asheepinthenight

[asheepinthenight]

Talon's End June 2025 Extra: The Last Dragon Hunter

Beware! The lore below the cut contains some spoilers for the origin of the geographic location that is Talon's End. I'm not including the entire story to avoid spoiling all of it (so it does end abruptly!), but if you want to avoid all spoilers, you may want to skip this. CW: brief descriptions of gore

She's close.

You can feel the flap of her wings vibrate through you even from leagues away. You can smell her organs burning from within. You struck true, and now the magic that leaches out is eating her like acid.

You don't know what hunger feels like, but it must be something like this. A visceral pull, a compulsion that cannot be denied.

Your task is close to completion. The other hunters speak of the things they will do when it is done, when they are free. You don't want to be free.

You want the call of the hunt to consume you.

You hear them crash into a forest far in the distance, ripping young trees from the ground and streaking them with blood. The acrid scent draws you toward it.

The gouge the beast carved into the woods is obvious as you approach. A disappointment. The final hunt will be over too soon. You had hoped you could take your time tracking it, cornering it. But drawing out the suffering of a wounded beast is not in your nature.

The pine tree sways as you grip a high branch and watch the creature below. The dragon's blue-black scales gleam in the afternoon sun as she claws at the ground, reeling in pain around the clearing she carved. She screeches as she writhes, attempting to escape the source of her pain. But there is no escape. Blood and sparking magic drip onto the dirt from the wound you tore into her abdomen.

You should have been able to kill her before she escaped, but she took you by surprise. Dragons protecting a clutch of eggs were always tricky—even more vicious and cunning than usual. She knew to lead you away from her clutch, but protecting them wouldn't make a difference with no dragons left to continue brooding them. Still, she's too dangerous a foe to approach unprepared.

As you continue to watch and wait, the bloodlust begins to fade. The razor edge of your focus dulls. A raven darts past you, far too near, and you startle, shaving a cascade of pine needles off your branch. The dragon below has begun to slow, too, and her gaze tracks the needles' path to where you perch. Her cry of alarm flushes a flock of observing birds out of the nearby trees, and the roar that follows causes even the buzzards to retreat. Your time is up.

You dive into the clearing, and the dragon weakly staggers away, colliding heavily with a tree whose roots begin to rip out of the ground in a spray of dirt. She pulls in a breath before fruitlessly expelling it with nothing more than a few snaps of static. Too much magic has drained from her wound to summon any lightning. She gives a shaking roar, panting with the effort of trying to drive you away as her life slips from her grasp.

The bloodlust is entirely gone now, replaced with something cold and biting that you can't name. She blinks her silver-blue eyes as she tries to keep them focused on you, standing motionless across the clearing from her.

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: May 2025

Unfortunately, not much progress to report this month due to an incredibly busy schedule. Due to the relatively programming-intensive nature of this part of Talon's End, it's difficult to make progress without having multiple hours at a time to sit down and focus—something that's been difficult to come by lately!

Since it's been so long since the last big TE update, I wanted to share one of the first bits of setting lore I wrote: The origin of the place that is now called Talon's End. I don't want to spoil the whole story, so it does end abruptly. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it! Read it HERE.

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: April 2025

A little progress this month! Work has kept me very busy, but I've added a couple small scenes between the end of the current demo and the festival. They should help things feel a little less rushed and allow the new customization options to be spread out a little more. I've also been implementing some tweaks for the already-written festival content to improve the depth of choices and emphasize the start of MC's journey and the first little choices they get to make as their own semi-independent person. These are mostly little nuts-and-bolts additions and edits, so nothing juicy to share this month.

Instead, please enjoy this unfinished gecko origin story from the vault of incomplete tidbits (spoiler warning for a never-before-seen character from Hawk's Enclave):

"Do you have any geckos, Hawk?"

"Geckos?"

"Those little ones that eat magic. We—"

"Glyph geckos. They don't 'eat' magic."

"Well, whatever they do with it, we have some." Quill's pale face is lit by the hot blaze of the lodge's eternal furnace as they cast their darkened, rapidly eroding blade into it. Quill's rust-brown eyes are transfixed as the furnace melts the metal, crackling as it burns away the caustic blood of the otherworldly creature that was its last kill. "Shame. Had that one for twenty winters. Ah well."

Hawk gives them a few moments of silence before reminding them: "The geckos?"

