The Emperor is ill; the people of the capital whisper with varying degrees of concern or delight; he has completely fallen into the clutches of madness, as the most insidious tongues allege, the truth is, to their ignorance, considerably more urgent.
The Emperor, Airlar the Unifier, responsible for the greatest modifications to the constitution and State in the entire history of Ehyla, a living testimony to the existence of a civilization buried by the sands of time as well as oblivion, is irremediably, undeniably dying.
And so your life undergoes an absolute change overnight by nothing less than imperial decree. As the only one of your siblings of the right age, you are not only heading to a nest of conspiring vipers that you should never have dealt with, but every second, implicitly and explicitly, you are being judged and evaluated for a purpose that escapes your knowledge. Truth be told, at least it's not all bad; you have your very competent and loyal assistant at your side, and with your sister relatively close by, your experience shouldn't be so terrible...
Unless...
CW: This is a dark romance, and what this entails—things like possessiveness, stalking, manipulation, jealousy, and dependency will be seen in varying degrees in all routes. Sexism, transphobia, and homophobia will be briefly mentioned, as well as religious trauma, abuse of power, graphic violence, and optional explicit sexual scenes.
This list is subject to change as the game progresses.
HITC is only for an audience of +18.
Demo: Prologue: 11k last updated on 2/21/25
Since HITC is a wip all blog content is subject to possible changes in the future.
•Customize your Crown; personality, appearance, gender, pronouns, independent of the chosen gender, magic type, and where the foreign half of your bloodline comes from.
•Build friendships, romances and/or enmities with 5 diverse characters, all of selectable gender (with ace options).
•Find out why you are in demand in the capital and why you should study at the "Saint Elizsea Academy for Illustrious Young People" side by side with the cream of the crop of Ehylian society.
•Have a familiar! With options, so far, to choose from a wolf, a ferret, a raven, a snake, a crocodile, a deer and several types of dogs and cats.
Choose wisely! They all possess consciousness and at least a degree of magical attributes and some are...sassy.
•Shape the narrative with your decisions, every choice matters.
•The Crown: You! As the fourth child of a marriage between a former general promoted to king for his illustrious strategies against the rebellion against the fae and a foreign scholar, your outlook is, to say the least, peculiar. Not only are you the product of a marriage of love, with the confidence of genuinely and willingly counting on the support of your brothers and older sister again, but also, well known for their almost barbaric customs, your parents have the audacity to allow you to decide what to do with your own life, from coveting and collecting knowledge to learning the art of war or venturing into any of the five arts, you have a place nothing less than privileged, so far from being the firstborn and with an older brother more than capable and willing to take charge of the kingdom, your future is, to say the least, very promising, until an edict of the dying, and extremely capricious emperor demands that every young people of marriageable age who is not taking charge of the administration of their jurisdiction at the time, must go to be evaluated at The Academy in the heart of the capital, with your first brother discarded, your older sister engaged, your second brother in the borderlands doing pilgrim work and your younger siblings too young to attend that leaves you alone as an option.
☾ THE ONE WHO LEFT:
Asterion/Astrya Dellamort.
TROPES:
Friends (with the possibility of a friendly rivalry...or not) to "rivals" to lovers/Attachment issues/ The ice king/queen's weak point/Misunderstandings/ Forced proximity.
The one who takes care of you (RO): Kaihlan/Kaithos Agrapolli. Strictly speaking, Kai is your bodyguard, but over the years they has taken on far more than their fair share of responsibilities, and no matter how much you and your parents have asked them not to overexert themselves, the satisfied gleam in their amber eyes whenever they do something to make your life easier, along with their unbeatable stubbornness, means that you can count on Kai as your shadow more often than not.
As the eldest of your father's right-hand twins, Kai has been two things to you: a constant and a teacher. With their undeniable combat skills and their minds as quick as their feet, it is not only an honor to have them defend you, but also teach you.
Kai is loyal to you to the core; in order to ensure your happiness and safety, they is capable of acts that go against morality and even the laws of man and god.
Kai is probably the tallest person you've ever met, so tall that when you were younger and cheeky you asked them if they weren't part giant, they laughed but otherwise didn't answer the question. With sun-kissed skin glowing a shade reminiscent of honey almost as much as their eyes Kai is not only tall, they're broad and rough, with large scarred hands that extend all the way to they forearms you'd expect they to behave like a bull in a china shop, and they do in a way, but when you're around them, they seem incapable of anything but the most dedicated and delicate care. Both M!Kai and F!Kai have hair brushing their shoulders in a fluffy reddish-brown mess, with the back of their necks longer than the front and scattered freckles from spending so much time in the sun.
Tropes: Puppy love/They look like they could kill you and potentially will if you're not MC, but they're actually a cinnamon roll, long-term crush, himbo/bimbo, surface only, gentle giant, wolf in sheep's clothing.
