#tfohb if

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DEMO

→ Latest Update: Prologue — 3 February 2024

17+ The Fall of House Black — A gothic, supernatural, mystery interactive fiction story. Lightly inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher and Frankenstein media. (Work in Progress)

Synopsis has mentions of death and suicide. See extended content warnings below.

The fall of House Black, your house, was an imminent thing. A name had never been so cursed that all it could do was bring about death.

First, your younger sister in a swimming accident, then your older brother in a case of mistaken identity. As the rest of your family sought to grieve and bring justice to your brother, your older sister was killed in a hunting accident at the end of your father’s bow.

The three of you, mother, father, and child, became inconsolable. Broken beyond repair. Your mother unable to bear the weight of life any longer took her own while your father disappeared, gone into the night. When you remain the sole survivor of House Black, you know you must leave, and on the night of your decision, your home goes up in flames with you inside.

Then, you awake, dazed with no recollection of anything, and when you look down at your body, you scream. It is wrong. So wrong.

Play as a reanimated, customizable character.

Learn how to be a person again.

Try to survive in a society that fears the unknown.

Develop relationships. (4 ROs: All gender-selectable + 1 secret RO)

Aid in the investigation of your family’s untimely deaths.

Learn about your family’s curse.

Aesop/Almira Hammond | Detective | 36 Years Old | RO

[Profile] [Portrait]

A is an observant and clever person, stoic in nature. They put their all into their work, striving to find the truth in every case. They take on the case of your family’s sudden deaths despite pushback from others. It was an occurrence of events all too strange, and they are determined to figure it out.

Cyprian/Cecilia Atterton | Writer | 28 Years Old | RO

[Profile] [Portrait]

C is an imaginative and creative person, quiet in nature. They write not only from their own experiences, but the experiences of others as well. They are interviewing people about House Black, intending on writing a book about your family’s ill fate and eventual demise.

Sebastian/Sabina Farwell | Doctor | 34 Years Old | RO

[Profile] [Portrait]

S is an intelligent and kind person, caring in nature. They are a most trusted doctor, hardworking and honest. They were the young doctor that tried to help your father and sister. They helped without question, never calling your family cursed as you so often were.

Elias/Elosia Osborne | Coroner | 30 Years Old | RO

[Profile] [Portrait]

E is an empathetic and hardworking person, cheerful in nature. They put their heart into their work, aiming to bring closure to people as swiftly as possible. They are the one who investigated and confirmed the death of your elder sister. They never could for you though.

Unknown | ??? | ??? | RO

A secret. Who knows when they will appear.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Mentions of death, child death, suicide, violence, blood, injury, burning alive, body horror, mutilation, slight gore, amnesia

asks are welcomed!

DISCLAIMER

this is a demo/work in progress. everything is subject to change until the final version. it is by no means a finished or polished work.

LINKS

→ demo | same one, just another link

→ itch.io | my creator page

→ @ethersic | my main, art, etc. blog

INFO

word count w/o code: 6.3k

next update: tbd

written with twine (tweego)/sugarcube

[ethersic]

EMERGENCY COMMISSIONS

after a streak of unfortunate events, family members of mine are at risk of being evicted by may 9th if they can’t pay their rent in full

to help them to the best of my ability, i’m offering commissions for art and writing to anyone who is interested via Ko-fi

or if you’re unable or don’t want a commission, i ask you to consider donating or simply reblog this post

$5 — A 750 word ficlet of/with any TDWB or TFOHB character

$10 — A 1500 word ficlet of/with any TDWB or TFOHB character

$15 — A B&W Character Portrait (Shoulders up): Example 1 Example 2

$20 — A Colored Character Portrait (Shoulders up): *Example 1 *Example 2

*these examples show two characters, but the commission is for one!

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A. Hammond

The Fall of House Black — Character Portrait (1/4)

[ Character Profile ]

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🔗DEMO — Prologue

3 FEBRUARY 2024

[ INTRO POST ]

the demo is here! it contains the prologue which serves as an introduction to the story, the main character, and the family. it is currently about a 15-25 minute play through :)

in the demo, you can:

Establish your demeanor towards the townspeople.

(Re)live all of your family’s deaths.

Choose the keepsake you’ll take into death.

Die in a blaze of glory (house fire).

Rise from the grave?

