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Good day, everyone. While I do not have the capacity to participate in this jam, even as part of a group, I do have an idea to offer that could get someone started if they are interested in fantasy, Platonic philosophy, ancient Mediterranean history/cosmology, historical fiction, and/or the idea of the Great Conversation. 

(EDIT: I thought perhaps I would connect the dots for anyone who may ask why the hell they should care about this. You cannot taste 'beauty' or 'love'. You may taste something which is beautiful or lovely, but it is not 'beauty' or 'love' which you are tasting; and so it is with the other senses as well. What, then, is absolute beauty or love, unmuddled by the sense-perceptions which only hint at these things?  This is the inquiry which drew the ancient philosophers to their craft. How does anyone know what beauty and love are?—surely we must know something about them, if we can call something 'beautiful' or 'lovely'. What then is this pure 'beauty', this pure 'love' of which we speak? These are the same questions that we pursue today, as this game jam attests).

Plato wrote a few dialogues about the nature of love, from different angles and in different contexts. What is most fascinating about Plato is that he not only wrote the foundation of European philosophy, but that he wrote in a narrative style, with unique characters that interact amongst each other. The translation you use may largely determine how organic and lively the interactions appear to be, but it is much more readable and enjoyable than what you might imagine when you think of the word 'philosophy'. (If possible, avoid the translator Benjamin Jowett, unless you enjoy the florid—and, at times, abstruse—literary style of Victorian English). 

The most relevant dialogues which were actually written by Plato are the Symposium and Phaedrus, and another one that has been attributed to Plato but most likely came from a later author is called Alcibiades. Alcibiades is a very short read, Phaedrus is a bit longer, and the Symposium is the longest of the three; but with the right type of mindset, any of them could provide a bounty of material for inspiration, adaptation, remixing, or reusing. Possible project ideas could be some of the characters from the dialogues having a follow-up discussion; the rugged exploits of a disciple of Plato, who travels across the ancient Mediterranean proclaiming the doctrine of universal brotherhood; the life and times of a medieval scribe who is copying the dialogue into a new manuscript; an explorer who discovers an ancient scroll containing the dialogue in the sands of the desert or washed up on the seashore; a Renaissance scholar translating the text for their wealthy & politically-powerful patron (such as Marsilio Ficino translating for the Medici family); an occultist attempting to invoke the divine mania of love mentioned in Agrippa's Third Book of Occult Philosophy (a text heavily influenced by the Platonic corpus)... the list goes on. 

As I say, this is a free idea for consideration. I suppose I can be a resource for further information if anyone wants to know more and save time on their research. Whether or not anyone uses any of these premises, I look forward to the jam submissions in the days ahead.

Unsure of how I have not seen this before, but I am excited to give it a shot.

Even working at a snail's pace while going through such an ordeal as full-time schooling is impressive. 

Very exciting.

You may have more of an idea than I, as I am about to read through Build 6 after having not read anything more recent than Build 3 when it first released around November 2023. I started a fresh playthrough last night, with only vague memories of unrelated plot-points to guide my way. However, I have faith in your powers of observation and inference to discover the truth for yourself.

Yes, the phrase 'giving Uncle Sam his fair share' is a colloquial way of someone saying that they paid their federal taxes. Why the name is Sam specifically, I do not know, but I'm sure the answer is on the internet somewhere.

Your mileage may vary, but I would say that 'good' is an understatement.

How did I just notice that one of the tracks of background music is a piano cover of Gus the Theatre Cat from CATS lmfao

I refuse to believe that the last major update was 2 years ago. I knew it had been some time, certainly, but I stared long and hard at the 2022 timestamp before I had to begrudge that my eyes doth not deceive me. God, I'm getting old.

As an artist who also loves to answer questions with vague and foreboding responses, I understand this. As a reader and consumer, however, damn you.

Heard. I have messed around with Krita's digital painting abilities on a piece or two before, and I had great fun, but I have nothing to compare it against. While I haven't done much painting before, I have used it for a few other kinds of artwork, so I am familiar enough with the software that playing with brush settings and other minutia is more fun and intentional than overwhelming or confusing. That is good to know about the file import limitations, though. Thank you and happy holidays.

A brief & uplifting slice-of-life narrative is just what the doctor ordered. Thank you.

I do not use Photoshop or Procreate, but do you know if these work well in Krita? I have been casually looking at getting into digital painting for some time now, so perhaps this is the moment that I've been waiting for. In either case, whether I could or could not use it, I love & appreciate the existence of this digital offering.

