Twine WIP author and illustrator (they/them). You can call me Fen. Currently writing Stygian Sun: Total Eclipse, a dark fantasy interactive story. Patreon https://www.patreon.com/FenofCattails
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/fennyth
Check out my art blog @fennythofcattails-ifs https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fennythofcattails-ifs and my website at https://cattailsart.carrd.co/
Nsfw blog @stygian-sun-if-after-dark
After the deaths of your four oldest siblings, taken from you by war, your older sibling, Nour, once fifth in line for the Solar Imperial throne, is now the heir.Ā
This day never should have happened.Ā
As recompense for the ravages your kingdomās war has inflicted upon the Lunar kingdom of Celestyl, and as assurance it will not happen again, your sibling is to be sent to Celestyl to marry the Lunar Kingās heir. An arranged marriage, meant to unite the kingdoms. Or, at least thatās how everyone prefers to phrase it. But you all recognize this for what it really is: a guise. Your sibling will be a political hostage.
AndāTheia, grant you guidanceāyou have had a premonition this is not the worst to come. Should your sibling go to Celestyl, they will not survive.
So you will take their place.
Stygian Sun: Total Eclipse is a dark fantasy interactive fictional story where you play as the sixth child in the proud and grandiose Solar Imperial Dynasty and leave your homeland for a foreign country, where you will take your siblingās place in an arranged marriage to the heir to the Lunar Kingdom. But something sinister simmers on the horizonāyou have felt it in your premonitions; apprehension crawls beneath your skin, foreboding pricks at the back of your neck, dread sinks low and heavy in your stomach. Theia is warning youāof what, you know not, but you have seen the way the Lunar King looks at you. His stare, the dagger, and you, the sacrificial lamb on the altar.Ā
Beware the wolf, little lamb.
Content Warnings: "Stygian Sun: Total Eclipse" contains many upsetting themes, such as arranged marriage, child abuse, child neglect, child death, death, murder, violence, gore, sexually suggestive scenes, optional sexual content, suicidal themes and ideations, and more. "Stygian Sun: Total Eclipse" is intended for mature audiences 18+. Viewer discretion is advised.
Customize your MC's name, gender, pronouns, appearance, personality, and sexuality. Play as straight, gay, lesbian, bi, poly, and/or asexual. MC intro post here.
Shape your personality through your choices and see how it affects dialogue with other characters.
Navigate through the difficulties of court life in a foreign country.
Develop your magicāpowers bestowed upon you through your divine bloodline.
Romance one or more of five romantic options, including your betrothed, the Lunar heir; your charming and overly flirtatious retainer; your acolyte, a priestess in training; a kind yet darkly mysterious Celestylian noble; or a peculiar and chaotic mage.
Develop deep and lasting friendships or make enemies. Platonic relationships will be just as deep as romantic ones.
Uncover a sinister plot that threatens everything you hold dearāand decide what you will risk to protect it.
Nour AlāTeia, your older sibling. (Gender dependent on MCās.) Non-RO Once fifth in line for the Solar Imperial throne, Nour was perfectly content to play a supportive role to Parim, first in line, and the rest of their siblings. Now first in line for the throne, Nour is doing their best to step into a role they were never prepared to fill. Despite their best attempts to reassure you, you can tell this weighs more heavily on them than they let on.
Luca Lupine, your childhood friend. (Gender Selectable. She/her. He/him.) Non-RO Your childhood friend who, at the age of 13, perished in a fire, consumed so completely you were left with not even a body to mourn. Ever since then, whether as a manifestation of your guilt and grief, through some connection beyond the planes of life and death, or through some other means unbeknownst to you, they appear in your dreams, aiding you in parsing through visions and prophecies. [View: Character Profile]
Kieran Zeleskas, the Lunar Heir. (Gender Selectable. She/her. He/him.) RO The Crown Prince/ss of Celestyl. Though not of noble birth, events put into motion by their father have elevated them to this position, one they seem to have adapted to rather well by all appearances. Stoic and aloof, they seem less than pleased about this arrangement between the two of you. Youāre inclined to agree. [View: Character Profile]
Alektis de Celestys, the lone princess. (She/her.) Non-RO The adoptive sister to Kieran. The slaughter of her family during the coup that brought Kieranās father to power has rendered her irascible and hostile to most everyone. Though she mostly keeps to herself, with only her retainer, Nihm, for company, you often find her tumultuous glare trained on you, a complex look on her face you canāt quite decipher. [View: Character Profile]
Aurynn Anouar, the retainer. (He/him.) RO Seeming to have appeared from out of nowhere, Aurynn rescued you from a dire situation during your first battle experience, and afterwards was appointed your retainer and has served you as such ever since. Charismatic, laidback, and flirtatious to a fault, Aurynn tends to either charm or annoy everyone he meets. Despite his insistence that he is an open book, sometimes you canāt help but feel the opposite; indeed, everything about him seems shrouded in secrecy.Ā [View: Character Profile]
Samira Nahdiri, the priestess. (She/her.) RO Certain events left her family deeply shamed and nearly destitute until her exceptional accomplishments as a healer elevated her to the renowned position as your acolyte, drawing upon the power of your blood to learn healing magic in her pursuit to become a priestess. Strong, loyal, and compassionate, she is devoted to caring for her family above all else, and she counts you among them. [View: Character Profile]
Lilith/Lucien de Arcanis, the mage. (Gender Selectable. She/they. He/they.) RO The adopted heir to House Arcanis, a line of powerful and highly skilled mages. Wild-eyed with a wolfish grin, their peculiar and eccentric mannerisms tend to unsettle their peers, leaving them rather isolated in social circlesāa circumstance which doesnāt seem to bother them one way or the other. For better or worse, it appears theyāve taken a rather intense interest in you. [View: Character Profile]
Poly OptionsĀ (subject to change): any ROs will be able to be romanced independently or simultaneously.
