Status Update #65 - June 7, 2026

I've bumped the writing thing up to 90% done this week. I know I said 95% was the goal but, in my defence, it often feels like there are roughly five seconds between Sundays so it can be a bit difficult to keep up. The good news is that I am regularly writing every single day, and it will be ready when it's ready. We really are in the home stretch; I have maybe seven or eight scenes left to write, though a couple of them are pretty big. I've also been taking precautions to prepare for the next next update so that I can write smoothly and much quicker than this time when the time comes.

Also, some further good news: that CG that is taking ages to be finished, the one I mentioned a few weeks ago, is now pretty close to being done, according to the artist! Here's hoping that part of the checklist will be done as of next week.

Let me level with you about the bonus scene. The thing I said about being Erika'd out last week still remains kinda true, but I'm also dealing with the fact that I'm super locked in on writing the next episode to get it out ASAP. I also think that's what people would prefer me to be doing. In other words, I feel less motivated to write this bonus scene than I ever have before. That's why it's taking so long. I promise that it will be out by a week from now, and that it will still count as the May release, meaning you get another one late this month.

Finally, it's time for another Jezebel-adjacent media recommendation. I watched the 1968 film The Lion in Winter the other day, and it's instantly turned into a classic for me. It's a drama/play adaptation about a tense christmas holiday for the English royal family circa 1183 where they all battle in an extremely dramatic succession contest. The dialogue is super witty and ahead of its time; it has a very proto-Aaron Sorkin vibe, and it actually won the Oscar for best screenplay. It also features a pretty great cast, including Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, and a young Anthony Hopkins. It's even more like Jezebel than the Accursed Kings books I recommended last time in that it centers primarily on a cast of plotting, petulent, and petty characters who are constantly scheming, betraying, conspiring and gamifying their lives. It's like a medieval version of the show Succession, only with a much different thematic underpining at its core. I can say without hesitation that this would be Duvessa's favourite movie. It would make her feel seen in a way that 99.99% of other art couldn't possibly, especially at the end. You should check it out.

This week's list:

Writing: 90% done
Coding: 0% done
CGs: All either made or in the process of being made
Animations: 1 more scene to do
Background Art: 100% Ready
Music: 100% Ready

Thanks so much for being so understanding! This game's fanbase have always been so cool about things, and I really do appreciate that. Have a great week!