Arcadian Rhythms

Hey, thank you so much! Building the world of Arcadian Rhythms has been very fun and rewarding -- it’s definitely the most complicated world I’ve written in so far, and has become a big passion project. That being said, I actually have started up a few original stories! None of them are finished but some have a novel-length amount of content to read through by now, I’m sure. You can check out my fiction portfolio so far over here. You can also follow my Twitter if you like, I always post about stuff I’m working on. Or if you want a more concise place purely for updates on what I’m working on, my joint Patreon with my fiancée is good. Even just the public posts we do every month give you an idea of stuff that’s being worked on. I am in a transitional state this year but later in the autumn I will be buckling down to work on actually finishing an original novel for the first time. As far as my original projects go, let me share some details on what I’ve worked on so far. You can find more details on all of these, including links to more artwork and artist credits, in the portfolio post.

-What We Learned at Rokudai-

“It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others - the other elements, the other nations - will help you become whole. It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too.” ~ Iroh; AtLA

A group of six young adults find harmony and family in each other through the drama they endure together. Coming from different ethnic, domestic, sexual, and religious backgrounds, they grow with each other over the course of a year of college town life.

The story’s goal is to tell a multi-faceted story about young adults with their own sub plots and supporting cast, embracing ethnic/sexual diversity through organic character relationships and character arcs based on real-life issues. Told through a dominantly female-perspective, Rokudai aims to promote balance, equality, and harmony through the lens that rests between adolescence and adulthood. (inspired by characters/themes from both Avatar cartoon series)

-DownRight Fierce-

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”    ― Lao Tzu

An urban fantasy setting following four young women across two acts: Act One sees them at the tail end of high school and shows how their lives get crossed together, while Act Two will see them in their mid twenties having to reconcile the unresolved conflicts of their past. Inspired by Street Fighter, it features a world where characters have ‘powers’ that are mitigated and managed by government forces, which ends up becoming a big aspect of the plot. The main premise for this was based on how fighting games usually try to sell you a characters’ backstory in a single paragraph; I wanted a story where the first half WAS the backstory, and the second half was the culmination of the characters’ issues with each other needing to be resolved; specifically, the primary protagonist will need to accept her past self’s mistakes (from Act One) in order to become the adult she needs to be to help the other three protagonists in Act Two. (inspired by characters/themes from Street Fighter)

-The Focused-

“See no Evil. Hear no Evil.”

Yatra and Kiwidinok are a teenage couple traversing a war-weary land where only the Focused survive in the Wilds: those with the ability to tune out the rest of their senses to heighten the capabilities of one. Yatra’s Eyes can See all, and Kiwi’s Ears can Hear everything, but they are all each other has left in this devastated world. When their single place of refuge falters, they must bid farewell to what little they had and depart on a journey to find a new home.But in the Wilds, they must always sleep with one Eye open, and one Ear to the ground. (Inspired by the characters/world of Avatar: The Last Airbender)

-R+R-

Based upon the multi-layered works of Gene Yang and the parallel worlds of Ni No Kuni, R+R will follow a trio of young adults. Ryndy, a stubborn but timid mage, and her partner Roxette, a soft-hearted but brusque mechanic, traverse a fantasy land where personalized magic crystals serve as multi-tools. The pair are in search of a way to cure themselves of a self-inflicted curse. Meanwhile, a curious fellow who is connected to the pair drearily trudges through less fantastical issues. When their two worlds are reconnected, the truth will set them free.

-Untitled Fighting Game Love Story- My most recent project for which I haven’t decided on a title yet. Another modern day slice of life story, but more focused in scale and theme. This will be a lesbian love story about Rajini and Natsuki, two girls who fall for each other through playing fighting games together, and have to navigate their way through competitive gaming culture in the modern era as a queer couple of women of color. This is likely going to be the original story I finish first because it’s much smaller in scope and the world-building aspect is also much simpler than the others.

The portfolio post also goes over the breadth of fanfic that I’ve written over the past decade, as well as the above original works. If I had to estimate, I’d predict the last one I mention will be the one I finish first, with DownRight Fierce or The Focused probably following. The scope for Rokudai is larger, as the rough draft of the story is as long as the ENTIRETY of the Harry Potter series (!!) so I need to...figure out what to do with all of that! Regardless, after I finish my Life is Strange visual novel, Arcadian Rhythms will continue to be a passion project I work on inbetween original works, and will very likely be my last ever long form fanfic -- hence the bombastic “all out” nature of its world and characters. I hope anyone reading any of these stories enjoys the ride, and with some luck and focus, maybe in 2020 I can FINALLY enter the publishing world after over 15 years of writing fiction basically every week. ^_^;;