Announcing the Hero, Vol. 2 fan project! ARTISTS WANTED!
Pixelberry: *Cancels Hero 2*
Me:
That's right, I'm happy to announce a project I've been working on for a while: Hero, Vol. 2! This is going to be a full visual novel, with choices, branching paths, and more, which will pick up exactly where Vol. 1 left us all hanging! Read on to learn more about what's planned for the project, to volunteer artwork, or to beta test the first chapter!
Download the first chapter (no art yet, text-only) here. All releases will be forever free to play!
So what is it?
As mentioned above, this is a true visual novel, similar to the Choices books themselves in which you click through the dialogue and make various choices which will affect the story. It will eventually have art, but right now it is text only with choices and point systems implemented. Apologies for the bare-bones setup, but trust me, you wouldn't want to see my sad attempts at drawing!
What can we expect from the project?
Chapter 1 is finished (except for the art); the project will have 15 chapters in all
Fully customizable MCs, including a non-binary option, customizable first AND last name, as well as "importing" certain choices from Vol. 1
Significant differences in the story based on which LI (or none) you selected, as well as one other major choice at the end of Chapter 1 which will result in 20 different story combinations
A point system tracking how close your MC is to either the Prism Realm or to Earth, with different endings and altered dialogue based on the score
Learn more about the Prism Realm and the people who inhabit it, including MC's parents
New Prism love interest to be introduced in a later chapter
Each chapter has an optional upgrade for one of the heroes to unlock more options in action scenes, NO DIAMONDS REQUIRED!
I REPEAT NO DIAMONDS EVER CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, ALL OPTIONS ARE FREE!
How frequently will chapters be released?
In terms of text and coding, I can complete a chapter in about 2 weeks if I push myself (the outline and most of the base script for the project is already written). Art, on the other hand...
(NOTE: Currently Chapter 2 is significantly delayed due to issues with coding a certain section. Once this is completed the rest of the project should proceed much quicker!)
Where's all the art?
Right now, I'm the only one working on the project. I am also very artistically challenged... so if you want to volunteer, please message me! I need sprite and background artists and will let you know what needs doing. Right now... basically everything!
Where's the Grayson option?
As his storyline will be drastically different from Kenji and Eva's, Grayson's path is still a work in progress but I'm aiming to have it done by the end of next week!
Where can I read it?
As mentioned above, the following link will continuously be updated with the latest version of the game. Find it here!
I spotted a typo/the game crashed/something else went wrong/the universe exploded
Message me here on Tumblr and I'd be happy to take care of it!
Following on from my post about the Hero 2 fan project here, I decided to make this follow-up post as a spot where I can keep everyone updated as to what art is needed, what is already being done, and what's completed. I've already gotten a few artists reaching out to me, and that's great, thanks to each and every one of you!!
List of needed art below the cut:
Character Sprites (Note: I'd like to have each sprite with five variations - neutral, happy, sad, angry, surprised):
MC (Multiple MC options, ideally aiming for five male and five female body types)
Kenji
Talos
Eva
Grayson
Caleb (both "powered up" and normal)
Tua'an
Dax (plus "hologram" mode version)
Poppy (plus "hologram" mode version)
Silas
3 generic "bad guys"
Two Prescott Industries construction workers
Rock Villain (both transformed and normal)
A Prism crystal ("active" and inert versions) IN PROGRESS
The Prism gate ("active" and inert versions) IN PROGRESS
Dax's laboratory device
Backgrounds:
Prism Realm wasteland (similar to end of Hero, Vol. 1)
Downtown Northbridge (both destroyed and normal)
City bridge
Clock Tower HQ (upgraded and non-upgraded versions)
Generic city street
The Grand exterior
The Grand interior
Grayson's office
A computer screen
Thank you in advance for offering to help out! I'm so incredibly grateful to have gotten such strong support for this project. Feel free to message me at any time with questions, comments, suggestions, or artwork offers!
(Note: There's a few more sprites needed as well, but as the characters' identities are a big spoiler for the end of Chapter 1, please go play through the end of the chapter if you don't want to be spoiled!)
(Last chance!)
***SPOILERS FOR END OF CHAPTER 1 BELOW***
Other sprites needed:
Vaanu
ES!MC (similar options to the main MC for customization)
Version 0.02 has been released, with a complete Grayson route for Chapter 1! His will be significantly different from Kenji and Eva's routes, so it's worth checking out. The art post has also been updated with the extra things needed for Grayson's storyline. Play it here!
After four other families, it’s time to move on to a character we haven’t officially met yet… Sasha, our Hero MC, along with her wife Eva and their family!
(CIU Kids Masterpost)
Eva Esperanza and Sasha Stevens (Note: Eva never got a last name in canon so I gave her one here)
Following Sasha’s return from the Prism Realm in Summer 2019, she and Eva settled back in Northbridge, resuming their moonlighting jobs as the heroes MidKnight and Minuet respectively. They were married less than a year later, with Alyssa serving as Sasha’s maid of honor (the two of them and Ian had all grown quite close during their time trapped in the Prism Realm). Eva picked Kenji as her man of honor, and Kenji also took on the role as self-appointed event coordinator. This resulted in a much more expensive (and wild) reception than the couple had requested, but it didn’t come as much of a surprise given Kenji was… well, Kenji.
