Q&A with Avirati

What made you want to join Yaoi Jam?

Avi: I've always wanted to join a game jam or make a full game at least once! So Yaoi Jam was the perfect opportunity. I do draw, but am not confident in my abilities to draw CGs nor do I like to share my art, so I bugged one of my best friends (fiftyway) to join me. Thanks for being my partner in crime!

I'm very thankful for this experience, working on a project with a very close friend and accomplishing something like this. Even if it's a simple and small game, I had a lot of fun. I dislike coding and had horrible experiences with Python and Arduino in college, so throughout the development I was amazed that things were coming to fruition. This is my very first time coding and using ren'py, so the demo is very basic.

It's been years since I've shared something creative with… well, anyone. I'm very shy and used to feel very ashamed and embarrassed showcasing my creative endeavors, so sharing a game with the world is something very big for me and my social anxiety.

This project also ended up being WAY longer than I thought it would be... so... we've only released the demo for Yaoijam. It's supposed to be longer and we'll reupload to a different place whenever the hell this gets done but this was not supposed to be huge, and just for a jam. But... it ended up like this.

We crunched for this demo to come out because we are both lazy as fuck. God it's 6AM and I have to get up for work in 4 hours. Halp meh. Also I don't know how to use itch.io. This is the first time I've uploaded something. HELP ME

How did you come up with the idea for this VN?

Avi: So, I literally thought of this idea in the shower. I tend to get hit with inspiration very randomly. Most of my ideas come there, or randomly throughout the day eating dinner, at work, etc. After the initial idea was set, I told fiftyway, who supported my vision, and then we started brainstorming and making these characters "whole" as time went on.

My goal was to convey two exes who knew each other well, without revealing much of their past. Two young people in different places in their life, facing post-college insecurity, having a looming fear of a listless life path. Basically, the stage of life I’m in currently, your fun 20's lol. Pair that with turning into a vampire and your already confusing young adult life is bound for an amplified identity crisis. 

I wanted the reader to get attached to our characters, without really knowing their pasts or knowing who they were – because those parts weren't necessarily. I hoped to establish their characters and hint at their pasts, but the visual novel itself simply focuses on Yarrow's transformation and its aftermath.

I tried to write a tale that was both funny and light-hearted, but also one that could get dark and delves into the concept of "humanity". I also wanted to explore different vampire tropes and media, while adding some realism. Like, oh, what if I turned into a vampire, but was still an adult living in capitalism? What are the things that I'd have to take care of? Logistics are the "boring" parts of novels, but they're something I end up thinking about in the end. I've always liked stories in "modern" settings more than fantasies. 

I hope that I was able to accomplish these goals! And that everyone enjoys this visual novel we worked so hard on. I have to say this every time, but I'm really thankful that Fiftyway wanted to work on this with me ;__; I appreciate them so freaking much.