#I might get beta testers for chapter 2 also since it's going to start to be pretty hard to catch everything on my own hmm

[burning-academia-if]

Also not going to respond to all bug reports individually but know I got them and they should be fixed sometime during the weekend!

[sen-no-kotowari]

PGR S Lee Character Profile

Hello! Here's S Lee's character profile. Over the next few days, I'll also be posting Qu's and Changyu's character profile plus the first chapter of Amplifier Selena's Interlude Story. I will eventually post Roland's Interlude Story, I apologize if it's taking a bit longer than it should be. As for the voice lines of the characters released in the bili servers, I'll be doing a tester with Fire Lee that'd be marked as "Beta" since most of the JP audio is transcribed by ear. That's it for now, I hope everyone enjoys the translations. You can learn more about him on the cut down below ♪(^∇^*)

Voice Line Data

Motion Voice Lines

Lobby Voice 1

Lee: If you don't need anything else from me, you ought to train your mental fortitude.

Lobby Voice 2

Lee: You seem to be free right now. How about we train together?

Lobby Voice 3

Lee: I won't miss the words you say to the letter—be it your command, or anything else you've said.

Raise Affection Level

Lee: I didn't say I hate it.

Repetitive Taps

Lee: Will you stop that...!

Log-In

Lee: Been waiting for you. There are several peculiar parts to this experiment's data. Looks like we'll be holed up in the lab today.

Online for a Long Time

Lee: I'll protect you, so don't worry and take a break. No need to always push yourself, you know.

AFK

Lee: If there are some things you can't deal with, you can ask me for some advice instead of dealing with them alone.

Shake

Lee: You really... love doing this huh.

Offline for a Long Time

Lee: I just happen to be on duty today. It's not like I'm waiting for you to return or anything.

Introduction and Formation

Structure Acquired

Lee: So you're the new Commander, huh... I hope you're not a fool.

Level Up

Lee: That's just natural.

Advancement

Lee: Doing good. I think I'll only get stronger from here.

Model Improvement

Lee: So it's like this huh... There's more room for improvement.

Skill Upgrade

Lee: This mobilization pattern seems to be useful, might use it next time.

Equipment

Lee: Hmm~... Seems easy to use. Not bad.

Add in Team

Lee: You made the right decision by choosing me.

Assign as Captain

Lee: Me? Captain? I'll show you how to lead perfectly.

Mission Accomplished

Voice Line 1

Lee: Seems like we've received the rewards, let's go claim them.

Voice Line 2

Lee: We'll receive a reward once we've finished the mission... It's common sense you know?

Daily Small Talks

Voice Line 1

Lee: …Do you need something?

Voice Line 2

Lee: If you don't need anything else from me, you ought to train your mental fortitude.

Voice Line 3

Lee: Finally decided to come back to us? Just when I'm about to be lost in thought.

Voice Line 4

Lee: You have other work that doesn't involve with just sitting around, right?

Voice Line 5

Lee: You've taken enough rest already. It's about time we head back to battle.

Voice Line 6

Lee: You seem to be free right now. How about we train together?

Voice Line 7

Lee: Why do you keep spacing out?

Voice Line 8

Lee: Your work as the commander is indeed tiring. If you feel your body starts feeling uncomfortable, you absolutely must tell me about it.

Voice Line 9

Lee: We're very lucky to have a person like you to be leading us.

Voice Line 10

Lee: If something's bothering you, be sure to tell me, no matter what.

Voice Line 11

Lee: I won't miss the words you say to the letter—be it your command, or anything else you've said.

Voice Line 12

Lee: What am I listening to with my headphones? N-no, these aren't headphones! You can't hear anything from them!

Voice Line 13

Lee: I don't easily make any promises, but... I wish to have your word of promise...

Voice Line 14

Lee: Compared to the rest of humanity, our lives are quite longer... I would offer you every ounce of my life...

Raise Affection Level

Voice Line 1

Lee: No need to try and humor me.

Voice Line 2

Lee: I already know how you humans usually are, it's useless trying to control me from the shadows.

Voice Line 3

Lee: I didn't say I hate it.

Voice Line 4

Lee: I've already gotten used to you, Commander.

Voice Line 5

Lee: I don't mind if we've grown closer than before.

Voice Line 6

Lee: I want to know more about you...

Voice Line 7

Lee: I'm really happy that you also have continued to try and understand me...

Voice Line 8

Lee: I want to be by your side from now on.

AFK

Voice Line 1

Lee: For you to leave your post during work hours...

Voice Line 2

Lee: If there are some things you can't deal with, you can ask me for some advice instead of dealing with them alone.

Voice Line 3

Lee: If you suddenly stay silent like that, it'll make me restless instead... Please do something, anything.

Voice Line 4

Lee: Commander? Are you here? Don't scare me like that...

Online for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Lee: Is there some kind of benefit for you to even work while you're on break?

Voice Line 2

Lee: Being devoted to your work is great and all, but I think you should look after yourself more.

Voice Line 3

Lee: I'll protect you, so don't worry and take a break. No need to always push yourself, you know.

Log-In

Voice Line 1

Lee: Morning. Let's start the operation once you're done preparing.

Voice Line 2

Lee: Kept me waiting. First off, let's start analyzing the sample specimen of an Infected from yesterday.

Voice Line 3

Lee: The data analysis is already done. Let's begin the discussion if you're awake. [1]Audio: The data parsing is done. Once you're fully awake, let's move on to the discussion.

Voice Line 4

Lee: Been waiting for you. There are several peculiar parts to this experiment's data. Looks like we'll be holed up in the lab today.

Offline for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Lee: Are you the new Commander?

Voice Line 2

Lee: I knew it was the right call to keep on waiting. Welcome back, Commander.

Voice Line 3

Lee: I just happen to be on duty today. It's not like I'm waiting for you to return or anything.

Voice Line 4

Lee: Thank you, for coming back here.

Shake

Voice Line 1

Lee: W-what!?

Voice Line 2

Lee: Are you a kid or something...!

Voice Line 3

Lee: ...Are you satisfied now?

Voice Line 4

Lee: You really... love doing this huh.

Repetitive Taps

Voice Line 1

Lee: Will you stop that...!

Voice Line 2

Lee: Are you trying to make me sick or something?

Voice Line 3

Lee: Is there something fun about this...?

Voice Line 4

Lee: Just you wait, if I meet you in person, I'll make sure to poke the living hell out of you.

Activity Task Full

Lee: Activity level's already at max. Don't forget to get your rewards.

Triumphant Return

Lee: And another perfect line of fire.

Squad Member's Return

Lee: Welcome back. It's already praise-worthy to be able to come back in one piece.

Battle Dialogues

Battle Start/Character Switch/Voice Line 1

Lee: Think you can escape the bullet trajectory I've calculated huh.

Voice Line 2

Lee: You call that hiding?

Voice Line 3

Lee: It's wise to just give up.

Ultimate Skill

Lee: There's only one end that awaits you.

Light Damage

Lee: Tch... Not bad...

Heavy Damage

Lee: Situation's...looking bleak huh...

Incapacitated

Lee: It's all right... I won't...

Friend Support

Lee: You won't have any problems as long as I'm here.

QTE

Lee: Just give the orders.

Battle End

Lee: And another perfect line of fire.

Structure Documentation

Document Detail 1

A new model designed to utilize Lee's outstanding calculation abilities efficiently. It was produced in the same production lot as Kamui's model.

Document Detail 2

With his perception modules completely remodeled, he can control the bullet trajectory at will. His ranged attack's precision capabilities have improved compared to his previous model.

Document Detail 3

An anchor lock-on function has also been added. If paired with Lee's precise calculational prowess, it is possible to rapidly mark and track different enemies.

Document Detail 4

In any case, Lee's newer model was designed to prioritize reinforcing its calculation module's efficiency. Because of this, Lee could currently calculate even the most intricate data down to just microseconds.

Document Detail 5

Lee's manufacturing abilities as well as repairing abilities have immensely blossomed—he successfully remodeled a Structure once.

Document Detail 6

Lee once made a miniature robot for the Commander. Moreover, the said robot is being updated every single day. It's said that the Gray Raven's Commander has been using the robot's alarm function to wake up on time.[2]

Rumors and Secrets

Secret 1 Highly sensitive when it comes to numbers.

Secret 2 He insists that there is a problem with the model's automatic heat energy circulation system. However, there aren't any signs of a request to get it fixed.

Secret 3 Lee's win rate against Kamui in a verbal argument is 50%.

Secret 4 His favorite color is blue. The color of his circulation fluid is also blue.

Secret 5 His hair quality is stiffer compared to other Structures.

Secret 6 Although Lee frequently gets requests for his contact details from female humans more than female Structures, he rejects all of them.

Secret 7 He is more knowledgeable about internal framework than external appearance.

Secret 8 Had a logical and objective conversation with the Commander about the functional importance of designing a Structure. The conversation also included the cushion on Bianca's chest.

Secret 9 Lee once did a research on Kamui's vocal device and was able to shut it down.

Secret 10 He has managed to develop and install a quasi-version of an Inverse Device in the robot he made.

Secret 11 He was almost forced to crossdress by Kamui and his friends after a certain incident[3], but Lee manages to avoid it.

Secret 12 Lee has the Commander's consent in turning his series of observations and comprehended material of the person in question into data and compiled them for safekeeping.

Spoken dialogue is different from the one that's written.

A callback reference to A Lee's Affection Story.

The incident in question happened in Main Story Chapter 11 (Nona Ouroboros)

[shai-manahan]

Hollowed Minds Progress Update 4/24/22

Happy Sunday, everyone!

I don’t remember when I last made a post like this, but here we are :) There’s really not much to announce but I’m pleased to tell you all that the revised Chapter 1 (with Owen’s route) has been sent out to my beta testers! I’m not promising a specific date for its release, although if all goes well and I manage to apply all feedback that are/will be given, it might be released in two or three weeks time. Meanwhile, I’ll probably post some answered prompts every now and then.

After the release, I’ll probably take it slow again and focus on making character profiles for the ROs (and for the other characters if I’m able to) before proceeding on writing Jade’s route for the same chapter. While doing that, I might also start adding some exclusive content on ko-fi, since I’ve been planning to resign from my current job (yeah turns out working 16-17 hrs for 6 days a week hasn’t been good for my eyes and, well, my overall health). Anyway, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop posting content in here so don’t feel pressured to subscribe if you’re unable to; I’ll just need something I can earn from (however small it may be) while I steadily recover because I can’t go for full time jobs right away. Plus, that’s assuming I’ll actually have the capacity to create meaningful content when that time arrives.

Oh, also! One of my testers suggested this, so by the next update, you’ll get a sort of notification in-game whenever the lore sections of the stats page get updated! There will be some very interesting details I’ll be putting in there, and I’m quite excited to let you all see them!

Looking back into my progress updates last year, I’m aware I kept getting everyone’s hopes up for a Chapter 2 update, so I’m still grateful that some of y’all remain patient to this day. I promise to do my best in making all the wait worth it!

[tanakavox]

A look into the multiverse chapter 8 SAOA

Many thanks to my friend friend @bssaz97 for his work on the reactions. And TheGoldenBoy2188 for the strict for SAOA making writing easy. The next reaction will be a suprise so stay tune.

Amidst the streets of Mantle, Whitley Schnee walked towards a destination while wearing a disguise consisting of a coat, scarf, shaded glasses, and a flat cap. He had a mission and he would not waste this opportunity!

It was not every day that he could simply leave the manor without Father's permission or notice so he needed to be quick but not noticeable. He had waited months for this day to arrive. Whitley had pre-ordered the latest MMO game of his favorite game series a week before the initial release date and had come to pick it up. Having connections in the right places certainly did have its benefits. The only downside was he had to acquire his prize somewhere outside of his father's notice. So what other place to go than Atlas's sister kingdom.

Outside of his notice, a young white haired faunus woman with sheep ears followed close behind him. Fiona Thyme was out picking up some food for the rest of the Happy Huntresses when she noticed an unfamiliar person walking around. She knew almost everyone on this side of Mantle, so a new person popping out of the blue was very suspicious. Normally she would have reported this back to Robyn but upon further inspection she recognized who this person was.

It was the sole son of the worst man on Remnant and the newly appointed heir of the Schnee Dust Company, Whitley Schnee! Why was he here in Mantle?! Fiona determined he was up to no good and decided to follow him. Wherever the SDC goes, trouble usually follows!

Whitley finally arrived at the destination he was seeking… the Post Office! Now all he had to do was open the door, enter the establishment aaaaaand- stare dumbfounded as the inside of this place was a theatre.

"What the-? This isn't the post office. Where am I?!" Whitley shouted at no one in particular.

"Ah-ha! Caught you right where I- Huh? Where the hell? This isn't the post office!" Fiona also dumbfounded.

"Whitley?" Both Weiss and Winter stated in a mix of shock and disbelief at seeing their little brother. Maybe some hostility on Weiss part.

"Weiss? Winter? How-?"

"What the hell is this?!" A loud female voice shouted as four more people arrived out of nowhere. Consisting of two normal sized humans, a bunny faunus and a very large man.

"Coco/Velvet/Fox/Yatsuhashi!" Teams RWBY and JNR said collectively.

"Oh hello everyone! This… is a surprise! When did you get to Vacuo?" Velvet asked the group.

Fiona turned towards the new strangers, "Vacuo? What are you talking about? You're all in Mantle?"

"I'm most certain we're in Vacuo at the time." Yatsu spoke.

"You are in neither at the moment." Ozpin spoke up.

"What the- Teach? Weren't you supposed to be dead?!" Coco confusingly points out.

"I believe an explanation is in order."

*One short but informative explanation later*

"Wait so we were brought here to watch… alternate realities?" Fiona says after she and all the new arrivals had been told everything about the theater.

"We call them viewings but yeah pretty much." Ruby said.

"Hold on, I can understand why all of you were brought here, seeing as you all are huntsmen and huntresses. But that doesn't explain why I'm here." Whitley, having taken off his disguise.

"A great question indeed." Weiss mutters.

"I think I have a theory." Blake stepped forward. "So far now, I've noticed that the people who are here have at least some involvement in the viewings that we have been seeing. Remember that one viewing we saw of Whitley being stuck inside a video game?"

"I was stuck in a video game?"

"Also if you die in the game you die for real." Nora added.

Whitley's eyes widened at the implications.

"Well you're still stuck as far as we know. But apparently you're very good at the game so you might be fine." Jaune clarifies. Slightly feeling guilty that his alternate is the one who traps him there.

"Oh joy, now I'm trapped inside a place against my will in two realities!" Whitley throws his hands in frustration.

"Oh boo hoo! Is the rich boy gonna cry because nothings going his way today?" Fiona says in a mocking tone.

"Oh I'm sure you would know so much about crying and complaining about trivial things, thief." He shot back at Fiona.

"At least I think about the people of Mantle! When was the last time you thought of someone outside of yourself, Schnee!" Fiona retorted.

Winter sensing that this conversation was going nowhere stepped in between her brother and the happy huntress.

"Enough! None of us came here by choice so let's just stop this pointless arguing and move on."

Fiona huffed, "I couldn't agree more." She stomped away from the two siblings and found herself a seat in the theater.

Winter sighed, "It may not be ideal but as long as you are here Whitley, I would just suggest sitting tight and wait until you or all of us are able to leave this place."

"Hmph, very well. Thank you sister, it almost sounds like you care." Whitley took his leave and found a seat that was about four seats away from Weiss's team.

"Isn't there anywhere else you want to sit," Weiss practically hisses.

