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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2156493-The-Book-of-Masks-Homepage/month/8-1-2023
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by Seuzz Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ · Book · Other · #2156493
A hub for the "Book of Masks" universe.
The Interactives
"The Book of MasksOpen in new Window.: A high school student discovers a grimoire that can make magical disguises.
"The Wandering StarsOpen in new Window.: Sequel to "The Book of Masks."
"Student BodiesOpen in new Window.: A high school student is turned into a blue goo that can possess people.

For non-WdC Members
"The Book of Masks: ArchivesOpen in new Window.: Dodges the "Servers Busy" barrier!
"The Book of Masks (Abridged)Open in new Window.: Introductory storylines for new readers.

Community
"BoM/TWS Message ForumOpen in new Window.: Community for readers of the interactives.
"BoM/TWS/SB WikiOpen in new Window.: Notes and documentation for authors. Spoilers!

Current Polls
None

The Latest
12/27: Interactive: "A Little Light Torture to Start WithOpen in new Window.
12/27: Public: "A Little Light Torture to Start WithOpen in new Window.
August 24, 2023 at 9:52am
August 24, 2023 at 9:52am
#1054522
Today's chapter—

* Interactive: "Party TardyOpen in new Window.
* Public: "Party TardyOpen in new Window.

—brings this branch to a climax and temporary stopping point. Don't look for it to continue beyond this point any time soon. My plan for this branch is to backtrack to earlier chapters and graft on alternate branches.

Oh, and if you've anything to say about the chapter, there's a commentary/talkback thread in the forums: "Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Clover Mystery"  Open in new Window..

* * *

What comes next? I'm stepping back from publishing anything for a little while. Instead, Masktrix will be publishing chapters in the "Conspirators Three" branch, continuing from "A Face to Meet the Faces That You MeetOpen in new Window.. This was a fun thing for me and I hope too for him (it was his idea). He wrote it Plot Plinko style, giving me chapters privately and asking me to pick the choice for continuation. So he gets all the credit for the chapters; I must shoulder any blame for the direction the story took.

I would like to do some writing while Masktrix is publishing, but I am currently on a small hiatus. A dog I was caring for had to be euthanized last Monday, and I haven't been in the mood for anything but rote work and mind-numbing entertainment. But even if I am not writing, I will still be checking in here every day.
August 20, 2023 at 10:15am
August 20, 2023 at 10:15am
#1054348
I'm skipping publication today. I was up until 1:30 this morning at a veterinary hospital with a sick dog, and I'm too exhausted to want to deal with anything.

(The dog, to be clear, is not mine. It belongs to an elderly neighbor I have been lending help to. Still, the stress of dealing an elderly man in a declining condition is not improved by helping his elderly dog who also in a declining condition.)

Monday update: I'm not exactly tanned, rested, and ready -- I'm pallid, tired, and looking forward a fairly shitty day -- but there's nothing to stop me from publishing. So here's the next chapter in the branch:

* Interactive: "Pickalittle TalkalittleOpen in new Window.
* Public: "Pickalittle TalkalittleOpen in new Window.
August 13, 2023 at 10:05am
August 13, 2023 at 10:05am
#1054042
Today's chapter—

* Interactive: "A Self-Made GirlOpen in new Window.
* Public: "A Self-Made GirlOpen in new Window.

—brings Plot Plinko and this branch to a close. Tomorrow, Clover Mystery returns in a sequel to "Who's Who at Westside HighOpen in new Window.. The story thus far:

The book of magic that Will found has somehow gotten lost in the school's drama department, but he's had lots of other things to worry about. He's made new friends with some new-to-him people, including some girls who seem to be quite interested in him. At the same time, he started getting teasing texts from someone calling themselves "Clover Mystery." All of this climaxed in a bizarre way when he found himself body-swapped with a classmate, Jack Li. And then there was another body swap that put Jack into the body of basketball hooligan Steve Patterson, and put Patterson into Will's old body. As near as any of them can tell, Chelsea Cooper has been the one responsible for the shenanigans.
August 12, 2023 at 9:19am
August 12, 2023 at 9:19am
#1053998
Yesterday brought the last poll in the present game of Plot Plinko, and thanks to some GPs it was as close as it could be without being another tie:

Grab Jelena: 12,400
Keep the date with Bastian: 12,200

Because I didn't know which one was going to win, I don't have a chapter prepared.

But here's a consolation prize:

* Interactive: "Needs and DesiresOpen in new Window.
* Public: "Needs and DesiresOpen in new Window.

That's an alternate sequel to "The Junior MenuOpen in new Window.. The tie-breaker sent the story down the "Pick Scarlett Bard" route, but this one sends it down the "Pick an alpha girl" route.
August 11, 2023 at 8:42am
August 11, 2023 at 8:42am
#1053949
I don't even know why I bothered to run a poll yesterday. I knew what the results would be, and they were what I guessed. "Switch with Scarlett" beat "Stay as Annabelle" by a decisive margin: 3380-1520.

