I’m going to join the chorus of voices urging you to give yourself a break. Why not spend the evening catching up on one of those games you haven’t had a chance to play yet? After all, that’s not even slacking off, it’s research, right? 
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@RockmanX agreed about pacing I want things to feel nice and grounded so when things change in the next chapter, the feeling of usual life has been established.
Thank you all for the well wishes! Ice cream sounds delightful; I’m also working on a craft project at the moment which is a nice change of pace.
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We have Dr Pepper-flavored ice cream, if you feel like hopping on a plane for a few hours. 
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Sounds like research to me!
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Hehehe! Thank you all 
For anyone interested, I have added the timeline I posted a little while back to the top post in this one, and added the years of birth for the Honor Bound characters. I’m amused comparing the ages of different characters from different games and picturing them encountering each other. To Catarina and friends, the Creme PC and their peers have slid into the “old and boring” category.
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New generation, eh?
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I’m really pleased - I cut 1200 words of code from my chapter yesterday because with fresh eyes I realised they were repetitive. It takes some weight off my mind and certainly a work reduction for when I start writing. I like talking about this kind of thing because it’s easy to get into a sense of larger numbers = better and numbers going up = the only way of measuring writing progress.
My non-CoG/non-work schedule is rather packed next week so I don’t expect to get much drafting done, but I’m glad to have got the chapter in a somewhat more manageable shape for when I do get on with it in earnest.
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Oh my gosh, I cannot wait for this! Ever since Platinum Package, I have discovered a newfound obsession with games that allow me to play as PCs of different ages. <3 I already think I’ll like Catarina. And the conspiracy loving gears in my head are turning as I ponder over what could have led to Jaime’s death. I cannot wait to see more of Teran. I always equated it with Tehran in my head and imagined the country being like Hollywood’s depictions of Persia, but I’ll be happy to be set right!
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Teran has quite a wide variety of climates but ranges between plains, mountain ranges, and temperate rainforest with some more tropical/subtropical rainforest, mostly on the islands off the mainland. The school where Honor Bound takes place is in a valley that opens onto semi-arid plains, though there are also some creeks here and there. I have tended to use some parts of Southern California and Southwest USA for climate/environment inspiration.
The culture is a bit more modern in some ways than Westerlin - or at least patriotic people like to think so…
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If you have any questions about the climate/environment of Southern California and the Southwest, I’m happy to speak from experience. 
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That would be much appreciated! I’ve been to LA and the surrounding area quite a few times but it’s not the same as having longer-term experience (and the summer temperature isn’t quite as hot as LA summers, so it’s not totally applicable 
)
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If you have any questions, ask away! I’ve lived in the L.A. metropolitan area, the Imperial Valley, and New Mexico.
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I forgot to respond to some of the rest of the post as I intended because I was thinking about semi-arid plains (one of my favourite landscapes, so it’s clear why I was distracted)
I’m so enjoying it! Some of my favourites have been with Kass Quintal, the Headteacher - she is a bit more frank about certain small work frustrations if you’re older. And your commander, Alva, is always your mentor but with the older age ranges you’ve got a longer history and are a bit closer to being peers, whereas with the youngest one you are a more of a young protege sort of figure. And then there are some interesting variations with the romance interests - and the students too. Plenty of fun things to explore and it’s nice to take advantage of it now that I’m not writing a very specific age
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Now that the PC’s age is a greater range than the previous works, it opens up a greater variation and scope of possibilities, options and actions- the PC’s experiences can also vary. This is very good to hear, Hannah!
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Forget rivals-to-lovers, mentors-to-peers is the real winner in character relationship dynamics.
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I have a special love of games that allow me to have a mentor, maybe because I always wanted to experience that dynamic in real life.
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Aww that’s lovely! I found when I was outlining that a few characters like that popped up. I think having the military and workplace structure lends itself to it. Alva, Kass, Mandriotti and 
someone who hasn’t been mentioned yet can end up with that sort of relationship to the PC. As indeed can Matia or Korzha, if the PC goes in that direction rather than peers/friends/romance. (Korzha in particular.)
Or if you play your cards right (wrong?) you may end up with a lot of TORmentors, ohohoho
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Me too! I do have a PhD supervisor, but he’s a bit too laidback and easygoing to do any actual mentoring. I hope our Commander is tough but fair and helps us really grow in our career.
I honestly love this! I also really like playing as an older PC because people are forced to take you a bit more seriously. At least, I hope NPCs in the book will take me more seriously if I’m older. Oh God, will the kids bully me for not understanding whatever this universe’s equivalent of TikTok is? I’m both excited and nervous!
Ahhh I’m glad the setting will be semi arid and likely warm. I can’t even think about the Isle of Teteriuk without feeling a chill set in my bones. It’ll also be so interesting to learn more about the Teranese culture! Royal Affairs scratched an itch I didn’t know I had, what with the references to foreign affairs and geopolitics, and I hope we get to see more of the world!
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Here’s a more detailed look at one of the major characters, Captain Varenn Korzha.
Korzha is one of your new colleagues at Ozera School. Studious and severe, they don’t suffer fools gladly. Will you become friends, romantic partners, or something else?
More details below!
Full name: Captain Varenn Korzha
Age: 41
Gender: selectable between cis man (he/him), cis woman (she/her), and agender (they/them)
Background: Korzha grew up in the capital of Ravella, one of the largest of the Teranese Islands, and has not been in touch with their family there for many years. They remained in the military after completing their Teranese Service while also doing a part-time Biology degree at university. Since then they’ve moved between departments, doing some research and development and then joining the training corps to train up recruits. For the last few years they’ve been working at Ozera School as a Science teacher, which is a useful combination of their skills and career experiences.
Personality: quiet, austere, wry, professional
MBTI: ISTJ
Appearance: very tall and fit, with light brown skin, dark grey eyes, and short black straight hair.
Style: Korzha usually wears a tan-coloured field uniform. When off-duty, they tend to wear corduroy trousers, a shirt, and a formal jacket. Rarely will they be seen wearing anything particularly informal.
At their best: dedicated, unflappable, quick-thinking
At their worst: inflexible, unapproachable, untrusting
You’ll like Korzha if you like… working together to make the world a better place, coming to a place of mutual trust, pushing an uptight person to let their hair down or being uptight together, no ego getting in the way of direct communication
You’ll like romancing Korzha if you like… being a competent power couple, moving through emotional defences, strong and silent types, someone who isn’t used to letting others in but will make an exception for you, who is restrained, who understands that romance may not be a good idea but comes to realise how much you both need it
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