Hermes I + Attic News Update!

Sep 4, 2026

Hello, friends!

Hermes I

Today I am happy to present: Hermes I, a science-communications thought experiment that I think is rather neat. This is the first public build of this, and the hope with getting version 1.0 of this out is to get the feedback and viewpoints from other people– like you, the reader!

To check out that project, click here, as all the information you will need is contained there. Overall, I think it is a fun addition to the website and will serve as another factor that gets some continual updates. Hermes I was the last of the projects planned during the first half of 2026 and the development name was Project 90, which is mentioned still on the page.

As noted in my last announcement post, I decided to move away from program development / game dev and focus more on prose writing. However, Hermes I was kept around because it is a fun blend of both writing and programming, and is a showcase for the type of project I would like to do more of. Community focused interactive things where we all learn something new is pretty cool in my book, and I hope it can be more accessible than a modded map for an almost 11 year old game (22 year old in the case of Project 87).

Novel Updates + Third and Final ‘Heartstone’ Rename Incoming?

As mentioned before I am not the best at naming stuff, and when I first decided to create this whole fantasy universe, I did so with a vague understanding of where we would end up now. Over the last six to nine months that path has become a lot more clear, and this first novel is set to be something familiar yet exceedingly different in all the best ways. It is a much larger story than one that focuses on one object, in one location, and those who played the game version already knew that.

The name has never really been the greatest fit for what is happening, as it implies an object and location that take a backseat for most of the plot– especially in the novel. While the central desire is indeed to get the Heartstone, a majority of time is spent on why and how, and it is not a dungeon crawl with linear scope. Beta 1.0-1.3 was that to an extent, and we changed the name to The Heartstone Caverns in Beta 1.2.5 if memory serves me well. For that whole phase of the project it worked, but currently, the mismatch is showing.

Furthermore, and this shows how bad I am at naming stuff, I went with ‘Heartstone Caverns’ because I was like ‘oh the Heartstone is in the Crystal Caverns (former name and at the time the largest area)!’ I did not bother to search up ‘Heartstone’ on its own, because if I did, I would be met with swarms of pages about a somewhat well known game named Hearthstone. I had never heard of that game as I have absolutely 0 knowledge on anything the company Blizzard has done beyond having played Overwatch for like 20 hours total in 2017. Oopsie poopsie!

Well, it was a learning moment, and since then I’ve made sure to run stuff by SEO more thoroughly (which is funny, because in my communications marketing class just a few months ago we learned how to do that best, but that was after I already figured out the naming conflict. ‘Attack of the Interstellar Thing!’ came from that, just a wacky title inspired by 50’s pulp sci-fi with a modern spin).

All this also to say, the name of a ‘Heartstone’ as the central object is not going away. That is what some people in the world of Valeria (also not changing; I deliberately picked a Latin name that meant ‘strong’,) believe the object to be. But it will not be in the main title, or feature as an overarching series title.

Since May, I have been trying to find a name that encompasses where this part of the universe is at in its current state. It is an interesting predicament to be in where the companion novel, The Rogue of Turtle Lake, has its own title, but the main novel is taking so long to find one.

I’ve bounced around a couple potential title names for the novel, and then the overarching ‘brand’, and none of them seem to fit. I like that Rogue’s title is character focused since the short novel is just that. The title is what people come to know about Marla as in-universe, and it is her ‘origin’ story in a way if we were to treat it like a five issue comic arc. I have started to circle around a character focused title for the main novel, and I will see how that fits.

I am about 85k words into the main novel draft, and the Rogue short novel draft is sitting at 42k with the full part 5 outline included. Due to the main novel being a fantasy epic, it will have a larger word count than a thriller but I am being very mindful of length. I know especially for debuts, high word count can be a signal for poor pacing. However just for an example, Fellowship of the Ring is like 180k words, and I feel at max mine will be 55-60k less than that, as I am aiming for the 120k-130k range. Epic fantasy generally, from what I have seen, can allow as much as 140k for a debut, but I am trying to avoid that. And I know rewrites and editing can keep it all manageable after the draft is done, so I am not worried.

I am currently finishing up drafting Part 2, and for how I format and outline my three act novels, that is very much on track. Part 1: 20k, Part 2: 70k, Part 3: 30-40k = 120-130k. Give or take a few thousand in some spots and that is the goal. And of course, rewriting and editing will help reduce it down if needed.

Everything is outlined and my next few months will be finishing both drafts before starting the rewriting/editing process at the beginning of next year.

My idea is still to go ahead with producing and publishing the books on my own, with a more targeted build up of local engagement coming along with it. Pacifia is inspired by the place that I call home, so it would be neat to get even a few copies in independent stores around the area.

What’s Coming Up?

In about five weeks from now InTheAtticZine will debut its fourth issue. The short story in that one is going to take center stage and be a lowkey sleeper hit for the entire lore of my writing universe. Without giving the whole basket away, the short stories in issues #2-4 (Chrono-Wing, Stranger, and this) combine to reveal massive insights into the rules of the universe. We see reality break, we see death break, and now… well, go subscribe to my substack to get the issue right to your inbox when it releases!

Updates to the Hermes project will come in time when more information is collected.

On another side of things, I do believe that the long promised playthrough of Hitman Blood Money is coming soon to my Youtube channel. It will be a mix between something serious showing off my love for the game and some comedy (i.e = making myself laugh with gameplay jokes). I want to use the Youtube channel more often to upload gaming content and other informal pop culture stuff, such as I did with my review of Mando and Grogu or BO3 mods.

Well, that is about all I have to share and update with. Football season is ready to kick off and my fantasy football team is actually not looking half bad this year. I am usually pretty middle of the road but last year I went 9-5 (I think) but then crashed early in the playoffs. My team name is the London Silly Nannies, which some may know as the worst football team in the world, but since my ownership we have turned things around.

Overall, things are going to keep shaping up and I am excited for what is to come. Thanks to all those who visit my site and read my updates, writing, or view whatever else is on here!

Peace and Love to all (except Big Orange and ok it is not even funny anymore open the Strait),
Connor | InTheAtticDev