ever a time to write another one of these up, it would be now. Never mind that I'm not very good at being Christmasy, let's go!
~NEWS?~
1) So, um, about a month ago, my roommate challenged me to make a comic in a week. I asked for a couple week extension, and ba-da-boom, ba-dabing, it's done now. I originally created it with the intention of posting it on Webtoons. And I did. And in less than 24 hours, it was censored. Since Webtoons staff has a really bad history of any form of decent customer service, I took the comic down and reuploaded it to Tapas. Being censored kind of took the wind out of my sails with the whole thing, but for anyone who's interested, then give it a read.
2) So, in preparation for uploading my comic, I decided to finally put together a designated email for anyone who wants to purchase my book. (You know, this one?) The email in question is HandsomeandHideousComic (at) hotmail (dot) com. If you want to order a book, then feel free to shoot me a message. ːsteamdanceː
~THE FUN STUFF~
I already know I did a lot of Studio C related content, but this one is just lots of fun. XD These videos strike me as being very binge-able.
Food for thought... ːcatinablanketː
I know this all might seem super obvious to some of you, but this guy seems to be one of the channels that the otherDnD Meme channels keeps quoting. XD I binged this guy for a couple days straight, I swear...! Sir Bearington is the stuff of LEGENDS!!!Krod isn't too bad either. ;) Also, in regards to this short, joke's on you! Kalymn already had the confident apathy to walk straight up to the front table! >D
Also, this lady is loads of fun, coming up with all sorts of skits for the various houses of Hogwarts. She's worth a binge or two as well. ;)
This guy is less about Christmas, but is just a fun Youtube Channel in general. Maybe I'm just sharing so I can easily find his stuff again. (I am very perplexed by the random dominatrix outfit that shows up from time to time. ...I have questions that I'm not sure I want answers to... XD)
So...this is a super weird tangent, but some years back, I found a really cool piece of fanart that was of a Russian Animated Cartoon from around the Soviet Era. From there, I binged a whole bunch of them and have become a weird sort of fan of the whole genre? (If we can call it that...) I recently went told my roommate (same as above) about my weird passion/hobby, and I would be remiss if I didn't try to share them with you. My personal favourite just happens to be the first one I watched (Vasilisa Mikulishna, girl boss done right), but I also love their adaption of Cinderella, the Little Mermaid (as seen above), the Nutcracker (not as good, but still gorgeous), and lastly this little gem called Another Tale to Tell. Overall, these are just some gorgeous animations that are very clearly labours of love from a bygone era, and it'd be a shame if they were forgotten. ːsteamdanceː
Oh, and if you need more convincing, then the Russian Animated Adaptation of Treasure Island is the origin of the stronk walk meme. You're welcome.ːsteamsunnyː
~Asian Drama Replacement?~
I'm trying to think of a good Asian Drama to recommend here, but I can't think of any Christmas themed ones. So, instead, here are the first Holiday Specials Written by Bots. You're welcome.
I suppose I forgot to add a virtual hug to this Attack of the Virtual Hugs post...
...
SURPRISE TACKLE HUGSPLOSION RIGHT AT THE VERY END!! NYEHAHAHAHA! Go out there and have a great Christmas, you huggable person you! You deserve it! ːsteamsunnyː
Attack of the Virtual Hugs Round 10!!
Haven't done one of these in a hot minute. Not because I want to stop making these, but I just keep not getting around to it.
But, hey. That doesn't mean you still don't deserve hugs. So, here is a pretty big hug for you! Hope you've had a wonderful summer and have an even more wonderful rest of your year. :3
So, the other day, on the way back from a mission's trip, I saw in a gas station a card-redemption thingy for Pokemon Crystal (2000s version). Didn't end up getting it, because prices, but when I got back home, I found that I already had Pokemon Gold (also old school version) on my 3DS anyway! So I've been playing that quite a bit. ːsteamdanceː It's been fun!
Trying to keep afloat, doing some stuff on the side, not really much I can do about the sequel when rent keeps creeping up on me. Who knows what life has in store?
Steam also seems to be introducing this system where I can link all my games together in one easy place, if I create a Community Group? I dunno. It might be worth looking into, so that you guys can easily find all of zee games in one place...
