The thing you should know is that gender can't really be bent. It was never straight to begin with. It's a winding, looping, non-euclidean shape, and hold it however you like, you'll never figure out which side is up, or if it even has sides.
This game is about feeling your heart pound as you pull on a skirt for the first time, about finding yourself in a pile of hair clippings, and about staring in the mirror for hours on end trying to see what you're looking for.
Or, to put it in a less pretentious way, this game is about cute crossdressers and cool trans people and just, like, the sappiest, dorkiest romance.
Overview
I feel like there's a dearth of visual novels that treat gender presentation and identity as more than minor plot points or silly fetish items. So that's what I want to do. Flip/Switch (or Furisui, as I enjoy abbreviating it) is a light-hearted, affectionate look at gender presentation and identity from the perspective of three different protagonists, each with their own love interest.
It takes place in Portside, a fictional town in an undisclosed country at an undisclosed point in time and revolves around the lives of six young adults attending Portside Public High School and Portside University as they grapple with issues of gender, presentation, and how many times you can smooch someone before they blush so hard they catch fire.
Characters
Nathan Delamenthe
I was jealous. No, I was sick to my stomach with envy.
Because she got to wear that pretty dress, and I didn't, because I was a boy.
And all that time I had spent back then trying to act like her cool protector --
I realized then that what I really wanted was to be in her place instead. Not as a girl, but just...
Nathan is a high school senior who recently returned to Portside, and the protagonist of the Nathan / Alex route. He's somewhat short for his age. He "collects" women's fashion magazines, and has been planning for years to crossdress, but has never had the nerve to go through with it. Docile and timid, he tries perhaps too hard to be seen as level-headed despite being eminently flappable. He hates the part of him that wants to put on a skirt and guards it with his life.I was jealous. No, I was sick to my stomach with envy.
Because she got to wear that pretty dress, and I didn't, because I was a boy.
And all that time I had spent back then trying to act like her cool protector --
I realized then that what I really wanted was to be in her place instead. Not as a girl, but just...
His childhood best friend is Alexandra Rayures, whom he currently lives with. He's 18 years old and 5'4" tall.
Alexandra Rayures
"Knock it off, Ian. He's my best friend. I just think it's cute the way he gets all flustered when I touch his neck.
...Besides, I'm like a billion percent sure he wouldn't be into me."
Alex is a college student who's currently studying to be a doctor, and Nathan's childhood friend. She dotes on Nathan like a little brother. She's quite tall and carries herself with confidence, and has a habit of bursting out laughing at inappropriate times. Alex has a thing for teasing Nathan and may have something of a dominant streak that she's unaware of."Knock it off, Ian. He's my best friend. I just think it's cute the way he gets all flustered when I touch his neck.
...Besides, I'm like a billion percent sure he wouldn't be into me."
She and Nathan have been friends since before the last two letters of her name changed. She's also a close friend of Ian Redfield. She's 20 years old and 5'11" tall.
Melissa Page
Listen. Listen. I'm not, like, one of those assholes who's like,
if you wanna be strong, you should throw on a suit and tape traffic cones to your shoulders.
But I don't know. Somehow, lookin' this way makes me feel more like the person I wish I was
than the one I am now.
Mel is a high school senior, as well as the protagonist of the Mel / Sanne route. Though at heart she's a shy and bookish type, she wants to throw off that image. She lopped off most of her hair and started dressing in boyish outfits. She's not totally sure how she wants to be seen, but she knows "girly" ain't it. She looks up to Sanne Verellen and probably has a thing for her.Listen. Listen. I'm not, like, one of those assholes who's like,
if you wanna be strong, you should throw on a suit and tape traffic cones to your shoulders.
But I don't know. Somehow, lookin' this way makes me feel more like the person I wish I was
than the one I am now.
She's 18 years old and 5'5" tall, and a classmate and friend of Nathan and Sanne.
Sanne Verellen
"Yes, Mel. I'm okay with your everything. You look super cute and whatever. What?"
Sanne Verellen is a classmate of Melissa and her friend. She's from the Netherlands. She has a laid-back personality and an easygoing confidence, but is often extremely difficult to read, and seems a bit oblivious to people's feelings if they're not pointed out to her. She tends to pull her friends along at her own pace."Yes, Mel. I'm okay with your everything. You look super cute and whatever. What?"
She's 18 years old and 5'8" tall.
Ian Redfield
God, his hair's just so soft and silky and springy. Does he use conditioner? He must use conditioner.
I should ask him about it.
Ian Redfield is a first-year college student living in a dorm off-campus, and the protagonist of the Ian / Emery route. He's tall and lanky and wears glasses, but somehow manages to come off as a cool presence, at least until you hear him speak. He's smart and confident, but kind of a huge dork. His best friend is Emery Doyle, with whom he spends most nights hanging out. Despite all appearances, he's actually quite perceptive to people's feelings.God, his hair's just so soft and silky and springy. Does he use conditioner? He must use conditioner.
I should ask him about it.
He's 19 years old and 5'10" tall.
Emery Doyle
"The thing that scares me half to death is the idea that people might see me the way they see those guys.
I don't want to be that. I can't be that."
Emery Doyle is a first-year college student and best friend of Ian Redfield. The youngest of four brothers, he hates being compared to his siblings. He's prone to snapping and yelling when people project expectations onto him. Distrustful of people in general, he only really opens up to Ian, but not about everything. He has a secret stash of girl clothes, and he's trying desperately to ignore a particular conclusion he keeps reaching about his identity."The thing that scares me half to death is the idea that people might see me the way they see those guys.
I don't want to be that. I can't be that."
He's 19 years old and 5'7" tall.
Progress
I'm going to be tackling these routes one at a time, although I may take breaks from Nathan / Alex to get the entire cast's sprites filled out (sprites surprisingly quite a bit more work than I thought, but then again I am going for multiple outfits and poses for each character). I was waiting until I had at least the first route's sprites more or less finished to begin actually scripting, which I've just started on. I expect the first route to go pretty smoothly since it's largely based on a short story I wrote a few months ago.
Nathan / Alex
Story: 90%
Sprites: 80%
CGs: 0%
Backgrounds: 0%
Music: 0%
Mel / Sanne
Story: 20%
Ian / Emery
Story: 50%
Stuff
- If any trans or ally readers are currently cringing hoping I'll handle the game's trans characters with care, you don't have to worry, I hope! I'm trans, and this stuff is close to my heart. In fact, a point I'd like to make through this game is about the differences between presentation and identity, as well as the different -- all legitimate -- reasons people have for how they choose to present.
- Under the current plan, the three routes are separate and have one ending each. Nothing but good endings in this game, pal!
- After consideration it's hard to see what R-18 content would really bring to the game. My opinion's always been that people who like each other and wanna have sex probably will and that's part of their story and a part of their mutual character development, but it's really not necessary this time. I'd rather leave it out than throw it in and alienate part of the audience just 'cause it's, admittedly, fun to write.
- Not... completely... one hundred percent sure... what I'm gonna do about background art. I'm going to give it a stab, and I can probably pull out something reasonable, but it's not quite my area and I don't have a penny to spend on commissions.
- I'm not sure how long the whole thing will take to complete -- it could be a few months, or a more than a few months, since my work pace fluctuates a lot. I guess that's par for the course though!
- My questions for y'all: How do you feel about the concept as a whole? Any route in particular sound interesting? Any in particular not?
and it's the only game that i have seen on here recently that right away sparked an interest. Can't wait until you finish it