0.7.0 Behind the Scenes and 0.8.0 Preview

Hey, perverts! I've got a cough, unfortunately. It hasn't been limiting my work too much, so hopefully it won't get much worse. Here are some thoughts on update 7, followed by a preview on update 8!

Mythology and the Monster

(Mild spoilers for The Adulterine Splay in this section.)

So the main feature of update 7, besides the art redraw, was The Adulterine Splay, which arguably contained two monsters. I've enjoyed using monsters from myth and legend that don't usually appear in erotic fiction: this story contains a kappa, basically, although flavored and mixed with all other kinds of weird stream- and lake-people.

I try to make the monsters in the game one of: A) sympathetic people, B) too alien to understand you, or C) forces of nature. Queer people have long identified with monsters in part because, as people that society labels aberrations, we like stories where we appear, are given interiority, and often find a way to thrive and succeed. Unfortunately, most monster stories also make their monsters murderers who get rightfully killed at the end

So it's important to me that, in Ruin Me, the monsters aren't beasts to be destroyed. What you really have to be afraid of are the people who tell you that you're a monster for pursuing your authentic desires or for being something they don't think should exist.

I didn't expect Algernon to end up quite the way he did, though! I was imagining him as a sort of fae ingénue, innocent and free-spirited but getting serious when it came to the stream. Somehow, though, when writing, he ended up as a 1920s queer fuckboi. I named him as a pun without realizing that I was evoking Oscar Wilde, which was probably what led me down this dark path.

Next Release

0.8.0 will be kind of a big one! Upon chatting with a patron, I realized I'd fucked up by not including the player's breasts in the game, so your breast status will be tracked. With that comes a way in Act 2 to voluntarily transform your anatomy. This isn't Corruption of Champions, so (at least for now) your options are limited to "breasts or flat chest" and "phallus or vulva". I'll probably chat more about this in the next Behind the Scenes post.

I've already written three new play scenes for the release, including one that is only available when your character has breasts. There are also miscellaneous interface enhancements to make the game a bit smoother to navigate.

The big feature I'm currently working on is the next big main-plot event, providing the next step on the quest to track down Byatis. I'm pretty confident I'll have that done in time for a Thursday release. It includes a new art set, already drawn, which I should be able to reuse and adapt for other future work. If I finish this event early, I've got a cool idea for customizing Theresa's behavior in a small way that should enhance the mood pretty well.

As always, let me know if you have comments, suggestions, or requests! If you want more specific input on how development unfolds, $5 patrons get to vote and make concrete suggestions. At the moment, I have a poll up to determine which secondary NPC gets a play/date/hangout scene next; it closes on Thursday!

Stay safe, masturbate regularly, and wash your hands! Thanks!