I like the new one a bit more, though not a strong preference (mainly on the grounds that I think the opening tagline is a bit stronger), but my one note for both is that the InterDimensional Rift as a name feels a tiny bit jarring compared to the rest; feels a bit clunky / old school sci-fi in a way that breaks the flow of the fantasy pitch IMO.
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Appreciate the note!
I’m close to it feeling right, I’ve just needed to fine tune some particulars so feedback like this is great as looking back at it, I agree.
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My latest Halloween jam entry does A Thing with a drink choice!
(I really need to expand that game. My number symmetry obsession got out of control there so it’s a bit too rushed.)
I’m the type of person who drinks both coffee and tea and sometimes even other things 
at different parts of day, so having a single be-all-end-all drink choice that seems to dictate everything the MC ever drinks tends to make me connect with the MC less.
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A fair point, well made I sidestep this conundrum by forcing my readers to choose a meal every time there is food. So far they have not come for me with pitchforks but I will not blame them when they do.
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Close Quarter Combat would probably be the best all-encompassing phrase. Melee almost works, but it is more to describe a chaotic fight. In-fighting is a boxing term, but it describes it decently in my opinion. Combatives is a military term that I think would encompass all of these the best into a single word.
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Wanted to comment and say thank you a ton again for the feedback.
“In the final moments of an opening skirmish, a desperate, forbidden ritual was whispered in the shadows. Intended to save a soul of pure intentions, the spell tore through the fabric of reality itself, sending their essence deep within a void of fractured memories and timeless history.”
This is the updated notion for it.
On my front, we’ve got a lot of work to go, work continues to build out/flesh out the bones of economic simulation. I’m building a master item database in google sheets that I’ll be drawing upon.
As seen above, we have a lot to go but I’m using meticulous commenting and breaking areas into ‘databases’ within code. We’ve got calculable item-weight, count systems, I’m building up the realm-master to prepare for economic recalculation and location determination.
With recalculation, the system will only recalculate if the economy in a given area has had anything worth a notable ‘change’. This could be extensive travel/time passing, changes in quest, or otherwise. These things will allow the economy to breathe and recalculate itself as it changes prices dynamically using several weighted formulas I’m preparing to implement.
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Might “sparring” from @raywilson’s list be not too declassé?
I think “gaming” would in context not lead people to imagine PlayStation. “Handling” might be a little vague.
And count me as another reasonably literate reader who draws a total blank on the implications of a tea/coffee choice, even in the genre/historical context you’re talking about. 
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Haha, as a perpetrator of the humble ‘hot drink choice’, I visualize it as a way to set up future character beats, rather than saying anything about the main character themselves.
For me it will be helpful as a subtler way to demonstrate characters take an interest in the MC’s likes and dislikes - e.g. having a RO give them the hot drink they saw the MC choose whilst they’re studying (or, if they’re a more careless person, giving them something completely different!)
I do think that it doesn’t have much use in terms of characterizing the MC themselves, except maybe adding a bit of texture - in particular, I can definitely see how overusing the variable so it looks like the MC carries a mug of coffee or tea with them everywhere would look a bit cartoonish.
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I feel like ‘hot-beverage’ choices have a bit of an unfair reputation. These moments may seem trivial on their own, but they can be very useful tools to illustrate the MC’s sense of status quo - and where it breaks.
For instance: a detective working a big case takes a moment to enjoy their tea/coffee/smoothie every day before work. Later, tension builds as this habit gets interrupted or broken, demonstrating the psychological stress the MC suffers as pressure mounts in the investigation.
At the end, the choice to either re-establish or voluntarily break this routine can be used to affirm where the player wants to leave the character’s emotional arc.
While the choice of coffee or tea in this example wouldn’t mechanically alter anything about the plot, a character who walks away from a harrowing murder mystery and goes back to their morning coffee is left in substantially different condition than one who sits with their head in their hands, unable to pick up the cup.
By allowing the player to choose what the character enjoys about their morning routine, it’s a bit easier to make them feel what the character loses when that moment gets taken away. In that sense, I do think that even a throw-away choice of beverages can add to an emotional pay off, depending on how the story handles it.
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I’m half tempted to give the player the option to drink coffee only for the game, if you manage to drop or lose the drink, to go “too bad, that’s all you’re going to get today without going to black market”.
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Today I wrote an exam, went over some school paperwork, wrote and sent a cybersecurity report, went over some HG paperwork and completed my trivia quiz game. As a result, I only managed to add about eight hundred words to my WIP today. In order to meet my minimum goal for the month, I’ll have to write three thousand words tomorrow.
Being a writer is fun.
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Maybe? You and @Hamartia (and, I take on faith, @Lan) have all got non-trivial uses in mind for them, and that’s very cool.
But usually they’re used trivially, and that’s at the root of their reputation.
(I write as someone with a choice of drink myself – for the part of my story where you’re living in an inn and your preference helps to texture a few scenes. I am not doing anything much to counter the stereotype. 
)
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And it’s most definitely done. I’ve made decent headway into chapter eight, as well, which has been good, because it’s looking like a monster in terms of length.
I hope everyone’s been at least mostly successful, and can look back on January with a sense of accomplishment.
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I did both these, which I’m really proud of. January was less than great for mental focus and has combined annoyingly with the “being in the middle of a long project with no end in sight” feeling, but I’m actually in a decent position for the next stage.
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My January goal was to finish ch3 and i did that a week early so I’ve been polishing the previous chapters.
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I finished Chapter 1 ahead of schedule. Technically I finished it on the night of the 29th, but I wanted to do one last play-through all the way through before I uploaded it. It’s good that I did, as I caught and fixed a few typos in the process.
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I didn’t really put many difficult goals down for this month because I know winter and I don’t mix, and yet I still find myself in the same boat as @Omeg. Three thousand words by midnight or bust. 
(Lying) Thank goodness I’m not a procrastinator.
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I hit my words goal without any real difficulty, which is great. This month was about rebuilding the writing habit, and I’ve managed to do that. Didn’t get my ROs built out, but they don’t appear in the story for the while so I’m less concerned about that than I would be otherwise.
I’m spending the last little smidge of the month trying to work out sensible goals for February, so I can get those ready to go on the 1st.
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i didn’t hit this, but i actually got really close!! im right at like 16,500 words right now? expect to have another 500 done today too, so i’ll call it 17,000. this is a big win cuz if i matched my december pacing i actually would’ve been at like 12,000 instead so (!!!) i’m exciting that my brain writing muscles are getting adapted to writing around 500+ words a day. big win!
also, i’m getting my draft for the february support thread in order, as chance mentioned anyone who wants a shoutout pls let me know and i’ll write it on the post!! <3 (chance i will put urs on there also, i know u mentioned that already also!)
woo! first month of the year in the books. congrats everyone :,)
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I got my first goal of posting a snippet on the 15th done. Didn’t quite manage to write at least 5 minutes everyday, but I got close. And somedays I managed to write for a few hours, so I feel pretty good about this month!
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