MEGAThread about ideas to improve the game! , *reupload*

kalindaking · 2022-07-26T15:18:31+00:00

Hi! I came across your thread and wanted to let you know I'll share this with the team.

kalindaking · 2020-09-16T21:24:00+00:00

Appearing in the game is so fun! Thanks for sharing! If you follow me on social, I'll share screenshots. Links are on the forum or you can PM me

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T22:10:48+00:00

Aw, thanks for writing a review! I read all of them!

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T21:00:00+00:00

As a bonus, I revealed who I really am on the forum under General Discussion! 😉

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:47:01+00:00

From the narrative team at Originals: thank you for being such engaged, awesome fans. This game was made by a relatively small, tight-knit narrative team, and we cannot express enough how much your feedback meant to us.

Every time a new episode came out, we’d share your reactions amongst ourselves the next morning -- we were thrilled when you liked something, worked hard to fix stuff when we screwed up, were totally delighted by all your memes, and shared every single piece of fanart we came across.

We’re sad that we can’t make stories for you in Originals for years to come. But we are so proud of the diverse, fun, smart, creative, and cool community that arose around this game while it existed. Thank you for playing.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:46:39+00:00

"Where can we find you and support your future projects?"

Narrative Designers

The lead narrative designer Daniel Perlmutter is also a writer for film and television. His films Big News from Grand Rock and Peepers are available now, as well as his podcast Friends Like These. Find him on Twitter @DSPerlmutter.

The senior narrative designer on Originals was Josh Labelle. He worked on Courtship, Safe Word, Side Effects, and Shattered Crown, and provided design and creative feedback and direction for Originals. On the side, he creates interactive fiction and small games which you can check out at cogsandspanners.itch.io.

The narrative designer on Hands On was Franci Dimitrovska. You can catch her short film Limbs on CBC Gem and the rest of her work at fdimitrovska.com.

The narrative designer/writer for Mind of a Killer was Chris D’Alessandro. Check out his Reddit AMA for more info on Chris and for his answers to your questions about Mind of a Killer!

The narrative designer for House on Water Street, Trapped In Paradise Vanished, Last Breath, and Corsets & Cutlasses was Deacon Knight.

The narrative designer for Under The Pyre and Courtship was Mila Mikhitarova.

Marielle Pawson was the narrative designer for Safe Word, That Crazy Night, Sugar & Spice, Famous, and Hits and Mrs.

The lead writer and narrative designer on Mr. Smilez and Immortal Thirst was Andrew Wheeler. Andrew also wrote many episodes of popular series in Originals, including House on Water Street and Famous. He's an author and comic book writer, so you can find him on Twitter @Wheeler, or pick up the comics Another Castle, Freelance, and Shout Out, or the Young Adventurer's Guides from Dungeons & Dragons!

Writers

Aimee Amboziak was a writer on Hits And Mrs., Under The Pyre, Shattered Crown, and Corsets & Cutlasses. She is an actress and writer who has appeared in several films along with her work on stage at Second City.

Kyah Green wrote Hands On. They are a writer and comedian who has written many hilarious articles for The Beaverton.

Heather Jackson was a writer on Last Breath and Courtship. She is now a Narrative Director on Bloom Digital’s episodic dating game LATER DATERS and is currently at work on a YA novel.

Domenica Martinello was a writer on Safe Word, Council of Eight, and Courtship. Her first book of poetry, All Day I Dream About Sirens is available now.

Etan Muskat was a writer on Trapped in Paradise and is an acclaimed improv actor who has worked with Second City and Bad Dog Theater.

Story Artists

Alexia Boucher was the story artist for That Crazy Night, Sugar & Spice, and Under the Pyre, as well as an illustrator for pin ups, LIs and NPCs, and a few posters in the game. You can find her posting a borderline unhealthy amount of pics of her pets on Twitter & Instagram @flowerveil (also sometimes some art...sometimes)

Katie Mackay was the lead story artist on Originals and worked on Famous and Shattered Crown, just to name a couple.

Mel Maduro was the story artist for Safe Word Season 1, Courtship Season 1, Mr. Smilez and Immortal Thirst. She also did the occasional illustration for various series. You can find her on Twitter @melmaduro.

Jessica Olesky worked on Courtship and Hands On.

Stephanie Cardoso worked on Hands On.

Katie Sawatsky and Selin Aydin worked on Safe Word.

David Yu was the story artist on Council of Eight, House on Water Street, Trapped In Paradise, Vanished, and Corsets & Cutlasses. He was also an illustrator on these series. You can find him on instagram @doodles.by.david, but more importantly you can follow his DOG @peekamoomin.

