Anything for the Crown

Just posted a new poll for free members on the patreon.

This week's question is who would your MC wanna be stuck on an island with?

(same asker as before) that's such a good point, because there are people willing to help her or genuinely want the best for her, but from a combination of different pressures (and maybe from the previous royal advisor), you've convinced yourself you're the only one who can do that.

I imagine my FMC will suffer with guilt as time goes that she's manipulating Isolde for her own desires, that she's just like the others who supposedly want to take advantage of Isolde.

Yeah, I don't think Soren telling the Mc the other members of the council will have their own ambitions helped the MCs thinking.

For the most part, they all want the best for the kingdom at the end of the day.

I definitely think if you play as a kind or even funny MC, you'll see more of that line of thinking as the game goes on. Those two are the ones more likely to be worried about that.

god the tension with my FMC pining for Isolde but knowing they're going to also have to go against her as an advisor. But also knowing how willingly people would take advantage of her, so they have no other choice. Genuinely so hooked.

This is lowkey, my favorite part of the game. The Mc has convinced themselves that they are the only person keeping her from being taken advantage of. They don't even know if that's true. It's literally delusional.

I can't wait to get more into this part of the gameplay. Bit of a spoiler for the next chapter, but in the reworked version of her hangout that was in chapter 4 before, I've added a choice for the mc to make about how serious are they taking being her advisor.

The matter at hand in the scene is simple, but how your mc responds is really important. Would you let her just do what she wants, try to compromise, "convince" her not to do it, or just say nothing at all because your mc is only her advisor in the council room.

The choices will probably get harder from there/go away at some point because how the mc has influenced Isolde. They don't even have to tell her anymore. Lol.

I thought it was tomorrow, but actually it is today, that one year ago I published the first version of this game.

To celebrate, I've decided to take commissions for drawing your MCs from the game.

For these prices, I will draw your MC anyway you want, and for $20, I will draw your MC with any character you want. There are 4 slots open per option.

For more info, check out my Ko-fi page. Thank you in advance to anyone who commissions me. <3

Just posted a new poll for free members on the patreon.

This week's question is who would your MC wanna be stuck on an island with?

Just posted a new poll for free members on the patreon.

This week's question is who would your MC wanna be stuck on an island with?

Just posted a new poll for free members on the patreon.

This week's question is who would your MC wanna be stuck on an island with?

#anything for the crown #interactive fiction #if game #twine if #my polls #patreon stuff

Just posted a new poll for free members on the patreon.

This week's question is who would your MC wanna be stuck on an island with?

I can't remember if I've brought this up before but in one of my super duper early drafts of this game when I was I high-school. I had the idea that Isolde and Lucian, though, then they were named those names they were gonna be Mordecai and Ophelia, were going to grow up together. Like their mothers would both be married to Alaric or at least he'd have a wife and idk mistress but like publicly acknowledged, I forgot the word for it. Anyways, they'd grow up as frenemies because their moms have them competing to be Alaric's heir.

I think this was because I was really into Andromeda Six at the time.

#anything for the crown #interactive fiction #oc: isolde #oc: lucian #little fact: their moms were actually friends. so this idea wouldn't work anymore.#i can't pit two bad bitches against each other

I love all the art pieces you do to complement your story! And not just for the ROs but also side characters like the ladies in waiting or your MCs or commissions of other OCs. It's cool to see your vision of these characters in a second medium, words and now drawings, especially with the historical fantasy setting.

Also this caption you had made me laugh: trying to draw a male mc but this is just lucian i think

A sign for more Lucian content mayhaps 👀

Thanks so much. I think Lucian has the least art at this point. I've had crazy art block recently, so idk when there'll be more, sadly.

#interactive fiction #asks

that pussy trauma game is so disappointing, they've been really supportive of my if for a few years, and I followed them when I saw they were starting their own, and obs now I'm not following but also feel super icky about all the supportive comments and constructive criticism they've given

Oh, have they been around for a while? Surprised they didn't already know ppl wouldn't be cool with them using ai.

pussytrauma-if

hmmm...

(Since I'm getting so many messages in my inbox) It's very interesting to me; how this AI thing is going down.

I'm not going to get into some longwinded, impassioned diatribe -- if you want to unfollow or unlike or any other - 'un' because of generated images used, in one place, for earlier stated reasons, that's your prerogative. Die on your hill. If me using them suddenly puts the quality of my writing into question (because I’m seeing that too - which is also interesting? - -and sad) -- well. There are plenty non-AI IF writers who kill themselves trying to prove they don't use it, yet still have to deal with the AI witch hunt nonsense, regardless. 🤔 What I don't get... what seems truly counterproductive is — why are IF writers being shamed/bullied/threatened/coerced for something as simple as - - wanting to give a visual for their fictional characters? How did we get here? Why are we fighting each other? (How is it that we’re now at a place where - using celebrity faces is now a more valid alternative??)

Be indignant, be upset - be angry, but if I don’t take those 4 little images down, you’ll - what? Rally against me? Put so much effort into fighting a single IF writer vs. - your real enemy?

