from sickle to sword

devblog for if game the great protector cassian | he/him

[greatprotector-if]

Hi everyone! It's been a while and I hope you're all doing well :] I have realized that 99.99% of you are not on my personal Tumblr so I should probably update here too. Hey! Hi!

Going to start off by saying that no, The Great Protector has not been abandoned! I am still working on it!

Details under cut. A little ranty, sorry HAHA

So yes, I am still working on TGP! But no, I have nothing to show for all the months I've been gone.

Essentially the plot got way out of hand and in the end it was so messy I felt it would be faster to just start from scratch instead of trying to prune all the unnecessary parts. It was that bad.

I'm currently making my way through the new outline slowly but surely — but I know this isn't the update you all wanted. I literally have less than I had before... haha... and after all these years I completely understand that this is disappointing for all of you, and I'm really sorry about that.

I think I'll always regret putting up that initial intro post for this game as early into production as I did. While the community has been wonderful and I appreciate so much all the support I've received, it's also sort of paralyzing to have so many eyes on you, expecting great things you aren't sure you have the means of providing!

I've sort of just been too scared to work on it because I know that nothing I make could ever satisfy all of you, and then the impostor syndrome in me is telling me that means nothing I do will ever be good enough. Yeah. Brain. Funny guy, the brain.

If I had a time machine I'd go back and force past me not to post jack shit on the internet until he had at least a full chapter written and coded, but alas! Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

But taking this time away from the blog and restarting the story from scratch has made the pressure feel a lot less intense. I really, really do appreciate everyone who's shown interest in my silly little project so far, but I will likely continue on with my break away from this blog until I have an actual demo. It makes me feel guilty to post here with my hands empty haha

I have no idea how long it will be until said actual demo is ready, but I sure hope it won't take another multiple years!

Again, I'm sorry about how this has gone. The next time I post something on this blog, it'll probably be less depressing I promise 🙌

With love,

Cassian

[sayruq]

[atopcat]

Three months, that’s all it took THREE MONTHS for McDonald’s Malaysia to lose $1 million, Starbucks to lose $11 billion in stock value, Disney’s shares to fall by 0.59% on 12/10/2023, KFC to lose its stronghold on Egypt etc. I cannot empathise this enough, all this happened in THREE MONTHS.

Turkey's parliament removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants, McDonald’s Malaysia is suing BDS Malaysia, in a desperate attempt to win back customers Starbucks is offering multiple discounts and sales etc. Boycotts work, keep up the pressure!

[semiotician]

[greatprotector-if]

happy new year, all!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[purr-in-ink]

[vanguard-if]

PLAY VANGUARD DEMO HERE!

FULL PROLOGUE RELEASED - DEC 24, 2023

LAST UPDATE: DEC 25, 2023

Vanguard is a high fantasy interactive fiction, driven heavily by the player character's decisions. Features a customizable playable faering character, romantic/platonic routes, and having fun as a dragon!

CONTENT WARNINGS: VIOLENCE, SUGGESTIVE AND SEXUAL CONTENT, LOTS OF SWEARING, PROBABLY GASLIGHTING (looking at you, Vera), POSSIBLE UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS. Intended for an audience that is 17+ ; read with discretion!

YOUR STORY

As a faering, you should want to keep to yourself. Your home is a safe haven where your dragon kin people reside; a place of true neutrality. There are no allies to the Midlands, nor are there enemies. Your people simply are, and this will not change.

But you were never one much for rules, were you? With whispers of a certain prince in the Northlands allegedly receiving death threats from your docile leader, Cirrus, you could only slip away into the depths of the North to go see for yourself. It's so hilariously outrageous that your peace-loving ruler has such rumours teeming about them.

You did not expect to find a bounty hunter with bleeding out from her abdomen. And most of all, you did not expect her to know you by name, even through her raggedy breaths. And most of all, you did not expect her to have leads on the one you seek: the Northern Prince.

FEATURES

Customize a playable character (pronouns, gender, appearance, sexuality, etc.)

Be helpful to a stern prince...or not

Develop platonic/romantic relationships with a diverse cast of: three non-binary characters (Cirrus, Vio, Kiera), two male characters (Emilio and Charles), and two female characters (Vera and Nia).

CHARACTER PROFILES

✧VERA ✧ EMILIO LOVELL ✧ NIA LOVELL ✧CIRRUS✧ CHARLES MORROW ✧ KIERA + VIO ✧

[tosahobi-if]

GAME (coming early 2024) | PINTEREST | SPOTIFY

Misfortune begets misfortune; evil will begin prey upon itself. Just as how the fox cannot live without the rabbit, the predator must understand what rises will fall.

