Charmian's prosaic teenage life is upended one night when she receives an unusual visitor: Tal Natha, the Spinner of Dreams. He tells her that his home, Manitou Island, is in danger from forces bent on its destruction; its only salvation is a young woman named Red Bird, and Charmian has been asked to protect her. There's only one thing: The island Charmian knows is a tourist spot called Mackinac Island. Manitou Island doesn't exist in Charmian's reality.
Even after she figures out how to reach the Island, Charmian quickly realizes that its greatest threats come not from without, but from within--and they're seemingly never ending. Every antagonist is even more powerful than the last, and everyone has a stake in whether the Island survives or not. Charmian is forced to deal with culture clashes, misunderstandings, and shifting alliances with very different parties who don't always have the Island's best interests at heart. She's just one modern-day teenager...is she really up to handling wolf demons, wind cannibals, and ancient elemental forces beyond almost anyone's understanding? And even if she is...will she be able to make it back home safely again...?
STORY DETAILS
Storyline Creation Date:
Idea: 1980s
First known writing: 2001
Stories:
Manitou Island (complete)
Return To Manitou Island (complete)
Escape From Manitou Island (WIP)
Beneath Manitou Island (unwritten)
Tales From Manitou Island (complete/WIP)
Various adult novellas/short stories/scenes (complete/WIP)
CONTENT WARNINGS
I can't cover for every objectionable topic that may emerge in this story. The main series and most of the shorter stories are a safe PG-13, though the rating may range from PG to NC-17 depending on the scenes involved and how they end up written.
Generic warnings: Mild adult language, mild adult dialogue, mild adult situations, violence.
More specific warnings: This is a storyline set in a fantasy, pre-/early contact version of the Great Lakes (and other areas) and based on Anishinaabe mythology. Certain plot and cultural elements are taken from mythology and both native and European customs of the time. Violence, especially between different racial groups, was common, and due to the shorter lifespan and difficult living conditions, women often became mothers in their teens. Additionally, the fantasy race of the Ocryxes, due to their extremely limited numbers, practice incest, though this is never gone into in detail in the main story.
Although I will post NO GRAPHIC CONTENT on this site (my content here should remain PG-13 and below), there is lots of mention of such things in character profiles and world information. Here's an attempted partial list of trigger/content warnings: Reference to and casual treatment of sexual harassment and assault. Vulgar/offensive language. Child abuse. Incest. Torture. Genocide. Strong moral ambiguity. Religious themes. Suicide and suicidal ideation. References to trauma and mental illness, including outdated terms and methods of treatment. Prostitution. LGBT+ themes. Domestic violence. Alcohol and drug use/abuse/addiction. Classism/class discrimination. Racism and racial exploitation. Execution and mass murder. Physical/medical injury/disability. Sexual discussion/language/innuendo. Animal death. Shaming. Arranged marriage. Implied sexual fetishes. Other possible warnings I'm forgetting.
DISCLAIMERS
This is a storyline set in the pre-/early contact Great Lakes area (and other areas) and largely based on Anishinaabe mythology. While it makes heavy reference to actual customs and beliefs, much is also artistic license. While no offense is intended and an attempt is made to be respectful in the representation, the spiritual beings and myths as they're presented here should not be taken as an accurate representation or source of information on Anishinaabe/native belief.
Additional disclaimer: Ocryx (and by extension his "race") is based on a display from Mackinac Island's Haunted Theater. Many displays in the Theater, such as Mitchi Manitou and the GeeBee, are inspired by actual native belief; while the Ocryx display makes similar claims, I've been unable to find reference to him or any being remotely like him in the known myths, and I'm forced to assume he is an original creation of the designer of the displays--possibly Dale Kuipers, as the Haunted Theater's website names him as the attraction's "monster maker." ("Dale brought to life some interesting Island Indian legends.") Most of Ocryx's character development and lore is of my own creation, though I did not create or name him myself, and technically he is being used without permission; I intend no disrespect to the character or the creator, and I'm making no money off of my representation of him. As well, certain other characters in this storyline may be based on real people, or related to real historic incidents, but are not intended to be accurate representations of said people or incidents.
STORYLINE HISTORY/INSPIRATION
In the late Eighties/early Nineties, a former friend and I, inspired by a trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan's Haunted Theater, began work on a story we entitled A Nightmare On Manitou Island. This story was never finished, but after my friend moved away I wrote a group of short stories set in this fictional location, entitled The Legends Of Manitou Island. This was followed by an unfinished collection entitled The Further Legends Of Manitou Island, the stories outlining the adventures of the natives, demons, and various creatures who called the Island home.
About a decade later in 2001, I began a story based on a writing prompt in an effort to see if I could write a chapter a week of a Web serial until its completion, without an outline, as well as if I could write an entire story from one point of view. The protagonists, Charmian and Drake, had their names taken at random from a baby names book, and were created almost on the spot, solely for the series. Manitou Island ran from 2001-2003 and reached 110 chapters and over 380,000 words. Its sequel, Return To Manitou Island, ran from 2003-2005, reaching 139 chapters and over 605,000 words. Escape From Manitou Island began in 2005 and as of 2009 is ongoing at almost 200 chapters with more to come. There are plans for a fourth serial, Beneath Manitou Island, following EFMI's completion. In addition to the main serials are the shorter "Tales From Manitou Island" which are along the lines of the old Legends Of Manitou Island from my school years.
Manitou Island started out as a casual experiment and has ended up becoming a nearly fulltime project that has not only helped me improve my writing and led to me learning a great deal about the area I live in and the peoples who lived here, but has also changed my entire belief structure and worldview, and spawned numerous characters and beings I've come to know as closely as friends. As of this writing, Charmian (who to this day has no last name) is my most fully developed female character, and is one of my two favorites (the other being Damien of my D Is For Damien series). (Note, since this writing I've become similarly close to a few of my Trench Rats characters.) It's my small hope that anyone who reads these ongoing stories will be entertained, and my big hope that perhaps they find something in the writings which changes their lives as well.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
Recurring themes: Archetypes and dreams. Culture clash. The more you believe you know, the more ignorant you truly are. Teamwork versus conflict. The enemy of my enemy. Redemption. Compromise for the common good. Knowing your place in the universe. Everything is connected, everything is alive. The butterfly effect. The consequences of your actions. Things have a way of coming back around. Even the smallest thing can make a huge impact. There is always more that you can learn. The hope for something better.
Character InformationCharacter profiles and brainstorming infodumps.
Storyline InformationEssays and info.