Pairs [NaNo17][Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Romance] [COMPLETE]

[GhostCracker]

1. What do you think of the concept?
They look good so far, I love Kitten and James,ships them already lol. I also love Kittens outfits, they're too cute! I like Dragon's and Richardo's 2nd hairstyles.

2. Which character appeals most to you (either in appearance or personality)?
Appreance and personality wise I like Richardo. I like that he is a spy with some flair lol.

3. Does it bother you that you won't get as much backstory of the large scale world they live in?
Nope, I think it would be too much for Nano, unless you want to develop it more after Nano or something like it.

4. Do you want to be our GUI artist? *brick'd*
I've only done logos and layouts for school assignments but they were more editorial. Never done anything for a VN don't know if it would be right,sorry.

[pyopyon]

@FoxTrotMuffin -- 1. Thanks a lot! Trust me, there are SO many differences. Probably KP is the most different by default since her moral code is completely different from how humans view morality, so... by our standards she's sketchy at best. XD. Thanks a lot! ^^ I hope that ends up true for every VN I work on. Thanks a lot! 2. Ah, yay! Dragon is a sweet girl. 3. I don't think so.... hm... there is one type of character that does not make it into the VN so I am wondering if I should mention then since they do contribute to the universe but maybe not an individual character. I haven't finished all the routes though, so I don't know. I'll try to make sure the back story can at least be inferred. 4. Ah! I actually have had the idea for a couples VN for a while but I had no ideas for characters and I thought a SoL version would be boring (though I do love SoL!) I wanted to do something different. These characters where created over two years ago with RP in mind, but... they ended up covered in dust for a while. (^: Outside of just "I like superheroes", "I have all of these unused characters" and "I want to write a VN about couples"... there wasn't much else. I doubt this will be the first VN where I recycle RP characters... >_>;; If you know what it reminds me of, lmk! I'm curious and I'd love to see it!

@Antizaba -- 1. Thank you! 2. Ooh, thanks a lot! ^^ I'm almost done her route as I write this. I got a little bit stuck but it's coming out quite well. Thanks! 3. Oh, good. Then this VN will appeal to you since there's a lot of background puzzle pieces. 4. Thanks a lot! ^^

@Evy -- I actually was a bit conflicted about this too XD It's really cute, but Dragon is too much of a prude to wear anything above the knee. u__u;; When I say she was really sheltered... Phew. It is a SUPER cute outfit though. Maybe as she gets more exposure and time out of her training uniform, she'd wear the yellow dress with the OTKs.

@Didules -- Thanks a lot! >u< 1. You know... it's funny that you said that. Because of you, I'm trying to include more personal backstory for KP. A lot of her story reveals Naian culture, but I did skim on some personal details. Thank you for your comment! ^^ I am also a science-fantasy lover. It's not overly serious but... it's definitely not a comedy either. I'm sorry I can't give more plot info since each story is kind of self-contained. KP and James don't really cross over with Dragon and Glamour (well, for the most part) so there's that. 2. Ooh, nice! Both couples have their own dynamic so they've very different from each other in how they act. Carmelita/Ricardo is more like friends become lovers, whereas James and Kitten is... hm............. "scary guy gets the cute girl" with the genders reversed. I feel like describing J/K like that could be misleading but... I'll leave that there since it's the best I could come up with. 3. There's not anything that shouldn't be able to be understood. I think by the time the game finishes, there won't be anything that makes you think 'huh? when did that....' except one... aspect, which I just haven't found a way to write in yet. It should come out in D/R's routes so I'm sure it'll be properly explained. 4. Ooh, great questions. Each route is five chapters, each chapter is about 2700 words. (That's how long the first chapter ended up being, so I keep it there.) I think we can finish the whole game, actually! LOL, not yet, but I'll kindly take the complements! >w< Shida matched my vision really well, and in many areas better than anything I could dream of! I am still learning about art direction as a game dev so I feel like I'm taking notes as to what to provide for an artist. Thanks! I think it can happen!


