#different writing styles for each RO

[pressplay-if]

The player character I have in mind for Press Play is very different from the Such Happy Campers MC. They are far less of a clean slate. The Such Happy Campers MC can have different hobbies and varying childhood/past romantic experiences that can come up in conversations with the SHC ROs. However, the story of SHC is independent from the MC’s background. Whatever happens at the Camp Solace will happen regardless of whether MC has chosen to, say, be a martial artist or a painter in their free time.

By contrast, the Press Play MC’s story ties very closely to their past, especially their teenage years and time of crisis. Also, I think overall customization is far more important in Press Play than SHC. I’ve already started working on the first chapter which is lots and lots of character creation. So far, you can choose:

one of three family backgrounds for MC, all of which dysfunctional to some degree

a job MC used to do before they could support themselves through music (unemployment is also an option if your MC is too obsessed with their singing to hold down a job)

an item/gimmick for MC’s performances (MC can wear lots of eye-catching necklaces, a flower wreath, a cowboy hat, a bandana like Angel’s, multiple rings or always go on stage barefoot, which is a nod to Daisy Jones ofc)

MC’s style: they can either be unearthly/mysterious-looking or the attractive and approachable boy/girl/kid next door type (there’s a reason there’s only two options, and that reason is P. Zima… it’ll make sense, I promise)

whether MC emotes less than others

the general vibe and content/image of the band and their music, and their first couple songs

whether MC has stage fright

whether MC feels comfortable in noisy, crowded places (you can select for them to have sensory overload issues, general social anxiety issues or no issues with it at all)

how confident MC is about their performances

whether MC drinks alcohol, plus their favorite drink

That’s a lot to keep track of, and mind you, this is just the beginning. So I’m on track to finish this project in about a hundred years (sad laughter). Once the story will turn towards the MC’s hospitalization, I want to give at least three options for why MC is being treated: depression, severe social anxiety and both. I also want to give effective options for an autistic MC (since I’ve finally started feeling comfortable writing about that since I got my own diagnosis; I’ve mentioned this before in relation to Flo from SHC).  The Press Play romances are also going to be quite different, especially since I’m also considering a poly path for Press Play where the band can be… quite intimate with each other. That could include P. Zima and even Lincoln. It’d be a very different route than just all romances taken singularly, though. But given the story, I think it’d make a lot of sense (by contrast, in SHC, it really wouldn’t have). So that’s another thing I’d be writing for the first time, and I’m kind of excited for. 

Anyways, let me know your thoughts!

[crescendo-if]

Faceclaims

Inside this carefully crafted mystery box are the faceclaims for all of the ROs. If you'd prefer to use your own imagination to visualize the characters, you might want to skip this post. Not all of these are spot-on, but they're as close as I could get to finding a reference for each of the characters.

Without further ado, open it!

Or don't, you choose!

Luci Morningstar

I'd say these are accurate to the Luci(s) I imagine in my head, but their hair's red and black when the story begins and they have a lot of piercings not pictured (which is the case for a lot of the characters). f!Luci also has thinner eyebrows

Cia/Cian Avila

I like these, though Cia's curls are a bit looser, and her skin is a shade or two darker. Gets a gold star from me

Damian/Devyn Thunder

Devyn's hair has a bit of a wave to it and it's cut into curtain bangs atm. Hits the mark otherwise

Stella/Eli Rose

Eli's hair is blonder than in the picture, but other than that these are pretty much spot-on

Ethan/Elena Sun

This is exactly what I envision when I picture them, down to the expression on their faces

Natalie Marigold

Pretty much perfect for Nat, though her hair is typically a little more styled than the version in the picture

Bellamy Ortega

No notes. I have outdone myself

Tristan/Trisha Hydra

Finding Trisha's faceclaim was easier than passing third-grade social studies. Finding a picture that even half-way resembled Tristan put me through the ringer and beat me to a pulp twice in one night, and I'm still not satisfied with the end result of my endeavors. But I don't hate it either. It's just... a little off in so many different ways.

Tristan's skin is a few shades darker (like trisha's), his hair less frizzy/fluffy and cut into a wolfcut, and he doesn't have a cleft chin.

Trisha's is flawless. Besides the fact that her hair is completely dark brown without any red highlights. Other than that, pure perfection

Jonah/Juliette Ziegler

Juliette's hair is a dark brown instead of the light shade in the picture, and her lips are a little plumper. Otherwise, you're staring at a spitting image of the characters I imagine when I'm writing

[brooklyn-house]

i just want a sitcom (in the style of the office) situated in camp jupiter,?

because you have to stay diplomatic in the roman camp, you have to stay professional, no matter how much you may want to hurl someone into the air with a manubalista. the praetors have duties to attend to, problems to solve, looks to upkeep. and then the desks in their office are trampled by an elephant who was accidentally left loose.

a six hour long meeting of the senate, discussing whether they should or shouldn't classify nymphs as official residents of camp jupiter. reyna and frank both keep face and engage with the discussion, at least a little bit, though they mainly serve as moderators, while dakota is in charge of taking notes from the meeting. larry (mercury's son) and leila (ceres' daughter) are at it, one of them politely raising their hand as soon as the other begins speaking. as the hours progress, in the background, we see many a shots of dakota carrying a large bottle of what seems to be kool-aid. the debate seems to be coming to an end, both sides repeating all of their points in different wording, when frank stands up and ends the discussion. "write that down, dakota." dakota has fallen off their chair and has visible stars swirling around their head like in cartoons.

