My Situation

A few months ago I became inspired by the pony community to start creating digital art more seriously and consistently. To do that I’ve been using Procreate on an iPad Pro. For the most part I’ve found this solution to be leagues ahead of other options as far as my use case is concerned; I’ve found that the user interface actually makes sense for use on a touch screen, it performs great, line smoothing works in a way that makes sense for me and it has a lot of niceties that make me reluctant to go elsewhere. Furthermore, the program is available for a very reasonable one time fee. As with most things though, there’s a major catch: Procreate is only available on iOS.

Being forced to use iOS already didn’t feel great as somebody who usually uses Linux, and Apple’s recent decision to implement ID-based age verification in the UK has made using iOS feel even worse. Truthfuly, it’s made using iOS even in this limited capacity unviable. As a result, I needed to find an alternative to both the iPad Pro and Procreate.

On the software side Krita is essentially the only practical choice for me at the moment, so the rest of this article will primarily discuss hardware.

The first potential alternative I’d already tried many years ago was a drawing tablet without a screen. These devices are cheap, plentiful and well supported by Linux. They also reduce neck strain since they enable you to draw while looking at your usual monitor (or so people tell me). However, I find them extremely unintuitive.

I’ve also tried a few Surface devices running Linux; these devices are reasonably cheap, plentiful and a number of older models are well supported. Most recently I’ve owned a Surface Go 2 for a few weeks and while it’ll certainly be my go-to portable Linux art device it’s far from a seamless experience; getting Krita to work correctly requires setting display scaling to 100%, and for some reason the device seems to struggle to handle both the touchscreen and stylus input at the same time (for example Krita will often ignore my multitouch input to rotate the canvas if I’ve been using the stylus shortly beforehand). Krita also recently stopped recognising the eraser built in to the Surface pen for unknown reasons. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Surfaces aren’t particularly powerful devices and will become uncomfortably hot if you’re working with a lot of layers on a high resolution project.

The final device I’ve tried that I think is worth mentioning here is the Daylight Computer, a weird Android tablet with a monochrome RLCD display that’s capable of running Lineage OS and Krita. I want to write about this device more in depth at some point but for now I’ll say it’s by far the best device I’ve ever used for sketching (with the exception of my iPad Pro) due to it’s reflective 120hz screen that helps to cut down on eyestrain while being viable for drawing unlike eink. Although, Krita is very obviously not designed for touch screens, and the build available in F-Droid is quite out of date.

Having tried all of these devices I decided that the best device to replace my iPad Pro that would remedy all of the problems I had with the above solutions would probably be a desktop drawing tablet with a built in display. Believe it or not using these devices on Linux is a bit of a minefield, nevertheless the three main brands do work under Linux with various pros and cons.

The Options

Wacom

Wacom is probably the gold standard for a Linux drawing tablet; they’re well understood devices that have open source drivers included out of the box on most Linux distros.

Unfortunately though these devices are more expensive than the alternatives (though not as expensive as I’d believed at first glance). These devices seem to hold their value surprisingly well too, so you could easily spend a decent amount of money on a device that lacks modern features like HDMI output.

XP-Pen

Another brand of drawing tablets I’ve seen spoken highly of is XP-Pen. The main advantage of these devices over Wacom is that it’s much easier to get a drawing tablet with modern features such as HDMI or even USB-C at an affordable price. They also have proprietary Linux drivers available from the manufacturer and open source drivers available from OpenTabletDriver.

The main disadvantage of this brand of drawing tablet is that it’s not plug-and-play on Linux and the open source driver is somewhat frustrating to get setup and requires Microsoft’s .net framework.

Huion

Huion is another brand of drawing tablets that’s spoken of highly. In short, everything that I wrote above about XP-Pen is also true of Huion.

Kamvas 12 Pro

Ultimately I ended up with a Huion Kamvas 12 Pro, not because I felt it was the best device for my use case (if I ever find a Wacom at a good price I’ll get one of theose) but because I managed to find one in good condition on eBay for £30.

Ultimately I can only say so much about the Kamvas 12 Pro because it’s the first device of its type that I’ve ever used. However, I find the build quality to be decent, the included stand to be useful and versatile, the anti-glare screen useful for reducing eye strain and the USB-C breakout cable useful for keeping everything neat. My only complaint about the device’s hardware is that the spring in the pen’s tip is weirdly off putting coming from an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Overall I’m sure that this device is nothing spectacular, but for £30 I feel like I got the bargain of a lifetime.

