Trotting with the Trio and Other Bad Titles for Blog Posts

Hey guys, Syon here. It’s been a while, but I promise you we’ve been hard at work on Highway Blossoms (And HRP!) and have been making tons of progress. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get to it.

First off,  just in case you didn’t catch the memo, Sekai put out a press release a little while back showing off our crazy talented musicians and a few samples from them. Check it out.

Secondly, we’d like to officially announce that Denpasoft will be publishing an 18+ version of Highway Blossoms with love scenes. It’s chill if that’s not your thing though, as the version on Steam will be All Ages.

Next, if you don’t follow us on twitter, then let me have the pleasure of telling you that the first draft for Highway Blossoms has been complete! Word count clocks in at around 75,000 words–give or take. Depending on how fast of a reader you are, I’m guessing it’s gonna take about five to eight hours to read through. So longer than the HRP demo, but not a doorstopper or anything. Of course, there’s still editing and rewrites to do, so the script isn’t ready for public viewing just yet, but the polish and love should hopefully make the reading experience a lot more pleasant.

That’s it on the writing front for now, so on to the next subject.

As you know, Highway Blossoms takes place in the American Southwest. Specifically, in and around the states of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California, with most of the events happening in the Great Basin, Chihuahuan, Sonoran and Mojave deserts. There are a lot of real world locations in HB, many of which have a huge connection to the plot. So because Josh and I grew up around these areas, and because we’ve taken many a road trip through them, we wanted to give an accurate representation of the setting while also showing off its charm. With the help of Badriel and our other talented artists, we’ve been able to accomplish that while also fact checking our writing to make sure we’re staying true to the spirit of the locations. Of course, a few things have been tweaked here or there for a more streamlined experience, but nothing too outlandish. I can’t promise everything will be completely, 100% accurate to real life, but we’re trying our hardest, that I can guarantee.

But in the meantime, here are some backgrounds from Badriel, so you can get a better idea of the presentation.

So expect everything else to be follow that basic mold, essentially. Hopefully we don’t accidentally change the geographical makeup of the United States.

We’re not done yet, though. We have one final update to give you guys–our last character introduction! You see, Highway Blossoms has a few side characters, but many of them are just one offs, there for more of a thematic approach. These three however, serve as Amber and Marina’s, er, “rivals.” After all, there are more people looking for the treasure than just them. So without further adieu, say hello to–as we’ve been calling them internally–The Treasure Hunting Trio, Tess, Joe and Mariah!

Like I said, these three are the only three recurring side characters in the VN, and for good reason too, as they’re also looking for the treasure, much to Amber’s annoyance. The trio come and go as they please, popping in and out of the story and going from location to location. Too bad they kind of suck at their jobs. That’s not gonna stop them, though! (Sorry kids. They aren’t romancable)

Bossy, obsessive, abusive, dramatic, and kind of an all around terrible human being, Mariah is the self-proclaimed “leader” of the group. She’s been obsessed with the treasure for years, ever since she found a piece of it with her longtime friend, Joseph, when they were kids. Now that she’s old enough, the hunt is on. With nothing else on her mind except the treasure, she’s gotten a motorhome of her own and is currently dragging Joe and her little sister, Tess, across the country with her.

Joseph, or Joe, has been Mariah’s friend and wrangler since childhood, being the only one who would ever really put up with her. He’s vaguely related to the long dead miner who hid the treasure. Does he care? Not really. Joe is a pretty relaxed guy, preferring to lounge around on the couch all day and make wisecracks rather than doing any actual treasure hunting. Still, he knows someone has to keep the world safe from Mariah’s wrath, a job that keeps the normally laid-back Joe a little on edge.

The final piece of the trio, Tess is Mariah’s eleven year old sister. Like Joe, she’s not particularly interested in the treasure either. In fact, she’s not really interested in a lot of things. Quiet and rather dry, Tess lets herself get dragged around by her older sister, an observer of Mariah’s destructiveness. Still, this trip has awakened something in her, something that even Mariah and “Joey” are surprised to see–a fascination with Americana.

All members of the Trio were designed by Myuto, the head artist of the Human Reignition Project, and colorist for Highway Blossoms. The talented Shiyun will still be drawing their sprites, of course. But that’s not all, we still got a special Christmas present from Myuto for you guys.

Anyway, this post has gone on for long enough, so I’m going to wrap it up here. Again, thanks for reading. Stick around, 2016’s gonna be a party.