A shared beginning gives two players a common past and a reason to talk about their choices. Forked Lives invitations work through a link or the QR code on a keepsake card. You do not have to be online together or send anyone your private journal.
Choose a daily beginning or a completed life
Use “Today’s shared beginning” on the home page when you want a new origin to try together. The daily origin follows the UTC date and is the same across interface languages.
To invite a friend into a story you have already lived, finish a life and choose “Share this life”. The panel previews a keepsake card and offers a copyable invitation, PNG download and the system share menu where supported.
Send the invitation or keepsake yourself
Copy the link and paste it into the messaging app you use. Alternatively, send the PNG so your friend can scan its QR code. The website never posts to a social account on your behalf.
The QR code opens a playable invitation rather than just a picture. You can also keep the downloaded card privately without sharing it.
Make your choices and compare the endings
The recipient previews the shared origin, selects their own playback pacing and begins. The invitation fixes the simulated identity, birthplace and family; later decisions belong to each player.
After finishing, the recipient can compare their outcome with the inviter’s summary and send a new ending back. An outcome summary is not a full replay or a server-verified competitive score.
Know what an invitation contains
The invitation holds a simulated seed, date, origin draw and optional outcome numbers. It does not contain life notes, an epitaph, a real birthplace or the complete JSON save. The QR code and copied link carry the same invitation.
Each player’s records stay in their own browser. Sending an invitation does not open your local memorials to a friend or synchronize both journals to a cloud account.
Use a branch for a different question
A challenge shares a birth origin between people. A branch returns to a saved important decision in one person’s recorded history. Use a challenge to ask what each of you would choose; use a branch to try a different answer at a particular turning point.
These features offer a common reference for discussing stories. Their simplified results do not measure the worth of real people or imply that real-world opportunities are equal.