Form of Being: Auditions Closed; Under Review

Form of Being: Auditions Closed; Under Review

Project Overview

I'm currently in the process of developing a visual novel with themes centered on LGBTQIA+ characters, queer platonic relationships, community and activism. Sounds very exciting, I know.

Also there are monsters. Werewolves, Dragons, Ghosts, Undead Beings - the works.

I currently have the first three scenes (the entirety of Act One) written out and I'm interested in finding voice actors for the characters as well as sensitivity readers when the project is more complete. There are currently 7 main characters that the player will be interacting with. Here is a very brief overview:

Blaire Francesko Freeman (Late-20s) 

Undead Person, Witch, Irish, Haitian American

Trans, Nonbinary Woman, She/They, Lesbian, Panromantic

Character Lines: ~50


Jake Ramirez (Early 20s)

Werewolf, Filipino American

(AFAB) Trans, He/They, Demisexual, Panromantic

Character Lines: ~50


Bodie Weber (Mid-20s) 

Slime Person, Unknown

Any Pronouns, Panromantic, Pansexual

Character Lines: ~40


Jaga Gryfowicz (Mid-20s) 

Griffin, Witch, Polish, Native American

Cis, She/Her, Asexual, Aromantic

Character Lines: ~20


Jane Doe (Mid-20s) 

Ghost Person (Spirit), Unknown

She/They, Asexual, Demiromantic

Character Lines: ~20


Robert “Beau” Beauregard (Late-20s) 

Vampire, French American

Cis, He/Him, Homosexual, Homoromantic

Character Lines: ~20


Andrés Rodriguez (Mid-20s) 

Dragon, Black, Puerto Rican

Cis, He/Him, Demiromantic, Demisexual

Character Lines: ~10


While the content itself won't be incredibly explicit, these roles are for characters in their early 20s. Voice actors for these roles should be 18 years or older.


For self-identification purposes, I am a white trans non-binary, asexual, aromantic, polyamorous person and practicing witch. I want to do my best to incorporate the appropriate voices and experiences into this project. It's generally light-hearted in tone with conversations about serious topics. This will be the first project that I've ever sought outside help with. I don't think it will be perfect by any means, but I want this to be a productive and meaningful process for myself and everyone I work with. It's a project that's for fun, but also for developing my skills as a game designer, and to make a conscious and vulnerable effort to actively instill anti-racist practices in everything that I do. I share this for the sake of transparency and to let anyone who is interested know what my stance is and what I hope to accomplish with this project.

I've been referring to it as a "relationship management simulator" half-jokingly because relationships are complicated, and this game isn't going to be about "who you end up with". It's going to be about how you navigate your relationships with people, but also their relationships with each other and the world around them. I'm still trying to find my voice in game development, but if you want to see some of my previous work, you can look at my itch.io page (https://smokeandash.itch.io/) or my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4yl52v71DkXQOesiYy2uOw).

In regards to payment, I do want to make sure I'm able to offer compensation for the efforts of everyone that helps with this project. I am still figuring out what that will look like, but please understand that your time and your work is valuable and if you don't feel comfortable not knowing the amount for the monetary component of this project, I completely understand and encourage you to seek out projects that will pay you well. I fully intend to update this project as I move forward and have a better idea of expectations and personal budget.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, critiques or queries. I'm happy to answer if I'm able. Thanks for your time, have a great day and good luck on your projects!

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Latest Updates

  • Casting Call Complete! [FINAL UPDATE]

    Hey, everyone! I finally managed to get through auditions, listened to them several times, and slowly narrow down the super long list of auditions that I loved to ones that felt appropriate for the characters to finally casting the people I felt would provide the best characterization - and then narrowed that down, too. That is to say, you all made this super difficult in the absolute best of ways. I was able to cast people that I think will do an incredible job of portraying these characters, but there are also a huge number of you with amazing talents that I hope I see in future casting calls so I can bring you on board with future projects - or this one, with different characters! Even though this call is wrapping up, it definitely had an impact on how I view approaching this project moving forward. So many people expressed excitement and connection to the characters and wanting to play the game, more than I had anticipated, and it had motivated me to devote more time, energy and patience than I had originally considered into making this the best game it can be. That said, it's going to be a long process, involving creating a free-to-play version of the game with the core of what I'm envisioning, and then maybe (hopefully) getting to create a revamped version in the future with more art, characters, cool mechanics and animated cutscenes. That is my personal hope, anyway, hehe. Thank you all so, so much for auditioning, for your kind words and for your enthusiasm for this project. If you're interested in following this project, I've listed the social media links in my bio here, and you can reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any specific questions, requests, or suggestions. I hope to see you all again in the future and to have an opportunity to work with you. ^-^ Until then, best of luck on everyone's future projects and immense love and gratitude to you all! <3

