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Hey btw i dunno if you saw but cog demos URL got changed to have /mygame at the end of the links so any link before they changed it will say “OOPS!” :3

thank u for keeping me updated on this because i did not in fact know, i’ll get on that ty

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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

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new link to the demo! (chapter 4 not up yet due to unfinished sections, don't worry!)

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DashingDon is shutting down at the end of the month! 😭 (Jan 2025) I don't know if you had seen that, so I thought I'd pass it along.

CogDemos[.]ink (I think that's what it's called now instead of Moody) finally has local saves - although they're saved to internal storage like twine games on itch[.]io, instead of browser-based, like DashingDon was.

I'm sad to have to delete a lot of my IF bookmarks, and I really hope to see Checkmate again when you're ready to host it elsewhere! 💝

oh i have received multiple messages about this, thank u everyone!! i’ll figure out a way to move it along for u all because i’ve been completely out of the IF scene while i’ve been working

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is it dead?

hopefully not 😭😭😭😭 i’ve had a very hard year this year so i’ve been barely writing at all but i really don’t want it to be dead!!

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hi! was wondering if we could have like a one night stand with noir and still pursue other ROs?

i think so. first time i do intend to be a drunken hookup

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From previous post, is Noir being dramatic or does he miss the heir and being dramatic about it 💀

dramatic about missing the heir LMAO

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This is a very broad question and I apologize for that, but since so much of the background of the game is based on social circles I still want to ask: how would the world look without MC? If MC wasn't there to be Elspeth's (hoped) conversation partner or to be babysat with Jelly's family, would the Hales and the Sissels have been closer? If MC wasn't the target of Jareth's ire, would he have picked another target, or is there something about them specifically he can't get over? I'm really curious how things would have rearranged for the cast if MC had never been there.

it is an interesting question! if i interpret this as violeta having never had a child at all, a whole lot would be different. without an official heir, benz would have almost definitely found a way to undermine or subtly betray her with another, and the sissels would have been a good target for his plan Because of melony's proximity to mars. this would have been pretty disastrous to say the least, because it would set laurel more firmly against benz too, since she would end up backing violeta. there is an oddly specific balance that the benz-vinteren alliance holds up, preventing laurel from outright trying to destroy him and keeping that atmosphere of almost equal footing between it and the zu-sissel one, minimising the threat of either. with benz trying to politick with melony, it would be much more fraught, mars and benz threatening each other's position more outright.

as for the social aspects, i don't think hebe and windo would have a 3rd best friend. the mc is special to them in that dynamic and i never want it to feel like it could be just anyone in their place so it would likely be just the two of them. jareth's answer is more complicated of course because it's a mixed bag, his hatred is rooted in a type of jealousy but is said hatred so near and dear to his heart because it's specifically directed at the mc? maybe!

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I don't know if this has been asked before because I can't find it, but how do you feel about fanfiction? Personally, I wouldn't post online whatever I wrote, but I want to make sure you're okay with it ^^

i'm more than ok with it! i'd find it really interesting seeing other people interpreting the characters actually, whether i agree with how they come across or not, as long as ur having fun and being respectful :-)

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Ngl I have an (unhealthy) obsession with Noir but I'm a Sailor guy (I really, really don't want to break their heart and/or prove them right we shouldn't be together) and yet I keep circling back to the lunch scene where I want to flirt with him and I just don't

All this to say this Halloween snippet has made it worse and I'll need 2-5 business days to recover after screaming into the void for too many hours

to be honest even being his friend will help him so romancing sailor and following a platonic route for noir is probably the least painful for this. the angst of being sailor's ex and romancing noir will be soul crushing, since noir doesn't know about the relationship (unlike jelly who will never go further than flirting with an mc who still has feelings for sailor) and sailor will just have to watch mc get closer to him while there's nothing they can do about it. i take so much joy in making everyone hopelessly sad, sooo sorry about it

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noir // halloween?

"Just call me useless and inept and an idiot for doing this to myself. Please do it. I want to hear it from the mouth of someone smarter than me. I'll feel better."

"I may be smarter than you, but you're underestimating your own superior deprecation ability," Raven says, annoyingly.

