Hey guys, I know it has been a while since I have shown any game updates, and I just wanted to assure everyone that work on the game is still going strong.

I've largely been going back to improve on my existing work to make moving forwards easier, and a nicer experience for my players. I have introduced things like a new GUI, backwards compatible saves (to a point), and my code is now more structured and uniform to make my future workload easier, and decrease the number of bugs that may occur.

I apologise that there hasn't been a new demo, and probably won't be one this year, but next year I'll be working hard to release the day 3 demo. If you can't wait that long, you can always support me to get the current up to date version of the game, which has four Elites not featured in the demo at all! Even if you just pledge for one month to get access to the current build, all money the game raises goes back into making the game the best it can be (seriously, I don't take a wage from making the game), so even a one month pledge helps improve the game.

I know I don't tend to be as active on here these days, this is something I am going to try to fix going forward, but rest assured the game is still getting monthly updates for my supporters. I'll probably be doing a large art dump some time soon, sorry it's been so long for you all.

I hope all my followers and fans are doing well, and all are free to reach out and note me with any questions about TUGS, the game, or my projects in general.
Wishing you all a great back end of the year,
Luke & The TUGS Team

Happy Holidays to all my followers (and to the randoms that somehow stumble upon this journal).

I hope that whatever you are doing for the festive period, that you are safe, warm, and happy.

Best wishes for the holidays, and the new year.
-Luke

With the game gaining a bit of interest, and my characters becoming a bit more recognised, I decided to make a CuriousCat.

Got any questions for me or my characters? Ask them over at https://curiouscat.me/luke8t88

So, a lot of people have been asking me recently if work is still progressing on TUGS Escape.

The short answer is: Yes, and I am hoping to get an updated demo out soon.

The long answer is that due to a change in situations, schedules, and workloads, I needed to change the artist for the project, and going back to update all the existing artwork, sprites, backgrounds, etc, has been a serious undertaking.

The game artwork is now being composed by the amazingly talented team of Zubuzz and Dissy, who can be found at  Zubuzz
Next month I plan to release a new demo with the updated artwork, as well as bug fixes, a few tweaks and changes, and some small additions. This demo will still only cover the same part of the game, but there will be some new stuff to explore, so check it out when it drops.

The next question I get asked a lot of is: why the change of artist? To put many fears to bed early, myself and the previous artist  squiddy62 have not fallen out. It simply happened that Squiddy had a lot of projects on their plate, and deadlines for the game were putting stress on us both. I felt it was in both our best interests to change the artist, though Squiddy is still working on another TUGS related project that I hope to reveal in the future when there is a little more to show. There is no bad blood between us, or anything like that, it was merely a workload issue.

I still stream work on the game, every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11PM GMT, and on Sunday at 4PM GMT at https://picarto.tv/Luketugs. The weekday streams are often alongside such talented artists/creators as  Kazecat and  SquashedFlat who are working on games of their own. The game also has an active patreon and subscribestar for those that want to support the game and get access to other builds of the game.

Going forward, I plan to release demo builds as frequently as I can. The demo will depict one day in the game, though whilst subscribers will have access to three different Elites to fight on that day (featuring a variety of characters and kinks) the demo build will feature just one of these characters each day. Supporters will also get earlier access to demo builds, behind the scenes updates, concept work, and several other benefits.

If you wish to support the game, you can do so at the following places:
SubscribeStar: https://subscribestar.adult/tugs
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LukeTUGS

Or if you just want to give a one time payment to help fund the game, you can do so at:
KoFi: https://ko-fi.com/luketugs

Just as a fair warning to everyone, I am terrible for uploading stuff, and I have decided to finally tackle my backlog and update some artwork.
That means a lot of new pictures incoming, so just be aware of that. Apologies in advance.

Hey Folks,
For those of you that have been waiting for more updates for TUGS escape, the game recently had an update for those that are subscribed to me.

