"Hi, I got bored and made an anime."
Brushstroke is an anime-inspired visual-audio drama set in the fantasy world of Kalv'er, which has just left a literal dark age. Follow a blue-haired painter and his friends as they venture away from home for the first time in their lives, experiencing a grand world, meeting potential friends and foes alike, and uncovering secrets of both past and present.
Brushstroke is not meant to be a serious "save-the-world" kind of tale, but one of adventure and companionship, as our heroes travel about, gathering new companions, and enjoying themselves the best they can.
Of course, things are never that simple, are they?
tl;dr
A bunch of dysfunctional idiots in a fantasy-world form a group, goof off, meet more idiots, let them join, goof off even more, and casually break destiny like it's a mirror and they're running low on bad luck.
Some actually serious stuff will happen, but I like doing funny things too.
World-Building, Characters, and Lore can be found here.
Chapter I can be watched here.
---
- This is the pilot series, consisting of five-to-ten episodes.
- I'm not looking at animation or anything hugely complex.
I just cannot afford that, as much as I would love to take that extra step.
I am broke and working with what I can get, plain and simple.
- I do not plan on abandoning this project, as I work on it every other day,
whether it be general artistry, fleshing out the world, or working on the scripts.
- Lastly, this is a proof-of-concept, meaning it's to set everything up for
the future of the series, however big or small it becomes.
Rules are fairly simple:
1. Have a good mic and little-to-no background noise.
2. I'm a little more lenient than most, but make sure your lines are in on time.
3. Be kind, respectful, and cooperative with your fellows.
4. Have a Discord or be okay to make one. We have a server
for the cast which I am happy to invite you to join, but it is not required.
Full Profile Here
At just 23 (soon-to-be 24) years old, Marshall is the self-proclaimed successor to Kaede Foster; a legendary blue-haired immortal, swordsman, and necromancer. Though many feared Foster, with countless tales of wickedness and evil, Marshall idolized him and the stories of his heroism instead. Bearing the same mystical blue-hair and with Foster's final death two decades prior, Marshall sought out his daughter, who along with her best friend, both of whom were elite imperial Arc-Knights, raised and trained her.
With a childhood of elite instruction and several years of solo experience, the young woman would don Foster's old armor and blade and take up his mantle. Her exploits have already earned her the title of Reeve / Sheriff in the imperial city of Noctis. While her years of service gave her excellent stewardship experience, it also made her grow bored and restless, leading to a desire to leave and continue her work as Foster's successor.
In doing so, she would meet the main group and join them in their travels.
Leading to quite the adventure...and her biting off a bit more than she can chew.
---
Marshall takes heavy inspiration from Mordred of the Fate/Stay series. Prideful and hot-headed, she is the main group's heavy-hitter, an excellent fighter, and prodigious swordswoman, using eastern (japanese/chinese-inspired) styles mixed with her western upbringing and training for maximum effect and unpredictability. At the same time, she can also carry a diplomatic position, acting as a decently skilled emissary if need be, though her boisterous personality often conflicts. All-in-all, she has a long way to go to be Foster's true successor.
Unbeknownst to most, however, she is uncertain of her ability to uphold such a lofty goal for her entire life. She tries to act more like Kaede Foster than Marshall of Feydai, often failing as her more emotional, outspoken personality bursts through. Her personal investment in Foster, while not zealous, also leads to her becoming reckless and getting injured more often than not, though she works to fix this. Only her best friend Roan knows any of this, and she prefers to keep it that way.
This is a voice I have not really thought about or have particular leanings toward, so give it your own spin, your own accent, whatever!
She is in the middle between lady-like and tomboy, though she has her moments where she likes to flaunt her elegance and looks.
[flatly / sarcastic]
"Really? You're gonna complain about a Blue Hair...to a Blue Hair? Wow. Well, I for one, am remarkably delighted to be serving such a wise and respectable people."
[threatening / crassly with a feral grin]
"Call me a little girl again and I'll make 'you' one with my blade, over a fire, with the dull side."
