FortySixtyFour
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News Update 9/29/2023
🕑 Added 2023-09-29 15:13:30 +0000 UTCStill alive. Not having good writing month obviously. Lots of news.
RE: Trailer Trash
Webtoon for RE: Trailer Trash is debuting in less than a month, on October 24th of this year. Was just informed recently. Webtoon did not reach out to me or Aethon for input or consultation throughout production, so I haven't seen any art or test pieces or sketches. No clue how it will be, but I want to hope it will be good.
All of the webfic sections I've attempted to write this month were garbage and are scrapped, additionally I'm going to remove the two Chapter 53 sections that are up and redo all of that fresh.
AnimeCon Harem
Royal Road is integrating their mobile app in the next month and stories with 18+ content will mostly be removed from general searches / basic discoverability. Not their fault really, it's policy that has to do with the play app store that adult content has to be gated in certain ways. As one of the last public fic sites I still have AnimeCon posted to, decided this was the best time to start pulling the fic everywhere and put it to Kindle Unlimited.
So, have signed AnimeCon Harem with Mango Media (new indie publisher set up by Selkie of BtDeM renown) as he offered much better terms than MoonQuill and, more importantly, Selkie has actually already read AnimeCon Harem and was very keen on publishing it.
A Volume 1 was submitted that encompasses the first 34 chapters (excluding the secret chapter arc material), so--from Before the Convention all the way to Fierce Maiden, so the alleyway scare is resolved and book one ends on Kelly and Stephanie determining that the girl who tried to fuck Steph over is likely Chloe, and that Chloe's stolen Brian's phone. The manuscript was already worked through by Mango's editor and sent back to me, I checked through it and approved it and sent it back.
Selkie wasn't thrilled with the Deryl covers I had been commissioning and insisted on contacting some of the previous artists we've tried as well as trying out things with his own BtDeM artist. As far as I know Phuthieu rejected him, Aslothbeing wasn't communicative, and so we're going with Selkie's artist. Test work was sent in early this morning:
WIP and all details subject to change. This does mean I'm shelving any future Deryl Arrazaq commissions for more AnimeCon Harem art, though I may contact him again in the future to try again for RE: Trailer Trash cover art.
AnimeCon Harem Visual Novel
September was one of our worst months for game asset progress, as Basem still had orders closed, Goorie had another large project that took up most of the month, and YeMcBear some small time off from back-to-back orders for her birthday. Likewise Tennessee submitted two tracks for Sep, but I only posted up one of them as she hadn't completed vocals for the second one. She assures me the vocals version is almost ready and that it won't delay the tracks we have ordered for October. Basem also is back now and we have a bg illustration order in (Atrium), and Goorie is back and working on a large animation for us for October rather than multiple smaller animated loop orders.
Personal Situation
Things haven't been good lately. I was perhaps overly optimistic about the sale of the new mobile home and reality had some harsh lessons for me. Offered $24.5k cash (all my savings) for the new place, seller accepted offer and the realtor he's using made up a sale agreement that we both signed. Well, problem is the seller did not / does not actually even own the mobile home, and he then supposedly had to scramble to try to purchase the title from the bank so that he could sell it to me.
The seller is the trailer park owner, owns all the lots and collects rent but (in practice usually) does not own the mobile homes. He is in some sort of program with the bank to get mobile homes sold and guarantee loans for that. Only problem is, while seller was very interested in $24.5k cash, bank was not. Bank prefers people take out long term loans so they can collect a ton of interest off of that. So, seller immediately tried to shut out the realtor he hired and have me just send him the money on a "trust me, bro" as he continues to try to buy the title from the bank, at which point he's fine with me starting to move in and will then hand me the title whenever that manages to go through with the bank finally selling it.
Since then I've just gotten variations of "yeah sale should go soon through, I'll def have the title for you in a few more days"... since the tail end of June. I insisted on keeping the realtor the seller hired involved, as he was the only one I trusted to make sure everything legit, we wound up having to make an extension of the sale agreement as the previous one expired... and now the extension is about to also expire, today. Seller still trying to stall, still saying "should have the title from them in a few weeks probably," I'm just increasingly skeptical the bank's ever going to sell him the title.
I had already spent my time packing up everything and preparing to move, because this shitheap I'm in currently will not weather another winter here. It has further deteriorated and everyone has continued to advise me not to bother putting any money into it, as it's an extremely neglected mobile home from 1972 that at best has had continuous jury-rigged repairs from the previous occupants. Two windows remain, rest are boarded up or band-aided over with insulation and tape. Very few working outlets remain. The ceiling in the back room collapsed, the ceilings in the middle and main room were torn out a few years ago when a pipe up there burst and flooded the ceiling. Extreme water damage throughout to roof, ceilings, walls, floors. Significant structural damage--you start to get the picture. I need the fuck out of here.
On top of that--
While I was very lucky to find a home for the recent new kitten that dropped into my life, the weeks he was here brought fleas inside. My mishmash of carpet atop padding atop patchwork particleboard and plywood fix floor means flea powder and vacuuming can't remove the infestation (although sustained sub zero winter temps usually will). I have Advantage Plus II on my indoor cats, they're due for their second dose in a few days... but it's pretty bad here. I haven't been letting them in my room so that I can maybe have less fleas in where I sleep and work, but the flea trap lamp in here is still showing fifteen or so more new catches every day.
/// TLDR; Extremely stressed, all of my belongings are packed up and with nowhere to go, very little sleep, I want to say I've been feeling depressed but it's probably more accurate that I'm just filled with incomprehensible rage at everything lately. When I try to write everything turns out like shit, and the longer I go without having posted up a writing section the more tense I feel about that.
Definitely don't blame anyone for unpledging when I have a bad writing month and nothing is getting posted. I do appreciate everyone's support for getting me this far. I'm very sorry and frustrated that I can't just get through the final bits of AnimeCon when we're so fucking close to just being able to wrap it, likewise seething that I'm not able to start off the "Tabitha back to school but this time things are different" bit I'd been looking forward to for ages for RE:TT.
Hope everyone is staying well through difficult times. I am not and have not been okay, but will survive and pull on through to better times.
Comments
Delta
Seconding this - timing is important but it might be better to crash at a hotel for a bit than get screwed out of down payments and such. People can be shady!
Chiarob317
In terms of the real estate I would say do not but from that guy. Once he has your money he doesn’t have to do anything. Rule of thumb always be willing to walk away. See if your Realtor knows anything about rural construction loans. There’s a lot of plans about helping out first time home buyers.
MTGamer
We all have hard times bro. Keep trucking along, I'll be here waiting :3
GuardALP
I know what it feels like to hit a slump, and my reasons for it are way less severe than yours! I'm sticking around, you are good people and a damn good writer. Best of luck and hope things turn around for you soon!
Sending positive thoughts, vibes, and prayers for you.
