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A hub for the "Book of Masks" universe. |
The Interactives "The Book of Masks" ![]() "The Wandering Stars" ![]() "Student Bodies" ![]() For non-WdC Members "The Book of Masks: Archives" ![]() "The Book of Masks (Abridged)" ![]() Community "BoM/TWS Message Forum" ![]() "BoM/TWS/SB Wiki" ![]() Current Polls None The Latest 6/29: Interactive: "Switching Husbands" ![]() 6/29: Public: "Switching Husbands" ![]() |
I forgot to say anything in the most recent poll about voting GPs; worse, rugal reminds me that you can't vote them to me with the tip form because he wrote the relevant chapters and the GPs would go to him. So, as I describe in the updated poll, if you want to vote GPs in "Invalid Item" ![]() ![]() |
So, in yesterday's entry I didn't post a direct link to Friday's poll. I didn't think I needed to. I didn't have anything to say about it that wasn't said in the poll itself; and the ToC at the top of this page links to the most recent BoM-related items anyway. For instance, if you look at it now you'll see under "Current Polls" today's date (6/8) and a link to the current poll; you'll also see under "The Latest" the date and a link to the latest chapter in "Student Bodies." But participation was down in Friday's vote, which I put down to a lack of enthusiasm. But I also got inquiries asking which choice won on Thursday—a question that could have been answered just by looking at Friday's poll. So ... I guess at least some people didn't know where to find the poll, because they didn't know that the ToC had a link to it? I'll try to do better about including a link to the current poll by posting it; but I'll also remind readers that the most recent poll and the most recent chapter can be found through the ToC above. (I'm usually pretty good about keeping it current.) Anyway, those who found the poll yesterday voted to continue "Feminine Charm", so that's the topic of today's poll: "Invalid Item" ![]() Today also brings the last of the commissioned chapters for "Student Bodies": "Acquisitions Complete" ![]() Tomorrow it's back to BoM, to take up the storyline you voted for at the start of the month: "The End of One Road" ![]() |
Today in "Student Bodies": Yeah, I couldn't resist adding a recent character to the SB continuity, but it nails down that SB and BoM are very different continuities. There's no magic in SB--the stuff is all faux-science. But I tried to work up an equivalent to her backstory in BoM. |
I've got a pretty good idea of where the voting is going go, which is why I'm using today's poll to telescope forward a little: [Poll completed and deleted]. But I'm including all the choices possible along the way, because they might go someplace interesting. * If Will just goes home instead of returning to the studio, he won't unmask the conspiracy, and the strange turns in his life will continue—though maybe Seth (to his surprise) will become a friendly and supportive presence. * If he runs away from the magic, then he will have unmasked the conspiracy and will know what is going on. What will the other guys do to him? Will he tell anyone what's going on? Or will he accept their help without partaking and participating? I mention these possibilities not to lobby for them, but to give an idea of where they might lead, since readers already know where the third choice (join the conspiracy) leads. |
It was a close vote between the two choices in yesterday's poll, with "When a Body Meets a Body" edging out in the Free Poll, but a GP vote tipped it to "A Consultation with an Expert." That sets up a three-way vote in today's poll—[Poll completed and deleted]—where Will has a choice of two girls to try taking on a date, or going off with Cindy Vredenburg to make a video for some guys' YouTube channel. If you follow that last link, you'll see it will lead to a chance of him finding out that there's disguises and impersonations at work behind the scenes. |
Yesterday's poll ended in a tie among the Free Votes, but a large GP vote tips it toward "The Afterglow" as the storyline to continue. Here's the follow-up poll: [Poll completed and deleted] Oh, and rugal reminds me that I forgot to announce the winning choice at the end of the first round of polls. It was "Someone else." I've already written the first two chapters that will continue that storyline. |
Well, the voting didn't take things where I was expecting them to go. That's fine. I like where it ended up. But I would have liked anywhere it would have ended up. I still have a few "Student Bodies" chapters to burn through before I can start publishing what you voted for—and I've got to write them. But I want to go ahead and do a second round of polling for the storyline that will come after that. The new poll is here—[Poll completed and deleted]—and its choices are one you've seen recently. But nothing with Sydney McGlynn this time around. |
In my rush to get things posted this morning, I forgot to put up the temporary chapters that would let people vote GPs for three of the choices in the current poll. I kind of doubt anyone will be voting GPs, but I've added the option. |
