October Progress! [Public Edition]

Hi friends! It has been quite a rush these past 24 hours, seeing folks pass around my announcement tweet & check out the page & now end up pledging well past what I’d expected for my first day of being live! If you’re now a patron, thank you SO much. If you aren’t yet, well, that’s fine! Take a read through this first update, on the house, and maybe consider it? Everything helps, so I extremely appreciate the consideration 💛

Let’s get out of the hypothetical and into the actuality! What AM I working on? Well, here’s all the details so far!

Work in Progress - October

Celeste

This is my big one this month. I’ve been working on the Celeste soundtrack for well over a year at this point, and it’s finally coming to the last few months of production! I’ve written over an hour’s worth of music for the game, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

https://soundcloud.com/lena-chappelle/sets/celeste-ost-excerpts

Here’s all the excerpts I’ve released so far!

The full soundtrack will likely clock in at around an hour and a half of music, PLUS, there’s going to be a 2nd release just for the B-Side level remixes written by my wonderful collaborators! And remember that all Subroutine+ patrons get access to these OSTs as soon as I can make them available to yall! 

ESC

In case you’re not aware, ESC is an interactive novel that I’ve been working on in my spare time as an exercise in both teaching myself programming, as well as completing my first self-directed game project! I’ve literally not shown any of the game yet, so check out this tiny sneak preview of the front-end of the game + a smidge of in-game stuff & music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exT7_6U10k 

I’m also super excited to be working with two lovely collaborators to make ESC come to life in ways I wouldn’t be able to on my own! Allow me to introduce them!

DataErase is a digital artist specializing in a glitch aesthetic & also amazing clothing designs, if you’re familiar with her work on PAOM & LiveHeroes. For ESC, I wanted to create a sense of space & setting whilst also letting the text remain the focus. There’s a clear distinction for me between a Visual Novel and what I’m trying to create with ESC. In a VN, character & setting are a focus in as much as the art allows them to be. The text carries dialogue, while visuals fill in the gaps of descriptions and at times action. For an interactive novel, like what I’m creating with ESC, I want the text to do the majority of the lifting, for both visuals and dialogue. But with an interactive medium, like games, I wanted to augment the text in a way that didn’t overpower it. With DataErase’s abstract glitch paintings as backgrounds, I feel we’ll be able to convey mood and setting in a way that still enables a focus on the words themselves.

2 Mello is a composer & sound designer that is a master of sampling, hip-hop, and atmosphere. We’ve collaborated on a remix for Celeste, but for ESC I’m teaming up with him to bring the sounds of my story to life. You can check out a first glimpse at his work in the video linked above!

And hey, there’s also me, Lena! I wrote all the text of ESC, and have assembled it into interactive form through the magic of GameMaker Studio. I’m also composing a full original soundtrack to accompany the shifting moods & atmosphere. 

All in all, ESC is targeting a 4-5 hour reading experience. Please note that ESC is heavy on the novel and light on the interactive. It’s augmented fiction, designed to entertain. I hope that doesn’t scare you off, because I’m really hoping you’ll give it a shot!

And, of course, Process+ patrons will be getting a beta download as soon as it’s ready!

Wrap-Up

Well dang, that’s a lot and this is just October! Patrons, I’ll check back in at the end of the month & give you an update on how things are going! I'll also put together my music recs & also a list of upcoming projects! 

Everyone else? Well, I hope you’ve considered becoming a patron if you’re able to?? I’m really excited to share even more!

💛 ~Lena