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thecheshirehouse · 6 months

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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!

#the cheshire house #short stories #writing #stories #launch

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drleevezan · 9 months

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My very brief thoughts on each story in "The Book of the Snowstorm"

My very brief thoughts on each story in "The Book of the Snowstorm" (other than the ones which I wrote, of course):

Framing Sequence by Aristide Twain

This is a brilliant way to present the various stories within the overarching narrative, and is fantastically successful at being a compelling story in its own right and at tying the whole book together into a proper Coloth novel. The characters, both pre-existing and new, are all very enjoyable, and the dynamics between those stuck in the Library and between Coloth, Rich, and the Scotland division of the M.F.S. are extremely fun. The Deadline and Roarke are fantastic creations, as well.

"Magic Bird of Fire" by Micah K. Spurling

A very lovely story which does a fantastic job making its characters feel like thoroughly real people. The direct prose style is a perfect match for the personality of the lead character (which comes across very succesfully) and the nature of the events depicted, and there are some very evocative descriptive passages throughout. The emotional beats are well-handled and very effective.

"The Dinosaur in the Snow" by Thien Valdram

The relationship between Rosanna and Tirion is very enjoyable, and the story presents a lot of fascinating and well-constructed worldbuilding. The use of Los in a Third Universe context is fun to see, and the story handles it very well.

"Neither Warrior or Thinker" by Katherine MacEachern

A very sweet vignette which does a great job expanding on the close relationship between Coloth, Maritsa, and Callum and delving into some well-thought-out, backstory-influenced character exploration for each of the trio.

"Jenny Over-There's Wonderful Life" by Callum Phillpott

As is the nature of the 925-Universe stories, this is incredibly funny, deriving a lot of very clever comedy from reinterpreting various elements of pop-culture through the unique satirical humor-style of the series - in this particular case, the trappings of It's a Wonderful Life. The characters are, as ever, very compelling beyond their initial jokes - Gabe is a very fun presence throughout.

"The Claus-Rosen Bridge" by Ostara Gale and Elodie Christian

A delightfully fun romp through various aspects of the winter holidays. In addition to being great fun, it's brimming with ideas, and introduces a variety of new characters and concepts which make for great additions to the ever-expanding worlds of the Third Universe and the Library setting in particular. And it makes great use of Auteur as a presence lurking in the margins and altering things.

"Still Proceeding" by Charles E.P. Murphy

An enjoyable outing for the SIGNET team, with an appropriately-holiday-themed incident for them to investigate and a clever sci-fi recreation of the nativity story at its center. Perkins' joy at seeing real aliens manages to be both funny and touching, as does much of the rest of the story.

"Abstract Tales" by me

Not going to review this, obviously, but perhaps I could give some thoughts from a having-written-it perspective:

The framing sequence: I didn't originally intend to write a mini-anthology inside of an anthology, but I couldn't pick between the various ideas I'd had, and eventually decided to write all of them. My plan was to use every Abstract thus far established, and I believe I succeeded in doing so: The Illumination and the Misfortune (and Chaos) from Benj Christensen's The Chronicles of Jenny Everywhere, the Luminance from Benj Christensen's The Jenny Everywhere Roleplaying Game, the Life from my The Disappearance of Jenny Everywhere (mentioned there, but making her first appearance here), the Knowledge from Jeanne Morningstar's The Hermetic Garbage of Jenny Everywhere, the Terror from Aristide Twain's Jenny Everywhere in the House of Terror, the Remembrance (created by Aristide) and the Oblivion from my Remember, and the Luxuriance, who was created by Aristide but had never appeared in anything until now.

The first story: I thought it would be fun if there was a side-story to the Copper-Colored Cupids 2023 Christmas serial in Snowstorm, showing the effect of Tarsa's disappearance on a different section of her creations - but due to various delays, the 2023 Christmas serial doesn't actually exist yet, so I suppose it will only become a side-story retroactively. I am amused by the fact that, unless I'm forgetting something, the first pre-established Copper-Colored Cupids characters to appear in print, in the flesh rather than as mentions, are now the three wacky wild-west-outlaw toys who made a brief appearance in one of my earliest stories and were never seen again until now.

The second story: I wanted to give the Caradans a proper debut and establish some worldbuilding about their planet, since their previous appearances have mostly been brief mentions. My intent was to tie together the various elements seen in those previous appearances, as well as some details which will be mentioned in [REDACTED FUTURE STORY] by [REDACTED]. The Caradans were notably previously seen fighting the Cyberons, which I naturally can't use anymore, so it was fun to slot the Mecharons - my cookie-themed gag-cyborgs from "The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids" - into their narrative role in one of the "nightmares", since the name originated as my briefly-serious proposal for a Cyberon replacement until I realised that it sounded like 'macaron'.

