#otome development

As some of you already saw on our server, we have the 2026 pages for Otome & Josei Jam ready!

Special thanks to

@transparentgames for sponsoring the Otome Jam banner and Asobinge for drawing it! Bobbert for drawing the thumbnail art and our new server icon! @calnite for making the logo and graphic assets, drawing the Josei Jam banner and making our pages look fancier this year!

And YUKIREI for providing a Russian translation for this year!

Things are still being set up, and if you catch any errors or jam rule breakers ahead of time, please report them on our server!

Meet & Greet Dates

Just like the year before, the first M&G will be on the 12th April, 8 AM EST, on the Otome Dev server! The second M&G, 18th April, 2 PM EST, will be on Devtalk, our yearly collaborator and server for game dev with a narrative focus!

So go ahead, join in, bookmark and plan!

[LHA Route ② / When “Run Away” is selected]

※下に日本語バージョンど開発ブログが続きます！

The night I clearly stated I wanted to return to Earth, I was summoned to LHA's room.

He sat me on the bed and straddled me. Before I could react to his sudden action, I noticed the dull gleam of a knife in his hand.

You: “Huh…!”

LHA looked down at me with an absolutely unreadable smile and brought that knife close to my throat.

You: “…!!”

LHA: "Why leave? We were so close. You're going to abandon me?"

Each time the flat edge of the knife lightly tapped my cheek, terror froze my body. LHA must be furious… That's why he's going to kill me… Yes, I understood in an instant.

LHA: “Well, whatever.”

The blade I braced for to stab me swiftly withdrew from my neck.

You: “…LHA, are you angry…? Are you going to kill me…? Hurt me?”

When I asked, trembling, he tilted his head, looking puzzled.

LHA: "I'm not angry at all. I just thought I needed to do something if you wanted to go back. Besides, I'm your lover. There's no way I'd kill you."

After saying that, LHA gently pressed his lips to yours and whispered.

LHA: “…So I thought of my own way. A way to make sure you absolutely can't leave here.”

“I won't kill you.” Though you felt a momentary relief at those words and the tender kiss, LHA brought the knife he held close to his own throat.

You: “Wh-what are you doing!? That’s dangerous…!”

A sudden, unpleasant premonition made me frantically grab his knife-wielding hand.

LHA: "You always worry about me like this. I've told you countless times. We aren't human. Unless something extraordinary happens, we can't die. There's no way I'd die over some human toy like this. The wound will just regenerate and heal back to normal."

You: “But I hate seeing LHA hurt.”

LHA: “Wounds? I feel no pain. Or is it because it looks unpleasant?”

You: “…No, that's not it. Even so, that act is self-harm to humans. …So please stop. I'll make you sweets or anything. Please.”

LHA: “…Then don't leave me.”

LHA's expressionless eyes wavered for just an instant.

LHA: “If ‘hurt’ applies to the heart too, losing you would hurt me more. Thinking that… makes my chest ache. Heal me."

You: “…”

LHA's earnest words pierced deep into my chest too. He truly cherishes me…

Thinking that, guilt and regret choked my throat. …Even so, I wanted to return to the world I came from.

As I couldn't bring myself to nod at LHA's words, he let out a small sigh, then looked down at me again with that cold, indifferent gaze.

LHA: "…ha, yeah. Fine. Trying to appeal to your emotions? I guess I'm pretty stupid too. …Alright, let's get down to business."

LHA released gently my hand, then swiftly thrust a knife into his own tongue.

You: “U-…!?”

LHA: "As I said before. Our bodies possess self-repair mechanisms at the nano level. Even if organs are damaged, they regenerate based on structural information. We evolved this way to adapt to the planet. Based on that premise, my hypothesis is… If we completely replaced your organs with mine… or succeeded in fusing them… couldn't you become a spider too?"

You: “…!!!”

LHA: "You need our kiss to stay on this planet, right? That means our bodily fluids are mixing inside you, showing signs of adaptation. So I don't think my hypothesis is entirely wrong."

You: “Wait, LHA, what—”

I couldn't understand half of what he said, but spitting out blood-tinged foam, LHA pressed me down with an almost ecstatic expression and forced his crimson lips onto mine. His tongue violated my mouth, as if trying to pour his own blood inside.

LHA: "Taste my blood? …How is it? Hey, what's it like? Feels good? I feel incredible right now…!! Like we're becoming one. …Ah, I want to mix with you more."

The metallic stench made me nauseous. Bitter and painful… Yet LHA showed no sign of stopping, praying my resisting mouth open with his fingers.

