itch.io

I started delving into Dungeon Synth recently ⚔️ I'd love to hear your favourite artists/albums if you don't mind sharing them ^^

I like to listen to music that shares the same vibe as the project I'm working on, so it depends on what I'm doing. Ambient music with no lyrics/voices is perfect when I need to focus (like when writing). I started listening to Dungeon Synth, Ambient and Dark Ambient music  recently. Perfect for when I need to focus and relax ^^ Here are some of my favorite pieces so far : 

Asleep and well hidden by Kammarheit
Stormens ryttare by Ornatorpet 
Mineral Hall by Louie Zong 
Gently veiled by Silent Cabin 

(phew, I finally found some time to write this post X)

Well hello there! I'm Row' (they/them), a passionate hobbyist writer who wish they had more time to work on their endless list of projects!

Spoiler alert: I'm a French native-speaker so I write... in French. Pretty much all of my writings here on itch are in French. Though, if you're looking for English content, you might take a look at MIRROR|ЯOЯЯIM, a rpg card game about summoning your reflection and conversing with it. It's still in development, but you can totally play it if you like! Now back to our main subject:

Favorite genres to read/watch/play
I read mostly fiction. I have a big soft spot for fantastic litterature, mysteries, magical realism... Well, pretty much anything that takes me away from reality for the time of a reading.  Although, this doesn't stop me from appreciating "realist" stories, especially when they're set in historical settings and/or focused on women's experiences and point-of-views.

Horror stories also have a special place in my reader's heart. Particularly ghost tales, weird horror, lovecraftian horror and folk-horror.

Spicy LGBTQ+ romances are my guilty pleasure, especially when they're mixed with a thrilling plot or with one of my favorite genres!

Type of Stories you write (poems, nonfiction, AUs, Fanfiction, longform stories, short stories, haikus, comics)
Most of my writings are original fictions with fantastic/magic elements. That said, I do have fun creating fanfictions of a quite famous british detective and his doctor roommate... I write mainly short stories, even though I'm working on a novel at the moment.

I gave interactive fiction a try a few months ago by writing a real simple story on Twine and I'm eager to explore this format more (I just need more tiiiime...) Also last year I collaborated with 3 of my friends on a med-fan rural-drama LARP-scenario. We played it last summer and now we are looking forward to develop a new scenario in the same universe

Finally, when inspiration strikes, I jot down some random words on a paper and call it poetry.

Talk about any upcoming projects you're working on
I'm currently working on a long-form novel. I can't tell much about it since it's still in early-early alpha and I haven't figured out the whole plot yet xD What I can tell : it's a spicy M/NB rom-tasy comedy set in a small French village at the turn of the XIXth century, involving a hung-up young priest, a slutty demon and a black goat.

Book Recommendations, including books found on this site

Fallen Grace- by Mary Hooper
I read this book like 10 years ago but I still remember it as a striking story. It's a dark, moving and deeply touching reading, in addition to be richly documented.
"London, 1861. Grace Parkes has just had to do a terrible thing. Having given birth to an illegitimate child, she has travelled to the famed Brookwood Cemetery to place her small infant's body in a rich lady's coffin. Following the advice of a kindly midwife, this is the only way that Grace can think of to give something at least to the little baby who died at birth, and to avoid the ignominy of a pauper's grave"

The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal - by E.K Weaver
I re-read it a few months ago and I still love this webcomic with my whole heart! If I should name a single story that made me want to write queer romances, this would the one. It's funny, touching and the ar-style never ceases to amaze me.
"In the span of a single day, Amal calls off his arranged marriage, comes out to his conservative parents, promptly gets disowned, goes on a bender... and wakes up the next morning to find TJ, a lanky, dreadlocked vagrant, frying eggs and singing Paul Simon in his kitchen. TJ claims that the two have made a drunken pact to drive all the way from Berkeley to Providence. As it happens, Amal promised his sister he'd be there for her graduation from Brown University. And TJ, well... TJ has his own reasons.The agreement is simple: Amal does the driving; TJ pays the way - but a 3500 mile journey leaves plenty of time for things to get complicated."

And that's all for now, thank you for reading! I'm eager to meet you, fellow writers, because you and your writings definitely deserve some spotligh ! (Yes, trust me, you do!) Have a great day!

