Party of Four IF by Zo

Party of Four is an adult (18+) interactive fiction game with RPG, romance, and dungeon break themes written in ChoiceScript.

The known world of Vert is at peril from the appearance of portals: vortexes of mana that open into a land of dungeons separate from yours, filled with traps, mazes, and monsters. The populace is in constant fear of monsters that escape the portals and roam across the landscape. Your world relies on two things: the Heroes who band together to enter theses dungeons and close the portals, and the Gods who Mark them.

You're so right, anon!

A single line of dialogue for each species please! Context optional!

Aghhhgh this is so cute!!!

Rat Fancy; I think would talk about what smells good and what doesn't all the time. She'd sniff something or someone and say, "I like this! Sweet! Yummy!" or "I don't like it! Stinky!" Somehow, I feel like having a big rat say they don't like the way you smell is a grave insult...

I don't think Bat Fancy would talk much but if she liked someone enough I could imagine her demanding them to pet her or to carry her by letting her cling to their rucksacks haha. "Scritches time? Petting time, now!"

LMAO never apologize! That last Vana ask was great and I think it was just that it was written in such a greatly (maybe unintentionally!) comedic way where the lead up feels sweet then it hits you with the unexpected lmao. I had a really good laugh about it!

Ugh love strong women types and especially lady knights. I have always loved Eowyn the shieldmaiden from LotR and would model so many characters from RPGs after her haha (especially my Dragon's Dogma pawns. Watching her pin harpies to the ground??? Amazing).

Oooo yes yes!

Jem: I do still think he'd stay on the premed track! Alternatively: religious studies. Both suit him in that they're degrees that have an expected route to take while also serving the community. Plus no one would give him side-eye for picking a useless major.

Raena: Physical Therapy or I bet she'd get a Philosophy degree while coasting on a full ride athletic scholarship for women's football/soccer. Probably doesn't actually know what she wants to do after she graduates except try out for a national team or coach.

Vana: Would get into law, probably with the goal of becoming a Judge rather than any kind of lawyer. The title would make her parents mildly happy and it'd fit well with her strict personality. Would add an extra week of imprisonment for any guilty party that says, "on god" in her courtroom.

Linzel: Probably something like Civil Engineering. He likes order and planning and cities (just not really the people in them that much). Also the projected salary would be more than enough to convince him. That quiet kid who wears flannel every day and volunteers at the animal shelter.

Maymie: PolySci or marketing or both. She just wants to make a lot of money and she wants to stick it to the man while she does it and politics is a great way to do that. She would spend her days vaping with the rich kids and shaking down nerds for their meal tickets.

Aslo: I'm torn on this one because I can see him going into Early Education and hanging out with kiddos and scaring new parents on the first day of school. I can also see him doing something unexpected like Anthropology or Sociology because he's a people person but doesn't really care enough for how they work/think individually to get into Psychology. Would probably have a part-time job as a rock-climbing instructor.

Following from a previous ask, I would like to apply for the position of CFO for Raena!

I have no idea what is required but I have been making a list of users who might make Raena cry and I will carry out drastic action!

Much love, keep up the amazing work!

You're hired! Such amazing qualifications!! The users are now desperately deleting their browser history in fear!!

Oooo a CMO!! Now recruiting for CFO and COO positions! 😌

But man, this is a tough question. As someone that majored in English Lit. (0/10 unless you have a huge boner for Shakespeare. he is my immortal enemy) and also Linguistics, all I know is how to read books and pretend to care about Noam Chomsky, so this is far out of my wheelhouse lol. I'm afraid my answer will expose how much of an idiot I am (if you already knew, no you didn't! 🫵)

I will still try and answer the best I can lol

Jem - Trauma Surgeon probably! Likely went on a very uninspired premed program because that's just what he's supposed to do, right?

Raena - big agree that she'd do something in Peds. I could see her in Orthopedics. Likely went for an undergrad in physical therapy.

Vana - Definitely either neurosurgeon or cardiologist. Both are Very Important and would be enough of a prestigious title to make her parents mildly happy. Likely did a biochem undergrad because people think it sounds hard.

