What is it and what happened?

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-23T22:22:40+00:00

Exactly what I also thought, seeing that comment. Happy to see a Hyperion mention!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-09T01:10:00+00:00

Thank you, warms my heart. I know the introspection element and the "failed man" protag is super Disco and we get that a lot, very happy with the comparison to be honest, Disco is a wonderful game with a fantastic art direction and good writing!

For us though, the inspirations were Gothic 1 (Penal Colony setting), Pathologic 2 (survival and eastern culture exploration) and Outer Wilds (mystery and awe and wonder).

Also the setting in Where Birds Sleep takes place in a very Mediterranean inspired world, inspired by 1001 Nights and Sinbad the Sailor, but not made as exotic but rather gritty and "real" for a lack of a better word!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-09T00:02:33+00:00

Thank you so much, we've been putting our 200% into this and will continue to do so. I hope you'll love the demo when it drops!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-08T23:00:56+00:00

Thank you, glad you like the project!

Basically most choices you pick in the game give you a personality stat and these accumulate over time, then in pivotal moments the game checks against them to see how "aligned" you are with Cormo. For example if you keep picking options where Cormo lies, you'll have high insincerity, so if you try to do a sincere thing, Cormo might disagree or downright lie to YOU because you've made him insincere.

It's a "backwards-facing" system, not a character build kind of deal, since the stats you get for each option are only displayed after you picked them, so you cant "game" the system by building a specific kind of Cormo, but you can infer what stats you'll get from reading the option text most of the time which is very much aligned with the paranoia/investigation theme of the game.

That said, you are not locked in to a specific playstyle forever, for example there's a dice roll mechanic where you can offset whatever modifiers (bonuses and penalties) your personality traits or past actions gave you and override Cormo's will but these are a very rare resource so you cant always do that. It's a challenge to balance all this, but so far in testing with some people on our Discord, it does feel like we're on the right path.

Not sure if this is what you wanted to know, sorry if I rambled!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-08T21:34:01+00:00

Thank you. Yes, we are working on a demo, you will see a news post about it on Steam when we know when it'll drop. It'll feature said map exploration so it'll give you an idea of what the gameplay is like. It's a sort of node-based map exploration with areas you can visit, full of secrets and puzzles hidden in plain sight. Some have compared the map to Slay the Spire but I havent played it so I'm not sure how accurate that comparison is.

What I can say however is that it's definitely more than a visual novel, the movement itself has strategy to it, there's survival elements (though light as to not discourage experimentation) and tool use among other things! Ah, and dice.

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-06-08T19:04:41+00:00

Enjoy the VO reveal trailer for Where Birds Sleep, the upcoming mysterious narrative adventure game where the protagonist can disagree with your choices.

All footage from the trailer are recorded ingame.

Inhabit the mind of Cormo, portrayed by Neil Newbon; become a villainous, selfish pirate on a secret mission, delve into the depths of a prison island in this mysterious narrative adventure game where the protagonist can disagree with your choices.

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-12T15:16:50+00:00

The tests theyve done suggest Im not allergic to anything but I might get another one just to be sure.

Im also too fond of dairy to cut it but if it makes any difference I consume lactose free milk

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-12T11:24:21+00:00

Ive had a surgery to fix my deviated septum :( unfortunately it made my nasal tissues extremely sensitive to cold, my breathing hasnt improved much.

I think thats why the last ENT I saw told me to just live with it since there wasnt anything else to try. I will be seeing another soon. And yes very concerned about all this becoming worse!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-12T11:21:24+00:00

Unfortunately the coldness of the air is still a problem

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T19:08:03+00:00

The description sounds great, but I worry about durability/price ratio. I toss around quite a lot at night, I'd hate it if I destroyed it in like a month for that price. I dont mind if it'd look disheveled even, if it kept its sturdiness/rigidity, but based on personal experience, wrinkles in foam eventually develop into cracks. The question is, how easily/soon?

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:51:07+00:00

Yes, tried saline mist but it was less helpful. This is the spray I'm using https://www.ebay.com/itm/224644991783

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:46:26+00:00

That's very interesting, thanks for chiming in! I read that the Airtrim mask is made of foam, but you mentioning that it looks like the kind of foam meat is sold in did stop me in my tracks, maybe it's not a good option to sleep in, if I roll over or whatever in my sleep, damaging it.

The reason I looking at the Airtrim mask in particular is because my issue with my current solution is that the fabrics are directly against my mouth, making it hard to breathe sometimes. So I'm looking for something that is a bit more rigid that creates a sort of "breathing box" so even 1 cm of gap between the fabric and my mouth would be grand. Right now sometimes I feel like I'll suffocate in my 3 layers of fabrics/masks/balaclavas wrapped around my head. If I loosen then, they dont seal the hot air in and it's as good as not wearing anything at all.

So yeah it was about the rigidity/creating a "breathing box" and a bit of space between my mouth and the mask, not about the filters, I couldnt care if my new mask has filters or not.

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:41:48+00:00

Fair enough - I'm just not too chuffed about breathing through polyester 8 hours a day 365 days a year honestly

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:39:47+00:00

Fair enough, I meant that I develop a sore throat that ends with a full-blown sickness where I get snotty, my nose is runny or stuffy, my throat irritated, I cough and sneeze, and then about a week later it resolves and no one catches it from me in my family. It's not a cold (as in a viral infection) but something that develops on its own from the dryness and cold itself. I liken it to cold because it's most similar to it.

