itch.io

Yep, it's one of the possibilities you can end up with!

I accidentally hid the wrong files when I uploaded the 1.0.4a build so you might still have 1.0.3 (there was a different 21st scene, but there should be two now.) The right files are being displayed now, so if that's a case you'll have to redownload it. Sorry for the hassle!

Thanks for taking the time to write me! You aren't the only one who's brought up the first point to me. I have heard from a couple of other people that the writing is too expository at times. To be honest, the sections you've outlined have been rewritten a few times already to try and pare it down and make the conversation feel more natural, so I'm not quite sure what to do with them at this point. I will likely take another pass at them later if I feel like I have a better idea of how to approach them.

Regarding your other criticism, I can understand if it feels like it's too much, but Colby is approaching the situation as someone who doesn't have any idea about what life as a Deaf person is like and wants to learn more about it, and there is truthfully a lot to know, so I don't feel it's insulting to have it be such a dominant topic of discussion with Eli. I have also received comments from actual Deaf people or hearing people who are part of that culture via friends and family who were really appreciative over the way it's covered in FLW, so I don't really think it's much of a problem.

Heya, I put out an additional update to the patron build from 2 weeks ago so I wanted to give them a little bit of exclusivity time with it. The build will go up here soon!

Thank you! Things have been slowly getting better.

Thanks, Keo! ❤

Thanks so much! That made me realize I haven't updated that entire section since I launched the Patreon so I'm going to have to give it a once-over again.

Hmm, can you show me where the Patreon says one week? That was the case back in 2015-2016 during the VN's original run, but now it should be two weeks and I had thought I changed it everywhere it was listed. It's possible that I had missed a spot, so if you could tell me where to look so I can fix it, I'd appreciate it!

Never thought about it that way, but that certainly does put things into perspective, haha!

It exists in the same continuity; parts of Four-Letter Word chapter 2 are included in the visual novel, but everything else you can consider as a continuation.

Thank you, very kind of you, and yes, I absolutely intend to continue!

Haha, don't sweat it! And thanks! That was definitely what I was aiming for with the characters. I didn't want them to come off as too tropey and wanted them to feel like people you could meet in real life.

Aw, thanks, that's so great to hear! I'm really glad all that hard work showed throug, haha. And yes, Noah and Emil are both romance options, for sure.

Ahhh, wow, thanks so much! That's really kind of you say, and I'm really not sure if my work's deserving of that, but I absolutely appreciate it!

I have one, but it is a Patreon reward so I can't share it, sorry!

Sorry for taking so long to reply! Been kinda in the weeds lately, haha. Unfortunately, there are no plans at this moment for any of those characters to be dateable. It's possible that something NSFW could happen with Vaughn at some point, but that would probably be the extent of it.

Haha, thank you! Please do recommend it to anyone you think might enjoy it. More feedback is always appreciated!

Thanks! Hopefully it'll continue to live up to your expectations! I had made note of that bug in the v.0.1.1a changelog, but I haven't yet managed to iron it out, unfortunately.

Thank you! I'm so glad you stumbled upon this project. When I first created Emil, you were exactly the kind of person I wanted to reach with him. Your reaction to him was everything I could have hoped for. You have no idea how happy that makes me!

Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about your requests, however. Asher and Colby aren't self-insert characters, they are very much their own people and part of that is they will sometimes do or say things you might not. I understand it can be difficult to relate if they behave in a manner that is at complete odds with you, but drinking is already such an established thing with them that it can't be easily removed. Removing alcohol from the game entirely would also mean I'd have to remove Hugh, and that's not something I'd ever be willing to consider.

As for the language used, I can definitely sympathize with how difficult it must make it to read. Unfortunately, I have to make sure that it's enjoyable for my target demographic first and foremost. I've discussed this matter with my fellow VN creators and that seemed to be the consensus among them. On the bright side, while it may be tedious to have to look up words so frequently, you might learn a lot of new vocabulary in the process and your English may improve to the point where you don't have to look anything up anymore!

I hope these issues don't prove to be too much of a hurdle for you long-term, and that you can continue to stick with the VN. I apologize that I can't do more to accommodate you.

Thank you! Really happy with the positive reception Emil's been getting from this build. I had some concerns, given the subject matter, but it seems like he's been well received so far.

Thanks so much! One of my goals with the characters was not to rely on tropes and try to make them feel more like real people. Glad to hear that's working out for you!

Good to hear from more people who like Noah! He's been one of the less popular characters so far, so I sometimes wonder if I just didn't do a good enough job with him, haha.

You're not alone! He's definitely been one of the more popular boys (hence why he won quite a few Patreon polls back in the day and consequently had more scenes than the rest of the cast.)

Not at all! You've been a great help already with helping me find a few new instruments I fully intend to use in future tracks.

Okay, good to know!

Thanks! You're the best! ❤

Thank you! So glad you decided to give my VN a try and that you enjoyed it so much! If you think it's worth a 5-star rating, and it's not too much trouble, would you mind sending one my way? It really helps the game out with itch's algorithm to get more eyes on it, especially in these early days. Thanks!

Hmm, I'm not sure what I've done differently in that regard, if anything at all, haha. Was there an instance you recall where FLW behaved differently?

Oh, nice, there are a couple of instruments there that I've been trying to find for a while now, like electric piano and music box! The soft piano sounds nice, but I think I might want something a little less muted. Would you know of another alternative?

Yes, that's currently one of my long-term plans with the character sprites. You can read more details about that in my recent devlog. It's extremely unlikely that I'll be adjusting screen resolution further down the road, for reasons detailed in that devlog as well. For as much work as it would take now to uprez everything, it would be far more the more art assets would need to be changed. Instead of taking months, it might take half a year, and I'm really not interested in spending that much of my life doing nothing but scaling already completed images (and I doubt anyone would want to pay me to do that either.)

Oh, wow! I'm on my way to bed, so I can't really play around with these just yet, but I listened to the demos and they sound pretty great, actually! Can't wait to try them out, thanks so much for sending them my way!

That's a very generous offer, and one that I'll certainly have to consider! I'm just a little hesitant because I'm unsure if having just one real instrument might stand out too much, or if I'd be able to get you to provide parts for future compositions, and other logistical concerns. For now, I'm going to try out the VSTs you referred to me and feel it out from there.

You can reach me via e-mail (khommissions@gmail.com), FA notes, or on Discord (Kho#5295) if you need something more real-time. I can't promise I'll always be available even if my status is set to Online, but I do try to keep up with messages there when I'm able to.

Thank you, much appreciated! It's been wonderful having such a warm welcome to the site. Hope you continue to enjoy what I've got in store!

Yes, much better, thank you! Sorry for worrying all of you! I'm not sure if you've seen it yet or not, but there is a journal on my FA page explaining my absence in more detail.

I hear ya! The original intent was to try and make the player have to pay attention to it, but I can understand it can be a very frustrating thing to miss so I'll look into adjusting it in a future build. In the meantime, there is a sound effect that plays as well as the flash, so keep an ear for that if you're able to!

Thanks! Really glad it didn't disappoint. What a bummer that would have been, huh?

Haha, that's the plan, at least!

It's good to be back! Sorry for the wait!