#asks tbota

[thebarontheabyss]

Who were your favorite random patrons you encountered?

My favorite is the astronaut. I liked her story, her goal (to find her comrades) and how we can give her advice and moral support. This is probably one of memorable moments in the game for me. It was nice after she told her story to see her go to her friends and relax for a moment.

What did you think about them?

I also met an "angel" and a god. I liked the communication with God enough, it was fun. But I didn't really like the angel, it's just not my type of character (?). Emotionally cold and empty. And that's cool, they're all different and diverse just like in real life.

What kind of patrons would you like to meet down the road?

It would be great to see characters who would help MC cope with their trauma (anger, depression, desire to go back). Everything related to how the MC died, murder, suicide, etc. For example, MC meets a soul that has been killed, and they are obsessed with revenge, just like MC, pure rage. And MC communicates , listens, learns more about them, and decides "I don't want to become like this and lose myself" or "I'll get revenge even if I go mad." Or MC meets someone who longed to return back to their loved ones and then accepted that they can't. A soul that also wants to just disappear and rest, and so on and so forth.

(I apologize if this is written crookedly, English is not my first language)

First of all your English is perfect, please don't apologize 🥺

I'm so happy you enjoyed Laura! (And in Perpetiel's case... tolerated, lol. Listen, a cynical Ophanim angel is not everyone's cup of mimosa!) 

Now. About the patrons you'd like to meet! Patron encounters are mostly self-contained (although SOME will have an impact on the story!), but your MC is definitely going to tackle these feelings during the course of the day. 

Thank you for answering! 🖤

[thebarontheabyss]

I wanted to ask, maybe I didn't read it carefully, but what influences the fact that some people (gods, etc.) after death become moths in the garden of Death, and others go to drink in a bar and walk around the world’s, or go to hell?

Good question! All souls begin their afterlife journey as wisps in Limbo, and only after they transform into spirits they move to an afterlife realm. So the transition for mortals is always Limbo -> Afterlife!

There’s actually a place called “Purgatory Station,” a realm where souls that just “blossomed” from Limbo gather after awakening, then move to an afterlife realm. If they are bound to Hell, they are… escorted by not-very-nice demons.

Your MC also visited the station after Limbo, but most souls don’t remember their first time there. Short-term memory is a bit foggy for new spirits.

But the station will be introduced in the game at some point 👀

[thebarontheabyss]

I like writing in a tavern keeper who was a former assassin during their life.

In a world where assassin was a selectable former profession in game, how might that affect interactions with the staff & ROs who learn about their past?

What a freaking cool idea for an MC!!! Assassin isn't a selectable career (yet? 👀), but this is too fun not to run with. Let's see...

Death would be half mortified, half judgmental, and doing a TERRIBLE job hiding both. You'd get the world's most transparent attempt to redeem your image in their mind.

"So it was... I mean, you were... forced to, right? Like, a situation thing?And only like, really bad people. Right?"

Obviously delighted, and they'd start consulting you with some... ventures they have. Lilith/Damian would slide a dossier across the bar and casually ask, "Darling, would you mind reviewing a few performances? This new hire has been sloppy."

Morgan/a would be interested in the HOW. Not the ethics, the methodology. "What was your weapon of choice? Did you ever get caught?" and would be extremely impressed that you did it all without magic.

Pepper would judge. Not a surprise though right?

Hastur knows what killing does to the soul. He'd feel sorry for you even if you don't feel sorry for yourself.

He wouldn't lecture. Maybe just say, one day: "It stays with you."

Peisinoe would want every single story. "Have you ever slept with a target?" Maybe they even write a song about it. You would have zero say in the lyrics, though.

He Without Name doesn't care what you were. But, you both know how to clean a scene, which is useful.

Yaga will 100% judge you and see the literal blood money that has passed through your hand. "There's enough misery in the world. Why add to it?" But then, three days later, she'd corner you behind the bar and mutter, "There's a patron at table six who's been bothering me for two weeks. Shame you can't kill the dead."

Shelly would actually be fascinated! She had an old soldier in her family tavern and loved to hear war stories, but would flinch if you went into detail. "You're not doing that anymore, though. Right? Because now you make drinks! That's WAY better."

Every night, as the bar opens, you'll hear the following speech from the Raven to the incoming patrons: "Ladies and gentlemen, spirits and specters, welcome to the Bar on the Abyss! Where your drinks are mixed by a REAL former assassin! So remember to tip well!"

[thebarontheabyss]

The second raven poem reminds me of X by The Archpoet. Lovely.

You just sent me on a Google search and a reading of Confessio. Thank you for the unexpected medieval poetry rabbit hole lmao

The Raven would be very smug about this comparison! 🖤

[thebarontheabyss]

One time I saw an artwork where a mother carried a sleeping child and it read:

"i hope death is like being carried to your bedroom when you were a child & fell asleep on the couch during a family party. i hope you can hear the laughter from the next room."

And that was a really nice thing to think about death. I also hope that death will be like falling asleep

It actually immediately reminded me of the eulogy I wrote for my father, eight years ago, after he passed away. Kind of crazy how much so.

