What's What in Healslut

Sparkle looks to the hopeful horizon...

When I started working on this update post early last week I had just started to feel a little ill but didn't think too much on it. Unfortunately, the next four days it hit me pretty hard. It was not the "big sick" but a chronic stomach issue that I have to deal with periodically. And even though I was feeling very motivated to get things done (I am particularly excited about revealing the next "stage" of Sparkle's powers), I couldn't concentrate on anything at all for those four days due to discomfort and lethargy.

As of last Sunday evening I began to feel better. Monday was good, Tuesday was much better. Yesterday I feared a relapse in the afternoon but thankfully pulled out of it by the evening. Today has been great so far.

Now I know this is a lot more information than many of you care to hear but I want to let everyone know that this is just part of my life. There have been a couple times in the past where an update was lacking or late due to being ill but I refrained from using it as an excuse. But it's not an excuse, it's a condition of my life. And because it does effect my work, I will be very clear on this issue in the future.

All that said, let's get to the real news! One of my long-time and very appreciated supporters, r, posted a comment on the last bonus wallpaper with a few pertinent questions. I am very happy for it because it makes this update much easier to write!

What am I currently working on?

I am currently writing and composing scenes to finish up the night with your chosen RO(s). This includes Panki/Panki+Lel/Panki+Lel+Skylark, Kayden free-use, Roopah love/hate sexytimes, and the "no current romance" path. In addition, I am switching over to writing/rendering scenes for the next day where Sparkle will meet a game developer and subsequently receive a new (and hopefully fun and interesting!) power as a level-up. I don't want to give too much away about it but it involves... different perspectives.

What scenes or parts of the story am I struggling with?

To be honest, the details of the sexytimes stuff. A large part of writing compelling, exciting, and sexy content comes from my time spent in daydreams. Whether I'm going for a walk, lying in bed waiting to finally fall asleep, or doing the dishes: I'm always running story scenarios in my mind. But it's difficult for me to even consider that sort of content when I'm ill so I don't have as much "stored content" from daydreams as I'd really like right now for the sexytimes scenes.

What am I hoping to achieve with the upcoming update?

To finish out the night and get into the next morning far enough to start and finish one scene of Sparkle's newest ability. It may not sound like a lot but I'm confident everyone will understand once they experience it.

What is the estimated release date for the next update?

I'm hesitant to give a date. I always seem to end up in a stressful rush at the end no matter how much I plan and how many hours I put it. I think it's because I go "wide" with the options and the story when I have a lot of time and then I'm forced to quickly narrow everything back down again to prevent a lopsided update. As you probably know, it doesn't often work out well. I have a few things that I'm considering as far as managing the updates better but I'm open to opinions. What do you think about milestones? What if I broke things into "sprints" like programmers often do? What if I committed two weeks or a month to a certain path or romance option? What other things could I do to keep from going insane or burning out?

Anyway, to actually answer the question: I will have the update out next weekend. I'm trying not to worry about balancing content for the various paths and, for now, I have decided that whatever I have done will be what goes in. We'll see how that approach works and adjust from there. Of course if you all provide some good alternatives then I'm all for it!

So let's end this note on a good... note. I'm doing well now, feeling inspired and hopeful, and I'm enthusiastic about the future of Healslut! I am really looking forward to sharing the continuing story with everyone and hearing what you think and how you feel.

Thank you all for supporting the development of the game. I know I probably say it to the point where the words are being worn out, but I really truly honestly appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you so much.

And I hope you have a fun and frisky Friday!

Also you can download this 4k wallpaper in lossless PNG format here if you like: https://dizzy.works/healslut/promo-sparkle-horizon.png