NewtC

Draft 2 of the Library of Ruina script is now complete! For draft 3, I'm opening it to members of my Discord server. I need more people to get eyes on it. Given the sheer size of the script, it's not a fast read. This will likely be my largest script for the foreseeable future, especially as I intend to return to smaller video topics in future. Videos like Lobotomy Corporation and Ruina, while easily my favorite projects, are too much of an investment in time and money for me right now. While I've restored my income significantly, it's enough to pay for bills, housing and food and not much else.

Until I can justify the cost of Ruina's production, I'm placing it on hold and working on those smaller projects. People are welcome to assist with the scripts, but know that I simply don't have the income and savings to burn it all on what is effectively a passion project, especially right now -- and I refuse to half-ass this. For context, Lobotomy Corporation cost over $3k. Money and time well spent, but not something I can keep up. I won't pretend that the US economy hasn't played a major factor in this either -- food and utilities are getting increasingly expensive, so I'm having to tighten my belt in more ways than just this.

2 months ago | [YT] | 15

NewtC

Draft 2 is coming along nicely, and is about halfway done. There are still some concerns with the final vision, but some areas were fleshed out quite well. I've also been sick for almost all of this month (I'm still a little sick) so hopefully once that finally clears up I can pick up speed.

For now though, I'm turning my attention to the second of my planned Members Only videos. We'll be taking a quick look at Phillip's various forms and how they play into his character and story progression. Originally, this was also going to be in the Ruina video, but like all of these members only videos it would have derailed things drastically. I still think it's important to cover though, as it's genuinely one of the most interesting ways PM has done storytelling in the series. Very rarely do we get to see a character in so many different forms throughout his time in a story, and that makes Phillip unique.

I'm going to leave you all with a small glimpse of something upcoming in the Ruina video. Feedback is very much appreciated, as I don't do poetry often but I thought it fit for the section this shows up in.

There once were four magical girls,
Holy guardians of the land.
They formed a pact of justice,
To stop what evil had planned.

The Magical Girl of Happiness
Gold and full of desire,
Spread joy, faith and power,
To push back the shadows dire

The Magical Girl of Justice,
Upholder of chivalry,
Stood for those done wrong,
A better world to see.

The Magical Girl of Love,
The brightest of the four,
Hunted down the wicked,
And protected those she adored

The Magical Girl of Courage
The furthest from the rest
With solid judgement and sound heart
Would judge the others best.

Together they were strong,
Each protected the other’s flaws
But when the jester came,
They failed to uphold the laws.

The Magical Girl of Happiness
Forever spreading joy,
Lost herself to her desire
And began to hoard her toys.

All that glittered, shined and shone
Were now her only thought
An eternity of greed
Was all that could be bought

Justice stood as a stalwart shield,
A knight of greatest fame.
But the protector’s role is forever writ
As the one to shoulder shame.

Those she protected would only remember
The faces of those she lost
And so despair began to cloud
All that was left was the cost.

Love’s light was inescapable,
And all evil touch abated.
Without a purpose with which to stand,
She was soon lost to hatred.

Good and evil, black and white
Her search was all in vain.
Without a foe to give her form,
A serpent became her bane.

The Magical Girl of Courage,
Found a friend among her foes.
Her trust rewarded not with love,
But an endless source of woes.

Betrayed and lost she wandered on
Her sins corroded her mind.
The failures inside ate at her soul
Until she left her form behind.

Their tale is told but is not done,
As we turn towards the clown.
For deep within Nihil’s heart
He drags the others down.

Within us all the joker stirs,
A reminder of the worst.
Why fight at all when the end will come.
So he always cursed.

But hope will always find a way.
Friends will come together.
When times are darkest and shadows dire,
We will take our measure.

Awoken again to right their wrongs
The girls return to the stage.
“The Magical Girl is here at last”
Their eternal war to wage.

4 months ago | [YT] | 13

NewtC

*Cries in too much Ruina*

Draft 1 is done. It's 47 pages long. A job has been found so I once more have cash flow, though a lot less than with my previous job. Production needs have been identified. I have no idea how in the world I'm going to fund this.

I'm so fudging tired.

Members will be getting another members-only video soon(TM) aka when I figure out where I'm sitting financially. There will be four total for Ruina, including the one that's already out.

Time to start editing draft 2.

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 20

NewtC

Hello everyone! Finally getting another video out. This took a bit longer than expected, largely because I've been focusing on job hunting and making the portfolio website I mentioned in earlier posts. The next video, a retrospective on the OPUS series, will be releasing at 8 AM PST tomorrow morning. As always, I really appreciate anyone who's been supporting me through this month. It means a lot that you're willing to put up with the long wait between videos, and I want to address that more.

For the most part, I've been pretty clear: videos are released when I'm satisfied with them, and I don't want to tie myself to any single franchise. That means a lot of research time, and these notes are what I release when I start writing scripts. This process takes a long time, and I want to see if I can move towards smaller videos in between. I always have a struggle while writing on what I can cut out. The next video in particular feels breakneck towards the end because I wanted to condense it as sharply as I could. However, I feel like putting out only one video for each research target, regardless of how complete it is, is a waste. I want to reuse my notes as much as I can. As such, I'll be working on more Patreon and Members only videos while I push towards Ruina. I have several ideas, one of which is pretty much entirely written at this point. Hopefully I can find more ways to reward people who help me fund these stupid big projects.

On the topic of notes, I'm working on a way to release partial Obsidian vaults for public viewing. Initially this was a reward to supporters, but the struggle to lock this ended up being far too much effort to be worth it. As a result, this will be removed as a patron incentive in the Firekeeper tier. Script drafts however will still visible only to Firekeepers and above.

Expect a video about Chains in the near future, likely sometime next month.

6 months ago | [YT] | 2