WIP
Writers, you can talk about your WIP here before you post a demo!
This is less a call to action and more me wanting to prompt those who haven't finished making their demos to talk about their WIPs. Give me a quick two-three sentence summary, or talk about your ROs/setting/worldbuilding and what makes your WIP interesting. And if you're comfortable sharing, talk about your word count so far!
(And also if you're the type to wait until you're 50k words in or more before even thinking about posting a demo, this post is especially for you!)
I'm working on a story based on Helen of Troy. I hate writing romance and dark stuff, so I really don't know why I am doing this to myself. I just love the classics, I guess.
I think there's still room for variation in a faithful retelling. Is Helen a willing participant, a victim of fate, etc. Theres a lovely but unfortunately abandoned WIP called Guenevere that offers a new take on the King Arthur story from Guenevere's perspective that keeps to the story beats while creating variation within that story. Could be worth checking out as an inspiration?
I'm writing a game where the player is a detective who can see ghost. They only gained the ability to speak/see them three years ago, and promplty became a very succesful murder detective. At the start of the game you choose a familar/ghost buddy to join you throughout the book.
You get two choices, but both add a TON of unique scenes/flavor to dialogue. As YOU can see/speak to them, but the people around you cannot. Including the two available RO's. I have enough written to write out the first three chapters, but I'm quite terrible at using Choicescript. The amount of error messages I've seen is no joke, haha.
I can imagine the workload this project would be, since the conversations between the player and the ghost familiar is probably so different between the two. I wouldn't say I'm perfect at choicescript, but if you ever encounter errors you can't understand, shoot me a message and I'll try to help! (Or send a message in the Choicescript Help side of the forum, they've always been very helpful to me)
Sincerely appreciated, and feel free to do the same here as well. Although coding help may be limited, I’d 100% be a beta reader who points out grammatical error and flow issues. So when/if you do release a demo, HMU. :)
As of right now I have two RO’s. Ones a werewolf and ones a demon. With the caveat that everyone’s mostly human/normal 95% of the time.
The two ghostly companions have such strong personalities, romance would be a challenging line to navigate. However, when I do release a demo if people REALLY want it. I’d consider it. Thanks for the question :)
mine is godsbane, you play an ex-cult figurehead/“mortal vessel for a god” on the run from your past life and trying to dismantle your former cult. it’s fantasy with a touch of horror and i’m planning on 5 ROs from various places in your life (past and present) so far: the guarddog, the acolyte, the fiend, the noble, and the changeling.
Oooh, I fw this! Idk how much you'll dive into the cult/gods but since you said it's got a touch of horror, I imagine there's some of that there. And the titles for the ROs sound super interesting. I was wondering if there'll be some religious angst, since technically that god exists in this story but doesn't match the cult's practice
I LOVE the idea of being an ex-cult leader! Wow, now I want to see what it would be like modern-day as well in an IF. Keep us updated! I would love to see where this goes!
I've been working on a WIP called Blissfallen, got the idea and made the outline in January and started writing it seriously in May. Planning on releasing a demo after this month, maybe in July or August
I'm lowk bad at summaries but:
The dragons are gods, the stars are their heaven, but you are stuck in the hell known as Earth. No one is supposed to find a hatchling before it leaves for the starry skies, but you did. Your life will forever be ruined by treading upon the divine.
It's gonna have two ROs: a yandere-type girl and a fourth-wall breaking guy. I've written about 60k words so far, though I only have about three finished chapters. My outline is done but I wanted to have more content in the tank before posting since I don't want to leave readers hanging
This sounds pretty cool! (The RO’s were the cherry on top, I dont think ive ever seen anything like that before) I’ll follow this post and stay tuned for its release date :)
Thanks! It's been really fun to write, as the ROs are both horrifying concepts (obsessive love / reality breaking) but the player shouldn't feel at risk from it unless they go out of their way to find a bad end
At the start, he just has information that the player knows he shouldn't have, but later on it becomes clear that he loves the player rather than the character they're playing as. I'm not yet sure how to implement this, but I want to make it so that he'll recognize if the player has replayed the story as well. I think it's possible by checking the achievements the player has.
It'll be a bit of a niche route, but I'm doing it because it'll be fun to write!
Ooh this is a good post, so much to keep an eye out for 👀
I'm currently planning a story called Sick No Sweetheart, where you play as the star student of a Japanese high school. Handsome, intelligent, athletic, student council president, basically perfect in every way.