[amused / admiring]
"Hey, seems like good looks run in the family! We're just of pair of damn-fine heartbreakers, eh?"
Better known as:
The Dead Hand / The Dead King
Orc-Bane / Moon-Bane
The Arch-Necromancer
Dragon Lord / Ash-Walker
The Last Rune
Death
The most famous Blue-Hair in history.
Originally from the eastern (Japanese/Chinese-inspired) land of Rune, Kaede Foster's story often has two sides associated with him.
The villainous side that paints him as the vilest man to walk the earth. His unnatural immortality and use of necromancy, numerous acts of wanton murder throughout history, and sheer apathy towards others. He has terrorized and destroyed entire towns for crossing him. He once waged a personal conflict against the war-loving Orcs and ravaged them so much that their culture transformed into that of honorable nomads. Prior to that, he was among the gathering of eight Blue-Hairs who wished to negate the damage caused by the collision of the two moons above the world, and only he walked away, the rest perished and their souls stolen by him.
The more heroic side, often linked to his habit of taking those less fortunate under his wing, adopting them into his family (hence his last name "Foster"). His later years are dotted with stories of his goodwill, though under the guise of a mercenary. He brought numerous outlaws to justice, stopped plots and attacks against the five kingdoms, and worked closely with the previous Imperial Emperor to maintain peace across Kalv'er. His love for family, adopted or otherwise, was strong. He even adopted a young girl who lost her home to plague as his daughter, raising her with cherished care.
Regardless of which is his true character, several things are certain. Prior to the two decades of darkness that was The Age of Ruin, Foster would assassinate the Emperor he considered a brother. For this crime, Foster's adopted daughter would track him down and use her knowledge to finally kill him, ending the mad immortal once and for all.
---
Kaede is a fun character, real cheery, real wholesome.
Jokes aside, my original vision was for him (and all blue-haired characters) to not only share a physical resemblance but a voice also. I'm changing that now, but I'd recommend watching Chapter I and listening to the protagonist, Arthur's, performance. It's not required, and it shouldn't influence anything as they're two separate personalities. But Kaede should sound distinct, older, and wiser.
A little deep, but not a baritone.
The key parts are this; Kaede is blunt, but not emotionless. He has a sense of honor but is not above pragmatism. He cares deeply for his adopted daughter, Hood, and overall has a strong sense of family, being utterly willing to storm hell itself for them. That's a promise he'd keep to the end.
Also, as Kaede is from an Asian-inspired culture (mainly Japanese), I had the idea of him peppering his speech with occasional bits of Japanese, words and phrases as a fleeting habit of his old home. While knowing Japanese is not required, an understanding or even passing knowledge of it would make the additions more authentic (though mispronunciations and struggling with it may also work, as he is slowly forgetting the language because of lack of use).
[lowly / threatening without meaning to]
"I've no quarrel, 'Kita'...I only seek to reclaim my property. So stand aside, 'now'."
("Kita" means North in Japanese, Kaede is using it to refer to a nordic character)
[calmly / brushing off insults]
"Almost two thousand years ago, I lead our people here from a land ripped asunder by centuries of war. I helped establish peace between them and the Ash-Elves. I even helped stop a second Flash from razing the world at the supposed cost of my humanity. You insist I'm 'evil', I'd say I'm 'complicated'."
[bluntly / restrained, dull anger]
"Imagine, if you will, someone tells you that you're 'evil' now, like it's a fact and you just have to accept it. So you accept it, 'believe' it, only to find out years later, after committing atrocities of countless value, spilling enough blood to flood the world, that it was all a lie. How would you feel knowing that you threw it all away? Your life? Your friends? Family?"
A traveling ash-elf scholar.
At the young age of 412, Ardan was a senator for the Ash Elves Republic for most of his formative years, before the stress of the job during the Age of Ruin led him to quit and travel the world instead. His travels have not led him far, however, and he soon stumbles into trouble and is rescued by the main characters.