reyna, to the camera: "in the past few weeks, the campers here at camp jupiter have taken to playing a lot of ultimate frisbee. i didn't mind it at first, as it is a good way to keep them active and entertained... but recently, things have taken a turn for the worse." ida (luna's legacy), to the camera: "colum, who's somehow related to vulturnus, god of the east wind-" *raises hand to the heavens in acknowledgement* "-got the idea to enchant the disc, just a little, so that they could throw a larger distance. he was, of course, not the only one to get the idea of using a bit of divine power to boost their game. they tested to see how far apart could they could stand from each other, first just at the barracs, but slowly expanding to new rome, and temple hill." lavinia, to the camera: "look, i have no idea how it happened! tom made the disc sing for some reason, but i only made a little prayer, and the disc suddenly just didn't obey the laws of physics at all!" reyna, to the camera: "the windows of the temple of favonius are currently being repaired. needless to say, we will not be playing frisbee anymore." *a window behind her is broken, as a singing, out-of-control spinning, colour-shifting, animal-sound-producing disc crashes through it. reyna doesn't move. camera zooms in on the disc, which is slowly changing into plasma, and playing all national anthems at once. a shot on frank, standing above the disc, sipping from a cup of tea.*

reyna, to the camera: "life at the office gets slow from time to time, so frank and i are competing in who can build the best minigolf course around the office without octavian noticing." *shot to reyna rearranging the pencil tins on a cupboard while trying not to get caught* frank, to the camera: "so far, i've built the longest one. it's 17 feet long, and goes from the potted venus flytrap by the door, all the way to the water cooler. oh, it also goes directly across octavian's desk, so you have to wait for the right moment when he's distracted, so he won't notice." frank, seeing reyna across the room: "heeyy, octavian, what is that you're working on?" octavian: "i'm revising the manuscripts from praetor feronius." *reyna is seen in the background, focused on taking the perfect minigolf stance* frank, trying to sound as nonchalant and calm as possible: "oh, are those the ones about the farmland division?" octavian, offended: "no, we discussed this during the last senate meeting; it's the proposals of generating income and managing the economic situation of camp! frankly, the principia is almost falling apart, and it feels like we're in a slum rather than in (continues ranting)" *frank watches past octavian's shoulder as reyna plays her round, hides the golf club back behind the coat hanger, and continues walking to her table* frank, into the camera: "thankfully, it's not that difficult to achieve."

reyna develops immunity to poison and nobody knows.

gwen, to the camera: "we've been getting complaints recently, about disruptions in the night peace. they're all from the same person." *b-roll begins playing* "two weeks ago, dakota hosted their monthly cheese and biscuits party, but things got a bit out of hand" *we are shown a handheld shot of many people trying to balance on one unicycle* "unfortunately, one of our legacies, ryan, had a bit of an accident, which resulted in him getting impaled on one of hannibal's tusks." *shot on hannibal the elephant catching plastic rings on his tusks, and accidentally impaling ryan right through. the crowd stare at him* marilyn (euterpe's daughter), to the camera: "dakota is a wonderful party host, they always make sure to remember everyone's alergies and preferences, and . plus, they're experienced, they know how to de-escalate a situation! and if not, there's usually gwen to help them!" reyna, to the camera: "it was an unfortunate accident. but these things do happen sometimes, and we just have to accept them. however, ryan doesn't seem to see the rules as applicable to himself in this case. he has taken upon himself to return to camp in ghost form, and has been filing noise complaints against dakota every day for the past two weeks." dakota, to the camera: "i've invited him to come to the parties with us - lots of ghosts do. all he cares about is, apparently, getting me deposed and creating more paperwork for reyna." *shot of reyna opening the noise complaint, setting it alight, and throwing it into the fireplace to warm her hands*

[bloodlines-if]

hi McDreamy.

just found your blog and so far your IF sounds really interesting. i was so intrigued, that i was searching or the link to the demo, only to realize, that it doesnt exist yet.

when first realizing, that Mc is weaker than the RO´s/most other people i had 2 thoughts: a) wouldnt a (investigative journalist) MC already crafted a safety net for themselfs consisting of dirt, secrets, blackmail and whistleblowers, who would publish those informations incase of MC´s demsie? [under the assumption, that we play as an MC that is already an establish investigative journalist in the city]; and b) i envisioned the following scene => MC got kidnapped and ready to get killed. a higher up then asks for MC´s last words, to which they just say a date. after seconds of silence, MC is let go. congrats, you have a scene, where a regular human has a badass moment.

now to my questions:

depending on MC´s occupation, will there be "special" flavour scenes OR dialogue choices, that are only avaiable with the specific occupations? ==> e.g. someone needs secrets to blackmail someone, will there be a choice only avaiable for the investigative journalist, like "i already have what you want, but it will cost something"

can you tell some more details about how the story construct will look like? what i mean is: => will there be multiple endings; will there be special endings for each RO when in a realtionship with them (criminal powercouple MCxLuz *wink wink*); will there be good and evil endings/paths => will there be stats and if so: how much will they influence? only flavoure text or locking you out of choices? => etc.

do you plan to introduce all RO´s in the prologue/chapter 1? or will some only appear in later chapters for the first time?

you mentioned that each career background would have advantages and setbacks. could you share (some) advantages of each one? i personally cant see a difference between investigative journalist and whistleblower (in terms of different advantages) for example

i was on the fence interms of which RO to choose. it was either E or Luz. the most recent ask about the MCxLuz power couple swayed me in the end towards Luz. this question i ask for your opinion as the author: if i want to romance Luz and (if possible) get the criminal powercouple ending, what would you say would be the "best" (lorewise/storywise/additional scenes;flavourtext;etc) career background for MC?

anyways, im really excited for the release of the prologue/chapter 1 and thanky our for your answers.

