how have you been, during the spooky season, and late autumn ( or spring, if you're in the southern hemisphere like me ) ?
it was a lot of fun for me, but at the same time, stressful ..
as you might already know, my fluffy life has been released for all platforms ( except for browser, that still needs a lot of bug repairs )
and it was certainly a brave decision to release it so close to the holidays !!
it helped a lot with the sales, but we had so so so so much work to do, one after another, and still are having since xmas is right at the corner ☕️
well, at least the the rest of the year is pretty chill about holidays, so we will be able to focus on regular content, seasons, and other projects that are standing by !

not gonna lie, i'm very excited and happy with our work results, but i do wish we could rest a bit more, and have more time to plan things properly.
as you can imagine, that's why i'm delaying my blog posts a lot .. 🖋
i want to show you fluffies all i have been working on, but then right after finishing one thing i have another one and another + we are pretty assertive about clearing the bug list completely ( and we managed to do so !! but of course new ones always appear with new content, that's okay ) .
so, this post will be LONG, as i not only have lots of stuff to show but also lots to talk about with you ♡

i am grateful for seeing that my fluffy life has reached top 50 on all platforms ( even though it's still so small ??? ) , and perhaps for coincidence, my avatar maker on picrew, and my emojis / stickers / themes on line have also reached the top recently again !!
it makes me feel proud and accomplished that my little game have been opening doors for me and all the poofties projects, for good 🗝
but unfortunately, for bad as well.. just a little bit.

besides needing to work really really hard for being able to fix bugs and release updates frequently, what really drains me is the messages i receive, and i am still learning how i should deal with them ...
thankfully, out of ~50 messages i receive weekly, 49 are genuinely helpful, respectful, supportive, kind and really patient - so of course i want to respond to every single message !
most of them are simply sweet and lovely, others are really useful bug reports, that helps us to make the game better, and i also get wonderful ideas and suggestions.
but, that 1 mean message is what makes things hard and overwhelming. 🩹

i also try to always keep in mind that the majority of the community is not willing to message at all, but still appreciate my work. i see many active players daily who i haven't talked to even once, and it makes my heart flutter with the thought of how many smiles i have bring, that i couldn't see !!

our community is small and very selected, bringing together people who have specific interests ( not very common interests ) and who love kindness, self care, and personal growth. that, certainly helps keeping things enjoyable & healthy, so i rarely have a hard time moderating inside the game itself ( which makes me more motivated to grow the interactivity and work on different projects that bring us together !! )
but mean people always appear out of nowhere, when you publish your project in a way that can reach people from outside your perfect little safe space. 🏠
now : is it worth the stress ? depends.

luckily, for the game being paid and strictly cared for ( you can easily block players and report them ) even those rude people don't dare being hateful inside the game itself, but only outside it, anonymously. they don't want to be kicked out, it seems ?
i am happy with the decision of making my fluffy life a close space, and if possible, i wanted to make it even safer from people who are not actually interested in those things i mentioned above.. but that's a story for another day !!
( yes i have plans already, and am working torwards them ) 🎀


i have learned a lot during this last month ( it's hard to believe that the game was released only 2 months ago !!!! it seems like forever ) and i am slowly being able to differentiate between a person who is only bothered by an annoying glitch, and someone who is being straight up disrespectful and rude.. !

i learned during the development of the game, that even though i want to make a hundred things at once, i cannot.
many people might not know that, but it's only me and bubu working on it .. and i mean, this is not a real issue. even big games from big companies take forever to update, fix bugs, and give support to the players. so why should i give up on my sanity and well-being for doing the impossible ?
other thing that those few rude people don't think about before disrespecting game developers, is that it is hard, and expensive. it takes multiple months if not years of hard work ( my fluffy life took us about 1 year ) and we have to pay for server bills, data bank, domains, and much more, from our own pockets - monthly. during the development, after the release, forever. 💻

all we ask for is a one-time payment, and most of all, respect.
i am grateful that 99% of the people i encounter are kindred spirits, absolutely lovely, that supports the poofties brand enough so that we can afford to keep all these projects going on !

i decided to give us a break,, not only in the sense of taking days off from time to time ( as every human being deserves ) but also allow ourselves to take more than a few hours to respond to messages, and fix bugs.
with time and experience, the game will become a lot more stable ( it already is, 95% of the bug list is gone, and i haven't received any new complains these last days ) and of course this time of the year is stressful for everyone, because of the holidays, so i am okay with working extra hard for releasing events accordingly ( it means a lot to me, and makes everyone happy too ) !
but i have also been getting more orders for the shy bunny store, i have side projects to work on, and .. a life, personal interests, friends, hobbies 🚲
i believe i am responsible enough for being able to keep up with everything, i try my best to organize my schedule for taking time to everything i want to do, being it once a day, week or month.
the only thing that is stressing me extra is the amount of messages, since the game is growing more & more each week ( which makes me really happy, it is a dream coming true ♡ ) but my weeks don't have more hours in it.
i am taking away my resting time for trying to keep being perfectly prompt, and i shouldn't !! things are not the same as they were years ago, or even months ago. i am the same person, but i have loads of work i didn't have back then.

it's way too easy for me to give up on my own health for trying to please and make others happy, but that isn't right. doing that i don't feel happy, bubu doesn't feel happy, my friends don't feel happy.
i understand perfectly how bothering it is to find glitches on games you like to play, i have played online games my whole life .. and, because of that, i know that people will survive waiting a few days for getting a response to a message.
i will respond to kind messages, suggestions, mild complains, and fix minor bugs, according to my schedule. i will respect my schedule.
i will respect myself. i deserve respect. 🌼

if the issue is serious, i will still try to reply and fix it as soon as i can ( or i would get too anxious about it anyway ) , but i assure you that most of them aren't serious at all, and after responding people even take days to get back to me, if not simply ignoring my messages forever ..
and of course, rude messages won't be responded, at all. i will, obviously, also take their complains into consideration if they are addressing a real issue, that makes sense, that is possible to fix, and is of interest of the majority of the community ( i'm sorry but i can't please everyone, and i won't change the game for something that i personally dislike either ) but i will straight forward ignore their rude words - and i don't care if they give a bad review or try to insult me, my fiancé, my friends, the poofties community, to create drama out of nowhere for trying to "prove their point" and get an angry response from me. this is not okay.

by the way, i would like to understand why is it normalized to give unfair game / app reviews .. and i mean, absolutely everyone gets those kinds of reviews, and i don't get why there is no support for developers to properly deal with these ?
you can answer reviews ( sometimes ) but no one cares if someone is abusing the review feature, even if you report it. no platform care enough about it.
literally every developer has to deal with weird and unfair reviews, and you only start to pay attention once you're one of them .. my fluffy life itself doesn't get so many of these, thankfully, but i started noticing some really horrible things being said on every single game that i like ( that are published on these big platforms ) .
why no one talks about these issues ?
why is it taken as okay to be rude and disrespectful only for the sake of pushing developers to do what users want them to do ? 🌧

i noticed that this situation aggravates proportionally with the reach & scope of the app.
i always refuse unwanted marketing, when it looks like it would reach an audience that is not ideal, because even if that would bring me more sales, it would take away my peace of mind and throw away all the efforts i have put into building a safe & respectful community. ✂️

a perfectly okay functional app has a very small rate of review per active user. within that small number, about 10% are unnecessarily rude. that is what is considered normal, and should be easily ignorable, but is that so ??
and please, i'm not talking about negative reviews that have a point, i'm all about constructive feedback ; but there are so many reviews that are simply inaccurate, or complaining about things that aren't useful for developers, or other users.
for example : "i hate this art style" or "this game is exactly what it shows on the trailer and screenshots, but for some reason i expected a lot more from it and now i'm frustrated" or even comparing small indie games to big games from giant companies !!
at least, as an user, i know that i never really took into consideration those obviously biased reviews, so i don't take them so serious now either.

still : it shouldn't be okay to leave a negative review complaining about a bug, then after the bug has been fixed, the negative review stays there forever, because the person don't care enough to edit.
it shouldn't be okay to say "i want you to add this and that, and fix this and that" even when it has already been done ages ago.
it shouldn't be okay to keep complaining about "lack of content" constantly, forever, in hopes that the developers will work until exhaustion just for pleasing you.

think about going your way to post content online, and there is always one person that is being weirdly cynic and demanding, saying that you must improve fast because they are annoyed, bored, or disappointed.
would you feel happy with it, even if they have a point ? wouldn't that feel disrespectful and unmotivating ?

