anything4thecrown-if

[anything4thecrown-if]

I've updated the game to include the first chunk of chapter 3. I'd write more, but it's way too hot for that. Let me know if there are any issues.

[anything4thecrown-if]

Garrick would make a pretty lil princess

-🦤

I agree

[anything4thecrown-if]

*see Garrick*

HAND IN MARIAGE NOW 🧎🏻‍♀️💍👰🏻‍♀️💍💒 -sarah

Garrick coming down the aisle

[anything4thecrown-if]

Garrick's pic is added now

[Link]

The king is dead. His daughter wears the crown. But you're the one who really holds the power now.

After the sudden murder of King Alaric Valebrook, his daughter Isolde is crowned queen. But she doesn't want the throne, and instead places her trust in you, her childhood best friend, by naming you her royal advisor.

Now it's your job to hold the kingdom together, uncover the king's killer, and navigate a court full of secrets, sabotage, and lies.

Play as male, female, or non-binary with selectable pronouns Choose your gender presentation and personal style. Track your personality and skills through various stats. Romance any 1/4 companion characters.

Isolde Valebrook (F, 23)

Your best friend since childhood, and the unrequited love of your life. She's flighty, charming, and resistant to the power she now holds.

Lyra Thorne (F, 23)

A powerful mage and the daughter of the former royal advisor. She's ambitious, guarded, and absolutely not your friend.

Garrick Hale (M, 24)

Isolde's sworn protector, who was assigned to her side after a failed kidnapping attempt. He is easygoing, kind-hearted, and loyal to a fault.

Lucian (M, 25)

The king's illegitimate son. Born of scandal and raised in obscurity. He is reserved and calculated, hiding his insecurities behind a well-formed mask.

[anything4thecrown-if]

Pride Month Feature #2: Suevi

Game: Suevi (Play here)

Synopsis: Suevi is about finding love and surviving in Ancient Rome... as a Germanic slave.

Tags: romance, historical fiction, low fantasy, dark

Author: Bellamy

Hi! My name is Bellamy, I’m in my mid 30s, neurodivergent, pansexual and nonbinary. My pronouns are ey/em (alternatively they/them is totally fine). IRL I’m not out and I live in Eastern Germany, originally I’m from Southwestern Germany. English is my second language.

2. Can you tell me a bit about what you’re working on right now and your journey into interactive fiction? What inspired the game/story you’re currently writing?

The IF I currently work on is called ‘Suevi’, and it’s a story set in/around 14 CE. The MC is of Germanic origin and gets enslaved. They get bought by a rich, influential Roman patrician family and have to face the struggle of being thrown into a completely different culture, that has a language they don’t know, and they’re at the very bottom of the food chain.

My journey into interactive fiction is actually relatively short. Suevi is the first IF I’m writing, and the first major project that I write. Before I started on Suevi, I hadn’t written anything bigger since my school days, I haven’t done any creative writing at all actually. And even though Suevi is only a prologue and the first chapter now, it is already the largest project I have ever written.

I remembered ‘Choose your own Adventure’ books from my childhood, and I loved them back then already. I love RPGs, and had played visual novels before, but somehow only found out about interactive fiction around half a year before I started my own IF. I fell head over heels for the interactive format.

My story is inspired by different aspects: My brother is a big history nerd and is very interested in Germanic tribes throughout history. I grew up in an area where different tribes that are said to have been Suevi settled in, and I was able to visit remains of the Roman Limes wall and different related museums in the past. A big inspiration was also the IF Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian by Haley Mattos, an amazingly written IF that I can only recommend. I wanted to give back to the IF community, and that’s what ultimately started the project.

Read on for the full interview!

3. What are some of the most rewarding or challenging aspects of writing Interactive Fiction for you?

The most rewarding aspect is definitely the feedback. It’s great to see that people enjoy my story and care enough to let me know, or give me constructive criticism to help me improve my story.

4. What does your writing process look like? Any rituals or habits? Any tips, tricks, philosophies or approaches that have worked very well for you?

It helps a lot to have one designated area dedicated to writing/working. Also, be comfortable—wear comfortable clothes, put on some music that helps to immerse you into your story if you want, maybe have a few snacks nearby and a beverage of your liking.

5. What’s the one thing you’re really proud of that you’ve written so far?

I’m not that far into writing the story just yet, but I’m rather proud of the intimate fling scenes I’ve written in chapter 1. It was a first for me, and at the beginning I really struggled to find the right words, but I know it’ll become easier with time.

