1. Canon Divergence (demo)

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<<fadein 2s>><span class="logo"> <img src="Icon.png" class="logo-dark" style="max-width:100%; height:auto;"> <img src="Icon-light.png" class="logo-light" style="max-width:100%; height:auto;"> </span><</fadein>> <<timed 1s t8n>><span class="game-start-timed" style="position: relative; top: -50px;"> <b><span class="start-highlight">Sunchaser Interactive</span></b> </span><</timed>> <<cont>><<goto 'start-menu'>><</cont>>

<<fadein 1s>> <<nobr>><img src="cddark.png" class="logo-dark" style="max-width:100%; height:auto;"> <img src="cdlight.png" class="logo-light" style="max-width:100%; height:auto;"><</nobr>> <div id="start-subtitle">THE SEVERED VERSE SERIES</div> <<nobr>><div id="start-menu"> <<nobr>><<if Save.autosave.ok() and Save.autosave.has()>><<button "Resume Game">><<run Save.autosave.load()>><</button>><</if>><</nobr>> <<button "New Game" "pre-game notes">><<set $chapter to "PRE-GAME.">><</button>> <<button "Load Game">><<run UI.saves();>><</button>> <<button "Settings">><<run UI.settings();>><</button>> <<button "Credits">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("credits","credits"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("credits").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> </div><</nobr>> <</fadein>>

<h2>Game Template</h2> <li>A SugarCube Template - <a href="https://losingface.itch.io/a-sugarcube-template/">Here</a></li> <h2>Twine + Sugarcube</h2> <li>Twine by Chris Klimas - <a href="https://twinery.org/cookbook/" target="_blank">Twine Cookbook</a></li> <li>Sugarcube by Thomas Michael Edwards - <a href="https://www.motoslave.net/sugarcube/2/docs/" target="_blank">Sugarcube 2 Documentation</a></li> <li>Custom Macros - <a href="https://github.com/ChapelR/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2" target="_blank">ChapelR Custom Macros Collection</a></li> <h2>Resources</h2> <li>Icons - <a href="https://fontawesome.com/" target="_blank"> Font Awesome Icons</a></li> <li>Fonts - <a href="https://fonts.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Fonts</a>, <a href="https://opendyslexic.org/" target="_blank">Open Dyslexic</a></li> <li>CSS + HTML Tutorials - <a href="https://www.w3schools.com/">W3Schools</a></li> <h2>Graphics</h2> <li>Logo - Made by Me, in PaintTool Sai </li> <li>Sub/Title Graphics - Created in Canva </li>

<<nobr>> <<set $chapter to "Prologue.">> <<set $birthday to "todaypast">> <<set $codexArchetypes to false>> <<fadein 2s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <h2><i>Somewhere in the UK, 2010</i></h2> </div> <</fadein>> <p></p> <p></p> <<timed 1s>> <<fadein 1s>> <<type 70ms>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>[[A/N: Lohre's been my escape for years now...->last entry]]</i></b> </div> <</type>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <</nobr>>

<<if settings.notifs>><<if tags().includes('autosave')>><<notify 3.5s>>Saving...<</notify>><</if>><</if>> /* autosaving -- the autosave notif needs to be 'present' at all times so is stored in the passageheader, only popping up when you add the [autosave] tag onto one of your passages. this is mainly for aesthetics as the autosave function is currently set up to save on EVERY passage. this can be changed in the javascript settings, e.g. you could configure it to only autosave on passages with the [autosave] tag notify is also a ChapelR macro, not a default sugarcube macro, so make sure to familiarise yourself with the documentation!*/ <script> var myDiv = document.getElementById('passages'); myDiv.scrollTop = 0; </script> /* scroll top -- this script makes the page scroll back to the top every time you move on to the next passage -- do not delete it! */

<<nobr>> <div style ="text-align: center;"> <h2>❧     The Author     ☙</h2> </div> <p></p> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <<if $inputplayerName>> Your name is <<playerName>> <<playerSurname>>. <</if>> <<if $pronouns is true and $plural is true>> You go by $they/$them. <</if>> <<if $pronouns is true and $plural is false>> You go by $heshe/$himher. <</if>> <<if $birthday is "todaypast">> Today's your 15th birthday. <</if>> <<if $birthday is "today">> Today's your 30th birthday. <</if>> <<if $birthday is "over">> You're 30 years old. <</if>> <p></p> <p></p> <<if $traumaReveal is true>> You survived <<if $history3 is "fire">> a house fire<</if>> <<if $history3 is "attack">> an armed attack<</if>> as a child, but not unscathed; you have <<if $history3 is "fire">> scars<</if>> <<if $history3 is "attack">> a scar<</if>> on your <<if $scar is "neck">> neck<</if>> <<if $scar is "face">> face<</if>> <<if $scar is "chest">> chest<</if>> <<if $scar is "handsarms">> hands and arms<</if>> <<if $scar is "legsback">> legs and back<</if>> <<if $scar is "chestneckface">> chest, neck, and face<</if>> that <<if $scarOpinion is "negative" and $history3 is "fire">> make<</if>> <<if $scarOpinion is "negative" and $history3 is "attack">> makes<</if>> <<if $scarOpinion is "negative">> you self-conscious,<</if>> <<if $scarOpinion is "positive">> you wear with confidence,<</if>> <<if $scarOpinion is "neutral">> you feel neutral about,<</if>> and you have an intense fear of <<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain">> blades, blood, and pain,<</if>> <<if $fear is "firedarkpain">> fire, darkness, and pain,<</if>> <<if $fear is "claustro">> suffocation and being trapped,<</if>> which makes you <<if $response is "touchaverse">> touch-averse.<</if>> <<if $response is "vigilant">> hypervigilant.<</if>> <<if $response is "panic">> prone to panic attacks.<</if>><</if>> </div> <</nobr>><<nobr>> /*<div id="stat-title"> <span>Friendly ($friendly%)</span> <span>Stoic (<<print 100 - $friendly>>%)</span> </div> <<showmeter 'Friendly' `$friendly/ $max_friendly`>> <div id="stat-title"> <span>Strength ($strength%)</span> <span>Weakness (<<print 100 - $strength>>%)</span> </div> <<showmeter 'Strength' `$strength/ $max_strength`>>*/ <</nobr>>

/*-----------------NO TOUCHY-----------------*/ <<set $chapter to "">> <<set $name to "New Save">> <<set $textbox to "textbox">> <<set $listbox to "listbox">> <<set $cycle to "cycle">> /* ChapelR Meter Macro set up */ /* these stat meter set ups are purely examples and do not need to be used */ <<set $friendly = 50>> <<set $max_friendly = 100>> <<newmeter 'Friendly' $friendly>> <<colors '#777' '#777' '#333'>> <<sizing '100%' '1.2em'>> <</newmeter>> <<set $strength = 50>> <<set $max_strength = 100>> <<newmeter 'Strength' $strength>> <<colors '#777' '#777' '#333'>> <<sizing '100%' '1.2em'>> <</newmeter>> /* -----------------Here Be Dragons----------------- */ /* PLAYER AND SELF-INSERT*/ <<set $inputplayerName to "">> <<set $inputplayerSurname to "">> <<set $inputselfinsertName to "">> <<set $nameMatch to "">> <<set $act1pt1 to "">> <<set $codexArchetypes to false>> <<set $birthday to "">> <<set $history1 to "">> <<set $history2 to "">> <<set $history3 to "">> <<set $scar to "">> <<set $scarOpinion to "">> <<set $SIScar to false>> <<set $fear to "">> <<set $response to "">> <<set $traumaReveal to false>> <<set $romantichistory to "">> <<set $sexualhistory to "">> <<set $strength to "">> <<set $stamina to "">> <<set $weight to "">> <<set $expertise to "">> /* HOBBIES */ <<set $writing to false>> <<set $art to false>> <<set $whittling to false>> <<set $instruments to false>> <<set $reading to false>> <<set $reenacting to false>> <<set $cooking to false>> <<set $hema to false>> <<set $riding to false>> <<set $dancing to false>> /* SKILLS */ <<set $medicine to false>> <<set $diy to false>> <<set $combat to false>> <<set $logic to false>> <<set $people to false>> <<set $survival to false>> /* MISC */ <<set $organisation to "">> <<set $memories to "">> <<set $verseCritique to "">> <<set $swear to "">> <<set $diet to "">> /* HAIR AND FACIAL HAIR */ <<set $hair to false>> <<set $haircolour to "">> <<set $nathaircolour to "">> <<set $dyedhair to false>> <<set $dyedcolour to "">> <<set $hairlength to "">> <<set $hairtexture to "">> <<set $hairbase to "">> <<set $hairstyle to "">> <<set $undercut to "">> <<set $facialhair to false>> <<set $facialhairstyle to "">> /* SKIN */ <<set $skincolour to "">> <<set $skintone to "">> /* EYES */ <<set $badeyes to false>> <<set $lefteye to "">> <<set $righteye to "">> <<set $heterochromia to false>> /* OTHER */ <<set $featuresMoles to false>> <<set $featuresFreckles to false>> <<set $featuresDimples to false>> <<set $featuresVitiligo to false>> <<set $height to "">> /* PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS */ <<set $piercings to false>> <<set $piercingcolour to "">> <<set $piercingLobes to false>> <<set $piercingLeftlobe to false>> <<set $piercingRightLobe to false>> <<set $piercingHelix to false>> <<set $piercingEyebrow to false>> <<set $piercingNostril to false>> <<set $piercingSeptum to false>> <<set $piercingLip to false>> <<set $piercingLabret to false>> <<set $piercingTongue to false>> <<set $piercingNavel to false>> <<set $piercingNipples to false>> <<set $piercingCount to 0>> <<set $tattoos to false>> <<set $tattooStyle to "">> <<set $tattooFace to false>> <<set $tattooNeck to false>> <<set $tattooUpperArmLeft to false>> <<set $tattooUpperArmRight to false>> <<set $tattooForearmLeft to false>> <<set $tattooForearmRight to false>> <<set $tattooHandLeft to false>> <<set $tattooHandRight to false>> <<set $tattooUpperBack to false>> <<set $tattooMiddleBack to false>> <<set $tattooLowerBack to false>> <<set $tattooUpperTorso to false>> <<set $tattooLowerTorso to false>> <<set $tattooThighLeft to false>> <<set $tattooThighRight to false>> <<set $tattooCalfLeft to false>> <<set $tattooCalfRight to false>> <<set $tattooAnkleLeft to false>> <<set $tattooAnkleRight to false>> <<set $tattooCount to 0>> /* Family */ <<set $sisterBond to "">> /* Companions */ <<set $metEmilivar to false>> <<set $metEadyth to false>> <<set $metGranger to false>> <<set $metTalitha to false>> /* Pronouns */ <<set $pronouns to false>> <<set $plural to false>> <<set $trans to false>> <<set $gender to "">> <<set $child to "">> <<set $person to "">> <<set $sibling to "">> <<set $partner to "">> <<set $spouse to "">> <<set $heir to "">> <<set $fucker to "">> <<set $gorgeous to "">> <<set $heshe to "">> <<set $himher to "">> <<set $hisher to "">> <<set $hishers to "">> <<set $himherself to "">> <<set $they to "">> <<set $them to "">> <<set $their to "">> <<set $theirs to "">> <<set $themself to "">> /* Clothes and Accessories */ <<set $pjs to "">>

<div id="title-container"> <span class="title-item">CANON DIVERGENCE</span> <span class="chapter-item">$chapter</span> </div>

<<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-floppy-disk" title="Saves"></i>'>><<run UI.saves();>><</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-gear" title="Settings"></i>'>><<run UI.settings();>><</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-user" title="Profile"></i>'>> <<script>> Dialog.setup("profile","profile"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("profile").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-handshake" title="Relationships"></i>'>> <<script>> Dialog.setup("relationships","relationships"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("relationships").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-users" title="Characters"></i>'>> <<script>> Dialog.setup("characters","characters"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("characters").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-book" title="Codex"></i>'>> <<script>> Dialog.setup("codex","codex"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("codex").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</link>> <<link '<i class="fas fa-hand-point-left" alt="return"></i>'>><<run Engine.backward();>><</link>> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-house" alt="menu"></i>'>><<run UI.restart();>><</link>>

