#❛ ⯎ plot ╱ the death; night and sorcery

[arminsumi]

Sleepyhead — 五夏

NOTE: idk if writing this made me sadder or was therapeutic either way let's cry together :')

SUMMARY — During your youth, you, Geto and Gojo made a magic charm that would reconnect the three of you in a different reality one day by a golden silk thread.

WARNINGS — not proofread, "just a dream" trope but really u just shifted realities and forgot your other life, angst, implied death / crossing over, based on the latest chapter bc i'm in pain and when i'm in pain i write 👍 sooo just in case: jjk manga spoilers (major char death, chapter 236)

Gojo caressed your cheek and muttered " You're such a pretty crier, but don't cry for me. Sh, I'm right here, baby, I'm right here. ", keeping his other hand intertwined with yours.

. . .

Your two eyes blinking out of a dream, coming back to reality. Or was it the other way around? Maybe you were awaking into a lucid dream.

At first it's a white space. A void. There's nothing but neutrality and emptiness. Then a golden silk thread is sewn across your chest. It leads down a corridor of white, one that stretches so far it almost feels like you're taking an infinite walk.

There's a door at the end, you open it. And all there is behind it is your old classroom, just as it was. There's Gojo Satoru, smiling that wide toothy smile like nothing in the world is wrong. And there's Geto Suguru, shaking his head and sighing a laugh over his best friend's ridiculousness. And there's Shoko Ieiri, peering over her folded arms as she rests her chin on the desk sleepily.

Walking obliviously into this memory while the real world continues on outside, you completely detach from reality and cross over. Why is it this memory ? It was such an ordinary day.

But it wasn't an ordinary day, you're mistaken; that day you wove a golden silk thread and imbued it with something, magic is a good word but no — it was an otherworldly "magic", something that's not sorcery.

You drift through this classroom memory, Gojo says hello and Geto smiles. Before you realize, you're floating past the exit door and enter another room — another memory.

It's then that you realize you're just drifting along the silk thread, hopping across each memory that you wove into it; their purpose to carry you over into another reality entirely.

More memories. More. And then some more. You're travelling through them, looking at them as if through a dream lens, half-detached, in a state of limbo. Not between life and death, but between realities where you're alive.

Maybe it was cruel.

The three of you leaving the world behind, shifting into different realities at your death, just so you could be happy and peaceful.

Final memories roll by, and you shift over; and in an instant, that whole journey seeps out of your mind.

You wake up just like any other day. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Gojo is crushing you with his weight, forcing you to blink awake and mumble groggily.

That was a long dream.

" Wakey wakey, sleepyhead — full body attack ! Okay, seriously, wake up. I want breakfast and I can't eat it unless you're with me. You know that. Why are you crying ? Did you have a nightmare ? Oh really ? What was it about ? "

Gojo follows you like a puppy throughout your morning routine. Though really, it feels like a mourning routine this time. Your chest feels so heavy, and you keep hugging him as if you haven't seen him in years.

" Hey, Suguru listen to Y/n's fucked up dream. It's insane, like a manga plot or some shit. Wish I had dreams of that. You should write it. "

" Oh ? Do tell. I'm curious. Aw, why the hug ? Y/n ? You okay ? Come on, let's make some pancakes. "

You watch the two of them in this ordinary habitat; Gojo lazing at the kitchen doorframe, talking about the awful ending to his favorite story.

" Y/n, you're zoning out. "

" Are you crying ?! "

" Sorry. I just missed you guys. I don't know why. "

" But we saw each other yesterday. We spent the whole night together. It was my birthday. "

" Yeah, and that's what's freaky; I feel like I just travelled for years. It feels surreal to look at the two of you. "

" Don't cry, come here. Satoru, take care of the pancake it's gonna burn. Y/n, wanna talk about it ? "

" No, I just want to hug you two. "

" GROUP HUG. "

" Satoru you're suffocating her. "

" Good group hugs are suffocating ! "

You stay with them in a long group hug. Everything feels alright.

" . . . the pancake is burning."

Suguru tends to it.

Satoru looks at you. " Cryin' ? Still ? Come here. You're so sensitive. "

He engulfs you in a hug again. Warm, soft, nice-smelling; this is definitely your ordinary reality. What a bizarre dream, though. Truly a bizarre dream.

" So how'd I die in your dream ? " he asks curiously.

" I don't want to talk about it. I just want to cry. " you choke, crying more into his chest. Suguru scolds him from the stove, while he scrapes burnt pancake batter off the pan.

Satoru looks down at you, cupping your one cheek, and says something that you swear you've heard before.

" Such a pretty crier. But don't cry for me. Sh, I'm right here, baby, I'm right here. "

© arminsumi

Do not plagiarize / repost / translate / copy layouts / etc.

Do not steal what I've worked hard to create.

[sorceresssundries]

Masterlist

Hey all! I'm Jourdane and here is my writing! It's mainly a collection of poetry from Gale's little journal. He has a lot of feelings. Poor guy.

Full list below, as there's quite a collection now!

Find my fics on AO3!

I've also have a ko-fi - Ko-fi.com/jourdane <3

The Tressym A Practiced Tongue A Dragonfly Dances My Sun and My Sea Mystra's Vow Dear Goddess Death's Door Hope Mourning The Strongest Spell Bloodweave The Dance of the Moon and the Spider Astarion's Contribution Specific Requests

For Elerra For Jared For Elspeth A Sonnet for the Bard Wedding Day For Auroria For Othello For Kara For Zagreus Submissions Tav's Note - By @mumms-the-word

Fics

Downpour - A Pride and Prejudice inspired, smutty, romantic one-shot.

Heatwave - Regency AU - It is the final social event of the summer season, and Tav has dressed poorly for a festival in the midst of a heatwave. Smutty One-shot.

A Battle of Wits - A short adventure where an arrogant wizard and a jaded cleric set off to find a suitable campsite, before running into trouble. SFW

Down by the River - The brain is defeated, the absolute halted, our heroes have won, and yet... victory isn't all it's cracked up to be. Angst. One-shot. SFW.

The Stars of Simril - Gale and Tav sit together on the night of Simril, stargazing and storytelling. One-shot. SFW.

The Rose of Reithwin - Gale surprises Tav with a bunch of red roses and a candlelit dinner. One-shot. SFW.

Gale Dekarios and the Rite of Resolve - A whip-cracking, fedora wearing, Indiana Jones inspired mini-adventure. 2 Chapters. NSFW

Shades of Green - This is inspired by Atonement, and contains elements of the book/film but with a different plot and in a different universe. Smutty One-shot

A Scandal in Sorcery - This work is a multi-chapter regency era/Baldur’s Gate crossover. Set in an Alternate Universe, containing familiar faces and key events in new light.

Revivify - A multi-chapter love story centred around the main plot of Baldur’s Gate 3, with an additional storyline for our female druid, Tav.

[blasphemousclaw]

If you don't mind me picking your brain, howdya think Rykard went from "ruthless justiciar" and head of the Inquisition to "These pagans are cool actually"

oh my god YES I was hoping someone would ask me about this one day because I think about this a lot

Essentially, I don’t think Rykard was ever truly an Erdtree zealot for several reasons.

Firstly, he has a unique background for someone who enforced Erdtree law: his mother is a legendary sorcerer, who once fought against the armies of the Erdtree in battle. Growing up as Rennala’s son, we know he distinguished himself as a talented glintstone sorcerer, an art once seen by the Erdtree forces as heretical. Basically, Rykard has heresy in his blood — I think his background gives him an inherent sympathy to other practices deemed heretical to the Golden Order. We know he developed an interest in reviving the “ancient hexes” of Mt. Gelmir, an interest which is specifically identified in the text as stemming from his mother’s influence:

“After discovering the ancient hexes of Gelmir, Rykard, son of Queen Rennala, brought them back into practical use as new forms of sorcery.”

Rykard comes from a long line of heretics, who instilled in him a sorcerer’s curiosity.

So why did Rykard become praetor in the first place? We don’t technically know at what point Radagon left Rennala, but I think it makes the most sense if Rykard was propelled to his position as praetor after his father became Elden Lord. While married to Rennala, Radagon was regarded as a “mere champion,” with Rykard and his siblings being royalty in Liurnia alone… it makes more sense that he’d rise to the position of chief justiciar in Altus after Radagon married Marika and he became a demigod step-child. Basically, he nepo-babied his way to a powerful government position… a position that gave him a prestigious reputation, a foothold in altus, and a standing army — more power than he ever could have achieved if he stayed in Liurnia, since his sister Ranni is stated to be the sole heir of Caria (Caria was likely matriarchal; it doesn’t seem like Ranni’s brothers stood to inherit much of anything).

There is also a relevant detail from the Blasphemous Claw description:

“On the night of the dire plot, Ranni rewarded Praetor Rykard with these traces. Should the coming trespass one day transpire, they would serve as a last-resort foil, allowing Rykard to challenge Maliketh the Black Blade, the black beast of Destined Death.”

Rykard colluding with Ranni before the Night of the Black Knives shows that Rykard’s later treason was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but something pre-meditated. Ranni rewarding Rykard with traces of the Rune of Death with the intention to challenge Maliketh indicates that the siblings shared talks of treason leading up to this event — while Rykard was still praetor.

Rykard performed his job with brutal efficiency to the point that he garnered a “ruthless” reputation. But I don’t think he ever did this job out of pure loyalty to the Erdtree; rather, I think he did this job because he will do absolutely anything to achieve power and to gain the upper hand. I think he always intended to build up strength so that he could eventually topple the Golden Order which he so chafed under and place himself in charge; a “worthy sovereign.” And I believe that just as Rykard’s position as praetor was a means to this end, so too was his obsession with the Great Serpent — an obsession that spiraled out of control into “mere greed” for power.

