*images to be added later

a thesis presented to the

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Welcome to My Universe

in partial fulfillment of

requirements for the

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

Andrea Knight

Thursday December 13^th, 2012

Table of Contents

Fig 1. “Brackish Potato” on Craftster, Dr. Who TARDIS in a

Wormhole Afghan, Dimensions unknown, 2012……………………………… 4

Fig 2. Guinevere Cuthbert, TARDIS Hat, 16” x 7” x 7”, Crochet,

yarn, stuffing, 2012. ……..………………………………………………….. 5

Fig 3. Screen capture of Battery-powered Justank sporting a

Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon with a

very high-quality finish, Gintama episode 57, 18:29. 2007 …………… 13

Fig 4. Hideaki Sorachi, Gintama cover vol. 1, 2007………………………………….. 14

Fig 5. Tolkien Map of the West of Middle Earth, dimensions

unknown, 1954 ………………………………………………………………. 20

Fig 6. Andrea Knight, page 2&3, ‘Lonely Nights’, 2011 ………………..……… 21

Fig 7. Andrea Knight, page 9&10 Lonely Nights, 2011. …………………….… 22

Fig 8. Andrea Knight, page 14 Lonely Nights, 2011 ………………………..…. 23

Fig 9. Andrea Knight, City of Cephalopods full color, 2010 ………………..… 28

Fig 10. Andrea Knight, Sono in Full Form, 2012 …………….…..… 43

Abstract

As a comic creator, it is imperative that I craft stories well. One vital element that is often forgotten in crafting stories is world building. It is necessary in any story, yet is often overlooked or haphazardly slapped into place, resulting in large plot holes and gaping inconsistencies in the resulting story. When considered carefully, and used methodically, the story-world created can become as strong as the characters within it. In this thesis, I shall provide references and a quick overview of structure, audience attachment, suspension of disbelief, character making. Once that is established, I can go into detail about world building: a necessary, yet often forgotten, element to crafting stories. I shall then relate how I use world building in my comic City of Cephalopods to strengthen the story.

The art project, City of Cephalopods, will be an epic comic “universe,” the storyline of which follows the lives of multiple characters. Small, tangent chapters will address various aspects of the world today, and will be released as a web comic. Other projects – including games, animated movies, music albums, and merchandise – will support this multifaceted universe and enhance the experience of my audience. The theme of Lonely Nights addresses isolation in contemporary society via a four-part story, which explores the main character, Theron’s, feelings of loneliness in the City of Cephalopods.

Welcome to My Universe

Introduction: The Story So Far

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved stories. Whether these tales were of historic figures living their lives in the endless story of our past, or they were dreams of the future – science fiction – or stories made up entirely from imagination, she loved them all. As she grew, she experimented with all forms of storytelling: writing, acting, music, dancing, drawing, and any combination thereof. By the time she was ready to face the world as an adult, she had fallen deeply in love with the medium of comics. All of her possible career choices circled around the thought “do something to support myself so I can make comics.” It was the mother of one of her best friends who finally suggested she aim at making comics to support her habit of making comics, a suggestion so sensible the girl decided to go for it. For many years, the girl worked on her craft, teaching herself the basics of page layouts and continuity in illustrating characters. She absorbed thousands of books and comics, seeking the secrets to suspend the audience’s disbelief and secure their attachment. It was only when she could not see visible improvement in her own work that she decided to go to art school. There she learned more about illustration in particular and the art world in general. Now, at the end of art school and finally able to move forward into the world of comic creation, the story I have to tell is vast and intricate; my skills are sharp and I have the determination to make it work. What is my story then? What skills will serve me in crafting it? How will I know if the story I wish to tell via comics is successful?

 Suspension of Disbelief and Attachment; a Measure of Success

Arguably, without an audience, any story is not successful. Moreover, it is common knowledge that much of the power within a story is derived from the suspension of the reader’s disbelief.¹ Suspension of disbelief is when the audience accepts extraordinary events or claims made by the author as logical or necessary. For the story to be accepted, the audience must be able to believe what is happening within it. To accomplish this suspension of disbelief, authors have many tactics at their disposal, depending on the story and the creator’s personal taste. For the audience to readily accept the extraordinary within a story, they must first become emotionally attached. This is not to say that attachment is the only element needed, but it is a vital one.

