update 01.

NOTE.

hi!! welcome to the very first patreon exclusive update and thank you so much for being interested!! some housekeeping things to get started: patreon updates will always go live a couple of hours before the tumblr updates do. the content on here will repeat some of what i say publicly, except, of course, this will be much more spoilery and detailed. and lastly, these will be pretty informal so don't expect anything super organized and elaborate lol.

RAMBLE (WHEN TWILIGHT STRIKES).

with that out of the way, here's everything i did this week:

right after i type this, i'm going to write the final couple scenes for the new branch of chapter one. i've mentioned it previously, but for those who aren't aware, i'm adding a new section of chapter one where you can talk to Rylan instead of fighting them. it's been suggested to me a couple of times and i love the idea, so here we are.

there's a lot of q&a in this section—i mean, duh, the branch literally says you "talk things out"—but even so, i think it really lets Rylan's personality shine. previously, they were the 'ruthless' bounty who attacked you even if you wanted to be peaceful but now, it becomes transparent that they only really want to attack you if they have to. that was always their line of thought, but this makes it so much clearer. aside from that, they make a lot of jokes (including ones about yoga, banjos, and even a reference to a coffin (finally snuck one in there!!)) so i think everyone will like it.

as for chapter seven: i started it. like always with a new chapter, i do have a bit of writer's block but i made an outline of what i want to happen and i think that's really helped. usually, i just wing it, but i've found mapping things out helps me keep track of my ideas. obviously, i don't have to stick to it and i doubt i will—chapter six has a lot of changes from its initial outline—but it's on my wall and there if i need it.

i'm at the very very beginning of the chapter but the first choice is already a romantic one (it also has non-romantic options as always!) and i truly think people are going to freak out when they read it... everyone's branches are so so good so far so whoever your ro of choice is, i think it'll be fun. on top of that, i plan on hitting a couple of tropes in this chapter (sue me, i think they're fun) and i'm so extremely excited to write them. it works perfectly with the context of the plot and serves as another fun way to spark some feelings between the ros and the mc—or not, depending on what you want.

RAMBLE (SECRET PROJECT).

in terms of my secret project, aka my side wip, it's going. kind of. i've mentioned before it's a lot heavier than when twilight strikes, so i've been slowly mapping out the different side characters (there's a lot) and plot. i'm not quite there yet with the story but i had a recent revelation that will hopefully help move things along. when twilight strikes is the priority, however, so this will stay on the backburner in the meantime.

STATS.

• 223,743 (+ 2.2k)

* includes word count from chapter seven only. additional content in chapter one is not counted but i'd estimate it to be around the same or a little more.

SNEAK PEEK.

"I only know what the report says."

"So do I, except I have it memorized. Try me. Ask for a line and you'll receive a perfect recital. Just don't choose line sixty-three. I always stumble on the words." Rylan heaves a dramatic sigh. "If I ever get out of this, tell IAOS to use less complicated words, will you?"

— taken from chapter 01, talk branch.