catandthewell-if

[catandthewell-if]

You've lived in this small town for your whole life and now it's up to you to save it... and maybe find love along the way.

Blooming Tides is an interactive slice-of-life romance novel that's planned to be made with Twine. You take the role of a resident of Flora Coast, a small coastal town, as you try to generate enough money to convince the governor to not sell the land to a CEO, who has plans on demolishing the town for a luxury resort.

My name is Meg and I'm also the author for @house-of-evenmoor. This story is going to be my attempt at learning Twine. This is planned to be smaller in length and detail so I can figure out how coding works!

If you couldn't tell, this is based on and heavily inspired by farming sims (Harvest Moon/Story of Season, Stardew Valley, etc) and any other "small town" romances.

Play as male or female, gay or straight.

Customize your appearance and personality.

Join 1 of 6 families and help run your family's business (or not, in some cases).

Bond with your neighbors.

Find love with 1 of 8 Love Interests. All of them are gender-selectable.

Figure out how to market Flora Coast to attract tourists and gain town revenue.

Stop that hotshot CEO from destroying the town.

Noah/Norah Wood - The Miner. A Flora Coast native, you grew up with them. You two were close friends when you were younger, but ended up drifting apart over the years, despite living in a very small town. They're happy to be working with you again. They're cheerful and pleasant to be around, but tends to get distracted easily.

Silas/Sasha Fox - The Doctor. They actually moved to Flora Coast from the outside, which was ... odd... to say the least. Most people don't willingly come to a small town in the middle of nowhere, especially if they're a doctor. But, then again, they've always been a bit... unconventional.

Riley/Rianne Green - The Teacher. An outsider from Flora Coast who settled in rather nicely. As the only teacher in town, they're usually seen with a gaggle of children following them, even on weekends. They're a friendly, kind, and pretty genuine person with the patience of a saint.

Cassidy/Claire Meadow - The Hotel Manager. A born-and-raised Flora Coast resident. Their family owns the Holly Hotel, the only hotel in the area. You grew up with them too, but they were a few years older than you and never paid you any mind before. They're blunt, curt, and aren't really everyone's cup of tea, so to speak.

Tobias/Taylor Hill - The Waiter/Waitress. Another Flora Coast native, they're your best friend. You two shared everything together when growing up and that hasn't stopped. They're a bit shy and soft-spoken, but, with you, they're loud and animated. They have big dreams and a creative mind.

Blake/Bailey Field - The Animal Shop Worker. A native Flora Coast resident. They grew up with you as well, and they were a terror. Maybe you have a bit of bad blood, but that's all in the past now. They have recently come home and they've seemed to settle down... slightly. They're still teasing, eager, and brash, though.

Philip/Philomena Steel - The Lawyer. An outsider from the city. They're the child of the CEO who wants to turn the town into a luxury resort. They're rude and stuck-up and are only in the town to "keep eyes on it" for their father. They irritate you and vice versa. You want them to leave town and they're insistent to stay.

Luke/Lucy Waters - The Famer. Raised outside Flora Coast, but with blood from the town. They're quiet and they don't say much, but they're determined and hardworking, that's for sure. You always see them running around town and they, somehow, always find you to give you a gift.

[catandthewell-if]

Are you doing okay?

Hello!

Thank you for asking! I am doing okay! The last few months of 2024 were... very eventful for me, to say the least! LOL

Just a few highlights include:

- Getting a new job IRL

- Getting into a car crash and totaling my car

- Having to quit said new job because of physical therapy scheduling conflicts (thanks to said crash)

- The Holidays (tm)

- Acquiring and dealing with a lawyer (for said crash)

- My friend's in-laws passing away 1 week before Christmas and the day after New Year's Day.

- Trying to find a new job and acquire a new car

So... yeah. I've had a bit of a rough go at things since November, but I'm still here! If I get the chance, I'll post a "Where I'm At" post regarding my WIPs.

But, hey, thanks for asking! I'm sure this wasn't the update you were expecting, but I appreciate it, anyway! ❤️

[catandthewell-if]

Updated Testing Demo Link: LINK

Notes: - Updated/Finished(?)/Fully Added Character Creation - Added a bit of Chapter 1

[catandthewell-if]

22 for all the ROs?

Sure! For reference for everyone else, 22 is about pet names!

Alice/Alex - LOVES to use pet names and LOVES when pet names are used for them. Their pet names are more classic ones like my love, my beloved, dear, etc.

Olivia/Oliver - Enjoys using pet names for other people. Very indifferent about people using pet names for them, though. They could take it or leave it. Their favored pet names are more casual sounding ones like babe. They also like to come up with different nicknames/pet names for people and use those instead.

Isabelle - Is pretty indifferent to pet names, but they just roll off of her tongue naturally. She doesn't mind if you want to use a pet name for her. She finds it cute. The one pet name she likes to use the most is, ironically, my heart. She's also partial to more poetic pet names like my sun, my moon, etc.

Fenrir - Don't even try it. He doesn't get it. He'll have no idea you're trying to talk to him and if you ask him to use a pet name for you he'll just go "but that's not your name 🤨". He's trying his best, okay?

Mysterious Figure - Doesn't actively use pet names, but they will if you ask. Also doesn't mind if you want to call them a pet name. They don't have any favored ones either. You can just tell them what you want to be called and they'll do it.

[catandthewell-if]

oc asks that reveal more than you think

Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

Can they take care of a plant? What about a pet? What about a child?

Ask them to describe their love interest.

Do they look good in red?

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words.

Do complex puzzles intrigue or frustrate them?

Do they empathize with non-sentient things (dolls, plants, books…)?

What age do they most want to be right now?

They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

Do they like romance in the books they read (or in the book they’re in)?

Name one thing their parents taught them.

Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

If money wasn’t a limit, what would they wear?

Do they like children?

Kissing: tongue or no tongue?

Do they study before tests? Practice before job interviews?

What do they like that nobody else does?

What would it take for them to break up with someone? What would be the last straw?

Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?

Stability or novelty?

Honesty or charity?

Safety or possibility?

Talent or effort?

Forgiveness or vengeance (or…)?

Would they date a fixer-upper?

What recurring dreams do they have?

What would they do if they knew it would be forgiven?

[catandthewell-if]

[catandthewell-if]

When I write a cliffhanger but have no idea how to get my character out of it.

[catandthewell-if]

Fields of Asphodel is now on sale!

Descend to the Underworld and live among myths as the deity of spring!

Fields of Asphodel is a 1.3 million-word interactive novel by JJ Laurier. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Forced into an arranged marriage with the God of the Dead, only you can decide what to make of your new life. Befriend misfit deities, repel giant attacks, find the culprit behind the river goddess's mysterious illness, and use your powers to nudge Fate in your favor! Decide what kind of deity you want to be—whether you'll answer prayers, how you'll develop your powers, and what role you'll take in governance.

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi, asexual, or poly.

Play as neurodivergent or neurotypical.

Take on the powers of spring and life.

Find love and friendship among the gods of the ancient Greek Underworld.

Develop your abilities and hobbies, and choose the kind of life you want to live.

Grow a garden in the Underworld.

Defend the realm, advise the King, and solve a mystery.

Make a new home, or seize the opportunity to return to your old one.

Can you bring light to the darkest of realms?

---------------------------------------------------------

I am delighted to announce that the wait is finally over. Fields of Asphodel is now available on Steam, the CoG Website, via the Hosted Games Omnibus app, and anywhere else Hosted Games are sold! For the next week, it's on sale for $7.99 (USD), so get it before the price goes up to $11.99!

Thank you all so much for your support through the game's development; it's what made this possible. A special shout-out to my Patrons, to the Discord server crew, and to @gncrezan, who not only makes regular and amazing art related to the game, but who drew the beautiful cover image as well.

If you enjoyed Fields of Asphodel, please consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice. It really does make a difference!

[catandthewell-if]

Currently working on a pre-part 1 demo survey (👀 iykyk) and I got reminded of that Cobalt Snakes stan from the First Impressions survey.

Since this game is so big, there wasn't enough space on the poll feature for everyone so I had to outsource my polls to Google Forms LMAO. Anyway, all of the surveys are completely anonymous, so I genuinely have no idea who they are or if their full form was even 100% Cobalt Snakes, but I love them so much and it really motivates me because of how genuinely happy and excited they seem.

Lowkey that's kind of what I want for my writing, you know? Like I want to make something that you guys really like and want to talk about and theorize over and make fan content for and gush over and all of that stuff. That's probably like one of the best things as a creator is seeing just how much everyone likes and enjoys what you put out.

Anyway, I have most of the baseline coding done, so a super short test demo might be on the horizon soon... 👀

[catandthewell-if]

could you answer the voices question for this blog too please?

Sure! I love doing these! I think they're super fun!

This is the post anon is referring to, BTW! (LINK)

Under the cut, as usual!

Alice: Laura Stahl (Alear - Fire Emblem Heroes)

Alex: Brandon McInnis (Alear - Fire Emblem Heroes)

Olivia: Amber Lee Conners (Furina - Genshin Impact)

Oliver: Griffin Burns (Childe/Tartaglia - Genshin Impact)

Isabelle: Brittany Lauda (Chiori - Genshin Impact)

Fenrir: Nazeeh Tarsha (Alhaitham - Genshin Impact)

Mystery Figure: Tara Platt (Flame Emperor - Fire Emblem Heroes)

[catandthewell-if]

The worst thing about having more than one IF that take place in all different worlds is trying to find names that haven't been used LMAO

[catandthewell-if]

It's better to focus on only one WIP (or two at most)… otherwise you'll get stuck in a loop and never finish any of these projects started.

If you feel like you're a bit tired of this one IF, or have a momentary lack of motivation, you can focus on writing other things for fun - fanfics, short stories, whatever you like and is not another WIP! Or write something from that WIP's universe but not related to MC and the plot at all.

It's probably easier said than done.... but worth a try. Good luck!

I know I really should work on the novella series since it'll be a quick write that I need out before I start working on these bigger projects (cough @magussanctorium-if cough), I'm just putting it off because I don't want to code LMAO

[catandthewell-if]

me, when I come up with a really cool new idea for an IF but I already have 3 going at once with 1 in the wings and I can't ever be normal and chill about anything ever

[catandthewell-if]

So Apple is going to make joining patreons on the iOS app 30% more expensive starting from November.

Please make sure you join any patreons on the web because this is a scam and I hate Apple oml. Be free from whatever capitalism bs this is. 🙄

[catandthewell-if]

Just curious to see what others like/prefer!

For those who don't know the difference between Third Person Limited and Third Person Omniscient:

Limited is more subjective. It tends to follow one character through the whole book/chapter and you see only that character's thoughts. Most books and games told in Third Person use this style. It's the most commonly used and probably what you think of when you hear Third Person.

Omniscient is more objective. It's told by an external source who can dive into any character's thoughts at any time/"head-hop". The narrator also tends to know what will happen so phrases like "little did they know, the worst was yet to come" is Third Person Omniscient. Pride and Prejudice is probably one of the most well known pieces that uses Third Person Omniscient.

[catandthewell-if]

Just seeing what the opinions are. No guarantees for anything! ^^

[catandthewell-if]

I tried out some new things for the character customization code. Let me know if it works or it's like totally broken. The stat page should also reflect the choices picked.

Link