#visual storytelling

[thearcanagame]

We finally got them all to sit still for a picture! What type of animal would you prefer as your own familiar?

[unseelie-grimalkin]

I'm going for gold, lads, lasses, and other gendered classes!

Do you like visual novels? Do you like stories about the fey? Do you like your entertainment as EDUTAINMENT?

IF SO, BOY HOWDY DO I HAVE A VISUAL NOVEL PROJECT FOR YOU.

The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) is a lore-rich and choice-driven romantic visual novel inspired by Irish mythology. Play as an Irish tenant farmer from the mid-19th century, whose path becomes inexplicably entwined with fairy affairs after getting robbed by the roadside and lured into the mythic and war-torn world of Tír na nÓg: A once unified land, now divided into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Will you escape with your stolen belongings? Or does fate have something else in mind?

OKAY, BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU, SEEKER OF SEROTONIN?

6 wonderful romantic/PLATONIC options (each love interest can be pursued entirely platonically)

a visual novel whose philosophy is less on anxiety-inducing, arbitrary choices to get a good or bad ending, but instead focuses on if you, the player, are interacting with a character in a healthy or unhealthy manner, leading to player freedom and choice

intelligent and reflective writing that is reflected within character moments and dialogue

and MORE! (so much more!)

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE OUT ABOUT THIS GAME?

Here is the bio link, which has links for the indie developers' social media accounts (Tumblr, Twitter, Discord Server) along with the link to their official website, which has a deep dive into every main NPC and the philosophy of the game. The demo is out now and free on both Steam and Itch.io

(As an official statement: I am in no way employed or affiliated with Moirai Myths and I was not approached in any way to make this post. This is me being a feral fan on main, blazing this post)

EDIT:

HELLO EVERYONE! DID YALL KNOW THE KICKSTARTER FOR THIS GAME JUST LAUNCHED TODAY? NOW YOU DO! MORE DETAILS AND MORE FUN TO BE HAD!

They’re doing voice acting reveals this month, along with an early bird special to see blushing/flirty emotes!

EDIT THE SECOND:

WE HAVE REACHED FULL FUNDING WITH THE GAME! Which is excellent, because it means that my little hyperfixation is gonna be made!

However!

It would be very nice if we could reach some of the stretch goals (which go into depth here: x). Not only are they fun (MC customization, a switch port, expanded voice-over work, more sprites, mini-games, side stories), but I think they'd spark a lot of serotonin for folks playing (myself included).

If this post has interested you at all, please, please, please check out the Kickstarter above! Thank you!

EDIT THE THIRD

Since this is still getting notes beyond my wildest dreams:

Hello! It's been a while! The Kickstarter ended a bit ago (I did not update this post when it did end, due to being ecstatic to how much the project managed to get: 130% funding!), but development is ongoing and strong! The first two routes are in development right now. Please keep tuned at @moiraimyths for official development updates!

[vibe-stash]

Saltburn (2023) Director: Emerald Fennell DOP: Linus Sandgren Production Design: Suzie Davies Art Direction: Caroline Barclay & Neneh Lucia

[moiraimyths]

FEB 1, 2023: KICKSTARTER FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE (NA DAOINE MAITHE) HAS ENDED!

Thank you to our 776 backers for allowing us to bring this project to life, and reach our side stories stretch goal! We hope that you love what we have in store! Stay tuned, fateful friends!

The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) is a lore-rich, choice-driven visual novel inspired by Irish mythology and Celtic folklore. Play as an Irish tenant farmer from the mid-19th century, whose path becomes inexplicably entwined with fairy affairs after getting robbed by the roadside and lured into the mythic and war-torn world of Tír na nÓg: A once unified land, now divided into the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Will you escape with your stolen belongings? Or does fate have something else in mind?

Our Full Game will Feature:

Six Character Routes: There will be six character routes in total, each one exploring the individual stories of our diverse cast of Love Interests (LIs)! There are two men, two women, and two non-binary folk to choose from. Half of our cast is aspec, as well!

Secret Story Route: If you play through all six character routes, you'll unlock the secret story route! It's designed to tie up the broader narrative aspects of the game, and you can choose which character route is "canon" to your play through!