But enough about me! Let's get to the real juicy stuff!
Here's another video from Hamster Lady. She's still going at it, even after having a baby, but the upload schedule has obviously slowed down.
So here's a guy I started watching because of Steven He... He does comedy skits on his main channel, but I am totally here for the reactions to reddit posts. He just seems like a super chill dude, and one of the more fun "reddit react" Youtubers I've seen. :P
And, well, here's a little pick me up song I'm listening to right now. It's another religious one, but just in case you can relate, I thought I'd share. :)
Oh, and I'm not sure I've shared this guy before, but here is the legendary game's master himself, Masahiro Sakurai! He's been uploading for a couple years now, and it kind of already made a splash in the game's world before now, but for those of you who don't know... Basically, he created a Youtube channel to help Indie Game Developers around the world make better games. And while not all of you are into game development yourselves, I figured I might as well share this with you because of Sakurai's sunny disposition, and upbeat attitude! He's just so much fun to watch, even on topics I don't really know anything about. So give his videos a watch, if you think you'd be interested! :3
And since I didn't get around to doing a write up last time, here's an Asian Drama to make up for it! ːsteamsunnyː
~~Asian Drama~~
~~Because You Totally Know You Care~~
The Asian Drama this time around is called "Kill You Love You" and...the title is very uncreative, but it's still a pretty sweet show. Above is the mondo, compiled cut of all of the episodes, but if you want to watch the episodes in more manageable, bite sized chunks, the playlist for that is here.
The story, from what I can remember, is this... There is a Prince who is investigating the suspicious death of his late father, and is building an undercover army so he can rightfully take the throne back from the corrupt empress. But in order to throw suspicion off of him, he pretends to be a notorious womanizer so that he can build and strategize in peace, while everyone thinks he's off with some lady. Meanwhile, the leading lady is an assassin, who is charged with protecting him...but she doesn't get the memo, so she ends up trying to kill him instead. (Whoops.)
I'm not exactly sure what the "correct" terminology for this show format is, but this seems to be a mini-series? All the episodes are really short, so even though there's a lot of them, you can get through them fairly quickly, and at your own pace. (Similar to No Doubt in Us.) What I like about this format of T.V. Show is that I never feel like my time is being wasted. With the full-blown, 45 minute episodes of regular Chinese Dramas, the plot just drags its feet in getting anywhere, so nothing truly happens until Episode 15. Which sucks and is annoying. However, with these kinds of shows, where the episodes are around 10 minutes each, the writing has to make the most of its short runtime, so even if they don't get to the point immediately, they still get there a lot faster than they do in the regular shows...! (This doesn't always translate into good writing, but sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised...!)
This show in particular I like for a few reasons. First of all, the main character seems like another generic stoic guy, but deep down he's a big sweetie. Second, since this story is from his perspective (and I suspect written by a man as well, but can't confirm) he comes across as a lot more sympathetic. He isn't this plank of wood, staring off blankly with nothing going on; he's a guy who's pretending to be someone he's not so that he can honour the legacy of his late father. He's purposefully guarded, not bland, and that may be subtle, but it makes a difference.
The assassin lady...is charming enough, from what I can remember. (It's been a while since I watched this show.) Her demeanor is believable for an assassin, and while she does seem to be clumsier than she should be at times (and a bit too petite to be believably athletic), she's not annoying or disrespectful towards the male lead.
Though, one thing I didn't particular like was how she reacted when she found out that the male lead was secretly engaged the whole time. Granted, that kind of news would rile any woman up, but he made it clear that it was an arranged marriage, he never met the other woman, and he had no feelings for her. I don't think it was fair for the script to blame the main guy, and then "comedically" punish him for something he had absolutely no control over. Main bro didn't deserve that.
So, yeah! That's my recommendations for this time around, and I hope you have a great Autumn coming up! :D :D :D Buh-bye!
Early Access Now Avaliable!
Happy Canada Day!ːsteamhappyː
Wait, what's that? Because of Steam making me go through a secondary uploading process, I wasn't able to upload the game in time for Canada Day? Oh well.
