#cots extras

what are the potential outcomes of Sarayn's answers to Tayuin?

These were the three potential paths Sarayn's route could take. At over halfway through the story, he is now officially locked in. During the poll, one answer from each category was selected, defaulting him into the Wisdom route. Only one of the questions had a close vote, but either option would have locked him into Wisdom. This was the most neutral, and admittedly, probably most fitting route, but the least interesting storywise (in my personal opinion. sorry).

what if Sarayn wouldn't have ditched Eve just to win in the first trial?

Sarayn would have given the key to Eve and they would both have been granted the win. Eve and Sarayn would have continued to grow their relationship. Obviously the impact of Sarayn starting down that path made many waves throughout the story, so I can't list all the might-have-beens. That being said, this was one of the very earliest preliminary "lock out" votes as he acted against one of Kyrie's most closely held moral codes. Had the poll gone the other way, there was a scene to follow that would have taken place in the library where Kyrie would have come to him and asked him about his home and generally what it was like to live his life. They would have bonded over their vastly different life experiences and perspectives. After the second Eve/Sarayn vote, Sarayn was eliminated from bachelor challenge contention entirely. At best, he and Kyrie can end the challenge as friends, but that is still to be decided. If anyone is interested or cares enough, I've uploaded the dialogue text of the Sarayn x Kyrie library scene here since I liked it a lot and I'm still sad it never happened.

what if Tayuin had apologized to Taiyo in the forest trial instead of being a brat?

It wasn't a separate path, but it was a different way of coming to the revelations we'll reach in the first half of chapter five. So it pushed this timeline back quite a bit. We'll get to the same conclusion but certain aspects will be different, because it will be explained through two different points of view. If the Ledgers had been chosen, it would have given some information about Castien before we saw him die when Sarayn and Åse got ported into the past. However, this still wouldn't have been the best route because most things would have been irrelevant at the time, but readers would have at least heard the name prior to his actual introduction.

If the Bishop's Journal had been chosen, we would have learned directly from a member of the clergy about certain major events in past ceremonies. Some of this information has been filtered through in other ways throughout the story, but the actual outright unveiling of it won't happen until a specific scene in chapter five. But it will be told through someone outside of the church who isn't privy to the same knowledge as those on the inside.

I don't write so far ahead if something is vote dependent, which means I can't necessarily list scenes that would have occurred if a different route had been chosen. However, scenes that would have been altered or never happened would have included Talila and Indryr's discovery of the orc's body in the forest and Sarayn and Taiyo's discussion in the crypt.

what if Taiyo hadn't fucked up had gotten all the riddles correct

This one is hard because the entire direction of the story was altered because of the bloodhex lmao. I would say it's one of, if not the best fuck up, praise the dice! It led to much more interesting outcomes. If Taiyo had answered all the riddles correctly or if the fight option had been chosen, the two would have had a "happy ending" outcome, which I believe were just some mild buffs. Things that wouldn't have happened at all (obviously) include: Therion and Taiyo's continued friendship, Taiyo's ability to pursue hemomancy, the sidequest to return to the forest, and Tayuin's entire "savior arc".

a collection of some of my favorite moments, memes, and memorable photos from the story thus far. most pictures are from 2022, though a couple are from the fifteen whole CotS posts I made in 2021. despite my many hiatuses, the story really hit its stride this year, and what an amazing journey it’s been already. I knew from the start a project this ambitious was likely going to take me multiple years to finish, but I’m proud of myself for not giving up on it as we head into our second year. 

as we approach the halfway mark, I expect 2023 to be the year I complete it. but honestly, I’m fine taking my sweet time, because posting CotS has been one of the best simblr experiences I’ve ever had. I could never have imagined last summer that this would end up being so much fun. getting to know these characters, watching reactions in the comments, and seeing the reader interaction on the polls has been incredibly entertaining. I’m so glad we still have a ways to go because I’m not ready to leave yet. thank you to everyone who reads along, and to all ten of my willing victims participants who made the incredible sims that make this story great. CotS wouldn’t be what it is without y’all ♥