The new update contains 2 full Elites you can pick to fight instead of Stripe, and whilst they're still a bit early access at the moment, I am planning to have them refined for the new year.
Those wanting to try out these new character can pledge at my subscribestar, or my recently created patreon! Links below.

https://www.patreon.com/LukeTUGS
https://www.subscribestar.com/tugs

Will be streaming work on TUGS Escape in 30 minutes.
You can come join me, ask questions, or give feedback at:

https://picarto.tv/Luketugs

All are welcome.

Hi all!
As usual, I will be streaming in 35 minutes over at my picarto:

https://picarto.tv/Luketugs

All are welcome to come, watch, and ask any questions regarding the game, the world it is set in, or me in general.
There will be an open voice chat that anyone can join, though I do ask people be civil whether they talk verbally or in text.
I hope to see you all that.

Current Project:
I am currently working on a visual novel project called 'TUGS Escape'. This game features in my canon universe 'The Underground Game Show' (TUGS for short) and depicts the player as an arctic fox named Jessica that has been captured by TUGS. Not happy with her current predicament, Jessica must try to escape the show through any means necessary, dealing with the sadistic TUGS staff members in the process.
The game is a mix of story driven and fetish content, and is unique in that whilst the game contains multiple fetishes, it is entirely possible to do an entire playthrough avoiding any you are uncomfortable with, and the game can even be set to warn you should a choice you make lead to content you are uncomfortable with, allowing you to change the decision if you so please.

Current Schedule:
The stream can be found on my picarto channel: https://picarto.tv/Luketugs
Below are the times I can be found streaming, and here is a link to the current time in my time zone: https://time.is/London

Stream 1, Multistream: Tuesday 11PM - Wednesday 1AM
Stream 2, Multistream: Wednesday 11PM - Thurwsday 1AM
Stream 3, Multistream: Thursday 11PM - Friday 1AM (Variable)
Stream 4, Quiet stream: Sunday 4PM - Sunday 6PM

Multistreams often feature alongside  kazecat  squashedflat and  squiddy62
The Sunday quiet stream is intended for more audience interactivity with me personally.
The Thursday stream often ends whenever I get tired since I do not work Friday, so often runs beyond the 1PM time.

Past year:
So yesterday marked another birthday for me, and as with every birthday, I like to look back over the previous year and see what I have achieved, as well as planning for the year ahead.

I think we can all agree 2020 has been something of a weird year, though for me it hasn’t been a bad one. I am a bit of a reclusive homebody anyway, and most of my friends are in foreign countries, so I do most of my socialising online. Sure, I have missed a few IRL friends and neighbours, but life hasn’t changed too much for me.

What has changed is the surge in interest and recognition I have received. My commission queue has been occupied throughout the year, and I have met plenty of new people through my writing. I have even been commissioned and traded with some artists that I love, and even one that inspired me a lot when I was making the UG, so that was huge for me. It’s been years in the making, but this year has really felt like the year where all my hard work finally paid off.

All in all, aside from the whole pandemic, and losing touch with some people as a result, this year has actually been really good for me.

The year ahead:
The success of last year has really helped boost my confidence. Those that know me will tell you how paranoid I can be about my work, even when I know it is good. However with the contacts I have made, and the input I have received, I have decided to start a new and pretty huge project. I am going to be working on a game, specifically a visual novel.

This game will set players as a contestant in the UG, and will task them with escaping. The game will largely play like a dating simulator, but instead of trying to date the main cast, you will be trying to build friendships so that they will help you escape. And instead of getting romance scenes, you will be getting fetish content based on the Elites you interact with, and how those interactions go.

The game will be based around four major fetishes, though will be built in a way that you can entirely skip any you do not wish to see. Those fetishes will be: Gassing, Footplay, Hypnosis, and Vore. Again, the game will be designed that you can see as few as one of those kinks, or as many as all four, and you will have full control of the content you see.

This is going to be a huge undertaking for me, both financially (as I need to buy artwork to put in the game) and in terms of time. Resultantly, I will be looking to start either a Patreon, or a Subscribestar sometime in the coming days. Those interested in the idea behind the game will be able to support me for several benefits such as demo’s, early peeks at artwork for the game, etc.

I am also hoping to start to streaming work on this game on a regular basis, and all will be free to come and watch me work/hear me talk about stupid stuff with a few other creators. Despite being British, I will try to stream at times convenient for everyone, since I know many of my watchers are from elsewhere in the world.

