Hello everyone! This blog will be for my Mad World content, my post-apocalypse fantasy story :]
What is Mad World about? A found family survive the apocalypse together with magic as a machined empire is constantly expanding their colonies.
It begins with the Mad Fungus that will release its fatal fumes when disturbed. Those who breathe in the fumes—animal or human—will either have their bodies turn to mycelium and die, or rarely, mutate with nearby objects and live.
A machined self-proclaimed king, King Eckra, weaponised these fungi in his world-wide takeover. As copper machines conquered the United Kingdom, the world was left to suffer from the Mad Spores, leaving no threats to the king's reign. The year was 2025.
What happens next is the hero's journey of our protagonists, Blite and Toppy.
If you're familiar with me from the start, you would remember this story as World Plague. I've decided to change it as the "Plague" part became irrelevant to the story. Instead, I will be naming it Mad World as I feel it fits the story more.
A merry band of misfits travels around in this mutant-filled apocalyptic world. Sing songs of life and passion; rediscover the beauty of mag
After the wholesome reunion, Maria invites the whole party for dinner. She will be recooking some of the scavenged foods into enjoyable meals. That's what she promised. Both Aaron and Jason are helping Maria prepare it.
Toppy sets Blite down from his arms.
Toppy: "Really, Blite? Your first instinct was to jump into my arms because you were scared?"
Blite: "OW! Okay, fine! I admit, that was a bit rude of me. But you gotta admit, she does look pretty scary."
Toppy: "I don't care how she looks. I want you to apologise to her at dinner!"
Blite: "I will, Toppy, I will! You can trust me, buddy."
Toppy: "Can I? Your behaviour changed significantly the moment we met our magician friend. And I worry you'll continue this act towards his mentor, Jason's mother."
Blite: "Well I've already told you, didn't I? I just don't vibe with magic."
Toppy: "But what have they done wrong to make you be like this?"
Blite: "I-...I don't want to talk about it."
Toppy: "Blite, how can we solve this problem if-"
Blite: "I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Toppy: "Fine, let's leave this conversation to another time."
Blite: "Good…"
There's a delicious scent in the air.
Blite: "...Woah! Something smells nice."
Toppy: "Dinner must be cooking. Shall we come inside?"
Blite: "Yeah I suppo-...Wait, what are you gonna do during dinner?"
Toppy: "The thing I always do during meals, watching you eat."
Blite: "...Yeah, that's cool."
Just as Toppy is about to knock on the door, Aaron opens it first.
Aaron: "Blite! Mr. Toppy! You want to join us for dinner?"
Blite: "No actually, we plan to stay outside and freeze while I starve to death."
Toppy: "Eheh. Pardon my friend, Aaron. They get cranky when they get hungry."
Blite: "I do not!"
Blite: "…"
Toppy: "..."
Toppy: "What did I say?"
Aaron: "Well just come in and take your seats! Maria's prepared the best for Jason's welcome home."
Toppy: "Quite lovely!"
Blite and Toppy enter the house. They notice Jason's shoes, Aaron's boots, and some other pairs on a shoe rack. Assuming all footwears are off inside the house, they take off theirs before following Aaron to the dining room. There wasn't a door, but only an archway before the main corridor. There was another archway besides the first one where counters were visible, most likely the kitchen. That was probably how the scent had made its way outside.
Jason: "Blite! Toppy! Welcome to house Hernández!"
Blite: "Sweet! Cushioned chairs!" They take a seat, relieved in the comfiness of the chair.
Toppy: "What a quaint and cosy home this is."
Blite: "I'm excited for dinner now. I don't remember the last time I had a real home cooked meal. Say, what are we having?"
Jason: "Mushrooms,-"
Blite: "Oh no! More of those canned shrooms? Eugh…"
Jason: "Not just! We cooked it with chicken in a stew, and it'll be served with rice."
Blite: "...Aight wait, you got me."
Maria: "Good evening, everyone."
Jason: "Jesus! Blite, are you okay?"
Music rights go to Toby Fox & Materia Music Publishing
Maria: "...Dinner…is served…"
Toppy: "They're completely fine! Get up, will ya! "
Blite: "Not until the rice monster is gone…"
Aaron: "Rice…hah? "
Toppy: "Blite, you're making a fool of yourself. Quit it!"
Jason: "It's alright, Toppy. There's no need to let this day get ruined."
Toppy: "Right. Apologies, everybody. My friend, Blite, may act like a ruffian at times."