I love your enthusiasm and your questions! Since this is rather long you'll find the answers under the cut:

a) Yes MC is already well known in Sordia and has a safety net the player can decide if they've good morals for a journalist or are a little corrupted. Some people will depend on the career background.

b) Yep you got it right! MC is not dumb and needs to plan beforehand 🙂‍↕️

Question 1:

Yes depending on MC´s career background, there will be special flavour scenes, skills and dialogue choices, that are only avaiable with the specific occupation

Question 2:

There will be multiple endings career wise and RO wise. Bad endings, neutral endings, somehow good endings you name it.

Still not 100% sure about all the stats but there will be a reputation stat, paranoia stat, personality stat based on MCs base personality, morality stat, vices, relationships. I don't know how much they'll influence since I need to see how this works coding wise. But yes I would like it to impact flavour text, choices etc.

Question 3:

No. Prologue is Mauds POV. Chap 1 you'll be able to meet Ace and the rest of the RO's in Chap 2.

Question 4:

Okay so this can still change but basically MCs writing and reporting style will differ a little. And they'll get a special trait and skill. I don't have my notes with me so I think it was:

Investigative Journalist

Trait: Stubborn or Methodical

Skill: Research & Investigation (sees connections faster and doesn't miss clues) but people hunt their contacts and paranoia stat is higher

Whistleblower

Trait: Relentless or Arrogant

Skill: Insider Access/Information Networks (through hacking) but corruption stat is higher and you start with a very bad reputation stat since no one likes a Whistleblower in Sordia

War Correspondent

Trait: Hardened

Skill: Knows Self-Defense Moves (has a better reputation) but can be too reckless (gets scars, hurt or can die easier)

Tabloid Reporter

Trait: Manipulative

Skill: Persuasion can make people talk easier but is seen as untrustworty (bad reputation)

Question 5:

Honestly every character will react differently and have their opinions sure but I don't think they necessarily have a fave. There isn't a best option story lore wise etc. since I'm aiming for equal representation. MC is the face of lots of news. The articles they write and report will differ but in the main story MC will need to investigate about those 12 photos.

[fir-fireweed]

hi fir.

just played the new update and i really liked it. once again, i really love your writing style and i get more excited about the world with each new chapter. im quite interested, when (if ever) Evelyn will notice that someone is crushing one her (and more importantly: when we can tease her about it ;) ). also: My MC agrees with her Ferret: she doesnt like guards either.

anyways, i have a few questions:

will your chosen hobby influence something (like flavourtext) in the future? e.g. with the drawing hobby, will the resistence at some point find more detailed and beautiful war maps

when Tellus gives MC his crafted beads, does the different kinds of "thank you´s" have different meaning? like does the "uh, thanks"-options imply, that MC dont notices his crush and just treat it as a normal gift, while the "thank you, you chirp"-options are the ones, where MC know of his crush? or are all of them just for roleplay reason and dont have any influence?

when you choose if you want to buy jewelery in chapter 2, does this prevent MC to wear any jewelery? aka was this the character creation choice for wearing jewelery?

so far, can you get to 100% relationship with Evelyn? at the en of chapter 3 ive reached 90%.

can/will the personality stats change? can my MC e.g. be a quiet & more reserved in their childhood/young adulthood, but later slowly become the opposite.

what will MC´s opinion about the empire influence? e.g. depending on it will it lock you out of certain choices or will only flavour text be effected? ==> will the reason why MC wants to join the resistance play a role? i believe in chapter 3 you can choose between "lets see and find out more about the resistance" OR "they are against the empire. count me in and ill volunteer to the frontlines"

thank you for your answers. im really excited for the future chapters.

Hello, blook! It sounds like you found the Ferret easter egg 🤭. Thank you for reading! As to your questions…

The hobbies will definitely come up later in moments of downtime and with the ROs—both as full scenes and flavor text. Those of you with the cooking hobby had a little flavor text in Corinne’s scene. The next chapter is action heavy, but I promise the hobbies will return when things slow down.

No, the responses didn’t make a difference. (Unless you refused altogether.) They were just for you to personalize your response as you felt your MC would best act.

You’ll have more options to select jewelry! This was a purely aesthetic choice.

You’re as high in approval with Eva as you can currently go. You’re pretty much locked into your relationship with her after chapter 2, but there will be a few significant scenes where I’ll allow you to choose again. And btw, only those with a really high Eva score will notice the crush, which you have. 😊 An MC with a poor relationship with Eva won’t be able to encourage or even recognize Nik’s crush because they just don’t have that kind of bond, there’s too much bitterness and resentment there.

You’ll have more chances to develop your personality in the next chapter, but at one point it will lock in. I haven’t decided where exactly; I’m thinking around the same time you reveal your secret.

I’m not a big fan of locking out choices unless it really fits the narrative, like with the example above with Eva. For now, it will affect flavor text and how you approach conflicts with soldiers. Down the line, I can’t really say, as I haven’t thought that far ahead. 😅

I hope that answered all your questions! Thank you for taking the time to read Cantata!

[midnight-bay-if]

I played your WIP today and absolutely loved every second of it! ♥️ The atmosphere is wonderful, your writing style catching and the cast is so unique and interesting. And I'll probably have to do multiple playthroughs, because I can't settle for just one RO, lol. I'm really excited for the next update!

On a different note here a few small errors I encountered:

• missing quotation marks, ch01+ch02:

- Ruth pauses before quickly catching herself and stuttering out her next sentence. N-Not that I'm trying to suggest Alek is a replacement for your father or anything."

- I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other from now on," he declares with much more confidence than he should.

