A Petal Among Thorns
A Petal Among Thorns - Chapter 2 goes Free-To-Play
Hey fans,
A Petal Among Thorns Chapter 2 is now free to play. Enjoy!
And with that, I do have some news to go with this release. Chapter 3 isn't far along yet as I had to do some major re-writing to Chapters 1 and 2. I also had some of Chapter 3 written and had to do some re-writes there as well. I highly advise a fresh replay when the next release drops due to the slight change in story direction.
Someone mentioned that the MC was too whiny about taking his relationship with Petal to the next level. I was quite offended by this and quickly dismissed it. But then more and more people kept popping up saying the same thing. I decided to see if there was any legitimacy behind the complaints so I did a fresh playthrough of the game myself and I ended up agreeing that the MC wasn't behaving how I thought I'd written him. So I made Chester less reserved but in turn, Petal will have some issues with proceeding herself. There will be a sort of balance between the two.
I have three scenes completed and about seven or so to go. As the sexual content ramps up, releases might take a bit longer to produce as scenes where two people are touching can be much more difficult to make. I'm shooting for a release sometime in October.
This is my current build for Bliss, Petal's sister. Let me know if you like the way she looks or not as there's still time to make some alterations.
Thank you for supporting and enjoying my novel!
Farewell for now.
Comments
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I really do not know how I feel about this turn of events. It has always been my belief that a VN should be the result of the writers expressions and not the cries of the fans. I wonder if the majority of the people complaining about the MC are not yet parents themselves and lack an idea of what a loving parental figure would do in a situation like that.
My biggest fear now is that all of the "balancing" you are doing will create a muddy situation where it feels like the story will just drag on without either person really doing anything. More than that though, I really get vested in the stories I like and this is one I have truly enjoyed. Now I have to go back and try in some way to put my feelings aside and try to forget basically everything that has happened and try to reinvest myself in the new narrative.
You stand a 50/50 chance of alienating the majority of your readers just to please the minority. The worst part is if you do not get this rewrite "Right", it will destroy much of your credibility as a writer and turn away the fan base you have now.
As with anything, this is my opinion only.
The MC was well within what a parental figure would be reacting to. If anything, there wasn't enough "emotional tension" created between the MC and Petal. A parental figure, especially a man would/should be reacting to things more aggressively. We men don't see sex and love the way women do so we would be more rational about what is happening. (As was the MC) Petal on the other hand is acting off of pure emotion and now that steps have been taken towards a serious physical relationship, her emotions will be tied to her physical feelings as well.
So now you are trying to go back and make your MC less cautionary which they would never be and make Petal less aggressive which she is actually more likely not to be. Once a woman puts all of her emotions into a relationship and expresses those feelings physically, there is no toning her down!! You seek to strike more of a "balance" when there is never balance with love, emotions and physical feelings. Balance is subjective. What is right for one is not for another.
Understanding emotions an physical feelings and how they work together is hard for writers to get right. The best thing you could have done was stay true to the story you envisioned and let the critics be critics. Its not like there aren't a thousand other VN's out there with similar subject matter.
I think you are a fantastic writer. Keep up the great and do not let critics change your vision of the story you are trying to tell.
All of what you said here was mostly my reaction to the complaints too. Trust me, I was extremely upset by them and I thought they were outrageous. I went back through the script and saw that the MC was resisting more adamantly than I'd intended. The changes aren't dramatic but they're enough to make it seem like Petal and the MC are going into the next day deciding the next step of their sexual endeavor together instead of him being firm with the rules. Mostly what I changed is in Chapter 3 because I already had several scenes already written.
If you play it and strongly dislike the change, please let me know. But I'm confident it's a positive alteration. I believe you'll think so too when I release it. :-)
So far I have enjoyed all of your stories. I do not see that changing. What I do NOT want to see changing is you! Critics are critics and you cant please everyone. Close your eyes, take a step back and remember why you "truly" do this. Never do this to please me or us! Do it for your love of the story and stick to it.
I have faith in you and see great things for you.
I ❤️ Bliss. I really hope she has her time in APAT. She looks beautiful and sexy.
The plan right now is for Bliss to be heavily featured in the sequel to A Petal Among Thorns. The sequel will be titled A Moment of Bliss.
That sounds great. I was a bit confused as to whether future stories with Petal's sisters were getting off the ground or being buried under too much snow....so to speak. Anyway, Petal is brilliant and funny and touching and sensual. Just a typical Lockheart production.
Thanks for the update. I actually like the current writing and dynamic of the MC and Petal, with Petal pushing the MC to do more. If you change the writing to much it may seem that the MC is pushing Petal to do more, changing the dynamic. But who knows, you're an excellent writer and in the end I know you'll get it jest right. Also I like the Bliss model and thanks for the great VN, keep up the good work.
It's very difficult to look at a project with a fresh set of eyes once you've spent so long working on it. So it's great that you're using your reader's? eyes for a fresh perspective.
Thanks for the update, Lockheart. I wouldn't call the MC whiny, just overly cautious and repetitive, especially given Petal's constant and consistent reassurances. Looking forward to your remake to see what you do with it. Your work in all your games is very thoughtful and exceptional in my book.
Thank you, Dpas! Perhaps whiny was the wrong word. I would agree more with the way you phrased it. When Chapter 3 does release, I'd love to know what you think. I appreciate the feedback.
I do agree that rather than whiny I'd say a little too cautious despite Petal's constant reassurances she's an adult and is fully able to consent to progressively further sensual play leading up to and quite eventually crossing that line.
I do like how the Uncle was able to provide his advice pursuing these types of taboo relationships and even the introduction of a possible love triangle with the ex-wife struggling under the weight of her own secrets while still possibly in love with the MC and what that means for own daughters.
I cant help but ask. Be honest with yourself. How would you react if you were in the same situation?
Don't think like a gamer/reader. Think like the parent of an impressionable young adult woman.