Last Night's Interview

Thanks to everyone that came to the Livestream last night ^.^ We tackled some interesting questions, and Lith and I got rather wordy in the process. I hope this makes an interesting reading for folks!

Interview Transcript

Your questions, our answers! Lith and Lithier will take all comers in query format, so this is your chance to learn, to pry, and to educate the world! We're starting with Lith.

Xanes : tell me Lith, how is it being a cat? don't you sometimes wonder how it would be as a Wolf,Dragon, or maybe a lizard.

Lith: Oh o.o Well, I don't know how much I'd want to be a cat if I was born something else, but living with it all these years, I'm inclined to think it rather suits me :3 But it's hard to say how much of my being comfortable in being a cat is just because I'm so used to it, you know? I know I have a lot of traits that people identify as cat-like, so it's kind of hard to say if I'd still have those if I was something else. I guess what it comes down to is-- your species is a part of your identity just as much as anything else. Would I be the same person if I had a different father or mother? That's all awfully philosophical ^.^; But suffice it to say, I'm pretty happy with being a cat. We get it pretty easy-- people don't expect us to do too much, and nobody really discriminates against us like they do against, say, snakes, or rats. And of course I wonder about being something else :3 Don't we all? I'm inclined to think I'd be kind of an... underwhelming example in races like those, though. I'd be a pretty quiet wolf, I imagine, and... well, I don't know, I guess it depends on what kind of lizard I was o.o As a dragon, though...? That's a very odd thought ~.~; I know some of them can fly on their own, and I'd be hard pressed to say I wasn't interested in that... But overall, I think I'm pretty happy with who, and what, I am :3 At least, in these respects...

link45oo : Lith, what do you look for in a significant other? Not just someone who you want to mess around with, but someone on a more intimate level?

Lith: Oh. Well... I guess I'm not too sure ^.^; There's a small problem with the question, in that I don't really look for that possibility in people. I've run into a lot of people that have been interested in making a more permanent relationship with me over the last few years, and sometimes I've kind of gone along with it, but somehow, it's never really worked out... As things are now, I have a lot of friends, and some of those relationships are more physically based than others, but I tend to avoid that sort of thing, I guess. It's never really felt right. Maybe that will change some day, or maybe I'll be kind of a drifter to the end of my days ^.^;; If I had to guess as to the kind of person that might suit me best, though... I guess it'd be someone kind, and patient. Someone that I could trust to be absolutely honest with me, and that I could trust enough to be absolutely honest with them, without being afraid of it all falling apart. I guess... I guess a big part of it would be trust o.o It's kind of a rare asset anymore... Well. I hope that answers your question...

Xanes : do you sometime wonder how is it is being a girl? and has there been times were you wished you were a girl?

Lith: Well, I think I have a bit more insight in a couple ways into what it's like being a girl than most guys ^.^;; Er o_o And not just like that! @///@; But um! I mean. I've been kind of more... sensitive than a lot of guys all my life, and especially as I started... interacting more with guys... I think I got more of a feel of how a lot of women feel ^.^; I even found women tend to make more sense... But sure, I wonder sometimes, even so. Although, usually for more... illicit reasons, I guess. Along those lines, I think that most times I wished I was a girl were when I was a fair deal younger... things like wondering about boobs, or when I was considering the women's locker room ^.^;; If you're talking about in the transgender fashion, that's never really been my thing, no. I've known men that were very interested in being women, and it's a pretty interesting concept to explore, but I've generally been pretty happy with my gender-- when I'm not ashamed to be a man ^.^; It comes up sometimes, especially listening to some girls' horror stories...

link45oo : I've also have another question. Lith, do you have any philosophical thoughts, or just life lessons in general that you want to share with us?

