Bellcrest’s summers are as hot as its winters are icy. During the Festival of Bells, however, no one in the capital seemed bothered by the sweltering humidity. Businesses closed and makeshift wooden stalls opened, lining the streets and selling everything from patterned headscarves to sugar-spun bells. Bridges of brightly colored ribbons draped between lampposts to create a maze of color overhead. Actual bridges crossing the Afron River closed to carts and carriages to make room for a multi...
2021-04-21 14:56:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Nick’s panic sets off your panic, which in turn increases his panic, which makes you panic some more, until both of you are panicking like a Rube Goldberg machine triggered by a marble of pure anxiety.
* * *
“You didn’t like my essay?”
“That was not an essay.”
“It had a topic sentence, well-argued main points, and a brilliant conclusion.”
“Your topic sentence was ‘We should date.’”
“We should.”
“No.”
"Please?"
...
2021-04-21 01:25:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Featuring Sally and Elliot (M!Button)
Set in high school, two years before game
“I didn’t want to go anyway.”
Sally’s kick sends an empty soda can skittering down the sidewalk until she walks close enough to kick it again.
“Litterbugs,” she grumbles. “I bet you this came from Veronica. She probably chucks cigarette butts out of her car window, too.”
Elliot holds back a smi...
2021-04-21 00:53:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Featuring Talia Parker
AU set in Georgia, 1946
You awake to the rustle of someone climbing in through your bedroom window.
She’s back.
Georgia’s most infamous thief promised that she would return to steal your heart. You laughed at the time—how could you trust the word of anyone, let alone a thief, who called herself “Glitch”? The only other place you’d heard that ridiculous word was on t...
2021-04-18 21:59:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Featuring: Ferro Parker
AU set in Georgia, 1946
You awake to the rustle of someone climbing in through your bedroom window.
He’s back.
Georgia’s most infamous thief promised that he would return to steal your heart. You laughed at the time—how could you trust the word of anyone, let alone a thief, who called himself “Glitch”? The only other place you’d heard that ridiculous word was on th...
2021-04-18 21:57:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Next Patreon Chapter: Chapter 9 (coming 4/28)
Current Wordcount: 273k
Average Playthrough: 64k
As some of you may already have read on the Sanctum, Chapter 8 will mark the last update to the Public Demo. This was a decision I made recently, after realizing that Noh's scenes will require coding that will most likely give away their identity.
Chapter 9 will still be available for all Patrons as planned, but...
2021-04-17 01:11:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fun fact: Nick is the only character who has his own dedicated journal for bad jokes and puns.
(Photo contains joke conceptual versions only--oneliners undergo polishing before being included in-game.)
Best line not in image:
"If I survive this, I deserve a trophy."
"Atrophy? You probably already have that."
2021-04-16 20:46:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
From the Journal of Lady Vitrula Rhys: The Third Death
I sat in the east parlor of Rhys Manor with my hands folded primly atop my lap. My father had not responded well to my announcement that I planned on dissolving my engagement to Loren. His jaw clenched as he glared down his nose at me, a vein on his temple visibly throbbing.
“Do you mean to tell me,” he hissed, “that you intend to call off your betrothal due to some . . . ludicrou...
2021-04-14 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
"PSA"
Featuring Nick Wiseman and Grayson Black
“Follow me, fresh meat!” Integrity’s predatory smile sent a chill up Nick’s spine.
Unlike Peace, who kept their identity hidden behind a darkened demi-visor, Integrity refused to wear a mask (which was, Nick thought, rather poetic given her facename). Her white hair was cropped short, and the blush lingering from her recent...
2021-04-12 23:57:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Yes, Rosy is ethically dubious. It's part of their charm? Maybe? (Alternative: they should be fired from teaching.)
Rosy is also difficult to romance. This newest scene scene in Chapter 8 marks your first opportunity to genuinely engage their interest, and there will only be one other opportunity to do so. (You'll know whether or not you're on the right track depending on what Rosy calls you at the end of the chapter.)
Demo Link: 2021-04-12 01:10:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 8 is now completely playable . . . albeit two weeks later than I'd hoped and missing Rosy's scenes. I also want to elaborate on the last bit of the chapter, but that's getting added to my To-Do List (which I should really post a picture of, because it's comically long).