Before I go further, I would like to quickly describe audience participation and attachment as a measure of how they function as success. ‘Success’ can be a loaded word; many people have many different definitions for it. For many, money is the measure of success: our culture is based on corporate ideals of net profits and material gain. For others, fame is the measure of success – particularly for those who tell stories, late night talk shows and limelight appearances are the epitome of success. For a few, success is measured by the audience’s reaction; the effect of the story on those who read it, helps the audience learn something or simply allows them a pleasurable escape from their everyday lives. For a dedicated few, success is simply having the story in whatever form out of their heads and in the real world – somewhere. For myself, I would be happy to achieve any and all these definitions, for now my main goal is the third of these: audience reaction. Hereafter in the paper, ‘success’ will refer to this third definition, unless specifically stated otherwise.

These groups are formed out of the attachment we as a species can feel for an abstract idea or ideal. Audience reaction can be most easily seen in audience participation, that is: fan-fiction, fan-art, dedicated clubs or groups, and fan-run web pages. The term “fandom”² usually indicates a unique group name, with which a specific group will to refer to themselves.³ This form of audience participation is not limited to storytelling, as evidenced by the many fandoms for musical groups⁴ and sports teams.⁵

Fig 1. “Brackish Potato” on Craftster, Dr. Who TARDIS in a Wormhole Afghan, dimensions unknown, 2012

There are choices a storyteller must make about the emphasis between character and place. Deciding how much sway a particular character or element has is an obvious early step in the creative process, and will determine the general course of the work as a whole. Both character and place will have a roll to fill, whether in either extreme or somewhere in between. Depending on the inspiration for the story, emphasis can be placed anywhere on the scale between character and place.

Among the most commonly used techniques is character making, which refers to the action of crafting a fictional character. Less often chosen is world building,⁶ the action of crafting a story world, which includes geography, history, culture, language, and symbols.⁷

The differences between authors which I classify as character makers and world builders tend to be subtle, and has more to do with the techniques used in the creation of stories. As a result, the balance within any given story between emphasis on the character and emphasis on the world can be reflected in the creative responses of the audience. It is universally understood that the audience must care what happens either to a character or to a place. I have observed that the author has the choice of whether character or place holds the greater influence within any given story, often balancing somewhere between both.⁸

Fig 2, Guinevere Cuthbert, TARDIS Hat, 16” x 7” x 7”, crochet, yarn, stuffing, 2012

The Quick & Dirty Version of Story Structure

Story structure refers to the basic structural elements used to compose a narrative. Just as composition within a visual medium is essential to the finished piece, compositional structure within a narrative is essential to the finished story. It is widely known that there must always be varying levels of high and low tension, timing and pacing must always be considered, as well as the balance between dialogue and action. Establishing a solid structure to the story helps the creative process by regulating the flow of the narrative into an emotionally pleasing form.

Less obvious – but no less essential – are the various elements one must consider when writing a story. These have been neatly categorized and described by Larry Brooks in Story Engineering.⁹ According to Brooks, there are six core competencies of successful writing essential in any published story of our time; concept, character, theme, story structure, scene execution, and writing voice. These core competencies are what the average publisher is looking for in any story submitted for professional publication. Brooks states:

The Six Core Competencies deliver that basic level of understanding to writers seeking to bring their stories to life. When applied in context to a full understanding of how the parts relate to one another, they become the contents of a powerful writing tool chest that not only opens the door to future publication but is essential to it.¹⁰

Another essential element needed is suspension of disbelief. There are two basic methods for creating suspension of disbelief using emotional attachment in an audience, character making and world building. Many authors use the psychology of their characters to display the world they’ve created, thus they use the techniques of character making. While this is certainly an important factor in a successful story,authorities in the field – far more qualified than I – have covered the techniques involved quite extensively.¹¹ I will, however, give a short overview in the next chapter.

