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Thanks to everyone who answered about the article situation yesterday. I'll try something else, hoping it works to keep it invisible except by clicking on the link in the chapter "Per-Cheer-Furious Allegations"  . Please mention if the article still appears as private to you; if that happens, I'll make it public tomorrow. |
| I’d say it’s working how you want now. A hyperlink appears in the text and takes the reader to the article only when tapping it. |
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| You may have noticed that today's chapter in the "Skins" Interactive, "Per-Cheer-Furious Allegations" , has a link right between the words. The link is supposed to connect to the article written by David (with help from Claire) in that chapter. Why did I do that? For two reasons. One, the article is what causes the controversy, so it makes sense that the reader sees what the article contains to see if everyone's reactions are justified. Hence, why it gets defictionalized (or rather, actually written). The second? Trying to write up a bunch of chapters referencing the article without having the article itself properly written for reference caused a lot of confusion, which made writing these chapters difficult. Had I not written it, there would be more contradictions than the ones that those that probably escaped my scrutiny after I wrote it. So, it was written for internal consistency - and because it's short and sweet, it made sense to just post it and have it add to this particular branch. Now, I intentionally set it to "Private", which means it might not be visible even with the link. Despite having 5 years in the site, there are still a lot of things I don't understand about its operation, so it may happen that you're unable to see the story. If so, make sure to point it out on this note, so I can be informed. If it works, then I'll see whether I make it public (which will let people see an article without context) or see how to figure out how to restrict it without depending on a PassKey. Thus - if you have any comments about the move, or ideas on how to improve the immersion, feel free to ask. If there's something about online writing sites is that you can make those subtle connections that the written word would find difficult to, especially with something like Interactive Stories which are pretty much dependent on existing in one. |
| Another weekly update, and this one has genuine good news. I completed another branch this week, which with the two I already have means I have three weeks' worth of content. That, coupled with finding ways to return to a semi-constant writing dynamic, means I should start posting again as soon as tomorrow. So expect daily (or semi-daily, for one of the branches) updates for at least three weeks, if not more. Tomorrow will begin where "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" left off. David decided to look for Kelly as his "source" to write his newspaper article, with his teen sister Claire posing as her for the actual "interview". However, things go haywire as he learns Jessica's plot to get Mikey and Lindsey get together has failed, and even further when Claire goes rogue and starts acting on her own. He's got a story and has worked things so as to arise no suspicion. Will thinks work his way, or will Claire's interference cause unexpected troubles? As always, if you want to know the latest updates (like, y'know, this one!!), you can always click on the Heart icon to the right of my Name and briefcase icon to become a Fan, so you can see them in your Newsfeed. |
| Weekly update on the hiatus, with some actual good news! Yesterday, I completed the 7-chapter branch starting from "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" , and the way it ended caused it to have an extra chapter. That augments my buffer to two weeks. This week, I plan to work a third branch, specifically the one starting with "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" . That one had an interesting ending. How will things change and potentially escalate from this moment on? Now, if I manage to complete this branch in time, it's entirely possible I start posting again the week after (end of June/start of July). Which stories I'll develop afterwards depend on my whim, but I feel I should tackle another underdeveloped part of the story while on the way. As always, if you want to keep updated on everything that's going on, make sure to click on the gray Heart icon until you become a Fan - that way, these and other updates will appear on your Personal Newsfeed. |
| I have a slightly more positive update, if not what you probably want. I got two chapters for the branch ending on "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" and am working on a third chapter. Second one was the hardest to write since I didn't expect David to be so uncooperative, and things took an unexpected direction. But he has a choice, and he's gunning for that choice. What choice? Hopefully you'll see in a couple weeks, if I get this buffer up and running. |
| A very little bit of good news! Though I still don't have anything for next week (meaning the hiatus remains),. I started writing up the next chapter for the branch ending with "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" . Next week should be a bit easier on interruptions, but can't really promise anything. Remember that if you click the heart icon (in case you haven't already) and become a "Fan", you'll get these and other notifications in your Personal Newsfeed, letting you get all updates. |
| Once again, I have to apologize for bearing bad news, but I'll have to extend the hiatus on "Skins" chapters for at least one more week. This one had an unexpected situation that consumed most of my available writing time, which has been sadly limited because of power issues. Though I could declare an extended hiatus, I honestly want to attempt and restart posting as soon as possible, as I got a plan on hand. Thus, I'll settle for weekly updates rather than leave you guys (and gals, and pals) on the dark. If I need an extra week but have written something, I'll simply post how many chapters I've completed until I fulfill that plan. Again, sorry for the inconvenience, but my writing time is effectively halved and that doesn't help, especially when I'm requested during that time. |
| So I mentioned I'd take a break this week, and it was (unexpectedly) the best decision I could've made. But, it also brings some bad news. I'll have to extend that break for at least one more week, because of causes beyond my control (which I'm trying to solve currently). I do have something I could post for at least one week, but I want to have at least a two-week buffer before I return with daily posts. My plan is to have a full set of chapters starting from "Like Returning Clothes to their Place" and "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" , or at least advance them enough in case I can't do anything in one or two days, before choosing to post daily again. Whether that'll happen this coming week or not depends on how things work out. I also plan to touch another branch in the interactive - an "Author's Choice", perhaps - but perhaps not now. In any case, see you next week. (And apologies for the radio silence up until now.) |
