#occultation

[without-ado]

Lunar Occultation of Venus l Roger Hyman

[quiltofstars]

The Moon occulting Saturn // Eric Smith

[meme-xx]

NO WAR

Moon and Spica, just before occultation (Aug. 10, 2024)

[galactic-writes]

Occultation Intro and Nav

You only have two things you’re supposed to do this year: graduate and keep working at the diner in the meantime. What you’re not supposed to do is find your missing classmate’s dead body and you’re definitely not supposed to discover an entire supernatural society hiding in plain sight. 

But that’s exactly what you do. 

The body isn’t the first to turn up and it won’t be the last as you’re dragged into a mystery filled with ghosts, magic, and shapeshifters. You do your best to keep yourself and your family from becoming targets, but you might be more connected to the murders than you know.

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Occultation is a supernatural/urban fantasy interactive fiction game in early development.

The project is planned to be made in Twine and published on itch.io

Character Introductions / Progress Updates / Tag Navigation

Customizable MC; customize the main character’s gender, pronouns, personality, appearance, college major, and more!

5 Romance Options; hang out with your best friend, argue with the grumpy investigator, learn more with that mysterious student, reconnect with your childhood friend, explore the city with the new tourist; become friends or romance them!

Choose your route; investigate the murders, uncover family secrets, flirt with your RO of choice, or just try to get through the semester!

Learn about the supernatural; learn alongside the MC about the supernatural world, from ghosts and magic to werewolves and mermaids.

Ash Saha - The Best Friend

Your best friend, classmate, and coworker. Neither of you can remember if you met at school or at the diner where you both work, but you’ve been inseparable ever since.

Blake Blakesley - The Private Investigator

A young PI who frequents the diner and has a bit of a grudge against you. They’re investigating some local disappearances and are very serious about their job.

Jo Fabron - The Mysterious Student

Another student you met when you stumbled upon their study spot. They’re incredibly studious—though you have no clue what their major is–and very withdrawn.

Mac Hayward - The Childhood Friend

You haven’t spoken in years, but your families knew each other so you spent a lot of time together growing up. Last you heard, they were working at their family’s auto shop.

Toks Keadee - The Tourist

An interesting customer who started coming into the diner. She travels a lot and wants to know more about the area and about you—maybe she’ll stick around for a while?

I’m Percy (he/they), the author and owner of this blog! This is a side blog, liking and following from my main @galacticdemigod​

I’m a big fan of fiction, both in traditional books and games, and I’m also quite interested in history! xx

[euphorictruths]

Occultation- Valerie Meijer

[fieriframes]

[Really crazy. The toasting of it, yet, 874 The occultation of the Twelfth Imam, or the Mahdi, that was the game changer. Graham crackers, got to have it in there.]

[audiopilot]

Chimera Stolas

I thought I’d share here some notes on the Stolas that Octavia and Blitzo created in Occultation in Chapter 13/14, since I’ve had a few people message me about it!

I had the definition of a chimera as “a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve” in mind, but also that he’s made from parts of Octavia and Blitzo like the mythical creature. Though it’s not impossible to achieve as shown in the final chapter. 

Blitzo: The bedroom scene.

Obviously that is all from him LOL. It’s Blitzo letting Stolas fully into his life as they’re in his own room in his own apartment. Blitzo is also becoming consciously aware of what Stolas’ eyes changing means (very intense emotion) so it’s full on intimacy here.

Loona is also entirely from Blitzo, though her presence represents how Octavia is starting to see her as a friend and potentional sister. That her bedroom doesn’t have the keep out sign and caution tape is his desire to have Loona accept him as her dad, and Octavia having her own room is both Blitzo making a place for her in his life and Octavia doing the same for him.

Blitzo: "Sometimes it's nice to lay down for a while." 

What this means becomes obvious in chapter 16, where “lay down” is shown as emotional intimacy. 

Octavia: "You didn't have to do this!" and “This looks wonderful, did you both enjoy making it?” 

Octavia wants to make up for pushing away Stolas, both in general but also from when she ignored him after he couldn’t remember the pool. She’s super guilty over not realizing what that forgetting meant, but also as it followed in the wake of witnessing Stella push Stolas in the garden. 

