For as long as you can remember, your dream has stayed the sameâyou want nothing more than to make it as an actor in Hollywood. After years as an overlooked, overworked talent, your big break comes from an unlikely source. And itâs one that changes everything, for better or worse.
Hollywood is its own character within this worldâsometimes it loves you, sometimes it wants nothing more than to see you crash and burn. Navigating this ever changing landscape while balancing your own interpersonal relationships is only half the challenge. The other half is memorizing your lines.
Navigate the red carpet, bloodthirsty paparazzi, cut-throat tabloids and complicated relationship dynamics with A-list celebrities (who may or may not be completely insane.)
But, hey: isnât this what youâve always wanted?
Key Features:
- Customize your Actor: are you a classic Hollywood heartthrob? An eccentric and unconventional recluse? Are you kind and genuine despite the fame, or a cutthroat diva with undeniable talent?
- Navigate scandal, paparazzi, and stan culture: dodge or embrace the flashing lights. Interact with your fans, or distance yourself from them for your sanity. Waitâwho are they shipping your character with?
-Build your legacy: choose between the stability of superhero blockbusters or turn into an indie darling. Or, maybe forgoe both to become a household name in the horror genre.
- Network and build relationships: whether theyâre manufactured by your well-meaning publicist or spawned from real feelings, forge dynamic and ever changing relationships with other industry icons.
- Try to manage your mental health: the dark side of the industry lurks in every cornerâthe highs are high, but the lows are ever lower.
Characters:
Kendall Mays (gender selectable)âever the loyal best friend, Kendall followed you into the throes of showbiz without hesitation. From fighting over toys on the playground to helping you run lines for a major motion picture, you can always count on them to have your back. That is, before they met Masonâtheir ever-present boyfriend who demands more and more of their time. You were never that great at sharing.
[Note: Kendall is not a romance option.]
Sutton Foster (he/him, she/her)âchild star turned award winning powerhouse. Sutton Foster has everything an actor could wantâwell, minus the countless stays at rehab centers around the world. Itâs undeniable that Sutton is a generational talent, but whatâs even more notable is their messy personal life. You yourself have been caught in Suttonâs gravitational pull, once upon a time. The question lies in whether or not youâll pull yourself away.
Wyn Grace (he/him, she/her)âon stage, Wyn is electric. The same cannot be said for Wyn off-stage. The lead singer of the up-and-coming Indie band is struggling with their meteoric rise to fame. As the awards pile up and the crowds get bigger, Wyn is unraveling at the seams. All they wanted to do was make music with their friends, but the fame makes them reconsider it all.
Lex Moreau (he/him)âan older, award-winning director with anâŚeccentric disposition. Yet despite his volatile nature and obsession with perfection, anyone whoâs anyone would kill to work with him. Lex is always in search for a muse, a great beacon to pour all of his artistic vision into. And now, he thinks heâs found that in you. Lucky you?
[C is a conditional character, only appears based on choices you make.]
Carlo/Carmen Mencina (gender selectable)âC is harder to pin down than a stable acting gig in LA. When youâre togetherâitâs kismet. The problem lies in when youâre apart. Câs frequent disappearances abroad leave a bad taste in your mouth, and when a shocking truth comes to light, itâs not just your relationship in the spotlightâitâs your life, too.
Flings and other mini-romances will be available as well. But these I will let be revealed as the story progresses.
When writing this game, I knew what themes I wanted to focus on, and the care/detail needed to do so. Hence, this game is strictly 18+.
TW: death, substance abuse, suicide, bullying, explicit language, violence, and explicit (skippable) sexual content.
Thank you for reading my intro! Reblogs are welcome, and my ask box is open (:
And major thank you @thecutestgrotto for the gorgeous headers!
-There are two plot branches for CH2; those who received the role, and those who didnât.
-For beta testing purposes I will be releasing the CH2 update in two partsâso the first update release will be the Rejection path, followed by the Success path.
-Both paths converge at the beginning of CH3.
-I will be using beta testers to help me comb out bugs, will provide more detail closer to release.
-I will not reopen the forum on choiceofgames until the update is complete.
omg. i cant tell you how excited i am to see you post??? i checked like every other day/week while you were gone. i hope this past year has been kinder to you as the months have gone by and that this year will be even kinder. excited to replay your game, i loved it a lot â¤ď¸
Thank you so much â¤ď¸ When Iâm in my room writing at 2 AM and my catâs trying to sit on my keyboard itâs hard to believe people care so much about Spotlight. Itâs extremely motivating. Writing has also helped me a lot through this transitionâI get just as sucked into the characters and the world as you all and it brings me so much joy to go on this journey together
Will there be any differences in the story based on MCâs gender?
Just thinking that the entertainment industry seems to treat actors pretty differently based on gender, like pairing young actresses with much older actors onscreen, older actresses having a harder time getting parts vs older actors, beauty standards being stricter for actresses, being expected to accept objectification/sexualisation (not just movie parts (like Bond girl style, or having to do nudity when you don't want to) but stuff like photoshoots too), sexual harassment/assault/rape (e.g. âcasting couchesâ, Harvey Weinstein), etc.
Not that male actors don't experience these things too, but it seems more frequent for female actresses (especially young ones new to the industry like MC).
Brilliant breakdown.
And yesâthe MCâs sexuality, young age and gender play a huge role in how they navigate the industry. This has already been hinted at during the party conversation with Kendall and MasonâKayla Royceâs sudden rise to fame after sleeping with an older, established exec. I briefly allowed you to ponder how you viewed that situation, and this kind predator/prey dynamic will be a huge topic in the game.
I believe a majority of Lexâs romance arc explores those. Muse vs artist. Established vs rookie. Rumors of favoritism, unusual on set behavior, etc.
Hey good to see you back!! :) Just an additional bug update regarding keeping your profile professional, professional + personal, or personal. When you pick anything but personal you get hit with this message:
ch1 line 4894: Invalid use of curly smart quote: âUse straight quotes " instead
Hello, everyone! Thank you so so much for all the care and checking up. Grief is very strange and yes, it lasts forever. But I am now stable and ready to continue writing. Please be patient as I work to upload the next chapter! Also, the demo is now on COGdemos!
Hello everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that a family member passed away today and Iâll be taking time to help my mother plan the funeral and go travel to take care of loose ends. If Iâm inactive then thatâs why. Thank you and happy holidays.
My first ever IF, Children of the Godsâyou play as a demigod plagued by a foreboding prophecy raised in the mortal world by Hades and Athena until youâre taken to Olympus to train for an apocalyptic war! You can play it here :)
ROHIE?? Omg I remember you and cotg đ I was in seventh grade then, now Iâm graduating university this feels like a full circle moment. I am so glad youâre back, not a week has gone by where I didnât think about cotg <3
Canât wait to read more from you!
Thank you so much âşď¸ feels like Iâve grown up with you allâI wrote CoTG when I was 17 and now Iâm 25 oh god
hi, just wondering if we will get to choose our MCâs appearance at some point in the game? :)
Iâve been totally debating thisâŚI wanted to have a sort of âvagueâ appearance stat in relation to the MCâlike how before the party you can choose whether youâre a typical âattractive lookingâ actor or an âunconventional lookingâ actor, because that plays into future roles/media perception.
Plus some roles require you to change your appearance drastically (hair, weight, etc) so thatâs already implemented.
But, I think I will include some cosmetic customization solely for role playing purposes. Stuff like height, skin color, hair, etc.
