Since your teenage years, your head's been jammed-packed with nothing but the lyrics and melodies of fledgling songs you dream of performing under stadium lights. With your wild-running creativity as the key ingredient, your recipe for ushering that dream to fruition had it all; talent, a genuine passion for your craft, the fiery determination to do whatever was required of you to make your music the way you wanted to, andāmost of allāsomeone who swore to spend every moment of the journey by your side, leading you by the hand to the top. Success was more than within your reach; all you had to do was grasp it.
It's almost funny how it can all just goā¦ poof, just like that. As if every trace of it vanished into thin air, and your memories are the only evidence it ever existed at all.
Nothingās ever been easy, but youāre done standing in the wings, allowing someone else to dictate what your future holds. If [i]anyone[/i] thinks they can get rid of you that easily without suffering any consequences for their actions, they have another thing coming.
Inconceivably, after three years of no success in the Angel's city, the stars have aligned, and you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from a source you never saw coming. Elysium's lead vocalist and Olympian Records' holy grail, a rockstar with the most massiveāand arguably most crazed and obsessedāfanbase in the country has clocked you as the next big thing to grace the music scene. Theyāve convinced Olympian youāll be the next them in ten years, placing some high expectations on your shoulders.
Whether their endorsement is a magnificent stroke of luck or a curse that threatens to poison every choice you make from here on out, you'll rise to the occasion because there's no other option for someone like you.
Until you're a star, you'll never stop reaching for the sky.
Play as an up-and-coming singer, determined to fight their way to the top of the charts no matter the cost.
Customize your own predestined star's appearance, personality, and career image. Are you confident or anxiety-ridden? Open and friendly or aloof and defensive? Are you loved by the public or do they love to hate you? Is fame and the stage or your music more important to you?
Design your own music and lyrics, and choose from one of three mainstream genres (rock, pop, or both of them combined: pop-rock) to focus on. Write about whatever your little heart desires, as long as the label approves it.
Choose your biggest strength, the attribute that allows you to stand out above all the others; do you have the voice of an angel, perfect for any type of song? Or are your songwriting capabilities unmatchable by even those who boast the most prestigious awards?
Launch a passionate romance with one of nine available options and try not to let it ruin your budding career in the process. Straying too close to the fire means you're bound to get burned eventually.
Navigate what it means to be an artist under Olympian's label. Are you relishing in the attention and luxury, or is it all a little too uncomfortable? Is every rumor you hear the truth, or are they all coming down from the top? Will you compromise your artistic vision to garner their favor, or will you fight tooth and nail for the authenticity of your music?
Explore LA and Hollywood while experiencing all the fun (and not-so-fun) pastimes they have to offer and meeting some famous names with wildly different intentions.
Open for the biggest band in the country, joining them on their world tour and jetting from place to place on their private jet. Paris, London, Rome, New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Orlando: all of it awaits you.
And, most of all, watch as your name goes up in flashing lights and you transform into the star you were always meant to be.
ā The Rockstar: Tristan/Trisha Hydra, aka HADES/MEDUSA (m/f) ā
Formerly known as your partner in crime and now renowned as the Grammy-winning lead singer and songwriter of Hyacinth, the best friend who ditched you to hit it big is nothing like you remember them to be. That mischievous and dazzlingly charming kid with dreams bigger than the whole sky vanished without a trace in your absence. All that remains is a frost so icy you'd almost think you were the one who wronged them.
ā The Ride or Die: Cia/Cian Avila (m/f) ā
Everyone needs someone standing solidly in their corner, especially when it feels like the world has taken up arms against them. For you, that person is none other than your now-roommate and longtime friend. Far too blunt to be welcome at most fancy parties and constantly fed up with something, C has been your rock for the last five years. When LA's being its usual brutal self, you can always count on them to be right by your side, however much they may grumble about relocating here in the first place.
ā The Manager: Ethan/Elena Sun (m/f) ā
Behind every famous superstar on the scene is an equally talented manager. With a cleverness that could rival the King of Ithaca, an unwavering devotion to their client's success, and a creativity that makes you wonder why they don't write the songs themselves, E is the epitome of a perfect manager on paper. But how much of it is genuine exactly?
