The Royalty in the Other Castles • Issue #2 • "Cosplay Conundrum"

Page 1 (16 Panels)

     Panel 1 - LONG PANEL - INT. WIDE SHOT - The living room is more organized. The suitcases and clothing has been removed and the furniture is set up in a more homey fashion. Posters from well-known television shows, movies, and comic books cover the walls. Small blue lights are hung along the top of the walls along the molding. We can see three doors that line the walls. Each of the doors has a small sign on it, but we cannot see the writing on them.

MORRIGAN CAREY (OFF)

(BURST)

Absolutely NOT!

     Panel 2 - MED. PANEL - BUST SHOT - Morrigan looks irritated and angry. Her arms are crossed along her chest. She is glaring at someone off panel. She is dressed as though she is ready to go: her black leather jacket on top of her League of Legends team shirt. Her hair is up and her backpack on.

MORRIGAN CAREY

I absolutely refuse to allow my younger sister to go to a gaming tournament looking like that!

     Panel 3 - SM. PANEL - CLOSE UP - Anne's head is tilted to the side and her hand is up. She looks confused as she matches her sister's gaze that is off panel. She is wearing a red, long curly wig and a large, pirate-style tricorn hat. It's apparent that she is in cosplay for something.

ANNE CAREY

Why? It's a damn accurate cosplay of your favorite character?! I mean --

     Panel 4 - TALL PANEL - FULL BODY - Anne is dressed up as the character Miss Fortune from the game League of Legends (Source). One of her hands is on her hip, holding a prop gun, while the other is down. Her expression is one of confusion and irritation.

ANNE CAREY (CONT'D)

-- What's wrong with it?!

     Panel 5 - SM. PANEL - BUST SHOT - Morrigan closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. Her head is tilted down.

SFX: Sigh

     Panel 6 - MED. PANEL - BUST SHOT - Morrigan brings down her arm back so it's crossed across her chest and looks up at Anne. Her face has shifted from irritated to concerned.

MORRIGAN CAREY

Nothing is wrong with it! It's just that...you can't go to a competition filled with horny, socially awkward people dressed like a pirate hooker! You're going to get yourself in trouble!

     Panel 7 - MED. PANEL - MED. SHOT - Anne rolls her eyes in frustration. Her arms down at her side in fists, as though she were a child stamping to get attention.

SFX: Sighs

ANNE CAREY

Then what do you suppose I should do about it?! I'm not changing! I worked hard on this outfit and to not wear it would be stupid!

     Panel 8 - SM. PANEL - CLOSE UP - Morrigan's hand is brought to her chin as though she is thinking. She is looking up and biting her lip. Her expression is pensive as she thinks of a way to fix the situation in the allotted time.

MORRIGAN CAREY

Hmmm...

     Panel 9 - SM. PANEL - CLOSE UP - Morrigan has a devilish look on her face. One of her eyebrows is cocked and her head is tilted to the side. A small lightbulb pops up next to her head. She's snapping her fingers.

SFX: Pop
SFX: Finger Snap

MORRIGAN CAREY (CONT'D)

I have the perfect idea!

     Panel 10 - LONG PANEL - BLACK OUT - The entire panel is black saved for the words "20 Minutes Later" that are white and in the center of the panel.

     Panel 11 - LARGE PANEL - EXT. SEMI-WIDE SHOT - Murphy and Pat are waiting at the bottom of the stairs in front of the building. Pat is looking down at their watch while Murphy is playing on a portable video game console.

PAT FLYNN

I wonder what's taking them so long? They said that they would be ready soon and that was twenty minutes ago!

SFX: Boop, Crash, Beep.

     Panel 12 - MED. PANEL - EXT. SEMI-WIDE SHOT - Pat looks up at his watch at Murphy who is still playing his game. He doesn't look phased by the wait at all while Pat looks even more worried at Murphy's answer. The two of them don't even notice Morrigan and Anne exit the building and stand in front of the front door.

SFX: Boop, Crash, Beep.

