Writing Update
CH5 is chugging along. Today I completed what I’ve been calling the front part of the chapter, the continuation of the mission that CH4 ended off on. Lots of different options for dealing with it, and the aftermatch.
Looking forward to getting into the meat of the rest of the chapter. It’s high time Paradigm had to start doing some real work to keep all those plates spinning…
Definitely one of wips I’m most invested in already!
This is definitely one of the most polished WIPs I’ve read. I’m in love with all the characters (well, not Catalyst or Hypothesis, but I can appreciate the writing behind them), the pacing feels perfect, and all the mystery is super duper (uper) compelling. Oh, and the humor is also 10/10.
Everything is just chef’s kiss
i like this
Great story. I love the pace and the plot so far. And if I had a nickel for everytime this game had a character with a name that I usually use and end up having to switch it I would have two nickels. (I chose Ghoul as my mask name because of Tokyo Ghoul, and I always use the name Alistair for my character in choice games) It’s not a lot but it’s weird its happened twice.
This is such a cool story! Excited to see the next update. I have a weakness for MCs with traumatic/angsty backstories, and this hits all the right notes for that.
I’m not sure if this has been asked before, since I haven’t read the whole thread, but we’re some aspects of the world building in this inspired by Worm?
This is a lovely compliment, thank you! I’m glad the humour lands especially.
Hah no way!
I considered putting in a blocker on the relevant existing names, but I decided against it due to already having a whole bunch of name related coding (picking Paradigm/Dime as a name, as well as Architect or Wyrd, and that’s just the codename). I guess somebody was bound to double up eventually!
I have a weakness for going for the emotions, it’s true.
To quote myself from my tumblr, RE: Worm -
I've read Worm and I'm a fan! However, I wouldn't say Worm is direct inspiration. I did agonise quite a while over whether to use parahuman as a term because I knew it had been used in Worm. In the end, other phrases for superpowered people wound up feeling too clunky so I stuck with parahuman.
Writing/Life Update
CH5’s going great! Today was a cracking day for writing, adding over 3,000 words, which I’m very pleased with. CH5 is definitely going to be bigger by total words than CH4 (that was 25k, 5 is at 23k and counting), though if it’ll play longer I can’t say for sure. There’s quite a bit of branching, resulting in mutually exclusive content.
The life update is that I’m getting married in a little under a week! Very excited to tie the knot with my lady love.
What this does mean is that I don’t currently know the timescale for completing chapter 5, and I’m not sure if it’ll be on the same pace as last month. If the rest of February is like today, then I just might, but the output was pretty phenomenal by my standards and there will still be testing to do. I’ll keep you fine folks in the loop!
Another very small teaser. There was some talk of queer conversations in the Honour Bound thread, and here’s one possible interaction. (under a cut, in case you want to find it yourself!)
To see this, talk with Kay after the mission and ask her about her history with Teddie. And uh, don’t be cis? 
(cisgender characters will get a chance in time!)
#"Been wondering: what's the story with you and Teddie?"
Her reply is instant. "We're best friends."
"I figured," you say, smiling.
Kay shrugs. "It's kinda just that simple. I've always had his back. He's always had mine."
You knew what that was like once. Your smile withers as fast as it arrived. "Must be nice."
If Kay takes note of your sudden melancholy, she doesn't show it. "He was there for me when I—well, I had a tough time of things when I was younger. He looked out for me. I'll never forget that." She isn't looking at you, carried away by some past memory.
*if (not (cis))
Oh. You tilt your head at Kay. Her self-consciousness about her voice. Struggles in her youth. The kindred spirit kind of vibe you get around her. You think you might know what she's been through. "I think I understand."
She returns her eyes to you with a sunny smile. "I thought maybe you might." Before you can get any further into the subject, you're hit with a jaw-creakingly massive yawn. Kay giggles. "Talk more later?" she offers, and you manage a sleepy nod. Time to get some rest.
Oh god, I love that. I love seeing trans characters and having that matter in the context of the story.
(This comment originally said, “HELL YEAH I LOVE THAT,” but the forum said it wasn’t a complete sentence and rejected it. Boo.)
Congrats on getting married! 
Nice congrats on the marriage. I love your story and don’t be afraid to take longer breaks to enjoy time with your spouse!
Congrats!
yeah we gay keep scrolling
Congratulations on your marriage! 
And <3 the sample.
Fantastic work, one of the best WIP I have played and I can’t wait to see it develop and blossom!