LHA: “Ah… See? Drink more, more? ***, my wounds heal instantly, so hurry.”

You: “Guh… Guh…!!”

The instant I tried to close my mouth, his thumb pushed deeper into my throat, and the terror of drowning in his blood raced through my entire body.

LHA: "We should have done this from the start. Give up being human. Become my true mate. Spend your life on this planet. With me. …Well, feeble humans are kinda cute, I suppose? Fine. If you absolutely must go back."

He narrowed his eyes, stroked my cheek, then kissed me again with his red tongue. Then he couldn't hold back and laughed

LHA: "…Hey, how exactly did you plan to get back? Did you think you could just go back without any basis? Did you think we or Lord Yakumo would allow it? Or… did someone give you some unnecessary advice? Tell me, for reference."

You: “…”

LHA: "You're foolish and fragile and incredibly cute… If the compatibility surgery failed and only you died, I'd be sad. That's why I want to treat you as gently as possible. If you wish… If you want to remain human… Say it.”

He leaned close and whispered.

LHA: “‘Because I love you, I won’t go back.’ Say it!ahaha…ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!”

And then he laughed.

[羽波ルート ② /地球に帰ると選択した場合]

地球に帰りたい、と明確に伝えた日の晩、 羽波の部屋に呼ばれました。

ベットに座らされ、彼が私に跨ります。 突然の彼の行動に驚く間もなく、彼の手に光る鈍色のナイフに気づきました。

あなた「え…っ！」

羽波は感情の全く読めないほほ笑みで私を見下ろすと、そのナイフを私の首筋に近づけました。

あなた「ひっ…」

羽波「なんで帰るの？僕たち、あんなに仲良かったのに。 僕のことおいて、出て行っちゃうんだー」

ナイフの背で頬を軽くたたかれるたび、恐怖で体がこわばります。 羽波はきっと怒ってるんだ…だから私を殺すんだ…。 そう、瞬時に悟りました。

羽波「まあいいよ」

彼に刺されると警戒していたナイフは、すぐに首元から離れました。

あなた「…羽波、怒ってる…？私のこと、殺す…？痛いことする？」

震えながら訪ねると、彼は不思議そうに首をかしげました。

羽波「怒ってないよ。君が帰りたいっていうんだったら、対策をしなきゃなって思ってるだけ。 それに、僕は君の恋人なんだから、殺すわけないじゃん」

羽波はそういって、私の唇にそっと口づけ、続けてささやきました。

羽波「…だから僕なりに考えたんだ。君を絶対にここから出さなくする方法」

「殺しはしない」、その言葉と優しい口づけにほっとしたのも束の間、 羽波は持っていたナイフを、今度は自分の首元に近づけたのです。

あなた「な、なにしてるの！？危ないよ…！」

一瞬浮かんだ嫌な予感に、慌ててナイフが握られている彼の手をとります。

羽波「君は毎回そうやって僕を心配してくれるね。何度も言ったじゃん。僕らは人間じゃないし、特殊な状況じゃない限りは死ねないんだよ。 こんな人間用のおもちゃじゃ僕は死なない。 切ったところがまた再生して、元通りになるだけだって。」

あなた「でも、羽波が傷つくのを見るのが嫌なの」

羽波「傷つく？僕には痛覚もない。それとも、気持ち悪いから？」

あなた「…違うよ、それでも。その行為は人間にとっては自傷行為だから。…だからやめてほしいの。甘いものでもなんでも作るから。お願い」

羽波「…じゃあ、帰らないでよ」

感情の起伏が乏しい羽波の目が、一瞬だけ揺れました。

羽波「傷つくっていうのが心にもあてはめられるなら、僕は君がいなくなる方が傷つく。そう思うと…胸が痛い。 治してよ、ねえ」

あなた「…。」

羽波の切実な言葉が、私の胸にも深く刺さりました。 彼は本当に私のことを好きでいてくれているんだ…。

そう思うと、罪悪感と、申し訳なさでいっぱいになります。 …それでも、私は自分の元居た世界に帰りたい。

羽波の言葉にうなずけずにいると、彼は小さくため息をし、 またあの冷淡な目つきで見下ろしました。

羽波「…まあ、そうだよね。別にいいよ。 僕が感情に訴えるなんて馬鹿みたいだな。 …さぁ、本題にいこっか」

羽波は私の手を優しくほどくと、そのままナイフで一気に自分の舌を突き刺します。

あなた「う-…！！」

羽波「さっきも言ったよね。僕たちの身体は、ナノレベルで自己修復機構を持っている。 臓器を損傷しても、構造情報に基づいて再生される。 僕たちの星に適応するために、そうやって進化を遂げてきた。 それを前提に仮説を唱えるとしたら… 君の臓器と僕の臓器を丸ごと交換したら…あるいは、うまく適合させたら…君も蜘蛛になれるんじゃない？」

