49 Comments

Hope we see the many facets of the scientifc world and how they cover the magic traces from the other cycle. Love the designs and I am really looking forward to the comics keep up the excellent work (small idea, you could release like a mini comic with some of the fables and stories that you are talking in the post and it could look like a fairy tale childrens book for the kids of the science cycle)

Expand full comment

That’s a great idea! Keep those suggestions coming!

Expand full comment

Yep. We should do that.

Expand full comment

Woah. Does Bernado essentially get partial credit for the inspiration of the FABLES comic?

Expand full comment

Thanks for answering!

Expand full comment

Curious about a few things (I know I must be patient for the story to unfold, rather than have all the answers now). Just wanted to know how the concept itself was evolved, via these questions:

(1) When they go to oxygen-rich environment (back to Therra) from oxygen-deficient moon, do the veins undo the branches/tree formation? Is it a painful transformation?

(2) What happens to the person if any of the branch/tree veins are exposed? Is it fatal? (I'm guessing painful)

(3) How is this oxygen collected within the suit, as in what happens if the storage unit of this collected oxygen (if there is any) gets faulty, or destroyed in an attack by an enemy, etc?

(I know this is the stupidest question of all the stupid questions)

Expand full comment

Haha. Love this. We're actually doing this as a story, so stay tuned.

Expand full comment

Love these questions. These are all gonna be in play some way.

Expand full comment

Man, I love reading all these comments. Jonathan and Mike thank you for actually commenting on peoples posts and answering questions. It's cool to see you guys interact with fans, and I love reading questions and answers I didn't even know I wanted. So also thank you for those asking really good questions. This is awesome!

Expand full comment

Thanks, Joel. The more questions the better. It’s really helping us figure stuff out on our end and brings up some great ideas.

Expand full comment

Not sure if this is where you’re going but it’s fun to think of the robots serving a similar function during the science cycle as familiars would during the magic cycle. Both facilitating or making use of Khor is some way.

Expand full comment

Good point.

Expand full comment

This is awesome

Expand full comment

Great, now I'm imagining tree vein salad

Expand full comment

A concept universe full of concept characters, reflections and refractions of the roles and cycles, micro and macro, that surround and permeate the cast. I can't wait to see how it plays out in story as characters expectations are fulfilled, subverted or abandoned through run.

Expand full comment

Thanks! We're having a blast.

Expand full comment

Im drawn in by this line:

“He suspected a few. Inspected them. But could not prove they were ‘magic’ because ‘magic’ does not exist, and let her keep them.”

Every new post just leaves me with more and more questions— keep it coming!

Expand full comment

Fascinated to see what shape the overall family unit will take along with the desires and ambitions of everyone.

Based on the home designs in the earlier newsletters it feels like we will see this family at different stages of their life cycle. Is this the case?

Will we see their relationships form and change in a linear fashion or will the storytelling take place across the eras in a must/needs style to propel the story forward.

Nice end tag with the robot. Robots.

Expand full comment

We're doing both, actually. Which sounds like nonsense, but you'll see.

Expand full comment

Like watching an elaborate puzzle being completed. Thank-you for this gift.

Can’t wait to see how Tini’s system informs and empowers the apocrypha. Would love to see that word get usage in universe!

Expand full comment

We were actually going to roll out all three of those in the first two weeks, but had a better idea of how to do it, so it'll be a little long (subject to change, of course, but I think the first of those is the week after next). And Tini's is really great (all three of them crushed it, honestly).

Expand full comment

I became a subscriber seconds before this post went up and am now absolutely certain I made the correct choice! So excited to watch this unfold.

Expand full comment

This format seems to work perfectly for the story you’re telling here.

Expand full comment

Yeah. This is fun.

Expand full comment

I love that we get to watch the evolution of the people with the worlds and moons. Is the Institute the evil overlords hiding a secret or just seem that way because of the ‘magic’ practitioners want to reduce faith in science for their own evil cause? Very interesting concept. Modern and real life yet a fantastic space opera being built from the ground up. So excited to dive in and immerse myself in this universe.

Expand full comment

Thanks!

Expand full comment

As to your question, quoting myself: "The mythology of this universe is cyclical. There are grand cycles of ‘science’ and ‘magic’. Both can be -- and are -- ‘good’ and ‘evil’." So both.

Expand full comment

Do you view posts like this as being canon, or will the actual comics be the source of truth?

Expand full comment

That’s a great question because normally the process is everything created before publication is just ideas until you get to making the actual thing. Then it becomes ‘real’. After that, all the concept bits get thrown together as a ‘making of’ or ‘behind the scenes’ that’s interesting but not real canon. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t feel like that’s true here. We’re catching ourselves really banging out the ideas before we commit to one -- or being intentionally vague if we’re debating between multiple ones. The entire thing feels more concrete. Anyway, we’ll see how it goes.

Expand full comment

Whelp, I am going to have to read that another time or two

Expand full comment

So, tomorrow is the first comics?

Expand full comment

We pushed to Monday. Huddleston felt the need to dunk so he's taking the weekend.

Expand full comment

fingers crossed :D

Expand full comment

Did they say that?

Expand full comment

I’m losing my freaking mind over this ! Any chance Neha Nori Sood is out there somewhere in this universe?? I’m going to miss her :(

Expand full comment

I think we all know this ends with the Church of Singularity haha

Expand full comment