Afterimage is a murder-mistery/investigative interactive fiction. Possible warnings may include explicit language, graphic descriptions of crime scenes, skippable sexual content, and characters wrestling with grief and trauma.
The call comes in just past midnight.
A street you've never heard of; a victim you've never seen; a house broken into, yet nothing taken.
Three weeks later, the killer is still nothing but a moving shadow – a trace of fear, cruelty, madness.
You are a detective, newly assigned to the Graybridge Police Department, tasked with solving puzzles missing half their pieces.
The thing is, this case has no pieces at all.
The details don't fit. The leads go nowhere. And your partner, running on bitterness and an unhealthy amount of coffee, seems more interested in tolerating your presence rather than working with you.
As the investigation deepens, more bodies turn up. A pattern begins to surface. Your senses tell you they're close, lurking in the shadows.
Soon, an unnerving question begins to arise:
Do you trust those around you?
Afterimage is a narrative-driven game that delves deep into character development, complex personalities and psychological layers through the player's choices.
You play as a detective in Graybridge, a bustling metropolis inspired by the fast-paced energy of New York. The plot is carried by a series of mysterious murders happening around the area, and it's your job to follow leads and uncover the truth behind it all – or not.
Inspired by Detroit: Become Human, Law & Order: SVU, Zodiac (2007), and Se7en (Seven).
🔍 Detective D. Jackson
Mid-30s | Male/Female | Dylan/Dina | RO
Your newly assigned partner at the 11th Precinct. Stubborn and relentless, Detective Jackson has a reputation for digging deeper than most. Their intense stare and cranky facade might keep people at arm's length, but once you've earned their trust, their loyalty is unwavering.
Route: Slow-burn - Love after tragedy.
🔭 Officer Lilian Harris
Late-20s to early-30s | Female | RO (female MC's only)
The energetic beat cop that strives for more. Curious, clever, and highly skilled, Lilian has been dreaming of being a detective ever since she joined the precinct. Her friendly approach and contagious smile makes newcomers warm up quickly, but her eyes twitch slightly at the mention of how "better" she'd be if she followed in her brothers' footsteps.
Route: Friends-to-Lovers - Mutual Pining.
🩺 Thomas Lopes
Early to mid-30s | Transgender man | RO
The annoying downstairs neighbor who's always knocking at your front door. Hard-working and impatient, Thomas is training to become a surgeon at St. Brigid's Memorial Hospital. Petty complaints, delivered in a soft Brazilian accent, are often the first thing you hear after the pounding on your door, though you can't help but wonder if, deep down, he's just a lonely man looking for attention.
Route: Enemies-to-Lovers - The Insufferable but Hot Neighbor.
🚬 E. Lavigne
Early 30s | Male/Female | Elliot/Evelyn | RO
The noisy journalist who flirts like it's a sport. Charming, bold and annoyingly good at getting into places they shouldn't. Lavigne's flattery may come off as playful and uncompromising, but behind the calculating eyes and cigarette-tinged breath lies a lifetime mission: to serve social justice and expose the dirty secrets of those who deserve it.
Route: FWB / One Night Thing - Innocent Flirting Turns Real.
⌚ Detective Asahi Kurosawa
Mid-30s | Non-binary
The missing partner. Their unexplained disappearance led to your assignment with Detective Jackson, and whispers about their case echo quietly through the precinct. What really happened to them remains a mystery.
🍁 Dr. C. Rivers
Mid-30s | Male/Female | Cole/Célia
The kind coroner who works closely with Graybridge PD, and Detective Jackson’s closest confidant. Gentle, thoughtful, and surprisingly caring for someone who spends their days among the dead, Dr. Rivers can light up a room even with a quiet smile. Some wonder whether their bond with Detective Jackson is purely friendship... or something more.
Important: Rivers' gender will always be the opposite of Jackson's.
🚔 Captain Lenora Vélez
Mid-50s | Female
With an earnest attitude and the patience of a saint, Captain Vélez runs the 11th Precinct with a steady hand and a commanding presence. She may look stern, but her thoughtful approach towards her officers reveals genuine care.
🥼 Dr. Marla Wess
Mid-40s | Female
Analytical, sharp and understanding, Dr. Wess is the precinct's assigned psychologist, tasked with assessing every officer and staff member at GPD. Knows more about you than you think she does.
You might meet and flirt with other characters, such as:
Thorin Andersen, Zain Rafiq, Iris Blake Gallagher, Adam Collins, and Wyatt Fernsby.
In this game, you will:
Choose your gender, sexuality, and appearance.
Customize your past: choose your former division, the reason for your transfer, and how it shaped your reputation and skills.
Build your personality with meaningful dialogue choices.
Investigate crime scenes: solve a mysterious killing spree that's been hunting the department - and now you.
Romance your partner, your neighbor, the flirty journalist who's way too nosy, or one of your cop colleagues (with two gender-selectable choices)!
Access confidential personnel files to glimpse the minds and motives of those around you.
Have a sibling: choose their gender and how close you are after the tragedy that has shaped your past.