this is not about "freedom of speech" or being overly sensitive, but simply a matter of being respectful, polite, and making sense. if your review isn't helpful in any way and / or is inaccurate, it should be edited or removed. ✏️
negative reviews are way too normalized, and seem as a way of "pushing" the developers to pay attention to complains and care about the users, but it's actually really unmotivating to know that even when you work your hardest, people will just ignore it and keep their complains there anyway.
you know what is motivating ? when people who actually like your content and genuinely want to see it grow and become better, explain what they already love ( which i must say, is also just as important, so we can give people more of what they like ) & give ideas for improvements, and report bugs, in a respectful and helpful way.


but, although tiring, this is also a really interesting experience to go through .. it really makes you rethink your own expectations, and realize why & for who you are putting time and effort into a project. 💘
no matter how perfect your content is, there will always be people who will hate it and hate you for no reason. it is not worth the stress.
we don't work hard for pleasing random strangers, we work hard for making content that makes us happy, that makes those who we love happy. to make people smile !
those people who are actively supporting and making good use of my content, who care for my work and respect my well-being .. i am so grateful, and i want to do my best for them. ♡


please keep in mind that i'm not complaining about you fluffies who genuinely try to reach me with concerns and important information, in any way !!
when addressed with respect, it is really helpful and necessary for my growth, the game's growth, and the community as a whole. 🖇
basically, keep in mind that text i wrote recently on the q&a about the same subject : i am getting more and more messages with time, that will consequently lead me to take more time to respond, and the need to be more strict on which messages i should respond to begin with.
all i ask for is that people can separate things, and not come at my throat when presented with the slightest discomfort while using one of my products. again : i deserve respect.

when people are annoyed by something while making use of a game, software or platform, there is NO excuse for insulting, being rude, demanding and cynical with the people who are working on it.
the feelings of the users are valid, and their criticism important, but developers are also people and have feelings. they go through a lot of stress when working and especially if they also have to manage support and customer service.
please, just try your best to be understanding and polite with other people 💝

i apologize about my huge ranting .. i really needed to vent about it, and let you know some things that i learned during my new experiences !
isn't that sad how such a low number of rude people can really drain someone's energy ?
on the other hand, i am getting so many wonderful messages .. it's really motivating, and makes everything worth it !!
i have hope that one day i will be able to ignore the unnecessary bad things completely, and only keep close to my heart those who matter.. i will keep going, giving myself time and patience ♡

i'm thinking of ways to better organize things in a way that keeps me safe from worthless stress, but stay aware of what my community wants.
there is not always a way of completly avoiding platforms that you personally dislike, but i'm always trying to find ways of bettering the way i use them so it keeps healthy and bearable. 📱

getting started as an artist, designer and / or developer is hard, social media & gaming platforms help a lot getting started, reaching a initial public and building a community. i recommend using them, but as a temporary solution, not a final goal. they do lead to a lot of unwanted hate, stress, and they also take away your your individuality, freedom of expression, opportunities of growing beyond the reach that they let you get, not to mention that they also can often take away a huge part of your money. it may be convenient, but is it worth it ?
once you grow a little, you will notice the reach getting inconsistent and start feeling the need of spending money to reach a public that should be completely tangible to begin with. it only gets worse the smallest the niche your content is within.
my opinion is : you shouldn't spend too much time and money on a platform that doesn't make you happy & satisfied. if you don't feel like you can trust a platform, if you don't feel safe there, you shouldn't rely your whole work to them.
search for alternatives and solutions, even if that can take years - having a perspective of a better future is truly motivating 🌱

one day, i wish to become free from platforms that make my work harder, to stop needing to rely on them to help me grow ..
for that, me and bubu have been thinking of plans and solutions, that will take some time and investment. we are really willing to reach that one day in the near future !!
i have some other things to tell you about my experiences and decisions for the future, but as i said before : that's a story for another day 🧺


enough of ranting, let's go for the loads of stuff i have to show you !!
of course, we will get started with the my fluffy life halloween event 🎃

this is just a brief view of the scenario and mini games that me and bubu worked hard for releasing in time !
we had only 2 weeks to prepare everything, including the autumn season and the second world area, so we struggled a lot, but managed it somehow ( with lots of bugs, but i'm happy people were patient about it while we went fixing them )
there was lots of cute costumes, candy, and also exclusive stationery !
i was thinking of how i could show you fluffies everything that happens on the game, but then i realized that it would be really messy, hard to organize and keep up with .. 🎁
so, i will just leave you be with a sneak peak on my blog posts, while i work on a proper database page for the my fluffy life website !!
there you will be able to see all items, collectables, worlds, characters, soundtracks, patch notes, everything - organized with a timeline, so you can see how the game is improving with time !! ♡
i hope to get this done by february, since my schedule for january is already full ( and here i was thinking about taking a vacation, but no no .. i will try to take more breaks at least )

for this event i tried to combine a creepy, ghostly & halloween-y aesthetic with the cute, nostalgic & soft aesthetic the game has !
it wasn't as difficult as i thought it would be, actually i had a lot of fun planning things and clashing the dark colors with the pastels.
it turned out just the way i wanted, and i even got to include tiny bits of horror elements to it ( taking extra care not to make things actually scary, so it's still very cute and harmless ) 🦷
i don't know if you fluffies are aware of it, but i'm actually a huge fan of horror ( psychological horror, to be more specific ) , gothic fashion ( especially gothloli ) , and also halloween .. so i have to hold myself back a lot when it comes to these things, heh 🤍
i hope to be able to come back with some gothic furniture and extra cute clothes next year, oh i can't wait !

for helping me working on the frilly, creepy & cute aesthetic, i took inspiration from the works of two artists i admire very much, being one of them a dear friend of mine : babydollesheart ♡
doll released again some coloring pages, and of course i couldn't avoid coloring them as soon as i could download :

security blanket ghosts .. so cute 💟
by the time i colored these i already had came up with 90% of the halloween event costumes, but when choosing the colors & textures, seeing the extra lacey details, it actually gave me ideas for some of the costumes i was working on, or made me come back to add more details to some i had already finished.
i'm really so thankful for the amount of inspiration & motivation that doll has bringed me for such a long time, with one the most stunning and detailed pieces of artwork i have ever seen 🎀
dolls website is also extremely adorable, so please make sure to take a look !!

another artist that gave me inspiration for the concepts was : milkyheart 🥛
their art is absolutely perfect when it comes to mixing cute and haunting motifs, with mixed feelings and lots of imagination !
this is a coloring page that i have downloaded from them, that also helped me get inspired :

coloring it helped me think of clothing options !
sadly i didn't have the time to make full outfits as i wanted to, only a few pieces, and i couldn't actually add blood to my game, since that could be triggering - but i managed to add a little knife there, with a cute ribbon 🔪
also a grim reaper costume ( that looks actually really funny ) + a spider sticker !!
i got a bit scared of triggering people's phobias when adding those elements to the game, that is supposed to be a safe & comforting place to everyone, but thankfully people didn't mind those things a lot.
i wonder if i could make a "trigger warning" setting, to hide some of these things that i want to add but some people may dislike ?
that would be a bit hard to do, but i will consider it to next halloween since i want to be able to go a bit extra with insects, blood and creepy costumes, without bothering players that dislike horror.

now, going for the regular autumn season, that is currently on the game 🧇

again, this is a sneak peak of the actual content that we have worked on !
there we have some seasonal mini games that came with the first "part-time job" mini game, that allows you to make & sell jam for teddycoins. 🍯
it really makes gathering teddycoins quite a lot of fun, compared to the previous mechanics !
i'm excited to make some different job-like mini games that depend of playing other games for making teddycoins .. we also have more ideas of really cool features for the game, but i won't be promising anything because we don't have scheduled dates for them ( just trust me on this one ) 🐌

we also added an interesting concept of "crowd funding" inside the game, for making something together with the community & getting prizes.
this autumn you are asked to donate for helping the cotton-floof villagers to make sweaters to every pooftie until the winter comes. isn't that adorable ? ♡
we have a lot to improve on that system yet, since we realized that some players are super rich and will reach the needed amount in the spam of a few hours .. and everyone deserves a chance to get prizes !
but that's a thing to improve for the next crowd fundings, it is good enough for our first try.

before those events, right after we released my fluffy life, we were working on the poofties account home page , that is a place on the poofties website where you can manage your account and set up integrations with all the projects related :

i think it came out lovely .. 💕
forgive my boldness and lack of modesty for a second,, but i adore how we made what would be just a boring profile settings page, into something adorable.
the concept of dynamic websites that look as cute as my regular static websites fills me with motivation to keep making new things with bubu !!
i'm sorry but i just love working with html so much .. i can't wait to work on other web projects ( we also have to finish the browser version of the game, mhm )

at the moment you don't have a lot of integrations prepared to make use of, but i have a big list of things to work on, and i can only promise that next year will be really exciting !
the most interesting thing you can do on the poofties account integration right now is setting up your virtual collection of felted fluffies, from the shy bunny store.
once you add a felted fluffy code there, you automatically get a stuffie + stickers on the my fluffy life account :

isn't that cool ? you can have your items both in real & virtual life !!
this took us so much time to prepare.. you have no idea how many things went wrong with that one - but whew, we survived, and it was totally worth the efforts, because the sales have increased quite a bit since them .

