Extended Progress Update: 18 October 2024 (Patreon)

Hi Returning Visitors,

Key highlights of this update and reminders:

• Rosie's choice-dependent section is up next! 🌹🔧💟 I'm eager to write scenes with her.

• We'll be getting into why you and R, possibly J too, are just now pulling up to the mechanic shop; it's technically R's fault, smh. (Okay, it's mine for expanding the previous section. >.> I had fun!)

• 'Bloodletting' is three days away alongside more festive content for October! 🩸😌

• Book Two Snippet: It seems Mal has an opinion. A limit?

As many of you know, the chapter I'm working on is composed of optional encounters that rely on your choices and dynamics all threading together to give it shape—from where you go to whom you're with!

Honestly, I thought I'd be in the mechanic shop part of my outline. 😅 However, I wanted October's content to be spooktacular (give me this one pun, please) for you all, which meant more time spent on its many posts and writings. Beyond that, once it was time to write the drive scene to said shop, I was struck with inspiration to expand the R. Verner bestie section. (JR-mancers and R-mancers will be treated to flirty, fun, soft, painful (if in denial about R), nostalgic, and more scenes. I wrapped those up though.) I wanted to give them a chance for bestie talk with your Returning Visitors to better deepen your friendship! Although that snowballed into maybe 25k words? I haven't coded it all just yet.

During the car ride to Rosie's, R might bring up your current romance route, so how things went at the Corvin Dinner because they've noticed you growing closer to a certain reserved Detective or that they're aware S invited you up to their room. 💞 They might bring up shifts in your dynamic! We've seen the Verner perceptiveness in action, but now it's aimed at you. Expanding the original section was a lot of fun for me because you'll be learning about R's bonds with the other characters along with their unique view of your romance. How they address a S-mancer versus a B-mancer is intriguing, though I'm certain Mal-mancers might be surprised at how the conversation can unfold. 👀 Every route gets its own unique choice set and variation set up, which is why the word count is relatively high for one (1) car scene. I can't wait for you to learn more! I'll tease some choices that may make you all curious:

#Shut this down. "R, go read a romance novel if you're craving some action." (ALL)

#Tease R, joking around. "'A bolt of jealousy'? Tell me more, Verner." (B)

#Seek reassurance. "Do you think S likes me? As in more than friends, you know." (S)

#Tease about what happened. "I kind of copped a feel by accident—I slipped on rocks." (J)

#Tell R about Mal. "I've become close with Mal." (Mal)

This adds tailoring across your playthroughs! 🥰 Each route has its own scenes and then around eight or so choices for you to gush, tease, stay neutral, seek reassurance, be a meanie, etc. R learning how to be a friend, especially to the MC given their childhood rivalry, gives me many feelings. Hopefully, R besties are looking forward to this bonding time! I'll be moving onto Rosie's scenes soon enough.

We are so close to 'Bloodletting' being released along with other content. I still need to finalize our fall quiz—the minor math involved in how your results will be determined. Similar to our summer quiz, I included lore hints, but this one might be less obvious about which answer relates/vibes with each character, which I'm excited for. Let's see where you'll end up on a dark, spooky night. 👁👁

[Spoilers Ahead!]

Here's an excerpt from Book Two:

The Waiter

There are two signs posted on the gates that read: 'No Trespassing… Or Else' and 'Keep Out!', except one has hastily sprayed graffiti on it that you examine during the wait. It's a skull with cavernous eye sockets and an exaggerated leering smile that's cartoonishly unsettling.

"Hopefully you never look at me quite like that."

Mal's voice causes you to startle back a step and into his chest before you're relaxing when his arms pull your bodies flush. "I can't leer at you then?" you complain. "Not fair."

"It looks like it wants to take a bite out of something," he observes, nosing along your neck before adopting a murmur. "From you, I only prefer a taste." He kisses a spot just beneath your ear that makes you press further into him, nibbling to prove a point before letting you go. "No devouring."

The Waitress

There are two signs posted on the gates that read: 'No Trespassing… Or Else' and 'Keep Out!', except one has hastily sprayed graffiti on it that you examine during the wait. It's a skull with cavernous eye sockets and an exaggerated leering smile that's cartoonishly unsettling.

"Hopefully you never look at me quite like that."

Mal's voice causes you to startle back a step and into her chest before you're relaxing when her arms pull your bodies flush. "I can't leer at you then?" you complain. "Not fair."

"It looks like it wants to take a bite out of something," she observes, nosing along your neck before adopting a murmur. "From you, I only prefer a taste." She kisses a spot just beneath your ear that makes you press further into her, nibbling to prove a point before letting you go. "No devouring."

Hmm, I wonder what the Returning Visitor did to earn this phrase ("From you, I only prefer a taste.") from Mal. (Yes, this scene is also choice-dependent. Mal can greet your MC a few different ways.)

Thank you for your support. Wishing you all a lovely and safe weekend! 🥰💚