Hello! My last post went into some small detail of my current project, I decided to make an extra “bonus” post for the characters, as I would like to go in depth on their personality, who they are etc!
This post shouldn’t be too long, but I will say that there may be story spoilers for this post as well, regardless I’d like for you to meet the main characters! Feel free to ask me anything about them in my ask box if you have any specific questions!
Appril is a snail inspired off apples, therefore she is an apple snail! She is the main protagonist of Apple of my Eye as the players of the game play as her and make choices that will shape her story. April is autistic and sometimes struggles with identifying her emotions: however she feels them intensely and can be overly empathetic, she always tries to see the best in everyone and doesn’t understand that some people don’t always have the best intentions. Despite being a high school student she has a naive and almost childlike outlook in life. Even though she struggles, she tries to remain as positive as she can! Appril is also a trans girl, she was born male but feels best when presenting feminine while using she/her pronouns. April has a vocal stim that she says a lot when startled or frustrated, this being “Oh, Applesauce!” April’s special interest is caterpillars; they are what occupy her mind the most! She loves learning about them, collecting them, drawing them in her notebook, and even traveling with them! Caterpillars are what comfort her the most throughout any difficult times. Appril is smart, but she can be a little airheaded at times. Although I don’t typically give races or ethnicities to my non-human characters, I want to establish that Appril is a person of color and comes from an Asian background, more specifically: her family is Japanese.
Poppi is a butterfly inspired by popsicles! Her design is mostly inspired by a rosey-maple moth, especially with the colors; So technically she could be seen as either a butterfly or a moth, but I chose to make her a butterfly because of the “butterfly vs moth effect.” In society, a lot of humans prefer butterflies over moths because we think they are more pretty, while moths typically get treated poorly and aren’t seen as equal to them; despite being very similar species. Poppi is supposed to embody that, she is seen as beautiful and perfect, but deep down she’s not exactly the best person, but most people only see the surface. Poppi is Appril’s bully. Poppi knows she can get away with harassing Appril because she is popular, and Appril is considered the opposite: An outcast. Poppi works hard to maintain a perfect reputation, she pretends to be this really sweet girl who cares about her grades, meanwhile she copies her work off of Appril. Poppi’s appearance is slightly inspired off the gyaru aesthetics. Despite being a dumb, blonde, mean bimbo in Apprils eyes, she does care for her friend, Sylver, and even tries to help her gain popularity and “save her” from over indulgent behavior with her special interest, however this is ruined by Appril, which gives Poppi another reason to hate her. Poppi calls Sylver by her first name, which is Loli, however Sylver doesn’t like this. Poppi tries to enforce a rule that they should be called “Poppi and Loli” because “their names match and is a cute way to symbolize their friendship” While Poppi doesn’t mean any harm by this, Sylver gets annoyed by it fast, as she tries to set boundaries that Poppi doesn’t seem to understand.
Sylver is a spider inspired off of candy! More specifically, licorice and cotton candy as seen by her hairstyle! Sylver is a bit shy and quiet, however she wishes that she was popular and has friends that accept her for who she is. Sylver is autistic, but she learned how to mask it well. This leads to her befriending Poppi, in hopes of getting positive attention, however, Sylver eventually sees the mean side to Poppi and she doesn’t approve of her bullying towards Appril. Sylver isn’t typically bothered by being called by her first name, but Poppi ruined the experience for her: She thought that Poppi would tease her by calling her by her first name “Loli” which made her become uncomfortable with her first name, so she goes by her last name, “Sylver.” One day, Sylver realizes that she’s very similar to Appril, they share a special interest in bugs, with Sylver liking worms and Appril liking caterpillars. Sylver and Appril bond and become friends, however this puts Sylver in a place where she has to choose between her two friendships as Appril and Poppi hate each other. Although I don’t typically give races or ethnicities to my non-human characters, I want to establish that Sylver is a person of color and is black. I think her hair style makes this a straightforward observation but I feel it still needs to be stated.
Rowan “Romen” Katatsumuri
Romen is Appril’s older sibling! They are a ramen inspired snail!
