New Lore poll!
So, with the first three done, who do you want to know about next? Let me know.
2020-12-05 20:16:49 +0000 UTC View Post
malinryden posts
Surveillance Records Transcript - Daniel Sullivan
Subject: Daniel Sullivan
Registration ID: Herald
Defunct RID entries: Kestrel, Kinetik
Birthdate: 11th July 1996
Blood type: O+
Height: 5'9" 175cm
Weight: 150lb/68kg
Classification: Class Beta boost.
Power: Non-assisted flight, full aerial capabilities. Maximum speed; 200 mph (320 km/h). Maximum...
2020-12-05 19:40:01 +0000 UTC View PostNew build and link for the Alpha!
I've fleshed out chapter 21, now there is only chapter 22 and epilogues left. Fixed a lot of bugs. Added some earlier stuff too.
We're up to 1 290 418 words including code ( 1 181 827 without code). Random playthroughs range between 85 000 - 100 000 words.
No old saves will work okay, there are new variables added.
As always, the new link is in the headline above, I will be taking down the old one tomorrow.
Can't wait for proofreading and grammar...
2020-12-02 18:07:42 +0000 UTC View PostNovember QnA
Will we learn about the rest of the world? While there are few passing mentions, I'd be curious to see what the hero/political situation is in, say, Europe or Asia?
I will probably not go into detail in the books since it's not the focus of the story. There's another project on the backburner that might go into politics in detail, but the timing of that is uncertain.
To sum things up, the world is in the grip of a cold/proxy war, but between four loosely affiliate...
2020-12-02 16:30:59 +0000 UTC View PostNovember Spoiler QnA
These are spoilers if you haven't played the full alpha, thus they go in their own section. Enjoy.
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Did Regina know Sidestep's powers had the potential to grow so strong?
She hoped.
Does hollow ground know/feel when their powers haven't worked properly/someone cut their strings (like it might happen with step, Jake, Chen)?
Not going into detail there because you will need to find out,...
2020-12-02 16:25:08 +0000 UTC View PostInfo about future updates
So, December is getting closer, and that's a scary sentence if I ever saw one. How can 2020 both have lasted forever, and be over so quickly? By far the weirdest year I've lived through, for so many reasons.
If everything goes to plan I'll have a new December update for Retribution ready for the VIP Patrons (I know, I should make a funny name for the tiers, but I am terrible with names) because I am soon done with the chapter 21 update and there will be a lot of bugfixes tak...
2020-11-27 07:00:42 +0000 UTC View PostEverything's Fine.
So, here's the first little 200 patron ficlet, Anathema ended up in the lead. Bit of a November mood going on here, be warned.
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Hoots should have closed an hour ago, but it's a special night, so while the doors are locked, the lights are on. Dim, private, the table near the back out of sight and out of mind.
Only three guests, Owl is doing bookkeeping behind the bar, or, as everybody present knows, probably preparing her next strike. Running a business is seconda...
2020-11-21 10:53:31 +0000 UTC View PostInterest check
We are closing in on 200 patrons, which one, is not something I expected, but two, needs some celebration when we get there. So I was thinking I'd write a fic or two about some of the minor characters that haven't got much exposition yet, I know some of you are curious. I have no idea which ones you'd prefer to get a spotlight, so I thought you could help me out there.
Which minor character would you like to get a fic for?
PICK YOUR THREE FAVORITES.
ED...
2020-11-16 10:58:23 +0000 UTC View PostCanyons
Was a bit tired, so I cleaned up another, older snippet for consumption. If anyone spotted it on AO3 you will notice that I switched it into third person. I plan to leave second person strictly for Sidestep stories. To avoid confusion, I also genderswapped Sidestep to female, otherwise the pronouns became too confusing. I do miss the way we handle pronouns in Swedish, it makes it so much easier writing same-sex interactions. Regardless, enjoy!
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There's a weight to the...
2020-11-14 19:29:16 +0000 UTC View PostNew Retribution build up! With a new link!
Well, almost two weeks later than I planned, but sometimes you can't fight the brain worms. It looks like I am slowly crawling back to becoming a functioning human being, at least to the point that I managed to finish off the updates for Retribution. The link is above, just click the 'Dashingdon' and it should show.
I have now filled out, bugfixed and added content to chapter 19 and 20 as well, that means that there's only two chapters left before it is time to start working on grammar ...
2020-11-13 18:37:23 +0000 UTC View PostVoyeur
Been in a very bad headspace lately, trying to get back to writing, so here have a cleaned up old snippet.