ā The Pop Princess: Natalie "Marigold" (f) ā
The pop music sensation has another claim to fame than just her music; her widely scrutinized long-term relationship with T Hydra. Even the most astute of internet sleuths can say with certainty that nobody saw that relationship coming. Overnight, sheāand her musicāskyrocketed to the top of the trending searches. Now, everyone in America knows her name because you can't mention Hydra without thinking of Marigold. She's scored the million-dollar dream life everyone wants, that's what they all say.
ā The Rival: Damian/Devyn Thunder (m/f) ā
Cocky, stuck-up, immature jackass. That's the kindest description you're able to grant D Thunder. Undeniably, they're talented and their voice is one most people would kill for, but all of that's offset by their insufferable face and smug demeanor. You'd sooner launch yourself off a bridge than spend a single torturous minute alone with them, but Olympian has the opposite plan in mind after signing them.
ā The Sweetheart: Stella/Eli Rose (m/f) ā
The other victor of Upstaged Season two and the only child of a beloved late actor, they're (one of) Hydra's notorious rival. You're not sure what rule of Upstaged states it's required to hate your competition to win, but Hydra's certainly followed it to the letter. Roseā¦ you get the feeling they couldn't care less about whatever grudge Hydra holds against them. How could they when they're being pulled in a hundred different directions daily without a break?
ā The Daredevil: Lucifer "Luci" Morningstar (m/f) ā
The Olympian-signed electric guitarist is the classic image of a daredevil; chaotic, reckless, and far too at ease causing havoc. It's hardly a surprise some of the gossip magazines have dubbed them as batshit crazy. An accurate conclusion, they'd remark. You get the feeling they're a little proud of the title, or perhaps they've just chosen to embrace it.
ā The Bodyguard: Bellamy Ortega (m) ā
Cool, calm, and collected isn't enough to define Hydra's personal bodyguardāalso coincidentally your new neighborāas you get a distinct feeling that even getting stabbed wouldn't faze him. So, obviously, Hydra's constant game of putting their life and reputation in danger for the thrill doesn't either. Or perhaps heās just had a lot of practice pretending it doesn't.
ā Rue BĆØrd: (f) ā
A keyboardist signed with Olympian who freelances as your friend in her spare time.
ā Adrian Park: (genderfluid) ā
A producer employed by Olympian and Rue's long-term partner. They're also your friend when they want to be.
ā Karry Cenderat: (f) ā
Elysium's manager who conjures up a miracle every time she keeps another scandal from reaching the press's grubby hands.
ā Billy Matthews: (m) ā
The mysterious owner of the record label who drops by to see how things are going once in a blue moon.
ā Johnny Locks: (m) ā
A sold-out stadium rockstar whose second claim to fame is being dubbed the nicest guy in rock. Also famously Hydra's first, and only, mentor.
ā Samson Ryland: (nb) ā
The bass guitarist of your new band. They're welcoming enough, but you've been around enough musicians to know they're wary of you joining the group.
ā Anthony Lance: (m) ā
The drums, Anthony doesn't feel the need to pretend for niceties sake. He doesn't like you intruding in the band and he makes that very known.
Crescendo is rated 18+.
P.S. There are a multitude of spoilers below this.
All of the following are elements that will eventually be in the final game. There will be specific content warnings available at the start of every chapter. Please read at your own discretion; this story may be distressing for some readers.
Mentions and/or depictions of mild and moderate violence
Mentions and depictions of drug and alcohol use/abuse and addiction
Mentions of suicide, suicidal thoughts, and death
Mentions and depictions of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety
This might be spoilery, but have Natalie/Marigold or T ever cheated on each other? Or at least were there any strong cheating rumours involving them? 7 year is a long time for musicians to be faithful lol
Hydra couldn't even stay faithful for two years, what makes you think they could do it for seven /j
jokes aside, ever since their first cheating scandal caught fire, Hydra hasn't been able to step a foot out of the line without accusations flying their way. They've been accused of everything from having a secret ten-year affair with Elysium's guitarist (a perpetual rumor they'll never be able to put to rest) to banging fans on tours. Essentially, no one has any faith in them to keep it in their pants despite the lack of concrete evidence
Natalie is rarely accused of anything salacious since her homewrecking days, but some devout (parasocial) Elysium fans are determined to paint her in a bad light since they essentially think she 'stole' Hydra away from them/she's an opportunist capitalizing on their fame for her own gain/she's just a gold digger
the disproportionate treatment aimed at the two them is only exacerbated by the fact that the media perpetuates the narrative of Marigold as a saint for sticking with Hydra through all of their hard times (rehab, controversies, feuds, etc.) and Hydra as the villain who screws up time and time again but has a loyal girlfriend who loves them nonetheless
As for the validity of these rumors... nothing's proven thus far
Hi hi!! Iām super excited for your game and Iām curious if youāre ok with people tagging you in posts with theirMC ideas or sending asks about MCs !!