the next thing we have to prepare for the shy bunny store is the customized stationery. we bought a brand new printer, lots of materials, and we will buy the cutting machine soon. so many plans, oh so many .. i'm super excited ♡


but again, talking about some interwebs stuff :
you fluffies must have realized at this point that i am really interested in unicode symbols, and also in some random web related things ( such as domains ) 💿
putting those two things together, i have been thinking for quite some time to actually acquire a unicode domain. why ? because it's super cute, of course.
buying emoji domains was really in trend some years ago, but that quickly stopped being a thing since emojis ( and most unicode symbols ) are converted into "punycode" , for avoiding people to get scammed when entering websites that pretend to be another one ( like changing one letter to a lookalike symbol ) .
that made people realize that emoji domains weren't actually even seen as emojis, and punycode domains are super ugly and enormous !

after discovering that myself, it also made me step back from buying a unicode domain .. but then, recently, i thought : why not buying one just for redirecting to my regular site ? that way people won't even see the punycode, and it would still be a cute way to share my website around. 💻
so, i went searching for a domain that would make me happy. the smallest domain i could get, for a reasonable price, and with my favorite ever unicode symbol : the iconic little wing ഒ
i know that this is just a letter "o" from the malayalam alphabet - but it is adorable, and i have been using it forever for ascii art !
there are many cute letters from many different alphabets that people use for ascii art, and i have a big collection of wings .. but this specific one has my heart

now, it was time for choosing a suffix ( top-level domain ) !
i wanted one that could match the wing, that is very roundy, and also could.. well, be a unicode by itself.
i know, i know : top-level domains can't be unicodes ( or at least they aren't supposed to be, a few chinese ones are still going through a hard time with regulamentation ) but there is a little trick you can use for making them be !
something that is very popular on internet for a long time, "unicode fonts" , are actually just symbols that are treated as equivalents to the regular ascii letters when used on domains, for being really lookalike ( the exact reason why punycodes are used for preventing scam links ) .
only a few suffixes have symbols that are equivalents to them, one of the shortest being : cc , or , ㏄ .
the .cc suffix was an easy choice for me, because it matches the little wing very well, and can also be used as 1 symbol.

yes, i am very proud to announce that i am now the owner of the super short and cute domain : ഒ.㏄ !!
if you enter it, you are simply directed to middlepot.com , and that's it.
i know that this is a very silly thing to spend money on, but i'm really happy with that, okay ? it was absurdly cheap for a domain that is literally "1 letter dot 1 letter" !!! no regrets .

i actually have also bought other domains recently, but those are a secret because they will be used for important future projects .. !

another thing i'd like to show you fluffies today is a drawing i got gifted from a dear friend, mimkitty 💓
she is kind, talented, hardworking, and i love her content a lot since i first saw it. it is genuine, filled with comfort, and she's always trying new things !! it really makes me motivated to do my best and try out different things as well.
her website is the definition of cute, and she also has another one for a blog ( here ) , and it has such an adorable 2000s feel to it .. !

oh, but i was talking about the drawing, yes :
i was feeling down lately, and she drew me as a mushroom to cheer me up ♡

it is so so so cute, made me smile so much !!
when i was surprised by her lovely mail my inbox was suddenly happier and brighter ...
( by the way, my contact email is letters@middlepot.com )
i'm really thankful for having caring & supporting friends, that always bring a smile on my face ///
because of her drawing and her interest in mushrooms, i had an idea for my fluffy life - but that will be for the future 🍄

that just reminded me of when we made a little art trade, some months ago, and we drew each other's kitty characters 🐈
i may have forgot to show you fluffies, but better late than never !

on the left there is my kitty puf from the poofties series, and on the right her version of it :

　

the little dance is adorable ♡♡
next one is mimmy's strawberry cat on the left, and on the right my version of it :

　

( it is so cute that i couldn't help and made multiple variations of it, so click on my drawing to see the other versions ) 🍓
aa doing art trades is so much fun, i hope to do more of these when i can !!

well, that's it for today's post. it was a lot, again, right ?
remember when the posts were small and brief .. it's hard to imagine that i have been running this blog for over 4 years already !
by then it was my 20th birthday, i had just graduated from college, only finished 2 or 3 flash games, owned 1 website, had only a brief idea of what the poofties project would be .. my online store was still being planned !
my accounts from that time are gone, too, as i have deleted them all and only remade a few.
so many things happened, so much has changed... the more i think about it, the more excited i feel !!
what kind of things are waiting for me in the future ? ⭐

the next post will be for showing and talking about the my fluffy life xmas event & winter season. me and bubu will be working a lot for making them in time !!
i also have some new clothing sewing projects to show you ( it's been a while .. but i did take some photos wearing them already ! )
i don't think i will get to update you fluffies properly until january, but i hope you don't mind having the xmas post a bit delayed this year ///

it has been such a busy year, the busiest one i have ever had so far in my life.
so many things are going on at once, so much work, so little time.. but nonetheless, i'm happy & grateful to be where i am right now, and doing what i do. i'll keep trying my best to take care of my health, whilst doing what i love.
thank you for believing in me during this journey, and helping making my dreams come true, little by little 🌹

how are you doing ? making sure to stay hydrated ?
aa, this is a little late post, that should be for september .. but how busy things have been these days ; ;
where i live the rain season has started, right at time for me to reorganize my routine, adding more comfy time to my days..
have you been able to play my fluffy life already ? 🧸
make sure to check it on steam !!! ♡
it was released for pc on day 30, and will be released for mac, ios and android this week ( if everything goes well ) .. i must say, adapting the game to be cross-platform is quite complicated, gosh !
but it will be worth it, so we are determined !!
the mobile versions are currently fully working, besides 1 feature, but i want to make sure that everything is perfect. 📱

the browser version will be the latest because we found lots of bugs in it, and well, there are other priorities at the moment like :
📍 making the game as stable as possible, and fixing all the bugs ;
📍 keep adding content for the current players ;
📍 working on the autumn season, halloween event, seasonal stores and mini games ..

but don't worry, the browser version will be finished, and everyone who purchased the game on any platform will get the full browser access for free, once it's available !

the game as it is right now is quite simple, exactly as you see on the trailer, but you already have access to 200+ items ( some of these are secretly achieved through npc friendship growing ) , 3 ways of interacting with players, and 3 cumulative happiness bonuses !
i want to keep adding items monthly, and we will make more ways of getting happiness & teddycoins, as well as more interactive stuff for players like visiting people's homes and sharing their diaries 🪑

it was quite complicated to make the game balanced keeping in mind all those little things, and also the future stuff, but i think it is good enough right now ( although the gameplay itself is simple and boring to some people ) , since i see people having fun and getting to dress up, decorate their profiles and exchange messages daily !! ♡
this is what matters the most to me : that you fluffies are smiling and making good memories with the game. 🎗

i have seen the most precious things on my fluffy life, i am so happy with the outcome so far !!!
i can't put into words, i can't stop smiling when seeing people's little profiles, reading their emails, and looking at the server saves.
people have been exchange a whole lot of emails, and donation coupons, and that makes my heart so warm .. i honestly didn't expect them to be so friendly with other players, that fast !!
the diary entries are also very very frequent. people are making my fluffy life their safe space for relaxing, making friends, write down their thoughts, and be themselves.. oh, this is such a dream coming true 💕
i want to keep growing the poofti world for making it more fun, and giving people something to look forward.
also, seeing people playing my game on streams / videos makes me almost cry from joy !!!! i've always thought that i would feel anxious about that, but it is actually great and super motivating.
somehow seeing the reactions makes the game seem more .. real ?
( this whole thing still feels very dreamlike to me )

i only feel very anxious now because i wanted to do so many things at once, but me and bubu are already doing our best and we must take care of ourselves too - working 12h + a day isn't healthy !
so we will try to update the game frequently, but sometimes things can be a little delayed, and i trust you fluffies to be understanding about it, since you have been supporting me and being so kind through all these years.. how grateful i am ///
thank you for being here with me while i keep working on the poofties project, and growing not only my career, but as a person 💘
let's grow together !!

to be honest, sometimes i feel like spoiling you all ; i could give you all the teddycoins and items you want, but that wouldn't actually make you feel proud of your accounts since there wouldn't be any slight effort.
from my experience from online games, it is necessary to put at least a few hours of effort into something, or collecting items just gets pointless after a few days .....
so i am trying to be fair with the players that do exploring and make best use of all the features that the game has to offer, instead of just giving lots of money easily for everyone ⭐

most information about teddycoin gathering were clarified through steam discussion posts , but i am open for answering more questions and most of all, for suggestions on game improvements ( specially when it comes to different features ) !!
though it is complicated to give a reasonable suggestion without having all the information on the game mechanics as it is, so please read previous explanations on that beforehand, okay ?