As far as Linux support is concerned the Kamvas 12 Pro can be said to mostly function as intended. The main caveat is that the built in touchbar and adjusting display settings, such as brightness and contrast, aren’t supported using the open source drivers. The open source drivers being clunky to use and depending on .net is another huge blow too. Another problem I’ve found is that pen pressure doesn’t work in Clip Studio Paint V2 running through Wine, though V5 seems to work fine. I’m sure that the proprietary drivers would work better but I refuse to use them. Finally, I’ve found that the Huion tablet needs to be connected to my computer at boot in order to work, and if I change my display settings or disconnect the device it stops working until next reboot. Again, I’m sure that the proprietary drivers would fix this.

Despite all this, I’m able to use Krita without much issue and have created a few art pieces using this setup in conjunction with my Daylight Computer.

While the Kamvas 12 definitely does what I want it to do for the time being I’ll definitely be on the lookout for an affordable Wacom tablet, the improved Linux support and reduced alone would be worth the money in my view.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a drawing tablet for Linux and you’re not on a tight budget I’d suggest getting a Wacom, otherwise it seems that most of the major brands will work despite being far from “plug-and-play”

TW: This blog posts contains discussions of hypnosis in a non-kink setting, potentially dangerous practices in the hypnosis community, consent and a brief and non-specific mention of food and dieting.

tl;dr: hypnosis file creators often don’t have transcripts or a list of triggers and hypnotic suggestions available for their files. These are important features that enable the listener to make safe and informed choices.

This blog post isn’t intended to accuse anyone of wilful wrongdoing or to direct hostility towards any groups or individual artists. Rather my intention is to highlight a common and potentially dangerous oversight in the hypnosis community.

I’ve made the choice not to mention any specific groups or creators in this blog post but I still feel it important to mention that I don’t have any ill will against any of the hypnotists I’ve engaged with nor their files. If you decide to engage with any hypnotists after reading this blog post please be constructive and excellent, especially if you happen to know any of the groups I’m referring to specifically.

An oversight doesn’t make a bad person or group.

Making Online Hypnosis Safer

I’ve personally been interested in hypnosis for almost as long as I’ve had unsupervised internet access. Some of my first memories of the internet are of me staying up entirely too late listening to the fantasy hypnosis files on YouTube offered by one of the more prevalent hypnosis channels of the time.

For the most part these experiences with hypnosis were constructive; they offered me a fun way to relax and left me with a lifelong interest in a fascinating subject. These experiences also no doubt helped in my journey of self-discovery (avidly listening to MTF hypnosis is one of the earliest memories of gender divergence I can recall).

Unfortunately though, these early experiences with hypnosis were potentially unsafe, and some safeguards to mitigate that were much needed.

This glaring problem came back into my mind yesterday while I was listening to some hypnosis files that I remember from my childhood that were designed to make you feel as though you’re a specific species in both body and mind.

For the most part I found the experience relaxing and therapeutic. Unfortunately though I found one suggestion quite upsetting: a suggestion designed to make you desire generically healthy food more in line with what that species would eat alongside your usual diet. I’m sure that the author meant well well when including this suggestion but unfortunately food is a potential trigger for some people and a forewarning in the file’s description would have helped with this.

So how can hypnosis authors authors help to keep their listeners safe?

One major issue with many of the hypnosis files that you’ll find on the internet is that transcripts are not available for them. This means that a listener is unable to know exactly what’s in any given hypnosis file before they actually listen to it.

It’s certainly possible that somebody could investigate a hypnosis file by listening to the file first in a “dry run” (i.e: listening to the file without entering trance), but that puts the onus on the listener to ensure their own safety, and there’s every incentive for the average listener to skip doing this (especially since some hypnosis files can extremely long, the one I listened to recently was 40 minutes long, for example).

Though, I do understand that there exist barriers preventing every hypnosis file from having a transcript, even if it would be better if they did.

For example, some hypnosis files are ad-libbed by their author, or the script used to produce the file have been lost to time. In that case a providing transcript for the file would be a lot of additional labour for the hypnotist.

Regardless of whether a transcript can or can’t be included a list of triggers and hypnotic suggestions included in the file is still important. That is, a list of what the file aims to do to you and a list of potentially triggering subjects covered in the file. The latter being important even for people who intend to do a “dry run” first.

Such lists would enable people to make sure that they’re comfortable with the contents of the file and everything it will try to do to them, and that their experience with hypnosis is safe, sane and consensual.

Even though somebody can’t be hypnotised against their will, and can actively reject hypnotic suggestions, it’s also true that hypnosis is a very vulnerable state for a person to be in. This makes safeguards all the more important.

