In a universe quite different from our own lay many tales and events not too dissimilar to our own. In the universe of the Cloudy Cuckoo Cosmos, life is generally fairly ordinary: people go to work, go to school, interact with friends, and generally try to be at least a minor success in their own lives. But everywhere there is far more going on than on the surface, and what is what the Cloudy Cuckoo Cosmos focuses on, ‘cause that other stuff is boring!
Adventure! Spectacle! Humor! If there’s one thing the Cloudy Cuckoo Cosmos has an abundance of, it’s humor. Not everyone is in good humor, though; not everyone is into spectacle; not everyone is adventurous. The universe is magical, but few realize it.
On the planets Mintop, Zhop, and Derantu, technology ranges from just behind our own on Earth to decades ahead. This trio of planets can fly to one another, but have not yet sent a manned flight to the end of their solar system. Their interactions with one another have settled into that of countries spanning different continents—but that doesn’t mean each planet is at peace with itself.
Mintop is the least advanced of these three planets. The last to be in contact with the others, it always seems more of a third wheel in events relating to them. Closest to the sun and with an expansive ocean, many islands dot the planet, but the primary powers on the planet are on the three big continents.
Zhop is the furthest planet from the sun and is cold for most of the year. Just one big supercontinent covers the planet, dotted with tiny kingdoms squabbling over territory. It is at the top of the planet, the northern pole, that the seat of power lies, New Zhopolis. It is a city drenched with dark wealth and power, where the Zhopian Guard watches over the rest of the planet for their protection.
Derantu has an old history that remains alive today, and a new future that it is always marching towards. Always the first with new technology, it prides itself on being peaceful compared to its colder neighbor, but internal strife is part of that old history that remains. It was the first to make contact with the other two planets, but it’s not very well-thanked for its efforts.
And far away, in galaxies beyond, other civilizations take note of these planets. Will they want to make peace, make war, or make it up as they go?
In Slubes, one of these civilizations—an empire, in fact—chooses war. But even The Conqueror doesn’t realize what he’s really getting into, and three semi-heroes, Numer, Zeth, and Cherry, find their only hope of keeping their planet’s sovereignty is the very crystal The Conqueror is after.
In Darmenzi, several sides crash into one another at once. Numer, Zeth, and Cherry once again find their world threatened by The Conqueror, but the race for the crystal features a new player, Darmenzi, a demon once imprisoned by it. Our three heroes must now prioritize their challenges–but will they choose right, or will their enemies choose for them?
In Wandering Fortunes, three friends seek to make a name for themselves: Top, the crazy beach ball brought to life through magic, Alden, the bookworm who leaves his family for friends and finds the world above his head and below his taste, and Ropak, the misfit orphan of his village who goes out to find his place in the world. At the planet’s capital they discover enough corruption to rot out a full set of teeth and are forced to escape to the next planet, where they get caught in the middle of an old conflict.
For a list of primary characters, locations, and species, there are links.
Duth Olec's Cuckoo Cosmos 