Rubble and Rust is a coming-of-age visual novel set in rural South Australia.
With nothing but barren stretches of grass around, the River Murray isn’t the most exciting place to spend the summer holidays. Despite forming a deep friendship with the older boy living two holiday homes down, Bel is unaware her friend is concealing more than he lets on.
To keep things simple…
Australian country boonies. A time before WIFI. Sharp scrap metal. Too much free time and a secret under the burn pile out back.
Photos were taken in the early 2000s around my family holiday home by the River Murray, South Australia.
Based around my lived experience with psychosis and the stigmas associated with mental health, I hope you enjoy these lingering memories of childhood from my dry and dusty corner of the world!
3+ hours of reading/playing content. Separated into three parts as seen below.
Content warning: Mature themes and violence.
Here are some of my thoughts on Rubble and Rust. This project started out to be very thrilling. I was enraptured by the process of narrative writing and churned through piles of text for parts one and two.
With time, things happened in my life (namely, mystical mania again) that changed how I viewed the whole 'mental health' thing. I tried to change Rubble and Rust to suit, but the ending ends up well, less interesting than the rest. Not to mention I feel like I fell back on stereotypical depictions of a 'madman psychotic patient' sort of thing.
It's clunky, awkward, much like me, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, I made a thing while others haven't. I've tried to communicate a story where other dare not to, and I'm proud. It's very easy to put down an amateurish writer, but harder to actually make something. That's how I've distilled this project down.