What many authors forget to mention is the balance of emphasis between character and place. The audience needs to become attached to either place or character for the suspension of disbelief to occur. This attachment is what allows any particular element to carry a title.¹² To analyze any story for the balance between place and character, allow me here to establish what one must look for. Those authors who rely most on character will take careful time to show the audience the depth of personality in each key player,¹³ clearly outline personal conflict and resolution,¹⁴ as well as subtly show their thoughts on fate vs. coincidence.¹⁵

Take for example the Gintama episode 114 “They Say Soy Sauce On Pudding Tastes Like Sea Urchin, But Soy Sauce On Pudding Only Tastes Like Pudding and Soy Sauce.”¹⁶ Forced into interceding in Kuriko’s personal life, Hijikata must pretend to be in a relationship with her to frighten off her harassing co-workers. Hijikata readily admits it was under orders from her father, but she doesn’t listen and wants to date him anyway. Hijikata hires Gintoki and company to persuade Kuriko that Hijikata is unworthy of her affection. They try a variety of methods, but ultimately are forced to pretend he is a distant prince and that he can’t take her with him as he’s leaving. In this episode, Sorachi sets up a complex dynamic between all the characters involved; Hijikata works for Kuriko’s father and is obliged to obey his whims. Kuriko has a strong emotional reaction to Hijikata, but Hijikata is not interested in her romantically (nor does he wish to become entangled in the over-protective homicidal tendencies of her father). The conflict between Hijikata and Kuriko is played out in a humorous and gentle manner, but it is clearly observable. As the episode progresses, inevitably Hijikata comes to like Kuriko as a person, and doesn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Published authors are expected to be skilled in using many techniques for crafting stories, and will incorporate elements of both character making and world building, whether they care to admit it or not. Though not as often used, world building is to construct the world and history before ever delving into the people living there,¹⁷ establish consistent laws of the world,¹⁸ and specify symbols and customs.¹⁹ Many don’t believe that world building is needed at all, and will argue that it distracts from the story or takes too much time. It is inescapable, however, even if only the only thought to ‘place’ is the setting. The setting will still imply rules, which must be followed.²⁰ The balance between these techniques differs depending on artistic intent, and the resulting story carries the traces of the techniques employed.

For example, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Silmarillion,²¹ placed a great deal of emphasis on the world of Middle Earth,²² establishing very solid rules²³ he then followed quite strictly. In Fellowship of the Ring²⁴ the character Frodo finds Galadriel at her mirror, seeking council about the dangerous weapon he must carry. She invites him to gaze into her mirror, for it shows what was, what is, and that which potentially could be.²⁵ Here Tolkien establishes that, while Galadriel is among the most powerful and wise, no one can exactly predict the future. Indeed, to believe one knows without a doubt what absolutely will be is potentially a dangerous error: as proven by Denethor, Steward of Gondor, when attempting to burn himself and his ailing son alive in the tomb of his ancestors.²⁶

Character Making, a Short Overview

Character maker refers mainly to the development of the psychology and observations of the characters before all else within the narrative. This method is often used, by authors to allow the audience to sympathize with the character before they are asked to accept any irregularities or assumptions within the narrative structure. Establishing the character or characters before heading out on whichever adventure the author decides on can ensure the trust and willing participation needed for accepting incredible or extraordinary events. The focus of the character makers often leads to deep characterization, with less attention placed on the history of the general culture or the place within the world the story takes place. The psychological structure of the characters often – though not always – takes center stage, and often the events of the story are carefully considered and the impact to the character is emphasized.

This method can be very useful in stories concerning individual characters – such as mysteries or romances – as well as stories set in a culture or place that is already well known to the audience – such as a contemporary drama or nonfiction. It also has the ability to lead the reader, through sympathy with the character, to accept strange and unreasonable events as logical conclusions.

There are a great number of books written on character, but I believe Story Engineering²⁷ to be the clearest on why characterization is so vital to any story. Indeed, Larry Brooks breaks it down into “seven key characteristic variables” and “three dimensions of character,” the results of which create the character as shown in the story. The seven key characteristic variables are: surface affectations and personality; back-story; character arc; inner demons and conflicts; worldview; goals and motivations; and decisions, actions and behaviors.²⁸ The three dimensions of character are: first dimension, the surface impression the character chooses to show; second dimension, the back story and motivating influences within the character; and third dimension, the choices made under pressure and in critical moments.²⁹ Psychology or a deep understanding of human nature is needed in this area, especially if the characters are what the audience is going to get attached to.

