Beautiful! The cover especially has my heart 
@Anathema I’m curious, is your icon MC with the rose? Also, do we know already what the Golden Rose is? If it’s mentioned in the demo, I forgot 
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Wasn’t the golden rose an emblem of the Theers in the first, longer public demo? Or is my memory playing tricks on me?
My profile picture has nothing to do with the rose! It’s just a gift, although I suppose, it has a little bit to do with the game because Matt, the artist, was clearly inspired by it 
But it isn’t any character or symbol from the game, it’s just something that I like to use as my pfp.
I have not yet disclosed what the Golden Rose itself is, no.
The Theers’ banner is a rose against a field of green, it’s true. Good memory!
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@Anathema
I just wanted to tell you that ever since I played your demo I’ve been absolutely in love with this game. Thank you so very much for giving us the opportunity to be able to play your amazing story. Congratulations on your success, I very much look forward to playing the full game.
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Rayvn looks at the artwork with a smile of approval. Riese grins at her from the couch.
Well, it seems that Rave here will be waiting a few more months, oy? Don’t worry, this’ll be good…I promise. 
Rayvn shrugs and nods as she heads to the couch & stretches out next to Riese, who strokes her hair affectionately.
That’s some excellent work, @Anathema 
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How many ROs is there
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It’s in the first post! I’d recommend reading it. Two confirmed: Hadrian and Alessa. But there is a bit of flirting with Lieutenant Vallen, and pretty clear signs of romance with the Theers; Alain and Ysabella.
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I’ve had this saved as a must come read post for like a year. I’m so sad I never got a chance to before the demo got shortened since I have to wait until next year (according to the release date thread) to read it!!!
I did read the public demo and I cannot wait until the release of the full thing!
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Finished the first draft of the Prologue!
And how long overdue this announcement is. I’ve been quiet about my writing process, and for that I am sorry. Truth be told, while I believed at the time that I had truly finished with the outline, it turns out that wasn’t quite accurate.
It also turned out that I wasn’t ready, mentally, to officially start writing. It was only after I had sent all the assets for Book 1 to Hosted Games - so when the art files were sent - that I could truly focus on Book 2. It’s a flaw of mine, not being able to compartmentalize and push worries out of my mind. So it wasn’t until the 20th of September that I could say to myself: “Okay, I’ve done everything, and Book 1 is done.”
As a result, it wasn’t until then that I started book 2, and I had to go back and work even more on the outline. I expanded it - a LOT . As I was writing it, conversations and sentences came to mind, so I noted them all down and mapped the game as in-depth as I possibly could. I was writing almost entire scenes before I forced myself to reel back. So, now the outline is really done, and if anything, it made me so incredibly eager to write this book. There are some scenes I cannot wait to get to.
Cannot wait.
Just as I couldn’t wait to write the Prologue! And what a beast it turned out to be. This book’s prologue is different from the first one - this one will be as big as a chapter. Standing at 193 notebooks pages long, it grew and grew and deepened and deepened, and I could not be happier with how it turned out. Of course, being only the first draft, there are a lot of sentences and dialogue that is complete rubbish, but the core of the scenes are there - and I’m proud of them.
Next, it’s time to put all those scribbles into Word and fill in the choices, the paths, and the variations. Time to try and put eloquence in my sentences and flow in my descriptions and refine my poor character’s voices. Make nonsense sound sensible.
I’ll start writing the second draft tomorrow! For now, I hope you’ve all been doing well. It’s Autumn where I live, and the skies seem to forget they’re supposed to be darkening. My days are still bright and warm, but the nights are starting to carry a chill that speaks of turning seasons. And so time passes, never stopping, never waiting, always traveling at its own rhythm.
And we’re left trying to keep pace. 
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Even your updates are poetry, Anathema 
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Can we romance the rich siblings? I forgot their names also is polyamory available?
Maybe and I doubt it
Their names are Alain and Ysabella, and they haven’t been confirmed as romance-able. But I’d guess probably a yes. 
For romancing them, not a poly route, I mean.
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Congratulations on submitting it to Hosted Games! Can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the story.
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Both Alain and Ysabella are romantic options yes. As for poly, no. Ana has stated in the past there won’t be a poly route in the game.
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Hello, everyone. It feels as if it’s been an eternity. In a way, eternity is the perfect way to describe it - the last few months were long and heavy, a burden the kind of which I never quite had to endure.
Truth is, I hadn’t been doing well. For the first time in my life, I dealt with a series of health scares - and while, in the end, it turned out to be nothing more than scares, it had a profound effect on me. Mental health has always been something that I took for granted - health in general, to be honest - but for a while, my mental health was in shambles.
I can’t quite explain what it feels like to be trapped in your mind as if you look out of a mirror and you hear yourself talking, and you see the faces of your friends and family, but you’re not really there, and there’s a knot on your throat, and you’re sinking deeper and deeper into a hole you can’t see a way to escape.
There are no words because I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I am… So much better now. I’ve been writing again, and God, it feels so good. I can even read again, get attached to my books again. I’m back to exercising and food has taste again. I feel present when I’m going on hikes with my dog or I play with my cat. I’ve been neglecting them a bit, and that’s a guilt that will probably stay with me for a long time.
And when I hug my friends and my parents, I really feel them now. I’m not outside looking in any longer.
I couldn’t write, which is one of the cruelest sides of anxiety, how it robs you of the things that make you happy. So, in the last two months, I have to admit that book two hasn’t progressed much. I’m still working on the Prologue, which now stands at a meager 23k words, but I’m back to writing regularly again. I can’t quite meet my previous daily word count yet, but it’s getting easier and easier with each session.
I’m almost finished with the first big scene of the Prologue, and I’m so excited to keep moving on!
In the meanwhile, April is closer and closer. Book One feels so far away right now, like a thing of the past, but it isn’t. It’s coming, and my dream to have something published is coming too. I cannot wait to share it with you all, I can’t wait to be able to openly talk about it. I know I’ve faded to the background, as have my characters and this world I’ve built, but they’ve never been in the background of my mind. And when the game is finally out, I hope they won’t be in the background of yours.
Much love, sincerely,
Ana 
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As someone who’s gone through some dark times myself I cannot begin to describe how glad I am you’re doing better now. And you’re wrong, by the way. Your story (or you, for that matter) was never in the background of our minds, we were just waiting for your triumphal return. Glad you’re better, glad you’re back 
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I’m glad that your doing beter. I understand what you’ve gone through more than you think. I haven’t gone through it for as long as you have though, at most it has lasted a couple of hours but I do understand. I know exactly how it feels. It was like I was blank, empty. A shell that wasn’t meant to exist. An imposter that wasn’t supposed to be here. If that makes sense? When I get like that what always helps me is calling or talking to a loved one or just focusing on something or taking deep breaths and focusing on the fact I am here, that I am okay. Even if I have to lie to myself. Mostly suggesting this to try and help anyway I can. Just in case something like this happens to you again. That way you can feel better sooner.
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I completely understand when I was stuck in my house because covid I couldn’t get ID when covid happened I’ve been stressed out feel like I’m going to keep living in my family’s house forever can’t do my own thing like get a job try and was so stressed out I got angry with myself for not thinking ahead
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