About a year ago, you were hired as the personal assistant of world-famous actor Reese Morino. Not exactly the easiest job, or the most rewarding, or the best paid… but hey, this was just a way to get a foot in the door for you. You have other ambitions for yourself. Except now that you’re at the beck and call of this trouble magnet, you have no time to actually focus on what you want to do.
Things only get more hectic as you get dragged onto the set of The Renegade, the hit fantasy series that made Reese’s popularity skyrocket. As the shooting of the fourth and last season starts, everyone is under pressure—you included. But maybe you can use what little influence you have to help make the show a success… and, while you’re at it, find your own place in the industry.
Features
→ Play as male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual.
→ Customise your appearance and personality.
→ Pursue your dream career (actor, screenwriter, or talent agent).
→ Decide what kind of personal assistant you will be: the voice of reason, or an enabler.
→ Find allies in the industry, and collaborate with others to bring your own projects to life.
→ Navigate the chaos, drama, and conflicts of interest on the set of The Renegade.
→ Play your small part in determining the fate of the show.
Romance options
Reese Morino:
A popular actor beloved by the public, but with a less than stellar reputation in the industry. He’s known to be temperamental, fussy, unreliable, and charming in a way that borders on manipulative. Reese depends on you to function—and, even then, he barely does.
Fiona Castel:
Reese’s agent, as fierce as she is pragmatic. She prioritises results above all else, and there is no moral line she won’t cross to protect the interests of her clients. She has a solution for every problem… except how to deal with her own stress in a healthy manner.
Graham Park:
The showrunner behind the success of The Renegade. Though he hides it behind a dry sense of humour and a jaded, bitter exterior, Graham is still an idealist at heart, driven by his passion for the art. He’s notoriously hard to approach, and even harder to please.
Nikki Varga:
A production assistant working on The Renegade, Nikki is also an aspiring actress, performing with an amateur theatre troupe while searching for her big break. She’s spontaneous, unfiltered, and optimistic to a fault, which often makes her a hazard to herself.
Is there anything more profoundly human than to cry?
Orphaned from a young age, you do what you must to survive. But what happens when something sinister disrupts the mundanity of your everyday life?
You begin as a child born to a native mother and a colonist father. Although you are shaped by both cultures, neither has always been eager to claim you.
Amidst war and an ongoing colonisation, you must find your place within the Kingdom of Yawa, or die trying.
Ascendant is an Epic-Fantasy inspired by the ancient Kingdom of Majapahit. This interactive fiction also draws inspiration from ancient manuscripts (such as Pararaton and Negarakertagama,) colonisation and local Southeast Asian folklore, but is otherwise entirely fictional in nature, and therefore, does not contain 100% historical accuracy.
Features:
- play out your backstory
- play as female, male, or nonbinary
- decide the fate of those around you
- face the consequences of your own actions
- play as one of the mythological races based on Southeast Asian folklore
- romance your companions
- or have short (and long) flings
- delve into the magical Kingdom of Yawa and discover its secrets
- uncover your family's secrets
TW: Heavy, mature themes and discussions, such as body horror, war crimes, sexual themes and discussions, cults, religious trauma, colonisation impact, banning of native languages, child abuse, and other potentially triggering materials
DEMO | Playlist
Note: As the local indonesian law bans NSFW content, I will adhere to it by making future sex scenes non explicit (i.e. not mentioning any body parts and focusing more on the intimacy rather than the sex itself,) as otherwise, I'd have to do 12 years in prison. 😭🫶
Romance Options
The Knight, Arya Civa (M)
"Hell could not claim him,
yet he yearned still for its icy embrace."
As the miracle son of the Mahapatih (prime minister,) Civa is raised to be a great warrior and to someday lead the Yawan army to glory.
However, you see cracks forming underneath his composed elegance as he bears the expectations of those around him.
Playlist | Moodboard
The Serpent Spy, Laoly Gülo (F)
"There she stood,
venom dripping from her tongue as she stayed blindly devoted to a lost cause."
Born into a family of Naga performers, it didn't take much for her to fall in love with the art of Ronggeng dancing, captivating her audience wherever she goes.
Yet you realise early that her charms conceals an ulterior motive.
Playlist | Moodboard
The Winged Scholar, D. Solisa (F/M/NB)
"So sang the winged creature,
its voice heavy with longing as it casts its gaze unto the void."
D's future is as bright as their mind, set to be one of the best poet Yawa has ever seen, they shouldn't have to hide their real identity.
But with everyone carrying their own prejudice beliefs about the winged people of Wandan island, it was easier said than done.