[howlingday]

Ruby, up and coming hero blessed with the Silver Eyes, has heard terrible news! A horrible fiend has invaded the lands! A demon, hailing from a long and cursed line, master of sorcery and steel, a silver tongued trickster, a slave master, a depraved incubus, foul crafts hiding under welcoming illusions, a keen mind of gears and schemes and plots within plots, stronger than iron and quicker than quicksilver, all this and more, has taken control of an abandoned fortress! Determined to boldly rid the lands of this foul taint, (and to prove to Yang she’s a big girl!) she sets off to confront the monster alone! (Bad girl! That’s the first rule of adventuring: don’t go it solo!)

Except, no???????? Jaune has never seen or heard of any ‘demon’ around here. He just moved in, trying to strike out on his own, but nothing seems to be cursed from what he can see. He seems nice enough too. He’s fixing up the old ruin, disabling traps, healing folks when they wander into his place, and all that. Strong, smart, endlessly kind. Talks about his family a lot, they look so happy in the photo. That crest looks familiar, but it’s probably nothing. Surely he’s not the monster, but she can sure use his help to slay the monster when she finds him!

You see, the Arcs are only labeled villains because they refused to kowtow to the government way back when. Their views on life, other races, virtues, and such also puts them at odds with the narrative. The Arcs also have higher standards before they allow their kids to go on adventures, so even the weakest is very strong even to other adventurers. Slightly inspired by the Mind Reaver comic strips by Edd Lai.

So, I decided to have a look into Mind Reaver by Edd Lai, and I have to say I love the idea. A Mind Flayer that's actually a good guy and helps people who wander into his house. It's cute, especially when his niece and... servant, I think? Anyway, it's all so cute, and I highly recommend y'all check it out. Anyway, on to the story.

===========================

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

JAUNE "SALEM'S PALADIN" ARC

REWARD ON APREHENSION

===========================

Ruby looked down at the wanted poster in her hand, carefully examining the features in the mugshot. She'd heard many stories about the Arc family, though much of it was told in the darkest of night as a warning to not stray too far from home, or to not stay up too late, or to file your taxes on time. His jawline was coated in thick hair, and his blue eyes gazed death into the soul of those who view them. There were many other tales, too, like how he'd sway any woman into being his slave, take cannon fire with his bare body, and would even subject whole armies with his sorceries.

Ruby looked up from the poster to see the baby-faced man sitting across from her at the table. She'd found him, demanding to engage in honorable combat between warriors! His response was, "Can we get coffee first?" Ruby agreed and watched as he sipped from his mug after waiting for to cool.

"Ooh!" He winced. "Still kinda hot."

"Uh..."

"Oh, sorry!" He then handed her a napkin. "I think I forgot to split our share."

"No, you already did." Ruby shook her head. "Besides, there's more important stuff going on here!"

"More important how?"

"I mean like this!" She slapped the wanted poster onto the table, earning a groan from him.

"Not another one." He shook his head. "Can we finish our coffee first?"

"I... I guess?" Ruby shrugged. "But why aren't you all... Y'know, big and scary and trying to mind-break me?"

"...Because I can't?" He asked more than he said. He then took the poster in his massive, clawed hands. Each finger was about the size of a breakfast sausage. "I really wish they would get a new picture. They make me look like a monster in this."

"Aren't you?" Ruby asked.

"Half." He answered. "Well, kinda sorta. You see, my great-great-great-"

Ruby whirled her fingers in a wheel as he rounded off each great in his ancestor's name. She'd heard a lot of tales about monsters and humans and faunus getting together, except for the Grimm, who were mindless beasts of destruction. What usually came from these unions was either monster or human or faunus, but on rare occasions, half-monsters would be born. These creatures were then cast out of the village upon their discovery, usually ending with their own demise. It was sad and cruel, but terribly not uncommon.

"-great-grandma Salem, the mother of all Grimm."

"Wait, I thought Grimm couldn't reproduce."

"They can't, but she can. Or could, since she hasn't had any kids since The Great Tear." Open in dimensions from a huge magical clash, brought monsters into Remnant, new age of war, magic, and adventure for everyone. Ruby knew it well enough from the stories. "Ooh! Still hot." He chuckled, after wincing from another sip of hot coffee.

"Okay, so then why is everyone after you? Half-monsters don't usually have posters, unless they commit a crime."

"Well, I didn't."

"You didn't?"

"He did." Ruby whirled in her seat to find a young woman standing in the doorway to the coffee shop. She stepped in with guards trailing behind her, all heavily armored, while she herself wore an elegant officer's jacket. "Jaune Arc, I am placing you under arrest in the name of the Schnee Dust Queendom."

"What did I do?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, what did he do?" Ruby asked.

Snapping her fingers, a heavy, white book was brought to her hands. Opening it, the pages fluttered until they landed on a pair of pages with Jaune's name and mugshot on them. Clearing her throat, she began.

"Corrupting the minds of the youth."

"Hey, Mr. Whitley asked me to tutor him!"

"Silence!" She barked, her face growing a bit red. "Seducing a high ranking officer of the Schnee Dust Queendom."

"Your mother was a nice woman! She kissed me first!"

"I said shut up!" Her face grew even more red. "And public indecency while resisting Queendom duties."

"You fired a cannon at me!"

"And stripped yourself bare in an attempt to intimidate us."

"MY CLOTHES WERE BURNED OFF!"

"AND I SAID SHUT UP!" Face completely red, she tossed the book behind her in a fury. "You will surrender yourself at once, Salem's Paladin!"

"Oh, come- I don't even know Salem!" He defended. "I've never even met my great-great-great-great-"

"Great." Ruby groaned. "You got him started again."

"And who are you?"

"Ruby Rose, bounty hunter." She smiled. "Who are you?"

"Queen-Heiress-Apparent Weiss Schnee," she huffed, "and I'm taking this criminal in."

"Nuh-uh."

"What do you mean, 'nuh-uh'?"

"I mean nuh-uh."

"-great-great-great-grandma Salem!"

"Did you add two greats on there?" Ruby asked.

"Enough!" Weiss snarled. "You are both being brought into custody!"

"Aw, really? But couldn't we have... coffee?" Ruby winked at Jaune.

"No, we can't." Weiss answered.

"Jaune!" Ruby whined. "You were supposed to throw coffee on her!"

"Excuse me?!" Weiss screeched.

"Yeah, excuse you?!" Jaune reeled back. "Why would I do that?!"

"Because it'd be totally cool, like in an action comic!" Ruby reasoned.

"But it would hurt her!"

"THAT'S THE POINT!"

"ENOUGH!"

The cafe rumbled as white circles covered the walls and floors. An angry Schnee huffed in and out of her nose as she pulled out her rapier. Behind her, soldiers readied their guns on the two. Ruby glanced to Jaune, who gulped at the sight. Looks like she was going to do this alone.

"Are you sure you don't want coffee? It's really good~!" Ruby sang.

"Oh, please," Weiss rolled her eyes, "do you really think you can throw coffee on me now that I'm aware that's your- ARGH! BIG NICHOLAS FUCK!" She held her face as very, very, very, very, very warm coffee splashed onto her face.

Ruby took the cue and grabbed Jaune. Together, the two weaved through gunfire as yellow and red petals fluttered to the floor. The two had successfully made their escape, and it seemed the soldiers inside were easily distracted, too, as they began barking orders at one another. One of them actually barked like a dog, too, which was weird.

"AFTER THEM!" The barking died as the Schnee roared over them all.

Weiss used a blanket of napkins to wrap around ice dust and held it to her face. One guard remained behind, holding her book. Through her anger, she gave him an order that would turn the world upside down for Ruby and Jaune.

"I want wanted posters in every kingdom," she seethed, "and I want that Demon Couple locked up YESTERDAY!"

[orphanheirs]

Official WIP Intro Post

General Stuff:

Working title: Lambswool

Genre: dark fantasy, gothic horror, folk horror, historical fiction

Quick run down: In regency England, a misfit half-demon child belonging to a species of beings who guard the doors between the world(s) of the living and the dead enters the mortal world. An amateur magician unleashes an entity determined to tear apart the delicate balance between realms. Shit hits the fan.

Vibes: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Over the Garden Wall, The Witch, Interview With the Vampire (movie), The Company of Wolves, The Secret Garden, Sleepy Hollow, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Labyrinth, Return To Oz

POV: Multiple POVs, third person, interlaced with diary entries and letters--so partially an epistolary novel

Some themes: death, breaking the cycle of generational trauma, forging one's own identity, adolescence, being the black sheep, being the sacrificial lamb, found family, isolation, anti-capitalism/colonialism, queerness, oppression, the "other", inversion of normativity, the predator archetype, "the empowered child", control/power, grappling with fate and history, making the future, etc...

Features: character driven, nobody's really the "hero" or "good guy" (whole point is everyone's a person/being the world traditionally sees as "wicked" or "evil"), fairies, witchcraft, sorcery, Stonehenge, romanticism, castles, ruined monasteries, graveyards, magic lantern shows, hearth cooking, early industrial revolution, early science, ballrooms, candelabras, desolate moors, ghosts, demons, consumption, melancholia, friends who are each others' beloathed, souling/trick-or-treating, dandies, dying 19th century waifs taking control of their own destiny, time travel, pretty dresses, the taste of butter, deals with the devil AND MORE

Story:

Set-up: England, 1810. The nation has reached a strength and prosperity never before seen, and advancements in technology and science are rapidly pushing the 18th century into the dizzying 19th. Industrialization is changing the fabric of life in hardly conceivable ways, and amidst the rise of capitalistic modernity it seems the belief in a lively and ever-present spirit world --so ubiquitous in previous centuries-- is under serious threat. But with upsets like mass crop failures, the ongoing Napoleonic wars, and multiple uprisings in recent memory, anxieties in this rapidly changing world are high, with some turning to evangelicalism and reactionary moralizing. Many believe the end of the world must be near arrival. Meanwhile, the world continues to largely be lit by fire, and one must still use the moon to light their way on a country road at night. And in the country there are those who still believe in quaint things like the Fair Folk and practice primitive charms. And in these dark places, in these cracks between the veil, tucked in the corners of the tangible, there are ancient supernatural forces yet lying in wait to stake their claim on the land of the living once again.

