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Flavor Text and Barks - Various

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LAKE KINDRED

At Gaia Interactive, I had the pleasure of naming and creating descriptions for many of the monsters in their Pokemon-inspired monster collecting game, Lake Kindred. Here are some of my favorite Kin and what their "Kindex" entries look like.


LIGHTHOUSE

During a Game Jam in 2022, I wrote these barks for an Animal Crossing / Cozy Grove inspired collecting and exploration game. We have not yet released it in a playable form.

MR WANDA - A shark who fishes from a serene shore. "Ha ha" is his catchphrase.

Barks:

  • Ah, my new chum! Not literally– ha ha… Though if you were, the fishing might go a bit easier. And of course I’d have a bite to tide me over till supper. Hm…
  • I’ve got a cousin in the big city, you know. World famous gambler. A real card shark, so they say, ha ha ha. Always Granddad’s favorite. Wonder what that’s like?
  • They say there’s plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe they were talking about a different one, ha ha ha! When I look out there, all I see is a long wait. But it’s a happy one.
  • There’s a rule in fishing: if you catch something too small and it hasn’t gotten a chance to truly live, you throw it back into the tide and let it grow some more. If I caught you, I’d toss you right back in, small fry! Ha ha ha!
  • I reeled in a set of priceless diamonds once, if you can believe it. When folks asked how, I just told them I’d done a bit of “ice fishing,” Ha ha! …but yeah, after they pulled me down from the roof and sealed up the hole in the vault, I did get in a bit of trouble with the bank.

RANDY - A young pigeon who is fixing his bicycle. His uncle lives on the island.

Barks:

  • When I grow up, I’m gonna live in a treehouse! But also, it’s gonna be underwater. And in a volcano. IN SPACE. You can visit if you bring your own space suit. And some food.
  • There’s usually this light in the sky that goes SWOOSH SWOOSH and moves around a lot! I thought it was something amazing, but now I think it’s just your house. But can we still pretend?
  • I’m always keeping a lookout for big scary monsters! So if you don’t see any at all while you’re here, that’s because I’m really really good at it. You’re welcome.
  • I could teach you how to adventure sometime. But I have to ask my uncle first. I’m pretty sure it counts as a play date.
  • I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but I’ve never met someone who wasn’t kinda strange. Even Mum is weird! I wish she’d visit…

Mid-Quest Barks:

  • Did you find me food? If it’s gross vegetables, that’s NO DEAL.
  • I got so hungry waiting for you, I made a mud pie! It’s not as good as my mum’s… I don’t think she uses actual mud.
  • This spring came off my bike, but it’s probably a just-for-fun thing, like the baseball cards my uncle put in my spokes.

BILLIE - A bear who hikes up and down a nearby mountain. 

Barks:

  • Life’s a journey, that’s for sure. But is it a sprint, an endurance race – or something totally unexpected, like a triathlon? Either way, I want to be ready for it!
  • Race you to the top of the mountain! You go first. With your little legs, you’ll need a head start.
  • Leg day is a good start, but have you considered leg night? Leg power hour? Leg breakfast? Leg afternoon tea? Leg second breakfast?!
  • When I work out, everything else seems to work out, too. Call me superstitious but I say the best way to turn a bad day around is to do a few laps on the mountainside.
  • I met another bear up here once. He was like, “Only you can prevent forest fires!” And it’s been making me kind of nervous ever since. I mean, only me?! That’s a lot of pressure! So I always keep an eye out for smoke while I’m jogging.
  • I won’t say I’m competitive, but I do like a challenge. One time, someone said, “Billie! You can’t just spend your whole life running from your problems!” and I said, “WANNA BET?”

WALLACE - An older cat who is watching the waves roll in. He seems ready to move on from life.

