To Gender Select, or to Not Gender Select
So as everyone knows, I'm using the opportunity for this rewrite to really step back and look at what I have so far. I have just subscribed to the whole "follow my gut" thing and for the last two months or so, my gut has been telling me something.
For context, I created Orion (and I have mentioned this a couple times when I first opened this blog) that he came to me fully formed. While other ROs were more of a puzzle that appeared more and more fleshed out with every detailed I added, Orion was like a jenga block tower that grew more and more unsteady every time I changed a detail about him. He just came to me exactly as he was and I didn't really think beyond that. For example, with G, pieces of both Gina and Griffin came to me at the same time and G isn't G without both versions. With Orion he was just...Orion.
But lately—and this was not without many suggestions asking for it!—I've been playing around with the idea of a female version of his character.
One of my biggest things was to make sure that this wasn't a matter of just changing a variable. When it comes to my gender selectable ROs, I want to make sure I'm including the subtleties and nuances that come with being a man/woman in the public eye, especially for O. Their route is heavily centered around the idea of professionalism and...other things I can't mention and I think it'd be super interesting to add another component of being a woman, not only typically stern and taciturn but in a dominant position in music mostly taken up by men. Which is why, in the rewrite, there will be lines that are unique to Orion and unique to her. Reactions that are different, conversations that change. People who continue to romance Orion will prob not see a difference.
Not only does it separate them as two different people, it creates some distance from Orion, who is an established and beloved character already. I want his female counterpart to stand on her own as her own character.
Just because they have the same route does not mean they are the same person. I've always said that about my gender selectable characters.
This was not a spur of the moment decision. I was thinking about this for a while. I just needed to make sure every piece of Orion's route would make sense for her, and I do believe it does.
I've also been told many times how many people like Orion's route and the whole "manager-client" trope but are unable to play it as they are not attracted to men. I think this would be a nice addition and a way to make it more inclusive/give more people more routes to play!
The things I have written for Orion will probably stay the same since they've been written. Everything after the rewrite will have both options to select from.
So meet Oriana Quinn. With a short black bob usually greased back and a perfectly pressed suit, Oriana is as intimidating as she is determined. Yes, she's just as tall and muscular as her male counterpart and as obsessed with the gym as he. Her route with Cory will be different in its nature (since Cory is straight) but...guess we'll see!
fun fact: The beauty of Oriana being the name is that coincidentally, it also has to do with the sky. One of my requirements for finding a name like Orion's was that it was sky themed since it does come up. It almost seems like fate! haha
TLDR: Orion will be gender selectable. If you have plans to romance Orion and Orion alone, this will make no difference to you. For those who were hoping for this, I hope this news makes Infamous a bit more enjoyable for you! <3
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Spicy Snippet #2: Victoria
VICTORIA - ORION
Orion's snippet was 600 words, and now this one is 1.3k. I fear it'll only get longer and longer haha.
When you woke up, the last thing you thought you’d be doing was helping Victoria with her movie audition. With that said, when she texted you to come over you didn’t hesitate.
When Victoria Valentine summons you, you come.
Victoria told you only the basics of the movie: it’s a melodramatic spy thriller set in an alternate universe. The two characters are in a clandestine relationship, spies from warring sides. You don’t even know what kind of acting that entails, but Victoria seems confident in your ability to help her.
“Stand there.” Victoria points to a spot on the floor and you shuffle backward, out of your depth as she sets up the camera and reads over her lines. You’re a singer, definitely not an actor, but Victoria has been good with trying to keep you calm…even with the knowledge that a director is going to see this. It’s not your audition—you’re simply an accessory to the main subject—but it still leaves you nervous. You don’t want to ruin this for her, she’s been talking about this all week. “Here.” She hands you a copy of the script, and you’re about to read it over when she stops you. “Don’t!”
You smile. “Should I be scared?”
“No.” She laughs. “I don’t want you to overthink it. Sometimes it's better to discover as you explore." She shrugs. "An acting teacher of mine told me that once."
You nod. "You're the professional."
Victoria clears her throat, throwing her hair over one shoulder. Your eyes latch onto the milky curve of her neck, the birthmarks smattered on the skin, before a lump forms in your throat. You look away, trying to focus.
Focus. Yes. Focus.
She whispers a tiny, endearing ‘action’ which makes you bite your lip so as not to laugh. Her eyes catch onto the attempt and her lip twitches upward into a smile before she steels her face. You practically see her turn into someone else, the scene clicking in place and completely changing her demeanor.
“You have nothing else to say to me?” she reads, “after all that I’ve done for you, is this how we part?” In an instant, you’re transported elsewhere. Victoria has a way with her words—she emotes so well, the micro-expressions on her face hypnotizing you. Her eyes, two dark pits, gaze into yours with a heat that has your body burning up. Her lips, painted her signature red, are parted and her chest rises and falls in a melodic beat that you can’t help but focus on.
