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[tayochen]

Merry Crisis Public release

The latest chapter (27th Dec) is AVAILABLE right now for EVERYONE! :) I'm sorry that it took longer than I thought it would, but I'm so excited to finally share it and can't wait to hear what you guys think!

Crowdsourced playlist | Ko-fi / Support me

Features: 

The lead-up to the Nat surprise (!)

Visit a columbarium with your family (to commemorate your grandparents 👴👵 and relive some childhood memories!) <Flesh out your MC's family life>

OR: Skip the columbarium family trip and have lunch with Qiu (at their workplace 💼; or lunch with Shay (includes an optional boxing 🥊 session and the potential to meet someone dear to them🍲).

Meet Qiu or Shay at a 'winter'-themed  funfair/carnival in the evening (or save it for a future Nat date)🧸🎄🍻 <win stuffed animals, drink mulled wine, sit on the lawn and... experience... snow(?)>

Bonus scenes at night if you choose not to go to the funfair (e.g. board games with Joony, write a song if you're a musician etc.) 

Wordcount: 67k (this brings the total wordcount to ~220k words!)

Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)

And as always, a big thank you to all my beta-testers and ko-fi supporters and everyone who has continued to play and leave lovely messages <3

[tayochen]

Burning Academia

Demo Updated: June 7th, 2024 (Prologue-Chapter 2)

Current Word Count: 89.2k (w/code)

Demo | Pinterest | F.A.Q. | Navigation | Bonus Content | Spotify

You never thought you'd go to college, due to your circumstances. But you especially didn't dream you'd be forced to attend the prestigious Vales Grove University after being attacked by wraiths in their library. What started as a visit to a long time friend, ended with your hands burned, your innocence questioned, and the startling realization magic is real. To apologize for what's happened to you, or more accurately, to keep an eye on you, the Headmaster himself offers you enrollment with all fees waived. With no real choice in the matter, you become a student, and try to ignore the suspicion everyone throws your way. Besides, you have worse things to deal with. Like how you've started to attract ghosts and other dead things, or the fact that there is a very living thing inside your head, waiting for you to lower your guard and take control. And most pressing of all, managing your obligation to a family that hasn't been such a thing in years. Tread carefully, if the ghosts don't devour you, the university certainly might.

Customize the MC; gender, appearance, personality, etc!

Romance six questionable love interests, or not!

A morality system which changes how your story will go. Do you belong to the day, the night, or somewhere in between?

A complicated family, which you've been shackled to your whole life. Will you ever be able to escape them? Do you even want to?

Survive college, your job, and attempt to not have a quarter life crisis.

Avoid getting devoured by all the things that go bump in the night.

Retain your free will.

Dawn: The world has never been kind, but that hasn't stopped you from giving up. You'll run through the night and embrace the rising dawn. A path of becoming hope.

Day: There's light in the world, if one only knows how to look. As long as you hold on, the light will find you, too. A path of finding solace.

Dusk: All you've known is suffering, and you won't stand for it any longer. Regardless where that leads you, or the choices you need to make to save yourself. A path leading to freedom.

Night: There's no hope here, not as things stand. You'll change it all, even if you must stand in the darkness. A path of destroying everything which has sought to destroy you.

More simply: Dawn/Day: traditional good paths, Dusk: anti-hero path, Night: "villain" path

Rook Bellerose [M]: A "best friend" you've known for almost a decade now. He's never let you get close even after all this time. He's the king of jokes and immaturity, but after the events which led to your enrollment at Vales Grove, something's changed. Maybe it's the guilt, or maybe it's the mask finally slipping.

Beck Castro [M]: Rook's detested roommate, although you aren't sure why. He's the kind of guy who likes to hear himself talk, and he's pretty good at it. He can captivate a room or get himself out of any situation. For whatever reason, he's taken a keen interest in you, and has offered his help for whatever you might need.

