FREEDOM-RIOT!
Original concepts, imagery, and written content © Rohil Aniruth & Thribing Games, 2020. All rights reserved.
Illustrations by Quinjao (Joaquin M.), property of Thribing Games.
About:
FREEDOM-RIOT! is an epic sci-fi space opera.
Writing began in 2016 with a pre-prod phase in 2018. Full visual novel development kicked-off in 2026.
After years of conflict and environmental damage destroying the Earth, humans are forced to migrate to the new habitable planet of Emus. It’s discovered that babies born on Emus are developing unique powers— a result of planet displacement. These powers, referred to as Blooming, allow transit-born humans to spawn organic elements from Earth e.g. its plant life. Prolonged use of this ability, however, will cause the user to fall into a deep dream state. Unbeknownst to Emus’ citizens, this dream state is a nightmare… a collective longing for their true home, Earth, that slowly spawns an Earth-sized intergalactic threat… when strange insectoid-like creatures begin to attack Emus, the Government Planetary-Defense drafts a team of unlikely heroes to save the planet.
My Role:
Conceive and write the game’s stories, characters & events.
Plotting/mapping and maintaining a branching narrative.
Writing flavor text & game dialogue.
Art direction, character design.
As a lifelong sci-fi and horror fan, growing up and being shaped by these genres, probably much like you, my passion was not gradual. From day 1, I knew I’d be creating mind-blowing space adventures and grotesque, cuddly critters hungry for face meat. You don’t need me to explain the lack of South Asian representation in “the space” — i.e., outer space.
My philosophy is to take ownership of our stories. If the mainstream wasn’t going to showcase Brown characters whoopin’ supernatural butt, then I’d take the stage. My roster of characters features the many diverse faces reflective of my fellow South Asian Diaspora, and immigrant communities. The goal is always the complexity of a character’s emotional mapping, background, interests, beliefs, and the complete dismantling of “tokenization” and boring lecturing in our nerdy art. I’m committed to creating new, unique Brown protagonists that actually excite my people and resonate with the world.
See the consistency of my mission statement in my projects Caz & The Bag and Kase & Thyme: The Manor Rouge for Simple Machine game studio.
Early Character Concepts - 2018-2023
Main Cast: Pagoda
Pagoda is a janky Government Planetary-Defense (GPD) computer program that drafts a team to combat threats on Emus.
Emus has used drafting systems before. This is the latest.
Pagoda assesses, runs success simulations, then drafts the new team.
Think if an AI ran through every citizen of Emus and put together a bunch of Avengers teams, it might not be the folks you’d expect…
Each drafted team is given a name. The newest team, the one the player joins alongside the main cast below, is named GPD-FICTION.
Citizens are drafted from all of Emus’ sectors: Akiferoh, Belmont, Chu, Nu-Nu, Odeü and Vox Kong.
If drafted, citizens must serve Emus or face repercussions.
Some will still disregard their draft.
Sometimes Pagoda glitches out and says some out of pocket things.
GPD-FICTION (our core protagonists) uncover some dark truths about the Government Planetary-Defense and re-band as the anti-fascist outfit FREEDOM-RIOT!
3/1/2016
Main Cast: Hima
HIMA was an Emus Sector Representative for Sector: Nu-Nu.
During this time, the sector was invaded by a race of beings called Kajali, from a war-torn planet.
Emus' immediate response was violence, but Hima advocated for finding common understanding and facilitated a controversial peace treaty.
Controversial at first, it was one of the foundational decisions that transformed Emus into a more progressive, open planet.
Nu-Nu prospers and Hima is beloved.
Hima is charismatic in front of crowds, showy in a self-indulgent way (a bit of a bullshitter), entirely buying into his "heroic status."
Dude is so dope as a leader that other planets are, like, "Yo, we need some Hima, too."
Despite the citizens of Emus urging against it, Hima answers the call. He is not seen for years. Nu-Nu regresses, and Hima is labeled the deadbeat dad of sector reps — Mr. Failed Potential.
By the time the player hops in, to everyones surprise/concern, Hima shows up to his GPD-FICTION draft.
He claims to have been traveling the galaxy saving planets from a slew of villains.
Hima sounds like he's bullshitting, yet he's clearly traumatized by something and proves to be a lethal fighter, a skill set he did not have when he left Emus as a charming community builder.
Hima looks human, is assumed human, but might in fact be Swan or half-Kajali (other races in the FREEDOM-RIOT! world, both previously persecuted as invaders). Hima and the great majority of the main cast all share experiences of immigration/displacement.
3/1/2016
Main Cast: Don Toppa, Araca, Hunter
DON TOPPA starts off as the GPD-FICTION’s team leader.
