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hpowellsmith · 2 months

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Happy birthday, Royal Affairs!

It's been a year since Royal Affairs came out and I've been over the moon about how it's been received. It's meant that I've been able to write full-time, make Honor Bound as rich and detailed at high speed, and do a lot of physical and mental health recovery after various periods of burnout. I'm really grateful for everyone's support, here and elsewhere, and it really makes a huge difference.

I had so much fun returning to the characters after a while away for the epilogue - if you enjoyed the game at release and haven't replayed for the epilogue, I very much recommend giving it a go!

After beta testing, I wrote up a retrospective about what came up and how I organised my work. I thought I'd share it for some insight into my process, for players and authors. Here it is:

In Crème de la Crème I ended up adding large branches to the plot during beta, but I was fortunate not to have to do it this time around. Mostly it was building on what was there or bringing certain things to the forefront, or adding a few different ways of navigating situations.

As feedback came in, I was lucky enough to have so much that it became unwieldy to act on it in one go, so I made a priority list.

Highest priority was game breaking bugs or large continuity problems like Dominique's final game scene switching to Beaumont's.

High priority was smaller continuity bugs like the game confusing who you were romancing or whether you had or hadn't done a particular action earlier.

Medium priority was things like small scene additions or multi romance responses, or tweaking first impressions of characters, and so on.

Low priority was nice-to-haves like allowing a character to be romanced only late on.

Alongside this, I fixed typos and made small adjustments - easy wins that added polished. There were also some major sweeps that I did: a stat test clarity sweep, a stat change sweep, a reduction of tests in casual conversations, and repetitive words or phrases.

Stat test clarity:

I picked 3-4 stat tests at random from each chapter, copied their text into a separate document, and highlighted words that reflected the stats. For example: for Authoritative I had things like "I order them to..." "I tell them what to do", "I stay aloof to maintain my authority..." and so on. I edited testing choices to include these keywords, and also edited the stat guide to include them.

Checking all this had the side effect of helping me spot unnecessary tests or points where the stat being tested just didn't match the situation at hand.

Stat changes:

There are a lot of points where stats can change, and not all of them made sense at the start of beta. I did variations of this sweep several times, including the Action Skills, NPC stats, and adding a lot more chances to boost your Powers of Persuasion. Again doing this check helped me spot unnecessary or unintuitive tests and changes.

Tests in casual conversations:

This was again something that I iterated several times. Some of the commentary about Crème de la Crème said that the stat tests felt punishing or too difficult, and an early playtest from my wife flagged that some of the tests in Royal Affairs felt unfair. Why should a character's relationship reduce when you're trying to be affectionate, if the circumstances aren't in a state where that makes sense?

So I stripped out a lot of this, generally replacing a success/failure with flavour text (such as a Subtle MC perhaps being, well, more subtle about holding hands with someone). In some cases, where a character needs to be drawn out of themselves to talk more emotionally (Beaumont or Hyacinthe, on occasion), or they see the conversation as a contest or challenge in some way (mostly Javi or Trevelyan), I left them in. But I liked that they were a rarity rather than default.

Repetitive words or phrases

As I was writing, sometimes I noticed that I was overusing phrases, so if I got that feeling I would make a note for the sweep. In the end there wasn't as much as that as I thought, but there were a lot of qualifier-type words that reduce the impact of a sentence - "a little" was one, or "really", usually in dialogue - or filler words like "down" in sentences like "you sit down beside them".

I also looked for phrases like "you know" or "you suspect" to spot places where I could express whatever it was that the MC knows more elegantly (this is something a former colleague told me once and I've never forgotten it!)

More involved edits

With some major things that I did change, I'd put them on my to-do list before beta but they were either unwieldy and I wanted to start testing sooner rather than later, or I wanted to check whether other people agreed. It was great to have more opinions and mostly they confirmed what I'd thought. With others, I studied the feedback to gauge whether the effort of making the changes would be worth the payoff. In most cases, I decided to go for it.

In general, this stage involved adding things, including:

more worldbuilding details to give more context to the plot

more teacher interactions throughout; added scenes as well as offhand references to other classes; more about Clemence and Vere and expanded outcomes to their storyline

romanceable characters responding to players romancing other people: in the moment, checking in about where your relationship was at, and a set of final breakup conversations if it was left until the very last minute (this was a very big undertaking and would have been better to do earlier - a lesson I've taken to Honor Bound)

lengthening the main suffrage debate

adding slow-paced romance dynamics for two characters (I was really keen to do this but was disciplined about making it low priority - it was a lovely idea and I knew I'd enjoy doing it, but it was very much a nice-to-have compared to other things. I was delighted to be able to do it!)

more communal scenes with classmates to give more of a sense of living in each other's pockets

adding an option to confide in Asher about a particular plot point and for them to assist with it if wanted (I was so happy about adding this: it's one of my favourite Asher moments, even if few people see it!)

tweaking some of the friendship/romance conversations to add more emotional chat (mostly this applied to Javi and Hyacinthe; there was a bit added to Asher and Dominique at Verdancy)

more pet time

more narrative and conversational responsiveness about whether an imperilled character was romanced

more Javi asexuality chat

more detailed outfit descriptions throughout with more choices about what to wear

generally expanding some scenes to give more breathing room to important moments

In the end I added 45000 words to the game during beta testing, thanks to feedback from editor review, continuity testing, and copyediting. Testing took place during late December 2022 and January 2023, and I massively appreciate everyone who contributed to make this big game as polished as it is!

