Currently, the way it’s written is that Collin simply doesn’t understand how hurt the MC is. He was caught up in what happened before and is, admittedly, a bit clueless.
It takes him some time to understand that the MC is badly hurt. At first he just thinks the door collided with the MC’s bucket and cleaning things. Then, he thinks ice will do the trick. It isn’t until the MC sways and is about to pass out that he understands the extent of the damage. The corridors are quite dim so it isn’t easy to see back there, which we know from our journey with Angelina in chapter one.
I’m not seeing a part where he commands the MC to stand still to do the healing. He does command them not to say anything to anyone, but this is because he’s been hiding his magic for his entire life. I might take that part out and offer an option to ask more about it, instead. Perhaps that would satisfy those who aren’t thrilled with how this exchange plays out. Will work on that later today.
Also, the prince’s magical abilities are quite weak, which is a source of frustration for him, so he would only use magic as a last resort. This information will come up a bit later in the game, but the fact that he wasn’t able to heal the MC completely drops hints at that.
Collin does apologize and claim responsibility for the incident if the MC lets him know how hurt they are when he starts to realize that they’re injured. Otherwise it simply takes him a while to figure it out.
I cannot write this game fast enough. More coming, I promise!
I sort of see a bit why people feel that some of the reactions to Collin feel romance-ish, because I had similar reactions in one or two parts. When I replay next update I can point them out specifically if you want, but one that comes to mind (so it might be the most glaring example) is when you’re handling his handkerchief that he gave to you (I think this is in the kitchen already) and the MC starts wondering about Collin’s lips and whatnot. It definitely felt at least romance-adjacent to me.
That’s helpful, thanks. I know the part you’re talking about, which was also pointed out here:
the line in question
I’ve edited that line and others so it only shows up if the MC indicates interest in Collin from the onset. But yes, if there are others that show up as you’re playing I appreciate you letting me know.
I’ll be doing some edits and uploading them to dashingdon later today (will post when that happens), then hopefully adding more words so I can get an actual update ready that completes the third chapter, which will probably be 20k words or so. Might take me a bit.
Take as long as you want. Enjoy the holidays! Spend time with your loved ones. Share gifts. Drink eggnog or whatever is your drink of choice. Boobytrap the fireplace. Shoot Santa out of the sky. All the Christmas traditions!
Doesn’t the magical aid come before the ice, though? That’s exactly backwards if that’s how/what he thinks.
Also, I was thinking that perhaps something that can inform us better of the timeline of things could help with some of the Collin issues. We have no idea how much time has passed since the queen has died, which seems to have been the turning point in Collin’s behaviour from bully to someone who’s trying to be at least a halfway decent person. If he’s been treating the staff as part of his own personal entertainment by pranking them when he had to know that they couldn’t say so much as a cross word to him for most of his (and the younger staff’s which would include MC) life, that’s not really setting up good feelings from or among those he’s spent so much time bullying. A longer time span or a more dubious outlook on him and his past behaviour might be a good idea, or at least the option to doubt his sincerity much more for the MC. Maybe a wait and see kind of attitude in some of the options? Something less automatically trusting of the good nature of someone who (until recently?) thought it was the height of hilarity to stuff the laundry baskets full of rats and wait for the screaming to start.
I think the timeline here is that he suggests ice, then realizes it might be worse than he thought and uses his magic (then still gets ice anyway, because he couldn’t fully heal the MC).
Oh, I’d love that option if it works out! Especially with this being a secret of Collin’s, this would definitely be something worth trying to ask more about, even if the MC is just genuinely curious (we do have later dialogue options that indicate we have an interest in magic, iirc?).
Having an example of the types of pranks Collin used to pull might help put his past behavior and current relationship to the staff into better perspective - I’m not sure if any were mentioned and I just missed them - but I assumed in my reading that they were mostly harmless (if perhaps childish and annoying) if the staff were still mostly OK with him at present.
I’m really enjoying this so far, by the way! The more time I can spend in this setting the better, and I’m really interested to see if there’s any friction between my big fat softy of an MC and this warrior’s destiny of theirs. It can be really fun when that happens!
Here you go. It’s just at the very beginning. So you see there was a range from “just” mischief to “pranks” that would have been actually very dangerous.
Collin used to be the trickster of the family, but it seems he’s finally grown up. He spent much of his youth devising all manner of pranks, setting up staff as often as his siblings. Mice in the laundry bins, snakes in his brothers’ beds, emptying Khanna’s wardrobe. One dreary winter day when the queen was still alive and he was still carefree, Collin lit a bonfire in the middle of the throne room.
Also something to note, those pranks against his siblings would also have resulted in much extra work for the staff, even when they were not the intended target. It feels unrealistic and a little Pollyanna-ish that there’s not some resentment associated with that.
The queen died two years ago. I’ll make a note of toward the beginning of the game. Thanks for pointing out that this was missing.