For example, in Gintama³⁰ Hideaki Sorachi created a wide range of characters – any of which could carry a title on their own – and set them loose in a universe with very few boundaries. However, Sorachi does give the audience information about the world, and while there may be few restrictions on Gin and company, there are some boundaries they are restricted to. This has allowed Sorachi the freedom to explore the personalities of each of his characters in deep detail, offering a view of his world steeped in the opinions and observations of the characters living there.

Fig 3, Hideaki Sorachi, Gintama cover vol. 1, 2007

For example; in “When Looking For Things You’ve Lost, Remember What You Were Doing On The Day You Lost It”³¹ a shipment of two dozen Yakuman batteries are stolen along with the money to purchase them. Mutsu of the Pleasure Support Club, who supervised the sale of the batteries to Aoki & Co, hires Odd Jobs Gin to find both the shipment and the money. Gintoki & company locate Tatsuma (the owner of the Pleasure Support Club) & follow a lead from Aoki & Co to ‘Evil Organization.’ In the ensuing fight, the Evil Organization reveals their battery-powered ultimate weapon, the Justank, sporting a shining Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon with a very high-quality finish. The Evil Organization is ultimately defeated, but the money and batteries have vanished (again). Gin & Mutsu track the stolen items all the way back to Aoki & Co, who only admit their guilt after being caught red-handed.

Fig 4. Screen capture of Battery-powered Justank sporting a Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon with a very high-quality finish,Gintama episode 57, 18:29, 2007

Within the story, character is shown directly; Gin is slouchy, fish-eyed and lazy, literally stating that he doesn’t like to expend energy unless absolutely necessary. Gin is motivated by money, and does his best to do as little as possible for a job. Tatsuma is air-headed, girl crazy, and helpless, more concerned with hitting on girls than actually dealing with anything responsible. Indeed, through most of the episode, the most responsible characters are the kids, Shinpachi and Kagura. Gin only shows his depth of character towards the end, during the fight with Evil Organization. Gin refuses to allow his friend Tatsuma to be harmed by the enemy (though he’ll stomp on Tatsuma himself for being stupid).

The world is shown in a far more subtle manner, but within the first five minutes of the episode we learn the batteries stolen are powerful, and rare. One battery can power an entire big spaceship, and their value is extreme. The world they live in is populated with aliens called Animanto, who are generally stronger, faster, and better equipped than humans. Within this world there is also a tendency to speak directly to the author, animators, or audience.

The balance between world building and character making in Gintama is weighted heavily towards character. The series would collapse without such interesting characters, and the world is only slightly different from our own. However, in each episode, the world is shown, the laws of that world are never broken,

It is clear that creating strong characters is a vital element in any successful published story. People find it natural to become attached to an interesting character, especially when a master of the storytelling craft exerts themselves.³² Taking that as true, I also observe that having a solid world to house them in is also essential, especially in fiction writing.

World Builders, Crafting the Place

World Builder refers to the storyteller who focuses on the world or place, displaying the history and/or culture before introducing the characters. This can be accomplished in a number of ways – including through the opinions of multiple characters – generally leading to a larger worldview for the audience, which then narrows down onto a particular character or event. This allows for an understanding of the place and atmosphere within the story, freeing the character from needing to explain it to the audience before diving into the adventure. This also allows the author to keep an objective view.

This method can be very useful in stories involving a specific world or event foreign to the audience – such as science fiction, fantasy, and historic cultures no longer in the world today – or specific events meant to act as contemporary-historic texts – such as long-form journalism. While world building may seem somewhat roundabout by the standards of most creative paths, it does allow for a deep understanding and structuring of the world in general. Working within a well-established world makes creating stories of whatever nature far easier to handle, as well as allowing for a depth to the world, which will translate as a level of realism for the audience. World builders typically spend many years on a single world, even if they ultimately create several in their lifetimes.

