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Gus Ryer

Gus Ryer

@gusryer.bsky.social

120 followers 77 following 470 posts

Reader, writer, tinkerer. Querying CASCADE- far-future SF w/ nanotech, ancient gods, & hidden history. Also LIFT, space elevator derring-do. gusryer.com He/him #AmQuerying

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

ASHES…SUN ❌ HORIZON ZERO DAWN

When a machine god severs the world from ancient nanotech, two engineer priests, a blademaster & her warrior-poet twin must hunt it for a cure—and revenge.

Failure will doom the world to divine wrath, but success may be deadly.

#SFpit #Q #A #SF #F #SFan #AgentsGuide

A giant, spaceship hovers over a dusty, walled fantasy cityscape. In the foreground, two figures stand in shadow looking out over the scene. The words 'An Agent's Guide to CASCADE, by Gus Ryer' is along the top. His website, gusryer.com, is below.

A slide with metadata and story elements for CASCADE:

Genre: Science Fiction w/ Fantasy Elements
Wordcount: +-130,000

It also shows the book covers for the following:
ASHES OF THE SUN, Django Wexler
THE ARCHIVE UNDYING, Emma Mieko Candon
ELDER RACE, Adrian Tchaikovsky
NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE, Claire North
Ps5's Horizon Zero Dawn

Below that are the following phrases:
Found family
Failed terraforming
A vast, hidden history
Nanotech magic system
Epic fantasy quest in a sci-fi world
Ancient mechanical gods
Arachnid mammals & guard drones
Sword (1) vs. Railguns (lots)

$A warrior woman w/ a winged helmet, armor, cape, and spear is along the right side of the image, fractured into triangles. Part of the following pitch is along the left: 2,000 years in the future, a galactic human empire fell, severing TRAPPIST-1e from other inhabited worlds before its terraforming could be completed. Wild nanotechnology ravaged the land, and civilization fell into a dark age. Eventually, the God Keepers—engineer priests who restored ancient nanotech—rose to power. While Lendi dreams of life outside the God Keepers, Falder is desperate to keep his best friend from abandoning their order—and him. But, when an ancient machine god crash-lands in a ball of fire and gray death, it severs Keepers from nanotech, plunging the world back into chaos. Meanwhile, Sedna and Renfrik have little patience for Keeper rules or mysticism. But, when a flood of nanites in the god’s wake consumes their home, they’re left with nothing to protect but each other...$

Chapter 1

THE RUSH IS ON! This Tuesday, Planetfall, Inc. announced it would join the rash of megacorps racing to deploy terraforming infrastructure through the newly stabilized Taurine Strait. Previously dominated by New World Corporation, the franchised development of pseudoterra worlds is slated to be the hot market sector of the twenty-fifth century.
-Excerpt from InvestSyder: Stellar Ed., June 15, 2398

The streets of Mahyan never fully slept. Night’s darkness, not yet broken by either the sun’s rise or the blinding, baleful Eye of Toros, wrapped Lendi more completely than her robes. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her. She wanted nothing more than to run.
An eager vendor barred her way with his stringy arm. “A fine morning calls for a fine meal, miss.” He smiled and fanned out a selection of skewered mutton and whalemeat wrapped in sea grass. Pungent, spiced oil dripped onto the dusty street.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6h

DAY 27

A job well done. Gonna kick back on the flight home. Even the wicked deserve some tiny rest.

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton reaches toward a JetBlue setback entertainment interface. Monsters Inc. is the selected movie.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6h

DAY 27

A job well done. Gonna kick back on the flight home. Even the wicked deserve some tiny rest.

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton reaches toward a JetBlue setback entertainment interface. Monsters Inc. is the selected movie.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 1d

DAY 26

Ah ha! After a grueling trek through the desert, enduring sandy joints, and having to slum it in *shudder* 3-star hotels, I finally found it: a Stone of Power.

Now that big galoot Tibby will have no choice but to admit I’M the Big Bone of this operation!

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton poses in a kneeling position near a cactus, one hand placed on a roughly-spherical, pinkish stone.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 2d

DAY 25

What do you mean, you can’t find him? He’s a demonic little skeleton wandering through the desert. How many can there be?

That’s not an excuse. Bring me Tiny Tibby!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed looks out a window and talks on a child’s red toy cell phone.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 3d

DAY 24

Climb every mountain? Ford every stream?? I got the first one figured, but where am I supposed to find any water around here??

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton climbs a rock in an arid, desert mountain with cacti in the background.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 4d

DAY 23

Mwahhahaha turns out there IS money in the budget for first class when you trade everyone else’s ticket for airline credit.

“Why yes, my good man, I would indeed like another champagne.”