<<widget "selfinsertName">><<if $nameMatch is "same">><<print $inputplayerName.toUpperFirst()>><</if>><<if $nameMatch is not "same">><<print $inputselfinsertName.toUpperFirst()>><</if>><</widget>> <<widget "playerName">><<print $inputplayerName.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "playerSurname">><<print $inputplayerSurname.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "sisterName">><<print $inputsisterName.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> /*Then in the game, you can use <<name>> instead of $name and the player character’s name will automatically capitalized the first letter. */ GENDERED NOUNS UPPERCASE <<widget "cgender">><<print $gender.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cchild">><<print $child.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cperson">><<print $person.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "csibling">><<print $sibling.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cpartner">><<print $partner.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cspouse">><<print $spouse.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cheir">><<print $heir.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cfucker">><<print $fucker.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> LOWERCASE <<widget "lgender">><<print $gender.toLowerCase()()>><</widget>> <<widget "lchild">><<print $child.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lperson">><<print $person.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lsibling">><<print $sibling.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lpartner">><<print $partner.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lspouse">><<print $spouse.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lheir">><<print $heir.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lfucker">><<print $fucker.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> PRONOUNS UPPERCASE <<widget "cheshe">><<print $heshe.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "chimher">><<print $himher.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "chisher">><<print $hisher.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "chishers">><<print $hishers.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "chimherself">><<print $himherself.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cthey">><<print $they.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cthem">><<print $them.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "ctheir">><<print $their.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "ctheirs">><<print $theirs.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> <<widget "cthemself">><<print $themself.toUpperFirst()>><</widget>> LOWERCASE <<widget "lheshe">><<print $heshe.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lhimher">><<print $himher.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lhisher">><<print $hisher.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lhishers">><<print $hishers.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lhimherself">><<print $himherself.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lthey">><<print $they.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lthem">><<print $them.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "ltheir">><<print $their.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "ltheirs">><<print $theirs.toLowerCase()>><</widget>> <<widget "lthemself">><<print $themself.toLowerCase()>><</widget>>

<<nobr>> <div style ="text-align: center;"> <h2>❧     Codex     ☙</h2> <<if $codexArchetypes is true>> <p></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><h2>Personality Archetypes Overview</h2> <p></p> <h5>[Note: this is a prototype of the archetypes system; traits may be tweaked over time to better fit the story.]</h5> <hr> <p></p> <h3>Warm</h3> <p></p> <b>General Vibe:</b> pleasant, hopeful, compassionate <p></p> Sweet and earnest, this personality type generally spares their first thought for the feelings of others. <hr> <h3>Playful</h3> <p></p> <b>General Vibe:</b> lighthearted, witty, easygoing <p></p> Fun and adaptable, this personality type generally gravitates towards making light of dark moments. <p></p> <hr> <h3>Passionate</h3> <p></p> <b>General Vibe:</b> fervent, optimistic, expressive <p></p> Vibrant and determined, this personality type generally feels emotions at full volume, good or bad. <p></p> <hr> <h3>Prickly</h3> <p></p> <b>General Vibe:</b> abrasive, sardonic, cynical <p></p> Provocative and impatient, this personality type generally puts people on edge with their biting words. <p></p> <hr> <h3>Stoic</h3> <p></p> <b>General Vibe:</b> detached, straightforward, exacting <p></p> Concise and emotionally disciplined, this personality type generally seeks the quickest path to a solution. <p></p> <hr> </div> <</if>> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>><div style ="text-align: center;"> <h2>❧     Characters     ☙</h2> </div><</nobr>>

<<nobr>><div style ="text-align: center;"> <h2>❧     Relationships     ☙</h2> </div><</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <<set $chapter to "Prologue.">> <div style="text-align: center;"> <h2><i>Reflection</i></h2> </div> <</nobr>> You've soldiered through some tough times over the last two decades, maybe longer; when your personal timeline reads like a conspiracy theorist's string board, it's difficult to pinpoint when exactly it all started to tangle. But here you are on your 30th birthday, and the walls of the labyrinth have come crashing down. You can leave your clew behind, clamber over the rubble, squeeze through the exit. You've been handed the kind of fresh start most people would kill for. As long as you don't mind the monsters still on your tail. They're toothless. Just memories. They can't hurt you, you know. But since you signed the papers, everything's been jostled to the surface. Old traumas stirred up. Old scars reopened. You thought you'd put this chapter of your life to bed, but now it seems neither of you can get a good rest; the nightmares have been relentless. Like the one just last night. When you finally managed to wrench yourself from its grasp, you'd padded a circuit downstairs until dawn broke. Now, you've bruises from the moving boxes that assaulted your shins as you paced and paced in the dark, and a headache like a nail in the temple. <<nobr>> <div class="choices"> <div class="special-choice-item">[[I dreamt of the fire again.|fire][$history3 to "fire"]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[I dreamt of the attack again.|attack][$history3 to "attack"]]</div> </div> <</nobr>>

You've never escaped it, not truly. The hard times may ebb and flow, but those memories forever cling to the underside of your grey matter like gnarled barnacles. It isn't just the nightmares. Sometimes, you're flooded with it: that day. Your vision blurs, and then you're eleven again. And it doesn't matter how grown up you are now you've started secondary school, now your parents have given you the responsibility of deciding your own bedtime, because you’re just a kid—the only one awake when the smoke billowing up the staircase reaches through the seams of your doorway like a reaper's spectral hand. Your night light catching on the acrid haze, the thoughtless impulse to throw open the door. Your voice shreds through your clogged throat as you shriek for your family on the landing, but you can't get to them. Flames are licking up the walls, leaching the colour from the family pictures. Hissing, popping, snapping, screaming—so much screaming. You're pushed blindly back, back, flush against your bedroom wall. Huddled in the corner. It's so dark, so hot—too hot. Your skin is shrinking, you're cooking alive, and— And then you snap out of it. Anything can trigger you lately. A clatter or bang like when the debris started falling. A distant siren like the one that didn't quite reach you in time. Sometimes it's just the darkness, a closed or—god forbid—<i>locked</i> door, your mother's orange-scented candles sitting within arm's reach of a curtain. Open flames—any at all. You used to bunker down on Bonfire Nights after it happened; you suspect this year may be the same. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->scars and fears]]</div>

You've never escaped it, not truly. The hard times may ebb and flow, but those memories forever cling to the underside of your grey matter like gnarled barnacles. It isn't just the nightmares. Sometimes, you're flooded with it: that day. Your vision blurs, and then you're eleven again. And it doesn't matter how grown up you are now you've started secondary school, now your parents have given you more free rein than ever, because you're just a kid—alone in a hostage situation with a hooded youth even more out of his depth than you. Hot, panicked breaths in your ear, frantic curses muffled by the balaclava. He's dragging you back, cornering you; you clatter into a row of cans and the din shatters his façade of control and now he's roaring for everyone to get the fuck back or he'll do you in, he fucking will. The other hand clamps over your small face to silence your cries. Eyes, nose, mouth. Engulfed. Smothered. Black tendrils curl around the rim of your vision as your lungs squeeze and squeeze, and he doesn't know, or doesn't care, and you claw ineffectually at his black gloves and the knife presses harder and harder and— And then you snap out of it. Anything can trigger you lately. The ding of a bell like the one above the shop door. A distant siren like the one that didn't quite reach you in time. Sometimes it's just the brush of something foreign against your face, the glint of a kitchen knife, the sound it makes as it slices through meat. Hoods, masks—seeing them, wearing them. Small mercies that the worst of the pandemic was over before these feelings returned with a vengeance. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->scars and fears]]</div>

<<nobr>>But this morning, despite your nocturnal torments, you press on with the task at hand: clearing the clutter your parents left behind, here in your childhood home. You suppose it's yours, now; it's all in your name. That part hasn't quite sunk in yet. None of it has. <</nobr>> When your mother's name flashed on your phone that day, you'd instinctively prepared yourself for the worst. Good news, life updates, general chit-chat—that was always your father. Your mother stepped up only when words failed him. That's how it's always been. You had that all-too-familiar pit in your stomach when you answered, ugly conclusions rearing their heads: <i>Who did we lose? Who will be next?</i> Bittersweet had been a foreign taste; there'd never been good that came with the bad before. And yet, with the death of your last grandparent came a windfall that left the family reeling. <i>The old codger never said he was rich,</i> your dad echoed for three weeks straight.<<if $history3 is "fire">> It <i>had</i> always been strange to you that the frugal chronic complainer raised no objection when the four of you moved in with them after the fire. Now you know why.<</if>><<if $history3 is "attack">> The man had been frugality personified, all elbow grease with a lick of stubborn pride. Maybe it was important to him to pass down that mindset <i>before</i> the money.<</if>> Your parents seized their moment, sweeping out of the country into an early retirement in the Spanish sun. They'd hoped you'd follow suit, realise your own dreams, take a path from the crossroads. And you've come this far, uprooting the life you had before: no job, no partner, no friends or relatives nearby. Just a house of memories and the means to take your time to rebuild. To start over. Cross-legged on the floor of your old bedroom, you survey the boxes surrounding you. Fewer now than a few days ago, but it feels like you've barely made a dent. The last time you saw so many boxes in this room, they'd contained the belongings of your little sister, <<textbox "$inputsisterName" "">>. Your only sibling was a contrarian by nature. That's what made her so <<cycle "$sisterBond" autoselect>> <<option "funny." "positive">> <<option "infuriating." "negative">> <</cycle>> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "">> <<if $inputsisterName.trim() is not "" and $inputsisterName.trim() is not $inputplayerName.trim()>> <<goto "sister">> <</if>> <</link>> </div>

<<if $history3 is "attack">>The scar runs along your <<cycle "$scar" autoselect>> <<option "neck" "neck">> <<option "face" "face">> <<option "chest" "chest">> <</cycle>>, and <<cycle "$scarOpinion" autoselect>> <<option "you barely notice it." "neutral">> <<option "it makes you self-conscious." "negative">> <<option "you wear it with confidence." "positive">> <</cycle>> More importantly, it's the undeniable proof you scramble for to jolt you from your memories. You didn't die that day. You <i>didn't</i>. <p></p>If you had, you'd never have been there in the aftermath, trembling fingers slipping into the gash and setting your nerves alight as you cowered away from the paramedics in the corner of the shop, right where he'd discarded you when that off-duty copper rugby tackled him. <</if>> <p></p> <<if $history3 is "fire">>The scars run along your <<cycle "$scar" autoselect>> <<option "hands and arms" "handsarms">> <<option "legs and back" "legsback">> <<option "chest, neck, and face" "chestneckface">> <</cycle>>, and <<cycle "$scarOpinion" autoselect>> <<option "you barely notice them." "neutral">> <<option "they make you self-conscious." "negative">> <<option "you wear them with confidence." "positive">> <</cycle>> More importantly, they're the undeniable proof you scramble for to jolt you from your memories. You didn't die that day. You <i>didn't</i>. <p></p> If you had, you'd never have been there in the aftermath, violently shaking and choking back soot and vomit as the fabric fused to your flesh snagged on the way into the ambulance, your parents yelling on the street to be let on with you. <</if>> <p></p> Run a finger along <<if $history3 is "attack">> that scar, <</if>> <<if $history3 is "fire">> those scars, <</if>> and you find it that much easier to fill your lungs. Because it proves to you that the rest of your life really did happen. For better or worse. <p></p> But it's still an uphill battle; there's one part of that night that left the deepest mark on your psyche. Above anything else, you fear: <p></p> <<if $history3 is "attack">> <<listbox "$fear">> <<option "Blades. Blood. Pain" "bladesbloodpain">> <<option "Suffocation. Enclosed spaces. No escape." "claustro">> <</listbox>> <p></p> And because of that, you are... <p></p> <<listbox "$response">> <<option "...touch-averse." "touchaverse">> <<option "...prone to panic attacks." "panic">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <<if $history3 is "fire">> <<listbox "$fear">> <<option "Fire. Darkness. Pain." "firedarkpain">> <<option "Suffocation. Enclosed spaces. No escape." "claustro">> <</listbox>> <p></p> And because of that, you are... <p></p> <<listbox "$response">> <<option "...hypervigilant." "vigilant">> <<option "...prone to panic attacks." "panic">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <p></p> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->back home][$traumaReveal to true]]</div> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p>