@GhostCracker -- 1. LOL, perfect since they're technically canon, at least from when the game begins and if you get the good ending you can keep it that way! Thanks! The designs were drafted so nicely and now they've body types, I am totally looking forward to the finished product. 3. LOL, can't resist the cool spy vibe, I guess~ Haha. I think everyone who expects a cool Ricardo will be shocked on some ends and delighted on others. (^: He's a bit... haha. Ornery? But still cool when he wants to be. Thankfully, you're playing him when he's around Dragon, so he wants to be. 3. I'm not even thinking about post-Nano. .__. I can't allow myself to, otherwise I won't be able to defeat feature creep. *__* It's real!! Especially when you're extra passionate. I know from experience.... //looks at last year's NaNo which is still in development Thanks for your interest!

[Didules]

1. You know... it's funny that you said that. Because of you, I'm trying to include more personal backstory for KP. A lot of her story reveals Naian culture, but I did skim on some personal details.

Every detail isn't relevant, plus sometimes it's the way we act or the choices we have to make that reveals greatly our culture, so it'll be okay! It's good you know where to stop yourself with the details actually I'm sure it'll be interesting!

It's not overly serious but... it's definitely not a comedy either. I'm sorry I can't give more plot info since each story is kind of self-contained. KP and James don't really cross over with Dragon and Glamour (well, for the most part) so there's that.

It doesn't have to be more detailed, the plot is really catchy and mysterious! And the fact they somehow don't seem to cross is also what makes it interesting: it'll give us more to think about!

James and Kitten is... hm............. "scary guy gets the cute girl" with the genders reversed. I feel like describing J/K like that could be misleading but... I'll leave that there since it's the best I could come up with.

It's the best ever! It seems that Kitten is the one so smitten with him, which is quite interesting for their dynamic (all the more since James has his own agenda). I can see some real potential for detroying the relationship and the consequences would be.... interesting That makes the game all the more interesting, every option will be great to play! Can't wait to see the direction you'll take! (Yes, I am now very excited about your game, and every word you add will just convince me to follow this topic more closely XD)

It seems it'll be a well balanced game in terms of length! On all aspect it will probably be a really good game! I hope you'll put it on itch with a pay what you want option (I haven't seen any mention about whether the game will be free or not, but if it is, please at least think about the PWYW option if it is?)

[pyopyon]

@Didules -- Hm... I do agree but... hm... I don't know. I have a space in the last chapter for a flashback so I'm still considering it. We'll see XD Smitten is an interesting word choice, methinks XD. Uhm, to put it lightly, whether she chooses James because she is "smitten" or for other reasons is dependent on the choices the player makes. I think the bad ending is really satisfying, even though it's still totally evil. LOL. I found it so satisfying that I had a bit of trouble coming up with a good ending good enough to match it XD

Ah... so.... PWYW, I guess I should've discussed that in advance with the team, but... I didn't, so it'll be free. I think that'll make it easier for everyone. OwO;; It would be nice to get paid for it, but I didn't even think about it. Ehh... all in all, I'm not too worried about it. XD

UPDATES

Another BG in progress! Also incomplete. ^^



And here's a Lint up in herrrrr, ayeeee.

Statistics:

The game contains 1,816 dialogue blocks, containing 20,543 words and 109,759
characters, for an average of 11.3 words and 60 characters per block.

The game contains 14 menus, 2 images, and 23 screens.

I'm about 300 words from completing James' first chapter and I haven't touched the 1500 words needed for Kitten's good ending but everything is going pretty well! I hope to complete both tomorrow (+James' chapter two!)

[WinterMochie]

WoooWWWWW your game looks awesome! Can't wait for the release ~~~

1. What do you think of the concept?
I really like how the balance of fantasy/scifi/life going on. It's an interesting concept!

2. Which character appeals most to you (either in appearance or personality)?
Actually James really appeals to me xD Both visuals + personality ~~

3. Does it bother you that you won't get as much backstory of the large scale world they live in?
Nope, that's actually what I like about it! It's not the focal point of the story, the point of the story is the relationships and decisions you make.

3.5. Do you want to be our GUI artist? *brick'd*
YES !!! PICK ME PLS *-*

4. Any questions?
No questions, but one thing I really like is the attention to detail on the clothes! It really shows their personality and I think the art direction that you've got going on is awesome.

Good luck! You're gonna do great!

[Zelan]

^ You've got a taker!!!

