Welcome to the Threshold Effect

There is a moment in every great story where the impossible becomes plausible.

Maybe it’s the throwaway detail in a fantasy novel that makes you pause and think, “Wait, that actually makes sense.” Or the science fiction premise that starts absurd but builds so carefully that by page fifty, you’re arguing with friends about whether it could work. It’s that shift from “I’m reading a story” to “I’m inside a world,” and once it happens, there’s no going back.

That moment where disbelief gives way and wonder takes hold is the threshold effect. And chasing it, from both sides of the page, is what this whole project is about.

Table of Contents

• What We’re Building Here
• The Patreon and Blog Relationship
• Why Join Now?

What We’re Building Here

The Threshold Effect is part fiction workshop, part research rabbit hole, and entirely an excuse to obsess over why some imaginary worlds stick with us while others collapse under their own logic the second you think too hard about them.

On the fiction side, I write character-driven science fiction and fantasy. Think space operas that ask uncomfortable questions about power and identity. Magic systems that have rules, mostly, until someone breaks them for interesting reasons. Worlds with history. Technology with consequences. The people stay messy. And yes, there are explosions, but they happen for a reason.

On the analysis side, I write worldbuilding essays about what makes fictional worlds feel real. Not just internally consistent, though that matters, but lived-in. The kind of worlds where you can sense the history beneath the surface, where cultures feel textured instead of cardboard, where the rules might bend but they don’t break arbitrarily. Why do some magic systems feel earned while others feel like authorial convenience? What gives a universe that weight of existing before the story starts? How do you build a world with enough depth that readers can poke at it without the whole thing collapsing? Those are the questions I’m chasing.

I come to this with a background in physics and over twenty years as an analyst. Turns out, fictional worlds operate the same way. You can poke at the joints, test the load-bearing walls, figure out what breaks under pressure. The goal isn’t to drain the wonder out of storytelling. It’s to build worlds sturdy enough that the wonder doesn’t collapse when you lean on it.

I come to this with a background in physics and over twenty years as an analyst. I’ve spent my career figuring out how complex systems, work. Where elegant theories meet messy reality, what holds up under stress, and what fails in interesting ways. Turns out, fictional worlds work the same way. They have internal logic, points of failure, and those beautiful moments where everything clicks into place because the pieces were assembled right.

Understanding the mechanics doesn’t kill the magic. It just means you know why the magic works.

If you’ve ever finished a book and immediately wanted to argue about how the magic system would actually function in an economy, or whether that spaceship design makes any sense, or why that character’s decision was emotionally satisfying but logically baffling, this is your place.

The Patreon and Blog Relationship

Here’s how the content pipeline works, because I’m building this thing with intentional structure instead of just throwing words into the void and hoping:

Most blog posts and short stories eventually publish here for free. But they go live on Patreon first. Patreon supporters get two weeks of early access to everything. Some content like the deeper worldbuilding dives, bonus stories, and collaborative features, stays Patreon-exclusive because that’s where the people who want to actively shape this project live.

The blog is the public archive. Patreon is the workshop where things get built, tested, and occasionally set on fire to see what survives.

If you just want to read the stories and essays when they go public, perfect. This blog exists for exactly that. Subscribe, check back when you feel like it, enjoy.

But if you want to be part of the process, to vote on story directions, submit essay ideas, watch rough drafts evolve, and generally influence what gets created before the rest of the world sees it, that’s what Patreon is for.

Here’s what each tier gets you:

Reader ($5/month): This is for diving into the work early and seeing how it evolves before going public.

• Two weeks early access to all stories and blog posts
• Patreon feed with writing updates and behind-the-scenes thoughts
• Private Discord invite
• Occasional bonus content like deleted scenes

Shaper ($10/month): Everything in Reader, plus you start actively influencing what gets created.

• Exclusive short stories that only Patreon supporters see (aiming for one per month)
• Concept art and worldbuilding notes
• Quarterly character Q&A posts where I answer in-character
• Monthly polls to influence future stories and blog topics

Builder ($25/month): Everything in Shaper, plus you’re helping lay the foundation for larger projects.

• Submit your own ideas for Builder-exclusive polls
• Early previews of work-in-progress novel chapters
• Permanent thank-you in the acknowledgements of any novel I’m actively writing while you’re a Builder patron

Mentor ($500/month, limited to two patrons): Everything in Builder, plus personalized collaboration each month.

• Choose one reward per month: either up to five hours of detailed, personalized writing feedback and critique on your work, or one custom short story (up to 3,500 words) written to your prompt
• You choose how exclusive the custom story release is (anywhere from public to Tier 3 only)
• This tier is for writers who want direct mentorship or readers who want a story built specifically for them

Why Join Now?

Because we’re at the very beginning, and the beginning is when you have the most influence.

The story directions that get chosen in polls now become canon. The worldbuilding details we establish in the next few months shape everything that comes after. Early supporters don’t just get early access. They help determine what this project becomes.

I’m not promising perfection. I’m promising iteration, experimentation, transparency about what works and what doesn’t, and a commitment to building worlds that feel real enough to argue about. If that sounds like the kind of creative chaos you want to be part of, I’d love to have you along.

The first short story officially goes live on Patreon 5 January and publishes here on 19 January. If you want in on the early reads, the polls, and the behind-the-scenes process, join the Patreon. If you’d rather wait and read here when things go public, I’ll see you 19 January.

Either way, welcome to the threshold. Let’s see what’s on the other side.

–

Jay Angeline is a science fiction and fantasy writer with a background in physics and over twenty years of analytical work. Through short fiction and worldbuilding articles, Jay explores the mechanics that make imaginary worlds feel real, using a thoughtful lens and a touch of humor.

New stories and essays publish here two weeks after Patreon supporters get early access. Some content stays Patreon-exclusive. If you want in on the early reads, worldbuilding deep-dives, and polls that shape future stories, check out the Threshold Effect Patreon.