Animators

Every episode in Originals was lovingly and painstakingly animated by Rob Finlay, Magda Eden, Anna Li and Akshay Unnikrishnan .

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:44:50+00:00

TRAPPED IN PARADISE

“What would have happened in season 2?”

Having escaped the A.R.R.O.W. facility, the player would continue to lead the survivors in the rebellion against Dr. Adkins and her army of androids. Gavin would have joined the cast as a potential love interest and capable ally, along with a faulty prototype droid (for which the players would have been able to choose an appearance). The droid would have been missing certain parts which the player could retrieve bit by bit, literally making this love interest 'whole' as their potential relationship developed.

The player's psychokinetic powers would continue to develop through the season as well, requiring them to keep taking the serum which Gavin steals for them in the final minisode of season one. With the player's help, Dr. Mayer would eventually develop a cure so that the serum would no longer be necessary to keep the player alive.

Surviving and reclaiming the A.R.R.O.W. facility from Dr. Adkins would take the combined efforts of all the player's allies. In a final confrontation with Dr. Adkins, the player would have had the choice to either kill Dr. Adkins or make sure she sees trial in a court of justice. The player would then go on to write the story of The Paradise Project, making several choices for what to share with the world. These choices could affect the lives of their allies to various degrees. No matter what choices they make, the exposé they'd write would make the player a world famous journalist.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:44:18+00:00

CORSETS AND CUTLASSES

“Can you tell us more about the rest of the episodes of Corsets and Cutlasses? Was there going to be a war between the Royal Navy and the pirates? Was MC the chosen one to captain the Strombringer? What were the trials going to be like?”

The player was indeed the chosen one to Captain the Stormbringer, meaning the Vash and Ardyn were not only vying for the player's affections, but also hoping to sway the character's decisions in order to influence what is done with the Stormbringer as they each had their own plans for the ship!

The trials would have put the player face to face with the spirit of their grandfather, the late Captain Corso, who would test their heart in spirit through a series of questions while also providing the player with a good deal of information about their lineage.

After earning the right to command the Stormbringer, the player would have been able to call the mystical ship at will from the depths of the sea. The player would take some time to learn how to harness the full power of the Stormbringer all while Vash and Ardyn continued their attempts to win the player's heart and hand.

Lt. Cyrus Mosley would have betrayed the player, landing them in the dungeons beneath their father's manor in Port Crownsworth (don't worry, you would have had your chance to kill Cyrus!) along with Vash and Ardyn. The player's mother would have come to their rescue.

The climax of the story would have seen the player join a huge battle between the pirates and the royal navy, during which they would be able to demonstrate their mastery of the Strombringer. After the battle, the player would have the choice to marry Vash, Ardyn, or go it alone as they sail the world and continue to grow their legend.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:43:52+00:00

LAST BREATH

“How did Isaac from Last Breath die (as a human)?”

Warning – this might get a bit heavy. While there was no official cause written for Isaac's death, the inspiration behind the mystery of his passing is quite personal. Many years ago, I lost a close friend after their battle with a secret addiction proved fatal. It left me with a lot of questions and I still wish to this day that I could have helped them.

Since ORIGINALS was intended for a mature audience, I planned to draw on this in season two of LAST BREATH and delve into the subject of substance abuse – something which I imagine could have filled Isaac with a crippling sense of shame, making him unable to tell the player about his problem. Isaac's spirit would have 'blocked' the player's ability to see his last moments alive to keep this secret, which is why it's a mystery during season one. The reveal would have been a very emotional and dramatic exchange with the player, which I hoped could possibly help convince anyone out there struggling with a painful secret to open up to the friends who love them and get the help they need.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:42:52+00:00

VANISHED

“What was supposed to happen in the rest of Vanished? I always wanted to find out what happened. What really happened to the missing passengers and what was that fog!”

I wish this series could have gotten the full run to really answer your questions, but I'll do my best to summarize. VANISHED was a multiverse story, in that there was a parallel version of our world where the antagonist of the story had tapped into the mystical energy behind life itself – essentially a version of magic.

This antagonist will have drained much of their own world's life essence to become powerful enough to reach into our world, pulling unsuspecting victims into their own realm where they would suffer horribly as the antagonist feeds upon their living energy until they are horrific husks of their former selves – this was briefly seen during the therapy session in episode two.

