#wip: threshold

[chrismerle]

Hello! Just stopping by with a question about writing XD Do you have any characters who's role grew bigger than you expected? Any surprising changes your characters went through during the writing process?

hmmmm

I suppose Shai probably counts

originally, Shai was my first Fallen London character, but at this point there are two very similar but nevertheless distinct versions of Shai. because they are still a Fallen London character and I still write FL fanfic with them and my friends' FL characters, but I'm also (very ... very ... slowly) writing an original story in which they're a key character (and borrowing my friends' characters because I genuinely can't conceive of what Shai would be like without Daniel or Ari in their life). that on its own probably counts as their role growing bigger, but even within the original story itself, their role has grown.

initially, Shai was supposed to be ... I guess sort of an Easter egg? in Threshold. the group of hapless normies was going to stick together, and Ivan would be the one shepherding them back to safety and back to their world (Ivan has also changed a lot, considering he started as a sort of generic grizzly Manly Manpain Sad Man medieval fantasy roleplay character I occasionally used on Gaia Online). Shai would just be one of the contacts Ivan used to help facilitate that, mostly there for my friends to point at and go 'I know that dumpster fire!' and it was ... hard to write? I knew I wanted to include Shai, but Shai refused to be a footnote. one of the most entertaining things about writing Shai is that they suck up all of the oxygen in any space they enter because no one can ask if they're okay if there's no air left to do so but that also makes writing them a bit of a bitch sometimes. they refused to stay contained by the relatively small role I'd designated for them.

so next I tried swapping Shai's and Ivan's positions, making Shai the shepherd of hapless ducklings and Ivan the contact who helped them out at one point, but that also didn't feel right. Shai's not heartless generally speaking, and they can be incredibly (sometimes detrimentally) loyal and generous ... to people who they've decided have earned it. outside of that group of people, they're generally a ruthlessly pragmatic shit stick who looks at life the way a child might look at an easily shakeable ant farm. they are not the sort of character who would just volunteer to help the normies out, regardless of how curious the situation was; helping would distract from satisfying their own curiosity. plus, Ivan is generally a Good Person, and would have simply volunteered to take over Shai's shepherd duties.

which is when the solution occurred to me: split the party.

as Threshold now stands, Shai first finds the party of hapless normies, and they deliver the group to Ivan to actually help them, so they can then prance off to investigate the circumstances of the normies even being there. but then shit happens and one member of the Normie Brigade gets left behind very early in the story (it's literally how the first chapter ends). Shai is loyal to Ivan, is aware that Ivan will beat himself up if he can't get Jayne back to the group, and is also aware that Ivan will have an enormously difficult time getting the rest of the group to safety, tracking Jayne down, and getting him back to the group. on top of that, they'd already given their word to the group that they would be safe in Ivan's custody, but suddenly Jayne was no longer in that safe custody, and Shai takes keeping their word very seriously at least if they meant it when they gave it. so Shai winds up babysitting Jayne throughout the story. Threshold's current format is that the POV switches each chapter, with one chapter being the larger group from Mercy's perspective and the next chapter being Jayne, Shai, and Shai's rotating cast of friends from Jayne's perspective.

and that probably answers the question! I don't think you actually asked for most of that info, but Shai is my tragic Mary Sue trashfire and I like talking about them.

[smieska-draws]

free him

every night i work on this and get closer and closer to having at least a *presentable* version of the animatic before June 4th is making my brain make monkey noises and causing a mess

[ginzburgjake]

wip timelapse weeeee

[fushiglow]

[Exclusive] Getō Suguru is this week's cover star!

Here's a preview of his interview where he discusses his collaboration with Satoru and much anticipated album, Your Blue. Read the full story in chapter 14 of Over the Threshold!

“I’ll never return to Blue Spring again”

The quiet resurrection of Getō Suguru

This year marked Getō Suguru’s long-awaited return to the radio waves, but this time, his voice is nowhere to be heard. The singer-turned-producer discusses raising the next generation of musical artists and forging fast friendships in unlikely places. Read the full story below the cut.

