Creation diary ▪ Conveying 'otherness'

I hope that Kyle's gorgeous art and the one thousand words of Florealia managed to convey a sense of beauty, mystery, and slight uneasiness.

This creation diary is the last of a short series in which I explore how the game came to be. 

Conveying 'otherness'

Once I had nailed down the Jasmine, Rose and (depreciated) Lavender aspects of the goddess, and created her domain, it was time to give her a portfolio. Was she supposed to be a deity of flowers, or would all plants answer to her? What about animals?

While animating the crystalline waves of her domain, something clicked. Creation is one of the many symbolic meanings associated with water, and it felt appropriate, except for a small detail. Shouldn't a creator resemble her creations? 

It turns out that life on earth is dominated by plants. Having her be this plant-like humanoid figure felt appropriate!

The goddess' floral nature ended up influencing her speech as well: the player is not a person, they're a seedling; the successes or misfortunes of life do not matter, they are all akin to wilting. Her botanical vocabulary conveys beauty, but it marks her as inhuman as well—as other.

The divine is human in shape, but not in thoughts. 

The initial prompt of the game ended up becoming its logline. 

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I hope you liked this glimpse behind the scenes. 
Making this small game for the O2A2 jam was a great experience and I plan to join next year as well!