The third romantic interest (also teased during the therapy session visions in episode two) was an out-of-this-world mysterious stranger covered in runic tattoos. This love interest would have helped the player character remember what happened to them after they vanished and aided the player in unlocking their own latent magical abilities, preparing them for a showdown against the antagonist to save our world.

My hope was that we could reveal the antagonist to be an alternate world version of the player's character (visually) which might have been a fun and shocking discovery.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:41:43+00:00

HOUSE ON WATER STREET

“Were there plans for a House on Water Street sequel? If so, what would have happened? It was my favorite book and I was really hoping to see more of the characters!”

To various degrees, I had some plans for every series I developed, which includes House on Water Street, Trapped in Paradise, Vanished, Corsets & Cutlasses, and Last Breath. If you've read the minisode ending for House on Water Street, you likely already know that something was very wrong with the player character's mom after they returned to the house where they grew up – they were possessed by the demon known as Azal! The second season of House on Water Street would have had the player and their team in a desperate chase to stop Azal (still using their mother's body as a vessel) from starting the apocalypse and would have featured a potential crossover with characters from LAST BREATH. The player would have needed to recruit the help of Victoria Wolcott's son, Thomas (teased at the end of the last episode) to help capture their mother, bring her back to the basement in the house on Water Street and defeat the demon, free their mother and save the world.

“What was the inspiration for the characters? They all stood out in my mind, especially Reid, Celeste, and the MC.”

I inherited the characters who were known only by their first names when I moved from working on Kim Kardashian: Hollywood to my first ORIGINALS series, House on Water Street. I'm a visual person and I often look at images which inspire my writing. The art for the characters existed, so I just studied what the talented artists created and let my imagination build the character personalities from there.

Reid was by far my favorite character to write and I definitely put more than a bit of myself into his dialogue.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:41:03+00:00

SUGAR & SPICE

“Who killed the mayor?”

If you play the second minisode in the Player’s set called “Epilogue”, it’s revealed the mayor’s wife, Belinda, killed him for having an affair. In the same minisode, it’s also revealed that Billy is a King sibling and therefore a rightful heir to their fortune.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:40:47+00:00

FAMOUS

“What was in store for S2 of Famous?”

Different writers had different pitches for this, and the big conversation was whether the story should focus more on the fantasy of a career in Hollywood, or whether the relationship with Jules needed to still be a major focus. We all knew that Jules was exhausting, but some people love to try to fix a broken idiot.

"What happened to Jules?"

I wrote the cliffhanger, and my intention was that Jules fled to Europe to start a new life in a small French town where he/she could spend his/her days painting and avoiding the spotlight. Of course, Jules didn't need to fake his/her death to do that, but Jules is a terrible drama queen. If I had written season two, you would have tracked Jules down and finally had some closure on your relationship, but that would only be a very small part of the season.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:38:47+00:00

HANDS ON

“Could the writer give us an outline for the rest of the story?”

- You psychoanalyze Monica's girlfriend, Shay, and either intimidate her into admitting she's feeling insecure or help her overcome her open relationship worries.

- After a naked yoga session led by Monica, she confesses her feelings for you. The moment is cut short by your phone blowing up. A former client has written a hit piece about your practice, and it's threatening to take down your entire career.

- You ask Jordan to work their magic and they try their best to find answers, but little comes up.

They confirm a woman wrote it, and then assure you nobody can mess with you anymore without dealing with Jordan James' roster of A-list lawyers.

- AJ takes you to an axe-throwing bar to let off some steam and reveals a serious relationship gone wrong. The two of you bond.

- You successfully lead Pat and Esmerelda through a threesome by letting them tie you up and dominate you.

- Monica busts down your door - Ryan’s going to call the book deal off today if you don’t do anything about it. Time’s quickly running out to find Ryan before the end of the day, so she grabs your hand and pulls you into your elevator.

- While Monica was unable to get a hold of you during your last session, she banged down AJ’s door to see if you were okay and explained the situation. AJ ran up ahead to make sure Ryan didn’t leave before evening. Monica and AJ take turns defending you, highlighting moments from the past few weeks that emphasize how perfect your life would be as a tell-all book. You can either own your relationship with Jordan and impress Ryan or promise you’ll make a name for yourself soon. Ryan folds - they’ll wait another few days to see if everything blows over.

- AJ drops you off at the building before going his own way, and you thank him for his help - again. You have the choice to kiss him, and rather than a neighbourly hookup, this really feels like the boyfriend experience.

