[WIP] The Strongest Writer [Updated: 27/JUN/2023][Minor Update]

The Strongest Writer is a story about a student who wants to become the greatest IF writer of all time. They don’t know the first thing about story structure, character design, game design, or even grammar, but their determination is unmatched. After posting their story on an IF forum, they receive valuable feedback but refuse to change anything because they are convinced that only passion is needed to write good fiction.

When they decide to take a break and go to the store, they are hit by a truck and taken into the world they created. Explore a world full of bugs, excessive stats that cancel each other out, and ambiguous choices. Romance one-dimensional characters, overcome poorly designed challenges to escape the hell you’ve created, and become The Strongest Writer!

General plot

Act 1 - Escape from the Underworld

The MC wakes up in the Underworld of the game they created. With the help of the fully customizable romanceable companion, Olympia/Olympus, you form a party of virtuous souls with whom you will return to the world of living in the game world as Immortals. There is a slight hiccup in the plan as someone whom you did not plan to come along, Kālá, escapes with you.

Act 2 - Rise of the Empire

At the time of writing their story, the MC was sick of all the medieval fantasy stories that resort to misogyny for the sake of realism, so they wrote an “inclusive” setting that “solves” inequality issues only on a surface, superficial level. The Empire is a mishmash of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece under constant assault by progressive barbarian hordes who enslave and torture citizens equally, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. Political decisions in the Empire are ultimately made by a supreme ruler, Caesar, but every citizen has a right to express their grievances and opinions in the Forum. In this Forum, the MC and his team of Immortals will influence the future of the Empire by convincing Caesar to implement certain policies. Backing policies will require the player to complete a quest beforehand. Policies will vary in political alignment from progressive, conservative, or libertarian. The game will not shame you or lock you into building a progressive communist utopia, you can guide the society in any direction including an autocratic state, a free society, or a laissez-faire hellscape (and anything in-between).

Act 3 - Fall of the Empire

The MC and the Immortals will oversee the Empire over multiple generations and technological eras spanning hundreds of years, from antiquity to steampunk. The Empire will inevitably fall whatever political course the MC shapes for the world. The final confrontation between the MC’s Immortal companions and Kālá will take place in this act.

Main characters/ Immortals

The MC will encounter all of the characters below in the Underworld, and they will play key parts in the story. Most of them will be permanent companions to the MC and will have often opposing opinions on how certain tasks should be handled. The political disagreements between Athena, Bellona, and Hera and whom the MC chooses to side with when it comes to voting or enacting policies will shape the fate of the Empire.

Olympus/Olympia

age: unknown/ timeless

race: unknown

gender: player selectable

appearance: custom

Olympia/Olympus is the first immortal that the MC encounters in the Underworld. The self-proclaimed soul mate of the main character, Oly is the main romantic option for the player. Kind-hearted, straightforward, overpowered, and with a non-existent sense of personal space, Oly will accompany the MC almost everywhere. The only times when you will be apart is when you have to do challenges alone.

Bellona

age: 27

race: human

gender: female

appearance: average height, athletic build, olive skin, brown eyes, long brown hair in a high ponytail.

Bellona is one of the finest warriors of the Empire, who knew no equal on the battlefield until she found her end at the Kālá’s hand, whom she managed to take down with her to the Underworld. Abandoned at a young age by her parents, she had to learn to fend for herself and develop a can-do attitude that no one can rival. Impulsive by nature, she has no regard for diplomacy and her creative swear words are common in any heated discussion. The one thing she hates more than whining and weakness is others picking on her friends, even for the smallest things.

Athena

age: 30

race: human

gender: female

appearance: tall, slim build, fair skin, green eyes, undercut, blonde hair.

Athema is a scholar, politician, and equal rights activist. She found her end at a banquet where a political adversary poisoned her wine cup. Outspoken and articulate, her opinions have sown the seeds of critical thinking within the Empire, prompting a vocal minority to question whether the Empire will be remembered as a bastion of enlightenment in history or a shameful asterisk. Fairly competent in rhetorical debates, she never backs down from a winning argument, even if it means losing political currency. Although she stands her ground firmly in intellectual standoffs, physical confrontations are a no go for her, looking for cover at the first sign of danger.

Hera

age: 22

race: human

gender: female

appearance: petite, light skin, heterochromia eyes (blue and green), braided, black hair.

