"Life is a game of luck and chance. You win some, you lose some.
But what do you do when the whole universe is against you?
Some people say if you wish upon a star, your dreams will come true.
One thing is often forgotten though. A nightmare is also a dream."
-Neil Doune
Basic Plot
Neil Doune could easily be labeled the most unlucky man in the world. He see's life as one big game of luck and chance, knowing that at anything could happen at any moment, with any choice he makes, any move he makes, or even any word he speaks. Followed constantly by death, the world is literally trying to kill him off and he doesn't know why. He's escaped many natural disasters and other deadly situations, but just barely, causing other people to die in his place. During his childhood, his mother went missing and his twin sister was murdered shortly after. However, no one was able to find his sister's killer. As for Neil's father, he never met him or heard anything about him, and everyone he's known never talked about him either. After another deadly event, leading to the death of a mother and child, Neil yells at the sky in anger. He yells that he wishes to figure out what happened to his family and how it connects to his deadly situations. By accident, he summons a Stellar named Alhena, claiming to be there to help him obtain his wish. However, Neil and Alhena, along with Neil's best friend Ivan and more friends they make along the way, soon realize there are a lot of dark secrets about themselves and the universe that hidden from them, and things are a lot more serious than they realized.
Stellar Info
Each star in the sky has a Stellar, an elven-like(In appearance) god/goddess, connected to it. Every 1000 years, if a person makes a wish while looking at a certain star, whether it be on purpose or by accident, the Stellar of said star will accompany them and help them until their wish is fulfilled. Getting help from a Stellar is rare though, seeing that they sleep for 1000 years after they help fulfill someone's wish, and most people only see a certain amount of stars in the sky with their naked eye, which have most likely already been summoned the within the past 1000 years. Stellars also have their own set of rules(For example, "Don't just grant wishes, make them work for it and help them along the way").
The basic physical appearance of a Stellar is quite simple, similar to humans, but with some slightly different qualities, including:
- Long, elf-like ears.
- Pupils a darker shade than their irises instead of black.
- Hair and eyes that match whatever color their star is.
- Stellars glow in the dark.
- Stellars can "change colors" over a very long period of time.
- The color of their blood also matches that of their star color, with a metallic glow. Example:
-Blue for blue Stellars
-Red for red Stellars
-Orange for orange Stellars
-Gold for yellow Stellars
-Silver for white Stellars - Appears to look like young adults for the rest of their lives once they reach around 500 years old. (Which is fairly quickly in a Stellar's life span)
- Stellar "armor" can often vary, depending on what area of the world they were last summoned, era, and whether they liked such fashion. The color scheme always matches their star color though, and white(If they choose to add white for variety). For white Stellars, their color scheme(If not completely white) is silver & white. This however, doesn't mean they are unable to wear normal human clothing.
However, a Stellar is not invincible. They have a life span too, and to kill a Stellar is a very risky act. When a Stellar dies, the star dies(And vice versa). This means the death of a Stellar could cause a supernova that could destroy things nearby the star, or if the star is large enough, a black hole. The Stellar itself also "explodes" in it's own little mini supernova.
I don't have all character sprites drawn yet, but I'll add a short description about physical appearance too. That said, moving on.~
Characters
Neil Doune
Age: 21
Hair: Straight, brown, upper/mid-back length
Eyes: Black pupil, yellow irises
Often appears to be a jerk to new people he meets, but he's actually quite nice on the inside. He acts cold and standoff-ish because he's afraid of new people becoming involved with him, afraid that more innocent people will die. He would love to have more friends and be around them, but he thinks that being a jerk and hurting someone's feelings to keep them away is better than that person dying. Neil does enjoy to be with those close to him though, but lives in fear that he'll see them die. Neil also enjoys a little humor from time to time but often leans towards sarcasm and pranks, which just make him appear to be even more of a mean guy. Though he's a bit socially awkward, he does truly care for people and will listen to them if they come to him to vent. He's been picked on before due to his name(Pronounced like "kneel down"), his long "Jesus" hair, and slightly feminine features. However, he's gotten so used to it that it doesn't really bother him anymore.