Keep your own secrets - what brought you here, and what you're running from.
📌 Afterimage is still on its writing stage! I'm planning to post the demo after I finish chapter one (prologue's already done).
Water the color of earth swirls around him, warm and comforting, cradling him like soil does a tree. For a fleeting moment, he feels like a king. Yet the reality is far from regal. He is just a man, bathing in his own filth. The sight is shameful—a bright sheen of grease floating on the surface, catching the light like a mocking crown.
The moment abruptly ends. He plummets from his lofty perch, the harsh winds clawing at him as gravity drags him down. He shuts his eyes tight, clenching his fists until his nails dig into his palms.
“Raud, is this good?” your voice pulls him from the fall, embracing him gently as he floats back to reality.
He flutters his eyes open. Blurry vision grows focused with each blink until he sees the room for what it is. A wooden bath, short walls and gentle hands on his head, their touch soft and soothing as they massage him.
“Raud?” you ask again, and it is now that he realizes he forgot to respond.
“Y-yes.” He did not mean to stutter, but it is too late to try again. He sees the water once more and remembers the feeling of the fall. Shame crawls through the small hole of his chest until its ripping its way out.
You chuckle before speaking, “You are as dirty as a stray pup.”
His chest dips. He is filthy, he knows, but hearing someone say it is a knife to the heart. He feels himself sink into the water made of dirt, colored brown and oiled with his muck. His cheeks burn and when a warm hand slides under his jaw, forcing his head back, they burn brighter.
You arch a brow, your gaze fixed on him with such intensity that he begins to feel stripped bare, as though even his skin offers no cover. A smile tugs at your lips, soft yet teasing. "I love pups," you murmur, “much like I love you.”
Your fingers brush his cheek, wiping away a stray mark. He doesn’t mean to, but he leans into your touch. The gentle caress you offer is one he would savor for all of eternity if he had the choice.
“Are you comfortable?”
He nods, his eyes fluttering shut as he sinks into the warmth of your hand gently rubbing his head.
“Good. You deserve it.”
He almost opens his mouth to argue, the words forming sharp and ready, but a hand—your hand—rests gently against him, a quiet comfort that holds his protest at bay.
“From now on, I will make sure you get your baths.”
Raud frowns. “I am not a child.”
“You are not, but I know you well enough to know you will not take these baths without my command. You are my beloved, and I want my beloved to feel his very best.”
Raud shakes his head without meaning to. It’s an instinct, to refuse any kind words sent his way. A hand catches his jaw once more.
"You will feel clean, good. I will make sure of it," you assert firmly, tilting his head gently with your hand. "Understood?"
He bats his eyelashes. Your skin is so smooth… “Yes.”
“Good.” You smile softly, your eyes shining with a gentle light. “Now stand up, we are done.”
Raud blinks. Already?
He hears you shift behind him. Your hands fall from his jaw, and instantly he misses the feeling. The scalding water has been blown cold by time, no longer does it warm his skin as it did before. So leaving is not a challenge. He lifts himself from the bath, the water pulling at him to stay. When he steps out, he feels your eyes on him like a chilly hand.
You observe, slowing unraveling a rag, your eyes heavy with dissection. Raud forgets how to breathe. When you step up to him, finally meeting his gaze, he inhales sharply. You smile, tilting your head.
“Shy?”
He shakes his head even though he most certainly is.
“I have seen you naked how many times now?” you whisper, a coy smile tugging on your lips.
Raud gulps, he refuses to answer.
“Would it help if I were naked too?”
Yes. “No—“ Raud almost swallows his tongue. “N-no.”
Your smirk grows as your hands slither down your tunic. His hands move fast as they grip your own. He shakes his head again and you giggle. The sound dips his heart in a boiling cauldron.
“I tease.” You kiss his cheek, too fast for him. “I can undress later.” You wink, wiping him dry with the rag.
He feels shame to be so eager for time to pass by fast.
I was going to release this alongside Chapter 2, but I felt bad with the amount of time it's taking to complete, so I'm releasing this earlier than planned.
🚩 Is not against murdering people.
🚩 Can't process emotions like normal people.
🚩 Manipulator.
🚩 Very narcissistic.
🚩 Not against cheating (but won't do it bc he wants to keep you close, you know).
🚩 Possessive but in a strange way. He has to be on your mind 24/7, he needs his name carved into your chest, he needs his soul to be one with yours, but he doesn't care if you sleep around with others. Isn't that strange?
Does Gungir understand that part of the reason MC has no interest in being friends with him is because of the constant favoritism their father shows toward him? How does he feel about getting gushed and doted on by the Jarl who in the same breath berates and treats his own child as less than dirt?
Gungir sees how the Jarl treats you, and he understands the reason behind it. He also knows why you refuse to befriend him, but he cares too much to let your pain go unnoticed. That’s why he continues to check on you, hoping to become someone you can rely on.
He also despises the way the Jarl treats you and the way he shows favoritism, but he still holds a certain respect for the man so his kind words warm his heart even if he doesn't want them to.
