All right! I now have the time to write a bit more! First of all, I want to thank everyone for their patience as they waited for Chapter 39. I also want to thank all of you who suddenly joined Patreon or increased their pledge amounts! There was a burst over the weekend and, I must say, it’s very motivating and very flattering!
In the post below this one, I posted our first monthly pin-up image! I also have our monthly cannon image drawn by Grimay but as it’s slightly spoilery for Chapter 39 this chapter just click here to check it out. This gives us our first look at Kara and Mallory! Woohoo!
In other news, I also posted our the September Q&A on Patreon! While only patrons can ask questions, everyone can read it so go check it out! You get to learn the (I think) funny origin story of my Up-Arrow logo!
So with 39 done, here is a loose look ahead of my schedule:
- Sept 8th- post next Fan Reel, submit new Fan Reel to patrons for commentary, get November Pin-up voting posted
- Sept 15th- Post September Vignette
- Sept 22- Post Chapter 40
So yeah. There is my planned schedule going forward. In the mean time, thanks so much for your responses to my questions about Fairy Tale. You’ve sold me on it as a whole and I’m going to check it out. Since you all were so helpful with that, let me ask you all another question, “What could be the theme for the NOvember Pin-ups”? Thanksgiving seems silly as I can’t think of anything other than “Pin-up Pilgrim” or “Kind-of Offensive American-Indian Stereotype Outfit” and I think we see where that could lead to some problems. My thought was maybe, since Blizzcon is in November, I could push some Blizzard related pin-ups for the girls? I mean, I’m a huge Blizzard fan so I could abuse that but I’d rather get something less specific than Blizzard but maybe still deals with November somehow. The one topic I DON’T want is the US Election. I think we can all safely say we’re getting bombarded by enough things about the election. This website is a spot where you can just ignore all that. Let’s keep it that way.
Post your ideas,
Taralynn
chapter was great i love how rod is starting to understand noriko’s emotions better. Is it just that they spent enough time together or is it a side effect of her empathokinetic abilities? I can’t wait to read more and find out.
i always find it weird that people think assembling a computer is hard. for the most part if it fits you got it right. the hard part is getting the right components that work together without bottlenecking your speeds at one component (computer is only as fast as its slowest bus speed)
I would cashion against a thanksgiving theme as it’s an america only thing and you have readers from other places around the world same with elections. Blizzard wile not my cup of tea definitely is Robynne’s though you may want to come up with a bland name for it to fit in better with MGP.
grate story keep up the fantastic work
While I enjoyed this chapter, it sort of reminded me of Metroid Prime: Federation Force. A good game that launched in a moment that people expected something different due to a long drought of Metroid games. Can’t shake the feeling that this was filler, even if it let us see a part of our dear characters that we hadn’t seen before (Kara was specially nice in this chapter.)
Anyways, can’t wait for the next chapter.
The chapter was fun. Though I realize it wasn’t, it felt a little short… but I think that’s a mix of fun things always seem to be over too soon, the lack of deep details (by which I mean, while it had the right balance of overall details, it wasn’t heavy with plot details that a careful reader shouldn’t miss), and the wait from the last chapter. Fun dialogue, and I liked Kara coming into her own sass. I’ve been waiting for it, actually, as I think she’s had the least character exposition of the all the Spirit Guard. It’s also nice that Robynne is getting to know her roommates and compatriots so well. Especially Noriko, since I imagine Robynne is the one who spends the most time with her… it’s enjoyable to see them interact with each other on such a subtle level. Ever since they made up, their growing friendship has been a nice aspect to the story.
I’m with lowten on computer building. When I built my desktop back in college, at first I thought it was going to be this huge undertaking. But it really isn’t. By far the hardest part is researching the parts to make sure they’re compatible. Actually assembling the thing, once the anti-static prep is done, reminds me a lot of playing with LEGOs as a kid. Fairly straightforward. I feel like a bit of a nerd failure since I didn’t name my computer when I first built it. Maybe my new computer, the one I’m hoping to build at the end of the year, will get a name. Hmm. I tend to talk to most of my electronics at one point or another… gaming systems, computers, smart TV. My car during road trips. Martial arts practice weapons. I try to be nice to those things more than others.
Anyway. The only thing that felt a little off to me was, much like Mallory, I didn’t feel like Robynne would have gone with the pink aberration of a computer case. (Do they even come in pink IRL? Not that I would be surprised if they did, I just don’t know if I’ve seen one yet.) I mean, I fully understand Noriko’s point, I can see Robynne being able to get behind it at some point. The only surprising thing is that it would happen *yet.* I mean, I know I’ve been reading the story for over a year now, but in-universe it’s only been a week since Rob’s transformation… and over the course of that week she’s shown a rather deep disdain for anything girly. In a couple months, I’d see her able to take the humorous side and use the case, but happening so soon is a little surprising. Not that it’s wrong or that I’m trying to change your mind, just my own thought process on it. Either way, it’s totally something Cammy would do, and it’s a fun bit of enjoyment from the story.