Link to Demo: https://dashingdon.com/play/wildelight/project-dingo/mygame/
Demo ...
2021-04-09 21:47:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
“I don’t know why you’re so shocked to learn about Xander.” Delphine passed me a cup of tea. “It’s not unheard of for a woman my age to have children.”
“Although if you ask,” interjected her son, “she’ll claim to be not a day over thirty.”
I took a sip of tea, hoping that they would attribute my reddening cheeks to the drink’s steam. Though Delphine’s brew was never too hot since she heated the kettle with a spell.
“It was simply unexpected.” ...
2021-04-07 21:58:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
I realized that Glitch wasn't being completely honest with me when it came to their intentions, so we sat down and had a long talk (read: I glared at the computer screen for several hours while trying to figure out what they had planned). The option to break up with Glitch now makes more sense . . . and nicely foreshadows a later in-game dilemma.
In addition, most of Glitch's backstory creation scene has been rewritten to align with how it was done with Sally. So a lot of the options yo...
2021-04-07 01:05:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Introducing: Ev’s Cottage (aka “The Cottage,” aka “Miss Ginger”)
That’s right: Ev’s house gets introduced before Evander/Evelyn does, even though Ev is an RO.
To an ignorant observer, Ev’s “Cottage” is a decently-sized Victorian Manor (dubbed “Molbatten's Cottage” in irony by its original owner, one Lord Molbatten). Ivy embraces its white brick façade, rose bushes line the entry way, and its elegant herb gardens give Ev access to every ing...
2021-04-05 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
A spotlight shines upon a stage where Nicholas Wiseman is once again wearing a sequined jacket and top hat.
Nick: It's me!
Jo: . . . It's Nick.
Nick: I'm the host, and also the interviewee. Get ready for 100% more JUSTICE. Can you handle it? We'll prepare fainting couches just in case.
Jo: He won't be the...
2021-04-05 00:28:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
First off, I'm so sorry for taking so long to get all of Chapter 8 out! The current build is now 232,000 words and includes of all of Sally's scene (including the potential initiation of Nick and Sally's romance pathway). I kept second guessing the backstory creation portions, but I'm happy with what I've finally settled on because I feel it achieves that tenuous balance of player choice and plot cohesion. The rest of Chapter 8 will be uploaded as soon as I'm done fleshing out the remaining t...
2021-04-03 03:32:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
It's April! Happy April Fools and may your younger brother not give you a heart attack by claiming that he's moving to New Zealand to marry a goat yoga instructor that he met while playing SWTOR (to give a totally random example which most definitely did not happen to me in real life today because I'm certainly not gullible enough to fall for such an obvious prank).
First of the month means that we have a new character interview poll. Please cast your vote for the next Chosen One ...
2021-04-01 22:29:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
A spotlight shines on a stage with Nicholas Wiseman, this time wearing a black-and-white formal suit. He reclines on in one of two cushioned chairs, a microphone is clutched in his hand.
In the other chair sits Grayson Black, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. In contrast to Nick’s formal garb, Gray wears a pair of jeans and his usual motorcycle jacket.
Nick: Hello, hello! Welcome to the third ever Unity Spotlight. I’m your host, Nicholas Wi...
2021-03-30 21:39:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
I had a 'Eureka!' moment while rewriting Glitch's breakup scene, which (to make a long story short) made me realize that I wanted to add some new options during the cover story creation arc in Chapter 8. I'll be updating Chapter 8 over the course of the next week as this new route gets written, but for now here's a mini-update (around 2,500 words) that includes the first half of Sally's scene.
Playing it will bump you back to the beginning of Chapter 8, and this week's ongoing updates w...
2021-03-29 03:52:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
Some of you were surprised when Gray dropped the f-bomb in last week's Saucy Side, and even more taken aback when I admitted on discord that Gray is the Mind Blind character who curses the most. (I edit his dialogue.) For some reason, the man keeps cursing when I'm writing--I've had to curtail him back to a single "f***" in Chapter 3.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share how Gray's dialogue usually comes out naturally. I found my first drafts saved in my computer, s...