Barks:

  • After traveling so far and seeing so much, even the waves break once they reach the shore. Without exception, there comes a time for rest. Mine’s been a long time coming!
  • It’s possible to grieve for someone who hasn’t gone yet. But don’t bother for me, young’un. I’m in no hurry!
  • When we pen the stories of our lives, we never seem to notice we’re writing in the sand. But when the tide rises and the edges start to wash away, you realize everyone ends with a clean slate.
  • Under the water, the ocean is full of pain, bloodshed, beauty, life, and everything in between. But look how calm it is to our eyes. If the ocean can find peace, can’t we all?
  • If you’re wondering whether I just sit here all day and do nothing… The answer is yes. But a calculated yes. I chose this nothing! And I’m going to enjoy it.

Mid-Quest Barks:

  • The earth cracked open and a rock formed from churning heat, then lived a silent, still life longer than any we could imagine. Over time, the ocean waves wore it into bits. And finally, it was reborn in heat once more, as this glass... I wonder if it’s forgotten ever being part of the earth.
  • Did you reach the mountaintop? The best views come after the hardest climbs, you know.
  • I found this glass on the shore. It’s only fitting it stays here, even after I move on.

EMMA - A dove who leaps out to scare the player in a cave. She has lost a loved one recently.

Barks:

  • They say your eyes adjust when you stay in a dark place like this long enough. But isn’t that just resigning yourself to it? I say we close our eyes tight and run for daylight!
  • We used to have a buddy system. I’d call out MARCO and she’d call out POLO and that’s how we knew which parts of the cave we were in! Sometimes I still whisper my half.
  • We call it losing someone, but are they really the lost ones? I mean, I know exactly where she is. But where has my head been lately?
  • If you need to scare me back to even the score, I totally understand. In fact, here! I’ll pretend I didn’t see you walk in just now. Oh nooo~ I hope no one SCARES ME! I’m so alone in here! Tee hee.
  • What, this boulder? It’s actually a rock! A perfect-sized one, too. The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles.
  • For a while, I thought the flowers might stop blooming without her here. But they came back just as strong and beautiful as before. So I will too!

BEAU - A tiger who is serenely skygazing. 

Barks:

  • The weirdest cloud I ever saw? It was shaped like a rhino. Scary guy, too. Looked hungry. Thought for a second I was a goner, but then the wind picked up. Phew.
  • I’m always sad to see the clouds go. But once they’re gone, out come the stars. And they have their own stuff going on. Just goes to show that letting go ain’t all bad.
  • You know what’s great about the sky? I’m always sharing it. Me and you, no matter where we’re at, we can still look up at the same sky.
  • Whoever said the sky’s the limit wasn’t paying close enough attention. The sky’s just a doorway to somethin’ bigger. I mean, why else do people make rockets?!
  • Today’s clouds are such happy little things. Whoever painted them up there was using a softer brush than normal.
  • See the line where the sky meets the sea? I measured it once. About 9 inches if you hold the ruler to your eyes and don’t move your head. Little underwhelming actually.

ALICE - An eagle who is wandering a forest. She left a corporate job to live in nature.

Barks:

  • Some might call trading in pay stubs for pine needles a downgrade. But those people never worked in the games industry.
  • I’m going for a wilderness lifestyle that’s cruelty-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and just plain FREE! Mostly because, again, no money.
  • I used to be a narrative designer. Yeah, I don’t really know what that means either.
  • One thing you learn picking up garbage is that there’s no such thing as that imaginary “away” where stuff goes after you throw it. Unpleasant things don’t vanish just because you can’t see ‘em. If you want it gone, you’ve gotta put in the work.
  • The golden rule is to leave nothing but footprints. But sometimes I leave little kissy marks on the trees, too.

Mid-Quest Barks:

  • One kid’s trash is another eagle’s treasure! So pay up if you’ve got any, and I’ll give you that metal you were looking for.
  • Have you found any litter yet? If you’re the one who dropped it, it doesn’t count! I’m not falling for that one… again.
  • Ha, this reminds me of all the fetch quests I used to work on. You bring me trash, I give you metal, and then – plot twist! I become a giant monster and try to eat you! …Just kidding. I think.