#yet another concept i've had in my drafts for months

[baskeigh-ball]

So.

You guys remember human MM! Raph?

...well

Mutant Manhunt humans: Mikey Edition! I wanted to make him stand out more from other rottmnt artists' human designs, but cmon. He can't not have the fluffy dyed hair/vitiligo

fun fact: the red/black brooch in Mikey's first draft is No Longer Accurate to what Raph's human disguise thingy looks like! Instead, it's his old Nexus Hotel name-tag :]

Leo's probably next btw

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Stolen Child: A Much Needed Screaming Fit

Okay, so, as I said earlier - I'm fine. The story's fine. I'm not angry at anyone about anything or shouting at or accusing anyone of anything or any of that sort of thing that I might come across as somehow because I'm shouting and only sort of semi-coherently. I'm just shouting because I need to shout.

Basically, I've been feeling increasingly just…tired and tense? The temperature spike this weekend did not help at all, since I am not a heat person and it narfs my sleep. And my brain finally phrased last month as "I didn't have a single day off in August because every time I wasn't at work I was some stripe of not-feeling-well", at which point the rest of my mind and body went "YES EXACTLY!" and doubled down on the exhaustion and anxiety. I also have another routine medical appointment next Tuesday and something going on with my hand that looks kinda like ringworm, but doesn't act like ringworm (and how would I have picked up ringworm there?), which I will need to make another appointment for. Which means I really need to have a good, old fashioned, overstimulated three-year-old level melt down about something I care about, but that is not ultimately important to the universe and then go…I dunno. Maybe eat some ice cream and take a nap. Definitely with the napping.

Since Stolen Child is kinda the Big Craft Community Craft Thing right now and ranting about it could, conceivably, generate some useful dialogue which always results in Happy Brain Chemicals (useful right now!), we're going with that one. So if you feel like reading through the flailing mental health fail rant and giving advice, observations, feedback, or just patting me on the head and saying "Don't forget to breathe, dear. Air is important", go right on ahead. If you don't, eh. Not your job. Feel free to keep scrolling.

And now! Here we go! Ready, set - MELT DOWN!

This right here? Is a great comment. It's a lovely comment. I love informative comments like this! There's only one problem with it:

I SERIOUSLY NEEDED THIS INFO BACK WHEN I WAS PLANNING THE ORIGINAL STORY!

See, back in 2017, when I was first plotting this whole thing, my plan was to have him wind up…not heir. I seriously think he'd be happier doing like Tom and Henry and living at Downton, but running a clock shop somewhere and letting Mary run the estate and George be the heir. Thing is, I didn't know that was possible just like that. I hadn't made any of my UK fan-friends at the time (heck, I don't think I had this account yet?). As I have mentioned a million times, I fail at research, although I have been slowly getting a bit better with help. So at the time I thought that an Earl's son became the heir, no questions asked, and no options unless they abdicated which was fully what I intended on having Thomas do after a bit of trying and getting a headache and having him and Mary both unintentionally-but-avoidably stomp all over each other's toes. Then I started rewatching (didn't make it through season one because I have officially hit the 'can't really watch things on my own' stage) and was immediately reminded that Matthew didn't have a choice but to be heir. Oh! Oops! Guess Thomas can't abdicate! Which is how we wound up with the current draft.

And this comment.

Now, I have no reason to disbelieve the statement that they don't need to recognize Thomas, but I can't think of why my UK friends wouldn't have pointed it out at some point, except that I did always call it the Thomas-as-Heir fic which could have lead to the concept that heir was my desired end game. Or perhaps it was one of those things that just didn't get questioned because subconsciously they thought it was my desired end game. Or maybe something else perfectly logical! I mean, there are reasons it could have happened, but my brain is not braining good right now, so. Point being, I didn't know and I'm still not sure and this firmly falls outside of my 'things I can comfortably research'. If it were modern, sure! But history?

Seriously, my researching lessons in school extended to 'go to the library and read a book' and stopped. There was nothing about how to gauge how trustworthy the book was, or if there was, I didn't learn it because I moved through three school districts (five if you count college and uni) and wasn't in the right district at the right time. Given how obvious it is that there are a lot of history books out there that straight up lie (and I don't just mean the school texts. I've tried to teach myself history in recent years and wound up straight up calling bull shit on several books), this leads to massive trust issues. I asked at my local library if they had a research librarian on staff and bless his heart, the fellow I was talking to didn't even know what that was. There's another library nearby that is bigger, but I keep forgetting that it's part of our library system now and honestly I don't even know how to drive there and don't like driving in that area anyway and I'm not even sure the busses will take me there in a reasonable manner given public transport in this area. I know I've heard of a couple other tricks over the years that I've carefully noted down in places I've forgotten about so that I could reference them later.

…yeah.

And if it is true (which I have every reason to believe it is), what then? I've already set up the entire story to have Thomas be recognized as heir! I mean, I could put it on hold and rewrite the ending. There are a couple of scenes that would be easy, but others would be straight up impossible. I'd also have to lose at least three scenes that I've been looking forward to sharing and that people would love, and I don't know what I'd replace them with, and I'd have to rewrite the dinner scene (*straight up cries at the thought*), and I am a slow writer, so I have no idea when it would be done! I kinda hate the idea of telling everyone "We're going to be a chapter a week!" and then three chapters later going "Haha, just kidding! Indefinite hiatus while I fix the entire plot!" Especially since right now reader comments are definitely my primary 'happy chemical' source and I need that! On the other hand, I really, really love the idea of this being a one shot and not having to figure out what happens next! But it might not get done for another ten years if I try that!

If I do stick with him as heir, it seems like people would know that not recognizing him was an option, so I'd still need to do some rewriting to explain why he winds up heir! And why would he? The only thing I can come up with given my current setting is Cora pitching an ever loving (dignified, restrained) fit over the idea of not acknowledging him and he and Robert just going "OKAY OKAY WE YIELD!" which will still take some rewriting, but a lot less (I think I can keep the rewrites ahead of the posting schedule for the most part maybe?), and will still leave me figuring out where we go from here, but might work as a decent compromise?

Either way, I have to figure out what I'm doing before I post next week's chapter! And all my brain wants to do is melt into a puddle of goo for a month! The idea of trying to research or plot or anything like that just makes me want to sit in the shower and cry! I WANT A MONTH'S VACATION FROM LIFE, DAMN IT ALL!

Edit: I now have an appointment to have my hand looked at this Wednesday.

[steamberrystudio]

27/08/2023

So now that Gilded Shadows is wrapping up, I am promoting When Stars Collide from "Spare time project" to "Part time project"

What is the difference? Well, when I work on something in my spare time, that means it is late at night or the weekend. Literally when I am not doing anything else and just feel like tinkering with it. 

As a part time project, this means that I will be spending an hour or two each day during the work week to do things for this project. It will start making more steady progress even if I'm not focusing on it full time.

This is basically taking it from me spending 0 - 4 hours on it a week to 8-10 hours on it a week. 

My goal is to have the draft complete before the end of the year (by 'draft', I mean 'rough draft'). But more on that below.

Summary

Finished all scenes for the new chapter three

Finished Yren chapter 6 scenes

Started catching Kav's route up to the others

Edited Asher's CG to account for the new conference room BG

Small adjustments to Wil's first CG

Ramble

This week my big focus for WSC has been on writing. As I mentioned, I really want to get the rough draft completed by the end of the year. Currently the draft is nearly 70% complete (for those following updates in multiple places, when you see different percentages....it's because I've written more since then. Rofl).

Now, the draft was nearly 70% in the past as well but I added another route since then, so I lost some progress due to the increase in target word count. I'm also calculating things more precisely now as I created a newer and fancier writing spreadsheet to track my progress and keep myself on track.

