Need advice: How to write doppleganger situations

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ririruetoo
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Need advice: How to write doppleganger situations

#1 Post by ririruetoo »

If a person you love ( like a relation of some sort *sister, brother, etc.) died, and some time later you meet someone who looks almost exactly like them? ( A doppleganger or something of the like) and they wanted to befriend you? What would you feel? What would you do? (Sad? Frightened? Afraid that the person is some hallucination and that you're going insane? *you're not*)

I know this is a very random question, but I after talking it over with some friends, I thought it would make for a interesing short story or something. So, I need peoples thoughts on what they would do/feel/think for fodder/inspiration/ideas.
Last edited by Taleweaver on Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Edited to make the topic clearer
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Re: What would you do....

#2 Post by junna »

reminds me of a novel but it's the heroine's then dead boyfriend instead of family.

Depends on how long ago the person has been dead.
since time heals, seeing a person who looks exactly like someone close who died a few years down the line would not trigger a mega emotional feeling for me. More like, *insert wide eyes of surprise* "Hey! you look like my brother!" "He died in 2009." "Yeah, I do miss him" *insert shining near-tears eyes here*. Very undramatic and not really something for the movies. I probably won't go emotional or something there.

but if it only has been a few days since he died I'd probably freak out and call my mum and pinch his face just to make sure he's real. I...probably have a unique reaction in comparison to every normal human.
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Re: What would you do....

#3 Post by dramspringfeald »

Yeah, no... Link < Will cause Emo
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Re: What would you do....

#4 Post by Sapphi »

ririruetoo wrote:If a person you love ( like a relation of some sort *sister, brother, etc.) died, and some time later you meet someone who looks almost exactly like them? ( A doppleganger or something of the like) and they wanted to befriend you? What would you feel? What would you do? (Sad? Frightened? Afraid that the person is some hallucination and that you're going insane? *you're not*)

I know this is a very random question, but I after talking it over with some friends, I thought it would make for a interesing short story or something. So, I need peoples thoughts on what they would do/feel/think for fodder/inspiration/ideas.
I would sob my eyes out, because I would feel intensely that they were familiar, and yet they wouldn't be, and they wouldn't understand, and no matter how much I explained, they would never be able to understand. They wouldn't be able to understand why I wanted to hug them so badly or "resume" the relationship. I would also have a difficult time understanding the reality of them in front of me, and the grave of the loved one at the same time in the context of the reaction above. I might feel like I was betraying the "original" by projecting my love onto the "replacement", but at the same time I would probably feel guilty if I didn't receive the "replacement" well because it would feel as though I were rejecting the "original". (I think you could apply this to a cloning scenario, as well...)

By the way, my mom, who is of white European descent yet is considered to look really "exotic" and somewhat foreign by other white people who live around here, told me a story once of when she was younger. She met a man at a gas station or something, chatted with him awhile, noted he was acting a little strange... he eventually said something like, "I'm sorry, it's just that you look so much like my wife when she was younger. She was Native American but you look so similar. She died some years ago..."

My mom said she cried after she left and that it was a really eerie and sad feeling, being a living reminder to a stranger of someone they had known and loved.
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Re: What would you do....

#5 Post by LateWhiteRabbit »

Sapphi wrote: I would sob my eyes out, because I would feel intensely that they were familiar, and yet they wouldn't be, and they wouldn't understand, and no matter how much I explained, they would never be able to understand. They wouldn't be able to understand why I wanted to hug them so badly or "resume" the relationship. I would also have a difficult time understanding the reality of them in front of me, and the grave of the loved one at the same time in the context of the reaction above. I might feel like I was betraying the "original" by projecting my love onto the "replacement", but at the same time I would probably feel guilty if I didn't receive the "replacement" well because it would feel as though I were rejecting the "original". (I think you could apply this to a cloning scenario, as well...)
I've actually dealt with this in real life. My best friend/cousin/raised with me as a twin died, and he had a friend who looked so much like him that the first time I met the friend (before my cousin died) I mistook him for my cousin. And I was raised with my cousin as a twin brother. But in lower light conditions, from behind, or at a quick glance, this friend could easily pass for him. Same build, same height, same hair color and style, same way of moving and standing. Same face profile.

