Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well😄 
I recently posted this update on Kickstarter; since it's public, I thought of sharing it on itchio as well!

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The Summer Solstice passed by in a flash, and sweltering July arrived in a blaze. 

In their starlit chambers, astronomers study the sky to announce the exact date of the aphelion—the point of our planet's orbit that is farthest away from the Sun. Rumor has it that on that day, the influence of the Triune Goddess wanes; the nobility revels in luxury without putting on a pious façade, leaving the Citadel for the shade of the Forester's Hide. 

Stretching between the river Valse and the city, the Forester's Hide is a vast woodland dotted with natural springs and pools. Its canopies give shelter to the rowdy boar, the laughing fox and the nocturnal dormouse—beasts to the peasant, but quarries to the nobles. The Hide is where they compete to prove their hunting prowess, returning with trophies to be devoured over a glass of wine or mounted on the wall.

Those that turn their eyes away from the hunt prefer to dance instead, with flowers in their hair and fur trimmed fineries; some chase love, others chase powerful alliances and political marriage.

What might bring the protagonist into this verdant realm of scheming and diplomacy?

The reeds that surround the creek shield you from sight with their gentle dance.

If you have romanced Alpheon in Shadow Bonds you might find the illustration above familiar, but there are some differences in the angle of his head and in the hand that cups his face, which brings me to...

Development progress

After a short break, character art and illustrations have picked up the pace again! Alongside new art, updates are being made to old pieces to have them fit the full game, like in the example above.

Most of the OST is done, with only some arrangements left, and the majority of the background art pieces have been completed as well. Woot woot 🎉 

When it comes to writing, this "Forester's Hide chapter" is a massive, branching monster of choices, consequences and some points of no return. I'm having a lot of fun working on it! The challenge is to keep the scope of this asset-heavy portion manageable (she says, already resigned to the fact that several characters will need a costume change).

Updated content warnings

The content warnings here and on the Steam page will have to be updated to reflect the previous chapters and the den of debauchery I'm currently writing. Here they are:

•  On screen: murder, suicide, blood, consensual discussion of sex, coarse language, legal prostitution, implied nudity, mind control;
•  Text only: consensual sex, public execution, gore, legal alcohol consumption, stalking, poisoning, torture, infanticide;
•  Mentioned/implied: kidnapping, domestic abuse, animal cruelty;

The game will not include sexual assault.

I wonder if a list like this would be enough, or perhaps it'd be better to be more detailed while still trying to keep spoilers to a minimum. Let me know if you have a strong preference for either way! 

And now, a palate cleanser...

...in the form of a sneak peek~ 

Alpheon, June's golden child, is featured in two of them this month 😉 I had to share more than one expression, so I turned it into a GIF (which looks better here than on Kickstarter!)

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Thank you for reading thus far! I'm so excited to share more of this world with you 😄

I'll see you in two months with the next public update which will be all about the game's sapphic options—Sylas and Marané! 
For now, toodles ✨