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Extended Progress Update: 26 January 2024
🕑 Added 2024-01-26 13:30:01 +0000 UTCHi Returning Visitors,
Key highlights of this update and reminders:
- My typical gentle nudge to remember to add my email address can be found here. It's important for the TFS character portrait inquiries and welcome message I promptly send out. Also, remember to check your spam folder and to reach out to me, if needed.
- Our next TFS Book Two alpha drop is just around the corner!
- The writing surge has borne fruit! Eh, waxy fruit that people sometimes put out for display, but fruit nonetheless. (Dw, that will make more sense in the future! ) ๐๐๐ฏ๏ธ๐๐
- Reminder: The collection of requests for the Q&A session is now on a rolling basis for me to hoard questions that I'll sprinkle throughout our monthly content.
- The TFS Mom Quiz released recently! ๐ I'm so happy that you're enjoying taking it.
- Book Two Snippet: The MC is being kind of mean in this variation. Poor B.
While I've written enough words to count as decent-sized chapter, I've yet to finish up the chapter I've been working on due to its variation. You all might recall I mentioned preparing for a writing surge last update along with how my focus was honed in on a nightmare. ๐ฑ I did finish that yesterday! It was a goal of mine before shifting to work on our February content and upcoming alpha release. (The nightmare ties in so many variables to torment your MCs.)
Despite it being more horror focused, it brought me a lot of joy to write because I've had the scenes planned for quite some time. It was great getting to fully flesh them out with choices, variation, and so on.
One aspect you will hopefully look forward to is this: mare3_specific_act.
It's a variable that tracks what specific action the MC took in Book One's Chapter 8 dining room nightmare. So, some of you might have chosen to bite R. Verner, or maybe you shifted back in your seat from S. Dorran, or you may have allowed your JR beloveds to touch your cheek even if they were unsettling, etc. There are around 36 fills for this scene! (This comes from the total choice options across all of the RO routes in the nightmare, so B's has 6 options, S's has 6 options, etc.) These specific actions carry over into Book Two to show how the ??? keeps track of your MC's behavior, possibly offering payback or respite.
(Yes, the ??? is the type to hold grudges! ๐๐)
Unique dialogue, different moods, the Returning Visitor might need to dodge, and more!
Here is an example:
"Your current accommodations have one benefit: you cannot bite off more than you can chew, no matter how utterly delectable I am."
The nightmare section is done, but there's a lot planned for this chapter's outline. โจ I've switched gears to prepare for our upcoming alpha drop; the mood of this one can vary from unsaid sultry tension to disarming sweetness and then awkwardly adorable. It's a ride! The Content Schedule for February is also underway. ๐ It will be an undoubtedly thrilling, if not passionate, month. I've teased about the spicy (and steely) J writing in other posts. There will also be themed writings, TFS surprises, and more! Not to mention another RO excursion. ๐
[Spoilers Ahead!]
Here's an excerpt from Book Two:
Beckett
Does Beckett truly have the audacity to bring up your whereabouts considering he's always absent in the mornings? It's laughable, but the sharp scoff that falls from your lips doesn't hold any good humor. You're going to deflect and put him in his place.
"Well, now you know how I feel when you're off somewhere," you sardonically point out. "You don't even know Fernweh and go wandering around."
Becca
Does Becca truly have the audacity to bring up your whereabouts considering she's always absent in the mornings? It's laughable, but the sharp scoff that falls from your lips doesn't hold any good humor. You're going to deflect and put her in her place.
"Well, now you know how I feel when you're off somewhere," you sardonically point out. "You don't even know Fernweh and go wandering around."
Welp, I think this MC just received -5 approval with most of you. It does make you wonder what they could be trying to avoid/hide to react in this manner. ๐
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. ๐
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Comments
ckl
There are so many variations!!! Thank you for hard work and congrats on that big surge of productivity. There's so much to explore, I'm in awe ๐งก๐๐๐
Aelsa Trevelyan
Thank you so much for your congrats, Tiffy! ๐ ๐ฅฐ It was exhilarating to finish it just in time for the alpha drop prep and February content planning; it made each filled variation, choice, and bonus dialogue feel all the more rewarding after having it outlined for a time. I love how Marcie has such a visceral reaction to Not-Ruby that she is willing to retaliate during the encounter whereas she typically tends to be more cautious/somewhat compliant. I think it speaks to how the rivalry and romantic bond with R can hit differently and bring about a different reaction. I'm excited for you to replay through the nightmare--each Not-RO brings their own twist (uh, twistedness) to it. It will be interesting. I hope you also had a restful weekend! ๐ Thank you for your well wishes.
Aelsa Trevelyan
I like how there's also the commonality that all three of you have a MC for Mal, but those thoughts are all brilliant ones! ๐๐ It would explain the MC's swift deflection.
Tiffy
Congrats on completing the nightmare section! ๐ I can only imagine how overjoyed you are to see it finally come to life, and I know itโll be a treat (uh, for usโฆ probably not for our MCs) once weโre able to experience it. Iโm certainly very excited over seeing how the mare3_specific_act variable comes into play and impacts the nightmare; Marcieโs choices in Book One across her playthroughs are mostly uniform, but since she has somewhat different dynamics with the ROs on their particular routes, how she reacts to the nightmare version of her beloveds in Chapter 8 varies: avoiding Silas and Becca (she feels somethingโs not right, but canโt bring herself to actively retaliate against their likenesses), being receptive to James (that childhood friend nostalgia really gets to her), and slapping Rubyโs hand away (because that is not Ruby, end of discussion). (She didnโt bite anyone though, so Iโm pretty sure Marcie wonโt be getting that fun line you shared with us, haha.) Oh goodness, โpoor Bโ indeed; I always feel very bad for them when the MC treats or speaks to them so harshly. (*set tiffy_approval -167) Thank you for such an amazing update; Iโm really looking forward to everything you have in store for us. ๐ Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing weekend. ๐ฅฐ
chellyense
It was also my first thought, lol.
musica
I actually thought the same thing!
EvilChani
Heh. My first thought of what the MC is trying to hide is being off with Mal... but that could be my Mal obsession talking. ๐
