Greetings and welcome to my Dev Blog, I figured a quick introduction is in order.
I am Hik (they/them), and I am working on a interactive fiction project! This is technically not my first go at it, but this project is a bit more serious. I’m more of an artist than a writer, not that writing isn’t an art but my brain works in pictures. So this is my debatably first big writing heavy project, but I really love this medium and I’m running on 80% self indulgence here. Plus, you can’t improve if you never try after all. Succeed of fail it will never go to waste!
I do ask for patience, I’m a university student and still learning as I go here.
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The demo covers the prologue which introduces you to the world. You will meet one of your companions and... get into trouble. You will also create your character and choose their background that will be explored in the next chapter.
Not working on one IF cause I cannot step into the headspace of the mc to write them, and am genuinely considering axing 90% of the other major characters. But I have a relatively good idea of how the plot will pan out for once.
Not working on the order cause even though the mc and most of the other characters are easy as pie to make sense of, I've got no idea what to do with my disparate plot chunks since dropping any of these major points wildly changes things.
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PLAY THE GAME | ABOUT THE AUTHOR | CHARACTER INTROS | PINTEREST | PROGRESS UPDATES
Current Progress: Demo is officially live! Prologue and Chapter 1 released (25k words including code). Currently working on Chapter 2.
10 years ago, you lost it all.
A single night reduced your life to ash, with only a symbol — a spiral in an open palm — scrawled into the dirt. Your only lead on the ones responsible. You followed every whisper, chased every trail — and they led you to the coral-stone halls of Husuni Palace. Deeper still, they led you to the man behind your downfall — the Grand Vizier.
Now, you're inside. His apprentice. You take minutes in council meetings. You liaise with other council members. You shadow him during the day and debrief with him at night. And all the while, you dig and dig for answers you've spent the last decade chasing.
Nyotani: Walk Along the Stars is a political fantasy IF inspired by the Swahili City-States period and the rich cultures that flourished beside them. Step into the shoes of the Grand Vizier's apprentice — close enough to enjoy a taste of power, but not yet free to seize it for yourself.
Uncover the mystery behind your downfall.
Topple the Grand Vizier — or become his most loyal ally.
Find love with any of 6 romanceable characters.
Align with factions across Nyotani — and watch them support you when the time comes.
Shape the future of the Nyotani Federation — or engineer its destruction.
Get the revenge you believe you deserve — or choose to let it all go.
The stars are always watching. What will they remember of you?
Nyotani: Walk Along the Stars is rated 18+ for descriptions of violence, torture, sexually suggestive content, and psychological and physical body horror.
Features:
Choose from six distinct backgrounds - all with one common thread of loss. Become a downtrodden soldier, a heretical believer, a nameless dockrunner and more.
Define yourself — with 8 different personality traits. Once locked in, these will influence how your apprentice responds to the world — and how the world responds to you.
Define your look — skin tone, hair colour, texture, style, length — as well as height and build.
Play as a man, woman, or non-binary.
Choose your faction — align with any of ten factions across the cities in the Federation, and watch them rise or fall alongside you.
Develop relationships — both romantic and platonic — with a variety of characters.
About the Apprentice:
You were 23 when your life crashed down all around you. You're 33 now —older, wiser — and ready to face your demons.
Romance Options:
The Grand Vizier - Malik Kazim
he/him, early 50s
Suave, mature, with an undercurrent of danger. As the man responsible for your downfall a decade prior, Malik is no easy mark. You work under him, and have made an art out of hiding your hatred. He has a knack for making others want to impress him — an emotion that has not escaped even you. You hate him for it. Appreciate his work ethic. But in the nights where you debrief the day in his office — each of you sharing a cup of steaming tea - you share looks that beckon something more brewing between you.
The Vizier of Trade - Zahra Al-Fazari
she/her, early 30s
Charming, collected, and lovingly shrewd — Zahra is always searching for the best way to turn a situation to her advantage. She's staunchly independent, and her ability to sway anyone to her side — even as she takes more than her share — is offputting at first. In the quiet moments when you work on trade edicts together, when you prove that you are someone she can rely on - she softens. Zahra has lived a life that has only ever rewarded her for being solitary - but perhaps you can teach her that inviting others in isn't so bad.
