What's New In IF? Issue 32 (2024)

By Aj, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

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Genres: Slice-of-life, coming of age, comedy, drama, romance, parody

Status: public demo here, updated as of 11/30/24 and includes episode 1 with 17k words, outline written

Rating: 15+

Content Warnings: Violence, language, bullying, depression + depiction of other mental illnesses, manipulation, tba

Inspired by those Disney Channel movies (you know which ones) and The Parent Trap.

As a 17 (soon to be 18) year old senior, you are anxiously awaiting for the day you graduate, pack your bags, and ditch Sunnyview, the sleepy, incredibly boring, town that you have grown up in all your life. It has been your dream for as long as you can remember—sometimes you can almost taste freedom on your tongue, so close yet so far away.

But one day, all of that changes when the filming for a movie is announced near your hometown. Not only is it a Stephen Zuckerberg, but it stars the recent award-winning actor Taylor Victory. Their presence stirs great interest and excitement in your small town. You did not care much about the actor beyond your keen interest in Stephen Zuckerberg movies, or at least, you thought you did not.

Until you have a chance encounter with the one and only Taylor Victory, and you notice the eerie facial similarities you share with them. Thus, a deal is struck between you.

You will swap places with each other—Taylor will experience a normal week of high school as you, and you will live the life of an actor in their place. Plus, their offer of money doesn't quite hurt, and with it you would have enough to leave Sunnyview.

Oh, how little did you realize how much trouble you were about to get yourself into.

↬ customize your name, nickname, gender, looks, personality, etc.! however you will think of yourself as a "regular, ordinary" person living a boring life.

↬ taylor's gender, pronouns, and looks will be identical to yours (with a few modifications)!

↬ take the place of a famous teen actor and perhaps get to film a few scenes. lie, cheat, gaslight, manipulate; whatever it takes to convince others that you are who you say you are. otherwise...

↬ fall in love with your best friend, the popular kid (aka your crush), your "co-star," or no one. break or make your relationships with them.

↬ celebrate your 18th birthday as taylor and all by yourself.

↬ attend prom as yourself. or taylor? you aren't quite sure what it is yet.

Taylor Victory (gender based on MC) → The Identical Twin

The actor who became well-known for their lead role in the romcom movie Swipe Right and won a Cinny award for it. Ever since Victory entered the entertainment industry at the age of 5, they have never been able to live a "normal" life. Until, that is, they meet you. They are charming, suave, and everything that you imagine an actor to be. Especially their cockiness.

Maxie Yang (gender selectable) → The Best Friend

You have known them ever since you were in diapers; your sweet, quirky, and incredibly reliable best friend since forever. They have always cherished you and you to them, acting as your shield when you used to be heavily bullied in middle school. They have a remarkable passion for art and is a total geek for mythology. Years later, Maxie remains the same as ever, though sometimes you catch their adoring gaze at you. Do they...no, probably not.

Tropes: friends to lovers, unrequited pining (on their part)

Kelsey Lovelock (gender selectable) → The Crush

Kelsey Lovelock is one of the popular kid at school...and has also been your longtime crush since 8th grade. You don't remember when it first began, but they have always treated you nice enough even if their friends are assholes and made your life hell the years before and during. Charismatic and currently in the running nominations for Prom King/Queen. They likely do not feel anything for you considering how little you have talked to them in your final year of high school…and they are dating someone else.

Tropes: acquaintance to friends to lovers, unattainable

Peyton Ryans (gender selectable) → The Co-star

Taylor's co-star in their upcoming movie together. And for whatever reason, they seem to hate Taylor with a passion. Unfortunately, they play as the protagonist (that's Taylor)'s love interest, so you often have to make contact with them. Perhaps you could try to persuade them to see a "different" side of Taylor and change their view. It all depends on how you play the game—just hope they don’t find you out.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, coworkers

FAQ

I forgot I changed the movie name that Taylor starred in as well as giving a name to the award they won! It is now Swipe Right and they won a Cinny award for it.

As of today, the demo is finally out! You can click the link below for your convenience <3

Genres: Slice-of-life, coming of age, comedy, drama, romance, parody

Status: No public demo, outline written, release date November 2024

Rating: 15+

Content Warnings: Violence, language, bullying, depression + depiction of other mental illnesses, manipulation, tba

Inspired by those Disney Channel movies (you know which ones) and The Parent Trap.

As a 17 (soon to be 18) year old senior, you are anxiously awaiting for the day you graduate, pack your bags, and ditch Sunnyview, the sleepy, incredibly boring, town that you have grown up in all your life. It has been your dream for as long as you can remember—sometimes you can almost taste freedom on your tongue, so close yet so far away.

