Worldbuilding for Crossover Universes Webcomic Project

Involving me, General Gigan, El Squibbonator, and whoever else wants to join

I'll update with details later

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Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 1:11:57 AM

One more thing before I go ahead, what’s the naming convention for these universes? Can we name it whatever we want?

Yeah.

So this is how I want to approach it.

The MegaCorp in my universe has them cataloged by number.

Whatever ruling body that controls your world, they may catalogue them a different way.

And I remember you asked about the name of the MegaCorp in my world.

I dont know yet but it doesn't matter.

Because that MegaCorp can exist in your world if you choose, but it doesn't have to.

Each world is either part of the coalition if they're deemed worthy, and represented by who or what rules their world, or they're subjugated by the multiversal coalition because they're not strong enough to have a say.

EDIT:

My Universe Write-Up

My universe is at a cyberpunk level of technology. It is a world where years ago, there was a string of calamities across the globe. It was blamed on global warming, and a MegaCorp was there to pick up pieces across the planet.

Now, that MegaCorp controls the government. What is not publicly known, is that MegaCorp was conducting experiments, that led to the discovery of a Multiverse. They discovered that they could travel to other universes.

Before they did so, they siphoned off a piece of their universe, into an Outer Border. A piece of space where if someone tries to teleport into their universe, they will end up in that piece of nothingness instead(unless they are connecting to a gate that exists within the actual universe), before they are able to enter into their actual universe proper.

And when they finally made that trek into another universe, they become at war. They were almost conquered by the other universe, until they came to a truce. This truce eventually leads into a coalition between other Universes that are judged worthy, and those that are not are conquered, divided up, and pillaged for resources.

Although the multiverse is not widely known to the public, some people do know because of information leaks, and a phenomenon known as an 'Other'.

An 'Other' is where someone has a counterpart in another universe, who can look and be genetically the same, but necessarily so. Sometimes memories, emotions, and skills bleed over.

//

This is a quick write-up of what I imagine my universe to be like. Things like an Outer Border or an Outer Border don't have to be universal constants, they're just their because in my universe it's important that the populace is unaware that their even is a multiverse(I do want to reveal it eventually.)

I do think we should make a constant for travel.

Other universes don't have to be part of the coalition. They can be strong enough to where the coalition can't force them into anything.

Their doesn't even have to be only one coalition. Their can be others, and they can be at odds.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 1:28:01 AM

What is the format to describe one's universe through?

I mean, it can't be just a wall of text, right?

Universal Travel:

Can be done by portals, but unless they're are gates at both ends, I think they should have to be done by highways.

Only because I want the first contact when whatever world realizes other multiverses exist, to result in war, but still have the multiverse be secret in my universe.

So we can say the fighting was done on the highways, an extra dimensional space, that you have to get through before you get to another world.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 3rd 2022 at 7:20:09 AM

Mine is called 26592 in universe, the reason being that other universes would get offended if they called themselves Earth Prime at a meeting, so they just used a random number calculator to assign I Ds.

I'm going to have them refer to other universes off-hand by whatever thing distinguishes them most.

But yeah you can name them whatever you want

(A funny Idea I couldn't help but to share)

Known as Universe Alpha by those who reside there. (Official number identification given is 37611)

In this universe, Humans have completely annihilated themselves through nuclear war and genetically modified Cockroaches have become the dominate lifeform. These Cockroaches, or 'Roaches' as they like to be called, are almost human sized, Always Chaotic Evil, Absolute Xenophobes, and extremely Greedy. The Coalition is actively suppressing them but, like the Cockroaches they are, they can never be permanently squashed.

Roache population has spread to other worlds and have found work as Hired Guns and Mooks (Their greed overrules their xenophobia. Barely. ) Their infestations have turned worlds into Urban Hellscapes and Wretched Hives. And though currently their dreams for multi-universal domination have been put on hold, one day they will overthrow their oppressors and the Roache Imperium will be the dominant force in the multiverse.

These Roache Imperium 'freedom fighters' embody the trope of The Revolution will not be civilized. If the Roache Imperium ever become a force to be reckoned with, it will embody the tropes of The Empire and Scary Dogmatic Aliens.

Can I use that, and credit you?

I have a character who suspects something is in his house, and then he finds out its a creature from another world.

It's going to be a roach that managed to cross over, and has been taking up residence and making a family in his home.

He nearly gets killed by then, but then the Multiversal Police come and save him, and then recruit him.

Haha sure I give you permission to use any of those ideas however you want.

So, I'm interested in this project. Mostly because I've wanted to collaborate with some people on a webcomic for a while - I can do art and/or writing but I'm mostly looking for a co-writer and maybe someone who can clean-up my art a little.

