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UPDATE!!! 12/17/2011:
Updated with Tsuki's description, added Asako's and Mei Lan's description but no image yet. Also, instead of the con being 9 days away, I changed it to 21 so there can be more character developement and to be more realistic. Planning for a con in 9 days is insane, while a month is at least plausable.

Hello! So, "NekoCon!" is the current project I am working on, and will be THE FIRST visual novel I will release to the public, non-commercial. The interesting thing about this VN is that it will be made up of entirely free-to-use resources, including sprites (many of which I found here or through these forums), backgrounds, and music found on Jamendo. The only thing created totally by me will be, of course, the story and dialogue, and also I might draw up some CGs (though sprite artists still get credit for the design, since I will try my best to draw in their style so it won't look too awkward). Anyway, I want to see how people react to this visual novel to see if it's worth making more, and then I will make one with my own original sprites, but for now due to lack of time, I will stick with the free-to-use sprites. You might even recognize, or have used these same sprites in your visual novel!

Current Progress:
The game contains 834 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 8,273 words,
for an average of 9.9 words per screen.
The game contains 4 menus.

THE STORYLINE

Yume Kuromizu has been homeschooled all her life. But now, at age 15 and in 9th Grade, she will be sent to a regular High School. Yume is an aspiring mangaka who wants to use her art for God's glory. She and her friends have started their own "anime club" and all plan to go to NekoCon! a local 3-day anime convention that'll be in it's fifth year. Only in 22 days (21 days if you exclude Day 0), she has to prepare by getting all the materials she needs, because she's decided that she's going to sell in the Artist Alley! It's going to be crazy getting prepared to have a full inventory, the needed supplies, as well as cosplay! And then there's the fact that she has less time on her hands now that she's attending school now. Then there's this girl she's recently befriended in school who she's trying to reach out to. Could Yume's love for anime be the "ice breaker" in connecting with her?

I plan to make this have choices, though I'm not sure how many endings it will have (I don't plan to make this an extremely long novel). The visual novel will focus on the days before the con, as well as all 3 days of the con, and maybe a little bit of the aftermath. As from the description, it's a Christian visual novel and I sort of reflect my feelings through Yume that anime isn't bad and can be used for good, so I guess you could say a piece of my own heart is in this little project. Yeah, the word "Christian" and "anime" usually aren't seen together, but I know I'm not alone in this. XD!!

THE CHARACTERS! (For now, here's the description of the main character).

Yume Kuromizu (This adorable sprite was created by louee)

Our main character! According to her friend Tsuki, she is the "third" person from their anime club to "drop out" of homeschooling (as they call it). Yume is a sweet and kind girl, but can also be hyperactive and overly excited. Her dream is to reach people through art. She has a crush on her rather nerdy looking childhood friend, Tadeshi, and she really hasn't told anyone this 'cause she's afraid they'd laugh at her. It's not that she's ashamed of liking him, it's because their laughter would really tick her off. A huge fan of anime/manga, some of her favorite fandomes include series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Heroic Age, Steins;Gate, and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (as well as many others).

Rita Emerson (Also created by louee)


Tsuki (Sprite created by sonone)

She's very cheerful and loves her anime. She is also an aspiring visual novelist, working on her own project using Ren'Py (yes, I will shamelessly advertise this beloved engine!!!) When it comes to her choices in what she reads or watches, she isn't all that strict, and pays attention to the redeeming values of the entire product. She really enjoys fantasy or action series. Some of her favorite anime and manga include; SakuraHime, Magic Knight Reyearth, Nabari no Ou, Steins;Gate, Claymore, and Fullmetal Alchemist, as well as many others.

Tadeshi Endo (Sprite also by sonone)


Naomi (Sprite created by Tsuine)

She's the fearless leader of the anime club! Her favorite series of all time is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Akiyo (I forgot who made this sprite, but I remember where I found it, so I will update with the credits as soon as I either remember or find it XD!!)


Asako (Image coming later....)
Asako is a rather quiet and shy girl, but is very nice and sweet. Like Yume and Tadeshi, she too is a 'homeschool drop-out', but she doesn't attend the same High School. She's actually been enrolled in a private Christian academy. She is very cautious with what she enjoys in the anime/manga world, sticking to only the cleanest titles she can find, enjoying very few exceptions. Her favorite series comprise of; Kimi ni Todoke, Kitchen Princess, Angelic Layer, Chi's Sweet Home, and some self-published OEL such as The World Stops!, Thunderkid, and Game Plan!

Mei Lan (Image coming later...)
Yume's best friend, and a girl with nerves of steel! Out of the entire group, she's stomached anime that even the more loose members won't dare see! Yume also describes her as "a cross between Tomoyo Daidoji and Haruhi Suzumiya" when it comes to dressing her up (she likes dressing Yume in all kinds of outfits). She's a black belt in martial arts, so don't try crossing this girl. Some of her favorite series include; Higurashi When They Cry, RG Veda, Toradora, and many others.
(NOTE: I am basing this girl on my friend. It is true that she has nerves of steel! She's watched Elfen Lied >.>)

(MORE IMAGES AND DESCRIPTIONS COMING SOON!!)