  • Auditions Heard; Casting in Progress!

    Hello again! Thank you all for such an incredible response and an equally incredibly amount of patience you've shown this project and me. ;u; I've finally been able to listen to everyone's auditions and provide at least one comment of feedback, which was always my bare minimum goal for anyone who took the time to audition. Now comes the hard part - actually making decisions for the roles. @-@ I promise I'm not sugarcoating anything when I say I am so blown away by the amazing talent that has auditioned for each of these roles. It's going to be difficult coming to any final decision for these characters, but I'm reminding myself that I will be opening more casting calls in the future for more characters. If you want to stay up to date with this project, I've made social media accounts for Form of Being on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram! I was so surprised by the enthusiasm this project was receiving that I kind of lost sight of my primary goal for a bit - and that was to make a visual novel with diverse and unique characters that would be available for everyone, and a first step into my experience working with others on game projects. With that in mind, I'll be making this a small-scale free to play game, and have a plan to publish 4 "seasons" of content. I'm hopeful that this will give me time to learn and to develop the characters and story without having pressure on having a "perfect" game. People have encouraged me to do a kickstarter or request for funding through donation programs, and I do think I want to do that one day. But for now, I'll keep this project small, see it to its end, and when I have a good foundation and if there's enough interest moving forward, maybe we'll see an awesome revamp with animated cutscenes, multi-language voice acting and mini-games! But, uh, that's my long-term big dream goal, hehe. For now, I look forward to working with everyone on something we can all enjoy participating in, without the pressure of making anything perfect. <3 Thank you again for joining me on this journey so far. I look forward to working with everyone on this project, whether that's with the main cast, or future cast, or just vibing about the characters and story with y'all. Have an awesome day everyone!

  • Deadline Approaching

    Hey, everybody! Since the deadline is coming up in less than a week (April 11), I wanted to give a final update before the casting call closes. I cannot express the fullness in my heart after seeing everyone's comments and hearing so many incredible auditions. I legitimately thought I'd get, maybe, 4 or 5 auditions and I'd be ecstatic. Obviously, I underestimated how many people would be interested in these characters and the stories they are going to tell. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone who has auditioned so far and to everyone who is still in the process of submitting. I wish I could cast everyone with their own unique characters and stories - but I don't think I'd be able to do much else, haha. After I create the demo for this project and I receive feedback on the initial premise and overall tone, I plan to do more research and writing, and then making another casting call for the additional characters. I'm not sure what everything will look like yet, but that's kind of how I want it to be until I can figure out what I am capable of handling and how much I can offer with this project without burning out or stepping into someone else's lane. I've received incredible feedback and support already, and it's really helped me in wanting to push forward and make this project the best that it can be. You might have noticed I've fallen a tad behind on responding to auditions, and I do apologize for that! I might have to hold off on responding further until auditions close, just so I can manage my time and energy effectively and provide feedback and tips to everyone who took the time to audition their voices. I plan to have roles cast a week after auditions close (April 17), so keep an eye out for that! You can also follow me on Twitter @SmokeAndAshAnim, where I'm going to try to provide updates on this project as often as possible. I'm working on making a twitter specifically for this as well. If you ever have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to message me or leave a comment here! Thank you all again for your time, effort and kindness. Go raibh maith agaibh, and best of wishes on all of your creative projects and auditions! <3

  • WOW

    Holy guacamole. There are over 138 auditions for this project. I did not imagine it would be this well received and get as much excitement as it has. ;-; Thank you all so much for your time and energy that you've put into these auditions. I've fallen behind on listening and responding to the most recent submissions, but I promise I'll be working on catching up at every opportunity I can! Thank you for your faith, patience and excitement for this, especially the people who have let me know how happy they are to see themselves represented in these characters. <3 It means the world to me.

