#I love all the new lore and story of the age of plenty family

[irithylldancer]

Part of a comment I read on a Garrulous Goldmask video about PCR. It really is a shame that the narrative wasn't summed up that well because the pay off is really good I think. I was also definitely confused at the reveal of Radahn and the story of Messmer and Marika definitely overshadowed his and Miquella's.

[fractualized]

Could you give me any Batman comic(/series) recommendations? Or Joker ones?

(You can pretend I’ve never read any Batman comics)

Man, this got me thinking about (1) the number of extended storylines I still haven't fully read myself and (2) of the ones I have, would I recommend that people read them?? Tough question! Thinking about it in terms of a Batman newbie changes things too... 🤔

Ultimately, my list is mostly one-offs apart from the mainline series, but there's a few multi-issue mainline stories in there. From oldest to newest:

Batman (1940) #1, "The Joker" and "The Joker Returns" — Early comics can feel inaccessible because of their age, but I would still recommend checking out the start of Batman and Joker's relationship for a sense of the longevity and evolution of these characters (You could also read Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics [1937] #27.)

Batman (1940) #251, "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" — Jumping ahead thirty years! After a 4-year absence from comics, Joker returns, and I just love how his dynamic with Batman picks up where they left off like it was yesterday.

Detective Comics (1937) #475, "The Laughing Fish" — The infamous story in which Joker's mad scheme is to… copyright fish.

The Dark Knight Returns #1-4 — TBH, I'm not a fan of TDKR for various reasons. However, it had a huge influence on Batman and you should read it at least once.

Batman (1940) #404-407, "Batman: Year One" — More required reading (but I do enjoy it more than TDKR). Frank Miller's problematique is more acknowledged today, but as I said, modern Batman stems from his work.

The Killing Joke — Controversial-ish recommendation nowadays, considering the much-maligned choice to fridge Barbara Gordon, but I still enjoy the nuance it gives Joker and the meta element of the ending, with Bruce and Joker trapped in their cycle by choices that are informed by the needs of the franchise. Alan Moore may no longer care for it, but I do! (Also, I'd say read it with the original coloring.)

Batman (1940) #426-429, "A Death in the Family" — Another big event in Batman lore: the death of Jason Todd. It's one of those moments that gets flattened in various ways today, so I think it's important to see how everything actually played out. In particular, it's striking to see that Joker is initially nervous about Batman finding out what he did, and just how Bruce struggles with his no-kill principle.

Batman #450-451, "Wildcard!" and "Judgements!" — Joker's big return after Jason's murder, in which we see he's still not all that giddy about it.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68, "Going Sane" — This story takes place earlier in Batman's career, before Robin. When Joker seemingly kills Batman, he tries to start a new life without his instability breaking through. Meanwhile, Bruce recovers from his near-death in a little town in the middle of nowhere and thinks he might actually stay there… but he's plagued by restlessness too.

Joker: Devil's Advocate — Joker winds up on death row, but for a crime he didn't commit! Bruce is set on proving Joker's innocence despite the clown's other sins, and Joker is too captivated by all the media attention to help save his own hide.

Deathstroke (1991) #58, "Bad Blood" — A story in which Joker causes plenty of chaos, but in service of doing something… nice?

Batman: Ego — As Bruce contemplates giving up his crusade, he falls into an argument with… Batman.

Batman (1940) #648-650, "All They Do Is Watch Us Kill" — Part of Under the Red Hood. Jason Todd's reappearance in Gotham City comes to a head when he kidnaps Joker and draws Batman in for a dire confrontation.

Detective Comics (1937) #826, "Slayride" — Paul Dini is one of the writers who consistently remembers Joker has a personality and makes him funny, and this Christmas-time story featuring Tim Drake is a great example.

Batman Confidential #7-12, "Lovers and Madmen" — An alternative origin for Joker. Bruce has been fighting crime for about a year when he encounters a bloody crime scene that he can't make sense of. Meanwhile, the culprit, Jack, is growing bored with his criminal life, until he comes face to face with a vigilante bat.

Batman 80-Page Giant 2010 (Volume 2), "Reality Check" — Is Joker really crazy? Does Joker himself even know?

