Within Scarlet Chambers

devblog for scarlet chambers interacts from @silksloth

[bookofsloth]

WITHIN SCARLET CHAMBERS...

Secrets are kept, conspiracies are murmured. Noble courtiers and concubines wear many faces and hide their true intention beneath ritual and splendor. The Night Court is deep and bloody. It is a place of opulence and venom where vipers take refuge beneath lilac trees and priceless silks conceal hidden perils. You are safe as long as you stay far away, but that security is no longer an option.

This morning, Night Court officials arrive at your door and you and your family fall to your kneels to hear the decree. Next to you, someone trembles and from the back, you can hear a pair of girls whispering to each other. The air is heavy and burbling and then it is full of their pronouncement:

"Imperial Mother laments! Besides the emperor, there are not enough youths and talents. Open the doors of the Crystal Palace for the worthy!"

Apparently, that includes you.

WITHIN SCARLET CHAMBERS is a dark fantasy interactive story set in a deadly and decadent Fae Court in which conspiracies and betrayals are par for the course. This is a story focused primarily on the development of characters and relationships within the confines of court intrigue.

Select your character's origins, personality, appearance, skills, and more.

BEGIN WITH THE HISTORY of a false prophetess, an oppressed heiress, or a defamed courtesan. Move through the world as a ray of light, as still waters, as a raging disaster, or as a cloudy sky. Bear the visage of the dragon and power, of heaven and melancholy, of the siren and warmth, of the prince and effulgence, or of the princess and innocence. Specialize in rites, duels, music, calligraphy, or games.

CHOOSE YOUR PATH. Would you like to gain the Imperator's favor and ascend to the highest points of his harem, perhaps even replacing the current Imperatrix? Or would you rather curry favor with those already at his side, hoping to gain benefits and find a promising marriage or even career? Speaking of career, you may be able enough to enter Court by your own talents and efforts, becoming an official, jostling for one of the coveted positions of Magistrate. Or, perhaps even higher?

RAISE YOUR FAME. Tend to your reputation. Use your disposition and persona to hide your true intentions or take the steeper path; use your perpetual honesty to win over supporters and increase integrity. There is always the risk (of sabotage, of discovery) but risks must be taken if you hope to make great achievements. Even gathering infamy may yield promising results.

BUILD STRONG BONDS. Spread your network. Choose between 6-8 love interests (up to 4 male and 4 female.) Up to three polyamorous options; so far, one is definite because it makes so much sense for the characters and setting.

NOTE: Character is tentatively genderlocked as female, to make it easier on me since I went a little wild with the customization and because the idea was initially more gendered. Depending on how things go as far as worldbuilding and reader interest, that might change in the future.

IMPERATOR CASSIANUS I, High King of the Night Court and the current leader of the Nox Imperium. While he pretends to be above power struggles, watching distant from his place at the summit, he is the most aware of "the bigger they are the harder they fall" and the most well informed of how much he has to lose. He is the conqueror who has killed thousands for his throne and he is ready to slaughter more if it grants him godhood.

HERA IPHIGENIA CLARA, the Noble Consort whose name is most honorable. She is the alleged cherished daughter of a revered Night Court family and the longtime favorite of CASSIANUS. She rules the inner chambers and fae high society with a velvet glove and steel talons. In her dreams, the husband is long gone and instead there is an imperial heir, dancing in the soft palm of her hands.

MAGISTER AIDONEUS REX, the ruthless fan-bearer by His Majesty's right hand. The most upright vizier who has been bestowed the royal relic, the Lamella Fan, as a sign of the High King's esteem and appreciation of all the cruelty that Aidoneus has dirtied his hands with in order to further the imperial agenda. Distant and gloomy, he is difficult to read and even more so to know. Whether or not he is truly as steadfast and loyal as he makes himself out to be is yet to be seen.

TANIS, the ambitious palace attendant who’s more than what she appears to be. Returned from the mortal realm, Tanis is a gleamy eyed changeling with strange ways and unorthodox means. Having spent too long with humans, the mundane stink follows her wherever she goes, which causes most members of the Court find her presence awkward and her company undesired. Tanis, however, continues to press forward because her methods, while eccentric, always bear fruit.