Plot (will change/be added to as I develop more): A dying child summons a demon in his bedroom to help him run away from home and finds himself bound to serve the spirit. After spending his whole life within the walls of his family's mansion, he's simultaneously thrust into both the mortal world of his time and into that of the Other Side. After some time spent feverishly drinking from the cup of life to the point of excess with the encouragement of his new demon companion and plunging headfirst into delicious immoral behavior that flies in the face of the oppressive society of his time, he thinks he's made himself a pretty good deal. But soon he learns that the demon is interested in involving him in more than just juvenile delinquency, and in fact intends to usher in a new era where evil spirits, the dead, and Other Things will freely meddle with and torment the living. What's more, there's a species of guardian spirits who have previously prevented this from happening--ones who open and close the door between worlds in a controlled manner, ones who, particularly, steward the yearly lifting of the veil that occurs on Halloween/Samhain. And the demon intends to destroy them all, starting with a young member of their race who has foolishly entered the mortal realm, thus breaking an ancient covenant. The child is sent to search for and manipulate this being into the demon's clutches, which he finds more difficult than he anticipated when he accidentally makes the first friend he's ever had in the process. The two then journey around England, with the human child acting as the being's guide through messy mortal life. Together they survive off of the victuals they scare out of hapless cottagers they haunt along the way while the demon works to recruit more earthly and unearthly helpers to its scheme. It all leads up to a climax where the fate of the worlds, and of Halloween, is decided. There's also definitely going to be subplots and backstories.

Characters (so far) with example images:

Tristan:

A sickly, precocious 12 year old shut up in the gilded, but stifling halls of his family's country estate, Tristan is determined to do ANYTHING to liberate himself and live some life before he drops dead from his ailments. Even if it means summoning dark forces to help him escape into the outside world. Even if it means serving the infernal entity he conjured and helping it carry out its nefarious schemes. In fact this suits Tristan just fine. That is until he meets the demon's number one target.. [Tag: #tristan]

Crispin:

[combine image 1 and 2 in your head to get an idea of Crispin's unhuman appearance.]

A young member of a species of demon/human hybrids who strive to keep balance between the spirit and mortal realms. About 10 years old in mortal time. About ??? years old in nonmortal time. He escapes the horrors of his family's Hellish castle located in a limbo-like space, and enters our world. In 1810 his clothing and speech are about 200 years out of date. His nature differs from others of his species, so when he stumbles upon mortals, he yearns to join in with them..which is made a just a bit difficult owing to his monstrous appearance and the fact that doing so goes against every tenet of his kind. [Tag: #crispin]

Demon/Spirit (no name yet):

A Being of mysterious and extremely antique origin. Banished and chained beneath a neolithic ritual site for thousands of years due to its destructive intentions and dangerous power. Freed by the summoning of a little shit named Tristan. Takes the form of a comely young man. Immediately intends on being up to no good again; might fuck around and usher in the apocalypse. [Tag: #cult]

Witch (no name yet):

A seeress, cunning woman, and good old fashioned witch, she's a young woman living in an isolated cottage at the edge of a wood leading into Faerie. She finds herself the reluctant keeper of a half-demon charge who Shouldn't Be Here. She has to deal with all the challenges involved with rearing an inhuman child, on top of preventing him from wriggling out of her grasp and into the company of other humans. She instructs Crispin in mortal magic and gives him the first affection he's ever gotten. [Tag: #teacher]

Lamia:

Crispin's elder sister. A more typical example of their species, she is vicious, cruel, and perfectly at home in the house of horrors they grow up in. Nevertheless, she is fascinated by Crispin, and, dissatisfied/bored with the way their family operates, sets out after him for some fun. [Tag: #lamia]

Emrys:

A vagabonding sin eater of indeterminate age because he looks young, but is so ragged and worn down it's hard to tell. He performs an old and fading tradition as yet kept up in country places, which he believes has damned him to Hell. Meets the other characters on his/their wanderings and gets drawn into everything, resulting in a pretty intense identity crisis. [Tag: no tag yet]

Setting/tags:

Setting: Regency England/British Isles--a good chunk of the action takes place in the countryside of the southwestern English county of Wiltshire. Later the action moves to London. May also be other locations, such as Scotland or Ireland or maybe even America-- not sure of how big the scope is going to be yet. [Tags: #setting, #interior, #countryside, #woods, #england, #dailylife, #regency, #wiltshire, and more...] Will also be delving into different realms, such as faerie.

Other tags: #occult, #stonecircle, #cemetery, #fairies, #witchcraft, #halloween, #pagan, #mythology, #folklore, #ancient, #mementomori and so on...

"Soundtrack" playlist:

Wow, if you read this whole thing thank you so much!! I'm psyched to finally get this intro out and give you guys a more general overview of the story. Can't wait to share a whole lot more!!!

{All footage in the video above taken by me at my local cemetery/historic site. The song used is "May Song" by Martin Carthy. All the art used is historical.}

[wicked-witch-for-hire]

Literary references in Gale's selection remarks

I. Theatrical plays (Shakespeare & Walter Scott)

- A rough tempest I will raise. - Shakespeare - Tempest, - this is a mash-up of two quotes:

In Act V, Scene 1, Prospero uses the phrasing "when first I raised the Tempest". In the same scene, he recites a soliloquy about the great works of magic he has accomplished, before finally renouncing magic altogether: " ... But this rough magic I here abjure ..."

This is an incredibly apt sentence for Gale - one can interpret this tempest as his magical capabilities or just the calamity of the orb, or even his end game choice. The whole play which begins with a shipwreck might be compared to the plot of BG3.

- What fools these mortals be. - Puck - A Midsummer Night’s Dream

- All the world's my stage and you're just a player in it. Shakespeare, again. As You Like It Link

- Oh, what a tangled Weave we web! - riff on a quote from Sir Walter Scott's play Marmion.

The original quote is "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"

II. Pop-cult

- Swords, meet sorcery!

This is a reference to the term "Swords & Sorcery" which was coined by F. Leiber (author of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series) in 1961. Quoting from wiki: Sword and sorcery (S&S) or heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Sword and Sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of 'good vs evil' in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny.

- Gone with the Weave.

I think this is just a reference to the term "Gone with the wind" but not infamous book, lol.

- No gloom, all doom.

Riff on the popular expression "gloom & doom".

III. Religion

- Seek and you shall find me.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7–8 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

While I don't think Gale is our Lord and Saviour, this is an interesting line. I would not be surprised if the writers had also remarked on his peculiar resemblance to someone...so I think this is an inside joke.

- Let me recite their demise.

This alludes to the custom of reciting prayers for the dying and the dead (a common practice in Abrahamic religions).

IV. D&D homages & references

- Don't make me go all Edwin Odesseiron on you.

So Edwin was a possible companion in BG1 & 2. A lawful evil red wizard of Thay. If you have seen the new movie I don't need to explain further, but for those who don't: basically Lorroakan as a companion. He greets the protagonist with this: “ Greetings. I am Edwin Odesseiron. You simians may refer to me merely as "sir" if you prefer a less... syllable-intensive workout."

Gale basically threatens to go all power-hungry wizard on us - mind, this is a funny line you can only hear if you select him in combat over and over again (spamming).

- I hope Halaster takes good care of Tara while I'm away.

Halaster Blackcloak was was a notorious, ancient, and utterly insane wizard who resided within his lair, the infamous Undermountain ( located deep beneath the city of Waterdeep) and died in 1375, so circa 120 years before BG3 takes place (late 1492). As part of his many preparations to escape death, Halaster created a number of clone-bodies to receive his consciousness, which he kept locked in protective stasis and located throughout Undermountain and the lower reaches of Waterdeep. When Halaster died prior to the Spellplague, it was possible that one or more of these clones was activated and set free by 1479 DR, although this is not confirmed.

I guess this must be a joke in wizard's circle in Waterdeep :-) This is also a spam line, so one can only hear it if they really like to click on Gale.

- Coliar, Karpri, Anadia... So many worlds still to travel. One day. (looking at the astrolabe)

Coliar, Kapri, Anadia - are all planets in the system (Realmspace). Toril is the third planet, where Faerun is. To reach these places you need to use spelljammers. Gale needs to hitch a hike from Lae'zel I guess.

[mother-liquor]

Some Sunless Sea (Chapter 1)

Pairing: captain!Hongjoong x gn!welder!reader 

Plot/Theme: After Death of The Outsider/Magical Steampunk

Warning: English is not my first language

Word Count: 1.8k

Author-note: I’m new ATINY so I don't quite grasp the concept of the group and their characters. The MC is supposedly my mute OC but I will make it as general as possible becoming Y/N.

Genre-note: It could be “Romantic or Platonic” according to your interpretations. I take a lot of details from Dishonored (video game) and inspirations from Treasure Planet (movie) settings.

Hongjoong : captain

Seonghwa : navigator

Yunho : quarter master

Yeosang : surgeon

San : gun slinger

Mingi : sail master

Wooyoung : cook

Jongho : boatswain

“The High Artificer has found a way to melt the stars.” - Yunho

"You have lost to politics." - Seonghwa

"Even though they made a discovery, they will keep them from anyone. That kept each nation from developing itself, industrially and militarily." - Yeosang

"What makes people want to reach space?" - Mingi

"We have an untouchable ocean and unexplorable continent." - Seonghwa

“It really sounds legendary but honestly I think it’s not more than a tale.” - Jongho

"There are land whales and flying serpents in Pandyssia. People will not crawl on the moon any time soon." - San

"So, we can't get this ship to fly? What if the tale is true?" - Wooyoung 

“That person must be working in restricted areas.” - Mingi

"You mean The High Artificer?" - Yunho

"Yup." - Mingi 

“We can break all the curbs and blast them.” - San

"How can we get richer than the Empire when you turn all coins into fire?!". - Wooyoung

As usual, the crew banter while Hongjoong takes his time admiring the sunset. The energy shifts between day and night. A renewal moment for the notorious pirate captain.