Playlist | Moodboard
The Vessel, Gani/Gari
"Faithless, pathless, kinless.
How cruel had the world treated you...
and yet, you persist."
You won't be meeting this character for a while, don't worry about them :))
The Abyss beckons you once more.
You're dead. But don't worry, the end has no end. Welcome to the ethereal realms of the afterlife. Sign your contract, manage this lonely bar on the Abyss for a year, and claim your limitless wish from the gods themselves.
Well, if you manage to finish that year.
༻ THE BAR ON THE ABYSS 3.0 IS FINALLY HERE
Play WIP at: Itch.io | CoGDemos
(Current demo: 410k words!!!)
What started as a 2.5 update two and a half years ago grew into something I could no longer call anything but a new version entirely.
✬ Almost 200,000 words of overhauled and brand-new content for the current 5 chapters of the game.
✬ Brand new, restructured main plot arc.
✬ New mechanics that will carry the whole game forward.
✬ Characters who are more alive (well, you know) and more complicated than they've ever been.
I won't pretend this one was easy to ship, but I'm so glad it's finally in your hands.
(And if you're willing to help this little game grow, here's how! 🖤)
✬ Leave a comment on the COG game thread!
✬ Reblog this post before you start!
✬ Talk about it on r/hostedgames!
✬ Add it to your collection on itch.io!
✬ And most importantly, please send me your thoughts via ask here, or on COG, during or after your playthrough. I genuinely want to read every single one!
It would mean the world and beyond. Truly.
And now, here's everything that's new. Grab a drink! We earned it:
༻ A WHOLE NEW MAIN PLOT
The story of your afterlife journey has changed.
From the moment you sign your new contract, presented to you by none other than the Grim Reaper, the main arc of TBOTA changes from the ground up.
Pick your limitless wish, learn about your new employer: the Council of Nine, and discover what truly lies beneath this contract: a binding to something… else.
And this time, you have far greater agency to act on your own behalf and for your staff.
Should you choose to share what you've learned with them, of course.
If you've played before, you'll recognise the bones. But the story has grown around them into something ready to carry the full weight of what TBOTA is building toward.
༻ YOUR SPIRIT GIFT
The Spirit Gift system has been completely reworked. Not as a shortcut or as a glorified stat check, but as a new lens through which you experience the entire story. Each gift opens unique scenes, unique ways to act, gather information, or stumble into something just effing strange. Think of them less as abilities and more as a personality trait that the bar decided you really needed.
Ring of Chronos: stolen from Itot, the glass-spider god of time. Click your fingers, stop the world, and what you do with those stolen seconds is yours to decide: help your staff, or punch a nightlife critic in the face.
Lens of Daezur: contraband from a mage who wanted to know too much. Point it at anything, and get your own secret encyclopedia. Learn how old the Raven is, who made the gates to Limbo, and what the bathroom fog is really made of.
Mask of Shapeless Visage: previously worn by the actors-assassins of Teatru Mischak. Wear the face of everyone around you. But will you remember how to be yourself?
The Necklace of Murmurs: hear the thoughts of inanimate objects around you, and more so, their opinions. Your bedroom table, the jukebox downstairs, a letter from Pyriphlegethon, or even your own cash register.
Voidcutter: a sword forged to kill gods, carrying the memories of the civilization destroyed for making it. Fight like a spirit-warrior when the opportunity presents itself. And who knows… maybe one day, you’ll kill a god too.
Navia's Earring: the mad prophet heard what the gods meant to keep hidden. Now you do too! Just remember: some things, once heard, are very hard to unknow.
༻ RANDOM PATRONS ENCOUNTERS
No two playthroughs of the game will be the same! Each run gives you two out of five possible patron encounters, one in Chapter 1, one in Chapter 4.
In the future, these encounters will be chosen from a pool of 20 patrons. So, who walks through your door tonight?
Meet Zilas, God of Revelry, and he is very good at his job.
Meet Perpetiel, an Ophanim Angel, drinking a mimosa from a straw. Be not afraid.
Meet Laura, an astronaut who died during a research mission into a black hole, with one terrifying tale.
Meet Xochitl, Trade Ambassador of Clan Roh'els of the Undead City of Necropolis. A vampiress in your humble abode, coming with an interesting offer for you.
Tomas, a mortal painter. Quiet, unassuming. That’s all.
༻ LOVE AFTER DEATH
Romance has been overhauled from scratch. Be flirtatious or be a complete disaster about it. Choose monogamy, polyamory, or an ace playthrough. Build something slow and tender, or burn bright and chaotic.
