\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/profile/notebook/nostrum777
Please follow an 18+ rating.*
With "A Taste of GloriaOpen in new Window., I'm leaving this side of the branch in suspense. Five lives to claim - which one will David choose for his own?

You may have noticed that I was forced to stop for a brief moment on updating because of an unfortunate incident. The plan was to release one vignette of David wearing each one of the "Five", a set of skins of five sexy and voluptuous women, and something he did with each of them. The plan is to set in motion ideas as to what David could do if he assumed each of their identities, culminating on a global choice where said stories could be advanced.

Unfortunately, by Wednesday morning, I was forced to stop because of an incident I won't talk about. I still worked on the vignettes, so as to not keep my hands idle, while working for a resolution that happily happened yesterday. That led to all the other vignettes being released, as well as a little detour into what's happening with the Andersons - because, when you deal with evil, evil things happen.

What next? Something entirely different, not happening on the Ashley Wright branch. (Shocker!) I won't go into details, save that it'll involve a deeper delve into a new character with a very peculiar quirk. I will return to the branch after this deviation, maybe switching between it and this new branch.

That said - while I already have the sequel to this paused branch chosen, if you're interested in seeing how any of the others develop, feel free to say so. I want to explore each of the possibilities, since each hook can lead the story into wild ways. (And I apologize for that interruption - it may not have been entirely my fault, but maybe someone wanted to advance that storyline and felt frustrated that there was no option to. I felt making the vignettes sequential, ending up in a big choice, was the appropriate move - though one where I could end up locking myself out of.)
With "A Change of Face, a Change of RoutineOpen in new Window. and "Two Plans Come Into CollisionOpen in new Window., I'm stopping this branch for a while...

Hold on. TWO chapters!?

Yes. The first chapter developed in such a way that it grew beyond the scope of where I wanted to stop it - I tried to be brief with the interaction between David (as Mike) and the Reyes, but I feel I had to showcase him, as well as the difficulties of not having memories to play with. By the time I introduced Mackenzie's party, I was reaching the chapter limit and was forced to continue. And that leads to a very crummy stop, so I went for another.

That last one was a bit hard to work, since it had to cover for David's conversation with Lindsey, while still not having any of his memories. If it feels complicated and maybe even forced, it's for a good reason - David knows very little about Mike, and even Kelly's help could only push it so far. It was fun trying to make Lindsey something beyond your typical hot cheerleader.

However, I had to stop briefly to figure out the cliffhanger to stop this branch in a way it'd satisfy you readers, and before I went to sleep, I figured a magnificent idea, which I allowed a rested brain to develop. Obviously, since it had been pre-established, Jimmy would find a way to wreck Mackenzie's party. But how? And more importantly, why would stopping that be more important than being with Lindsey? (And yet, why would letting them pull their prank and going through with Lindsey would be just as relevant?) That was a challenge, but I feel I pulled it off and I'm pretty proud of it.

You may notice I'm taking more details from around the interactive and weaving it with new ones. Edgefield as David's town was an idea I wanted to claim from a former member, and from there (and a bit of bleeding from "The Book of MasksOpen in new Window.) came Tynemouth College and St. Lenore Academy, to contrast with the local state campus and Edgefield High. Furthermore, for long-time readers, some of those names may be familiar. I feel that, if I make a lot of references to those writers' jobs, it'll give them a lot of relevance - and their chapters are some of the best written in the interactive, in fact. Not just that, some of them have been expanded as well!

So, what's next? A return to the branch ending on "The Devil Wears GossamerOpen in new Window., and a big change in David's life. After that, I might deviate into a different branch to work on an idea I've had as I developed this one. Hopefully you support these chapters and the ones to come.
Apologies for posting "Opening Up to DisasterOpen in new Window. later than expected, but it's here. I'll stop this branch for now on a rather odd cliffhanger.