"Oh. Yes. Do you want some?" Forcing themself to turn away from the flame, Quill leads the way back down the hill toward the lodge. Though it should be early summer, the Frostwood's eternal winter leaves a permanent layer of snow on the ground. "Ever since the humans to the east have decided they don't like magic anymore, the geckos have been coming here. The only place there's enough magic to keep them alive, I think. So we—Zephyr and I—we've been letting them into the lodge. Too cold and dangerous for them out in the 'Wood." Quill presses their gloved palm to the featureless wood door of the lodge, and it opens, spilling warmth into the forest. "But they've been eating—absorbing, or whatever it is—our wards, and Ember won't let us keep them anymore. Can you take some?"

"You want them to weaken my wards instead?"

Quill shrugs. "You have the time to renew them."

"Everyone seems to believe I have infinite time to dispense magic on demand."

Quill spins around and crosses their arms over their chest as they look up at Hawk. There's a nearly two-foot difference in height between them, but Quill has always possessed the confidence of a small dog that has no idea its ancestors haven't been wolves for millennia. "I'm asking for your help to save these little creatures. They'll die if we release them. I know you'll say yes, so will you stop giving me a hard time and agree already?"

Hawk sighs. "Let me see them first."

Quill grins. "Thank you!" They lead the way through the narrow, wood-paneled hallways, talking all the while.

[asheepinthenight]

hey, i played this game agesss ago and i swear i found a way to wear the outfit hawk gave us for the wedding but no matter what i do i cant seem to figure out how now :( did i dream that up 😭

Unfortunately, you did dream that up, anon! There's no way to wear the robe from Hawk at the wedding.

[asheepinthenight]

hiii, i was just wondering how many parts/chapters there are meant to be once its completed? :D i love it so far!!

I'm glad you've enjoyed playing! I find it easier to write in location- and time-based scenes (like a play) rather than narrative chapters. So I don't have a specific number of chapters or releases since I don't think of TE in those terms, but the game will cover about six months of MC's life, from late summer through early spring. So hopefully that partially answers your question!

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: March 2025

Not much progress last month, unfortunately, as I spent most of March being sick. But the good news is I was finally able to finish Shea's snippet a few days ago! I'm hoping that I'll be fully recovered soon and will have a more exciting update next month. Until then, Happy Spring to the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Autumn to the Southern Hemisphere!

[asheepinthenight]

A Good Problem to Have (Talon’s End Extra March 2025)

It's finally done! After being delayed by getting sick again earlier this month, the Shea fluff snippet is here. This takes place several months post-game, but there are no significant spoilers. This was written with the romantic/queerplatonic MC/Shea relationship path in mind.

You and Shea collapse onto the bed in unison, barely avoiding a collision. It's been a long time since the store has had a day quite this busy, and it would be perfectly fine to not have another one ever again—not without more help, anyhow.

"Do you think anyone will notice if we sleep through the day tomorrow?" Shea asks, sprawled motionless across their side of the bed.

"I think we may have to find out. I don't intend to move for anything less than a cataclysm."

Shea shifts closer to you and pulls you gently into their arms. You rest your head on their chest and feel their heartbeat under your fingertips. Their breaths are slow and even, and you feel yourself matching their pace, letting go of the last of the day's tension.

Then, your stomach rumbles.

"It is past dinnertime, isn't it?" Shea asks

"Should we flip a coin to decide who makes dinner?"

In response, Shea reaches into their pocket to retrieve a coin. "Crown or coast?"

Your brain takes a moment to conjure an answer. "Crown."

Shea pulls their hand from their pocket and flips the coin into the air with surprising finesse for someone lying down with their partner halfway on top of them. They catch it and hold it out to you. "Look at that—crown it is. I'll make dinner." They gently shift you off of their chest and kiss your forehead as they pocket the coin.

The bedroom door opens and shuts before you realize something. You spring—or to be more accurate, wobble abruptly—out of bed and follow Shea to the kitchen. You confront them as they stand in the pantry.

"Why didn't you take the coin out of your pocket before I said 'crown?'"

"Are you accusing me of dishonest dealings?" Shea puts their hand over their heart, pretending to be deeply offended.

"Yes!"

"Well, you're right." They reach over to pull a coin from behind your ear and spin it between their fingers to show you both sides: both crowns. They surely have its double-coast counterpart in their pocket, too—handy for illusionist's tricks. "I was hoping you'd get some rest before you figured it out. But I should have known better than to try and get one over on you. I'm sorry." They lean in and kiss your cheek.

"You're just apologizing because you got caught."

"I would have apologized after you woke up. But sometimes, the ends justify the means."

You narrow your eyes at them, and they sigh.

