Owl’s Eye, the beginning of a visual novel universe(Visual Artist Needed)
Project Overview
“Da thymi nesse the Dhu”-The inscription of the church gates of Mawnan Smith, “It is good to draw nigh to the Lord”
“Owl’s Eye” is a supernatural thriller that follows the adventures of the handsome and mysterious butler, Anselm Godwin, as he travels to Victorian Era Cornwall and serves the Faustus Family. He may at first seem like a good-looking servant - but in reality, he isn’t human at all. In truth, Anselm is actually an owl-like kaijin created by an evil satanic cult called "Verum" and it's UK branch, “The Circle of Leonard” to infiltrate and the Faustus Family and its head, Count Dagny Faustus - a former member of the cult before he gave up his life of darkness and started a family, adding insult to injury by telling the local church all of the cult’s machinations and plots. As the story begins, Anselm merely puts on the cheerful and kind act as a facade as he plans to enact his master’s revenge on Dagny. But as he interacts with Dagny’s family, notably his son Leo, and the friend's Count Faustus works with, he begins to evolve beyond what he was created to do, beginning to question his purpose and soon developing a conscience. Soon he gets orders from the head of the Circle, High-Priest Cromwell, to bring Leo to him to be a sacrifice to the cult in his mother’s place as Dagny’s punishment. Will Anselm heed his creator’s command and turn Leo away from his family? Or will he turn his back on the very force that created him?
Owl's Eye is the beginning of a fictional storytelling universe inspired by the works of Shotaro Ishinomori combined with a more optimistic take on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
Link to the outline of Owl's Eye pitch so far! --> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GTj0vUx2ToH0AKxSaGq4VbLgYUs7LJLm-uoAShI4JD0/edit?usp=sharing
art of Anslem and Cromwell is done by Lightning-In-My-Hand on Twitter! --> https://twitter.com/LIMH_Art
Future installments
Fox and Rabbit - Late Meiji Period Japan, follows two youkai, a Gyokuto(Jade Rabbit) name Aina Natsuki who works as a Medicine Woman, and her friend, a pink Kitsune named Miyako Momoka who works as a Geisha, with the aid of a missionary, hunt down a cult that has been unleashing monsters in parts of Japan
The Spiders Dance - 1900s Ghanna The son of the Spider Hero Anansi, Berko Chidubem aka "See Trouble", working in a village as a tailor decides to take matters into his own hands when demonic forces terrorize Ghanna
Crane's Curse -1900s Sleepy Hollow, the second Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane must confront his personal demons and the original Headless Horseman if he wishes to be free to leave the town
Son of Clay-1900s Prague where the legendary Golem, Josef, awakens after being struck by lightning and gaining sentience and speech and finds the town attacked large brutish monsters made of various materials, and must take it upon himself with the aid of an eccentric rabbi and grumpy priest to find and destroy the source of this menace
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Need of help in conceptulaizing, improving, and editing the story. If you have experience as a writer and editor, that would be greatly appreciated!
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Anyone good at making comics, character design, and color and flexible with script format would be great!
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The main protagonist of the story, Anselm is an owl-like creature, a "Neo-Human", created by the Circle of Leonard with black magic. However, the only thing that could give him life was a soul - an ingredient supplied by one of the human souls the cult collected from their sacrificial rituals. Once they gave one of these souls to the gargoyle, the cult brought Anselm to life and designated him as “creature.” He was sent to pose as a butler for hire so he can get close to the Faust Family to get close and target the most precious thing Dagny and his wife loved, that being their son Leo. At first he only maintained a pleasant disposition as a means to get close to the family. But as he interacts with them, their friends, and a wise monk who runs the local Abbey, Anselm starts regaining memories of his past life and begins to question if he should follow his orders or disobey his creator Cromwell and become something more.
For his voice I'm hoping for a Welsh or Cornish accent combined with a voice kinda like Paul Mccgan's 8th Doctor from Doctor Who --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpKrl41TrjU
(Introduces himself) "Anslem, Anslem Godwin sir. You are looking for a new butler for hire is that correct?"
(confronting a Kaijin, painfully grunts and growls while transforming into true form, hisses like an Owl) "I have orders from High-Brother Cromwell to end you...you are endangering the target..."
(Questioning Cromwell) "High-Brother Cromwell, if May insist. Brother Dagny seemed very regretful with what he had done...he said it was wrong...maybe there was a good reason for him to leave? Maybe Humanity isn't so-" (gets viciously electrocuted by lightninig and cries out in pain and pants)(Cromwell: NEVER question our cause or speak in favor of humanity again, do you understand?! DO YOU!?) "Y-yes Cromwell *coughs* f-forgive me..."
