Hey y’all! 

Whew. Yesterday marks the first day of the Tender Lovin’ Cannibal itch.io page being public, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. 

To see so many people looking forward to the game has been exciting and motivating beyond words. Seriously. We were pumped before, but seeing your anticipation has pushed us into overdrive!

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and under the hood to queue up the best experience we can possibly provide. I won’t beat around the bush; there’s a lot to cover. In less than 20 days we’ve put together so much progress that it’s made my head spin.  Each of these banners includes a bona fide screenshot teaser for their given segments.

As our new year’s gift to you, here’s a sneak peek into the production for TLC’s demo! 

 — Rae 

Bringing the world of Tender Lovin’ Cannibal to life hasn’t been an easy task so far, but it’s been by far one of the most rewarding to see come together. Our wonderful leading background artist JackieTheHomie has worked tirelessly with the help of our environmental concept artist Kana to create vivid re-imaginings of various Spooky Month locations, as well as bringing new and original spots to the fray. Let’s hear a word from Jackson on what there is to offer, shall we? 

HEY JACKIE I WANNA INTERVIEW YOU FOR THE DEVLOG, IS THAT OKAY?

“Oh bet.”

To start on a high note, what have been the most enjoyable parts of your job so far? 

“Getting to know the team! Everyone is so kind and friendly, and everyone’s always very open and honest. It’s a very positive workspace and to see the project come together is very motivating.”

Do you have a particular favorite type of environment to draw?

“So far, I love making interior backgrounds the most. Specifically the cute and colorful kind, since that’s what my palette suits best!”

“But I also try my best to do creepy tho I’m not too confident in it lol”

Have there been any frustrating hurdles you’ve needed to overcome during or for this project? Any instances of working outside of your comfort zone, or wrenches being thrown in your plans?

“Yes! Things like that candy store background so far. That took me two days, but it came out amazingly. That was a big hurdle and I’m sure more things like that will happen to me too.”

“Though I’ll admit, before joining this project I never made backgrounds that often. But doing them more has improved my creativity and overall skills as an artist, so I’d say all the trouble is worth it in the end! After all, if art seems too easy, that means it’s time to try something new.”

And for your final question, do you have anything to say to folks who face similarly daunting tasks or high workloads? How do you pace yourself?

“I’d personally say ‘always try and find that middle ground to all the work you do’. Work is important, but you’re important too! Never be afraid to put yourself first and just take a break for a few hours, or even a day if you can. It’s not selfish to have self love.”

“And another thing. Especially if you procrastinate like me, try not to get things done the night before it’s due. Get it done at least two or three nights before it’s due. It’s still last minute, yes, but you’ll feel really good knowing you’ve gotten it done ahead of time.”

SWEET. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME INTERROGATE YOU BRO

“Thanks! Can me come out jail now?”

Proceed.

A good soundtrack is by far one of the most important parts of any video game. Along with good art, music is proven to immerse the player in your world and help provide backbone to emotional beats. The soundtrack is an immensely proud achievement. Not only is it my first personal foray into making video game tracks, but it’s also a great showcase of talent from our lead musician Bambee Nightshade and Zaka, who originally started as a character concept artist before officially donning their second hat! 

Without further ado, let’s let Bambee have the floor to discuss things in more detail.

I’m gonna be doing interviews for our first devlog article, so I was wondering if you’d be down for that :D 

“Oh hell yeah!”

First question: as a musician, of course it’s super natural to get emotionally invested in your work. But if you had to highlight a particular track of yours as your ABSOLUTE favorite so far, which one would it be?

“Oh jeez, that’s a hard one because I like a lot of the music I’ve made. I have to say for the game it would be [the theme for Y/N’s room].”

How do you get in the zone for making music? Once you’re given an assignment do the notes and samples come to you based on vibes alone, or is there more trial and error involved?

“It’s a mix of both. Usually I have a set vibe or emotional impact in mind when I make my music, however finding samples for that can be a lot of trial and error. Writing the music myself takes longer because of this. I want to make sure it’s all just right before I finish it.”

Are there any creative roadblocks you face during this process? If so, what advice do you have for people who struggle similarly?

“Sometimes I can get demotivated if I can’t find samples that quite fit or make the music fast enough. My advice for this is honestly don’t rush things, it’ll come to you in due time and with enough persistence you will find or write something that will work with your song.”

“It’s not about the quantity of music you can make or how fast you can make it, it’s about the love and quality that goes into any song you make.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks for letting me interview you!

“You’re welcome!”

