Yep, I have a Skype account now. I'm still kinda new to online socializing, but if you'd like to swap contacts, note me. I can't really say how often I'll be on or how talkative I'll be, but the option's there now.

Okay, looks like there’s some interest in the “Choose your own adventure” idea, so I’ll be getting that started. Here are a few things you should know:

- This will be a linear project. I will not be writing out all the possible branching paths, only the one that receives the most votes. I guess that makes the “your own” part a little bit of a misnomer, but it was the closest thing to what I’m doing I could think of.

- If you feel there should be an option, but it’s not listed, you may suggest an alternative option in addition to one of the presented option. If you like someone else’s presented option, again, make a listed selection and underneath it, list the “new” option. If this new option is both popular and appropriate, I may just go with it.

- In addition to the above, if you want to suggest an unlisted option, keep it appropriate to the scene. I have seen “choose your own adventure” postings on FA turn into nothing more than a smut fest, and I do not want to see such comments here. Mind you, the story just might take a turn to romance based on choices, but then sex just might be an appropriate choice. Time will tell.

- I’m going to try to get these out once a week, but I am not going to keep it a tight, strict schedule. The plan is to give watchers ample time to pipe in should they choose to participate.



If you have any questions, please ask them here. Also check to see if your question has already been asked/answered before posting. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

You can find the start here.

So, to follow up on the previous journal which alluded to there being a follow up: I’m bored. Yes, I know I went over the whole thing of putting greater focus into writing my novel, but the thing is, while I still do very much want to write it, it doesn’t scratch a mental itch that’s been bugging me.

You see, the root of the problem is that, in real life, it’s essentially me, myself, and I around here. I work a job where for eight hours I’m doing mindless work, and I could get in trouble if I’m caught with a book or notebook, even worse any sort of electronic device other than a simple calculator. Zero needed brain functions over eight hours is taxing in its own way. I also work the afternoon shift, which kinda kills being able to do much outside the house during the week, seeing as how the afternoon is usually the time people have free.

I used to play Magic: The Gathering card game every weekend at a local hobby/comic store, but that began losing my interest. The twenty minute drive and the games there began feeling more like a chore than really having fun. There aren’t any RP games I can get into there, and through some kind of misunderstanding, I cannot get help from the store to run such a game, and I don’t exactly know people to personally invite, and asking strangers is not exactly an appealing idea. Which just leaves me home alone with my computer and video games. And while the games, like Borderlands 2, are fun, after beating them once they loose a certain appeal. See, I’ve already seen the core of new experiences the game has to offer, all that’s left are the little details I have to seek out.

What I’m looking for is something that offers something changing and unpredictable, something that will engage my desire to think strategically and tactically, to plan and execute and such, and most importantly, to make me have to react to an outside influence that’s not a limited AI. In other words, I really need something where I interact with people.

So to finally get to my point, I’d like to do something interactive with you, my watchers. I mean, you all have your reasons for watching me. Some of you like my works, some of you see me as a friend from the talks we’ve had, for some of you it’s both, and some of you may have other reasons. The point is, I’d like to interact with you, even in a small manner.

Here’s where I need your input, as to be frankly honest I really don’t want to start something, and then see it gather cobwebs because no one was interested. For starters, it will take story form, as art really isn’t my forte (as I’m sure most of you know). Here are a few basic premises that I’ve been thinking of trying:


-Assemble and guide a team of fantasy (or modern of sci-fi if preferred) adventurers. I’ll supply a potential cast, your votes narrow it down to a group, and you guide their actions. The actions won’t usually be specific (like needing to say “pick up note”). I’ll supply the scene, with what I believe are all the necessary details, and you tell me what actions you believe the characters would/should take, and I’ll write the next scene based on the suggestions (forewarning, this is supposed to be semi-serious, so constant suggestions of a sexual nature will not be appreciated and will be ignored, though humorous suggestions have a chance if they’re scene appropriate).

-Sponsor fighters for a tournament. This will be an arena based game using some form of published rule system. If you don’t have the rules for the system I choose, worry not; the mechanics are only meant to guide the narrative by providing a random outcome determination, to a degree, not as an end all be all. You can sponsor a character via description and I’ll work out the mechanics. The type of tournament is up for discussion if the premise sounds interesting to you. Also, as sponsors, you will have opportunity to "participate" in the tournament. You will not be the one's fighting, but there are ways to interact with your sponsored fighter, and the staff, that may impact their chances.

-Chose your own adventure. Similar to the books of the same category, you guide a singular character on his/her journey. Rather than free form like the first premise, this one will instead have a number of set options at each break to be voted on, and I’ll try to give a wide array of choices. Still undecided whether or not I’ll incorporate any “failure” endings, but there will be varying degrees of success, depending on the actions taken.


So, anyone interested in such a game? And if so, what strikes your fancy? If you’d like further details of any premise I’ve mentioned, feel free to ask.

Okay, sorry about that rather depressing and rantish last journal. I really did need to just get if off my chest and out of my mind. The act of externalizing it really helped me though, so that I didn’t keep it bottled up. The positive feedback did wonders as well, and I’m back on my feet again.

Now, as to the update. In order to get out of my dead end job, I need to find something else to do. Therefore, I am really getting back into my writing. Yes, I realize that unless I hit it big I’m not likely to be able to live off my writings, but the thing is, I can use it as a launching pad for bigger things. Having something published gives me credentials, credentials I can use as a platform. After all, there are positions out there that qualified writers can fill, including potentially gaming. Who knows though, maybe my first book will catch on and launch a full career as an author. Stranger things have happened after all. There’s a chance I may even try to take college courses as well, though by and large I’ve read the a Fine Arts degree (which writing disciplines fall under) are in and of themselves not going to help get a job, so all the classes would really be doing is teaching me things that I’d likely learn on my own in a less trial and error manner, and therefore a bit faster. Not sure if that’s worth the potentially hundreds of dollars for courses, even if I can likely get them online.