MURPHY QUINN

Don't worry about it! I'm sure that they'll be down soon! Maybe Anne got stuck in the doorway again!

PAT FLYNN

Yeah...maybe...

     Panel 13 - MED. PANEL - EXT. MED. SHOT - Pat and Murphy's gazes are still down as Morrigan speaks to them from off panel.

MORRIGAN CAREY (OFF)

Sorry to keep y'all waiting! We had to make some slight last minute cosplay modifications to Anne's outfit.

     Panel 14 - SM. PANEL - EXT. MED. SHOT - Pat and Murphy are looking up at Anne and Morrigan, their expressions the same as they were in the previous panel.

     Panel 15 - SM. PANEL - EXT. MED. SHOT - The panel is the same as the previous, but instead the expressions of Pat and Murphy are now changed. Their eyes are wide as big smiles are on their faces. 

     Panel 16 - WIDE PANEL - EXT. SEMI-WIDE SHOT - Pat and Murphy are laughing off panel. Morrigan is smiling widely next to her sister who is slouching next to her, obviously irritated. Anne's outfit is now an amalgamation of the champions Teemo and Miss Fortune, only the outfit turned out horribly. She ended up looking like a fat pirate chipmunk.

SFX: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

MORRIGAN CAREY

See! I told you they would like it!

ANNE CAREY

I'm going to shed all over everything you love... 

The Royalty in the Other Castles • Issue #1 • "Fandoms are Coming..."

Page 1 (10 Panels)

     Panel 1 - LONG PANEL - EXT. - The sun shines down on an old, large apartment building. The brick façade looks worn down despite the modern windows that litter the front of it. The building is bookended by two other apartment buildings that differ in size and design. Bikes crowd around the entrance as small cars line the street in front of them. The area is calm.

Caption: Long ago...

     Panel 2 - MED. PANEL - EXT. - We move in closer on the door to the apartment building. There is a black box next to the door with numbers and names on it. The numbers are clear while the names are still blurry. Plants grow in planters on the outside of the bottom floor windows.

Caption: ...in a city that wasn't that far away...

     Panel 3 - MED. PANEL - EXT. CU - We are now close up on one of the names on the black box next to the front door. We can clearly see the name and number listed. They read "404" and the name "Carey." Out of the sides of the panels we can see some of a speaker and a button.

Caption: ...there was a great injustice...

     Panel 4 - LONG PANEL - INT. - An interior shot of a hallway in the apartment building. There are two doors in front of us with numbers on them. The numbers are "404" and "406." The façade is still and sterile in appearances.

Caption: ...against the world of -- fandoms.

     Panel 5 - LONG PANEL - INT. - Same shot as before.

MURPHY QUINN (OFF)

(Shouting Balloon)

I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW WRONG YOU ARE!

     Panel 6 - SM./MED. PANEL - INT. - The apartment is filled with boxes and suitcases. Furniture is sparse and basic. There is a couch, small armchair, and coffee table that has been haphazardly put together in the center of the Living Room. Some clothes are strewn about on the floor.

MURPHY QUINN (OFF)

(BURST)

How dare you include Stephanie and Damian but exclude Jason?!

PAT FLYNN (OFF)

(BURST)

How dare I?! He was a snot nosed punk who didn't deserve to be by Batman's side AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT! You just can't admit it because you're a pretentious prick!

     Panel 7 - DEBATE PANEL #1 - CLOSE UP - Murphy is glaring at Murphy. Tiny flames can be seen in his eyes as he yells at his friend.

MURPHY QUINN

(BURST)

Well I'm sorry that you and the rest of the comic book world just couldn't handle the true skill that Jason had as being a Robin!

     Panel 8 - DEBATE PANEL #2 - CLOSE UP - Pat is snarling. His glare matches his friend's in intensity and fire.

PAT FLYNN

(BURST)

What skill? You mean the skill of making every single damn thing he said and did annoying?! I'm surprised Bruce handled it for as long as he did!!

     Panel 9 - SM. PANEL - CLOSE UP - Morrigan has a fed-up look on her face as she holds up a finger, cutting off the two bickering friends.

MORRIGAN CAREY

Hey guys...not that I don't love your fervor about this topic --

MORRIGAN CAREY (CONT'D)

-- But... --

     Panel 10 - LONG PANEL - INT. MED. SHOT - The four characters, ANNE, MORRIGAN, PAT, AND MURPHY, are sitting at a small round table. Small white cartons filled with take-out Chinese food fill the center. Each character has a small plate in front of them with some food on it. We are looking straight at Morrigan with Pat to her right and Murphy to her left. The only part of Anne that we see is her back.

MORRIGAN CAREY (CONT'D)

-- Can this wait until after dinner...when there are no sharp objects around?

The Royalty in the Other Castles | Executive Summary Presentation and Speech

*Speech Below Break*

"The Royalty in the Other Castles" Online Comic | Executive Summary

Technology has influenced our ways of looking at the world both for the good and the bad. While it has given us the ability to experience other cultures, it has also created a barrier that we as a society have grown attached to. A barrier that has made it hard for some of us to connect with each other. And with its constant interaction with technology, nerd culture has started to suffer. Bigotry, harassment, threats, and verbal attacks are just some of the behaviors that have become sadly commonplace in the culture's world. These behaviors have found their targets on many sub-sects of the nerd culture population from female nerds to nerds of different sexualities. There are those who have tried to stand up against the injustice, but their cries have fallen on covered ears.

Yet, there could be light at the of the warp pipe. Where others have tried to change nerd culture's ideas with mainstream and traditional ideas, it seems there is a way they haven't tried. And that's through a language that all members of nerd culture seem to understand: comic books.

The Royalty in the Other Castles is an online comic that is updated twice a month. The storyline follows four roommates through their daily journeys in nerd culture. The four roommates span multiple spectrums of identity such as Nerd/Geek identity, sexuality, and gender. The overall tone of the comic will be humorous, but most the topics that they discuss and the situations they experience will be serious. The characters will have to deal with a variety of situations from fandom drama to harassment and threats. Through the comic, the audience will be able to see the current issues in nerd culture through a raw, honest lens.

The Royalty in the Other Castles is a small time project that would require that many people involved. There would be a couple of artists and writers to create the comic as well as a small staff of editors, web designers, and social media directors to help manage the website and overall production.

Funding for a project such as this will be rocky. Being an independently published web comic can eat into any earnings that you might make. Yet, I believe that going to the site Kickstarter would be an adequate way of getting the money needed while gaining exposure in the process. The money would be going towards equipment, software, and web hosting for the comic's production. With cushion funds for repairs and other mishaps that might happen along the way, the total funding for this project would come to about $9,500. It is a bit steep, but the money would be going towards a good cause.

The timeline for Royalty is not a standard timeline. The first order of business would be to raise the funds necessary to get the comic strip started. From past experience, such a popular form of nerd culture media with such a cause would take around a year and a half at most to raise the money. After the funds are reached, there would be a two month break in order to get the devices, set up a studio, and start work on the first piece. The final part of the timeline would be the creation and updating of the comic. The timeline for the final portion would be indefinite until the creators decide to end the comic. Yet, the comic will be updated on a bi-monthly schedule. This would give the creators, editors, and designers a chance to create the comic and then go over and tweak anything.

The goal of The Royalty in the Other Castles is a simple goal: raise awareness and change minds. Comic books have a long history of tackling troublesome and hot social topics. From drug abuse to mass death to historical first moments, the list of topics commented on by comic books goes on. Yet, I chose a medium that allows for some levity. Although the comic will be touching sensitive and serious topics, entertainment allows for the audience to want to read the comic further rather than get bored with the soap box it could become. Through this comic, I want to show the world a first hand look at what it's like to be the one with the target on their back. To be afraid to walk around a convention floor because of harassment. To need to lie about your sexuality so you don't get attacked while playing video games online. To see what it's like to be silenced in a conversation because of your sex or gender. And all while making clever nerd culture references in the process.