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| A very little bit of good news! Though I still don't have anything for next week (meaning the hiatus remains),. I started writing up the next chapter for the branch ending with "Like Returning Clothes to their Place"  . Next week should be a bit easier on interruptions, but can't really promise anything. Remember that if you click the heart icon (in case you haven't already) and become a "Fan", you'll get these and other notifications in your Personal Newsfeed, letting you get all updates. |
| Once again, I have to apologize for bearing bad news, but I'll have to extend the hiatus on "Skins" chapters for at least one more week. This one had an unexpected situation that consumed most of my available writing time, which has been sadly limited because of power issues. Though I could declare an extended hiatus, I honestly want to attempt and restart posting as soon as possible, as I got a plan on hand. Thus, I'll settle for weekly updates rather than leave you guys (and gals, and pals) on the dark. If I need an extra week but have written something, I'll simply post how many chapters I've completed until I fulfill that plan. Again, sorry for the inconvenience, but my writing time is effectively halved and that doesn't help, especially when I'm requested during that time. |
| So I mentioned I'd take a break this week, and it was (unexpectedly) the best decision I could've made. But, it also brings some bad news. I'll have to extend that break for at least one more week, because of causes beyond my control (which I'm trying to solve currently). I do have something I could post for at least one week, but I want to have at least a two-week buffer before I return with daily posts. My plan is to have a full set of chapters starting from "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" and "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" , or at least advance them enough in case I can't do anything in one or two days, before choosing to post daily again. Whether that'll happen this coming week or not depends on how things work out. I also plan to touch another branch in the interactive - an "Author's Choice", perhaps - but perhaps not now. In any case, see you next week. (And apologies for the radio silence up until now.) |
| With "Losing Yourself to the Beat" , I pause this commission for a while. Compared to the previous one (which started with "The (Non-)Experience of a Lifetime" and stopped at "In Bed with a Little Stranger" ), this one was a bit more complex. The prompt was, "to see David putting on a hot girl around her age and just spend time as her", preferably with a friend. This was refined a bit more, to accommodate for the commissioning client's desires (always aim to satisfy them!), which led to this seven-branch chapter. As you can see, it's very different because it's not aiming for spy missions, or malicious identity theft, or situations where David's being forced by others to use the pens. (Technically, since Jimmy had the idea, but David agrees with the idea in the first place.) And also because it's more closer to their age, the same way "Cupids in Disguise" has David immerse a bit into out-of-school life, leading to "The Big Scoop" . This is also a huge opportunity to build up Edgefield High, and I'm very thankful to the client for some background assistance about it. There's a new school group (the Edgefield Musical Experience, aka the "glee" club) and some more students, as well as some people from St. Lenore, the preppy school for rich people. And, even if it's not seen, there's a behind-the-scenes development of the cheerleader squad which you may see in a distant future. Perhaps out of all the stories I've developed, this one feels more like a slice-of-life than the others. (Barring "A Day in the Life of Claudia Nicholls" , which was intentionally devised as one, but it quickly deviates into something else.) Or, to be precise, this one feels like the kind of stories you'd expect from another very popular Interactive in this very place: "The Book of Masks" . As a collaborator there, you may feel some of the vibes of just experimenting with the tools at their disposal and just play with them - there's no difference between David and Jimmy using the pens to put on Samantha and Lauren and Will and Caleb making masks of, say, Kelsey and Amanda and just living the high life while fooling their friends. And there are a lot of options for new stories, just like rugal b.  does. Speaking of him - in case you don't know, he's released a new Interactive based on another of Seuzz 's stories:
Go ahead, give it a good look and support him! As for me? I'll probably take a break this week. Will tell more during the week, depending on what I decide. |
| Results for the surveys are in! For "Skins - The Big Scoop" , I only got one answer, that one being "Snatching the (Fake) Informant" . I would've preferred more answers, but this one's good enough to start the next batch, since I can always continue with the revelation that Claire has a crush on Mikey. That said, I might plan to revisit this branch on an earlier point, maybe by having David call Ashley immediately, or maybe nip Claire's crazy plan in the bud by getting Lindsey's story. Of course, that'll be a future consideration. As for "Skins - Reader's Choice" , I got a couple answers, which I'll have to refine. One of them I can mention without issues - "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" , but there are a couple others I might need to ask about. It's the reason why I didn't allow anonymous responses, as I might need to ask a few questions. However, I did get a request for an entirely new storyline, and if it works it might add to the list of stories! Also a reminder that this week has a commission running through. More details tomorrow, but if you've been following it, it's somewhere between creepy and wholesome. It's also an interesting little change from most of the stories I've been working at. |