#choice of games #royal affairs #creme de la creme series #interactive fiction #game writing process #if writing process

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 1 month

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Reasons to play In Stars and Time: Canon Pronoun Warfare.

#in stars and time #ISAT #Siffrin #Loop #Context: early on you meet a character who tries to get you to use the royal We pronoun for them and you shut them down. It's great.#The gender swag and non-binary rep in this game is lovely.#I sketched this out when I was in Act 2 - and as of posting this I have not yet finished the game so *please* no spoilers.#It is rare for me to get into something spoiler free and I have been getting my shit rocked by this game in the best way.#Yes I *am* taking another detour to talk about a video game I love again. I will have some fun crossovers. Trust the process.#I will also do my best to pitch this game as spoiler free as possible. Because you *should* play this game:#ISAT is a very lovingly crafted RPG with very fun and emotional writing.#The characters are great and the mysteries you slowly uncover are intriguing!#The way the gameplay ties into the player's own emotional state is nearly always in sync with the protagonist. You *will* feel things.#And it is not afraid to let those things be hard emotions! Do mind the content warnings and know your limits though.#As someone who sucks at video games I also appreciate that it is so generous with your time and keeps things fun.#Not to mention it is honestly underpriced for the amount of content in it. Buy this game. I need to spread the brainworms.

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julijbee · 3 months

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girlbossing too close to the sun.

#art #ive literally just been treating this game as a library simuator #i walk from bookseller to bookseller opening up all of their books #vivecs sermons are either a highlight or the point at which i stop reading #ive been trying to convince the ordinators that imitation is the highest form of flattery but it hasnt been working #let me wear your helmets please theyre so funny..#posting morrowind in 2024 isnt a cry for help but youre not wrong to be concerned.#morrowind #almalexia #vivec #im going to explain the chitin armor give me a moment #so the bonewalker nerevar on the shrines is adorable and it was only after drawing it however many times that i realized #it looked relatively close to a modified chitin armor #and so i modified chitin armor a few times and this was probably the cutest result #i also know i drew almalexia relatively pristine and untouched by years and vivec not so much but my thought process was #vivecs role as if not a favorite then the most accessible divine or the most “hands on” in a manner of speaking #acting in ways visible to the general population or actions explicitly brought to their attention #like not that almalexia isnt doing anything she is #but the dissemination of information regarding that is very different etc etc etc #anyways to a certain extent a god is the face on a shrine or in art or upon a statue or carving #but vivecs presence is interwoven with the geography of vvardenfell especially and his actions and writings with pubished materials #and the arts and culture and customs etc etc etc #so to me the face of a god you know and feel a commonality with or a god that walks alongside you is a face you would recognize #and vivec is already otherworldly looking enough #the simple mark of the years on his skin in some way grounding him in reality felt more right #that and i think the ways in which he and almalexia care about outward appearance are slightly different- they prioritize different things #and the ways they present outward power and their embodiment of their respective attributes share some similarities as they both have that #important preoccupation with physical power and physical strength to a certain degree #oh my god nobody read this i am yapping so bad.#tes

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icewindandboringhorror · 7 months

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I know this is just a silly bad quality random screencap of a screencap that I found on facebook lol, BUT it's a succinct enough image to easily describe the concept in a quick/accessible way hopefully :

(and of course, feel free to elaborate in tags, etc.! (especially elaborating about other senses as well.. can you "hear" in your mind just as well as you can "see"? taste? etc.) It's an interesting topic to me, as someone who's like a 4.5 at MOST lol. I'm curious what option will be the most common :0c )

#tumblr polls #hrmm... a little poll perhaps.. about a subject I find interesting.. since this image came across my facebook today #still really not feeling that well. no longer shaking violently and such but I still feel weird and weak much more than usual #They did say my markers for like infection or inflammation were elevated but that they werent sure of the cause so hopefully #it's nothing too serious. they did also say a lot of different things can cause that thing to be higher than normal but didn't go into spec #fics of what. maybe some of them are relatively benign or something. I still havent felt much back to normal since #I got really sick that one time though. I feel fine on and off but then little bouts of feeling weird and sick happen. hrmmm #ANYWAY.. looking for small ways to be productive. such as little doodles on evil ipad or editing game videos #or posting polls or cat pictures or some other like not very labor intensive things #I WISH I COULD FOCUS on writing HHRGGhh... I need to finish my game.. it would be so freeing.. a project that's been looming #over my head for like 5 years even though througouht that 5yrs I've probably spent a total of 3 months working on it lo.. ANYWAY #I still partially really cannot beleive that people CAN see stuff in their heads. There's always part of me that's thinking like. well mayb #e everyone DOES see the same exact thing but we just describe/conceptualize it so differently that we think we're talking about #different things when we're really not. But I have been assured by people I've talked to about it that they can GENUINELY really see #stuff in their heads like as vivid as an actual picture in real life or something. And the other senses are neat too. Like for exmaple I #can hear in my head much better than I can see imagery. I still CANNOT hear vividly like as if I were listening to actual music out loud..#but I think it's developed more than my sight. AND interesting how this varies the creative process. a friend I was talking to on the phone #said they write by literally just watching stuff play before them like a movie. where my process is COMPLETELY different. AND that affects #the content/what details we focus on as well as our individual styles of writing have differences that can be traced back to that.. hrmm

