What is it?: Originally starting out as "Project Magnolia" From the Stars has been a passion project since conceptualized around 2016, From the Stars is an action Sci-Fi drama story set in modern day in a rural American town. A story about themes of change, overcoming your past and being stronger than you are. Heavily inspired by works like FLCL and Bravely Second among others, over time has been adapted into a 12 episode long series written by yours truly. The series itself is more over heavily inspired by the Red Vox album "Another Light" and incorporates a lot of it's music and general vibes while VERY much being an original work. The events that follow are purely from the pilot episode.
What are the characters?: Anthony is the main character, a easy going 18 year old with a checkered past who decided to change his life for the better after meeting his friend Eve. Eve is Anthony's apathetic friend she is very quiet and sheltered with a dormant power that affects the animus. Amalthea is from a race of warrior shifters deep in the reaches of space who's purpose is to hunt the animus and keep the nearby galaxies safe from the threat they pose. Amalthea herself is an aloof energetic woman who is fierce and distant. Sergeant Orpheus is Eve's father and leader of a special division of the military based in this small town to contain and neutralize the animus he also commands Damascus, a young mysterious masked assassin bent on taking out the animus and Amalthea by any means necessary.
What's the plot?:?We follow Anthony after his graduation ceremony where he meets up with his apathetic long time friend Eve. They begin to make their way home when overhead they spot a meteor crashing down from above , seemingly going towards Anthony's house. After quickly parting ways Anthony runs to discover the meteor is in fact a crashed craft with a mysterious woman unresponsive inside. Pulling the woman out of wreckage the woman seemingly mistakes Anthony for someone named "Kiddy" she was supposed to be traveling with. They are shortly thereafter attacked by the "Animus" the name for what we humans call extraterrestrial life. These beings range in all shapes and sizes and varying levels of threat. This particular threat being a group of Scuttlebugs, a mechanical roach like creature that travels in packs and eats metal. The woman quickly leaps into action as Anthony looks on in awe. We then see Eve in her room having convulsions and hearing voices in her head that don't belong to her as if in reaction to the events unfolding far away. Just then Anthony spots military choppers arriving from over head and takes the woman away by the arm. The next morning Eve arrives at Anthony's house only to find the mysterious woman Anthony now calls "Amalthea". Shortly after the military arrives to interrogate Anthony, the sergeant being Eve's own father Sergeant Orpheus who does not seem to have a good relationship with Anthony. After some verbal confrontation Anthony returns and finds Amalthea in a panic that her communicator was lost during the scuffle with the Scuttlebugs, apon returning the group is attacked by an unknown force as toxic gas fills the entire area separating the group where after a heavily wounded Anthony is abducted by men working with Sergeant Orpheus.
Why should I care?: Well on top of really wanting to put my English and film degree to something useful (half joking) this is a project I've been wanting to get off the ground for years, I originally wanted this to be adapted to live action so as a proof of concept I decided to adapt the first episode into a visual audio drama as a proof of concept for Kickstarter. I heavily respect each and every one of you and as an amateur VA myself I know how it is so when I am able too I would like to pay the voice actors and other helpers a price they feel is right for their performance, I'm all for auditioning for the experience but recognition doesn't pay bills so I wanna do what I can do help, thank you so much for checking out my CCC page and I look forward to hearing what you all have to say! This is the first time I have made this project public apart from friends so I'm excited to see how this goes.
Anthony graduated top of his class but was a delinquent earlier in his life after the death of a family member in his youth. That is until he met Eve, seeing the state of her life and constant harassment by her classmates caused a change of heart within him. Anthony quickly became her best and only friend throughout school and likes to keep her from harm when he can. This change also made him take his school life more seriously and his mentor and tutor Professor Billsby quickly took him in like a son. Anthony himself is very down to earth and wants the best for others and to leave the past behind but still carries that longing inside for "an easier life".
Anthony is reassuring his friend, Eve, because she fears he will abandon her just because he is graduating. He puts on a cheerful tone for this.
"Look I’m still here! Why don’t I walk you home and we meet up tomorrow morning like nothing happened, we’ll go somewhere fun to get you out of your head for a while."
This line is a voiceover where Anthony stares in awe at Amalthea battling hundreds of tiny Animus.
"It was like looking at an angel. Looking at something ambivalent and out of reach, something beyond the natural order. Terrifying and breathtakingly beautiful."
Anthony is agreeing to a dangerous plan that Amalthea proposed. He is hesitant and cautious, as the area is full of military personnel looking for Amalthea.
"Alright we can do that but you have to promise me you're not going to make a scene that will get us all killed, we will be in and out."
