#ss general

Hello! After getting several asks about how to activate the Established Rivals [ER] dynamic, I decided it'd be harder to keep hiding it, especially as the story progresses further.

I won't include this information in the game or in the Romance System Overview, but this post will be linked in the Q&A. For those who want to avoid spoilers, the information is hidden below the line.

Before you continue to the guide, I'd like to once again emphasize one important thing:

This dynamic is supposed to be a bonus for readers who happened to like both ROs and ended up unlocking this option naturally. In my opinion, readers who only like one of the two ROs [or play specifically to get this dynamic] will most likely end up disappointed because it's not a love triangle route and it has minimal impact on the narrative overall. This was already mentioned in the Romance System Overview, so please keep that in mind if you're planning a specific playthrough just to unlock it.

I feel seeeeeeen XD

Not going to lie, receiving messages like these makes me feel ridiculously giddy.

I'm incredibly happy to know that most readers are satisfied with the smut in my story, and I hope to keep improving and exploring new dynamics in future sex scenes I'll have to write.

No, but seriously, love this chapter so far and really love your writing style! It gives a lot of insight to the characters as well as different MC's and while it must be a pain to code, it is noticed and highly appreciated!

My fav moments from this chapter so far are I's static electricity moment in the office, Morgan's response to Roderick about what would happen if they needed to "dispose" of MC, T's sex scene (10/10 writing for both sex scenes btw), and R's comment to MC about 'not being careless and hurting themselves' when MC is patching themself up at the orphanage.

Also poor drunken Lex in both POV and when MC chooses to visit them. Simultaneously extremely sad but also funny.

What can I say? I know my readers well.

But on a more serious note, seeing so many readers appreciate the darker aspects of the story makes me feel incredibly grateful and a lot more confident in the themes I chose to include.

Hello! As promised, here's a post to inform you about some new clarifications and changes that I added to the original post about the romance system.

List of changes:

The "Established Rivals" section has been revised.

A new section "Romance Block & Lockout" has been added.

Minor clarifications have been added to the following sections: ▸ Jealousy. ▸ Important Romance Aspects. ▸ Secondary Rivals.

All changes are detailed below, so you don't have to read the original post again.

P.S. For readers who are waiting for a response to their asks, I'll start answering next week. I apologize for keeping you waiting, and thank you for your patience!

Hello, I hope you're doing well!

This summer went by quickly, but I don't mind, as it wasn't the easiest time for me in terms of productivity.

I'm trying to move forward now, and I want to thank everyone for being so patient and supportive when I needed it most.

As for my progress, here's a quick overview of my activity over the past month and my plans for the current one.

What was done last month?

▹ Chapter 3 Pt. 2: finished S's sex scene.

S's explicit sex scene was released in parts [reserved and assertive options], and was later expanded to include the choice of being top or bottom in the MxM version for the assertive MC [previously, the one who took the initiative determined that part]. The change was applied after feedback [for which I'm grateful], and it will also be included as an option in all future sex scenes where I consider it possible. For example, in S's case, this choice is available only for the assertive MC, as I don't see it working for the reserved dynamic given that S leans toward a dominant role and, simply put, needs to be challenged in that regard. As for T's scene, it will be available for both assertive and reserved dynamics, since I can definitely see this option fitting well with any role the MC prefers due to T's personality and approach to sex.

▹ Chapter 1: made the necessary "plot fix", where the MC takes the evidence and carries it with them until they end up in the lab with Morgan.

This moment [along with Morgan's dialogue following their introduction] was rewritten to make it more plausible and realistic.

▹ Chapter 2: revised customization options for the MC's room.

I've been meaning to rework the previously presented choices for the MC's room for a long time, as I realized it's more common for people to use colors as a quicker and more intuitive way to choose interior "filling", without worrying about whether it fits a specific style. While I understand that new choices may seem trivial [green + plants], I still hope this variety will give readers more freedom to imagine their MC's room however they like.

What will I be working on in September?

▹ Chapter 3 Pt. 2: finishing T's and R's scene.

In addition to that, the bonus content on Patreon that will be released this month will include:

S's Short Story.

K's POV [Chapter 3 Pt. 2].

Author's Note.

The estimated release date for T's scene is September 7th. The release date for R's scene will be announced once I finish T's explicit versions of the sex scene.

This was something I was supposed to complete last month, but I wasn't able to due to surgery and recovery.

I'm still working more slowly than I had hoped, but please know that I'm doing my best to keep things moving forward.

Hello, it has been a long month, and I hope you are doing well!

As for the current state of things, this post contains information about:

Last month's lack of activity and content [and why I paused billing on Patreon for this month while I return to the usual schedule].

Progress on Chapter 3 Pt. 2.

What to expect this month [the public release of the canon short stories collection and an update for the "Romance System Overview"].

Before that, I want to briefly mention that next week I'll finally begin answering the asks I received last month. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

About the lack of activity and content last month.

As you may have noticed, I wasn't active in July and didn't manage to finish the update despite despite my words.

I don't want to share any specific details here, but I do want to be transparent: June was a difficult month for me, and although I tried to return to my usual pace in July, I ended up pushing myself too hard, which affected my productivity.

This is why I owe you another apology for the lack of activity and why I paused billing on Patreon for this month [until September 1], as I should have done the previous month.

Despite this, I will remain active this month and follow the usual schedule, releasing the demo update and additional content for both the current and previous month, since I'm doing okay now.

Here are the estimated dates:

Chapter 3 Pt. 2 T's scene: 16 August.

Chapter 3 Pt. 2 R's scene: 30 August.

I hope this is a fair decision and a better way to handle things than simply offering another apology, considering the situation I put both myself and you through.

About Chapter 3 Pt. 2 public release.

I'm not ready to give an exact release date yet, as it will first be fully published on Patreon. However, I want to share that I already have a clear list of additions and refinements planned once all the scenes are completed, specifically:

Content for virgin MC. Having sex with some of the ROs requires me to give this moment the attention it deserves, for a reason.

ROs' POVs. I have drafted more ROs' POVs that can add more to the ROs' routes, although their specific unlock conditions make me hesitant to include them in the main story.

Refining Chapter 2. Just as I once revisited and refined Chapter 1, Chapter 2 also needs this treatment to improve its flow and writing quality.

As you can see, there is a lot that needs to be handled, but all of it deserves my attention before I can make the update public and start working on Chapter 4.

What to expect this month.

First of all, tomorrow I'll be releasing the final story in the Klemens' Last Case short story collection [featuring K, L, and Morgan] [on Patreon], which focuses on the events surrounding Klemens' death.

Since all three stories in the collection are canon, I've decided to release it publicly on August 16.

In addition to this release, I will release a post [here, on Tumblr] that compiles all newly added and corrected details for the "Romance System Overview", so you can familiarize yourself with the new features introduced in the update.

Lastly, I plan to be more active on the blog this month and finally start responding to the asks that have been sent to me since the update.

I feel like I've missed so much and want to catch up on everything to stay in the loop.