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Producer/Editor: Josh Kaplan
Director/Writer: Ally Kaye
Character Artists/CG Artist: Namie
Background Artist: Loika
Composer: Kris “Astartus” Flacke
GUI: Adirosa
Programmer: minutekiwi




Hi everyone! I'm posting on behalf of Studio Élan, a group founded by Josh Kaplan. This is The Waters Above, one of our two visual novels currently in development. In this thread, I'd love to share progress with all of you, talk about our game and characters, and get general feedback. In the upcoming future, I'll also be posting a link to our demo.

Please consider following us on Twitter and Tumblr, where we post updates, upcoming events, concept art, trivia, and more! It'll really help us out and you'll stay up to date on everything coming up.



UPDATE: 6/29/18

We've officially released The Waters Above: Prelude! Haven't heard of it yet? Here's a trailer! And here's a description!

A giant dome called the Vault of Heaven covers the earth, separating it from the vast ocean of the heavens. In this world, sea nymphs care for the stars in the sky, dedicating their lives to it. However, magic is fading, the stars are dying, and no one knows why. No one even speaks of it, carrying on like they have for tens of thousands of years, as if nothing has changed. In these circumstances, three sea nymphs and the living embodiment of a star struggle to find meaning in their lives and their fading world.

The Waters Above: Prelude is a free prequel to the upcoming kinetic yuri novel, The Waters Above presenting four short episodes each starring a main character from the game.

Maera: A young and well-respected starkeeper.
Clio: Maera's girlfriend and the head of maintenance for the Celestial authority.
Iris: The assistant archivist and researcher trying desperately to save the stars.
Apple: The star in Maera's care, and the first in ten thousand years to have a human form.

You can grab it from itchio or Steam. Please give it a shot! We're all extremely excited to present this small supplemental game to you.

As always, let us know what you think here, in the itchio comments, or leave a Steam Review! Thanks so much for your continued support.

CONVERSATION TOPICS!

• What are your first impressions? Does the premise interest you?
• Which character is your favorite, either by design or personality?
• What kind of updates do you like the most? What kind of content do you like to see?

Oh I'm really excited for this one! I remember coming across the Studio Élan website before, and the concept of a yuri VN that's about issues in a long-term relationship and also magic really caught my attention. I think I like the look and sound of Iris the most.

How old are the characters? Some of them look a little young for something that says it isn't about young love, but I guess that could just be the art style.

Really? That's awesome! ^^ We're all really excited to work on this story too.

The character ages are:

• Maera: 26
• Clio: 23
• Iris: 24
• Apple: 0

Here's some additional trivia about the characters from our writer.

Maera
She’s considered a favorite for the next director of the Celestial Authority. She has absolutely no aptitude for magic and is barely able to even sense it. And she’s obsessed with sweets but hasn’t allowed herself to eat any in years, as an exercise in self control.

Clio
She used to be a compulsive liar and deeply regrets it. She’s not above lying to the Celestial Authority though. If left on her own she would probably just sit around the house naked eating garbage. Finally, she’s secretly a member of an ancient and illegal religion.

Apple
Apple is agender, exactly 0 seconds old at the beginning of the story, and completely dedicated to Maera. They’re prone to jealousy, too quick to laugh, and desperate for validation.

Iris
While she prides herself on her unpredictability, her ultimate goal is to preserve the status quo. She does not believe in consciousness or free will, including for herself. Also, she has an extremely casual attitude about murder.

EVerything about this looks absolutely amazing <3
I love the art it's top notch, and the story looks really interesting too...the premise interests me because I wonder how it's written and what kinda tale it really is.
I like Iris but I really like Apple's design they are so cute.
I'm looking forward to this visual novel .

It looks nice

I wanna hug them all!!
Apple is so cute <3 I have the feeling that this is gonna be a really good game!

- What are your first impressions? Does the premise interest you?

Yes it look interesting, it picked my attention even though i don't like yuri.

- Which character is your favorite, either by design or personality?

The star kid looks cute, he being the first star in human form sound interesting.

- What kind of updates do you like the most? What kind of content do you like to see?

Examples of the writing in the visual novel, sneak peaks of the art. progress % how much advanced is it.

Oh my gosh this looks so beautiful and precious! Can’t wait to play it!

Oh my gosh, this looks absolutely amazing. It looks different than a lot of other VNs in development currently, and I adore the art.

Is the final product planned to be free or commercial?

The final product will be a commercial game!

Raithfyre wrote: ↑Tue May 22, 2018 12:18 pm The final product will be a commercial game!

Thanks for answering! I thought so, it definitely looks commercial quality based on the information and art in the first post. c:

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the comments.

We've officially released The Waters Above: Prelude! Haven't heard of it yet? Here's a trailer! And here's a description!

A giant dome called the Vault of Heaven covers the earth, separating it from the vast ocean of the heavens. In this world, sea nymphs care for the stars in the sky, dedicating their lives to it. However, magic is fading, the stars are dying, and no one knows why. No one even speaks of it, carrying on like they have for tens of thousands of years, as if nothing has changed. In these circumstances, three sea nymphs and the living embodiment of a star struggle to find meaning in their lives and their fading world.

The Waters Above: Prelude is a free prequel to the upcoming kinetic yuri novel, The Waters Above presenting four short episodes each starring a main character from the game.

Maera: A young and well-respected starkeeper.
Clio: Maera's girlfriend and the head of maintenance for the Celestial authority.
Iris: The assistant archivist and researcher trying desperately to save the stars.
Apple: The star in Maera's care, and the first in ten thousand years to have a human form.

You can grab it from itchio or Steam. Please give it a shot! We're all extremely excited to present this small supplemental game to you.

As always, let us know what you think here, in the itchio comments, or leave a Steam Review! Thanks so much for your continued support.