I think someone commented on how selfish she seemed in her early chapters, and of course she is, she’s a teenager lol. She’s also spoiled by Stolas and is struggling through the realization that he’s a person with faults and things she doesn’t like about him. Lastly, she wants acceptance for what she can do and who she is becoming as a person. 

I think it’s important to realize that Stella abuses Octavia as well in this story. And being exposed to domestic violence (no matter what type) is an abuse of its own. Though neither Octavia or Stolas fully view it as what it is. It’s not explicitly stated until Octavia has the realization in Chapter 15. But Octavia still hasn’t come to see how her mother treats her in a similar way, at least not yet.

Blitzo: “Do you think we should wait for them [Moxxie and Millie]?”

Blitzo is considering Stolas and Octavia as part of his family here. In Chapter 11 he genuinely thinks of Moxxie and Millie (and Loona of course) as family. So he’s wondering if he can ever have them all together in one home, but he’s not sure that’s possible so they never arrive.

Octavia: The Sea People story.

The selkie story is from Octavia's memory of Stolas telling it to her. Stolas actually embellished the sharing/caring/happy part in reality. What Mr. Butler told him had such a huge impact on him though Mr. Butler would never realize it! Except for the last part, which as Octavia said, she made up because she wants to be enough for him. 

The story itself is based on The Selkie Bride folktale.

Blitzo: “Well, it's what holds us together. Protects us from the outside. To give that up means a lot, don't you think?" 

Loona asking about the skin and Stolas answering is basically Blitzo talking to himself. It’s about how Blitzo is guarded and resistant to the idea of letting anyone in. And it’s him explaining his own interpretation of what the skin in Sea People means.

Octavia: "I might have recited it a hundred times at least!"

Stolas said this to Octavia in Chapter 3 and is pulled from her memory. It’s her recognizing the things Stolas has done for her as a father.

Octavia: "You could never tell me anything that would make me think less of you."

This is Octavia’s desire to be listened to, and again for acceptance, no matter her mistakes or the things she feels guilt over. It’s her hoping she will always be loved no matter what.

Blitzo: "Oh, are you frustrated we didn't finish, Blitzy?" and "We can lay down again soon. After all, I'm only here to assist you." 

Both Blitzo’s desire for sexual and emotional intimacy here. The “assist you�� line is what Stolas said to Blitzo from Chapter 2! It’s not only a memory, but also Blitzo poking himself a little over the concept of using Stolas, which he doesn’t start regretting until he sees/talks to kid Stolas. He realized that someone needed him and he left them. That’s why he compares him to Loona at first. I thought a lot about Stolas’ obsession of “please want me” versus Blitzo’s one of “please need me” and how that influences their view on relationships.

Octavia and Blitzo: "It will be the same for you, one day, when you love someone so much."

Octavia is interpreting why Stolas told her Sea People, and what she got out of the story from him in that it represents how Stolas’ views love. It’s also a tiny callback to Chapter 1 when Stolas told her the “proper mate one day” comment.

Blitzo because, even though he’s been in denial over it, he’s realized Stolas actually loves him after reading those notes and what he’s seen in Stolas’ head. It’s why he freaks out so much after hearing it, plus that he’s “waking up” from his and Octavia’s shared dream. It’s pretty terrifying to both be faced with what he really wants and also that none of it is real. 

Meanwhile, Octavia is never sucked into it because she’s aware of what she wants compared to Blitzo. That the dream lingers even after Blitzo “wakes up” is her holding onto it. Her watching Stolas eat is her remembering all the times they’ve shared meals together and missing that. 

Anyway, if you made it through all of this lmao, this is probably one of my favorite scenes in the story. :,)

[yuokiok]

Occultation of Venus by the moon

[prokopetz]

I understand why a lot of fantasy settings with Ambiguously Catholic organised religions go the old "the Church officially forbids magic while practising it in secret in order to monopolise its power" route, but it's almost a shame because the reality of the situation was much funnier.