Rhea Windsor [F]: The Headmaster's daughter. Everyone who talks about her often complains that she's the traditional prim and proper young woman one would expect from a Headmaster's daughter. However, the more you talk to her, the more you realize she's the exact opposite with a dorky personality and a streak of clumsiness.

Zoe Ripley [NB]: A loner who hides in the library to avoid people. They saw what went down the day you were forced to attend Vales Grove. Despite their prickly attitude, you get the sense they aren't a bad person, and despite how they act, they've never refused to help you. If anything, you seem to be the one person on campus who doesn't get on their nerves, professors included.

Lars Angel [M]: The most exhausted person you've ever seen, and that's saying something. He's a grad student, and one you keep running in to. He can't stand you, and you can only guess at why. With a sharp tongue and a bitter disposition, he tries his best to avoid you. Too bad you both keep running into each other. It looks like fate has other plans.

???[M/F/NB]: The thing which haunts you. You have no idea how the two of you got connected, but you can feel it in your blood, organs, neurons, synapses. You know it's evil, you know it wants to consume you, but tell me? Has anything ever cradled your soul so gently before?

Poly Route options:

Beck/Rook [triad]: Dawn or Day Path

Rook/??? [triad]: Night Path

Rhea and Zoe [V]: Dawn or Dusk Path

[RO Portraits]

CW: Gore, violence, parental neglect, emotional abuse, parental abuse, alcoholism, depression, classism, mtc

RO Route CWs (contains spoilers): Read here

[tayochen]

"Countdown" is a slice-of-life inspired by "Gilmore Girls," and is rated 18+.

Three months ago, life took a sharp turn. Your mother found herself entangled in a situation so bad, she couldn't dig her way out of it, like usual. This time, the hole was way too deep. She needed help, and the only people capable of aiding her were the same ones she had vowed never to allow back into her life, let alone introduce to you and your younger sibling.

Who were they?

Your grandparents—a powerful and well-established duo.

In short, they did manage to help your mother back on her feet, but not without strings attached—never without strings.

Now, you're facing a senior year in a private school, fully funded by none other than grandma and grandpa, dearest. The only task at hand: do what your mother couldn't—graduate.

Form relationships, pursue your passions, burn bridges etc.,—the decision is entirely up to you.

🍁 Customise your MC (gender, style, personality etc...).

🍁 Choose 1 out of 3 part-time jobs (p.s. 'if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen' and pursue another in your new school!)

🍁 Choose your path. Are you aiming for a top Uni like Harvard next? Or maybe you'll step foot into the world of music? Rumour has it 'Crimson Haze' is looking for a new addition. What will it be?

🍁 Romance 1 out of 6 love interests.

🍁 A lot more in store!

Casey Decker (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

Your friendship goes way back to the nappy days. With both of your mothers on the younger end of the spectrum, it’s no surprise you grew to be close too—'best friends' type of close.

Casey is a ray of sunshine, full of life, and quite possibly the jelly to your peanut butter. They’re sweet like that—they can be, at least. But best friends should be just that: best friends. Besides, as of recently, Casey is taken.

Appearance: Medium-length, straight, golden blond hair covers the nape of their neck. They have slightly tanned skin, a sprinkle of freckles across their nose and cheeks, and grey eyes.

Lake Aydin (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

Lake has just started working at the grocery store nearby your house. High-school dropout, you assume. They don’t talk much…to you. Kind of a mystery, that one. Their social media confirms just that—there's not much to go by. 

Also, your first meeting wasn't the greatest or smoothest. But one thing's for sure: you'll be around there a lot, so you might as well get talking in the meantime, right?

Appearance: Dark brown eyes, pale skin, and short, straight black hair for m!L. For f!L, it's medium-length black hair. They wear glasses whenever they remember.

Harry/Hallie Johnson (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

H doesn't actually go to your school, but events are often organised as a collaboration between a handful of private schools, both of yours included. So yeah, you might see them around.

