Jester's Athenaeum

Stories by Marie Bellamont

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Updates will be posted less frequently for the immediate future, due to current circumstances limiting time available to work on JA. (Without going into too much detail, there's just too much going on with bills, the infant, and a medical condition which may have recently become dangerous. I also learned today that it's possible for me to publish an actual novel if I can create one and, for financial reasons, I have to prioritize that goal when it comes to what time I do have to write.)

This story is not being abandoned, I fully intend to see it through to completion. That will just be a slower process for a while.

I'm very sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment.

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Announcement

As the observant reader has probably noticed, Sovereign II is behind schedule.

Now that we've reached the main storyline(s) of Jester's Athenaeum, there's a lot more going on in every update and I can't see myself finishing one a week (without making them all pitiful mockeries of what they should be.) Since this series is not meant to be horrible in every way, updates to the major arcs will probably be posted less frequently. In order to avoid another hiatus, side stories will appear between those.

Updates to the main storyline are titled Sovereign, Warlord, or Carnival (followed by the chapter name/number.) All others just have a regular story title.

In addition, updates won't necessarily be posted on Sunday for the immediate future. Each new update should (hopefully) be posted within a week of the last, earlier if they're finished before then. You can click the "FOLLOW" button in the sidebar to receive an e-mail notification of new stories, or just check back every week or so to make sure you haven't missed anything.

Sorry for any inconvenience!

- Marie

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An Event of Potential Significance

Spoiler: It is definitely significant.

(These events occur approximately 30 minutes after Intermission.)

Read An Event of Potential Significance

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Carnival

This story follows the adventures of Jackal and Tyra, a whimsical clown with supernatural powers and a murderous, fiery jester, along with several other colorful personalities. It takes place in our very own world and (so far at least) can easily be read as an entirely separate series from the rest of Jester’s Athenaeum. Here are the parts in chronological order:

Flat Joint - Jackal wanders into a city where a brutal string of murders is being investigated by the shamefully incompetent local police. [CW: violence]

Funhouse - A pretentious young couple explore a supposedly haunted mansion at the edge of town, in order to impress their peers.

Charivari - Jackal and his followers stumble upon a despicable pair and punish their behavior with clownly shenanigans. [CW: racism/abuse]

Marquee - The world’s most childish runaway discovers the ever-growing carnival and is unwillingly adopted by Jackal.

Blowdown - Authorities are alerted to the carnival’s presence outside the city and become determined to eradicate it.

[To be continued...]

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Blowdown

Jackal’s carnival is discovered and targeted by local authorities.

“Officers in soldiers’ uniforms swarmed the campsite, accompanied by a number of tanks. Those on foot marched through tents and, by the sounds of it, trashed everything they found inside. The heavy machinery rolled through the clearing, toppling any of the structures which stood in their way. Many of the clowns tried to flee, others huddled on the ground with trembling hands over their heads while guns prodded at them.”

NOTE: The Carnival storyline has now reached its main arc, updates will be chronological from here on out. Blowdown occurs directly after Marquee.

Read Blowdown

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An illustration of Jamal (introduced in Sovereign I.)

The artist can be found at @deathbydonutsdraws - currently taking commissions. Not only is she (obviously) talented, but an extremely hardworking and pleasant person to work with. Highly recommended to anyone who needs an illustrator.

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Support your favorites and find out how many people agree with your taste in fictional humans (and not-quite-humans.)

They can be found in the sidebar under the illustrations. You can choose two in the protagonist category since there are so many of those. Because the series is still ongoing and opinions may change, everyone gets a new vote once a week. 

It only takes a second so please consider participating. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s curious.

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Sovereign/Warlord

After almost a year of character backstories, we’ve finally reached the main part of the series. From here on out updates will be posted in chronological order.

Sovereign A malevolent shadow ruler is hunted down by the lone survivor of a massacre. Read Part I

Warlord A bloodthirsty king plots to recapture and execute an escaped prisoner turned pirate. Read Part I

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Charivari

Clownly shenanigans are unleashed on a pair of terrible human beings.

“The deafening BANG! filled the room and the clown exploded. Not into flesh and blood, but a glittering burst of confetti. It gently rained down over the room and its stunned inhabitants to a cheerful fanfare.”