To use the previously mentioned species transformation file as an example: the file would be much safer if it included a list of all the physical changes it suggests and the mental changes it makes (i.e: a desire to engage in certain behaviours typical of that species and installing a trigger to make you fall into a trance when it’s safe to do so) and that these suggestions are activated and deactivated with a phrase that the listener can say to themselves. The file should have also included a specific trigger warning mentioning that it includes suggestions around food.

I’m also aware that other similar files attempt to change your personality with both positive and negative traits. This is fine for a consenting adult looking for a highly immersive experience, but specific details about this absolutely need to be provided to the listener before they engage with the experience.

I’m sure that most people creating hypnosis files don’t mean any harm. Furthermore, many people creating hypnosis files actually do include transcripts and a list of suggestions (I’ve come across a number of great files like this myself!). But unfortunately oversights tend to be self-perpetuating. People uploading files without transcripts and a suggestion list leads other people to believe that not providing these important safety features is normal, and that providing them is abnormal.

I myself even have experiences of being chastised by members of the hypnosis community for asking for these safeguards so I could make a safe, sane and consensual choice about whether I should listen to a file.

Ultimately, if hypnosis implemented some extremely important safeguards, and their listeners asked for them, then hypnosis would be more enjoyable and safer for all of us.

One of the more curious aspects of 28 Days Later is that, despite the apocalypse in this film being caused by an apparent zombie virus, the film’s director has nevertheless stated that this film is categorically not a zombie movie.

George Romero, perhaps the most influential director in this genre, has made similar assertions about his “zombie” films.

In 28 Days Later we see survivors from all walks of life: everypeoeple to experienced military personnel. We see them adopting various ideologies and swinging between the poles of hope and despair after having the world they know ripped away from them. In this new world the unconscionable becomes commonplace, yet hope might still be attainable.

The zombies in 28 Days Later are replaceable; this film could be about an atom bomb blast or an AI uprising and it would be much the same. The humans however, cannot be replaced. In fact, the zombies in 28 Days Later are a representation of humanity, not in contrast to it.

Other examples of zombie films without a primary focus on zombies exist too:

Train to Busan is one such example, and one of my personal favourite zombie films. While this film is much denser with zombie imagery and action set pieces than 28 Days Later that isn’t my reason for enjoying it, nor it’s main feature as a film.

Instead I believe that Train to Busan is so compelling due to it’s characters. For example, the main character is a man who has to redeem his relationship with his daughter.

Also the film has trains!

Even a satire of the genre like Shaun of the Dead doesn’t place it’s entire focus on zombies. Instead, it’s a film about a man faced with the opportunity escape a dead end situation in his life through the apocalypse.

The zombies in Shaun of the Dead are pretty typical zombies that the film doesn’t take much time to satirise. What’s being satirised here is humanity.

I’d like the conclusion of this blog post to be a recipe for making a compelling zombie film. While blood, gore and fright all have their place they rarely serve as the main focus for the most enduring zombie films. Instead, the zombie apocalypse usually serves as the backdrop for something far more profound and real than the living dead: humanity.

A few weeks ago a new collection of games started to be released: Season 2. Season 2 is half the size of Season 1 at a size of 12 games (and one strange video thing) and also isn’t free at a price of $39. However. 12 games for $39 is still potentially a steal if said games are good.

So, on this page I want to go through every Season 2 game and write two or three spoiler-free paragraphs about what I think of each game and hopefully determine by the end whether Season 2 is worth it.

Also be sure to keep checking back (or follow my socials!) since this page will be updated as I continue to review Season 2 games!

Dig Dig Dino

Dig Dig Dino is, as the name implies, a puzzle game about digging up dinosaur bones. To do this you must clear dirt and rocks on a grid using a variety of tools. In addition to dinosaur bones you’ll also find artefacts, gems and more! You’ll have to be careful though since the game only provides you with a limited amount of energy to dig with!

Eventually you’ll be able to upgrade your tools and energy in order to dig deeper and for longer, which is an extremely satisfying process! You can also unlock a dog that locates dinosaur bones for you, how cool is that!?

This game strongly reminds me of Season 1’s Pick Pack Pup since both of these puzzle games feature quirky furry characters, both have you working on a grid, both have a quirky sense of humor and of course both have an alliterative title (also both games have socially progressive subtext, which is much appreciated!).

