Hello, everybody!
I spent the end of 2024 in what I’d call an artistic sabbatical, only really making this-or-thats, not any big, “real-deal” things. Naturally, during the New Year, I both reflected on the past year and contemplated what moves I wanted to make in 2025. While there are lots and lots of things I can (and should) do, I know that I’d like to at least focus a little bit on finishing what shall now be dubbed as the “Big 5”.
You see, I’m really good at starting things. Finishing them is another story. I have accumulated several large-scale creative projects that are in varying states of completion. All of them are works that I have put a lot of emotional investment in, and a considerable amount of actual effort as well.
There’s a few things I’ll talk about that I haven’t publicly discussed. So I guess this is also a big and long ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
Without further ado:
PROJECT #1 - Dormitory Discord!
Dormitory Discord! is a visual-novel style video game that I started working on in 2021. It follows a group of rag-tag loners who must work together to escape a mysterious building. Will you succeed? Or will you be stuck FOREVER?
I’ve done such a large amount of this already that to not finish it would just be absurd. Alas, I’ve taken a significant (I dunno, a couple years?) break from active work on this, so I need a kick in the pants.
Progress: The script is 100% completed (save perhaps an edit or two that my more mature brain might deem necessary), the soundtrack is 100% completed, the artwork is perhaps 33% done — I need to do backgrounds, UI design, and some miscellaneous stuff. And then after that I would just have to code it, which I do have some experience with, although I am rusty and would need to re-learn the ropes.
PROJECT #2 - At Least My Mom Thinks I’m Handsome
A million-and-one years ago I discussed working on an animated mini-series entitled At Least My Mom Thinks I’m Handsome. This is kind of a dorky thing to say about myself, but I very sincerely believe the screenplay for this is among my best work, and it is something that I do feel strongly about finishing sometime within my mortal life.
Progress: I have for all intents and purposes finished 50% of the first episode, and realistically, it wouldn’t be outrageous to finish it with a couple weeks worth of work. Don’t hold your breath for episodes 2-5 this year, though!
PROJECT #3 - Weird World
Weird World was originally intended as a sort-of comic following an ensemble of twenty-somethings dealing with the silly and sometimes sad minutiae of city living. I really bit off more than I can chew with this one!
To explain the format I had intended, each page of the web comic would have one image followed by a body of text formatted like a script (I really really hate to make this comparison, but the most similar comic I can think of is Homestuck). In practice this might prove to be way too labor-intensive.
With the length I plan for I would need to draw an amount of images probably in the four-digit range, which frankly I just do not see myself doing. My plan going forward is to adapt the text into a trilogy of novels, perhaps light-novel-esque (that is, a novel with occasional images).
Progress: I have written what I believe is about 50% of the total script for the story, which amounts to approximately 100 pages (of just text). I have done a handful of sketches, like the two above.
PROJECT #4 - Butch
My sophomore novel, which I will use the working title Butch for, is leagues better than my first, Men Who Run Cold, which I haven’t released in any form and I have no real plans to do so. It’s only a matter of… you know… finishing it.
Progress: Would you believe it, this thing is precisely 94 pages at the moment. I am aiming for a final length in the ballpark of 200. And when I finish this one, I’ll might actually print some copies and hand them out or something.
PROJECT #5 - Manhood
My band Toxitown is just constantly working on music because, as it turns out, it’s easier to finish a song than it is to finish a novel or a video game or a five episode animated series. As I have previously discussed, I’ve been working on two LPs: Love and Manhood.
I won’t give the whole spiel again about what Manhood is, but as a recap: it’s an experimental-pop album that seriously and un-seriously explores Being A Man, whatever that means. Exclusive First Look at the album cover above, painted with watercolors! Wow!
Progress: The music production is done, the lyrics are 95% done (I need to tweak a few lines), I just need to record the vocals already!!!
I don’t hold any delusions about finishing all of this stuff before the end o’ the year, but I will seriously try to further my progress!
Thank you for reading this very in-depth newsletter. I haven’t written in a while and thought it was high time to. I hope that you have a wonderful day.
With my love,
Jerek