Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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~Cross Heart Academy~

Enter a world of swords, magic, and wonder! As a new student entering the prestigious Starveil Academy, the brightest years of your life await—and with love in the air, classes aren't going to be the only thing on your mind! With so many of the best and brightest attending, you're more than spoiled for choice! With so many routes to choose from, you'll keep coming back for more!
But all is not well behind closed doors, and it may ultimately fall to you to uncover what secrets lurk within...


...Or so the summary of "Cross Heart Academy" goes. Despite it's somewhat cheesy premise (even as far as otome games go), "Cross Heart Academy" has since grown to amass a cult following all it's own. To pry into the minds of it's creators and figure out where all of the story threads within sprung forth from would be many a fan's dream, but given how silent they have been towards the public, such desires are but a fleeting dream.

With that being said, awakening as one of the characters within that world was most certainly not something that you had expected to happen. What to make of this set of circumstances—and those of others who seem to have found themselves in similar straits—falls to you all to decide.



Regarding the Plot and Gameplay of Cross Heart Academy

"Cross Heart Academy" is an anomaly of a game, with the actual game depicted in the second "half" almost wholly contingent on the events that occur in the first—that is, to say, the section that focuses almost wholly upon the events that occur within the protagonist's time at Starveil Academy. Depending on who the player chooses to pursue and the events that they trigger, that second half of the game could be anything from an SRPG to a 4X game to even a town management simulator... And in some cases, a mix of any number of genres. This aspect has caused the game to garner a fanbase that expands beyond it's intended audience, small as that is, and is what many fans would argue sets it apart from many of it's peers. Few other games, after all, can offer political intrigue, adventure, and all other manner of scenarios in a single game without feeling like any single part is underdeveloped.

Regarding the Characters of Cross Heart Academy

Many of the characters that live within the world of Cross Heart Academy are somewhat 'flat', if only because the focus may not be primarily on them. Main cast members—for example, the male leads—are often explored far deeper than the supporting cast if only because of how often the protagonist interacts with them.
Such rules do not necessarily apply to those who now find themselves living in this world. Every person is a 'person', no longer simply lines of code within a system, and thus is just as complex as any other person might be. Though the 'rules' imposed upon them by the world may still linger to some extent (some might even call it "fate"), the choices that those transported to this world make could very well transcend the decision trees that were so easily charted prior.




So... Yeah. Otome game(?) isekai RP borrowing from the recent boom in the genre's popularity. Personally, I think the concept speaks for itself, honestly. Other than that... Form for the people who might be chomping at the bit to dive into this madness, I suppose? Because this is clearly a good idea and not at all going to end up in complete chaos (which, I mean, is probably going to be part of the fun?)



Any questions or concerns? Feel free to bring them up, and I'll be more than willing to answer.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Raineh Daze
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity

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Hi its me again
just waiting on a few things to see who gets meido
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Pyromania99
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@Raineh Daze@Pyromania99: Both characters look fine to me. Accepted.

Anyways, time for me to throw something in the ring.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by VitaVitaAR
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  • Name: Anne Marielle(that's the heroine's name?!)
  • Age: 16(oh no...)
  • Appearance: "This would be awkward enough without everything else!"
  • Gender: Female(aaaah)
  • Personality: Matsuoka Ryouji is not happy with this situation. Suddenly remembering her original age and name the day of entry into Starveil was a traumatic experience at best, realizing not only was she a girl now but she was the heroine of Cross Heart Academy on top of it. She has absolutely no interest in any of the romantic routes and is desperate to avoid them. After all, regardless of what she is now, she was a straight man prior to reincarnation.

    A bunch of varied bishonen are not on her list of romantic interests. A sarcastic and easily-exasperated person, Anne was quick to comment on things that bugged her about the game's world and characters in her past life and she is still liable to do so now. She's also quite concerned with what the future may hold, given her experience with the game itself. Of course, no matter her past memories and experiences, it can be denied that she is also the game character, Anne Marielle, in addition to Matsuoka Ryouji. Some of Cross Heart Academy's Heroine's kindness and willingness to help others has almost certainly remained, perhaps due to the fact that in spite of Ryouji's bitter attitude he wasn't completely without those impulses in the first place.

