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Fri, May 16, 2025

8:04pm EDT

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The Book of Masks Homepage

by Seuzz

Rated: 18+ · Book · Other · #2156493

A hub for the "Book of Masks" universe.

The Interactives
"The Book of Masks"

: A high school student discovers a grimoire that can make magical disguises.
"The Wandering Stars"

: Sequel to "The Book of Masks."
"Student Bodies"

: A high school student is turned into a blue goo that can possess people.

For non-WdC Members
"The Book of Masks: Archives"

: Dodges the "Servers Busy" barrier!
"The Book of Masks (Abridged)"

: Introductory storylines for new readers.

Community
"BoM/TWS Message Forum"

: Community for readers of the interactives.
"BoM/TWS/SB Wiki"

: Notes and documentation for authors. Spoilers!

Current Polls/Contests
None

The Latest
5/16: Interactive: "Beth's Body"

["Student Bodies: Transfer Students"

]
5/16: Public: "The New Brother"

Special Update
4/26: Interactive: "Fröhliche Momente mit unbekannten Menschen"

and following
4/26: Public: "Fröhliche Momente mit unbekannten Menschen"

and following

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Nostrum

about 8 hours ago
In response to "Student Bodies: Transfer Students"

Congrats, rugal b.

! I know how much you worked for this idea, and now it's a reality. And with a heck of a backpat, to boot!

rugal b.

a day ago
In response to "Student Bodies: Transfer Students"

Yeah, I don't think there's anything incorrect in what you said. Part of the motivation for doing it is that I liked Student Bodies but as you said, the logistics behind it made it hard to really work with. So I liked the idea of scaling it back a bit and there's a bit more of an element of horror or maybe erotic horror (since it's still inherently fetish work) to it. That doesn't mean that it's doom and gloom or something like that but I do like the idea that it shouldn't be so clean, that it should be a little weird and offputting and eldritch.

2 Like

Seuzz

May 7, 2025 at 10:46am
In response to "Photofinish"

I should clarify a bit on the "one more GP vote."

The way the math works in the GP voting, you can get some counter-intuitive results. For instance, one voter sent in some last-minute GPs to support "Great idea," but because he sent so few, it actually had the effect of decreasing lead that "Great idea" had. That's because "Great idea" had a strong Free Vote lead, and this lead was bolstered by the value accorded each Free Vote by the GPs voted for it. That small GP vote had the effect of knocking down the value of the Free Votes, which had the effect of diminishing the value of the lead that "Great idea" in the Free Vote, and this diminution was greater than the value of the GPs voted for it. Hence, dropping a small GP donation onto "Great idea" diminished rather than enhanced its overall lead.

There was something similar with the "one more vote" anomaly. I thought (at first) that adding one more GP to "Weird" would push it over the top because it was so close. In fact, adding one more GP would work because it would have knocked the value of "Great idea's" Free Vote below the 50% threshold. Moreover, to affect the value of the Free Vote, that one extra GP would have had to come from a new voter. If one of the other GP voters for "Weird" had voted one more GP vote, that wouldn't have affected the outcome significantly.

I know that this makes the GP vote sound weird, and it is. But (1) the weirdness is under the hood and invisible to the voters. The only thing they should be worried about is trying to support their favored choices. And (2) the only outcome that matters is the final outcome, not the changes that occur as votes come in. The weirdness that I note above is visible and makes a difference only if you watch the dynamic vote process unfold, and the actual process of percentages adjusting as votes are added is irrelevant to the final outcome. Had the votes been sent in a different chronological order, the observed weirdnesses might not have happened.

Wordsmitty ✍️

May 6, 2025 at 12:21pm
In response to "Photofinish"

Ok folks. you need to up your bidding.

Wordsmitty ✍️

Mar 13, 2025 at 8:22pm
In response to "Another Upset"

Understand. Would really like to see Blackwell torment/play with Will some more. Let me see if there's somewhere else it could happen or an option added.

Seuzz

Mar 13, 2025 at 5:57pm
In response to "Another Upset"

No, the quick ending stays. Every interactive needs an instant ending somewhere near the start, as a prank on the reader.

1 Like

Wordsmitty ✍️

Mar 13, 2025 at 3:54pm
In response to "Another Upset"

I would like to suggest that Slippery Sale Option Three be treated as a blank and get replaced with a new chapter that eventually finds Will being affected by the book. It was too early for a dead end in my opinion. Also it allows for anyone who is looking to start a new line early in the story.

And, no, it wasn't me this time that dropped the GPs.

Seuzz

Mar 11, 2025 at 12:54pm
In response to "Let's Have Some More Polls"

I keep forgetting to reply to the suggestion above.

I add new choices to old chapters on an ad hoc basis: usually when I am working in that branch, and I see a nearby chapter, or an earlier chapter, where I would have wanted more choices originally. I don't go looking for places to increase the number of choices.

But if someone knows of a chapter that could use more choices, and would like to see them added, just drop me a line.

Wordsmitty ✍️

Mar 9, 2025 at 9:55pm
In response to "Let's Have Some More Polls"

Wait! And in this poll I will be posting the entire chapter ... Doesn't everyone always go back and read the previous chapters to refresh their memories?

Question RE: "Invalid Item"

- What's your (Seuzz or anyone) opinion of adding more options to some chapters especially the very old ones that were limited before it was raised to five options? Not every chapter would work to get more, but there are some that another option may have been (still could be) possible.

I haven't gone to look for examples, but I may if I have some time.

Seuzz

Feb 12, 2025 at 3:43pm
In response to ""Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Stop Sniffing Glue!""

This is starting to feel like something to put in the forum. So: "Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Official Off-Topic Thread"

March 14, 2025 at 12:07pm

#1085398

A Curve Toward a Conclusion

The vote in the last poll was relatively close, with "Screw it, stay here" holding a slight lead. But that was narrowly offset by some GPs for the other side, so that is the choice that gets published today:

* Interactive: "She So Mad"

* Public: "She So Mad"

For the record, the final, adjusted tally was:

* Go home: 57.1%
* Screw it, stay here: 42.9%

And this is where I'm going conclude the branch, at least for the time being. It seems like a good breaking off point.

If you read today's chapter, you will also notice that it seems to curve around and intersect the subject of the other poll (still running: [Deleted poll]). That is mostly a coincidence. I had it in the back of my head the entire time that the Libra would reassert itself, and I knew that once it did so, a trip back to Arnholm's would be a possibility. While writing "She So Mad," it occurred to me that if Will and Sara were to meet, The Crystal Cave could serve both as a meeting place and as a way to get Will in to Arnholm's, thus bringing the story to a critical turning point. Perhaps the return of Blackwell in the current poll made this twist more salient to my subconscious. But I didn't deliberately try to force it, and simply accepted what looked like a convenient inevitability.

What next?

I'm going to take the weekend off from publishing and resume on Monday with a sequel to "Making Mickey." After that, we'll see.

Comment

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