The Secret Project (and 'Fifty Bucks', a short tale of the Elsewhere Incorporate)

Phhb.  I'm not telling you about the secret project.  It's a secret!  Seriously, why would I even call it that if I was about to just blab about it like that?

I'll say this much; it is a horror story with comedic overtones, features Wong Fo-lee and Alan T. Tryth as key Dreamers, and the main character is a youtuber of some reknown.  Squirrels might be involved.  I'll likely start working on this more heavily as Halloween gets closer, as it is a halloween kind of tale.

But enough about that!  Prepare to enjoy a bite-sized portion of Dreamer Whimsy!

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Fifty Bucks

By Michael James Wilbur

It was a time of great excitement for the Kingdom of Nulandia. The people rejoiced across the cities in honor of their new King, His Majesty Penderbrast the First.  While tankards of ale were raised in honor of the young king in bars and pubs across the kingdom, the grandest celebration was in Altrust Castle, where the King was being coronated.

The two Narrators of the Elsewhere Incorporate watched in silence as the prince knelt before the priestess.  Neither One nor Two cared much for the religious passages; nothing puts the kibosh on theological thinking more than actually meeting a few gods and goddesses … or devils, for that matter, but that’s a tale for another day.

As the priestess placed the royal crown on the prince’s head, One said, “I have to admit, you did a good job.”

Two said nothing.  He merely stood there with a grin that would unnerve a Cheshire cat.

Evidently feeling that some dialogue was necessary, One said, “I guess Teach can’t say you never do any work now, huh? Speaking of which, where is our benevolent leader?”

Two pointed at the front row of the crowd, where the elder Dreamer sat with his wife, Karma. Both were in fancy dress, as befitting a royal ceremony, and were among the first to clap when the king sat down on his throne.  One and Two clapped as well, though One’s was out of politeness.  He had nothing to do with the assignment, and didn’t know much about the people involved.

After a few moments, King Penderbrast rose to his feet.  The clapping rose briefly before it finally dying down. Once the room was more or less silent, King Penderbrast made a great show of clearing his throat.

“People of Nulandia,” He said, his voice booming out across the throne room, “Friends, noblemen and women, and visitors from afar, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here today. Too long have the people of this fine country suffered under the injustice of King Tagmar.  It is with the help of many here in this room that now I stand here, the true king of this land … and as King, I pledge to protect the people of this fine nation, to ease the burden of the poor and destitute, and open friendly relations with our neighboring countries. No more futile wars, no more excessive taxes, no more intolerance of the beliefs of others, this I promise you on the blood of my father, King Jenner the Just!”

More applause filled the rooms.  As they applauded as well, One said, “I read Alan’s report.  He really is going to usher in a new age of light for these people. All thanks to you.”

Two’s smile widened slightly, but he said nothing.

When the room quieted down again, the King said, “Before we go to the celebratory feast, there is one person I need to thank.  He stood by me when my quest seemed impossible.  He was there when everyone else had turned on me. He even introduced me to Lady Talmere, my friend and companion through these many adventures.  She has taught me much about the strength of women I took for granted for so long, and I am honored and overjoyed to announce that she has agreed to become my queen.”

Some applause broke out, as well as some light tittering from some of the noblewomen. The tall, dark-skinned woman in plate mail standing beside the kind bowed her head, her cheeks even darker than the rest of her and a happy smile on her face as the King took her armored hand in his.  

“Cute couple.” One said, clapping. “Not only did you knock out a ‘Save the King’ job, you even squeezed in a ‘Cupid’s Arrow’.”

Again, Two said nothing.  There was something disconcerting about his smile; One remembered seeing a similar look in his friend’s face before falling victim to one of Two’s elaborate practical jokes.  He still couldn’t look at a banana without shuddering.

“That man, that angel who appeared to me in my time of need, is here with us today.  James?”

“That’s my cue.” Two said, straightening shirt. His chest puffed out, Two strode through the throne room, seemingly oblivious to the curious stares of the other guests.

Both the king and his future queen were smiling as Two approached the throne room.  Never one for protocol, he stood a few steps down from the king with his hands in the pockets of his old jeans and waited with the same strange smile on his face.