So, unfortunately this is likely to mean that my submission here to FA are likely to fall off again as I refocus on my novel (that I’ve been “working on”, by various definitions, for 5-6 years). The idea is to get an average of two pages in Microsoft Word typed every day. That would get me a 500 page novel or so in about 3-4 months. Then I spend time editing, and then I spend time figuring out and working out a publishing method (get a publisher, self publish, go through the Kindle book store, whathaveyou). I mean, really, when I break it down like that, it really doesn’t seem that daunting a task. It’ll be a POS on the first draft I’m sure, but really, writing a novel is like the path a gemstone takes. First you have to find it (get the idea), mine it out of the ground (refine the idea into a plot), get it ready to work with (get the first draft written), and then cut it until it’s a work of art (revising to the completed work). Simple enough, right? The idea is the easy part, the plot’s a little trickier, the first draft is daunting, and the revisions are where a writer’s skills really come into play. I may post bits of my work as I go along if enough people are interested (or just to remind all of you that I’m still alive without making a journal just to say so), and I’m thinking about submitting the first few pages to give you all a glimpse as to what I’m doing.

I do, however, want to remain active in the community even as I devote time to my novel writing. However, I be making a separate journal for that once I’ve given a little more thought on how I want to express that. That, and putting those thoughts at the end of this journal might cause it to be lost in the shuffle, as it were.

Okay, I’m realizing that I need to admit that I might actually have a problem. For a while, it seems like I’ve been having bouts of creative productiveness followed by mental lethargy, among other things. There could be many reasons for such, from dumb luck to a bad diet. Today, however, I felt like I nearly had an emotional breakdown at work over something I really should not have had a breakdown over, and it was rather an eye opener.

I can’t say I’m comfortable going into details, but I feel that I have to express myself, even if it’s largely anonymously to a small few. After being on the receiving on of some absolute BS, I went from a stage of anger, which is normal for me, to a stage of such an emotional low that I was fighting off tears by sheer force of will. That is most certainly not normal for me. I was on the verge of breaking down, stemming from the fact that while I’m trying to do my job to the best of my ability while those around me slack off to the point of borderline neglect at times, I’m the one who gets nailed for the smallest things, even things out of my control. The plant manager seems to be looking for reasons to find fault in me, even going so far as to abuse his power and ignore evidence presented to him in order to put fault on me. My car broke down on the side of the road and I clocked in 30 minutes late, with my supervisor informing the plant manager that I had arrived on time, and I got written up for three offences for those 2 incidents. For the first one I had to supply proof that my car was towed, when the last person to have car trouble didn’t, and didn’t get written up later, and isn’t the loss of pay bad enough for clocking in half an hour late? And he was told, by the shift supervisor, that I had in fact come to work on time, and he still wrote me up for coming in 30 minutes late and not calling in. The fact that he just seems to have a vendetta against me even though I’m trying to do my job right just seemed to hit me hard, a lot harder than it should have.

There have been very few times in my life where I emotionally lost it or came close, and this was not an instance where I should have come close. Seriously, if I’d started crying, I wouldn’t have been able to stop, and then I’d have had to explain why I was crying. I’m just not sure what to think anymore, but I am starting to worry that there just might be something wrong with me. Am I actually battling depression but don’t realize it? Why am I having these emotional highs and lows, where I feel good and productive and then lethargic and practically apathetic? I mean, I can see these things in myself, and know that this isn’t the way I used to be, that this isn’t the person I was even a few years ago. Heck, I think things shifted shortly after I graduated college. But I really don’t know what to do, which is frustrating in and of itself, because I know this can only go on if I don’t do anything to change it, but I just don’t know what to do.

Anyway, I guess I just needed to get that off my chest. I had plans for getting works done, but I just can’t seem to work on creative ventures well in my state of mind, so you likely won’t be seeing any works from me for a little while, even though there’s so much I want to be working on right now.

Well, for those of you who read that, thanks. Hope you’re all feeling better than I am right now.

For those of you who remember Conall, Sharon, and Diana, the trio who are the primary characters of my inflation interest, they’re undergoing a bit of a creative redesign. To be bluntly honest, Conall and Sharon started out as really little more than fetish characters, and a little personal venting, inspired by the works of  Mocha_Mephooki, who over time evolved into true characters with a life of their own, and whom I grew to care about. However, trying to keep true to the source material and keep them original was causing problems with my creativity.

So, at work today, I pondered it, since I’ve really wanted to get back to the trio again…and with a little flick of inspiration wrote out three pages of notes that are now the basis for their redesign. They are no longer in any way connected to Mocha or his works, as much as I love the world he created, and are instead becoming wholly part of my own creation. Some details need to be worked out, some continuity rearranged or erased altogether, but by and large the big picture of the trio’s relationship is staying the same. I just feel like this now gives me so much more creative freedom with the three, and I hope to be getting back to writing for them soon. Also, I feel the direction I’m taking with this is something I haven’t seen before with inflation works on FA, which has me excited as well.