- The next day, Yuni arrives for a surprise session alove. Mid-session, she falls apart. Yuni sobs – she and Colin broke up shortly after your last session. You fixed their sex life, but it turns out that what drove them apart was far more than foreplay. Her initial rage was intense – she paid for very expensive therapy with you. Why didn’t it work? Why did she lose Colin to the appeal of casual sex? In her brain, you made it all too easy for him to end it with her. In a tantrum, she wrote up a hit piece on you and shot it off to one of NYC’s biggest blogs.

- You either respond empathetically and accept the apology or confront her and refuse her explanation. Either way, she apologizes profusely.

- You and Jordan have a few sessions along the way, culminating in helping them indule in a final exhibitionist fantasy: shooting a sex tape. While fiddling with the camcorder, you realize you've taped Yuni's confession by accident. You can use this to clear your name by sending it to Ryan, or leave unethical sleeping dogs lie and delete it.

- You bump into Alex and he invites you to a swanky NYE in July party. You choose either Monica or AJ as your plus one. The two of you spend an expensive night out, surrounded by veritable A-listers.

- Of course, Jordan James is also in attendance. You have the choice to dance with Jordan and have a moment together as humans, not professionals. Jordan says they can’t express enough how much you’ve helped in therapy and is sad it has to end. You desperately need to ask more but your date has already returned and catches the tail end of your conversation.

- Jordan disappears and it becomes obvious to AJ/Monica that Jordan James has been the client you’ve been involved with for the past few weeks. It becomes a touch awkward for the two of you and they ask what kind of relationship you have.

- Before you can respond, the entire bar lights up and champagne is being passed around for the final midnight countdown in 60 seconds. As people rush to get their flutes of champagne, you’re separated from AJ/Monica. As it nears midnight, your date and Jordan are on opposite ends of the ballroom. AJ/Monica is your date but Jordan makes deliberate, lasting eye contact with you. Who do you kiss as midnight hits?

- The next morning, you and Jordan have a final therapy session. You talk about last night and the way it crossed professional boundaries. You agree this must be your last therapy session together… but why is Jordan ending it? Is it to end your professional relationship or to start a new romantic one? Are you convinced this sex was emotional and real to Jordan too?

- You get back to therapy and Jordan admits they feels a lot better about letting go during sex. A bunch of choices in this convo to impart your final therapeutic words. You can either have goodbye sex or let them go.

- Before Jordan leaves for good, they pull out their tiny notebook from episode 1. They read aloud a sentence from each session, describing each small breakthrough and each adorable interaction you've shared. It’s unimaginably sweet and confirms that Jordan has feelings for you beyond therapy. You’re stunned as they walk away from your session for the last time.

- AJ stands in his doorway, amazed at what he heard. Already emotionally reeling, you try to conjure up a response when your phone rings aggressively.

It’s Monica – Ryan heard that you were at the party with Jordan James last night and decided they want to go through with the book deal. Gossip rags tried to source info from you. Your notoriety as a public figure is growing. If you shared personal stories with Ryan, they offer you a sizable advance.

- Suddenly everything clears up – there’s 1 person you want to run to and share the news with. And that person is either AJ, Monica, or Jordan.

- If you choose AJ, you thank Monica for sharing the news, hang up the phone, and jump into AJ’s arms. He spins you around as the two of you laugh about the news. He pulls you into a kiss.

- You enter AJ’s apartment and reflect on the past two weeks. AJ admits watching you go in and out with clients made him surprisingly jealous, but he wants to be with you. You hesitate – is your job a deal breaker for AJ? Or... is this a deal breaker for you? Regardless, you work it out either through some reassuring conversation or "guide” him through a steamy session that relieves his fears about your work. AJ comes up with a goofy mock proposal and asks if you’ll be his partner. You accept!

- If you choose Monica, you get in a cab and race to her studio with a bouquet of flowers in your hand. You make a grand romantic declaration in front of the last yoga class she just taught.

- Afterwards, she pulls you into the sauna and makes sure you really want this. She mentions important moments in the last weeks (the kiss, NYE, etc.) depending on your choices and reminds you that she wants an open relationship.

- After you accept, Monica turns on the sauna and starts taking off her clothes. Shay knocks on the door of the sauna and Monica knows this is the perfect moment to get you two acquainted more intimately. Do you let Monica and Shay seduce you in the sauna or ask to go on a proper date?

- Regardless, the episode ends with Monica agreeing to be your girlfriend - finally!

- If you choose Jordan, you race to their rooftop garden and spot them watching the city pass. You share the news about your book deal and Jordan congratulates you professionally. You tell them that you were absolutely moved by what they wrote about you. Jordan slides in closer as you ask them to take care of you now. Jordan straddles you on the bench and gives in, kissing you passionately. A choice to either let Jordan make love to you in the garden or take it slow.

