October Newsletter (Patreon)

Alas! It is alive! I’ve squashed all the bugs, so everything should be running smoothly now. Thank you so much for your patience! Expect a message from me soon ❤ And a heads-up for newer crew members joining later — after today, this Tape will only be available on itch!

So, this month has truly been a rollercoaster. As we get closer to December, the heavy rains in my region cause frequent power outages, and my laptop battery isn’t what it used to be. I ended up losing hours of work time, so I can’t believe I managed to wrap this up only a day late!

On top of that, I’ve been diving into tutorials and videos on game mechanics, hoping to bring something new gameplay-wise. And that gave me... ideas.

(Game spoilers ahead — skip this part if you’d rather avoid them!)

After Before the Darkness, I was looking for ways to add multiple smut scenes without rushing the buildup of sexual tension. I decided to include just one scene in the story, but with a twist — the scene changes depending on the order of the places you visit in-game. It felt like an exciting approach! However, that's when I made a grave mistake. I decided I also wanted the story to shift slightly depending on which day you visit each location. That's when things went downhill.

I didn’t realize that this meant creating 9 different chapters and editing each one individually 💔

In the end, I think it came out great, and I’m glad I gave it a shot, but I won’t be doing this again! 😂 I might revisit the idea of changing smut scenes based on choices, but nuanced chapter changes are a bit too ambitious for a game made within a month.

(Spoilers over!)

I’m really enjoying trying out these experimental ideas, even if they don’t always work out. For anyone considering game dev, I’d definitely recommend starting small before tackling your dream project!

For this story, I also wanted to add some horror elements, so I started reading a few horror books, including Bird Box. Still need to finish it, but it’s been a fun dive into a different genre!

I also had a blast writing Leon and the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, though next time, I’d like to explore a more intense version of that trope. Leon is such a lovable dork, and I hope you enjoy this a little tribute to him and the Resident Evil series. (I spent countless hours watching videos on the RE timeline and the whole virus/mold lore — it was wild.)

As promised, I’ll post the November fandom poll next! And for December, since it’s my birthday month and the holidays, I thought we could try something different. You’ll be able to vote for any character I’ve featured so far, and I’ll create a mini-story with one smut scene. Still a bit down the line, but I wanted to give you a heads-up!

Thank you again for your patience with the delay. I’ve missed catching up on messages these past days, but I’ll be responding to everyone soon. I’m so grateful to have you here 💕

Love,

Khywae ♡

P.S.: I forgot to mention that with your support, I was able to buy a new laptop! I’ll finally be able to retire the old one I’ve been using, and my workflow will be much smoother. Thank you so much for making this happen!!!