Speechless: The Musical IF

Demo/itch.io page - TBA | Working on prologue now!

Synopsis:

Dreams are easy, making them real feels impossible.

For as long as you can remember, music was just about the only thing that truly spoke to you. Melodies had a way of reaching deep down inside you and pulling a sense of love and safety from you that nothing else could. Which is exactly why musical theatre seemed to call to you so fervently, a live performance with an entourage of like-minded people as the stage oozed a manic sense of love for the craft? What other form of music could fulfill you? None, simple as. 

You started chasing your dreams from an early age; joined theatre, a choir, studied music in your free-time, went to local plays, auditioned for local plays, anything that would get you closer to your dream really. But now, in your mid-twenties, you’ve little accolades to show for it. Background roles, followed by one or two supporting roles, that’s the most you have to your name. You have an amazing voice, your rhythm hardly falls out of sync, you work hard to study your lines and direction… and you’re still never the first pick. 

But that all changes when you're approached by a woman after an audition. Moxine Solstice, a driven woman who believes you have a draw to you that will turn her original musical from just another great play to a masterpiece. The pay is lower than you’d expect for a leading role and every song you have to sing has a plethora of demanding moments in every song, challenging notes and abrupt shifts in octaves clearly meant to show off range, but if she’s right… this show might just be your breakout role.

It’s time to make your dream a reality.

Features:

Decide your charcter's gender (Male, Female and Non-binary)

Customize your character's appearance (skin color, hair color and length, eye color, height)

Choose from three different singing voices (Soprano, Countertenor, and Baritone)

Establish your character's personality through two traits that will affect how they navigate the world around them and treat others (Outlook and Social)

RO’s:

Producer/Director/Writer/Lead Role/CEO; Moxine ‘Moxie’ Solstice, she/her (18)

To call Moxie ambitious would be a severe understatement. At 15, she was producing music and found a modicum amount of success online. At 16, she was the leading voice in her church choir and made her own band to play at parties, she also continued being a solo artist online, simply adding her voice to her music. Now 18, she has piled as much responsibility onto herself as one could take. She has founded her own production company for musicals: Solstice LLC. And now she’s a one-woman army to debut her newly written play; Speechless: The Musical. Will she go into generational debt if her show bombs? Yes! And a massive deciding factor of whether or not her dreams come true is her newly scouted talent she picked up on a whim… you. No pressure!

Assistant Director; Shyanne Williams, she/her (26)

A jaded, no-nonsense woman who only entertains Moxie’s big-time dreams because she’s being paid far more than is normal for her job title. Did she manipulate the naive Moxie to squeeze more money from her? Maybe. But that’s just business. If the aspiring broadway star makes it further than the play, she’ll learn that lesson in no time. But perhaps Moxie isn’t the only one who has room to grow. Will you be the one to thaw her icy exterior?

Supporting Role; Lou Leonard, he/him (22)

In a few ways, he reminds you a bit of yourself. From a young age he knew singing was all he’d ever want to do and pursued that dream with a dogged determination. And while he has landed a few roles that made an impression, he has yet to land a leading role. Now, if you were to ask him, he would likely tell a joke and say he’s simply happy to pay the bills and meet like-minded people. But in moments where he believes nobody watches… his smile drops and the jokes stop coming. Can you be the one to show him his value?

Dance Choreographer/Aspiring Singer; Ashley Havard, he/him (20)

One thing that is obvious soon after meeting him is his pride. Everything that he can flaunt about himself is self-taught; dancing, cooking, baking, drawing, hell, he even taught himself to swim by jumping into the deep end without floaters when he was six! The one hobby he’s not very open about is singing… It might just be the one thing he loves more than dancing, but when your work has you surrounded by people who were professionally taught and have years of experience? Yeah, best if he just doesn’t humiliate himself. Maybe you’ll be the one to help him find his voice?

Speechless: The Musical is a character driven, drama/romance interactive fiction. Each RO is a unique route that will involve heavy and personal themes. Furthermore, the game will contain optional sexual content in the later part of the story.

CW: Depression, suicidal ideation, internalized homophobia, family related trauma including physical & emotional abuse.

It has been about 24 hours since I asked for clarification regarding what on my blog might be offensive and invited anyone to speak with me should they feel the need. I'm very happy and relieved to report I have gotten nothing but kind words and reassurance from you guys! But it does make me a little sad to know I can't learn what someone finds so terrible about me. But! Just because you can't understand someone's feelings that doesn't mean they aren't real. So I'd like to say something addressed to the anon before dropping this matter.

