Progress Report - 09/05/2022
Added 2022-09-05 14:05:03 +0000 UTCHey Supporters,
The last release was a little messy. I'm going to address that in a moment, but first I wanted to focus on the current progress report. I've finished putting together a general outline of where I want to go with this one. There are going to be some new characters in this one, so I've been putting in a lot of work making those characters and updating the current character's wardrobe. There's a lot of prep that goes into a Chapter.
We're going to focus a bit on Rose in this Chapter. I want everyone to get a feel for her personality, to showcase the dynamic between Rose and Chester, and to explore her coming to terms with one of the revelations.
We're going to start off by explaining to the Petal what's going on. While naked. In the shower.
Strap in though, because I'm going to try to finish this entire Chapter before I put it out. It could easily be February before I have it completed. With that said, there's a very good chance I'll decide to split it if I feel like it's going to take too long before a release. I'll keep you all updated, and I might even make a poll closer to the halfway point.
Speaking of polls, I probably should have asked you guys what your opinion of the revelation in the last release before I pulled the cord so quickly. There was a mystery revealed in the last release that a vocal minority exclaimed their displeasure with. The revelation would have lead into some interesting philosophical questions, stimulating conversations, and even leverage. The latter there won't make sense out of context, but it's not a spelling error.
A few people insisted that they would not be able to continue my game any longer with this specific reveal in place. That hit me very hard. I don't want you guys to like everything I write, that doesn't make for an interesting and compelling story. You're not supposed to agree with the characters all the time, you're not supposed to love every decision they make, and you're not supposed to be happy about everything that happens in the story. I want you guys to explore yourselves, philosophy, and build on or reform entirely opinions on topics you maybe haven't thought much about. I want to put ideas and situations out there for you guys to ponder on.
When Chester decides not to tell the girls about his encounter with Moon, you're not supposed to agree with his decision. But you are supposed to think about it. Why would he do that? What would compel him not to seek comfort in the solace the two people that support him the most right now? Does this speak to his character, and his flaws?
Of course I'm preaching to you all but 95% of the people that approached me asking about the change had absolutely no issue with the way it was before. I feel foolish for not letting the revelation breath a little, and for having a knee-jerk reaction to a few vocal fans. I don't want to displease anyone, but I can't please everyone.
Moving forward, I'm going to involve my Patrons more. If there's something people are complaining about and it's enough for me to consider re-working the story, I'll take a poll to see how everyone feels about it. If there's not at least 80% of people that agree that I need to change it, I'll probably leave it alone from now on.
This was a rough release. I did not expect negative reactions to this one because 50% of it was two incredibly gorgeous women escalating a sexual romance with the MC in a pool. Very few people have expressed how awesome they thought that scene was. It seems the focus was very much on what people disliked.
This is a difficult industry. I compromise my visions a lot for the sake of making erotic content, and it's taking its toll on me. There are stories I would love to tell, but can't because they wouldn't fit in this market. I certainly wouldn't mean to complain, there's a lot to love in this industry too. But at the end of the day, I want to love making something that you all love to read. If I was just writing for myself, I'd finish a story and stuff it in a drawer away from the eyes of potential critics.
Also, it's Labor Day and I had a dream that I was giving birth to a baby from my mouth. Can someone please explain to my subconscious it's not that kind of labor?
I'm always up for having a conversation on Discord, so if anyone wants to converse about anything I said, I'll be on there. Thanks for all your support.
Farewell for now.
Comments
I feel the same what the other people are saying. I personally liked the pool scene tbh. About the encounter with moon, who are we to be so negative about it. There might have been reasons why he would not say anything it that would be revealed at a later time.
2022-09-08 17:45:23 +0000 UTCYeah a poll would have been nice before altering that part of the story. The most vocal ones are often in the minority, as we can see on "social" media. I think it's an overreaction, it wasn't something out of place in the story. Sure a few would have leave but like you said you can't please everyone, maybe some other people left because of this change. And like we said in my country "one less, 10 more"
MasterSav
2022-09-06 23:45:20 +0000 UTCI played and there was nothing I had issues with. I can see some having issues, but I write it up to there own personal hang-ups. This is meant to be fantasy, not real life and you get to do things in a game that you can't do in real life. Write what you think is right and enjoy it. If you write to please the masses, you find it impossible to do.