Batman (2011) #13-17, "Death of the Family" — Not to be confused with "A Death in the Family." Joker tries to convince Batman that all his sidekicks make him weak.

Batman (2011) #23.1, "Time to Monkey Shine" — Joker infamously adopts a gorilla. (It ends badly.)

Batman (2011) #35-40, "Endgame" — After Joker's failure in DOTF, he decides to bring his conflict with Batman to a close.

The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1-7 — The Riddler is dead, but what really happened? A heist story in which the point of view is passed around multiple rogues, but Joker is the ringleader.

Catwoman: Lonely City #1-4 — Alright, this one does revolve around Selina, but the story is deeply tied to her relationship with Bruce and what she comes to understand about him in the end. (And Joker plays a brief but key part!)

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1-7 — A recent team-up that calls back to everything I've personally enjoyed about Batman and Joker's dynamic.

Batman: City of Madness #1-3 — Beneath Gotham lies Gotham Below, from which a monstrous mirror of Batman escapes in search of a Robin. In his pursuit, Bruce confronts not only alternative versions of his rogues but his personal demons.

[bingerzone]

Hey!! So about the OCs in your most recent art post, what’s going on there? I see a lot of drama there and i would love to know more 👀

I love you for asking this. Insane amount of lore under the cut. I'll also be adding the art I've already done when I talk about that part of the story! Btw fair warning this Yaoi sure can toxic!!! (Some light cnc and sex is mentioned)

So, firstly, I'll explain who these ocs are :)

So, this is Dios Apate- he is a hexblood who, after running away from his mother at 14, was raised by a thieves guild known as The Veil- mostly by it's leader, Erwin Mourningmoon. He's a cocky, flirtatious conman who probably? Maybe? Has a heart of gold under all of his greed, but with him actively trying to hide any hint of goodness in him, who's to say?

(^Art by @kiwibyrd ) Ok, next up,

Dante is the son of Erwin Mourningmoon, Heir to The Veil and Dios's childhood friend. They were trained side by side by Erwin, who, much to Dante's chagrin, treated Dios like a second son (Although they never saw each other as anything even close to brothers- in fact, Dios had a crush on Dante from a young age). One day, Dante overheard his father and a higher-up in the guild discussing which of Erwin's "sons" would inherit the guild- and the moment Dios's name left his father's mouth Dante ran off, not listening to the rest of the conversation... So, Dante planned to have Dios arrested by tipping off the guards where the next place he would be robbing was. That... didn't quite go as planned. The guards decided one dirty street kid wasn't worth the trouble, and decided to just kill Dios outright. However, Erwin, who had a bad feeling about the job, had been tailing Dios, and jumped to his rescue- only to fall after taking down well over a dozen guards. Dios believed he was caught because of his own stupidity- and therefor, that Erwin's death was his fault... so he ran. However, in The Veil, when you fuck up, there is a way to atone. A gift is traditional- but it must be as valuable as the mistake you made. So, Dios set off to be the richest man the city had ever seen, hoping to give everything he had to Dante- the new leader of The Veil- and beg for forgiveness for causing the death of his father. Dios finds himself in a new land- a new continent altogether, about to start the pre-written adventure Call of the Netherdeep (We haven't started yet, we gotta finish Strahd, so to stave off my brainrot I have been just talking about possible things that could happen with my partners- after this point none of it has actually happened yet, and might not happen at all, but I consider it a type of canon, even if it won't be canon to the main timeline) So, that's when Dios meets Harlow

Harlow Goldbriar belongs to my boyfriend @aberranteidolon ! He is an Earth Genasi paladin who has a stick so far up his ass that you can see it when he talks. Harlow is a walking weapon, and is treated like nothing but a tool by his peers and family. He is serious and convicted, which makes him the perfect toy for Dios to play with. And, even better, he's married! (Little does Dios know it's a loveless, abusive marriage- his wife married him only for the precious little gem in his chest. She has plenty of jewelry made from his amethyst heart). Still, Dios has zoned in on this man and is dead set on fucking him and ruining his marriage, for fun. Dios is a little shit. They get into many, many arguments and physical altercations, and whether they admit it or not, getting each other bloody and panting is the most they've ever enjoyed themselves. And yet, when he finally see's Harlow's heart for one reason or another (probably in a 'only one bed' situation lets be real) he realizes two things. 1. Inside of Harlow is the biggest gem he's ever seen, and not only is it huge, it's laced with magic. This alone could pay off his debt to Dante, and 2. He can't do it. Harlow is asleep beside him, and his fingers are wrapped around the sharp stone- it would be easy, just one tug and it was his and Harlow would be gone. But he can see the way Harlow's chest is rising and lowering in his sleep, and the way his expression is so soft, so serene... and he lets it go, deciding to make his fortune in other ways.