(Child/Boy/Girl) <<listbox "$child">> <<option "Child" "child">> <<option "Boy" "boy">> <<option "Girl" "girl">> <</listbox>> (Person/Man/Woman) <<listbox "$person">> <<option "Person" "person">> <<option "Man" "man">> <<option "Woman" "woman">> <</listbox>> (Sibling/Brother/Sister) <<listbox "$sibling">> <<option "Sibling" "sibling">> <<option "Brother" "brother">> <<option "Sister" "sister">> <</listbox>> (Partner/Boyfriend/Girlfriend) <<listbox "$partner">> <<option "Partner" "partner">> <<option "Boyfriend" "boyfriend">> <<option "Girlfriend" "girlfriend">> <</listbox>> (Spouse/Husband/Wife) <<listbox "$spouse">> <<option "Spouse" "spouse">> <<option "Husband" "husband">> <<option "Wife" "wife">> <</listbox>> (Heir/Prince/Princess) <<listbox "$heir">> <<option "Heir" "heir">> <<option "Prince" "prince">> <<option "Princess" "princess">> <</listbox>> (Say someone didn't like you.) <<listbox "$fucker">> <<option "Fucker" "fucker">> <<option "Bitch" "bitch">> <<option "Bastard" "bastard">> <</listbox>> (Say someone <i>really</i> liked you.) <<listbox "$gorgeous">> <<option "Gorgeous" "gorgeous">> <<option "Beautiful" "beautiful">> <<option "Handsome" "handsome">> <</listbox>> <<nobr>> And are your pronouns singular or plural? <p></p> <style> #buttonContainer { display: flex; gap: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; } #buttonContainer button { background-color: transparent; color: var(--text); border: 1.5px solid var(--text); padding: 0.3em 0.8em; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 1em; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, color 0.3s ease; } #buttonContainer button:hover { background-color: var(--text); color: var(--bg1); } .light-theme #buttonContainer button { color: var(--text_light); border-color: var(--text_light); } .light-theme #buttonContainer button:hover { background-color: var(--text_light); color: var(--bg2); } </style> <div id="buttonContainer"> <<button "Singular Pronouns">> <<set $plural to false>> <<replace "#pronounArea">> Subjective: "[she] runs fast"<br> <<textbox "$heshe" "">><p></p> Objective: "I saw [her] today"<br> <<textbox "$himher" "">><p></p> Possessive Adjective: "that's [her] book"<br> <<textbox "$hisher" "">><p></p> Possessive Pronoun: "the coat is [hers]"<br> <<textbox "$hishers" "">><p></p> Reflexive: "she made it [herself]"<br> <<textbox "$himherself" "">><p></p> <</replace>> <</button>> <p></p> <<button "Plural Pronouns">> <<set $plural to true>> <<replace "#pronounArea">> Subjective: "[they] run fast"<br> <<textbox "$they" "">><p></p> Objective: "I saw [them] today"<br> <<textbox "$them" "">><p></p> Possessive Adjective: "that's [their] book"<br> <<textbox "$their" "">><p></p> Possessive Pronoun: "the coat is [theirs]"<br> <<textbox "$theirs" "">><p></p> Reflexive: "they made it [themself]"<br> <<textbox "$themself" "">><p></p> <</replace>> <</button>> </div> <p></p> <div id="pronounArea"></div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "Pronoun Test">> <<if (($plural is false and $heshe.trim() is not "" and $himher.trim() is not "" and $hisher.trim() is not "" and $hishers.trim() is not "" and $himherself.trim() is not "") or ($plural is true and $they.trim() is not "" and $them.trim() is not "" and $their.trim() is not "" and $theirs.trim() is not "" and $themself.trim() is not ""))>> <<goto "gender test">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <</nobr>>

When you were fourteen, your grandmother had a bad fall. You were quick to connect the dots when your parents announced she was moving in while she recovered; yours was a three bedroom semi-detached, which meant one of the children was losing a bedroom. <<nobr>> <<if $sisterBond is "negative">>It was hardly a victory, in the end; you got to keep your bed, but you lost your privacy. <p></p> And sanity.<</if>> <<if $sisterBond is "positive">>In the end, you got to keep your bed, but you learnt the hard way that <<sisterName>> showed no mercy in her machinations. <p></p> Not even to you. <</if>><</nobr>> <<sisterName>> played the martyr card well, for a newly-turned teen. She voiced her worries in that lugubrious way that always made your father squirm: she felt like an intruder, she said. Your personality was stamped all over the place and her individuality was being stifled—that one in particular steered the creative in him right into the palm of her hand. But the nail in the coffin was her offhanded reminder that an old, broken hip took an awfully long time to heal. And that's an awfully long time for a thirteen-year-old girl to complain. Your father truly believed it was his idea when he proposed you redecorate together. You had some old, themed wallpaper from a fixation you no longer had any interest in, and you'd been asking to change it for months. If you didn't know any better, you might have thought <<sisterName>> was extending an olive branch, now you were to be roommates. Making up for <<if $sisterBond is "negative">>the constant hell she put you through.<</if>><<if $sisterBond is "positive">>all the times she took advantage of your fondness of her to mess with you.<</if>> But she'd always considered it her obligation as the youngest to get a rise out of you. You had to admit, this was one of her most creative attempts. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->sister 2]]</div>

The only trace of her in this room now is that garish wallpaper; the piles of boxes and scattered junk are yours alone. Your parents had a certain way of grieving they'd perfected through the years: no shrines, no clinging to the memories. Practical thoughts. They sent her clothes to the charity shop, donated the old books and cds and posters and everything else she loved, and that was that. The wallpaper left behind after the clear-out was a testament to how they'd stopped visiting your room after it happened. Out of sight, out of mind. At the time, in a way, you were glad of it. You understood the thing about memories, but not all were bad. Not all the time. Sometimes you'd even look up at those walls and catch yourself with a wistful smile. Looking back now, you think your parents <<cycle "$memories" autoselect>> <<option "had the wrong idea; memories are important for healing." "embrace">> <<option "had the right idea; memories will only drag you down." "resist">> <</cycle>> Though considering your own struggles with the past of late, you aren't exactly a leading authority on the subject. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->find box 2]]</div>

Clearing some space around the heavy box, you <<cycle "$strength" autoselect>> <<option "struggle to slide" "low">> <<option "half-carry, half-slide" "medium">> <<option "carry it easily" "high">> <</cycle>> it across the room, setting it right along that invisible border. By habit, you still sit yourself down on your own side. Tugging open the flaps, you unveil the tower of papers. Notebooks, binders, post-its—everything's arranged neatly, with the spines the same way, the covers all facing up. Even the scraps of paper you scribbled on when you had nothing else nearby have been folded and stacked neatly together in the corner. <<cycle "$organisation" autoselect>> <<option "You've always made the effort to stay organised, even as a child." "tidy">> <<option "You've always been disorganised; your father must have packed this box." "messy">> <</cycle>> You never did take this part of your life with you when you moved out. Never thought to; it'd all gone into this box when you were fifteen, and after that, you'd <<cycle "$writing" autoselect>> <<option "quit writing altogether." false>> <<option "restarted with new ideas." true>> <</cycle>> The top notebook's cover is decorated in your <<cycle "$art" autoselect>> <<option "wonky" false>> <<option "skilful" true>> <</cycle>> doodles. There's a sun right in the centre, with a flowing subtitle you must have spent a long time on. The words are written in that very specific shade of gold you vaguely recall scouring every hobby shop in town for. <i>Sun's Grace b' wi' ye</i>, it reads. A phrase that sparks recognition. You recall learning the etymology of the word 'goodbye'—a string of contractions slurring together over time—and promptly found a place to inject it into your own world. Maybe you were trying to sound educated, or authentic; it certainly lent credence to the religion of your setting. <i>'Sun's Grace'</i>. You remember the ceremonial headdresses you gave the priestesses, the sun's visage central to their design. The British kid elevating the sun to godhood—no great surprise there. The rain is hammering against the windows right now. Might as well be laughter. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->read snippet]]</div>

You flip open the notebook, fanning through crinkled pages with bubbled edges. They're all filled—with lore, not prose. Judging by <<if $art is false>>your handwriting,<</if>><<if $art is true>>the quality of your rough sketches between the blocks of text,<</if>> this was something you'd worked on in your earlier years. Maybe before you'd even written your first story in this world, when you were still a preteen. <<nobr>>Stopping on a page near the middle, your eyes land on a random passage: <p></p><hr> <h5><i>The Royal Musketeers were the bravest, cleverest, and most charming in all the kingdoms, who were handpicked by the Sovereign herself to protect the land from all evil and danger. <p></p>Their companions were the amazing fork-necked gryphons with two heads and golden eyes their riders could see through like they shared one body, one mind, and one soul. They were nobler than any steed and ten times as smart and they never betrayed anyone who was full of goodness. <p></p> Together with their mounts the musketeers soared through the skies above Quintaris with muskets at their sides and courage in their hearts, ready for any threats the horizon may bring.</i></h5> <p></p><hr> Well. It's as flawed and cliché as you'd expect of a young fantasy writer, <<cycle "$verseCritique" autoselect>> <<option "but you're charmed by its naïve sincerity." "forgiving">> <<option "and you find yourself cringing as you read. " "harsh">> <</cycle>><</nobr>> <i>Quintaris</i>—the spiral city. You could go a thousand lifetimes before forgetting that place; you must have spent hundreds of hours writing about it. If you're not mistaken, you even drew a map. A big one. Maybe it's still here somewhere... <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->special interest]]</div>

