anathemafiction

Progress Report and Pausing Billing

Hello, everyone!!

First off, the deep edit of Chapter 3 is almost done! I just got to the part at the hideout, after the burglary. There is still a lot of text to go, but I can finally see the end of the tunnel 😭 I often say coding is my least favorite part of making these games, but that's because I always forget about editing.

Editing can be hard, but it's also great to see the game more polished. The amount of typos I've fixed is embarrassing, and I've also caught t...

Summer Q&A — Part 3

• Hadrian is sick, and Romanus is at his bedside. 

You watch his chest rise and fall. 

It's not rhythmic, or at least, it's not any rhythm you know. Hadrian doesn't breathe steadily, like he always does. His chest rises in grading rasps, then falls in slow hiccups, as if a board is wedged deep inside his throat. 

He's large in the small, narrow cot, the bottom bending dangerously underneath his weight. The moth-eaten quilt you found in...

Finished Writing Chapter 4!! 🎉

'Tis done!! I am SO happy 😭.

Standing at 63k words, I think it's the shortest of book two so far? I don't have the code right now to check, but I'm pretty sure it is. The last stretch was me battling with the amount of variation you can have with each character. Honestly, I severely underestimated how many different ways you can stand with not only Hadrian and Alessa — which are a lot 😭 — but now also Rafael and Lance.

The final bits of characte...

Progress Report

Happy Friday!! 🎉

I just got done with a writing session, and I can't pull myself away from the keyboard just yet. As of now, Chapter 4 is about 75% done!! Of the five big scenes, I'm halfway through scene four. The last one is, by far, the shortest, but I also really, really want to get it right 🥹

These last two weeks have been... difficult. Honestly, as I started to write the second draft, there was that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that something...

Sneak Peek

There's fear in those eyes, and a vulnerability that tells you all you need to do to break this man's heart is to clench your fist.

"Do you regret it?" Hadrian asks, his voice the timbre of one who's holding himself together.

1) You loosen the grip. "No."

2) You clench your fist. "Yes."

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I'll take advantage of the sneak peek to ask if it's understandable that I'm saying you have Hadrian's heart in your hand? Or is the metaphor lost?

Ed...

Ysabella or Neia?

Who should be the next RO added to the mature mini-game?

I have some vague ideas for both of them, but this would help me decide who I should focus on first ♡

Bend Me Over — The Pirate King Interactive Story (Mature)

I added the Pirate King to the mini-game! Here's the link.

I hope you enjoy. 💛

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This story went over 10k words, so I've released it alone! I'll add the female RO either at the end of this month or the very beginning of the next. I want to pour as much love for her as I did for my dear Pirate. 🌹

Achievement Guide and Relationship Descriptions

Hello! Here's a guide to the existing Book Two achievements and the new relationship descriptors in the demo so far. Heavy spoilers ahead, so beware!!

Achievements

Without Roots: Choose to hail from Egypt in the Prologue and play through the Merchant origin.

A Past of Steel: Choose to hail from Castilla in the Prologue and play through the Hunter origin.

Illuminated Parchments: Choose to hail from the North of Portugal and play through the Scribe origi...

Summer Q&A — Part 2

• Rafael reacts to Romanus surprising him with a handmade gift in the crushing stage? I’m thinking something that’s not necessarily the best quality, but it’s clear that Romanus put a lot of time and thought and effort into it, and maybe Romanus is a bit shy/nervous about giving it to him. 

He wasn't staring. 

His eyes simply... moved on their own accord. One moment, he's focused on the crackling logs on the fire, the next, he's watching th...

Lingering Glance

The clouds are rolling like ink poured into water.

Rain-whipped wind blows from the east, throwing off your hood and making Billy's hooves falter on the cobblestones. But your eyes are drawn to the brilliance ahead.

The setting sun has long dove below the earthly line, but a new one has risen in its stead. Dozens of lanterns reflected on mirrors bigger than most houses throw beams of light into the night sky, as if issuing a dare to God Himself.

Billy finally conquers the hi...

Finished the first draft of Chapter 4! 🎉

Standing at 84 notebook pages, the first draft of Chapter 4 is done! I actually finished it on the 15th, but I've been without my laptop for the last week, and I dislike writing on mobile 😭

But it's finished, and I couldn't be happier. It took me longer than I wanted (because, of course, it did), but I ended up writing the two Ball variations — whether accepted the invitation or not — which added a dozen more pages. I'm very glad I did it because, as I wrote, one...

Sneak Peek

Lance puts his hand on the door handle, but he doesn't open it. The bard looks down, his expression hidden from view.

Chouriça impatiently taps her front paws on the ground, looking up at her master, but Lance doesn't heed her request. He lets go of the doorknob and turns to you once more. "How did you learned it?"

And you don't need him to clarify what 'it' is. What else could it be but Latin?

1. *if (Told_Mist= true) You study his expression. "Mist didn't tell you?"...

   2025-09-08 16:20:22 +0000 UTC View Post

In Another Life — Interactive Story

This has been on my mind for a while now, so I've finally put it into words.

Here's the link to the mini-game!

I hope you enjoy it!!!🌹💛

[Note: You must be logged into Patreon]

Summer Q&A — Part 1

• What would the ROS do if Romanus was captured by the Inquisition?

Hadrian would fall to his knees.

He would lose himself, for a moment only. Give in to the hopelessness that carves a hole in his guts, his ears ringing, the end of the world catching up to him. Blurry vision, he'd forget how to breathe.

And then, his left hand would find his cross, while his right curled on the pommel of his black sword. Hadrian would rise from the g...

Questions Wanted 🫵

The update has come and gone; it's high time to do a Q&A!

As always, feel free to ask questions to the characters directly, me, or suggest a snippet or a scenario you'd like to see! It's been a while since I've done one of these. I miss reading what you guys come up with!