“Sir James of Bridges,” King Penderbrast said, “I … nay, this entire country owes you a great debt of gratitude.  Tell me, what can I possibly offer to repay you?”

Still smiling, Two said, “Only what you promised.”

To the surprise of many, the honorable and just king’s expression faltered. “Er, I could offer you all the riches you can carry, artifacts of power long kept safe in this kingdom.”

“Money I don’t need, and I’m pretty happy with the power I’ve already got.”

“I would make you a duke of the kingdom.”

“Tempting, but I really would rather not get tied to any one place.”

“I, er, could speak with my sister.”

“I beg pardon?” said a rather pretty and well-endowed young lady in the front row.

Two’s eyes rested on her for a moment. “Tempting, but I’m afraid I have to decline. All I ask is what you promised me when our adventure started.”

There were quite a few curious glances coming from the crowd at this point, including those of Teach and Karma. Even Lady Talmere was raising an eyebrow at Two.

After visibly struggling for a few moments, the king finally let out a resigned sigh. “I wished to reward you better, but if that is all you desire, I will honor my promise.”

Two nodded his head, knelt down, and promptly punched King Penderbrast, the king who would usher in an age of peace and light, squarely in his groin.  

The King fell to his knees, gasping in pain as Two stood back, an amused look in his face.  Her face contorted in anger, Lady Talmere took a step forward only for the king’s hand to rise, stopping her. 

“I gave my word.” He wheezed before looking at Two. “Our debt is paid?”

“Yup.  I’m done here.  Later.”

As Lady Talmere helped her future husband to rise, Two turned to what was now his audience and approached the still-seated Teach and Karma. 

Teach crossed his legs as Two came to stand before him. “Two, what the hell are-“

Two’s hand shot out, beckoning. “Pay up.”

Teach stared up at Two dumbfounded, eventually managing to say, “What?”

“Remember when you dragged me out to deal with that mad king on Vinta?  I told you I’d punch the bastard in the grundies, and you laughed and told me you’d pay me fifty bucks if I punched any king in the balls and walked away without a problem.”

Horror dawned in Teach’s eyes. “That was three-hundred years ago!”

“Yeah, well, you never put a time limit on it.”

“He offered you all the treasure you could carry!”

“Which I declined so that I could take fifty dollars from you.  Now are you gonna pay up or not?”

Teach stared at Two, seemingly lost for words. Two waggled his eyebrows at the elder Dreamer and rubbed the fingers and thumb of his outstretched hand together meaningfully.

His face red, Teach grumbled beneath his breath as he fished the wallet out of the pocket of his expensive suit. There was definite anger in his eyes as he counted out five ten-dollar bills and laid them in the patiently waiting Two’s outstretched palm.

“Thank you!” Two said, his voice cheery as his hand closed around the money. Oblivious to the angry stares of one, the confused looks from the nobles, and the pained (and yet slightly amused) look of King Penderbrast, Two walked back to where One was watching in utter amazement.

“Wanna go get something to eat?” Two asked brightly as he waved his handful of bills. “My treat.”

Mass Effect Slipstream Book II - The Life of One

No, I don't get the title.  I do want to go ahead and mention this one, however, as it should be completed in a few days.  You can check it out here, and the preceding book here.

Taking place a few months after the first book, this story starts quite innocently as Finn is given his first mission from the Shadow Broker; to pick up a drell agent from Ilium.  This goes smoothly right up to the point where they try to leave, when security searches Finn and discovers a jewel known as the Creator's Tear in his pocket. After Hikari Goto, member of a thieving gang named after Kasumi Goto, arranges for Finn's escape in exchange for the gem (which she planted on him), Finn discovers the gem being stolen from the evidence room by two quarians from Siren's Call, a musical troop of some renown.  What follows is a glorious chaos of a treasure hunt on the barren world of Tuchanka.  Old faces make an appearance, as well as a few new faces and even some faces one might not expect in this tale.