"All right, all right. You've shamed me enough." They hold up their hands in surrender. "As your prize, you can help me make dinner." They wink at you. "But we're not exactly flush with options, so I'm afraid it's going to be bread and grilled vegetables. Again."

There are plenty of things you don't miss from your life in your parents' home—but you do miss the pleasant variety of meal options. You barely manage to hold back a sigh, but Shea picks up on your disappointment nonetheless.

They take your hands in theirs and look at you with surprising seriousness. "You gave up so much to be with me. If I had been in your place, I don't know if I would have given up a life of comfort to work every day and eat bread and grilled vegetables."

You pretend to consider the matter. "When you put it that way, it doesn't sound like a very good deal, does it? I suppose it's a good thing I had more to motivate me than just grilled vegetables."

They smile and step closer. "And what might your other source of motivation have been?"

You act as though you're considering the question deeply. "The bread, of course."

Shea laughs. "It is good bread, isn't it?"

You nod. "And I suppose getting a partner out of the deal isn't bad either—even if they sometimes forget that they can rely on me, too. You don't have to do everything alone anymore."

They pull you into their arms once again. "I will do my best to remember. Thank you, [name]."

You hug them back, channeling your affection for them into the gesture. You've always had your siblings to look out for you, but this is new: having someone in your life whom you chose and who chose you in return. And if you have to keep an eye out so they don't try to carry too much of the load, so be it. As problems go, a partner who's too kind for their own well being is a good problem to have.

[asheepinthenight]

my MC is nonverbal, and often writes love letters about Hawk..

how would hawk feel if he found them?

and on the nonverbal part — he can talk but doesn’t. so, how would Hawk take it if someone tried to have his husband speak either by social pressure or whatever? cause sometimes we need a man who will stand up for you.. (romantic scene heh)

Assuming they found the love letters deeper into the relationship, Hawk would probably just read them if they were in a shared spot (like sitting on the kitchen table), but they'd ask first before reading if they accidentally found them somewhere more private. I think Hawk would really appreciate the letters. They need time to process things, and being able to read them privately and digest them would help them feel more comfortable with their thoughts. I could see the fantasy equivalent of cute sticky notes around their tower being something they'd really like—a way to be connected even when both they and MC are busy or need time to themselves.

Hawk's reaction to someone giving their non-verbal partner a hard time is something that might come up in the story, so I won't go into too much detail. But even at the current point in the story, Hawk wouldn't tolerate that. They're not at all bothered by telling people to get lost, and that's more or less exactly what they'd do. Though just stepping between MC and whoever was bothering them and staring them down would probably intimidate most jerks enough to not even need to say anything.

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: February 2025

I'm a few days late to the party, but Happy March! I've been extremely busy with non-TE things during February and then followed that up by getting sick a few days ago! I'm still recovering, but I've been working on a cozy little MC/Shea short that I hope will be ready to share in the next few days. I'm currently in planning/editing mode when it comes to game content, so this will be a little post-game tidbit—something of a counterpart to this Hawk snippet from last year. See you soon with a little Shea fluff!

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: January 2025

Happy almost-February! I'm currently recovering from a health situation earlier this month, so this will be a bit of a short update! I've been able to get initial editing done on what I had previously written for the autumn festival. Thankfully, I should be able to reuse a large amount of the text, but there's still a fair amount of work to be done before the update will be ready to go. For now, I'm going to get back to resting, but here's a tiny preview snippet with Hawk!

"Hawk, could you help me put it on?" You hold one pendant out to them, and after a moment's hesitation, they take it.

Hawk takes a small step closer and place the pendant around your neck. They're careful not to let their fingers brush against you, but standing this close, their aura is palpable, sending a chill up your spine as it ripples around you. Hawk doesn't step back immediately but lingers, their eyes looking into yours as if searching for something. After a few more moments, they seem to abruptly realize what they're doing and quickly look away. You catch a hint of red in their cheeks as they stuff their own pendant in their pocket.

[asheepinthenight]

Dashingdon closure and new ChoiceScript WIP site

Dashingdon is closing soon and if you have a WIP hosted there, you have a few options:

Add it to cogdemos.ink, the Dashingdon successor with an updated codebase

Compile it and upload to itchio (make sure it's listed under "no payments" under pricing)

Compile it and share on google drive

Compile it and share on the Choice of Games forum if you have a WIP thread there

[asheepinthenight]

Howdy!

I'm currently trying out your game Town and Tower and I have some questions about how Tasks work (sorry in advanced if you've answered this many times before).

How many Tasks can be accepted at a time, and do they impact eachother?

For example, I've got a task that after all rolls are made:

I've got nine weeks to complete it.