I remember back in the early days when the description said something like 'We wanted this to be a nice, light VN without much dwelling on heavy themes'. Oh, how the tables have turned since those days...

His name is my name too!

Like a fine wine, the first reading is only getting it acquainted with your palette. The subsequent readings are when the flavors really start to come out.

To be fair, ace and aro people have needed to act more aggressively defensive as their default. So many others assume that they are the same, or that it is an insignificant distinction and an insignificant/invisible minority of the queer community, that you were right to say what you said and reveal that flaw in my statement. I only know the difference because I am on the ace spectrum myself, and that knee-jerk reaction is correct in more cases than not. Keep fighting, we need that perspective.

I thought about this game for the first time in 3 or 4 years earlier this week, and to find out that it is finally complete is serendipitous to say the least. I remember almost nothing about this VN from my first exposure, so I am excited to revisit it in its final form.

I never said that ace was the same as aro, but my wording was a little misleading, and for that I must give my apologies. My original intent was to distinguish between route choice, romantic possibilities, and the ensuing presence or lack of any NSFW content; but I did not want to get too long-winded there, and perhaps bit off more than I could chew by trying to do so. I have edited the response to focus just on the implications of the route choice itself. 

Disclaimer: I have not read the last few updates, but have a fairly accurate general memory from when I played a few months ago. 

There is a point in the story (no spoilers) where you have to choose between Javier's plan and Rou's plan during a high-risk event, and the choice is pragmatic rather than romantic in nature. It is about whose plan of action you decide to trust in order to get a job done safely and efficiently, not who you want to choose as a dating sim. From the consequences of that decision, the event will end differently, which majorly affects how the rest of the plot will develop.

Unless something has changed in the last few updates, I had the impression that the route choice here does not follow the traditional 'pick a boyfriend' model. I hope that helps.

A tribute to the obstinate masculinity of 'I don't want to be a burden on others, so I will deal with my problems poorly and secretively, thereby making them worse for everyone and myself.' However, I appreciate that the story is character-driven and that everyone has multi-layered motivations & emotional bonds, which keeps them from becoming stale cliches. 

I also love the pop-ups which provide insights into cultural names, pronunciations, & customs without being overbearing. My inner anthropologist is thriving.

The music, the visual art, the storytelling, the kiss with Otto—I am hooked. I was never particularly interested in the mystery-solving genre, but between this and Rain Check, my attitude has been changed entirely.

Wedding scenes in the media I consume are not often things that I felt very strongly about, whether gay, straight, or what-have-you. The Creole Queen, however, is not like most other media. I didn't cry, but I was close. Somehow, the VN medium was so fitting for this story that the events of the intertwining story-lines felt more real to me than if I were watching a staged or filmed production of the exact same thing. Each storytelling medium has its strengths and flaws, and the task of tailoring a story to fit the medium which best suits it is a subtle but very important one; this short story, to me, is a shining example of how the VN medium can deliver a truly unique experience, and immersive in a way which no other media can offer. The Creole Queen hurt to read through, but it was a good hurt, and masterfully done. Thank you.

As a survival-cannibalism history aficionado, this feels suspiciously like a mashup of the lost Franklin expedition of 1845 and the Greely expedition, to the point where I would be more surprised if it was coincidental than intentional. That isn't a bad thing, and I am very interested in this VN whether that is true or not, but I see many similarities in a lost ship having gone far off-course (Franklin) and been abandoned on the ice after the captain & crew left to go elsewhere (Greely). Of course, there are clues in this story to indicate that survival cannibalism hadn't taken place, but one could make a case for other parallels. If that was intentional, then great job and I see you—and if it wasn't, then congratulations for unconsciously connecting to a long tradition of doomed arctic expeditions.

While I am scared of the new regime for different reasons, my partner has been in the US on a work-visa that is nearing its expiration, and things will be much more immediately scary for him after Inauguration Day. I would say that we are all scared, but apparently the non-voters and over 50% of voting citizens were not. In any case, I empathize and wish peace upon you all.

That should be fine then. Besides the humidity needs of a plant, the only difference I know of in the desert states is that when a plant label says 'full sun', it usually means '2-3 hours per day max' here, because otherwise it doesn't stand much of a chance. RIP to all of the plants I've ever set outside, and the crispy remains they left behind

That is very cute, and I do agree that it's fun to say the extra word. I also remember that one of the goals was to add a gardening section, and if that happens, I can only say that it would be helpful if that information was prefaced by a statement of which climates or regions it would work best in. I live in the deserts of southern Arizona, and I have learned the hard way to disregard any info that is not exclusively adapted to arid and rocky soil, so a disclaimer might be beneficial for readers in all parts of the globe to know what regions the information presented is best-suited for.

