[WIP] lost birds

It’s gotten too quiet. Far too quiet. The wind doesn’t rush through the jagged rocks and twisted metal, the eagle doesn’t cry out high overhead. Not even the haunting static, nor the low mechanical hum. In this canyon, walls of glass and stone and shattered metal, no sound enters. No sound escapes. No screams of the dying, just the silence of those long dead.

Long dead. Like you.

Lost Birds is a post-apocalyptic story of survival and revenge, set in a distant and bleak future where everything that could go wrong, has.

You see, the end of the world wasn’t too bad. A flash of light, a searing heat, the taste of metal in your mouth. Waking up in a scorched plain to skies as black as the soil, to the first rain you had seen in years. Alone, you set off. One destination in mind. One purpose in mind.

You were not the only one to survive. The wilds have come alive again, stranger and more beautiful than ever. The people have come alive again, rebuilding on the frontiers, escaping the few cities left unscathed.

You find yourself an outsider amongst outsiders, a desperate seeker, searching for something lost to time and memory. A past hidden away from prying eyes, a future that relies on answers to a question you cannot ask. The promise of information brings you to a city sunken into the earth, secrets buried in the catacombs below. Your journey begins and ends there. Betrayed, dying with a question on your lips.

Dying wasn’t too bad. A fading of the light, a bitter coldness, the taste of blood in your mouth. Waking up, however, was as unpleasant as it was unexpected.

What to Expect:

  • Semi-customizable MC: choose your gender and personality, make impactful choices.
  • A blending of genres, from solarpunk to post-apocalyptic, with influences from westerns, cyberpunk and traditional science fiction.
  • A beautiful, surreal, and often dangerous new world to explore.
  • Immortality, as long as you’re not too picky about the definition.
  • A non-linear story, jumping back and forth between past, present and future.
  • Revenge. Maybe.

Your Companions:

  • The Ghost [nb]: A… being… from the place where nothing grows. A master tracker, as silent, swift and deadly as the prey they hunt.
  • The Traitor [m]: A young man wearing a battered uniform and a plethora of wounds, as lost morally as he is physically. The folks out here don’t take kindly to those with flexible loyalties.
  • The Deputy [f]: The judge, jury and executioner, both lawman and lawmaker. She may be harsh, but never make the mistake of calling her cruel to those she governs.
  • The Gunslinger [m, f, nb]: A fellow mercenary with a rather peculiar moral code. A fast hand and a faster wit.
  • The Archangel [f]: Your protector, a voice that woke you from death itself. A flickering hologram of a dead woman.

Read the demo here!

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Still very early, but I’ll be keeping an eye on the progress of this book💯

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Not much to go on so far, but the prose has already drawn me in for sure, very poetic!

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Congrats on making a demo! While it’s too short to give any coherent feedback, I like your style.

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I’m really digging this demo so far! I really like the way you write and set the tone for the story. From the title card and what I’ve read, this is giving me some major Death Stranding vibe. Looking forward to your work and welcome to the community! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes::grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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Not much to see, but is to be expected for a alpha/draft, still the premise looks promising, looking forward to this meanwhile I’m bookmarking this while i’m at it.

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Very nice, I enjoy your style of writing. Can’t wait for more!

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That was intense! The style of writing is quite overwhelming (in a good way). It reminds me of doomsday on demand.

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The setting of this scene was very effective - I’ve fallen for this story hook, line, and sinker already. Looking forward to seeing what blossoms forth : )

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Are these “companions” going to be RO’s?

There will be no romance in Lost Birds, but you can develop friendships or rivalries with these characters.

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Did you make the stats screen like this purposely or is it an error

i love the prose and the premise! the contrast between apocalypica/machine/scifi and emotion is soso good; the phrase “haunting static” stuck out to me especially. also i loved how the sentence structure is almost lyrical. i’m super happy there’s no romance as well…i’ve read way too much of that nonsense

also @Hector_Lopez it’s definitely not an error. i don’t know if you’ve programmed in choicescript, but the syntax is very simple and verbose, and there are no custom data types, advanced error handling, non-void return statements, etc, all of which are “displayed” on the stats screen. it was definitely intentional and good for setting the tone imo, especially for those who check the stats screen religiously

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Yes, the appearance of the stat screen like this is intentional.

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Ah ok, thanks for letting me know, first time seeing seeing something like that

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Interesting gonna check it out

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Wow this is fresh air

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There isn’t much to judge just yet, but the opening does hook me in! I’m very interested to see where this story goes :slight_smile:

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Its an interesting opening that leaves much to the player to interpret, hope the rest will be like that

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