Tarnished🩸

IT IS UPDATE TIME! For those of you who missed the dirty draft in the discord, the original play link has now been updated with 35 thousand words and two chapters sizzling with exposition, and heated rivalry. I'm so excited!

Here's what's new:

Before we start, it took some honest critique for something to click for me, plot wise. I have been meandering with the plot, partly because I had no idea what I was even doing, and part because I really wanted to meander around in this new medium. But, the plot I have planned is very high octane and epic in scale so I don’t want to bore you to death before we get to the good stuff.

So, don’t hunt me for sport when I tell you that (for the time being) I have removed the entire section of RO 101’s. I was so stubborn with shoehorning them in for the better part of a year, leading to writer's block and utter despair since it just wouldn’t fit; it wasn’t how you were supposed to learn about the RO’s. I have put them aside for now and tweaked Lenas scene once more so that it flows better- I am hemming and hawing over Id’s 101 because that one actually makes sense to have there, plotwise. It might go back in where it was, but I am still thinking about it.

Ok, for real this time though:

The scenes where you scream and your RO busts down the door Kool-Aid man style are there now.

A meeting with Oma and a blast from your [origin] past!

A whole chapter of lies and deceit, but it could literally be anyone lying. Careful who to trust.

Is that… [REDACTED]?? Surely not.

Another chapter where you get to choose your weapons and the way the Surge manifests with your hunter.

On topic of the surge, the magic in Ouro, it is now a default for all players; you can choose from 4 different classes. The Battlefrenzied Zealot, The Beastmaster, The Etherweaver or The Vox Psion. I had a terrible time writing the codexes for these classes, so some are partial and others missing, but if you continue you will experience them in actual action-scenes instead, weaponized. Don't forget to save! For now, each class comes with its own weapon, but I will add more whenever extra time strikes, or when the draft is done.  I am going to remind you as I remind myself: This draft will get rougher around the edges, a little bit messy, as I am going to try to just draft the whole thing without even looking back. It will make my life so much easier when it comes to figuring out key scenes and motivations. While I wrote quite slowly as I treated OUROBOROS as a hobby, now I am working on it, which means skipping content I cannot think of on the spot just to keep the ball rolling. If you don't want to read the alpha draft, please wait with reading until the edited twine demo is out. Thank you!!

Now, ENJOY!

Madri by Rashed AlAkroka ✦

the sands of time is a fantasy interactive fiction where you play as the mage of a small provincial town who, in the process of investigating into strange magical phenomena, finds themselves embroiled in a far-reaching political intrigue with potentially deadly consequences. and ghosts.

themes/tags : intrigue, fantasy, effects of time, power, magic, ghosts

You are a mage who, after being forced to flee from the capital for a crime you may or may not have committed, has taken refuge in Kemorlen, a small, unremarkable town ideal for keeping out of the political reaches of the Illyosian Empire. But when an apparently straightforward investigation into bizarre magical phenomena forces you into conflict with figures from your past and powerful forces that care little for you, how will you navigate through the oncoming storm that shatters your fragile calm ?

The continent of Aiolos has been dominated by the Illyosian Empire, with its back-stabbing nobles and complex court politics, for generations. Yet their hold is beginning to fray, and its rulers will do anything to take back their former power, sparking events that quickly spiral far out of their control.

Aiolos is a land at the crossroads of the mortal and spirit realms, where the effects of the underworld are felt keenly, and the delicate balance between mortal and spirit realms is ever on the verge of tipping over.

Decide whether the accusations of treason that forced you to leave the capital have a basis in truth.

Meet five characters (one male, two female, one nb and one selectable: either male or nb) and choose to pursue romance, friendship, or rivalry.

Navigate a world of complicated politics, spirits that frequently won't stay dead and magic that permeates everyday existence.

Choose your name, pronouns, gender and place of origin.

Pick which area of magic you are strongest in, out of four (warding, enchantment, healing and transmutation).

Try not to get assassinated, arrested or possessed.

[ROs]

Jasper (m) :

A familiar face from your past, and not one that you expected to see again. He's a snarky, obsessive researcher into spirits and, during your time in the capital, your closest companion. After getting caught up in the incident that provoked your rather abrupt exit, you presumed him to be dead, and he you.