Anyways, I'm interested in this project but I'm a little skeptical about the format that you seem to be started on with everyone just throwing-out "world" ideas. I would suggest a better way to get started would be to flesh-out the organization that is interested in exploring and cataloging these worlds. Maybe they can be a government organization. Maybe they can be something akin to Starfleet from Star Trek as a sort of military outfit? Maybe they can be a small secret society of adventurers? Maybe they can be from "our world" or maybe they can be from some vaguely described or rarely depicted fictional world?

Then we can get to making webcomics about these guys setting out to explore the worlds or webcomics about characters in the other worlds encountering these people.

Also, as a very minor note, I would advice against naming the worlds with a string of numbers. I feel like that might make it a little hard to keep track of names. Maybe just something like A-03, D-74, J-07, etc. That would still give a possible 2574 universes while keeping the names short and distinct enough to be easily recognized.

Edited by WSM on May 4th 2022 at 9:53:38 AM

I’d say we give them all both a "name" name and a "number" name. For example, mine is Universe #90427: Novaspace.

I like having different worlds, so if different artists and/or writers want to be involved in it they can just add on.

If you want to explore an organization that's going to different worlds you can, because there are multiple organizations.

It's not just one.

And they don't have to be a part of the same coalition.

On some Marvel/DC stuff, everyone has their own title, but characters can crossover and their are big events.

Everyone can focus on what they want to focus on, and reach out to other people if they want their sections to interact.

I think we should post the worldbuilding for our section in here, so we can all collaborate and see how they would intersect.

I'll post what I have for my world, and a sketch tonight.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 5:39:01 AM

I'm drawing mine, and General Gigan's. I can probably draw one more persons story if they have an idea.

What length should we have for the first arc?

Edit: I'm really asking for General Gigan, I'm trying to make mine as short to medium length for the pilot/first arc.

Edit 2: And what method of travel should we have to get different worlds?

I just asking can we please do something where it's up to you whether the general population knows whether the multiverse exist, because it's integral to my plot that the citizens of my world don't

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 9:24:14 AM

Ideas for Multiversal Constants I have that will impact the multiverse as a whole:

(Dispute and propose something else if you want)

Universal Travel:

Can be done by portals, but unless they're are gates at both ends, I think they should have to be done by highways.

Only because I want the first contact when whatever world realizes other multiverses exist, to result in war, but still have the multiverse be secret in my universe.

So we can say the fighting was done on the highways, an extra dimensional space, that you have to get through before you get to another world.

///

Some people have an 'other, in some worlds. A counterpart where sometimes memories, pain, or skills will bleed over.

I don’t know how long my arc will be, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

And I say that each universe would have its own method of interdimensional travel. Mine uses magical portals.

Ok. So if anyone has any multiversal constants to propose, post them in here.

We can also just write our stuff out as drafts, post them up to compare.

After we establish the first stories in our universe we can start planning crossover arcs.

I already know I'll need characters from other universes to serve a purpose in mine.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 7:46:39 AM

I have one then:

Universe C 0 L 0 R 5.

Aka "The Colour Cosmos"

A world consisting of nothing but color. No shapes, nor solids, nothing else, only colors of all wavelengths, even such that have not even discovered or been named by us yet.

A world where intelligent life does exist, but dependent on how saturated to colors it consists off is.

The more saturation, the smarter it is.

A world where the "palette feeds on the pale" and if a color pales completely, it is dead and fades away.

It's basically a reality of "color-leeches" with capabilities of high-intelligence in those known as "rainbow dragons" which holds the highest authority due to being the "most colorful and strongest colors in the cosmos of colors"

They have a hierarchy, but no concept of a society, as they feed on each other like in the flora and fauna of the plant and animal kingdom. They communicate by blinking morse-code in different colors and frequencies, no spoken language involved.

Since they are basically nothing but colors of depending sentience, they can cross over anywhere as long there is light to "bridge them" into wherever it touches.

(Good luck trying to kill a "Colour Leech" if you encounter one though, since their lack of solid form makes it very difficult to hurt it conventionally.) Even if they find themselves in a world of solids, they will keep feeding like they always have and drain all the color from whatever living thing they can find if they are paling at the time.

(And if something solid goes gray, it won't darken, but you're going to die from having all the red in your blood, aka your oxygen drained out from you upon getting attacked...)

Also, good luck trying to communicate on their level without having a clue on what you are doing, and if you accidentally end up prompting them to attack you over a miss in communication, then that is all on you.

In the world of solids, they look like auroras and flutter like flags in the wind, of different color depending on what they are ranked on the ladder in their world.

Accidents on airplanes have happened when one or several of these things got drawn to them, due to the lights involved, and caused in several...accidents.

Especially if one got inside the plane by accident...(very messy.) Due to their accidental ability to influence the life of solids through the colors the leeches got when connecting to the solid brains.