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Los Diablos felt smaller than he expected.
Daniel wasn't sure what he had imagined when he moved west, an endless cross-country journey of flights and hitch-hikes that had left him tanned and peeling. Not straight west, of course, deep south first, as far as he could, avoiding the desolate midwest where the ashes blew too thick. It was gettin...
2020-11-11 11:33:48 +0000 UTC View PostFree-Range
Cleaned up one of my old snippets since the last one made me remember it, Sidestep trying to deal with life after the escape from the Farm.
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You can't be yourself. You can't.
You don't even know who yourself is. You know who you are supposed to be, the face to check for in the mirror, the right expression, the blank look, the faint smile only there because it makes you look non-threatening.
You can look threatening. You know that. You saw it on your handler...
2020-11-06 18:46:21 +0000 UTC View PostThe Farm.
Well, 150 patrons and a bad brain day means you get a new venting fic. Enjoy! Farm days Sidestep, from before the first escape.
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There's a taste to despair. Slow. Suffocating. It drags you out like a rubber band, the tension increasing with no relief in sight. It's slow, pressure building until days bleed into nights, and there's nothing in here to mark the passage of time.
The lack of daylight doesn't help.
Will you snap? When? What if you don't? Will that...
2020-11-06 16:44:47 +0000 UTC View PostTranscript of preliminary interview - prospect Wěi Chen
Subject: Wěi Chen (western naming order)
Registration ID: Marshal Steel
Defunct RID entries: Arc 4 (classified), Sergeant Steel
Military rank: Captain (holds no active command)
Birthdate: 28th April, 1979
Blood type: A+
Height: 6'1"/185cm (post mods, 5'9"/175cm pre-op)
Weight: variable
Classification: <...
2020-11-02 22:43:45 +0000 UTC View PostOctober QnA - VIP spoilers
Some questions dealt with spoilery materials from the closed alpha, so they have their own little section here. Be warned if you haven't played it.
Are the other regenes aware of Steps two escapes? If so how do they feel about it?
The first escape was not very public, so that one I think only a few were aware of. The second one however... was rather had to miss. That made a splash, and even though the Farm tried to put the lid back on, the truth was out...
2020-11-02 22:32:29 +0000 UTC View PostOctober QnA
Exactly how many people has Ortega punched over Sidestep?
Oh boy. More than they'd like to admit. Ortega is quick to punch people. If I should hazard a guess... seven, not counting Sidestep themselves.
Does Ortega have any "dead" spots in their body where they don't have any feeling, even post mods?
Yes, but they are caused by scarring, not the mods. The spinal nerves are working as intended. The biggest area is on the arm the nanovores atta...
2020-11-02 22:29:16 +0000 UTC View Post...May Break my Bones.
A hospital waiting room. Calm. Professional. Comfortable chairs and magazines for people with more money than sense. Private, like everything here.
But private doesn't always mean privacy.
The sound of angry heels, a staccato against the polished floor, and Hood looks up from where he sits, perched awkwardly on the soft couch, leafing through a magazine just to keep his hands busy.
"So, are you to blame for this." A short woman, half his height with twice his energy, eyes na...
2020-10-22 13:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostFAQ reminder and update info
Do you have any questions you want answered once November happens? if so, just add them here in the comments. I've already got a bunch from the discord, but the more, the merrier.
This month's story focus will be on Marshal Steel since he came in second in the polls.
I am also polishing up some older story snippets and posting them for everyone, they might be considered canon adjacent. Genders and relationship specifics might vary, but they're as close as they're gonna get while n...
2020-10-22 10:13:08 +0000 UTC View PostSticks and Stones...
Running forward tap tap tap three steps, over the wall, land in a roll, leaving gravel stuck to your back, your braid a black streak behind you.
"You should cut your hair, Julia." A creak, a crack, and the wall crumble, shards a hailstorm at the spot you were a moment ago.
"Not likely," you shout back, glad for your goggles, glad for your reinforced skinsuit, glad that the Marshal isn't out to hurt you.
You know that he could. You've seen the footage; Marshal Hood is not to ...
2020-10-21 21:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEulogies
The good ones always die young.
That's a line of bullshit Chen is intimately familiar with, something said again and again, though he knows it has nothing to do with being good. Or bad. People die, for various reasons, in various ways.
In various numbers.
Six hundred and eighty-five casualties so far, who knows how high it will go, how far the Mayor will let it before they stop reporting the numbers. Heartbreak was a horrible accident, as the media put it, a calamity like an...