H is good at all of that—the networking, the galas, the fundraising, and public speaking part. They know what they want, and they have a resume to show for it. H is CC—charismatic and confident. They're who parents wish their kids would bring home, so needless to say, they've got your grandparents' stamp of approval.

Appearance: Deep brown skin, short tightly curled black hair for m!H, and a little longer than shoulder-length, tightly curled black hair for f!H. They have light brown eyes.

Santiago/Samara Garcia (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

S is an academic with tunnel vision for success. They're consistently at the top of the class, leading the ranks, and on a mission to become valedictorian.

What sets S apart from the majority, you might ask? They're one of the only two people who got into the private school solely based on merit. No mommy's or daddy's money, none of that. It's all about brains and drive.

And what about you? Are you a high achiever? If yes, expect a somewhat healthy rivalry. Heads up, though—S doesn't fail. If no, they'll look down on you, and they won't make any effort to hide that. It's a double-edged sword.

Appearance: They have wavy brunette, borderline black, nearly shoulder-length hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes. They also have three beauty marks: one above their left eyebrow, one right below the left corner of their lip, and one on the tip of their nose.

Riven/Raven Rodrigo (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

R is destined to be a superstar. Three years ago, R and 3 of their friends formed a band called 'Crimson Haze,' and it seems like all their hard work has finally paid off this summer. They've had a couple of gigs overseas, and they've done really well. They're on their way to major stardom, but first, they need to figure out a few things. Something's missing—perhaps a fifth and final member?

R is a passionate musician, a reckless friend, and a nonchalant lover. Music is their life. However, their love life is...unsteady. They don't do distractions, aka relationships; only fun.

Appearance: They have dyed jet-black hair, short messy waves for m!R, and long messy waves for f!R. They also have amber eyes and olive skin.

Nolan/Naya Brown (m/f) 🍁 [profile page]

N is the star athlete and the school's pride and joy. They have a lot of eyes on them, watching and expecting big things to come. On the court, they're a beast, but in class? Not so much. Their grades are below average, and if they want to keep competing for that full-ride scholarship, they need to bring their grades all the way up.

N is a typical cool and popular kid—playful, funny, and well-liked around the school. Whether they remember it or not, you share a history. You used to know N. FYI, they've been in a committed relationship for the past two and a half years.

Appearance: They have light brown skin in the winter and medium-brown skin in the summer. Their hair is dark brown, with short and loosely curled hair for m!N, and long and loosely curled dark hair for f!N.

DEMO TBA | FORUM

[tayochen]

A Date with Death - Beyond the Bet releases December 9th! 🥳

We're going to have a busy 6 months ahead of the one year anniversary release with merch drops, beta builds, and lots of other goodies… starting first with our Kickstarter, which has just 6 days left!!

[tayochen]

For many moons you have been escaping at night from the cold walls of the palace to a land of wonders through a magic mirror in your chambers. Every dawn you return, the soles of your shoes worn out from dancing and exploring, exhaustion set deep in your bones, however blissful.

Should you trust the perfect joy such a place has to offer? Or, better yet, the alluring heir that accompanies you each night? And how could you ever hide this idyllic escape from your father, the king, now that he has some lowborn knight on your tail?

♡ The Night Dance is an interactive story based on the Grimm Brothers’ tale, ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses.’ Status: DEMO (TBA).

Customize your Main Character, referred to as The Cursed Heir. Pronouns, overall appearance, and personality (based on the choices made throughout the narrative).

Choose your romance. There are two possible romanceable characters in The Night Dance. You can romance each of them individually, opt for no romance at all, or cultivate a poly relationship.

Choose your destiny. Some choices can drastically change the course of the story. Upon revealing truths and unveiling secrets, will your heart or your mind speak for you?

The Night Dance is rated +18 for mature content, depictions of violence, depression, and eventual sexual themes.