Flexible MC: Choose your preferred name and pronouns (including neo pronouns) and romance whomever you please! (We even have a stretch goal to customize MC's sprite appearance, too!)

Platonic Options: Not into romance, or don't want to romance them all? Not to worry! All routes can be played platonically.

Multiple Endings: Each route has two endings based on the health of your relationship with the LI, regardless of whether it's romantic or platonic.

English-Gaeilge Lexicon: Our game features translatable Gaeilge (Irish) words and phrases, and in the full game, translations will be voiced for ease of pronunciation!

Voice Acting: The main cast will have limited voice acting in the full game. Check our Kickstarter page periodically for voice actor reveals and samples!

Other Features (Stretch Goals): Side stories in-between route releases.

While we develop the full game, be sure to try out our FREE DEMO out now on Steam and Itch.io! Make sure to Wishlist our game on Steam as well!

[rosemaryprosser]

In waters wild (France, 2023)

[verum-artifex]

Exciting things are brewing at Verum Artifex Studio, and I can't wait to share some of the fresh concepts we've been crafting for 'Legends of the Studio.' Last night, we dived deep into the pre-transformation phases of Onyx and Nova, and the results are electrifying. Here's a sneak peek of what we've been cooking up. Stay tuned for more details, and prepare to be amazed! #LegendsoftheStudio #OnyxandNova #VerumArtifexStudio #SneakPeek

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Studio: A Glimpse into the Pre-Transformation Worlds of Onyx and Nova

🖤💙🧡🤍🖤💙🧡🤍🖤💙🧡🤍

[superbeeny]

I love you cheap, store-bought anime food. I love you garbage. I love you grungy, grounded visual storytelling.  I love you clear indicators of why even though Misato has good intentions she is so very not suited as a caregiver.  

[iamthedukeofurl]

One thing I like about Andor is the conscious choice to have so many of the Imperials unmasked. Like, the Stormtrooper, white-armored, helmet vaguely resembling a skull, is one of the most iconic pieces of Star Wars imagery, up there with the death star and the light sabre. The faceless hordes of the Empire. And it would have been easy to have Stormtroopers everywhere, Stormtroopers on Aldani, Stormtroopers patrolling the streets of Ferrix, Stormtroopers guarding the prison, but they don’t. I recall a few stormtroopers here and there in the finale, but the iconic white armor is fairly thin on the ground in the show. The various imperial troops we see usually show their faces. I think the one big exception is the shore trooper that arrests Cassian. Otherwise, almost every Imperial we see has their face uncovered. If I recall, the Riot-Cop equivalents in the finale don’t even put their goggles on, instead having them sit on their helmets even after the bricks and firebombs start flying. It’s a pretty major departure from the visual language we see elsewhere, where most of the Imperials are either fully armored Stormtroopers or cloth-uniformed Officers shouting orders. And it works because it scales down the nature of the story. Star Wars is a mythic tale about Great Heroes vs the Faceless Hordes of the Empire. As much as Andor is a story about rebellion and resistance, it’s ALSO a story that examines how authoritarian fascist regimes operate, and the answer is that there are a lot of people more than willing to help. By having the Imperials be unmasked, we don’t get to forget that the Empire isn’t just Palpatine and a handful of high-ranking officers with upper-class British accents, it’s people all the way down. Gunfights are not Heroic Rebels vs Faceless Puppets of the Empire, it’s People vs People. The Empire’s authority isn’t projected by human-shaped suites of armor with skull helmets, it’s projected by people who chose to join up with the Empire.

[miamaimania]

Unraveling the Ethereal: A Visual Journey into the Surreal Portraiture of David Uzochukwu

[fuckyeahisawthat]

the f’ing white outfit

I don’t think I can possibly pick a favorite costume from OFMD, but when it comes to visual storytelling, I deeply love the white outfit. That stupid fucking white fit gets to blaze through so many layers of joke/symbolism/subtext in its brief one (1) episode lifespan.

It starts out as a sight gag. We see this rough, grubby environment where people are vomiting blood and getting in fights in the mud and then we see Stede and Lucius step off the ship in these pristine white outfits. (Stede has even dressed his hostage to match!) And you’re just waiting for the payoff. Which we get immediately with Lucius getting some dude’s bloody hands smeared all over his jacket, which is funny and also a sort of visual foreshadowing of what will happen to Stede at the end of the episode, although we don’t know it yet.

