Rearranging The Deck Chairs
Though this ship isn't sinking.
The Bold Are Often Rewarded
While the above is certainly true, the opposite is equally so. The ocean liner known to history as The Titanic is arguably the best symbol for this truism. While hubris, human error, and low visibility all played a part in the Titanic’s tragic demise the virtues (and resources) that went into its creation deserve more attention.
In James Cameron’s 1997 feature film that shared the iconic ship’s name the sinking vessel’s final moments are accentuated by the violinists who decide to play music during the crew’s failing evacuation of the terrified passengers:
The scene is full of passengers doing their best to maintain some semblance of peace, normalcy, and control despite the rising water levels all around. A man sets a timepiece, a couple lays down to hold one another, a mother puts her babies to sleep. This sequence is one of the films most human. Amidst the chaos, there will always be those who know how to find the stillness.
This was a more illustrative way of highlighting the existential crisis that the folks aboard the Titanic faced than if had they simply shown the crew “rearranging the chairs” as the idiom goes. There’s little, to no chance of the “main thing being the main thing” (to use a slightly less popular idiom way too soon after using another) when the main thing is arguably the most overwhelming thing you’ve ever been a part of. Not if you are trying to keep your sanity.
The Most Overwhelming Thing I’ve Ever Been a Part of
Okay. Maybe comparing Ennead and The World of Amashik to the Titanic was a bit much, but to me it doesn’t seem so. The last four years of my life have been engulfed by this (fictional) place. I know exactly what it was built for and were I not so enamored with its beauty and ingenuity I would just allow it to set sail and reach that inevitable destination.
But I can’t.
Why settle for a comic when you can write prose? Why settle for passive consumption when I could create games that allow for interaction with Amashik? One timeline? HA! This is epic fantasy; I need at least 3 or 4… right? And right now I can relate to those guys playing the violin.
Except this ship isn’t sinking.
At times I feel like no one is at the wheel, but sinking? Not even close. With 6 successful crowdfunding campaigns behind it Ennead has plenty of steam to propel it forward. The 70 or so unpublished pages along with the literal thousands of words kept in unread scripts and chapters serve as plenty of coal to be loaded into the engines whenever necessary.
Hubris and Human Error
Despite thinking highly of the world I’m crafting (if you couldn’t tell I’m still dragging this whole Titanic comparison thing so…), thus far I’d have far less to share were it not for the team that’s helped me. Line art, covers, colors, SFX, editors, and readers (like you) don’t just appear out of thin air though. Something has to get your attention and make you think this project is worth it to be a part of it in any fashion. I’m trying hard to pace myself but it is difficult when I have so much I want to do.
I’ve made a few mistakes along the way that I wish I could take back (the biggest is actually naming Inahtuu… guess I’ll just need to create an actual “Man With No Name”) but I obviously can’t. That said, for my creators in the crowd, I am happy to have broken a few things along the way. I don’t think I’d have made it this far had I tread any lighter.
Low to No Visibility
I can recall the summer of 2020 when I sent my then 30 page script along with an arc 1 synopsis to a comic editor with professional experience -if you’re reading this, I am still grateful for the feedback- and my sense that I was at the end of a fruitless endeavor. How silly of me would it have been to quit way back then considering all that I’ve accomplished since? How unreasonable for me to take one person’s opinion so seriously that I threw thousands of (my own) dollars at a project that I had no prior experience to warrant undertaking in the first place?
I know where I intended to take Ennead then just as much as I understand that there is still no way of knowing if I’ll make it or not. The obstacles out there, much like the world’s most infamous iceberg, that stand a chance of dooming this entire voyage are unknowable:
Could it be my decision to venture into prose? Or maybe my first step was my worst step and I should’ve avoided comics all together? What if I kill my chances of success by taking the wrong opportunity to expand?
I have no idea what lies ahead, but right now, I am doing alright. Right now we are still afloat. So churn on, I must.
Rearranged Chairs
I’ve doubled down on my decision to make this page primarily about prose. “The Acolyte” is one of my favorite, and most original, creations on this Substack. All the characters are brand new (read: don’t exist in the comic) and are actually really enjoyable to write. So much so, that I’d actually written seven chapters centered around its protagonists before my break last year. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with them so I just kept them close. They will be rolled out in short order for you to enjoy.
Along with my other Substack Exclusive series (the newly renamed) “The Birthright,” I plan on using “The Acolyte” to explore The World of Amashik outside of the storyline we follow in The Rule of Nine without relying on my art team to bring it to life.
I’ve been a fan of fantasy all my life and have the experience necessary to be a sound writer of the genre; the past few years prove as much. Now starts the hard work of making that a reality in the age of the internet. Along with the longwinded exclusives I’ll be continuing my short “in story” prose pieces that fill in gaps between comic chapters. Those have been super informative for me and have helped to bring my characters to life even more in my head.
In addition, I was listening to a podcast recently and the idea of creating 100, 100-word stories was floated by one of the hosts. Amashik is huge and last year I wrote about 1/3rd of the fictional world history book that I will eventually publish on the place. I’ve decided that I’ll pick a person, place, or thing from Amashik’s past, distant and not so, in order to help share this place with you. Sprinkle in the comic pages that will remain available to read here and the commentary that gives more insight into it and I think you have a pretty impressive collection before you.
In The Interim
If this inspired you to go back and watch the Cameron film, I’m glad. It’s a classic and one of my wife and I’s favorites. Or maybe my older work has you intrigued and you want to explore some of it. Good either way.
I want you to find more joy in your day to day. I want you to stretch that imagination of yours. Find freedom in art, be it your own creations of that of others, because that’s what it’s for. I still don’t want to promise anything on the calendar, but my “full-time” return feels close. I’m chasing the muse again for the first time in a long time and here’s to seeing how long I can keep up.
JL