SCREENSHOTS!!











Honest feedback appreciated! I'll try to have a Demo up sometime soon so you guys can try it out. Thanks in advance for reading and God Bless!

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"

Okay... Time for critique-

The good: It sounds interesting. Definitely a unique storyline, and it sounds like you're relating your own life a lot into it, so it will have a more realistic touch which I like.

The not-so-good: I don't know how many people will play this, just for the mere fact that it pretty much screams out CHRISTIAN GAME ONLY for anyone glancing at the title. Even if that isn't your intent, and it's not true, anyone who looks at a thread title that reads 'Christian VN about Christian anime fans XD!!' will think that the game is some sort of Christianity preaching device. If that isn't want you want people to think, I would recommend taking the double 'Christian' out of the title, and maybe putting a little note in the intro that will make those who may be a little uncomfortable with the idea of a VN focusing on Christianity, feel a little more at ease with your visual novel. Otherwise I fear that many people would miss out on would could possibly be a great VN.

But feel free to ignore me at any time, I could be completely wrong in my observations (I often am.) And regardless, I mean no offense, and will keep an eye on this, as I do all VN wips in this forum.

--Good luck with your VN! And as Obi-Wan say, more than anything else "You must do what you feel is right, of course"

I think that this has potential for exploration of various Christian attitudes towards stuff like anime and conventions. I remember when Pokemon got popular in the USA, sensationalist preachers on the radio and TV scared parents everywhere by insisting that Pokemon was demonic. Because of that, I wasn't allowed to watch the show and having the merchandise was frowned upon too, until about when Gold and Silver was being released.

I also remember that as a young teen I briefly thought Evangelion must be a Christian show because of the title, the presence of "Angels" and all the other symbolism.

Just remember who your audience is. If you're targeting non-Christians in an attempt to inform, then be EXTREMELY careful of being preachy. If you're targeting Christians, make sure you don't use "church" jargon and expressions to the point that nobody else can understand what you're saying. That is an enormous pet peeve of mine.

Oh yeah, and since this is a visual novel about a Christian anime fan, there will be Superbook in there somewhere, right?

_________________
“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,
and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'”
— Erma Bombeck

I'm a Christian, so this already caught my eye because I'm curious to see what it's about. I really would like to see a story written with a more modern Christian lead just because portrayal of Christians in most media tends to be either the super polite priest/nun or the obnoxious fundamentalist. Do be careful to make it a good story and not something that sounds like heavy-handed preaching. Veggie Tales, despite quoting Bible verses and having a "moral of the day," is still a lot of fun to watch. On the other hand, the Left Behind PC game was a travesty (The whole point of the game was to "convert" people and KILL people who didn't convert. Really. O_<) From what I've read, it sounds like a good portrayal of the Christians I actually know, and I'm interested to see where this goes, especially if it touches on things that Sapphi mentioned. I remember having to hide my Pokemon interest because everyone at church thought it was evil (my parents, fortunately, were not among them).

Do your best~

_________________

That is sadly still around. u_u I am a huge pokemon nerd and search for it at local thrift shops, one time when i asked a christian thrift if they had anything like that she said they threw it away because they didn't want to 'spread it around'.

Anyways good luck with your project!

@Pen; Yeah, I might just change the title to "VN about Christian anime fans" (plus I might need the subject space for reports on new updates in the first post). I see what you mean how it can make others uneasy, and it is not my intent. Thanks for the advice.

@Sapphi; Yeah. I don't intend to make it too preachy or anything. The idea is to portray the Christian anime fan and I guess how they view anime, as opposed to those who think Pokemon is evil XD!! It reminds me of what one person said at this Christian anime forum I go to "Out of all the anime they could of picked, they chose Pokemon". Like mentioned in the first post, it has a piece of my heart in it.

@sake-bento; Definitely don't intend to make it heavy-preaching, as it ruins the story quality and makes it seems fake instead of true and full of heart. If you're trying too hard, you won't get a beautiful project. It needs to seem natural. Wow, that Left Behind game sounds disgusting!

@Razz; thankies ^.^

I'm actually surprised that I got 4 responses. I will do my best and heed your advice, and thank you again!

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"

Gah! Forgot to post again when I updated this to let you know I updated the first post XD!! Anyway, so now I have the Lint satistics (as of now) and some more character pictures (descriptions coming soon).

If I can, I hope to have a demo out maybe next week, no later than within the month. I'm not exactly sure how long I intend the game to be, 'cause I am debating whether or not to show two years of NekoCon, or just focusing on one, we'll see.