Alistair ⋆ he/him or she/her. A lowborn knight making their way home. You don’t know why someone in their position would return after being knighted, or the reason why they took the challenge of unveiling your secret, but you know enough to be wary of them. Valiant, observant, and witty, they’re what anyone would picture when thinking of a knight. Except for the look of sadness that takes over their face whenever they think no one’s paying attention. [+ more]

Cianan ⋆ he/him or they/them. The mysterious dance partner you encounter every night. They have been there from the very first moment you stepped onto the grounds of this otherworldly land, offering their guidance and hand whenever you needed. Curt, cultured, and gentle, they remind you of princes you’ve read about in fairytales. But in fairytales, princes don’t keep their intentions unknown or hide obvious secrets behind tired eyes; it appears, after all, that nothing is as perfect as it seems. [+ more]

The idea for this IF came to me when I was playing @swansong-if, a lovely game that’s become one of my all-time favorites, so I’d definitely have to mention it here. I’d never think of adapting my favorite fairytale into an IF not for it. ♡

[tayochen]

Hello everyone! So sorry for my silence. I got into a minor accident and injured myself 🙃 and could not work due to the pain in my back. Luckily the demo is done and I'm simply doing some minor tweaks and it'll be up in no time. Truly sorry everyone I know it's been a while since the pilot (9 months!!). I will try not to get into a car accident next time :P LOL I'm all good by the way :) Luckily! :>

I did not abandon 502. I've been trying to heal so I can work at a more efficient pace :<

There's a few changes coming in the demo including:

M can now either be an old best friend or an ex from college.

Sam (used to be called Riley) can now be G's kid (if you choose a 5 year old Sam) or G's sibling (if you choose a high school aged Sam). Both of them will be your student if you go the Teacher route.

M's hair has went from white to auburn :P

That's that update. I'm adding the final things to reflect those last minute changes. I'll be releasing the demo as soon as I can. Once again, I truly apologize :<

[tayochen]

happy pride to everyone in the community!! happy pride to those who are out, those who are not, those who aren’t sure of their identity yet, those who don’t use labels, those who don’t feel seen, etc, etc. stay safe and don’t be ashamed to be yourself.

[tayochen]

Arcadie: Cold Lands - Cyril's route fully outlined!

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a progress update, so here are some good news:

Happy to share that I have finished the full outline of Cyril’s route for Arcadie: Cold Lands!

I am sticking to my plan of having one separate route per character. It’s more work since I have to basically write (a minimum of) 3 different stories, but it allows me to make those stories deeply personal. For example, in Cyril’s route, you’ll get to know their family (including their brother, who only shows up in Second-Born if you got the worst ending for Cyril).

I have completed the full first draft of Stanislas’s route

I still have to edit and code it, of course, and add variations throughout. Reminder that part of Stan's route is already playable HERE.

You can expect a demo update in the next few weeks 😉

Cheers!

[tayochen]

This is a super boring update, but also a really important one.

I spent this week going through all the spelling mistakes, errors, bugs, etc, that people have sent me. All together there were almost a thousand mistakes that have now been fixed. Over 500 fixes were sent in by just one person (absolute legend, you know who you are).

I've also polished and smoothed out some of the clunkier scenes in earlier chapters to improve readability.

These were things that sorely needed to be done, but it's unfortunately meant I haven't had the time to add a huge amount of new content. I hope that's okay.

Thank you everyone who took the time to send in all these fixes. I know it's not the most exciting thing, but it really feels good to roll up my sleeves and clean this game up.

One step closer to being finished.

I'm doing some editing on another project as well right now, but I'm really hoping to add some new scenes to Thicker Than next week. It depends a little bit on how editing goes, so wish me luck! 🤞💙

[tayochen]

Demo Update

Here at Soulmates Inc we specialize in chance meetings!

As a soul-link, your job is to guide two people entrusted in your care to one another in a fateful meeting, for they are each other's soulmates. Aided by the soul-link powers, you will craft a story that will be told over and over to others, changed and misremembered or kept as faithful as humanly possible. Without your help, they would not find one another.