| A reminder that there are two surveys running until tomorrow: "Skins - The Big Scoop" and "Skins - Reader's Choice" . The second one even lets you choose a specific story to advance! Also a reminder that the current "Skins" story is based on a commission. |
| As promised, the survey asking for the next step to follow in "Skins" has been closed. Participation was small, but I still got something from it. In fact, it will spawn two more surveys. The first, "Skins - The Big Scoop" , will let you choose a direction for this branch of the story, which has already created a few deviations of its own. Will you be interested in seeing what happens after Claire puts on Kelly? Or what happens after David and Jessica meet Allison and Ashton for real? Or do you want something else, something new and exciting? The second, "Skins - Reader's Choice" , will let you offer ideas for which stories you want to see developed. There will be a further survey to refine those options, but this is your opportunity to very directly shape* which course the story will take! Both surveys will last until this Saturday, May 17th, so don't miss your chance to make your voice heard! Also, the commissioned story continues with "Reaching for the Star(let)" . What will happen now that Jimmy is impersonating Samantha Reynolds? Will David succumb to the lure of becoming a girl? Or will he resist? (...Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he will! The question is, who?) Remember that if you like the contents and want to know more, as well as to be informed of further surveys, make sure you click the Heart icon to become a Fan! *: Some restrictions may apply. More details on the survey form. |
| Excuses for the tardiness on today's chapter, but I had an important appointment today. As for the survey ("Skins - Next Branch" ), I'll extend it for another day. |
| Reminder that the "Skins - Next Branch" survey is up until tomorrow. Your decisions will help a lot in deciding how chapters will be posted. Also, remember that this week will run a series of chapters related to another commission. You'll notice a lot of options in these chapters, meaning they can divert into many, many new stories. You'll also notice it's a story with Jimmy tagging along. Will it have a lot of hijinks? That's for you guys to learn in due time. |
| As promised, the survey for the next batch of chapters is up: "Skins - Next Branch" . You'll notice that most of the choices don't link to the end of established storylines, but at previous decision points. This is deliberate, in case you want to see a few deviations. (The one exception is "Into a Sister, Onto a Problem" , as that one still hasn't grown enough compared to the others.) I'll leave it up until Wednesday, meaning you have plenty of time to have your voice heard. Also, a reminder that today's chapter - "Of Unexpected Test Runs and Plans" - is part of a commission. This one, unlike the previous one, will run through all the week, as it's a 7-chapter commission. |
| With "Payback (Your Dues)" , the current branch comes to a pause with a very satisfactory conclusion to the arc. To my surprise, when I wrote "A(nother) Betrayal in Multiple Layers" , I felt the urge to keep writing what was happening, and while I satisfied some of that urge by writing the next one in sequence ("...Than the Benefactor you Don't" ), I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it in my mind, and as soon as I had the chance, I rushed through it. Thus, I had these chapters ready two months ago, ready to be deployed. Then I did the survey and... well, let's just say you were more interested in other stuff. You can see why I was so interested. David was at a huge decision point, knowing something terrible would happen if he didn't act, but given a chance to return to "normal" and forget about everything. He felt the sting of betrayal hard, and now it was escalating. So, when the Organization made their move, I knew what David would choose. From there, it was just setting him to work with them, ready to take down his former companion and the newest threat. Except, from the very beginning, I had Epsilon (aka, Silva) play a dangerous game. It's very rare to show how a deuteragonist progresses from the POV of the protagonist, but they showed just how resourceful they could be. David's deductions about Epsilon setting him, of all people, to follow the protocol for their elimination proved a dangerous gamble, but one that paid off big in the end. It shows that Epsilon is a devious manipulator, but at the same time driven by goals that at times align to the Organization and at times don't. This also brings another pen to the mix - the same pen Jessica uses in "A second chance" to protect herself, one modified by a future timeline Jessica. In that story, alternate universes are introduced, but in my stories, this isn't the case. (Or is it?) I figured that the Organization would have a way to protect themselves from being turned into skins, but it begs the question as to why this isn't standard fare for all agents. What is that reason? And what will happen to David after capturing Sigma? That'll have to be for much later, as tomorrow I'm going with a much lighter story, part of a commission I worked. I'll be posting another survey later on to see which stories you want to see developed earlier, so keep an eye on that. (And if you truly want to be informed about everything, make sure you click the Heart button and become a Fan!) |