<<nobr>> Your hair is... <p></p> <h5>[Please choose the length of your hair when fully extended (no shrinkage). Remember: the tighter the coil, the more shrinkage when worn loose!]</h5> <p></p> <<listbox "$hairlength">> <<option "...shaved." "shaved">> <<option "...ear length." "ear">> <<option "...chin length." "chin">> <<option "...shoulder length." "shoulder">> <<option "...mid-back length." "midback">> <<option "...waist length." "waist">> <<option "...hip length." "hip">> <</listbox>> <p></p> And its texture is... <p></p> <<listbox "$hairtexture">> <<option "...straight." "straight">> <<option "...wavy." "wavy">> <<option "...curly." "curly">> <<option "...coily." "coily">> <<option "...tightly coiled." "tightly coiled">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->hair2]]</div> <p></p> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <<if $hairlength is not "shaved" and $hair is not false>> <<if ($hairtexture is "coily" or $hairtexture is "tightly coiled")>> Your $hairtexture hair's base style is... <p></p> <h5>[Note: this base stays consistent no matter which hairstyle you choose.]</h5> <p></p> <<listbox "$hairbase">> <<option "...loose strands." "hair">> <<option "...cornrows." "cornrows">> <<option "...micro braids." "micro braids">> <<option "...box braids." "box braids">> <<option "...twists." "twists">> <<option "...dreadlocks." "locs">> <</listbox>> <p></p> Your hair is styled... <p></p> <<if $hairlength is "ear">> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with a fade." "fade">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <<if $hairlength is "chin">> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <<option "...down, with a crown braid." "crowndown">> <<option "...half up/half down." "half">> <<option "...in a ponytail." "pony">> <<option "...in a ponytail, with an undercut." "ponycut">> <<option "...in a bun." "bun">> <<option "...in a bun, half up." "bunhalf">> <<option "...in a bun, with an undercut." "buncut">> <<option "...in space buns, half up." "spacebunshalf">> <<option "...in space buns, with an undercut." "spacebunscut">> <<option "...in Bantu knots." "bantu">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <<if $hairlength is not "ear" and $hairlength is not "chin">> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <<option "...down, with a crown braid." "crowndown">> <<option "...half up/half down." "half">> <<option "...in a crown braid." "crown">> <<option "...in a ponytail." "pony">> <<option "...in a ponytail, with an undercut." "ponycut">> <<option "...in a bun." "bun">> <<option "...in a bun, half up." "bunhalf">> <<option "...in a bun, with an undercut." "buncut">> <<option "...in space buns." "spacebuns">> <<option "...in space buns, half up." "spacebunshalf">> <<option "...in space buns, with an undercut." "spacebunscut">> <<option "...in a single braid." "singlebraid">> <<option "...in double braids." "doublebraids">> <<option "...in Bantu knots." "bantu">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <</if>> <<if $hairlength is "ear" and $hairtexture is not "coily" and $hairtexture is not "tightly coiled">> Your hair is styled... <p></p> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with a fade." "fade">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <<if $hairlength is "chin" and $hairtexture is not "coily" and $hairtexture is not "tightly coiled">> Your hair is styled... <p></p> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <<option "...down, with a crown braid." "crowndown">> <<option "...half up/half down." "half">> <<option "...in a ponytail." "pony">> <<option "...in a ponytail, with an undercut." "ponycut">> <<option "...in a bun." "bun">> <<option "...in a bun, half up." "bunhalf">> <<option "...in a bun, with an undercut." "buncut">> <<option "...in space buns." "spacebuns">> <<option "...in space buns, half up." "spacebunshalf">> <<option "...in space buns, with an undercut." "spacebunscut">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <<if $hairlength is not "ear" and $hairlength is not "chin" and $hairtexture is not "coily" and $hairtexture is not "tightly coiled">> Your hair is styled... <p></p> <<listbox "$hairstyle">> <<option "...down." "down">> <<option "...down, with an undercut." "downcut">> <<option "...down, with a crown braid." "crowndown">> <<option "...half up/half down." "half">> <<option "...in a crown braid." "crown">> <<option "...in a ponytail." "pony">> <<option "...in a ponytail, with an undercut." "ponycut">> <<option "...in a bun." "bun">> <<option "...in a bun, half up." "bunhalf">> <<option "...in a bun, with an undercut." "buncut">> <<option "...in space buns." "spacebuns">> <<option "...in space buns, half up." "spacebunshalf">> <<option "...in space buns, with an undercut." "spacebunscut">> <<option "...in a single braid." "singlebraid">> <<option "...in double braids." "doublebraids">> <</listbox>> <p></p> <</if>> <</if>> <</nobr>><<nobr>> And... <p></p> <div class="special-choice-item">[[...I can grow facial hair.->facialhair][$facialhair to true]]</div> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[...I can't grow facial hair.->blog][$facialhair to false]]</div> <</nobr>> <p></p>

<<nobr>> Your facial hair's style is... <p></p> <<listbox "$facialhairstyle">> <<option "...clean-shaven." "shaven">> <<option "...just stubble." "stubble">> <<option "...just sideburns." "sideburns">> <<option "...a moustache." "stache">> <<option "...a beardstache." "beardstache">> <<option "...sideburns, with a moustache." "sidestache">> <<option "...a goatee." "goatee">> <<option "...mutton chops." "muttonchops">> <<option "a Van Dyke beard." "vandyke">> <<option "...a short beard." "shortbeard">> <<option "...a ducktail beard." "ducktail">> <<option "...a full beard." "fullbeard">> <</listbox>> <</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->blog]]</div> <p></p>

As you leaf through the loose pages in the box, you wonder just how much of this world you could piece together from memory. Already, you're surprised by the clarity of the images your mind conjures up when you remember this world. Lohre was, in a word, eclectic; a dozen or more cultures and time periods could claim they were the inspiration for such a setting. From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and beyond, there were many historical elements that you merged, modified, or erased altogether. Pages and pages, hundreds, <i>thousands</i>, all to carve out the foundation of your own unique world. An escape. You had your favourite topics—'expertise', one might say, were they not speaking of a pubescent child. Your favourite part of writing had always been developing the <<cycle "$expertise" autoselect>> <<option "politics and religions." "power">> <<option "weapons and wars." "combat">> <<option "monsters and magic." "arcana">> <<option "cultures and fashions." "customs">> <<option "characters and relationships." "people">> <</cycle>> And that's what you remember most about Lohre, to this day. Maybe you devoted less time to the other aspects of worldbuilding, but you see you could never be accused of slacking off—you did truly create an entire world. Another notebook bulging with additional pages slotted in catches your eye. You throw an old pillow onto the floor to get more comfortable, and time begins to slip away. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->ff2.1]]</div>

<<nobr>> <i>Any sense of the right way up is as murky as your surroundings; a verdant haze swallows your vision as you thrash and kick and die. <p></p> You grasp for the sky and your fingers find purchase—but then it yields, a bubbling handful of muck slushing down in the water. <p></p> Not down. <p></p> <b>Up.</b> <p></p> The sky is the ground, a bed of peat; there <b>is</b> a right way up, but you're all wrong. <p></p> Panic thrums and shakes your bones as you twist and scramble and push off the bottom with your feet, launching towards the surface. For a moment, you're propelling through the water, and you can see the light glinting through the algae, and you're so close to breath you're already savouring it. <p></p> It doesn't come. <p></p> Connection to your limbs has been severed, and your mind is not too far behind. As your innards constrict, you heave on a final protest wrung tightly from your vocal chords. A flurry of bubbles make their escape to the surface as you drift the opposite way. <p></p> Daylight ebbs. So does the panic. <p></p> You wait. You sink. <p></p> You think it's taking an awfully long time. </i><</nobr>> <i><div class="choice-item">[[Silence. Then—->pond 2]]</div></i>

<<nobr>> <i>A collision shunts your body into a death roll; a second wind takes hold as desperation claws at your last reserves of life. <p></p> Something large and solid hooks around your now-flailing body. It tangles your limbs and bruises your skin and near wrenches your arms from their sockets in its relentless quest to inflict one final torment. <p></p> But you're already well past the point of pain. <p></p> When he finally hauls your dead weight from the pond, there's nothing left in your tank. Gasping and sopping and stinking, you hit the bank and spew your guts out at his feet. The puddle of stagnant water adds to the stench of sulphur already in the air, and it's the sweetest thing you've ever held in your lungs. <p></p> You barely register when he kicks you onto your stomach and shackles your wrists like the others. A death sentence—everybody here knows it. Except you. You're still too busy pulling yourself away from the light to see how close you've gotten to the pyre. <p></p> As you're dragged to the group of hollow-eyed captives and hefted, near-unconscious, over the saddle of the two-headed gryphon, a single memory plays through your mind on a loop. <p></p> The wisdom shared to you by your mother, when you were just a child:</i><</nobr>> <i><div class="choice-item">[[“Never click a link you don't trust. Idiot.”->present day]]</div></i>

<<nobr>><<if $hair is true and ($hairlength is "shaved" or $hairtexture is "straight" or $hairtexture is "wavy" or $hairtexture is "curly")>> <<set $hairbase to "hair">> <</if>> <<if $hairstyle is "fade">> <<set $undercut to "fade">> <</if>> <<if $hairstyle is "downcut" or $hairstyle is "ponycut" or $hairstyle is "buncut" or $hairstyle is "spacebunscut">> <<set $undercut to "undercut">> <</if>> <<if $hair is true>>You <<if $hairlength is "shaved">>run a hand over your shaved head<</if>><<if $hairlength is not "shaved">>straighten out your $hairbase<</if>> as the screen flickers.<</if>> <<if $hair is false and $facialhair is true>>You check your face in the reflection <<if $facialhairstyle is "shaven">>for any stray hairs you might've missed in your morning shave<</if>><<if $facialhairstyle is "stubble">>and brush over the stubble there to scratch your jaw<</if>><<if $facialhairstyle is not "shaven" and $facialhairstyle is not "stubble">>and quickly brush your fingers over the coarse hairs there<</if>> as the screen flickers.<</if>> <<if $hair is false and $facialhair is false>>You check your face in the reflection and blink at your own tired eyes while the screen flickers.<</if>> <p></p> There's a creeping sense of deja vu that has you feeling almost out of body as you locate the blog hosting site. While the user interface is nothing at all like it used to be, that doesn't seem to matter; you did this so many times that it's ingrained in your muscle memory. Your fingers fly over the keys faster than your thoughts, and just like that, you're in. <p></p> <i>Tales from Lohre</i>. The lone blog on your profile. You open the door for the first time in fifteen years— <p></p> And that's when your nose begins to bleed.<</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->nosebleed]]</div>

<<nobr>> <<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain">> "<<cycle "$swear" autoselect>> <<option "Shit!" "shit">> <<option "Fuck!" "fuck">> <<option "Bugger!" "bugger">> <<option "Crap!" "crap">> <<option "Damn it!" "damn it">> <<option "Sugar!" "sugar">> <</cycle>>" You screw your eyes shut and <<if $response is "panic">> jerk your head forwards, heart pounding in your hollow head as thoughts skitter about with no purchase. <</if>> <<if $response is not "panic">> slant forwards, breathing slow and heavy, pushing back against the way that fear tightens around your lungs. <</if>> <p></p> It spatters over your lap. Hot. Wet. Familiar. It washes over you just like the wave of nausea—but it's better than having to taste it at the back of your throat. You learnt that lesson; this would happen often, after the attack. Your mother would cry out at you to tip your head back, protective of her cream carpets. <p></p> Bad idea; that metallic tang was like skimming your tongue along a blade. <p></p> And now the nosebleeds have come back after all this time, just like the fear, the nightmares, the memories. Haunting. Taunting. <p></p> <<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain" and $response is "panic">> In through the nose, out through the mouth. Is the air in the room getting even cooler, or is that the trickle of panic? <</if>> You fumble for an old, stained doily on the desk to staunch the flow, and smooth your free hand along the walls to keep your balance as you escape to the bathroom. <</if>> <<if $fear is not "bladesbloodpain">> "Ah, <<cycle "$swear" autoselect>> <<option "shit" "shit">> <<option "fuck" "fuck">> <<option "bugger" "bugger">> <<option "crap" "crap">> <<option "damn it" "damn it">> <<option "sugar" "sugar">> <</cycle>>." <p></p> You attempt to catch the droplets in your cupped hands as you push out of the chair. It groans, snagging against the worn rug under your feet and almost tripping you in your haste. <p></p> So your nosebleeds have returned—of course. They were a regular occurence, after the $history3. The last time you had one was likely in this house; it's like it's taunting you. <p></p> A lot of things are, lately. <p></p> You try your best, but some of it still manages to spatter your clothes on your way to the bathroom. You managed to avoid getting any on the carpets, though. Small mercies—nowadays, you're the one responsible for stain removal. <</if>> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->pyjamas]]</div><</nobr>>

<i>"All them fuckin' stories," spits the woman with the shaved head, starting you awake. "And 'Mil nabs you just like that? 'Cause you forget how to fly?" You blink blearily down at her as she strides along in her strange, tattered poncho. Her earring twinkles in the haze that clouds your vision, the trees all around a blur. This floating sensation is familiar, the surreal type of dreamscape you're used to. But the scene is new—and yet at the same time, familiar. It may still be a nightmare, but at least <<if $history3 is "fire">>nothing here's burning.<</if>><<if $history3 is "attack">>you aren't bleeding.<</if>> The woman's narrow eyes are set on you in expectation, but you feel...sedated. Ensnared by a shroud of passivity. Lulled by it all: the soft edges, the muffled sounds like you're caught in a perpetual yawn, the steady swaying of the gryphon. The creature is either very tall, or she's very short, because when she leans in to where you're slung over its downy haunches like a sack of spuds, she's on her toes—you've got a good view of her feet from this position. Blood's rushing to your head, and you wonder how long it's been since the pond. "What was your plan?" There's a tattoo of something serpentine along the side of her face, running up through her scalp. A dragon, maybe, but more abstract. It writhes when she speaks. "Off back to mummy? Tail between your legs? We all know what you did, witch. What's some cracked-up crown gonna do to fix it—send more of us to die?" Her words drill against your eardrums. Shards of recent events glisten through the murk—a box, a link, a bang, a splash—but the sludge is too thick. It's swallowing you down. "That ain't how things get fixed," she presses on, harder now, as the vignette closes in. "Did you forget after all this time?" Her amber eyes are the last thing you see, the blaze within them. Hatred. No, too much pain. She's looking at you like a traitor. "Dun't matter, anyway. We're the heroes now, <b>Your Highness</b>. Just wait and see." You dip back into the space between time.</i> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->inside box]]</div>

