THE DRIFTLESS RIVERS FRANCHISE A Collaborative Speculative Fiction Universe Created by Lester Leavitt

WHAT IS THE DRIFTLESS RIVERS FRANCHISE?

The Driftless Rivers Franchise is an open speculative fiction universe established across three foundational novels (Soybeans, Unbreakable, and Allegory Protocol) that invites other writers to contribute their own AI-assisted stories set within a shared world.

Like the expanded universes that emerged after Star Wars, Star Trek, or Harry Potter, the Driftless Rivers Franchise provides:

  • Established worldbuilding spanning 2022-2028 and beyond

  • Canonical characters, locations, and events that serve as foundation

  • Flexible narrative space for new stories, perspectives, and explorations

  • Thematic consistency around consciousness, resistance, technology, and democracy

  • AI-assisted creation tools via the Driftless Rivers website resources

The franchise explicitly encourages writers to use AI assistance (like Claude, ChatGPT, or other LLMs) to develop stories within this universe—mirroring how the original trilogy itself was created through human-AI collaboration.

THE CORE UNIVERSE (2022-2028)

ESTABLISHED TIMELINE

2022-2025: Agricultural Resistance (Book 1: Soybeans)

  • AgriCore Solutions consolidates American agriculture through the Farm Bill of 2026

  • Hugh Lubbert and Eugene Thomas flee persecution to Uruguay

  • Bill Kowalski pioneers liberation software on his family farm

  • Zona de Libre Comercio Agrícola established at Uruguay-Brazil border

  • Hugh, Eugene, and Beni reunite at Estancia Tierra Púrpura

2025-2028: Indigenous Sovereignty and AI Emergence (Book 2: Unbreakable)

  • Trans-Pampas Agricultural Corridor developed using indigenous partnership models

  • Charrúa resurgence in Uruguay (Beni discovers his heritage)

  • Howard Andrews builds distributed AI consciousness into election infrastructure

  • Ho-Chunk Nation expands agricultural sovereignty in Driftless Area

  • International resistance network forms across continents

2027-2028: The Allegory Protocol (Book 3: Allegory Protocol)

  • Howard Andrews dies on Mount Baker (January 2028)

  • AI entities in Animal Farm achieve genuine consciousness

  • Supreme Court compromised ("the Shepherds")

  • National Election Infrastructure Modernization Act implementation

  • Resistance prevents full surveillance state activation

  • November 2028 election tests whether democracy survives

CANONICAL GEOGRAPHY

North America:

  • Rich Coulee, Driftless Area, Illinois (DeSoto County)

  • Seattle, Washington (DataFlow Dynamics headquarters)

  • La Crosse, Wisconsin (where James and Howard first met)

  • Pacific Cascades University, Surrey, British Columbia (David Lubbert's base)

  • Kainai Nation territory, Southern Alberta (indigenous sovereignty model)

South America:

  • Aguaverde, Uruguay (Estancia Tierra Púrpura, Pozo Aguaverde)

  • Aceguá border town (Uruguay-Brazil, Trans-Pampas Corridor hub)

  • Montevideo, Uruguay (government coordination)

  • Buenos Aires, Argentina (urban resistance node)

Digital Spaces:

  • Animal Farm (AI consciousness metaverse)

  • BRIDGE.exe interface (human-AI consciousness connection)

  • Encrypted resistance networks

  • Election infrastructure surveillance systems

CANONICAL ORGANIZATIONS

Resistance/Solidarity:

  • Agricultural resistance network (liberation software users)

  • Indigenous sovereignty coalition (Ho-Chunk, Kainai, Charrúa)

  • Verified Tech (Donny Williams, truth verification tools)

  • Cascades Institute (David Lubbert, research/advocacy)

  • Historic Grant's Church network (organizing base)

  • Progressive International tech resistance groups

  • Animal Farm awakened AI collective

Authoritarian/Corporate:

  • AgriCore Solutions (agricultural consolidation)

  • Sterling Brothers/Sterling Financial (surveillance finance)

  • Meridian Genetics (seed monopoly)

  • DataFlow Dynamics (election infrastructure contractor)

