In this episode of Creative Engineering, Swag sets up a donut factory that produces both plain and apple donuts after updating the numbers on the board of support. See where he erred so you can avoid the same mistakes, and learn the mechanics behind producing these two new foods. This modpack is now available for download on the Swagnilla Ice blog!
For today’s aside, I want to pose a question to all of you: If you could be any comic book hero for just one day, who would you choose and why? It is easy to get caught up in who has the flashiest powers, but I am more interested in the motivation behind your choice.
As for me, I would choose Captain America. Even though he has enhanced abilities, he is still mortal and is guided by a very clear sense of right and wrong. What really resonates with me is his ending in Endgame. After everything he went through, he used the opportunity to go back and live a normal life, eventually growing into an old man. I love the fact that he took the chance to actually marry Peggy Carter and have a family with her. That desire for a quiet, grounded life and a family, despite having the power of a hero, is why he is my pick.
I would love to hear your picks in the comments below after you become a member if you aren’t already one. If you are a member and part of my Discord server, feel free to head over to it to share more about your choice and see what everyone else is saying.
I often talk about the future of Swagnilla Ice, but I want to be real with you all about the present. For a long time, I tried to do things the traditional way. I applied for the steady, permanent roles, but the job market has a way of being cold.
Despite my efforts, the traditional 9-to-5 world hasn’t been biting. And even when I did have that stability, it proved to be an illusion. My longest run at a job was six years before I was given the boot.
That experience changed how I look at employment and why I’ve embraced temp work while we build this community together.
The Illusion of Permanent Work
Getting let go after six years teaches you a hard lesson: no matter how much time you put in, you are often just a line on a spreadsheet. When that permanent safety net disappears, you realize that the only thing you truly own is what you build for yourself. That is exactly what I am doing here with this blog and my video series.
Turning Rejection into Fuel
It’s frustrating to put yourself out there and not get the call back. But instead of letting that stall me, I’m using temping as a tool. It’s a way to keep Harmani Investments happy and the rent paid without tied-down loyalty to companies that haven’t shown that same loyalty to me in the past.
Why the Membership Matters
This is why I’m so focused on our membership tiers. Whether you are a Peasant, a Knight, or a Duke, you are helping me build a career that can’t be taken away by a corporate boot. Until Swagnilla Ice is fully supported by the community, temping is how I bridge the gap. It keeps me agile, it keeps the bills paid, and most importantly, it keeps me from being at the mercy of a hiring manager who doesn’t see the value in what I do.
By supporting me here at Swagnilla Ice with a membership, you are helping me to secure the future and produce more awesome content like this blog post.
In this episode of Creative Engineering, Swag builds a custom Minecraft fishing pond and enchants a max-level fishing rod for ultimate loot. While working on the pond’s design, Swag explains his building process and shares which rare items he is hoping to fish up. He also gets lucky and snags a powerful enchanted book—watch the full episode to find out which one!
I follow a steady exercise regime now of visiting the aquatic centre at Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre every other day as long as I am not working that day. My routine is a simple 20 minutes of jogging back and forth or in place in the deep area of the leisure pool (sometimes I will swim a few laps back and forth for extra exercise), then a 5 minute soak in the hot tub, and finishing with 5 minutes of riding the water slide (walking up the stairs to the top is good exercise!). This can vary by a few minutes depending on various factors, but I am usually out of the pool in about forty minutes at the latest. If you need to get more exercise, why don’t you try it? The water is great for cushioning your joints especially if you suffer from arthritic pain like I do!
Greetings everyone!
We’re really into 2026 now and small but important changes have come to Swagnilla Ice over the last few weeks. The biggest one of course is the change in theme and a bit of change of layout. Instead of using Twenty Fourteen and it’s magazine style layout, I have switched to Twenty Eleven, which is more of a blog theme that is customizable to feel more ‘royal’ and majestic. From the custom purple background to the dark colours and chess image in the header, it’s the perfect blog theme for someone who’s focused on a Medieval but Modern style in his gaming and video making.
To complement this royal aesthetic, I have also engineered a new badge system for our comment sections. Members who have joined the Knight or Duke tiers will now see their titles displayed in vibrant colors next to their names. These colors are inspired by our Discord hierarchy to keep things consistent across the entire Swagnilla Ice experience. Additionally, the first one hundred paid members will receive a special gold Founder badge as a permanent mark of their early support for my creative endeavours.
The Founder badge does not appear automatically, but I must give it out myself after you become a paid member. Peasants will not be given this badge or any other badge in the comments as they are reserved for our paid members and staff only (including myself). The badges for myself and the staff are not membership badges but are official marks of their employment with Swagnilla Ice after they are hired. This ensures that when you see a badge in the comments, you know exactly who is a dedicated supporter and who is helping me run the kingdom.
These badges are marks of honour and respect, they have been earned fairly through support or being hired as someone valuable to my team. I expect that everyone will follow the rules of what’s acceptable in the comments when posting.
I have put a lot of work into engineering this new home for Swagnilla Ice to ensure it is a high-quality, private space for us to grow. Whether you remain a Peasant or rise to the rank of Knight or Duke, I am glad to have you here as part of this journey.
Check the header for all the important links, keep an eye on your inbox for post notifications, and I will see you in the comments after you become a member. Let’s make 2026 the best year for Swagnilla Ice yet.
In this episode, Swag builds the Supporters Hall, where paid members’ signs and blocks will go. Don’t remember how this system of rewards in my public Minecraft worlds works? Check out Signs, Blocks, and You – The Update here or search for the post on Swagnilla Ice where your paid membership can get you into this hall and begin your journey of support!
As the calendar turns to 2026, there is always a familiar sense of a clean slate. For me, this year is about finding renewal in what I build and how I live.
First, I have a major update for the fans of my gaming series, Creative Engineering. After a lot of work behind the scenes, the Creative Engineering Season One modpack is officially available for public download. You can find the link right here on the blog (under My Downloads). I am excited to see what you all build with these tools, especially since I am already preparing for the future—the next pack will be its own world and not in this one, so now is the perfect time to dive into this version.
On a more personal note, I am making a change to how I handle my time, my budget, and my health. I’ve recently received a diagnosis of minor arthritis in my knee and some slightly elevated cholesterol. It means a few more meds, but it also means I need to be more intentional. I have officially decided to give up on ordering in via delivery apps. To tighten my purse strings and ensure I am actually staying active and enjoying the experience of food someone else has cooked, I am restricting my dining out to a specific ritual.
I will only be going out to eat after Mass on Saturday or Sunday when I attend in person. As long as I am not sick and the weather isn’t too cold to make the trip, that will be my time to sit down and appreciate a fresh meal. It is about reclaiming the experience and making it a deliberate choice rather than a habit of convenience.
Whether you are downloading the new pack to start your own engineering journey or making your own small shifts in daily habits, I hope this year brings you a sense of fresh momentum.
f you enjoyed this blog post and the other content here on Swagnilla Ice, consider becoming a member. Members get to comment on posts as well as communicate directly with me and each other via a Discord server. Your support is what will keep this blog alive.
Wishing all of my readers a truly Happy New Year. May you find abundant happiness and hope in the days ahead, and may God bless you and your family throughout the year.