Eve is a detached apathetic young woman living in her own head for better or worse. Her father Sergeant Orpheus, is as detached from her as she is from herself also for better or worse. Thankfully it's not all doom and gloom as Anthony has shown her that life is much brighter than her own limited world view. However the animus threat seems to be drawn to her for an unknown reason as her own mental delusions get more fierce but maybe these delusions are not so far from reality? (Voice ranges from timid and quiet to on the verge of a mental breakdown so if you land the roll it would be preferable if you are okay with phycological topics and screaming.)
EVE (speaks softly and hollowly) You're my only real escape from that place.
EVE (Happily) You're okay Anthony. This is a dream and when something terrible happens I’ll wake up this is how it normally goes silly. She can’t hurt me.
EVE (Angrily) It’s all your faults. Everything, I can see right through you and I know you're here to hurt me more but I’m not going to let it happen to me like you did to Mom. Not ever again.
Amalthea is an alien from an elite race of warriors sent to Earth with her companion Kiddy (Who she mistakes Anthony for) who's mission was originally a contingency plan to produce offspring and fight back what remains of the animus threat while her race fights against a world destroying threat. She has a heavy distaste for the overall mission and is mostly here to have fun until it's time to leave but puts on a face for Kiddy to keep him in line. (Confident her race was able to destroy the threat.) Voice ranges from playfully exaggerated and mildly seductive to serious and fierce. (As with all roles improvisation is encouraged, but with Amalthea especially being a bit cartoony or over the top is totally on brand). (This also makes her particularly difficult to give direction for but some good advice I could give is Amalthea when speaking to Anthony in line 1 is essentially putting in an act as she doesn’t actually care about the mission and only really wants to go home, her real personality shows in the second and third lines)
Anthony is dragging Amalthea away from a fight, she teases him for holding her hand and then yells to go back to the fight.
"Already holding my hand?? Kiddy it’s just so soon, my whittle virgin heart can’t take it- LET ME GO BACK!!"
Amalthea is quietly and fearfully telling Anthony (who she calls Kiddy) that she is scared of staying on Earth.
"I want off, I want to get away. Don’t let me stay here any longer Kiddy. Let’s go home, no one should be put through something like this. I'm scared."
Amalthea turns to Eve and Anthony, and says this both tartly and assertively.
"You're both cowards and I hate you."
Sergeant Orpheus is the emotionally distant father of Eve. He commands the branch of the military that is in charge of capturing and disposing of the Animus. He holds himself with an air of importance, and seemingly doesn't care for anyone nor anything other than his job. He speaks matter-of-factly, and is always serious. He never cracks a smile, or even smirks in his own victory.
SERGEANT ORPHEUS (Bluntly) I will remind you that under my watch you are nothing more than a civilian living on our grounds. A phrase I KNOW you're no stranger too.
SERGEANT OPRHEUS (Sarcastically) Yes and I’ve noticed the restraining order I had placed against you didn’t get through customs.
SERGEANT ORPHEUS (Solemnly) I promise you, if there is so much more as an itch under your nose, I’ll know about it. And all of heaven’s little angels will be upon you quicker than you can utter “I plead the fifth.”
Damascus is a young mysterious masked assassin bent on taking out the animus and Amalthea by any means necessary. He is under the employ of Sergeant Orpheus, he has no memory of his past and accepts contracts from the government in exchange for pieces of his history be it a VHS tape of his first birthday with all of the faces blurred and sound distorted or a vague point in the right direction he is never given the full picture. However he has taken note of the amount of youths between the ages of 14 - 23 have gone missing around town and he doesn't want anyone else to meet the same fate. He knows he is a victim of the governments experimentations with animus DNA and just considers himself lucky enough to have survived. The organization provided him with a mask to protect him from his own toxic abilities and gave him the weapons and training to fully utilize them.
With his gas mask it's preferable if submissions are okay with their voices having a filter over them but they will still 100% get full credit for the role.
DAMASCUS: (Distastefully) "I'm at your command whether you dangle my memories over me or not Commander. I'm at your disposal."
DAMASCUS:(Talking to someone while in position to fire ) "The coordinate is within sight, just give the word."
DAMASCUS: (Coughing) "Lucky shot kid, let's see how far that get's you. No one leaves this place the same way they came in. For better or worse you belong to them now."
Professor Billsby is a general science teacher, an ex-astrophysicist, and father figure/mentor to Anthony. He is a portly old man who speaks wisely, but awkwardly. He cares about Anthony's well being and encourages him to follow a good path in life.
PROFESSOR BILLSBY (Gifting to Anthony): You’re a real adult now, it’s not much but I thought you might like them, they’re vintage, like me!
PROFESSOR BILLSBY: You’ve come so far since the incident. Please don’t let yourself... you know... I don’t know if this old heart can take much more pain from this town.
PROFESSOR BILLSBY: Anthony! Ah… I saw you leave the party, why don’t we walk and talk? There’s something that I need to tell you. Er, ya know, just guy talk.
