The Lightbringer

[Raikiri]

Back in June, I was casually listening to Dream Theater's "In the Presence of Enemies" when suddenly, a most brilliant idea struck me:

"What about a visual novel about a young, modern-day, east-European priest who, using black magic and amateurish swordsmanship, allies with Satan to stop the final battle between good and evil?"

Instead of shaking my head and dismissing it promptly, as I imagine most sensible persons would do, I sat down and started thinking on how I would go about making it.

Three months, a somewhat fleshed-out plotline and some character designs later, I asked permission to make "The Lightbringer" my project of choice in the last year of my gymnasial education. My mentor gave me green lights two weeks ago (as well as a joking remark on how we'd split the cash once this "killer app" hits the market, but I digress), and so I thought it was about time I made an announcement over here. I will, naturally, be using Ren'Py to make this.

I plan to release some kind of demo along the way, but I won't really concern myself with that until I've completed at least a few chapters and have some character graphics ready as well as some workable music.

The basic story is as follows:

Istvan Farkas, a young Hungarian priest, has secretely been attracted to the darker arts of magic ever since he witnessed its powers firsthand many years ago. Following his father's advice, he has been able to suppress his longing for its attractive powers... At least, until now.

With his father having been missing for years and his mother recently dead from illness, he finally succumbed to temptation and attempted to summon a demon using a ritual he found in one of his father's old books. But although he seemingly succeeded, the final result and the events that followed was beyond his wildest expectations...

The specifics:

• Age rating: I'm aiming at 16+ (plenty of violence and some adult themes), but this might be subject to change
• Orientation: BxG, both friendship and romance
• Genre: Contemporary fantasy/action, with about the expected amount of drama and romance
• Characters: Two romanceable girls, as well as several characters of importance to the plot
• Planned endings: Four good, a multitude of bad, and perhaps a bonus ending or two just for kicks
• ADV or NVL mode: NVL (hey, did I mention that I'm a Type-Moon fanboy?)
• Free or Commercial: Free to download
• Deadline: Late spring 2008, lest my grades will suffer (more than they do already, that is)

Staff:

None but me as of yet though I might need a musician early next year if it turns out I'm really as bad at composing as I am at conceiving game ideas that make sense.

Current process: Writing chapter 1
Overall Completion: 1%

[monele]

I'm not religious but I still have a hard time conceiving a priest and Satan (or a demon) as allies xD... Though of course, being a lover of contradictions, I kinda like this. I'm just very curious about how you'll make this work.

[papillon]

(Well, traditionally, priests who were set to root OUT black magic would also be doing the most study in it - often more than some of the much-worse-educated pagan-peasants they were after. Either to help them identify their enemy or just because they take the books off the warlocks they find. So especially if you're in a world where the magic is real, if you have a priest who's not perfect and has access to all this information on evil magic....)

[PyTom]

It might be tough to make Satan one of the main characters, because he has a lot to win at armageddon. Traditionally, when people do a plot like this, they use a lesser demon:

In "Good Omens", you have the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale teaming up to stop armageddon, because while they were in favor of it in general terms, when the world had ended what would they do for lunch?

In "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales", you have a demon trying to make a deal with a priest, light-years from earth.

I'm sure there are other instances of this, good and bad. That being said, it's an interesting idea for a game.

Is the priest the one in the BxG romance? I thought priests romancing girls was only allowed in Japanese games.

[Raikiri]

After some quick research on catholicism and other parts of Christianity (research I should have done weeks ago, really), I came to the conclusion that making Istvan a member of a specific Christian church wasn't such a hot idea, after all. So henceforth, he'll just be a "Christian priest" as opposed to a Roman-catholic priest, Orthodox priest, Lutheran priest, Mormon priest etc.

Plus, it allows me to make up my own rules on how priests are supposed to behave, an no one will be able to say that I'm "wrong".

Ha.

It might be tough to make Satan one of the main characters, because he has a lot to win at armageddon.

While it is true that he could win much if he did win, I doubt that he would; I think Rev 20 is quite clear on that.

