Splathouse 2022: The Road Ahead
Good day my lovely deviants, patrons, friends and fiends.
With the new year coming so soon, I have been thinking a lot about what direction to take Splathouse going forward. Despite various hiccups in 2021, I grew exponentially and seized new opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have. 2021 was an exceptionally good year for me creatively, and I’d almost say it was my most successful year to date.
I have always been someone that firmly believed in doing what other people in the community weren’t. It’s a key value of my personal integrity and vision for SH. It’s only when we collectively explore the niche and the margins do we find voices and causes that need the most elevated. It’s only when we attempt something we’ve never done do we realize who and what we truly are, often walking away from the experience enriched for it.
Art and creative works to me stimulate the senses, including the sense of self. While I have taken an unconventional approach to creating art I feel confident saying it was worth it. Feedback, love, kindness and support serves as proof to those efforts. I want to do more. I want to do so much more.
All of this takes real world time. The one thing I have consistently said is the only true limited commodity any of us have.
There are many, many creative avenues I would like to explore going forward. Some of which I am looking at only now due to those hiccups over the last year, and some of which I have wanted to do for a very, very long time. Taking these paths however, also takes time.
I have very consistently kept a solid schedule for over half a decade now on content. Often working at a manic pace, often with extra hours invested to safeguard my creative works from re-upload, piracy or simply reaching people it shouldn’t. There came a point over the last year that my friends and patrons began insisting that I take more time to myself, and I listened. I started taking one weekend off a month. In an era where we are all intimately aware of the deadly workloads forced on us by corporate America, this seems insane to outside observers.
Because it is.
It’s unhealthy and unsustainable and I will crash if I don’t start doing it more. The want and desire to create and experience these other paths available has suffered for it countless times over the last year. I always tell people “I’m just a guy”-but the full statement should be “I’m just one guy”. While the schedule has never bothered me before, I am at the point I am seeing the writing on the wall I’ve ignored for too long.
Either something has to give or I will. And I don’t break for anyone or anything.
So, I’m gonna tell you the not-so-fun news first. I’m going to explain why. And then I’m gonna tell you the good news.
Splat Speaks will be taking an indefinite hiatus from the general public, excluding patrons
I know this comes as a surprise, but it’s going to be necessary if I’m to ever get back to writing consistently, keeping up with my professional obligations to patrons and commissioners in a timely/sane manner, and pursue any and all other artistic opportunities I’m interested in.
I say “excluding patrons”, as patrons at the $3 or higher tier on my patreon will still be able to send in their requests with their anonymity ensured just as they always have. I understand that some will perceive this as me “paywalling” splat speaks, which simply isn’t true.
Splat Speaks will still be recording, albeit less. It still will be available to the general public and in the same format you all have enjoyed it in for the last few years. It will still be uploaded in all the usual places so long as I’ve a platform there. The show isn’t ending and so long as I’m alive and able to publish, it won’t. In practice, I highly doubt anyone will notice absolutely any difference whatsoever.
After being kicked off SoundCloud, the sheer volume of requests dropped off drastically. That was one of the original reasons I started doing 3 episodes a week instead of more. There simply wasn’t enough volume to warrant doing more per week anymore. This is also why some requests take weeks to complete now instead of being finished within the week, barring a patron enacting their privs. Simply put, if I did everything the same week it was requested, there would be entire barren weeks without uploads. I went from getting 10-15 requests per day to a few a week at the drop of a hat. This has been going on for months and absolutely nobody noticed. In fact, almost all of the last few months worth of requests have come directly from patrons.
Likewise, one of the primary means I received requests-CuriousCat-is currently in service limbo. I have looked into other options currently available for ensuring anonymity in asking requests. Tellonym, which a lot of my contemporaries use, viciously and aggressively wants to turn user data for a profit. In the span of ten minutes it asked for my location, to sync to my contacts and much more. This is an egregious breach of personal privacy for me and my audience, and I’m incredibly shocked so many of my peers decided to use the service at all. Similarly, AskFM-while less aggressive-has a vicious spam problem which makes using it a chore for receiving requests. While I’m obviously researching alternatives, there simply isn’t a viable platform that ensures my audiences safety at this time. Direct messaging me on social platforms also works, but I know many people who would be hesitant to do that for various reasons.