Also how is progress going with the demo?
ā¤ļø
-š anon (if this hasnāt been claimed yet)
That's A-okay with me !
And the idea of anons accompanied with emojis is adorable
hi lizzie! iāve been loving the little snippets youāve been giving!! itās only made me more excited for the drop. i know you said you donāt wanna promise a drop date, but any thoughts about how much more you want to accomplish before the drop?
The snippets are a fun way to drop little hints of the demo for me too
There's a lot of rewriting scenes, adding extra scenes, incorporating previous choices into the text, and editing. But my momentum is off the charts right now, so very very very very cautiously, I'm anticipating a late november or early december release.
For C, canonically thereās nothing between them until Jās already gone and ditched them
I'm not sure if this is a spoiler, but I'm curious how they went from purely platonic to fwb? Weren't they physically attracted to MC before at all? What changed after J left?
J leaving took a massive wrecking-ball to MC's life. Quite literally everything changed with the shockwaves, including MC and C's relationship. Whether it strengthened it, altered it's terms, or possibly made it more than completely platonic. And it's had five years since J's departure to grow and twist whichever which way it wanted.
To answer whether C was attracted to MC at all before J's departure; they wouldn't even consider it themselves.
Will MCās gender make a difference in this IF? I'm wondering since it usually affects how the public & media reacts to celebrities.
Also new & young female musicians seem particularly targeted with sexual harassment and creepy behaviour, whether it's from fans or sleazy music execs. As well as expected to use their sexuality and body to sell their music, wear more revealing outfits/costumes, etc.
MC's gender will be incorporated into the story through interactions with other characters, interviews, etc. Where these differences will show themselves the most is through fan interactions and exchanges with the media.
Olympian's expectations for men and women has minimal differences overall, though they're acutely aware the public grants less grace to women in the limelight, so that does mean they keep a tighter leash on their female artists.
And this isn't an apply-all, but some interactions with ROs are different depending on the gender pairings (for example, Tristan is far more cautious around a female MC because if he's even seen with another women in public, the media starts making baseless accusations. With masc/androgynous-presenting NB and male MC's, he pretty much throws caution to the wind because the media never bats an eye at it despite it being well-known Hydra swings both ways)
You still remember the first time you ever saw Hydra on TV, grinning like a kid in a talent show and flaunting a golden award over their head. At seventeen, they'd just won the second season of the music-centered competition show Upstaged as the villain and were ready to take the music industry by storm and shake things up.
It's unusual to see the āvillainā win on a reality show (or maybe I just haven't watched enough), what kind of things did they do to earn that label?
this ask made me realize I haven't outlined the structure of Upstaged as a reality TV show anywhere on this blog in the slightest, so i figured now was a good time !
In a simplified explanation, the show's viewer's decide whether someone is a 'Villain' or a 'Sweetheart' through a voting poll that occurs at the end of week two of the show, after they've had a good chunk of time to observe the contestants and determine their thoughts/feelings/grievances.
Based on the results, the contestants are then sorted into the two categories and systematically eliminated over the coming weeks through multiple sets of challenges, usually one team challenge and then an individual challenge for those who lost in the previous challenge. The first two weeks are 'introductory weeks' where no one is eliminated or forced to participate in challenges.
Hydra, to this very day, maintains that their Villain status within the first few weeks was unjustified and deeply unfair, earned through sticking by another contestant during an argument where most viewers were on the side of the other contestant (and therefore, against them). But by the end of the show, Hydra had caused more than enough damage on their own terms for the title to be apt.
The winners of Upstaged are chosen entirely by viewers (Upstaged doesn't even have real judges beyond the preliminary audition rounds, contestants are eliminated based on the percentage of the live audience who votes for them), one from the Villains, and one from the Sweethearts.
