Hanjuku High - Girl's Love, Girl's Love, Girl's Love!

[Jadeling]

Hanjuku High is a Private Girls' Academy somewhere in Tokyo. Most of its students come from all over Japan and beyond, and so the school offers student dorms around the campus, including one Boarding House two train stations down the line. The school functions much as any other school, offering high-quality education in most areas as well as private tuition in some classes that aren't generally taught at other schools (nothing dirty - mostly higher-level education courses such as Philosophy, specific musical instruments, etc.)

For some bizarre reason, though, this school hits all the traditional yuri cliches - though not openly, and not to the extent where every single girl is "involved". New students often feel overwhelmed by it, but eventually all learn to regard it as normal. The school itself isn't focused around all this sex and relationships, but it doesn't crack down on it either; officially, the school tends instead to ignore it. Girls explore, meet up, date - openly or not - and experience a relatively normal school life at the same time.

The tone that I want to hit with this game isn't really explicit; rather, it's more shoujo-ai or girl's love focused. Furthermore, I should also note that the viewpoint I personally am taking with it (this doesn't have to apply to you) is very anime-centric; many of my other games are more 'realistic' and I want to take a bit of a break from that here. Recommended reading includes Hanjuku Joshi and Gakojou Drops (both available here, as well as many other manga), as well as Candy Boy and Shoujo Sect.

As you can see, I am a guy, I anticipate having other guys playing, and this is an all yuri game, so there will be cross-gender play involved. If you're uncomfortable with that, this isn't the thread for you. Sorry. Also, to reiterate, this will be female characters ONLY, unless I get hit by something really stunning and/or interesting by someone who is really literate.

I know it's also a little similar to the Triangle Academy or the Maid Hotel but I'm hoping the difference in tone (not to mention the different gender roles) is enough to get an audience.

Anyway, thoughts?

[Raveled]

I... Could be open for this.

[Caeli]

I'm interested. :-) I've been thinking of starting a similar game, similar to Maria-sama ga Miteru but with more of a "real life" feeling, and less anime than what you're proposing.

However, I'd be interested in doing this, and I'll keep myself updated with developments.

[Mnemaxa]

May join if the other roleplay I applied for falls through. 

Now if I can just get the damned image of the girl I'd want to play out of my head in the meantime....  ~_~'

[Raveled]

After sleeping on it last night, I'm thinking an athletic girl.  Someone who's still a virgin, and maybe never thought of having sex with a girl before.  The idea is still percolating...

[Crovonovin]

I think this is something I would be interested in.  I'm more comfortable with the tomboy archetype, so that's probably the sort of character I will be creating.  Not necessarily athletic though, Raveled, so there shouldn't be much worrying about an overlap.

[Raveled]

Something occurred to me: If this is set in a high school, might it not violate the board's rules against underage characters?  A freshman would only be 13 or 14, and a sophomore only 14 or 15.

[Crovonovin]

In this instance I assume we will all be playing late year students, 16 being the absolutely minimum.

[Haibane]

Japanese high schools take entrants at age 15, they have their 16th birthdays during their first year, graduating after three years aged 18.

If you wanted, the game could be in the first year as long as all players had had their birthdays by then. Or to be 100% watertight, the students could be second years or third.

The Japanese academic year starts on 1st April BTW.

*bows out again*

[Jadeling]

Due to the magics of narrative causality and metarequirements, all students are above the age of 16 at the absolute minimum. :3

[Crovonovin]

I also imagine that since you implied the point of the roleplay isn't sexually explicit content, the fact that the characters fall towards the minimum age here on Elliquiy won't prove as great a problem as it might in more deviant plots.

That being said, here is a rough draft for my character!

Name: Arisawa Naoto
Age: 17
Academic Focus: English

Personality:

Naoto is, if her substandard grades and poor relationship with teachers are to be taken as evidence, the archetypical slacker and procrastinator.  Schoolwork is, in her eyes, something that can simply be put off into the last possible moment before being forced out of her skull in a flurry of stress, panicking, and massive amounts of caffeine.  When she actually bothers to stay awake in class it is only through monumental effort on her part, and even then she sees the chalkboard through glassy eyes that would much prefer to be staring out the window or at the massive amount of doodles supplementing the precious few actual notes in her binders.  Despite her total disregard for proper conduct in the classroom and lack of enthusiasm, she just barely manages to scrape by with passing grades for all of her tests.  Just barely, but enough to suggest that at least a modicum of effort is secretly spent ensuring that she will avoid having to repeat a year in order to graduate, and that her parent's money isn't being wasted.