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okthatsgreat · 5 months

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rewording a post i made a while ago just bc it was a bit nonsensical but something that definitely needs to be examined in the danganronpa fandom is how a lot of characters seem to be interpreted through one single lens of intelligence. does that make sense. like in order for a character to be ��smart” in this fandom they SPECIFICALLY need to be book smart and well spoken, regardless of their talents. we gotta shape up guys .. examining other types of intelligence is FASCINATING and really highlights each characters strengths and weaknesses, and this especially applies to emotional intelligence.

like is byakuya smart? absolutely. but is he emotionally intelligent? fuck no!!!! and aoi used that against him in chapter four!!!!!!!! and even though she is misguided as all hell, tenko has the ability to understand her opponent mid-battle and use that to determine how she continues the fight (likely something other fighting ultimates do as well!!!) which is crazy. mikan is able to read facial expressions well, even if she IMMEDIATELY misinterprets this as something she personally did wrong lol. these characters navigate through the killing game differently and in some cases survive because of it, and if you want something interesting to write on it’s definitely something to be examined!!!

also straight up sometimes the fandom interprets characters who don’t speak super formally/are optimistic as dumb too which is so strange. more of the “buff” talents like mondo and fuyuhiko need to understand battle tactics and serious team management/planning in order to get anywhere in their field, but are pushed aside quite a bit because theyre these super gruff macho characters that swear a bunch. sonia as well because she's a fish out of water type of character. and yes he isn’t very well spoken and is very trusting but gonta is an actual scientist guys… i could make a whole separate post about this weird trend of pessimism being seen as smart and optimism as stupid but yeah seriously

anyways all this to say, when writing for a “dumb” character take a step back and ask just what makes them dumb in your eyes. is it because they aren’t considered academic or a scholar?? is it because they’re a “happier” character that might not be as well-spoken?? theres nuance there and this obviously doesn't apply to all of them, like clearly akane isnt super good with emotions or smarts in general, but even THEN her spacial awareness and heightened sense of perception is something that is often under-utilised in fics!! it provides a whole lot of depth to remember that a lot of danganronpa characters are very talented and well versed in other forms of intelligence than what might be most obvious !!!!!

#nurse shes rambling about the murder video game again #but goddddd this is why i love writing from a bunch of different povs. theyre all so wildly different and interpret the world through very #different thought processes #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #lee chat

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faytelumos · 27 days

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Rewrite My Line

Tagged for this one by @tildeathiwillwrite, and—

Oh gosh, it's an internal thought line! XD Before even touching this I can tell you it's going to be so much longer than the original!

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my line:

He wandered about the city aimlessly, eventually stopping at one of the fountains and resting at a nearby bench. He stared at the splashing water almost desperately, trying to turn his mind to less depressing thoughts. It didn’t work.

rewritten as:

He wandered. He didn't know where he was going, where he wanted to be. Nowhere. Anywhere. As long as it wasn't here.

Eventually, he stopped at a fountain square. The air was cold where it blew off the mumbling stone. One of many in the park, the fountain muttered and grumbled, the water cycling endlessly in an illusion of permanence. He sat down on a bench to watch it, to distract his stupid mind from its stupid, depressing thoughts. Maybe he could go into a trance. Maybe he could find some kind of profound wisdom in the miracle of gravity made trivial by modern technology. Maybe he could just dunk his head in the basin and count all of the coins tossed in despite the signage, drowning the world out until he had to come up for air, choking and coughing.

He sighed and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands.

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Gently as ever tagging @afoolandathief, @amethystpath-writes, @annakayy, @gummybugg, @kaatiba, @those-damn-snippets, @serenanymph, @surplus-of-sarcasm, @written-in-starlight, and anyone else who wants to play along!

Your line today is:

The leader stopped, and we each turned to take our places. There were moss-covered boards for us to kneel on, to save our knees from the hard, rocky ground. I knelt down, and when the leader motioned for us to get low, I leaned forward, placing my hands on the wet, gravelly ground, and rested my forehead on my fingers.

[again, I'm sorry if this is kinda long. @_@ You can cut pieces out, it's okay.]

@thelazywitchphotographer :D

#tag game #writeblr tag game #writeblr #writers on Tumblr #writing #🕸️#I feel like half of my style is the length and detail in my internal monologues #show me a line from a character's thought process and I will show you that it can be turned into a whole-ass paragraph #(I hope it's alright because it's PREVELANT @_@)#thanks for the tag I'm so sorry I turned it into three paragraphs! XD

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blushouyo · 3 months

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cops and robbers

#honkai star rail #hsr #gepard landau #sampo koski #serval landau #gepo #my art #BEHOLD!! THE COMIC IVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS #at least its finally done lol #and i feel like i learnt a lot while doing this #so hopefully my next stuff will be better :)#or maybe i should just write fanfiction instead of putting myself through the nightmare of making comics #ah... if only #but thats a whole nother nightmare for me lol #anyways! much to say abt this!#first and foremost. i hate their ship name for this dynamic #sampard rolls off the tongue better #but we all know sampo is the bottom so gepo it is #*pensive face*#also. was NOT abt to put a lot of detail into their outfits like there is in game #so you get simplified versions #plus a completely made up casual outfit for geppie #just imagine that hes been forced to take a day off #which sampo didnt know abt #so they ended up running into eachother when he tries to rob him lol #speaking of. had no idea what to caption this lol #but yeah! here u go :)#onto the next idea!