The third story: A tribute to Joe Macaré and Nelson Evergreen's Jenny Everywhere comics. The present-tense style was my attempt to translate the energetic pace of the comics into prose. The Mecharons are in this one, too, because cyborg conquerors suited the format and I figured I may as well use the same ones and have a connection between two of the stories.

"The Ties that Bind" by Lena Mactíre

A well-constructed portrayal of a less-than-pleasant holiday gathering, and the elements that serve to improve it. The various characters depicted ring very true to life, and the protagonists are very likeable.

"A Buggy Little Holiday" by James Wylder

I hadn't read any Starlight Ranger stories prior to this, but this has definitely interested me. Cleo Mentia is an extremely fun protagonist, and the structure of the series seems like a compelling and successfully-constructed vehicle for episodic stories. The story is very funny, and James Wylder's distinctive writing style is as enjoyable as ever.

"The Two Auteurs" by Aristide Twain

Absolutely brilliant prose, which is to be expected from Aristide, and a wonderful exploration of Auteur's character enabled by the meeting between his past and current selves, and expressed through the symbolic world of the mind-battle. And full of very well-constructed and -presented worldbuilding, as well.

"Trauma and Tinsel" by James Hornby

A sweet story returning to the ever-enjoyable setting of Dionus's clinic on Gulliver's Rest, with great character-work and a touching ending that's very fitting for a holiday special.

"Love and War" by Aristide Twain

(Potential bias disclaimer: I wrote the extract from Sideridis's diary, but that doesn't really factor into my review of the rest of the story) This has a delightful, intensely metafictional, academic style, filled with reams of brilliant worldbuilding. It does a wonderful job exploring the fundamental, unchanging mindsets of the Sun Builders through a variety of perspectives, and continuing to expand the Morning Star into an ever-more-fascinatingly-detailed setting. The central plotline is extremely compelling, and Dionus and Susit's story ends up being very touching.

"The Goblin, the Witch, and the Kitchen Sink" by Ismaeel Clarke

A delightful and very funny story with an extremely fun style which draws brilliantly from early-20th-century children's fantasy literature, featuring a variety of whimsical and very enjoyable characters, an energetic central plot, and a very sweet ending.

"The Revelry of the Redacted" by Ryan Fogarty

An effective story of hope during war, featuring some wonderfully inventive worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters. The Yule Bearers are great here, and the Christmas carols with altered lyrics are a fun touch.

"The God Who Came for Christmas" by Aristide Twain

A lovely little tale which provides a very effective epilogue to the FASA roleplaying story to which it is a sequel, as well as a wonderful exploration of its two central characters, whose distinct voices and dynamic make for a great two-handed story.

"Presents" by Erika de Atayde

This is an extremely inventive story, playing on elements of the history of comic book superheroes and the tropes found in their stories to tell a very effective and touching tale with an intriguing setting.

"The Cathedral of Winter" by Ostara Gale

An adventure story taking place in a very fun setting (I love the snow-themed variant of the Morning Star) and introducing a variety of very compelling new characters and ideas. Abraytha and Xiantio are very likeable protagonists, and the Katioka is a fun central element.

"Just Dropping In" by Scott Sanford

A very fun tale - Scott Sanford demonstrates his usual skill at writing in-medias-res vignettes, deftly weaving in a variety of elements of an in-progress Jenny adventure. Jenny's first-person perspective is well-handled, and as usual the Parallax-Jenny is delightful.

"Conspiracy-1263 and the Christmas Conspiracy" by Peter Guy

(Potential bias disclaimer: for obvious reasons I am probably biased towards Cupids stories in general) A fantastic use of the Cupids and their world, with a lot of great character details, unique ideas, and very funny moments, and a wonderful grasp of the varied characters' personalities and how they might respond to the central crisis. The story explores a variety of different perspectives, all of which are extremely well-handled, and the central crisis in itself is a great idea for an inciting incident with a lot of well-realised potential.

"Our Bleak Midwinter" by Theta Mandel

An extremely compelling and very touching story with very well-handled and well-thought-out central themes and a wonderful talent for character- and world-building. Abby and her family are very believably-depicted, and the backstory related by Abby's grandmother and the influence of its ideas on her struggle against the harmful megacorporation is a particularly effective element.