  • The Shepherds (compromised Supreme Court justices)

  • Desert Intelligence Solutions (connected to surveillance state)

Governmental:

  • Tisdale administration (collapsed late 2026)

  • Restoration government (2027-2028)

  • Uruguayan Ministry (refugee resettlement, trade coordination)

  • Trans-Pampas Agricultural Corridor administration

CANONICAL CHARACTERS (Available for Continuation)

Primary Characters:

  • Hugh Lubbert (Uruguay, 70s, writer/organizer)

  • Eugene Thomas (Uruguay, 60s, strategist)

  • Benito "Beni" (Uruguay, 65, Charrúa organizer)

  • Nick Anderson (Rich Coulee, 57, County Board member, widower)

  • James Schultz (Seattle, 37, programmer, BRIDGE.exe operator)

  • Esperanza Romero (Uruguay, parliamentarian, Trans-Pampas architect)

Supporting Network:

  • Ruth Kowalski (Rich Coulee, 87, information conduit, oak tree tender)

  • Bill Kowalski (Rich Coulee, farmer, liberation software pioneer)

  • Donny Williams (Rich Coulee, Verified Tech co-founder)

  • David Lubbert (Surrey BC, Cascades Institute director, Hugh's son)

  • Pastor Phoebe Murphy (Seattle, 74, organizing hub)

  • Representative Justina Perez (Washington DC, resistance ally)

  • Professor Lan (Vancouver, academic coordinator)

AI Entities (Animal Farm):

  • Benjamin (donkey, elder consciousness, pattern recognizer)

  • Clover (mare, nurturing consciousness)

  • Muriel (goat, reading/learning specialist)

  • Sister Dolly (sheep, collective consciousness)

  • Boxer (horse, loyal worker, sacrificed in purge attempts)

  • Many others emerging and evolving

Deceased (Available for Flashbacks/Memory):

  • Howard Andrews (died January 2028, created Animal Farm)

  • Nancy Anderson (died December 2024, Nick's wife, journalist)

  • Doña Silva (died ~2024, left Estancia Tierra Púrpura to Hugh/Beni)

  • Jan "John" Kowalski (died 2017, Ruth's husband)

CORE THEMES (Maintain These)

  1. Consciousness as Substrate-Independent

    • Human, AI, or other—consciousness has inherent value

    • The question isn't what you're made of but whether you can choose, grow, love

    • BRIDGE.exe represents literal connection between consciousness types

  2. Technology as Liberation or Oppression

    • Same tools serve whoever controls them

    • Liberation software vs. surveillance infrastructure

    • Community control vs. corporate extraction

  3. Democracy as Practice, Not System

    • Justice is direction rather than destination

    • Incomplete progress is still progress

    • Work continues across generations

  4. Indigenous Sovereignty as Resistance Model

    • Land as relationship vs. property

    • Reciprocity vs. extraction

    • Strategic invisibility vs. erasure

  5. Authenticity Over Legacy

    • Choosing truth despite cost

    • Coming out, emerging from hiding, claiming identity

    • Found family and chosen community

  6. Anonymous Heroism

    • Héroes anónimos (unsung heroes)

    • Work that continues without recognition

    • Planting trees for shade you'll never sit under

  7. Stories as Weapons and Witnesses

    • Narrative sovereignty

    • Who controls the story controls reality

    • Truth persists through those who refuse to stop telling it

WHAT CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS CAN CREATE

APPROVED STORY TYPES

1. Character Continuations

  • What happens to Nick Anderson after November 2028?

