#cyoa

༻ A WHOLE NEW MAIN PLOT

The story of your afterlife journey has changed.

From the moment you sign your new contract, presented to you by none other than the Grim Reaper, the main arc of TBOTA changes from the ground up. 

Pick your limitless wish, learn about your new employer: the Council of Nine, and discover what truly lies beneath this contract: a binding to something… else.

And this time, you have far greater agency to act on your own behalf and for your staff. 

Should you choose to share what you've learned with them, of course.

If you've played before, you'll recognise the bones. But the story has grown around them into something ready to carry the full weight of what TBOTA is building toward.

༻ YOUR SPIRIT GIFT

The Spirit Gift system has been completely reworked. Not as a shortcut or as a glorified stat check, but as a new lens through which you experience the entire story. Each gift opens unique scenes, unique ways to act, gather information, or stumble into something just effing strange. Think of them less as abilities and more as a personality trait that the bar decided you really needed.

Ring of Chronos: stolen from Itot, the glass-spider god of time. Click your fingers, stop the world, and what you do with those stolen seconds is yours to decide: help your staff, or punch a nightlife critic in the face. 

Lens of Daezur: contraband from a mage who wanted to know too much. Point it at anything, and get your own secret encyclopedia. Learn how old the Raven is, who made the gates to Limbo, and what the bathroom fog is really made of. 

Mask of Shapeless Visage: previously worn by the actors-assassins of Teatru Mischak. Wear the face of everyone around you. But will you remember how to be yourself?

The Necklace of Murmurs: hear the thoughts of inanimate objects around you, and more so, their opinions. Your bedroom table, the jukebox downstairs, a letter from  Pyriphlegethon, or even your own cash register. 

Voidcutter: a sword forged to kill gods, carrying the memories of the civilization destroyed for making it. Fight like a spirit-warrior when the opportunity presents itself. And who knows… maybe one day, you’ll kill a god too. 

Navia's Earring: the mad prophet heard what the gods meant to keep hidden. Now you do too! Just remember: some things, once heard, are very hard to unknow.

༻ RANDOM PATRONS ENCOUNTERS

No two playthroughs of the game will be the same! Each run gives you two out of five possible patron encounters, one in Chapter 1, one in Chapter 4. 

In the future, these encounters will be chosen from a pool of 20 patrons. So, who walks through your door tonight?

Meet Zilas, God of Revelry, and he is very good at his job.

Meet Perpetiel, an Ophanim Angel, drinking a mimosa from a straw. Be not afraid.

Meet Laura, an astronaut who died during a research mission into a black hole, with one terrifying tale. 

Meet Xochitl, Trade Ambassador of Clan Roh'els of the Undead City of Necropolis. A vampiress in your humble abode, coming with an interesting offer for you.

Tomas, a mortal painter. Quiet, unassuming. That’s all.

༻ LOVE AFTER DEATH

Romance has been overhauled from scratch. Be flirtatious or be a complete disaster about it. Choose monogamy, polyamory, or an ace playthrough. Build something slow and tender, or burn bright and chaotic.

And if you want things a little spicier with a certain devilish friend of yours... well. The content is there. You'll find it, I’m sure. 

And random patrons are fair game, too! if you're the type to shoot your shot with someone who walked through your door an hour ago, and might be a vampire or an angel. 

No judgment here.

༻ WHO ARE YOU IN THIS AFTERLIFE?

Introducing a 30-trait personality system. Every choice you make, every option you pick, every response you give quietly builds a psychological profile of your MC. 

Not to gate content or to judge you! Just to reflect who you are becoming in your ethereal form, one decision at a time.

New grief path content is also woven throughout the game. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, each path surfaces in new places, in new ways.

You'll also find tons of new career options throughout the game. Some of them can even replace certain skill checks!

The Abyss is watching, and it finds you fascinating.

༻ CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION AND DEATH SCARS

Choose from a vastly expanded range of career backgrounds, add an honorific, and find a few other surprises waiting in the menu.

Your career also has a greater presence throughout the game now: more moments where who you were in life shapes who you're becoming in death.

And by popular demand, choose a death scar. After all, you died, and you probably have the marks to prove it.

During character customization, you can now choose your death scars, currently cosmic in nature. Full in-game integration is coming in future updates, but they're yours to wear now.

༻ EVERYTHING ELSE

Almost every scene in the existing game has been touched (gently, consensually): Prose, character voices, pacing, and choices. 

If something felt off before, there's a good chance it doesn't anymore! (HOPING) And also, made an absolute thorough bugs & typos sweep. Some of them were present from day one! But I FINALLY SQUISHED THEM!

That's it, for now. I think! Might be others I forgot about, lol. After all, it’s been two and a half years of work just for this update. More love and labour than I can ever put into a release post, but alas.

Thank you for waiting. Thank you for asking after this game during the long silences. 

Thank you for still being here.

Alekos (M)

The monstrous emperor whom you have been charged with assassinating. Alekos is cruel beyond words, fickle, and eccentric -- a dangerous combination. Will he lose his life to you, or will you lose your heart to him? And what will he do if he discovers your plot?