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quirkle2 · 2 months

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first amv be nicies to me about it or else

#qktalks #new hobby found ! achievement get #there was a lyric at the very start of this song (that i cut out bc it was slow and i wanted it to be a bit crazier)#that says ''i can't seem to stay me'' which was sorta the origin of why i picked this one #so there ya go #the first half is a lil rough ngl.i recognize this and if u make fun of me ill cry right on ur person #i thought i hated editing but it turns out once u have a halfway decent editing program the process Doesn't make u wanna cry #i have another song in mind but im not sure there's rly enough footage of what i want for it ... hrrmm #mob psycho 100 #mob psycho #mp100 #shigeo kageyama #mp100 mob #mp100 shigeo #flashing #<- dunno if it's necessary but just to be sure #i do kinda like that amvs take way less time than most of my other hobbies #like art takes forever building anything in any game takes centuries writing can take a long time depending on the length #but u can kinda just whip up an amv in one sitting if u know what ur doing #i Didn't know what i was doing when making This so it took me a couple days but ! now i know the basics of the program so yay

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brainrotdotorg · 5 months

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getting extremely self indulgent tonight and thinking about alice and kim and their relationship and how many different fun iterations of it i looooooove thinking of. he practically raised her as she was a junior officer and she worked under him religiously and now theyve surpassed teacher and student and become amazing friends. or they didnt meet until later in their careers and alice was nervous about meeting a legend in the RCM and kim was apprehensive to work with someone younger but they realized that the other was just a regular person and now they get along just fine. or alice is still an officer that distantly pines for his approval. maybe she has a little work crush on him. maybe she knows he's gay because she is too. maybe they have a father/daughter adjacent relationship maybe they have a messy close fag4dyke friendship . they could be anything. come with me into my beautiful mind

#this thought process is what inspired me to write kim kisturagi jack off hotline #theres so much you could do with alice . i love her #in the game she is curt and stern with harry and not afraid to hold her ground. she also clearly values kims approval and likes him #she is interesting. TO ME #disco elysium

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jamiesfootball · 2 months

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Word Game Wednesday:

Alive

Low and somber but with a voice light enough to sit on a feather, Jan informs Jamie, "I respect you, but you did not owe him the decency of being buried. Please do not think you owe him anything else just because you are still alive with more to give. You have given enough."

#word game wednesday #jamie tartt #jan maas #writing snippet #fic: you're gonna go far kid #just a small one today #was going to be a longer one but then I ended up actually working on that fic and I don't want to interrupt the process

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bloodandthestars · 1 year

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𝐋𝐄𝐓’𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒.

❛ and i don’t mind you flirting, but honestly do you really wanna spend the whole night passing looks at me? ❜

— touchstarved. ais.

wc :: 2.7k

a/n : love that you guys like my first try at ais! hope you’ll enjoy this one just as much <3 a bit longer this time and idk fun? at least to write. i tried my hand at a few others this time. i feel like I may have gotten vere wrong so i definitely want opinions on that.

If the Wet Wick was ever empty, it’d be an entire crime. Luckily, if everyone was on their best behavior tonight, none would have to occur.

Your fingers are loose around a glass of gin. You intend for it to be your first and only glass of alcohol for the night. It was one of those rare nights where everyone was in one place— say for Mhin, who finds excuses in contracts to take care of in the night. “‘Better things to do than waste time with degenerates’— or something along those lines.” Leander shrugs his broad shoulders with a sip of his glass. He sets it on the bar counter. “It’s too bad, we all like-"

“Who is we-” Vere speaks with disgust in his emphasis.

“Some. Most. Most of us like their company.”

Vere scoffs, taking a sip of his flute. You let out a breathy laugh and Ais shrugs at Leander’s words, tasting his drink as well.

Background chatter fueled the ambiance of the tavern. Bloodhounds laugh and slam their drinks in various conversations behind you. Every now and then, you hear the wooden doors creak at the sign of a new person coming in and out of the busy space. Everyone has some kind of glass in their hand, say for Kuras, whose elegant voice speaks. “Mihn is a diligent person to be counted on.”

Leander’s lips break into his usual grin, with an arm swinging around the doctor's neck. Kuras doesn’t move an inch, as if used to such a gesture from the leader.

“See?” Leander says with a chip in his voice.

“We hear you, Leander.” Your voice chimes in

“We always do.” Ais places the rim of his glass to his lips.

Vere snickers, but Leander doesn’t take the teasing to a fault.

You hold your glass in the air with your hand. “We promise, we don’t dislike them.”

The mage is smiling still, even when Kuras steps away from his embrace. “Excuse me, but I must get back to work.”

“Aw, you sure?”

Kuras places his hands behind his back after adjusting his attire. He gives the room a nod of finality. You lift your glass as a motion of goodbye, Ais gives the same while Vere keeps his attention on his champagne. The doctor steps away, and you hear the wooden shutters open and close another time that night.

The silence between your four is entirely short with Leander around. He jumps over the counter from behind the bar, turning to address you and the others with another one of his grins. “Anyone up for trying one of my drinks?”

Vere rolls his eyes. “I don’t feel like it.” His voice flairs in its dramatics, placing a palm into his chin as he watches the bubbles in his drink dissipate. The fox’s elbow rests on the wooden counter where he sits next to Ais. “Besides,” His eyes narrow in his direction. “Who knows what you put in there.”

Leander’s smile grows wider. “But that's the best part.”

“Sure, for someone with nothing better to do.”

“Hey-!”

You watch the exchange, eyes going back and forth. You don’t notice the crimson eyes on you, at least not this time. He can hear the chatter next to him, sure. But why take notice of that?