Once upon a summer, Getō Suguru’s sunny smile lit up every street in Tokyo. You couldn’t round the corner without seeing his billboard, bold and bright and brazenly blue. The man I meet at a quiet café in Kagurazaka is a far cry from the fresh-faced youth Japan remembers. Crowded behind a tiny bistro table, he seems almost too big for his surroundings, both in presence and in stature. It’s a quality he shares with his collaborator, Gojō Satoru (known mononymously as Satoru), with whom the producer made his emphatic return to music this year. But over the course of forty five minutes and an English breakfast tea (milk, one sugar), I learn they share little else. “Satoru is the most honest person I’ve ever met,” Getō says of the story behind their implausible partnership. With his all black attire and neatly crossed legs, he’s the picture of understated elegance, despite the tattoos and piercings. Though he lacks the otherworldly looks of the singer he’s talking about, Getō is just as striking to behold. He’s beautiful for a man, with soulful eyes that bely how terribly young he is, even after all these years away from the industry. Unlike his counterpart, there’s a certain warmth to him, evident when he says, “It’s the reason he’ll go down as the greatest artist of our generation.” A bold claim, especially considering the as of yet unreleased album marks the K-pop idol’s first foray into the Japanese language market. Satoru’s individuality has won him hearts overseas but, despite his staggering talent, his aversion to discretion risks alienating him on home turf. Only this week, he caused a stir when he described the “old geezers running the music industry” as “a collective erectile dysfunction flopping around in a poorly fitted designer suit”. Indeed, “honest” is putting it generously. But perhaps you’d expect nothing less from Getō, whose brand of charm is suave and sophisticated where Satoru’s is cheeky — to put it generously. “There’s a heart of gold beneath that rough exterior,” he insists, surprisingly serious. “You can hear it in his songwriting.”

Maybe he’s right, or maybe Getō simply brings out the best in Satoru. In music and in conversation, Getō has a way of polishing Satoru’s harsh edges to reveal the hidden jewel within. It’s a marvellous gift he possesses, and Satoru has undoubtedly reaped the benefits of his proximity to Getō. The reverse, surely, cannot be said to be true. From stampedes at Shibuya station to speculation about his sexuality, this year has seen the producer catapulted into the public eye in new and uncomfortable ways. Is Getō bothered by the seemingly relentless scrutiny the superstar invites, inevitably bouncing off Satoru and onto him? “Not at all.” Getō’s smile is warm, fond even. His effortless charisma makes it easy to trust his word, but if Satoru is honest in his estimations, then Getō’s admission that the pair of them are “opposites in lots of ways” raises question marks. Unrelated, I was instructed not to ask any questions about the mysterious reasons behind his lengthy hiatus from music. There’s a common English proverb that says ‘opposites attract’, often used to suggest that ideal partnerships are built on contrasts. Research proves otherwise, and in Japan, we tend to prefer the notion that ‘birds of a feather flock together’, but perhaps Gojō Satoru and Getō Suguru buck the trend, because the art they’ve created together (and it is art, despite what their naysayers declare) is undeniably impressive. Ahead of its release on December 24, Your Blue has already garnered a number of wins at the prestigious Japan Record Awards. Though there was no prize on offer for best producer (a title that would surely go to Getō), all three singles due to be announced during the ceremony on New Year’s Eve. It marks the first time in history that multiple works by a single artist have been nominated in the category in a given year. But is he worried that Satoru’s untimely comments have dashed their chances with the voting committee? “That would suggest I think the awards aren’t really about the music.” Ever the diplomat, Getō neither confirms nor denies that’s the case, though it’s perhaps of note that Getō will not be attending the awards with Satoru on December 31. “For me,” he says with a shrug, “New Year’s Eve is a night for family.” One might imagine Getō is rooting for Sugar, a masterclass in pop production on his part, or Limitless, which earned him his first lead songwriting credit on a professionally released record since his debut. His favourite for the win? “Blue.” A predictably magnanimous choice by the producer, considering it’s the only song on the album he didn’t have a hand in creating. In the face of such humility, it’s not hard to remember why the Prince of J-pop was once touted as the ideal role model for Japanese youth. In recent years, Okkotsu Yūta took that title for himself, though one could argue that Getō Suguru paved the way for a great many of the young artists climbing the charts today. Prior to his collaboration with Satoru, the producer worked with up and coming group, Resonance, on their debut album. The trio are overwhelmingly tipped to win Best New Artist at the Japan Record Awards, less than a year after they burst onto the scene. With his tracks widely lauded as the standouts on their album, is Getō Suguru the key to unlocking an artist’s potential? He thinks not, at least when it comes to Satoru. “Satoru is perfectly capable of unlocking his potential by himself. He doesn’t need Getō Suguru—

I actually lied. This is the full story. This is all you're getting, here and in the chapter itself. So, what do we think? How's that for a WIP Wednesday, huh? Please please please scream at me to help me get this thing over the finish line at last! ♥

[thethreshold-if]

Demo update: Chapter One part 1/3 is out

I’m very happy to announce that the first part of three of chapter one is out now! You can play the updated demo on itch.io. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Features:

Meet the people that are locked with you.

