Chapter 01 ; Scripting

 

I just typed the “last sentence” script for the game “Kuromei”. The director of the project decided to put the word “GAME” at the end of the title, sounds redundant if you think about it. It's a game therefore naming it GAME at the end of the title gives me the cringe. It evokes in me the feeling of hearing those "(Insert famous title of a movie/show here) the GAME" kind of games.

If i was in power I'd Instead name it “Kuromei, welcome to another world”. It is a good title for the game in my opinion since it’ll entice the players to play the game aside from the long name suggestion of one of our employees "Kuromei: I made a game for all isekai readers to enjoy. What is this? I can select 6 characters to play as. Gun x sword, cannon in a bag, shield hoverboard, irregular sword, staff x sickle and armor and guns. Sign me dafuq up cause I coded those attack sequences of EACH CHARACTER SO YOU BETTER PLAY THE GAME, GODDAMIT".

The other employees laughed at the idea, some begrudgingly agrees at the thought. I retorted in my inner thoughts ("THE GAME IS NOT A LIGHT NOVEL!!")Turning my attention at the papers. However, I do agree with their sentiments. I can only imagine how hard it could be yo code those interactions. Good thing the director was flexible in response at the ideas we presented, he wanted to keep the hidden feature of the game to new players. Call it a hidden gem. He firmly believes the players will get the point at its mysterious undertone. 

 

Even after the script is done, then animation team would still need to create a promotional video with the final script. Albeit still moving pictures is fine for the advert. Because the game is on its blocky alpha phase. I printed out the final script with descriptions beside each line. I went to the editing/programming department.

 

Looking around the department to find the video editor, instead of the key animator we had our video editor make a rough storyboard from the descriptions I made on the script. Why, you ask? It’s to lessen the burden for the animators for coming up with draft frames to draw in the trailer and the video editor had experience in watching most game trailers and had knowledge of their flow and styles.

 

He had small achievements in the editing community but I won’t pry into it. But I won’t be talking about those we’re talking about a game in development, “Kuromei”. Instead of the long story narration (since there are still new concepts being thrown in the game’s content) I summarized a world-driven RPG where every action of the player affects the environment but this may change in the future.

 

There are also details about the dungeons and the monsters within each one written on the sketchbook. NPC and story characters are still in the process of creation, we had writers hold a meeting every 2 weeks, on these meetings we had discuss about the game’s progress, updates in the story ideas, character creation, the world’s environment and other contents of the game.

 

Programmers are also a part of the meeting but they rarely come to the meeting the same thing also happens on the animation department. The programmers deal with a lot of bugs and the animators dealing with the overall design assets of the game.

 

That’s a lot of summarized information about a game in development but let’s get back to our video editor who had just finished making the rough draft (storyboard) of the trailer. I look at the storyboard with eyes of amazement, looking good, great even. Whelp there’s no time to waste onward to the animation department.

 

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Chapter 07

 

My vision dimmed and I spot a rolling car wheel in my field of sight. Even though it’s blurry, I can see people not less than 10 gather at the sidewalk. My mind is a buzz, all I can hear are faint sounds.

 

Am I out of my body?

 

Where is my soul?

 

I am aware that I can feel, yet I cannot activate the sense of touch. I’m guessing from my laid down body and my view looking at the sidewalk. I may be dead, just maybe. My nerves do not respond to my brain’s command. My eyes are lifeless, the seeping warm getting out of my body, my life force being exchanged with cold air and taking its refuge in my body.

 

My eyesight caught an alternating color sequence of the ambulance, red and blue, blue and red, the people gathering at the sidewalk forming a crowd much more than the 10 people before and the medical workers in their white attire coming towards me. But all of the senses I have gone, my body, what I see, touch, feel, all of it…cease to exist as I close my eyes.

 

Reminiscing about the past came to my being, I lived a normal life, a normal childhood growing with friends and family, my dear friends in high school…

 

Speaking of friends, I missed playing that famous game with them. We had lots of fun playing that game and even played in the official game tournament, in that tournament we did not win but we had lots of fun playing up to the last moment. I missed playing that game with them.

 

I forgot that I have to visit my aunt on the weekend, they’ll be sad when I’m gone.

 

I’m gone.

 

I slowly realize the position I’m in. The family and friends I left behind, the home where I live, the seat I use when gaming…there is no return button or retry to live my life again. I can only look forward on what God’s decision is.

 

I gazed at the darkness around me, okay situation check. I’m aware of my soul, my body is nowhere to be found even if I look down yet I feel the outline of my human form. I am unable to hear, not one sound came to pass not even the usual silent noise I hear during my lifetime.

 

No matter how many times I scream and squirm about the only company I have is the endless void, I should’ve gone mentally affected by the experiences I felt on this void, yet why do I feel relieved. Is it because of my soul separating from the mortal body, is it because my soul has been freed from its human shell?

 

Maybe if I could look intensely at the ground I may see something…

 

With that idea running through my head, I crouched my ethereal outlined body and focused my eyes (I do not know if I had one to begin with), My eyes and attention on the ground trying to figure out  the structure.

 

“Welcome”

 

The sudden voice I heard in the void brought a sense of relief rather than terror from being trapped in an endless void. I cannot sense the presence of the voice, I’ not even sure if the voice is near me.

 

But my feeling soon submerged into grim and despair at the being in front of me. Is this how it feels like to be in the presence of a Supreme Being, awaiting for the judgment of my soul.

 

 The Supreme Being began to move its lips.

 

“You  are-”.

 

 

Chapter 00-End / Fein Ruhford