This is a good moment to discuss how plans get derailed when writing. Originally, I had this branch stop on a different, much further point, but upon reaching "Discoveries and ConspiraciesOpen in new Window., I ended up with a perfect opportunity to allow a wide variety of options - after all, everyone but David was away, which means anyone could appear at any moment. (Originally, I had Tina also be there, but it's a Saturday and she's a college student; she's got many excuses.) Even if Tina was there (and turned into a skinsuit), there could be the chance any of the other Anderson children could appear and see the disaster.

My instinct, of course, was to follow up with Tina, since up to this point she was the only one opposed to the idea. That eventually led to a conflict that forced the creation of "Braving the Heat (in) the MomentOpen in new Window., which was completely out of my mind. I always say you need to listen to the characters when making scenes, and during all these chapters, Tina was outright brooding for her mother's decision. Being together, her father close, and her mother doubling down on her decision while learning there are new skins and that her littlest brother would use them led to her stealing them. That was the only natural action she would take, and forcing her to accept another alternative for the sake of advancing the story the way I want it to.

This is a good technique at worldbuilding and storytelling, because despite you being the writer, a story feels bland when the characters lack their own voices. When writing characters, they should have their own motivations, which sometimes propel them to do things you didn't expect them to. When a writer has to face their characters derailing the structure you develop, and twists it successfully, the reader notices and recognizes those characters are alive, and become more invested in them.

And that led to some worldbuilding as well - there's a library I can play with, an abandoned building used by college students, and some branch development. Win-win situation!

Anyways, tomorrow I'll continue one of the other branches, but I really want to keep observing this one. I'm really intrigued to see what Marie wants with Ashley - she's grown too attached to her. What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the worldbuilding tip or not?
Milestones, even when small, can be meaningful.

With "The Tip of the IcebergOpen in new Window., I've been writing daily chapters for "SkinsOpen in new Window. for more than a full month now. Not just figuratively (over 31 days writing chapters) but literally (every day of November).

This chapter marks a stop to this particular branch for the time being. I wanted to tie in another of the interesting parts of this world - the mysterious organization David gets recruited to in "SurrenderOpen in new Window. and subsequent - as a way to recognize other writers' contributions.

Tomorrow, I'll shift to another of the branches born from "To the David goes the SpoilsOpen in new Window.. We now know what the brown pens can do - what will this imply for Marie Anderson's new life? Stay tuned.
I've been spending these past four weeks doing daily content for the interactive "SkinsOpen in new Window. (note: graphic content within), trying to breathe some life into it. Being a fan of interactives like "The Book of MasksOpen in new Window. and being an on/off contributor, I was eyeing providing some work for it, and I finally got the chance after dealing with some personal projects.

I started the contributions with "To the David goes the SpoilsOpen in new Window. and worked all four options, at the tune of one branch per week. I had a general idea on what to work in, but as I went on, I saw that idea evolve into a very interesting and notorious set of characters. Most of the branches ended slowly introducing them, but running short of revealing the mastermind behind it all - until "Meet the WrightsOpen in new Window., where I introduced Tessa Wright, and the two following chapters showing how she "works". Even I'm surprised by the results, to be honest.

I feel this is a good moment to plug it, as well as thank everyone who has tipped and offered words of support. I plan to continue developing these branches and work on some others, since I feel this interactive has some promise. Hopefully this plug-in will allow others to experience the story and maybe even contribute!

(And yes, also plugging my own work, because why not? Always looking for people willing to check it.)
  •   2 comments
No issue with plugging your own stuff. I've been basically non-existant on my writing as even the things I have ideas for I don't feel enthused about because BoM feels kind of dead without Seuzz around.
rugal b. Author Icon - Keep trying. We could always do a Round Robin (maybe even complete the one we had left in the dust last big crash) to revitalize it, but you can always try to collaborate elsewhere.

I've been working on my own personal projects and after achieving a very important milestone, I went straight here while taking copious notes of that other project for continuity purposes. I've been wary about posting anything on BoM for the same reasons as you, but that doesn't mean I can't do other stuff. I even got a sort-of request from someone to continue one of the three stories I have in my portfolio, so there's that as well. (Curiously, I was gonna ask you about weather in your place, and whether that was the reason why you were so silent.)

