Welcome to our interview with the creator of the furry visual novel, When I Knew You, Konpeito, which explores themes of Boys Love, relationships, and self-discovery. We’re excited to discuss the story, characters, and inspiration behind this unique visual novel. We’ll also touch on the upcoming Boys Love Universe (BLU) project by All Ages of Geek and how it could benefit indie creators and fans of the genre.
What inspired you to create a furry visual novel centered around Boys Love and relationships?
I really liked the Boys Love genre for a long time, and as an artist and avid daydreamer, I would always create stories in my head of different romances between my characters. So, when I found out about visual novels, specifically the furry side of them, I was hooked! I thought to myself, “Well, I’ve got a bunch of stories I’d like to tell… this is definitely something I could do”. So after a couple of months of work, I created When I Knew You.
Can you share some insights about the main character, Callum, and his journey in When I Knew You?
Callum is a very curious person, who is a bit awkward with people he’s not comfortable with, and who loves the people closest to him. Throughout the story, he looks for his old friend, David, while falling in love with Marcus, another one of his friends, and he has to realize that looking for someone who has done so much harm to those around him might come at the price of losing his real friendships.
How do you feel the furry aspect of the story contributes to the overall Boys Love theme and message of the visual novel?
The message of When I Knew You, in a word, is ‘change’. No one stays the same forever, and I feel the furry aspect helped me really cement just how much these characters changed. From being small, innocent ‘pups’ to growing up to be bigger and more mature, I think I just wanted to show just how drastic these characters changed, both physically and mentally.
What were some of your favorite moments to write between Callum and Marcus as their relationship develops?
I think it might have been the in-between stage of ‘We like each other, but we can’t say it because we don’t know how the other person feels yet’. The awkward moments, the subtle flirtation, the tension… It’s always so fun to write about two people falling in love! My favorite specific scene between the two would have to be their Lunar Eclipse Date, though. I had a lot of fun writing the dialogue for that scene!
Can you talk about the importance of friendship in the story and how it plays a role in Callum’s search for David?
Callum values his friendships a lot… more than the normal amount. He tries his best to include others and always tries to look out for them when he can… but he also tends to tunnel-vision on one person sometimes, and that can be damaging to his other relationships. Whether he’s focused on David or Marcus or anyone else, it comes with its own set of problems.
What challenges did Callum face when returning to his hometown after four years away?
His biggest challenge would have to be readjusting to his life in Pricefield, and getting used to being away from his previous, toxic household. Trying to make up for lost time and picking up where he left off with his old friends, all in his last year of high school definitely isn’t easy.
How do the various relationships within the story explore different aspects of Boys Love and LGBTQ+ experiences?
I wanted to explore a lot of different aspects of gay relationships in my story. Aster and David represent the one-sided love that many gay men have for someone who is only interested in sex. Callum and David represent the feeling of having to be with another guy just because he’s the only gay person you know, and lastly, I wanted Marcus and Callum to be the sort of gay love that is real and pure, but due to external forces, has to be kept secret. These sort of relationships happen all the time in real life, and I wanted to show them in a realistic way in my writing.
Were there any specific influences or inspirations from the Boys Love genre that shaped your vision for When I Knew You?
Of course! How to not mention Echo, or Adastra, for introducing me to furry visual novels as a whole. Another FVN that helped shape what I wanted to make is Socially Awkward, since I wanted a main character that was his own person, and also because I’m a sucker for the Childhood Friends to Lovers trope, hehe~
How do you think When I Knew You could fit within the upcoming Boys Love Universe (BLU) project by All Ages of Geek?
I think it could serve as an example of a more serious, down to earth romance story. A lot of visual novels, especially BL visual novels, tend to have a lot of fantasy aspects in them (which I absolutely love!), so I think When I Knew You could serve as a more grounded, realistic story.
What do you hope fans of Boys Love and furry visual novels take away from the story of Callum and his friends?
I’d want them to take away that changing isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, people you love change, and you drift apart because of that… but other times, they change, and you change with them, and you both become different, better people who still care deeply about each other. We don’t have to stop loving people because they’re different than we remembered.
Can you discuss some of the themes of self-discovery and identity that emerge throughout the visual novel?