Hydra was easily the most personable contestant overall, and definitely the most popular Villain based on the viewership ratings each week, so their win was projected by show analysts from week 10 or so and onwards. Still, the media was shocked into a frenzy over it, mostly due to their polarizing nature among other celebrities at the time (everyone and their dog was asked to weigh in) and the fact that their victory was alongside one of the most standout stars in teen television at the time
Can MC have a stage name? Not a necessary thing, just wondering.
Also, wow, D is so annoying (semi-affectionate). I can literally imagine my tiny MC almost launching themselves at D like a vicious kitten only for Bellamy to catch them mid-air and carry them away.
Or like that one scene in B99 when Amy is hangry from dieting and Terry carries her away on his shoulders while she is yelling at her object of anger "I HOPE YOU DROWN IN A TUB! I HOPE YOU HAVE ANEURYSM AFTER ANEURYSM AFTER ANEURYSM!!"
MC can totally have a stage name! It's one of the features I planned to add from the very beginning, because it makes so much sense for MC to want to separate themselves from their past and going by a different name is such a classic way to do that
Bell being the one barrier that keeps the cast from throwing up arms against each other is 100% canon, he's so overworked haha
Hey, how are things going? Don't worry if the demo isn't ready yet, just wanted to check in. You said before that you got stuck thinking what to say that wasn't just repeating yourself, but honestly most people probably just want to know if you're still around and if the game is still active
honestly you're completely right ! I just hate being so repetitive, but it totally makes sense that people would want to know it's still being worked on. And it is! slowly, whenever I manage to wrangle a couple hours to myself
sorry to report that it's not finished, but I'm tossing back and forth the idea of posting a preview of the demo this month? It wouldn't be super long, maybe 30k-40k words total, but it would give everyone a taste of what's to come
place your vote if you're interested !
post it
I would rather wait until the entire demo's finished
Hi, do you have a progress update on the demo? Since we haven't heard from you in a few weeks
Hi anon! first let me begin by saying: sorry for the radio silence, I know it's no fun to be left in the dark.
you're not the first person to pop into my inbox to request a progress update, and I would have written one sooner, but I got stuck thinking of what to say that wasn't simply an extension of what I said before. Most scenes, especially the opening ones (and the ending one!), are fully edited and ready to be released, but the few that are holding me back need a rewrite and a few heavy-handed rounds of editing
This is the part of the process where plot points/character details/story beats change the most, and one little alteration to a storyline means I have to go back and edit an entire scene to fit into the new direction. Don't get me wrong, the best part of writing is seeing your story show itself in a way you hadn't realized was so brilliantly perfect before with your own eyes, but sometimes that also means you're now bound to delete 5k or so words and start from scratch in another section
I'm a writer who works at what can best be described as a snail's pace and lately, it's slowed to a world-record breaking crawl. My responsibilities have taken a massive uptick and, inversely, my free time a steep decline (I spend most of it catching up on my sleep). Consequently, it's been pretty detrimental to my (already decently shaky) writing schedule and I'm miles off my planned timeline, which is getting to me just a tinsy bit, I admit
long story short; a couple of drawbacks smacked me in the face, but I haven't stopped working on the demo. It's in progress, just slower than I, and probably you guys would prefer. BUT it makes me happy to see it all coming together
just curious, when is the demo coming out by chance?
I hit a few minor hiccups while in the process of editing (coding and the like), which has delayed release a lot more than I was expecting!
I thought it would be ready to go sooner than it is, hence why I set the release date to august 7th (and missed it by a mile :ā)).
So Iām sorry about that! I shouldāve waited a fraction longer to set a release date I could actually meet, or left it up in the air until the demo was completely finished, kinks worked out and all.
Iām reluctant to offer a concrete release date, seeing as any target I aim to hit I shoot right past, but I will say it wonāt be too much longer I leave you in suspense
Again, Iām sorry about the lack of a released demo. Iām working on it, promise
Hi! The demo needs some extra strength polishing before I let it fly so Iāve extended the release date by a (1) week
Not my favorite turn of events (I would have really preferred the original July release), but, to me, this is a massively better option than releasing an initial demo Iām not all-around satisfied with