A good script carries a lot of weight in any form of media. Everything from movies to video games to books and everything in between relies on a good team of writers and story-crafters to bring the abstract to detailed fruition. Here’s some words straight from the Tender Lovin’ Cannibal writer’s room!

Hey y’all! I’m putting together the devlog right now and want to give you guys some interview questions!

“I say we vote Rae off the island.” — DMANIX

“I’m slaying rn.” — Pumpkin

“What’s a devlog?” — Bubble

“Ask away, poopastinka.” — Ivo

“Erm… what the fish?” — Cesar

First question. What’s your guys’ favorite stuff to write? Dialogue, environment descriptions, conflict? Any particular genres you enjoy working on like horror or romance?

For the more proofreading-ly inclined, what are your favorite things to dissect and pick apart?

“Dialogue for sure, the only thing I’m somewhat decent at. But it has to be the right time I guess, if I’m nervous about other people’s opinions I get way less stuff done and it feels more stiff. Modern fantasy is my favorite genre in almost everything.”

“I like picking everything you guys do apart when I’m in the headspace for reading. Some of the scenes y’all write is like, ‘woah, you’re so talented’. Literally one scene you did gave me goosebumps and shit. Legendary.” — DMANIX 

(Thank you. QvQ)

“I love writing environment descriptions. It’s so fun to imagine a place and sketch it down or describe it with beautiful vocabulary. Horror is my favorite genre to write, as I’m a very spooky person myself.” - Pumpkin

“Conflict, because I love to spice things up between characters. Especially when they are very different from each other. I’ve had a passion for scary movies since I was a child, hence the genre of horror will always be my favorite. I can’t wait to nitpick the parts when Bob gets wicked as he slowly shows his true colors.” — Expresso

“I love writing stuff with romantic tension! Writing about cause and effect. Seeing how characters intertwine with each other is just so fun to me. A person’s relationship is just so fragile, a single word could absolutely ruin them if you know what to say.” — Ivo

When faced with a writing block, how do you combat it? Do you just push through, or are there other techniques you employ to keep the creative juices flowing?

“Just pushing through a writing block never works out well for me, it just leaves me frustrated and annoyed at myself. Oftentimes I’ll use music relating to what I want to write to get me into the mood, or sometimes I’ll write what I have the energy for. If there’s a specific scene I already have figured out, even if it’s in the middle of whatever it is I’m working on, I’ll write that out first. It doesn’t matter if things are disconnected during that first draft, you can always patch it up later.” — ImmortalCoelacanth

“I just do something else, like draw for a while. Or it never goes away. No in-between. It’s a curse. I’ve tried a million different tips and nothing works. RIP me.” — DMANIX

Most of you come from writing backgrounds that don’t include video games. Visual Novels aren’t exactly far off from regular fiction, but there are some differences. Are there any that you’ve struggled to adapt to?

“The only thing I’m struggling with is working with other people. I’m used to working alone and having an entire world in my head. I can’t read people’s minds, so it’s a bit difficult.” — Pumpkin

“Tenses! I always write in past tense. Generally I use close third person as well, but I’ve used second or first depending on the medium of the fic. I’d like to shout out DMANIX for being my guardian angel in helping me keep things in present tense and flowing properly.” — ImmortalCoelacanth 

“One big difference is not having control over every creative decision due to working on a team. Not every piece of lore or character development is up to me, which makes me struggle when thinking of things to include in the script. We had a debate over Bob’s dialect sounds, and how to write it!” — Bubble

Are you guys bookworms, or do you tend to lean more towards consuming fanfiction? If fanfic is more your thing, what trope do you dig most? (hurt/comfort, slow burn, enemies to lovers, etc.)

“I used to read books all the time, then I switched to fanfics. I still read books sometimes, but not as much. As for fanfics, I like slow burn ‘cuz I usually leave when people get together, but I like the flirting and stuff. I think it’s just fun, I guess. As for tropes, I’d say enemies to lovers because they get to know each other’s flaws before they even like each other. And like… the fact that they love each other despite those flaws, or maybe even for those flaws is just SO yes.” — DMANIX

“I always struggled to read normal books. I was always picky with what I read. Reading fanfiction gave me a way to read about the things I really liked. I always learned to find some errors people made so I didn’t replicate them in my own writing. I made a small hobby of critiquing Wattpad writing in my head.” — Bubble

“It’s a bit of both to be honest, though I’ve definitely moved more onto fanfiction in the past several years. For fanfic tropes I enjoy the main ones have to be hurt/comfort, found family, and introspection. Granted, introspection isn’t really a trope… but I adore those fics that go all in when exploring the depths of a character. It really fleshes them out and brings them to life.” — Immortacoelacanth

I’ve got one final question for you! What other parts of development are you anticipating most? For example, I’m particularly stoked about the CGs and how they’ll turn out. Others might be excited to hear the music set to scenes they’ve written, or play through the mechanics that have been programmed around their input on the game’s script. 

