#bunkshelf blog

[magebunkshelf]

There’s a gorgeous fatass moth in my bathroom right now

[magebunkshelf]

Five years ago I posted my first two audios; Introverted Incubus and Alien Abduction. This channel was a fresh start at making something new I'd never tried before. I felt like I was showing a part of my soul making these stories, so even with a new channel I was so nervous; I remember seeing Incubus having something like 12 views and being terrified!

Somehow, after everything, I'm still here. I still get nerves about what people will think especially when I try something a little different from what we normally do, but I have so much love for what I do. Even when IRL stuff fights me I'm more energised to create stories now than I've ever been! I am beyond thankful to all of you for sticking with me - you have no idea how much it means seeing names I remember seeing back in 2021, 2022. And here we are, close to seeing the channel hit 20,000 subscribers. That's your achievement!

It's no small thing to say this channel has changed my life. And while I still have a lot of things to figure out, this channel and its stories have always been about that journey. Thank you so much for walking it with me. I can't tell you how grateful I am <3

-Mage

[magebunkshelf]

Channel update: Important stuff about the next audio coming this weekend, and why it took so long.

Hey everyone! It's been a while hasn't it! I'm really sorry for the delay on this one. When I started, this audio was actually supposed to be a quick project for November but it very quickly became clear that it was going to take a lot longer for multiple reasons.

Fun stuff first; the next audio will finally be releasing over this weekend! We are so close to done now! This won't be an ordinary audio, so I'd like to explain a little ahead of time how it's going to work.

This audio is a sort of choose your own adventure. Not only will this be the longest audio I've ever made by quite a wide margin (about 42 minutes!) ... there will also be four of them. Four audios. The story is the same, the scenario is the same, the speaker character is the same, but you get to pick which character is the listener. Each of the four audios will alter who you are and how you are referred, changing your species, role in your adventuring party, your backstory and little of your character's personality. All four are still gender neutral and the story still unfolds in much the same way, so pick the role and persona that fits you!

Here's the important bit, and why I wanted to announce this ahead of time: I originally announced after the last audio that this was always planned to be a supporter exclusive. So... New plan. Everyone will be able to listen for free. I have been gone far too long, I feel it would be bad form to return after all that time with a massive project that is an exclusive - like I say I was originally expecting this to be a short project that I could make fairly quickly, I didn't expect it to be the longest audio I've ever made with the most difficult script I've ever written! So we're changing how it works a little.

Here's the problem: I don't do romance stories too often, and when I do, I keep them off YouTube. YouTube is notoriously prudish - because what you want to watch isn't what advertisers want you to watch - and it commonly slaps channels for including just the sound of kissing as being 'too adult'. Generally when I make an audio that is centred on a romance plot, I release it as a supporter exclusive on Patreon, Ko-fi and YT Members. That way I can host it off-site and keep the channel safe. This will be only my fourth exclusive, and the first that wasn't a bonus audio. This video would also doubly not work on YouTube, since there are four versions of the same story, they would each be competing with each other for views and view time, bringing each video's stats down, which would further not help the channel. So this audio has always been planned from the start to be a supporter exclusive since it just wouldn't work on YouTube either way.

I can't give all you guys nothing after all this time though. And honestly, I'm really proud of how this one's come out. So instead, this audio will still be releasing on Patreon, there will only be a short preview on YouTube linking to there. However, for the first week of release, the entire audio with all four alternates will be free for absolutely everyone. There will be a post on Patreon where you can listen, you won't need to support or have an account. After one week, the post will transition to being exclusive only to supporters on Patreon, Ko-fi, or YT Members.

TL;DR This supporter exclusive will be free to everyone for the first week! So, announcement ahead of time: don't miss it!

I'm hoping this is a good balance of making sure everyone has something big to listen to now that I'm back, and giving something of value to everyone who kindly supports the channel.

As a aside since it's been a while since the last video on the channel, if you watch any of my other videos, maybe consider dropping a thumbs up if you liked it? <3 Preview videos are meant to only get very low watch times, so it'll help remind YouTube I'm still alive! I also see every comment, they genuinely mean the world.

Okay so, why has it been so long? So yes, this has been a very difficult audio to make, I probably won't be making another CYOA again! XD This was the most difficult script I've written because on top of being twice as long as normal, I also had to account for four parallel universes ahead of time. The raw audio was over two hours, it took a while to cut that all down and organise it to be split into different alternative audios. I actually had to pause recording most of the way through because I was losing my voice a little!

