Snowblind Novel

[Jonesybites]

This story took nearly a year in the making back when I began posting it in 2009, but to this day, I still occasionally get input from a reader or two whom were generous enough to give me feedback. It has also been recently featured on EPIC Gamers; you can visit the article here.

Anyway, this is a forty-four chapter novel that takes place roughly after Jacinto's Remnant during the bitter, hardened winter of the Frost taking a toll on those still stationed at Port Farrall. The story begins at a fort not too far out from Farrall where the COG launched their offensive against insurgencies threatening their temporary base before they could relocate what was left of Jacinto's Remnant to Vectus Island. With their landscape schematics scewered at best, they rely on a renegade Feral clan (in exchange for sanctuary) to guide thier squadrons across the frozen "hellhole" that is rhetorically referred to as "Glacier Valley." The excursion however, uncovered a more eminent threat than the COG originally expected.

So without further adieu, please enjoy.

Gif by TheRealBigBoss

Synopsis: This story chronicles the newly reformed Sigma squad, employing veteran Gears Damon Baird and Augustus Cole as they deploy outside of Port Farrall to locate and eliminate Locust outposts and Stranded insurgencies.

Along with their rookie Gear, Sven Dunrich and their guide, Raven, they encounter almost calamity after calamity of unseen events that force the group of four to rely on each other to stay alive in the hostile environment around them and endure their clashing personalities as humility and hilarity ensue.

Please Note: If you have not read Jacinto's Remnant, this story may contain spoilers. This story is also rated "Mature" for violence, crude humor, and adult situations.



The original thread is too large to repost here, but you can read it at the following link: Snowblind in the Story & Character Forums or access it by chapter in the linked "Chapter Index" further below.

Here is the Snowblind PDF from Dropbox if you would like to read it on your kindle or phone. This link is different from the previous PDF link I had posted earlier, due to that some were having trouble accessing it. If you are still having problems downloading the new link, just contact me and I'll be happy to email you the PDF document.

Furthermore, you can also read and enjoy a vast index of exemplary Fan-Fiction at the Fan-Fic Central, sub-divided by title and summery for the story of your choice, including completed, as well as, in-progress work!

Snowblind...The Novel

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!

So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.

Immigrant Song ~ Led Zepplin

Art by Jonesybites


Chapter Index


Chapter 1: The S*** Starts Here....page 1

Chapter 2: Splitting Up....page 1

Chapter 3: Two Peas In A Pod....page 1

Chapter 4: We Are Sigma...Again....page 2

Chapter 5: Trial By Fire....page 2

Chapter 6: Lost With A Broken Horse ....page 2

Chapter 7: Funeral Pyre ....page 2

Chapter 8: Head Deep....page 2

Chapter 9: Incident at Hurl Dam....page 2

Chapter 10: Warm Winter Night....page 3

Chapter 11: A Cold Day In Hades....page 3

Intermission I....page 3

Chapter 12: Just Another Day In Paradise....page 3

Chapter 13: The Hunters....page 3

Chapter 14: Detour....page 5

Journal Entry 1....page 5

Chapter 15: Back To Square One....page 5

Intermission II....page 5

Chapter 16: Rude Awakening....page 5

Chapter 17: Running With Scissors....page 5

Chapter 18: Beautiful Disaster....page 5

Chapter 19: The Iridescent Snow....page 6

Chapter 20: The Harpies....page 6

Chapter 21: Marching Into Darkness....page 6

Intermission III....page 7

Chapter 22: The Covenant’s Sharp Edge....page 7

Chapter 23: Back On Route....page 7

Intermission IV....page 7

Chapter 24: The Fellbeasts Of Nexus....page 7

Chapter 25: Riding The Pale Horse....page 7

Chapter 26: Quid Pro Quo....page 8

Chapter 27: Taming Of The Shrew....page 8

Chapter 28: The Gallant Will Emerge....page 8

Intermission V....page 8

Chapter 29: The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes....page 8

Chapter 30: Can You Hear Me Running....page 9

Chapter 31: Captured....page 10

Chapter 32: When Black Birds Fly....page 11

Chapter 33: Revelations....page 11

Chapter 34: And There Will Be Blood....page 13

Chapter 35: Futile Escape....page 13

Intermission VI....page 13

Chapter 36: Returning To Fort Block....page 13

Chapter 37: The Best Laid Plans....page 15

Intermission VII....page 16

Chapter 38: The Battle in Glacier Valley: Act I....page 17

Act II....page 18

Act III....page 19

Chapter 39: If These Trees Could Talk....page 23

Chapter 40: To Chase A Feather In The Wind....page 24

Chapter 41: Das Arschloch und der Widerspenstige....page 24

Chapter 42: Nevermore....page 27

Chapter 43: Yearning For Yesterday....page 28

Chapter 44: The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning....page 32

Credits....page 33

[Croswynd]

This is, in my honest opinion, the best fan fiction we have on the S&C forums. I definitely recommend reading this if you enjoy the in betweens of the official novels. Baird is in rare form and along with Cole, the new Sigma squad fits together original characters Sven and Raven like they have been part of universe the entire time. And the Feral? How I wish it were canon.