#TibbyTime

A small toy skeleton poses in front of an airplane window in flight, single had raise and holding a plane ticket.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 5d

DAY 22

All right, class, everybody have their tickets? Remember, we’re up dark and late if we’re to make the airfield in time. Any questions?

In-flight meals? Business class?? We don’t have funding for that!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits on a purple suitcase along with half a dozen smaller skeletons, most holding small airplane tickets. One appears to be falling off the shoulder of the big skeleton.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 5d

Ahhh thank you!! Haha that's gotta be one of the nicest things someone's said about a pitch of mine

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

DAY 21

No, class, this isn’t right at all! I said bring me a stone of POWER for our ritual. These are mere river stones. I don’t care if they came from a hydroelectric dam.

We’ll have to journey. I believe this locale will have what I require. But how to get there?

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed hunched over a wooden table upon which lays an old map. Half a dozen toy skeletons are arrayed around him playing with toy cars or aircraft.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

Whoops, too much copy/paste! Meant to hashtag this as #WIP

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

Thank you so much!! Haha I had a blast putting this one together.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

QUANTUM MAGICIAN ❌ Logan Lucky

When an AI-piloted hyperliner threatens her home station, aging traffic controller Dez decides to rob the hell out of it.

Neither security nor mobsters can keep Dez from her cash. But, when things aboard aren’t as expected, all bets are off.

#SFpit #Q #A #SF

A collage of images around a central glowing circle, within which is a sci-fi rendition of the Vitruvian Man and the words: ALWAYS ACCORD

Around it is an image of a space station; a mobster with a poorly-edited VR visor; an elderly woman standing against a sci-fi cityscape squinting while she shoots a laser pistol at the space station; and an elderly man astronaut with an uncertain expression.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 6d

ASHES…SUN ❌ HORIZON ZERO DAWN

When a machine god severs the world from ancient nanotech, two engineer priests, a blademaster & her warrior-poet twin must hunt it for a cure—and revenge.

Failure will doom the world to divine wrath, but success may be deadly.

#SFpit #Q #A #SF #F #SFan #AgentsGuide

A giant, spaceship hovers over a dusty, walled fantasy cityscape. In the foreground, two figures stand in shadow looking out over the scene. The words 'An Agent's Guide to CASCADE, by Gus Ryer' is along the top. His website, gusryer.com, is below.

A slide with metadata and story elements for CASCADE:

Genre: Science Fiction w/ Fantasy Elements
Wordcount: +-130,000

It also shows the book covers for the following:
ASHES OF THE SUN, Django Wexler
THE ARCHIVE UNDYING, Emma Mieko Candon
ELDER RACE, Adrian Tchaikovsky
NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE, Claire North
Ps5's Horizon Zero Dawn

Below that are the following phrases:
Found family
Failed terraforming
A vast, hidden history
Nanotech magic system
Epic fantasy quest in a sci-fi world
Ancient mechanical gods
Arachnid mammals & guard drones
Sword (1) vs. Railguns (lots)

$A warrior woman w/ a winged helmet, armor, cape, and spear is along the right side of the image, fractured into triangles. Part of the following pitch is along the left: 2,000 years in the future, a galactic human empire fell, severing TRAPPIST-1e from other inhabited worlds before its terraforming could be completed. Wild nanotechnology ravaged the land, and civilization fell into a dark age. Eventually, the God Keepers—engineer priests who restored ancient nanotech—rose to power. While Lendi dreams of life outside the God Keepers, Falder is desperate to keep his best friend from abandoning their order—and him. But, when an ancient machine god crash-lands in a ball of fire and gray death, it severs Keepers from nanotech, plunging the world back into chaos. Meanwhile, Sedna and Renfrik have little patience for Keeper rules or mysticism. But, when a flood of nanites in the god’s wake consumes their home, they’re left with nothing to protect but each other...$

Chapter 1

THE RUSH IS ON! This Tuesday, Planetfall, Inc. announced it would join the rash of megacorps racing to deploy terraforming infrastructure through the newly stabilized Taurine Strait. Previously dominated by New World Corporation, the franchised development of pseudoterra worlds is slated to be the hot market sector of the twenty-fifth century.
-Excerpt from InvestSyder: Stellar Ed., June 15, 2398

The streets of Mahyan never fully slept. Night’s darkness, not yet broken by either the sun’s rise or the blinding, baleful Eye of Toros, wrapped Lendi more completely than her robes. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her. She wanted nothing more than to run.
An eager vendor barred her way with his stringy arm. “A fine morning calls for a fine meal, miss.” He smiled and fanned out a selection of skewered mutton and whalemeat wrapped in sea grass. Pungent, spiced oil dripped onto the dusty street.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 7d

DAY 20

Hark! Class, do you hear the alarm? Of course not, because one of you boneheads forgot to set it, and we overslept!

