Late last year, I heard about his new platform called Adimverse, the brain child of actor Rob McElhenney.

You may know who McElhenney is if you're a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mythic Quest. But this post isn't about the actor. It's about Adimverse, a platform that, in many ways, I'm still trying to wrap my head around.

Nevertheless, I'm really getting into it.

How My Adimverse Journey Began

When I joined Adimverse, I had no idea what to expect. Creators join rooms and create characters that are then turned into stories. It sounds simple, but there are some complexities that I'm still working hard to figure out. My first creator room was one called Flawed Weirdos.

Flawed Weirdos was led by two creators who selected from a pool of other creators who submitted applications to become a part of the room. Once the selections were made, those creators collaborated in a Zoom meeting to hash out the details of a character they would create who fit the description of the room. In other words, the character had to be flawed and weird. We succeeded in that endeavor in a very interesting way.

As a fiction writer, I'm accustomed to creating alone. The stories I'm used to telling are short stories and novels, mostly in the speculative fiction genre. I've never collaborated.

Because the Flawed Weirdos room was intrinsically geared toward collaboration, I had to learn a few new skills. But I'm glad I did. It forced me to climb out of the box and think about creativity in a different way. Our team created a character called Ted the Projectionist. In five weeks, we threw together a complex character with a dark outlook but who promises to be an awesome protagonist, perhaps even an incredible antagonist.

By joining the room, I will be rewarded with a stake in any royalties works from this character earn commercially. Thus far, I don't believe there have been any, but they would be produced by the two room leads. After the room closed, one of the leads recommended me as a room lead. I have yet to lead any rooms, however.

I have, however, joined another room, called Generations.

Generations is a "no stake" room, which means anything created in the room by any of its participants will earn no stakes. Each member owns their own creations 100 percent. I, and others, have created some interesting stories, and in one case, we all explored the idea of cults in that room. Each of us crafted a story of an interesting cult leader and shared it with the other members of the room. Again, there have been no commercial successes from this effort yet, but we did get to read, and write, some interesting characters in some very interesting stories.

Adimverse Takes Off In a Different Direction

About a month ago, Adimverse redesigned its platform, and I must admit the changes are quite positive. Creators can now create on their own without joining a room, although they can still create rooms where collaboration can take place. I've been participating in a workshop series on the platform with a couple of the Adimverse staff where they share tips on how to use the platform's features. In doing that, each of the participants is crafting a character called This Man and telling a story about him. Simple enough.

At the heart of the platform's tools is something called a Block. These are simple structure elements that allow creators to create projects, stories, characters, and settings. A project involves all of the elements of a story (character, story, setting). The tools are flexible enough that a creator can create stories, characters, and settings without setting up a project first, or she may set up a project then fill it with stories, characters, and settings. It's an interesting way to build.

My story is about a man who has no clue about his identity. He doesn't know his name, where he is from, or what his purpose in life is. He knows next to nothing about himself despite having full access to his full slate of life memories.

In my project, I've crafted two story openings. One is in third person and one is in first person. Then I set up a Quest, which is a simple way of asking for feedback on the platform. Today, I'd like to get your feedback too.

Below are the third-person and first-person accounts of my story opening. I'd love for you to tell me which one you like best. Which one intrigues you most? Which one is more effective in eliciting your interest to continue reading?

Who Is This Man? (Third Person Account)

Pietro Peters walked into the bathroom of his studio apartment and glared into the mirror hoping to find some clue to his identity. He had been awake a solid three hours and had done nothing more than have breakfast and shave. After running the razor across the left side of his face, he no longer felt an urgency to continue with his day until he could remember his name. He wasn't sure he had one.

When this crisis of identity began he could not quite be sure, but he was certain beyond all certainty that it wasn't a memory problem. He could remember all sorts of details with crystal-clear clarity.

Yesterday, for instance, he awoke precisely at 5:12 a.m., put on his jogging shorts, and ran three miles. On the last leg of his running route, he stepped into Peggy's Kolache Bar and grabbed a coffee with a sausage and cheese kolache covered in chocolate swirls, his favorite way to start a day. Any day, in fact. It was a way that he had started every morning for thirty-five years and it was not a routine he so easily tossed aside. But there was something about this morning that caused him to toss it aside.

He called his boss down at the factory and feigned a sickness, hoping he'd be excused for taking the day off.

“Morning, Jack. It's me.”

“You're not calling off work, are you?”

“Yessir, I just don't feel good.”

“You sound fine.”

“I know, I know, but trust me, I'm feeling queasy.”

It was not a lie. Not knowing who he was and where he came from certainly made him feel queasy, in a very unhappy way. He was so unhappy his stomach turned.

Lost Identity (First Person Account)

Imagine my horror when I, a mere machinist, wandered into the bathroom of my studio apartment to check my look in the mirror only to discover I had no sense of identity. I didn't know my name, where I had come from, or where I was going. Having been awake for three hours, eaten breakfast, and shaved half my face, I lost all sense of urgency to continue with the rest of my day until I could ascertain some clue as to who I am.

When this crisis of identity began I cannot now say, but I am certain beyond all certainty that it isn't a memory problem. I can remember all sorts of details with crystal-clear clarity.

Yesterday, for instance, I awoke precisely at 5:12 a.m., put on my jogging shorts, and ran three miles. On the last leg of my route, I stepped into Peggy's Kolache Bar and grabbed a coffee with a sausage and cheese kolache covered in chocolate swirls. It has become my favorite way to start a day. Any day, in fact. I've begun my mornings that way for thirty-five years and it's not a routine I wish to toss aside so easily. But there was something about that morning that caused me to toss aside that routine in which I so long delighted myself.

I decided to call my boss at the factory and feign illness. Perhaps he might have pity on me and excuse my absence.

“Morning, Jack. It's me,” I said with a cough.

“You're not calling off work, are you?”

“Yessir, I don't feel so good today.” Cough.

“You sound fine.”

“I know, I know, but trust me, I'm feeling queasy.”

It was not a lie. Not knowing who I am and where I come from certainly made me feel queasy. It made me so unhappy my stomach turned, and, to be honest, it is still turning. If only I had some idea, some clue, about who I am and the nature of my origins. Then I could get on with life.

Now It's Your Turn

That's it. Two story openings. Which one do you like best? Which one intrigues you most? Which one makes you want to read further? Leave your answer in the comments below.

If Adimverse sounds intriguing to you, why not join the platform and look me up? It's free to join. My username is Cryptocracy.