175 Delayed Until Tomorrow, Apologies, Preview (Patreon)

Hi, everyone. 

I had two consecutive days of very slow writing on Monday and Tuesday. Nothing wrong with the chapter or me…actually, having nothing but static blah emerging from my brain for two days straight probably counts as something being wrong with me. Anyway, I was inexplicably slow despite doing all the things I usually do. 

Today, on the other hand, has been good. But I only just typed the last sentence of the first draft. Lately, polishing the first drafts and fleshing them out takes eight hours or so. They’re usually about three quarters of the finished length and full of some rough/rushed patches. Getting this one in its best shape by deadline would be really unlikely, even if I shoved everything else off my plate. So it will be coming out tomorrow instead.

As always, if your Patreon sub is ending today and a delay means you’ll miss the chapter, just send me a message. I’m happy to email it to you directly!

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Thank you all and sorry again. I’ll be working on the Royal Road post for a little while. Pretty excited that they’re getting to see Stuart shoot a bean tonight! And that chapter's in good shape, so it won't have many tweaks. Then working more on 175 before bed. See you tomorrow. 

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When tomorrow?

Probably around eighteen to twenty hours from now. Between now and the next time I see you, I need one hour for a super quick read of the Royal Road chapter, two for chores/shower/food/other, sevenish for sleeping, and eightish for the writing.

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As a meager apology and so nobody goes to sleep with nothing new, I offer the first (unrevised) page:

CHAPTER 175: Currently Untitled

“It will be Monday,” said Stuart. “You’ll walk with her and discuss what you want to achieve with her help, how you would like to do it, worries—the same things we talked about before you left but in more detail.”

“Monday,” Alden said. A whole weekend away, but his thoughts were whirring like Stuart had just told him he’d be teleported to the mind healer in the next two seconds.

“Are you kneeling by a toilet?”

Alden looked to his left. “Yes.”

“On your cushion?” Stuart was regarding him curiously. “And you were wearing Olorn Mom’s earring when you first answered…are you studying the toilet?”

Alden’s auriad was under his shirt, and he’d sent the books to System storage as soon as the call arrived, so it was true he had no other obvious learning materials. Still, dude…

“I’m not wasting your mom’s gift on the plumbing,” he said. “I was watching a science lecture.”

Before I started practicing my new flashlight spell.

“But why are you learning beside a toilet? Is it some kind of human custom?”

Alden grinned at him. “Yes. It symbolizes the removal of shitty ideas from our brains.”

Stuart nodded. “It’s a little unusual, from an Artonan perspective, but if it’s a custom—”

The sound of Alden’s laughter echoing through the bathroom cut him off.

Stuart gasped. “You liar!”

“It was a joke!”

“It’s too strange to be a joke!”

Alden finished cackling then leaned over to grab a wad of toilet paper and wipe his eyes. “I’m studying in here because it’s peaceful and private. There’s nothing that strange about it.”

Stuart’s face said he disagreed.

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