Doppelgaenger (WIP, 42k) [Fantasy, Court Intrigue, Romance]

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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Hi everybody! I’ve been working on creating an IF for a while now, and I’m finally at a point where I’m comfortable enough to take the plunge and share it with people. Currently, it’s at about 42k words (Prologue + Ch. 1).

Synopsis

You are what’s known among your people as a seer. Born with the ability to hear the wailing of ancient souls, you move about the underground with your friend, your partner, and your soul-bound to banish them.

If you don’t answer their call, you’ll end up just like them. Angry, despaired, and clinging to things long past. Your sanity, for one.

People like you are fickle. Your soul has been whisked away into the beyond before. It’s a miracle you’re alive. People like you are rare. Sacred. Needed to keep your home safe.

So what’s going to happen if one day, the call comes from beyond the walls you know? A home with no apparent exit? If you make it outside, will you survive?

Will people try to kill you like they did with your ancestors? Will you manage to soothe the spirit that called to you, or will you go insane while trying?

Or perhaps, will it lead you through an elaborate court full of intrigue and betrayal, where you are forced to pretend to be someone you couldn’t be any more different from?

Someone who left behind a murky legacy in their death. One that you’re now tasked with solving.

Features

  • A fully customisable MC: Name, Pronouns, Gender, Sexuality, Appearance
  • A character-driven story with a cast of six romanceable characters, including two planned poly routes
  • Navigate the royal court and all of its intrigues, and solve the mystery which the strange ghost call has left in its wake
  • Your very own feline familiar
  • And a lot of optional dynamic smut scenes down the line…
Romance Options

There will be six romance options in total! Their names will be revealed once they make an appearance in-game:

The Soulbound - Páv Zdravi:
Your closest confidante, and an easily irritable man. Growing up, Páv has always been gifted when it comes to magic. He’s a lot stronger than you in that regard.

Thankfully, your close bond allows you to dip into his arcane reservoirs, so that you’re not just standing off to the side when combating vengeful spirits.

He’d like it if you were more cautious with it, though. Killjoy.

  • He/him | Bisexual | Introduced in Ch. 1

The Sovereign:
Future ruler of Chánjuān—Land of light.

They have an easy-going attitude about… Anything of importance, really. To a worrying degree. You don’t know why they’re so respected among court with an attitude like that.

It doesn’t help that they refuse to personally debrief you about the wild goose chase they’ve sent you on.

  • They/Them | Bisexual | Introduced in Ch. 3

The Court Mage:
Right hand advisor of the sovereign.

A medium—just like you, he claims—and aspiring court mage, who specialises in fortune telling and being the most vain person in the room at all times.

He’s charming, flirtatious, and frankly a little intimidating with his quick wits and forked silver tongue.

  • He/Him | Bisexual | Introduced in Ch. 3

The Royal Guard:
You didn’t expect a guard to be so easy with her smiles, nor so generous with her attention. Not just with you—with anyone.

She’s tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably capable. At times, she seems like your only ally who’s sound of mind. And her loyalty runs deep.

Maybe a little too deep.

  • She/Her | Lesbian | Introduced in Ch. 4

The Aristocrat:
A noble whose electric-blue gaze seems to pierce right through you. As if seeing beyond that puny façade you’re desperately trying to keep up.

He doesn’t have the time nor the nerve to fool around, and he makes this very clear at all times. Assertive as they come. Not just matching, but surpassing Páv’s caustic streak.

That resolve seems to falter a little around his fellow mage and royal advisor, though.

  • He/Him | Bisexual | Introduced in Ch. 4

The Severed:
You know her so very well, don’t you?

You better act like you do, and act good, you hear?

Good luck.

  • She/her | Bisexual | Introduced in Ch. 5

DEMO: (Click here!) Tumblr: (Click here!)

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my project, I hope you enjoy it! :purple_heart:

36 Likes
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Looks interesting! I haven’t read the demo yet, but I was wondering where the doppelgänger comes in? Or is it just a similarly spelled word?

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Do you mind making the links a little bigger than a x? I can’t wait to check out court intrigue.

Thank you! I kept missing the x. :face_with_spiral_eyes:

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Done! Hope this is better? :smile:

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It’ll come into focus at the end of chapter 3, that’s when the court intrigue will also set in! :blush:

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I’m assuming one poly route is the court mage and the aristocrat, is this right? And if yes, what’s the other one?

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Overall: I enjoyed how immersive the prose is. I had a craving for dreamier, more lengthy descriptions on games. Sometimes I found myself becoming lost in the descriptions, though that may be more my cold than anything.

Okay, for the black chapter heading images, if you put *text_image instead *image, the image inverts to white for nightmode users. As for now, this is what I see:

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IMG_4331960×1376 92.6 KB

Bastions like you’ve never seen before. Like even your dreams couldn’t build.

I really like this paragraph. These two sentences are slightly awkward to read. The descriptions before and after seem mysterious yet foreboding, but the comment about the dreams either shows a wry humor or a great casualness.

You often repeat the same thing four times or more. It might be helpful to vary your prose patterns.

At rapid pace. Never slowing down. It’s an urgent matter. Growing ever more urgent as you climb rooftops…

That’s where it hails from. The call. That’s where you’re headed to. / Where you must go.

You don’t think she ever did so before. Not once. Not on purpose. Why you keep trying to convince her to do the things you want is beyond you.

Her own whipping around in every direction, drinking in her strange and unfamiliar surroundings. / “Mow?” Home? “Mrrr…” No, not home. “Prr…” Unfamiliar. Very, very unfamiliar, yes.

Outside! She’s outside. On the surface. With the wind blowing through her fur. With the stars blinking down at her. Outside…?

He wanted to abandon Kapka when you came across her for the first time. Hurting, mewling, scraped up and bruised. Abused by someone else, perhaps. You’ll never know.

And more, but I’ll stop here for now.

1 Like