"Should we go for an inspection? We have already reached Gristol." - Seonghwa asks Hongjoong.

"I heard his name was Bartholomew. But I assumed he died and has been replaced by someone more proficient." - Hongjoong 

"Well a lot is happening after the young Empress rule again." - Yunho

"She is known as The Just, The Clever." - Mingi

[A while later]

"We're arriving in Potterstead." - Mingi

"I thought we are meeting the Empress in Dunwall." - Wooyoung

"Well, I shall crown you the Emperor first." - Hongjoong

[After loading in port]

"San and I will go to the black market. Seonghwa and Wooyoung will go to the fresh market. Yeosang and Yunho will go for maintenance supplies. Mingi and Jongho will go looking for extra janitors."  - Hongjoong 

"Okay time for non-sailing job." - Mingi

[At the black market]

"Hyung, are we lost?" - S

"This is exploration, San." - H

"The town looks crowded." - S

"It's a busy business port." - H

"Look, hyung, I can see the sign." - S

"Finally." - H [Rush] 

The shopkeeper is intrigued by the new faces. "Oh, welcome, how can I help you?"

Underground, Hongjoong can distinguish shabby and tidy appearance. This person seems rather natty for a black market shopkeeper (BMS).

"Yes, let me have a look." - S

After San gets some ammunities, Hongjoong notices a wristbow from the shopkeeper's sleeve.

"Can I commission the weapon on your wrist?" - H

"Sorry, Sir. This is not for sale." - BMS

"Why not?" - H

"It requires a masterwork blueprint." - BMS

"How much does it cost to make yours?" - H

"Smashing smoke, some sorcery, and special steel." - BMS

"I see, it requires delicate work and material. I will grant your price." - H

"1000 coins for a six day process." - BMS

"How about I give you 2000 so I can get it in three days?" - H

"I will try for a sneaky businessman." - BMS

Hongjoong grabs one of the shop bar, putting a gold ingot on the counter. His sudden move makes the shopkeeper study his face.

"Do you need my name for it?" - H

"Only if you want your name on the wristbow." - BMS

"You can put 'DESTINY' on it." - H

"Alright Mr. Destiny. May you always look sharp." - BMS

Sharp, Hongjoong likes that. Unfortunately, San is still concentrating on how to remember their way back to the ship and doesn't catch his captain smirking a little on the way.

"I hope we can meet again outside the Velentzas (secured shop counter bars brand)." - H in his mind

"Any good news from the streets?" - San

"A bunch of loud, affectionate, and tired men." - Seonghwa 

"The Empress has ordered the dissolution of Abbey." - Yunho

"HA??" - Wooyoung

"The High Overseer became insane and a mess showed up." - Yeosang

"What mess?" - Mingi

"After Emily Kaldwin announced the dissolution of the Abbey of the Everyman, Void rifts appeared shortly." - Seonghwa

"Void rifts?" - Wooyoung 

"A crack between two worlds." - Yunho

"That sounds like a harmless portal." - Jongho

"No, it is destroying everything in its path." - Yunho

"Wait, that means no High Overseer, no High Artificer." - Yeosang 

"They are all gone! We can't go to space!" - Wooyoung 

"Is this the end of the world? The end of Aarde?" - San

"Why is there a Void rift in the first place." - Hongjoong

"I heard from a mercenary that the Outsider is no more. " - Mingi

"How do you know that?" - Hongjoong 

"I rented her skiff. She told me to be cautious about the current situation." - Mingi

"There are dangers lurking." - Seonghwa

"This is too much fear for a short time. I need my rich sleep time." - Wooyoung 

"Why does the Isle suddenly go into pieces?" - Yunho

"It is not suddenly, it is gradually expected like the Roseburrow Industries." - Hongjoong 

From my understanding of the Empire, Dunwall holds the refining processes necessary to give whale oil its full potential. The disappearance of whale oil as a power source evokes the discovery of another type of fuel. We only see slaughterhouses in Karnaca, but no oil refinery. As I see it, the companies in Dunwall and the ruling Empress, or Emperor, before controlled the state of industrialism of each nation by keeping that science for themselves. But the whales started to become scarce around quickly, which led to a whale oil rationing by official decree by now. 

The next day, Hongjoong and Jongho went to the Estate District. 

"We're going to deliver goods for the Boyles." - H

"They're still in business?" - J

"The plague makes some of the richest getting richer." - H

(Arriving at the Estate District)

"Such a fine estuary." - J

"That's why we dress up nicely today." - H

"Why are they watching us?" - J

"High treasure, high patrol." - H

Hongjoong shows the guard his cameo with the name "EE" and a figure. The guard recognises it as Emperor Euhorn special seal.

"Let them pass." - Guard

"How did you get that thing?" - H

"A collection of my treasure." - J

Reaching the Boyle's mansion, they are welcomed by the sight of a beautiful garden, white stone building, and clean air much different from the port atmosphere. A woman in a fine suit approaches them.

"Captain Hongjoong." - Lydia 

They sit at the garden chairs.

"Lady Boyle. Thank you for the hospitality." - H

"Oh I am sorry, the house is still on preparation for a party." - L

"The Pennant Festival?" - H

"Yes. I hope it will be frolic after people recover from the plague. It has never been the same since those days. I'm sure the world will recover." - L

"I hope so." - H

"So, what can I help you with?" - L

"I come to deliver the oud wood from the Pandyssian desert. It already extracted for convenient use. Your package." - H

"Oh, thank you. I remember also to give you this." She hands a letter with the Chief of the City Watch seal, Samantha Nathaniels.

"This can make you enter Dunwall with your ship. And also this" She hands a pouch of pearls and ingots.

"I can make my mansion scented otherworldly for the party. Memorable." - L

"Thank you. We shouldn't take too much of your time." - H

"You should come in two days. I cordially invite you and your friends may come too." Lydia hands an invitation.

"Should I bring any surprises?" - H

"I heard that pirates sing sea shanties the magical way." - L

"You expect a performance." - H

"Many talented people gone, to be honest, I also wonder what kind of adventure you can bring out of the ship." - L

They excuse theirself from the mansion area.

"Let's get some stuff first." - H

"What stuff? A map?" - J

"Another blueprint and yes, a rundown map of the Festival." - H

"What kind of blueprint?" - J

"One I commissioned from The Royal Morley Constabulary." - H

"A military grade? San will be delighted." - J

(I can't interpret from the game and wiki perspective what kind of status is Lady Boyle in the story. At first, I thought they were three wives of Lord Boyle. After I learn again, they are sisters or different women, idk. But, I take their personality to my story, not accurate with the game plot.)

***

"Wait, it was a water desalination unit?" - Jongho 

"Yeah, we need fresh water." - Hongjoong 

"I thought it was a weapon or bomb." - San

"Why?" - Wooyoung 

"Because we are not spending the rest of our life with sea water for bath." - Seonghwa 

"It's time to not get stinky." - Yunho 

"It's just a fragment. We need a real engineer." - Hongjoong 

"Or we can make Wooyoung goes to engineering school." - Mingi

"But, Mingi is smart." - Wooyoung 

"Can we just extract the knowledge somewhere?" - Yeosang 

"How about everyone gets a copy and look around town so we can get a person who can actually work with it." - Hongjoong 

"I'm not going." - Mingi

"Whoever has the result first can…." - Hongjoong 

(This sentence turn on their competitive brain and all of them all gone)

***

At night, the black market shopkeeper (you) takes a stroll to a nearby tidal creek. You have made a small battery from salt water. It started with making voltameter from an industrial commission. Saltwater batteries have a lower energy density than whale oil tanks, meaning they store less energy in the same amount of space. But you decide this option is more cost efficient especially for the increasing whale scarcity and the official restrictions.

It is absolutely revolting scenery especially with the darkness and smell. You wish you could feel mountain quality fresh water. 

"Ubun-Ubun." You called your familiar ride. A magical whale shark with stars sparkling across its body. You fly to harvest some water from the clouds instead with your magic.

Gristol is a temperate land known for its rolling green hills and foggy meadows. Spending time in the air is always refreshing. Unfortunately you can't do this during the day time. People might get panicked. It feels like stealing the rain.

Neither of you or your ride sense the presence of a flying ship. Well, there are no street lights up here. You didn't notice but Hongjoong saw you. He put his spyglass down. No words, he only gazes at the sky with a wonder-struck face. 

[blaiddfailcam]

Marika and Radagon as two wills

What's intriguing about Marika and Radagon's dynamic is that it's not as simple as the two of them being a single shapeshifting character, or that Radagon was created by Marika to do her bidding. Rather, they appear to be two individuals born in two separate bodies, possessing two minds and two wills, locked in a battle of ideals even after fracturing into one being.

As Goldmask's final cogitation reveals in the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, the singular god embodied by the duo is perpetually vacillatory. Even as far back as the 2019 teaser trailer, Marika and Radagon are depicted not in cooperation, but in contest. With each drop of the hammer upon the Elden Ring, the two alternate their intents—Marika attempting to destroy Order, and Radagon to repair it.

Erstwhile, Marika and Radagon lead two separate lives, even if seemingly cooperating in a clandestine plot to immortalize the Age of the Erdtree. While Marika was married to Godfrey, Radagon fulfilled his role as conqueror of the Carian lineage, binding the moon and stars to the fate of the Golden Order. Though Marika was elected an Empyrean by the Two Fingers and ascended to godhood, Radagon was no more than a human champion descended from the dwindling monks who were tasked with guarding the giants' flame.

This dynamic is shared by an unusual pair of characters: the twins known as D. Darian and Devin are referred to as twins, sensing each other's shared existence, yet the two have never met nor spoken. Like Marika and Radagon, they occupy two bodies and two minds, yet they share one soul. Naturally, they were welcomed as servants of the Golden Order and adherants to Gurranq's hunt for Those Who Live in Death, an unsurprising detail given the god of the Golden Order is, like them, a singular entity in two bodies.

