snowthornes

[snowthornes]

I always feel that it shouldn't be like this. Yesterday's dazzling bursts of light seem so far away. I had loved you. What must I do to love you again?

[snowthornes]

Hello, I'm a fellow IF fan waiting patiently for more updates atm. I'm wondering how you find the motivation to write so much and often?

Usually for even for creative writing, the best I can do is some paragraphs, then I just zone out for the rest of the day. Then I'll check my email then I realize it's actually late evening with only the same paragraphs.

---

I have a lot of answers to this question.  Specifically ten answers.

The first, biggest answer is that the words just well up in me, and if I don’t write, I feel antsy and malcontent.  I love writing, but if I have more than a few days where I’m not writing, I feel weird.  So this is definitely a weird-me-thing than anything I would advise anyone to acquire.

Second, when I write, I get in the zone and I just write and write for six or seven hours straight, and I’m having a great time the whole time.  I think my age does help me here because I didn’t grow up with the internet, and I have no real desire to keep checking stuff while I write.  I think that’s a huge benefit. 

I think if someone asked me if I recommend that they write like me, I would say hell no.  I know I’m a weird outlier.

Third, I blast music while I write.  This does a lot for my energy.

Fourth, coffee.  Lots of it.

Fifth, I type really, really fast.  I double space after periods because I learned to type on a typewriter.

Sixth, there’s a real cost to it.  I love playing computer games, and gaming in general, and writing just consumes that time, just devastates it.  If I’m not careful, it eats my reading time, but that I won’t allow.  But you have to be ok with the trade.

Seventh, I wake up quite early, before my family wakes up, just naturally.  I creep downstairs, take my iced latte from the fridge, which I made the night before, and write for hours while the world and the house is still.  This feels like time stolen.

Eighth, I have a really hard time resisting challenges I give myself.  I always have the urge to outdo myself, to make things more interesting, complex, bigger, fuller.  I see the perfect finished product, and I just want to get there, and I have a hard time saying “no!” to myself.  Quite the contrary.

Ninth, people who let me know that my games cheered them up on a hard day.  That they laughed so hard their gut hurts in spite of being on active deployment somewhere.  

That something I said helped them realize that they wanted to write, or that they could write and someone would read it.  That one of the relationships in my game helped them realize something really important about themself.  Or someone writes and says “I think about that one line from that game all the time,” or that they practiced and learned English from a story I wrote. 

I mean...that is unbearably humbling and kind of miraculous, and my impulse hearing that is to sit down and write more and connect with more people, because writing is very, deeply, an alone thing, and it requires that you sort of sequester yourself away from life for a long time.  It’s really hard! 

So making that connection with people is *incredibly* motivating.

Tenth, and this one is hard to articulate, so bear with me.  There’s a lot of junk in the world, and a lot of things masquerading as something wholesome and real that are quite the opposite.  A lot of this stuff is online, but also just out in the world.  I can’t do much about it, but to me, people who craft real words and read real words and care about good prose are maintaining some kind of small banner of resistance about what’s valuable and worth saving.  

When I sit down to write, I think about that. 

[snowthornes]

Demo Update (April, 24, 2025): Episode 2

Added: +150k (including code + duplicate job scenes with text variations)

TOTAL: 303,452 WORDS

Here is episode 2. The demo is over 300,000 words and since the last update I've learned the trick of separating files so there will likely be errors and maybe some inconsistencies/continuity errors. Please give me a heads up if you do find any error or typo. I will be looking for beta testers in the future. This is my first IF so I'm still learning as I go.

After fixing everything, I remain uncertain about the stats. A large part of me doesn't want visible stats at all since there's so many I can use, limiting myself to a couple is making it difficult to balance them. If anyone has any suggestions from other IFs or from experience, I'm happy to hear them.

In this episode:

See the aftermath of episode 1's cliffhanger.

Get a taste of what work is going to look like now that you're starting...and learn news of a possible promotion opportunity. The seeds of a rivalry are planted.

Meet two new people that may or may not become regular faces in your life.