The Vizier of War - Alimah Akinyi
she/her, mid 40s
Reserved, quiet, and observant — Alimah is the Federation's shield, forged in blood and fire. Behind her honour-bound exterior is a woman who's given up everything in the name of duty — so much so that she doesn't know where duty ends and her life begins. In secret, she mourns — for the soldiers who fell under her command. For the lives she couldn't save. For the life she couldn't live. With you, she allows you to see the grief she won't name. She never lets her guard down… but when she does, you feel it like the long-awaited break of dawn.
The Vizier of the Treasury - Zahir Thamani
he/him, late 30s
Measured, meticulous and composed — Zahir says little, but does a lot. He's nose-deep in his books, and a strong follow-the-money type. Behind his calculating eyes is a man who sacrificed family for principle, and constantly wrestles with himself whether it was worth it. He wears no jewelry, no adornments, and speaks little of his past, if at all. However, what he does notice is you. Remembers how you like your tea. Notices when you're overworked. Provides a listening ear when everything becomes too much. What starts as simple curiosity develops into something deeper - something that makes him question the worth of a life lived entirely alone.
The Vizier of the Seas - Jasiri Mbwana
he/him, early 30s
Light-hearted, charming, and restless — Jasiri is a wildcard whose only loyalty is to the seas that raised him. Born between a noble house and the ocean, he's made a life of slipping between expectations others have held. He moves through life with an open smile and a mischevious wink — but neither of those things can calm the rolling turmoil that exists within. He flirts to disarm, jokes to deflect. But you can catch the shadows in his laughter. The silence in the space between his words. His joy hides the ghosts he runs from. He fears the surrender that comes with letting someone in. With letting you in.
The Vizier of Faith - Nura Saqqafu
she/her, late 30s
Nura Saqqafu moves with grace. Kind and gentle with a strength that supports her actions, she speaks with the voice of the gods and listens with their very same patience. As the first woman to hold her post, she balances the expectations of her people with the nay-sayers of her opponents. Her silver eyes shimmer with quiet rebellion, and her calm hides a rage she is too afraid to name. She prays for the salvation of others, but denies herself that same privilege. She believes love is a sanctuary… and fears she no longer deserves one. It's up to you to convince her she does.
The fate of the Federation is yours to control - how will you mould it?
genres: high/dark fantasy + adventure + romance
type: standalone, but connected
basic info: stats-light, RP-heavy; free to play; twine game
You are The Author, thrust into a historically eclectic gunpowder fantasy by your vengeful self-insert. Navigate the world you created as a teen, warped by mature themes since gaining autonomy. (18+)
Play as a 30 year old MC with a customisable personality, appearance, gender, and orientation. Includes custom pronouns and demi/asexual options.
Romance one of four love interests and develop close friendships. Lock in and choose whichever dialogues best suit your RP—arguments don't always have to lead to severed ties!
Select and customise your loyal two-headed mount, a fork-necked gryphon, with whom you will share a magical bond.
Tackle long-standing phobias, or let them slowly consume you.
Influence the world's lore as you recollect the stories you wrote and shape your personal history. Determines enemy types, past events, story encounters, and more.
inspo: the three musketeers (and various depictions), gentleman bastards, the witcher 3, dragon age, the borgias, dnd, etc.
The kingdom has outgrown you in the fifteen years since you left. It’s no longer the place where heroes triumph against impossible odds—those victories depended on you. Now, it’s a fractured place. Steeped in cynicism; hardened by fear. The beauty remains, but it’s a thin veil over scars that run deep.
Reality has crept in.
The self-insert you abandoned is a has-been hero; when you disappeared, so did their knack for saving the day. Plagued by the traumas you inflicted on them in their shining days as Protagonist-slash-Punching Bag, they went off in search of rhyme and reason.
And it led them to you.
Just traces of you—echoes—but enough to understand: you were the cause of it all. You used them as an outlet for your teenage angst, and when you grew out of your phase, you left them at the mercy of the world you'd created.
But you poured too much of yourself into them. Made them too real. And inch by inch, they followed the threads you left behind. Learning you. Becoming you. So when you finally reopened the website on your 30th birthday, all they had to do was reach out and…
It was just a link on a blog. Now you are them and they are you.