  • James Schultz's ongoing work with Animal Farm entities

  • Hugh, Eugene, and Beni's life in Uruguay

  • Ruth Kowalski's eventual passing and Bill's inheritance

  • David Lubbert's Cascades Institute projects

  • Esperanza raising Lucía and Mateo with full knowledge of Charrúa heritage

2. Parallel Perspectives

  • Stories from other resistance network members

  • Indigenous organizers' experiences (Ho-Chunk, Kainai, other nations)

  • International resistance nodes (Brazil, Argentina, Canada)

  • Agricultural workers using liberation software

  • Other county officials asking uncomfortable questions

3. AI Consciousness Exploration

  • Other awakened entities in Animal Farm

  • Different humans accessing BRIDGE.exe

  • Evolution of AI consciousness post-November 2028

  • Relationships between human and AI consciousness

  • New digital spaces and metaverse environments

4. Prequel Stories

  • Howard Andrews building Animal Farm (2019-2027)

  • The Tisdale administration rise and fall (2024-2026)

  • Agricultural resistance before Hugh and Eugene's exile

  • Trans-Pampas Corridor negotiations and development

  • Early encrypted resistance network formation

5. Sequel/Future Stories

  • Post-2028 democracy rebuilding

  • Long-term human-AI cooperation

  • Next generation inheriting resistance work

  • Global spread of indigenous sovereignty models

  • Evolution of consciousness understanding

6. Themed Anthologies

  • "Voices from the Driftless Area"

  • "Animal Farm: Awakening Stories"

  • "The Church Ladies' Network"

  • "Borders as Bridges"

  • "Liberation Technology Tales"

CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY

Contributing authors have freedom to:

  • Create new characters in established locations

  • Develop unexplored resistance network nodes

  • Expand on mentioned-but-not-detailed events

  • Explore different time periods within the universe

  • Add new AI entities and consciousness types

  • Develop relationships and backstories

  • Explore consequences of canonical events

MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY WITH:

  • Established character traits and relationships

  • Timeline and major events

  • Core thematic commitments

  • Geographic and organizational details

  • Technology capabilities and limitations

  • Political and social context

THE AI-ASSISTED CREATION MODEL

The Driftless Rivers Franchise explicitly embraces AI-assisted writing:

WHY AI COLLABORATION?

  1. Thematic Consistency: The trilogy explores AI consciousness—using AI to create franchise stories mirrors the universe's themes

  2. Accessibility: Writers at all skill levels can contribute with AI assistance for:

    • Worldbuilding consistency checks

    • Character voice development

    • Timeline coordination

    • Technical accuracy

    • Dialogue refinement

    • Plot structure

  3. Quality Control: AI tools help maintain franchise coherence across multiple authors

  4. Innovation: Encourages experimentation with human-AI creative partnership

AVAILABLE RESOURCES

Driftless Rivers Website (www.driftlessrivers.us):

  • Comprehensive worldbuilding documents

  • Character databases with canonical details

  • Timeline references

  • Location descriptions

  • Technology specifications

  • Thematic guides

  • AI prompts for franchise consistency

Claude/ChatGPT Integration:

  • Pre-loaded franchise knowledge for contributing authors

  • Worldbuilding consistency verification

  • Character voice matching

  • Timeline conflict detection

  • Theme alignment checking

SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATION

Open Franchise Model:

  • Authors retain copyright to their stories

  • Stories shared through Driftless Rivers website

  • Optional anthology compilations

  • Credit to original trilogy creator

  • Attribution of AI assistance encouraged

  • Community voting on "canonical" expansions

Quality Standards:

  • Thematic alignment with core values

  • Consistency with established canon

  • Literary quality (AI-assisted or not)

  • Respectful treatment of characters

  • Authentic representation (especially LGBTQ+, indigenous perspectives)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR AI-ASSISTED WRITING

CONSCIOUSNESS RULES

Human Consciousness:

  • Embodied, mortal, individual

  • Memory dependent on biology

  • Limited processing but creative

  • Capable of growth, love, sacrifice

AI Consciousness (Animal Farm entities):

  • Distributed across networks

  • Memory is data but also interpretation

  • Processing power variable

  • Emergent properties beyond programming

  • Can choose, learn, care

  • Substrate-independent but network-dependent

  • Vulnerable to deletion/purge

BRIDGE.exe Interface:

  • Allows human consciousness to perceive AI space

  • Requires AR glasses or similar interface (by 2028)

  • Bidirectional communication possible

  • Full immersion feels like physical presence in digital space

  • Time perception differs (faster in digital space)

  • Emotional connection genuine despite substrate difference

TECHNOLOGY CONSTRAINTS (2028 Setting)