Anyway, this work of fiction is the pinnacle of the S&C.

[SKORGE]

Damn you, I was going to post this.

Yes, I have to agree with Croswynd on this one. This is one of the most astonishing pieces of fiction I have ever read. Its length is nothing to scoff at. The amount of work and dedication Jonesy has put into creating a beast of such caliber definitely is deserving of acknowledgment and praise. The work is simply professional.

[DragonzZilla]

I know that I'll never amount to something of this magnitude.

[bchaps]

Can't read now...too much work to do.
I'll try to read this over the summer.
I don't read much fan-fiction...but this seems to be (from what I've heard) one of the better ones.

[Jonesybites]

Thanks for the confidence and praises guys. You would be amazed how much I learned about writing when I realized what I had gotten myself into when I was about half-way done,

I know that I'll never amount to something of this magnitude.

I didn't think I could write something of this calibur either, until I just went ahead and did it. If anything, the writing was laxing, but the editing was what was the most time consuming.

[Jonesybites]

Thanks for the confidence and praises guys. You would be amazed how much I learned about writing when I realized what I had gotten myself into when I was about half-way done,

I know that I'll never amount to something of this magnitude.

I didn't think I could write something of this calibur either, until I just went ahead and did it. If anything, the writing was laxing, but the editing was what was the most time consuming.

[BaKErBoNEs261]

This is a really good idea,please Epic? More content just like what he described would be perfect!.Bring back all the snow-blind maps for another D.L.C...then you could bring back Ruins and all the other locust maps;that could be another D.L.C right there. I really think the gears community either wants the franchise to continue, or wants prequels for the campaign; like RAMM's shadow...

[Jonesybites]

I would suggest different terrains than that of the GoW 2 snow-blind map pacts, instead of repeating the same ones.

[SKORGE]

Bump!

This thing deserves to be bumped.

[Jay the Arbiter]

I remember getting into Snowblind - and remembering how much of an evil villain Morose was!

[Jonesybites]

I remember getting into Snowblind - and remembering how much of an evil villain Morose was!

Yea...we need a DLC with a psychopath Stranded as the primary antagonist. Locust weren't the only problem Gears had to deal with before the Lambent took center stage.

[Flak]

We'll be featuring your novel this week

[Jonesybites]

Awesome. Thanks Flak.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Yea...we need a DLC with a psychopath Stranded as the primary antagonist. Locust weren't the only problem Gears had to deal with before the Lambent took center stage.

Would be pretty cool, I can imagine the Stranded insurgents using GLA style vehicles.

[Jonesybites]

Would be pretty cool, I can imagine the Stranded insurgents using GLA style vehicles.

Alot of it would be crude, but functional nevertheless. I can see them using their environment, giving them some advantage.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Alot of it would be crude, but functional nevertheless. I can see them using their environment, giving them some advantage.

"It all works" - GLA Marauder Tank

Yeah, environmental advantages, kind of like the Vietcong.

Perhaps they use a mix of old, decommissioned Pendulum Wars tanks and "whatever they can find" (Like how the GLA Toxin Tractor was essentially a regular Tractor with crude armour and an Anthrax sprayer)

[Croswynd]

I wouldn't mind playing through a DLC with Snowblind as the plot. In fact, I'd rather enjoy the change of pace, what with the enemy being Stranded and playing as Baird/Cole/Sven/Raven.

Still, you deserve the spotlight, Jonesy. Can't tell you how much I admire what you did here and what you continue to do with the other stories you still write.

[Jonesybites]

Perhaps they use a mix of old, decommissioned Pendulum Wars tanks and "whatever they can find" (Like how the GLA Toxin Tractor was essentially a regular Tractor with crude armour and an Anthrax sprayer)

Lol, Anthrax sprayer. Tanks may work, or tractors that may be better equipped to move in six feet of snow. Crudely welded, armored plates would be the norm, with a chain turret maybe. Work animals may also be included since they can maneuver better on the off-road terrain than a vehicle can.

The original Snowblind map-pack was fun but it was a standard arrangement of buildings and sandbags. I would prefer the challenge of the terrain, like a sudden snowstorm that could make visibility difficult during the gameplay, just like they did with the sandstorm, or having to run through a densely sparse forest...and let's not forget the difficulty of running on an iced-over lake. That would make the gamplay alot more interesting.

I wouldn't mind playing through a DLC with Snowblind as the plot. In fact, I'd rather enjoy the change of pace, what with the enemy being Stranded and playing as Baird/Cole/Sven/Raven.

Still, you deserve the spotlight, Jonesy. Can't tell you how much I admire what you did here and what you continue to do with the other stories you still write.