Meet G (editor route)

Go to a club with your roommates to cheer up.

Play Apt. 502 here.

[snowthornes]

— introducing 019: INKED NOTES + [ link ]

a google doc template inspired by polymaths, lab notebooks and sketchbooks. while, this clean and elegant doc features pressed flowers from sagesolar on flickr, as well as salvator rosa's sketches in the public domain, the background images can be complete customized according to your muse with the PSD or page assets provided. with a backstory space that can accommodate any length of writing, this template is perfect for scientist and artist muses alike. this premium template and a full page-by-page preview can be found in the link above or in the source link.

features:

8 unique 14" x 8.5" pages with 6 carefully crafted full-page background images featuring public domain illustrations

a few short and long sections, and a backstory section that can fit any amount of writing

1 PSD of the background page assets to customize and make this template truly fit your muse

a connections page that can be easily duplicated for more

terms of use:

you may edit to your heart’s desire. Change the colours, replace, add or remove elements and images etc.

you may remix pages with pages from my other templates.

you may not remove the credit from the templates.

you may not copy, sell or redistribute my templates whether wholesale, in part (i.e. taking out certain pages) or remixed (i.e. modified).

you will also receive an additional guide with images on how to use and edit google doc templates! if you have any problems or issues, feel free to leave an ask or join our discord server.

thank you for all the support, likes and reblogs are appreciated as always. ♡

[snowthornes]

Starry Night

It’s been a while since I’ve done something that wasn’t a request, so this was nice. 🩵🌸

• set inspired by Van Gogh’s Irises • Famous Art Collection •

[snowthornes]

This is so beautifully Fitzie and certain MCs I can't breathe

[snowthornes]

ANIMATED LINES | rainbow 002.

──────── ⵌ PINK ...

──────── ⵌ RED ...

──────── ⵌ ORANGE ...

──────── ⵌ MUSTARD ...

──────── ⵌ YELLOW ...

──────── ⵌ GREEN ...

──────── ⵌ MINT ...

──────── ⵌ BLUE ...

──────── ⵌ LAVENDER ...

──────── ⵌ PURPLE ...

( tw : flashing ) the og animated lines, but in other sizes ! apologies for not making these in different sizes in the first place—it’s actually been a year since I first released them heh. anyway, here are the other sizes 〜

as always, they’re vvv smol so it’ll be easier to save on desktop !

please like, reblog, and credit 〜

support me through ko-fi | more dividers →

[snowthornes]

◦˚~ ANIMATED MOON & STARS DIVIDERS ~˚◦

Requested by: @inkyprince Info: these were all drawn/made & animated by me. please reblog/like if use!

[snowthornes]

Three Narrator Voices in IF

When I teach writing, I always teach about "sweet, tough, and stuffy," the awesomely named three major writing styles written about in the 1960s by Walker Gibson.

I think about these all the time, though, particularly when I read interactive fiction and see the way the narrator talks to me. But when one writes in second person, these styles ring out with incredible clarity.

Imagine your character is presented with three doors, and you have to choose which to go through.

The sweet IF narrator talks like this: "So, my dear. I wonder which you'll choose here? Good luck..." And then after you choose, something like "Oh no, no, no! I can't believe you did that!" The sweet narrator is really intimate with the reader.

The sweet narrator is trying to be a character in the story. When people review this game, they are going to talk about how much they love the narrator or they will talk about how cloying and annoying they found the narrator.

The tough IF narrator talks like this: "Three doors. Make a choice." The tough narrator of interactive fiction is down to business. You make a choice, and the tough narrator says, "You swing the brass door open, and there's the treasure room you've been looking for. Are you looting it, setting it on fire, or calling out to your friends?"

The tough narrator is here to propel you through the choices and has no interest in being your friend.

The stuffy IF narrator talks like this: "You see, before you, three doors arrayed in a line. You examine them, and determine that it would be best if you opened one of them. Which door you open, however, is a question that you consider carefully. At last, you make your decision." Then when you open the gold door, the narrator says something like, "The gold door, then. Perhaps lured by the gleam of the precious metal, or perhaps by some dim memory of legends of this place, you swing the gold door open and consider the chamber within."

