Just West of Autumn Boulevard

This is a development blog for my interactive fiction WIP, "Just West of Autumn Boulevard".

[westofautumnboulevard]

Just West of Autumn Boulevard

Hi, every one! I‘m finally putting out my first choice script project (and first writing project in a few years) and I‘m super excited to share it with you guys.

Just West of Autumn Boulevard is a horror/mystery interactive fiction WIP that explores not ancient horrors, waiting in recently unearthed and long-forgotten tombs, but modern ones. The kind that hides in an empty alley on your way home, stares at you through a dark subway window at night or makes you feel alone and forgotten as thousands of people walk mere feet away from you.

I want to take a look at just why you can‘t avoid your reflection‘s eyes while riding the elevator alone. The reason you find yourself sprinting up empty stairwells at night. And, of course, at how well you can know the people sharing your roof once there‘s a hundred of them.

Plot Summary:

Just west of Autumn Boulevard stands an ordinary high rise block.

It's stood there for 30 years, doing nothing of any particular interest. Most people wouldn‘t be able to pick it out of a lineup, no matter how often they‘ve passed it by.

You‘re no different from them. When you move in, however, your opinion changes quickly once your new neighbours approach you with a list of rules. Rules to stay safe.

Find out why riding the elevator after sundown is forbidden, flee down stairwells whose length doesn‘t match any floor‘s height and get to know the people living on the 50th floor of your new 45 story home.

Maybe you can uncover the mysteries surrounding the building just west of Autumn Boulevard. And its residents.

Demo

You can play the current demo here.

It clocks in at about 23k words (excluding code) right now, with an average playthrough length of probably less than that.

Characters

Read a bit about the characters introduced so far here.

This Blog

I will be using this blog to answer any questions you have and, more importantly for now, report about my writing as often as I can.

[westofautumnboulevard]

You haven't post for quite a while are you okay?

I am okay! Also still around, I promise. I ended up moving and starting up a new part time job, which (shocking no one but me) means I have even less time to write. And I try to use what time I have to work on the game rather than answering asks.

I’m sorry for being so slow to answer! (I have far too many asks in my inbox right now, so to anyone who sent me one: Sorry, but I promise I’ll get to it!)

[kruk-art]

My little project “draw all your fav ocs from if games” start now.

Abigail Jade Novak from  The Spirited: Origins

Misha Waters from  Just west of Autumn Boulevard

[westofautumnboulevard]

I’m not usually into horror and yet I am really into what I’ve read of the demo so far!! I look forward to seeing more, I really love your writing style. :)

Everytime I get a message like this I’m just so

Thank you SO MUCH for liking my story. I’m working hard on the update and I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much!

[westofautumnboulevard]

Soooooooooooooooo.... who's the best in bed?

I’m not sure there’s a truly objective way to rate them, but I guess I can say a little about each of their... styles (under a cut because this is way nsfw).

Rae is, as one might expect, the most... energetic of all. She has the flexibility, the strength and (maybe most importantly) the stamina.

Elli is, by far, the gentlest out of all of them. Slow, soft, careful. Every single touch meant to express a hundred feelings for you.

Alex is without a doubt the most attentive. He’s perceptive enough to notice your needs and... giving enough to fulfill them.

[westofautumnboulevard]

What would you describe as the ros voices sounding like? If you wanna, also love ya 👁️👄👁️

Alex' voice is smooth, kind of soft. As if made for honeyed words.

Elli's is quiet, maybe even a little cold. There's something very... constant to it.

Rae's is low, a little husky even. It has a way of filling up whatever room she's in.

[roots-game]

Update 12/16/2020

Synopsis:  You’re just a regular joe-schmoe working at a diner in Hawaii trying to rub two cents together. When a mysterious pearl falls into your hands one rainy night, your life is changed forever. Navigate through multiple different mythologies, become a hero, or fight against the hand you’ve been dealt.

FAQ 

Hello everyone! I hope you’ve all been well during the craziness that’s been 2020. And to anyone who is new to my WIP, welcome! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

I’m extremely happy to say, that I’ve finally made some progress with the WIP. In particular, the bus route has been finished! That means both big branches are mostly complete! I’ve made some adjustments as always, to some previous sections. It seems whenever I open CSIDE after doing a playthrough I always want to rewords things.

The current word count sits around 38k words without commands.

