#if wip

[replicabetweenblogs]

19/1/25 CHAPTER 9 RELEASE.

5 endings at 3 different locations you can end up as your companions all split into different sides.. getting lost. Metaphorically or quite literally? What decisions have you made in the past to either bring chaos or calm into your so-called hideout..? Who will celebrate to see the long-awaited dawn, who will weep at the rising insanity of the leader carving down a bloody road to victory, and what painful truths will you finally discover?Where will you end up, who will you save, and who will you be in chapter 9?

133 303 words in total for ALL branches!

Between the 18k and 21k for a single playthrough!

Romance lock-in scenes for Ash and Ha!! Although they are locked behind one of the three exploration branches.

Specialize in your essence! If you are strong enough and are within the right branch for it, you can pick one of the few elements to focus on and develop your essence further.

Death

Angst

Depression

Screaming and crying people all around

Lily with a lighter

"Who gave Ha a gun?"

Two new annoying little brats to look after

The chapter is split between three different greater exploration areas, and you can end up depending on various variables and choices. Only one path contains all the companions while the other two may differ depending on decisions made.

~~ Updated dashingdon link (will be removed by the end of the month)

~~ NEW cogdemos.ink link

~~ Discuss the chapter on the forums!

~~ Coffee on Kofi!

~~Help me improve the chapter!!!

That. Was an unbelievably long road. This chapter is easily the most branchy one. A few WIP scenes are locked, but they are nothing big and I may still decide to scrap those before the chapter gets too overwhelmingly brancy. Aside of that, some more balancing I might have to do still regarding personality traits and stats, but I want to delve deeper into that once I've got more results in on my online feedback form, so right now you may not really notice alotta stat changes throughout chapter 9. But yes. Here it is!!

I really hope the returning readers of RBU will enjoy this one. It's an 130k word long apology letter for the hiatus!! Go and give Ha or Ash a kiss or two, play catch with a fireball with Lily, question your entire reality with Amethyst, and connect some dots regarding the final revelation. Again, I thank anyone who has been around here with me since the start and all the new readers I've been able to tell my story to (and who managed to get through the messy first few chapters). I really hope the long wait was worth this all.

Feel free to report bugs in the forum thread c: and I shall try and fix them asap. Also whenever you suspect of the game pushing you into the wrong branch by checking the wrong variables, or if you see any typos and misgendering.

The ASK box is open! For questions, guides, character asks and etc.

Have fun c: I am hoping to keep this flow going for chapter 10 as well, seeing as the end of RBU is nearing and 10 won't be a very long one. Here is hoping I may actually reach the epilogue before I slip back into a 50 year long hiatus <3

[pressplay-if]

Leland is literally my favourite character and I just need it known. His one date you get to have with him augh. I know there’s important plot reasons that you’ve talked about for why it is the way it is but it just kills me and makes me wish he was a full RO or at least have an MC that really misses him or regrets how things panned out with him in a ‘one that got away’ sort of way idk

Leland being the one that (potentially, if you romanced him) got away is his whole point so we're good on that front 😊

He didn't just get away from MC, he escaped a whole lifestyle that would have likely led to his death.

[kingdoms-and-empires]

Progress Report! Please check it out!

Hi guys, I recently asked people to vote on what they'd like as Free Folk on my Patreon, and they asked for public Progress Reports!

So, the progress report is available to all if you join for free on my patreon! It's free! There's content in there, even if you don't want to pay! Honestly, I'd love it if you joined!

Just uh, fyi; spoilers will be inside. Especially since ima just post the Progress Report as you've always been there.

Speaking of...

Some background information:

I rewrote everything.

There were glaring issues with the old demo, like not meeting any ROs, and it'd already be past 300k words.

Still being a lil shit, and it being past 300k words.

Having not killed a man, and it being past 300k words.

NOT EVEN GETTING KISSES OR HUGS, AND IT BEING PAST 300k WORDS!

Shame!

Shame on the author!

Puts best face on.

Puts on nice song.

Well, I listened.

