#the eaglet

[napoleondidthat]

Napoleon could always count on Chucky when no one else would be his friend.

[mamelukeraza]

working on AU about Léon Denuelle and the King of Rome (Napoleon II) escaping Vienna together because I love a silly siblings dynamic!!😋😋

[himbeereule]

Орлёнок (Eaglet)

Орлёнок (Eaglet) is an interactive story set in a country similar to 1910s-1920s Russia. You're a member of the overthrown Imperial Family, shaping the future of the Empire by virtue of arms.

It aims to be equal parts role-playing, dress-up and strategy game, with an emphasis on romance.

Although there will be no explicit nsfw scenes, it does include graphic descriptions of the horrors of war as well as personal tragedies, so please refer to the content warnings at the end of this post.

(as the project is still a wip, this overview is somewhat incomplete and will be gradually updated in tandem with the progress of writing)

DEMO: here (v0.0.2a, 21.06.2024)

Forum post: here

Number Spelling Function (IF writer resource): here

Secondary project: @a-dying-wish-if Tertiary (mini-)project: @perceptron-failure-if Quaternary project: [redacted]

The Empire of Nevetskiya - old, proud, and utterly dilapidated. While the Industrial Revolution has enabled other Monarchies - after a few quickly suppressed workers' uprisings - to become modern colonialist superpowers, exerting their influence all over the world, Nevetskiya is still overwhelmingly agrarian, and barely holding onto its outlying territories acquired in golden times long past.

Your Father Emperor, while ruling with an iron fist and unquestionable authority over the common people, is completely dependent on the shaky loyalty of the High Nobility, who frustrate any attempt to modernize the economy or administration, out of fear upstart merchants might, in time, replace the old Aristocracy.

When a sloppily executed coup d'etat eventually leaves your family dead and you a refugee, it becomes time you grab the reins of your destiny and amass an army to liberate and rebuild the country in the way you envision.

(this is meant to be a concise overview - a more exiting and detailed description of features can be found in the offical Interest Check Thread post)

extensive character customization

extensive army customization - both in a strategy and in a dress-up game sense

focus on story over stats - success is determined on the battlefield, not by your character's personality

five distinct regions with a wide cast of characters

complex personality system - for example, how your character actually feels and what they show to the world are separate things

several ways to rule - will you become a traditional Monarch, a Military Dictator, a democratically elected Head-of-State, or maybe proclaim yourself a Living Saint?

choose how much modernization is needed - will you allow women to bear arms, at the cost of offending the traditionalist nobles? Introduce tanks at the cost of foreign powers gaining influence?

how far will you go for victory? A political police, mass executions and the use of special types of weaponry might give you an edge, but is your vision really worth it?

a total of ten romanceable characters

(this naturally might contain slight spoilers)

The ROs

★ Yakov Tymofiyevich Sokolovskiy / Liliya Tymofiyevna Sokolovskaya ★

The Intelligence Director (gender-selectable)

One of your four original companions. As a member of the High Nobility, you've met them before - maybe you've even been childhood friends?

But even if you know them, it's hard to tell what they're truly like, as they seem to switch personalities effortlessly depending on the situation.

Their work is a mystery to seemingly everyone, but they always get results: as long as you let them act freely, no enemy agent has any chance to harm you or your cause.

Age: mid-20s

★ Semyon Ivanovich Orlov / Selena Ivanovna Orlova ★

The Cavalry Officer (gender-selectable)

One of your four original companions. A war hero and renowned expert when it comes to horses, the only reason they were not yet promoted to a lofty position in the War Ministry is their pragmatic approach to new developments, which hasn't mixed well with the typically very traditionalist views of the old Imperial officer corps.

Possessing a subdued but strong charisma and deeply respected by their soldiers as a wise parent figure, they are a solid pillar of support to you, and will reliably get things done - though some people might consider the cost for that too high sometimes.

Age: early 30s

★ Mikhail Pavlovich Voronin / Marina Pavlovna Voronina ★

The Young Visionary (gender-selectable)

One of your four original companions. They shot up through the ranks by impressing the War Ministry with bold new ideas for utilizing modern technologies and are hailed as a genius by many - though the older officers dismiss them as a dreamer at best and incompetent fool at worst.

