Welcome to The Story Scrapbook, a fiction newsletter by E.B. Howard. If you’re new in town, check out my Fiction Directory for navigation. This post is an overview of alternate-universe characters and timelines featured in my multiverse drama serial, Mirai, Mirai, and will be periodically updated as more information is revealed.
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For main timeline (Terra-32) characters, see the Radiance character sheets page.
The Matrix (Terra-43, year 2075)
The Matrix, age 61, is Nick Harper, the third child of Keith and Clare Harper (Clarevoyante). His timeline was near-identical to Radiance’s until around 2030, when tensions inflamed by the explosion of the super-population caused a civil war that killed off many prominent names in the business; Mheksos’ attack in 2045 saw many more either killed or erased from history. While the timeline in general was able to recover from these events, neither he nor Marissa Grimes could accept their losses. It took them thirty years and saw them imprisoned as supervillains for the threat they posed to the fabric of reality itself, but they finally figured out how to punch a hole through the multiverse.
Nick’s goal: to catch up with Mheksos and stop it from happening again, if only in one timeline.
Ignis (Terra-86, year 2052)
Ignis, age 38, is Cade Grimes, the son of Sebastian (Chained Lightning) and Marissa Grimes. His timeline was similar to Radiance’s, but diverged rapidly after his birth, the differences stemming partly from an unfortunate divergence during first contact with the Rigelians back at the turn of the century. The Rigelian issue escalated to a space war by the 2020s, killing his father in ’24, and had further advanced to an invasion of Earth by the 2030s, in which he became involved. Not much else is known yet.
Makaria (Terra-668, year 2040)
Makaria, age 26, is the daughter of Liam Regent (Lord Hades) and Christa Jones (Lady Radiance / Lady Persephone). While her timeline looks superficially similar to Radiance’s, it got to where it is very differently. A disintegration-ray accident merged the consciousnesses of Gabriel Maestri and local mad scientist Dr. Ultima in the early ’80s, and the resulting disembodied personality refers to himself as Gabriel rather than having taken on the evil persona of Archangel. Although he made a few efforts to grow a new host ‘in the wild’ (resulting in Christa and Jacob’s mutations), with artificial reproduction having been revolutionized and normalized during the late 20th century, he soon turned to researching the creation of soulless bodies instead.
During what would have been the events of Radiance, Gabriel and Hades stole Christa’s tissue samples for embryo-synthesizing purposes; Christa’s loyalties were ultimately decided by seeing Makaria in artificial gestation, leading her to accept Gabriel’s offer of power and allow her own conversion to Lady Persephone. She was not, however, entirely happy living among the half-dead, and eventually left them in order to defend against Mheksos’ 2026 attack. Her death in the fighting destroyed any hope of Liam’s redemption. It was some time afterward that Hades finally managed to kill Chained Lightning, under circumstances and for reasons that are currently unknown.
Kari would do anything to save a timeline where her parents are happy together, even though that means it’s a timeline where she doesn’t exist.
Titan Beetle (Terra-932, year 2046)
Titan Beetle, age 25, is Jonathan Jones, the son of Jacob Jones. His timeline is radically different from Radiance’s, largely due to a major divergence in which the 1990s saw a superpowered World War Three. Exposed to the fighting, Marissa developed much stronger cancellation powers before she ever met (and sided with) the Vorpals. With her shutting down the ossifying side effects of Vorpal Five’s abilities, he was able to take control of the movement and launch a violent revolt against the postwar anti-atypical backlash. The resulting decades of war shattered the Moon, nearly destroyed the Earth, and fractured humanity’s bonds at every level.
Jonathan’s father had fought for the insurgents in World War Four, but kept his lingering sympathies quiet around his mother, a supporter of the UniTerra world government; his aunt Christa preferred to stay out of politics, focusing on what good the laws did allow her to do. Jonathan left them all to fight for the Revolution, unwilling to let the UniTerra Council abandon the more difficult members of humanity on a dying planet. He became a nanite supersoldier in the Titan Corps and was on the front lines when Mheksos attacked in 2044, destroying what was left of Earth and most of its near satellites as well. Traumatized and disarmed, he’s tried to help rebuild, but with humanity reduced to a fraction of its numbers and resources, the future looks bleak.
Jonathan’s fight is for a world, and a family, that’s whole and—mostly—at peace.