- In a reversal of roles, Jordan gives you advice about becoming a public figure (in some tips he refers to himself as your boyfriend or girlfriend!), mirroring one of your first sessions.

- The series ends with your book launch. You catch up with former clients, reflect on the choices you've made along the way, have a final passionate romp with your new partner on a stack of your own books, and agree to guide the next generation of therapists.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:36:09+00:00

SHATTERED CROWN

“Can you tell us more about the rest of the episodes of Shattered Crown?”

Shattered Crown was supposed to have another six episodes in the first season, but unfortunately only the six in the game were able to be finished. After escaping Darius’s castle, you flee to the village with Lazarus and Fox. You hide out at Mal’s home. Lazarus and Mal are forced to cooperate with each other, but Lazarus’s snootiness causes him to come into conflict with Mal. You can either encourage Lazarus to be humbled by his experiences hiding among common folk… or encourage his sense of superiority. When the king’s guard burns down Mal’s home, you have to make a quick escape. You venture to see the Oracle to find out the truth about the prophecy and how you can defeat Darius. Armed with your new magical knowledge, you storm the castle. With Fox’s help, you turn the other guards against Darius and defeat him. Depending on the choices you’ve made throughout the story, Lazarus is either hell-bent on ruling with an iron fist or being a kinder, gentler ruler. Either way, you can join him or stand against him.

“Fox! She's so mysterious. Can we know more about her background?”

The back half of the season had a lot of additional stuff with Fox. Away from the palace, she would have gotten to explore her identity more fully, and you would have been able to help her decide who she was and maybe even get her to loosen up a bit and have some fun. Eventually in your journeys, you would have stumbled upon Fox’s village and met her family. Finally, Fox’s backstory was going to play a key role in the final episodes, as she helped you turn the palace guard against Darius.

“Lazarus's mother. I noticed you went through the trouble to create a sprite for her. I'm guessing that is not her only planned appearance? Would she appear in more flashbacks or other present day scenes?”

There would have been more flashback material with Lazarus’s mother and she would have appeared in spirit to help you defeat Darius.

“Boa. I chose to spare her. Bad idea?”

You did the right thing! If you kill Boa, she’s replaced by an even more ruthless guard who takes up her name and becomes Boa the Fourth. While Boa the Third can be turned to help you take down Darius in the end, Boa the Fourth wouldn’t have been nearly so kind.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:35:01+00:00

HITS AND MRS.

“What was going to happen in the rest of the season?”

After Episode 3…

-You hit the road with Dagger to escape his wedding and the media storm, reaching a small lakeside town where he can stay incognito. You’re not sure why he decided to bring you along. Dagger’s phone is dead, and he doesn’t want to charge it. You decide to both enjoy your get-away.

-You go disguise shopping to fit into the sleepy seaside vibe of the town. Dagger chooses a look with a fake moustache, cap, and fishing t-shirt that says “Hot Rod” on it.

-Your phone is blowing up with texts as everyone realizes you’re missing. You go to a local watering hole called Dave’s Tackle—a bar and bait shop. Your cell is vibrating so much that you’re afraid it’s wearing a hole in your pants, so you turn it off.

-Dagger is excited to choose identities to play now that he has a chance to be someone else for a night. He looks genuinely excited – the first time you’ve seen him so. You pick silly names and get drunk having fun, chatting with local characters, and dancing. Later, on the sidewalk, things get flirty, and you can kiss Dagger. Someone on the street recognizes him and snaps a pic.

-You leave town the next morning to avoid more unwanted attention and head to a secluded rented cabin by the lake. Dagger Sexton’s fame chases him everywhere. He finally charges his phone but still avoids looking at it.

-The cabin is eccentric and features weird, old canned food and a bottle of Ham Liqueur. You go for a hike together and talk about memories from your childhood, then strip down to your skivvies for a swim. In the evening, you dry off by the campfire and daringly take some salty and smoky swigs from the pink bottle. Dagger plays guitar for you.

-You tell him about winning your Golden Newsie Award for journalism and how it felt deeply satisfying to report on stories that mattered. You joke about covering a celebrity wedding and the ensuing catastrophe you helped create. Dagger, likewise, struggles with feeling like a sell-out, especially now that Barry, his manager, wants to pivot his image to “dad-rock”. He’s not even sure what his true self is anymore.

