Warning: This is a long letter to you all. If you don't like reading lots of words you might get an aneurysm.

Now, to the letter...

It's been a year since I've been on Jai, and I can't believe I even made it that long here and how much my page has grown.

To be honest, I never expected one of my bots to blow up on trending. Like, out of all the bots, I genuinely did not expect the silly dweeb, Alex, would be my first bot to hit the front page of trending. I didn't even know I was on trending until one of my bot creator friends told me I was on trending. It was surreal!

I started making bots on JanitorAi because I simply wanted to roleplay with my characters, and it helped me flesh out their personalities as well for their stories. Like haha this is actually something Renzo or Leonardo would do! Then I would take note of it. It has helped me develop ideas. Bot creation was not only my stress relief as well as my form of escapism, but it is also what I used to practice my writing and I consdiered them as warm ups before I would work on my muiltple novels all at once. Yes, I am the type of writer who bounces on writing 3 novels at the same time. If you're curious about the other 3, not just Arcadia, feel free to ask in the comments or on Discord I would be more than happy to share about it to you guys lol.

As I have said to you all before I have been writing since I was in middle school. I have a shelf full of notebooks and sketchbooks I have collected over the years that I go back to whenever I write because growing up has taught me that reality can dampen our imagination and make it dull. I've come to realise over the years of being a ghostwriter and a writer for my own works that the younger version of me that still didn't know the harsh realities and still only saw the bright colours of the world had a much richer and more colourful imagination that had no bounds and didn't care about "Does this make sense?" Therefore, her ideas were much bolder, richer, and more daring.

Actually, where am I going with this? I just want to say that for my fellow writers out there, whether you're just starting out, have been writing for a while, even a professional, or you're an enthusiast, just let your imagination run wild.

Because that's what I did with Alex and who knew some silly scenario in his lore turned into a bot would be what would put me on the front page of JanitorAi.

I expected that from Renzo but he let me down. (Just kidding I love my pouty tsundere blondie).

Honestly, I wouldn't have grown this much and grew confidence in my own character as well if it weren't for all you guys. You guys gave so much love and support to my bots and even my short stories outside of JanitorAi that all my worries about on "Who would even want to read my stories?" started to fade, and I became more confident in my writing, though I do know I have parts to improve on.

The JanitorAi community can be chaotic and filled with unnecessary drama, so I removed myself from it months ago and have been just more of a lurker. I'm happy to have my own little corner here with all of you guys and just chill around together. With all the support and, of course, my beta readers being generous with their time to read my drafts and giving me feedback, my passion for writing only grew, and I have been more motivated to keep writing my novels even if my process is a chaotic mess, but it works somehow.

With that said, I have not just survived a year on Jai, but I have created a community that I am proud of, happy and genuinely thankful to have. I am very lucky to have you all support me and even take the time to use my bots and take an interest in my stories.

With that, I have decided that as my gift to you guys I will be publishing the chapters for free on AO3 and RoyalRoad where I will be posting a new chapter every 1st of the month. Those on my Patreon will always get the free chapter and 2 plus chapters in advance that come every 15th and 30th every month.

(By the way, guys, if you know anyone who does book covers, do tell me. I am not the best at designing my own book cover)

I have opened an art Instagram as well, where I will be sharing art and little comics of my characters. I will share that link on my Discord and on my new bot tomorrow morning.

LINKS:

HERE IS THE LINK FOR ARCADIA NOVEL ON AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/73731551/chapters/192253031

HERE IS THE LINK FOR ARCADIA ROYAL ON ROYAL ROAD: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/138845/arcadia

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/NSqxRdV6GQ

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/AsterBellerose

KO-FI: https://ko-fi.com/snifflesnaps

I will also be more active on my Discord and Instagram Threads, so you guys will see a lot of talking and posting from me. It will be about my bots, stories, and other stuff. Please, feel free to interact with me on my Discord, my server, and even on my Instagram threads. I enjoy discussing stuff with people. I will also be spending a lot of time probably streaming there, and I'm more than happy to give tips on aspiring writers and teach you guys what I know. Like what writing exercises did I do, the writing worksheets I do, the templates I have for writing my characters and lore. Yall can talk about your stories too, art, and whatever.

I will go back to hosting events, and I will have one to celebrate my 1 year milestone.

I want to make to also mention that I edited the tiers since I have chosen to give the gift to give a free update of the chapters every month. The change will be that in the Patreon for the "Renzo's Right Hand" tier, you get 2 chapters in advance every month, so that means you get 3 chapters every month (1 free + 2 advanced) compared to the free monthly one.

Tier 1: Arcadia’s New Pledges ($5/month)

Want to simply support the novel and audiobook every month while keeping things light? That’s totally fine — and I’m so thankful for it! Welcome to Arcadia, pledge.

Just make sure to survive rush week... and maybe don’t let Abel catch you alone in the dark.