Eva: After the Prism War, Eva had made up her mind to apply for college. Shortly after the wedding, she was accepted at Hartfeld and immediately started working on pursuing a law degree, which Sasha was incredibly supportive of. Eventually, she would succeed in her career goal and become a successful lawyer. Of course, she never once stopped her work as Minuet, even after her secret identity had stopped being a secret. She could frequently be found prowling the streets of Northbridge at night, alongside either her wife MidKnight or her best friend The Mighty Talos, putting any would-be evildoers in their place.
Sasha: Though Sasha at first struggled to decide what she wanted to do with her life (seeing as Prescott Industries was currently a shattered, twisted ruin in the center of Northbridge), a career path opened up shortly following the Prism War when the newly renamed High Council of the Eight Attunements announced they needed a Space-Attunement Councilor. Given that Sasha herself was the only known Space-Att in existence at that time, she didn’t exactly have much competition for the role, and so she accepted. Adjusting to the Stoicheal Realm was difficult at first, but she eventually got used to it, especially given the chance to work side-by-side with Alyssa and later Atlas. Another mystery she had grown curious about was her lack of a sibling: not just the Luxen and Czasa twins, but every known Sourceborn throughout recorded Attuned history had come in pairs of twins. Sasha thus made it her personal mission to find her missing twin and bring them home… but that’s a story for another time.
Jordan Marcello Esperanza-Stevens: Having grown up seeing firsthand how much happier her presence had made her adoptive mother Rochelle, Sasha knew she eventually wanted a child or two of her own. After several long discussions with Eva, she agreed. Sasha chose to carry the child herself, and they chose for the donor someone who would provide a sort of “pseudo-connection” to Eva as well. When their son Jordan was born, the couple elected to keep the identity of the donor a secret until and unless Jordan himself ever grew curious. Eva and Sasha enjoyed their time with little Jordan immensely. When Alyssa called Sasha up one day to warn her that Jordan would likely experience his Awakening very soon, she didn’t know what to make of it… until a few weeks later, when the little boy tugged on a locked door and accidentally ripped it clean off of its hinges! Thankfully, this was an easy fix, and they soon adjusted to Jordan’s abilities as a Space-Att Prismic… until, to everyone’s astonishment, he experienced a second Awakening. A ball he was playing with was rolling down the driveway and onto the street when he reached out a hand and sent the ball flying back in reverse right back to his hand. For the first time in all of recorded history, a child had been born with two Attunements: Space and Time.
This presented no end of challenges for Jordan’s mothers to adapt to. Jordan’s skills with his Time-Attunement soon outclassed even Eva’s, and the number of times they needed to call Alyssa or Ian for help handling time-related shenanigans increased as Jordan grew older. Eventually, the Czasa twins got involved in helping train Jordan to get more control over his time abilities just as Sasha had already been helping him with the space ones.
In terms of personality, Jordan was a boy who loved the spotlight, particularly when it came to athletics. He was always finding ways to stretch the rules of whatever sport he played in order to win, which necessitated the Northbridge Junior Soccer League rulebook being completely rewritten fifteen times. Including the infamous repeatedly edited rule:
Utilizing Prismic abilities to teleport the ball
the ball and the opposing team’s players
the ball and other players on either team
the ball, other players on either team, or
and/or oneself is prohibited.
Eva and Sasha decided he needed a place where he wouldn’t always be the biggest fish in a small pond, and so they enrolled him at Berry High, where his fellow Prismic Mike would be starting school as well. Although the two boys had drastically different personalities, they bonded quickly over being the first Prismic classmate either had ever had. When Olivia transferred to the school near the start of junior year, Jordan was quick to welcome her as a friend. As she was growing clearly uncomfortable with all the attention on her during her first day, Jordan quickly stepped up to make a distraction of himself to take the attention off of her. From this moment onward, the two would be friends for life.
("Marcello" is Eva's father's name in CIU canon, hence Jordan's middle name!)
Generation: HSS
LI: Maria Flores
Noah Kenji Esperanza-Stevens: By the time Jordan had turned two, Eva had grown more adjusted to the idea of having a child and wanted to carry one of her own. This time around, they used a donor who was a direct relative of Sasha and made no secret of that fact. Thus, despite being carried by different mothers, Jordan and his newborn brother Noah were still related by blood in some way, something that was very important to Eva in particular. However, as a result of the donor, Noah likewise inherited Prismic abilities like Sasha. His Awakening occurred at barely one-and-a-half years, making him the earliest Awakening among all of the Prismic kids. As a result of his young age, his Awakening was the simplest of all: he simply tried to imitate his older brother’s tendency to hover in the air while they played, and after a few tries, little Noah managed to hover as well.
Noah often found himself in his larger-than-life brother’s shadow as they grew older, especially given that he was “just” a Space-Att Prismic, while his brother was famously the only known dual-Attunement in existence. As a result, he was forced to find other interests with which to occupy his time, as he could never measure up to his brother’s prowess in Prismic abilities or athletics. Noah grew fascinated with the Stoicheal Realm and Attuned culture after visiting Pennelia with his mothers, and soon dedicated himself to learning everything he could about the other side of the mirror. Shortly after starting high school at Berry, he encountered Attuned-raised Evie Luxen, who had as much fascination and enthusiasm for his world as Noah had for hers. This led to a close platonic friendship between the two of them which persisted ever since.
Generation: Class Act
LI: Erin Ward
——————–
And that's a wrap! Thank you so much for following on this silly journey into the future of the CIU heroes and their children... Prism Legacy coming soon! Let me know if you want to be tagged in that fic when it posts. Also, feel free to send me an ask and/or message with questions about anything CIU-related; can't guarantee I'll answer it but I always love chatting about my work with anyone who's interested. Thanks again!