Read Charivari

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Vendetta

The lone survivor of a brutal massacre returns to avenge the others.

She watched as they went about their shallow lives, overheard conversations that all seemed to revolve around the latest fashions and social blunders committed by others who doubtless believed their critics to be friends. The few who even bothered to notice the unkempt visitor acknowledged her only with whispered insults to giggling acquaintances, or by simply turning up their noses.

(Vendetta is a direct continuation of Roots)

Read Vendetta

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Prologue

An adventurer seeks out a legion of the cursed undead (and the reader finally learns just what exactly those clowns have to do with anything.)

“I know what you’re thinking, we should run. Get as far away as possible and hope the army takes them down. The truth is, those… things aren’t the worst of it.” “What could be worse than a legion of the undead intent on destroying humanity?” “Only thing I can think of is the end of the world, which is exactly what they came back to see.” “So the story goes.” At this the innkeeper actually managed a chuckle. “Well, it’s been right so far.”

Read Prologue

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Story Order

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Jester’s Athenaeum is a comedy/adventure series made up of short stories which fall into either of two categories: Naetroth, which are centered on the lives of several very different heroes each on their own personal quest in a magical world, or Carnival, which follow a supernatural clown and demonic jester wandering Earth. These stories are posted out of order but for those who would prefer to read them chronologically here is the list:

Naetroth

Dragon Quest Extinction Hatchling The Joys of Parenting Hybrid Breaking Free Roots The Captain More On That Captain The Last Title Was Specifically Referring To Compass Intermission A Poor Career Choice An Abrupt and Presumptuous History Lesson Prologue

Carnival

Flat Joint Funhouse Marquee

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Breaking Free

A refugee’s first day of freedom ends with her thrown suddenly into the pirate life.

It would take a miracle to avoid recapture. Solberg was notoriously unforgiving of even the slightest failure, his men would break from their mission for nothing short of a complete disaster. CRASH!!! Screams echoed from what was surely a complete disaster somewhere in the city. The soldiers sprang into action and cleared the area. Some might have thought the goddess herself had intervened. Not the escapee, though, since she had never before experienced any kind of fortune and was instantly suspicious that this coincidence was a setup for some elaborate trap.

Read Breaking Free

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"Nina at her introduction in "Dragon Quest", complete with feline grin and sack of unknown loot... (Sorry for the poor color quality, my pencils are cheap and stupid and I don't have the colors I wanted, ugh)" -spookycatholic I absolutely love it. Funny, I never pictured Nina as a redhead but it seems to fit her quite well. Thank you for the submission! I will post it to the Jester's Athenaeum gallery tonight.

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The Joys of Parenting

A renowned merchant gets a surprise visit from the conniving mage who ruined his life (on several occasions.)

“Perhaps I recall incorrectly, but it seems that the room was more… crowded the last time I was here.” “It certainly was, before I received a certain gift. A large ruby crafted into the shape of an egg, or so I was led to believe until it hatched. Sound familiar?” “Oh come now, is that why you don’t trust me anymore?” “As if I ever did.” “I’ll admit that it may have been somewhat… impolite not to warn you about the origin…” “Some indication that it was going to hatch would have been nice.”

Read The Joys of Parenting

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Funhouse

Some kids decide to explore a haunted mansion, since that’s never been a bad idea.

“WE’VE GOT GUUUUUEEEEEEEESTS!” a deep voice boomed from everywhere around them. “Oh no! This was a mistake,” Tessa squeaked. Jude stood in stoic silence, although it might have seemed that he was frozen in fear to someone who didn’t know what a cool, courageous guy he was. “THERE ARE NO MISTAKES!” the voice called, “ONLY HAPPY MOTHERFUCKING ACCIDENTS. EXCEPT FOR EXPLORING A HAUNTED MANSION. THAT WOULD BE ONE HELL OF A MISTAKE. GOOD THING NOBODY HERE IS DUMB ENOUGH TO DO THAT SHIT, AM I RIGHT?” “RIGHT GUYS?” “… GUYS?”

Read Funhouse

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Really, I’m Sorry.

This update took forever. That was partially because of the newborn, partially because I’m back at my other job, partially because it’s not my usual genre.

The next story will not take nearly this long. Also we’re back to the clowns.