Anyways, I'd like to see more "Student Bodies ReduxOpen in new Window., now that you unleashed it. (Sounds better than released, no?)
Almost three months after, here's the next chapter of my adult erotic story:
 
Image Protector
A Transition Proposal Open in new Window. [GC]
As he wears a synthetic skinsuit of a woman, Armando learns of its - and women's - secrets
by Nostrum Author Icon
.

This one has our hero Armando fully immersed in the act of wearing a skinsuit, but unlike other stories of its kind where the suit is downright magical and the wearer immediately loves being a woman, there's some resistance. I feel skinsuit stories could use some degree of realism, even though the suit itself is far more advanced than anything we could currently create. I hope I reach that degree of verisimilitude, where you can easily suspend your disbelief and enjoy the story.

(And yes, that includes putting the main character into the body of a plain woman with defects rather than a hot woman. But don't worry; at some point, hot women will appear.)
Happy anniversary 🎂🎉🎂🎉🎂🎉
*Music2* Happy Account Anniversary *Cake*
It's been a while.

 
Image Protector
A Friendship Proposal Open in new Window. [GC]
Armando agrees to hear Evelyn's proposal and the gift of a new life that comes with it.
by Nostrum Author Icon


This is the next chapter following "An Unexpected ProposalOpen in new Window., where the eponymous proposal is finally revealed. As you can see, it is more complex than set on the previous chapter, and with an unexpected twist.

Furthermore, we finally see our protagonist wearing one of Evelyn's skinsuits. How will it fare? What new experiences will he live as Mathilda?

As usual - note that this story is meant for adults, and thus has very vivid depictions. Please show your support if you want to see more.
I promised I'd work it out during the weekend at my Weekly Goals post ("UPDATE: 2 out of 3 ain't bad, innit? (7/28)"  Open in new Window.), and while I finished it today, I started it *during* the weekend. Here's the follow-up to "Escape from Dhagor KeepOpen in new Window.

 Confessions along the Way Open in new Window. [13+]
Under the darkness of night, Aljar and Degor learn the truth about the orc mastermind.
by Nostrum Author Icon


It's less action-based and more focused on world-building, but it also serves to flesh out Hendak and Degor a lot more. It should be obvious by now that Hendak is cunning, but I'd like to explore his viciousness a bit more. I intend to show how he got the cart, because it serves as a good exploration on how a villain can be vicious and ruthless without being comically so. I also want to explore Degor a bit more, as he's setting up to be the "token good teammate".

Hopefully the pace isn't too slow - I wanted to give them a bit of respite after their daring escape, hence their lengthy conversation. Rest assured that that their escape wasn't unnoticed, and that it won't be left unchronicled.
Hey everyone. Here's the follow-up to "The Law of the LuchadorOpen in new Window.

 
Image Protector
The Start of the Luchador(a) Open in new Window. [13+]
El Hijo del Caballero sets Vernon's plans in motion by becoming a new talent - Cynthia
by Nostrum Author Icon


There's a lot of references to real-life wrestling, but it's set on an alternate universe where most of the major wrestling promotions never existed. There's no WWE, no WCW, no ECW, no New Japan, no Consejo Mundial de la Lucha Libre, etc. It should be obvious who's the RL counterpart to El Caballero de Plata (the cover spoils it), but I wanted a spin for his son.

It's a pretty emotional chapter with some humor mixed in. There's also the appearance of a new character - one that'll cause some problems in the future. Next chapter should show a bit of the internals of the Millenium Wrestling Association. What do you think of the story so far? Is it a fair representation of the wrestling culture in the US? Is it fun?
  •   2 comments
When is this set? It just felt odd that in a world where everyone knows the worked nature of Pro Wrestling and where Tessa Blanchard (convincingly) won a men's world heavyweight title, the concern of fighting women is in this. You said this is an alternate world, and yet the Kaufmann stuff happened. I know that was before Vince Jr took over the WWF, but without Vinnie Mac, then Lawler's Memphis territory possibly would have gone national instead, especially on the back of this. The NWA was already coughing up blood; someone was going to go rogue.