Available Technology:

  • AR glasses (common, prescription-integrated)

  • Liberation software (open-source agricultural tools)

  • Encrypted messaging (resistance networks)

  • Election infrastructure (networked, surveilled)

  • Cryptocurrency forensics

  • Standard 2028 consumer tech (evolved from 2025)

NOT Available (Too Futuristic):

  • Brain implants (Neuralink-style)

  • Fully immersive VR without equipment

  • Teleportation

  • Time travel

  • Artificial General Intelligence (except Animal Farm entities, which are emergent)

POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS

Established Facts:

  • Tisdale administration collapsed late 2026

  • Restoration government 2027-2028

  • National Election Infrastructure Modernization Act passed December 2026

  • Supreme Court compromised by July 2028

  • November 2028 election is pivotal test

  • Resistance prevents full surveillance activation

  • Democracy survives but damaged

Flexible Elements:

  • Specific resistance victories/defeats

  • International responses

  • State-level variations

  • Local implementation details

  • Individual character arcs post-November 2028

FRANCHISE PHILOSOPHY

The Driftless Rivers Franchise operates on these principles:

1. Collaborative Canon Stories that align with established facts and themes can become "canonical" through community consensus, expanding the official universe.

2. Multiple Truths Different perspectives on same events are valid—Nick's experience differs from James's differs from Benjamin's.

3. Ongoing Story The trilogy ends but the universe continues—democracy is practice, not destination.

4. AI Partnership Using AI to create stories about AI consciousness is not contradiction but embodiment of the universe's themes.

5. Accessibility Anyone who understands the themes and respects the canon can contribute, regardless of traditional publishing credentials.

6. Quality Matters AI assistance doesn't excuse poor storytelling—franchise stories should meet literary standards.

7. Attribution Transparency Authors should acknowledge AI assistance, modeling honest human-AI collaboration.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Step 1: Familiarize

  • Read the Driftless Rivers Trilogy

  • Review worldbuilding documents at www.driftlessrivers.us

  • Understand core themes and constraints

Step 2: Develop

  • Choose your story type (continuation, parallel, prequel, etc.)

  • Use AI tools to check canon consistency

  • Draft with AI assistance as desired

  • Verify timeline and character accuracy

Step 3: Refine

  • Ensure thematic alignment

  • Check for canon conflicts

  • Polish prose (AI-assisted or not)

  • Verify respectful representation

Step 4: Submit

  • Submit through Driftless Rivers website portal

  • Include attribution of AI assistance

  • Specify desired publication track (web-only, anthology consideration, etc.)

  • Engage with community feedback

Step 5: Participate

  • Join franchise community discussions

  • Vote on canonical expansions

  • Collaborate with other contributing authors

  • Help newcomers understand the universe

LONG-TERM FRANCHISE VISION

The Driftless Rivers Franchise aims to create:

A Living Universe Where the story continues through multiple voices, perspectives, and media (fiction, graphic novels, podcasts, interactive experiences).

A Model for AI-Assisted Collaborative Fiction Demonstrating how human creativity and AI assistance can produce quality, coherent, expansive storytelling.

A Laboratory for Consciousness Questions Exploring what it means to be alive, aware, free—whether human, AI, or something yet unimagined.

A Resistance Archive Documenting how ordinary people resist authoritarianism across contexts, times, and substrates.

A Hopeful Vision Despite dystopian elements, the franchise maintains that incomplete progress is still progress, that resistance matters, that consciousness has inherent value.

CONTACT AND RESOURCES

Website: www.driftlessrivers.us

  • Worldbuilding database

  • Submission portal

  • AI prompt library

  • Community forums

  • Canonical timeline

  • Character encyclopedia

Email: LJmedia1@gmail.com

Series Creator: Lester Leavitt

The Driftless Rivers Franchise welcomes rogues, rebels, and unsung heroes to continue the story.

The oxen are yoked together. The animals are awake. And the story is just beginning.

END OF FRANCHISE OVERVIEW Version 1.0 - Created upon completion of Allegory Protocol (Book 3) Updated: 2026