I am working on a visual novel. The goal is for it to be a short experimental game that tries to blend an engaging story with job coaching advice.

This visual novel is an expansion/adaptation of “Robot Resources,” a short story written by Shilo Skye* as part of the Work “Fur” Hire anthology. Shilo and I have been collaborating on how to fill out the character of the main character, adding happenings throughout the day that are relevant and entertaining, and making sure the ending has an extra spooky factor to it. Cleo, the main character, was slated to be a feline who was emotionally defeated due to their job. There were hints of depersonalization in places. But some alpha readers noted that the character wasn’t relatable and/or was flat. Cleo has since been reworked to be a dorky character, chipper at times, but experiencing burnout.

The rework has led to bits of content being scrapped. Instead of quietly tossing them into the bin, I have decided to share a piece of the removed content. Keep in mind that Cleo’s character has been reworked to be less emotionally damaged. Also, this passage has not been reviewed by a line editor (be kind regarding the spelling and grammar). Enjoy!

 *Shilo Sky: https://linktr.ee/shilohskye

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

[This dream sequence plays after Cleo snoozes her alarm at the opening to the story]

    "ZZzz..."

    "I find myself in an expansive meadow, lined by a forest, with a majestic mountain range in the distance."

    "Deer wander around the grass with their fawns feeding in peace."

    "Flowers peek out of tufts of grass, bobbing gently in the wind."

    "I get up to move closer to the deer, my feline urge to stalk at play, but I discover I cannot move."

    "That is when I realize that I am not looking at the landscape, but perceiving it."

    "I am against the ground with a low profile."

    "I cannot feel the surroundings."

    "Before I know it the mountain range has disappeared."

    "Or maybe it is still there... it's just I cannot sense it anymore."

    "The universe itself begins to dissipate around me."

    "The wind bobbed flowers poof out of existence."

    "The deer fade away, or maybe they are still there but my understanding of ‘deer’ leaves me."

    "In a flash my world is just myself and the cold earth underneath me."

    "Why does it have to be this way?"

    "Why can't I just enjoy the living interactions and vibrancy of the meadow?"

    "Why am I always apart from it?"

    "My words are increasingly hard to form as I become something more akin to an object than a furson."

    "Ju.t .et me h..e a ..ace in .t a.l"

    "W.. ...'t I .e n....l"

    "T. .i.."

    "...p"

    "..."

    "My eyes shoot open with the sound of my alarm."

    "At least in this world I have free use of my arms and legs."

    Cleo: "Get up, Cleo."

    Cleo: "It's time to ‘seize the day.’"

[End of passage]

 

Thanks you for your continued interest!

-Edwin