Your gaze turns in his direction when you see Ais’s head nod in your way. “Gin again?”

Your eyes glance to the short glass resting in his hands. “Whiskey again?”

Ais gives you a faded smirk, making a motion with the drink before taking a sip. “That it is.”

“Then I’m not sure how you can comment on my personal taste.”

“That’s because you don’t have any.”

You frown at him, knowing all too well how he enjoys the sight. Your glass clinks onto the high table you’re leaning against when you sit it there. “I can have taste.”

“Sure you can.”

“I-”

“Gin or water. You get either or, every time.”

A scoff escapes you with a sarcastic undertone to your dialogue. “You have tasted the beer, right?”

“That one doesn’t count.”

“How so?”

“because everyone knows it's watered down and shit.”

Not another word falls from your lips. The oni wants a reaction as he usually did. And when you don’t give into it, a smirk creeps onto his face. “It’s alright, sparrow. I’m sure we still have plenty of time to fix that.”

You attempt to take your reaction to the minimum of rolling your eyes, to excuse him from ever giving him the satisfaction. God, how you wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face with every appearance at your dispense. No matter how much of a sight it was.

“Fix what?” Leander interjects with an ear to your conversation and your regard goes on him. You don’t notice the way the demon’s eyes dull behind another sip of his whiskey.

“Apparently, my taste in liquor.”

“At least someone said something about it,” Vere comments with a flick of his tail.

“You realize where we are, correct?” You wit back, earning a laugh from Leander that overshadows Ais’s huff of amusement.

“True,” Vere says primly with a final taste of his champagne disappearing past his lips. He looks over the counter to the usual suspects of wine bottles. Before he can pick out one to toy with, Leander quickly goes behind the counter and grabs the one he wants to properly pop it. The cork flies somewhere on the floor, disregarded in favor of refilling the fox’s glass. Vere gives Leander a sly smile of gratitude, with it disappearing as quickly as it comes. To battle a a bashful smile, the mage motions the bottle towards you and Ais. You both shake your heads at the offering.

“C’mon MC,” Leander shifts the bottle in your direction fully. “Might as well expand your palette now while we have the bottle open.”

Ais’s eyes dart off, lips falling to a flat line at his words. You consider the opportunity as you look into your own glass, ice diluting into whirls of purple liquid. You let out a sigh, a smile following after. “One sip.”

The ends of his lips quirk up into a large smile. “I’ll take anything I can get.”

“As we’re all well aware.” Vere cunningly remarks, though his eyes are set on the shiny new wine glass placed on the counter.

You raise a brow. “Just a glass would’ve been fine.”

Vere groans. “You’re hopeless, dear.”

Leander puts the sentiment into kinder words. “It wouldn’t feel right. Besides, why waste the opportunity to make it special?”

Ais watches as you press your lips press together to resist a smile with narrow eyes. You watch as a dark red pours into the tall glass in a small amount. Leander shifts it across the counter, where you eye it in the Wick’s gold lighting. You push yourself off of the high table, grabbing the stem of the cup. The scent was strong, automatically hitting your nostrils with it so close to your face. The wine swirls in your study, before placing the rim to your lips. Leander watches with attentive eyes, and so does another.

The taste is stark, your brows furrowing at the bitterness that greets your first. But then it slowly transitions to flavors of fruit. The zest lingers on your tongue after a swallow. You shut your eyes to contemplate the drink before opening them back on the group. “Alright…I could get used to that.”

Even Vere slightly smiles at the discovery. Leander laughs heartily. “Not so bad. right?”

You shake your head. The mix of alcohol causes you to let out a soft laugh, a hand quick to hover over your mouth after it. “Not at all.”

The mage blinks at the sound, a warmth creeping up his ears. It goes unnoticed by you, who passes the rest of your drink to Vere. He pours the wine to combine into his own glass. As he swirls his drink, his pink eyes glance over to Ais. In the notice of his silence, Vere remains in his own, sensing something amiss.

“Now that we have you started on wine,” Leander places his forearms out. “You’ll just have to divulge in my artwork next.”

“You mean concoctions?” Ais snorts at your words, grabbing Vere’s attention. “I’ve tried a few.”

“And there’s many more where that came from.” His voice turns to sing-song in order to convince you. You give him a long stare. Leander is charming, there’s no denying that. He’s got a way with words, and his smile is infectious. You’ve found yourself drawn to his energy and his carefree nature, always finding ways for you to loosen up. You let out a sigh once again. “And how could I refuse you when you pull out those eyes on me?”

A soft pink tints the mage’s cheeks. Vere perceives the sight, pink eyes connecting to Ais next, looking down at his hand— now tight when nursing his drink. There’s a twitch in the fox’s eye. His tail begins to wag in a menacing manner with an amused smirk appearing on his features.

Vere drapes himself against the counter, eyes looking at you with an enlightened voice. “You know, speaking from experience, another district has gorgeous tastes in wine. Some of them have been curated for years.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm,” Vere lets out a low hum. “You must try them sometime. Perhaps Leander and I can accompany you to such an activity.”

Leander’s eyes brighten at the prospect, nodding along. “I think that’d be-”

A sudden yelp comes from behind you. You turn your head over your shoulder, everyone’s eyes following in the direction of drunken roughnecks shoving each other. Leander pinches the bridge of his nose, heaving a heavy sigh. His hand wipes his face, attempting to put a smile back on it. “I’ll be right back.”