Lith: Goodness. If you'd asked me four or five years ago, I would've had a lot for you ^.^; But I think I've grown just enough to realize that sometimes, just because things make sense, doesn't mean they're right, or best. So my list of absolute truths in life is somewhat... shortened. I used to believe that honesty was absolutely always the best policy-- that every lie is a hurtful thing, inherently. But the world is a complicated place, and people are complicated things, imperfect and full of desperate needs. Sometimes, a lie is what we need to keep going-- and sometimes, that's more important than anything else. I'm getting really vague now ^.^; The only things that have really held up... Balance. I mentioned it before, and I'll bring it up now. The world is all about balance, and if you try to push things too much one way or the other, either the world will push back, or it'll just all come apart. Balance is essential to all things. Every disadvantage comes with an advantage, and every boon comes with a curse. You can call it karma if you like. If you live a balanced life, then you're ready for when life pushes you-- but if you aren't, then you'll be the one that's falling apart. And one truth that is really hard to accept-- something I've been working on for years. Every single person in the world, no matter how stupid or hateful or ignorant or endlessly frustrating they may seem-- is a real person, just like you, full of desire and hope and pain and fear. And it's hard to really wrap your head around that-- we get through life by looking at the people that frustrate us and just saying "oh, he's just a dick," or "forget her, she's an idiot," or some horrible thing like that, reducing the miracle that is a living, sentient being to a single word, a one-dimensional concept. And that is a crime against that person, and against yourself. You might not know what drives them to be who they are and do what they do, but at their core, there's always a dreadfully good reason. Sometimes, this is the best they can do when they're already trying to hold back so much, because it hurts so much inside... And if you can just see that in every person... If we could all come to understand this one fact about each other, and the entire world... I think we could become... better. Objectively, undeniably better as living beings. That's what I want to share, philosophically. It is simple in concept, but mind-crushingly difficult in execution. But it is my one hope.

Xanes : do you have family? if you do, then i would like to know more about them. if you don't have a family, then how was your whole childhood?

Lith: Well, I'm an only child, but I did live with my mother and father. I'm afraid that they haven't received proper names from the great overlord of the world yet, so that part's a bit ambiguous ^.^; My mother had a large family, though, so I have a fair deal of aunts and uncles, and some cousins that I meet very occasionally. My childhood was pretty good, all things considered, I think-- my dad wasn't home a lot, but he still got along pretty well with my mom, and they're still married to this day, which seems to be more of a miracle than ever, looking at the world. I still talk with them, probably every week or two, when I'm not trapped in an infinite void with no phone service or internet. I'm pretty distant from the rest of the family, though-- we haven't even gotten together for Thanksgiving in several years now ^.^;

Xanes : why do you like dicks so much? what happend to you when you were young?

Lith: Oh o//o; Er, I wasn't-- you know, molested or anything like that, if that's what you mean. At least, not in that old psych book way @_@ I was pretty... "normal," when I was younger, besides my interests in games and anime and all that. All of... that... didn't really come up until late in high school. I met a girl that, um... well, she fit the definition loosely, and she taught me a lot of things. It was a pretty rough experience, looking back, but... well, I have a lot of fond memories. And she kind of... shoved me headfirst into the lifestyle I have today ^.^;; I have no idea where I'd be if it wasn't for her. Maybe I'd have a steady girlfriend and never have known the difference, or maybe I'd have eventually, um, found out on my own... or maybe I would have just... felt like I was missing something, all my life. But looking back, even with all the regrets I have now... I think I'm glad it happened ^.^; Not all the time, but most of the time.

(Editor's note: These events are described in detail in the story series, 'Learning Lessons.' Check the accounts listed under "Other Places!")

Lith's questions come to a close here, and we switch to an interview with Lithier, the writer and creator.

Xanes : what is your opinion on the furry community?

Lithier: The furry community is a pretty diverse place to make any blanket statements about, or to bear any particular opinion on. The more I've seen of it, the more I've been amazed with just how much variety there is in the formation of groups and relationships, and in what it seems to mean to people to be furry. Overall, one of the strongest attributes of the furry community to me seems to be its sensitivity-- in a good and a bad way. Speaking in the most general way possible, furries tend to be more accepting and welcoming than the average group, or the average stranger-- especially on the internet. Entering any group for the first time, I've seen little in the way of hazing or rejection, and a good deal of kindness, patience, and open thinking. I play now and again on furry TF2 servers, and I've often heard it remarked from other players that they aren't even furry, but the community is so friendly compared to other servers that they keep coming back anyway. I attended a local furmeet all of once, and I was welcomed readily into the group, embraced socially as readily as anyone else, it seemed. And of course, as a writer and creator on SF and FA, I've been the recipient of a lot of kind words and generous sentiments. Overall, the furry community has a very positive sensitivity to it-- but, of course, it also has its negative. Sensitivity has a price, after all. Furries are renowned for their Drama. Emotional turbulence charges exchanges at random, and people will tend to be very open about expressing their frustration, especially with another member of the community. This is, I think, a natural element of an online community-- specifically, it is the polaric opposite of the troll epidemic. In an online community where everybody is cryptic and anonymous and keeps everything to themselves, trolling is a common form of combined entertainment and emotional venting. But in a community where people take the time to care about each other-- that's when emotion enters center stage, full of violent and raw energy. So that's the drawback to a kind and open community-- a sincere and open torrent of emotion. These are the main things I've seen in the furry community that seem to span it from one end to the other, though some of it may be more oriented on the internet community-- I have frightfully little experience with the offline form. But it has proven a fine place to dwell and sharpen my abilities, and I've been very grateful for its existence, and how open it is to all the concepts the mind can conjure. This could be, of course, partly symptomatic of simply being the latest oppressed minority, but that, along with the peculiar question of sensuality in the furry community, is a whole bundle of thoughts for another time.

link45oo : Ever think of having a certain "person" from Lith's past showing up in-game and kind of changing the game?