Long before you were born, the Great Calamity, a calculated effort by Magyo cultists nearly wiped out the entirety of the Jungpa sects. If not for the noble sacrifice of the peerless Sword Saint of the Mount Hua Sect: the Divine Blade, Yeo Jinhu, demonic forces would have rent the heavens and the earth asunder.

Despite his triumph, nothing would ever be the same – the losses were staggering, the task of rebuilding the sects to their former glory seemed to prove an insurmountable challenge. Yet nearly two decades after his death, peace returned to the land once more.

After the death of your parents, you lead an ordinary, if not monotonous, life as the playmate of the spoiled young master of the Mount Hua Sect. However, all is not what it seems. Following the mysterious arrival of an amnesiac with strange abilities, whispers of a plot brewing in the shadows start to surface, and the world as you know it begins to fall apart around your feet.

Suddenly confronted with the uncertainty of the future, you must unravel the tragedy of what truly conspired all those years ago before you risk losing all you hold dear.

tosahobi (18+) is a muhyeop choose-your-own adventure game centered around elements of korean folklore and taoism in a tale of family, grief, and heritage.

play as a customizable main character: choose their physical appearance, gender, pronouns, sexuality, and more.

explore different relationships: from platonic to romantic to familial, build a variety of relationships with the cast (and hopefully make more friends than you do enemies.)

choose from different skill sets: pick between medicine, weaponry, tactics, and hand-to-hand combat. each field comes with its own advantages and disadvantages that affect multiple scenarios as the story progresses.

choice-driven story: with several routes and (many) choices, fail or succeed and find your way to an ending (whether it be happy or not.)

something is incredibly wrong: can you feel it too?

THE YOUNG MASTER

Yeo Jinwol of the Mount Hua Sect, is the youngest son of the sect leader. Contrary to his charming public demeanor, he has a childish side and can be extraordinarily stubborn. Having grown up in the shadow of his elder brothers he is fiercely protective of those he considers precious to him and struggles to measure up to the expectations placed on his shoulders. Assigned his playmate at a young age, whether you consider it fortuitous or not the two of you have been stuck together for years.

THE ENIGMA

Yul is your sajae, a disciple under the same master as you. Despite their amnesia, they're preternaturally talented at whatever they set their mind to. With strange yet unexplainable abilities that seem to stretch far beyond the scope of their powers, their missing memories may be the key to unlocking the answers you seek. Reclusive yet insightful you'd almost think they were far, far older than their age if not for their intense sweet tooth and their tendency to follow you around like a very clingy second shadow.

THE PRODIGY

Baek Iseul, the Frozen Blade, is the rising star Emei Sect and has long been hailed as the next Sword Saint. Contrary to her cheerful personality you've never met anyone with a sharper gaze before. Hailing from obscurity, her power rivals even those who have trained for years and years, and has amassed an ever-growing collection of heroic feats under her belt. Popular and well-liked with a mischievous streak, you're really not sure why someone with such a promising future has taken a liking to you.

???

if to transcend means to leave the world behind, bind me to the soil so even long after my death, long after my body has turned to dust, i can find you once more.

[greatprotector-if]

happy holidays to all! hope you get to relax and wind down before the new year, lots of hugs from me to you 💪

[alwaysabeautifullife]

I was searching for some pretty Hanukkah gifs to schedule a post tomorrow wishing my Jewish followers Happy Hanukkah and I found a fit/shape/body building site that posted this

And I thought to myself, I simply must show my Jewish followers fit Menorah Man

[wehaveallgotknives]

muscle tov

[i-eat-bread-and-cry-on-the-floor]

MUSCLE TOV IM SCREAMING 

[alwaysabeautifullife]

This was NOT how i planned to wish my Jewish followers Happy Hanukkah but with that said I must share these additions to the post:

Happy First night of Hanukkah my friends

[greatprotector-if]

I vote keep the names as is, and just add in the choice to mix their names up.

I'm sure no amount of hilarious high jinks could come from that. Nosirrebob, none whatsoever.

wait anon wait you're onto something

their names are pronounced differently but you know.. close enough. mc has to learn a Lot of names within those first few weeks i think mix ups could totally be plausible

[greatprotector-if]

i've kinda just put it on the backburner for however long since i realized but it would probably. probably be a good idea for me to change valen's name because it's so similar to galen's visually? uhhhhhhh. i feel like it would he confusing in game. uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

will get back to you guys on that <3

[greatprotector-if]

Idk if this counts as an ask, but did you take the demo for tgp off of itchio? I loved it a few months ago and went to revisit, but it says it’s been restricted by the author. Just curious if it’s down for a while or I missed an update about it! (I’m shit at tumblr and don’t know where to check 💀)

