#castaways of ishiok

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 7

Framing Story (Scenes 16-18)

Did that just imply… Urizen was God. Like the ‘God’ mentioned by the Toymaker in the Giggle was actually Urizen (and thus Rassilon)? Also a Church on Ruby Road reference with the goblin. I like Rich’s little section, and in general I’m curious as to how the events in the 925 Universe tie to the Snowstorm in the library and how the mysterious-99-per-cent-sure-he’s-not-Auteur stranger factors into it, if they do at all.

The God Who Came For Christmas

Hello again FASA War Chief. The glimpse into the Archon’s perception of one another was fascinating and I think I get what it’s trying to do. Imply the FASA War Chief is a Self-Hypnotised Master trying to disguise. Either way, fun little piece even if (IIRC) it’s a sequel to a DW RPG story that I have not seen.

Presents

Interesting piece. The Fantastic Realm is an interesting setting and I like the use of comic book terminology alongside more DWEU concepts. As well as the general exploration of the infinitely variable constantly resetting characters of comic books. Captain America, or well… Captain Yank, was a good choice of character for that IMO and I appreciated the references to other suspiciously similar substitutes for Marvel’s other cast members.

The Cathedral of Winter

Ok so first of all, Abraytha is really fun, and I appreciate his general upbeat demeanour and sense of adventure and fun. Also his aesthetic is cool. The Archons of Winter were really funny, and have similarly funny implications for their temporal counterparts (In that a Multiversal visitor with the appropriate equipment could in theory bypass their defences almost as easily as Abraytha did to the Archons of Winter). The cultural differences between Xiantio and Abraytha were also really fun. Aesthetic was great too, just the general winter theming. (Also Lotto cameo?????)

[thecheshirehouse]

Four incredible new stories!

From the worlds of The Interstellar Sleuth, The Castaways of Ishiok, and Disparate Minds, The Cheshire House is delighted to show you four incredible new stories!

A drawing of Abraytha, Xiantio, and Yahed (a character original to this batch), by the excellent Plum Pudding!

The Tall Dark Spire at the Edge of the Not-Sky is the next instalment in The Castaways of Ishiok, penned by Ostara Gale (@a-wartime-paradox) with help from Ryan Fogarty, and edited by Aristide Twain (@aristidetwain). The story follows Xiantio and Abraytha as they attempt to uncover the truth about the Deus Initiative.

Above is an illustration for Island on the Edge of Eternity - Part Two, with the background by Kevin (@fire_fly_flare) and the foreground by Matilda Duncan!

Island on the Edge of Eternity - Part Two is the eagerly-awaited second part of Island on the Edge of Eternity, after the release of Part One in our previous regular batch. This story is in the series The Interstellar Sleuth, and was written by Thien Valdram, before being edited by Ostara Gale and Aristide Twain. As the bodies begin piling up, Rhyz’ir deals with Nzhi’ax’s betrayal, and must decide whether being believed is worth losing someone they once called a friend.

This is the wonderful cover of the third Disparate Minds story, ‘Deadspace’, and was created by series originator Plum Pudding!

Deadspace is the third instalment in the Disparate Minds series, written by Plum Pudding and edited by Ostara Gale and Aristide Twain. This story follows Serena as she and Avenue face the uncomfortable arrival of strange people who aren’t quite human. Serena finds everything she’s ever known turned upside-down as the not-people’s artificial presence begins to spread…

Another lovely cover from Plum Pudding, this time for the fourth Disparate Minds story, ‘Pitcher’!

Pitcher is the fourth instalment in the Disparate Minds series, written by Plum Pudding and edited by Ostara Gale and Aristide Twain. We see June, lying on the road. She really thought she could do it this time — escape Avenue. Is that even possible? Has she done it? And, if she has, where can she go?

You can find us at CheshireHouseStories on Instagram, as well as Cheshire_House on X/Twitter.

[thecheshirehouse]

Three brilliant new stories!

The Cheshire House is proud to present three brilliant new stories!

This is the cover of the first Disparate Minds story, Analog, created by the fabulous Plum Pudding!

A drawing of June, a character in Disparate Minds, standing in a motel room, unsure of how she got here. Also drawn by Plum!