- To be transparent, he had a lot to say about you. He certainly thinks highly of you

• stat screen: 

- when opening the relationships and picking current relationships, they are displayed above the usual stats instead of on their own page, including the companions as well

- same problem for the evidence section

• ch03:

- here Umbra wears gloves, a few sentences later you write about his pale fingers:

Umbra wets his lips as he fidgets, pulling at his gloves in what seems like a nervous tick.

... and later it's again mentioned that he didn't wear them ...

With bile in his throat, Umbra reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out the gloves he keeps on his person to hide away his shame, the same ones he should have already been wearing in the library.

- my MC's hair is dyed, here her natural hair color is mention instead:

Frustrated and vexed, you pull at the strands of your platinum blonde hair with a frustrated groan. 

- lowercase start of a sentence:

he disregards how numb his fingers feel against the cotton as he pulls them on.

- when helping Taj picking up the baked goods the following scene was rather confusing

You kneel beside him and begin helping gather the scattered bags.

and then suddenly what I assume to be the laughing response ...

You kneel beside him, reaching around to gather the scattered confectionery, but much like a student experiencing the uncontrollable bubbling of benign laughter ...

- mixed pronouns:

It’s hard to determine what conclusion he draws from the conversation, but by the time she stands again, the anger has dissipated.

variable mistake, missing $:

{t_his} breath tickles your cheek, followed by a strong spearmint with an underlying sweetness.

Thank you so much for taking the time to send these in. It's very much appreciated. Some of these are just the result of deciding to create an entire variable for the smallest little scene because I think it would be cute, lol. For example, the mix-up with Umbra and their gloves. I really need to come up with a better system for tracking variables.

Also, the entire stat screen is a work in progress at the moment. I haven't settled on how I want it to be set out yet; I just needed something that works for the time being.

I'm really glad you are enjoying the characters, and I'm working hard on improvements for the next update :)

[dead-dolphins]

Dear Reader,

i’ve been going back and fixing tpp’s plot points, trying to figure out how things will play out in these last ten to twelve chapters. and you may be wondering, why? because, wasn’t everything already planned? and well, let me tell you, even when everything was planned from the start, along the way, some things changed. certain events and character paths evolved differently than i expected, and because of that, i’ve had to find new ways forward. i’ve had to reimagine, to adapt, to take a different route from the one i originally mapped out. and it’s not easy. every adjustment requires time, thought, and care. it’s a slow, sometimes exhausting process that asks for both creativity and patience.

but even with all of that, or maybe because of it, i feel an overwhelming pride in tpp. truly. i feel so deeply connected to this story, in a way that no other fic i’ve written has ever made me feel. no matter how lovely or poetic my other works have been or will be, tpp holds a unique place in my heart. it is my compass, my mirror, my constant companion.

and i think part of that pride comes from the journey i’ve been on while writing it. over the past three years, i’ve changed so much, and so has my writing. my voice on the page has shifted. my rhythm, my intentions, my style. it’s all grown with me. especially this past year, which has been one of the hardest times of my life. a year marked by pain, by sadness, and by a kind of endurance that left a deep mark on me. my health has suffered because of it. some days are hard. some nights are long. but still, i write. i keep writing because it’s the one thing that has stayed with me through everything.

because of how much the story has grown in depth and complexity, i no longer think i’ll be able to finish tpp within 2025. every chapter now carries more complexity, and writing even one takes more out of me than it used to. but i do believe that i will finish. i hold onto that belief with both hands. and maybe, if the path allows, we’ll reach the end together around this time next year.

to anyone who is reading tpp, whether you’ve been with me from the very beginning, whether you joined somewhere in the middle, or even if you just arrived now: thank you. thank you with all my heart. thank you for your patience, for your kindness, for giving your time and your imagination to this world i’ve been building. this story is not perfect. it has its gaps, its flaws, its spaces that may never be filled. but still, i love it. and i am so proud to be the one who brought it to life. it is, in many ways, my most precious creation. and i will carry it with me, always, like a mother who watches her child grow and smiles through every step of the journey.

it’s not, by any means, what i would call my magnum opus, or what some people refer to as their greatest creation. i’ve never seen my stories that way. to be honest, i don’t think any of my fics could ever truly carry that title, because i’m always reaching for something more. i love the feeling of learning and improving, of creating something that feels stronger and more heartfelt than the last. every story is a step forward, and each one teaches me something new. i never want to believe i’ve reached my peak. i want to keep growing, always.

still, tpp holds a special place in my heart, even if it’s not what i’d call my ultimate masterpiece. it’s part of a beautiful journey, one that i continue to walk with every word i write.

thank you again, truly, for all the love you’ve given to tpp. thank you for your patience, for waiting so faithfully for lord eren and his princess mikasa. their story is still unfolding, and your support means the world to me. there is good news coming soon, i promise. and when it arrives, i hope it brings a little light to your day, just as your presence has brought warmth to mine.

ro.

[inourselveswetrust]

hellooooo, new reader here, just stumbled across this IF and omg I LOVE YOUR WORK SO MUCH. so…im going to list an (incomplete) list of everything i love.

some spoilers lol.

so, for starters i really like the difference in romances, both physically and emotionally i mean. like, for example, we can flirt with wren and kiss them within the current content, meanwhile with blair our flirting is limited to that right now, flirting. it makes each route really special and exciting, and i like that because it also helps me to understand more about the characters and how fast or slow they like to take things.

that brings me to my second point, your characterisation is absolutely scrumptious. (me walking away with a suspiciously if-shaped object in my throat). but seriously i love how contrasting all the characters are, blair and neve are more… reserved? types, but they’re also so different. wren and august are a lot more energetic / stubborn but in completely different ways. like you’re really good at writing characters. and further than the difference between each character, the difference/contradictions they all have within themselves make them feel a lot more human. like, for example, casey (whomst i love, are they an ro??either way they’re really well written) and their softness despite their job (and their reaction to Simmons wanting the sunlight), and then on top of that also studying biology LOL.

