Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 22, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Beautiful design has the power to captivate audiences