From the worlds of The Interstellar Sleuth, The Castaways of Ishiok, and a brand new series, Disparate Minds, we introduce…

Island on the Edge of Eternity, which is Thien Valdram’s first story for The Cheshire House, and is edited by Ostara Gale (@a-wartime-paradox) and Aristide Twain (@aristidetwain). A The Interstellar Sleuth story, this tale follows two scientists as they argue over the Universe’s genesis, the discourse echoing the pain of their lost friendship. Rhyz’ir’s side of this debate, an out-there theory about some ‘Big Bang’, has long been dismissed as unsubstantiated nonsense, but all this may be about to change as they meet a shockingly cognisant creature who can confirm all their suspicions. Stay tuned for part two of this story…

Misadventures in the Interdimensional Scrapyard is L. Alves’s (@drleevezan) first foray into The Cheshire House, and is edited by Aristide Twain & Ostara Gale. A The Castaways of Ishiok story, Abraytha and Xiantio arrive in a desolate scrapyard, only to quickly become stranded. Xiantio wants nothing more than to leave, but Abraytha seems to be in no rush to reacquire their transport. Can the pair reconcile their differences in time, or will they become trapped in the Interdimensional Scrapyard forever?

Analog is the first story in Plum Pudding’s marvellous new series, Disparate Minds, which is a black comedy taking place in a middle-of-nowhere town called Avenue. Written by Plum Pudding and edited by Ostara Gale, Theta Mandel (@theangelshavethephonebox), and Aristide Twain, Analog follows June, who has woken up in a motel room. She is hearing things. She may be going mad. She is trapped in the motel room. She cannot leave the motel room. She has left the motel room. Trapped in still waters of dead concrete and lurking things, she will have to find herself in the dark. In more ways than one.

You can find us at CheshireHouseStories on Instagram, as well as Cheshire_House on X/Twitter.

[thecheshirehouse]

Introducing…The Cheshire House!

This is our logo, drawn by the amazing @aristidetwain!

https://thecheshirehouse.wordpress.com/

The Cheshire House is a new website which will play host to stories from across the Third Universe and beyond — prepare for adventure, mystery, and weird alien shit! 

Featuring the activities of a wide range of characters across several different series, the website shall emerge with six all-new stories and one republished story. 

Founded by Ostara Gale (@a-wartime-paradox), the Cheshire House will feature stories from a wide range of authors, including: Ostara, Elodie Christian (@tvmigraine), Aristide Twain, Theta Mandel (@theangelshavethephonebox), Plum Pudding, Molly Warton, L. Alves (@drleevezan), Thien Valdram (@thienvaldram), Ryan Fogarty, Xavier Llewellyn, and more!

Above is a digital artwork of Abraytha, the Unbound Scavenger, drawn by the fabulous Holly!

And here is the cover for 'A World of Pure Unimagination', drawn by the awesome Aristide!

Our first seven stories...

The First Metamorphosis is a story of The Interstellar Sleuth, written by Elodie Christian and edited by Ostara Gale & Aristide Twain. The story follows an amnesiac patient’s attempt to escape the terrible Happiness Facility, with their only real clue to their identity a mysterious lottery ticket…

The Carnage of Urmafrae features Lotto and Mae as they investigate the disappearance of a village which has never existed, and learn to live with the consequences… The third story of The Interstellar Sleuth, this story was written by Ostara Gale and edited by Theta Mandel & Aristide Twain.

A Collision of Ships marks a crossover between The Castaways of Ishiok and Zadellin, written by Ostara Gale and edited by Theta Mandel & Aristide Twain. A multiversal traveller and three Archons run into each other —  literally. Their Ships collide. Unsurprisingly, tensions rise as they try to fix their respective Higher Dimensional Ships so they can continue on their adventures.

A Visit from Everywhere is a crossover story between The Castaways of Ishiok and the worlds of Jenny Everywhere, written by Ostara Gale and edited by Theta Mandel & Aristide Twain. When Jenny turns up in Katioka, Abraytha and Xiantio attempt to take her home.

My Name is SAM is a standalone sci-fi short story, penned by Elodie Christian and edited by Ostara Gale. SAM, a true AI based on Mars, sends a letter home. AI should not have a home, but SAM has memories that would beg to differ…

A World of Pure Unimagination by Xavier Llewellyn and edited by Aristide Twain follows Jenny Everywhere and her colossal chocolate craving. On the search for sweets, she finds an infamously awful Chocolate Factory knock-off. But is there something going on that’s more sinister than a simple scam? Jenny won’t leave without answers.

The Cathedral of Winter was originally published in The Book of the Snowstorm, and is Abraytha’s first story. Written by Ostara Gale and edited by Aristide Twain, this story is now available for free digitally in order to make the Unbound Scavenger’s story complete.

You can find us here on Tumblr, and also at CheshireHouseStories on Instagram, as well as Cheshire_House on X/Twitter. You can turn on notifications for this blog to always be notified when a major update occurs, or when new stories are released. We hope you enjoy our stories… Now, get to reading!