The Manor - An Original, Emotional, and Lore Driven Story

Overview

The Manor is a story-driven, emotionally mature lore project set within a surreal, timeless sanctuary that exists between worlds. Its purpose is to foster healing, self-discovery, and emotional growth through storytelling — not through combat or spectacle.

We are currently building a short animatic to set tone and atmosphere, but we’re also opening the door to one original creator to become the first external resident of the Manor.

You’ll be part of a long-term narrative collaboration, where your character will be woven into the setting’s metaphysical rules, spiritual tone, and psychological themes. Think less action-adventure, more emotional arc meets surreal slice-of-life.

We’re seeking one serious, respectful creative who:

• Owns a completely original character (no fandoms, no derivative alternate universes, no parodies)

• Can emotionally align their character with The Manor’s tone (growth, healing, introspection, mystery)

• Is excited about a long-form, lore-driven collaborative project

• Can develop or adapt their character’s lore to integrate within the Manor’s world without disrupting existing metaphysics

• Belong entirely to you (no existing IP, no borrowed world elements)

• Be emotionally complex — no gag/parody/one-note characters

• Fit within the project’s core rules (no active magic inside the Manor, no violence, no power fantasy, no “edge for edge’s sake”)

• Collaborative development alongside the project lead and other creators

• Full creative credit for your character and their arc

• Potential inclusion in future animatics, scripts, lore documents, and narrative events

• A chance to showcase your character in a refined, emotionally resonant setting

Please submit the following:

1. A brief bio of your character (1–2 paragraphs)

2. Key emotional themes or story arcs you'd like to explore

3. Why you think your character fits The Manor

4. Any links to previous works or stories involving them

5. Visual references if available (optional)

6. A link to your art portfolio (optional)

We take IP integrity seriously. Your character will remain your own, and you will always have final say on how they are used within the project. However, to protect the integrity of the Manor’s lore, you must be open to collaborative edits or reinterpretations where necessary.

Overview

We’re seeking a wardrobe-focused concept artist to develop visual references for Yumi, the current protagonist of The Manor. Her clothing reflects not just her style, but her emotional state, history, and symbolic role in the story.

This is a focused design role, perfect for artists who enjoy fashion-inspired fantasy, intimacy through silhouette, and character-first wardrobe storytelling. These concepts will help guide our storyboarding and animation direction for the animatic.

With further development of the story, she will need new designs as she travels to different worlds.

Yumi’s closet is walk-in and magically attuned to her preferences — everything in it reflects a balance of vulnerability, elegance, and confidence.

Core elements include:

• Convertible lingerie-inspired sets with matching sheer skirts, stockings, and accessories

• Chokers, body chains, and occasional thigh-high heels

• Color palette: soft blacks, greys, whites, jewel tones (especially amethyst, blush pink, lavender, violet)

• Capelets, sheer formalwear, and occasional layered fabrics with flowing lines

• Outfits that evoke emotional intimacy, not overt sexuality — think symbolic, not flashy

Yumi herself has a strong connection to flowers, cats, lace, and twilight light — these motifs may appear subtly in the wardrobe design.

• Artists with experience in fashion illustration, character design, or costume concepting

• Able to blend modern lingerie aesthetics with soft fantasy elements

• Strong sense of texture, layering, and symbolism in clothing

• Comfortable working from a detailed brief with mood references

• Bonus: Familiarity with emotionally expressive, feminine silhouettes

• One refined outfit concept

• Loose sketch thumbnails for feedback before rendering

• Reference board or inspiration images encouraged but not required

Please submit the following:

1. A brief description of your art background

2. Links to your portfolio or past work

3. Reason why you're interested (optional)

Overview

We’re looking for a Storyboard Artist to help visually shape the first look into The Manor — a narrative-focused, emotionally rich story set in a surreal, magic-free sanctuary between worlds. This pilot will be a short, dialogue-free animatic that introduces our lead character, Yumi, and the mysterious world she inhabits.

You’ll be working from a concept and mood-first approach, with space to interpret and experiment, supported by active feedback.

• Clean or loose sketching style (even rough lines and flat colors are welcome)

• Ability to capture emotion through posture, pacing, and blocking

• Strong visual storytelling instincts — no script, but you’ll be working with theme, mood, and moment-to-moment feeling

• Collaborative mindset; you're open to feedback and back-and-forth discussion

• Bonus: Experience with animatics, cinematography, or scene blocking

• Estimated scene length: 2–3 minutes (~100–150 panels expected depending on style)

• Timeline: Flexible; project goal is ~2–3 months

• No rigid deadlines, but we’ll use checkpoints and maintain active communication

• You’ll get priority Discord access and a collaborative workspace with the team

We’re flexible — PNGs, compiled clips, or storyboards with basic timing/notes are all welcome. We’ll ensure the final format works with the animation team.