Leonora (f) :

The owner of the alchemists shop next door to you in Kemorlen. Despite her saving your life (numerous times) and helping you to create a new life for yourself there, she remains a figure that you know surprisingly little about. She's blunt, impulsive, skilled with a sword, and definitely hiding something. All in all, you don't quite know what to make of her.

Augustine (nb) :

A quiet, unassuming healer who arrived in town shortly after you did. Surprisingly squeamish and possessing a dry sense of humour, they have quickly become indispensable in helping you deal with the everyday magical difficulties of Kemorlen. Their past remains a mystery to you, and you suspect there may be more to them than first appears.

Mira (f) :

A charismatic bard who wanders the roads of Aiolos collecting stories, gold, and animal companions after being exiled from her home kingdom. She seems to attract trouble, but as long as the resulting chaos makes for a good tale she doesn't appear to mind much.

Theodorus (m/nb) :

A spirit with patchy memories and a thirst for revenge after being accidentally brought back from the underworld. They're awkward, restless and struggling to reconstruct a life for themselves in a world where they are supposed to be dead.

demo : in progress. prologue is being written.

release medium : twine & itch.io

okay that's not an emoji ask but it's a classic. I couldn't find it with the search function but it might be bullying me so I'm sorry if this has been asked before

what would the ROs want, need and dread to hear from Mc? especially interested in SC and A answers if you don't feel like doing all the ROs 👀

Ooh this is a new one and very interesting! I hope you don’t mind me answering a bit vaguely. :)

Aiden/Ava:

Want: “Together, always. You're not alone.”

Need: any compliments or praises from MC make their day better instantly.

Dread: “You let me down.” 🙁

SC:

Want: “All I want is you, and only you.”

Need: “I trust you.”

Dread: “I trusted you.” ☹️

All im saying, it'd be better to start off fully with twine. Down the line, you might switch over from cs to twine and it'd be hassle trying to send over those variables from there to over there

Yeah, that thing that I was afraid of because I always had in mind to eventually make my game into twine. It might not compare, but I know the struggle of changing from one code source to another with past projects I did for college, and I really don’t want to stress over it when I could continue writing chapters.

Big Announcement???

I’m scraping the book :(

I’m just joking….mostly..

I’m keep the characters and the MC being an ex-villain, but other than that the entire book is getting a rewrite! I’ve got some new ideas that I want to try out and I wanna rework some of the dynamics between the characters!

But here’s the actual announcement:

I’m looking for a Co-Author!!!

That’s right! Y’a girl is in desperate need of help and is finally asking for it. So I shall explain what I’m meaning.

Co-Author duties:

Well, I’m in desperate need of someone that knows how to code. Most of the reason that the book is not really progressing is because of how bad at coding it is. I’d like someone with the ability to code. It doesn’t have to be much, just a basic understanding.

I need someone I can bounce off ideas and in turn bounce back some ideas or tweak them. I want someone who will tell me if they think one of my ideas is nonsensical or would work within the story!

Also, I need someone to help me with asks! I can get so overwhelmed with them that it is kind of hard to manage, so someone that can do little asks or has a good understanding of my characters (it’s okay if you don’t now bc you will once you spend time with me)

I unfortunately cannot offer money for this position. I’m a broke college student doing this as a passion project and I need someone that is okay with that. You can put in as much passion as you want at your own hours and if it is ever too much then you can take a break or quit.

If anyone is interested in this position, let me know via DM. I promise I’m not scary! My hours are from no consistency in the morning to 9pm. Without a doubt I will be passed out at that time, but in the morning my will to get up varies. All DMs will be met with a message. If you haven’t received one, then that means I’m asleep! Thank you everyone!

Much love, Grem👹

At the end its 50/50 😂

Ok! So, I found a solution, the prologue will be out in dashingdon. However, the rest I will release to twine till the end. Now everyone is happy. 😌

Soo I’m conflicted.

Please choose what you would think would be best ♡

Szulitya, Wolf of the Court

Illustration of a character from The Wildercourt, the graphic novel I’m (slowly) working on. Szulitya is a tertiary character, but she’s a lot of fun to write and draw.

Golden Road by Martin Le Borgne

Results:

Aurelian: ENTJ-A

Elara: INFJ-T

Kazuo: ISFJ-T

Aiden/Ava: ENFP-A

SC: ISTP-A