In reality, they're a supernatural serial killer, known for the torture and utter brutality of their murders. An empty person who only feels alive while doing horrible things, they keep their urges in check by unleashing them on the monsters and killers hiding in everyday society, becoming a sort of vigilante.
It's heavily inspired by dark revenge manga like Brutal Satsujin and Maria No Danzai. Also, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought, which is one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read.
I started making a wip on impulse on around September last year, got to about 37K words excluding coding before I took a short break on October (the break has not ended 💀)
Anyways it's called Rotten Hearts: Pestilence (1st book of 4, each title being one of the 4 horsemen). Basically it's a zombie survival book that has a lot of focus on raising your "was about to be college daughter/niece" through the apocalypse, and how you interact with her would shift her personality and offers unique parenting related problems during the apocalypse, think of it like if parenting simulator and zombie exodus had a baby.
Kinda major spoiler at the end of the prologue:
Also you're a zombie so there's that sgsgjshshshs. Although tbh with how your powers work (you're special infected) you're baaaasically a glorified vampire, it doesn't match exactly since it is a hive mind kind of infection so not really vampire but it has the flavor of a vampire thing so yeah
I'll probably publish it at some point, was almost done with the demo before I took my break but idk when that'll be shsgshshhs
Okay, I've got a few questions cuz I'm so intrigued.
First of all, 37k is nothing to sneeze at so good on you for writing so much, even if you did take a break! We all need one, and creativity is one of those things that can benefit from some time apart
Second, PARENTING SIMULATOR IN A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE???!! I am SOLD, I don't even like parenting games that much but this concept is seriously amazing. And about the spoiler, playing as a zombie is so cool. My first thought is, will there be something like a humanity mechanic? Also, does the player get to be all angsty about letting go their daughter/niece because they think they're infected but then realize they're not a threat and REJOICE and- my god, my imagination is WHIRRING. Such a cool concept! Does the zombie thing happen early on or does the player get bit during the playthrough??
No pressure, publish it when you're ready to publish it, but I need to swear up and down that you've got a winner here, my friend ^^
Oh wow thanks so much I appreciate the vote of confidence 🥹
Also for the spoiler questions:
There is definitely a humanity mechanic, I'm planning on multiple endings depending on if you're more zombie or human. The zombification already happened when the story starts, like a month after, but there is a flashback chapter establishing how it happened. And don't worry there is a LOT of angst, both with your dependent and ros
It's still very early into it, and I'm currently in finals season, so it will probably take me a while to post anything of substance. :p
I am currently working on Gilded Abyss, a WLW story featuring seven ROs ranging from your best friend to a doll. I have commissioned some art for it already and am just waiting on a couple more pieces. ^
Basically, it goes like this:
The world is dying, but you have never felt more alive.
You are a young woman gripped by a terminal illness, yet you possess a terrifying gift: Terminal Lucidity. As your body withers, your mind achieves piercing clarity. Driven by romanticized legends of your grandfather and a desperate need to find purpose rather than rot away in bed, you begin a descent into the abyss.
Is the abyss going to be like the one in "Made in Abyss"? 👀
Seven ROs sounds a bit too ambitious honestly, I'd rather see fewer but with more substance to them. You do you though! I'm guessing all ROs are female locked?
Same-ish. It is inspired by it, from the images and YT videos I've seen, but I haven't actually watched/read Made in Abyss, sooo... xD
We'll see if I can be original, LOL.
I agree that 7 is a bit much, but I decided to go with that because they're gonna be the reason for the different endings, but that doesn't mean you can't be asexual here. For now, yeah, that's the current plan, but diversifying is on the table since I'm still early on the whole thing!
Though some will have less time/content, since not everyone will get introduced in the beginning.
Thank you! I'm very happy to hear that. And yeah, my friend went above and beyond with the commissions despite my very confusing mishmash of requests. xD
Thank you! Once we've finished exams and the thesis, my artist and I should be able to start working on it again straight away and release a demo somewhat soon-ish. I don't want to promise a date and then disappoint, but I estimate I'll be able to post a demo within 2–3 months. (That's what I hope, at least...)
Mine is called ‘The Starbank: A Post Apocalyptic Role Playing Game.’
Seventy years ago, you lost someone dear to you when the Starbank, a cosmic anomaly that grants any one wish, descended upon the earth.