HEY NO YOU'RE FINE yeah i did take it off a bit ago, sorry AJDJFJJSF but happy to hear you enjoyed it <33

i took the old one down because i changed some stuff and it was easier to just pull it off for a bit to avoid confusion (also it was embarrassing me LMFAO) but the new updated version will be up in a few weeks or maybe month or so if my exams don't kill me first! thank you so much for the support :D

[acircusofifs]

THE ADVISOR'S GAME ;

[DEMO (TBA)]

You are an assassin, a professional, a contract killer. The pay is good, and your clientele are more than happy to keep your identity well under wraps. You take whatever work comes your way, and you don't ask questions.

Until.

An anonymous job offer. An envelope with cash, an image of your target with surprisingly crisp quality, and a non-descript note, left on the doorstep of your home.

'Kill the eldest royal for the other half of your pay.'

That's how you ended up here. Undercover in the royal palace. As the newly appointed royal advisor.

---

Are you a bloodthirsty killer, or do you kill out of pure necessity? Do you want to fish around for your mysterious employer, or do you want to live in blissful ignorance?

Make or break alliances, and maybe (reluctantly) fall for someone, as you navigate the intricacies of royal life, all while trying to figure out exactly why you were sent on such a risky job (and by who). Do try not to get fired, and good luck. ★

"The Advisor's Game" is an 18+ (for mentions of death/violence, non-descript gore, etc.) mystery-romance, with 5 (subject to change) gender-selectable romance options, as well as cast of characters to befriend or antagonise. [note; one RO will be gender-locked non-binary, however all ROs will be romanceable by either gender of MC]

[more under the cut]

ROMANCE OPTIONS;

A. Bellefleur ; Aleron - Alize / the crown royal (your target) / m/f The (supposedly) well-loved eldest child to the reigning monarchs, they appear in public regularly and often participate in council meetings— clearly someone takes issue with this...probably.

A. has lightly freckled ivory skin and grey-blue eyes, in similar fashion to their siblings. Their hair is a dark-ish auburn and messily cut to the top of their ears (fem A. has it similarly messy, however it falls to their chin in choppy waves) [neutral to friends (to lovers) ; neutral to disliked ; neutral to respected] ★

K. Valiev ; Kostya - Kiska / the head guard / m/f An odd figure, unassuming, almost strangely approachable. They are quiet, and kind, and always smiling...so why do the older guards seem terrified of them? K. is an olive skinned individual with a small scar running up over the right side of the jaw, and their eyes are dark brown. Their hair is a chestnut brown and is kept in tight curls, though they occasionally braid them (when they have time). [friends to lovers ; neutral to friends (to lovers) ; friends/neutral to disliked]

★ A. Caras ; Altair - Arali / the royal physician / m/f Their bedside manner leaves much to be desired, they are no nonsense to the point of being borderline rude, yet the whole palace sings their praise as though they are an angel (you don't see it, personally, but maybe you will eventually). A. is an individual with vitiligo, leaving patches of their naturally sienna skin instead a pale ivory, as well as whitening some strands of their fringe. Their eyes are a bright green, and their honey blond curls are kept short (fem A. has longer curls, around chest length, that she keeps up in a ponytail for work). [neutral to respected ; neutral to disliked ; neutral to friends (to lovers)] ★ T. Bellefleur ; Talbot - Tallis / the middle royal / m/f The younger, but not youngest, sibling to the crown royal. They don't like you much (then again they don't like many people much), but you're not sure about that knowing glint in their eye when you interact— what do they see in you?

T. has heavily freckled beige skin and almost eerily pale blue eyes. Their hair is a fiery auburn and cut into a messy undercut (fem T. has shoulder length hair, covering an undercut at the back).

[enemies? to friends (to lovers) ; enemies? to respected]

★ M. Serrel ; Marin / your fellow assassin / nb You had to do a double-take when you saw them, and so did they, it seemed someone wanted you two in the palace at the same time...but why?

Marin is a sienna skinned individual, with hazel eyes (on the greener side) and almost black-brown hair. Their hair just brushes their shoulders in length and falls in soft waves, though they quite often have it pulled into a half up bun/ponytail.

[rivals to friends (to lovers) ; friends (to lovers) ; friends to rivals] ★ NOTE; for all romances MC must befriend the RO of their choice first, otherwise they won't consider anything beyond some light flirting. Additionally, in the case of A. Caras and T. Bellefleur, the romances will be slower burn (especially Caras).