As always, I look forward to any feedback you guys have to give me big or small. And one last thing before I go! If you could,  please vote on which path you picked/enjoyed the most! Whatever has the most votes will be what I work on next pertaining to this WIP. Each path will have one more chapter. 

Demo Link  

[anathemafiction]

carrot cake

'Tis a small pitiful thing. She carries it easily in just one hand. A package wrapped in unappealing brown paper, too rough even for the hardened skin of her palms. Unappealing and much too small, and Alessa questions for the hundredth time what had struck her to buy it.

Foolishness.

Her eyebrows knit together, but slender fingers close more tightly around the round bundle. It is still warm, and she can smell its faint scent even as she crosses the busy street.

Small, pitiful thing. But there's water already growing in her mouth and when she presses it to her chest, she feels its warmth expanding within. A warmth that has her lips thinning, one that grows the moment Alessa crosses the threshold into the Leaping Lion and sees you. Sitting at a table, arms crossed in each other, chin tilted back.

Foolishness, she thinks, but her step are quick, and now Alessa's lips thin for a different reason altogether when she sees you have your eyes closed.

A beat. "Am I to believe," Alessa speaks right beside you. Your eyes fly open, and you jerk in your seat, legs flapping below the table. And it truly is a day for bad decisions, for Alessa cannot help but smile at the shocked look on your face. "That you choose the common room as your resting place?"

"Alessa," you breathe out, clutching a dramatic hand to your chest. She barely resists the impulse to roll her eyes. "Are you trying to scare the living soul away from me?"

Alessa lifts an eyebrow. "Not as much as you seem resolute to lose that soul in the first place."

You blink, but when you straighten in your chair, you have that smirk on your lips. The one paired with the shining eyes and the smug air and the infuriating tilt of your head. The one that has the foolish warmth spreading even deeper in her chest, and now her nails dig into the little package because Alessa wants to do nothing but smile back.

She frowns instead. And now you chuckle. "There's no one here, Alessa," you say, gesturing around you.

She's well aware of it. "That is no excuse to act so heedlessly."

But you don't seem to be listening. You drag a chair back with your foot, jerking your chin towards it. "Seat," you invite her, your eyes already on the round package. They linger, but you don't voice the obvious question. She knows you know she saw it, however. Knows it by the way your smirk widens.

Alessa hesitates, but she does as you ask. Sitting rigidly right at the edge of the chair. Putting a hand on top of the table. The wood feels rough, like the paper. And she feels the weight of your eyes, staring at her.

Silence falls. She is too taut. Rigid. Cold. She knows she is always too cold.

Foolishness.

But you are silent, waiting with that smirk on your lips, and it would be infuriating. If it didn't fit your face so well. "Here," Alessa breaks the silence with a sharp word. She puts the package on top of the table and leans away.

Arms crossed, face set into a cold mask. Heart beating too quickly inside her ribcage.

It's your turn to lift an eyebrow, but you're silent still as slowly, you begin to unwrap it. The paper falls away to reveal a round carrot cake inside. It's grainy and fluffy, and while it does not have a lot of height, it seems humid. Perfect. She does not lick her lips, for your eyes are studying her.

"For me?" you ask.

Alessa's nails dig into her forearms. "It is of no consequence."

"But I disagree," you say, taking a bite. You close your eyes as you hum, and when you smile at her, she can see some crumbs on the corner of your lips. Alessa has never needed a reason to wish to kiss you, but this makes for a perfect excuse. "It is of great consequence, Alessa. I can only dream how much willpower it took you not to eat this straight away."

She can't stop from chuckling. "Do not flatter yourself so," Alessa says, leaning an elbow on the table. "Carrots do not entice me much."

You laugh too, taking another bite. The cake does look wonderful. "Don't lie. If it has honey, you can't resist it," you say lightly but your gaze turns serious then. Alessa feels her throat close, feels her cheeks warm. You have such a piercing stare, she wonders not for the first time if you're even aware of it. "Thank you, Alessa. Truly."

And now her cheeks warm, and she has to bite her tongue to keep from embarrassing herself further. "You are welcome."

Your hand comes closer on the table, so close she almost feels your touch on her fingers. Tiny goosebumps spreading across her skin. But you curl your hand and look down at the cake. A small, pitiful thing. An impulse buy, a foolish fancy.

But one she does not regret. For how can she, when you smile at her so. "Do you want the other half?" you ask her.