Romen works at a Ramen shop in the town’s plaza! Romen has a very tomboyish, and snarky attitude. They can sometimes come off as “too blunt” or “rude” but their honesty is meant to have good intentions, especially if it has to do with Appril. Romen is very protective over their younger sister, although they would give a sarcastic response if called out on it. Appril and Romen are the closest in their family, as Romen was the most supportive when Appril came out as transgender. Throughout the game, they go through their own journey with their gender identity. Romen was born as a female and was given the name “Rowan” However, they sometimes like to go by “Romen.” Romen identifies as genderfluid and trans masculine and uses they/he pronouns! However, this revolution happens later into the game. Romen is fine by going with either their chosen or birth name. Both siblings being under the trans umbrella definitely helps them bond and establishes a deeper understanding of each other. When Romen isn’t working or spending time with Appril, they really enjoy surfing at the beach. Although I don’t typically give races or ethnicities to my non-human characters, I want to establish that Romen is a person of color and comes from an Asian background, more specifically: their family is Japanese.
Appril and Romen’s mother is heavily inspired by 80’s nostalgia due to the fact that’s when she grew up: but also the fact that she tends to hold onto feelings of her past. Their mother can be pretty composed and hides her emotions well, but this is due to some trauma by her father’s strict rules and traditions. She is inspired off bubblegum and her shell works as a bubblegum machine! As a teen, she really liked to rollerskate; it was her main hobby. Growing up in a traditional Asian household in America was a struggle for her when she was growing up, so she tries her best to be there for her two children no matter what. When Appril first came out as trans, instead of feeling disgusted or not understanding, she felt fear. She was worried that life would be harder on Appril, even more so than it already was due to her disabilities. She even tried to convince Appril to go back in the closet at one point, but it was due to fear of her child being judged by others, but overtime she learned to accept Appril’s truth. She still struggles with misgendering her but she isn’t against her child transitioning as long as it makes her happy. Since Appril came out as trans, things have slightly fallen apart. It was really hard on the family at first, as Appril’s father completely left and abandoned his family. He completely disowned Appril. While her mother doesn’t blame Appril for this at all, she misses her ex husband and will cry at night wishing things were “normal” in secret.
Grandpa is a very strict, grumpy old man. He grew up in a rough household which hardened his shell (no pun intended) to the point where he believes the world isn’t accommodating towards anyone. He believes in working hard and never slacking. He doesn’t understand the fact that Appril is autistic and passes it off as an excuse for her not having straight A’s in every single class. He has unreasonably high expectations for his family; but this was passed down from his upbringing. He unfortunately fell into a cycle of familiar trauma. He is inspired by mushrooms!
Not much is known about her, as she passed away when Appril was 5 years old, but she “supposedly” held the family together when she was alive. She was the type of person who would light up the room when she would enter it, she had the most gentle, pure and calming presence. She was the complete opposite of her husband, but I suppose opposites attract. Grandma was inspired by dango and always wore traditional Japanese fashion, most notably, kimonos. Although kimonos were typically for ceremonial or formal events, she would always wear them out of comfort. A lot of grandma’s views and habits were passed down to Appril; which left Grandpa seeing a resemblance, and having Appril remind him of his wife in some ways; although he hated to admit it, since Appril was born male and struggles in certain aspects. Maybe Grandma is looking after Appril from the afterlife, and maybe the town’s fountain is somehow related to her spirit…
That should wrap it all up! There are more characters that will appear in the game such as the shopkeepers, however I don't have all of the info and drawings planned out 100% yet! Maybe I'll make a part 2 about them? Anyways feel free to check out their toyhouse pages! Like I said before, if you have any questions about them please don't hesitate to ask! Anything is appreciated, it could be from "what is X's favorite color?" to something serious or game changing! I love answering questions about these little guys... That reminds me, I want to leave this off with a poll. With these characters and their descriptions... Who do you think you like the most out of this bunch?
Who is your favorite thus far?
Appril
Poppi
Sylver
Romen
Mom
Grandpa
Grandma
Voting ended onOct 14, 2025