Happy Independence Day!ːsteamhappyː
Wait, what? I didn't reach that deadline either?? What deadline did I hit?? *Checks date.* Really? July 12?? I got held back by that much Valve bureaucracy??
...Er, uh, I mean...Happy July 12, everybody!ːsteamhappyː
The Early Access Version is out now! You can get it here...
Hi, so...umm... The Early Access version for the sequel, Centauri's Favourite Archer, might be coming out soon. Probably. Okay, I can technically release it now, as Valve has reapproved my stuff and whatnot.
So that's where you guys come in! So...um...are any of you still interested in seeing what I've been working on? ^^; I'm just really nervous about going through with uploading it... Let me know your thoughts because otherwise I have no idea how much interest there still is in this project as a whole.
Thanks!
Attack of the Virtual Hugs ROUND 9!!
Greetings all! I am back, and...don't have much to report. Wish I did, but I don't. But hey! Hugsplosion for you for being so awesome to read these three sentences! ːsteamthumbsupːːsteamhappyː
As for the sequel, I'm still working...on the same dialogue tree I've been working on for the past three/four months. Argh. It will end eventually (I hope).
We can't forget about the book, you know! It is still out, and the people who've ordered copies seem to be quite happy with them! ;) And that could be you, too!
And here are cupcakes. Can't forget about the cupcakes. ;) (For those of you on twitter, which I understand if you aren't, but if you are, the account "Nature is Amazing" is really fun, and I like a lot of their posts. Enjoy~)
Also, this is a weird question, but...do any of you know anything about A.I. Art? Like, I promise I won't use it for the game at all (as tempting as that is, seeing how I don't have the budget for artists right now), but I would love to ask for some insights from others for a potential future project.
But enough about that! Let's get to the fun portion of the announcement where I recommend stuff I've come across! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhXfd5DUQxM So, this first one is pretty self evident, but this is Phoenix Wright Characters quoting actual dumb lawyer quotes! XD There's a whole series of these that are just great for a good laugh. (For, as we all know, Phoenix Wright characters don't act realistically in the slightest, so these quotes feel very accurate at times. XD)
I can't remember if I included any Muppets material in the past posts...actually, I think I did. But oh well! Here's a brief video reminder about how not to focus on the bad times and instead join the penguins throwing popcorn, and the chickens on a well-dressed moose. ;)
Here is a shameless self-insert fantasy cute comic I found. Seriously, why is she me? These comics seem to be from a webtoon called Nerd and Jock, which I haven't read the entirety of, but these little shorts come across my recommendations every so often, so I can't help but indulge. ;) Because how tiger would react in a relationship feels just like how I would react, except I lack those bulging muscles. Totally have the hair, though! XD
So this one is a bit out of the ordinary for me, as it's a fashion Youtuber, and I'm not really that much into fashion myself. Sort of. I design my character's outfits, and that's about it. But while I'm not much of a fashionista, Andrea's enthusiasm has clearly rubbed off on me. I picked the above video because it's a good introductory video to show off her infectious personality, but her main draw is obviously her fashion shorts, which are quite addictively fun. I know this, overall, is more of a "girlly" channel to feature, and I'm assuming that most of you reading this are guys...But if a burly kitchen renovator can even be drawn into her videos, then you can too. ;D (I literally looked for hours to find the video this comment was on, and I couldn't find it again. >_> But there are otherdudes who like watching Andrea's stuff too. As this comment says, she is the Bob Ross of Fashion. So give her a shot!) Also, the Belinda Chronicles. We cannot forget the Belinda Chronicles. (Part 1)(Part 2)(Part 3)(Part 4)(Part 5)
https://youtube.com/shorts/cwQdMiLsRvQ?si=KVKIemplQfLgAAxI . https://youtube.com/shorts/hydkhNaMX6c?si=1WiBAsSU4ZFDFjUX . https://youtube.com/shorts/XG8e2Zh9m30?si=zmOXnhVuMPA9l3J3 . https://youtube.com/shorts/_aY46flfYfU?si=c-WcTkRDfCTpcVWt . These are...Wattpad Parodies. I have no idea how to describe or explain the above shorts, so instead I will let you enjoy them at your own risk. XD It is something that has to be seen to be believed... (By the way, the comments are almost as entertaining as the videos themselves, so DON'T MISS OUT ON THEM! XD)
