Wordcraft: Useful Writing Channels

Just a quick update! 

• Use writing tips to help YOU as a writer. If you like mysteries? Add it. For example.
• Mix whatever elements you want together. I do 3rd person for the side cast vs 1st person narration for the main character. Because I find both styles fun! 
• Whatever combo you have? The Originality will come from how you use various narrative/plot elements you enjoy. Just add your 2 cents. Every kind of story has been done before. It's why we have timeless themes. Since the cavemen days! 
• If you the writer are having fun? A good chunk of the audience will too. 

No matter what you make? It won't meet everyone's preferences, standards, narrative tension, or verisimilitude. Its why Uplift Protocol is suited 100% to myself and my particular narrative desires.

But I do enjoy finding books that overlap a good 65 % to 80%!

Just skinning an old property falls flat.

Don't just 1 for 1 when making a setting. Add elements and mix throughly.

Like cake batter! 

Sub to Wordcraft!: Here

Protips about Retail!

 

Ready?

USE the 24 HR stores. 

That's why they exist. OH SORRY! DO YOU HAVE TO DRIVE ANOTHER 10 minutes away? BOO FUCKING HOO.

The only things still active when I get out of work are McDonalds, Taco Bell, BIGGER IP Gas Stations and the 24 hr stores about 15-20 mins away. (Walmart)

We have been at work all day. We close up by OUR clock in the store. Because we want to go THE FUCK Home. No retail job pays enough to put up with BULLSHIT in the last 10-20 mins we are open.

SOME COUPONS are ONLINE ORDERS ONLY!

IF You aren't OLD enough to buy a product? No ID? FUCK OFF.

NO I WON'T SELL BEER TO A FUCKING MINOR. TRIPLE FUCK OFF!

AHEM!

Extra large. For the love of God. Please read the labels. 

A FLORIDA ISSUE. Bra Money. Please dear god no.

And People WONDER why I want to write about actual escapism from the mundane world of "fun."

*Irritated FL Woman Noises*

I have heard the horror above. Again and again and again.....

*stares into the abyss*

For all those who work in food area of hell.

(Its why I order KISS! IE: Keep it Simple Stupid if dashing in for a bite after my own long shift or aka: GO THROUGH A DRIVETHRU QUICKY MEAL! You can still order stuff that isnt HEART ATTACK INDUCING!)

Oh yes. This...this....

Want to know why I'm on point with Anna's characterization? She has no filter. What I wish I could say at work. So often. Its why each character has an aspect of myself in them. One has the Wrath. One possesses my Hope. Ect.

Last Hour at work can have the same result! 

REMINDER: IF YOU WANT 24 HR SERVICE? GO TO THE STORES THAT OFFER IT DAMNIT!

 

Plan ahead when you shop. TREAT THRID SHIFT as a BLESSING. They are there for everyone even when they'd need the SLEEP! 

The Uplift Protocol The Ourobouros Chain: Issue 18

Issue 18: The Brothers of N’iavah

    Backwards? Forwards? Trouble and I have been on quite the madcap adventure!--Gulliver

    Our first meeting. Their past. My future. Little did I know how much they would change the course of the river.--Eliza Murphy

    The Oversoul didnt give the cherubs world ending power. Not every problem needed a spear or lance of the Twins. Behind the scenes? These two would wield an influence far more important. Distraction. Or as my sister would say? The ability to sneak under the very noses of the greatest evils.--Unseen Archives Vol 3

Shield World Elysium

Final Home

Cycle Date: Vigils End

    The Ur Stone entryway floated above the lake. My connection to it a constant element after the Climb. Not the Flow. That was merely the surface level of the Ur. Everything started and ended once that occurred. I flexed my left hand. The scar imprinted upon my flesh. The chain would not leave me. A reminder of what I had endured during that final stage. My thoughts cleared as an oval disk formed from the water. Bright golden light sparked.

    Dexter held back a belly laugh as the two ducklings scrambled over.

    The tiny black one peered up at me, “MOMMMA!”

    His orange webbed feet tapped rapidly.

    The beginning of the feathered antics. Taken from the beginning to the tail end of time. What a world we lived in. Lorain picked up Gulliver. Even if that wasn't his name yet. Planted a kiss on his white feathered head.

    “I have a whole bag of tricks for you!”

∞

    Gulliver watched as Eliza skidded across the pavement. The initial imbalance within her body going haywire. Healing the Mother of All, otherwise known as Gaia in certain tales, was tasking on her mortal shell. Without the full power of the Avatar of the Vigil to command? Nearly all of Eliza’s power flowed into White. To heal White’s previous soul cycle wounds. Everyone thought Eliza had been crippled by her “injuries” via Nyx. The reality was her mortal shell had been delayed in maturing. What the world didn’t know was that Eliza was the one keeping White’s current incarnation alive. Her blood and soul assisted in cleansing the stab wound. Eliza had been born to cleanse that particular knife.

    Gulliver hopped onto the top of the gatepost just outside of Anna’s home.

    Dominion called out, “Did your father give you some implants? It won’t be enough!”

    The cherub bit back a harsh retort. He had to stay on mission. He diverted the poison of Set into Eliza’s system. It had been hunting for White. It knew the taste of her soul. Lucifer knew. Even if Set wasn't aware of his Creation level memories. Gulliver drifted along the Thronebearer line.

    His chronometer synced: February 8^th, 2104

    Still the early point in the Arbiter’s career.

