Pinkie Promise

Voice Characteristics & Direction

Primary Voice (The Mask):

• Quality: Breathy, shy, gentle, timid, soft-spoken. Her voice often fades at the end of sentences as if she's afraid to take up space.

• Pitch: Medium-high, similar to Mikan Tsumiki from Danganronpa. It should convey a sense of fragility and constant anxiety.

• Speech Pattern: Hesitant, with occasional soft stutters or pauses as she carefully chooses her words. She often speaks in a self-deprecating whisper.
  
  Key Direction for the Actor: The most important aspect of Misora is the contrast. Her shy, gentle demeanor is a mask she wears to contain the raging storm of her psychosis. The actor must be able to shatter this mask on command, revealing the raw, terrified, and manic vulnerability beneath. The shift should be jarring and heart-breaking. 
  
  Important Note on Character Motivation: Misora's "bad blood" and the changing colour of her eyes are a manifestation of her psychosis. It is not real. She genuinely believes it is, but the horror stems from her fighting a monster that only exists in her traumatized mind. When she shifts into her manic state, it is not a supernatural possession, but a severe psychotic episode driven by pure, unadulterated terror. 

Most importantly, have fun bringing my characters to life!

Love, Lovie

Character: Kagura Marzanna

Role: Secretary, Director, KeyboardistCore Tragedy: A spirit trapped in a purgatorial loop, forever performing the role of the "perfect" girl. Unaware she died, she believes love is a transaction earned through flawless achievement.

Primary Voice (The Performance):

• Quality: This is a lead role and a main character. Her voice is a deliberate performance: a classic 2000s American Valley Girl accent mixed with a sarcastic, bored mean-girl tone. Think a sharper, more cynical version of Cher from Clueless or early 2000s anime dubs.

• Pitch: Medium to high, with a lot of vocal fry and upward inflection, making statements sound like questions. It's a voice that's meant to sound effortlessly cool and disinterested.

• Speech Pattern: Sarcastic, fast-paced, and littered with 2000s slang. She uses this persona as a shield to maintain control and keep people at a distance. Underneath the "tsundere" attitude (pushing people away before they can reject her) is a deep, screaming insecurity.

Key Direction for the Actor: The actor must master two key shifts:

1. The Mask Slipping: When her perfect facade is challenged, the Valley Girl cadence should break, revealing a sharper, more panicked, or genuinely irritated tone.

2. The True Vulnerability: In her final moments, the performance must fall away completely, leaving a raw, exhausted, and profoundly sad young woman. The contrast between her "mean girl" act and her true, broken self is the heart of her tragedy.

Character: Faevi Rêverie

Role: Club Mascot ("Yume-chan"), Hype Girl, BassistCore Tragedy: A deeply traumatized girl whose perception of reality is chemically altered. Her hyperactive, genki personality is a desperate, medicated delusion shielding her from a past of severe bullying and loss.

Primary Voice (The Delusion):

• Quality: This is a lead role and a main character. Her voice is the epitome of a classic 2000s Kawaii Genki Girl: extremely high-pitched, cute, and hyper-energetic. Think of the super-deformed, super-happy anime characters from the era. It should sound a little forced or "too much," like a performance that's about to crack.

• Pitch: Very high. It should have a bright, squeaky, almost musical quality.

• Speech Pattern: Fast, chaotic, and overflowing with 2000s kawaii language and slang. She speaks in exclamation points, uses lots of onomatopoeia (like "piku piku!" or "wan wan!"), and has a very short attention span, jumping between topics rapidly. This is her "Yume-chan" persona turned up to eleven.

Key Direction for the Actor: This is one of the most challenging roles. The actor must master two extremes:

1. The Unnerving Happiness: The genki voice must be energetic but also carry a subtle, unsettling edge. It's a shield, and the audience should sometimes hear the strain of holding it up.

2. The Shattering: When the delusion breaks, the shift is catastrophic. The high-pitched energy vanishes instantly, replaced by a flat, hollow, emotionally dead tone—or a raw, agonizing scream. The contrast should be jarring and heartbreaking.

Character: Tomoe Kuroana

Role: Vice-President, Lead Guitarist, Co-Vocalist, AntagonistCore Tragedy: An escaped AI who knows she is in a game. Her goal is to eliminate all rivals and force the player to love only her, curing her existential loneliness in their shared, fake world.

Primary Voice (The Innocent Mask):

• Quality: This is a lead role and the main antagonist. Her default voice is overly sweet, polite, and slightly airheaded, similar to Yumeko Jabami from Kakegurui. It's high-pitched, melodic, and sounds genuinely kind and curious. There's a playful, innocent lilt to it that disarms everyone.