Don was the lead on a sci-fi television epic back on Earth. His fandom "meme’d" him into the selection process for Earth's first wave of mech-pilot programs, casting him into a life of war. He is sensible and severe — much of his joy brutally sucked away in the extreme process of going from entertainment industry to mech-warfare. He's now considered a legendary pilot and combatant. Don witnessed the destruction of Earth and the early development of Emus.
ARACA is a rare case of a Human born in transit from Earth to Emus. They have the Blooming ability mentioned above, though it presents far more powerfully than in Humans born on Emus (not in transit/escape). Araca becomes the primary protagonist over the course of the story.
HUNTER TOPPA is Don's estranged brother. He's a bouncer turned intergalactic bounty hunter. He's a distant, grump-ass hardass.
Don and Hunter are First Humans.
First Humans are Humans born on Earth.
"Humans" that don't specifically mention "First" in the title are the following generations. They are born on Emus — essentially 2nd generation Emus.
Emus recognizes First Humans and Humans as separate groups.
3/1/2016
Main Cast: Jinji, Nobomi, Ori
JINJI is Cimela royalty, they feature a signature pale skin and floaty hair.
Jinji was worshiped as part of a royal bloodline they've since denounced. She’s gothic, somewhat cold but lights up when there’s an opportunity to prank a grump like Hunter.
Cimela are a mystical race of deeply empathic beings. Vampiric in appearance. A sister race to the Alee-ach.
Cimela have a unique ability called Binding, which fully connects them to another life-form — their feelings, memories, and even allowing some control of their motor function. Cimela can Bind with multiple partners, though not all at once.
Consent is needed for Binding.
Cimela Binding has been said to weaken the immune system of the Bound partner or host. But this could be a bullshit story stemming from the Cimela’s vampiric appearance.
Some Cimela can levitate, and some can teleport short distances, very few known to have both abilities.
NOBOMI is a former sector representative for Sector: Odeü. They are caring, clumsy, and carries themselves with a light disposition. They have no combat experience and comically video-game-inventory-style charge into every battle with an boat-load of weapons trying whatever they can to survive.
Alee-achs are a sister race to the Cimela. Also deeply empathic, Alee-achs can perform a version of Binding, which fully connects them to one other life-form — their feelings, memories, motor function.
The DIFFERENCE between Cimela and Alee-ach Binding:
Once Bound, an Alee-ach can only perform Binding with that individual. No multiple binds. Again, it requires the consent of both parties.
The price of Binding is that it shortens the Alee-ach’s lifespan, so it's not as frequently practiced.
Because of the one-individual limit on Alee-ach Binding, most Human/First Humans project a romantic context onto the ability. Alee-achs and most other races find this Human assumption odd, especially given that Alee-achs are slowly dying when they Bind and that the application of the ability far exceeds romantic connection.
For example, Alee-achs have Bound to strangers experiencing paralysis to grant greater mobility, and have Bound to others' to bring them out of a coma. Doing this, of course, means sacrificing their option to Bind with a potential romantic interest.
So, there are instances of Alee-achs being in a romantic relationship with someone, having Bound to an entirely different someone. Alee-achs don't treat Binding as a special thing you only share with someone you love — they don’t operate with that Human framing. There is no societal or cultural context for Binding being a romantic thing. Peak Human douchiness is pressuring or manipulating Alee-achs to Bind.
Cimela Binding drains life from the partner (apparently). Alee-ach binding drains life from themselves (observed).
In extremely rare cases, some Alee-achs, have teleported their connected individual out of a dangerous situation.
Ori is Araca’s day-one homegirl. They are Cimela.
Main Cast: Sammy Valnak, Thusojuno, Frank
Sammy Valnak, seventeen-years-old. He’s the youngest character in our core cast, our coming of age arc.
Sammy is a Human (he is born on Emus). Sammy already has quite a large profile for himself as an idealistic, morally absolute tech genius / prodigy. Sammy makes a covert communication program called Banta which becomes a major tool for the main core cast mid-story during the transition from GPD to rebel crew.
Sammy has ideas that seem radical like wanting to stabilize a neighboring planet called Ecstasy.
Ecstasy is a Planet created by a being named Thusojuno.
Thusojuno (Thuso), also helped restructure Emus’ geography during the planet’s early development.
Ecstasy is uninhabitable as the planet works as a sort of random generator. Day-to-day, things like its resources, gravity, and geological structure change significantly. You could wake up one day, and the air is just poison now. The original population lived in total suffering, and it's unknown whether anything lives there now. If you’re lucky, you might get the planet at a ridiculously prosperous moment and become resource rich — this is what Sammy is hoping to take advantage of for Emus.
