Well - I've written this story a number of ways, now. A book, a podcast, a Half Life level (where the visual novel backgrounds came from), and this, a try at a Visual Novel.

The truth is - I haven't even touched the material since March 2022. I'm bummed, because the design, as in, the script and the artwork for the forthcoming chapters is made, assets cobbled together, photoshop work done, characters and designs paid for for future people you'll never meet.

Maybe the story is destined to be a screenplay, short film or long. Maybe I'd make that, and submit it to a few film festivals as a script, and get not much back for the hundreds of hours work.

I think problems lie in a few areas:

*I never wanted to make a visual novel. I wanted to make a real game, but I didn't want to learn how to make games.

*Some of the actual people in the visual novel so far are aware of the existence of the work-in-progress visual novel, and either have zero interest in seeing it depicted, or they have forgotten this period of their life and they think I'm just writing new events using their likeness - maybe both.

*I have to wonder if a story where I'm the central figure, ie. telling a shared memory of a story strictly from my perspective, makes any sense or is worth time to anyone but me.

*Fake game names and artwork sucks, but I don't feel like getting sued.

*It's been more than 25 years since the events of the visual novel took place, and every day, their relevance lessens.

If you've played the visual novel, and happen to remember any of it - thank you! I've put forward steps to cancel the game. Be well.