Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,................... ¬v¬
I hate to pile on even more things to do, but I've always wanted to do something like this, and I do like collaborative projects so,.....
Dagnammit, it's just too tempting!! ^____^
In any event, I do have to agree with Darknight on some points -- while I don't doubt your programming abilities, I do need some guarantee that you will see this project through to fruition, and withstand the inevitable DELAYS that do sadly plague our projects here. ^^;
I would encourage a simple OS-tan Assistant as kind of a pilot program, to ensure the process is feasible,... I might even suggest that you consider starting with something like Infinity-san's mini-style graphics....
http://ostan-collections.net/imeeji/index.php?cat=11498...just to ensure we can produce all the necessary frames in a cost-efficient manner. Then if it proves successful, we might try experimenting with something more along the lines of a full-body rendition a la that famous YouTube XP. ^^
I do agree that voice bubbles would not only be less of a hassle, but would also increase the modularity of your application. After all, if I created a VMS-tan skin, an XP-tan voice would be WOEFULLY inappropriate for such a mature and serious character. ^^;
Besides, you can always include a function where a user can assign any sound file he/she wants during key notifications (such as startup or errors).
Question.... though you did say GNU, would this Desktop Assistant be Windows-only, or can you make it Mac, Linux and BSD compatible? Linux has something similar built in called AMOR (stands for "Amusing Misuse of Resources"), but the project has been discontinued for some time.