It was a great joy to interview @wings-of-ink, author of one of the winning games in the fantasy category - God Cursed! An IF with gripping action, and twangs of emotion that are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat! We hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as we enjoyed making it!
See the full list of winners in this category here.
About the author
I’m not great at knowing what to share about myself.
I'm a certified cat-lady.
My blood type is coffee.
I can predict rain based on which of my joints hurt.
About the game
You're marked, god-cursed, fated to die unless you can reshape your destiny in a world where your divine curse makes you hunted, feared, and entangled by relationships that may prove as damning as the curse itself.
Tell us about your current focus in IF and more about your journey into interactive fiction.
Right now, I’m working on Chapter 8 of God-Cursed and am building a foundation for my next project, a sci-fi IF called Lab Rat.
My journey into the IF world started with my very best friend (of 26 years) showing me the door into this niche. I was already familiar with VNs, but didn’t know the full scope of interactive fiction until she guided me here. IFs resonated deeply with me in a way other literature and games didn’t, so I read everything I could find. I think every IF I have touched has added fuel to my desire to write and create as well.
What was the inspiration for this game, and why did you want to write a story in the fantasy genre?
God-Cursed had no single source of inspiration, but it was carried forth by a long history of my love and experience with the fantasy genre. All my life, I have resonated with the fantastical in literature and games. Once upon a time, it was all that I would read/play/watch —nothing else kept my interest as much as fantasy. It wasn’t really a shock, given my history, that the idea for God-Cursed was the one that stuck with me, kept coming back to mind, and filled my notebook with ideas.
Are there any specific themes or messages you hope players take away from your work?
There are probably several themes, if I really think about it, but I can sum most of them up into one very broad thing—humanity. What I hope comes across is how beautiful people really are, how everyone has struggled or is struggling with something, how cruel people can be, but also how wonderful. I want readers to feel an authentic connection with this, and maybe even discover something about themselves or others. We are all works of art, bruises and bumps and all.
What does your writing process look like?
My writing process is a combination of lawlessness and hyperfocus. I’ve refined it further from what it once was after learning my organizational weaknesses for such a massive project. Generally, I start with the crux of the plot around the MC—the spark or inciting problem/incident and work out from there in a sort of spiral. This helps me keep the MC at the center of the story and place characters around them who make sense (I never want to place a character for no reason; they need a purpose). I shape the world as I go, making sure the setting flows with the problems they will all encounter and shows the reader why things are the way they are. Sometimes the setting helps create the plot as well, so at least for me, I try to develop everything together in small pieces. This also caters to my attention span, as I struggle to stay on just one thing for long stretches without getting bored and frustrated.
I don’t have any rituals or habits, but I would recommend that if you want to get into writing interactive fiction, you put thought into how you work best. This could be a time of the day or even a specific room. Do you need background noise or silence? Set yourself up for success intentionally because your brain might work against you. Sometimes I need background noise—a fan or strictly instrumental music (even lyrics distract me). I also often need to be in a separate room away from distractions like my spouse playing a game or watching a show. You’d be surprised what just going to another room can do for your focus and creativity.
Do you have favourite interactive fiction games, characters, scenes or authors that you'd like to recommend?
Yes, probably too many! I could just keep listing, but I'll stop at 6 recommendations that stick with me day in and day out (some of them for years).
Paved in Ashes by Sai
Everything written by C.C. Hill
The Second Sight by SpoiledSweet
Wolf Set Free
Viatica and Cantata by fir-fireweed
Concurrent by Daisy
If you were to say one thing to your readers, other authors, and/or the interactive fiction community: what would it be?
Thank you. Thank you, and I’m so very glad you’re all here. This little corner of the world genuinely helped me recover a part of my soul that I thought I had lost, a fire I thought was out for good. It’s difficult to do this at times, but I have never stopped loving it. Everyone here, be they writer or reader, adds something special and irreplaceable to this space.
Fun section for the fantasy genre
Personal fave fantasy race: I'm fond of gnomes and fae creatures.
Personal fave fantasy setting: Second-world or high fantasy–magic and mayhem.
If you were transported into the setting above, as the race you selected, what job would you have and what would your life look like: I think I'd live pretty quietly on the hunt for little curios to restore and sell.
ᴘʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴꜱ➙ They/Them
ʙᴜɪʟᴅ➙ 𝘈𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 & 𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦
ꜱᴄᴀʀ➙ Middle finger, right hand
ᴍᴀʀᴋ➙ “𝘈 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮”
ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏ➙ 𝘊𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦
ᴊᴇᴡᴇʟʀʏ➙ 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 & a 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦
ʜᴏʙʙʏ➙ Drawing & painting
ᴛʀᴇᴀꜱᴜʀᴇ➙ 𝘒𝘦𝘺
ꜰᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴍᴇʟʟ➙ The Forrest
ꜰᴀᴠᴇ ꜰʟᴏᴡᴇʀ➙ 𝘍𝘰𝘹𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴
On their naming day, they kept their name as “𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫” (they see it as a gift from their father's & a way to honor their late grandmother 🤗)
𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢 blames themself for the death of their mother 😓🪦 (after talking with 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰, in ᴄʜᴘ𝟲, they began to think that maybe their mother could've LOVED them)
When 𝐎𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝟷ˢᵗ began pulling away, it REALLY hurt them; eventually, that pain changed into numbness (they finally gave up on 𝐎𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧 after the “key incident”... why put any more energy into someone who clearly hates you 🫤)... as of 𝗖𝗛𝗣𝟯 they've reconciled with 𝐎𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧
𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢'𝐬 wears a 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 on their hand 🖕😉 (the initial injury didn't heal correctly & required a partial “𝘋𝘐𝘗” amputation)
They LOVE kids & have a close, familial relationship with 𝐄𝐦𝐫𝐞'𝐬 children 😊
Any recognition 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢'𝐬 art receives flusters them to a great degree 🫣🖼️ (their primary subjects are fauna & flora)
Before leaving 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌 they had no “interest” in the amorous attentions of other people (sure they'd become flustered if flirted with or proposed to, in the case of the pinfinger incident, but nothing ever made them FEEL something); meeting 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢 definitely changed that... their heart actually fluttered 🩷🐺🩷
Whenever 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢 is faced with 𝟸 people having a ridiculous confrontation, which might lead to a physical altercation, they quickly diffuse the situation by chastising both parties & clearly explaining WHY the argument itself is pointless 😮💨 (acting like an exasperated parent that's speaking to children)
Their hope for the coming year was “𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴” 😤💼 (their wish came true in the worst way possible)
𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢 keeps their hair short so that it's easier to care for whenever they're sick 🤒
They named the she-wolf “𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚” (they're happy to be considered her honorary cub 🥺💕)
𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢 DOESN'T trust 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐥 (he always seems to pop up whenever they're in danger… + his intentions are questionable at best 😒)… they've slowly begun warming up to him as of ᴄʜᴘ𝟲
They idea of “befriending” magic makes them happy 🥰🪄 (the colour of their magic is teal)
…
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𝐼𝐹: @wings-of-ink
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Picrew used:
my first maker
if you like the art, you can find me here
https://twitter.com/spotchy_pooch
Name: Carmi Northbreaker
Traits: Outgoing, playful, and reckless
Hobbies: carpentry, and singing
Always seen with a smile on his face, and a joke at the ready- he is the true definition of fake it until you make it. His fathers and Oswin are the only ones who have seen the true anger at his current situation that lingers in the back of his head constantly. Everyone else only knows the smiling, happy Carmi. Ever since the first time he got sick as a child, he has declared he'd live his life to the fullest. He does what he wants, when he wants and won't apologize for it. His sickness may have had a hand in his stunted emotional growth as he craves getting the most out of life before his clock is done ticking- Carmi trusts easily and forgives without a 2nd thought to anyone and everyone.
Some may be surprised to find out that he is incredibly inexperienced when it comes to love with the way he flirts and decorates his revealing body with jewelry, but in classic Carmi way, he wants what he wants. He won't truly dive until a relationship, emotionally or physically, unless its with Oswin, the moon to his sun.
Curse mark:
So stinking obsessed with this story, and i reread it like every 2 week or so. I love my mule, and my fathers, and my wolf, and everything. Everything. Highly recommended. You can find out more at @wings-of-ink
i have a curse of 'read thru my favourite IF' and I'm supposed to sleep, but what if I stayed up. What if I thought about how songs from a new album line up in *really* funny ways with the story and characters. What if.