Whelp, why not pick yourself up with some Veggietales Metal music? :D :D :D I know many of you aren't religious, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but to be fair, Veggietales has someabsolutebangersin itssoundtrack. Ignoring the older 2000s Computer Graphics, Veggietales, as a whole, holds up a lot more than most children's media, I've found. It's not the graphics that matters, but the heart. :)
https://youtu.be/U6DFPujf928?si=N2CCq1QNm_GXj-Z9 And I might as well end with this one. I featured this guy in an older post, and then found this other video of his, that is quite inspiring. If you need a pick-me-up (as a dude), then this is the video for you. (mikelmcknight72's in particular is super hardcore, wow!) My heart goes out to you, and you deserve to know you are doing a good job, right where you are! :D
~~Asian Drama?~~
After spending several hours skimming through Andrea's Fashion Shorts to unsuccessfully find that one comment, I am pooped. Let's try again next time when I am not so fruitlessly tired. :P
My Fancy Book is Available
So, I have a book called Handsome and Hideous™, as some of you might already know... You can read the Digital Version on Amazon, but I also recently got it physically printed, as I mentioned in my last announcement, and due to Amazon's stupidity, you cannot order it directly through their website. (You can read more details there.)
Now, initially, my plan was to try and make the book available for order as soon as I finished up Quest #6 in Centauri's Favourite Archer, which would then make its way onto Early Access. Unfortunately, this one dialogue tree is eating my soul and taking forever, so I might as well make the book publicly available now and worry about the Early Access Thingamajig later.
As stated before, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to make this work, but for now, my ordering process will be something akin to... 1. You reach out with Friend Request to me on Steam. 2. We talk about swapping personal information in DMs. 3. I go to the Post Office as soon as I can and mail the book out to you. And I'm sorry, but I will be asking you to pay for shipping. I don't want to be a stickler, but I am pretty broke right now, so I will have to charge you for whatever the shipping costs are. >_<
If you have any problems, questions, concerns to share, then either ask in the DMs, or leave one of your lovely little comments down below. :)
Oh, and for those of you who are wondering about the Early Access Version of Centauri's Favourite Archer, I did mention in the previous post that I had Quests #1 - 5 finished, but I just wanted to try and finish up Quest #6 before posting. For those of you who are interested in seeing the Quest #1 - 5 Version of the game, then you can also reach out to me via Friend Request and DMs. I have a rendered version of Quests #1 - 5 available for playing, I just don't want to upload it officially for Early Access until Quest #6 is finished. Reach out to me if you are interested in playing Quests #1 - 5. ːsteamsunnyː
Lastly, here's a quick free hug for anyone and everyone who needs or wants one today. :3 Love you all~ Look forward to hearing from you guys! ːsteamdanceː
Quick Upppppdaaaattte...!
So. I have been inactive and have missed out on giving you guys virtual hugs. I will briefly remedy that now, as I can see how hard you've been working, and how much you deserve it.
*HUGSPLOSION, JUST FOR YOU!!*
Anyway, the main reason for this post is I wanted to give you guys a brief update on what I've been doing to make up for my recent silence.
>Sequel News I've still been puttering away on the sequel, and was thinking of maybe submitting it for Early Access. Don't know what you guys think about that. I originally thought of Early Accessing the game after finishing Quest #5, but Quest #5 ended on a big cliffhanger annnnddd...wasn't sure if I wanted to end the Early Access version of the game on a big cliffhanger. So I've been writing Quest #6. And Quest #6 is an absolute doozy to write. Right now, I am working on one of the final cutscenes of that quest, which has a lot of branching dialogue options in it. This dialogue tree alone feels like I've been working on it for something like an entire month. I am very tired, and hope it will all be worth it.
>What About That Book Thing? So, great news! The printed version of my book arrived! Hooray! :D It actually arrived a couple hours after I finished my previous post! Great Valentines Day present, if you ask me!
