Character & identity
Lord of Mysteries · Cuttlefish That Loves DivingOne disguise promises what the other identity must refuse
Make two useful identities collide through a promise the protagonist must answer now.
Make two useful identities collide through a promise the protagonist must answer now.
Give a displaced protagonist someone who expects an ordinary promise to be kept before the new world is understood.
Show a habit working well before changing the circumstances that made it useful.
Changing appearance gets you through a door. It does not give you the life behind it.
When two realities make competing demands, choosing an explanation is already an action.