creatures of IFs

Charlie/Crow | Ce/Cer, He/Him, It/Its | 30s | Transmasc Bigender/AroAcespec/Bi | For IFs and MCs

[fadingprotagonists]

A sideblog for all of my IF content and MCs! You can find my main blog @vampirefrenzy. Below the cut is a short list of the MCs I talk about/play the most. If you're curious if I have an MC for an IF that isn't mentioned just ask! Anything marked with an asterisk is headcanon/not something included in-game stats

SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN

Caddaric Cindersong | He/Him | Trans Man* | Pansexual

Additional Info: Hunter, Shifter, Circle-Trained, Daggers

RO: Riel Syndran

Oleander Wyanet | Fae/Faer | Nonbinary | Aro Lesbian

Additional Info: Elf, Battle-Mage, Self-Taught, Sword

RO: Tallys Ironwood

Daisy Vespertine | She/Her | Cis Woman | Biromantic Demisexual*

Additional Info: Norm, Elementalist, Circle-Trained, Daggers

RO: Blade Bronwyn

Silver Narain | He/She | Nonbinary / Bigender* | Demiromantic Bi-Asexual*

Additional Info: Ket, Diviner, Journeyman, Gun

RO: Ayla Aescar

THE WAYHAVEN CHRONCILES

Erin Winters | She/Her | Cis Woman | Demiromantic* Bisexual

Additional Info: Ex-Friend Bobby, Combat/Physical

RO: Farah Hauville

THE LONELY SHORE

Morgan Winters | He/They | Trans Man | Bisexual

Additional Info: Necromancy

RO: Ravi Singh & m!Jaylen Jones

Silver Nguyen | He/She | Nonbinary / Bigender* | Demiromantic Bi-Asexual

Additional Info: Clairvoyance

RO: Amir Croft

SENTIENCE

Ariel Io | He/Him | Trans Man* | Bisexual

Additional Info: N/A

RO: nb!Val & Klaus Kirkhall

STYGIAN SUN: TOTAL ECLIPSE

Helios 'Hel' Al'Teia | He/Him | Trans Man | Bisexual

Additional Info: Healer, Axe-Wielder

RO: f!Kieran Zeleskas, Aurynn Anouar, & Lucian Arcanis

Kaethe "Kae" Al'Teia | It/Its | Nonbinary / Gendervoid* | Pansexual

Additional Info: Gravity Magic, Spear-Wielder

RO: All

THE ABYSSAL SONG

Valefor | He/Him | Cis Man | Gay

Additional Info: Likes Dancing, a Heart-Burning Bird, “the Puppeteer” Demonic Form, High Sanity/High Loyalty

RO: m!Ashmedai

PARTY OF FOUR

Ashe Lukyan | He/Him | Trans Man | Bisexual

Additional Info: Nivari Disciple. Hounder Warrior.

RO: Jem Miye

A TALE OF CROWNS

Crown Evîn Teyran | They/Them | Nonbinary | Bisexual

Additional Info: Inner Magic

RO: Rêzan 

WHEN TWILIGHT STRIKES

Gabriel Minowa | He/Him | Trans Man* | Panromantic Asexual

Additional Info: Strategy High, Weapons Low

RO: nb!Blane Rekner

Erin Winters | She/Her | Cis Woman | Demiromantic Bisexual

Additional Info: Weapons High, Traps Low

RO: Nolan Alves

CANTATA

Nox / Kieran Sideris | He/Him | Trans Man | Bisexual

Additional Info: Water Attuned

RO: Vicente Aloi

INFAMOUS

Hikari Hoshikawa / Stellar | She/Her | Cis Woman | Lesbian

Additional Info: Pop Band, Starlights, Art-Focused, Ex-GFs w/ Seven

RO: Oriana Quinn 

[nixscriptum]

[nixscriptum]

[fadingprotagonists]

You know since it's Pride Month I should share my Caddariel playlist. Maybe after I post my Caddaric comafic.

[cottaqecore]

karina (styleidealist)

[fadingprotagonists]

You know what, shoutout to IFs that let you have a complicated relationship with family! I love games where the dynamics with siblings or parents or even children are just as important as the ones with friends and ROs, especially if they can be messy too

[transmechanicus]

Blood test results are back. 0’s across the board, dry as a bone under the hood, they’re not sure what they’ve got in those vials but it recoils from light and lunges towards living tissue, which is all normal for girls these days.

[yellowmotorola]

(sexting) i’m so fucking scared of you

[northirish]

I would like a large sword, for mental health reasons

[inkpressedpetals]

[kosmogrl]

[cowboylikesubai]

i woke up shivering from my dream this morning (it had you in it)

@/heavensghost on tumblr / unknown / richard siken / susan orlean / cool about it by boygenius / @/annalaura_art on tiktok / @/annalaura_art on tiktok / for your own good by leah horlick / the night we met by lord huron / richard siken / trista mateer / text: I thought id know you forever.. by Olivia Ruby - art: Watchmen by Dave Gibbons et al

[creation-help]

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈PRIDE THEMED OC ASK GAME🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

Bc I wanted one and didn't find it so. Here

[Send ask aimed at a specific character]

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

2. What's your oc's orientation? (Romantic/sexual/platonic alterous ect) Do they have opinions about it?

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

4. Is your oc's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

10. Does your oc celebrate Pride? How?

11. Is your oc open about their identity? Are they more lowkey or more blunt about it? Why or why not?

12. Does/did your oc ever wish they could change the way they are? Why? If it's in the past, how did they get over the feeling? (this can be about internalized homo/transphobia)

13. Would your oc be open to a poly relationship? Why or why not?

[Not aimed at a specific character] / [Aimed at creator]

14. Do you have ocs on the aro or ace spectrum?

15. Do any of your ocs use neopronouns? Which ones?

16. Did you ever change an oc's identity when they were already established? Why?

17. Do you share identity with any of your ocs? Which ones?

18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?