6. Do you have favourite interactive fiction games, characters, scenes or authors that you’d like to recommend?

Too many! There are lots of great authors out there that deserve some spotlight, but I fear I don’t have enough time and space to name all of them. I already mentioned Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian (@defiledheartblog on tumblr), which has a very similar theme to my own IF. An amazing IF with a nonbinary RO and a trans RO is Blood Moon by Barbara Truelove (@barbwritesstuff on tumblr). A WIP IF that is completely underrated imo is Party of Four (@partyof4game on tumblr), which has an asexual RO and a nonbinary RO. Zo, the author of Party of Four, is also ace! Lastly, an author that I really look up to is C.C. Hill (@when-life-gives-you-lemons-if on tumblr). She is amazing, I love her writing, she’s incredibly inclusive and a pleasure to interact with.

7. If you were to say one thing to your readers, other authors, and/or the interactive fiction community: what would it be?

To readers: Please be kind to others. Lately there has been a massive wave of hate and harassment in the community, and it drives away kind and talented people who just want to share the stories they write. Support the works and authors you want to see more of. If you like an IF, send the author a nice message. It makes us smile and gives us the energy to continue writing.

To authors: Be kind to yourself. Take breaks. If you don't take breaks, your writing probably will be subpar, because you need a break sometimes, and you will have to fix everything you write after you actually do end up taking a break. It will also save you from feeling burnt out from writing. Don’t forget to hydrate. Only write a story if it makes you happy. You don’t owe it to anybody to continue writing a story you are fed up with; and if you don’t enjoy your own story, it will show.

[anything4thecrown-if]

"I feel like he would make a beautiful cartoon mouse" Nah bro is a wet cat at best

-🦤

I can see this too, but what breed of cat would he be?

[anything4thecrown-if]

I'm desperately waiting for the sun to go down because it's too hot to write

Pic unrelated

[anything4thecrown-if]

I can already hear the dead in the inside voice from Lucian

He definitely pay taxes

I like him

-🦤

Out of all the characters, he's the only one I'd say pays and files his taxes correctly.

Isolde and Garrick would mess up so badly that they would get audited by the IRS and Lyra is committing tax evasion.

[anything4thecrown-if]

I love how the girls here are serving face and body 💅✨

And there's Lucian 😔

Lmao yeah I can't draw male characters good and have them serve at the same time yet. I'll probably try drawing him again one day but for now, I feel like he would make a beautiful cartoon mouse.

[anything4thecrown-if]

Your game seems interesting and I hope that people haven't given you hard times anymore, and good luck on your game :)

Thank you for your message. Good luck with your game also. Woes of their wretched is so good.

[anything4thecrown-if]

OMG can people plz stop giving IF Author's a hard time about a story THEY want to write…

If you, as a reader, don't like part of the story's concept (that ISN'T actively harmful) just don't read it; there's no need to complain directly to the author about it, especially if it's about the pre-existing relationship that the characters have!

The author isn't hiding anything, so it's not like they're "tricking" you into your MC being attracted to women.

Sorry for the rant, but IF consumers have been waaaaay too comfortable making unnecessary problems for authors lately 😒

Yeah, I've seen some crazy stuff come from anons to authors when I was just a reader of IFs. It honestly made me nervous to post my game.

[anything4thecrown-if]

Hiii first of all love your story it's great and thank you for sharing it^^ Second, pls dont cave to anons on here complaining, there are so many all male li games on here and they dont get any complaints (provided the mc is gender selectable) and thats fine because thats the way the author envisioned their story! You envisioned the game with the MC having feelings for Isolde and thats that! I know it's seems harsh but I've too many authors lately get harassed by trolls on here, because they try to be nice and talk things out. You politely saying no should be enough, and you even explained yourself which was honestly very nice of you^^ Seeing some of the things I've seen lately(with entitled readers attacking authors) I will gently suggest you just block/ignore anyone who keeps trying to debate you on the subject. Pls take care of yourself and again thank you for this story <3

Thanks for the kind message. Any asks from people trying to argue with me about my game are definitely getting ignored.

