Pieces
"Pieces" is a podcast novella compiled by Nobilis Reed.
The story is told through the cracked lens of seven experienced podcast authors. Nobilis, Christiana Ellis, Chris Lester, Graydancer, Paul S. Jenkins, Philippa Ballantine, Brandon Crose and John Tanzer take turns, chapter by chapter writing and reading episodes of the story.
Joan's world has literally fallen apart. She lives in one tiny piece of the shattered universe, bounded on all sides by shimmering veils. When the creator god, calling himself "Cassius", stumbles into the cathedral where she lives, she is drawn into an adventure of cosmic proportions.
Tropes used in Pieces include:
- After the End: the story starts out with a The End of the World as We Know It and goes on from there.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Cosmic.
- Archangel Michael: riding a motorcyle, of all things.
- Celestial Bureaucracy: Cassius' people are running the show behind the scenes.
- Cool Gate: the veils and the nexus that allows travel between the world-fragments.
- Depleted Phlebotinum Shells: the god-killing bullets given to Joan and Daniel by Cassius and Asmodeus.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: Joan's "brother" is actually her son.
- God in Human Form: Cassius and Asmodeus.
- Have You Seen My God?: Cassius is exiled to his own creation.
- I Call It Vera: Daniel's gun is named Pacem Donor (vaguely, "peace-giver") and it's very special.
- The Legions of Hell: Asmodeus' demons.
- Magic Music: Calliope's and Joan's singing.
- Mission from God: Alternately Saving the World, Kill'Em All, and Reset Button.
- The Multiverse: the world fragments basically function as this and there are many other whole worlds.
- Our Angels Are Different: they're really programs in the world-system created by Cassius and Asmodeus.
- Our Demons Are Different: see above.
- Physical God: Joan when she absorbs Cassius' essence.
- Powers By Possession: Both Joan and Daniel when they accept Calliope and Uriel's essences, respectively.
- Rage Against the Heavens: Cassius wants to reverse his exile.
- To Hell and Back: Joan travels to Hell to rescue Daniel.
- Twist Ending: since every chapter is written by a different writer in turn, they all leave threads dangling for other writers to expand on or wrap up. Hence, nearly every chapter has a twist ending, and some references and information get twisted repeatedly as successive authors elaborate.
- What If God Was One of Us?: Cassius.
- Young Gun: Daniel.