Lithier: I have had plans for some time to have other actors of sorts make cameos in the game-- some pre-existing, some not. I think you might be surprised who I pull onto the stage, though :3 But! That's for another update. Keep that under your hat.

Xanes : why did you make Lith as a cat, and why did you desired to make him gay? is Lith the whole purpose of MVOL?

Lithier: Lith was a character of mine before I started writing properly-- to be perfectly honest, he was originally created for the purpose of roleplaying, back when I had the time for all that. I actually used him to explore my sexuality when I was younger, and I learned a lot about myself through him. He developed his own personality over time, becoming a sort of creature of fantasy based on the best reasoning I could find. He started as a cat because I was just looking for something to play as-- and I owned a black cat. A pussycat, actually. I'd considered several alternatives, but that seemed the most comfortable at the time, and Lith grew into his nature well. I had no reason to change him later-- being a cat was perfect for him, and as he'd said himself, being some other species could change who he was substantially. His orientation is-- he's not gay, but some kind of omnisexual. He is a paragon of open-minded sexual exploration, with a strong fixation on certain pieces of anatomy. If you wanted to pin his sexuality as attached to any one gender, it would have to be hermaphrodites xP But transexual already means something else :p And yes, Lith is essentially the focus of the entirety of MVOL-- the game is, above all other things, intended to be a Lith simulator. That's why suggestions to make Lith some drastically different thing or to go focus more on other characters don't get very far with me-- I might be receptive to the idea in general, but that's not what this game is about. My goal is, in a way, to capture the entirety of what Lith is, in this game. When the game is complete, someone that has played it all the way through, in every nook and cranny, may very well know just as much about Lith as I do. Or at least, that is, in a way, my ultimate objective.

Xanes : do you sometimes wonder how it is being Anthropomorphism ( a real live furry )

Lithier: Well, wondering that is basically how I start every piece of writing involving furries :P My style of writing involves digging into the mechanics of everything involved and trying to kind of simulate every detail of reality in my mind-- and from these details, I pluck the juiciest, the most striking, the most defining parts to write a story. So I spend a lot of time thinking about how it would work to be a living, humanoid snake, or how it works to have one's body stretch in this way, or what the social undertones of certain interactions would be-- because a little snippet of that thrown in at the right moment can really give the story life. If you mean from the perspective of imagining being an anthropomorphic animal myself, though, I can't say that I've given it a lot of thought. Furries engage me as a concept, and I can wrestle with that concept indefinitely and have many fulfilling evenings of contemplation and discovery, but I can't say that I, personally, really wish that I was a humanoid cat, or dragon, or what have you. Some of it sounds cool, but I also have respect for what we are. Our very existence, just as humans, is miraculous in uncountable ways. Humanity is, on the scale of evolution and life, some kind of terrifying explosion, transforming and questioning itself and becoming more and more developed in a matter of centuries where life usually develops over hundreds of millenia. If I try to imagine how it would work for every species on earth to develop a humanoid form at the same time, or for some event to generate all these different species, fully cognizant and capable of abstract thought and the use of tools-- all I can honestly imagine is global disaster. Maybe the biggest miracle of any "furry" world is that all the different species live in harmony in most incarnations, and work together for the betterment of the whole. It's very difficult to seriously consider the implications of a world of furries without first tackling the prospect of world-wide war, considering we humans, as a single species, already have such a hard time getting along... So maybe I'm something of a spoil sport, or maybe I'm taking a bit too realistic or even pessimistic approach to it, but I can't say that it's ever been a big appeal to me as a concept ^.^;

Xanes : do you plan on doing commentary later in the future with people from your stream, or just solo commentary?

Lithier: This particular format doesn't make back-and-forth discussions work quite as well, but I'd welcome additional questions regarding something I've already said ^.^; That might encourage me to keep my answers relatively short, if I can expect people to request that I expound specifically on what they're interested in hearing about xP

Xanes : what do you do for a living?