Sibling Character Art: Farah, Nour, Aurora, Parim, Ember, Castor
Omg I cannot wait for the reveal for whateverās wrong with Aurynn ā¤ļø
He seems to be a swirling void of self hatred/ low self worth wearing a slutty mask and is all around shady as hell. I really really really want to know what made him the way that he is.
I just realized I never mentioned this before but ever since the first version I played i had an ongoing theory that Luca was L and the fact that L was disappointed they couldn't see the family just confirms it for me. Time for project simp over bestie harder than they can simp over MC.
If Aurynn complains:
L is just Weird Like That. Nothing sus bout em š
Live Aurynn reaction every time L and MC be simpin:
Will MC have to hide their face the whole time they're in Celestyl? And what about their powers?
No, they only had to hide their face when boarding. As for MCs powers, as a precaution they will have to hide them. If MC uses fire, they can use it to some degree bc Nour is a deviant fire-user. If they have illusion, they can also use it to a certain degree. In certain cases, L may be able to help fake it for MC as one of their attunements is fire and it behaves differently than typical Theian fire magic as they are Starfellan. Otherwise, MC will refrain from using their powers around people who donāt know who they are.
Oh. I didn't realize MC's disguise will be unknown for the rest of the ROs for TAHT long š idk I thought they'd get to know sooner but be like. "Well this fucking sucks ass but we don't want you dead nor do we need another war" while we all figure out this mess.
Unfortunately I think that just puts everyone who isn't Rynn or Sam out of the game for my mc lmao. Or L since it seems like they can start crushing on us regardless of us actively flirting with them? (Correct me if I misunderstood this one).
Like they're so dedicated to the bit, and I fear no hotties will be able to make them risk it unfortunately š when being competent backfires (you fumble half of the hottest people you met).........
Unless we can make them pin for us and/or silently pin ourselves without flirting š. Like when Kieran catches us in the latest update - that's more of an uncontrolled reaction than deliberate action. Like the angst of being called not your name is nice and all but IMAGINE.
Longing for someone but having to burry it deep. Knowing you're falling for them but not being able to show it or tell them. Seeing them fall for you too but pretending you don't see it. Pretending you don't feel the same. Hoping that you just imagined it to yourself when you realize they can tell how you feel. Having to reject them even. Seeing the hurt and confusion on their face and knowing YOU'RE the reason.
Or internalizing it all and coming to the conclusion that they can't actually love you. That all their feelings were never meant for you and therefore you can't accept them even if you want this more than anything.
Anyways my mc can't have any nice things at all and I hope they suffer and fumble everything and then suffer again because they fumbled everything <3
Given other asks Iāve received, I think most everyone has a specific expectation of how the story/routes will go to a certain degree, and thus the reveal makes less sense, however I answered an ask under a spoiler cut a while back on the timeframe of the story here. Given the plot line and timeframe, the timing of the reveal will make more sense and there will still be options to engage in more romance before or hold off until afterwards.
princess dresses for the job she wants (charming sixth born wastrel) instead of the job she has (sister impersonator) to avoid the job fate thrust upon her (dynast of the theian empire)
AAAA OMG SHES GORGEOUS!!!! šššā¼ļøāØš³š«£šš«µš Your style is SO pretty and I adore her big wavy hair and the colors!! Love the whole design!! šSo so beautiful!!!šššāØ
WAAAAAAHGGHHHHā¼ļøā¼ļøā¼ļøš«µš«µš«µš³š«£šššØāØšššš³ They look like a revenant š delicious >:3 This is SO cool!!! I love the coat the mist and the peek at them glancing up š«£ AAAA THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!! AMAZING!!!ššš³š«£š«µšā¼ļøāØššššØššš±ššā¼ļøšš³
Is it possible for the Ro's that think MC is Nour to confess their love for MC while saying Nour's name instead of MC's real name, because they still don't know about the switch?
