I am setting a poll for my patrons on Patreon that is open to both tiers. The poll will decide the fate of the initial antagonist of my new book, Heavy Metals, Heavier Firepower (yes, I finally started work on it). I only intend to make this poll available to Patrons, partially because it will potentially have consequences later on in the novel and partially because I got laid off from my job and need to incentivize becoming a Patron. The first Chapter of HM, HF (Heavy Metals, Heavier Firepower) will be released early for $6 Patrons on the third week of March, meaning you all here on RRL will have to wait until May in order to see the novel. I know, it sucks. But once again I need to incentivize becoming a Patron.

If you just want to be a $3 Patron for one month just so you can vote for Mayor Stebbs' fate and then immediately bail, go right ahead. I won't mind in the slightest, but just let me know that it was the reason why you became a Patron and then immediately left.

The poll will be available tomorrow at 12:01 AM on my Patreon Page and will run for a week before I close it. As I still have not found a job, I must rely on Patrons and Paypal even more than usual (which, up till recently, was nearly not at all), which means more and more things will be Patron-exclusive. I know. It sucks. But until I can find employment again I have to be like this. I need to make at least $1k a month to keep up with rent, bills, and food, not to mention gas for my car. I do have some savings, but they will not keep me forever. Please note that I am not asking or demanding that everyone pitch in and be a Patron forever, nor am I asking or demanding that you donate, I am just telling you the facts of my situation so you can be better informed as to why I am making the decisions that I am.

On Wednesday, next week, I will post the results of the Poll. If it is a tie, I will become the tie-breaker.

Sorry about all of this, but money is tight nowadays. As much as I would absolutely love to make all of this free, I, like a certain white-haired politician, must ask for the financial support of others. I am also looking to expand the amount of stuff on my Patreon Page, so if you do choose to become a member, let me know what I can add and if it is both within my power and something I can figure out how to do, I will at the very least attempt to do it/ add it.

But now on to better news.

In more positive news, I have finished work o Book 6 of Abominable King, which is why I have started work on Heavy Metals Heavier Firepower. I expect the Books for HMHF to be between 25 and 40 chapters long, which means lots of good stompy robot action.

Oh, yeah, I never told you guys the plot for that novel, did I?

The basic summary is that it is a guy playing a VRMMORPG about interstellar wars fought with large, generally humanoid mechs called 'War Suits'. There are going to be several factions, each based on a general stereotype of Real World nations or ideologies. For instance, there is a kind of Port Royale Pirate Nation called 'The Revelry', a name I copied from a certain YouTuber's canceled series.

There will be a main antagonist who, through money, power and influence, continually tries to make MC-kun's life in-game and out a living hell. Thankfully, there is a helpful AI that will aid our MC through his gaming experience while trying to mitigate the interference of the main antagonist.

Now for some news that may be seen both as good and bad.

Patrons from the $3 Tier that have been a part of it for at least two months will be able to have a character made for them in the novel. However, this character will only be customizable in name, appearance, and nation, not in anything else. These characters will be purely NPCs, and may be either antagonists or they may end up aiding MC-kun, but that is for me to decide.

$6 Tier Patrons who have been so for at least 2 months, on the other hand, will be able to nearly fully customize their in-universe character, including name, appearance, their starting nation (if Player) or birth nation (if NPC), type of War Suit they pilot, and the weapons equipped to said War Suit. Unlike $3 Patrons, they will be able to state whether their character is an NPC or a Player and will be able to state whether they are antagonists or whether they are there to be background characters, or if they want to help the MC.

For Patrons who want this, please let me know on Patreon if you have a backstory for them or if you want me to wing it.

I have also added another 2 Tiers of Patron membership. For $1 per month, you get... well, you get the satisfaction of having given me a dollar and my gratitude for it. For $15, on the other hand, you get EVERYTHING. And I do mean Everything. When I finish writing a chapter, those in the $15 tier will get it almost immediately after. So, if waiting a month or a week to get your fix isn't your style, and if you have the disposable income, know that ALL of AK and TTIR is currently available in 3 different .zip folders for that particular tier. Yeah, that means you will know exactly what is going on for months in advance.