Book 2 - The Second Sight: The Devil and the Wheel
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This is the development blog for the interactive fiction series called "The Second Sight". You can find the first, completed book and the in-progress sequel at the links above.
This is my first IF project, although I've been writing original stories and fanfiction for years.
I've included the story description and character profiles from the itch page below the cut.
This blog will be a combination of development info, images and music that I associate with the story, and other musings.
Fair warning, there might be spoilers from the latest chapters here, so I recommend catching up before reading too far.
Asks and submissions are always open.
spoiler tags: "ss book 1 spoilers", "ss book 2 spoilers", "ss spoilers"
(Content and trigger warnings at the bottom.)
You’re an urban legend in a county full of them. When you were thirteen, you were found passed out in the road by one of the local cops. No missing persons report. No fingerprints on file. No memories. Just a name.
Oh, and some bizarre psychic powers.
You're content with simplicity. You like your isolated cabin and helping Carter track down missing persons. You know that in theory there are more people like you out there, but you've never wanted to look behind the curtain to find out.
But now, you no longer have a choice...
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The Second Sight is an urban fantasy series, where you step into the role of a psychic whose strange powers have always separated them from others. Those same powers will drag you down the rabbit hole and into a world that is both familiar and foreign to everything you know. A world filled with magic, witches, fae, demons, and the unknown.
You can immerse yourself in the story by customizing your protagonist's general appearance, choosing how they interact with others, and whether you lean on logic or intuition to problem solve. There are three love interests planned (more may be added depending on player reception and feedback), the genders of which will be selected by the player upon meeting them.
Characters
Jacob Carter
Age: Late forties
Race: Human. Definitely.
Gender: Male
Temperament: Carter radiates grizzled, old bastard energy and despite being the least paternal person in the world, he is your adoptive father. While surly and rough around the edges, he is also fiercely protective of you and has bent over backwards to give you a decent life. He doesn't talk about his life before coming to Herman County and you haven't asked him, though that might change soon enough...
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Renard/Rowan
Age: Appears to be in their late twenties or early thirties
Race: Human. Maybe.
Appearance: Tall and slender, white-blonde hair, and gold eyes.
Temperament: Playful and witty, talking to R always feels like a game of cat and mouse and you can never be sure which role is yours. Part sad clown, part trickster, and always maddening to work with, the only things you can be certain of with R is that they probably know what they're doing. Everything else is up in the air.
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Zander/Zora
Age: Late twenties/Early thirties
Race: Human. Mostly.
Appearance: Umber brown skin, black locs, grey eyes
Temperament: Gentle and resolute, Z isn't what you imagine when you think of an agent of the mysterious Magic and Anomalies Bureau. Kind, soft-spoken, and exceedingly polite, Z is Carter's former apprentice and something about them puts the old man on edge.
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Unknown aka "The Kestrel"
Age: ???
Race: Definitely not human.
Appearance: Tall, beautiful, elegant, with black hair and blue eyes.
Temperament: The Kestrel is a complete unknown. It's impossible to say whether they are a lethal ally or deadly enemy, but either way they are a powerful dreamwalker. You don't know how long they've been watching you, but you're willing to bet that it's been longer than you're comfortable with.
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This series includes strong language, sexually suggestive material, violence, emotional/physical/mental abuse, slavery, and other mature topics. Not recommended for those under 18.
(All visual elements were made using Canva's free assets.)
As those on the discord know, I do like sharing clips and sneak peeks just for fun. However, I decided to start posting the longer segments
I'll just copy paste from the link:
As those on the discord know, I do like sharing clips and sneak peeks just for fun. However, I decided to start posting the longer segments or those that have the most impact {{to Patreon}} instead. Hopefully this will do two things: reassure you guys that I am indeed making progress and fill in for the shorts when I don't have anything to provide.
General disclaimers: given that I share these things while the chapter is still in progress, they're not guaranteed to be in the final chapter. Some things just don't shake out perfectly in the end, and I might end up sharing something that gets cut. Them's the breaks.
Clips are available to every paid tier on the Patreon.
You know what time it is? It's time to kick off our second Writing Spotlight event of the year!!
What's the theme for this month, you ask?
We want to focus on underrated or less talked about IFs!
Suggestions are open for the community! Want to see a specific category spotlighted in this event? Let us know in the comments, reblogs, or in our ask box!
We will shortlist 4-6 categories for the final IF nomination form!
Don't worry if your ideas don't get chosen this time around! We will store them safely for the next edition of the Writing Spotlight!
Your time starts now! Keep in mind, the last date to give suggestions is 5th August!
What would carter do if teen-mc always tried to bring in stray animals from the woods with a “can we keep it?” mentality? Or stumbling upon a random raccoon/a flea-ridden stray cat in the living room when he comes home
lol Carter would draw the line at wild animals. That's dangerous and rabies exists. Given that camping was something they did frequently, I can see "friend shaped but not friend" being a big part of teaching curriculum.
As for other kinds of strays, Carter would probably give in and inevitably let MC keep one eventually.
You've Got Questions and I've Got Answers OC Edition
Do they have any crafting hobbies?
Do they wear perfume/cologne? If so what scents do they prefer?
Do they enjoy cooking?
Do they enjoy baking?
Do they have any tattoos? If so what are they and do they have any special meaning?
If they were badly injured, and for whatever reason couldn't go to a hospital, who would they go to for help?
