hello!! and welcome to the under the stars 1st anniversary q&a!!!!

it's insane to think how many things happened in this year, how much stuff changed after uts. len from back then would probably be surprised by how much love this game receives to this day but hey, you deserve it, girl. you really deserve it. thanks for having hope. :'')

i'll divide this devlog in two sections: the questions for CHARACTERS and for the DEV. hope you enjoy this and again, thanks for all your love for uts!!

*if an specific question of yours didn't appear here, it probably means it was answered in another question, dw i didnt forget!!

QUESTIONS FOR THE CAST

For Ezekiel: What would you do if Dulari wasn't a princess? (Chattercap)

Ezekiel: I would still be guarding, hahah. Maybe not as a bodyguard, but as a knight in Lunnest. My family comes from a line of knights, so it's only natural for the boys to take over when the previous knight (their father) dies. It would be way more boring without her, though.

Dulari sometimes worries that I should make a life of my own, to chase my dreams, but I really enjoy swordsmanship. I can get to meet a lot of other strong guys and we compete to see who's better! It's really cool. Even if she dismissed me from guard duty, I would still be a knight hahaha...

For Dulari: What would you want to do if you weren't a princess? (Chattercap)

Dulari: Oh! I never really thought about that. If I were born as a normal girl in Lunnest... I would love to be a doctor! Though I'm not sure... Maybe I could be a teacher, too? I love reading and teaching... though I'm not sure if I'm any good at it... ahhhh.... I don't know...

For Leon: How do you feel about Dulari? (Chattercap)

Leon: Erm... w-what do you mean?... What kind of question is that.... O-of course I like her... She's my friend.... (he's blushing)

For Iris: By the end of the route, are you "happy"? (in the jester role?) (Chattercap)

Iris: ... I don't think about happiness. It's hard for me to define what that means to begin with. Perhaps I can say that I'm... satisfied. Content.

I enjoy my life. It can be annoying to deal with some nobles, but mostly it goes by eventless. I do my thing, make them laugh, they leave me alone, and that's it. I don't mind being alone. I've been alone most my life.

Sometimes I get to talk with interesting people too, and that makes the job worth it.

For Leon: How do you feel about your brother*? (Chattercap)

Leon: Well he's... he's a pain. I don't like him. We never been too close, but I think we grew even farther after mother died. He never really liked me either.

(*for those who never saw his brother or don't remember him, he is briefly mentioned in leon's ending in the game and in this devlog (+ leon's mother)

For Dulari's parents: How are you approaching Dulari's mom's infidelity, and what do you think will happen with your relationship from this point? (Chattercap)

Karkarus: Huh, infidelity? What is she talking about, Vedanshi?

Vedanshi: .......Nothing..........

(No one told him...)

(Honestly, he suspected it, but after Saruva was gone everything went back to "normal" so he kinda dismissed it as a red herring...)

For our favourite Ezzy: What's your knight's morning routine? (Chimeriquement)

Ezekiel: I wake up before sunrise, do some laps around the castle to check if everything is fine, 50 push-ups and squats and sit-ups, eat, check if the morning team are in their positions, get to my position and guard...

When I'm on guard duty for the night, I sleep for the whole morning, and do those things before lunch hehe.

(homem...)

For our favourite depressed twink: Do you still feel love for your father? (Chimeriquement)

Leon: ... I never did, if you want my honest opinion. It's a bit hard to love someone who mocks you all the time just for being who you are. And I never really trusted him anyway.

Not that he notices that... He thinks everyone loves him...

...

... What is a twink, by the way?

For our favourite jester: Now that Saruva is gone, what do you want to do with your life? (Chimeriquement)

Iris: What else? I'll keep being a jester. I don't think I'm going back to Constellax, though. Maybe I'll ask the prince* to bring my stuff here... In Lunnest people are easier to entertain.

(*they're referring to Leon.)

For our favourite princess: "How are you going to improve the economic situation of your kingdom?" is what I would have asked if I were boring, no Dulari, what would your favourite flower be? (Chimeriquement)

Dulari: Oh, I like forget-me-nots!!... They are cute and small... very pretty...

... (she's thinking about what she would answer to the other question)

How did Dulari's parents meet? like they were arranged to be married right? but i'd love to know more about how their first interactions with each other are (Chantal)

Vedanshi: We used to attend to similar balls in great kingdoms like Constellax. That's where we met. We did work well together and that's why my parents arranged our marriage.

Karkarus: Vedanshi was quite shy... She wasn't good at making conversation so helped her with it.

Vedanshi: (Dulari is a bit like me in that regard...)

Karkarus: It was funny because Vedanshi looked harmless at first but she can be very fierce when she's angry. That surprised me.

