iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The only problem is now I want *more*. 😭 (Maybe I'll just have to read the books...) Does anyone have any recommendations for other shows, movies, books, games, anything with similar themes featuring an autistic main character?

I have no words to describe how it felt to see someone like me be loved and accepted and, in many instances, *accommodated* by his friends and family. I absolutely bawled like a baby at the end of the season. Someone actually acknowledging the trauma they unintentionally caused... wow. So cathartic.

But I noticed. I saw so much of myself in Shane. And there are such obvious parallels between hiding your sexuality and masking autism. Both involve suppressing who you are to become a sanitized, more "palatable" version of yourself. I wish the show could dive into that intersection more...

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Ani ✨🐈‍⬛ @anigramsproductions.com · 21/01/2026

Finally watched "Heated Rivalry" for the autism representation, and fwiw, they did a great job! I've never seen a genuine depiction of an undiagnosed/late-diagnosed high-masking autistic adult before - and like real high-masking autism, it was so subtle, I bet most people didn't even notice.

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Ah, yes, the eternal struggle of AuDHD. 😵‍💫 I was diagnosed last year after being convinced I couldn't have autism for many years. Being a woman and/or growing up without being diagnosed can affect how autism and ADHD present themselves, too. I hope you're able to find the answers you're looking for!

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arimia @arimiadev.com · 05/01/2026

Otome Games Celebration, the only Steam festival just for otome games, is coming back this May! If you have an otome game released or upcoming on Steam, sign up now—submissions close January 28th. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

docs.google.com

Otome Games Celebration - Steam Festival Sign Up

This is a form for otome developers & publishers who want to join the 2nd otome games Steam festival from May 4-11th 2026. The event is hosted by Arimia from Crystal Game Works and you can read how th...

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LEMONPOPPYSEEDGAMES 🍋🌷🌱🎮 @lemonpoppyseed.games · 30/12/2025

Hope Jam starts this Friday! lemonpoppyseed.games/hope-jam I will be discussing how to build hope and answering your questions with FletchMakes that day at 9 AM Eastern! Link below: twitch.tv/fletchmakes

lemonpoppyseed.games

HOPE JAM

A hope-building event lasting from Jan 2-Jan 19!

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Dora B @heyitsdora.com · 30/12/2025

People get hung up on "I don't know how to write a good review" but honestly you don't need paragraphs of analysis and observations. Don't compare yourself to a journalist. "I loved it!" or "I had fun" are equally valid reviews, AND matter just as much to the Steam algorithm to support game devs!

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AFNarratives @afnarratives.blacksky.app · 27/12/2025

With all the new #gamedev peeps on Bluesky you should check out all these Black Femme Game Developers while you're here!!! go.bsky.app/88aYGTF

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arimia @arimiadev.com · 24/12/2025

anyway, if you're looking for devs to follow, go.bsky.app/TQDmuak

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freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Git is a powerful version control system that many devs use to track changes to their projects. GitHub is a platform that lets you collaborate on & share your code. In this course, Sumit teaches you they work + merging, branching, pull requests, and lots more. www.freecodecamp.org/news/git-and...

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Alexis Royce @alexisroyce.ink · 01/12/2025

Sam Kabo Ashwell's "Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games" is a clear ans satisfying list of design patterns in narrative games. I'll mention some of my favorites below, but if you make interactive narratives, which structures have you used? heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/s...

heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com

Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games

When I was analysing the structures of CYOA works a few years back, I began to recognise some strong recurring design patterns. I came up with some home-brewed terminology, but didn’t ever la…

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Altila @altilaaa.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

I participated in a #NoveJamID2025 in November. It's an internal game jam for Indonesian #vndev. This year, all the entries are in English. You can check the entries out here: itch.io/jam/novejam2... Some entries are still unindexed, so plays/downloads are appreciated! Thank you! #indiegamedev

itch.io

Submissions to Novejam 2025

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Altila @altilaaa.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Oh, right. I have some sprite #2dassets for #visualnovel itch.io/c/4772084/as... #vndev

itch.io

Assets by Altila - Collection by Altila

A collection by Altila

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TuffMallow @tuffmallow.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Yesssss! A Simple Twist of Fae is participating in Itch's Black Friday sale! I'm super hyped to show up and show out with 40% off until the sale ends! Grab a copy and share the fae shenanigans with friends! tuffmallow.itch.io/a-simple-twi...

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Studio Élan @vnstudioelan.com · 30/11/2025

As part of the @itchio.bsky.social Creator Day sale, you can pick up a bundle featuring ALL of our yuri visual novels for just $75 - that's 40% off! Each game is also 25% off individually if you're just looking to pick up one or two. Grab the bundle here: itch.io/s/171108/bla...

An image showing all the games featured in a black friday sales event

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Ani ✨🐈‍⬛ @anigramsproductions.com · 28/11/2025

What I'm thankful for this year: This is Selkie. She had a rough time at the shelter and is a little shy, but I hope we'll become good friends. 🥹

A small brown tabby cat with a cute face and big, round, golden eyes.

