SHIROISHI

Work in progress: "Wine and Candles" Rookanis romance vn #1

Added 2025-04-18 09:41:58 +0000 UTC

First of all, huge thanks to everyone who supported the idea of making a visual novel — I’m really excited to try creating something like this!(´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

Here’s a quick progress report for the past week:

I’ve drafted the script, outlined it, and started translating it into English. It’s easier for me to write in my native Ukrainian first, then translate. For polishing the English version, I’m using Grammarly and also relying on my lovely husband who’s more fluent in English than I am 😅 So far almost 4 thousand words, but there will be more..
For the story, I decided to go with a simple, cliché first date - bar/restaurant, wine, simple talks, and maybe a kiss in the end. If it ends up being a success and people enjoy it, I think that'll motivate me to try something spicier and more ambitious next time lol.
I'm unsure how to present Rook in the game. Originally, I wrote the script using feminine pronouns, but ideally, I'd like to make Rook more neutral or ambiguous. The problem is — sentence construction gets tricky without clear pronouns. So I’m asking for your thoughts! Should I stick with “she/her” or switch to “they/them”? In theory, I could make it selectable at the beginning, but I’m not sure I want to complicate things too much just yet.
I sketched a few sprite concepts for Lucanis, but I’m still torn about his outfit. Should I stick with one of his canon outfits, or design something special just for the date?
Right now, I’m planning on including multiple endings — two good ones and two bad ones. I’d like to have four full illustrations for the key scenes.

Thanks again for your support — your interest and feedback are what keep this going 💛
Let me know what you think about Rook’s pronouns or Lucanis’ outfit — I’d love to hear your ideas!