Unlike D, however, Marika and Radagon were ultimately in conflict.

As one god

Though the two of them married to produce Miquella and Malenia before fracturing into one, it would seem this was not out of any desire to share their godhood, but as a sort of gamble. Gideon Ofnir implores that Marika had devised a trap for the Tarnished, locking them in an eternal conflict under the false promise of becoming Elden Lord; Roderika is convinced that Marika cursed Hewg to forge an impossible weapon to slay a god, and begs you to kill her. What neither of them have learned is that Marika is already long dead, crucified and impaled on what appears to be a shard of Destined Death, while Radagon survives, preventing the Tarnished from instilling their vision upon the Elden Ring.

Though we never interact with Marika directly, one facet of her character that crops up in several instances is her anguish following the assassination of her son, Godwyn the Golden. It is mentioned briefly in Ranni's narration in the story trailer, and again in late-game dialogue with Gideon. What's more, Marika's Soreseal, found in Elphael, illustrates Marika's fate as a gnawing curse. Where Radagon is often spoken of as an unwavering zealot, Marika's faith is fleeting, collapsing all upon the Night of the Black Knives.

Could it be that Marika truly wished for an end to Order, and that her temporary exile of the Tarnished was a gambit to undermine the Greater Will? Did Radagon use this to his advantage, trusting the task of slaying the demigods and burning the Erdtree too lofty an ambition for a lowly warrior? Was Marika's offer to fuse with Radagon a means to restrain him within the Erdtree upon her death? Did Radagon agree to this purely so that he could become a god at last and achieve total order?

All things yearn to converge

A chief characteristic of the Golden Order is the ability to adapt the contrivances in the disparate philosophies and faiths of the Lands Between. This was, after all, Radagon's purpose for marrying Rennala and mastering glintstone sorcery before joining Marika. In a sense, Marika and Radagon could be utilizing this concept of adaptation to subvert each other's will, an irony that allows the Golden Order to sustain itself through contradiction.

Even if Marika sought to shed her curse as a slave to the Greater Will, her trespass was essential in generating the conditions that would sustain the Erdtree. On the contrary, Radagon becoming a god sealed his fate, granting the Tarnished a glimmer of hope that they might fulfill the false prophecy.

In the end, the destiny of the Lands Between rests entirely upon the shoulders of the fateless Tarnished.

[authoralexharvey]

A Sharper, More Lasting Pain, a novel by @space-cadead

The Basics

GENRE - dark fantasy, dark academia, high fantasy

INSPIRATIONS - Bloodborne, Dungeons & Dragons, The Radium Girls, Sorcery of Thorns

POV - third-person limited (present tense), alternating POV

TAGS, THEMES, AND TROPES - (dark) academia, authority and its abuse of power, conspiracies, fighting fate, lgbtq, magic, manipulation, memory alteration, monsters, one-night stand to lovers, runic/sigil magic, the inevitability of death

CONTENT WARNINGS - body horror, chronic illness, drug use, mild kink, sex, terminal illness (ish), violence

STATUS - first draft, currently at 25k words

THE CHARACTERS

Simone Allard, a second-year Abjuror who loves getting to the heart of a matter. An over-achiever, they often work themself to the point of exhaustion to get the answer they seek.

Nadia DuPont, a third-year Diviner who is tired of this shit. Despite near-constant sickness, she considers herself the life of the party.

Etienne LaChance, a third-year Evocator and Nadia’s best friend. Around the time of her disappearance, a monster critically wounds him and leaves him for dead.

SUMMARY

After their girlfriend’s best friend is wounded in a monster attack, Simone Allard stumbles across a plot much deeper than they anticipated. As they work to find a cure to their own forming illness and find out the truth, two questions remains: where is Nadia, and how was she involved in all of this?

Nadia DuPont doesn’t know how much time she has or even what is ailing her, but it all gets more complex after meeting Simone on a field trip. As they both race to find a cure, Nadia's certain of one thing: Simone will be the source of her ruin.

LINKS

First Lines

Cover Reveal

Read it on Wattpad

TAGLIST (ASK TO BE ADDED)

@magic-is-something-we-create , @wildswrites , @chishiio @westcountrygothic @writeblrsupport @original-writing

[christinethalassinou]

Some Darth Vowrawn headcanons

Feel free to use them for your own stuff if you’d like.

1) He’s a very educated and smart Sith. Has an MA degree (or the Empire equivalent of it) in Economics and a BA degree in General Medicine; he’s never specialized in any particular field, though, he can best use this knowledge as a field medic, for example

2) Also an expert of Sith sorcery, rituals, and Sith history

3) They’re best friends with Darth Malgus and Darth Marr, in fact, Marr and Vow share a Force-bond no one in the Galaxy knows about

4) Vow is a true extrovert, he feels the best (and safest) with his friends, and he’s a social person in general who likes good parties and delicious food. The only reason Marr or Malgus doesn’t go with him to these parties to keep their eyes on him is that they know that Vow practically can’t get drunk due to his highly developed sorcery skills. He can purge every and any kind of poison from his system in no time

5) Vow is a chill, friendly Sith, he’s easy to get along with but make no mistake: he can and will murder anyone to death if needed; however, he’s much more the political plays and plots type of Sith, he’s not into straight-up murder

6) He’s not a lightsaber-expert by any means, and both Marr and Malgus had given up long ago to teach him

7) He’s a fan of warm, soft, comfy things, be it clothes, pillows or any kind of furniture; his bed is a great example, for it’s enough for 4 people at least and is stuffed with a dozen of fluffy pillows and warm blankets. It’s Vow’s favourite place on his free days

8) He’s filthy rich, coming from an old, influential Sith family

9) Sometimes he goes back to the Korriban Academy ,both for research and to run a course or two in advanced Sith sorcery for the students

10) He most probably has a few kids on different planets of the Galaxy, and even in Kaas City, since he’s not the one to turn down an offer of a fun one-night stand, but no one has ever tried to approach him for child support. Ironically enough, he’s one of the very few Sith Lords who would pay it without a complaint, feeling genuinely responsible for the well-being of his kid

[the2dboi]

My Idea for a Nightwing series

In this universe there were 2 Robins active at the same time, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, 18 and 16 respectively, they had been fighting together for three years now, they were inseparable, but the “Death in the family” storyline happens, Jason finds out the Joker kidnapped his mom, and here he tell Dick about it, he warns him that it might be a trap, but Jason doesn’t listen, Dick has a chance to stop him before he sneaks out but he decides not to. after this the whole thing happens and Jason “dies”.

Batman and him are at the sentencing of the Joker after he captures him (As Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson), after the court declares him mentally unstable, the Joker is sent to Arkham, all while he’s grinning at Bruce and Dick. The Joker once again is sentenced to Arkham. Dick is mad at the ruling so he plans to sneak into Arkham to kill the Joker, Bruce finds out about this and goes to stop him, Dick, as Robin still, gets into the Joker’s cell and starts choking him with his staff, his eyes filled with rage and tears, Batman comes in and gets Robin off the Joker, they start having a heated discussion, like the one Bruce and Red Hood had in Under the Red Hood, all while the Joker taunts Dick, he has enough of this and goes for a killing blow, but then Batman acts desperately and shoots a kind of taser gun at Robin (let’s say it’s a powered up version) leaving Robin unconscious and with a huge scar on his chest (in the shape of a bird *wink*), they go back to the Batcave and there when Dick wakes up he starts fighting with Bruce again, the argument ends and he finally decides to leave Gotham and go to Bludhaven with the excuse of going to college. This is the first episode, after that we get a 2 year time skip for the next episode, now Dick is studying Law and also being a vigilante, but now since he has beef with Batman he changes his name and costume to that of Nightwing (think the New 52), one night after he’s patrolling the city he sees a man punching a woman, after he chases the man down he offers her help, she’s Raven, or in this case Rachel Roth, when she was a child she was left in a convent where the nuns mistreated her after they saw what she (uncontrollably) did, the whole sorcery thing, after 12 she ran away and had been living in the streets anyway she could, Dick felt sorry for her and took her somewhere safe.

After that they got to talking and she mentions the whole thing above, and then she starts insinuating onto him, he clearly doesn’t like it and tells her so, Dick finally noticed how she had been living, and after looking into her eyes and seeing Jason for a second, remembering the moment him and Batman caught him stealing a wheel from the Batmobile, he decided to take off his mask, tell her that she doesn’t have to do that and that she can come live with him, he’s gonna take care of Raven like Batman took care of Jason. They get to his apartment, and after settling in, Dick sets her up so she can have a normal life from now on, he enrolls her with a private tutor so she can have the education she didn’t have, all while he goes to college still. Raven learns surprisingly fast and she’s going to take some tests at the end of the year to see if she can get her high school diploma. They have a pretty normal life together, she’s like a little sister to Dick, but everything starts going wrong when one night someone breaks into their apartment, they try to kidnap Raven, she once again awakens her powers and ends up scaring the guys away, but the left some clues, it’s Professor Pyg. His modus operandi reminds Dick of the Joker, very flashy, and wants everyone to know who he is. So basically most of the first season is about the Professor pyg case, the relationship between Raven and Nightwing and how Dick must learn to deal with his trauma.

With a few characters and plot lines sprinkled in so we can get a season 2, maybe show some of the members of the teen titans before they form ( I would want the team to be more similar to young justice in the sense of members).

[journalist-jared]

Day 2

I did so much laundry!

I folded and put away my dried laundry that was hanging up, I washed and hung up a load, striped my bed cloths and washed them and re-made my bed.

Laundry is the hardest chore for me. I can usually get most chores done with minimal struggle, laundry is different because you get one part of it done and then completely stop to wait for the machine to finish its cycle or dry. For me getting things done is all about momentum. If I can drag myself out of bed and start my day with small victories like showering and having a good breakfast I can usually chain that into more chores and getting more things done.