But one day, all of that changes when the filming for a movie is announced near your hometown. Not only is it a Stephen Zuckerberg, but it stars the recent award-winning actor Taylor Victory. Their presence stirs great interest and excitement in your small town. You did not care much about the actor beyond your keen interest in Stephen Zuckerberg movies, or at least, you thought you did not.

Until you have a chance encounter with the one and only Taylor Victory, and you notice the eerie facial similarities you share with them. Thus, a deal is struck between you.

You will swap places with each other—Taylor will experience a normal week of high school as you, and you will live the life of an actor in their place. Plus, their offer of money doesn't quite hurt, and with it you would have enough to leave Sunnyview.

Oh, how little did you realize how much trouble you were about to get yourself into.

↬ customize your name, nickname, gender, looks, personality, etc.! however you will think of yourself as a "regular, ordinary" person living a boring life.

↬ taylor's gender, pronouns, and looks will be identical to yours (with a few modifications)!

↬ take the place of a famous teen actor and perhaps get to film a few scenes. lie, cheat, gaslight, manipulate; whatever it takes to convince others that you are who you say you are. otherwise...

↬ fall in love with your best friend, the popular kid (aka your crush), your "co-star," or no one. break or make your relationships with them.

↬ celebrate your 18th birthday as taylor and all by yourself.

↬ attend prom as yourself. or taylor? you aren't quite sure what it is yet.

Taylor Victory (gender based on MC) → The Identical Twin

The actor who became well-known for their lead role in the romcom movie "High Love" and won awards for it. Ever since Victory entered the entertainment industry at the age of 5, they have never been able to live a "normal" life. Until, that is, they meet you. They are charming, suave, and everything that you imagine an actor to be. Especially their cockiness.

Maxie Yang (gender selectable) → The Best Friend

You have known them ever since you were in diapers; your sweet, quirky, and incredibly reliable best friend since forever. They have always cherished you and you to them, acting as your shield when you used to be heavily bullied in middle school. They have a remarkable passion for art and is a total geek for mythology. Years later, Maxie remains the same as ever, though sometimes you catch their adoring gaze at you. Do they...no, probably not.

Tropes: friends to lovers, unrequited pining (on their part)

Kelsey Lovelock (gender selectable) → The Crush

Kelsey Lovelock is one of the popular kid at school...and has also been your longtime crush since 8th grade. You don't remember when it first began, but they have always treated you nice enough even if their friends are assholes and made your life hell the years before and during. Charismatic and currently in the running nominations for Prom King/Queen. They likely do not feel anything for you considering how little you have talked to them in your final year of high school…and they are dating someone else.

Tropes: acquaintance to friends to lovers, unattainable

Peyton Ryans (gender selectable) → The Co-star

Taylor's co-star in their upcoming movie together. And for whatever reason, they seem to hate Taylor with a passion. Unfortunately, they play as the protagonist (that's Taylor)'s love interest, so you often have to make contact with them. Perhaps you could try to persuade them to see a "different" side of Taylor and change their view. It all depends on how you play the game—just hope they don’t find you out.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, coworkers

FAQ

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.

As a member of the all-girl k-pop group ST4RDOM, fame comes naturally to you. From the moment your first album was released, everything went your way—money, fans, tours, merch, and most importantly, your rise to stardom.

But fame comes with consequences—when does it not?—and it arrives in the form of your first world tour. After all, what is a tour without the looming threat of drama permanently disbanding the group?

All of a sudden, your life is thrown into chaos for the next four months as tension rises between another popular k-pop group, heated fights break out, "coincidental" incidents occur, and complicated feelings arise.

Will your career manage to stay afloat amidst the drama, or will it sink under the pressure?

Well, there is only one way to find out; let's see if you are still standing by the end of those eighteen weeks.

DEMO

ST4RDOM is a 17+ interactive fiction game with themes like mild alcohol, violence, language, (potential) sexual content, homophobia, sexism, and other disturbing themes. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics. It should be noted that the ones listed may not be the only warnings, and more could be added in the future.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

MC is genderlocked as female for story purposes.

