Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2021-12-01
Wizards Hanging Out at the Thirsty Wizard
Elf and Dotta opened by commenting how they enjoy hanging out in WorldWideWebb3's Thirsty Wizard Pub. That project recently released its land sale, and the Magic Machine founding members purchased some apartments.
Comic Book Update & The Process of Decentralized World-Building
Elf said that MM is still in the process of assembling the artist/writing team for the comic. A story arc has been created, that spans 5-10 issues. Elf said that the purpose of this media property is to world-build. So instead of focusing on just a handful of wizards and developing them, it will be more of anthology style - Elf gave the example of the Black Mirror show on Netflix.
Generally, Elf sees MM as being in charge of world-building, and the community is in charge of character-building. There can be overlap (and is), but these are the general roles Elf sees. Elf wants characters from the Book of Lore to appear in MM's stories. In some cases, it might only be a reference in conversation or a couple of panels, but still, they would be part of this shared world that's portrayed in the media. Comics are faster to produce than TV shows or games, so this will likely be the first major world-building vehicle that is released.
Elf talked a bit about working at Nickelodeon. His manager at the time emphasized creating strong characters, because that will drive forward the stories - you just need to plug in the characters into different situations, and the stories will write themselves, because you know how the characters will react. Strong characters are also a cash cow, because they are good for merchandising. A lot of resources are spent on the production process, and Elf has learned that it can be a nightmare. The studio's success is dependent on the creator's output, so they have a lot of opinions, generally on the conservative side ("here is what has worked in the past.")
In Forgotten Runes, a creative ecosystem has been formed, which allows for strong characters to emerge. As MM media comes out, the audience might respond strongly to certain characters or story points, and the community can branch off of that in their lore. And this lore can then make its way back into MM media in the future. Breakout characters can also emerge - sometimes, what starts as a secondary character gains traction, and suddenly becomes legendary and gets featured more prominently. This process often happens very slowly in traditional media, but in a decentralized world-building framework, the process can be accelerated.
Dotta said that he'd love to have a creative writing professional to host lore-building workshops for the Cult, where members collective develop their characters and get feedback.
DonutDAO update
Dotta talked about ongoing discussions around a DAO. He began by explaining the concept, where there is a multi-sig wallet holding funds, and proposals for funding that are voted upon by the community. For Forgotten Runes, the DAO would help fund creative projects. Dotta recently met with Mephistopheles, and discussed what this might look like in practice.
Meph came up, and invited anyone in the community to join the discussion by commenting within the DonutDAO channel within the Discord. Dotta suggested having a 10-person multi-sig wallet, and using the existing NFTs to define votes per holder. Eventually, accomplished artists could be hired to create artworks, and the work could be auctioned off as an NFT. The auction-winner gets more voting rights in the DAO, and the proceeds are split between the artist and the DAO. Dotta then described different potential paid roles in the DAO. For example, a "whipmaster" could manage wizard commissions and proposals, and get compensated for their time.
Q&A
- Regarding exclusive holder content for the Runiverse game: The deal with the developer is still ongoing. The game cannot only be for FRWC holders, there aren't enough to support it economically. There will be stock characters that non-holders can use to play the game. However, there will be benefits for holders; the hope is that non-holders will see the benefits and aspire to buy a Wizard or other character.
- On royalties for holders: So far, there are no royalties coming in, only costs going out. Magic Machine is paying studios, artists, and writers for things like the TV trailer and comic book. The DAO may be a place to receive some funds. Royalties to individual holders would require KYC.
- On the process of Wizard selection for MM media: At the beginning, it will be what stands out to Elf and the team. Eventually, he would love to have all 10K Wizards show up in some form, somewhere. The comics won't be adapted full Book of Lore stories. But there is a character directory being compiled by LachnessMonsta, and this can be referenced for the comic book and show in the future.
- Regarding process on Elf's meta-lore project: Elf is writing about every prop and location in the collection.
- Book of Lore update: Niski has a test version of the editing feature deployed; it should be available soon.
Elf on life imitating art, and art imitating life
Elf talked about how Bread was one of the first people to begin making derivative art. One of them was a .gif of Augerer Gwendolin using the DJ turntables. This helped Elf see that Runiverse definitely has technology as well as magic. He wants the Runiverse to reflect the IRL world as well.
When creating Lore, Elf recommends that you speak the truth that you see. His biggest inspiration is reality itself. Elf knows of friends or family members who have gotten involved with Forgotten Runes. they had previously not shown interest in creative endeavors, but now that they own the characters, they are showing interest in creating stories for their Wizards. Dotta chimed in that his parents and kids are both really into Wizards also. He never had another job where his family was this involved in it.
Bearsnake mentioned that Dotta's garage is like the ultimate craft station - a perfect setup for kids. And it's great when you can enjoy something together with your family.
Cult Content Shoutouts
- The Wizard Nouns project is open for minting, but it closes on Friday. There is still plenty of supply, but limited time!
Lore Reading
wonder0xweird read lore about their Wizard, 
Chaos Mage Marceline of the Atheneum (660)