Problem #1: So.....................aaaauuuugggghhhh... Okay, first of all, because of my books very specific dimensions (and the fact that I insisted on two colour pages being printed in the middle of a black and white book), I had to go to a private printing house to get them custom printed. Great. Except Amazon is stupid and won't let me link the books I have with the page I have for the digital copy. If I want to distribute my book with Amazon, I have to pay a $33 per month fee via Amazon's other service. I can't throw that kind of money around.
Problem #2: When getting my book printed, I thought of doing everything for the cover...except print the price of the book clearly on the back. Doh. I didn't think this was much of a problem, until I looked on Indigo/Chapters, which said that they wouldn't take new books unless they had the price tag clearly printed on the book. I feel so dumb now. So until I finish selling all of the books I got printed, I can't submit my book to a mainstream bookchain like Indigo/Chapters.
I have no idea how to get these books to you guys. I really want to, as a couple of you seemed interested, but I am so flummoxed by this that I have been putting off telling you guys about it. If any of you know how I could actually go about doing this, I would love to hear it. However, until then, I'm just thinking that maybe I should reach out to you guys via DMs to get your mailing addresses directly, and just mail them. Which, yes, does not seem practical or all that safe in the slightest. Any ideas, guys? Because I'm at a loss. @_@
Otherwise, take care. Really do hope you're doing well. Look forward to hearing from you.
Virtual Hugs Strike Again on VALENTINES DAY?! :O (Round 8)
Hello, everyone! It's Valentine's Day! ːsteamhearteyesː And what better time of year is it to hand out more virtual hugs! So virtual hugs for all! You get a hug! And you get a hug! And you get a double hug because you know you're extra special! ;D
I meant to make another entry into the Virtual Hugs series a while ago, but it just didn't work out. It's not like I was waiting for my book to come in, and waited three weeks just to find out that I would have to wait another three weeks for it to arrive! Total mystery! :D
~~YouTube Shenanigans~~
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ez2TkqpcFSg If you're in the mood for (sorta) romance, then here is this Youtuber I found who is really into the Romance Genre. So much so that she has an entire series dedicated to the personification of four different romance genres (Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, and Historical Romance), being friends with each other and giving each other womanly advice. :3 Such as how a man should apologize for breaking up with the main character by making jewelry out of the bones of her enemies! :D But, in all seriousness, though, my favourite series by her is Book Goblin, because, somehow, this extremist behaviour is very relatable. XD
https://youtube.com/shorts/xgmNPlw792I?si=lkGokYo2Tm4WonB4 Next up, if you're in more of a DnD mood, here is this guy I stumbled upon who does all sorts of DnD skits. He seems to be most famous for his shorts about the Bard, which as one comment pointed out, are basically the cheerleaders of DnD. XD Well, cheerleaders that seduce dragons...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VqACAAa_nig Oh, look who strikes again. XD (If Snow White was an Influencer.)
~~Asian Drama Recommendation You Are Totally, 100% Invested In~~ If you're going to spending Valentines Day alone like I am, then why not pick up on something light and fluffy to watch? This time I'm recommending Wrong Carriage Right Groom, because that one was a fun one that really surprised me! The title pretty much gives away the basic premise, but here I go anyway... XD
The story takes place in Ye Olde China (as a lot of these Asian Dramas I watch, do), where two women are getting married to guys they don't want to marry. One is a firecracker warrior babe who doesn't like being told what to do, and the other is a calm, stoic, thoughtful gal who is getting married as a means to sacrificially save her family from doom. On their way to their weddings in different towns, they get caught in a fierce rainstorm which causes them both to accidentally switch places and get toted off to the wrong town as well as the wrong groom. Firecracker girl ends up marrying the guy the calm gal was supposed to marry (a sickly guy with bad luck who is actually completely faking it), and calm gal ends up getting the guy that firecracker girl was supposed to marry (a widower general who has had two wives already before who died due to reasons completely beyond his control). Which ends up being just fine by them, because they were kind of dreading the guys they were supposed to marry, and are much happier with their accidental husbands instead.
