Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Comedy][Slice of Life]

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DokiDokiDollmaker
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Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Comedy][Slice of Life]

#1 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

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Doki Doki Dollmaker, an indie BL visual novel is OUT NOW! Get it 10% off for release week, exclusively on Itch.io!



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♥ 139% Funded on Kickstarter! Thank you! ♥

Extended Demo: https://karitsa.itch.io/dokidokidollmaker

If you like what you see, feel free to follow the project on Tumblr (the official development blog) and Twitter for updates between blog posts. Thanks for your interest!


- - - Story - - -

Nothing lasts forever – at least, that’s what young Lyle has come to believe. Forced to move away from home with his older brother, Lyle finds himself in a new town, far away from a painful past and heading toward a lonely future. When he finds comfort in making dolls using a mysterious sewing kit, he soon discovers that his life will be anything but lonely! Be immersed in this heartfelt tale of love and discover what it means to find yourself, no matter who, or what, is willing to lend a hand!

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Lyle (the player-character) must move away with his older brother Cole after the sudden and unfortunate passing of their parents. To occupy his mind during the long road trip to their new home, Lyle makes five plush dolls using some leftover materials found in an old sewing kit. Due to the magical properties of the sewing kit and Lyle’s cry for help (brought about by loss, unfamiliarity, and bullying at school), the dolls come to life!

The narrative focuses around Lyle and his relationship with the five dolls. He has a lot to teach them, but there’s a lot he can learn from them too. This heartfelt love story is also a coming-of-age story with several overarching plots; Lyle must adapt to his new environment, cope with loss, strengthen his relationship with his brother, discover his sexual orientation, and overcome gender stereotypes, all while teaching five curious dolls about the world. His relationship with the dolls is a complicated one. After all, he plays multiple roles: creator, teacher, and companion. He wasn’t planning to add “boyfriend” to that list, but who knows! Will it be love at first stitch?


- - - Features - - -

Could Lyle fall in love with one of these dolls turned human? It’s up to you! The choices you make along the way will affect the outcome of the story. Enjoy expressive character sprites as you make decisions on behalf of Lyle and unlock beautiful CG images along the way!

♥ 5 Romance Options
♥ 50+ CG Images
♥ 10+ Hours of Gameplay
♥ 8 Different Endings
♥ Optional 18+ Epilogues


- - - Characters - - -

Player Character

Lyle
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The player-character. Lyle is a chronic over-thinker who's always too hard on himself. He's having trouble adapting to the changes life has thrown his way, but with a little help, he can learn to overcome his insecurities. He's sensitive, thoughtful, and suddenly has his hands full teaching five rambunctious dolls about the world!

Romanceable Characters

Torin
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Team tsundere! The first doll made and a total grump! Possessive and protective, Torin certainly has his ups and downs. He is the most temperamental of all the dolls and is prone to both mood swings and bouts of laziness. Intimidating at first, but surprisingly unsure of himself. Are you able to knock down his defensive walls?

Desifer
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Hot mess! The second doll, who's convinced that he's number one in all things. Obsessed with his looks and with confidence to spare, Desifer is sooner to remove his bottoms than put a shirt on, so don't ask! Devious and vain, Desifer has no concept of personal space. You'd better hope his hands are busy playing with his hair!

Rook
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Cuteness overload! Rook is the excitable and affectionate third doll. He loves to climb trees and has a bad habit of mispronouncing words, but never makes an effort to correct himself. A clumsy crybaby who always seems to get his way, Rook can win the hearts of strangers without even trying – has he already won yours?

Ellery
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Sweet serenity! The fourth doll and easily the most mature. Being a skilled cook who prefers instant noodles and an excellent painter who can't draw, Ellery can be a little inconsistent! His love of nature and the arts, however, never falter. He's a caregiver, peacekeeper, and a great listener too – why don't you try confiding in him?

Kahvel
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Smarty pants! The fifth and final doll has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. When Kahvel doesn't have his nose in a book, you can find him taking things apart just to figure out how they work. Luckily, he's skilled at putting them back together again. Quirky and dramatic, this mismatched doll is sure to keep you on your toes!


Other Characters

Cole
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Lyle's older brother. This short-tempered pediatrician runs on coffee, cigarettes, and caramel candies. Insensitive and unsociable, Cole isn't great with words, especially words from the heart. He's a workaholic who takes his role as Lyle's caretaker quite seriously. He loves his little brother and is very protective of him.

Tilly
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Lyle's best friend. This rowdy, outgoing, energetic girl seems to be the opposite of Lyle in every way! Tilly is impatient and blunt, never hesitating to speak her mind. She's incredibly helpful when she's not running late. Tilly hates secrets more than anything else. Will Lyle tell her about the dolls? He may not have a choice!