<i>"Well it wunt've just slipped away. Not when we've still got <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>>." Dragon Lady nods over to you. It's the first time she's acknowledged you for a while; she may have taken it personally when you drifted off in the middle of her rant. You've been watching her since you came to—<<cycle "$badeyes" autoselect>> <<option "nothing else to see from this angle but greenery" false>> <<option "she's the only thing in focus without your glasses" true>> <</cycle>>—but you still can't get a handle on anything she's saying. The man she's talking to, the one steering this thing, is out of sight, but you know he's the same one from the pond. You can smell him just the same as he can probably smell you. Pungent. All your senses are sharper than before; your ears twitch with the crunch of dry leaves as the group picks their way through the scrubby undergrowth, your face warms as speckled sunlight filters through the leafy canopy overhead and dances across your cheeks. Your body...hurts. That last thought twists in your gut, a sharp but shadowy dread that eclipses your capture—for the moment. Because the moment is drawn-out. Visceral. Stitched into a winding tapestry of events that you've been watching spiral out and out, no end in sight. And you realise: you've been feeling every second of this nightmare. </i> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->ff2.2]]</div>

<i>"It's fucked off, Riz," the man insists. His voice seems to reverberate through the gryphon. "I'm telling you, it won't try owt." They've been so agonisingly vague about everything, they might as well be speaking in tongues. And they don't seem in any great rush to get to the point—or your destination; your pyjamas stopped dripping quite some time ago. The tattered blanket they wrapped you up in helped with that, though. "You're the one always goin' on about how loyal they are, though." "Aye, but there's more to it than that." "But you said it was <b>so</b> straightforward. Make your bloody mind up." The man sighs and everything comes to such a sudden halt that you clench your abs reflexively to keep from toppling off the creature. It aches like you've been kicked in the stomach. Maybe you have. He slides off the mount with a crunching thud and the woman gives way for him to reach you. His black hair's still a little damp and wavy around his shoulders as he tilts his head down to get to eye level. "Delve," he says, like it's a simple suggestion. Dragon Lady—Riz—peers around his elbow with a look of interest. </i> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->ff2.3]]</div>

<<nobr>> <<set $birthday to "today">> <<fadein 2s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <h2><i>Somewhere Forgotten, 2025</i></h2> </div> <</fadein>> <p></p> <<timed 1s>> <<fadein 2s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>[[You gasp awake, and water floods your lungs.->pond]]</i></b> </div> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <</nobr>>

<i>You blink. Work your swollen tongue around your mouth. Swallow thickly as you chew on the idea of finally trying to speak, to object maybe, or inquire at the very least, but a daunting sense of wrongness has clamped down. You have no idea what's happening, but what's seizing you right now is the thought that you're so very <b>aware</b> that you have no idea what's happening. Dreams only stop making sense when you're awake. That's how it's always been. How it's supposed to be. The man gives you a look like he's assessing if you hit your head or if you're just an idiot. Your confusion must register above anything else, because he elaborates, swatting at a fly that tries to land on his muddy cheek. "Look, we're not gonna go after it. Just tell it to piss off and I won't have to finish the job." "Emil loves gryphs," Riz supplies. "He's no hunter." Even in your state you can recognise when a bad actor starts to play good cop. But at least she's been helpful enough to clue you in on the subject of the conversation. At long last. Gryphons. A specific gryphon. One he wants you to...talk to? Your elevated heartrate does a little skip like it missed a step; something's coming back to you, now. It's right there: <b>Two heads, golden eyes...one body, one mind, one—</b> "So?" Emil meets your eyes. "Delve."</i> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->valley]]</div>

<<nobr>> <<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain">>It takes some time to unmuddle your mind when the bleeding subsides, but once you're calm and clean, <</if>> <<if $fear is not "bladesbloodpain">>When the bleeding subsides and your face is clean, <</if>> you have to head off to what was once your parents' bedroom to change<<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain">> before you vomit<</if>>. <p></p> This is where you've been sleeping—it's the bedroom with the fewest boxes. It's strange; you've been an adult for more than a decade now, but being here, you feel a little like a kid playing at being a grown up. At being your parents. Funny how that feeling never truly goes away. <p></p> <<if $organisation is "messy">> One thing is for certain: they would never have slept in this pigsty. With your boxes of clothes still pushed up against the walls, you felt there was little point in making the effort to be tidy. It wouldn't have made a difference. <p></p> You've been here for a few days now; you can count them precisely in the articles of dirty clothing scattered about. There's a stack of photo albums and coat hangers in the middle of the bed, a mound of clean socks on the bedside table so you didn't have to keep digging for fresh ones. Maybe it's for the best that you're alone here. <</if>> <<if $organisation is "tidy">> And just like they would have, you're finding it difficult to find a sense of tranquillity in this mess. You've piled your boxes of clothes as neatly as you can in the corner of the room, with some old photo albums you found in the cupboard stacked on top. But it isn't that big a space, and you've had to make some compromises while you sort through everything. <p></p> You've been here for a few days now, and there's still so much that needs to be done. <</if>> <p></p> There's little hope in finding something to wear now that's both clean and easily accessible, so you opt for what's already <<if $organisation is "tidy">> laid out <</if>> <<if $organisation is "messy">> balled up <</if>> on the chair: your pyjamas. <p></p> You put on... <p></p> <<listbox "$pjs">> <<option "...a simple short silk nightie." "nightie">> <<option "...an oversized t-shirt." "tshirt">> <<option "...shorts and a crop top." "shortscrop">> <<option "...joggers and a t-shirt." "joggerstshirt">> <<option "...a long two-piece set." "twopiecebottoms">> <<option "...a dinosaur onesie." "dinoonesie">> <</listbox>> <p></p> And now, vastly more comfortable and blood-free, you <<if $badeyes is true>>fix your skewed glasses and <</if>>finally return to the computer room. <</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->basic appearance]]</div>

<<nobr>> You have... <p></p> <style> #buttonContainer { display: flex; gap: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; } #buttonContainer button { background-color: transparent; color: var(--text); border: 1.5px solid var(--text); padding: 0.3em 0.8em; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 1em; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, color 0.3s ease; } #buttonContainer button:hover { background-color: var(--text); color: var(--bg1); } .light-theme #buttonContainer button { color: var(--text_light); border-color: var(--text_light); } .light-theme #buttonContainer button:hover { background-color: var(--text_light); color: var(--bg2); } </style> <div id="buttonContainer"> <<button "Natural Hair">> <<set $dyedhair to false>> <<replace "#dyedhairArea">> <div class="special-choice-item">[[Next (Piercings & Tattoos)->piercings]]</div> <</replace>> <</button>> <p></p> <<button "Dyed Hair">> <<set $dyedhair to true>> <<replace "#dyedhairArea">> Your hair's current colour is... <p></p> <<if $nathaircolour is "black">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...auburn." "hair">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "auburn">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "ginger">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...auburn." "auburn">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "dark brown">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...auburn." "auburn">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "light brown">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...auburn." "auburn">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "dark blond">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...auburn." "auburn">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...light blond." "light blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <<if $nathaircolour is "light blond">> <<listbox "$dyedcolour">> <<option "...black." "black">> <<option "...auburn." "auburn">> <<option "...ginger." "ginger">> <<option "...dark brown." "dark brown">> <<option "...light brown." "light brown">> <<option "...dark blond." "dark blond">> <<option "...platinum blond." "platinum blond">> <<option "...white." "white">> <<option "...red." "red">> <<option "...blue." "blue">> <<option "...green." "green">> <<option "...teal." "teal">> <<option "...yellow." "yellow">> <<option "...orange." "orange">> <<option "...purple." "purple">> <<option "...pink." "pink">> <<option "...rainbow." "rainbow">> <</listbox>> <</if>> <p></p> <div class="special-choice-item">[[Next (Piercings & Tattoos)->piercings]]</div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[Finish Customisation->after appearance]]</div> <</replace>> <</button>> </div> <div id="dyedhairArea"></div> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <<set $appearanceReveal to true>> <<if $lefteye is $righteye>> <<set $heterochromia to false>> <</if>> <<if $lefteye is not $righteye>> <<set $heterochromia to true>> <</if>> <<if $dyedhair is true>> <<set $haircolour to $dyedcolour>> <</if>> <<if $dyedhair is false>> <<set $haircolour to $nathaircolour>> <</if>> <<if $piercingLeftLobe and $piercingRightLobe>> <<set $piercingLobes to true>> <</if>> <<if not ($piercingLeftLobe and $piercingRightLobe)>> <<set $piercingLobes to false>> <</if>> <<if not $piercingLeftlobe and not $piercingRightLobe and not $piercingHelix and not $piercingEyebrow and not $piercingNostril and not $piercingSeptum and not $piercingLip and not $piercingLabret and not $piercingTongue and not $piercingNavel and not $piercingNipples>> <<set $piercings to false>> <</if>> <<if not $tattooFace and not $tattooNeck and not $tattooUpperArmLeft and not $tattooUpperArmRight and not $tattooForearmLeft and not $tattooForearmRight and not $tattooHandLeft and not $tattooHandRight and not $tattooUpperBack and not $tattooMiddleBack and not $tattooLowerBack and not $tattooThighLeft and not $tattooThighRight and not $tattooCalfLeft and not $tattooCalfRight and not $tattooAnkleLeft and not $tattooAnkleRight>> <<set $tattoos to false>> <</if>> <<if $piercingLeftlobe>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingRightLobe>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingHelix>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingEyebrow>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingNostril>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingSeptum>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingLip>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingLabret>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingTongue>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingNavel>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $piercingNipples>> <<set $piercingCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooFace>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooNeck>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooUpperArmLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooUpperArmRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooForearmLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooForearmRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooHandLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooHandRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooUpperBack>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooMiddleBack>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooLowerBack>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooThighLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooThighRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooCalfLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooCalfRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooAnkleLeft>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <<if $tattooAnkleRight>> <<set $tattooCount += 1>><</if>> <</nobr>><<nobr>> You thought your headache was receding, but it seems it was gathering itself for a flood; the tight prickle behind your eyes is making concentration difficult. <<if $badeyes is true>>You should know better by now; straining them on an older screen leads to poor vision. <</if>><<if $badeyes is false>>Your father always warned you not to strain your eyes on an older screen, or you'd end up like him.<</if>> <p></p> You could get lost in the details fast if you kept at it like this, anyway; beneath the basics section is a biography starting from the day of <<selfinsertName>>'s birth stretching almost all the way to the day you stopped writing. <<if $verseCritique is "harsh">>If you really must subject yourself to more of this, the best place to start is right at the end, when you were older and marginally better at prose.<</if>><<if $verseCritique is "forgiving">>To get the clearest picture of the world of Lohre as it was at its most developed, the logical place to start would be right at the end.<</if>> <p></p> So you click the most recent blog post, from 2010:<</nobr>> <i><div class="choice-item">[[“A/N: Lohre's been my escape for years now...”->last blog]]</div></i>

It comes as a surprise—neither story nor lore. <<nobr>>No adventures with the Hero, <<if $expertise is "power">>no scheming nobles or enlightened pilgrims.<</if>> <<if $expertise is "combat">>no gunpowder advancements or new battlefield tactics.<</if>> <<if $expertise is "arcana">>no evolved species of monster or spellflask recipe perfected.<</if>> <<if $expertise is "customs">>no cultural artefacts unearthed or trendsetting necklines.<</if>> <<if $expertise is "people">>no hidden motives or secret liaisons.<</if>><</nobr>> Just a note from a $child who was at <<if $plural is false>><<lhisher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheir>><</if>> limit. You massage your temples to relieve the pressure as you read over it again, trying to remember the day you posted it, just a few days after <<sisterName>>'s funeral. Your birthday. There's a subtle desperation to your words; you were newly fifteen, and your life had been falling apart for a while, piece by piece. When you look back on your childhood, you see that you were in pain—but in the thick of it, you were never able to identify what it was. It was like the feeling of raw exhaustion, where your vision tunnels and it's all you can do to put one foot in front of the other. Even these words were detached from how you were really feeling, you think. In the midst of everything, you still prioritised a written farewell. A goodbye to nothing and to no one. Were you bitter that you were screaming into the void, or was solitude a comfort? <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->link]]</div>

