Well, I was going to get into basic game info for context for my non-fandom readers, but that will be a rabbit hole that ties into all of my original content, and I feel like this section shouldn’t get buried in the middle of all that. So, what am I working on now, and what are all these stories/projects about? You're about to find out.
Status
- A Dove’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbRbpNgRiz
- Fifth draft: Complete - A Beast’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbUhzr9Z06
- First draft: Complete9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsugHbHi5L
- Second draft: Next up on my to-do list - A Warped Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpjGw0r2ma
- First draft: Unwritten9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamOb8dajD8
- May work on this after finishing the next round of ABT - A Swan’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFq5vlE9Q8
- First draft: Unwritten9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTN5LUhiiQj
- Won’t happen until after I finish at least the first draft of AWT - Bonus Chapters9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrjlpiXIFC
- Epilogue for ADT: Complete9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1uWz8F3Fw
- Epilogue for ABT (set the night before the epilogue for ADT): Started but unfinished9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwnhBsdgsD
- Leon meeting Melissa: Complete, but needs editing9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID33uQTL4j
- One chapter for each couple (Jin/Theresa, Clavis/Regina, Yves/Grace, Licht/Nadia, Nokto/Lydia, Luke/Arianna, Sariel/Sarah, Rio/Belle, Gilbert/Elise, Keith/Janet, Silvio/Aisha): None written yet9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBczUw9NSP
- One-shot requests: May be something I open in the future, but I’m not there yet. These could be anything from a closer look at a side plot to what-if scenarios to… who knows? - The World of A Dove’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWijPvigGO
- Forever ongoing9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnVffcf9Wn
A Dove’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEtaBtGzVY
The one, the only, the original story! Woo hoo!
I first wrote ADT right after I finished Chev’s romantic route in the game. It was the first route I’d played, and I didn’t have a good handle on any of the characters (looking back, not even him). I came away from the game loving his character, though, but I thought Belle was far too weak for him, and with what I knew of his character from the game, I didn’t think she should have even caught his eye. I also had concerns about the whole dynamic of their relationship, where he was continually mocking and belittling her, and she just took that, determined to change him somehow by tolerating his bad behavior, or even telling herself he meant something different underneath it all.
Not a healthy relationship. At all. And not good inspiration for people in real life, because going into a relationship thinking you can change the other person doesn’t work. The only person you can change is yourself.
So, I started thinking about a female character who would catch Chev's eye. A sassy little maid who always knew exactly what to say or do, one who wouldn’t tolerate any insults or mockery from him. One who didn’t want a relationship with him at all and had no interest in him. One who he would have to work for if he really wanted her affection.
And Ivetta was born.
The first draft was about 25k words long. Each chapter corresponded to a 24-hour period, and the first thirteen chapters introduced one prince/character from the game per chapter. The reader never saw Ivetta’s background or life outside of the palace until the climatic moment when Chev had to rescue her (from a cellar in an abandoned farmhouse, by the way). When he and the rest of the princes discovered what she was hiding, that was when the reader discovered it, too.
My mom complained about that. She wanted to see Ivetta outside of the palace. She wanted to know more about her.
So, in the second draft, I did that. I also doubled the word count to 50k and started to get away from the 24-hour period per chapter. I’d played Leon’s romantic route in the game by then, and maybe Clavis’, too, and I fixed their characters, as well as some problems in the plot that a genius like Chev would have foreseen and prevented from even happening.
Mom wanted more descriptions. Aside from the images I added throughout the story from the game, there wasn’t much descriptive detail.
Third draft. I’d read Yves’ and maybe Nokto’s romantic routes. Fixed characters. Doubled the word count again. The plot was getting more and more complex. Emphasis on a "mask and a dance," Ivetta learning how to play the part everybody expected from her in public and being her true self only when she was alone with Chev.
I think this is where I started wondering what the story would be like from Chev’s perspective. It was here or after the second draft. Either way, I wrote the first draft of A Beast’s Tale, rewriting ADT as I went to maintain a chapter-for-chapter match.
The current version is the fifth draft, I think. I’d read Licht’s romantic route and was starting on Jin’s when I began the rewrite, and by the time I finished, I’d read Luke’s, Sariel’s, Rio’s, Gilbert’s, and Keith’s. Emphasis on portraying realistic consequences to Ivetta's mental and emotional health after everything I put her through, with the bonus of showing Chev learning how to help her cope and get through it.
Basically, I’m going for canon compliance on steroids. I want each character to be true to the game. I want as much of their backstories tied into my plot as possible. I want all the extra details throughout the game, too: the world building, the lore, the tidbits of info I glean from side stories.
