kircholm

Well, my story to tell

Ufff, finally I found some time. Thanks for your all messages. :) I appreciate your support and patience.

So, yeah, there's a story I want to share. I don't like excuses, so I didn't want to tell it before I could come back to you with - even small - content. And I didn't write new posts about the lack of progress, because I didn't want to irritate you with new posts without this content.

But yeah, I'm still alive and I'm determined to finish the project. :)

Those months wer...

The Parity 0.40+

The part of the chapter 11, just to let you know that I'm still alive and I won't give this project up. :) The rest of the chapter will be published to the end of the month. ;)

Unfortunately, August doesn't have more than 31 days

I'm doing my best to publish the release, but my August was... well... busy, let's say. It's quite a story to tell, but I think I will share it with you after the release when it won't sound like a poor excuse. Now I owe you my apology, so... I'm sorry. I will publish today or tomorrow the first part of chapter 11. I hope that the next days will be calm enough to write the rest  (I need three full days to finish).

For people who decided to undo their support - please, send me PM, I...

The scene from Caroline's path

As most of you (at least, most of you that answered my poll) follow Caroline's path, there's a scene that you can choose to attend. It will be almost impossible to get all the scenes about the lore behind the Parity during one game, so I'd publish some of them. 

I really like writing this stage of the story. :) I can finally answer some questions that were introduced in the early chapters. 

***

Caroline led you to the abandoned tenement houses next...

The boy who saw and believed

Justin's path isn't your favorite, but still, he's an important character in the story. There are some scenes in the previous chapters that showed that there is some supernatural aura around him. In chapter 11, if chapter 10 ended with the encounter with David, you can launch one of the crucial switches in the story. 

***

When David left, Justin started to shake. As you felt overwhelmed and exhausted, you barely noticed it. You felt exposed a...

Peek at chapter 11

Chapter 11 will be very long or very short. It depends on the previously unlocked paths. I thought that "getting everything together" will take less place, but it turned out that the conversations will dominate the chapter. But well, in chapter 13 or 14 the Caroline/David/Robert's path will have the ultimate conclusion of the further story, so Pauline has a lot to talk about. 

The chapter is a little shorter than usual (75 passages - the average is 82+). Thank my reign of terror fo...

The serious relation with Martha

The Martha's path seems to be one of the favorite paths in the game. And, of course, there will be an ending to a steady relationship (just like the steady relationship with Olivier), and even it would be that way possible if Pauline changed back into a boy. But it wouldn't be the easiest part. I get you some tips (the more detailed walkthrough probably would be after chapters 11-13 will be published).

Generally, you have to persuade Martha that relations can work. Martha is - despite o...

Let's talk about Pauline

I was determined to finish chapter 10 quickly. It was difficult content to write, and a break didn't really help. Probably I didn't put some details well, maybe I will try to catch them up in further chapters. 

Because chapter 10 was mostly about Pauline. It shows how she reacts and how she builds relations.

The concept of Pauline was and remains the greatest challenge for me. Most of TG fiction more or less purposely leaves the main character proxy and flat. The laws of gend...

Newest supporters' version - 0.40

Chapters 0-10.

I started to place the tips in the previous chapters. As it's hard to predict which passages I will use to resolve the confrontations, I would add the tips after that. So, they wouldn't be really helpful for the current game, but it would be easier to follow the track when you would repeat the game. 

Thanks for your patience and support. :)

The first anniversary

I started to learn Twine and write The Parity exactly one year ago :) It took me around two months to code the mechanics and to plan the whole story. Now, with the nearly completed chapter 10 we are 234k words after that. 

I have to say that The Parity is one of the few things in my life that happen smoothly and according to plan. If nothing unexpected happens, at the second anniversary the game would be in its beta, as at least one path would be complete. :) 

Probably I...

Easier to follow the path

The most common objection to The Parity is that it's hard to follow the paths without the walkthrough. The switches of the plot show up rarely and only then you could see the points you got. I personally like it and it's easy to code for me. And I think it's a good way to build the immersion. 

But there are some paths that already have stats. Justin's break-up is signalized by the heading, for example. In chapter 10 there will be another stat, about Olivier's interest in Alina, his...

Happy news (I think ;) )

I have to announce that the break will be shorter than I thought, and you'll get chapter 10 in July, not in August. It's incredible how I feel now after the big stress connected to the planning the wedding during the pandemic. I'm full of energy and creativity now. :) Thanks for your all wishes, the wedding and honeymoon went well. I have two weeks more off work, and however I have to watch my renovation crew, and of course I have to spend much time with my wife, I keep writing the new passag...

The relieving hand-writing

I want to share one thought with you that came to my mind yesterday when I was traveling the sub-urban bus. Generally, I used to spend a lot of time on the bus on my way to work. During those years I've read hundreds of books and I wrote hundreds of pages. The large parts of my published works actually had the manuscripts, as I had to write them in rather surprising circumstances. For example, in the hospital's or clinic's waiting room, when I used to sit for hours when I took care of my gran...

Let's talk about Martha

The popularity of Martha's path keeps surprising me. Probably most of the positive comments focus on Martha (and Olivier, but more on Martha). This is a character who has a growing influence on the story. 