P.S.: a regular reminder to refrain from referring to yourself or your coworkers as Cupid.

|| LINK to the demo || [79k +40k]

In this update:

one soul should be enough to solve this, so get digging

immediately break a rule or two

partake in the company poker night

go out for field work where everything goes well

pay a visit to a certain vinyl store

finally, assemble the full house

Reblogs are much appreciated! ♥

[tayochen]

In the corridors of power, whispers echo louder than the truth.

Working for Sterling Dynamics sounds like a great idea, with the constantly rising stocks and the glorifying public opinion. Having the ear of the current boss is just the cherry on top.

But, of course, nothing is as good as it seems.

Your boss (and friend) goes missing, in the middle of the day, a news that reaches the public before it reaches you. If that wasn't bad enough, his absence has made you acutely aware just how many people hated you within the company. And to top it all off, his brother is making a play for the throne.

You definitely don't get paid enough for this.

Choose your name, gender, and appearance.

Customize your character's personality and past- decide how you got where you are.

Make choices that affect the plot, other characters, and the company!

Manage the company in your friend's absence. Or try to, at least.

Romance one of four characters- your friend, your boss, your ex, or the investigator!

Bennett Sterling [He/Him]

Your boss. Uptight and professional to the end. Everyone insists he is a robot, and honestly, some days you really do believe it. Other days, you think you can see behind the mask, see who he actually is- someone who has no idea who they are supposed to be.

Samuel/Samantha Wallace [He/Him or She/Her]

Your best friend. Quite possibly the only sane person in this entire company. Charming, quirky and sarcastic- you get on like a house on fire. You've been with each other for as long as you can remember, always half wrapped up in the other. So why does it seem like they're pulling away?

Aster/Esther King [He/Him or She/Her]

Your ex. You haven't talked to each other for more than half a decade, now, for which the fault lies mostly on their shoulders. You made promises to stay friends and keep in touch when you broke up, but neither of you spared a thought to the other after the 'amicable' breakup. That's what you choose to believe, anyway.

Dorothy Williams [She/Her]

The investigator. You don't know each other that well just yet, unless to five background checks you ordered on her count. She seems nice, professional, and calm. Hired by Bennett's family, you don't exactly get a say in her being there, but her personality makes it easy to forget she hasn't always been a part of your group.

CHARACTER PROFILES!

DEMO out now!

[tayochen]

You weren't supposed to be here. Why were you here? You know full and damn well that you setting foot on this planet could spell catastrophe for any unfortunate form of life that lived there if you were ever to be found.

But it's not as though you had a choice. Where else would you go? So, you did what any other terrified being did. You fled. That fate-sealing choice was what brought you here.

What brought you to her.

You had fallen from the sky and into some poor, unsuspecting woman's territory. She had been holding a glowing box-shaped object in her hand, staring at you with those mesmerizing scarlet red eyes of hers. She didn't seem bothered at all, albeit a little shocked.

Crouching down to your trembling form, she tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear, quirking a brow at you. A strange, playful grin stretched across her pretty face.

"Who the hell are you?"

ST☆RSTRUCK is a (probably) upcoming 18+ dark fiction interactive novel where you play as a runaway alien from a different galaxy, find refuge on a planet called Earth, and befriend a worldwide famous girl while also trying to fit into society and avoid getting caught by the cosmic gods.

DEMO: TBA

Play as an otherwordly being! Choose between male, female, and anything in between. You'll be able to change pronouns whenever you see fit.

Romance from a choice of characters. I see characters as having their own identity as a human would, so some RO's are gender-specific.

Try to blend into human society! You'll be able to shape the Star's (MC) personality through choices.

Customize your Star's alien appearance and human form!

Choose a special ability: telekinesis, empath, mind reading, super strength, teleportation, mind control, necromancy, light manipulation, and more!