<<nobr>> Example: <p></p> <<if $plural is true>> <i>When I saw <<lthem>> take charge that day, only I knew <<ltheir>> plan would work; the victory was hard-won, and it was ultimately <<ltheirs>>. Only after ensuring <<ltheir>> men had what they needed did <<lthey>> allow <<lthemself>> a moment to breathe. And that is why I follow <<lthem>>.</i> <</if>> <<if $plural is false>> <i>When I saw <<lhimher>> take charge that day, only I knew <<lhisher>> plan would work; the victory was hard-won, and it was ultimately <<lhishers>>. Only after ensuring <<lhisher>> men had what they needed did <<lheshe>> allow <<lhimherself>> a moment to breathe. And that is why I follow <<lhimher>>.</i> <</if>> <p></p> <div class="rewind-choice-item">[[Retry|customise gender]]</div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[Confirm|start game]]</div> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <i>Meet the Protagonist</i>. It's the first link on the home page that you navigate to. <p></p> The first section details <<selfinsertName>>'s appearance. At a quick glance, it seems as if most of the information is still accurate to your adult self: <div style="text-align: center;"> <hr> <h2><i>Basic Appearance</i></h2> </div> <p></p> <hr> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>SKIN COLOUR & UNDERTONE:</i> </div> <p></p> <div style="display:flex; gap:1em;"> <<listbox "$skincolour">> <<option "Black" "black">> <<option "Brown" "brown">> <<option "Tan" "tan">> <<option "Olive" "olive">> <<option "Beige" "beige">> <<option "White" "white">> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$skintone">> <<option "Cool" "cool">> <<option "Neutral" "neutral">> <<option "Warm" "warm">> <</listbox>> </div> <p></p> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>LEFT & RIGHT EYE COLOUR:</i> </div> <p></p> <div style="display:flex; gap:1em;"> <<listbox "$lefteye">> <<option "Dark Brown" "dark brown">> <<option "Light Brown" "light brown">> <<option "Dark Green" "dark green">> <<option "Light Green" "light green">> <<option "Dark Blue" "dark blue">> <<option "Light Blue" "light blue">> <<option "Amber" "amber">> <<option "Hazel" "hazel">> <<option "Grey" "grey">> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$righteye">> <<option "Dark Brown" "dark brown">> <<option "Light Brown" "light brown">> <<option "Dark Green" "dark green">> <<option "Light Green" "light green">> <<option "Dark Blue" "dark blue">> <<option "Light Blue" "light blue">> <<option "Amber" "amber">> <<option "Hazel" "hazel">> <<option "Grey" "grey">> <</listbox>> </div> <p></p> <<if $hair is true>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>HAIR COLOUR (natural):</i> <p></p> <<listbox "$nathaircolour">> <<option "Black" "black">> <<option "Auburn" "auburn">> <<option "Ginger" "ginger">> <<option "Dark Brown" "dark brown">> <<option "Light Brown" "light brown">> <<option "Dark Blond" "dark blond">> <<option "Light Blond" "light blond">> <</listbox>></div><</if>> <p></p> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:</i> <p></p> <label><<checkbox "$featuresMoles" false true autocheck>> Moles</label><br> <label><<checkbox "$featuresFreckles" false true autocheck>> Freckles</label><br> <label><<checkbox "$featuresDimples" false true autocheck>> Dimples</label><br> <label><<checkbox "$featuresVitiligo" false true autocheck>> Vitiligo</label></div> <</nobr>> <hr> But then there are the categories that don't hold up so well. Height, for example—the last time you edited this page you were still growing. Nowadays, you're... <<listbox "$height">> <<option "...very short (5ft0 and under)." "veryshort">> <<option "...short (5ft1-5ft5)." "short">> <<option "...average (5ft6-5ft10)." "average">> <<option "...tall (5ft11-6ft4)." "tall">> <<option "...very tall (6ft5 and over)." "verytall">> <</listbox>> <<nobr>> <<if $hair is false>> <div class="special-choice-item">[[And I've altered my appearance (piercings/tattoos).->piercings]]</div> <</if>> <<if $hair is true>> <div class="special-choice-item">[[And I've altered my appearance (dye/piercings/tattoos).->dyedhair]]</div> <</if>> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[Confirm->after appearance]]</div> <</nobr>>

Hi, all! Welcome to the first demo of <i>Canon Divergence</i>! This is a WIP in its very early stages; as I go along, I'll be constantly reworking this draft, so everything you see here can, and likely will, be edited. Feedback is appreciated! Either sent to my ask box on tumblr (@canondivergence-if), or to my email (sunchaserinteractive@gmail.com). Please restrict this feedback to typos, coding issues, overlooked variable opportunities, inconsistencies in the narrative, etc. for the time being. I plan to open a suggestions box for things outside of that in the future! Hope you enjoy what I have so far! - Isla @sunchaserinteractive <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->pre-game notes 2]]</div>

<<set $chapter to "Intro.">><div style="text-align: center;"><h2><i>The Author</i></h2></div> You were the first thing to grow in your garden. A sapling untethered from your stake, you floundered through adolescence. It wasn't kind to you; sometimes that's the way of it. You couldn't have known that the seed of your grief and loneliness would take root. You couldn't have known that it would grow and twist and mangle the moment your back was turned. You couldn't have known what it would become. Somewhere in that tangle of what is real and what was made real is <i>you</i>. And you are still yourself. For now. <<nobr>>Your first name is... <p></p> <<textbox "$inputplayerName" "">> <p></p> Your family name is.. <p></p> <<textbox "$inputplayerSurname" "">><</nobr>> And you are a... <<nobr>> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "...woman (she/her).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to false>> <<set $gender to "female">> <<set $child to "girl">> <<set $person to "woman">> <<set $sibling to "sister">> <<set $partner to "girlfriend">> <<set $spouse to "wife">> <<set $heir to "princess">> <<set $fucker to "bitch">> <<set $gorgeous to "beautiful">> <<set $heshe to "she">> <<set $himher to "her">> <<set $hisher to "her">> <<set $hishers to "hers">> <<set $himherself to "herself">> <<set $plural to false>> <<goto "start game">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "...woman (trans) (she/her).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to true>> <<set $gender to "female">> <<set $child to "girl">> <<set $person to "woman">> <<set $sibling to "sister">> <<set $partner to "girlfriend">> <<set $spouse to "wife">> <<set $heir to "princess">> <<set $fucker to "bitch">> <<set $gorgeous to "beautiful">> <<set $heshe to "she">> <<set $himher to "her">> <<set $hisher to "her">> <<set $hishers to "hers">> <<set $himherself to "herself">> <<set $plural to false>> <<goto "start game">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "...man (he/him).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to false>> <<set $gender to "male">> <<set $child to "boy">> <<set $person to "man">> <<set $sibling to "brother">> <<set $partner to "boyfriend">> <<set $spouse to "husband">> <<set $heir to "prince">> <<set $fucker to "bastard">> <<set $gorgeous to "handsome">> <<set $heshe to "he">> <<set $himher to "him">> <<set $hisher to "his">> <<set $hishers to "his">> <<set $himherself to "himself">> <<set $plural to false>> <<goto "start game">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "...man (trans) (he/him).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to true>> <<set $gender to "male">> <<set $child to "boy">> <<set $person to "man">> <<set $sibling to "brother">> <<set $partner to "boyfriend">> <<set $spouse to "husband">> <<set $heir to "prince">> <<set $fucker to "bastard">> <<set $gorgeous to "handsome">> <<set $heshe to "he">> <<set $himher to "him">> <<set $hisher to "his">> <<set $hishers to "his">> <<set $himherself to "himself">> <<set $plural to false>> <<goto "start game">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "...nonbinary person (they/them).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to true>> <<set $gender to "nonbinary">> <<set $child to "child">> <<set $person to "person">> <<set $sibling to "sibling">> <<set $partner to "partner">> <<set $spouse to "spouse">> <<set $heir to "heir">> <<set $fucker to "fucker">> <<set $gorgeous to "gorgeous">> <<set $they to "they">> <<set $them to "them">> <<set $their to "their">> <<set $theirs to "theirs">> <<set $themself to "themself">> <<set $plural to true>> <<goto "start game">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <div class="special-choice-item"> <<link "...nonbinary person (custom).">> <<if $inputplayerName.trim() is not "" and $inputplayerSurname.trim() is not "">> <<set $trans to true>> <<set $gender to "nonbinary">> <<goto "customise gender">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <p></p> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <<set $pronouns to true>> <<set $playerName to $inputplayerName>> Today's milestone birthday, set at a crossroads. <p></p> Pity your path was chosen for you. <p></p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[Lead me to the crossroads. [Prologue]|establishing]]</div><</nobr>>

<i>Hope I can come back to this world someday</i>; that was your sign-off. It's later than you imagined it would be, but here you are. Back again. And you have no idea of the mistake you are about to make. Your eyes snag on something on the screen, and you go deathly still. The back of your neck prickles like something just whispered too close as you stare at the letters. You don't remember ever having this much difficulty comprehending something so simple, but your thoughts are misfiring, and the ricochet batters at the walls of your skull. You press your palms against your eyes for a moment, but it does little to ease the splitting pain. You blink and look again. Through the stars in your vision, the picture remains the same; it's exactly what you thought it was. Your mind goes opaque. At the bottom of the page is a single comment—your first and only. Timestamped today—two minutes ago. Three. An embedded link. <div style="text-align: center;"> Anonymous User says: <b><i>[[it's never too late->link 2]]</i></b> <p></p> </div>

<<nobr>> <<fadein 2s>> <<fadeout 4s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>never</i> </div> <</fadeout>> <</fadein>> <p></p> <<timed 1s>> <<fadein 2s>> <<fadeout 4s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>click a link</i> </div> <</fadeout>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <p></p> <<timed 2s>> <<fadein 2s>> <<fadeout 4s>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>you don't trust</i> </div> <</fadeout>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <<timed 6s>> <<fadein 3s>> <<type 90ms>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>you had your chance. i won't waste mine.</i></b> </div> <</type>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> <<fadein 3s>> <<type 90ms>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>[[feel what i felt.->fiw1]]</i></b> </div> <</type>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <</nobr>>

<i>You feel their eyes on you, waiting. Probing. "<<if $plural is false>><<cheshe>> ain't <</if>><<if $plural is true>><<cthey>>'re not <</if>>doing it," Riz notes, agitated, when the silence lapses far beyond comfort and you have nothing to show for it. She looks up at her companion. "How do we make <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>>? 'Mil, I ain't watching my back all the way to Nurham." Emil shrugs, taking a step back. "If <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>> could do it, <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>> would've done it. Gryph must be too far away." "Or dead?" The note of hope is unmistakable. He shakes his head. "Nah. Just gone." "You sure?" "Look how many of us there are. One injured gryph dun't stand a chance, even with this lot's aim. They're not thick." He gestures to someone out of view. You've only caught glimpses of the other prisoners, the other captors; there's two dozen or so, total, you think. "This is the meeting point," he tells the hooded man who approaches. "Chain this one up with the rest, yeah? No special treatment." He turns back to Riz, lowering an arm around her shoulders. "What's do with you, ey? It weren't even..." He steers her out of earshot, to the treeline in the clearing. Without distraction, memories stir. </i>A box<i>, you think, as rough hands wrap around you, <<if $reaction is "touchaverse">>and your skin jumps and crawls at the contact,<</if>> and you feel it like sandpaper, raw and real. </i>A link<i>, you remember, as you land, once again, in a heap on the ground, tangled in the blanket, limbs bound. <<if $fear is "claustro">>And you're trapped. You can't breathe.<</if>> </i>A bang<i>. One you felt in your bones, when you awoke in the clouds and your stomach lurched and the creature beneath you let out an ear-shattering shriek, and then you were plummeting down, down, until—</i> <div class="choice-item">[[A splash.->fiw2]]</div>

