Hey everyone!

So, September's been all about hammering out the Chap 2&3. I figured I'd drop an update every 2 weeks to keep track of my progress so I can feel encouraged(???).

 -- But hey, who decided to work solo on a huge project? ‎|•'-'•) ✧

For the past 2 weeks, almost every day after work, I've spent 4~5 hours on writing the story, which is fun but also very tiring since I am not really good at writing ahahaha. And during weekends, I spent ~8 hrs per day on it... it is just crazy(; ´_ゝ`)

Anyway, the good news is, I've finally wrapped up the 1st draft of chap 2&3!

 Honestly, finalizing the outline wasn't easy, but actually writing it was even harder -- another thing is Chap 2&3 is longer than I expected.

But overall, I'm happy that I've at least written out all the plots I wanted to include in the chapters. There were several nights when I practically forced myself to write something just to get the story done, so the first draft isn't as satisfactory as I'd like, but taking the first step is better than nothing.

୧(﹒︠ᴗ﹒︡)୨

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Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about character creation and story development while writing. Since this is my first time creating a visual novel, I have to say, reaching a satisfactory state is a bit challenging. (°⌓°)

Edmund and Hendrix were the characters I designed right from the beginning of TROT, they were initially designed as MC's college classmate not childhood friends. But as I worked on it, allowing them to grow from children to adults, these characters changed a lot. 

Initially, they were just adaptations from characters in two Shakespeare plays (if you have noticed...). Hendrix's design was influenced by Hamlet, but I make him more gentle and cheerful when he is younger. As for Edmund... if you've noticed, Edmund and Edgar, are inspired by 2 characters with the same names in "King Lear". Edmund has always been a character I really like in all the Shakespeare plays. I mean, he's complex, with clear desires and life philosophies which I find very interesting. But now, with my creation, Edmund is becoming more like himself and not just a simple copy of a Shakespeare character.

Here are some of their early designs since I think it is fun to look back:

Left: 2019 - very early stage design | Right: 2022 - early concept sketch

A very early design for Hendrix back in 2021 (I don't even remember I ever drew this...and he is blonde???? What was I thinking back then???)

ლ(´ڡ`ლ)

And by the way, Edmund and Hendrix will get new sprites in the 3rd chapter – they've grown up! During C016 ~ C017, they'll look like this:

They are just so cute, ehehehe.....(๑ ꒪ꌂ꒪๑) I can't wait to draw&date them ahhhhh

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In short, although it's been tough -- these two weeks of writing have made me reflect on a lot of things and understand more about the characters I've created. I'm really excited to see how chapters 2&3 will turn out. 

I've also realized that writing romance plot can be really cringe for me (haha). I hope future edits will make it feel more natural!

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For the next two weeks, my plan is to polish and finalize the 2nd draft, possibly making it the final script! And then I will also import all the background images, music, animation effects, and sprite placeholders!

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Alright, that's a wrap for this update. Hope you enjoy the read~(●´∀｀●)