Art of Deception

em, 25 Blog for the Interactive Fiction "Art of Deception"! Status: Demo in the works! main blog: @emskey

[artofseries]

Demo 🔗 Pinterest

When the centerpiece of your career-defining exhibition is stolen on the very night of its opening gala, you defy the police and plunge into the city’s criminal underworld, because the masterpiece they took isn’t just art, it’s the one thing you cannot afford to lose.

Avalon's oldest museum, the Arcadia, has always held a great renown among critics and art virtuosi alike. You are the newest art curator working on the exhibit of your life, displaying the greatest works of your favorite artist. Blood, sweat and tears have gone into this event, but after the opening night gala, the centerpiece of the exhibit is stolen in a highly skillful and seemingly untraceable heist.

The police puts a detective on the case immediately, but you cannot let just anyone handle this theft. The piece stolen means more to you than simply being a well-known artwork; it holds an emotional value no simple detective or officer would ever understand.

Balancing on a knife edge, you embark on a journey through the bowels of the criminal underworld. Brushes with gangs, thieves and your own mortality test your resilience, relationships and own limits. Will you get the art piece back when you uncover how deep the story of it truly runs, or will the undertaking prove too much?

🔗 Character Profiles 🔗 Spotify Playlists

AoD will have four main Love Interests:

Jasper/Julia - the Co-worker

They used to be the love of your life, but that is all in the past now-- right? Well, it has to be, or work would certainly become a very awkward affair. Surely, you can both handle this like adults.

Dante - the Detective

Soured from years of this thankless job and no closer to his ultimate goal, Dante is not the easiest to get along with, especially on a case so close to your heart. Will you learn to work together in harmony or will your differences prove impossible to get over?

Mara - the Thief

Rules, regulations and the art world do not mean a lot to her, she gets hired, does her job, gets paid and disappears. In an ideal world, nothing would have to change about this routine; but you pose an obstacle she did not foresee.

Adrian/Aurora - the Collector

The crime underworld is separated into factions led by powerful and dangerous figures; A is one of those. With a keen interest in art and the finer things in life, they welcome your expertise and knowledge. Anyone that attempts to get past this intricately built wall they put up around themselves and their empire, however, might just find that this will be the last thing they ever do.

Status: In early development

This story is a very early WIP and is in the process of being built from the ground up. Interested to see where it goes? Then follow this blog to stay up to date with any news, developments or extra work!

tags I use (click on them!):

#devlog (monthly masterposts) #mc (your tag <3) #a, #j, #d, #m (for each LI), or just #li #lore (for worldbuilding) #updates (smaller updates for progress-related things)

follows and reblogs are appreciated <3

[artofseries]

i handed in my BA thesis yesterday guys I'm free!!!! this has been weighing on me for so long and i cannot wait to finish up this demo now

[artofseries]

I'm handing in my thesis soon and then, around that time, I'll finally have the Demo ready!!

[artofseries]

happy valentine's day everyone!! i hope you're all spending it with a loved one, a few loved ones, or just loving yourself <3

thank you so much for being here and caring about this story i'm writing; a, dante, j and mara just need a little bit more time until they can finally start simping for you guys too (especially a and j, massive simps)

i thought about writing something for them all, but you barely know them yet, so i'll wait with the full-blown fanfics a little longer :)

love you guys!

[artofseries]

hellooo everyone, i hope you're all good, getting enough sleep and drinking enough water!!

little update: im putting the prologue and chapter one together and making it all the prologue! it just flows better like that. so when i upload the demo and it just says prologue, do not be alarmed :) it's still the same, just now put into one

[artofseries]

Let's say the Ros had a nightmare. Where it felt so real and the mc died in their arms....but they woke up from it and saw that mc just pasted out snuggled up to them like nothing happened. 👀

How do the ros react? Also who waking mc up?

i recently dreamed that, instead of like three more assignments, i have 5 or 6 and i missed handing in half of them and it felt so real that i was genuinely stressed abt it for the whole day

...anyway, this isn't even remotely close to that but a fun fact about me

A doesn't wake up with their usual languid stretching and blinking into the sunlight sleepily, they wake up with a jolt, wide-eyed, drenched in sweat. Their chest is heaving, their gaze is wild until it falls on you, passed out next to them, your body curled into their direction.

Their heart is thundering in their chest and they almost sag down next to you, hand gripping your cheek, lips pressing kisses into your forehead. Shaky breaths warm your skin and their lashes flutter, before falling shut.

Like a prayer, you feel your name whispered into your skin, again and again, their thumb brushing along your cheek, feeling you and making sure you're here, alive.

Dante doesn't sit up in bed, but his eyes tear open and he gulps in air as if coming up from being underwater for too long. He immediately turns to face you, lifting a shaking finger and pressing it to your pulse beating steadily in your neck. Only when he feels it, when he counts it to synch his own heartbeat to it, does he calm down.

