#yes they’re indistinct because I can’t really visualize things | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ghostmiracles · 6 years

Text

unlikely - jaq’s route event 1 - first draft

this is a draft of a first event for one of the routes of a visual novel that one of my girlfriends and i are working on together. this is part of the same project as the proof-of-concept i posted a couple of weeks ago. and now without further delay:

There is an ancient and quavering wall keeping us away from the places-in-between us, the places within and without us, the places where energy flows and synaptic neurons flutter and kiss.

Jaq: You're not going to find what you're looking for, Apricot.

It is because of this wall that we disapprove and overlook.

(Apricot looks confused.)

Jaq: It's not there. It's not anywhere.

This wall is interminable. This wall is insoluble.

Apricot: What happened to the food from last night? The food from when we visited dad.

The wall dances in the corners of our vision always, even at times where it feels thin.

Jaq: I don't remember this at all. Could you tell me what it looked like?

Jaq is a blur. She is always in a state of motion. She is always changing.

Apricot: The fried tofu, Jaq. The left-over fried tofu we always have after I visit my dad. We've been doing this for years, Jaq.

Apricot unfurls in her glory. Apricot is a shining thing.

Jaq: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I ate that!

Apricot's glory shatters. Apricot's emotions flow out from her, streaming around her, dancing, weeping.

Apricot: You ate it?

Jaq knows what to say, but she never says it.

Jaq: Yes.

Jaq bleeds out around herself, a wounded thing, but the wound is no more than vapors and apocynum petals. The flowers dance around her and she becomes indistinct.

Apricot: That food was supposed to last until tomorrow, Jaq.

Jaq's heart is a beacon, but Apricot is lost in the apocynum blossoms. They have taken root around her. She has become a garden. Apricot stumbles, ripping them away from her eyes, but they continue to take hold.

Jaq: I got hungry! A vampire broke in and I fought her and chased her away to protect you, and after that I was just so hungry that I didn't know what to do! I had to eat the tofu. I was famished. Bleeding. Dying. Your tofu invigorated me. Your tofu refreshed me. Your tofu was the last worthwhile thing on this blasted earth.

The apocynum flowers cling to Jaq's ankles. They obscure her vision. The apocynum flowers are a wall, a thing that doesn't follow the path sugar does in coffee.

Apricot: Why didn't anything break?

The apocynum flowers wrap themselves around Jaq's legs, entangling her. She tries to move, and stumbles, lost in herself. The wall leers above her, glaring down. She can't see it, but she knows its there.

Jaq: The vampire was careful. She was polite. Not all vampires are rude. Some of them are cleanly and orderly members of society.

Apricot: Why would an upstanding member of society break into our house?

Jaq: She got lost on the way to the gas station.

Apricot: Then why did you fight her? Why didn't you show her out carefully?

The apocynum blossoms are wrapped tightly around Jaq's arms.

Jaq: She challenged me to a duel. We were bathed in the moonlight and when our blades clashed the stars fell and our hearts sang as one.

Apricot: I could believe it if it wasn't for the “hearts singing as one” nonsense. That sort of thing doesn't happen for us. It's not the lot we get.

Apricot is a flare, a thing that burns brightly and is then consumed by darkness.

Apricot: How are we eating today?

Jaq frees herself from the apocynum blossoms for a moment. For a fleeting moment she glances through a sugar-glazed wall.

(Jaq holds out a wad of money.)

Apricot: Where did you get that?

Jaq: My side job.

Apricot: This is a stack of ones, so any side job this came from is something you probably shouldn't be doing.

Apricot shimmers and the apocynum blossoms burn. The fog bleeds through the windows and into the city.

Jaq: I stole it. Chill, babe.

(Apricot blushes.)

Apricot: I'm chill. Don't call me, babe.

Fire swims inside of Apricot. Her cheeks and stomach fill up with it, but no hunger is quenched.

Jaq: Why?

Apricot: It's... weird.

Today is not a day for mountaineering.

Jaq: What do you mean?

Jaq lives in a command center. Pushing buttons is both a job and a past-time.

Apricot: I don't know. Don't worry about it.

(They're in the street now.)

Jaq: I'm always worried about it.

Jaq is a silver-tongued devil. Jaq dances in the moonlight, but not on the head of a pin. She is messy and imprecise. She embodies all that hell has to offer. She is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Apricot: Just shut up. If you shut up we'll buy the stupid name-brand cereal even though we can't really afford it.

Some buttons are back-lit in red.

Jaq: I'll do whatever you ask of me.

Apricot: Why are you like this?

