All public updates happen when the next patreon update comes out. I've been on a long camping trip this month, so I haven't been able to work on it but I'll get back to work as soon as possible.
Mikey Skye
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I would argue that while Lucas is sensitive, he is emotionally distant from others. He cares but he struggles to empathize with people and sometimes doesn't understand the weight of what he says. He's also a person who is very vulnerable to stress and often lashes out because of it. A big part of Lucas' character is that he doesn't actively seek help. In his route, Wallace is basically forced to be the proactive one in order to push Lucas into a safer environment for him both mentally and emotionally. You're definitely correct on his self-esteem though, he's dealing with some intense self-loathing and often regards himself as below those he deems as good people like Aure and Wallace.
I do agree about a lot of the previous stuff not being filler. Some of it has been setting up characterization and dynamics. You can afford more filler early on in your story so the reader can get used to the characters.
But even then, there are still some that could have been snipped down. We didn't entirely need to have.
For example, I don't really consider much of the latest Leigh build as filler. Maybe some of the dialogue with Charlie but most of that build's scenes served a purpose.
However, some scenes like Lucas explaining the book he's reading in an earlier scene of his route really didn't need to be there to that degree. We could have simply learned the basics of the book to infer that Lucas prefers reading stories for escapism.
My mentality about filler is scenes that don't serve a purpose. Even if a fun scene might be nice to read, if it doesn't serve a purpose it's cuttable. However, that scene might still be included because it serves a purpose tonally or for pacing reasons.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that you're excited for the next build! We'll hopefully be pumping these out each month. Leigh is definitely a great choice for a favorite, so I'm ecstatic you love him so much.
I love hearing about the parts you enjoyed, I really hope you'll enjoy how the story unfolds especially learning more about these characters I love.