Leo Bonasera
I am a writer specializing in script writing for games and comics, with additional experience in creative, technical, and research writing. My background includes recognition for academic writing, including award-winning essays and a well-received thesis. Creatively, I draw inspiration from narrative-driven RPGs such as Kingdom Hearts, Hades, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Fallout: New Vegas. These works influence my approach to character development, world-building, and immersive storytelling. In my spare time, I’m actively developing scripts for original indie game concepts and writing a full fangame sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m committed to expanding my professional experience and turning my passion for writing into a full-time creative career.
Writing for Sequential Art
Δx - Act One
Created for a graduate course, this comic script is the foundation for an indie game project I am currently working on. I'll be reworking the script here into cutscenes and making some of the events playable in the style of an action RPG like Kingdom Hearts 2. The story is a sci-fi western set in a retro-futuristic 1950s and tells the story of a miner fighting against a corrupt energy company. I would compare the story to Final Fantasy VII if it was set in a campier Fallout: New Vegas world, with the addition of an explicitly transgender protagonist and much more LGBTQIA+ content.
Baldur's Gate 3 Fan Game Dev
Unofficial Baldur's Gate 4
This is a blog where I log my development on a fan game sequel to Baldur's Gate 3. The current plan is to make the fan game into a mod of the original. The main premise of the game revolves around a sentient soul gem, the potential resurrection of Karsus, and a rag-tag group of would-be villains all vying for a mysterious object that the sentient soul gem promises will aid each character in their quest. I was particularly inspired by Astarion and wanted a cast entirely made up of morally-grey characters. In addition, I wanted more transgender representation in the mainline cast. This blog is a constant work in progress as I add more details about my development of the project.
Undergraduate Thesis, Fall 2019
The Fatalis Project: A Creative Response to LGBTQIA+ Representation in Animation
Abstract:
The Fatalis Project: A Creative Response to LGBTQIA+ Representation in Animation aims to analyze two animated shows’ LGBTQIA+ representation utilizing a variety of film history and queer theories, including abjection, intersectionality, and recognition of problematic tropes and stereotypes. The two shows in question are Steven Universe and Voltron: Legendary Defender. While representation in animation has seen some increase over the last few years, it is still exceedingly rare, and often solely focuses on a white perspective when tackling issues such as diversity and colonialism. As a solution, I propose my own pitch for an animated show with positive images of LGBTQIA+ characters using character designs, scripts, and storyboards. This show aims to tackle the problems of LGBTQIA+ representation using an intersectional framework while explicitly discussing characters’ salient identities.Length: 99 pages
(All written work here is my own, but I do not claim ownership of any of the characters from the original media in any fan game content, nor do I claim ownership of any Dungeons and Dragons original concepts.)