A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

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Mole-chan
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A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

#1 Post by Mole-chan »

Hoo boy, this is a bit nerve wracking to post. I've been out of the VN scene for a few years now, because I crashed and burned after my last project. But, I've been slowly working myself up, and I'm over 90k into a new one. Which, I think is enough time writing into the void. So I'm just posting here to gauge interest.
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[A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings ]


Image
What are the implications of being able to make and buy your own ideal person? And what happens when that person inevitably develops their own mind, which might be entirely different from what you planned?

Do you give up? Do you write it off as a mistake and try again? Do you keep working at it? Do you harbor resentment? Do you deal with the longing for what you could have had?

Even in an industry that tries to give its customers all the control in the world, did you ever really have any? And what do you do when you realize that?
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Catherine had thought getting a friend for her android, Hokuro, would be simple. But when Hokuro ends up choosing the beautiful but troubled Seiji, their lives are turned upside-down. Suddenly confronted with their own respective baggage, they struggle to create a family together, all while Seiji’s past comes back to haunt them.

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[Progress]:
Script: 100% (153k/153k)
Editing: (2nd draft): 13 chapters/14
Editing: (3rd draft): 0%
Editing: (Final, paid editor): 0%
Sprites: Unknown% (Main 3 started)
Art: 0%
Backgrounds: Unknown% (Some backgrounds test rendered)
Programming: 0%
GUI: 0%
Music: Unknown%
more updates can be found at http://twitter.com/moleworks_games
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[Main Cast]:
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Shikine Seiji
A refurbished android with a harrowing past, as well as the lead vocalist for Counterfeit Owls. Seiji can appear cold initially, and has difficulty trusting others. He has a tendency to keep even his friends and family at arm’s length. His distant nature belies a vibrant and often charming personality. Despite his imposing appearance, he is surprisingly soft spoken, and easily flustered. His prior life has left him with little worldly experience, however, and he has a tendency towards rash decisions. He manages to get his foot in his mouth more often than not.

Image
Shiroutone Hokuro
A gynoid made for personal companionship. Hokuro tends to be messy and apathetic. When she has the energy, she is simple, fun loving, and affectionate to those she’s close to. Extremely maternal, she will take it upon herself to protect anyone she sees as vulnerable. She isn’t with her thorns, though. A single child for most of her life, Hokuro can be extremely clingy, and chillingly bitter. It’s easy for her to go from charming to terrifying in an instant.


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Catherine Beaumont
“Mother” to Seiji and Hokuro, Catherine is energetic, bubbly, and often inappropriate. Her playfulness often gets in the way of her tact, to the embarrassment of her loved ones. Her demeanor, however, is as much a coping method as her actual personality, hiding a deeper hurt. She is incredibly intuitive and surprisingly wise. It's a hard earned knowledge, however, and she is still fumbling to learn as she goes. She sometimes makes decisions or takes up viewpoints that would be considered irresponsible, but she means well. Deeply maternal and passionate, Catherine won't hesitate to come to the rescue of her "children", even when the odds are stacked against her. It's not uncommon for this to escalate to physical altercations.

[Supporting Cast]:

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Nisha Afolayan
The guitarist and backup vocalist for Counterfeit Owls. Nisha is loud, brash, vibrant, and ever the center of attention, both on and off stage. Though she wasn’t the founder of the band, she’s largely now considered the brains of the operation, second only to the bar manager when it comes to calling the shots. She can be incredibly intuitive, and is notorious for how well she can read people, often pointing out things about them that even they didn’t realize. Combine that with her capricious nature, and she can be either your wisest mentor or worst influence on a whim.


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Eric Quinlan
The drummer for Counterfeit Owls. Eric is incredibly laid back, serving as a grounding for the younger, rasher members of the band. He often can’t help but see himself as a father figure to his younger bandmates, regardless of whether they want it or not. Though low in command, the band is largely his baby. A child of a very superstitious family, Eric can be overly cautious, to the point of paranoia.


*art pending
Jack Lis
The keyboardist for and founder of Counterfeit Owls. Brimming over with confidence, Jack would have you believe he's the star of any situation he's in. It's not always true, but that doesn't matter. He lives wildly, playing up the rockstar persona he's set for himself, even in such a small venue. At the end of the day, though, he works out of a sense of duty to his family and friends.

*art pending
Gus Johnson
One of the few remaining senior AI programmers with Passeri robotics. Johnson is ambitious, but plagued with poor luck and often poorer career decisions. Despite his experience, he often finds himself jumping between companies. He is skittish, soft spoken, and frequently overworked. He is also deeply sympathetic to the androids he has a hand in, resulting in him being an unexpected source of support.

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Well, there we go. So, if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Please keep in mind most of the character artwork is messy concept art at this point. This is in no way a reflection of the final art quality, which will actually be decent.

PS: If the two leads sound suspiciously like they may have been vocal synths in a past life, it's because they were. I've just grown to care about them a lot more as characters than voice banks.
Last edited by Mole-chan on Wed Aug 29, 2018 7:13 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

#2 Post by Zelan »

This is a really cool idea. Android stories tend to be pretty deep, and I like that kind of stuff. 90k is an impressive wordcount, are you close to done or only just getting started?

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Re: A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

#3 Post by Mole-chan »

Zelan wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:05 pm This is a really cool idea. Android stories tend to be pretty deep, and I like that kind of stuff. 90k is an impressive wordcount, are you close to done or only just getting started?
Thank you! I'm really glad you like it so far. And I agree, androids are rife for thematic possibilities.

I've got an estimated final wordcount of around 130k, but that's just a guess at the moment, so I'm about 75% done with scripting.

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Re: A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

#4 Post by dreamfarmer »

I am interested in this! How's it going?

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Re: A Bird With Gold-Mended Wings [Sci-Fi][Drama][Slice of Life]

#5 Post by Mole-chan »

dreamfarmer wrote: Tue May 15, 2018 8:05 pm I am interested in this! How's it going?
Thank you for your interest! It means a lot to me. ^^
It's going well! I just finished the first draft of the script I'd say...about half a month ago? I'm currently taking a break to approach editing with fresh eyes.
After that, I'll begin work on the artwork.

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