anathemafiction

'Tis a matter of discretion

I've announced it on Tumblr, but I ought to do it here too. Hosted Games has sent me the link to the Rose's official demo! It's very exciting news because, if nothing else, it means that things are moving as intended.

As such, I deleted the links to the other public demos. It's a common practice and has to be done. But... but, I also think that there's no harm in having my Patrons enjoy the extended demo for just a while longer.

It has saves, which the official one, unfortunately,...

Progress Report

The sun shines, the breeze beckons and we find ourselves at yet another cross on the road. 

Luckily, there's a nice, rose-wood table under the shade of a willow tree with cushioned chairs and a spread of chilled lemonade on top. Let us rest for a while, traveler, so that I can tell you of my latest adventures. 

And hopefully, delight in some of yours. 

Dramatics aside, it's time for another progress report! And it couldn't come at a better time because I just ...

Touch — Hadrian

Faint crackles come from the small fire pit, the wood splintering by the lazy mouths of feeble flames. The sound rises towards the depthless ceiling of a long-forgotten ruin and comes rolling against his ears, but all Hadrian can listen to is the equally quiet, almost inaudible, sound of your breathing.

He can only hear it because he stands so close. Your arm is in his hands, your skin warm and present, and Hadrian tries his hardest not to think of how he has never been this close to yo...

Art Vote

Hello! I'm an indecisive fool, so I need your precious input as to what character I should commission a portrait of.

(The artist is AMAZING btw I can't wait to commission her again further down the line. As well as other talented artists.)

Thank you! ♡

Sneak Peek

"Hush," you say, grabbing his wrist. "You're not a fool, Hadrian. But what you did was foolish."

"I know," Hadrian murmurs, and you swallow a gasp when his other hand suddenly holds your waist. "I won't do it again."

His smile changes then. It's wide and proud, and you'll be damned if it isn't almost cheeky. "I like when you scold me though," he admits in a whisper, his whole face completely red. You part your lips, but nothing comes out, for Hadrian ducks his head and captures th...

Progress Report

Another week, another progress report.

This week has been amazing! I finally, finally, finished that lengthy first scene of Chapter One!! Lengthy but definitely worth it. I've also made a good headway into scene 2. This one is a bit more fun to write - because there's dialogue, and I adore dialogue. Dialogue trees, however... grow on me all the time xD

But it isn't as if I wasn't expecting it. This scene is long even in the first draft - about 25 notebook pages - and that...

Crossed Paths — Beka

The hot day moves on with the speed of a slug dragging a boulder.

The top of your head is almost pulsing, heat seeping in numbing waves into the flesh of your cheeks, your neck, the lines of your shoulders. You feel heavy and slow, each step akin to moving a mountain, and you can't even find respite when you close your eyes for the sun, that relentless, burning, insufferable sun pierces the thin skin of your eyelids and manages to light what is meant to be dark.

It is hot. Too hot...

Favorite NPC

You've voted on your favorite route - and thank you for that! - but it got me thinking. Who is your favorite main NPC from the routes? Will it match the route vote or take a different direction altogether?

Basically, I'd like to know if the NPCs you interact with have a large impact on that route's enjoyment. I'm sorry for all these polls lately, you may be beginning to feel like guinea pigs, but I'm addicted to Patreon's polls! 😄

It's a very useful tool. 

Progress Report

The week is ending!

And so is April. This whole month seemed to pass by in a flash, it was so eventful I felt as if I barely had time to breathe but!!!

What a month it has been. Hosted Games finally, finally sent me the copyedited files of Book One! I almost fainted when I got the email 😄. Just between us, I was starting to get a little bit concerned the game would once again be pushed back - or just outright dropped. I was planning on sending HG an email in May, askin...

Expert Fingers — Alessa

Fingers thread through her hair.

Alessa has her eyes closed, but the world is not dark. It is glowing, like warm honey spreading from her eyelids and soaking the cold skin of her cheeks. Sunlight bathes her profile, dipping her in an orange background, and she feels herself falling, but the earth's pull does not scare her. It is as if the wind itself is cradling her body, sinking down, down, down...

The fingers reach the end of her strands, the light brown bright in the sun, and t...

The boulder rolls...

Wrote 3k words today! 

I'm slowly getting back into the rhythm! Another branchier choice is done too, just a couple more until the variation-heavy part is behind. 🙏 It feels good to be making progress, it feels so damned good! 

Lingering Glance

There's a green, mud-like substance staining half of your face. 

Your eyebrows shoot up and only now do you notice how it pulls on your skin with every minuscule movement. The balm that woman, Salina, unceremoniously splashed over your wound. 

1) You frown. You've forgotten about that.

2) You tilt your chin up, smiling with the free side of your mouth. "I look like a freak."

3) You gingerly touch it. Did it have any effect? Did it heal you?

4) Your eyes...

Favorite Route

Would you entertain me but for a brief moment?

Of the five routes of Chapter 4, which one is your favorite? I'd love to get a general sense of what people liked more and what didn't quite click. 

Progress Report

It is Saturday!

I apologize for the one-day delay, but I wanted to get to a certain point before making this progress report and I just did, so here I am celebrating!

Like I said in my quick update post, I was only able to get back to writing on Wednesday, but these three days have been productive nonetheless! I finished the second Bonus Content - featuring our lovely Alessa, which I'll post sometime next week -and I just finished writing a huge branching choice!

This one bl...

Bonus Content Vote

The Pirate won the last poll! 

So, it's time to vote for the second spot in next month's Bonus Content. Which character would you most like to see featured in it?