Choose if you study, work, or don’t do either.

Show your true identity or create a fake one.

Learn a little more about the “game”.

Decide what trial you’ll do.

Etc.

Coming up next:

Play and try to survive.

Die.

Get to know the characters more.

I’m very sorry for the length of the update. It’s very short, but I decided to divide the chapter in three so I’m at least publishing something. I’d like to continue with this format so I can get feedback before I get too far in a chapter. At least for now, since I’m very new to this, I want to take things slowly.

I was happy with the content when I finished writing it, but when I coded it I felt it wasn’t too good. I’m specially worried about the MC being too flat. I want them to be very customizable, someone whose background and personality isn’t set in stone, so you can roleplay more freely. Of course, there are many limitations, and sometimes I feel they can come off as boring. In the future, I want to pay attention to this, and see how I can balance customization and make them an interesting character at the same time.

Anyway, I’m open for your feedback as well. The purpose of making a demo, for me at least, is to be able to hear your opinions and change whatever I must to make it better. All the updates are subject to change. So feel free to send me not only bugs and errors, but also your subjective thoughts (link to the google form).

Lastly, I want to apologize for how long it took me to update the demo, and sadly the next update will also take some time. I’m starting college literally now and that is my priority. I will continue to work on The Threshold, of course, but the time I have will be way more limited than before. I hope you can be patient with the progress.

As always, the asks are open on my Tumblr page! Thank you for reading!! :D

[collabwithmyself]

Some story and character summaries for Threshold I wrote while I was stuck in outpatient

[baylardian-1]

some threshold janeways :)

[80hd-selkie]

@fushiglow I haven't had a Damocles painting update for a while (and while I'm certain you'd tell me not to worry about it and it's totally okay ❤️) I thought I could make up for it with a peek behind the curtain at some of my inspiration 👀

I Won't get into specifics about how I'm translating the imagery into my own work because I want that to be a surprise. But I've been stewing and now I wish to yap

Something that immediately stood out to me about the crest for the single is the number of swords. There's 3, not 1 like you'd expect in relation to the legend of Damocles.

My special interests being what they are, I went straight to the Tarot and the 3 of swords.

^ The Rider Waite Colman Smith version

Swords in the Tarot represent the domain of thought. The 3 of swords is among the most painful in the deck. Key concepts include suffering, heartache, and regret. It is a card of mental and emotional anguish. Appearing upright in a reading it represents deep hurt, the swords a stand in for the piercing words of others, and the storm clouds for the tumultuous emotions that come from that hurt. When drawn reversed it can be interpreted as that hurt coming from within rather than without. Self inflicted pain, negative self talk, and an inner critic to the highest degree etc. Depending on the cards drawn alongside it, it could be an inability to let go of a deep hurt from the past, or an omen of an end to that hurricane of misery.

One of my favourite interpretations of this card (and one I've drawn on for inspiration in this piece) is from the Tarot of the Divine by the incredible Yoshi Yoshitani

Based on the story of the Crane Wife, this version of the card represents heartbreak, self harm, grief and separation, and in reverse optimism, overcoming grief, seeking help and reconciliation.

A poor man saves a crane, and later marries a beautiful and mysterious woman. She tells him not to come to her back room, and soon money starts appearing. But the wife begins falling ill, refusing to talk to her husband about it. Finally, one night, the husband peeks in on her, and realizes she is a crane, pulling out her feathers and selling them for money. She catches him, and heart broken at his betrayal, leaves forever. But who betrayed whom first? - Yoshi Yoshitani

To me this card is martyrdom. One person within the relationship taking on and self inflicting pain for the sake of the other, without opening up and being honest and ultimately it causing trust on both sides to suffer. I think you can see where I'm drawing parallels with Over The Threshold .

Kisses for anyone who read the whole thing! I'm buzzing with inspiration and I can't wait to give you a proper update in the near future <3

[alectoperdita]

A little late for WIP Wednesday but what is time but an illusion?

Anyway I began messing around with a possible third chapter for Meeting upon the threshold since I was talking about where Kaiba goes from there and ended up with this. Not sure if I'm gonna keep it or what.