PARTHENIA SIBYL, the midnight oracle. May have history with the false prophetess as an unrequited enemy who never really caught onto the fact that she was in an intense rivalry.

MAGNUS HAEMON LAEGATUS, the war hero. May have history with the oppressed heiress wherein he broke off their engagement, causing severe damage to her already delicate reputation.

SOPHOS ELARA TRIBUNI, the candescent courtier. There are those who were born to come in the second wave and climb over fallen comrades in their way to certain victory. Elara has long had the luck to always strike when the iron is hot and grasp hold of her enemies at the crucial moment. May have history with the defamed courtesan as an opportunist who pressed her own advantage at the courtesan's expense.

LETO PROMUS, the cunning eunuch and respected steward of one of the more favored princes. He knows, intimately, what it feels like to stand at the very bottom, to feel the boot heels of so-called superiors on his neck, to lie awake trembling and too terrified to sleep. Never again. He has been to the valley and become the most frightening thing, willing to use any means to protect himself and what he treasures.

The following characters aren't currently romance options. That might change in the future but for now these relationships are mostly concerned with the values of affinity and enmity. They are possible friends, enemies, and allies. Currently, there are two planned platonic partnership options exclusively for any romance averse folks in the crowd and hopefully I'll be able to include more. And while we're here...

FUN FACT ! In the world of WSC, fae only have one public name to give to close acquaintances and casual companions. Their other names are hidden (even from you, dear reader—for now!) and known only to intimates. So the "first name" is typically the title, unless a character has only two names then it's a toss up. Third names are generally honorifics and positions. So, for example, "Hera" is Iphigenia's title and "Clara" is her honorific, used to emphasize her high position. Promus is Leto's title and so on. The only exception is Imperators and Imperatrixes (including the dowager).

ALETHEA TENEBRA one of your fellow candidates and the rare presence that immediately captured CASSIANUS's admiration. She is someone who hides herself deeply and goes with the flow. Skeptical of romance and cold towards amorous intentions, Alethea values kinship, sorority, and her own comfort above all else.

OLYSSEUS ERES the heir apparent to one of the more reputable noble houses at Court. He may have history with the courtesan.

DAREIA SANCTUS the profane priestess who is shamelessly willing and eager to accept bribes in exchange for boosting pious reputations and perhaps even the odd accusation of heresy and defilement. As it takes one to know one, she may in fact have some small amount of credibility. She often clashes with PARTHENIA SIBYL and may have a history with the false prophetess.

GAIA MAEJA PRONUS the former Imperatrix and current imperial mother to IMPERATOR CASSIANUS. She is restless in her role, believing that she is made light of by her nominal son because she is not his birth mother. Instead, she feels much closer to his main wife IMPERATRIX NYX REGINA who is her niece and the cause of much of her current worries. Maeja is suspicious of Nyx's recent illness. She's begun to investigate it where she can and take precautions against the Imperator.

HERA USIRIS CERES the single other titled Hera in the harem. While she may not have Iphigenia's charm and precision, she has her own ways. Deft with deception and unafraid to use her family name to strong arm her adversaries, Usiris has proven herself a contender, even going so far as to relentlessly maneuver her son towards the position of crown prince.

DOMINUS URIAS TRIBUNUS the bitter yet competent underling of HAEMON and the younger brother of USIRIS. He is a constant and important chess piece on her board.

AND MORE ! It's just that I realized that this is getting excessively long!! Ahh!!! Maybe I'll cut some stuff out or something.

There will be adult themes. My aim is to try to make any possible sexual content optional, but given the nature of the game, things may become emotionally intense. Triggering topics such as death, betrayal, and trauma will likely be explored.

In the near future, I'm hoping to post in depth character profiles, a post dedicated to how character customization will work, and of course a demo of the prologue. It's proving a bit lengthy since I'm very new to twine (it took me so long just to set stuff up!!) and also because the prologue follows you from three different starting points, but at least there's a bottleneck in sight!