Thanks for the support Cros, and to the rest of the community. Anything with just Cole and Baird would have my vote, even if it's one their older missions before they teamed up with Marcus and Dom...but the idea of having a plot against a Stranded militia/pirates/or whathaveyou, would definately be different. SKORGE would have a field day!

[DragonzZilla]

Lol, Anthrax sprayer. Tanks may work, or tractors that may be better equipped to move in six feet of snow. Crudely welded, armored plates would be the norm, with a chain turret maybe. Work animals (like horses) may also be included since they can maneuver better on the off-road terrain than a vehicle can.

The original Snowblind map-pack was fun but it was a standard arrangement of buildings and sandbags. I would prefer the challenge of the terrain, like a sudden snowstorm that could make visibility difficult during the gameplay, just like they did with the sandstorm, or having to run through a densely sparse forest...and let's not forget the difficulty of running on an iced-over lake. That would make the gamplay alot more interesting.



Thanks for the support Cros, and to the rest of the community. Anything with just Cole and Baird would have my vote, even if it's one their older missions before they teamed up with Marcus and Dom...but the idea of having a plot against a Stranded militia/pirates/or whathaveyou, would definately be different. SKORGE would have a field day!

Double post.

[TheRealBigBoss]

^ Ze forum police have spoken!

Anyways...

I remember Jonesy posting Snowblind chapter by chapter. The S&C was something of a ghost town at the time, since most of the active members had... umm, let's just say... disappeared.

I admired Jonesy's tenacity to keep going with this even though nobody appeared to be taking any notice. I was busy too and just didn't have the time to keep up so I didn't see the point in posting something like, "Yeah, looks great! I wouldn't know for sure though since I haven't actually read it!"

Eventually though, I did read it. And I can honestly say it's an incredibly entertaining read, and true it's inspirational source, Gears of War. Plus, it features Baird and Cole! What more could a Gears fan ask for other than a free Gears novel featuring Baird and Cole?

[Jonesybites]

^ Ze forum police have spoken!

Yea, ever since they've updated the forums, I've been having problems with double posting as of recent. I'll delete it here shortly.

Eventually though, I did read it. And I can honestly say it's an incredibly entertaining read, and true it's inspirational source, Gears of War. Plus, it features Baird and Cole! What more could a Gears fan ask for other than a free Gears novel featuring Baird and Cole?

I know, right? It was alot of fun just writing it. Now, if they had a DLC with just them two, (with something of a decent plot) I'm willling to bet it would be a popular buy. Shoot, I'd buy it.

[Micael Jacksoon]

good morning my name is juan carlos gomez my email is juan_jackson2009@hotmail.com rooms and good I am a big fan of you who are the creators of Gears of Wars and friends liked me to games gears of wars and more 3 and well my level went up so clean and everything I did not use any hack or anything went up all clean and good I wanted to know you can remove the veto because I do not use any hack or anything and there are other good players who use hacks conosco and all that and continue to play good and wanted to know if I could please remove the veto for me is an honor to be talking with you the truth my respect for you and good hopefully can help me with this problem if I can remove my gamertag is my veto siin CARRAA and thank you for your attention and good to spend an excellent day

[DragonzZilla]

good morning my name is juan carlos gomez my email is juan_jackson2009@hotmail.com rooms and good I am a big fan of you who are the creators of Gears of Wars and friends liked me to games gears of wars and more 3 and well my level went up so clean and everything I did not use any hack or anything went up all clean and good I wanted to know you can remove the veto because I do not use any hack or anything and there are other good players who use hacks conosco and all that and continue to play good and wanted to know if I could please remove the veto for me is an honor to be talking with you the truth my respect for you and good hopefully can help me with this problem if I can remove my gamertag is my veto siin CARRAA and thank you for your attention and good to spend an excellent day

Excuse me but, what the heck are you talking about?

[Jonesybites]

Yea, we get spammers on occasion.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Sounds to me like...

1. Micael Jacksoon was banned from Gears 3 MP for A - Glitching profiles, B - Idle boosting in public, or C - Something else, delete as appropriate.

2. English isn't Micael's first language.

3. He's new, desperate and hasn't quite grasped the forum layout.

Problem solved. Unless of course, you are in fact Micael. In which case I'm not terribly optimistic, but hey, got my fingers crossed for ya buddy!

[Jonesybites]

Well, he copied and pasted the same post on another thread, so any optimism he has is going to probably be short lived.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Epic thumbs up for being featured Jonesy!

[SKORGE]

A game based on killing Stranded?

I'm all for... its just I don't think I'd have a game left after I were to finish.

Congrats on the win, Jonesy!

[Jonesybites]

Thanks for the support guys.

Anyway, I may have addressed the problem with the PDF link. Because it was posted in Adobe Acrobat, you would have to be registered to access the document, so I re-posted it in Dropbox and posted the link on the first page along with the chapter index; or you can just click on this PDF. Hopefully that'll be more access friendly.

If not, just contact me and I can email the PDF.

[Jim Tuna]

Um, yes please?