And if you want things a little spicier with a certain devilish friend of yours... well. The content is there. You'll find it, I’m sure.
And random patrons are fair game, too! if you're the type to shoot your shot with someone who walked through your door an hour ago, and might be a vampire or an angel.
No judgment here.
༻ WHO ARE YOU IN THIS AFTERLIFE?
Introducing a 30-trait personality system. Every choice you make, every option you pick, every response you give quietly builds a psychological profile of your MC.
Not to gate content or to judge you! Just to reflect who you are becoming in your ethereal form, one decision at a time.
New grief path content is also woven throughout the game. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, each path surfaces in new places, in new ways.
You'll also find tons of new career options throughout the game. Some of them can even replace certain skill checks!
The Abyss is watching, and it finds you fascinating.
༻ CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION AND DEATH SCARS
Choose from a vastly expanded range of career backgrounds, add an honorific, and find a few other surprises waiting in the menu.
Your career also has a greater presence throughout the game now: more moments where who you were in life shapes who you're becoming in death.
And by popular demand, choose a death scar. After all, you died, and you probably have the marks to prove it.
During character customization, you can now choose your death scars, currently cosmic in nature. Full in-game integration is coming in future updates, but they're yours to wear now.
༻ EVERYTHING ELSE
Almost every scene in the existing game has been touched (gently, consensually): Prose, character voices, pacing, and choices.
If something felt off before, there's a good chance it doesn't anymore! (HOPING) And also, made an absolute thorough bugs & typos sweep. Some of them were present from day one! But I FINALLY SQUISHED THEM!
That's it, for now. I think! Might be others I forgot about, lol. After all, it’s been two and a half years of work just for this update. More love and labour than I can ever put into a release post, but alas.
Thank you for waiting. Thank you for asking after this game during the long silences.
There is a world hidden within your world.
A world of magic that exists only for the blessed ones.
You do not rank amongst them. You never will.
Serve, and their ways will be revealed to you.
Keep the secret of the Pact.
Obey our will in all things.
Serve, and a new life will be allotted to you.
Then you shall walk beside the chosen in their halls of learning.
Not as their equal, but as their better.
INTRODUCTION
Pactbinder is a WiP dark fantasy interactive fiction university novel set in an alt-history England, where you play as a once-ordinary person who has struck a bargain with an eldritch force in order to gain the gift of magic and walk in the hidden world of mages.
Word count is currently ~409k, which covers the game's prologue and first four chapters. This encapsulates the story's entire first arc (of three).
My inspirations are too numerous to do them all real justice, but Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and R.F Kuang’s Babel often find themselves on my mind as I write, as do many of the stories about students attending magical schools that I read growing up.
Outside of literature, I hope that anybody who has enjoyed DMing for or roleplaying a Warlock in a darker Dungeons & Dragons campaign will find something to enjoy in Pactbinder.
Please see below for a more detailed synopsis, a list of features planned to be in the final game and details on the main cast.
SYNOPSIS
Aspiring mages flock to the halls of Hightower to pursue the best arcane education in England, perhaps the world. For those blessed with the Gift of magic, there is no nobler dream than to study beneath the university’s elegant arches and develop skills and connections that will serve one for a lifetime.
However, the Gift is a rare privilege that is almost solely the birthright of the nobly born. This is the way things have been for as long as anybody at Hightower can remember. This year will be different, for rumours abound of a new student born Gifted but raised ignorant of the existence of magic; an oddity anywhere in this world, but particularly scandalous at elitist Hightower.
You are not that student. You’re just the person who stole their life.
As the Pactbinder, a once-ordinary person whose path to Hightower was paved by a bargain struck with an enigmatic entity of unspeakable power, you must fight and scheme to carve out a new life for yourself during your first year at Hightower whilst working to master your stolen magic, serve your patron and discover the university’s secrets without compromising your own.
Ultimately, it will fall on you to answer one question: What price would you pay for the life of your dreams?
CORE CAST
Note that with the exception of the Pactbinder (the MC) and the Entity (their eldritch patron), the core cast are the game’s primary ROs. RO genders are fixed, though all of them can be romanced by male, female and non-binary characters.
The Pactbinder (MC).
Gender: M/F/NB
Appearance: Player determined.
Description: A mysterious individual who stole the gift of magic from an unwary victim who was set to be the first mage born outside of magical society to attend Hightower in decades. Now impersonating that victim to take their place as a student, the Pactbinder must master their stolen magic whilst serving their Patron. How they feel about all this and what they plan to do about it is up to you, as is everything that they do next.