    The play would go on. Trouble linked in, >>Alright! Everything is set on my end!<<

    Three stages. First stage: Incubation. Second Stage: Awakening. Third Stage: The Vigil.

    To command even a sliver of the Oversoul’s mandate took time.

    One burden Gulliver was glad he didn’t have to bear. Everything taken had been in preparation for Dexter and Eliza to serve the Vigil. It was the only word that their minds could comprehend. The reality would be excessive to take in all at once. The threads of time tightened about Eliza. The Ur-Stone weaved itself about her. Anchoring her mind and body where it needed to be most. Mortals, even slumbering Thronebearers, were not made for true time travel.

    Which was why her memory was sealed for her protection.

    It did his heart good that she took to the memory shifts as a duck to water.

    He hopped to the other end of the fence line. Watching as Teddy filled Dominion’s head full of anti-grav Void Walker rounds. The work was only beginning.

∞

    Trouble landed on the Arbiter of Sand’s silvered Anubis helm. Nothing would dislodge him. Not the mummies clawing up the side of the Golden City walls. Nor the harpies circling in the twilight of the evening. He was here to observe. Just as Momma commanded. She hurled her spear into the rib cages of the undead. Though this Eliza was still forming. To be ready for the battle against Lucifer. That would be the final motion before the Climb. Not only to save the remaining cycles but to end the corruption of the Red King.

    Eliza shouted, “Battle stance Delta!”

    Her voice modulated. Hidden. Lethe, as the Lady of the Isles cupped her hands together. Water flowed to heal the soldiers around her. They would serve across space and time. Building experience until both twins could match the False Lightbearer. The silver and white chest piece hid Eliza’s true form. Her height made her mistaken for a man. They played up this angle. Dexter would switch places. He grew his beard out. Styled to match the ancients of the Golden City. In this era he was known as Kek. Eliza was Kauket.

    Legends would grow. Right under the radar of the Void Walkers.

    Everyone assumed Earth was redundant.

    History, time and magic would save them all.

    Trouble quacked. The sound only carried to Eliza, <<Ma! Thoth is at it again.>>

    Eliza spotted the Living Stone wyrms as they rose from the sands.

    White energy blazed from the spear. Dexter’s Trident mimicked the dead of night. The colors opposite of their true selves of Convergence Era. All to trick the enemy.

    Ta’mathon’s magic blazed across the empty space. Between the barrier of the Golden City walls and the trenches. Sand hardened to glass. Eliza hurled her spear. It bisected a mighty wyrm as it rose. Fighters in long white tunics chanted. Light Shamans of the Arcane Order. Their Unseen counter parts circled. Forming a shield line against the physical threats.

∞

    Thoth faced the giant in silver armor. All scans indicated it was a mud monkey. Stupid human. He darted in. Held his scimitar on high. His eyes widened behind his leather face mask as the spear deflected his blow. This was Markav tech! Granted it was from a lesser race to Typha but no base born human weapon should have the power to block him. Magic was a different matter. His scans never indicated that substance within objects. Only the humans themselves. It was how this misbegotten Ta’mathon had managed to keep the Golden City of Monkeys safe.

    Thoth danced back as the spear’s tip closed in.

    His arms ached. What did these savages feed that thing?!

    Blood rushed to his head as vibrations from that woman flowed to his brain.

    It wasn’t nanites. Another magical power? A demi? The word was new to him. Those with powers unexplained by technology. Or breeding programs like the Typherians of his home Universe had. He cracked the black orb Nyx had given him.

    Let them face the remains of a dead world.

∞

    Trouble quivered as the orb broke.

    A torrent of wraiths spilled forth. Their lantern blue eyes blazing in the semi darkness of the outer battlements of the city. Eliza held her spear over her head. Twirling it in place. Winds picked up around her. She was fighting differently from her Star Spangled Banner days. Dark shapes clung to her form. Their claws phased into the physical realm. Smoke rose from her armor.

    Gulliver noted, >>She has to know her limits as a Thronebearer. To practice defensive wards. This place gives her that chance. None will believe Thoth at this moment. He’s role is not yet known to Sul’sandra.<<

∞

    They were with us.

    Now I knew the purpose of Gulliver’s bag. His outward displays of Orange Defender energy was a cover. The wraiths were imbued with Litari strands. From the Night of 1000 Stars. Used as fodder. Their soul shards trapped within Helios. That was why I had to get stronger. Forge ahead. But not alone. Dexter flowed within my shadow. Lending me his power. They called us the double headed gods. My uniform shifted. Onyx. The Anubis head helm highlighted by sigils of gold.

    Lethe’s healing waters flowed from her outstretched palms. Light shamans closed in. Erecting a barrier around the Golden City. I couldn't bring Gilgamesh sector into this. That would be for retaking Elysium. Dexter drew upon the Leylines of magic. Not those present within the Weave. No, he was able to go deeper.

    Into the Soul Layer. Now I understood why we could fool them. Why they wouldn't see us coming later on. Even as Thronebearers? We couldnt draw upon the magic in the same way as our father. Our human halves allowed us to tap into the various sources. As the Arcane Arbiter? I could flow with the Weave side of that force. The Unseen was left to Dexter. Each layer had a different aspect.

    We were conduits.

    Soul, Physical and Weave.

    One could study for lifetimes and still not achieve mastery.