Please submit the following:

1. A brief description of your art background

2. Links to your portfolio or past work

3. Reason why you're interested (optional)

We’re looking for a Rough Animator to help bring emotional weight and rhythm to The Manor, a visual storytelling project set in a quiet, otherworldly sanctuary outside time. This is a short-form animatic (no clean-up, no lip-syncing, no fully polished animation) — just enough movement to breathe life into characters and environment.

You’ll be working from evolving storyboards, alongside other artists and the director, to shape the final visual flow.

• Experience with basic 2D motion (camera pans, zooms, slow gestures, ambient movement)

• Optional: minor character actions (walking, hair shifts, head turns) — if you're comfortable

• Sense of pacing and emotional storytelling without dialogue

• Comfortable with rough animation and expressive, unfinished visuals

• Collaborative mindset; you’ll work with a storyboard artist and project lead through active check-ins

Think quiet, deliberate, introspective — Every motion should mean something.

• Scene length: 2–3 minutes

• Timeline: Flexible; project goal is ~2–3 months

• Output: Scene-based renders for feedback; full render at final milestone

• Tool-agnostic (use what you’re most comfortable with)

Please submit the following:

1. A brief description of your animation background

2. Links to your portfolio or past work

3. Reason why you're interested (optional)

Overview

We’re looking for a Writer / Narrative Editor to co-develop and refine the story for The Manor, a lore-rich, emotionally driven animatic with no dialogue and heavy symbolic weight.

You’ll be working closely with the project lead to help:

• Identify plot holes or inconsistencies

• Offer new ideas and directions for emotional arcs or structure

• Maintain tone, lore integrity, and narrative cohesion across scenes

You will be trusted with deep access to world lore, so discretion, respect for world rules, and clear communication are critical.

• Help evolve scene outlines and emotional arcs for a short, 2–3 minute animatic

• Suggest solutions for weak or unclear story points

• Collaborate with the director to enhance or challenge creative choices

• Ensure each moment communicates clearly through visuals (no spoken dialogue)

• Create or revise outline briefs to pass to artists

• Strong narrative instincts — especially in character-based storytelling

• Experience editing or co-writing visual or script-based work (preferred)

• Familiarity with quiet, introspective, lore-driven storytelling (e.g. Ghibli, indie animation, surreal fantasy)

• Clear communication style — able to challenge ideas constructively, not defensively

• Comfortable with worldbuilding documents and tonal nuance

• Bonus: Sensitivity to symbolism and emotional pacing

• You’ll receive access to existing lore, tone guides, and any early script/scene notes

• All direction and decisions go through the project lead, but your input will actively shape the narrative

• Feedback will be delivered conversationally via Discord and during collaborative check-ins

• Flexible pacing, but we’ll use internal checkpoints to stay aligned

Please submit the following:

1. A brief description of your writing background

2. Links to your portfolio or past work

3. Reason why you're interested (optional)

Overview

We’re seeking a Composer / Sound Designer to craft the emotional backbone of The Manor, a mood-driven, dialogue-free short animatic set in a surreal sanctuary between worlds. Since we’re not using words, the music and sound will carry the emotional and narrative beats of the story.

This is a chance to build a textured, expressive, and atmospheric soundscape — anything from piano, lofi, soft classical, jazz, R&B-inspired rhythms, or ambient tones is fair game. If your genre or choice is not listed above, feel free to apply anyways.

• Experience composing to a picture or moodboards

• Flexibility with genre: from ambient and orchestral to piano-driven or light rhythm-based tracks

• Strong instincts for tone: you understand how to evoke emotion with restraint

• Optional but appreciated: ability to include soft SFX (footsteps, ambient noise, mirror glows, etc.) in separate channels

You’ll be part of a collaborative team with no hard rules. The animatic will evolve through feedback and checkpoints. If you prefer to compose to locked scenes or just need tone direction, both options are welcome — we’ll work with your process.

• Final deliverable: 2–3 minute synced audio track

• Timeline: Flexible; project goal is ~2–3 months

• Stems/multitrack audio preferred if possible (to mix music and SFX layers)

• Tool and workflow are up to you

Please submit the following:

1. A brief description of your music background

2. Links to your portfolio or past work

3. Reason why you're interested (optional)