After some introductions and shenanigans, Ardan accompanies them on the road to the city of Noctis. While there, he takes a job at a museum as a scholar and researcher, or rather a field-scholar and researcher, to his horror. Sympathetic, the main group offers for him to tag along.
He accepts, becoming an important lead character as he contributes to exposition and world-building.
---
Compared to his loud and excitable sister, Ardan is courteous, knowledgeable (but only to a certain extent thanks to his sheltered life), and rarely takes the lead in situations, needing to be prodded into acting. He has little to no street smarts and is ignorant to most if not all aspects of Imperial/Human culture and society, leading to awkward situations where he is very clearly a fish out of water and says insulting things by accident, often to his detriment.
I'm looking for a formal if nervous voice for Ardan. I originally envisioned Ash-Elves to have light french accents, but I'm not sure if I want that direction now. So, for now, you may audition with an English or French accent, whichever you wish to work with. Or you can bring something original to your audition if you want, I'm always looking for new ideas.
While old by human standards, Ardan is only a young adult (roughly 27 physically) by Ash-Elf standards.
[greeting / upbeat]
"I'm Ardan, of the Great House of Maie. Former senator for the Ash Republic, now a traveling scholar who is, quite frankly, way in over his head. Now, how about we focus on...not dying, perhaps?"
[good-natured / explaining an injury]
"My face? Yes, well, you see, they say we Ash Elves are immune to extreme heat. However, it turns out that when one falls face-first into a lava pool, it still really, really hurts."
[groaning / about an annoying sibling]
"Oh, don't get me started on Mia. She's running around believing she's some nordic bard and champion for mead and glory...Er...no offense, Tyr..."
(Note: Tyr is pronounced "teer / tear", like teardrop)
Born the son of blacksmiths in the obscure settlement of Roan in far northern Imperial lands, Cormac would follow his mother's side of the family business, that of bladesmithing. His skill and dedication to his work bordered on unhealthy fanaticism, but none in his home would argue against the quality; veering on Blue-Hair level of mystical standard.
Roan would befall terrible fortune at the height of The Age of Ruin, one of the many settlements and towns wiped from the map. Though most survived the event, his parents included, the event spurred Gage to action. He would earn a name for himself by traveling the Empire's lands and gifting his powerful blades to various garrisons and militias. Their sheer grade would grant him great fame across Kalv'er as they spread beyond the Empire's borders.
Fiercely protective of his property, any instances of banditry or other third parties stealing his craft only earned the incensed ire of Roan, who would personally go and retrieve them with extreme prejudice. Claims and stories of massive walls of blades summoned and stored, flying and fighting at their master's beck and call made their rounds across the land.
Gage would promptly receive the title "The Blade of Roan", which he soon took as a simpler alias; "Roan".
He would become friends with Marshall after saving her life during The Ruin and remained close with her afterward. The unlikely pair often working together to keep the peace, though the newly dubbed Roan would often only do so at his friend's extortion.
Though not immediately like Marshall, he would later follow her in joining the main group.
---
Roan cares about three things in life; his blades, Marshall, and his blades.
That said, Roan is not heartless and is willing to help others freely, bestowing his swords as gifts free of charge; but he will put his friend and his property above everything no matter what.
Constantly crafting blade after blade, he has stocked up a magickal arsenal that numbers in the hundreds, if not thousands, which he can summon and control with a mere thought, making him an insane powerhouse even by the main group's standards. If it wasn't obvious enough, this character is inspired by Archer of the Fate/Stay series; though only as a sort of exaggeration of that character's weapon-making aspect, everything else less-so.
This character should not sound emotionless. Obsessive? Sure. A little cracked upstairs? Absolutely, that's all my characters really. He's just not a crusading-for-justice hero, he's more of a good-natured mercenary and blacksmith. Make of that what you will.
A medium-to-low tone is preferable. Accent-wise, as his name is indicative, I was considering an Irish accent, though I welcome attempts with Scottish, Welsh, or as with other characters, experimenting otherwise.
[simply / as if stating utter fact]
"My blades are 'perfect'. Flawless, no, but perfect all the same."