    Gulliver’s voice rose, >>All in one hot sauce.<<

    I channeled the arcane aspect energy into the Light Shamans. Dexter did the same for the Soul equivalents. Humanity would be the Shield to bring Light into the world once more. Lucifer thought he had mastery. That would be his undoing. Rain poured from the sky as the Shamans chanted. Thoth snarled, “This is not the end!”

    He snapped his fingers. A void walker transport shield enveloped him.

    The sandwyrms dived into the wastes on the eastern side of the city. Their mottled tan scales melted by the healing rains. Ta’mathon called out, “Bring forth the deluge!” Ra, Isis, Anubis and countless others fell back. The walls gleamed silver white for a split second. I held my spear higher. Many thought I flew because of its power. I lifted off the ground. Using it to “guide” me around the outer sections of the city walls. Dexter pointed within my mind, >>Plant the Weave wards. Ill handle the Soul side of the house.<<

    The reason why the City could exist in all three layers.

    I could see it as I glanced skyward. That realm the Icath Ruling Pair came from. Silvered Pyramids with golden light at the apex. Below? Black and gold. As twins?

    We were meant for this.

∞

    Dexter channeled power through the Death Realm seed. Just enough to mask Eliza’s supplications to her Icath Pair. The knowledge of just how much the Highest and the Oversoul had planned everything still left him stunned. The years had been a blessing. Past anger had subsided. Eliza was still her cheery self but she now had confidence in her abilities. Not only from her demi days as the Banner but as a Thronebeaer as well.

    Soul shard pairs.

    Ready to make the Climb. The last barrier to rebirth.

    Just as the duck brothers were paired.

    The greatest trick had been hiding how they all resonated with one another.

    Black and White had left a trail from the Fall within other soul cycles.

    Which was why they had been temporarily paired with himself and his sister.

    To hide their true purpose.

    Hilary had thought Eliza crippled. The reality had been to bleed power from Eliza.

    Just a demi with a certain set of skills.

    He connected to the Ur-Stone. Asking the souls of the future for help.

    Beyond the barrier of the 42^nd century. Made such as a clear marker for the Twins.

∞

    Gulliver peeked over the edge of the triangular ship. Jacob called out, “Sam! I found it!” He held up the tablet. Harder than any rock had a right to be. Its simple lettering in bold Hatheon script. Posideon’s shadowed form lingered. <<Is that all you require Brother to All?>>

    As a Brother of N’iavah he could find Creation Level souls. Those from the First of All. Each title obscured by time, myth, and misdirection. As was proper. True names had power. Gulliver would always cherish his given name. His true one would allude the enemy. The First of All. When souls first formed among the mortal races.

    Gulliver quacked. Content with Jacob’s adventures.

    <<Add one drop to the chalice from every era between now and the Healing Points of Convergence Era.>>

    It would cleanse Black and White’s minds.

    Allow them to recall the true soul bound memory.

∞

    I waited until Sam and Jacob’s voices faded. Then stepped out onto the Golden City landing pad. Deep within the Earth. These ships would sail the ocean of stars. Not through the Dweller Gates but through the Weave. Posideon bowed. His green hair and beard waving in the waters of the Weave. He would go back to the Dark Matter cluster. To tend to the seeds that would be formed in the wake of our final Climb. The dreams were frequent now. All pieces falling together. Dexter’s hand closed about mine, >>We will do it. Together.<<

    My chest tightened. Reminding me of the wound I still carried.

    Trouble waddled next to me. His eyes gleamed within the vast dark of the cavern.

    “I promise! I'll climb too!” I knelt. His feathers brushed my face. “I know.”

    They were a treasure. Where Abbadon threw away his allies?

    I would hold on to them even as all other lights twinkled out.

The Ur-Stone

Ur-Flow

    The Boy held up the last crystal, “I see. That was why they needed you to Climb. You weren't just cleansing the souls for the next cycle.”

    I touched the display. Colors swirled. “The enemy only wanted to save itself.”

    Stars floated by. Countless universes. Trillions upon trillions living out their lives. Some not even realizing the End had nearly occurred. Dexter tapped the side of his nose, “It could still happen.”

    I nodded. My gaze was solemn. “I know. But that is why we have the Vigil. Good must stand against Evil. No matter how many times it rears its head.”

    The Boy added, “At the end of the sea of stars. The path of the Ancients is closed off. A cautionary tale.”

    He cupped the crystal. Blew on it.

    All 5 Death Realms swirled against its surface.

    Remade in the Climb Dexter and I had endured.

    He whispered, “I am the Judge of the Dead. What will become of the Highest? Why did he choose...”

    My memory blazed. That moment forever caught in amber.

    The Highest had smiled at me, “You know this course. For everything to be reborn….”

    I reached out to pluck another crystal from the wall.

    Earth, Typha, the Ninth Circle and Elysium floated in its depths.

    Dexter said, “We must walk this path.”

    I nodded. No matter the cost. “The Vigil remains.”