BLOG | DEMO TBA | CHARACTERS | PINTEREST

[scarlets-if]

Hi, informal update to let anyone who still cares that I'm working on Within Scarlet Chambers and it's genderlocked female again. Sorry to anyone who's disappointed.

[vincentvan-ohno]

IF game recommendations

A constantly updating lists of if games Im following! If any authors want me to remove their game let me know and I will… if you have recommendations let me know!!!

Keep reading

[interact-if]

That is correct, we’re opening mod applications once again to prepare for 2022!

The blog has grown so much since it first launched and our mod team with it, that being said, we are looking to increase our mod team in preparation for the new year!

This blog proves to be lots of work in order to keep an active queue, keeping track of all the updates and events, answering rec lists, hosting events… and so on. On top of that, as mods all of the team is currently extremely busy with real-life ordeals and haven’t been able to give as much attention to the blog as we’d love to.

So, for that reason: Are you interested in creating a more united interactive fiction community, giving a voice to all authors and their various works, and helping us sort out all of our asks and recommendations we try to provide?

As the mod team itself consists of individuals who are adults, we are looking for adult moderators, anyone 18+ who is interested in joining the team! 

Due to the nature of the events we are hosting across the year, we’d love a mod team that represents at least one of the events each and assist us during this period. At the moment, we have nearly every event covered across our current team and would love for input from Black and Latino moderators!  We are still accepting applications from everyone but are specifically looking for representation from Black and Latino communities.

There’s no set deadline as of right now, but once we consider we’ve gotten enough applications and we’ve decided who we want to incorporate into our team, we will announce it right here!

We’re looking forward to hearing about everyone!

If you are interested, sign up here! 

Under the cut we have included a list of things you may do as a member of the mod team, the responsibility spread across all of us as we support one another and keep the blog going! 

Continuar lendo

[scarlets-if]

Hi!!! How would the RO’s react to the Courtesan wanting to dance with them?

Hi!! That depends on the context, I think. Let's say it's a big celebration where the RO has only met your Courtesan once or twice. That way, the Courtesan reputation will be more of a factor in how they treat your bean.

For AIDONEUS, it begins with a long stare, either harsh or stunned, and then ends with his answer. It's most likely that the answer will be a simple "no" but who knows? Tempt him.

CASSIANUS might ignore THE COURTESAN or he might laugh and whisk them off. It depends on if he likes the way they look, if they'd made a grand entrance or if they'd met each other earlier and your courtesan made a positive impression on him. Or on his own mood. Sometimes he's just too lazy to do anything besides glance at you once and then not again.

ELARA would react with some incredulity, depending on the vibe of the request. The more vitriolic it is, the more likely she is to accept and take her verbal licks from THE COURTESAN. Otherwise, she might feel too skeptical, going over each word that THE COURTESAN has said, looking for loopholes. Even if she agrees, she'll be so clumsy and distracted, raking her mind for the magic words that will make her past wrongs seem a little more right.

HAEMON says he's flattered. At another time, then it's likely, but nowadays, he's keeping more to himself. Instead, just let him stand from the sidelines and admire something beautiful.

IPHIGENIA says it's better that THE COURTESAN dances on their own so that she can watch and learn how it's done. If THE COURTESAN speaks cleverly enough, praises or dazzles her with fine words, then her eyebrows might rise. Her eyes brighten. Now it's too difficult to refuse...but she still probably will haha.

LETO assumes that this request means that THE COURTESAN is trying to curry favor with the prince he serves. To LETO, the fallen child of a dead traitor sounds more like an anchor than an ally. "Okay," he says, planning to scare them off.

PARTHENIA doesn't have much experience with dancing but she's intrigued. If her impression of THE COURTESAN isn't too good then she might react with a blank expression and a few airy words before leaving. If the impression's not so bad, then she'll hesitantly accept. "I have to trouble you then," she'll say as she's sure she can't keep up with an expert.

