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Update From Howly (Khemia, Arches)
🕑 Added 2024-02-04 20:45:05 +0000 UTCHello everyone, howly here.
Since it’s been a while, and you might not know/remember who I am, I wrote Adastra, Arches, and I was one of the co-writers for Echo.
First of all let me start apologizing for the incredibly long silence on my part. Not much can excuse my absence during what was supposed to be Adastra’s comeback year, in terms of updating the novels. I also want to say thanks to all of you who have stuck around, still interested in the stories I write.
Khemia
Khemia is back in development, but it’s been slow due to those working on the VN having an extremely awful 2023. On top of that, Haps has been busy with a rather large workload. However, we now feel it’s possible to begin work in earnest again, and we should have the first build out in March. The opening of Khemia is going to get a moderate re-write, as themes originally meant for Khemia found their way into Arches, so while it won’t be all new, I hope the new ideas I have for the story are still exciting for you guys.
Arches
Arches will receive its final update at the end of this month. To keep its official release more neat and clean, I’ll put some thoughts I have about it here. To me, Arches is the most important story I’ve written, and now that there’s been some time for it to settle, I’m happy to say that it still means a lot to me. I loved writing it every time I was able, even though it was usually a fairly tense experience. Dev and Cam will always hold a special place in my heart. I do hope I can do more with them in the future, because writing their interactions felt more natural to me than any other couple I’ve written. And of course, it wouldn’t be a visual novel without the incredible artists and composer that worked on it, and I’m really proud of what we created. The entire team put their whole hearts into the novel, and it really shows.
I also want to thank the teams working on TSR and Glory Hounds for keeping up the fantastic, quality work. As for the final release, Arches will receive some general editing, along with a short story that might just continue a certain storyline a bit further.
Below is a very early WIP for said story, with art by the wonderful Paintfox.
Comments
James
i just completed all 3 VN's (or what's there so far) and i just gotta say, how do y'all do it ;-; waiting for good content is difficult- so y'all are troopers fsfs that being said, excellent work from the team!! i'm looking forward to reading more!
Chaz PilotWolf
Its been a while, is there any update on Khemia?
ABC
Hey, i don´t mean to be pushy, but could we get an update on the situation of Khemia? I understand life comes in the way of plans sometimes, and stuff happens, but we haven´t heard anything for a while, and i would like to know if it´s at least close to releasing?
Andrew
Can we expect the final update of Arches this summer at least?
Cody
I’m so pumped I’m new to this VN chain and I just finished Adastra and I’ve just like cried 🥲 can’t wait for Khemia to tie into the same story line and maybe get another VN after Khemia continuing the same universe 🥹🥹 I love this so far, I was suggested by a friend and now I’m hooked, you have got me as a patreon for a while now ahah, keep up the fantastic work.
LegS
Excited about the Arches update, as it is my fave VN from you!! Take as much time as you need to make it amazing! ^^
LLVPandaSevron
Keep up the great work and that goes double for feeling better
Andrew Hopt
Thank you for the update Howly and I'm really glad to hear you're feeling better! Very excited to see wherever the story of the Galaxias goes :) Is Interea finished, or will it be getting a rewrite of the end to fit better into Khemia's rewrite of the start? I'm showing Adastra to a few friends, they're excited about the series too :)
Tennet
So I very recently (like 3 days ago) decided to give Arches a shot after replaying Echo and... This was an INSANE ride of emotions. Echo is fantastic, but this... this is something different; a different experience that I think even surpasses Echo in some ways. Every single piece of media in this meshed incredibly well, from the sprites, to the backgrounds and illustrations, to the music and of course, the writing. Everyone did a phenomenal job here! I wish I could go back in time experience this again for the first time. I'm so looking forward to whatever else is in store from the team! That said, I'm glad to hear you're doing better, and keep up the incredible work! I'm gonna pick up TSR next.
Caguro
Thank you for the update, howly!! I'm just very happy to see you are in a relatively good place! Super excited to see what the future holds for Khemia and Echo Project as a whole <3
Raffie Foxmew
Thank you for this update Howly, it genuinely made my day too see this. I'm happy to hear you are also doing a little better. Your stories are wonderful and mean so much to me. Try not to doubt yourself too much. I believe in you :3!
PlzDontTagMe
Love your stories! Thank you for the updates!