DeadMan
2022-09-05 21:11:16 +0000 UTCI remember reading Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. Loved that series, but wasn't too thrilled about the ending, and neither were a lot of his fans. But I respected it because it was "his" ending to "his" story. And despite what everyone said, he didn't change it and I believe everyone respected it, even those that were not happy with the ending. I think all your fans will agree, no mater what, we will respect "your" vision to "your" story.
madmanskingdom72
2022-09-05 19:44:32 +0000 UTCI'm still not clear what the controversy was about, though I haven't finished the chapter either. (I have both the original and the revision, and am working my way through both in chunks.) To me any story worth reading/experiencing is going to have elements that don't necessarily align completely with your own inner viewpoint/compass/etc., and frankly if everyone wrote the same as everyone else, what would ever be the point of reading multiple people? And it sucks that the framework of this particular fandom (VN's) seems to have to lean heavily on the whole "Cater to what I want or you're not going to have enough support to keep working on this," and it's an element that has kept me from pursuing it myself. (I've had ideas for VN's, but then I think, "Is the only way to fund it to make it about sex? And in a way that 'does it' for the people who f[i/u]nd it?") Granted, with this system in place, the unspoken "agreement between author and consumer" is a little more literal than the one that exists in most fiction, in that you present a concept, some people decide on that initial presentation whether to invest their time, attention, and/or money in it, and then the creator makes good on that concept. So things out of left field have always upset audiences, typically. I played one VN that I thought I understood, only to have the rug pulled out from under me when the game said "Nope, you were wrong, this isn't that kind of story, and now everyone involved is in various states of abject misery and/or destruction, the end!" And that was shitty because there wasn't enough warning/setup for it. I don't know what the twist/reveal was in this instance that caused that reaction for people, but to me as long as it was sufficiently hinted at or the groundwork was laid for, then it shouldn't be an issue. (If it's a decision the MC makes, that's also a sticky situation because the MC often becomes the reader/player POV, so if it's something we'd never do in a million years even though the MC arguably might, that can also be a tough pill to swallow, especially if given other choices/freedom earlier on. I think the best way to tell more difficult stories is to not make it be an interactive/CYOA type story.) All that being said, I think your work is tremendous, and it would suck if a "vocal minority" as you said were to ruin your love for it or burn you out on it or whatever else. A lot of what you have put out there is leaps and bounds beyond a lot of the competition, or I wouldn't be here rambling at you about it. Which reminds me, I should shut up already. Anyway, best of luck on the next chapter, and I'll look for it early next year.
Troy B.
2022-09-05 17:45:55 +0000 UTCChibi Suzi on MC's shoulder(s?) when? 😄
BaeScout83
2022-09-05 17:45:01 +0000 UTCThat's the hard part of selling a product. Especially in today's information blast era. Don't beat yourself up too hard!
Mangetsu
2022-09-05 17:27:42 +0000 UTCI had a long discussion with someone better in tune with society, and he explained things to me about why people were disgruntled about it. I understand now, but it still sucks. I think it would have been interesting to explore the idea a little without being immediately destroyed. C'est la vie.
Lockheart
2022-09-05 16:59:10 +0000 UTCThank you, Slagrat. The threat of people dropping your story entirely due to a single decision you made in a story is a powerful thing. I also hope I have the conviction and confidence one day to let a scene breath a bit before snipping it. I should have consulted my patrons before I made the change. A hard lesson, but a necessary one.
Lockheart
2022-09-05 16:56:47 +0000 UTCActually, the inspiration was the AVN trope of magic fairies used as narrators to help the MC and drive the plot forward. A lot of VNs use a fairy as a mechanic or 'little devil on the shoulder'. Instead of a fairy, I used Suzi. And she's amazing, I adore her.
Lockheart
2022-09-05 16:54:42 +0000 UTCI gotta tell you- I really like the Suzi stuff. Not sure if you consciously were using the inspiration of the movie HER, but I think it's a hugely under rated flick that has an incredibly existential story masquerading as a chick flick. Was that a source for you?
Magic Scientist
2022-09-05 14:35:06 +0000 UTCI know how tough writing can be, and I know for my own writing I am often my own worst critic. But it is important for your own sanity to go with your heart on where your story is going. I think your new direction is a good change, but I do hope you reach a point where you can just put out the story you want to tell, erotic or not. I really enjoy your stories and characters (esp. Penny), and love your work thus far. Keep up the good work, you're awesome.
Slagrat
2022-09-05 14:32:41 +0000 UTCIt seems like there's a lot to unpack. I'd like to offer words of encouragement, but I'm not sure how or what to say. At the end of the day, all I can say is that I enjoyed the release when I played it.
Mangetsu
2022-09-05 14:32:31 +0000 UTC