“I’m excited to playtest it, aaaannnd hopefully do some voice acting for it… and just excited to see what everyone else loves most about the project as we come along!” - DMANIX

“I WANNA RIZZ BOB SO BAD!”

“Okay, back to the real answer. I’m excited to see my writing be put into action in the game, and playtest the dang thing. I wanna hear Bob’s voice lines play, and see his sprites change. I can’t wait to see all of what’s going to be done. Maybe I’ll find some bugs for you guys to squash!” — Bubble

“Can’t wait to play the different routes.” — Expresso 

Thanks for letting me interview you guys, especially on such short notice :D I hope this was fun!!

“Very fun!” — Bubble

An endearing cast of characters is crucial for most if not all visual novels. They rope you in and get you invested, allowing for further exploration of any given narrative. The writers take care of part of this, but a large amount of the responsibility falls on competent designers and concept artists to ensure the cast is lively and expressive. 

Our lead sprite artists StabbyMoth and GhostGraphic have worked tirelessly so far to meet this goal, and our character concept artist Zak has done a wonderful job at illustrating that initial spark that grows into fully fleshed out assets. Let’s see what they’ve got to say about the nitty gritty of the job! 

When wanting to bring a character to life, what are the first things you consider? Their background and story? Appearance? Demeanor and mannerisms? Are you the type of person to write out a character before designing them, or vice versa?

“I tend to start from appearance, and build from that … Appearance and personality, then the rest! Music tends to be a good way to build all of it simultaneously!” — Zak

“I actually always design a character before I write stuff down. Actually, I don’t write most of my info down… I like to keep tabs on each personality when I build on said character, via sketches or just listening to music. I always consider their appearance and mannerisms. Adding backstory does help explain those mannerisms, but I like to start with the basics of how they look and build upon it.” — StabbyMoth

“Personally when I am wanting to bring one of my OCs to life, I make sure they have a solid background to which I can add spice to their character design. But before I iron out the backstory I do have to have a first composition sketch, with the main color palette/style picked out! So I definitely have to be the second option, because I LOVE to make fun characters and then give them detailed backstories!” — GhostGraphic

Music seems to be a pretty fool-proof method for fleshing out ideas. Do you make music yourself, or have you ever aspired to such a thing?

“Certainly, it’s a very good way of getting a feel of things. I dabble in it, I’ve always wanted to make music. Especially with how much of a role it’s played in my life.” — Zak

“I don’t make music myself. Honestly I wish I did, but I enjoy just listening to songs to help visualize my characters. Or just characters in general. Like, ‘oh, this song matches this character!’ or ‘OMG this is LITERALLY my OC’.” — StabbyMoth

“You are completely right! Music is such an amazing source of inspiration, and it helps me immensely to make the art that I do, but I myself have not really thought about making music. I believe if I were to try it might sound like dying cats and nails on chalkboards.” — GhostGraphic

And what sort of background do you have with character design? Have you always had an affinity for making characters, or was it a practiced skill?

“Oh, I always had a want for making characters. ‘Cause inside of me there’s always a weird urge to redesign or create characters so I can possibly use them for my interests. I don’t know if it’s practiced, but I have been designing characters for a while.” — StabbyMoth

“Well, none professionally up until this point. But my art and stories have always been loaded with characters. I’ve always had a passion for character design. Of course, I wasn’t great at first, but with plenty of time I think I’ve gotten to a good place with my skill in character creation!” — Zak

For your last question, what (or who) are your biggest inspirations? I personally take a lot of inspiration from old cartoons, and plenty of other animated shows.

“I guess my biggest inspo would be animations. More specifically, animation memes. When I was younger I always wanted to do that sort of stuff, a show-my-characters-to-the-world kind of deal. Honestly, though it ain’t how I imagined, it’s slowly becoming how I dreamed.”