So at first the white outfit is a joke waiting to happen. It’s a symbol of how out of touch with the rules of the pirate world Stede is, insulated as he has been by his privilege (both his wealth and his literal whiteness). And they keep the gag going by having two people in white outfits that Stede chose, and having Stede repeatedly dodge the payoff. Lucius gets the bloody handprints on his jacket; Lucius is the one who gets splattered with what we think is wine but find out is blood, again (foreshadowing #2).

So there’s this running joke of Stede being able to sidestep the negative consequences of a bad decision, at least for himself. And this continues with Stede being (delightfully) rude to Izzy, out of obliviousness. And not only does Stede not get immediately stabbed for it, but Geraldo overhearing this conversation is what gets Stede out of his involuntary nose job with Jackie! And all of this serves to make the payoff of Stede very much not being able to avoid the consequences of his naivete at the end of the episode work even better.

Stede sashaying through the Republic of Pirates in his white suit is ridiculous, but you can see the logic of a lot of his choices once you realize that he is treating this like a rich people social gathering. He says “it’s time for the wider criminal community to meet the Gentleman Pirate”--in his mind, this is his formal introduction to pirate society. He’s making his regional debut--not in a theater way (although yes) but in a societal-norms-of-rich-people way. 

And the way Lucius formally announces him from the top of the stairs in Spanish Jackie’s? He’s a debutante. The white suit is his fit for his own self-produced debutante ball.

You know, the social ritual where wealthy young women are introduced to society as being available to be courted. An event also referred to, in an old-fashioned use of the term, as coming out.

And lo and behold, he does receive a formal invitation to meet a potential suitor that night! An invitation that Ed specifically sent Izzy to deliver because he wanted it “done right,” in a way this fancy man would understand. (Great work there, Izzy!)

And then, once they are captured by the Spanish Navy, the white outfit shifts again. As David Jenkins said, the clown gets stabbed. And not just comedy-stabbed, he gets stabbed stabbed. Visually, this is the payoff that was set up all the way back when Stede stepped off the ship--that spotless white outfit getting fucked up, and this time it’s not just blood but his own blood. Consequences!

But also, given the symbolism of red on this show, you can read this as Stede’s heart showing through. He wore something that would show his heart most clearly, and Ed saw it right from the beginning. And I think this fits with how Ed immediately sees Stede not as a naive, bumbling idiot, but as someone who’s clever and interesting and brave.

And then we have Ed and Stede meeting face to face, Ed in all black and Stede in all white, and in this context it’s impossible not to think of the white outfit as a wedding dress. (Especially if you imagine Ed carrying a passed-out, mostly-dead Stede over the threshold into the captain’s cabin on the Revenge, which is a scene we didn’t see but absolutely, 100% happened.)

And I think there’s a connection to the other time Stede gets almost-executed by an imperialist navy, which is episode 9, which also has a lot of wedding imagery. (The signing of a contract together, the way Badminton looks like an officiant standing over them during the trial, the bright white and weirdly visually prominent blindfold that Ed lifts off Stede’s face like a wedding veil.)

I think the connection is that both of these moments are important turning points in Ed and Stede’s relationship. The first is their meet-cute and the second is the moment Ed realizes he is willing to give up everything for Stede. And I think it’s a cool subtle way of saying love at first sight. Even if the characters didn’t know it yet.

[thewormformerlyknownasletojrjr]

Sometimes self care is rewatching Dune (2021) and going on and on about ‘the symbolism of this or that’ or how ‘something here is a nod to the sequels’ or ‘look how the casting characterizes the house atreides’ or ‘the music here is phenomenal, it foreshadows gurney’s fate later on’ or ‘I think the difference in the vocalizing in the soundtrack here is deliberate’ until whoever you’re watching it with is ready to commit murder to shut you up.

But it’s just so phenomenal that you can watch it and catch new things each time, the visual and auditory storytelling in the background gives you so much! All these little things that go unnoticed until you see and want to jump out of your seat at them, let’s talk about that.

Let’s talk about how Jessica is always hooded when her scenes are associated with her Bene Gesserit powers and upbringing, how you can literally watch her out her hood down or up mid scene as she transitions from mother and concubine to an obedient disciple, how it foreshadows her struggle in the books all the way through Children of Dune.

