I originally met @Delcio Gomes (Director of TAOS), at THU’s Storytelling Event in Japan, September 2025. I was one of the Talent League Finalists (2024) and as a result, received a free ticket and accommodation to the event. Delcio explained that he was looking for a female writer for the next animated project at THU’s upcoming Main Event in 2026 in Portugal. And the rest, we say is history!

We began discussing and working on the project online from November 2025 over multiple times zones and continents – all the way from San Francisco, California, Bogota, Colombia, Porto, Portugal to London, UK!

Initially, story building was based around the themes of resilience, confidence and community. These were drawn from the geopolitical climate that we currently live in and to help distinguish from THU’s last animated project, Everlasting (2024). We were also provided with the brilliant artist Katsuya Terada’s sketch of what is now both the manifesto and main character of the film – Lavina. When I initially saw the dramatic yellow background and the colour of her eyes, as well as the intensity of the vibe of the sketch, I was instantly reminded of Tarantino’s Beatrix in Kill Bill. Another character that came quickly to mind was Furiosa from George Miller’s Mad Max Furiosa. There is no doubt that these pair have had a large influence in the making of Lavina’s character.

Other discussions included references to the Demon Pope and how he should be conveyed as a character drawing inspiration from major political figures and other mystical and biblical figures. What also aided us in character development and dialogue were useful image references from the TAOS Miro Mood Board.

There have been many sessions needed to craft and flesh out the storyline, helping perfect and clarify the vision for TAOS. The first draft of the script was provided in December 2025. After - not one, or two but several re-writes – in fact, we are continuing to change the script as of March 2026. In retrospect, the very first draft of the TAOS acted as a template which we continued to expand and build on.

I also highlight that the experience of script writing and editing (not just for this project) is an ongoing process and can change right the way up to filming; especially in TAOS where the script has changed enormously, depending on a multitude of factors; from a change of the director’s (Delcio) vision, to collaborative discussions and meetings in other departments (namely layout and character artists in this instance) to once viewing the preview.

The profound themes of TAOS are some of the main reasons why I have enjoyed working on this project. The process of writing was, is and continues to be very collaborative: From working together in story meetings with @Joana Vale (co-writer/co-story), Delcio and @Fernanda Nevitiv da Costa (producer), to collaborative script readings with the character and layout artists over Discord, to speaking to producers and other members of this project. I am honoured to have been chosen to co-write and co-story TAOS. I truly believe like since joining this project that I am part of a global community, with belonging and a fire to transform the chaos, magic of collaboration in film making and multiple time zones into a hell ‘a great storm. 💫