The attractions are slow to be raised, yet they are being raised. From the ongoing chapter-by-chapter releases of A Vampire’s Vengeance, House, and Bus Driver, to the editing of Groundskeeper and steady development of Children of the Damned, a wide world of entertainment is in the making! But building these attractions is anything but straightforward. There is a ton of background shit that needs doing to help get these attractions out from backstage and onto the world stage. Which is exactly what these Backstage editions are all about: giving you a peek behind the wizard’s curtain to see the mechanisms that make these attractions possible.
In this first issue of the new year, we take pride in the sharing of the latest updates to the existing attractions in development. Isabelle and Edgar make some interesting discoveries in this week’s installment of A Vampire’s Vengeance. Mr. Garcia gets taught an important lesson in dreamwalking in House, though whether he figures it out or not remains to be seen. Monks have a devilish time when they unearth a relic from an distant past in The Disinterment of Venus. And of course, we take another ride through infected-infested lands in Bus Driver.
Now that the holidays are over, we will see the return of Calamity on Cinema beginning in the next edition! As for now, let’s get into it →
What did I work on this week? What didn’t I work on this week, rather? I’ll tell you what: everything except the current ongoing serials (A Vampire’s Vengeance, House, Bus Driver) and Groundskeeper. At least as far as attractions are concerned. There is more and more work happening on the development of infrastructure. Two new plugins are in the works: one for improved management and processing of content in our context libraries, and the other for workflow improves in drafts and manuscripts. The attractions are being developed, the infrastructure is improving, and we are moving forward as best we can. At least the we continue to move forward with the three attractions being featured here, backstage! Go enjoy them, please.
Our vampires find themselves in a bit of predicament in this weeks installment of A Vampire’s Vengeance, though they know not how deep the predicament extends:
Mr. Garcia’s brush with the strange figure becomes stranger as he moves deeper into the house:
What happens when monks … you know, it’s always interesting when horror and religion mix in a story. Well, interesting when it takes a paranormal bent. We’re all aware of the general horrors of religion; those stories are no fun, but rather a reminder of the abuses of power and the lack of accountability of those in power by their congregations. Nay, this story is not one of those stories, but rather a whimsical narrative of the testing of the bonds of faith when the powers of a goddess are unearthed.
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An old woman risks everything to discover what became of her husband. A tale from the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique.
When last we spent time with the bus driver, they had barely managed to get away from the high desert city of Victorville before another swarm arrived. You can catch up with Part XVII here. Will the remainder of the ride to Calico Trading Outpost be uneventful? Or will they arrive at their doom long before they arrive at the Trading Outpost? Let’s find out →
The bus driver observed nothing spectacular in the intervening miles between their escape from the swarms around Victorville to the first signs of the trading outpost. Literal signs. The old signs on the highway indicating the approach to Calico Ghost Town had been ... augmented with colorful language indicating the shift from ghost town to populated trading center, though the bus driver doubted very much the population there now rivaled that of times past when this place was, indeed, a ghost town.
He pulled off the highway when indicated, taking him onto a cracked and broken road. With concern over the replacement tire, he slowed the bus. There was a narrow lane on which attempts had been made to repair the road; it was anything but smooth, yet in far better condition than the asphalt surrounding it. The bus driver held the bus steady within the bounds of the narrow lane, bumping and jostling along.
It wasn't until they were rounding their first bend that the bus driver noticed the strange towers raised at regular intervals. Each tower was comprised of a wide steel pole shooting up a hundred feet into the air, capped by an orb brilliantly lit with green. Around the orb were a trio of antenna protruding from the sides of the pole. Looking at the monitors for the rear cameras, the bus driver noticed these towers extending all along the south side of the lane. More towers could be seen far to the west and north. He guessed these towers marked the borders of the trading post's territory, though they also served some other purpose.
The bus driver hopped on the intercom and announced their imminent arrival at Calico Trading Outpost. It was late; their little stop outside of Victorville had put them behind schedule. This troubled the bus driver little, however; they should be able to make up for it by leaving the trading post on schedule. If possible. They were scheduled to stay for the remainder of the night and head out by noon, so long as everything was in place. He wanted to have the tires checked and settle the manifest he was sent to procure while here--part of their stay at the Trading Outpost was covered on the pretext of running a shipment to Las Vegas.
The narrow lane split at one point; the bus driver veered left, following the directions of the numerous hand-painted signs indicating the direction of the Trading Outpost. The bus driver noticed a different style of tower set up at the entrance to the narrow valley in which the Trading Post was established. These were far different than the others. While the base was also a wide steel pole, these were only about 30 or 40 feet tall, with what appeared to be a giant crystal mounted at the top. Surrounding the crystal was a ring of discs mounted on thin, steel pipes which connected to the top of the wide pole at the base of the crystal. The bus driver wondered in passing what they were made for, and decided it might be better if he didn't find out.
The bus rumbled up the road toward the small cluster of buildings comprising the Trading Outpost. It seemed the little town was alive, even at this late hour, as there were a number of people roaming the streets. There was a restaurant and saloon right up front, with a hotel raised over it and ample parking to either side. The bus driver pulled in to the side of this building, returning any waves or off-hand salutes sent his way by some of the people milling about.
The bus driver put the bus in park, set the parking break, and turned off the bus. He leaned back in his seat and let out a long exhale. The apparent casual nature of the people wandering late at night gave him some measure of confidence that they might actually be able to rest here.
They might actually be able to rest?! Famous last words if you ask me. Could it be time to begin marketing the Backstage Pass Volume III? Because this edition will come to an abrupt end if the ominous tone of this chapter’s ending is any indication of what comes next. There is, of course, only one way to find out. Come back next week!
What lies in store for the bus driver and his passengers? How will Solomon resolve his experience in the corridor of the dream he’s trapped in? What will Isabelle and Edgar learn from the contact they have made? So much to anticipate as we close out one edition and begin work on the next!
We do hope you are enjoying the attractions we are building for you. Everything produced here is being made with love and enthusiasm. Though, of course, some chapters have far more enthusiasm behind them than others, but that is just fine. We ship every edition with love and enthusiasm and receive commentary with enthusiasm as well! So if you have thoughts on the content, please share them with us! You can reply to this edition, use any of the survey buttons below, or leave a comment! We look forward to hearing from you.
Until next edition!
Mad Alex
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