  • Updated Voice Actor Payments

    Hello again! After doing some research and considering my personal budget, I've added the payment details for the actors that will be performing for these characters. The characters with the most lines (Jake and Blaire) will receive $25 each for their voice work in this project. The remaining characters (Andrés, Bodie, Jane, Jaga and Beau) will be receiving $15 for their voice work. This is still pretty low payment when compared to the rates I've found, but it is what I am able to afford at the moment. That said, if your are casted and want to discuss compensation in more detail, please feel free to reach out to me! Roles will be cast on or after April 11, 2021. However, this casting call is for the Demo of the full game that I'm aiming to have complete and playable by June 1, 2021. I aim to receive feedback and incorporate those suggestions into the final and complete game that I'm hoping to complete by October 1, 2021, or sometime in the near future if that turns out to be too much work for one person (it's me, I'm the one person). The full game will have more characters who will also need voice actors, so if you aren't chosen for the leading roles, please keep an eye out for the future casting call for those characters! I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to all of these auditions so far and I appreciate everyone that has made this an amazing first experience in casting roles for my games. It makes me incredibly excited to work on many projects in the future. Thank you for all of your amazing work and talent, and have a wonderful day!
Project Roles: Jake Ramirez Blaire Francesko Freeman Bodie Weber Andrés Rodriguez Jaga Gryfowicz Jane Doe Robert "Beau" Beauregard Sensitivity Reader (for Trans, Black, Haitian-American Character) Sensitivity Reader (for FTM Trans, Filipino American Character) Sensitivity Reader (for Black, Puerto-Rican American Character) Sensitivity Reader (for Native American, Polish Character)
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Jake Ramirez
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 25 USD
Role assigned to: lemonaeden

Jake Ramirez (Early 20s) 

Werewolf, Filipino American

(AFAB) Trans, He/They, Demisexual, Panromantic

Somewhat nervous, big heart, kind, fumbles with words when flustered

  • [Thoughtful] Yeah, I guess so. What about you? Do you prefer being around people, or do you prefer to be alone? Not, like, “lonely”. But just doing your own thing, you know?

  • [Flustered] What? What am I supposed to say? I don’t know anything about fashion!

  • Oh, yeah, Jaga is Blaire’s girlfriend. I think. Blaire kind of mentioned in passing that they are dating, but they’re in a...queer platonic relationship, I guess? Which is, like, you’re friends, right? But also kind of dating? And also not? I don’t know, I’ve never heard of it before, so I don’t completely understand, but as long as they’re both happy, I don’t really have to, you know? That does sound pretty cool, though. I think if I date someone, it’s gotta be someone I know really well and can connect with as, like, a best friend, you know?

    ...Uh, um, not that, like, I have anyone like that in mind r-right now, it’s just. It’s just something, uh, I think about when making, like, OkeeDoke (pronounced Oh-Key-Doh-ck) Dating profiles and stuff, haha. Which I have. And am. Using.

    …

    Anyway.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 27 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Blaire Francesko Freeman
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 25 USD
Role assigned to: Milika M

Blaire Francesko Freeman (Late 20s)

Undead Person, Witch, Irish, Haitian American

Trans, Nonbinary, She/They, Lesbian, Panromantic

Strong voice, social activist, well researched, born in the late 1700s

  • Well, some people actually get energy from being around other people. Maybe Bodie is one of those people. I feel like I’m a content middle ground. Being around people can be fun in small doses, but I also like having the time to focus on myself and my own projects.

  • Do you mind if I work on my agenda for the upcoming community meeting? I haven’t had a chance to, and I completely forgot before we left for the party.

  • ...What about Beau? [Sigh] Sorry, I’m trying not to be like this. He just really pisses me off. I tried to be patient with him and give him time and space to grow, but he chose to hide in his castle with his rich prick friends and close himself off from everyone else. He’s only been here a little longer than I have - and by that, I mean, like, a few weeks - but he hasn’t participated in the community at all. Do you know what his job is? Stocks. Stocks in the human-dominated realm. That doesn’t benefit this community, it only benefits him and his expenditures in that space. Ugh. I just. Everyone works so hard and watching him blatantly walk all over everyone is just really upsetting for me.

