400 Follower Present: Celeste Microfic | Schedule
about 1 year ago
– Sun, Sep 24, 2023 at 01:37:45 PM
As promised, here is the Celeste microfic for 400 followers! If we hit 450, I'll write one for Andrea, too!
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Celeste wasn’t always in love with the Monarch. She’s fairly certain of that. When the late King Terra assigned her as the Heir’s personal maid, she’d been over the moon, but just because it meant extra coin in her pocket. Her mother would be well-fed from then on.
When she first met the Heir, she’d been surprised. She’d seen them around, of course, walking behind their father, sitting at his side. Eating daintily during meals. She’d never heard them speak before.
That was the surprising thing. Their voice was so warm, so kind. As if they were speaking to their equal and not a servant.
They were observant, too. It only took three meetings before they asked, amused, “Why do you stare at the Advisor so?”
Celeste had been embarrassed for only a few moments before they’d laughed, one of a shared secret rather than mocking.
As soon as her feelings for Lune had been ousted between them, it was as if things changed. The Heir asked them endless questions about what she could possibly see in him, and she was happy to extol his virtues.
This led to her chatting about other things, like castle gossip, her annoying little brother, or her mother back home. About how she hadn’t been the same since father had died, and the only thing keeping her from wasting away were Celeste’s letters and coin.
Her pay doubled after that. The Heir never said anything about it, and Celeste had been afraid to ask, wondering if it was all some fever dream.
When the Heir became the Monarch, Celeste stood outside of their room for hours listening to them cry. She prayed and prayed that she’d be called in, that she could do something to help. But by the time they eventually called for her, for tea of all things, their eyes were dry and their expression firm. They didn’t speak of their father for a long time after.
Then they were nearly killed. Celeste hadn’t been able to wait outside that time. She’d cried, and clung, and in a burst of insanity, she’d kissed them.
She hadn’t even realized she’d wanted to. When she pulled back, they were staring at her with those wide, marbled eyes, blushing, flustered, like they’d just been kissed by someone who mattered and not a servant.
But that was just it.
She was a servant.
The Monarch called her name as she ran from the room, but she couldn’t look back.
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Would you play Celeste's route if she had one?
Writing Schedule
I also have an updated timeline for completion of the writing and programming.
2023
- October - Finish Aalam route second draft and send to beta testers
- November - Finish Sahi route second draft and send to beta testers
- December - Finish Lune route second draft and send to beta testers
2024
- January - Review feedback
- February - Implement feedback for Aalam's route, write final draft - send scripts to VAs
- March - Implement feedback for Sahi's route, write final draft - send scripts to VAs
- April - Implement feedback for Lune's route, write final draft - send scripts to VAs
- May - June - Additional coding, adding sound effects
- July - Implement voice
- August - September - Testing, VA retakes as necessary
Reward Schedule
Finishing the routes will be my priority. Once the writing is complete, I will put together the Digital Guide, then begin work on the Illuminated After Stories! I already have the basic overview of each story, I just need to outline and write them. After the after stories will be putting the lore book together. As the time for those draws closer, I will share a more concrete schedule so you can have an idea of when they will be finished. I'll be drawing the pinups during my weekly streams, so feel free to join!
The pinups will be distributed as soon as they're complete, but all other rewards will be released upon release of the game to avoid spoilers.
For those with the Design Your NPC reward, I will be reaching out during the testing phase in August 2024 to discuss your NPC and how you'd like to include them in the game.
The discord channel reward will be distributed as soon as the Kickstarter is complete and all pledges have been safely received.
Community Goals
Tumblr: 459/700 followers
7/20 fanworks
Wishlists: 429/1000
