Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Our regular pancake service, both sweet and savoury, will resume in the near future.
Actually..
Since you had such kind words even when you were disappointed, allow me to give you a more exhaustive comment/viewpoint and also a fair warning.
Oh yeah, like I said before, I totally understand the nature of pacing and the degrading quality of content if it's all spectacle and no build. I liken it to Game of Thrones, the first four seasons, when it was good. Having a massive battle or Red or Purple Wedding every episode would've been overwrought and exhausting and insanely expensive. It's just not feasible, nor is it recommended or even good storytelling. Sometimes episodes just needed to be more low-key, moving chess pieces on the board, and that's not only okay, it's the way it should be done if you care about telling a good and memorable story.
The scene with Zahra was clearly setup for multiple things, from a potential rekindling of some kind of relationship with her sister to cementing the MC's niece's relationship with her parents, and her stepfather specifically, to noting his unrequited desire for Zahra. The update was also a continuation and deepening of Katarina's story as she moves closer to achieving her saucy virgin minx quest, and the player-dependent furthering of the MC's training of Faery down in the basement and setting up a new character arc for Ain. EDIT: Jesus wept, I almost forgot, we also got a HUGE moment with Ivy. Fucking hell, that one was, what,
seventeen months in the making?!
For me personally, the highlight of the update was the Queen's continued, bloodthirsty machinations among her staff, as she added another notch in her demented belt and got herself a new personal guard. I really, really, really love her. One of my favorite moments of the entire game so far was the conversation between her and Shani where she wanted to know if Shani got as much sexual enjoyment from killing as she did. It was an electrifying character moment, and I've never felt more implied weight in selecting an ellipses as the response before. So yeah, the Queen's scene was my personal fave this time around.
There's plenty here. Every update has something to love. Honestly. I just haven't had something, y'know, pancake worthy for me personally since that night with Shani in the tent. So yeah... I'm a little hungry.
But I'm happy to wait. The appetizers will do for now.