Then again, that point is sort of moot considering that I won't stay true to the Book of Revelation, anyway.

Is the priest the one in the BxG romance?

Well, yeah. He is the main character and all, and I think it would be a bit lame to play a VN where the main character watches other people fall in love and make out with each other. Not to mention sort of creepy.

I thought priests romancing girls was only allowed in Japanese games.

I have to admit, I'm a bit confused as to what you mean by this, and more than a bit surprised... Do you mean that there's an actual law in place that prevents non-Japanese writers from making games based on fictional stories that takes place in fictional parallel universes with fictional, magic-wielding priests who fall in love with fictional girls, develop a fictional relationship and have fictional sex with them?

In that case, I'm DEFINITELY going to make this.

[papillon]

(My guess was that since Catholic priests are not allowed to have sex, such a thing only happens in either confused stories written by foreigners who don't understand that, or Wicked Porn where the priest is breaking his vows. Of course, priests in other sects are allowed to marry, so once you lose the Catholic part it's not quite so shocking.)

It's still slightly shocking, but interesting. You have to admit that it's not every day a girl gets chatted up by a magic-wielding Satanic priest. (I expect they're going to need to be fairly unusual girls, not to run screaming from that prospect...)

[DaFool]

Hmmm... do you want one or two controversial aspects?

The first controversy would be how the priest reconciles the dark arts with his vocation. The second controversy could be how the priest reconciles being celibate with having a love interest...

...unless you make him part of a lay priesthood (e.g. Mormons), where he is in fact encouraged to take a mate and have lots of kids to increase the faith, or even multiple mates for that matter. In fact, I've long dreamed of making a harem game set in 1890s Utah. Well, anyway, actually like this approach better since it's more renai-ish. To me at least, there seems to be so many stories where it's
1.) Priest starts to have doubts about his faith
2.) Priest falls in love with girl, they have sex
3.) Priest breaks away from church, running away with girl into the sunset

Thus, having the renai actually not be taboo will put more emphasis on the priest's dabblings with the forbidden arts. Do note however, that a lay priesthood means that he has a day job as well.

What is your exposure to priesthood besides literature? Do you have friends or family who were priests? True that making your own religion would free yourself into defining what the conflicts exactly are, but a little bit of parallelisms wouldn't hurt either.

So basically, would your fictional church encourage celibacy?

[PyTom]

After some quick research on catholicism and other parts of Christianity (research I should have done weeks ago, really), I came to the conclusion that making Istvan a member of a specific Christian church wasn't such a hot idea, after all. So henceforth, he'll just be a "Christian priest" as opposed to a Roman-catholic priest, Orthodox priest, Lutheran priest, Mormon priest etc.

Fair enough, although from what I understand, the term "priest" isn't used by Lutherans (from what I understand, protestants prefer the term "minister"), and in Mormonism, the concept of priesthood is very wide. (IIRC, all adult males meeting certain conditions, or something like that.)

While it is true that he could win much if he did win, I doubt that he would; I think Rev 20 is quite clear on that.

"And as for that stuff about Heaven inevitably winning ... Well, to be honest, if it were that cut and dried, there wouldn't be a Celestial War in the first place, would there? It's propaganda. Pure and simple. We've got no more than a fifty percent chance of coming out on top. You might just as well send money to a Satanist hotline to cover your bets, although to be frank when the fire falls and the seas of blood rise you lot are all going to be civilian casualties either way. Between our war and your war, they're going to kill everyone and let God sort it out -- right?"

Is the priest the one in the BxG romance?

Well, yeah. He is the main character and all, and I think it would be a bit lame to play a VN where the main character watches other people fall in love and make out with each other. Not to mention sort of creepy.

Do you mean that there's an actual law in place that prevents non-Japanese writers from making games based on fictional stories that takes place in fictional parallel universes with fictional, magic-wielding priests who fall in love with fictional girls, develop a fictional relationship and have fictional sex with them?

In that case, I'm DEFINITELY going to make this.