They grow increasingly obsessed with each other, and just closer in general. Dios starts sneaking copies of Harlow's favorite book series (trashy vampire romance, of course) into his bags while he's away. Dios's flirting starts to really get to Harlow, and he can tell there's something... wrong. He's actually considering cheating on his rich, powerful wife with this sneaky little thief... all because it's the first time he's ever felt loved.

After weeks of adventuring together, the tension FINALLY snaps and they fuck. We have many, many ideas for how their first time would go, but my personal favorites are "A fight gets so sexually charged that Harlow just starts fucking him" and "Dios says it's not cheating on his wife if Harlow doesn't consent and fucks Harlow while Harlow half-heartedly goes 'wait, dios, no, please' and makes absolutely no move to stop him".

The second one is extra fun because if Harlow wanted to he could easily toss Dios across the room, and has before. From there, it goes from sexual tension to romantic tension...

And then, Dante enters the picture again. We don't know why yet or how it will go down, just that we will have the ability to have him in our party at some point. So, of course, Harlow and Dante don't get along at ALL. Harlow is jealous of how sweet Dios is around Dante, and of how close they are/how long they have known each other, and Dante is jealous of how head-over-heels Dios is for Harlow and how Harlow has actually had sex with him. Dios has been in love with Dante since they were kids of course, but he is also deeply in love with Harlow at this point and terrified of it. It leads to some fun possessiveness and probably some rockin "I bet I could pleasure him better than you" sex that Dios gets stuck in the middle of :3

Eventually, though, they all start to get closer. Still- Harlow confesses to Dios first. Dios is the first person to ever treat him like... a person. The first person to be upset on his behalf, the first person to learn about his interests, the first person to hold him softly and treat him with reverence, like he was fragile... It sort of breaks something in Dios to hear the confession, so he completely reverts to his old self and laughs in his face, "Love me? You don't even know me! I... I can't believe you fell for my loverboy act, are you an idiot? I... I could never fall for... I would never..." And he just runs off, and Harlow is left alone. Dante tells him to chase him- and Harlow does- he finds Dios hiding, nearly sobbing in a closet, and he holds him. He holds Dios tighter than he's ever held him, and Dios scratches and bites and says awful things to try and get away, but Harlow doesn't let him. He holds him and takes every bit of it until Dios calms down, telling him over and over again that he loves him and that he's not going to let him run off so easily... and once Dios's body is exhausted from thrashing and his voice raw from yelling, he says "I love you too."

And, this part is far less developed, but eventually Dante and Dios get together romantically as well, and it becomes a hinge polycule... Dante starts off a shitty little asshole- he's always treated Dios like his property, and he didn't start getting better until he realized if he didn't start treating Dios well, someone else would. He does love Dios- I think he has for a while- but that doesn't mean he respects him as an equal. On his adventure, Dios gains a lot of self confidence and the ability to stand up to Dante, which scares Dante to death. He has to learn to respect Dios, or lose him forever, and he mostly does the former, eventually. Because Harlow puts the fear of god in him lmao. I have no idea what would happen if Harlow found out that Dante is the reason that Erwin died, and was the reason Dios almost died... but the drama would be fucking INTENSE. If Dios found out (which he probably would) He would attack Dante, using only his fists, no daggers or rapiers, and Dante would take every hit while Dios dissolves into a sobbing mess above him. I love the idea of Dios's voice cracking "I... Dante I loved you..." and him responding through busted lips, "I love you too."

