Mass Effect Slipstream, Book I: The Streamer's Edge

Before I even get started, I feel I need to say something.  I've always felt a little ashamed of this, but not because I feel it's my worst work ... far from it. The moment I started writing it, I made a promise to myself to hold it up to as high a standard as any of my books.  No, it's because this is a fanfiction.

There are a lot of reasons for me feeling this way, I suppose; why work on a project guaranteed to have no monetary payoff?  Why work on a book I can never actually publish? Then there's the other reasons; the slash fictions, the teenage angst, every damn thing in the infamous 'My Immortal' fanfic (seriously, go read or listen to the My Immortal Story.  Not only is it a perfect example of everything you shouldn't do while writing fiction, be it fanfiction or otherwise, it will honestly make you feel better about yourself as a writer.  Plus Bennet the Sage's reading is pretty damn awesome).

I fully admit that it's unfair to think of fanfiction that way.  There are quite a few really well-written fanfictions (such as You Came Back to Me, which indirectly inspired this).  Hell, Licensed novels of series like Star Wars, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms ... technically, they are fanfiction, as they were not written by the original author(s).  Those books, however, follow a set of rules I feel are necessary for writing fanfiction well.  That's a list for another time, however.

This story came about as a direct result of the disastrous ending of Mass Effect 3.  Don't even bother commenting if you don't agree; it was a badly written pretentious ending slammed into a game where it wasn't needed or wanted.  A six-year old could've written a better ending than what we got, and to this day, it ranks as the most disappointing ending in a game, even with the extended cut.  As bad endings often do, it just wouldn't leave my mind; I needed to move beyond it.  That's when I realized the usual defensive argument for the endings, 'Let's see you do better', was perfectly accurate.  I'm a writer with four novels under his belt, and have already created my own little universe.  Surely I could write a story that would soften the blow, as it were; rectify the ending without changing anything that was actually there to make it more palatable, so I could go back and play it again without feeling the crippling disappointment again.

Thus began the story of Finn and Jake.  Finn is a human repairman on a small space station in the middle of nowhere, and Jake is his brother/best friend who happens to be a KEI-9 unit with an AI.  Yes, of course it's a reference to Adventure Time, but in truth, it's a reference in name only, aside from a few quotes here and there.  This is another 'it's about the journey' story (a reference in itself to another defense of the original endings), and it sees Finn and company fleeing across the galaxy from a threat from the past - The Illusive Man, whose resolution in the original story felt weak.  Since the story is set four-hundred years after Mass Effect: Citadel, I distanced myself from the old crew and built a new one.  Darsan, an elcor with a penchant for style, is my favorite, both in this and my other works. 

They see some familiar faces along the way; Aria is still leading the den of debauchery that is Omega, Liara is still the Shadow Broker and Javik is with her, and even Wrex makes an appearance near the end.  On the whole, though, it really is Finn's story, and I feel stands apart from Citadel.  While the Slipstream Series is ongoing (working on it now, in fact), this was the first book, and as such it sets the premise.  If you hate the ending of ME3, want to see an adventure with new characters (with a few new races in the mix), or if you've never even played the games and just want a fun little sci-fi adventure, give Mass Effect Slipstream Book I - The Streamer's Edge a try.

And if you're annoyed that I'm giving a fanfiction my full attention over my original work at the moment, review my other work!  Seriously, how do you think I feel when the only reviews I get are on my fanfiction?  I work on what people seem interested in, and at the moment, that's it.  I'll work on the others as I have time, of course, but for now, it's Adventure Time! In SPAAAAAAAAACE!

The Sakamota Journals: Sidetracked

The Sakamota Journals kinda reads like a tourists guide to Wenapaj, now that I think about it.  Anyway, this book picks up shortly after the first, and sees Jimmy back at the Saybaro.  More of the mansion has been restored, and he is awaiting the arrival of some of his friends (particularly Terra) when Plush One sends him on a quest to Brigsonstrat, a city to the north of the Saybaro that provides much of Wenapaj's power. 

From the get go, I wanted to put Jimmy back in the position of being alone, not because I dislike his friends in the first novel, but because it's easier to mess with him when he's by himself.  I'm not even kidding; I've mentioned to others that if I ever meet Jimmy, he'll either hug me or punch me in the face ... maybe even both. So much of the series was created by the thought process; Jimmy seems to be doing okay ... let's throw some new insanity at him. 