New chapter is up, along with a new poll: [Poll completed and deleted]
August 10, 2023 at 9:50am
August 10, 2023 at 9:50am
#1053909
I was pretty sure that "Jelena Petrovic" would be the runaway winner in the last poll, and I wasn't disillusioned. I was surprised, though, at how well (all things considered) "Bastian Jankowski" did. Anyway, final tally, adjusted for GPs:

Jelena: 12,933
Anne: 3033
Bastian: 2600

New chapters are up, along with a new poll: [Poll completed and deleted].
August 8, 2023 at 9:02am
August 8, 2023 at 9:02am
#1053808
The latest poll—[Poll completed and deleted]—is again deadlocked, thanks to the influence of some GPs that were voted. So, once again we enter a game of Sudden Death.

I have locked the vote, and invite people to vote with GPs. Only the first GP vote will be accepted and applied; any subsequent GP votes will be ignored.

There's a catch this time: Yes, the GPs will be voted in accord with the voter's preference, but there is no guarantee that this will break the tie in favor of the voter's choice. There is a chance, thanks to the way the voting rules are set up, that the GPs will alter the value of the Free Votes in a way that tips the decision in some other direction.

Well, that's the chance that you take.

EDIT: And the tie is now broken. Final standings, adjusted for GPs:

Scarlett Bard: 2515
Alpha girls: 2319
Ryder, Bastian, Kyle: 147 each

Because of the tie, there will be no chapter today.
August 6, 2023 at 9:17am
August 6, 2023 at 9:17am
#1053718
The latest poll—[Poll completed and deleted]—is tied. Rather than let it drag on, I have closed it to voting and instituted Sudden Death rules: The first choice to get GPs, in any amount, will be declared the winner.

To send GPs to break the tie, go to [deleted choice chapters] and send GPs using the form at the bottom of the page.

There will be no chapter today, because the tie vote during my writing hours meant I didn't know which choice to write.

EDIT: And, five minutes later, Sudden Death gives us a winner: "Replace a few key juniors." Any GPs sent in now will be refunded to the sender.
August 5, 2023 at 9:33am
August 5, 2023 at 9:33am
#1053675
As you can tell from the new chapter I've posted—

* Interactive: "The BoyfriendOpen in new Window.
* Public: "The BoyfriendOpen in new Window.

—the winner in yesterday's poll was "Keep the date with Luke." The vote was neck and neck through most of the day, but then it pulled away, even in the Free Vote. Adjusted for GPs, the margin was even larger: 9500 to 4500.

New poll to go with the new chapter: [Poll completed and deleted].

I've been posting new chapters at the rate of one a day, but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this up. If I get up early enough and write fast enough, I can get a new chapter published before the day starts in earnest, but that might not happen every day for the coming week.
August 4, 2023 at 8:38am
August 4, 2023 at 8:38am
#1053621
Readers just couldn't wait for Will to make a change, so "Finish" dominated the first of the Plot Plinko Polls with 4600 adjusted points while "Wait" earned 1400 adjusted points.

The resulting chapter is now posted:

* Interactive: "Marching to a New DrummerOpen in new Window.
* Public: "Marching to a New DrummerOpen in new Window.

And there is also a poll to go with it: [Poll completed and deleted.]
August 3, 2023 at 8:21am
August 3, 2023 at 8:21am
#1053577
Today starts a new Plot Plinko storyline:

* Interactive: "The Piccolo PlayerOpen in new Window.
* Public: "The Piccolo PlayerOpen in new Window.

This time it's a little different, in that it was commissioned, with the commissioner choosing where to continue and giving some direction as to the desire tone, but leaving the plot evolutions up to me and to the readers. Each day that a chapter ends with a choice, I will put up a poll; and because I will probably not know the winning choice until after the poll is closed, I will probably be publishing every other day during this eight-day run.

The first poll is here: [Poll completed and deleted.]

* * *

Also, my thanks to Easy and to Puuuuuth for the Gift Points they sent me during the "Student Bodies" run.
August 2, 2023 at 7:46am
August 2, 2023 at 7:46am
#1053484
Today's chapter over in "Student BodiesOpen in new Window. wraps up one commission, and today also wraps up the second in what will be a sequence of "Plot Plinko" polls. The rankings, adjusted for GPs:

1. Annabelle Edwards: 11,800
2. Dallas Lockhart: 7400
3. Naomi Batson: 7200
3. Leah Parrish: 7200
5. Rebecca Leary: 800

So, tomorrow I will publish the "Annabelle Edwards" sequel to "Junior JubileeOpen in new Window., along with a new poll on how to continue it. We'll continue this way for eight chapters. Because each continuation will be subject to a poll, for the next week or so I will likely be publishing only every other day.

I forgot to publish "Junior Jubilee" over in the Archives. It is there now—"Junior JubileeOpen in new Window.—along with the last four chapters in the catch-up run I've been publishing there.

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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2156493-The-Book-of-Masks-Homepage/month/8-1-2023