Paper Trails

Welcome to the Obsidian Coast, where the past lurks in the shadows of skyscrapers and mystery steeps the cities like rain.

∘₊✧───Description───✧₊∘

"Paper Trails" is a mystery visual novel set in a fictional, urban-fantasy world in the 90s, where you step into the shoes of a private investigator on a quest to reconnect with your childhood best friend... whom you believed to be deceased for the past decade. As you follow a trail of cryptic hints left by your undemised friend, you begin to uncover a greater conspiracy, including the thefts of precious artifacts and a string of strange disappearances, all seemingly tied to her. 

∘₊✧───Features───✧₊∘

Three full chapters and two short chapters to play through 📖

Around 30,000 words per play through and more than 50,000 words overall 🖊️

6 unique love interests across various archetypes and identities ❤️

Notes, galleries, and maps to keep track of lore as you play 🗺️

Meaningful choices to uncover the story the way you want 💭

∘₊✧───Link───✧₊∘

So, my writing process involves a lot of trimming content, kind of like pruning a bonsai tree, but I don't actually delete anything that I write; I keep it in a different document and hope that I can use it somewhere else. Also like a bonsai tree, once you cut off branches, you can't just stick them back on and hope they meld back into the whole (-﹏-) So with nowhere else to put these and slim to nothing chances that I'll actually use them, I'll just leave these trimmings with you. Consider this the equivalent of me handing you some cool rocks from my collection ( ˘ ³˘)♥

Like Suyin is being cute and is fumbling a baddie (she’s my lil rotten soldier your honor, she can do no wrong, she should be allowed to fumble and somehow score anyways) and instead of MC going to dinner THEY GO AND GET HAUNTED

Like, there’s fumbling because you’re too cute for this world, and then there’s fumbling BECAUSE YOURE AN IDIOT WHO CANT APPRECIATE GOD’S GIFT TO THIS EARTH????

I was screaming, I was like, we could be having a cute awkward date, we could be walking her home, we could be happy—BUT NO WE HAVE TO BE OBSESSED WITH SOMEONE WHO LEFT US HANGING, GET OUR ASS BEAT AND PUKE IN THE STREET LIKE A STRAY CAT, UGH T-T

(Suyin taking care of MC obviously made up for it, but I could still choke the life from MC)

(This is all true, but equally true is I’m actually really liking that mc is all wet and beat up and kind of pathetic while also being kind of bad ass. There’s something about someone knowing they’re being self destructive and also recognizing the only way past it is through it. Im just whining because if a woman as mysteriously powerful and put together as Suyin asked my messy ass out, I’d take the blessing and wouldn’t ask questions)

First, those descriptions are taking me out, because yeah. Now that you put it like that, MC really did decide to hang out in a haunted warehouse instead of get dinner with Suyin only to have her find them throwing up on the side of the road looking like they got into a brawl and lost. In her mind at that moment she must be like "??? What the fuck were you up to and why did you choose this over a date with me? Do you not like me that much?"

Asking mc out to dinner, but like not smoothly, but somehow the deliberate way she goes about it makes it ???

Poor mc over here like, I can’t tell if she’s interested in me as a mysterious entity or pitying me?

And she’s the definition of care, but like with a furrowed brow (who probably liked mc’s doodles but couldn’t get down with it being in the wrong place)

And she’s still so nice even though mc can have toxic drunk vigilante aura???

And she like seems uncomfortable, like she doesn’t want mc there, but she does, and she’s so worried she stares at them like if she looks away they’ll disappear

I can’t stop thinking about her cute ass little laugh!! God I’m such a sucker for a cute tiny woman who snorts when she laughs, like thats a weapon of mass cuteness, I can’t

Side note, I really like the changes to the Rowan content, and mc’s orphan content. It feels more… relatable. People without strong ties often feel like a strong breeze could kind of blow them out of existence, and mc has that kind of fragility to them this time around and it doesn’t undercut their toughness and I really and truly enjoyed it

This is all so beautifully worded and correct that I almost want to keep it in my inbox so I can look at it forever! But alas, I love it so much that I simply must highlight some of my favourite things about it:

The way you find yourself baffled that Suyin's weirdly deliberate handling of MC is somehow effective. Valid.

Referring to MC as a "drunk vigilante" because… yeah, pretty much.

The description of her laugh and how it makes you feel! Same!!

"People without strong ties often feel like a strong breeze could blow them out of existence" Stop, this is such a gorgeous way to describe MC and their underlying fears (T⌓T)

(I think Suyin’s evolution from rival, and the job from journalists to PI and Supervisor has really genuinely helped with giving Suyin more depth as a character and the relationship you can have. It allows a certain amount of vulnerability and sincerity to be organically introduced in a way that I feel like OG Suyin couldn’t as readily afforded whilst also staying in character.)

The art, the writing, the UI, the ambience, it's so beautiful and captivating!

The Immortal Kingdom was already so good and somehow you made it better. I am so intrigued by the story and so curious about Rowan.

I really enjoyed every character, but Suyin surprised me, I did not expect to be so charmed by her, she is so cute and caring (even though I get the feeling that she would deny it)

I can't wait to interact with everyone more and see where the story goes!!