House Delaroux 1-Year Anniversary!
“UWOOOOOOOOHHHHHH…!!!” - Author-kun, probably
It's been a year since HouseDelaroux.com came online. How time flies!
Looking Back At 22'
“Cake? For me?” - Aya-chan, suspiciously familiar lines
Year of 22' was the year of /Conspiracy/, as I worked on the foundations of /Conspiracy/ Girl. Writing and rewriting the script for /Conspiracy/ Girls shockingly went on for a long time, from June of 21' to early January of 22'! But around New Years and Putin's History Lesson, the prototype for EP1 came out. It was rough, unfinished, and didn't have all the sprites, but I was really happy with it.
Then came the push of writing EP3 and EP4, and what would later become EP2 in between. A really big lesson here was to do one thing at a time. I first finished the script, then I finished the stage directions/naming, finally I worked on the SFX/VFX. It was a lot more doable than trying to bumrush everything and get it all perfect at once.
In April, the Stage Directions were complete, and art was in the works, special effects and sound was ongoing, while scriptwriting stalled because I really couldn't fit Morganna and the climax of the story properly. Oh, Lycoris Recoil aired at around this time, which gave me a big confidence boost that people would like /Conspiracy/ Girls since Takina and Chisato's dynamics were so alike Madison's and Ayano's!
Around July, HouseDelaroux.com came online, and that was when the art for the main characters came in, and the work on background, and the impossible rework of the later episodes came in. (read the old PROGRESS! logs for details!) Things started speeding up faster and faster at this point, and it took nearly a month before Gaben approved for a release of /Conspiracy/ Girls on 10/20!
It was a very long journey, so for one last time, I want to thank Editor-san, who stayed with me for the entire time; Editor-san is doing greater things now, so I wish her best of luck! I also want to thank all the other artists who worked with me on this project, especially Stefan who I worked with the most, so much that I started watching vtubers this year (laugh).
Year of Master Duel
“You can take the sorceress out of the evil, but you can’t take the evil out of the sorceress.” - Oracion
Year of 22' was also the year of Master Duel, I played Yu-Gi-Oh somewhat seriously, I didn't go very far, at most I made it to stage 2 of each round, but I never got very far because everyone was very, very strong. Also, various circumstances and the format of the game itself made me rethink a little deeper about children's card games.
I can hardly say I can play with the same vigor that I used to play card games with, nor do I have the time to keep up with the meta; and now that I am so busy with /HDG/ I barely have time for vidya anymore! All I want to do is play waifu decks and the stuff I like, which as of posting is an Earth Golem Cyberse deck! I think I'll sum up my knowledge on gacha games some time in the future as part of a series of writings.
And now; AI Art
Author-kun always said that he doesn't draw, so he isn't an artist, but since early of this year, Author-kun has been tinkering with Stable Diffusion and it's been a blast. Being able to turn concepts to life really quickly is a great boon, and Author-kun has been hard at work learning the ins and outs of AI art since the New Years!
One thing you might notice is that Author-kun's interest in this technology is hinted at in an old post way back in 21'! There's an obviously AI generated (badly) picture up there! Author-kun was wa shocked too when he saw that!
Learning is good and all, but it is time to apply things into practice, that's why Author-kun is working with GM@lland to make art for /Heroine Defeat General/, next demo day soon? (why is there a fake demo day up on the threads?) Here's a link to her pixiv and the /HDG/ itch.io page:
Viola's Pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/89661057
/Heroine Defeat General/: https://madison-delaroux.itch.io/heroine-defeat-general
Last Word
I am really glad for House Delaroux, just for it’s existence. It's a very real record of all my triumphs and failures trying to move forward. I read through all the posts in HouseDelaroux.com this morning, and it was quite the nostalgia trip. All the roadblocks, and problems that I am facing, they seem really minor now in the rear view mirror. A lot in my life has changed as well, Editor-san leaving, me moving from the mountains to the lake, and many more.
Thank you Madi-san, and everyone who helped along the way. May there be many more anniversaries ahead!
P.S: Will Madi-san ever come back? You never know!
Author-kun
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