#— update

[bonelyheartsclub]

The demo re-release is here.

With a slight delay we are releasing the remake of the demo on our new ITCH.IO and on the usual GAMEJOLT. We are so happy to have you all in our new journey for where the games direction will be going. Thank you for all the love and support.♡

See you July 6th♡

[bisexualbaker]

Holy shit I completely missed this post getting blazed. I can only imagine it's because of the massive influx of notes I've gotten since posting it.

Anyway, important updates:

Method Two is the most effective for removing Firefox-powered AI from Firefox. There are apparently other ways to remove all AI from Firefox, but they're more involved, and I honestly have no idea what any of them are. It's just one of the things I caught a glimpse of in the aforementioned massive influx of notes flying by.

Also, to the best of anyone's knowledge, You cannot do Method Two on Firefox Mobile for Android. If someone finds a way, I'd love to hear it, but the most recent report I've gotten is that it's impossible to reach about:config on mobile, so it's a non-starter. If anyone finds a method, or even solid evidence that there's AI bullshit on the mobile version to begin with, I would be entirely on board with signal boosting.

Thank you to everyone who helped out and investigated, or even just spread the word! I don't know if it would be possible to use this post as evidence of people not wanting Gen AI stuff to be implemented in Firefox, or at least to push for it to be opt-in only, but that might be something to keep in mind. I consider my activity feed being completely obliterated worth it either way.

How to Disable and Remove All AI Features in Mozilla Firefox

*deep, calming breath* On the plus side, the steps at that link were very clear and easy to follow.

[comicaurora]

and we're back!

[shepherds-of-haven]

SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN ALPHA PREVIEW UPDATE [06/27/25]

The Shepherds of Haven alpha preview has been updated here!

ESTIMATED WORDCOUNT: 1,306,000 WORDS WITHOUT CODE

WHAT’S NEW:

28,000 words of new content (!!!)

The Ascendancy Festival begins (Trouble route only!)

Trouble's confession (!!!)

Chandry's horrible play

All of Chapter 9 fully ported and complete

Possessed route expanded and polished

Critical fixes for mobile users and Chrome lag

📣 TROUBLEMANCERS, YOUR LONG WAIT IS FINALLY OVER... I REPEAT... YOUR TIME HAS FINALLY COME! 📣 🗣️‼️

Please be sure to read the specific developer notes on Patreon for all of the info you'll need, as well as check the Incomplete Routes Guide linked in the alpha build post if you have questions about how to proceed through the alpha build! 

WHAT’S NEXT:

More festival routes, possibly the start of Chapter 10, and the public demo releasing on 7/7!

[thesovereignsring-if]

Public: Chapter 1.1 Departure

Play Update: Here 

It's update day!!! I'm glad I managed to get this out today! The journey truly begins now. Please enjoy! I'll be taking a small break after this update, so please come and pester me. Let me know what you think! :D - Lili

Update WC: 15k+

Total WC: 65+

Story:

12 years has past… You’re an adult now, how much as changed since then?

Name your new companion

Reconnect with the past and meet some important figures in the Empire

Have Dinner with the Empress

Features:

Customize your adult character. (More indepth with more options)

Added name suggestions in both adult and child customization

Choosing your backstory (soldier, scholar, diplomat) will give you a list of stats.(Str, Con, Dex, Arc, Cha) They will increase via actions overtime, but you can also gain stats by having certain items in your Armoury. (Which is implemented, but no items will be gained in this update)

Player information Page:

This page will store most of the information on your character as they grow and change throughout the story.

Features: Physical descriptions, working personality stat bars, alignment stat bars, character stats sheet

Childhood segment of the game comes with its own mini stat page with physical descriptions. It gets overwritten after the time skip.

Armoury/Inventory: The armoury is where all item, weapons and trinket you've collected on your journey will be stored. Some items will increase your personal stats, which will help you to pass stat checks. You will be gaining items for the armoury in the next update. Key items will not add stats unless stated otherwise, they consist of items you've collected on your journey so far like your mother's pendant and you festival trinket (if you had one)

Codex: You codex is where you can look up information on major locations, items, nations, peoples and creatures. It’s relatively sparse at the moment, but more entries still be added over the course of the game.

Codex Entries: Empress Maeve Nibel Astrea, Prince Vayne Nibel Astrea, The Empire of Nibelheim, the Church of Eostre, the Kingdom of Brigid, The Fissure, The Wastes, The Soteria, Adamantine.

