DashingDon

As most of you are probably aware, DashingDon will be closing at the end of this month. Although the news didn't surprise me (there was writing on the wall), I was still shaken by its finality.

I've been in this IF niche for a long time. I remember when authors used to share via Dropbox and the panic that spread when they changed their security settings — DashingDon swept in and saved the day. The site has connected authors and readers for a decade and was the central pillar necessary for the IF explosion.

I don't know if I ever would have tried my hand at the Rose if DashingDon didn't exist. It feels like the end of an era. I want to thank Don for everything he's done. For all the time, work, and capital he's sacrificed for the website. He connected, hosted, and helped so many people; I am so lucky to count myself among them.

As for the Alpha, I've removed it from DashingDon. There's a preservation effort going on to save as many inactive relics from the site as possible, but by scraping the entire site, they can gain access to private files as well. That's why I removed all my work from the site— I am uncomfortable with anyone else uploading my writing online, even more so in this era of AI.

In the future, I'll use cogdemos.ink. I know some people don't like it as much, but there's no other alternative. I don't want to host on itch, nor do I feel like creating a website of my own. I know the person managing cogdemos is very active and doing her best to make it as user-friendly as possible!

So, let's give her time.😊

Two things to know regarding cogdemos:

• In order for you to save, you must create an account.

• There's an ongoing bug with achievements. The game is unplayable if it has them, so I won't include achievements for the next update. This bug is being worked on.

Speaking of the following update: Tomorrow!!!!

I finished coding a bit ago, but I still need to test the last two scenes of the update (and one of them has so many variables that it'll take a while 😭) and correct the bugs you wonderful people have sent me! I could finish it today, but I'm mentally tired already; by the end, I'd be exhausted. If, after that, I have to figure out how to make a cogdemos link, I may shut down entirely 😆

I've also decided to split this chapter into two parts: Chapter 3, previously 'Breaking and Entering,' will be called 'A New Abobe' instead, and Chapter 4 will thus be 'Breaking and Entering.' The current chapter has grown so much that the title wasn't making sense anymore! xD

So, tomorrow, I'll update the entire Chapter 3. ♡

After tomorrow, I'll work on the Patreon Content for the month for a couple of days, and then, I will go full steam ahead to Chapter 4!!! This one will be much shorter than 3, but there are a couple of conversations that I can't wait to get to.

That's it! I hope your week has been good! 🌹