i will work on the first world expansion ( with the halloween event & autumn season ) once i finish writing this post, and we intend to release this update in 2 weeks ... whew, i hope everything will be fine !!!

for showing on this post, i have some absolutely beautiful commissioned drawings from two artists i admire a lot, and have been wanted to support for quite some time ♡♡♡
the first one is from bella !!
i have again commissioned a drawing of myself that i could color, so only the lineart - but she was so so sweet and gifted me with a colored version as well, so of course i will show it too !!! i love the warm colors a lot, it looks so cute.. 💝
the one you see by default was colored by me, click the image for switching to her version :

this nightgown looks like one i have, and am actually wearing right now.. !
i never get used to how soft her art is, everything she draws just looks super cute and huggable .. ♡
i appreciate her a looot as a person too and i will make sure to keep supporting her work. please go give her lots of love 🌷


now, the other drawings are from luupon / arunyi !!
i commissioned from her a reference sheet, since i have always dreamed of getting one from her .. she makes just the cutest ref sheets, i love it so much ♡♡
i also asked her for a lineart only version, but then once again i got blessed with kindness and got gifted with a full colored version !!! 💗
not only that, but also another full body drawing also fully colored !!!!!!!
and omg it is stunning .. i'm in love with her art, really. 🐇
so for showing the two drawings at once, i will put them both into the ref sheet !
the ones you see by default was colored by me, click the image for switching to her version :

aaaa i can't put into words, i don't deserve so much ///
do you recognize the apron ? and the shoes ? the golden heart locket ? heh ♡
the second outfit is the same one from the bella's drawing !!
the little items are super adorable too, the purse is the puf one that i wear a lot, and there is a needle felted bunny pin .. !!!
the lineart version had completely blank eyes so i tried to do something interesting with it, inspired by how luupon does the eyes on her drawings. they look so magical.. 🦋
i think mine ended up looking cute too, i had fun experimenting around !

she already gifted me before with a chibi fanart of puf, and after that i thought "must commission, must, must" .. and finally, i got to do that, and she even gifted me more !!
i want to keep supporting her as much as i can, she is such a kind person and a super talented artist. ♡♡♡
if you don't know her already, please go check her stuff right now !!

i think this is all i have for today's post, as i haven't really had time to work on other projects lately ( except needle felting shy bunny store orders, a lot )
but i will be back soon with the halloween themed post, for showing you some cute stuff from the my fluffy life halloween event !!
next month i hope to be able to start working on another project i am very excited for .. !!

make sure to take time for self care, even if only a few hours a day, because it certainly makes a huge difference and will make life way lighter and happier !
i have tried to do so myself, and it has been doing wonders to my health. i want to keep things this way.

aaa i am so happy !!!
it was my birthday recently, and also the middlepot.com birthday 🎀
it has been such a delight to be able to keep this website going on for 4 years, bringing comfort & happiness through many projects, and much more to come, certainly.
and as you might have seen, the shy bunny store website is completely renewed. i'm so proud of the results !!
it was a lot of work, that i couldn't ever achieve without the help of bubu ♡♡♡
as always, he helped me with all the hard coding and server stuff, so we could make the store have payment integrations and a shopping bag feature.
everything is so cute, and now you can make your own custom felted fluffy friend playing with the new "floof your fluffy" html game :

you fluffies have been supported me a lot recently, and i have needle felted more than ever before.. which makes me really happy ( a little tired, but i can't complain, this is a dream coming true ) 🌷

i made 6 new critters, based on characters from "my fluffy life" ( which we are also working hard at the moment, but only final details for better compatibility on all devices ) ..
with the 11 total critters, 15 accessories + 4 variations for each, and 5 different item types,, you can make more than a thousand different combinations !!! 💕
that would be impossible to achieve with a standard online shop template, as before .. i would need to literally make a thousand items, take pictures of each, edit, and that would obviously be a mess !!

so, i was dealing with this problem by opening the possibility of making custom fluffies by commission - something i am still open for - but of course it was a little complicated.
often people would just ask for a fluffy with different accessories, or a different critter that i was already intending to make someday ( i felted a custom cow, a frog, and a brown bear ) but it is no longer as much necessary as before, with that many possibilities on the website.
now i am willing to make commissioned fluffies that are more different and special.. like stuffies inspired by people's pets !! i have made a few of these already. 🐇

besides all the possibilities of new items, with the new order organization system we were able to work on some nice features for customers, like giving your fluffy friend a name and personality.
in the near future, i will make some integrations between the felted fluffies and my games, and maybe also the discord server i'm working on.. well, let's see how things go ! 💻

now the store is more practical to use, because you can purchase directly on it, and think and rethink about what you prefer, without the need of contacting me for it.
i can send automatic emails for each customer, updating them about the orders, and now with the server we also have a better organization method for dealing with tracking codes - something that used to be a complete mess, since they only give us the country name we couldn't be sure of which code was for specific orders or people...
now we are using a paid online system that allows us to organize codes by order number, and with much more detailed information too, in real time ( which is very handy when it comes to international shipping )
but since it was our first time using automatic systems, we found some small issues.. at least, nothing that could be a big bother, so everything is fine and we're little by little working on making the store better each day 🎀

it was a lot to deal with at once, especially when we're also working on the game, and i have more work to do,, but i am really proud of my store and i want it to grow and become better 💗
i am forever grateful for your patience, for trusting me & my work.
i hope you have fun playing around with the store website, and that you're as excited as i am, for the future features that will be exclusive for customers.

while working on the new shy bunny layout, me and bubu learned a lot of new things, and i had the idea of making my very own tips page !!
so from now on, i will be accepting tips exclusively there, and if you support me you can be part of the "little angels" message wall.
the page itself is also really cute, since it's my own website i managed to display the little messages just the way i wanted 💓

you can choose any amount for your tip ( from $1 - $99 ) , the payments are made safely through paypal, and don't need to put a name and message - but you can, and if you do, and send emojis there, they will appear as my custom emojis ( which is adorable ♡ )
nothing better than making things yourself, without depending on the willingness of platforms to offer good features and customization possibilities !

well, as i promised the last post, i am going to show you today my new ipad, cutely decorated :

it is quite a simple decoration, but i think it's adorable 💕
it looks quite a bit like how i decorated my laptop, actually ..
some of you wanted to see it, since i showed how i customized my desktop a few times, so here it is :

my mouse is a little hamster 🐁
and there you can see my tablet too, that i use sooo much for working !!
i have also customized my browser a little bit more - it's all pale pink now ♡

coming back to the ipad ,,
i have purchased it mainly for doing tests for my game, and other future projects !
it is quite useful, because it's the perfect balance between a mac and an iphone, when it comes to both the screen size and performance. it's very important to be able to test things using different devices, not only for game developing, but also web design ( i have fixed a lot of issues these days )

also, this ipad isn't just useful for doing tests, but also for myself, and my routine.
it has a lot of useful features, such as the "shortcuts" app, where you can make many interesting events occur automatically !
a little complicated to use, but i have been playing around with it a little bit, and it has already helped me getting rid of some of my repetitive daily tasks, such as : finding a specific set of folders / files , opening a specific set of apps / websites, searching a specific set of keywords, writting similar things over and over, specific settings for specific times of day / moods .. ☕️
the ipad itself is also really comfortable to use, because i can move it around pretty easily, and i can also use the pen for doodling / writting , or i can use the keyboard when i need to type a lot ( together with the mouse, it becomes like a mini laptop ) , and i can also just use my fingers !
it's obviously not exactly like a pc, or like a phone, but it is really useful as an intermediate between the two. i didn't know how much i needed it until now LOL

talking bit more on the shortcuts app, i have also used it for applying custom css to websites on safari, so i can change the colors and make them cuter !
i usually do that on other browsers ( i use opera ) by applying a javascript snippet on the websites, using the "inspect element" section, but i was afraid that i couldn't do that on safari.. and then i discovered that you can also apply javascript on pages, using shortcuts !!
this is really awesome, and i'm excited to make more complex automatic tools for myself ( when bubu can help me, because those scripts a little too much for me to deal without his help, heh )

i also got procreate, which has been a lovely experience so far 🖇
i've been using the photoshop cs6 for editing, drawing, making collages, virtual journaling.. basically everything visual, for many many years now. i am very used to it, so i was a little skeptical about procreate ///
as i said, the ipad is not exactly like a pc, so i don't have access to all the tools & content that i keep on my laptop, and the screen is smaller, which makes it hard to work on bigger pieces ( such as arranging layouts ) and it is obviously impossible to code properly on an ipad, so it's a no no for web design...
but, when it comes to many other visual works, i must say that procreate really is just as good ( or even better ) than photoshop !
the thing is : it does have all needed tools for things that doesn't need "dynamic" testing ( such as web design ) except for extremely detailed photo editing ( at least for my needs ) ; so if you'll be using the ipad for drawing, journaling, collaging, studying, or making simple photo edits, it is great !!