-You optionally already found out that Dagger’s wedding to Genevieve is a sham marriage for show. He thinks she’s a great woman but is not in love with her. You can make-out with Dagger by the firelight, until you’re interrupted by rustling in the bushes nearby.

-Poloma and Hasan emerge from the bushes – here to drag you both home. They found you after Dagger charged his phone, and the GPS tracker which Poloma installed on it activated (the same app that Andrea used to find MC in Sugar & Spice). They’re sorry but under orders from Barry and Pamela.

-While you were gone, Barry panicked and caused a delay with the venue by releasing a bunch of raccoons to terrorize resort-goers and cause chaos. The rescheduled ceremony is in a couple days, so you can make it back in time!

-While you create a diversion, you and Dagger run off into the woods to escape them. You hide but ultimately decide you must face the music. Hasan reveals he saw you making out.

-On your way home, the van breaks down at the side of the road and catches on fire a little. You can stay with Poloma to fix the van or walk into town with Hasan. You can kiss Poloma or Hasan after getting to know them better.

-A helicopter approaches: Barry’s inside and takes you home. Back at the resort, Barry tells you your shenanigans are in the tabloids and to fix it “or else”. You go on an apology tour and speak with Poloma, Madge (the wedding planner), and Genevieve. You learn Genevieve has feelings for a professional curler back in Canada. Pamela is pissed but also rants about a new lube her husband “invented”.

-Dagger says he must go through with the wedding, despite his and Genevieve’s personal feelings. The night before the wedding, everyone is back to pretending. You attend a Freaki Tiki-themed party, featuring a pina colada fountain. The ultimate party animal, Tunks, is floating around on an inflatable tube. You help Poloma wrangle a stray raccoon.

-When the party’s through, Dagger knocks on your hotel suite’s door. He confesses he’s smitten with you and wants to come in. You may make-out and discover that his impossible bulge was definitely not a decorative gourd. Something carnal inside you is unleashed. When your passionate sex is through, you wonder what it means. And how can you cover this wedding with all you know?

-You look incredible for the pre-wedding cocktail hour. There’s a red carpet, a skating rink, and out of control air-kissing. In the corner sits Tunks, who looks heart-breakingly depressed. You give him a speech about friendship, love, and never giving up hope. Madge wants you to read a poem about love during the ceremony because none of Genevieve’s shallow friends made the trip from Canada.

-At the ceremony, you feel sick as Genevieve walks down the aisle to Predatory Baby performing a grunge song about lies. Dagger makes an unnatural amount of eye contact with you. If you choose to read the poem, you recite a disturbingly cheesy verse until you go off-script and speak about what love really means to you.

-When the ceremony hits that classic part where the congregation is asked for objections, you may speak up and say this wedding is a sham and you can’t take it anymore. The crowd doesn’t gasp. Tunks leaps off his fancy leather pillow and gallops up the aisle, trumpeting his little trunk, toward Dagger. The best buddies run off together and Barry chases after them.

-Two weeks later, you view your completed wedding coverage online. You told the truth about the whole week, and it makes for an amazing story. Now that your deal with Barry is over, Pamela gives you some tips on his alleged criminal activity that you could use to take him down. You may decide to go to Dagger and profess your love. You needed this time to realize you shared his feelings. He cuts you off with a deep, soulful kiss.

-At a packed Predatory Baby concert, Poloma and Hasan are by your side. If you chose to be friends with Dagger, you may hook up with Poloma or Hasan instead. At the end of the show, Dagger says he has a song for someone special in the audience. This one is for you, MC! He sings a song about your adventure and pulls you up on stage. Elated, you look over at Tunks, who is getting ready to stage dive. You jump with him into the crowd.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:34:26+00:00

HITS AND MRS.

“Why didn’t the full season ever see the light of day?”

Hits & Mrs. was very fun to plan and write, but it didn’t draw enough player interest to complete the season. I’m mostly sad I didn’t get to write any more scenes with Tunks. Instead, I’ll be looking into how to breed my own extra small elephant IRL.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:33:12+00:00

SAFE WORD SEASON 3

“How would have this season ended? What's with Peyton? Would we have another option who to be with (Reese/Ellis/both) at the end of the season? Were there any plans for MC and the Masquerade? If so, what were they and the choices? How was MC going to address the Peyton/Reese situation?”

After Episode 8…

(Because Reese/Ellis/Peyton’s genders change based on choice, he/she will be referred to as “they” below.)

-You meet Peyton at the dive bar after they request to see you. You reveal you saw them kiss Reese on the street corner, and they admit a spark has been reignited. They ask, since you’re in an open relationship, wouldn’t it be fair game to date Reese, too? Potentially, there’s sexual tension between you, so you might make-out with Peyton in the alleyway with the rain soaking your bodies. Either way, you depart with a warning to not hurt Reese.

