Brief Overview
Hi, Lemma, I'm the main writer and director of a visual novel that my team and I have been working on for the last several months. Currently, I'm only looking for editors/readers, but if you’re a passionate writer who is willing to commit to a project, then give me a shout.The story itself takes place in an old, fantasy world, complete with a few magical phenomenons. With the plot, we seek to explore human psychology in an oppressive and dangerous society caught in a conflict between religion and politics.
Storyline
[Fantasy], [Drama], [Tragedy], [light-Romance], [Action]
Synopsis
Helios, City in the Sky depicts a fantasy, Elizabethan- or early Victorian- era dystopian world. The story takes place completely in the province of Helios, a state known for its comparatively advanced technology, architecture, and high standards of living. However, Helios hides a dark secret: the infamous "Hell under the Sun', a gulag-like prison (literally under the ground) conned "the Gutters" by its inmates. Helios, City in the Sky tells the story of Hal Ren, a sarcastic and cynical twenty-ish year old man who, alongside the other Gutter inhabitants, has been sentenced to life in prison under the pretense of treason against the State and their almighty Lord Helios. Hal plays a vital role in the lifestyle of the Gutter inmates; he smuggles everyday necessities like processed food, fresh water, clean garments, etc from the surface. He is one of the many smugglers that have been employed by the Cross Order, an insurgent government formed by prison revolutionaries, who are intent on overthrowing the government they consider oppressive and unjust.
Helios -
The province of Helios is divided up into four sub-sections, with each section being further divided up into a countless number of districts.
Higher Aether - "The Capital"
Higher Aether is the magical floating island that is praised as Lord Helios' gift to mortals. All government officials and religious members reside in Higher Aether, and the island itself periodically sets into the ground for a specific number of days every month.
Lesser Aether - "City Gold"
Lesser Aether is the main tourist attraction of Helios. It houses everything that the Helios society considers as "beautiful": some attractions include sculptures, waterfalls, gardens, lakes, rivers, and generally exceptional architecture. If there was one word to describe the Lesser Aether, it would be “picturesque:”. The Lesser Aether is mostly inhabited by middle- and high- class individuals, with a majority of the residents being scholars of some sort.
Upper Stratum "The Nether"
Upper Stratum is the industrial land of Helios, which houses the province’s farms, fisheries, mines, and wood camps. Most of Upper Stratum is in dire straits and is stricken by extreme poverty. The Upper Stratum is the part of Helios that people try to forget. The residents here are spiteful and hold a feeling of indignation towards the government.
Lower Stratum "The Gutters"
Literally under the ground and beneath the sewers lies the Lower Stratum. The Lower Stratum's main purpose is to act as the place of banishment for convicted felons and other criminals. Commonly called “The Gutters”, the Lower Stratum, which contains all the criminals, is meant to keep the other sections of Helios pure. Being underground, almost all the light is artificial, and the weather is defined by its incessant “rain” due to the Lower Stratum’s location beneath the sewage system. The people here are destitute and are constantly plagued by disease. There exist only few civilized areas exist in the Lower Stratum; the remaining "undeveloped" land is ruled by the "true" criminals.
The province of Helios is divided up into four sub-sections, with each section being further divided up into a countless number of districts.
Higher Aether - "The Capital"
Higher Aether is the magical floating island that is praised as Lord Helios' gift to mortals. All government officials and religious members reside in Higher Aether, and the island itself periodically sets into the ground for a specific number of days every month.
Lesser Aether - "City Gold"
Lesser Aether is the main tourist attraction of Helios. It houses everything that the Helios society considers as "beautiful": some attractions include sculptures, waterfalls, gardens, lakes, rivers, and generally exceptional architecture. If there was one word to describe the Lesser Aether, it would be “picturesque:”. The Lesser Aether is mostly inhabited by middle- and high- class individuals, with a majority of the residents being scholars of some sort.
Upper Stratum "The Nether"
Upper Stratum is the industrial land of Helios, which houses the province’s farms, fisheries, mines, and wood camps. Most of Upper Stratum is in dire straits and is stricken by extreme poverty. The Upper Stratum is the part of Helios that people try to forget. The residents here are spiteful and hold a feeling of indignation towards the government.
Lower Stratum "The Gutters"
Literally under the ground and beneath the sewers lies the Lower Stratum. The Lower Stratum's main purpose is to act as the place of banishment for convicted felons and other criminals. Commonly called “The Gutters”, the Lower Stratum, which contains all the criminals, is meant to keep the other sections of Helios pure. Being underground, almost all the light is artificial, and the weather is defined by its incessant “rain” due to the Lower Stratum’s location beneath the sewage system. The people here are destitute and are constantly plagued by disease. There exist only few civilized areas exist in the Lower Stratum; the remaining "undeveloped" land is ruled by the "true" criminals.
The Cast
Alice
The biological daughter of Saint Kanda, Alice was cast away at birth due to an unwanted, “dirty” and blasphemous pregnancy. She grew up under the Cross Order in Lower Stratum, and grew bitter and hateful from a very young age. When she learned of her past, she vowed to condemn those in power for their beliefs and religion. Physically a little bit on the tomboy side, Alice tends to be blunt, rough, reserved with her emotions. Alice is one of the many wrongly banished to the Lower Stratum by Helios and her actions are defined by her pursuit of vengeance.
Mizore
The only daughter of Saint Snow, Mizore grew up in a protected, safe environment and quickly learned the ins and outs of Helios and eventually grew to understand its system and ideals. From a young age, she was trained in a variety things such as literature and fighting, making her one of Helios’ iconic “poster girls”. Beautiful, just, and kind, Mizore is the captain of the elite Helian force, the “White Angels”. Somewhat surprisingly, Mizore is a quiet and somewhat reserved woman who understands the importance of only speaking at the precisely opportune moment. She is always well poised and is careful to never stray too far from the “ideal Helian” image.