the best thing in my opinion is that, as i already mentioned, the ipad is very "flexible" so you can just carry it around anywhere, relax, and do things.
i know this is a little dramatic, but that changed my life when it comes to journaling - especially for studying !
after a tiring day of work, the whole day using my laptop, my tablet, and photoshop .. i'm not gonna lie, it is very unmotivating to take more time to stay there and do more and more things, even if it's supposed to be relaxing and fun.
now, i can just lay down on bed with my ipad, pen.. and start journaling, making some cute doodles, and it's so so nice 🛏

i lay down on bed with my laptop as well, but i only do that for playing games or watching videos, because i can't use my tablet properly like that ( not even my mouse ) , so i often would just make a "tiny journaling" using my phone, on the line app. which is fine, but a liiittle bit stressful sometimes, since the screen is too small
so, yes, i am super satisfied with my new device !

another app that i have started using recently is "notion" , for keeping quick notes 
i really like it, since i can check things from all my devices, and it's also pleasantly clean and highly customizable 🤍
i wouldn't use it for journaling or planning, since i prefer the "bullet journal" style for having the freedom to make collages and write things everywhere, and notion is very strict about how things are organized..
but you can decorate it cutely in a minimalistic aesthetic, and i think it's perfect for quickly taking notes and making lists that i will delete soon ( and wouldn't take time to decorate intricately anyway )
i'm going to show you how i have decorated my pages so far :

it is quite simple, but it's just what i need at the moment .. !
( i blurred the text because these are my secret notes with bunch of spoilers about future projects )

now, changing subjects completely :
do you remember the web page where i remade my first ever layout, from 2006, with all the original content i found on my old folders ?
while exploring my old folders again i have found more files of layouts i have worked on ( or tried to work on but never finished ) and i discovered that i actually started my first blog on 2004, instead of 2005. my mom helped me making it, and seeing the images from that time made me really emotional.. how much i miss her.
also, i found another layout project from 2006 that really picked my attention.. because it's certainly the cutest of them all !

from the materials i have and the sketches i made, this layout was supposed to be baby pink + lilac + white, full of pixel frills, have a plushie on top and well.. it's actually pretty much what you would call "babycore" nowadays, and i absolutely love it .. 💟
sadly it was a too big of a project for me to finish at the time, as i was moving across states by the time. i remember even though i was pretty hyped and motivated to make this layout, i couldn't get to do so because of all the life changes i was going through.. i was really happy by the time, getting to decorate my new bedroom with my mom, and the new school was great too.
my blog then entered a neverending hiatus, and got deleted.

well, since i still have many of the files and some posts backup, i decided to make it become reality and finish the layout based on what i have arranged and started working on !!
i tried to include everything i had in mind, and keep it accordingly to my expectations. 🎗
i have pretty clear memories of what my interests were, where i wanted to be, and what i wanted to achieve. with all the texts i have ( both written in diaries and txt files ) it's also very easy to remember how i used to think !
rereading such things from so many years ago really makes me think about my personal growth and maturing, and also keeps me motivated to believe in myself and make dreams come true 🦋
of course my current interests are also mix together, since that layout was never finished i had to put some work into it.
2006.pooftie.me is a tribute to my first little blog, where everything began :

i am very proud of this outcome : a super cute layout, filled with innocence and heartwarming memories, so special to me .. i made this far ♡
it was so much fun to put together, and i'm happy to share a few of my childhood memories with you fluffies !!
something that, as a child, would take me months to finish - with lots of help from other people - took me about only 1 week, as an experienced adult.
that's why i always advice beginners to be patient and not push themselves to work hard and learn things fast. it's no fun this way, and you're not supposed to make web design a burden.. keep practicing, and you'll get better naturally 💖

i kept most of the blog texts in portuguese, because my english was terrible, so it wouldn't feel right to rewrite my childhood texts in english. sorry if you can't read it, i hope you can enjoy either way ///
it's somehow comforting to see a bit of portuguese once in a while.. i mostly talk in english nowadays, since i spend most of the time on the internet, and most of my friends speak english.

okay, for finishing this post, i would like to briefly talk about messages, questions and requests !

since i am receiving many messages lately, but i am also working a lot lately, it's expected that i would start to be seen as a little unapproachable.. which makes me a little worried, so i'm here to clarify :
i feel really happy with messages i receive, knowing that you took a bit of your time to make me smile, or that you trust me enough for asking for advice .. it's certainly a delight ♡
i always do my best to read everything, but sadly it's not always possible to write back to every single person ..

i love talking to you fluffies, and helping as i can. many messages i receive are requests of support, advice, specific content, or complicated questions - things that would take me a while to do. because of that, i try to prioritize my time & energy into writing to those who need a thoughtful, detailed response. if i have enough free time, i try to respond to everyone, but it's not always doable, much less in a timely manner.
when it comes to writing messages, it can take quite some time to do so, especially the way i do. if you ever exchanged emails with me you know what i'm talking about : i write pretty long virtual letters !
and i love doing so, don't get me wrong - but sometimes my inbox get so full, with dozens of messages, so i have to be very careful not to push myself to exhaustion.
i am a very introverted person, and on top of that i have to fight social anxiety on a daily basis.
because of that, socializing can be really hard, really tiring, and i simply can't find any energy left after hours of typing ;;

needless to say, i prioritize my health above fulfilling very specific requests ( i try my best, but i obviously can't do that for everyone ) .. if it is of interest of multiple people, i will certainly keep notes !
so if i couldn't respond to your message, please know that there is a reason, and i'm not ignoring on purpose. maybe i will still respond to it at some point, or even post about it, if it's an interesting request. in any case, be sure that i have read it - i always do !
rest assured : i never find your lovely messages a bother ( if, naturally, a kind and honest message, of course ) but i ask for your patience.
as i said before, i like to make sure i'm responding, helping & clarifying doubts properly. that easily takes hours to do, and well.. sometimes, i would rather give myself some rest instead.
when people start resending messages over and over ( probably because they think that i haven't seen it ) it gets quite overwhelming .. and there is even a risk of you getting flagged as spam !

i also can't completely ignore the doubts of people who are not so kind with their choice of words - even if i never respond to them - if i can clarify or fix anything, i do so, then write about the topic here ( if there is a point in their message, and not just meaningless hate, or a random rumor ) .. !

mhm it's been a while since i updated this blog, but !! i did so many new things lately, i have so much to tell you.. so this post will be loooong .. actually the longest i've ever written here, so i hope that will compensate my absence heh 🐈
i'm super excited to show you my latest works !!!
i've been doing so many things i got used to the busy routine, but i must remind myself to take some rest. i certainly need it. well, today i still have a lot of work to do, but i'll try to take some rest by the end of the day at least 🥛

to get started with this very long post, here goes the "my fluffy life" game trailer i promised :

!!! i'm very happy with the outcome, editing it was hard 💻
i also made an exclusive website for the game, that you can access at myfluffy.life ( a neat domain, isn't it ? )
there you will be able to read more about the game, access the link for all the platforms where the game will be released, play it directly on your browser, and contact us for support.
both the website and the game have full english, portuguese and japanese translation.
i paid a translator for helping me with most phrases, because my japanese is very basic.. but somehow i managed to do a lot by myself, since the game is childish and cute, only hiragana & katakana would do 👶

make sure to check the links, the steam page is already available 🎀
if you'd like to play my fluffy life on any platform, please make sure to add the game to your steam wishlist !! it helps a lot the game to get more visibility online ♡
steam asks us for having the game page as "coming soon" at least 2 weeks before the actual game release, but the app store & play store pages will be available only later on, so keep an eye open !


you fluffies seem very excited with this game, and it makes me so motivated !!!
i'm working as hard as i can to make it a reality. it took me away some nights of sleep, but i knew it was going to be hard, and i was prepared for this 🛏
bubu is doing his best and working full time at the game right now, as all the last details that we have to work on are mostly server related ( for adapting to different platforms ), and he's the one dealing with that. i appreciate his efforts so much, he always supports my dreams ♡♡♡
whew, it took about two months longer than expected to finish the game developing process ..
here are a few reasons why :