That's a lot of it, but far from all of it, so if you have any more questions or want more info on certain parts, PLEASE ask, I LOVE talking about them so fucking much!!!!!!! And here's the TLDR (An old thing I made honestly before they were very developed at all:)

[bigirlbased]

fallowl au time!

second post in like 10 minutes lol anyways luz king and eda time! as ive said in the initial couple post luz king and eda are taking the place of the courier/mc. They all three travel together delivering packages acrose the wasteland, but one day they are interecepted by a gang and they are knocked out and burried alive, the platnium chip they were delivering to the strip taken They wake up in doc Mitchel's house in goodsprings and are told they were found by a securitron in three shallow graves, they are given some supplies and sent on there way and the story goes form there but in this post were talking backstories!!!!!!!!!! Eda: Eda grew up in a little town called bonesburrow in california, she was raised with her sister Lilith and together they both dreamed of one day joining the ncr, but life happens and dreams change. Eda went on to become a courier for the mojave express and Lilith joined the ncr and ended up becoming a high ranking member eda spent her days delivering mail and adventuring across the mojave, until one day she met king... (not going super in detail into eda as 1. i wanna save some for later and 2. im still figuring some stuff out) king: One day while eda was exploring an abandoned vault for treasures and supplies she found a young king, he had been abandoned and Eda had decided she would care for him, it was unclear what king was exactly but it didnt matter to eda,she took him in king has the same personality he has in cannon and is overall the same charecter, just edas companion/adopted son on her adventures Luz: Luz grew up in gravesfeild, a small farming town on the outskirts of the mojave, her father died when she was 7 and she never got to know him super well. She was close to her mom and she loved reading pre war fantasy novels, none of the other kids in gravesfeild never really got her, she was soemtimes mocked and ridiculed but her mom was always there and while it hurt to have no one understand her but she got threw it that was, until the legion attacked when she was 12 the legion attacked gravesfeild and burned it to the ground, her and her mother tried to run but Camila dies trying to defend Luz, and she was left alone. She hid in a secret room under one of the houses until they left, and when she leaves she finds the town burned to the ground and everyone gone, until a woman and her companion stumble into the town and find her Luz has been traveling with eda for the past 4 years and has become part of there little family and they have gone on plenty of adventures together sdie notes: like i said in an earlier post i decided to age up the hex squad just a bit in this au, just cause fallout is a pretty violent series and i thought they should be at least a bit other before getting into shootouts lol anyways the stuff with luz is new lore, like i new i wanted to do the whole orphaned by something happening and eda taking her in type story for luz but the specifics about the town and the legion are new, also gives her more reasons to hate belos, also i just kept the names of towns from the show for any new settlements i add to this au cause i think its neat anyways hope yall enjoyed

[nothingelsematterswrites]

omg new chapter so im back at it again hi :) the only way I can describe ch 11 is satisfying!! payoff for all of oscar’s conflict over control by finding and accepting love in spite of the circumstances! i am such a sucker for the trope of loved ones knowing someone better than they know themselves so the david & oscar scene was reread many, many times. kicking squealing fainting giggling unwell about oscar immediately going to logan and being all happy n stuff. Very cute. 11/10 no critiques! if you need an excuse to drop some lore about the background characters that we won’t get to see in the fic, i am always so incredibly interested in this au

hi!!!! :D i am so glad you liked ch11 and found itt so satisfying! hopefulyl ch12 will be equally satisfying since it is The Chapter.

lore? let's do lore!

Sir Carlos and Lord Lando

They are a love match! Lando, of course, came out the season before the current one, and it just so happened that Sir Carlos was visiting from Spain. Everyone had always warned Lando that if he did not mind his manners and behave properly he'd never catch a mate during the Season - but for Sir Carlos, it was love at first sight! Carlos' family is not very wealthy, so there was a long battle over marriage settlements that nearly nixed the marriage altogether, but Lando insisted to his parents that he would not take anyone else.

At the time of Ch11 Lando is carrying their first child.

Duke Mick and Marquess Jack

This one was arranged, and while happy enough, Mick and Jack are still learning a lot about each other, as they were married pretty much the second Jack hit marriageable age. The mating was planned by Archduke Michael and Marquess Mick from Jack's birth (had Jack been an omega, he would have been mated to Duchess Gina, instead) as a means of uniting the families of these two longstanding friends. Michael and Marquess Mick met on the battlefield and were renowned as two of the greatest generals of their time; however, in a fall from a horse while Mick was young, Michael was wounded, and no-one has seen him since.