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Studio Ephua 🦋 Play SOLOMANIA on Itch.io! @studioephua.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Introducing the Choose Wisely Festival 💫 We’re returning to our first love, to host a free digital festival celebrating branching narrative games. Join us on Steam from Dec 8-15 along with 250+ indie darling studios featuring 390+ curated titles where your choices do matter. #ChooseWiselyFestival

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✿ Joy ✿ @flowersforjoy.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

It's the most wonderful time of the year~ no, not Christmas, silly. #PolyJamorous2025 ! ✨ Let's celebrate polyamorous romance together, jam runs from Nov 1st-Feb 14th 🩷 Credit to @reclusedreamer.bsky.social for the stunning artwork! itch.io/jam/polyjamo...

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Teharra Rose *Game Jam Enthusiast* @teharrarose.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

We’ve got 33 people jamming in #AVeryHallmarkGameJam — amazing! A bunch of folks are looking for winter/holiday game assets, so if you know any good FREE or affordable packs, please drop them in the Discord! 👉 Join the server: discord.gg/6Xsk8nSY Any help is appreciated!

discord.gg

Join the The Rose Garden Discord Server!

Check out the The Rose Garden community on Discord - hang out with 40 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

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Amare Games @amaregames.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Issue 49 of the Amare bulletin is out now! 🎉 In the bulletin, we track Amare game launches, releases, announcements, and other related news. Follow the link to check it out now! #AmareGame #Amare #OtomeGame #Otome #visualnovel #InteractiveFiction amaregames.itch.io/amare-news-b...

amaregames.itch.io

Issue 49 Release (Nov 1 - Nov 15)

Hello everyone! Issue #49 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉 As mid-November settles in and the end of the year peeks over the horizon, the Amare scene keeps delivering a mix of cosy comforts and...

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Spoiler: Atsu totally gave me Joel from The Last of Us vibes, especially towards the end. Broken by violence, embraced violence to survive, but finds new purpose in family. Love it! Give me 100 more games about beautiful, broken, badass women learning to love and be loved!

Atsu makes peace with her wolf companion, saying "My hunt is over," as she embraces a new future she never thought she'd have.

I make the comparison to Assassin's Creed Shadows not only because Atsu and Naoe have similar stories, but because they're structured similarly, with different assassination targets that each have their own mini story arc. I enjoyed Shadows, but it didn't keep me invested in Naoe's story.

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In case anyone was curious (no one was), I had a blast playing Ghost of Yōtei! Story wasn't quite as good as Ghost of Tsushima, in my opinion, but definitely way more compelling than AC: Shadows, another big open-world game set in Japan about a woman avenging her family released earlier this year.

Atsu cleans blood off her sword in Ghost of Yotei.

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Studio Élan @vnstudioelan.com · 10/11/2025

Which one are you? I'm definitely the one asking, "You guys are finishing games?" 😂 Every time I see someone post on my feed about a new game they're releasing, I'm like, "Wow, how did you do that?!" while I think about how I haven't released a real game in 15 years. 😭

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always a good day to leave reviews on the games you play

Let's leave reviews for visual novels together

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crescence @crescence-studio.itch.io · 10/11/2025

Indie VN Dev Secret Santa is BACK ‼️🎁 Doesn't matter if the year sucks, we will persevere and have fun and share the WHIMSY ❄️🤍 It's been cracked and cute every year we've had it, and this year will be NO EXCEPTION. Form closes in a week! ❄️ link: forms.gle/79r5TbxPtx8N... ❄️ repost to share the word

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arimia @arimiadev.com · 08/11/2025

I feel like devs would feel more comfortable "marketing" their games if they realized it's just *talking*. you're literally just finding ways to communicate with others about your game. how do you explain the game to them? what key art best represents it? are there any events it'd fit in? that's it

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tenshideve @tenshideve.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

If you are an artist, writer or composer in #vndev, please verify the capability of your programmer, especially if they are using a non-VN game engine such as Unity/Godot! Check their Itch page for what they've made with the engine OR (1/3) #indieotome #indiedev #amare

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Just Write Studios @just-write-studios.itch.io · 07/11/2025

NEW #DEVLOG, THE DARK SOULS OF NARRATIVE DESIGN ✍️🔥 Character #writing in a branching game! 🔀My methods + script excerpts! 🎨 Final #art style progress, memes & more! 🪵 Beeg updates on development! ❤️‍🔥Read it here: just-write-studios.itch.io/catalyst-bli... #indiegamedev #vndev #horror #gamedesign

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Ashley Cooper @ashleycooper.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Two hours in and closing in on $800 raised for SickKids! Drop in, say hi to Pancake (and me, I guess) and donate to a good cause! Watch: www.twitch.tv/AshleyVersus Donate: www.extra-life.org/participants...

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Qweerty Gamers @qweertygamers.org · 04/11/2025

🎮✨ Join Qweerty Gamers and Beyond-FX as we team up to raise money for Extra Life! 🌈💪 Tune in this Friday November 7th at 7 PM PST to catch our CEO Ray playing Voyagers of Nera. Come hang out, support a great cause, and help us make a difference — one game at a time! 💫

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Ani ✨🐈‍⬛ @anigramsproductions.com · 03/11/2025

Same with my free game. That's how you know they're just stupid bots. 😂 They'll stop after a couple months.