Extended Progress Update: 15 November 2024 (Patreon)

Hi Returning Visitors,

Key highlights of this update and reminders:

• Rosie's section is essentially done, just a departure/transition scene is left!

• JR-mancers will have a chance for a split scene based on something that happened at the Corvin family dinner. 👀 Will you be riding with J or R?

• Marjorie is up next. I know many of you have been hoping to encounter her again, no matter what Mal said. This section likely features your RO(s) too.

• Important: I'll be taking a hiatus in December! Billing will be paused at the end of this month, and then we'll chill together during December before it resumes in January alongside our usual TFS cotent. More details in the section with the GIF, so please read it! 😌 I'm nearing a milestone as well.

• 'Friendsgiving' is just around the corner before some of you will experience a different kind of feast in 'Bloodletting' (Part 3). Our content continues! 

• Book Two Snippet: A surprising choice for Mal-mancers.

I was happy to finally be writing those scenes that showcase R's bond with Rosie in addition to her past with Lois (Ms. Verner). What I have been working on is rather missable in the context of it being primarily for R-mancers, JR-mancers, and R besties. However, I still gave it my all with choice options, tailored glimpses of the past, romantic moments, the MC being rude to Rosie and getting a sassy clap back, Rosie showing R tough love after they say a certain thing, JR-mancers learning of a 'sexy' service worker calendar that may come up again much to a certain Detective's chagrin, solo R can essentially say they believe you're fated to be together in their own complicated way, etc. There are many different interactions that you'll maybe uncover. I say 'maybe' because of how I nested the scenes based on your past choices. (Mal + R-mancers, you're in for something that's rather subtly twisted.) Yay, it's done!

What I paused working on to write this update is too spoilery to tease. 👀

There is a reason why I gently urge those of you who have a JR route along with another route to play theirs after you go through the Corvin dinner with let's say B or J being romanced. You will be able to appreciate the tone shifts better, not just because R is actually there during JR's dinner, but because different things happen that might throw you for a loop after reading other versions. If you're only a ride or die JR-mancer, that's awesome too, just buckle up. (I know many of you play multiple routes. 💚) I should be finished with this choice set in a few days—R is worried you may regret something that happened, if not fault them.

Beyond that, my next section of Book Two's outline features exploration of the place Marjorie calls home. 🌻 I'm sure a few of your Returning Visitors are looking forward to interacting with her again more than others! (Let's be real: the scene with the candy in the Fernweh Diner was heartbreaking, if you triggered it.) Still, how you navigate that is up to you! There is a high chance your RO(s) will be coming along with you to this facility, which might influence what you learn, what she's actually willing to say, banter with Marjorie, and much more!

[Alternate Text: A GIF of a person inspecting a suspicious bread box because a fluffy tail is peeking out of it. When they open it, an orange tabby cat is revealed to be hiding inside. The cat seems to glare before closing the box with its paw.]

This^ energy isn't what is motivating my hiatus in December, but there isn't a GIF of a cat clasping a pipping bag of frosting and decorating gingerbread. 😌

I want to be unequivocally transparent about this hiatus being a time where I'll be taking things a little bit slower, yet I'll still be writing. TFS is my love and passion, but also my outlet that I work on each day, if not for many hours a day when I have time. Because of this work ethic paired with your support/kindness that motivates me further, I'm nearing a word count milestone that I hope to crush (devour) by the end of this year. (Adding in choices and hidden scenes helped me get there even more quickly.) My stringent writing pace is something I'm respectfully proud of that I hope you see reflected in what I'm able to share/tease each month alongside our alpha drops. This hiatus is to recharge after family health woes and because I have been ceaselessly carving away at Book Two's outline since the first book's release… Except I'm still going to be carving at it, just with a few breaks for once and possibly baking/gaming/ time with family.

Me 🤝Fernweh's Ouroboros

That's me, but let's get into how this impacts you!

• I will be pausing billing at the end of the month. Once this pause is in effect, you won't be charged on your normal date in December, but you will remain a TFS patron. The Patreon is still up and running as usual, just no charges.

• We'll essentially be chilling together in December without our usual Content Schedule of posts. (I'll likely have a few fun things to share though. 😎)

• If you pay on a later date in the month, like the 27th of November, that's fine! Your payment then gives you access to the rest of November's content all the way through until January 27th. There is no missing out, just a wait that everyone is going to go through in December until I surprise you with something because I want to tease thrilling content and/or check-in.

• If you have questions, here's a Patreon article meant to be read by creators about pausing billing, so it's comprehensive but from our perspective rather than a patron's. Again, I value transparency, but more importantly, I have respect for you as a reader offering support to me. 🥰

• You can ask me about this too!

The main takeaway that outshines the billing aspect is: 'hiatus' doesn't equal 'bad'. I'm sometimes guilty of viewing breaks that way when lost really deep in writing. This announcement stoking any worry in you as a 'reader' of TFS is what stresses me more than 'patrons' dipping and then coming back later or not at all. So, please let me reassure you that Book Two will be worked on. The amount I've been able to accomplish thanks to your support, of course, but also thanks to your genuine care for Fernweh is truly staggering. I'm looking forward to conquering a milestone during this time, while taking it slower will feel weird, honestly. But I think it'll be good for me and for the series in the long-run. 💚

We have more content ahead, including 'Friendsgiving' which might make you smile and laugh at some of B's observations. (They're valid. 🥰) R's birthday is steadily approaching, although I'm personally eyeing 'Bloodletting'. 🩸

[Spoilers Ahead!]

Here's an excerpt from Book Two:

The Waiter

"It's my past, not yours."

Punctuating that statement by yanking your hand away would've made it more effective; instead, you barely displace Mal's fingers. He doesn't seem to actively notice your attempt, still watching you with a knowing sort of empathy that's irritating. Yes, he's so aware of everything! Good for him, but it's horrible for you while struggling in this town.

"…You're right."

Your eyebrows raise at Mal's quiet agreement that's paired with him releasing you. It's intentionally measured, letting you feel how his grip almost mechanically retracts. "I am," you spitefully agree. "How does it feel to be in the dark for once? It's unpleasant, right?"

"When it comes to you, I'm used to it."

The Waitress

"It's my past, not yours."

Punctuating that statement by yanking your hand away would've made it more effective; instead, you barely displace Mal's fingers. She doesn't seem to actively notice your attempt, still watching you with a knowing sort of empathy that's irritating. Yes, she's so aware of everything! Good for her, but it's horrible for you while struggling in this town.

"…You're right."

Your eyebrows raise at Mal's quiet agreement that's paired with her releasing you. It's intentionally measured, letting you feel how her grip almost mechanically retracts. "I am," you spitefully agree. "How does it feel to be in the dark for once? It's unpleasant, right?"

"When it comes to you, I'm used to it."

What's interesting is that this can happen while romancing them. 👀💔

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