In many ways, world building is much like character making. The same elements needed within a character still apply, but on a larger scale. Think of the world or culture as a character; with a psychology, history, and motivating forces which will then feed into the conflict or essence of the story. This allows the world or culture to become the main focus of the story, taking pressure off any individual character to exemplify or carry the burden of attachment alone. This does not mean that the world builder gets to ignore the deeper aspects of character making, rather the author must create a set of deep characters who interact to display the seven key characterization variables and the three dimensions within the society or world as a whole. Subtle differences, but a dynamic shift for the over all effect within the story.

Many believe that world building is not essential to a successful published story; if one has strong enough characters, the audience will forgive inconsistencies and poor craftsmanship in the world housing their characters. However, I maintain that world building is just as important as character making, because, A) a solid world can contain multiple stories, providing the audience with a comfortable and familiar ‘area’ to emotionally invest in, rather than placing all their emotional attachment to a single character (who can and must change over time), and B) A poorly constructed world can collapse if a strong character breaks too many of the world’s laws, thus losing the confidence of the audience. Once the audience loses confidence in the character or world, emotional attachment dries up, and suspension of disbelief evaporates. If the audience cannot maintain suspension of disbelief, interest in the story will disappear, and so will the audience.

In an early interview Funnyworld Revisited by Michael Barrier and Bill Spicer³³, Chuck Jones touches on some self-imposed restrictions he used in the Road Runner and Coyote cartoons,

You make up your own rules as you go along … but having made them up, you must adhere to them. I think the same thing was true of Chaplin’s movies, in that his costume did not vary. Marcel Marceau allows himself nothing on the stage except a couple of blocks.³⁴

Such restrictions help refine a world, giving a feeling of consistency. As stated previously, that consistency helps maintain believability. Crafting the laws of the world, whatever those laws may be, and then sticking to them is the most important rule to world building. History and geography will also have an effect on any particular story world, influencing the languages, symbols and customs of the people living there. Every story ever told must touch on the world housing the characters, even if in the most off-handed manner. Many story worlds will go with the idea that the world is Earth or Earth-like with a twist.³⁵ There are few who have made their story-worlds large and complex,³⁶ and the best examples of either will touch on the rules of world building. In an interview for the documentary Creator of Middle Earth, Peter Jackson says:

I’ve always thought it was remarkable that Tolkien basically spent his entire life creating what he called the Secondary World. He created the languages, he created thousands of years of history. It’s so rich and so detailed, nobody today that writes a piece of fiction can come close to the sheer wealth of information and detail. Of course, all of that makes it fiendishly difficult to adapt it to a movie.³⁷

Tolkien is one of the best examples of a World Builder for his lifelong project, Middle Earth. With his friends in ‘the tea club and Borovian society’ – aka the TCBS – Tolkien created a language, which he then attempted to build a reason for, which resulted in a deep mythology, which eventually became the Silmarillion.³⁸ The Book of Lost Tales³⁹ was written primarily while Tolkien was in the trenches during World War One, and was the first comprehensive collection of stories based in Middle Earth.⁴⁰ In an interview for the documentary Creator of Middle Earth, Rayner Unwin states:

To be a convincing story, you’ve got to know what you’re talking about in every detail. You’ve got to know what the geology, geography, the history – which Tolkien had already mapped out, years and years before. It was as real to Tolkien as history.⁴¹

Tolkien also mentions some of his thoughts on world building in the forward of Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in the Lord of the Ring trilogy:

This tale [Fellowship of the Ring] grew in the telling, until it became a history of the Great War of the Ring and included many glimpses of the yet more ancient history that preceded it. It was begun soon after The Hobbit was written and before its publication in 1937; but I did not go on with this sequel, for I wished first to complete and set in order the mythology and legends of the Elder Days, which had then been taking shape for some years.⁴²

Fig 5. Tolkien, Map of the West of Middle Earth, dimensions unknown, 1954

City of Cephalopods

So what does all this have to do with my little comic? My thesis project City of Cephalopods, Lonely Nights is only part one of chapter one of the web-based branch of my world. I have not yet had the opportunity to express my world onto paper. I will freely admit that I am currently at a point where my storyline would be better for more art making and less talking about art making. For now, part one of chapter one of the web-comic will suffice to display my own use of world building.

