La Dame de la Mer-[BxG][Romance][Fantasy]

[wordlesswriter]

Fantasy, Romantic comedy....or tragedy.
Shall I part my hair? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk along the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think they sing to me.
I have seen them riding seaweed on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with sea-weed of red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
--T.S.Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Synopsis
After an accident at sea, a young, globe-trotting artist finds his world turned upside down when he finds adventure and romance with the one of the denizens of the sea.
In this game, you play as Gavin, a young artist commissioned to illustrate for a scientific study done on a small island locally known as “Mermaid Isle”. There are three 'obtainable' girls, each with a good and a bad ending, making for six different endings in total. (At least, that's the plan.)

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Characters



Lorelei
A mermaid with a very ladylike disposition. She's curious about life on land and can't ask enough questions. However, when it comes to answering questions about herself, she doesn't say too much. Her eyes show a bit of sadness.


Elise
A cheery and upbeat young woman who was born and raised on the island. She runs a general store and a glass-bottom boat tour service, but doesn't get too much business. Despite this, she works really hard at it.


Farrah
A childhood friend of Elise's before her parents moved back East, Farrah is a self-assured, free spirited tomboy. She's in town on family business. She's unusually tall and long-limbed.

Gameplay:
A story-heavy VN with elements of dating sim-esque game play.
No stats/scheduling involved; Very reaction-oriented.
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This is my first VN, and honestly, it's more than a little ambitious.

I really hope that when I'm done I can get some good feedback on the things I can improve in the second version.

Progress:
Story: ~95%; Just need to finalize how many endings there will be, honestly.
Script: ~50%
GUI: 0% LOL. Pretty much going without it for the first release. D:
CGs:~55%? I have sketches and stuff. I feel like that's half the battle.
Sprites:95% done. Just have 3-4 minor characters left.
Other: Pretty much got all my CC music/SFX rarin' to go.

Anyway, I figured that it's crunch time that I'd finally get around to posting a project thread.
I'll be pretty much working on this nonstop after my exams are over. DX Wish me luck!

EDIT: Added gameplay details to description.
Edited 4/30/2013: As you can tell, I've had some timing issues. School work had, unfortunately, caught up with me, but I plan on finishing this sometime this summer.

[gekiganwing]

Who else is working with Gavin on this scientific study? He might be the only artist, but surely other people are involved...

It sounds like Lorelei is a mermaid. How many people know this?

Please let us know more about your intentions with gameplay. Does the player have to manage Gavin's schedule? Are there stats to build and adjust? Exploration? Combat?

[Skyefrost]

I wish you the best of luck! My exams are over as well. I hope your game come over as great. I love the different design of everyone, you can really tell the differences in color scheme and design with each one. XD

Will you ever get to see Gavin in the game?

What does the title mean? it sound fascinating (a guess? the lady of the mermaids?)

[wordlesswriter]

Who else is working with Gavin on this scientific study? He might be the only artist, but surely other people are involved...

It sounds like Lorelei is a mermaid. How many people know this?

Please let us know more about your intentions with gameplay. Does the player have to manage Gavin's schedule? Are there stats to build and adjust? Exploration? Combat?

Sorry I've taken so long to reply, I've had a crazy couple of weeks. DX

@ gekiganwing: Well, there are several scientists involved, only one of which is mentioned by name, and then there's another character named Nick who is a local fisherman who helps the facility with maintenance and the collection of specimens. (He's also Elise's stepbrother.) He's the only coworker you actually have any interaction with, though. XD I'm not quite done with the minor characters' sprites yet, so I haven't posted their profiles yet. 0w0;

Lorelei is a mermaid, and many of your interactions with her are built on this. The other two girls know about her (for reasons revealed in-game) but she keeps herself away from the towns on the island. To most islanders, mermaids are merely thought to be a legend.

Gameplay-wise, there isn't any schedule-keeping. (I didn't want to mess with the Ren'Py dating sim framework.)There's no stat-building components, combat, or real exploration done.

The game is based more on the choices you make- and how those effect the other characters-than anything else. I would say it's more story-based.
Gavin is- unfortunately(?)- a character who does more reacting to others than taking a lot of action. Of course, that just means that the the actions you do take will have much more of an effect on the story.

[wordlesswriter]

I wish you the best of luck! My exams are over as well. I hope your game come over as great. I love the different design of everyone, you can really tell the differences in color scheme and design with each one. XD

Will you ever get to see Gavin in the game?

What does the title mean? it sound fascinating (a guess? the lady of the mermaids?)

Thank you very much!

Yes, you do get to see Gavin in-game, but it's mostly in cutscenes.
And you were close! My French is absolutely terrible, but its supposed to mean "The Lady of the Sea"- the reason being is that the story begins with Gavin being rescued by a mermaid. (It's not Lorrie.)