Whoa, "The End of One Road" ![]() Alright then. Here's the next poll: [Poll completed and deleted] |
So, as mentioned yesterday, today starts an 8-chapter run in "Students Bodies": "Cheery Plans" ![]() Meanwhile, there's a new poll for BoM, following up on yesterday's poll: [Poll completed and deleted] |
So, tomorrow is June 1. According to my plan for the year, that's a month for writing in the interactives. But where? Let's take a poll!: [Poll completed and deleted.] I spent the last month publishing in five different areas of BoM, most of them in answer to polls, so I'm drawing the candidates from there. You've got a choice of sophomores, basketball players, Sydney McGlynn, and cheerleaders acting in bizarre ways to pick from. I'm going to run two kinds of polls, a free poll and a GP poll, so that we capture numbers but also intensity. We've done this before and the usual rules apply—but if you need a refresher, they're spelled out in the Free Poll. After that will be follow-up polls in the "Plot Plinko" style to narrow things down until we reach a point where new chapters have to be written. That may take a week or more. In the meantime, I'll be amusing myself by writing something of my own choice, and amusing you (I hope!) with the results of a commission: four chapters in "Student Bodies" followed by five in "Book of Masks." The first one starts here: "The Many Faces of You" ![]() |
I told you some of these end-of-the-month storylines were going to be short, and "Manhandling Mendoza, Part 2" ![]() Tomorrow I start on the storyline that will take us through the end of the month. It's a follow-up to the last choice that you guys made in a poll: "Coveting a Coven" ![]() Reminder: Starting this Friday I will be running a new series of 24-hour polls to determine which storyline to continue. |
We're entering the last week of May. This is a heads up that on May 31 I will begin running a series of polls to determine which storyline I should continue. Each poll will be open for 24 hours only, so be sure to check back daily during the first few days of June if you want to participate in a vote. Meanwhile, today's chapter pauses the sequels to "Ambush from an Unexpected Quarter," describing what happens when Will lets Caleb pursue his interest in Sydeny. Tomorrow we jump forward along an alternate timeline to "The End of One Road" ![]() |
Various things were going on yesterday early so that I didn't have a chance to publish, and by the time I did have time it was so late that I figured I'd just skip the day and give you a two-fer next chance I got. So today brings two chapters. They're in two different storylines too. "Mugged by Magic" ![]() ![]() ![]() But it's not going to go for very long before we switch up again. I'm now publishing storylines that via poll you asked me to continue, and I kept them short because I'd like to give you a chance later on (maybe; depends on if we come back to them) to vote on really major decisions. |
I was a little late getting today's entries posted, but to make up for it (?) there's three of them. They all open the same way, then diverge. I don't have any immediate plans for two of them, but I wanted to get directions for them all firmly set. |
So, today's chapters—"A Triangular Seduction" ![]() ![]() A couple of months ago, I ran some polls about storylines to continue. For the rest of May I will be publishing the chapters I wrote in answer to those polls. First up will be a sequel storyline to "The Devils One Has to Deal With" ![]() |
Today's chapters—"The Cradle Snatcher" ![]() ![]() Tomorrow I leap over to a more distant part of the story: "Newbie Orientation" ![]() After getting rid of the book, Will has gotten reacquainted with it by falling in with the YouTubers who got ahold of it. Even that was by accident, though: They stole the bodies of some cheerleaders and have been trying to make Will popular by giving him a makeover and increasing his visibility. But he's learned what is going on and has joined the same conspiracy that is trying to make him popular. Currently the plan is to get him a popular girlfriend, and they are trying to figure out the best way of doing that ... |
So I missed last week's entry in this series, which I regret, for I've some thanks to give to Ann Man, dingo, and Easy for some large tips and some kind words shared privately. So: Thank you, and it's entirely my pleasure! |
Okay, missing yesterday? That wasn't my fault. We had weather around here and it's like the internet pipes got wet and shorted out. For 24 hours I had only intermittent internet connectivity—a few seconds here and there—and not enough to try fighting through to do an update. But there's a new chapter up now. |
Today's chapter—"The Complicated Love Life of Lindsay Cho" ![]() ![]() ![]() Oh, and the choices at the end of today's chapters might look familiar. Didn't they show up as the choices at the end of yesterday's chapter? Yeah, most of them were there. But I moved three of them to the end of today's chapter, where I think they make more sense. |