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 a 16+ Epic-Fantasy inspired by the ancient Empire 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
How Sleeping Dogs Lie
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 :))
Playlist
The Thief, Sura (M)
"Worthless...
wholly undeserved of attention.
And yet, there he stubbornly stood, screaming on top of his lungs "I am here."
Playlist
The Catalyst, Layla (F)
"Broken with longing she is,
for the one she loved is no more."
The Fallen, Arjuna (M)
"Oh how the fallen wailed...
and oh, how sweet is the song of ivory's ire."
As the fourth son of a local ruler, Arjuna has lived a mostly privileged life with little to no responsibility upon his shoulders.
But what happens when he is stripped of all that once made him special? Can his heart stay pure even with the whispers of death and destruction?
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.
Smoke and flame swirl around you.
Conjured fire is spontaneous, dangerous magic. When set loose by its caster, it is quick to spread and difficult to control.
Already a wall of fire flares across the exit. Escape is impossible…
For anyone who isn’t a Wayfarer.
➛ 1. You can’t run. Not when innocent people are dying. You have to help.
➛ 2. You don’t owe this city anything. Don’t risk your life when you’re so close to making it out.
WAYFARER is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. Take the role of a Wayfarer, a mercenary from a dying order of warriors marked by their immunity to magic, and explore a world of cutthroat politics, chaos, and danger.
Customize your protagonist, including their ancestry, origin, and appearance
Navigate hundreds of branching choices—every action, big or small, matters
Develop relationships with a cast of diverse characters and factions
Enjoy a highly re-playable experience, with over 900,000 words of epic adventure in the current demo
🠂 PLAY THE GAME HERE 🠀
Intrigued? Want to play Episode 3? Support my work on Patreon!
In honour of Wayfarer Day (or 6+1 Day—that mysterious six and one that haunts the narrative, if you know you know!), all Patreon tiers are 50% off. Get alpha build access and continue your journey, stay up to date with progress reports, and enjoy extras and short stories.
Alpha build access is a benefit for the Recruit and Apprentice tiers only.
Sale applies to monthly and annual memberships.
Use code 48E17 to claim.
The surface is off-limits.
No matter what kind of pipe dream you're trying to chase, what manic imagination lured you into believing it's better than the underground shit-hole you grew up in—you'll die there.
They'll kill you. They hate your kind. That's why you're down here in the first place. Don't forget it. Stop trying to look for an exit that doesn't exist.
You are what's known among your people as a seer. Born with the ability to hear the wailing of ancient souls, you move about the underground with your friend, your partner, and your soul-bound to banish them.
If you don't answer their call, you'll end up just like them. Angry, despaired, and clinging to things long past. Your sanity, for one.
People like you are fickle. Your soul has been whisked away into the beyond before. It's a miracle you're alive. People like you are rare. Sacred. Needed to keep your home safe.
So what's going to happen if one day, the call comes from beyond the walls you know? A home with no apparent exit? If you make it outside, will you survive?
Will people try to kill you like they did with your ancestors? Will you manage to soothe the spirit that called to you, or will you go insane while trying?
Or perhaps, will it lead you through an elaborate court full of intrigue and betrayal, where you are forced to pretend to be someone you couldn't be any more different from?
Someone who left behind a murky legacy in their death. One that you're now tasked with solving.
Your closest confidante, and an easily irritable man. Growing up, Páv has always been gifted when it comes to magic. He's a lot stronger than you in that regard.
Thankfully, your close bond allows you to dip into his arcane reservoirs, so that you're not just standing off to the side when combating vengeful spirits.
He'd like it if you were more cautious with it, though. Killjoy.
— He/Him - Bisexual - Introduced in Ch. 1 —
Future ruler of Chánjuān—Land of light.
They have an easy-going attitude about... Anything of importance, really. To a worrying degree. You don't know why they're so respected among court with an attitude like that.
It doesn't help that they refuse to personally debrief you about the wild goose chase they've sent you on.
— They/them - Bisexual - Introduced in Ch. 3 —
Right hand advisor of the sovereign.
A medium—just like you, he claims—and aspiring court mage, who specialises in fortune telling and being the most vain person in the room at all times.
He's charming, flirtatious, and frankly a little intimidating with his quick wits and forked silver tongue.
— He/him - Bisexual - Introduced in Ch. 3 —
You didn't expect a guard to be so easy with her smiles, nor so generous with her attention. Not just with you—with anyone.
She's tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably capable. At times, she seems like your only ally who's sound of mind. And her loyalty runs deep.
Maybe a little too deep.
— She/her - Lesbian - Introduced in Ch. 4 —
A noble whose electric-blue gaze seems to pierce right through you. As if seeing beyond that puny façade you're desperately trying to keep up.