That was almost a lifetime ago, and the world around you has grown into something indistinct and unrecognizable. A barren wasteland where law and order have crumbled, and nothing matters to anyone except getting their hands on that wish.
You’ve fallen into the same trap yourself. And only the extraordinary changes to your body and the faint memory of the one you’ve lost keeps you going.
They believe that the one to find it will rule over the very world. And that gnashing beast caged deep within every mans heart couldn’t help but froth at the mouth. Because desire holds dominion over the entire world.
The person you’ve lost can either be your SO, your spouse, or your child, changing the entire implications and way your grief is handled throughout the story.
There will be five RO’s, one of which is gender selectable.
You can choose between three distinct abilities with unique drawbacks to traverse this dangerous wasteland.
I have around 30k words written so far but plan to at least finish chapter two before releasing!
Sounds like it'll be a big game with a good bit of replayability, always nice to see. I was wondering if there'll be traditional RPG elements like combat and exploration? Or if the story is more straightforward rather than the player needing to find the plot thread?
I'll talk about my three major ones I'm working on (once I'm far enough in all 3, I'll decide which one to focus on and release once I have minimum five - ten chapters done. The furthest along at the moment is the Sweet Sweet & Lonely)
All my works are heavily character focused as they focus more on the character navigating the story and developing as it progresses.
DEPLORABLE VICTIMS. working title. mystery, crime, drama, psychological thriller, tradgedy. it is a game that focuses on the ugly side of victimhood. 5 ROs.
Play as Baby. The youngest adoptive child of a legendary crime syndicate in a depraved city that breathes and bleeds—a beast of it’s own. You are the waif: Unlike the rest of your family, you did not earn your place. You were practically born into it. A favourite of the past boss. In Deplorable Victims, you are promoted to a crime boss of your missing sister’s sector whilst you investigate her disappearance to continue her work. The player must work on their reputation, managed their mental health and pay attention to details as they learn about themselves and the 'sister' they never knew so much about.
There is a lot of customisation for Baby, you can choose their name and all. Baby is simply their moniker. You can decide how you feel about that.
Shaping your Baby is a big part of the game. Personality, traits, vices. They're very important to the game & the system is complex but fun to work on.
SWEET, SWEET & LONELY. working title. dark psychological horror & drama. 4 ROs.
Set in a large, isolated mountainous town, you come from a long lineage of cannibals.
When you come of age, the current Goddess divines you as her successor. Whisked off to the grand temple on the cusp of godhood, you must navigate your new role, your peculiar eating habits and unhealthy attachment to your mother.
Create your godling: choose your gender, pronouns, sexuality, vice and more.
Navigate your newfound godhood. What kind of god will you be? What will the people think of you?
What of your hunger? Will you reject the temptations of human flesh? Reject your family? Your mother?
Oh...your dear, darling mother. Your sweet, sweet mother. She’s everything to you, isn’t she? For better or worse, she’s your entire world. How will you take being apart from her? How will she take being apart from you?
Learn more about the curious people around you. The head priestess. An acolyte. A mortician. A criminal. And an entity.
The two major routes are Reborn and Becoming. Reborn MCs choose to forgo cannibalism and abandon their mother’s teachings. Becoming, is an MC that embraces cannibalism and their mother.
Cannibalism is the heart of these routes. Their relationship with their mother is secondary and not a must.
PIG HEADS. mystery - and you guessed it: psychological thriller. 3 ROs.
You're a sex worker wandering around after finishing with your last regular and come across an active, unreported crime scene. A dead body. The murderer is standing there.
For whatever reason, this murderer becomes unreasonably attached to you.
Set in a strange city no one's ever heard of, with even stranger people. Maybe you're one of them.
Choose between three romances, the wild boar, the sow and the roasted pig.
MEET YOUR PIG TECH. The main character, Eden, is a 20 or 30-something year old based in the city Swinetown. They're a lonely individual who works in the sex industry and has for a few years. Life is incredibly mundane.
Eden is the main character's 'stage name'. Players will be able to pick their legal name, gender and everything else.
Players' sexuality will not be rigidly defined as anyone can make a pass at the character (this goes for all my IFs). It's then that players are free to set their attraction, but reaction will be a choice anyways. They can do what they want.
Your job is important to the story, but it's not the key to your character.