[pyopyon]

@WinterMochie -- Thanks for commenting, Winter! ^^ 1. Thank you! Since the game is a smooshing of those three, I'm glad! It should feel that way. I don't think it's too much of one or the other. 2. James, huh? Duly noted. I've been meaning to post his undercut pic... hm. 3. Oh, good! You hit the nail right on the head! 3.5 I-I emailed you! 4. Thanks a lot! I'm still learning about that as a team leader, so... I am thankful to work with such a flexible team. ^^ Thanks a lot!

@Zelan -- Me right now (10 seconds in)

Second update of the day (because I feel like it!)

Update

So! I covered the last 300 words and wrote Kitten's good ending! ^^ Now I can get to my actual day quota, which is to write James' second chapters XD

Statistics:

The game contains 2,017 dialogue blocks, containing 23,019 words and 122,657
characters, for an average of 11.4 words and 61 characters per block.

The game contains 14 menus, 2 images, and 23 screens.

Here's our lint!

[Harliqueen]

1. What do you think of the concept?
I love it. I'm really intrigued by the idea of being able to look at the same relationship from different perspectives, especially with such varying characters!

2. Which character appeals most to you (either in appearance or personality)?
Kitten- with such different views on life and humans, it'll be interesting to see things how she does.

3. Does it bother you that you won't get as much backstory of the large scale world they live in?
No, it's understandable in the time frame. As long as it's explained enough for the story, then it's all good

4. Any questions?
You said in another answer it would be light-hearted- is that for all routes? Or will different characters have different feels to their stories?

The artwork is stunning, like, so pretty I could cry kinda level Seriously excited for this. Good luck with it all!

[pyopyon]

@Harliqueen -- 1. Whoo! Thanks! My attempt at a slice of life sci fantasy is hopefully going to be an original take on relationships, mainly because of the dynamics. Even though there's no action packed plot, I think that it definitely won't be boring (mainly because of who we've chosen XD) 2. Same here. I, too, am a Kitten fan of my own character?! somehow... yes. I think interested is the perfect description for it. TBF, even if this wasn't a NaNo game, I doubt much backstory would be injected in. I thought about it and there's just no space in it. That said, I did think about that when writing James route (which is what I'm doing now.) Since he's human, he's more affected by the Naian war and thus is more up-to-date with it current events on a human scale. That does give me a chance for exposition as he browses sites like "QNN" on his phone and watches the news to be careful of danger zones in the city. 4. When I say "light-hearted", I guess I only mean it in the sense of that there's no traumatic events or like... angst. It's definitely a drama, no matter which route you choose. I think, though, that the least affected by the drama aspect is Dragon and that's because she's a really cheerful and sheltered character. I guess her route is the closest to light-hearted? But it's certainly not Lucky ✩ Star style. Each character views life differently, but I don't think one route is darker than another. Except....

maybe Ricardo. I wrote "An illusionist struggles with the line between being protective and being overbearing." but technically, it should be "An illusionist struggles with the line between being protective and being controlling." Ricardo may be battling some dark thoughts because of (kinda... legitimate) reasons. I haven't written his route though, so that could change!

Thanks a lot for the support!

UPDATES

SOOOOO many art updates today!

As you can see on the front page, Kitten Pink's sprite is finished! She has two outfits, one which is "human fashion" and a pun because get it?? KITTEN PINK... WEARING PINK CAR OVERALLS IT'S GR9 and the other, which is more royal Naian style.

Here's some new BG prototypes of the park where so many scenes happen LOLLL bless u nano One is day time, one is night.





There's also a menu where you can click whose perspective to play as, so we're using chibis for that. Here's a first draft of KP's chibi!



Now to the writing side! So, officially today I'm a day behind on the writing-- which means I've got to finish James chapter 2 and complete James chapter 3 today. I'll be starting as soon as I finish this post. (phew.) Just so y'all know... With the exception of March 1st, which had a 2k word quota, right now I'm writing at a rate of about 2.7k per day. It's going pretty well!

Dragon's route is progressing as well.

And last but not least, the music side!

I've received the first track, Kitten Pink's theme song! I'm excited to give it a listen because I'm totally at work right now and can't do it atm but basically all this today, we are rolling!