TANIS loves to dance but she warns that it wouldn't do THE COURTESAN any favors to be seen dancing with a drudge. If they insist, however, or she realizes that it might be even more embarrassing to be seen being rejected by said drudge, then she'll bashfully accept and beg THE COURTESAN to teacher her a good dance move.

[scarlets-if]

scarletchambers-if → scarlets-if

[scarlets-if]

Prologue

Now that I have more time to write, the prologue's word count is at over 15k. It's small compared to a lot of IFs but I'm still proud, especially since I haven't had much time to work on it since November. In a week or so, it's my goal to have enough done that I can let my twin play it and let me know what he thinks. Oh and also I feel pretty good about the UI! I might post some screenshots this week once I fill out both sidebars.

So far in the prologue, each route spends some time with their family who will hopefully remain relevant even as THE CANDIDATE ventures to the City Beneath. THE COURTESAN's entry into the City Beneath is pretty different from THE HEIR and THE PROPHET's. While THE HEIR and THE PROPHET both maybe have an optional side quest, THE COURTESAN gets to meet one of the romance options earlier on.

The City Beneath is the working title for where most of the IF will take place. It has runner ups like the Forgotten City, the Unseen City, and the Void Citadel. I chose it because today I found little notes on an abandoned WIP called The City Beneath full of ideas like "lunar warrior maidens" and "void prophets" and a "celestial inner court" which I might incorporate in Within Scarlet Chambers as long as it fits. The vibes are getting more astral and dreamy which makes sense given my tastes and duh Night Court lol.

Character Customization

For now, I'm planning to make gender customizable for a reason that's maybe too specific and will lead to a ramble if I explain it. There will be a female, nonbinary, and male option and probably pronouns will be selected separately. I'll see how this goes.

I'm growing used to second person so I'll just use that when giving more narrative-y answers to asks. There's currently more content planned for female Candidates but that's just because I planned for them longer. I imagine things will even out as time goes on. No matter what, there should be enough story to go around.

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not but there are 5 skill stats that are currently called rites, music, duels, ink, and game. I should probably explain what each means haha but I won't yet. These 5 skills are cumulative and raise over time but I'm considering including traits or feats which will be true/false (either you know them or you don't) types that can be picked up along the way. I'll see if it works. On top of these, there are 3 stats related to THE CANDIDATE's general reputation: renowned, dreaded, and adored.

Appearance ended up a bit expanded. It includes 7 eye color, 4 skin color, 4 hair color, 3 hair type, 4 or 5 (including bald) hair lengths, and 7 body type options. There are 5 overall aesthetics which will decide facial features like eye shape and general visual vibes. The aesthetics are one of the factors which decide the characters' starting impression of the MC.

Relationships

Instead of having more or less uniform starting points, the major characters will have approvals based on the reputation of the route you've chosen for your character and the impression given off by your character's aesthetic and maybe their disposition.

I'm torn between having three separate approval stats: one to measure antagonism and dissonance, another to measure friendship and rapport, and another to measure romance and desire. And having it be like, just a stat for rapport and a stat for romance and then give consistent options for "bickering married couple banter" and so on. They both have pros and cons so I'm not sure yet.

There's another feature that I was going to mention here but I don't want to say too much and think this has gone on long enough haha. I'm really excited about how this is going so far.

[idrellegames]

Hello! Sorry to bother you but could you please teach us how to make achievements? Like, achievements notifications, an achievement list page containing all of them and a way for the game remember them if the player starts a new game. I have already looked tutorials on the internet but I am so slow, everything seems so complicated to me 😭

Hey anon!

You're asking for a number of different things, so I'll break this down into different parts. This answer is for SugarCube only.

Notifications

The easiest way to notify the player of changes to the game (skill checks, romance/approval changes, autosave, etc) is to use Chapel's Notification macro.

You can find the documentation here. Copy the JavaScript into your Story JavaScript and the CSS into your Story Stylesheet. You need both for it to work. If you want to change how the notifications look, edit the CSS.