I have a lot of details to iron out yet, but I have already invested a good amount into this project over the last month, so it is definitely going to be happening. I’m sorry I don’t have more to share at this time, but I will be posting here with semi-frequent news, so keep your eyes peeled.

Thank you all for your continued support,
Luke.

I have been considering offering a new type of commission, and would like to know if people would be interested in it.

The idea would be the old style create your own adventure stories, where I write a story with multiple choices, and those choices will ultimately lead to different endings. Now, because these stories can be a HUGE undertaking, there would be a limit on what people could request. Specifically, they would be themed around one character (probably the commissioners OC) staring in a game from the TUGS series, against one of my Elites (commissioners choice, of course). This sets a nice hard cap on how many endings and choices I can put in, and prevents people from requesting ridiculously huge commissions from me (you know who you are :P).

I may eventually be open to other ideas, as I get more used to the program I use to write these stories, and more comfortable with writing them for others. However, please let me know what you all think of this as an idea. The more positive feedback I get, the more likely I'll make this a thing.

Thank you all for your continued support,
Luke8t88

I think it has been somewhat evident from the last few weeks that I am uploading once again. I did however want to make it official and get the 'taking a break' journal off my front page. Going to be getting back into the swing of things including new stories, new art, and a few other side projects I have had in mind. Commissions will once again be opening soon, though I still have some to work through before I offically open again.

Thank you all for the continued patience and support,
Luke8t88

Hey everyone,

Just to let you all know, I am going to be taking a break from writing for an undetermined amount of time. My life has reached a point where I just don’t have the free time I used to, and what free time I do have I have positive people in my life to spend it with. Last year was hard for me, and writing has always helped me through my rough patches. 2019 however is shaping up to be a really good year for me, and I want to savour every moment I can, so once my commissions are all written up and done, I'll be taking a break from the world of writing.

I hope I can one day return to the UG canon story, but right now I want to take a step back and enjoy my life whilst it’s on the up and up. I thank you all for being my loyal readers, and I will try to return when this high point levels out once more. I hope you all understand.

Luke8t88

Firstly, to all my followers, stalkers, good friends, and admirers: Happy new year! I hope 2018 has treated you well and that 2019 treats you even better. Furthermore, thank you for taking an interest in my work.

Normally I'm not one for new year's resolutions, I rarely make them, and when I do, I never stick to them. But this year I am going to make one and stand by it. My new year's resolution is to build up the UG. Last year's canon stories went a long way to showing off the huge canon world I have in my head, and I by all means plan to continue them. However, I also want to show off the people behind the UG, so expect to see more bios, backstories, and artwork in the coming months.

Furthermore, last year showed a record high for people commissioning me, so I decided it's high time to actually make an official pricing list and advertise myself a little more, so expect to see more around my commissions, and possibly some commissioned stories entering my gallery.

I'm also going to try making a UG discord server again, I tried last year but kinda fell flat with it, but I do want to connect more with you guys as a community, so that may roll back around some time later in the year.

Thank you all once again for the support. Every favourite, comment, and note really helps make the hard work worth it, and I appreciate every one.
Wishing you all the best for 2019,
Luke8t88

Posted using PostyBirb

Here are the answers to some questions I am frequently asked, just so I can refer people that ask them to this journal because I am lazy! xD

Q) Do you RP?
A) Yes, I RP, the UG was actually born from an RP concept long before it was a genuine story. Though allow me to be blunt, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to RP. If you can't use competent grammar (minimum requirement periods, speech marks, and commas), can't spell or basic words (or at least use a spell check), capitalise correctly, or string together a coherent sentence, then chances are that I am not going to RP with you. I am here to enjoy RP as much as the next person, and deciphering some incomprehensible drivel because people can't be arsed to put the effort in is not my idea of fun.