Mr. Mendoza
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A skilled toy-maker. Mr. Mendoza is a traditionalist who prefers classic, wooden toys over flashy, electronic ones. He has a variety of skills, like cooking and falling asleep sitting up. He has patience for everything except conflict, which he rarely tolerates. Mr. Mendoza is kind, sincere, and wise – Lyle seeks his advice often.


- - - CG Samples - - -

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Which doll would you like to pursue a romantic relationship with?
Last edited by DokiDokiDollmaker on Fri Apr 14, 2023 1:26 pm, edited 21 times in total.

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Otome][Romance][Slice of Life]

#2 Post by runeraccoon »

Unffff Deji's art, so cute <3 <3 <3
I'll be following this~ I like the premise and the art is so cute. More BxB, hooray! As for the "Otome", why is it called such when there's no G x B route? ' w ')?

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Otome][Romance][Slice of Life]

#3 Post by Demetis »

Woah, that's A LOT of art assets coming up XD But everything so far looks very pretty ovo
I can't say the story summary reveals enough for me to be interested yet, but the character descriptions say that there's been quite some work on them, so I am curious to see them in action. I'll be keeping an eye on this.
fuicchi wrote:I'll be following this~ I like the premise and the art is so cute. More BxB, hooray! As for the "Otome", why is it called such when there's no G x B route? ' w ')?
I'll just take the liberty to answer this -shot- An Otome is basically a game that's directed at girls. It doesn't neccessarily mean the main character has to be a girl XD So in a sense, BL games count as well.

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Otome][Romance][Slice of Life]

#4 Post by runeraccoon »

I'll just take the liberty to answer this -shot- An Otome is basically a game that's directed at girls. It doesn't neccessarily mean the main character has to be a girl XD So in a sense, BL games count as well.
Thanks for the clarification, can't believe I'm still mistaken of that in this age(?) XD

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Otome][Romance][Slice of Life]

#5 Post by Googaboga »

Wow, I saw on your blog the original idea came about in 2008 and you've been working on it every year since. That's impressive dedication :].

As for which doll I'd like to romance, I'm not sure yet. I will say that design-wise my favorite is probably Torin, out of the LIs at least. Lyle has my favorite design overall.

Good luck with your future fundraising. I hope it's successful C:.
Demetis wrote: I'll just take the liberty to answer this -shot- An Otome is basically a game that's directed at girls. It doesn't neccessarily mean the main character has to be a girl XD So in a sense, BL games count as well.
That's certainly true for the word's original meaning. However, if that is the idea of why it's being used here I'd personally recommend removing the otome tag. In an English context the term has been almost completely reappropriated to mean a game with GxB romance. If you want to use it in casual situations no problem, but I'd definitely wager a good chunk, if not most, of people clicking on this thread for the 'otome' tag will be disappointed and or confused to find the MC is male only which would be counterproductive to building a fanbase, in my opinion.
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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#6 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I originally used the Otome tag as Demetis suggested, but Googaboga makes an excellent point, so I've gone ahead and removed it. I would hate for people to be lead in the wrong direction!

@ fuicchi: RIGHT? When I saw her art for the first time, I just HAD to have it for my game!! XD

@ Demetis: Sorry for all the images! I thought that's what people wanted to see, hehe. Lemma Soft suggested that I offer up as much proof as possible that the game was actually being developed. Thanks for your honesty - I know it won't catch everyone's eye, but I'm glad you're going to follow it in case it does! I wanted to keep major plot twists and details a secret because... well, spoilers. I can promise you that the plot is far more than just "dolls become human and everyone lives happily ever after yay" though! XD

@ Googaboga: Yup! This project here is my life-long dream! Well, not LIFE-long. College-long. Ha! I had NO idea how I would bring everything to fruition back then...
Anyway, thanks for the support! Torin is secretly my favorite too, but they're all my babies, so I love them all. Torin shares traits with Kyo Sohma from Fruits Basket. That sort of "Pffft. I don't love you - SHUT UP!!" kind of attitude. XD

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#7 Post by Elmay »

Okay, so I made an account just to say how hyped up I am for this game!