• Play as a genderlocked female. You will have the ability to select your stage name as well as your personal name, appearance, and who you are attracted to (which will make a huge impact in the game; your sexuality will not be locked). You will have at least some Korean blood in you, as well.
• Discover who you are. What are your hobbies? And the bigger, lingering question: how badly do you want to be a k-pop idol?
• Manage your relationships with the members of ST4RDOM, the staff who manages your group, and the people around you. Which, to be exact, is a lot of relationships.
• Involve yourself in an exclusive relationship with one of five ROs: a member of your own group, your bodyguard, translator, the leader of a popular k-pop boy group, and an acquaintance you once thought you knew.
• Go on a world tour and visit various countries from Europe to the United States! 18 weeks. 18 cities. 16 countries. 4 months of touring. How long will you last?
• Fight for your right to remain on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard K-Pop 100.
• Get involved in rumours and scandals (with drama at almost every turn)! Or try to stay out of the headlines…keyword is try.
• why do you always feel as though you're being followed…?
• Get interviewed by the media and change how the world perceives you!
• And more!

Members of ST4RDOM

Min Eun-ji (민은지) | Sofie | She/her | 24 | Lead Vocals

Wikipedia states: "Min Eun-jin, known professionally as Sofie, is a South Korean singer. She is a member of South Korean girl group ST4RDOM."

The leader of your group; your eonni. As the eldest and the defacto leader of ST4RDOM, Sofie considers herself a mature young woman tasked with the exhausting chore of babysitting the rest of you. Well, not really. You know deep down that she is rather fond of you and your friends. Sofie is the one who gets everyone to calm down, focus, and get to the studio on time even when it seems impossible.

Jang Ha-yun (장하윤) | Vi | She/her | 21 | Main Vocals

Wikipedia states: "Jang Ha-yun, known professionally as Vi, is a South Korean singer. She is a member of South Korean girl group ST4RDOM."

Vi is the slightly troublesome, mischievous middle child in your group. Manager Hyunwoo affectionately refers to her as the troublesome thorn in his side. Even Sofie has a hard time keeping track of her. Vi is a sweet person though, as you have seen the caring side of her when she is in front of her fans and in private. As much fun as she likes to have, Vi genuinely cares for you and considers you and Nari her younger sisters.

Song Nari (송나리) | Nari | She/her | 20 | Lead Rapper | RO

Wikipedia states: "Song Nari, also known mononymously as Nari, is a South Korean singer. She is a member of South Korean girl group ST4RDOM."

Nari is the maknae of ST4RDOM, and she acts like it, too. Bubbly, cute, and everything people expect from her as the youngest, it is hard for fans not to love her. Pampered and doted on frequently, she could make anything appear adorable. It is honestly surprising how she is the lead rapper of your group; it seems to contradict her front. But when it is just the four of you, Nari drops the cutesy attitude, allowing her to express her true self.

MANAGERS OF ST4RDOM

Gok Hyun-woo (곡현우) | He/him | 41 | Manager

Kim Diana (김다이아나) | She/her | 37 | Manager

Son Seong-jin (손성진) | He/him | 34 | Manager

Hyeon Gyeong-Hui (현경희) | She/her | 30 | Manager

STAFF

Jun Chang-ho (전창호) | He/him | 25 | Bodyguard | RO

The one tasked with protecting you from fan mobs and seeing to that you aren't murdered overnight. Chang-ho is an invisible presence during your concerts, but once over he is always by your side. You do not see much of him during your time in Seoul, but once your world tour starts Chang-ho will become someone you can hardly forget. Mainly because he's always there and is such a stick in the mud.

Andy Kwon | Gender selectable | 21 | Translator | RO

The members of ST4RDOM barely know how to speak more than four languages—you included. And with the world tour coming up, it will be hard to communicate with international fans beyond using online translators. Thus why INDIGO Entertainment has hired Andy Kwon. Born and raised in Boston, Andy can speak four languages fluently (English, Korean, French, Spanish) and knows another three well enough to hold a normal conversation (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien). They seem eager to help you out and is rather interested in learning more about you.

EX-TRAINEES

Choi Seungho (최승호) | Seungho | He/him | 23 | Lead Vocals | RO

Wikipedia states: "Choi Seungho, known mononymously as Seungho, is a South Korean singer. He is a member of South Korean boy band KMonarchs."

Seungho is the face of KMonarchs, a k-pop boy band that has gained as much traction as ST4RDOM. Some would go as far as to say that KMonarchs is the male equivalent of ST4RDOM. Having released numerous albums, Seungho has received it all in stride. You were friends with him during the trainee program, and you know he has the talent and charm of a idol. You haven't talked since he was selected. It has been four years since, and Seungho has certainly changed a lot. The dating scandals speak for themselves. And as it turns out, KMonarchs will be touring Europe around the same time as you. You wonder if he still remembers you...