(hearing Leo's cries for help as he's about to be sacrificed, emotional and distress) "No...no!" (transforms into true form and rage and attacks the cult members) "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Cromwell: Creature! What are you doing!?) (Anslem angry and emotional) "NO MORE! NO MORE! I CANNOT DO THIS ANYMORE!!! This...this is wrong! It's all wrong! You took me as a child, you...you made me ashamed of being human...you...you tried to turn me into a weapon, a monster! And now your trying to do that to Leo, like what you to did to the others! I...I won't let you do this anymore! My body may be monstrous, but my soul is human, MY SOUL IS HUMAN!!!! I WANT TO BE HUMAN!!!!"
Anselm's creator and the leader of the Circle of Leonard, a branch of a much larger syndicate of black magic practitioners called “Verum” that serves one who is known as “The High-Leader”. Manipulative and deceptive, Cromwell in public appears as a frail old man, often looking for troubled young and old folk to join his cult disguising it as something akin to a puritan group in which he slowly fills their minds with lies about the Catholic Church, their families, and welcoming love to their circles which he then later has them join the circle completely or offer them up as a virgin sacrifice to "The Secret God." He is rather conceited and sure about his plan, seeing Anslem as nothing more than a talking animal to serve him. He speaks with him via telepathy and often scolds him for having the “wrong thoughts” and “wrong feelings” about the family insisting that there was no good reason for Dagny to betray them and how the Church is “The Enemy”. He only answers to The High-Leader who he speaks to with his cauldron.
His voice is I imagine something along the lines like Terry Molloy's Davros minus the filter --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skPJ2Qx8VxM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0L5SeobRp4 at 2:51 to 3:10 and 4:11 to 4:31
(creating Anslem, pulling out a soul in a bottle) “I have been saving this one for something special…he was so gullible in falling into my trap those decades ago, he will be gullible and innocent enough to obey me.” (smirks at the soul) “Won’t you, my dear boy?”
(speaking with the High Leader) "But my lord! Dagny has gravely pushed back our operations when he exposed us to the church! If we do not deal with him now-(gets yelled at) Yes...my lord..."
(Enraged with Anslem's betrayal) You...you...YOU BRAT! You are just like all the others, you act sophisticated and composed but your nothing but the same useless sniviling brat Dagny brought to me! Using your soul, what was I thinking! (transforming into a goat kaijin) I should have just killed you and fed your corpse to the others when you were brought to me! (Goat Kaijin form) For your treachery, YOU SHALL DIE!!!!! (Roars and lunges at Anselm)
(In monster form gets lifted up by Anslem) AGH! PUT ME DOWN! CREATURE PUT ME DOWN! I CREATED YOU! I AM YOUR MASTER! KILL ME AND YOU WILL BE WITHOUT PURPOSE! CREATURE! CREATURE!
(Anslem: MY NAME. IS ANSELM GODWIN!!!!)
(Throws Cromwell off the ledge into the cauldron and Cromwell screams as he falls to his death)
The head of the Faustus Family and one of the deuteragonists of the story, Dagny was originally the second-in-command of the Circle of Leonard. He originally was sent to find a virgin woman to sacrifice in one of their rituals, but instead he fell in love with the woman he meant to kidnap. Experiencing faith and love for the first time in a long while, Dagny turned his back on the cult and converted, while also informing the local church of the circle’s operations - forcing the cult to flee into the highlands in an old abandoned castle. A kind man with a very forgiving personality, as well as a good husband and father, he treats Anselm along with the other servants with kindness and compassion and even discloses his darkest secrets with him besides his wife
"Ah yes, Anslem, this is my wife Mercedes and this our son Leo, Leo this is Anslem Godwin, he's going to be our butler!"
(Disclosing to Anselm in secret) "*sighs* I fear Leo's morbid curiosity is my fault...you see...I was part of a very...sick...twisted...cult known as The Circle of Leonard...a branch of larger and far more sinister society...that partook in the most Godless, macabre, and blasphemous things. Human sacrifice...human transmutation...the things I've done Anslem...I should be hanged for the things I've done...when I first meant Mercedes was meant to be a virgin sacrifice...and before...oh God...I even sacrificed a child...a boy who I picked up from an orphanage and promised to be his father...he was but 10 years old Anselm...and now the Circle is coming after my family for what I've done...the Church promised us protection, but how long can they?