Issue 17: Here

Issue 19: Here

The Uplift Protocol The Ouroborous Chain: Issue 17

 Issue 17: Where Bardaxians Fear to Tread

    Bardax and Earth are forever joined. Since the dawn of humanity’s birth within Elysium. We have guarded one another. We will hold true to our bonds. Now and until the end of Time.--Heals-The-Rifts

    Command the Blue Blaze to run with Cerberus!--Sunset Showdown

    What lies at the heart of New Ashbury? Even now? Eons later, the Soul Pool remains. Granted to us by the Oversoul to remember our folly. To remind us of the Vigil. One that the Twins still bear.--Arcane Order Update: Cycle of Silver Towers

    The stairs are endless. You climb upward. Greet the future. Downward lies the past. Memory can be a chain or a feather. That is the reason why the Ninth Circle exists. This time we made a choice. To rise above or sink into madness. All are greeted openly upon the scales of the soul. How you shape your soul determines all things.--The Inscription

    I did not Climb alone. In life we often miss those ties. Never realizing just how much one action or kind word can shift a whole world. To uplift from nothing. Or to be forgotten. Consumed by despair.--Unseen Archives Vol 3

New Ashbury (Eden Earth)

Soul Pool

July 6th, 3266 (Cycle of Convergence)

    Blue Blaze halted at the bizarre sight.

    A black wolf the size of a dire bear was galloping around a silvered lake. A perfect circle.

    Countless Bardaxians and earth dogs on his midnight coated heels.

    What was once 10 blocks of downtown New Ashbury was reforged. INet updated.

    //Geo resonance changed. Please be advised: By order of the Arcane Order and the Golden Tribunal of Ta’mathon, all civilian operations will cease.//

    Lazurus dashed over to his brother. A strange white mist surged from the taller demi.

    Took him by the shoulders, “You must run with him!”

Nu Asharum (Eden Earth)

Soul Pool

Jul 3^rd PCS 344 (Cycle of Mists)

    The chronicler raised his bleary eyes to the noonday sun.

    He raised his palms skyward.

    Servitor guards patrolled the Weave, Soul and Base Realm. Their House Murphy colors resplendent over a light tan carapace. Ready to purge any Black Scrawl that dared to escape the Ninth Circle. That blazing black orb twisted above them. Reminding everyone of the cost.

    A tremor ran through his fingers, “By the three.” Various pilgrims behind him chanted the primary of protection. Their sigils glowed silver blue against the rising Thronebearer markings rising from the pool. “Beyond the bounds of the Ouro?”

    The voices called out, “Nothing.”

    He nodded. In the standard English tongue this place was New Ashbury. In the language of the Light? It was blessed with its soul name. Birthed from that long ago battle. Karvax the Glutton had been thrown from the realm of Man. Voices rose from the pool, “NOW!”

    “Run now!”

    “….it is remade. The blade of...”

    “I deny you!”

    “...why?!...I thought the Thrones would….”

    “Abbadon only lies. For he denied his soul upon creation. I know this because I was the Lightbearer once. Now I will serve myself. He doesn't even know. The Tears are not...”

    “...to think? Of all of us? Thoth lasted the longest...”

    “Die Shieldbearer!”

    The flock called out, “Father Mathias!”

    Yes. That had been his name. Long ago. In another cycle. Odessen. The CTT.

    Central Temporal Tower. The Curator.

    He leaned into the reflective surface of the pool. He shouted, “Scion of Ayeer and Murphy. Listen! By speed and metal. Shall you find the resonance!” He repeated the sequence. Night fell. Even as their voices grew hoarse. His knees hit the warm earth. Just outside the inscription barrier.

    Earth must have its connection.

Elysium

Forest of Thrones

July 6th, 3266 (Cycle of Convergence)

    Whitehouse crawled.

    His battle suit blended in with the environment.

    Arthon motioned with three fingers to the sky. The thump of deadened flesh crashed through the corpse of trees. Its smooth face blank. Another one of Nyx’s creations. So far they had remained undetected due to the J’kua soldiers sensing the brood made from their DNA. From the configuration of this creature’s skull? Markav. Its arms stretched as it pawed at the ground. Slits opened on its face where a nose would be. It inhaled.

    A low warbling cough echoed in the clearing. “Human.”

    The slits widened to take up the lower half of the face.

    “J’kua.”

    It froze.

    Chains thrashed across its body. From above!

    Whitehouse pressed his hands to the ground.

    None of the soldiers looked up.

    Shadows poured from the chains.

    The creature croaked, “Understood. Mother.”

    It disappeared in a flash of light. Droplets of rain hit Whitehouse’s armor.

    The suit helpfully added, //Black Scrawl detected.//

    Internal systems snapped into place. The infiltration team didn’t budge.

    Their mission was paramount. Map out all infected areas of Elysium.

∞

    Lucifer tugged at the doorway. The flesh of his palms burned but he welcomed the pain. This was a doorway that even Abbadon didn’t know about. The ward upon Elysium’s outermost layer weakened. As the first shield world it had 9 levels of rings. Each level rotated counter clockwise. At the heart of Elysium was the Garden of Eden.

    The main core of the planet.

    Even corrupted nothing had been able to breach that part of Elysium.

    The place where Thronebearers were born.

    He tested the air. Ancient death lingered.

    Abbadon’s influence had grown here thanks to Nyx. Lucifer murmured, “Why abide our initial rebellion?” There was a trap here. Abbadon feared what he called the Advent. The former Lightbearer tapped the screen with the tip of his wing. The wall illuminated with broken Thronebearer missives.

    //...Garden in Lockdown...//

    //...o...st...35%//

    Lucifer waited. Riveted as additional information flowed past.

    His mind filled the letters with each repetition.

    //GOLDEN HOST: Access Denied. Reclamation at 38%//

    “The Highest wants a reunion. How quaint.”

    His lip curled, “I can smell you.”

    The Chalice was here. Uriel.

