G'day Folks,

Did you know that it's been 90 days since I made the itch page for The Game of Fourtune?  It seems like it wasn't that long ago but time sure is flying, but it feels great to see the game slowly growing, changing, and becoming more and more what I envisioned.  It's heartwarming really.

But you didn't come here to see me chat about that, you're here to learn more about what's to come next as well as get some details on today's spotlight character, Jade Emerson.  So let's get right to it!

So... Jade Emerson, he's certainly a memorable character if you ask me.  One of the more openly flirtatious characters and a bit obnoxious but I wouldn't say that he's necessarily a bad or evil character.  He's just someone that speaks his mind, has a goal in mind, and will be happy to chase after that goal without any fear.  I think that makes him one of the more realistic characters even if he's not particularly likable.

He shares a few of those attributes with a character like William who also tends to be overconfident and loud.  But Jade is actually a pretty sensible and smart guy, and he's no pushover either.  So if he's an ally he's somewhat reliable, and if he's an opponent he's someone that you have to watch out for.  But he definitely has many weaknesses that are exploitable to someone who knows how a guy like him operates.

The idea for Jade was that I wanted a character that was definitely annoying and perhaps rubbed people the wrong way but had a bit of charm to him.  I never really expect Jade to be a personal favorite for many people but I do think that he'll have many funny moments and many impactful moments that make him more than just the flirty guy that makes a pass at everyone.  Especially since Jade has a rather interesting backstory that I hope to show sooner or later.

He also is a great character to cause conflict, he can be competitive and serious in one moment, and jokey/flirty in another.  Some characters really are annoyed by him while others don't seem to mind him or even find his confidence somewhat endearing.  It especially helps since I want to avoid having groups of characters that feel too samey.  Adding in Jade usually provides a nice mix of conflict and stability depending on who he's around.

...He's just really funny to write for.  I cannot stress enough that whenever Jade is on the screen you can know I had fun writing whatever scene he happened to be in.  I think it's because I enjoy comic relief characters or 'loser' characters, even though I wouldn't say that Jade is a 'loser' he just has that vibe.  Kind of like Larry Butz, but like... a bit more competent.

(So not Larry)

Though one funny thing is that if I were to describe Jade's arcana ala Persona, he'd be the Lovers.  For multiple reasons, I think that it's very fitting.  You'll all see soon enough what I mean.

That's all for now, progress for the next route is going great.  I'd say I'm about 75% of the way done scripting it and will probably be able to playtest it sometime next week.  I want to add a few QoL changes as well, but the major thing I want to do is make the game playable on the web.  We'll see how easy it'll be!  But until then...

Good Luck and Good Fortune!