    The fact is that ultimately, Anne's attitude isn't exclusively informed by her past life's memories and experiences, even if those take the forefront. New personal connections are something she cherishes deep down, both due to Ryouji's loss of the few he had in his old life and Anne's friendly and caring disposition. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that, despite her many negative comments about the game's cast, she truly can't say she disliked any of them, especially as the writing got stronger towards the middle and end of the plot. Still, she is absolutely not interested in any of the game's romantic routes. Flags are to be avoided at all costs.
  • Abilities/Skills: Lacking in many practical skills save maybe decent cooking ability, it's likely the designers of the game wanted Anne not to excel in too many things to avoid her starting to feel a little far away from the average person. However, it is later revealed that she has incredibly impressive magical power and an aptitude for holy spells, something she is already aware of due to her previous life.
  • History: Matsuoka Ryouji was something of a loner, a young university student who had never really had many friends in life. But he did have some positive relationships, and in spite of a rather bitter attitude he got on very well with his young high-school age sister. Even if their relationship wasn't always smooth, it turned out that they had a similar sense of humor in spite of her far brighter and cheerier demeanor, and her interest in video games(primarily otome games) was useful for his desire to get into game development.

    This is likely why she came to him with an otome game she was struggling with, due to a surprising difficulty spike towards the midpoint. Ryouji spent much of the early game mocking the writing choices and decision trees, but as things went on he did come to like the characters as the writing grew stronger. And when the game transitioned from a pure VN to a remarkably challenging SRPG with surprisingly engaging story beats, he couldn't deny he was actually enjoying his time with the game. Eventually he beat it alongside his sister, and while he didn't exactly want to say he liked an otome game that much it was difficult to deny it. Unfortunately for Ryouji, a car accident would end his current life when he used his own body to shield his sister's. She survived, but he did not, and...
    She would wake up as the sixteen-year-old Anne Marielle, protagonist of the otome game she had completed the day prior.
  • Original Role and Background: Anne Marielle is friendly, kind, and mildly airheaded girl from a very minor, barely-existent noble family with no prestigious history and basically no reptutation, that was in decline already due to the death of her father and loss of a considerable amount of wealth. Considered a commoner in the eyes of the other students who only entered the school due to what they perceived as pity, her life at the academy life started with her being disregarded and bullied. However, due to her kindness and willingness to help others, she found herself attracting the attentions of a certain set of male students...
    From there, in Ryouji's case, things escalated into a rather emotionally intense and dramatic route culminating in a a battle that decided the fate of the world.
  • Other:
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@VitaVitaAR: Character accepted.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by AThousandCurses
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As I'm writing, I'm unsure about my character concept. I planned on making a tutorial NPC that only stuck around for the first half of the game. He serves as a rare material gatherer that would give the heroine valuable items in exchanging for ludicrious amounts of money. Though his second function is to provide the heroine an indicator on which route she his heading both in romance and in game genre.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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@PKMNB0Y

Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@AThousandCurses: I see no issue with the concept, honestly (though I wonder how the second function, which you could probably argue is more important, would be presented).