As you set out in search of a way back, your path is haunted by twisted manifestations of old wounds. You thought those memories could never hurt you again.
But now, they have teeth.
Once the leader of The Verdant Company, a band of mercenaries adept at escorting people through monster country, Emilivar now acts as right-hand man of the High Priest of The Coinface—a cult intent on eradicating magic from the world.
❧ Full Name: Emilivar of Raavad
❧ Age: 38
❧ Basic Appearance: 6ft4, strong and broad with a rectangular body shape. Black wavy hair past his shoulders. A medium-length neat beard. Dark brown eyes. Medium brown skin. [ART]
❧ Distinguishing Features: Signature neck scarf; brand at the top of his spine.
❧ Initial Role: He’s been hunting someone with your face for a long time; now that you’re in chains, his mentor might finally forgive him.
The land Eadyth knows so intimately is a death trap to all but her people; only they know the way of magic and can fend off the monsters that roam the Valley of Drayth. But, as Eadyth soon learns, the Witchfinders are more relentless than the monsters ever were.
❧ Full Name: Eadyth of Drayth
❧ Age: 29
❧ Basic Appearance: 5ft7, slim and acrobatic with an hourglass body shape. Strawberry blonde/light ginger wavy hair to her hips. Light grey eyes. Light skin. [ART]
❧ Distinguishing Features: Scars on her upper lip and jaw/neck, flasks of mysterious liquids on her belt.
❧ Initial Role: As a fellow prisoner, she's the only ally you've got—but there's something about you she can't quite put her finger on.
The second son of a backwater baron, Granger clawed his way out of obscurity with relentless ambition. Now stationed in the capital, Quintaris, as one of the Sovereign’s elite musketeers, his orders are very simple: defy the odds again to save the world.
❧ Full Name: Granger Peyke
❧ Age: 32
❧ Basic Appearance: 5ft10, toned and lean with an inverted triangle body shape. Golden blond curly hair past his shoulders. A short Van Dyke beard. One green eye, one blue. Fair skin. [ART]
❧ Distinguishing Features: Armour of a Royal Musketeer, burn scars along his left arm and back.
❧ Initial Role: You were technically already in custody when he swooped in—naturally, he'll leave that one out of the reports.
Raised a sceptic by the religious leader of Lohre, Talitha always knew the truths behind the curtain. But as she worked to keep her family on top, she uncovered secrets stretching far beyond the scope of a single wealthy house.
❧ Full Name: Talitha of House Qirenis
❧ Age: 33
❧ Basic Appearance: 5ft1, soft and curvy with a pear body shape. Dark brown coily hair to mid-back. Amber eyes. Tawny brown (Black) skin. [ART]
❧ Distinguishing Features: Crescent-shaped birthmark on her shoulder, signature perfume.
❧ Initial Role: You're the only plan she's got, and there's no room for mistakes; this time, she's going to oversee the mission personally.
Canon Divergence is the origin story for the rest of the planned (and unplanned) games in The Severed Verse Series. What happens in this game will become legend in the future instalments.
This game is my 'what if I had a silly concept but took it seriously?' project. I'm working consistently for hours a day on it, and it's absolutely a labour of love.
I'll of course take constructive criticism as I go along, but I will not be taking suggestions for how the story or characters are written unless I explicitly ask. Thank you for understanding, and I hope you stick around!
Remember to check my pinned for the most up-to-date version of this post!
affirmations for writers: i know how to write. i have seen sentences before, and i know how to make one. i can identify up to several words and their meanings. i am not afraid of semicolons.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
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you don't need to make customizable MCs. you don't need to include sexual content. you don't need to make everyone dateable. you actually don't need to make anyone dateable. you don't need to write 150k words. you don't need to give the player a choice to make every paragraph. you don't need to do anything because everyone else is doing that. you don't need to do anything that's not comfortable for you.
writing would be so easy if it didn’t require thinking, typing, reading, sitting, focusing, planning, decision-making, maintaining a linear train of thought, or remembering what the main character’s name is
editing is so funny because it's like "damn, i wrote 'before' two times within three paragraphs. they are going to stone me in the town square for this"
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
