Happy One Year Anniversary!

Hello on a very special day, Meerkats!

Please appreciate the art, it cost a lot of money!

First Release

I can't even believe that it's been an entire year since I first shared A Mirror's Curse with the world. I'll be honest, it feels like it's been an instant and an eternity at the same time. A lot has happened in these past twelve months, and I'm very happy that the game has grown so much.

When I first uploaded the game's alpha on TFGamesSite, it took a lot of courage to finally hit that button to share it to the world. I had not the faintest idea what would happen next. TFGS has a lot of adult content, to say the least. As a mostly SFW title that was mostly focused on the trans experience, I didn't know if it would succeed. I actually made a post on the TFGS forums asking if people had any interest in this type of game.

I really didn't know if anyone would even play it. Would anyone care about this strange little story I wanted to tell? Would it be too niche or messy or new to connect with people? I wasn't sure if I even wanted to share it, I know I was close to just giving up at some points. This game began as something I was writing for myself, just for fun, as a way to explore the ideas that have been swirling in my head for my entire life. I just thought to myself that if even one person finds something meaningful in this, then it will have been worth it.

And something amazing happened. You found it, you played, and you cared.

First Supporters

In just the first version, I got six reviews and 100 likes in 24 hours. 100 people who liked the thing that I made! And let me tell you, the game was ROUGH back then. No art, weird backgrounds I "borrowed" from a mobile game, bad writing, the list goes on. Yet even then, there were people interested in what I had to make. This was proof that this story mattered to someone outside my own head.

I'll never forget the moment I got my very first patron. Up until that point, A Mirror's Curse was something I was doing without any expectations. I was just following this idea I had because it felt important to me. But when that first notification came in that someone decided to actually support me with their hard-earned money, I had to sit there and stare at the screen for a few minutes just to process it.

The A Mirror's Curse Art Team

Not long after that, another milestone arrived. I love art. I think when used correctly, they can enhance writing so much. Up until then, we just had this horrible background art from Choices: Stories You Play, a mobile game. Let me show you Ethan's house, for those who haven't been around for that long.

It cracks me up just looking at it. There's a path that leads to... the window? There's no front door. There are power lines on the side for some reason. It's one story, despite the story always mentioning stairs. It was just a mess.

I thought a paperdoll should be the first priority. After all, what's a TGTF game if you can't visualize your main character? I was able to find MarkBanana26, and I really did feel he was the artist who could bring my vision to life. When he finalized the paperdoll, though, I was overjoyed. It looked amazing.

From there, the game just kept growing. We got our first CG in version 0.11, on 11/13/2024. Three weeks before that, I met Cele, a very talented artist that I'm still working with! He did all the character designs for the romance options.

You might wonder what Cele has been up to since the introduction CGs for all the romance options have been completed. He has been working on the first kiss CGs! The Jordan kiss CG? Yeah, it's done, and it's amazing.

Wow, right? Jordan fans, I hope you guys like this scene when the time comes. He's currently working on a painting for the background of Vincent's first kiss, which'll be at an art museum.

I can't wait to make up some fake history around this.

Let's start with the next artist I found who's still on the team now. Kabirabira has been on the team since December last year, and he has done some fantastic work. A lot of your favorite outfits in the game were drawn by him. Recently, though, he's transitioned to drawing CGs. We already have two, and a third is in progress.

This is the Aurora CG that's planned for the next update, 0.31. This will give a lot of insight into Aurora's character, as I've heard many saying they want to know what's going on under that mysterious surface.

We also have a Vincent CG slated for 0.33. This'll mark the official beginning of the art route, which has been postponed many times.

I hope you all like these two! I wanted to give each romance option some more depth, especially Vincent and Aurora.

The third one? I can't post it here, but you can click this link for more. Don't open this at work!

Link here!

This is also planned for 0.31, so some of you may enjoy that.

Soutomiii has also been on this project for a very long time now! She's the game's main graphic designer, and is currently handling the achievements. She's recently made this amazing banner, which'll be used for all future updates!

Here are the adorable icons she's been working very hard on!

I hope you like all these!

Next up is Shiiyo, who's been working on a lot.

I think the major thing, though, is the backpack. Yup, there'll be a customizable backpack introduced in 0.33! You'll start with only a few options, but soon you'll have a treasure trove of pins, keychains, stickers, and more to put on your backpack. This is what we have so far. I hope you like it.

Next up is Rogi Shin. After a bit of wait, the family CG has been completed!

He is currently working on the CG involving the principal. His name has been changed to Principal Zhang, no more Thompson.

The last is BaiGE, who has completed the set of adult CGs for Samantha.

First CG

Second CG

Third CG

Okay, I think that's it... for the official art at least.

Fanart Contest

Many talented artists contributed to the fanart contest! I'm so happy with the results, and I hope you like them too. You can vote for them here.

floweringdahlias

moonlight00_

lilyclovers

morriganlokken

6six6

toswilagendakivent

ashley_awesome

randomassdudeyoudontknow_73603

spaceinnader

markbanana26

narwhalsummoner

computercat

gamelycan

lilyclovers

floweringdahlias

Vote here!

Achievements in Numbers

In one year, this game went from...

• 12.7k words to 741.5k words

• 0 likes to 1101 on TFGS

• 0 reviews to 261 reviews for an average of 4.9* on itch.io

• 1 member to over 3000 on the Discord

• 0 patrons to over 2000

Looking Ahead

Now, as much as anniversaries are about looking back, they're also about looking forward. One year is a milestone, but it's not the destination. To be honest, it's just the beginning. We're not even in the fourth week! There's so much left for A Mirror's Curse, and I feel we've only scratched the surface of what this story can be.

There are still so many routes I haven't written yet, the characters who are waiting for their turn to shine, and events that only exist in my outline. I want to keep improving this game and adding more content. The work won't be easy, and there'll be many more long nights, bugs, and tough choices. But there will also be moments of joy, creativity, and connection, and I look forward to that.

As I stand here, I genuinely feel hopeful. This project has already gone way further than I ever imagined when i first uploaded it. I hope to see you all next year.

Thank You

Oh, there's something I want to say before I wrap this up.

Over the past year, I've spent so many nights writing about Ethan's journey. But the truth is, this story has been just as much about you. Every time I read a comment about how a scene resonated with you, that this game got them through a tough day, when someone said they saw themselves in Ethan, it reminds me of just how powerful a story can be. It entertains, of course, but it can also connect us.

The game started as one person sitting at a computer, pouring words onto a screen. Now it's so much bigger than that. A Mirror's Curse honestly belongs to all of us. It's only possible because you chose to be here.

So when I say "thank you," I don't mean it lightly. Thank you for every download, every message, every chat, every kind word, every piece of fanart, every ounce of support. Thanks for believing in me when I didn't even believe in myself. Thank you for giving this game a home in your hearts.

If this game has ever made you feel less alone in this desolate world of ours, just know you've done the same for me.

Much love,

amaty

💜