@Rune_Alchemist: Accepted.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by AThousandCurses
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  • Name: Cervantes Quixote
  • Age: 23
  • Appearance:
  • Gender: Male
  • Personality: If one must be a merchant, one must be observant of their surroundings. To retain customers, you must have your best smile on at all times, even when they're rather vile creatures that spit poison. Finally, if one has resolved to become a merchant, one must focus on one thing. Money. Money rules the world and your life, so always focus on the profits. Cervantes embodies all these traits, from being observant, amicable, and greedy. However, those views stem from the need for stability and safety.
    Outside of business, Cervantes is genuine and amicable while being a bit foul-mouthed. A free spirit who tries to enjoy life to its fullest. Cervantes enjoys social interaction and thinking of odd things. He's the type of person who would banter and have your back in your time of need. Though, in the end, he's also human. If a problem impacted his life, Cervantes would try to solve it in the quickest way possible.
  • Abilities/Skills: Cervantes possesses a lack of magical aptitude or any physical talent. He makes up with his luck and collection. It may have been the game's settings, but when it comes to finding rare items, Cervantes possesses a high rate of finding them. A mixture of both knowledge and intuition, if there's an item that is needed, Cervantes could see it.
    His other talents are also business-related. From his knowledge of the economy to what stores you should go to if you need a specific service.
    Though the main thing Cervantes is known for is his intuition. As a tutorial NPC that only sticks around for the first half of the game, Cervantes serves as an indicator of which route the Heroine is heading. Cervantes has a sense in his mind that tells him how the story will turn out, a feeling, to be exact. It could be the future sight or a premonition from god; it is uncertain where this power lies, except that Cervantes has a feeling about how things will turn out. However, the Heroine is required to be nearby for him to activate it.
  • History: Before Cervantes was Cervantes, Cervantes previous life was a worker at his family's restaurant. It wasn't much hard work between switching from serving customers to cooking the meals. It was quite dull and tedious work, a fact that Cervantes became well acquainted with every day. That's why he often loafed around by reading fantasy books or playing games.
    When he came across 'Cross Heart Academy,' it was undoubtedly an exciting game. It was certainly an innovative, unique product compared to other visual novel games. If anything, he found it strange that they could fit so much content into the game, to begin with.
    What did Cervantes's previous self do when he got the game? The answer might be odd but reasonable. Cervantes tried to speedrun the game in his free time. It was a very open game with various factors that determined future outcomes, meaning every playthrough had its unique experience.
    Sadly, he would die early after going out drinking with friends. The events are still blurry to him as he is intoxicated.
    When he came to be, he was the tutorial NPC shopkeeper. A fact that he knew well after spending quite a bit of time trying to grind out the NPC's prices and visiting him to check what route the Heroine was on. It was just him alone, in a shop, with nothing except his name that he found in the NPC's journal. Cervantes Quixote.
  • Original Role and Background: To the majority of the players of Cross Heart Academy, the only name that Cervantes went by was 'nameless shopkeeper.' A tutorial NPC that also served as a shopkeeper gave the Heroine a rundown of the market. A charming character for sure, mainly when the shopkeeper sold valuable items or quest items that were hard to obtain. He also served as an indicator of what the route the Heroine was on, saying, "Hmmm, I have a feeling a war might be brewing soon. You should prepare yourself in the coming days," or, "I heard the Crown Prince was infatuated with someone as of late. You wouldn't know who that would be, would you?" Though when the second half of the game was reached, the shopkeeper would disappear. Nobody knows why, but several theories have come up. Perhaps an unfixable bug deleted the shopkeeper; maybe the creators forgot to add him in the second half of the game, or maybe the villainess was killed offscreen after finding out he was helping the Heroine. Nobody knows, and neither does Cervantes.
  • Other:

Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by MagusDream
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MagusDream Fairy Light Magus

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This is an interesting Isekai concept. I'm thinking of a male character that, by the game's terms, isn't dateable and has no route, but can become the friend of the heroine to help her with whatever choice she makes.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@AThousandCurses: Character looks fine. Accepted.

@MagusDream: Yeah, that concept's perfectly workable.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Fiber
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I was thinking of playing an NPC who only exists in the game to loredump, controlled by someone who hasn't actually played the game but read a bunch of doujinshi and fanfics based on it.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@Fiber: Concept as a whole feels a bit too nebulous for my liking. There's not enough there to form a cohesive character around simply BECAUSE of the concept, and the secondary person added in adds nothing meaningful to the world or cast in my opinion.
Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by MagusDream
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OK, I have something to show off.


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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Crusader Lord
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@PKMNB0Y


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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Teyao
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by FujiwaraPhoenix
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@MagusDream: Putting the tag error aside, I find it weird that the person's family name pre-isekai was 'Blueflame'. Could probably change that to be something a bit more 'normal'. Rest of the form looks fine to me otherwise, and it'll be an acceptance once I give an okay on the name.

@Crusader Lord: Honestly, my biggest problem with this character is the weird (and maybe accidental?) suicidal ideation that the character portrays. It's one thing to pass away due to an accident or being a victim of some crime and be given a second chance, but to willingly take one's own life and, in essence, be rewarded for that?
...Yeah, doesn't sit right with me. I'll concern myself with the rest after that bit's fixed.

@Teyao: What I find a bit more problematic is how the character just doesn't fit in thematically with the rest of the cast at the given point in time in the story we're starting at (read: the start of the 'game's' story). There's no clean way to integrate the character into the RP for the first who knows how long, and if I'm going to be completely honest here it's fairly unlikely that forcing them into the cast would lead to anything productive. Sorry.
Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by MagusDream
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@MagusDream: Putting the tag error aside, I find it weird that the person's family name pre-isekai was 'Blueflame'. Could probably change that to be something a bit more 'normal'. Rest of the form looks fine to me otherwise, and it'll be an acceptance once I give an okay on the name.


I fixed it. And the tag error on Noctis' history was on purpose because since we don't have information on the rest of the game's world outside of the academy itself, I can't start creating stuff left and right so I put it in a way to make it seem that Alain hasn't played a route that unlocked that information.
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