End of Year Reflection

With the year ending in just a few hours. It’s easy to panic over what has been accomplished in the year. I am very much not THE person to offer comforting words or reassurance. Heck, I would definitely be the person looking for affirmation that I didn’t waste time.

 It's an unsettling dread that’s hard to ignore or refute. But at the end of it, some things are done during it and if not, its progress that’ll make it easier for it to be done soon next year.

 So what’s better than mulling over things that could have happened? Why; it's what has been left unfinished, but a bit closer to completion than before.

 It's an insignificant victory, but still a victory in the end. And I want to look back on the progress made behind the scenes of a few projects I have started this year, or a longer time ago.

Restoration - The Heir / Worldbound - Lineage

 Starting with a project I brought up in Nostalgia month, which I went silent and abandoned for some time. So a refresher is mandatory.

 The Restoration Project is a label on my attempt to both remember, and to reimagine old stories and characters created way back when. One of these stories is the earliest one I had made. With vague, sometimes illogical worldbuilding and characters ripped from archetypes I liked and kiddy me thought would be cool.

 It was a rough draft that began my interest in writing and art, if only to sate my budding desire to create stories. 

 Of worlds sprouting from simple dreams. Of trees planted in each world to eventually cause its entropy, crystal fruits and the mystical red seed imbued with life. Creatures born from the largest of those fruits, draining every last bit of life from the world to facilitate the creatures’ birth, and its [the worlds’] demise. 

 And a single individual lotted to prevent the growth of world piercing trees, the emergence of those creatures, those Entities. The end of their world and the end of the many stories that it would foster.

 One of those stories is set in the aftermath when the world is saved from entropy by its Tree. The journey of another danger threatening its existence, and how it is saved by a jaded young woman, a young boy from a dead world and the very world threatening Entity tethered to him.

 Originally during Nostalgia month, the most I did was give a general outline, redesigns of the characters, and a rant of its worldbuilding. And as soon as I started it, I ended without concluding it to focus on another project I gained a reinvigorated interest in.

 So, it was inevitable after a few cycles of that, I would end up gaining interest in the project again. And sure enough I did exactly that. WITH A VENGEANCE… Well, sort of.

Firstly, I did focus my efforts on the plot, how to make it a cohesive and immersive but not confusing story, how each character can still reasonably fit in and their motives, and how to fix its plot holes.

 While I’m not going to reveal everything, just a little snippet of what I have worked on. I am confident to have a proper outline of the entire story, with only a few quirks needing some attention. Enough for me to christen this recreated continuity humbly as Worldbound Lineage. 

 Accepting it into my modern collection of story projects.

  It has enough of its own worldbuilding to separate from the existing lore. For me to slot in all the reimaginings of the original characters, then needing to make many more for a rounded cast, some actors to fill the background. AND figured out a general tone to allow breaks of silliness and self-indulgent plots.

 Such as this little mockup here. Made for what I envisioned in a potential story arc for the character, Nevaeh, the protagonist. And Reynardt, a character originally created for the sake of having a ninja in the story.

Still lacking discipline in my art to fully portray what I imagined, it has enough to capture what I hoped to see from the story.

And knowing that, it's hopeful.

 Speaking of Hope. Let’s move onto the next project, a deliberate fan version of a series at that!

F/Danganronpa Smoke and Mirrors

 Deciding to build my version of the famous high school killing game on a whim. It was meant to be a little creative exercise that spiralled into whatever it is now. Which will be discussed here, beginning with a basic synopsis of the story.

 Following the controversial event involving a rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy and a student recruit of theirs. Damage control was made in the form of an unveiling to Hope Peak Academy’s very own new Talent Evaluation Site.

 Where students scouted by Hope’s Peak are to contend and, ‘prove’ their Ultimate Title in order for their admission in the Academy proper.

 To demonstrate the process. Recent middle school graduate, Nobuo Miyata is invited as a contender for the title of The Ultimate Biographer. Set to prove the legitimacy of his talent alongside the very students originally embroiled in the incidents that was began by their classmate.

 Wary and eager to somehow earn his Ultimate Title and to meet his new classmates - all celebrated individuals despite the recent blemish on their image.

 It isn’t long before the event turns deadly and the students are forced into an unwinnable situation.

 Very much inspired by the fan game duology of the actual Danganronpa series, Danganronpa Another Despair Academy created by LINUJ. 

 Following the spirit of the fan games and canon game series. The story is intentionally loose rather than strictly adhering to the formula of the games.  

 While it is meant to be a fan continuation of the canon story, it is set far into the future that the events of the game are vague, with only the effects of The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History still permeating the present setting of the story.

 Leading back to the story’s original conception as a creative exercise, creating the attitude that made it easier to fill out the general requirements of a student cast, a killing game host, and some art!

If mostly art made to test the waters for how the characters would look visually compared to their descriptions. And only some time after, an attempt to create sprites for one of the characters to get the feel of making sprites with recyclable parts.

 Going back on track. Alongside the bare foundations of each chapter’s murder, trial and executions. And the overarching mystery of the story, the subsequent twist of said mystery.

That attitude did cement an overall lax approach to the story, enough to stagnate it from progressing past its original intent.

Still preoccupied with projects I am juggling my attention for when I began it. It still sits in my mind for me to lull myself back to the story. With options to either create a simple interactive story to get my hands into programming and coding, or release the story as they are, in a post dedicating it as what it is - a creative exercise.

 There’s no excuse not to do both, so maybe something will come out of it after all. And I won’t have to keep it hush-hushed to not spoil the mystique.

 As of now, these are the two projects I have worked on lately to no current plans of completion. Recent enough to occupy my mind to feature them in this post, and allow some levity from the crushing existential dread of ‘Oh god, what did I actually do this year?’ that comes complimentary to the new years.

So before the year ends. Happy Holidays, Happy New Years, and a 2025 to remember for the ages. A quarter into the century and only three more quarters to the next.

It's daunting and a bit scary to brace all that comes. But we're in this together, even if you or I or anyone out in the world don't realize it. And that's a comforting thought I hoped to remember, and hoped to let anyone willing to listen to me to know.

So Happy New Years, and I hope to see you next year.