Heya! I’m Nox (or Brydjette, but Nox is easier, yeah?)
I’ve been lurking in the forums for a while, even before I made an account for myself, and I’ve also been a fan of CoG & HG for years. Writing an interactive novel has been on my to-do list since I got hooked on CoG but never really had the time or motivation—until now! And so here we are.
Memoir of Smoke and Mirrors is my WIP title as of right now. Mythologies and folklores have always been fascinating to me and so for my very first (and very much work in progress) interactive novel I’ve decided to work with that as a huge element in my work.
Blurb and Game WIP
Uncover the truth, save your bakeshop, reconcile with self-exiled gods, and find love along the way!
Eidnyr is a land where True Names are power; where gods have once walked with mortals, and the evidence of their existence is everywhere—from powerful Relics wielded by Archons to divine descendants called Heroes! In this place where godly wonders are the norm, you’re just a humble baker trying to make ends meet. Aren’t you?
All your life you’ve lived in Rivercliff, a peaceful, quaint little town—or so you thought it is, until the International Guild of Supernatural Enforcers comes to pay a not-so-friendly visit. Your quiet life is suddenly turned upside down when you hear the news firsthand, after a rogue Hero wreaks havoc in your bakery: there’s a serial killer hiding in your midst—and it can be anyone. A friend, a neighbor, a customer…
As if that isn’t enough, strange people begin to appear to you—on sidewalks, on hilltops, even in your own bakeshop! But with the end of the Thousand Years Exodus, are they really just peculiar strangers or are they actually something more? Something…less human. And why do they even appear to you in the first place? What part will you play in their homecoming?
Thrown into chaos you’ve never dared imagine before, will you help the Archons and Heroes suddenly stomping about town? Or will you try to ignore them and focus on your business despite the threat? Will you welcome the gods with open arms? Or will you try your best to banish them once again? Amidst all this, life has to go on and with it may come a romance of a lifetime. Will you pursue it? Or will you be content with solitude?
And perhaps along the way you’ll realize that nothing—and no one—you know is as simple as it seems…
Game WIP here: Memoir of Smoke and Mirrors
C’s Extra here: C’s BTS
M’s Extra here: M’s BTS
Features
-
Play as male, female, or non-binary; straight, gay, or bi
-
Nowhere is safe with a serial criminal on the loose. Uncover the mystery behind their identity—a truth that might surprise even you
-
Be everyone’s friend, earn people’s trust, and use their True Names for good—or reveal yourself as a wolf in sheep’s clothing and use them for your own gains instead
-
There are still Relics hidden from the Guild. Discover one and experience great power—or relinquish it
-
Start on rocky terms with the Supernatural Police. Help the Guild, make them pay the repairs for your shop, or hinder their investigation
-
The end of the Thousand Years Exodus is on the horizon. Be one of those who welcome the gods back—or shun them
-
Find love with a Guild agent, your best friend, your employee, or a customer…or perhaps your heart lies somewhere else
-
Experience the story with an interactive narrator or completely ignore him. Who knows, perhaps you’ll manage to find out the truth about his identity as well, hm?
ROs
There are 5 ROs in total. For three of them you can decide the gender. The other two are genderlocked males. I have traditional media illustrations for the first four ROs. All of them are male.
EDIT: Female versions are on Post #84
-
Corbyn/Coryna
He/she’s your best friend. You two live together in an apartment. He/she’s grumpy but with a soft spot for you. His/her snark gets him/her in trouble sometimes though. Right now he/she attends a nearby university for a Master’s Degree. He/she spends a lot of free time at your bakery. He/she has sea green eyes and black hair in a short, messy ponytail. His/her cheeks have hidden dimples. If only his/her face wasn’t set in a semi-permanent scowl.
-
Micah/Mirah
He/she’s absolutely sweet and charming, if at times timid. As a baker in your shop, he/she’s a diligent worker, and innovative when it comes to new recipes. He/she has wavy bright red hair and brown eyes. The freckles on his/her pale skin, his/her easy (if a little shy) smile, and soft disposition make him/her utterly charming.