Do they have any unusual fears?
Do they collect anything? If so what and why?
When they're sick what do they do to feel better?
Do they have any regrets?
Do they have any addictions?
Do they have any sense of style? Regardless of the answer do they believe they have a sense of style?
Do they enjoy poetry?
Do they have a hard time opening up to people?
What kind of sense of humor do they have? Or do they have one at all?
Do they have or want kids?
How easily would they be convinced to do something that goes against their morals?
How easy is it to become their enemy?
How easy is it to become their friend?
Do they have a strong connection to their culture?
What is more important to them, friends or family?
Would they ever betray someone for money?
How would they want to die?
Do they have any enemies?
Do they have a daily/nightly routine?
Have they met any of their heroes? Did they regret it?
Has a chance encounter ever had an unexpected effect on them?
Are they a #gamer?
If they were real would you be friends with them?
If they had the chance to be famous would they take it? If they are famous would they rather they weren't?
What superpower would you choose for them and what would they choose for themselves? If they have one would they choose something else?
If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?
Do they play ttrpgs? If so what kind of characters do they play? Or are they more likely to GM?
How well do they deal with grief?
Do they believe in fate or do they believe they are in charge of their own destiny?
Would they ever kill someone? Have they already?
Are they religious? If so do they have a strong sense of faith, are they uncertain, or are they somewhere in between?
What are their dreams like? Do they have any recurring dreams/nightmares?
Would they ever crash a wedding?
If they found a sword in a stone would they try to pull it out? How would they react to being able to pull it out or not?
Do they learn from their mistakes?
Can they speak multiple languages? If yes which all do they speak and why?
Can they handle stressful situations?
Who, if anyone, would they trust with their deepest secrets?
Do they plan in advance or just wing it?
Would they lie to get out of trouble?
Would they lie to get someone else out of trouble? Even if they would have to take that someone else's place?
How likely are they to go on a quest for revenge?
Do they have trouble keeping their enemies and their friends straight?
What is your favorite thing about them?
I love these so I figured I'd make one of my own! Just be sure that if you reblog this ask one or two of these to the person you reblogged from (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
I'm not trying to start anything here or to get blacklisted.
But some things are simply blocked in my country for example. 99% of international payment methods are illegal/blocked. I buy from steam if it's available but if it's not?
Piracy is the only way for me to properly engage with some books/games and so on. It's unfair to judge people for the things we can't control
I wasn't judging. I was asking questions. Nuanced takes require nuanced questions to be asked.
As for my personal opinion, it's stealing. That's not about judging someone for something they can't control. That's reality. You take something that's not yours and it's theft.
But if you're not taking bread out of someones mouth then the lines of how wrong it is blur and it depends on you. I'm not jumping on my high horse here to pretend I care if you steal from companies that make billions in revenue.
Don't tell me you're another author who doesn't support piracy except for themself. I'm not talking about indie or independent content either. That anon was an ass though.
So what's the price point that makes piracy okay? Like what tax bracket? Because FNAF and Stardew are also indie titles technically and theyve both made more money than you or I will ever see in several lifetimes.
➡️ Not every medium of fiction and storytelling has or is expected to have content warnings or extensive tagging.
➡️ Print novels do not traditionally warn for content in any way.
➡️ Until AO3 came along, fanfiction did not traditionally warn for content in any significant way.
➡️ An author is only obligated to warn for content to the degree mandated by the format they publish their fiction on.
➡️ Content warnings beyond the minimum are a courtesy, not an obligation.
➡️ 'Creator chose not to warn' is a valid tag that authors are allowed to use on AO3. It means there could be anything in there and you have accepted the risk. 'May contain peanuts!'
➡️ Writers are allowed to use 'Creator chose not to warn' for any reason, including to maintain surprise and avoid spoilers.
➡️ 'Creator chose not to warn' is not the same thing as 'no archive warnings apply'.
➡️ It is your responsibility to protect yourself and close a book, or hit the back button if you find something in fiction that you're reading that upsets you.
➡️ You are responsible for protecting yourself from fiction that causes you discomfort.
Not sure about anyone else, but I re-read all my favourite AO3 comments when I’ve had a rough day, so if you’ve ever taken the time to write a deep, funny, or just kind comment, thank-you.
i remember when Britney Spears had her breakdown and shaved her head and just watching that like... why are we torturing and breaking children for our amusement?
before that i remember watching her sing "hit me baby one more time" as a literal child while being incredibly sexualized and wondering why everyone else was just bopping along like it was all Very Normal.
she came out the worst from the experience but everyone had their moments and I always hated it. it really drove me away from pop music in search of just regular adult people who love making music.
I've never been able to embrace kpop either, or idol culture in general, though i hadn't really compared it to my previous horror at the boy/girl bands of my youth.
speaking of, hey I'm suddenly wondering if you're almost as old as me!
I'm ashamed to say I was on the Britney hate train for a while because I never paid much attention beyond the surface. That's on me and every one else who just rolled with the narrative. Maybe it's why I find everything with young stars so icky now. The industry really do just be chewing them up and spitting them out.
I only listen to a few groups now and even then, just a few songs that are inspired by 90s and 2000s music lmao. but then again thats how i feel about most modern pop and rocks groups too.
I think there are one or two songs I don't mind, but I've reached the age where modern music is just noise and Im at peace with it
