You must be 18+ to visit this website
The content on this website is AGE RESTRICTED
Please confirm you are at least 18 years old of age. Otherwise leave the website.
The Mithril Hourglass profile
The Mithril Hourglass
18+
The Mithril Hourglass
Interactive fiction for adults.
AdultGames
Adult
Rpg
Subscribe
Message

Subscription Tiers

FREE
Follower

For those that want to show support, but not in a "take my money" kind of way. At this tier, all you'll get is notifications, but I'll still appreciate that you're here.

38 subscribers
Unlock
$3
USD monthly
Eternal Gratitude

The obligatory "eternally grateful" tier.

This tier gets you all of the basic benefits you'd expect of being a supporter. Early access to each game build, early access to demos for potential future projects, access to supporter-only posts and renders, voting power in supporter-only polls, and behind-the-scenes looks at what's being developed.

You'll also get an invite to my private Discord server. Once you've joined, you're in forever, regardless of whether or not you continue to support The Mithril Hourglass. The Discord server is the fastest way to reach me, so if you have feedback, found a bug, or just want to chat, Discord is the best place to do it.

2 subscribers
Unlock
$5
USD monthly
Early Supporter

This tier offers the same benefits as the Supporter tier, but at a limited early bird discount.

Limited (0 out of 5) subscriptions
Unlock
$10
USD monthly
Supporter

Support development.

At this tier, you'll get all the benefits of previous tiers, as well as the opportunity to suggest additions to the current project(s). Things like adding a costume for the main character, a customization option for areas that support it, a particular scene - anything that could be an option within an existing system of the current project(s). Just send a message to The Mithril Hourglass to get started.

0 subscribers
Unlock
$20
USD monthly
Premier V.I.P.

This tier offers the same benefits as the V.I.P. tier, but at a limited early bird discount.

Limited (0 out of 3) subscriptions
Unlock
$35
USD monthly
V.I.P.

In addition to all previous tier benefits, you get access to additional V.I.P.-only channels on the Discord server as well as access to regular test builds. This gives you a unique opportunity to provide active feedback and help make decisions as the game is being developed.

I'll also find a way to put you into the active project upon request. This could be naming an NPC after you and working together to decide how they should behave, building a side quest or event - just about anything. While there are some limits, everything will be open to discussion and personalized to you. Just send me a message to get started.

0 subscribers
Unlock

Features

  • Early Access + Behind-The-Scenes Posts
  • Private Discord Invitation
  • Other generalized special treatment
The Mithril Hourglass
Updated on Dec 19, 2025 07:07 pm

Maids & Masters v1. 0 Release

MaidsAmpMastersSubscriberRelease
Comments
Like(0)
Dislike(0)
Posted for $3, $5, $10, $20, $35 tiers
Unlock
The Mithril Hourglass
Dec 26, 2025 09:25 pm
Public post

Winter Adult Games Bundle


As much as I'd like to talk to you about what's next now that Maids & Masters is finished, I managed to get very sick today.
So instead, here's a big ol' bundle: https://itch.io/b/3437/winter-adult-games
I will do everything in my power to get better quickly, because we absolutely have some important things to talk about. Just as soon as it doesn't hurt to exist.
Like(0)
Comments  loading...
Sign Up or Log In to comment on this post
The Mithril Hourglass
Dec 19, 2025 07:15 pm
Public post

Maids & Masters v0.23.4 Public Release

v0.23.4, the last update before v1.0, is now in early access!
MaidsAmpMastersPublicRelease
Like(1)
Comments  loading...
Sign Up or Log In to comment on this post
The Mithril Hourglass
Dec 13, 2025 03:15 am

Maids & Masters v1. 0 Patch Notes 2

MaidsAmpMastersPatchNotes
Comments
Like(0)
Dislike(0)
Posted for $3, $5, $10, $20, $35 tiers
Unlock
The Mithril Hourglass
Dec 13, 2025 03:12 am

Maids & Masters v1. 0 Test Build 2

MaidsAmpMastersTestBuild
Comments
Like(0)
Dislike(0)
Posted for $20, $35 tiers
Unlock
The Mithril Hourglass
Dec 05, 2025 04:30 pm
Public post

Future Projects - Demo or Visual Novel

As we march ever closer to the release of Maids & Masters v1.0, ever more of my thoughts become pointed toward the future. Part of those thoughts brings me back to conversations I've had with other devs about the struggles that come with trying to be a full-time indie game developer.
Fair warning, this is a bit of a story, so feel free to scroll to the bottom if you just want context for the poll.