On passages where the player unlocks an achievement, you can do something like this:

<<notify>>Achievement: Achievement Name<</notify>>

And it will trigger when the passage loads.

Achievement Page

If you want to add a separate page to store the player's achievements, you can either put it in a popup or create a unique passage. Make sure you add a link to it in your StoryMenu so the player can access it. The StoryMenu passage populates the default sidebar, so any links added there will show up in the sidebar.

As a Dialog/Popup Box

Create a separate passage titled Achievements.

In the StoryMenu passage, add a link:

<<link 'Achievements'>>

<<run Dialog.setup("Achievements");

Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Achievements").processText());

Dialog.open();>><</link>>

(Though you can use Chapel's Dialog API macro to clean up the code, I personally find it easier to edit large popups if I throw the popup's text in a separate passage and then call the passage.)

As a Unique Passage

Create a separate passage titled Achievements. In order to return the player to their previous passage, you'll need some extra code:

In your Story Javascript, add this:

// menu return //

predisplay["Menu Return"] = function (taskName) {

if (! tags().contains("noreturn")) {

State.variables.return = passage();

}

};

In case tumblr messes with the code, it looks like this:

And then in the Achievements passage, tag it as "noreturn". It has to have this tag, otherwise the return button won't work.

Then, at the bottom of the passage (or wherever you want to have your Return to Game link), add:

<<back [[Return to Game|$return]]>>

It should look something like this:

If you're working in the Twine editor it will generate a passage called $return. Delete this passage or the game will not redirect the player back to their original spot.

Then, to add the Achievements page to the sidebar, add this to the StoryMenu:

[[Achievements]]

or

<<link 'Achievements'>><</link>>

Storing Achievements Across Saves

SugarCube has two main ways of storing data: states and metadata. Very simply, states are created in a single playthrough and are typically updated using $variables. State history is stored in the player's save data and is not transferable across saves.

Metadata, on the other hand, persists across browser restarts and saves. It is stored and updated using the memorize(), recall() and forget() functions.

I'll be honest, I'm only just starting to understand metadata myself. It's one of the reasons I'm holding off on using achievements in my own game. I also think that achievements are best left to the very end of development so you know exactly how to lay them out and what to include. If you're in early development, I would maybe refocus on other areas.

There's definitely a more efficient way to make this work, but that's a bit beyond me right now. Here's a stripped back way of doing it for a single achievement:

In your StoryInit Passage:

<<set $achievement_01 to recall('achievement_01')>>

On the passage where the achievement triggers:

<<run memorize ('achievement_01', true)>>

<<set $achievement_01 to true>>

(I added the <<set>> here because otherwise the achievement only showed when I restarted the game.)

On the Achievements page:

<<if $achievement_01 is true>>

Achievement Name / Description

<<else>> Text the player sees when the achievement hasn't been unlocked

<</if>>

You'll have to figure out some kind of styling as well (putting it in a table, columns, lists, etc).

There's a few problems with this method, namely that you'll have to set each achievement individually. If you're planning on having dozens of achievements, I would spend some time experimenting with the memorize() and recall() functions and try out the examples. You may also want to ask the folks on the Twine subreddit, as they can probably explain this better than me.

[hellojoygames]

Exiled from Court Update: 17/12/2021

Did you miss me? :-)

This update includes:

Meeting your dear grandma;

Spending some time with everyone's favorite broody boy, Val;

Spending even more time with everyone's favorite strong lady, Camila;

Meeting the third RO;

And more!

I hope you enjoy! There's a new design, and I personally think it looks much prettier than before.

Demo! | Ko-fi | Discord | Twitter | Instagram

[midsumner]

“if there is a light then i am going to swallow it. if there is a god then i’m going to make him cry.”

— s. osborn, from “blasphemies at the 5th street station,” published in The Rising Phoenix Review (via lifeinpoetry)

[jazbaaati]

“You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her. And she’s not deadly. She’s beautiful and she’s laughing.”

— Helene Cixous, The Laugh of the Medusa. 