Q) Can I get art with your character/can I get you gift art?
A) This is on a case by case basis. If you want to get a picture involving my characters, even if it's intended as a gift for me, please ask me first. I have invested a lot in my characters over the years, and there are certain details I like to see in artwork of them (ask any artist I commission, I can be quite anal). Chances are that I'll be willing to at least work with you on the matter, but I truly hate when people get me gift art and the character is all wrong. Someone just wasted their money getting me a picture I don't like, and that makes me feel bad for not liking it.

Q) Can I use your characters in a story?
A) Same as above. Ask me first and we can work something out.

Q) Are you open for commission?
A) Yes, but please for the love of all things good and mighty be aware of what I actually tend to write. I'm open to things, but don't come to me with things I have never written before and expect me to be amazing at it. I get quite a few requests for male on male writting, and whilst I have absolutely nothing against this sort of activity, I'm not good at writing it. I am open to many a thing in the fetish department, especially dirty or weird kinks, but I'm not good at writing sex stories. My commissions are to a higher standard than my usual DA/FA writings, and can be either public or private.

Q) What are your commission prices?
A) My commission prices start at £7.50 per 1000 words I write. This is merely a base however, and may rise or decrease based on what you are asking me to write. Something where I have a lot of freedom, or that features a lot of my own characters doing in character things will be a whole lot cheaper than requesting something I have zero investment in. The price will only rise for REALLY out there stuff, or if the request is so specific and precise that I need to work harder to fulfil all the demands.

So it has just turned the 11th of June on my timezone, which officially marks ten years of me writing about, RPing, and working on the UG.

What started out as a small side project and hobby to vent my writing urges during my university years has grown to be so much more for me. I know to a lot of my readers the UG is just a bunch of fetish stories, but to me, the UG is a major part of my life. I have made some incredible friends because of the UG, discovered people I would never have met, who have influenced my life in a major way. I have found romance, made it through several mental illnesses, overcome loss, and achieved so much in my life because of the UG. This is the closest thing I have to a legacy, and I am honoured that some of you share even a small part of it with me.

The UG was originally built to inspire others, but in its brief lifetime it has inspired me in ways I couldn't imagine back when I made it. I wouldn't be who I am today, and may not even be here today, if not for the UG. To all the amazing people that have contributed to the UG, I want you to know that I am grateful for everything you did for me, and you all have a special place in my heart.

To the rest of you, I have only this to say. Take every opportunity, follow every dream, work hard on everything you do. The journey may take you somewhere unexpected, but there is no knowing which crazy spark of creativity will explode into an idea that will change your life entirely. Even if nobody else appreciates your creations, they can become as much as part of you as anything else. Never let anyone quell your desire to be creative.

Thank you all for the support and interest over these past ten years, and here is to hoping for many more.
Regards,
Luke8t88

TLDR version: Going to be uploading weekly canon stories from now on, and addressing Fetish content when I find the urge.

Hey guys, at the risk of sounding like a whiney SoaB, I want to go over some personal thoughts of mine, and what they mean for the future of my writing.

For a while now I have exprienced a lot of burn out when trying to write fetish stories. I know a lot of you follow me for them, but honestly, I just don't have fun writing them. I enjoy telling a story, and whilst during my teenage years I loved fetishy stuff, I have just grown to a point where I feel my writing is good enough to tell a story rather than just churn out (for lack of a better word) smut. As a result, when I come to writing fetish stories, I find myself staring at my screen trying to come up with a story to write. I have plenty of ideas, but they all just feel meh, and I feel that when I do eventually manage to force myself to write one (normally an hour or two before the deadline I post under), my feelings towards it are reflected in my writing.

As such, I am going to focus all future weekly updates on the canon story of the UG, and upload fetish content purely when the mood takes me. Hopefully (for everyone that watches me for such content) that won't be too infrequent, but I feel like comitting to a schedule with that sort of content is crippling my ability to write it.

I hope you all understand, and continue to enjoy any content I upload.
Luke8t88

TLDR version: I'm going to drop back to doing one story a week, alternating canon story and fetish content.

Long version:
My loyal readers, for a while now I have been fighting multiple battles in regards to writing, from writers block, to lack of time to actually get some writing done, to just feeling like people aren't that interested in what I write. Though this may come as a shock to some of you, I actually don't enjoy a lot of the content I write, and just got shafted into the role of 'fart writer' and other such titles. The truth is that I write purely for the enjoyment of writing, but as a self-proclaimed people pleaser, I always try to fit my own enjoyment in with what I think you, my loyal audience, want to see.