The thing that sticks out most to me about Dig Dig Dino is how relaxed it is; the game never demands that you make a move quickly, and in fact doesn’t even have win-loose conditions, the worst that can happen is that that you can accidentally destroy something that you wanted to collect with a bomb or you can run out of energy before unearthing something. While it might seem that this would make the game uninteresting, I think that the gameplay loop of finding new items and upgrading your tools is interesting enough on its own. I even liked this game enough to 100% it, though I’m not sure that I’d want to 100% the game again due to the aforementioned lack of challenge. But if you’re looking for a Playdate game to play while you’re doing something else or just want to relax then it doesn’t get much better than this.

Tl;dr

You can now access a version of this website on the Playdate using the Constellation Browser at the following URL:

https://immychan.neocities.org/index.json

An Introduction to the Playdate

The PlayDate is an interesting handheld gaming device by Panic that was released in 2022 to a warm reception. It has a 1-bit non-backlit monochrome memory lcd display, 16mb of ram, a low powered ARM cpu, limited input options in the form of a d-pad and two face buttons and, perhaps most iconically, a crank! All of this is housed in an adorably pocketable and delightfully bright yellow case designed by Teenage Engineering. I’ve seen the Playdate fittingly described as a “retro-futuristic Gameboy” (although I find that the child-like wonder of using the Playdate brings me back to the quirky games and hardware of Nintendo’s DS, specifically the DSi and 3DS).

Naturally, the Playdate’s hardware constraints, general niche appeal and the relative ease of developing games for the device has given rise to a lot of quirky and innovative games. Some of my personal favourites include P-Racing, Pullfrog Deluxe and Pick Pack Pup.

Oh, and you can now access this website using the Playdate.

Wait What!?

Obviously a tiny 1-bit display, a low powered ARM cpu, limited input options and only 16mb of ram doesn’t make for an ideal web browsing experience, which is where the Constellation Browser comes in.

the Constellation Browser is a custom web browser for the Playdate that enables you to view bespoke web pages (“Particle websites”) designed for the browser. These pages forgo the usual trappings of modern websites (i.e: javascript, cookies and other unnecessary bloat) and are instead simple json files capable of delivering text, images, links and simple animations. The Constellation Browser does not support traditional HTML pages.

So far there are only an extremely limited number of pages available for the Constellation Browser. There are currently 6 pages listed in the official Constellation Browser directory (including this one!), making for a total of 7 pages (although it’s possible there are more that aren’t listed). Despite the small number of pages I’ve thoroughly enjoyed browsing the ones that are available and would favourably compare the experience to browsing Gopher or Gemini (for those who haven’t used these web protocols they encourage pages created by individual users, which often contain fascinating and niche information, and link-hopping, which makes for an experience that is very different to the usual modern web, which is dominated by a handful of pages that serve you content related to things that you’re already interested in). Hopefully the total number of pages available will increase in time.

How Do I Create my own Particle Website?

Thankfully creating your own page for the Constellation Browser is extremely easy, all you need is two things:

• A json file that the Constellation Browser can read (these are so easy to create that I was able to do so by copy and pasting from the example json provided on the Constellation browser web page)

• A place to host the json file (Personally I use Neocities though other options exist, you could even spin up your own server and provide your own URL!)

and that’s it. Unlike Gopher or Gemini no special software is required to create a page accessible from the Constellation Browser. If you already have a website then it’s perfect for hosting a Constellation browser page without any further modification! This also means that you can host using services such as Neocities, which don’t enable you to host Gemini or Gopher pages.

You can also send Pablo (the developer of Constellation Browser) and email and they’ll add your web page to the aforementioned official directory. I also plan to create a similar directory on the Constellation Browser version of my website.

For more information about creating a page for the Constellation Browser see their documentation.

But What if I Don’t Have a Playdate?

Unfortunately the Constellation browser is exclusive to the Playdate at present. While I understand that this exclusivity lends a certain comfy vibe to the pages accessible through the Constellation Browser it’d still be nice to see a desktop version of the software (and perhaps a version of the browser for other devices, perhaps other consoles?).

However, according to the Constellation Browser documentation it’s still possible to access Constellation browser pages using a Playdate emulator on a PC, though I haven’t confirmed this myself yet.

Conclusion

Without a doubt the Constellation browser is an extremely interesting project and one of the most novel uses of the Playdate I’ve seen to date.

While I am of course biased towards any small web projects I can still say that this one is worth your time; check out the Constellation browser and spin up your own page if you’re able!

Thanks to the developers of this awesome project!

You can check out my Constellation browser page here: https://immychan.neocities.org/index.json

Also, if you’re interested in Playdate stuff stay tuned because I plan to make some short reviews of Playdate games and possibly cover more subjects related to this adorable little device (also I plan to create a hub where you can quickly access everything Playdate related on the version of this page for the Constellation Browser!)