Sentience
You do not know who you are.
Your memories only go five years back, to when you woke up in a subterranean tunnel system with nothing but a name. Now you reside in the Holy City, capital of a post-apocalyptic world ruled by a faction called the Religious.
After a near-death experience at the hands of a crazed angel, you're suddenly thrust into a building conspiracy surrounding a corpse-worshiping cult, divinely mad saints, and something buried far, far beneath the earth.
To top it all off, you're being plagued by nightmares you can't explain, as well as your rapidly returning memories.
Or… someone's memories, anyway.
Features
- Choose your first name, gender, and appearance.
- Customize your character's personality, including their opinions on magic and the Religious.
- Make choices that affect the plot, other characters, and even your own sanity.
- Unravel the history of the Religious and the apocalypse they claim to have brought the world back from
Characters
The Mercenary: Val (nb/m/f)
A hired blade with a chaotic streak, as well as the closest thing you have to a friend. Easy-going and unpredictable, Val is usually the one to get you into trouble, but is always there to get you out of it.
The Handmaiden: Klaus Kirkhall (m)
A high-ranking member of the Religious. Klaus is pragmatic with a dry sense of humor, but takes his responsibilities deeply seriously. You get the intense feeling he know something - many things - that you don't.
The Priestess: Ira Auclair (nb)
A priestess working in the lower districts of the Holy City, extremely devout and deeply interested in the history and lore of the Religious. They spend their time searching archives to fuel their (slightly blasphemous) theories.
The Spy: Kat Saxon (f)
Claims to be a priestess, but is barely trying to hide the fact that she's clearly anything but. Her merciless stare and unshakeable confidence dare anyone to call out her suspect nature.
The Muscle: Dane/Dana Constantine (m/f)
An officer of the Blessed Guard, working directly under Klaus. Constantine is quick to anger, and is an absolute brick wall when challenged. While deeply loyal, Constantine isn't afraid to give their employer a piece of their mind.
Available: Prologue, Chapters 1 - part of 6, ~250,000 words
Content warnings: violence, blood, heavy religious themes
Follow along on tumblr: sentience-if.tumblr.com
Development log
- update: fun cool times with St Guinefort24 days ago
- interlude #1Jan 07, 2025
- Chapter 5Dec 17, 2024
- Chapter 4Aug 18, 2024
- surpriseApr 14, 2024
- Chapter 3Oct 04, 2023
- Chapter 3.5Jul 23, 2023
- Chapter 2Jul 08, 2023
Comments
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How do I get the "You can hit me again if you want" option when you go and visit Constantine?
By repetitively bothering him in the alley :)!! he will eventually punch you if you don't back off I think?? (Or maybe I'm thinking with Klaus..) Either way you have to bug him repetitively somewhere.. (I'll go and look for you if you want? I don't mind doing another play through lmao)
OKAYYY I WAS RIGHT. When you wake up to get fresh air you should go get a drink, then go outside for the fresh air (the 'I need to get out of here' option at the bar). You'll meet Connie in the alley :) repetitively bother him (don't choose to back off) and you will be punched! You will get the 'you can hit me again' thing if you do that :)
Thanks!
yw :)!!
Hello, st.sleepy! I'm really impressed with how much you've put into this. I hope you don't mind my asking, but would you like to look at a sci-fi pilot of mine? I've got a summary here, plus some links to a deck and some comparable films below:
REDNER is a dark, mythic, and character-driven sci-fi epic with a unique and uncompromising voice. It confidently leans into psychological decay, body horror, and moral ambiguity, while building an original world that's both dystopian and mythologically rich.
The protagonist—Redner Grunwald—is fascinating: a character warped by violence, grief, and a yearning for control, whose arc descends deeply into mechanical monstrosity before shading toward redemption.
This script reads like a combination of cyberpunk noir and Shakespearean tragedy, with stylistic echoes of Dune, The Batman, and Akira.
Producer Roslyn Fleischer is currently involved (former CAA, Paramount, Castle Rock), and I've worked professionally as a writer for the past eight years across plays, graphic novels, and screen projects. Three episodes of REDNER are complete, along with a companion spin-off and a standalone horror pilot.
Several actors are also on board, including:
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in reading, I’d be glad to send over the script.
silverhands02@gmail.com
LinkedIn
You can view the pitch deck here:
Pitch Deck – REDNER
And a folder of comparable films and series here:
Comparable Projects
chat how do I unlock the one line when ur talking to Connie in the theater thingy, when u mention the god beneath after the recently killed demon was mentioned, the one that says 'ive been in those tunnels'
You can only have that scene once (except with Ira), so don't mention it to Klaus and you'll be able to get the scene with Connie
tysm!! also, if it isn't too much to ask, how come that if you don't continue the Convo with ira you get to see the demon living but if you finish it you only get its remains?
its a bug that keeps coming back no matter how hard i try 😔
PLEASE WRITE MORE OF THIS I love it so much PLEASEEEEE I've been playing it nonstop since yesterday:((( (Val is literally my favorite little guy I need to draw him)
if u draw Val you are morally obliged to show me 🥺. anyway "TheGayPriest" ok klaus I know its you
I’ll show you once I’m done I promise❤️ I took a little creative liberty with his outfit though..