Last but not least, you might've noticed but I added an "Older Art Updates" section to post one! You can peruse them as the days go by. (^:

[pyopyon]

First off, I would like to personally thank B.A.P for their new song, "Wake Me Up", Yoon Mirae for "JamCome On" and NU'EST for the body roll jam that is "Love Paint". Without these three songs, I might survive but I would not be flourishing as I am today.

Hahaha.

Anyway!

Sooooo~

Updates

I am finally caught up! I have to write James' chapter four now, but I did indeed complete his chapter three. For some reason, I kept cheesing while I wrote it. Surprisingly, even though they're a strange couple, they have a lot of strangely tender thoughts about each other that I really enjoy writing. I think if you play as KP for the first round, James' thoughts might surprise you at times.

When I finish chapter 4 tonight, we will have officially crossed over the 30k threshold! Whoo~

Good news as well on the art front; our first chibi button for the selection menu is done! Soooo cute. *A*

//my hort



Ingame, when you hover to select her route, her expression changes! ^^

[Zelan]

Oh, lordy, Kitten's chibi is cute. ^_^ Congrats on 30k!!

[pyopyon]

@Zelan -- Thanks a lot! I just realized... I forgot to post the full body sprites of Kitten in her outfits! Oops.

Here they are!



Full body "human-fashion" outfit



Full body "Naian royal" garb

[Desichan]

Wow she looks soooo pretty! I especially love her overall dress!

Your game is looking great, good luck! I bet it'll turn out awesome! >wOb

[pyopyon]

@Desichan -- Thank you! ^^ The overalls outfit is a really cute one. ; u ; And I do love a pun. Thanks a lot! I definitely feel that way as well XD

Updates!

So today, I'm going to talk a little bit about the style of the game. So you might think that the game is expected to be very repetitive, but in actuality, the route does not detail every single thing a character is thinking at one time or another. They are more like companion routes, especially because they live separate lives that don't revolve around their significant other.

James's route, for example, has more mentions of Mei, whereas Kitten Pink's has more with her father, King Khaos. Though there are some scenes that cross over, overall, it's different enough that it doesn't feel like you're sloughing through the same sentences.

My hope is that a player will instead think, "Ohhh, so that's why he said that," or "ah, so this is what happened on that day!" I deliberately skip scenes from route to route that will not detract from an overall story so that one perspective can tell it. (^:

The only thing that crops up trouble with this method is the endings... I have not yet decided how to align the endings yet, so bear with me on the front. That's today's task since I'm tackling James' endings today.

Also, we have a new track! I'm going to check it out after work. Very exciting stuff. ^^

[Zelan]

So today, I'm going to talk a little bit about the style of the game. So you might think that the game is expected to be very repetitive, but in actuality, the route does not detail every single thing a character is thinking at one time or another. They are more like companion routes, especially because they live separate lives that don't revolve around their significant other.

James's route, for example, has more mentions of Mei, whereas Kitten Pink's has more with her father, King Khaos. Though there are some scenes that cross over, overall, it's different enough that it doesn't feel like you're sloughing through the same sentences.

My hope is that a player will instead think, "Ohhh, so that's why he said that," or "ah, so this is what happened on that day!" I deliberately skip scenes from route to route that will not detract from an overall story so that one perspective can tell it. (^:

The only thing that crops up trouble with this method is the endings... I have not yet decided how to align the endings yet, so bear with me on the front. That's today's task since I'm tackling James' endings today.

Gosh, I'm so excited for this! owo I finally remembered the first time that I ever read a set of 'parallel novels' - they were called Millicent Min, Girl Genius and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time. The basic plot of both was that Millicent, who had a low opinion of Stanford, had to tutor him so that he could pass 6th(?) grade English. There were definitely scenes within the book that intersected, especially the tutoring scenes, but there was also a lot about the lives of the individual people. Millie's had a lot about being forced to play volleyball, her relationship with her new friend, Emily, and her aspirations for the future. I don't remember Stanford's as well, but I do clearly remember that he was a talented basketball player who risked being downgraded to the C-team if he couldn't pass English.

For endings, my suggestion would probably be to focus mostly on the characters' thoughts and feelings in their own routes. You can describe actions to set the scene, and there's no problem with recycling a sentence or two from the other route. People won't mind too much as long as the endings feel different enough (which they probably will with these characters).