"Please Anslem! Do not do this! Cromwell is just using you and once he gets his revenge he's going to discard and kill you! I'll offer my life if that will please you! I did this to you! I was the one who fetched you for Cromwell! I deserve this!"
The wife of Dagny Faustus, Mercedes was meant to be a virgin sacrifice for the Circle of Leonard, but her kindness and her faith managed to reach the heart of Dagny and turn him from his dark ways. Her own kindness radiates like the sun, and she always shows good faith to others, especially her son and servants.
(Meeting Anslem for the first time) "Oh my goodness! Aren't you handsome! A spry young man looking for work, I'm sure you'll just fit right in here!
(protectively holding Leo from the Kaijin trying to take him, scared and desperate) "Keep away from my boy! You didn't take me, nor are you going to take him!"
(Presenting Anslem with new clothes before his departure) "I made some clothes for you. Given what you are I thought these would suit you. It's not much but I've packed some more for you." (Embraces him, emotional) "Thank you...thank you so much for saving our boy Anslem...despite what Dagny did to you..."
The 15-year-old son of Dagny and Mercedes. Leo is an intelligent young man who has aspirations of becoming a writer of ghost stories and fantasy novels. Unlike the rest of his family, Leo prefers the more dark and mysterious things of life. He has a thing for horror novels, legends, and creatures such as bats or snakes. While he knows his parents mean well, he gets rather irritated with their taste of brightness being pushed onto him. As he befriends Anslem, Leo starts to investigate who and what he is and, by consequence, learns about the dark secret of his parents’ past.
"My parents mean well, it just feels like they're smothering me. I just like spooky things thats all! *frustrated sigh* What about you Anslem? What were your parents like?"
(defying Cromwell) "No! I know my family had been smothering me, but it was done with good intentions! Especially now I know they were protecting me from a freak like you! I'm not going to be one of your freaky experiments! You can SOD OFF!"
(emotional as Anslem is about to leave for America) "But...you...you cant go! I just got to know you! And you've been really helpful around the mansion! It's not fair you have to leave, you just found a home after everything that's happened to you!" (Anslem comforts him and he sniffs) "Okay...alright...don't forget us okay?"
These are voices for random extras in the story. Cult members, townsfolk, clergy, etc
(Merchant) Good afternoon Lord Faustus, hows the misses and son doing?
(Cult member) All hail the High-Leader! Praise to the Secret God!
(Clergmen) Cardnial Dio, the owl, he's here.
Anslem is sent not only to capture the son of Dagny, but also deal with the defective Kaijin that came before him with only a Snake Kaijin the only one still loyal to the Circle
(Wolf Kaijin, paranoid schizophrenic) "Why...why do this to me...can't stop the killing...can't stop the rage...AND I DON'T WANT TO!!!!"
(Bull Kaijin, severely injured) "You fool...to be superior to humanity...is to be inferior to nature!"
(Snake Kaijin, scolding Anslem) You had been doing a shoddy job of dealing with the defectives quietly! The Wolf had Scottland Yard snooping about, the Bull had Priests and nuns sniffing all over the place! Now your going all soft with the family! THE ENEMY! Not to mention how you mouthed off to the master! Your dangerously close to treason!
A friendly monk who runs the church in Mawnan, Tully is a friend of the family and is one of the people who reach out to Anslem and tells him what it means to be human
(Answering Anslem's question) "What it means to be human? Hmmmmm...well, in the book of Genesis 1:26, the Lord said "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." and that's what it means to be human, to be made in God's image. (Anslem: So we look like God?) "Oh no *chuckles* that's the biggest mistake many make when reading the bible. We don't literally *look* like God, to be made in God's likeness well...God creates things, he creates music with nature, he makes stories with history, he feels love for his creations and he tends to the Earth. We create by bearing offspring, make music with instruments, we make storys with words, and we make art. We tend to the earth by faming and raising animals, and most of all we love and care for each other. Humanity is kindness, compassion, emotion, and culture. Thats what it truly means!"
(comforting Anselm after he confesses everything) "But you chose to do the right thing, you saved Leo and have come to me...Anslem, you are already forgiven..."
(offering the letter to Anselm) "There are others like you out there Anslem, not in origin, but creatures also made in God's image, and like you, they want to stop these people...please take the offer...I know you want to use this power to help people"
a cult member of the Circle of Leonnard, small, rat like, and with a nasally voice. Hutch is a coward and is the first one to suspect Anselm's betrayal
And he is sure that this will work this time? Remember the last ones we created? Now they’re running around causing a ruckus, if the Church tracks them back to us I doubt we will be able to stay anywhere in her Majesty’s empire.
