Behind Closed Doors

[closed-door-if]

In the corridors of power, whispers echo louder than the truth.

Working for Sterling Dynamics sounds like a great idea, with the constantly rising stocks and the glorifying public opinion. Having the ear of the current boss is just the cherry on top.

But, of course, nothing is as good as it seems.

Your boss (and friend) goes missing, in the middle of the day, a news that reaches the public before it reaches you. If that wasn't bad enough, his absence has made you acutely aware just how many people hated you within the company. And to top it all off, his brother is making a play for the throne.

You definitely don't get paid enough for this.

Choose your name, gender, and appearance.

Customize your character's personality and past- decide how you got where you are.

Make choices that affect the plot, other characters, and the company!

Manage the company in your friend's absence. Or try to, at least.

Romance one of four characters- your friend, your boss, your ex, or the investigator!

Bennett Sterling [He/Him]

Your boss. Uptight and professional to the end. Everyone insists he is a robot, and honestly, some days you really do believe it. Other days, you think you can see behind the mask, see who he actually is- someone who has no idea who they are supposed to be.

Samuel/Samantha Wallace [He/Him or She/Her]

Your best friend. Quite possibly the only sane person in this entire company. Charming, quirky and sarcastic- you get on like a house on fire. You've been with each other for as long as you can remember, always half wrapped up in the other. So why does it seem like they're pulling away?

Aster/Esther King [He/Him or She/Her]

Your ex. You haven't talked to each other for more than half a decade, now, for which the fault lies mostly on their shoulders. You made promises to stay friends and keep in touch when you broke up, but neither of you spared a thought to the other after the 'amicable' breakup. That's what you choose to believe, anyway.

Dorothy Williams [She/Her]

The investigator. You don't know each other that well just yet, unless to five background checks you ordered on her count. She seems nice, professional, and calm. Hired by Bennett's family, you don't exactly get a say in her being there, but her personality makes it easy to forget she hasn't always been a part of your group.

CHARACTER PROFILES!

DEMO out now!

[closed-door-if]

Just found your demo and I adore it. Love that there are flashbacks. Starting a story as an adult character with a past that's in the past is usually the norm, but I do love it when we get to see glimpses of their past, experiences and conversations, relationships beginning and blossoming or souring, it really does help me connect with my character. Cannot wait to read more.

Thank you so much for the kind words! I am glad you enjoyed it!

[of-crowns-and-echoes]

DEMO OUT!

It's here!

Word Count: 10k!

In the first chapter (+prologue), you can:

Meet two ROs!

Customise your MC!

Meet very important people!

I'm so, so thankful for everyone who has been here waiting for this! You are all amazing, and your support is what led me to finish this demo exactly on time!

Here's the link to play: DEMO!

Shoot me an ask if there's any typos, errors, or just to chat about the game!

[speakergame]

Game Update - 5/7/24

The next update is ready to play!

Features include:

An update! 😅

An entire recoding of Chapter 4! including a new chapter title (2 of them, technically, as it’s different depending on the route you chose at the end of Chapter 3)

Some actual communication between characters about what’s going on!

Gavin Cowles!

A reminder that previous saves made in Chapter 4 will be broken! You will need to load a save from Chapter 3 or earlier to play, or start a new game!

There isn’t a lot of new content this time, as most of the work for it was on the back end and overcoming behind-the-scenes obstacles, but I’m so happy to finally have an update for you all! I say “thank you for your patience” a lot, I know, but I really can’t say it enough. Your continued love and support is what kept me going while I battled the various demons that kept getting in my way. Next update should be a lot bigger, and include some conversations you’ve all been waiting for!

(On the last page, if Gavin mentions someone other than your chosen RO, let me know! I’m still trying to iron out the code on that one… so far I’ve only seen issues on no-romance runs thinking you’re romancing Li, and I think I’ve fixed that, but if I haven’t/something else comes up wrong, please tell me)

What you can expect in the next update:

Another update! 😂

Gossiping about your love life!

Gossiping about your friends!

Gossiping about your… sister’s love life?

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💙💙💙

[oblivious-melodies]

Oblivious Melodies is an interactive fiction game, set in the in the fictional country of Angria, based on early industrial-era Britain. Following the Horne siblings and their emergence into gentry society, you will delve into a country divided by class, religious dissent, political factionalism, and the ever-encroaching interests of empire. While still in development, the game is projected to cover up to four volumes, comprised of shorter chapters.

Currently available to play: chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5

Chapter 6 currently in the works!

Oblivious Melodies was created with Twine 2, and is hosted on itch.io. Any feedback is very appreciated - I'm always refining my material and would love to hear your thoughts!

last updated: 30/04/2024

Most recent edit: minor typos edited & continuity fixes.

Banner illustration: John Constable, "The Sea Near Brighton", 1826, Tate Britain.

[summeroflove-if]

Release Details:

Today’s release is only one chapter, adding 86k words. It covers time with your partner, or if you're single and still getting to know Haoyu, you can spend time with him. You can learn about their dealbreakers, why their last relationship ended, what their cooking skill is like and even their dietary preferences.

The playthrough is actually quite short in the grand scheme of things, but there are so many little variations on how the morning goes, depending on your prior choices, so I can’t wait to see what you think. 

