Writefag here. I will try to shed some light on the current status of the script and project.
First of all, and I know I've said this before, I am deeply sorry for the lack of updates and progress on the script. It's no secret that something as small in scope as this VN could have been finished quite a while ago if I had a more consistent schedule and/or more drive to finish it, and it is purely through my laziness that things have reached this point. We all know what happens to image board projects that don't have dedicated people working on them (and even sometimes the ones that do), and I am sad to say that it happened to me.
That is, burnout. Getting a proper wage slave job last year has made time seem like it's standing still, and The Libbie VN is not the only long-term project that I have grown to neglect in 2022 and 2023. There is a particularly demanding video project that I am recording footage for, which is a collaboration with other people on a fairly large YouTube channel. That video idea still isn't finished, and there are other things I want to work on, so "going back" to the VN feels like the only decision I can make and yet the wrong decision. I have fallen victim to task paralysis (read: being a wishy-washy faggot) and have not committed to a steady schedule. My own struggles with pornography/internet addiction have contributed, as has some recent weight gain, although I have lost most of it once I realized how much it was affecting my mood and energy. While I have no desire to enlighten you as to my personal life, I can at least say that I was trying to make some pretty significant changes at the start of the year, and a guy I was planning to work with on improving myself has returned to his old habits and basically stopped caring about himself.
The Libbie VN also grew to be larger than I thought, even though I think I did a pretty good job accounting for its scope at the start of all this. The script for a simple 5-day VN that began as a shitpost is currently 30,500 words and 142 pages in my layout document. By the time I'm finished, it may be as large as an actual novel depending on how verbose the endings get. And as I have stated previously, it is not the only thing I do to be creative, nor is it the only thing competing for my time. After multiple years of chipping away at the project and devoting much spare time to it but not finishing it, I have reached the unenviable point where I know that the end is within my grasp because I know exactly how much work it would take to finish it and do a good job. This is where I have given up on many endeavors in my life, slain by thoughts of "yeah, I could get there if I wanted to" and the knowledge that the last 20% is harder than the 80% that came before it.
And that's just the script. The "game" parts are still a skeleton with placeholders where the puzzles should be, and each of those will need its own process of iteration and testing to ensure it's a meaningful challenge but not obtuse. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to ensure the game doesn't break.
With all this in context, I can say that the points in >>220183 and >>220186 about "someone else doing it" affecting my work ethic are completely untrue. I have often asked for suggestions, ideas, and other input in these threads and have gotten basically nothing after the initial brainstorming sessions. I am under no illusions about who will need to carry the brunt of the work: the VN can't exist without a script, and I'm the only one who's going to write and plan it.
>>220189 identifies some issues that do contribute to people on image boards getting burnt out (especially in an age where it's easier than ever to monetize what you create), but the "IT'S FUCKING DEAD BLARATARHGAH" attitude (echoed in >>220192; extremely organic, fellow anonymous user!) is far off the mark. I don't use image boards as religiously as I used to, but the spirit of anonymity you get here will ensure I always come back, even if it's just to call people faggots and niggers.
If the artfag could update us on what he has or has not been doing then I think it would be helpful too. The art is most of the reason I've continued writing, because God knows you could be doing something better with your time.
>>220165
Neat. Thanks.