I went back and wrote in the new chapter 3, reorganising all the existing chapters and scenes to accommodate it. 

I finished Yren chapter 6 (which catches him up to Noel and Raif). 

And now I'm working on catching Kav, the new character, up to Yren, Noel, and Raif. (Remember, Daaz and Asher's routes are already fully drafted).

I have written about 15000 words since my last update here. I don't expect to write that much every week and my goal is actually a fair bit more modest than that. Gilded Shadows is not 100% complete yet. I still have multiple KS related things to finish and, of course, I will be making corrections and focusing on its beta testing once testers have had a bit more time with it. 

WSC is still a part time project. This was just a particularly good week for it.

I have also worked on a few other things for WSC - mostly UI related and some art related things.

I received a new BG since my last update, and realised that...I have to revamp all the existing CGs. Or at least update them to change the background elements. I've only edited one so far but I don't think it'll be too much effort to fix the others.

And I continue to streamline and adjust the UI to make it look nicer and be more efficient.

So...

Kav. The new character. Kav'isari Tiaine, a Ka'mérian crew member who works in the space labs most of the time and specialises in identifying alien technology (what species it belongs to and what it does).

To explain where Kav came from, he actually popped into my head months ago. And every so often, I would contemplate whether or not I wanted to add him. I would say I first had the idea in January or February of this year. I would repeatedly think about it and dismiss it.

I then mentioned it to a friend sort of off-handedly back at the very beginning of June. A month and a half later, I mentioned him on a voice call on my server knowing full well that if I really talked about him and had a conversation about him, I would probably end up doing enough character brainstorming that he would become "real." And I talked about him anyway.

And that's exactly how he became an actual character. I think I had his sprite sketched out by the end of that day.

But he had existed as a concept long before that. The main reason I was willing to add him instead of ruthlessly telling myself no is just that I felt there was a gap in the cast for a gadfly style character who has a little mystery to him. And I just knew I could manage another route based on the length of Asher and Daaz's routes.

So...yeah. That is how Kav came into being. His introduction into the story has caused a few minor changes to standing lore or things in the prologue (just mentions of him, etc). But the changes to the currently public content of the game are pretty minor.

Kav won't actually appear in the game until Chapter 3. He gets mentioned a few times up to that point. There are some logistical considerations to his route but I have talked about those more on Patreon.

Speaking of Patreon, now that WSC is moved into "part time" status, I will be starting to slowly release some Patreon-exclusive lore posts for this game there. Like most games monetised through Patreon content, the lore posts will not be critical to having a full and complete game experience. Rather, it is going to be comprised of additional and extra lore content.

Some of the lore content released on Patreon will be in the game (such as character back stories) but Patrons will get to see it early and will get it presented in a different format.

Much of the content can be considered "extras" rather than necessary.

I will also be updating on the development progress weekly there (available to all patrons) rather than bi-weekly, and my updates there (going forward) will tend to be more detailed than the ones here.

Once episode releases start, Patrons will be able to access them before they the public releases. But backing on Patreon is not necessary to be able to play the game and get a full and complete game experience. It's just how this particular game will be monetised as I'm looking for more sustainable release styles so I can continue to make games.

That is all for this update. I will see you in a couple of weeks to talk about WSC again!

[kassandras-one-braincell]

hi love it's tailor!anon in ur asks with brainrot once again

think about chilling on the couch next to ur fav and holding her hand in your lap. maybe you're watching a show or you're on your phones together, whatever it may be she doesn't have her full attention on you. so you kiss her hand. every scarred knuckle and every pad of flesh of her palm. and then you kiss the inside of her wrist, feeling her pulse against your lips. she hums, but she's not quite paying attention to you yet. you kiss your way up every lean muscle and sinewy tendon in her forearms. she's definitely aware of you now. your lips continue to drag upwards towards her bicep, still noticeable under her warm skin even when she's relaxed. her shoulder, her collarbone, up the column of her neck, and on that sweet spot just behind her sharp jawline. she drags in a deep breath in anticipation as you kiss your way from her earlobe to just shy of her slightly agape lips. your eyes lock onto one another's and the moment hangs in the air. still.

and you peck her on the tip of her nose before swiftly getting off her to smugly trudge into the kitchen.

(how're you doing, lovely? hope you're having a wonderful pride month and taking care of urself Xx smooches 2 u)

Hi my love, can I first just apologise for not responding to your previous ask. It's sitting in my drafts semi-elaborated upon because I'm in love with the concept, but you had no way of knowing that, so I'm sorry. I've had a mixed few weeks, but I hope you're doing wonderfully and happy pride! ❤️❤️❤️

And I am all for riling up the ladies 👀. There's a crystal clear image in my head of their reactions. Eivor's puppy-eyed pout that lingers after you disappear into the kitchen; she stalks after you with those eyes until you fold. Kassandra's melodramatic gasp of betrayal as you saunter away, morphing into a sensuous grin when she rises to follow you. Soma feigning indifference, remaining in her seat, until you eventually return to her with a little pout, where she pounces.

[howdy-folks-its-showtime]

It's Showtime! - June 2024 Devlog

Howdy! Cobalt here, for another devlog over It's Showtime. This month was actually really swell, especially since I got more of my adhd meds recently. So I should be getting way more done in the coming months, yippee!

Programming wise, not a lot was done this month I've mostly spent it changing a few things about the way the map is built. Particularly I'm gonna need to rebuild most of the first floor. However in the long run it should be for the better, for stuff like performance and making it easier to add more to it. I also just needed a break after all I did last month. I have created things like the base for the main menu, a proper testing room and a lot of coding for the cut scene system though!

Writing wise, a ton of progress was made. Most of the major writing for Chapter 1 is done! Or at least on a great first draft. So very soon Chapter 1 will be done writing wise. [For the record currently the in depth writing for Chapter 1 is 7,122 words long] Chapter 2 also had a significant amount of its in depth writing done, almost all of the 'intro' is written out but obviously I'm trying to focus more on Chapter 1 right now. Speaking of the other chapters and such. Chapter 2's summary is almost done, with some things just needing some elaborating or bridging with other parts of it. Chapter 3 has 3 thousand words written in its summary currently, so a lot of what goes on in that chapter has been written out. I recently had a ton of revelations about what is going to happen in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 has also had a lot added to its summary. Sadly, writing wise, I simply cannot reveal much more without getting into spoilers.

I've also been learning Blender a lot lately. I'm working on a few models, none of them for It's Showtime quite yet. [well besides the walls and floors for the first floor] However soon I'm gonna be trying to make Henry's first model and animations for the game. Probably won't be the final one used for the project, or even the one you'll see upon chapter 1's release, but we'll see. Sadly, a lot of this process is simply tutorials and looking things up, then double checking those things to make sure they can be used in Unity, aren't performance heavy and will work with the systems I've already got in place. Art wise, me and my partner have gotten a lot of fun concept art done.

We've also started a sketchbook purely for Encore! related drawings. We've got so much fun stuff to show you guys when more is done, but for now, I'd love to show off a proper look at Henry's design.

Here we have Henry's reference, specifically for his in-game appearance.

The sketchy reference made for modeling him out. Yes, he is tastefully nude in this appearance. That's just the way it has to be.

Then finally a rough run cycle I animated to show off his character and as practice for when the proper 3D gets made. I'm really proud of how this came out and I hope it gives you guys a good idea for what to expect from him character-wise. As always, feel free to ask any questions about this project and its story if you'd like. I'll do my best to answer them without giving too much away! See you next month!