19. Do you have preferences about depicting homo/transphobia in your stories? What, and why? Does it vary by story?

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

21. Free ramble card wee

[interact-if]

Bonus Category Winner 🏆 The Lonely Shore

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing @thelonelyshore-if, creator of the top-voted IF in the bonus category, The Lonely Shore. See the full list of winners in this category here.

We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the inspiration and creative process behind the game, and hope you'll enjoy reading it. Just like the IF itself, there's a line in the interview from Theo that truly stuck with me:

There is beauty to be found in surviving–and, more than that, in living. Even when it feels impossible.

It makes perfect sense that Creatures Such as We is one of Theo's favorite games, as The Lonely Shore possesses that same rare quality of lingering in your mind.

About the author

Howdy! I’m Theo. I’m a horror nerd and vampire fan by night; library employee by day. I live with my fiance and my cat. I draw as well as write–I was an artist before I was a writer–and I’ve been known to play a video game or two, when I have the time. Oh! And I play a truly incredible amount of dnd.

About the game

The Lonely Shore is a horror game about getting trapped in a small midwestern town that does not exist.

Tell me a bit about your journey into interactive fiction and what you’re working on right now

Way back in the early days of tumblr I saw a viral post about Choice of the Dragon. I played it and was delighted by the format; I think I played PsyHigh and Creatures Such As We (still an all-time favorite!!) all in a rush, but was broke and in high school so the obsession ended there. During quarantine in 2020 I discovered Fallen Hero (also via tumblr) and fell in love. It’s been over for me ever since.

My active project is The Lonely Shore, which was born from my love for horror and my experiences growing up in a small town. I also have a secondary IF project, Neverland, about vampires that I’ve recently been dipping my toes into.

What was the inspiration for this game, and why did you want to write a story in this genre?

I grew up in a small town in Minnesota, much like the fictional town of Easthaven in my IF. Growing up queer, trans, and neurodivergent led to me always feeling like an outsider; like I didn’t quite understand the world around me. Bundle that up with the inherent smothering feeling of being trapped that comes from small towns…well, the whole experience lends itself well to horror.

The Lonely Shore’s MC is also an outsider who can’t escape. A lot of the emotions I remember feeling are built into the story, even if Easthaven has way more monsters than I encountered.

Are there any themes or messages you hope players take away from your work?

The Lonely Shore includes what I would describe as mundane horror. Terrible things happen, people go missing, monsters are real–but for the people of Easthaven, that’s everyday life. Those aware of the horrors still wake up in the morning in spite of it. They have friends and families; they find strength in their community; and they always manage to find joy in spite of it all.

There is beauty to be found in surviving–and, more than that, in living. Even when it feels impossible.

What’s the one thing you’re really proud of that you’ve written so far? Do you have a favorite character or scene that you’ve written? 

I think my favorite scene I’ve written is the chapter 3 Doe scene–it has some fun branching differences, and a lot of writing I love.

I’m probably most proud of the chapter 4 bonfire scene due to the sheer branching involved. It was an absolute beast to write, but now that I’m on the other end I’m really happy with it.

And my favorite characters are probably the teens! I’m very excited now that they’re properly introduced–let the Scooby Doo shenanigans begin ;)

For folks who enjoyed your IF, what other book/music/movie should they check out with the same ‘vibe'?

Lord Huron is like…THE soundtrack to The Lonely Shore for me. Sooo much of their music fits perfectly.

Watch Midnight Mass if you want more of something terrible happening in an isolated small town; watch Haunting of Hill House if you want an excellent story about grief and siblings.

Play Scarlet Hollow for some genuinely awesome small town horror. And also because it is absolutely excellent.

What’re you excited to tackle/implement/work on next?

I’ll be working on Neverland off and on alongside Lonely Shore, and right now I’m very excited to be digging into it. It’s a pretty big vibe shift–messy toxic vampires rather than slow, creeping horror–but the writing I’ve done so far is a lot of fun! 

It’s already been pretty refreshing to be able to switch between two very different projects; so I’m excited to continue!

[segamascott]

[fadingprotagonists]

I have my Caddaric coma fic, my gablane fic but why not add a third fic into the mix of my WIPs! What should I write for Farin post-book 2???

A sequel to 'pink' about Erin's guilt and fears over not helping/saving Farah

A tooth-rotting fluff fic with their first "proper" date

Pull the trigger Charlie. Write farin smut

Voting ended onJun 1

[fadingprotagonists]

Looks like the winner of the poll is a sequel to pink! I already have some thoughts in mind so once 'the death of caddaric cindersong' is done I will start working on it!

[letmebegaytodd]

Overheard in the office hallway between two older businessmen:

“Don’t you dare pull my shirt up, I have a meeting.”

[letmebegaytodd]

You know what happy pride to those two guys

[letmebegaytodd]