I've failed to pass the task before the end of the month, meaning that I now have new tasks to do.

Can I continue to try at this task until it is done for the reward, or do I have to drop it for a more important task for the month?

Also, if I have multiple tasks that exceed four weeks do I do them all or do I prioritize one task that is the most important?

Please help me understand these rules if you happen to have the chance!

Thank you!

-A Frog Wizard

Hi there! To answer your questions in order:

There's no limit to how many tasks you can accept at once, but keep in mind the penalties for refusing and failing tasks (see section 4.2.3). For example, refusing a trivial task doesn't impact your reputation, but accepting and then failing reduces it by 1.

Tasks don't inherently affect one another (that is, accepting task A doesn't directly affect task B, mechanically), but feel free to experiment if the story that's unfolding makes more sense to you that way!

A task isn't failed until its time limit is up, so you can continue trying to complete it until you run out of time (in this case, 9 weeks after accepting it), even if you get new tasks. You can decide to stop working on it to prioritize other tasks, if you like, but you don't need to.

Tasks can be completed in whatever order you like. A task's importance level is based on its importance to the person who needs it done—it isn't required that all other tasks be dropped to work on a new crucial task first, for example. You can prioritize tasks however you like, whether you focus on tasks for your favorite townsperson first or trivial short-term tasks first or crucial long-term tasks first, etc. T&T is a fiction-first game, so if in doubt, do what makes the most sense for your story!

[asheepinthenight]

Merry yearmas!!! :D

Merry Yearmas to you, too, anon! :)

[asheepinthenight]

Talon’s End Devlog: December 2024

Happy New Year! I'm a little late on this one due to the busy holidays, but I hope you've been enjoying the werewolf!Hawk AU extra! With that complete, next on the to-do list is to dive into editing and rewrites for the next part of TE proper.

2024 was full of unexpected things for me, and delaying TE's updates was an unfortunate necessity. Unfortunately, TE will still need to take a back seat for a while, but the person I am now is better equipped to make TE the story I always wanted it to be than the person I was a year ago. So I hope that it will all be worth it for all of you who've been so patient!

I hope you continue to find even small moments of joy this year and live in a present that brings you happiness. If those seem too far away, hold on to a vision of the future that brings you hope, no matter how small or far away it seems. Sometimes, good things can be found where you least expect them. ❤️

[asheepinthenight]

Dinner at Dawn (Hawk AU Extra)

MC and Hawk grew up together as vampire hunters: witches who inherit such strong magical abilities that they can challenge even nearly indestructible creatures of the night. But in their teens, Hawk was bitten by a rogue werewolf, losing their hunter powers and their community as they were forced out of their family to join a werewolf pack. It was over ten years before MC and Hawk were reunited and brought hunters and werewolves together to help stop a new vampire threat. Now, although the work continues, MC and Hawk have time to spend together to enjoy the fruits of their labor: specifically, a nice chat over a veggie burger "dinner" the morning after a full moon—unless they get distracted by other things…

It's finally here! It's quite a short story, but it's been a long time coming—thank you for your patience! This is the first AU fluff short that resulted from the poll back in July: an urban fantasy AU with werewolf!Hawk. It's not interactive in the traditional sense, but it does account for things like your MC's relationship with Hawk, preference on physical contact, height, etc.

Hawk has definitely had a very different life in this AU, but I hope you enjoy a glimpse at one version of a much younger, werewolf-ier Hawk! Happy Holidays!

Play on Itch | Play on Github | Download from Github

[asheepinthenight]

okay because i was imagining how sick (both positive and negative, ig) it would be if the theme of hawk being immortal amd how that may come between them and mc haunted their romance, but then surprise surprise turns out that was the least of their worries cuz hawk somehow dies. it’s a painful kind of poetic irony that makes for a great gut wrenching story.

…can you tell im drowning in angst?

It definitely would be a potent exploration of the theme, and you're more than welcome to craft angsty headcanons/fics/etc.! I'm just personally a fan of romances where things work out in the end, so that's where TE is headed. Your idea would be some exceptional tragic romance fodder, though, anon!

[asheepinthenight]

…would you classify this story as a tragedy? something just came up on my mind and…. 👀🪦

No, most endings I expect people to see are definitely HEA or at least HFN. There will be at least one tragic ending, but probably not in the way you're thinking! I know a lot of people (myself included) don't like to read a romance and unexpectedly find out that it was a tragedy all along! So I'll put this info out there: MC and the ROs won't die in any major ending (even the "bad end"). One or more of them may die at some point later in their lives, but it won't be during the timespan of TE.