Vedanshi: And you look like a social butterfly but you're quite the introvert...

Karkarus: Appearences can be deceiving, haha.

Vedanshi: Yes, very much...

Which kingdom is Dulari's mom from? was she also royalty before or like a noble before marrying Dulari's dad? (Chantal)

Vedanshi: Oh, I'm Lunnestian! Karkarus is the foreigner here, hahah. We've always been royalty.

Karkarus: My kingdom is actually very far from Lunnest. I don't think anyone even heard about it...

If Dulari was a worm, what would their words be? (Butterblanc)

(I believe this is a question for the main cast so here you go:)

Leon: (surprised) "...Dulari... who did that to you..."

Ezekiel: "Aww, what are you doing here little buddy? Let me put you back on the earth!"

Iris: *steps on her*

(this question actually reminds me of this meme)

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QUESTIONS FOR THE DEV

What was your inspiration for UTS? story- and art-wise or the like? (Chantal)

Len: oho, a question for me!! hehehe i'm happy!!

to be honest, uts came from conversations between a friend and I. we shared the love for depressed princes and himbo knights and sweet princesses and i just thought "hey i could make a game like that!! it would be nice!!" and there it all started.

dulari's design is based vaguely on indian fashion. i really liked the idea of making a poc princess character + INDIAN DRESSES ARE SO PRETTY.........!!!!!!!! LIKE WHY PEOPLE DOESNT DRAW INDIAN FASHION MORE OFTEN??????

leon's design is based on basic prince/military clothes LOL i wanted to make him as stereotypical as possible, but not as detailed as the original clothes (easier to draw...)

ezekiel........ honestly i just made his armor up based on other armor i thought it looked cool..........

dulari's parents - her mother (vedanshi) has a VERY indian-inspired outfit. meanwhile, at the beginning i wanted to make her father have more of a traditional african clothing style but i couldnt make it work with his palette so i ended up making him more european-like. (i think it ended up for the better, since he would feel a bit out of place with all the indian-european outfits...)

(his first ref...)

saruva had some early HORRIBLE designs at the beginning until i actually put some thought to him and made him the beauty he is today. he has curly hair - which is a thing i love in men - but also a MUSTACHE - a  thing i ABSOLUTELY HATE - to make his appearance balanced in my head. he ended up pretty good. a refined look but not too flashy. i love drawing it.

(this was his first, horrible design...)

and iris..... well i just looked for jester's designs and made them as generic-looking as i could lol (fun fact: at some point in development i wanted to make them black. i didn't go further with the idea, but it was an interesting design)

What was the art development process like for UTS? (Chantal)

Len: i think i answered half of this answer in the other question but lol fgsogsidojgd

honestly in all the games i make i think of them first as a feeling/vibe. uts had the "dreamy medieval" vibe and i tried to follow it -- gathering palettes from art i like etc. one of my inspirations was actually the cinderella disney movie!

i absolutely ADORED that movie as a child and i LOVE the ball scenes and the general magic and sparkly vibe of it. her party dress is AMAZING i am OBSSESSED. maybe her head acessory had a bit of an inspiration on dulari's tiara too (a thin, cute acessory rather than a full golden crown)

(damn now i want to watch it again...)

i made a bunch of art tests, gathered a lot of references (specially for the bgs, to give me inspiration) and drew what my heart felt more compelled to. i'm really proud of all designs in uts, it was really fun to draw everything!!

i also can't ignore the work rainey did on the GUI -- i gave them the general vibe ("dreamy fairy tale") and some drafts of what i envisioned and they made an absolute BANGER. it was really nice working with them and i'll never shut up about it!!!!!!!!

What are some hobbies that each of the characters have (especially Dulari, Ezekiel, and Leon)? and maybe they don't have free time(?) but are there any things they would want to try to do if they had free time? (Chantal)

Len: dulari loves reading! i think it's the thing she likes doing the most. she also likes to sew and walk around nature in her free time. (she would love to make plushies too, but she doesn't know how to make them yet..)

ezekiel likes to climb trees!! he's been doing that since he was a kid and he is unstopabble... any kind of outdoors game is also a win for him (he spends a lot of time with the other guards and they end up doing stuff like that lol)

leon likes studying magic and history. he appreciates gardening but he's terrible at taking care of plants jnksfhsjkdhf he also likes to take walks around constellax and help people as he can. he also likes to practice magic, but only in small things.

iris likes to create small clay figurines and wooden dolls. some of them they use in their job but other ones they just... play with lol (secretly...)

