Welcome To The Family

trigger warning(s): 18+ age rating, depictions of violence, gore, strong language, odd circumstances that is beyond anyone's control, sexual themes, death, and mature themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

If you're going to be honest, this wasn't your first choice.

Deep, deep in the forest of Idovale lies a mysterious mansion that houses the (in)famous family: The Varias Family. There were rumors of them to be bloodsuckers, witches, warlocks, psychics, or even creatures that lies beyond human comprehension. You're not normally someone who believes in the supernatural, but hearing the rumors that surround them would make anyone antsy.

You, a recent freshman that was admitted into Idovale University, weren't exactly strapped with cash. That, and they were renting out a room in their mansion at a very low, low price. You needed a room quickly, and so you venture your way to the family's mansion.

Upon meeting the family and living there for a few months, you're starting to think the rumors were...true. You think. You think they're true. They're still a huge mystery. But, nevertheless, they make your life, in a sense, very interesting.

But strange things are happening in the town of Idovale, and it's causing a stir. A strange murder that stars a corpse surrounded by flowers, a cold case that involved the Varias Family returns, and you're the one solving the murder.

Seriously, what the hell.

Welcome To The Family is an interactive-fiction novel influenced by The Addams Family, Kuroshitsuji (aka: Black Butler), etc., about family relationships, mystery, and intrigue. This will be made in Twine.

Welcome To The Family includes:

-Play as a broke college student that becomes involved with the Varias Family, a dynamic, twisted family that's to die for!

-Pursue a romance with the two family members of the Varias Family, the family butler, a retired detective, an old serial killer, or a mystery, romantic option! However, if you wish to pursue/continue with a platonic relationship, that option is also there as well!

-Have a wide, range of options to choose from for your character creation!

-Interchangeable POV’s between characters!

-Solve a murder. No, really. You're solving a murder.

-Something is happening in the town of Idovale...

"I can feel my heart melting when I'm near you, burning me from the inside as my body demands a release to free itself from this hellish pain. I don't particularly mind it."

Irina Varias (she/her, 23); One of the romantic options, she's the elder sister of Valentin Varias. She's cold, blunt, and mysteriously murderous at times, but she carries a dark humor that's followed by a sadistic, dark smile. She conducts herself as gracefully as her mother, but it makes you wonder what she's like when her walls are down.

Appearance: Black hair tied into medium-sized, wavy pigtails that hangs on the sides of her head. Her bangs just stops above her eyes. Her eyes are a dark, dark shade of black. She tends to wear a black dress-shirt with a long, black skirt that reaches her ankles. She wears black flats with white tights. She wears silver studded earrings and black gloves. She has porcelain skin, and her height is 5'8''.

"I love you! I really do! See, the bats from the attic are spelling out the words out for me! Huh? 'It says 'I loathe you' instead'? ARRRRGHH, IRINA! QUIT MESSING WITH MY AFFAIRS!"

Valentin Varias (he/him, 22): One of the romantic options, he's the younger brother of Irina. He's the opposite of Irina; bright, bubbly, and extremely demented/deranged. He conducts himself as intuitive as his father, and he would proudly hug his family members...while trying to kill them. Especially his sister.

Appearance: Black hair that's short and slightly spiky at the back, the sides of his hair are long, braided pigtails with white ribbons. His bangs just stops above his eyes. His eyes are also a dark, dark shade of black. He tends to wear a white, dress-shirt with a black vest and a black ribbon with white lines around his neck. He carries a black belt with packs, filled with items of massive destruction, weapons, and snacks. He wears black gloves and black slip-on shoes. He has porcelain skin, and his height is 5'6''.

"Do you...do you truly love me? A monster such as myself?"

Nicolae Dimir (he/him, 28); One of the romantic options, he's the family butler of the Varias Family. He's a gigantic man who intimidated you greatly with his deep voice, but he's in actuality, a huge softie. He loves gardening, he loves to read, and he loves to care for the Varias Family, who graciously took him in when he had no-one else. You do, however, wonder why it is he calls himself a monster.

