update 47.

WHAT I DID.

first update of the new year, how is everyone doing? i myself am still struggling with a bit of writer's block, but i've made more progress on chapter nine than i have in a while, so that's definitely something to celebrate. i did my normal thing of writing as much of the chapter i can by winging it in december and in january, finally decided it was time for me to map everything out. great decision, honestly, because i finally know what is happening. as big of a mouth i have, i can't say too much, but know that things are moving much smoother now. 

that being said, i think i've made more work for myself. surprise surprise, guess who came up with a plot that creates ten times more writing than i would have had to write before? me. i'll state time and time again how much i adore branches despite the effort they take and i will never rescind that statement. it's been a while since i've had one of these kinds of splits, so i'm hoping that everything works out well and doesn't feel repetitive (much like these updates, which i struggle to write only because i worry and often forget what i wrote previously). if all else fails, i'll scrap the whole thing and make it a bonus scene for those of you on the midnight tier (fingers crossed that it doesn't get to that point though).

what's nice about this chapter is i'm diving into things i have not touched on before and going further into things i have briefly mentioned. mostly, i'm developing different character traits that will (hopefully) make my ros feel more fleshed out and like real people, rather than the standard npc that i'm trying to stay away from. some may be more obvious and easier to achieve (on common routes, for example) and others may be more hidden in branches and choices, but rest assured that this development will happen throughout and be showcased on more than one occasion. some characters like [A] are easier because they're so directly involved in everything the hunter does, being their partner, whereas [N] can be a challenge because they have less of a reason to talk to the hunter outside of a group setting. regardless, the challenge is fun...

sometimes.

STATS.

364,634 words (+2500)

SNEAK PEEK.

[A] has the decency to look guilty, though they make no move to take back their words.