May the moon lanterns light your way in the end, hunter,
and may our threads cross again.
DEMO(~75,000 words)(Updated May 30th, 2024) | Support the Author
Two Moons is a high fantasy WIP being developed on Twine by @veswrites-if set in an original, nuanced world. In it, you play as a monster hunter cursed blessed by one of the realm's divine on the hunt for a way to save your life.
While stats are collected throughout the story to customize reactions and appraise the long-term effects of choices made, this IF is story focused rather than stat heavy. Don't look here for any dice rolling.
The story is LGBTQIA+ friendly, including acespec and arospec main and supporting characters. Any willful disregard for a character's sexuality or romantic orientation will not be tolerated on this blog.
Content Rating: 18+ for graphic violence, depictions of blood and gore, death, explicit language, sexual themes (non explicit), drug and alcohol use, possible references and mentions of suicide and other mental health struggles, mentions and references to childhood trauma, and other mature themes.
You are mortal.
Customize the hunter's physical appearance, gender identity, pronouns, and clothing and armor choices.
Survive a continent plagued by famine and monsters—only one of which you hunt for coin.
You are a monster hunter.
Choose your house name or write your own, and choose between lion, stag, wolf, spider, or hawk as house sigil.
Make impactful choices about the hunter's past and experience the effects play out in the story.
Progress the hunter's abilities with a sword, bow and arrow, or a mage staff to hone their magical talents
You are godsblessed.
Learn more about your Mark on your journey across the continent, and find other godsblessed along the way.
Discover more about the deity who blessed you and the rest of the divine pantheon.
Platonic or romantic relationships can be pursued with all six of the main cast. Romance is not necessary to progress the story.
Asahi Asano | A hunter from the influential House of Asano.
6’2", tan skin, short wavy black hair, hazel eyes, solid muscular build
As a hunter Asahi has advanced physical abilities similar to the main character, and —according to Asano traditions— is almost completely covered in tattoos. Your threads have crossed several times, but not for several years.
Cisgender m (he/him) | Demiromantic demisexual
Makai Heveths'vir : An elven archer and Asano’s travel companion of over a decade.
5’11", golden brown skin, shoulder length curly black hair, light brown eyes, thickset, stockier build with obvious muscle tone
Agility and speed are gifts of all elven and half-elven offspring, but his natural affinity for water magic set him apart as one among thousands, even as a child. Your threads have never crossed before.
Transgender m (he/him) | Alloromantic pansexual
Yezda Sunchild: A blind acolyte at the start of a very long journey.
5'5", dark bronze skin, shoulder-length curly dark brown hair often kept braided out of their face, green eyes, chubby build
An excellent herbalist, Yezda's healing gifts and soft touch come from years in a temple. Their thread meets the main characters on a cold night and now a life is owed. This is the first time your threads have crossed.
Non-binary (they/them) | Alloromantic demisexual
Wren : A half-human, half-elf individual whose loyalty lies with no one but herself.
5'7", pale skin, white-blond hair kept shoulder length, dark grey eyes, slim build
Wren's dark past is shrouded in mystery, but her talent for destructive magic and disrupting noble parties has gained her a reputation. Her spine is also marked with a god's mark, the black lines unmarred despite the hundreds of scars she bears. Your threads have never crossed.
Cisgender f (she/her) | Panromantic asexual
Eshe Negasi : Ex-princesss, now the powerful - yet unofficial - queen of the seas.
6’0", deep ebony skin, long, dark red box braids, dark brown eyes, a solid athletic build
A charismatic leader with an intensity that never wavers, Eshe's crew follows her out of admiration and loyalty built on years of trust. She's intelligent and well-read from a childhood surrounded by royal tutors, and her reputation as a fearsome swordswoman has been well-earned over the last several years. Your threads have never crossed.
Transgender f (she/her) | Demiromantic pansexual
Virāja : A dangerous mercenary-for-hire, well-renowned across all four continents.
5’10", light brown skin, dark brown hair kept short, deep blue eyes, slim to average build
A person of few words, Virāja's ability in combat is fearsome when paired with his physical skills and command of magic. Their reputation for severing threads without faltering gives most who cross paths with her pause. Your threads have crossed only once.
I believe there is a high chance my patreon may be cursed, as every time I attempt to get it off the ground I face a devastating personal loss.
As I emerge from my grief cocoon, you may see me around more, reposting and interacting with the IF community, and my return to my regularly scheduled slow and irregular updating.
I feel like I am returning to my roots as a fanfiction author with this update, but anyways: tell your loved ones how much you they mean to you today.
Unfortunately, I am also behind on payments for my dog’s emergency vet bill, so I will link my Ko-Fi and if you are feeling generous at any monetary level I will be so, so grateful. (I will also post screenshots to prove the money is going to the care credit.)There are many looking for help so I appreciate anything.
