So I made this post on the cog forum thread without realizing most of you here in tumblr would never see it, so here it goes again.
Happy New Year to everyone following this game!
I hope you all have a good start into 2026. I can proudly say that after a solid month of not only stress but also writerās block, Iāve spent part of this day working on Press Play. Iām currently at a very emotionally taxing point in the story, i.e. Love Daggerās party where the band performs. Itās pretty heavy and not the easiest to write for me, but itās like a knot unraveling in a sense. I just hope Iām handling it well. Anyhow, that particular segment is almost over now, and Iāll sure be glad when Iāve finished it.I have some goals for this story for 2026. Namely, I want to double the word count for Press Play. I donāt know yet to how many chapters that will bump up the story, and to what percentage it will be completed by then. That would be too difficult to decide, so I think word count is a good and achievable goalpost.
Unfortunately, I still donāt know what to do about the Patreon. To be honest, Iāve really enjoyed my time without it. It was rather taxing to write all of the side stories, and it might have contributed to my writerās block. I donāt think I can reopen it again just yet. If I decide against it entirely, Iāll simply set everything to public and hope that those who supported me arenāt too disappointed. Either way, I was extremely grateful for the extra money. I just think my writing would suffer if I kept that up.
Furthermore, I have been thinking of sharing one of my side projects with you guys. I write more than you probably expect. I have like four to five different things Iām working on, some of that is even linear fiction. Of course, the majority of my time has been spent on Press Play, as shown by the word count haha. However, there is a secondary IF project that is now sitting at a stunning 55k words.Itās something I write on when I need relief from the heavy, realistic and more grounded themes of Press Play. Itās fantastical and whimsical, and mostly just escapism for me.
However, Iāve started coding it cause I want to make it playable for an IF writer friend of mine whom I blabbed about it to and who is now very excited for it. So a part of me is thinking, if Iām showing her, maybe itās worth showing a few more people? However, Iām afraid of āruiningā it for me by making it public. Like, it would become work instead of escapism. Especially since I am very sure it wouldnāt be nearly as popular as Press Play and then people who donāt get that I need this will go āwhy arenāt you working on Press Play more? Why are you wasting time on this crap?ā So yeah.
All this to say, Iām up to a lot of stuff. I hope I can finish the rest of chapter 4 soon and get it to you maybe in two months or so, if all goes well. I donāt wanna give lofty promises, hence this vague prediction.
Keep well and letās all hope for a good 2026!

