The one who admires you (RO):???. You're not sure how, but you've somehow managed to get a hold of a stalker.
What you know so far is little and downright mediocre, they either have enough power or influence to bribe someone into getting their letters to you within the castle grounds, or more unlikely, they're stealthy enough to slip past Kai's ever-watchful eye, so all things considered, there's most likely magic involved, which brings you back to the first point, or they're rich enough to hire or own a wizard themselves or they're powerful enough to conjure their presence into your chambers without raising suspicion.
Tropes: Loved you from the moment they saw you/secret admirer/strangers to ???/would burn the world down for you.
The one who does not show up (semi RO): Secret route! You'll know when you meet them...maybe.
Tropes: Love-hate/they despise loving you/they want to live in your heart... literally/the love that was never meant to be/they are doomed. to love you? to exist without you? not even they know.
The one you impressed (RO): Elysse/Eylarion Kurayoi.
If there is one word to define Ely it is scandal, with their elastic golden curls bouncing with the sound of their thunderous laughter, they would not readily admit how much they love to impress, but the mischievous sparkle in their mahogany eyes says otherwise.
You know little to nothing about them other than the rumors that proclaim that they have no standards regarding who they share a bed with, but for some reason you intrigue them, if you were to ask them they would say little more than that they are curious that you are so different and little else.
They happens to be your roommate at the academy and as someone who for better or worse seems to be extremely transparent and understands how everyone who has an important name in the capital acts, it might be convenient to have them around, but be careful not to leave them too close to the warmth of your home because they might not want to leave.
Tropes: Master/Mistress of seduction until they flirt with someone they really like/ Bad reputation or justified prejudices?/ the capital's rebellious child/ The most beautiful at the ball/ The beauty and the beast
Feel free to ask me anything! And thanks for reading!
As if all the additional content I have to create for a very small and specific number of variables wasn't enough, now I've thought of implementing the possibility of having QPR with the RO's
Wait… Did Azzy ghost Crown because they developed an obsession of sorts over Crown ?
Uhhhh, I'd love to be able to give a more detailed answer but *spoilers* the short answer is that the whole Azzy ghosting thing is more complicated than that
I genuinely hope Azzy doesn't disappear again after we resolve the misunderstanding. I imagine my MC already having to deal with the fact that he disappeared before he could confess to him, so that when they resolve things, he wants to disappear again. He would definitely freak out. If he doubted it, he would send someone to stalk Azzy to keep an eye on him.
So he and Azzy would be fighting over who is the biggest stalker of each other lol
😭
Lol, your Crown really saw the messy attachment disaster that is Asterion and said "yep, that's my man".
On the other hand, no need to worry about them disappearing, quite the opposite, obviously there's less content from them if you decide not to romance/reconcile them but they're still there.
But that doesn't mean confession is easy either, lol, Azzy constantly struggles with being obsessed with Crown and being allergic to feelings, sooo good luck Azzymancers!
Tbh, all RO's are stalkers to some extent, I just like to bully my emotionally constipated child.
Wait, hold on, rewind. Azzy has been keeping tabs on Crown for the 5 (I think you said 5) years they haven’t spoken ???
How ? Like are they just hearing rumors about Crown in passing or do they have like a web of intelligence that periodically reports on Crowns movements ?
If it’s the latter, does Azzy mother know about it ?
I love it when you guys notice something I said deliberately
Well, actually neither, for the sake of mystery I'll just say that; first, Crown not knowing/being aware of Azzy (cough, cough, their presence) or what they've been doing doesn't mean it's mutual, and for balance because that sounds very stalkerish, Azzy has a lot of joint work with Dellahn because they're heirs and big bro can't help but talk about Crown here and there
Also, as a curious fact, actually such an web of information exists but Azzy doesn't really like to use it, despite being a great gossip, for reasons of force majeure they say, they don't really like rumors
Can’t wait for Azzy to run into Crown again just to see how much they’ve glowed up. 😈😎
What’s Crowns reputation across the continent both as a child (since they’re the first baby born looking the way they do) and as a young adult ?
What have the ROs heard about Crown especially what has Azzy heard about them since the years they’ve been apart ? (Besides K since they’re always around crown)
Sorry to disappoint, but it's not really a surprise to Azzy.
The birth of Crown, and how little disguised it was started a wave of babies and small children, and some older ones, not registered so far manifesting as mairuce, maybe it had to do directly with Crown, maybe it was the impunity with which they lived quietly what motivated other parents to stop hiding and their children, but the truth is that even without knowing their name or their baby face Crown is known as the prince/princess mairuce.
What reputation they have when they grow up depends on the choices you make! Crown can be a social butterfly, a withdrawn, a flirt, a passionate expert on a subject or subjects (I was about to say hyperfixations), a diplomatic nightmare or an expert in debates, however there are certain circles where no matter who Crown is personally they are treated a certain way because they are mixed race.