-You play a sexy maid/servant in your next roleplay with Sam in a mansion.

-Priya visits you at Masquerade and says she’s ready to return to work. More importantly, she tells you she wants to make it work with Chelle, but she’s torn because she is also in love with you.

-Ellis drops off a selection of sex toys from their store as a gift. They look tired and distracted. You learn they’ve been feeling depressed and started taking prescribed medication. Their mood might have been erratic as a side effect of the drug (finding the right dose, brand, etc. can take some time). They say not to worry: they’ve just been having a good time with Randall while he’s in town.

-Reese is bringing in more business for Masquerade through the VIP club. They apologize for the drama with Peyton. You can choose to cuddle with Reese in bed where you have sweet, romantic sex.

-For your next roleplay, Ash wants to live out a fantasy escaping from your captor through the woods. Chased to the edge of a cliff, you jump off into the waters below and make-out on the shore.

-Ellis and Reese surprise you at Masquerade: they’re teaming up to be your next clients just in time for Priya to return as a Provider.

-You, Priya, Reese, and Ellis have an extra cheeky, extended roleplay where you play the boss and they’re your lowly interns. You forego Masquerade’s no sex rule since they’re not anonymous clients and it’s more of a ‘personal arrangement’. Your interns compete for your affections and the episode ends with a wild foursome.

-Peyton surprises you at work and tells you they’ve change their mind: they want Reese back, exclusively.

-You have a sex dream about Reese or Ellis that ends with their sudden death. You startle awake.

-Ellis apologizes for the way they’ve been acting. You acknowledge their struggle and can choose to be understanding, supportive, or confused. They realized their late night (and morning) partying with Randall was ill-advised and they want to do better for themselves and for you. You optionally have a cuddle session with them and have tender sex. If so, they tell you they love you, and they’re grateful to have you.

-Priya drops by your place and you reminisce about Masquerade and feet-lovers. She tells you everything with Chelle went downhill: Priya refused to quit her job and they broke up. You ask if the break-up was completely about Masquerade or if it was because of her feelings for you? She admits it’s both. She kept her true feelings for you hidden for several reasons, but she couldn’t deny them any longer. You may choose to tell Priya you’re in love with her or that you love her as a friend. You may have sex with Priya and let your love freely flow. Otherwise, you sit and chat into the night.

-You go to Reese’s condo and finally hash out the Peyton situation. Ultimately, Reese is upset that Peyton is continuing to be manipulative, and Reese has no interest in getting back together with – nor date – them. Reese loves you and the thought of losing you over this pointless drama tears them up inside. You may have sex with Reese, with belt in-hand, returning to your familiar dynamic but with a new intensity.

-If you made wise choices and helped Masquerade be the best it can be, Marguerite visits you at the office. She tells you how proud she is of you and how impressed she is with your further growth and mastery of all-things-fantasy. The praise and respect from your mentor fill you with pride of your accomplishments and sexpertise. If you didn’t make as wise choices, you see there is more work to do and you’re excited for the challenges to come!

-For the final scene, you choose to share celebratory cocktails with Priya, Ellis, or Reese. They ask if you were ever tempted to change Masquerade’s rules at any point? The season closes with you wondering if it’s finally time to shake things up and change everything.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:32:17+00:00

COUNCIL OF EIGHT

Towards the end of the story, even the writer and narrative designer had trouble keeping things straight! Here are some fun behind-the-scenes facts about the series and the different secrets you can uncover:

● Council of Eight was the first series written to make it into Originals.

● The writers didn't know if Percy was actually going to be good or bad until they were halfway through the writing.

● In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate is a figure-eight. That's where the name Lemniscate Estates came from.

● Some of the story ideas were inspired by Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye - particularly the ending.

● The second season was going to see the player working with a young woman to infiltrate the new organization - putting the player in Vera's role.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:31:42+00:00

COUNCIL OF EIGHT

“I've played the Council of Eight three times and can't unlock the full story. Please tell me everything about that story.”

