Tris' Thoughts

Mentally dissecting fandoms and original writing

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about

I’m a Fantasy and Sci-Fi writer who enjoys posting thoughts about story/worldbuilding ideas, both original and about fandoms.

Category: Writing

  • Concept to Creation: The Blight Campaign

    I recently posted a proof-of-concept fantasy narrative called “The Blight Campaign” after the conclusion of The Small Speculative Fiction Writing Jam (2026). I thought I’d share a bit about how The Blight Campaign came to be. EmberLight On New Year’s Day of 2026, I joined a discord server called EmberLight. I was trying to get…

  • The Blight Campaign: A Fantasy Narrative Proof of Concept

    “The Blight Campaign” is the creative property of Tris Strudel (Joshua Park) and The Pending Game Creative Collective. Originally submitted to the Small Speculative Fiction Write Jam (2026) on March 30th, 2026. Read about how this project came to be here. Segment One: The Expendable Victim I am Syrol run’Pror, or Syrol the VII, of…

  • Push the Door NOT the Bar (Short Story)

    A short story about a simple and mundane life lesson.

  • The Appeal of the Protagonists Part 1: Leo (A Study of Kate & Leopold)

    2001’s Kate & Leopold is a romantic comedy with drama and supernatural elements surrounding time travel. This post introduces the premise and discusses one of the two main leads as the first part of a series.

  • When It Happened (Short Story)

    Preface: This is a work of fiction in the first person. It is not a transcription of actual events. 8:45PM. A crisp, passive breeze had overtaken the dry heat of the daylight now that the sun slumbered. And I took firm advantage of this. The suburbs were a maze of turns, dips, and climbs. Were…

  • “I Want You” A Scene Study from Stranger than Fiction

    The Plot Thus Far The 2006 film Stranger than Fiction is one of my absolute favorites for a variety of reasons. I hold it in similar regard to the 2001 Kate and Leopold. Both are romantic comedies/comedic dramas with supernatural elements. And my favorite thing about both as is pertains to the supernatural elements is…

  • Dragon’s Roast Coffee (Proof of Concept Series)

    “Proof of Concept” is a blog series where I take a lore or narrative idea and elaborate on how it could be implemented, sometimes in the real world but typically in a fantastical setting. These posts are designed to spark creativity in readers and writers. Any proper nouns I personally create in these series are…

  • Christelan Chronicles: Ritual (Prologue)

    The prologue excerpt from my upcoming fantasy thriller. A moonless night blanked cool shadows over a flat desert for miles.  At its center was a lush, imposing biome of a rainforest.  Lining its outskirts were small fruit trees–only twice a man’s height at most–with wide-stretched branches.  Their bark was veined in reds and vibrant purples,…

  • “Some Key Species” (Project “After-War” Video Game Concept: Entry 06)

    Race Lore Time! One of the main focuses of Project After-War is getting to know different alien cultures that are all part of the galaxy-wide government: the Karo Unity. Kro’Enx is a memorial/cemetery moon for all Unity race, with each having a designated “plaza” to share their culture. They also have large plots of land…

  • “The Wednesday Dragon” (Short Story)

    In the spirit of Thanksgiving, thankfulness for multiple generations of giving. Once, there was a girl, wandering down a road.  She had lost her family and couldn’t find them.  The journey back home was long and she knew not the right way. It began to rain, turning the path to cold mud.  The girl found…