I did have a question though, does anyone how to get the Say It, Don’t Spray It or Underdog’s Bite achievements?
Here is some feedback about things I liked about the project. I have never made an IF but I have played quite a few so maybe this could provide some insight.
Reactivity I find myself much more engaged with IFs when they exhibit even minor moments of reactivity to my stats or my choices (Extra choices, dialogue, or writing). Some examples that stick out to me are when you chose “power-wielder” and can use your tendril as a chair, or (I think) if you chose muscular when teddy teases for being gaunt, you will feel sad that you used to be built. These scenes have no bearing on the greater narrative, but I still remember and enjoy them as they show the game is taking into account the choices I made and showing me how they impact the world/MC/Cast.
I also have some suggestions that may be beneficial (Of course, it’s your art and you are free to do what you want)
Passive MCs Nothing makes me lose interest faster in an IF than a passive MC, and by that I mean one that does not take an active role in events and functions as more of an observer. So far I think you have done a good job of balancing the passivity inherent to the MC position (Slave to evil) and them being the primary driver of their own narrative. The main strength of IFs over trad lit. is the ability to make choices that (ideally) affect the narrative and drive it forward, and it is always a shame when this is not realized.
Power fantasy When I play IFs I like to lean into the fantasy, especially when I have the option to lean into aspects I have built my character around. It feels good to select choices that align with your build and to be rewarded with descriptions of the MC being powerful and competent. It is also the perfect opportunity for angst and conflict if your MC is a hypercompetent murder machine but still forced to bow and scrape to get their juice.
Once again great work! hope this post was helpful!
In general - thank you for the well wishes! It’s a little surreal but I couldn’t be happier.
The forum has no appreciation for the art of the allcaps </3
There’s definitely more to come with Kay, and not just for non-cis characters, but it’ll be a little way off. In the meantime I’m aiming to keep including these moments.
Thank you so much for a very detailed post! I appreciate the feedback and it does help me keep focused on the kinds of things that people are enjoying about the game. I’m very conscious that I don’t want the MC to become a passenger despite having orders and obligations (and more than one character trying to keep them under their thumb). This is the players’ story by way of their MCs’, and keeping that sense of agency is important to me.
Thanks! This will be fixed for next build!
Also:
Patreon Update
An alternate POV of the opening scene to Villain Juice! is now available at the Coven level. It’s a Mallory perspective of the mission and their first encounter with our MC.
(Happy for folks to discuss the details here under spoiler blur, just please don’t copy excerpts!)
Like for CH4, CH5 will be up a week in advance on patreon once it’s completed. Still progressing well, and it was a nice recharge to step into a different character’s shoes for a bit.
Patreon Update - Chapter 5 (part one)
The new chapter is now available on my Patreon, and will be publically released on the 9th of March.
30k new words, for a total of 142k!
Make your official debut as an Altruist. Prove your worth in a fight.
Or botch it. You could also do that.
Introduce yourself to the camera.
Navigate a delicate debriefing. Can you avoid Architect’s scrutiny?
Learn a little more about some of your teammates.
Begin charting a road to recovery. If such a thing is even possible.
Bugfixes. Cause sometimes you just gotta fix the same thing three times.
More of chapter five to come later in the month! I’m updating in two parts because it was growing clear this is gonna be pretty long and wanted to give you fine folk some new content.
There’s quite a lot of branching, so here are some hints to maximise the different experiences:
Methodical/Instinctive MCs get completely different routes through the fight.
Architect reacts differently to certain decisions towards the end of the battle.
Teddie has a very strong reaction to one particular choice.
Will I have to start a new save once it’s publicly released? I haven’t replayed the game when this last updated yet cause I wanted to wait for a little more content so my save is somewhat old.
Love this game, depressing, but in very interesting ways, and I love the sort of Venom/Resident Evil vibes. Also a bit of John Carpenter’s The Thing? With the body horror and, mostly, the name Macready (One of my favorite horror movie characters X) ) as a last name option
Anyways, not sure if this is possibly fixed already in the Patreon version, but in case it isn’t.
I got an error saying something along the lines wimpression is 4 when it can only be 3
Something like that, towards the end of the apartment scene meeting W, Teddie and Kay, I think it was the scene before we exchange phone numbers (I’ve played through twice before, hence the knowledge X) )
And another in the same run, I went with Beth and Grant (my love) after freezing, but later got a thing saying I had no way to get closure since I stayed behind with Shauna and Prii and as such don’t know what happened to Grant. While I get still not knowing what happened to him based on the situation, it’s still odd.