Hera is a quiet, reserved young woman whose life ended in mysterious circumstances. She does not remember how she died or does not want to tell anybody. Although she does not enjoy getting involved in politics too much, she is convinced that the best way to organize society is through clearly defined gender roles. Family is the most important thing to her and she hopes that she will be able to start one as soon as possible. Her cooking and organizing skills are unmatched, which is why she was often employed by rich nobility to host their lavish banquettes.

Vulcan

age: 46

race: human

gender: male

appearance: burly, gray hair, groomed silver beard, dark skin

A respected inventor, this reclusive self-reliant man found his end at the hand of an ambitious experiment to replicate the sun in his forge. Even though he feels more at home with his inventions than with people, he is kind and gentle despite losing his temper from time to time. Vulcan will be the main driving force behind the rapid technological advances that the Empire will go through during the game, and you will have a say in what innovations take priority.

Plutus

age: 33

race: human

gender: male

appearance: tall, thin, blond messy hair

This neurotic treasurer got on the wrong side of a knife after uncovering a circle of corrupt aristocrats who were siphoning gold out of the treasury. His obsessive compulsion to account for every penny spent makes him an excellent financial advisor for your team. His expertise will be invaluable in growing the Empire over the centuries.

Kālá

age: unknown

race: unknown

gender: unknown

appearance: short legs, wide hips, elongated torso with thin, long arms, large hands. Dark skin, black eyes, bald. Wears extravagant clothes.

Little is known about them besides their affiliation with the Barbarian hordes and unorthodox fighting style. Before the encounter with Bellona, Kala was undefeated in combat. Has the role of the main antagonist of the story.

What about romance?

Olympia/ Olympus will be the only RO with which you can have a meaningful, long-term romantic relationship. There will be the possibility of having flings with minor, episodic, one-dimensional characters, but you will not be able to be in a relationship with other main characters (but that does not mean you can’t try). As far as the attraction to Oly is concerned, you have multiple options: regular attraction, no attraction, “platonic” attraction, “asexual” attraction, too much attraction, and attraction once you get to know each other better. There will be no explicit or implicit sex scenes, there will be something much better (play the demo, and witness it for yourself because it’s a surprise).

Word count: 75.000

Demo: https://moody.ink/go/2695
Tumblr: https://quartz-tsw.tumblr.com

257 Likes

Ok, I love this :rofl: I was reading through it and had the urge to screenshot every other page because the writing is such an accurately hilarious satire of the entire Choicescript fandom like… it’s so good :')

Also… damn our MC is an absolute icon…the confidence is legendary:

Summary

33 Likes

I absolutely love this premise, and I laughed out loud several times during the demo. I think it would be a good idea if we knew a little more about what the game was about before we actually enter it. I also suggest you find a good copyeditor, since the kind of mechanics errors that people are usually willing to overlook won’t be looked upon so leniently in a story about writing.

That said, I find this story much too short. Yes, I know it’s just a demo, but I really want to form a throuple with James and Rebecca now. Also, my character died in the first chapter and I really want to know how I can prevent that. Oh, and instead of interactive fiction, can I have my character be an aspiring writer of picture books for children instead? You better say yes or you’re railroading me and you should probably just have written an actual book.

42 Likes

Fabulously meta.

This choice is a work of art:

An abstract high fantasy where you make a harem out of omnipotent, consenting snails

If I choose the snail harem, will I be getting a customizable snail RO? :thinking::joy:

32 Likes

Kinda sounds like the webnovel “Demon prince goes to the academy”. However, this looks more intersting.

7 Likes

It’s… IT’S HERE!? LET’S GOOOOOOOOO.

1 Like

Just saw this on the Interest Thread, didn’t think you’d make a demo right away.

This is really a very unique concept when it comes to IF stories, it definitely has a very silly and satirical read to it. Definitely looking forward for more and I’m hoping it doesn’t get on the cringeworthy satire path coz that would suck.

4 Likes

I will definitely do that in the prologue. It will basically be a series of seemingly disjointed worlds where you can either “fix” them or power through the challenges they pose, but I haven’t decided what all of those worlds will be. One of them will certainly be a medieval court intrigue kind of thing. There will also be a fictional famous IF author who will act as a mentor for the MC, so the game loop will be something like this:

Talk to the mentor → Enter the world → Open a portal to the real world where you can post your updated story on the forum → Get feedback → Repeat

I’m sure the story will do just fine without grammar. Determination + power of friendship > all.