As for productivity I’ve got:

-Xevren’s arrival at the DoC (just needs polished, should be posted by the end of the weekend

-Xevren’s first story, which will include him taking on this form

-New origin story for Conall and Sharon (still brainstorming)

-“The Black Kitsune” (also still brainstorming)

-Personal novel as yet untitled (non-fury related, but does include werewolf like creatures)

Yeah, the things at the front of my mind project wise keep changing, but that’s me being my creatively erratic self. I’m still contemplating rebooting my “The Devouring Shadow” series, as well as finding a way to get back to “The Retriever Unit”. My inspiration, however, has been leading me elsewhere, and I’m inclined to follow it.

Well, I'm not usually one to post such journals, but what the heck, I may as well give him/her the courtesy.

 tidmatiger currently has an art raffle going, and requested entrants make a journal post about it. Heck, I'm mostly doing this because it wasn't a requirment, but a request. So if you're interested in good art, how about taking a few minutes and checking out the gallery? And if you like what you see, you may even get a free sketch, or better, come December time.

Okay, so as at least some of you have likely surmised, my interests include RPGs and vore. Now, on and off, my creativity's had the desire to combine the two in some form or another, integrating vore into a system based (as opposed to freeform) fantasy RPG. The idea's been rather persistant, so I thought I'd share it with you and ask you all two questions; would any of you be interested in helping me in developing the idea and, more importantly, who would be interesed in participating? After all, a "tabletop RPG" isn't exactly all that interesting solo.

I'm more interested in either using an existing system that can handle such a game on it's own, or an existing system with houserules, as opposed to creating an entire system from scratch. My main thought process has been using the Pathfinder RPG system wherein everyone possess the Swallow Whole special ability, mildly tweaked, with houserules to "customize" the vore. However, that issue has run into some design dilemas that are difficult to answer without outside input. So again, I thought I'd ask here if anyone here would be interested in helping me to create this RP, or play in it. Nothing's set in stone, and of course there's the logistics of how to play over the internet, but if there's interest, I'm sure that can all be worked out.

Sound interesting to anyone?

Have you ever had one of those times when you get stressed out, when Murphy's Law is in affect and it's just one thing after another after another? You're not so much angry but frustrated that not a single thing can go right? Or just that there's something persistant that's bringing down your mood that's completely out of your control, where for the longest time you just can't relax. And then when things finally calm down and you're able to relax, and you finally undwind, you want to unwind just a little bit more? Once the stress is gone, you just want to go a little crazy, just for a little bit? To be loose both physically and mentally? Just to see how it feels, even for a little bit?

Yeah, went through that earlier today. Was an interesitng feeling. Anyone know what I"m talking about?

Okay, so as most of you likely know, last Thursday, the 6th, my car's engine threw a piston rod, the engine was shot, and I needed a new car. Or at least I'd mentioned that I might need a new car, and now I have one, a 2013 Ford Focus. The old car is now is a scrap yard.

So anyway, the following Tuesday, my employer asks for the towing receipt. Reasonable enough request, just to have proof that I indeed had car issues that day and wasn't using it as an excuse. Today, I got written up because I did not call in an hour ahead of time for the personal day they gave me on Thursday.

Really?

How in the bloody hell could I have possibly called in an hour ahead of time when it's a 25 minute drive to work and the engine died on the way there? Do they really believe all their employee's are precognitives? If so, they sure as hell wouldn't be working at a plastics manufacturing plant. But by the letter of the union contract, you have to call in an hour ahead of time to take a personal day if you're not going to be in for work. There are no exceptions, and no clauses for extenuationg circumstances. If, for any reason, you don't show up for work and don't call in an hour ahead of time, but call within that hour period, it's half a personal day and half a day unexcused absence, no punch in, and a write up. Sure, it takes more than one for any serious disciplinary action, but that's effing ridiculous. I got written up at work because my car's engine died on the way to work. I wasn't dodging work, I wasn't trying to get over a hangover, no, I was making an effort to get to work and the engine died. I had no means to get to work. What was I supposed to do, hitchike? Seriously? Next time I get in traffic, I could potentially get another write up because I was late, even if I call to say I'm going to be late becaus I"m caught in traffic.

By the letter of the contract, on technically, I fell into disciplinary action. By the spirit of the rule, I just got slapped in the face and told "to bad, so sad". Total, complete, BS.

Okay, so the engine of my car siezed up on the way to work today, and there is the distinct possibility that I may have to buy a new car...relatively quickly. If it proves to be a simple fix that'll just cost a little money because it's an older car, I may not need one, but I think the chances are high that either the engine is shot or won't be worth trying to repair.

Primarily, I just need a vehicle to get me from point A to point B. Gas mileage would be nice, to save money. Essentially, a dependable car that has at least decent gas mileage is what I'm looking for. I'll narrow down my search criteria from there. Anyone have any thoughts? Cars you own that you'd recommend? Methods of looking for someone who hardly knows where to start? Advice in general? I'm all ears, really.

Okay, so I can't submit a picture of clothing to my gallery/scraps (actually went and double checked the AUP), but I think it's safe enough to put it in a journal, as it is not incorporated into the site's gallery in any way, shape, or form. If not, and someone gripes, I guess I'll remove it, but I don't see the harm. Anyway, I have a new favorite shirt, and I just felt like sharing it, for those of you who are interested.

(Darn it, forgot to resize the picture and it'll be too darn large to try and fit it in the journal. Ah well, have a link instead)

My new shirt

Yep, today I am officially 25 years old. Dang, where did the time go? I'm certainly nowhere near where I want to be in life, but I still have some time to get there, and I sure haven't lost the dream. I just need to coax that spark of ambition back into good fire like I had back in college, and reorganize my room and my life in order to create a more productive routine I can follow. It's my life after all, and I need to take charge of it, rather than it takning charge of me.

