Women of Xal II was funded, yes! At $26k! Fun fact, though. If it had failed, yes, we would have relaunched April. But at $10k, instead of $25k. And goodness the timeline where the budget was less than half? It would have meant the following:
It would have been a $10,000 campaign, like the first game
It would have been an overwhelmingly linear experience that only finished the story
Art would have been stylized sketches (like above) instead of what you saw in the demo
Cat, the original character artist from the first game, would not have had a large role. ='(
No romance arcs, no stupendous soundtrack, zero animation, no singers
An extra year or two of development time as I fund some art with my Walmart paycheck
So we did it, ya'll! You and Blue Sky came through! We even hit one (1) stretch goal! I got my Sparkling Grape Juice! Clearly, living the life. (Apologies in advance for looking tired and scrappy. I'm approaching 40, I am allowed this. =p)
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Yes the Kickstarter that's not out yet. No not for the reason you think.
I actually liked the first game. I came in ready to tear it apart but what I got was a political lesbian fantasy that fucked me up in a good way. But like most people I only heard about it because a fan was making a lot of noise on social media and it went viral. Without that post the first kickstarter would have probably failed.
The second game looks better in every area. I love how it is coming together! But a part of me can't help but hope the second campaign fails. I think the creator is being awfully naΓ―ve in assuming it can get funded just because he was an ambitious overachiever the first time. Again I LIKE the first game and want to see how it ends! But I personally disagree with his approach here.
He's fostering an environment of anti-discourse. Yes what got him on the map was a contentious post but he's practically discouraging the very thing that got him noticed in the first place. And he's doing it with a cast front heavy with dark skinned women. In a visual novel. It's like he's setting himself up to fail and it's hard to watch.
Second I guess is that it all comes across as someone with faith that if he builds it, they will come. But that's not the Black experience, and I think a good shake in the form of failure would remind him of that. That his followers are mostly comprised of reactionary and performative allies. The second game has nothing to prove now. And he's shutting down anonymous dms that could have helped market his game if he had just fanned the flames even a little.
tl;dr: I want to see him fail to fund that kickstarter. Try new methods or at LEAST stand to the side and let drama happen. I really think that it will lead to having a larger fanbase that cares about the series before any controversy and after. btw if you're reading this and aren't who I'm talking about, don't complain to me! If the shoe don't fit!
yeah so this is aging like fine wine. Women of Xal II is going to fail. And all the dev had to do was stir some controversy. Hate to see it. The new demo is incredible and feels like a natural evolution of the original, ect.
But that's what happens when you make a VN without whites and asians.
Okay. Alright. Okay. Women of Xal II's Kickstarter has officially succeeded, so you get a very toned-down and chilled-out version of this post compared to what I was originally going to post tomorrow. And I've removed a number of the inflammatory tags, too.
Hi there, I'm the second creator behind Women of Xal who you neglected to mention at all in your above posts. Cofounder of PlotTwist Studios and major financial contributor for things like advertising and registration fees. Oh, also John's wife.
First, fuck you. Okay, got that out of my system.
Second, you're not wrong.
Third, did you consider there may be valid reasons to sidestep drama? That some people don't base every single action on how "marketable" it is?
Putting aside John for a moment - we'll get back to him, promise - how do you think people on our staff and in our community feel about this post? Because your commentary has sure made ME feel like shit multiple times this year. Sure made me feel like I was wasting my time and hundreds of my dollars for a community that thought we "need to fail" as if we haven't already failed a hundred times before. Sure made me feel frustrated over the hours I spent writing advertising posts and researching Steam compatibility. Sure made me consider stopping what I do.
We don't have a large team. It's just me and John as official owners, plus the artists, animators, singers, and VAs we commission, plus the friends who help moderate for us on Discord. Did you consider them when you made your post, or were you so focused on calling out John in particular that you forgot to consider other factors? John has always made it clear he doesn't do things alone. The rest of our team weathers enough shit - why would we contribute to that by publishing anonymous messages that literally insult people we work with?
