Tierton IF

hi, this is my peaceful little garden of aesthetics where i come 2 sit alone sometimes and ramble to myself + a blog for my side WIP, Young's Home for Retired Robots (a Twine IF) (and potential future projects set in this universe)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

Young's Home for Retired Robots

A futuristic, '1950s-60s sci-fi'-inspired adventure with original music.

Play the demo here!

In the small town of Tierton, you are the resident caretaker and sole employee of Young's Home for Retired Robots - a retirement home for old and/or dysfunctional robots that no longer work as they should, or that have simply been cast out and replaced by newer models.

You came across the place by chance after deciding you needed an escape from your life in the megalopolis, but the place and its wacky inhabitants have sort of grown on you.

So when an official from the city comes knocking at your door with plans to knock it down, you decide to take matters into your own hands - setting off into the heart of the megalopolis with some robot and human companions to find a way to save your home.

Features:

- Dive into the year 2201, where aerocars are the norm, and plenty of futuristic inventions/gadgets exist.

- Befriend or romance your choice of 4 ROs.

- Choose your name and play as male, female, or non-binary

- Meet the robotic residents of the home, each with their own colourful personality.

- Decide the fate of the home and its residents through the choices you make - will you save it, or will you decide that perhaps it's time to go back to living in the megalopolis?

- All background music made by yours truly!

Inspired by works like Robert F. Young's short stories and 3 Level Combination by Ha Il Kwon (which I love but has some dark content so please be careful if you want to check it out).

ROs:

Thomas (Tom) Jakatis (m) - The serious but kind local postman, and one of the last human ones. Takes his job very seriously, but the Head Post Office have been pushing to have robots take over his postal route in the name of Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness.

Matisse (Mattie) Hewbury (nb) - Witty, brilliant-minded child of the head of Huetech Corp., set to take the company over from their father someday. Often comes to the home to visit their old robotic butler Allan.

Francis (Frankie) Pullover (f) - The mysterious owner of Young's. Sweet, seemingly carefree, and ridiculously clumsy. Whispers amongst the townsfolk say she's actually a robot. Could they be right?

Jules V. Sawyer (f) - A sardonic, workaholic lawyer who you used to know back when you still lived in the megalopolis. Though the two of you have fallen out of touch, you find yourself turning to her for help.

RO Appearances

Likes and RBs are all super appreciated, and questions are always welcome! This is a side project, if you'd like to you can check out my main wip Venatici House at @prettyboyhowl Alright, have a nice day :)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

i've always thought about how DM comes from a line of robots like him, but i just had the realisation that there'd be a bunch of robots like Sticks running around too... now i need to see him come face to face with like an evil twin version of himself or something.

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

in the next update if i let you guys pick a sticker would you guys want to see a drawing of it after choosing? (asking before i spend a bunch of time in ms paint) *i am no artist though so they will look derpy guaranteed :)

(on a side note let me know if there's any particular sticker choices u'd want!)

sticker pictures?

yes, do ittt

nah, it's ok/would prefer to just imagine it

Voting ended onApr 11, 2024

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

sticker pictures it is!

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

in the next update if i let you guys pick a sticker would you guys want to see a drawing of it after choosing? (asking before i spend a bunch of time in ms paint) *i am no artist though so they will look derpy guaranteed :)

(on a side note let me know if there's any particular sticker choices u'd want!)

sticker pictures?

yes, do ittt

nah, it's ok/would prefer to just imagine it

Voting ended onApr 11, 2024

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

just found out about Jummbox! it's a fun music-making tool, online and free, and any song you make on it is yours which is rly cool, so i'm posting about it in case anyone might be interested :)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

YOU’RE PRETTYBOYHOWL??? I FOLLOW BOTH OF UR BLOGS AND LOVE BOTH OF YOU PROJECTS. EPIC CROSSOVER EPISODE WHEN????

YES!!! aaa it means a lot to hear that, thank you and thank you so much for your support!!!

crossover episode LOL that would be fun, maybe i'll write a story of that someday! tbh i haven't thought about what would happen specifically, but i have thought before that it would be possible, since the VH characters can go to different worlds - there's 100% a key out there that opens to the universe Young's is in (and that's a certified True Fact 😌)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

I just finished reading "Young's Home for Retired Robots" and man! What an amazing story!

I was hooked right from the beginning – the concept of a home for retired robots is so unique and heartwarming🏠❤️ The way you brought the characters to life, from the rusty old bots to the quirky caretakers, was simply fantastic 👏👏

I had lots of fun reading it😀 and now I'm checking out your other works, which I'm certain will leave me craving for more of your writing💛

That's really sweet of you thank youu!!! :') Those are such nice comments, and I'm really glad you liked it!! I'm excited to introduce new characters in the next chapter!