"Oh but Weiss it's the only seat that's close enough to you." Whitley affirmed.

Weiss groans in frustration, 'Hopefully it's only for one viewing…'

An acoustic guitar plays in the background as a montage of the events of and post-Episode 1 appears on the screen and a narrator began to talk.

" A month had passed since that fateful day. When everyone's world got all twisted, leaving them stranded in a castle in the sky. Since then, 2000 poor souls came to an abrupt and tragic end. Some by bad luck, others by sheer stupidity. I mean, really. Why would you just stand in fire? Anyways, that didn't bother The Kid none. He only cared about one thing, and one thing alone. Himself. 'Cuz in a game of life or death, you either live... or you die."

The scene transitions to Shirou leaning against a wall with an annoyed look on his face.

"What?! Two thousand of the players have died already!" Ruby yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Not surprising, seeing as many of them looked weak last viewing." Cinder coolly replies.

Many huntsmen and huntresses glared at the red clad woman. She paid them no mind.

"Well thank you very much Narrator, you're doing a wonderful job of explaining the total death count of this video game prison." Whitley commented dryly.

"Oh, WOW. What brilliant insight! It's so deep it loops right back around to being stupid." Shirou snarked.

"The Kid ranted at no one, it slowly dawning just how alone he truly was" Narrator continued..

Whitley's eyes narrowed, "Am I being sassed by the narrator?"

"Maybe you said something to piss them off." Fiona added.

"Wait, what was that?" Shirou asks, shocked.

"He asked the sky, like a preacher to his silent gods."

"What gods? What are you talking about?! It's all bullshit metaphors with you!"

"He cried, not knowing the difference between a simile and a metaphor. The tininess of his brain dwarfed only by the tininess of his di-"

Whitley's eyes narrowed and face twitched at how much of an annoyance this narrator was being.

Weiss was doing her best to conceal her smile but was failing and breathes out a laugh. She was enjoying the exchange that her brother was going through and found it amusing. Her team gave her a side glance while Fiona and a few others laughed at the roast session the young Schnee was being given.

"Narrator off." Shirou commands the system with an annoyed tone.

"YOUCANSILENCEMEBUTYOUCAN'TSILENCETHETRU-" The narrator got cut off.

"Dick."

"Thank gods that's over, that narrator was extremely rude." Whitley sighed thankfully now that the narrator was silenced.

Weiss and Fiona grumbled that their fun was ruined.

Fade into December 2, 2022, on a strategy meeting led by man called Diabel. He gave a big smiled out to the crow

"Hey everyone. Thank you all for coming to our little powwow. Now, I know many of you may be discouraged by the fact that 2000 people have died so far."

" WHAT?!" A player screamed

" 2000 PEOPLE ARE DEAD?!" Another screamed.

"IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A MONTH YET!"

"OH MY GOD, WE REALLY ARE FUCKED!"

"Pretty much, sucks to be you!" Mercury laughed.

"These are the people that have to survive this game. Honestly what was blondie expecting," Emerald facepalms.

"Hey! Just because they've lost numbers doesn't mean that they have to lose hope!" Ruby glared at the two assassins.

"And I know even more of you are a little down because we haven't even cleared the First Floor yet." Diabel added, trying to keep the smile on his face.

"WE HAVEN'T?!"

"I THOUGHT WE WERE ALMOST DONE...!"

"You were saying." Cinder looked back at Ruby.

"Well…" Ruby trailed off, thinking of a way to defend these players.

Diabel's smile wavered

"Uh, you guys do know there are 100 Floors, right?"

"WHAT?!" A crowd of players yelled.

Diabels sighed a bit.

Ruby, despite her best attempts, also sighed and sat back down.

"Oh jeez, I am just making things worse. Point is, we found the Boss Room!"

The crowd gasps.

"Now, we've formulated a few strategies with some help from the beta testers-"

"BETA TESTERS?!" A voice yells out.

"Oh goddammit!" Diabel groaned argnily

A player named Kibaou jumps in.

Kibaou, what do you want? Diabel looked tired addressing this player.

"Beta testers? They're the reason we're stuck in this game!" Kibaoyu sneered

Many that heard this player's statement and quickly frowned at his blatant accusations towards these 'beta-testers.'

"This guy can't be serious, right?" Coco stated.

Dianel looked at Kibaou flatterausted at the stupidity of the statement he heard

"What?! Do you have any evidence to back that up?"

Kiabrou scoffed at the question. "Pfft! Evidence. I don't need no evidence. Isn't that right, Jesus?" He points to a player named "Jesus"

" It's pronounced "Hey-Zeus", and I don't know you."

"Wow, really selling your reasoning by having no one else to support your claim." Jaune stated while crossing his arms.

"Well, they still should have helped us newbies!" He exclaimed

"If I might interject...:" A deep voice called out.

A big muscular man gets up and comes to the stage.

Velvet taps Yatsu's arm excitedly, "Hey you're in this game too Yatsu! …oh gods you're in this game too."

"So it seems," Yatsu, doing his best to keep a straight face.

Coco lowered her shades along with a confused look. As far as she knew, Velvet was the only one who played video games on their team. Unless...

"And who the hell are you?!"

"I am known by many names.", "Closed eyed demon. The memory easer., "Hooked clawed tiger". But you? You may call me... "Velvet".

"Velvet huh? That's a... pretty masculine name." Kibaoru said adwarkley

"Shouldn't be. It's a woman's name." Velvet replied casually.

"Damn it. I had a feeling but I didn't want to be right." Coco cursed quietly while shaking her head.

"Wait, why would Yatsu have a character named after me? That doesn't- ...Oh ...oh my gods." Velvet's eyes widened at the implications, tears starting to build. That is until she felt a nudge on one of her shoulders. She turned her head and there was Yatsuhashi looking at Velvet with a gaze that said, 'It's not your fault.'

"Kay, I don't know how to talk to you."

"Good. Then you can shut up and listen. Does everyone here have this book in their inventory?"

" Yeah.

" Yes."

"Yup."

"Yeah."

" No... Wait, can I change my answer?"

Velvet/Yatsushi held up a book to show to everyone.

" This book is full of tips and strategies on how to survive this game, put together by the beta testers. Everyone read it, yet some people still died. The beta testers did everything they could."

"Yeah, that means Mace Hair has no reason to blame the beta testers!" Ruby points out.

Many of her friends nodded and Yastu's team smiled at the sound defense his alternate presented.

" Actually, I didn't read it." One player chimed up.

"Yeah, I didn't read it either."

"I skimmed it."

"OH COME ON!" Many members of the audience shouted in agitation.

"What? Didn't ANY of you read it?! It is literally a matter of life and death." Velvet exclaimed

"Well, dude. It's like 80 pages." A player pointed

"2000 people are dead!"

"THEY ARE?!"

"Again. These are the people that have to survive this game." Emerald reiterates.

Brief pause. Shirou looks shocked at their stupidity.

"I am so done with you people." Velvet mutters, walking off the stage.

" What do you mean "you people"?" A player asked a bit offended.

The Faunus in the room narrowed at their eyes at the implications made by that player.

"What do you mean, "you people"?" Fiona asks no one in particular.

Velvet and Kibaou take their seats.

Diabel continued with the meeting. "So, as Mister Hooked clawed tiger was saying, this book has some great strategies, including how to beat the First Boss, Illfang."

He clears his throat and starts reading from the guide.

"So as you enter the Boss Room, he's gonna throw wave after wave of disposable minions at you... and you must answer in kind."...?

"Uh, what?" A player asks, mirroring Diabel confusion.

Many in the audience reacted just as confused. All except Whitley, who had a good feeling where this was going.

Diabel continues

"Send the weaker players first. Good rule of thumb: If a player asks you for gold 2 seconds after meeting you, front lines."

"Ha, serves 'em right!" Kiaboru said with a laugh

"If they hijack conversations to rant about their political views, front lines."Diabel said with a smirk looking at Kiaboru.

Kibaou went pale. "Aw, shit."

"Ha! Serves you right!" Nora laughed.

"If they ask female players for pics of their boobs, front lines."

"OH BULLSHIT!" One player screamed out in rage.

"THAT'S DISCRIMINATION!" Another one howled.

"BOO!"

Many of the women in the theater frown at the way those players reacted. Winter was more than certain that those players were the type that participated in the mentioned acts the speaker spoke on.

Diabel smiles and waves them down. "Now, now, people. I think there are some valid points being made here. Now, it goes on to say when Illfang's health goes into the red, he's going to switch from his axe and buckler to something called a "Talwar". At that point we should initiate a strategy called "The Final Solution" and- I'm just gonna stop reading! Jesus, who wrote this thing?"

Shirou giggles evilly.

"Of course Whitley wrote that book." Weiss sighed.

"Why sister, it sounds like that didn't surprise you in the least." Whitley pretending to act hurt.

"Please. The manipulative tone of the text almost makes one sound too much like you." Weiss bit back.

"Well I suppose you would know." A wide smile on Whitley's face.

Weiss scoffs turning her head away from her traitorous brother.

Team R_BY and Winter watched the exchange and sighed.

"Okay, so the guide's a bust. But it'll be fine. I'll come up with a great plan for us." Diabel smiles at the crowed.

"Like what?"

" Well... we... could... Uh... Uhhhh... I'm open to suggestions."

"Woah, guys, we could- we could, you know, like, group up and-"

"And hit it 'til it DIES!" Another yelled finishing the other player sentence

"Woo, nice!"

"Yeah!"

" High five!"

The two hive five.

"Well. It's something, right?." Velvet does her best to be optimistic.

Many of the more experienced members of the theater shake their heads.

"That's... a good start. But let's hear some other suggestions."

"I'd like to hear more about this "Final Solution"." A player in a german accent piped up.

"Fuck it, group up." said Diabel said tirely.

Shirou slides down the seats towards a girl, named Fiona, who's on her own.

Fiona blinks in surprise, "Oh my gods, that's me! I'm in the game! Hey other me, stay away from the Schnee!"

"You have my condolences." Weiss says to the sheep faunus.

"So, why aren't, uh, you joining anyone's group?" Shirou asked.

"I have my reasons." She said mysterioly

" Is it because you're a girl?"

"No. It's because... I don't know how to play."

"Because you're a girl?"

Many of the females and males who enjoy video games, such as Yang, Ruby, Velvet, Nora,, Jaune, Oscar, Ren, surprisingly Mercury and Emerald, along with Fiona herself, threw questioning glares towards the current heir of the SDC. Weiss and Winter glared at him as well but for other reasons.

Whitley looks around to see all the glares directed towards him. "Why are you all looking at me? I said nothing."

"No!" Fiona snapped. "It's just... I don't know how to open the menu."

"What?" Both Fiona and Whitley asked.

"Jinx!" Nora shouts.

"What?!" Shriou looked at the girl in shock. "But you can't do anything in this game without the menu. How have you survived all month?"

Cut to Fiona holding a piece of bread. She is staring at it intensely. "HOW DO I EAT YOU?!" She screamed at it.

Many laughs were had at the poor girl's predicament, despite some of them doing their best to not do so but could not help themselves.

Fiona slowly sank into her chair, covering her face in shame. Her alternate was the utter definition of a newb player.

Back to the present.

"It's... been a challenge…" She muttered before looking at Shirou. "What about you? Why haven't you join the others?"

"Oh, lots of reasons. Mostly because they're a bunch of mouth-breathing neckbeards who think "LMAO" is how French people laugh."

" Ha ha, that's so Le Mao!" Said one player far away causing to Shirou shudder.

Whitley in the theater also shudders in disgust. If these were the people that he would have been surrounded by inside the game, then he too would have avoided them like a plague.

"Wow. You certainly... speak from the heart."

"Funny, I thought I was speaking from my mouth. But, eh, shows what I know about biology." He said with a smirk.

"No one else wanted you in their group, did they?"

"Shut up! It was mutual!"

"And who would blame me? Have you seen the players of this game? I'm honestly surprised they lived this long."

"You're just saying that 'cause no one wanted a smartass on their team." Fiona smirked.

"I'm sorry, were you speaking Menu Girl?" Whitley nonchalantly retorts.

Fiona's face grew red in embarrassment and agitation. She wanted nothing more than to raise her hand and activate her semblance right now. 'Give me a reason Schnee, I dare you.'

It cuts back to Diabel smiling and clapping his hands.

"Alright, looks like everyone's grouped up. Get plenty of rest tonight, people! We leave at noon!"

A player groans "Noon?"

"That's so early!"

Diabel sighs. "Alright. What about 1 o'clock?"

" Dude, come on!"

" God, fine! We leave at the crack of... 2:30, I guess. Lazy butts…"

"Christ, I'm gonna have to set my alarm."

Everyone in the theater did not have high expectations for these players as they would face their first challenge.

Cuts to December 3, 2022 Floor 1: Illfang's Tower, 7:30pm. Everyone's at the Boss Door and everyone except Diabel is exhausted.

"Okay, so there were a few more stairs than we realized. Apparently real life athletic ability translates into the game. Good to know." Diabel looked out to the sad sight in front of him.

"Oh, god. I can feel my lungs trying to kill me." One player whined.

" Is this sweat?!"

" I peed a little."

" Jesus, this is sad." Diabel said with a grimace.

One player vomits.

"Congrats Jaune, someone else has now become the new Vomit Boy of this viewing!" Yang exclaimed.

Jaune rolled his eyes at her attempt at making him feel better.

"Fuck it. Why don't you all just take a Cheetos and Mountain Dew break, and we'll reconvene in an hour."

1960 Batman-Esque transition with Cheetos and Mountain Dew.

" Dammit, guys! I was kidding! You weren't supposed to actually take an hour!" Dibal said in a rage."God, we've lost so much time. Let's just do this already! You all know the plan!"

Illfang jumps into the center of the room and roars. Kobolds pop in, and an error message pops up on the third one that says "Error: "Sentinel_ " not found."

Ruby and Nora laughed at the mob that got glitched.

"Alright, men!" Diabel began,"Form up and-"

"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" A player screams

The armies converge on each other.

"Are they serious! You can't just go gung-ho in a boss battle!" Jaune exclaimed at the increasingly apparent, dim-witted players.

"What?! No! Goddammit guys!" Diabel begins to bark out orders. "Squad B, quit attacking the Boss and keep the Sentinels off us! C, D, stop attacking from the front! Do you even know what "flank" means?! Squad F, for fuck's sake! Stop playing Bejeweled! *Groans* Squad G, get in there and help A and B!"

"Got it!" Shirou said with a nod rushing in.

"Don't talk back to…" Diabel did a double take."l Holy shit, really?!"

"How is Whitley the most sensible minded player in this game?!" Weiss asked.

"Weiss, have you seen the other players?" Blake asked her in a deadpanned tone.

"...Yes you're right, that's actually too much of an insult." Weiss admits.

Shirou attacks a Sentinel, leaving Fiona to finish it off.

"Okay, Fiona! What you're gonna wanna do here is-"

Fiona lets out a Battle Cry and kills the Sentinel in one hit.

Fiona in the theater perked up at this display, "Oh my- I can fight! Oh thank gods I can fight!"

Shirou eyes widened in shock "Wow, I thought she was hopeless, but her technique is flawless. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's even better than I-"

"Hey Shirou! I killed the thing and now it says I have XPs! Is that bad? Am I dying?! Fiona cried out to him in fear."

Shirou rolls his eyes"Or... maybe... not."

"Miss Fiona, either your alternate is very lucky or is very out of base with technology. I can't tell which it is." Whitley stated.