“I’ve always had a thing for animated cartoons, and animation memes got me into drawing.” — StabbyMoth

“Oh boy, that’s quite a few things. I’d say one of my biggest inspirations to follow art had to be Jhonen Vasquez and a lot of Tim Burton’s claymation. As I got older, a lot of my inspiration has come from video games like OFF. My inspiration comes from a myriad of things!” — Zak

“For me, my biggest inspiration is anime or anything anime-related. My style mostly takes after that, and it’s been a big developer in my personal art and shading style! My favorite inspiration is Studio Ghibli, Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorite shows and I like to take after the vibrant colors, and overall messy vibes I get from Howl’s house!” — GhostGraphic

While not an essential part of Visual Novels, voice acting is undeniably a facet that can really tie a story together. If the writers and artists make a character charming, good voice acting can make situations feel additionally engaging, believable and even harrowing. We’re fortunate enough to have some fresh talent on standby (and auditions opening soon), however I do have an interview with Corey LeVier himself scheduled for release so stay tuned for that!

Programming is a pretty complicated job, all things considered. There’s quite a few people who tend to stray away from it based on that principle of steep learning curves. But what do you enjoy about it? What motivated you to get started?

“Well, it is like learning a different language. And I also find it relaxing to type in all the code. I also like the creative challenges that coding causes for me, not to mention I like learning in general.I’ve always liked video games, but my main motivation came from all my teachers and support. Especially my college coding teacher! I even got a book about coding up art from him.”

Have you dabbled in game development before this? If so, what sort of games have you helped out with? If not, what sort of games have you wanted to help out with?

“Well, I have dabbled in some game-making. One project I have been trying to continue is an Inscryption dating sim. I’ve also been working on a point-and-click horror game I have codenamed ‘Eyes’, focusing on 3 characters’ perspective during a disaster… though a lot of them are heavily unfinished.”

“The genre of games I would like to work on is horror games, but also certain romance games like this one!” 

What’s your favorite or most anticipated mechanic that’s been brainstormed for TLC so far? Which things have been the most satisfying to implement?

“I would say the mini-games are my most anticipated part of the game, even if the coding will kill me! Though my favorite one I’m currently coding is how the map to move between different places will work. And secret easter eggs… ;)” 

“The most satisfying to implement has been the accessibility options. Mainly because they are the most satisfying to watch when they function properly. My favorite is a test I’ve done so far for video closed captioning.” 

And for the last question… Will you be porting the game to the Wii U?

“No. Not the Wii, but maybe mobile!”

As a special treat, I’ll let you in on a little secret… This game will feature some fully animated cutscenes.

In addition to this, there’ll be plenty of sequential CGs that are lined up to make a tidy slideshow of in-game events. The storyboards for the latter are being done by yours truly, but with some help our lead animator Ingo has taken up the mantle to spearhead production on the former. Let’s see what they’ve got to say about their experiences so far!

Hey Ingo, I’d like to interview you for the storyboarding/animation section of the devlog! Can I ask you some questions for it?

“Of course!”

Here’s my first question for you: how long have you been animating for? When and why did you begin to take it up as a skill?

“I’ve actually been animating for I believe a month now. It was initially to test out some new potential skills, as I wasn’t intending on it to become a future career. A little side hobby.”

What inspires you artistically? Are there certain films, scenes or other animators you often refer to while working?

“Before joining the Spooky Month community, I primarily made illustrations of dragons. My main source of inspiration is Marc Mc’Bride, the illustrator of the Deltora Quest book series, as he is an incredible dragon artist. I’m so happy that I’ve personally met him, as he loved my dragon drawings.” 

“I love many other artists like Junji Ito and Nico Marlet, as I am also a huge fan of horror. For animation I’m primarily inspired by the bands Gorillaz and Siames, as they have such a unique and recognizable style.”

This project seems to be a large step up for you in terms of sheer scale for your animations. What are some pitfalls you’ve encountered during that transition? How have you circumvented them so far?

“Since I am brand new to animation there were definitely a lot of hurdles and pitfalls I encountered, primarily since the software that I originally used was Krita, and I was animating every single frame.”

“This ultimately took me hours to make animations that are only a couple seconds long, so I had to transition to Clip Studio Paint. The quality of my work has dropped down, however animating has become significantly quicker and easier to do. Since I only drew still images beforehand, being able to replicate movement in animations is also difficult to accomplish. However, I use my own self and watch other videos and animations in order to overcome this.”

I’ve got one final question for you! What are you looking forward to animating most in the game? Is there any particular cutscene you’d like to drop a hint for?

“Anything that involves Bob! And maybe even him interacting with a new character in the police force. Wink wonk.”

“A little teaser for the community.”

What a perfect note to end on. Thank you for doing this.

"All g lmao."

And that OFFICIALLY concludes this devlog!

With hindsight, it’s really a set of interviews (more of which are coming soon)…  the next update will be far more detailed and practical, I promise. This is just to help you get to know some of the team members a bit, and hopefully whet your appetites for what’s to come. Cheers, and happy New Year!