With you, they hope to have found someone who'll appreciate their visions for the future - plus, their relative eccentrism has left them in dire need of a friend.

Their technical expertise might just prove to be the key to your success - if you can secure the foreign support needed to get the modern equipment needed to utilize it.

Age: early 20s

★ Leon Isayev / Leah Isayeva ★

The Noble Academic (gender-selectable)

One of your four original companions. Born to wealthy nobles, they graduated the Imperial Officer Academy with perfect grades, and feel honour-bound to your family.

They were the one to gather your initial force of loyalists and act as your primary advisor. But their loyalty is to the Imperial system, with you just a symbolic representative - can you convince them that you and your vision deserve their loyalty beyond that?

Age: late 20s

★ 'Little' Semyon/Selena Shvets ★

The Hero (gender-selectable)

A young cavalry officer and leader of your Southern Forces. A protegé of the "other" Semyon/Selena, they lack their cynical pragmatism, but make up for it with a firm belief in the triumph of a better world.

Some may call their optimism naive, and their personality has been mockingly compared to a Golden Retriever, but they have proven time and time again that underestimating them on the battlefield results in a crushing defeat.

Age: early 20s

★ Nikola ★

The Rebel (nb)

Leading an anti-authoritarian peasant uprising in the West, Nikola is more likely to be your enemy than your ally - but they don't seem to care enough about politics to refrain from flirting with you, so... there might be a basis of mutual understanding there?

Their personality is pretty sweet, at least - if you ignore the fact they'll cheerfully gun down prisoners if they feel like it.

Age: mid-20s

★ Rakhmil/Rakhilya Feldman ★

The Logistician (gender-selectable)

A member of the Western Rebel Army and best friend of Nikola's adoptive sibling, they've poured their soul (and countless nights without any sleep) into somehow maintaining the rebels' supply network in the face of their rapidly swelling numbers.

Unhappy with Nikola's carefree attitude, they might end up aligning with you instead in order to save their cause.

Age: late 20s

★ Arseniy Matveyevich Lebedev / Amaliya Matveyevna Lebedeva ★

The Enemy (gender-selectable)

Grand Duke Lebedev, the main leader of the Aristocrat faction, stood by and watched when your family was executed. Arseniy/Amaliya is their younger sibling, and serves as military commander of his personal forces that aid several warlords in their efforts to establish their own petty kingdoms.

But they're already uncomfortable with their brother's methods, and if you can convince them that you're not actually "an incompetent little puppet who's trying to ruin the country out of arrogant delusions", they might become a very valuable ally.

Age: mid-20s

★ Lyudmila Demyanovna Naumova ★ (f)

A minor noble who reluctantly turned into a Warlord in order to protect her territory and her people. All she wants is peace - but she'll not hesitate to fight if she believes it necessary.

Unfortunately, you can't just ignore her - all must choose a side in this war - but you have options how to deal with her. Will you subdue her by force? Or fall back on the age-old option of political marriage to secure an alliance?

Age: late 20s

★ Jan/Jana Novotný ★ (gender-selectable, under certain circumstances)

A member of your Personal Guard who has distinguished themself and eventually rises to become its commander. Others might betray or doubt you, but Novotný only cares about one thing - your continued, unharmed existence.

And they will go to any lengths to guarantee it.

Age: mid-20s

CONTENT WARNINGS

...will be added as they become relevant in the demo.

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)

[thegorydamnreaper]

Eagle and Eaglet

Finally finished and omg I’m gonna cry 😭 Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll, I hope you like how this turned out as much as I do!

Closeups below the cut ♥️

[science70]

Luigi Colani Vought/VFW Augmented Eaglet concept, c. 1981.

Correction: Thanks to the Luigi Colani Design Museum for helping to identify the aircraft in the photo.

[beardedmrbean]

Explore

[annapolisrose]

Newly fledged eaglet sitting on the tower above their nest.