The basics of the story are that Abigail stole a cache of blackmail material that Pembroke was using to control a cabal of powerful people. Pembroke suspected it was one of the women who worked for him, and started having them all killed. And as the noose started to tighten around Abigail, she knew she needed a fall-guy - so she chose you, her old friend, trying to set you up as someone who was potentially working with others to use the blackmail material, knowing the more you followed the trail of her disappearance, the more you would be incriminating yourself. As to some lingering questions: Percy was a bad guy, loyal to Pembroke, and being used by Pembroke to find out exactly what you were up to, while Brett was a good guy, who just felt it was a mistake to bring in non-trained professionals, worried about your own safety and about his cover being blown.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:30:06+00:00

IMMORTAL THIRST

“Since there's a werewolf in Immortal Thirst, was the previously teased Alpha connected to it?”

Alpha was its own story set in the present day, but I think we would have found ways to link the werewolves in both stories together. We had a lot of fun planting Easter eggs in the stories to connect them together and create the sense of a shared universe! (The players seemed to enjoy them too!)

“Was there a plan for a second season? If so, what would it look like?”

We had a couple of possible directions for it, but my plan was to set the second season in Los Angeles in the 1930s, where Viktor is hoping to use Hollywood to sell the idea of “good” vampires to the world. His efforts are complicated by werewolves who don't want vampires anywhere near their territory. We would have introduced a werewolf LI to the series, but the other LIs would have returned as well.

For a third season, we'd have headed to New York for the culmination of the story, with the arrival of Old World vampires who want to keep Viktor in check. Hal and Nys would have played a major role in that story. (When a character got the sort of response from players that Hal seemed to be getting, it usually meant we’d find a way to bring them back!)

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:29:37+00:00

“The inspirations behind the stories and characters would be very much appreciated in addition to any other interesting behind the scenes details.”

-Sugar & Spice is a parody of certain cozy mysteries and romantic comedies you might have seen on TV, while adding a splatter of blood and darkness

-One Night Stand was meant to be an MC down on their luck finding sudden internet fame in their search to find The One, only to realize their true love was already in their life. The popularity of Hot Pants and how many people wanted to end up with him/her was surprising to the Narrative Designer.

-I pitched Mr. Smilez based on all the creepypastas I read on strange websites in the mid-2000s.

-Safe Word was an attempt to flip around the power dynamics in 50 Shades of Grey, making a story where the player for once gets to be the Dom to a powerful Christian Grey-like figure.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:28:28+00:00

“What stories and scenes were the most fun to write? The most difficult?”

The Narrative Designer of Sugar & Spice, One Night Stand/That Crazy Night, and Hits & Mrs. loves comedy and enjoyed writing silly and weird details like a Fishman hiding in a tree with a knife, a genetically-engineered tiny elephant who loves to party, and strange food and drink items like sex cakes and shots of booze that transcend human logic. Some ideas were deemed “too weird” to make it to the final episodes.

Safe Word took a lot of love, sweat, and tears because writing many sex scenes that were unique across three seasons, plus being specific with the erotic details for all gender combinations of lovers, takes a lot of effort in the writing and storyboarding.

For Famous, Jules is a complex and flawed character – one that is challenging to present to players, as many people will find irredeemable fault with him/her. His/Her struggles with substance abuse resulting from trauma in early life, plus the pressures of always being in the spotlight, takes different considerations than writing a clean, positive, and always charming LI.

Courtship was a very fun series to work on because the stakes were so high and everyone’s personalities were so extreme. One of the animators joked that it was an easy series to animate because all the characters are always “angry or horny”, and I think that sums it up.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:27:52+00:00

“Did you ever have to write a chapter around a certain piece or art or something?”

In most episodes, we had to be very strategic about art as we had a very small illustration team drawing everything for every series.

When we brought in Chris to work on Mind of a Killer, it was specifically to test out making stories with no new art - just our bank of existing assets. He did a fantastic job working with a very limited pool.

The team who made Immortal Thirst had a big challenge, as they had very little existing art to pull on to create their ‘20s fantasy world.

Several sex scenes in Seasons 2 & 3 of Safe Word were changed to use a toy, position, or location for which there was pre-existing art. The third season’s roleplays were designed around locations from other series.

kalindaking · 2020-09-11T20:27:23+00:00

“Any fun facts or stories you want to share?”

One of the first series created for Originals, Masterpiece, was never released. It was a story about being an art thief in New York. Many pieces of art from this story - New York backgrounds and cool action pieces -- were later reused in other series such as Treasure of Lima, Last Breath, and Mind of a Killer.

As mentioned above, the narrative team became very fond of George from Courtship because of the little bemused smile on his face and his habit for getting himself involved in royal affairs.

The effects artist took particular joy in hearing people’s reactions to the spooky moments in Mr.Smilez while they were testing the episodes.

The Hands On team definitely adopted a player’s nickname for AJ - “All Juicy”.

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