#also please forgive any typos. my eyes are blurry today

[gertritude-art]

Progress Report!

As promised, here is another progress report for DemonVN - or, as it will officially be known, Demon Detangled: Horror at the Homecoming Dance (subtitle pending).  You can view the first (rough) six minutes of it up there.  There’s still quite a bit to edit about it, as I’m sure you can tell, and a lot of it is stuff I have already shown, but for once, it’s all up there together.

Anyway, let’s get started!

FIRST...:

DemonVN has an about page on this blog, now.  You can read it here!

MENUS:

The title screen is officially done!  You can see what it looks like up above.  And, yes, the official name is Demon Detangled!  I’ve had the name in mind for months, but was waiting to officially say it in case I wanted to change it (spoilers: I could not think of a better one). The subtitle is still in need a rework, but I’m including one on the off chance that I gather enough willpower to turn this into a series, rather than just a single game.  Gotta make ‘em distinct, somehow...

I still need to customize all the other menus, but I already have drafts of how they should look in the works!  They should be done in the next few weeks.

SPRITES:

Lillie now has a new sprite, as does Catherine!  It is only looking at them now that I realize just how inhuman Lillie looks.  Hm.  Perhaps this is a deep metaphor for how, really, humans are no different than demons... or that she just needs to get out of the church more often.

Anyway, the rest of the cast is also in the progress of being edited a bit, but I don't have anything official to show for them... Please imagine them in your minds.

POINT AND CLICK ASPECTS:

As I have mentioned, DemonVN does have point and click aspects, so as to excite and challenge the average three-year-old who may want to play.  I spent a lot of the past week or so trying to iron out some of those aspects.  Did you know that at one point, you’ll be able to select multiple items to use on someone?  Check this out:

Aside from that, I’ve been slowly fixing and figuring out all the other item interactions in the game!  I almost got that done in time for this update, but I think it’ll take me another few days to get the base of all those implemented.  There have been a lot of if/else statements at play...

THE WRITING:

I’ve been jumping back and forth quite a bit with the writing of this game, but I have made some progress!  The introduction is still getting written (it remains my white whale), but all the interactions you can have with your classmates are close to finished.  That is something I did not realize I had actually done until I wrote it just now - it feels like I’ve been writing them for forever!  Here’s a fun interaction to show you:

Aside from that, a lot of my writing energy has been spent sitting and figuring out how the ending is going to go.  There is a specific, very important emotional section of it (SPOILERS: MORDRED EXPERIENCES AN EMOTION) that I’ve been trying to figure out the tone of for over a year, and I think I finally understand how it needs to be written without it coming across as overwrought or undeserved.  I wish I could show off what I’ve written of it so far, but... it will be good :^) 

THE ART:

Didn’t do much in the art department, recently, but I do have a lot of placeholder assets in place!  Shout out to this funky guy:

I have a really cool CG I drew a few months back that I had to reluctantly cut, and so I could show you that... but I’m not going to #cruelty #hatred

IS THE END IN SIGHT?

Not yet!  Check back next month for another report on how it’s going, though!  I should have some more answers by then.  Hopefully.  

WHY DID YOU WORK ON YOUR TITLE SCREEN SO HARD BEFORE YOU FINISHED THE GAME.  I WAS SO EXCITED THINKING YOU WERE DONE.  EXPLAIN.

1) I needed to do something for the game one day, and I didn’t feel like doing anything else.  2) Doing this helped me learn that buttons can perform multiple functions, which!  I had no idea was possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for telling me, Ren’Py!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, that’s all for now.  See you next month with another progress report! :D

[prodchoi]

Delirium [part two]

part one

part three

A ghost can be a lot of things. A memory, a daydream, a secret. Grief, anger, guilt. But, in my experience, most times they're just what we want to see.

[1,349+ words, no pairing (gender neutral s/o), horror, blood mention, body horror]

(Forgive any typos, I didn’t have much time to read over it :~) )

//

[7:42pm] December 20th. Seoul, South Korea

Chan fell back in a yell “What are you?! What do you want?!” He felt his heart race a hundred miles an hour, beating against every part of his skin at the terrifying.. thing. In front of him.

It inched closer, a sickening creak coming from its twisted limbs

Oh chan, don’t you want to be with us?

The disembodied voice reverberated against his ears, coaxing yet distorted. Coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Don’t you love us? We’re the ones you love.

He shook his head, jaw clenched and body frozen “Please go away, I don’t know what this is.. please stop. Please!”

He shut his eyes, praying that when he opened them it would just be a bad dream. He’d be back home in bed

‘It's all a bad dream, wake up chan. Wake up wake up wake up, please for the love of god, WAKE UP’

A sudden eerie, empty silence took over him. He opened his eyes slowly, the tears he hadn’t noticed falling making his vision blurry.

Nothing.

He looked around

Absolutely nothing

Just the houses

He took notice of the old man standing in his front yard, Over watering his plants while he looked at the younger boy with a shocked look. ‘What’s happening to me?’ His head whipping left to right looking for the.. thing. Or where it could’ve gone.

‘I’m fucking losing it, aren’t I?’

He gathered himself with shaky hands and unsteady breaths, opting to grab his phone to make a quick call to the person on their way to him. It rung twice before they picked up

Channie? Are you okay? I’m just a minute away.

“I’m.. I’m okay.”

