Creativity Brain Plagues
A newsletter by L.V. Hartley / WOLF PIT MACHINE
MYTHOSLAIN: Progress + Side Quests
Greetings to a new irregular newsletter section that can be skipped by all the non-Homestuck inclined, though I strongly advise not skipping the first chunk this one for I will not be talking about primarily comic-related progress, but rather an indulgent AU for two of my characters (Ithaqu & Ksakal) in Slay the Princess (a project I got so invested in the designs for I am severely tempted to make a game about - my only hesitation comes in the form of lacking means to acquire voice acting).
This concept came about as I was thinking about other works that featured strong disembodied hand imagery given Ksakal’s powers & affinity for hands. The idea was further cemented when my only idea of music vibes for the pair’s theme that came to mind as I was explaining my theme wishlist to my lovely collaborator who will graciously be crafting Mythoslain themes was ‘The Song We Write in Our Blood’ from the Slay the Princess soundtrack. I had drawn this first piece with the solid justification of how these characters would alter the basic story of the game would hinge on how the original game opens with the statement “This is a love story” whereas these characters would transform it, by virtue of their firm kismesissitude (hate romance for the unaware), into a “hate story.”
I was up late the night after generating ideas for potential routes & versions of our dear Princess/Priestess Ithaqu that I was compelled to start drawing the next day. Not long after I finished the first set selectively picking ones I had strong visual concepts for, I slipped & designed all 15 alongside a player character concept.
I also settled on the voices that will be present through the routes:
Voice of the Villain (starting)
Voice of the Lustful (Succubus, Prey)
Voice of the Starved (Devoured, Wight)
Voice of the Devoted (Savior)
Voice of the Morbid (Reborn, Effigy)
Voice of the Tamed (Mother, Idol)
Voice of the Rebel (Nameless)
Voice of the Cautious (Huntress)
Voice of the Fatalist (Mage)
Voice of the Weary (Mourned)
Voice of the Fool (Sacrifice)
Choices in the first chapter that split into these paths is presently undecided beyond a few obvious directions. The main premise is that you are still tasked with killing her, but she’s very on board with being killed only if you do it right. Themes for the hate story revolve around insatiable challenge & the desperate need for balance. The struggle to allow her to die permanently & thus be denied a mirror through which to see yourself with ugly clarity that more “wholesome” emotions like love denies you. To hate in this way is to know yourself & another all too well.
Different forms of the Princess / Priestess reflect facets of Ithaqu’s role & her convoluted perspective on destiny & following in the footsteps of those that came before her. I have ideas for a couple more that I may design soon, though I need to get a move on other Mythoslain work.
Speaking of - what’s going on there? I’m currently fleshing out information on the characters & their trajectory to get a full sense of what moving parts are in play. I am experimenting with character voice & dynamics to get in the swing of writing them for their chatlogs. This exploratory writing also serves as a guideline for developing their overall themes. I have made no more progress on the outline itself, but I am set on the number of acts/paths that I had originally defined. Most of the art progress can be found on the Mythoslain tumblr blog, though I still need to complete the profiles so I can make a pinned post collecting the basic ideas / to serve as a directory for mobile users. I have at least made a banner for it out of all the troll call art:
I am very torn on how much information about them to share ahead of the comic & what should be kept as developments to occur naturally over the course of the story. I am compelled to still share things about them for accountability reasons & because it’s nice to put them all somewhere. I am not immune to the little boost when I get a positive reaction to my work/characters.
NEW STUFF: The Latest from Yours Truly
** New stuff I’ve worked on has mostly been Mythoslain-related, but we’ve released more regular episodes of Sburban Spectators you can check out now! Our Patreon has also released its first exclusive zine in the form of a 44 page guide on making fantrolls drawing from my deep well of fantrolling experience.
UN-POSTED: Thoughts to be Purged
** If I stop, I will explode.
For more:
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Got comments? Reach me at wolfpitmachine@gmail.com