One can reach a point where you know a project just can't continue. I've reached that point with this visual novel project.  Although it received some visibility and hasn't totally bombed, I feel the need to put it aside. I learned some valuable lessons about myself,  my creative work, and about the fandom. I have no regrets though, it was an interesting experiment. 

       But, does this mean the end of the Children of Phoenix story cycle? Not at all! I'm currently working on an extensive rewrite. My aim is to publish a polished complete story. Will it be in visual novel format? No. 

     Why have I come to this point? Reading. I mean reading novels and short stories, words on a page, no compromise writing; prose. I just enjoy regular reading more than VNs.  Also, I’ve been writing well before there was even a furry fandom.  So, my problem isn't with my story, it's the medium of the visual novel. VNs for me as a writer, are just too restrictive, the mechanics continue getting in the way. No matter how careful one is with plotting, at some point, you need to edit- sometimes one needs a lot of editing and this can happen at any point. Editing a visual novel can require changing images, sprites, text, and more. It's very time-consuming, time as a solo dev I feel is best spent creating a great story. 

     Could I make my storytelling work in the standard VN format? Perhaps. But, most likely if the story returns as a VN at all, it will be using NVL format. This allows the VN to be text heavy with images on the side or in the background. It works pretty well, there are some restrictions but they can be tweaked. Somewhere down the line, I may post a NVL demo though, it's not my top priority.

      All that being said what will the stories look like going forward?  Every story will be prose first with, if appropriate, illustrations. Maybe, I'll create some animated scenes- not sure at this point. Children of the Phoenix will be written and completed; at the very least the first story arc. I'm sure everyone would like to find out how Mica's issues are resolved (if that is possible). There is a lot more to this story I didn't get to, including fight scenes, a fair bit of romance, and a furkin vs humans poker tournament.  

    One last note; since I won't be spending time battling with the VN format; I’m now working on stories I have been wanting to get to for a long time including three furry fantasy stories. For those interested in following me as an author, I will be setting up a blog site soon. I will post a note here when that’s available. 

     In closing I'd like to thank those who’ve shown interest in my project, I so very much appreciate it!

Shunaka