(if you look in their room, they have 2 small wooden dolls. they also made the marote.)

karkarus enjoys outdoors activities and travelling, but since he's a bit older now he prefers to do stuff that doesnt require as much energy. he likes to spend time with animals (especially dogs and horses...)

vedanshi likes to sew and is also interested in different types of tea. she likes art and would love to try painting some day.

as for saruva.................................... well you can imagine (the secret route gives a good idea of what his hobbies are)

What is the coronation ceremony in Lunnest kingdom like? (Chantal)

Len: it's usually a three day party too, but for the whole kingdom. it always happens at nights with the full moon and its full of festivities and star motifs lol a carnival of sorts.

when prince/princess is still young, they are given a simple head accessory to show that they're not yet a ruler. it's a way to show humility.

the coronation itself is a solemn moment done in the castle, where they swear to take care of the kingdom and its people. after that, they're given a golden crown (like the ones karkarus/vedanshi wears) and they're officially a ruler.

(queen dulari design...)

What are some Lunnest kingdom traditions? (Chantal)

Len: to me, lunnest is like a small city lol so it has a lot of small silly traditions, though people can be very carefree about it.

some traditions would be reciting prayers before leaving the house for long journeys, parties in full moon nights, reunions at the end of harvest, fairs and small festivals with music, dance and food... yeah...

If Dulari, Leon, Ez and Iris were flowers, what would they be? (Chimeriquement)

Dulari: baby breath

Leon: blue chrysanthemum/forget-me-nots

Ez: orange daylily

Iris: lily

(random iris because i felt like it)

If Dulari and Leon were to marry, would they unify their kingdoms? And what changes will this bring to their respective kingdoms? (Chimeriquement)

Len: since leon's brother already took over constellax, leon would move to lunnest and live there. they wouldn't unify their kingdoms (for logistics reasons mostly) but lunnest and constellax would have a stronger bond. maybe lunnest would grow in magic knowledge, receive more technology, have a population growth, etc... constellax would also be more open to lunnestians living/working/studying there... but dont be fooled, there are a lot of bad people in constellax...

Lol, what do you consider as the canon route? (Butterblanc)

Len: the secret one because it's the aro one LMAOOOOOOOOO (and in my head leon-ezekiel-dulari become a platonic love triangle in that route and that thought makes me happy...)

(another concept art... this one from the beginning of 2023...)

If they [the main cast] were encapsulated in a song, what would these be? (Butterblanc)

(i'll stick to vashti bunyan songs because it's fitting lol)

Dulari: If I Were (the song on the main menu LOL)

Leon: Same But Different

Ezekiel: Feet Of Clay

Iris: Brother

Music taste of the main cast? (Butterblanc)

if they were in a modern setting:

Dulari: indie (strawberry guy, clairo, men i trust, the marías, cage the elephant)

Leon: indie, alternative rock (mitski, arcade fire, the beatles, coldplay)

Ezekiel: rock classics (queen, bon jovi, aerosmith, u2, david bowie)

Iris: eletronic, pop (alok, michael jackson, daft punk, calvin harris) (yes... kinda surprising)

(early concept of these BIG DORKS sdkjfdjhskdh)

Favorite food of the main cast? (Butterblanc)

Dulari: cheesecake, strawberry ice cream

Leon: soup, chocolate, cupcakes...

Ezekiel: brazilian pastel... and honestly any other brazilian street food...

Iris: pudding

Enneagram of the main cast? (Butterblanc)

Dulari: 9w1 ("the peacemaker")

Leon: 4w5 ("the individualist")

Ezekiel: 7w6 ("the enthusiast")

Iris: 8w9 ("the challenger")

What was your goal with the story? (Chattercap)

Len: free therapy i don't think of a 'goal' usually..? i have a general vision in my stories: i want them to be optimistic, to make people believe good things can happen in this world. that things can go wrong, but they also can be better. maybe that's why i love wholesome twists. it's a hopeful vision...

though i can't lie i wanted to make a cute story with poc characters too. i feel we are too loyal to the european fantasy point of view, everyone being WHITE WHITE WHITE and as a brazilian, i think that's silly. i want dark skinned princesses, i want to see characters that look like people i see on the streets, i want to see other cultures mixed up in a beautiful amalgamation. it's part of my own culture too -- to take other's ideas and cultures and mix and make a thing that it's our own. you could say my goal with any story is that: make a thing of my own, that looks at its characters with a realistic gaze, and hugs the reader at the end... (i hope that makes sense...)

Do you think you'll ever revisit this setting (I'm quite interested in Constellax)? (Chattercap)

Len: yes!! i often think about making a prequel (ezekiel visiting constellax to do something and meeting the skygazer royal family) or a sequel (queen dulari in all her glory... and unknown husband so no one fights me.....) but not now. i still don't know what plot i would make or what would be the vibe. but i seriously consider revisiting it one day...