This series continues to be a blast to write.  The inclusion of the Saints (whose backstory is modified only slightly to adjust for time), the appearance of Glenda Adams, an alternate reality version of Narrator Number One from A Dreamer's Knight, and Tuck, the krogan chef, all have made this quite fun for me.   As a story in the overarching tale, this feels a bit like a DLC expansion; the advancement on the Cerberus plotline is slight, though important.

This, however, brings me to the place this series has in the Elsewhere Universe; not in the same Universe as A Dreamer's Knight (as evidenced by the female Glen, though it should be noted that at the time of this story, there is no Elsewhere Incorporate in Universe B), but in a Universe whose connection would be difficult to explain without massive spoilers.  I always liked the idea of having a second Universe in place, where stories that are good but don't quite fit in with the Elsewhere Universe cannon could be placed, perhaps creating its own unique storyline down the road. 

On that note, let me say that if you like the Elsewhere Universe and you want to make a story or novel set within it, by all means.  I'm building a Universe here ... two universes, with a possible third down the line for reasons that would again be spoilers. It's been my intention to have this all under Creative Commons, though what is and isn't canon in the primary Elsewhere Universe is something ultimately decided by myself and the other real-life analogs of Dreamers (who have asked for the moment not to be named, so I'll simply say Narrator Number Two, Captain Morgan, and Wong Fo-lee ... and myself, Alan T. Tryth, of course).

The Sunset Accord

Early on in the Elsewhere Universe books, I realized that sooner or later, I’d have to address the nature of Angels and Demons … or more bluntly, God and the Devil.  At the time, I wrote briefly about something called ‘The Sunset Accord’, and implied it was some sort of non-interference pact between the Elsewhere, the angels, and the devils. I didn’t want to only include judeo-christianity in this, so for the sake of argument, I referred to the angelic side as The Celestial Host, and the devil side ‘The Dark Horde’, implying that Gods and Goddesses viewed as ‘Good’ are part of the Host, those viewed as ‘Evil’ are part of the Horde.

The Sunset Accord, which sounds to me at least like some kind of new model Honda sports car, is actually one of the few laws the Dreamers place on themselves, and as such is an interesting notion to consider.  Breaking the law on purpose has resulted in the expulsion of the offending Dreamer, making it the most severe rule the Elsewhere has by far. After a time, however, I realized for such a rule to be in place, there must’ve been some event that prompted it; some incident where the Elsewhere was involved in the affairs of the Host and the Horde that ultimately led to the Sunset Accord.

This story is set early in the Elsewhere history. Anything as old as the battle of Good Vs. Evil could hardly be expected to notice every little group that came around.  Sooner or later, however, the deeds of the Elsewhere would start to have repercussions felt by both sides.  Since they were locked in a battle, neither able to defeat the other, some of the more militant parts of either side viewed the Elsewhere as the key to victory, and decided to take it upon themselves to secure the Elsewhere’s support.

Taking place in both the Celestial Plane and the Dark Abyss, this tale features my namesake, Alan T. Tryth, and Teach; the former in the Abyss and the latter taking the Celestials.  The ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ of the Elsewhere Universe will be explored in detail in these books, as well as the nature of God and Lucifer and their relation to the Creator.

This is a story I write with some trepidation, as religions groups are often a bit scary.  As Wong once told me, “God’s fine; it’s his fan club that bothers me”. Given some rather liberal interpretations of God, Lucifer, and the afterlife, I am concerned this might be somewhat controversial.  As such, let me say right now that this is set in the Elsewhere Universe, and is likely unique to that universe; do not misconstrue what I write as some belief to the nature of such things in this universe.

Have a Nice Day, a Modern Horror Story

Okay, I just made up the last bit there; This story is just Have a Nice Day, and is one of the projects I've always felt would be successful if I'd just finish the damn thing. Featuring Christopher Roberts (who would one day go on to be Max of the Elsewhere Incorporate), this is the story of the retail megastore of the future!  Having absorbed every other local business into itself, the Sol-Mart Corporation is considered a fixture in many towns, and are often as large as shopping malls.