Taking into account both character making and world building, and remembering that there needs to be a balance somewhere in between both extremes, I present to you pages 2 & 3 of Lonely Nights.

Fig 6. Andrea Knight page 2&3, ‘Lonely Nights’. 2011

Within this sample, we see Theron, the main character, through a typical day. He wakes up, walks to work, stays late, eats dinner at his favorite cafe, and goes to sleep. Within these two pages, I show how flat, lifeless, and dull his life is. The lines of his life never vary, he never breaks out of his perspective, the only thing that changes is the setting, and that rarely. It is not until he hears the music of Hypnotek that he begins to break away from this ridged structure.

 Fig 7. Andrea Knight, page 9&10 Lonely Nights, 2011.

After this encounter his world begins to evolve, becoming stranger as the Nonnopusses in the background begin breaking through the gutters, and the angles begin to shift away from rigid singularity. This is in part to show how Theron’s own perspective is also shifting, growing and expanding to include things that he had never noticed before (though they were there the whole time).

All of these visual techniques speak to the world and world building that I have done for City of Cephalopods. Even Theron’s bitch boxes are a visual echo of how his mind works, the blackness inscribed with white text showing the darkness of his natural state contrasting with the brightness of his thoughts. Taking my examination outside of Lonely Nights part 1, I have quite a bit planned in the way of shifting the world into something bright and vivid. One method I have employed in City of Cephalopods is to think of the city itself as a sort of character, with its own history and motivations. In this way, the city interacts with the characters as much as the characters interact with one another.

 Fig 8. Andrea Knight, page 14 Lonely Nights, 2011

An advantage to having spent so much time working on world building is that I am already planning on reveals for my audience; dragons in the forests, gods in the parks, a very interesting librarian (background in page 12), and a whole host of characters only glimpsed and not yet explored. Nonnopusses will eventually be explained, as will the Peace Bots and Divine Justice Department.

Balancing on the scale between character making and world building, my characters are crafted to a deep level,⁴³ with histories and deeper characteristics consistently supporting the structure of their reactions and ideals. Having done the same with the place they all live, the City of Cephalopods, I feel my world lies somewhere comfortably in the middle, giving me the option to focus any particular story on either character or place as I see fit.⁴⁴

The structure of City of Cephalopods bears exploration here, as the main series will be different than the tangential web-comic chapters. Where the web-comic chapters will be independent short stories dealing with various subjects, the main series will follow the lives of the various people living in the City of Cephalopods, as well as exploring the city and the world I’ve created for it. I will also eventually include games, animated short films, and other merchandise to support the world I’m crafting. My goal is to distribute my story as widely as possible, and set up multiple areas for my audience to “inhabit” the City of Cephalopods for themselves, whether in a game or through reactive art of their own creation. This is what will tell me how successful my world building has been.

Touching once again on world building techniques, I must take into consideration history and geography, symbols customs and language, as well as what is and is not possible. The world in which the City of Cephalopods is housed is semi-earth like – based roughly on Portland Oregon – and yet highly permeable to other dimensions or worlds. The city itself began as a sort of hub where all the strong characters I had ever made could meet and mingle freely. In this way, the Star Riders became familiar with Sono, who founded Hypnotek with Brian, Tony and Harvey. The Weird-Sister’s Cafe became a natural gathering place within the city, and random elements such as Briar Wood and the Brindle Wolf will make appearances.

The geography of the city is nestled around a deep river flowing Northwards, within a rich valley surrounded by orchards, vineyards, and forest. Beer and wine are natural exports for the area in general, as well as delicious fruits and veggies enjoyed by the locals. Even times of dire financial distress are softened by plenty of sustainable foodstuffs.

The history of the city itself is very similar to Portland, having been founded early with a seedy history that no one much likes to talk about. Eventually becoming a strange little place chock full of liberals and artistic types, the City of Cephalopods has a flavor distinct from neighboring cities. This does not stop the outside world from influencing the city, as evidenced by the Nonnopusses. As the waters of the Pacific ocean become increasingly polluted, life within the deep blue waters evolves to compensate. The Nonnopusses are a type of cephalopod who’ve developed a large size, extremely tough skin (rubbery and strangely bullet proof), and strangely human-like eyes. They migrated for reasons known only to themselves out of the Pacific, through the Columbia, and into the Willamette River. A large group settled in Portland, where they are currently eating whatever they can catch (City Leaders have begun feeding the Nonnopusses in order to protect the general citizenry).

