Dare to Dream (BTS #16) *SPOILERS* (Patreon)

While there is always a chance of spoilers occurring in BTS posts, this will be a big one for Fantasy Dating Day 4.

Seriously, turn back now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Okay, don't say I didn't warn you...

Day 4 ends on a dream sequence which goes into Ehrlynn's and Rovahn's backstory. These first renders were a test to gauge the feasibility of what I originally had in mind for this part of Fantasy Dating's story. As you'll see, Fantasy Dating is quite expansive, with characters who each have their own backstory that explains how and why they become involved with Nola (MC).

There's a lot to break down here. Outdoor scenes have a different setup process than indoor ones. For example, this terrain set came with its own grass, but it was laggy as all get out. So, I replaced it. And by "replaced" I mean I thankfully already had another grass model as a substitute (it was a freebie I never thought I'd actually use). Much like I mentioned in BTS 15, I created instances of grass patches and manually moved them around the ground to simulate wild grass.

Despite Fantasy being half the title, I love these kinds of realistic touches. Much like the dirt on the horse's legs to indicate they have been traveling for a good while. For me, it helps make the story and characters feel alive. My intent has always been to build in layers with each supporting the others. Even the sex scenes are a major part of this design philosophy. Almost everything I put into Fantasy Dating feeds back into itself eventually. 

I know, pretty scenery, but I'm especially proud of something you may not have immediately noticed. Her hair is cropped short by the hat. It may seem trivial, but I went through many different attempts to make her tall hairstyle work with a hat. At one point, I almost gave up and was going to delete her curls and hand waive it with "she stuffed her curls under the hat". Thankfully, I didn't have to, but the road to get there wasn't a quick or easy one.

My above explanations should no doubt leave you with the impression that creating visual novels is a ton of work. FD is no exception, and the hours I put into these shots was far more than even I expected. Yes, hours of design, setup, testing, and post-work went into these three renders.

That all being said. I did realize I need to partition out my original script and move the rest of this past memory to later in the story. I wrote Fantasy Dating without understanding the time and effort investment it would take to bring large segments like this to life. As is, it would make Day 4 far too massive and take many more months to do all of it now.

Anyways, this is a young Ehrlynn in a fully camouflaged state to blend in with humans. I've left hints in the story about Ehrlynn's true age, her hairstyle being the most notable indication of the time period she grew up in.

This dream gives Nola (and the player) a glimpse into who Ehrlynn is and what some of her motivations are. Along with expounding on her connected past with Rovahn, it also explains her unusual familiarity with "forgotten" humans and their culture.

What were the succubi doing at this time? Why and how did the other humans become "forgotten"? How did Ehrlynn bring Nola to Integro? Can we get lewds of young Ehrlynn?

This and more will be answered as the story of Fantasy Dating continues.