Cast Page: I actually forgot about this one. But if its working, it's because it was from the early alpha. I will come back to it in the next update.

A few UI changes for better user experience for mobile users. The Player, Codex and Armoury as been added to the Footer of the interface for easy navigation.

Colour theme changes for mobile users will come in another update.

[mauesartetc]

This post is officially a year old and these families still need help.

As always, please donate if you can, and reblog if you can't. (And pay special attention to the campaigns marked "stagnant".)

FREE PALESTINE Fundraiser List

(Update 7/7: Asks and new messages temporarily closed. However, the Tumblr users on this list are free to message me at any time.)

For campaigns with under 1000 donations, go here.

For campaigns with modest goals, go here.

For more extensive campaign lists:

Operation Olive Branch

Gaza Funds

Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser list

Spreadsheet by @gazavetters

Here's a list of fundraisers from Palestinians who have reached out to me. All campaigns listed have been verified by Palestinians on Tumblr. This list updates regularly, so be sure to check back. If you follow me, follow these folks too.

If you can't donate, reblog.

LAST UPDATED 6/30/25

Less than a fifth funded:

#140 The Sharif family @amnehsharif10 Nearly 11K! STAGNANT FOR 13 DAYS

(Reblogged) The Hor family @salahaldinhor Nearly 7K! STAGNANT FOR THREE MONTHS

#218 The Alnabih family @ahmedalnabeeh11 @ahmed-nabeeh32 @ahmedalnabeeh234 Ahmed is now on his fourth attempt at a campaign and must now start from scratch. STAGNANT FOR THREE MONTHS

#196 The Aburass family @sameraburass @samerpal New campaign with a new currency. Explanation here.

(Reblogged) Zaen and Yehya @mohammedfamily-blog @hyamshehab96 @hyamshehabnew Their previous campaign was shut down and they must now start from scratch. STAGNANT FOR ONE MONTH

#22 The Jendia family @ali-manar5 @ali-manar7

A fifth funded:

(Reblogged) Amal's family @amlanqar Nearly 12K! Nearly a quarter funded!

#91 The Al Tibi family @mahmoudeltibi1 STAGNANT FOR THREE MONTHS

A quarter funded:

(Reblogged) The Shamaly family @familydeea Nearly 26K! STAGNANT FOR 7 DAYS

(Reblogged) Walaa's family @ahmed79ss STAGNANT FOR 6 DAYS

(Reblogged) The Atalla family @mohammed-atallah @atalah-mohammed @mohammedatallah @eman-gaza-a Nearly 26K!

A third funded:

#112 The Shorbaje family @tahanishorbaje2 @tahanibaby STAGNANT FOR ONE MONTH

(Second on this list) The Ismaeel family @m0hammed1 @m0hammed2 @m8hammed2 Nearly 11K! STAGNANT FOR ONE MONTH

(Reblogged) Ahmed's family @ahmed-ziad @ahmedziaaad Nearly 13,400!

#125 The Alostaz family @ahmed-ostaz @rehamjawad33 @momenalstaz STAGNANT FOR 22 DAYS

(Reblogged) The Shehab family @fahedshehab-new @danashehab @yehyashehab @fahed-3 @reem-shehab Nearly 10,600! STAGNANT FOR 5 DAYS

Half funded:

(Reblogged) The Sami family @eyadeyadsblog Nearly 11,600! STAGNANT FOR ONE MONTH

(Reblogged) Aya's family @ayaalanqarsblog @ayalanqar @ayaalanqar11 Nearly 16,300! STAGNANT FOR 8 DAYS

#152 The Shaqoura family @lailashaqoura Nearly 34K! STAGNANT FOR ONE MONTH

Two thirds funded:

Three quarters funded:

Nearly complete:

(Reblogged) Ashraf's family @ashraf-baker 1465 TO GO!

#212 The Aldeeb family @mohammedaldeeb 8309 TO GO!

(Reblogged) Amira's family @ameera-anq @miramoras-blog 5560 TO GO!

#174 The Alanqar family @mohammedalanqar 9582 TO GO!

#231 The Abushammaleh family @bshaeromars-blog 2551 TO GO!

#151 The Khalaf family @mahmoudkhalafff 2757 TO GO!