Noir glares at him, mouth a hard line. "I am not. I would never. Thank you for acknowledging one of my few talents, though. Even if it's not what I asked for."

His assistant only looks up through his eyelashes, not moving his head while he types away at an email. "Insulting you is not what you're paying me for. The more miserable you are, the more abominable the vibes in this cage with you."

He does have a point. Noir's office is a single room on a busy floor in a building owned by the president, thus it is surrounded by hundreds of others who believe they can build their own empire.

It's not their fault. They buy what they're sold. And he'd be hypocritical to judge, he's buying into the same delusion to cope. Raven's intelligence and dedication are all but wasted on him but the difference between Noir and the rest of the ants in the nest is the salary he can afford to pay his help. A fancy office would be naught but a corporate tomb for someone like him, a pretty place to sink.

Really. The office is the least of his reasons to be miserable. He'd never share such a pitying sentiment with Raven, but keeping someone so clearly destined for better cooped up in here weighs on him more than any claustrophobia.

He chuckles. "So you're not going to call me an idiot? You'd rather hear me do it to myself? Over and over..."

"You're a clever idiot. You should know you're never going to win."

Noir sits up in his grey armchair, mouth open. "You just—"

"A useful idiot. Watching your love life founder like this is making me very happy about the non-existence of mine." Raven smirks, forefinger and thumb resizing something on the screen in front of him.

Noir gasps, all but delighted to hear the beratement. "I knew you liked me, after all. And not just because I pay you. Though I'd take what I can get, at this point."

"If that were true, you'd be swanning about that estate now, probably moaning about the streamers not being a dark enough shade of black," Raven points out in his same lifeless tone, though the shift from concentrating on their work to dividing his attention is perceptible; long hair is pushed back behind a stylishly protruding ear.

It's enough of a cue for Noir to stop being considerate about distracting him. He gets up out of his comfy chair, plopping down on the cushion on the plastic chair in front of his desk, meant for visitors but seeing little use.

This is enough to earn a sideye.

"You seem to be under the impression that we'd be...courting, if I was still with them. I'd be their date, but I certainly wouldn't get a say in the decorating. And I wouldn't dare complain about their choices if I did. Not until later, anyway, to some innocent person who had no say in the matter." He has a belated realisation that he is still invited and planning to go. He has no choice; not going, sitting in his apartment or at work with their face plaguing his thoughts, would be the only thing worse. "My word, Raven. Tonight's gonna be like stepping into a minefield. You have to watch me."

"I'll keep you alive, but I won't keep you from throwing up on yourself," Raven says with the first ripple of laughter in his voice. "I could suggest you keep a clear head and find an opening to approach them to apologise, but I could just as soon grow a flower garden out of concrete."

Noir rolls his eyes. "Apologise? It's far too late for that. I can hardly go back and beg them to take a coward back. No, they deserve better, Raven. They shouldn't have to deal with the added stress of trying to prop me up alongside the empire they're already managing."

There's a moment of silence in the conversation; Raven thinks. He doesn't try to mindlessly pacify. Noir has the realisation that he's actually talking about his feelings to somebody and curls in on himself, crossing one leg over the other and squeezing his own upper arm. He's been vulnerable since the day he was born, always feeling exposed and flayed, but he balked as soon as a potential protector actually expressed an interest in him.

Bedsheets softer than his own, draped over his lover's waist as the last breaths of summer air mingle with the cooling heat of bodies. Noir's fingers trace their shoulders, their spine. His lips get jealous and press a kiss between their shoulderblades, and in turn his fingers turn desperate and grip their arm instead. They gasp, but it sounds delighted, and he has to initiate a crushing kiss when he flips them over so he doesn't have to see their tired eyes sparkle. It's guilt. He's making every second last, leaving them with every bit of proof that his body wishes he could stay. But by morning he's gone, short note left detailing that he just can't keep distracting them anymore.

"You don't understand a whole lot about relationships, do you?" Raven chases away the ghost that haunts him, though it never goes very far. "Not that anybody could blame you, of course. But I don't think abandonment issues help much more than...well, what's the worst effect you have on them? Bad optics? Getting in the way of prospects that they don't really need?"

