But hey, at least you get a ghostly front-row seat to watch your estranged twin stumble back into town and immediately start unraveling everything you sacrificed your life to build.
The Lebanese restaurant you bled for? They want no part of it. Those carefully buried family secrets? About to surface at the worst possible moment. And in a family where everyone's wearing masks, yours might be the first to crack.
At first, all you can do is hover and fume. Death, it turns out, comes with a strict no-strangling-your-sibling policy.
But here's the thing about being twins: that special connection doesn't give a damn about death. The boundary between the two of you starts to feel… negotiable. Suddenly, you have hands again. A voice. A chance to fix things... or make them infinitely worse.
With each possession, the boundaries between you blur. Who's driving this body? Whose memories are these? And when the time comes to let go, will you be able to?
Death sure isn't going to be the end for you.
Play the Demo on [Itch.io] or [Neocities]
Play as an actual ghost. Start powerless, floating around your own memorial like the world's most committed wallflower. Gradually discover that death comes with some interesting… abilities. Who knew being incorporeal could be so hands-on?
Confront the truth that died with you: who you loved, or who you were. This is fundamentally a story about living—and dying—closeted. But your afterlife doesn't have to be that way. Your hidden identity transforms every possession, every family interaction, every chance at genuine connection.
Explore love after death with a best friend who can't quite let you go, an investor whose interest goes beyond business, or a fellow ghost who gets what you're going through. Death complicates everything—but love finds a way. It's… complicated.
Navigate the tight-knit Lebanese-American community that watched you grow up, where family reputation is everything, cultural traditions clash with American expectations, and everyone knows everyone's business.
Your choices reshape how people see you, remember you, and whether they'll fight for you when things get messy. Which they will. Frequently.
Save your family restaurant through community action, business partnership, or legal justice. Or give up on it entirely. Each approach transforms not just the building, but what your family becomes. Careful: some decisions can't be undone. You're a ghost. Not a time traveler.
◈ You - The Dead Twin
That's you. The dead one. The dutiful twin who stayed home to run the kitchen, perfected grandmother's recipes, and buried every authentic impulse under layers of family obligation. Congratulations—it only took dying to finally get your first real chance at honesty.
Choose your biological sex, your hidden gender identity/sexuality, your appearance, how you respond to and influence the world around you.
◈ Nour - The Living Twin
The one who left. Your mirror opposite who chose freedom over tradition. They're back for your funeral with all the enthusiasm of someone attending a botched root canal, and you can already see them mentally rehearsing excuses to leave early. Will you help them find their place in the family legacy, or give them the push they need to disappear for good?
Choose if you're fraternal (opposite-sex) or identical (same-sex) twins.
◈ Seydou/Safiatou - The Best Friend (Romance Option)
Your closest confidant who's been grieving you with suspicious intensity. There's something about the way they move through the kitchen now—like they're listening for your voice. Surely they can't actually perceive you… right?
Gender matches your biological sex.
◈ Adel/Adela - The Investor (Romance Option)
That smooth-talking customer who started showing up in your final months. Always orders the same dish, polite, tips well, and watches your family with calculating eyes. Now they're back with "investment opportunities" and know way too much about your family's situation. Their timing is awfully convenient.
Gender matches your biological sex.
◈ Finn/Fiona - The Ghost (Romance Option)
The only other dead person you've met, and they're about as welcoming as a health inspector. Bitter, dismissive, and makes it clear they're not running a supernatural support group. But they know things about this whole afterlife business that you desperately need to learn... if you can convince them to share.
Gender matches your biological sex.
◈ Georges - The Grandfather
The family patriarch who built this restaurant's reputation through decades of front-of-house charm and business savvy. Since you died, he's been deflecting questions about the future and avoiding the kitchen like it's sacred ground. He's always looked out for everyone else; who's looking out for him now that you're gone?
◈ Maroun - The Father
Your emotionally distant father who's always found customers easier to deal with than his own children. Your death seems to have shattered his composure, and now he's all hollow eyes and fraying at the edges. Which is just… weird.
◈ Yasmine - The Cousin
Your razor-sharp cousin who showed up with medical textbooks and her signature fierce loyalty. She's taking notes on everything like she's documenting symptoms for a case study. Her scientific mind could be exactly what you need to navigate this supernatural mess, assuming her skepticism doesn't become a problem first.
One Foot In is a browser-based interactive fiction game written with Ink by @remyvim.
This game is a work in progress and subject to change as development continues. Chapters will be released as they're completed.
Demo links: [Itch.io] or [Neocities]
Current progress: Chapter 1 (~14k words). Working on Chapter 2.
