#tmj: akira

[specterofyou]

when your boyfriend of 20+ years flusters you and out of nervousness you start singing the hit song 'They're Taking The Hobbits To Isengard'

[specterofyou]

Is that... a game launch?!? 🎉

At way later than I thought it would be for the release, here it is! The Rewrite Journal is a queer psych horror sci-fi dating sim with heavy fairytale inspiration.

In it, your mission is to rewrite the course of your life... But such high ambitions come at a price.

A steep price.

Features: -Over 10k words of shenanigans galore

-Time management sim?!? (but barebones because I had one month to make this)

-And most importantly of all.... CUTE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[specterofyou]

I actually got the main menu done way sooner than I thought I would, so here it is 🤣 and for those who don't know, this entire game is about being nonbinary and the Generational Expectations of Gender Performance. ALSO about dragons and dogmas.

[specterofyou]

📖W.I.P.

[specterofyou]

'A Journal of Fools' Four ragtag 'heroes' have one objective: to slay Rei's father, the king. Horror ensues along their paths as each of them realize their bodies and minds are not fully their own... To live, they must each embrace a lie.

Aka 'guess what Specter is planning for Spooktober this year'

[specterofyou]

The time has come... for me to embrace cartoon-y art fully! Here's sketches of the new style I'll be adopting.

ALSO SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT WHAT THE NEXT UPDATE CONTAINS BECAUSE THE SECOND DRAFT IS DONE AND THE VOTE DEADLINE IS APPROACHING:

-A TALKING BOAT THAT'S ALSO JUSTICE FOR SOME REASON??? -10,000 JOKES ABOUT ROCKS -A CINEMATIC THAT CHANGES DEPENDING ON YOUR ENDING OH ME, OH MY -YOU CAN PINE AFTER TWO VERSIONS OF THE SAME PERSON WHO ARE TECHNICALLY NOT THE SAME PERSON. ALSO ONE OF THEM IS TRYING TO KILL YOU. AND -You can cuddle the jackalope.

[specterofyou]

ALL DONE 👏 well, the LIs anyways, I still have MC to draw but he would break the post formatting.

[specterofyou]

Here he is! His hair is drawn up in a ponytail in some of the sprites, despite it not being visible at this angle.

[specterofyou]

First CG done by my lovely co-artist @daisythepaisy 👀 this will replace Akira's introduction graphics when the game is updated with more art to come. Isn't he a handsome but disturbing lad?

[specterofyou]

CHAPTER ONE: STRUNG ALONG

"D-Don't worry, this adventure will all be worth it! ...If we don't die. Or, I guess if you two don't die. There's, uh, conveniently sixty more of me if I die."

After the group winds up back in their own world, Mint hurriedly leaves, asking Akira and M.C. to come with her on another adventure to make up for the last one having gone awry.

But when they reach the abandoned airport their journey takes place in, they find out it's not as abandoned as they had believed. Dozens of Mints from other timelines who gave up along the way reside there, all insisting that 'The Thicket' they search for isn't worth finding. As memories from the past resurface, and the truth of the Mints' presence and goal unravels, they'll need to give it their all to survive.

This chapter about the cycles of abuse, self-image, memory, ace trauma and a whole bunch of other things is arriving mid-January (ideally). It's certainly a hodgepodge of ideas but I hope everyone ends up enjoying the final result (okay maybe not 'enjoy' because it's a very heavy chapter. Appreciate? Sure, that works).

[specterofyou]

The image quality is horrendous here but here you go-- Spooktober!!! Sprite sketches!!! The heights are weird here but they'll always be weird given they have to each be easily readable on-screen.

Now if you excuse me I will be preparing as much as possible before the jam starts--

[specterofyou]

Mint won 🎉 this means that the next update will be (at minimum) 40k words worth of content for their route and multiple CGs! Other characters will have their own moments in the upcoming update, albeit the main focus will be on Mint.

What is actually IN their route you ask??? Lots of gore several bad endings mental illness: the character Uh, normal things <3

FUN MINT FACTS:

--They're largely carnivorous but they do have a sweet tooth. Unsurprisingly, it's mostly for anything mint-flavored.

--While it's rarely seen due to them preferring long-sleeved shirts on most occasions, they have tattoo sleeves that depict a forested scenery.

--The group's opinions on Mint are largely positive... with conflicting feelings on Akira's part. Their relationship by-and-large changed when the death of Akira's best friend, and Mint's acquaintance, occurred.

--They're a writer! It's their biggest passion (next to plants)... But due to certain life circumstances, nothing much has come of it.

[specterofyou]

"If only our love was in more than dreams."

[specterofyou]

cuddle your trans pan boyfriend all the time... cuddle your gay boyfriend all the time...

[specterofyou]

Aki's sprite. His stubble is a recent design change that I have quite a fondness towards.

[specterofyou]

Cute little sketch for Halloween of the two who actually decide to dress up for Halloween. Usually they wear matching costumes, but I wanted to draw these costumes on them for a while.

Justice is dressed up as Rayman from, well, Rayman and Akira is dressed up as Specter Knight from Shovel Knight.