The lack of interactivity, the exposition, the blah blah blah...

I tried addressing those issues, hard. I also tried addressing issues with the narrative itself. Issues with the ROs (a majority of which we never even met yet!)

Everything. This isn't a small rewrite, something that changes things here and there.

I'm even calling this the "Great Reset". Cause I reset everything. Changed almost everything.

Now?

I love this version. I love working on this version. I can see the road ahead, when previously I was unable to.

I'm so confident in this version that I put Todd Howard, and played Sweet Little Lies.

Cause I'll be hanged if I'm lying. And I'm not.

The changes I've put in, the effort I've put in, the progress I've made in these last two months.

Now, I ease you into KaE for the first 100k words. You choose whether to be raised as a Prince, Princess, or Squire and experience the politics, the characters, the living breathing world of KaE that sows the seeds of the issues that'll cause the chaos in the world you'll face later on. I've introduced new coding features that make it simpler for you and me, and it feels more immersive than before. I want us to reach the academy within 300k words. I just feel happy to be writing again. It's my real calling, and it feels good to do it.

Anyways, enough of that. Please, take some time out of your day to look at the latest of what's upcoming.

The progress for the public release is 83k words out of 100k. We're almost there for the public release!!!

Thank you for reading!!!

[timefall-if]

MADDOX / MAXINE

M has bright green, hooded eyes, with natural green hair to match, and a nose that was broken one too many time decorated with a golden hoop nostril ring. Maddox has his hair cut in a permanent buzzcut, while Maxine wears hers in a wavy, short, and choppy haircut with messy bangs. M’s skin is an olive-taupe color marked with tattoos on their arms and neck. Both Maddox and Maxine are 183 cm / 6’0, with a muscular, boxy build, wider in the shoulders.

RIVEN / RAVEN

R has deep black, upturned monolid eyes, and naturally dark blue straight hair, with a sloped nose. Riven wears his choppy haircut in a messy man bun, and Raven wears hers in long pigtails at the top of her head. R has bright alabaster skin with way too many piercings to count all over their body (most notably: ears, eyebrow, lip, tongue, nipples, belly, and venus dimples). Both Riven and Raven are 168 cm / 5’5, with a lanky, thin build.

SERAPHIM / SERAPHINA VAUGHN

S has bright blue, round eyes, golden blonde curly hair, and a button nose. Seraphim wears his curls casually with pieces falling above his eyes, while Seraphina wears hers loose, and sometimes with some braids put together at the back of her head in an updo. S has a sandy skin tone with freckles all over their face and body. Seraphim is 175 cm / 5’7 while Seraphina is 160 cm / 5’2, thought they both have a slightly chubbier built, thicker in the lower body.

CASSIAN / CALYPSO KAZIMIER

C has stormy grey, almond shaped eyes, a straight nose, and a sharp facial structure. They have straight black hair that they usually wear slicked back and loose, or in tight updos. C has a tawny-umber skin tone, with scars on their back, arms, and legs. Both Cassian and Calypso are 192 cm / 6’2 with a muscular built, while Cassian has an inverted triangle shape, and Calypso an hourglass one.

[fir-fireweed]

Quick update on Cantata’s demo… which is basically done! I updated the codex (have I mentioned I love the ability to have a codex?!) and tested as much as I can. I’ll post it in the next few days!

I do feel the need to put out a warning… unlike Viatica, Cantata is VERY MUCH a work in progress. Chapter updates will not be as frequent as they were for Viatica. I have the first few chapters of Cantata outlined, but the rest of the story is a bit muddied. 🥴

This will be a journey of discovery for all of us, thank you for embarking on it with me! ❤️

[nicky-if]

update

Finally done. Since the premium just got the biggest update in poma history (> 70k words), I’m releasing two public updates at once.

Word count 653k (premium is 733k).

New Chao, Xiwen, Omniscient Sage, Mei events and others

New items and tattoos Will be answering questions sometime soon!

[bubblegumrabbitwriting]

WIP UPDATE!!!

