Hey everyone!

Thank for all who've downloaded and played build 4 so far! I appreciate all the support and feedback, and I've uploaded a newer version with some typo and bug fixes. 

I also thought I'd quickly answer some questions that I get asked almost every day!

How can I support the project?

I feel really humbled people want to financially support Soulcreek, and honestly never imagined it getting this far! I do want to keep the project completely free though, and I definitely don't want to go down the Patreon route since I want everyone to have full access to all content. If I ever decide the VN could be greatly improved with assets I just can't afford, we'll do something fun to get some funding together but for now, all it needs is for you to read, enjoy and share!

When will the next build come out?

Build 5 could potentially be a huge one, so I don't have an idea on when it'll be ready. My prediction would be late August based on how much work it's going to involve.

Do you read the comments on itch.io?

Yes! I've had to force myself not to reply to keep my mental health in check, because covering Soulcreek on both Discord and Twitter is already quite a lot, so I try and distance myself from other platforms - but I do read and appreciate everything everyone says on here!

How long will Soulcreek be?

There are three planned acts, with act 2 and 3 likely being a bit shorter than act 1. I'd say we're just over a third of the way through everything I intended to happen so far.

Why can't Loken be a bottom?

I feel a bit uncomfortable with this question as the answer is a little personal, but here goes! Loken will only be a top because of his character - I had originally intended for him to be vers, but the more I got to know him the more I realised how uncomfortable he'd be canonically letting someone top him. He's a troubled guy, and sexual roles have a lot of subtext to him. He feels at ease when he's in control, even the illusion of it. Making him a bottom would feel uncomfortable to me personally. That being said, I certainly welcome  and enjoy any and all fan-art or fan-fiction where he plays a bottom role, so please don't feel put off! It's just a personal thing for me to do that character right canonically in the VN. 

How do you do the audio for Soulcreek?

I've done a lot of film making at university, and some radio dramas, so I wanted to use that for Soulcreek - I also love using audio narratively to create the illusion of 3D space and atmosphere, particularly for horror scenes! Most the sound effects I use come from https://freesound.org/ or other public domain sites. I mix and then cue them into the VN at the right time. Some sound effects (the fight scene with the metal pole in day 3, Mylo's crossbow or the axe throw for example) I have to put together myself, which are the most fun ones to do! 

What inspired Soulcreek?

Too many things to list! I got into FVNs and loved some of the tropes that I saw being used, and wanted do my own take on it. I was reading Remember the Flowers when the motivation to get started finally stuck, so I'd cite that story as being responsible for getting me started! Outside of FVNs, I wanted to explore a love story where the characters are closer to their animal-instincts than any kind of modern culture. I obviously love cosmic horror themes, and I'd say I drew ideas from things like Lovecraftian fiction, classic horror films, the worldbuilding of games like Dark Souls and the Warhammer 40,000 lore. I love wearing my influences on my sleeve, and nothing makes me happier than seeing people draw connections from stuff in Soulcreek to what might have inspired it!

Will you make any other VNs?

Honestly? If the VN craze is still going after Soulcreek ends? Why not! I'd love to tell more stories in this world and have a whole sequel idea that might be fun, and I have a few ideas for other stories that could work. I do almost everything for Soulcreek myself, but I'd definitely work on another project at the same time in some regard if there was a team behind it - Doing some audio work, editing and writing on another VN might be fun!

What advice would you give to other writers?

Every creative process is different, and I certainly have no idea what the fuck I'm doing! I'd say writing is re-writing - so don't focus on getting it good, just get it done. Be prepared to edit or completely re-write the same scene dozens of times until it's right. 

That's all! As always, I'm on twitter and our discord server if you want to say hey!

-Ryuo