"Shut up Schnee, she's trying!" Fiona defends her other self.

Illfang's health drops into the red. He snarls at the players and he tosses his weapons.

"Alright, men! This last part's gonna take careful coordination…" Diabel ran towards Illfang. "which is why I'm just gonna do it myself!"

Diabel charges his weapon art. Illfang draws his Ōdachi.

Ruby's eyes widened, "OH NO!"

Shirou looked and saw the weapon and his eyes widened calling to Diabel. "Oh shit! Diabel, look out! That's not a Talwar! It's an Ōdachi!"

"What's the difference?!" Diabel ask still running towards Illfang.

"Well, a Talwar is of Indian descent while an Ōdachi is Japanese! While both are primarily slashing weapons, the Talwar was favored by cavalrymen, as opposed to an Ōdachi which was mainly used for dick measuring!" As Shirou is talking, Illfang starts jumping off the walls.

" What's your point?!" Diabel asked impaintely.

"Well if you let me finish, I was getting to that! You see…"

Diabel gets hit by Illfang, screaming in pain.

Many of the huntsmen and huntresses in the theater either gasped in fear or looked away at the surely doomed player.

"What's happening? Did I miss something?" Fox called out.

"Oops." Shirou sheepishly said.

Illfang hits Diabel again, sending him flying.

"DIABEL!" Kibaou yelled out.

Illfang pops down in front of Kibaou and roars. A message pops up "Bonus Item: Soiled Pants". Above Kibaou

"Hey, rare drop!' A player said cheerfully.

Mercury laughed at the joke while most of the others were disgusted by the fact that that achievement was unlockable.

Shirou runs over to Diabel and holds him up.

" I was trying to say an Ōdachi's a little bit longer than a Talwar, so it'll have more reach and do a bit more damage."

"And why couldn't you say that first?" Diabel asked weakly

"Yeah you dummy! You almost might've killed him!" Ruby cries out.

Whitley was actually taken aback by that statement. Sure he had moments of pride and arrogance, sometimes he looked down on people but he didn't believe he would ever intentionally kill someone.

" I like to think of myself as a teacher. Anyway, drink this."

Shirou tries to give Diabel a healing potion but he stopped Shirou shaking his head.

"No. It's better this way. I just can't do it anymore. I had such high hopes at first. But now? Our best player is a girl who thinks DPS is some kind of sex thing." Both turned to glance to Fiona.

"I know. It's weird, right?"

Fiona sulked more into her chair.

"You're clearly not like the rest of them. How do you stand it, Shirou? Where do you draw your strength?" Diabel look at Shirou like a sage.

Shirou sigh and drops his wisdom onto him. "I've been playing MMO's a long time, Diabel, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that lions do not concern himself with the opinions of sheep. Just take that little voice in your head that tells you to be tactful and understanding... and shoot it. Shoot it in the goddamn face."

" You are so wise. If only I'd met you sooner. Perhaps, things would have been different. You must lead them now. Show them this game can be beaten." Diabel let's go of Shirou wrist.

Weiss was taken aback that this man was actually willing to place trust in this alternate of her brother. This stranger who barely even knows him placed the lives of all the players into his hands. Much like how she tried to trust Whitley once… this caused a bitter frown to grow on her face in recollection. Even if this was a different version of him, it was still Whitley in her eyes.

Shirou smiles fondly at Diabel. "Another life... in another time... I think we could have been friends."

"I... doubt it." Diabel gasps out before turning to shattered glass, dying.

" Well fuck you, too!" Shirou said angrily his smile dropping into a frown.

Fiona slips in by Shirou's side and began to lay out a plan.

"Alright, Shirou. Here's what we'll do. One counters his blows to knock him off balance and the other switches in to attack. Rinse. Repeat. Victory."

Shirou looked at her with one eye. "You came up with that, but you can't open a menu."

"Shut up!" Fiona cried out.

Illfang roars and they take off running toward him.

"Alright, so you counter and I'll attack!" Shirou yelled to Fiona.

"What? No, it's my plan! I should attack!" Fiona yelled back.

"Fine, just get ready!"

Shirou makes a battle cry and counters Illfang's attack.

"SWITCH!"

Fiona moves in and gets her cloak destroyed by Illfang before attacking revealing white curly hair and sheep ears.

" See? You almost got yourself killed! I'll attack him!" Shirou yelled again and began to attack Illfang.

"Oh, that was a fluke, and you know it! He's mine!" Fiona yelled back.

Fiona attacks Illfang.

"Oh shit. They're actually giving that boss the work!" Coco called out.

"He's mine!" Shirou yelled.

Shirou blocks Illfang's next attack, but Fiona attacks him before Shirou can do so himself.:

"Mine!" Fiona screams

"NO! HE'S! MIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

Shirou slices Illfang and he explodes. Everyone is stunned. Lame party kazoo sound effect and a banner with the word "CONGRATULATION" appears.

"Yeah!" A player cheer.

This caused almost everyone in the audience to laugh. Despite the dark humor of it all, it was still pretty hilarious.

"What happened? Did they win?" Fox asks

"Oh yes, I'm sorry Fox! They beat the boss and a victory banner came out."

"...heh." Fox chuckled.

Shirou is panting. He gets an item as a reward for defeating the Boss.

"Congratulations!" Velvet said, patting him on the back. "That was even more impressive than that cat that learned to play."

Cut to a player with a cat's head, with another player staring at it.

"Meow."

"Huh what did you know?" Yang replied.

"Oh my god! You guys can see it too?! So I'm not crazy! Isn't that great, Jesus?!" We see things from the players' perceptive, with a giant hallucination of Jesus Christ looming over the crowd.

"That's right, Jeffrey. Now... kill them all." Jesus said, his voice growing darker.

"As you command, my Lord." Jeffrey whispered.

"Somethings very wrong with that guy." Qrow states.

"I honestly agree with you, Branwen… Blegh! That left a horrible taste in my mouth." Winter stated.

Cut back to Velvet talking to Shirou. The other players are applauding his victory.

"You've led us to victory, Shirou. These men and I will follow you to hell itself. Now... address your people." Velvet is smiling and pushing Shirou to the crowd.

Shirou gets up and smirks. "I always knew this day would come. Ahem. Fellow gamers! We have traveled far and up many stairs to get to this point. Fighting side by side, noobs, and leets, alike. I'd like to take a moment to say that I couldn't have done it without the help of each and every one of you."

"Aw, that's a nice thing to say-" Velvet was cut off when Shirou counties.

"Of course, I'm not a liar, so I'm not gonna say any of that."

"Oh shit."

"I thought as much." Weiss states.

Shirou grins look at the group. "I mean, really. I could've done this whole Boss Fight myself. But to be fair, I guess you did absorb a bit of damage for me, which was nice. You were an adequate meat shield, and no one can ever take that away from you."

"Fuck. Fuck! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Velvet started to say.

"So for those of you who came in late, and that one guy playing Bejeweled back there... shoot for the stars... it'll make it more fun when I kick you back into the dirt."

"You're not better than us!" Kiaboru said.

"Yeah! What makes you think you're so cool?!" Nora shouts to the screen.

Shirou equips the coat he got for beating Illfang and smugly looks at the group."My sweet-ass coat begs to differ."

"Dammit, he's got us there." one player muttered.

Shirou ascends the stairs out of the Boss Room. Fiona follows him and grabs him by the shoulder. "Shirou, wait!"

Those in the audience looked on at Fiona's alternate in hope. Surely she could turn him around after their excellent display of partnership.

"I want half." She said, staring at him blankly.

That hope was quickly squashed, shot at, and finally burned to death via gasoline and cracking a fire dust crystal.

Shirou turns to her confused. " I'm... sorry. What?!"

"I want half the coat. I did half the work, I should get half the coat." Fiona explain and extends her hand for him give it to her.

"No! It's not fabric I can cut! It's just a bunch of 1s and 0s!" Shirou was getting frustrated.

"Fine, then give me the 1s."

" Fuck you! I want the 1s!" He groans and open the menu. "I am not having this argument. I'm disolving this party." Shirou opens his menu and "Di-solves" their party.

"Shirou! If you walk away with my half of the coat, I will make your life a living hell!" Fiona screamed.

"You know what? Fine! I'll give you the damn coat! Just send me a trade request."

"A... what?"

Fiona's eyes widened as she watched from the theater, "No…"

Shirou grins viciously "Oh, it's quite simple really... Just open your menu." Shirou starts laughing maniacally as he walks out the doors as Fiona screams at him:"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" At him.

Outro Plays.

Fiona screams, "I can't believe the nerve of that-! GRAAAAH!"

"Can you please stop screaming! You're going to cause everyone's ears to bleed." Whitley said while using a handkerchief to rub his ears.

Fiona huffed then matched off, going to another place in the theater.

"Well that was interesting. So you all say there's other viewings where we see other worlds besides this one." Coco asked the group.

"Oh yeah, we've seen a couple worlds ourselves, but only a handful I'd say." Yang admits.

"Well as long as we're here, we might as well take time to catch up." Velvet smiled.

"Yeah, this will be great! It's almost like we're back at Beacon, right Weiss? ...Weiss?" Ruby looks beside her but noticed that her partner was not with them anymore.

In another side of the theater, the all three Schnee siblings stand together. Both of the youngest siblings look at Winter who brought them here.

Winter clears her throat, "I understand that there are some… tension between the three of us during this viewing. So I asked you both here so that we may come to terms with our situation."

Weiss scoffs, "Come to terms with him! I highly doubt that."

Whitley crosses his arms, "Yes it does seem like a lost cause Winter."

"Enough! Both of you!" Winter raised her voice causing both of her younger siblings to go rigid. "I'm not expecting you to get along or even apologize to each other at the moment. What I ask is if you two can at least act civil with one another while in the theater?"

Both Weiss and Whitley looked at each other and sneered at each other.

"Why of course I can be civil with Whitley. It is a virtue of a lady to be civil at all times." Weiss said with hidden venom.

"Quite true, but being civil is also a quality an heir of the Schnee family must cultivate as well. So I look forward to spending this immeasurable amount of time with you my sisters." Whitley said with his best presentable smile.

"Yes, how I enjoy us taking this time to reacquaint with each other." Weiss said while one of her eyes was twitching.

"Well then sister, shall we?" Whitley gestured for Weiss to go ahead of him. Almost would have been believable if one did not notice the glint in his eyes and his strained smile.

Winter watched as both Weiss and Whitley walked back to the auditorium where everyone else had remained.

"...This can only end badly."

Hope you enjoyed.

[roseyful]

Mars Red: Edge of the Nightmare - Review

Now, my Tumblr has been a bit quiet lately (been queuing a lot of things so then it wasn’t too quiet during my absence), but it has been for a good reason; last month I was approached [on my private twitter account] and asked if I would be able to playtest a game and write a review, and of course, being someone that enjoys games, especially those that follow an otome style, I had to say YES.

So its proud to say that after a while of playing the game, I finally get to write this review.

Now before I get into the game itself, I would like to take the moment to give appreciation to the team for being so helpful during my time of playtesting the game and before that, as not only would they let us know when there was an issue and the date had to be pushed back, they were so polite and helpful whenever I would run into a problem. That’s something you’d want to see in a gaming company and I’m so glad that my first experience with this company is one with positive results. I personally found no issues with the team themselves, and I do hope they keep this up after the release. Thank you favary for being so lovely and patient with me, and other beta testers.

Mars Red: Edge of The Nightmare was the game that they asked for me to play, however when I originally looked at their website, I couldn’t help but notice that the concept was originally one of a ‘Sound Theatre’, and while I couldn’t figure out what that was, I eventually was lead down a rabbit hole and ended up looking at the other things that Bun-O Fujisawa has worked in. Very interesting stuff, just like the game. However, it’s best to look at his other stuff in your own time.

Please note: I will be keeping this spoiler-free for the sake of letting people go in with no idea of what’s going on besides what I mention and on the website.

Story

The game is set in the early twentieth century in Japan, or better known as the Taisho, in which the website also says ‘[is] influenced by Romanticism’, in which vampires rule the night, as they could only feed off blood and those that stepped into the sun would surely die. Keen senses, incredible physical abilities, and yet they were still vulnerable. You see that very early on with the main character that we play as; Yutsufusa Yuki, a vampire whom became one against his will.

I will be honest, I did not like Yutsufusa when I first started playing, as I felt like he was a bit too willing to die, but that is something that you can overlook when you get further into the story. Yutsufusa is obviously one of the youngest in the group, due to the fact he wears the more ‘modern’ [at the time] clothing out of everyone, well, there is someone else who wears similar clothing but he’s human.

You control Yutsufusa throughout the game, influencing his voices and living his life through his eyes, him acting as the reader insert as you learn about the other characters and begin to grow a bond with them. While the story is a bit slow at first, it does start picking up around the middle-end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2 after you play the prologue, as you begin to assist “Code Zero” in their work to rid the world of vampires that wish to feast on humans..

Be mindful that there is an anime, however, Yutsufusa does not appear in it, as it focuses on the other main characters, so if you have watched the anime already be sure to remember that they’re either two separate timelines or different points in time. I do not want to confuse anyone with this.

The main cast is quite an interesting bunch, as it covers a wide range of personalities, and sometimes even time periods as you play through the game and unlock things; you might say you might learn a bit of history from it if you end up looking up some of the references I’ve found in the game. This is a great reflection on the idea of ‘immortality, and even has moments where said immortality leans into a few jokes (such as knowledge of birds).

If you’ve played games such as ‘Ikemen Revolution’, you may be familiar with the ticket system. Every day you’re allowed a certain amount of tickets to progress through the story, however, if you run out of tickets and you must read more, then you’re able to progress the story via using ‘amber’, the game’s currency that you can use for different functions. However, this is not needed, as every day your tickets will be replenished. I personally found myself not even needing to use my amber, as I would always wait for the next day. There are mini-stories that you can get if you finish a chapter within a certain amount of time, but I personally don’t find them to progress the story a lot after I read the first one I got. Then again I had other things to occupy my time while I wanted as well. If you wish to reread chapters, you get a bonus third option of currency; coins. Coins can be used to reread chapters in the place of amber or tickets, which means that you can grind out coins via the exploration option in order to see more options (looked at a bit later).

I personally found the story to be engaging, between the use of minigames (or investigations, covered a bit later), it broke up the reading with fun activities that progressed the story.

Is the game an Otome?

No! I was shocked as well when I saw the all-male cast since I was wondering if I was playing a boys love game, but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is actually a detective game. While it may carry the usual look of an otome, with the story and choices of how you speak influencing the endings of chapters, the game more feels like one of finding new friends and solving kick-ass investigations than finding romance. It’s refreshing.

This is especially true between the minigames in which helps influence the story that is all very unique in their own way and do not seem repetitive once you get into the flow of how they work.

Minigames

The minigames come forward in two forms; investigation, interrogation, and infer. Investigation sounds exactly how you’d expect, as you have to poke around and look at things, which you can review in a little notebook that sits in the top right of your screen in the case you need to review what you’ve looked at. When I was first launched into this section for the first time, I had a little trouble remembering exactly what I needed to look at (as I was given a set of things to tap), however, I do have to thank the team for thinking ahead and adding the option to be able to watch ads in order to see what you need to do. This was one of the two times I’d have to watch ads, as they don’t shove them in your face every few seconds like most mobile games do which is rather nice. Sometimes you gain information or items that you have to use later, so it’s a good idea to keep track of what you look at.

Interrogation acts as a question-based information gathering, in which you talk to NPCs in order to gather information to use in the investigation. Like Investigation, these points are put into your notebook for later.