| With "Losing Yourself to the Beat" , I pause this commission for a while. Compared to the previous one (which started with "The (Non-)Experience of a Lifetime" and stopped at "In Bed with a Little Stranger" ), this one was a bit more complex. The prompt was, "to see David putting on a hot girl around her age and just spend time as her", preferably with a friend. This was refined a bit more, to accommodate for the commissioning client's desires (always aim to satisfy them!), which led to this seven-branch chapter. As you can see, it's very different because it's not aiming for spy missions, or malicious identity theft, or situations where David's being forced by others to use the pens. (Technically, since Jimmy had the idea, but David agrees with the idea in the first place.) And also because it's more closer to their age, the same way "Cupids in Disguise" has David immerse a bit into out-of-school life, leading to "The Big Scoop" . This is also a huge opportunity to build up Edgefield High, and I'm very thankful to the client for some background assistance about it. There's a new school group (the Edgefield Musical Experience, aka the "glee" club) and some more students, as well as some people from St. Lenore, the preppy school for rich people. And, even if it's not seen, there's a behind-the-scenes development of the cheerleader squad which you may see in a distant future. Perhaps out of all the stories I've developed, this one feels more like a slice-of-life than the others. (Barring "A Day in the Life of Claudia Nicholls" , which was intentionally devised as one, but it quickly deviates into something else.) Or, to be precise, this one feels like the kind of stories you'd expect from another very popular Interactive in this very place: "The Book of Masks" . As a collaborator there, you may feel some of the vibes of just experimenting with the tools at their disposal and just play with them - there's no difference between David and Jimmy using the pens to put on Samantha and Lauren and Will and Caleb making masks of, say, Kelsey and Amanda and just living the high life while fooling their friends. And there are a lot of options for new stories, just like rugal b.  does. Speaking of him - in case you don't know, he's released a new Interactive based on another of Seuzz 's stories:
Go ahead, give it a good look and support him! As for me? I'll probably take a break this week. Will tell more during the week, depending on what I decide. |
| Results for the surveys are in! For "Skins - The Big Scoop" , I only got one answer, that one being "Snatching the (Fake) Informant" . I would've preferred more answers, but this one's good enough to start the next batch, since I can always continue with the revelation that Claire has a crush on Mikey. That said, I might plan to revisit this branch on an earlier point, maybe by having David call Ashley immediately, or maybe nip Claire's crazy plan in the bud by getting Lindsey's story. Of course, that'll be a future consideration. As for "Skins - Reader's Choice" , I got a couple answers, which I'll have to refine. One of them I can mention without issues - "Out with the Old (Life), In with the New (Born)" , but there are a couple others I might need to ask about. It's the reason why I didn't allow anonymous responses, as I might need to ask a few questions. However, I did get a request for an entirely new storyline, and if it works it might add to the list of stories! Also a reminder that this week has a commission running through. More details tomorrow, but if you've been following it, it's somewhere between creepy and wholesome. It's also an interesting little change from most of the stories I've been working at. |
| A reminder that there are two surveys running until tomorrow: "Skins - The Big Scoop" and "Skins - Reader's Choice" . The second one even lets you choose a specific story to advance! Also a reminder that the current "Skins" story is based on a commission. |
| As promised, the survey asking for the next step to follow in "Skins" has been closed. Participation was small, but I still got something from it. In fact, it will spawn two more surveys. The first, "Skins - The Big Scoop" , will let you choose a direction for this branch of the story, which has already created a few deviations of its own. Will you be interested in seeing what happens after Claire puts on Kelly? Or what happens after David and Jessica meet Allison and Ashton for real? Or do you want something else, something new and exciting? The second, "Skins - Reader's Choice" , will let you offer ideas for which stories you want to see developed. There will be a further survey to refine those options, but this is your opportunity to very directly shape* which course the story will take! Both surveys will last until this Saturday, May 17th, so don't miss your chance to make your voice heard! Also, the commissioned story continues with "Reaching for the Star(let)" . What will happen now that Jimmy is impersonating Samantha Reynolds? Will David succumb to the lure of becoming a girl? Or will he resist? (...Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he will! The question is, who?) Remember that if you like the contents and want to know more, as well as to be informed of further surveys, make sure you click the Heart icon to become a Fan! *: Some restrictions may apply. More details on the survey form. |
| Excuses for the tardiness on today's chapter, but I had an important appointment today. As for the survey ("Skins - Next Branch" ), I'll extend it for another day. |
| Reminder that the "Skins - Next Branch" survey is up until tomorrow. Your decisions will help a lot in deciding how chapters will be posted. Also, remember that this week will run a series of chapters related to another commission. You'll notice a lot of options in these chapters, meaning they can divert into many, many new stories. You'll also notice it's a story with Jimmy tagging along. Will it have a lot of hijinks? That's for you guys to learn in due time. |
| As promised, the survey for the next batch of chapters is up: "Skins - Next Branch" . You'll notice that most of the choices don't link to the end of established storylines, but at previous decision points. This is deliberate, in case you want to see a few deviations. (The one exception is "Into a Sister, Onto a Problem" , as that one still hasn't grown enough compared to the others.) I'll leave it up until Wednesday, meaning you have plenty of time to have your voice heard. Also, a reminder that today's chapter - "Of Unexpected Test Runs and Plans" - is part of a commission. This one, unlike the previous one, will run through all the week, as it's a 7-chapter commission. |
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