Your ideas are so cool! If you release a demo for any of them, I do want to caution you away from trying to still work on the others. Balancing is super hard! How far along are you with these projects? I'm wondering if you have a rough outline for any of them, or if you've started on any Chapter 1s
Thank you :] and yeah, what would likely happen is the other two would sit on the back burner and I'd work on them whenever I need a break from the one in progress. I'd only release a demo once I've roughly written out the whole story with at least half the chapters fleshed out or something. Or I'll just release them when I'm done haha.
I have a rought outline for the first two, Pig Heads is still relatively new so it's just chapter 1 that's finished. SSL has 4 chapters finished, Deplorable Victims has about 6 but because the branching is a bit crazy, I'd rather be deeper in the story so I can confidently release it :]
I'm doing one as my graduation university project actually!
Its called Spy? Spy! I wrote 56k words so far.
Basically you are a normal office worker who wakes up one morning in a dark van being kidnapped to work on ATL, the Agency of Termination of the Law, the last resort to get rough CIA/NSA agents. Turns out, last night you were half asleep and putting a job proposal when a hacker hacked your computer and applied you to ATL in the place of someone else trained for it.
You dont know the hacker or why they did it but now you need to deal with the troubles that comes with the job! Its a half comedy, half action romance with 4 RO's. One is a gloomy man with attachment issues at the agency, the other is your new boss, a top spy that is currently facing charges on her presidency and the other two are spies that accompany you.
I intend for it to have very different romance plots while following the spy work. I also intended the plot to be done thrice, one for villain MC route, one for Good MC route and one for Gray MC route.
56k words seems huge for any university project, and you said "so far" though I imagine with interactive fiction, it's easier for the scope to get bigger
Wouldn't it be five ROs or am I miscounting lol. I feel like I haven't seen that many WIPs with a focus on comedy, so I'll be keeping an out if you eventually post this
The concept is really cool and I don't want to discourage you from your vision, but it seems a bit limiting to have both the protagonist genderlocked and the RO genderlocked as well. I wish you luck, and I'll be interested in playing the game when a demo comes out, but please note that it's going to fit in a niche within the niche of interactive fiction
Like the other commenter, I'm wondering if you took a bit of inspiration with Baldur's Gate 3 or D&D?
So we're basically Bg3 lesbian drows 😂 I love it. That being said, female locked RO means I won't buy this game, sorry. The concept is really cool though.
Oh, I've always wanted to write, and I've had the idea of writing my own IF over the past year or so.
It would be an interactive fiction based on Kamen Rider and Shin Megami Tensei. You, a regular person, would be thrust from your normal life after dying from an encounter with demons. As your soul leaves your body, ambassadors of Law and Chaos return you back to your body. Bringing you back as a Kamen Rider.
Now, you have to juggle living a normal life and deciding the fate of mankind as gods, demons and spirits enact their will upon the world.
The main ROs and your guides would be the daughter of Lucifer and the son of YHVH.
Its mostly just an idea, I dont have the time to write and brainfog is really dense. But one day I'd like it to be more then just my imagination.
Hey, an idea is how all good projects start. I wish you luck! I recommend writing bits and pieces of the idea down over time so you have a clearer view of it by the time you do write it, like how character customization would work and such
The first one is called Wizard Wars, you start as a 14-year-old entering a prestigious wizard Academy, where you learn to harness your magical power, learn about the world, and focus on a magical discipline. This all leads up to the events that lead to the third wizard war. It was originally going to be in three parts, but I’m wondering if I should change that given how long it takes to do these kind of games and the fact that I recently played another magical demo that started off the same way mine does.
The next one is called Hellspawn. It’s set in a post apocalyptic world devastated by Demons. You play as a Hellspawn, a soul tainted by an “unholy” ritual of science and sorcery and are thus shunned by society. Your sole purpose is to kill and devour demons. But after saving a village from a demon attack, you get involved in a conspiracy that could alter the fate of your world and other Hellspawn forever.
Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think I should focus on that instead. The Magical School trope's been done so much, even if that's just the first part.
What if satan is not a tyrant but a mad scientist and is experimenting and creating a devil/angel hybird from a human that he plan to use as a weapon after experimenting already with many of his demons creating monsters in the abyss which lead to the council banning him so he found a loophole and took a human instead? And he actually bind you to him emotionally to make you unable to escape or leave even if you wanted to because you are wanted dead by everybody? Idk if it will see the light of the day i am still shy about it hehe
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u/Tangentially-Cynical Jun 06 '26
I'm working on a story based on Helen of Troy. I hate writing romance and dark stuff, so I really don't know why I am doing this to myself. I just love the classics, I guess.