Extended Progress Update: July 14 2023

Hi Returning Visitors,

Key highlights of this update and reminders:

• My typical gentle nudge to remember to add my email address can be found here. It's important for the TFS character portrait inquires and welcome message.
• A reminder of the TFS chibi emojis/stickers is: here, especially if you have not seen them yet or would like an email with them.
• Poll: A. Corvin's Pet, feel free to cast a vote in it! It can be found: here.💛
• A glimpse into my planning along with how Book Two is shaping up!
• Book Two Snippet: Drippy MC! 💦😁

I'm almost certain a few of you were wondering about the banana emoji I used in the last extended progress update when mentioning our most recent alpha drop. Now, many of you will have discovered its connection to the new material from Book Two! 🍌🍞 Who knew you could make a baked good somewhat angsty? (I certainly did.) There will be a recipe on the horizon for Mrs. Dorran's banana bread; I've simply been waiting to share it with you all.

Hopefully, you're enjoying getting to experience how the MC is adjusting to their newfound stay within Fernweh. Chapter 1 features a tone-shift away from the suspense of the Introduction as we begin seeing what the Fernweh Gang is up to and how they are dealing with this new reality. It's clear that some characters are taking it better than others; the relationship statuses you can unlock hint at this too! I wanted to touch on some of the planning for this book since I've mentioned that it is shaping up to be a sprawling entry into the series due to how I'm dynamically writing it. 💚

(I will get into this further in the Author's View. Hickories will have a chance to vote on the upcoming alpha drop releases (I'll explain more in that tier-locked post), but one thing I shared within it is how the word count for this book should likely surpass a million words. I'm making great progress and enjoying adding so much to TFS.)

I mean, just the branching section I've been whittling away at is easily a fourth or more of Book One's length. I might need to break it up somewhere for loading times. 😅 (I'm hesitant about this though since I like the chapters to cover a certain event span rather than word count. I prefer when the narrative naturally breaks it.)

With this book comes the deepening of romance/friendship bonds and more growth, partially because there is a greater sense of permanency about the MC's presence. (You didn't get to leave town!) I have an overall, general outline along with a romance-specific outline for each route; they work in parallel. I'll likely save the specifics for a different post, but it is taking shape each day. More recently, I've been having fun introducing the MC's dynamic with A into the romance route, so how J's awareness of it differs or how R on the JR route might offer a warning to the MC, etc.

[Spoilers Ahead!]

Here's an excerpt from Book Two:

Beckett

Beckett suddenly seems more intrigued about what could've doused you so thoroughly.

It's a wonder he's been this patient.

"I'm guessing it wasn't a burst pipe?" He hypothesizes, haphazardly dodging when you use your hand towel to flick his drier side of the bed. "Rain is definitely out. Oh! What about one of those soda nozzle guns at the diner...? They can also shoot water, I think."

Becca

Becca suddenly seems more intrigued about what could've doused you so thoroughly.

It's a wonder she's been this patient.

"I'm guessing it wasn't a burst pipe?" She hypothesizes, haphazardly dodging when you use your hand towel to flick her drier side of the bed. "Rain is definitely out. Oh! What about one of those soda nozzle guns at the diner...? They can also shoot water, I think."

It wasn't a burst pipe or a soda nozzle gun. I wonder what happened and who was involved? 👀

Thank you for all of your support. I hope you're looking forward to a restful weekend. 💚