Helleborine
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Greetings, Hellen. Thank you so much for your interest in being tutored in creative writing! As an experienced highschool teacher, I find the prospect of tutoring someone in college very interesting. I would love to meet next Sunday at our local library, if that would work for you. Please bring a short story of yours for me to read.
I'm so looking forward to meeting you!
Mrs. Stephanie.
Helleborine is the feeling of your wanting tongue only meeting the roof of your mouth.
Helleborine is the sight of something so bright that you can only leer at it from between your fingers.
Helleborine is the sound of paper shuffling on a desk.
Helleborine is the scent of...
Helleborine is a toxic yuri kinetic visual novel about two women's meetings at their local library on Sundays and what brought them there. 11k words.
This is a visual novel for adults, and is not for the faint of heart. Please carefully review the CWs included in a txt file in the game folder.
TabbieDearest: Script, Coding
Porksbun: All Art, Character Design
rombuffer: Desk BG and 1 rombuffered track
imcoffeecats: Playtester/Opinion Haver
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Comments
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wow! setting this up like one kind of story and veering it into an arguably worse direction was masterfully executed. thinking back, there are so many little details that foreshadow the big twist that went unnoticed in my first playthrough. the last scene with hellen and stephanie made my jaw drop.
Had me muting in vc to focus on the game and exclaiming loudly at twists when I wasn't muted. I'm looking forward to replaying.
i feel insane, want to vomit, want to run into the woods. 10/10, amazing work tabbie and porksbun
i remembered that when I first began to write
I wanted to because I was hoping that the vomit which rose up in my throat would dry if artfully given a voice
the nausea and almost tears i feel now reminds me of that, perhaps it dwells in that this work is also about talking without talking through writing
thank you for reminding me of that
I know I began writing originally just because I couldn't personally find enough food for myself, but soon it became that same desire to give a voice to something mute. I can't say how honored I am to hear this reminded you of that. Thanks so much for your kind words!!!
Good job making a story where the punchable face dial is turned up and down on each character as time goes on (positive)
Mrs. Stephanie is everyone's favorite teacher though???
had me trying to claw my eyes out the entire time. great job.
Yay I'm glad you feel that way!
They'll never make me hate you Stephanie.
🤝
🤝
The emotions throughout this story are gut wrenching and the transgender and racial dynamics add in so much to chew on, with so much prose to bask in. An incredible one on a second playthrough, to notice what my previous self couldn't catch.
I'm genuinely so happy you mentioned a second playthrough!!! I wrote this with the specific intent for it to feel crazy on another playthrough!!!!
hey this lady walked into my library and asked for a meeting room what should i do
You gotta tell her no
TABBIE YOUR PROSE ONCE AGAIN MAKES ME EXPLODE. THIS WAS AMAZING!!!!!!
Helleborine was so wonderfully written and beautifully drawn. The CGs are gorgeous and fit the tone of Hellen's stories well (even with the added context by the end). I loved the feeling of dread that creeps up at you as they continue with their meetings and as Stephanie reads Hellen's stories. The way they both choose to "remember" her both before and during the sex scene was really well-done. They're both awful in different ways but it's in a way that's mesmerizing. This was such an amazing game.<33333333
THANK YOUUU PORKS IS SO AMAZING AND DID SUCH AMAZING WORK ON THE SEX SCENE RAAAAAAAH
ooooouh this had me squirming in my chair and feeling really funny feelings in my gut. really really good. I really greatly enjoyed the constantly shifting power dynamics eventually completely melting down into mutual desperation, and the shifts between the current moment and the storytelling were captivating!! also the sex was really hot. this is the kind of story that really needs the sex to be hot in order to stick the landing and I'm very glad to say that it succeeded
Aaaaaa thank you I'm so glad the ending hit, I was stressing a ton about sticking the landing!!!!
this goes insano style on so many levels as always your writing is so tight and cohesive and these characters are just the best. when stephanie frame one put her hand on her chest and stared hellen right in the face saying my pronouns are she her i immediately knew oh she has to die. really loved the cgs too that along with the story got progressively more detailed (until you can see hellen giving them the stink eye at the mall lol) the lonely dog boiling line effect complements the pencil sketch aesthetic that gives the (back)story scenes such an;;; idyllic quality. and that ending with the superimposition ???? cant believe how much you all killed it with this one
Thank you so much I am always rotating Steph in my mind!!!
talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YALL ATE AND I LOVED THAT YOU LET ME PLAYTEST AND I CANT WAIT FOR MORE PEOPLE TO READ THIS!!! BEAUTIFUL VISUALS, BEAUTIFUL SOUND, HAUNTING STORY, EPIC SEX, THIS VISUAL NOVEL HAS EVERYTHINGGG!!
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING THANK YOU FOR PLAYTESTING AAAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAAA
wow is that THE opinion haver of helleborine, imcoffeecats????
(ueeee thank you so much for playtesting elise!)