Chinese Hanfu By 绛悠堂

If the call to read diverse books gets you hot under the collar, I need you to lean into that discomfort a little and ask yourself the question: What would happen if I did?

First and foremost, let’s make sure we are on the same page about the diverse books effort. When someone says “Read more diversely,” what they are asking is for you to take the author into consideration when you are choosing your next read. It’s unfortunate that we live in a world where current prejudice and a long history of prejudice impact the day to day lives of minority groups, but the publishing industry is largely white, heteronormative, able bodied, and cis. We can uplift authors of color, disabled authors, and queer authors by purposefully looking for their books, especially when the publishing industry fails them time and time again.

This does not mean that you can’t read books by white, cis, straight authors. A focus is not an exclusion. All that is being asked is that alongside your normal reads, you intentionally branch out into more diverse writers.

Creating space for more diverse authors is important because people deserve to tell their own stories. Have you ever read something in your area of expertise and the author just got it so incredibly wrong? This happens with identity, too. Not only is it cringe worthy when someone outside the community gets the essence wrong, it can also be incredibly harmful by spreading destructive stereotypes. Allowing community members to tell stories about their community empowers them and helps to establish good representation in mainstream media.

Representation matters because every person deserves to see themselves well represented in a book they love. It’s so easy to feel alone, especially if you are part of a minority community. Books open up a window for us to feel more connected and to understand our identities. It’s no wonder that having positive representation has been shown to increase self-esteem.

Even if the representation isn’t your identity, it’s still incredibly important. Diversity is a teacher. We live in an age of echo chambers. It’s so easy to get sequestered into our own personalized bubble on the internet. Putting yourself in a place to listen to the stories of people different from yourself is vital for connecting with others, for understanding their struggles, and for building solidarity in our communities. It will stretch you in the best of ways.

And finally, if that wasn’t enough, we should read diverse because we deserve to read excellent stories. Diverse books are brilliant. They challenge the industry, inject new life blood into publishing, keep thing fresh and exciting. Diverse books are stunning. They are well written, and fun, and capture the imagination. Diverse books keep the humanity in publishing, because humanity is millions of unique facets joined together into a whole. Why would you limit yourself to just one?

Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?

And now my normal Rain World OCs are up :)

made this in response to not having anything for small joys saturdays

people have got to learn the difference between I didnt like it and It was bad

Would Evander show mc photos of Jiji if they asked nicely? How about playing the piano for mc?

heh Evander doesn't need to be asked to talk about Jiji (or anything, for that matter); the whole cast of Magici has prolly already seen him a thousand times.

Also they definitely have a Powerpoint presentation ready that they just whip out at random times and force people to listen to.

it's prolly named sum like

"Jiji the Great, The First: Discovering the Enigmatic Charms of My Feline Companion" (he thinks it's hilarious)

And if MC asks really really nicely, he'll play for them. Also if you catch them while they're playing that's a cheat code, 'cause he doesn't really enjoy playing in front of people; he prefers MC listening to him without him knowing so he doesn't mess up.

Let's talk mobility aids!

Canes

Canes are for when you need to take a little bit of weight off of one side of your body, need a little help with balance, or need a little extra stability when you walk. It's an easy mobility aid to find and get, and it's pretty easy to figure out how to use. Have the cane sized so the handle sits at wrist level, then hold it on the opposite side to the one that hurts. Match your cane strikes to the steps on the hurt side. It will hurt your arm, elbow, and shoulder sometimes, but having a properly sized cane will help.

Rollators

Rollators are kind of the "next step up" in support. They come with more restrictions, you get limited to ramps and stuff, but they're also the least restrictive wheeled mobility aid because they're light and easy to pick up and toss around. They also have a seat a lot of times and a basket so you don't need to carry stuff. They're for when you need a place to rest, something to lean on when you walk, better balance assistance than a cane, and less weight bearing than a cane. I also found that it helped me with fatigue quite a bit. There's two main kinds, euro style like the first, and regular like the second. There are other fancier ones but I'm covering the basics here.

Rollators are my favorite mobility aid and I've used everything from canes to a fancy high grade power chair. They're just the perfect balance of help and freedom. They provide so much support for how far they go.