[anything4thecrown-if]

I think people would in fact still take issue even if Isolde was male because people don't like being told they have to love a specific character. I've seen similar complaints with male ROs and gender selectable ROs. Her being female probably does make it worse though since a likely majority of IF readers are more interested in men. I like being given the option of having a pre-existing crush or relationship with a RO but hate being told it's not optional because what's even the point of the other ROs then? It would certainly be more tolerable if she were gender selectable but still annoying. Given the summary, I don't even understand why MC needs to be in love. Is being best friends not enough? I love my IRL best friend, but platonically, I'm not in love with her. But if we were in the situation of the story, I'd certainly want to do anything I could to help her because she's my best friend. Ultimately it's your story and you're free to do what you want, but I still wanted to share my view on the issue.

I personally haven't seen any complaints on Tumblr about having to be in love with a male or gender selectable RO because of the plot anywhere.

I can understand being annoyed because the plot ties you to a certain character. But for my game specifically, the romance with Isolde starts off as unrequited, that's why there are other ROs, because if the player wants, they don't have to romance her. The player can move on from her with any of the other characters or romance no one at all.

As for the plot, the MC is in love with Isolde because that's what I wanted to write.

[anything4thecrown-if]

Hi! I do apologise for my unsolicited comment and any offense it may cause, but I saw the discourse around MC and Isolde and felt like I had to speak out. While I think it's valid to not like the fact that your character's canonically in love with an RO whose gender you're not attracted to, there are also plenty of other IFs where the MC's betrothed to a male RO (for example) and has to like them to some degree for the plot to progress. I hardly ever see anybody complaining about that--actually, I've never seen anyone complaining about that--so the arguments may come off as just slightly hypocritical. Especially if the people making them only care because it's personally affecting them. (And no shame to those IFs either! Sometimes the plot demands it.) As you've stated, the story won't force you into picking Isolde. And I may be a bit biased since I romance women, but I think the idea of an unrequited crush on the MC's side could be fun to explore, and I'm looking forward to it when I eventually get down to reading. Plus, Isolde herself seems like an interesting character. If this is the best way for the story to progress, please don't let anybody discourage you. You can't please everybody, unfortunately, and a significant portion of the community on Tumblr seems to favour male ROs regardless. I can almost guarantee that hardly anybody would be complaining if she were male. Happy writing!

Thank you so much for your message. When I first started planning this game a few years ago, it had a whole different plot, and Isolde was a male character. I actually decided on making her female after playing a few different games in a similar setting to mine, and it felt like the main romance of the games were always male characters, or if they're gender selectable, the male variant is always more popular. So nice as the guy from the other ask was, it does make me wonder if anyone would question being in love with Isolde if, as a main part of the plot if she were male.

[anything4thecrown-if]

What kind of trope(s) do each of the RO routes fit into, if there are any? 👀

Isolde: friends to lovers, unrequited love, oblivious to love, you fell first, but she fell harder.

Lucian: Best friend's brother, sunshine and grumpy, depending on the player.

Garrick: friends to lovers, workplace romance in a way, sunshine and grumpy again, depending on the player.

Lyra: enemies to lovers, hate to love you.

These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head, but if anyone can think of any more, feel free to send them

[anything4thecrown-if]

MC starts of in love with Isolde

Me out here ready to make the most down bad lesbian for our queen

Just started the demo, not super far yet but I am enjoying what little I've read of your writing so far ❤️will get back to reading it right now

So glad you like it :)

[anything4thecrown-if]

Lucian's character portrait is now added

[Link]

The king is dead. His daughter wears the crown. But you're the one who really holds the power now.

After the sudden murder of King Alaric Valebrook, his daughter Isolde is crowned queen. But she doesn't want the throne, and instead places her trust in you, her childhood best friend, by naming you her royal advisor.

Now it's your job to hold the kingdom together, uncover the king's killer, and navigate a court full of secrets, sabotage, and lies.

Play as male, female, or non-binary with selectable pronouns Choose your gender presentation and personal style. Track your personality and skills through various stats. Romance any 1/4 companion characters.

Isolde Valebrook (F, 23)

Your best friend since childhood, and the unrequited love of your life. She's flighty, charming, and resistant to the power she now holds.

Lyra Thorne (F, 23)

A powerful mage and the daughter of the former royal advisor. She's ambitious, guarded, and absolutely not your friend.

Image TBA

Garrick Hale (M, 24)

Isolde's sworn protector, who was assigned to her side after a failed kidnapping attempt. He is easygoing, kind-hearted, and loyal to a fault.

Lucian (M, 25)

The king's illegitimate son. Born of scandal and raised in obscurity. He is reserved and calculated, hiding his insecurities behind a well-formed mask.