    The weakest of the old guard. He would enjoy ripping that one’s wings apart once more. It had been a waste to let Leviathan have all the fun. Wraith think figures phased through the wall. Echoes of the divine. Lucifer held his breath as they floated past. Automated but deadly to the corrupted like himself. He would not use his power here. Not yet. He made due with another terminal.

    Nyx’s toys were shadowed blips on the main sensor arrays.

    How the physical realm of this place detected Abbadon’s influence. The other two realms were in play. The Highest was going along with the Oversoul’s plan. To reboot everything. Even if that meant destroying everyone in the process. What a waste. He tapped an emergency code into the panel.

    No response.

    His smile grew wicked. “Ring shafts. Not like I need to breathe.”

Earth

Dominion Square

    Hilary snapped her fingers, “Bring the Admiral to me!”

    Sul’sandra cried out as Keeper drones prodded her with Black Scrawl lances. She whistled. Presented her gift with a flourish. That old Markav sheep bleated for its lost brother. His head perched on the right arm of her Throne. An old chrone of a human woman raised her hands, “He cannot hear me but you can.”

    Hilary motioned to the drones. They remained inert.

    “You have one chance to escape total damnation.”

    Brookes rose from her seat. She sauntered down the steps. Backhanded the Markav female as she passed. She leaned forward. “What nonsense . Drones. Kill. Her. Slowly.”

    The woman pulled back her dark purple hood. She knew that face.

    The woman who had left her at the mercy of her father.

    Hilary snarled, “Mother….”

    “Foul seed from my womb.”

    Hilary laughed. “Indeed. Like what I’ve done to Earth?”

    Her mother replied, “This is not Earth. For you are damned. He coils about your innards like a snake plucking an apple.”

    “Still going on about that old story?”

    A seed of doubt entered.

    Hilary grasped her mother by the shoulders. Her form melted. Leaving a solitary necklace behind. Brookes hissed and dropped the simple silver talisman. It too faded from sight. She held up her left hand. Neatly branded within the mid point of her palm was a cross. She turned to head back to the dais. Her father’s decomposing corpse pointed accusingly.

    “You still think yourself my daughter?”

    A shard of ice ran down her spine.

    Chronos laughed. The sound made her ears bleed. She clutched her head.

    Her eyes rolled back.

    “He will wear your skin.”

    Alice Hayden’s voice echoed against the fragmented dreams.

∞

    Nyx finished applying the final serum to Hilary’s sedate form.

    Chronos would not have full control. Not yet. This particular clone clung to its pathetic memories. Slowing the shard transfer process. The Director linked into the necrotic network hubs, “Hilary’s desires are basic. To merely crush her enemies. She desires nothing more than Earth.”

    His tone shifted. Disappointment colored his next observation.

    “Adding that human to the stock? While it provides additional control over Abbadon’s Black Scrawl rites? For 30 seconds I could not observe what Dominion was ranting about. Examine every thread dear Nyx. I must know why.”

    Cerberus does not enter the Soul Pool. It is not his place to tread upon.

∞

    Blue Blaze streaked around the anomaly. He didn't know what to make of it. The same numbers streaked across his HUD. //2434.56.88// He let the computer calculate it. A vibrational pattern! It was generated from the future. He inquired.

    //What year?//

    It paused. //Access denied. CTT Mandate 24-ooL//

    Cerberus nipped at his heels, <<It is not for us!>> Zachary Murphy caught himself.

    Pure fear radiated off the giant Bardaxian. A being that was older than the Earth itself.

    Zach gulped. “On it!”

    Cerberus had always been mellow. Even as the Howling.

    The Bardaxian dire wolf howled, <<Open the side gate!>>

    Zach twitched. Used his speed to match the frequency provided. Countless shadows danced around the surface of the mirrored pool. One form stood out.

    Grandpa!

    A red defender Doberman snapped at Blue Blaze. His teeth bared. The warning clear.

    Keep running.

∞

    J’ino skidded to a halt. The orb was oscillating. Keening.

    Her teeth vibrated. Judgment shouted, >>Send it to Blaze!<<

    She angled it. Using matter manipulation to carry it over the mirrored liquid.

    A black blade rose from the flattened surface.

    A human hand gripped the pommel.

    His face was scarred. His eyes leaked a white fluid that glimmered as it hit the pool.

    J’ino bit back a scream. It was Abraham. His demi suit was in tatters.

    Her husband interjected along the Family line, >>NOW! Combine the blade!<<

∞

    Blaze’s eyes burned. That shard. He knew it. He pulled back the containment orb. The metal was butter in his hands. Obsidian colored. He reached out. Grasped the pommel from his grandfather. Figure it out later. The numbers flashed. //2434.56.88// He entered the code by shaking the blade at the same frequency. The metal reflected the depths of space. Static ran across his body. His vision blurred. Cerberus turned. His paws gliding across the Pool. He pulled the Bulleteer from the depths. His jaws locking onto the remains of the metallic harness along Bulleteer’s spine. The rest of dogkind broke off as the inscription blazed across the outer edges of the Pool.

    The 2^nd phase had begun.

Issue 16: Here

Issue 18: Here

Mega Entertainment Post: Part Two!