FlurryBC
I'm reading this while watching Keith's play-through of Arches, having already played the game myself, I wanted to revisit it since it was so powerful. While I love Echo (though I've only done 2 routes due to my weak stomach) I can definitely see your passion through the work in Arches as it is such a great story. It tackles stuff I don't think any other piece of media I've enjoyed has, and gives me pause every time I think about it. Thank you for all the work you do and I can't wait to see you continue, (though you should never feel pressured to)
North Grizz
It's good to hear from you, Howly. Even better to hear that things have improved for you. I look forward to seeing more of Dev and Cam. I think Arches is the best thing you've written so far and I had a great time recording the whole of the VN. It'll be good to get back into Khemia again :)
Jojo6716
God Howly, I can't explain how happy it makes me to know that you're doing better and that you plan to continue work on these stories! Don't overdo it coming back into things, take it slow if you must. As for your sister, and you and your family as a whole, I wish nothing but the best and hope for nothing but healthier days ahead. 2020 was one hell of a year for a lot of people and the last three years after that for some were just as bad, including myself in many different ways. I'm hoping this year is better for all of us. I also hope that you know that your work helped me through a lot the last few years, everything that your team has released has meant a lot to me and I hope you know that it means a lot to a lot of people. So I thank you tremendously for all of your work and wish nothing but the best for this year going forward.
Kaito Gillscale
Best news I've heard so far! Looking forward to it. <3
Xavier Redstag
This is the best news Ive had all year!
CornyShiba
I'm glad to hear from you and that your personal situation as improved. Feel free to take as much time as you need to recover and return. I absolutely loved Arches and I thank you and the team for putting it all together into one beautifully made story.
Wolf VanZandt
I hope y'all are coming through all that okay. Stay well.
Wolf VanZandt
Hmmm ...Khemia and Arches are. connected. That's interesting.
David Scanlon
Take whatever time you need. When I'm feeling down I imagine what would amicus do to cheer me up. Do you ever try to go to that happy place? Thanks for creating one for me
Xzygy
I was fine with torture and probable impending murder, but blubbering like a little girl with the later part of the story. It hit so close to home. I never would have expected this level of emotional depth in a furry visual novel.
CrypticKoopa
It's so great to hear some news after so long! No need to apologize for everything that has happened to everyone over the years. I know it must've been hard. We all love and support you! I can't tell you how much Adastra touched my heart. I've read most of your other projects too! I enjoy reading every second of it. I'm so grateful to have been able to read these. Keep it up ❤️
DarsolSaber
Howly. I think I can speak for most of us that after the hardships you had the past year you needed the time to recover. Arches is by far my most favorite work of yours and the whole team exceeded my expectations and made a beautiful story. You poured your pain and tears into it and shared a part of yourself that I can definitely relate to. After reading the ending of it I don't blame you for wanting to take a much needed break and well deserved. For me, there is no need to apologize. I wanna thank you for sharing that part of you as I and plenty of others can relate, cried with you. I'm happy you are doing okay and I'm very much looking forward to see what that bonus story is going to contain ❤️
SUG
dude this is exciting a whole new arches side story . arches being my personal favorite of echo project. also so glad to have ya back .
Xzygy
Very glad you’re back! Arches was terrifying, and made all the weird stuff endemic to echo seem tame in comparison to what these characters went through after. This story was the catalyst in seeking treatment for my own depression, and things are better. Not cured or whatever, but better. Elements of what that poor coyote went through in struggling to care about anything really struck home and forced me to finally deal with this. You’ve improved my life, something I wasn’t expecting when I saw some dumb yeen talk about Adastra on YouTube
JohnWolfen
I'm eager for the return to Khemia! Thank you so much!
Miro
Thank you for this update, so stoked to read more from both Arches and Khemia soon, take care ❤️🙏
Redvedev
Here was me thinking Arches had wrapped! Glad to see you back, if what you went through was anything like Arches then I can only imagine how terribly exhausting it must have been. Excited for all these updates!
Fenreon
Adastra, and the other novels coming from this team has meant a ton to me over the past few years. I really look forward to these updates. Howly, we're all human and some of us deal with tougher situations than others. You can hold yourself accountable but you can't blame yourself for not being able to move mountains when it seems like everyone else can. What you and the rest of the team have produced has made such an impact on us on a personal level. Just know that a lot of us will be life long fans of yours. You're allowed to be proud of yourself because I know I am.
ABC
Do we know anything about the situation with Interea? Will you guys leave it behind until Khemia is finished, or will it get updated on the side?
CinderSander
Mental health should never be understated. I'm glad you're in a better spot and hope you can find some solace. Arches means a lot to me and I hope you understand that even though we have never met face to face, I still care.
Kaiderg
Thank you very much for the update Howly, i'm sorry to hear you had a rough year but wishing you and your family well and for a much better new year and beyond. Remember to take it easy and prioritize yourself when possible and great work always takes time! 💜💜💜
Paul R
Real talk, I nearly lost my life last month over similar mental health struggles. You're not alone, taking care of yourself matters, and I'm so glad you've been able to manage them to the extent you're willing to create again. I've really enjoyed your work, especially with Arches, but the person behind the work matters most.
Spey
Looking forward to the updates to both. Arches is among my favourite VNs.
