Except for a few people who are intoxicated by this turmoil, I think that people all over the world are suffering from all kinds of anxiety.
So, how is everyone doing?

Depending on the country or region, this may be what can only be described as the worst period. But please try not to think negative thoughts, be as bold as possible, and focus on what is in front of you now.

Even if a bad thought crosses your mind, try to endure it for 15 minutes by playing a game, reading a book, drawing a picture, or listening to music, etc. Bad thoughts are like a storm that blows through your brain; if you just wait, they will subside.

So, for this progress report, let's start with these words from Hezatwand.

＊＊＊この投稿の日本語版はFanboxに掲載しています＊＊＊

I have to increase my running pace.

I won't go into deep political discussion here, but to summarise what I want to say simply, it's 「Oh, what a ****」.

This is a rehash of a phrase that was talked about in Japan 2 years ago, but... I feel like we are in a new pre-war era. Pandemic, stagnation, recession, inflation, civil war, invasion, large-scale population movements, justification of discrimination against minorities to let off steam. There are more than enough triggers now...

No, I think we are probably already in wartime. I can't help but sigh.

Looking at the world situation like this, I have a lot of thoughts. I have a lot of worries. But there is only so much that individuals can do. That said, I feel angry about being swallowed up by this huge wave. I don't want to stay silent.

So, as a creator, I have no choice but to shoot an arrow into this big wave with my work, isn't it?

I would like to complete and release WoY-R as soon as possible. I have to hurry!

Then, what's the current progress?

I think it's safe to say that the system is almost complete. I feel like there's room for improvement regarding the jukebox-like function, but I'll leave that for later.

As for the story, I feel like I'm about 30% done with writing. I'm currently working on finalising the details of the Holiday Ev template, and at the same time, I've started to build the main story.

I will do my best to release a new demo version that allows you to play the part that goes back and forth between [Weekdays and Holiday] at the end of February.

I am also working on adding more illustration materials. I've finished quite a few illustrations this month alone, including new character portraits, new costumes for existing characters, new background materials (well, it's getting tiring to draw the backgrounds one by one, so I'm relying on purchased 3D models and illustration materials), and illustrations for events, but it's still not enough...

I'm currently thinking about what to do with the portraits of Gathelzence the Great and Gugelazhesd. I'm really struggling with this. I think I'm going to have a hard time drawing portraits for these two...

And I've also created some new BGM, and increased the amount of sound effects.

There was a time when I was like a fool, seriously thinking about how to make beep sounds that are easy on the ears. That time was so much fun!

Might change the direction of the story a bit.

As I wrote in an article some time ago, the stories I create tend to be more about poking around in sore spots and provoking rather than warmly empathising with something or providing healing.

So, initially, I was thinking of making WoY-R about two things: The cunning elves beat up Ranjarma, who had rushed in without thinking, and train her to be a good lady] and [What is manna anyway?

But I'm starting to think about changing it a bit.

There's already a glimpse of that in the released demo version, but I'm trying to steer the story in the direction of [nomadic hobbits who have fled to the elven territory, pursued by a threat]. The 'main story' will focus on what position each race will take in the face of the new chaos that has appeared even though the chaos has just ended.

And how should Ranjarma, who lives on an isolated island isolated from the world, think, how should she act, and what aspirations should she have based on the occasional information she receives from the outside world? I want to make the process of thinking about these things Ranjarma's Story.

Also, as for the style of this game, I'm aiming for [Frhoidhanath and the others will get angry on your behalf, so...!] 

I'm planning to pick up a broader range of things rather than just the LGBTQIA+ tag, and develop '怨(en)'powerment.

— So, now I'm going to look for materials to give credibility to the resentful claims of Frhoidhanath, who has returned to the dark side!

That's all for this month, see you!