Alessa pauses. Her eyes go from you to the cake. Back to you. Your smile turns smug, and part of her almost wants to wipe it clean. But the bigger part simply wants to taste the treat.

"... naturally."

You laugh loudly, sliding the carrot cake to her. And as sweet as it tastes. As delicious it is. It cannot compare to that sound. To your joy.

Foolish. Hopelessly so.

[anathemafiction]

Finished Coding and Editing! 🎉

All new chapters are thus added to the game which now stands at a total of 872k words - code excluded. To be honest, it stopped at a point where I could submit it as it is to Hosted Games and be a decent first book of the series. Both in size and, most importantly, in plot too.

The temptation is there, but I want to add two more chapters before calling this creation done.

So instead, I’ll be sending the private link to my testers in the coming week. Which makes me so nervous! I don’t know why, but making this private “update” is more nerve-wracking than a public one. I suppose it’s like giving a presentation to a small group instead of hundreds. When it’s small, you can see their individual faces, stare at their eyes, see for yourself the disappointment. Whether a crowd will blend together and it’s easy to pretend the world is no more than you.

But I’ll send the link. I may have to force myself, but I’ll do it. I need feedback desperately.

This took me… way longer than I thought 😄I seriously miscalculated how long reading, editing, and coding over 300k words would take. But the branchiest chapters are behind, and now we head to the end. I’ll be taking a few days off writing and then come back in full force. I want to have the first draft of chapter 6 done before Christmas.

As a celebration, I thought I could share the official cover art!

It is done by the amazing Matt, from Heartship Studios, and colored by my beautiful sister. I love it so much! ♡♡

[westofautumnboulevard]

„Alex is super small“ me being 5’1:

👁💧👄💧👁

Hate to break this to you anon, but you're not small - you're tiny.

[westofautumnboulevard]

your ros are so soft,,,, they have such a homely feeling to them, like freshly baked cookies, its so soothing honestly hxtchbxtv. i love them sm oh dear. i cant wait to romance them

“Like a what?”

You don’t think you’ve ever heard Alex’ voice be that blunt before. He’s standing a few feet away from you, knife in hand and a half-cut carrot in front of him. You were just preparing dinner when the thought hit your mind and left your lips not two seconds later.

Alex’ mouth hangs slightly open and you can practically watch as the gears turn behind his eyes.

“I said you’re like a freshly baked cookie,” you repeat yourself, a slight smile on your lips, “Being with you is like getting one, just out the oven. Warm, sweet, relaxing, you know?”

He blinks once more before letting out a small sigh.

“No, I really don’t,” the words are softer than you’re used to. Your gaze wanders across his expression, but he leaves you no time to ponder its… unguardedness.

“Really,” he laughs, the sound honest and deep, but hanging in the air for just a moment too long, “I thought I was ready for anything you might call me.”

An olive hand reaches for you, pushing a loose strand of hair aside as green eyes gaze into yours.

“But you’re always just a sentence away from flooring me entirely, it seems.”

————

It’s been a long day. Work couldn’t have gone much worse and, as your luck would have it, neither could traffic.

You open the apartment’s door with a sigh. Elli is sitting on the couch inside, legs crossed and a book in their lap. They look up with a smile, but as soon as their dark eyes find yours the expression softens.

“You look like you’ve had the worst day,” their tone is gentle as they get up, “Sit down, I was just about to make some tea.”

You don’t need to be invited twice. You let the door fall shut behind you before dropping onto the couch. Elli vanishes into the kitchen and low, calming sounds of cups clicking drift into your ears. Your body goes lax as you allow yourself to unwind.

A few moments later Elli returns, carrying a plate with two cups placed on it.

“Couldn’t find anything to go with it,” Elli sighs, pulling up their brow in an almost apologetic manner, “I thought we still had some cookies left.”

A pale hand settles a cup on the table in front of you.

“You’re already like a cookie anyway,” your smile is wide as you voice the thought, not even sure when it entered your mind.

Elli blinks once, confusion clear on their face.

“You know,” you go on, the sentiment becoming ever more clear to you, “One that’s fresh out the oven. All warm and soft. What makes you actually feel at home after days like I just had.”

Something flashes across Elli’s expression as the words leave your mouth. For a moment you think it’s pain. But before you can react, they lower themselves until their face is level with yours, their knees not far from the ground.

“That’s not me at all. That’s you,” their eyes are softer than you’ve ever seen them before, despite the almost urging tone of their voice.