The main reason though has been my health - so some mild personal details here. It's nothing serious, please don't worry, but I have been stuck with a chronic pain for a while, and over this winter things had gotten worse, to the point that I couldn't concentrate on things. I lost a lot of time being unable to think properly or be productive at all. Like I said in a previous update, it's very difficult to write romance when everything hurts! I also got an appointment for surgery back in January, so-... Yeah, bit of a rough winter all round. I'm happy to say I'm generally doing a lot better, not exactly 100% but definitely a world better than I was last year! I spent a lot of time these last several month trying to fix my diet and had some months of very basic food. I'm eating a little better, drinking more water, eating more probiotic stuff like yoghurt and kefir (I don't have an appendix and that's what they're supposed to balance for you apparently, might be related to the problem), and I've pretty much completely cut out caffeine, which I suspect I'm probably intolerant to. I still have off days, but they're much, much fewer than they used to be.

In short, I'm doing loads better, an I'm very excited to be back! All the illness stuff really messed over the timing of this, making what was supposed to be a bit of a bonus into the first major post after hiatus! So I'm sorry to come back with an exclusive audio, I really hope a week of free access helps make up for it. I'm really proud of this one, so I hope you'll give it a listen!

Oh, also! Come join us over on @shaymelessaudios' channel this Friday. Shay's latest audio was written by myself, and she did an absolutely amazing job with it! It's a story idea I've had for a little while and I'm honoured Shay agreed to fill it. We've done a little script trade, so- Next time: let's see what Shay has in store for us! :3

It feels great to be back at posting again. Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time.

Please find attached to this post a squishable little chibi of our new lad Euan, by @palilious! I hope you look forward to meeting him this weekend! ^ ^

-Mage

You guys get a little bonus - thank you so much Pali! <3

[magebunkshelf]

Apologies if this is a weird ask y.y

...what would your characters smell like? Axe Body spray? Flowers?? Sea salt??? I wanna know! :3c

Oooooh- Well if it’s a weird ask, I’m even weirder for giving you the answers! ^ ^

Mitch - freshly baked cake. The kind of cake changes seasonally, along with Mitch’s coat: vanilla in spring, passion cake in summer, chocolate in autumn, cinnamon in winter

Ji’ya - good soil and metal

David - man

Llyr - fish man. But mainly man, with good sea air

Lochlan - boyfriend

Aspen - leaves, grasses, nuts and pines

Crow - machine smoke, sweat and metal

Mack - if you asked the android she'd prob just say "-a-arms... O///O"

Cailean - asked @shaymelessaudios about our stinky wife: he usually smells like brine and his latest catch, squid or fish. But if he were to remain on land in his human form for long enough, the seal smell would reduce and he'd smell more like sea salt, and "something mystical..." Fairies have very unique scents to them, natural and pretty but savage too. It'd always be there but usually drowned out by the seal smell, but under all of that Cailean probably smells of milk.

Nem - gently of field flowers and breeze, a dash of ozone, but also just a hint of something incomprehensible, intoxicating

Jackson - WARNING, DO NOT SMELL

Cay - distantly of warm bread and citrus

Isenguri - Wood and fire smoke

Hirsent - pines and rain in the woods

Marco - @dayspriteofficial and I held hands and sniffed Marco together: she says he smells like parchment and charcoals, and of salt and plants, perhaps snake plants or spider plants or eucalyptus as natural deodoriser or just the herbs he's been collecting. Marco smells like incense and a herbal library

The Moth - a fresh warm blanket with a little of the bitterness of soft dirt

Orache - a fireside

Euan - a hearth, good tilled earth, and a whisper of a spice that shouldn't exist

Raban - an old manorhouse, books and fruit.

Θ - home

if you need a reminder of who everyone is, here's the list!

[magebunkshelf]

I should model the merch a bit

magebunkshelf.net 🤍🩷💙💜🖤

[magebunkshelf]

first time saying it out loud to someone in person today

was incredibly nerve-wracking, still kind of a bit overwhelmed thinking about it. went well at least, hoping it'll make it easier to do things about it later

still, saying it felt correct

[magebunkshelf]

Dang, hello???

@shaymelessaudios @anniekinsart they love our boy!!

[magebunkshelf]

my gender is so fucke dup. i woke up today in a really masc mode today