Infer takes the first two investigation segments and combines the information, as you now get interrogated by one of the main characters, and you must respond back with the proper information in order to make sure that this segment is successful. You are able to read back on the notes from the other segments at this point by pressing the button with the book icon in the upper right corner, as this aids you in selecting the right answers. When I first came to this section, I did feel under pressure due to it, but it was interesting to see the negative answers from the character if I got it wrong.

Exploration is another part of the game, that while outside the story, there are parts that require a certain amount of story points in order to clear ‘point blocks’. This is where you get the coins from and frankly is good to use once you have finished using all your tickets for the day and want to use the rest of the time to grind coins. During the exploration, you set up 2 characters, a place, and a set [in real life] time of how long you want them to be out and about. Depending on the number of points earned, you may earn something called a ‘mummer’, which reveals more about the characters you chose to send out, and even get dialogue of the characters interactions (which can be pretty funny in itself) that shows the dynamic of the two characters- are they friends? Are things tense? You get to learn more by sending them out together.

Artstyle

As an artist, I was incredibly pleased with the art of the game, as the characters do not look the game, there are different body types and ages (from teen to elder), you never had to look at the same face twice for two characters. I will be honest, I do wish the characters were a bit more ‘animated’ with their expressions (such as body movement when they’re feeling certain emotions), however other than that, the sprites are magnificent.

The backgrounds are also really interesting to look at and even tell so much story before you even start investigating within the investigation sections. The design team also needs props, because while a few characters are wearing similar outfits, they’re all wearing them in different ways which shows their character and even the way they probably fight. Though I will say I am a bit biased towards Takeuchi, then again, I really enjoy fun and loud characters in general, and his hair is interesting in a sea of mostly black, purple, silver or blonde hair. Maybe will make a fanart of him in the future if I learn to draw his eyepiece. (on that note, please release the full sprites for us artists to reference, we’d love you eternally for it haha).

Oh no, it’s a-

Yes, its a bit of a gacha game, however, you do not need to actually play the gachas in order to progress through the game; it mostly just unlocks bits of story for those that want to have extra stories, or just want that extra dose of dopamine (haha, me). As someone who plays gacha games ever since they turned 13, I was glad that this game isn’t actually gacha centric, and thus is very free-to-play friendly due to this.

Who would I recommend this for and would I recommend it myself?

Personally, I think this is a game that suits the niche of those that enjoy a good mystery and even play those ‘find an item’ games, mixed in with those that enjoy reading otomes and history. Maybe even someone that enjoys theatre since there’s a character that does theatre. Would I personally recommend it? Yes, I would. The game is very interesting and engaging, the staff behind the game are so lovely.

Once more, here’s the game’s website link ❤️: https://marsred-game.net/en/

[aire101]

Ferrum Chapter 4

Hey y'all, got this chapter out a bit sooner than the last one!

For those who read the light novels of SAO this chapter will be kinda familiar, for those who have only watched the anime, this is the town where Kirito ran to after leaving Klein in Episode 1, and the quest where he got his Anneal Blade we see in the series.

Also, while I make no promises that it will make it into the story, I am open to suggestions on what kind of adventures or shenanigans you would like to see the boys get up to in SAO. As I've mentioned previously I don't really intend to get the boys mixed up too much in the main canon, so if there's an aspect of the SAO world in general you'd like to see explored outside of the main battles and Kirito's storyline I'm open to considering it. I'm also ok with interactions with known characters, just trying to avoid writing the whole Kirito centric Aincrad arc.

--------------

Activate-Vertical slash-hold

“Switch!”

1-2

“Switch!”

Defend-rage spike, upward strike—

“SWITCH!”

Peter fell back again, the post motion-delay that set in for a measly few seconds was nevertheless a highly vulnerable moment that he and Mr. Stark had figured out a work around for early on in their trek. The boars from Day 1 had been easy one hit kills, so they hadn’t noticed the system forced post-motion cool down period until they had been fighting on the road the next day. Their tag-team approach served them well, and best that Peter could tell from when they came upon other players in the wild, most of the rest had come to the same conclusion that they had. Because of that, it was unusual these days to find someone soloing in the pvp areas by choice.

Mr. Stark switched in with a strong horizontal slash, bringing the Little Nepenthe's HP down to zero.

“You know, I was never one for plants anyway, but after this quest I swear to god I will never put a single point into the gardening skill,” said Mr. Stark as he sheathed his sword.

“I’ve told you, green stuff is sadness and disappointment solidified,” replied Peter, following suit.

“I still expect you to eat your greens, kid.”

“It’s a tragedy, I tell you. Here we are, trapped in a fantasy game and every meal is still served with vegetables.”

“Yeah, that’s the real tragedy here.”

“I want my money back.”

“You weren’t even the one who bought the game. But either way, I’ll buy you every Playstation, X-Box, and Nintendo game ever in existence when we get back if you just never touch a full dive ever again,” said Mr. Stark, laughing.

And there’s Peter’s daily reminder that he still hadn’t informed Mr. Stark of the horrific truth of his situation.

“I think it’s time to call it a night, Underoos.”

“Is this quest even worth it? We’ve been out here for like three days weeding these things out. The drop rate on this thing is atrocious,” moaned Peter.

“From what our source says, this quest has one of the best weapons you can find on this floor as it’s reward. And while I’ve been funneling as many points as possible into weapon creation, its not quite where it needs to be to match that yet, so better to start with a good blade and just do the enhancement myself. Also, don’t think I didn’t notice that terrible pun, you should be ashamed.”

“Hey, there’s no shame in my pun game.”

Mr. Stark gave a deep sigh/groan before he turned and started walking back towards the direction of Horunka Village. He probably had rolled his eyes too, but it was impossible to tell through the helmet he always wore.

Night had long since fallen over Aincrad, and it had been dark in the forest even before that. Pale blue light slit through the trees overhead, lighting the path, but otherwise they made their way by memory and intuition. A breeze stirred up leaves from the ground, and Peter shivered slightly from the cool night air.

“Do you think its going to snow here in the winter?” asked Peter.

“If we’re all still here in the winter—which all signs point to yes— I think it will. We can see from the thunderstorm last week it has a functioning variable weather simulator. I wasn’t a part of that programing team obviously, so I don’t know for certain just how far that variable goes, but I would think the primary associated weather variations like rain, snow and heat waves will be included. It might also vary by floor. Probably won’t know the answer to that until we get a few floors opened up,” answered Mr. Stark.

“Huh… something to look forward to I guess,” said Peter.

“Why? You don’t get enough snow in Queens?” Mr. Stark said with a joking tone.

“Yeah, but you know in the real world I kinda have to be careful with the cold. My body temperature runs a bit cooler than the average, so unless I’m in the suit I try to keep exposure to a minimum. In here I can probably spend all day in it with out any trouble,” said Peter.

“I didn’t know that, actually,” said Mr. Stark, this time far more seriously. “You haven’t mentioned it, and I hadn’t thought about that at all.”

“Oh. Well, that built in heater and temperature regulator in the suit pretty much took care of the problem. It’s just something I have to keep in mind,” said Peter, awkwardly trying to cover his slip up. Obviously that had been a conversation they had some time after Mr. Stark’s last memory.

It had been almost two weeks since they had been locked in this game, and Peter was still no where close to figuring out how Mr Stark was even here. And he was equally no where closer to telling Mr. Stark the truth about the events in the real world— Thanos and the Infinity Stones, Mrs. Stark and Morgan, Mr. Stark’s death and Peter’s own—

“Anyway, we should definitely make a day of it once it does. I don’t know about you, but its been years since I built a snowman and I kinda want to change that,” said Peter, quickly diverting his thoughts.

“Sure, might as well. Not like we’re going anywhere fast in here. Though if you start singing Frozen songs I might reconsider.”

“You know, they’ve written out your entire life story in news articles and magazines, but they always leave out how much of a killjoy you are.”

“Whatever, kid. I’m the life of the party.”

“A retirement party, maybe.”

Mr. Stark threw the finger back over his shoulder at Peter and kept walking.

Peter was just just about to follow suit when out of the corner of his eye, the sight of polygons coalescing into a hazy form caught his attention.

It was obviously another Little Nepenthe, but above the typical hellish roots and vines and the bizarre, speckled pitcher plant topped with its gaping fanged mouth, was a large, blood red bloom.

Petter inhaled sharply, the sound causing Mr. Stark to spin around as well.

This was it. This is what they were looking for.

Before the creature could attack and he could second guess himself, Peter drew his sword and leapt in with a swift Horizontal Strike at the plant’s weak spot— the joint between the stalk and the pitcher.

The strike hit true, and before the evil hell plant got even a single chance to spew its corrosive liquids, it dissolved back into broken polygons, leaving behind nothing but the delicate flower holding the Ovule they had searched for.

“Whoa! You actually got one!”

Mr. Stark and Peter both spun around, swords raised. Behind them stood another player no older than Peter, with his arms now raised in a sign of surrender.

“Sorry! I was using my hide skill in here. It doesn’t really work on the Little Nepenthes, but it helps avoid other confrontations,” said the player.

Despite what they said, Peter took a good look around, searching for others. The timing and the seeming lack of a party giving good reason for concern. PKers lurking around valuable drop spots to attack and rob unsuspecting players of their loot wasn’t an uncommon thing in PvP games, and unfortunately not even a full two weeks in, SAO was no exception. In any other game, they may simply be considered griefers. But here, to the best of their knowledge it was nothing short of murder.

“Where’s the rest of your party?” asked Mr. Stark, not lowering his blade.

“Eh, I don’t really have one,” said the guy sheepishly

“Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe,” said Mr. Stark. “Kid, do you see anyone else? Or are they hidden as well?”

“Look, there’s really no one else, its just me. People in here don’t really like my type,” said the guy, with a sad note in his voice.

“Oh…” said Mr. Stark, voice now tinged more compassion than aggression. “You’re a beta tester, aren’t you kid?”

The guy flinched, but nodded. “Please, I promise I’m just doing some light grinding in the area. There’s no one else, and I already have the quest item.”

Mr. Stark didn’t sheath his sword, but he gave a nod and backed away.

“Alright, good luck then,” he said.

The other player nodded in return, turned and walked back into the woods.

“Pocket the ovule quick and keep an eye out. Don’t sheath your sword until we get back into town,” said Mr. Stark before he began running back in the direction of Horunka village.

Peter slipped the item into his inventory and easily kept pace with the other man. After a few minutes of running, Peter finally spoke up, “Do you think he was telling the truth? Pretty surprising he freely admitted to that. For all he knows we could have been Beta Killers.”

“If we had killed someone our player cursors would still be orange. It is unusual though. He must have figured it was worth the risk to try and get us to back off,” said Mr. Stark. “Poor kid, as if being stuck in this game wasn’t bad enough, having to hide a beta status from other players…”

Just as Mr. Stark had expected that first day, it didn’t take long before the terrified and angry masses started looking for someone to blame. And with Kayaba disappearing into the digital ether, apparently the scapegoats they chose were the 700 or so beta testers who had logged in with the rest that day. According to most pub talk, the beta testers had left the rest of the players in the dust of the Town of Beginnings, getting through the most lucrative quests and hunts before most even dared to leave the city. They were condemned as selfish and greedy, and were therefore persona non-gratis in most parties. Even worse were the stories of betas being outright murdered and monster PK’d. Out of the almost 1000 players who were already dead about two weeks in, around 150 had been beta testers. A staggering amount given how few of them there had been. Plenty had undoubtedly met their end due to the game itself, but many had ended up victims of angry mobs.

Peter didn’t understand it. Yeah, the beta testers had more info and experience than the rest, but they had shared much of that info on the internet before the game even began. Then after a few days in game, vendor markets began carrying a free SAO Guide booklet created by someone called ‘The Rat’, who had clearly made and circulated the original file Ned had uploaded to the Nervegear. Almost anything you could want to know was available. It was how they had learned of this quest in the first place.

“Hey Ferrum, why do people have to suck so bad?” asked Peter, mostly rhetorically.

“If I had the answer to that, I wouldn’t have been a weapons manufacturer.”

After a few minutes of running they finally crossed over into the town Safe Zone. Horunka was a small village, with only about ten buildings in all. One of which was the house of the NPC who gave the quest, and their current destination.

As they walked down the road towards the house, several parties milled about, clearly having just returned from their own hunts. A couple eyed the two of them as they walked through.

“Looks like someone finally managed to snag an ovule. Lucky bastards…” someone muttered.

“Who actually wears a helmet in this game?” said another.

“Yikes, imagine being stuck in here with your dad…”

Overhearing that last line caused Peter’s face to flush, which given its digital nature was just plain unfair. Did they have to be that thorough?

No bigger than the town was, they were soon standing in the living area of the house. The lady of the house whom they had met previously still stood stirring a pot of simmering liquid, her expression drawn and tired. The only thing that about her that gave her away as an NPC rather than a player was the exclamation mark hovering above her head in the place of a player cursor, indicating a quest in progress.

“Go on, kid,” said Mr. Stark, staying by the door.

Peter slowly approached. Even knowing that the woman was an NPC, it still felt rude to just barge into the house without invitation. He brought up is inventory and took out the ovule, handing it out to her to take.

Immediately her face brightened, and Peter couldn’t help but wonder just how developed the NPC AIs were. Were they simple rudimentary ones like most games? Or were they more like Mr. Stark’s AIs? Was she aware of what she was?

“Oh, thank you so much, kind swordsman! My daughter has only grown worse since we last spoke, I was beginning to worry she may not make it till your return,” she said, taking the ovule from my hand and adding it to the pot.

I saw my quest log update to the left of my view, but I was distracted by the sound of deep coughs coming from further in the house.

“Here, this blade has been passed down in my family for generations, but I gladly trade it in exchange for your aid saving my child’s life. Take it with my blessing,” said the lady, pulling a blade encased in a worn red sheath from an old trunk. With both hands she extended it out to me to take, a smile still on her lips, tears of gratitude sparkling in her eyes.

“Thank you,” said Peter, perhaps unnecessarily, but old habits die hard.

The lady nodded in response and went back to stirring the pot in the kitchen. The quest was complete.

In the center of his field of vision, Peter received a message declaring as much, along with one noting the EXP points gained.

“Alright, let’s head back to the inn and get some grub and call it a night,” said Mr. Stark, holding the door open for him.

Behind them the lady did not acknowledge them at all, but began carefully ladling the contents of the pot into a cup. Peter wondered if somewhere inside there really was a little NPC girl the lady tended to day in and day out, forever trying to alleviate an illness she was created to suffer through.

As Peter walked through the doorway out into the night, he thought back to Aunt May. Back to when he always seemed to catch whatever bug was going around at the time. She may not be the best cook, but one thing she had down pat was chicken noodle soup. She would stand over a pot in the kitchen just like the NPC had, cooking up a big batch that he could easily heat up through out the day when he felt up to eating. Their finances being what they were, she and Ben could not always get out of work so easily, if at all. They did their best to schedule their work so one could be there with him, but sometimes the overlap just wasn’t quite there. Fortunately, a little old lady all the apartment kids called Nana lived a couple doors down from them and was usually content to be on call for kids who needed it.

He wondered what Aunt May was doing right now. Was she sitting beside his hospital bed, holding his hand, but he couldn’t feel it? Were they literally in the same room with each other, but worlds apart? Would she talk to him like she used to when she thought he was sleeping, hoping against everything that he could somehow hear her? What would she say? They had only just started finding their new normal when this happened…

He looked down at this hands, but all he could feel was the weight of the sword he still held.