[thesecondprophecy]

The Second Prophecy | IF

THE STORY

A story where you are the Chosen One’s substitute and a mere spectator in the big scheme of things. However, the flight of a butterfly can provoke tides at the other side of the Earth and if you play your cards right you might even get out alive.

It starts as a normal college morning for you, suddenly you have dream about a dead woman, your barista seems to know more than he lets on and a Coachella cultist lookalike kidnaps you. Somewhere in between you travel to Shanghai. A normal college morning, am I right?

The Second Prophecy is a compilation of stories inside a bigger one. Yours is not the only one that matters. But it might be the one to cause the Apocalypse.

Navigate through a world where superheroes are real, travel to an alien world and dismantle or join it’s autarchy, help the fallen princess of an Arthurian kingdom reclaim her throne and maybe fall in love in the process.

KEY FEATURES

Choose your gender (male, female or nonbinary)

Choose your physical appearance and personality

Choose between three major roles in the story (Hero, Villain, or Victim) that will impact your gameplay and character development.

Play a story where you matter, not because you are special, but because you are a normal, and everyone matters.

Travel to various worlds and assemble a team out of a bunch of colorful characters.

See the impact you have in the world around you and how this might lead to different endings.

THE LOVE INTERESTS

The Seer (M/F/NB)

The Seer is one of the most respected agents of the Temple, in fact they are the next High Priest/ess in line. They are in charge of some Prophecies and has always done their job well, but what happens when a Prophecy dies? A Second Prophecy replaces them as stated by the book. The problem? This has never happened before and Seer is to blame for forsaking Time itself.

The Hand (Genderfluid)

Hand’s job is making sure the Second Prophecy doesn’t veer too much of track, in case they need to fulfill their destiny, giving their charge is a Second Prophecy this is not very likely. At first she was angry at being assigned such a lowly job but then they discoved Earth, it has beaches, maybe this isn’t so bad. And then they met their charge, and yeah, Earth suddenly didn’t sound bad at all. He is a shapeshifter, who you know as Paolo, your Italian barista.

Sera Nuala Hyrcanus, the Burning One (F)

A princess from an Arthurian kingdom fallen from grace. Also a rebel Prophecy who lost everything and was killed by her own parents. Good thing she can come back to life (sometimes). She now leads the resistance, the Burning Blade, against the Temple, striving to give every Prophecy the free will that was stolen from her.

Hemal Naveen (NB)

Hemal is your average college student. They are very caring, the mom friend everyone wants and needs. They are also smart enough fo win a scholarship. They love science and are the Prophecy’s best friend. Very optimistic and always up for anything. Oh, they also have superpowers and can control the atmosphere, but really don’t focus on that. It’s just one of their many quirks, nothing special, they have just never told anyone about it.

Oskar Lindberg (M)

Young heir to the Lindberg Empire, only son of mom and dad, Oskar is a normal spoiled rich kid. Emphasis on spoiled. The tabloids have a field day with him and daddy isn’t happy about it. He isn’t either. Everyone, including his parents think there is something wrong with him. He thinks so too. So what if he hears voices? That can be solved with alcohol, not like the doctors and the exorcist from that one time ever did much for him.

DEMO

TBA

[vincentvan-ohno]

More of my mc for @scarletchambers-if

I’ve tentatively named her Ianthe. Here she is in different fits (dancing, sleeping, and formal)

The lore of this game is everything and I’m obsessed with any type of Harem romance

She’s trying to bone Cass and Iphigenia… but also give them emotional support and stability cause it seems like they really need it. Ianthe is genuinely very kind and caring but do not mistake that for stupid or naive.

[scarlets-if]

… but also give them emotional support and stability cause it seems like they really need it.

It seems like that because they really do haha glad you caught that.

[hellojoygames]

exiled from court update this friday :-)

[stumblinhome]

“Do not cry wolf; become it.”

— (via thistletongue)

[interact-if]

December is People With Disabilities Month here on interact-if! 