[lovova]

I see artists doing little showcasings of what they've accomplished creatively in the last year, decided that looks fun, and decided I'd do for myself an little inventory of what I've written in the last year as well, based on archive posts and what I can recall (I specify 'what I can recall', because I was not keeping track of when I did or did not update my main fanfic "Video Game Cruelty Potential" so...guestimates for that fic! I have 36 chapters, I can probably guess it was updated at least every other month) ~ So! For 2023: January: Did a fan-fanfic for my friend Lex called "The Other Rooms" where I explored off-scene implications of his cool-ass fic Room No.5 February: Created an alternate version of VGCP called "VGCP: Characters at their best" where I tried to explore some of the chars in the same setting being more well adjusted. I haven't gotten very far in it, but I am determined to get back to it this year! Also probably updated VGCP March: Did two short Kaito stories, an Oumota called "Playing with Phobias" where Kokichi messes with Kaito and a Saimota called "Luminary Hero of the Track Field" where Shuichi worries over Kaito's enthusiasm to sports while sick. April: Started what was MEANT to be a multi-chaptered Homestuck!V3 Kaito fic called "The Devotion of the Luminary of Skaia", but I haven't gone back yet to figure out what happens next yet. Thinking about it now, I think I was to make it a three chapter fic, but I just need to save some space to go back and outline it someday. VGCP? Maybe? May: A short Oumota piece called "Carnation: Please Handle Gently" that I got some awesome art commissioned for by the incredibly talented Ere. This short story inspired me so much that I'm actually basing a new original novel on the same concept~

June: I (believe) this was the month I finished Kaiden! An omegaverse original story I was writing and posting to Kindlevella. I am super proud of finishing that piece, and while I want to go back and create a more refined second draft before selling it as an Amazon book, I still LOVE this version as well. Very proud~ And VGCP!

July: Two Oumota short stories, "Touring Mortality" and "Execution Failed". Touring Mortality was especially fun to write, though I was amazed at the positive feedback Execution Failed got. It was very uplifting XD This was also the month I (re)started my original story "Pearls and Shackles". Also probably VGCP August: More Pearls and Shackles, more VGCP. September: Pearls and Shackles! Probably more VGCP! Can't remember! October: Can you guess? PEARLS AND SHACKLES! VIDEO GAME CRUELTY POTENTIAL!! November: This was a purely Pearls and Shackles month, and that was because I dedicated NANO (National Novel Writing Month) to finishing it. AND I DID! It super needs a second draft, its not ready to show off, but it EXISTS! So hell yeah!

December: A funny short V3 story called "Soulmate Goose of Enforcement!" I had a lot of fun collaborating with this one with Lex, and am hoping to do a chapter 2 with another great writer added to the mix too, Andromebaa. I also started the first two chapters of a new novel manuscript, a Hanahaki story about a pair of lesbians struggling with love in their own ways, but both trying their best! And, also, I updated "Video Game Cruelty Potential"

Did I overestimate how often I updated VGCP this year? Underestimate? I have no idea, that fic is almost 300,000 words long by this point, let's call an update every other month a generous average of how often I add to it. Other then VGCP, I did 8 Short Fanfics, finished a book, started and finished another book, and started a third book. And I'm not counting stories I had to write for my school year. Just ones I did out of the passion in my damn heart.

So, yeah! I'm pretty proud of this year, it was a good one. I hope anyone reading this had just as good a year! Writers, steal this idea, go looking back the year and brag about what you accomplished! You deserve it!

Have a good 2024 everyone!

[tmwcs]

the everyday sex yeah....im waiting for yn to do another prank on hee (lmao yeah another one) like imposing sex ban with some lame excuse he would die (not really unless) but the pouty baby mode would be activated man would go crazy "can u at tleast watch me while i jerk off?"

lol sorryyyyyyy

i've thought about this concept before, back when i drafted a chapter (i think it was the beginning of MRE...maybe mid?) where y/n had to get a break because she was too sore. THat was when i thought of "what if she told him no more for like a month?" but heethan has his own personality in my head, its like he lives in my mind rent free so when I write, i write the first thing that pops into my head on what he would do....and this is how it went down:

SMALL DRABBLE BELOW: MDNI (Preferably)

Hint of SMUT, SMUT implied, but not descriptive or mentioned in detail. Slight MDNI below:

PS: Just imagine the image with black hair instead of the blonde...i'm not photoshop inclined one bit. lol

His eyes grew wide the moment he took in your words.

'DId she just say ....what i think she just said?'

You stood there remaining steadfast, wanting to see how much grasp you had on this man, considering it was obvious that he was into you beyond what was considered normal obsession, yet you didn't mind, you felt safe, protected, loved, and nurtured because of it.

"Heeseung, i mean it. No more until the end of the month."

you giggled internally, he looked so cute standing before you with his mouth slightly parted, his eyes wide under the shadow of his cap, and his hands at his side, palms facing you as he was presenting total confusion and shock nonverbally.

"And....what makes you think that it's going to happen?" he asks.

"Because i said so."

Little did you know, you made a grave mistake that moment when his head was taken aback by your statement, and the look of shock and confusion was replaced with a laconic one.

"Oh....because YOU said so...hmm....interesting." he remarked.

Walking towards you, you remained still with your arms crossed, wondering why the tension was growing, also...where was the sense of animosity coming from? it was as if the room grew dark.

"Pretty baby....let me explain something for a second..." he states, his eyes dissappeared underneath the hovering of his cap. Step by step, he stands right before you...actually he was too close. His chest grazing against your breasts as his chin faintly rests atop your head as he places both hands on the wall behind you, caging you in on his broad frame.

"You....are so beautiful. You're so dazzling and you're remarkable. You're like nothing I've ever seen before...." he softly issues out as he leans into your ear, softly vocalizing his words up against your hair, your neck, and your helix.

"BUT...." the harshness of the sudden change in his tone as he continued shocked you.

"If you think that you're going to call the shots to anything....think again....think LONG and HARD...babydoll."

The moment he said 'babydoll' you knew....he switched to his other face. Leaning your head back slightly, you looked up and saw the sinister glare and smirk of Ethan staring down at you, biting down on his lower lip looking as if he was deviously planning on something.

"You should learn...to ask first...babydoll." he softly speaks as he peers his smirk down at you with his eyes stabbing into yours.

"...oh...okay. well it was just a joke. i just wanted to see your reaction." you stared at the ground, nervously chuckling as you felt the weight of his stare on you.

"Oh....a joke huh? well i got one for you then."

"w-what is it?"

"Knock-knock. "

"W-whose there?"

"mmmm-Ethan > : ) "

You displayed a look of confusion as he stated his own name, yet he only raised his brows at you, ushering for you to continue.

".....Ethan who?"

"I havent Ethan all day and i'm hungry. Come here and....."

"LET"

..................................

"ME"

...................................

"EAT"

...................................

Before you could process the joke, which much later on you realize that despite how lame and corny it may have initially came off....you had to admit....it was quite clever and creative, considering he came up with it right on the spot.

As far as how that night went, you couldn't remember much of what happened after he yanked you by the waist and devoured you with his kisses....ALL OVER YOUR ENTIRE BODY.....

You knew it had to been heated and that he may have taken out some level of frustration or irritation out on you because you felt a bit of the stretch in between your legs as you were getting ready for classes the next morning. Which all Heeseung did was admire you with a devilish smile.

"Sore?"

"mm..n-no...."

"Ah...that's too bad. ;) "

The lesson to get from all this, is as follows...

Nothing isn't so....unless Heethan says so.

"How am I doing?" - Smau/Timeline Drabble

[itsu-saragi]

Devlog #3 - Revisions and Indecisions.

Sjdjfdhs hi. Apologies for letting the “see you in a month” turn into several months. Work got busy, then I caught Covid, after recovering I went on vacation, and then work got busy again… But I did work on this VN all throughout.

I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted, but some progress was made nevertheless.