Ivan Voronkov
Age: 21
Hair: Curly/wavy black hair
Eyes: Black pupil, blue irises
Ivan has known Neil for as long as they could remember, and has been with Neil every step of the way. Somehow he's survived living around Neil for so long, he's learned to laugh at situations if it just involves him and Neil without any injuries. However, Ivan is a very anxious character, and though he attempts to keep his anxiety hidden, Sometimes he fails miserably. Even so, he's a loyal friend. Ivan enjoys video games, anime, the internet, and technology in general. During his free time, he's usually playing a game, watching online videos, or posting on his blog. He also has a fairly decent knowledge on astronomy due to his activity in the astronomy club back in high school. This proves him to be fairly useful when Stellars begin appearing in their lives. Ivan is very kind at heart, and naturally would prefer to not hurt anybody.
Ivan also sees a "shadow" throughout the story, causing him to question his sanity.
Alhena, "Gamma Geminorum"
Age: ???
Stellar type: White star - Gemini
Hair: Ankle-length, braided white hair
Eyes: Gray pupil, light white-gray eyes
Alhena is the Stellar summoned by Neil. She usually has a fairly bubbly personality, loves making people smile, and has a strange obsession with macaroni and cheese and bells. However, this does not mean that she's all about fun and games though. She gets frustrated easily, and can become quite intimidating if pushed to that level. She used to go by the name Almeisan, but due to specific reasons(spoilers), she started going by Alhena. She is completely dedicated to seeing Neil's wish fulfilled that she is willing to turn against her own kind for his sake.
see-through, but I can't get it to work right with appearing slightly transparent over the backgrounds), but if
you're a little curious, I cosplayed Alhena for my Creativity class final last semester in college, which you could
see here if you want.
The sprite is fixed! Yay!
Kion Takemoto
Age: 19
Hair: Black(natural), purple(dyed), pink(dyed), and green(dyed).
Eyes: Black pupil, brown irises
Kion is a fun-loving guy, known to be the "life of the party". Unlike Neil, he summoned his Stellar(Which he calls "Narki"), at the very young age of 7 with the wish of being rich and famous. Continuing to follow that wish, he found his love for music and decided to attempt the path of a rock star. Kion is often refered to as a crazy kid with childish dreams, but he doesn't care what others say. Though he appears to be a complete spaz and full of comedic relief, he has a few secrets of his own. He can make a very good leader if put in that position, but prefers to be the follower from laziness. After he meets Neil, Alhena, and Ivan, he talks with his Stellar and they decide to help Neil with his situation.
Shurnarkabtishashutu, "Zeta Tauri" (Narki)
Age: 22,500,000 (Estimated)
Stellar-type: Blue star - Taurus
Hair: Long, blue ponytail
Eyes: Blue pupils, light blue irises
Narki takes life quite seriously. Because of this, she often treats Kion like a kid even though he's 19. She doesn't care much about what happens to people in general, but she does care about Kion's view on things. Though she is serious, she doesn't mind a good joke every once in awhile, and absolutely loves food. She finds Alhena's "happy acting" to be annoying, and has a mutual respect for Antares. She's one of the stronger Stellars in Neil's main group.
Antares, "Alpha Scorpii"
Age:12,000,000(Estimated)
Stellar-type: Red star - Scorpio
Hair: Red, layered, bottom layer in low ponytail
Eyes: Red pupils, light red irises
Antares first appears to kill Neil. This leaves everyone in confusion and fear, causing them to question what's really going on, as a Stellar would never harm a human for no reason. However, he was just following orders. After a lot of thinking, he decides to change his mind and help Neil instead(Even though Neil absolutely refuses to trust him). His decision may(or may not) be influenced by his guilt, and the fact that he's reaching near the end of his life anyway.
Kullat Nunu, "Eta Piscium"
Age:
Stellar-type: Yellow star - Pisces
Hair: Blonde, curly pigtails
Eyes: Dark yellow pupils, yellow irises
Kullat Nunu is Alhena's best friend, who eventually makes an appearance and joins the group in their search for answers. She's a little bit of a derp and does really weird things, but no one seems to mind as long as it isn't harmful. However, Neil notices that Nunu has blonde hair and yellow eyes(similar to his dead twin sister), and doesn't talk with her often because of this.