Get bit by a "Red Leech" and you are going to be on a complete unstoppable rage for as long it is sucking the color out of you, becoming a threat to others and yourself. (Also, making you very, very, hungry.)

Being attacked by a "Purple Leech" is going to make you into an artist, starting to scribble and create uncontrollably in ways you always wanted but never had the initiative to do by yourself.

Being attacked by a "Orange Leech" will follow by uncontrollable laughter and joy. Yes, you are still going to die if it sticks to you for too long, but you are going to feel very good while doing so.

A "Blue Leech" will eliminate your fatigue and make you do a week's worth of work in a single day, no breaks involved, and kill you from overwork and forgetting to sleep and eat than anything else.

A "Green Leech" might be the most peaceful way to go, as you will feel like you've reached nirvana and basically die from doing nothing to sustain yourself anymore. You just wither away like a leaf in the grass, at peace.

And that is not even touching the "Mixed Colors" or the "Multi-colored" lifeforms of this verse...

(I will add though, that even in this verse, the Colours have natural predators... the "Rorschach". Black shapes that shifts constantly as a form of communication in contrast to the blinking lights the other Colours have. Considered "Freaks of Nature" even in their original world and if they strap onto a solid life-form...)

(...Congratulations, That solid life now have a random superpower, depending on what shape the Rorschach had when it began leeching onto it.)

(There is no telling how much destruction and chaos this species have caused across the multiverse that they ended up stumbling into when chasing paler Colours as prey into other verses wherever the light brought them...)

And for a place in your story, they might be used as a means to affect others of other verses, since the "Colours" themselves have no society or grasp on humanity's consciousness in the slightest. They can provide possibilities and outcomes for others to either take advantage off, study, or for their own personal gain.

(It's like the understanding between us and the life in the ocean... alien yet so familiar...)

It is just there... Now what will the rest of your world do about them?

...

(Assuming it makes it in, that is...)

Edited by TitanJump on May 5th 2022 at 5:45:14 PM

That sounds awesome, but it's so utterly Lovecraftian that it'd be a pain to draw for whoever has to bring this to paper.

It is actually not that difficult.

One just need to paint without drawing a single black line through the entire thing. The same with the creatures themselves in other "drawn" universes.

Just don't add a black outline on them and it should be just fine.

I’d hate to be the voice of pessimism but I’m still a little skeptical about how well this will work. I’ve been involved with a lot of potential collaborations which fall apart as the collaborators get too wrapped-up in their ideas (usually worldbuilding ideas) rather than focusing on a final unified product with an overarching vision. In fact, a few have been “let’s make a huge varied setting and set multiple stories in this setting”. And the falling-apart always starts when the people involved are unwilling to start with “this is what the overall plot is”. Like, I don’t want to be a buzzkill or anything, I’m just a little worried this collaboration would end-up the same way.

Anyways, I really dig the color dimension idea. I think it could work especially well if treated in a Lovecraft-like less-is-more kind of way. I also really like the giant interdimensional cockroach mercenary idea but I’m not 100% sure I’d want to use them in a comic. I guess it depends on what story I end-up drawing though.

I don’t know, this seems like a nice place to cut my teeth in as a writer. If I like it that much, I might use Novaspace elsewhere, even if it’s staying in this multiverse comic for now.

Edited by GeneralGigan on May 5th 2022 at 2:33:36 PM

I understand your concerns. I liked the separate world concept because it would make people more likely to join.

We'll try to keep the first arc short, and just use it to establish the separate universes.

After that, we can really go about planning how the other universes will tie together, whether it's a unified threat or something else.

Right now, this is small enough that it shouldn't be hard enough to coordinate.

If you do your story as a separate project, I'd still be down to participate. I just want to make something while I get better at art, and hopefully build a fanbase in the meantime.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 11:48:17 AM

For the sake of clarifying the game plan: the plan is to do one story right now with different people switching-out writer and artist responsibilities on a chapter-by-chapter basis?

For some reason, I was thinking the plan was to divide-up into smaller teams to do parallel stories set in the same multiverse.

The plan is to do separate stories across the multiverse, and then have crossover events.

I'm writing and drawing my own, and drawing General Gigans.

So you had it right originally.

I'm going to do a big write up to make it more clear, and what I know so far about my universe.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 12:02:50 PM

I did a quick write-up of my universe in the second post.

@WSM brought up a valid concern, that if we focus too much on our own universes, we could be too focused on that for the story at large.

I think to circumvent that, everyone should try to include in their story how they connect to a universe.

I already have things I need just from plot points.

I know I need someone to be an Other for one of my characters. I know I need someone to crossover and be a threat, for which I'm using a member of the species of @Super Squirrel's Roach Imperium.

Edit: Also if you use a character or setting from someone's universe, you should talk to them first.

Edited by Johnnykanegrass on May 5th 2022 at 1:34:56 AM