A couple things I like about this show. First of all, it doesn't have any of that annoying will-they-won't-they nonsense that is grating more and more on my nerves when I watch TV Shows nowadays. The girls already have their designated love interests, and apart from a couple of hiccups, it stays that way from beginning to end. Therefore, the majority of the story actually focuses on something new and interesting.
Second thing I appreciate is that there's no real "boy vs. girl" dynamics in the relationships. You would expect Little Miss Firecracker to be super domineering (which she is) and walk all over Sickly Guy, but he actually ends up being the dominant figurehead in their relationship. Why? Because he's smart and she listens to him. There's no arguing, there's no childish conversations about who should be in charge, there's just a silent understanding between them that they need to work together to accomplish their goals. And if that means letting the other person be in charge when it's appropriate, then so be it. The same goes for Calm Gal and General Guy--he lets her lead many times because he realizes that she is really good at thinking outside the box. But they're overall the more mellow couple of the show, so it's less noticeable.
That's not to say this show is without flaws, though. The fact that the main couples get together so easily, and that everything's so pleasant so early on, almost made me drop the show at one point, because I already felt satisfied with the status quo. I did keep going, and I'm glad I did, but it was definitely tempting to dip out at one point out of content-boredom.
The main reason I recommended this show for Valentine's Day is because it is, what I like to call, "Shipper Happy"--in that it's Trigger Happy with its ships. Apart from a couple of throwaway extras and a Eunuch, every character introduced is given a love interest. There are of course the two main couples, which are a given, but then there are these doctor characters who act as mentors, and what do you know? They happen to be long lost lovers and they get back together! Like...it was sweet, but it didn't feel earned? I would have preferred it if they were the one couple in the show that didn't get together right away, and waited until the very end to reconcile their differences. But as abrupt as that pairing was, it was not as bad as the random Princess that is randomly introduced halfway through because that one lovable side character needed a love interest. Sure. Why not? XD
Also, according to some of the comments I read, this show is a remake of a much older show of the same name. I can't tell you which version was better, but I thought the version I did watch, was cute, so that's the one I'm recommending. ;3
Despite its flaws, though, it's still a really fun watch. I didn't even get to the really sweet granny, and the story of the one designated evil couple, but I'll leave that intrigue for if you decide to watch the show. ;) Overall, a really lighthearted and fun experience about how sometimes little mix-ups can result in greater things happening.
Happy Valentines Day for those who are celebrating with someone they love and those who aren't! <3 <3 <3
Physical Copies of Book Almost Here!! (And Some Sequel News?)
If you're interested in getting a physical copy of my book which I'm sure maybe five of you actually are, then please DM me to ask for further details! When I tried to get Amazon to link to a 3rd Party Printing Company, it decided it didn't like that, so I have no idea how else to distribute these to you without paying a $40 Monthly Fee. Sorry about that.
Oh, and I should probably talk about the sequel a bit, shouldn't I?
So, I've been slowly puttering away on it, as you would see if you watch how much I spamTheIndieManiac on Twitter. Right now, I'm almost done writing the fifth quest for the game, which is more impressive and time consuming than it sounds.
Which got me thinking... Some of you expressed interest in playing/beta testing my game while it's still in development mush land. So, if you guys want, I was thinking I could you play what I've made so far. Maybe. If you guys don't think that's a really lame and dumb idea.
This would be the last time before the full release that I would allow people to play the game. I've also thought about putting it on Early Access, except I have no idea how that all works? Like, for what I've created so far, I would charge maybe $5? But, then again, I don't really wanna swindle you guys, plus if you buy the Early Access Game for $5 would that mean you get away with not paying the full price later?
I dunno. I dunno, I dunno. It's all up in the air, not even sure if I should even go about doing this, since it seems like a really weird idea. But I just thought I would ask you guys what you guys think, and find out if any of you are at all interested in the idea.
Either way...at least we can celebrate that my book...IS A BOOK!! >w< *Ahem.* Take care of yourselves!
Also you might want to check this out about the revamp. Yeaaahhh, this is the main reason I posted this event. However, if I type in any buzzwords about it in the description, Steam will automatically re-categorize this announcement to be in a category where most people won't see it, so I have to be super secret and stealthy about it this time...
