Alina Leonova

A screenshot of a Twine passage called "The Beginning". It says: You crouch behind a trea as a projectile swishes by your ear. Smoke tickles your nostrils, cries echo in the air, and your head swims in the sweltering heat of a burning forest. It hurts as if your own body were burning, even though the flames haven't touched your skin yet. As you lean your forehead against the trunk and inhale its rich aroma, your mind intermingles with the mind of the tree, signals of pain and panic traveling up its roots from the vast network below. You bite your lip until it bleeds, as tears stream from your eyes. Your sole purpose in life has been to protect the Forest, but you have failed.

Excited to start writing my next Twine game 🎉 First draft of the opening passage, so forgive any typos, repetitive worlds and other imperfections.
#NarrativeDesign #GameWriting #Twine #games

Writing a Solarpunk Twine Game with SugarCube | Alina Leonova, Sci-Fi Author My second tiny Twine game. It's solarpunk interactive fiction that's based on building relationships within a community.

I fell off the face of the earth again (not really, just the social media plane 😁). In the meantime, I wrote my second tiny #Twine #solarpunk interactive fiction game.

If you are interested in the game itself or what I learned, feel free to check it out alinaleonova.net/blog/solarpu...

#games

My First Tiny Conflict Resolution Twine Game | Alina Leonova, Sci-Fi Author I'm learning about game writing, and I created my first tiny game in Twine. You can play it as a text game in your browser or learn how to make your own simple game using Twine.

I wrote a super simple & super short conflict resolution Twine game. It looks like a text game that runs in your browser, and takes a few minutes to play. Check it out or learn how to write your own simple Twine game. alinaleonova.net/blog/conflic...

#games #GameWriting #ConflictResolution #twine

Wow, thanks so much for featuring my book 🥰

A promotional banner image from Grand Failure that shows a rider on a horse across a painted grass land. There are blue skies with clouds above. A rainbow cuts across the clouds to touch the ground. The text on the banner says Our LGBTQIA+ Book Collection.

If you've not seen our LGBTQIA+ Book Collection yet, then here's an article explaining more about it, including a showcase of ten books that caught my attention while going through the collection!

Check it out: www.readindiefantasy.com/introducing-...

A screenshot of a schematic of a game made in Twine. Basically rectangles with arrows leading to other rectangles representing choices in the game.

Until I came up with this simple conflict resolution game, and I'm so excited because I just finished the first draft of level one! It's short & simple, and I'm sure there is lots I did wrong, but I actually finished this thing, and I think it's a reason to celebrate 😊 🎉
#GameWriting #twine

I've been learning about game writing and figuring out Twine. Made a few short scenes in it but couldn't conceptualize anything more complete I could actually finish.

Thank youuu ☺️🧡

The Godsblood Tragedy by @williamjadams3.bsky.social

Name Her Holy by @clericofthevoid.bsky.social

Wild Flowers, Electric Beasts by @alinaleonova.bsky.social

Threadlight trilogy by Zack Argyle

I'm still reading it but can already tell it's a good one: Shadow of the Elders by @willelm.bsky.social

The Free People's Village — Punk Rock & Resistance In An Alternative Timeline | Alina Leonova, Sci-Fi Author Teacher by day, punk guitarist at night, Maddie joins a movement to save their neighborhood that it is to be sacrificed for a new hyperway out to the wealthy suburbs.

The Free People's Village is a badass story about music, love & resistance. Tragic & raw, real, even though happening in an alternative timeline, it was an emotional journey that left a big impression on me 💙📚
alinaleonova.net/blog/the-fre...

#booksky #SciFibooks #reading #BookReview #LGBTQBooks

Aragorn sitting in the back corner of the prancing pony inn at a table with a mug and lit candle, veiled by wearing his hood covering the top half of his face while he smokes a pipe

How it feels sitting in the back corner of a cafe to write

This Is How Immortals Die — Dark And Bloody Sapphic Fantasy | Alina Leonova, Sci-Fi Author Aphrodite unleashed a life-changing apocalypse that reshaped the world and cursed humankind with immortality. But once true love is found, immortality is lost.

I finally wrote a review of This Is How Immortals Die by @sayaashrah.bsky.social 🎉
So, if you're into dark & gory fantasy, Greek mythology, original worlds & sapphic romances, it might just be for you🩸😈 💙📚
alinaleonova.net/blog/this-is...
#BookSky #BookReview #DarkFantasy #fantasy #LGBTQBooks

I'm reading it right now and enjoying it a lot! Ingrey is a great character 🥰

Aww thank you so much for the recommendation ☺️☺️🧡

I’m sure they will be useful ☺️ In the meantime, I finally started writing a review of This is How Immortals Die ☺️

I’m intrigued 👀

Amazing how much of a difference starting a day with a workout & a cold shower makes (not that it’s possible for me most days 😅). Feeling energized, more patient, in a better mood, & I’m finally catching up on reviews I should have written a while ago while juggling other stuff 😤

#writing #reading

Ohh good to hear! I’m having a great time with it ☺️

Nice! How is the beta read going?

And then I remembered about Lois McMaster Bujold. I read the whole Vorkosigan Saga a while ago, but nothing by her since. So I started the Chalion series. Currently on book 2, and enjoying it ☺️💙📚

What are you reading?

#reading #fantasy

Pretty short (novella length), characters that are mere symbols without depth, struggles that are overcome within one sentence of description. Pretty interesting but not my cup of tea, so I won’t be continuing the series. 2/

How do people keep up with social media? I constantly forget to post or even check on what’s going on 🥲

Well, let me tell you about the books I’ve read now that I’m here 💙📚

The Bride of the Blue Wind by Victoria Coddard was more like a fairytale than anything else. 1/
#reading #books #booksky

Nice, thanks ☺️

Nice, thank you for the recommendation ☺️

If you have anything to share, please do. I prefer sci-fi and fantasy, but don't limit yourself to those. Hugs to all 🧡 /end

A story that heals without making you bleed first. Like a warm blanket that you wrap around yourself to hide from the cold reality.

I think that sometimes, we all need those safe stories. So, why are there so few? Or maybe I just don't know them. Do you? 7/

And yet, I feel like these kinds of narratives are way more prevalent, even expected. As an author, I tell those stories myself.

But the popularity of kind, peaceful books makes me think that a lot of people are hungry for a story that doesn't hurt. 6/

Of course, tragic, painful narratives are necessary. Showing the dangers of the world as it is, allowing people to see themselves in the suffering of those characters, to feel understood. It can be healing and powerful. 5/

I loved The Free People's Village, but the narrative was tragic, and hope quite feeble. Some parts hurt reading about. Some felt personal. It left me feeling bruised, if that makes sense. 4/

I never knew I needed such books before I found them by chance. I used to love dystopias, and didn't mind any amount of violence as long as it made sense for the story.

But lately, I increasingly find myself searching for hope and kindness in the books I read. 3/