He doesn't have the time nor the nerve to fool around, and he makes this very clear at all times. Assertive as they come. Not just matching, but surpassing Páv's caustic streak.
That resolve seems to falter a little around his fellow mage and royal advisor, though.
— He/him - Bisexual - Introduced in Ch. 4 —
You know her so very well, don't you?
You better act like you do, and act good, you hear?
Good luck.
— She/her - Bisexual - Introduced in Ch. 5 —
A fully customisable MC: Name, Pronouns, Gender, Sexuality, Appearance → (Please note that the character whose identity you assume later on is male, and you will be addressed as such by a variety of characters)
A character-driven story with a cast of six romanceable characters, including two planned poly routes (and a pending toxic third one...)
Navigate the royal court and all of its intrigues, and solve the mystery which the strange ghost call has left in its wake.
Your very own feline familiar!
And a lot of optional dynamic smut scenes down the line...
Please make sure to tag me in any posts that remind you of the story/characters, fan art (I love seeing MCs), etc! And don't be shy to suggest more choices to better roleplay as your MC. I can't guarantee that I'll include them, but I will absolutely read and consider any ideas. 💜
-
Happy April 1st, otherwise known as Chapter 2 Release Day!
THE LOADING TIMES ARE BETTER as of August last year. If you couldn't get the game to load when it launched, and still want to play, please try again and let me know how it goes! I have more improvements planned to make it faster, but those will take some time.
And now - the update is finally live!
YEAR OF AGES
This is more a collection of vignettes (starring your MC) than a single storyline, but that is very intentional - everything here serves a purpose! Depending on your choices and how fast you read, it should be anywhere from 1-2 hours of new content.
It will, however, certainly break your saves.
There now a "skip to chapter" index, so you can set your most important variables there instead of speedrunning through the original demo! Unless, of course, you haven't played since release day and are interested in seeing what changed with the previous update[s] à la the arson route and some new descriptions of the servant and the guard.
Chapter 2 is also the prelude to what I am calling your first "companion cutscene" in the next chapter; not that your choices in THIS update won't echo through the narrative and future gameplay.
Because they will.
For now, I hope you enjoy version 0.2.0!
Note: there are NEW content warnings for this chapter, so although there is a possibility of spoilers, consider re-reading them if you have any concerns.
IN THIS CHAPTER
Lose all track of time and your grasp on reality.
Encounter the Land which binds you...
Adopt a tiny winged friend [optional].
Get to know the servant and the guard slightly better.
4 new achievements.
Unlock a new codex page and item.
Training montage. Git gud, scrub.
Flirt with the Younger Twin - or return to your senses.
Find more reasons to hate the Younger Twin - or understand them?
Enjoy a hazy conversation with your benefactor [mostly optional].
Suffer [not optional].
FEATURES
100,000+ total words
carefully curated soundscape
a few original background WIPs
codex pages under construction
4 in-progress personality variants
chapter index for returning players
CHANGELOG
you can set your MC's height now!
custom titles for saves [THIS TOOK SO LONG PLEASE APPRECIATE MY EFFORTS]
new chapter selection page to set the important variables
the affection stat for the Younger Twin will not appear unless you either flirt once [deceptively or genuinely] or find them physically attractive
currently overhauling the trust / affection stats, so the skip feature might be a bit broken until a future update [I am frankly too tired to tear Chapter 1's code apart atm]
finally eradicated an error [repeated word] on the introductory page that has been making my eye twitch for months now
new codex background image [was changed in an unofficial patch for load times so may not be new to most of you]
a few minor changes to Chapter 1
UPDATE NOTES
Ignore if you don't want any spoilers!
As with the previous chapter, don't sweat too many of your decisions here... although if you managed to make U (the Younger Twin) unhappy with their chosen mortal by the end of Chapter 1, your experience might be slightly different in tone.
Not an abundance of Z (the Elder Twin) content, but they'll have their time to shimmer and shine like the ghostly ethereal being they are in the coming chapters! Trust!
The entire story is a slow-burn and this chapter is no exception, so grab your tea and settle in.
If you have any suggestions or possible improvements, my inbox is open! Even if I can't reply to everything, I'll see it and take it into consideration for future edits. This update has spent sooooo much time in limbo, but rest assured I've poured my heart into it for you.
Once again, this is all early access, my first attempt at coding anything ever, and my very first IF, so please be kind!
You can read the revised intro post HERE or jump straight into the DEMO.
You sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to get here. You were to become knighted for your service to the Ancient Council. Your master—your sire, the one who brought you into the world of the undead—promised you eternity. What you got was eternity in darkness.