Appearance: Long, white locks of hair that reaches his lower back. His bangs wisps around his head, but stops right above his eyes. His eyes are hazel-colored, but it turns into a beautiful, golden color when the light hits it. He wears a pair of black glasses. He wears a three-piece butler suit with white gloves. He has almond skin, and his height is 6'4''.

"Seriously, why the hell am I getting dragged into this? Just because I owe Adrian, does NOT mean I should--ah, what the hell. If I fight a frickin' sea monster again, I'm making Adrian pay for our dinner. C'mon kid, there's a mystery to solve."

Ash/Ashlyn Blackmore (he/him, she/her, they/them, 45); One of the romantic options, they're a retired detective that's old friends with the head of the Varias Family, Adrian Varias. They're grumpy, swore off of cigarettes for chocolate pocky, and they're loyal to a fault. Despite how they conduct themselves to others, they're an old, but well-known detective that used to live in Idovale. You wonder why it is that they'll offer to help, but not be the one to solve this case?

Appearance (Male): Has russet, red-brown hair tied back into a high ponytail. His bangs stops at his chin, with one of his eyes covered. His eyes are a shade of light violet. He tends to wear a white, dress-shirt with a loose, black tie and black slacks with black dress-shoes. He wears a large, black overcoat with fur around the hoodie. He has warm beige skin, and his height is 6'0''.

Appearance (Female): Has russet, red-brown hair tied back into a high ponytail. Her bangs stops at her chin, with one of her eyes covered. She has rounder features, compared to her male counterpart, who has chiseled features. Her eyes are a shade of light violet. She tends to wear a white, dress-shirt with a loose, black ribbon and a black, long skirt with a slit on the side. She wears black, high-heels. She wears a large, black overcoat with fur around the hoodie. She has warm beige skin, and her height is 5'6''.

Appearance (Non-Binary): Has russet, red-brown hair tied back into a high ponytail. Their bangs stops at their chin, with one of their eyes covered. Their eyes are a shade of light violet. They tend to wear a white, dress-shirt with ruffles around the collar area, and black slacks with black dress-shoes. They wear a large, black overcoat with fur around the hoodie. They have warm beige skin, and their height is 5'8''.

“You neeeee~d me to solve this case, my fair boss! So, why not listen to me? We ARE supposed to be a consulting with one another, are we not? Shall we discuss about our love affair, or shall we discuss about the body that's been laying there?”

Luca/Luna/Li Roman (he/him, she/her, they/them, 33); One of the romantic options, they're an old serial killer that was once nicknamed, 'The Moon's Marionette'. Whimsical, unpredictable, and deeply amused, they were the first to be suspected...until they weren't. Now, they're serving as your apprentice, in exchange for their death sentence to be lifted. They seem to have familiarity with the Varias Family.

Appearance (Male): Has long, messy black hair that reaches his shoulder-blades, the ends are dyed a deep violet. His bangs stop right above his eyes and frames his face, the tips dyed in a deep violet. His eyes are heterochromia, his right-eye being silver with his left-eye being gold, and he has bags under his eyes. In prison, he wears a customized prison outfit; a white and black-striped long-sleeve with frayed ends, black, tight jeans and he's barefooted. Once he's out, he wears a black, business suit with a white, dress-shirt and a tie with black, dress shoes. He has pale skin, and his height is 5'9''.

Appearance (Female): Has long, messy black hair that reaches shoulder-blades, the ends are dyed a deep violet. Her bangs stop right above her eyes and frames her face, the tips dyed in a deep violet. Her features are a bit rounder. Her eyes are heterochromia, her right-eye being silver with her left-eye being gold, and she has bags under her eyes. In prison, she wears a customized prison outfit; a white and black-striped long-sleeve with frayed ends, a long, black skirt that reaches her ankles and she's barefooted. Once she's out, she wears a black, business suit with a white, dress-shirt and a ribbon with black, dress shoes. She has pale skin, and her height is 5'6''.

