Twisted Wonderland

Sequel Cut Short

Vil maneuvers his pegasus character around the enemy ships that shoot at him. He collects tokens that upgrade his blasters so he can take down the enemy ships. Vil reaches the final boss and defeats it in no time.

"Wow, you're good!" Ortho cheers. "You blew through the first boss like it was nothing!"

Vil only sets the controller on the table. "Something clicked for me while I was playing. Wasn't there a live-action movie adaptation of this game? I vaguely remember the story from a film I saw with my dad."

Idia's eyes widen. "Dude! You saw the movie?"

"I didn't know it was based on a video game." Vil shrugs.

"The movie was highly regarded among fans, but it appealed to a widespread, mainstream audience too." Ortho informs. "That led to Star Rogue hitting the big time."

"Yup." Idia grins. "Game sales spiked after the movie's release, and they finally announced a sequel!"

Ortho's shoulders slightly slump. "But right after that, the development team had a falling out."

Idia groans. "It was TRAGIC. The narrative writer, character designer, and game designer all argued so much they ended up leaving the industry and going their separate ways."

Vil hums. "With the original team gone, I suppose any sequel that got made would be an entirely different game."

"Exactly." Idia sighs. "I mean, props to the company for stickin' to their principles. They didn't just slam together another team to churn out a sequel. But alas, the sequel to Star Rogue was left a dream unrealized."

"And because of that, plans for a second movie were also suspended indefinitely." Ortho adds.

"I still hold out hope that those top-tier creators will get back together someday and we'll finally get our miracle, the Star Rogue sequel." Idia sighs dramatically.

Vil quirks an eye. "So all you do is hope?"

Idia tilts his head. "Uh, what?"

"If you love it that much, why not make it happen yourself?" Vil states.

Idia's eyes grow large. "What?"

"He's right, y'know." Leona says from the couch, his eyes still closed. "With your family's resources, you could just pay the creators and get 'em back together."

Idia shakes his head. "No! None of you get it! I want the original team to make a sequel to STAR ROGUE. A game that was made with PASSION, by a team that truly believed in it and knew it was going to be AMAZING! What value would there be in a game they made grudgingly just because I threw money at them?"

"Is that how it works?" Jamil asks.

"YES!" Idia throws his arms in the air. "Bunch of casuals. You know nothing of a nerd's heart!"

Vil examines his nails. "Not to burst your bubble, but that's actually not what I meant. For a start, you could go visit each of these creators and let them know how absurdly passionate you are about this." He looks to Idia with a smirk. "Perhaps you'd make a difference by showing them they have an ardent fan eagerly awaiting a sequel."

"I dunno." Idia holds his arm. "I've seen plenty of superfans doing that before, signing petitions and stuff..."

"But that was other people, right?" Vil argues. "Have you taken any action yourself?"

"I-I couldn't. I'm just one guy. Nothing I do would make a difference..."

"It will always be a zero-percent chance as long as you believe it impossible and refuse to act." Vil folds his arms. "Personally, I wouldn't let it stay that way."