Infinity on 30 Credits a Day

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Poll 10

The opening scene:
  1. First panel: Close-up of a watermelon-sized inscrutable device.

    It's the focus of the first story arc. Jake bought it on a whim from a junkyard on a backwater planetoid, and has been trying to fix it in his spare time ever since. It's one of those rare pieces of tech he isn't able to instantly repair by deftly bashing it. Daisy will eventually fix it, after meeting Jake later on (and being nicknamed "Dazer", since Jake nicknames everyone). The junk dealer said it was a "Cubic Space Disestablisher", but might not be reliable.

    Jimmers, an artificial organism purchased by Jake years ago (duly nicknamed), will be handing him tools during the first strip. Jimmers's not clear on the terminology:

    Jake: "Screwdriver".
    Jimmers hands Jake something.
    Jake: "This is the excalibrator".
    Jimmers: "I thought this was the excalibrator (holding up something else)".
    Jake: "That's the analog jackhammer".
    Jimmers: "But you said that was this!"
    Jake: "Well, maybe I lied. Now get me a screwdriver".
    Jimmers gets a screwdriver.
    Jake: "Yeah. You know, that was a huge cliché".
    Jimmers: "I'm sorry".
    Jake: "You can't help it. You're just a stereotypical kind of guy".

    The irony is lost on Jimmers, but not Jake.

  2. Jake Starr is on his way to retreive an engineer (Daisy "Dazer" Hoshino), and her spider-cat, who has just retired from her six-year term in the Planetary Defense Force and has gotten a job on the ship Jake works on (he volunteered to pick her up to earn some extra cash). However, on the way, he encounters technical difficulties related to his failure to fully keep his shuttle in order and starts a crash landing which will lead him to a little known planet with mysterious life forms (one of them being Jimmers) and the galaxies most remote Moonbucks in existence. (Moonbucks being an obvious parody of Starbucks).

  3. The characters work in a spaceport (planet side or space bound TBD). They fix anything and everything around the port including the ships that come in. Sometimes they hire out to accompany ships on runs, but always end up back at this "home base" eventually.

    The scene is in a break room/mess hall during a meal. Dazer, Spider-cat and Jake are eating. Jimmers has his "hand" in a bowl of food, absorbing the nutrients.

    Jake is complaining about the job he has to do after eating. Something he doesn't particularly want to do since he doesn't think the item is that broken.

    Dazer tells him he needs to do it and hurry up with it. She then lists a multitude of things they all have to finish before the end of the day. And the next day there's a big project the three of them have to do together.

    And then there will be more stuff to fix that's not broken the next day, Jake continues.

    "So this is a job that goes on and on, day after day and never ends?" Jimmers asks.

    Jake and Dazer give affirmative answers.

    "And how much to we get paid again?" Jimmers closes.

  4. The Great Zzybak Race... once every decade, great spaceship pilots cluster to the Zzybak galaxy to compete in this, the most grueling, cutthroat competition in the known universe!

    The rules are simple: be the first to pilot your ship to various checkpoints, making a circuit across the cosmos. Even with a high-powered craft, this can take weeks, and leads through some of the most hostile areas of the known universe. Piracy and assault between teams in open space is also common. Regardless, each season hopefuls new and old compete for fame, glory, and a massive credit prize!

    One new hopeful this year is Captain Jake Starr, an unemployed shipbuilder with big aspirations. Together with fellow engineer Daisy "Dazer" Hoshino, the duo built the spacecraft Infinity, a ship that boasts an impressive homegrown engine for this competition.

    Too bad the ship's frame is held together mostly with duct tape. ("Hey, it still works!")

    With their pooled money, they hired a third crewman, a mysterious being called "Jimmers", and joined the race! Will they manage to win? Heck, will they be able to pay their fuel bill at the next port? Find out... on Infinity on 30 Credits a Day!

  5. Scene opens on title card: Infinity on 30 Credits A Day! Zoom out to show that the title card is being displayed on an old television, the title for a travelogue show. Keep it low tech and realistic -- The setting should look well maintained, but low budget. Zoom out, we reveal the setting: A spaceship hanger, designed for repairs. Having established the setting, we close-up on Dazer, who is idly wrenching tight a bolt on an old cargo ship while watching the TV, while her spider-cat curiously pulls at some wires in the background. (It could get electrocuted later on as part of a visual gag.)

    Enter Jake Starr. He yells at Dazer to get back to work and stop daydreaming (but is good natured about it, perhaps commanding her with a joke). Dazer apologises profusely, but explains her desire for a ship of her own, and travel. Jake tells her she'll never afford it, so she should focus on their job of fixing them. He then asks where Jimmers is, and Dazer reminds Jake that he sent Jimmers out to get supplies. Jack notes that Jimmers "could get lost on a stretch of straight highway," and groans.