Tears came, unbidden and unwanted.

If that bastard was going to lock them in this prison, the least he could have done was not code in visual emotion effects.

“Awww… look at the little boy crying,” mocked one of the players outside the inn as they passed.

“Don’t be an asshole, Derrig. You cried for two days straight when this shit started,” said one of his party members, while slapping the offender on the back of the head.

“You ok, Peter?” asked Mr. Stark quietly. “I would offer to go beat the shit out of that guy, but not sure if its worth a duel.”

“No, don’t do that. I’m alright,” said Peter. “Let’s just get up to the room.”

“You go on up, I’ll order some dinner to be delivered,” said Mr. Stark.

Peter nodded. They pretty much always ate in a room so that Mr. Stark could remove his helmet. Occasionally Peter wished they could eat with the other players, just to visit with someone else for a change. This wasn’t one of those nights.

Once in their room, Peter quickly removed most of his gear, leaving only his breaches and his tunic. The sword he placed on the table.

Apparently the sword was called ‘Anneal Blade.’

Peter fell back into a chair, letting his head roll back, closing his eyes.

In the real world, he would undoubtedly be able to hear every conversation going on in the rooms around them, as well as whatever hubbub was going on in the main room downstairs. But in here there was naught but silence. It had taken him a bit to get used to not hearing literally everything going on around him. He hadn’t realized just how much noise he was used to constantly filtering through in his day to day life until it was completely removed. He had thought he would love not having to deal with his extra sensitive senses, but come to find out it was pretty anxiety inducing to have them taken away, like an extended bout of sensory deprivation.

If only he had never put on that Nervegear. If he had told Ned that maybe they should wait until the next round of production of SAO to get into the game, let them get the bugs worked out.

Except…

The door opened, and in came Mr. Stark and two plates of whatever today’s special was downstairs.

“They were pretty busy down there, so I just brought it up myself. Figured I’d listen in on a pub talk a minute and see if any news has been circulating,” Mr. Stark said, setting down the plates.

“Did you hear anything interesting?” asked Peter.

“Not much. But one group did mention that there were some rumors floating around about a Log-Out point in a forest west of the Town of Beginnings. No one going in has come out alive though, and the Rat has been trying to get word out that the information is false and didn’t come from her,” said Mr. Stark, sitting in the chair opposite.

“Ugh, that sucks,” said Peter. “What’s the point in starting a rumor like that anyway?”

“Some people get their kicks in screwed up ways, kid. It’s as simple as that.”

The lapsed into silence as they ate their meal. But eventually Peter noticed Mr. Stark looking up at him.

“What?” asked Peter.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Peter swallowed and shook his head, “Not much to talk about. Was just thinking about Aunt May.”

Mr. Stark nodded, “I’m not going to say she’s doing fine, because we both know that’s probably a lie. But I will say that she’s a strong woman, and I know as soon as we get out of here she will be right there waiting for you with some awful attempt at baked food and the world’s longest hug.”

Peter gave a laugh as tears began to spring up again.

“You’re definitely right. Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

“Look kid,” said Mr. Stark with a sigh. “I know you enjoy watching me squirm, but I would really appreciate it if you would switch to just ‘Tony.’ For one thing, there’s millions of Tonys in the world, but with the right info out there the name ‘Mr. Stark’ might become a bit suspicious eventually. We’ve just been calling me by my user name outside of our room, and that’s worked out alright, but eventually you might slip. And given my track record on secret identities, we should probably do everything possible to avoid scrutiny as long as possible.”

“Dude, you never had a secret identity. As soon as Iron Man became a thing you outed yourself on live television,” said Peter with a caustic tone.

“Whatever, my point still stands,” said Mr. Stark, waving off Peter’s remark.

“Does it though?”

“Yes, please, please start calling me Tony.”

“It really bugs you, doesn’t it?” asked Peter with a laugh. “Why?”

Honestly, when he asked he had expected Mr. Stark to blow off the question and change the subject. Because in the real world— back before the Decimation— every time they’d had this conversation and he had asked, that was ultimately what Mr. Stark did.

This time however, a tense silence met his question.

“Growing up, Howard was always ‘Mr. Stark.’”

There was a pause, as if he was unsure whether to continue, or how.

“Pretty much everyone on earth calls me ‘Mr. Stark.’ And that’s who they see— billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, wanna-be hero, narcissist, hedonist. That’s by design. It’s what everyone expected from me—being my father’s son— and I rose to the occasion. There’s only a handful of people who have gotten past ‘Mr. Stark’ and made it to ‘Tony.’ At this point, I’d like to think you’re one of them who has.”

Peter sat in quiet shock. Then slowly his heart filled up to the brim with something warm and sad, until he felt he could have burst.

There were a million things he felt, and only a few he could say. But only one he felt needed to be said right then.

“Ok… Tony. But I don’t want to hear you call yourself a wanna-be hero again. Because you are a hero. To everyone… but especially me.”

Tony didn’t reply for a moment, but eventually settled on a nod.

“Alright, deal,” Tony finally said, turning back to his food.

The got a few more bites in before Tony spoke again.

“I’m thinking of skipping on meals for a while. I’m kinda curious how long it takes to actually start feeling hungry in here.”

Peter looked at him confused, “What do you mean? You haven’t been hungry? Like at all?”

Tony blinked at him, “No, you mean you have?”

“Uh, yeah… several times a day usually.”

“Huh… maybe its because of your real world metabolism bleeding through. But no, haven’t felt it at all yet. Seems like a waste of Cor for me to buy meals if I haven’t actually been hungry,” said Tony, finishing up the last bite of his roast. “Not to say that its a wasted experience. They did a pretty remarkable job on this coding. But it would probably be better to save what money we can for now.”

Peter nodded, turning back to his own plate, but could only bring himself to push the food around a little, his stomach suddenly a bit queasy. Perhaps Tony was right, and it was just because of his RL body needs…

He’d talk to a few other players about their experience. Just to be sure.

“So, ‘Anneal Blade,’ huh?” said Tony, looking over the sword still laying on the table. He brought up its specs to analyze.

“Yeah, not exactly sure what the name is about. I mean, I know about the annealing process in biochemistry. I studied it a bit after the spider bite. But not sure how that would really apply to a sword,” said Peter.

“It was originally a process to remove impurities and harden iron for weapons. That’s where scientists originally pulled the term from that they used for the DNA process,” said Tony offhand, still reading through the sword’s numbers and looking it over in his hands. “The sword is as good as the guide implied. It should definitely hold up for you for a good while. Especially once I can start enhancements on it. Looks like we can attempt up to eight.”

“Does that mean we need to put a blacksmith’s forge on the shortlist?” asked Peter.

“Nah, I still have a few levels before we need to worry about that. Still, like I said, it is probably a good idea to start pinching pennies where we can. Jesus, I haven’t had to save money since that time my old man cut me off for a while back in college. This sucks.”

“Welcome to how the other 99.9% live,” said Peter, not an ounce of sympathy in his voice.

Tony shrugged, “Karma is definitely a bitch.”

“This isn’t karma. You’re just a spoiled brat.”

Tony stuck out his tongue, just like the mature adult he was.

Peter laughed, “Exactly. I’m calling it a night. We good to head out in the morning?”

“Yup, heading west from here to grind a bit on some of the higher level forest mobs. We’ll see where we end up after that.”

Peter nodded. Where ever they went and whatever they faced, they would do it together. They’d make it through this.

Even without his spider powers and Tony’s money, they were still Spider-man and Iron Man. Kayaba couldn’t take that away from them.

[osmw1]

Dimension Wave   Chapter 4—The Bright Fishing Idea

The first meal I had since coming to Dimension Wave was mackerel and herring. Alto got in contact with the girl who is leveling up her cooking skill and I had her grill some fish for me. It might seem like I’m bragging since I was the one who caught the fish, but they were big and delicious. I gave the girl 10 herrings as thanks. Alto was quite happy for the three herrings I gave him for introducing me to the girl. Perhaps herring is the key to friendship.

“You seem to be well-connected, Alto. Were you a beta tester?”

I recall that they were recruiting for the beta test.

“Nah, I haven’t played the beta at all. In fact, I think they intentionally accepting only a few people for it.”

According to Alto, it seems like they did indeed have a beta version of the game, but there were zero changes for the gold release. Not only that, but the company didn’t want beta characters to be mixed in new players, so everyone was reset to level 1.

“I see.” “I heard there was leaked content.” “Oh, I’ve heard about that too, though I don’t know the details.”

They say a beta tester leaked details about the game on an anonymous textboard, including content protected by the non-disclosure agreement. That’s what I read about at least, though I wasn’t there to witness it in real time.

“What kind of information was leaked?” “Pretty much everyone in the game knows about it, y’know? It’s basically about how Spirits are way underpowered. As far as I remember, though they can get unlimited skills, their stats are the lowest of all races.” “… you don’t know?” “Speaking of which, what race are you playing as? I haven’t seen any like your kind before.”

I take an awkward look at myself. From time to time, I’m half transparent. That’s one of the traits of Spirits.

“The exact Spirit we’re talking about. They seem pretty unusual, but I just learned that they’re not really strong.” “Oh, that’s it. So? What’s it like?” “Ehh. I’ve only been fishing up ‘til now, so I haven’t run into any difficulties so far.”

Since my status and Energy are one and the same, any slight mistake might put my life into jeopardy. If you think about it that way, you could say it’s pretty weak. It seems pretty well-suited for me if I’m just fishing or crafting in town, seeing how I don’t have to do anything to get more Energy or Mana. Well, I guess Dimension Wave focuses more on the combat aspects though.

“I see. Let me know if Spirits are easy to use. I don’t think many people are playing as one because of the leaks.” “Yeah, if I feel like it.” “Alrighty then, I’m gonna head off. Contact me if you have anything you want to trade with me, okay?” “Aye, aye.”

I respond to his wave with my own. After taking a bow, Alto sets off to find his next customer.

“Whew…”

I heave a sigh before opening my inventory to look at the fishing rod that I had Alto’s acquaintance make for me. Wooden Rod +2. It’s made from a flexible stick, silk line, and a copper fishhook. All of these things are from different places, so Alto must have run around quite a bit.

Though Alto says the +2 was merely incidental, I don’t think that’s the case. It’s probably more to do with the crafter’s skill and the quality of materials. When he showed me the stick, line, and hook, it already seemed like they were of nice quality, so I think I’m right.

It also costed me 700 serin, but it seems like it’d perform a lot better than the 600 serin Shoddy Rod. And since it was specially made for me, I’ll be extra careful not to let it get stolen away this time. Oh, isn’t it about time my Energy ticked up?

Name/ Kizuna†Exceed Race/ Spirit Energy/ 1,320 Mana/ 60 Serin/ 2,000

Skills/ Energy Production II, Mana Production II

Energy Production II → Energy Production III Generates 200 Energy per hour → Generates 400 Energy per hour Costs 50 Mana to upgrade

I’ve got enough Mana now, so I’ll upgrade my Energy Production to rank III. Give it another two hours, and I’ll take Fishing Mastery too.

“I’ve got an upgraded skill and rod plus a full stomach. Time for round two, I think… oh!”

A light bulb came on above my head. I know it’s an old cliché, but in any case, it’s a bright idea.

—The fish at night will probably be different than the ones at noon, right?

If I get pangs of hunger, then surely, I’ll get sleepy too. I can’t risk falling asleep while fishing. At the very least, I’ll take a cat nap at an inn. After deciding on that, I decided to report to my sisters.

I select “Chat” from my menu. Now that I think about it, I haven’t added them as friends yet. I type in “ Tsugumi†Exceed” and send them a chat. The game plays a dial tone like a telephone would. I have a feeling this is why Tsugumi mistook the chat to be a phone call before.

“Big Bro Kizuna? What’s up?” “Oh, I was just about to hit the sack. Figured I’d give you a call first.” “What, already? Isn’t it a little early?” “Nah, I was hoping to see if there’s a different between the fish during day and at night.” “Is that right? Okie dokie. I’ll let Big Sis know for you too then.” “’preciate it. How are things over at your end?” “ Mm, just fighting like normal.” “Hey… you alright?” “Ahaha. I’m being surrounded by five of them.” “Concentrate!”

Jeez!

I figuratively slam the receiver down. She’d do that too when we game together. We’d play an FPS together and she’d be chatting with Kanata. I’m in the game too, you know? I kept it to myself, but it ticked me off. What’s worse is that she’d top the scoreboard with the highest kill/death ratio. Thinking about it again, it was Tsugumi who got our passes for Dimension Wave. Being surrounded by five of anything would likely be nothing to her.

… I’m still not happy about it, but whatever. Time to look for an inn. I open up the map from the menu. There’s a few places marked with “ZZZ” here in town. I take a look at which of the five seem good. Well, this is a game after all, so there’s probably not a huge difference, but the prices differ. In the end, I chose the one in the middle of the pack that’s neither cheap nor expensive.

“—That will be 150 serin for one night’s stay,” says the lady who is seemingly the innkeeper.

I feel like I’ve heard her voice actress before somewhere. Handing over 150 serin rewarded me with a key. I head towards my room. It seems like you get to use the room for a full 24 hours too. That means I can catch some sleep and go shopping afterwards. I feel like I’m here on vacation.

In any case, I look around the inn. Looks like I’m the only one here. Well, today being the first day, it’d be rare for anyone to head to bed to early. Out of the five, this one seemed the most average. The walls in the cheapest inn were chipped and cracked. Why would anyone choose that, I wonder.

“This is it.”

I arrive at room 101—the same number marked on the key—and unlock the door. It’s a normal room. It’s quite a bit smaller than hotels in real life. I take a seat on the bed. It’s as soft as the bed in my room. To put it mildly, it’s not nearly plush enough to be a hotel bed. Well, it was only 150 serin to stay here.

“… let’s get some shut eye for now.”

I don’t feel right sleeping in my clothes and shoes. I put my shoes aside and take my clothes off. What was left was a little girl in her underwear.

—

———

—————

‘Well, nothing wrong with taking more off,’ the demon on my shoulder suggests.

Just to sate my curiosity, I tried to take my underwear off but to no avail. Well, the game’s not rated R after all, so there’s no way I can do anything lewd.

”Tsk.”

I half-jokingly click my tongue because it’s not like I actually wanted to do anything. It doesn’t really matter anyway and so I lie down as I had originally intended to. I pull up the blanket—again, just as warm as the one in my room—and closed my eyes.

I fall asleep right away as if I had taken sleeping pills. Perhaps they designed the game so that it’d be easy to fall asleep. I’d be quite happy if it were this easy in real life. My thoughts start drifting, and before I realized, my consciousness had drifted away too.

previously: /prologue/ /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /next/

(please support me on Patreon or Paypal)

(check out the other title I’m translating—written by the same author!)

[lastlookgames-blog]

It’s been a while...

Hello! I haven’t been posting on this as much as I wanted to lately (read... sorry for not posting for like 6 months). I figured I should write a quick (after writing this... quick can also apparently mean really long) update about what I have been working on.

First of all I still plan on developing the game I had previously mentioned called Patience 16. In preparation for that however, I decided to work on a smaller project called Toola’s Journey: A Wolf’s Tale.

Toola’s Journey is basically a book in digital form, currently only being released for android devices. Why only android? Because I feel that is the best medium for the game currently as it allows players to simply read the book whenever they have some free time, and it allows me to test it since I currently only own an android phone. At some point I may release it for IOS and/or PC ... but that will have to wait to see if I get any traction on android first.