2020-10-21 12:34:56 +0000 UTC View PostTruths (100 patrons story)
The first hint of dawn, sunlight not quite breaking the horizon yet, the wind smelling of salt and seaweed. The party has died down like all parties do once the steam runs out. Some have stayed, half asleep by the fire, others have already left for more comfortable beds.
Julia never minded the sand.
Anathema is watching the fire, feeding it the odd stick when it threatens to go out. It's still fascinating, watching them stick their hand into the flames to rearrange the charred log...
2020-10-11 16:17:47 +0000 UTC View PostIt's #WorldMentalHealthDay
Reposted from my twitter.
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So it's #WorldMentalHealthDay and I'm smack in the middle of a bad stretch. Not gonna wallow, but I am going to talk about something I've only realized recently: I'm not as alone as I thought.
First, let me preface this with that I'm not talking about being lonely. I've got people that I care about, and they care about me. Not many, but I...
2020-10-10 20:49:02 +0000 UTC View PostSo I've reached 100 patreons apparently!
First of all, thank you.
Second of all, I am blown away and not entirely sure how to handle it. Life and health is a wee bit chaotic at the moment, decisions are hard.
So, I thought I'd leave it in your hands. What do you want me to write for you this weekend to celebrate? (I'll be fasting due to x-rays on monday, so there probably won't be any serious game fixing anyway).
2020-10-08 19:43:23 +0000 UTC View PostFour Funerals and a Wake
Eight years ago.
The tie is too tight. The shirt too buttoned. The suit too black and too new, and your eyes are too old.
No tears. Boys don't cry, and right now, you get why.
It would be too easy to crack completely if you started, and Ricardo Ortega doesn't crack. Can't. Won't.
Can't smile, but you try it anyway, the grimace in the mirror nothing like mirth or kindness or hope for a future.
You feel nothing like yourself, so instead, you ...
2020-10-02 16:32:15 +0000 UTC View PostA conversation with ortega
Subject: Ricardo Felipe José García Ortega
Registration ID: Charge
Defunct RID entries: Marshal Charge
Birthdate: 26th of May, 1982
Blood type: B+
Height: 6ft/183cm
Weight: 190lb/86kg
Classification: Type B modified human
Modifications: Neural weave, enhanced joint/bone structure, electricity generation.
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Subject: Julia Esperanza Maria García Ortega
Registration ID: Charge
Defunct R...
2020-10-02 15:29:55 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember QnA
Quick questions, quick answers. Some are from here, some are from the Patreon discord, and some are from older sources:
How do you take care of the Rat-King? Are they comfortable like they are?
The filters for Rat King's liquid bath needs to be changed once a week for comfort but can last a lot longer if needed. Nutrition is added monthly, and comes prepared in tablet form. The housing is made to be self-sufficient and is very durable. The Rat-King ...
2020-10-02 03:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostUpdated closed alpha and new link!
Chapter 18 is now updated with new RO interactions, poly content, secret crushes and other complications. I also extended the Blaze fight, and fixed some bugs.
IMPORTANT: note that it is a new link, I will take down the old one on Saturday. This means that no old saves will work, but there would have been too many new variables added to make it work an...
2020-10-01 22:59:28 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember spoiler QnA
Well, here we go with the questions that have too many spoilers for the closed Beta to answer more openly. Please understand the lack of detail in some answers, I can't spoil too big storybeats.
How did Steel get red-threaded by Hollow Ground?
At a function Steel had to attend. It was a crowded room, someone brushing against him, touching his neck. A bit creepy, awkward, Steel felt weirded out but then thought nothing of it. It was annoying for HG not to ...
2020-10-01 22:26:56 +0000 UTC View PostBoosts and Mods
I got some questions about mods and boosts, and I decided to break them out and talk about them in more detail:
There's been talk about alpha level boosts, what does that mean? Are there any other classifications? Do modded people have classifications too? How many alpha-level boosts are there in Los Diablos?
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There are four general categories of Boosts. Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
Delta: Boosts at this level have small e...
2020-10-01 22:04:24 +0000 UTC View PostUpdate info
According to the polls, you overwhelmingly wanted the Questions and Answers info to be provided as a document, and not a live chat. I have already received some questions on the discord and here, feel free to add more. For this first one I will also go back and dig up some older questions that I want to revisit, and share with people who did not have access to the forums where I answered them in. The questions will be separated per patreon level, since some will spoil the full alpha build whi...
2020-09-26 18:20:16 +0000 UTC View Post