A Prayer for the Winter Gears -- Demo
#2 development news + illustration 🕊
Wahooooo!! See? I didn't abandon the project after all! I was just being silly since I decided to take a short break but then Nanoreno happened....then O2A2 happened.....then Yaoi Jam happened.... and now we're back to square one. I will finish it. I promise. In fact, I'm gonna do that right now. I'm working on this and SOREKARA at the same time in hopes I won't get distracted again. I do like the characters here (especially Julietta, my sweet angel (✿◡‿◡) ) so I want to give them a good story. Actually, I wrote out the entire script already, but my mind wandered so now I wish to finick with it once more. I have time, don't I...?
Enough rambling. I drew something cute a while back for whenever I resumed development.
Isn't it just the cutest? That's the key image now. Unless I change my mind. Elie, get that candle away from Julietta! You'll catch her on fire! And gosh... I accidentally drew them so young looking, I always do that on accident. Julietta is supposed to be older than Elie, you know-- He's 13, and she's a Doll made to be ambiguously to be anywhere from 17 to 20. In actual years, she's around 22 though. But my brain was on pure unadulterated moe at the time so I drew them looking very round. It's so cute, I can't bother too much.
Speaking on the development, I'm messing with the script since it's already done. There are 4 extra side stories I had a great time writing that are unlocked after completing the game. I love writing short little stories the most. It's very satisfying. Anyhow, I still have to do the rest of the cgs and implementation, and a friend of mine has been trying to convince me of something... I won't mention it in case it doesn't happen, but if it does, then that will be a good surprise. I'm acting very mysterious. Don't mind me.
Hmmm... This is unnecessary, but I've been thinking about it quite a lot. The Gears games aren't as popular as my other works. I'm actually happy about that. I look back at Melting and a part of myself feels like throwing up, I can't stand it at all. I still love the characters (I would like to continue Lillian's story...) and the plot itself is fine, but the feeling I get from it makes my skin crawl. It was purely the circumstances in which it was made.
I feel that the Winter Gear games lack some of the charm of things like Milky Way or even Reaper's Goodbye partly because of their structure but also because I write them with bitterness. I love snow but the winter months hold nothing but bad memories. I write these particular stories because I want to keep myself occupied during that time. So, they are not stories born from a wish to entertain but from selfishness, and I can't look at them with any kindness because they are the more personal of my games.
Prayer is a story that is very dark in comparison to the others. It has twisted characters that act with selfishness and cruelty, even if they haven't shown it yet. I sometimes think that I shouldn't write so selfishly. But there are some people who like the story and suddenly it has become not just my own but theirs as well, and I feel that I want to give it a nice ending. I know the ending. There is hope on the horizon.
When making a game, I think considering the audience is important. People will spend their time with your work and I find it extremely important to give them a good time. I want to transform my selfishness into something that will make people happy. A small smile is more than enough. So, the story should be written without a shred of bitterness.
What a long winded rant. But the hours are late and my tea is finished and my script is staring back at me. It's a small, clumsy thing, but it will hopefully make you smile despite it all. Julietta is so cute I could die. A promise in the past, a promise in the future. There is much to look forward to. Goodnight!
Comments
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Your illustrations are always so cute, I can't look at them for too long or my heart will turn into Cotton candy!
I love Melting of the Winter gears so much, it may be because I am a creature of winter and solitude and I may see a little bit of myself in Lillian (and she is so SO cute), so, as long as you bring Winter games into existence I'll be here to catch them up.
it is very kind of you to consider your audience, that is something a lot of developers, specially big ones don't do anymore, however (And this may be me being selfish) I think is also important to let the developer/writers express themselves however they see fit, if we let other people change us/Our work so much, then, what are we in the end? Be it happiness, bitterness, hate, regret, as long as it comes from your heart I am sure the story is gonna be fantastic and enjoyable.
Hope I am not overstepping some kind of boundary with my comment and don't overwork yourself too much Mr. Writer!
I took my time replying because it's difficult to understand my feelings, but the idea that "bitterness, sadness, any negative emotion, as long as it comes from the heart" has stuck with me... Even if it's a sour expression, as long as my heart is in it, it will be okay? I'll have to think about that from now on. Thank you very much. It's easier said than done, but I will remember that as I push myself to write.
My entire motivation for a Melting sequel story is the idea I could draw Lillian in a slick dinner jacket and vest, which would be extremely stylish and cool ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) for narrative reasons, of course.