#stabh

[lacewing-if]

New Update: STABH Chapter 5

"Whoa, easy, sweetheart." Ash holds both their hands in a placating gesture, then something crosses their mind. "Or maybe not. I'm game if you like it rough."

DEMO ✶ MASTERPOST

It's here, guys. Chapter 5 is finally out!!!!! 🎉

You might wanna play the game from the start, because I've added a new scene that might flip your view on a certain character. I was going to reveal this in a much later chapter, making it some sort of "plot twist", but now I've changed my mind.

Also, a new love interest has appeared!!! I’ve always liked their trope in supernatural shoujo manga, so when I start my own story, I thought, why not? I’m looking forward to writing more about them in the future!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you guys think! 💕

Tagging: @interact-if

[lacewing-if]

Warning: infrequent/mild sexual content, explicit language, violence, flawed characters, morally questionable behavior, obsession, bully romance, etc…

DEMO ✶ TAG

✶ Synopsis ✶

My family doesn't have a good history with the paranormals. When I was seven, my sister got kidnapped by a vampire. Years earlier, my aunt disappeared with a faerie. The sight of them with a supernatural was the last any one of us could witness. It's as if they were erased from existence.

Mom and Dad try to equip me against these creatures. The idea that one of us will disappear again is too much to bear. But when a certain supernatural comes into my life, revealing a lot more about me that my family could ever know, I wonder if all those years of training could prepare me enough for this.

✶ Romantic options ✶

Charlie (gender-selectable)

Their parents passed away, so my family decided to take them under our wing. They’re sweet, they care about me, and I can always count on them with anything. I wonder if I have the same impact on them.

Ashton/Ashley (gender-selectable)

That irritating vampire who acts way too friendly with me for our own sake. They're volatile, they're suspicious, they're always flirting with me for no reason! But why does my heart beat so fast when I see them?

✶ About game ✶

• Vampire Diaries meets interactive fiction

• An angry gremlin for a protagonist (female gender-locked, name and appearance customizable)

• At least 2 love interests and up, harem route available

• Get involved into school drama, supernatural drama, just drama in general

[lacewing-if]

New Update: STABH Chapter 4

"I didn't realize you care…" "Why wouldn't I be?” says Charlie, genuinely confused. “It's you."

DEMO ✶ MASTERPOST

Hey guys, chapter 4 is out! ✨ This might be my favorite chapter as of yet hehe (then again, any chapter is my favorite once I write them…)

In this update, I have added MC customization, which is a thing I didn’t think I would include. But then I saw the opportunity and was like, oh well why not, wouldn’t hurt 🤷‍♀️ And it inspired me some new scenes that I really like!

Chapter 4 follows the aftermath of a certain revelation in chapter 3, along with some good ol’ high school drama as the cherry on top. Hope you enjoy! ✨

[lacewing-if]

so i assume based on your usage of "female socialization" and such, she's locked "cis female"? if it's the "socialization" that matters, why can't MC be afab but recently come out as nonbinary or transmasc or intersex? if there is little room allowed for variation, why *did* you decide to not keep it a novel?

I think I’ve said a lot more things than female socialization, haven’t I? And furthermore, do you wish to have a cisgender woman - who doesn’t personally experience nor fully understand the nuances of nonbinary, transmasc, or intersex identities - write about a nonbinary, transmasc, or intersex person? STABH isn't like My Glasses, where it's kind of like a fantasy land where gender identity doesn't exactly matter. When a lot of MC's identity is so centered around being a woman, I cannot just nilly willy write in a nonbinary, transmasc, or intersex MC just for the sake of diversity or "variation". It feels disingenuous, and I think nonbinary, transmasc, and intersex people deserve better than that.

And as for why making STABH a game? ...Because a game doesn't need variation? Call me crazy but there is literally a type of game called Kinetic Novel where there is no gameplay, no game option. If you search up games on IFComp or somewhere else, I assure you there will be an IF variation of this. After all, games, films, or novels are just different medium of storytelling. I made the creative decision to turn this story into a game because I find this a very immersive and intimate medium, and readers can really immerse into the thoughts and feelings of the main character. When I first looked at STABH as a game, it felt like everything just clicked.

And that is not to mention the age old question when there are multiple love interests in a story: who to choose out of these hotties? That's also why I made it into a game.

[lacewing-if]

is there a particular reason the MC is genderlocked "female"?

Hi, thanks for asking! I’ve actually been waiting for a question like this (more reason to blab lol).

STABH was originally a novel that I wrote for funsies to deal with my perfectionism. When I turned it into a game, I did think about making it gender selectable, but it really wouldn’t work. The MC is very set in terms of personality, mannerism, relationships with other people, etc… Everything about her is very female-coded. A person with a gender study would explain it better than me, but her dynamic with the world around her would be very different if she were another gender.

A specific case would be MC and Allison’s rivalry. Their dynamic is very deeply rooted in female socialization. It wouldn’t work if MC were, say, a guy. If I were to make MC gender selectable, I would have to make Allison’s gender changeable, too. Not only that, I would have to change Allison’s whole characterization, tailoring to each gender, and that just takes too much brain power for something supposed to be fun and casual for me.

Finally, and this is something more personal to me, I write MC with a very specific image in mind: an angry, bitter girl failure, a friendless idiot, a girl who is not “nice”. I do this because I am not a big fan of how women are usually portrayed in fictions. Either they have to be a virtuous saintess, or they have to live up to the image of a “strong” commercial girlboss, or worse, both. In whichever cases, they always have to prove their worth to the world in order to justify their existence, and I’m just not a fan of it. This is really a case of “I don’t see it so I write it”.

[lacewing-if]

Progress Report

Hey guys! 👋✨

It’s been two months since the release of Help! I Can’t Find My Glasses! (Thank you for your messages and comments 💕) With the game being finished, I can finally start on some other projects.

I’m happy to say that STABH is going to have an update this week! 🥳 Done all the codes, just need to edit a little bit. I’m thinking of releasing it on Sunday, May 18th. Yippie! ✨

I’ve also written a little bit for my secret projects. Secret project #1 has already had an intro scene, same with secret project #2. With STABH soon to be out, I’m hoping to keep the momentum going!

See you on Sunday! 💕

[lacewing-if]

Jade: Your favorite relationship between two characters

Hmm… I guess it would have to be between STABH!MC and an upcoming RO in chapter 6 (yup, there’s another one). They have this very intense relationship where they really, really hate each other but they are also incredibly obsessed with one another. It’s kind of a funny dynamic, really, cuz even though these two are like enemies, they are pretty similar to each other, kind of like the same person but with different skin 😂 Their relationship is basically the enemies to lovers of my dream, but I’ll have to see how it turns out when I actually write it 😂 As for things that’s already been written, though, my favorite relationship is probably between My Glasses!MC and Thanh. Two people arguing with each other like bratty little babies (I mean, they technically are just high school children). Did I mention how much I love rivals/enemies to lovers? 😁

Recently I’ve reread STABH and I also quite like the relationship between STABH!MC and her best/only friend/cousin Cindy. I feel like I’ve pretty much captured the insecurities and nuances within the relationship, so I’m pretty proud about that.

Thanks for asking! 💕

You can find other gemstone asks here.

[lacewing-if]

Gender locked protag? NoOoOoOoOoOo…🧎‍♂️….

………..

…………..

*reads anyway*

(This is a joke obviously, I know it’s your story and your creative decision!)

Lol I get what you mean. I always self insert in games, so I usually just play ones where MC can be the same gender as me. That being said, thank you for still giving this story a chance 🫶💕