Today I managed to do all of that and feel good the whole time! I also managed to go for a walk and wash the dog. However, last night sucked. I stayed up way too late getting Obsidian working and synced with my phone. Once that was done I just kept adding things to my notes. Once I dragged myself away from my PC I couldn't find the peace needed for sleep, I kept worrying about the campaign or remembering cards I wanted to add to my Magic decks but forgot to write it down at the time.

And so to my worries about the campaign. I finished reading the base hunters in Monster of the Week and am not convinced that there is a seamless translation of rule set to campaign setting. Despite my previous blog, I feel that the rule set is too focussed on the supernatural and will not leave room for me to create the kinds of Sci-fi plots from Stargate.

I have an alternate campaign in mind if I'm unable to overcome this hurdle. I've only ever played in Swords and Sorceries settings or official modules in D&D, I have played a handful of games in Warhammer 40K but I've wanted to run or play in some kind of modern magic setting in D&D for a while. After watching Dimension 20's Unsleeping City I had the kernel of an idea for a similar game set in my home town of Melbourne Australia. The cornerstone of the Unsleeping City is the phrase If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere and I thought about a similar phrase that heard on the radio almost constantly as a child , Melbourne is the world's most livable city. And it hit me, livable means that Necromantic magic is quit easy in Melbourne and what would happen if Melbourne was suddenly no longer the Worlds most livable city as I remember a time when Melbourne suddenly lost that title. Now that I've grown up I don't know if that was a statistical based appraisal of life in Melbourne or some competition run by a newspaper.

The idea for Unsleeping City: Melbourne (better name pending) would be Necromancy and undead monsters like vampires are easy and common in this Unsleeping City. Melbourne's equivalent of The Gramercy Occult Society would be tasked primarily with ensorcelling the recently deceased so that their remains could not be raised by necromancers. The Taboo of defiling human corpses would still remain, most necromancers that animate dead would therefore use non-human remains to create servants and tools. Other forms of Necromancy like those in the Locked Tomb series, various ways of manipulating Death Energy are enhanced or easier to achieve in Melbourne. Melbourne's Gramercy Occult Society would also police the Unsleeping City to keep despotic or tyrannical Necromancers from harming others. And the campaign would be about what would happen to the various enclaves if Melbouren where to no longer be the Worlds most Livable city or about trying to prevent a plot from unseating Melbourne as the World's most Livable city.

So, to Monster of the Week. I have this safety net in case things won't work as perfectly as I'd like them to. But this is one of the things that I am trying to overcome, I've learnt that I tend to abandon projects and hobbies if I'm not perfect at them. I'll even avoid starting on new things for the fear of potential failure. I realised today that I'm avoiding playing in a setting because I'm afraid that it will not be perfect and that I don't have the capacity to deliver the story that I want in this setting. And then I thought what if I'm also not able to deliver with Unsleeping City: Melbourne?

But instead of making me more afraid of the prospect of running the game, this thought was liberating. Not because I'm okay with failing, I'm still terrified of that, but because I have no capacity to avoid failing. I have no way of knowing if this is going to work because I don't know what my players want or what they're going to ask or how they will respond to the setting and rule set. And if it's not possible to not fail, then I should just play in the setting that I want to and do my best to deliver a fun time for my friends.

And who knows, I could always just play in Unsleeping City: Melbourne later.

[miirshroom]

Re-reading Rogier's words, I think that I see the source of confusion when he says "The misshapen corpse under Stormveil? That is a sacred relic. Of the black knives plot. As that famed night of assassination is known". But then the Prince of Death's Pustule found in this area references Godwyn: "A fetid pustule taken from facial flesh. It is said that this pustule came from the visage of the Prince of Death, he who used to be called Godwyn. As First Dead of the demigods, it's said he's buried deep under the capital, at the Erdtree's roots." A relic is simply a thing with some connection to an event, so there is some flexibility. The liberal use of "it is said" also can cast doubt on whether the entire statement is true.

I have heard speculation that the face is a manifestation of the deathroot spreading from Godwyn, but there are a few things discrediting this. Firstly that this corpse does not visually match other instances of deathroot (as you mention), and secondly the direction that the corpse is emerging from the wall is not radiating from the Capitol, but instead from the direction of the Weeping Peninsula. One of my thoughts had been that the misshapen corpse was another slain demi-god of the Golden Order - possibly the former Lord of Stormveil*, but now I'm less sure.

From the framing of the scene, there seems to have been something of importance and yet kept secret in this chamber in Stormveil for a very long time - in the foundations of the fortress. There is a well made brick archway behind a large cloth draped over the entrance back in the chamber with the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, and at the Tree Spirit arena itself it is suggested that there was once a roof built here or under construction, looking at the broken arches. At the top of the long ladder there is a plain room recessed in the wall, with grooves at the entry showing that at some point there may have been something in place to hide this entry point from view.

It also seems significant that the pustule is found on a corpse and not plucked from the face itself. It could have been transported to Stormveil from the Capitol. Could it be possible that the intention was to infect this ancient corpse at the foundation of Stormveil with deathblight? This accounting for differences with places where deathroot spread naturally. If the corpse was modified as a consequence of the plot, then I suppose it would be enough for Rogier to say that it is a relic. It does seem that Rogier becomes afflicted here, despite there being no other signs of the deathblight.

There is another question associated with Deathroot. It has been pointed out that it is strange that Deathroot can be found even in Farum Azula which has been detached from the mainland for a very long time. You have an interesting thought about there being a previous Prince of Death. Godwyn's soul was slain while his body remains - but what if the deathroot has a mind/soul of its own and has taken up residence in the vacant body? The deathroot now using Godwyn as a conduit but it is actually much more ancient? The deathroot is the "real" Prince of Death inhabiting the body of he who was once called Godwyn...

This matches something I had wondered regarding the Prince of Death's staff. To cut a long story short - I have a theory about timeline validation based on the number of helices embedded in item designs. The Prince of Death's staff is made from an uprooted sapling with 3-1/2 twists of the helix which could place it slightly after the introduction of the 2 fingers (see Two Fingers Talisman) and slightly before the Crucible Knights (see cloth bit on the armour).

Another point in favour of the Prince of Death staff being far more ancient than Godwyn is that it boosts death sorceries. These include the rancor sorceries re-discovered by Hawk soldiers which seem to pre-date the Age of the Erdtree, and the description of Rancorcall notes that it was an ancient hex rediscovered by necromancer Garris.

*From the presence of an injured Black Knife Assassin in the nearby Deathtouched Catacombs it is suggested that someone was indeed assassinated at Stormveil as part of the plot. And from Godwyn being the "first" of the demi-gods to die it opens the possibility that others were slain by the Black Knives. One possibility is that assassinated demigods may perhaps be the occupants of the 5 Walking Mausoleums with bells, one of whom is described by a spirit as Marika's "unwanted child". Additionally, Godrick at one point fled the Capital to take up residence in Stormveil, and Kenneth Haight indicates that this is a recent development so there should have been someone there before him.

The Prince of Death Corpse we can find in the depth under Stormveil castle is almost always described as Godwyn's corps by fan. Since Godwyn is the Prince of Death, the mistake is definitely understandable.

However, there are a few details that hint at a more interesting truth :

The Corpse is (when lit with a torch or a spell) distinctly coppery in color, a reddish tin whit bits of green. This is distinct of Godwyn's gold.

Godwyn's corpse and all deathroot found across the Lands Between have eyes with a iconic ecclipse look with a halo of light in a dark sclera. Stormveil Corpse, however, has completely empty eyesocket.

There is nothing reminiscent of Godwyn's order under Stormveil : no deathroot, no Undead, no swarm of pest.

The theory that Stormveil Corpse is Godwyn makes no sense. While his Corpse did spread through the Erdtree Root, it never formed a full face and torso anywhere else. So Why under Stormveil of all place ?

Long story short, I find it quite likely that the Prince of Death Corpse under Stormveil is a completely different person from Godwyn.

Maybe, just like each cycle start with a new Elden Lord, they end by the Curse of a Prince of Death. Though I have no idea who this Prince was, or when he mattered in the timeline.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

7th Dimension (Masterlist) (Multi-Chapter Fic)

THIS IS AN X READER FANFIC WHO HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE DIMENSION OF JUJUTSU KAISEN

PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 15, 2022. This can also be found in Wattpad and future chapters will be updated there first. You can find this book with the link here.

UPDATE: CURRENTLY ONGOING

MASTERLIST FOR OTHER FANDOMS

Characters: Gojo Satoru x Small!Naive!Fem!Foreign!Reader

Synopsis: She was known to be a daydreamer. A Walter Mitty. A fantasizer or maybe, a little too much more than that if she was being honest. With a life that shaped her into becoming weary and debilitated, setting one's eyes on a non-existent world that could bring her nothing but death and anxiety would be vast and perhaps a quixotic dream if she was brought in during the life she was currently existing in right now, seeing it as completely futile to begin with.

The world of Jujutsu Sorcery.

Strange to hear by people who knew nothing of the particular series, but exciting to those who actually comprehends.

It didn't help the fact that she was obsessed with a relatable manga or anime entitled Jujutsu Kaisen and a draining life back in earth that made the whole series her comfort zone or in other words, her hidden 'refuge'.

It was the only one that could keep her calm and stable.

What if the genie finally gives in to her commands, her thoughtless wishes just like what the others did? Yet, with an unfortunate fate just like theirs?

A woeful pattern of life that has always been the inevitable.

Being in-love with fictional men and adapting to their lifestyles or dimensions wouldn't bring anything but despair.

Especially, this time---she was bringing evidences of the past and the future of the man she has been smitten with back in earth. A fictional man who she adored, yet people laugh at her about.

As luck would have it, this man was the strongest sorcerer alive in his world. The one and only.

But, life made it seem like she was stronger when she had all the chances of knowing what could happen to everyone in the future which could include eternal rest and surreptitious schemes.