Part 1: Here

Part 3: Here

Sword and Sorcery

• Record of Lodoss War: Gray Witch Here /// Main series: Here
• Barbarians of the Storm: Here
• Renegade Swords: Here
• Caylen-Tor: Here

Horror:

• The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin: Here
• Hellathon: Here

Alt History:

• Imperium: Here
• Engines of Liberty: Here

Gaming 

(Steam Edition)

• Out There: Ω Edition
• Vampire Survivors
• Solar Rogue
• Tales of Arise
• Starcom: Nexus
• I am not a Monster: First Contact 
• OCTOPATH TRAVELER™
• Cosmic Star Heroine
• CHRONO TRIGGER®
• Star Shift Origins

Why yes! Let's add even more indie games! 

• Spiderweb Software
•  Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander (LIGHTSPEED EDITION)
• Solar Echoes: The Star Legation
• SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics
• METAL DOGS

Yes, this has an Apocalyptic Sliver but you can choose to make the world better! Guy added creature/pet battles in as well, plus they help combat on map enemies as well. They level with you too. #SpaceFantasy elements as well. Don't expect Hard Scifi.

• After The End: The Harvest

Recommended Controller setup for Xbox Gamepad input when you hit F1. It will make the controls standard output rather than A button to run ect. 

Button 1: C

Button 2: B

Button 3: R

Button 4: X

Button 5: A

Button 6: Z

Button 7: L

Button 8: Y

Button 9: L

Button 10: L

It has battle mechanics similar to Fire Emblem!

• Approaching Infinity

Infinity is the Sci Fi version of Tales of Maj'Eyal.

It has how many Achievements?!

• Tales of Maj'Eyal

Good basic pew pew space games with a bit of story but not to the level of RPG. Still fun!

• Pewt 'em Up! (Its free btw) and the retro pixel graphics add to the fun.
• Halfway

• Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
• Dark Deity
• Chroma Squad

Comics

• Soulbound: Here (Superversive)
• Girl with the Mega Fists: Here (Superversive)
• Grok Comics: Here
• Man Made Comix: Here
• Superman Lives: Here
• My Superhero Power Sucks: Here

Pulps

• The Argosy Library: Here

Girl Brain Picks (USUALLY involves proactive men saving the ladies.)

• Star Realm Saga: Here

Reviewing Sites:

• Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations: Here

Substacks: 

Wherein Additional Writing/Reading Pylons Can Be Discovered! 

• Otherworldly: Here
• Ink and Quill: Here
• The Sauvage Pen: Here
• The Dacian: Here
• The Pulp Fictioneer: Here
• The Tidewater Papers: Here
• Giordano Lives: Here
• Trantor Publishing: Here
• The Sauvage Pen: Here

Lots to find on Substack! 

• Past and Future: Here
• Age Quod Agis: Here
• A. Hellene: Here
• N.R's Newsletter: Here
• The Obelisk: Here
• Multiverse Books: Here
• Reddoscarwrites: Here
• 365 Infantry: Here
• Downstream Pulp: Here
• The Bullfrog Review: Here

Appendixes

• Conan The Barbarian (Review/Analysis): Here
• Helicon Society: Here (Superversive Writer Links Included!)
• Seqmagazine: Here

 

The Uplift Protocol The Ouroborous Chain: Issue 16

 Issue 16: A Princess with A Plan

    What are they doing?! Get additional personnel to the barrier!--Terran Union alert

    Florida has a charm about it. If you live here you get it. Or if you managed to transplant yourself to our humble state. It calls to the blood of certain kinds of people. --Sunset Showdown

    I stated the truth. I am afraid of Death. That final leap. You leave behind all that you know. My brother always said I was stronger. The truth is? We are stronger together. We each wield a piece of the puzzle. Life and Death constantly balancing one another. We shall endure. It took a while for me to consciously acknowledge this fear. The faint recognition began with the Climb. It is what we do with our lives that matter. The soul shard will attend to itself afterward. This is not the end. Just a page turning.--Unseen Archives Vol 3

Earth (Edenverse)

New Ashbury

    Arthur plunged Excalibur into the wiggling mass under the blackened breastplate. Each Child of Chains had a precursor race it imitated. Since this one had an imprint of a Intez? The body was fluid corded with a mass of muscle. Not a pretty sight. Tobin Murphy encased the Flesh Ticks in columns of ice. Lazarus brought C’alain’s Blade down on the knot of putrid flesh encircling the false helm of the Intez. It gargled as its body shriveled into steaming black tar.

    “Even the Anubis cannot hold--”

    The great dane tested the air, <<Weave Waters...>>

    Tobin remained near the opening with Gwen.

    Lazarus, Arthur and Robert dashed forward.

∞

    A call went out. Taken up by each Floridan circling the dome. Beams of light crossed through each man and woman attached to the Blood Curse. Sunset Showdown held out his hand to his Hatheon Princess. Il’kari wrapped her arms around him, “We shall bring forth the deluge. Not since the time of Noah’s Exodus was this called forth.”

    Human and Hatheon voices chanted. J’dax shouted, <<All lines! Form up!>> Odessen, M’tah, Ayeer and Commons personnel gathered into tight V formations around the clustered Floridians. Rain poured down. J’dax sucked in a breath, <<DOWN!>>

    Nearly all hit the deck.

    The chanters were unaffected. A massive kraken formed through the breach above the fell dome. Its bloodless beak opened wide. Demonic waste flowed into that gargantuan maw. Steam rose as the water cleansed the outer shell. J’dax’s eyes widened. The kraken phased through the buildings. Thunder rumbled. His suit could barely keep up with the rain pinging on his visor. The leviathan’s tentacles dove through the dome.