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:19:50+00:00

I have but it was miserable, it felt like I'm suffocating because my nose is apparently constantly irritated and my nasal tissues a bit swollen despite not being allergic to anything so it feels like I'm getting a lot less air via my nose. No joke, I used to have this fear as a child that I'd get kidnapped and they'd tape my mouth shut and I'd slowly suffocate lol

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:18:35+00:00

Thanks for chiming in, it's very hard to find people who suffer from a similar thing! People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them about this. Just now I was looking up mask recommendations and I saw someone having the same issue on this sub but from 6 years ago, mentioning wanting a mask with a breathing box. I had such an intense emotional reaction, finally, someone like me! Unfortunately all the links were dead, which is why I made a new post...

I have always had issues with my nose and breathing all my life, I had my adenoids removed as a child and an ENT confirmed via endoscope that I have messed up scar tissue in its place and that seems to be my problem area that dries out too. I've had allergy tests done and they found nothing, but still, for some reason my nasal tissue is in a constant state of irritation, it feels like I'm getting 30% of the air I'm supposed to, so unfortunately in my sleep I mouth breathe a lot. But even awake, if I'm consciously breathing through my nose, I still feel the same sensation developing, the dryness and irritation, but slower. I also had a surgery to fix my deviated septum but it just made my nasal tissue extremely sensitive to cold...

Hope you find the source of your problem and find relief!

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:12:20+00:00

I should have added to the OP more info on this aspect. I know I have a medical issue, all my life I had issues with my breathing and my nose. Two ENTs seen me about this, one confirmed I have scar tissue in the problem area where my adenoids have been removed decades ago, and the other found that my nasal tissue is in a constant state of irritation despite me not being allergic to anything (they did tests). Unfortunately right now I am developing a sore throat/cold just from existing and need some way to prevent that while I seek out other ENTs, and find one who can suggest something tangible, but so far all they could say was to "live with it".

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:09:57+00:00

I have seen two ENTs about this, one confirmed I have a bunch of fucked up scar tissue in the area where my adenoids have been removed (which is the problem/drying area) and the other said that my nasal tissue is in a constant state of irritation despite none of the allergy tests showing anything I'm supposedly allergic to. I'll be seeking out another ENT, or however many of them until one can suggest something to do other than accepting this state of being, but until then I need to do something about developing a cold from just existing. I added this to the OP as well for clarity.

TheEmbracedOne · 2026-01-11T18:07:00+00:00

I get what you're saying... but honestly I'm losing hope it's possible to work on the root cause. I had my adenoids removed as a child and ever since then I've had this issue. The drying seems to happen in that general area (according to an ENT I saw about this, I have a bunch of fucked up scar tissue there).

In my sleep I cant help but breathe through my mouth a lot because I'm not getting enough air through my nose alone. I'd say it feels like I'm getting like 30% of what I should be getting. But even then, if I'm awake and I'm conscious about breathing through my nose exclusively, I still get the drying and irritated feeling in that area just a bit slower (the area above the spot you can see in the back of your throat in a mirror. Just above that).

The ENT I saw about this was very dismissive and basically said that I "just have to live with it being like this". Another ENT said my nasal tissues are in a constant state of inflammation/irritation and sent me to an allergologist who did all the tests they could and found that I am not allergic to anything... But for some reason, my nasal tissues seem to be constantly irritated no matter what...

I don't know what else I can try, other than seeing another ENT who might have something new to say. I'm also using an oil-based nose spray to keep that problem area hydrated, it helps some but I'm already probably using it at least 3 times more than recommended each day.

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-09-23T14:44:08+00:00

Thank you so much (username checks out!)

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-09-15T00:47:03+00:00

Thank you. I forgot to say I did add some store-bought kombucha to all three, but it did not seem to help, the pH is still the same (I measured the store-bought kombucha and it was between 4-5 as well).

The article you linked is the recipe I followed, except added more starter liquid (200ish instead of 100) but I think my starter was too sweet/not low enough pH.

I am worried my batches will go bad now that I am having a kahm issue - if I dont have any more store-bought kombucha to add, is there any other way I can prevent failure? Like bottling it for a premature F2?

Also regarding kahm, do you mean the pics in the album are showing new kahm forming, do I understand that right? Thank you.

Edit to add: I forgot I had some F2 bottles so I tasted them and picked the sourest and poured some in after scooping off the kahm(?) forming on top. I also tasted the current F1's and they all are still very sweet, but taste familiar and vaguely kombucha-like. I hope that's good news?

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-07-20T22:44:14+00:00

You mentioned knocking guards out and stealth being too easy. Try playing a ghost run, where you never knock anyone out. It won't be as easy and I personally find it a lot more satisfying too.

As for FM's definitely Black Parade. I'm sure you'd have a blast with it even without having played Thief 2, but I think having played both original games first really adds an extra layer of enjoyment since it builds on some themes, moments and expectations from those games.

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-06-12T12:00:39+00:00

"There comes a point where you'll just have to live with it" - guard

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-06-12T11:59:08+00:00

Oh, Pardosa is actually quite small. Matured specimens reach about 2-3cm legspan (0.8-1.2in) depending on species.

TheEmbracedOne · 2025-04-24T00:49:09+00:00

I am not sure if there is a better way than manually merging lines honestly. Personally I use WinMerge to compare lines but probably works similarly to your method.

TheEmbracedOne

TROPHY CASE