Some smut under the cut but it's pretty mild.

---

Plumes of smoke curled toward the heavens, ethereal hands grasping and plucking at the stars in the night sky. They wreathed a head of canary yellow, a lover's fingers combing through the mussed strands.

Kaiba was not this man's lover. He was most definitely not his friend. If they were lucky, they'd be no more than ships passing in the night.

Yet when the thin sheet draped across Jounouchi's shoulders slipped, unveiling tan skin sheened by moonlight and freckled with constellations, Kaiba fitted himself against the broad back and clasped the nape of his neck. Beneath his palm, skin contracted, muscles flexed as Jounouchi inhaled, then exhaled more smoke.

Up close, the acrid smell slithered up Kaiba's nostrils and settled in his sinuses. His discarded clothes already stank of smoke and charcoal. The last thing he needed was to take more reminders of Jounouchi with him when he left.

"Smoking's a disgusting habit. Good manners dictate you shouldn't do it around guests." Instinctively, his hand squeezed. Not enough to hurt, but it made its presence known.

Craning his head back to meet Kaiba's eye, Jounouchi took another hit, cheeks hollowing. His eyes glittered bright with a challenge in the darkness. "Bite me. You ain't no guest of mine. I didn't invite you to come in."

But Jounouchi had. He was the one who suggested they went upstairs. He was the one who went down and sucked Kaiba's cock without prompting. Much as he currently suckled on his cancer stick.

Kaiba opened his mouth to argue but found himself sinking his teeth into Jounouchi's trembling shoulder instead. For a beat, salt was what he tasted. If he bit harder, he was sure he'd draw out an iron flavor, much like the chicken hearts Jounouchi served to him downstairs.

The rest of him sank into Jounouchi, too, hard cock buried inside his tight heat once more. No condom, merely skin against skin. Kaiba's claws dug into the windowsill for leverage, while Jounouchi's nails scored the back of his hand.

Jounouchi's head lolled forward, a pretty crown of teeth mark astride his shoulder and half-hanging out the open window overlooking the sleepy street below, as Kaiba thrust. When he moaned, low and quiet, he expelled puffs of smoke from his flared nostrils, his open mouth as if he nursed a live furnace inside himself.

With a firm yank, he pulled Jounouchi's head backwards and claimed his mouth. Kaiba would draw out the fire from his ribcage and swallow it. Devour it. Let it light and fuel the cold, neglected hearth within his chest.

"Kaiba," Jounouchi gasped, arching into him.

The blanket fell away completely. Their bare skin pressed together, dotted with sweat. Funny, Kaiba didn't remember taking off the rest of his clothing. He didn't remember Jounouchi getting naked enough in the first place to warrant the modesty afforded by that thin blanket.

Moonlight cascaded over the sinuous curve of Jounouchi's puffed out chest, highlighting his stiff brown nipples. Silver pulsed between his breastbones as if some holy inner light leaked from him. But it was merely Jounouchi's necklace catching the light.

For a heart-stopping moment, he mistook it for a ring, another man's gift of devotion. But the metallic clink sounded cheap. They were Jounouchi's dog tags, the same ratty ones he wore through high school, beating against his chest.

Kaiba fucked him harder. Faster.

Time moved, inextricable, skipping and stopping between each stutter of their hips, each hitch of their breaths.

The night stretched on. It seemed the sun would never rise, so their ships would stay moored to each other's shores. Rocking, swaying in an isolated sea of pleasure.

Maybe Kaiba didn't have to leave. What world existed beyond the warmth of Jounouchi's body and his breathless gasps of ecstasy? They could be a dimension onto themselves, cut off from the rest.

"I'm close. I'm coming," moaned Jounouchi.

Kaiba grunted and closed his hand around Jounouchi's heavy erection. It jumped. Jounouchi clenched so tight, wetting Kaiba's palm with his release. He stroked him through the orgasm, which felt as drawn as long as the neverending night, and at the end of it, Kaiba was there with him, spilling deep into his pliant body.

But the night was over. The scent and weight of Jounouchi faded from his arms, a ghost banished by the sobering day. Kaiba lied alone in his bed in his mansion, curtains drawn and half-erect in his sleeping pants. He resisted the urge to drag a hand over his haggard face or pull the covers over his head. He most definitely wasn't going to touch himself.

Today marked the third day since his ill-advised tryst with Jounouchi Katsuya in his sad, thin futon in his shabby, tiny apartment.