Alekos is tall and slender. He has pale skin, curly black hair, and pale, nearly colorless gray eyes. His features are deceptively delicate and feminine.

Andromeda (F)

Alekos' mother. She is sly, cunning, and charming in spades. Don't let that fool you, though -- she's her son's spymaster and helps to run his secret police. She is a large part of the reason why he's still on the throne, and she will do absolutely anything to keep him there.

Andromeda is short and slender with pale skin, curly black hair with some gray beginning to streak through it, and pale, almost colorless gray eyes. Her features are delicate. Alekos derives nearly all of his looks from her.

Marios (M)

Alekos' cousin and the heir to the throne. Marios is stern and no-nonsense, having been run ragged trying to preserve the empire in the face of Alekos' antics. Should you be successful in your quest to kill Alekos, he will ascend to the throne.

Marios is tall and muscular. He has sun-kissed skin, wavy golden hair, and eyes the color of the azure sky. His features are strong and bold.

Theophano (F)

A woman in Alekos' harem. Theophano is cunning, proud, and determined to rise in the ranks of the imperial court no matter what. Amidst the constant backstabbing of the emperor's harem, she reigns supreme.

Theophano stands at an average height and is slender. She has light brown skin, tightly curled black hair she keeps in braids, and hazel eyes. Her features are fragile.

Eleni (F)

The handmaiden who has been assigned to you as a member of Alekos' harem. Eleni is sweet, gentle, and kind-hearted. Many would take this for weakness, but there is a strength in her. Anyone who underestimates her would be a fool.

Eleni is short with soft, ample curves. She has pale, freckled skin, fiery red hair, and light brown eyes. Her features are soft and heart-shaped.

Customize your MC's appearance and personality to truly define who she is

Navigate harem politics and court politics more broadly

Choose between five unique romance options

Become a mother! Or don't

Hold the fate of an empire in your hands

Note: This is a secondary project to my main game, @brighteststars-if. While I of course plan on devoting time and attention to this IF, it is not my first priority as a result. This intro post is also a reupload after some drama the first go around. Fingers crossed this time things will be better.

Note: The Brightest Stars is a single RO game, with a mandatory romance path. This is necessary for the plot.

Lux zi’il Aurym (M/F)

Lux is the favorite child of the king, though they're a legitimized bastard. They're charming, passionate, and proud to a fault. There's a darkness lurking in them, a corruption that could rot and fester, but there's kindness, too, ripe for fostering. Maybe, with your help, one side can win out?

Lux is tall and lean, with light brown skin and curly black hair. They have bright green eyes, with a mole under their left eye, and a delicate, slender face. Both Male and Female Lux grow to be exceedingly beautiful in adulthood. Female Lux is the same height as Male Lux.

Play as male or female

Customize your MC's looks and personality

Make choices that raise the MC's corruption and Lux's, and impact endings

Experience different dynamics with Lux depending on their gender and the MC's

Try to survive the backstabbing, politicking and intrigue of court, and maybe even conquer it

Play a game spanning years, from the MC's early teens to their mid-twenties

Bring out the best in Lux, or make them worse!

Marcus/Marcia

Vespyr’s ruler. M is careless and violent. Their temper is infamous to all the servants of the castle. Unfathomable amounts of blood stain their hands, and they thrill in that fact. Despite being the Duke/Duchess of Vespyr, they care not for ruling, often shrugging their responsibilities onto others.

M is tall and muscular, with bold, square features. They have light brown skin, bright hazel eyes, and curly black hair lined with some silver that falls to just below their ears.

Lucius/Lucia

The eldest adopted child of Vespyr’s ruler. L is cold and aloof, placing duty above all else. If a servant has to choose which of the siblings to serve, they would likely pick them. But beneath all of their ice-cold control, fire burns beneath their skin. On the rare occasions when their savagery is unleashed, it is devastating.

L is tall and statuesque, with cutting, aristocratic features that could have been carved out of marvel. They have pale skin, frigid blue eyes, and straight blond hair that reaches their shoulders.

Damianos/Damiana

The middle adopted child of Vespyr’s ruler. D is vain and frivolous, prioritizing their own desires over all else. To be caught by one of their whims is to be granted certain death. The servants of the castle keep their heads down in D’s presence, lest they be pulled into one of their cruel games.

D is of average height and has a slim build, with slender, delicate features. They have black skin, dark brown eyes, and coiled black hair they keep in braids.

Antonius/Antonia

The youngest adopted child of Vespyr’s ruler. A is playful and whimsical, always quick to grant their favor with the servants. But as bright as their affection shines, it burns out just as quickly. A long line of dead former favorites trails after them. The servants fear them most out of their ruler's children.

A is short with a soft build. Their features are round and heart-shaped. They have warm bronze skin, stormy gray eyes, and curly brown hair that falls to their back.

Play as male or female

Customize your MC’s appearance and personality

Choose between one of five romance routes

Do your best to survive Castle Vespyr, or pay the price with your life

Try to resist the degeneracy of Castle Vespyr, or fall into it