And the more I learn, the bigger and more complicated the story gets.
I’m reading Silvio's romantic route right now. And I’ll be working on this story for a long, long time. I'm not sure if I'll ever consider it complete.
A Beast’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTxH4OMSzt
Somewhere after or during the second or third draft of ADT, I started imagining the story from Chev’s perspective. I’d never written a story from a male perspective before, and Chev is an extremely intimidating character to write, but I gave it a shot, and I love how it turned out.
Exploring his character has added so much depth to the storyline of ADT by explaining his motivations and making sense of his actions. It’s now something I do when I reach a scene in ADT where I’m struggling. How would this look from Chev’s perspective? Once I answer that question, I can work out Chev’s reactions and then write the scene from Ivetta’s perspective.
My goal with this has always been for it to be a chapter-by-chapter match with ADT, and that has forced me to complicate the plot even more. There are chapters in ADT where Chev doesn’t appear at all. Or he’s asleep. Or in his office. What is he doing while Ivetta is dealing with whatever she’s going through? What is going through his mind? Again, that just adds more depth to the story.
But Chev is, as I said, very intimidating to write. I don’t think I have him smart enough yet. Especially when I read stories and side stories in the game where he and Gilbert get together and talk in private, I’m struck again and again by how intelligent, observant, and farseeing he is. How do you write a character like that? And how do you write him in a way that readers can actually understand him without reaching for a dictionary?
It’s a challenge, but I love it.
A Warped Tale
What would happen if Evelyn never made it to Rhodolite? What if she was captured while she was crossing Obsidian, and Ivetta was born and raised there? Or what if she did make it to Rhodolite, but something happened that made her reveal her true identity, and then Ivetta basically got traded in a political deal to Obsidian?
What if Gilbert is the male love interest?
I wondered. And I thought about it a lot. And I’ve decided how it starts, how Ivetta gets to Obsidian, and how she gets back to Rhodolite. Love triangle with Chev? Yes. Rectangle, actually, because Nokto. Perspective? Probably Ivetta, but would that mean I should write an accompanying version from Gilbert’s perspective, similar to ABT? Maybe.
I’m really excited to write this, but I think my head would implode if I tried to write more than one story in this family of stories at the same time (aside from the ADT/ABT pairing), so it will have to wait. But that just gives me more time to figure it out.
A Swan’s Tale
Okay, but Evelyn is a really strong character who got the short end of the stick in ADT. What was her story? We hear the facts in ADT, but what was it like for her to actually live through it? How did she and Arvon fall in love?
Again, I’m really excited to write this, and I have a lot of ideas. It’ll be a while, though.
Bonus Chapters
When I initially wrote the epilogue for ADT, I married everybody off, and that introduced a bunch of new characters. And I decided I wanted one bonus chapter per couple. Maybe the moment they first met, or a pivotal moment in their relationship when they shifted from acquaintances or friends to romantic partners.
Currently, Leon and Melissa are the only ones with such a chapter (and it needs editing to come in line with the current version of ADT, so I haven't published it), but all the others will get their day to shine, too. The ladies who can tame these beasts deserve to show off their strengths and amazing personalities, after all!
And after writing ABT, I came up with an idea for a prequel to the ADT epilogue. The night before the epilogue, a night that’s just about Chev, Ivetta, and their daughters. I've started it, but I haven’t finished it yet. It’s a blend of steamy and heartwarming, and I think you guys will really like it. I’ll finish it after I get through this next round of ABT.
As you can see, this entire family of stories was born from what-if scenarios in my head, and I’m sure you guys have lots of what-if scenarios you’re interested in, or deeper exploration of a side character or plot point, or maybe even something in the game that isn’t in any of my stories. In the future, I’d like to open up for story requests and write the one-shots you guys want to see. I’m nowhere near ready to do that yet, since I obviously have a lot going on just with this family of stories, and I’m also working on my original stories, too. But I’ll let you guys know when I’m ready, so jot your ideas down now and hold on to them.
The World of A Dove’s Tale9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8seyRh3BRS
Hi! You’re reading it right now.
So, there you have it. I’m insane. But it’s okay, because you guys are insane for reading this, so we can all be insane together!
And maybe you can help me. I would like an overall name for this family of books. They’re not a series, because other than AST being a prequel, the rest are non-sequential, but I’d like to group them all under one overarching family title. And I don’t know what that could be. So, help?
Also, if I do write an accompaniment for AWT from Gilbert’s perspective, what could I title that?
I’m all ears.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRefxV6blz
