jonbrain

Long ago, the land of Fodlan was unified. Under the Adrestian Empire, its borders stretched from Enbarr to Firdiad, from Fodlan's throat to the Western seas. All hailed the Church of Seiros, and the Hresvelg Imperial House.But today, a fractured continent plays home to an uneasy peace. An Empire, in decline, enviously looks out to the North and the East, where war has torn a new Kingdom and an Alliance of noble houses off of its decaying borders. Now, the three states eye one another like dogs, and over all watches the Church of Seiros, jealous, fearing no rival.Into this time, three young people, the future leaders of their lands, travel to Garreg Mach Monastery, the grandest in the land, to attend the Church's renowned Officer's Academy. And, unbeknownst to them, a fourth goes as well, brought by fate and the tides of time; the one upon whom the future of Fodlan rests. Whether she knows it or not...This is the story of the rise of Byleth Eisner. This is the record of the Unification of Fodlan, from one who witnessed it. This is my story as well.…

jonbrain

[27 in criticism 08/15/2018] So, It seems that Wattpad has a need. A need for honest, detailed, constructive criticism of works. Not just the sort of thing in you find in the comment section, but feedback with thought and reason. Wattpad needs a reader. But not just any kind of reader, no. An asshole reader. A critical reader.I. Am. That. Reader. They call me, jonbrain.This will be a collection of reviews of books I have read, mostly on Wattpad, I think, but I may be persuaded to post reviews of older works from (gasp) the age before the internet. I will take requests, but I don't do incomplete works, and I won't read smut. That last one is non-negotiable. And also, to be clear, I'll be featuring works I've read completely and have had time to think about. Beyond these stipulations, I intend to let my reviews speak for themselves.The die is now cast. So let it be written; so let it be done.…

jonbrain

"Take a look through the telescope, Trevor. What do you see?"Trevor McElroy squinted as he obeyed and placed his eye next to the refracting telescope lens. Michael had angled it towards a small star cluster on the edge of Orion's belt. He squinted as he tried to make out what his brother was pointing out, but he saw nothing except the twinkling stars that shone brightly through the thin atmosphere."The stars?" he asked hesitantly."Nope. Try again," Michael replied with a toothy grin."Is one of those stars special?""All stars are special, Trev.""Michael! You aren't being fair! What do I see?""No one can tell you what you see through your own eyes. That's for you and no one else.""Michael!""Fine, I'll tell you what I wanted you to see." Michael knelt down next to Trevor so that he could look him in the eye. "What you're looking at up there is history. Not one of those stars out there look like the one you see up there. Some are brighter, some are darker, some got big, some got small, some are dead, and some new stars have been born. We just don't see it because we're too far away; it takes hundreds of millions of years for the light to get here from so far away." Michael chuckled. "Don't you think it's silly? Everything we ever knew about stars is old news. We don't actually know anything about what's really out there, just the universe's memories of what was."Trevor didn't know what to think about this. He was smart for a seven-year-old, but he'd never heard of a light-year. He didn't know that stars died.…

jonbrain

In the year 2175, a Hegemony science vessel was detached to an uninhabited exoplanet in orbit of star RN-06 in neutral space. What they awakened there became known to Terran and Grushan worlds as the Black Ship. This archive compiles firsthand and period accounts of the ensuing conflicts. It tells the stories of individuals and nations, of the end of empires and ancient conflict, and the dawning of a new age. The Terran Hegemony, the Grushan Federation, and the Novan Alliance have provided sources for our consideration. We write this account in memory of the millions who died in the conflict and in hopes that it will bring greater understanding between worlds.Jon Brain, Chief Archivist of the Interstellar Historical Commission[Work in progress, draft 1 is complete and I will be publishing draft 2 on Wattpad as I write it. I hope to publish once a week on Tuesday, maybe also Thursday if I feel good about the material. Any suggestion and support will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, the real jonbrain]…