You've been delving for over an hour, now, books spread open all around you. No sign of any maps yet but, bit by bit, a sprawling image of the world has been reconstructed in your mind as you flit between lore entries. Different settings, different cultures, but they always seem to lead you back to a single continent: Sundrel—The Two-and-a-Half Kingdoms. Unsurprisingly, only two of these locations seem to be favoured in your notes: Elaustriel, and Raavad. Along the eastern coast of the continent, religious entries are abundant due to Elaustriel being the seat of the Sun's Grace faith. Even the masquerades and festivals, thick with political intrigue, were all held under the watchful eye of <i>His Radiance</i>. And up in the northwest, the Kingdom of Raavad—more rugged, cooler, and dense with flowing rivers. A melting pot of cultures, but originally where the longboats packed with Kaldrvaskan slaves landed, after the uprising. Dotted in the thousand miles between the two kingdoms' capitals are countless cities, towns, and villages, along with the perils one might expect of the wilderness—robber barons and outlaw bands, wyverns and the cultists who revered them, the factions who hunted them. Keeping the world alive had been very important to you. Right at the heart of Sundrel is the continent's largest and most infamous landmark: the Valley of Drayth. Or, as the notebook open in your lap right now refers to it, <i>The Valley of Monsters</i>. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->self-insert]]</div>

There was a time the valley was just a mawing fissure acting as a natural border between Raavad and Elaustriel. Outside of the wyverns and cults, the major threat in Drayth was the treacherous terrain, which adventurers would traverse seeking treasures in ancient ruins, and mountain guides escort merchant caravans through to earn their minted coin. But there came a point when you grew bored. You wanted something new. A major setting outside of the city, a challenge like never before. Monsters. <<nobr>> <<if $expertise is "arcana">>You remember how invested you were in designing these creatures; you know somewhere in this box is a bestiary that you poured all your focus and creativity into for months on end. <</if>><<if $expertise is not "arcana">>You don't remember when the idea came to you, but you know you put in the hours to ensure they were all different, each species presenting unique challenges.<</if>> <</nobr>> All for <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>>.<</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>>.<</if>> The centre of everything: your protagonist. Your self-insert. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->self-insert 2]]</div>

<div style="text-align: center;"><hr><h4><i>The Battle of the Valley of Monsters: The Hero <<if $nameMatch is "same">><<selfinsertName>><</if>><<if $nameMatch is not "same">><<textbox "$inputselfinsertName" "">><</if>> vs. The Horde</i></h4></div><hr> <h5><i>There once was a dragon who fled her home of Turvys, driven out by the rise of the wyverns. She found shelter in the mountains of Drayth, where the people were peaceful and left her alone. But that quiet ended when the monsters came. The Hero of Quintaris was called from the city to defeat them. After <<if $plural is false>><<lhisher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheir>><</if>> recent victory against the Kaldrvaskan invaders, <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>> was<</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>> were<</if>> their only hope. But even <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>> wouldn't be able to kill them all before they spread. If the horde spilled out through the mountain pass, the whole continent might fall to their evil. The Hero would need all of <<if $plural is false>><<lhisher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheir>><</if>> cunning to bring them to heel. <<if $plural is false>><<cheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<cthey>><</if>> had heard stories of the dragon in the east of the Valley. Each of these ancient beasts was completely obsessed with treasure. Some hoarded gold, some books, some bones, some jewels. But this dragon, above all else, craved the sun itself, the most shining of all the treasures in the land. Each day, when the sun was at its lowest, the people of Drayth would watch her climb to the peak and dive towards the horizon, to try to catch it. She would retreat each time, frustrated and confused. She was so close to her life's goal, but so very far away. The Hero had an idea. <<if $plural is false>><<cheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<cthey>><</if>> raced to find a—CONTINUED ON BLOG.</i></h5><hr> <<nobr>> <<if $nameMatch is "same">> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->pc room]]</div> <</if>> <<if $nameMatch is not "same">> <div class="advance-choice-item"> <<link "">> <<if $inputselfinsertName.trim() is not "" and $inputselfinsertName.trim() is not $inputplayerName.trim()>> <<goto "pc room">> <</if>> <</link>> </div> <</if>> <</nobr>>

<<nobr>> You blink. <i>Blog</i>. That word dislodges something in your brain that tumbles out from a blind spot. Much of your childhood is a black hole. Gaps in your memory—compartmentalised, because you once had a terrible habit of stirring up the pain into a whirlwind that made it impossible to function. <p></p> Lohre was your everything, and that was part of the problem. It was a coping mechanism, and one you leaned on heavily, towards the end. You've often asked yourself how many good memories have been shrouded by your mind's attempt to lay a blanket over the hurt. <p></p> But now you remember. Of course you do. You may have started with pen and paper, but that was just a prelude. <<if $organisation is "tidy">>A blog was tidier, more aesthetically pleasing. <</if>><<if $organisation is "messy">>A blog solved the issue of your notes always getting lost. <</if>> There, everything had a place and, truth be told, the concept of building a website of your own had made you feel more grown up. <p></p> <<if $verseCritique is "forgiving">> You feel tug of anticipation as the realisation dawns on you: <</if>> <<if $verseCritique is "harsh">> You wince a little as the realisation dawns on you: <</if>>all of those stories are still out there in the world,<<if $verseCritique is "forgiving">> after all these years.<</if>><<if $verseCritique is "harsh">> for anyone to see.<</if>> <p></p> No universe exists where you don't go to <<if $verseCritique is "forgiving">> seek them out.<</if>><<if $verseCritique is "harsh">> see for yourself.<</if>><</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->pc room 2]]</div>

HE/SHE/THEY <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>> HIM/HER/THEM <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>> HIS/HER/THEIR <<if $plural is false>><<lhisher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheir>><</if>> HIS/HERS/THEIRS <<if $plural is false>><<lhishers>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheirs>><</if>> CURLY QUOTES <<nobr>><div class="choices"> <div class="choice-item">[[“...I don't know what that means.”|test]]</div> <div class="choice-item">[[“Please tell me what's going on.”|test]]</div> <div class="choice-item">[[(Remain silent).|test]]</div> </div><</nobr>> <h1>Heading 1</h1> <h2>Heading 2</h2> <h3>Heading 3</h3> <<button "Button">><</button>> <<textbox "$textbox" $textbox>> <<listbox "$listbox">> <<option "Listbox 1">> <<option "Listbox 2">> <<option "Listbox 3">> <</listbox>> <<cycle "$cycle">> <<option "Cycling 1" "">> <<option "Cycling 2" "">> <<option "Cycling 3" "">> <</cycle>> <li>List Item</li> <li>List Item</li> <li>List Item</li> <<fadein 3s>> <</fadein>> <<nobr>><div class="choices"> <div class="choice-item">[[Continue|test]]</div> <div class="flirt-choice-item">[[Continue|test]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[Continue|test]]</div> </div><</nobr>>

<i>Your first thoughts the fear of death. Fitting. That gasp when you emerged, like a newborn forced into a fathomless world. And then you were</i> awake. And you see, you've been awake this whole time. The world tilts as you're set on your feet, your chains linked to the line of prisoners. The others avoid your gaze, because they know so much more of what awaits than your brain will let you imagine. Your imagination—the cause of all of this. You almost yearn for psychosis, but feel in your very bones it isn't so. Yes, it's impossible. But if this isn't a dream, then it has to be real. <div class="choice-item">[[This is real. ->fiw3]]</div>

<<nobr>> <<set $codexArchetypes to true>> <</nobr>>"Are you alright?" The voice is soft, but doesn't falter. Doesn't hush and skitter, like a rat in a maze. Your attention snaps to her: a woman. Around your age. <<if $height is "veryshort" or $height is "short">>Taller.<</if>><<if $height is "average">> Similar height.<</if>><<if $height is "tall" or $height is "verytall">>Shorter.<</if>> Slender. Light hair that's long and loose and mussed, like she's been dragged around by it like a rope. A fellow captive. You're a <i>captive</i>. She has a black eye, with<<if $scar is "neck">> a scar on her neck, like you.<</if>><<if $scar is "face">> a scar on her face, like you.<</if>><<if $scar is "chestneckface">> scars on her face and neck, like you.<</if>><<if $scar is "chest" or $scar is "handsarms" or $scar is "legsback">> scars on her face and neck.<</if>> Such a simple question she asked. But how can anything ever be simple again? A feather unlatches from your blanket and drifts to the ground. You stare at it, swaying on your feet as you fight to stay upright. It was one thing to play along with the logic of this world when you thought you could still wake up. But there's an animal with two heads in your peripheral vision, digging idly at the ground like it has no idea the one who invented it is standing ten feet away. <i>Are you alright?</i> Anything but. You're standing in the world you created. But you're on autopilot. Unfocused despite the agonising clarity. <<nobr>> <h5>[Note: this choice decides your personality archetype for the first section of the game; check the codex (book icon) now for an overview of each.]</h5> <div class="special-choice-item">[[(Warm) “I'm...not sure right now. But thank you.”->fiw4][$act1pt1 to "warm"]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[(Playful) “Oh, right as rain. Just another day, isn't it?”->fiw4][$act1pt1 to "playful"]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[(Passionate) “Absolutely. Nothing I can't manage.”->fiw4][$act1pt1 to "passionate"]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[(Prickly) “Intelligent question. Do I look alright?”->fiw4][$act1pt1 to "prickly"]]</div> <div class="special-choice-item">[[(Stoic) “Yeah. I'm fine.”->fiw4][$act1pt1 to "stoic"]]</div><</nobr>>

<<nobr>> <<set $codexArchetypes to false>> <<if $act1pt1 is "warm">> “I'm...not sure right now," you say carefully, keeping your voice low. "But thank you.” <p></p> She smiles glumly at you. "I imagine this wasn't the plan you had in mind?" <p></p> You shake your head numbly. "Not at all." <</if>> <<if $act1pt1 is "playful">> “Oh, right as rain," you say lightly, despite the weight upon your chest. "Just another day, isn't it?” <p></p> She tilts her head <<if $height is "veryshort">>down <</if>><<if $height is "short">>down <</if>><<if $height is "tall">>up <</if>><<if $height is "verytall">>up <</if>>at you. "Comforting. All according to plan, then?" <p></p> "I wouldn't go <i>that</i> far," you admit. <</if>> <<if $act1pt1 is "passionate">> “Absolutely," you say, with as much certainty as you can muster. "Nothing I can't manage.” <p></p> Some of the tension in her shoulders seems to dissipate as she nods. "Same here. Not the plan, of course, but it hasn't all gone to ruin yet." <p></p> "Definitely <i>not</i> the plan," you emphasise. <</if>> <<if $act1pt1 is "prickly">> You fix her with such a look that she averts her gaze immediately. “Intelligent question. Do I <i>look</i> alright?” <p></p> "I'd just hoped for a smoother path, myself," she frowns, toeing the dry grass beneath her boots. <p></p> "People hardly <i>plan</i> for things to turn out this way," you state flatly. <</if>> <<if $act1pt1 is "stoic">> You give a firm bob of the head. “Yeah. I'm fine.” <p></p> She mirrors your nod, but eyes you dubiously. "Sure. Just a...minor setback, of course." <p></p> "Not exactly one I planned for," you mutter distantly. <</if>> What <i>had</i> your plan been? To work yourself up to wrangling the cables in the <i>Electronics</i> box? It doesn't seem so bad a birthday, now, all things considered. <p></p> "Everyone falters." She delivers that with such simplistic conviction that<<if $act1pt1 is "warm" or $act1pt1 is "playful" or $act1pt1 is "passionate">> it's oddly comforting.<</if>><<if $act1pt1 is "prickly">> it almost catches you off-guard.<</if>><<if $act1pt1 is "stoic">> your focus catches on it.<</if>> It tethers you a little more to the moment, at the very least. <p></p> Everything's still moving too fast for you to keep up, though. You stumble slightly from the tug of your chains as the woman whips around at the approach of—"Emilivar," she says steadily, lifting her chin. <p></p> "Eshraav," Emil grins, like they're old friends. He goes to ruffle her hair but she arcs away with a cold swiftness, despite the heavy chains. It doesn't seem to surprise him. <p></p> Behind him in the clearing, horses and their riders begin to crest the hill. <<if $response is "vigilant">>You only notice after the prisoners closest to you seem to shrink away; this lack of awareness is so very unlike you. <</if>>There's just a handful of them, <<if $badeyes is true>>from what you can make out as you squint, <</if>>maybe a third of the manpower here already. But that doesn't seem to matter to those around you. <p></p> A tension coils in the air, stirring up the agitation of your captors as gloved hands creak around the hilts of sheathed swords. <<if $fear is "bladesbloodpain">> You eye them warily, suddenly parched despite ingesting half a pond not too long ago.<</if>> Neither side advances, and neither side retreats. The breeze carries with it nothing but silence from across the clearing until, slowly, a distant rattling encroaches. <p></p> A large wagon stutters into view and comes to a precarious halt alongside its escort. You see the cage, its iron bars, and know exactly who it's for. <</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->fiw5]]</div>

