sailingshellsgames

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

I was pretty busy this weekend! Both with life and writing lol, and I'm very happy with how much I got done on both ends of things. This time around I bounced around between chapters filling things in and making some changes, and had another look at chapters 10-11 to decide whether I like the way they're looking in their first-draft stages.

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"Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Do you have a better idea?" I ask, lifting my hands with the question.

"No, but I'd feel a hell of a lot better if we had an exit plan."

#writing update #tiny preview

[sailingshellsgames]

Moody ink doesn't work, I can't play the demo 😩😩😩😩😩

Omg! I forgot to update the demo when Moody ink changed over to CoGDemos ink, I'm so sorry about that! I'll get it sorted out this week and update here ❤️ Thanks for pointing this out, anon!

#ask

[sailingshellsgames]

A second from the real world

I spent some time with a friend in the woods recently. To paint the scene: We're by a creek, she's watching the water and I'm lying under a tree staring up at the branches. We've been listening peacefully to old goth music without talking for about 20 minutes.

My friend, suddenly: "Are you still working on that game?"

Me, laughing at how after 2.5 years, there's probably people on the forum wondering the same thing: "Yeah."

Friend: "How long is it now?"

Me: "I don't know. I stopped counting after 300,000 words."

Friend: "Holy shit."

😂 Sometimes I forget how much I've done.

#this is #to say #things are progressing well #leas: city of the sun #misc

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

Something clicked, and I am really hoping it stays that way, lol! I spent all weekend getting chapter 9's polished, which included:

A ton of rearranging orders of things

Adding in new choices to replace things I cut out + tweaking some existing moments

Adding in the "modules" - aka letting MC choose what order to do some things in, and adding transitions based on the order chosen. I really like this change. It's less linear, plays better, allows a little more player agency, and is actually way easier for me to edit and keep straight in my head.

Streamlining my game files to a way better format for this chapter

So. much. playtesting.

Here's this week's preview :)

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"Kind of wish I'd been invited to that party," I chuckle. "The sight of a big Fey like that, going down..." It's the stuff of legends, to say nothing of how many lives it must've saved.

#leas: city of the sun #writing update #tiny preview

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

I feel like I finally hit my stride again this week - and gosh, it's such a relief lol. I made a good dent in the second half of chapter 9's... 4th... rewrite? Idk, I've lost count on this demon chapter. Point is, we're making headway. I went through and played the alpha again with fresh eyes to start with, and it was really helpful. I noticed some things that needed improving and some things I liked, and I think I'm well on the way to meeting my self-imposed deadlines around it. I'm really trying to hustle to catch up where I fell behind last month, and I think it's paying off!

Here's this week's preview ~

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I don't know if warning {herHimThem} would make it any better. Is there any way to prepare for that kind of shock? But I'm not going to let {herHimThem} walk into that chamber without an idea of what lies within.

"Keo, wait a minute..."

#leas: city of the sun #tiny preview #writing update

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

This was a very eclectic round of writing. I hopped to the epilogue chapter and coded out a few possible endings and wrote some of the RO-based conversations, including fleshing out one I'd already begun. Then it was time to spend some more energy on chapter 9, which I've come to accept as "this is my life now." 😂

Here's this week's preview :)

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"I knew it was temporary," {rin_heSheThey} say{s_r} as {rin_heSheThey} look{s_r} out at the city, absentmindedly chewing on the last piece of the kebab. "Maybe it was for the best. It was almost starting to feel different, being with you."

#leas: city of the sun #writing update #tiny preview

[sailingshellsgames]

A question for you 🌱

When I was growing up reading fey-themed stories, I preferred the spelling "fae" - but fantasy books at the time tended to use "fey." But I've noticed a lot of people using the spelling "fae" recently, to my surprise. Do you all prefer one spelling or the other?

#leas: city of the sun #poll

[sailingshellsgames]

How many chapters are up at the current demo and how many chapters are you planning for the full story? :) Can't wait for the full release!

Hi, Anon!

The public demo has 7 chapters, and the alpha on my patreon/ko-fi is halfway through chapter 9. The game will have 13 chapters total (for anyone confused by that: I've split chapter 12 into two for narrative purposes). I can't wait, too! :)

Thanks for your ask!

#leas: city of the sun #ask

[sailingshellsgames]

hiii!!! this if is like. SO GOOD. it hurt me so bad when i reached the end of the current demo i am so so SO excited for more!! and i am so so deeply in love with Keo their scenes are so gentle and sweet!!

gonna mention some little spoilers(? i think) below because i need to talk abt how much i love this so badly lol

this is one of my favorite of these games that i've read 100%!! the way you describe everything in the wilds feels so magical and i can imagine it all so vividly!! it was so fun to read through and meeting the guide was so so fun and interesting and i am so curious about the person in "the circle" (is that what it was called? i apologize i have horrible memory 😭 the like illusion field with the person in the middle!!)

oh and the kiss you can have with Keo during the festival was so!!! the sweet dancing and the way she reacts is so 😭 JUST SO GOOD!!! im a sucker for a romantic dance ok MY HEARTBREAK WAS AUDIBLE!!! when they pulled away like. NOOO kiss for longer!!! i've been WAITING!!! im kidding though... not an actual complaint i adore this if so much!!