Honestly it was painful to keep running into the friend afterward. I'd see him from across a street, or across a store and my brain would register him as my cousin. He came to several family gatherings too, and my breath would always stop when I saw him standing in the same house my cousin lived in, doing something with his back turned to me, and it would be like looking into the past. But it never made me feel good, only sick. It was like I had to relieve the grief over again each time I saw this guy, because my heart would shout, "He's alive!" And I would have to remind myself, "No. He's dead."

I was always nice to him, but more out of respect for him being my dead cousin's friend. But every interaction just made me feel nauseous, because my emotions would play the loop of "hey, look, it's like talking to your dead loved one. Who this definitely isn't, because your loved one is dead. But this person looks like them, but can't be, because your loved one is dead." Honestly, every time I ran into the friend it felt like I was attending my cousin's funeral again. Running into him on a dark night at my cousin's grave was just nightmarish. He eventually stopped coming around, in large part I think because he noticed how visibly shaken I was every time he made an appearance.

I don't think I would react kindly to a truly perfect copy or clone of my loved one. I would feel strongly that they were an affront to my loved one's memory, that they had "stolen" something that wasn't their own. It would feel like an attack on the unique sanctity and individuality of my lost loved one. I'd have the urge to attack them. At the least I'd be openly hostile. I almost think it would be worse if they were a "perfect" clone with memories intact.

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Re: What would you do....

#6 Post by gekiganwing »

In a fantasy/sci-fi world, it might be possible for a person to die and be replaced by their clone or something similar. It's played mostly for comedy in the movie The Last Starfighter, but it could be played for drama (remember Phantasy Star 2?).

If the point-of-view character is mistaken by another character for a dead person, that opens up more possibilities. It could be straightforward drama or comedy... but then again, it might not be clear if the person is telling the truth, desperate for companionship, or maybe even insane. There is even potential for Philip K Dick style identity crisis fiction. ("What if I'm your dead sister and don't know it yet?")

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Re: What would you do....

#7 Post by Heartless-Star »

Well if it would be me and and even saw someone who loked like one of my brother/mother/sister/anyone i care about, i would be sad. Since there wont be anyone who will have their personality. What i mean there wont be anyone like him/her. It would just hurt me to se a guy/girl looking like the person dear to me when it's not actually them and dosen't share the same memory as i. So i would just bawl my eyes out until i won't be able to cry again.

( You guys know what i mean lol X3 )

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Re: Need advice: How to write doppleganger situations

#8 Post by MarineScripter »

I'd probably be a cross between fascinated and severely creeped out. But instead of avoiding them, I believe I'd be interested, as I'm by nature a very curious person.
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Re: Need advice: How to write doppleganger situations

#9 Post by Heavenbornvip »

If i was in the situation, I would react depending on the relationship i had with the person

If it was someone i loved, I would try and stay away from the person because everytime i see him/her, it reminds me of my Love, and i cant control myself..

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Re: Need advice: How to write doppleganger situations

#10 Post by cuttlefish »

I think no matter how long the person has been dead, if I saw someone that looked like a dead loved one, I would avoid them to death. If I don't have to meet them, I'd probably brush it off as me imagining things and move on. I'd think about the slightest differences I might observe (e.g. the person's hair was too neat) and just leave it at that. If I ever had to come in contact with such a person, I would be as coldly polite as possible, and just minimize the amount of times I'd have to see them.

I wouldn't allow them to befriend me if they acted just like my dead loved one. But even if their personality was the polar opposite, I'd still be disturbed by their image/presence and avoid them as much as possible.

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