Plus, enjoy a picture of the goob because he’s cute:
How would you describe hugs from each ro? Early and late relationship? I want to give everyone a hug, but I'm not sure how cool they are with physical touch
Asahi
Early (high platonic route): Accepts hugs readily, although he won't often initiate physical touch himself.
Early (low platonic): You'd have to catch him at the right time of day and in the right mood. Maybe clean your room or perform a dance.
Late stage (platonic/romantic): Finds comfort in MC's embrace and will often seek out their embrace. His embrace is warm, his presence as steady as a rock weathering a storm.
Makai
Early: Due to his cultural upbringing, Makai gives and accepts physical touch readily to friends, family, and acquaintances alike.
Late: Absolutely the MC can ask for a hug any time of day anywhere. They adore physical touch, and while their body temperature runs quite warm, it's never becomes overwhelming.
Yezda
Early: Only if they see their trust reflected in MC.
Late: Physical touch grows on them with time and relationship development. Their embrace is tender and warm.
Wren
Early: She is not comfortable with any sort of embrace that constricts her movement. Brief touches are all she accepts in the early stages.
Late: At this point she is very comfortable with MC and would initiate a hug on her own. Her embrace is tight in case MC might fall away from them.
Eshe
Early: They may do it casually and allow MC to initiate one, but she'll keep it short.
Late: They've come to depend on MC and find comfort in their embrace. Her hug is sincere and brimming with genuine affection.
Virāja
Early: MC is welcome to try if they want a dagger between the ribs.
Late: Physical touch is not one of her love languages, but that doesn't mean they will pass up the chance if MC initiates. His embrace is comforting; MC feels very safe in his arms.
I just played the demo and it's amazing. I love the immersive imagery, as do I love the characters I've met so far. It feels like so much as happened in the chapter, but maybe that's because of the constant strokes with death.
I like how the MC's perspective is written too. The tangents to past memories are really well done.
I've got more to praise, but I lack the words at the moment. Well done Ves. I look forward to the development of this story. Take care and have a good day :)
Oh, anon, thank you for the lovely message! I am so glad you enjoyed chapter one (and its many brushes with death). I've been enjoying working on chapter two and all the MC customization!
Due to Internal things, the June and July issues will only update on events and games. We hope to resume regular activities and include more pages by August. Note: while Axelle is mentioned, they are currently on a break.
~ ENDED ~
Ended just last week was the Bluebeard Jam! 16 pieces inspired by or adapted from the tale of the same name, which you should check out!
Website: https://itch.io/jam/bluebeard-jam
~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~
The 17 entries of the ParserComp are ready to be played and judged! Until the end of July, you can cast your votes!
~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~
Like every July, the IFComp has opened once more their website for intent of submission, a required step to submit your game! You have until August 1st for the intent, then August 28th for the game!
They are also looking for an artist to design their yearly logo! (paid)
And for prizes for entrants (physical or digital)!
Over on the IntFiction Forum, an initiative to get more reviews for games created outside of the major IF competitions has been started: the Review-a-thon. Check out this post by Tabitha for the rules and other information!
This is also a sponsored event, aiming to raise funds for one of the Forum members.
Only a few days left to submit your interpretation of Anti-Romance for the Anti-Romance Jam! The deadline is the end of this weekend!
Only two more days to fix a VN and submit an entry to the Fix the Worst Visual Novels (Jam)!
The deadline for the O2A2 Jam is also coming up this weekend! Only 1.000 words and one asset for everything!
Did you submit an intent to the IntroComp? The deadline to submit your prototype is coming up!
Don't forget, on July 31st!
For the francophones, the French IF community is organizing a summer-long camp to create parsers. Join the Confiture de Parser if you're interested!
Until the end of July, a chill IF (text-only) game jam is happening on itch, from the Interactive Fiction Club.
Do you understand or write Ukrainian? Until the end of the year, the Ukrainian IF Festival is happening on itch.io!
~ OTHER ~
The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running! If you have completed an IF piece this year, consider submitting it! It is happening only on itch!
~ NEW RELEASE ~
We haven't noticed any full releases this week, outside of events we mentioned previously!
So don't forget to check those entries!
~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~
In Dresburg-Hof (CScript) is a fantasy project where you play as a sergeant. @thetruearchmagos
An untitled pirate IF project, where you can vote for the next path to be written has started on Tumblr. @starrumstories
Ichor of the Last Lament (Twine) is a bronze-age inspired fantasy project. @ichorofthelastlament
The Haunting Shadows (Twine) is a supernatural mature project set in 1890s Louisiana. @thehauntingshadows-if
Heavy is the Crown (CScript) is a fantasy royal intrigue project, where you play a prince. @heavyisthecrown-if
Darkness Reborn (CScript) is a fantasy project inspired by Wildermyth.