You’ll get:

- Exclusive Supporter Discord role

- Occasional sneak peeks and updates

Tier 2: Cain’s Freshmeat ($10/month)

Congratulations, you survived rush week and made it into the fraternity! Whew. Hopefully, Cain didn’t make it too hard on you — he loves scaring the new meat.

Now that you’re officially in, you’ll get to see the boys’ lives up close and personal (and maybe a few things the public doesn’t).

You’ll get:

- 3x new ST Cards per month (SFW + NSFW alternate scenarios not posted on JanitorAI)

- Sneak peeks of upcoming bots and character previews

Tier 3: Leonardo’s Gaming Buddy ($15/month)

Wow — you’re not just in the frat anymore; you’re friends with the boys.

You hang out with Leonardo in Discord calls, and he even lets you visit his Sims town and Stardew Valley farm (he doesn’t share that with just anyone).

You’ll get:

- Bi-weekly short stories featuring Arcadia characters and other worlds (every 15th & 30th)

- Access to writing and bot polls that shape future storylines and features

- Everything in Tier 2

Tier 4: Renzo’s Right Hand ($20/month)

You’ve climbed higher — Felip’s not easy to impress, but Renzo has officially made you his right hand.

Now you have access to the secret files and archives of the fraternity. (Don’t read the red folder. Seriously.)

You’ll get:

- Bi-weekly Arcadia novel chapters (15th & 30th of every month)

- Early access to story drafts and author notes

- Everything in Tier 3

Tier 5: Felip’s Favorite ($30/month)

Somehow, you’ve won over Felip himself — and now you’re his favorite among all of Arcadia.

He’s offering you a peek into the rich history of Grandridge and secrets even the brothers don’t know.

You’ll get:

- Everything from Tier 4

- Behind-the-scenes concept art, wardrobe & lore documents

- Sneak peeks of audiobook progress, casting notes, and script previews

Exclusive insights into the - creative process and future projects

The Goal

We’re aiming for $2000 to fund the first phase of the Arcadia Audiobook, launching production by January 2026.

Every pledge brings the voices, the music, and the magic one step closer to reality.

Where Your Support Goes — The Arcadia Audiobook Fund

I wanted to give full transparency about our $2,000 audiobook goal — so you know exactly where your pledges are going and how much each step takes to bring Arcadia to life in sound.

Creating an audiobook isn’t just pressing record and reading aloud — it’s a full production with voice actors, sound design, and ambience to make the world of Grandridge feel alive.

Here’s how that breaks down (this is just an estimate I have done based on my experience in the industry):

Voice Acting — $800

This is the heart of the project!
Each actor breathes life into the characters — their personalities, emotions, and relationships. Professional indie voice actors typically charge around $50–$100 per 1,000 finished words.

For Arcadia’s prologue and first chapter (about 8,000–10,000 words total), this ensures clean, professional performances and proper direction for multiple characters.

Sound Design & Mixing — $400

After the voices are recorded, everything needs to be cleaned, balanced, and layered with atmosphere — footsteps in the hall, doors creaking open, soft background audio.

A good mix transforms the story from a simple narration into an immersive experience.

Soundtrack Licensing & Ambient Audio — $300

To create mood and emotion, we’ll be licensing high-quality background music and ambient sounds. This helps set the tone of each scene — whether it’s a soft piano under Leonardo’s dialogue or tense soundscapes during darker moments.

This avoids royalty issues while keeping the production cinematic.

Also, if there's some left over, I may see if I can compose some original music for Arcadia.

Cover Art & Promo — $200

Every audiobook needs a striking visual!
This covers new art for the cover, banners, and promo materials to help the audiobook reach more listeners. It’s the face of the project, after all.

Distribution & Miscellaneous — $150

This includes Patreon and PayPal fees, hosting, and small technical tools used for editing and exporting the audiobook.

Every penny keeps the process running smoothly and ensures we can deliver something high-quality for everyone.

Writing & Direction — $150

Though I’ll be handling the writing and direction myself, this accounts for the many hours spent adapting the story into a proper script for voice acting, giving cues, and supervising the sound design.

It’s a small part, but it ensures consistency and storytelling quality. I may have to pay someone to help me out with this, like coaching the voice actors and having an outside editor.

Total Goal — $2,000

Once this milestone is reached, we’ll begin casting voice actors and securing licensed soundtracks immediately.

Your support literally brings Arcadia to life — every dollar helps turn words on a page into voices, emotion, and sound.

Thank you all so, so much for believing in this project. You’re not just funding a story — you’re helping it speak.

By the way if you guys know any voice actor out there that's like indie or small that you think fits any of the Arcadia boys, do share.

As for the book cover, do share recommended artists as well! I know we shouldn't judge books by the cover, but they do play a factor haha.

AGAIN THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT TOWARDS ME AND YOUR LOVE FOR MY WORK AND CHARACTERS!