I hate them. I hate them so freaking much.

Well, I haven't been very talkative of late, and it seems not very upbeat when I have been from some of my earlier journals and such. So to remind you all that I am still alive, despite the lack of completed work, I thought I'd share the results of a personality test that I found through watching  Dusk (he's a great artist and storyteller; you should give him a look). Here's what it came back with:


Organized


You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it's the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it's only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you're not satisfied until you reach it.

You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don't understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.


Reserved


You are somewhat shy, or at least unwilling to spend all your time socializing. With you it's true that "still waters run deep," which is why many of your acquaintances never get to know you well.

You are not always ready to talk at the drop of a hat. Whether you're in the office or at a party, you're not likely to be found gabbing away in the middle of a group of people.


Solitary


You are a private person, not very comfortable in a big group, and view excessive socializing as a waste of time.

You not prefer hanging out with others to spending time alone; you do not tend to feel at home in a crowded room, club, stadium, or auditorium.


Prudent


You look before you leap, think before you act, consider what you're about to say before you open your mouth to speak; that's why you rarely have to eat your words.

You usually don't get excited easily or blurt out the first thing that comes to mind without considering the consequences.


Innovative


You come up with a lot of ideas; if one doesn't work out, there's always another waiting in the wings. You often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. You're practically a one-person brainstorming session.

You are less interested changing the world than in dealing with things as they are. Unlike those who spend all their time trying to solve problems, you prefer to zero in on things that work and stick with them.


Introspective


You like your own company; you're a very interesting person. Tracking your own mental processes, knowing what you're thinking and why you do what you do, is important to you. Often, what's going on in your mind is more compelling than what's going on outside. For the most part, those with a high score on the "introspective" trait enjoy reading, taking long walks, learning new things, and other solitary activities.

You are not someone who is constantly looking to be among a group of friends; you never feel bored when you are by yourself.


Aesthetic


You appreciate art, beauty, and design; you know that they are not superficial but absolutely crucial to living the good life. You have good taste, and you're proud of it. Those with a high score on the "aesthetic" trait are often employed in literary or artistic professions, enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about the arts, reading, and travel.

You don't think it's pretentious to be moved by art and beauty. You're not one of those who believe it doesn't matter what something looks like as long as it does its job.


Intellectual


You are thoughtful, rational, and comfortable in the world of ideas. People find you interesting to talk to. You're the living embodiment of the saying "You learn something new every day." In general, those with a high score on the "intellectual" trait are employed in such fields as teaching and research, and are enthusiastic about reading, foreign films, and classical music.

You do not avoid abstract conversation, experimenting with new ideas, or studying new things. It bores you to stick to the straight and narrow of what you already know.


Original


You are constantly coming up with new ideas. For you, the world as it exists is just a jumping-off place; what's going on inside your mind is often more interesting than what's going on outside.

You don't feel that the road to success is to be a realist and stick to the program; you never stop yourself from coming up with new ideas or telling the world what you're thinking about.


Private


You don't see the need to share what you're thinking and feeling with everyone in the world, and you tend to present yourself in a somewhat formal way in order to keep your inmost thoughts to yourself. A high score on the "private" trait is a likely indicator that you are among those who can be happily occupied at home, away from the crowds, but, when the time comes, are equally enthusiastic about packing your bags and taking a trip.

You do not consider yourself a "free spirit," whatever that may be, and you're not comfortable expressing yourself without a bit of self-censorship.


It's a little off on some of the details, but by and large relatively accurate. If you're interested in taking it yourself and seeing what it says, you can check it out [URL=http://www.signalpatterns.com/perso.....ults]here[/URL

Okay, got an itch that needs scrathcing. Does anyone know any really good (or even decent for that matter) roleplaying sites/forums/whathaveyou? System prefered, but freeform open? My mind's just had a craving for RP recently...maybe because I'm sick and tired of sitting around by myself, not knowing anyone personally well enough to chat up or whom I know has similar interests (and being personally uncomfortable reaching out to those great people I've talked to here on FA, you know who you are), and I need to do something with real people. Oh, sure, I've had some fun playing Diablo 3 of late, as it fills that need of mine to be progressing towards something and that randomized newness of never knowing quite how things will play out when I get on, but it's not doing it for me entirely right now. There just seems to be a part of me that suddenly want to be an extrovert and hang out with people and RP and such, while in reality I'm an introvert who still has a hard time getting out of his shell when dealing with real people.

Sigh...sorry about turning that into a mild rant, but it's become frustrating that, when doing things solo, I can't seem to focus on a creative endeavor long before my brain stagnates on it, and I've just had the urge to do things with other people, but don't feel I know anyone well enough for it. There just seems to be so many things I want to do that requires multiple, real people participating, and I just don't know said people.

Help? Anyone?

P.S. And if it's not too much to ask, for conveniences sake, could you link the sites in your responses? Much appreciated.

You know, I didn't honestly think I'd ever actually reach this mark. 100 watchers, wow, that's a lot of people to me. Thank you all for the encouragement.

Well, I'm finally going to open commissions and see what happens. For information, please view my commission details here.

Recently got back from a week long camping trip to Washington DC, and I gotta say, it was awesome. It did so many things for me; got me out of the repetitive rut I’d been in, making me feel far more creative, got two novels of the Dresden Files read (great, great series of books) of which I haven’t read much of anything in quite a while, and just seeing the sights and history of my nation’s capital gave me something of a spiritual lift. Sure, for the most part, what goes on in those buildings no longer reflects what they stand for, but to see the memorials and government buildings and reflect on what they really stand for, what they mean to the ideals of this country, is a humbling experience. I sorely, sorely needed that trip. I may even post picture from my visit to the National Zoo as well, provided they’re clear enough. A 5 megapixel camera built into a camera on full zoom doesn’t take much for the shot to get blurry from slight movements of the hands.