The mage hops over the bar counter once more to handle the rowdiness. You turn your eyes back onto Vere with a raised brow, who now looks bored all of a sudden. “That opportunity doesn’t come with you trying to leave me dead in an alley, does it?”

Vere sips his wine with a purr. “You remain on your best behavior and I’m sure it won’t be.”

You’re not sure if it's being used to Vere threatening you through innuendos or the alcohol that makes you retort. “If anyone is in need of good behavior, it’s certainly you.”

“Aw, that sounds like the beginning of an awfully good punishment.”

Taking that as a cue to finish the conversation, you shake your head with a slight laugh. You press off of the high table, walking off to the bathroom with a pair of eyes following after. The owner of that gaze finishes the rest of his whiskey. He’s walking through the crowd when Vere looks at the empty cup on the bar counter. A crack in the glass earns of soft snicker from him.

You find your way to the bathroom through a hall of draped fabrics. After finishing up inside, you shut the door behind you and turn to a mirror on the wall. Covered fingers press to your temple as you rub in circular motions. Your hands then go to pat your face to dry extra water from it after splashing some in the bathroom. A smokey scent greets you before he does.

“Troubled?”

You wipe your face, catching blood-red eyes in the reflection. Your brow raises. “Not at all, but you seem to be.”

You turn to face Ais, crossing your arms. The demon now looks at you with a raised brow. “Do I now?”

“You got awfully quiet.”

“Maybe I was busy.”

You tilt your head at him. “Doing what exactly?”

He falls to silence, eyes set on you despite that. You turn back to the mirror, making sure the water was fully dry on your face. it was quiet for a little while till the oni speaks again.

“Leander’s a bit too eager tonight. You’d think he was wasted already.”

Your movements stop at his words and he’s quick to notice. You press your lips together, eyelids going down in thought. “Eager? Or socializing?”

“Neither of them can be good when it comes from him.”

Your attention goes back to your reflection. “To you.”

His brows furrow at your tone. “Is there something you’d like to say?”

Your eyes go to him in the mirror. “Perhaps.”

“Then say it.”

Your posture straightens, turning back to fully face Ais. Your head motions with curiosity. “You seem…bothered at the prospect of Leander showing me things.“

His mouth remains shut at your words. Your back leans against the mirror. “I mean, did you really think I wasn’t aware of how you changed up?”

And it’s there where you get a reaction. A slight widening of his eyes allows you to further reach your conclusion. It was too hard to hide the flash of a smirk on your lips.

“I’m sure you didn’t plan on spending the whole night passing looks in my direction.”

He relaxes easily, so easily that it confuses you for a brief moment. His boots take steps towards you. A hand rests on his belts as the ends of his lips turn slightly upward. “You’d be surprised.”

You watch as he steps closer to you, eyes going up and down his stature till they reach his gaze. You study his expression, now being one you’re so used to— relaxed and confident even. You help close the space even further as you take your back off of the mirror. At this point, you’re about a foot away from each other, focused and quiet. His head leans down to take you in full, as he always does. Ais’s voice is low when he notes. “Are you implying that I’m jealous, sparrow? Of that desperate fool?”

Your lips part, such an easy target for him to capture. “Not sure.” You mutter. Your eyes scan his face, falling to his lips then back up to his eyes. “You tell me.”

It was strange to feel as though it was you getting a reaction out of him this time around. As you’re met with silence, your feet begin to move past him until you’re stopped by a hand on your forearm. His hold isn’t harsh, not pressing into your skin to cause you pain. It’s a simple grasp, keeping you next to him. You crane your neck a little to look up at him just as his head turns to the side to look down at you. You’re met with the sight of blood red, but never did you feel an ounce of fear from them. You knew by now, the demon would never hurt you. The intention would never cross his mind. So when you two remained still in that moment, your only thought went to what could possibly happen next—

“MC? MC, where’d you go?”

The voice is followed by the arrival of Leander. Both of you were barely able to fix yourselves to stand side by side instead.

“There you are!” He sets his hands on his waist. “I got worried for a second. Everything alright?”

You open your mouth to speak, and just as you do, you feel something warm against your lower back. Leander has no reaction, as he couldn’t see it. “Everything‘s fine, Leander. Just had to find the bathroom.”

Your smile reassures his concerned look, deferring it to Ais. The warmth on your back shifts, allowing you to recognize its shape: a hand.

The demon shrugs nonchalantly. “Had to go too.”

Leander’s nod is slow. Someone catches his attention with a shout of his name, turning to attend to the inquiry. You’re left alone with one another once again. You look up to find his eyes already on you, motionless in your presence. He can tell of the knowing look in your eyes, furrowing his brows at the thought. With the tiniest smile, you slip from his grasp. You head back to the bar, and he soon treads your heels. It seems words didn’t have to give you his answer.

#writing #ais #ais x reader #drabble #ais touchstarved x reader #touchstarved x reader #touchstarved game #touchstarved demo #oneshot #ais touchstarved #had to redo the whole post FUN #can we tell music is a big part of my process yet #yall got a mf kickin her feet over her characterization #ALSO CONGRATS ON THE KICKSTARTER WOOOOO

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doodlejoltik · 1 month

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mysterious stones update Soon...

#inordinately excited for them to continue that conversation #but it means i gotta get a move on that fic i was writing before canon influences my thought processes haha #pokemas #pokemas spoilers #rei pokemon #volo pokemon #trainer rei #// tikposting #(i know this means it's already in the datamine but i prefer to wait until it's in game)#rei #volo

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thornilee013 · 1 month

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Push and Pull

[Instead of a WW for today, you all get (unfortunately only part of) a new project I started because I made myself emotional thinking about it. Thankfully it will be quite short.]

