[Multi-fandom Crossover][Suspense] The Best Possible World

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Lutias Kokopelli
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[Multi-fandom Crossover][Suspense] The Best Possible World

#1 Post by Lutias Kokopelli »

Hello everyone ^^' To be honest, I'm not sure yet whether making a VN/KN out of this project of mine would be a complete daydream or something actually doable, but in a way-- I've been wondering for days, and I eventually just thought that the best way to find out would be to sign in and just ask to some people who actually know the subject. In any ways, if this topic doesn't have its place here, don't hesitate to lock/delete it, and in such case let me apologize for this in advance D:


So. "The Best Possible World", or TBPW for short, is a project I've been working on since 2012; officially though, its current version only started on August 1st, 2017, since before that the whole thing was just me working on the concepts, theories, backstories and everything. So uh, theoretically I do have a lot of ideas about this already and though it looks like the story hasn't gone too far for now, the entire script for not only the main story, but also everything that happened in its past and will occur in its future as well, are also set in stone in my mind (and on my notes, though my notes can still be a little too messy for someone other than me to read).
Regarding the plot itself, I won't lie in the way that it could be rather tough to follow, which is why I thought of the KN/VN format actually: the fact that people could have at all times a clear indication as to who the characters are and what exactly is happening would make it a lot easier for readers to focus on more hidden details like hints or foreshadowing, thus appreciate the plot even more. I mean, as stated in the title, the main story is a fanwork gathering quite a lot of different characters from many different universes and games/series: it is theoretically not necessary to know all of them to appreciate the whole thing (though, of course, it helps quite a lot), but the mere fact of having that many characters to handle at a time, besides the fact that there will be plot-relevant references and spoilers towards the original works, I am quite aware that, no matter how much effort I put into this, there is a limit as to what the readers will be able to gather at a time.

It would be hard to summarize the TBPW main plot without giving out spoilers; however, to give you a first overview, let's just say that the way I built its plot was as follows: I mostly gathered all the inconsistencies and questions left unanswered within the original fandoms, and tried to find a common and simple explanation that could solve everything at once. Then, once this backstory was completely set and put to motion in order to see what the dynamics of such universe would give, it became apparent that something was meant to just happen at some point, in order to solve all these remaining tensions and frustrations held by some plot-relevant characters.
The TBPW plot is theoretically meant to be read in a way that, at first, you see that everything happens at the same time, and though you might follow and appreciate it, you can't help but wonder why it really is all happening, because seriously if it's just a coincidence, then even if you enjoy the story as it is, it is just too big to be a coincidence. And then, as the story goes, you slowly gather hints that tell you that (un)fortunately, it really wasn't a coincidence, and that this seemingly meaningless plot the characters have to solve on the foreground... is much more linked to their respective pasts than it should be.
In any case, I guess there's not much more I could explain here without getting into the spoilers zone. I hope it's enough for now ^^'

NB: As stated above, TBPW's chronology is pretty much set already; which means that no matter what the potential player would do, the order of events and all endings should remain the same no matter what. It leaves me with two possibilities: either TBPW will be a KN (Kinetic Novel, aka the reader literally has nothing to do), or the choices and actions the reader will have to do will not have any influence on the plot whatsoever. The second choice makes me think about a fangame whose gameplay would be similar to the Professor Layton or Ace Attorney series for example, where the only real influence the player has on the story is the answers to the puzzles/questions (I'll keep the case of AA3.5's ending aside here). I would feel more confident in a KN project, but if you have ideas for a VN, I'm open to suggestions.

Further on the writing issue:
Given that I keep quite an attachment towards the current fanfic version but that I am quite certain I couldn't possibly maintain both, the type of narration within the potential KN is a very important factor to me.
I'm not settled yet on the exact way to convey things; exterior narration could be involved, and if done properly this could bring a very interesting dimension to the whole thing -- especially because, if narration there is, then the meta feature itself will take part in the in-universe plot. I can think of two such types of narration, one of which I am rather confident of the relevance and utility towards the plot, and the other... It would all depend on the way it is done. It could be either a brilliant or a terrible idea, but I don't think there would be a middle ground about it. For those who have enough time to waste on reading the official tumblr blog (cf the links in the end of this post), just know that the second type of narration I'm thinking about would involve the main character from the main part of the plot, aka the narrator of the current fanfiction form, which means he might potentially address the reader directly at times. So yeah, depending on the way it is done, it'd be either a refreshing attempt to cleverly break the fourth wall to some extent (not too much either), or a terrible idea that would do nothing but break the immersion into the story.
The story itself really is focused on the relationships between characters more than action itself, so the KN format appeared pretty fitting to me; but then again, I'm looking at it from a fanfiction-writer point of view, so my opinion probably isn't nearly as experienced and mature as yours could be.


Anyway; the reason why I post this topic to begin with, is because though I have already a few ideas regarding the aesthetics of what a KN/VN of TBPW should look and sound like, I technically have no basic knowledge nor experience in making them; and, well, let's just say that due to the number of characters and locations to handle, I don't think that even if I had amazing drawing skills (which I don't), it might not be humanly possible for one single person to work on every single sprite of the story. As for music, let's just say that I have a few ideas and I could write a few sheets, but I wouldn't be able to give a proper OST of real quality on my own. I guess I could use some of the original series' OST if needed, but at least a few original OSTs of my own are some plot-related sheets, or merely some themes that I feel fit a lot more to a certain character than any official track, for example. So welp.


TL;DR :
» This is a fanwork I have been working on since 2012. I have no intentions of claiming ownership of any of the respective series/games' characters or concepts, I merely used them and mixed all ideas into one original universe and plot: however, said plot is meant to be nothing but a fanwork made by fans, for fans, and for fun.
» There is a high probability this will be a KN, unless you have suggestions to make it a respectably playable VN.
» The plot is already settled in its entirety, though the KN-related script hasn't been written yet. Nonetheless, I know all of the characters' profiles, secrets, roles and personal ambitions. The plot will mostly revolve around a massive investigation between multiple groups of characters, and as such, there will be way more than just "two sides" (aka, no "good vs evil" quests). If it were humanly possible, my goal would be to write TBPW so that there would basically be just as many "sides" as there are characters overall. My point is, no matter how many characters there are in total, they are all meant to act as individuals with personal ambitions, and not just under the titles of "Protagonist", "Antagonist" or "Side-character", for example.

» The type of help I request (if there ever is a KN to begin with) will be:
»»» Artists for the realization of sprites, backgrounds (mostly), occasionally some random art/effects. I can work on most of the characters' sprites myself if needed, but I will definitely need further assistance due to the number of characters and locations involved.
»»» Someone who knows how to remix/compose music. As mentioned above, I already have a few tracks in mind and some of them are already written, but I simply don't have the material nor the knowledge to put my ideas into fully enjoyable OSTs.
»»» I shouldn't need help for the script itself, ideally; but since I have never worked on VNs before, it might need a little time for me to get my way around things. Also, if some people are voluntary to beta-test or whatever, I guess that could be a good thing! Then again, this part is not for now anyway.

Useful links:
» Basic introduction of the project's characteristics
»»» List and summary of all currently planned stories /!\ Long post! Also, not all stories within this list will be as long as the main adventure, and it's probable that only a few of them will actually get a KN/VN adaptation.
» Official TBPW tumblr blog
»»» Guide to said blog's organization
»»» Chronology of all story-related posts (Currently 29 tumblr posts, including 6 readable chapters)

In any ways; thank you for your attention, and sorry for the long post -- especially if it happened to be useless or something. I hope someone could give me at least some advice, if possible ^^'

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