A look into the story’s origins, emotional foundation, and the mechanics of a simulated world trapped in a loop.
The earliest spark of Simulation – 1988 came from imagining a world where people wake up every day in a different body, with one constant: knowing the simulation was real. The glitch—throwing inhabitants from 2057 back to 1988—let me return to my hometown and other places I was familiar with from that year. With my own experiences, very specific places could be painted in the version of 1988 I remembered.
What would human connection look like if identity itself were unstable?
From that idea grew the recurring loop, the daily “reset,” and the unsettling truth that the world was both familiar and wrong. This allowed for a story where memory is the only thing the characters truly own, and where love has to survive in shifting forms.
The loop itself became the backbone of the world: every day, inhabitants are dropped into a new physical form. The 24-hour cycle created both structure and tension. It meant:
– danger could appear anywhere
– safety is temporary
– identity is fluid
– every day requires cooperation to survive
The loop isn’t random. It’s a malfunction created by a system that once had rules. When it broke, it trapped thousands of people in the same failing cycle.
Designing the loop required balancing:
– unpredictability (new bodies each day)
– familiarity (the same world repeating)
– danger (Keith’s escalating violence)
– emotional anchors (Ben and Ella’s love, John’s mission)
Ben and Ella’s story needed to feel grounded even though the world around them was collapsing into unreality.
Ben carries the weight of the world’s collapse quietly. His love for Ella drives him far more than freedom or truth ever could. No matter the body he wakes in, he tries to reclaim the one thing that defines him.
He was written to represent the idea that identity is more than physical form—it’s connection, memory, and intention.
Ella is written as Ben’s equilibrium. She feels the instability of the world in a more vulnerable way. Each new body brings emotional turbulence, a reminder of the daughter she lost and the life she once lived.
She is not a damsel, nor a guide; she is the counterweight that keeps Ben from spiraling into hopelessness.
Keith began as a tragic figure overwhelmed by the emotional and psychological trauma of the loop. But his grief and the disorientation of waking in new bodies each day turned him into something dangerous.
His violence is driven by:
– loss
– desperation
– the illusion of power during each body reset
– a belief that ending lives ends his suffering
Keith’s arc became essential for grounding the story’s stakes. He represents the darkness of a world without stability.
John was designed as the bridge between the simulation’s broken interior and the unseen system controlling it. Unlike the others, he is “patched in,” giving him:
– fragments of outside knowledge
– limited technical access
– a mission he doesn’t fully trust
– guilt tied to his connection with the controllers
His presence allowed the story to hint at the system without explaining it outright, maintaining mystery without withholding purpose.
The daily transformation mechanic required:
– mobility changes
– age differences
– gender shifts
– injuries
– social context
– physical limitations
Characters needed to respond consistently to each new identity. This created narrative tension while also giving opportunities for humor, shock, fear, and tenderness.
Because bodies change, the places stay important. Ben and Ella’s designated meeting spots—like the Corn Palace or his hometown of Rockport—serve as emotional anchors.
These locations were chosen for:
– memorability
– symbolic stability
– the romance of meeting against all odds
– the tension of “will they find each other today?”
At its core, Simulation – 1988 is about:
– love that transcends physical identity
– loss that reshapes purpose
– survival inside instability
– the fear of meaninglessness
– the hope that connection can outlast chaos
The story keeps asking a single question:
If reality breaks, what part of you survives the fall?