Lithier: I'm afraid I won't be answering that specifically-- I've kept a rather old-fashioned policy that is part old habit and part statement. One of the most valuable facets of the internet to me is the anonymity-- that anyone can assume an alias and be a new person, and develop their identity from that moment on, independent of the real world. As of this moment, I'm keeping that separation-- I am Lithier, and while there are some extenuating circumstances that might affect me originating in that place called IRL, I prefer to otherwise present myself as an entity on the internet. That might seem strange to some folks, especially with the spread of facebook and tweeting and all that filling the internet with faces and real names, but that is the internet I grew up with, and it's what I cling to now. If I had my way, I'd make my living writing for you kind folks-- but I don't know how practical that will ever be. For now, we will see! And I hope you all will forgive me my strange ways.

Progress Report!

I've been told folks would like to hear the latest on how the game is coming along! Truth be told, I've been pretty quiet on that for a while mainly because I've been embarrassed with how little I'd actually gotten done. I'd hoped that the illusion of some significant amount of work would be better than killing Schrodinger's cat, and also your hopes and dreams. But! I've been making some progress at last. It's still not lots and lots, but the game is moving!

My current goal for the next release, in cryptic terms, is three big scenes, two small ones, and some extra stuff. I've currently completed one big scene, one small one that turned out rather big, and some of the extra stuff. So, tagging on some playtesting on the end, I'd say I can graphically represent the progress to the next version:

(++++======)

I know it doesn't look like much @_@ My apologies to everyone that's waiting with bated breath! I'm hoping that things will gradually get more regular from here. If you want to help, check out the Help Out! tab above this post! And if you'd like to show your support, I'll be streaming this Friday at 7 PM EST-- and if you don't know what that is, check out the handy dandy lil clock in the column on the right! This project is competing for my pen with a couple others, but it's coming along @_@ My thanks to everyone that comes to check in on things!

Livestream Next Week!

Hey folks, streaming seems to be working pretty well so far ^.^ So I'll be setting up another Livestream-- not this coming Friday, but the one after: Nov. 16th! I'll try compromising at 7 PM EST for this one. That's one hour earlier than the original start time, and an hour later than my most recent stream event. For this one, I'm planning on doing some more work on MVOL, and if there's interest, I'll do another round of interviews ^.^ Hope to see you there! :3

EDIT: I've finally found a gadget to deal with the time confusion! If you aren't sure when EST is, there is now a little blue clock in the right column down below recent comments. Hope that helps!

A Guide to This Blog

Not everybody seems to know what all is available on this blog, so I'd like to take a moment to outline the contents and make sure folks know what's available to them!

Main Navigation

Below the main header, you should see a series of tabs you can use for navigating the main content of the site. You might not see this if you're browsing by phone until you switch to the full web version!

Home

This takes you to the main blog! You can see my latest blog post, and if you scroll down, you can see older stuff beyond it. At the bottom of each post is a link that you can use to comment on the post. Comments are always welcome, and while I might not respond, I make sure to read every one! If you're confused about something I said in my post or want to respond in some way, feel free!

Play the Game

This takes you to the download page for My Very Own Lith! I always keep the most up-to-date version here, and I may also include older versions at some point down the road. As of this post, I host my game on mediafire, so if you click the link directly, you can play on the web-- but you may be better served to right click>save as... to save the game to your computer! Be wary, though-- your save files are dependent on where you play. You'll have to either start over or find and copy over your files if you start playing from a folder on your computer!

 

Suggestions/Plans

This is where I discuss the future of MVOL with you, the players! I start with a list of a lot of the features I'm thinking about including in the game, and I welcome all of you to post suggestions for what you'd like to see in the comments! This game is a very personal project for me, and I've heard a lot of interesting ideas that just don't work for what I want MVOL to be, but sometimes, something fits just right, and I work it into my plans as I go along :3 If you've got a burning need to see something in the game, this is the place to speak up!

Lith and Lithier?

I know it's a bit confusing-- The main character of MVOL is named Lith, but the writer/coder behind it is called Lithier! We are, in fact, separate entities, though there's a lot that connects us. Learn more about exactly what's going on, here!

Help Out!

I've always been grateful for people's offers to help with the game-- and some kinds of help are more than welcome, while others just won't work because of the nature of the process. If you're interested in pitching in to help with the creation of MVOL in some way, this is the page for you! It describes what all help I could use with the project, and it links to my email half a dozen times to invite you to contact me!

