Hey boo,
I'm writing this under an April shower and rain's constant companion, lightning. (I just doubled checked to make sure I meant to post this in May.) I don't like taking any risks with lightning. Sure, I have backups and online saves but who wants to shell out for a new PC? I don't even want to retrace old prepwork until I have to.

So, it's lowfi writing time. I breakout the chromebook that can barely handle the word processor. Hook up the record player to my big old headphones and wonder what component sounds like gargling and write.

Cat is pushing onto my lap, looks like it's time to dick around on the phone!

Last month I went off the rails a little. I usually mean to post a small personal bullshit thing. Then specific stats for the game progress. Then something about writing or AVNs. Last month's post was all bullshit. Shout out to the reader who was probably new, who had the correct reaction to my bullshit.
"WTF are you talking about?"
Welcome! :D

Writing
The Dolly Parton of it all. 40k was my estimate about how many words I'd need for the chapter. We eeked past it last month but it's obvious I'm probably going to clear 50k with the last scene and a half.
That's not including the 'next time on' segment because I make those while prepping the next chapter."

Art
I've done most of my major sets. Most of the character's costumes. I haven't double checked anything. We are still in the fluid dreams of creativity before I have a list of things I need to do.

ART-Hiring

It's about the point when I should think about if I want to try to hire an artist. Compromises are easy when I'm the one making the art. When you let other people it, they think about things differently. They might have a person pop in the middle of the room when they start talking. It's a bunch of extra notes with people entering and exiting like a play. That's more stuff to write.

The complication being I'm insane and no one should learn to think like me.

Animation
Thinking about my approach to making and using animation, I give the animations equal weight in my mind. Like a still, one of six shots of a girls butt, has equal time as an animation where those butt cheeks wiggle. I don't know if I'll change. I'm aware if it and that's the first step.

REALISTIC HAREMS
Most porn logic goes to a fight between Grandma's House and MVWP(the basketball game that needs a title).
I get why you are asking for believable harems and I respect that. I think it is an unnecessary constraint that is thrust upon subgenres.

The best representation of a poly relationship is one of open communication and respect and there are several boring, wordy aspects to that. The game most faithful to that goal is My Dorm. The MC is free to have fun with girls but when they want to get serious, the MC gives them the talk. I'm dating other people, I can't tell you who they are out of respect for their want for privacy, I'm not choosing you over them, I will keep the same respect and discretion with you, are you okay with this? You see this talk with every girl and it gets a little repetitive.

That's fine. It doesn't need to be in every harem game.

OG harem games come from Japan. Those mostly revolved around a man being indecisive yet self-sacrificing and caring in a way that ties girls to him. There is still an expectation that the main character will have to pick a girl. That doesn't fly for the current western audience. They want an all option. There's a tongue in cheek push back for Office Perks, where the author is clear that endings exclusive and choices will start to cut off girls. People were pouty about The DeLuca Family when the author thought a harem ending wouldn't be realistic or true to the characters, mobsters with power levels and mythic lore. There was a large backlash for Becoming a Rockstar when this was not disclosed ahead of time.

There are a lot of older avns where there's a supernatural element. The MC is sick and will die without the most sex possible or a spirit needs you to generate love or sex points so that it can save the world. That's fine. There are people that are into cheating who really like the idea of the MC sneaking around and I think it's okay to have VNs that have that focus.

I don't need the full disclosure for every girl. As long as love interests know about at least one other girl ahead of time, the harem reveal can be a lot of fun. The MC could fall into the situation. One of the girls can be a mastermind or really get off on the idea. There could be a girlfriend that takes pity on the sad women around her.

Part of my motivation as a player is I want to see the cute girls happy and exclusive paths don't deliver on that. It's funny in BaD when a chick play-through MC thinks that Jade is just a nice lady and doesn't know why Quinn is so moody but it is also a little sad that you aren't getting the complete story. So, a harem option is also an efficient thing. There is an emotional tie to a story and certain characters and alternate play throughs betray those emotional ties and can hurt to play.

I think what's unrealistic is putting out attractive characters, doing everything you can as a writer to get the reader invested, and then expect them to abandon those ties for a different playthrough where a character they were invested in is cold and distant.

Special Renders
When I think about special renders, I think about anime. In Outlaw Star, the end credits of the show would always have these big-eyed fantasy girls with giant wolves and stuff. I always thought those were neat. I always imagined each had lore or could spin off in themselves. I liked the space ships arm-wrestling but I could watch cute girl and wolf.

They weren't shows. They were just doodles. Similarly, at the end of Daria and Bleach they would show the characters in different era and genre outfits. Especially, Bleach with the characters in fashionable outfits just chilling. It was nothing but it was always visually interesting.

When I make special renders and play around with different assets and poses, I don't exactly start thinking of spin-offs and elseworld stories, but I do see snippets. I try to get my head into genres. The fashion thing is harder because a lot of the outfits in daz are meant for specific uses and not very flexible for mixing and matching.

The special renders this month are the shadow bra trend and Bryerly with magical powers facing a Mech.