I decided on this project originally because I wanted to make a simple game to get the basics of Unreal Engine 4 down before I really start working on a larger more complicated game. I started a couple of projects which I really couldn’t put my heart into or the mechanics just weren’t working... and then I remembered that I used to love writing. I decided lets make a game similar to choose your own adventure books!

Suffice it to say that there is a lot more work involved in something like that then I originally realized. It has also taken a lot longer than my original estimate. Happily enough though, I really freaking enjoy making it!

When starting a game like this you might think... just write a story, break it up into chunks, add a few options, put it into the engine, and VWALLA! You have yourself a game. That is certainly what I thought at least. What I hadn’t quite considered was how much more involved it can get... and that is admittedly because I am dead set on providing a complete story, that is fun and engaging, and one that provides as many considerations for people with varying needs as possible.

Here is a basic Idea of how my process has gone so far;

Step 1: Research if there is even any market for this kind of game on Android devices. Research wolves and fall back on my knowledge of fantasy settings to begin envisioning the general story concept.

Step 2: Create a basic flow chart for chapter 1 with minor ideas and plot points, the options presented with each page, and which options lead to which page.

Example:

Step 3: Write the actual story for those pages, long-form, in a word document.

Step 4: Begin developing the game. Create graphics. Figure out the engine and how to best create pages, add text to them, link them together.

Step 5: Realize that in order to do separate blocks of text that can be either bold, italic, or regular, and have them resized AND keep those properties, I need to create a custom font.

Example:

Step 6: Figure out how the heck to get it onto android devices. Also gather names of people I know to help test the game.

Step 7: Begin initial round of testing, getting everyone signed up for beta access and gather initial feedback on chapter 1.

Step 8: Research options for music and/or background audio effects. Determine that a mixture of music and ambient noise is a pretty good mix. Implement those into the game, and add settings options for audio volume.

Step 9: Set up bookmark system so that players can save their progress and return to it later, also correctly set up a new game and continue system.

Step 10: Continue to gather feedback, and based on that add in a button at the bottom of each page to view the previous page you were on so players can review what they read previously if necessary.

Step 11: Realized that testers have no great way to notify me of any spelling or story issues without having to reference specific text on a page. Implement a system that shows players what page they are on, so any feedback can be easily referenced and fixed by me.

Step 12: Initial feedback from some testers has been entered. They genuinely seem to enjoy the story, and are interested to see what comes next. With the basic premise having been accepted, and with knowledge that I can maybe write something that people will continue to enjoy, I can begin to write the rest of the chapters.

Step 13: Create flowcharts for chapters 2 & 3 the same way as chapter 1. These flow charts also contain the beginnings of choices that will affect what text or options will be displayed and available throughout the rest of the game. This is a new element which will help set the story apart from others, as well as add many fun options for players who want to re-read and try a different path in the game. Getting these functions working early will be necessary for further chapters.

Step 14: (This is the step I am currently on) Finish the flowcharts, and then write those pages into the word document. Put the story into the game, and create the system for showing or hiding text and saving variables for specific choices that will effect the story later. Begin doing some minor marketing and posts on social media to get some basic audience awareness of the product even existing and what it may be like.

In the future!:

Step 15: Realize that this story is quickly becoming something that would be an average length novel once completed, especially if players choose to play through at least 2 times to see the variations in choices. Become slightly disconcerted that this project will take a million years to finish.

Step 16: Shove all of the fears and worries deep down into a dark hole within myself and chug on!

Step 17: Finish the other 4 chapters! Contact various media outlets and personalities who may find the story interesting... pray that they actually have an android device.

Step 18: Add some art? If time or motivation or file size don’t allow for that... just release the game already...

Step 19: Wait while going insane to see if anyone is willing to actually PAY MONEY (GASP! HOW DARE THEY ASK FOR AN UPFRONT COST!?) for a complete game instead of having to deal with micro-transactions and adds.

TLDR; Maybe I am going about this all wrong and there are way simpler ways to get all of the things I want into this game, but there certainly is a lot of work involved in making any game... even a simple story game. Good thing I enjoy it so much! Thanks for reading!

http://www.lastlookgames.com/toolasjourneyawolfstale.html

[appleos11-blog]

11 Things You Ought to Know about I-OS 1 1

11 Things You Ought to Know about I-OS 1 1

I-OS 1-1 is available these days, either via iTunes or Settings > General > Software Update. I have spent the past couple of months recording it for "assume control of i-OS 1-1" -- that we've upgraded to version 1.1 to coincide with the state i-OS 1-1 launch.

If you were after tid-bits, you've probably seen articles we have been writing about i-OS 1 1, for example as "A Prairie HomeKit Companion: What is Coming at i-OS 1-1" (7 July 20 17), "ARKit: Augmented Reality for Over Gambling" (28 July 20 17), along with "i-OS 1 1 to B-ring don't Affect While Driving" (21 August 20 17).

Those articles hopefully whetted your appetite for i-OS 1 1, however until you pull on the cause, listed below are 11 things that you want to understand.

No1: Your favourite Programs Might Not Function -- Do not state you've not been warned! Adam Engst indicated this may possibly materialize in "Apple into Deprecate 32 bit i-OS Apps," (1-5 May 20 17) along with Marc Zeedar told you it'd in "The issue With Abandoned Programs," (17 July 20 17): programs which have never been upgraded to perform in 64 bit manner stay in your own device, nevertheless, you'll get an error message if you attempt to release them.

If you should be running i-OS 10.3.1 or after, assess Settings > General > Around > Programs to observe a set of that programs in your own device, if any, won't run under i-OS 1 1. For those who have a few critical ones on this list, visit whether there is an upgrade available, likely like a fresh program. Otherwise, postpone on i-OS 1 1 and soon you determine a remedy.

However, that you never need to be concerned about this tid-bits News program! As a result of Matt Neuburg, it needs to continue for many years ahead (see "tid-bits News Shows Just How an aged 32 bit i-OS App Becomes 64 bit," 16 May 20 17).

Notwo: Several Characteristics Are Missing -- Three main attributes that Apple guaranteed for i-OS 1 1 in WWDC are overlooking: Messages in I-Cloud, persontoperson Apple Purchase, and air-play two (watch "i-OS 1 1 Gets Smarter in Little methods," 5 June 20 17).

The theory behind Outlook in I-Cloud is that it is going to save your attachments and messages in I-Cloud (where's it storing them now?) , making sync more reliable. The feature was within previous betas, however, Apple removed it mid way through the cycle due to unspecified factors. In internal beta-tester records, Apple has pledged to make it back later, however the provider has said nothing regarding the average man or woman.

Personally, I had been skeptical about this feature, because it relied from the I-Cloud storage clauses and attachments to talk could possibly find big. No additional messaging service charges its clients because of such standard functionality, and possibly some one at Apple realized that it is moving too much.

Apple has additionally postponed person to person Apple Pay obligations. The idea is that you are able to utilize an iMessage program to send money right to someone else via Apple Pay. Earning money is going to be kept on an electronic Apple Pay Money Card. It is unsure what the hold up is, but of course say, financial products are somewhat complicated, therefore it's perhaps not entirely surprising.

Apple supported the delay at a media launch:

Anyhow this autumn having an upgrade to I-OS 1 1 along with watchOS 4, Apple Pay customers Will Have the Ability to send and receive cash from Family and Friends fast, easily and safely

Additionally, air play 2 is apparently overlooking. Apple says air-play two will allow you to manage recipients with your home program, output sound to multiple recipients, and also work more faithfully complete. But, in line with my own testing, in addition to AppleInsider's, it will not seem to get implemented nonetheless. Oddly enough, Apple does say air-play two at the programmer release notes to tvOS 1 1. Perhaps it's executed in tvOS, however, perhaps not i-OS? I guess we'll learn more if Apple starts the HomePod smart speaker.

We're as annoyed with the delay of those features because you can find, and I will upgrade "assume control of i-OS 1-1" the moment they are readily available.

No3: keep clear of New Photo and Video Formats -- automagically, i-OS 1 1 will capture videos and photos from the brand new HEIF and HEVC formats -- even supposing your apparatus has an a-10 Fusion processor or better. Which usually means that the i-phone 7 and after, and also the 20 17 I pad Guru models. Since Glenn Fleishman clarified in "HEVC and HEIF Can Make Video and Photos Cheaper" (30 June 20 17), those formats offer a plethora of advantages, most especially low file sizes, however they will have one huge disadvantage: an overall absence of compatibility across the business!

Windows computers can not read those formats yet. Nor can Apple products conducting operatingsystems until i-OS 1 1 and Mac-OS 10.13 High Sierra. Pictures I have recorded in HEIF on i-OS 1-1 cannot be viewed at full resolution once synced into some 10.12 Sierra-based Mac via I-Cloud Photo Library.

Besides I-Cloud Photo Library, this really should not be considered a big difficulty since imitating from Photos from i-OS 1 1 and High Sierra generates files from standard formats. Of course if it's a issue, you're still able to catch videos and images from the JPEG and H.2 64 formats at i-OS 1 1 when you go to Settings > Camera > Customize and selecting Most Compatible.

No4: control-center Is Crazy -- Among the largest shocks after installing i-OS 1 1 is going to be the brand new controlcenter. It's totally bonkers! It's really so different that I devote an whole chapter of "assume control of i-OS 1-1" for it. I really don't have the space to replicate it all here, but here are some quick tips and notes:

Controlcenter was paid off from a couple of pages from i-OS 10 to one page at i-OS 1 1. Which should lower any confusion.

Now you can customize control-center to some degree from Preferences > Control Center > Customize Controls. Most importantly, you may add a number of Apple-provided controllers -- it will not seem that independent programmers provides control-center buttons. And even though you can get rid of afew default option controls, many others have been adjusted: the networking Bar, the social press Bar, Orientation Lock, Don't Affect, Screen Mirroring, Brightness, and Volume.

Alter which Controls appear and in what sequence in Preferences > Control Center > Customize Controls.

I detect three of those recent controls are specially useful: Low Power Mode, Screen Recording, along with apple-tv Remote. Yes, there's currently an Apple television Remote at control-center, using no program setup demanded. It can be my only favorite i-OS 1-1 feature.

There are two strategies to govern control-center controls: press and tapon. Tapping usually triggers the controller, while pressing shows more options. You are able to test out every individual or simply browse my descriptions at "assume control of i-OS 1 1."

No5: way too long, Notification Center -- At a movement that seems obvious in hind sight, Apple has removed Notification Center at i-OS 1 1, incorporating its own functionality in to the lock display.

Here is the best way to access to notifications today. If your device is closed, the lock-screen shows just brand new notifications. To show notifications that are past, you may either swipe up on the lock display or swipe down from above the cover of the screen, just like though you were dragging down Notification Center.

If your device is unlocked, then swipe down from above the cover of the screen to show the lock display and most of your notifications. It will not actually lock your apparatus -- either push House or swipe up from below the base of the screen to come back to where you had been.

No6: I pad multi-tasking -- Apple dedicated to the I pad experience in i-OS 1 1, making it more specific interface features along with simplifying its own multitasking system.

The celebrity of this new multi tasking strategy could be your re designed Dock, that works and looks similar to the Mac Dock. It holds upto 1-5 programs and also has a section into the proper that displays recent and usually used programs. That is also where hand-off programs currently appear about the I pad.

You are able to invoke Slide On or Split View in lots of ways, however, it boils to dragging 1 program out of the Dock or Home screen on the other busy program. Therefore you can:

In a program, swipe up from beneath the bottom of the display to display the Dock. Grab a program icon from the Dock on the open program.

From the Home screen, start dragging any program icon, and then, with the other finger (perhaps in another hand), tap the program's icon to the Home screen or at the Dock to start that, then discard the first program.

Perform the exact activities starting on the search screen, or simply by shifting programs with the Command-Tab program switcher for those who own a keyboard attached.

If you lose the dragged program on the key window whenever it's revealing its perpendicular lozenge, it opens into Slide Over, then overlays the major app on the ideal side of this screen. Publish a Twist Over program to Split View by tapping upon the pub at the top of its own window.

But if you continue pulling that lozenge to either side or right border of this screen, the perspective changes to imply that falling it's going to start in Split View. It's amazing that now you can set the new program on each side.

There is so much going on with the I pad in i-OS 1 1 that I dedicated an whole chapter of "assume control of i-OS 1-1" for it.

No7: Immediate Notes -- When you've got an i-pad Guru running i-OS 1 1, you're able to tap on the lock display using an Apple Pencil to automatically produce a fresh note from the Notes program (the screen has to be alert, and I have found an additional tap can be necessary).

But you do not want an I-pad Guru and Apple Pencil to create an Instantaneous Note. If you put in the Notes button on get a grip on focus on almost any i-OS apparatus, you're able to tap the button to produce an Immediate Note as soon as your device is already locked!

You can correct Instant Notes' behaviour in Preferences > Notes > accessibility Notes out of Lock-screen. The default option is Always Produce New Notice, nevertheless, you may also place it to restart the previous note you worked on, which may be handy if you should be taking notes at a meeting or class.

#8: Explaining Immediate mark-up -- Each year, Apple introduces a few obscure group of features under one advertising term, that I need to find out how you can spell out. Immediate mark-up is the season's entrance.

The i-OS 1-1 release-notes mean that Immediate mark-up usually means that in the event that you tap an Apple Pencil into an I pad Guru, then you can markup anything is onscreen. That is incorrect, and again, that you never require an Apple Pencil.

As an alternative, Immediate mark-up features are sprinkled during i-OS 1 1. Listed below are a Couple of examples:

Have a screenshot by pressing on Sleep/Wake and Home. A thumbnail appears at the lower-left corner of this screen. Harness it to draw on it using mark up programs.

Open a photograph in Photos, tap Edit, tap the ellipsis button, and then tap Rename to draw onto a photograph.

In Safari, tap on the Share button, subsequently create PDF, and then your mark icon at the upper-right corner to indicate the page up for a PDF.

In I Books, tap on the mark icon whilst watching a PDF to indicate this up.

Do not misunderstand me -- it's amazing that this functionality can be found through the duration of i-OS now. It's only that Apple's promotion is somewhat misleading, and the way you get it's inconsistent.

No9: Emergency SOS -- This brand new iPhone-only feature is crucial, but you should be careful with it. Press the Sleep/Wake button twice in rapid sequence. You need to find three sliders: Turn to Power Away, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS. Do not touch with the Emergency SOS slider before you've finished reading this particular section!

To begin with, only by obtaining that screen, you've deactivated Touch ID (and possibly Face ID to the coming i-phone X). In most authorities, the law says that you are able to be forced to unlock a computer device having a fingerprint however, maybe not just a pass code. Bear this at heart, but bear in mind that police force and edge guards are able to get your life miserable if you will not extend a pass code (see "Obtaining Your Devices and Data On the U.S. Border," 14 April 20 17).

Since you can expect, the Slide into Power Away slider opens your i-phone off, and also the Medical ID slider displays your own health care ID, that it is possible to configure at medical program, at the health care ID view.

What exactly does that scary reddish radiator SOS slider perform? To begin with, it requires emergency services -- 9 11 at the USA. Once the decision has been completed or cancelled, then it automatically sends a text message into your emergency contacts and also stocks the local area using them.

Image

Listed here is the message that it sends in my iPhone 7 Plus. There does not Seem to be some means of changing it:

Emergency SOS Josh Centers has generated a crisis telephone. You're receiving this message as Josh has recorded you as a crisis telephone.

You set up your emergency contacts in Settings > Emergency SOS.

When it informs your emergency connections, it displays your own health care ID, presumably to help some other emergency responders.