Not that I like to embarrass them (I do) but Azzy is almost aware of Crown as ??? for more justified and less stalking reasons, or so they say, so yeah.
SR is...uh, I don't think I can say anything without spoilers.
Ely is probably the most normal, maybe not just seeing their face, especially with the less sociable Crowns, they may not be able to pinpoint who Crown is but certainly hearing their first name/surname they can remember the most relevant rumors regarding them.
I LOVE it when characters react to the name you choose! It is so much more immersive, and it makes me feel like the creator(s) really care obviously put a lot of effort into it.
(Of course, the lot of us are all well aware you're putting loads of effort in, and we're all very appreciative of the chance to go on the journey of creation with you! Whatever you choose will be wonderful and the chance to see the thoughts behind your creative choices like this is so cool!!!!!!!)
Glad to hear it, I feel the same way! I love that the world reacts according to who Crown is or what they do, at this point reasonably you can't see it but if I get my way the game will feel like a "what if" of itself.
I also love sharing my creative process, I constantly have to tell myself that I need to shut up and not tell everything, plus I'm a semi tidy writer which means I already have the first letter ??? sends to Crown when it's about ten years into the game before ??? sends it, ha
Hi all, sorry for my lack of activity lately, real life can be a mess and it has consumed much of my time.
Not to bore you with the details let's get down to the nitty gritty, I've said before that names are very important in Aestheria, knowing that, would you like to see/do you think it's relevant that certain characters react to Crown having a traditionally male name if they identify as female or vice versa?
Describing fundamental laws of how things work in your universe while not quite knowing if it's going to make any sense to anything but your squirrel brain:
Disgust (not necessarily towards Crown) > Intrigue > Familiarity > Admiration > Affection > Love
Each stage may be a little longer or shorter depending on Crown's type but generally speaking this is how you can summarize Azzy's feelings until separation
I wish that my followers would send asks, and sometimes I get unreasonably worried that they aren't. I know comparison is the thief of joy, and all that, but still- when I see other blogs getting flooded with ones about their characters, their world, the story, my empty box seems a little discouraging. I also know that I'm a newer(relatively) IF, as well as a shorter one, but(and maybe I'm misjudging the amount of an audience that is engaged vs lurking) I feel like I have enough followers that at least a few should want to send stuff? It's just anxiety, but it makes me think sometimes that my characters/world aren't engaging enough, don't make people interested to learn about, etc etc.
Dear Yearning Friend,
I wish I could give you a hug, but unfortunately we are separated by space and the internet, and also my flippers are too short and stubby for such things.
You are entirely right that comparison is the thief of joy, and that comparing one's inside to another's outside is never going to be accurate, and all of that. But aphorisms don't always help us feel better.
I do not believe that it's for lack of interest in your writing. I often observe in myself and in others that people sometimes feel awkward about sending messages, or do not know what to say.
I wonder whether it might help to post something that gives a structure for people to send messages, or help people come up with ideas about what to send you? I am thinking of posts like those meme questions where askers are invited to ask particular things about characters. Or perhaps YOU could ask your followers something - it could be about your IF or about games or writing in general. That can be a nice jumping-off point.
But I entirely understand. It can be so very hard to see others being so busy with flurries of messages (or even saying "I have so many messages that I don't know what to do with them!") when one is thinking "I'd love to have that problem..."
So, again, virtual flipper-hugs to you, and I hope you feel better.
I will add: if you are a reader and enjoy something about someone's writing, please do send a message - no matter how small or silly it might seem, everyone loves to get that and it might very much make someone's day!
I just wanted to reblog to say that sending a message to your favorite author really does make a difference. I had a very similar experience to the original asker, when I first started this blog, I barely got any asks, and it used to make me really sad. (This is in know way intended to make you guys feel bad, I just wanted to offer my experience in case it helps someone.) For me, I just needed to be patient, and the more updates I released, the more asks I received. Now, I get asks a lot more frequently, and they still often are the highlight of my day, especially the ones that seem really silly.
So if you are intimidated by sending an ask to your favorite author, it really can be the highlight of their day, or week. (I know several authors that keep folders of compliments readers have sent in their ask box to make them feel better on bad days.) And if you're a writer in the same position as the anonymous asker here, know that you aren't alone even if it feels like it. ❤️
Very confused about the Twine hate. I personally only play the interactive fiction games when they're in Twine, because non-demo CoGs didn't allow for saves (or at least they didn't back when I played). Twine games are awesome!
Honestly I don't understand either, it's not even like the game won't keep updating in COG or anything, which makes it all the more puzzling to me.
Everyone has preferences and that's fine, some people don't like playing on COG some people don't like playing on Itch.io some people don't like certain themes or plots and there's nothing wrong with that.
Also, the worst part is that anon didn't even seem to hate twine but rather the implications? Idk