I'm telling ya Arnold! That owl can't be trusted! Did ya hear what it said? "Maybe humanity isn't so bad." I'm telling ya Arnold, this was a BAD idea, that thing is gonna do Cromwell in it will! Let's just have the creature nab the brat, then we kill it after, and be done with it!
(fleeing the Castle with Arnold escaping Anselm's rampage) I TOLD YA ARNOLD! I TOLD YOU BUT NONE OF YA LISTEN TO ME! OH NO YOU KNEW DIDN'T YA? THAT MONSTER IS LOYAL, IT WON'T TURN ON US! OH NO NOT AT ALL! NOBODY LISTENS TO ME!
another cult member of the Circle and counterpart to Hutch, large, burly, and gruff. Arnold is more willing to follow along plans even if they go down south.
I’d bite my tongue if I were you Hutch! The instructions were given to Cromwell by the High-Leader himself, this one is definitely going to obey us! You'll see!
It's got a soul of a kid Hutch, of course its gonna say stupid stuff. It aint gonna betray us, now quit ya worryin and help me with fillin' up the bloody cauldron!
(grabbing Anselm and trying to stop his rampage) Stop it! You stupid-down boy! Heal! Sit! Quit it! Ya only making it worse for yaself! (gets picked up) Whoah-wha-Oi! Put me down! (gets thrown across the castle) Agh! Bollocks! (Hutch: I told you!) AH SHUT UP, HUTCH!
Cromwell's right hand man, speaks with a strong English accent. While loyal to Cromwell, he isn't as naive as Arnold, but neither is he cowardly as Hutch.
What took you so long Hutch!? The ritual is starting to take effect! High-Brother Cromwell is waiting for us!
High-Brother, The High-Leader wishes to speak with you. He sounds...impatient, I think you should better explain to him what's going on with the recent creation. Lying won't do us any good.
(trying to stop Anselm, firm and strict) Creature! Stop it! Cease this outrageous fit of hysteria immediately! (Anselm grabs him and Hyde struggles) You do not defy us! Do you not understand!? WE MADE YOU! (Anslem stabs him with his claws and Hyde screams as he dies)
A mysterious being who appears before Cromwell from his cauldron, he appears to be draped in long black robes with a high collar and red trimmings and a black capirote with a large eye painted on it and wearing a medallion bearing the cult’s insignia, I kinda would like for his voice to sound dignified and refined but also have an echo, kinda like Skull from Cyborg 009 minus the cheesiness here's a reference --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_v9UCFWRk
(Impatient with Cromwell) I gave you those instructions in order to begin the next phase of Neo-humans, and yet this one is showing signs of disobedience. Not to mention your using him for petty revenge when he should be spending more time eliminating the defectives! (Cromwell: High Leader, Dagny was the one who revealed us to the Church-) THAT WAS OF YOUR OWN FOLLLY AND YOU KNOW IT! If the owl goes rogue, I will not be there to help you. Deal with this problem, or you will reap what you had sown!
(apparition appearing in the Faustus Manor after Anslem returns) Well well well...my assumptions were correct, Cromwell's pitiful personal vendetta costed the Branch...no matter...I have hundreds of disciples across the globe...(looking at Anslem) and you...fortunately you were not the only 3rd Phase Neo-Human I created...(turning to Dagny and his family) as for you, well, I honestly have no real interest with you, nobody outside of the Church will believe what you say...good night everyone...I have work to do
Soon we will supplant mankind with a new humanity and from it will Utopia will be achieved...Ave Verum
Need to compose an original soundtrack! Anyone who could would be great! If possible I was kinda hoping for a Danny Elfman kind of soundtrack!
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Just need of some female extras as well
(Girls giggling and gossiping about Anselm's good looks)
(horrified shriek, hysterical) It's horrible! I seen it! The monsters, they're real! I saw one on our farm! It was killing and eating our livestock! It tried to kill my husband! It's the devils work! Cornwall is cursed!
(a nun speaking with Friar Tully, urgent) Friar I had faith in your judgement before, but I cannot see the logic in this! If that butler is what you think he is then we need to warn the count, countess, *AND* bishop immediately! The boy could be in grave danger!
The thing about the Kaijin, Anslem Included, is they have monster roars, growls, and hisses if anyone is good at making creature sounds, come and apply!
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