Like, yes, a lot of Catholic clergy during the Middle Ages did practice magic in secret, but they weren't keeping it secret as some sort of sinister top-down conspiracy to deny magic to the Common People: they were mostly keeping it secret from their own superiors. It wasn't one of those "well, it's okay when we do it" deals: the Church very much did not want its local priests doing wizard shit. We have official records of local priests being disciplined for getting caught doing wizard shit. And the preponderance of evidence is that most of them would take their lumps, promise to stop doing wizard shit, then go right back to doing wizard shit.

It turns out that if you give a bunch of dudes education, literacy, and a lot of time on their hands, some non-zero percentage of them are going to decide to be wizards, no matter how hard you try to stop them from being wizards.

[vampiresheart]

By Hollis James Hoff

[without-ado]

Lunar occultation of Venus l Nov. 2023

l Stephen Cheatley l Chris Jones l Josh Dury

[quiltofstars]

A Martian occultation by the Moon on August 9, 2020 // Márcio Spínola

[meme-xx]

NO WAR

Moon and Antares (Sep. 21, 2023)

[galactic-writes]

Character Introductions

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Romance Options

Ash Saha - The Best Friend

Your best friend, classmate, and coworker. Neither of you can remember if you met at school or at the diner where you both work, but you’ve been inseparable ever since.

Name: Ashmit (male) / Ashmita (female) / Ash (nonbinary)

Appearance: Brown skin and deep brown downturned eyes. Thick black wavy hair. If male, hair is mid-back length and half up in a loose bun; if female, hair is shoulder-length and parted to the side; if nonbinary, hair is short and parted in the middle with curtain bangs. Wears casual sporty clothes and gold jewelry, including multiple ear piercings. 5'7.

Likes: hiking, bad ghost/monster hunting shows, chocolate ice cream

Dislikes: self-absorbed people, exams, grape-flavored things

Birthday: Dec 11

MBTI: ENFJ-T

Blake Blakesley - The Private Investigator

A young PI who frequents the diner and has a bit of a grudge against you. They’re investigating some local disappearances and are very serious about their job.

Name: Vincent (male) / V (nonbinary)

Appearance: Olive skin and deep-set amber eyes. Straight brown hair. If male, hair is in a short quiff haircut. If nonbinary, hair is in a short mullet with fade. Wears business casual or casual clothes. 5’10.

Likes: puzzles, running, Fall

Dislikes: crime dramas, perfume, spicy food

Birthday: Oct 4

MBTI: ISTJ-A

Jo Fabron - The Mysterious Student

Another student you met when you stumbled upon their study spot. They’re incredibly studious—though you have no clue what their major is–and very withdrawn.

Name: Joan

Appearance: Light, freckled skin and round gray eyes. Thick sandy blonde hair cut in a shoulder-length shag. Wears retro style ‘smart casual’ clothes. 6’0.

Likes: 90s alt-rock, summer, reading

Dislikes: social media, being alone, chalk

Birthday: Jan 24

MBTI: INTJ-A

Mac Hayward - The Childhood Friend

You haven’t spoken in years, but your families knew each other so you spent a lot of time together growing up. Last you heard, they were working at their family’s auto shop.

Name: Malachi (male) / Marcia (female)

Appearance: Light brown skin and black almond-shaped eyes. Tightly curled black hair. If male, hair is in short two-strand twists or a twist out. If female, hair is in shoulder-length flat twists or a twist out (worn in a low bun at work). Wears sturdy workwear clothing and baseball caps. 5’11.

Likes: movie nights, gardening, their family

Dislikes: sour candy, paperwork, change

Birthday: Jun 8

MBTI: ISFJ-T

Toks Keadee - The Tourist

An interesting customer who started coming into the diner. She travels a lot and wants to know more about the area and about you—maybe she’ll stick around for a while?

Name: Olatokunbo

Appearance: Dark brown skin and dark brown round eyes. Coily black hair, currently styled in medium-length goddess braids in black, dark blue, and dark red. Wears bright, colorful clothes with many beaded gemstone bracelets. 5’9.

Likes: meeting new people, fluffy animals, fireworks

Dislikes: coffee, secrets, being stuck in one place

Birthday: Feb 23

MBTI: ENFP-A