[Summary: Jean is an art major specializing in clay/pottery and goes through some introspection while working on things.]

[Enjoy!]

Jean frowned at the slab of clay sitting in front of him. He was certain that it was mocking him in its readiness to be shaped into something–anything–other than a cone, daring him to try and mold it into something else. Normally Jean handled taunting with a rough check or an even more scathing remark, but clay could not be insulted. It was literally part of the dirt. If he wasn't careful with how much water he applied to the cone, it could very easily become mud underneath his fingers. What kind of insult would be capable of hurting a clay heart? Jean knew that if he was struggling to think of an insult, that there likely were none that would be applicable.

Still, there was a peacefulness in the blank slate that the clay provided. A blank slate that he could always bring back, regardless of how many times the side of the pot caved or the clay slipped off the wheel or if he started the pot off center by accident. No matter what, he could always peel it off the wheel and start again. There was excitement in seeing what he’d be able to create out of the earth, and of seeing just how much the clay would reveal to him of its final purpose along the way.

Jean Moreau always began his pottery projects with the same approach: by building solid walls that he could later adjust through pushing and pulling. When he’d first started making pottery he’d worried that his crooked fingers would hinder the process. That somehow, his hands would be too broken to properly shape the clay. As a result, his first pot had ended up with walls that were too thick and were uneven on top. And yet, when his professor presented the final, fired result, Jean could hardly believe that his lumpy, misshapen pot had been able to withstand its true test.

He’d turned it over and over, searching for clues that it was a fake. He’d been convinced that there was no way that it was his project; after all, the professor had to have recreated it so that it would boost his confidence. Instead, as he’d reacquainted his hands with the clay and examined its curves and flaws, he realized that it fit perfectly in his misshapen hands. It was like holding a piece of himself─a single piece of the puzzle of his selfhood that had, until then, been lost. Then, he found the ghost of one of his fingerprints in the fired clay and all his doubts had been put to rest.

It was still his favorite piece he’d created. It stood as proof to him that he wasn’t too broken to create something new, and on days when he doubted that fact, he would pick up the pot and turn it over once more in his hands and line his thumb up with the fingerprint.

He pulled the clay out in a bold curve, careful to stretch it in a way that would make it expand gradually, only to pinch it back in at a steeper slope.

He’d improved with practice, of course. Soon he’d created bowls and cups and small vases. But for each project that he turned in, his professor would always say the same thing: he needed to work on making the walls thinner. But he’d refused to believe that he could handle anything thinner. He was convinced that his hands were meant for two things: hurting others, and being hurt. Already he’d proven that he could create, but convincing himself that he wouldn’t destroy something was another hurdle he had to overcome.

It hadn’t been until his professor came to stand in front of the station where he’d been working that day and challenged him to create a bowl with a wall thinner than his pinkie.

“But what if it folds on itself? What if it tears?” he’d asked.

“Then you can scrape the clay off the wheel, wedge it, and start over. There’s no limit to it. You can always go back to the beginning. The clay doesn’t mind, and neither do I. As long as you lock up behind yourself when you leave the studio,” his professor had said with a shrug and a smirk.

Sure enough, he’d made the bowl too thin. It ended up tearing and folding in on itself in a pattern that almost resembled a ribbon. Jean had swallowed the defeat and followed his professor’s instructions, and the next time he’d pulled up the walls, he was almost able to maintain a consistent thickness in the walls throughout the entire bowl.

Jean finished the vase by flaring out the top of the project, careful not to let the clay at the top of the piece get so thin that it wouldn’t be able to support its own weight. While other students in the art major program would typically get rid of the slip and any signs of the work being thrown on a wheel, Jean was careful to preserve the imperfections in the surface of his new vase. He was even more nervous to slide the wire under his project, especially given how much he liked how the vase had turned out.

To keep his anxieties at bay, he shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded himself that it was all temporary anyway. Nothing in the world is permanent, and this vase is no exception. But I can make it again, if I want to. It wouldn’t be the same, but I wouldn’t want it to be an exact replica anyway. Once he made peace with the fact that his work was only partially over, he slipped the wire through the clay as close to the base as possible, holding his breath the entire time.

It came off the wheel cleanly, with only a thin layer left behind on the wheel that he scraped off and tossed back into the bin with the rest of the clay they used in class. Once his vase was set aside to air out for the next stage of its creation process, Jean plucked one of his projects that was nearer to completion from the shelf─a plain, relatively small tea cup─and brought it to one of the tables meant for detail work and for glazing.

He was done with the glazing in less than thirty minutes, having picked a unique glaze that was designed to react to the firing process by changing hues and developing a melted appearance.

Jean placed his completed project into the open kiln, whispering a quick prayer under his breath before shutting the lid. Part of him expected that each and every project of his that his professor put into the kiln wouldn’t survive the heat. And if that happened, it would take out the other projects around him as well.

He’d told Betsy several times that he had the same fear about himself─that he would snap someday, and that it would mean that those around him would get hurt in the process.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

MASTERPOST

#lee's writing shenanigans #aftg #all for the game #aftg jean #jean moreau #THANK YOU to Ash for letting me use her as a soundboard and also for encouraging meeeee #I did steal your comment about the kiln process bc man it was too good to pass up #tfc #the foxhole court

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leoneliterary · 10 days

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(english is not my first language, so I tried to word it the gentlest I could, genuinely curious!)