(favorite boy of the masses...)

What was the hardest thing during development? (Chattercap)

Len: iris route............. it was right when i had a burnout + writer's block and i couldn't think of ANYTHING. i had half of it written but i couldn't think of the climax scene. i started writing in portuguese then translating it bc i couldnt write in english at all. it was also around the time bad things happened in my personal life so it was just. really bad.

other real hard part was defining leon's personality. i did want him to be romantic, but i wasn't satisfied with it. then i made him shy, but he got REAL boring. then i just throwed it away and hoped for the best while writing him (and he ended up depressed).

How did you go about coming up with the routes (particularly interested in the jester's route)? (Chattercap)

Len: to be fair........ the lis i just thought of characters i would like to meet. the story in the routes themselves were supposed to be much more similar at first  (places they met, character arcs etc) but i realized it wouldn't make sense and it would get really boring.

i wanted leon to feel mellow, romantic in a way, ezekiel had to be fun and exciting (i love knights!! especially seeing them in action), and iris-- i REALLY wanted to make a jester character from the start. games like jester under pressure and trapped with jester really inspired me by that time (i headcannon iris' voice as the jester in the second game...). i always thought they were cool, but i also wanted to make a character who had the REAL struggles of that job, a realistic take. (i just love having realistic takes on anything........ it's my obsession.......)

it was kinda easy to come up with leon's and ezekiel's routes -- they had always been friends with dulari and it helped a lot. they all feel comfortable around each other and they have things in common to talk about. but iris was different in that regard -- they are usually distant and mysterious, and dulari would need to grab their attention to get through them. they also needed to let themself be vulnerable, expose that they needed some help, but it had to be very very subtle, or else it wouldn't fit them. the whole saruva situation helped a bit with it -- they do things for him not out of loyalty, but simply because they believe it's their job, and that was killing them. so they express it in their tale -- the tale of how they met saruva and how they got separated from their brother.

iris is used to expose themself for no one to notice it or to care, but when dulari speaks up about her true opinions, she finally grabs their attention as someone who can understand them. it was tricky to get it right -- and the climax scene, god, it took me some REAL thinking -- but i'm glad how it turned out. it wasn't easy, but i always had in mind "what does the character THINK about it? how they can understand each other?" etc... when writing routes, i like to think about "why is this character doing this? what made them become who they are? how can they believe they can change...? how will they change?..." i feel it's the hard way of thinking characters, but i really can't write a character which i don't understand (even if the explanation is as simple as "they're dumb, that's why they do this" LMAOOO)

ahh!! that's it! phew.... there were many more questions than i imagined, so i'm really happy hehehe.. i want to thank everyone who sent questions and took time to read this HUGE devlog.

i want to write a cheesy message here at the end to express how much happiness answering these gave me, but my wrists are tired....... i'm deeply sorry....... (i hope the 93198301831 concept arts i put here can compensate it...) i'll try to write a little thing, though.

i could easily say this game changed my life. not out of nowhere -- i was already changing before it -- but it was the "point of no return" for me (in a good way). i came back to my artistic and personal roots, i wrote a character so vulnerable i thought people would laugh at it, and through uts i made so many friends and met so many cool people. i exposed myself and so many insecurities i had/have and was met with loving arms by the magical indie dev community. i gained the confidence i needed to be fully honest in my writing, to lay myself bare in my stories, and i believe that it made me grow as a person in many ways. (it's still scary sometimes but i'm happy i'm not alone anymore, just as dulari who found her friends in the end...)

i want to thank everyone who took time to play this game, fully or partially, and for the impressive love dulari received in this year, in so many ways, through comments or fanart. simply seeing someone mentioning or remembering her makes my day :'). i'm really glad she resonated will all of you, because she resonates a lot with me too. i hope the love you gave her can come back to you too, somehow. i love yall, and i'm really grateful to be here.

welp, what can i say...  my lonely soul that wandered for so long craving for company, for a place to belong in... finally found its place under the stars...

WHAT'S NEXT?

i have some projects on the way. talisman of dawn just got updated to an extended demo, and i might take a while to go back to it (don't want to rush it anymore..). i have a project for amare game festival, though. a small game titled "come back soon, oddie". it's a story about a knight who died in a war to save his best friend (oddie). he's waiting for him to die and come to the afterlife so they can reincarnate together... (friendship in the afterlife...)

i have plans on making a casting call for uts and make it partially voiced, too. but def not now, not with college and amare jam and tod biting my ass lmao. stay tuned ig. or dont.

thanks again. uts keeps reminding me about the power of art and vulnerability and it makes me feel happy. thank you, really. hope you have a lovely rest of your day!