A litttle status update...

Wow, a lot can change in a week. I'll start it off with legit names of the characters, along with a general bio/synopsis of them to get you guys out of the dark.


Michal (Once known as Kristian)

His design has not changed since the last time I blogged about designs. However we decided to introduce more subtleties and a true tone of voice in his dialogue and his thought processes. Michal isn't supposed to be a character that everyone magically falls in love with, nor is he the noticible outlier in a social group. The more fitting way to visualize him would to be a background character, however he posses flaws in his character that he must overcome, and are represented in the other characters in the story. Throughout the story, he has to overcome not only his own obstacles and troubles, but also learn to mature and grow up as a person, and realize that thing may flow differently with time and origin.

His main conflict is still his girlfriend, however we now have made that a major conflict that stems throughout the story. Along with his girlfriend (or should I say, former), he will need to deal with the social class system in school, academic expectations, and the needs of others; All while trying to make up for his inadequacies, and possibly see himself in a new light.

Louis

Ah, this one has been on the drawing board for a long time. Here we have Michal's brother. He's a support figure, takes care of Michal, and simply looks like an older version of him. With Louis's image, we wanted to create a psuedo-father figure, one who would be more like a friend then an actual father. Louis is seen as an intelligent, honest man, who'll be willing to give his brother advice about his problems. He works at the St. Mary's hospital as a nurse, and also may face conflict within his own bounds.

Louis differs from Michal from the fact that he seems to have more personal attractiveness than Michal. Perhaps a lady's man, Louis's banter and humour hopefully will reflect this, however we must keep in mind is current circumstances, and the events that may come up at his work place. Though Louis isn't a main arc, he is still necessary in Michal's interactions, and thus certain story elements will be included for him.

Catherine (Otherwords Sammy or Previous Girlfriend)

Catherine has faced the biggest change in the development of this VN. For one, her status as a route has been removed, as we feel that we will be able to focus on the conflict and overall theme of the story if we allow her to embody the conflict.

Catherine was Michal's girlfriend, however due to her moving, she eventually breaks off with Michal. She embodies the idea of a perfect girlfriend, and perhaps even a more mature person that one may want to have a relationship with to make themselves seem more mature. Michal's main conflict with her is the fact that she shares one of the biggest flaws with him: emotional dependance. Throughout the story, Michal will be exposed to the disillusionment of his vision of Catherine, as she reveals her true nature, along with her clingy, manipulative habits, she will provide the major reason for Michal's strife and perhaps hopelessness. Though she may seem like the stem of his unhappiness, Michal will eventually realize his own flaw, and his twisted vision of love through her. One of the major themes and plot lines of the VN is Michal's process of moving on from Catherine; To realize that his love with her was not "true" love, or the fact that he perhaps deluded himself into to thinking that he was truly in love with her. Through Catherine, Michal will realize his emotional dependence on people.

Natalie (Once known as tsuntsun)

Here we have a spin on an often abused and terribly done archtype of character. Natalie is perhaps the embodiment of Michal's abrasive, cynical, and witty side. However, she also possesses another thing that she shares with Michal: self-imposed alienation.

Now you may be wondering "What the heck is that? It seems like you just pulled that reason out of your butt"

Perhaps I did. Her flaws greatly play into her demeanor towards Michal, and the eventual growth of their friendship. She seems to be like the kind of person that most people would shrug off, and simp[le forget about after meeting. She's rude, abrasive, and seems to be generally cold and mean to people. Not only will you have to deal with her temperament, but also the fact that the social network of people that you hang out with also hate her. Natalie isn't necessarily a loser type, however more of the kind of person that people do not like to associate themselves with. Thus she has a more twisted view of others, as she believes that she has the same rights to judge as they do. As the story progresses, Michal will learn the reason for her attitude, and even learn about himself. In her arc, both Michal and Natalie will learn to open up, and realize their own shortcomings. Though she may seem condescending, her relationship with Michal will eventually affect the way he sees her and vice versa. However, Michal will probably be the first to realize his emotional dependence on her.

Natalie differs from the other arcs due to the fact that her dialogue will probably be the most comical and soaked with biting sarcasm and wit. Hopefully we can create a dynamic character who you can see evolve into a better person as time goes on.

Helen (Once known as Elice)

Helen also has not changed too much. She represents Michal's delicacy towards other people's thoughts, along with general hopelessness. She still has RND, as is hospitalized just as we said in her original introduction. Her main conflict will be coping with her RND, overcoming her social delicacy, and also being able to drag herself out of her hopeless state of mind. Since Helen's arc takes place mostly in a hospital and away from Michal's friends, Michal will eventually alienate himself from society to interact with Helen. Along with the change in Michal's behavior, we hopefully will be able to illustrates Helen's mindset towards others who are able to leave the hospital, along with the relationship that she builds with Michal. Helen also has a plot about her parents, which will be further divulged as the story goes on. Her family will also have some rifts and cracks, that will also affect Helen in negative ways.
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In this arc, we hope to touch upon the themes of social interactions, and dealing with hopeless situations with the support of others.


TO BE CONTINUED