Ice and Ember (CScript) is a fantasy project build around an arranged marriage trope.
~ GAMES UPDATES ~
Appt 102 (CScript) has had a massive update, with over 100k words added. @apt502-if
Anastasia - ROTTMNT (Twine) added Chapter 3 to the ongoing demo. @chaoticspeedrun
The Spirited: Origins (Twine) just released the re-written Chapter 1. @yuveim
Pillars of the Light (CScript) has completed Chapter 1 of the demo. @nothingherebutthefog
Two Moons (Twine) has completed its first chapter. @twomoons-if
Alpha, Beta, Omega (Twine) has had a short demo update. @dam-peace
Link Rot (Custom) added a new transmission to the project. @qrowscant-art
Eldritch Tale (CScript)'s demo now includes parts of Chapter 2. @darielivalyen
Broken Fables (CScript)'s demo now includes the first part of Chapter 3.
Heroes and Heretics (CScript) reworked its prologue and doubled the wordcount.
Website: https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-heroes-and-heretics-prologue-reworked-completed-41k-words-updated-08-07-24/155287
Wake to weep (CScript)'s demo has been updated with extra content.
Scale of Justice (CScript) has been accepted for publication, the demo only having Ch1-5. @myimaginedcorner
Eschaton: The Rebirth (CScript)'s demo now includes the full Chapter 2.
Prismatic (CScript) updated the demo with new content.
The Devil's Privilege (CScript) completed its first two chapters.
~ OTHER ~
If you are interested in critical looks into older IF games, you should read this article about Joe Mason's In the End. @golmac
Chronicles of Tal’Dun: The Remainder (Ren’Py) is looking for playtester for their expanded editions. @the-remainder
The Kickstarter for My Dear Love (VN) has just been launched! @h9o6
The Lonely Shores (CScript) is looking for beta-testers. @thelonelyshore-if
The third part of the Trinity-focused episodes on the Gold Machine podcast was released.
Seven's Deadly (Twine) as opened a call for VA for a podcast based on the game. @cova111 @sevensdeadly-if
Our Life (Ren’Py) is looking for guest artists. This is a paid commission. @gb-patch
We apologize if we missed an update or a release. We are but volunteers trying to find as much info as possible, but sometimes news pass through the cracks.
Please, let us know if something should have been added to the zine, and we will shout it out next week!
Interactive Fiction Community Raffle for Palestine!
Over 50 authors and artists from the Interactive Fiction community here on tumblr have come together to offer an array of prizes for a focused donation drive! We are aiming to raise as much money as possible for five families who are currently trying to evacuate Gaza. These fundraisers have been vetted by @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi (thank you for your hard work!)
RULES:
You MUST donate a minimum of €5/$5 USD to one of these five fundraisers to qualify for a ticket. These are the currencies the GFMs are in (3 in euro, 2 in USD). We chose this amount because it is the minimum GFM allows and we are hoping to encourage as many donations as possible. Please be mindful that GFM does not show the conversion rate if you're donating outside your currency.
Donating once to all five GFMs will get you five tickets. And for each extra 5 you donate, you will get an extra ticket. (ie donating 10 to one GFM gets you 2 tickets, 15 gets you 3, etc.)
There are two tiers we will be pulling prizes from: one tier for writing, and one tier for art. When you submit your proof of donation, you will be asked to specify which tier you want your ticket to go towards. If you are submitting for more than one ticket, you will specify the tiers for each ticket-- you can spread them out between both tiers or put them all towards one.
You will be required to share a receipt/proof of donation via uploading a picture through google forms. We will not be handling any money. You are donating directly to the GFMs, and then showing us proof that you have done so. Please include the GFM and the amount you've donated in the screenshot you upload. We are only taking donations starting from June 7th onward.
We plan to raffle off all possible prizes using a random generator. Once the drive concludes on the 21st, we'll take a few days to gather up & organize the tickets and draw names, and then we will be in touch with winners both on tumblr and via email.
You can find the full list of contributors and prizes here.
Please understand that these prizes are pulled blind and assigned at random. You cannot pick or choose which writer/IF or artist you get. It is completely randomized. You get what you get-- even if you aren't familiar with the writer or their game. Artists and authors also have the right to refuse your request at their discretion. Please be respectful and remember that our main goal and focus here is fundraising for these families.
Abdullah Mohammed and his family
Mohammed Bardaweel and his family
Bilal Salah's family
Suad and her family
Firas Salem and his family
We encourage you to share these families and their fundraisers here and elsewhere. We're hoping by focusing our efforts we can really make a big impact for all of them.
Ticket submission form:
Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).