Deji's art looks awesome as always, and I love the characters' designs, especially the MC's. c:

And... I'm probably weird, but I already know in which order I'm gonna romance these guys. :v First, the pink-haired cutie, because I'm really weak with this type of character... He seems to be a sweet kid but it could have been pretty fun if he had a slightly bratty side. c: Second, the tsundere blondie because tsunderes > all (and romancing tsunderes is always fun!) (and more seriously, he seems to be a very interesting character). Third, the redhead flirt (is he going to stay shirtless the whole game? Not that I would particularly complain, but that would get him a lot of stares when walking in the street with our blue-haired MC c:). And last, Ellery and Kahvel, because for now I have mixed feelings about them, so I'll have to see in-game if I like them.

I don't know if you made the bullying thing a major aspect of the story (at first I was pretty sure you did, but Lyle has moved to another town so maybe things have changed) but if you did I'm looking forward to seeing what you've done with it! For now, we don't know anything about the storyline except the basics (dolls turned into humans) so I'm not sure what to expect. I guess there will be an overarching plot, and the game won't only focus on the doll/MC relationship, but what will it be? Surprise, surprise...

But I'll definitely buy your game, that's for sure. c: So I'll be cheering for you and stalking your tumblr for updates & progress. And good luck for the kickstarter!

(I'm sorry, I talk too much...)
(TL;DR: *throws money at her screen*)

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#8 Post by Googaboga »

@DokiDokiDollmaker
Yeah, bringing a game all the way to completion is a huge task. It's always great when things finally start coming together though ^^.

Haha, I've never seen FB myself, but I like characters that tend to get worked up so it'll be interesting to see how it goes C:.
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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#9 Post by Deji »

Just delurking here for a bit to say yay for the LSF thread! I really hope more people get excited for this :D
I got the descriptions for the next batch of CGs and I'm going nggggggghhhhhh~~~ <3 <3

And yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing working on a BL either (GxB and GxG ftw), lol. But apparently I'm slowly becoming BL/yaoi trash outside of this project because fandoms and stuff, so everything is good with the world, haha.

Also #TEAMTORIN #TEAMTSUNDEREFTW #ILOVETORIN
(and if I could play as anybody and romance Lyle, that'd make me happy, he's so precious ;v; )
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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#10 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

@ Elmay: Wow! You're making me crazy happy right now!! This has been the most excited reaction I've received so far. I'm SO glad you like what you see. You won't regret making an account because chatting with me directly is the best way to get info on the game!!

The character designs have been a work in progress for years - a lot of thought has gone into them. I'd say the ones that changed the most from their original concepts would have to be Rook and Kahvel. Actually, wait. Ellery wins. Originally, he was thought up to be a buff, burly sort of character - much different than now! Eventually, when the digital art book is released with crowdfunding, I'll include all of my old sketches from way back when so people can laugh at what their favorite dolls used to look like! XD

Rook 100% has a spoiled bratty side! Deji gave him some fun facial expressions like sticking out his tongue and "XD" eyes, hehe. Basically, Rook gets away with a lot of things that make the other dolls jealous because Lyle will say things like, "Oh, he's just a kid. Come on." and Rook will smirk and rub it in their faces... :P

Yes, Desifer is shirtless the entire game, haha! Lyle will get embarrassed about it on occasion. Desifer won't be allowed in stores and such because of it, so he pouts and stands outside - he's way too proud, haha!

The bullying is mostly at the beginning of the game - it's initially what triggers the dolls to change into human form. They gotta rescue him after all, hehe.

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support! Feel free to message me anytime!
*tries to grab money from screen, but breaks laptop* XD

@ Googaboga: It's gonna be fun! I love irritating Torin...

@ Deji: Hey girl! Thanks for stopping by. I'm so excited for the next batch too! Wish I could just tell everyone what the next CGs are, but I don't want to spoil the fun, hehe. Oh! I didn't know this was your first BxB project!! I feel special~ :3

P.S. Sent you an e-mail yesterday. I switched image hosting sites TWICE and I think I'm finally where I need to be. So tiring. =_=
Last edited by DokiDokiDollmaker on Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#11 Post by Elmay »

@DokiDokiDollmaker

Then I'll be sure to ask you plenty of questions to know as much as possible. :D I don't actually have a tumblr account but I think I'll make one so it's easier to message you. c: Or do you have a twitter account? Or is here more convenient?

Now I wanna know what pink-haired cutiepie looked like at first. :c And a beefy Ellery could be pretty fun... He still has this protective 'big bro' aura, though! I'm still very intrigued by Cole's and Lyle's... unusual... hairstyles...

Oh my goodness, I LOVE YOU! Bratty Rook, I'm sure that will be very funny, especially if he's enclined to sticking out his tongue just to annoy the others... I'm so weak with this type of character. :c I'm so looking forward to it!

