Summary
How is one supposed to feel at home,
When they have yet to belong anywhere in the world?
The hermit crab without its shell,
Searching with faltering determination.
Its goal;
To stumble upon the concept itself,
Belonging.
Katashi, the hermit with no shell,
Never able to recall a time where he once felt protected,
Or supported by the strong hold of another.
And even at the age of seventeen - not grand by all means,
But long enough to be soaked by solitude;
He has lost sight of an alternative reality - one beyond the thick monotomy.
His mind, as it were, overrun with cold sorrow.
He had always perceived life as one single experience,
Not a culmination of millions as such,
Because a hermit with no shell cannot distinguish;
One single life, one narrow line.
Everything is the same.
The weaker would give in to solitude;
Perhaps spend their days with their determination leaking from sodden pores.
And after time and time again, Katashi has always been fated to
The monotonous life of a hermit crab,
Until something abrupt and inevitable shatters the mundanity
That he had been entangled by.
Away is the timeless misery;
The ghastliness, and the melancholy of his previous town,
And anew is a place,
Where he would find the acceptance he had been longing…
And the grace of change.
Silent Tongues is a VN about Katashi Inuyama, a boy that finds such a place after living for years without purpose. He lives forever stalked by a vague past – stuck to him like a tumour, but despite, tries to embrace a new present, and to create a different future for himself, unbound by his lack of a shell.
Katashi, after an adolescence of misery, finds solitude in a revelation that not everyone is ignorant to suffering, and not everyone has a stable shell to hide under. He finds his preconception of others has been clouded by his own misery, brought to him by the safe haven of a new school and new start, amidst a city of grey.
He learns anew, of the world and its sickly variance, for better and for worse.
And from this,
Either Katashi pushes himself to shed the cycle he is entrapped within,
Or becomes a husk.
A Psychological/Slice of Life/Romance VN, with focus on character development and plot. The VN follows a development of traditional format of routes with romance interests, with a separate level of detail which ensures that progression within the character is just as in depth as the romantic interest you decide to pursue.
Katashi meets a fate chosen by the player, as they mould Katashi into the world, starting as an enigma, and perhaps ending as a content character with a place of belonging.
Further Context
Stylistically, Silent Tongues relies heavily on juxtaposition and contrast, from the wholesomeness and purity of Ijo High, with its students happy, and the school ran smoothly - it's almost like a school-based utopia. However, there is no escaping the underbelly - Ijo is surrounded by the city it was created within; Haibu City, a new city that neighbours Tokyo. Before it, was a peaceful costal town that was pure, and had kept its traditions. However, modern industrialisation saw new businesses take advantage of this, and soon, housing and construction layered until a new place was formed - Haibu.
The once peaceful turn was now a Capitalist Tax Haven, as well as a great place for business. It quickly become highly populated, and several new and old households now occupied the same turf. Some were working families, some had deep roots within the town before Haibu, and some were dysfunctional or irresponsible. The diversity within Haibu is almost sickly in expanse. The biggest contrast, however, was between the budding youth of this town, and it's adults, who worked tirelessly, indulged in the nightlife, and were exposed to the corruption of capitalism and consumerism. As a result, despite Ijo being a place of purity and ideal-school values, sometimes, Haibu leaks in through the cracks - either through ventures into town, or through the characters that have been extensively exposed to the inner core of Haibu, and what lies within.
This makes for amazing symbolism and sublimimalism throughout - to break the cliches of VN's and Anime, in that the adult world is much more mature and less ideal - as characters age, this becomes more obvious, as the story breaks away from Ijo and into a crueler reality.
(IN NO WAY IS THIS VN HEAVILY POLITICAL - THINK OF IT MORE AS BREAKING CLICHE, IN AN ARTISTIC SENSE, BUT FOUNDED BY REALISTIC, EXAGGERATED FUNDAMENTALS OF MODERN-DAY SOCIETY)
Inspirations
Phew. That's context out the way, now for the openings.I'd like to name my biggest inspirations as the beautiful works that are Katawa Shoujo, Clannad/AS, CrossChannel and Fruits of Grisaia, as well as the culmination of anime and manga I have read and watched over the years upon years I've been a fan of such genres/forms. Since, I have always tried to start a passion project - to create a Visual Novel that really manipulates the players emotions, and a story that is very touching, grounded, and with all the dynamic elements of Visual Novels I love. I wish to build a story that is malleable for the player, and impactful throughout.
As of now, I'm looking for a GUI artist (to create an extended revamp of the Renpy Menus,) a proofreader for later stages in the game, and much later on, an English - Japanese Translator.
(GUI) I'm willing to pay a negotiable price for £100 for all extended renpy GUI assets at a satisfactory level (Details can be given upon request) This price will also be flexible, but on both sides, as this depends on your skill, seeing as most GUI artists take on GUI art as a bulk commission.
Current Team
As of now, there is a small team working on this project consisting of myself, (Concept Artist, Sound Designer, Coder, Writer, BG Artist, and Creative Director), Skylar (Composer, Co-writer), AimlessArt (Sprite Artist, CG Artist, Alt. Artist) and a potential animation company (Cutscene Animations, Opening Animation)
Pros For Working On This Game?
Artists who decide to work on this project regardless of payment organisation, will benefit from being able to be given detailed concept art sheets, as well as thorough explanations and references of any context and stylistic detail required. Likewise, if there are any artistic issues, leverage will be given through my assistance.
There is no ETA for this game as of yet, so likewise, there will be no unreasonable time restraints, just that you complete the work within an agreed timeframe (yet again, with highly flexible leverage)
I'll update this page with more information later today, but as for now, I hope this proves to be satisfactory. Please either reply to this post or PM me for further details!
Regards. :^3
(Contained is rendered concept art for all 4 route heroines, Protagonist, and Route Titles)
. Katashi really speaks to me (since I'm a hermit with a reason as well x3), and I can definitely work with those prices :3