The Entity
Gender: N/A
Appearance: An empty space in misty skies, its outline barely suggestive of a humanoid form. Though its appearance is ever-shifting, it is always crowned by a halo of six red stars.
Mastery: Wields unknowable power over reality far in excess of the works of mortal mages, if indeed it can be compared to them at all.
Description: An enigmatic being who struck a bargain with the Pactbinder in their dreams, granting them power and access to the hidden world of magic in exchange for a lifetime of service. Its nature, true goals and desires are as yet wholly unknowable to the Pactbinder.
Alice Mortimer / Adelais De Mortemer: The Witch
Gender: F
Appearance: Tall, slender and very pale, with aristocratic features, silver-grey eyes and long white hair.
Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. An inscrutable first-year student with a troubled background and a fearsome reputation, Alice’s customary apathy isn’t quite enough to mask her fiercely intelligent mind, nor the quiet intensity that lurks beneath her listless demeanour. Seemingly the only first year to have already awakened her Gift before joining the university, something considered dangerous and foolhardy by most mages.
Eleanor Whitworth: The Scholar
Gender: F
Appearance: Very short, with braided dirty-blonde hair, a heart-shaped face and warm brown eyes behind round spectacles.
Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. An academic young woman from a well-respected family of mages recently struck by misfortune, Eleanor seems fixated on restarting the long-banned Hightower Expedition Society, a group dedicated to exploring the ruins beneath the university town. A hard worker and fierce friend who can nevertheless come across a little bossy at times.
Finlay Stuart: The Prince
Gender: M
Appearance: Very tall and thin, almost gangly. Freckled, with short reddish-brown hair and green eyes.
Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. The second son of the Queen of Scotland, a country which seems to be an entirely independent power in magical society. Finlay himself seems like an affable young man, if a little homesick and uncomfortable with the attention his presence inevitably attracts. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrival to Hightower, which is in England remain shrouded in mystery, particularly given the apparent longstanding enmity between the two countries.
Layla Farouk: The Traveler
Gender: F
Appearance: Average height, lean and fit. Olive skin, hazel eyes and long brown hair that’s often in a ponytail. Constantly on the move.
Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. The only international student in Hightower’s first-year class, Layla is indelibly marked as an outsider from her very first day. The enthusiastic young woman seems determined to meet this challenge with fierce pride and make her mark on Hightower all the same, whether the university likes it or not.
Marcus Elmgrove: The Rebel
Gender: M
Appearance: Tall, dark-skinned and broad-shouldered. Striking features marked by a scar on his lip. Dark hair and eyes.
Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. Brooding and cynical, Marcus is the mixed-race son of an influential noble father and a foreign-born mother. As such, he walks the uneasy line between barely-tolerated outsider and accepted member of high society. Though a fierce friend, Marcus struggles to manage the conflict between his resentment of magical society and his desire to fly under the radar.
FEATURES
Master your stolen power as you learn to call spirits, shape the elements, nurture life and / or meddle with minds.
Romance a secretive witch, a homesick prince, a timid would-be explorer, an excitable traveller, or a brooding rebel - or nobody at all - whilst navigating an increasingly complex social life burdened by a secret that you quite literally cannot share.
Embrace or rage against the university’s colonial legacy or work to turn it to your own ends.
Make a name for yourself in one of the university’s Societies, where you can demonstrate your prowess in activities including duelling, exploration and sky-sailing, or dedicate your free time to more secretive goals.
Begin your delve into the endless dungeons beneath the university in search of fortune, power and the answers to the mysteries that haunt you.
Fight, charm, scheme, steal and even kill as you strive to balance your obligations to your Patron with the demands of student life. Pray that the two never come into conflict.
One last chance. That is all that you get. One last fucking chance.
People think that being in the limelight is a blessing, and even though it is, the curse of the lifestyle is just as bad, and sometimes, worse. The whole world watches you with hawk-like eyes, and words sharp like talons. It is a vicious walk that many can not do. And when those eyes on you since birth, fame has always walked the fickle line of enjoyable and agonizing.
You are the definition of a nepo baby. Your family comes from a line of Hollywood fame. From directors and producers, to actors big and small, your fate was always to be in Hollywood fame. It worked out. You were in movies and shows before you knew how to speak and walk. Lights were your mobiles, boom mics and scripts were your toys. You walked, talked, and experienced life as an actor. That’s all that you knew. The advantages were great. People loved you. You were seen as the heir of Hollywood. An A-List star before you were twelve. It’s amazing. Being famous is amazing. Being you is fucking amazing.