Symbols, customs and specialized language have cropped up as a result of this historic occasion. The occupation of the Nonnopusses has lead to the great Calamari Debates, an ongoing political contest between those who desire the removal of all calamari and cephalopod eateries and foods from the City of Cephalopods, and those who firmly believe that such establishments are the only line of defense against the giant cephalopods. As a natural reaction to the cephalopod invasion, one’s choice of lunch can be a profound political statement, with calamari specialty restaurants opening everywhere, displaying their offerings on their take-out bags. It has also become customary to carry sealed meat when enjoying Waterfront Park. As the Nonnopusses mainly inhabit that section of the river, their range out of the water tends to be about ten to fifteen city blocks. The thinking is that if the Nonnopusses are fed by humans, they will eventually see the general citizenry less as food and more as creatures who bring food.

The laws of City of Cephalopods are fairly reasonable: science is fun, and physics work quite nicely, except that nature is devious and holds far more surprises than anyone likes to give her credit for. While the Nonnopusses seem to be extraordinary, they’re simply an extension of the idea that we humans have not managed to find everything living in our world. There must always be a logical explanation, however, in order for the audience to accept it. In particular the sea monsters, Gods, and creatures of higher intellect who have all hidden themselves from detection for the last three hundred years or so. I submit that they are all still there, we just haven’t found them. Science is glorious, but still relatively new to the world, it is silly to think we know everything.

My intention for this project is to construct a story-world people will want to inhabit. To focus on world building is an essential part of story crafting; careful consideration of the details in any world will help make the place richly vibrant and alluring. Authors such as Sorachi and Tolkien have used world building quite successfully: while each of them inhabits one extreme edge of the range between world building and character making, my world can maintain a balance somewhere between both and use the techniques I have discussed earlier in this paper. World building has helped me craft a story-world in which all my characters can find adventure. Not just for the “now” of story time, but for every point between the beginning of our planet to the complete destruction of Earth, and beyond to the death of the last “human.” This allows me the ability to pick and choose the point of time I wish to address within any given story, reliably reference particular “historic events,” and drop in foreshadowing at any point I feel necessary.

Exit Strategies

To conclude, creating a successful story involves craftsmanship and creativity in many areas. While there are some techniques that are obviously needed when making a story, such as structure and characterization, there are other elements that are often ignored and pushed aside which are never the less still vital to the quality of the story as a whole, in particular world building. World building is a natural part of any story you hear, read, or watch. One of the reasons world building is so interesting is the idea of escapism. My work is particularly escapist, ever striving to craft a place where my audience and myself can forget the dreary every day world. Sorachi and Tolkien also created such places, where anyone can ‘inhabit’ the story-world via their own creative projects or dreams. The City of Cephalopods is a story still in the making, but with a well crafted world, I hope to enjoy many years of fleshing it out.

Fig 9. Andrea Knight, City of Cephalopods full color, 2010

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Image Bibliography

Cuthbert, Guinevere. “Gretel Shuvzwichinstov.” Accessed December 12, 2012. https://www.facebook.com/daftgretel.

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Knight, Andrea. City of Cephalopods Web comic, 2011. http://cityofcephalopods.smackjeeves.com/.

———. City of Cephalopods « Arknight Studio Paper, ink, 2010. http://arknightstudio.com/city-of-cephalopods/.

———. Sono in Full Form Paper, ink, graphite, colored graphite, 2012.