[k0k0p3lli]

10/9/24 Hello! Hey! I'm a wildlife rehabilitator at the World Bird Sanctuary, and we're having our 24-hour 'Soaring Together' campaign today. All donations will have quadruple the impact thanks to our Match Donors! For example, a donation of $25 has a $100 impact! If you can donate or share, it will help support us in preserving and protecting birds of prey through rehabilitation, education, and conservation programs!!!

[galionne-vibin]

sorry i can't hang out today, i have "head full of oc lore" disease. yeah. yea h. no yeah it's bad. sorry

[sunnysssol]

🔫post the full thing (pls)

AWHHDJSJF it's very self indulgent, but here it is 😭😭😭

It's Alfred hanging out with his kids !!! Eagledad with his little eaglets, if you will. The boy is named Davie (🥲), he's 4 and the baby is named Riza, and she's barely 1 hfjfj he has two other kids but they're probably out on a grocery run with mom AUWJFJ

[thatcakelovingwitch]

a born menace

wanna gift me some caffeine? https://ko-fi.com/thatcakelovingwitch

[mamelukeraza]

Hey, so I'm glad to find some1 else who knows about Napoleon II! And for a while I really wanted a show about him so I have this very silly question: if you could make a movie/show about his life, how would you do it?

Hello, dear anon! n_n I know this was a YEAR AGO, but it's never late to answer your question, I hope! The day a show about him comes, that'll be the day I die, and then come back to life to die of excitement again. I'm glad you think of me as knowing about him, since, my page has been kind of abandoned for a while now, but it's true I've dedicated years of study to him. Please, feel free to ask anything about what I've found and his life! Also, please excuse any grammatical errors you might find here. English is not my native language. First, I'll address the most important people in his life. That is, not only his family or people he hanged around with, but also the ones who dictated (directly or indirectly) his destiny. His grandfather the Archduke, Schwarzenberg, Metternich, Marie Louise, his own father. These are the most well-known characters in the story of his life, because they were present in his most memorable stage: his birth and early childhood. It's well known that some of his last words were "My life and my death are my whole story", so my priority would be to fulfill his wishes and make known his achievements, his thoughts (even if some of them were confusing and inaccessible given his distant nature), and his unfortunately failed goal: to serve the people of France.

Thus, not only this cast of characters would be present but also individuals usually left unmentioned: Prokesch-van-Osten, Prince Esterhazy, Sophie, even his tutors and teachers. Dietrichstein and the others would also be there (and one of them I'd like to address in a darker tone). I could easily talk about this all day, so I intend to list the points that I think would be vital to a small screen adaptation of his life. 1. Obviously, his early childhood. But this would be difficult to tell in the eyes of the little King of Rome. Perhaps that would help to highlight the chaotic process of the abdication, the change of powers, the hundred days and so on, but I'm not sure if that would be the right choice. I'd be assuming that the audience already knows what happens in order to proceed with that perspective. Méneval would be there, since he was somewhat responsible for safeguarding the little King of Rome in the absence of his father (in the interests of the empire, of course, it's true that Napoleon did not trust Marie Louise's loyalty). I like to think of Méneval as being somewhat of an “imperial nanny,” as he was heavily involved in the upbringing of both Count Léon (Napoleon’s first illegitimate son) and the King of Rome, at least until Austrian authority tore him away from him. Madame de Montesquieu; “Maman Quoi,” the little eaglet’s nanny and true mother figure would also be there, as would her daughter Fanny and her brother Anatole. Why? Well, the moment when the French influence is removed from the eaglet’s life and he stops being, precisely, the eaglet; when he finally understands that his life will never be the same again. It’s this dramatic change from the sweet, mischievous, even spoiled (but always good-hearted) child to the withdrawn, quiet child who is constantly wandering in his mind, lost in his imagination. From this moment on, the audience would understand the show through his eyes, because it symbolizes the moment he begins to truly see, the moment when the weight of he may no longer being the King of Rome, or the Eaglet, or even Napoleon II, but a prisoner, falls on him. I know the whole "prisoner" thing has been debated countless times already, and I appreciate both arguments (the one where he is a prisoner, in soul and body, and the other where "technically he didn't have it so bad because he was free to do almost all he wanted"), but, dear reader, it's important for you to understand that little "Franz" (from now on) was a depressed child. He was already a prisoner of Austria, and he also became a prisoner of the vast sadness of a life he was used to, people he loved and would never see again. 2. Childhood and adolescence in Austria: For Franz, the Austrian court was kind of a madhouse. He found everyone unbearable, confusing, and worst of all, boring. Little Franz's temper was sometimes erratic, but most of these instances were to annoy his teachers or to get attention. It was a big change from the lively and warm life at the French court to one where even the walls seemed dull to him.