The Sakamota Journals: Sidetracked (originally Sidequest) is just that; in trying to finish one task, he continually finds himself interrupted.  I remember Breath of Fire II being a clear inspiration here; while playing it as a child, I remember a series of quests that branched off so many times, I finished one part and realized I had completely forgot what I was doing.

This is more than just diversions for Jimmy, though; Jimmy's past is touched on a few times, especially the loss of his parents and how he ended up in the care of Uncle Ann. Terra's presence as a regular party member gives the reader a chance to get to know her better, and King Iniagus is just as insane as ever.  Mysteries are solved, new mysteries are unearthed, and Jimmy even finds out how to sharpen Glint, giving him a weapon worthy of his skills in the final showdown.

In truth, I hope to return and write one more Sakamota Journals in the future. I really enjoyed writing this series, and would like to cap it off as a trilogy, though Jimmy and Terra's children may see their own adventures with the Elsewhere someday.

One thing I forgot to cover earlier is the nature of One; it wouldn't be an Elsewhere Universe tale if there wasn't a Dreamer in there somewhere, and One is the perfect Dreamer to assist.  However, I knew from the get go I didn't want a fully powered One who could win Jimmy's fights for him, which is where the dolls come in.  One is technically still on his honeymoon, but he decides to help out by possessing a small plush doll in his likeness.  While he still has his Dreamer abilities while in Plush One, he is ultimately a doll, something he forgets at times to his detriment.

Well, that's it for that. Again, if you want an ebook before my next dustoff, searching the name in smashwords should lead you to the right place. 

The Sakamota Journals

This series started off as a gag between me and the real Wong Fo Lee, and was even an RPG2K project for awhile.  The idea was simple; take a simple fantasy cliche (i.e. a dragon kidnapping a princess) and twist it at both ends.  We started with the hero; sure, any knight worth his or her plate armor could stand and face a dragon, but where's the fun in that?  Originally, the hero was to be a simple crossing guard; you know, the guy who stands at school crossings and lets the children pass?  Oh yeah.  The idea of him guarding a tiny bridge in the middle of nowhere was clearly inspired by the excellent Mel Brooks movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and the idea that the king was bonkers seemed quite reasonable.  After all, he was about to task a crossing guard to save his daughter.

The original hero was supposed to be incompetent, wholly incapable of performing the task, but as the story fell into place and revealed that the dragon and the princess were not the simple characters they were cast as, I decided to give him a little more ability.  The idea of an internet trained samurai struck me as funny; a guy who admires the samurai culture, but only the parts he finds comfortable.  He practices fighting with a katana, yet uses Streaming Arts. He wears a keikogi and a hakama, yet he sleeps on a normal bed.  As he would have access to holograms, he is actually good with the sword, yet he is still inexperiences.

Jimmy Olsen Sakamota (thus named because I figure one Jimmy Olsen should have some balls) had his stark counterpoint, however.  While Jimmy's study of samurai made him a thoughtful, skilled, and effective warriro even with a dull blade, Luminous Arc Skylad was essentially a joke on the standard JRPG hero.  Barely more than a kid, and wielding a sword far too large for him, Arc is brash, impatient, and not that skilled.  There is more to him than that, however; he is a student and junior researcher at the Wenapaj Center of Knowledge, and knowledgable about Kindred artifacts such as the blade.  Given the importance of Arc's 'sword' in the final book (as yet unwritten), his presence is not merely an annoyance.  Again, although seemingly ineffective, Arc is a friendly fellow, and a fierce fighter; he eventually develops a martial fighting style that uses the weight of his sword to fling him around.

This is largely a 'It's the journey, not the destination' story, as is its sequel, and I feel the enjoyment comes from the typical ragtag group of heroes interacting and trying to figure out what is going on with the dragon.

Also worth noting is that while A Dreamer's Knight goes all over Vinta, The Sakamota Journals takes place only in Wenapaj, the smallest sovereign nation on Vinta. I wanted to show that I could create a good adventure in both settings, and given that The Sakamota Journals is quite honestly my favorite series, I feel satisfied ... though not so satisfied that I'm not taking it out and giving it a little once over.  I was still in my over-descriptive phase when I wrote it, and would like a chance to catch some of the mistakes I've come to realize I tend to make.