Make allies if you choose to tell others about being an eldtrich monster! Watch your back, though. It would be wise to not be too trusting.

Uncover dark secrets about characters, the universe, and yourself as you go. Some things aren't as they seem.

Decide whether or not you belong on Earth, or if your place is within the universe.

Save humanity! Or destroy it. You do you.

...Fight a space kitten?

ROMANCE OPTIONS

Embry Harrison (F) || The Popst☆r

The young human that found you — probably because you literally crashed into her backyard. She's the only person who knows what you are. Embry is fun, not to mention she's drop-dead gorgeous. Playful, free spirited, mischevious, she's also your best friend who happens to be a worldwide famous popstar, actress, and model. She's just the person you need when it comes to knowing how to hide yourself under a facade...or perhaps she's the worst if you'd like to keep a low profile, due to her constantly being stalked and bombarded with crazed fans.

Could she be hiding something beneath that smile?

"Ah, I keep forgetting you're from a different planet or whatever. Okay, check it out! This is what we mortals call a phone..."

Special: Poly Option with Shade or Love Triangle

Trope: Best Friends to Lovers or Unrequited Love/Idolization

Shade "Prince" James (M) || The Prince

A childhood close friend of Embry's. He's the eldest son of a billionare CEO and the heir to the company. He also seems to hate your guts, for some reason. You've never been able to work out why. Standing at 6 foot 3 with an attractive face and more money than he knows to do with, Shade could get anything he wanted and any woman he asked for. However, that sour attitude and introverted nature drew everyone away, much to his appreciation. The only people he seems to truly care about are his siblings and the very few true friends that he has.

"What do you want?"

Gender-Locked: Female/Male MC's

Special: Poly Option with Embry or Love Triangle

Trope: Enemies/Frenemies to Lovers

Axel James (M) || The Eclipse

Axel was used to being ignored, it was expected. His older brother was made to take over in their father's place eventually; he was just a backup. Always coming second, desperately wanting his parent's attention. He never held it against Shade, though. He loved his brother. He was used to finding out his friends weren't actually his friends, or his crushes were merely there to get closer to Shade. He felt pathetic, being in the spotlight but having no one you could truly rely on. Did anyone truly care? If he just disappeared, would anyone bother to look for him? Those thoughts plagued his mind for years and years, and every passing moment, he started to believe they were true.

...Well. Until he met you.

"...Hey. Uh, I'm — shit, okay — sorry. Thanks for...well, being here, I guess."

Trope: Friends to Lovers or Unrequited Love

Epiphany "Pip" James (F) || The Sun

Could she even be counted as a true 'James'? She was the result of an affair an unfaithful Mr. James had. Once Mrs. James had found out of this, she forbid her from speaking to her half-brothers.

Did she let that stop her? Hell no.

In secret, the trio of siblings texted and called and met up. They were close, all three of them. It was amazing, really; how someone who had been shunned by society and harassed daily managed to stay so positive, bringing energy wherever she went. She was the personification of sunshine and rainbows.

Or so you think.

"Oh, hey! Listen, listen! I found this SUPER cute café yesterday and - huh? Oh, it's okay. I don't care what everyone else thinks as long as you like me."

Gender-Locked: Female/NB MC's

Trope: Friends to Lovers

Astro (Selectable Gender) || The Supern☆va

You remember this person vaguely. They have the same name, the same voice, the same mannerisms as someone you knew long ago.

But that couldn't be possible.

They were dead.

"I missed you."

Trope: ??? to Lovers

"Khaos" (M) || ???

No...no. He couldn't have found you. You hid so well. You're just imagining things. Yeah, that's it. There's no way you just saw [REDACTED]'s haunting gaze boring into your mind — you were overthinking this; playing tricks on yourself because you were stressed.

...That had to be it. He's not here.

He'snotherehe'snotherehe'snotherehe'snotherehe'snot—

"Found you."

Trope: ??? to Lovers

[tayochen]

Game Update - 5/7/24

The next update is ready to play!