So what exactly did I do? Let me count the ways.

Story Revisions

Changed the premise from magic academia to magic uhhh small business? Workshop? Something like that, I'm not sure what to call it.

My original story followed the player character and their love interest as they explored their university campus. This came to be because I was tinkering with the concepts of "group partners to lovers" & showing the player character as non-humanoid to allow for reader-insert and immersion, like the Obey Me games and the pink sheep MC. But the story stopped being appealing to me, plus the scope started to become bigger than I had anticipated. Multiple CGs in different locations across a giant campus? Yeah that's a nightmare to draw.

I'd still like to explore the idea of a non-humanoid MC though, so maybe that'll be a future game, or at least another brain dump post!

But anyway, I shrunk the premise. One store, one LI, and the customers that enter the little workshop. I'm still sticking to the idea of mundane modern fantasy though.

Because of the location change from university to workshop, I've had to revise the LI a lot. He's shaping up really well though! His name is Fen, I hope I can introduce him here sometime soon.

Building Frameworks

I'm not sure what to call it, so for now I'm calling it frameworks.

Basically, instead of tackling each aspect of the game separately from drafts to completion (ex: drawing all sprites right now and then moving on to writing the script), I want to create rough versions of everything.

I think this will help me because then I'll have an idea of how much work each aspect will entail, and I can hopefully spot and remedy any holes or glaring skill issues.

This is especially important for coding. I'll be using RenPy, the classic engine for visual novels, but I have very little coding experience. I'd like to gain some before I start creating the writing and assets meant to be incorporated into the platform.

By creating the framework (or I guess prototype is the better word in this case), I'll get some understanding of how RenPy works and once I have the assets complete I can insert those in.

For plot frameworks, I'm trying not to go into too much detail. Lots of bullet points cause I fuck with those.

For character frameworks, I must admit I'm putting a lot of thought and detail into Fen, but I think I should as he's the core of this game. I'm reminding myself though that much of him can still be altered if the story requires it.

There's definitely more frameworks I need to think about, like sprites, backgrounds, and music too.

But to sum it up, I'd like to create a rough draft of the entire game, and then only afterward do I start going in and changing details and adding colors to the big picture. I hope that makes sense.

Next Step: Character & Coding Frameworks

For the rest of April and probably the entirety of May as well, I'll focus on fleshing out Fen and putting together the coding framework.

I think figuring out Fen's character arc will help me get an idea of the overall story, which is incredibly daunting yet exciting lol

I'm not planning on making the coding look pretty, I just want to make something that functions. I have no clue how well that will go so please pray for me or something.

Personal Thoughts: I am Afraid

I think the reason why I didn't make a lot of progress is because lately, I've been afraid of doing so. I've never made a game before, or written an original story. I don't know what I'm doing, and instead of directly addressing things I've kept working around them. And because I haven't made much progress, it stresses me out. And then that stress makes me do less work.

Hellooo feedback loop.

I'm an indecisive person who likes to look for the right or most optimal answer. But in a creative project like this, it's hard to know what the "right" answer is cause it can be subjective.

I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the process and to take small steps, and everything is still changeable as I'm still in the beginning stages. It's hard, but as I'm writing this update I think I'm feeling better.

I'm sure this gamedev journey will be me enjoying the ride and then immediately hating it, so for anyone reading: thank you for your patience. I appreciate you.

I'm going to try and post an update, no matter how small it is, once a month. So. Cheers to me being able to post this in April.

I'm still trying to figure out what to post and how to get my thoughts across. I've never done anything like this before, so please bear with me. If you have any feedback, please feel free to share!

And again, thank you to whoever's reading this. I hope you have a great timezone :)

[charlessmiths-wife]

season four: fuseboxes biggest wasted opportunity.

(this has been sitting in my drafts for a few months now, almost a year 😭 may be slightly irrelevant to post not given how all talk of season four appears to have died out and looking back I’m not really saying anything that no one’s said before - but still, I’ll post it for the sake of it! :))

before starting, I'm going to admit, seasons one, two, and four are the only seasons I've ever fully played. I've never completed a playthrough of season three or five, they could both be brilliant idk (though I'm guessing not, judging by what others have said).

on my recent playthrough of litg s4 (yet another Angie route, some things never change) I was suddenly struck with the realisation that season four could've been gold for fusebox... and yet, it isn't.

i think it's important to recognise season four has its successes.

-> in terms of diversity, season four is arguably by far the best. it delivers a diverse range of characters from all ethnic backgrounds. it has gender diversity (limited, all be it, and there's still far for fusebox to go in this area - but it was a start). it delivers two good female li options (at least, imo) with a slow burn female li and one you can couple up with immediately (again, fusebox still is far to go in terms of properly catering to its wlw/lgbtq players... but... it was a start). finally, unlike seasons one and two, it doesn't always push this "girls are more drama" narrative which can sometimes be seen, notably in season two. the seasons depiction of female characters still isn't perfect, don't get me wrong, but in the case of season four I'd chalk this up to the fact it had ass writing, as opposed to season two, where I genuinely think some of the female characters suffered from misogynistic writing.

-> the characters are great. at least, in concept. I personally love Angie, Youcef, and Bruno - yet I can recognise the concepts of other characters are gold. like Will? an islander with commitment issues who slowly learns to open themselves up to love? could've been gold. Angie? a woman who slowly falls in love with her best friend? discovering not only her sexuality but also herself in the process? THE OPPORTUNITIES WERE FUCKING ENDLESS. Tom? Youcef? Thabi? Lexi? EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. HAD. A. PERFECT. CONCEPT.

-> the designs were good. this is a personal opinion, but I think the designs of season four characters were much more in the league of season one and two than season three and five. again, this is a subjective opinion - but its one I do believe and see as a strength. (I mean... have we seen Angie? Thabi? Najuma? Will? I'd have been all OVER some of the mfs in that season).

in short, a huge strength of season four is that it, in theory, had a diverse and interesting cast of characters and routes - all of whom came from different backgrounds and circumstances.

in theory.... season four was gold.

except, in practicality, it wasn't.

now, I could talk for days about the weaknesses of season four - but at the end of the day I think it all comes back to what dozens of people have already said about me.

the writing was - in the most simplest of terms - absoloute balls.

there are dozens of examples of this.

take the dylan drama. what was the writing of that? Dylan was written to be a complete untrustworthy asswhole, how could we have ever believed anything that was coming out of his mouth when the man was characterised to be a liar from practically the first moment he opened his mouth?

now... had Dylan been characterised as some kind of likeable charmer... the drama potential would have been ENDLESS. it would have been far easier to see why MC/ their LI might believe Dylan.. and the angst that could have been produced from that!! endless!!

in my personal opinion, the Dylan drama is just generally dumb and could have easily been sorted out with one (1) three line conversation between MC and their li of "hey, did you cheat on me or is Dylan talking shite?" "yea/no" "aight bet" - but still, even tho it is dumb, it could have been made less dumb!!

and there's tonnes of drama which could have been great in theory but was awful in practice. like the lexi/kobi drama. or the juliet/kobi drama. or the valentina coming in and wanting our partner drama.

SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!!!

one example of a HUGE missed opportunity in my mind is the Angie situation.

don't get me wrong, I fucking love Angies route. I only ever seem capable of playing it on replays, and I think Angie is one of my fave litg characters... well, ever! BUT HER ROUTE COULD HAVE HAD SO MUCH MORE ANGST. I STAND BY THAT.

throughout the entirety of season four, Angie always seems uncomfortable with romantic feelings. she says it herself she has trouble finding a connection, and she's incredibly cynical.

and then, she finds out she does have a connection - with none other than her best friend! who's a girl!