I don't blame Marie Louise for running back to Austria as soon as she had the chance, she was extremely young when she was forced to marry a man she had often been taught was the enemy. However, it can't help but seem bad that she abandoned the son she had with this man; with "the ogre." I understand she wanted to get away from the "son of the ogre," and thus, disengage from all that was the "French fever dream," but this affected Franz greatly. Thus Franz understood that everyone had left him, even the woman who was supposed to love him since birth. I think Marie Louise loved Franz, but she could not love his origins. She could not love the reminder that was drawn on his youthful face, and that is why she left to Parma.

A child so influenced by feminine affection, by maternal tenderness was suddenly shocked when he learned that not only had his own mother abandoned him, but that his caregivers were old, bitter military men, and that most of them fervently hated his father.

He would constantly try to bring his father into any conversation, bring up his life in the now defunct French imperial court, whenever he travelled, ask if they were "on their way to France". He loved and admired his grandfather, but he didn't understand why even he pretended that "THE Napoleon Bonaparte" had never existed. All this would undoubtedly point to a great and desperate search for identity on Franz's part, moments in his life where he has even forgotten how to speak French in front of Tsar Alexander (this happened).

Much of this would focus on how Austrian life censures and, if not hates Franz, pities him. It is in his teenage years that he really begins to detach himself from his French dream, and begins to aspire to "reasonable Austrian things", like commanding in the Austrian army, obtaining a dukedom (any higher title would bring controversy and chaos!), studying. He was very good at mathematics, like his father.

Before we move on to his teenage years, I'd like to address a topic that I see is rarely, if ever, discussed. TW: Child abuse.

The teacher I wanted to talk about in a darker tone: Obenaus. I can't remember his full name, I don't have my sources of information with me since I'm traveling, but, him. Obenaus appeared in Franz's life as a replacement after the death of one of his tutors, one that he was particularly fond of. Obenaus' arrival coincided with the start of physical punishment for young Franz, including hand smacking with what seemed like a wooden ruler (I'm sorry I can't provide specific details, I'm relying on memory), and other instances of… well. Unusual and worrying behaviors that began to occur. It is not until Obenaus' appearance that little Franz begins to wet the bed, for example. To be even more distant than he already was, left alone with a man who dressed him every morning and decided whether he could go out to play or mingle with the people at court.

I don't want to say what I suspect I think was going on between the two of them, though I trust you'll get the idea. A cruel idea. I can't speak, for the same reason, or confirm anything, so, in this hypothetical show, ambiguity would be my best friend on this particular subject. It would be easier to just ignore it, but I don't think that's fair, not to Franz.

Well. Other than that, it is in his teenage years that, as I mentioned, "he seems to drift away from the idea of ​​his father and France," although I think he never really abandoned his origins, just hid them. He had to do this in order to achieve something in his strictly commanded life. It seems curious to me that it's only in a few instances of his life that Metternich appears in person. One of them is his 18th birthday, where he makes something of a cameo and is not seen again, until Franz' deathbed.

In the perspective of the hypothetical Franz of the show and for the audience, Metternich would be like a kind of grim and almost all-hearing authority. Someone so present in his life and at the same time unseen, someone who controls almost all the decisions that are made regarding him, and yet, a stranger. I know Metternich was a complicated, even sweet and extremely interesting man, but it is his interests and rivalry with the late Napoleon I that makes him the master of the life of the "Duke of Reichstadt."

If he were not the principal enemy of the show, he would be very close to that position.

I would love to continue right now, but I have college assignments to hand in and I can't dedicate the time I would like to this question. However, I will hurry so I can bring the second part soon.