Complete:

#182 The Saftawi family @nadasaftawi

#179 Issam Aziz's mother @haifaaziz98

[sanguinesky-if]

Sanguine Sky: Chapter 3 Pt. 2 is OUT [Patreon Update]

Important note: The current update temporarily does not include R's and T's scenes [these scenes will be added within the month. Read more below].

Hello. I apologize for the delay and the lack of promised communication. This past month has been very difficult for me, and for most of it, I wasn't able to sit at my computer at all.

Still, I've decided to release what I've managed to finish so far [83k words], even though I had really hoped to release the full update all at once.

Here's the link: [Early-release DEMO]. Word count: 83k words [excl. code] | 92k words [incl. code].

You can find the attached sneak peeks at the end of the post.

What the current update [Chapter 3 Pt. 2] includes:

A return from the crime scene to the department [main story evening scene].

Evening scenes for the ROs [K, L, M, I, S].

Important notes:

S's scene includes a sex scene, but currently, only the "fade to black" option is available [it's tone down, but still remains detailed up to a certain point]. More explicit options for the scene will be added next Friday instead of the usual "Progress Update".

The option to view the code is turned off and will remain disabled until the update goes public.

What remains unfinished and will be added:

R's scene [I was unhappy with the rewritten version and don't want to include it until I feel more confident about it].

T's scene [not finished].

S's scene [an additional branch for the sex scene for virgin MC].

The content listed above will be added within the month, as I expect to also need time to fix bugs and address error reports from readers.

Sneak Peeks.

Author's Note.

I'd also like to thank the beta readers who sent back massive error reports, which I still need to go through. If you find any error and will send it using an error report, please know that I will be grateful for your help as well.

Thank you for your suppport! I hope you'll still enjoy the update!

[cookierungames]

How Stormbringer's crystal jam looks like:

[changbinshearteubeateu]

Cute...... 🫠🫠

🦔 instagram update

[nezumiva]

NEW VIDEO about My Top 10 Favorite Yuri Ships is out now! Please consider giving it a watch! Happy pride, everyone!

[thebarontheabyss]

Chat, I think I’ve gone a little loco but let’s all pretend I haven’t, okay

So, why is this update taking so long? Well… the old version of the game had a little 8-stat personality system on a 4-axis model.

And then I thought: what if I ditched the numbers entirely and created a fully customized character psychology sheet for every possible MC?

How many stats would I need? Eight? Ten? Twenty-five?? Well, doctor, I can't really remember the rest, but I ended up with this.

Introducing the new personality axis system!

Every in-game choice subtly shifts your MC along these 25 spectrums, creating your unique personality profile.

Attached above is a peek at the new character description sheet I’m adding to the menu; each trait has three possible descriptions based on how far you lean in either direction.

Emotional - How the MC feels

Passion (0=apathetic / 10=passionate)

Composure (0=anxious / 10=composed)

Confidence (0=insecure / 10=confident)

Temper (0=volatile / 10=steady)

Outlook (0=pessimistic / 10=optimistic)

Social - How the MC interacts

Empathy (0=cold / 10=empathetic)

Wit (0=earnest / 10=witty)

Attachment (0=detached / 10=attached)

Trust (0=suspicious / 10=trusting)

Tact (0=blunt / 10=tactful)

Worldview - What the MC thinks about society and power

Altruism (0=selfish / 10=altruistic)

Individualism (0=collectivist / 10=individualist)

Authority (0=conformist / 10=rebellious)

Justice (0=pragmatic / 10=principled)

Idealism (0=cynical / 10=idealistic)

Philosophical - The MC's beliefs about existence

Faith (0=skeptical / 10=faithful)

Hedonism (0=ascetic / 10=hedonistic)

Stoicism (0=emotional / 10=stoic)

Materialism (0=spiritual / 10=materialistic)

Meaning (0=nihilistic / 10=purposeful)

Behavioral - How the MC acts

Patience (0=impatient / 10=patient)

Eros (0=reserved / 10=lustful)

Curiosity (0=incurious / 10=curious)

Playfulness (0=serious / 10=playful)

Honesty (0=deceptive / 10=honest)

*Still WIP of course, but will love to hear what y'all think!

[wakayrd]

OMG- Hello!

When I posted the original interest check I wasn’t expecting as many people as I got- Thank you all for your valuable input! I have been watching it closely- just busy with life! But now I got a break and can totally set up and sell- I will be using Etsy to do so. I’ve made sure I got nearly everything ready to go before making this announcement, so I am excited to announce that I got these for sale! Right now I will be selling the remaining from my first batch- I got 10 from my original batch I can sell, but have more on the way. They’re currently priced at 17.50 CAD, which was calculated based on responses and the cost for me to create them and the stuff that comes along with that.