LIKE..? HELLO FUSEBOX! THE POTENTIAL FOR THE MOST ANGSTY LESBIAN STORY EVER FUCKING TOLD WAS RIGHT. THERE.

it's always bothered me how Angie, for the most part, seems chill with the fact she's just had a major life realisation about herself.

because, trust me, as someone who's been Angie before, it's not easy!

you spend your entire life thinking your one thing, then you find out your the exact opposite, and (in Angie's case) you've been lying to yourself for the better part of 30 years.

THE FUCKING ANGST WAS THERE.

give me angie distancing herself from MC because she's so in denial of her feelings and she thinks ignoring them will make them go away.

give me angie slowly coming to terms with the fact that, she can't ignore them. she can't make them go away. she's a lesbian, she always has been - and she can't deny that part of her anymore.

give me angie tearfully coming to the MC - choking up an apology/explanation and a confession of feelings all at once.

and just... give me more angst. the angst that should have came with someone discovering something huge about them after 29 years.

but looking beyond Angie. I think me biggest wish in terms of better writing is not only better writing for the drama, but better writing for the routes.

bruno, james, and najuma share largely the same route. most of the li's have the same/similar dialogue - and pretty much all of them have the same reaction to the dylan scenario.

these people are individuals - they have different reactions. I want to see that. the players deserve to see that.

we get it in season one. we get it in season two. we deserved it in season four.

TLDR; I think it's a mistake to assume season four was doomed from the start- it wasn't, and by saying so it almost feels as if we're letting fusebox off the hook, so to speak, for it being bad.

season four had the same concept of drama mingled with a unique cast that seasons one and two had, yet it didn't have the same quality simply because fusebox couldn't be bothered anymore. they didn't want to put in the writing and produce a genuinely good season.

season four was fusebox's biggest wasted opportunity - dare I say it could have been in the same league as seasons one and two, had Fusebox actually been bothered to do their job.

[sincerely-sofie]

Check-in for October 27th, 2023

I spent 3 hours straight working on a single assignment that was meant to take half as long as it did. It took all my brain power to complete it, and I couldn’t get much tangible work on personal projects done as a result. Still got some planning done for business stuff, though. And I’ve been gathering inspiration and references for my dating sim / visual novel project.

The visual novel doesn’t have a premise yet, but I’m building up some creative guidelines to help me generate ideas. I also am planning out some scope limits to keep the size manageable. With NaNoRenO coming up in March, I’m hoping to get all the prep work done at a leisurely but consistent pace over the next few months, then finish up the project over the course of March. That’s very wishful thinking, but you know what they say: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” And if my wishing and daydreaming about goals is given the planned-out structure of a checklist and schedule, I can maybe, possibly, hypothetically complete this game.

I still need to think of a premise, though, so I better get cracking on that.

I’ve had a few ideas for visuals styles— like making scrapbook-y visuals with collages, journaling ephemera, and paper textures scanned in from real life, combined with actual photos for backgrounds. I’ve also had ideas for atmospheric flair, like typewriter noises playing whenever characters “speak.” Not sure if any of these would appear in my final product when I don't know what the story would even be, but I am very excited either way!

After doing some research on different visual novels, both ones I've played and ones that I've wishlisted or thought looked cool, I've tentatively decided I want to make a wackier sort of visual novel--- one that would preferably be a dating sim of some kind, but I'm not picky. I once drafted the ground work of a cryptid dating sim as a teenager where romance-able options included an angsty gray alien, a spoiled rich boy lizardman, a reverse-spiderman situation heroic vigilante mothman, and an eldritch god named Paul. That project is definitely too big for me to make with my current skillset and patience, so I can't take it on as a project quite yet--- but I can dream.

I'm tempted to make a dating sim based on some OCs in a setting I mentioned previously that is populated by bug people, but that's pretty niche, and I'm honestly not too sure if there's an audience for that sort of thing--- especially if it's essentially an extended inside joke with myself. Even so, I am tempted. So very, very tempted.

One day I will make finalized art of these characters, and everyone will know why they're peak examples of blorbohood.

That being said, I have other ideas that could be adapted to a visual novel or dating sim. One of them involves a tech enthusiast whose computer gets possessed by a malware demon, another details the player going on a blind date with a stereotypical "Hero of Prophecy" fantasy character, and another one is a playable bedtime story. I'll spend some time going through the archives of concepts and try brainstorming some new ones. Still going to need to take it easy for a while--- I've got a busy month coming up with NaNoWriMo, and I don't intend to burn out ahead of that--- but I'll be working on the concepts and required research at a gentle pace!

Seriously, though, fingers crossed on the possibly-completing-a-game thing! I finished a pilot / minimum viable product of an RPG titled Momther a while back and it made me realize I had the chops to actually enjoy game dev as a hobby--- I just have to stay focused and committed, ADHD be darned. If I manage my health well, both mental and physical, that should be nice and doable. I got this!!! Kinda!!! Hopefully!!!

Sincerely, Sofie

[erintoknow]

Hello !

I'm sorry if you arleady answered this (I don't know how to use tumblr frankly), but I would like to know if you have any ither writting project ? I really like your stories and how you write, and since I spend too much time on fallen hero: retribution (the reason I'm back on tumblr tbh) I started my annual reading of the Aria-serie (btw I was the anon who asked if she could "print your story for personnal use" and I only realised later than it sound more "kinky" than "I-won't-print-them-to-sell-them-or-idk-do-so-capitalist-stuff-with-it"

hello reading friend, I remember you! c:

it never once occurred to interpret what you said in a sexual way, don't worry haha.

i do have another writing project now but it's unfortunately not one available for reading at the moment though i do post about it on my tumblr here from time to time.

towards the end of working on the Aria fanfic series I was getting really itchy to get back to working on something wholly my own and with my life getting busier, that's why i decided to give that series the little capstone it currently has and start exploring other ideas.

i toyed around with a couple different ideas and writing sketches before settling on that were a couple of character archetypes from the fanfic and plotbeats that i didn't feel 'done' with yet and wanted to explore more on my terms. so i started working on something in june and now like, uh, 8 months later i'm 47k words into my second draft of a novel project i'm currently calling Soul Rebel (i used that for a fanfic title first i know, but it's a good title okay, it stuck with me).

whenever i post about it on tumblr, that's i've been tagging it as too. sometimes i post draft snippets or thoughts or dump a bunch of vibes screenshots, i've got a concept playlist that i keep meaning to finalize and post at some point too because of course it's not my writing if i don't have music associations going on.

i don't have a good succinct elevator pitch for Soul Rebel's concept yet, but basically the core thrust for it comes from a pretty personal pondering of mine which is: when i first came out, i had a choice. i could have a roof over my head, or i could be true to myself. i chose to have a roof over my head, and i always wondered about how things would have worked out the other way. beyond that i've been throwing pretty much a whole bunch of stuff that interests or terrifies me: the effects of climate change and sea level rise on daily life, the totality of the surveillance state, how the advancement in medical care in a capitalist society only widens the gap between the poor and rich, cool superhuman powers (and their not-so-cool side-effects), queer community, being a neurodivergent little weirdo(affectionate), and the essential value of being kind to others in a cruel uncaring world

i could happily keep infodumping about what i've got so far, but this posting is getting long enough that i'll leave it there for now, haha.

i have no idea what i'll do with this novel once it's finished. i mean, obviously i have some vague ideas for another plot line after it that i want to explore, but i mean like, it terms of putting it out there. i can't imagine ever getting to publish it. the publishing industry is a nightmare to navigate, and while this technically won't be my first finished novel (those fanfics get that honor, i guess?) it's still statistically unlikely to go anywhere. would any printing press out there even be interested in a sci-fi novel with a bunch of queer characters and focused on a neurodivergent trans woman and an in-denial Ace enby?? i've been stuck reading a bunch of YA for my job so maybe there's some book i'm missing, but we seem pretty thin on the ground in publishing rep.