Also, as mentioned in the title, I shall be opening for commissions. Come Monday, I will be officially open for commissions. The details of which can be found here, of which I will likely repeat in another journal come Monday.

And now, to spend too many hours playing Diablo 3 when I likely ought to be sleeping...

Okay, I’m using the term “working on” rather loosely. With the long shifts at work I’ve had little time to work on personal things during the week (at least if I wanted to at least try and get some decent sleep), I usually do various forms of gaming at a hobby store that take up most of my Saturday (it’s a lot of fun and gets me out of the house and hanging out with people, which helps me with my social skills), and come Sunday, I’m usually whooped to the point where I don’t seem to have the energy to due much of anything, especially creatively (much to my muses annoyance). So, I haven’t made much progress on much of anything of late. However, that won’t be going on forever, and once I get back to 8 hour shifts (AKA normal days) and get back into some form of routine, I should become much more productive.

So, for those of you interested, here’s what you have to look forward to from me, and what else I’m working on:


Commissions and trades

I hope to be opening for these sometime spring/summer timeframe. Not sure how best to work out trades, but commissions will likely be $0.75-$1.00 a page, with the commissioner giving desired page length and no extra charges if the story goes over the asked for page length. I’ll have full specifications, such as what I will and won’t write, when I am ready to open, though if you have inquiries about commissions, you can ask here or PM me now, and I’ll answer what I can.


Personal novel (as yet untitled)

Pieces of this may or may not surface here. It’s not a furry work, which is why I may not post it, but it does contain werewolf like creatures and may contain other anthropomorphic entities. So I may post excerpts that focus on those parts, but otherwise it’s a fantasy novel I aim to have published one day, first in a set of three novels. This projects has been stweing in my head for years, and I need to get it written. As some of you may recall, getting the first draft done was one of my New Year's resolutions, though unfortunately I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked.


The Divine Game

This idea was on the backburner for some time, having not picked up much steam since I posted that initial primer to the world, but recently my mind does what it does best (though inconsistently) and brings a lot of my scattered ideas into, well, not a unified whole, but connected enough that a large, elaborate whole can be formed that just needs a couple gaps to be filled and some details refined to come alive.

It has evolved into a very large project, which will be told over a long time through a number of short stories. It combines several stray ideas/singleton storied I’ve had or wanted to elaborate on, including A Taste of Magic, Climax Into Darkness and New Purpose, New Life, and a new piece I’ve been brainstorming, featuring a black furred kitsune mercenary who utilizes permanent digestion, for reasons I’ll explain when her story comes to be told. The incorporation of the earlier works into this new large project may involve some alterations of the original concepts, but they’re minor enough so that I doubt anyone would give it a second look. Besides, if there was too much tweaking needed, it wouldn’t be worth weaving them together.

All of these characters won’t be part of one story, and some may never directly meet, but some will at some point. Their stories are largely independent of one another, occasionally intersecting, weaving a bigger picture and telling through their combination a much larger story that would have a hard time fitting in a single piece of literature. This project is an ambitious one, but I’ve found myself eager to write it, as I enjoy it when several of my ideas come together.

On a related note, with the world of the story coming together, it’s also struck me as something I believe I’d enjoy RPing as a GM/DM, system rather than freeform. Trick is, I don’t know enough people personally whom I’d be reasonably sure would be potentially interested, and I’m more than a little leery about asking strangers, so while I think it might make for some fun fantasy vore RP, it’ll have to wait.


Superheroes

Inspired by the Zodiac comic and characters by  Eggplantman (my first watcher), I’ve been wanting to create my own batch of furry superheroes. During work a week or two back, a little bit of downtime brainstorming brought the first three members of the team, as well as the team’s theme and arch nemesis, into focus, and now I’ve got four members of the five strong group created, though the fifth is currently eluding me. The constraints of the theme is making it tricky, but coming up with five characters who fit the theme and are each unique is a fun challenge for my muse.


A Shot in the Dark (Sequel to Chasing Shadows)

This one is for  Eggplantman himself, a continuation of the fan fiction I wrote for his contest some two months back. Sagittarius isn’t just going to let the vigilante Void go and do his thing, even if he has been quiet since the events of “Chasing Shadows”. After some investigative legwork, she follows up on a lead as to the potential identity of the mysterious vigilante.


Secrets of the Frontier

I brought this up some time ago, when it was first called “Age of Discovery” that I wrote about in a journal here. Currently, I’ve got a group shot commission in the works, so hopefully you’ll be seeing them all soon. Beyond that, they’re a cast of characters that have been idling in my mind, wanting to do something, but the idea has been rather uncooperative for quite some time (as the date of the journal will attest). I know most of the character development that I want them to undergo, but the stories that tell of that development have not been forthcoming. Still, it’s an idea I refuse to relinquish, and want to keep off the backburner.



So, as you can see, I haven’t been short of idea, it’s just been refining the ideas into a completed whole, and finding the time to accomplish that, have been the hard parts. Still, even if I don’t have anything completed to show, I might as well tell you what I’m up to, so you know I’m still alive and pursuing my passion for writing.