Crutches

Arm crutches are pretty neat! They're a lot more ergonomic than a cane. In fact, some people use a single arm crutch as a cane. They distribute the weight a little better, so it's not all on your wrists, and they support you better than a rollator can. The major cons I found are that they take two hands to use so you can't carry much and I had a really hard time trying to learn to walk with them. A lot of people who use forearm crutches have other mobility aids and use the forearm crutches when they want to or need to walk.

Manual Wheelchairs

These are for when walking becomes more difficult than pushing a wheelchair. There's no weight being put on your legs and feet and depending on your needs, you can get really specific with your adaptations if you have a custom wheelchair verses a standard wheelchair. My first custom chair looked like a monster truck because i took in the woods and gravel, my second custom chair after I got sicker has a head rest, a backrest that holds me up, and a little electric box that I can attach that helps me push. The difference between getting a standard and custom wheelchair is dependent on how much money the user has, what kind of needs they have, and what kind of medical access they have. (One is not more "real" than the other.) I highly recommend getting a cushion for under your butt if you have a standard chair without a cushion, I used a standard full time for 6 months and a cushion made a huge difference.

Mobility scooters

Mobility scooters are for people who can't walk long distances, but can still walk with the help of a cane or unassisted. If you can walk around your house, but not really much else, a mobility scooter might be the aid for you! There's a lot of different styles and battery life lengths and handling abilities so try a few different scooters out if you can.

Powerchairs

Powerchairs come in a couple different types or "groups" depending on your needs. Group 1 is the kind of chair you're probably most familiar with. It's basically for someone who needs a powerchair to get around their house, the doctors, office, and grocery store. You can't do any custom seat cushions or anything, but it's for people who don't need it. Think of like... someone who can walk pretty okay still, it just hurts to walk or they're off balance or a little weak feeling. A lot of times more elderly people will use these, if you're more active look into group 2

Group two chairs are little more durable, a little more stable, sometimes you can switch the captains seats out for custom seating... They're what a full time powerchair user would use if they don't need specialty functions like tilt or recline. They also often have 6 wheels rather than 4 like the group 1 chairs have.

Group 3 powerchairs are reserved for specific diagnoses like muscular dystrophy, ALS, and other severe neurological and neuromuscular illnesses. These are also called "rehab" chairs because they're for making sure severely disabled people have quality of life. The tilt function is for pressure relief, though you can also get things like elevation so you can raise and lower your chair, and some of them can recline flat. There are other avenues of moving grade 3 power chairs beyond the joystick as well in case someone can't use their hands or doesn't have them. (Head controls, torso controls, and straw controls called sip and puff are alternatives.) They can go on a little worse terrain than group 1 and two chairs and go a little farther, but if they get stuck they weigh 350 lbs and it's awful.

There's a few other types of mobility aid that I don't know enough about, like ankle foot orthotics and gait trainers, but these are the basic "mobility aid" most people will come across.

If you use another type of mobility aid and want to educate people, add it on!!

New Sketch-a-Wish for October’s Patreon vote! Featuring Xingyin and the Venerable Four Dragons from Daughter Of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan!

This request ironically was an amalgamation of the two previous DOTMG fanarts I’ve done, so I decided to take it down a different route for styling (a mix of my illustration and papercraft design). I had a super fun time creating this piece, very chaotic and clean!

And perfect timing, since the sequel Heart of the Sun Warrior comes out next week!! I was able to get a beautiful arc of this several weeks back, but my eyes and hands have been abysmally scrapped for free time to make any progress in a small pile of arcs I’ve received this year. 😭 I’m pretty much waiting for the audiobook at this point, my ears are ready!! Only a few more days! I’m so excited to revisit this world!

Wayfarer

Links 

✦ Play the Game ✦ FAQ ✦ Patreon ✦ Ko-fi ✦ Discord ✦ Bug Report ✦ Dev Logs ✦ Character Art ✦ Character Roster ✦ Character References ✦ Romances ✦ Ask Guidelines   

The Game

Wayfarer is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. You play as a Wayfarer, a member of an order of warriors born with magical immunity in a world dominated by magic. It is currently in development and releases episodically. The full game will include three acts and a total of 15 episodes.