His death, in large part, inspired this game. Just found it in my Google drive and read it again. I guess that in order to explain why it reminded me of what you wrote, I have to share it. Why not :)

I will always remember those nighttime car rides to the city. They are etched in my mind, like a map of the stars. I think that even if I close my eyes, I'd still know the way. I remember the stillness. Dad driving, Mom asleep beside him. I'm in the back seat, leaning against the window, and the few stars in the evening sky are swallowed by the headlights of passing cars. We're coming back from Friday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. The taste of the fried potatoes makes my mouth dry, while I wait for a thing that only you and I know is about to happen. Your eyes look at me through the mirror, and I'm busy marking the landmarks in my head between the city and my bed. The McDonald's we always ate at. The crooked tree on the side of the road that always looked like it was about to fall. The gas station where my school bus got into an accident one morning. They'll always be there, I'm sure of it. Even if the world burns, I'll know that old tree still hasn't fallen. And in the end, there was the thing. The thing that sealed every night, the thing I waited for the whole drive. We are pulling into the parking lot, and Mom drags herself tiredly to bed. But not you. The ritual isn't complete yet. I rest my head against the window, and my eyes are closed. But I'm not asleep. I just know that if I fall asleep, you'll carry me to bed. You gather me carefully in your hands, so I won't wake from my non-sleep, god forbid—and carry me to bed. And I'm just trying not to smile, not to laugh, so you'll keep going. Even though we both know I'm pretending.

So yeah, I do hope death feels like that. Or like a moth, carrying you to the cosmos, asleep or not.

[thebarontheabyss]

bookmarked but have yet to read your IF (too busy but very excited to when I have free time), just wanted to ask first, who's the artist for your illustrations? Is it you? They're absolutely gorgeous and so atmospheric (if that's the word??)

Thank you so much! The art you see was done by two amazing artists, and one just-ok designer :D Timothy S created the game's cover and all the characters' artwork, except Death.

Angel M.Stieben made Death's artwork.

And I made all the stat screens and chapter titles using Canva and all its available assets (which are quite a few :D)

[thebarontheabyss]

Hi! I'm absolutely enamored with the game!! I would protect every member of staff with my (after)life. I played through my route in a single, insomnia-fueled sitting (btw, it said that the file current-ending doesn't exist, right after returning from hell. I'm assuming this is the game being in development and not a glitch somehow? Just wanted to check just in case.)

(also, since you requested feedback: idk if this is possible, but I really wanted to ask what "being made redundant" meant in my contract. I'm sure it wouldn't have led to actual answers if I asked, but it was buzzing around in my head whenever the mystery of the contract came up.)

Lastly I also wanted to thank you for the very kind way you approach the sensitive topics in this game. I also thought you might like to know that the interaction with Tomas brought me to actual literal tears. I played as close to "as myself" as I could, and particular his comment of having "grown into the face [I] wanted to have" was a kindness I've never heard articulated in that way, but it really resonated. That quote hit me quite hard. There were multiple other interactions as well that had me clutching my heart and make me wish I could reach into the screen and hug everyone.

So thank you for writing such a beautiful work! The care and thought you put in really shows.

Omg thank you 😭😭 ILY guysssss

The current_ending bug is present only in the itch version but you didn't miss out on content, I will however update both versions in a week or so with various bug fixes, with a warning beforehand of course :)

Regarding the contract redundancy clause, you see, the issue is that words can be interpreted differently in such contracts and imply different meanings. For instance, the “commute” clause.

It was a fun document to write for sure, made me feel like an evil lawyer 👹

Ugh you warm my heart! I’m so happy y’all convinced me, when I started this project, to take risks and write about these sensitive topics, which I was in the beginning afraid to delve into. It made the work better, and I have only y’all to thank for that.

You are simply the best 🖤

[thebarontheabyss]

'ello! been keeping my eyes on this one for a while and i really enjoyed the newest update, feels like the story flows a bit smoother now! amazing work!! personally i find it a bit odd that the cast is freaking out about being bound to the bar, even though they all signed the contract.. to be bound to the bar? but perhaps the whole 'all owners disappearing' part is enough of a fright! oh, also as a skeleton death enjoyer, the shapechange trick they show you felt a bit redundant 😂

👆 A quick warning for readers: some spoilers in the ask and my answer 🥰 👇

Thank you so much!!! 🖤

Signing a contract to work in a bar is one thing; getting your ass bound to an unknown entity is another! But hey, your MC can embrace this certainty and help calm the rest~

Heheh, now for Death!

The scene your referring too is me giving an in-game lore on how gender works for the reaper.

Unlike Lilith/Damian and Morgan/a, who have a fixed gender that is canon in your playthrough once you pick it (as in, a game mechanic that is “meta” or “non-diegetic”) Death's gender and overall appearance fluidity is diegetic, meaning it’s part of the plot and reflects the MC’s expectations.

The only fixed thing about Death is how they look in Limbo, as the gardener.