call me mae (she/her) and i like writing about alternate universes. this is currently the devblog for THE DECOY: a dark fantasy interactive fiction game.
It occurs to you just then, the true depth of your helplessness: you've been taken to another universe, alone with no way home, you're stuck prisoner, your phone has no signal...and they don't even know what Wi-Fi is.
Yeah. You're screwed.
DEMO (3/04/2023) ♔ FORUM POST ♔ ARTBREEDERS
♔ The Decoy is a dark fantasy that follows you, a 21st century normal human, kidnapped to an alternate magical universe to play the part of the missing heir to a powerful throne...who also happens to be your doppelgänger. ♔
Life, for the most part, has been all-around uneventful. You work in Manhattan at a convenience store under a sleazy boss in order to scrape by and support your struggling family. Your dad is absent, your mom is too tired to parent, one brother is getting arrested while the other has detached himself from the life he once had. Still, while your days as a twenty-something employee are mundane, at least they're predictable.
Meanwhile, in another realm, the magical dark world of Eterna is in ruin. A war against an entity and his bloodthirsty creatures is brewing, and after the powerful royal family is viciously murdered and the only living child--and now rightful owner of the throne--goes missing, that evil is one step closer to winning.
But of course, that's not your problem. That's in a whole other universe, one you don't even know exists. Your biggest worry is whether you'll be able to take on a double shift tomorrow. Right?
Wrong.
Turns out the missing heir is your doppelganger. In a desperate attempt to save face and stop from losing a war before it even starts, you're kidnapped and taken to Eterna in order to play the part of the monarch, all while working behind the (bloody) scenes to find the true heir and get home.
Stuck in a world of magic and fantasy you've only ever seen in movies, an entire country--and an impending war-- is now dependent on how well you can act.
No pressure.
The Decoy is rated 18+ for dark themes, violence, and explicit content.
FEATURES
Customize your MC from gender identity, pronouns, personality, and appearance.
Choose whether to adapt to this new world or reject it, whether to be defiant or not. Pick what kind of monarch you'll lead as and take full advantage of your new royal identity.
Build yourself up in this new world, focus on honing combat or knowledge of the realm, choose a preferred choice of weapon and more.
Romance one of eight ROs (two male, two female, one nonbinary, three gender selectable) with a variety of backgrounds and magical types. Some more dangerous than others.
Maybe teach your new makeshift gang what television is? Hopefully find some signal for your phone? (not going to happen).
CHARACTERS + ROs
SERIDA/SOREN/SAHAR CRETILLON (m/f/nb , identity dependent on player choice ): the successor to the throne and only living person left in the Cretillon line, S has gone missing not long after the slaughter that murdered their entire family. People have been waiting for them to be coronated in order to plan their next move, but they're now gone without a trace and without them and the power that binds them together, Eterna is vulnerable. That's where you come in.
AZRIEL DAMARIS [RO] (m, he/him): once S's primary royal guard, Azriel has been promoted as the general of the Eternan army and head of the operation to save S. Stiff, serious, and severe, Azriel is tasked with being guard and guiding you through the world of politics and royalty. Unfortunately, Azriel doesn't want you here and he doesn't do much to hide it.
NAMARA AL-LUVEN: [RO] (f, she/her) Azriel's second, Namara is a fierce warrior and loyal to the cause. She's quite difficult to read, distant considering who you are.
DRENWIN SILVA: [RO](m, he/him): a skilled Mage and jester, Drenwin works alongside the Eternan army and puts his skills to work. He seems to be the most approachable of the bunch, which isn't saying much.
VALE: [RO](nb, they/them) the boisterous, flirtatious and arrogant mercenary turned pirate captain of The Lady Mystica. Vale exists simply to make and spend as much coin as possible while engaging in their harem and abundance of bad habits.
CERIS BESILLE [RO] (selectable, she/her, he/him, they/them): a priest-in-training, Ceris is fiercely devoted to their beliefs. Reserved and easily scandalized, they haven't left their quarters in the church since they were twelve, contributing to their lack of outside experience and rather insular outlook on the world.
TALEEA FAREWYN [RO] - (she/her) A half-fae Healer, Taleea follows alongside you as your right hand. She seems to be the only one empathetic to your circumstances, but it's hard to trust anyone in this world, especially someone who is so keen on being...nice.
