Just Shibe things

Hey, I'm Shibes, nice ta meet ya! :)

[shibe-myths]

Forgotten Tales: Lich Gate

Genre Tag(s): High Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Epic Tragedy in the making, Horror, Found Family, Myths & Legends, LGBTQ+

Rating: 18+

Warning(s): Violence, Body Horror, Crude Humor, Loss, Strong Language, Descriptive Gore, Implied Potion Abuse, sexually suggestive scenes, Romantic Scenes, Intrusive thoughts, Alcohol consumption, Mind Control, Demonic Horses, War.

Description:

The world, born from the Titaness Vita’s bloated corpse, is dying. The Cycle of Rebirth is coming to a close and bringing with it, the end of the world. To the East- an army led by the Lich Queen waits in the shadows of the Fell Mountains. In the Forests of Old, a new god will soon awaken- born of madness and despair. Who hopes to defeat an ancient foe once more arisen from the grips of death. And, to the West, where sand and mist reign…strange mirages of a history long lost are starting to reappear on the horizon. But how does this all affect you?

Well…

That's up to you to decide my Forgotten Friend.

1. A chance to choose your own appearance (be that: Species, flesh, hair, and build). Or you can go totally default!

2. Romance and/or befriend a multitude of Villains and Heroes! Even a walking-talking red flag!

3. Witness the End of the World- and maybe save it before it all goes to shit! Or don’t! I’m not your mom! Demo Link: Set for release in January!

+ Personality Stats

For the time being, the Forgotten One’s Personality has three CORE personality options that are based on their dialogue and internal monologue choices. Somewhat similar to Dragon Age 2. Your Personality will slowly start to stack over time with whichever core that you, the player favors. And by the end of the Demo, whichever of the three Core personalities that the player chooses the most will become set for the remainder of the game! The effects of the player character’s personality will usually be seen in the case of flavor text, specialized dialogue, internal dialogue, and character commentary.

Note: The player’s personality (both primary and secondary) will have nothing to do with how the player flirts or reacts to being flirted with by the various Romantic Interests.

Primary Personalities.

Charmed: This one can bluff, bargain, and bemuse their way through most social situations in life. But! Be careful not to come off as too cocky- else you’ll find yourself thrown.

Diplomatic: A person who is slow to offense and is quick to calm any situation when it comes to their words. Tactful, this one gains the ability to maneuver most situations with a calm head. But, don’t let others see you as too much of a pushover.

Fighter: You like to pull the first punch and shove yourself right into the thick of a fight, don’t you? Well, this is the core personality for you! Aggressive and more than willing to confront those around you. Just… be sure not to cause too much strife, yeah? Otherwise, you might find yourself all alone.

Dialogue for each of the Core Personalities will appear as follows: [Charmed] "Hello Sers, let’s put down the flaming swords now and use those poor- unused minds of yours, no?" A trick of the tongue and a beaming smile has them eating out of the palm of your hand.

[Diplomatic] "Let's just take a moment to calm down, yes?" hands raised, sweet, unassuming. Easy pickings if not for the overwhelming sense of magic. It's a miracle that the bandit takes a chance to listen.

[Fighter] You throw a punch, striking the poor fellow right in the gut. No questions asked.

Secondary Personalities.

While the main three personality options will take precedent, the MC's Personality can also be further affected by the following secondary personality traits:

Helpful: A person who would sooner help than hinder. Sympathetic, let us hope that no one puts the entire world on your shoulders.

Sarcastic: This one takes the piss out of everything and everyone. Jokes and smiles follow quick at hand. However, remember, there is always a time or place for everything. Even assholery.

Tearful: Some of us just want to play the crybaby. Overly empathetic and stressed. This one lets it ALL out. Just hope that you gain SOME backbone when the time comes.

Blunt: Straight to the point. They don’t have the time to mince words on bullshit like small talk. They’ve got places to be thank you very much.

Aloof: Emotions are not the easiest to come by for this one. Whether from trauma or disinterest they keep their heart well off their sleeve. 

