My Work on Game Writing

About Touhou: Touhou Project is a series of videos created by a man who goes by the name "ZUN" online.  ZUN has a set of derivative work guidelines. If these are followed, small creators are allowed to release Touhou Fangames for free or commercially without ever having to talk to a lawyer. 

The sections mainly go over work I've done for writing in the realm of video games. In addition, I have a section dedicated to a book I wrote and self-published that was based off a video game.

Violet Origins ~ The Sumireko Chronicle

Description: Violet Origins ~ The Sumireko Chronicle is a self-published book about one of my favorite Touhou characters, Sumireko. Writing a book based on a video game was fun. As this is an adapted work, I had to balance out familiar things fans would like and new ideas to set the story apart. I ended up adding more original stuff based on feedback I got from readers, and am proud of how the book came out. Currently, around eighty-five copies of the book have been sold.

• Webpage of the book (contains a download for chapter 1)

Touhou: Food for the Heart

Description: Touhou: Food for the Heart is a Visual Novel that makes use of cooking minigames to help tell its story. Cooking is important to one of the main characters, so the other main character tries to learn to cook to try to impress her. But as she learns, she realizes her feelings go deeper and deeper. The co-director of the game asked me to write a story about coming to terms with your own sexuality. While she was thinking of a more angsty story, she liked what I ended up going with: a story where the main character faces reality and realizes that there's nothing wrong with her sexuality. Instead, her struggle comes from the risk of ruining a friendship she treasures with a possible confession.

• Script

Touhou: Heartful Threads

Description: Tohuou: Heartful Threads of the Creative Mind is a Point and Click Visual Novel that features a clothing maker. A fan of my YouTube Channel asked where I thought Touhou Characters got their clothes, and I realized the idea of exploring fashion could work well in the context of LGBTQ issues. I wrote this game for Touhou Pride Game Jam 6, and the voting period is currently underway. I created a two completely original characters for this game, and also integrated them into Touhou's lore so that they did not feel out-of-place. I also used my own experiences as a Pan-Romantic person to write specifically about love through emotion rather than appearances.

• Script

Touhou: Ruukoto the Robot

Description: Touhou: Ruukoto the Robot is an adventure game where you play as a robot who experiences the real world for the first time. As you play the game, the graphics and the music get better (ex. text-based art -> pixel art). This game was made for Touhou Fan Game Jam 13, and scored third overall against 80 other games. It also scored first place in audio. Here, the very mechanics of the games themselves were a part of the storytelling. Many of my previous games had moments where I aimed to make players sad or where I put characters in great peril. I was proud to make a game with a light tone that still managed to have a solid emotional core.

• Script

Touhou Dreamweaver

Description: Touhou Dreamweaver is a Point-and-Click Visual Novel that was created for my Senior Capstone Project. In this 20 minute adventure, you explore the dreams of the Touhou Character Alice Margatroid. I wanted my final project to pay tribute to the series that had meant so much to me, and got permission to make a Touhou Fangame. While I wrote the main script myself, I had help from other writers in shaping key narrative beats. I also had flashbacks separate from the main narrative to provide more backstory.

• Main Narrative

• Flashbacks

Touhou: Protest in Perspective

Description: Touhou: Protest in Perspective is a Visual Novel about a character who switches bodies with another: Hidea no Akyuu. Akyuu has a shortened lifespan, while the character she switches with (Mokou) has immortality. They both have what the other wants, but also have responsibilities in their own lives. Ultimately, it is up to the player to decide whether the characters switch back bodies or not. This game was made for Touhou Fan Game Jam 11. It was very well received, and won first place in writing and use of theme (as well as placing third overall). This was against fifty other games. The game's concept is one I'm very proud of, and led to a very morally complex tale involving the main narrative, characters discussing the situation, and observable objects that provided more context for the immortality conundrums. Above all else, my favorite part of the game's story is that there are no wrong answers. From the two endings (switch back bodies, stay swapped) the player can get, each one has its own positives and negatives.

• Script

Touhou Chaotic Couple Comedy

Description: Touhou: Chaotic Couple Comedy is a romantic comedy Visual Novel (with minigames!) starring the characters Ichirin and Futo. It's stylized after a romantic sitcom: featuring three distinct "episodes" (each with a different writer), some light-hearted hi-jinx (including an UNO tournament), and even a cheesy theme song with lyrics and a singer! It's a pretty funny and heartwarming romp! This game was made for Touhou Pride Game Jam 5, and scored third place overall against thirty other games. I had to write this game differently from others, as I tried to include more jokes and also replicated the pacing of a sitcom episode.

• Screenplay

Touhou: Heart of the Tiger

Description: Touhou: Heart of the Tiger is a Visual Novel (with Minigames) starring the character Shou Toramaru. Despite being a Buddhist, she is known for drinking heavily. So, the game features Shou at a bar giving relationship advice to other characters. With three relationships to shift through, Heart of the Tiger offers a bit to think about while also keeping much of itself framed through Buddhism. This game was made for Touhou Pride Game Jam 4, and scored 3rd overall against thirty other games. Within Touhou canon, it is said that Shou is a heavy drinker, but also a great Buddhist. This inherent paradox with no explanation gave me a jumping off point for writing. I am not religious by trade, but still did research to see how religion would affect love.

• Script

Touhou: Dance of the Inverted Heart

Description: Touhou: Dance of the Inverted Heart is a visual novel (with minigames) starring the character Seija Kishin. Seija is amanojaku, who thrive off the opposite of what people think is nice. But, her heart grows conflicted when tries to manipulate Shinmyoumaru. The player navigates Seija through the battlefield that takes place in her heart, as she struggles with her own thoughts and biology. This game was made for Touhou Pride Game Jam 3, and scored 2nd overall against 24 other games. This was the first game I wrote that was extremely well-received. I even got some comments from people that they cried, which made me really happy. For Dance of the Inverted Heart, I coded my own Visual Novel engine, and learned about dialogue parsing. Through the main narrative, I told my first long(ish; 30 minutes)form game story. Through Seija, I developed a character arc of self-discovery that was reflective of my own quest for finding my sexuality. Finally, I implemented minigames throughout the game. Learning how to weave these into the story in a natural way was very enlightening. For example: a tapping game corresponded to a first dance between the two main characters.

• Script

Saying Hello

Description: Saying Hello is a story-based 2D Platformer starring a young man who has slowly drifted apart from a childhood friend. The game explores combining storytelling with gameplay, with the player's emotions in their imagination corresponding to the levels in the game. This game was made for the 2021 College Game Jam. I collaborated with my friend Brian Kim to make this game. While I came up with the main concepts and wrote the start and end of the game, he handled the more angsty thoughts from when the protagonist is in Middle and High School sections. It was interesting working with another writer, as we wanted the narrative to feel cohesive. With the different emotional states of childhood, this ended up working out well. I brought to life my own experiences of saying goodbye to a friend in this game.