I do sincerely apologize to have offended you, especially since you mentioned feeling uncomfortable as a woman specifically. I'm a cis man so I'm aware that maybe I could have said something ignorant and unintenionally rude and not realize it. A micro aggression, if you will. People make mistakes and I can only hope to learn from mine and not repeat them.

With all of that being said, I would recommend you stop following my blog and even block me if you feel the need. Not to say you somehow offended me by calling me out nor am I saying you don't have a place in this tiny safe space my blog has become. But I am saying that I value your happiness and mental well-being above reading my IF when I finally start releasing chapters. If my existance and blog make you feel unwelcome than I can't promise that I can avoid offending you again since I can't find a problem. But I know for a fact that there are dozens upon dozens of author blogs for you to follow.

Best of wishes to you, anon!

Could someone clarify what I say wrong on my blog to give off this vibe? It's never my intention to make people feel unwelcome and I'm not ashamed of needing to grow as a person. Dm me or send an anonymous ask if that would be more comfortable. I have thick skin so don't sugar coat it if you have anything to air out against me.

Maybe when I get more experience with twine under my belt I'll consider adding it in, cause I do like the idea. But I'm still in the midst of the prologue, so anything could change.

Moxie is about 5'7, though she does try to tell everyone she's 5'8. That and she stands on her tippy toes around tall people. Subtly, of course.

Shyanne is a tall girl, 6'0 to be exact, she's a bit insecure about it. She tries to slouch as much as she can without looking like a slob or unprofessional. While also avoiding heels like a plague.

Lou is also in the tall club, 6'2, and he is very much not insecure about it. He likes that his height helps him stand out when he performs.

Ashley is actually the shortest of them, at 5'6, he takes it in stride, even if said strides aren't very long.

Also, since I'm already talking about it, height for the MC is roughly as follows:

Tall: 6'1+

Average: 5'5-6'0

Short: 5'4 or shorter

Understandable lol. They kind of have an 'opposites attract' kind of vibe to em.

Author's Note: I don't know if you guys noticed this but the pinned post has reached 100 likes. So I wanted to celebrate that by finally getting out the second half of this character interaction. Enjoy!

Some people are so beautiful that it becomes infuriating. Or maybe that's a Shyanne exclusive opinion. Because the more she stares across the table at Moxie–she prefers Moxie over Moxine, apparently–the more annoyed she becomes.

High cheekbones, plump lips, a strong jawline that seemed chiseled by an artist, a curved and narrow nose, captivating eyes. Once, she had spoken to a friend who worked as a photographer, he'd told her the best models are ones with unique faces. It was one thing to be conventionally attractive but it was another to have a face that truly stuck out in the best way possible. Moxine most definitely fits the bill.

It was enough to make Shyanne all too aware of herself. She was attractive enough, right? She was sharply dressed too. Her vibrant, curly hair framed her face wonderfully too. Even if she were a bit on the heavier side, she had no reason to feel insecure about–

“What's wrong?”

“Huh?” She eloquently blurts out as she looks down at whatever is warming her hand. Moxie’s hand. Warm and soft. Her thumb rubbed tiny circles on top of hers. Wow that felt nice. How long had it been since–

“You were looking at me so mean!” She says with a laugh. “I was getting ready to bribe you with a few doughnuts,” She pats her hand once before pulling away. 

A shame.

“Right. Well, I was just thinking,” She muttered the first words she could think of as she focused her eyes on her tablet. Why was it out again? “I was simply reviewing everything we discussed.”

“It's all good, right? I think we covered everything.”

True. Very true. Her ambitions were rather grand, including a large venue and a sizable ensemble cast, all taking place in the biggest venue New York had to offer. Thankfully, she had back-up options prepared. But Moxie still maintained a proper budget with the broad strokes already drawn out of what she wanted for the crew. Right, that’s why the tablet was in her hands. A draft with all the finer details for her to review later, budget, auditions, rehearsals, marketing, et cetera, et cetera. A silent part of her was happy to share the responsibility of organizing these things with someone else again.

