BUILD 20/30: Writing A Mythical Magical Adventure Cat Primer

Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2025 by Sri. Tagged JOURNAL

I used the new Affinity App to make a one-page primer about "magical adventure cats"; they are a narrative device I use for personal development.

About the Title Picture: I used the Layout Module of the new Affinity App to write and create the Magical Adventure Cat Primer.Screenshot of the Affinity App, depicting a landscape aspect page with the words THE MYSTERIOUS MAGICAL ADVENTURE CAT and a column of text to the right.Screenshot of the Affinity App, depicting a landscape aspect page with the words THE MYSTERIOUS MAGICAL ADVENTURE CAT and a column of text to the right. (full size image)

I referered to "magical adventure cats" when starting create a new Master Vantage Point mapSee the August 16 Progress Post for more information.. This kind of map is intended to help understand what I need to do.

While Magical Adventure Cats were amusing to think about, I noticed that they embodied quite a lot of aspirational energy that mapped pretty well to my own proclivities. Over time, I've put more thought into just what such a cat would be like, and put together a primer based on some private writing I had done over the weekend.

Download What is a Magical Adventure Cat?

If you know me personally, you might note that many aspects of Magical Adventure Cats align with my own traits. It's fun to talk about an adorable cat with a bunch of weird-yet-interesting traits! As I'm a fan of using narrative techniques in my personal development methodology, writing the canonical guide to magical adventure cats seemed like a good idea.

And so, it now exists! Who knows, maybe other people will find the idea enjoyable (and inspirational) as well!

2025 Building Challenge Posts

Making an URSYS App Example

Adding Typescript support to Eleventy

Review of Old Design Work

Improving my Eleventy Atom Feeds

Managing a Productivity Crash

Activity Bingo Board: Layout with Affinity Designer

ETP 5885 Notebook Press Run Prep

Activity Bingo Board Revisions

ETP 5885 Notebook Press Tour

A Silly Pass at Logo Design

Unprofessional Business Cards

Word Counting Calendar PDF Quickie Reuse

Word Counting Calendar PDF Now Available!

Word Counting Calendar Preparing to Code

Word Counting Calendar Simple Beginnings

Articulating Friendship

First skip day due to day trip to Concord, etc.

Making a PDF-LIB Reference

Word Counting Calendar Drawing Blocks

Minimum Progress Despite Nausea

Word Counting Calendar Drawing Blocks II

Writing A Mythical Magical Adventure Cat Primer

Word Counting Calendar Drawing Days

Word Counting Calendar Drawing Spaces

A Restorative Visit to the North Shore

Word Counting Calendar: Alpha Release!

ETP 5885 Notebook Production Update!

Personal Cards Revisited

11/21 - Visiting an Old Friend in Beverly, MA

Experimental Collaboration

Short Productive Sprint Day

Thanksgiving Reset Break

ETP 5885 Notebook back on Amazon!

ETP 365 Day Journal Updated for 2026!

Making a Freelance Services Page

BUILD CHALLENGE COMMENTARY

Today's PDF marks the first time using the new Affinity App from Canva. This is the "free forever" new version of the Affinity Suite of Photo, Designer, and Publisher in one unified application.

I found it pretty easy to set up, roughly comparable to using Adobe InDesign with a few differences here and there. It feels a lot faster, though!

What took more time was looking for a nice font to set the Primer in. I wanted something that seemed "old", but not "mystical" or "ancient". I did a bit of review on the history of typography to pick an era that felt right, and this brought me to the early 1800s Georgian era of English history. In the end, I settled for using the system Palatino font for the title. On the mention of the font Allegreya in the DS|CAFE Discord, I choose to use this for the body text. As Font Foundry's writeup notes, it's a remarkable combination of "the warmth of traditional calligraphy with the precision of modern typography" that I like a lot. This dichotomy fits the spirit of Magical Adventure Cats well, being both warm and analytical at the same time. As a bonus, it's a huge type family which makes it versatile for all kinds of purposes.

I'm sure I'll give it a good workout!

BONUS ACHIEVEMENTS

  • I heard from my printer that the Mini-ETP Notebooks are ready to pack and ship! So they'll soon be available in the Amazon Marketplace once again, fingers crossed...
  • Yesterday I also posted my November 11 Groundhog Day Report, which summarizes the first 19 days of this building challenge.

We chat about personal projects and challenges on the DS|CAFE Community Discord Server every day. Come visit! Maybe you'll make some friends!

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