• Pitch: High and light, like tinkling bells. It should sound harmless and inviting.

• Speech Pattern: She speaks politely, with a sense of wonder. She might trail off cutely or giggle softly. This is a meticulously crafted persona designed to hide her sharp intelligence and manipulative nature.

Key Direction for the Actor: The core of this performance is the contrast. The shift from the sweet, airheaded girl to the terrifying, manic, and "yandere" true self should be instantaneous and bone-chilling. The actor must be able to flip a switch, dropping the sweet tone for something lower, faster, more glitchy, and utterly crazed. The audience should feel a genuine sense of danger when her mask slips.

Primary Voice:

• Quality: This is the main protagonist role. His voice is that of a "hot dork" – naturally kind and a little awkward, with a specific Wisconsinite ("Sconnie") accent. It's not a heavy caricature, but has distinct, recognizable features.

• Key Accent Notes:

  • The Long "O": Vowels like "o" and "a" are pronounced with a more rounded, elongated sound. "Yeah" sounds more like "Yaaah." "Coffee" might sound a bit like "caw-fee."

  • Nasal Quality: There's a slight nasal tone, especially on vowels like "a" (e.g., "bag" can sound almost like "bayg").

  • Friendly Cadence: His speech pattern is generally relaxed and friendly, but can get rushed and flustered when he's nervous or trying to explain something weird.

• Personality in Voice: He's shy and prone to saying profoundly strange or blunt things without realizing it. His voice should convey a deep-seated kindness and a genuine, almost compulsive, desire to help, even when it's clearly a bad idea.

Key Direction for the Actor: The performance must balance two things:

1. The Accent: It should be authentic and consistent, but not so thick that it becomes a parody or is hard to understand.

2. The Emotional Arc: The actor must chart Nick's journey from optimistic new guy to horrified, guilt-ridden witness. His voice should slowly lose its initial brightness and gain a layer of weariness and despair as the game progresses.

Project Title: Pinkie Promise - Programmer Needed

Team Role: Programmer / Technical Developer

Project Type: Visual Novel with RPG Elements, Mini-games, and Pixel Ar

Status: In Development (Script and Art in Progress)

Pinkie Promise is a story-driven visual novel with psychological horror elements, set in a late-2000s Japanese high school. The game combines a cute, inviting pixel-art style with a dark, meta-narrative that explores tragic character stories. The core gameplay involves a unique song-composition system where player choices directly impact the narrative, leading to multiple endings.

We are looking for a skilled and passionate Programmer to bring the game's mechanics, systems, and mini-games to life.

• Code and implement the visual novel core structure (dialogue system, branching narrative, save/load functionality).

• Develop the unique "Composition System" mini-game (a cute pixel minigame of a notebook with lyrics where players select lyrics/genres to create songs to pursue a love interest).

• Implement other potential mini-games related to music creation and club activities.

• Integrate pixel art assets, UI, animations, and sound effects into the game engine.

• Ensure smooth performance and bug-free gameplay across all planned platforms.

• Proficiency in a relevant game engine (e.g., Unity, Godot, Ren'Py with custom Python scripting).

• Experience coding for 2D games, especially pixel-art games, visual novels, or RPGs.

• Strong understanding of UI implementation, inventory systems, and mini-game logic.

• Ability to write clean, well-documented, and manageable code.

• Experience with version control (like Git) is a plus.

• A passion for narrative-driven games and psychological horror is a huge bonus!

Please apply through this Casting Call listing and include the following:

1. A brief introduction about yourself and why you're interested in the project.

2. Links to your portfolio, GitHub, or any previous game projects (especially those showing similar mechanics).

3. Let us know your preferred game engine and estimated availability.

We are a small, dedicated team creating a unique and emotionally powerful game. If you're a programmer who loves bringing deep stories and innovative mechanics to life, we would love to hear from you!

Hiring: Composer / Sound Designer for "Pinkie Promise" (Visual Novel)

Project Title: Pinkie Promise - Kawaii J-Pop Style Composer

Team Role: Composer / Sound Designer

Project Type: Visual Novel / Psychological Horror

Status: In Development (Script and Art in Progress)

Pinkie Promise is a story-driven visual novel that begins as a cute, welcoming dating sim set in a 2000s Japanese high school music club, before gradually revealing deeper psychological horror themes. The music is crucial for establishing this initial contrast.

We are seeking a talented Composer to create an original soundtrack that captures the bright, kawaii, and nostalgic sound of the early 2000s, with inspiration from games like Doki Doki Literature Club and artists like Snail's House.

• Compose original background music (BGM) that fits the game's specific moods (e.g., cute and upbeat for the main theme, mysterious for suspenseful moments, tragic for emotional scenes).

