Loving Starless Skies

The Prologue and Chapter 1 has been released!

Written by an Indigenous Filipino, Loving Starless Skies is a romantic fantasy Interactive Fiction inspired by precolonial Igorot settings.

Word Count: ~25,000

Socials: (Both are 18+) Discord, Tumblr Website

Game Guides: Tumblr FAQ, Tumblr MC Design Guide

Support the Game: Ko-Fi

Due to themes like violence and death, the game, this Tumblr, the Discord, and other related spaces I create for LSS are rated 18+ just to be safe. However, there is no explicit sexual content.

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The Story

Every person takes charge of their own destinies—except for the ones who seal it by peering into their possible demise. This earns the ire of many deities who are untouched by death and beholden to eternity.
All humans are destined to die, but all are afforded the ability to change the journey that leads to that destination. Yet you've done the unthinkable. Now you know you were destined for a most painful death and this knowledge sealed what was an otherwise alterable fate.

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The Sentinel

As one of the newly appointed Sentinels to the recently established sanctuaries, your main tasks are to clean the sanctums and be an intercessor between the Overseers and your people. Now that you have seen your fate before you can even uphold the title, you must find a way to survive.
You don't want to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, nor do you want to stand by and allow it to happen. The one who should help you is the one who got you in trouble in the first place—the Overseer of Chaos. But true to their nature, they are entertained by the havoc. If it were to be anyone else, then it must also be a deity.

You must find an Overseer and convince them to help you.

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The Young Deities

Abayéndayasen: The Overseer of Wrath, Quests, and Cacophonies

A companion from beginning to end, they jump from one adventure to another, gladly helping mortals accomplish their goals while desperately trying to achieve their own. After a trail of fools' errands, they still continue looking, seeking, chasing. Enduringly optimistic, they are yet to understand why it is they were given the domain of wrath.

Asitikaíso: The Overseer of Life and the Lost

The gentlest of hearts with the deepest of wounds, they try their damnedest to ensure life is worth living for every being. Every failure is a grasping for a new beginning even though they understand that success only means more for Death to harvest. Still, they turn away and persist, convincing themselves that they are doing the right thing.

Yegyegénsaád: The Overseer of Plants and Calamity

Trapped in a job no one else wants to account for, they trudge along their responsibilities, and yet despite their grumbling, they leave no stone unturned. Persisting through with the help of others, they are grateful for every small assistance. Naturally wearing their heart on their sleeve, the moments they struggle to maintain composure are the moments their other power threatens to destroy everything they worked hard for.

Amináybālin: The Overseer of Sacrifices, Food, and Entertainment

Living most of their existence in the mortal realm, they know all about the spectacles of human life, and they absolutely revel in it. Valuing the weight of promises, they even requested to be stripped of their titles should they fail to keep theirs. Exacting and intense, they expect the same dedication from others and thus, not one forsaking oath breaker was able to escape their clutches, not even a deity.

Sēēdnanìdaw: The Overseer of Ambition, Reflections, and the Undesired

Perhaps the Overseer least interested in their own domains, they have no big aspirations, no deeper reflections, and no willingness to invite the already unwanted. Like a leaf floating on water, they move without purpose, starkly different from the previous, overambitious deity who came before. After witnessing what ambitions do to mortals and immortals alike, one could even say they fear to know what it's like to yearn.

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The Legend

No one can escape their sealed fate, and all attempts simply lead to disaster. All it takes is a look at the void of the night sky, made tolerable only by the moonlight. To bring light past the sunset, starcasters illuminate the skies with burning magic. 300 years have passed since the practice of starcasting began, enough time for many to believe natural, distant stars never existed.
You hold on to the stories of your great-grandmother about the one who foresaw their death yet lived. Unlike the usually grim tales, hers end differently.

To go against the divine and forge your own destiny, how will you survive both?

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Character Customization

Established: The sentinel is 25 years old, and is a nonambiguous person of color.

Customizable: The player can determine the sentinel's name, gender, sexuality, pronouns, communication style, weapon, gift, and deity/deities worshipped. 
Below are other things about the Sentinel that's determined by the player. 
- Appearance: Eye color, hair type, hair color, hairstyle, facial hair, complexion, height, body build, scars, tattoos, clothing, and adornments. You may use enchanted potions to temporarily change your appearance, even add extra limbs and maybe get wings.
- Character Traits: Empathetic/Apathetic, Considerate/Ruthless, Withdrawn/Sociable, Flirtatious/Reserved, Perceptive/Intuitive
- Skills: Magical ability, combat ability, and Diwa mastery
- Faith: Faith in humanity and faith in deities
- Reputation: Respect from humans and favor from the deities

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Notes

Status: This is a work in progress released by chapter and is subject to change until the final version. The game is free and will remain free after it is finished.

Age Restriction: 18+ for themes like violence but there is no explicit sexual content.

CWs Include but are Not Limited to: Violence, sexually suggestive content, different types of abuse like physical abuse and psychological abuse, gore, and death. Specific content warnings can be viewed at the beginning of each chapter.

Fates Determined: Survival is determined not by the raised level of your skills, but by other choices you make. Of course, different capabilities at different levels will still affect the storytelling, but death will not come from a failed skill check.

Single Sentinel: You can see through the end without romancing anyone. You can even be in a romantic relationship and later break up, but the love interests will remain to have significant roles.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, entities, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Credits

Writer, Character Artist, Logo Maker, and Map Maker: Paragrasya

Developer: Puddinheadart

Alpha Build Playtester: Perry

Assets: Credited in-game

"This is my first game and my first attempt at writing an interactive fiction. Constructive comments are much appreciated. Thank you for reading!"
— Paragrasya