Study Session An In Progress Visual Novel by SillyBayo

A reference sheet of Nikan

Study Session (placeholder title) is a magical realism slice of life visual novel made in Renpy.
You play as the reserved high school junior Nikan Primavera-Deere, who's off to the library to work on an assignment with popular student Aisling Lài. However, what she's known for is less about who she actually is, but rather what she can offer to her peers...and how she refuses to.
When they first meet, their relationship can take many turns (mostly bad ones...). Follow the best route by going off of Nikans thoughts and being the best friend you can be! Be silly! Be nerdy! Be considerate! Bond over common struggles! Be...gay?! And who knows? Things might get a little queerplatonic...

A reference sheet of Aisling

You can look at art and updates here over on Bluesky!

Questions you may have (maybe idk)!

  • "When will it be done?"

I'm not sure! I started development sometime in September of last year (2024), and not one thing is done yet at the time of writing this! The best estimate I can give is December 2025. Late, but I have school and personal issues to worry about. Hell, I'm not even sure if queer media is going to be allowed anymore at this rate! So the game will simply come out when it comes out.

  • "The main characters look familiar! Did I see them before?"

Probably! Nikan and Aisling were the main characters of an...attempted, webcomic, Caught in Time and Glow! However making monthly webcomics REALLY isn't for me, so a visual novel is the next best option.
Most of the side characters are older OCs reused for this project. So if you knew 8-12 year old me on sites like deviantart, amino, and the youtube comment section, then you might see some slightly familiar faces!

  • "Can I draw fanart? Make fanfics? Make any fanwork at all?"

Of course ^o^! Just keep my OC boundaries in mind. It looks very rambly right now, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand...I hope (its only like that because I copy-pasted 99% of it from a discord message...). Make sure to tag me too! I'd LOVE to see it :3!

  • "How old are Aisling and Nikan?"

Aisling is 17 and Nikan is 16. The age range for side characters (besides obvious adults) are 16-18, give or take. However, please don't sexualize my 18 and 19 year olds. They’re teenagers too, at least in my eyes. Even if you reasonably disagree, it isn't hard to respect my boundaries.

  • "Will it cost money when it comes out?"

I'm not sure...a part of me wants to make it so you can pick the price yourself, because what if the game isn't worth the money :(!? But also I'm literally putting soooo much stress into the game that another part of me thinks the money is deserved, especially since I'll have to be self reliant prettyyy soon. So I really can't decide ><! But if I ever do make it a game you have to pay for, it'll probably cost $8-15.

  • "Are there any trigger warnings in Study Session?"

Yes. The game is generally for a 16+ audience, and contains (the following three are more off screen/implied) objectification, sexual harassment, racism/microaggressions, acephobia, and slight unreality/questioning of reality. Although, because of how much of a heavy work in progress this game is, these warnings aren't set in stone.

  • "Is there any AI in Study Session? Can I use AI for Study Session related things? Can I use Study Session to train an AI?"

No, no, and no.

  • "Do you want help on the game?"

You'd have to be a VERY specific person for me to accept your help I'm afraid. I mean, I'd love to work with someone! But I also can't pay anyone on the team (<--- currently unemployed minor). And I'm quite picky when it comes to how people add onto my story. I'll definitely ask for playtesters/beta readers when the game is basically done, but besides that, I'm not sure :<. I could use some help, but I rather not open up the doors to that while I'm on semi-hiatus.

  • "Why are you on semi-hiatus?"

My personal laptop refuses to charge lol. Don't worry, all of the code is backed up, and I can still work on writing. But as of February 2025, I can't work on much else :(. Don't worry too badly though, because writing basically influences every part of the project. So getting that straight while I'm forced to stop working on everything else is kind of a blessing in disguise...

  • "Where can I ask more questions?"

Tag or DM me on Bluesky! It can even be simple and silly OC questions! Don't hold back any curiosity about my work,, it makes me happy :].

Things look a bit unconfident right now, I know.
But I hope you'll follow me on this little indie dev journey!
Stories and art mean the world to me. I love how personal and human they can be, and how people connect to others creations.
So keeping up with updates, artwork, and little rambles for my little game would mean the world to me :3! Lets all hope it goes well in the end 💚 🤍 🖤 🤍 💜 ~!

Edit
Pub: 15 Feb 2025 18:18 UTC
Edit: 15 Feb 2025 18:19 UTC
Views: 88