dragon855

[dragon855]

something for one of my fav eagles’ birthday

[dragon855]

The Crips for eSims for Gaza Bundle is live!!

Thanks to the generous contributions of over 175 developers and artists, we’ve got over 200 digital games, zines, TTRPGs, and other projects and assets to offer bundle buyers. 

Every $16 purchase covers the cost of an eSim activation to help connect Palestinians in the occupied territories and beyond. On sale April 28-May 20!

🇵🇸✊♥️

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

[dragon855]

HAPPY 35TH ANNIVERSARY FIRE EMBLEMMM 🎂 🎂 🎂

[dragon855]

Im gonna be so real can yall actually talk about ways we can support trans women in the UK instead of giving all the attention to fucking JKR. I already know that Harry Poter sucks, I wanna know how to actually HELP people. Something something you have to love the oppressed more than you hate the oppressor

[dragon855]

some awakening girlies I’ve doodled over the week (happy anniversary fe13!!!)

[dragon855]

Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life for Switch coming west in late 2025 - Gematsu

eastasiasoft will release the Switch version of Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life in English in late 2025, the publisher announced. Pre-orders for physical editions will open via Play-Asia starting April 10 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET.

Only 2,000 limited editions will be produced, which include the game, manual, soundtrack CD ,art book, mini case, Joy-Con sticker set, acrylic character standees, and a numbered certificate in a collector’s box.

Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life first launched for PS Vita on March 27, 2014 in Japan, followed by Switch on June 15, 2023.

Here is an overview of the game, via eastasiasoft:

About

The long-running Hakuoki otome visual novel series enters a new era! Hakuoki SSL: Sweet School Life puts a modern spin on the Edo period romance of the main series, instead casting heroine Chizuru and the handsome warriors of the Shinsengumi as students and teachers living in modern Japan. School life antics ensue as these beloved characters hold a school festival, stress over midterms, get into watergun fights and more! Experience a fun slice-of-life story through unlockable event scenes, engaging dialogue and beautifully illustrated character portraits, all localized in English for the first time. Explore unique endings with each character and enjoy mini-games that make this standalone entry extra special!

Key Features

Take the role of Chizuru as she’s surrounded by familiar faces in a new modern setting!

Engage in fun mini-games with the handsome warriors of the Shinsengumi.

Make key choices and discover unique endings with each possible love interest!

Enjoy voiceovers in Japanese and newly localized text in English.

Navigate scenarios with ease using a variety of user interface controls and preferences!

Watch the opening movie below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Opening Movie

[dragon855]

brb getting very emotional thinking about the metaphor of transformation in tam lin. How tam lin is saved by a lover with the strength and conviction and patience to hold him, just hold him-- no matter what form he takes. How with each version of him, no matter how repulsive or frightening, she refuses to let go. holding on through it all, until it passes and he's ready to be a person again. because he needs her and she trusts that he will not hurt her. How holding tight is what sets him free. How faith and devotion can in themselves be transformative. Man. Do you feel me.

[dragon855]

If my love were an earthly knight, as he's an elfin grey, I wad na gie my ain true love, for nae lord that ye hae.

[dragon855]

a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram

certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.

[dragon855]

-Commission Work-

Layout and script written by the client

[dragon855]

Cupid Parasite 5th Anniversary - School Uniforms Style -

[dragon855]

My take on a PLZA Kalosian Meganium regional forme before I'm promptly incorrect late 2025 lololol

Inspiration was perfume, fashion, modern chic, lavender, and a hint of solar panels. In a sense: a rural, slightly tomboyish Chikorita grew up into Bayleef and then decided to go study abroad at Paris.

[dragon855]

I did a Citrinne paralogue comic over the past couple of months on my twitter! It's finally finished, so I'm cross posting it over here as well.

[dragon855]

Velvet Bite: Softly, With Teeth

Release date (Windows, Mac OS, Steam) English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean: February 14th, 2025

"You've been invited to a Halloween party! Yay!

Music! Food! Drinks! Vampires!

Wait. VAMPIRES!?

A romantic visual novel featuring 6 romanceable vampires."

This is a commercial visual novel by EVERIUM! You can buy it or download the demo from itch.io here, or from Steam here.

[dragon855]

"I want to make a visual novel but don't know how"

visual novels are one of the most diverse and varied mediums out there and can be so much fun to make. if you've ever wanted to make one, it's pretty easy to get started!!