His eyes close with a soft groan and his head leans against yours, your foreheads together. He doesn't say anything else, doesn't shake you awake, just slides his arm over your waist and brings you to his chest. The muscles in his arms slowly lose their tense grip and gradually, he relaxes into you. For a while, he doesn't sleep. He just lies there and listens to your breathing, thanking every higher force there is for the sound.

It takes a while for J to fully wake up. When they do, their cheeks feel wet, but they barely notice it. Their attention is completely on finding you, frantically patting the bed. In sleep, you moved away, or J moved away: it doesn't matter. You're too far.

Quietly, J scoots closer and curls against your back, desperately trying to stifle their panicked breathing and thundering heart, which sounded like drums in their ears. Their eyes close and they grab your shirt gently, just holding on.

Only when they don't manage to fall asleep again do they shake your shoulder gently, causing you to turn around, before sinking wordlessly into your arms and letting you hold them until sleep, mercifully, comes.

Mara is in fight or flight before she's even fully awake. Her mind and body are trained to anticipate having to go from asleep to fully awake in seconds and she's straddling you, her eyes still half-closed, and shaking your shoulders.

In a hushed but tense voice, she whispers your name until you blink up at her, disoriented.

Only then does she relax, a shaky exhale fogging the air between you. Her head sinks down onto your shoulder and her fingers curl into the front of your shirt.

"You asshole," she whispers, "I hate you. If you do that again, I'll make sure to just keep you up all night instead."

[artofseries]

goal for this weekend: give my masterpost and char profiles a facelift bc the infos are outdated and im unhappy with the layout

[artofseries]

What if I just unfollowed you rn and make it 499 followers 🤨

Nah jk congratulations on the milestone! Glad to see your IF is getting the attention it deserves!

I would fall to my knees sobbing you can't do that to meeee <//3

THANK YOU I still can't believe people are vibing with my story aah

[nixscriptum]

[artofseries]

five... five hundred followers

thank you guys sm omg

[k4tattck]

me while writing: ah yes, this character should do this, it feels so natural with what they're saying

me while editing: why the FUCK does he lean on the doorway SEVENTEEN TIMES IN THIS CHAPTER

[50x70cm]

agnes-briosch: stained glass window at petit palais, paris.

[artofseries]

more snippets but j this time because i love them so much

After a moment's hesitation, you make your way over to J and sidle up to them. As you approach, they jump and look up, their expression making them look like they were caught doing something they shouldn't. At the sight of you, J's face relaxes.

"It's you."

"Don't sound so disappointed," you respond, making another small flash of panic bloom on J's face.

"I'm not—"

The two of you hold silent eye contact for a moment.

"You were joking," they state.

"Yes," you can't hold back the amused expression on your face, "Unsuccessfully, apparently."

With a small groan, J rubs their temples, "Sorry, long night already."

Even as J says this, you know they've never been good with tone and subtle nuances.

[artofseries]

writing a's intro scene and i just legit made them my ideal type

[artofseries]

writing snippet from the beginning of chapter one, while I finish it up! there's some choices + variables hidden in here, but I made it one text for these purposes now

As you reach for the handle, the door is opened from the inside instead and Sam's curious face greets you. His/Her dark eyes light up and he/she pulls the door open wider, letting you into your own office.

"You are," he/she begins, his/her voice grave but his/her face showing a clear excited smile, "so late. Do you always work this late?" Before you can even get a word out, Sam is gently but determinedly pushing you over to your desk, his/her grin widening even further.

"Congratulations!"

Your eyes fall on the small porcelain plate with a gilded rim. In the middle of it sits a red velvet cupcake with white frosting and a singular candle. Right next to the plate is a box of matches, with the box saying 'Congrats!'.

"I didn't know if I'd still manage to catch you," Sam tells you, reaching for the match box and holding it out to you, "Come on, light the candle! We have to celebrate you getting that painting. Zayn and Lyra wanted to be here too, but tonight is 'date night' or whatever, so they had to leave. They chipped in too, though."

Zayn and Lyra Kader are the other two curators of The Arcadia and the ones you share this office with.

You shake your head slightly at the surprise, but are unable to hide your smile. With steady fingers, you fish out a match and drag it along the side of the box, lighting it, before bringing the flame to the candle and watching it light up as well.

"Thank you," you tell Sam, looking at him/her standing beside you, "for this."

Sam's smile softens and he/she nods happily, strands of his/her black wolf-cut hair bobbing slightly.

"It's nothing, really," he/she tells you, "We're super happy for you. Come on, blow out the candle. You can make a wish."

You smile again and turn back to the candle, blowing it out.

[artofseries]

just learned there is a movie called 'art of deception' and erm why does it look so kinky on the cover and also is it good

[artofseries]

accidentally making mc the most stressed b on the planet because i am currently stressed as hell