A fantasy / science-fiction serial from Bellwether, NC
Hops & Havoc
They took our bar.
We’re taking their planet.Randy’s Tavern · Home of affordable bottles, unreliable flooring, and the local resistance
Saving Earth was not on the work order.
Doug and Jerry wanted their old tavern left alone. Instead, they uncovered an alien civilization using craft breweries to cultivate Earth.
Now two repairmen, a bartender intelligence network, and one furious brewery AI are humanity’s least qualified line of defense.
Now reading
Last Call at Randy’s
A neighborhood feud over a fashionable brewery reveals a signal that should not exist—and puts Randy’s Tavern directly in the path of something much larger.
“The floor had negotiated individual truces with gravity.”Read chapter one →
The local resistance
Three experts.
In unrelated fields.
They can repair a walk-in cooler, weaponize a skateboard, and insult an invading intelligence. The order varies.
- Doug Walker
Mechanic. Skateboarder. Owner of several weapons purchased for reasons nobody can verify.
- Jerry Collins
Repairman. Conspiracy theorist. Experiencing the worst possible form of vindication.
- B.A.R.R.Y.
Self-aware brewery AI. Tactical genius. Would like it documented that this was not his plan.
From the tapline
The story so far
A zoning fight. A hidden signal. A very bad week to own a tavern.
Start reading → Episode 02 · In developmentFlight of the D.A.G.G.E.R.S.The sky over Bellwether gets crowded, fast.
View field notes → Episode 03 · In developmentThe Beer That Knew Too MuchSome brews remember more than their drinkers do.
View field notes →Population: complicated
Welcome to Bellwether.
A cheerful mountain town with good neighbors, aggressive zoning, and a craft-beer district that may be terraforming the planet.