An under-rated cottagecore gem, arguably more practical than >90% of VNs in production today in terms of real-world application. I have only one question which I ask in good faith, because I am legitimately curious: why is it called a 'buttermilk boy biscuit'  rather than a regular buttermilk biscuit?

As someone who has sporadically been out of work for months on end in the last two years, I know the struggle all too well. Sometimes it works out for the best in unexpected ways, but sometimes it is just another blow to recover from. I just discovered this page yesterday, and it seems like you are fostering a kind community around you, so here's to hoping that this project and its fan-base are a small but impactful consolation for your struggles

we all have lives to live, it happens. these vns are passion projects made by small teams or sometimes just a single person, and i respect the courage it takes to do any of this at all, whatever the pace of development. i am unable to financially support this project, but im cheering you on!

i respect just how niche but lucrative this market is

i, like so many others, have constantly screamed 'just tell him already!' at my computer screen, but i also remember being 17 & 18 and having similar all-consuming amounts of risk-aversion behaviour. i appreciate how the art direction and writing portrays most of the characters as actual teenagers, much like butterfly soup, and not as popular media stereotypes of teenagers.

i think it would provide a little more clarity to state the era that this narrative takes place in on this itch page, the furtive year of 2003, since it is otherwise very easy to assume that it is taking place right now (twenty some-odd years later). the story itself makes the time-period clear with its references to the technology of the time (dial-up, cd games, broadband, monthly cell-phone minutes), but it might save some confusion for readers to also know the setting's year in the novel's description here. thanks and im looking forward to the next updates!

the fact that you and some other creators are producing these multimedia works while going through college is very respectable. whatever the pace of updates, know that some of us are cheering you on regardless, just for the courage you have in beginning such an endeavour

here? it looks like ive gotten all the way up to the most recent update, #8. somehow i thought something had changed between its release date and now, but i now remember that it was during this current build when i realized i need to back away from directly engaging with the text. since the next update may not come for a while yet, its up to you whether you would like to (or remember to) post brief summaries of future updates, but im not worried either way :)

im suing for character defamation of gabe. hes not even my favorite character in the main vn, but still, damn yall are harsh

i did not expect such an offer, but i would enjoy that, thank you. reading echo and arches ruined me on plots like these lmao

my favorite part was how there were several floating objects in the spaceship even while the narration clearly indicates that there is some sort of gravity system in place (running, slamming on floors, slamming into walls, liquids flowing down rather than outwards, etc). the hypothermia bit was also great

when you want to write creative fiction but also want to use your economics degree

while acknowledging the absolute explosion of fvns coming into creation over the last few years, to the point that im not sure if a single person could read or even be aware of all of them anymore, im very surprised by the paucity of public interaction for this project. there is a whole-ass team composing this professional production, and yet only 139 ratings? ive seen much lower-quality developments with thousands of ratings and reviews, where the hell is everyone? in the immortal words of bonnie tyler, 'where have all the good men gone?' i just downloaded this and plan on reading it soon for the first time, but this looks so promising that im baffled by its status as something underground

damn, i havent been this betrayed since cooper and lance in rtf. overall, i'd say this seems very compelling, well-designed (and not just visually), and well-executed to me. the bones of this project are just as strong as the production value, and it is clearly not over-reliant on the strength of its visuals to attempt to distract readers from poor writing or story design, which is an unfortunately-common strategy among some developers. typos are also at a respectable minimum, which is another refreshing element. the serialized nature of vn updates as a writing medium obviously leaves many questions in the plot unanswered as the story continues to develop, but this project offers a salient opportunity for getting the inside view of the construction of a mystery story, while still withholding critical parts of itself from the reader's view. the temporary scaffolding structures are all there, but even so, the central mysteries of the story have still been kept concealed and won't be easily coaxed out. very good job. i will be paying closer attention to the update schedule of this project now that it's on my radar

i love everything, and i especially appreciate the decision to work in some easter-egg lines upon restarting the vn after having completed a route. on a structural level, it might seem superfluous, but on a creative-writing and literary-analysis level, it does mean a lot. among other creative decisions, it shows how much care is invested in the reader's experience, above and beyond what is strictly necessary for the plot. it's the final kiss of the story's leitmotif, that extra 'something' that brings it all to a poetic finish, and is even more impactful because that ability is unique to the structure of vns. traditional written media can use different techniques to achieve similar effects, but the fact that some of the actual lines change depending on previously-logged data is an ingenious use of this format. bellissimo!