Cosmic Pastries

the idea i had for this story was the concept of 'what happens to an unrealized or unfinished idea after its creator is gone?'

here's the blurb i wrote to pitch the concept:

"Finding out that someone online has died is an entirely different feeling from a death experienced in-person. Because the online self is not the person. The online self is only whatever is presented in the digital space. They come on and offline, but without the physical presence, the closure never quite feels the same. As if the "online" light could tick green again at any moment, if you only wait long enough. That they might respond to your comment or message, if you only reach out one more time. Oftentimes when someone you know in person dies, you don't get to remember the last thing that you said to one another. But an online self embeds this information forever. The last public facing statement, the last dm. You can reflect forever and ever. Comment like a votive candle. Explain to others what seems to have happened, to a person you seemed to have known, but might have never known you at all. And there's this keen sense of loss when the online self is still alive as long as you can go back through and read the posts, the messages. It makes them alive again.

[Image ID: A scratchy 8 page black and white comic with an accent colour of yellow, featuring Soleum and Saheon. Page 1, panel 1. A “Huh, what?” wobbly speech bubble covers Soleum’s face. He noticeably has horns like deers, and is shrouded in a grainy darkness. Panel 2, Saheon stares with a face of disbelief standing straight and clenching his fists. The background is barren, with only faint checkered lines to indicate flooring.

Page 2, features a large centipede sprawling across the page, dividing the panels into top and bottom half. Panel 1, a line separates a head view of Saheon and Soleum. Both of their eyes aren’t shown, and Saheon continues to say, “Ireum-nim?” The wobbly speech bubble covers Soleum’s face still. Panel 2, “That Ireum-nim?” Saheon remarks. A scene depicting a praying hand taking up the bottom left of the page, villagers praying, and a chicken statue.

Page 3, panel 1. Saheon’s fist clenches. Panel 2, a close up of Saheon’s mouth opens saying, “This is a joke right? You’re not actually some fucked up god… right?” Panel 3, a large portion of the page depicts a large sacred tree and Saheon’s sister hanging from it, wearing Korean shaman garments.

Page 4, panel 1. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware of it myself.” Soleum says downcast. Saheon looks at him, but the viewer cannot see his face. Panel 2, Soleum now looks at Saheon directly and tries to reason saying, “I was brought into this world against my will.” Panel 3, we see Soleum’s face head on and his face looking desperate as he says, “There was no way of knowing a cult was worshipping-“ Soleum’s words get cut off. Panel 4, a dripping speech bubble with a large “Stop it” sits on top of an inky and grainy black gradient.

Page 5, panel 1 the frame starts melting as Saheon surrounded by darkness kneels down to cover his face. He continues speaking, “So everything…” Panel 2, the panel begins dripping onto Saheon in panel 3. Saheon bends over more to clutch his head lamenting, “So everything to bring you here was just an experiment?” Panel 3, a black goop covers Saheon’s head as he finally crouches down fully and clutch his head. He kneels on a pool of black and yellow messy scribbles. In large scratchy and hand written text, “Useless scapegoats for a god who doesn’t want it?”

Page 6, the background is blank and the page only depicts Saheon crouching down and clutching his head. A shadow is cast over him as Soleum meekly reaches out his arm to Saheon while still standing. His expression pained, and a yellow halo surrounds his head.

Page 7, panel 1. A close up of Soleum’s yellow and black eyes, and his tired expression. He says nothing. Panel 2, Soleum finally gets on his knees reaching closer to Saheon, the top halves of this bodies not shown. Panel 3, Soleum reaches out to a crying Saheon. Panel 4, Soleum gently hugs a crying Saheon who reciprocates. Soleum’s expression looks guilty while thinking, “What can I even say, when I don’t even deserve to speak?”