I hope you enjoy my other works, though warning in advance - everything else I write is fairly angsty asdkjfhd (but a lil self-promo: just in case you've come from itch.io and aren't aware of it, I have a main wip called Venatici House which you can learn more about @prettyboyhowl)! :)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

Has there been a past relationship where the ROs had to change or adapt in order to make things work? What did that experience teach them about compromise?

Never actually thought about their past relationships before, so thank you for giving me the chance to do so anon!

Tom: Not really! Tom has always been quite kind and understanding, so the act of compromise generally isn't difficult for him. But on the flip side, he's never been faced with a situation where he's had to compromise on something major.

Mattie: Mattie's never been in any romantic relationships, but outside of that, their family relationships have taught them a lot about compromise - namely that they may be capable of it but that doesn't mean they have to like it.

Frankie: In a sense, yes (spoilers again lol). She knows now that compromise is supposed to be an act from both parties, and it shouldn't mean pushing yourself aside and losing sight of who you are for someone else's sake.

Jules: With the exception of MC, Jules is and has always been a solitary creature. 'Compromise' doesn't exist in her dictionary (except, just maybe, for MC... maybe).

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

When the ROs are faced with a situation that feels really unfair, what's their go-to reaction?

Ooh, ok this was also fun to think about!!

Tom: He'll approach the situation logically, making sure to properly advocate for himself, but if there's really nothing that can be done, he'll do his best to let go of his frustration and make peace with it.

Mattie: Rebellion! Ideally they'd fight back against it, but otherwise they'd find the little things they could do about the situation, and take whatever victories they could.

Frankie: Resigned acceptance. Frankie hates seeing others in unfair situations, but unfortunately when it comes to herself, the feeling is something she's grown used to.

Jules: Either hot-headed anger (often in the form of an argument) or forced apathy - detaching herself and acting like it was something she didn't really care about in the first place.

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

What's the one childhood memory the ROs can't forget, no matter how hard they try? How does it influence their decisions today?

Ooh, that's such an interesting question!

Tom: When Tom was little, he would sometimes tag along with his father delivering the mail, and there was this one street they would visit with an old woman who lived alone. She didn't get many letters, and even more rarely received personal ones: so one day, with his parents' gentle encouragement, he decided to write her one and deliver it straight to her. He'll never forget the simple joy on her face when she received it.

It's not really a memory he tries to forget, but it is an important one. The experience of 'A little kindness goes a long way' is something that still guides him today.

Mattie: They'll never forget the heartbroken look on their sister's face when they accidentally broke her favourite toy in a fit of frustration. That day, Mattie had been engrossed in a project they were struggling with, and their sister kept bugging them to play, so they threw her toy airplane to one side, thinking she'd leave them alone then - only for it to hit the wall and break.

They're ashamed of the way they acted back then, and the guilt of it still resurfaces every so often (they're a much more doting sibling nowadays). That experience, along with other things, has shaped them to be more conscientious about work-life balance and to consider their priorities when approaching things.

Frankie: I had a good think but I'm afraid I can't answer this one without giving general spoilers!!

(cw: alcohol/gambling for Jules' answer + it's also kind of a spoiler for her route)

Jules: She still has a vivid memory of coming downstairs one night and seeing her mother slouched over their dining table, wine bottle in hand, after having drunk herself into a stupor. During the day, her mother had tearfully begged their relatives for money to pay off her gambling debts to no avail; Jules remembers that too, but the bit that sticks in her head most is the sight of her mother exhausted, with no tears left. The way the kitchen lights harshly exposed the lines on her forehead, gaunt shadows highlighting her weak frame.

She hated her mother for all of it and swore to never be weak like that, to never let herself look pathetic, and to never have to need anyone else but herself.

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

my beige flag is that i will find a new font then find ways to shove it into the game just because i think it looks cute

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

a 498 words musings of a trans guy in personal poetry-story-fiction-thing form for the Neo Twiny Jam (cw: transphobia, depression, emotional manipulation, allusion to suicide) (play here)

ok i wasn't going to make a post about this game originally but i wanted to be serious for 2 seconds say a few words about it.

it's a bit heavy, it's a bit goofy.

it's moments in time and even though i think i'm still immature i've grown up in some ways (thankfully). and if you rub your neck when you're nervous that's totally valid, it's only stupid when i do it because of how i picked it up. it looks exactly how you think.

