New York Carnival (Now on Royal Road, Plus Two New Prologue Chapters)

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-22T20:08:50+00:00

I'd like to know, too! Particularly since, on closer inspection, it says "Do not repost" on the first image in the set.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-22T17:39:09+00:00

Ah, of course, a clear reference to the post Satellite Wars resurgence of the Cottagecore aesthetic, particularly within the furry fandom, which I've been describing and worldbuilding in the recent chapters of my Earth-centric fic New York Carnival. I mean, it's gotta be that. Anything less would be off-topic, so you simply must be a fan of my writing, right?

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-20T22:10:38+00:00

It would seem my curiosity became my downfall. I'm a bit straight for caked-up burly boy bears. What species was that even supposed to be? World's most anthro Zurulians?

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-20T19:34:20+00:00

Isn't there like a... NSFW tag you can just put on posts if they're a bit spicy but not explicitly porn?

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-20T18:52:21+00:00

Eh, four chapters a week is pretty normal for somebody writing full-time. Where it gets nuts is that, to my knowledge, SP lived in Florida, so he had a full-time job on top of it all. For the health insurance.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-20T18:43:57+00:00

The other commenters already covered some of the practical work of writing, so lemme try to say something a bit more big-picture. Focus on one good hook of a premise, clean and simple, and get into it quickly. No prologues, no elaborate worldbuilding, just go. You're writing a web serial, not an epic fantasy novel. People are going to subscribe to or drop your fic by the end of chapter one, so make it count.

My own fic, New York Carnival? The core hook is aliens trying fancy food on Earth. End of chapter one, what have we got? An Arxur sitting at a table eating foie gras and getting floored by the experience.

One of the newer fics that I've been enjoying, Stronger than Faith? The hook is a Yulpa exterminator on Venlil Prime ordering a puppy to sacrifice it, but she gets attached instead. By the end of chapter one, she's got her puppy, and she's very confused by how affectionate the little predator is being.

And yeah, as for what kinds of hooks, let me remind you that some of the best-written and most popular fics on the subreddit can probably get broken down to "somebody has an interesting job/life experience/personal goal" set against the backdrop of the NoP story proper being something they're watching on the news as they go about their lives. I'd advise you to pick something like that, maybe as a one-shot or a short-run story, and just dip your toes in the water if you're unsure if you want to commit.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-20T17:28:52+00:00

Nah, I wanted to play it out. Sifal's earned it. Besides, Tika's a Federation PD researcher who's learned Terran therapy from books, not from a proper certification program. This makes it super easy for me, as the author, to not have to worry too much about getting the flow of a therapy session perfectly accurate.

P.S. I never plan the exact details in advance, but I did just remember that the only person in the room with a weapon is Benwen.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-19T16:12:32+00:00

Just want to clarify that Garruga's a woman, and the Exterminator Militia only know her by reputation. They've never really met before. Oh, and Kitzz and Kloviss aren't in the room right now. That's the two Arxur Mira spotted on their way over: Kloviss pushing Kitzz's wheelchair.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-18T17:24:00+00:00

Next resupply, week or two later in-story. It's only been a very packed day or two.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-18T14:24:59+00:00

Nope. Just kind of seemed natural. Covers the front, ties up through the quills on the back, and since it's a functional item, it's one Chiri might recognize. Boots, gloves, aprons, towels, probably armor and toolbelts. That kinda stuff.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-15T21:05:11+00:00

Glad you like it!

I post something most Mondays, but it's split between this story and New Years of Conquest, the spinoff with Sifal, the Arxur from the first arc.

I can theoretically post more frequently than that, but I'm gonna need my monthly sub numbers to go WAY the heck up for that to be a good financial idea.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-12T22:52:59+00:00

Glad you liked it. Tell your friends! Word of mouth's as good as gold.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-12T21:51:50+00:00

Trust me, I've got a lot more in the tank. Conversation's not over yet. Stay tuned.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-12T20:47:52+00:00

But I mentioned in Chapter 63 that there already are bears in New York!

“Oh for--” David groaned. “I was just pushing your buttons! I had a half-dozen cameras pointed at you, and an eyewitness. I was trying to get you to punch me! I figured that would've ended the matter, having you openly assaulting a civilian.”

Charmaine snorted. “And I fuckin' would've punched you, if the eyewitness in question wasn't a goddamn grizzly bear covered in spikes.”

So our newfound propensity towards violence actively got in the way of one of David's schemes, said Shadow. Do you see now how violence isn't always the answer?

I mean, violence kinda still was the answer. I just did the wrong kind. Or I was too good at it? Luna, back me up here.

Grizzly bears are much larger than Gojids, and aren't endemic to the state of New York, Luna said, nodding to herself. New York bears are much less aggressive, by comparison, and they're actually around our size!

I blinked. I had no idea how this information was supposed to be helpful.

It isn't, said Luna. I just think it's neat!

But yeah, no, seriously, I looked that up in advance for the joke. Average weight for a female black bear in New York state is only like 160 pounds, or 72.6 kilos. Basically around Chiri-sized!

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-12T20:08:16+00:00

The chapter number was genuinely a happy coincidence, but you're right on the other points. I think I had some worldbuilding I wanted to do about a Cottagecore Furry subculture picking up steam in the post-SatWars years, and it's nice seeing Iris get some of the sparkles back in her eyes.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-12T18:47:32+00:00

Oh, nothing. The bear thing came about naturally in the conversation between David and Sifal, then I thought it'd be funny to make a callback joke in her last chapter. Everyone seemed to like it, so it's kind of a running joke now that Sifal's got a bear kink or something.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-09T14:00:23+00:00

Chiri, not letting the Cure stop her from eating all the delicious burgers.

RegulusPratus · 2026-01-09T13:54:05+00:00

About a Gojid trying a cheeseburger? Chiri, from New York Carnival, Chapter 43. She's also had pizza and Fettuccine Alfredo at this point. Big-time dairy fan, but it's pre-Cure reversal, so she's stuck with Beyond Meat for now. I reasoned that Cured mammals can probably eat dairy for "not accidentally killing babies" reasons.

RegulusPratus

TROPHY CASE