📍 i couldn't stop remaking things over & over, while putting new ideas to the game, and i actually have a lot more, but for the sake of my sanity i'm holding these for future games ;
📍 i haven't stopped working on the store and doing commissions during the process, on the contrary, i have worked much more than the usual so i could save extra money to invest on this project ;
📍 making an online game is a lot of work, and things can go wrong in multiple ways.. so it's important to assure the safety of the players, above all ;
📍 we have done lots of research when choosing platforms to release the game, and adapting the game to multiple platforms is quite complicated, but it's really important to me that everyone can get to play it, and also login on different devices. the web version was the most complicated of them all, but it's the best way to guarantee that people can play it across platforms easily without the need of purchasing the game again & again ;

about this last one, you might have seen some new accounts on my /links page, related to game dev !!
there are lots of options when it comes to pc gaming platforms, a little complicated to choose if you don't have a personal favorite ; so i started using steam, itch & gamejolt actively, for giving them a try as a customer before using them to sell my own games. after some time, i decided to only publish the game on steam.
i noticed that itch is more popular for posting short games ( specially for game jams ) while gamejolt is more about using the profile as a little blog / social media. not what i was searching for.
steam was my absolute favorite out of them, with interesting resources and profile customization possibilities.. it's so much fun, and i could find people with similar interests there, which is really nice 💕
on the other hand, it was super easy to choose mobile platforms : play store & app store. it took us a while, and lots of work, but we finally managed to save money for releasing on those platforms as well !!
we bought the licenses for all platforms, and an ipad for doing all kinds of tests.
of course i am decorating my new ipad cutely, and i will show you in the next post ♡


i know i am saying that a lot, but i can't help it : thank you so, so much. without the support i receive from you, we wouldn't be able to invest on this project and make it a reality 🦋
recently i've been getting more and more work, which has been taking a lot of my time, but work itself has been a very happy time, giving that i absolutely love making cute things .. and that's exactly what i do 🐇
i'm trying my best to organize my schedule to focus on important work while also working on my own things, big or small.

you fluffies have helped me immensely. by purchasing my creations, commissioning my art & layouts, hiring me for the most lovely projects, sending me tips or words of encouragement .. just knowing there are people trusting my abilities, waiting for my posts, and getting inspired to work on themselves..
it means everything to me. 🌷
thank you for helping the poofties project to grow, helping me spread comfort & warmth. ♡
i want to create more and give more to you, so you can believe in your capacity to become better, happier !!!
if i can, you can too. there is a wonderful future awaiting for all of us, so let's fill our present with hope, while making our nostalgic childhood dreams come true 🎗

my social media accounts have also been growing a lot recently, and even though i usually don't take numbers as a way of "validating" my success, i have been receiving a lot of meaningful kind messages and support from those people. my accounts aren't nearly as big as my old ones, but i have somehow been able to reach more people than even before ! 📱
that just proves the point of numbers being really not something you should rely on. when it comes to growing a brand and a community, the amount of actual people there who appreciate your content and is actively interested on your work, is what matters the most ♡
i am really thankful for you fluffies, more than i can put into words.


still on the subject : as i am receiving a lot of new visitors on my website, i wanted to clarify that i do delete / rewrite / edit / remake past content from time to time, both from here and my accounts.
that's something i have been doing since ever, but i'm letting you fluffies know just in case you notice and think i am updating things because i'm "ashamed" or "embarrassed" of my past works, thoughts and beliefs, which is absolutely not true.
i only try my best to stay true to myself, and be sincere.
my website is a reflection of myself, and i try to always keep it as genuine and consistent as possible, accordingly to my current capacities, interests & beliefs. i am always improving myself, so i will only keep here things that i currently am proud of, to the point of showing publicly. after all, i want to receive feedback on things i can actually improve today, not things i made years ago and have already learned better.
i am proud of my past self, for i wouldn't be where i am today if it wasn't her hard work, but i'm not exactly proud of all the entirety of my past content to the point of exposing it to the world publicly.. i'm not embarrassed, but i certainly don't want people to relate my past & present in such a superficial way. 🩹
it's really common for people to enter here, read things i have wrote 3 years ago, see things i have made 2 years ago, and think that i am still the exact same person .. so, for avoiding misunderstandings, from time to time i reread texts and scroll over all the pages, to make sure everything matches my current self, and to show the best of my abilities ( or at least not too far away from that ). usually, only a few couple of information need to be updated at once, so you probably never noticed.
in the end, you can easily find my past content from backups, and that's not a problem at all. i just want to be clear about how i have improved, and don't let people make wrong assumptions !
as i have always said since the creation of this site, my intentions are sharing works, thoughts and talking about subjects i find interesting, as i am constantly learning. by thinking together we can learn together, and i want to keep you properly updated through the process !
i believe reviewing & cleaning things is a good practice, a way of keeping track of your progress. if you keep a kind heart and open mind, you can always become better and better ♡


well, as i promised, i have a whole lot more to show you in this post, so let's continue and stop chit chatting 🐌
i wanted to make a separate website for the poofties brand for quite some time, just as i did for the shy bunny store.. and finally, here it is :

on poofties.club you can access all projects related directly to the poofties, and i already kept a link for the "puf bot" website that i'll be making soon ( yes, the bot will not be actually made for discord.. but i'm not giving spoilers of this project today ) 💻
as always, i'll keep posting relevant poofties content here on this blog, but please make sure to visit the poofties site as well !

talking on poofties, i remade and renamed my font that i use for some content ( including "my fluffy life" , story templates titles , etc ) ..
click the preview to download it :

it's not a huge change, but as i did it with my handwriting and i wasn't very experienced with vectors before, it was a little messy before.. !
now, it also has japanese hiragana & katakana, as i have been studying more lately with the game translation 🎁

as you already know, distributing web materials for helping other people around internet has been a huge interest of mine, giving that i grew up visiting sozai websites, and they always helped me tremendously !! ♡
so after receiving multiple requests of people every week, i realized that it was starting to be hard to keep up with only sharing images that people individually requested.. so i made a proper web page for it, sozai.pooftie.me :

now you can download my free materials, easier, in a more organized way 💟
many people have been using this site already, and that makes me happy !!


and talking on web sozai, you might have noticed that i said on my page that you can use my pngs as emojis. once i wrote it, i thought "what if i really made my own custom emojis ? "
and i don't mean like platform exclusive emojis like my line emoji packs ( which are cute & useful, but you can't use outside line, collages or story posts, without downloading them one by one )
have you ever noticed that some big websites such as twitter and facebook have their very own emojis ?
specific devices have their own emoji, but some websites have their exclusives as well. when you type an emoji, it turns into the respective custom emoji image that the website specified 🎀
i've been thinking about how they do it for quite some time, but it seemed way too complicated.. you could say it was a small abandoned dream.
but now i decided to finally give it a try, and make my very own version of my fav emojis !!
and i made it work, somehow, with lots of help of bubu.. it was, indeed, extremely complicated, so i'm really proud of this !!!

get them on emoji.pooftie.me ♡
i made 93 so far, and i gave priority to emojis that i like the most : food, objects and nature.
to make them a little more interesting than just tiny pngs, i animated them a bit, so now we have tiny gifs !
i think they're lovely, and make the cutest combinations.. i'll happily use them here from now on 🧁
( my old posts are looking extra cute with them as well )
you can install my custom emojis to your website / blog for free, but keep in mind that they work better on static websites ( like mine ) and might look messy on specific platforms .. well, i did what i could ///

yes, i have made lots of new websites/pages lately, besides updating my main website quite a bit.. but i also worked on many lovely commissons, and i received a quite interesting message last week, asking about "my top 3 favorite web design commissions" !
it was super hard to choose, but a lot of fun to scroll through my folders and remember old works.. 🌼
so i'm going to post them today as well, because why not ?