Martha fulfilled a dream that most of us share. She became a beautiful girl and got the superpowers. But it was just the first step. The reality is the reality, and I wanted to show the situation after most of the captions and stories end.  How to live in a dream.

She'...

Peek at chapter 10

It turned out that chapter 10 will be the longest chapter in the story (102 passages). As usual, the most important choices are between Olivier and Martha paths. Martha's path will be connected with the political events, and will be one of the switches for the plot. 

The walkthrough - PDF version

Another goal behind us

We've achieved $400 goal, and it's a really interesting coincidence, as there will be no new content for a while. So I will add some customization options (transformations by the Parity, more clothes etc.), chosen by you. And I'll write the detailed walkhtrough to Robert's path, when I catch some breath. :) 

The walkthrough to chapter 9

This walkthrough concentrates on the choices that are mentioned in the summaries. It doesn't include all the choices you can make during the game. There will be separate guides to different paths (related to some characters from the main cast) in the future.

Chapter 9

IX01. You found x/6 clues about the nature of the Parity.

The notes: you have to take photos of Olivia's notes (II01);

The behavior of Bimbo-Pauline: you have to confront her during the s...

Thanks for being here

I have to say I'm really surprised how you all reacted to my announcement that there will be a break from updating The Parity. I expected that (temporarily, I hoped) many of you cancel your subscriptions, and I was totally cool about that. I believe that there is some kind of agreement between us, and as I'm out for two months, I couldn't expect you would support me.

Well, already there are more supporters than in May. Wow.

It's not my first time in social media - I've had my fan ...

Things in motion

So, we start the discussion about the lore and further plot. As I mentioned before, I already know that the game will be longer than 20 chapters. I don't know yet if 22 or 24 chapters will be enough. Still, my plans are to finish the game (with most or all endings) in December 2022. 

The end of chapter 9 introduces the last big path in the game - the dead. They will be important in some paths. Let's say that the departed friends of Pauline's father have their own opinion about givi...

0.29a patch

There was a bug with clothes in chapters 3, 4 and 5, so there is a patch.

Newest supporters' version - 0.29

Luckilly, May has 31 days. :v I'm sorry for the delay. :) Chapters 0-9.

The short break

As you can see, there is no May update yet, however, I'm working on it. Unfortunately, my schedule was disturbed by many events in my personal life. I planned to write most of June's update in May and be ready to publish it before my wedding. I can't do it.

So, that's the new plan: the May update of course will be released before the end of the month. There will be no new chapters in June and July. I will try to use this time to add some functionalities and mechanics. Probably I will ma...

A little delay

Unfortunately, I need a couple of days more to release the next chapter. I was quite busy in May, as everything frozen during the lockdown has rushed suddenly - so I plan my wedding, write a book, renovate my flat and consult my lawyer about the inheritance case... I can handle everything, but sometimes I just don't have enough focus to write anything. ;) But on Wednesday or Thursday, you'd get the chapter 9 for sure. :)  

I hope your May was calmer for you. :)

The hope for better English ;)

I bought the Premium Ginger, so hopefully my English will be easier to read. ;) Unfortunately, it wipes out the code. If I can't turn it off, I will write text and then format it. You can compare it to the scene I posted here earlier. :)

"Justin knows how to be a victim, that's all," she said and smiled. "But he misunderstands Claudia. She's not attracted to him because he was a victim. She wants him because he is smart, shy, and she can make him shine. She doesn't give a shi...

The point of view...

Ok, I promise it's the last post about writing and story. :P I'll give you a detailed walkthrough to Robert's path and I'll focus on writing chapter 9. But as writing chapters 7 and 8 caused that The Parity became my main goal, I had many occasions to think about meta-writing. As I keep saying - it's my first game, and there are new challenges in my life.

So, I show you the scene from chapter 9 I had in mind about... hmm... a year, I think. I did an exercise. I imagined what the members...

Peek at chapter 9

So, the next chapter ahead of us. :) I'm quite excited, as some detailed scenes came to my mind when I was thinking about this story a year ago, and finally, I can write them. :) Finally, there is a space for Dorothy's path, which, I suppose, isn't quite popular among you, and that's fine - it's a path more focused on the characters and setting, less on the transformation and the experiences. And, if you play the resistance path, you could finally start connecting the dots. ;)

I hope I'...

Let's talk about Robert (and Bimbo-Pauline)

I've planned to talk about Martha, but as Robert won the poll, I want to talk about him. I have to admit, I don't understand his constant popularity. ;) First PMs I got about the game were about him. Still, some people keep asking about his role in the plot and they seem to be surprised that he's not the main character with the sexual bonds with Pauline. 

Robert is my play with the high school bully trope from King's horrors. King creates high school bullies as psychopathic murdere...

The walkthrough to chapters 0-8 in PDF

The walkthrough to chapter 8

This walkthrough concentrates on the choices that are mentioned in the summaries. It doesn't include all the choices you can make during the game. There will be separate guides to different paths (related to some characters from the main cast) in the future.

Chapter 8

VIII01. You had to face/didn't have to face Bimbo-Pauline.

If you don't have sex with Olivier in chapter 6, you will face Bimbo-Pauline.

VIII02. Caroline told/didn't tell you abou...