Sadalmelik, "Alpha Aquarii"
Age:53,000,000(Estimated)
Stellar-type: Yellow star - Aquarius
Hair: Blonde, somewhat messy
Eyes: Dark yellow pupil, yellow iris
Sadalmelik is a mysterious Stellar that joins Neil's group after hearing "rumors" about a Human-Stellar war starting over Neil's wish. He barely talks and is a tad bit socially awkward when he's around Neil, but his only interest seems to be training Neil to make him stronger. For awhile this makes Neil quite angry, but eventually he realizes that Sadalmelik is actually very helpful to him. Sadalmelik also gives Neil gold star stickers when he does well in training(His awkward attempt to be nice), but Neil takes this as a childish insult at first. Over time though, whenever Sadalmelik doesn't give a sticker, Neil begins to take offense because he knows that means he didn't do well. Sadalmelik knows answers to many secrets involving Neil's situation, but doesn't reveal them to the group for specific reasons(Partially his own fear, along with thinking it might keep Neil safe). Sadalmelik is the only character in the entire story that doesn't have any narration about what he's thinking or feeling, mostly because it would give away spoilers.(I'm also working on a second visual novel while working on the main one, told from Sadalmelik's point of view. Since some events match up, that's why I'm working on both at the same time. I promise this is very important to the though.) Though Sadalmelik appears to be completely emotionless and stone-cold on the exterior, it's actually quite the opposite on the inside.
Shaula, "Lambda Scorpii"
Age:???
Stellar-type: Blue star - Scorpio
Hair: Blue, long and short
Eyes: Blue pupils, light blue irises
Another Stellar that shows up to kill Neil, bringing other Stellars with her for backup after hearing he has a few Stellars protecting him. Kion absolutely falls in love with Shaula's appearance, despite her being an enemy. Of course, that's the type of reaction Shaula enjoys, because "love-struck" enemies are fairly easy to defeat.
Kyna Doune
Hair: Brown, length varies
Eyes: Black pupils, brown irises
Kyna is Neil's mother, who went missing when he was 8 years old. Neil loved her very much, so he's naturally upset by her disappearance.
She's an odd mix of traits. She likes being lazy and staying indoors, but she also enjoys going outside to play basketball if people challenge her. Her children mean everything to her, and she's very protective over them. She's very introverted, but she doesn't mind hanging out with close friends.
Sally Doune
Hair: Short, blonde
Eyes: Black pupils, yellow irises
Neil's twin sister, murdered shortly after their mother went missing(By shortly, I mean like within 24 hours after the disappearance). In a few flashbacks, she's shown to be a little bit sassy, but polite to elders. She spent most of her days playing with Neil and Ivan, and leaned a little towards the tomboy side instead of girly girl. She was also Ivan's childhood crush.
There are more characters, but I can't really reveal them without revealing who is behind all the attacks. Therefore, I'll stop it there for now. I'll update the character section again once I get specific sprites done for those that are missing theirs at the moment.
Visual Novel Features
- Multiple endings, including good, bad, "true", and possibly a few others.
- CGs and Animated cutscenes
- (I have some more ideas, but I'll talk about those below for the sake of organization)
*Above I mentioned about ideas for features. Some of the people I know on campus suggested a putting a battle system in the game, similar to something you might see in a strategy RPG(Like Disgaea for example). As cool as this idea sounds, I'm unsure if it would add or take away to the story, and I'm also a little clueless about coding stuff like that.. Another person mentioned 2D fighter, but I can't really see how I could add that in effectively since Neil is in a group that would probably work better on something party based.
*A couple of my voice actors and I were talking about adding an Extras/Bonus menu containing their bloopers, extra art/concept art, unlocked CGs/Animations, Music room, and a note from me thanking people for their support. As much as I agree to thanking people for their support, would an Extra's room seem like too much, or would people be interested in that sort of thing?
I had a hard time exactly deciding how to choose a genre for this, but I couldn't really narrow it down to one. Do the genre's appear to match with the information I've given? I thought about adding Romance to the genres too, but that would fit more for the second visual novel than the first. The main story does have a couple romantic themes and moments, but it isn't exactly the main focus of the story? Should I still add Romance up in the title bar thing? I'm also unsure on age rating, but I'm thinking more towards older teen to adult. This story will have some pretty intense gore moments, a fairly good amount of curse words here and there, and possibly a few implied things. Basically, this story may have a few triggering topics to some.(Which I will add a warning at the start of the game, don't want to hurt anyone).
-Extra Questions-
1. Does the story sound interesting?
2. Is my art okay? Do you like it?
3. Which character seems interesting to you so far, if any?
4. Would you be interested in playing this game even though it isn't a dating sim kind of game?(I know being a dating sim isn't a requirement, but I know a large amount of visual novels are so I didn't know if it would have an effect on whether people want to play)