Just to clarify: At no point has Collin been a bully. That’s Donled, the crown prince. Collin’s tricks were those of a child born into royal duty who is unloved by his father and frustrated that the future his father sees for him is to be married off to some princess without any say in the matter. His mother loved him very much, but she was also busy with his younger siblings. Collin was a middle child longing for attention and trying to make people laugh even if he was probably going about it the wrong way.
While his pranks may not have been funny to everyone, the snakes were harmless. They were mice, not rats (there is a large difference in my mind), and he at least opened the windows before lighting the bonfire. The bonfire in the throne room was a direct rebellion against his father, and the servants, in general, would tend to agree with him. More work for them to clean it up, yes, but boy did it ever make the king look like a fool. The servants laughed about it while tidying up the mess.
Perhaps I’ll try to fit that story in somewhere, it’s just hard to insert this kind of detail in the opening pages of the game. At least you have the explaination here so you can understand him better.
This sounds like something Collin would scheme up.
Dashingdon demo has been updated with corrections:
a bunch of typos
slight expansion on Collin’s trickster days and the queen’s death
new option to learn more about Collin’s secret magic
adjustments to descriptions of Collin so some only appear if MC has shown interest in him
I did take out one of my favorite lines in the story, as I didn’t want people to think it was there to make the MC jealous, but if y’all like it and it doesn’t bother you I could put it back in just for those who have expressed interest in Prince Collin. The line in question:
“Whose leftover kisses are melting into your cheek?”
I liked this line a lot when it was a novel, but perhaps it doesn’t fit as well in IF format.
I really liked this line! Like, enough that I thought of it once or twice after playing the other day. I didn’t pick up any jealousy when I first read it - just curiosity. He was wiping at the MC’s face with a well-used handkerchief.
Thinking back, there is an intimacy in this thought, or maybe how it’s phrased (coupled with some of the other sensory descriptions in that scene) that might have inspired the first time I chose a “heart” dialogue option for Collin; however, I can imagine that this thought might elicit different reactions from players, depending on how their characters feel about Collin in this moment. I liked him well enough, even if I hadn’t been treating him as a potential romance for the MC at the time.
Even if you don’t put it back it, I just wanted you to know it stuck with me
It didn’t make me jealous - if anything it was the opposite. I thought, “ew, why would I be thinking about who Collin may or may not be slobbering or may or may not be slobbering him? why would I care?”
If the things I read around the forum from most of the playerbase for romance-focused games, though, they’d love this line, and they’d love it even more if it made them jealous. Me, I’m allergic to angst, but these people eat it up straight out of the saucepan. Like, they’ll put their heads fully inside and lick it up.
Haha, I hate being forced to play a jealous character. I’m always so relieved when I can avoid that in romance games - that is never the drama I am looking for in this genre
May I suggest adding a flag for being romantically interested in a character? Then, you could keep this line as flavor for those who are romantically interested in Collin but hide it for those who are not. It’s a good line, I agree, but it’s also very clearly romantic in tone.
Same. My stoic!MC is romancing Collin, but I kind of got the vibe that he saw him as the unattainable crush a fan gets on a celebrity since we’re lower on the social totem pole than the uncleaned latrines, and he’s literally the Prince of our land. One that is riddled with elf racists on top of that. My guy is reading the room and seeing that it’s basically impossible.
So, I like the idea of being able to avoid any jealousy because he doesn’t believe anything will come from it, until they’re actually together or admit their feelings just to keep character continuity of such an unemotional MC.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for saying so. I will put it back in whenever I do the next update, but only for those who show interest in the prince.
Jealousy is one of my least-favorite tropes. I am extremely unlikely to add it to any of the romances in my games, though it may occasionally pop up in other characters, just not directed at the MC.
Already there. You can turn romance indicators on so choices that lead to romantic relationships are clearly marked with a
You won’t find any jealousy in this game, at least not on the MC’s part nor part of their romances. I’m also coding it so you can’t really romance more than one RO at a time (unless it’s the Collin and Dorian poly route), as playing the field isn’t culturally accepted in this kingdom and the MC is smart enough to avoid such drama.
Here’s a question that’s been bothering me. What would Brynne want me to do when Collin initiates a conversation? Am I supposed to say “Sorry, Your Highness, can’t talk, my job is more important than serving the wishes of my prince”?
This seems rude of Destiny and liable to hurt impossibility’s feelings.
Drop dead, probably. The point is that Brynne doesn’t like you, personally and specifically, even more than she doesn’t like anyone else, and therefore she’ll tell you whatever you do is wrong. I could tell something awesome was about to happen for me when she called me with a sour face and a displeased tone.
I doubt you’d even get a real answer out of that character, but I’d probably ask as well (like you’ve described), if the option existed. Though, she likely thinks the MC is doing something to initiate the interaction in the first place, so she might get more upset with the MC for asking at all.
More coming, I promise!