[norareweforgiven-if]

hey guys, long time no talk. so i know a lot of you are most likely (probably not) still sticking around for the chapter 1 release, and while i have been working on it, there's something far more important i'm writing to you about today.

one of my friends was palestinian, she lived gaza, was born there, and lived there her entire life. she was seventeen, her name was noor, she liked baking pastries and making handicrafts. she loved reading, she loved her cat, she loved watching anime, and she'd spend hours upon hours analyzing her favorite characters and writing fic. she was eager to attend university next year to study biology to document native flora.

since i*rael has enacted a sanctioned genocide against the people of palestine she had updated me and her friends nearly every day on her continued survival. this past week she had gone entirely silent and after nearly six days of asking everyone i could i finally learned from her sister that she passed away after being struck by rubble from an explosion.

she would've survived had she received medical attention.

with the permission of her family, i am sharing her story with my followers to ask you to press your reps and lawmakers for a ceasefire. what happened to her was a preventable tragedy, and her blood is on the hands of everyone who not only continues to support this war but those who turn a blind eye to it.

noor was beloved and she will be dearly missed, please never forget her name and her humanity. the rage and sorrow i feel at her loss cannot be measured up to the rage and sorrow of the people who are suffering to this day and i pray that within my lifetime, their lifetime we see a free palestine.

[soulmatesinc-if]

Demo Release

Here at Soulmates Inc we specialize in chance meetings!

As a soul-link, your job is to guide two people entrusted in your care to one another in a fateful meeting, for they are each other's soulmates. Aided by the soul-link powers, you will craft a story that will be told over and over to others, changed and misremembered or kept as faithful as humanly possible. Without your help, they would not find one another.

P.S.: a regular reminder to refrain from referring to yourself or your coworkers as Cupid.

|| LINK to demo || [+18k]

Featuring:

an office-ace-turned-office-disaster coworker

establishing your soul-link style

a twist in your newest assignment

Soulmates Inc. bureaucracy

an annoying flyer

learning about streaming

Reblogs are much appreciated! ♥

[thephoenix-if-deactivated202403]

read the new update here!

it's been a long time coming but here it is for your enjoyment! chapter one of the phoenix is out for everybody <3 this is practically all slice of life running around a new city vibes, your first official fight will come next time :D

in this update, you can:

take a flight over to kathmandhu

meet some people on the plane. totally not relevant right

do a press conference

meet the final few RO's

see what the public think of you

quality of life changes! new fonts + dark mode

some notes under the cut !

i have no clue if starting from old saves will work or not. please lmk what happens if you do

there's a bunch of QoL changes that should hopefully make the experience better in general - dark mode, fonts, size, etc

lack of jamie in this update - he'll be back and kicking next time don't worry jamiemancers!!

media relationship stat scrapped, as it didn't really serve any purpose. replaced with a public relationship stat!

brand names changed to generics/new name. dont know why felt like it lol!

i deleted my buymeacoffee - won't really go into why, just personal reasons :] nothing too important

i will be getting back to answering asks again :] so go wild!!

please give me feedback!! leave a rating, drop a comment, send an ask. i really want to make this project the best it can be and your help in doing so would be greatly appreciated

hope you enjoy !! now i'm off to start chapter two lol

lots of love, sahara ♡♡

[midnightsun-if]

I don’t know if this has been asked but do you play any text based, or any really, interactive games? And if so, what kind?

Also I hope your day is going great!

Good luck on the writing too!

I just took a really nice nap after eating a huge omelette. So I’m pretty sure I’m gonna stay up late tonight, sadly 😅.

I’ve played a couple! I mainly try to keep to my own corner when it comes to the community at large though— I’m a bit shy, if you haven’t been able to tell (unless it comes to all of you). I’ve also been trying to not get too distracted by other things because I want to get some more content out for Midnight Sun.

I sort of go all over when it comes to genre— if I like the plot then I don’t truly care about the genre. Fantasy typically pulls me in, but I truly enjoy anything.

When it comes to CoG/Hosted Games, I’ve played most of the usual games— Wayhaven, Fallen Hero (a little bit), Soul Stone Wars, The Keeper Series, etc… As for WIPs? I’ve sort of stayed in my corner, once again, so I don’t get too distracted, but I’m interested in a couple! @ramonag-if // @loveandleases // @within-your-eyes-if // @kalorphic // @doriana-gray-games // @greatprotector-if // @whatlovelybones-if, to name a few! I think there are a lot of wonderfully talented writers within the community and I wish them all the best! I hope they all get what they’re striving for when it comes to their stories, their characters, and everything else.

I hope your day is going great too! And I hope you’ll be able to get some sleep at a manageable time for, I hate whenever I can’t get enough sleep during the night (always makes me out of sorts during the day). ❤️