Official Blog for AMYGDALA game

A COG interactive novel series  (bg from UNC Chapel Hill)

[amygdalagame]

hiatus announcement

Phew hi everyone! I doubt anyone’s going to be surprised by this, but I’m putting amygdala on an indefinite hiatus. I wrote up a big multi-paragraph thing chronicling my journey and basically justifying this hiatus, but it all felt a bit too superfluous and self-aggrandizing to me so... take two.

2020 has been a rough year for everyone. But for me, it’s also been a year of wake-up calls. I won’t go into that too much except to say that, as far as amygdala is concerned, it really re-hammered home for me how intrinsically linked the “cautionary sci-fi” tale and real life are. I set this story in the future when, in reality, all the worst-case scenario things i was writing about are already here. And seeing that play out in real time has changed how this story feels to me.

It’s kind of hard to describe why the artificial disconnect switched off (or even existed in the first place), but as someone who writes mainly as a hobby in their free time, it feels bizarre and in poor-taste to continue writing this in its current setting (to me--this isn’t an indictment of anyone else writing a story with similar themes). It has gone from feeling like a fun story that i could write to decompress to this heavy, grandiose statement on society today and... that’s not what i set out to do. I don’t think I have the ability or skill to do that sort of story justice, let alone the justification.

So I need to pump the breaks on this amygdala for the indefinite future. I need to do some soul searching and figure out whether I even can continue, and if so, what that continuation looks like. I’m sure this is upsetting to a lot of people and I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for supporting me and sticking with this story for so so long. It was my baby for a long time (still is) and getting so much positive feedback from so many people has been super encouraging and humbling. And I’m sorry I can’t give a timeline or definitive answer regarding when and if this will continue.

As some of you may know, I do have another game that I’m working on @divineinterventiongame. It’s a very different story and I know that means not everyone will be interested, so no worries if it’s just not your cup of tea, but if you want to continue following me and like my writing, please feel free to jump over there and check that game out (if you’re not already).

Thank you all again, and hope you’re all taking care of yourselves and loved ones.

[amygdalagame]

Reviving this blog in light of the dashingdon going down to announce that

Ive downloaded the files! I'm still deciding how best to host them but if you're interested in maintaining access to this old story dw; not all is lost!

I've actually revived this story (secretly)--i'm not ready to share anything yet but at such a time as the progress i make no longer aligns w/ the old drafts and/or i make a decision about sharing the new continuation again, i might remove the old drafts again.

thanks to all who sent messages to me reminding me to save the files!!

[amygdalagame]

hit in the major feelies seeing someone asking about amygdala all these years later on the interact-if blog hsabdhasdh but yeah still indefinite hiatus/cancelled/etc. project :((

[amygdalagame]

I'll miss the story (and Greer) a lot, but no pressure to continue! Hopefully you can find joy in it again, but if not, I wish you the best on your continuing ventures!

thank you!! i’ve been playing with the idea of drabbling cute dates with the ROs when the mood strikes, so if I ever write anything worth posting I’ll post it here :))

[amygdalagame]

Heya, just read your hiatus post, and just wanted to say as a fellow writer I totally get where you're coming from. I was writing a project at the start of 2020 too- a horror story about a small rural community that gets hit with a magically caused disease. I stopped writing it in March, and put the entire thing out of my mind forever when my grandma died in August. So, yeah, I totally get where you're coming from, and hope you can find comfort in new writing projects.

Very sorry to hear about your grandmother anon :((

 but thank you I hope you can too, and thank you for the kind message!!

[amygdalagame]

aww no pressure but i just hope you'll find joy in amygdala again some day <3 there's something about the premise and your characters and your writing that just endeared me to it greatly... it's one of those projects that i start thinking about from time to time and go back to the demo to experience it again

I’m a bit late answering this but thank you for the sweet message!! I’ll be leaving the demo and such up so if you ever feel like revisiting it you’ll be able to :))

[amygdalagame]

Omg so I played your demo like a year ago and could never find it again until today and let me just say that finding and replaying it gave me so much joy. I legit gasped when I finally found your blog again cause Amygdala has been one of my favorite COGs 💕💕💕

omg thank you so much that means a lot to me!! especially because lately i’ve been feeling lots of very mixed emotions about amygdala... this made me kind of perk up and remember some of the joy it used to bring me before 2020

i’m glad you rediscovered it and continue to enjoy it!! <3333

[amygdalagame]

Darwin... Sir, spare hand in marriage? 😭🤲 I love him sm 😭😭😭

hahah i’m glad!! i’ve had that scene written out for months, i’m glad i finally got to share part of it <3

[amygdalagame]

WIP meme

Tagged by @eight-years-revolution, thank you! not gonna tag anyone specifically but if you’d like to do it, feel free to tag me 

first “flirt” scene(s) with Darwin, edited to not include choices. under the read-more in case you don’t want to be spoiled:

When I get out of the building, there's a sleek gray car idling on the street. The engine purrs quietly under the hood—not a hybrid, then. The window, which is tinted enough that I can't see across to the driver side, rolls down quietly.

"You coming?" Familiar waves of dark brown hair against pale skin greet me as the driver leans down to watch me.

Ah. It [i]is[/i] Darwin's car, then. My feet carry me the rest of the way, and my hand closes around the handle of the door. Clicks open easily. "Nice ride. Thank you for picking me up, by the way."

He flashes me a smile. "You'll pay me back, I'm sure."

"My company isn't payment enough?"

He purses his lips. It's a shame the sunglasses are shielding his face; he's always easier to read when I can see his eyes clearly. "Depends," he says, "Are you gonna actually be good company, or are you planning on staring out the window the whole time?"