[cheery / not even trying to be polite]
"Oh no, your sword's 'still' trash. But now it's sharp, 'polished' trash. So points for effort!"
[smirking / teasing your best friend]
"Well, if a certain someone remembers that she 'isn't' immortal, perhaps we could avoid bandages entirely. But given how amusing it is, by all means, continue."
A former tribal turned military commander.
Ulysses and his brother Alkai began their stories together in a tribal village in the northern parts of the Empire. Once of age, the brothers would leave to seek their fame and fortune. Though sometimes mocked for their humble upbringing, they would find both together, joining the Imperial Army and becoming elite Arc-Knights. Though while Ulysses would ascend further thereafter, while his brother did not.
Ulysses would be selected as the Imperial Arch-Knight, the military commander of the Empire chosen personally by the Emperor. At the time, the Age of Ruin had begun, the twenty years of darkness weighing heavily on the young, newly crowned Emperor Trefor. Together, he and Ulysses would become close friends as they worked hard to protect not only the Empire's people but work together with the other kingdoms to protect their people as well.
At the conclusion of The Ruin, both Ulysses and Trefor were content to serve in peacetime, though recently there have been rumors that Trefor wishes to give up the crown and bestow it to his closest ally instead...
---
While physically 27-29 years old, like his brother, Ulysses is actually closer to 40-42 years old, thanks to the Arc-Knight rituals that granted them both enhanced strength and extended life. That, coupled with his experiences, means I want an older voice instead of a youthful one. Ulysses has seen many things, and he plans on using his hard-found wisdom to be a good successor to Trefor's rule (if a little more proactive thanks to his military experience).
As for accents...Ulysses and Alkai's tribe is inspired by Native-American culture. But, seeing as they've been away from home for some time, I'm skeptical if they would retain any accent or speech pattern. So, feel free to experiment; the Empire is a large place, filled with diverse voices, have fun!
[neutral / worried about a lost sibiling]
"I don't know...Alkai sent me a letter a few days ago, saying he's still 'searching'...though he never says what he's searching for. I have half a mind to track him down and bring him home."
(Alkai is pronounced as it's spelled; "AL - KAI")
[amused / joking]
"Believe it or not, this counts as my vacation. You should see things in The Capital, Trefor's got his hands full with the Warrior's Festival coming up. Speaking of which, I want to smack Marshall upside the head for quitting just before the upcoming chaos."
[rolling eyes / sarcastic]
"Oh don't mind me, I'm just...y'know, an Arc-Knight, the head of the Imperial Army, and the future Emperor. Entirely beneath your notice, kid."
Druids are a fickle people, and Karliah is no exception.
Living in the Ash-Lands surrounding the Galadrim Volcano, she'd grown up during The Ruin hoping to inspire some sort of life to sprout in the bleak darkness, using the abundant volcanic soil and ash to grow a variety of plants and herbs. Being naturally in tune with nature helped her research greatly as she innately knew each plant's properties and benefits.
Known to be seemingly harried and fretful, she has a playful streak and good-natured soul, using her magick to help those she could. Though, more often than not, she wound up using the favors she'd accumulated to test out the alchemical concoctions she would craft in her spare time, which was abundant too.
When Arthur Holiday's group would arrive at the Galadrim Volcano after The Ruin, Karliah would meet and become fast friends with Krest White, the group's mage, the two become partners in the pursuit of science and magecraft, allowing her to join and tag along for their party's journey.
But before that, she'd met Krest in passing in the Imperial city of Noctis, both unaware of their future fellowship.
---
Karliah is a future protagonist/lead role, but the pilot series only has her make one extended appearance in Chapter II which sets up her and Krest's relationship and her future appearance in the series proper. So consider her a minor/supporting character for now.
Karliah is a druid, a type of dryad (a spriggan or tree-person) that can take on a more humanoid appearance. At the age of eighteen, she is book-smart, but young and rather naive. An alchemist and minor mage, she is dedicated to scientific pursuits and is often more inclined to pursue it even at a significant cost, giving her a bit of moral ambiguity; She cures diseases for the sake of curing them, not the people she helps in doing so.
