Writer’s Blog: Whittling Down Your Endings (Patreon)

Total Wordcount: 392k (not including Chapter 14 material)

Next Update: September 25 – this will include the final part of Chapter 13, and hopefully the first part of Chapter 14

Today’s blog falls on a Saturday, as my mother flew in last night and we were up watching Florence Foster Jenkins. As my mom reads these posts, I’ll simply say that it’s been, uh, delightful to have her here in Chicago. Simply delightful. 

. . . As delightful as hearing Florence Foster Jenkins sing opera.

As Mind Blind nears its end, playthroughs will begin to differ more and more. While there’s always been reactivity to Mind Blind, the plot has more or less remained the same across playthroughs (arrive at school, win/lose an assignment, blow up brother, get accused of terrorism, etc.). Increasingly, however, you’ll find that different choices are now resulting in completely different stories, because in this ending quarter you’re beginning to choose your ending (or at least, which endings will be available for you to select from).

Warning: Spoilers Ahoy!

While earlier scenes changed due to Button’s decisions, the variables being set now will determine the ending scenes. And the ending, in my opinion, is the most important part.

Last Warning: Here Be Spoilers!

For instance: as of yesterday’s update, some Buttons have now stopped acting undercover. I won’t ruin how this will play out as it’ll be in the next update, but needless to say that doing so has long-lasting ramifications on what your options will be in the final chapter. By making an enemy of Reese early on and revealing themselves as a double agent, these Buttons are locked out of paths that would’ve required them maintaining their cover . . . paths that could have potentially ended with Button replacing Reese as Vengeance’s Head Honcho (should your hidden “Vengeance” stat be high enough).

Just to give a, er, completely random example.

Forget What I Said About That Last Warning Being The Last. It Was Actually The Penultimate Warning, Because I’m About To Tease Future Scenes And Thus Spoil More Stuff.

A later scene will have Button choosing whether or not to accept help from an unlikely source. Refuse, and Button may also lose out on the opportunity to discover this person’s true motivation (and name). Accept, and Button may find themselves instead getting rescued down the line by their chosen RO (swoon) or maybe by an unexpected family member. Neither of these scenarios is better or worse (in my opinion, at least), but they will be drastically different.

The allies that Button makes from here on out, whether familial, romantic, or out of necessity, will heavily impact your ending, not just how you get there (as has thus far been the case). The ramifications of your choices should be fairly obvious (Spoilers once more: Reese will realize that you’re not really Team Vengeance should you decide to throw down rather than more subtle options). I want to emphasize, though that every ending, even the ones where you don’t learn (or choose not to learn) all of Mind Blind’s mysteries, should feel satisfying. If it doesn't, then I haven't done my job right.

Whether it’s because Button heads off into the sunset with their RO, or because they’re reunited with Nick, or because Certain Nefarious Individuals are behind bars . . . you’ll be easily able to achieve a happily ever after. And if you choose wisely, you’ll be able to achieve all three of the aforementioned goals.

Or become Vengeance’s new Evil Overlord.

It’s your choice.

Addendum: My mom said that I had to add something positive about her so that people "don't get the wrong idea." Thus, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her from the bottom of my heart for cleaning my kitchen. (Even if I can no longer find my tupperware.)