Enter Christopher Roberts (totally chosen for how similar it sounds to Christopher Robin); a young inventor fresh out of High School, he decides to go to work for the company, as he thinks it's a good job.  He likes helping people, after all. He will quickly learn, however, that working in retail isn't as nice as the training videos suggest.

Christopher Roberts mentality is partially based on my own experience (or arguably, my own inexperience), and along with another character who I've yet to properly name (I'm calling him mister cynical at the moment) serve as a before-after image of my retail career, hopefully behind me for good.  Christopher is young, idealistic, and eager to prove himself, while Cynical is battered, grumpy, and disillusioned after years of working for a soul-less corporation that values money far more than people. 

While there is an overarching plot, most of the story is just little tales I picked up and/or experienced throughout my own time working at various retail stores.  I poke fun at everyone; the customers, the employees, the managers, the over-the-store management, and myself most of all. That's why I feel this project would be successful; retail has touched most of our lives at this point, not necessarily in a good way.

While I explained my internal dilemma with Simply Encredible, I don't really have a reason why I haven't finished this story.  I just ... haven't been in the mood to mess with it.  Blame it on my laziness, or on the bad taste working at retail places like Wal-mart has left in my mouth, but I just don't find myself wanting to mess with this one very often.

Thomas Schrade and the City of Dreams

Originally titled 'Rain', this was my Nanowrimo project in 2009 ... or perhaps 2008.  It's been awhile.  It was written in response to a challenge by Narrator Number Two; write a book in a different genre with no connection to the Elsewhere Universe.  I decided to make it a horror title, though I feel it became more of a thriller.

The story was heavily inspired by the somewhat lackluster horror game, Silent Hill: Homecoming.  The main twist of the book is something I came up with while playing, thinking that it was the twist of that game.  Sadly, my twist was far better than the one in the game, though not nearly as disappointing as Konami killing Silent Hills.  Seriously, what the hell?  You finally make a demo that is legitimately scary, hinting at a game that would actually make me want to buy a PS4, and you cancel it in favor of another Metal Gear Solid game?  Ugh.  

Sorry; I got a little off-track there.  Anyway, the basic idea is that the city of Dreams is slowly flooding, and the hero, a detective originally from Dreams, is having to continue toward the center of the city, avoiding the strange creatures prowling the streets while searching for a missing girl. I created the monsters around a theme I can't think of a way to explain without giving away spoilers.  This story does exist in the Elsewhere Universe as a comic book series.

I don't have much to say about this one; it was finished and in need of editing, but it was complete. You'll notice I used the past-tense; unfortunately, I accidentally deleted this story a few weeks back, thinking it was in a different folder. yep, 50,000 words all gone because I didn't organize well.  I do want to go back and write this again, however, and it could conceivably turn into a series of one-off stories centered around the town.

Simply Encredible (and no, for the last time, that IS spelled correctly).

Simply Encredible (named for its heroine, Excelsia Encredible), is a look at Vinta's past. Set in the Ronisgald equivalent of the Middle Ages, at a time when the Galden cities were above ground, technology was treated with just as much horror as magic, and the Light sect of the Celestial Church had its grip on Ronisgald, outing all others as heretics, this story is about a little girl torn from the only family she has left. Adopted by a Rimstakken Tinker and taught the ways of technology, she eventually returns to Ronisgald after learning that some of her old friends may have survived.

While I would argue that Teria and Terra are strong characters, Excelsia is the first to truly take the lead role in a story. In a way, it's the opposite of the Sakamota Journals; whereas that book is about a hero using a sword in a time of technology, Simply Encredible is about a gadgeteer who fights with technology in an age it's (as mentioned before) often confused as magic.

This project has unfortunately been on the back burner for awhile, but I hope to continue it one day, as it is part of the Elsewhere Universe. It also sees Narrator Number One in one of his more legendary roles; Sir Unas of the Silver and Jade.  No joke, I ended up writing a ballad about him (mostly because I was playing Skyrim heavily at the time. Strange how catchy the bard songs were in that game). Perhaps it will be included as an extra in the final version when this is done.