Is there a reason to why the characters are playersexual? I tend to think playersexual characters are kinda boring, and those who have their own view and experiences with their sexuality feel more personable! Even Desma who could have had a crush on MC since they were young seems to have experience beyond MCs gender. Though I do think it's interesting to explore awakenings, and how the ROs deal with being in love with someone they thought they would never, or even a first love awakening! Thank you for your hard work!

(Thank you! And don't worry, my multilingual friend! More than happy to talk about how I think about these things.)

It's interesting, because I've never found playersexual characters boring, although I didn't really know they were called 'playersexual' until I started writing this and picked up some of the lingo. It's very possible that I'm using the term wrong, but to me, it just means that all the characters are available to be romanced by any MC.

One reason I made the ROs open to being romanced by anyone is to avoid anyone getting locked out of romancing a favorite. You don't feel like you're secretly not their type or that you're a second choice. I think it can make the romance feel more real and genuine, but that's just my personal opinion.

Another reason is because I really don't think too much about the character's sexuality outside the MC, unless it is relevant to the plot. This ties into my writing process as a whole! Under the cut is a pretty detailed analysis of how I write ROs and the MC. Shouldn't be any spoilers, but just in case.

When I come up with a character, I think of them first as a standalone character, and then as a love interest. I imagine the story that I'm telling from their perspective. That tells me their goals within the narrative and how the MC can relate and interact with them. Then I think about how they look from the MC's perspective.

When I think of their life experiences, it's in reference to how they appear in the story. To me, this helps them be more alive and fleshed out. How do they walk, talk, think, etc, and where does that come from. That's where I get some of the more detailed stuff. Laverna is pragmatic because both of her parents are. Sarai is guarded because she's learned the hard way that she has to be. Merikh loves and hates the color blue because it reminds him of home. And so on. These characters need to have things that make you want to know them better and possibly romance them, but they also need to be characters that impact the story, even if you don't romance them.

When it comes to the ROs, I also have to think about the characters falling in love with the MC. The MC has a core character. You play as a person that has felt abandoned, been both lost and found, and that has had to struggle to survive. The three things that attach the MC to the story are the mentors, the guilds, and the heavy hand of destiny. Now the challenge is, now that I've established these narrative rules, how do I make love possible. What does falling in love look like for each RO with the MC? Not just an FMC or an MMC, but also an MC with a high cruel stat or a high warmhearted stat.

All of this is to say that former lovers and experiences in sexuality don't factor heavily into how I develop my characters, at least not all of them. For example, Merikh and Sarai both have a relevant previous experience that contribute to how they respond to intimacy and relationships, so romancing them means that will have to be addressed, but a good chunk of the cast have no previous lovers, meaning their reaction to romantic interest and love will be based more on the pressures they're under and the relationships they've seen.

Hopefully the lack of detail in this area isn't too jarring, but here is my thought process and reasoning behind it!

#interactive fiction #honor amongst thieves #if wip #game development #interactive novel #worldbuilding #ros #writing #fiction writing #creative writing #thought process

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night-market-if · 1 month

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！﹒dear author, i really admire the way you do your storytelling. i’m going to be honest, at first i really didn’t like your take on interactive fiction. i finished book 01 and i was super frustrated by the ending, especially since i was a milo-mancer! i was used to reading IFs where the author’s tend to write the story to “satisfy a select group of player’s wants”, so playing the night market was completely different from the games i usually play. it wasn’t until i did a new play through with the previous perspective from the first play through in mind that i absolutely fell in LOVE with the story. it’s genuinely such a complex work. i really like how the MC is technically “the main character” (quite literally…) but you still make sure to focus on the CAST, too! thank you for responding (if you do) i hope you have an amazing day!

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i’m a newbie writer and i hope this isn’t invasive, but i would really like to know what process you went through to create “the night market” ! especially the characters and world building. how did you craft them? did it take a long time? since it’s interactive fiction, do you use a writing outline or method to help guide you through writing all the different paths?

those are all the questions i really have. you can respond with anything related to writing that you’re comfortable with sharing. i would just like to know about your writing planning in general, since i find it hard for me to really get started.

That is a really good way to put it. There are for sure stories that cater to a players wants. And I have always said that it is a valid form of storytelling and gaming. I just don't enjoy them as much so I won't enjoy writing it. Thank you so much for giving me another chance. I really appreciate it.

As for my process? I can give you my process and then firmly state that you should not use that process. LOL

I don't plan anything. I don't use any of the wonderful writing tools that are out there to keep chapters, lore, characters, world building, etc. I don't even know how things are going to end or what I'm going to write for each chapter. I am one of those writers that goes in blind and firmly believe that my characters tell the story. The only thing I can say that I do that probably helps me is write these characters a lot outside of the Night Market. I RP with them. I talk them out loud. I get to know them so well that they come to life when I'm writing and then I just let them wander.

Now that has of course bitten me in the ass before. Because I have had moments where I'll introduce something and then forget about it. Or realize much later that something should have gone in two chapters back. But, I learned a long time ago that if I storyboard anything out, I won't write it. The last two years is the most consistent writing I've ever done and I've been trying to write full blown stories for the last fifteen years of my adult life.

I don't recommend this process to people. I really really don't. But if you are someone that needs to have the story unfold for you as well, then maybe just try getting to know your characters enough. Because then you can put them in any situation and know exactly how they would respond.

#the night market #interactive fiction #twine game #twine if #writing process #i'm a chaos writer

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