Appearance (Non-Binary): Has long, messy black hair that reaches their lower back, the ends are dyed a deep violet. Their bangs stop right above their eyes and frame their face, the tips dyed in a deep violet. Their eyes are heterochromia, their right-eye being silver with their left-eye being gold, and they have bags under their eyes. In prison, they wear a customized prison outfit; a white and black-striped long-sleeve with frayed ends, black, tight jeans with a long, black skirt over it and they're barefooted. Once they're out, they wears a black, business suit with a white, dress-shirt with black, dress shoes. They have pale skin, and their height is 5'7''.

"To choose me is a terrible idea. But much like the others, you don't really seem to care, do you? Disgusting."

They have eyes, ears, and can be anywhere. Really, they're a horrible option. But does that deter you? Absolutely not.

Adrian Varias (he/him, 46): The head of the Varias Family, he's the husband of the beautiful, Rozalia Varias. His shenanigans makes your head dizzy, and he's already enlisting you as a part of his family.

Rozalia Varias (she/her, 44): The wife of Adrian Varias. She is often the one who calms Adrian's antics down, and is considered to be a very, beautiful woman. She is also enlisting you as a part of her family, so really, there's no huge difference between the two. You think.

Claude Varias (he/him, 44): The brother of Adrian, he's a jolly, nonsensical man who enjoys your company. A 'breath of fresh dust', is what he said. You don't really understand him, but he often brings you gifts. He has a beautiful husband and two children.

Isabela Varias (she/her, 43): The sister of Rozalia, she's the obligatory 'wine aunt' and often visits to see how the 'most normal of the Varias' is doing, aka: You. She sometimes makes a off-handed comment about how you should visit her, but you can tell she really does want you to visit her villa.

Augustine Varias (they/them, 20): The cousin of Irina and Valentin, they're a member of the extended family of the Varias Family that doesn't live in Idovale. They often come to check in with the family, and they're always accompanied by their snakes. They find you fascinating.

Mimi and Sisi Varias (she/her, 12 & 13): The cousins of Irina and Valentin, they're the twin daughters of Claude Varias. They remind you of another set of twins that stands at the end of hallways, but it's best not to dwell on it.

Valerica Varias (she/her, [REDACTED AGE]): The mother of Adrian Varias, she's an old witch that embodies the sense of a true, Varias member. She finds your company enjoyable, and often asks you to join in on her little extortion with others. Yes, you heard that correctly.

The pets...it's best not to dwell on them.

More characters will be added in soon.

Thank you! I'm so sorry for going radio silent in the past few days, my health has really kicked itself this time and it made me have long, looong headaches that inhibited me from working for long times.

Rest assured, I'm still working on both WTTF-IF and TWYAM-IF as much as I can, and I'm working on outlining the plots for both and making sure it makes sense. While I think I have mentioned that TWYAM has its plot figured out, I went back to make sure it does, so that went back to its production for another comb-over.

But, I might be a bit slower to respond here for a bit, as I am behind on my classes because of my health. So, I need to buckle down and keep working on those as they are a priority, but I'll come back with more RO scenarios, updates, drawings, and a few things to add!

Fun Fact: Nicolae does wear contacts, but because they're so small, he'll struggle to wear them. He's a bit self-conscious about his looks, especially his eyes, because the one-time he helped someone out when he was out shopping in Idovale, the person passed out. It's why he opts to wear his glasses instead, so something like that never happens again.

"Hm? You wish to touch Sophia? Or Diana?" Augustine tilts their head to the side, eyeing you carefully as their snakes 'blep' their tongues at you. A moment passes between the two of you, and their eyes light-up.

"I find you fascinating." They say in slight awe, "You do not run when you see my family."

The snakes slither forward from their spots on Augustine's shoulders, reaching for you. As you gently pet their heads, they wiggle their bodies, happy to feel your affection. They turn to Augustine with smiles, hissing 'playfully' at them.

Referring to this post!

OTL

Clearly, I'm very stupid-

This is what happens when you work with a headache ksjhdfkjsdf I meant to say 'sibling-in-law' not 'half-sister' or whatever the heck sdkjfh-

You can bet your butt that Valentin would consider marriage, considering how much he wants to show you off to everyone he knows.