Oooh, that's a cool reward! How's the kickstarter going, by the way? Are you still putting everywhere together, settling the pledges and rewards, etc? I'll make sure to *humbly* participate in it, so you won't break your laptop again trying to grab my money. :P

The bullying is simply the starting point of the story, then? So do you have, like, an overarching storyline, be it for example Lyle evolving from insecure to confident and happy with himself? Or does it solely focus on Lyle's new daily life with five more people alongside him? And please tell me you don't have a bad end where the dolls become lifeless dolls again!! :'c

By the way what is Tilly's role in the story? Is she, for example, Lyle's new friend after he moves?

And you're welcome, I'll support you until the release. c:
Edit: I just wanted to add that I have SO much respect for people like you, who make their own games alone (+ your artist). I hope one day I'll be able to achieve something this huge too. c:

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#12 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

@ Elmay: Hey, whatever works for you! I'm easy-peasy. I don't have a Twitter account though, so it'll have to be either here, on Facebook, or Tumblr!

Yes, Rook went though some major changes. I'm sooooo happy with how he turned out though! As for Ellery, just the thought of him being big like that makes me laugh. He's definitely got that big brother thing going for him either way. Ellery is the most mature of all the dolls.

Lyle's hair is heavily inspired by Bridget from Guilty Gear, who is also a boy! As for Cole's hair, probably influenced by Kougaiji from Saiyuki.

The Kickstarter is still in progress. I have all of the rewards figured out, but I need to add more content to the page and maybe a video down the line. It's far from launch, but the more fans I accumulate, the faster we can go!

=== PLOT THINGS THAT PEOPLE MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN BELOW ===

Lyle has a lot of character development throughout the story. Eventually, he will become confident and happy with his new life, but there are many struggles along the way. For instance, Lyle is hesitant to fall in love with one of the dolls. He is in denial of his true feelings for many reasons. Not only is the idea strange to him because they are male (i.e. sexual orientation, gender roles, expectations of others/society), but they are DOLLS (i.e. supposedly inanimate objects that he himself created). Are they even technically human? How can he fall in love with a THING? As their creator and teacher, is he more of a father-figure to them? Would it be wrong to pursue a romantic relationship with one of them for these reasons? Lyle tries to find his own answers to these questions as the story progresses.

The dolls also struggle with their "humanity". What makes up a human being? Flesh and blood, or something more? Can they really give Lyle everything a regular human can? With so many uncertainties regarding their existence, like whether or not they can age or die, is it fair to Lyle?


As for the "bad ending" that you suspected... well... unfortunately, bad endings need to exist to make the good ones more rewarding! I'm not looking forward to writing the bad ending, but the WORST ending that I'm considering is even more terrible. Still not 100% sure I want to put it in at all... *cries in a corner*

On a lighter note... XD

Tilly is Lyle's best friend and literally the "girl next door" to his new home. She barges into Lyle's life and practically forces her friendship upon him, which is much needed, since Lyle can be shy and socially awkward at times! Tilly is always straightforward and blunt - never sugarcoating her feelings, which is a nice balance to Lyle, who tends to overthink things. She's a great source of comedy for the game because she's so rambunctious and nosy. Lyle tries to hide the dolls from her, but it's not long before she figures out what's going on! Tilly is always there for Lyle when he's struggling with the issues mentioned above, but she's also very helpful when it comes to keeping secrets from Cole!!

P.S. THANK YOU SO MUCH. That means a lot to me! It's a TON of work, but it's my passion and it SO worth it!!
Last edited by DokiDokiDollmaker on Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#13 Post by Baky »

The art is amazing!!!! I absolutely love it!!!
All the characters seem interesting and I can't wait for a demo or something...anything! I will stalk your tumblr and this thread (in the least creepy way possible!!!...)
Keep up the good work!
One question, will this be free or nah?
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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#14 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

@ Baky: Yeah, Deji is the real deal! Aww, hahaha! Glad to hear it~ X3

Yes, there will absolutely be a demo!! You guys will be the first to know when it's released and I'll have it out long before the Kickstarter launches, so don't worry. Unfortunately, the game won't be free... $15 for an early bird special (Limit 50) and $20 regular for the digital version. Not too bad if you ask me! :)

P.S. New full body character sprite up on Tumblr!

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Re: Doki Doki Dollmaker [BL][Romance][Slice of Life]

#15 Post by DokiDokiDollmaker »

I've been having a lot of game-related discussions with Elmay privately, but if anyone else has questions about the project, don't hesitate to contact me! You can reply to this thread, shoot me a private message on Tumblr/Twitter, or even e-mail me at: dokidokidollmaker@gmail.com :)
Last edited by DokiDokiDollmaker on Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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