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 Appendix 1: Artist Statement

Here we are again, yet another artist statement for yet another thesis paper. Have you been reading long? Have I managed to interest you in my work? Would you be interested in a world full of thirty-foot cephalopods wandering the streets eating whatever they can catch? Would you like to read about the peace-bots emitting pure oxygen as a marketing strategy to hide how much information they acquire? Should I mention the dragons in the woods around the city, or the little Nature God living in Washington Park? Perhaps the Immortal Librarian can give you a clue as to what you’re reading here, or would you rather read about the musicians with rather more going on than coffee-house gigs? Gentleman wolves and dangerous little girls are not exactly uncommon these days, but maybe the whispering trees can keep your interest. Maybe all the dancing buildings shifting places will keep you lost in my world, or maybe you’ll finally find the Department of Divine Justice (before they find you).

Slowly but surely the story unwinds, with a core graphic novel, tangent web-comic chapters, animated movies, games, and merchandise. All shall (eventually) be revealed (indicating that it has not yet been). You should prod and nag me, particularly if you’ve read this far and still want more. Until then, I’ll probably just keep making it slowly, slowly feeding the insanity. The sweet, sweet insanity spinning gently into multiple media formats (though primarily comics). MUA ha ha ha.⁴⁵

Appendix 3: Tangents

A Note on Actors

Personally, I would include actors in the “character” section, except that I have limited room here, and didn’t want to get sidetracked that badly. Mostly this is because while they may or may not have initially created the characters they play, they generally contribute quite a lot to the depiction of their character, which has a profound effect on the character in the long run. A contemporary example would be Matthew Gray Gubler,⁴⁶ who plays ‘Spencer Ried’ on ‘Criminal Minds.’⁴⁷ Gubler has contributed many fine details to Ried, including the never-matching socks, a fondness and talent for magic tricks, and a quirky sense of humor in a character that could far too easily become dark and dry.

Actors can also fall into a miscellaneous sort of group, for there are quite a few people who will watch a move more for the actors in it than the story involved. This is good for when there are a number of excellent actors in one of the more independent films, allowing both actor and audience to experience stories they may not have otherwise heard of.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I do count actors as storytellers, for they do tell stories, they simply tell them one character at a time. There is time and effort involved in researching and detailing the characters actors depict. They tell the story with their faces, their voices, their bodies, their clothes. By whatever means an actor uses to depict the character played, it is the job of the actor to tell that story.

 Traditional Publishing Vs. Internet Publishing

There is this gigantic world of stories out there, with both traditional publishing and internet publishing. As professional-grade story crafting is what I strive for, it is therefore the ultimate goal of any story I write. Therefore, the argument for traditional publishing vs internet publishing is something I must address, even if briefly. I would very much like for a professional publishing house to scoop me up, keep me financially secure, and give me all the valuable feedback my story will need to become as viral as I want it to become. However, internet publishing allows me complete freedom and control, with no one telling me what I can and can-not do. Yay for choices.

 Yet More About Responsive Art

It is possible to determine the ‘health’ of a world by the reaction it causes, thus allowing the author to respond to the responses. Through the appreciation of the story, the audience can tap creative potential of their own, beginning a cycle of creative forces, which can feed both the audience and author. This also allows the original creator of the story to get feedback about their story, opening communications between creator and audience. This feedback is a key indication of what the audience becomes attached to, allowing the author the option to refine the story in that direction. Series in particular work this way, as storytelling becomes semi-collaborative; the author uses available feedback to create desirable works. A good series to look into for an example would be Doctor Who,⁴⁸ with such a long running series the devoted Whovians are among the most interesting fandoms I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with.⁴⁹

 Even More About the City of Cephalopods

Are you still with me? Yay! Just for you, a little hint for what the future holds:

 Fig 10. Andrea Knight, Sono in Full Form, 2012

A really good recipe for truffles: 12 oz bitter-sweet chocolate, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, flavored liquor of your choice, 1 T of real butter, unsweetened cocoa powder. In double boiler gently melt chocolate and butter. Add liquor to taste and mix, then slowly fold in cream. Allow it to cool and set, then take spoon and form into balls. Roll the balls in the cocoa powder, and serve chilled. To make the balls into Nonnopusses, use marzipan; make two little balls and mush on front (for eyes), then add cocoa (for color), roll nine tentacles and place on the bottom. Pose tentacles as desired, and place in ginger-bread city.

Roasted Shitake mushrooms on a stick! Can it be? Is this really the very last page? Yes. Yes it is. BUA HA HA ha ha haa.

End Notes