Featuring:

Valentin "The MC is mine~! Look how beautiful, look how exquisite, look how mind-numbing, look how [Proceeds to rave about you for the next, five minutes.]💖" Varias

MC "What is happening, but Valentin is having fun, so pop off I guess." MC

Fun Fact: One time, Ash/Ashlyn was so tired from their classes that Adrian carried them. For the entire day. All around their High School. Bridal-style. Ash/Ashlyn was so tired that they just accepted it, but the next day, they chased Adrian around in retaliation with a trophy from the display case. That trophy is still bent to this day.

Hello there! The Varias Family is pretty quirky, and Adrian and Rozalia are no different. They'll see you as another family member, but as time passes by, they'll eventually see you as their own child!

There will be different reactions, depending on if you're going to date their actual children or not. But no matter what, they will consider you a member of their own family. You were the one who accepted them as them, after all.

And as for this other Anon~!

Adrian: He's celebrating, right then and there, and he's going to throw a large, large party to commemorate that day as the anniversary of his "christening" as Dad. You have quite literally made his day. Prepared to be embarrassed, he's [humbly] bragging about it to the other Varias members. "Look! I have a new child now! Aren't they great?! They managed to do this and - [Proceeds to mention everything you've done, as well as your accomplishments, and humbly brags about it.]"

I just wanna know how what normal interaction looks like with this family as opposed to what an unhealthy relationship in this family would look like

Oooo, thank you for asking this! So, basically, their boundaries are really similar to what any, other decent family/people will do. Be polite to your neighbors, be kind to others, be open-minded, etc.. However, how they interact is different from what is considered 'normal' to society.

One example I can think of is, "They'll serve you tea, but the tea is probably weird. Like, there's five different combinations of it that might be bad for your teeth/health, but it's still delicious! Think of it like a twinkie! A twinkie dunked in chocolate, deep-fried and then served with more chocolate!"

Yeah, I don't know why that exists either.

I'm going to leave a cut under this, as the topics I discuss below are really heavy, and this is inclusive with the no-no's. So, please read at your own discretion!

Rozalia takes her time to take a small, dainty sip of her treasured tea as you voice your opinion. As she slowly lowers her teacup on her saucer, she raises a single, dainty eyebrow at you. "Dear, that is not at all acceptable."

As she stands, her figure slides over to you, her fingers grazing your cheeks. As she leans forward, she cups your face with her hands, and you can feel your eyes getting bigger at how close she is. Her hands feel cold, and the smell of her newly-painted nails spreads through your nose. It smells sweet, sharp, but most of all...

Poisonous.

You take great care to not move a single muscle.

She smiles at you. You can't tell as to why she's smiling at you, but it sends a cold shiver down your spine.

"To become one with the dirt requires you to decompose quicker, and so you'll have to be dead by then. To become one with the bugs require you to become smaller, so you'll have to be crushed by then. If you wanted to be dead so quickly, why not say so? I can deliver it to you, right now."

...

You stare, slightly horrified at her words.

She chuckles at your stare and releases her hold you.

Can we perhaps ask for a short description for the romance route of each RO? 👉👈

Hiiii, guess who got sick again shdfjhksdf my responses might be a bit shorter/later than usual, so please bear with me! I'll be sporadically taking some breaks so I can rest, but please enjoy! And to answer your question dear anon, yes you can! I can't post too much in regards to their routes, as I do want to keep it a secret, but I can do this instead!

Irina: Accidental Hand-Hold, Action Girlfriend, Amazon Chaser (On MC's End), etc., "Love? The warm, festering feeling that echoes in one's heart? That sounds pleasantly incorrigible."

Valentin: Crazy Jealous, Enter Stage Window, First Love, etc. "You love me? Truly?! I...!"

Nicolae: Bridal Carry, Beast and Beauty, Garden of Love, etc. "Are you sure...you want to be this close to me...?"

Ash/Ashlyn: Age-Gap Romance, Anger Born of Worry, Heartbroken Badass, etc. "...Are you sure? I'm sure there's someone near your age who would want to be with you."

