8. No AI obvs I'm doing this all by my own damn hand.

9. Except the music/sound effects. I've bought a bunch of audio bundles off of HumbleBundle that will come in handy >:)

4. It will be a short story (taking place over 5-ish days).

5. No smut (unless ...)

6. I'm open to the possibility of a poly route, but only if the game gets enough players/buyers.

7. Will most likely release on itch(.)io, maybe Steam.

Some info:
1. So far I only have the base sprites and one background WIP because ...

2. ... I'm doing this solo

3. The routes are outlined and there will be a minimum of 4 endings

4. I'm writing/prototyping in Twine, but the game will most likely be made in Ren'py.

Anyway, yes, don't pirate indie games as a general rule. But if you do and you enjoyed them, buy it to support the devs! It truly goes without saying.

Pirating AAA games is fine though 🤘

I make exceptions for devs I trust, sometimes even get Early Access games (Slime Rancher 2, Hades 2 being recent examples) when I know a game will be fantastic regardless. But that's because well. I got a taste of what they can do already. You know, like a demonstration of some kind ...

Hot take but what's actually better? That somebody buys your game, hates it, and refunds it, or that somebody pirates it, loves it, and then buys it to keep forever and to support you?

ALL GAMES that ask for an upfront payment should have demos! Exceptions can be made for microgames, but those ones tend to also have micro-prices to balance out the playtime. But if your game is substantial enough and costs 10 bucks, you should offer a demo.

(To be clear it's not set in Middle-Earth. I'm just using it as a comp title. You get it. You're smart like that.)

Cutie!! 😍

Self-promotion and hustle culture are so antithetical to who I am that even with a gimme genre I feel like I'm falling behind lmao

I write pretty much exclusively romance and it took me 6 years to finish the first book in a trilogy :') I'm getting faster through sheer willpower, but it feels really bitter that even with such a "formulaic" and "profitable" genre, I'm still too slow to make it work 😭

Except Zeus. I fucking hate Zeus, no nuance, personal pet peeve I hate that guy. You will never get Zeus nuance from me. Don't care how ahistorical that is that guy sucks so bad.

We can do something that has nuance. Something that explores the power dynamics and familial and romantic relationships without making any of the trio the definitive villain. (My retelling kind of makes Persephone the most villainous at the end but that's neither here nor there.)

Like it really doesn't have to be "Demeter is the main true sufferer and Persephone is a perpetual victim who hates her unclehusband" OR "Demeter is a frigid possessive demon and Hades is actually a misunderstood daddy and Persephone is a girlboss who's not like other girls, MOM"