Remember: five quick presses on this Sleep/Wake button can save your bacon. It's well worth trying it to remember to recognize what's included, but do not slip that Emergency SOS button till it is really a true catastrophe. We expect the feature will not cause a lot of calls.

#10: off-load Apps -- Apple continues to be stingy with storage space to i-OS apparatus, also it happens to be difficult to handle storage from i-OS. I-OS 1 1 improves the circumstance, as a result of some other storage control screen, that you may see in Settings > General > i-phone (or even I pad) Storage. It gives hints for a variety of issues you can perform or enable to conserve distance.

However, I would like to point out a certain fresh atmosphere, which may likewise be seen in Preferences > I tunes & App Stores: off-load un-used Programs. This setting automatically uninstalls proprietary programs, but keeps their own data. In the event that you later re install the program from the appstore, it's as if you have deleted it!

The single reason not to allow this particular setting will be should you have far more storage space as you will ever utilize. For the remainder of us, it might free up space free of probability of data loss.

#1-1: quick-start -- It is new i-phone season, also while installation isn't a terrific hardship, it's by far the most time-consuming portion to getting a fresh i-phone. For a long time, you've managed to prepare an appletv mechanically by setting an i-OS apparatus near it. You can now finally install i-OS 1 1 apparatus the exact same manner!

Consequently, for those who get a fresh iPhone 8 to just how, for example, I strongly suggest upgrading your existing i-phone into i-OS 1 1 until it arrives. Afterward, whenever you install your new iPhone, then you are going to save yourself from penetrating Apple ID credentials, wi fi passwords, and so on. Simply follow the on screen prompts at installation or have a look at the What is New chapter of "assume control of i-OS 1-1" for guidelines.

I trust you found these strategies along with emphasizes helpful, and checkout "assume control of i-OS 1-1" for even more i-OS information!

[williamjharwick]

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

To jog your memory, the Physical Product Experiment is a brand new venture for me. It’s super exciting, but it’s also something that could potentially fail (like with anything, I guess). But that’s why I am taking my time with it. I want to do it right, make sure I thoroughly test out the idea before releasing it into the public. I want it to be a success. I’ve never created a physical product before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Initially, the physical product I envisioned was a productivity calendar. But, as time passed and I did more research, that concept morphed into something different: a physical productivity calendar paired with a workbook, which interact with each other. And we’re not talking about a blank workbook here. The idea is that the calendar and workbook would be created with the goal of helping people achieve their specific, targeted goals.

For instance, during our validation and feedback part of the experiment (which is happening now; more on that below!), twenty-plus amazing volunteers signed up to test out the physical calendar and workbook prototype in their pursuit of achieving one specific goal they’ve expressed passion in pursuing: writing the draft of a book in ninety days. In exchange, the volunteers would share their feedback about the experience.

Down the road, the plan is to have a wide spectrum of 90-day goals for people to choose from, each goal with a specific roadmap for the user to follow. Since they are 90-day goals, this leaves time for people to achieve several goals throughout the year using the same productivity calendar and workbook!

But that’s down the road. One more immediate obstacle we’re facing in this experiment is the challenge of actually creating, manufacturing, and distributing a physical product. It’s a lot more complex and difficult than you’d think! Richie Norton, founder of Prouduct, reminded me of this in a recent episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (a must-listen episode if you’re thinking about creating a physical product).

Why We Beta Test

As I explained in Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will be receiving prototype calendar and workbooks soon. They’ve been patiently (thank you!) awaiting those packages as we iron out the kinks, but we’re happy to say now that we’ve started sending out the prototypes for the first round of beta testing!

Beta testing is really important for obvious reasons (see my book, Will It Fly?, for more reasons why). For a physical product, beta testing is even more crucial because we need to not only understand how people use the product, but also what people think about the overall design of the product and how it feels in their hands. The tactile experience users have is an aspect of beta testing that can’t be ignored.

So, we’ve been taking this physical product experiment very slowly. We want to make sure we do it right. There are a lot of costs involved, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to manufacturing. There are also still many unknowns in terms of how many of these productivity calendar-workbooks we’ll sell, which almost makes it feel like gambling in a way—when you have to pick a specific number of products to manufacture before you make your order. It feels risky. But that’s why we beta test—to get the best possible idea of how the product will perform once released into the wild.

Process Is Key

There are still a lot of things up in the air, but we’ve made progress. By the time this blog post goes live, the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will have already received a box that includes digitally-printed versions of the final calendar, workbook, and sticker set designs. The digitally-printed versions of the products are approximate representations of the final design, so they won’t be the final final in terms of product material, paper, and print quality.

The reason for this is we needed to meet our deadlines. In the research phase for this physical product experiment, we spoke with numerous experts who suggested we explore options, price points, and other details related to the shipping of the physical product. This ended up being overwhelming and time-consuming. So, because of this, our timeline shrunk, and we needed to move forward with digitally-printed versions in order to get the products into the hands of the beta testers so they can start testing the process.

This will enable the beta testers to kick off their 90-day draft writing project and provide feedback on the process of the product itself. The process is the most important, after all. The process is the guts of the product, what will make or break the success of the goal seeker, and we need to make sure that it’s as finely tuned as possible before we go public.

The final product materials, in terms of feel, is also important. But the more extensive feedback loop will take place in the process testing from the beta testers. So, at this point, even though we’d love to get feedback on the product materials, we’re just not there yet, and we needed to get the product into the hands of the beta testers in order to meet our November promotion and December shipping timeline goals.

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

In addition to sending the products to our beta testers, we’ll also share it in the Slack Community. The Slack Community is going to be really important, because this is how we’re going to collect feedback during the 90-day process. We chose Slack because it differs from Facebook, for example, in that it provides a bit more customization and offers more privacy.

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

Costs are going to be an interesting factor down the road. Placing a bulk order upfront is the plan, as I mentioned before, but how will we really know how many to order? The plan is to pre-sell. By pre-selling, we’ll get a more accurate understanding of the demand. It’s a way to validate the interest (see that validation thing again; it’s important!).

We also have to consider that there is potentially a four-to-six-week manufacturing and shipping process (thankfully, I have Richie and his Prouduct team helping manage the manufacturing process). And we’ll be working with another third-party company to help focus our efforts related to shipping.

Another cost factor (another one, yes) is, since there are multiple components to this product (calendar, workbook, stickers), additional steps are necessary, which translates to additional costs. We want to create an amazing product that’s reasonably priced, but to do that properly takes time and patience to ensure we have the steps in place—from shipping to manufacturing to materials—to get it done effectively and as cost-efficiently as possible.

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

As I explained in PPE #3, Atlas Press is the name for my new business unit within SPI that will produce a line of products, and we want the products themselves to have names that tie into the “atlas” theme (collection of maps, tables, and charts). So we chose a brand name that speaks to the journey the users will go through during the process:

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

The plan is to have different colors for different groups of goals. For example, there might be a goal related to fitness, which might be a certain-colored book, and a goal related to personal work-life balance, which would be marked as a different color. I really like the idea of this goal quest and having it be like an expedition, something that users will trek through, and that will take work, but by using the guides as your map, you can help find your way to the goal.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

The book is meant to tell a story while guiding people on their own journey in finding their way through writing their first book, and inspire them along the way. Right from the cover, we’re depicting the journey that this will be, using the topographic visual asset to imply discovery and exploration.

Knowing this could be a challenging endeavor for some, we wanted to make it easy on our readers to make their way through the pages, and always know where they stood in the process. So we designed very deliberate spreads to showcase progress with large typography denoting the milestones in sequence, and sprinkling words of wisdom to start each new chapter. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way from those who have achieved great things.

Additionally, throughout the story there are little breaks in the action where we ask our readers to pick up their pens and engage with the pages of the book. Here, again, we want our audience to know exactly when we are asking them to participate, so we designed specific call out box and workbox page styles to “guide” our users through their portion of the story. Throughout those sections in the workbook, we are using simple ruled lines, and plenty of them (in case someone has a lot to capture).

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

So, things are moving forward, just a little bit slower than we anticipated because of all the details about manufacturing and shipping and materials we had to nail down with the team over at Prouduct. But, that’s to be expected. We’re still learning as we’re putting the plan together. Working with Prouduct, a team with vast experience in these matters, makes a world of difference in helping me understand nuances I may not have seen or understood otherwise.

For instance, what’s the cover going to feel like? Not just look like, but feel like. What are the materials of the product? How do I want the users to react when they pick it up? What type of paper am I using on the inside? Should I add ribbons so people can keep track of where they’re at in the process? All of these details add to the overall user experience, and they’re necessary ingredients in building a successful product.

That’s the wonderful thing about working with a team like Prouduct. They know what they’re doing. Even though the process has slowed, and beta testers have had to wait a bit, we’ve been keeping them up-to-date on where things are are at so that they’re not getting overly anxious. For you beta testers, if you haven’t received your products yet, you will very soon!

In the next installment of the Physical Product Experiment, the beta testers will already have started the process, making progress on their goal of writing the first draft of a book! As things come along, I’ll share more with you and look forward to revealing some numbers in terms of costs, shipping, warehousing, and all the things that come along with something like this.

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping shared from David Homer’s Blog

[andrewmrudd79]

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

To jog your memory, the Physical Product Experiment is a brand new venture for me. It’s super exciting, but it’s also something that could potentially fail (like with anything, I guess). But that’s why I am taking my time with it. I want to do it right, make sure I thoroughly test out the idea before releasing it into the public. I want it to be a success. I’ve never created a physical product before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Initially, the physical product I envisioned was a productivity calendar. But, as time passed and I did more research, that concept morphed into something different: a physical productivity calendar paired with a workbook, which interact with each other. And we’re not talking about a blank workbook here. The idea is that the calendar and workbook would be created with the goal of helping people achieve their specific, targeted goals.

For instance, during our validation and feedback part of the experiment (which is happening now; more on that below!), twenty-plus amazing volunteers signed up to test out the physical calendar and workbook prototype in their pursuit of achieving one specific goal they’ve expressed passion in pursuing: writing the draft of a book in ninety days. In exchange, the volunteers would share their feedback about the experience.

Down the road, the plan is to have a wide spectrum of 90-day goals for people to choose from, each goal with a specific roadmap for the user to follow. Since they are 90-day goals, this leaves time for people to achieve several goals throughout the year using the same productivity calendar and workbook!

But that’s down the road. One more immediate obstacle we’re facing in this experiment is the challenge of actually creating, manufacturing, and distributing a physical product. It’s a lot more complex and difficult than you’d think! Richie Norton, founder of Prouduct, reminded me of this in a recent episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (a must-listen episode if you’re thinking about creating a physical product).

Why We Beta Test

As I explained in Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will be receiving prototype calendar and workbooks soon. They’ve been patiently (thank you!) awaiting those packages as we iron out the kinks, but we’re happy to say now that we’ve started sending out the prototypes for the first round of beta testing!

Beta testing is really important for obvious reasons (see my book, Will It Fly?, for more reasons why). For a physical product, beta testing is even more crucial because we need to not only understand how people use the product, but also what people think about the overall design of the product and how it feels in their hands. The tactile experience users have is an aspect of beta testing that can’t be ignored.

So, we’ve been taking this physical product experiment very slowly. We want to make sure we do it right. There are a lot of costs involved, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to manufacturing. There are also still many unknowns in terms of how many of these productivity calendar-workbooks we’ll sell, which almost makes it feel like gambling in a way—when you have to pick a specific number of products to manufacture before you make your order. It feels risky. But that’s why we beta test—to get the best possible idea of how the product will perform once released into the wild.

Process Is Key

There are still a lot of things up in the air, but we’ve made progress. By the time this blog post goes live, the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will have already received a box that includes digitally-printed versions of the final calendar, workbook, and sticker set designs. The digitally-printed versions of the products are approximate representations of the final design, so they won’t be the final final in terms of product material, paper, and print quality.

The reason for this is we needed to meet our deadlines. In the research phase for this physical product experiment, we spoke with numerous experts who suggested we explore options, price points, and other details related to the shipping of the physical product. This ended up being overwhelming and time-consuming. So, because of this, our timeline shrunk, and we needed to move forward with digitally-printed versions in order to get the products into the hands of the beta testers so they can start testing the process.

This will enable the beta testers to kick off their 90-day draft writing project and provide feedback on the process of the product itself. The process is the most important, after all. The process is the guts of the product, what will make or break the success of the goal seeker, and we need to make sure that it’s as finely tuned as possible before we go public.

The final product materials, in terms of feel, is also important. But the more extensive feedback loop will take place in the process testing from the beta testers. So, at this point, even though we’d love to get feedback on the product materials, we’re just not there yet, and we needed to get the product into the hands of the beta testers in order to meet our November promotion and December shipping timeline goals.

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

In addition to sending the products to our beta testers, we’ll also share it in the Slack Community. The Slack Community is going to be really important, because this is how we’re going to collect feedback during the 90-day process. We chose Slack because it differs from Facebook, for example, in that it provides a bit more customization and offers more privacy.

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

Costs are going to be an interesting factor down the road. Placing a bulk order upfront is the plan, as I mentioned before, but how will we really know how many to order? The plan is to pre-sell. By pre-selling, we’ll get a more accurate understanding of the demand. It’s a way to validate the interest (see that validation thing again; it’s important!).

We also have to consider that there is potentially a four-to-six-week manufacturing and shipping process (thankfully, I have Richie and his Prouduct team helping manage the manufacturing process). And we’ll be working with another third-party company to help focus our efforts related to shipping.

Another cost factor (another one, yes) is, since there are multiple components to this product (calendar, workbook, stickers), additional steps are necessary, which translates to additional costs. We want to create an amazing product that’s reasonably priced, but to do that properly takes time and patience to ensure we have the steps in place—from shipping to manufacturing to materials—to get it done effectively and as cost-efficiently as possible.

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

As I explained in PPE #3, Atlas Press is the name for my new business unit within SPI that will produce a line of products, and we want the products themselves to have names that tie into the “atlas” theme (collection of maps, tables, and charts). So we chose a brand name that speaks to the journey the users will go through during the process:

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

The plan is to have different colors for different groups of goals. For example, there might be a goal related to fitness, which might be a certain-colored book, and a goal related to personal work-life balance, which would be marked as a different color. I really like the idea of this goal quest and having it be like an expedition, something that users will trek through, and that will take work, but by using the guides as your map, you can help find your way to the goal.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

The book is meant to tell a story while guiding people on their own journey in finding their way through writing their first book, and inspire them along the way. Right from the cover, we’re depicting the journey that this will be, using the topographic visual asset to imply discovery and exploration.

Knowing this could be a challenging endeavor for some, we wanted to make it easy on our readers to make their way through the pages, and always know where they stood in the process. So we designed very deliberate spreads to showcase progress with large typography denoting the milestones in sequence, and sprinkling words of wisdom to start each new chapter. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way from those who have achieved great things.

Additionally, throughout the story there are little breaks in the action where we ask our readers to pick up their pens and engage with the pages of the book. Here, again, we want our audience to know exactly when we are asking them to participate, so we designed specific call out box and workbox page styles to “guide” our users through their portion of the story. Throughout those sections in the workbook, we are using simple ruled lines, and plenty of them (in case someone has a lot to capture).

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

So, things are moving forward, just a little bit slower than we anticipated because of all the details about manufacturing and shipping and materials we had to nail down with the team over at Prouduct. But, that’s to be expected. We’re still learning as we’re putting the plan together. Working with Prouduct, a team with vast experience in these matters, makes a world of difference in helping me understand nuances I may not have seen or understood otherwise.