Luca/Luna/Li: Love Reforms Villain (slightly), Forbidden Love (slightly), A Deadly Affair (slightly), etc. "Bo~ss. Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just ha~ppy to see me~?"

Referring to this post!

Since you like anime I was wondering:

If you could choose, which Japanese voice actors would you choose for everyone?

I'm really curious who you'd pick as their voice claims xD

That's all!

I wish you a good evening/day. Rest well and don't forget to take breaks, eat and hydrate! :D

YESSSS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING ME THIS SKDJHFKF and no worries, you're not bothering me at all! I love doing stuff like this~! For the sake of keeping this post small, I'll only do the ROs + Adrian and Rozalia.

Irina: Hayami Saori (most notable for: Meltryllis from Fate/Grand Order, Yor Forger from Spy x Family, Shinobu Kocho from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba).

Valentin: Maaya Sakamoto (most notable for: Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji (AKA: Black Butler), Akito Soma from Fruits Basket, Alexander (Lily) from Fate/Grand Order).

Nicolae: Nobunaga Shimazaki (most notable for: Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen, Silver from Twisted Wonderland, Yuki Soma from Fruits Basket, Edmond Dantes and Arjuna from Fate/Grand Order).

Ash/Ashlyn: Male is Kenjiro Tsuda (most notable for: Tatsu from The Way of the Househusband, Kento Nanami from Jujutsu Kaisen, and Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh!) Female is Miyuki Sawashiro (most notable for: Mordred and Florence Nightingale from Fate/Grand Order, Fujiko Mine from Lupin the 3rd, Kyoko Honda from Fruits Basket). Non-binary is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro. (Seriously, her voice range is amazing. She voiced Celty from Durarara!! too!)

Luca/Luna/Li: Male is voiced by Mamoru Miyano (most notable for: Ling Yao from Fullmetal Alchemist, Bedivere from Fate/Grand Order, Ryuki Sakamoto from Persona 5, Osamu Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs). Female is voiced by Noriko Shitaya (most notable for: Sakura from Fate/stay Night, BB from Fate/Grand Order, Ururu from Bleach). Non-binary option is voiced by Aoi Yuuki (most notable for: Okita Souji and Shuten Douji from Fate/Grand Order, Lysithea von Ordelia from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Rachel Claudius from God Eater 2).

???: Voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi (most notable for: InuYasha from InuYasha, Kaito Kid and Shinichi Kudo from Detective Conan, Feitan from Hunter x Hunter, L from Death Note).

Adrian: Takehito Koyasu (most notable for: Dio from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Shinsuke Takasugi from Gintama, Ozymandias, Hans Christian Andersen and Mephistopheles from Fate/Grand Order)

I know the demo hasn't dropped but you said the game would be on twine? Do you have a page yet to follow?

Hello there! Yes, the game will be on Twine! If you meant for an Itch.io page, I haven't made one yet. The main reason is because I want to have the demo ready so I can just--make the page, plug in my demo, and have it all done in one go.

Valentine: MC! You will not believe what I found skulking in the garden!!

Valentine: Look! It's a red, slimey, pulsating mass that resembles the shape of a human skull! Isn't this absolutely grotesque! :D

MC: OH GOD... uh, that's uh... really coo- GROSS AND DISTURBING... yes.... not fascinating in the slightest...... no way.

Oh dear, trust me. They'll think you're the strange one for not giving into the desire to fawn over stuff like this. Trust me, they'll know. They'll just wait until you announce that you like this stuff, like the good people they are.

Sure, I have no problem saying these now!

MC has family, but they live somewhere else. They sometimes send some extra money your way, as well as a care package!

MC will canonically be in shock at how the Varias Family does things, due to how they're so completely different from other families. This will be dependent on a few things, but the primary emotion of 'What is this?' will be there.

MC is, with all intents and purposes, an actual broke, college student. Meaning, you're budgeting and you're going to be attending classes.

MC will canonically be nice to Adrian and the other, Varias family members. They are renting their room for you. You can get angry at them, but being a complete asshole is a no-go. To add onto this, I feel like being rude to your landlord isn't exactly good.