'Kitsune' by Thom Baylay (Now in Open Beta!)

"Before we go any further, or rather before we begin, there are two things you should know about me.

"One: I am not your friend. The other: That won’t be a problem.

"The Chinese scholar, Ji Yun, described me as belonging neither to humans nor objects, darkness nor light, immortals nor demons. Do you want to know what I said to Ji Yun when he told me this?

"I told him that neither did he.

“And neither do you.”


Your life is unremarkable: you have a boring job, only one person you might call a friend, an ailing mother in an expensive hospital, and a single bedroom apartment which no-one else ever sees. The only interesting thing about your daily routine is the mysterious stranger who appears every night in your dreams. That is until you come home to find the dream-stranger in your apartment, injured and seeking your help.

‘Kitsune’ is a story about love, lies and foxes, written by Thom Baylay, author of the Evertree Saga and The Grim and I. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

How will you react when an agent of chaos enters your mundane life? Will you embrace the opportunity or try to maintain control? Will you let a supernatural spirit aid you in a quest for meaning or will you suspect everyone’s motives and seek the truth behind the extraordinary? The choice is yours, but who even are you? Get ready to go on a journey of self-discovery, and try not to lose yourself along the way to the whims of a mischievous fox.

What you can expect:

  • Play as male, female or non-binary.
  • Play as gay, straight, bisexual or asexual.
  • Step into a mundane life and watch it transform into something extraordinary.
  • Uncover the mystery of the one who’s been haunting your dreams.
  • Learn the shocking truths amidst the lies.
  • Romance your best friend, a company royal or your mother’s nurse—or focus on your mysterious dream-stranger.
  • Discover who you really are or lose yourself along the way.

DEMO available here: https://bit.ly/3xFoeq4 (UPDATED!)

Current Status: Open Beta → https://dashingdon.com/play/thomb/kitsune---open-beta/
Release Date: Expected early to mid-2025

[Author’s Note: This is a stand-alone project similar in style to The Grim and I. I actually started it before Lux but shelved it to focus on other things. But it’s a story I really want to tell so I’m excited to finally announce it! To everyone waiting for Part 2 of Lux, rest assured I’m still working on that too! Thank you all for your patience and support! I hope you will enjoy both!]

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This should get interesting

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Oh no! My poor mc’s life is going to be led astray and made a mess of by an evil fox spirit, assuming of course mr. Foxy is a he and at least half as sexy as a certain half-elf. :sweat_smile:

Don’t you think mc would know it if they were an evil, shapeshifting fox spirit?

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Interesting , i want read that !:grinning:

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Will we be a kitsune?

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Ohmygod this looks so good, I need the demo! I loved both Evertree and The Grim and I so I expect to adore this one as well!

Mysterious stranger in our dreams? Mischievous kitsune? Yessss to all of that!
I also feel like MC will be pretty endearing with the life they led so far, taking care of their mom, etc. I wanna hug them already.

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@idonotlikeusernames Most of the major NPCs will have male and female gender options. And I can only dream that one of them might appeal to you as much as said half-elf :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

@Fenrir1 Think Grim & I but less Death and more foxes. This story is about what it’s like to meet a fox rather than be one, which I hope will be interesting to explore :slight_smile:

@Sujan_Dhakal @rialta @Kirlett Yay, thank you!

Demo should be up by the end of the week.

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Ok! I am here for this!!
Maybe I’d better go read The Grim & I to get ready.
And I’ll probably re-read the Evertree saga again, too, just because.

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Given how much I’ve enjoyed Evertree (Gunther my beloved…) I’m sure I’ll absolutely adore this!

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I really like the Grim and I so any game like that I’m all for! :laughing:

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I’m certainly looking forward to this :eyes:

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@ThomB, please let the moderators know when there is a demo so that this thread can be opened.

OMG how could you leave it just as we were going to meet the mysterious dream person! :scream:

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:smiling_face_with_tear:The demo stops at a very sly point, can’t wait for what happens next.

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Color me intrigued. Just long enough to meet all the major players but the plot could go in so many directions…

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Seems pretty good

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As sly as a fox, even!

I do enjoy the narrative voice for this. I distrust it immediately and want to see what happens next.

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I’m starting the demo but I don’t understand the gender choices. Is it about the ROs or about most of the cast, non-ROs included? Because I want an inclusive cast, but male ROs. And it feels like the “can they all be male” implies that there will be 0 women in the story. And the “I don’t mind some randomization” seems to imply that some ROs could be of the gender you don’t prefer.

Heeeeelp, I don’t know what I’m supposed to choose :disappointed_relieved:

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I chose I wanted to pick the gender of the ROs when they show up and it worked for all the ROs except the royal coworker who it skipped the option to choose and automatically set them as male.

@Kirlett The gender choice is just for the ROs only not side characters, also theres an option to pick the gender of the ROs when you meet them individually instead of setting all as one gender.

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