Other Places

You might not have been aware, but I was an erotic writer long before I was an erotic game maker! I'm told my work is pretty good, but if you'd like to judge for yourself, I have links on this page to my FurAffinity and SoFurry accounts, where you can read virtually every story I've ever written for the furry fandom! I also have a list of links (very small as of this posting) for other places of note around the internet, where people may have similar projects of interest for you to peruse!

The Sidebar

To the right side of the page, you should see a column of extra bits that will show up on every page you go to on my blog! Again, this may not work on your phone.

MVOL Chat

I use this chat room to keep in touch with the visitors on my site moment to moment! I don't check it obsessively, but if you say something on there, I'll likely see it in a matter of hours, if not minutes. If I'm quick enough to notice, I may respond and we could have a little chat :3 I'm always happy to talk with fans and/or critics, and I'm also happy to see people socializing or discussing the game even without me. This is a space for any live discussion of what's going on or what's on your mind! Preferably involving the game in some way, but that's more a guideline than a rule.

 

A Survey

Next is the survey gizmo! As of this post, it's been acting rather defunct, so this unfortunately may not be persisting into the future, but I'm hopeful that Blogger will iron out the problem so that I can keep opening the floor to the input of all you blog-readers! I'd be delighted if each and every one of you commented with your thoughts and desires on the site, but a great deal of you seem to be shy, so this is your nice, quiet way of making sure your thoughts, at least on one subject at a time, are heard.

 

Recent Comments

This is how I keep track of activity on the blog! If you comment on anything, anywhere, it will show up here so folks can know where the action is. It never seems to move quickly enough! Although it does make me a little sad when people take the time to criticize each other on my blog. Save that criticism for my work! :D

Eastern Standard Time

If you're ever unsure what time it is in EST, the time I use for scheduling Livestream events and such, check this clock!

Followers

This is some sort of list of people that have deigned to attach themselves publicly to my blog! They're notified by some kind of witchcraft every time that I make a new blog post, the crafty creatures. This also includes options to become one of these crafty creatures yourself!

Follow by Email

Or if you want to be even more crafty, you can take this option to be notified in a clandestine fashion, without having your account blazoned across my front page!

Creator

This is where you can find a link to my very empty account page! Also, that crazy dog over there managed to get his name on my blog somehow. I can't get even get him to stop humping the furniture, I have no idea how to get him off my blog!
 

Blog Archive

Last but not least (that was the previous one) is the archive! Here, you can sniff out all my old blog posts, in case you want to see what was on my mind back at the very beginning of the blog, or somewhere in between. It's chronological! :D

And that's the entirety of my blog at this point! I may add more later, but if none of this was news to you, I just wasted ten minutes of your time! If something here was new information, however, then cry out huzzah! For you've not only learned something, you've learned something about a pornographic blog! This is clearly a higher form of learning. Anyway! Thanks for taking the time to read my silly attempt to make people click buttons!

Streaming now!

 Tonight's Livestream is done! I'll be posting the completed story on SoFurry and FurAffinity tomorrow, so just check the links in Other Places! Thanks, folks! :3

Alright, the Livestream is up and going right now!

http://www.livestream.com/lithier

Streaming a commission Friday!

I know you check this blog always looking for more of MVOL, but before I can dive into the game again with good conscience, I absolutely must get back to work on my commissioned stories as well! I don't know if all of you were aware, but I was an erotic writer long before I was a game maker (see the "Other Places" tab for links to see for yourself) and as of this moment, this is the only work I've been doing that's actually paid, so I'd be grievously out of line to keep putting it off!

That said, I think you all may find it enjoyable ^.^ Theoretically, without coding and alternate scenes and terms to worry about, I should be able to write a bit more briskly, and you may be able to watch a full story unfold before your eyes. I'll be happy to discuss my work as we go, and if at some point I feel the need for a break, we may switch over to an interactive narrative, where you, the viewer, will choose the actions of the protagonist and see how the story unfolds! This will be something of a sketch experiment, but I'm hopeful it will be... interesting, if nothing else :3

But when will it be? Friday, of course! However, I've been getting the impression some of my would-be viewers, especially in non-US locations, may be having trouble with the time of day-- so I'm moving this stream forward two hours to 6 PM EST! Again, to check when that is, try this link!

The mind of a writer is a fickle thing, but I think I'm getting myself back where I need to be, bit by bit. Crushing guilt is next on the list, so let's clean house and have some dirty fun! :3 Come watch, show your support, and get some porn before anyone else!