A breathy chuckle from the other end of the line eases his nerves a little

You don’t sound okay, though. you sound scared. “Is It that obvious” he sighed, a serious look washing over his features “I am scared” His voice was low and brittle. “I’m so.. so scared” He can’t bring himself to cry, his tired body couldn’t handle anymore sobs.

I see you, I’m pulling up now. The phone hung up suddenly, the sounds of tires crunching gravel approach. He straightens his back, attempting to look less beaten down as the person approaches him. Eyes weary at the familiar face, he puts his best smile he could pull in his current state. Warm hands rest on his cheeks, one pushing his silver-blue curls out of his tired eyes. Golden brown orbs still radiant even with the heavy purple under them.

“What happened?”

A simple statement has his eyes burning all over again, a shaky breathe leaving him. “I couldn’t explain even if I wanted to”. He leans into their palm, seeking any comfort after what’s happened. “You can tell me anything, you know that” he nods, wiping his eyes “I know.. thank you for coming”. A gentle smile from them eases his anxiety. “Let’s get you home. You look like shit y’know” His chest vibrates with laughter “Thanks. I personally think I look hot”

//

[9:02pm]. December 20th. Seoul, South Korea

After what felt like a lifetime, though only an hour, they arrived back to the small cozy apartment in the buzzing nightlife of Seoul. Chan shuffled off his shoes and stripped his damp hoodie and collapsed onto the couch, he felt like melting into the the fabric of the old furnishing. “I’ve never missed this prehistoric piece of shit more in my life” he sighed, face squished into a throw pillow he was hugging to his chest.

“Go take a shower, Chan. It’ll make you feel better”

“Can’t I just sleep? I’ll take one in the morning” voice muffled from the pillow. The chuckling person standing next to him takes the pillow from his arms, only to smack him with it moments later. “Go you stinky brute!” He heaved himself off the comfortable cushions and drudged to the bathroom, opening the door and then looking back with a rotten look on his face. He mumbled under his breath, “I just wanted to sleep”. A flying couch cushion hit him square in the face, “I heard that, you brat!”

//

[3:15am]

Chan was laying on his side, facing the softly snoring lump in the blankets next to him. He still had the events from today running through his mind. “I don’t understand” he whispered to himself. Movement from the opposite side of the bed removes him from his thoughts, the sleepy individual rolls on their side to meet his fatigued eyes, “Have you slept any?” Their voice small and thick with sleep,

“No” he breathes “go back to sleep, I’ll fall asleep soon enough” he sits up, his arm supporting him as leans to kiss their forehead. “I can stay up with you” They say through a yawn. He’s laughs at their barely open eyes, “A bold offer from someone who’s barely conscious” A sleepy smirk appears on their face as they wrap their arms around his sides, head resting just under his chin, “Hush and go to sleep, idiot” He chuckles, the sound vibrating against their cheek, Feigning a hurt voice, “You’re so mean to me”

//

[2:32pm]. December 23rd. Seoul Subway Station.

Nothing has happened since Friday’s episode, Chan had blamed it all on exhaustion.

‘I’ve been working too much, that’s all’

His foot tapping on the concrete floor of the station waiting for it, headphones blasting The Weeknd, even though he isn’t listening. The familiar ringtone of his friend ringing in his ears replacing ‘high for this’ with ‘holla back girl’. the contact name ‘tiny idiot’ flashing on his screen, along with a less than flattering candid of his smaller counterpart. he huffed before hitting answer

“Hi bin”

Hey! Are you coming to the studio today? We almost have everything set up for the release.

“Ah, probably not. I’m still not feeling well”

Legends don’t rest, chanstopher.

“Tell that to the grouchy goblin that lives with me. They said I need to take a few days off. From everything”

They’ll get over you coming to the studio for just a little bit, also, have you heard from the boss? I hear your run didn’t go to well.. What happened man?

Changbins worry passes through the phone.

“No, but I’ll explain in a few days, bin. Don’t worry”

Chan rubs his face with a free hand, his fingers running through his silvery curls. Exasperated.

If you need anything just let me, or at least Jisung know. Okay?

“Alright alright, I gotta go”

See you.

Chan stands in the close to empty station still

‘Why is it taking so damn long’

He looks at the time displayed on the route board

‘5 minutes late?’

He sighed, opting to lean against the concrete pillar to wait. He looks around the building, noticing he’s alone

“It’s Sunday, why is no one here?”

He notices the quiet washing over the large cement room. Not even the shrill noise of the subway. He wonders if there’s construction he doesn’t know about.

Why would they work on it this close to the holidays?

He gives up, walking to the stairs to exit

A sudden shriek coming from the tunnel makes him jump, though there’s no light from the subway car. He stands on the first step waiting to see if the car pulls through.

A minute later

Nothing

He continues his way up the steps. he makes it halfway before he stops, feeling eyes burning into the back of his head. He wished he never turned around.

Bodies

Bodies everywhere

The floor

The steps

So much blood

He recognizes family members, friends, why is this happening.

His lungs feel tight, he wants to scream but nothing comes out.

Hello again, Channie. The voice speaks, coming from every corpse speaking in unison, distorted honey dripped vocals mesh together, the floor shakes under his boots.

Wait for us

The bodies move, flopping and crunching together. Sickening pops and squelches mold the corpses, knitting into each other as he watches in horror, unable to look away.

The blob of skin, limbs, shrieking faces lurches forward,

Wait for us, Chan

He moves to run but he’s paralyzed by fear, his body trembling.

he manages to speak, his voice weak

“please stop”