your writing style is really good. it doesnt have very complicated words that i struggle to keep up with yet you still have a good vocabulary range (ik this is a weird compliment lol), i actually really enjoy reading your work (probably why i read all 9 chapters twice before making this ask)

(i feel like im running outta space which is uncool because i have sm things to say) but i like the plot. like this is generic, so to be more specific i like how mysterious everything is. whats up with the spade tattoo?? why wasn’t simmons put in the file?? whilst casey did tell us why, their sunshine / NO to ignorance even to make things easier headspace makes me wonder whether they are being left out of something that more corrupted cops know about?? and OH MY- SIMMONS?? bro just straight up died (or is he dead?) like why? im just so intrigued in the entire plot line, i have so many questions

take some rest because you clearly deserve it, genuinely i love this IF so much!! i hope you have a spectacular week!!

anon... i'm speechless

thank you so much!! i'm over here blushing and twirling my hair reading this 👀💙 i'm so glad you're enjoying iowt!

[forkingandcountry-if]

What sort of things do you have planned out for flirting/romantic options? Where do you land on the spectrum from more classic RPG/Dragon Age style where there’s fairly linear romance dialogue for each character that gives characters more of a set dynamic and distinct feeling “route”, vs on the other end, multiple romantic dialogue options for each character like flirty vs coy, oblivious, tsundere, all things like that lol. Now that I type it out, it seems kinda like a breadth vs depth thing? 🤔

I suppose what I’m asking is, how big of a focus/priority is romance compared to other aspects of the game, how does it fit into your general design philosophy? (Hope this doesn’t come off as pushy, I just like hearing authors’ thought processes & knowing how to set my expectations going in 😊)

I say this always and it's never really popular but fundamentally I don't want For King and Country to be a romance game because that's not the intent in writing it, the intent is to write an interesting, challenging fantasy story following the life of a flawed and often underprepared protagonist (the MC) and part of life is romance and hence why I chose to write it with Romance Options, trysts, flirting etc.

Romances shouldn't be too linear because I'm hoping that the story itself isn't too linear and my fundamental design philosophy is that I want the romance to be a natural facet of the story as much as training and intrigue are rather than a completely separate thing, for as many possible routes of story there are I want to design opportunities to develop in the romance of a particular RO or ROs.

There will be multiple different romance options when it comes to each opportunity to flirt (and opportunities not to flirt at all) to go with the different possible types of MC and to that extent not all attempts at romance will work or result in increasing your romance status; being overly shy with an RO who dislikes people who aren't direct will be slower and different to a very direct MC.

So I'm not sure how that answered your question 😭 basically it's not like a giant deal but it gets the same amount of time and importance I dedicate to working on developing how I want to do fighting mechanics or lore.

[vendetta-if]

Little Update on What's Up and Coming on Patreon & Ko-Fi! 🎉

Hey guys 👋 Just realized it's been a while since I last make posts about what I've been posting on Patreon and Ko-Fi, so I figured out to just gather them all in this one update post to let you guys know!

First of all, we've actually got two character art commissions done last month, making the total character art currently available to four! 🤩 Last month, I commissioned a full-body art for Jackal and a half-body, fully-rendered portrait for Female Ash (with background too!) from two different artists with different styles. The months before that, I commissioned a portrait of Luka and Male Ash.

This month, I'm commissioning two more character art and I actually have a poll currently open for which RO would get a fully-rendered character portrait this time! Both the character art and the poll are available for those in the Morozov Ally tier.

I also have a Side Story and a Spicy Side Story for November up in both Patreon and Ko-Fi, and I've just recently opened Side Story Ideas Request for December. Once I've gathered the ideas/requests, we'll do a poll to choose which one you guys want to see the most for this month!

The ideas/requests, the poll, and the spicy sides story will be available to those in the Morozov Enforcer tier and above, while the normal side stories are available for those in the ECPD Officer tier and above.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I've written another two-part Extra Side Story and it is currently up on early access to all Patrons across all tiers! The extra side story is kind of a continuation of the previous one and it tells how Jackal and Luka finally got together after years of repressed feelings for each other. I've been having fun writing these backstories! 😁

If you guys are interested in supporting me while also getting some cool and exclusive stuff like above, please consider checking out my Patreon and Ko-Fi pages! 🥰💖

[Patreon] | [Ko-Fi]

[circuit-if]

Hey everyone! This is just a quick frequently asked questions post with a couple answers to repeated questions in my inbox. Hopefully this addresses them all, but if you have anything not included here just shoot me an ask and I'll get back to you if I can.

★ Circuit Content Warnings: Circuit is rated 18+ for the following: sexual themes, drug and alcohol use, explicit language, and violence. This blog is ALSO 18+.

★ Ask Guidelines: I'm willing to answer general asks surrounding the story, characters, and mechanics of the game and blog. I'm also willing to answer asks of the following (more specific) types - "how would [char] react to," prompts, and NSFW prompts. I'm NOT willing to answer any asks relating to self harm, SA, SH, or explicit asks about pregnancy. I also won't answer asks offering unsolicited and unwanted criticism or advertising your own work.

★ Romancing Multiple Characters: You can romance multiple different ROs, but there will be points where you need to choose. I advise choosing 1 per play through if you're interested in more than 1.

★ Can we choose our characters ____? Here are a couple things you can choose about your character thus far into the story. These may grow as the story progresses.

First and last name

Pronouns, including set she/her, he/him, and they/them as well as an option to enter your own pronouns.