Quickly now, we must rise, for there are but ten days remaining to prepare!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits up in bed with a mouth agape in surprise. Small toy skeletons are around d I’m, tucked in bed.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 10d

DAY 17

Remember, class, lab is 30% of your grade.

Your projects must not only faithfully recreate the appearance of grave soil, complete with worms, but must also taste delicious.

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits atop a kitchen counter overseeing half a dozen toy skeletons who seem to be making a dessert out of pudding, crushed Oreos, whipped cream, and gummy worms.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 11d

DAY 16

Remember, class. The element of surprise is paramount, and humans seldom look up.

Take advantage of superior height whenever possible, and don’t forget your rope. Belay on!

#TibbyTime

A view from below where a skeleton dressed in tweed stands atop a ladder with climbing rope. Also climbing the ladder or hanging from the rope are half a dozen small toy skeletons.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 12d

DAY 15

A tridecagram? When a traditional pentagram will do? I know they can’t be any older than 300, but where are kids getting these ideas?

At least none are failing. Yet.

I need to boost these scores. If I can’t, I’ll never afford a ticket off this island.

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits at a wooden desk, leaning his head against one hand. Before him are several booklets with low scoring grades written on their covers in red pen along with a typewriter. At the edge of the desk are small toy skeletons and a skeletal owl.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 13d

DAY 14

All right, class, POP QUIZ. The only thing scarier than Nosferatu tonight will by my pen, and you can bet there’ll be more red on these pages than in the Overlook Hotel’s elevators.

Time to see what you’ve learned!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits at the head of a wooden table with a closed laptop and an apple. Before him sit two rows of small toy skeletons with pads of paper and small pencils as if taking a test.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 14d

DAY 13

As the deluge batters our windows like furious spirits, our class decided to make the best of things by engaging in unwholesome arts and crafts.

Behold! The Halloween Tree!

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in reeed sits at a green table with half a dozen little toy skeletons around him. He holds a hot glue gun, and crafting things like feathers and buttons scattered the table. A pipe cleaner tree with feathers, googly eyes, and buttons sits between them.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 16d

DAY 11

Sshhh! Quiet now, it’s movie night. This one’s got Vincent Price and a great bit with a skeleton.

#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits on a couch with a blanket over its lap and a metal bowl as if filled with popcorn. Half a dozen small skeletons are sitting with him, and the sliver light of a black and white movie reflects off them like moonlight.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 17d

DAY 10

Wait! Not that bottle. Students, you must take care. A potion can be a powerful thing, but it can be just as dangerous.

One drop too many could turn your tincture meant to form a noxious cloud into one that erupts in a wave of flower petals. The horror!

#TibbyTime

A Skelton dressed in tweed sits in a black bench and holds a long silver spoon in one hand. Around him are several bottles of various alcohol along with half a dozen small skeletons capering about.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 18d

DAY 9

Rule 15: a clean monster is a scary monster.

When lightning strikes the castle, its flash should glint from your polished skull. If a drop of catsup falls when you creep in the rafters instead of blood, you will elicit laughter, not fear.

So scrub scrub scrub!
#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed sits in a bathtub surrounded by capering toy skeletons, each with a rubber ducky.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 19d

DAY 8

BOO! Scared you, didn’t I?

The humble jump-out-and-get-em: one of scaring’s foundational maneuvers. Master that, students, you can handle 90% of your haunts and get home in time for candy corn.

Now, partner up and practice rattlin’ some bones.

#TibbyTime

A Halloween skeleton dressed in tweed seems to be jumping out from behind a bed and curtain. A paper sign with the word BOO! is taped to his hand like a speech bubble. On the ground nearby are small toy skeletons in disarray as if falling over from fear.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 20d

DAY 7

To maximize one’s spookiness, one must be humble and recognize that there will always be a ghoul spookier than oneself.

And so we turn to the masters for inspiration. Besides, a little reading may temper this rowdy class of reprobates.

#TibbyTime

A Halloween skeleton dressed in tweed sits in a rocking chair with a Stephen Kind novel. Around him are half a dozen smaller skeletons, each with a book ranging from children’s Halloween picture books to horror classics.

Gus Ryer @gusryer.bsky.social · 21d

DAY 6

Watch, students, as these most ancient underworld dwellers consume, construct, and in turn consume the very firmament between the living and the dead.

Worms chew dirt as we chew through time, as—hey, stop that! I see you sticking that pillbug in your nose!
#TibbyTime

A skeleton dressed in tweed kneels in a yard and holds up a rock for a gathering of tiny skeletons as if there looking for worms