I’d say one of the biggest themes of self-discovery is Callum learning that he doesn’t have to be tied to the people he once loved. Sometimes we stick with people because we think that one day, they’ll be the person we used to know, and everything will be just how it was before… but it doesn’t always work like that, and Callum learns that letting go of the people who won’t change for the better is the best thing he can do for himself.
How does the mystery surrounding David’s disappearance drive Callum’s emotional growth and connections with others?
Although it does help him get out of his comfort zone and talk to other people in his school, it’s mainly a destructive force. More answers lead to more danger, and the more he searches for someone who’s far away, the more he strays from the people who are close to him… and the sooner he realizes that he can’t keep chasing David forever, the better off he’ll be.
In what ways did you strive to create a unique and memorable Boys Love experience within the furry community?
My main focus in writing is creating believable dialogue. I wanted my characters to feel real, like people you could know in real life, and make their conversations sound like genuine banter, heartfelt arguments, true confessions of love. I wanted people to feel like the story -and the characters- was genuine, and not over the top and cheesy (although it can be cheesy at times… I’m still working on that…)
How did you approach the balance between romance, friendship, and mystery in When I Knew You?
I knew from the beginning that I had to have a bit of everything in order to keep readers engaged. I wanted to make a main plot point, the mystery, that was complemented by the romance, which slowly but surely battles for the spot of main plot. Friendship comes pretty easily into the mix – I’ll find any excuse to use Baxter or Troy in a scene! I just love writing dialogue for them the most!
What were some challenges you faced when developing the characters and their relationships in a Boys Love-focused story?
I didn’t want the characters to be too… gay? In a lot of BL visual novels, every male character you encounter is either gay or into men in some way, but that’s… a little unrealistic, isn’t it? Since I wanted my story to be a bit more real, I had to find a way to make my characters charming and fun towards our main character, while also not making them all fall in love with him, hehe!
How do you think the upcoming Boys Love Universe (BLU) platform could benefit indie creators and fans of the Boys Love and Yaoi genres?
I think it could be a great way to connect with fans of the genre, and to let creators promote their games in a place specifically for their niche, target audience! The fans get good games, and the creators will have their games played by more people. Win win!
Can you provide some insight into the creative process behind designing the characters and their visual appearances?
Color was something very important to me in the ‘Autumn’ designs for my characters. Their color schemes represent what they are, who they’re affiliated with, what kind of vibe they give off… it was all something I had thought of when creating their designs. For their ‘Winter’ outfits, I strayed a bit from giving every piece of clothing or every new character a specific color scheme, but still, it’s prevalent enough that I think it’s worth mentioning, heh.
How do you think the Boys Love aspect of the story will resonate with fans of the genre, and what makes your visual novel stand out?
Like I said before, I’d hope my visual novel will make people resonate with the characters more, because I want them to be more believable and genuine. I hope that some people can see themselves in Callum, and learn from his own actions throughout the novel…
What are your thoughts on the growing popularity of Boys Love content and its potential impact on the indie creator community?
I think it’s amazing!! People are sharing their work more and more these days, and I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t grow up with much Boys Love content… only consuming it until I was a lot older, but seeing how popular it is now makes me glad that younger people can enjoy good, heartfelt BL stories by people who write with a passion!
Are there any future plans for When I Knew You, and can we expect more Boys Love content from you in the future, possibly in collaboration with All Ages of Geek’s BLU project?
Oh definitely. When I Knew You is in its final stages of development as of me writing this, and I’m excited to finish it! I have considered making spin-off visual novels using other characters from When I Knew You at some point… it’s not out of the realm of possibilities! As for more BL content… well, let’s just say I’ve already got things cooking in the oven for a future project, hehehe~ You’ll be seeing a lot more of me in the future! I’ve got plenty of stories to tell, and I’d be ecstatic to share them on this platform as well!
Thank you for joining us for this insightful interview about When I Knew You, a furry visual novel with a Boys Love focus. It’s been a pleasure to learn about the creative process and passion behind this project. Keep an eye out for the BLU project by All Ages of Geek, which aims to create a platform that connects creators and fans of Boys Love and Yaoi genres. We look forward to seeing more heartfelt stories from Konpeito and more stories about When I Knew You and others in this vibrant community.