One final note; I wrote the original draft for this story in a month, while working at Home Depot.  I'd go into work early, set up a small table in the back of the break room, and type away. I'd write at lunch as well, storing my little laptop in my locker in the meantime. While a lot of the story changed in editing, writing it was a blast.  I won't put the link up just yet (though a search on smashwords will still uncover the current version) as I am working on improving it, and would suggest you wait until I finish for the best version.

A Dreamer's Knight: Machinations

I'd like to write first that some faith in humanity has been restored, as today, June the 27th of the year 2015, the United States Supreme Court has decided in favor of recognizing gay marriage.  While not homosexual myself, I am nonetheless thrilled for those who are, and can now get married without fear of legal ramifications.  Happiness is what is important in life, and if two people truly find themselves perfect for each other, I fail to see how gender truly should stand in the way.

I'm sure there are some norms out there whining about how this act, an act that is clearly pro-equality (a stance the Elsewhere has always supported), is somehow violating their rights, to which I say this; it is not your right to be a hateful prick, and if you think it is, I'll personally make sure each and every one of your hate-mongering names is added to the top of the Elsewhere's 'People of Interest list'.  Perhaps a few decades as a bored Dreamer's hobby will teach you something about respect.

Enough about that, though; today, I'll be writing about A Dreamer's Knight: Machinations.  For starters, I've begun posting the chapters to my tumblr account (which can be easily accessed here), so if you want to read the story for free in a slightly inconvenient format, there you go.  It's a sequel to A Dreamer's Knight, and although I've made efforts to fill in the gaps as it were, I don't know how much you may need to have read the first book to understand what is going on.

At the end of A Dreamer's Knight, One has completed the Mikaen assignment and gone to the Dream Realm for some rest and relaxation.  Unfortunately, after some lingering concerns prompt him to stick his nose back into the trouble beginning to brew on Vinta, he inadvertently undoes the work of the first book.

The idea was to put Mikaen in a position where he wouldn't investigate further into what was going on in Ronisgald; by establishing a home in Homestead, a relationship that has led to an engagement, Mikaen was to eventually marry and settle down, leaving his troubled past as a Knight of the Star behind him.  Now, however, he's going to investigate Ronisgald, where the group behind the troubles in the first book are looking for something much larger.

The Raenqal is derived somewhat from the idea of the Kicksey Winsey (sorry if I spelled that wrong, Death Gate fans), in that it is an ancient machine whose purpose is important, but not altogether clear as of yet.  The discovery of the first part, an enormous crystallic worldstone known as 'The Amplifier', signifies great power, but with no clear clues as to what it might do.

This book also goes into more detail about One's past, namely his past with Teria Myssohn, sister of Tirinia (Mikaen's fiancee) and Daughter of Longshore.  Still recovering his lost memories, this book sees One beginning to remember chunks of his past, which will continue in the next two books and slowly show more about One prior to his time at the Elsewhere. Teria and Luck battling for One's affection is ... difficult to talk about without reaching spoiler territory, but I will say that while One seems wishy-washy about his affections for each of them, there is a good reason ... and it truly is not his fault.

This novel sees many of the other Dreamers, including the good Captain Morgan, Max the Inventor, Alex the Toymaker, and even a few showings of Alan T. Tryth.  I rather like the fact that the narrative goes to first person when he's around; after all, it's made clear from the foreword in the first book that he's writing this tale in his capacity as the Chronicler of the Elsewhere.

Ronisgald was an interesting place to write about (see my earlier blogpost for more detailed information).  I will add that idea of underground dyson sphere-like habitats was definitely Star-Trek inspired.  Where the first book was mostly magic and forest cities, I wanted to start showing the technological side of Vinta in this book, a side which is contrasted in the third book as well, as the Rimstakkens technology, while on par with that of Ronisgald, is very different.

This book also sees some cameo appearances of Rena Sakamota, the future mother of Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, protagonist of The Sakamota Journals, as well as crazy old King Iniagus.  I really enjoy writing King Iniagus segments, and must admit he's one of my favorite characters to date, based vaguely on Fizban and Zifnab (who are themselves possibly the same person).

It's a bit longer, but this book does start off the major story arch of the series.  Give it a read, though you might want to read A Dreamer's Knight first.

I should also mention that this is the first book to get a cover from my current cover artist, Julia Tuason.  I've always loved the dream-like quality of her work, and feel it perfect for the Elsewhere Universe. She also did a bang up job drawing a cover based off of the description 'a pirate ship bursts out of a public fountain'. Check out her portfolio here.