Dark: Morbid, ill thinker, it does not matter. This one has embraced the shadows from whence they came. Fatalist. But unfortunately, not everyone’s cup of tea.

Example: [Charmed][Dark] "Oh, how lovely. One guess what that stain might be..."

[Diplomatic][Tearful] You can already feel the tears on the edge of your vision, blurring the world as the mage pauses to take it all in. ‘Ser, please…’

[Fighter][Helpful] ‘The victims of this atrocity will be avenged. You have my sword.’

“You mean your word?"

 ‘No.’ Note: As mentioned before, the Forgotten One’s Personality will eventually set once the demo has been complete. However, there will be chances to change... for better or worse.

+ Romance

Within the demo for Lich Gate the MC has a chance to meet all Seven of the possible romance options. The Following is a quick array of character sheets for the possible Main Romances. Spoilers ahead.

❅The Lady in armor❅

Name: Lamis Bashar 

Alias: Lady B (By associates), The ALMOST Sultana (By Laz), Lami (intimate relations.) 

Gender: Female (not customizable) 

Pronouns: She/Her 

Age Range: Mid to late thirties 

Species: Human 

Class: General (close combat) 

Weapon: A crook’d spear.

Personality: Noble | Austere | Passionate | Stubborn

Romance Option: Yes. However, Lamis is only romanceable towards those who are male or male presenting. 

Romance Style: Hot and Cold

Appearance: Tall, almost impossibly so, lady B stands just shy of 7ft/213.36cm. With a swimmer’s build and a lancer’s training it is no surprise that the lady hides a muscular physique beneath her many layers of roughspun silk and armor. Drenched in fine jewels. She possesses calf-length caramel hair kept in a tight braid, dull yellow eyes, olive skin, and dramatic kohl lining her eyes and that of her lips.

Description: Wandering the kingdoms of Edalehan and Ibereli with her merry band of misfits, the lady spends much of her days foregoing her royal duties for the call of adventure. Believing that she may do more good for the people out there in the thick of it over that of a throne room. It is yet unknown whether or not she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

But, good luck telling her that.

The first romance option (technically the second) that the Player will meet during their journey. Lady B, born Lamis Bashar, is the great-granddaughter of the prior Sultana and an unknown consort - now the leader of a mercenary band. She finds the player lost upon the roads to ruin and takes pity, bringing them into her guild without so much as a second thought. She spends much of Lich Gate’s beginning aiding the MC in regaining their lost memories.

Notes:

Both Lady B and Bernie are distant cousins, hence the similar eye colors

Lady B owns a Pogona Lizard named Princess. Princess lives within her sleeve and will sometimes rest atop her shoulders; judging those around her.

☼The Noble knight☼

Name: Ser Bernadette Emili Regis Narcissus Ingle of Noble House Bulgari 

Alias: Bernie, B.B. (by Laz), Berns (Laz), Princeling (Laz)

Gender: Nonbinary, born AMAB. 

Pronoun: They/Them 

Age range: Mid-Twenties 

Species: ‘Human’ 

Class: Cavalier

Weapon: Sword and Shield.

Personality: Honest | Kind | Romantic | Naive

Romance Option: Yes. Bernie is Romanceable to a player of any gender. However, they prefer good-nature MCs. 

Romance Style: Flustered and drowning in courtly romance.

Appearance: Shoulder length dreads beaded with jewels, heavy brows, fine, lightly calloused umber skin, a broad nose, pale gold eyes, and a lithe build. Somewhat akin to that of a fencer. Standing at 5’8”/172.72cm, they make up for their rather average appearance with that of heavy armor that is more ceremonial rather than practical. And beneath their eyes is a thick line of kohl.

Description: The eldest twin of the noble house Bulgari, Bernadette is next in line to inherit the throne of the Bridge Isles. It’s just too bad that Bernie does not desire to take the crown until they’ve accomplished an impossible feat worthy of House Bulgari. No matter how much their family has claimed otherwise, Bernadette has set themself with the task of saving the day- just like their ancestors had before the rise of magic. Even if it kills them.

