I'm really just looking for an opinion on this story I've been working on. Like the title states, I introduced an OC to an established fandom. The main character of my fan fiction, Alexander, ends up in Mushroom World much the same as the Mario Brothers, accidentally finding a warp pipe on Earth. However I decided to do things a little differently. He didn't land in the Mushroom Kingdom, instead he was dumped out in the Dark Lands aka Bowser's Kingdom. Here he's attacked, arrested, beaten bad enough to end up in the hospital, and nearly killed. Afterward he gets roped into a series of events, against his will, that pits him against Mario. He ends up getting beaten, arrested, and nearly killed, again. What the story revolves around is how Alexander ends up working for Bowser and becomes a rather high profile enemy of Peach and the Mario Brothers. Some of the things I've done differently however is this isn't a G-rated story, but at the same time I'm not trying to go Game of Thrones with it either. It's more PG-13 in that there is some suggestive material, violence, but I've also tried to add less cliche details. For instance Bowser isn't a bufoon, he's actually very intelligent and quite dangerous. As Nintendo left a lot of information about the series character vague on purpose, I've also been filling things in. The Mushroom Kingdom's northern border is also the Dark Land's southern border. I've detailed things like history, why the two kingdoms have been at war on and off for centuries, and other things like that. I'm trying to make it more realistic and interesting, without going overboard or turning it into GoT.
As a casual fan of the Mario series, it seems a bit off - for me at least - that the version you're writing is more gritty than the original property. I understand you're not reaching Game of Thrones level of gritty, but I would suggest lightening up the tone at least. You can keep Bowser's cunning but you can also keep the inherit goofy nature of the series as well. Honestly, you can go for a satire of the Mario series by having Bowser win instead of the Mario Bros. - with the help of an outsider like Alexander. This is fanfiction after all, but you're the writer so I won't try and change how you want your story to go. My two cents.
I'm not a huge Mario fan, but I love Villain Protagonists, and I love fleshing out details that had been glossed over, and the story in general sounds interesting That's actually a pretty common trope in fanfiction communities
Yeah, I prefer villain protagonists as well. One can do a lot with such a character. Lol, I'm aware! I just didn't think I would see it here
Well, I'm not making anyone outright good or bad. In my story everybody has strengths and flaws, and the Koopa actually have a letigimate reason to dislike the Mushroom People. In my story Bowser is strong, intelligent, politically savvy, and extremely popular as a monarch with the Koopa. The Mushroom Kingdom is also pretty well like it's portrayed by Nintendo, lush, green, and largely peaceful for the most. Peach is popular with the Mushroom People, as are the Brothers. Since the two kingdoms are geographical neighbors, I've also had a small degree of racial drift across the borders, such as a small number of Koopa born and raised in the Kingdom, as well as some Mushroom People born and raised in the Dark Lands. I'm also not trying to make the story grittier, so much as just more realistic. I still don't heavily detail violence or bloodshed, despite there being a fair amount. I get the point across without splattering blood and guts everywhere, because I am trying to keep it to a mild pg-13.
In that case, what's the point of having Alexander as the MC? You could write in the perspective of in-game characters - that would be much more interesting.
In large part so the story would be written from the perspective of someone who isn't an established game character. I've always had a disdain for making other people's creations the MC of any fan fic I do. In some cases because they have detailed histories that can be restrictive to a writer.
I'll admit that I'm not a massive Mario fan, but I do write fanfiction and I think that making a story more gritty can be one of the best parts of it. It's satisfying to explore what you feel the game writers didn't really flesh-out enough and to provide your own explanations for why certain characters chose to do certain things: to smudge together the light and dark sides they created into a tangled masterpiece. So I think you should go for it!
In some cases, this is true. However, since you want to show the audience the drastic difference your story is compared to the games, then I say go for it. I hope, however, that Alexander is just more than a "camera" for the audience to show off your world. I find that is common among fanfiction writers.
I find this concept to be a rather original take of the game! First off, I'm a Mario fan so your story is appealing to me. As a writer, I can sometimes be just a little Game-of-Thrones-y; I like adding a little dark and realistic violence without going overboard. So overall I like how you're giving a more realistic vibe to the normally joyful and bubbly mario world. I find it nice how you've thought of a background story and a history to both nations; it gives it more depth and, as you wanted, makes it more realistic. I'm curious about what kind of character Alexander is meant to be? How does he respond to his fate, to being forced into servitude by Bowser?