Let’s talk about how well done the foreshadowing of the jihad is, how even this early on we can see the start of what is integral to Paul’s conflict in Messiah, how that feeling of helplessness about a destiny he doesn’t want will keep him frozen and unable to stop what’s in motion, how Messiah is such an incredible book because it ties into the dystopian trope wherein revolutionaries become like those they once revolted against, but how it’s so much more fascinating than some of the ways we see it in modern dystopias, because it’s the main characters who are following the pattern, not just watching in horror as those they fought with change for the worse, but actually experiencing it, horrified at what they’ve done and what they will continue to do, frozen and so unable or unwilling to do what needs to be done to stop it, how the movie is still in the stage where they are noble and valiant, but it makes sure to show the dread of what it coming, how it does such a good job of showing the burden of foresight that is so integral to Dune, the way that even as they see the future and can attempt to change it, they know that no matter their decisions, horrible things will come, how it shows Paul as scared hating the power he was given and blaming his mother and her aspirations, how the atreides family never wanted to be great, they wanted to be good, how Paul is coming to see that great and good cannot always coexist, how you look at this boy and you can genuinely see how he will become the man saying ‘Believers, all of them’ how Dune is such a hard story to get right because you watch someone devolve and stand by why horrible things are done without seeing him as a terrible person from the start, without the boy and the man seeming irreconcilable from one another, how the movie actually is on the right track even though the end result is unpalatable to the majority of society, how they are showing the white savior trope in a way that is thus far complaint with how it is deconstructed later on, how they have the epic notes of the beginning without going in a direction that makes the ending impossible.

Let’s talk about how they cast the Atreides family as beautiful people, but not soft, not tamed to modern standards, aristocratic in their looks in such a way that you believe they have been nobility for centuries, maybe millennia, slightly untouchable, dangerous, like those in power during the Italian Renaissance, how Paul looks young but also ethereal and formal, the balance between boy and duke and messiah in his appearance, how Leto’s hair and beard make him not only regal but worn by politics, cold and formal yet fatherly all at once, how Jessica’s ghostly pale complexion nods to her Harkonnen ancestry in the books and how she is beautiful in a way that seems not entirely human, how the other members of the Atreides house are each unique and full of character, not designed to fit a palette or aesthetic, whereas the Harkonnens have an eerie similarity that shows how little they value free will, how the Harkonnens are not dramatized to emphasize their characterization but rather understated, devoid of emotion save for rare explosive moments, how they echoed this in their design, making them blank slates, taking away rather than adding, leaving them almost human, but not quite, enough to trigger that ancient animal instinct in a person that says ‘something is wrong here, something is dangerous’ rather than making them fit in with the conventions of a time period or trend as to how to look evil.

Let’s talk about the soundtrack, how the epic music playing when House Atreides lands on Arrakis is echoed as Gurney and his men charge at the Harkonnens who so greatly outnumber them, how this not only ties you emotionally to the battle, hearing this dying cry of the Atreides, more so than the music continuing to be dark and foreboding through it all, but also how it foreshadows the survival of Gurney and the small group of men with him, living to reunite with Paul later on.

Let’s talk about how throughout the soundtrack we have women vocalizing, the emphasis on the power of the Bene Gesserit and how in Leto’s death scene we diverge from this trend, how he was so powerless against all these grand plans but he still took a stand, still ended things on his own terms.

Let’s talk about how Jessica doesn’t answer when Leto asks her to protect Paul as a Bene Gesserit. Let’s talk about the bull and the matador, the symbolism there. Let’s talk about the emphasis on medieval and renaissance headdresses on the Bene Gesserit, the significance of choosing attire from a time when the Catholic Church was in the peak of its power. Let’s talk about the nods to Gurney’s music. Just, look at all this stuff in the movie that you barely even notice, the first time. All the planning that went into it, how to fit in all these little nods, how to stay true to who the characters are in the present while also beginning to show who they will become. Let’s talk about it.

Though maybe not to the people I was watching the movie with. I don’t actually have a death wish.

[thearcanagame]

You seemed to love the post with baby Julian, so here’s baby Portia!