Preferences pertaining to physical appearance, such as hair colour (dyed or natural, can dye a natural colour), hair length, hair style, clothing style, eye colour.

Team colours, primary and secondary

Car design

Pre-race habits

Racing nickname

However, there are a couple things coded into the game allowing it to naturally pick up on your characters actions and label your character as such. Here's a little info on that:

Based on actions/choices during races, your character can be labelled a wildcard, a patient and cautious prowler, or a vicious daredevil, which the world around will take note of and respond to your character with. You can actively manipulate which of the three you are during races, but you cannot manually choose.

Actions/choices made in the public eye impact how the world responds to your character. You can hate the press or love it, ignore your fans or cherish them. Again, you can actively manipulate which of them you are during press/fan interactions, but you cannot manually choose.

★ Can my character be [personality]? I try to be as inclusive with my personality options as possible, so I'm inclined to say yes. However, I can't promise that every option will pertain to an ultra specific personality. In that case, I always make sure to include neutral options that cater to a wide variety of characters.

★ Any Romances Besides the ROs? Yes, but these will not be nearly as fleshed out as the main four. These will take the role of flings and will be short, without any particularly happy endings.

★ Do we have to participate in a romance route to play the story? A large part of the story is romance, but it is not its centre, so no. You can be best friends with each of the ROs and that can be the extent of your relationship.

★ Character perspectives: I'm definitely willing to write character perspectives on certain situations that happen in the story, however that will likely stay reserved to a future patreon page.

★ Fanfiction: Sure, you can write fanfiction.

★ Fan art: Sure, you can create fan art, so long as art including my characters remains generally true to the physical appearance given, which can be found here for the ROs.

★ Can we ditch Roman? Absolutely.

[thejokig23]

Thinking about what I'd like from a Dragon's Dogma sequel, based entirely off what I liked about the original and mostly disregarding the sequel.

- Vocation additions. New weapons for each, with vastly different movesets on them. New skills, new vocations in general, with gameplay styles we haven't experienced in full. Could make an entire concept post off what I'd want from vocations, honestly

- Multiple character slots, but keeping the one save + one checkpoint per character. This could then also make permanent consequences less of a problem

- A variety of difficulty options. Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, with changes to more than just damage to each

- Stat system overhaul. Have stat growths be chosen on level up rather than determined by current vocation, make defense NOT use a subtraction system, etc. Given other changes I'd make with the vocations and combat, maybe a separation of magic an stamina? I'd need to get into specifics with that though

- Overhauled equipment system, where there's no best in slot equipment, and more equipment gives passive benefits like the Immortal set's health regeneration. Also define the armour types more, and replace restrictions on what you can wear with good reasons NOT to wear heavy armour as a wizard

- Combat improvements. Universal dodge (more Monster Hunter than Dark Souls), less grabs, more aggressive enemies with more defined movesets, huge changes to how items are used in combat. More enemy variety is also sorely needed, and I'd also like to see something more interesting than light and heavy attacks

- Higher quality animations. It's kind of a given, but the original game hqd a lot of janky animation work for a game released after 2010

- Loss gauge slowly recovers out of combat. It can be mitigated by leveling up or packing tons of healing items (which aren't all that heavy as is) anyways

- Better camera. Just don't make it get caught on large monsters, don't zoom in uncomfortably close when I sheath my weapon (better yet, give me full control over the zoom), and only make it move when I choose to move it

- Improved solo experience. You should still feel like you have weaknesses alone, but every vocation would be more or less self sufficient, and mechanics should move from "you can't do this with your vocation/you're FUCKED if this happens solo" to "this is a lot harder with your vocation/you'll have a much easier time if this happens with a teammate"

- More consistent Pawn AI, and more Pawn commands. I don't enjoy that Pawn behavior is changed in the background by everything that happens, and prefer that their "learning" is mostly just for gaining experience against different enemies

- Multiplayer. Cause it's fun. Would probably limit it to two players and their Pawns, and four players with no Pawns

- Sprinting changed to be less obnoxious. At the very least let the player stop sprinting by pressing thebsorint button again

- Bigger world, with at least 5× the towns and one or two more cities. A diagetic fast travel system between them would be nice, as well as a mount for personal use. I'd also like more unique biomes, like snowy areas. With a bigger world, more port crystal slots would be nice, as well as having ferrystones be more common, with the eternal ferrystone being a late game reward

- Better fleshed out affinity system and better character writing. Could also improve the dialogue system so you can actually Talk ro people. Also, if we're keeping any kind of romance, it needs to be a choice the player gets to make

[radiantcircle-if]

What are the ROs voices like?

anon, i must say, this was a hard question lol but i loved taking the time to answer it. i welcome anyone to imagine their voices sounding different than below, but these are the vibes i'm going with while i'm writing.

cesar's voice is low, husky, and tends to be flat. he tends to speak evenly and clearly. when he's mad, he speaks more evenly and clearly, enunciating each word like taking a bite out of it. he speaks faster in spanish but only just noticeably.

rafa's voice is more smooth than it is low, but he has a lot of control over his voice. he's an animated talker, will lower his voice into a ragged tone or go higher when he's really excited while talking. he sounds when speaking spanish.

deniz's voice isn't low but it's definitely not high. there's an ambiguous almost smoker-quality to it. although it wouldn't seem like it, their tone shifts a lot when they're talking; they have a natural rhythm to the way they talk. when they speak turkish, their voice is slightly lower.

gazi's voice is more soft than it is high. it's warm and sultry. the louder they speak, the lower their voice goes. they tend to speak more on the quiet and unhurried side, but when alone with their friends, they can shift into a more fast-talking hoarse new yorker style.

noel's voice is on the higher side and has an authoritative quality to it, especially when teaching. there's something about her voice that makes her always sound like she knows what she's talking about, a cool collectedness. sometimes, this slips away to reveal a simple sense of solitariness. not sad, but not happy...