∞

    White Lily awakened to see her grandson holding his hands over her neck. A shadowed form behind Abraham whispered, <<Mortal’s cannot abide the touch of the Blade. It must be reformed. The Flower will beat for you. I cannot promise anything else. I must take the shard from your body.>>

    Memory pulled. Eliza had taken the blade on the palm of her hand.

    The shadow leaned in closer, <<She is Throne Bearer. Life Unending. To be summoned when needed. Given Mortal form to learn.>> Its features cleared. It was one of the Anubis guards from the dead city. It replied, <<Icath City. Yes. You have experienced much beyond your Ken.>>

    Fingers brushed past Blue Blaze.

    Lily saw it.

    On one throne. White as bone. Sat Dexter.

    To his left sat Eliza. Her throne black as midnight.

    In their Defender gear. Behind them twin Tigers paced. Beyond that was Earth and Typha circling. A black world sat between them. Circled by massive Titans. One white. One blue. The final black as the void. Avatars for a forgotten age. A new age. Stone fingers lifted the poison from her body. <<The final waves lap upon renewed shores.>>

    The shark of moonlight consumed her Abraham and Karvax both.

    She gasped, “Husband!”

    A red thread twisted around her heart and mind.

    <<Forged in Love. A tie not easily forgotten.>>

    Blue Blaze jerked. His metallic sphere failed as rain poured forth. INet kicked in.

    ///Alert: Weave Entity detected.///

    Red letters rose across his HUD.

    ///Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate.///

    He cut it off with a blink. He ran. Grabbing the civilians trapped below. Lily’s vines rose skyward. Each plucking additional forces from the fray. Eleanor Murphy linked to her husband one final time as the pale beak closed about him and the hulking mountain of madness.

    <<I love you.>>

∞

    Golden Bulleteer moved as Karvax hurled a bulk of duracrete. The massive slab sailed past. Smacking the glowing wall of Weave energy. The Anubis guard had been correct. This battle had to be waged here. In a plane of pure Weave. Not just any piece either. One linked to the primordial age of Creation. Bulleteer’s left side erupted in fire as Karvax made a chopping motion with his hands.

    “You are mine now Golden Dart! I care not what this place does to my soul!”

    Murphy watched as deadened flesh curled away from Karvax’s wide shoulders. A pinprick of diseased light poked through. What remained of the large man’s soul hemorrhaged into the waves of the Kraken. Black Scrawl leaked through his ruined lips.

    “I will kill you.”

∞

    Lazurus linked Blue Blaze across HeroNet channels, <<Where’s Bulleteer? We need this frequency stat!>> The silver and blue speedster paused. Gathering up the last of the civilians. His voice was low, <<He got eaten by that Moonlight Kraken! Karvax too!>>

    The dome was deteriorating. Not gone. Not by a long shot. He exclaimed, <<You want to send it into the Earth’s Weave on purpose!>>

    Lazarus replied, <<Not the Weave. The Soul Layer. I’ll explain later.>>

    Blaze rushed to his brother, “What is needed?”

    The city’s defenses came online. Light Shaman beams cut through corrupted living stone demons as they spilled from the partially collapsed dome.

∞

    C’alain and the other Arbiters waited.

    They had no physical bodies to combat this menace but in this layer? Under the guidance of Dexter and the Order instructions? They knew how to pull apart the necrotic energies tainted by the Red King’s denial. This would be easier once the Markav reclaimed their true heritage. The Moonlight Kraken phased into the Soul Layer of Earth. C’alain snapped, “Advance!” Earth’s Soul Layer was pristine. Thanks to the Twins clearing the Weave of the Edenverse.

    Karvax would be the first to fall.

∞

    Abraham Murphy sprinted deeper within the creature.

    The words of the Anubis guard ringing in his head. His movements slowed.

    His breath curled around him in a fog.

    To keep them safe? What shall you give?

    He gritted his teeth and reached for a glowing spark of energy.

    “Everything.”

    Karvax bellowed, “You are slowing! This place will kill us both!”

    Tendrils of moonlight plucked him from the floor.

    A series of voices intoned, “The price is paid.” White hot liquid consumed them both.

    Abraham forced his eyes to remain open.

    Remember Grandfather, when the white waves carry you away, face it head on. Do not look away.

    Dexter’s warning rang true.

∞

    C’alain charged forward. His hands were steady as he took up the fallen blade. It had been cleansed by the primordial titan of Creation’s Flow. Only known as the Kraken. It needed no other name. Two shapes rose from the foamy white waves. Karvax held up his arms, “Now you die!” He moved forward. Put every bit of strength in his blow.

    Bulleteer turned. A basic textbook block. Karvax’s fist slammed into the harden earth.

    The huge man rolled. Clutched his hand as he rose. It was broken!

    C’alain motioned to the rest of the Arbiters. This fight was the price.

    The ancient Typherian could not abide the ghostly white glow of the Bulleteer’s ruined visage.

Mars (Edenverse)

Illarium

Plain of Sages

    J’ino scrambled over the side of the stonework.

    Her brother’s voice held a grim tone, >>Under the marker! It says “Here Lies the Lost of Illarium!”<<

    She dug into the soil. Her fingers brushed against the containment sphere. She yanked. The movement overbalanced her. She tumbled to the edge. Clutching the orb to her chest. C’alain’s voice joined his a moment later.