The moonlight is a cloak and a hood for Apricot. The moonlight is a place close and far. The moon shines beyond the wall, and Apricot can feel it in the depths.

(They enter the grocery store.)

Jaq: You can taste the greed in it. You can taste the exploitation. You can taste the marketing. You can taste the money lining the pockets of the businessmen. You can taste the sweat of the workers in the sweatshops.

Rabbits and tigers dance in Jaq's eyes. She is lost to the world.

Apricot: Jaq, you're fucked up.

A shining star descends upon Apricot. It's just out of reach, but standing on Jaq's shoulders she could reach it.

Apricot: I'm already in hell, aren't I?

Apricot: Although by the way Jaq describes it sometimes, hell is probably better than this shithole.

(Back to the street.)

Apricot is lost in the darkness again. Glitter and beauty rests far away. Jaq senses the depths. A creature of that place always does.

Jaq: It's really not that bad, you know.

A faint light shines from Jaq's heart. She isn't use to this. She's been learning this for years, but something about it still hasn't suffused her being.

Jaq: At least I'm not going anywhere, so you're not alone here. You might be alone somewhere else. And I made you into the shining something girl that you are now.

Apricot: You should be proud of your work there.

Jaq: I am! But that's not the point!

Jaq's light beckons, but Apricot is blind to it.

Apricot: What is the point, Jaq?

Jaq: The point is that it's not all that bad here!

Jaq's tail dances behind her. Jaq's tail confounds the world itself.

Apricot: That's not what I mean.

Jaq has seen her through frosted glass.

Jaq: I don't know what to say, in that case.

Apricot: Then don't.

Silence is its own kind of wall.

(In the apartment now.)

Jaq: Doesn't your lovely demon girlfriend make things a bit better?

The air is like soup. Hearts are like oil and vinegar.

Apricot: I don't have a demon girlfriend, Jaq.

Jaq: Yes you do! I live in your house, and you buy me things, and we cuddle at night!

Apricot: We've never once cuddled. You sleep in my shadows.

Jaq: That's even more intimate.

Jaq's words are like a glint of gold in the darkness, but Apricot is for a moment colorblind. All she sees it shadows. She sees no hearts. She doesn't see the air like soup. She turns, her hair like a waterfall.

Jaq approaches her in the darkness. Jaq wraps her arms around her. Jaq unfolds her heart into Apricot.

Jaq: I love you, Apricot.

And Apricot's heart is a thing of chains and padlocks. Apricot's heart is a thing kept in a small wooden box that's locked with a key. Jaq's light reflects from it.

Apricot: This joke isn't funny anymore, Jaq. It wasn't even funny when it started when we were kids.

Jaq too is shadows.

#script #visual novel #unlikely #emmony leath #writing #impressionism #magical realism #VN

1 note · View note

aquacure · 7 years

Note

all of them

all of the character design questions? my god thank you i owe you my life

under a cut because THIS IS A DOOZY

1. Who’s the oldest character of yours that you still use?

O’Malley, for sure. I’ve had him for many, many years. About 8 years or more, if I’m remembering correctly. He’s my favorite.

2. Who’s the oldest character of yours, defunct or not?

Athena Sakamoto. She started off as my self insert oc back in 5th grade, and I used her a lot, even after she evolved from being a self insert. She didn’t evolve that much, though…. In design, she definitely did. I lived out my hair color fantasies in her… (She started out with purple hair w/ a green streak, then black hair with a purple streak, then black hair with a brown streak. Now, it’d be back to purple, except like. a lavender purple.)

3. Has creating a character ever made you realize something about yourself?

Definitely! Plenty of times! An example I remember; with the creation of Tau (and fleshing out Athena’s character outside of being me) it made me realize I had no other Asian ocs besides them, and kind of made me more aware of white dominance in media and how it was starting to affect me.

4. Any minor characters that have either taken over or branched off into their own stories?

Ivan, for sure. I made him a while ago, but he’s got a surprisingly sad backstory, which my characters didn’t seem to really have then. Quick rundown: He used to be an assassin, he had a wife and kid, wife got painfully sick and died, daughter is now estranged, he’s now alone and too afraid to approach his child and also afraid to take someone else’s life. wah waaahh. i should mention him more.

5. Do you prefer to make human, animal, monster, or _____ characters? Why?

I like making human characters! I used to make all kinds of funky demons and angels and whatnot (i still do, but to a lesser degree), but human characters can have a really interesting depth to them, just with backstory and personality. it’s like creating someone that could be out there right now, who has their own interests and life, experiencing life. that’s kind of cool to me!