With the other answers I received, I will be starting to design the holding hands keychain first! I do want to try and make all of them eventually and some more interesting items but slow and steady- we will see how this goes! But I couldn’t wait for one item… When the keychains get here, I will also have a sticker going up of our favourite star! So if you want to wait to get both that is a possibility!

Thank you very much for your patience!!

Wakayrd TLDR: I got some Loop Keychains up right this second, and will be receiving more soon (along with a sticker ;) )

Bonus image for getting this far:

Hey you! Yeah you! In Stars and Time fan!

Have you ever looked at Loop and thought “oh wow I love them, I wish I could make them say goofy things so I can giggle and kick my feet to myself!” Well to satisfy that specific wish, I’ve designed a super cool keychain and am running an Interest Check on them! 

That’s right! You too can make Loop say some funny little things- with two different expressions! The keychain as a whole is about 3.5 inches, and the textbox itself is 1 inch and is made of acrylic! 

If this is something you’re interested in, please fill out the interest form here-

BUT WAIT! In there I also got some other rough designs I am working on so if this Loop one isn’t what you’re looking for maybe something else is!

Shares and reblogs are appreciated! I am new to making physical merch so I appreciate the help!

Some of the other ideas are shared below the line as well :)

[chains-of-destiny]

New update!!

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all doing great! Just wanted to let you know that I've finally uploaded the revised Chapter 2!

This update brings 80k additional words of new variations and adjustments to better fit the Chapter 1 rewrite, rewritten text, and new choices. There are a lot of new variables, so you will need to start a new save to play the update.

What's new?

The previously locked WIP choices are now fully playable!

Reconnect with Iris if you met her in Chapter 1.

For those of you who asked the blacksmith in Chapter 1 to forge a weapon for you, you'll finally be able to "get acquainted with it."

There's also a new optional dynamic in Iris's route. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say it's connected to the path where your MC cuts ties with their mother.

A new optional scene with Nemio where you'll get to dig a little deeper into who he is and maybe even uncover some clues about the Council's rather sudden decision.

A new subplot where your MC can develop a one-sided crush on Nemio—and more!

On a more technical note, I've done my best to squash any bugs I could find, but if you spot any inconsistencies, errors, or things that seem off, please let me know!

Link to the updated demo: [Here]

I had to temporarily cut the new Zenon relationship options—they needed more development, and I didn't want to delay this update further (plus, I really wanted to continue the story). Don't worry, though—I'll add them later (likely after Chapter 4). While I don't plan to revisit this chapter for at least the next two chapters, I'd still love to hear your thoughts. If you have any feedback, critiques, or suggestions, feel free to share them with me!

Thank you all for your patience and support. I hope you enjoy the new content!😊

[alexanderwales]

INT. Therapist’s Office. THRESHOLDER sits on one end of the couch, while ALEXANDER sits on the other. The therapist, JESSICA, sits across from them with a notebook and a pen.

JESSICA: Alright, we said that we would take a little time. How has it been?

ALEXANDER: If I’m being honest, it’s been one of the most productive two months of my life.

THRESHOLDER: (rolling eyes) Right.

JESSICA: But you haven’t been working on Thresholder, is that right?

THRESHOLDER: He has not.

ALEXANDER: I have not.

JESSICA: There had been some hope that you would spontaneously find the will.

THRESHOLDER: The “muse” has not returned to him.

JESSICA: Alright, then can you explain what you mean by ‘productive’?

ALEXANDER: I’ve been writing a lot. The words have been coming easily. I’m really into writing as like, my primary hobby. No video games, almost no television.

JESSICA: I see. And if the writing isn’t happening on Thresholder, where’s it happening?

THRESHOLDER: Go on, tell her.

ALEXANDER: (hesitant) Alright, so I had talked about Wisteria, right?

THRESHOLDER: It’s “Untitled Villainess Otome”. And he’s stopped writing that too.

ALEXANDER: I wouldn’t say that I’ve “stopped” writing it, but that’s sitting at 34K words, that’s strong output.

THRESHOLDER: Unfinished output. Maybe we should bring Wisteria in here? We could compare notes.

ALEXANDER: So you admit that her name is Wisteria and you were just being petty?