She, like Krest, is not heartless though, and takes a little pride in the lives she saves, but it is not her priority.
For the voice, I can say I imagine her to be eccentric and rather outspoken, far more than the (little bit) more reserved and observant Krest. She'd be anxious at times, but gods help you if you so much as sneeze in her presence, you'll become her next test subject as she suddenly swings into full assertive-alchemist mode.
She's a fun "yeah, science!" girl, basically.
[scoffing / annoyed]
"People think I'm gonna give them an elixir made of dung-beetle guts and troll fat to treat their cold! That's outrageous, everyone knows troll fat would only abate the symptoms! Now some slime refuse would clear everything right up!"
[correcting / baffled]
"For the last time, I'm a druid, not a dryad! I'm not gonna just...turn into a tree just because people want to see me do so! I'm not some monkey at a circus!"
[intrigued / musing absently / last word sounds offended]
"I met a Blue-Hair once, he looked exactly as you did, but he wore one of those plague-crow-doctor-mask things...He was also a bit rude, definitely needed to learn some bedside manner...What?"
An Orc and the bookkeeper/captain of the Thieves Guild hideout in the Imperial City of Noctis.
Born in Orc-Lands, "Lars", as he cast off his real name long ago, joined the Thieves Guild later in his life than most have, but he was competent, loyal, and good with numbers, earning himself the high rank of Captain, eventually coming to be assigned as leader of the Noctis headquarters, overseeing guild business for the entire province of Deseret. Par for the course when regarding the guild, Lars is efficient and crafty, and equally like most, he holds honor among thieves in high regard and does not tolerate personal business interfering with guild business.
He is old friends with the former Arc-Knight Markas, whom he notes the main group has met and traveled with, earning them a little of his trust and even some of his help when two of them approach him.
---
A relatively minor and new character whom I definitely will expand on in the future (because I love thieves guilds, they're my favorite).
For now, he has a small role and a single scene, but I want him to own it. He appears courteous and helpful, but he's the head of the Guild for the entire province, basically two/three ranks below the Guild-Master. He is not one to be trifled with.
For the voice, he's an Orc, but I don't think he should sound too Orc-y, since he's also a thief. So he should also sound orc-like, but thief-y? Like a simple commanding voice and not an incomprehensibly growling baritone.
EDIT: Orcs in Brushstroke are actually descended from High Elves; making them elves too, specifically "Dune Elves". While I sincerely doubt that affects voices and dialects much, it does give some idea of the difference this version has versus typical fantasy orcs.
[curtly / welcoming]
"I heard you arrived with Markas. Any friend of that old fool is a friend of mine. Welcome to the Guild, the name's Lars. And no, that's not my real name, so don't ask."
Note: Markas is pronounced "Marr - Kass"
[seriously / lowly]
"Another nightingale? That's already a tall order, kid. Nightingales being freelance means it's hard to track them down like you're asking me to, especially for personal business."
[informative / plainly as if it stating that water's wet]
"Of course what we do is illegal; We're thieves, we pilfer and profit, it's our motto. But we also make sure the more...shadowy parts of the criminal underworld *stay* in the underworld. If you'd seen a fraction of what I'd seen, you'd drink yourself to death to forget."
I've done the artwork mainly by myself since the series conception, as well as the entirety of the first episode, about 200 or so "frames". Which, if you take a minute to watch, you'll see that I am not an expert artist by any measure.
I want to change that, add more depth and style to the artwork. So consider this an official request for aid in making some crappy anime design into some actually pretty good anime design. Like everything else, there is no budget, so all I can offer is the experience in turning this into something.
If character art is not your thing, background art is also very high on the list. I don't even have the capacity to say I'm passable when it comes to it. So anyone who...y'know, knows what they're doing, would be a very, very welcome addition to the crew.
You can apply with your portfolio, or you can do a sketch or drawing of something from the series proper, be it a character or background.
Chapter I and Deviantart for reference.
Say something you think would fit