Asking because I want my MC to suffer, like imagine the love of your life finally confesses to you and they say your siblings name instead š
Yes bc i too want mc to suffer wanting to hear their own name on ROs lips but not being able to tell them š¤ and the ROs realizing they didnt even know MCs real name this whole time after the big reveal
(tho i did get my ass handed to me for not previously having consideredā¦.other circumstances š so i will, ah. Rectify that particular situation āļø )
as someone who is currently busy obsessing over mc's siblings, i crave any crumbs of info about them i can get. pretty please indulge me š„ŗš„ŗš
what are their favorite colors/flowers? what kind of animal would they be? what is an object that has significance/symbolism to them?
my current guesses for that last q are that for parim it's his tea set, aurora that darling music box/hairbrush, ember his bow,, the rest im stumped on šš
and as an added bonus (if you can) may we pwease get a description of the appearances of all the siblings retainers/mothers? i was to make sure im visualizing them as they are :)
also i kind of hate you for what you did to the siblings and istg i WILL find you if you do anything to my wonderous darlings farah and nour. fen. fen that is a threat THAT. IS. A THREAT.
Answered under the cut for length! :)
Answered fave foods here, fave flowers here, and fave colors here! :) šš If tumblrās search function will be kind to you, I also have a lot of other asks on the sibs you can hopefully find by searching their tags, ie āsste: auroraā :3 (also at first I read it as fave animal not what animal theyd be so I answered that lol)
Parim: fave animal is birds ofc š¦ fuckin dork. His tea set meant a lot to himāit was a gift from his mother and he treated his sibs to tea with it. So did his spearāhis sibsā names are all carved into it. His retainers were Yariāa slight, slender, freckled copper-skinned person with brown eyes and straight brown hair in a ponytail (and i did imagine them both with spectacles š)āand their sibling Sandrisāa short copper-skinned person with wavy brown hair, freckles, and amber eyes. Both are cousins to Zain.
Aurora: sheās not huge on pets and doesnāt really have an overall fave animal, tho she does admire lions and does enjoy hearing the birds singing from Parimās balcony next to her roomāmakes for a nice accompaniment to her bow harp. Her bow harp and music box and comb would be some of the more symbolic items to her. Music was part of her, just as her family was. Had only Artemsa for a retainerālarge barrel-chested woman with blonde hair pulled back and icy blue eyes.
Castor: slightly dismayed at how much of a cat magnet he is, tho he does indeed have a soft spot for them; he could be found in his little nook in the library with a couple cats napping near/on him as he read. He values his matching locket with Ember and his carving tools. He carved a lot to take his mind off things and sent things home or gave them to his siblings. His retainers were Acanthisāan olive-skinned woman with long brown hair and green eyesāand Cleometraāa woman with ebony skin, violet eyes, and short black coily hair.
Ember: fave critters would be beetles and skinks and other reptiles and amphibians. They like the slimies and the creepy crawlies. š¦šŖ³šŖ²He does treasure his bow as it was a gift from his aunt, but itās not irreplaceably precious to himāhe values his matching locket with Castor and always carried a compass Farah gave him in his pocket so he could always find his way home (oops). Their retainer was Yasmin, a tall bronze skinned person with black dreads.
Nour: loves all animals, really (but fears snakes and similar reptiles and big bugs); wasnāt allowed to have pets by their mother, so made do playing with their siblingsā pets. Particularly fond of herons, thoāsymbol of protection, beautiful, and the namesake of Zainās noble house. They value things Zain and their siblings have given them over the years, as they have been Nourās only friendsāright now though, Auroraās comb probably holds the most symbolism with them now. They harbor immense guilt over her death and their self-image has suffered further (this is brought up in a short story from their POV on patreon/kofi). Their retainer Zain is a broad man with terracotta skin, dark brown eyes and short dark hair.
Farah: loves servals (she still has a raggedy stuffyāthat is supposed to look like a servalāthat Luca made her as a gift for when she was born, and Farwah has been her friend for years now) and reptiles, amphibians, and creepy crawlies (great for stuffing down someoneās shirt)ācourtesy of Ember being such an excellent influence on his baby sis. She values keepsakes from her siblingsātheir letters probably hold the most significance to her now. She has no official retainers yetājust a guard rotation.