Maria: "It is fine, Toppy-was it? I assume they are not quite familiar with magic. Let's just all enjoy this sure-to-be delicious dinner together."
Maria sets the plates atop the table. Each plate is served rice, a chicken leg, and mushroom stew.
Blite gets pulled in by the smell. They stand up to take a look.
The party continues their path of giant footprints. Since Aaron had traveled by foot, it shouldn't be far from where they were before. And sure enough, leaving the outskirts, there can be spotted a lone house on chicken legs. A house that Jason recognises.
Jason: "There it is! I'm coming home!"
Blite: "Oh, it did grow chicken legs."
Jason: "I can't believe it, my mom's still alive. The Hernández still live, people!"
A wall of earth protrudes from the ground, blocking the walking house.
Toppy: "Good heavens!"
Blite: "GAH! What the Hell?"
Aaron: "Oh yeah, I should come and tell her that you guys are with me."
Aaron brings out his shadow. It then travels out of the house then over the wall. Aaron whispers something to it from the shadow's base. After a moment, the wall of earth falls back down. The magical house on the other side lowers itself until as though its legs have vanished.
Aaron's shadow returns to him.
Aaron: "All right, everyone. You can come meet her now. Buuut, there's something I forgot to mention earlier. Her mutation might not look too…good to look at."
Jason: "Oh wait, I haven't even thought of that. Her mutation. Well, no matter what, she's still my mother."
The mechanical house comes to ground level. The party exits along with Aaron. Aaron comes up to the magical house then knocks on the door. He then gestures to Jason to come forward.
Maria: "Jason? Is that you?"
Jason: "¡Mamá! Yes, it's me! Your son! I've come back home!"
Maria: "You've become the clock!"
Jason: "Haha yeah. I even got this huge arm. But I'm still here and breathing."
Maria: "Oh Jason, you're as optimistic as ever. I must show myself now, but be prepared. I'm sorry for what you must witness."
Maria comes out of the door.
Blite: "GAH!"
Jason stares at Maria's mutation. He then approaches closer.
The cat mutant is brought over to the walking house, by Jason's request, along with their scavenged resources. They are rested on a soft blanket and a pillow. Forced out of hunger, the party took a few of the cat's cans for lunch. While eating, Jason noticed something about the mutant cat.
Jason: "Hey Blite."
Blite: "Yeah?"
Jason: "When I first moved into my apartment back in Texas, I had realised that my rain boots had been left back at my mom's house. The boots this cat is wearing looks eerily similar to mine."
Blite: "Huh. Why don't you try it on?"
Jason: "Wait, how?"
Blite: "Just take it off from their feet."
Jason: "Right now? They're still unconscious."
Blite: "Oh come on, it's just the footwear. I'm sure they'd be fine with it. They wouldn't know it anyway."
Jason: "This doesn't seem right."
Blite: "It's this simple, Jay. You take off your shoes, take off theirs, then you insert your feet into the boots."
Jason: "...From the way you've worded things...do you have a foot fetish? "
Blite: Spits "HUH?! How'd you know-...THINK. How could you possibly think of that???"
Jason: "...'Know'?"
Blite: "I didn't say that."
Jason: "Uh yes you did."
Blite: "Nuh-uh"
Jason: "Yuh-uh"
Blite: "Nuh-uh"
Jason: "Yuh-uh"
Blite: "Nuh-uh"
Jason: "Yuh-uh"
Blite: "Nuh-uh"
Jason: "Yuh-uh"
The cat groans then wakes up.
???: "Good magic, my head hurts…"
Toppy: "Ello, mate! Good to see you awake."
Jason: "Heya! It's us from the store. My friend bonked you in your shadow's head. Sorry about that."
???: "Oh! I remember now! Did I scare you with my magic?"
Blite: "You blocked our exit."
???: "Oh I did? Sorry, didn't realised that."
Toppy: "What matters is that we're all safe. I assure you everyone here is friendly. Isn’t that right, Blite?"
???: "Heh. I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Aaron. What are yours?"
Toppy: "Good to meet you, Aaron! You may refer to me as Toppy."
Jason: "My name's Jason! A pleasure to meet you."
Blite: "Blite."
Toppy: "Hahah…well you two get to know each other more. Blite, a word."
Blite rolls their eyes then follows Toppy outside.
Blite: "Yeah Toppy?"
Toppy: "Blite, what's wrong?"
Blite: "I just…I don't think it's a good idea to trust someone who had attacked us before."