It's more of a reference to the fact that in Japanese games (and I'm mostly talking about the Kango series), you'll see priests romancing girls without even thinking about celibacy. It's just an odd thing for a priest to do... you could probably get a priest to that point, but it would make sense to have the guy address it, rather than simply assuming this is the natural condition.

I'm moderately convinced that the thought of celibate priests didn't even come into the minds of the makers of the Kango Shicyzuzo series.

[DaFool]

in Mormonism, the concept of priesthood is very wide. (IIRC, all adult males meeting certain conditions, or something like that.)

All males interviewed by the bishop and deemed clean and worthy, ages 16 and up. There are actually 2 priesthoods, a lower and a higher level one.

You can say "I have been a Mormon priest", but that's not really a phrase that's used. As long as you're church-going it's pretty much assumed. I didn't pursue the higher priesthood (and being called 'Elder') and since drifted away from the Church, but not without acquiring knowledge enough to determine that many priests today -- Catholic or otherwise -- aren't really serving God.

Having multiple levels of priesthood is something to think about, it will add spice to your story, especially if you add a bit of sempai / samurai code / heck even BL undertones if you're open to that.

It's just an odd thing for a priest to do... you could probably get a priest to that point, but it would make sense to have the guy address it, rather than simply assuming this is the natural condition.

I'm moderately convinced that the thought of celibate priests didn't even come into the minds of the makers of the Kango Shicyzuzo series.

In Marimite, Shimako's father is the priest who owns the shrine they live in.

Actually there would be extreme pressure to marry and start a family, since extramarital sex is a no-no. If you keep the scenario focused just on dating instead of "getting laid", it is still possible to make this game teen-friendly.

[Raikiri]

(My guess was that since Catholic priests are not allowed to have sex, such a thing only happens in either confused stories written by foreigners who don't understand that, or Wicked Porn where the priest is breaking his vows. Of course, priests in other sects are allowed to marry, so once you lose the Catholic part it's not quite so shocking.)

You're partly right. The main reason that I didn't want him to be Catholic was because his dad is supposed to be a bishop (and while I had a some idea about celibacy, I thought it was more of an encouragement than a requirement) - and also because I don't want to spend days doing all the necessary research to make sure that I get it all right.

It's still slightly shocking, but interesting. You have to admit that it's not every day a girl gets chatted up by a magic-wielding Satanic priest. (I expect they're going to need to be fairly unusual girls, not to run screaming from that prospect...)

I think you'll find that the two potential love interests are both a great deal more unusual than he is, all things considered.

What is your exposure to priesthood besides literature?
Do you have friends or family who were priests?

I was a Mormon "priest" for a time (just as you, it would seem) before I became an atheist and left the church, and I have certainly met protestant priests before, but I realized during my short "research" that I had quite a few misconceptions about the priesthood in catholic faith. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I didn't know very much at all about the specifics of celibacy (or very much about catholic faith at all, for that matter), but as I'll explain below, it won't exactly have that much of an effect on the story.

True that making your own religion would free yourself into defining what the conflicts exactly are, but a little bit of parallelisms wouldn't hurt either.

That is certainly true, but I really don't wish to spend days researching different Christian beliefs and still run the risk of getting something wrong - especially since the focus of the story isn't on Istvan's break from the church but rather on the battle between the two large factions (God and Satan, if you will) and Istvan's role in it, and how he himself is changed - positively and negatively - by the larger conflict as well as the relationships with the other characters. The benefits and drawbacks of faith and religion, especially Christianity, is another issue of the story, albeit a smaller one.

Compared to those, the matter of priesthood and different churches' "do"s and "don't"s are quite small, if not insignificant - especially considering that Istvan loses most of his motivation (what little he had left, anyway) to follow the Christian laws before the end of the first chapter.

I guess that it would make him a "fallen" priest, but a priest nonetheless in my book - and for the purpose of the story.

Edit:

Actually there would be extreme pressure to marry and start a family, since extramarital sex is a no-no. If you keep the scenario focused just on dating instead of "getting laid", it is still possible to make this game teen-friendly.

Rest assured that the relationships in The Lightbringer will never be about "getting laid"