Mick is very insecure about being older than Jack, though Jack assures him it doesn't matter, and Mick had plenty of offers. Mick is carrying their first child, but is also insecure about the fact that it took him some time to get pregnant.

Duke Lewis and Lord George

I won't drop all the juiciness of their story here - that's for the prequel! But they are a love match, and while it is not uncommon for an older single alpha to arrange a marriage with a much younger omega, it is very unusual for their marriage to come about from love.

George and Oscar have been friends for a number of years, and their love has been something Oscar has aspired to have in his own life.

Prince Daniel and Master Max Verstappen (and King Christian)

I won't drop the full story here - that's for the sequel! (Yes, lord help me, I'm planning both). Lord Webber is one of King Christian's favourites largely because in Mark and Oscar he sees a reflection of his own relationship with Daniel. Daniel is a wild free spirit who didn't much fancy the idea of marriage and was indulged by his father - until he met Max...

Duke Hamilton and Lord Webber

They met fighting in France, and became firm friends after saving each others' lives several times. Lewis is one of the very few people who knows the truth about why Mark never married.

When Lewis' family started to get on his back about marrying, he and Mark considered marrying Oscar to him, to serve multiple purposes: to meet Oscar's marriage requirement, to provide heirs for Lewis, for Oscar to be mated to an alpha Mark could trust, and to combine their political power and wealth. Both felt weird about it, but thought it the best option. Then Lewis met George...

Oscar's birth family

This was asked in one of the comments, and no, Oscar's birth family won't be showing up. Why? They don't know he exists!

(CW: abuse, scoundrels, death)

Oscar's birth father is a wool merchant who deals with the great estate, and unfortunately, had a reputation as a scoundrel. He seduced one of the maids of his house and took her to his bed, lying to her with promises of marriage and a happy life. When she confronted him after her heat, however, he threw her out, not knowing she was expecting. Later, he left Greenleigh to work at another estate up north.

She went to family at first, in London, but no-one would take in an omega pregnant out of wedlock, and she wound up giving birth in a poorhouse. She was very ill after the birth and, in the hope of giving her son a better life, decided to abandon him at Greenleigh - she had heard the staff were kind there and hoped that perhaps he would be taken in by them, and maybe grow up as a footman or a stablehand.

She never knew that Oscar was adopted by Mark himself, because she sadly died not long after.

While society knows that Oscar is adopted, they don't know his origins, and indeed, he looks enough like Mark that more than a few people believe that Oscar is Mark's bastard son. (There are also rumours he is a bastard of the King, given to Mark to raise to cover up his existence. Christian, Daniel, Mark and Oscar all find this very funny.)

Oscar and Lily

Lily is the daughter of a former chambermaid in Shell House and the head gardener there. (Their love story was so romantic that even Mark got involved to bring them together.) She was born only a few months before Oscar was found, and she was often allowed to be taken into the nursery to play with him.

When she was old enough to start in service herself as the scullery maid, Mark asked the housekeeper and David to keep an eye on her and ensure she was taught everything needed to be a lady's maid, as he planned for her to be Oscar's friend and advisor. Lily was put into Oscar's service when they were sixteen, and they are fast friends, as close as society and their roles will allow.

Oscar, Mark and their instincts

A lot of people viewed Mark suspiciously when he adopted an omega pup, because they believed that an alpha could never properly raise or love an omega pup he hadn't sired, without it being weird...

But because baby Oscar had never scented anyone before - his mother had never done so - Mark's was the first scent he smelled, stored indelibly in his brain as father. His instincts recognise Mark as his father, regardless of blood, which is why he can still chirp to him like a pup, and is unaffected by Mark's cycles. (The second person Mark handed the baby to was, of course, David.)

Logan, Kyle, and Dalton

Kyle is the under-valet of the Sargeants' house, and assisted both Logan and Dalton as needed from the time Dalton turned eighteen. With Logan often overlooked or ignored by his parents, not being the one who will inherit their fortune and business, Kyle became his best friend and confidante.

Logan has a modest fortune settled on him, but Dalton will be the wealthy one. Mark's concern was not with Logan's fortune during the settlements, but to make sure that Oscar would be properly protected; nevertheless he has promised that Logan will be looked after if the marriage goes sour.

