Interactive Fiction - Blog Posts
A Sun Asunder: Post Apocalyptic if
Master Post
•DEMO [moody] •DEMO [dashingdon] •KOFI •FORUM POST
❝When the sun went away, creatures of the dark came out to play.
The hours between dusk and dawn are no longer safe.❞
Before you were born, the earth was overrun by behemoths; spindly, pale creatures with a loping gate.
Billowing smoke expelled from their legs like gas, consuming thousands. The cover of darkness doesn't shield humanity anymore.
Now an adult -- years after the initial apocalypse, you are trying to steer clear of the roving giants. This life of hiding, running, and fighting are all you know. Modern comforts have never been something familiar to you.
With the looming threat of a behemoth approaching your new, broken home, you're force to flee...again. But for how much longer can you continue running? Can you figure where your parents went?
And, most importantly -- what ever happened to the sun?
You had the privilege of being born on the island where it -- the apocalypse -- first happened.
Luckily (or unluckily) for you, the place has been abandoned ever since. Whoever could afford to leave, left for greener pastures. You and a handful of inhabitants now fend for yourselves, abandoned on the island.
Avoid shadow beasts, steer clear of the behemoths, scavenge whatever you can, and hopefully find a safe place to call home.
Survive with companions -- or be a lone wolf, utterly self succificent. Or, perhaps, your only allies are the handful of animals that have eeked out a living on this island. The answer lies within you.
Four romance options and four animal 'companions' are planned. In the demo, one animal companion (feral dog) and the little sibling are introduced. (both are optional companions)
****This list is subject to change! I may hold votes on what the other animal companions will be but otherwise the RO's are already outlined.****
☆ Ranger - M/F selectable
Ranger is serious and reliable, living in a cabin within The Dead Woods. They take on the mantle of the 'wood ranger', despite the title holding little prestige now adays. can you figure out why Ranger defends these fruitless woods, refusing to flee? And what have they got hidden away in their cabin?
☆ Bite- M/F selectable
Bite is a feral man/woman who finds their residence high in the mountain cave. They're illusive and untrusting, thoroughly unsocialized. You don't know why they've been wandering all alone, all these years, but you're determined to find out. Can you figure out Bite's history? And will you foster the darkness inside of them -- or perhaps, show them the light?
☆Wanderer - M/F selectable
Wanderer is a nomadic trader, who refuses to stay in one area too long. They wear a face mask and heavy layers of clothes, obscuring your vision of them. Wanderer enjoys teasing you, but figuring our their true intentions proves to be a challenge. Will you ever find out where they procure their expansive collection of goods from?
☆ Shade - M/F selectable
Shade lives a harsh life in the desert, finding resources -- and company -- rare. Often finicky and jumpy, they've seemed to enclose on themselves, not allowing anybody too close. Can you unearth the reason behind Shade's self-imposed exile?
The Map below basically scopes out all of the areas I intend to be explorable [again subject to change -- some may be removed/added depending on how the plot goes]
The Map can be obtained as an in game item later in the game.
Annd that's all! If you enjoy this, feel free to shoot me an ask or like this post! I'll update this periodically as the IF develops. Thanks for taking the time to make it till here if you stayed that long. Hopefully I'll have more detailed descriptions of all the 'areas' available to exploration later on.
A Gentle Reminder
I always try to keep things positive, but I saw something tonight which really upset me and felt the need to say this.
For most writers, interactive fiction stories are free passion projects. Hobbies which we engage in simply because we want to. Writers should never feel bad if they aren't finding the time to write or meeting deadlines that they've set for themselves. By the same token, people have no right to demand content or complain about how long it takes to produce something.
There are some people who write at a breakneck pace or who are able to make a living just writing IF, but readers can't hold all writers to the standards of outliers. Sometimes writers don't have time to write, no matter how much they may want to. Writers should never feel guilty for this and people shouldn't try to make them feel guilty either. Sending authors rude anonymous asks is not productive and I imagine they aren't particularly satisfying for the people who ask them. All they are is upsetting to those who receive them.
If the goal of an ask is to spur a writer to complete work faster, being negative and demanding is not an effective way to accomplish this.
If there is any way to help a writer produce content faster - and again, if - then it's by supporting them and cheering them on. Not anonymously making them feel bad for not creating something at a speed that's to your liking.
If you want to encourage a writer to write, then support them.
You can do that through nice asks, reblogging their posts, sharing their stories with friends, rating their games highly (if they've released them), or even tipping them on ko-fi/supporting their patreon (if they have one). Positive interaction - in general - works wonders. Let them know how excited you are, share your positive comments with them, or just gush about whatever thoughts you have on their game. That's how you help motivate people. Not by trying to make them feel bad. If you're uncomfortable with the social aspect of this, that's what anon is for.
But, if people are nice to an author, that doesn't mean they're owed anything. It might still be a while before readers see more content, but that's no reason to stop being supportive. Again, these are free projects that writers choose to share.
Writers don't owe anything to anyone but themselves.
Now there are times for criticism if it's constructive or warranted, but entitled complaints are neither of these things. Don't be negative if you don't have to be. It doesn't help anything and it's not a productive use of anyone's time.
Being kind and respectful doesn't cost anything. It's just a choice. You can either choose to upset someone or choose to make someone's day and, with that, help make our community a better place.
To the vast majority of readers who already support authors and respect the content that they create, thank you. We appreciate you so much. If you want, try challenging yourself to be even more vocal and outspoken with you support. It will only help.
And to any writers reading this who may be feeling bad about project timelines, you have no reason to be. Complete your work however you need to at whatever pace works for you and your life. You're wonderful and talented and valid no matter how fast you put out content, how much interaction you see, or what someone says. You are creating art and that is something to be immensely proud of. Keep doing whatever's best for you. The vast majority of us support you with no expectations. ❤️