26 February 2007 - 1 March 2007

This vote was to determine the description of the opening scene for the comic. Instructions were as follows:

Write an opening scene for the comic! Rules:
Total number of votes: 192

Number of preferences: 5

Round 1

Option 1: 42
Option 2: 25
Option 3: 35
Option 4: 45
Option 5: 45
Leader is option 4, with 45 votes.
Total exhausted votes: 0
Votes needed to win: 96
Minimum vote is 25 votes.
Options eliminated: 2,

Round 2

Option 1: 48
Option 3: 38
Option 4: 55
Option 5: 49
Leader is option 4, with 55 votes.
Total exhausted votes: 2
Votes needed to win: 95
Minimum vote is 38 votes.
Options eliminated: 3,

Round 3

Option 1: 64
Option 4: 66
Option 5: 59
Leader is option 4, with 66 votes.
Total exhausted votes: 3
Votes needed to win: 95
Minimum vote is 59 votes.
Options eliminated: 5,

Round 4

Option 1: 90
Option 4: 92
Leader is option 4, with 92 votes.
Total exhausted votes: 10
Votes needed to win: 91
We have a winner!

Raw votes

1,4,2,3,5
1,5,2,3,4
4,3,5
5,1,4,3,2
3,2,5
3,5,4,1,2
2,4,1,5,3
5,2,4
4,3,5
4,5,2,1,3
4,3,5,1,2
4,2,3,1,5
2,1,3,4,5
3,2,4,5
2,3,5,1,4
5,3
1,5,2,3,4
3,5,1,2,4
3,2,1
3,4,2,5,1
5,1,2,3,4
1,5,3,2,4
3,1,2,4,5
5,1,3
2,5,3,4
2,4,3
4,5,1,3,2
4,3,2,1,5
1,4,2,5,3
5,2,1
5,2,3
3,4,5,1,2
5,2,3,1,4
4,5,1,3,2
1,4,5,2,3
1,2,3,4,5
3,1,4,2,5
3,4,2,1,5
4,1,5,3,2
2,5,3,1,4
4,2,1,5
5,2,3,1,4
5,1,2,3,4
4,1,2,3,5
4,5,2,3,1
2,1,5,4,3
4,3,2,5,1
5,4,1,3,2
1,2
1,5,4,3,2
5,1,3
1,3,5,2
1,2,4,5,3
4,1,5
4,2,1
4,2,1,3,5
5,1,3,2,4
2,4,1,5,3
3,1,5,4,2
4,1
1,5,2
3,1,4,5,2
3,5,4
5,4,1,2,3
4,2,1
5,2,4,3,5
3,4,5,2,1
2,4,5,3,1
1,5
4,5,2,1,3
4,5
3,1,4
1,2,5
3,1,5,2,4
5,2,3,4,1
3,1,2,4,5
5,3,4
1,5,2
1,4,2,5,3
5,1,4,3,2
1,5,3,2,4
4,1,2,3,5
1,4,3
5,4,3,1,2
2,3,4
1,4,3,2,5
1,3
1,5,2,3
3
4,2,3,5,1
5,2,4,1,3
5
4,3,5,2,1
3,5,4,2,1
2,1,4,3,5
1,5,4,2,3
3,2,5,4,1
5,3,1,2,4
3,5,1,2,4
4,3,1,2,5
4,5,1,3
3,5
4,3,1,5
5,2,4
2
3,2,1,5,4
5,3,4,2,1
5,4,1,3,2
2,5,1,3,4
5,3,4
1,3,2,5,4
4,2,1,5,3
1,4,3
2,4,1,3,5
4,1
1,3,5,4,2
4,2,3,1
5,3
4,1,5,2,3
4,1,2,5,3
5,3,1,4,2
1,4,5,3,2
1,3
4,5,3,2,1
3,2,5,1,4
5,2,4,1,3
4,5,1
1,4,3
5,2,4,3,1
3,2,4
2,4,5
1,3
2,3,1,4,5
1,4
4,1,3,2,5
3,1,5,4,2
5,3,4
5,4,3,2,1
3,2,1,4,5
5,1,2
4,5,2
5,4,1,2,3
3,1,2,4,5
4,3,2,1,5
5,2,3,1,4
2,5,4
5,1
4,2,5,1,3
5,1,2,3,4
1,5,4,3,2
3,4,1,5,2
5,3,4
4,5,1
4,2,3,1,5
1,5
4,5,1,2,3
1,2,3,4,5
3,4,5,1,2
2,4,5,1
3,1,4,2,5
3,1,5
1,3,2,5,4
5,3,2,1
2
2,4,5,3,1
3,1,5
1,4,5,3,2
3,4,2,1,5
5,1,4,2,3
2,4,3,1,5
4,1,2,5,3
1,3
1,4,5
5,4,2,3,1
1,5,3
1,2,3,4,5
4,2,3,1,5
4,2,3,5,1
2,4,3,1
4,1
5,4,2,3
4
1,3,5,2,4
5,1,4,2,3
5,1,2
2,1,5,3,4
2,1,5,3,4
2,1,4,3,5
1,2,3,5,4
3,4,5,2,1
5,2,3
1,4,3,2,5
Infinity on 30 Credits a Day