Postmortem 2: What I think I got right.

Continuing on from the first postmortem, I want to talk about what I think I got right and did well in Succubus Stories.

If I had to pick one thing I think I got the most right, I think I captured a very specific fantasy and a very dynamic-feeling player character. I think Succubus Stories does a good job of providing multiple choices in many situations that have genuine consequences, but also all feel like they're things the player character would actually do, and things that a player would reasonably want to do.

I think Paige (I'll call her that for simplicity’s sake) makes a compelling self insert, but also a compelling voyeuristic fantasy, and because her personality can often be interpreted in multiple ways, I think she always feels like she's simultaneously a character you are shaping and also a character you can get to know. 

I think in general, the story, lore, and character writing in SS were of decent quality. There are several requests, dates, and story moments, both serious and silly, that I'm quite proud of. A few highlights for me: I think the request where you attend a wedding as a noble’s fake girlfriend is fun (esp. if you spike the punch), I love the scene where Roland gets arrested for teasing you in the stocks, and I'm especially proud of the girls’ night endings you get when you romance Priscilla and reconcile with Rachel. 

As far as the erotic content goes, for better or worse, SS very much reflects my tastes. When I first wrote some of the sex scenes for SS, they were boring and lifeless. I tried to stick to what I felt was a good quality of writing, but I found it hard to write out the depravity in my heart with such mundane and good words. I knew I had to use words like “turgid” and “ass-pussy.” And so, I embraced my inner databank of hentai-style cringe. I also decided fairly early on to focus on STUFF I LIKED™ including butts, buttsex, women’s feet, pee, and, of course, H-anime-style bukkake.

Initially, I was actually writing these scenes in an intentionally over-the-top “my hips are moving on their own” way as an alternative; I was having fun (and yoinking it) writing cringe with my full chest and couldn’t stop myself. I envisioned a “hentai mode” game setting as an alternative to the more grounded romance-novel-esque erotica I hoped to write as the game’s default mode. But at some point, I abandoned that idea and embraced the truth–I find this cringey garbage genuinely hot. At this point, I feel like the overdone erotica is just part of the game’s identity, but I do also recognize that the game requires you to have some antibodies to cringe that may turn some people off.

That said, I consider this a win. I feel like embracing my own sexual desires helped me write far better content in the long run. Cringe or unrealistic or whatever else, I defy anyone to tell me the cock-teasing minigame isn’t hot as fuck. Or the Charlotte and Gray “teaching” activities. I also think my passionate…appreciation for certain human body parts comes through in the writing in a way that is authentic. Dozens of people have told me that SS got them into watersports and foot fetish stuff when they were previously uninterested or even a bit grossed out by that kind of thing. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I consider SS’s “bad” erotic writing an absolute win. “Mission failed successfully” kind of stuff.

Question: "Which fetish is your favorite to write content for?"

If you want to ask me something, go ahead and message me or leave the question in the comments and I'll throw it in a postmortem if it seems interesting!

This is tough, because choosing just one is hard, but if I cast my mind back and remember writing some stuff, I think watersports was always something I found super hot to write. I distinctly remember having to take a break (👀 I needed some "me" time) when writing the latrine stuff in the bandit camp, and the urinal alleyway content.

A runner-up might be the tongue bath activity. I like writing cock and body worship stuff in general, I find it really hot, and I think that activity is one of the sexiest in the game, and the "polishing" minigame made it even better. I also want to give the butt plug a special mention; I worked so hard to integrate that into the game because I thought it was so hot, and I'm so glad I did. I don't know if I liked writing all the content that much at the time, but I love using it as a player; I often go out of my way to get it and equip it even when I'm just playing the game to test something else.

But yeah, I'd have to say watersports is my number one. If you were worried about the lack of that style of content in Hex (there's some right now but definitely not a lot), don't worry, I plan on adding much more of this kind of content, though probably not for a couple months.

Coming Next in Part 3: What I think I got wrong...

In the third postmortem, I'll predictably talk about what I think I got wrong! It's actually a lot of stuff, so stay tuned for that!