ARWEN/ARYA VALARIN: [RO] (selectable, she/her, he/him): A Valarin is S's childhood friend and their arranged betrothed. A has been S's other half since they were kids, which means you need to be extra careful around them. They have no idea you're not S and judging from your orders, it's better they never find out.
????? [RO?] (gender selectable) -- They are actively hunting you.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Does Mc get to spend more time with their siblings, in the new rewrite?
That was my plan at first but it's hard to fit that in a way that still keeps the prologue's pace. I ended up going back to edit the rewrite and the chapters another time (which is why I've stayed offline sorry I am slow!) and I thought flashbacks would serve that purpose to help connect readers with MC's siblings. :]
Welcome back Mae! I still adore this story and the whole concept. I hope the rewrite hasn't been too taxing. I'm excited tho.. hopefully I'll experience less rage during the new demo 👀🙈
Thank you! The rewrite was quite fun actually. I'm in the editing stages and I'm really happy with how it's turning out! And yes you will I promise. Or at least hopefully!
thank you, so glad to be back! i've been working work on the rewrite silently so for me it feels like I never left! hopefully everyone likes the changes I've made! I've taken what everyone said into consideration and I think the story I've rewritten is much better for it!!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Honestly, I'm so glad the characters will soften their approach if nothing else toward MC because the whole time they were being dicks, I was like "Cool, now I am sinking this whole ship with all of us in it! 👍 Fuck you." Like, "The Lion, The Witch, And The Audacity Of This Bitch", you know?
Do they not have something like "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" at where they live or something, for the love of God? SMH.
I laughed at this hahah I think my preference for stories in which they all slowly warm up to each other colored my view on the cast. There will be BIG changes but I hope people like them anyway :)
Hi Mae.. I read your response to someone in the comments and my dumbass.. took it completely wrong. You mentioned you were doing a rewrite because of all the hostility and aggression. And I was like why would people be aggressive towards a demo??!!... like a dumbass yeah lol
After reading it and seething and ranting to my husband about how you are such a good writer because I've never been more pissed in my life at a bunch of characters in my life and how my poor MC has such a hard life already and how his poor baby brother is probably distraught. I realized... oooooh you meant the characters 🤦🏻♀️
In my anger I managed to lose the fact that my anger was the answer for your rewrite. Lmao I just thought you wanted me to hate everyone! You honestly had me wanting to throw my phone because of the audacity. I was trying to imagine how the hell I was supposed to find a LI in the bunch of assholes I encountered. The only decent person was the damn healer. Honestly sorry. I don't mean any of this as criticism. I loved the demo. I couldn't wait for more. I honestly just thought you put so much emotion in the writing that the characters really just were convincing villains. You are a phenomenal writer.
I can see why you would want to rewrite that tho.. seeing as well we have to actually connect with these people to the point of wanting to help them/ care alil or even romance them and they all made that incredibly difficult to even like them 🤣
That's the biggest change! They were supposed to come off as untrustworthy and off-putting but everyone assumed they were villains!!!!! 🤣 It will be much different in the rewrite. Being mean to MC when you're asking them to give up their life to help you does make them come off as bumbling idiots.
This is very sweet, anyhow. I'm glad you liked it anyway and I'm flattered you like my writing!
Hey everyone! It's Mae! Last time I posted I said I was doing a rewrite and I still am! It ended up being a much bigger rewrite than I anticipated.
The plot remains the same but the writing and characters have changed. Their appearances have changed and some of their plot lines. It's completely different.
I think Azriel is the only character who still keeps his original personality, but his appearance has changed.
I came just to see if that's okay with everyone! I think the Decoy will not look very different with the rewrite but it will look different. I still love the plot and want to keep working on it.
I've taken into account the biggest concerns and have looked over the suggestions.
I might take down the demo and just change the theme and everything to start fresh. Turning over a new leaf.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Hi, are you alright? It's been a while — the demo intro post hit 1k notes recently!! Let out an audible gasp when I saw it. Wherever you are now, I hope you're doing good. 🤺🩵
I'm still here! I've actually been working on a rewrite. I read the demo back and sort of hated how hostile everyone was and realized it could be so much better. AH. IT'S STILL A THING THAT'S HAPPENING.