This month is all about celebrating authors with disabilities. We want to highlight the experiences and hard work done by these authors in creating for the IF community.

Here are our month’s featured authors, please check out their works and join us in supporting them.

Alex, author of Forgotten Names 

You’re one of the five Northern Gates Council members. Your territory is strange to say the least, with eerie, sentient woods and something beyond your border that no one speaks of. You’ve assumed the position as one of the rulers recently, so you’re still trying to figure it out.

That would be hard enough by itself, but one night you receive word from the Silent Throne that you’re being summoned to the court, because something happened. So you must depart immediately.

An uncanny forest, magic, a lost legacy, royal problems and conflict between regions. Welcome to Eblur Kingdom. And be careful not to forget your name

Read more about Forgotten Names [here]

Forgotten Names Demo | Author’s Ko-fi 

Tags: Fantasy

Adrian, author of The Twilight Order & The Mystic Pawn

You are a Seer: a respected member of the Twilight Order. Seers are bound to a Nightmare, making them the only mortals capable of Void magic and, thus, the only ones capable of neutralizing the Nightmare threat. Seers are honored for their sacrifice, as their power, while necessary, is a death sentence. Most die violent deaths from the corruption or simply go insane in only a few short years.

Not you, though. You are special. You didn’t choose the position, train vigorously for years, or undergo the binding ritual that would forcibly meld a Nightmare to your psyche. Your Nightmare has always been there, seemingly because they want to be.

You were brought to the Order as a child when your abilities became known. After many years of study, tests, and training, you have made a name for yourself as one of the most potent Seers in history.

Now the Order is sending you to investigate Void activity reports out of Alli vi Piugio, capital of the merchant kingdom of Chepria. While there, it has become quickly apparent there is more going on than meets the eye.

Figures that being ’special’ would mean you have to literally save the world.

Read more about The Twilight Order [here] & The Mystic Pawn [here]

Demo TBA | Discord | Art Blog

Tags: Psychological Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, 18+

Carr, author of Wolfwater & What Comes After: Never Fall

You play as a shapeshifter who has been thrown into this world in your early 20s after you learn that your parents didn’t tell you the whole truth about yourself… Work with a team of inhuman and human allies and your older sibling to save the town, or turn against them and help another shapeshifter tear down life as you know it. Game includes a fully customizable player, 12 romance options, 3 possible hookups, and a lot of crying.

Read more about Wolfwater [here] & What Comes After: Never Fall [here]

Wolfwater Demo | Discord | Author’s Ko-fi | Patreon

Tags: Psychological Thriller, Horror, 18+ 

Casper, author of Heart Fragment

Can you collect all of the fragments, solve the mysteries, and find your way to a happy ending?

In this mysterious otome game, play as a protagonist (name customizable but “Xani” by default) struggling to cope with the hand life has dealt you. Your mother’s death was a tragedy that left you cynical and numb to the world. Now, though, greater challenges are piling up fast - and it all begins when you find out you are not entirely human.

The disappearance of a friend. A sudden attack that leaves you wounded. Mysterious characters entering and leaving your life. Growing bonds. Coming to terms with what exactly “humanity” is…

Please. Find a happy ending. Don’t let tragedy be the only option.

Read more about Heart Fragment [here]

Demo & Full Game |

Tags: Otome, Mystery 

Elena, author of Apocalyptic Dream

Apocalyptic Dream is a dual-MC, horror-themed otome game that takes place during a zombie outbreak in the 21st century. Follow Mikuru and Toshiro Aikyo, twins who had the misfortune of knowing what was coming.

Navigate friendships, relationships, and learn who to trust…all while trying to survive.

Can you make it through alive?

Read more about Apocalyptic Dream [here]

Author’s Carrd | Author’s Ko-fi | Preorder | 

Tags: Apocalypse, 18+, Otome

Elliot, author of Greenwarden & The King’s Physician

Immerse yourself in the world of Greenwarden as a reluctant monster hunter, assigned to a mysterious case of a missing child deep in the Appalachians. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, you must play a cat and mouse game with something beyond your understanding. Just try not to lose yourself in the process.

