- Jan 21, 2021
- 274
- 772
Although she predates my discovery of visual novels in general—and adult visual novels in particular—my current project has its genesis in this character. It began some two and a half years ago with the release of Project Evolution: One, a Poser figure unlike any that had gone before (and by far the best 3D figure I have ever worked with. PE is not designed for DAZ Studio, but especially for Poser, which happens to be my software of choice. (I absolutely detest DAZ Studio. Horrible UI.) I've always liked green-eyed redheads—an earlier writing project has an entire race of them—so the first thing I did after purchasing and downloading the figure was to dial in the 'Celtic Redhead' character preset, and Saoirse was born. (It's pronounced SAIR-shuh. The spelling only makes sense if you speak Irish.)
I've been a writer—albeit an unpublished one—for more than forty years. Over the years I toyed with the idea of illustrating my work one way or another, as I often drew the characters I wrote about as an aid in writing descriptive passages. When I discovered Poser in the mid-'00s the idea became even more appealing. About a year ago I came across T4bbo's 'Babysitter' somewhere...I don't remember where: my second marriage was in the middle of collapsing, and I was just finding things to keep my mind occupied. Discovering the VN form, though, did a lot more than that. I suddenly found myself with the perfect medium to tell the story that had been growing in my head—and in copious notes, outlines, etc.—since Saoirse's birth.
Back in the '80s and '90s I wrote a couple of text adventures (aka Interactive Fiction) so the idea of branching plotlines wasn't new to me, but the opportunity to combine it with the visual element was simply irresistible, a phrase that offers a perfect segue into the next element of this introduction! ♪ She used to look good to me, but now I find her simply irresistible. ♫
I love music. It's constantly playing while I write. When I first began thinking about this redheaded woman I'd dialed up on my new Poser figure I was listening to something by Enya, who happens to be Irish. She's also from a Gaeltacht district of Ireland, where the Irish language is used in preference to English. So it was that this new character became Saoirse Ní Mhaonaigh (Anglicized to Saoirse Mooney) a native of the village of Derrybeg. The Cranberries were also in heavy rotation on my playlist at the time—Dolores O'Riordan's death was only a few months past, and I'd always loved her voice. Her Irish accent is also often detectable in her singing, and she frequently employed the traditional Irish technique of keening, as well. Unsurprisingly, I began to associate O'Riordan's voice with Saoirse. So it was that she became a singer and musician.
TL
R - Saoirse is one of twenty-two women (so far) who appear in Mannkind, a visual novel currently in development. The attached image shows her as she appears at the VN's beginning, at age 22, alongside her earliest flashback appearance at age 9.
[Obvious Disclaimer: No character under the age of 18 is ever depicted engaging in or witnessing any sort of sexual activity, nor are they ever seen unclothed in my work.]
I've been a writer—albeit an unpublished one—for more than forty years. Over the years I toyed with the idea of illustrating my work one way or another, as I often drew the characters I wrote about as an aid in writing descriptive passages. When I discovered Poser in the mid-'00s the idea became even more appealing. About a year ago I came across T4bbo's 'Babysitter' somewhere...I don't remember where: my second marriage was in the middle of collapsing, and I was just finding things to keep my mind occupied. Discovering the VN form, though, did a lot more than that. I suddenly found myself with the perfect medium to tell the story that had been growing in my head—and in copious notes, outlines, etc.—since Saoirse's birth.
Back in the '80s and '90s I wrote a couple of text adventures (aka Interactive Fiction) so the idea of branching plotlines wasn't new to me, but the opportunity to combine it with the visual element was simply irresistible, a phrase that offers a perfect segue into the next element of this introduction! ♪ She used to look good to me, but now I find her simply irresistible. ♫
I love music. It's constantly playing while I write. When I first began thinking about this redheaded woman I'd dialed up on my new Poser figure I was listening to something by Enya, who happens to be Irish. She's also from a Gaeltacht district of Ireland, where the Irish language is used in preference to English. So it was that this new character became Saoirse Ní Mhaonaigh (Anglicized to Saoirse Mooney) a native of the village of Derrybeg. The Cranberries were also in heavy rotation on my playlist at the time—Dolores O'Riordan's death was only a few months past, and I'd always loved her voice. Her Irish accent is also often detectable in her singing, and she frequently employed the traditional Irish technique of keening, as well. Unsurprisingly, I began to associate O'Riordan's voice with Saoirse. So it was that she became a singer and musician.
TL
R - Saoirse is one of twenty-two women (so far) who appear in Mannkind, a visual novel currently in development. The attached image shows her as she appears at the VN's beginning, at age 22, alongside her earliest flashback appearance at age 9.[Obvious Disclaimer: No character under the age of 18 is ever depicted engaging in or witnessing any sort of sexual activity, nor are they ever seen unclothed in my work.]
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