These Reluctant Years (WIP) - New Update: July 5th, 2025

Then it should be fixed, as I fixed where they pointed it out to me! (:

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There’s a new update up! In this update, I’ve:

  • Completed chapter 2.
    • Including romance interactions between certain characters and MC2.
  • Fixed various grammar, spelling, and continuity errors.
  • Updated quick-start to include a jump to chapter 2.
  • Added some 48,000 words.

Follow my Tumblr blog or join my Patreon page to see additional lore, what-if scenarios, and early updates! You can also always feel free to ask/tell me anything on this thread! (:

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Does that include MC1 x MC2 content?

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Yes, but only in certain scenarios… MC1 can choose to impress MC2 into forced labor at the end of the last chapter, and there is (understandably, I think) no romantic interaction possible on that route.

EDIT: And there also can’t be interactions between MC1 and MC2 if they aren’t, like, in the same place, even. So if MC2 chose to stay with Prudence or Laz and not MC1, they’re not going to be able to spend time with MC1.

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Oh dear, no kidding!
Obviously I’m SO NOT going for that :rofl:

Thanks, I’ll replay then! Since the game is long I wanted to know cause well, I replay from scratch every single time :sweat_smile:
I’m curious about romantic interactions between the two MCs, so of course that warrants a replay right away, but otherwise I may have waited.

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Yeah, including a ā€œromanceā€ (HUGE quotes) under those circumstances would be borderline fetishistic, and I’m not really about that as a writer. That option is more there so player’s requisite ā€œevilā€ characters can evil it up in a way that unfortunately (maybe not for long, though, if Laz succeeds!) makes sense in-universe.

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Yeah, it makes total sense!
But it also makes just as much sense that ā€œromanceā€ wouldn’t be possible - it’s more than unhealthy :nauseated_face:

Well, anyway, replay it is, then!

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Okay then! I’ve played it again (obviously skimmed over already read things), and I can’t wait for more!
Cliffhanger much!

Nothing to report, really.
Maybe just one small thing - if MC2 stays with MC1, and they eat breakfast with MC1’s grandfather, I feel like when Abner asks MC2 if they slept well, it would benefit from a genuinely nice and polite answer, without going as far as to call the man ā€œlordā€.

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(;

I added in the following option:

ā€œVery well, Mr. XYZ,ā€ I answer.

To which he responds:

He drops his jaw in theatrical astonishment and gasps. All in the room are immediately aware that you (purposefully or not) declined to use his proper title of ā€œlordā€. "By the Sovereign’s sword! Such manners, such deference! Tch, if only my son were here to bear witness! I’ve given him many documents that prove the contrary, but the fool keeps insisting that the subjugated races are incapable of acting civil…

You only get plus one Society reputation with this response, though (as opposed to two with the ā€œlordā€ option), because Abner Sr. is kind of a hypocrite and would genuinely approve more of being addressed by his title of ā€œlordā€.

It should go into effect with the next update. Thank you for the suggestion! (:

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Oh, that’s great! Thanks!
I suspected it would still add society, don’t worry!
I wasn’t asking just so it wouldn’t give any soc, it was because I felt even a polite MC2 wouldn’t necessarily bother with the whole ā€œlordā€ thing, but in the case of my MC2, just shrugging feels too… detached or impolite :rofl:

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Hi, it seems like at least in the path where MC2 is invited to stay in MC1’s place the pronouns are flipped. It seems to occur throughout the scene.

Summary

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Thanks for letting me know! It should be all fixed, now! (:

That’s… weird…

As far as I can tell, that is an existent variable (it’s spelled the same in startup, etc.). Neither quick- or randomtest gave me any errors, either… The only thing I can think of is that it might somehow have something to do with the quick-start system because that doesn’t have options for every variable (even then it shouldn’t matter because it’s defined in startup, but I can’t think of anything else that might be causing that error).

Did you use the quick-start option? If so, do you happen to remember which choices you made?

On some pages when I press next it just starts loading and doesn’t go to the next page, is there any way to solve this problem?

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Yeah I got that or a 404 error

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At the risk of sounding like a total dumbass, what’s the difference between a round face and a circular face? I know the difference between an oval face vs circular, but I thought round and circular faces were synonymous and now idk :sob::sob::sob:

Also, if at all possible and it’s not too much trouble, would you be able to add in some more save slots for play testing purposes? There’s lots of tiny variations I want to check out, but don’t want to replay whole sections to do so, and don’t want to save over older saves at critical moments just in case I want to go back to those too

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This is the first time Kokuei_Naiya has posted — let’s welcome them to our community!

First of all, welcome! The ā€œinfinite loading barā€ happens to me, sometimes, usually when I’ve suddenly lost connection while a new page is loading. Alternatively, you might just have reached the end of the chapter.

I don’t think there’s anything I, personally, can do about 404 errors. That sounds like it might be some sort of connection problem, or else something bugging out on the hosting site. ):

Whatever you want the difference to be! Personally, I was picturing a ā€œroundā€ face to have fuller features.

I think I’ve done this correctly. Let me know if you have any difficulties!


I also f̶o̶r̶g̶o̶t̶ was so busy writing chapter 3 that I accidentally wrote the ending to chapter 2 as if MC2 had stayed with MC1, even if they chose to stay with Prudence or Laz. That should be fixed, now!

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Problem is that I got the infinite loading screen at chapter 1 from mc2 perspective, does this mean that this is as far as the demo goes or is there more and I just need to keep trying to load it?

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Chapter 1 is from MC1’s perspective. The current demo ends after chapter 2, which is from MC2’s perspective. Could you have misidentified which chapter you were reading, possibly?

If so, then it sounds like you simply reached the end of the current demo, and the infinite loading bar is just a consequence of me not being finished with chapter 3, yet.

That’s probably what happened and I was simply not paying attention. Really like the story btw keep up the good work I’m rooting for you.

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