Gracie Liu | She/her | 22 | Model | Semi RO

Wikipedia states: "Gracie Liu is a British-Chinese model. She is one of the only British models of Chinese descent. An ex k-pop trainee from INDIGO Entertainment, Liu returned to London to continue her modeling career at the age of 20 years old."

Gracie was someone you knew during the trainee program. You became close friends as you had always admired her ability to walk on a stage with confidence and stride. When you had been selected as one of the members for ST4RDOM, Gracie suddenly turned away from you, treating you with hostility until you left. You heard she was kicked out of the program and returned to London, where she now makes a living of strutting down the walkway. Gracie has grown her hair, lost weight, and looks every bit the perfect model. She likely still hates you, but you hear she has a show coming up soon in Paris. Maybe it's time to stop by and amend what was broken.

Note that Gracie is a semi RO due to your and her respective jobs.

As the Ocean Lures Intro Post

As the Ocean Lures is an interactive novel about being a Merfolk. You will go on hunts, learn more about humans, and perhaps explore the land above.

As the Ocean Lures is a 16+ game with themes that may be triggering to audiences. This includes drowning, murder, death, body horror, dark humor towards death, potential transphobia, and the MC will exhibit sadistic traits with certain choices. This will be updated as the game goes on.

This game is loosely inspired by the Little Mermaid, and has taken inspiration from games like Beyond The Waves and Abysm's Veil. 

CHECK OUT THE DEMO HERE!

Everyone has heard of sirens. Mysterious humanlike beasts who use their powerful singing voice to lure sailors to their untimely death. However, the only thing modern mythology mistaked was the fact that sirens retained bird-like features rather than fish tails. 

You, on the other hand, are a Merfolk. As a Merfolk, you maintain most of the qualities often associated with mermaids and "sirens". With your family, you work to bring down sailors using your voice and abilities under the sea.

But do you actually want this fate? Is this what you want for the rest of your life? 

It was. 

At least, that was what you had always thought.

When you meet a captain who is dead set on showing you everything about the surface, you are quite literally pushed into a whole new world.  And you discover that perhaps the human world...is not as bad as you were told.

But now you have a dilemma. Will you question everything you know? Or will you remain a part of the ocean?

• Customize who you are as a Merfolk, from gender, pronouns, looks and personality.
• Helping your family to sink ships full of sailors (or not...)
• Watch a captain drown or save them from certain death.
• Maintain your relationships with your family—follow what you have been told your whole life or go against everything they have taught you.
• Romance one of four characters: your best merfriend, the strange siren who assists your family on their hunts, the human captain you saved(?) or that royal who seems to love spending time by the sea...or no one since being a Merfolk is already hard as it is.
• Will you live out of the sea or under the sea? The choice is yours.

Kai/Kaia (He/him or She/her): The Best Merfriend

Your best...er, merfriend. You have known them your entire life and they remain a constant in your life. K has always been interested in the surface, whether you agreed with them or not. If given an opportunity—any, really—to go on land, they would jump at the chance. Friendly and caring, K is loyal to a fault, never-ending when it comes to you and your family. But is there something underlying your friendship? Guess you'll have to find out.

Echo (They/them): The Siren

Echo is...in short terms, a mystery. They first came to your family's rescue during one of the worst hunts of your life, and has stuck around ever since.  Your mother treats them like her sixth child, though you are sure the sentiment is not reciprocated. Despite knowing Echo for almost eight months, you have yet to learn anything about them beyond their name and pronouns. It seems like they don't want to get attached to you or your family.  They are professional, keeping away from personal questions. Will you be able to break down their walls?

Louis/Eloise (He/him or She/her): The Royal

You don't know much about them, besides knowing they are the heir to the throne of Oceanic. They can sometimes be found standing by the ocean on their private beach, eyes closed as if they are in another world. They address the world with such maturity, garnering them fans across the kingdom. And it certainly helps that they are attractive. Many look forward to the day they take the throne from their father.

Anthony/Anne Maddox (He/him or She/her): The Captain

The captain who you (or someone else) saved from certain death. They once claimed mermaids existed, which brought a reputation that preceded them.  To prove it, they recruited a group of sailors to join them. The day they sailed out was the day you found them, the only survivor. A has a knack for getting into trouble, as well as a sense for adventure. Now knowing you exist, they want to show you the human world. Will you let them?

siren core lowkey creeps me out but whatevs

.. ° you don’t want to let me down, cause you don’t really feel like drowning ° .. ˖⋆࿐໋