Hi Guys,

The demo for Blink has been updated with about 50k words, including code; however, it's mostly branches, so it will be a lot less in terms of actual gameplay per playthrough.

DEMO LINK

The demo includes the below:

Vehicle selection

One of the main paths for the mansion break-in

A stealth gameplay section (there is a fail state, but it won't become apparent until the next update)

As always, if there are any issues, please feel free to send them here or to the forum topic.

The next thing I will be working on is the other two paths for the mansion break-in, and hopefully the next update should include both. Then the update after that should include the rest of the chapter, as the events after the break in all flow together, so it might take a bit longer to get that update out.

Thank you, and I hope you all enjoy the new content.

[hiraeth-if]

DEMO (TBD) | INTROS | PLAYLIST | PINTEREST

Hiraeth is an 18+ supernatural mystery, that explores the complexities of love, loss, and the unshakable pull of home, set against the backdrop of a town shrouded in mystery and darkness.

You’ve built a successful career, started a new life, and finally found your place among new friends, miles away from the small town you once called home. But just when you thought you’d left that life behind, your brother calls in a panic—your mother has died suddenly in her sleep. Now, you’re forced to return and confront the past you tried so hard to escape.

As you settle your mother’s affairs, long-buried memories and forgotten connections begin to resurface. Your home town has always felt off, but it turns out to be steeped in unsettling mysteries that seem to revolve around your family, pulling you into a dark web of supernatural forces and ancient secrets. With each discovery, the line between your family’s past and the town’s fate becomes more blurred, and the closer you get to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes.

Can you unravel the truth behind your mother’s death, navigate the town’s strange supernatural forces, and maybe even find love amidst the chaos? Or will the town’s dark pull consume you before you can save yourself—or anyone else?

Content warnings include: explicit language, sexual themes, substance use, violence, death, grief, trauma, and possible unhealthy relationship dynamics.

Design Your MC: Customize everything from your character’s name, appearance, clothing style, living situation, to their sexuality and gender identity. Tailor your MC to fit your vision.

Career Choices: Choose from 5 distinct jobs—Artist, Writer, Teacher, Private Investigator, or Bartender—each with unique scenes, stats effects, and side characters to interact with, influencing how you approach the town’s mysteries and the bonds you build.

Curate Your Personality: Shape how your MC reacts to the strange events of Hiearth, from calm and collected to impulsive and emotional. Your choices will influence how other characters view and interact with you.

Romance Options: Develop deep, meaningful relationships with 1 of 4 love interests, including your childhood best friend, your ex, a mysterious new comer, or the son of the town's most powerful family. Pursue solo or poly relationships, each with its own layers and dynamics.

Explore and Discover: As you dig into the town’s dark past and your own forgotten memories, you'll encounter supernatural elements, ancient family secrets, and long-buried powers that shape your destiny.

Branching Narratives: The choices you make don’t just affect you—they can mend or break relationships with other characters, help you discover certain clues, or effect the town, altering some of the course of the story.

Niccolo [he/him] – Niccolo, the son of Hiraeth’s most powerful family, is a few years older than you and a figure you’ve only heard about through rumors. Descending from one of the town's founders, his life is defined by privilege, yet wealth and indulgence never seem to satisfy him. He seeks out fleeting thrills—cycling through lovers, dabbling in drugs, or instigating fights—but only art truly captivates him. When he's not out partying, Nicco spends hours in galleries or locked away in his studio, trying to capture the beauty of life that constantly eludes him. His reckless nature is tempered by a charm that’s magnetic, flirty, and dangerous in equal measure, always hiding a deeper restlessness beneath the surface.

Appearance – Nicco has fawn skin, sharp features, and perfectly tousled black curls that add to his hauntingly elegant look. His dark, bottomless eyes exude a mysterious intensity, hinting at a life far older than his years. His style is tailored dark clothing, favoring leather jackets, sleek trousers, and crisp button-ups. Rings and necklaces complete his look, adding to his timeless sophistication, though his polished appearance conceals the chaos that brews just beneath.