[tsunamiskies]

don’t wander into the desert at night 🌑

[vibe-stash]

Chungking Express (1994)

Director: Wong Kar Wai Cinematography: Christopher Doyle, Andrew Lau Wai Keung Production Design: William Chang Suk Ping Art Direction: Alfred Yau Wai Ming

[moiraimyths]

Howdy, fateful friends! Are you an artist or illustrator with an interest in visual novels?

If so: Moirai Myths, creators of the visual novel The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe), are in need of guest artists! More specifically, we're looking for up to two artists to help us with the content graphics ("CGs") for Maeve and Shae's upcoming routes. All of the details will be listed on our application form (linked below), but here is the gist:

This is paid work with 20-30 business day deadlines per piece!

Complicated revisions in the post-sketch phase are compensated!

You will be prioritized for future guest artist opportunities!

You will be featured/credited on Moirai Myths' website and in the game itself!

Sound interesting? If so, apply here:

Click under the cut for some F&Q 👇

Who are you? (I'm new here!)

Hi! We're Moirai Myths: a small, newish visual novel company based out of Canada. We're making a game inspired by mostly Irish mythology, which was funded on Kickstarter in 2023! Our game's got fairy politics, a diverse cast, a Gaeilge-to-English translation tool, and routes that can be played either romantically or platonically! Also horses. An ungodly amount of horses, really.

If that odd pitch sounded intriguing, perhaps you'd like to play our demo! It's free on Steam & Itch.io.

Why are you looking for guest artists?

When we originally launched our Kickstarter, the plan was to have our three in-house artists collaborate on the CGs in the same way our header image was. However, we quickly realized that adding CGs, even if they're done collaboratively, onto the existing duties of our artists was a tall order. Add to that the departure of our original sprite artist (who has since been replaced by our graphic designer), and we determined that having our in-house team work on CGs was simply not possible if we still wanted our first release to happen in 2024. So, rather than omitting CGs or adding them in at a later time, we came up with the idea of hiring guest artists. Overall this means our CGs will be a bit more varied in terms of art style, but we like to think of this as a positive! NDM's development will take a number of years to complete in full, so we hope our CGs will allow us to feature a lot of artists either within the VN/indie dev community already, or artists who aspire to work in gaming and are looking for entry positions.

How long will applications remain open for?

This application will be open until Sunday, March 24 at midnight (EST)! If we intend to extend past that deadline, we'll make an announcement about it.

I can't apply right now. Will you look for more CG guest artists in the future?

Definitely! As mentioned, NDM will take a while to develop in full, so this is by no means your only opportunity to apply. That being said, we suspect we're going to end up shortlisting a number of artists over the course of this application period, and we intend to keep a list of all the runners-up. So, even if you won't be able to participate this time, it might be a good idea to apply anyway just to remain in our contacts! Either way, this will not be the last time we have apps.

Will you be looking for guest artists outside of CGs?

Maybe! We already have two guest artists (Nefukurou and Madi Funk) working on sprites and CGs respectively, so it's always possible that we'll have other artistic needs later down the line. Likewise, we may also reach out to past guest artists for future work with us, whether it's on this game or something else!

You say we need to sign an NDA. What does that entail?

The non-disclosure agreement essentially means you will be legally unable to publicly disclose any confidential information you become privy to as a result of working with us. This would include personal information about the developers, as well as spoilers from the game itself. In addition do this, you will be expected to sign over the IP and copyright of any artworks you produce for us.

Can I still use my artworks in portfolios, even if I don't own the copyright?

Yes! We'd only ask, if your portfolio is a website, that you wait to do so until after your art has been made public by us, either on our social media or via the publication of the game. Our first release is anticipated to happen later this year, most likely mid-autumn.

How do you guys feel about AI? Do you intend to use it, or would you ever train an AI off of the artworks whose copyright you own?

No.

Making a game is expensive and time-consuming, but AI is no replacement for human artistry. We fundamentally believe that any advancements in AI should be used for the purpose of giving people more time to make art, not take away opportunities for it. Moirai Myths will never, ever use AI or train an AI off your work.

***

If you've got any more questions for us that we didn't think to include here, feel free to send us an ask!

[rosemaryprosser]

Thoughts of water (2023)