Enigmárea

YEAR 2024

If I had to pick one subject most dear to me, it would be storytelling. I've realized it's a central theme that connects all my interests—computing, HCI, games, and mathematics—by revealing the narrative arc in everything I study. This arc mirrors nature's own plot progression.

I've wanted to give shape to my passion for the craft of storytelling since childhood. In 2024, I decided it was time to create a project as a homage to the tales that have inspired me, particularly Amazing Stories, the 1920s sci-fi magazine that helped define a genre and launched the careers of famous writers like John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Roger Zelazny. I wanted to build upon that idea—a concept centered on writers, authors, and an expanding anthology of work—and propel it forward.

ROLE :

Product Architect, HCI Designer, Writer

TEAM :

Solo lead project with freelance support on web development

KEY TECHNOLOGIES

Responsive Design

Archiving & Filters

Subscription Model

Payment Gateway

TOOLS & SOFTWARES USED:

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
Wordpress
Elementor
Razorpay & PayPal
Mailchimp

“A homage to storytelling, built as a platform for anthologies.”

Methodology & Approach

Enigmárea was conceived from Inkons̈truct, a narrative studio I founded as an incubator for a variety of projects, including online editorials, video games, graphic novels, and music albums. I chose to start with the online editorial, a slow-burn project designed to build momentum over time. A core goal was for stories to serve as bridges between people, both geographically and personally, which is why I purposely registered the entity in both the USA and India.

Since its inception, I've organized my initial writing into seasons. Each season consists of 10-15 interconnected tales that revolve around a central motif.

IKONS̈TRUCT - Initial Drafts for the Icon, the Logo to be 🠉

The core idea draws inspiration from the concept of Infinity, describing a journey through an "infinite ocean" of countless stories and imaginary worlds, with a particular nod to the works of physicists Paul Dirac and Roger Penrose.

Paul Dirac, a Nobel laureate, is celebrated for having predicted antimatter. This idea essentially describes half of the early universe, believed to comprise an equal mix of matter and antimatter.

Roger Penrose, also a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, is a key figure in theoretical physics, known for inventing Penrose diagrams. These diagrams are a powerful tool used to visualize vast or infinite spacetime regions, like black holes, by compressing them into a finite, legible format.

Enigmárea - Initial One Page Outline 🠉

Research & Prototype

From the beginning, I knew that this endeavor would take time to develop, so I focused on building a robust, future-proof framework. Instead of relying on existing platforms like social media or Medium, I chose to build a new platform from scratch. I wanted not only to define a unique experience but also to ensure long-term scalability without depending on a third party.

The prototype included a page to catalog the stories with selection filters, the ability to subscribe, and a donation feature with a payment gateway for local and international audiences. The platform is entirely free and ad-free, with the crowdfunding channel serving as an experiment to see if people are genuinely willing to give a dime or two for tales they've enjoyed.

Enigmárea - Initial Product Web Design Options 🠋

The project is now fully active and functional, with all its features running smoothly. I already have users subscribing and sending some donations.

Over the past few months, the writing on Enigmárea has expanded significantly. The initial individual tales, or Wavelengths, were focused on the lore and worldbuilding of Enigmárea. The narrative canvas is now also used to collect and share my feedback on video games, books, and music that I enjoy. So far, I've released two seasons: Season #1, about the general lore of Enigmárea, and Season #2, which centers around one of its main characters, Kavern. My goal is to see whether these tales might inspire support, which in turn motivates me to write more.