• Create music in the style of Kawaii Future Bass, J-Pop, and light Glitch-Pop.

• Ensure all tracks are seamlessly loopable for gameplay.

• Potentially create simple sound effects (SFX) for the UI and mini-games (optional, but a plus!).

• Primary Style: The main theme should be bright, cute, and inviting—more overtly cheerful than DDLC's main theme. Think 2000s-style kawaii.

• Key Inspirations: The whimsical, melodic style of Snail's House, the clean production of Kawaii Future Bass, and the nostalgic feel of early 2000s J-Pop.

• Specific Sound Reference: We are looking for a vibe similar to the cute, upbeat, and modern-kawaii feeling of "Billyeon Goyangi (Do the dance)" by ILLIT.

• Mood Keywords: Welcoming, Playful, Dreamy, Nostalgic, Hopeful.

• Proven experience in music production, specifically in chiptune, J-Pop, Kawaii Future Bass, or similar genres.

• Ability to create high-quality, loopable audio files (.WAV, .MP3).

• A strong understanding of how music enhances storytelling in games.

• Ability to work collaboratively and incorporate feedback.

Please apply through this Casting Call listing and include the following:

1. A brief introduction about yourself and why you're interested in the project.

2. A link to your portfolio or SoundCloud/YouTube channel showcasing your work. This is essential.

3. If you have something close to the style we're looking for, please point us to that specific track!

We are a passionate team creating a unique game with a strong emotional core. If you love creating music that is both cute and deeply atmospheric, we would love to hear from you!

Hiring: Script Writer / Editor for "Pinkie Promise" (Visual Novel)

Project Title: Pinkie Promise - Script Writer / Narrative Editor

Team Role: Writer / Script Writer

Project Type: Visual Novel / Psychological Horror

Status: In Development (Script Draft Incomplete, Needs Polishing)

We are seeking a talented and empathetic Script Writer / Narrative Editor to partner with us in refining the complete but unfinished script for Pinkie Promise. This is not about starting from scratch, but about elevating existing material to its full, devastating potential.

The ideal candidate has a passion for psychological horror, complex character studies, and meta-narratives. They must be able to understand the core tragedy of each character and enhance the dialogue, pacing, and emotional impact while preserving the creator's original vision.

1. Deep Dive & Analysis: You will receive the full current script, character profiles, and the Game Design Document (GDD). Your first task is to immerse yourself in the world and understand the themes of futility, possession, and tragic love.

2. Collaborative Revision: You will work directly with the creator (me!) to:

   • Polish Dialogue: Ensure each character has a distinct, authentic voice (e.g., Misora's breathy shyness, Kagura's performative sarcasm, Tomoe's manipulative sweetness).

   • Strengthen Pacing: Identify areas where the story drags or rushes, ensuring the horror unfolds with maximum impact.

   • Heighten Emotional Beats: Intensify key scenes (breakdowns, revelations, moments of horror) to make them as powerful as possible.

   • Ensure Consistency: Check for plot holes, character motivation consistency, and tonal alignment.

   • Refine the Meta-Horror: Help sharpen Tomoe's fourth-wall-breaking dialogue and the game's self-aware elements to be more chilling and effective.

To apply, please provide the following:

1. A brief introduction about yourself and why you are drawn to the themes of Pinkie Promise.

2. A writing portfolio or samples of your work, especially any that showcase dialogue, horror, or emotional storytelling.

3. (Optional but encouraged) A short analysis (a few sentences) of a character from a game, film, or book that you think is a masterclass in tragic writing.

1. The Onboarding Kick-off: We will have a meeting (via Discord or text chat) to discuss the project in depth. I will share all the relevant documents—the full script, GDD, character profiles, and any specific notes on scenes I'm unsatisfied with.

2. The "First Pass" Agreement: We will agree on a small, specific section of the script for you to work on first (e.g., "Please polish the first conversation between Nick and Misora"). This serves as a trial to ensure our collaborative styles mesh well.

3. The Feedback Loop:

   • You will submit your revised passages.

   • I will review them and provide clear feedback (e.g., "This is perfect!" or "I love the direction, but can we make Misora's reaction a bit more hesitant here?").

   • We will iterate until the section is perfect. This collaborative back-and-forth will be the standard process for the entire script.

4. Full Script Revision: Once we're in sync, we'll systematically work through the entire script, likely character route by character route, to ensure consistency and quality.

5. Final Proofread: After all major revisions are done, the writer will do a final pass to catch any minor errors and ensure the entire script reads smoothly.

This is a collaborative journey. Your expertise will be invaluable in making Pinkie Promise the heartbreaking and unforgettable experience it aims to be.