Overall Guide

this is a lengthy guide I made going over different parts of visual novels and how people make them! now let's go over some parts~

What Are Visual Novels?

Visual novels are a medium of video games focused on storytelling through the use of static or low-gameplay mechanics. Most can be considered a subsection of interactive fiction. A lot of visual novels have no gameplay or minigames, but some do feature light gameplay. The important aspect is that the gameplay in visual novels is never the focus, and instead the game focuses on a story delivered through dialogue & narration in textboxes on the screen.

Some visual novels are romance, some are fantasy, some are mystery, some are NSFW, some are cutesy, some are kiddie. Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes.

Visual Novel Misconceptions

Visual novels have been around for several decades now, but parts of them are still misunderstood by wider audiences. Here’s some frequent misconceptions about visual novels.

"Every visual novel has sexual content."

Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes, which includes content. Not every visual novel has sexual content, nor is it required to sell well. Visual novels are a medium for storytelling rather than a genre, so they can be anything you want them to be.

"Every visual novel is a dating sim."

Similar to the last one, some people think every visual novel is a romance game or a dating sim. Not every visual novel has romance in it, nor is it required to sell well.

"Every visual novel has choices and multiple endings."

Some of the most popular visual novels out there like Umineko When they Cry don’t have choices. Choices and multiple endings aren’t required to make a visual novel—completely linear experiences are fine.

"Visual novels need to be long."

Some of the top visual novels on itch.io right now are under 25k words, which puts them under 2 hours of playtime. Visual novels don’t have to be a certain length—they can be as long or as short as the story needs them to be. There’s even an annual visual novel jam, O2A2, that focuses on making a visual novel under 1k words with limited assets.

"Visual novels don’t sell well."

This is very much your mileage may vary. Some visual novels sell very, very well, such as how the recent Our Life: Now and Forever Kickstarter gained almost $300k. Marketing is an entire field just like art and writing and isn’t something you can skimp on or push to the end.

"Visual novel players hate reading."

A vast, vast majority of visual novel readers want a visual novel—they want a game that is light on gameplay and heavy on reading. You don’t have to add gameplay to a visual novel to keep people interested. Rather, minigames added at random can deter players. Visual novel players want an engaging story—if you’re worried of losing their attention, then focus on a tighter script or cinematography.

"Visual novels need to be anime style."

Visual novels originated in Japan and most do have an anime style, but visual novels do not need an anime style to sell well. The art style for a game will change the audience for the game—players who want something anime style probably won’t be interested in a semi-realistic style, but other people will be. It’s all about finding the right style for your story and finding the audience who responds well to it.

Visual Novel Terms

Here’s a list of terms you might encounter in visual novel and game dev communities.

EVN / OELVN – stands for English Visual Novel and Original English Language Visual Novel. Two terms used for describing Western VNs that are made in English, although EVN is used more frequently nowadays. An EVN/OELVN is specifically a visual novel made in English first, not a visual novel that has an English translation (and was made in a different language first). There are several variations of this, such as JVN meaning Japanese Visual Novel and RVN meaning Russian Visual Novel.

Kinetic novel – a visual novel that’s linear with few or no choices. Has only one ending. Also called a linear visual novel, linear game, etc.

Game jams – an event where developers have a set amount of time to make a game, ranging from a weekend to several months. Some jams have themes that the games must follow as well as other restrictions while others are more freeform. Nowadays, most jams are hosted on itchio. You can find a list of visual novel game jams here.

Game engine – a piece of software used for developing video games. The most popular ones for making indie VNs in English-speaking areas are Ren’Py and Unity, though Tyranobuilder is very popular in Japan for indies.

Text/code editor – when programming, you’ll need another piece of software to edit and write code that works with the game engine. Some popular text editors are Visual Studio Code, Sublime, Atom, Notepad, and more.

Character sprite – the individual character art that changes expressions and can move around the screen. Can include multiple outfits, pose changes, and more.

CGs – although it typically stands for Computer Generated, CGs in visual novels typically means the cut scene art where no sprites are shown (unless there's a side sprite on the textbox). CGs are usually reserved for special scenes and are the type of artwork you’d see in a CG Gallery or as promotional artwork.

UI / GUI – the User Interface / Graphical User Interface. This is what the player interacts with such as the textbox, main menu, save / load screen, settings, and more.

