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I got an ask that goes into spoilers for all the selectable MC backgrounds. I decided to copy and paste it like this so I can post it under the cut and avoid spoilers for those who may not have played the game yet or have not played all three backgrounds.

Click to see the rest!

"Honestly, I feel bad for all the people Mc was forced to leave behind because there's the clan, but more specifically Neïj, whose guilt must be immense with everyone who died trying to get the both of them back, especially if the Mc tried to dissuade her from following "Mother's" voice. And there's not any good way to assuage her guilt. Then there's the Belnac parents, who I imagine didn't outright lie about what happened, except for how they survived and providing the cover story that their adopted child died during the ambush, which would lead to the grief of Meya, Mirae, and possibly Cassius, depending on his relationship with them. And I'm also going to tentatively say Giorgina, who I feel like, with how things can be left off, a door was opened for them to potentially become friends, or at least for Mc to be in a category of people she doesn't mind the presence of, even if they aren't friends. So there's the loss of a potential friend with her, and then there's the found family, which honestly, that whole scenario is messy. Though I feel like if Jugg'art was conscious, he'd also push for them to be taken, but it'd be because he would see an opportunity to try and give them a life the group couldn't and definitely can't give them after what happened, like a parent that puts their child up for adoption because, for one reason or another, they either are or see themselves as unable to care for them or give them a life they feel the child deserves, so they hope someone else will. And from what little is given, it feels like him and Fin were the ones who tried to give Mc moments where they could try to be a normal kid despite the circumstances they were in."

First of all, thank you so much for reading all of the backgrounds! That makes me really happy. And thank you for offering your thoughts on all of them.

I agree, and the situation was never going to be a happy one for the MC. Even in some cases where they might prefer to stay in Cirern's care (the scavenger MC maybe especially depending on how you view it/play it) they didn't end up there out of their own choice but because of circumstances outside of their control. This is always a point of complication in the MC and Cirern's relationship even if you play as someone who gets attached to him or grows to care about him.

It was also never going to be a happy outcome for the people around them who ended up involved in the attempted ritual or who they had to leave behind.

The scavenger situation is definitely messy; as much as I adore genuine found families and want to lean into that for some paths during the main sory, I wanted to portray a group that has the potential to be that but, consisting of people who have all lived extremely difficult lives and who struggle to get by - a group that also consists of people with ambition who are challenged by greed, clashing ideals and the will to survive - never quite manages to come together in that way.

That being said, the MC's backgrounds will play a huge part later in the story and you'll find out much more regarding character motivation etc. by then :)

Thank you so much for the ask!

EDIT: Made the message blue to make it easier to tell it apart from the response.

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hi hi! just wanted to pop by with a bug report, at the choices where you decide what to do with Fri post fight (heal him, offer him a hand, walk away), there seems to be an issue with the code because it doesn't let you click on a choice and progress. A popup says something about the error being unexpected token 'true'

Hi, thank you so much for reporting this! I got a comment about this error on itch as well - it should be fixed now!

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Reblogging this since the demo is public again!

On a dark winter’s night, a child signs a contract with a man dead to the world.

Promised an upbringing filled with forbidden knowledge, the two enter a strange and isolated existence together.

After nineteen years, the sanctuary and prison you have come to know as your home is discovered, and the land finally learns that the villain they believed to have perished a century prior has merely been in hiding…and that he isn’t alone.

Separated and forced to flee, you’re once again released into the world without your master’s hand to guide you. Only now, he is no longer the only one adept at the unsanctioned arcane arts.

“Unsanctioned” is a 17+ interactive novel created in Twine where you play as the apprentice of an ostracized sorcerer. It’s set in a dark fantasy world where magic is simultaneously a symbol of status and strictly supervised.

Demo | Ko-fi

✢ Three backgrounds to choose from which will shape your MC and their relationship with the world, impact their pool of knowledge, their countenance, and how others might react to them.

✢ Three races to choose from: elf, human or the shunned cryn.

✢ A complicated parental relationship at the heart of the narrative.

✢ A cast of potential – and not entirely lawful – companions who you can forge various relationships with.

✢ Around five full-fledged romances, along with casual flings you may try to pursue along the way.

✢ Choices that shape your MC’s personality as well as the world around them to a lesser or bigger degree and narrative branching based on certain choices.

✢ A game of truth and deceit with you as one of the main players. You've been taught to keep your identity and abilities a secret from others, but is secrecy what you truly want?

✢ A magic system of both legal and illegal spells at your disposal. Use wisely, or you might attract unwanted attention...

✢ Elven, He/Him

If the stories are to be trusted, he is the last surviving member of the group of sorcerers unceremoniously named the “Pentagon order”. He is your master and your caretaker, your mentor and your jailor.

Knowledgeable and lonesome, he often seems to be pondering the world which he has now become a reclused observer of.

Whether you consider him family or a brute who took you away from the life you were meant to live, it can’t be argued that the nineteen years the two of you have spent together has shaped you into the person you are today.

How your presence has affected him, you cannot confidently say. His mind remains as closed off to you now as it did on that snowy winter’s night so long ago.

Perhaps leaving his side is what will finally allow you to learn the truth about him.

✢ ?, He/Him

As a being born from the very essence of sorcery, Muir’s existence threads a thin line between mortality and something wholly other. All mages rely on the energy of their Magiramús to cast their spells; you rely on this hoary eyed young man to do the same. Aside from his direct and stubborn disposition, he possesses both a palpable kindness and a sense of unmotivated ruthlessness.

You don’t know what he is, yet you know him better than anyone. You left your home together; now you must learn to navigate the world together.

Something that’s much easier said than done when your very existence marks you as outlaws.

✢ Elven, They/Them

One need only look at Wren to know that they’re one of the Institute’s agents. If the robes didn’t give it away, their demeanour certainly would.

Arrogance lies deeply embedded in their eyes, and they seem convinced that anyone who looks their way does so with envy.

When you encounter them in the troubled village of Kelmerth during their Practice of Passing, you get to witness firsthand what a student of the most distinguished academy on the continent can do, and what being a product of its teachings really means.

✢ Human, She/Her

 Hailing from the southern land of Ciralor, one of the few human-ruled countries on the continent, Azora is less attuned to the laws of the arcane than a native of Aíos would be.

Instead, she tends to rely on the inventions her homeland is both renowned and feared for. She is eloquent, straight-forward and impulsive to a fault – but it is all, according to her, to reclaim her rightful place as Ciralor’s leader.

A task that proves difficult when every day is a battle to stay in control of her own body.

✢ Vampiric, She/Her

Astra's gaze always appears to wander, searching for something in the crowds she often surrounds herself with, occasionally locking on to someone who just so happens to catch her interest.

Although her muscular stature points to a life of strife, the poise she displays is more befitting of a high born than that of a common thug.

As a vampire, she has little choice but to shun the light of day and seek the comfort that lies in the shadows. Representing the part of her people that refuse to conform to the rules set in place by the less potent, she operates outside of the law, following instead the self-made rules of her Coven.

✢ Cryn, He/Him

The order of The Aelesh is enveloped in mystery. Worshipping the world of the unknown, they have chosen to cast aside the Faith in favour of the Truth – and in their eyes, the truth lies beyond that which mortals can comprehend and perceive with their senses.

With the simple mask he insists on wearing, your only clue as to Kirin’s true character lies in his voice and body language. Each sparse movement has a purpose, every phrase a veiled meaning.

He’s vowed to express his beliefs by following in the footsteps of the infamous Pentagons and to serve them in any way he can.

In his opinion, this is currently best done by aiding you.

You will be able to access a “book of spells” (codex) from the game's menu whenever you wish. The spells that your MC has learned, or learned about, will be displayed there along with some information regarding what each spell does.

There are key points during the story where using magic might attract attention or be more risky than other times. Know that there are no bad endings in this game, but that choices do have consequences, and that includes your use of magic.

There are spells which are considered “lawful” and spells which are labelled as “forbidden”. You will have access to both, though due to the nature of the MC's upbringing, they will have a wide range of forbidden spells at their disposal.

Even when using a “lawful” spell, this is still considered a crime unless you have a permit to do so.

There are moments in the game where you will be able to go to the spell menu and select the spell you want to cast (if any). Not all spells will always be available at all times simply because of branching reasons, but I’m striving to make it as free-choice as possible and add flavour-text in most cases at the very least.

Progress Status

Total Wordcount: Around 180k (as of January 2024)

Words Edited/Coded in Twine: Around 180k (as of January 2024)

Written Chapters: Prologue part 1, prologue part 2 + start of Chapter 1.

Edited Chapters (ongoing): Prologue part 1 (3 backgrounds), prologue part 2, beginning of chapter 1.

Currently 10 chapters in total are planned, excluding prologue and epilogue.

@interact-if

Credits

Cover art: cyanide-chicken

Character portraits: holyantenna (upper portraits) and mooreux (lower portraits)

Logo art/text design: kathaeris

All other images are from Canva

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Demo is up!