Eri
The daughter of a candle maker and blacksmith, Eri grew up in the middle class life of Lesser Aether. For a large portion of her youth, she strived to enroll in the Royal Music Academy of Helios, only to be used and manipulated. Jobless, friendless, and shouldering a mountain’s worth of debt, Eri was cast aside into Lower Stratum where she began her new life as a baker. Calm, but wistful, Eri has lost the blissful innocence and joyfulness she once had, but still holds the plain, civilian-like manner in her day to day life. She still hopes to one day sing again.
Maria
The result of an unlucky pregnancy during prostitution, Maria was brought up away from the world of darkness and sex, being a part of the youth priest group in Lesser Aether. However, an accident involving a client and worker sent Maria down a long road in sex work, until she wound up in Lower Stratum. Flamboyant, flirtatious, and attractive, Maria tends to attract male attention and often teases them. Though her mannerism is playful, much of her past is shrouded in mystery.
What we have -Alice
The biological daughter of Saint Kanda, Alice was cast away at birth due to an unwanted, “dirty” and blasphemous pregnancy. She grew up under the Cross Order in Lower Stratum, and grew bitter and hateful from a very young age. When she learned of her past, she vowed to condemn those in power for their beliefs and religion. Physically a little bit on the tomboy side, Alice tends to be blunt, rough, reserved with her emotions. Alice is one of the many wrongly banished to the Lower Stratum by Helios and her actions are defined by her pursuit of vengeance.
Mizore
The only daughter of Saint Snow, Mizore grew up in a protected, safe environment and quickly learned the ins and outs of Helios and eventually grew to understand its system and ideals. From a young age, she was trained in a variety things such as literature and fighting, making her one of Helios’ iconic “poster girls”. Beautiful, just, and kind, Mizore is the captain of the elite Helian force, the “White Angels”. Somewhat surprisingly, Mizore is a quiet and somewhat reserved woman who understands the importance of only speaking at the precisely opportune moment. She is always well poised and is careful to never stray too far from the “ideal Helian” image.
Eri
The daughter of a candle maker and blacksmith, Eri grew up in the middle class life of Lesser Aether. For a large portion of her youth, she strived to enroll in the Royal Music Academy of Helios, only to be used and manipulated. Jobless, friendless, and shouldering a mountain’s worth of debt, Eri was cast aside into Lower Stratum where she began her new life as a baker. Calm, but wistful, Eri has lost the blissful innocence and joyfulness she once had, but still holds the plain, civilian-like manner in her day to day life. She still hopes to one day sing again.
Maria
The result of an unlucky pregnancy during prostitution, Maria was brought up away from the world of darkness and sex, being a part of the youth priest group in Lesser Aether. However, an accident involving a client and worker sent Maria down a long road in sex work, until she wound up in Lower Stratum. Flamboyant, flirtatious, and attractive, Maria tends to attract male attention and often teases them. Though her mannerism is playful, much of her past is shrouded in mystery.
- Fully complete and detailed (albeit messy and incoherent) framework and plotline, with the several arcs already planned out
- 3 main routes and 1 sub-route planned
- Variety of artwork
- Several pieces of music
- At the moment, (2/9/2015), 100k text of dialogue and thought written in first draft format
- Music team, art team, and programming team
[For sample artwork]
http://i.imgur.com/GvcYOI0.jpg
http://imgur.com/a/jVra3
http://imgur.com/gRgw60k
What we are looking for -
Editors -
We are looking for editors and readers for the script thus far. Each arc that has been written is still in its first draft, meaning there is still room for some creative ideas and definitely changes to writing style and tone. We are also looking for readers who are willing to read through multiple edits and pick out flow, character consistency and writing consistency.
Writers -
Currently, there is 100k text of dialogue and though written already, and leads up to the ending of Act I, or most of the common route. Depending on the route (of which there are 4), there will be additional room for creativity - however, much of the tone has already been developed and we would like to stay as close to that as possible. We have approximated about 360-450k text in total for the completion of all four routes and endings, and this will require commitment. Please do not apply if you are unwilling to commit to this project.
All editors and readers will be welcome, but please understand that edits and comments made may or may not be acknowledged by the writers and changes made are at their discretion. As for writers, we've provided a sample format in which to submit applications, but we stress that you skim through the four example writings below to get an idea of the writing styles.
Sample 1: Not part of text, example of writing style
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Xl ... AR55A/edit
Sample 2: Part of text, example of thought text in visual novel format
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v_e ... n7ZcA/edit
Sample 3: Part of text, example of dialogue text in visual novel format
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13wy ... RnIL8/edit
Sample 4: Part of text, example of less blunt / more poetic, abstract
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vt5 ... ddfYM/edit
*Please note that since the samples are taken directly from the text, they are still in their first drafts, which means that grammar, punctuation, and wording tend to be awkward if not wrong in some places.*
**LAST COMMENTS**
As of now, we would like to express our sincerest apologies to those looking to fill the roles of full-time or main writers. It has been brought to our attention that our main objective has not been stated: That is, to refine, improve, and ultimately complete Act 1 of our visual novel. Act 1, as it stands, has already been completed in its first draft form. Thus, editors, readers, and re-writers interested in helping should still continue to ask for clarifications or post comments. Thank you for your understanding.
Format:
Username:
Minimum of two writing samples:
Past experience in writing projects:
Reason for interest:
Amount of time available for commitment:
If there are any additional questions, feel free to PM me, post on this topic, or email me at: woodlands.projectvn@gmail.com.
Thanks to unexpected occurences, we are still looking for one more reader/editor!