Everything would be a dilemma to her. Howbeit, to Gojo Satoru, it was betting on the odds that it might happen or not.

As long as she gets to remember.

The problem was that, the first time he met her has not been entirely the real her from the start as it was another woman who appeared to be a facsimile---a thorough replica of her physical aspects through another outlandish dimension.

Which can be more of a traumatic experience?

Was it to remember or to forget?

Warnings: This is rated M. Why? I mean, is anybody complaining though? *smirks* Do y'all want no smut in the future? I-I mean---Yeah. Details about blood, injuries or such might be expressed soon enough. Though, I'm having quite a difficult time understanding everyone's abilities, how curse energy is being used versus curse technique that I had to rewatch JJK over and over again, I'll try my best to be detailed where no readers will be left behind or would go 'what the hell is happening',

There will be eventual Smut, I hope. Hehe. Which is why I've rated this book as mature. Mutual Pining. ANGST. Kind of a slowburn. Gojo and his menace self. (I needed to include that in the warnings, right?)

2ND MAJOR WARNING: THERE WILL BE MANGA SPOILERS. The reader has basically already watched the anime and read the manga in this fanfic. This is a major alert because it's a MAJOR part of the plot. You'll understand why when you reach deeper in the story.

Important disclaimer and reminder (Please do read):

This is quite connected (but not entirely) to the series I'm currently writing as of the moment. It's named 'Witcher of the Night' and it's set in the world of The Witcher (Netflix Series). It has 30 chapters now and I'm working on 31. It also has the same X reader or X You vibes. No OC. (I apologize to those who hate the x you vibes) But, to the people who already know how I write, It's probably weird to the point that they're used to it?

To the new readers, you can take a peek at Witcher of the Night to see the truth. Hehehe.

Though, before you start reading this fanfic of mine for the world of Jujutsu Kaisen or Gojo Satoru himself, I'll be explaining it first to retrieve any confusion for y'all.

Think of my current fanfic books as a multi-verse. This fanfic can somehow serve as a slight major spoiler for my other book. I don't know how I reached to this point where I tried connecting both fanfics. If you love 'the witcher' and also 'Jujutsu Kaisen' then you'll be getting the best of both worlds.

There will be no differences (I suppose), if you only want to read this fanfic. The only thing that connects both of this fanfic together would be the special chapter I'm writing for Gojo's gatecrashing moment in that particular fanfic book of mine. (The special chapter is currently not published yet)

Think of it that you have multiple people looking like you but living in different souls and moments which is why you look familiar to him because he has already met a Doppleganger of you but from a different dimension. (Which is from the dimension of 'The Witcher')

I'll be including a picture to explain it further. This is it. It can be like this.

But, not entirely that because I'm not letting Y/N meet all together because I'm too dumb to explain that. 🤣

I'm not fond of using the Y/N a lot unless needed. You'll be having a nickname prepared for you just as how Geralt of Rivia in my Witcher of the Night series calls you 'Midget'.

If I say you'll be teleported with no abilities, there will definitely be NO abilities. Imagine you've basically been teleported right now from earth and to the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

We'll live! I swear, I'll try my best that we don't die on chapter 1?

Hehehe. Yeah, we'll probably die in an instant by them, curses.

But, Gojo Satoru probably wouldn't let that happen considering he's the main love interest in this? I think? or maybe he would?

Anyways...

Unfortunately, and I just wanna say it again that the special chapter where Satoru will be getting to meet you in the Witcher verse isn't done yet. (I'm currently working on writing future chapters for this fanfic first so I have some chapters ready for publishing) But, I'll probably post the special chapter in this fanfic book once I'm done with it.

Credits go to Gege Akutami for Jujutsu Kaisen. The only thing I own here is the plot I created or the fanfic itself.

HEARTS, COMMENTS and REBLOGS IN BETWEEN CHAPTERS OR PAGES WILL SURELY BE APPRECIATED AS WELL! THANK YOU, BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS AND ENJOY THE RIDE!

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2.1

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3.1

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4.1

CHAPTER 4.2

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5.1

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7.1

CHAPTER 7.2

CHAPTER 7.3

CHAPTER 7.4

CHAPTER 7.5

CHAPTER 7.6

CHAPTER 7.7

CHAPTER 7.8

CHAPTER 7.9

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8.1

[warsofasoiaf]

Your character analyses are always a joy to read. Could you do one on Lunar Princess Ranni next?

Sure. Lunar Princess Ranni is a character who looms large over the setting, perhaps one of the most active ones in the setting. Her plot not only stretches back before the Shattering, but arguably is one of the most ambitious plots in the entire game. Where the Elden Lord endings involve mending the Elden Ring either as it was or with a new philosophy or sense of reality, Ranni's ending does away with the Golden Order and replaces it with her Order of the Stars. At least if the achievement percentages on STEAM are any indication, this is the most popular ending of Elden Ring (26.4% versus 19.3% for Elden Lord versus 13.3% for Frenzied Flame as of when I wrote this), so there's something to the Age of the Stars that has popular appeal.

Ranni is the daughter of Radagon and Rennala and much like her mother, grew to become an accomplished sorceress. Also much like her mother, Ranni adventured at a young point to discover a moon. Where Rennala discovered the full moon when she was young, learning its potential for sorcery and charming the academy with this new arcane field of study, Ranni discovered a dark moon that was "old, dark, and veiled in occult mystery." There is reference to this Dark Moon not just in the sorceries that Ranni learns, but in reference to the Eternal Cities of the Nox, who earned the ire of the Greater Will and were banished underground to cities with a false night sky of gemstones instead of stars (and kept away from Starlight Shards, which are components for Eternal City intoxicants - I'm not making that up or having a goof), to await the return of their coming Age of Stars and Lord of Night. So from before Ranni was even born, there was a plot for the Age of Stars, waiting for the arrival of one who could advance it.

Ranni meets another person in her young life - an ancient snow crone "deep in the woods." This crone, Renna the Snow Witch, taught Ranni to fear the dark moon. While the traditional reading is to tread with care when dealing with the Dark Moon, there's another interpretation of the world fear when it comes to a deity. The "fear of God" is not an actual fear of a divine figure to avoid wrath or smiting, rather it is a sense of awe and submission to a religious figure. This crone also taught Ranni cold sorcery. While we never meet Renna, it's possible that she was of the ancient Zamor from the Mountaintops of the Giants, who use ice magics and are the only other source for cold sorcery besides Ranni herself. The Zamor fought with the giants and their fiery god who held the Flame of Ruin in their forge (different from the Frenzied Flame), so we perhaps see yet another godly conflict between the Dark Moon and the god of the Fire Giants. Whether this is true or not, the idea of godly conflict and new orders run large across Ranni's plotline.

At some point, Ranni was named an Empyrean by a Two Fingers, and granted her own shadow in the wolf-man Blaidd. Being an Empyrean was a position of enormous power, a possible successor to Marika, Eternal Queen and Goddess of the Lands Between. Ranni detested this fate, believing it to shackle her to the Greater Will, and so she sought to find a way to free herself. Being an Empyrean was a lifelong sentence, and so she sought a way to kill herself without dying. She found her salvation in the Rune of Destined Death, removed by Marika and sealed within Maliketh, her half-brother and shadow. Ranni sought the help of her brother Rykard, gifting him the Blasphemous Claw to allow him to parry Maliketh's powerful attacks and challenge him in combat, though that did not appear to be necessary in the end. Through unknown means, Ranni was able to steal fragments of the Rune of Death from Maliketh. Ranni then contacted the Black Knives, the assassins of the Eternal City (hence why I talked about Ranni worshipping the Dark Moon and tying it to the Nox of the Eternal City) and secured their help, imbuing their blades with the deadly rune fragments. There, Ranni orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives. The Black Knives broke into Leyendell and slew Godwyn the Golden, the son of Marika and Godfrey, and at the same time, slew Ranni at the same time at the Divine Tower of Liurnia. Both had the centipede shape of the Rune of Death carved into their flesh, the simultaneous nature broke the Rune and allowed Ranni's plans to complete successfully. The attack slew Godwyn's soul and Ranni's body, allowing Ranni to escape by placing her soul into a magical doll modeled after Renna. Godwyn, by contrast, was a soulless husk whose body sprouted deathroot after it was placed into the Erdtree, which spread the curse of undeath throughout the world.

Now free from the fate foisted upon her, Ranni looked to overthrow the Golden Order in the new era to come to usher in her Age of Stars. She sought the help of the troll Iji, servant of the Carian Royal Family, and her loyal Shadow Blaidd, and Preceptor Seluvis, a wizard and puppeteer. She retreats to the Carian Manor to plan her next course of action. We don't see her during the Shattering, but we do know that Radahn, having conquered the stars and arrested their movement, prevented a link to her destiny. Ranni dispatched Blaidd to join the Radahn Festival in an attempt to slay her brother and release the stars, and Finger Maiden Therolina, almost certainly transformed into a puppet by one of Seluvis's potions, likewise was sent as support. This is not just to free her destiny, Nokron the Eternal City is buried underground and inaccessible without slaying Radahn and allowing the meteor to fall, clearing a path. Inside Nokron is Ranni's true objective, the Fingerslayer Blade. Here we learn that Nokron's great sin against the Golden Order was this blade, and hence why the ties between Ranni and the Eternal City are apparent - the plot that the Eternal City was looking to go, Ranni will continue. When you give her the Fingerslayer Blade, Ranni claims that she needs to rest due to the limitations of the doll body she inhabits. This is probably not true, as we can chat with mini-Ranni underground and we later see her body under the Cathedral of Manus Celes with the body of a slain Two Fingers. Ranni used the blade to kill the Two Fingers (I wouldn't be surprised if this was the Two Fingers that selected her as an Empyrean). When the player reaches Ranni, she says her quest is complete, and with the ring that you acquired from Raya Luceria, you can pledge to be her consort. While she doesn't name it as such, that would make you the new Lord of the Night, and allows you to summon Ranni at the end of the game, to usher in her Age of Stars.

