#project master post

A list of upcoming projects (largely for my own purposes). Next Batch of Projects: - Frog and Stoat - Super Mario Round 2 - Counseling Club - The Armor of Lychtenstine

This is the first (chronologically) dive into the Super Mario Disaster series that I run semi-constantly in the background (cuz I gotta write SOMETHING that's 100% just for fun). The mess stars when Mario find that the painting that's always hing over his parent's bed isn't as . . . solid as he thought it was. He can step right through into an abandoned house on the other side--and the whole world beyond it. What starts as a casual exploration of the world goes . . . about the way you expect. Mario is shoved face-first into an absolute mess. Status: Going into a second round of revisions! This one is actually pretty darn close to done. On hold until the end of the month so I can come back to it with fresh eyes 49K words!

I build my Mario lore on a blend of the Mario RPG series, Paper Mario series, and the old-school 3d Mario games. But mostly the RPG series. Those are the ones I grew up on.

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This project came about because I was TRYING to go back and finish Concerning Bycatch (my Luigi's Mansion re-telling). But I was digging so deep into the bro's first adventure in the mushroom world that I was just like--might as well take a break and write that one first. So I did. I hope to re-visit Concerning Bycatch after I finish hammering this one out. I've had SO much fun figuring out how I want to write Mario. He's happy, confident, sure in his place in life, very aware that his loved ones are behind him, and has the lack of brain cells to show for it.

He's dumb but not stupid. Rash but not reckless. Rough around the edges, but because it's funny, not because he's mean or he doesn't know any better. He plays hard and works hard and enjoys both. He's got a good grasp of the world around him, but is sure enough in himself to play with it rather than feel weighed down by it. Over all, he's just a solid guy and a BLAST to write. He is also my polar opposite on the Myers Briggs scale (my personal favorite personality rubric for building characters. So writing him also makes me want to pull my hair out. Probably won't happen until well after the writing part is done and posted, but I do want to try and get better at consistently illustrating. My hope is to do the whole Mario Disaster project up in the art style of that one Mimikyu I drew. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime I'm just seeing if I can lock in the character designs without driving myself crazy.

The story follows a person driven ragged by life: running from one achievement to the next, half-smothered by the weight of expectation. On the way to one more day of this hurried, unfulfilling life she crosses a veil into a world that's just--empty. Empty roads, still cities, quiet houses: the world is as it should be, but no one else is there. She road trips frantically through this empty place with nothing to chase. Nowhere really to go. No one left to impress. No external pressures to pin the terror that drives her on. And slowly, as she goes, she remembers how to really breath again. She's able to really sit down and consider what it is that she wants. What's worth striving for. What's worth living for. Genres: - slice of life - cozy liminal - mild existential horror - just a touch of lit RPG It explores the fear of looking back at life, and the fear of where the journey may lead, and winding down from a life spent running from nothing.

A quotes that really hammer in the concepts I'm playing with here:

"It is the phenomenon sometimes called “alienation from self.” In its advanced stages, we no longer answer the telephone, because someone might want something; that we could say no without drowning in self-reproach is an idea alien to this game. Every encounter demands too much, tears the nerves, drains the will, and the specter of something as small as an unanswered letter arouses such disproportionate guilt that answering it becomes out of the question."

Joan Didion, On Self-Respect, 1961.

Tag: The Road to Nowhere

Project Master Post: DEFUSE

DEFUSE follows an alien research crew on-route to a research station in a far off, uninhabited asteroid ring. It should have been simple. The trouble starts when their ship begins breaking down in strange and increasingly worse ways. Accusations of incompetence turn to suspicion of malice as the crew races to find the root of thier malfunctions. If they can't solve these problems, they'll be stranded on a crumbling ship light years from a populated planet.

This is gunna be a zany, scifi, whodunit thriller with themes of teamwork, grace (or lack thereof ) under pressure, self-awareness, and responsibility. It's been in the think-tank for about three years at this point? Finally, finally I've gathered all the bits I need to draft properly. Currently at: 30,000 words-ish.

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Rain: Captain of the ship. Experienced pilot, though this is her first run as captain with this specific employer and her first trip on this ship.

Steve: First/second mate. He's held both of those position on previous trips, but this is the first time he's held both at the same time (a testament to how lightly crewed this ship is).

Slime: Third mate and ship’s doctor. Usually a not a ship doctor, but attended this mission due to Rain and Dr. Leafare, who’s species both have unique physiology most doctors would struggle to handle. By far the oldest member of the crew.

Eyes: A skilled communications and software technician with many many flights under his belt. He’s considered one of the best in his field.

Moth: He started as a custodian and picked up skill after skill through his years on the job. Now he’s the best jack of all trades the company who sent them has. He probably has the most away from port time out of all of them.

Beetle: A masters engineer student. Top of his class and on his third or fourth expedition. Has a deep understanding of all the physical systems on this specific ship, backed with the most up to date book knowledge and a chunk of practical experience to back it up. Hand-picked for this mission, because he was the most knowledgeable “jr crew member” available.

Dr. Leafare: The scientist who will maintain the research station when they arrive. She specializes is botany. She is the first totally independent generation of her specific verity of mutated human (called human-adjacent). While she doesn’t have crew experience, this is not her first deep-space expedition. She is one of the top names in her field or research.