arewar

Mid month update for Nov & Info on Julian

Added 2022-11-15 20:55:28 +0000 UTC

Hello hello, hope you're all having a lovely day! It's cold and rainy here. :(

What's happened so far this month?

Sebastian, Julian, and Quinn's DEMO routes have all been prepped and polished
Julian's intro had some rewrites
Various prep-works on GUI, unlocks, file cleanup, etc in prep for demo
The official demo was created and is now live on Steam! (WOOOOO!)
Beta was released with 2 more Quinn endings done (minus cgs)
Quispe and Lux sprites added into the game
Julian, Brandon, and Quinn's routes will be locked at the start of the game until the player has completed 1 (any) Sebastian ending.
Walkthrough updated to remove patreon references and flag demo routes
Various small bug fixes
4 Quinn CGs are in the works
3 more sprites are in progress
Julian's 2nd side story has been completed and programmed for next release
Julian's first What If story is currently being written (8600 words so far)

Things have moved along smoothly (yay!), so I'm right on schedule! Our demo is ready for Steam NextFest in February.

You can find the official demo here, but it is the same demo that's been on Itch for a few days already. No surprises here. Particles of Reality on Steam

What's Next?

For the remainder of the month I will be finishing writing/programming Julian's What If (it's likely the longest What If), then with any spare time I will start doing brainstorming for Quinn's next paths.

Not much more than that besides working with the artists. I'm losing a few days due to Thanksgiving (in the US) for traveling and family obligations, so I won't have time for anything extra.

What's up with Julian?

There's been lots of questions and concerns about the changes I've talked about with Julian. (And thank you all for the feedback, I love it!) I haven't been able to elaborate much yet because I was still making these decisions!

The poll I posted was intended to be taking the temperature of the idea, not of a straightforward commitment to a full-time-subby-Julian, but I fear some took it that way. I specifically mentioned this change would be bedroom-exclusive, but I should have elaborated further on my intentions. Sorry for the worries.

Now that I've had time to collect feedback and experiment with some changes, I've finally got a good feel for the future direction of his character.

So here are the known upcoming changes (subject to change as always). Most or all of these you will see in the 'What If' I'm working on now, so when that's available next release, you can experience it for yourself.

~~ SPOILERS ~~

Seriously, spoilers! This will ruin some of the surprise of the What If! Proceed at your own detriment!

Everything subject to change as always~

Julian Changes

Julian's 'voice' will be its own character named "Ash" (But Ash is not a {b}person{/b}, he's still just a voice in Julian's mind that now has a name and personality.)
Ash is named Ash for a reason you will see in the story. :)
Julian will have a sort-of-not-really split personality. Unlike typical split personalities, Julian and Ash share a single consciousness and speak to each other mentally. But who controls Julian's body can change between them suddenly.
This is not a good-vs-evil change. The real normal Julian is voluntarily involved in the murders he performs, as always.
Julian's background story is going to change. (Side Story #1 will likely get deleted.)
It is unknown if Ash is a spirit or a symptom of mental illness
Ash's personality is extremely dominant, controlling, and manipulative
Julian's personality is mostly unchanged, but he is more hesitant and cautious.
Julian and Ash have established rules. (This is hinted at in the new Julian content and will be further explored in the route edits.)
In sex scenes, Julian will behave lightly submissive due to his adjusted cautious attitude.
When I say 'submissive', this is mostly a 'who's leading the dance' situation in a normal relationship, not a BDSM Julian-is-collared-and-whipped situation.***
This also does not mean that Monika of Obsession is suddenly dominant.***
*** DISCLAIMER: As always, I reserve the right to change this in other 'What If' scenarios or unique endings that create such a situation where appropriate (but this is true for all characters and all situations).
In sex scenes, Ash may be dangerously dominant.

Ideas I'm considering but have yet to fully commit to:

Ash's opinion of Monika will NOT be instant-obsession-love like the other characters. You may have to earn his love and respect, and failing to do so may have consequences
Ash may or may not be supernatural (Note: If this happens in the What If, that does not necessarily mean it will be part of the main route.)
The degree of Julian's submissiveness in the bedroom may vary depending on story circumstances or Monika's choices.
Julian may be a lot more.............. unstable. (The degree of this is still being determined.)

What about the existing ending [x]? This seems to conflict with it.

Endings may change! Julian's entire route will have big changes. Some big sections and endings may be completely rewritten.

When does this happen?

Julian's route changes will begin when Quinn's route is completed. Maybe sometime in Jan/Feb. Quinn's route still has ~5 more endings to do.

Questions/Concerns/Thoughts, feel free to raise 'em here or in discord!