<<nobr>> <p style="text-align:center;">❦ ❦ ❦</p> <i> <div style="text-align: right;"> <i>I'm bleeding around the lead ball embedded in my arm. A lucky shot from a man who'd never had a chance before the sky opened and shattered through the confinement of a life post-living.</i> <p></p> <i>Escape didn't matter, then. Not on so small a scale. Elevation. Transcendence—that was the shot <b>I</b> took.</i> <p></p> <i>I've seen my surroundings in flashes and cracks yet still, they bring me to my knees in awe. And at the centre of it all, metal shaped by the hands of gods, once wielded by the unworthy.</i> <p></p> <i>By <b>you</b>.</i> <p></p> <i>I crawl to the contraption and run a reverent hand along it. Dusty. Neglected. No longer.</i> <p></p> <i>It matters not that the words blinking at me are strange and round; I know they are the key. And I will learn its shape. I have time. Of that, there has always been an abundance.</i> <p></p> <i>All I need from you is to stay alive in the meantime. I left you in a bind, but I have faith. Not in you—that, I lost fifteen years ago, before I knew I had it. But I am here in this time and place for a reason, and fate will not lead me astray now you no longer have a hand in it.</i> <p></p> <i>I will know you, My Author. And when we come face to face, you will finally know me.</i> <p style="text-align:center;">❦ ❦ ❦</p> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[End of Demo->demo 1 end]]</div> <</nobr>>

<<set $chapter to "End of Demo.">> <div style="text-align: center;"> Thank you for playing the first demo of <i>Canon Divergence</i>! Remember to follow my tumblr @canondivergence-if if you want access to updates, Q&As, and lore tidbits, and please don't hesitate to send in any typos/bug reports! ❤︎</div>

<<nobr>> <<set $chapter to "Prologue.">> <<fadein 2s>> <<type 70ms>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>The first thing I feel in my new life is elation.</i></b> </div> <</type>> <</fadein>> <p></p> <p></p> <<timed 1s>> <<fadein 1s>> <<type 70ms>> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i>[[The second thing I feel in my new life is pain.->foow2]]</i></b> </div> <</type>> <</fadein>> <</timed>> <</nobr>>

<div style="text-align: center;"><h3>WARNING!</h3> </div> <b>This is an 18+ game</b> that will (likely) contain <i>death, violence, gore, sex, abuse (including physical abuse of children and animals, and references to sexual abuse of non-player characters), drugs, slavery, cults, bigotry, suicide/self-harm, and more</i>. A more comprehensive list will be added at a later date. <div style="text-align: center;"> <h3>Choice Icons:</h3> </div> ★ (Star) = Additional customisation options/decisions that will impact the narrative. ➔ (Right Arrow) = Advance/skip. ❤︎ (Solid Heart) = Non-oblivious romance options, including flirtatious/reserved options. ♡ (Hollow Heart) = Oblivious romance options. ☀ (Sun) = Close friend options. It will be made explicitly clear when it's time to lock into a specific romance AND friendship route, and you don't <i>need</i> to collect points with anyone before doing so. Before this point, you won't be locked out of a romance if you pick a friend choice, or vice versa. Feel free to experiment as you like! <div class="advance-choice-item">[[Who Are You?->intro]]</div>

<<nobr>>Only one man in the clearing seems unfazed by the new arrivals. Riz makes a beeline for him like she's seeking cover, while the others—captor and captive alike—stay alert and forward-facing, like a mere glance away might invite a terrible thing. <p></p> "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Riz rasps to Emil. "We can still do this on our own." <p></p> Emil shakes his head as he takes the thick chain linking you and the rest of the prisoners from a meaty-armed woman. Should you be plotting your escape right now? You can barely stand, barely think. Who is 'we'? You don't recognise any of these people. <p></p> These <i>characters</i>. <p></p> "I told you how it's gonna go," Emil says. "And I told you it's gonna be fine. What I need from you, now, is to do what I asked." <p></p> Riz frowns like she's going to protest, but Emil catches her chin with his fingers and holds her still. Whatever look passes between them makes her hesitate, and hesitation turns to acceptance after he plants a light, deliberate kiss on her lips. "Yeah?" he says when they part. <p></p> She brushes a hand over her shaved head. "Yeah. Fine. Just don't..." Her gaze lingers on him before she turns away. "Whatever." <p></p> He watches her go, and so do you. For some reason, you know in your gut you have the time it takes for her and the rest of the group to depart before the next act of this horror show begins. <p></p> And you savour it, because you think the next might very well be the last. <</nobr>> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->foow1]]</div>

<i>...but I think this is my last post, at least for a while. Had a longer session than usual with Pam this week after the funeral, and she really cracked down harder than I expected. Said that this blog used to work as a crutch, but now it's doing 'more harm than good'. Mum backed her up (obviously), but this time Dad agreed. Maybe I do too, idk. I know there used to be a point to it. It actually helped to distract me, or maybe process things. Or both. I mean don't get me wrong, I do love writing in this world, but the more of my own baggage I bring here, the more it feels like I'm forcing myself to relive it instead of actually having fun making stuff up. I get that some of these author's notes are literally just diary entries at this point. I'm like, worse than any fanfic writer I've ever come across and it's kind of embarrassing now that I've actually clocked onto it. If that was the only issue that's been making this place feel off, I'd just delete them. But it's more than that. Whatever crap I talk about from my personal life, it's like I HAVE to find a way to include it in the narrative nowadays, but I crank it up to 11 for the ~drama~ or whatever. And I can't delete <b>that</b>, because it's all over the story itself. So I'm stuck with it. And it's stressing me out, not being able to take a break from it all. It's just too much rn. So I'm taking a hiatus to sort through things. Don't know how long it'll take, but I need to give it a good go I think. Things are getting quite bad. Even the dreams have come back. I'm just glad they're not making me go back to school yet bc that might tip me over the edge. Hope I can come back to this world someday, <<playerName>></i> <<button "Log Out">> <<goto "intro title">> <</button>> <p></p>

<<nobr>> Your self-insert was a reflection of yourself—if, at times, a distorted one. <<nobr>>Right at the start, you settled on giving <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>> a name that was <<if $trans is false>> <<cycle "$nameMatch" autoselect>> <<option "exactly the same as yours." "same">> <<option "completely different to yours." "different">> <<option "like a fantasy version of yours." "similar">> <</cycle>><</if>> <<if $trans is true>> <<cycle "$nameMatch" autoselect>> <<option "exactly the same as your chosen one." "same">> <<option "completely different to your chosen one." "different">> <<option "like a fantasy version of your chosen one." "similar">> <</cycle>><</if>><</nobr>> And physically, you were identical—<<if $history3 is "attack">><<cycle "$SIScar" autoselect>><<option "including the scar from your youth." true>><<option "except you never gave <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>> your scar." false>><</cycle>><</if>><<if $history3 is "fire">><<cycle "$SIScar" autoselect>><<option "including the scars from your youth." true>><<option "except you never gave <<if $plural is false>><<lhimher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthem>><</if>> your scars." false>> <</cycle>> <</if>><</nobr>> Of course, the major difference was that <i><<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>></i> could do things you'd never be capable of. That no one on Earth <i>or</i> Lohre could ever be capable of. But it was more than that, even; <<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>> was<</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>> were<</if>> your ideal<<if $trans is false>>. <<if $plural is false>><<cheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<cthey>><</if>><</if>><<if $trans is true>>, like a trial run of your gender back when you were still figuring yourself out—<<if $plural is false>><<lheshe>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<lthey>><</if>><</if>> might have been a projection of yourself, but projections were bigger, grander. Better. There was a payoff to all <<if $plural is false>><<lhisher>><</if>><<if $plural is true>><<ltheir>><</if>> suffering, and that was all you wanted for yourself. A way to see yourself triumph, when the real world was unrelenting. And in the entry you're picking through now, you see your old self wasn't the only one who thought your protagonist was someone special. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->dragon]]</div>

Your parents told you to put your heads together to plan the new room, and your <<if $sisterBond is "positive">>mischievous<</if>><<if $sisterBond is "negative">> insufferable<</if>> little sister began objecting to every word that passed your lips. Instead of putting his foot down, your dad, ever the peacekeeper, decided to take the word 'compromise' to a whole new level. <i>We can always go over it once she's back in her own room,</i> he'd reasoned, unable to disguise his grimace at the final result. You never did, though; today, there's still that split in the wallpaper, completely 50/50. The design you wanted, and the design she wanted. Polar opposites—because she made sure of that. It looks ridiculous, and it would be jarring...except now the edges have been softened by an aching nostalgia. That wallpaper was a strict partition once upon a time. You set the rules as the eldest, but somehow it was always <<sisterName>> who enforced them; any time you or any of your belongings crossed over that line, it was a pound in the holiday jar. She was relentless with it, and soon you were funding the next family trip to Llandudno all by yourself. And then, one day, you realised you still had a pocketful of change before bed. And that invisible line down the centre of your room had been breached by a discarded order of service booklet, edges torn from your fidgeting on the silent drive home from the pub after the wake. And that's when everything really hit you. Your <<if $sisterBond is "positive">>mischievous<</if>><<if $sisterBond is "negative">> insufferable<</if>> little sister was gone. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->find box]]</div>

Of course, now that you're back, the memories are unavoidable. You're still clinging to the hope that it's the reason everything's been closing in on you. There are pieces of your old life strewn all around you right now, and leaving them to gather more dust would be a shortcut to the lifestyle of a hoarder. The bed is overflowing with bin bags, teeming with old clothes from embarrassing phases that you have no qualms about never seeing again. But now the drawers have been cleared, you can feel that dreaded box scrawled <i>Electronics</i> in your father's loopy handwriting glaring a hole into the side of your face. You're not quite prepared to deal with that slithering mess of cables, so you clear off some old sheets from a box in the corner instead. There's a ping of interest when you read what's inside: <i><<playerName>>'s Old Stories</i>. <div class="advance-choice-item">[[->ff1]]</div>

Unburying yourself from the pile of papers, you follow your <<if $verseCritique is "harsh">>morbid<</if>> curiosity to a new distraction. The computer room has a coolness to it when you enter, like it hasn't known a human's warmth for many years. From the dust particles swirling about the morning light that peeks through the blinds, you suspect there's a truth to that. It's a tiny room, converted once upon a time from the house's second bathroom, and pushed up beneath the small window is the cheap desk that spans the entire width of the back wall. Laminate peels from its edges, and sitting atop is what could only be described as a relic—it's a flat screen monitor, at least, but its age is unmistakable. You sit yourself in the creaky chair; its seat is worn and uncomfortable, with entire chunks missing like someone had a craving for old foam. Blowing some dust from the mouse, you boot up the computer sitting beside the monitor. And as it sputters to life, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the loading screen. You've looked better. More...rested. <<nobr>> <div class="special-choice-item">[[I brush some stray bits of paper from my hair.->hair1][$hair to true]]</div> <div class="advance-choice-item">[[I run a hand over my naturally bald head.->hair2][$hair to false]]</div> <</nobr>>