The Age of Stars, due to some faulty translations, is a bit misinterpreted. The English translation suggests that it is "Here beginneth the chill night that encompasses all, reaching the great beyond. Into fear, doubt, and loneliness…" This suggests that the Age of Stars is an age of isolation, absent the warmth of courage, certainty, and togetherness. In her journal, the English translation says that she wishes that: "the certainties of sight, emotion, faith, and touch…All become impossibilities." This suggests that the Age of Stars is almost sensory deprivation in a way, where people cannot see or touch and hold no emotion, while Ranni absconds from the world and leaves everyone alone. The Japanese translation is better read as: “My order will not be of gold, but of the stars and moon, and chill night…I want to keep it far away from this land. Even if life and souls are one with the order, it (the order) could be kept far away. If it was not possible to clearly see, feel, believe in, or touch the order. That would be better. That is why I will leave this place, along with the order." So for this, Ranni is saying that while due to the metaphysical cosmology of the setting, an order is necessary for life and souls (as seen by souls returning to the Erdtree), she wants to keep it far removed from the people, so they don't experience it, and so she will take that chill night with her.

So depending on how you interpret it, it can be a very benign mentality indeed. The Golden Order, Marika, and the Shattering did inflict great suffering on the Lands Between. Removing the Order, while ensuring that the divine metaphysics of the setting aren't ground to a halt, can be seen as ultimately compassionate. The Greater Will is forced to leave, and the Dark Moon is kept far away by Ranni herself. And given it's the end of the game, it makes little sense Doylistically for Ranni to lie to the player, since there's nothing that can be done about it and it's not treated as a secret evil reveal. That's one potential reason that players might opt to side with Ranni, genuine belief that her vision will work out. Another might be the fact that Ranni's ending is only unlocked by thorough exploration, it's by necessity a secret ending that requires you to go to entire regions of the map so that you can give her a ring at the bottom of a cathedral glittering with the shards of falling stars. So the Age of Stars feels like a real reward for the player's exploration, and given that you go on another journey with Ranni afterward, that feels like a valid reward for an explorer, especially since you've probably gone through the whole world map.

However, there is a sinister edge to Ranni that might put a lot of people off. My brother (who has been playing Elden Ring for the past month-ish) said that his opinion was: "Ranni calls the Tarnished her dear consort. It might actually be love. But she says she loved Blaidd and Iji and look what happened to them. Look what she did to them." After Blaidd helps to slay Radahn, Iji locks him in the Forlorn Hound evergaol. After Ranni kills the Two Fingers, Blaidd goes insane, and the Tarnished is forced to kill him if they cross paths. Iji mourns Blaidd and is later found murdered by the Black Knives (they also go after Blaidd, but fail). Seluvis is also dead, but he dies as part of Ranni's questline suggesting that either Blaidd or Ranni herself killed Seluvis when he tried to turn her into his next puppet. Will Ranni turn on *you* next? While Blaidd's shadow nature might mean that a betrayal would happen once Ranni slays the Fingers, Iji was nothing but loyal, even betraying his friend to serve Ranni. And of course, Ranni was the architect of the Night of the Black Knives, murdering her half-brother Godwyn in an attempt to further her own ambitions. So for those who don't like or don't trust Ranni, it's musical chairs at the top, replacing one cruel and manipulative god with another. So Ranni, rather than a new age that could be better, becomes another tyrannical god, and the Lands Between continue to suffer, while Ranni leaves them to twist in the wind on a journey for her own personal self-discovery.

As with much regarding FromSoft, a lot is left up to interpretation and that means players will interpret it as best they can. Hopefully this has given you a more complete understanding of the character and decide whether the Tarnished's last act is to leave the Lands Between on a journey with a blue bride with the power of the Dark Moon.

Thanks for the question, George.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[autumnalwalker]

Empty Names Masterpost

I'll be updating this post with links as I post chapters. The intent is that everything I write for this project will be posted here to read in its entirety.

Also mirrored on Scribble Hub: (Main Story, Side Stories)

Cast list is below the "Keep reading" line.

Pitch:

A trans woman accidentally summons a demon while trying to DIY her transition with magic and computers...

A young wizard returns to Earth after his adventure in a magical otherworld only to realize you can never truly go home again once you've changed too much...

A teenage girl gets stood up for prom, kills a lake monster, and spends the next decade hunting down things that go bump in the night...

An assassin marries an immortal sorceress and allows the rumors that he murdered her to flourish once she disappears...

A world-hopping adventurer sees the potential in all of them and asks if they're interested in helping make the world a better place.

"Empty Names" is an episodic urban fantasy series about a group of misfits fighting monsters and grappling with existential questions regarding the interplay of reality, perception, and identity.

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Summary: Road, an adventurer with a penchant for jumping between different worlds tries to set up the sort of adventurers' guild so common in sword & sorcery setting in a modern day urban fantasy world where "adventurer" isn't considered a legitimate profession and magic and the supernatural are kept behind the scenes and out of public knowledge. The story is told from the points of view of the people that get roped into being the initial test run adventuring party but never Road's.

Update Schedule: Once or twice a month, depending on chapter length. New chapters get posted on Saturdays, when they're ready.

Overall Content Warnings: Genre-typical violence, gender dysphoria, anxiety, occasional mild body horror, death. I'll update this list as more is written and if anyone points something out to me that I should have included a warning for and missed. In general though, I aim to try to keep this approximately PG-13-ish, but we'll see where this all goes over time. Individual chapters have more specific content warnings at the top of the post with anything likely to be distressing below the "Keep reading" line.

Current Status: Rough Draft (just throwing things up as I write them with minimal review or editing)

I'm primarily viewing this project as practice for moving out of my comfort zone and doing more traditional prose with proper dialogue and action scenes and such rather than the journal format that I've been doing with @thearchivistsjournal. The original plan was to write a few sort of prologue/character introduction chapters and then mostly do a series of one-shots with the same setting and cast based on whatever random idea or writing prompt strikes my fancy that week, but as time goes on it's starting to verge more toward "continuous narrative". Time will tell how it eventually winds up I suppose.

Chapter List:

Hello World

Back From The Looking Glass

Dance Partners

Prince In Gold

Rite of First Refusal

Background Checks

Compilation

En Route

Test Run

Cleanup

Afterparty

Houseguests

Open Office

Down Low

Matters of Technique

Mall Rats

Embedded Media

Mom Energy

Shire

Changeling Child

Old Flame

Leads

Compression

Nostalgia

Euphoria (coming sometime in May 2024)

Love

Attention

Concern

Side Stories:

Scenes that don't fit well into the main story. They might come before it, focus on side characters, or just be conversations between the main cast during downtime.

There Are No Dogs At The Dog Park: Every full moon Eris does some volunteer work. Set a couple years before the main plot, shortly after Eris and Lacuna met and started hanging out.

Once Upon A Time...: A bedtime story by Sullivan Bridgewood.

Pop Quiz: A younger Ashan not-yet-Glassheart gets a refresher on terminology.

The Sphinx And The Spider: Two first-time interdimensional tourists run into trouble on vacation. (Coming when I get the motivation back to return to this one)

A Shining Shallow Sea: They say the Sorceress Bridgewood never gave a gift which she didn’t benefit from the giving. (More of a loose idea at the moment than an in-progress story)

Non-Canon AU:

I suppose at this point you could call it writing shipping fan fiction of my own work.

2023 Pride Month Drabble Challenge: A series of dialogue snippets from an alternate universe/timeline where Eris and Lacuna avoided ever learning about the existence of the supernatural, wound up meeting anyway, and became a couple instead of (or perhaps in addition to) best friends.

Core Cast:

Road:

The experienced adventurer and idealist who started this whole venture.

Very much the iconic "hero" archetype. Brave, strong, kind, strict "no killing" policy, etc.

The kind of person that you quickly feel like you're best friends with and can count on and share anything with, but then several months or even years down the line it occurs to you that you don't actually know anything about their personal life.

Humor/Color Scheme: Balanced

Sullivan Bridgewood:

Road's best friend since childhood and the only one who knows that under their heroic persona they're about one really bad day from an emotional breakdown at any given time.

Married for power and money and is using that money to bankroll this adventurers' guild startup operation. May or may not have killed his wife.

Kind of an asshole, but reins it in when Road's around for their sake.

Humor/Color Scheme: Choleric

Lacuna:

A trans woman whose introduction to the existence of the supernatural was a failed attempt to magically get a new body that resulted in a demon trying to eat her, and then being rescued by Road.

Now works with an unholy combination of applying AI-generated art algorithms and principles to create custom magic glyphs.

A walking embodiment of imposter syndrome, who vacillates between "I am a mad genius!" and "I have no idea what I'm doing and really am not qualified for any of this."

Humor/Color Scheme: Melancholic

Eris:

The team's physical powerhouse and heavy hitter. A veritable brick wall of supernaturally-reinforced muscle.

Survived a scenario out of a C-list monster movie as a teenager, enjoyed the experience more than she reasonably should have, and has spent the past decade since then as a semi-professional monster hunter.

Has sort of taken Lacuna under her wing as the younger sister she never had but always wanted. In spite of Lacuna being the older of the two.

Humor/Color Scheme: Sanguine

Ashan Glassheart:

Already went through the whole "little kid from Earth goes on an adventure in a magic otherworld and becomes a wizard" hero's journey/bildungsroman routine before this story even started. Except he was gone long enough that once he finally returned home there wasn't anything to come back to. Does a convincing job of pretending it doesn't bother him.

Mostly focuses on barriers, wards, bindings, and other such defensive techniques with his magic.

Actually doesn't mind all that much when strangers mistake him for a woman. Minds a little bit though when people call his wizard robes a dress. Minds a lot when people mistake his outfit for cosplay.

Humor/Color Scheme: Phlegmatic