WEEK 03 - JewelVerse: Writing the next Unstable Instalment & Plans

Week 3, and the first month of the year is almost over.

Before going into the crux of this newsletter, let me give all of you a rundown on the JewelVerse. For a TL;DR version, the JewelVerse is a universe that runs from the contemporary to future timelines where administrators turn out to be basically the Avengers.

For a not-so-TL;DR-version, the JewelVerse came about when I realised that characters I’ve been creating for various storylines were more than just a name and a quick personality placed within a scenario. Soon after, all characters I’ve created for works-in-progress (e.g. my novel manuscript, ‘The Saccharine Vote’), short stories (e.g. my scattered ‘Unwanted Utopia’ shorts), and comics (e.g. ‘Unstable Foundations), sprouted their own back stories, goals, abilities.

And that was when I figured that they had a rather similar thread tying all of them together - what they do and why they do it. Being an administrator at my day job, it can appear that administrators are just people who work. Writing for the JewelVerse combats that image at some level.

Currently, most of what the JewelVerse has just needs to go through some level of world-building alignment and organisation. However, I would say that my deepest dive into this multiverse so far is taking shape in my first comic publication -

UNSTABLE FOUNDATIONS

To sum the comic into a single sentence: Unstable Foundations is the story behind Madeline and Nathaniel, cousins who found themselves within reach of a possible national treasure (the National Gallery, where Madeline continues to work part-time), having to decide if retrieving this treasure is worth the inevitable consequence.

From this comic came a character - Madeline - and the possibility of a greater mastermind and world underneath a seemingly common trail of events. Apart from her cousin, Nathaniel, she got herself another unwitting, unintentional mentor, introduced in the eChapBook I released last year, ‘Unstable Directions’.

Formally known as Morganite, casually known as Pink Lady (at least in the heads of Madeline and Nathaniel), she seems to be the key to unlocking a greater underground network of activity - likely the one pulling the strings behind Nathaniel’s initial intentions to rob national artefacts. Now that she has gotten the interest of both cousins, I’m quite excited to slowly reveal her role in helping these two cousins out of their current state of confusion (and maybe a glimpse into the other people she works with. Or for.).

That said, I’m still in the middle of finishing up the draft for the next yet-to-be-titled eChapBook. However, I still have something for those who count themselves intrigued by these characters and this world:

Get yourself familiar with Madeline, Nathaniel, and Morganite with these downloadable character cards - with a QR Code to getting ‘Unstable Directions’ and amazing sketch work by ‘Unstable Foundations’ artist Elvin Ching.

The next Topaz Issue / Unstable eChapBook will more likely get its release by Jul-Sept 2021. Until then, have these three pique your imagination and give you a glimpse into this branch of the JewelVerse.

Have you read ‘Unstable Foundations’ or ‘Unstable Directions’? What were your thoughts or questions about the world? About the characters? About the story? Click reply and let me know! I’d like to hear from all of you.

That’s it from the JewelVerse. Take care and see you all next week!

P/S - Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? Or interested to see what comes next? Subscribe now and I’ll see you then!