#valcubust

[forcewound]

lord medici e lady blackwell ❤️🧛can't get over this gorgeous piece i commissioned from @valcubust of my mc nika and her ro marcel from the amazing interactive fiction, thicker than by @barbwritesstuff.

bonus nika sketches under the cut with some 'not this shit again expressions' that are too good to leave out.

[valcubust-writes]

Demo is TBA! Apologies!! 🪳 Spotify playlist

2027, A voice transcript found on a recording device:

"...can be killed with fire, testing done in..." A french accent. "September of 2025. If I am counting correct."

. . .

"Now, with more testing I can hopefully learn more about them. Learn advantages. Sending someone out to rile them up. Will check in later."

...End transcript.

You're alive.

One survivor amongst thousands of dead. The actual death toll (if there was ever a record of it) is unavailable now. The world ended in 2026.

Now, four-hundred and twenty-three days later, you're here. In the outskirts of Scarswater, Ohio; you live in what used to be a small farming community. Once full of life and a bustling economy, but even before The End, the area had been steadily gentrified. Dead fields, closed businesses, and now, a beautiful wasteland of parking lots and unused plazas.  

Whatever caused it is unknown. Of course, you could ask everyone you know and they would all have their own ideas about what happened.

All that you know for certain is that in January of 2026, everything stopped working. Cellphones, computers, televisions... all electronics went on the fritz before shutting down entirely. After that, people started disappearing. Animals, too. And then went the crops, mass death of acres and acres of valuable foods and materials. All gone within six months. Mass hysteria ensued, people got scared, started hoarding goods. Everyone and their mother had a gun pointed right at the road, just in case anyone got any funny ideas.

And all of that was before the bizarre sightings.

The... things. Gooey, tar-like. They absorb, and absorb, and absorb.

You wondered, for a bit, how they could eat so much. But that thought has long passed. They have no limits, no voices, no care in the world except consume. How long until they finally consume you, too?

Play as a nonbinary, male, or female character; straight, bisexual, or gay.

Be transgender, cisgender, non-binary, or even questioning your identity.

Custom pronouns, as well as the option to use multiple.

Be able to change your pronouns at any point in the game.

Use a conventional name, or something fun you picked! It's the end of the world, who cares?

A basic system that tracks if you like to be touched, kissed, held, or be physically intimate. You could love certain contact, and still be sex-repulsed! Or totally allo-sexual.

Platonic routes for all romance-able characters.

Multiple love interests: 3 gender selectable ROs, 1 non-binary RO, 1 genderfluid RO, 1 cis female, 1 cis male

At least one traditional poly romance.

Miles/Mindy, Bisexual, (He/him, She/her): Someone you don't know. A surprisingly bashful stranger with a penchant for jokes that don't quite land. Their mysterious arrival can certainly spur some questions, but it's almost impossible to get a straight answer from them. Regardless, you save them or they save you. Circumstances have thrown you two together. Can you manage to get along?

Audria, Pansexual, (They/them): Audria always has their nose stuck in some sort of machinery or device. They've got real skill when it comes to fixing things, but not so much when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Despite that, Audria always seems to make time for you.

Peter/Petra, Demiromantic, Pansexual, (He/him, She/her): The unofficial leader of your group — not that they'd want to claim the title — P is in charge of food collection, distribution, and growing. They're one of the most easygoing people you've ever met in your life, and deadset on making sure everyone is cared for equally.

Lola, Biromantic, Asexual, (She/her): A stubborn and unfriendly hot mess, not to mention an intruder. Nothing about her is open, not even the clothes she wears. She might be very hard to get to know.

Sandy, Pansexual, Poly (She/They/He, goes by any pronouns): Sandy is from the West Coast, unfamiliar with the weathers and terrain (and soybeans) of Ohio. They hate it here. Sandy is a fickle person, easily bored of life and seldom takes things as seriously as they should. Has a tendency to turn everything in this new life into a joke.

Bea, Preston, Courtney

Bea (She/her): Bea is soft and caring. Not just to you, but the other people in your group as well. Being the only person around with any knowledge about healthcare, she is charge of medical.

Preston (He/him): Preston is a proper hill-billy, not the most likeable of people, but you can't deny he's a good shot. Preston keeps watch and hunts for the group.

Chloe (She/her): The younger sister to P, Chloe juggles many tasks, usually helping out with what others are doing. She always wants to go with you when you leave.

The rest will join later!:)

'Bad' language, frequently. Most slang should be recognizable, but let me know!

This is a horror/thriller, but the interpersonal relationships are very important to me. They are the main focus of the story. That, and the way people physically respond to trauma. Healing is a big part of this.

I'm painfully busy. I try to write a couple hundred words a day if I can, but it's going to be slow moving. Sorry!!

The setting is really close to my home town! Nothing that could doxx me, but if you recognize what things I'm referring to in the world, let's hang out🤘lol

This will be split into 2 parts. Both will have the same characters, but different themes.

Important note: This story may be enjoyed by people who have the same tastes as me, but it’s mostly being written for myself! I love my characters dearly and it absolutely tickles me to see them finally coming to life in text. But it’s very sculpted to my preferences. This story is for me, and it is about my experiences and those I know closely. Give or take a few monsters.

General warning for death. Familial death, parental death, animal death, spousal death. There will be many corpses seen, death of characters, and grieving are all very important. There's no way to avoid it, it's an apocalypse story.

Body horror, and depictions of gore, wound care, injuries, blood

TW for body dysphoria. Possible mentions of transphobia appearing later in the story (NOT EXPLICIT, it is implied, referencing a point in time in the past)

Mentions of guns, drugs, homelessness, police violence, alcohol, burglary, raiding, starvation, knives, stabbings

There will be explicit conversations about drugs and addictions.

That's it for now, but will be adding more as they come up. Each chapter as it's released will have a separate list of trigger warnings!