"The Gift of the Renegades" by James Wylder

A very enjoyable semi-sequel to 'And Today, You', bringing back some of the fun character dynamics and humor of that novel and making for a delightful holiday special. Jhe Sang Mi remains an extremely likeable central character, and Lady Aesc and Blanche are as fun as ever.

"The First Noel" by Nate Bumber

A fantastic story which makes great use of the Borgesian-infinite-library-as-a-recurring-sci-fantasy-setting concept which is the basis of the Library - further exploring the idea of a culture built on finding valid books from among the Library's unending collection. The concepts of ancestrally-inherited journeys to distant shelves, veins of validity, and using the books themselves to find other areas to search are all brilliant.

"Our Finest Gifts We Bring" by various

It's always great fun to see Aristide's brilliant take on the Consistency Imperium, and this is a very good introductory segment for establishing the central idea of the collaborative story.

This has a very enjoyably poetic style, and Urizen being gifted an hourglass and beginning to ponder the idea of time is a great concept.

Interesting worldbuilding about Dionus and Gulliver's Rest, conveyed through well-crafted dialogue.

Abraytha and the Katioka continue to be very compelling central concepts, and the central gift idea is a fun one.

Very fun dialogue between the central characters, and their initial befuddlement and then fondness for the toy pony is quite good.

It's great to see the Medic in a solo role - her central concept lends itself very well to carrying stories on its own, and this is a very fun use of that concept and another great idea for a gift.

A very funny one, featuring a gift that the central characters can't actually use, which is another fun variation on the concept.

Another great use of the Library, and some interesting worldbuilding about Gabriel.

(I wrote this one, so fun fact instead of review:) Several months ago I showed Aristide a little green-clothed figurine holding a mushroom which I'd found at a thrift shop, and he jokingly suggested that it might be competition for the Toadstool Salesman, which is what the "little green gnome hawking mushrooms" seen arguing with the Salesman in this one is obscurely referencing.

A very lovely epilogue to "The God Who Came For Christmas", continuing the extremely effective characterisation and dynamic seen in the earlier story.

A touching wintertime scene - it's very nice to see the ever-likeable PROBE team again, and to know that they're still able to make appearances even though their home series has been snatched away by the Big Bad Villains.

(I wrote this one, so fun fact:) The descriptions of the Blue Feather's various failed attempts at investigating the parcel are written to mimic the style of the descriptions of Pessimist's attempts to participate in winter activities in my 2019 holiday vignette, "Ally Builds a Snowman".

A lovely Christmas vignette, with very good character interactions between Cwej and Vicky, and well-crafted dialogue.

A pitch-perfect impression of the style of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, and a very lovely story told in that style.

A very effective and touching scene of Horatio Topper finally reuniting, at least to some extent, with his Lady in White.

A fun scene of Lotto at home, giving an enticing look into further adventures of Lotto and Mae beyond "The Claus-Rosen Bridge"

The appearance of a younger Sang Mi and Sang Eun is very fun, and the bickering between the disguised Aesc and Blanche is quite funny

This has a very fun, whimsically-chaotic style, and has succesfully caused me to want to read about further adventures in this world, despite the characters' concerns.

A wonderful use of Sun Builder lore, as is to be expected from Aristide, and a very enjoyable dynamic between Monk and the Corsair Queen.

A very cleverly humorous vignette with a fun idea for a central gift (or not a gift, perhaps).

A touching vignette starring an intriguing central character with a fun concept.

Martin and Maurice are as endearing as ever, and Lucy is certainly fun.

A delightfully silly story, and very succesfully so.

(I wrote this one, so fun fact:) Here are the various parts of the Multiverse which I was intending to reference, though it's not set in stone, and one could theoretically interpret some of the references as referring to other things: A woman in a scarf and goggles (Jenny Everywhere), copper robots (The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids), a firmament (10,000 Dawns), a timeship (the Evil Renegade), superheroes (The Cosmic Beholder), spaceships (Starcatcher), songs of war (WARSONG), skeletons (Auteur), nightclubs (Name's Not Down), men in grey (The 925 Universe), abstract families (The Abstracts), adventurous ducks (certain residents of the Prime Universe), ancient mammoths (the Original Mammoths), animated bunnies (Bunny Everyhare), paradox cults (Faction Paradox), emerald cities (Oz), haunted mansions (a place to which foolish mortals are welcomed), strange and wonderful houses (Our Strange and Wonderful House), talking cactuses (Coloth), teenage scientists (Scott Sanford's Jenny stories), blond-haired clones (Cwej)

A beautiful ending-scene which finishes the story on some very touching sentiments.

#The Book of the Snowstorm

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