Since I miscalculated and realized that I won't be able to work on and upload the demo tomorrow, I've made it public today instead.

From here on out I'll be putting my main focus on chapter 1 and go back to fix remaining errors and edit stuff from the prologue from time to time with the exception of some stuff like adding name options at certain parts of the game instead of including just a text box; that's something I'll get to soon, hopefully. Also some remaining mistakes regarding spelling etc.

The codex and profile aren't completed either, but it'll all be done in due time :)

Hope you enjoy!

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Writing Update April 2025

Hello everyone!

The more time I'm spending on the demo, the more I'm starting to realize that I've gotten stuck on it. I'm constantly finding things to change, to try to improve and more that I could add. Chapter 1 is of course still in the process of being written, so I'll still be adding content to it later on, but at this point I've spent so long on the beginning of the game that I worry my motivation will drain if I don't allow myself to move on soon. If I'm being perfectly honest I already do feel a bit burnt out working on this part of the demo.

So I've decided to drop the idea of a "finished demo version" and focus on correcting as many errors/mistakes as possible, add the final bits of content for now to make sure you can get through the story without reaching any dead ends and release the demo in its current state, which is hopefully more polished and more enjoyable even if I've had to let go of some additional ideas that take up too much time.

Please keep in mind that there are some errors and mistakes that I have to go through a lot of passages or basically play the game from start to finish to properly test and correct. They are not the game breaking kind however, so they shouldn't be an issue when it comes to playing it.

I wanted to add more content to chapter 1, but since I'm still working on that chapter it's going to get updated regardless and that additional content is just going to come a bit later.

The demo will be available again on the 4th of April.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding!

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Demo on temporary restricted access

Hello everyone!

I've restricted demo access for now since there are some very glaring continuity problems I need to write more content for in chapter 1. I'd like to avoid people playing to that point only for the game not to register their progress properly.

It shouldn't take long to fix, but I'll see whether I'll just take the opportunity to finish up everything I can for the demo before making it public again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding <3

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I just wanted to send a big thank you to those who have continued to help me with bug reports. A special thank you to the anon who sent me a very thorough list of errors, bugs, mistakes + feedback yesterday. Even though I don't post those asks/messages, I want you to know that I see and go through each one of them.

As of right now I don't always immediately go to fix the reported errors since I have set a pretty strict schedule for myself when to finish what, and I plan to go through everything again more carefully before the final demo version releases. I'll get to all of it in due time!

Both bug reports and feedback on content is super helpful and I always appreciate those who take time out of their day to inform me of them and share their opinions. When it comes to content feedback it helps a lot to know how others experience certain scenes and gives me great ideas for how I can improve upon them. Thank you <3 EDIT: I'm also going to take the opportunity to let you all know that the Muir short is almost finished but will be posted after the final demo version is released!

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Writing Update March 2025

Hello everyone!

Here's the writing update for March. Since my injury's gotten better, I've been able to do more work on the game; some changes should be visible already while I'm saving others for when I publish the full version of the demo.

I'd also like to clarify that when I talk about the "finished/full version" of the demo, I don't mean that it won't be updated with more content or that it won't change design-wise. What I mean is that everything present so far in the demo - the background stories, the prologue part with Cirern and chapter one where the MC and Muir are adults - will be finished and won't require more editing or polishing and that I won't add more content to those parts. I'll still be updating the demo with the rest of chapter one and more regardless.

This week I'm mainly focusing on integrating the usage of spells/the spellbook and writing content for different spells that you can use at different points of the game, starting with chapter one. Next week I'll be adding more content to the demo as a whole. I think the final version will feel quite a bit meatier in terms of choices than it does now :) at least that's my hope. This in particular might take more than a week to do, but I've set a deadline for myself at the end of March latest. I'll be reblogging the intro post once the demo is ready.

Meanwhile I'm slowly working on some small things on the side, such as updating the intro post and make it look better + updating the itch.io page and experimenting with some UI design for the game itself.

Thanks a lot for your patience and support and to everyone who has left comments and ratings on itch!

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Small bug report if you didn’t already know but dark mode doesn’t work, the text changes to white but the background color remains the same

Oh yeah, I'm aware. It's something that changed along with the UI design. I'm going to try and fix it later but other things take priority at the moment, so I'm unsure when exactly that'll be.