Here's where he can't go any further; he can't confess to anybody that a fear of his own dependency was slowly creeping up on him. He was craving them all the time, seeking comfort hiding behind their skirts, at risk of becoming even more useless.

He redirects. "Funny you should bring up my understanding of relationships. I'm curious about yours. It isn't a lack of wisdom stunting your ability to find love, then?"

"If you hadn't noticed, I spend most of my time sequestered in a tower analysing reports. Full time work, it tends to...kill off the desire," Raven responds dryly, not seeming surprised or offended by the question.

"What if you found someone who understood, though? Like...someone you had enough chemistry with that you'd actively enjoy taking it slowly with?"

Raven's eyes narrow suspiciously now. "It sounds like you're—"

"I met Vinteren's assistant, Sunny. Only the once, but—"

"You roll that sentence back right now—"

"What's wrong with—"

"No. No, no, no—"

"Raven!" Noir snaps exasperatedly, noticing that he's covered his ear back up.

"My boss is not trying to matchmake me. It's not happening. This is all a terrible misunderstanding."

Wondering if he's crossed a line, Noir hesitates. "I can point him out to you, tonight, if you want. But if you really don't..."

"Perhaps," he says tautly. "Perhaps. But I assure you, this is mere curiosity. Do not mistake my acquiesence for interest."

Noir smirks, feeling like he's hit the jackpot of things to distract him from his own anguish. There's no way Raven's actually worse at this than he is.

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top five most important things you can give a character. 1. bisexuality. 2. autism. 3. so much negative rizz it loops around into irresistibility. 4. so many bad events. 5. a coping mechanism that’s cute and silly provided you don’t think about it too hard

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When you finally won the battle of opening up your WIP to edit but your brain is fighting you on touching the document so you’re in paralysis like

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no need to answer if it's too spoiler-y because i know you mentioned RO's feelings on marriage will be discussed in game - but hypothetically if the RO's were to marry the MC what would their feelings about taking the Vinteren surname be?

Also for Hebe in particular as the heir to an equally powerful family - would she take the Vinteren name because unlike MC she has other siblings to carry on the Hale name? Or would it be expected that whoever is higher on the list at the time swaps regardless? I assume everyone else would be expected to take MC's name?

the name that would be taken would be the one of who happens to be higher at the time of marriage. unless they chose to each keep their own and operate separate allied businesses together. obviously as still technically different entities this option tends to cause more complications within marriage if competition or greed wins out. marriages between two first heirs in the top ten tend to be rarer for the aforementioned complications and the typically large families so why not add another privilege onto their list of many? if hebe chose to become a vinteren, another hale would take her place. but in order for the MC to take someone else's name, they can essentially legally adopt someone into the family to do it, with stipulations.

no one else, besides jelly and monty, is an heir, and for them it'd be a difficult decision for a multitude of reasons regarding the circumstances of their positions. the rest would be expected to take it — only twenty, sailor and windo would do so without reservations for an MC they were deeply in love with. the rest would have certain specific hangups with becoming a vinteren, some darker and bleaker than others. maybe there'll be refusals.

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which taylor swift song would the ros vibe with, if any?

hebe — ivy / long live / this is why we can't have nice things

windo — you are in love

sailor — new year's day

jelly — new romantics / champagne problems / mirrorball

twenty — breathe / seven

noir — delicate

honey — enchanted

jareth — cruel summer / holy ground

ludo — state of grace

monty — i know places / style

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I like how barbwritesstuff does intimate scenes. You get an option for fade to black or explicit content each time, and the first time choose an explicit scene, it outright asks what equipment you have, which is surprisingly refreshing. No veiled questions of backstory or innuendo, just "what does your body have, and what does arousal do?"

i liked blood moon’s scenes! they’re done very maturely without being at all uncomfortable and cringe even with the humour smattered in. it really does just feel so…AWKWARD dancing around anatomy when it’s adult fiction and we all know what sex is and how it works and that it’s impossible to write a non-clunky catch-all unless you’re only dipping a toe into it. i personally like the idea of varied sex scenes over the generic and then they fuck etc etc, everyone gets to show their different personalities and ways of showing affection when it comes to sex