But then you fell into the trap that many child stars fall into. Recklessness, rebellion, and honestly, batshit crazy activities. Being rude to paparazzi, arrests, anonymous programs, risky activities with riskier people. Who knew that the public didn’t like that. The brightest and upcoming star of Hollywood was imploding. You are no longer loved and adored by the masses. Instead, you were deemed “hard to work with”, “inappropriate”, “reckless”, and a “fucking asshole”.
Those honorifics tanked your family’s name. Not only are you seen as a social pariah, but your family’s connections have been tainted by your bad decisions. The world of Hollywood holds everyone with loose fingers, and one wrong move, you are dropped off the face of the earth.
You don’t want that. You can’t have that. You won’t have that. This is your life. This is your destiny.
Your plan: become Hollywood’s brightest star again. Transform yourself into the perfect PR model that will make the world fall in love with you again. Act in movies, kiss babies, be what the machine wants you to be. They loved you once, they can surely love you again. You will not let your legacy die with a few, several, MANY mistakes. You will have your name in the stars, or you will die trying.
“Take Two, Action!” is a drama interactive fiction—loosely based off of the tv show, Bojack Horseman— about the pathway back to stardom. This is a +18 piece of fiction that talks about topics of substance use, past traumas, generational expectations. It will contain substance use, talks of mental health, self destructive behaviours, skippable sexual scenes, profanity, and more aspects of the famous Hollywood life.
FEATURES
Customize your main character: Physical features, gender expression, sexuality, and personality. Choose how you navigate through being a nepo baby. How will you be viewed by the public? Do they love or hate you? What does this second chance mean for you? Will you rise above or fall from everyone’s graces forever?
Live a life on a movie set: Are you a drama king/queen who uses their name for leverage or are you grateful for the experience? Feared by your cast mates and crew? Do you connect or isolate yourself?
Navigate the A-list life and stardom: You have connections. Let’s use them. Friends from your past, people who know you but you might know them, people who could open doors for opportunities, they’re all important. Keep that in mind.
Change public perception: You will be able to help or hinder your narrative. Tabloids, news, and social media are powerful tools that mean a lot in this day and age. What are you willing to do to make sure you stay in the good graces of the people who could stop your shot from coming back into the starlight?
Celebrity crushes and romances: Fall in love with a whirlwind of romance options? Your childhood best friend and biggest supporter? Your costar who you have a strained past with? The illustrious director who you’re working under? Hollywood’s rebel who is also on the path of redemption as well?
ROMANCE OPTIONS
The Childhood Best Friend: Quinn Hartwell ✮ 26 years old ✮ gender selectable (she/her or he/him): Having a best friend in the industry is hard. Everything is so fake and one noted, so finding Quinn’s authenticity was like finding a needle in the haystack of celebrity social life. You both have seen the ugly truths of each other and the world that currently revolves around you. You two are each other’s safety nets, biggest supporters and most trusted critics. You wanted someone real, and Quinn is that.
TROPES: Friends to Lovers/It Was Always You
The Costar: Selene/Silas Fox ✮ 29 years old ✮ gender selectable (she/her or he/him): A tried and true stick up the ass. S hasn’t been in the industry for as long as you have, but they sure act like they’ve been doing this since birth. A complete professional with their craft, to the point where they have been branded someone that is hard to work with. They’re as passionate as you. For some reason, S seems like they can’t stand to be around you, and fate is a sadistic lady making you two act against each other.
TROPES: Slow Burn/One-Sided Enemies to Lovers
The Director: Olivia/Oliver Knight ✮ 42 years old ✮ gender selectable (she/her or he/him): Elusive, astonishingly creative, and narrowminded, O is a director that people could dream to work with, even at his age. Movies from them come out once in a blue moon, and they’re always critical successes. It was a surprise to everyone when they handpicked you to be the lead to their latest movie. Hopefully, you don’t disappoint O and make your claim as just another childhood actor to them.
TROPES: Forbidden Love in the Workplace
The PR Partner: Juliana/Julien “Jules” Sterling ✮ 27 years old ✮ gender selectable (she/her, he/him or they/them): What is better than one Hollywood fuck up? Two Hollywood fuck ups. You didn’t plan on getting together with Jules, hell you barely knew who they were, but here you two are, fake dating to save your reputations. At least Jules isn’t some boring square that would force you to do some Hallmark relationship shit. They say two wrongs don’t make a right, but has anyone considered they make a right when the couple in question looks so damn good?
TROPES: Fake Dating/Sex First, Romance Later
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