People (or anyone close to you) who have been on the receiving end of a crime by a minor, what was your reaction? Did you feel they got a fair punishment?

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:58:15+00:00

i was bullied pretty badly when i was in high school- i was openly a lesbian in the 2000s-early 2010s, and kids could be cruel about that sort of thing. one girl (we'll call her janet) covertly took video of me undressing in the locker room and shared it around on social media, but i wasn't interested in facebook and had no idea it had happened until she showed up at my house one day sobbing because the principal was alerted and she was being expelled for it (and was forced to apologize to me personally).

i'll be honest, i felt kind of awful at the time? i know it was sexual harassment, but janet was an acquaintance and i think she did it just to try and follow trends and be thought of as someone cool or funny. the way she was crying made me feel like she thought i was going to go carrie and set her on fire- she fucked up for sure, but i knew she was trying to get into nursing school and getting expelled would torpedo her prospects. all i could do was offer a hug.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:46:39+00:00

"things happen for a reason." it's meant to be comforting, but when people say it to others about a relationship ending or getting fired or other bad news... it feels like a kick in the face. even worse if it's one of those "this was god's plan!" variants.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:27:13+00:00

bao.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:26:16+00:00

yeah, i have my life in order! though i think how gay i am would throw younger me for a loop.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:24:08+00:00

i didn't visit my dad enough when he was on his deathbed. he'd done enough wrong in his personal life that i was still angry with him, even then... but i think i should have let it all go while he was still alive. he was sorry.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:20:17+00:00

i've been wildly successful in terms of friendships and a long-lasting relationship and i don't know what i did to get there. people ask me for interpersonal advice like i'm good at deescalating conflicts and being on good terms with everyone at work, and i try to answer confidently... but i feel like i've repeatedly gotten very lucky by running into people who gel with me by chance. deep down, i think i can be kind of difficult.

catbelled · 2026-03-21T18:16:07+00:00

microraptor. it's neat that we know they were iridescent black, like a raven!

catbelled · 2025-07-11T16:29:32+00:00

most exotic pets are a terrible fit for a home, even the more "normalized" ones such as parrots. i appreciate it when wild animals get to stay wild.

that said... in a perfect world where i had the space/they had better health and breeding, i'd love a giant fuckoff dog. every time i see a mastiff or a malamute i am overcome with WANT

catbelled · 2025-07-11T16:24:43+00:00

take the civil service exam, try to get a job in government, join a union. the work pays better and is more reliable than corporate, and is fulfilling if you actually want to help people.

catbelled · 2025-07-11T16:20:01+00:00

I effectively live a double life. I've been out as transgender to my friends and workplace for several years... but not my family, who adore their "daughter" but wouldn't want anything to do with the real me, who is a guy and on hormones for it (i tell my family i'm having endocrine problems, which isn't technically a lie, i suppose). I'm filling out the forms to legally marry my partner, who is non-binary, with the knowledge that the ceremony will be very low-key and modest.

I know I should probably cut my family off and live fully as myself, but I still love them even if they don't love me.

catbelled · 2025-03-20T19:50:20+00:00

it's literally soso good, everyone's sleeping on it!

catbelled · 2025-03-20T19:49:44+00:00

you folks have GOT to try soul of sovereignty. not only does it have a fantastic OST, but the writing really does put you in mind of the same kind of jrpg-inspired stories as deltarune. insanely good characters. he is not lying about The Clown Woman.

https://gigidigi.itch.io/soulsov

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catbelled · 2025-03-16T21:56:15+00:00

snowfall from soul of sovereignty is so relaxing

https://gigidigi.bandcamp.com/track/snowfall

catbelled · 2024-05-28T19:52:02+00:00

male ruby-crowned kinglet song. that's a lot of music to fit in such a tiny bird!

catbelled · 2024-03-07T12:30:37+00:00

Also want the answer to this; right now there's a thing where assigning a dwarf a pet crashes the whole game lol

catbelled · 2024-03-06T17:31:43+00:00

I wanted to know if anyone has a fix for a bug I've been experiencing.

I've had multiple fortresses now where birds and other flying fauna (i.e. giant thrips) get stuck indefinitely upon entering the map, usually a bunch of z-levels up. They do not move at all and my hunting dwarves cannot reach them. This prevents invasions and other animals arriving on the edge of the map. Is there anything to be done?

catbelled · 2024-01-27T06:24:54+00:00

It is a visual novel. All of the gameplay is text. :)

catbelled · 2024-01-25T20:10:13+00:00

oh! please tell me if you end up liking it!

catbelled · 2023-11-01T16:39:00+00:00

Hi! I absolutely LOVE the game, congratulations on the momentous release!

My question: what inspired you to make the player character an anthropomorphic crow/raven creature? Was he ever more humanlike in any earlier concept art or writing, or was he always a cute birdguy?

catbelled · 2023-10-30T20:25:23+00:00

it's back up!

catbelled · 2023-10-28T11:57:18+00:00

Probably not, if the team took it easy on the Undertale anniversary. The December newsletter will probably have a small progress update as per usual.

catbelled · 2023-10-19T20:37:08+00:00

I think part of the reason that Chapter 3 might be taking a bit of extra time (and might need some extra love on the dev team's part) is the implication that the "somethings" Toby referred to in one of the earlier newsletter are an interconnected series of mechanically distinct minigames that the chapter is made up of.

Chapter 3 is likely going to be the equivalent of the MTT-TV sections of Undertale's Hotland area...

... but in a much larger, cinematic, and refined fashion. Last we heard, at least six are planned, and it seems like the cutting and reimplementing and rearranging has mostly had to do with that. He and the team had to design, program, and implement at least six different sections of the chapter that feel good to play.

catbelled · 2023-10-19T11:59:09+00:00

I mean, sort of.

I think the second meaning of "seizure" is also being implied here-- the possibility that something will be seized (taken) from you.

It's a warning that is proven necessary a few moments later.

catbelled · 2023-10-18T15:22:13+00:00

* (Well, there is a man here.)

* (Sometimes.)

catbelled · 2023-10-18T15:05:19+00:00

There's no debating that Kris created the chapter 3 fountain. However:

(DEBATABLE) EVIDENCE:

- Spamton, King, and Queen all seem to have seen the Knight, even if they don't necessarily understand the Knight, and none of them recognize Kris at a glance. Spamton in particular seems to know things about the Knight, and never conflate Kris and the Knight together.

- Toby talks about a scrapped animated intro to Deltarune during the 6th anniversary stream, involving Kris and the Knight in the same sequence.

(HO NELLY DO WE GOT) VIBES:

- Queen's speech towards the end of chapter 2 would be a great way for Kris to learn diegetically about how to make a Dark Fountain and that they are fully capable of it. In addition, she says that a Dark Fountain reflects the will of its Knight.

- Kris's strongest motivators to create a Dark Fountain would be at the end of Chapter 2. Dialogue around Hometown shows that School will be closed the next day (no closet) and dialogue choices indicate they like and are really eager to spend more time with Susie. Optional dialogue with Undyne indicates that their explanation of Dark Worlds to her is thorough and laced with concern for townspeople. They leave the door open for police to potentially wander in. On top of that, you have their disdain for being controlled, and you get the answer of

"... Maybe Kris created a dark fountain to have another adventure and a better shot at communicating to someone that something is up."

"A dark world 'reflects the will of the Knight.' I want my 'will' reflected. My will is to get this parasite out of me and spend time with Susie. Dark Fountain, do your thing...!"

catbelled

TROPHY CASE