PlotBible, a proprietary online worldbuilding subscription service, is now in active development.
While admittedly, I’m not very business-orientated, after carefully considering all reasonable options, I have settled on developing my first proprietary service. This breaks from my tradition of exclusively developing open-source/free-cultural content, but financial and technical realities force this change. In truth, it requires me to go against my own instincts or “gut sense.” However, I see no other alternatives. Allow me to indulge my reasoning.
My own worldbuilding needs demand it
I have been unable to find any satisfactory software or services to handle my worldbuilding needs. Aeon Timeline, as mentioned in a post about my work with Absurd Realms, has unfortunately proven not suitable for organizing the sheer amount of entities I wish to keep track of, and I find it lacking in automation features.Features at launch
As a proprietary online service, PlotBible will perpetually remain a work in progress. However, at launch, it will have the following base features:- Public and private worlds
- Dynamic time-based entity properties
- Support for custom Gregorian-like calendars
- Automatic linear timelines based on entity dates and events
- Prebuilt and customizable entity types
- Data export and import
- Automatic spoiler control based on user-inputted time
Pricing
As a commercial operation, I certainly intend to make money from PlotBible (ideally a living, but at the very least breaking even). This is not just a matter of self-employment but also making the service possible to begin with. It is my goal to keep pricing reasonable and competitive. The starting tier will be $5 USD monthly (with a 7-day free trial). I will handle payments using Patreon. If you intend to join my Patreon solely for this purpose, please wait until PlotBible is actually launched.Refund policy
At the start of the free trial (for new subscribers) or confirmation of payment (for recurring subscribers), I will allow a 14-day refund window (refunds granted on request). Repeated requests from the same subscriber for refunds may, however, result in a refusal of future business. If, for whatever reason, I terminate a subscriber’s service during an active subscription, I will issue a refund for the approximate time left in their paid subscription.Content policy
I intend people to use PlotBible for fictional works. I do not recommend including personal information on PlotBible, especially in public worlds. I prohibit pornographic content, particularly in a visual or auditory form, primarily due to personal discomfort but also to avoid running foul of international censors. It goes without question that I also do not welcome other illegal content. However, I will not actively monitor or moderate the content on PlotBible unless I am given a reason. This is especially true for private worlds.My own fiction is not “family-friendly,” so it is not like these content restrictions will go overboard. That being said, I have no tolerance for content that glorifies universally condemned material, such as sexual assault (including child molestation) or bestiality, even if it doesn’t technically cross the line into illegality.
I expect that the vast majority of users will not encounter difficulties with content policy compliance.
This doesn’t change my other projects
PlotBible is proprietary because it has to be. Absurd Realms and my music releases do not require commercialization and will remain under free cultural licensing.
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