Hanako Games

struggling with titles

#1 by hanako - Aug 3 2015

So, this 'A Little Princess' yuri adaptation game I've been scripting while waiting for Spiky to get back has a bit of a marketing issue.

I would like it to refer to the original book so people who actually liked the original book know that it's for them, but I can't use just the book's title because that would make the game unsearchable, and it might put off people who don't know the book and think that it's either a little kid's dressup game or something LLTQ-related, which are both horribly wrong.

I would like it to be clear that it's a GxG game, but I worry that being too overt about that might get certain people upset about 'pedo pandering' because it's anime, even though it's not even SLIGHTLY erotic. And if any yuri reference is too memetastic some people may complain about that as well.

The perfect name has yet to hit me.

So far, the top contenders are:

A Princess of Lilies
pros - it vaguely refers to both the book title and the yuri without being too overt
cons - it ends up sounding pretty generic, might be mistaken for a fantasy game, and there's a dressup game called Princess of Lilies

Miss Minchin's Select Seminary
pros - should signal to people who love the book, without having 'princess' stamped on it. Non-generic, searchable (currently only handful of hits for the book).
cons - if you don't know the book well you have no idea what this title means or what kind of game it would be attached to, and it doesn't suggest yuri

A Little Princess: The Purest Form Of Love
pros - it's exactly what it says on the tin. this clearly says what the book is and that it's a yuri version.
cons - I suspect some people will find using the 'purest form of love' tag offensive, and I do not actually want to start a purity flamewar.

As you can see I'm not really happy with any of them, so please make suggestions!

Re: struggling with titles

#2 by FantasyFan - Aug 4 2015

The third one sounds best to me out of those three. As for suggestions, let's see . . . how about "Princesses in the Attic"? You know, referring to the attic where Sarah and Becky live for the second half of the book.

Re: struggling with titles

#3 by Foelhe - Aug 4 2015

Sounds like you think the first one's subtle but too generic, and the third one is only a problem for the part after the colon. Maybe combine the two? A Little Princess: Love's Lilies, or something to that effect. Still clearly A Little Princess, keeps the connotation of lilies instead of the purity flame bait. Should be clear enough.

Re: struggling with titles

#4 by Amphigorey - Aug 5 2015

For me the phrase "the purest form of love" calls to mind trashy 1950s lesbian pulp novels, so it actually makes the game sound more erotic.

I like A Little Princess: Love's Lilies, or maybe A Little Princess: The Lilies of Love.

Re: struggling with titles

#5 by ElsabethK - Aug 9 2015

I really like A Little Princess: Love's Lilies too! For a new suggestion how about:
A Little Lily Princess
A Little Princess: Bouquet of Lilies
Little Princess Sara: Lily Story

Re: struggling with titles

#6 by hanako - Aug 9 2015

The game folder on my computer is actually named Little Lily Princess, but then I worried that sounded too cutesy

(For a while, LLTQ's game folder was labeled 'Sparkle Princess Destiny', iirc)

Many things could work, but nothing is rushing out and saying "This! This is absolutely, positively the best choice!" so I keep dithering.

Re: struggling with titles

#7 by Yuki - Aug 14 2015

A Princess of Lilies

The Princess of Lilies sounds a little better.

Re: struggling with titles

#8 by hanako - Aug 15 2015

Yuki:

A Princess of Lilies

The Princess of Lilies sounds a little better.

Carries the wrong flavor for the actual book, IMO. 'The' makes it sound like a specific title, or a sign that the protagonist is the best lily-gatherer in the world, and neither of those is accurate. (And the original book's title itself is definitely "A".)

Re: struggling with titles

#9 by LateWhiteRabbit - Aug 21 2015

Why not:
The Pauper Princess
or
The Little Pauper Princess
or
The Pretend Princess

Or are those too spoilerific for the story? I haven't read the book - only seen the Shirley Temple movie.

Re: struggling with titles

#10 by phoenixgirl - Aug 22 2015

Assuming that I know the book to which this game will refer to, I have the following suggestion:

A Princess Among Lilies

Just a slight variation from one of the title already suggested but still. XD