A Blizzard-themed pin-up for November would be okay given that you’re a fan of theirs, and Robynne of the MGP-equivalent. I’m not much of a Blizzard fan, though that’s not a dig on them by any means. In the MMO space, I primarily play Guild Wars 2 and occasionally play Star Wars: The Old Republic. I don’t play Overwatch because I’m not huge into FPS games, and it doesn’t have a single-player story mode… which is why the few FPS games I play are more like Borderlands/Battleborn. Anyway, that’s why I didn’t even really know that Blizzcon was happening in November. (I know, bad geek.) So while I won’t in any way discourage a Blizzard-themed pinup month, you could always expand it a little to be gaming in general. Just pick from a range of popular video game characters for the MGP characters. Maybe in true MGP style, have the characters crossplay male game characters rather than cosplay female game characters? Robynne as Nathan Drake (instead of Lara Croft), Mallory as Cloud, Angela as Link, etc. Just a suggestion.
I always love Grimay’s art. I think his work is probably my favorite of all the submitted work, though I do enjoy the others. Kara is exactly how I imagined her to be, though Mallory is taller and more ripped than I imagined. (Probably because I default to imagining her as compared to my height rather than Robynne and Kara’s. And I think I subconsciously imagined her to have a similar build to some female athletes I know personally. Imagination fail.)
It’s kind of nice to have all the commenting in one place, rather than on the chapter and on the announcement. Aaaand I got all wordy again. Geez; will I ever not write so much? Haha.
Just for you Zexand. Beware. You have been warned.
https://www.google.com/#q=pink+PC+cases
yes they come in pink had to by one this time last year for my little sis who was building her first custom gaming rig (i was so proud )
Haha, wow. So. Much. Pink.
Thanks for reading my comment, and sharing that find with me, Leona. I appreciate.
Lowten, that’s awesome. Had I a sister, I’m sure I’d be just as proud!
Rather than doing Blizzard themed pin-ups, what about doing Aspect Realms as the theme?
Well, I mean, Aspect Realms is just WoW with different names.
The name I’d go with for the PC? It’s got a private inside joke and a double meaning, named for what it looks like AND who provided it: Angelcake.
I’d be excited for Blizzard Pinups. Generic Blizzard archetypes like paladins and space marines could work or you could have them cosplayed as particular characters. Robynne could be Garona (Possibly the most famous rogue in Warcraft history) or another famous stealther, Nova. Viv would HAVE to be the Diablo 3 Wizard (Li Ming, if you take her name in HotS as canon). I mean, she already IS her. Kara as a healing archer could be Tyrande. Mal could be a Sonya, the D3/HotS Barbarian. Angela would probably be a paladin of some sort, Uther or Tyrion Fordring or pre-Lich Arthas. Heck, if we go one step further, Ms. Kuna, our wise old shapeshifter could be Malfurion. And as for Cory, Eli, and Dale? The Lost Vikings.
cant go with Angelcake to meany “the cake is a lie” jokes with gamers
Finally caught up and now I have wait between chapters too. Your publishing style is from the old days when novels and other long works of literature was published chapter by chapter in newspapers or magazines each month or week around the 1900. Jules Verne,HG Wells, other works were orginally published like that, not in novels. I want to surpport but that will see based on photos sales income since I work as freelance photograpgher. On naming computers issues try cyclists with their bikes that really love or use a lot. Same with car collectors or other area of intertrest. 3-4 years of writing for about two weeks of story. You have to find some way to bind some chapters together make novels see if can sell them as this orginal fiction. Add some the vignettes in as filler or explaining life outside the main characters what is going on for flavor. Normal fan fiction is make character and set known story and do twist to the story. Your is borrowing ideas form other sources like authors have done in the past and combined with new ideas, characters, setting(s), etc. for a orginal story. May never read the alpha version but do not care so much that seems more like very ruff draft version of the story you want to tell. I wonder how many pages would the whole story be so far, if printed out in regular type font and size all the chapters would be?
Great chapter thank you 🙂
all this talk about computer names makes me wonder what everyone here calls their computers.
i realy geeked out and called min S.I.D for strategic information display. this is becose I have a beast 3.7gh quad with 16gb ram and 2 geforce gtx 960’s running 4 monitors in a |=| configuration when i am gaming i have strategic info on the additional screens or they act as my dm screen when i run dungeon and dragons games online.
so anyone else feel like shearing what they call their computers?