Bernie has spent the past year wandering the continent in search of a cause worthy enough for them to champion. With minimal success. It isn’t until they meet the mysterious stranger that they might have found a cause worthy enough for the title of Sovereign.

Notes:

Bernadette is a twin, both they and Josephine (their sibling) have equal right to the throne due to the circumstances of their birth. However, thanks to Josie’s insanely poor health, Bernie is expected to take over once they return from their little ‘adventure’.

Both Lady B and Bernie are distant cousins thanks to their great grandmothers both being married and having issue (children) with the same person: The Ghost of Bulgari.

⚘The Serpent⚘

Name: Lazarus (male), Lazaria (female) Attor 

Alias: Snake (Lady B), Laz (commonly), Drunk wyrm (Amyntas)

Gender: Customizable (Male or Female) 

Pronoun: He/They (male), She/They (female) 

Age range: Early Thirties 

Species: Naga 

Class: Rogue 

Weapon: Talons and poison

Personality: Drunkard | Sarcastic | Observant | Nosy

Romance Option: Yes. Laz is Romanceable to a player of any gender. They can also stay as a friend with benefits if the Player so chooses. 

Romance Style: Hot and Heavy (Friends with Benefits), Devoted and Willing (Romance)

Appearance: Damn near twenty feet in length, Laz is the very example of their serpentine lineage. With bright green eyes, scales varying from the deepest of bronze to the brightest of emerald, three taloned fingers, fangs, and ochre flesh. They are almost a menace in comparison to the rest of the companions. A warrior’s physique despite their preference for cloak and dagger. The Serpent is distressingly quick despite their size.

Fem!Laz tends to wear a tightly wrapped emerald breast band and matching headscarf. While her male counterpart only wears an emerald cloak.

Description: A child of the sands, not much is known about Laz's past. If asked they will come up with an outlandish story on the spot. Never the same tale. They will never tell the truth- no matter how much booze they've been plied with. Besides, who wants to think of the past when the present is already here?

A spymaster for the Sultanate, Laz spends much of the day drunk. Plying the lonely with affection in exchange for the juiciest of gossip. It isn't until Lady B and her mysterious stranger walk into their tavern, that Laz is forced to give up their life of luxury for something more...

Daring...

Notes:

Laz’ work leaves them knowing far too much about their compatriots. Whether or not they’ll use this to their advantage is a given.

Laz has two separate romance routes.

ღThe Rangerღ

Name: Amyntas. Hunter of the Corvi 

Alias: Amyn (Intimate), Amy pronounced Ah-me (Laz), Bird boy (Laz and ???) 

Gender: Male (Not Customizable)

Pronoun: He/Him 

Age range: Late thirties-early forties

Species: Aveles 

Class: Ranger 

Weapon: Bow and Arrow

Personality: Stoic | Romantic | Stubborn | Inexperienced

Romance Option: Yes. Amyntas is only Romanceable towards a female or femme representing nonbinary player. 

Romance Style: Nervous Affection born from inexperience

Appearance: Squarely standing at 5’5”/165.1cm, the Aveles hunter is quite plain for a member of his species. With jet black hair feathers, silvery white skin, and a scrawny frame. He isn’t much of a threat at first glance. However, don’t let him fool you, Amyntas is a prolific hunter for his clan and WILL use that knowledge against you. A real David versus goliath type. He dresses in heavy woolen cloaks, lengthy scarves, and mix match leather armor of various origins. Much of which barely seems to fit the young harpy. Interestingly, Amyntas has made a habit of enchanting

Whatever he has lying around really. And all of which he enchants as he goes to keep himself whole while he stalks the Fell mountains.

Description: Born amongst the follies of war between that of the various tribes of the Aveles and that of the Fallen children of the mountains, Amyntas was raised in a precarious environment where any moment might be your last. Constantly forced on the verge of life and death, the hunter has taken it upon himself to do the unimaginable- abandon his clan in favor of ending the life of the Lich Queen and her generals.

Whether or not he'll survive is entirely up to you. Notes:

Amyntas technically knows ‘about’ the player character’s possible past before they lost their memories. However, they do not know just WHO the Player is once they meet.