Anyways, what was she supposed to say to excuse her cold expression? Then again, Moxie would get used to her behavior in due time. It always happened sooner or later, her co-workers would stop inviting her out, stop talking to her outside of work, and then they'd be gone for good. She hardly even knew how to do anything besides her job. Maybe she could say something to keep the conversation going? Not that she wanted to. In the midst of her thoughts, Shyanne feels a glazed donut rub against her lips and she lurches back.

“In all fairness,” Moxie says with one hand held up in surrender and the other still extending the doughnut. “I told you I would bribe you.”

Her tongue instinctively darts out and collects the glaze smeared on her lips before she speaks, “Please don’t do that again, Moxine.” To her credit, the girl does seem to be apologetic as she all but deflates on the spot. “I believe that is all, Ms. Solstice. I trust I’ll see you at the reading then?”

“Oh, uh, yeah?” Moxie begins to scramble up from her seat as Shyanne covers for half the bill and has already risen from her own. “I mean, business is done, that’s cool, but we could still enjoy the coffee and snacks, you know.

The pout on her face was strong enough to give her pause, but that didn’t mean it worked. It would take more than a pretty face to make her fold after all. What would she even do while they wasted time in the cafe? Now that the two of them were starting the process of a whole Broadway musical they had their own things to do. Shyanne specifically. Moxie had done her part, making the script, lyrics, score, dance numbers. The least Shyanne could do was give this all a pass and some revisions to ensure it all played out as Moxie wanted it to. Then she could gather some people for the aforementioned reading, Moxie already had someone for the choreography, so that was covered, after that-

“Hellooo.”

Shyanne manages to refrain from jumping, which she allows herself a mental pat on the back for, then she turns toward Moxie. She’d already begun walking from the table and was at the entrance of the cafe, but now her new director was stopping her from leaving. Her displeasure must be rather obvious, based on the way she steps back and averts her gaze.

“Sorry. It’s just… did you hear what I said?” Shyanne tilts her head at the question with a blank look on her face. “Do you wanna go to the park? I know this really cool spot. We could just enjoy some doughnuts there without being bothered. And if you want, we can even go over some of the script together! Like an early reading, just us!” Moxie seems to garner more energy with every word she speaks.

Well, she did plan on going over the script anyway, might as well do it with both director and assistant director. She chose to ignore the way her chest fluttered at the idea of spending time with another. Wow. She was far too pathetic to think about it too hard. “I… suppose that would be wise. Perhap-”

“Yay!” Moxie’s hands are around her bicep before she can even process that they’ve exited the cafe and she’s already hailing a cab for the pair. “Now that we’re hanging out, you can’t keep dodging my questions by the way. What got you into theatre anyway? What’s your favorite musical anyway? Oh, by the way-”

She continues prattling on even after Shyanne could swear the air leaves her lungs. Going from musicals, to a vast array of genres of music, eventually she learns that Shyanne likes metal and makes it her mission to list every possible band she can. Normally, she’d get annoyed at someone who talked so much. But Moxie spoke with so much passion, such a pretty voice, she kept touching her arm and brushing her hand. Damn it, she couldn’t help herself but to listen and nod meekly like some middle schooler with a crush.

The dance choreographer of Moxie’s play and apparently her childhood friend. You’ll be working with him closely from now until the big show. There should be plenty of time to learn the long list of dance numbers that will be required of you. He seems to admire Moxie’s talent greatly and you wonder if it’s her specifically or singers in general. Either way, you suppose you’re going to learn in time with each rehearsal, considering how diligently they’ll both be working.

He’s to be your co-worker from here on out and you don’t think it’s possible to have any complaints on that matter, considering how outgoing he comes across. He’s landed a few notable supporting roles despite being early into his career and yet he seems eager for more. Should you hope to become closer with him, it should be as simple as making the time to talk to him.

She comes across as rather uncaring on a personal level but at least it’s clear as day how seriously she takes her job. She seems to have a deep understanding of the craft and is able to corral any group into a well-oiled machine despite her less than stellar people skills. As the assistant director, you’ll be sure to see her more often from now on. Maybe you can even learn how to overlook past her cold exterior and find a friend in her.

A lively woman to say the least. She founded her own production company just so she’d have full control over her own projects, starting with Speechless: The Musical. Moxie is what one might call a ‘prodigy’ even as a child she was decently famous as an indie artist, she then took that talent and experience and applied it to the rest of her passions. And surely enough, that’s how you know her, your boss, co-worker, and friend. Will your bond with her be enough to see her debut play find the success she hopes it will?