ADV mode – the standard reading mode for visual novels, short for Adventure mode. The textbox is located at the bottom of the screen. Popular examples of this are Steins;Gate, AI: The Somnium Files, and Amnesia.

NVL mode – a different reading mode for visual novels, short for Novel mode. The textbox covers most of the screen. Popular examples of this are Fate/stay night, Tsukihime, and Umineko When they Cry.

Dating simulator – dating sims are some of the oldest forms of visual novels and are essentially stat raisers where you spend time with various characters with the goal being to romance them by getting your stats high enough. In Western spheres dating sim has become synonymous with a romance game, where stat raising is not involved, but it’s important to note that dating sims refer to stat raisers a lot of the time. Unlike otome, a dating sim doesn’t refer to a specific sexual orientation.

Otome / Otoge – roughly translates to “maiden’s love” and is used to describe games with a female demographic, usually dating sims & romance games which feature male love interests and a female protagonist. Some otome games feature female and other gendered LIs, but male LIs are still the primary focus.

Eroge – an erotic game. If a game has sexual content in it, it’s an eroge. The original Fate/stay night (not the remastered version on Steam) is a popular example of an eroge.

Resources

And now, let's look at some tools and links for actually making visual novels.

Engines & Programming

Ren’Py – free visual novel engine

Twine – free text-based game engine (usually used for interactive fiction)

Naninovel – Unity-based tool for making Unity VNs

tiny tools – collection of various game dev tools

Ren’Edit Add-On – Ren’Py script editing & feedback tool

Ren’Py Accessibility Add-On

Feniks Ren’Py resources – various add-ons and tutorials by Feniks

Game Jam & Short Dev Advice

Game Jam Survival Guide - Essential Tips and Tricks

Releasing 8+ games (ft. game jams) and when to take a break

making game development backup plans

Advice for Leading VN Game Jam Teams

How to Make a Visual Novel Solo

How to Finish Your Visual Novel

Design

How to Make Visual Novels

Visual Novel Conference Talks

Visual Novel Cinematography & Design

Art Direction & Execution in Visual Novels

Making Impactful, Impressive Character Sprites

Post-production Techniques for VNs

Vimi’s Visual Novel Design

Writing

Writing Interactive – guides for narrative games writers

Visual Novel Conference Talks

Writing Mystery Visual Novels

How to Design Interesting Choices in VNs

The Intrigue of Ambiguity

Artwork

Clip Studio Paint

Krita

FireAlpaca

Medibang

GIMP

FastStone Photo Resizer – batch photo resizer and editor

FotoSketcher – various settings to apply artistic filters to photos

Marketing

How to Market Visual Novels

Marketing Visual Novels FAQ

Marketing Fundamentals for Indie Game Developers

Marketing your first indie game – What we learned from releasing the same game twice

The stairstep approach to indie game marketing

Marketing your Visual Novel for Kickstarter

Visual Novel Press-Kits

Audio

Eric Matyas music & SFX

Vita-chi SFX & graphics

Free Music Archive

Free Sound

dova-syndrome

Misc.

Lemmasoft Creative Commons Forum

itch.io visual novel resources

Google Fonts – free fonts

Uncle Mugen backgrounds

Canva – browser & desktop graphic design tool

Unsplash – free photos

Wrapping Up

all in all, visual novels are a fun medium to explore and play around with. if you want to make something short as a test run, try joining a game jam! if you want to see how varied visual novels can be, try playing some indies from itchio! at the end of the day there's no bad way to start making your own visual novel. hit the ground running and go for it!!

I've been developing visual novels for over 10 years now, blogging about them on my own blog and releasing visual novels through my studio Crystal Game Works. I hope this guide helped shed light on how to get into the medium!

— Arimia

[dragon855]

May Akutsu literally changed me in a way that whenever I engage in sapphic content or create one its very important to me that the sapphic trans woman lives happily with another woman.

something something bisexual mc who was genuinely hurt about may's betrayal despite declaring may as her best friend in order to weed out who the traitor is. but then genuinely liking may as a person to the point that shes so hurt by the betrayal. mc who when saw may who was forced to live as a man still saw the may she loved and treasured

oh yeah and that line in the love ending. "Even when she looks like this (referring to May's forced masculine appearance), she's still so beautiful."

i love you doomed yuri i will never forget

[dragon855]

You're still you, even after you become parents.