[hpowellsmith]

How do you feel when romanceable NPCs get together with each other? I'd love to hear what you do and don't like about it!

I think the canonicity thing is a big one for me. I'm happy to do multiple playthroughs (although usually just to change up the RO's for me admittedly) but if a characters P and Q end up together in every playthrough except the one where I intentionally pursue them I feel more like I'm playing a reader-insert AU fantasy rather than a game in which the MC is the actual protagonist.

correspondingly I find if a game changes up the usual formal qualities of IF by having either multiple protagonists you play as or a third person style of narration or really anything that widens that gap between reader-character identification I'm less bothered.

In response to this post!

Mmmm, that totally makes sense. If you're seeing a particular couple get together most of the time when you play, it reinforces the sense that that's the status-quo, I think (and then perhaps the playthroughs in which the MC romances one of them feel like a divergence).

That's an interesting point about the wider gap between MC and player making a difference. There's such a gulf in player expectations/desires between games where there's a lot of self-definition and self-expression, and more fixed ones. That's a whole other gigantic essay I could write (but will probably fail to) haha!

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Either/Or

Hi! If you're not taking requests right now please ignore this, but I had an idea for a Sanders Sides fanfic. In a human au where Roman and Remus are twins and single parents, one family is visiting the other. However, Roman, dad of Patton and Logan, and Remus, dad of Janus and Virgil, have very different parenting styles. They spend the trip passive-aggressively competing to see who's the better parent. Love your writing :D – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: bad parenting, they try and compete and the kids aren't having it

Pairings: none

Word Count: 1609

Janus loves Uncle Roman, but he wishes he wasn't here with Patton and Logan. 'Cause whenever he and Papa are in the same room with all the kids, they start competing with each other.

      Patton loves going to visit his cousins!

Uncle Remus's house is so different from theirs, it's all cool artwork and big cozy beanbags, and Uncle Remus is so much fun! He takes them on trips to amusement parks and these really weird museums that Patton's never heard of before and they get to have all the junk food they want!

"Eating's important," Uncle Remus said one time when he was wondering whether it was okay to have a cookie before dinner, "the cookie you do eat is gonna be better for you than the vegetables you don't."

He runs from the car almost before Dad's parked it. Virgil's already outside and they run into each other in a big hug.

"You made it!"

"Of course we made it!"

"I missed you," Virgil mumbles, too quiet for anyone else to hear 'cause Virgil's kind of shy like that.

"I missed you too," Patton whispers back as Logan gets out of the car next.

"Logan," he hears Janus call, "put a leash on your brother!"

"After you," Logan says back, ruffling Virgil's hair as he walks by, "hi, Uncle Remus."

"Hey, Lolo! You look great. C'mon," he calls, raising his voice, "pizza and ice cream inside!"

"Really?" Patton peers over Virgil's shoulder. "Dad never lets us have both!"

Uncle Remus grins wider. "Well, it's my house, and I say if I get back there first, I'm eating all of it!"

They run shrieking inside.

    2.

Virgil stumbles downstairs, still rubbing his eyes. He must be really sleepy, 'cause he thinks he can smell pancakes.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Uncle Roman says, or at least he thinks he does, "come sit down before you fall over."

He mumbles something that could be 'good morning' back, grabbing onto one of the stools and sitting down. "Why's it smell like pancakes?"

"Probably 'cause I'm making them."

That wakes Virgil up right away, his eyes opening wide as he sits up. Uncle Roman waves at him with a spatula, an apron around his waist. He flips a pancake in the pan and it smells really, really good.

"Papa never makes pancakes."

"Well, that's because your papa is a disaster in the kitchen," Uncle Roman chuckles, tapping the edges of the pancake with the spatula, "and I have several burns to prove it."

"Wait, what did he do?"

Then his cousins show up and Uncle Roman makes pancakes for them too, and bacon, and real maple syrup! Not the cheap kind from the grocery store, real actual maple syrup!

Papa stumbles downstairs after a while to see them all eating pancakes and he squints at the way they all start laughing.

"What're you telling my kids, Ro?"

"Only the truth, Re, only the truth."

    3.

Logan likes visiting Uncle Remus, really, he does, but sometimes…

Sometimes it's weird.

Like now. They're watching a movie, just the four of them; Patton and Virgil had bedtime about an hour ago and so it's him, Janus, and Uncle Remus and Dad on the couch, watching something. Honestly, Logan's not really paying that much attention because he's too busy trying to figure out what the grown-ups are doing.

They keep making these little comments, about him and Janus, about Patton and Virgil, but not in that way where parents compete over whose kids are better. They keep saying things like how they're so proud of them for doing something, or how happy they were that they felt they could talk to them about stuff, or even what they've been doing at school, like looking out for the other kids or standing up to the teachers when they're doing something wrong.

He sneaks a look at Janus every now and then to confirm that he's hearing the same thing.

He is.

It's…it's not bad, because he can tell that both of them are genuinely really proud of their kids, and they're not trying to say the other one shouldn't be, but still.

It's weird.

    4.

Janus loves Uncle Roman, but he wishes he wasn't here with Patton and Logan.

'Cause whenever he and Papa are in the same room with all the kids, they start competing with each other.

Not like an obvious competition, not to anyone other than him, of course, but he knows what passive-aggressive comments sound like and it's certainly what they're doing.

"Oh, I was so proud when I heard about Logan sticking up for his classmate," Uncle Roman is saying, "the teacher said he'd never thought about what he was doing before and that I should be impressed by what a teenager Logan was becoming."