Dalton married the daughter of a wealthy steel family as was required of him, but only agreed on the condition that his parents let Logan find a love match. To say he is angry that his parents went back on their word is an understatement. He has already decided that whatever the gender of the child his wife is carrying, they will not have an arranged marriage.

[wundrousarts]

Hey, Owl House fans that are looking for other media to get into now that the show has ended: check out the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend!

The series is about a young girl named Morrigan Crow, who is whisked away to the magical city of Nevermoor the night she is supposed to die. Once there, she has to navigate her new home in the whimsical Hotel Deucalion, her education at the prestigious Wundrous Society, and the truth about the mysterious and powerful legacy she belongs to.

The series is categorized as middle grade/~YA, so it's similar in how it can appeal to an all-ages audience. Like The Owl House, it balances lighter moments with darker, more sinister revelations (and they're just getting started!). The author is queer herself and openly expresses her thoughts against + directly confronts bigotry and hatred while also being just an all-around wonderful person.

It contains some classic tropes such as a magical school, found family, and corrupt authority figures, all in unique and fresh ways. There is a diverse cast of characters, including a sapphic couple where one of them works at a magical library (sound familar...? 😉). There are several multi-dimensional antagonists, and they all work to challenge Morrigan and the story in their own unique ways. Also: there's a giant talking cat! Love that.

The series has an interesting magic system + worldbuilding, with tons of lore and history to dig your hands into and theorize if that's what you like. The character development is so fun and interesting as Morrigan and her friends grow up and find their place in the world. The world is so fleshed out that you can easily pick a minor side character or a location that's briefly mentioned, and extrapolate on how and where they fit into the story and themes as a whole.

There are three books out already, out of nine planned books. The fourth book Silverborn comes out in October, so there's plenty of time to get caught up until then! I highly recommend giving it a try.

[sandwormrp]

Opening Day: May 10th

Happy May! We're not far from opening day now! *kazoo noises*

You're probably wondering if I have more gifs up my sleeve. The better question would be how many times can I write *kazoo noises*

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[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @local-single-wizard

Who You Are:

Whonsper || They/them

A fanfic writer by heart, with no fandom at the moment. I also have an annoying tendency to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to writing, but I have wonderful ideas all the same, if I do say so.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Adventure, comedy, fanfic, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, and tragedy. Young and new adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Fantasy, I love to freedom the genre gives. I've always been interested in the kinds of creatures one could come up with, and what kind of silly adventures they could go on! And because it's such a large genre with no set rules, I can make up whatever lore I want for whoever I want. But there's always that feeling like a spark in your eye, tasting adventure with each breath, even if the characters have lived there their whole lives; the reader gets to taste that world now!

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

History, despite my interest in history. I personally know many history nerds, and have seen plenty online as well, to know they would never be satisfied with any history story, no matter how well researched. I'm usually one to over-research even, and I'm too scared to touch the genre because I'm far too lazy to research every tiny detail, like the minimum wage in buttfuck nowhere, Alabama in 1952 and how it affects my characters in the next country. I simply don't have the mental energy.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

Usually myself, because I write exactly what I would want to read. Outside of that, my next targets are anyone that feels anything that I feel, any neurodivergents or aspecs or anyone that feels isolated in the world for reasons they cant quite articulate. For anyone outside of that sphere, I would hope they could understand a little better what others are feeling, at the very least, and sympathize with those people that feel like my characters.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I really like found family, finding platonic love, as well as enemies to lovers (I know what that says about me). Anything where I can introduce a character that doesn't fit, especially if they're a "monster" (usually literally), and pour my love for them onto the page through my other characters, or give them a home where they feel safe to be themselves. Bonus points if I can make them love the world around them, and in turn learn to love themselves. Enemies to lovers has a very fun dynamic that I really like playing with, especially if I can subvert expectations.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