For instance, what’s the cover going to feel like? Not just look like, but feel like. What are the materials of the product? How do I want the users to react when they pick it up? What type of paper am I using on the inside? Should I add ribbons so people can keep track of where they’re at in the process? All of these details add to the overall user experience, and they’re necessary ingredients in building a successful product.

That’s the wonderful thing about working with a team like Prouduct. They know what they’re doing. Even though the process has slowed, and beta testers have had to wait a bit, we’ve been keeping them up-to-date on where things are are at so that they’re not getting overly anxious. For you beta testers, if you haven’t received your products yet, you will very soon!

In the next installment of the Physical Product Experiment, the beta testers will already have started the process, making progress on their goal of writing the first draft of a book! As things come along, I’ll share more with you and look forward to revealing some numbers in terms of costs, shipping, warehousing, and all the things that come along with something like this.

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping originally posted at Homer’s Blog

[judithghernandez87]

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

To jog your memory, the Physical Product Experiment is a brand new venture for me. It’s super exciting, but it’s also something that could potentially fail (like with anything, I guess). But that’s why I am taking my time with it. I want to do it right, make sure I thoroughly test out the idea before releasing it into the public. I want it to be a success. I’ve never created a physical product before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Initially, the physical product I envisioned was a productivity calendar. But, as time passed and I did more research, that concept morphed into something different: a physical productivity calendar paired with a workbook, which interact with each other. And we’re not talking about a blank workbook here. The idea is that the calendar and workbook would be created with the goal of helping people achieve their specific, targeted goals.

For instance, during our validation and feedback part of the experiment (which is happening now; more on that below!), twenty-plus amazing volunteers signed up to test out the physical calendar and workbook prototype in their pursuit of achieving one specific goal they’ve expressed passion in pursuing: writing the draft of a book in ninety days. In exchange, the volunteers would share their feedback about the experience.

Down the road, the plan is to have a wide spectrum of 90-day goals for people to choose from, each goal with a specific roadmap for the user to follow. Since they are 90-day goals, this leaves time for people to achieve several goals throughout the year using the same productivity calendar and workbook!

But that’s down the road. One more immediate obstacle we’re facing in this experiment is the challenge of actually creating, manufacturing, and distributing a physical product. It’s a lot more complex and difficult than you’d think! Richie Norton, founder of Prouduct, reminded me of this in a recent episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (a must-listen episode if you’re thinking about creating a physical product).

Why We Beta Test

As I explained in Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will be receiving prototype calendar and workbooks soon. They’ve been patiently (thank you!) awaiting those packages as we iron out the kinks, but we’re happy to say now that we’ve started sending out the prototypes for the first round of beta testing!

Beta testing is really important for obvious reasons (see my book, Will It Fly?, for more reasons why). For a physical product, beta testing is even more crucial because we need to not only understand how people use the product, but also what people think about the overall design of the product and how it feels in their hands. The tactile experience users have is an aspect of beta testing that can’t be ignored.

So, we’ve been taking this physical product experiment very slowly. We want to make sure we do it right. There are a lot of costs involved, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to manufacturing. There are also still many unknowns in terms of how many of these productivity calendar-workbooks we’ll sell, which almost makes it feel like gambling in a way—when you have to pick a specific number of products to manufacture before you make your order. It feels risky. But that’s why we beta test—to get the best possible idea of how the product will perform once released into the wild.

Process Is Key

There are still a lot of things up in the air, but we’ve made progress. By the time this blog post goes live, the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will have already received a box that includes digitally-printed versions of the final calendar, workbook, and sticker set designs. The digitally-printed versions of the products are approximate representations of the final design, so they won’t be the final final in terms of product material, paper, and print quality.

The reason for this is we needed to meet our deadlines. In the research phase for this physical product experiment, we spoke with numerous experts who suggested we explore options, price points, and other details related to the shipping of the physical product. This ended up being overwhelming and time-consuming. So, because of this, our timeline shrunk, and we needed to move forward with digitally-printed versions in order to get the products into the hands of the beta testers so they can start testing the process.

This will enable the beta testers to kick off their 90-day draft writing project and provide feedback on the process of the product itself. The process is the most important, after all. The process is the guts of the product, what will make or break the success of the goal seeker, and we need to make sure that it’s as finely tuned as possible before we go public.

The final product materials, in terms of feel, is also important. But the more extensive feedback loop will take place in the process testing from the beta testers. So, at this point, even though we’d love to get feedback on the product materials, we’re just not there yet, and we needed to get the product into the hands of the beta testers in order to meet our November promotion and December shipping timeline goals.

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

In addition to sending the products to our beta testers, we’ll also share it in the Slack Community. The Slack Community is going to be really important, because this is how we’re going to collect feedback during the 90-day process. We chose Slack because it differs from Facebook, for example, in that it provides a bit more customization and offers more privacy.

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

Costs are going to be an interesting factor down the road. Placing a bulk order upfront is the plan, as I mentioned before, but how will we really know how many to order? The plan is to pre-sell. By pre-selling, we’ll get a more accurate understanding of the demand. It’s a way to validate the interest (see that validation thing again; it’s important!).

We also have to consider that there is potentially a four-to-six-week manufacturing and shipping process (thankfully, I have Richie and his Prouduct team helping manage the manufacturing process). And we’ll be working with another third-party company to help focus our efforts related to shipping.

Another cost factor (another one, yes) is, since there are multiple components to this product (calendar, workbook, stickers), additional steps are necessary, which translates to additional costs. We want to create an amazing product that’s reasonably priced, but to do that properly takes time and patience to ensure we have the steps in place—from shipping to manufacturing to materials—to get it done effectively and as cost-efficiently as possible.

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

As I explained in PPE #3, Atlas Press is the name for my new business unit within SPI that will produce a line of products, and we want the products themselves to have names that tie into the “atlas” theme (collection of maps, tables, and charts). So we chose a brand name that speaks to the journey the users will go through during the process:

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

The plan is to have different colors for different groups of goals. For example, there might be a goal related to fitness, which might be a certain-colored book, and a goal related to personal work-life balance, which would be marked as a different color. I really like the idea of this goal quest and having it be like an expedition, something that users will trek through, and that will take work, but by using the guides as your map, you can help find your way to the goal.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

The book is meant to tell a story while guiding people on their own journey in finding their way through writing their first book, and inspire them along the way. Right from the cover, we’re depicting the journey that this will be, using the topographic visual asset to imply discovery and exploration.

Knowing this could be a challenging endeavor for some, we wanted to make it easy on our readers to make their way through the pages, and always know where they stood in the process. So we designed very deliberate spreads to showcase progress with large typography denoting the milestones in sequence, and sprinkling words of wisdom to start each new chapter. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way from those who have achieved great things.

Additionally, throughout the story there are little breaks in the action where we ask our readers to pick up their pens and engage with the pages of the book. Here, again, we want our audience to know exactly when we are asking them to participate, so we designed specific call out box and workbox page styles to “guide” our users through their portion of the story. Throughout those sections in the workbook, we are using simple ruled lines, and plenty of them (in case someone has a lot to capture).

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

So, things are moving forward, just a little bit slower than we anticipated because of all the details about manufacturing and shipping and materials we had to nail down with the team over at Prouduct. But, that’s to be expected. We’re still learning as we’re putting the plan together. Working with Prouduct, a team with vast experience in these matters, makes a world of difference in helping me understand nuances I may not have seen or understood otherwise.

For instance, what’s the cover going to feel like? Not just look like, but feel like. What are the materials of the product? How do I want the users to react when they pick it up? What type of paper am I using on the inside? Should I add ribbons so people can keep track of where they’re at in the process? All of these details add to the overall user experience, and they’re necessary ingredients in building a successful product.

That’s the wonderful thing about working with a team like Prouduct. They know what they’re doing. Even though the process has slowed, and beta testers have had to wait a bit, we’ve been keeping them up-to-date on where things are are at so that they’re not getting overly anxious. For you beta testers, if you haven’t received your products yet, you will very soon!

In the next installment of the Physical Product Experiment, the beta testers will already have started the process, making progress on their goal of writing the first draft of a book! As things come along, I’ll share more with you and look forward to revealing some numbers in terms of costs, shipping, warehousing, and all the things that come along with something like this.

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping originally posted at Dave’s Blog

[davidmhomerjr]

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

To jog your memory, the Physical Product Experiment is a brand new venture for me. It’s super exciting, but it’s also something that could potentially fail (like with anything, I guess). But that’s why I am taking my time with it. I want to do it right, make sure I thoroughly test out the idea before releasing it into the public. I want it to be a success. I’ve never created a physical product before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Initially, the physical product I envisioned was a productivity calendar. But, as time passed and I did more research, that concept morphed into something different: a physical productivity calendar paired with a workbook, which interact with each other. And we’re not talking about a blank workbook here. The idea is that the calendar and workbook would be created with the goal of helping people achieve their specific, targeted goals.

For instance, during our validation and feedback part of the experiment (which is happening now; more on that below!), twenty-plus amazing volunteers signed up to test out the physical calendar and workbook prototype in their pursuit of achieving one specific goal they’ve expressed passion in pursuing: writing the draft of a book in ninety days. In exchange, the volunteers would share their feedback about the experience.

Down the road, the plan is to have a wide spectrum of 90-day goals for people to choose from, each goal with a specific roadmap for the user to follow. Since they are 90-day goals, this leaves time for people to achieve several goals throughout the year using the same productivity calendar and workbook!

But that’s down the road. One more immediate obstacle we’re facing in this experiment is the challenge of actually creating, manufacturing, and distributing a physical product. It’s a lot more complex and difficult than you’d think! Richie Norton, founder of Prouduct, reminded me of this in a recent episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (a must-listen episode if you’re thinking about creating a physical product).

Why We Beta Test

As I explained in Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will be receiving prototype calendar and workbooks soon. They’ve been patiently (thank you!) awaiting those packages as we iron out the kinks, but we’re happy to say now that we’ve started sending out the prototypes for the first round of beta testing!

Beta testing is really important for obvious reasons (see my book, Will It Fly?, for more reasons why). For a physical product, beta testing is even more crucial because we need to not only understand how people use the product, but also what people think about the overall design of the product and how it feels in their hands. The tactile experience users have is an aspect of beta testing that can’t be ignored.

So, we’ve been taking this physical product experiment very slowly. We want to make sure we do it right. There are a lot of costs involved, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to manufacturing. There are also still many unknowns in terms of how many of these productivity calendar-workbooks we’ll sell, which almost makes it feel like gambling in a way—when you have to pick a specific number of products to manufacture before you make your order. It feels risky. But that’s why we beta test—to get the best possible idea of how the product will perform once released into the wild.

Process Is Key

There are still a lot of things up in the air, but we’ve made progress. By the time this blog post goes live, the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will have already received a box that includes digitally-printed versions of the final calendar, workbook, and sticker set designs. The digitally-printed versions of the products are approximate representations of the final design, so they won’t be the final final in terms of product material, paper, and print quality.

The reason for this is we needed to meet our deadlines. In the research phase for this physical product experiment, we spoke with numerous experts who suggested we explore options, price points, and other details related to the shipping of the physical product. This ended up being overwhelming and time-consuming. So, because of this, our timeline shrunk, and we needed to move forward with digitally-printed versions in order to get the products into the hands of the beta testers so they can start testing the process.

This will enable the beta testers to kick off their 90-day draft writing project and provide feedback on the process of the product itself. The process is the most important, after all. The process is the guts of the product, what will make or break the success of the goal seeker, and we need to make sure that it’s as finely tuned as possible before we go public.

The final product materials, in terms of feel, is also important. But the more extensive feedback loop will take place in the process testing from the beta testers. So, at this point, even though we’d love to get feedback on the product materials, we’re just not there yet, and we needed to get the product into the hands of the beta testers in order to meet our November promotion and December shipping timeline goals.

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

In addition to sending the products to our beta testers, we’ll also share it in the Slack Community. The Slack Community is going to be really important, because this is how we’re going to collect feedback during the 90-day process. We chose Slack because it differs from Facebook, for example, in that it provides a bit more customization and offers more privacy.

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

Costs are going to be an interesting factor down the road. Placing a bulk order upfront is the plan, as I mentioned before, but how will we really know how many to order? The plan is to pre-sell. By pre-selling, we’ll get a more accurate understanding of the demand. It’s a way to validate the interest (see that validation thing again; it’s important!).

We also have to consider that there is potentially a four-to-six-week manufacturing and shipping process (thankfully, I have Richie and his Prouduct team helping manage the manufacturing process). And we’ll be working with another third-party company to help focus our efforts related to shipping.

Another cost factor (another one, yes) is, since there are multiple components to this product (calendar, workbook, stickers), additional steps are necessary, which translates to additional costs. We want to create an amazing product that’s reasonably priced, but to do that properly takes time and patience to ensure we have the steps in place—from shipping to manufacturing to materials—to get it done effectively and as cost-efficiently as possible.

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

As I explained in PPE #3, Atlas Press is the name for my new business unit within SPI that will produce a line of products, and we want the products themselves to have names that tie into the “atlas” theme (collection of maps, tables, and charts). So we chose a brand name that speaks to the journey the users will go through during the process:

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

The plan is to have different colors for different groups of goals. For example, there might be a goal related to fitness, which might be a certain-colored book, and a goal related to personal work-life balance, which would be marked as a different color. I really like the idea of this goal quest and having it be like an expedition, something that users will trek through, and that will take work, but by using the guides as your map, you can help find your way to the goal.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

The book is meant to tell a story while guiding people on their own journey in finding their way through writing their first book, and inspire them along the way. Right from the cover, we’re depicting the journey that this will be, using the topographic visual asset to imply discovery and exploration.

Knowing this could be a challenging endeavor for some, we wanted to make it easy on our readers to make their way through the pages, and always know where they stood in the process. So we designed very deliberate spreads to showcase progress with large typography denoting the milestones in sequence, and sprinkling words of wisdom to start each new chapter. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way from those who have achieved great things.

Additionally, throughout the story there are little breaks in the action where we ask our readers to pick up their pens and engage with the pages of the book. Here, again, we want our audience to know exactly when we are asking them to participate, so we designed specific call out box and workbox page styles to “guide” our users through their portion of the story. Throughout those sections in the workbook, we are using simple ruled lines, and plenty of them (in case someone has a lot to capture).

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

So, things are moving forward, just a little bit slower than we anticipated because of all the details about manufacturing and shipping and materials we had to nail down with the team over at Prouduct. But, that’s to be expected. We’re still learning as we’re putting the plan together. Working with Prouduct, a team with vast experience in these matters, makes a world of difference in helping me understand nuances I may not have seen or understood otherwise.

For instance, what’s the cover going to feel like? Not just look like, but feel like. What are the materials of the product? How do I want the users to react when they pick it up? What type of paper am I using on the inside? Should I add ribbons so people can keep track of where they’re at in the process? All of these details add to the overall user experience, and they’re necessary ingredients in building a successful product.

That’s the wonderful thing about working with a team like Prouduct. They know what they’re doing. Even though the process has slowed, and beta testers have had to wait a bit, we’ve been keeping them up-to-date on where things are are at so that they’re not getting overly anxious. For you beta testers, if you haven’t received your products yet, you will very soon!

In the next installment of the Physical Product Experiment, the beta testers will already have started the process, making progress on their goal of writing the first draft of a book! As things come along, I’ll share more with you and look forward to revealing some numbers in terms of costs, shipping, warehousing, and all the things that come along with something like this.

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.