“I'll make an effort."

He snorts and shifts the car out of park, pulling smoothly into traffic.

As he focuses on changing lanes and getting out of the city, I look over at him. It's been a while since we last saw each other—over a month now—but he looks good. A bit dressed up, if anything: dark turtleneck with sleeves pushed up his arms, pressed blue slacks, dress shoes….

"Am I underdressed for this," I ask. He'd said it was a get-together, but the way he's dressed it almost looks like he's headed to a party.

He looks at me briefly, taking his eyes off the road for a moment before looking back again. "No, why would you be? We're just hanging out."

"Well, I mean… you look like you're, you know. Going somewhere."

"That your way of saying I look good?"

I roll my eyes. "No one accessorizes the way you have if they're not trying to look good," I say, looking pointedly at the classic watch on his wrist and the golden ring resting on his pinky finger.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming back from meeting someone, didn't want to change. It's just a chill get together for chill friends. You don't need to worry about how you're dressed."

"Mm."

"Besides, I [i]was[/i] quite looking forward to being the sexiest person there today. So it's a good thing you didn't dress up."

"Right. Of course."

"You don't believe me? I'm offended."

I pat his arm. "So long as you believe it yourself, that's really what matters."

He shoots me a wounded look, all smiles. "Ouch. Leave you alone for a few months and suddenly you've grown claws."

"Mm-hmm. You'd better watch out."

He salutes before placing his hands back on the steering wheel.

[amygdalagame]

13 and 16 for Cain and Taddy Bear? 👁👁

13: their embarrassing memory from years ago

Tad tries not to really let embarrassing memories get to him, but the most recent one is probably when he had to be taken to the emergency clinic for hammering (and breaking) his finger.

Cain’s most embarrassing memories typically involve his disabilities--he still hasn’t fully come to terms with them and can feel a bit ashamed when he needs to get special treatment from services and such. 

16: their dreams

Tad dreams a lot about people, both when he’s having nightmares and when he’s not. His dreams are often pretty realistic too, so he frequently gets a sense of deja vu when he talks with people.

Cain’s dreams are, by and large, not pleasant. He doesn’t like having them.

[amygdalagame]

If you’re still doing them could you do 1, 15, and 20 for Greer?

1: their voice

Deep (firmly in the contralto/tenor range, if they were to sing) and a touch rough around the edges. They’re pretty soft-spoken and don’t really alter their tone/timber very much. A real “droner”.

5: their shortcomings

They’re really not willing to be vulnerable with people (at least not in the ways that matter for longer-term, deeper relationships). They’re also quite introverted, which means they don’t have many friends or acquaintances. While this doesn’t exactly bother them, they’d probably be happier in the long run if they learned to open up a bit more.

20: their reaction to a mystery love letter

They’re intrigued, to say the least. Flattered and interested, but something overly mushy or intense would probably turn them off a little bit. They’d prefer something lighthearted. Not one to find regency-era sentiment romantic.

[amygdalagame]

Usually Amy is the type of girl I go for, but I'm feeling such an odd draw to Maria. How did you do this? HOW!?

heeheehee

that’s why i include lots of save files ;)

[amygdalagame]

4 and 9 for Greer, please? :)

4: their insecurities

It’s buried really deep, as they don’t like feeling vulnerable, but ultimately their biggest insecurity is in regards to acceptance. They’re true to themselves--uncompromisingly so--but they still have plenty of fears in regards to putting themselves out their for others.

9: their theme

Greer’s theme is “the free spirit”. They do what they want when they want, have a touch of a nihilistic streak, and are wary of people who would try to change that.

[amygdalagame]

4 and 5 for Maria? You write beautifully 😍❤️

aw thank you!! 

4: their insecurities

She often worries about being able to take care of the people in her life (and I think that’s all I can say without spoiling her story). She worries about whether her best is really good enough.

5: their shortcomings

She can be overly independent and a touch insensitive at times. She’s also a bit wary of emotional intimacy, which means sometimes having a relationship with her means the occasional step back until she gets out of her own head.

[amygdalagame]

2 for Darwin and Greer?

2: their smile

He’s pretty expressive overall, so it’s easy to make him smile. Darwin’s smile is crooked (often only a half-smile or a smirk) unless he’s really happy or entertained, but he smiles with his whole face. His eyebrows arch when he smirks and his eyes crinkle when he laughs. 

Greer’s expressions are much more reserved, and sometimes they only smile with their eyes or a subtle, momentary upturn of their lip. When they laugh or truly, it’s almost as if it’s catching them off-guard, and they have a bit of an inclination to cover their mouth when they laugh.

[amygdalagame]

16 & 18 for lovely Darwin?

16: their dreams

He doesn’t really have many dreams, and the ones that he does are pretty mundane. His nightmares are often about work or other things he’s stressed about, and his regular dreams are filled with the sort of dream nonsense you forget about minutes within waking up.

18: how they sleep

Moves around a lot in his sleep, and will occasionally murmur nonsense. He’s a pretty deep sleeper too, so getting him to wake up takes some effort. Typically falls asleep on his back, but he never wakes up that way.

[amygdalagame]

Ohhhh 20 for Darwin plz?

20: their reaction to a mystery love letter

He thinks its a prank. No. Knows its a prank. No way someone is sending him love letters in this day and age no way nuh-uh he’s not falling for it nope... Unless?

If he finds out who sent it to him (and assuming it was genuine), he would probably be calling them a cornball for the rest of time (he is not flattered by it no sir definitely not no way).