malinryden

Real life update

For people that know me, you might have noticed that I have been online a lot less than I used to be, and a lot less social on discord and the like. The progress of the game has also been slower than I would have liked. The thing is, bad stuff has been going on in real life so I have really not been in a headspace for either people or writing. For the last year or so, my mother's health has deteriorated. Many things have been found and dealt with, but in September things took a turn for the w...

Questions for last month!

Happy new year everyone! I realized too late that I had not got a Questions post up due to holiday shenanigans where days of the week really bleeds together. So here it is, a few days late. Ask away!

Hope everyone will have a better 2025!

State of the Art

This month's lore post will dig into Ortega post-Heartbreak, and the new generator powering them.

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There are no windows in the testing facility, no mirrors hiding hidden viewers. This is the high security boost rehab wing, reinforced for whatever can happen when people with too much power go out of control. I suppose I am one of them now.

"How do you feel, Charge?" Dr. Sam is making an effort to look relaxed, but I know she's as excited as I am. First time without safegua...

New Discord Invite Code

Alrightly, the old one seems to be defunct again, so here is a new invite code for the discord server.

https://discord.gg/XEdSag7pj9

Trust Me.

This starts out at the same point as last month's excerpt, but with choices added at the start, and a different person to meet than ZaZa. The latter part don't have choices or variables yet, but enjoy!

...

*label path2.2

The days pass. One after the other. The inertia of hiding after the terror of running. Nothing to do but live through it. Sink down in restless sleep, wake up with a feeling of disappointment because nothing has changed. Brush your teeth, clean your...

November QnA

Alright, here is the QnA, slightly late, but that is December for you! Hope y'all are less stressed by the season than I am!

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Would Hollow Ground ever take Sidestep an aquarium? 

OH. Dual answer. Hollow Ground is very much like "We already have aquariums at home." On the other hand, the Los Diablos aquarium might become important for... reasons.

How would the Rangers react learning Sidesteps true age?

Shock, con...

Questions for the month!

A little late, but please ask your questions for the month!

Also, a HUGE thank you for everyone supporting me. I can't tell you how much it means, especially during a month where both my bed and car broke down in a permanent non-fixable way so I had to empty my reserves. Thank you so much everybody, you really make a difference.

Meditation

Time for this month's lore post, this time we take a dive into Sidestep's past, right after they escaped the Farm the second time and had made their way back to Los Diablos.

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Los Diablos, 2017

Around you, the city seethes. Was it always this loud? You have retreated underground, to the old tunnels, the place of the forgotten. The domain of the lost. Dirt and concrete helps. Or maybe distance. The claustrophobic press of the dark is held at bay by a single candle...

Paper Dolls (2.2)

Here is an excerpt of another of the puppetstuck paths, no choices, no variations, just following a single variation. It will be expanded once it turns into a demo, but until then, enjoy it as a short story! It follows path 2.2 where you rescued your broken body from the hospital and discovered that something is now inhabiting it.

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The days pass. One after the other. The inertia of hiding after the terror of running. Nothing to do but live through it. Sink down ...

October questions answered!

Alright, here comes the QnA!

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Was Ortega always this obsessed with Sidestep? Or is this a post-heartbreak thing?

I would say that it's for the most part a Heartbreak thing/trauma response. Before it happened, Sidestep relationships could vary from "that vigilante I work really well together," to "best friend kinda," to "oh shit am I in love?" If you combine that with the conviction that Sidestep was Hollow Ground's estranged/rebellious younger sib...

Public Puppet Revelations demo

Path 3.1-3.3 and 2.3

Bugfixed, spellchecked, and with some tiny additions. This one is open for everyone, so feel free to share!

Length: 86 500 words long with code, 68 000 without code. An average playthrough is 19 200 words.
The link: https://dashingdon.com/go/17502

A new Discord link!

The other one died, so here is a new one. Please be nice in there!

https://discord.gg/H2Acd9R945

Time for the questions of the month!

Just leave them here and I'll try not to cough in your direction! (still fighting it)

Politics

The headquarters of the Guardians wasn't as impressive as the sign outside suggested, but it served its purpose. The team had been up and running for over two years by now, but the budget was still not set in stone. Up for debate. Walking the fine line between spending it all and risk being scolded for breaking it, and not spending enough and risk having it reduced next year. The original team had been four members only, Captain Blaze and Zephyr the speedster, experienced in teamwork since t...

September questions answered

At the end of the Livestock dream when Step overhears Regina speaking to her assistant, is it significant that they are using gendered pronouns to refer to the subject of their conversation?

I would say that might be in the eye of the beholder. Most people would use gendered pronouns by reflex, even if "it" might be a more official stance for the base re-gene.

When the Rangers eventually found out about Sidestep's telepathy, did Sidestep get any of the ty...