6. When creating a character, do you come up with the visual concept or the written concept first?

most of the time, it’s visual! I like to build a personality out of their design, it’s rarely the other way around unless i’m really inspired to make a certain character.

7. Do you have characters that you know you’ll never use, but can’t bear to get rid of/recycle?

Of course… Ma’atie, Isaac, Kelpie… the list can go on and on

8. Is there a character that embodies your good traits, or traits you wish you had?

Athena, Tau, Nel. They’re all absurdly confident, Tau and Nel are fashionable, fat (nel moreso than tau), and love to smile. they’re free of insecurities about their physical appearance and just do whatever is comfortable or makes them feel pretty.

9. Is there a character that embodies your bad traits? Several characters? Which ones and what traits?

You have noooo idea. Teddy has my bpd, Craig has my anxiety, O’Malley has my old anger issues, yadda yadda… Though my anger does flare up again on rare occasions, but almost never outloud.

10. Is there a character that explores your interests or fetishes (orrrr is that just all of you characters)?

Interests? Yeah, all of my characters embody my interests! Ma’atie is Egyptian Religion, O’Malley is History and English, Tau is fashion, etc.

11. If you have characters that embody certain traits of yours—good or bad—has writing them changed how you view those traits? Has it affected you in any way?

Ok, spotlight time. Nel was deliberately made to make myself feel better about myself; she was made with large, flabby arms, a belly that sticks out, hairy legs, cellulite, a bunch of stuff I was so insecure about. But I’ve never drawn her upset at herself for being this way. I’ve always drawn her loving herself being who she is, embracing it, not caring about how she could be perceived. She just loved herself.

12. Do you fantasize about being any of your characters, or are you more detached?

ye…. i wish i were tau, man, being in fashion sounds like so much fun. also being o’malley minus his booze problem and having two cats and one dog? and also being surrounded by children who love u, even if they’re like, really rebellious and weird? nice.

13. Do you create playlists for your characters?

YEEEE i made one for o’malley on 8tracks before it went to shite, if you’re willing to go there, here’s the link (btw if there’s a playlist maker/creator that’s like 8tracks that isn’t playmoss or spotify, hmu. making playlists is my goddamn jam)

14. When writing for specific characters, is there anything you have to do to get into the right mindset?

Music for the mood helps a lot, and writing down or drawing how they’d express themselves in different situations is a good way to go.

15. Which character is your guilty pleasure?

what do you mean…. guilty pleasure……. *sweats….* it’s anyone in glasses and every tall character that’s a sweetheart. which is most of them.

…the main guilty pleasure is o’malley for sure tho

16. Is there a character of yours who’s a real struggle to write/draw? Why do you think that is?

it’s hard to draw Kara and Ivan, because I draw them differently every single time. Ivan, I understand, because I don’t draw him nearly as often as I want to, and he’s got a more vague/indistinct design bc i haven’t fixed him up, but Kara? I know what to draw, but doing it makes something different all the time… siiigh

17. Which character is the easiest to draw/write?

O’Malley for both, because I just know him that well. Teddy with writing because he’s chaotic and selfish, pretty much. Tau is both bc he’s the nonbinary aunt i’ve always wanted to be. also i love his design. very cool.

18. Is there anything you really wish you could do, character-design-wise, that you feel is outside your current skillset? A concept that you wish you could pull off but are uncertain about?

i want to make more unearthly and horror-esque monsters that are symbolic, like Silent Hill monsters, but i’m.... no good at making monsters. I want to. but i’m not that cool or good at art yet. (also monster angels. i want to make monsterous angels)

19. What’s more important to you: visual design, unique personality, a trendy character aesthetic, etc? If you’re not sure, then what’s the first thing you usually nail down in a character?

i like a unique personality, then the unique aesthetic of that character. you can make a visually stunning character and have them be the most uninteresting and bland pile of crap that ever did walk by. so, that being said, a character built on nothing but tropes is generally a no go for me. give me reasons, give me something new, give me spins! i want something different!!

20. Do you ever plan to do anything (comic, animation, etc) with your characters? Or are you just happy to have them?

yes to both. some characters are definitely just there for me to love, like Nel, but people like O’Malley, Teddy, Kara, Craig, Tau... Those guys have a story ahead of them. Will it be in comic form or in a novel...? Who knows! Whichever one I like better in the end! But I need a while longer to establish who they are, their stories, and the conflict that’ll bring them together... or apart? whichever happens to happen.

#no face #Mail 2 U #LONG POST #BUT THIS WAS REALLY FUN TO DO!!#i love creating characters so much so this was an absolute dream to answer #thank you so so so much!!!!! many hugs and kisses for u anon!!!!!#oc talk #fav

0 notes