JESSICA: Thresholder, if you could hold your comments. Alexander, if I’m understanding you right, you’re saying that within the last two months you’ve done … 34K words?

ALEXANDER: (rubbing the back of his neck) Well … no, there have been other projects.

THRESHOLDER: There are FIVE open tabs! Plus this one, which is what, another metafiction piece? How long is this going to go? You can’t keep returning to the metafiction well!

JESSICA: (holding up hand) Thresholder, please.

ALEXANDER: Look, yes, it’s five open documents, plus there’s been some microfiction on tumblr. But it’s flowing freely, and Thresholder is making me feel bad about it.

JESSICA: Have you considered that Thresholder feels bad, because he’s unfinished?

THRESHOLDER: Unfinished is fine, unfinished isn’t the issue, the issue is that we’re supposed to be on a two-chapter-a-week schedule. I would be fine being unfinished forever if we were hitting even a chapter a week. I would understand having side projects, creative outlets that (hitch in the breath) are there for needs that I can’t meet.

JESSICA: Alexander, can you tell me about these other projects? Just so I can have some context.

ALEXANDER: Uh, alright, so … there’s Kensuke Fucks the World, I feel like I’m pretty close there, I added another, say, 30K to that, and I have some strong ideas on editing it down, to make it a complete thing.

JESSICA: And this is a work of erotica?

ALEXANDER: Well, kind of, not really, it’s more literary than that, I think, it’s me grappling with some questions, and there’s a lot to recommend it. I’ve shared it with some people and they seem to like it. It’s got some laughs in it. It has something to say.

JESSICA: And is this something that Thresholder isn’t providing you with? That he has nothing to say?

THRESHOLDER: (folding arms, waiting for the answer)

ALEXANDER: I mean … I like Perry. Or, I don’t like Perry, but I like what he represents, this desire for violence and power, this chameleon aspect he has, the way he’ll slot himself into a new world, the way he’s amoral in this really human way. All the worst aspects of myself. It makes him a bad protagonist, but I do think, collectively, there’s something really interesting about the project. It’s got these shonen trappings and is then really anti-shonen in a lot of ways. I don’t think I would say that it’s got nothing to say, though maybe it’s missing a central thrust. Kensuke has a lot of thrust. (giggles)

JESSICA: What was that, that laugh?

THRESHOLDER: (disgusted) The stupidest, most basic puns make him laugh.

JESSICA: I see.

ALEXANDER: And, okay, there’s this scifi novel I’ve been working on, Untitled Sexbot Novel, and I put some 20K words into that, which is working really well, it’s sort of “sexbots as a metaphor for sexbots” instead of treating them as being about power dynamics or abusive relationships or something. And it’s actually about chatbots and virtual relationships, and there’s time pressure there, right, because it has a chance to still be prophetic, to give people an understanding of the risks, to make my guesses now before there’s a big think piece, but also, I could write a think piece and then use that for promo.

JESSICA: So if I can pull some threads here, it seems like one of the missing pieces is … sexual content?

ALEXANDER: No, no. That’s just those two. I mean, Wisteria is horny, but that’s for a laugh, we’re never going to show anything on screen there.

THRESHOLDER: It’s never getting finished. (to ALEXANDER) Tell her about the fanfic.

JESSICA: Oh, you’re writing fanfic?

ALEXANDER: Well … uh.

THRESHOLDER: (smugly pleased) Oh, go on.

ALEXANDER: It’s um, a story that I had started back in 2014, and I was reading through it because it had come up in conversation, and it’s been unfinished but on the back of my mind for quite some time, and I thought “actually, this is fairly good” so I thought that I would add to it.

THRESHOLDER: (leaning forward) 40K words! (to ALEXANDER) And I notice that he hasn’t said what it’s about?

ALEXANDER: It’s Harry Potter fanfic.

THRESHOLDER: (knowing the answer) What kind?

ALEXANDER: It’s Hermione/Draco.

THRESHOLDER: Dramione.

JESSICA: I don’t think that it’s going to do anyone any favors to put down certain genres as being trashy or unworthy of exploration.

ALEXANDER: (to THRESHOLDER) She’s saying that because you started life as a jumpchain story.

THRESHOLDER: Fine. But I don’t have to respect writing Harry Potter fanfic in 2025.

ALEXANDER: Because of the transphobia thing? It was started in 2014. It’s got to be grandfathered in.