also want to thank you for the abundance of hand holding/hand touching(?) opportunities (at least with Keo) i am the biggest hand holding(hand touching??) fan there is i will hold Keo's hand so hard it's crazy i love them

so excited to learn more about the fey and the wilds in the future its all so interesting i am so intrigued!! and the magic at the festival?!?! I AM SO CURIOUS WHATS GOING ON!!!

sorry if this is long or anything! or confusing... this is literally just thought vomit because i needed to pour my love for this game into an ask ok I LOVE IT!! very excited for more to release in the future!!💕

🥹

^my entire reaction to this ask. Ty so much omg T_T I'm blown away to hear you've liked the descriptions. A lot of them I view as "okay, lots of people probably skip these bc they're descriptions, not dialogue, but it's such a treat for me to write so I'm still going to include them." So when people say they actually read/enjoy them it just makes my whole day! And I'm thrilled you're enjoying Keo - I love them too ^_^

I've gotten a few mentions of people being curious about the Fey character you mentioned, so I'll mention I'm working on a chapter of the Fey minigame that shows her backstory, and how she ended up in the realm we find her in. If you're interested + looking for more Leas content, you can play an unrelated chapter of that game here :)

Not gonna lie, I've had a horrendous couple weeks with my health and it was a struggle to even log in today to check my socials. I'm so glad I did. This really gave me motivation to keep writing and cheered me up immensely. Thank you so much for your kind words, Anon! 🧡🧡🧡

(also, you did remember circle-realm correctly - I'm impressed!)

#leas: city of the sun #ask #fey minigame

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

I feel like I'm cleaning out a basement with chapter 9 xD

I continue to be so glad I have something to keep me on-schedule again. It's wild how much having an external deadline helps my process. At the moment it's forcing me to look at things realistically, and unapologetically toss things into the "keep," "keep with revisions," and "cut" piles.

I'm gonna climb this mountain if it's the last thing I do! Here's this week's preview ~

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"What, because he's so talented?" {wren_heSheThey} smile{s}. "So intelligent? So brave? Or do you think, just maybe, it's that he's well-connected."

"You think that's it?"

"People like him always claim their power comes from merit. It never does."

#leas: city of the sun #writing update #tiny preview

[sailingshellsgames]

Just binged the demo and I’m in love with Rin. That’s all.

Hi rihannon14,

Aah I'm so happy to hear it! Thank you so much for the kind words :D

#leas: city of the sun #ask

[sailingshellsgames]

Welcome to the weekend!

Still under the weather but on the mend and hoping to get a little work done this weekend! I'm so proud of the fact that I somehow managed to update the alpha amidst all this T_T

I'm not sure yet what I'll be working on... I've got to have a look at things and decide where to spend my time most effectively. I'll keep you posted :) I've got a goal in mind but I need to check some things to see if it's realistic.

I hope everyone had a great week <3

#leas: city of the sun #welcome to the weekend

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

I made it through the weekend and have something to show for it, to boot. Chapter 9's getting in better shape by the day as I prep it for the alpha update, and I'm starting to feel like someday I might finally be done with it 😆

I'm going to end it there and get some sleep since I'm still sick, so here's this week's preview:

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I don't know if it's the break we've been given or the unspoken anticipation of tomorrow's danger, but it feels good to be held, even if it's just for a moment.

We trade stories of different constellations, and I find many of Dalusin's legends match Leas' own, as if the same stories were told from different perspectives.

#leas: city of the sun #writing update #tiny preview

[sailingshellsgames]

Welcome to the weekend!

I'm so sick 😭 Will be writing a little and posting an update, but nothing beyond that this weekend. I hope your weekend is lovely❣️ (or at least better than mine lol)

Edit: I just realized today's Thursday not Friday, which should give you an indication of how well I'm feeling 😅 What's above is still true though so I'll see you on Sunday with a little update.

#welcome to the weekend

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

This weekend went pretty well! I got a decent chunk of rework done on Chapter 9, and I have a first draft of the world map. Or I guess technically the continent map, since that's the "known world." I also spent some time on a side story, and then swung back around to do some editing on the rewords I did earlier in the weekend.

I hope everyone had a great weekend ❣️ Here's this week's preview:

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I move forward under the blazing sun, picking my way east through the brush. Unlike Leas' gardens behind the walls, there are no human-friendly paths so I follow what the animals have carved out of the landscape.

#leas: city of the sun #writing update

[sailingshellsgames]

Welcome to the Weekend!

I've officially bought some mapmaking software! I'm stoked to use it, and so grateful to the people whose donations allowed me to make this investment in the game 🧡🧡

I'm going to be messing around with the new tool a lot this weekend, but on the writing side of things I'm back to wrangling chapter 9 again. It's a little frustrating to keep coming back to it like this, but I'm determined to get it up to the same standard I hold myself to for other chapters. I'd much rather pull my hair out one more time than get to the finish line and regret not improving it.

And with that, I'm off ~

#leas: city of the sun #welcome to the weekend

[sailingshellsgames]

Writing Update

Surprisingly, I spent more time in chapters 8 and 9 than 12 this weekend. I kept finding myself thinking about what needs editing + small scenes I need to add or rearrange, and eventually I just decided to go with it. May hay while the sun shines, and all that :) I made some good progress!

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"Agent."

Oh, come on, I groan internally. I was so close! I turn to face the summons, and see [redacted name] standing with a man who's holding a tray piled high with food and drink.

#leas: city of the sun #writing update #tiny preview