I do feel I should explain just why this has sat in my folders for so long, however, but to explain it requires a little insight into how I write. There really is very little preperation; I sit down, remind myself where I was, and off I go. If an idea doesn't work, my ideas dry up and I end up staring at a blank page, unable to continue. In such cases, I typically delete the chapter last worked on and try again.  I fancy that I peer into another universe more than I actually create, and believe that the story dries up when I got something wrong.  After all, I don't have a perspective clock like my author surrogate. 

It was while writing about five chapters in when Excelsia entered a situation I won't go into (spoilers).  It wasn't explicit, but it put her in an odd situation where she had to consider the nature of her affections for an old friend, and when she did, she realized there was something more there.  The issue, as I feel calling it a problem is incorrect and a bit offensive, is that she realizes she is homosexual, or at least bisexual. After the awkward pause, I will say that I slowed down on this project, not because I am ashamed of her or her sexual orientation, nor because I feel there is anything inherently wrong with alternative sexualities. I myself am demisexual, and another Dreamer who asks to remain nameless is homosexual ... and getting married now that the United States has momentarily remembered what century it is.

No, I put the project on hold because I want to treat this development with the respect it deserves. I'm researching the nature of homosexuality, namely how people come to realize their nature, how they felt about it and continue to feel about it, how it affected them and the people around them.   The story is about Excelsia fighting zealots and demons with technology and style, but I'm worried about unintentionally writing something in this case that will be viewed as insensitive, not from a religious standpoint (I'm a Dreamer, so figure that one out), but from the perspective of homosexual or bisexual people. 

I realize that just talking about this makes many people clench up, and I really wish it didn't, as it's just a part of her character ... and for the record, it's not like I'm throwing in explicit scenes here.  You (potentially) have read four of my books, each with its share of romance, and you know by now that I don't write that kinda thing, for the simple reason that I feel my characters deserve some privacy, especially after everything I throw at them ... especially Jimmy.  Sorry, Jimmy.  If it makes you feel better, I think Finn Cresste of Mass Effect Slipstream is getting it worse than you right now.

It's gonna be a good story when it's done; rooftop chases, battles with demons and constructs, and Excelsia kicking serious butt as she's helping her old friend.  There will be betrayal (which I apparently had to spell three times to get it right), crime syndicates, romance (and if this surprises you, did you read the rest of this post?), and even a little Elsewhere here and there. All in all, it will be a fine tale that will stand next to my others, and Excelsia will stand as one of the legends of the Elsewhere Universe. 

Wander (working title)

Now that I've gone through the published books, I'd like to go through some of my other projects still in the works. I will write what people read, so if you like a story idea and want me to start focusing on it more, let me know. Comment here, message me on Facebook, do something to let me know which story you want me to make a priority.

Having said that, let's talk about Wander.  Since A Dreamer's Knight, I knew the dream realm was going to be a big part of my work.  It is, after all, a great mystery in our world as well.  What are dreams?  Why do our minds create the images we see while we're asleep? Are dreams our minds way of interpreting reality we haven't fully processed yet?

In the case of the Elsewhere Universe, no. The dream realm is a separate plane of existence that is woven around the mainstream. It has its own natives, its own rules, and  its own magic separate from that of normal existence.

Wander is the story of a scarecrow who has lost his memories, and his adventures across the Dream Realm. Who is he?  Why is he a scarecrow?  Will he recover his memories?  These are just a few of the questions that will be answered as the story continues.

This book will be set in the dream realm, with perhaps one or two small suggestions and the occasional flash back or recovered memory. Wander will serve almost as a guide to the way the Dream Realm of the Elsewhere Universe works, explaining everything from the growth of the nixils to the Dream Realm's zodiac. The Dreamers get their power from the dream realm, but they are essentially standing with a foot in both realms.  Some would suggest this means they are not truly part of either for this. While none of the Elsewhere Incorporate appear in this story (the Elsewhere not having even been formed yet), Wander will be a key piece of the puzzle that is the Dreamers.  When I finish it, that is.

In truth, this story has already gone through a full draft; unfortunately, many aspects of it have changed, and it now requires rewriting.  While some of the original remain, I hope to capture the essence of the dream realm with this story.