Enter a simulated universe where software beings engage in classic human struggles for belonging, status, and attention, and old certainties like death and gravity are just settings to be negotiated. You can be the god of your own private world, but if find yourself feeling lonely, you might be tempted to give away some of your precious control. This podcast will take you behind the scenes with comic book authors and veteran podcasters Jon Perry (@perryjon) and Ted Kupper (@tedkupper) as they write and develop a science fiction graphic novel called Constellation, set in a metaverse unlike any you’ve seen before: neither a utopia nor a dystopia, neither real nor virtual, it is a simulation where everyone knows they are being simulated and no one much cares, where there’s no hope of leaving and no reason to, just an endless supply of human-designed worlds to create and explore.
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Enter a simulated universe where software beings engage in classic human struggles for belonging, status, and attention, and old certainties like death and gravity are just settings to be negotiated. You can be the god of your own private world, but if find yourself feeling lonely, you might be tempted to give away some of your precious control. This podcast will take you behind the scenes with comic book authors and veteran podcasters Jon Perry (@perryjon) and Ted Kupper (@tedkupper) as they write and develop a science fiction graphic novel called Constellation, set in a metaverse unlike any you’ve seen before: neither a utopia nor a dystopia, neither real nor virtual, it is a simulation where everyone knows they are being simulated and no one much cares, where there’s no hope of leaving and no reason to, just an endless supply of human-designed worlds to create and explore.
Armed with a completed second outline, we return for our 50th episode! This episode begins with a summary of the key changes planned for our second draft. In the next script, we’ll be fully integrating voiceover from page 1 and streamlining the way we present lobbies and the exec. We’ll also be revising Zoya’s plotline […]
Script Content:-Zoya and Csaba attend the Katallian service. They discover the portal door is locked and one way (but Ocean Songbird has a key). As early attendees they are drafted into a confession ritual.-Meanwhile the priests discover an unauthorized conjuring, which leads them to find Cranium tied up.-A struggle ensues in the church as Zoya […]
Script Content:-Zoya gets caught by Alltaf and assigned the task of killing Tim-The leadup to Tim’s death from Zoya’s perspective-The aftermath of Tim’s death: burying the body and lying to Cranium-Caught by Cranium, Csaba knocks out Cranium and takes his conjuring stone-Armed with the stone, Tim and Zoya head for the portal inside the church […]
Another double episode with pages from both Ted and Jon. Script Content:– Richard and Alexis urge Zoya to take Tim’s deal at the Gaia awards-Zoya is initiated into Alltaf-Zoya witnesses Tim trying to force his way through the Alltaf lobby-Richard and Alexis coach Zoya to have Tim complete the first task for her-Zoya shows Applonia […]
In this double episode, we get pages from both Ted and Jon. Script Content:-Tim, Zoya, and Csaba build shelters on Katall-Tim hunts for a suitable murder target-Zoya offers Tim an out (he doesn’t take it)-Tim discovers Cranium’s secret TV lair and decides to make Cranium the target-Tim goes to murder Cranium, while Zoya and Csaba […]
Tim, Zoya and Csaba enter Katall, learn about the naturalist entrance contract, witness a service that includes funeral rites and penitence for conjuring, join the Katallian religion, receive the assignment of building a shelter. Discussion: nailing down Ocean’s gender, considering whether this sequence could be shorter, proposing the addition of Tim’s voiceover, flagging the moment […]
Tim meets Csaba for dinner at a fancy Magnurbia restaurant, Csaba tells the story of Alltaf’s founding, Tim receives instructions for the third trial, Zoya offers Tim the chance to back out. Discussion: whether Tim should know who he’s meeting for dinner, whether Csaba should be a well-known figure, whether the voiceover should be past/present, […]
Visiting Pompeii, finding the clue “Come in, have a drink, stay a while”, getting attacked by a leopard, turning pain on to find the right door, turning mind altering substances on to cross the lava river, turning ejection off to unlock the final answer: “You must trust to be trusted.” Discussion: whether Tim should struggle […]
Taking the job in Applonia, posing as an elephant-headed god, building a temple for Applewhite, planting a backdoor, failing to help the Applonian people, onward to Wang’s world. Discussion: being an elephant versus just being invisible, defining the pain settings in Applonia, the meaning of “portal rights”, the nature of Tim’s moral choice, whether this […]
Receiving the first trial, finding the trial difficult, posting an ad, finding Applewhite. Discussion: introduction of voiceover, making Applewhite weirder, drawing on the Incal for exec inspiration.
Obtaining Alltaf’s address, fighting through Alltaf’s lobby, signaling to Zoya, blackmailing Zoya. Discussion: rules of Alltaf’s lobby, usefulness of the Bukhari reference, communication of blackmail stakes, how secret is Alltaf?
Gaia awards pre-party, Tim and Arturo panic about losing, and Tim proposes a deal to Zoya. Discussion: how to reveal Tim and Arturo’s panic, should concierge be an AI, comic book visual language.
Enter a simulated universe where software beings engage in classic human struggles for belonging, status, and attention, and old certainties like death and gravity are just settings to be negotiated. You can be the god of your own private world, but if find yourself feeling lonely, you might be tempted to give away some of your precious control. This podcast will take you behind the scenes with comic book authors and veteran podcasters Jon Perry (@perryjon) and Ted Kupper (@tedkupper) as they write and develop a science fiction graphic novel called Constellation, set in a metaverse unlike any you’ve seen before: neither a utopia nor a dystopia, neither real nor virtual, it is a simulation where everyone knows they are being simulated and no one much cares, where there’s no hope of leaving and no reason to, just an endless supply of human-designed worlds to create and explore.