While the biggest factor is economic - people only have so much money to spend supporting creators - and another is competition - this space is significantly more densely populated than it was even when I first started four years ago, and it was hard to stand out and gain a following even for established projects back then - there are a few points that are easy to see as things I've done to myself, like the fact that I de-emphasized visuals and put my focus elsewhere in a niche that is ostensibly focused on visuals.
I've put some time into addressing what I can within the scope of what I know - learning how to animate and so on - but I didn't want the visuals of Maids & Masters to have the jarring shift that would come with suddenly using tools that can drastically improve the visual fidelity of a project. That already happened once, and not in a good way, when I made the jump from RPG Maker VX Ace to MZ. MZ being 48 bit made translating all the old 32 bit sprites kind of awkward, and that resulted in some visual blurriness and other quirks that I've done my best to mitigate where I see them, but since the sprites don't resize cleanly, there's only so much I can do.
Having conversations about these things with other developers led some of them to ask me why I didn't just make a visual novel. After all, most of the work I was doing was on visual novels. Even this year, I've had people ask for a Ren'Py port of Maids & Masters. The demand is obviously there. 
The simple answer is that I wanted to make an RPG, I already had a copy of RPG Maker, and I knew nothing about making a VN or coding in Ren'Py. I used the tools I had for the job I wanted to do.
Is it possible to make an RPG in Ren'Py? Absolutely.
Would Maids & Masters be what it is if I'd tried? Absolutely not.
But that did get me thinking, especially as the devs I was talking to went from making less than me, to making the same amount as me, to making more than me, to watching my income backslide as life got harder for everyone and competition only piled higher.
Why couldn't I make a visual novel?
That's where Precious Kouhai originally came from. Not because it's a story I wanted to tell, but because I wanted to see if I could. I wanted to get better and faster at animating, I wanted to learn how to code in Ren'Py, and I wanted to learn how to use the more complex tools I could use to drastically improve the visual fidelity of my renders. I also had this morbid curiosity, and wanted to see how it would perform if I all but deliberately set it up to fail.
Now I'm a lot faster at animating fully custom animations, I've gotten a lot better at (at least a few) of the aspects of making good renders, and I'm comfortable enough with coding in Ren'Py that I actually write for my clients within a Ren'Py compatible text editor.
On top of that, despite the lukewarm reception, there was a long time where Precious Kouhai was getting as many views as Maids & Masters was despite not being promoted, not being updated, not being very long, and not having hardly any depth to the narrative. Even now, PK gets roughly the same engagement as MnM's early access on itch. The Ren'Py bias - especially in the adult game space - is a very real thing.
Somewhere in between all the burnout and seeing PK perform nearly as well as MnM, I had a very particular thought - would it work having a VN as one project to pay the bills, and using the support from that to make what I actually wanted to make?
The answer to that question kinda ended up being no, if it wasn't obvious by PK not getting any updates since PK v0.2 went into early access. Most of that came from burnout - I just didn't have the energy to work on half a dozen different projects, especially when I'm not being adequately compensated for all that effort - but it also just didn't feel right to jump back and forth like that between my own projects.

Which brings me to the actual poll.

While the majority of games I want to make are full games, there are a few stories I want to tell that I think would work best as visual novels instead of an RPG or a tactical strategy (and a few mechanics I want to play with that are native to how Ren'Py functions).
This still isn't the official "next project" poll, I'm just gathering interest; but I do think it's worth asking if you'd like to see me make a visual novel, if for no other reason than it feels much easier to succeed in this particular space with one.
Which is also why this poll is public. I don't expect those of you supporting me for Maids & Masters are going to say "yeah, enough of that," (especially since some of you have said the exact opposite) but the market is telling me the thought I had about doing a project to gain support is a valid one.
Should I actually make one of those stories I have into a visual novel? Or should I focus on turning the demos I've made into fully realized games?
Like(1)
Comments  loading...
Sign Up or Log In to comment on this post
View next posts (6 / 111)

Creator Stats

40 subscribers
111 posts

Goals

$5 of $500
per month
Basic expenses will be covered. It won't pay for everything, but it helps provide some much-needed stability.
$5 of $1,200
per month
Officially a part time job. Unless something drastic happens, I'll be able to continue with development for the foreseeable future.
$5 of $2,500
per month
Officially a full time job. As long as this goal is met, I can keep making games and telling stories regardless of outside circumstances.

Other Creators

Heaven Studios (East)
Heaven Studios (East)
Same circle as Patreon, different platform!
ViktorBlack
ViktorBlack
Adult Game Developer
Sketcheria
Sketcheria
Sensual portraits with a cinematic touch. My ongoing series Steamgirls is all about seductive neo-Victorian characters. Another series, You Can Leave Your Hat On, speaks for itself. I work with traditional media, pastels, gouache, watercolor, quill pen, oil on canvas, as well as collage and digital painting. Choose your tier based on curiosity and comfort. Higher tiers unlock deeper access, exclusive work, and loyalty rewards over time.
Kogeikun
Kogeikun
Who am I?I'm just your typical boob loving artist!Through the years, through a combination of both work and study, I've learned a lot of different skills : illustrations, 3d Animation, crochet, etc
Eromancer
Eromancer
Adult Games - Pure Onyx
Log InSign UpFeaturesPricingDevelopersAbout
Terms of ServicePrivacy Policy
Privacy Settings
Refund Policy18 USC § 2257EU DSA
All CreatorsWhat's NewBrandContact Us
Do's & Don'tsReport ContentFAQ
Starcling, LLC, 30 N Gould St, Ste 5085, Sheridan, WY, 82801, US    

All copyrights belong to their respective owners. Images and text owned by other copyright holders are used here under the guidelines of the Fair Use provisions of United States Copyright Law.

© 2026 SubscribeStar.adult.
WE USE COOKIES

SubscribeStar and its trusted third parties collect browsing information as specified in the Privacy Policy and use cookies or similar technologies for analysis and technical purposes and, with your consent, for functionality, experience, and measurement as specified in the Cookies Policy.

Your Privacy Choices

We understand and respect your privacy concerns. However, some cookies are strictly necessary for proper website's functionality and cannon be denied.

Optional cookies are configurable. Disabling some of those may make related features unavailable.

We do NOT sell any information obtained through cookies to third-party marketing services.