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a&f 1-2 (title pending) dev entry #1
2025-04-11 02:06 pmso! my first entry here will be about the visual novel i am working on.
i've actually made a visual novel before; it was some years ago, when i was around 18 years old. it was a rather simple story about two little fellas in love, clover & mary. both of them around 16-17 years old, mary staying at the hospital and clover just recently discharged home. it's a very slice-of-lifey story, with a tinge of melancholy and nostalgia. the game is around 20 to 30 minutes long, and mostly revolves around clover's thoughts, past and fear of the future, the fear of having lived your best moment already, and how mary herself and their relationship gives him hope for what's to come (although it's not that simple).
i, of course, wrote this thinking of my own feelings towards the future—i had recently finished high school, but was so dreadful of geting a job, starting to work, and living my life as what i thought an adult was. clover is part of who i was back then, so i am pretty appreciative of the guy. what a legend!
as for the romantic side of it, i tried to make it look as natural and sweet as i could, without these two aspects crashing into each other. since i hadn't had any experience on it, i wrote what i thought romance, love was, and i think i did a pretty clean job. i didn't want to show it as perfect or unbearingly smooth, as that is quite sad—i wanted to show how human and raw i thought it was. how they were at the end just kids, just people who do not know what to say every single time, and who are just doing their best (most of the time).
anyway, the sequel! which is a light novel i wrote but was too tired to make a visual novel for, talks about mary. now, mary is also a part of me, which is strange to say (perhaps i am a narcissist?): she is the part of me which deals with mental illness and creativity, which struggles with creative blocks and self-hatred. when it came to her and her story, i was pretty inspired by hello charlotte's charlotte wiltshire (bless you, etherane), not only in some of her core themes (or tropes) but also her appearance, although it's not a complete copy i am proud to say (very tempting indeed).
on the second work, mary struggles with trying to make art (specifically, writing) and trying to get back to "normal life" after she is discharged from the hospital. the reason she was ever in the hospital is unknown but small glimpses of her hospital life come back to her with time (although this does not completely happen on the second installment, and i am still working my way through writing the third). hospital life was a blessing to mary, even if she didn't acknowledge it at first; back at home, back at school, people are unpredictable and scary. life is without a break, with constant waiting, watching the clock go down second by second until you have to do it all over again.
so, yeah. i think i'm being very harsh on her. but she will find a way to continue, won't she?
...
alright! the visual novel i'm making is a remake of the first entry (clover's side) and the adaptation of the second part (mary's side) combined! i'm planning of smoothing the edges when it comes to clover's half and to reimagine what mary's story looks like.
i'm starting out with some concept art for mary. this is what she looks like as of now in her school uniform.
as you can see, her character design is quite boring, especially when it comes to clothes! that's the intention. school clothes are boring. mary doesn't have time to think about fashion either, with all the staying alive business. i hope i've have made that clear.
that's all for this entry! i know i'm shouting into the void in here, but i hope that, if at least one fella read this, that they enjoyed it.
...
if you want to know more about this story, called always & forever originally but looking for a new name, you can read part 2 in its light novel form on itch dot io! consider following me there, because [incredible marketing that hooks you right in]. and also cookies.
my itch dot io: https://somnari.itch.io/
you can find me on twitter and bsky as either somnari or somnari41.
thank you for being here. i hope i can meet some cool people, make some friendos.
some other drawings of both mary and clover:
i've actually made a visual novel before; it was some years ago, when i was around 18 years old. it was a rather simple story about two little fellas in love, clover & mary. both of them around 16-17 years old, mary staying at the hospital and clover just recently discharged home. it's a very slice-of-lifey story, with a tinge of melancholy and nostalgia. the game is around 20 to 30 minutes long, and mostly revolves around clover's thoughts, past and fear of the future, the fear of having lived your best moment already, and how mary herself and their relationship gives him hope for what's to come (although it's not that simple).
i, of course, wrote this thinking of my own feelings towards the future—i had recently finished high school, but was so dreadful of geting a job, starting to work, and living my life as what i thought an adult was. clover is part of who i was back then, so i am pretty appreciative of the guy. what a legend!
as for the romantic side of it, i tried to make it look as natural and sweet as i could, without these two aspects crashing into each other. since i hadn't had any experience on it, i wrote what i thought romance, love was, and i think i did a pretty clean job. i didn't want to show it as perfect or unbearingly smooth, as that is quite sad—i wanted to show how human and raw i thought it was. how they were at the end just kids, just people who do not know what to say every single time, and who are just doing their best (most of the time).
anyway, the sequel! which is a light novel i wrote but was too tired to make a visual novel for, talks about mary. now, mary is also a part of me, which is strange to say (perhaps i am a narcissist?): she is the part of me which deals with mental illness and creativity, which struggles with creative blocks and self-hatred. when it came to her and her story, i was pretty inspired by hello charlotte's charlotte wiltshire (bless you, etherane), not only in some of her core themes (or tropes) but also her appearance, although it's not a complete copy i am proud to say (very tempting indeed).
on the second work, mary struggles with trying to make art (specifically, writing) and trying to get back to "normal life" after she is discharged from the hospital. the reason she was ever in the hospital is unknown but small glimpses of her hospital life come back to her with time (although this does not completely happen on the second installment, and i am still working my way through writing the third). hospital life was a blessing to mary, even if she didn't acknowledge it at first; back at home, back at school, people are unpredictable and scary. life is without a break, with constant waiting, watching the clock go down second by second until you have to do it all over again.
so, yeah. i think i'm being very harsh on her. but she will find a way to continue, won't she?
...
alright! the visual novel i'm making is a remake of the first entry (clover's side) and the adaptation of the second part (mary's side) combined! i'm planning of smoothing the edges when it comes to clover's half and to reimagine what mary's story looks like.
i'm starting out with some concept art for mary. this is what she looks like as of now in her school uniform.
as you can see, her character design is quite boring, especially when it comes to clothes! that's the intention. school clothes are boring. mary doesn't have time to think about fashion either, with all the staying alive business. i hope i've have made that clear.
that's all for this entry! i know i'm shouting into the void in here, but i hope that, if at least one fella read this, that they enjoyed it.
...
if you want to know more about this story, called always & forever originally but looking for a new name, you can read part 2 in its light novel form on itch dot io! consider following me there, because [incredible marketing that hooks you right in]. and also cookies.
my itch dot io: https://somnari.itch.io/
you can find me on twitter and bsky as either somnari or somnari41.
thank you for being here. i hope i can meet some cool people, make some friendos.
some other drawings of both mary and clover:
