Indie sci-fi collective Darkly Lem — five authors writing under one unified pseudonym — discuss their Transmentation series and the broader Many Worlds shared-universe project. They outline a consequence-driven multiverse of interdimensional societies defined by competing values, political systems, and internal power struggles, contrasting it with the MCU’s approach and explaining how they maintain stakes by focusing on worlds and societies rather than preserving characters.

They explain how they collaborate through twice-weekly meetings, a large living “bible”, intensive multi-pass editing, and evolving drafting methods including assignment, co-writing, and “exquisite corpse.” They outline how Many Worlds began as Cadwell Turnbull’s project and has grown to over 20 authors, and aims to connect short stories and novels via a meta-narrative.

We also discuss multiversal traveler mechanisms, personal proxies, identity “meshing,” and the complexities of social governance and different times and scales of a society's development.

Books of his we discuss: Transmentation: Transience, Transmentation: Transgression

https://www.manyworldsforum.com/

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Retired Royal Australian Air Force wing commander John R. Carlos talks with me about his debut novel Cryonic Dreams: Awakening and the real-world experiences that shaped its themes of control, surveillance, and ethical clarity. John shares insights from his 42-year military career in administration and logistics, including deployments to Egypt, the Middle East, and Sudan, and describes a post-COVID political shift that intensified his focus on authoritarian drift.

He then unpacks his structured worldbuilding method—mind map, key variables framework, and timeline—used to extrapolate a plausible dystopian future, and present the story’s core themes of authoritarian control.

We also discuss cryonics science, propulsion ideas, hybrid publishing and marketing, and broader questions about collapse, neo/techno-feudalism, perpetual war, and whether the West can recover a “classical center” through citizen-led resistance.

Books of his we discuss: Cryonic Dreams: Awakening

johnrcarlos.com.au

alternatefutures.substack.com

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Narrative Designer and video game developer Eira A Ekre joins me as we explore the deeper layers of narrative design, the immersive power of video games, and the growing role of machines in shaping how we think, create, and live. Our conversation about storytelling quickly expands into something more: how interactive worlds influence identity, how structured narratives guide behaviour, and whether our increasing reliance on technology is quietly rewriting what it means to be human.

We dive into the craft of building meaningful stories, the unique storytelling potential of video games as a medium, and the philosophical edge where creativity meets control.

We also explore existential questions about machine dependence, autonomy, and whether the systems we build are beginning to guide us more than we guide them.

Books of hers we discuss: Mimeograph

linkedin.com/in/eira-a-ekre-1a700a35/

alternatefutures.substack.com

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