Amyntas is easy to ‘flirt’ with, however they are hard to romance within a first playthrough as they tend to defer towards other possible romance options..

◍The Plagued Warrior◍

Name: The Bishop 

Alias: Bishie-boy (Laz), War Boy! (Laz), Bore (Laz), Bish (Laz and others)

Gender: Male, (technically The Bishop should be classified as Genderfluid since he can change his appearance at will. However, he prefers presenting as Male.)

Pronouns: He/Him 

Age Range: Unknown, appears to be somewhere within his late twenties 

Species: Godling 

Class: Berserker 

Weapon: A magically soul-bound ax twice his size.

Personality: Polite | Intelligent | Blood thirsty | Sneaky

Romance Option: Yes. The Bishop only has a sexual or romantic interest in Men or Male presenting individuals. 

Romance Style: Transactional (In the beginning), Doting (Near the end).

Appearance: The Godling of War is one who is the very definition of a short king, standing just shy of 5'/152cms. He is probably the shortest Romance option to be had in the game. Save for a one night stand that the MC can take part in. A powerful man built like a tank, The Bishop possesses pale skin, waist length auburn hair, eight eyes, four arms, and two sets of horns. Honestly, he makes for quite the silhouette, especially with his habit of dressing in the finest of cheaply put together bandit leather armor beneath a priest's robe.

Description: Left to walk the earth after his untimely death thanks to the rise of magic. The Bishop has made it his mission to take over the role of the god who fell so that he could rise. Such is the life of a young godling. But, unfortunately for the Spider blooded man, he was not the only such being born for his role. With seven other contenders for his throne, the bishop is forced to hunt and consume his kin, one-by-one so that he may achieve godhood. It has been a long and arduous road laid ahead of him, yet he must go on. And maybe, with just a little push from the MC he might reach his goal.

Notes:

The Bishop does not remember his original name before he became a godling, only that he was once a war-monk who served under the divine hand of the Flaming Sword.

Bishop does not enjoy flirting, finding it to be beneath him, however he WILL flirt with the MC if it means getting what he wants. (AND THEN FALLS IN LOVE LIKE A FOOOL)

♬The Muse of Saltus♬ 

Name: Indigo Montoya 

Alias: Indie (Laz), The Siren of Saltus (professionally)

Gender: Genderfluid (Normally female presenting) 

Pronouns: Fluid (She tends to present as She/Her. But will accept being called by any pronoun.) 

Age Range: Early twenties 

Species: Mermaid 

Class: Bard 

Weapon: A dagger, her voice, and a golden rapier

Personality: Adoring | Vivacious | Passionate | Flirty

Romance Option: Yes. Indigo is only available towards those who are female or female presenting. 

Romance Style: Lighthearted and Fun 

Appearance: The siren of the sea is the very example of her species. With vibrant purple-grey skin, deep black eyes, elegant tail ripped in two, a curvy frame, and an even more striking head of kelp braided indigo-dyed hair. The lass will always try her best to stand out. Being just over 8'/243cm in her true form (much of which is situated in her tail.) Indigo usually starts to underwhelm people when it comes to her land-dweller form, 5'3"/160cm. Montoya tends to wear the same thing: a pair of gloves to hide her talons and a loose white tunic. Only the gods will know if the wild child ever wears underwear.

Description: Sirens tend to have a harsh life, one destined for ridicule and shame. Yet, the Siren of Saltus has made it her mission to take over the world stage and to gain the begrudging respect of ALL who meet her. Whether or not she'll succeed is entirely up in the air at this point.

Notes:

Indigo does flirt with any MC (no matter their presentation) however she is only interested in romancing women (or female presenting individuals).

Oftentimes Indigo will play songs during time spent in camp. She can be asked to teach the MC how to play one of three instruments. That being: Tambura, Flute, or the Oud.

❥The Dream Lover❥ 

Name: Perierat 

Alias: Peri (Laz), ancient one (epithet), Rat (Laz). 

Gender: Agender

Pronouns: Ne/Nem 

Age Range: Unknown, presents as early thirties. 