Althea [she/her] – New to you and Hiraeth, Althea and her nomadic family recently moved into a once-abandoned apartment building at the town's edge. Their arrived is far from coincidental, and there’s more history between her family and the town than she realizes. Fiercely protective and quick to fight, Althea’s guarded nature hides a deeply loyal, soft side known only to her loved ones. Her sharp reflexes and predatory grace hint at something primal she struggles to control. When not skateboarding, she can be found ice skating at the local rink.

Appearance: Althea has mahogany skin and golden brown eyes that gleam dangerously when angered. Her shoulder-length black hair is styled in a full, natural afro. She favors practical, clothes like baggy tees, crop tops, high-waisted cargo jeans, and flannels, which conceal scars linked to her family's buried secret. Despite her tough style, she carries herself with a quiet elegance, always prepared for whatever comes her way.

Magnus [he/they] – Magnus is your ex, a childhood friend you’ve known since kindergarten and dated in high school. The two of broke up when you left for college, and you haven’t spoken to him since. They now run the Witch’s Brew café, a family business passed down from their mother’s side. When not managing the café, Magnus enjoys thrifting, gardening, and composing music effortlessly. His personality is bubbly and humorous, with a laugh that’s oddly melodic, capable of shifting between playful and reflective moods, always leaving people curious about the depths beneath.

Appearance: Magnus has honey brown eyes, golden skin, and a medium-length wolf cut styled half-up. His gender-neutral style blends earthy tones with pops of color, often wearing crocheted sweaters, embroidered vests, skirts, and loose pants. Their outfits are always paired with vintage jewelry, each with a story to tell. There's an ethereal quality to their appearance, as if they belong to another world, yet they fit perfectly into the one they inhabit.

Elias [he/him] – Elias is your childhood best friend, and like Magnus, you’ve known each other since kindergarten. His family, the MacConnells, have a longstanding rivalry with the mayor’s family, but Elias isn’t concerned with politics. He prefers books, writing, and swimming, which suits his quiet, disciplined nature. When not helping his mother with real estate or attending family events, Elias retreats to his cabin, finding peace in the lake where he feels a deep, ancient connection. Though calm and controlled now, he’s changed from the crybaby you once knew, becoming someone who hides his emotions beneath a serene exterior.

Appearance: Elias has pale cameo skin and long platinum-blond hair, often worn in loose waves. His sharp blue eyes, framed by glasses, add to his studious look. His style is comfortable and put together—Oxford platforms, knit sweaters, oversized sweatshirts, overalls, and well-worn jeans. He always carries a leather canvas bag filled with his many unfinished thoughts and stories.

[hpowellsmith]

Heart of the Mountain Chapter 2 Update

My wife's game Heart of the Mountain (in the setting of Heart of Battle with brand new characters) now has a playable Chapter 2! Play it here!

After learning more about the mystery stranger who showed up at the end of Chapter 1, and settling into your work on the mountain, it’s time for Daysend: the very cheerful Messimeran festival about last year’s remorse and next year’s resolution on the last day of sunlight before polar night. Whose regrets will surface tonight?

In Chapter 2 you may find:

an interrogation, and revelations

delicious tea (and a delightfully piquant description of such from Theano)

yearning and flirting

hookups!! (very hot and excellently written, I will say)

magical lights

unguents

Read more about the romanceable characters and discuss the game here!

-

About Heart of the Mountain

The war between the Coritan Republic and Messimera has been over for years, but as a magician you’ll never be free of your duties to your country.

With control over warmth and heat energy, you’ve been sent to a remote Messimeran outpost, where a small group of soldiers from both sides have been tasked to cooperate and guard the northernmost demilitarized zone…where your predecessor went mysteriously missing.

If anyone crosses the mountain pass or the frozen waterway, the peace treaties could fail. It’s frigid, isolated work, and monotonous until a mysterious fellow magician falls at your doorstep hiding dangerous secrets. Will you welcome your kind, or support your colleagues’ suspicions of them?