Game Summary:

Welcome to Summer of Love. You and nine other singles will enter a luxury villa and couple up, spending a month in each other’s company, along with a few extras along the way – you’ll live together, eat together, sleep together, and hopefully, fall in love together. Sound familiar? Thought so – but instead of coupling ceremonies being split by boys and girls as is typical in shows like these, the public will be the ones deciding the order of who gets to pick, and as the cast is an all-bi one, you can pick whoever you like, so long as they haven’t already been picked. At the end of the month, the most popular couple could win as much as £500,000, depending on what challenges you win or lose and how well you win over the public. As for the other couples? As there are no dumpings, everyone has the potential to find love, and those in exclusive relationships by the end could also win as much as £100,000 per couple. So, how much you win is entirely down to you. Ready for your summer of love to begin?

Play chapters 1-10 on Itch.io now!

[closed-door-if]

First off the demo was so fun! Two, I don't know of you're still doing RO ask but-

I'm always open for asks, dw! This ask took me a while to formulate a response to, but here you have it!

Bennett: Our way of speaking is almost exactly the same- unintentionally formal. Sam: We're both very easily distracted, though Sam is better at directing that towards productive tasks than I am. King: Our fashion sense, though they are much more stylish and put-together. Dorothy: Sense of humour. We would both laugh at the dumbest, stupidest jokes and for absolutely no reason.

Was this intentional? Not really. (Except Dorothy's)

[closed-door-if]

Hi!

I just played your demo and so far it's very interesting, but I found a typo (?). 😄 It was in this sentence:

"Ma'am," a gruff voice beside you mutters. 

I played my MC as a male, so I was wondering if it was supposed to be Sir or something? 😅🤔

Thank you! This should be fixed now!

[closed-door-if]

LIPSTICK - What is their love language?

giving/receiving

Bennett: Gifts/Words of Affirmation Sam: Acts of Service/Physical Touch King: Quality Time/Words of Affirmation Dorothy: Acts of Service/Quality Time

[closed-door-if]

Chapter 2 now out!

The next chapter is out now, after various trials and tribulations. I severely underestimated how long this chapter would take me to complete.

In this chapter, you can: - Meet the remaining ROs - Work some more - Have several very rude conversations - Deal with disasters

You can find the updated demo here, or in my pinned post on my blog!

If you find any bugs/typos/errors, feel free to shoot an ask my way! Also, if you want any choices/flavor text to be added at any point of the narration, please let me know. I am still experimenting with how many choices is too many, and I'd appreciate feedback.

Also, if you are new to this IF, welcome! There's so many more of you now!

Hope you enjoy this one!

[closed-door-if]

ROs heights?

This is a fun question, because this was one of the first things I had in mind when I created the profiles for each RO.

Bennett: 6'1'' Sam: 5'8" King: 5'10" Dorothy: 5'6"

[closed-door-if]

BLUSH - Who flusters them most?

For the ROs?

Bennett: I don't think he's ever been flustered in his whole life. He's very good at poker faces.

Sam: When someone catches them in a lie. (They also get flustered when they watch some rom-coms, but they'd never tell you that)

King: Being outplayed, verbally or in a game. Also, PDA.

Dorothy: Awkward situations, loud people and close proximity.

[closed-door-if]

Hi! I just got done playing the demo and I loved it! Super excited to see where this goes!!

I do have a small bug to report, though: I chose Sam to be female in my playthrough, and it kept switching between male and female. Especially during the birthday dinner flashback!

I hope you have a great day! :)

This should be fixed now, but please let me know if I still missed any!

I'm glad you liked the demo!

[closed-door-if]

Can we get a save function? I like to take breaks between my reading sessions. Pls pls!

I completely forgot I had to do that manually! Save slots are available in the game now!

[closed-door-if]

Chapter 2 now out!

The next chapter is out now, after various trials and tribulations. I severely underestimated how long this chapter would take me to complete.

In this chapter, you can: - Meet the remaining ROs - Work some more - Have several very rude conversations - Deal with disasters

You can find the updated demo here, or in my pinned post on my blog!

If you find any bugs/typos/errors, feel free to shoot an ask my way! Also, if you want any choices/flavor text to be added at any point of the narration, please let me know. I am still experimenting with how many choices is too many, and I'd appreciate feedback.

Also, if you are new to this IF, welcome! There's so many more of you now!

Hope you enjoy this one!

[isabellebissonrouthier]

OC ASK GAME - Red

CRIMSON - What would it take for them to kill someone they know?

SCARLET - How do they grieve?

WINE - How do they act when drunk?

CHERRY - Why did you create them?

STRAWBERRY - What part of them is most like you? Was this intentional?

RASPBERRY - Are they a virgin?

WATERMELON - What is their greatest reason to get out of bed?

APPLE - Messy or clean?

POMEGRANITE - Which myth would they relate to most?

JAM - Can they cook?

CANDY - Do they have a sweet tooth?

BLOOD - What would they do if they saw a stranger's corpse?

GORE - If they were asked to fight in a war, would they fight or run away?

RUBY - What do they consider most precious/valuable?

GARNET - If they had to kill someone, what method would they choose?

BLUSH - Who flusters them most?

LIPSTICK - What is their love language?

KISS - Who did they last kiss?

ROSE - What gift would they most wish to receive from a lover?

POPPY - Do they believe in a god?

[closed-door-if]

Hello! Can I ask how the boss's romance would work if they're missing?

Hi! That's a very good question! I typed up a really long answer for this one, and then had to delete most of it because of spoilers.

I will tell you this- this is one of the routes I am most excited for. It is one of the slowest burns, compared to other routes, and for good reason. Most of the romance in the story will be developed through flashbacks (and additional content, as the story progresses) but near the end of the story, in the last couple chapters, you can get scenes with the boss that are set in the present. And of course, like all possible ROs, you get a special epilogue for each one.