What is the ultimate goal here?

Me, like so many other talented IF writers -- giving up? Not telling their valid stories—only they can tell— that need to be shared with the world because - one - aspect of their intro doesn't fit your standards? You want to force me to take down images -- that do nothing to change the issues presented in this story, a story that - isn’t - being currently told -- one I (and - clearly others) think incredibly important to be shared - - or: what?

You can put it in all the self-righteous armor you want — but it’s bullying. And using one evil to fight another — still makes you evil. Certainly no less than what you’re trying to fight.

What’s funny (funny - sad, not ha-ha): The current RO images were always placeholders -- not because anons attacked my inbox; that was always the plan. There’s an artist on my team who is currently drawing all 4 ROs. Still: I wasn’t going to take the generated images down; I was going to move them to an alternative post you could choose to view or not view (not linked to the pinned page — which many popular IF writers have done and is their right).

But now. I'm feeling some kind of way -- I'm feeling attacked; and I'm starting to wonder if this space is truly as pro-creative as it claims ... when its willing to cannibalize another creative just to make a point. Last I checked: I am an Artist too.

I appreciate the anons who at least tried to be decent. Made it more a suggestion than a demand — but here’s my answer:

No.

I’ll die on my hill too.

(A big thank you to all the real ones who decided/decide to stay. I’m sorry this couldn’t be pure; that something so small had to be blown out of proportion for the wrong reasons. Even if there’s only one of you cheering me on at the end of the day - I will write for that one with everything in me. ❤️)

#other ifs #the way i crashed out over this

Ngl, I was interested in your game until now.

I agree that the themes you want to explore in your game are important and honestly underrepresented. Also, I think people shouldn't be harassing you.

But none of that makes using AI okay. Wanting a visual representation for your characters is understandable. But why the hell would you want these images to represent your work?

The most generic faces ever. Fried noodle looking hair, a wonky nose, two shirt collars on one shirt, a head wrap that's not even on the head all the way, and a bunch of other visual issues.

If you wanted place holders for your characters before the real art was done, there were so many different things you could have done. Written descriptions, dollmakers/piccrews, photobashing, etc.

And you also said you didn't want to use real people without permission, but you literally are. How do you think these AI image makers learn what people look like? They take a bunch of pictures of real people, mind you, pictures that these companies don't own, and train their programs to slap the most common features together. How are you gonna be worried that if people make fan art of the game, they aren't gonna use the skin colors correctly when you don't even wanna bother to actually find real people to actually represent the skin colors/ethicities of your characters?

This shit is why so many, many other IF writers have to kill themselves to prove they aren't using AI because ppl like you are using AI in this community and other small writing communities.

No one is being bullied for wanting to provide a visual of their OC. Only YOU are being criticized, and it's for using AI. No one would have given a fuck if you posted stick figures and called it a day.

And then you have the nerve to deflect and use your IF's themes as a reason why this isn't a problem. Like, hello, AI is the biggest problem. Your MC is homeless and can't find a job. AI is part of why people in real life are dealing with these issues. There are a bunch of posts online about companies using AI to sort through resumes and AI replacing people/taking jobs.

The strangest part about all of this is that you ALREADY HAVE AN ARTIST DRAWING FOR YOU. You could have avoided all of this if you had just waited for them to be done.

As an actual "Artist" who draws their own characters, you are the least pro-creative person there is.

I got an update about Patreon stuff here

Not an update for the game. Based on the results of the last poll I'm putting up some posts for sale. The lowest patreon says I can make the

silly ask—stealing this ask from another blog because it’s hilarious: If mc accidentally falls and pull the RO's pants down with them, would the ROs pull their pants up first or help mc up first?

Where did you find this ask?

Isolde and Lyra don't wear pants, so this doesn't really apply to them.

I think Lucian would pull his pants up first. Garrick would help the MC up first.

did Isolde ever have many friends as a girl before MC?

Nope. As a little girl, Isolde spent most of her time with her mother. There weren't many other kids around the palace, but when there were, Isolde wasn't going out of her way to hang out with them.

Honestly, there was only one person Isolde liked to hang out with as a kid. I'd say who, but that's a spoiler.

As of now, Isolde's only other friends are her ladies-in-waiting, and Alaric had to force her to hang out with them.

Thinking about how good a big brother little Lucian would be to his baby sister.

Aw 😭💖 ik Isolde doesn’t like him and seems to blame him in some part for the problems with her family if I remember right, but did they ever interact much as kids and was their relationship always distant?

Yeah, Isolde blames Lucian for a lot of things. Whether any of those are actually his fault remains to be seen.

Isolde's mother, Elaine, before she died, really did try to get the two to bond/make Lucian feel more included in general, but neither ever did.

I also think the age gap between them would have played a part. Lucian was 10 when he came to the palace, and Isolde was 7. It's not a big gap when they are older, but Lucian would have definitely seen her as closer to a baby than someone somewhat younger than him.

In the AU where they grow up together or even like each other, Isolde would be following her big brother around all the time.