    I don’t really want to keep talking about him. Sorry, it’s just a lot for me right now.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 28 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Bodie Weber
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 15 USD
Role assigned to: phay221

Bodie Weber (Mid-20s)

Slime Person, Unknown

Any Pronouns, Panromantic, Pansexual

Shaped like a friend, difficulty connecting with others, overcompensates, drama nerd, tends to put self down

  • Hey, friends! How are you doing? Enjoying the party?

  • Haha, I totally get that. That sounds rad.

    [Stressed] Oh, hey, do you think you would be interested in hanging out with Beau, too?

    He’s kind of, uh…

    ...He’s, you know. Haha. Being Beau.

  • [Excited] Perfect! Everyone’s all together!

    Are you ready to set up for the murder mystery?

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 128 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Andrés Rodriguez
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 15 USD
cast offsite

Andrés Rodriguez (Mid-20s) 

Dragon, Black, Puerto Rican

Cis, He/Him, Demiromantic, Demisexual

Self-aware and able to navigate difficult situations, has many thoughts that collide making it difficult to speak sometimes, always trying to find the right words

  • That’s a good book. Very thorough.

  • Do you...garden? [Pause.] That’s good. Gardening is very relaxing.

  • Using the right words can be...difficult to figure out sometimes.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 36 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Jaga Gryfowicz
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 15 USD
Role assigned to: addylishus

Jaga Gryfowicz (Late 20s)

Griffin, Witch, Polish, Native American

Cis, She/Her, Asexual, Aromantic

Quiet, prefers to be alone or around people without being the center of attention, enjoys reading and doing self-reflective work

  • Are you reading that? [Pause.] That's okay. I can read it when you're done.

  • I think I was...jealous at first. But I meditated and thought about it a lot. I'm okay now.

  • I'm happy to see you here, Blaire.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 48 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Jane Doe
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 15 USD
Role assigned to: Bels

Jane Doe (Mid 20s) 

Ghost Person (Spirit), Unknown

She/They, Asexual, Demiromantic

Recently deceased, still figuring self out, difficulty making decisions, fluctuating aesthetic

  • Is there any specific advice you’re looking for? I’ve read many of these kind of books, so I might be able to give you some recommendations!

  • This is very exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever played a murder mystery game before. Is it difficult?

  • Well, this sounds delightful. Thank you, Bodie!

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 82 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Robert "Beau" Beauregard
closed
Paid: Flat Rate 15 USD
Role assigned to: OzzieMCVO

Robert “Beau” Beauregard (Late 20s) 

Vampire, French American

Cis, He/Him, Homosexual, Homoromantic

From wealthy family, overcompensates due to insecurities, can be unintentionally abrasive as a result

  • Are you from…

    BEAU waves his hands to avoid pronouncing the name of the city.

    [Dismissive] ...here?

  • Ah, so you’ve been in the Hominina realm? Delightful, I’m glad to have a companion with shared experience here. I believe I would like to call you my friend.

  • Au revoir, my loves. Please do not stop the festivities on my departure, try to enjoy yourselves in my absence. Ta for now!

    Oh, add me on social media! You know the name.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 49 Submissions Apply / Audition
Writer
Writer
Sensitivity Reader (for Trans, Black, Haitian-American Character)
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: MsVocaloid

This position would provide oversight and editing suggestions for the character of Blaire Francesko Freeman. Blaire is a Haitian-American person adopted by Irish parents in the late 1700s. She educated herself in the field of medicine. When she learned her parents were able to live forever, she used her knowledge to make herself immortal as well. Blaire's birth parents were strong Haitian activists during the Haitian revolution, asking for their friends - Blaire's adoptive parents - to take care of her until they returned. Blaire has carried on their legacy and advocates for marginalized groups in every capacity she can - often forgetting to take care of herself in the process.