Thanks for reporting it nonetheless and sorry to all dark mode lovers :')

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Thank you to everyone who voted! I'll be publishing a short story from Muir's POV sometime next month :)

Depending on how much time I have going forward (and so long as it doesn't take too much time away from working on the actual WIP), I might try and write a short for every character in the order of the most votes and post them monthly or bi-monthly.

Short Story Poll

The past week has been filled with more coding than writing. I figured that, in order to get into a creative mindset again and gain some inspiration, I'd write a short story about one of the characters featured in the intro post. If you have any opinion on who you'd like featured in the short, please consider voting in this poll :)

It would be a short-short story, maybe 500 words or so and wouldn't take much time to do. It'll be written from the POV of whoever gets the most votes.

Thank you in advance!

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Around 9 hours left to vote for those who haven't already and might still want to!

Short Story Poll

The past week has been filled with more coding than writing. I figured that, in order to get into a creative mindset again and gain some inspiration, I'd write a short story about one of the characters featured in the intro post. If you have any opinion on who you'd like featured in the short, please consider voting in this poll :)

It would be a short-short story, maybe 500 words or so and wouldn't take much time to do. It'll be written from the POV of whoever gets the most votes.

Thank you in advance!

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Hi, I saw the intro post says 10 chapters in total are planned. Does that include the prologue (and epilogue if there is one), or is that separate?

Hi! I originally estimated that the story might be around 10 chapters excluding prologue and epilogue. So that would be 10 chapters starting from chapter 1. But it's a very rough estimate that I mainly made to give myself some sort of goal to refer to, and I expect the story to end up becoming longer than that.

That being said, I've decided to change things around a bit for the final release of the demo: what was formerly chapter 1 (which explores different periods in time when the MC lives with Cirern) will be part of the prologue, and what was formerly chapter 2 (when the MC is an adult and the main story begins) will become chapter 1. The reason for this is that I feel like you CAN basically skip the entire childhood-section if the story and start reading from the point when the MC is an adult if you want to - and I think some people might prefer it that way since you'll have much more freedom of choice when playing as an adult MC.

In short: The very rough estimate is 10 chapters starting from chapter 1, which is currently chapter 2 but will be labeled chapter 1 in the final version of the demo haha. I hope that's not too confusing.

Thank you so much for the ask!

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Short Story Poll

The past week has been filled with more coding than writing. I figured that, in order to get into a creative mindset again and gain some inspiration, I'd write a short story about one of the characters featured in the intro post. If you have any opinion on who you'd like featured in the short, please consider voting in this poll :)

It would be a short-short story, maybe 500 words or so and wouldn't take much time to do. It'll be written from the POV of whoever gets the most votes.

Thank you in advance!

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Writing Update 24/2 - 2025

Hello everyone!

In the last writing update I mentioned (I think) that I was going to move on from the backstories for now. Welll....I didn't, haha. I got some good feedback regarding the lack of choices that were there, especially in the scavenger and nomadic background.

I didn't really plan for them to be too choice-heavy since I wanted the MC to feel like a different starting character based on the background - someone who would then be shaped as an adult according to the player's choices and input. But I want it to feel like YOUR character and not mine, which has led me to include more choices for the backgrounds.

Right now the new choices are mostly meant to add to the personality of your MC.

I've started doing more content-writing for chapter 1 and 2 too (spellbook work is on hold for now, but hopefully I'll get back to that next week or the week after depending on my progress). A very talented, skilled and amazing friend of mine also offered to help redesign the look of the game to give it a more unique feel! Here's a picture as an example. I plan to include the big, green letters that you can see in this image at the start of every chapter :)

I've been able to be more productive lately and my hope is to post a big content update mid- to late March. Thank you for all of the support, help, suggestions, feedback and patience <3 and thanks again to my friend for being so kind and creating this updated look for me!

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... While I'd hate to disturb a perfectly good number of posts, I just wanted to say that I'm getting back into Uroboros!

I'll also be posting the character art I've been withholding soon. My original hope was to show them after Chapter 2, but we've all waited long enough :D.

See you guys soon!

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Are there going to be more romance scenes in the demo?

I want to include more scenes both with the main cast and side characters in the chapter 2 portion of the demo, and some of them will have romantic options for sure!

Thank you so much for the ask!

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Can I ask you a question about RO?

Yes of course! All questions are welcome.

EDIT: If the questions end up going into spoiler territory I might answer them vaguely or wait with answering them, though. But I know that as far as ROs go there isn't a lot of content out at the moment, so I'm open to maybe answering more spoilery questions about those as well depending on what it is for people who don't mind spoilers much.