#AtoZChallenge: First Sunday Supplement: Benevolence

On April 3, 2016April 1, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn WritingLeave a comment

Because I am just that awesome, I’m doing four Sunday #AtoZ posts involving other parts of the universe I felt needed covering. Today, you get an extra B!

The Benevolence are the primary antagonists of the Benevolence Archives series. The Benevolence control the entire expanse of what was once human- and elfspace, and make occasional forays into the territory of the three other main races (ogres, dwarves and gnomes) as well. Little has actually been revealed yet about the Benevolence’s interests or structure beyond conquest and control, but their spider-shaped warships and their black-armored agents inspire fear wherever they choose to appear. Magic is generally (though not entirely accurately) believed to be the sole province of the Benevolence, and their technology is far beyond what the other major races have been able to invent.

The Benevolence are opposed by an organization known as the Glorious Opposition, sometimes known as the Malevolence. The Mals are a loose organization, some of which resembles a traditional insurgent military and some simply prone to piracy.

The Benevolence have seventeen gods. One of them has recently been making its presence known outside of Benevolence space…

My theme for this year’s A to Z challenge is my series The Benevolence Archives. You can learn more about the series by going to the Amazon page for Volume 1 here or add it to a Goodreads shelf here.

Previously: Brazel.

This is perfectly normal and everything is OK

On April 2, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Stories4 Comments

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So I went to the post office today to mail a book and a couple of other things. As you walk into the mailing-stuff area of the post office, there’s a tension-ribbon barrier immediately on your right and then a table. So you have no choice but to walk around all that stuff in order to interact with the clerks behind the counter. If there’s a line, this isn’t an issue; if there’s no line it’s a teeny bit awkward if you’re not willing to move or go under/over the ribbon. But no big deal, right?

As I walk in, there are two clerks behind the counter. One of them, who is immediately to my right as I walk in, says hello. Now, I can’t walk straight to him because of the barriers, so he’s sort of as far from me as he can be and still be in the room, because the “first” register is the one farthest to the left.

That may be too complicated of a mental picture. Anyway, point is, I say hi and head toward him, and he says “I bet you didn’t see me back here, did you?”

“Nah, I saw you,” I say. Note that it’s not like I jumped or acted startled or anything like that when I walked in. I did, in fact, actually see the man standing roughly in the location where I was expecting a person to be. I was even expecting to interact with the person once I found them. So there’s nothing remotely surprising or unexpected about this.

He visibly deflates. “Aww, don’t be like that,” he says, in a sort of you have ruined my day sort of tone. I take a moment to assess how serious he is. He actually appears to be sad. Like, f’real sad. That I saw him, when walking into the area of the post office where you go to talk to postal clerks and send mail.

Okay, sure. “I admit it,” I say. “I didn’t see you.” He brightens immediately. I hand him my package and my envelope and ask for media mail, since I’m mailing a book. He gets an impish grin on a face that otherwise is unsuited for impishness and asks me the standard “liquids/battery acids/bombs” question that they have to ask. Nope. It’s a book.

“Now, if they find out you’re lying, they’ll come get you and whack your weiner,” he says.

I swear to God that just happened.

There is a moment of awkward silence.

“Did you just say what I think you just said?” the other clerk says.

“Yes. Yes, he did,” I say.

And he doubles down, and I have to endure at least a couple of minutes of this man describing the weiner-whacker, and saying that they don’t get to bring it out too often, and I’m sort of half playing along (at one point I said something like “Working at the post office must be more exciting than I thought!”) and half what the hell is going on I just want to mail this book please make this stop, and the other employee is visibly horrified the entire time and gets progressively more so the longer he talks.

About whacking weiners.

With a complete stranger.

In his official capacity as a government employee.

So it’s been kind of a weird day.

#AtoZChallenge, Day 2: Brazel

On April 2, 2016April 1, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Writing2 Comments

Brazel is one of the three main characters of the Benevolence Archives series. He is a male gnome, married to Rhundi Tavh’re’muil (male gnomes do not typically have surnames) and frequently partnering with the halfogre Grond in their adventures across known space. Brazel and Rhundi have fourteen children.

As a gnome, Brazel is short, standing only about 1.3 meters tall. Gnomes are covered in fur, and Brazel’s is a fairly standard medium brown in color. He is picky about his clothing, with expensive tastes, and has learned to be a fairly talented tailor after years of tearing his clothes during missions. He is the pilot of the Nameless, and is a skilled mechanic, half-decent hacker, and an excellent pickpocket. He favors concealed weaponry and prefers to talk his way through difficulty rather than fight– although the constant presence of a halfogre at his side certainly helps him convince others to take him seriously.

Brazel has occasionally been accused of having a bad temper. This is not a fair statement and the fact that many of the people who have repeated this accusation have found themselves shot soon afterward is unrelated.

Previously: Arradon.

#AtoZChallenge, Day 1: Arradon

On April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Writing4 Comments

Arradon is the home planet of Rhundi, Brazel and Grond, the main characters of the Benevolence Archives series. Arradon is a terrestrial planet on the outskirts of gnomespace, featuring a typical variety of biomes but best-known for a region of hot springs that have made the planet a popular tourist destination. Rhundi owns one of Arradon’s most extensive and popular resorts, which serves as the base for the main characters.

My theme for this year’s A to Z Challenge is my series The Benevolence Archives. You can learn more about the series by going to the Amazon page for Volume 1 here or add it to a Goodreads shelf here.