First release: 2025-07-21
This is my first interactive fiction story, which I'm writing on lunch breaks and weekends. Updates won't be rapid-fire, but they are coming, slowly but surely.
One Foot In is rated 18+ for explicit language, death/grief, closeted protagonist, internalized homophobia/transphobia, family trauma, supernatural possession/bodily autonomy themes, optional sexual content (some involving consensual possession dynamics), and more.
I'd love to do RO reacts eventually, but I'm going to hold off on them for now. I want to let the characters surprise me as I write them—already, they're not turning out exactly as I planned in my outline, and I'm curious where they'll lead me. They need that freedom, I think.
If I start answering reacts before they've even shown up in the story itself, I might accidentally box them into characteristics that don't feel right once they're actually on the page.
But please feel free to send them anyway! I'm really curious what kinds of scenarios you want to see, and I'll save them for later. Once all the ROs have been introduced in the story and I have a deeper understanding who they really are, I'll come back and answer some.
So, on the one hand, I'm really loving this story. I've played through Chapter 1 multiple times to see all the different dialogue options.
But there's something I'm lowkey really scared of. This story's gonna be bittersweet af isn't it? MC's regrets and trauma for not being able to live as themselves, worries about Nour and the restaurant, craving approval from their dad etc is probably what's keeping them on *this side* so to speak. And once the MC no longer has unfinished business for lack of a better term, they're probably gonna have to go over to the other side.
Which is gonna break Nour, S, and the rest's hearts all over again.
Yes, every ending will be bittersweet—some leaning more bitter, others much more sweet, but there's no version of this story where MC gets a 100% uncomplicated happy ending. That's just not the hand they've been dealt.
When the "unfinished business" is done, moving on won't be MC's only path forward. But none of the options are simple or entirely pain-free.
If MC does choose to move on, it won't be like the first time, though. Everyone—including MC—will have had time to come to terms with it, time for acceptance and peace.
I hope you'll find that the journey—and whatever ending you reach—feels satisfying despite the bittersweetness. 💜
I really like the story so far! And i especially like the character of MC! I feel like I have such a clear picture of them. They really feel like they're grounded in the world and in the family around them. I find myself thinking of the romance aspect of the game, and the potential angst! What does it mean to love someone (specifically S in my MC's case)? Is it shooting your shot and pursuing someone, damn the consequences? Or continuing to bury those feelings so that they can live a fulfilled life with someone who's not a literal ghost? I feel like MC (mine, at least) is the type of person to feel like they're taking away a part of someone's life by engaging in a relationship with them. As if they hold responsibility over another person's decisions and happiness. I think they felt this way in life even, when they contemplated their attraction to the same sex. Why rob another person from the chance at a "happy" life? I.e picket fence, wife, happy kids, no stigma or societal judgement surrounding them. Anyway, sorry for rambling in your ask box, I just love your writing, it's very inspiring! The story and characters and everything about it is just wonderful!
Yes! Thanks for seeing MC so clearly. MC's self-erasure and sense of being responsible for everyone else's comfort over their own is a core part of who they were in life. The afterlife gives them this unique chance to break those patterns, or not.
And that's also one of the central questions of the romances with the ROs who are still alive: S and A. Without spoiling too much, there will be some paths where MC might conclude that love means letting go, some where MC might learn to be a little more "selfish"—in healthy or less healthy ways.
Feel free to ramble in my askbox anytime, you made my week!
Life has just been doing that thing it does where it demands all your attention all at once. Between the full-time job and being a naturally slow writer, Chapter 2 is coming along but... slowly. Very slowly.
I should probably set expectations now: this blog won't be super active because I'd rather spend my limited writing time working on the story itself than talking about it. When I do post, it'll usually be either a chapter release or answering a batch of asks that have been marinating in my inbox for a while.
Speaking of which—I somehow failed at tumblr's queue function. I thought I'd scheduled a few asks to post over the past few weeks but... nope! They're still sitting there in drafts... I'll get those up soon!
Thank you for the concern though. I'm touched that you noticed the silence and took the time to reach out.
I feel that Space Song captures the melancholy felt in your article...
It's so beautiful. What if your perfect child is not so perfect? Do you dare to stomach the truth? What if you are so good, the only one who can see cracks in your goodness amplifies it so much that it turns out that's what you are known for in their heart? What if someone you never though would leave their routine, not only leaves their routine, but does so in such a way that you can never have them in yours?