Everyone has their own agenda - and their own secrets to guard. When their goals oppose each other, who will you support and who will you stand against? Who will you keep close when your magic starts to fail, when paranoia and fear strike the outpost? A mysterious force within the mountain threatens to topple everything your country has worked for. What are you willing to lose to survive - your livelihood, your love, or your magic itself?

[dereliction-if]

Sneak Peek "Old friends"

Spoiler below

[Redacted]'s smirk fades, his expression softening as you speak. For a moment, a flicker of vulnerability crosses his face, but it's gone in an instant. "Yeah well," he mutters gruffly, "Don't go getting all soft on me just because I agreed to help you kill someone. It ain't cute."

[vatiiagames]

Vessel of Harkahn || Demo Announcement 2.0

Hello everyone! With the closure of DashingDon upon us, I have moved the demo over to the new CoGDemos website.

Please let me know if you experience any issues with the demo.

The link is here.

Thanks again! Until next time. <3

[pavedinashes-if]

Hi, author! I've been reading your blog for hours now, and I have a lot of questionsthat I hope they haven't been asked before:

Is the boss an asshole? (I read a question that made me think so😅)or maybe just a little arrogant?

Does the ROs' 🍆/🍒/🍑 size matter in the game?

Is there a possibility of the ROs breaking up with us or rejecting us at some point in the story?like there's one of the ROs(which I forget whom)has 'being clingy' as a turn-off, so if our MC is clingy, would that affect the relationship?

I forgot half of the questions🙃,anyways looking forward to your answers,loving your if(and blog)Goodluck.💙

Hi anon, thanks for finding your way into this spiral of doom. Hope you had a splendid time exploring and shaking your head. 😁

About your Qs:

(1) THE BOSS.... depending on who you ask, the answers would ...

- Is your boss an asshole?

Some would say the biggest walking the earth.

Others would say the biggest gentle(wo)man walking the earth (with a smirk)

- Is your boss arrogant?

Oh well, opinions are such a personal thing...

(2) The ROs sizes matter for flavour text 🌭🤏🧐

(3) Rejections and breakups for diverse reasons are a given. Yey!

Feel free to send in more asks whenever you remember your questions!

[We also have regular Q&As on the PIA Discord]

[pressplay-if]

I hate that not every chapter intro song can be a Fleetwood Mac song. It's such a struggle knowing I'll never be able to include all of my favorite songs. And they'd be such amazing fits, too.

"Rock on, gold dust woman Take your silver spoon, dig your grave"

This is from Gold Dust Woman (ofc) and I feel like it'd be so perfect for a wealthy background-MC. I would love to include The Chain, too, simply for the meaningfulness of the song. "Chain keep us together" i.e. the art being the only reason for the band remaining together will become so so relevant. Then, from Dreams, "Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?" would be incredible as an opening line for a chapter towards the decline of the band as well.

"Said Sara, you're the poet in my heart/Never change, never stop/But now it's gone/It doesn't matter what for"

From Sara. That'd also be so fitting I think.

AAAAAHHHH

[crownofefflorescence]

how would the ROs react if a mc who kissed them good morning every morning one day forgot to do so?

Ooohhhh this is such a cute ask!

Z would catch MC by the arm and yank them back before they could leave. Eye contact will not be broken until MC remembers / explains themself. If they are genuinely baffled, Z will ask if something is wrong (and probably starts to get worried). If not, they immediately pull this face as a 'subtle' hint: 😙

How can you say no to that face?

U would watch MC leave with eyes that are slightly wider than normal and remain perfectly silent. After that, they will wander around all day thinking about why MC didn't kiss them. And then tell themselves that it doesn't matter and they aren't thinking about it. And then think about it some more. 🤔

If an established relationship MC noticed and inquired, U would probably be very direct.

Thanks so much for the message, Anon!

[timefall-if]

Doctor MC probably patched M often 🥺

all the time really! Marek used to do if for M when they were younger, and doctir!MC slowly picked it up and started doing it themselves ^^