(Picture taken from Pinterest)

[himbeereule]

Орлёнок Demo Release

Finally, the demo is here! It's not exactly January anymore, but better late than never, right?

You can play it right here!

I also made a post on the CoG forums, if you want to check it out: Link

Features include:

Meeting your family! And getting bullied.

Getting executed!

Rising from the dead!

Celebrating life by slaughtering some rebels!

(Being extremely miserable!)

Feedback:

This is, quite obviously, a work in progress. It is made available so that you, the reader, can give feedback that improves the game.

So, while you can - and should - obviously tell me whatever you want, a specific list of what I need most in terms of feedback can be found here:

Language. English is not my first language (actually, not even my second one), and I mostly read non-fiction academic works when I read in English, so my writing is certainly not at the level it should be. If you have any concrete issues, please tell me, and I'll try to learn how it can be improved.

Spelling. I don't expect much in the way of outright errors, but I do know that I mix up British and American English all the time. The intended style is American English, so please point out spellings that are wrong in that regard.

Inconsistencies. There are a lot of variations between scenes, and I'd like to make the story as immersive as possible; so, if a phrasing, a character's behaviour etc. feel like they don't fit into the choices you previously made, please tell me. In detail, if possible, otherwise I won't be able to amend it.

Sensory descriptions. AuDHD makes my brain process sensations, including visual impressions, very differently, which means I often end up forgetting those exist. Please tell me about scenes that lack description in that regard. (My first grade elementary school report card called my writing 'efficient and devoid of feelings', and I'd very much like to move past that.)

Technical problems. The code should be pretty solid, but with how complicated it is, it'd be weird if there weren't at least some problems. If you find them, please try to include as much detail as possible when telling me about it. (CS Quicktest and Randomtest are not usable due to the complexity of the code, lol.)

You liking the story. I remain thoroughly convinced that I am a worthless person who isn't able to, nor deserves to create anything, and currently my only motivation to continue this project is derived from pure stubbornness. So, if you, for some reason, actually like this demo, please tell me. It won't change my mind about how bad I think it is, but it will force me to continue in order to avoid being even more of a disappointment.

Additions. If I like your idea, I'll probably add it right away; if I'm unsure, I'll do a poll. You can get me to do almost anything if you say you're sad if I don't do it.

Formatting. Although I try to playtest as much as possible, it's not that easy with how many variations there are, and in VS Code it's sometimes hard to see how well or badly readable text passages actually are.

CWs/TWs (v0.0.1):

Graphic violence and gore

Attempted sexual assault (against the player, avoidable, f!MC only; also against an NPC if massacre route is chosen (is dealt with quickly))

Suicide attempt (by the player, avoidable; f!MC only)

Loss of loved ones

Massacre of civilians and/or PoWs (avoidable)

General misery

(please let me know if you think this needs additions)

As of yet unfinished content:

Autistic variations do not exist yet for the latter part of the demo

Only one of three locations for taking a walk available for now

Tooltips are incomplete

Asexual is not available yet, as it requires a lot of additional scene variation text

Special (psychopath) routes are missing from some scenes as they were added late in development

Choices that are locked and marked as (WIP) are unfinished

Interaction routes for Semyon/Selena, Mikhail/Marina and Leon/Leah. They are top priority for the first set of updates

It is recommended that you play this with a stable state of mind. If you choose the suffering paths because it's relatable and/or as a coping strategy, please make sure you have support available and avoid triggering yourself too much.

The whole point of this game (apart from the dress-up part) is that, no matter how bad things get, you shouldn't stop fighting. It's your enemies who deserve destruction, not you.

Please keep in mind that I am both literally insane and pretty reasonable, so: if there is anything you find grossly offensive, don't assume I meant anything bad by it. Just explain to me why you think it shouldn't exist, and if I am convinced, I will amend it.

[parasitical-if]

Hey! Just came back to this demo yesterday, and I really liked it.

Also, there's a wrong parenthesis at the end of chapter 2, don't know if that's been caught yet:

Thank you so much! For both the praise and the bug-catch. Орлёнок is an amazing story as well - cannot wait to keep reading it!

[thegorydamnreaper]

Lyria of Lagalos