I am a creative writer from Iowa, seeking to put together a team to create a Visual Novel adaptation of my epic poem, “The Duke Wilhausen.” I am currently working on a grant application through the Iowa Arts Council and must plan my team members and budget estimate as part of that application process. I’m looking for an Marketing Specialist who would want to work with me on a year long project to advance the craft of poetry, the Visual Novel genre, and be a part of something that touches on the human experience.

I am specifically looking for individuals who resonate with the subject matter and content. This is a long, passion project and you need to believe in the vision so we can make this the best it can be. If you are drawn to rhymed poetry, themes of philosophy and the environment, dark high fantasy, literary classics, brooding cursed souls, take a closer look.

I am also looking for 100% human-created work. No AI music, no AI art, no AI voices. I want to work with real people who want to create a work of art.

This poem was inspired by media such as the classic point-and-click adventure game ‘Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness,’ the movie adaptation of ‘The Last Unicorn,’ Romanticist poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge, and other similar literature and art.

About the Project:

‘The Duke Wilhausen’ is an epic narrative poem in metric and rhymed verse of over 3,500 lines. The idea came to me in a dream and I have been writing it to completion for the past several years. The plot follows Wilhausen, who dwells in an old castle until a traveler appears, prompting him to resolve his conflict between fealty and wanderlust. It is set in a  fantasy world with curses, dark towers, and mythical nymphs. The main conflict is in the form of internal struggles between the characters and their natures. It is a work of philosophy, natural reflection, and mental health struggles.

Here is a brief excerpt of the poem to give you a sense of the style:

Wilhausen fled to the gate below

As swift as his withered bones could go

And found as he ran through the halls of dust

He shed the cricks and aches that cursed him so.

And rounding corners again and again

Found now he appeared as he once had been.

The goal of this project is to turn the text of the poem into a full-fledged Visual Novel experience, complete with soundtrack, narration, and illustration. The completion goal will be 12 months. The game will be prepared for release on Steam, price TBD.

I am in the process of preparing the grant application for April 2026, so I need to compile a budget. All artists will be fairly compensated regardless of whether I receive the grant, and we will discuss an estimate before beginning the project. The actual project will not commence until June 2026 at the earliest.

All team members will need to read the full manuscript before beginning the project to familiarize themselves with the themes, characters, and style. The text is about 45 pages of poetry. If this does not appeal to you, then it's probably not the right match.

• What I'm Looking for
  • My budget for marketing is moderate ($1000) but it is flexible, so I'm looking for someone to help me make a marketing plan that I could follow. Or, ideally, someone who would be in charge of marketing and promotion for the project.
  • Create a marketing plan, strategy, schedule, and timeline
  • Social posts and graphic templates/designs
  • Launch plan of when to start marketing and how
  • Outreach for places to contact--reviewers, communities
  • Steam page design and promotion

About Me:

As I said, I’m a native Iowan creative writer and independent scholar. I’ve published short stories, poems, and 2 Visual Novels on Itch.io. I’m an introvert, an ‘old soul.’ I love cats, reading, exercise. I am a big fan of traditional poetry and classic literature. I have a MA in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a BA in English, Humanities, and Religious Studies. This project is extra special to me because the concept came to me in a dream, and I’m very excited to bring it to fruition.

If you’d like to know more, please check out my website: https://skyeroze.wixsite.com/skyerozario.

thank you so much! i saw it. i'm glad that the intro didn't seem too long and made you want to play more!

You've probably heard it--that old kid song 'down by the bay' where a mother asks her kids wacky questions about the things they've seen at the bay--llama in pajamas? whale with polka dot tail? 

Well this is that...but darker.

Join Diana in the final days of summer break and decide if you'll heed the call of the bay, or try one last time to settle things with Mom.

Listen to the beautifully dark reimagining of the classic children's song below:

Created by Splashbun for the visual novel.

...enjoy your stay, down by the bay...

https://skyeroze.itch.io/down-by-the-bay

thank so much for making this! I used this and edited it for my new game Down By the Bay!

Hi Ploupi, thanks for your interest, but I found someone to work with.

this was so sweet. once you got the hearts going it went really fast. i like how the player is led to explore and slow down a bit. very cute

Hi guys, so for the Liminal Jam, I'm making a story inspired by a common folk song (you've probably all heard it). It's a dark take on this song. And I'd like to make a rendition of the song from major to minor key, in a kind of slower, haunting vibe. I want to make a vocal version and instrumental version. I have created sheet music and a recording myself, but it just doesn't sound like I imagine and I don't have the music experience to get it right. Very simple rendition, just like slow piano, nothing super crazy, like a minute song that can loop.

My game is about a girl who's leaving for college and her final days at her home, where she's coming to terms with her decision to cut communication with her narcissistic mother after she leaves. 

This is a small passion project, so this is a volunteer role and I'm unable to pay you (let alone myself), so please keep that in mind. 

Message me here if you're interested and then we can talk deets on Discord.

Thanks!

1st ending was getting run over by crazy prof lady.

Major Class of 'O9 vibes. Scratches that itch since '09 is done. We need more VNs like this. 

THe Jesus moment was my fav part. That was so funny. 

It was embarassing getting called out so much during this game lol.

If you could sell souls to fix the world's problems...would it be a worthy price?

You are Cordelia Kennett, a grad student in philosophy completing her senior thesis on how much money people will sell their souls for. You've always been interested in the stories where riches, fame, and power are bought at a high price with demonic concequences...And now you have the chance to live one of those stories yourself. Because you're not just buying souls, you're also going to offer them to the devil to prove its existence.

How much will you compromise your morals for proof of god and demons?

And just what kind of god allows so much evil in the world anyway?

Who knows, maybe you'll even come face to face with the devil himself...

Hey everyone, I'm so excited to share A Soul's Price with you all, now available for free on Itch. This has been a passion project a little over a year in the making. It's a drama thriller Visual Novel with:

• 4 unique endings
• over 25K words in script and dialogue
• immersive visuals by KokoIsGod111
• beautiful music by the youtuber  Oneul
• And more!

A Soul's Price is about 1-3 hours depending on how many times you replay it, playable on PC and Mac. Reviews and ratings are greatly appreciated, along with analysis videos, video essays, or streaming playthroughs.

Thanks for playing!

Skye :))

Here's a few pictures from the concept art where I was first sketching out my character designs. And before Koko made them all super amazing!

this is so cute and fun. it took me a total of 6 tries to get all the endings. i love the style of communication and lore in such a small game. even tho it's short, you still get a good sense of the type of world this is. really great design and implementation.