Welcome to the online panel “Cyberpunk World Building.”
Natsukoarts: This is Natsukoarts Design Studio and we are talking with Natsuya Uesugi to discuss his new upcoming self-published novella “grydscaen: dark,” the next volume in the grydscaen series called “grydscaen: desecration,” and getting started on work for episode 3 of the grydscaen “A Storm’s Coming” anime series. Welcome Natsuya.
Natsuya Uesugi: Thanks for having me. I look forward to speaking with you today on a topic that is central to the grydscaen cyberpunk series.
Natsukoarts: Lets get started. So you have a really rich world in the grydscaen series as so far there are eight books published in the main series and multiple books in the tech noir novella series featuring “The Seal Maker.” Tell me a little about your grydscaen world. This is a dystopian series, right?
Natsuya: Yes, grydscaen is dystopian and cyberpunk. It is categorized as hard science fiction. There is a lot of science and technology in the book and the psychic powers that are central to the series are actually a byproduct of nuclear radiation poisoning that occurred after the Dionysis Effect nuclear bomb was dropped in the Zone. I make a big deal about technology in the series.
Natsukoarts: Tell me a little about your worldbuilding process. Do you outline or create maps?
Natsuya: Yes, there are two maps in the series. One for the larger world and one a map of the City, the Echelons and the Zone.
Natsukoarts: How about outlines? You have a royal family in the series, do you have the family tree mapped out?
Natsuya: Yes. I created a family tree for Lino Dejarre who is the SubViceroy in the series. His father at the current point of the series was the Emperor. Lino is a royal and a prince of the Pacific Territories.
Natsukoarts: Tell me about worldbuilding. What was your process?
Natsuya: I work in high tech and am surrounded by technology, hackers, developers and software engineers on a regular basis. I have a background in coding and also as a systems analyst and human factors engineer and I was a cyber security analyst. The grydscaen series focuses on hackers attacking the government. My background in cyber security provides the backdrop for a lot of the activities the hackers do and the technology in the series.
Natsukoarts: Your new series grydscaen: dark, what is it about?”
Natsuya: grydscaen: dark is part of the tech noir novella series which focuses on the Level 9 hacker Rom, the homeless youth. Many people say a hacker shouldn’t be homeless but Rom has after being captured by the government had his memory wiped and was sent to the streets and eventually is taken in by the Packrat hackers. This particular story as the others focuses on a set of hackers infiltrating the stock market and the effects it has on the Echelons and the City.
Natsukoarts: Is your technology based in reality or so far fetched it is entirely fiction?
Natsuya: The technology I mention in the series is the near future as the story takes place in 2055. There are small steps to some of the technology being done today but has not be realized to date. Things like cybernetics, nanomachines, DNA-based technology and artificial intelligence are all part of the story.
Natsukoarts: What about the radiation? You said there was a nuclear explosion that happened in the story?
Natsuya: The Dionysis Effect nuclear bomb was dropped by the Atlantea Federation on the Zone in the Pacific Territories. This created a nuclear fallout situation and people are constantly having to take iodine pills to stave off the effects of radiation sickness.
Natsukoarts: Is the radiation a central part of the story?
Natsuya: Yes, the radiation affects everything from contaminated food, needing to take iodine pills, drug dealers selling iodine pills on the streets illegally, the Synthetic League activist group that swears of food for ion supply drinks and pills due to food being contaminated, and the Terror Hack reporting radiation levels every two minutes on the gridscan and the television and radio waves.
Natsukoarts: The iodine pills people take in the story. Are those based in science?
Natsuya: I used the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and Tsunami in Japan that occurred on March 11, 2011. There were News reports on iodine and radiation exposure. I also researched Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the grydscaen series makes a statement about nuclear power, radiation sickness and the dangers of it. As a hafu, this is central to me and its effects on Japan and Japanese society home and abroad.
Natsukoarts: You mention the gridscan, your series is named grydscaen. What does gridscan mean?
Natsuya: The “gridscan” is a hacker term for the network. The spelling “grydscaen” is what it is in Packrat hacker code. The gridscan is the network of everything and encompasses everything technology in the City, the Echelons and the Zone. It is an Internet, Satellite, wireless, tower-based and all encompassing system that connects everything.
Natsukoarts: How do you go about worldbuilding? How did you create the world?
Natsuya: I created the nations of the Pacific Territories and the enemy the Atlantea Federation first. Other countries like Shion and Shalany, and the homeland of the Pacific Territories, the Jannassee Islands came next. On the first iteration of the maps I had to move some locations because the seas and waterways were in different places in space than I had originally drawn them. So there was much editing and manipulation to get everything in the right place. The subway map of the Echelons has multiple subway stops in the City, the Echelons and the Zone. These stops and streets are listed on the map and are mentioned in the books so the places are “real” and have to be in the right place.
Natsukoarts: After creating the nations, how did you create the political structure. The City has Parliament and not a Congress. What was the decision there?
Natsuya: There is an Emperor, a Viceroy and a SubViceroy. This is not really a Democracy, it is more an Imperial structure. I included Parliament and Mr. Stuart the lead minister with the Triumverate which runs the Elite government. The Elite can question the Emperor and can override a decision. The Parliament has power but the Triumverate and the Emperor run the show.
Natsukoarts: You have such an expansive world in grydscaen. Do you ever mess up and forget or write something wrong? Do you have glossary or encyclopedia of places, people and things?
Natsuya: There is a full glossary in the grydscaen: beginnings book which has all the locations, political affiliations and characters in it. It was purposely put in that book along with the prologue which goes in every book and The Packrat Code which is a political hacktivist manifesto.
Natsukoarts: Tell me a little about the cyberpunk feel. You had a review that said grydscaen is anime-esque and gritty and dark, but also sexy and cerebral full of technology.
Natsuya: Yes, grydscaen has been compared to work by Philip K Dick and William Gibson, as well as Akira, Divergent and The Matrix. It is a gritty series that is dark and definitely as dystopian as you can get. I get a little bit into the dire nature of the radiation sickness in grydscaen: tribute and there is some more about it in the new grydscaen: dark, and in the short story anthology, grydscaen: dissonance.
Natsukoarts: Tell me a little about the jacks or jacking in?
Natsuya: A jack is a nanomachine port installed at the temple through a process that can be done at a tattoo parlor and requires a specific machine to install. There are different types of jacks and they can be configured for specific things. The jack allows you to jack in and can connect to any machine and hardline terminal, deck or handheld through a psychic connection. A jack allows hackers to hack faster into gridscan.
Natsukoarts: Tell me a little about your new work in the grydsacen world?
Natsuya: The new book is called grydscaen: dark which is currently 29,500 words written in a week. The one I am editing now is grydscaen: desecration. Dark will be released sometime this year. Desecration is scheduled for early next year.
Natsukoarts: What about “A Storm’s Coming? anime.”
Natsuya: Voice actor recording will get started shortly for episode 3 which is an animated adaptation of the A Storm’s Coming manga. I will work as art director and the story uses my character designs for Rom the hacker and Xander Storm the Zone Police officer.
Natsukoarts: When can we see episode 3 and where will it be available?
Natsuya: It will be on youTube in the future. Much more work is required to get the animation done.
Natsukoarts: What is A Storm’s Coming about?
Natsuya: Rom the hacker is pursued by a psychic killer who is after him. The killer murdered Xander Storm’s wife and son and is now after Rom. It follows Rom through a week on the life as a homeless youth and how he tries to survive after the killer comes after him. You can read the full five part story in grydscaen: tribute.
Natsukoarts: Sounds like a mystery?
Natsuya: A Storm’s Coming is a detective story set in the gritty grydscaen world. The first in the grydscaen tech noir thriller novella series.
Natsukoarts: Thanks for coming Natsuya. What else have you been up to for grydscaen?
Natsuya: Just finished the line art for the cover of grydscaen: desecration yesterday. You will love it. It features that character I was talking about earlier. I really like the drawing which will be in colour for the cover.
Natsukoarts: Can’t wait to see it. I want to thank Natsuya for stopping by today and talking cyberpunk worldbuilding and his process. I hope to see more in the grydscaen universe soon. Can’t wait for grydsacen: dark to come out. Do you have a release date yet??
Natsuya: Not yet. Still writing but I will definitely give updates as we come closer to release.
Natsukoarts: Thanks again. Look forward to talking again soon.
Natsuya: Thanks for having me. I appreciate all Natsukoarts Design Studio does for bringing writing and reading to youth, and fostering literacy.
