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SANGUISUGA ART TAG
SANGUISUGA is an 18+ Vampiric Science Fiction-Paranormal-Apocalyptic-Horror IF that blends biopunk and the occult. It is a dying world of endless cruelty and madness, the rusty cogs that continue its cycle choking on the bloated flesh of those once innocent -- fall into this machine-made hell, and try not to drown in the blood you must drink. Heed the content warnings located near the bottom of this post.
Monsters exist -- both literal and figurative. Often overlapping. This is the least of the worlds problems, but it is your biggest.
Set in a distant future long ravaged by capital greed and unmanaged technological advancement, the paranormal feels out of place, but it has been your reality for as long as you can remember -- then again, you don't remember much, do you?
Narrowly escaping the ritualistic purpose of your existence and the coven your sire drained you into as a child, you are now on the run for your (un)life through a world that wants nothing more than to kill you and allow your corpse to sink into the biomechanical carcass that makes up this reality -- and that's before they realize you're a blood-sucking abomination of nightmares past. What's worse, your sire succeeded in leaving you one last gift before you managed your mad dash to freedom. There is something growing inside of you, a wriggling mass that you don't even pretend to understand, because the one thing you do know is far more important; if it hatches from the egg that is your body, you will die. Again.
In the beginning, you're simply running without a direction -- let alone a plan -- but being in the right place at the right time lands you a helping hand to point you towards what will be your goal; a madman, a genius, a technological marvel, a gratuitous mass of wire and vein. A lifeline. He holds the potential to remove the occultist monstrosity growing in your guts, and you're more than willing to pay whatever price that will find you once you find him. You're joined by a small entourage of outcasts and miscreants, all with their own desires for the man at the end of this road. None of you trust the other, and for good reason, they especially mistrust you.
You're on the clock. Whether you'll get got by the coven-mates your sire sends to retrieve you, the numerous lunatics that wander and reign this techno-concrete-hellscape, or by the thing seeping between the layers of your skin is yet to be seen.
Yours is not a story of revenge, nor triumph, nor justice. It is of the one defining trait that you are still in possession of. The one tendon that ties you to the rotting remains of your humanity; the primal instinct to survive.
Play as the host -- a 59Y/O vampire who lives in the eternal body of a young adult, playable as a man, woman, or a non-binary individual. In the end, identity holds no value.
Escape your sire and his coven, both of which have been your home prison since you were killed and turned as a young child. Outrun the retrievers he sends your way, along with the memories of the things he did to you. Don't worry, I've left you a physical reminder.
Explore an unapologetically disgusting world where it is hard to find where the organic begins and the technology takes over. Perhaps there is some beauty that can be found in the macabre. You are what it eats.
Meet your three companions, each distinct in a world where standing out only serves to paint a brighter target on your back. Befriend them, romance them, drain them for all they are worth.
You were one of the “lucky” few to have been sired from an elder vampire, and your abilities reflect that. Decide how they will manifest themselves, along with how you feel about it. There is no hiding what you are.
Find the man… thing… that supposedly has the ability to save you from certain death. Get this thing out, before it comes out by itself.
You're in this to survive, but that doesn't mean you have to be a monster in anything more than just name. Determine your outlook on this rotting place and its not-quite-decaying inhabitants, and decide how much of you still remains. Soon enough, you'll realize how little there is to save.
You hold something great. Something terrible. Something that will consume the world and birth it anew; but the first birth must come from skin, and sinew, and muscle, and bone. Unimaginable greatness awaits you, puer. How long do you believe you can avoid the inevitable?
The only thing that ties you together is a mutual desire to remain more than a heap of flesh and the man(?) you're working with one another to find. They know what you are -- most of what you are -- and are varying levels of willing to be a source of sustenance in exchange for the protection your inhumane abilities grant. Whether you view them as an invaluable source of companionship or blood bags you simply cannot afford to lose is entirely up to you.
-> SEBASTION Unrelenting, unwavering, with a chip on his shoulder and a compass in his hand... in his hand. He promises not to dig a stake into the empty cavity of your chest for the sole reason that you saved his life. He's watching you carefully -- he notices when you watch him back. -> FAUST You technically have met shortly before your official introduction, but the circumstances were poor and the result even poorer. She's used to the violence of this wasteland, however, and is willing to just treat you as another of its many threats. And yet, she has a habit of lingering. -> TAINT Sadistic, uncontrollable, and passionately savage, the priest almost jumps at the opportunity you present -- you can't tell if he's absolutely insane, or if this is just what the world has come to. He is carnage incarnate, and he revels in it. His grin promises that it hurts; do you want it to?
Do not forget the seed inside, lutum. They cannot know what it is they water.
Things get gross -- this is not a story for the faint of heart nor stomach. Its narrative relies heavily on unavoidable themes that are horrific in nature in both its background and foreground, and includes acts that you as the main character can commit during you and your companions long road to salvation. Specific warnings include but are not at all limited to; EXTREMELY PREVALENT BODY HORROR, GRAPHIC DEPICITIONS OF VIOLENCE INCLUDING MUTILATION/DISMEMBERMENT/ABUSE, INHUMANE EXPERIMENTATION AND GROSS SCIENTIFIC/MEDICAL MISCONDUCT, RELIGIOUS AND RITUALISTIC MUTILATION/SACRIFICE/TORTURE, GROOMING FOR THE PURPOSE OF INDOCTRINATION, BASTARDIZATION OF CATHOLICISM AND OCCULT PRACTICES, EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT INCLUDING THE IMPROPER PRACTICE OF UNSAFE SEX/SADOMASOCHISM/UNLABELED KINK, TRAUMA REGARDING SEVERAL TYPES OF ABUSE, PREGNANT-ADJACENT THEMES THROUGH THE LENSE OF UNCONSENSUAL ELDRITCH INCUBATION, and VAMPIRES. Please keep in mind that several of the warnings regarding violence are committed by and against children and animals.
NOTABLE GAME MECHANICS
There are certain mechanical choices that I feel necessary to address before I begin publicly producing this story.
-> SANGUISUGA is a semi-linear IF with a heavy focus on story, lore, and characterization. There are some branching paths, but there is far more of an emphasis on your experience with the story as it progresses with you. This ruined world will go on, even if you do not.
-> All three companions are gender-locked. I understand the discontent that may come from this decision -- especially with there being two men and only one woman -- but I ultimately settled on this decision less for the sake of easier coding (though that certainly played a part) and more because I wanted them to feel like fully actualized people living in this world, rather than potentially just being seen as possible love interests for the player character. There are certain parts of their backstories, personalities, and responses to story beats that play varying levels of relevancy to their gender. All three are playersexual and hold equal levels of importance to the story at large.
-> On the topic of companions, there are relationship stats, but you're still able to romance a companion who dislikes you and/or your choices. Think of the Dragon Age 2 rivalmance mechanic. The companions all hold their own opinions, morals, and outlooks towards the decay around them, and are able to agree and disagree with the decisions you will be making throughout the course of this story -- however, romance is a different mechanic entirely, and is instead reliant on things like choosing romantic dialogue options. Still keep in mind that a romance with a companion who likes you is very different from a romance with one who dislikes you, as well as that there are certain key decisions that can completely lock you from romancing certain ones.
