#tfof

This is a 18+ historical gothic-horror-romance interactive novel.

Inspiration was taken from classic gothic literature and modern dark fantasy such as: Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups), Crimson Peak, The Bloody Chamber, and the folklore surrounding the Beast of Gévaudan.

Set in 1764 France, it follows the daughter of the Marquis d'Apcher, celebrated as the diamond of the season at Versailles. But her homecoming to Gévaudan is shattered by a violent assault that awakens an ancient curse sleeping in her blood.

Now, she must navigate a brutal winter, angsty romantic attachments, and a terrifying transformation that ties her to the Beast of Gévaudan. The monster they hunt in the dark wears your face...

This story is intended for a mature audience. Please see below the cut for the full synopsis and content warnings.

You are the daughter of the Marquis d'Apcher (one of the eight barons of Gévaudan), celebrated as the diamond of the season at the court of Versailles. But the glittering ballroom is a world away now, and in the brutal winter of Gévaudan, the only colour that matters is the burgundy of blood on snow.

Your homecoming was meant to be a triumph. Instead, a violent assault in the frozen gardens of court forced you to take a life to save your own. That desperate act awoke a terrible secret sleeping in your blood—an ancient curse that now answers to the full moon, dragging you into an agonizing transformation you cannot remember, leaving you to wake up naked and bloodied as the church bells toll for another victim of La Bête du Gévaudan.

The monster they hunt in the dark wears your face.

As a daughter of the “Seven Kin,” the ancient, inter related bloodline that has ruled these lands for centuries, you are surrounded by family and allies. Yet, you have never been more alone. You must navigate a world of ambitious suitors, while every powerful emotion threatens to unleash the beast inside, and every dawn brings you closer to being discovered.

In a land of monsters, both human and beast, who can you trust when you cannot even trust yourself?

In To Feast on Fear, you will be able to:

🌕 Customize your noble lady. Choose her name, appearance and personality. Will you be a pious and gentle soul, a cunning woman hiding your secrets behind a mask, or a rebellious spirit who despises the gilded cage of your station?

🌕 Shape your curse. Is the Beast within you a mindless, feral animal, or a cunning predator with a will of its own? Will you fight for control, surrender to the bloodthirst, or attempt to walk the razor's edge between your two halves.

🌕 Solve a brutal mystery. Hunt for clues to discover the truth behind the killings terrorizing Gévaudan. Is it truly you, acting out a forgotten blood vendetta? Or is there another, far more human monster hiding under the guise of your curse? Trust the wrong person, and you might end up taking the blame for their sins.

🌕 Forge deep and dangerous relationships. Find comfort, rivalry, or love with five distinct romance options (one gender selectable F/M). Will you trust your heart to the devoted guardsman who watches you with worried eyes, match wits with the libertine royal huntsman sent to kill you, seek understanding from the intriguing female doctor who believes your curse is all in your head, pursue a tragic, forbidden love affair with the arrogant heir to the very family that your own has been grudging over for generations? or perhaps fall for the tormented spirit that roams the very woods?

🌕 Survive the hunt. Navigate the treacherous currents of 18th-century French society, where your reputation is as important as your life. Maintain the façade of a perfect lady, manage the suspicions of your own family, will you end your story celebrated as a hero, exposed as a monster, or buried in a forgotten grave?

This story is for mature audiences (18+) only.

It will explore themes of: Psychological horror, the duality of human nature, trauma, guilt, and identity, reason vs. superstition and religious fanaticism, feminine rage and body autonomy.

This story will contain the following:

Graphic depictions of violence and gore

Body horror (related to transformations)

Gaslighting and psychological manipulation

Explicit intimate and sexual themes

Thematic elements and references to sexual violence (not graphically depicted on-screen)

(Not entirely happy with the result, but I think this is it.)  The comic is from Lena's The Fountain of Forgetfulness. 

When I was in the 8th grade, I accidentally stumbled upon a book that a student left behind in the gym. I took it home and that book changed my life. It was Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and to this day, it is my favorite book series of all time. From that series I went through 

After that initial book addiction, I didn’t get invested into another book series for quite some time. I was stubborn and picky and truly believed that no other book series could possibly make me feel anything close to what Eragon did. I had to reason hard within myself that that was okay, and if something caught my eye, I should take a chance and try something new. So, I decided to try my luck and pick up a book I had eyed a few times in the bookstore. It was I Am Number Four, and was the first of seven in a long series.  