When a solution is available, I will be sure to let you all know. But at this time, there really isn’t-so taking requests and filling them in the same manner I always have isn’t possible without compromising my or your anonymity. I built Splathouse from the ground up with safety in mind, and all my works will crumble to dust before I falter on that promise.
This hiatus will not affect The Night Before or any other additional audio uploads whatsoever in any fashion at all. These will continue to be delivered on relatively the same schedule they always have. Likewise, my content on fansly also will not be affected in any way and you’re free to suggest audio ideas there. I produce content almost daily on the platform and everything there is powered directly by audience demand. Big Monthly Audios will also not be affected by this change at all whatsoever. Commissions will not be affected, and as of my posting this are open always, effective immediately.
So.
That’s the not-so-fun news. What’s the good news?
I’m making a fucking game
A lot of you are probably totally unaware, but I actually created two full, free text adventure titles when Splathouse was still in its infancy on Tumblr. They were well received and despite their upload platforms now being long dead, the itch to make more games has been a constant in the back of my skull.
In the modern era, it’s far less cumbersome than it used to be. Originally, the games I created were developed in Twine, a text/html based engine. This move was entirely inspired by the works of Collin Spacetwinks on twitter, who to this day continues to craft some of the best text-based experiences available. While working in Twine wasn’t so hard, I’m well aware that text adventure games don’t appeal to everyone. As such, I’ve purchased a copy of RPGMaker MV and intend on spending my free time in the coming months learning how to use the engine, starting many failed attempts to craft something, and then sitting down and doing it. I’ve a basic idea in mind, and it will remain that until I feel confident enough crafting in the engine to give you all something worth showing.
As I have no budget for a professional art department, sprite work, scripters and more, I will be developing most of the title by myself. This means crafting this experience is going to take a lot of time. Even upon release, there undoubtedly will be things I have to learn, re-work or completely re-script. Bug squashing also takes a lot of time. However, at the end of all of this…
The game will be released completely free for people to enjoy.
Yes, you read that correctly.
It’s going to be a freshman attempt, it’s gonna use a lot of pre-made assets and more, but it will be completely free for you to enjoy. Period. Forever. Any donations received will be considered “development money” for the next title, so long as interest is present.
I’m making more music
Over the last few months, I’ve released two “mixes” of extremely popular songs that I chopped, engineered and provided vocals for. Ideally, I’d like to keep doing this as popular reception has been huge. As such, my current plan is to craft two more tracks before releasing the entire thing as The Yandere Tape on whatever platforms will have me. Should this prove a success, I’ll sit down and think as to what direction we’ll head next with audio of this genre.
Music is incredibly important to me individually, and is the primary reason there’s so many needle-drop moments on a lot of the audio I craft. Without a deep appreciation of it I highly doubt Splathouse would be the success it is today. If you perhaps have an idea for what you’d like to hear next-I’m always taking requests. Simply message me on the platform of your choice.
I want to do even MORE written content
As I sit here writing this update, I’m behind.
The Ghost of Tsushima article was supposed to be shipped by now. There’s an entire fiction work I need to start on. There’s another massive 30 page story waiting on an ending. There’s interviews to secure, product reviews to do. There’s so much I want to write, to talk about, to craft.
Before I ever picked up a mic, Splathouse Fiction was ink on a page. Words you scrolled through on your phone. I miss that dearly, as writing is one of the most important creative endeavors in the world to me. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I know very well the power my written works carry. I know there’s people right now, reading this that would benefit from them.
I’ve failed those people in 2021, and I failed myself.
I don’t just want to remedy that in the new year. I want to secure that as the thing I’m known for best. While I have always loved being a voice actor and will continue to do so, the act of writing is the closest thing I personally have to a spiritual experience. It’s baring my soul, heart and mind for the world and finding comfort with others.
I don’t just want to get back to it. I need to get back to it, desperately. I need to write like someone in a desert desires water. Like lovers in the night holding out their hands, hoping if but for a second to feel one another.
I need to write.
And so, I will. Not just for myself, but for any who have ever spoken to me about what my works meant to them.
I will not fail you again.
I promise.
And so, I am bringing this update to a close. If you have any questions, please seek me out right away and feel free to ask. Otherwise…
Here’s to 2022 deviants.
I love you all.
Let’s make wonderful things together.
-j