[GL][Romance] Crow

[Juneberry]

BASIC PLOT IDEA:
Mika is in love with her childhood friend, Hiroko. Unfortunately, Hiroko is a lot like a crow- she has a very small attention span and loves to pick up 'shiny things'- if you replace shiny things with cute and interesting girls. While the two are now going to school at an all-girl's school that mixes both middle and high school grades, Hiroko has begun to build a 'harem'. Mika, due to being dragged along by Hiroko's flow, ends up joining it and meeting the other girls, all of whom don't really seem to like Hiroko the way she thinks they do...

This was originally going to be done as a manga, but I realized it much better suited a VN. xD Might make light novel type things separate later if I really feel like it.
I know I have another idea posted here. I'm working on it more, but this is still likely in production. I don't seem to do well working on just one project for myself o.o;

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Tsubaki Mika - The Heroine and playable character. Mika is a fairly down-to-earth girl with a bad taste in women (IE Hiroko). Though at the start of the game she is definitively in love with Hiroko, she will branch off at a player's decision to any of the 6 eligible love candidates (Hiroko, Yumi, Michiru, Fuyu, Kurumi or Kaoru). Mika is in her second year of middle school.

Sasada Hiroko - Nicknamed 'Crow', Hiroko is a middle-aged man in the body of a high school aged girl, having just entered her first year. She's perverted and has a love of girls, but treats them like a prince when around them. However, she has no real sense of 'love' and is easily distracted by another girl in her stead. She treats her classroom as an after school hangout for her 'harem', though none of the harem members actually are in love with her. She's forgetful but kind, and she has her moments of reliability.

Sasada Kaoru - The only bachelor if desired, Kaoru is Hiroko's unfortunate younger brother. He's the same age as Mika and goes to a nearby all-boy's school, and has liked Mika from childhood- but understands well he so far can't win against his sister. Kaoru is very perceptive and much more reliable than his older sister, generally being left in charge of chores and budgetting due to her lack of responsibility. Kaoru is shy and quick to blush, but also quick to aid when he can- even if it's at his own expense.

Sendou Kurumi - A girl the same age as Mika with a boisterous, outgoing attitude. As soon as Mika joins the 'harem', Kurumi is quick to push friendship at her. Originally from abroad with mixed parents, Kurumi is bilingual and good with foreigners. She is naturally friendly and is quick to show an interest in virtually anyone. She also apparently is one of the few in school that likes both girls and boys, though it's never really shown.

Tetagami Michiru - The class president of Hiroko, Michiru is strict when it comes to studies. Bright and happy to tutor, she mostly spends time with the 'harem' to help others with their homework while they're there. She is often seem scolding Hiroko for her childish and dense antics.

Rando Fuyumi - Fuyumi looks like a gangster with her face mask always on, but it's actually because she's a complete germophobe. As a second year in high school, she's actually the oldest of the 'harem', but still looks to Michiru for tutoring advice. She is very blunt when it comes to medical information and is always able to help you when you're injured. She's also the nurse's assistant.

Kanzaki Yumi - Mika's cousin is also a math teacher at her school. Though they're cousins by distant blood, Yumi has still fallen in love with her cute little cousin. Being calm and mature, she tends to be a bit motherly to her students, and is always there to chat. She tends to prefer being informal when in private, and will also be blunt with criticism at times, but overall she does it because she cares. She's idolized by many students as the youngest teacher, as well as being cute.

PLANNED FEATURES/Gameplay:
-6 romantic partners (each with at least two endings probably planned)
-Probably a map for date spots...
-Cell Phone (which can give general information about the characters and lets you call them for random conversations at playable times)

HOW TO HELP:
I'm broke and unable to offer funds right now, but I may make a kickstarter if enough people seem interested in the project in general. I'll probably need some help with coding, and definitely with art. Basically...Any help you're offering, I'd be happy to accept. But remember, at the moment, it'd be no pay. So only do it for fun.

PROGRESS:
-Main Character Concepts: Complete
-Sprites: Covered
-Music: Deciding
-Script: Currently coding in the characters and sprites first.
-BGs: None

[gekiganwing]

A couple notes:

Setting: have you lived in Japan, or do you know at least one person who has? If not, take time to do a reasonable amount of research. You'll benefit by making sure to check for factual errors, and avoid making it a theme park version.

A number of girl x boy indie VNs include one possible girl love interest. If you want to do the opposite and include one guy, that's fine. Just make sure he doesn't come across as a token character.

Topics regarding girls love and all-girls school settings to think about: Lesbian Until Graduation, and "Class S" relationships. Do you want your characters' relationships to endure after they leave school? Are they uncertain about their sexuality? Is there any ambiguity on whether they're friends or lovers?