The stuffy narrator is verbose and in absolutely no hurry to get you to the next choice. There isn't the same sense of very present personality as the sweet narrator--there's a certain detachment about it. This narrator is not your buddy.

Obviously you want to mix and match these when the moment calls for it. But I like having names for these voices--and once you know their names you will see them everywhere in IF narration.

--

Come visit the Noble Gases Club for more chit-chat about game design, writing, and lovely and idealized 1930s era comedy here.

[snowthornes]

Hi everyone!

In the spirit of celebrating things that spark joy and build community^, @interact-if will be running a mini-series “Writing Spotlight”, which will feature beloved IFs in 5 main categories:

Best story/narrative (Epic/Exciting)

Best story/narrative (Cozy/contemplative)

Best world/setting

Best character

Most memorable choice/branch

How this works

Under each of these categories, vote for an IF (can be completed/WIP), either by: leaving a comment on this post, sending in an ask, or filling out this form.*

*Do include at least a sentence on why you’re voting for that IF / things you loved that made you vote for it). These lines will be compiled and I’m sure they’ll bring a little ray of sunshine to these authors.

If you’re leaving a comment or ask, do clearly state which category you’re casting a vote for (you can vote in multiple categories, but try to stick to 1-2 IFs in each category if possible)!

Do refrain from voting twice in the same category please, this is done in good fun :)

After voting closes

Do send in your by 27 April, and I will be tallying the votes and reaching out to winning authors** in each category to do a small interview feature, in the hopes of uncovering some tips/tricks/advice on their techniques and writing process (especially in relation to their strengths e.g. world-building, character arcs etc.)

**I might have to see how this works out, some authors are a little more difficult to contact, but I’ll try.

Again, I hope this will generate some positivity and love, plus maybe uncover some of the behind-the-scenes techniques/process behind the wonderful IFs that we love and talk about a lot! <3

^Especially in this turbulent time of Trump fuckery…

Last but not least, if you’d like to see any other categories featured in the next iteration, or if you have ideas for specific questions to include in the interviews with these authors, feel free to drop a message or a comment!

Looking forward to the responses, and hopefully this will be fun for everyone! :)

[snowthornes]

I swing from venomous fury to unadulterated misery to Normal in the span of one hour . how am i supposed to write in these conditions. christ.

[snowthornes]

Everything that reminds Flourite of his Zori

The sky cause of Zori's blue eyes

Sunset cause of Zori's fiery red/ginger hair

Smell of Earth When Zori makes Mud balls

and the stars from the glint of Zori's earrings

[snowthornes]

the past 12 hours were terrible. the most terrible they ever were. but earlier i had an hour long internal monologue about first deaths and biblical allegories and dead ends then a switch in my mind flipped and i went 'ok back to normal now'. and i actually feel better than i have in days. i got new medication yesterday and i think it's Just starting to kick in. i'm still a fragile glass cannon but 👍🏽 i got out of it alive. things were unspeakably close to meeting an abrupt, unceremonious end, but i got out of it alive. it's strange. everything's so tranquil. the scales could have so easily tipped the other way. a breath of a difference. i feel ragged exhausted now, like i can finally flop onto the floor and just. slumber. it's not over. but i'm alive. i'm alive. i don't know if i'm glad to be, but. i'm at least glad i didn't break anyone's heart.

[snowthornes]

moon, enlighten the night, the dark side of light, i gave you devotion, my blood & my life.

ART COMMISSION © RAEFLEXION ⠀ | ⠀ CHASE TRINASTAE © @shepherds-of-haven ⠀ | ⠀ MILOU MINGATE © diebischesther

[snowthornes]

🔱 Echoes of Olympus is live.

A myth-inspired interactive fiction game about gods, rebellion, memory, and the people caught between power and purpose.

You play as a lesser god(dess), captured at the edge of a divine war no one wants to name.