Sexuality locked as mostly heteroromantic asexual (but nb PC romanceable too)
-
Kiran/Kiana
He/she is quiet and holds a somewhat sad gaze. Most people mistake him/her to be cold and aloof, but you know from experience he/she actually just has a hard time opening up to people. Later on, when you get to know him/her better, you’ll realize he/she has a dry humor and, strangely enough, can even flirt with a straight face. He/she likes to drop by for coffee. He/she is Corbyn/Coryna’s classmate. He/she has light brown hair and gray eyes. Whenever he/she goes to your cafe, he/she’s always wearing buttoned shirts under a vest. There’s a faint white scar on the left side of his/her face.
-
Aleister
A bold Guild agent with an air of mystery around him. He’s intelligent and confident. Occasionally cocky. Also likes rhetorics and pastry. Your pastry, anyway. He has sandy blond hair and sharp violet-blue eyes. There’s a beauty mark below his left eye. He always wears a mask to cover the lower half of his face, for reasons unknown to you.
-
???
See narrator.
Narrator
It’s not new, having a third party/NPC narrating or participating in active story telling (ex: Waywalkers, anyone? Gods, I love that one) but I wanna try it a little step further? I want a narrator the PC can interact with more, banter with, form a relationship over the course of the story with (and yes, that means romantic, too) He’s actually one of the most fleshed out OCs I have but at this point, I feel like that’s all I can say about him. It is kind of a side objective in MSM to unravel the mystery that is him, if you eventually decide to take that route.
If PC doesn’t choose the voice option from the first set, the italicized thoughts will be assumed by PC to be either their thoughts or emphasized text. He’s not really that careful though and another chance to be revealed will be given later on. Honestly, is he even trying.
I want this project to be lore- and romance-heavy. I’ve always liked worldbuilding (and tend to get invested in it more often than not when writing) plus I love romance! I love CoG/HG that are romance-heavy and I want to make one myself, haha.
To be honest, MSM is originally darker themed (the killer element is actually a remnant of that) but hey, we all need some good vibes, too, especially right now. I plan on expanding this world in and out of MSM so who knows. We have a shady organization in the mix already. And while I want the plot to be relatively simple (hence the light-hearted approach) I want to focus on worldbuilding and character relationships too (between the PC and ROs and NPCs, and NPC-NPC, too).
Anyways, thank you for reading all that! I hope you enjoy playing with what I have right now. I know it’s really short but I’ll be updating it as I go delve into it further, preferably weekly.
Feedback is greatly appreciated! I cry easily though so please be gentle LMFAO
Oh, and English isn’t my first language so if there’s any grammatical error (and I know there will be) that you find, please do tell!
UPDATE July 26, 2021: See post here
FAQ
- Can’t choose M’s gender? See this post
- Extreme choices? See this post
- Want some world lore? See this post
- Why the uniform? See this post
ChangeLog
-
07/27/21
•Improvement to the True Name scene. -
05/23/20
•Added a short sexuality scene. Not about PC being straight, gay, or bi, but whether PC is ace, demi, or allo.
•Added an alternative pre-bakery scene aside from the creepy old lady and her ball of yarn and with a slightly different exposition.
•Changed secondary NPC’s name to Benedict.
•Changed an opposed_pair stat name.
•Improvements to the narrative.
•More choices that will matter in the long run.
•Added skin tone choice.
•Revised the blurb with more details now.
•Added an extra scene for M. -
05/10/20
•Illustrations for the ROs’ female versions.
•Illustration for an unmasked Aleister.
•Sexuality locked Micah/Mirah. M is straight so the baker will appear as PC’s opposite gender unless non-binary.
•Added an extra scene for C. -
04/28/20
•Added an as-of-now-incomprehensible scene of foreshadowing with the subtlety of a brick wall slapping you.
•Added Flirt scene for Micah/Mirah.
•Added short character exposition for NPC Strathclyde.
•Stats Description now available.
•Changed Personality Stats. -
04/24/20
•Changed parts of the character generation scene.
•Added more scenes, including a changing of outfit scene.
•Second RO and NPC introductions. -
04/22/20
•Rivercliff is now a town.
Word Count
- Chapter One: 22k (code included)
I’m so glad to hear that!!
I’m a total sucker for the grumpy types 