I'd also like to state for the record that I wasn't dissatisfied with Izorkin Anton, the artist who drew the cover of the first book (check him out here).  He did a great job too, but he also admitted that drawing people wasn't his thing.

Ebook versions (just smashwords at the moment), hardback (lulu)

A Dreamer's Knight - A Overview of the Elsewhere Incorporate

A Dreamer's Knight was my first completed work, and fittingly serves as an introduction to the Elsewhere Universe.  Set primarily on the world of Vinta, this book tells the story of the Dreamer known as Narrator Number One and a post-apocalyptic knight from Earth named Mikaen, nicknamed 'True Knight' by his friends as a play on his halbard-like weapon, Truth.

Tired after a chain of assignments and recognizing Mikaen as a 'Plucked Hero' assignment, One tries to pass Mikaen off to an old friend.  His conscience gets the better of him in the end, however, and he assists Mikaen in true Dreamer style; with cryptic tips and hints, and by subtly influencing his movements.

A Dreamer's Knight as a single novel is an example of how a Dreamer's assignment can go right.  One helps Mikaen find a home, helps him find love with Daughter Tirinia Myssohn, and even helps him find a purpose on Vinta. Ironically, A Dreamer's Knight as a series shows just how bad an assignment can go, which starts with A Dreamer's Knight Machinations.

While Mikaen's tale is undoubtedly important (it is, after all, what moves the story along), as the introductory book to the Elsewhere Universe, I knew I wanted to give the Dreamers and the Elsewhere Incorporate a good amount of 'screen time' as it were. Most of the big Dreamers are at least mentioned in the book, including the Elsewhere's chronicler, Alan T. Tryth, and the fundamentals of the Elsewhere are explained.  There is even a little explanation of the nature of the dream realm in the series which will grow as the series progresses.

The ending may seem a little abrupt, the reader should remember that this is largely One's story, and the story of Mikaen's assignment gone right, which has come to an end by the time the metaphorical credits roll.  While there are still unanswered questions on Vinta, they are questions for Mikaen, not One, and a Dreamer would normally not think any more on it than that.  Given that this is a series, you can guess how that turned out.

Naturally, this is a bare-bones description, eliminating many key characters and situations.  If you would like to read a Dreamer's Knight, you can check my tumblr blog (here), or buy an ebook version for easy viewing at smashwords or amazon.com.

Dusting this old thing off a bit

Wow.  I forgot I even had this blog; I've been using tumblr for ages, but have wanted something that makes it a bit easier to navigate through past posts ... and then I remembered this!  Mind you, there are no viewers as of yet (small surprise; it's been years since my last post), but hey; ya gotta start somewhere, right?

I think what I'll do is use the blog to comment on the tumblr posts; how I feel about certain chapters, extra thoughts on non-story posts, maybe even move all non-story posts here once I get more readers.

For now, however, here's the big update. At the moment, I've got four finished books (series numbers added for convenience):

A Dreamer's Knight I(ebook: Amazon, smashwords, hardback: lulu, paperback: in the works)

A Dreamer's Knight II: Machinations (ebook: smashwords, hardback: lulu, paperback: in the works)

The Sakamota Journals I: Sera and the Dragon (ebook: smashwords, hardback: lulu, paperback: in the works)

The Sakamota Journals II: Sidetracked (ebook: smashwords, hardback: lulu, paperback: in the works)

I'm considering giving the Sakamota Journals books a little dusting (basically another go through to catch any little errors I missed the other umpteen-billion times ... sigh.  I wish I could afford an editor), but for the most part, I'm focusing on newer works.  I've also finished:

A Dreamer's Knight III: Flights of Fancy (still in editing)

Mass Effect Slipstream I - The Streamer's Edge (only available on fanfiction.net, along with what I've finished of the second book)

In addition to the Mass Effect Fanfiction (hey, don't give me that look; it's the only thing I get reviews for.  Review my original work, and it'll get priority too).

For the next few days, I'll be going through these titles, giving an overall spoiler-free synopsis as well as explaining it's place in the Elsewhere Universe.  Once I've gone through the completed works, I'll go through the active projects, like Wander, Simply Encredible, Thomas Schrade and the City of Dreams, Have a Nice Day, and others.  For now, however, I need a nap.