3/1/2016
Excerpt:
Sammy: We've not confirmed if there is new life on Ecstasy, we have not done the adequate research into how the planet shifts its resources. If there are any patterns we can recognize in how Ecstasy turns its resources, we can use those patterns to mine what we need to further our tech. It's like predicting the probability of a drop in a video game.
Older Panel Member: I'd say the only real thing the government has done right is our tech trade. We receive the latest from all our neighboring planets.
Sammy: We should be focused on building our own.
Older Panel Member: Ha! A young man in resistance to galactic trade, that's an Earth-take right there—
The panel tries to root Sammy’s ideas in some nationalist mindsets that eroded Earth years back — a distrust of people from countries not their own, let alone from other planets, and a refusal to share resources.
Sammy: That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying we don't really know the behind-the-scenes cost of our trade.
Host (backhanded): I love the video game references. Gifted but still a child… as you should be!
5/1/2021
Sammy is drafted for GPD-FICTION. He refuses to create weapons or fight. This becomes a huge point of contention with Don Toppa, who wants to toughen him up, but later takes more of a softer older brother role in Sammy’s life. Over the course of the story Sammy’s moral code and passivity stance is challenged.
Thusojuno carries themselves in an oddly un-godly manner for a creator of worlds. They’re perpetually tired, hungry, and horny. They feel an insurmountable amount of failure, guilt, and self-hatred over Ecstasy, and when the player first meets them it isn’t clear whether they even still have powers or not.
3/1/2016
Frank, a talking, genius-brain border collie who pilots and co-pilots GPD-FICTION’s primary ship, The Lanparty. He forms a special bond with Sammy and Hima.
Main Cast: Apex
Apex is a former professional athlete, who competed on an intergalactic level. Apex is beloved by the people. Brave and wholesome.
Apex has been drafted into defense teams before and is an experienced combatant. He’s saved Emus’ sectors from some smaller-scale attacks.
Apex is a Valiant.
Valiants are a Humanoid race with features akin to the lion. Notably hairy, with fiery manes. On average, they stand around 7’1" tall and are often stereotyped to be highly diplomatic and “proper.” Apex is an outlier in his capacity for beating that ass.
For most of Emus, Apex is one of the only Valiant they’ve interacted with or seen, and he’s unfairly made a representative for all Valiants.
3/1/2016
Main Cast: Alima
Alima is a hyper-whimsical Avant-pop, bedroom pop musician mostly popular on LightLink (an anti-GPD, underground social platform). They are currently in their "fall off" era in terms of career relevancy. They are Araca and Ori’s favorite artist.
Alima was abducted by The Cult Ohh as a child and escaped when they were 11. They’re now in her early 20s.
The Cult Ohh is a “domestic terrorist” organization desiring and forcing assimilation with the insectoid-creatures attacking Emus, going as far as to surgically augment their bodies to appear more… buggy…
Alima and Apex develop a brother-sister level friendship.
3/1/2016
Main Cast: Eldritch
Eldritch is the leader of _HellaMined, a hacker group of Humans who have the Blooming power. They believe Emus' is facing a cosmic-horror scale extinction event. The only one who can save the planet is Araca.
A big part of the FREEDOM-RIOT! story world is the idea that multiple factions have different beliefs about what is happening to the world big picture, and in particular highlighting groups who have agreement over the events that will occur but conflict over the meaning of those events. In this example, the same events The Cult Ohh see as the next step in Humanity, an evolutionary gift, is registered as an extinction event by _HellaMined.
FREEDOM-RIOT! plays a lot with propoganda/agitprop, misinformation and disinformation as storytelling tools.
1/1/2023
Spaceship & Environment Concepts - 2023
Main Ships: The Drop & The Lanparty
The Drop originally functions as GPD military base and prison, parading around the skies as a refugee safety hub. After GPD-FICTION reforms into FREEDOM-RIOT!, The Drop is commandeered and transformed into a true sanctuary and resistence base.
The Lanparty is GPD-FICTION’s primary mission ship. It is inspired by the Gekko in Eureka Seven.
3/1/2016
Don’s Mech
Emus’ Sectors
In the early story, Don’s mech is a massive advantage. He’s one of the only characters to have one of these, it’s one of the only functioning mechs on Emus. After the sustained mech wars that contributed to Earth’s destruction, most mechs were ordered to be scrapped and they were banned. A character comments that mech parts are like dinosaur bones for babies of Emus. The banning of mechs is a silly performance as the GPD still roll around with significant fire power.
3/1/2016