MajesticBlue Transmedia Universe

Craig Black

Jacob Elmer

The **MajesticBlue Transmedia Universe** (stylised as **MajesticBlue TransmediaUNIVERSE**) is an American-British shared universe. It was created by Jordann William Edwards to bring together his creations alongside those of other people.

This universe employs transmedia storytelling, telling one big story (and multiple smaller stories) through different media, such as comics, film, toys, and video games. The universe also makes extensive use of social media (namely Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and DeviantArt) as well as Wikias to encourage fan participation.

## Background

The universe traces its roots to 2008, when a then 12 year old Jordann Edwards decided to draw two characters. As he created the characters and setting, he decided to attempt to expand to the Web. In 2010, he created a DeviantArt account to showcase his work.

He claimed that two factors shaped what he was about to do going forward - 1) the first *Iron Man* was released, kickstarting a shared universe that would change everything; 2) the death of his great-grandmother, whom he looked up to - he knew he would have to set a huge example for everyone. He wanted to help other people like him, much like his grandmother did.

He started MajesticBlue Studios to centralize his current and future creations.

## History

In 2015, as he was busy developing his own stories, Edwards discovered something unthinkable - a young Scottish writer called Craig Black was coming off of a cease-and-desist order for his fan-fiction. It would later become *Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart*.

As they were developing the universe, Elizabeth Mogan was busy developing her own series, *Ghosts of Earth*, which may or may not be inspired by *MacTaggart*.

In early 2016, Edwards, Mogan, and Black had all decided on building a shared universe around each of their stories; Edwards has been toying with the concept of a "universe" since the first movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It would be decided that the official canon of the films of the Universe begins with the movie The Dynamite Twins: Brotherhood Legacy, whereas the television side begins with the Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart animated series - from there it will expand outward.

### Funding

The creators have started an Indiegogo campaign for the Universe. The initial funding has yet to be reached.

## The Universe

### The Dynamite Twins and Friends

The Dynamite Twins and Friends is the main franchise of the universe. It centers around a pair of twin foxes with supernatural abilities.

The oldest of the franchises, it has since expanded to include comics, online video, toys, and games, with a film series in the works.

### Tails from the Federation

Tails from the Federation is a mini-franchise consisting of three space opera stories. They consist of:

#### Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart

Created by Craig Black, this series focuses on a former Japanese soldier turned space pirate in a battle against the Federation.

#### Ghosts of Earth

Created by Elizabeth Mogan, this series focuses on Captain Willow and her voyages on board the Spaceship Ghost, all while finding her way back home.

#### Zander Dodgers

Created by Jordann Edwards, it chronicles a dog that winds up in the future, and is tangled in a great war. He would then discover a power unlike any other.

### Dragon Mage series

The Dragon Mage series, co-created by Edwards and Mogan, centers around a young dragon who travels across dimensions.

### Complements

The Complements are stories that aren't necessarily canon, but they have characters from other series. These complements are predominantly created by other artists and fans. Those created by the community, KGC Cartoons and Comics, can be considered complements.

#### Former stories

Bunny and Bear was initially created by Edwards as a "kid-friendly" counterpart to the TDT stories. However, he would decide that it would be completely separate from the main franchises, as it expands on its own.

Flight of the Birds Academy was created by Edwards as a tribute to his grandfather, who served in the US Air Force. However, due to him focusing on building the Universe, as well as not coming up with enough material, he decided to cancel the comic series, while bringing its characters to the main TDT storyline.

## The Team

The universe is run by:

* Jordann William Edwards - creator of The Dynamite Twins and Friends and Zander Dodgers
* Elizabeth Mogan - creator of Ghosts of Earth
* Craig Black - creator of Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart
* Jacob Elmer -co-creator and illustrator of Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart

Other contributors include:

* ...

## Practices

Edwards has remarked that he envisioned the Universe would not be like other shared universes, as it employs "transmedia storytelling"; namely, telling one story (or multiple stories) through a wide variety of media, including comics, film, web series, etc. Edwards has also been planning a "toys-to-life" concept for a cross-platform open world game.

### Social media

It also encourages fan participation through social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, DeviantArt) and the use of Wikias, making it the most crowdsourced shared universe in history.

The creators interact with the fans frequently on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr pages, in Q&As, fanart, and much more.

On their YouTube pages, the creators give fans an in-depth look at the ongoing processes.

## References

* http://blog.teachnet.ie/transmedia-storytelling/
* http://www.tstoryteller.com/our-7-tenets-of-future-storyworlds