and knights are cool, but when i was even younger i wanted to be a ninja fairy (whatever the fuck that is) and frankly i should've stayed attached to that instead. (i know exactly what it is, i liked naruto and fairy tail ok, sue me)

[prettyboyhowl]

THEO (play here)

I made a short lil IF for the Neo-Twiny Jam! It's 500 words, based on a dream I once had :)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

i watched poker face, and I say this about everything i watch and then write about here, but it was really good!

the premise was fun, and each episode was interesting, and i loved how they show you the scenes then recontextualise it all with how charlie was there too. i came to really enjoy that familiar guitar track that when it plays, you're just like ah, we're about to see charlie again.

and charlie cale! she's played by natasha lyonne who did a great job and is why i started watching poker face in the first place (i really enjoyed russian doll, another great show i recommend).

but charlie cale! fantastic protagonist which made the whole show for me. i loved her kindness, her heart, but also just the way she could invite herself into people's lives, and how she could easily strike up conversation with anyone. that's one thing i really loved about this series, is how people just came together (the truckers in the diner are a big example), and all the unexpected allies she forms. but also that to me, anyways, those interactions didn't feel unnatural at all - like they could happen irl, if there was someone like charlie.

can't wait for season 2 :)

[simuran]

Agreed! Tbh she’s such an awesome protagonist that the biggest criticism I have for the show is that we get too little of her. Like somewhere in the middle of the season, for example the racing episode - it feels like she’s barely there and not getting a lot of development.

Still, the show is v lovely, looking forward to the next season

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

that's totally fair! i think that's one of the reasons why i like the later episodes a lot, is that they start touching on how she feels about what she went through in the first episode. it'd definitely be nice to see more of that next season.

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Yet Another OC Ask Game

After hoarding them for months, I decided to make my own. Let’s go from fluffy to angsty, shall we >:)

🛏️ What does your OC’s bed look like? What would they like their bed to look like?

🐁 Capybaras are friend-shaped. What shape does your OC have?

🌧️ What is the favorite thing for you OC to do on a rainy day?

🪨 Someone gifts your OC a shiny rock. What do they do with it?

🐹 Which would be your OCs favorite Pokemon? What kind of trainer would they be?

🎲 If your OC played a pen and paper RPG, what class would they pick? Warrior, mage, thief, ranger, cleric, paladin, druid, necromancer, bard (or other, if that’s not enough).

🎮 If your OC lives or would live in the modern world, would they like video games? What would be their favorite game?

👎 Is there someone your OC can’t stand, despite them being on the same side or sharing basic values?

🌈 Does your OC speak more than one language? If so, how many and which?

🥪 On a scale from ‘burns water’ to '5 course menu’ how well can your OC cook?

📚 Your OC has to improvise a 10 minute lecture about a topic of their choosing. What do they chose?

🪄 Does your OC have any special powers? If so, are they normal in this OC’s universe?

🎨 Does your OC have any craft skill, as a hobby or profession? If so which?

🌳 Would your OC survive for a week on their own in the wilderness?

🌊 Has your OC ever seen the ocean? If not, do they want to? What do they think of it?

🥞 Does your OC take proper care of themselves, like getting enough sleep and eating properly?

🤝 Does your OC have someone they want at their side when they are scared? Who?

🌌 If your OC has a nightmare, what’s it most likely about?

🪤 What is one thing that could be used to lure your OC into a trap?

🎒 If your OC had to pick three things of all their belongings to keep, which would they chose?

🕐 Was there ever a time your OC would have given everything to turn back the clock 5 minutes? What happened?

🎭 What is the one thing your OC regrets most? Would they undo it, considering how their life turned out?

🔪 What does your OC think how they’ll die? 

📅 If your OC had one day left to live, how would they spend it?

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

i watched poker face, and I say this about everything i watch and then write about here, but it was really good!

the premise was fun, and each episode was interesting, and i loved how they show you the scenes then recontextualise it all with how charlie was there too. i came to really enjoy that familiar guitar track that when it plays, you're just like ah, we're about to see charlie again.

and charlie cale! she's played by natasha lyonne who did a great job and is why i started watching poker face in the first place (i really enjoyed russian doll, another great show i recommend).

but charlie cale! fantastic protagonist which made the whole show for me. i loved her kindness, her heart, but also just the way she could invite herself into people's lives, and how she could easily strike up conversation with anyone. that's one thing i really loved about this series, is how people just came together (the truckers in the diner are a big example), and all the unexpected allies she forms. but also that to me, anyways, those interactions didn't feel unnatural at all - like they could happen irl, if there was someone like charlie.

can't wait for season 2 :)

[inthetowncalledyesterday]

a lil snippet :)