my other thought would be to set up a website and post it online serial fiction style, though i'd want to have the whole thing finished first. i value my ability to revise and rework way too much to give that up again, haha!

so... yeah, that's what i've been fixated and working on a lot in my free time. at least, when i'm not spending time with my partner, playing dnd, or reading. and now i have a second job which means even less writing time, tears.

some day i want to go back and give the fanfic a proper conclusion arc, but right now Soul Rebel's got my creative energy fixation

oh geeze, i went on for way too long, sorry about that! it's uh, it's pretty easy to get me talking about this at a drop of a hat rn. anyway, thank you so much for liking the fanfic!!

it means the world to me that people actually like what i write. i went to college for creative writing and it kind of sucked really. i ended up switching to poetry for awhile because a least people weren't tearing me down for it. anyway, it's been incredibly weird in a good way to get, and to continue getting two years on, positive comments on the fanfiction. i never imagined anyone would care or even like what i put out there. i just wrote it solely for myself and threw it on ao3 in a 'eh why not' gesture, so...... thank you!!!!!!!!!

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

2022 Creator’s Self-Love Extravaganza

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works (fics, art, edits, etc.) you’ve created this year and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world in 2022. If you don’t have five published works, that’s fine! Include ideas/drafts/whatever you like that you’ve worked on/thought about, and talk a little about them instead! Remember, this is all about self-love and positive enthusiasm, so fuck the rules if you need to. Have fun, and tag as many fellow creators as you like so they can share the love!

@thelionshymnal dug this one up and while they didn't tag me, I felt the tag in my heart. Therefore, I pulled out the original rules with a little under 24 hours before the calendar flips over to a new year, I think I am safe in saying that my word count for the year is complete.

I did not write a lot this year! Comparatively, at least.* A mere 25,682 words have gone to publish. But it's also been a very disruptive year in that I quit my job of 5+ years, got rid of ALL of my stuff that couldn't fit into a tiny car, drove seven days cross country to a New Better Shinier Job (while writing a final paper), rented a 10 x 10 room above a garage for several months where my cat was very kind by not murdering me, dropped everything to sit at my dad's deathbed, went right back to work the following Monday, finished yet another graduate degree, went on a trip to Maine with friends, moved AGAIN to a much larger much more private space, and uhhh... signed up for yet another degree program. Because I have a problem. Clearly. Oh and I also broke a bone for the first time in my life! It's in my foot! I haven't gone out to do ANYTHING other than get groceries for the last two weeks and it sucks!

2022 has been a lot! More good than bad and overall improvement of everything, but a lot! And I've wanted to write. I've thought a lot about it in the moments before falling asleep! But any progress is still progress and my body comes first these days because in this house we practice self-care.

That being said, what I have put out, I've been immensely proud of. So, in no particular order and without further ado...

On the Event of the Annual Lilias Recruit Hazing Final Exam (ans, gen)

I wrote third person limited! For the first time! It was weird but also a fun to write something where the audience only has the interactions and body language to read.

2. where mended hearts meet (obiyuki, 🍋)

While I haven't been writing proper most of the year, I have been obsessing over @onedivinemisfit's camboy!obi au. It's been my personal problem, like, ever since she first introduced the concept for it and I've been screaming about it every chance that I get. Part of me much much wants to write the whole thing, but also acknowledged that I did not have the time. But also also I knew I was not going to be productive about anything at ALL until I wrote at least a little smutty smut for it. I mean, two consenting adults who are very accommodating of one anothers kinks and traumas? Sign me the fuck up, let's do this.

3. Drabble-Drabble 2022 Challenge (multiple fandoms, multiple pairings, all ratings)

Perhaps because I haven't had a chance to really focus on my writing this year, I wanted to do something uncomplicated. I remember loving drabbles back in my livejournal days. Just being absolutely laid out by 100 words precisely. But I'd never tried it myself so I wanted to give it a shot! I asked and y'all sent in around 30 prompts and I answered 26! It was a blast, highly recommend to anyone out there that wants to try their hand at it.

4. Seven Nights, Night 7 (Hakuouki, Yamachi, 🍋)

I had a moment when I went to see the timestamps of the chapters I worked on this year and it was literally just Night 7 of Seven Nights. It's split into three chapters, but it's 14k words just leading up to the final night, I don't even know what to say, y'all. Yamazaki is just real shy and writing two virgins was a lot harder than I thought (and I already thought it was going to be difficult!). I do really love it, though, they're adorable.

5. Stone Soup (Spy x Family, Yor & Yuri)

I would be remiss if I didn't include the final posted fic of the year (and my first foray into the sxf fandom!). Not only did I write a child's pov, I got to incorporate some real mean food feels into it. All together a real good time! XD

Okay! I've done it! I've said the nice things about me! Now I shall tag people, hmmm... @spoonyglitteraunt @sabraeal @claudeng80 @onedivinemisfit @infinitelystrangemachinex and anyone else who wants a go!

*Word count by year since 2016:

2016- 97,273 2017- 167,645 2018- 138,769 2019- 130,429 2020- 126,435 2021- 91,014 2022- 25,682

[radiantlyrey]

Thinkin' 'Bout NaNoWriMo

It's getting to be that time of year again--that time when writers everywhere sit down and ask themselves important questions. Questions like, "Am I doing NaNoWriMo this year?" and "If I am doing NaNo, what am I even gonna write?"

I am planning to do an abridged NaNo this year--probably not more than 20k words for the whole month. (Part of me always wants to shoot for 50k, but the rest of me knows me better than that, and knows that down that path lies horrific burnout, so.) I am having trouble choosing which story I want to work on.

Which brings me to you, Tumblr.

Here are my current story ideas for NaNoWriMo. There are five of them, and I've listed a little summary for almost all of them, along with some personal pros and cons.

Idea #1: Fantasy Titanic This idea came to me in a dream two years ago (no, really). The basic gist is thus: What if Titanic (1997), but instead of a love story, it's a heist story, and also there are elves and magic and shit? The summary:

The grandest cruise ship of the century is setting off on its maiden voyage. Passengers include young Neela, who is crossing the ocean to meet her fiance before their wedding, and Alice, a sorceress and unwilling conwoman/thief whose mother has chosen Neela as their next mark. The con is nearly done when disaster strikes--the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink. In the chaos that ensues, Alice must make hard choices, not least of which is who she wants to be if she survives.

Pros and Cons: +I already have the first half of the story plotted out. +I already have extensive profiles of my two main characters written.

-I have to do a lot more research on the actual ship and the disaster. -I feel like some of the plot I do have needs to be reworked.

Idea #2: Beauty and the Beast Retelling This story is a rewrite of a story I wrote about 15 years ago in my online writing group. I've been wanting to retackle it for a while now, and I spent some time this past spring making plans for it. I don't have a formal summary for it yet, but.

The story follows the basic shape of the original fairy tale, but with some modernization and fantasy twists. The story is set in the US, and it's set in a world where magic has been gone from the western world for well over a century. Other than that, things are more or less the same: Penniless father of three daughters gets lost on the way home from a trip, ends up at a mysterious and obviously magical mansion. He accidentally offends his host, a monstrous Beast, who demands the father give up one of his daughters to the Beast, or else return himself. The eldest daughter (rather than the youngest) agrees to go in her father's place.

Pros and Cons: +I have almost three-fourths of the story plotted out. +I am eager to revisit this idea and improve on my first attempt.

-I may need to do some more worldbuilding before drafting can begin. -I’m not sure if I have a good grip on my main character yet.