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"

I noticed that Kokoro Hane's main character has transitioned from home school to a public school. Some of my friends have assured me that this was challenging leap which they had to make. And if you add to that "attending a fan convention AND selling in an artist alley," then your character is getting set up for quite a few difficult weeks or months.

That said, I assume you're already thinking about who your characters are, and what sort of interior and interpersonal conflicts they'll have. What do they have in common? What issues divide them? Will their relationships and arguments tear up the club, or will they be able to compromise and stay together?

Kokoro Hane, you may wish to visit the forum at christiananime.net . I'm not sure how many people on the forum are creating stories or games, but be sure to ask around.

I don't want to get off-topic, but I want to add just a personal note...

One of my plot bunnies is a story in which the characters think about William Booth's question "Why should the devil have all the good tunes?" (you can learn about its context here: http://www1.salvationarmy.org/heritage. ... enDocument ) and decide to take it seriously. They would attempt to write a romance game or visual novel, striving to make something their fellow believers would find acceptable and praiseworthy. The conflict: they have to address the embarrassing problem which is The Moral Substitute. They don't want to make a cheap imitation of Tokimemo or Sakura Wars, but they're not sure what else they can do. Likewise, they learn that it's impossible to make a creative work without offending someone. (I've thought about writing this, but I'm not sure how I'd characterize these individuals, or how I'd portray their interior and interpersonal conflicts.)

...And in the middle of writing this post, I got another plotbunny... using the idea of the "reverse confessional booth" which I read about in one of Donald Miller's books, and then bringing it to a fandom club or a fan convention.

@Geki; Yeah. I've known people who were once homeschooled, and then went to regular school. I've seen it change them or make them wish they were still homeschooled. As someone who has once done the Artist Alley myself (at a HUGE convention at that!) I know i t can be very challenging, especially when you have people look but then walk off. So I am really piling on challenges for Yume XD!!

Ooh, I AM a member of CAA! (I'm known as AnimeGirl there) and have planned to announce my game in the "Member's Projects" board. Are you a member, too, or just a lurker?

Your little plot bunny sounds interesting. And I thank you for the insight.

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"

This project seems interesting, the only thing that bothers me is the setting. The game appears to be set in Japan, which has very few Christians as well as having a history of persecuting them. Other than that, I think I'll keep my eye on this.

_________________
I have moved to a new account. Please contact me here from now on. T/Y~

im not religious or anything but im curious about this game. its peaked my interesting simply because the concept is unique. so ill give this a play when you have a demo/or are done with it <3 keep it up and good luck. ~

_________________

Blog | Twitter | Starlight Melodies | Papercut [NaNoReNo 2013]

@Higurashi; Yeah, I am aware of the small amount of Christians there, but they DO exist, just very little. When I was naming the charries, somehow I kept coming up with only Japanese names XD!! Usually I mix Japanese names with other names, so obviously it can be located anywhere with a diverse group. but considering I ended up giving them all Japanese names....makes it appear to be in Japan, so I guess it is? XD!! But I hope it'll be a very enjoyable game, anyway. The Christian Japanese that do exist have an AMAZINGA FAITH, and actually inspire me.

Cidz; Glad you find it unique! I hope you will enjoy it, nontheless ^.^

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"

Thank you for using my sprites

about Tadeshi Endo, I can give you a high quality image for that :O

_________________
Simdate Complex [WIP]
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=12514&p=165075#p165075

My Free Sprites
NEW: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=11560
OLD: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7522

DeviantArt
NEW:http://j-sonone.deviantart.com/
OLD:http://koizumi636.deviantart.com/

Just my two cents, but never having lived in Japan, I personally would have an incredibly hard time trying to accurately portray their anime conventions and their flavor of Christianity. I assume you're from the USA... If you do not have extensive insight into the life of the average Christian in Japan, I would recommend you not set the story there. I mean, if you really have to give them Japanese names, you could set the story in an area of the country where there is a large Japanese-American population or something.

_________________
“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,
and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'”
— Erma Bombeck

@sonone; No problem! I love your sprites and felt they would fit. They're soooooo cute! <33 Oh, a higher quality version? Heh, I guess you could tell I had to resize him due to the fact that the game will be 1024x768, and if I kept him to the original image size, he'd be too small XD!!

@Sapphi; Yeah, probably not basing it in Japan would be best. Though it will be kind of weird, since many of the backgrounds I am using is from Mao Space and has Japanese writing and yen pricing XD!! But I actually never intended to set it in Japan anyway. They all just happen to have Japanese names (the characters I have so far,. anyway) except for ONE, who is Chinese. And I actually plan to make Yume's mother not Japanese (so she'll have a common name), and another character I also planned not to be Japanese, either.

I could say all the main characters are Japanese 'cause they go to a Japanese church or something like that XD!!!

_________________
My Ren'Py novels:
Operation: Magic Hero (WIP)
Eileen's Otome Love Story
NekoCon! (HIATUS) (Update: 12/27/2011)


But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
Owl City "Galaxies"