"That sounds like what Janus's teacher said about him last week." Papa chuckles. "Never thought I'd see the day where students actually managed to get some reform in their school for the better, and who was at the front? My little man."

"You know, Patton's teacher said that too. Apparently, he's like the classroom leader. All the other kids want to be his friend and he makes sure that everyone can play the games with their comfort levels."

"Virgil does that too. He has a box of fidget toys in his cubby that he lets the other kids fiddle with when they need to focus."

Janus slumps down into the couch, trying to disappear into the cushions. Logan's doing the same thing on the other side of Uncle Roman. They exchange a look.

"Dad?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can we turn it up a little bit?"

"Of course, honey."

Thank god.

    5.

"Um, hey guys?"

Logan and Janus look up from their phones. Patton and Virgil stand at the entrance to the den, clutching each other's hands. Sugar, Patton's emotional support stuffie, swings from his other fist and Virgil's got his hand shoved deep into the pocket of his hoodie.

"What's going on," Logan asks, turning his phone off and holding out an arm, "what's the matter?"

"Come on," Janus calls too, opening his arms and sprawling over the beanbag, "sad little ones need cuddles."

"We're not sad," Patton mumbles, even as he crawls onto the beanbag for Janus cuddles, "we're—we're—"

"Worried," Virgil says.

Logan takes Virgil into the crook of his arm, letting him rest his head on his shoulder. He runs his fingers through Virgil's hair. "What are you worried about, little one?"

"Is Uncle Roman mad at Papa?"

Logan frowns, as does Janus. "I don't think so, Virgil, why do you ask?"

"They keep acting like it," Patton says, burrowing into Janus's embrace, "they keep—they keep saying things that make it sound like they're mad but then they don't look like they're mad. They keep talking about us too, are they mad at us?"

"No, sweetie," Janus murmurs, kissing his forehead and glancing at Logan, "they're not mad at us. They're…"

"They're being immature," Logan sighs, "that's what they're doing."

"But they're grown-ups."

"This may come as a shock to you," Janus says in a way where he knows it probably won't, "but grown-ups can be immature too."

"That's stupid."

"Yes, you'd think they'd know better."

"Dad has us apologize when we're immature," Patton says, "do you think they'd apologize to us?"

"Who's apologizing for what?"

    +1.

The little ones shrink into their older cousins' arms as Roman and Remus appear at the door. They notice immediately, of course, and part of them instinctively gentles at the sight of distress. Remus glances at Janus just as Roman looks to Logan.

Logan sighs. "You two are apologizing. To all of us."

"And to each other," Janus adds.

Roman blinks. "We are?"

"What did we do?"

"You've been competing this whole weekend," Janus says, huddling protectively around the little Patton bundle in his lap, "and the little ones are noticing."

"You keep trying to one-up each other and it's not cool." Logan lets Virgil squirm his head under his chin. "They came to get us 'cause they thought you were mad at each other or at us."

"Oh, little anomalies," Remus sighs, "we're not mad."

"We know that," Janus mutters, gesturing between himself and Logan, "but they don't."

"It needs to stop." Logan doesn't quite scowl at Roman, but it's close. "We love each other. You don't need to try and prove it. You're freaking us all out. We're not props to show who's better at what."

"You're supposed to be brothers." Janus nods pointedly to how he and Logan are comforting their cousins. "So be brothers."

The two of them look at the picture in the den for a moment. Then they turn to each other.

"You raised some great kids, Re," Roman murmurs, reaching out to clap Remus's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. So did you."

"Thanks."

"Alright, you little monsters," Remus declares, sitting in the middle of the floor, "get in here for apology cuddles."

"I'm here, I'm here," Roman says as the little gremlins start clamoring for both sets of cuddles, "c'mere—that's it. Hey there, bud."

Kisses press to foreheads, hugs and apologies alike as the six of them snuggle on the floor. Someone puts a movie on the screen and one by one, the children doze off. Over their sleeping heads, Roman and Remus exchange a smile.

What's better than this?

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[fir-fireweed]

I have four saves for each attunement and each one is going to go a different ROs path. I know fire is going calliope but thats all I have set in stone right now. love cantata I need to explore everything. I purposely made a bad relationship with eva to see the argument and AAAAAA??? Brilliantly sad, very real. I do VERY much like in the happier version how much she hates the words she's saying though, it feels like a very real sibling argument Although I have to ask in the most spoiler free way possible, how deeply is our relationship with Eva going to affect the story? Is it a one-way trip to a bad ending? will we be able to turn it around in the final moment? This one sounds harsh but is there much incentive to have a bad relationship with her? I love exploring paths but I know lots of people (myself included!) will always drift toward the love and friendship routes Brilliant chapter 2 though!!! You have a very whimsical writing style I've noticed, especially in Cantata. Perfect for hopeful or fantastical stories. Hope you have a good day!

Aww, I love that you’re doing multiple playthroughs and exploring everything. And thank you! I do prefer to write (and read) hopeful stories. 🥹

I prefer the “good Eva version” of that scene, too. Writing the bad one was awful. There’s no benefit or incentive to having a bad relationship unless you’re a sucker for angst. I know many of you are, you know who I’m looking at. 🤨🫵

One of the (valid) criticisms I received for Viatica was that everyone got along. In this IF I wanted to explore the possibility and consequences of poor relationships. I wouldn’t call it a one-way trip to a bad ending, but there WILL be consequences. No major character death, your ROs are safe. There’s no way in hell I’m writing that, lol. But minor character death? Well, y’all have already seen me around NPCs. Let’s just say cultivate those relationships.

Unless of course you’re monsters. Yeah, I’m talking to you again. You know who you are. 🤨🫵