Okay, so to keep my "one short story a month" pace, I need to get something written sometime in the next two weeks. I'm not entirely sure what to write though, with all the overtime I've been working being something of a drain, so I figured I'd throw it out to all of you. Is there a short story you'd like to see from me? I know some of you have expressed interest in my continuing certain pieces of mine, so now's your chance to make yourselves heard once more and perhaps see what you've hoped I'd write. And besides, it's fun sometimes to do something for the fans and not just for myself. So what would you like to see?


A new story featuring characters I've written for before?

Something vorish or inflationary?

Perhaps a straight up fantasy romp?

Or maybe a slice of life piece?

Or something from The Department of Creativity?

Something else entirely?


All I ask is that suggestions have at least an idea or something that I can work off of, ie "a vore story" is way too vague, and I'll ask that you refrain from proposing your own characters. I'm looking for inspiration for a unique piece, not taking requests at this time. I will be open for commissions and trades at some point in the future, at which point I'd be more than happy to write for your characters if you wish. Beyond that, feel free to suggest anything. Or, if you're not sure it's something I'm comfortable drawing, don't be afraid to ask.

If any of you are looking for quality commissions at affordable prices,  Madame-Dei is currently open for just such art. She's a great artist and a pleasure to work with, and really deserves a lot more love than she's getting. Really, I can't understand how more people aren't watching her. Follow the link below to her announcement journal, and to her pricing guide:

Announcement journal

Pricing Guide

She's even having a sale of buy one, get a second of equal or lesser value 50% off. Even if you're not interested in getting a commission, I highly encourage you to check her out and pass the word on to your friends. I feel she is a greatly underappreciated artist, and more people need to be familiar with her.

From Damian:

Yeesh, two days or so and I’m already making a memorandum to those who occupy the Department of Creativity around here. Some ideas around here can be pretty forceful, especially when they do fit a niche that RS was looking for. Now don’t give me that look Rhaine, you weren’t exactly front and center when the call went out. Sorry, Rhaine was giving me a dirty look. I mean, I know I’m a muse, and with that comes a lot of power around here, but I’m not omniscient. Things slip my mind from time to time, and sometimes ideas have to say “what about me” to get my attention.

So if you haven’t figured it out yet, Rhaine’s the new regular around here. I’ll get to proper introductions in a moment, but I thought I’d share a little back story first. See, Rhaine’s an old character of RS’s, back in the days of the old muse, from a sci-fi story that lost steam. While the story and virtually everything about it has been filed away in the “can’t simply throw it away” archieves, likely never to be resurrected, Rhaine’s been in and out of here on an infrequent basis, but often enough for everyone to know her by name. And since the story’s been abandoned, the character hasn’t, she’s anthropomorphic, and RS was looking for another female non-fetish character to even out the genders a bit around here, today while RS was at work, she decided to pay a not-too-subtle visit and, well, you can guess what happened from there. For the last time Rhaine, I am not a bird! I just have wings!

Ahem, now, for the introsuctions:


Rhaine: (Pronounced like "rain" with a rolling "r" and the "ee" sound a bit more emphasized)

Rhaine is…well…to be quite frank I’m not entirely sure. The old muse didn’t leave a whole lot of notes on the matter, and I think that detail was kinda glossed over in the old original first draft. Even though I can see her, it’s one of those awkward “I know but can’t communicate with author intelligibly” moments. It happens a lot. All I can say is that she is a jungle born feline, definitely evocative of “cat-folk”, anthro (duh), and has elements of puma in her appearance. As her origin still matches the original incarnation more or less, she isn’t any specific animal, rather an alien that possess features both humanoid and feline. She’s 16 years of age, a young adult by her species standards though teen by ours, and stands about 6’1”. She’s quite lean and lithe, likely fitting into most people’s definitions of lanky. Her breasts (yes, that is a detail I do feel is worth a separate mention, for mature reasons) are on the small end of average.

What makes her stand out isn’t her appearance though, it’s her unusual ability. Her people weren’t space capable, though they interacted with those who were from time to time, for various reasons (mostly trade, which fell into some real legalese [wow, didn’t know that was an actual word. Could’ve sworn it was still just slang] compacts and legislations and such). Rhaine was abducted for use as a scientific test subject, by the type of people who seek to “advance” science no matter the cost. I’m not sure how they managed it, but when all was said and done, Rhaine possessed the ability to change her body from organic to robotic, and back again, at will.

As a machine, its workings and construction are almost identical in relations to parts of the body; veins replaced by tubes carrying other fluids, nervous system replaced by wires, and, well, even her internal organs have pseudo-counterparts. Even her exterior behaves almost like skin, though it is metal, and separate jointed segments are needed for full range of motion, as her outer “shell” cannot stretch like skill, though it has a very mild elastic property. Her brain is also quite literally a computer, almost supercomputer in computing power. The biggest correlation between her two forms is that anything that becomes stored in her electronic memory becomes a part of her organic memory. While her normal brain doesn’t have the perfect recall and computing power her mechanical brain does, the memories are still there, allowing the learning of new languages to be a simple matter, among other things. Having a computerized memory has also allowed her to create a “backup” of herself, though she has yet to have need of it, and is not even sure if it’ll work. The correlation of mind, body, and soul with her dual nature is something she meditates on from time to time, for which she hasn’t come up with even a solid theory yet.

She has since been rescued, obviously, and in time made her own way into the world, which has led her conceptual self here, as a character and fixture of the Department of Creativity. Now all I have to do is help Roaming Shadow define her looks and perhaps you will all be seeing her in the future along with the others.