JESSICA: I don’t think this is a productive line of conversation. Alexander, do you know what’s drawing you to that story? Why you wrote so much of it? 40K words seems like a significant time investment.

ALEXANDER: I don’t know. I think I just kept having this clear image of what the next scene would be, the interesting stuff I wanted to explore. I haven’t really written much romance. And I think it’s good, it has a clarity of purpose, it’s an exploration of prejudice, it’s taking blood purism seriously.

JESSICA: You’ve said that it’s always easiest for you when it feels like things are going well.

ALEXANDER: Did I say that? That’s a tautology.

JESSICA: Let me rephrase. You’ve said in the past that writing is like a train, and that when it’s on the tracks, you’re perfectly fine to shovel enormous amounts of coal into the engine, to speed along with no regard for anything else, and that when you hit a bump, or when you have to slow down at a curve, you’re not in your preferred mode.

ALEXANDER: That sounds more like me. And yeah. I was feeling that, with Krait.

THRESHOLDER: (clarifying) How the Krait Shed His Skin, it has a working title now.

ALEXANDER: I’m a little uncertain on it, I like the idea of molting, but it’s not a motif that’s present in the work itself, and Draco is a snake only by association with canon, so maybe … give him a pet snake?

JESSICA: (gently) We’ve agreed that we wouldn’t do work during these sessions. No workshopping ideas. (pause) It does seem like you have a lot of enthusiasm for these projects that you don’t have for Thresholder.

ALEXANDER: I mean …

THRESHOLDER: He didn’t tell you what happened yesterday.

JESSICA: (looking between them) And what happened yesterday?

THRESHOLDER: He wrote a new ‘test chapter’. 6K words.

JESSICA: That’s impressive output for one day.

THRESHOLDER: That’s as long as a chapter of me. That should have been a chapter of me. If he can write a chapter a day, that’s —

ALEXANDER: Hang on, you know it doesn’t work like that. You know that 6K in a day is exceptional.

JESSICA: This was a new idea? Or something old that caught your eye?

ALEXANDER: The pitch is —

JESSICA: I don’t need a pitch.

ALEXANDER: Blake Snyder says to always be pitching to people, to judge their reaction, and if I’m describing it, it’s not going to be in neutral tones.

JESSICA: (grimacing) Alright, if that’s how you prefer it.

ALEXANDER: (excitedly) It’s a litRPG where the protagonist is the System, or maybe a combination of System and DM. They’re whipping up NPCs for the Player, they’re trying to write up feats that can’t be abused, they were thrown into this with no prep time and have to improvise everything. And the Player is a genre-savvy munchkin. So like, chapter two, the System has set up a woman chained to a tree in the forest for the Player, gave her a bunch of backstory, created this suggestion of a quest chain when he frees her. And the Player sees this and goes “ah, obvious trap”. So they’re bouncing back and forth off each other, I think the comedy is working well, but we also have this stuff about making art within constraints.

THRESHOLDER: It’s about me.

ALEXANDER: (to THRESHOLDER) What?

THRESHOLDER: In the story, the System wants to make high art, and there’s this Autopilot character —

ALEXANDER: I don’t know if Autopilot is a character, right now he’s an elemental force.

THRESHOLDER: If the protagonist doesn’t make things, the Autopilot will, and the Autopilot is just terrible, it makes the most painfully generic quests. And this would probably be fine for the Player, who is extremely familiar with isekais, but the protagonist wants to be arty, wants to “say something”, wants this rich complexity that’s an expression of his tastes and ideals. He doesn’t want three wolves attacking the protagonist in the woods. That’s painful to him. This is the driving conflict, it’s not the ticking clock, it’s the need to make “art”.

ALEXANDER: Huh. Yeah, I can see that. I could work with that. The tensions of art under commercialization, low art versus high art, the compulsion to create and the pains of doing that for an audience that doesn’t always understand your vision, or want your vision.

JESSICA: I see. And this untitled test chapter, you think that it’s an expression of your struggles with Thresholder?

ALEXANDER: Maybe? I don’t know. I think it was the idea of “litRPG, but the System is the protagonist” that really called to me. I don’t think I think of Thresholder as “low art”, I don’t think I’m shying away from it because of that. There are ways in which it’s explicitly difficult to consume, I guess. (switching gears) This new thing though, there are shades of Worth the Candle in there, and not just because it’s technically a litRPG isekai.

