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Writer's Blog: 11/15, 4 2 Go*
🕑 Added 2022-08-13 21:35:37 +0000 UTCI FINISHED WRITING ANOTHER ENDING! That’s 11/15 now fully written; I’m trying to remain positive and not contemplate how much coding awaits me once I’m done with all the fun creation bits 😅
The most recently completed ending sees the completion of Sally’s vision about Gray (from Chapter 5). While some of the details changed from my initial draft (most notably, location), the overall impact is exactly as I’d hoped: Gray being stupidly sacrificial to protect someone else, and Button having the option to force Gray into looking out for himself by contouring themself around him like a handsy monkey (or a too-small parachute, in the case of short Buttons). Anyways, I love it.
The new context in which this scene occurs has presented a problem, however: namely, that it isn’t guaranteed to happen for every Button that had the vision. My dilemma then is whether to change Sally’s vision into something more mundane that’s guaranteed to happen, or to have Button wonder in the final chapter if Sally’s crystal ball is broken (or, more depressingly, if Sally’s unfulfilled vision means that there’s more hardship ahead). Neither seems like a perfect fix.
I contemplated a few other options based on Sally’s other visions.
Some of Sally’s visions can play out two different ways: the intended oh-shit-revelation way, and a failsafe dummy backup scene with just enough similarities to make Button think that Sally’s vision came true (because it did, kinda). But Grayson’s future as described by Sally is so, well, soap-opera dramatic that I’m unable to use this technique. I mean, the admittedly (deliciously) cheesy line of “Don’t look down, focus on me” would seem semi-ludicrous if all Gray and Button were doing is jumping out a first story window. The context is important.
Then there’s Sally’s (revised as of the 2.0 demo) vision for Glitch, which happens off-page during (spoiler alert!) Button’s carnapping by Andy/Liz. Changing Sally’s vision to an event where Button isn’t present would—
Huh. You know, now that I’m typing all this out, I suppose there’s another option.
Button can be replaceable.
. . . Which sounds bad given that interactive fiction is all YOUR CHOICES MATTER, okay, but hear me out (and please keep in mind that this post has just switched to Dear-Diary-esque stream of conscious brainstorming rather than my planned musings on the nature of fortune telling and foreshadowing in interactive fiction).
The scene with Gray only happens should Button make a certain choice (descriptive, I know, but I’m trying to keep this as vague as possible to avoid spoilers for the unreleased material). For simplicity’s sake, we’ll say that this choice puts Button on Route A.
Route A features Grayson, Rosy, and Sally.
Route B stars Kenzie and Glitch.
(This is a vast oversimplification of how the endings work, since relationship dynamics do play a huge part, but again, I’m tiptoeing around spoilers.)
If Button instead selects Route B, the events of Route A still play out. Without Button’s help, however, the result is . . . not as ideal. But Sally can still later tell Button about how her vision came true and she was the one cradled in Gray’s arms as they REDACTED to their REDACTED. There’s nothing intrinsically romantic about Sally’s vision, and Grayson is a good enough egg that he’d definitely protect Sally over himself. Heck, Grayson would probably even protect Reese.
So that could work, and also make it so that I didn’t have to change Sally’s vision, which is good because I'm pretty attached to Sally's vision for Gray (it's so over the top dramatic, you know?).
Hmm.
Possibilities.
Good talk, gang. Thanks for the brainstorming session.
This helped, and I now need to go edit a few endings. Updated Mind Blind Status after writing this post: 10.5/15 endings fully written.
* * * *
*The title is a pun that I spent way too much time coming up with. It doesn't really work well (clearly, since I felt the need to explain it) and also probably isn't funny to anyone but me. But as "go" is 5 in Japanese, so technically the title is nothing but numbers. It's a numerical pun!
. . . Granted, a pun so bad that even Rosy wouldn't laugh. But, look, it made me giggle-snort and I'm taking what I can these days.
Comments
gombocman
Hey guys I'm new here. Sorry if this has already been asked. Does the patreon demo not have the save feature? Or am I accessing the wrong version?
Alex T.
I’m really, *really* torn on this. On one hand, it makes perfect sense irl for button to not be at the center of Sally’s vision, because they’re not the center of the universe. On the other hand, Sally’s vision isn’t just to show that Button’s mind-blindness is temporarily gone; it’s a narrative choice/foreshadowing that promises a satisfying payoff. And I’m not sure that Sally’s vision would be satisfying if it happened off screen. Maybe you can add some clues for which route you *should* take in order for Sally’s vision come true? Like with high enough insight/interpersonal/whatever stat button can make an educated guess on when the vision might come true? A throwaway line or two using similar language as Sally’s vision could also do the trick. That way the reader isn’t blindsided. I’m just spitballing so idk but I figured I’d throw my opinion out into the void.
Jo O'Connor
To clarify: If Button chooses Route B, then the events of Route A don't end perfectly either. What decision you make will depend on what your Button's priorities are :)
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The title made me giggle-snort too, I hope that counts for something😭 also wow so many possibilities! Thanks for letting us into your mind🙏🏼
saarebasra
Adding another thought re: the Route A/Route B scenario. It genuinely sounds intriguing and I’d be interested to see how that one plays out. The only thing I wanted to add: If you can think of any detail that would make the “not as ideal” option more play-worthy and fun (romance flavor, maybe an additional clue/reference/easter egg that can matter in little ways towards the ending), consider adding that so there won’t only be drawbacks to picking it. Otherwise, Route B might become one of those choices that get picked once and never again after because… Welp, it isn’t the “right” way to play the game.
saarebasra
Are visions not generally (a little) more unreliable if they pertain to people the Precog is close to? If we'd be talking about Gray-mancing Buttons specifically, one could argue that Sally, considering her long investment in the Button/Gray 'ship, was emotionally compromised, to begin with. That wouldn't get rid of the lingering uncertainty about potential dangers ahead but it could factor into explaining why the vision didn't exactly come to pass as it was foretold. Another thought: Could Sally's own involvement in the vision present an important variable to alter the vision's outcome in any way? If people who are close enough are a factor, why not the Precog themself? After all, you (usually) are the person you are "closest" to. Re: "Your choices matter". Button being replaceable doesn't rob us as players of our choices or their impact. It only de-emphasizes Button as the navel of the universe for once which, in my eyes, is absolutely legitimate. (Is it sad that I hadn’t yet realized that Glitch’s vision happened during the carnapping?) You calling Grayson "a good enough egg" reminded me of this really stupid meme I posted a while ago. Since you said "I'll take what I can", I will shamelessly link it in the hope that you actually meant what you wrote: https://imgur.com/a/HC7VzKs (If you didn't, my apologies. Don't click.)
zennano
Seconding this!
Rhaygan
Having some visions not center on Button actually makes more sense because when Button asks Sally to try for a vision it’s not “a vision of RO and me”.