Linzel - Can he be a veterinarian? Lol I struggle to see him care about humans enough to want to spend so much time healing them. 😂 Also does an undergrad in biology with a focus on animals.

Maymie - I could absolutely see her as an enterprising celebrity plastic surgeon lol. Probably did an undergrad in communications or marketing.

Aslo - would make the best Nurse, hands down. Great at lifting things and bedside manner??? Can survive for days on caffeine and alcohol alone??? Would make a point of wearing a pink stethoscope.

Next ask this time focusing on the past instead of the future: Maybe it's been answered already but how long has Raena had a crush on MC and what's the main thing that drew them to her?

Maymie will make the best Auntie. Buying all the toys and threatening, I mean, negotiating with anyone that makes her little's life hard haha.

Ooo fun question, too!! So it would probably be somewhere in their early preteens that Raena's feelings for MC would evolve from friendship into a crush, though she wouldn't really understand her own feelings until a couple years later, and even then she doesn't have the courage to act on them until she thinks it could be too late.

And if MC isn't interested in women at all, instead of a crush Raena develops a sense of responsibility for MC and a wish to be like siblings because that would put her on a level higher than all of MC's other friends. It's also why she nags MC about Thobias even if she's not romantically interested lol.

Ooohh yes to Raena and Vana at the same time!

Jem just doesn't know that you trying to take his name is just foreshadowing. 🙂‍↕️ Delaying the inevitable...

You 🤝Me: messy bisexual playthroughs. Like, you did this to yourself, MC Hot-Lips! Let me see how this will keep blowing up in your face down the road! Add kissing Aslo to the list and I feel like there's going to be a straight up fist fight (and probably an ultimatum and the end of at least one route/party partner possibility haha).

Are we going to be able to go back home by the end of the story??

MC will have contact with the people back home via letters through the game (including Thobias!), so there will be epilogue content about MC either going home to visit/live and what happens with the side characters there depending on how you responded to them!

Bonus: Similar to my sickening sweetness ask: Jem and other party member reactions if the preggo thing happens right after they reunited? (What can I say theyre an eager young couple in love, the whole dungeon thing didnt come to mind at their moment)

[...for the record I am sending a lot of the Raena asks but not ALL of them. I will still however humbly accept the title of CEO of MC x Raena]

Hey there CEO of Raena asks!! 💛

Imagining Raena ending up pregnant within weeks of reconciliation makes me giggle to myself. Ah youth! The things they do the second they realize they're no longer supervised... lmao.

It wouldn't actually happen in-game just for plot reasons, but the reality of it would be difficult. Raena would end up sidelined and someone else would have to take her spot, then after the birth she would have to decide to either join the party again and leave the baby with either family (in this case raised by Yoren) or a paid full-time nanny (expensive but possible on two hero salaries); or she could just raise the baby herself and meet MC between dungeons much like a Sweets romance route.

The world's sadly too dangerous to tote around a baby -- especially once they become toddlers and want to put everything in their mouths or be naked all the time. 😔 Even bringing a child who can swing a sword decently along would give both parents and any other party members serious pause, probably some feelings similar to child labor and endangerment lmfao, though I think if they were pre-teen or older taking them into green level dungeons would be seen as okay and maybe even a good idea for a future hero career lol.

Bonus reactions to quickly knocked up Raena:

Jem: flabbergasted. Because like, when did this happen? How --? Actually never mind, he doesn't want to think about how. He'll give her health checks whenever they meet, though, out of some weird sense of obligation to MC.

Vana: pitying. Yet another woman's potentially excellent career in heroism comes crashing to the ground. It's a shame, but these things do happen.

Linzel: laughs. It's not convenient in the slightest, but knowing how embarrassed both Raena and MC are at the idea of everyone knowing they couldn't keep their pants on for more than a day is enough teasing ammunition to last him the rest of their lives.

Maymie: uncannily sympathetic. When you like someone, you like them. And if you get knocked up, well, then you take responsibility. She offers to help raise the kid, both monetarily and as an auntie, but only if she can help pick the name lol.

Bestie, the way my face must have looked when I read this as I slowly devolved into shock and confusion because my dumb ass was like 'aw this is so wholesome' at the start lmfao.