Idea #3: TRON/Pacific Rim Crossover I have had this idea for about five years now, and it's a basic "what if I mashed these two universes together?" style crossover. My concept is a series of fics that follow TRON character Quorra's point of view of the Kaiju War, and her journey towards eventually becoming a Jaeger pilot with Sam Flynn (another TRON character). I've got about five or six of the stories already plotted out, though I don't have much more of a summary.

Pros and Cons: +I know how the next few stories are meant to go. +I am feeling enthusiastic about the story as a whole, and am eager to continue work on it.

-I am kind of blocked on the second story, and have been for a while. -I’m still worried no one’s going to read this thin, so what's the point.

Idea #4: TRON '82 High Fantasy AU Not much to say about this one except that it's very new, but here's a summary:

Chesst styles himself the God-Emperor of the Seven Realms, and has outlawed worship of the old gods. Those who still cling to the ancient ways are consigned to the empire’s gladiatorial arenas, forced to fight to the death in dangerous games. Tron, a former knight-paladin of the realm of Enqor, has spent nearly a year in the arenas, fighting and surviving and keeping his faith alive. The gods have not forsaken him yet, and he knows they will not let Chesst’s blasphemy stand. When an amnesiac prisoner named Flynn arrives at Tron’s arena, Tron and his friend Ram are tasked with preparing him for the games. As Flynn recovers and trains, it becomes clear that he is much stronger than even Tron expected. He has access to a powerful magic that he cannot fully control, even with Tron mentoring him. As the start of the games approaches, Tron can only hope that Flynn’s true power can be concealed long enough for him to control it, and perhaps long enough for the three of them to escape.

Pros and Cons: +It’s a new idea, which means it could spark a lot of creativity. +I think it could be a fun idea to explore at length.

-I’d have to do a ton of worldbuilding to get ready to write it. -I also need to plot the whole thing (or at least part of it), with the original film as a guide.

Idea #5: The Face in the Mirror This is also a new idea and yet another TRON story. Concept came about a post on here about what might happen if one program's disc was put on another program's body. I've billed this one as a horror story; here's the summary:

Metz is having a little trouble with his memory. He remembers… horrible things, things that don’t make sense. He remembers derezzing, or at least, he thinks he does. His best friend and lover, Starr, says that it’s just a packet of bad code that will purge itself in time. She reassures him that he’s fine, and he wants to believe her, but… Sometimes, it’s like someone or something else is inside his body. And every time he sees his reflection, he’s startled by the face staring back at him…

Pros and Cons: +I know the basic shape of the story already. +The plot will probably fit my lower NaNoWriMo goal of 10-20k.

-I have no idea how to write a horror story. -I’m not sure I have enough enthusiasm for this idea right now.

I do not promise to abide by the results of this poll, but I'm interested to see what y'all think of my conundrum.

[cashthecomposer]

I love this! I thought I'd respond with my own thoughts about each of the ten points, from my personal experience with my current show.

Collaboration is not my thing, lol. I tried it four times. The first time, the levels of interest were just too varied for it to work; the second, we had two completely different ideas, and the distribution of labor was absurd; the third, I felt shut down at every turn; the fourth, everything went splendidly, until the other person got a better offer from somebody else. I then finally tried to write something by myself, and for the first time, every element was strong, and it worked. Funnily enough, this was only because of those previous failures, where I had learned to do everything in parts, that I was able to pull it all together.

My musical is about the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati, when Mary Shelley composed Frankenstein, and all of the stories and drama that went down. But that's not what the musical is about. It's about writing stories, creation, and the sacrifices that go into it. Everything else I'd tried in the past was not nearly so effective and whole in its intent, so this flowed out of me incredibly easily in comparison.

I outline everything I do, down to the structure of how I approach each song, lmao. An outline is SO helpful, particularly because it helps you prevent obvious pacing issues from the start.

"Why a musical" is a question that I can't give a satisfactory answer to, except that my proof of concept, well, proves the concept!

My songwriting process is nonexistent. One song, I wrote the lyrical structure after a Percy Shelley poem, and plunked around on the piano to figure out an accompaniment. Another, I sang into a voice recorder app while driving home from the grocery store just off the top of my head, and pulled some Faure inspo for the accompaniment. Yet another, I wrote the music without words in its entirety, and it didn't actually have words until the second draft of the book. No two songs are crafted alike, and somehow it works for me.

I listen to a lot of classical (my current rotation is Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Satie), The Mountain Goats, and musicals. I'm also a professional musician, so I've got work songs on my roster as well, from gig songs, to those I teach. All in all, my tastes are fairly narrow, but hey, it's what inspires me.

'Good composers write, great composers steal' was something my professor in college used to say. Also, 'write drunk, edit sober'. Taking inspiration from other works is great, but I would take it a step further and do some real score study. Following the guide put forth by Elizabeth Green in her book about conducting as a starting point, you can really enlighten yourself on so much.

I got so close to my show that at a certain point, I didn't realize that no one had a clue when anything was happening, or where. My director came to the show with fresh eyes and made a simple suggestion that quickly resolved what could have been months of headache. I have since taken numerous brief (1-2 week) breaks from the show, in order to approach it with a more rounded perspective, but nothing beats just asking folks to tell you what they think.

Yeah. Nothing to add.

After my show was read through in its entirety for the very first time, my cast only had good things to say. Literally nothing negative. I told them I wanted to hear all of the negative things, and they relented... and every negative point was just something that *wasn't* in the show. Nothing bad about anything I'd written, only that they wanted more. More screentime for Claire. Another song that lets them be silly. More pretentious AF dialogue. More ensemble stuff. I was so afraid that they would pick apart a lot of things that I didn't think were good enough, I had held back on a lot of things that needed to be exploited and showed off for all they were worth. That was honestly an enlightening experience!

10 tips for musical theater writing!

We've been getting asks about musical theater writing and thought it might be helpful to share some things we've learned from our writing process that've made our lives easier. DISCLAIMER: we are by no means experts in writing musicals! These are just things that've worked for us!

(Some great resources we'd recommend are Finishing The Hat and Look, I Made A Hat by Stephen Sondheim for good jumping-off books by an amazing lyricist, or websites like https://www.musicals101.com/write.htm (they have a good explanation of song forms here: https://www.musicals101.com/score.htm that cover the basics of musical forms, etc.) To chat with people more experienced than us, we'd recommend visiting https://www.reddit.com/r/musicalwriting/)

Here are our tips:

Collaborate! In professional musical theater, there are three writing roles: lyricist, who writes the words for the songs, bookwriter, who writes the words in the scenes, and composer, who writes the music for the piece. People can be any combination of the three- for example, Mel is a lyricist/bookwriter but Elliot is a composer/lyricist/bookwriter. You can also take on different roles on different projects! You don't have to choose which one you are Right Now, but writing a show is a lot easier if you have one or more collaborators. One of the most common mistakes I see in aspiring musical theater is trying to do too many at once -- people who are awesome composers but mediocre lyricists, or people who are great lyricists but their music is all over the place -- which can kill interest in a project before it even begins. Theatre will always be a collaborative art form, so try to find people you can create your best work with!

Choose a topic you have something important to say about. Something you feel like nobody else has said before, or something you think you personally can say in a new way. Our writing process for both TAOPP and Adamandi was to begin with some big ideas that we had something important to say about- for TAOPP, we talked about the transformative experience of falling in love, and for Adamandi, we talked about the ways that dark academia idealizes an unhealthy independence, and doesn't often include queer students or students of color. We choose a set of characters that allows us to have an interesting group of perspectives on that central idea.