Thank you in advance to everyone who participates ❤️

Progress Report

Hello!!!

My hand is cramping right now, so I thought, why not tap keys on a keyboard instead of awkwardly clutching a pencil? I'm due for a progress report anyway.

The first draft of Chapter 4 is going very well! The chapter will be divided into four parts, or 'big' scenes, as I like to call them. Right now, I'm nearing the end of the second scene, which is, by far, the largest of the four. This means I should be past the halfway point to finish the first draft 🎉 Last week, I ...

It Begins

Started the new chapter!!! The title is not set in stone - I usually get better ideas as I write, but, for now, this will do.
Romanus, get ready ⚫️ ✋️

Progress Report

Happy Sunday!!

Last week was a lot calmer than I had anticipated 😊. Right after the update, I realized I needed a little bit of time away from screens in general, so I took a couple of days off, and it felt so good. I really recharged (as did my eyes).

But, as of today, I've hunted down all the typos, errors, and inconsistencies in the demo. I also just added the new relationship descriptors for Hadrian, Alessa, Lance, and Rafael. And, lastly, I wrote the missing reactions in c...

Clarity within Madness

⚠️ This post contains spoilers for the Alpha. Those of you who haven't read it to the end, please exit and come back once you do!!! ⚠️

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So, because I'm nosey, and I love to hear about your Romanus, which of the options did you choose at the end of the Interlude? What do your Romanus think of what's happening to them? And do they really believe it, or is that just something they're saying out of pure desperation and fear?

Edit: I LOVED r...

Progress Report

Happy Friday!!!

The update has been out for a few days, and it still feels surreal to have accomplished that milestone. I want to say, once again, thank you to everyone who reported bugs, typos, and errors, and, of course, left your feedback. It felt so good to finally share something that I had been keeping to myself for so long 😊

Which brings me to my next order of business. I'm almost done with Vallen for the Bonus Post (she's being difficult 🫩), and, after that, I'm goin...

Push My Limits — Rafael & Vallen Interactive Story (Mature)

Added Vallen & Rafael to the mini game! 😊

Play it here.

[Note: You need to be logged in to Patreon.]

Risqué poll

Hello! I've been writing and erasing the starting line for the Bonus post for half an hour😭. A bunch of ideas come to mind, and I don't know which one to pick, so I need your help.

Which pair would you like to be featured in the Mature post?

(Hadrian and Alessa aren't an option because they have their spotlight in the update already)

Alpha Build — It Grows

Here is the complete Chapter 3 in all its 300k glory!!!! With this, the game reaches 700k words (excluding code). 🫣

This one was a beast, so I really, really hope you enjoy it!!!!! ♡ I am so nervous and excited, I don't know what to do with my hands.

A couple of things before I share the link:

I've updated the game to Moody instead of cogdemos. I connected it to Patreon, which means that it will...

Progress Report

It is... done 😭

I've put in the last line of code. The update is all playable 😭😭 My eyes are seeing blurry, but GODDAMN IT IT'S SO WORTH IT!!!!!

I only have to playtest the last two big scenes and make a header image, and it shall be done. I would push myself to test today, but, like I said, my eyes physically can't look at Choicescript anymore. I think I would create more errors instead of eliminating them xD

This means that, most likely, I'll drop the update tomo...

Sneak Peek

Therapist: Frat Bro Romanus can't hurt you. They don't exist.

Frat Bro Romanus:

Your lips curl in a smug smile. "Like it?" you ask, flexing your pecs, the right first, then the left.

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Very small sneak peek this time! I've shared most of what I can of this coming update, but this passage made me laugh.

I hope your week started great ❤️

Progress Report

Been coding, coding, coding... 👩‍💻

All the errors, typos, and bugs spotted by others and myself have been fixed, but, most importantly, I've gone through about 330 Word pages!! I've been testing as I go along, and some passages are full of *if statements, which considerably slow me down, but great progress has been made nonetheless.

I love watching the actual game files grow 🥺 When it's on Word, it's not really the game if that makes sense? But now, it'...

Bonus Lingering Glance

I'm editing the rivalry paths, and I hate how much I love this version of Alessa's "enemy" relationship 😩. The bickering is so much fun.

This is the version in which you haven't choked her. If you have, that conversation goes a lot differently.

With Hadrian, I just love his overall confusion whenever you're remotely nice to him 😆. The man is so kind; he can't quite forget how he considered you a friend/crush not too long ago.

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You lift an anno...

Petty Jealousy — Hadrian, Alessa, Alain, Ysabella & Lance

Hadrian is restless.

The type of turmoil that would have him pacing back and forth, hand on his cross, an itch in his jaw, trying to outpace the thoughts swirling in his head.

But he can't. He has to stay seated; his only respite is the knee bouncing beneath the table.

"Lord," Hadrian whispers, dragging a hand down his face. If Alessa were here, she'd call him a fool. "I'm being one," he mutters.

But he doesn't care as much as he should. Not as his eye...

Lingering Glance

Your lips are still slightly curved, but there's more softness in the smirk than mischief. "Perfect," you say, mouth moving against hers. "My nerves have never been calmer."

Alessa looks up. "I do not believe you have nerves to begin with."

"Rubbish," you protest, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose. "What else would you call these butterflies in my stomach whenever you're near?"

Alessa huffs a laugh, trying and failing to swallow it. "Do not be ridiculous."

"It's t...

Progress Milestone

I finished the Chapter!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

It is... so, so long. At 1121 pages, it's the longest Word document I've ever written — Word is actually fighting me every time I open it. I don't want to say much more about it because I'm finally so close to sharing it, but I'll say that I am... SO happy with how it turned out 😭 honestly, in the end, ...