Species: Titan 

Class: Sorcerer. 

Weapon: A dagger and magestone

Personality: Possessive | Pliant | Passionate | Patient

Romance Option: Yes. Peri is a very... protective romance option. To the point that I STRONGLY suggest NOT romancing anyone else when romancing Peri. Or at least, do so at your own risk. (If you plan on romancing another option I strongly suggest Laz or Bishop as Peri brings out a different side of the two.) 

Romance Style: Terrifying and bloody (when romancing another as well as them.), Devoted worshiper (when only romancing them)

Appearance: The titan born is fairly nondescript, forgettable almost. Standing at nearly 5'9/175cms, with chest length gingery-blonde hair, white eyes, dark tawny skin, and large molten antlers atop their head. With a penchant towards flowy, murder-husbandy robes. It's difficult to describe Perierat without revealing too much.

Description: Spoilers. Sorry.

Notes:

Peri is behind a great deal of the events that make up the story of Lich Gate. Giving any more details may spoil some rather LARGE parts of the story. Sorry, sorry, sorry!!!

Obsessed with the MC, Peri owns a giant Huntsman spider named after them. Their 'baby' tends to make webs within their antlers Which Peri finds to be QUITE stylish.

Soooo…. Good luck! And if you've made it all the way to here... Well, may the gods be ever in your favor!

[como-chin-gas]

[porcelain-rob0t]

the european mind cannot comprehend the 48 oz dunkin bucket

[derryderrydown]

Excuse me while I look something up...

1.4 litres????

[politenotice]

[interestingmistakes]

[jack-of-blades]

I’m going to be real with you guys I’m still mad that Veilguard made the unofficial official black divine a Batman type character and not a horrid tyrant that allows blood magic and slavery within his country - since you know that’s what he’s been established as in the last three games hold I what am I even doing here no one cares

[nocturnal-stims]

Flexible feather armor

🪽 Miscreations_us on IG

[jack-of-blades]

Lucanis if he knew how to serve cunt

[smokeydabear420422]

[anathemafiction]

Just discovered COG only takes 75%, and it seems criminal you get a cut that poor for such incredible writing. Absolutely adore the world and characters you've created (my romanus feels like my child atp), so I was just wondering if you've published anywhere else with a better rate? Would love to buy it again to support you :)

Hi, anon, thank you so much. This is very sweet. I can't publish the Rose in an interactive format anywhere else because Hosted Games owns the rights to the game. Before publishing, I used to have a different perspective on the 75% cut, but having gone through it...

Let's just say it doesn't surprise me that more and more authors are going the self-publishing route. Especially with how COG is treating their Hosted Games authors, but that's a different issue.

As for support, buying my game is more than enough 💛 If you want to go the extra mile, I'd really appreciate a review. It helps a lot. Anything else, I have a Patreon — which is paused for now, so I don't recommend joining — but I don't have anything else published. Maybe one day, that'll change.

[shibe-myths]

hi max. :)

[catchymemes]

[barbwritesstuff]

Not to sound like An Old, but I miss when fanfic was just a space to be creative with other fans. AI generated fics, the fanfic-to-publish pipeline, fic for money... I find it just a wee bit sad.

[chikurevo]

灯しましょう

[theabyssal]

It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it? I managed to catch a breather at work and poured that time straight into writing so I could wrap this up as I promised. 🖤👻

With that said, let’s take a look at what’s new in this update:

💀 The second part of chapter three is here. It has nearly 25k words of brand-new content.

💀 First glimpse of the Prince/ss of Solaris (poor Nick, I apologize).

💀 Dear Éoin takes care of Death, or at least tries to.

💀 New choices focused on Death's new dominion and A LOT of variations.

💀 Fixed typos and tweaked a few scenes for better flow.

Update Schedule:

Public release: February 16

Patreon Mortal tier early access: February 12

Patreon Immortal tier early access: February 08

Patreon Demigod tier early access: February 04

Patreon Divine tier early access: January 31

Patreon Creator tier early access: January 27 (Tomorrow)

As always, thank you for your support! 🖤

PATREON

[shibe-myths]

My computer lost six years worth of work

rip.