2021-03-28 03:03:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
So, you may be aware that I lost my startup file this week due to accidentally overwriting the .txt file. This wouldn't usually be a huge deal, and I was able to reassemble most of it from Dashingdon's archive. But Chapter 8 has the most remembered variables of any chapter yet (around 60!), so I need a bit more time to recode the second half.
That being said, here's the promised update! (And I should be able to get the second half out done sometime this weekend.) It adds almost 3,000 wo...
2021-03-27 01:15:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Note: And now for something completely different!
I wrote this last year, as part of a short series experimenting with characters of various ages, inspired from my realization that a lot of authors I read seem unable to pull off writing young children. I'm around kids all the time for my job, but figured that I might have a similar blind spot. Thus, I started practicing writing snippets about characters who were both older and younger than me...
2021-03-26 01:53:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Glitch’s tendency to rap against the thin wall separating your offices to chat whenever boredom strikes (which amounts to roughly every six seconds for Glitch) means that you’re forced to wear noise-cancelling earbuds to accomplish any actual work.
***
“I am not using that as a callsign!” you protest. “It’s offensive.”
“I think it’s charming,” Sally interjects.
You scowl at her. So much for solidarity from your fellow shorty.
“’Fun-size’...
2021-03-20 15:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
I’ve been quiet on social media this week, in large part because I was relocating back to Chicago from Seattle. (My three-week stay turned into four months because I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to my mom’s dog. Although if my mom asks, I remained because I so enjoyed being with family.)
I’ve also been busy laying out a huge roadmap for Mind Blind’s future chapters . . . which I would share except it would spoil the entire plot. But it’s (mostly) down on paper as a 27-page(!...
2021-03-20 02:20:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
A "What-if" Set Post-Aeon Graduation
Featuring: Gray and Button
“What the fuck were you thinking?!”
Gray’s enraged bellow draws the attention of a janitor the hallway beyond your office. He marches to the door and slams it shut with echoing force before stomping back to you. The closed door means that the only source of light is the lamp on your desk, but it’s enough to clearly discern Gra...
2021-03-20 01:32:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
I remained in Kothe a few weeks longer in order to celebrate my fifteenth birthday with my family. The day passed without much incident, which was more to my preference than the party Loren had desired. Theo gifted me a few books he’d brought from Anterdon. He hadn’t read any of them, of course, but claimed that all had been endorsed by a “booky” friend. Uncle Alistair gave a painted miniature of my mother from when she was my age, and Catherine generously signed over ownership to one...
2021-03-18 00:47:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
I always assumed Death wore hooded robes, rode a dark horse, and had a face made of shadows. The whole nine yards.
He doesn't. Death looks kinda like Jim from Accounting, except with more hair. Yet somehow, I know instantly who--or rather, what--he is.
It's the feeling you get when you go to the zoo and see a tiger yawn. That instinctive respect for their teeth, and the recognition that, yeah, this thing can eat me.
Death adjusts his glasses. "Are you going to keep me sta...
2021-03-15 20:01:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
The above picture is what my screen looks like when I'm working on Mind Blind. As you can see, it's crowded.
There's Microsoft Word, where I write and code the first draft. There’s also a copy of the prior chapter up on screen, so I can easily reference the variables used in it and make sure that I’m not dropping any of the storyline continuities. Finally, there’s my notes, which remind me of the variable numbers that I’ll be using for flavor text and choice options (I ...
2021-03-13 01:41:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
From the Journal of Lady Vitrula Rhys: The Second Death
I blame my second death on my own naivete. After the initial shock of my first execution and being cast back to my fourteenth birthday, I came to the conclusion that my new chance was a blessing. Legends spoke of fairies hidden in the Amberleen Hills, the abandoned children of lesser gods, who doled out equal doses of mischief and aide to mortals who caught their eye. Surely, some good spirit had undoubtedly been moved...
2021-03-12 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kent Zarneki was going to die.
He realized this the moment he stepped off the jet and onto the tarmac, which burned so hot under the Atlanta summer sun that Kent could swear he’d seen a sweat drop sizzle into smoke as it hit the ground.
Yes, Kent Zarneki was definitely going to die from either heat exhaustion or seventh-degree sunburn. And it was all Ferro’s fault.
The murderer in question stood a few meters away, dark shades over his eyes and a chauffer’s cap perched ...
2021-03-11 04:51:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