    >>The price has been paid.<<

    J’ino winced as the copper tang filled her mouth.

    The cold air hit her face as she threw herself into the awaiting shuttle.

    “Hold on Abraham.”

∞

    The Howling circled the massive hole. This part of the city would remain as a reminder. A pool into the well of souls. The ruminants of the demonic dome faded as the Kraken washed away the corruption. Sunset Showdown peered over the vast chasm. “HERE IT COMES!” He pressed his hands together in prayer.

   "From the Flow of the Oversoul so shall he rise.”

    Countless voices took up the chant.

    The Howling’s mortal form melted away.

    Cerberus ran. A wave of silver and white thread trailed behind him.

    Dogs appeared from every corner imaginable. They joined in the race. Their cries mingled with the strong chanting echoed within the ranks of Floridans and Hatheon alike. This would be the apex. Where all Thrones would meet. Entrusted to Earth. Tidalwave held his katana aloft. Its turquoise reflection danced off the visors of the troops encircling the city blocks. He fell to his knees as the image of the Kraken rippled across the blade’s surface.

    “The soul awaits. Hear its call Protector.”

    Vines exploded outward as White Lily awoke.

    Her face was a mask of calm.

    Those closest to her reported overhearing one phrase, “In Life or Death. I shall be with you. Always.”

∞

    Judgment landed next to his wife’s shuttle as it landed in the Central Starport.

    He took her into his arms and exploded skyward. <<Remember what Dexter said.>>

    J’ino pressed her face to his armored neck. <<Renew the Blade that was Broken. Don’t look into his eyes. It is not for us.>>

∞

    Bulleteer could see the death clinging to Karvax like a second skin. He tugged at the space within him connected to his speed and metal abilities. Empty. He danced back as another set of blows struck him on the shoulder. His shoulder popped out of place. Karvax laughed. Murphy scuttled backward. Leading his foe away from C’alain. The Sword. A talon of the true mantle. He could see it now. What his grandchildren would stand for. If they should win.

    It was the only way.

    Abraham opened his eyes.

    Karvax stumbled. His face was a mottled red. “LIES!”

∞

    Karvax snarled, “What hope is there within that realm?!”

    Those ghost white orbs mocked him. That cub didn't have a thimble of power. Compared to Abbadon that one was a mere gnat against the whirlwind. Even Unity’s pathetic carcass held more power than these failed Thronebearers of the Highest. He pulled his right arm back. His knuckles brushed the edge of Bulleteer’s nose.

    Karvax spat crimson as he laughed.

    “A Dart no longer.”

    His elation turned to agony as white fire climbed up his arm.

    The Golden Bulleteer’s other hand clutched a sliver of green crystal.

∞

    Abraham Murphy examined the soul shard. What was left of it anyway. Karvax gritted his teeth. Sank to his knees as the ghostly fire of the Kraken’s boon climbed over every inch of the corrupted flesh. The brute’s memories leaked forth. He had Karvax. Bright Eyes had been consumed in the attempt to desecrate the Blade further. One less horror within the world of men. Karvax crawled towards him. Hatred glinting in those dark eyes. “I BROKE YOUR SON! I SEE YOU! I KNOW IT ALL NOW!”

    Abraham poured a flask of holy water on the putrid green sliver.

    Steam hissed. The green speck cleared for a single heartbeat.

    “May the next cycle serve as a warning. All power. Great and small comes with a price.”

    Those swarthy features froze as a stone guardian plucked the shard from Murphy’s fingers. “He will serve within the Ninth Circle. The first of many.” Shadows crawled from the Anubis’ mouth. Karvax’s barred his teeth. “You think this will stop me! This---” His voice cut off as a great doorway rose from the ground. His eyes widened. Bones snapped and twisted. His flesh darkened as the tendrils wrapped about him.

    Orange red orbs replaced the dark brown of his eyes.

    His mouth extended. A long tongue flickered out. Ending in three white prongs.

    The doorway slammed shut as Karvax struggled.

∞

    He crawled. He had a name once. His back split open. Tattered bloody rags sprouted. The sky above glimmered with three scaled bellies. One was black as night. The second was as blue as the daytime sky above….

    He frowned.

    Above what?! The name escaped him.

    The final glimmered silver white in the infernal black fires of this place.

    The wind echoed across a blighted plain.

    He was alone. His reddish orange eyes gleamed.

    He was the first. He patted his belly.

    “Warm wishes to me and mine….” His claws tapped on the blackened stone.

    Why couldn't he remember? He inhaled.

    A twinge of blood registered. His lips pulled back.

    Pale green light followed. His soul shard forever bound to this place.

    His stomach rumbled. He waited in the shadow of the central tower. Its long fingers hid him from his prey.

Sector 58F2 (Unity Territory Universe Echo)

UNA Vessel Crows Nest.

    X’mil broke out into a cold sweat.

    From the darkest recesses of his mind a three pronged tongue flicked across his flesh. He backpedaled from his sitting position on the floor. The recycled air of the ship tinged with a smell his brain could only interpenetrate as sour milk, sulfur and blood.

    Lilith crossed the threshold. Her face whitened as she spotted the creature clinging to X’mil’s palid flesh. The former Typherian dashed to the refresher.

    She linked with the fallen Amarche that made up the bulk of Unity.

    <<It has started.>>

    Abbadon had lied to them all.

Issue 15: Here

Issue 17: Here