The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

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Caveat Lector
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The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

#1 Post by Caveat Lector »

"Remember: I hate liars."


Tenth grader Charlotte Clerval never believed in ghosts—she just went along on Katherine Sobler's ghost hunts for the chance to hang out with her friends. But one day, in November of 1975, Katherine disappears after hosting a slumber party. Because Charlotte chose to stay home and study instead of going to the party, she’s left in the dark about the 'incident' that resulted in Katherine going missing, and her friends remain mysteriously tight-lipped about the details. It isn't until the day after the party that she learns that what was supposed to be another fun 'contact the spirits beyond the grave' deal went horribly wrong, and she is given a challenge by the ghost whom Katherine was trying to speak to: Solve the mystery of the ghost's murder by this upcoming Friday, or else three people in Charlotte’s small group will meet a similarly gruesome fate as the ghost herself.

The only problem with this? At a time when Charlotte needs clear answers more than ever, her friends keep giving contradicting stories about the party, pressure her to keep secrets from the others, and refuse to say what exactly happened. Can Charlotte solve the mystery before time runs out? Will she be able to save everyone, or will at least one person die before the clock strikes midnight on Friday?

Credits:
Story by: Caveat Lector
Sprite art by: Nekomiira, ehcs
CG art by: Mayopix
Backgrounds: Badriel, Rachel Marks
Music: Joshua1207

The Cast:

Charlotte Clerval
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I let out a breath and laugh. How could I have thought such a legend could actually be real?
The protagonist of our tale, Charlotte is a sensible girl with a good head on her shoulders. She was never one to believe in ghosts, but the events of this story will force her to rethink her beliefs, and not just about ghosts.

Vera McGill
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"B, but...what if...there really is a ghost there? And it--or she--is judging us?"
Charlotte’s cheerful, bright, peppy friend. She’s always eager to help Charlotte out, even if she sometimes needs a bit of help herself in remembering her schoolwork.

Jessalyn Meade
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"It was just a silly story. Don’t pay too much attention to it, okay?"
Charlotte’s slightly more adventurous friend. She seems to know a thing or two about the incident with Katherine, even if she’s not ready to reveal everything she saw.

Lillie Ireland
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"Not now, I’ve almost got a good lead for a story!"
A reporter for the school newspaper, and a former early childhood friend of Charlotte’s whom she drifted apart from after moving across town before the two were reunited in high school. She’s looking for her first big lead in months.

Katherine Sobler
Katherine did not love the occult. She was obsessed by it.
A friend of Charlotte’s, and an occult enthusiast. She went missing the weekend prior. What was she looking for, and what did she discover?

Others to come

Progress (disclaimer: rough estimate):
Script: 85% (story complete, awaiting assets to sort)
Story: 100%
BG Art: 45%
Character Art: 98%
CG art: 25%
Music: 100%

---

Music Preview:

https://soundcloud.com/joshua1207/sets/ ... vel-pieces
https://soundcloud.com/joshua1207/sleeping-beauty

Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the ghost? What do you think happened to her? Why has she dragged our heroes into something that’s not even related to them? Or is it? Theories? Thoughts?
2. Of all the characters shown so far, based around the short description given of them, which ones seem like they might be the most heroic?
3. Which ones seem like they’d be the most villainous?
4. What do you expect from a ghost story, or a story with elements of the supernatural?
5. Any additional feedback?


Misc. notes (put down in spoiler marks for the more curious, but don't worry, I'm not giving away any in-depth spoilers TOO soon here):

--UPDATE 6/28/2015: Well, we're all familiar with the story of Icarus, right? Here, I'm afraid that might apply a bit too well, production-wise. I've decided to cut back, and instead of making this a multi-choice VN, I will instead make it a simple, linear VN (or "kinetic VN"). It's the best solution to speed up production, and also so I can precisely narrow down my assets to what I NEED. I hope you'll still be able to enjoy it regardless!

. This project is projected to go commercial. However, I cannot guarantee a precise release date or estimate as of yet.

--UPDATE 2/9/2016: This topic still needs to be updated by a LOT. A major overhaul for promotion will come soon!

--UPDATE 6/1/2016: Music previews available and questions added!
Last edited by Caveat Lector on Wed Jun 01, 2016 1:52 pm, edited 13 times in total.
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

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tiya_nofurita
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#2 Post by tiya_nofurita »

Yeah, the premise is interesting, the genre is one of my fav too, but the Nekomiira sprites is way too cute X3 (wait, appearance could be deceiving XD). Looking forward to this!
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Googaboga
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#3 Post by Googaboga »

I love mystery, I love horror, and I loooove ghosts. And it's got Nekomiira's art too. Haha, this sounds great.

Good luck. I'm really looking forward to seeing more.
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qirien
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#4 Post by qirien »

Ooh, this looks great! Good luck to you!
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Morhighan
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#5 Post by Morhighan »

I'm digging the art and the plot. Best of luck! :)

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gabicho
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#6 Post by gabicho »

The premise is pretty interesting and the art is cute.
Def looking forward to this

Caveat Lector
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#7 Post by Caveat Lector »

UPDATE: Jessalyn and Lillie's sprites are now available for preview!

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Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

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ebi-hime
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#8 Post by ebi-hime »

the character artwork is so cute!
Lillie is so adorable. I love her hat >w<
and the story sounds interesting too!
I have a lot of free & commercial VNs available on Steam and itchio.io if you want to check them out! ☆

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SeventhStranger
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#9 Post by SeventhStranger »

This sounds amazing! Like a Christopher Pike book in VN form (for anyone old enough to get that reference).

I feel I made a mistake clicking this topic because now I was to wait impatiently for the release.. And I'm not very patient!! :)

Caveat Lector
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Projects: Rainbow Love (HIATUS), The Haunting of Blackbird School, Cry of the Roses [TBA]
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, Horror

#10 Post by Caveat Lector »

UPDATE: Basic reference sprite for Charlotte now here!

Image
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

Caveat Lector
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 680
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:02 am
Completed: Colette and Becca
Projects: Rainbow Love (HIATUS), The Haunting of Blackbird School, Cry of the Roses [TBA]
Organization: Velveteen Rabbit Productions
Deviantart: Velveteen-Rabbit-CL
itch: caveat_lector
Location: My chair
Contact:

Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

#11 Post by Caveat Lector »

NEW UPDATE regarding the progress of the overall VN, and also a significant major change, read first post.
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

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noeinan
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

#12 Post by noeinan »

The premise sounds interesting, and the art is adorable. Looking forward to it!
Image

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Caveat Lector
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 680
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:02 am
Completed: Colette and Becca
Projects: Rainbow Love (HIATUS), The Haunting of Blackbird School, Cry of the Roses [TBA]
Organization: Velveteen Rabbit Productions
Deviantart: Velveteen-Rabbit-CL
itch: caveat_lector
Location: My chair
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Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

#13 Post by Caveat Lector »

UPDATE: The basic sprite artwork is complete! And I have now found a CG artist, so stay tuned for further updates!
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

Caveat Lector
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 680
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:02 am
Completed: Colette and Becca
Projects: Rainbow Love (HIATUS), The Haunting of Blackbird School, Cry of the Roses [TBA]
Organization: Velveteen Rabbit Productions
Deviantart: Velveteen-Rabbit-CL
itch: caveat_lector
Location: My chair
Contact:

Re: The Haunting of Blackbird School [Mystery, Ghost, KN]

#14 Post by Caveat Lector »

UPDATE: Added music previews and questions in the first post! Please answer!
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

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