Hey is the Tumblr link on the forum post correct? I click on it and it takes me to a page dedicated to the last of us. I only got here from another blog
That's....weird? I have no idea how that happened. I haven't touched the forum in ages. I'll check it out, thanks!
the way im now unbelievably attached to the "sour straws" Azzy tried like, just imagining it being a recurring argument between MC and them like "Well, of course, you thought they were gross! You chose the gross flavor, what did you expect!!" and i dont know if itd be funnier if, once theyre back, Azzy just goes like ".........Fuck, MC was right, these ones are actually good" and maybe getting obsessed with them afterall or if Azzy just goes "fuCK YOU, THESE ARE ALSO GROSS, I CANT BELIEVE YOUVE BEEN WILLING TO DIE ON THIS HILL FOR THIS SHITTY CANDY THAT IS **ALSO** JUST AS GROSS AS THE FIRST FLAVOR" like, regardless of romance or not, just them fighting about this gives me joy lmao and no pressure, for obvious reasons, but thats gonna get to into a bursts of giggles on/off for at least a week lmao rip thanks so much for the funny jokes and cool demo ♡
Azriel choosing the worst thing to try as their first MC-world food to try....over processed sour straws. WORST first impression lmfao.
And the idea of that is so fun! It will definitely be brought up again, especially when MC has to try Eternan food!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Apartment 502 is a 18+ slice-of-life romantic drama inspired by shows like New Girl and Friends.
Content warnings include: explicit language, sexual themes, substance use, violence.
Moving from your small home town to New York City was supposed to be a dream. You were supposed to start your new life with your long-distance partner and dive headfirst into full-on adulthood. Everything was supposed to be perfect. How can you not love being in your mid-twenties in the Big Apple?
That is until your put-together, white collar partner dumps you the same day you arrive.
Fun.
Essentially homeless and and determined to make the life you dreamed of, you take a last-minute offer to move into the spare bedroom in Apartment 502. Now, you're twenty-five and living with three other longtime best friends with their own drama and messy interpersonal relationships. Parties, late-night pizza runs, drama, fights, heartbreak, betrayals...maybe the life you want won't be as easy as you first thought.
Will you find romance in the city that never sleeps?
**Apartment 502 is a romance, angst, and drama-centered story **
design your mc from clothing style to appearance to pronouns, gender identity, name, looks, and more.
choose 1 of 5 jobs that grant you different scenes and different people: (artist/musician, news anchor, writer, teacher, bartender )
curate your MCs personality and how they react to all the hijinks Apt. 502 has to offer, especially the drama that ensues. Style your MC's room and their aesthetic style.
navigate angsty and dark dramas that weave your roommates in a a narrative that can either save their friendship, or break them apart.
engage in a romance with 1 of 6 characters: one of your roommates, your ex, your neighbor or work rival.
Ruin relationships or mend them. Center yourself around the roommates and become part of the core group.
Follow Apartment 502 throughtout MC's first year as a roommate: from holidays, to birthdays, to everything in-between.
Atlas/Athena [f/m] - 1 of 3 roommates. A is the elusive and isolated musician who makes a living writing songs for others and doing gigs down at the local bar. A is quiet, nonchalant, and prefers their isolation. After getting their heart broken by their high school sweetheart, A has swore off love and vowed to focus solely on their career. A has no room for love, and they make it clear.
Appearance: Olive, freckled skin. Atlas has shaggy brown hair that falls in front of their eyes in a wolf-cut with bleached white dyed pieces at the bottom. Athena's brown and white hair falls down her back with black, straight-cut blunt bangs. They usually wear all black and have a variety of piercings.
Cal/Calliope [f/m] - 1 of 3 roommates. Cal is the ultra nice, slightly uptight, easily flustered college professor who is currently dating their longtime partner...that everyone seems to hate. Cal seems very in love with them and is oblivious to their best friends' irritation, but is that all a ruse?
Appearance: Cal has golden blonde hair. Cal's hair is curly fluffy while Calliope's falls down in soft ringlets around her face. Pale skin and green eyes. C dresses down, wearing basic clothes like button-downs and plain dresses.
Levi/Lani [f/m] - 1 of 3 roommates. L is boisterous, arrogant, and the comedian of the group. L makes their money as an influencer and uses their abundance of free time to pick up all kinds of people. L doesn't believe anyone can get them to settle down, especially considering they've never been in love..nor believe it exists.
Note: you can only romance L by starting a purely physical relationship first.
Appearance: Russet brown skin and long black hair that falls down their back and tied in a messy bun. L usually wears a white, billowy button down tucked into black slacks with an abundance of rings.
Garrett/Gaia [f/m] - Your neighbor. G is friendly but distant, always looking down at their phone when they see you. They seem disinterested in the happenings of Apartment 502. You can't help but wonder more about them...and their young child.