galugarin is one of the most recent projects i have been working on, and one of the biggest too !! 40+ pages, with beautiful photographs & writting. i have made lots of graphic design work there, interactive layouts, photo editing, multiple drawings, animations and collages ! ( please open the website and see it for yourself, this gif doesn't do justice to the full experience )
it was a delight to work on, a dreamy art project full of feelings & imagination.. it has a special place in my heart, and it must be in first place. ♡

bella's website is one of my recent commissioned websites too, and it's also from neocities. it gets the second place because well, i was smiling the whole time while making this layout.. she gave me the freedom to do it as i wish, and i feel so very honored when people trust me to this point !
also, it's simply my most favorite aesthetic combined with such adorable drawings !! please go give her some love ♡

this is one quite old commissioned layout i have made for blogger, and sadly i don't have the link of the blog anymore.. but it is just so cute i couldn't help including it here !!! i absolute love menhera aesthetic, natori sana, and combined with webcore aesthetic ( that you know it's one of my favorites ) .. it has my heart ♡ fun fact : webcore is one of the aesthetics people come for me looking for commission, the most. even more than my own website's aesthetic ( which would be a close second along with cottagecore, and babycore )

okay i know this was supposed to be a top 3, but i must include this one too ///
it was the very first layout i've commissioned for blogger ( it was pretty confusing, compared to tumblr ). by the time i was just getting started with my web designer career. sadly, i also don't have the link for this blog anymore..
it has a darker aesthetic, compared to the other ones i have showed, and i love it so so much !!
i don't usually give myself the chance to work with darker colors, but this was a rare occasion where it happened. it made me feel more confident on my abilities to both try out different platforms & aesthetics ♡

and for finishing this post, because i can't stop writing, i have a q&a text for you !!
since the last time i wrote about my fashion style was almost 3 years ago, i wanted to rewrite my text with more details about how i currently choose my outfits and my inspirations 👚👜

people are constantly searching for fashion inspiration, for fitting into something and find themselves.. it's a healthy and natural process of maturing, while experimenting. it's a lot of fun to find new things that makes us happy, right ?
when i was a teenager i was mostly inspired by japanese fashion, specially sweet-classic lolita, natural kei and cult party kei. purchasing clothing from japanese brands was quite expensive by the time, so i just improvised with handmade outfits. since my mom was a seamstress, i learned a lot and decided to make up my own style based on those .. the perfect style for me, that would make me comfortable and happy.
it took a long while for me to get to the point where i am, and after trying many things, sewing a lot, making accessories, purses and so on, i noticed some things : i love frilly dresses, aprons, stuffie purses, lolita shoes, lace socks, satin ribbons, and i really really love vintage nightgowns.
walking outside with clothing that would make me feel as comfortable as i feel at home, that i could even sleep with ? it's certainly a dream coming true ♡
with time, i discovered that thrift stores are the best place to find cute clothing, when searching for vintage nightgowns !! if in good condition, they can be adjusted to be used as dresses, or blouses. adding embroidering details to them, extra lace, ribbons... they're unique pieces of art. because of that, i don't need to sew all my outfits from scratch anymore - which is great, since i'm not good when sewing complicated things.. and sadly, my mom isn't here to help me anymore.
while trying out different things, i realized i don't really like wearing multiple layers of clothing and accessories, even though it looks beautiful ( vide cult party ) it's just not for me. i'm a simple girl : i like feeling cute, but i hate feeling sweaty and itchy ! living in a tropical country + having sensitive skin doesn't help either ; ;
so i simplified a lot my fashion style over the years, and it somehow matured a bit too. i'm in love with long skirts, frilly aprons, delicate jewelry ( like golden heart lockets & pearl earrings ) and classic cotton fabrics, in neutral or faded soft colors. but, i'm not even a little bit ashamed to keep using child-like motifs as well, when it comes to accessories. it's part of my aesthetic as a whole, it's part of who i am, and how i want to be perceived : a woman who still believes in her girlish dreams, and always will.
that leads us to an important point.. what most inspires my fashion style is my personal aesthetic concepts & beliefs : delicacy, innocence, softness, comfort, nostalgia. these are the qualities that i always look for in my outfits.
you know that i really value purity, and i believe wearing clothes that represent our personality and feelings is important for it. i feel extremely happy to see that my appearance corresponds with who i am.
i believe the secret to finding the perfect style for you is just to find your favorite aesthetics and what best represents your personality ! the essential thing here is to respect your comfort and to have self knowledge. i would say that the more you have sharp eyes to find potential beauty in things, the simpler it becomes to have a style that perfectly represents you, so it's really a matter of practice. i super recommend to practice saving beautiful images that inspire you and making collages with them, either photography of people or just clothing pngs.. it's a lot of fun !! ♡
besides aesthetic blogs & collages, i would say that dress up games are certainly very good for inspiration too !! poupée girl was a really good influence on me as a child, when i was first starting to think about fashion.
basically, being spontaneous and searching for happiness is enough. i promise, it's not as complicated as it seems. you can vary your style within your aesthetics whenever you want, it just depends on how comfortable you feel at the moment with those clothes. according to the day, the weather and the situation, you can suddenly feel in a mood to try something new !

i hope you're taking care, and doing your best to stay home & safe !!
i'm working so much on my new game lately sometimes i forget to take basic care, like eating or sleeping properly.. but i'm trying my best !! i really wanted to finish it on april, but making an online game is harder than we expected !
i also had more and more ideas while developing, so things got a bit more complex, and expensive. we'll need one more month, but other than that i'm really really happy with the progress ♡
most of the art is already done, but i'm keeping it a secret for a little more ..
please bear with me 🧸
i want to post a proper preview video of it, as you deserve !!

before showing you other things i did, i wanted to thank you once again for your neverending kindness !! ♡
all my line themes & emojis got on the "popular" sections on the creators' market, which made me SO happy !!!
i had low expectations on these, since ( at least where i live ) this app is not well-known, but you fluffies never let me down ///

i decided to customize my phone with my drawings, and make a new case too :

i really like making my phone cute, even though it takes some time to get used to the new icons .. 📱
if you're wondering how i customize my phone, please check out the /faq page !!

talking on drawings, i wanted to show you today that absolutely lovely puf fanart that i received from luupon :

that made me smile so much, i can't put into words how grateful i feel !!
i love her soft art, she's really kind and talented. make sure to check her out ♡

since the poofties project is getting more recognition ( yay !! ) from now on i'll try to post my favorite fanarts here, and link the artists. 
i have another puf fanart saved, that i received from babydollesheart last year !
i'm very late, but i'll take the chance to show it anyway,,
i edited and recolored this one digitally, just to enhance the colors a bit :

you might remember that i have colored two more drawings from her exactly one year ago. by then, her account was "baby.doll.heart" !
i love her delicate style, and she's also a wonderful person. ♡

and recently i also commissioned a drawing of myself from lambmaid !
she's incredibly creative and always creating new characters. two years ago she made a few girls inspired by my outfit images ( here ) .. such an honor !!
i have been following her work for years now. ♡
this is the commissioned drawing, that i colored & edited :

i absolutely love the results, it's a very soft piece ..
do you recognize this dress and the flower hairpin ? heh
fun fact : i'm wearing them today !

i don't usually commission drawings, since i don't have a place where i would use them, i rather buy specific products with people's characters ( specially stationery )
but i really really wanted to support lambmaid for such a long time, so the day she opened commissions i had this idea of commissioning a drawing i could color !!
you know i love coloring, and i'm always searching for new coloring pages, but it's hard to find cute ones 🐇
so i think that would be a good way to support more artists from now on ( if they agree with the idea, of course )
i feel incredibly happy to have met so many lovely artists - and people - over the years, i have so much to be thankful for. i want to do my best for them, to show my support, and work hard to inspire them too !!

for finishing the post, i have a little text i thought was important to write, to clarify a few things :

i have received messages from time to time through these years asking for the name of my personal aesthetic, and particularly recently i have been questioned about making a name for it, for its growing popularity.. but making up labels to describe everything, is that really necessary ?
i find it kinda funny that nowadays people are so invested in making specific names for visuals. when i started using tumblr, people would just use adjectives to describe images, or the name of the person who posted it. what do you see, what do you think, what do you feel when you see my content ? those words should be enough.
my main aesthetic is simply my aesthetic, based on my beliefs and motifs that i like. that is why you can't find exactly the same kind of content i do so easily, unless you search for my name ( middlepot / pooftie ). i feel happy when people give me credits for the aesthetic when getting inspiration directly on my content, but i want to make it clear that although the specific concepts of it were made up by me, i am not the first person to ever take pictures the way i do. keep in mind that i only take credits for my own works and thoughts, not for lace ribbons and stuffies, okay ?
to clarify : i don't mind having my images reposted, no credits needed ( just please don't claim you own them ), but i absolutely appreciate it more when people credit me properly. if you do, please write either "middlepot" or "pooftie" on it and don't try to label my personal works and beliefs without my permission. if it is my content it's not only aesthetic, and i prefer having people coming to my website to find more, if they like !
in my opinion, simply crediting people who inspire you by using their own names + adding a few motifs or adjectives as tags is a way better way of organizing aesthetics on internet as a whole. although it might seem like aesthetic names are a consensus, they aren't. you won't be able to find lots of relevant content if you rely solely on those words, because not everyone is actually willing to use them. not all creators are on tumblr, pinterest or even speak english.
we are human beings, and can't be labeled that easily. you can know multiple people who like similar things, but each one of them are different anyway. i understand that it can be more convenient to search for specific tags to find content you want to see, but i don't feel comfortable making up an "aesthetic name" for my life, my appearance, my particular way of living and doing things .. i am simply myself, and i like the things i like.
there are multiple "properly categorized" aesthetics that i am very fond of ; but of course you won't be able to find images exactly like the ones i make, draw, edit, choose to save on my pc, or even reblog on my tumblr blog unless you straight up search for my name. if you like someone's content, it's better to just ask or search for their inspirations instead of making up tags that only a few people will use actively. on tumblr you can easily check the sources from the posts !
i have been inspired by many wonderful people over the years, and that's why i am here now, with my own aesthetic. the visuals might be actually very similar to others, but the feeling always vary from person to person. when posting my content i want to make you feel specific emotions ( comfort & safety ), that other person who also likes frilly dresses and teddy bears might not relate to, when creating their own content. finding different people's ideas coming from similar visuals is very refreshing, and inspiring !! let's embrace and respect those differences.
i believe everyone has their own particular aesthetic, so don't rely completely on labels to choose what you should wear, which music you should listen to, how you should make art and please : don't rely on it for how you should look or act like. respect your particularities and be purely yourself ♡
it's okay to search for specific aesthetic names to just explore the possibilities, but at some point you will naturally feel left out of them, for now understand yourself to the point of not being able to relate 100% to concepts created by others. there is no need to worry if your personal aesthetic is different from what you find out there. ♡