Grief is not always all wrenching as fiction portrays, sometimes it's the constant ache in your bones that no amount of vitamin D can drive away. Especially for the parents who were unable to understand even though they watch over their children constantly, these parents who are too caught up in their own past to live in the present freely, thus, making their children pay greatly. People who are like vultures when scented flesh, you hate them, but you can't avoid them. Very well written.
This is such a poetic reflection—I love how you described these themes, especially the grief that settles into bones and the tragedy of being unseen by those watching closest.
Thank you for taking the time to share this 💜. (And thanks for the song rec too!)
Sorry if this is a silly question but will there be an option for MC to be nonbinary? Really enjoyed the demo, looking forward to the next update!!
Not a silly question at all! Yes, MC can be nonbinary 💜
This is fundamentally a story about self-discovery, self-acknowledgement and self-acceptance, so MC's understanding of their identity can evolve throughout the story. There will be multiple opportunities for them to define and redefine their identity as they grow—with or without labels.
Some MCs might have their identity figured out from the start, but others might need time to sort it all out.
I want to give MC room to explore the full gender identity spectrum rather than locking them into one early character creation choice.
Thanks for reading, the next chapter is coming, slowly but surely!
Honestly I loved the demo so much. The feeling of needing to do something, stop someone from talking or just grab someone was there. And the pain of being a ghost bled so freaking well.
I wonder if Nour gets a almost death experience to hear MC or something. Currently on "the edge of my seat." Can't wait to be the sukuna to this Yuji lol. (Not literally the possession will be consensual by the warnings I think??)
Loves the whole work and most of the fam. Skeptical about the dad tho. Damn, I fear Nour is right and the restaurant going to crumble for good.
Thank you so much! Had to look up the Jujutsu Kaisen reference—looks fun (and horrifying in the best way!)
Consent is a complicated thing when possession is involved. Since Nour isn't psychic, possession is literally the only way for the twins to communicate. And as you've probably noticed, Nour isn't the most cooperative person...
MC and Nour will have the chance to establish some ground rules around possession. Whether MC always honors those boundaries when Nour acts out, or when you're desperate, or when you think you know better… that depends on your choices.
I keep writing myself into darker corners than I expected on some paths, but maybe that's where the interesting stuff is!
I was tagged by the intriguing @without-origin-if, thanks!
Not sure who hasn't been tagged yet, but I'll go ahead and tag @concurrent-if, @debauchery-if and @drinkyourvillainjuice. No pressure at all though. And anyone reading this now—consider yourself tagged too!
Just a ~500 word spoiler-free moment in chapter 2. Still needs tweaking but for now I'm not too unhappy with it. So that's something!
---
{Friend} reaches over and turns on the radio. The bass hits immediately—something reggae-influenced with a steady rhythm that you can feel through the truck's worn seats. {friend_He} starts humming under {friend_his} breath, fingers drumming against the steering wheel.
{friend_His} shoulders drop from where they'd been tensed up around {friend_his} ears. Classic dinner rush recovery—the music works on {friend_him} like heat on tight muscle. For the first time tonight, {friend_he} looks like {friend_him}self again.
You idly reach out toward the passenger window, pressing one finger against the glass where condensation has fogged the surface. Your finger slides through easily, as expected, but there's an unexpected sensation of cool moisture against your skin. No mark left behind, but still, you felt… something ?
Curious now, you push your whole hand through the glass. There's that strange sensation of breaking through something thin and cool—not quite solid, but not quite nothing either. Your hand extends out into the night air rushing past the truck, and there's a faint phantom sensation of wind against your palm. Not real, exactly, but some echo of what wind should feel like.
Emboldened by these unexpected sensations, you stick your whole arm through the window, watching your almost-translucent limb cut through the air stream. Like your brain is filling in in details that your ghostly body can't actually experience. It's strange and fascinating and completely impossible.
As you pull your arm back inside, you find yourself wondering about you new state of existence. Or non-existence, or whatever. Here you are, a ghost, somehow sitting in a passenger seat like you weigh something. How does that even work anyway? Everything ignores your presence completely. Walls, doors, people... Your hands are about as useful as shadows. You're less tangible than even wind.
So what's keeping you anchored to this seat? What force is pulling your incorporeal body along at forty-three miles per hour through suburban streets?
It's such a weird thought—
The moment you really consider the physics of it, everything goes wrong.
You stop moving with the truck entirely. You watch in growing alarm as the cab slides forward around you, {Friend} and the dashboard and the radio and {Twin} in the back rush away from you, past you, through you and down the road while you remain suspended in mid-air above empty asphalt.
The pickup's taillights grow smaller and smaller and smaller.
You're now floating alone in the middle of the street.
Huh.