Most of the consortās more detailed descriptions are also in the demo, but here they are below for ease:
Lady Safina: very tall/statuesque, onyx hair in thin long braids, cool umber skin and dark nearly black eyes
Lady Soleil: sandy blonde hair, gray eyes, and light sand-colored skin
Lady Najaat: plaited ornate straight sienna hair, warm brown skin, henna eyes
Lady Helia: bubbly, fat, golden-blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes
Also I can at least promise no more siblings will be slain. But āļø I will graciously bestow you more sibling trauma (and nicer memoriesāIām not a complete sadist). Parim and Aurora got their dream sequences in Act One and next Castor and Ember will get theirs :D š and mayhaps i will sketch the retainers and consorts one day
When you answer angtsy asks and I just look at the screen like this
This is who u r hurting. Btw. I won't let anyone get hurt ever again! I'll be the Mongoose to Fate's Snake! Just don't ask me to be genuine or nice or soft or non-manipulative or understanding or not self destructive.
The boat meeting was such a whiplash after everything in Theia! I started giggling while still kind of crying over everything before. Had some funny moments though, my MC is still kind of upset about the whole affair. So beyond some necessary āpretending to be Nourā stuff during introductions, they havenāt acknowledged anyone much. Which meant when Nihm showed up part of me was going āno but weāve upset Nihm!ā From seeing your posts about them.
Also, Aurynnās āwhatād they do to my boyā was absolutely hilarious, I almost lost it and confused my poor mother
Leaving Angst Town for Clown Town like (and also we never left Angst Town)
Mildly angsty idea: Mc who hates their appearance actually finding comfort and relief in wearing the veil, only for them to have that ripped away once the disguise gets ruined. Bonus points if the first time they see themself after baring their face again is around the other ROs so everyone can see how uncomfortable Mc suddenly is with reflections/mirrors. Love a little self hate and unfounded shame.
Poor self-conscious MC being the center of (unkind) attention on The Marianne and at Celestyl ššš¤ baby gettin stared at way too much
I can't believe it took me this long to discover your IF and also finally had the time to play it š I've been scrolling through your blog so I can STOP my absolute yearning (as well as curiosity) @ L... I'm so intrigued oogh...
Can I ask how you'll summarise each route in a few tropes? I know Aurynn's route would be so much angst... along with L's based on what I read thus far! If this is done, I apologise for asking again š I haven't read all the posts so far since I just finish playing the latest update just now!
Also heres some flowers š»š for writing AND illustrating the IF. Its so amazing so far oooghh.... I cried during the flashbacks for all the siblings & can feel the MC's grief like my own š absolute wonderful writing right here!!! Also can't wait for the next update and see more of clownfest dynamics š«¶
Thank you sm!!! :3 ššāØš Iām so happy you enjoyed it and itās always so humbling to hear my story made people cry!! T-T š Thank you sm for sharing your kind thoughtsāthey really make my day!! :D
Also, I canāt answer tropes bc some of them are too spoilery. I did answer something on angst levels a while back but couldnāt find it, but I answered another here if that suffices lol :)
Perhaps a bit of a niche request? But I was wondering if we'll ever get a chance to properly see MC's military/battle side come out. Even for gentle and healing MC's like mine, there's sure to be significant difference between them in court playing the part of Royal compared to them in battle mode. I hope I've explained that well.
Additionally, if such a moment ever happens will people comment on how different or how not different MC acts when slipping into that mode and those habbits? Like will they comment on a gentle MC beating several bandits or whatever with a spear?
P.S. Will MC ever get a moment where, perhaps in the heat of battle or stress, they are fighting beside someone else and for a moment MC perhaps forgets about the past and suddenly a siblings name slips out? (Okay I realise that these are super specific but are scenarios I can't get out of my head, thanks in advance!)
Yes, MC will have combat moments and you can choose to play a more brutal MCāpeople will react to that. >:3 (very delicious for the parallels with Castorās spiral)
Iām not sure about the last part specifically, but there will def be moments of where MCs sibling trauma will bleed into certain things in various ways š¤
Kieran: soft lil squishy heart perfect for fingering. My poor loyal soft-hearted baby doomed to a life of unrequited devotion. Earn their confidence and use it against them. Betrayal stings the worst.
It will be a horrifying reveal [of mc's identity] for everyone, MC included >:))
oh. oh no. why.
i'm getting the same feeling as when you made me promise to meet farah under the tree :(
idk if you've answered this before, apologies if so, but how angsty is each RO route? on a scale of 1-10 , or maybe angstiest > least angsty if everyone is a 10 thats easier
All of the routes will have angst as they follow the plot and their own arcs, but there is some variation in the severity and timing.
Comparatively, Kieranās is probably the least angsty, though as I said it is still going to have its pain, especially towards later endgame reveals. š
Samiraās is going to also follow a slower progression in terms of angst, with a ramp up as you progress further and its very pinnacle during endgame events. (>:3)
Nihmās is going to be less angsty in the beginning, but as you progress, it will ramp up to be rather brutal. Iāve been very mean to them. :3 ššš
Aurynn and L will follow a more angsty route throughout and will ramp up as they progress through their respective arcs and the plot.