Read more about Greenwarden [here], The King’s Physician [here] & Untitled Werewolf Game [here]

Greenwarden Demo | Author’s Ko-fi | Discord | 

Tags: Horror, Mystery, Romance

Hollis, author of The Starless Throne

You play as an inquisitor, a member of the de facto law enforcement in Blasse, the largest city on the continent. You transferred into this division of the guild 2 months ago, and funnily enough, you also joined the guild 2 months ago, when you took an inquisitor out behind a tavern in the dark, murdered him, and took his job and identity. You know, for work.

Truth is, you’re a private contractor of sorts, and the job you’re on now has brought you to this wing of the guild. Everything is going great, until on what’s supposed to be the last day of the job, things take a turn for the worse. An old partner in crime has popped back up out of nowhere, and things are getting complicated (more than they already are that is) fast.

Read more about The Starless Throne [here]

Demo TBA

Tags: High Fantasy, Subterfuge

Jess, author of Fields of Asphodel and co-author of Diaspora 

Fields of Asphodel is a game in which the player takes on the role of the Greek pantheon’s deity of spring, on the eve of their (decidedly political) marriage to Hades, Lord of the Dead. After the constantly-simmering feud between Zeus and Demeter results in the rather unfortunate circumstance of a marriage neither party really consents to, the PC is whisked away to the Underworld, an unfamiliar realm that is all but the antithesis of fair Olympus.

There, they have the chance to make what they will of the lot they have drawn. The residents of the Underworld are an unusual, and unusually-accepting bunch, and there are friends or possible romantic connections to be made as well as a rather odd supporting cast to get to know, from the ever-bickering Moirae sisters to Hades’s young adopted daughter Makaria to Kerberos, the gigantic, fire-breathing, three-headed dog.

But for all its charms—if indeed the PC should find any—the Underworld is not without its problems, and when a mysterious wasting disease afflicts Lethe, the river goddess of oblivion, the entire balance of life and death may be in jeopardy. It will take the PC, as well as the rest of the cast, to not only cure the affliction, but solve the mystery of what’s causing it, and deal with the ever-spiraling fallout of the dead beginning to remember.

Of course, I shouldn’t be misleading—the game is mostly about the relationships between its characters, and found family.

Read more about Fields of Asphodel [here] and Diaspora [here]

Fields of Asphodel Demo | Diaspora Demo | Discord | Author’s Ko-fi | Patreon | Kraken Studios Ko-fi | Kraken Studios Patreon | 

Tags: Romance, Mythology

Tori, co-author of Witches of Ferngrove

The game focuses on you, the eldest of a family of witches from the small, idyllic town of Ferngrove where nothing ever happens. Your family are witches in a town of humans, and as a result you grew up sheltered and unaware of the magical world, besides the little your parents deemed safe enough for you to know. Other than weak charms and potions of luck, you don’t really know anything about the supernatural world. You left Ferngrove when you graduated from high school and never looked back, becoming a successful journalist at the Echo Gazette in a big city like you always dreamed. Depending on your choices, you have Skyped with your family and they might have taken trips out to see you in the city, but you have not stepped foot back in your hometown.

That is, until you get a call that changes your life forever. Your mother is dead. Aleia Craft. The woman you thought invincible. You must travel home for the funeral and contend with a darker conspiracy. As you begin to unravel the mystery of your mother’s death and the secrets she left behind, you begin to realise she is a woman you didn’t know at all. Soon, you see that there are things at play here bigger than you could have ever imagined. Dark forces conspire against you. It will be up to you whether you can withstand the storm brewing on the horizon. Make allies and enemies, fall in love, hone your magic, and discover your legacy. Be careful who you trust, even those closest to you are not what they seem.

Read more about Witches of Ferngrove [here]

Demo TBA | Author’s Ko-fi

Tags: Urban Dark Fantasy, Romance, 18+

[wakeful-watcher]

"What you mistook for madness, Cassandra, is power."