They take your hand into theirs, a slow smile spreading across their face. It’s subtle, in a way, not wide or overwhelming. Still unmistakably there.

But all you can focus on is the warmth in their eyes.

Elli squeezes your hand once, “You’re more welcoming than I could ever dream to be.”

————

“A cookie?” Rae’s laugh is loud and warm as she drops to the ground next to you.

“Yeah,” you answer, still slightly out of breath as she begins rummaging through her backpack.

The sun hits you harder than you’d thought it would, so you relish what little comfort the cool grass beneath you provides. The weather was supposed to be perfect for a hike, but none of the promised clouds grace the sky. It seems that the temperature rose along with every step the two of you took as well. Or maybe you’re just getting tired.

You take the moment to catch your breath, watching as Rae’s red hair falls out of her bun, framing her features in the sunlight. They seem softer up here. Her deep brown eyes are slowly roaming the bag in their search, while a single drop of sweat makes its way down her tawny skin.

“A freshly baked one,” you repeat as you can’t fight the smile off your face anymore, “Warm and sweet.”

“I’m not really one for cookies,” her laugh fills the open air. You feel enveloped in it, something her voice tends to do.

Her smile widens as she pulls up a bottle of water and moves to hold it towards you. You reach to grab it, but Rae doesn’t let go. Instead you find her fingers intertwining with your own.

“And I couldn’t be as sweet as you if I tried,” her voice is low as she pulls you closer, your gaze sinking into the brown of hers. Her expression has widened into a grin.

“But in your eyes,” she continues, her tone falling to a hush across your face, mere inches from hers, “Am I really just warm?”

[westofautumnboulevard]

What if the Mc is a cake? Haha..... Unless?

👁👄👁

[westofautumnboulevard]

I’m so sad I missed the baking discourse, I have opinions lmfaooo Love your writing by the way!

Please, do share your opinion! Once I’ve invested more than 20 minutes into a topic I’m in it to win it, no going back. Let’s define cakes once and for all.

Also thank you very much for the compliment 🥺💕

For anyone who’s not interested in the cake-iness of cheesecake: I’ve been tagging the posts as “baking discourse”!

[westofautumnboulevard]

hey!! i just wanted to say I AM HOOKED on the demo!! i instantly know i'm gonna romance the HELL out of alex and i'll play my mcs as a flustered mess 🥺 ugh i already wanna smooch the hell out of him and thank you SO MUCH for making just west of autumn boulevard!! also what are the heights of each ro?? <3

Thank you SO much for liking my demo and Alex! Honestly, when I conceptualized him I was not expecting him to be particularly popular. I’m glad I was wrong! And don’t worry - he can handle a flustered mess quite well.

About the heights: I never put down an exact number for any of them, since that leaves a little more room for headcanons. But I can give you a vague range:

Rae is the tallest at about 185-190cm (6'1” to 6'2”).

Second is Elli at about 180-185cm (5'11” to 6'1”) for male and nonbinary Elli and about 175-180cm (5'9” to 5'11”) for female Elli.

And Alex is actually the smallest at about 170-175cm (5'7” to 5'9”).

[westofautumnboulevard]

Where do the ROs fall on the cheesecake isn't cake debate?

Rae thinks that everything called cake is cake, simple as that.

Alex thinks cheesecake is a tart, but will go along with whatever his conversation partner is calling it. He doesn’t actually care too much. The definitions are arbitrary either way, if you ask him.

Elli has gone down the rabbit hole themself and found valid arguments on all sides of the pie/cake/tart debate. They’ve since given up on trying to classify cheesecake beyond “It’s cheesecake”.

[westofautumnboulevard]

just read your demo and wow Rae is wonderful, can we get some factoids about her?

Sure! Some facts about Rae:

Most people would say she’s got terrible taste in outfits. Everything she puts on is more or less just grabbed out of the closet without care for colour-combinations or other minor issues like that. Which wouldn’t be so bad if her wardrobe wasn’t so... colourful.

The aspect of her appearance she cares about most is actually her hair, though you wouldn’t guess it by how she treats it.

Loves, and I mean loves, amusement parks. The entire atmosphere, screams and laughter and loudness all around - it’s perfect, if you ask her.

There are some more I gave out in an old ask here!

[westofautumnboulevard]

Thank you for your cheesecake investigation. I weirdly learned a lot!

I’m so glad I used the time I had during my lecture to do something actually productive 😌