Decades passed. The world moved on. But you refused to die.
Now, unearthed by mere chance, you rise into a world changed beyond recognition. The delicate balance between vampires and humans is unraveling, and the old laws that once governed your kind are crumbling. Feral vampires run rampant, hunters prowl the streets, and the name of your former master carries whispers of something far worse than betrayal.
You have only one certainty—revenge. But as you hunt the one who damned you, you uncover a deeper, more sinister plot. Something greater threatens you and all vampirekind.
The question is: What will you become?
Features:
🩸 Character Customization – Be whoever you want! Define your gender, appearance, and sexuality.
🩸 Forge Your Legacy – Will you be a ruthless predator or a vampire who clings to their last shreds of humanity?
🩸 Powerful Vampiric Abilities – Choose from five unique powers, unlocking new choices and interactions throughout the game.
❤️ Romance or Rivalry – Six potential romance options—vampires, hunters, and those caught in between. Will they be your allies, lovers, or enemies?
🩸 A World on the Brink – Navigate the murky politics of vampire society or side with those who seek to erase your kind forever.
🩸 Multiple Endings – Will you fight to save your kind or be the one who seals its fate?
Silly me, working on multiple projects at once 🤭
Ya like vampires? So do I! :D
Decided not to spoil any of the romance options beforehand, so you'll just have to meet 'em in game.
Anywho, I don't know which demo I'll wrap up first, so I'll keep you posted!
A wall that was never in your apartment and yet suddenly is.
And then there's the cat that neither you nor your roommate have ever seen. Never mind that you both have dozens of photos of said cat in your phone galleries.
And then an unfamiliar pair of shoes in the hallway, your size but definitely not your style. Morning glories bombarding your building's exterior, not roses. An entire coffee shop that wasn't there yesterday.
...And that's just in the first hour you've been awake.
The worst thing is that no one else realizes it's happening. Not the superintendent of your building (who claims that wall has always been there).
Not the veterinarian (who claims you bring in Freckles the Cat for annual checkups and vaccinations).
Not your parents (who never seem to call you by your name anymore).
Not your boss (who is suddenly single and seems to think you're best friends).
And certainly not the twins fighting one another for the city's mayoral seat.
Concurrent Assistance Hub
✷Play as a man, woman, or person who shares an apartment with their best friend and a surprisingly sweet (and shockingly ugly) cat named Freckles.
✷Make friends (with or without benefits...), enemies, and maybe even find love.
✷...Oh, and shape the future of the world you live in.
WARNINGS:
This game is 18+ for optional explicit sexual content.
Concurrent is a sci-fi slice-of-life on the surface. Deeper things are at play, however, such as death, suicide, drug abuse, political violence, militarized police forces, late-stage capitalism in full decay, and fascism. Please be mindful of your triggers and whether this game suits you.
Concurrent is entirely written, coded, and uploaded by Daisychain Fiction. We do not use -or support the use of- generative AI. Nor do we consent to our works being used to train language models.
Romantic Options
✷Coda Maeson - the best friend [they/them]
✷Tove Bacolod - the hot neighbor [she/her]
✷Rory Alonso - the small business owner [she/they]
Total Word Count: 827,861 (721,092 w/o code)
Average Playthrough Length: 160,387
Read Here!
Let’s ring in the new year with my longest chapter yet of Shattered Eagle: Fall of an Empire! Much of this length will be reflected in variations of scenes or wholly new scenes that specific choices will allow entrance to, and as such it may not feel its length as much as the overall word count may suggest. Still, this chapter will represent payoff for important developments of the plot and of the characters, in addition to setting the stage for the rest of Act II.
Chapters I → VI Changelog:
I have made some minor adjustments, including but not limited to adding new variables that will be needed for Chapter VII and beyond. I have also added a means by which to start four of the five romances in either Chapter IV or Chapter VI, and means by which to gain some of the information an allied Darius would give even if he is not visited in Chapter VI.
Chapter VII Changelog:
Clocking in at over 200,000 words without code, this chapter was quite a lot for me to wrangle. As a result, I have no doubt I’ve missed typos, label errors, odd spacing, and incorrectly set variables. I would greatly appreciate feedback pointing these out and any other constructive criticism or suggestions which may help enhance the story and reading experience of Shattered Eagle.
Additionally, I would greatly appreciate those who read through the demo to post the stats listed at the end on this forum thread for the purposes of balancing content. If you would like not to post them publicly, feel free to message them to me personally on the Choice of Games Forum.
Future Updates:
The remaining four chapters of the story await for me to write, as the conflicts established boil over before the Prefect’s eyes. I hope you leave feedback and continue to enjoy the work-in-progress!