Word Count: 6.3k w/o code

LINKS

itch.io | my creator page

@ethersic | my main, art, etc., blog

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C. Atterton

The Fall of House Black — Character Portrait (2/4)

[ Character Profile ]

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DEMO RELEASE DATE

i have the date for the demo! if everything goes as planned, it will be released 3 FEBRUARY 2024 around 10AM EST

it is just the prologue and is fairly short (about a 15-20ish minute playthrough depending on how fast you read), but i hope you’ll all enjoy it nonetheless :)

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E. Osborne

The Fall of House Black — Character Portrait (4/4)

[ Character Profile ]

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S. Farwell

The Fall of House Black — Character Portrait (3/4)

[ Character Profile ]

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SMALL PROGRESS UPDATE

hii! i’ve been fairly silent in regards to demo progress so i just want to say it is being worked on! besides general coding changes/fixes (read: coding pain), the prologue went through a small rewrite that i think was needed and i am working on chapter 1 :)

i have a timeframe in mind that i’d like to have it finished by (and ideally published) so i’m working towards that, but i will keep it secret for now in fear of not meeting it and causing disappointment (afraid of brain sabotage)

that said, i do want to start doing in depth dev logs (probably every month) recounting what has been done/what i plan to do, so that’ll probably start next month!

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here’s what my coding success (ty internet) looks like: a proper starting screen without the ui showing :)

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Oooooooooh since valentine's day passed and my dumbass didn't think to post it then. 🙄

But I saw this ask and it was so cute!

How would the ROs react to MC asking them to be their valentine? Even if they've been in a serious relationship for a while now 🤭

v cute question! i would write one for the secret RO as well but it’s (somehow) spoilers i fear🫢

A. Hammond:

A would be a bit shocked since they’re usually the one to initiate anything when pursuing or in a relationship with someone. Outside of a relationship, they wouldn’t know how to respond and would just stare for a bit before accepting with a simple ‘Yes’. In a relationship, they’d respond with ‘You never have to ask.’ (They’re secretly really happy.)

C. Atterton:

C would be flustered, whether in a relationship or not, simply because having someone care enough about them gives them butterflies. Outside of a relationship, they’d get shy and respond with ‘Sure’. In a relationship, they’d blush and respond with ‘Of course’ and then later they’d write MC a heartfelt poem.

S. Farwell:

S would be happy, have a smile on their face the rest of the day, and constantly think about it to the point of distraction. It’d be obvious to others that someone is on their mind. Outside of a relationship, they’d respond with ‘I’d love to’. In a relationship, they’d respond with ‘I was going to ask you that question’, say yes, and then ask it themself the next day.

E. Osborne:

E would be nervous but excited. They’ve never experienced anything romantic, so they’d be pleasantly surprised. Outside of a relationship, they’d respond with ‘Me? Are you sure?’ because they never expected MC would ask them. In a relationship, they’d respond with ‘I thought you’d never ask’ and later they’d make MC a flower arrangement.

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i finally have the character portraits ready to post soon (within a few days) so:

here are the final sneak peeks of the other RO versions :)

Cyprian, Sabina, Almira, & Elias

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i missed it, but two days ago was one month since i posted the intro post/started this blog!

i never could have imagined that i’d get the kind of response i did and i am very appreciative of you all! seriously, thank you for checking out my work & enjoying it (if you did)! <3

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Will there be drawbacks to being reanimated and/or will we get to choose them?? Like, physically. Maybe the character limps, can't feel pain, is basically blind, etc. Stuff like that :v.

i’ve thought about it! currently, emotional drawbacks will be present, but i haven’t implemented any physical ones

it is something i want to do eventually, but i have to do research (to ensure any physical disabilities are given respect in regard to how they’re portrayed) as well as figure out how they would affect the MC & how they go about life/interactions/etc.

if i do get to it, i’d like to give some options to the players to choose from!

(which in itself would require a lot when it comes to writing variations & tracking variables etc. hence the hesitation to promise it at the moment)

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So MC died and was revived ... by someone?

haha :)

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Zombie MC?

not quite, but i guess in some small sense? going off of the definition of a zombie provided by merriam-webster, MC is reanimated, but not a mindless, will-less being (& by modern definitions, they don’t eat flesh/brains)

though they’re limited at the beginning due to dying and forgetting literally everything, they still have thoughts, feelings, and the desire to do certain things, whatever those may be, along with the capacity to learn and grow