Its not in my recycling bin. there is no way to recover it. I've been crying since eight pm

[meatsound]

rednote is the only good social media because its the only one that consistently shows me lambs from xinjiang in little hats

[meatsound]

more.

[shibe-myths]

Relationship between Lichling and the Apprentice

Preferred relationship state

Parent/Child (Apprentice can be the Lichling's biological child or not)

Mentor/Mentee (Think Ben/Luke from star wars)

Lone Wolf/Cub (Joel and Ellie from the last of Us)

Voting ended onMay 25, 2025

[shibe-myths]

Picking a Map Purely based on vibes alone where would you like the story to be set

Map One

Map Two

RAINA WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?? (working)

Voting ended onMay 25, 2025

Map one (The original)

Map two

[writingwithcolor]

Describing Black Hair in Fantasy (Locs, Braided Styles, etc)

Image: Describing Black Hair in Fantasy, Braided Styles

How do you describe afro hairstyles in a world where the words don’t exist? 

My advice for describing afro hairstyles effectively in fantasy is to:

Describe the style

Use words from the term in the description

Have someone read it; do they know what you’re describing?

Describe the style.

What does this hairstyle look like, exactly? What is a braid? What are locs? How do you braid, or how do you form this particular type of braid? 

Look up existing descriptions of the term, and use language from the definition. Combine, reword and trim as necessary. There’s no need to be wordy. A well-constructed sentence or two should serve its purpose.

Great sources are everything from hair glossaries (especially those found on Black hair websites) natural hair vlogs, and even the thesaurus.

Here are some word associations to play with:

General Textures & Looks

Tight

Loose

Thick

Thin

Dense

Light

Heavy

Springy

Silky

Sheen

Porous 

Afro Texture and Curls

Afro / Fro

Cloudy

Coils

Corkscrews

Crimped

Curly

Natural 

Poufy

Ringlets

Spirals

Texturized

Wavy 

Braids

Crossed

Folded

Interlaced

Layered

Looped

Plaits/Plaited

Rolled

Woven

These words can help be more specific with the look of their hair/hairstyle. Tight, tiny braids. Cloudy puffs of hair in twin pigtails.

Use words from the term itself in the description.  

Readers should get an “aha” moment when you do this. Twisted hair probably mean twists. Bantu knots resemble knots. 

Cornrows: 

Cornrows get their name from rows of corn with connections to African chattel slavery. Say you have a character with this style, but those historical connotations don’t exist in this world , or corn isn’t something your character would know about. There are still ways to make the connection.

Example: “She wore her hair in neat rows of braids along her scalp.” 

The key word here is rows.

Assuming you can use a part of a word that does exist in your timeline, use it for the strongest connection to its real world counterpart. See the next example:

Locs (dreadlocks)

Another Black hairstyle with history to its name, it may not make sense to use the term in your setting (and also, due to that history, “locs” is preferred term) However, you likely could still slip the word “lock or locked” into your description to clarify for readers what you’re getting at.

Example: “His skin was the same medium brown as her own and that of her people, but his hair was thick and coarse and pulled into the rough locks that looked like braids but weren’t, like the people to the south whose skin was darker.”

-By Shira Glassman, A Harvest of Ripe Figs, Mangoverse Book 3

What’s particularly great about this description is: 

The use of locks or locked hair to make the connection to locs.

Connecting the hairstyle to a certain people. It isn’t just a style anyone can wear, but it has regional roots and is worn by a particular group.

Adding other indications of race such as brown skin, and the nod to him coming from a place where the people have dark skin.

Have someone read it

Have more than one person read your description. It would be great if at least one of those people is Black (and/or familiar with the style). Does the reader know what you’re trying to describe? Are you being concise, or over explaining it to the point of confusion? If your readers can name the style or picture it relatively quickly, then you’ve got a winner. 

More reading:

Words to Describe Hair 

Describing Bantu Knots (Fantasy Setting)

Fantasy World and Non-Western Clothes

~Mod Colette