first of all, thank you for the support i have received lately.. it's means so much to me, i can't put into words !!
creating cute things is my passion, and i'm blessed to have others helping me to have my dreams come true. without this support it's hard to keep going, so i want to be here to motivate others and help too, as i can 🌷
i also wanted to thank you for using my picrew avatar maker. it made up to the "hot" section, for a brief moment, and it took me by surprise !!!
i honestly wasn't expecting ///
because of that, some new people found me. if you're one of them, welcome !!
i'm working hard to make more content now. i want to release my big game project on april, hopefully ♡
during this time i'll have other projects waiting a little bit, but i promise to go back on them as soon as possible !

this month i spent most of the time drawing & editing, and i am honestly very proud of everything i made so far !!
i decided that this year i would work extra hard on my dreams, since i have looots of small dreams.. it's time to do what i can for reaching them.
one of them was making stationery with my drawings, but i wasn't very satisfied with them yet, so i tried improving on that.
in the end, i managed to make 3 different sets that i really like !! ♡
you can purchase those letter writing and sticker sets on the shy bunny store

i am already using those for writing letters to my friends, and i know it might sound silly, but i collect stationery since ever and now having my very own in the collection makes me incredibly happy 💕
after i finished editing the sets i thought of making some digital content as well, and i realized that i could make one more small dream come true : upload my very own stickers to line !!!
many of my favorite artists have their own sets on line, and i always looked up to them .. could that be my chance to shine ? ♡
i ended up not making only stickers but also emojis and themes. it took a while to edit everything properly, and i had to draw extra things too, but it was certainly worth it. i'm so happy mine got approved !!
if you use the line app, please take a look at them here, here & here !!

you can make the cutest collages with them on your profile, i made some lace dividers that look lovely on posts and stories too ♡

there are some info i should say about the themes specifically, it's important for you to know that line doesn't adapt creators' themes perfectly to all phone screens. everything looks fine except for the chat background image, that can appear cropped !!
that happens with all creators' themes i have bought ( not with the official ones )
so, if you have this issue too, i suggest you upload your own wallpaper on the chat settings of the app :
　settings ⤏ chats ⤏ chat wallpaper ⤏ choose from device
sadly, we creators can't do anything to fix that, at least for now.. i also hope that in the future we can change the colors from our themes, instead of just picking default color skins. 🩹
despite these small details, i absolutely love the line store feature !! line is a very good place for finding new artists, as well as supporting them. i use it for many years, and i'm so happy that i can now be part of it ♡

well, that's it for today. next post i will probably show you a little peak of the game i'm making, as i hope i will be finishing it by then !!
i hope you have been taking care of yourself, please remember to stay home as much as you can right now. let's be patient until everything is safe again.

if you're a mobile user you must have noticed the big updates i made on all of my web pages, right ?
i'm proud to say i finally got to make my layouts "responsive" , or at least okay to be viewed on the phone.
both my horizonal & vertical layouts now fit all screen sizes pretty well ( at least from the tests i've done, please let me know if you see something crooked )
for some reason the mobile browsers do a lot of weird stuff with html, like randomly zooming out images and zooming in texts.. so everything looks ugly.
i don't want anyone to be left behind just for not having a pc .. to make sure my sites are looking neat and tidy to everyone, i fixed all of it manually !
i hope you mobile users are now able to see my content properly ♡

other important thing : rip flash .. but really ? ⚰️
remember that you can download all of my flash games on the milky woods page !!
the pack is now updated with a super necessary extra file : flashplayer32.exe
if you have .swf files on your pc you probably won't be able to open any of them without this player. i honestly got really desperate when all the options of players i have tried were broken, and no one was talking about it AT ALL
i did a lot of research and after a few hours i finally found a version of the official flash player ( from 2018 i suppose ) that is working pretty well, because you don't need to install :

please download it and reupload in all places you can, so more people can find !!!
i refuse to stop playing the games i love. flash will be forever alive in my heart ; ;
by the way, if you're searching for games and other flash content you should take a look at the flashpoint !
it is a really important project where people have been working hard to keep flash games, animations and other content still alive ( in a way )
because of them, i have been able to play lots of games i haven't saved on my pc ♡

well, this month has been so so so busy for me.. i got a lot of work and made progress on many projects..
i admit besides being very thankful for everything, i didn't manage my time very well and now i'm feeling stressed, so i'll try to take this next week to rest !!

for showing you today i have this picrew avatar maker i am very proud of 💝
making one of these have been a little dream of mine for quite some time now, as i love playing with other artists' games..
i'm not very used to draw humans, but i tried my best and i hope you like it ///
please click the preview to open the link :

i got many lovely messages about this game, which made me really happy and motivated .. ♡
i'm hoping to release more games as soon as i can !!

oh and a little note for those requesting more skin tones / hair colors : the base color behind the drawings isn't a flesh tone but a baby pink, since these are supposed to look like crayon doodles on paper + collages of real photos.
for example when i draw lamby in that style i don't color her horns brown. same with pouty puppy, who has very characteristic brown ears.. well even my own hair is uncolored !
but i understand the concern, and i assure you that if i draw more humans in other styles i will give them a lot of different colors ( both natural and pastel ), just as i would do with any other critters.

by the way, i never explained that but any humans you might see on my projects are not humans from earth but poofties as well. therefore, they originally haven't been born as real earth humans, but as softies that got into human form at some point.. !
until now i've only ever introduced puf ( me ) as a softie, but of course there might be other softies around poofti. it's a big world !
do you find this whole story confusing ? i promise things will become clear little by little, in my next works ♡

a few weeks ago i also made a new layout for a very old web page, where i keep my favorite unicode fonts.
it's been a while since i wanted to change it, and i am in love with the results :

what do you think ? i think this soft webcore aesthetic is absolutely adorable !
i hope this site can be useful for you, as much as it is for me 💻

so, for finishing today's post, i have a text to write !!!
after so much time.. i hope i am still able to write properly besides being tired, heh

lately i have received questions on how i feel about people who get inspired by my content. it seems that there are many accounts around the internet that look very similar to mine.. and well, each time i see new content with similar ideas / aesthetic, i feel happy and proud ♡
i keep in mind that the point of all my work and efforts is not to feed my ego, but inspire others to become a better version of themselves. if they find comfort in my personal aesthetic or something similar, i can safely believe that i'm spreading good things !!
sharing kindness is always welcome ! it's just so great to see that community growing and more people creating new things.. it's all i ever dreamed of, and there is no way i could let my ego get in the way of my peace of mind just so i can feel "special". i also get inspired by others all the time, i'm not above or below any of these people, we're just all trying to be happy. 
i think that being careful to make new content and not just replicate other's ideas over and over is better spent time, but we hardly get ideas completely out of nowhere : we often mix things together, and this is valid as well. experimenting is important.

finding an account that looks really similar to yours, specially when the person isn't even giving credits, can be bothering. i understand, but i also understand the point of someone who is partially ( or entirely ) copying others .. it can be really embarrassing to give the source of all your ideas. hiding the source is just an immature way of trying to find their comfort zone, to avoid people saying they're not original, and it usually doesn't take too long for the person to get new ideas, detach a bit from that one specific "idol" and feel more confident to share sources of inspiration.
for that reason, it's important to be patient with these people. instead of getting angry and talking to them in an intimidating way, remember that you're someone they look forward and that it would be really painful for them. when you're rude, people often get into a "self defense state" and act rudely too. the best thing to do is just ignore and keep doing what you're doing !!
if there are people getting inspired by your work, you're in the right path. there is no need to feel afraid, there is no one trying to steal your identity. ♡
also : we must accept that other people can find success by doing similar things that you do. this is not a competition !!!