An Update on Stuff · 9:33pm Aug 29th, 2020
Hey, been a while, hasn't it? 
Not like I've been missing, or anything, I just haven't been really active. Real life does things to you, especially when the entire world is having a nice, big, heaving helping of Real Life™. Now the situation out there on the ground is messed up, that's for sure, but I'm not here to talk about that. Yet. Let's just leave it at this: currently, I'm fine and in a good place, but who knows if that'll change.
Anyway, this is meant to be an Update post, so I guess I'll update some things. Let's start with what's active right now.
Synthesis: The Distant Princess
Okay, so, the entire book The Distant Princess is written and is being published every six days. Don't worry, there IS an ending, even if it intentionally leaves things open-ended and doesn't answer every question. I have intentions to continue the story, but I am a little disappointed at how little traction it is gaining and that little nagging voice in the back of my head is saying "why put a massive ton of more effort into it...?" Regardless, at the very least, the first book has an ending. Still have plans to make more.
The League of Sweetie Belles
Ahahahahahahhaah... Yeah I've just let this rot and collect dust for a while, haven't I? Part of it was because of a massive surge of things I had to do, part of it was a momentary drifting of interest, and part of it was a drastic change in myself and how I view the nature of telling stories and what they mean. I am never, ever, going to close the book on the LSB, though I give no promises as to HOW quick things will update with it. There are currently no drafts or anything sitting aside. I still intend to get back to it, but it might be a bit.
Part of the problem nowadays is that I'm trying to read a lot of higher-quality fiction to improve my abilities, and while several fics on this site fit that bill, the majority do not. (Most of mine don't, for instance.) And an LSB chapter requires a lot of reading, writing, and thinking deeply about it all. I'm forming a plan in my head, however. The spreadsheet with all the LSB stories (while amazing) may end up being moot--I'll just start choosing stories whose authors have already expressed interest and stories I happen to really WANT to read.
I have already removed the "force-suggest an LSB story" from the Patreon as a result. (Though now the highest tier is cheaper).
And, while LSB itself cannot truly have an end, I may start gearing the chapters toward resolving/addressing the main mysteries set up, say, for Cinder and the other Sweeties. I have my doubts that I'll be able to get it updating as quick as it once was, but rest assured, I haven't forgotten about it.
Anyway... aside from that, what else am I working on? Rest assured, I have not stopped writing.
Secret Tunnel Project
I am going to share nothing about this one, aside from the fact that it is an utterly massive book. It's a story I've wanted to tell since my childhood, similar to SotS in that way (though nowhere near as big). Its first draft is actually complete, but due to some touchy subject matter (read: similar to Rev's existence and nature in SotS) it's currently sitting in revision swirls. But I do hope to start sharing it with you all soon. A completely new story. And while it may seem similar to SotS, it has nothing to do with it aside from a few references and thematic purposes.
Final Fantasy: Aleph Null
Now this is the project I'm actively working on right now, and, SHOCKER, it has nothing at all to do with ponies so it won't be able to be published on fimfiction. I don't know where I'll post it, but I will want you guys to know. The main idea is to crossover every main-series Final Fantasy game (that isn't an MMO) into a single, cohesive, amazingly convoluted, character-driven story. Join Terra, Balthier, Galuf, Cecil, Yuffie, and many others on a trek across a curious world, both familiar and alien.
Similar to the Secret Tunnel Project, I hope to start releasing parts of this soon. Though, again, not exactly sure WHERE. (Unlike Secret Tunnel, this isn't complete, and will have to be written as-published in a way similar to SotS)
Other Stuff
I am still active on the Discord Server (clicky) and regularly talk about everything from stories to news to Hat Kid. The Discord server is probably the best place to keep tabs on me and what I'm doing. Currently, I'm involved in a SotS multiverse-game we play there called ThemGames (I wonder why). Players build multiversal societies and see what happens. It's a very creative game that, honestly, I wished I'd joined earlier, because as it is the other players know more about it than I do.
The Patreon (clicky) is still active, though I don't post much there. I also still do Commissions, more info on that below.
Commissions
I'm going to update my Commission policy here. I will write stories--original, fanfiction, it doesn't matter-- at 10$ USD per 1,000 words. I am open both to doing short stories and longer stories. I won't write M-rated things. I'm bad at pure-romance and reserve the right to refuse any suggested commission.
My previous policy of offering discounts for longer stories is no longer in effect, simply because I've realized that when I'm doing a longer story, there's a lot of time where I work WITH the author to craft out lore, plot, and other threads. But in exchange for removing this discount, I'm officially offering my services in another capacity: if you have a story idea and aren't sure how to execute it, you can still come to me with just that idea and I'll help you hash it out, even to the extent of doing quite a bit of worldbuilding. This is done with the intent of me writing the story as part of a commission later, but if it's not going to be for me to write, I'm sure we can hash out a deal. (It's always free with the commission of a larger story, to have this.)
I also am no longer giving promises on timetables. I'm re-entering college soon, times can be thrown in the air, especially if I have multiple commissions.
Speaking of college...
How are you doing? What're your plans?
I am attending college virtually. Which may give me more time or less, I'm really not sure. And my relationship with my family has changed (for the better) so there might be more time drain to them as well. (Which is actually a good thing for me.) So I'm safe, but I'm also a Senior in a Physics Major, so this might brutally kill me with MATH.
I'm doing fine, though. I have plans to graduate and... well after that I'm not sure. Maybe I'll have written original fiction by then (an idea I keep juggling. I can still file off the serial numbers for Amber Ashes...) I do have plenty of ideas for original stuff, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
To the rest of you, thanks for following me for so long. And do keep yourself safe. Stay home if at all possible. And remember--everyone is just another human being.
-GM, master of blog posts.
I was just thinking of you today. Glad you're still doing okay in these crazy times :)
Ah, the physics major. I've been there. Always fun spending every September remembering how calculus works.
Sorry, did I say fun? I meant "empathizing with Sispyhus if he had to graph the rock's acceleration."
Good to hear from you in a more general sense. Best of luck in all your endeavors.
I would like a link to your Final Fantasy story when published. I LOVE the franchise!
What of the trials and tribulations of H.B.? Or, do I perhaps have the wrong author?
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Yeeeah I think you have the wrong author. I'm not even sure what HB could stand for.
-GM, master of fish.
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Well, Heart Break, of course. Oh well, I'll keep looking.
Sounds pretty cool. Is this the same project that put non-Final Fantasy Characters through each game?
I plugged in the SNES classic yesterday, and started up FF
IIIVI. I didn't get too far, but riding a chocobo on the overworld for the first time was kind of mindblowing, considering I'm used to 4 direction navigation in older games.I also picked up FFXIV when it was free on PSN, and have been playing for the past couple months. You wouldn't have to worry about the story, since it's focused entirely around your single character, rather than trying to integrate every player into the same narrative. They recently raised the level cap of the free trial to 60, so you can play the entire main story for A Realm Reborn and the first expansion without paying anything.
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It's something different, though it did grow out of that.
And I avoided the MMOs miany becasue the time commitment to play them or even watch the story was way, way more than I wanted.
-GM, master of wabbits.
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That's cool. I'd say that focusing purely on the main story quests for the base game wouldn't require much more time than a standard JRPG, although that's not saying much. I just know from previous experience that MMOs usually treat your character as one of many random adventurers, and FFXIV isn't like that. I can understand if you don't have the time for it though.
Didn’t you say that you’ll post it on Offprint?
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Shhhhh that's still in beta and might not be ready in time.
-GM, master of secrets.