What begins as obedience… might end in defiance. Or love. Or something much stranger.

💬 Slow-burn romance. Myth-heavy worldbuilding. Emotional choices that echo.

🌿 Play the first 3 chapters (100k+ words, free):

👉 Play Echoes of Olympus : https://cogdemos.ink/play/fableforge/echoes-of-olympus/mygame

💌 Bonus POV scenes, NSFW extras, and world lore:

→ Patreon : patreon.com/FableForge916

Thank you for being curious. This story used to live in my head. Now I’m sharing it.

RO's:

🗡️ Alexios / Alexa

The fallen warrior once loyal to Olympus.

Gold hair. Bronze eyes with something burning quiet behind them. A body made for battle - still holding tension like it’s second nature.

→ They don’t say much about their past. But it walks with them anyway.

🌿 Theron / Thera

A silent hunter who sees more than they say.

Copper-red hair, soft and tangled. Green eyes that hold too many visions. Leathery armor shaped by forest paths and colder nights.

→ They won’t chase you. But they might wait where you’re already heading.

🌘 Dorian / Dione

The outcast wrapped in shadows, charm, and too many names.

Ink-dark hair, violet eyes that shift with the truth, smooth hands that never quite stay still. Smiles like a threat you might enjoy.

→ If you fall for them, they may let you. Just don’t expect to land gently.

⚖️ Rhaelos / Rhaela

The blade that judges. And rarely forgives.

Ash-blond hair. Eyes like still water before a storm - dark, almost black.

→ They don’t speak often. But when they do, something inside you might sit up straighter.

❄️ Zephiron / Zephyra

The kind of rebel who follows no one - so they always ends up ahead.

Silver-white hair. Ice-blue eyes. Blazing blue tattoos that flicker like breath under their skin.

→ Might walk away mid-conversation. Might kiss you mid-sentence.

🐺 Drakon (genderlocked male)

A presence that doesn’t quite belong — to the rebellion, or to Olympus.

Dark brown, wild hair. Eyes like scorched bronze. Old scars and the kind of stillness that feels too focused - like it’s waiting for something to move.

→ Don’t ask what he used to be. He hasn’t stopped being it yet.

🌈 ??? (genderlocked female)

No description given.

Some things aren’t meant to be seen until the right moment has presented itself.

[snowthornes]

Idk there's something really sweet to me about fix-it writers. Like, me and you- maybe we couldnt make it this time, but in another universe, a million people saw the pain of our story and are writing us a happy ending, giving us the chance we never had

[snowthornes]

Hi Seal ! This is maybe too much of a general writing question but I have trouble coming up with plots. I have always loved creating characters and settings but when time comes to put them in situations, I kind of blank out and struggle to find the main, uh, long term point of interest to build a story? Would you have any tips for me?

Dear Plot-Seeking Friend,

Funnily enough, this is a similar question to this one, even though it came in more than a year afterwards. It is certainly a perennial issue!

I would recommend revisiting this answer, but here I am going to go into a little more detail about PCs and character actions.

I wonder, when you talk about loving creating characters and settings, how much do you think of the PC as being part of those elements? What role does your PC have in this setting, what is their everyday life, and what events are happening that changes that ordinary routine?

I do not mean that a game must be action-packed by any means, and nor does the start of a game need to be such, but do you have something in your mind that kicks off the story - the part that piques your interest and makes you want to write more?

Once you have that, and you have a sense of what the PC is doing in the game - horseriding across the tundra? competing in a duelling contest? sailing the high seas? solving murders in a castle? creating paintings for an otherworldly entity? - you can think about what the PC wants and what's getting in their way. (Some of those obstacles might be other characters; some characters might be helpful. Tying characters to the PC's goals and demonstrating setting elements through those characters is excellent!)

Thinking about how the PC will interact with all of this and what their goals are will bring things to life so that they can engage with the world around them rather than their surroundings feeling like a lovely postcard. In creating characters and settings that you feel excited about, you've gone part of the way. Please allow me to wish you the very best of luck with your writing!