Your heart races like a schoolgirl in proximity to her crush, but you clear your throat. “I have nothing for you. At least nothing that words can properly express.”
Victoria inches forward and even though the script directs her to do just that, you inch back. Something about her makes you nervous—an intimidating air to her that has you questioning every move you make. She stares at you with artificial steel in her eyes, mixed with something else. Something hotter. “We have never been good with words, have we?”
“No,” you say, forgetting that you’re in a scene. You hold her gaze, your eyes drinking her in: the round fullness of her cheeks, how long her eyelashes are, how her freckles remind you of a constellation you want to swim in. “No, we haven’t.” Your stomach is in knots, the feeling of tightness growing when her eyes fall on your lips.
“Kiss me.”
You blink. Your mind is in a fog and it takes you a good second to process what she just asked. “Eh—”
Her eyes widen and they flicker to the camera. “It’s part of the script,” she whispers, “kiss me.” Then she raises a brow. “Unless you don’t want to—”
You want to. You very much want to.
Overcome with desire, you lean forward and press your lips to hers. A small squeak of surprise leaves her mouth, the sound vibrating against yours, before she melts into you and pulls you closer. The smell of roses and vanilla rises in the air, enveloping you as your mouth moves against hers, the warmth of her tongue snaking into your mouth making your whole body shudder.
You want to drink her in, have every inch of her. Her enthusiasm only pushes you to kiss her deeper, your effort to bring her closer making you two stumble back. She pulls away from you with a gasp, her lipstick smudged, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes wide.
You’re breathless, wiping at your face, likely smudging the lipstick she transferred on you even more.
She stares you, her face a tantalizing mixture of surprise and desire. “I—” She clears her throat and glances at the script, exhaling. You can’t look away from her; your body practically vibrating at the way her hair sticks up in every direction, her lipstick smeared. The fact that you did that…it only makes you want to do more. To see her undone.
No. Focus. I need to focus.
This is her career. You came to help her. You have to focus.
She looks at the script, tries to read the words, before giving up with a breathless laugh and a shrug. “I don’t even know what’s going on.” You barely have time to brace for impact before she’s pulling you back toward her, claiming your mouth again. This time, there’s no surprise, no uncertainty. She commands your mouth like it’s hers to take, and you’re glad to give it.
She pushes you back until you’re against the wall, every part of her body against yours. You can feel every curve, the heat of her wrapping around you until you’re grinding against her, your body aching for more. Your hand goes to her long hair, pulling on it slightly. God, you love her hair. So soft, and such a big part of her that when you pull on it again, you want her to know just how much you want her. She moans into your mouth, the sound making you dizzy. The tangible feel of her desire has you seeing stars, your body growing hot when she catches your lower lip with her teeth, sucking into her mouth before kissing you again.
“This isn’t part of the script,” you gasp when she pulls away from you to grab at her shirt. You follow her, your fingers shaking when you help her out of her clothes. Every time you sense an opening, you lean in for another kiss, unable to be away from her too long.
“We’re improvising,” she replies, tossing her shirt aside. She's about to go in for another kiss when you stop her, the moment finally dawning on you.
You clear your throat, your mouth watering when you see the lace of her bra. Somehow, the frantic energy has died away to something more quiet as you stare at her. She stands there, patient and still slightly breathless, watching you as you watch her.
You want her. You want her so bad.
Your hand reaches up, hovering above the strap of her bra, and you catch her suck in a sharp breath in anticipation. The clothes are too much of a barrier. You want it off. You want it all off—
In your periphery, your gaze latches onto something else.
The red light of the camera. Still filming.
“Shit—” Victoria gives you an odd look, and you gesture to the camera. When she turns around to face it, you say, “it’s still filming.”
“Oh…” With a muffled curse, she rushes over to click it off, laughing a little. “Imagine if this were a live audition.” She looks over her shoulder to you, red-faced. The heat of earlier has cooled enough for you to look at her more clearly, and she appears a little sheepish. “Would’ve given them quite the show.”
Another laugh escapes you, and you move forward to get close to her again, standing behind her. When you move her hair to kiss the back of her neck, she sucks in a breath. “What we’re about to do…let’s just keep this one for our eyes only.”
She laughs, and she certainly doesn’t protest.
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I said I wouldnt announce the dates but alas
The INFAMOUS PART 2 UPDATE is coming!
Band Member Tier: NOVEMBER 22ND
Fan tier: NOVEMBER 27TH
Public: DECEMBER 1ST (I know it's not in november pls don't kill me)
✮ Part 2 is 60K words and it is NOT its own chapter, which means it does not have a full chapter arc. It's the second part of the chapter so it would help to read it as such. With part 2, Chapter 2 will complete at 144,000 words.
✮ What to expect:
Write and prepare for your first performance.
Be forced to stage a scene *ahem.*
Attend an episode viewing party.
See a familiar face!
Come to terms with the fact that maybe fame isn't all sunshine and rainbows. (duh)
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