| If you're following my newsfeeds, it may seem odd to you that today "Skins" has two chapters for you. Well, one of them isn't - it's designed to be a hub for other stories, ones where David isn't the protagonist, but the pens still exist. You may see some activity in this portion of the Interactive in a future (though I can't say if it's distant or not. In any case, the hub is here: "A(nother) Hub of Possibilities" . The note should be pretty clear, but the idea is to have this as a source of different stories, since many of the "free options" were already taken but never pursued any further. Just remember that the fifth option should be reserved for another hub, so that there are always stories for everyone. Also: hope you're enjoying the current branch. It'll get to a very interesting twist soon enough. I promise. |
| With "Caught Between Layers" , I stop this branch for the moment. And I'll admit, the fallout of Marie's decision to completely become Ashley dragged quite a bit. For starters, Barbara and Cassandra were never introduced outside from their appearances while being worn, so this was an opportunity to observe them. As it turns out, just as Ashley can be a bit bossy, Barbara has a strong personality. (Guess they inherited some qualities from Marvin after all...) Meanwhile, Cassandra is very passive, pretty much a shrinking violet - a great contrast to how Quentin plays her, to the point it's reasonable to think he's probably bluffing in those chapters that showcase his version of Cassie. However, I felt Cassandra didn't have a chapter of her own, which is why I also worked on "Telling the Truth to Cassandra" . This bonus chapter puts her under stress, potentially shaping things away from David's careful plan to help the sisters. Will things differ from the "main" continuity by telling Cassandra the truth? However, while it could've been easy just to show Barbara and Cassandra for a while and move to the plan, there was something that needed to be worked. As you may recall, Tina had a pretty rough confrontation with her mother, and suspecting her intentions, she made an interesting power play in moving away from home. That delayed David's plan, causing some interesting distractions that can stray the story forward. And then... there's Claire. There's annoying sisters and then there's chaotic characters. While Tina and Paul were judging Marie for her decision, Claire was the first to support her. Then, she chooses to stay with Marie and David, driven by a dangerous combination of curiosity and... what can I say? Lust? Desire? Needless to say, her joining the plan undoubtedly disrupted it, as while David's trying to be serious, Claire's thinking of every possibility she can think of with the pens. (Can you blame David for thinking someone had replaced Claire?) Anyways - next week will have a return to David's collaboration with Adrienne and the Organization - or rather, reeling from her betrayal. How will he deal with this change of plans? Then, I'll post the second collab, which should be a refreshing change from these lore-heavy stories. And then? During this week, I'll be working with some collabs, but I'll leave a poll so that you can choose which story to advance. Hopefully that'll lead to two more months of action, but stay tuned in case there may be a change of plans. |
| With "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" , I stop this branch for the moment. And again, I apologize if it goes TOO dark. This might be exciting for some and uncomfortable for others, because it (finally) introduces the purple pen into the stories. And as you can see, it's as horrible as it shows. The plans for it, rather than make it a perfect mindbending tool, are to make it an incisive suggestion. If you've played Dungeons & Dragons, you may be aware of the Suggestion spell, which has hard-coded limitations on word length and actions allowed. Applying these to the pen makes it an effective tool without being overpowered. (And also a terrifying prospect, as it shows the depths of David's corruption.) Unlike in other branches, I felt the pace was brisk, rather than slow or too fast. There's always something going on - choosing whether to wear Katie or his replacement, whether to bring Katie over after learning about her crush on him, how to deal with Jessica - even if it's a couple of days. The few choices could easily distort the story into other paths, which is why I feel so comfortable about it. One of the things about each story is how, as one thing is introduced, it essentially unlocks something in the others. At first, it was just the black and brown pens. Then, with the Wrights, more of Tyneside was unlocked. That led to the Organization and the other pens, and little by little, they've manifested, making their appearances. And events in one story keep bubbling in the other. I know most people might not like this, but this makes the whole story more believable. By referencing events happening in other chapters, it feels like what happens in one branch is an alternate view of what happens in the other. It's the little changes that make each branch feel like part of a whole, yet also their own. I'm currently working on Monday's branch, but I'm still undecided whether I should instead post the second commission. I'm also undecided on whether I should take a small break (complete with poll) afterwards or just decide which story to follow through. If I go for a poll, rest assured it'll be a bit more curated, without the commissions as options. (You're free to give your opinion on whether they're good or not.) That said, there should be enough stories for three more weeks, and once I handle one of these, I'll have some free time to work on advancing all others (including commissions!) |
| Doing a couple things during the day, so I decided to post "A Turn in/to/wards Katie" an hour earlier. Hope you enjoy! |
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