Toppy: "Blite, Jason said he was shaking their hand. You were the one who attacked first."
Blite: "They were threatening us!"
Toppy: "Okay, Blite. What's actually wrong?"
Blite: "...I don't like magic. I don't like magicians."
Toppy: "I see. Blite, I used to think like that too. But then someone taught me to open up my mind, for the world has changed a lot and will only continue to do so."
Blite: "...Was that someone also a mutant chameleon?"
Toppy: "Yes! What I'm saying is if I can easily accept our new magician friend, then you should too."
Blite: Sigh "Fiiiiine! I'll try my best."
Toppy: "That’s what I like to hear! Now, let's get back inside."
While Blite and Toppy had a talk, Jason had asked Aaron about the boots. When Aaron gave Jason the pair for him to try, Jason slid in perfectly.
Blite and Toppy then return inside.
Jason: "Hey guys!"
Blite: "Heya! How are the boots?"
Jason: "Same size and everything."
He returns Aaron the boots
Blite: "Suspicious… Say Aaron, do you respect pronouns?"
Aaron: "Oh, why of course! He/him for me. Jason's already told me about yours."
Blite: (Dammit, he's not homophobic.) "Alright. So, Aaron, are you gonna be staying here?"
Aaron: "No, I should leave. I need to return to my mentor."
Blite: "Woo! I mean-Aww…Well, see ya!"
Toppy: "Hold on there, Blite. Aaron, we can bring you there if you'd like. This house can walk!"
Aaron: "Heheh…What?"
Toppy stands on a platform in the middle of the room. There are tubes extruding from the floor and hanging on the ceiling. Toppy inserts his limbs into each of them.
The floor seems to shake. The sky in the window just moved downwards. Concerned, Aaron runs to the window. The house stands up.
Aaron: "What magic is this?!"
Blite: "All mechanical, baby! No supernatural stuff whatsoever."
Toppy: "SOUL POWAAAHH"
Blite: "...Except for that."
Aaron: "Toppy, who are you?"
Toppy: "All you need to know is that I'm a dead soul trapped in his own invention. I've become immortal."
Jason: "He said the same thing when I asked him that."
Aaron: "Woah… All of this is so cool! It's like that movie…Howl's Moving Castle!"
Jason: "Yeah! Ooh, have you read the book?"
Aaron: "There's a book?"
Jason: "Yeah! There's so much more stuff that wasn't included in the film. I have it right here, if you want to read it."
Aaron: "Oh wow! I'll check it in a bit. Hey, Mr. Toppy? Can you walk this house to follow the giant footprints?"
Toppy: "Oh, why sure! That's exactly where we're going anyway. Where should we drop you off?"
Aaron: "Just keep following the footprints. My mentor's house is at the end of it."
Toppy: "That is…exactly where we're going…"
The house begins to move
Aaron: "W-woah! It's like an earthquake here… Wait, you were following the footprints too?"
Jason: "Yeah, we're searching for my mother. But when we got to her house, it's missing. What's left are the giant footprints."
Aaron: "Oh… Jason, what's your last name?"
Jason: "Hernández. Jason Hernández"
Aaron: "Weird… My mentor's name is Maria Hernández."
Jason: "Weird…that's my mother's name…"
Aaron: "Huh…"
Jason: "Aaron, is your mentor my mother?"
Aaron: "Uhh…."
Jason: "Aaron! Is my mom okay?"
Aaron: "Yeah! She's well and healthy right now."
Jason: "How about the giant mutant? What happened to the house?"
Aaron: "Giant mutant? Oh! No. Your mom's house simply grew giant chicken legs."
The walking house has entered New Mexico and now into a suburban neighbourhood. Jason's neighbourhood. He remembers playing around with his friends, helping out his neighbours, going to church on Sundays, and living with his mother. But it's become an empty wasteland, for mad fungi have grown everywhere. It's now unrecognisable to Jason.
Jason feels empty, but the party keeps moving forward. They follow Jason's directions to what should be his mother's house. He's beginning to doubt, but Jason still hopes that his only family member is alive in this apocalypse. He can only imagine how his mother might be surviving through it. But once they make a turn, the house is gone.
The house is literally gone. It's not in ruins, it hasn't been taken over by the fungi. No, it's missing. What's left is an imprint of the house on the lot.
Blite: "Did you live in a bunker?"
Jason: "What? N-no! Where is my house? How is it gone?"
Blite: "You think it got up and walked away?"