The problem is that writing that sort of content over and over again does drain me, and doing it week in, week out has taken a toll on me, especially when the content I do enjoy writing (story based stuff) gets a fraction of the interest the fetish stuff does. I appreciate why, I know that most of my audience follow me for fetishy content, and that's the main reason I haven't outright stopped writing that sort of stuff, and have no real intention to stop. However, I feel like taking a step back in my schedule would improve the quality with which I write.

As a result, I am going to upload one story a week, alternating between the UG canon story, and fetishy content. Character Bio's will be uploaded periodically still on my DA (and going to see about getting them on my FA too). I won't be spending any less time writing, because writing is my only real hobby, but this schedule means that rather than splitting my time over two stories, I have twice as long to focus on making each story the best it can be.

I hope you all understand,
Regards,
Luke8t88

Yet another poll to give me a better idea of what my readers want to see.
https://www.strawpoll.me/15456253

Dear loyal readers,
Most of you may know that I have been uploading my stories each week on Saturday (normally around midnight GMT, the timezone I am on). Due to working longer weeks, and other real life commitments, this has become something of a chore. As a result, I am going to upload Canon stories on Saturday, and Fetish stories on Sunday, which works better with my current life schedule.

Thanks to all my followers,
Luke8t88

So after the last poll I made, it's become apparent that the preferred thing for me to write is pretty much a toss up between fetishy writings, and working on multiple outlets (canon stories, fetish, and bios) in somewhat equal measure. Given this result, I'm going to be trying to work on several outlets, but also make my page a little easier to navigate. All stories I write will now get a prefix to symbolise the sort of content they include.

[CS]: Canon stories, low fetish content with more focus on the story of the UG.
[FS]: Fetish Stories, high fetish content with little actual story to them.
[CB]: Character Bio, this one kinda explains itself.

I will be trying to upload 2 stories a week, one canon story, and one fetish story. I'll also try to upload one bio a month, but as the bios include a picture (which in turn relies on me getting a commission) I can't promise I'll uphold this one.

I'll be trying to upload all my stories and commissioned pieces to the UG discord group a day or two early, so if you want a sneak preview, consider popping in and joining us. https://discord.gg/e49xnMx

Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Faithfully,
Luke8t88

So going into 2018 I plan to get back into the swing of writing once more. I plan to be writing a few things to keep it diverse, but I'm going to be focussing mainly on actually doing a UG series that shows crucial moments of the UG chronologically from start to finish, including things like Mystic's fall from power, Erret's story from contestant to leader of the UG, and several characters I am yet to introduce in terms of story.

To break this up I will also be doing the occassional story more focussed on fetishy content, since I appreciate that this is why some of you watch and follow me. This will however be the minority of what I do, and I'm going to diversify the content included in it (want to do some more tame content along side the more extreme stuff).

I also plan to sort my gallery folders and catch up on uploading artwork, so keep an eye out for that. Also consider joining the TUGS discord group (link below) for special content and sneak peeks at my work.

https://discord.gg/e49xnMx

To all my readers, watchers, fans, stalkers, and the people that don't know why they have me on their watch list. It's now 1AM in my time zone, which makes it officially Christmas, and so, I say to you all: Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a great one, and transcend well into 2018. Thank you all for your support and patience, and keep warm, safe, and happy to the best of your abilities.

Festive well wishes,
Luke8t88.

P.S. If you haven't done so already, consider joining the TUGS Discord group if you are a fan of my work. Link below.
https://discord.gg/e49xnMx

Well, this seems to be the in thing to do right now, so if anyone ever wants to talk anything UG related (or just chat in general) feel free to join the TUGS discord group. Like below.

https://discord.gg/e49xnMx

Ever wanted to ask an Elite a question? Well, now is your chance. Simply comment with the Elite the question is intended for, and the question you have, and they will answer your comments.

All just a bit of fun, feel free to go wild with it.