Of course, Kaiba hadn't been back to see him since. Why would he? The experiment was already proven a failure. No matter what his unconscious mind may dream of.

(Jounouchi had, thankfully, not hounded him either.)

Right?

Right.

Just two ships passing in the night. Nothing more.

[transman-badass]

Dog Sothoth is more of a joke character than anything - a husky that happens to be an avatar of an eldritch god of knowledge, but there ain't a thought in that head, and all that. And yet, at some point, I really want to channel the dog from the thing with him

y'know

The Thing

[chrismerle]

2. 🛏️ BED: What do your OCs dream about?

(le meme)

Shai is still very Failbetter-y, for as much as they're largely an original fiction character now, so a lot of their dreams are supernatural, depending on what world they're in at any given moment. They suspect their dreams are why their appearance has gradually changed, and they sort of morbidly want to track how far it goes. However, they also get about 8 hours of sleep in a week because they also frequently dream about going home and they collect stimulants. They don't want to go home.

Ash dreams of his dad. Mostly his dad's shadow, flying overhead.

Amity, Saoirse, Roman, and Garen all have almost methodically average dreams. Saoirse makes potions to guarantee it, because otherwise what goes on in Roman's head in endless screaming and he wakes up the whole house, and it seemed rude to not let everyone else have benignly pleasant dreams.

Adrian dreams of the sea. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes it's bad. Edge dreams of fire and of his family; these things are related more often than he would like them to be. And occasionally, rather than dreaming, he just talks to Eigengrau. Or talks at Eigengrau. Eigengrau doesn't speak if Eigengrau has nothing to say.

this isn't all of my OCs obviously, but that would take a while so I just picked a handful of them.

[philcoulson-redtapeninja]

Wip Wednesday|Threshold Criteria for Somnolent Cephalopods| Previous parts: X X X X X 1 2 3

Chris was heavy! Way heavier than Mitch had ever expected. Setting aside the obvious fact that Chris had at least half a foot on Mitch. Apparently Chris was half made of muscles and therefore weighed about a thousand pounds. Listen, Mitch knew that Chris would climb just about any surface, given half a chance and five seconds of standing still, but this was ridiculous. First, Mitch tried to wiggle out of his cozy prison. It wasn't easy; partially because, once again, Chris was heavy! For another thing, every time Mitch thinks he was just about to worm free, Chris would roll over and use one of his lanky limbs to tuck Mitch back against his chest. Second, Mitch tried prying one of Chris's arms him. That worked about as well as wiggling. Again, Chris was apparently half made of muscle and was freaking heavy, and Mitch couldn't seem to get a good angle with one arm trapped under him. [It was like fighting a fully sized Stretch Armstrong!] What was it about his friends and being freakishly strong? Eventually, Ik took pity on Mitch. It took both of them for Mitch to struggle free, with Ik lifted and shoved Chris back while Mitch wiggled out from underneath his roommate's bulk. Even then it took some doing to untangle their limbs.

[fushiglow]

narrator: he could, in fact, take it

this wippie wednesday, here's a little look at vocal rest which is coming IMMINENTLY. as in, TODAY 🚨 don't believe it til you see it, but i'm pretty sure. we're so back. it's going to be very horny and very hot and definitely 100% pain free

i know we're all still waiting for chapter 14, but this oneshot leads directly into the opening of the chapter and offers some really tasty thematic development. completing vocal rest (15 months after i started it!) has been very helpful to me

ahhh i feel much better! we're finally back on track!

[thethreshold-if]

March update (release date announcement)

Hello!! How are you doing? I hope you have enjoyed February more than me, because it went by so fast I can't believe it.

First I want to say I'm sorry for the delay in the update. I had to go back to work for some days and that really made my progress slow down a bit. I said that I would update the demo at the end of February but that was a very dumb thing to think lmao. I'm very bad at coding so that took way longer than I had expected 😭

Anyway, let's just skip to the good news cause that's the most interesting thing here. I'm very happy to say that I have a release date! This is official and shouldn't be delayed. I'm almost done with coding and I just have to test-proof everything.

Chapter 1 part one (of three) will be out on Friday 14th of this month :D

Thank you so so much for your patience and support!! The update won't be too long, sadly, but I hope you like it and the characters too!

Wish you a very happy month as usual, and see you very soon :3

[baylardo]

scrapping a bunch of old stinky threshold au WIPs these are the less cohesive ones going on this blog lol <3