あなた「…っ！！」

羽波「君はこの星にとどまるために、僕たちのキスが必要だよね。 それって僕らの体液が君の中で溶け込んで、一定の適応をみせているんだよ。だったら、僕の仮説はあながち間違いじゃないと思うんだ」

あなた「まって、…羽波、っ…」

彼の言葉を半分も理解できずにいるのに、 羽波は血の泡をはきながら、それでもどこか恍惚な表情で私を押し倒すと、強引にその真っ赤な唇で迫ってきました。 彼の舌が、まるで自身の血をねじ込むように口内を犯します。

羽波「試しに僕の血を飲んでみて？…どう？ねえ、どんな気分？気持ちいい？僕は今すごく気持ちいいよ。 君と一つになった気分。…ああ、もっともっと君とまじりあいたい。」

鉄の嫌な臭いと味に、思わず吐き気がします。 苦い、苦しい…それなのに、羽波はやめようとはせず、拒む私の口を無理やり指でこじあけてきます。

羽波「あー…ほら、もっともっと飲んで？***、僕の傷、すぐ再生されちゃうから、早く」

あなた「ごほ…ぐふっ…」

閉じようとすると、彼の親指が喉奥をさらに刺激し、彼の血で溺死してしまう恐怖を抱きました。

羽波「最初からこうしてあげればよかったんだ。人間なんかやめちゃって、僕たち真のツガイになろうよ。 この星で一生過ごしてよ。僕とさ。 …まあ、か弱い人間の君もとってもかわいいんだけどね？仕方ないよね。君が帰るっていうなら」

彼は目を細めて、私の頬をなでると、もう一度赤い舌で私にキス落とし、ククク…と抑えきれないように笑い出しました。

羽波「…そもそもさあ、どうやって帰る気だったの？ 根拠もなく帰れるとでもおもったの？ 僕らや、八雲様が許すとでも？それとも…君にいらない知恵を貸したやつでもいるのかな。 参考までに教えてよ」

あなた「……」

LHA「君は愚かで、か弱くて、すごくかわいいよ…。僕の*** 君と僕の適合手術がもし失敗に終わって、君だけ死んじゃったら悲しいから、なるべく穏便に済ませたいんだ。 君が人間でいたいならさあ、わかるでしょ？君の口で言ってよ」

LHA「”僕を愛しているから、帰りません”ってさ。あはは、あははははははははははははははははははははははははっ！！！！！！！」

Just recently updated the demo, available for Windows/Linux. Tried WebGL but that thing did not work right lol

Hope you check it out~

It is time…the first Quarterly Progress Update for our next game starts now! And we're kicking it off with a title drop!!! Drum roll, please! Tom, if you will help me out...

That's right! Heartbreaker joins the fray!

For the record that’s not the real logo, just a temporary one that I slapped together.

Before we get into it I would actually like to glance back at the past and detail what our development timeline looked like for Band Camp Boyfriend. It's possible this one might look somewhat similar.

2015-2017 - Writing 2017 - Commissioned art, created social media presence 2018 - Demo released on Itch.io in August Programming hell 2022 - Demo released on Steam 2023 - Full game released

The good news is this isn’t our first rodeo and I’m hopeful there won’t be so many growing pains this time.  We're also doing 4 routes and a shorter common route so that means less suffering for us. The bad news is I worked part-time 2015-2017 so I blazed through writing and now I work full-time…and I’m old…and my memory is failing me…but it’s okay, I’ve forgotten all the pain.

This time around we want to be sure we get all the writing down before we start commissioning art.  We had the tendency to keep going back and asking for more because the game kept getting bigger (saving up money was also a factor). We’re gonna make sure we know exactly what we want this time. We’d also like to save casting voice actors for much later in the process so they aren’t waiting around for years on end. So the demo for this game will not have voice acting. I believe I wrote about this a little before in our post-mortem. We’re learning from our mistakes, woohoo!

That said, this is what we’re hopefully visualizing for Heartbreaker.

2024-2025 - Writing 2026 - Big art commissioning year, a more exciting project reveal, hopefully demo release later in the year! 2027 and on - Programming hell! Casting! Soundtrack fun!