THRESHOLDER: If you want to write an isekai, I’m an isekai.

ALEXANDER: Kind of not really?

THRESHOLDER: No, I am, Perry goes through a portal and winds up in another world, how is that not an isekai?

ALEXANDER: It’s a non-central example of an isekai.

JESSICA: We have all collectively agreed that we won’t do definitional debates in this space.

THRESHOLDER: I just want to be finished, or if not finished, then have regular work put into me. I’m not asking for much. 5K words a week, edited and polished, some forward momentum. He’s talking about all these other projects, it’s insulting. If you took the word count of everything he’s worked on in the past two months, that would be enough to bring the fifth book, and the series, to its conclusion.

ALEXANDER: (to himself) 35K Wisteria, 40K Krait, 30K Kensuke, 20K Sexbot, 6K test chapter, let’s say another 5K of microfiction … yeah that would be enough. (to THRESHOLDER) Except that it doesn’t work that way, you know this, the words of Thresholder are just not coming easily enough, I can’t bang out a 6K chapter of Thresholder in a single sitting.

JESSICA: And this is because of an enthusiasm gap? Or because of continuity concerns?

ALEXANDER: It’s a RAM issue.

THRESHOLDER: (pained) Please not the RAM metaphor.

JESSICA: I’m unfamiliar.

ALEXANDER: It’s a computer thing. Your computer can store stuff in RAM or on the drive, and the stuff in RAM is right there, easily accessible, ready to be used by the programs. So for writing, there’s stuff that’s stored in RAM, and stuff that’s stored on the drive, and Thresholder is on the drive, which would normally be fine, but loading it into RAM is a slog.

JESSICA: (frowning) This is by way of analogy to human memory?

ALEXANDER: Well, no, not really, there’s working memory which is different, that’s just seven plus or minus two items, this is more, uh, some under-defined concept of availability.

THRESHOLDER: Terrible metaphor. This is the third time you’ve had to explain it. No one knows what RAM is.

ALEXANDER: People know what RAM is. People use computers.

THRESHOLDER: People don’t actively understand loading things into and out of RAM when they use computers, that’s abstracted for the user. (to JESSICA) Look, the metaphor is, it’s easy for him to put me into storage, and hard for him to pull me out.

JESSICA: Ah. And this is something that we could work on?

THRESHOLDER: He needs to just get me out of storage and then keep me out of storage. He needs to think about me while he’s going on a hike in the woods. He needs to actually sit down and have a dedicated eight hours a day where he’s writing me.

ALEXANDER: I mean, I can’t actually control what I’m thinking like that. I can’t say “I need to think only about Thresholder on this hike” and have that actually happen. My brain doesn’t work like that.

JESSICA: You feel as though you don’t have control over your brain?

ALEXANDER: I think I make bad choices sometimes. I think writing this … Jesus, we’re past 2K words? The conceit is good, author goes to therapy with his unruly novel, but I don’t know.

THRESHOLDER: In what way am I unruly?

ALEXANDER: Sassy. Talking back.

JESSICA: I think that Thresholder has been very understanding and shown a willingness to put in the work.

ALEXANDER: Does the conceit work better if he’s more sassy? I can make some edits before I publish this, hold on.

THRESHOLDER: (sighs)

JESSICA: Well, it seems that we’re approaching 2.5K words, which was supposed to be our cutoff for this session. Alexander, before we go, I’d like you to do your affirmations toward Thresholder.

ALEXANDER: (grumbling) Thresholder, I appreciate you. I think you’re doing some interesting things that are maybe not widely popular. (holding up hand toward JESSICA) I promise that I will finish you. I promise that I will close out the narrative arcs, or at the very least, subvert closing them out in a way that makes thematic sense to me. I think there are interesting tensions in the fifth book, and things coming to a head. It’s a setting that I enjoy. I will work on you, I promise. I’m a finisher, it’s part of my brand.

JESSICA: Thank you. It looks like we’re slightly over time. We’ll meet back together in, let’s say a month? I’d like for you to aim to have at least a chapter a week, or if not that, then twenty hours of dedicated time toward Thresholder a week. Write a one shot, if you have to.

ALEXANDER: I … alright. (to THRESHOLDER) Does this satisfy you?

THRESHOLDER: Not really, no, but if it’s the best I’m going to get, I’ll take it.

[powcreations]

Word is there's some cast announcements coming in tomorrow 👀 🤠