Features include:

An update! 😅

An entire recoding of Chapter 4! including a new chapter title (2 of them, technically, as it’s different depending on the route you chose at the end of Chapter 3)

Some actual communication between characters about what’s going on!

Gavin Cowles!

A reminder that previous saves made in Chapter 4 will be broken! You will need to load a save from Chapter 3 or earlier to play, or start a new game!

There isn’t a lot of new content this time, as most of the work for it was on the back end and overcoming behind-the-scenes obstacles, but I’m so happy to finally have an update for you all! I say “thank you for your patience” a lot, I know, but I really can’t say it enough. Your continued love and support is what kept me going while I battled the various demons that kept getting in my way. Next update should be a lot bigger, and include some conversations you’ve all been waiting for!

(On the last page, if Gavin mentions someone other than your chosen RO, let me know! I’m still trying to iron out the code on that one… so far I’ve only seen issues on no-romance runs thinking you’re romancing Li, and I think I’ve fixed that, but if I haven’t/something else comes up wrong, please tell me)

What you can expect in the next update:

Another update! 😂

Gossiping about your love life!

Gossiping about your friends!

Gossiping about your… sister’s love life?

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💙💙💙

[tayochen]

DEMO (updated january 26th, 20.4K words)

PINTEREST BOARDS | SPOTIFY (IN PROGRESS)

A few years ago, you wouldn’t ever believe where you are now. 

Living in the City of Artists and getting your biggest role after so many years of waiting for a big break as a theater actor, things seem to finally be going the way you dreamed of. It doesn’t matter if this play is your producer’s last chance of saving her family legacy or if you’re the last one to get casted and barely has time to fit in, you’re not letting any of this get you down. 

You’re going to make yourself proud, make all of your work to get out of your hometown seem worthwhile and…

A few years ago, you wouldn’t have blood on your hands.

As an accident with one of your castmates results in a death of your conscience, seeing the theater packed was the last thing you expected to happen. It looks like whoever said people are intrinsically drawn by tragedy was completely right. Now, you have to balance your rising, potentially brilliant career with sleepless nights leaden by guilt. 

All while hoping all of these new accidents happening backstage are nothing but coincidences.

Backstage is rated +18 for explicit language, violence, mentions of addiction, drug use, alcohol use and non-explicit sexual content. Things might be added or changed in the future.

FEATURES

Customize your MC and their personality! Decide on their personal feelings, how they interact with others and how well they’re coping with everything that happened ever since they came to town.

You’re one of the lead actors now and every day is a chance to decide how you act around your castmates, the stage crew and with the media’s sudden spotlight on all of you.

Have the opportunity to deal with fame or renounce it. Help the people around you or mess them up even more.

Also, you never know when romance will shine! Have the chance to meet these five people and establish a romantic or platonic (or even destructive) bond with them.

RO's physical descriptions | Theater's group! (Side characters)

Cassandra/Callahan Ralph (24 | F/M) - Fun and bright, as you remember them to be. Once your best-friend/partner, it feels like just yesterday they left your old town behind to go to college and you watched as all contact between you was cut. Now they’re back and both of you are sharing a stage like nothing ever happened.

Neil A. Sadecki (25 | he/him) - Son of two renowned actors, Neil has known the ugly parts of this industry for longer than any of you and tries to stay out of its spotlight whenever he can. The youngest director you ever worked with, you wonder how much of his indifference is real or simply part of an act.

Spencer Caetano (27 | they/them) - You have reasons to keep your distance from Spencer now, even if they aren’t aware of it. However, all of this keeps working against your plans as you have to pretend to be in love with them every show for the sake of art and running from their easy friendship is starting to be more and more difficult.

Johanna 'Joy' Pham (25 | she/her) - Living up to her name, Joy is a breath of fresh air. Currently the only person who is doing fine and not crumbling under pressure among your colleagues, it doesn’t take you long to notice how she seems to remember every small thing about everyone and, still, you don't know much about her.