I read all seven books in around three months. And, more than a year later, I don’t regret my decision on spending around 80 dollars to buy all seven books. However, it is important to note that there was an obvious point in the series when the books took a turn for the worse, especially regarding my favorite character. 

Lorien Legacies is a story about a group of aliens on the run from an enemy group of aliens, leading them to hide on Earth. This journey turns into defending earth from those aliens, and along the way, learn about the importance of humanity and what makes Earth a  suitable home. There are a total of nine fugitive aliens, three of which are dead upon the opening of the series. My personal favorite is Nine, the biggest and physically strongest of the fugitives. 

From his very introduction, this character grabbed attention. He was wild, killing enemies and genuinely enjoying himself while doing so. At the point of his entrance in the series, no one else is as vulgar, shameless, aggressive, or intense. He’s a wonderful contrast to John, the main protagonist, who’s kind and sensitive to those around him. Not only does this make excellent character interactions of tension and arguments but it leads up to my favorite chapter in the series, where they finally face off against one another. 

This chapter in the third book puts Nine in his best light. Although he may appear rash and hot headed, when in battle, he is almost a different person entirely. The entire time, he has John on his toes, using his special staff and the city around them to his advantage. When fighting, he's perceptive and watchful, keeping track of everyone’s movements and surroundings. He wins the fight almost effortlessly, and that chapter alone proved that he was a lot smarter than he let on. 

His entertaining fight was not his only shining moment as a character. Towards the end of the third book, Nine and John have to stop at a gas station and stumble upon a group of innocent hitchhikers. While John wants to defuse this situation and move on, Nine willingly puts himself in a position to defend the youthful hitchhikers (page 286). Of course, when Nine wants to fight these people, it shows his recklessness and temper, but also puts his protectiveness on full display. He doesn’t know these people, but still wants to protect them from oppressors. Its a wonderful addition to his personality and proves that he’s more than just a crazed brute who likes to fight. Unfortunately, his character takes a complete turn around in the very next book of the series, and it’s not for the better.

In The Fall of Five, the next book in the series, there’s a new character added to the group. Five is also one of the alien fugitives, and is rescued by a smaller group in Arkansas. Immediately upon arrival, the entire group gets a strange feeling from him, what with him having never seen an enemy and defending the enemy aliens when asked about his background. 

Although Five’s character could use a good deconstruction, he is not the focus of my point. What I want to prioritize is how Nine treats him for the entirety of the book, and how it is detrimental to not only his own character, but another one entirely. Throughout the fourth book of the series, Nine harasses Five and treats him horribly. He pushes Five out of a chair, calls him names, and actively tries not to include him in group activities. 

From the example I used from the last book, a reader (like me) would believe that these traits were completely out of left field. While it can be argued that Nine was rather aggressive to John, he was never mean. There was not a single time when Nine called John a name, and when he did, it was for light teasing, and after they had spent some time together. Now in the next book, when Nine calls Five a hobbit (The Fall of Five, page 147), it’s mean spirited for no reason. This is a prime example of an inconsistency of his character, and it only gets worse. 

At the end of the book, the climax is at its peak and it’s revealed that Five is a spy for the enemy. This was heavily alluded to and a little predictable, but again, Five is not the issue (for now). The problem is Nine’s reaction to the situation and how it causes a prominent character to lose their lives for it. When Five is attempting to explain his reasoning, Nine only further pushes him over the edge, and eventually, tempers flare, and Eight, one of their comrades, dies (page 330). Now, Five didn’t simply try to kill everyone; he spared Eight at first because Eight was kind to him. Nine, however, was a bully toward Five the entire time they’ve known each other, all the way up until Eight was accidentally impaled. 

Where did my Nine go? The Nine from the third book and the Nine from the fourth book might as well be two different people. One is an arrogant and aggressive teenager with his heart in the right place. The Nine from the Fall of Five is nothing more than a bully, and without his antagonizing, an entire character could have been spared. This was an intentional choice by the writers, who manipulated a character’s personality in order to advance a plot point. It is a shame, Nine had potential to be an amazing character that could have had potential, but if there is no consistency in that character, then there can never be progression into greatness.

Sources: 

Lore, P. (2012). The Rise of Nine. Harper. 

That starts with Sam in prison

And that results in my, audibly going "OMG SAM"

just

like

the

first

time.

I guess you can say I have a thing for him, even 10 years later.

Marina: It can’t involve self-sacrifice.