Apart from that, it reads fine. The concept of skins is interesting; how do they wash themselves?

Good luck going forward!
Interesting question. I'm starting to develop the idea, so I appreciate you mentioned this. Note, however, that this is still very early, and I wouldn't consider it canon unless it appears in the story as a whole.

I can say that it's set at least during the 2010s (probably early in the decade, as Internet becomes more ubiquitous), but there's still a lot of differences. I'm trying to make fights less worked - next chapter or two should show how the MWA handles combats, and subsequently how FAWN handles them, and how they approach "sports entertainment".

As for the Kaufman situation - it's a bit complex. Overall, the main changes in this story regarding ours is how wrestling evolved everywhere - US, Mexico, Japan and elsewhere. Again, it's too early to speak about it, but it's reasonable that there was a territory that got crushed by the AAWF in the same way the WWF/E dealt with the NWA, but it's also possible that Kaufman made his appearances in the AAWF itself, being the premier wrestling promotion, or whatever preceded the AAWF, and challenged women wrestlers before getting into a shoot fight with someone. (As a note: Ross LaQuale is a former wrestler, as most color commentators are, and he mixes aspects of Gorilla Monsoon and Jerry "the King" Lawler, so it's possible that "the Boss" was the one that fought Kaufman instead.)

As for how Blanchard's victory might influence the perception of intra-gender championships - I can't say much since I've mostly seen WWF/E and local promotions, as well as following a few wrestlers and see a few fights from AAA in Mexico. However, I feel that the story's reflecting the second Women's revolution in wrestling - well past Chyna, Lita, Trish and Mickie James showing a women's division could have interesting fights, but before, say, Beth Phoenix or Natalya or Awesome Kong or Gail Kim. (Definitely not the current trend - though I'm certainly a fan of Asuka and Becky Lynch.) That said, you might've noticed that Vernon's a little misogynistic, though he can see how a strong woman's division can help the business. And Esteban is old-fashioned, so there's that too.

As for the washing? That's for later, but I have to keep it 13+, so that'll be a challenge.
Hey everyone. Decided to post the follow-up to "An Indecent ProposalOpen in new Window. [GC]:

 
Image Protector
An Unexpected Proposal Open in new Window. [GC]
After learning Evelyn's shocking secret, Armando returns to listen to their proposal
by Nostrum Author Icon


As I mentioned before, this is meant to be part of a longer story, one that touches on intrigue and deception and full of candid moments, but also a touching one.

This chapter has less sexual content but it has nudity and therefore it retains the same rating as the previous one. It's also meant to expand the world a bit.

As with before, I'd appreciate reviews of both chapters (and any other show of appreciation - *wink, wink*), but most specifically, I'd like to hear if you want more content like this.
Hey everyone. Here's the other prompt I wanted to work with. I wanted to write a fantasy story from the perspective of villains, but ones that are actually smart and sensible. Hopefully I nailed it.

 Escape from Dhagor Keep Open in new Window. [13+]
An imprisoned mage in dire straits is given a chance to escape Grantier's notorious prison
by Nostrum Author Icon


My apologies to readers that are fluent in Klingon if I screwed up the grammar. I thought it'd be an interesting twist on a language meant for a sci-fi universe.
Hey everyone. Here's one of two prompts I wanted to work with, a first chapter for a longer story much like my first item, but this one's meant for a wider audience. Though it uses a trope from my other story (the use of a "skinsuit"), the focus is much different - wrestling, which I've loved since I was a kid. I had this idea running in my mind and I hope I translated it well enough for you to enjoy it.

 
Image Protector
The Law of the Luchador Open in new Window. [13+]
El Hijo del Caballero has lost his honor, but an unexpected offer may redeem him yet.
by Nostrum Author Icon
*Party* Happy Writing.Com account anniversary. *Party*

* Content and content ratings in this area are monitored solely by this member. Page owners have the ability to remove posts and/or block posters who do not follow the content rating or who post unwanted content. In addition, each member can block/ignore another member using the Block/Ignore Members" link on the Account Options screen.
Printed from https://writing.com/main/profile/notebook/nostrum777