Ameera/Adarsh Bhandari (25 | F/M) - Your castmate’s #1 enemy, they’re the one who ended up opening a spot in the play for you. Since day one, you’re confused about why they decided to pick on you out of all people, and also why they seem to be always around instead of with their own cast mates. 

[tayochen]

Demo 84K words (Updated 5/24/24) /// The Gods /// Ask Boundaries

After being abducted by two aliens, their spaceship crashes and leaves you stranded on a galaxy called 'Aquarii", which is populated by a species called 'Mitans'.

You're taken in by the Queen of Aquarii, where she reveals you are a child of one of Aquarii's gods. A cool idea in theory, but it appears the Mitan's aren't particularly happy with a human being half-god.

The queen believes that your arrival is a sign an upcoming war between Mitans and gods can be prevented, while others believe this war is inevitable.

As you are forced to fight for your right to live, you're left with one question:

Can a universe survive without gods?

Choose your pronouns, sexuality, and appearance.

Join forces with an unusual group of aliens with unique features.

Choose between five RO's, two female, two male, and one non-binary option.

Become a demigod and pick one of twelve gods to be the child of.

Deal with a strange device that has been turned against you and the Mitans (along with the alien that built it).

And fight an emperor!

RO Descriptions

Liviana Vlahos, The Queen (she/her)- The queen of Aquarii and all Mitans, she is beloved by all her people for defeating the tyrant who ruled before her. She was kind enough to lend her hand in your time of need, but it's hard to tell if she genuinely cares for you. If you don't prove to be helpful, she may just throw you into the fray.

Estelle Alinac, The Chief (she/her)- The chief of the Justice Association of Aquarii, Estelle is known to be a cold and intimidating woman. She doesn't like you, or humans, and makes that abundantly clear every time you talk to her.

Amare Mailon, The Recruit (he/him)- A new member of the Justice Association of Aquarii, Amare can appear quite naive and unserious. With others, he's sarcastic and witty, but with you, he's nervous and paranoid. Being a member of the JAA, anyone would assume he's just worried about something happening to you. But you know from the way his eyes flick to your arms and legs that the fear runs deeper. You can't tell which matters more to him; stopping a war, or preventing humans from finding Aquarii. Ellery Torres, The Doctor (he/him)- Liviana's personal doctor and the most renowned doctor in the galaxy, Ellery appears as someone you can trust. He can make you feel at ease with his playful humor and light-hearted personality. He has sworn to the queen that he will do everything in his power to keep you alive and healthy. He doesn't appear threatening, but who can you trust in this unknown galaxy?

???, The Mastermind (they/them)- Not much is known about the one who lives in the apartment on Fiery Pass, but it's kind of weird how they never turn their purple lights out...

[tayochen]

✦ virtue’s end — patreon update 24 may 2024

added around 3.7k words to the patreon version of the game! 🎉

[tayochen]

this is a formal interest check for a charity raffle with the IF community

if you are an IF author or artist and you're interested in participating in a charity-drive raffle, please check out this form! we are aiming to do one big raffle with a single prize pool, where people submit proof of donation in exchange for a raffle ticket.

prizes we are currently considering would be things like a spicy snippet or a cosy snippet, etc. potential sketches from artists or a rendered bust, etc. and we'll allow the authors & artists to dictate how much/what exactly they're comfortable offering. donating to multiple gfm will mean more entries into the raffle. we'll be offering a list of potential gfm to donate to (we're going to try and focus on ones with low funds) & any artists/authors offering prizes can specify if they want to sponsor specific gfm.

this is subject to change! we are just trying to gauge interest right now and see what we can put together on our side of things which depends entirely on the people willing to contribute & if we get enough interest.

here is the google form for artists and authors to fill out:

this was inspired by the book auction for gaza as well as the many other art raffles i've seen here and on twitter.