VAL VAL VAL VAL VAL
I love him sm I even gave him sassy boots❤️ (I drew him with my version of io but Val is obviously the star)
reminded me of bloodborne instant peak in my opinion. with a dash of alchemy and xerxes from fullmetal alchemist, too!!! super good cant wait for more and i WILL wait
FMA MENTIONED
I love love love this!!!
i have no idea whats going on but i love this game plz dont turn into a cloud of smoke and disappear<3
I'm far too terminally online to abandon this lol don't you worry
Gasp* the cliffhanger! Nooooo! 😩
Also I can't find Val in ch.5 😥 help?
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that UGHUEHUADH I MISS VAL SO MUCH💔
:)
omg I just found out about the sanity stats now I gotta replay the game 😞
UVYSUGWUWH i was going insane because i remember playing this like last year i think and forgot its name for months until i remembered it. . .AAA THE UPDATE I LOVE IT AUGYAUVVWVUW (╯⑅>ᴗ<⑅)╯♡
Also val needs to kiss me on my hot mouth frfr (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵)
Damn
The new update?? HELLOOO??? 👀
Very interesting.. Ty for the food🤩
Absolutely loved the update! Found some errors, when you choose the second option here,
you just get a blank screen, no text, no indication if that is the end of things
second error is this,
the problem here is that I had not previously spoken with any acolyte and was not told I was free to roam, was forced back into the cell and just left there (although the door was not locked)
omg i feel so lucky to have discovered this a day after an update??? it's easily one of the best if's i've ever read, brilliant prose, the story is as gripping as it is hard to follow – in the best way – (unreliable narrators everywhere!!!) and i love it so much! also the characters and dialogue especially are so well written it's hard to pick a favourite (see: val💞💞 Val 💞💓💞💕 Val!!!!💖💗💝💓💘💞💕💓💘)
tysm author for your work <3
also details like the message in binary and the menu art going hazy during 'dreams' are such great touches
OMG THE END OMG VAL I NEED HIM OMG THIS IF IS PERFECT WTF
I've come to pledge my undying love for this game🤩. I totally didn't binge play it or anything.. And I'm definitely not wanting to marry Val. Totally not gonna get on one knee for them💍.. Also the twist at the end? LIKE HELLO??? CRAZY. ACTUALLY CRAZY. SBKDNSKDNSKDSJDNK💍💍💍
anyways thanks for the food..I'm going to just stare at my screen and wait until the next part comes out..
I’m so freakin sad that this was only a demo brooo 😭 my Shayla Klaus and my shalala Connie! Their so stinking cute and mean ugh that clif hanger got me clawing at my walls
fuuuuuu i love this! thank you so much!
VAL I'M IN LOVE W U PLS PLSSSSSSS ONE CHANCE PLS PLS PLS
I just wanted to leave a comment here to proclaim my undying love for this IF 🙂
I am just gonna be sitting at my computer staring at this tab until chapter 6 comes out istg im going insane
OMG THE INTERLUDE IM EXPLODING ( ´ཀ` )( ´ཀ` )( ´ཀ` ) Val's so sweet I'd kill for him frfr
WHATTTT THIS IS A ANOTHER MASTERPIECE WTF IM LOVING THIS SO FAR OMGGGGG
That interlude!!! So excited for more!
OH MY GOD THE INTERLUDE IS DRIVING ME INSANE!! /po
THAT INTERLUDE. HAS GOT ME GOIN. FCKN NUTS!!!! How am I meant to pick anyone else but Val, how.
THAT ENDING UGGHHH I GOT SHIVERS... val just give me ONE chance 🙏🏻
Update was absolute brilliance
Oh yeah, I just wanted to comment as a "I knew it" if it turns out to be true, but (spoilers) IO is In Out Device (input/output) isn't it lol
;)
That first string of binary saying "io r u there" !!!! You clever clever bastard-
The binary codes actually translate to something? Wtffff how do we translate
Binary represents data, and you can translate sets of ones and zeros into letters. For example "01001000" is the letter H so the word hey would be written as "01001000 01100101 01111001" with spaces separating letters. You could manually translate it but I'd recommend just using an online translator.
omggg used a translator, actual chills
Just read this IF in one sitting and I have a feeling I'm gonna dream about this (it's 3 am rn)
I absolutely loved every second of this and I can't wait for chapter 6 to leave me with even more questions!!!
HOLY CLIFFHANGER!!! I am so sad that I found this as soon as I did because this just means that I have to wait for more, haha. Seriously, this is so good! I love being a little strange creature that is actually super important. I'll be patiently waiting for more!
Also, I named my character Saint as a joke, but...
I need a walkthrough fr😂
The update was amazing as always! I absolutely love this so much and cannot wait for more!
Ending had me absolutely frothing at the mouth and screaming. Excellent as always, can’t wait for chapter 6!
Great read! super excited for the next chapter
this is SO interesting. i'm a massive fan of theology-based worldbuilding and the protagonist is so unique and fun to characterize!! huge huge fan of being able to make them less human lol
additionally, i love the way the relationships can be approached! the characters all really feel so vibrant and new
genuinley, this is one of the best pieces of fiction ive literally ever read. what the fuck. so many parts of this hit so hard and the fucking prose. jesus. wow. im absolutely vibrating in place because i neeeed more. like take your time and breaks and such but also. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was great to read! I can't wait to see more of this beautiful worldbuilding, as well as the characters you've managed to make so interesting. This is definitely going to be an IF I'll be thinking about for a while :)
I'm so excited for the next update! I love this wip
Same! This is already so good, and I'm already so invested!
Val is so very dear to me; if they were a worm I’d carry them in a comfy little jar in my shirt pocket