Ooooh, awesome idea, thank you for creating this thread ! I don't have time to write a proper presentation post this week but be assured I will answer ASAP bc I'm really hyped about it. I can't wait to meet other writers here on itch.io 😄

Thank you again to all of you for your answers ! There's definitely some food for thoughts here. I'm considering researching the subject a bit further and writing a blog post about it (if I ever find enough time and energy to do all this, that said xD ). I'll keep you updated in this thread if the blog post stuff happens. Have a great day !

I wasn't expecting YouTube to show up in this list (mainly because I know nothing about video making and it seems like a lot of efforts to me! xD ) Indeed, Game Engines communities seem like a pertinent place to get feedbacks and discuss with like-minded folks. I'm considering joining a Twine forum or Discord at some point. Thank you for your insight !

Sure! Marketing is a job in itself, quite different from creating a project. I guess I'm more interested in creating stuff than promoting it X) Twitter is definitely too fast for me, but that's just my personal taste! I prefer Discord to chat and find specific communities. And I should take a look at Tumblr sometimes, it'll remind me of my younger years surfing on the internet ahah! Thank you very much for your input !

Sure, it seems easier to have meaningful conversations in smaller and like-minded communities.  And forums reminds me of my younger years on the internet haha ! Thank you for your answers

And thank you very much for your input !

Less is more I guess ! I'm really considering revamping my old website. Thank you for your answer !

Well, sadly there are tons of depressing things around here X) But yeah, for all the reasons you gave, a personal website seems like a really good solution 

From what I can see: big social media platforms (Instagram, X, TikTok & Facebook) seems to be considered the norm to promote our work and build communities. My writing buddy uses Instagram a lot to promote her work, as a lot of other writers nowadays. Recently, she suggested I do the same and create an IG account for my current writing project.

But the thing is : I don't like these platforms.

I know, that sounds kinda silly... But I really don't like them ! I deleted my X account last year and put my Instagram and FB accounts on hiatus a few years ago.

My main complaints being : 

• The rythm of posting required to stand out is really demanding, especially when you're a hobbyist/non-professional creator.
• How quickly a post gets "drowned" and forgotten in a mass of content without having a meaningful impact on our followers
• The way the algorithm works.
• The negative impact of likes and followers numbers on mental health. 

and so on... 

Then I ended up with this simple question : do I have to make do with these platforms I don't like or are there some alternatives out there ? More human-sized, slow-paced, ethical alternatives. 

So, here I am doing my little research and asking you, fellow indie/arty content creators : 

1. - What kind of content do you create ? (i.e : video-games, physical games, books...)
2. - Are you a hobbyist or professional creator ? (I guess the stakes are different if your income depends on your content sellings or not)
3. - Which platforms do you use to promote your work and build a community ? (i.e: a personal website/blog, a discord server, a newsletter...) What is you experience using these ? 
4. - Do you mix "big platforms" (Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook...) with "alternative", less common methods ? To what extend ? 

I'm curious to hear about your methods. Thank you in advance and have a great day :D

Aaaaaaw ! These are so adorable !  💜

Awesome idea ! I can't wait to play it with my friends at the next ren faire ! Do you have any prizes suggestions for the lucky winner ? 

Thank you so much for your kind words, it's means a lot to us ! We're doing our best to make it as spooky and memorable as possible !

Hi there ! Such a cool jam idea ! I can't wait to see all your spooky submissions.

My partner and I are entering the jam with a solo "Descended from the Queen" card game about talking to your reflection in a mirror.

The game is inspired by creepy rituals like Bloody Mary or the Three Kings game.  The player stands in front of a mirror ( in a dimly lit room for more thrills ! ) and asks questions to their reflection. They then answer the questions aloud, embodying the voice of the person in the mirror.

We're very excited to work on this project, even though we are too afraid to playtest it ourselves... 😅

Hi! Thank you so much for making and sharing this video! I'm going to place a link to it in the game's description if you don't mind :) To answer your previous question: we're not going to develop the project any further for the moment, as it's a graduation project. But thanks for your interest in the game, we greatly appreciate it 

The downloading problem is now fixed, you should be able to get the demo ;)

This is a known bug that occurs quite often. You can use a keyboard and mouse too, a controller is more comfortable and optimized though.

Thank you very much for sharing your video! Glad you enjoyed the concept and the demo ;)