I'm Back!

Or, more accurately, my pen is finally back on the paper. I got home on the 17th, very late in the evening, and my free time on Monday and Tuesday was spent taking care of errands and boring obligations - even if I sneaked some time away to answer a few Tumblr asks 😄.

But today, I finally have time to properly return to The Rose. It has been a great vacation and a much-needed break, but I've...

Rest — Hadrian & Alessa

Your limbs are heavy as if stone is growing on the outside of your skin, enveloping your muscles, merging with your blood, making itself a part of your very flesh. You feel... old. Ancient. Cracked and weathered by rain and sun and intrusive hands that do nothing but misshape what once was immaculate marble.

You feel heavy and worn, and your eyelids sting with the effort to keep them from closing. The Church swears that everyone has a soul, but if so, yours wasn't born with you but belo...

Bonus Content Vote

Time to vote for next month's Bonus Content! There are two slots available, which character would you most like to see featured in one of them?

Progress Report

Another week has passed!

As I had anticipated, I didn't have as much time to write chapter one as I would have liked. This past week has been... ripped with tribulations and obstacles as well as the usual frenzy one has to deal with before leaving for a trip. So, not a lot of time for writing, but what matters, I like to tell myself, is how I spent whatever minutes I did manage to have. 

And I think I spent them well! Chapter One is still going at a slower pace than before, b...

Trust — Hadrian

Soft fingers on the side of his neck.

The fingertips lay like snowflakes across his skin, barely touching, but unlike snow, they radiate warmth instead. Hadrian has his eyes closed, but they shift beneath the lids when the hand, the gentle fingers, slowly move up his neck to curl underneath his jaw.

A pause. And then a series of shivers make their way down his spine when beside his ear, a shallow breath tickles his hair.

"Hold still," you ask of him. Hadrian seats like a sta...

A swift update

Hello everyone!

Just a quick little update on my part. I know I've been very quiet lately, and I'm sorry about that. I've been trying my best to get everything ready and shiny before I leave for my trip, but alas, sometimes the world really enjoys watching us struggle.

On Sunday, my dog, Nero, was attacked by another dog. He's fine, just has a few bite marks on his tail and bruises on his ribs, but the whole thing stunned me to the core. We were trekking along this old road I foun...

Sneak Peek

You're unsure where you grab it from, but Juturna’s golden face is in your palm. You can't see it in the darkness, but you don't need your eyes for you have it memorized perfectly in your mind. The gold is old, the coin is ancient, but as it digs into your skin, it feels sturdy enough.

Juturna. She had spoken to you, you think. Maybe she did, or maybe you're simply going mad, but right now, you don't care. You just want to push it away, you want to push all the memories away....

Progress Report

It is April.

And with it, we've fully transitioned to Spring. I know it officially started a while ago, but I only enter "spring mode" in April. Winter is behind us, the flowers are blooming, the birds singing, and I hear a lot more people sneezing. 😄

Unless, of course, you're in the southern hemisphere, and yellow leaves clutter your roads. 

This week was a great one! I started the second draft of the chapter, and I've been having a lot of fun filling the choices! I...

Lingering Glance

All is the same, even down to the fireplace. But while yours was cold and barren, this one has embers glowing softly in its depths. And where yours had a lonely carpet in front of it, this one has a kneeled Hadrian occupying the space.

*if cross

You hold the cross on your neck, silently apologizing for all your previous blasphemies, for there must be a God after all. A generous, benevolent God who listens to your wishes and grants them in full, compassionate force.

...

Progress Report

Friday!

It's time to look back and reflect on what I've done this week. I suppose the big news is that I finished the first draft of Chapter One. You can read the more detailed post here, but essentially, the bare bones of the chapter are done. 

I said I would start writing the seco...

A Lady's Favor — Alessa

She did not mean to keep it.

The trinket is small and unassuming and has none of the qualities that make it worth wearing on one's skin. Alessa certainly could not wear it around her wrist, for she prefers gold or silver, or even dark bronze, the color of the late sunset over a calm sea. Beauty.

Which the cord has none.

And yet, even amongst rings and necklaces coated in gold, even amongst gems and colorful stones and a chain that resembled the waves of the ocean, her eyes w...

Finished the first draft of Chapter One!

Here it is, the long-sought End command. T_T

I have... lied to you again. I said I only had about 10 notebook pages left to finish the chapter, but it was not so. I wrote 31 more xD I just couldn't make myself cut the content. The chapter grew once more, and the five scenes that make it are now six. In the end, there's a sort of mini-game where you have to make quick, multiple decisions that ca...

Progress Report

How time flies by...

I can't believe a week has passed since my last progress report, but the calendar tells me that it has, and who am I to challenge it? This week was so good! So good, and I am so, so close to finishing the first draft! I think I'm only 5 to 10 notebook pages away from its end.

The entire last scene is in my head like a perfect picture - but as vivid as that image is, and the sounds and the emotions, it's been... frustrating bringing it into paper.

Sturdy Weapons

Do you go anywhere without them?

Made by the amazing Matt from Hearthship Studios.

Here are the five weapons you can use in the game! Plus a whip, which Matt may or may not have convinced me to add as a side weapon in Book 2. 

I really love how they turned out. I hope you like them too! ♡

Demo Hints

This post will serve as a place to answer any questions you may have regarding the new content. I'll share the questions I get, either on Tumblr or in PMs (obviously hiding who sent them), in case someone else might have the same query! 



At the cathedral, Hadrian asks you if you've paid the price to get in. The price being, of course, the gold coin. You can answer however you want just ...