This is not hyperbole, by the way: we got a message insulting our artist and breaking down everything "wrong" with their art style. We don't publish every anonymous ask we get because some of them are genuinely hurtful, and our people don't need to see that.
Back to John. Before I get into this, I must disclaim that I am White - but that's also why I mentioned being John's wife. I think this balances out what I'm about to say - but that is only my opinion, of course. Everything in this post is my opinion.
"It's like he's setting himself up to fail and it's hard to watch. It all comes across as a form of faith that if he builds it, they will come. But that's not the Black experience, and I think a good shake in the form of failure would remind him of that. "
Sit your parasocial ass down and remember that people are more than they seem on the internet. It's "hard for you to watch"? Imagine what it was like when he was making video games in RMXP for two or three people online. For those of us who were around during any of the DOZENS of failed ventures he had before the first Women of Xal. Are you assuming that he does not know failure based on what you see in front of you? Congrats, you were fooled by the mask that so many Black creators don to avoid being labeled controversial and receiving death threats. Here's an exclusive look behind the curtain: he's human and gets discouraged too, dingus.
Obviously you'll have to take my word for things he doesn't say online, but the "faith" he shows to the public is a façade - he knows better than me that people often don't do shit for Black creators. I'm usually the optimistic one behind the scenes when it comes to this kind of racism. It's not faith, it's a lack of wanting to deal with this exact kind of bullshit drama because he's lived through it a hundred times before. You said that merit-based success is not the "Black Experience", didn't you? Well sadly, you have a point. Failure has been part of his reality all his life, and you're preaching to the choir here.
What, the guy has one "successful" venture and people start seeing him as uppity, is that it? ("Successful" is in air quotes, in case you haven't read up on how much money Women of Xal has made.) The guy doesn't "deserve" another successful game because he's not acting the right way? I'm starting to understand just another little fraction of this entire monstrous beast called racism, and it makes my blood boil.
Why would you WANT a Black creator to experience failure that shakes him out of his optimism? We succeeded this Kickstarter in the last 15 hours by the skin of our teeth and the grace of tumblr and bluesky, but it was a near thing. Are you upset that we didn't fail like your post suggested, or do you now feel better that the world had defied your expectations? Are you now HAPPIER to have been been proven wrong, and to see that a Black creator can get his game funded just through word-of-mouth and good ol' hard work alone? Because I sure am! I'm happier to know the world is a better place than I thought it was 24 hours ago.
So stop wishing ill on people!
Pointing out the injustice inherent in the system by wishing that same injustice on someone is not "just telling it like it is" or "being honest". Your "well-intentioned" inflammatory post simply adds to the very situation you're trying to point out.
This sign. Your post is this sign:
See, it's not what you said that pissed me off all this month, it's how you said it. You're right, and we've all known it since before WoX was even conceived of. Drama sells. Controversy sells. John's approach of quashing drama surrounding this game before it even starts was never a good one for business - but it wasn't a business decision, dingus. It was a mental health decision. You think it's easy to weather that kind of drama when you have a day job at Walmart? Fuck no. Neither of us wanted to do that AGAIN. I'm 33 and I'm tired enough dealing with capitalist America - please stop and think that there may be other factors to a person's actions besides just "success" and "profitability".
I made this post to complain to (and about) you specifically, not to spark drama - but if this post DOES begin accumulating notes then I trust that emotionally intelligent readers will catch the points I did not elaborate on. There was much more I had written here, but since the Kickstarter did almost a complete 180 in the past week I no longer feel the need to say any of that. I'm no longer stressin'.
I hope you sleep as well tonight (knowing you've said all this about an indie team) as I have slept at night (knowing I tried my best to support someone I love and make a passion project happen). And spoilers, I have not slept well for the past month - but I hope to sleep VERY well tonight.