…If this was to line up with BCB that would mean 2031 release. Oh God. No, I wanna release it in this decade, thanks. This is very tentative and we’re determined to not take 7 years this time.

Enough about that! Here is what we’ve worked on this year!

Concept art: Lite was absolutely awesome (as always) and let us have sessions with her in which we worked on concept art of the main cast together. It was super helpful in bringing our visualizations to life and it will definitely aid in writing the story. I can't go on enough about how wonderful Lite is to work with, and it was amazing to watch her go. She would whip up a number of poses, face types, or hairstyles for us to choose from. It was really fun and we're very grateful for the time she spent with us.

The demo: That's right, the demo is written! Woohoo! Unlike Band Camp Boyfriend with its twisting, long-winded common route, Heartbreaker’s common route is a single day! Alex can sigh in relief because that’s one less nightmare in programming for her.

The demo will contain the one-day common route and the first two chapters of two different love interests’ routes (the other two are locked at the start of the game so you’ll just have to admire them from a distance). 

Brainstorming: Ahh my favorite part…talking long walks or going for coffee and coming up with ideas. Brainstorming is ongoing and includes character profiles, world-building, and route outlines. This game has a lot more lore and world-building than BCB, so it’s more of a challenge, but we’re here for it. I've already done a badly-drawn map of the setting. Just need to finish up some profiles for minor characters and do some of my own badly-drawn concept art. Then we move on to fleshing out the route outlines.

The first route: One goal I have is to try and finish writing the first draft of the first route by the end of the year! Which is insane because October is super busy for me, but I'm sure I can buckle down when it gets colder. It's a bit ambitious, but aim high, right?

That's all I got for now! Hope you're all feeling hyped and uh, patient, because we won't be able to show you any cool art for a while. ;v; Thank you so much for sticking by us and we appreciate every single comment that has mentioned looking forward to our next game! Enjoy the rest of 2024!!!

Hello everyone! Sorry its been a while since the last post. My health was all over the place for a bit and life has gotten very busy. Book Three: Despair Fragments (featuring Jasper and Natalia) is in the works and I'll be posting updates on the progress as soon as possible. So far, all of Natalia's CGs are complete in both art styles, and Jasper's are finished in Style B.

I shouldn't get ahead of myself though, maybe I should just focus on the mechanics of making a functional visual novel first.

2018 vs. 2021

We’ve decided to remaster our 2018 otome jam entry, Secrets Unsung. It will feature new sprite art, a new ui, some new backgrounds and music tracks, a rewritten script, partial voice acting, and more!

Relive Calista’s college experience as she struggles to find a suitable topic for her research paper, all the while maintaining a relationship with her old flame-- world famous singer Balder Parisi, or the mysterious and alluring stranger she meets in the halls. 

Hi, everyone!

We’re still plugging away at AVID.  Currently, Kimilyn has completed the line art of Sven’s nude and is currently working on his clothes. We’re without a colorist as we haven’t heard from Parallelpie since December. The plan right now is for Justin and me to flat color the sprites until we find a colorist, which might not happen until all sprites are done so we don’t go through similar issues again.

For the past few months, Justin and I have been working on renovating his dad’s house. The house hasn’t been updated since the ’70s, so there’s a lot that needs to be done. Not only are we painting, but we’re also replacing flooring, walls, doors, baseboards, and windows, fixing plumbing and electrical, remodeling bathrooms and the kitchen, and more.  We’re trying to get a lot of it done before we move back into the house this summer so the house is safe for our two kittens. We’re working on AVID during our breaks of working on the house.

I’m still adjusting to my new body and some issues have arisen.  To avoid getting into too many details, I’ll say that crucial medication for me keeps getting recalled, leaving me incredibly lethargic all of the time and puts me in an almost constant state of brain fog.  This makes it difficult to work on AVID and the house for long stretches because I need frequent naps and can’t think straight.  It’s actually taken me about two weeks to type this post because of that last point.  Second, I’m also having some of the same intestinal problems that led me to get checked out in Cleveland in the first place, which is worrying because of the cancer chances that could come with that.  So sometime in the near future, I’ll have to go back to Cleveland to get looked into again, and I’m sort of dreading the possibility.

I do plan to make another post for Backers with art progress images in 2 weeks, but because of the issues above, that could end up being delayed.

Our composer will be working on a new song soon, which will be one with a more serious tone.

Our Dev Discord Server is open.  You can join it by clicking here.