Hey everyone, this is Damian. Yep, I’m taking over Roaming Shadow’s journal for the moment, as I thought I should be the one to introduce you to a few people. These would be the “cast of characters”, to put it lightly, that RS mentioned not to long ago. You know, the whole “carving my niche into FA” announcement in that he made in that journal three months ago, and the “looking for artists” request in that last journal. Well, he’s finally comfortable with releasing them onto the webs, and you’ll meet the crazies I have to deal with on a regular basis. Granted, he might go into further detail with them at a later point, but that’s for another time.


Damian:

First of all, I’ll take a moment to reintroduce myself. Like I’ve said before, I’m Roaming Shadow’s muse, a personification of that which keeps his creativity in check. It’s not a thankless job, but it’s also a rough one at times. Much like the ideas I have to manage and organize, I kinda came about on a whim, one of those fabled “jolts of inspiration” on par with a creative epiphany. You know, those rare ideas that just feel “right” the moment their conceived? Yeah, it’s a good feeling.

I am, in a sense, RS’s first “furry”, my appearance first conceived long before I was, and long before he even knew of “furries”. That was back when wolves and werewolves found a special place in his head and heart, a place they still occupy to this day, if you couldn’t tell by the stuff in his gallery. For those of you who don’t know, likely if you’re new to my writer’s work, you can see what I look like by clicking the link here. He’s still planning on getting a commissioned reference of me, but that might be a while.

Like my writer, I’m not exactly great with talking about myself, but I’ll give it a shot. I think I’m a practical sort, seeing as how someone has to keep a sense of order around here. I’m comfortable in my own fur, and I’m not afraid to express myself. I’d say I’m laid back for the most part, and not a whole lot really gets to me, at least nothing I can’t bounce back from quickly.


Devon:

One of the earlier personifications to manifest around here. Devon is the representative of RS’s interest in vore, including a gravitation towards ooze/amorphous characters. Unlike the others around here, he’s quadruped (though I’m not entirely sure why…likely connected to the piece “Climax Into Darkness”). He’s reptilian in appearance, kind of evoking thoughts of “dragon” without that really being your first impression. He’s not living in the traditional sense of the word, being a magical construct of some unknown black ooze. I don’t know exactly what it is, and neither does Devon. Whatever it is, he can shift his viscosity a few degrees, and when he wants to be mostly solid, he actually has a pretty solid texture to him of a scaly hide and such. If it weren’t for the fact that he was all black, it might be easy to mistake him for a creature of flesh and blood.

To put it kindly, Devon has the intelligence of an adult and the knowledge of a child. He’s not stupid in any sense, but he just doesn’t know and understand societal norms and the like. He’s, well, simple, purely on the fact that, as part of his personification, he hasn’t been sentient all that long. He’s learning, but dealing with him is like dealing with a smart child; you never quite know what to expect. Oh, he’s a nice enough guy, but he still hasn’t quite gotten the understanding yet that engulfing someone isn’t an appropriate substitute for a hug. Fortunately he knows well enough when others aren’t enjoying his ministrations, and won’t have his idea of “fun” with others if he’s aware that they actively dislike such treatment. I’ve been engulfed an assimilated into him more than a few times, but we know each other well enough that I’m usually okay with it, and he lets me go if I’m just not in the mood.


Nick:

Nick came from a different corner of the Department of Creativity, a sub-section of the department that RS didn’t even know existed before coming to FA. Come to think of it, the vore offices were like that too. Nick, however, comes from the inflation offices. While taking up a little less space than vore, inflation comes in a close second in interests of the fandom around here. It took him a while to get personified, but he too was one of those ideas that sounded right the moment it came to mind. He’s a living inflatable toy, life size, of a grey gerbil. The name is actually an homage to a prior pet gerbil RS used to have a long time ago, though the similarities end there. Unlike Sharon, the gelemental wolf, Nick holds to ties to the direct works of others, and is far more a toy, with a perfectly smooth body, features painted on, visible seams, and an air nozzle for a belly button. His hands are the most articulate thing about his body, and the extent of their ability is turning knobs like those found on air tanks.

Nick is also childish, but in a different manner than Devon. Nick has what I like to refer to as a “Toy Story mentality”. He’s a living toy, he knows that, and the purpose of a toy is to bring happiness. As making others happy makes him happy, he’s just fine with that. And besides, who doesn’t like balloons in some way, shape, or form? The guy is great at cheering people up, and it’s hard not to be happy when he’s around doing his thing. Though, being alone is rough on him. After all, if he’s alone, he’s not brining happiness to anyone, which makes him unhappy. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of people around here who enjoy his company. I know he’s more complex than he lets on, but he really enjoys his niche in life, and who am I to spoil that for him?


Valerie:

Valerie is, to say the least, the biggest handful around here without question. She’s an embodiment of both RS’s vore and inflation interests, but…taken a bit to the extreme. I’ll get to that in a moment. Valerie looks like a Jaguar; tall, lean, graceful, and sexy. Her breasts, I feel I need to make note of, are actually within the normal range for a female, maybe just a tad larger than the “average”. Yeah, call him weird, but RS isn’t a fan of massive breasts. She’s usually seen in almost too tight jean shorts and a dark blue midriff top. However, in reality, she’s just as much an amorphous being as Devon, though I’ve never seen her in her “natural” state, and I doubt I ever will. She is a near perfect shape shifter, even creating clothes from her body mass, though these clothes are not separate entities and so cannot be taken off of her. Other than that, it’s virtually impossible to distinguish her from the real thing, as she even replicates the insides. However, there are a few signs of life that she cannot replicate, though these are beyond what most normal senses can pick up, as she even feels and smells like the real thing. Interestingly, she seems to have adopted that jaguar form as her default, though I’ve seen her take other forms from time to time.