In social situations Naoto is far more animated, though tends to become gradually more subdued if too many people are taking part.  Her wry sense of humor and often vulgar manner of speech turns off some people, though makes her quite popular among those who consider themselves to be the "rebels" of the student body.  She isn't known to take part in any illicit activities like some of the more extreme girls at Hanjuku, but has been known to smoke or occasionally drink on school grounds, albeit not in sight of any school officials.  Though often mellow she is quite easy to fluster or annoy, and if brought to certain points will launch into a spirited tirade that seems wholly out of character with the laid back personality that she tries to project.

[Jadeling]

Hell, I like it.

Let me try...


Name: Tanaka Masako
Age: 17
Academic Focus: English

Personality:

Masako isn't the best of students, but she's pretty damn close. Quiet and studious in the classroom, the girl gets along well with classmates and teachers alike - enough that she was, just this year, voted Class Representative. She doesn't feel quite ready for the responsibility yet, but if the rest of her classmates have given her this position, then she's not going to upset them all by rejecting it, is she? She's tolerant of others 'rebelling' in their way - illegal under school rules as they may be - but if anything progresses to a chance of someone being hurt she'll do her best to shut it down. Smoking, drinking and - more illicit activities - is fine by her, although she obviously doesn't partake, so long as it isn't harming anybody else.

Despite her timid sounding appearance in class, Masako tends towards being quite blunt in speaking (to the extent where she will occasionally just blurt out something she was merely thinking) and her sense of humour is a little darker than most other's. In social situations she often plays the 'straight man' to another's more vibrant personality, at least until she accidentally says something she probably would have been better off not saying. That said, she really tries to get along with other people, and is for the most part also respected and liked back by most.

She is secretly a bit of a nerd, seeing constant cliches and framing things in TV terms, but she tries her best to keep that from showing. Ever. Except when her mouth betrays her, of course.


Hey, Shilong, how'dya align the image left?

[Crovonovin]

[ floatleft] [ /floatleft] , without the spaces.

[Raveled]

Name Ito Haya
Age 17
Academic Focus Sports!

Personality Haya doesn't have any hard and fast friends, largely because she transferred in just before the start of sophomore year.  She can usually be found either jogging around the neighborhood or exercising in the school's gym.  The few girls that happened to run into her and chatted with the new girl report that she's nice enough, but during school Haya normally retreats into her headphones.  No one has yet worked up the courage to try and crack her shell.

In class, Haya's middling at best.  Her nominal focus in History, but she's a sports nut.  She can wipe the floor with anyone one-on-one in basketball or track, and she can be seen regularly playing against two or three people at once.  She doesn't always win in such situations, but she does well enough.

[Mnemaxa]

Can't find a good picture.  Where do you folks get yours?  Also, guessing we're going to start the game with the new school year.

Danbooru is a good place to search.  It has a good set of tags so you can usually manage hair and eye color easily, along with school uniforms.

[Raveled]

Searching for athlete got five responses.  What is wrong with this picture?

Yuri gets... Jesus, 526 pages?

[Mnemaxa]

Searching for athlete got five responses.  What is wrong with this picture?

Yuri gets... Jesus, 526 pages?

Well, there is This One but it is very not safe for work.

[Raveled]

It's the same five pictures!!  Are these the only athletes in all of anime?

[Mnemaxa]

Try some other tags.  Sports, gym_uniform, and running might get some hits.

[RubySlippers]

Have opening for faculty after all a beautiful, sophisticated and popular teacher could be fun. And Yuri often has the older woman and girl relationship thing going in spots. I was thinking someone holding multiple advanced degrees and wrote a great deal in some area like philosophy.

If not a Gamer Girl might be fun a classic fan of card games, computer games and the like.

What does the moderator think?

[Crovonovin]

I have no objections to the inclusion of teachers, though it may be somewhat difficult to work them into the general goings-on right away.  I know my character for one would sooner chew broken glass than socialize with her teachers!  To start off it might be best if we're all just students, to establish some relationships between one another before introducing someone with actual authority.

[Raveled]

I have no problem with an instructor being in the cast.  Not everyone has to hang out with everyone else.  Heck, it'd be more realistic if everyone has slightly overlapping social circles.

Will more than one character be allowed?

[Jadeling]

Teachers are fine.

Still looking for more players, though - I'd like around, huh, five maybe to start, and it'd be open to people joining later, 'o course.

More actual ladies wouldn't go amiss, either, though I appreciate that not everybody is comfortable with cross-gender play.

[RubySlippers]

I was thinking instead of a teacher being a college student who is in her practicum teaching, so would also be a student and not one of the enemy so to speak. A former graduate coming back to educate the next generation in more ways than one. hee hee

I was thinking she would be teaching physical education and health classes but not be a teacher yet. I was thinking someone 21 years old a senior at the university in her last year.

[Jadeling]

I got no problems thar, either.