Toppy: "Everybody, look!"
Blite: "...What."
Jason: "Let's follow them! My mom might need our help!"
They follow the footprints, and it's led them to the local public places, one Jason is also familiar with. The middle school Jason went to, the park his friends would often gather in, the clothing store his mother used to work at, all of them now infested with mycelium and fungi. A cruel thought popped in Jason's head. Could it be that a giant mutant has taken over the house? What if mamá has been held hostage by it? That is if she's still alive.
Blite: "Hey, you're good?"
Jason: "Huh? Oh. Yeah."
Blite: "Look, I know how you feel. Losing your friends, your family, your town. All gone from this apocalypse. As if the world just don't care about you anymore."
Jason: "...Humanity can be cruel, can it?"
Blite: "Heh, yeah… That king guy just really hates everyone. But hey, at least we're still here and breathin' together."
Jason: "...You're right. Still here, breathing together. I love that. Thank you, Blite."
Blite: "Anytime, man! Hey, we're both queers. We're kinda used to this."
Jason: Heh, I guess. But I did grow up without many prejudice."
Blite: "Does your mom know you're gay?"
Jason: "Dude, she's ace! And aromantic!"
Blite: "For real?! Wait, how did the marriage go?"
Jason: "Well she divorced my dad WAY early. I've only seen pictures of him. Never once met him."
Blite: "Geez! Your mom seems really interesting."
Jason: "Yeah. She's real friendly to everyone though. You two should really meet her."
Blite: "..."
Jason: "Don't give me that thought, Blite! You were just comforting me!"
Blite: "I'm not saying that! Look, we have a clue now. Things should be fine. Just stay positive, man."
Jason: Sigh "Right. Stay positive."
Toppy: "Sorry to bother you both, but I've spotted a convenient store near us. I suggest we stop here and scavenge."
Blite: "I am feeling a bit hungry. What do you say, Jay?"
Jason: "I guess we should. Our food's been getting scarce lately."
Blite and Jason exit the house while Toppy stays to guard it. To accommodate, Blite's been given Toppy's staff. Carrying empty bags, the two enter a convenience store. But then, they realised how empty the good aisles are. A lot of the long preserving foods have been taken. It's been scavenged.
Blite: "Great! Someone beat us to it!"
Jason: "...Blite, ever get the feeling that you're being watched?"
A shadow! But where's the person casting it? Frightened, Blite impulsively smacks the shadow with their staff, but to no avail. It moves around the walls, circling and observing the scavengers. Could this be the supernatural force of magic? What could it want?
Blite: "We need to run! Quick, before we fall prey into it."
The shadow quickly blocks the entrance.
Blite: "Damn it! Hey, what do you want?! You already got your greedy, magician hands on our food!"
Jason: "Let's calm down Blite. They could still be friendly."
Jason turns towards the shadow.
Jason: "Hey there! We've come in peace."
He brings out his left hand for a handshake.
Blite: "Jason, what are you doing?"
Jason: "I've never met a magician before. I'm sure they're just as friendly as all of us are."
The shadow shakes Jason's shadow hand. He feels as though his arm is moving on its own.
Jason: "Woah! You see that Blite? It's shaking my shadow hand!"
Blite: "It can only interact with other shadows…"
Blite sneaks past to the side of the shadow. They lift up their staff.
Blite: "Ha! Good work distracting it, Jay."
Jason: "What the- Blite!"
A thump and fallen cans can be heard from the other side of the store.
Blite: "That must be our magician."
Jason: "Oh come on Blite, they did nothing wrong."
Blite: "You never know that. It was blocking our exit. Now, time to see who's been taking our soup."
It's finally time I update her design. I've given her a more eldritch design. The neck was already long, but I wanted a better silhouette for her. And since I've made her neck and arms longer, longer elf-like ears just makes sense.
I've also changed her magic type to just be elemental, making her no longer the mannequin lady. So instead of a mannequin stand, she now mutates with an office chair. And due to this, she's now in a constant state of sitting. In a sense, I've accidentally made a wheelchair character(?). Pretty much, you'll never see her sit because she already is.
Minor changes are some colouration, stylisation, and exchanging her blazer for a cardigan.
☆ Old design to compare ☆
I've had a problem with the old design. If we were to compare her mutation with the rest of the mutant cast, she's gotten the least severe outcome. Good for her, but that didn't seem fair. Ultimately, she fell under the "women characters look more human" trope. So, I'm very glad with the new design.
