It’s an alchemical formula: the right playlist, the video game with moody, gorgeous graphics, and the show worth binge-watching. A carefully planned meal that reflects the story’s culture. The various media are played in a certain order throughout the day. Deep into the evening, she reaches for a fountain pen and opens the journal with smooth paper that is meditative when she runs her fingers over the pages. It helps her think. The tip of the fountain pen skims over the surface like a figure-skater, leaving a trail of shiny black words that echo deep below. Abzu, she says—the Sumerian word for the primordial ocean. Her mind, ensorcelled, drifts in the multiverse of inspiration until she creates an original world of her own.