Hands up. Sorry, sorry. I only thought about other team members getting hit in the crossfire after I left the post up for a couple of days. By then FeminismDoneRight had already responded and I knew the post was fucked. So for indirectly dragging you in and clearly not helping, my bad. I made things worse, no getting around that. I would argue that I critiqued his methods heavy-handedly more than I insulted him. A critique that shat back in my face anyway. I'm pretty sure you're the only one of the three women here directly insulting anyone. But despite what you may or may not think, I do get the urge to respond to such a post. So to honor your team's Kickstarter win, and your man's tenacity, I will sit my Black ass down on the subject.
Yes the Kickstarter that's not out yet. No not for the reason you think.
I actually liked the first game. I came in ready to tear it apart but what I got was a political lesbian fantasy that fucked me up in a good way. But like most people I only heard about it because a fan was making a lot of noise on social media and it went viral. Without that post the first kickstarter would have probably failed.
The second game looks better in every area. I love how it is coming together! But a part of me can't help but hope the second campaign fails. I think the creator is being awfully naΓ―ve in assuming it can get funded just because he was an ambitious overachiever the first time. Again I LIKE the first game and want to see how it ends! But I personally disagree with his approach here.
He's fostering an environment of anti-discourse. Yes what got him on the map was a contentious post but he's practically discouraging the very thing that got him noticed in the first place. And he's doing it with a cast front heavy with dark skinned women. In a visual novel. It's like he's setting himself up to fail and it's hard to watch.
Second I guess is that it all comes across as someone with faith that if he builds it, they will come. But that's not the Black experience, and I think a good shake in the form of failure would remind him of that. That his followers are mostly comprised of reactionary and performative allies. The second game has nothing to prove now. And he's shutting down anonymous dms that could have helped market his game if he had just fanned the flames even a little.
tl;dr: I want to see him fail to fund that kickstarter. Try new methods or at LEAST stand to the side and let drama happen. I really think that it will lead to having a larger fanbase that cares about the series before any controversy and after. btw if you're reading this and aren't who I'm talking about, don't complain to me! If the shoe don't fit!
yeah so this is aging like fine wine. Women of Xal II is going to fail. And all the dev had to do was stir some controversy. Hate to see it. The new demo is incredible and feels like a natural evolution of the original, ect.
But that's what happens when you make a VN without whites and asians.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Qualityβ Free Actions
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
Yes the Kickstarter that's not out yet. No not for the reason you think.
I actually liked the first game. I came in ready to tear it apart but what I got was a political lesbian fantasy that fucked me up in a good way. But like most people I only heard about it because a fan was making a lot of noise on social media and it went viral. Without that post the first kickstarter would have probably failed.
The second game looks better in every area. I love how it is coming together! But a part of me can't help but hope the second campaign fails. I think the creator is being awfully naΓ―ve in assuming it can get funded just because he was an ambitious overachiever the first time. Again I LIKE the first game and want to see how it ends! But I personally disagree with his approach here.
He's fostering an environment of anti-discourse. Yes what got him on the map was a contentious post but he's practically discouraging the very thing that got him noticed in the first place. And he's doing it with a cast front heavy with dark skinned women. In a visual novel. It's like he's setting himself up to fail and it's hard to watch.
Second I guess is that it all comes across as someone with faith that if he builds it, they will come. But that's not the Black experience, and I think a good shake in the form of failure would remind him of that. That his followers are mostly comprised of reactionary and performative allies. The second game has nothing to prove now. And he's shutting down anonymous dms that could have helped market his game if he had just fanned the flames even a little.
tl;dr: I want to see him fail to fund that kickstarter. Try new methods or at LEAST stand to the side and let drama happen. I really think that it will lead to having a larger fanbase that cares about the series before any controversy and after. btw if you're reading this and aren't who I'm talking about, don't complain to me! If the shoe don't fit!
Gender politics was a fucking mistake. Ppl will really be like "men don't have the capacity to have authentic, normal human emotions like women do" and act like that's peak feminism and not an utterly fucking deranged thing to say about another person
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Qualityβ Free Actions
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