The Story

When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?

But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there.  

Key Features

✦ Create a customizable player character, selecting:

Gender [male, female, and nonbinary options]

Pronouns [choose a preset or set your own]

Name [including nicknames and aliases]

Ancestry [choose from 5 fantasy species that unlock unique attributes]

Origin [choose from 6 different backgrounds that unlock unique story moments]

Appearance [including regular choices such as hair and complexion, as well as tattoos and scars that unlock unique story content] 

✦ Upgrade 4 skills which will determine your successes and failures. Skill level is mixed with a dice roll on skill checks, adding an element of risk vs reward to your choices ✦ Unlock traits that reflect your character’s choices, providing bonuses and hindrances ✦ Recruit companions, build your relationships, and perhaps find romance

Relationships include friendships and rivalries

Romances are optional and include straight, gay, bisexual and asexual characters, alongside monogamous and polyamorous options

✦ Build rapport with 6 factions and choose whether to support or betray them ✦ Encounter timed choices on key decisions, with alternative results if time runs out or you choose to abstain ✦ Build a codex as you explore the world and encounter people, places, history, lore, magic and monsters ✦ Navigate thousands of branching choices for a unique, re-playable experience and story

The Main Cast

A childhood friend and a fellow Wayfarer. What does he know about the Order’s past and what lengths will he go to keep it hidden?

A Guild mage on the run who keeps her secrets closely guarded. What plot is she involved in and how deep does it run?

A disinherited scion to a mercantile empire. She’s hunting for her sister’s murderer, but what conspiracies will she uncover instead?

A former assassin who abruptly quit the league and turned himself over to the authorities. How far will he go to kill his past?

The extravagant leader of a theatre company and a brilliant con artist scamming the social elite. Behind the flashy exterior, what dark history is he hiding?

An ambassador from a secretive city in the mountains that recently opened its borders. Why is she here and what higher purpose does she serve? 

A gifted alchemist searching for the truth behind the source of magic. What devastating answers will he uncover?

The Public Build [Version 1.1.2.]

Playable Content: Prologue, Episode 1, Episode 2

Average Playtime: approx. 8.5 hours of gameplay

Average Word Count Per Playthrough: approx. 156,000 words

Total Word Count: approx. 927,000 words

First Published: September 9, 2021

Last Updated: July 1, 2022

Last Patch: June 10, 2023

[Play Here] 

The Alpha Build [Version 1.1.3.]

Playable Content: Prologue, Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 Part 1

Average Playtime: approx. 9.4. hours of gameplay

Average Word Count Per Playthrough: approx. 177,000 words

Total Word Count: approx. 1,300,999 words

First Published: September 9, 2021

Last Updated: May 26, 2023

Last Patch: June 5, 2023

Only available to Patrons and Playtesters

[Play Here]

Content Warning

The story is rated MA-17 for fantasy and medieval violence, depictions of blood and gore, death, explicit language, sexually suggestive themes, and drug and alcohol use. Player discretion is advised. 

Discord Community

Wayfarer has an official Discord server! You can join it here. Please note that the server is 17+ only.

Support

Wayfarer is a passion project and creating it is a full-time job. If you enjoyed the game, please consider supporting its development on Patreon. Patrons receive access to the alpha build, bonus content, and tutorials in writing and game design, among other perks.

I also have a Ko-fi.   

If you aren’t in a position to support financially, reblogs, shares, and spreading the word about the game are much appreciated and do a lot to help me out. 💕

Credits

Cover art and companion portraits by Rory Yaya (@sunshinemage​). Wayfarer sigil and logo design by Jessica Roy. All other image assets as credited in-game.

POST UPDATED: 06.10.2023

ANTI-CAPITALIST AFFIRMATIONS

i am allowed to spend my time creating things, even if they are not beautiful.

there is no such thing as a "real job." all forms of work are real and valid.

there is nothing that i need to accomplish to be worthy. i am already worthy.

doing nothing is good for my soul.

i am not defined by what i produce.

my worth cannot be measured by my paycheck, my job title, or a list of professional or academic achievements.

i do not need to monetize my hobbies, it is enough to spend time doing something i love.

i will not let society decide what success looks like. i can define what successful life looks like for me.