Headlights approach from behind. You instinctively try to step aside, but of course the minivan zooms straight through the night air... and you. Just another late-night commute, nothing supernatural happening here.
And then, just as suddenly, you're in {Friend}'s truck bed.
You blink and look down. {Twin} is still passed out against the tarps. You've materialized directly on top of {twin_him}—lucky for {twin_his} ribs that you have no mass. Up front, {Friend}keeps driving and tapping the wheel to the same beat.
Looks like the trick to being a functional ghost is not thinking too hard about how any of this works.
How the HELL is MC going to romance anyone (besides the ghost) since they’re dead 😭😭😭 ?
Haha! Asking the real questions here I see!
Short answer: supernatural shenanigans, awkward body-borrowing negotiations, and at least one person who can sense things others can't.
Will there be "wait, who exactly am I flirting with right now?" confusion? Depends on the RO. And before you assume the ghost romance is easier—nope! F's path is just as complicated. Being dead doesn't exempt anyone from relationship drama...
On the bright side, you're a ghost. You've got all the time in the world to wait for your RO to join you, if you're the romantic type. What's a few decades to you?
Comment or reblog to this post with any IF that got an update or release in the last couple of months. If you can say the name of the IF and what is new (what chapter, a new demo etc). Let's do some service for the IF community in these dire times and make another long post with the new releases
oh this demo. it feels so lived-in and i’m so fond of everyone in here (and so is my MC, although certainly not uncomplicatedly… though is it ever with family?) i also love how there are options to consider yourself almost *complicit* in your own unwellness? like, nour’s situation is a whole other can of worms, but irl i spend a lot of time considering how and why i choose not to disclose things to my family, or even myself really, and what that costs. (+ NOUR. the texts. i get it, i do, but you super nailed it with the “serves me right for having to tell someone :(“ variations. like AUGHHH why DID i say thattttt.)
Ahh, that "why did I say anything" spiral of regret can get pretty vicious, yeah.
I really want to give the MC different ways of processing what's happening to them. Some MCs might lean into self-recrimination and guilt even when it's not their fault, others direct it outward by taking it out on kitchen equipment or getting pissed at Nour. And then there's the avoidance and deflection route—making dark jokes about the whole situation rather than actually engaging with it.
That complicated dance of what we choose to share and what we keep hidden—especially with family—and how we can feel complicit in our own suffering... It's something I think about a lot too.
very nice nour, unfortunately i will leave a scathing review of your behavior in the bathroom mirror (big thumb down)
VERY GOOD DEMO (HUGE thumb up)
You hover in the bathroom at 3 AM, watching your towel-clad twin stumble out of the shower and toward the fogged mirror. Perfect canvas for your first attempt at poltergeisting.
It took you twenty agonizing minutes—every letter felt like folding soggy phyllo dough—but this is going to be so worth it! Your review is clear in the condensation:
"Your memorial speech: ★☆☆☆☆ Do not recommend."
Nour stares bleary-eyed at the message for a long moment, swaying slightly. When they don't react, you find the strength to squeak out a crude thumbs down.
For one beautiful moment, Nour's eyes widen. They lean closer and squint.
"Holy shit," they breathe.
Yes! Finally!
Nour stares for another moment, then rubs their face with both hands. "I am so wasted right now."
They wipe the mirror with the corner of their towel and shuffle out of the room without another glance.
You float there in complete disbelief. Your first successful contact and Nour just... shrugged it off?
Unbelievable.
---
Thanks for this ask—it was such a fun idea, I had to write it out!
Oh, the demo was so good! Made me cry a little bit at like three in the morning but so worth it, lol. The MC instantly pulled me in with their voice and how they kept trying to rationalize out their situation on my first playthrough (and finding some little characterization changes on my second go from picking different choices was so delightful~). MC’s family felt so alive throughout too, so excited to learn more about them and Nour especially! ^^ Just lovely writing all around, I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
Sorry for making you cry… (or am I? 😈)
I'm so happy you noticed those little characterization shifts! Right now, some of the MC's voice depends on whether the player's choices lean more angry, guilty, or avoidant about the whole situation. I'm still working out the best way to implement personality stats for the MC though, so that'll probably evolve, but I do want the narrative to reflect those choices throughout.
And yes, Nour! They're such a force of nature—I can't wait for you to see more of them and the rest of the family.
Thank you so much for sharing your 3am thoughts! 💜
Is best friend Senegalese? I saw their sister’s name is Aminata abd a lightbulb (maybe) clicked.
Wow you're so close! Seydou/Safiatou and Aminata are originally from Mali, but part of their family does live in Senegal. I'm so excited you picked that up from just the names!
