Discussion Post #3

Coucou,

Two things for this post-release discussion. The first part is a letter, and the second part is hopefully from you.

First,

Again, thank you for playing The Night Muse. This has been a true labor of love. When I started writing erotic stories, I had no experience making "games". Some of you might recall the binary choices of The Fairy Prince, which I first published on CHYOA. It was, for the most part, a story of choosing between "sweet" or "rough" options. Clearly, The Night Muse was more ambitious. A gauntlet of trials and errors. I studied Twine guides and forums like they were religious texts, but still made hundreds of hair-raising mistakes. It can be a lonely and infuriating process. But the moments of discovery made it worthwhile.

I say this to suggest that anyone with a vision and ambition can produce their own stories. Even if you've never touched Twine or Ren'Py or whatever. The gay interactive erotica community is a bubble within a bubble on the internet. But I can think of very few places where the global gay community comes together to be so vulnerable and sex-forward and playful. Of course, it can be reflexive to think of NSFW games as degenerate, and thus not worth deeper consideration. After all, don't we play them in secret? But I think this is our sword and shield, our bread and butter. We've always carved identities and culture from secrets. Shared secrets. Discos, truck stops, bathhouses. Chatrooms, ballrooms, bedrooms. The Night Muse, Reform School, Grizzly Grove. We often get put into bubbles, but the thing about bubbles is that they rise.

When I finished writing The Fairy Prince four years ago, I included a note at the end of the game: "Be proud. Do not be ashamed. And never forget that faggots are magical." To some people, we're just oddities of sexuality and gender. Sometimes our own families and governments want to shame us. Sometimes we embody that shame. It can mutate us until we become quiet, confused, and invisible. No one should be invisible. One thing that NSFW games affords us is the opportunity to confront our desires and sexual imaginations. It reminds us that other people share these feelings and that we aren't degenerate oddities. We're human, like all the others, but with a touch of something peculiar. You could call that peculiarity anything you want. I call it magic.

However you can, wherever you are, don't let yourself become invisible. Be your own muse.

Now,

As I've mentioned here and there, this is the last story from me. I wanted to finish The Night Muse with a neat narrative bow on top, but with enough story for someone to continue things, if they so desired.

That said, I want this discussion post to act as a sort of Ask Me Anything. You can ask about the development process, the narrative, certain characters, certain scenes or events, references in the story—whatever you want! I'd also love to hear about your Magpie. What's the story of your character? Who did you become friends with, or hook up with on Halloween night, or relate to in an unexpected way? What vigor discipline did you focus on, or which obscure character that only appears once stole your attention? Mine is Kolton. Woof.

Or you can just drop by to say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

♥ voir