While I am non-binary and trans, I am a white American with no personal experience regarding Haitian politics, growing up as a Black American with white parents. I want to write a story about Blaire's character without unintentionally tokenizing or stereotyping aspects of her character. If you feel comfortable with working with me on her character storyline, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me through this website, or through Discord (smokeandash#4396). 

 Thank you, and best of luck on all of your endeavours!

  • Say something you think would fit

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 2 Submissions Apply / Audition
Writer
Writer
Sensitivity Reader (for FTM Trans, Filipino American Character)
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: saltysaltymav

This position would provide oversight and editing suggestions for the character of Jake Ramirez. Jake is a Filipino American person living with his mother (and potentially father and siblings - still developing this character). He is also a Werewolf on his father's side. In this universe, there are a variety of Beings sharing the same moniker. Jake, being part Werewolf, did not actually have the ability to transform. He was bitten by a Werewolf that was not born as such, and obtained the ability to transform. This plays into his identity in a variety of ways, including being a unique situation in and of itself in order to offer an abstract perspective on what it means to be who you are. Jake is a very kind, socially awkward person that gets flustered easily and is his own harshest critic while being incredibly lenient with the people he cares about. 

While I am AFAB, non-binary and trans, I am a white American with no personal experience regarding being raised in a Filipino household. I want to write a story about Jake's character without unintentionally tokenizing or stereotyping aspects of his character. If you feel comfortable with working with me on his character storyline, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me through this website, or through Discord (smokeandash#4396). 

 Thank you, and best of luck on all of your endeavours!

  • Say something you think would fit

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 2 Submissions Apply / Audition
Writer
Writer
Sensitivity Reader (for Black, Puerto-Rican American Character)
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: Krxptonian

This position would provide oversight and editing suggestions for the character of Andrés Rodriguez. Andres is a Black, Puerto-Rican American Dragon living with his Mom, Dad, Amma (Gender Neutral Parent), and Sister. His Dragon abilities come from his mother's side, and his Human aspects from his father. He is able to shapeshift between being Dragon and Human with no specific preference, other than to be seen as himself regardless of his form. His mom enjoys traveling often, so he's usually at home with his dad and often with his amma. His sister's character is still in early stages of development. He enjoys playing basketball and gardening, the latter of which he uses his skill for at his job as a florist. He can have a difficult time finding the right words to use in situations because of his social anxiety, but his heart is always in the right place, even if he can't figure out the right synonyms to describe it.

While I am AFAB, non-binary and trans, I am a white American with no personal experience regarding Puerto-Rican American upbringings, the experience of growing up Black in America, or the feelings of growing up in a multiracial household. I want to write a story about Andrés' character without unintentionally tokenizing or stereotyping aspects of his character. If you feel comfortable with working with me on his character storyline, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me through this website, or through Discord (smokeandash#4396). 

 Thank you, and best of luck on all of your endeavors!

  • Say something you think would fit

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 2 Submissions Apply / Audition
Writer
Writer
Sensitivity Reader (for Native American, Polish Character)
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: Kozi _Em_ pancakeofsin

This position would provide oversight and editing suggestions for the character of Jaga Gryfowicz. Jaga is a Native American, Polish Griffin living in a communal space with her family. Her parents are of Native American and Polish decent, and they live in a larger community with people from all over the world. Jaga herself is relatively reserved and prefers reading alone more often than spending time with others. She isn't anti-social, but she has a low social energy bar, so she tries to be aware of it. Jaga is also a practicing Witch and often reads books on Shadow Work in order to navigate her emotions and understand herself and her responses to her environment as deeply as possible. She's asexual and aromantic, and polyamorous (currently dating Blaire). While she doesn't have strong feelings about her gender, she is learning how to express herself with her partner in the context of a queer platonic partnership.

While I am non-binary and trans, I am a white American with no personal experience regarding Native American traditions, Polish ancestry, growing up in multiracial households, or nuanced discussions of cultural appropriation in Native American culture. I want to write a story about Jaga's character without unintentionally tokenizing or stereotyping aspects of her character. If you feel comfortable with working with me on her character storyline, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me through this website, or through Discord (smokeandash#4396). 

 Thank you, and best of luck on all of your endeavors!

  • Say something you think would fit

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 3 Submissions Apply / Audition
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