You will have a side quest in one of the worlds based on your first story choice. So the answer to your question is a definite maybe!

Never heard of it, I will look into it tho.

It’s definitely going to be silly and satirical, but it will have all the core features that make a story good (character development, conflict, etc). I will do my best to avoid turning it into a superficial, surface-level parody.

16 Likes

I cant wait for more also is the mc op

2 Likes

It wont let me check my stats

1 Like

The Stats screen is empty at the moment, I will post an update shortly so the game does not crash. However, I’m still planning them atm.

Edit: Uploaded

Interesting story

1 Like

Alright, let’s check out this “roleplay as JK Rowling” game (minus the transphobia, hopefully).

Stuff

Missing capitalisation at the start, ending of third paragraph should be “being developed” (and is missing a period), and 11th paragraph is absolutely hilarious. Platonic way, indeed.

Did you copy the reviews from ACTUAL reviews? Because I’ve literally seen “This isn’t even a game; it’s a book. If I wanted to read, I would get a book, LOL. Big thumbs down.” reviews for CoG games. On Steam. Which has screenshots of the game. By the way, have I mentioned that my misanthropy is being constantly justified?

Congratulations, you have now caused me actual physical pain:

The first two options are both hilarious, and it’s unfair of you to make me pick between them.

In the last paragraph, either Rebecca should be running towards her girlfriend or wrapping her arms around his neck.

Haha, Call of Booty. That’s a porn parody already, probably.

While a 10.000 world game would be most impressive, I daresay you meant a “10,000-word game”.

Hahaha, we’re saved from Deus by Bug Ex Machina!

This is hilariously ridiculous, and I love it!

9 Likes

I almost never read WIPs these days…but this one hooked me. :slight_smile: More pls

6 Likes

Hilarious demo

2 Likes

It’s an intriguing concept, for sure! I found one grammatical error, but other than that It looks alright on that front?

“Well…” before you can answer, Rebecca runs to her boyfriend and wraps her arms around her neck.

It says boyfriend, so I think it’s supposed to be a he? Unless her boyfriends cool and awesome and goes by she/her pronouns (which would be amazing) hsnerjsmg.

Other than that, the concept is great, but the actual demo sort of falls flat? (Then again, I understand this is just an interest check thing- not as polished as you’d usually make it. I’d like to know what your main WIP is so I can see what your more polished writing style is like?)

WHOO OKAY WHY DO I SOUND SO SERIOUS SHNFUDISNOIENFI THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGH. Okay, so here are some criticisms!!:

  • Personally I don’t mind set MCs, but people might be annoyed at the railroady personality of the MC, especially considering the fact that it gets… annoying.

  • This is a bias from me, but the MC is shaping out to be my least favorite character :sob: I hate the “incompetent bumbling stupid naive” Protagonist stereotype with a passion, and this is exactly that- HOWEVER, I do get that that’s kind of The Point, so yeah ersnhueisnhuine. (It cuts especially deep considering I take writing very seriously, and am not a serious kinda guy, so seeing the MC treat it like that HURRRTSSSS)

  • You mentioned the ROs eventually being able to gain 3-dimensionality, but what about the MC? Are they always going to be ignorant of the advice they’re being given, or can they grow smarter?

  • If you do end up continuing this, you’re eventually gonna get that PersonTM thats annoyed they can’t self insert in this IF, even though clearly, that isn’t the point and the MC is supposed to be an archetype/stereotype in and of themself, so watch out for that.

9 Likes

Oh look I made a cameo

On a more serious note, satire is fun and I personally don’t mind it, I think it can be used to highlight issues/tropes in a lighthearted way. I’d be careful with poking fun at forum users and authors and people who you, I’m assuming, hope will support your game. There is a line between teasing and, well, mockery. I don’t think you’ve crossed it though.

Then again most of the story seemingly takes place inside the broken game which is also fun. I laughed when the indent error popped up (or should I say crashed down?) I’m looking forward to more of that and the cursed “variable doesn’t exist.”

15 Likes

The power of determination will hopefully get my mc through the hell they created by accident

10 Likes

This is peak concept

15 Likes

This is beautiful. I honestly can’t tell if some of the lines are references to actual reviews and comments I’ve read over the years or if you just nailed the vibe that well :joy:

10 Likes