Appearance: Brown skin and curly black hair. G usually has headphones on, and Garett's hair is cut into a curly undercut while Gaia's is primed in a slick bun. They're usually dressed in a pristine black turtle neck and matching black pants.
Rainn [f/m] - your perfect, financially-stable lawyer ex. You thought what you and Rainn had was special, until they abruptly dump you the same day you were set to move in. The worst part? They live in the same building.
Oddly enough, Rainn doesn't seem to be acting like someone who should be completely moved on...
Appearance: Rain either has a severe black bob or black slicked back hair and usually seen in a pantsuit or business-casual clothes. They have tan skin and bright blue eyes.
Mason/Mona [f/m]- your old academic rival...who is now your co-worker. What are the chances you two ended up in the same place? M seems to have a lot of fun making things harder for you at your new job, especially considering you guys are competing for the affection of your boss. Tch.
Appearance: Long or short dyed dark white hair and tan skin with bright brown eyes. (M's outfit is dependent on job of choice.)
"On the 25th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes that who would represent it."
Twenty-five years have passed since the rebellion, yet the price is still being paid by the Districts. Even though most people alive today had no part in the fight, they suffer the consequences of the Capitol's anger. The harsh reality of the Capitol's cruelty is revealed every year on July 4th, Reaping Day. On this day, two children from each of the 12 districts are randomly chosen to fight to the death in an arena until only a lone victor remains. Parents hold their children close and hope it isn't their child who will be ripped away from them, knowing that there is nothing they can do to stop it.
However, this year is different. This year marks the very first Quarter Quell, and parents don't have to worry about whether their children might be taken away because, for this once-in-a-lifetime event, they get to choose who goes into the arena. But there's no doubt in anyone's mind who's going in when the mayor has a child of his own - you.
Now it's your turn to play a true game of life or death. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor
Demo ☆ Playlist ☆ Pinterest
Customize your appearance (hair type and color, complexion, height, build, clothing)
Choose how you interact with the Capitol and those of your District
Form new relationships and change the ones you already have
Train in the weapon of your choice yes including a bow
A special friend in very special places. You met Creon when you were 12 years old at a dinner party your Uncle Keyon had brought you to in the Capitol. Maybe it was the fact that you were very obviously District or something else entirely but from that night forward you and Creon have had an intense and strange relationship. And now they stand before you assuring you that with them as a mentor everything will be alright. How they managed to get themselves as a mentor they won't tell you, but honestly in the end does it matter?
Romance Route: Red flag of all red flags, forbidden love, different worlds, insta love (at least on Creons part)
Aurelius/Aurelia Weaver ♧ The District Partner ♧ RO ♧ 18
Your district partner. You don't know them that well, especially after they dropped out of school at 16 to work full-time in the factories. You're not entirely sure what you did to them to warrant the looks of pure disgust and anger they throw your way after that, but now things have changed. They asked to be the other tribute for District 8 and now standing in front of them and looking into their eyes all you can see is a predator looking at its prey. They are going to kill you and they're going to enjoy it.
Romance Route: Enemies to Lovers, Doomed Love, potential unrequited love, perhaps unrequited but actually requited love😏
Asher "Ash" Fairchild ♡ The Childhood Bestfriend ♡ 16
Ash was the first and only real friend you've had your entire life. They were practically the embodiment of everything good in the world. Everyone loved Ash, and when they had their name called for the 23rd reaping the shock and sorrow was felt throughout the entire District. Even walking up to the stage they moved like a petal dancing through the wind. Their memory has haunted you every day for the past two years and now you get to experience the same terror they felt in their final moments.
There will be an option to be in a relationship with Ash before their games
Romance Route: First love, childhood friends to lovers, soulmates
Soren Vesper ◇ The Mayor ◇ 46
The mayor of District 8, and your Father. A very stern man who prefers for things to be done his way. You've never seen his mask of the harsh mayor who does everything the Capitol request ever break, that is until the announcement of the Quarter Quell. The change happened so fast that it scared you. A once mighty man who didn't care about the people of his district now begging them to choose anyone but his child to go into the games. At least you get to know your Father does care for you before you die.
Tribute and Other Profiles TBA
☆This is my second IF my main one is @shadowsofthegun-if if anyone is interested in being a goofy little cowboy and @konosadmaru is also my main if anyone wants to follow me on there☆