To be blunt, Valerie’s defining characteristic is her complete lack of inhibitions. She could care less what social customs are; if she wants to have fun, and wants to include you in that fun, good luck stopping her. Now, to be fair, she’s not really mean, she just takes the thought of “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission” a bit to the extreme. She always makes it up to those who were less than willing to have “fun” with her, and as far as I’ve seen, she’s got almost no limit to how far she’ll go to repay such people for the “fun” she had with them. Valerie is very outgoing, practically to the point of intimidating, and is always looking for a good time. That girl doesn’t really have a neutral state, and would easily be the life of any party.

Like Devon, I’m not exactly sure what composes Valerie, but I do know some of the details of her being. For starters, Valerie’s form exists in more than three dimensions. Must of us can only perceive and comprehend three dimensions; length, width, and height. Valerie is conscious of more than that, and can actually willfully distribute her mass along those dimensions. What’s usually visible is but a fraction of her true mass, and she can rearrange her mass along dimensions so that it seems like she’s screwing around with the law of conservation of mass when she’s really not. To explain further would start including String Theory and other such stuff that I really don’t want to get into now.

Like Devon, she can assimilate mass into her own, storing mind and soul within her as well. However, she can redistribute that assimilated mass elsewhere to regain her figure, where Devon can’t; if he wanted to keep his shape and size, his density would go up, and that gets cumbersome. When it comes to vore, Valerie is equally fond of traditional oral and engulfing, and the occasional unbirthing. Her body is also more than capable of inflation, and not only can she reach sizes that Nick can’t, she can also control the distribution, often to naughty ends. Another feature of her body is that, not only can she merge others into herself through assimilation, she can merge herself into others, giving their bodies properties similar to her own. Using this, she can inflate others or force herself into others. The catch is that she can’t actually separate herself, meaning that she is quite physically attached to those she is “granting” her properties to. Along these lines, she’s also been known to trick preds into eating her, only to assimilate them from the inside out. Trust me, it’s a strange sight to see.


Shadow:

This guy has actually been around longer than anyone else here, though he only possesses a “furry incarnation” here, and even I respect his seniority. He is, in a sense, a combination of all the things RS likes in protagonist characters, or at least the protagonist trend he had gone through for quite some time not that long ago. Shadow is a totally black furred wolf, an antihero if there ever was one, with unadorned leather armor and two swords strapped to his back that he wields with a master’s skill. He’s an expert woodsman to boot, capable with a bow, and pretty good at hand to hand.

Shadow is a wolf of few words, not very charismatic, but often very intimidating and imposing. In one way or another, he fits into a lot of clichés and such of “badass characters”. However, he’s perfectly aware of this, and while he doesn’t like it being brought to his attention, he doesn’t intend to change. It’s just who he is, and he’s not going to change that for anyone or anything. His sense of honor and justice may be a little different than most, but he’s certainly a good guy at heart, and a great friend once you get accustomed to his rough exterior. He doesn’t dislike people after all, he just has a hard time interacting with them is all.


Isaac:

Isaac is someone I thought I’d never see around here, and it came as a surprise to Roaming Shadow when he showed up. Isaac is RS’s fledgling fursona. Honestly, neither of us ever thought he’d have a fursona, but this guy slowly came into being and he’s feeling, well, “right” for the role. Time will tell, but I have a good feeling about the kid. To start, he’s an ocelot, with nothing all that fancy about his fur patterns. Not to be mean, but “average” is actually a pretty good way to describe him. He’s neither out of shape nor really fit, just kind of having the average body of a healthy male, maybe just slightly more fit end of “average”. Attire-wise, he’s usually wearing jean shorts and a sleeveless shirt, usually black, dark blue, or brown. Occasionally he wears glasses, but only when he needs to see clearly at a distance; otherwise he keeps them in a case in his pocket.

Isaac is also perhaps the most “normal” of anyone here, as much as that means, not being linked directly to any of the “fetishes” that RS enjoys. He doesn’t have the capacity to be a vore pred, though he can still be prey, and he’s inflated Nick a time or two, but isn’t capable of inflating himself. Isaac is, more or less, a reflection of RS, though there are some subtle differences here and there, though I won’t be the one to say precisely what they are. He’s a bit socially awkward, having trouble breaking the ice, partially due to being an introvert, but once the introductions are done he’s much more relaxed. Despite his social awkwardness, he likes meeting new people. He’s a writer (big surprise there) and a gamer, fond of fantasy, RPGs, and action games, along with some more strategic games. I don’t know much more about him, but I’ve taken him under my wing, and I get the feeling I’ll be getting to know him much better in the near future.


Well, that’s all for now. If you’d like to know anything about anyone, feel free to ask here. They may even decide to answer personally. With any luck, and all the overtime money RS is making in real life, perhaps you’ll be seeing them all before too long.

Does anyone know any artists currently open for commissions who do reference sheets and can work from descriptions? I've got a couple characters in the works that I'd like to get reference sheets for (as well as a proper reference sheet for Damian) so I have something to give future artists whom I commission, rather than doing text descriptions, which some won't accept.

Oh, and for one of said characters, I can't decide on a base species. All I've got in my head is that she evokes both power and grace, with the impression of fluid strength rather than raw power. The first thing that my mind wanders to is leopard with such descriptors, but I'm not sure that's quite right for her. I know I'm not giving you guys much, and I'd be willing to give you more if you'd like, but I was wondering if you might have ideas based on those basic descriptors.