If you choose crowdfunding, plan ahead and ask for advice first.

[Juneberry]

I'm not worrying about funding quite yet- this is supposed to be simpler than my main game I'm working on, sort of a side project. In terms of Japan, I've been researching it regularly most of my life, and I do know people who've lived there/who can give good info about it. Of course, it's an alternative universe of Japan naturally, so some things being different won't be too surprising. After all, this school doesn't actually exist....

As for the token character issue, he's not particularly important yet, but I felt bad for him mostly. He does have his own faults of course though, if that's what you're referring to.

In terms of the types of relationships, it'll vary from person to person and also how the characters grow. Sexuality will also be an issue for some, such as Michiru, who isn't exactly a 'relationship' person in the beginning. As for friends vs lovers...That's being sort of figured out right now.

Anyhow...Thanks a bunch for the comments. That'll help me flesh things out a lot!

[wererat42]

If you have a proof of concept and possibly a demo - at the very least a video showing artwork and planned features - I'll gladly donate.
Possibly advertise on /u/. You'll probably run into some criticism, but it's usually the good kind.
Also, why Japan? Too many OELVNs use it as a setting when there are so many other potential stories. So long as you haven't done too much work on the story already, try imagining the story taking place in your own hometown or a place much like it. You'd probably have an easier time, you won't be subconsciously imposing your own cultural values, and it won't end up feeling like a copy of some anime.

[Juneberry]

Well, the main reason was because I am using ComiPo for the sprites, and when I originally made the characters in ComiPo, it was back when there was only school uniform type clothes in it, and I'm not all that great an artist for editing extensively or drawing on my own. Since I have never seen a sailor-uniform type of dress used in any school I've been to, nor heard of personally, it didn't fit otherwise in my head. Then again, I am making up a school anyway...

But I also can't define a home town for myself, since I've moved a lot over my life. The longest I've lived in a town was five years, so I suppose one of those two would be the closest thing. But thanks again for the idea

As for donation type of thing: I don't have a demo considering I literally just started working on more than just the sprites. What I do have is the original comic that this is based off of that I'd been working on, but decided that the VN might fit better. So basically, the most is make a really lame video of some sort showing off the character concepts and such. Because again, this is a really young project and mostly for fun, because it's mostly a game I'd personally like to play, but know others might enjoy since GL games aren't quite as common from my personal experience.

[wererat42]

I'm not familiar with ComiPro, but so long as the setting isn't a private school, you don't really have to worry about uniforms.

And honestly, what you just said about moving around a lot could be implemented into your main character. Could be she doesn't know how long she'll be staying in one place, thus is hesitant about forming relationships and when she does she makes bad choices. I'm not trying to tell you what to write, but in my experience writing about what you know is a lot better than writing about what you don't know, or only know of from second-hand knowledge.

Could be I just want to see at least one GxG project on this site come through.

[Juneberry]

Er...The issue with that would be that the main character is Mika, and she's always been in the town as part of the main storyline with Hiroko. But I could put that into one of the other characters. I actually have had experience with a number of things that are being implemented into the story from basic drafts I have...But sadly, the setting IS a private all-girl's school. This originally was meant to be a manga too.

As for ComiPo, it's very limited on characters still, and while there's at least more leniency with clothes since I spent half a hundred dollars on new clothing that finally came out last year for the English version of the program, it's still pretty limited...Though If I really feel like it, I can draw sloppy clothes over the swimsuit models or something, but it won't look all that good. Because again, my ability with art is very limited, and I have no money personally- I was able to pay for ComiPo and the add ons through gifts I got, and I'm doing all this for fun. I'm unemployed and disabled, so most of my day is spent at home and/or at a sort of day program when I'm healthy enough to not get people sick. ^^; But that's totally separate.

I have a plan that Michiru, who really doesn't get close to people easily, will be the one who moved around a lot and thus tries not to make close ties. Hiroko is fickle and has a hard time recognizing love from simple infatuation. Fuyumi is obsessive and picky, and always telling people things a bit bluntly- basically, she's awkward. And Kurumi is the happy-go-lucky type who basically has no clear concept of love at the beginning, only really interested in friendship and tend to blur those lines together without realizing it, because she comes from a broken family where boundaries were never really made notable.

Oh, and then there's Yumi and Kaoru, who have different plans too. Everything I do with the characters does have a part of me, but if I use only my own personal knowledge, it can be pretty bland since I'm a hermit. So, I naturally use things I've heard of or learned through other methods as well, like my dad's insane stories, or things I noted while family and friends talked about things. Personal experience is definitely vital, but not all people have the ability to have many experiences that'd be good for a type of story they yearn to write. Life is a team sport, as my aunt says. Using the things you learn second hand can make things very interesting as well.