Outline! Once we know who is in it, we write a rough outline of the show, deciding where scenes and songs are, though this outline often changes throughout the process (for example, at this stage in the Adamandi process, we knew how Act I would end, but initially Litany of the Martyrs was in the middle of Act I instead of Act II). Outlining is especially important for musicals, because you want it to be as solid as possible before you start writing. It sucks when shifting around the plot or cutting characters means scrapping great songs you've written too soon.

Know why you want this to be a musical! Why not a book or a screenplay or a concert or song cycle? What is it about the musical form that makes you excited to tell the story through it, and how will live theater help you tell this story? If you're new to musical writing, make sure you aren't actually writing a play with music. In a musical, the songs should move the story forward, help characters reach realizations and show new depths of character, etc. Musical songs should start at a point A and end at a very different point B. If you take out all the songs you've got planned in your show, are there huge holes in the plot or does everything still make sense? If everything still makes sense, maybe you don't want to write a musical.

Find a songwriting process that works for you! We tend to write lyrics-first, so Mel will write all the words to a song for Elliot to "set", or compose a tune for. After Elliot has a melody, he finds chords for the melody and builds the accompaniment from there. Another way you can write (especially if you are a composer more versed in instrumental music) is to start music first -- finding a fun melody or a fun chord progression and then building the rest from there. Songwriting is like filling in a puzzle. Elliot goes through many iterations of melodies and chords before settling on a melody he likes. When he finds a good melody, he'll record a little voice memo of it but revisit it later to see if it still holds up before building upon it. It's okay if something stumps you a little! Songwriting is usually a collaborative process; we edit each others' lyrics and talk about musical moments and the tone/feel of a song. We make sure we're on the same page with Mel reading out the lyrics of a song before Elliot sets it, so Elliot gets a sense of where Mel's rhythmic instincts for the song lie.

WATCH, READ, & LISTEN TO LOTS OF THINGS (especially musicals!) Make fun little bootleg movie nights out of it! You can learn a lot about what you want to create by seeing what's out there! Find things you enjoyed in shows you disliked, or things you disliked in shows you liked, and think about why. This will also help you learn about song forms, musical structures that work, etc.!

Similarly, use a shared musical vocabulary as inspiration! If you're a composer and don't know where to start, discuss the vibe of the song you are about to write with your lyricists (genre, similar songs, etc.) Find a playlist with similar songs -- doo-wop songs, swing music from the '30s, or the discographies of artists you like -- and just listen to them for a while. Try to pick apart things that the songs have in common, or things you like from certain songs -- is it a certain song structure? Is it three-part vocal harmonies? Is it a certain combination of instruments? There are also lots of great resources on YouTube/online about what characterizes certain kinds of music. What are common chord progressions in the genre? Is there a rhythm or time signature that characterizes the genre (as is often the case with dances, like tangos or waltzes etc.)? Then try out what you liked from the research and play around with it!

Make it understandable! A musical isn't a novel or an album -- typically, the audience watching it can't reread a page or replay the song. They're watching and listening live, and you have to make sure they understand all the information! When it comes to songwriting, make sure you are setting your lyrics in a comprehensible way. Try reading out your lyrics before setting them at all, so you note where you naturally emphasize words (e.g., we pronounce the word MU-sical, not mu-SIC-al or musi-CAL). Once you have this for reference, recreate this natural rhythm to the best of your ability in your melody! It will help people understand your lyrics better. You want folks to understand as many words as possible on the first listen! (E.g., if someone's singing really quickly and then sing the word musical as mu-SIC-al, people very well might easily mistake it for another set of words entirely, 'cause their brains are not used to the word being said like that!) Similarly, you want to watch out for the amount of syllables you're putting in each line. If two lines sound similar melodically but one has a couple extra syllables in there, chances are it's gonna get squashed rhythmically and become word mush. Fixing this means revisiting your lyrics and cutting some/rephrasing them, which is a natural part of the process!

Finish it! Whatever else you have to do to get to the end of it, it's so important to have a complete project to see how your storytelling works and where it can be improved. A great thing about writing musicals is how often they can be revised -- you'll get feedback, or grow as a writer, and end up wanting to revamp it, which is fine! Look at the difference between Broadway shows and productions of the same shows before Broadway. Or you'll move onto a different project with the skills you acquired from this one -- either way, you have a show's worth of experience under your belt. :)

Be open to criticism, but form your own opinions based on many audience reactions, not just one person's critique. Have readings of your show for your friends, or host a talkback after your performances!

[atlantis-scribe]

🌾🎨

🌾 A fic you really want to write but you haven’t (yet)?

the most honest answer for that is 'god, SO MANY' but it's also a boring & repetitive answer, so i'll just toss two: my enduring Firefly AU (i wanna do a proper re-watch before i continue the draft) and this Elizabeth-centric Pre-Teylabeth fic I've had for a few months now (it's just a oneshot! it's supposed to be an easy thing to churn out!) hopefully 2023 will be kinder to me & my muse <3

🎨 Show us a sneak peek from a WIP!

from the Elizabeth-centric one:

“He’s drunk,” they hear Ronon say, his first contribution to the discussion.

Above the lazy fluttering of John’s eyelashes, the members of his team exchange swift, meaningful glances. Elizabeth watches, transfixed, as a wordless, three-way negotiation happens before her eyes, one that neither her capacity as a linguist nor her experience as a diplomat seems up to the task of fully comprehending.

Rodney is the first to break out of it with a sharp glare aimed at Ronon. “You should’ve stopped him after the third cup. Everyone knows that rice wine packs a punch.”

“Didn’t force him,” Ronon says, not the least bit intimidated. “He could’ve said no.”

“Right. And be forced to admit Campbell can drink him under the table with barely any effort? Are you crazy? He’d rather chew on fiber coil.”

Elizabeth takes another sip of her own watered-down schnapps.

There’s this thing that Rodney does, where it becomes obvious that ‘subtle’ for him is as nebulous a concept as wormhole travel always will be to Elizabeth. She would’ve pointed it out a long time ago, like any good colleague and friend, if it wasn’t so useful. Besides, it won’t achieve anything but Rodney becoming even less subtle and making himself easier to clock for other people who are not Elizabeth.

It’s just the briefest of seconds, but Rodney’s eyes dart to her, trying for casual and probably missing by a mile, and it’s all the confirmation Elizabeth needs.

For some reason, they’re trying to protect John Sheppard from her.

[aohendo]

Hi Hendo!!!!! How are you, hows the writing going? How many wips do you have and actively work on?

Hey, Athena!! Hope everything's going well for you! 😊

Writing was going quickly, and now it's back to going slowly. Had a few really nice 2k+ days all in a row and then work came in and hit me like a train.

I'm only working on Prince for Hire right now. There was a short story competition I wanted to enter (one of the 'randomly assigned a genre and theme and given one week' ones), but I just didn't have the time to hop in this round :/ On the bright side, if the work schedule keeps going as-is (and weather holds), I'll be done this phase of work within the next three weeks, and will basically have a paid vacation for a month or more until they figure out where they're going to move me! Looking forwards to sleep and finishing Prince. If the schedules holds true, I might actually be able to do NaNo in November this year, instead of December! That'd be the first time in years I've had a chance to do it in the right month.

In terms of WIPs on my to-do list: Prince for Hire (first draft, then into second draft); Attenuate/Reverberate (sent it out to some friends to get their opinion on whether or not I should divide the thing into two--they're actually giving really useful feedback!); I've got a short story I want to submit somewhere, but I'm not sure where yet (I'm proud of this thing); and then after Prince for Hire (a third edit, anyway) and maybe another edit of Attenuate/Reverberate (if feedback remains positive, another round of readers (which I'd probably make a notice for here) and then querying; if not positive, much, much writing), I'll probably start in a concept I'm tentatively calling Signalmen.

How are your WIPs? I might have missed it, but have you finished Wildlands?