I'm not a big fan of any 'Chosen One' stories, because they feel cheap. Especially if there's no secondary pov or no fight to be that chosen one. I don't want my heroine to be handed their responsibility, their greatness; I want them to fight for it, to want it, to beat others for it. I want a story to prove to me why I should care about this person being the Chosen One over others, or it'll feel like this was a bit of a weak choice to me as a reader.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I've recently made the switch from all my writing being fanfiction to writing original stories, thus scrapping many of my earlier ideas, or at least shelving them for later use. I'm jumping between a couple ideas right now, but one I'm most passionate about is about a guardian angel, with a strong distrust of humans, being forced to Earth to find a person who he'll spend his life looking over. Overwhelmed with this new world, he starts following the first human to show him even a bit of kindness, much to the human's mixed amusement and irritation. Over time, they grow closer, with the human learning more about the angel, who they are as a being and how they feel about the world. The angel learns so much about the world, and slowly breaks down his distaste and prejudice against humans. I've had the idea for this since 2019, even writing a chapter of fanfiction following this premise, but since starting to rewrite it I've been mulling it over in new context for about 2 months.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I write because it's a release of my thoughts, and also because I thrive off of validation. I keep writing for all the people in my life that have ever believed in me, or have written with me. Special shoutout to my 11 year old brother who would come in my room everyday for 3 months and ask to work on our fantasy choose-your-own-adventure story, and always had the most creative ideas.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I first accepted writing as my preferred medium when I was probably 13, but I've been complimented on my writing since I was 8 years old. I think I was first drawn to it because it's a way to get my thoughts out when I can't figure out how to verbally articulate them. I have adhd so figuring out what I'm trying to say while staying on topic is very difficult sometimes, and I get lost very often. I'm constantly confused in daily life, so writing is a place where I can have control and know exactly what I'm doing and what I've just done.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

I get a lot of my inspiration from reading other writer's stories, or even hearing people's personal life stories. Many of my stories include elements I've seen in other places, little bits that another writer has in their story that I've become inspired by and put in my story. Another big source of inspiration is actually just random pictures, because I love trying to figure out why this would make sense, or inversely what subversion is happening in this picture right below the surface. My current project was partially inspired by works I've read in the past, but from the very beginning was inspired by a picture of a celebrity wearing angel wings, back when it was a fanfiction.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

It's an unfinished, almost scrapped piece that I came up with last November, but one which I immediately became so obsessed with and thought about constantly. It's about a young person who learns that he has the ability to time travel, only backwards, never forward. He uses it too often for mundane reasons and very quickly loses control of it, and is thus sent hurtling back in time uncontrollably. He relishes what time he spends in these periods, meeting new people and gathering new friends and making a small life for himself before he's inevitably whisked away to the next time with no warning. He's accompanied by an immortal, who he's meeting backwards in time, and who is there every time he jumps, there to catch him up to the time and make sure he's okay. The two become a very close family, but there's the looming question of how far back will he go?

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I haven't, it wasn't even on my radar until just recently, when my stepmom offhandedly mentioned that she knew I would get published one day, that she was waiting for it, and she would of course buy any of my books or short stories. She said she's always believed in me, and always been a huge supporter of my writing. So yes, I would love to publish a story, even just a little short story, for her.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I love coming up with the plot, and interweaving little details, whether for my own amusement or for the sake of a better story. I'll spend so long on that step, coming up with more and more lore for the story and turning a little short story into a beast. I'm not a fan of the first draft, because that is always the hardest for me. I'm a perfectionist so it's very hard for me to accept that my writing is not going to be perfect on the first pass, and it honestly shouldn't be! I've been working on accepting imperfect writing, but it's very difficult.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

My process is pure chaos, and definitely not effective. It usually starts with me texting my best friend about some crazy idea, rambling for at least half an hour, usually closer to 2 hours, about this cool new idea I've had, just putting any unintelligible bullshit that comes to mind. She'll give her take on it, give me some ideas, help me shape the idea, get rid of ideas that just won't work, help me sort out a plot, then I copy all these notes into a google doc and sort them. From there I try to write the filler between everything we've talked about. Then I refine it down, over and over again until it sounds okay.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I'm not even sure I am a writeblr, to be honest. I started the writing blog only about a month or so ago, but I've only been interacting with other writeblrs in the past week or so I'd say. I actually got more in to the community because of a writeblr valentines event, the one that pens-swords-stuff hosted just recently.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

@pens-swords-stuff, of course. Scrolling their page has helped me figure out how to engage in the community as well as fix my blog (I'm still working on that one). also @monstrousfreedom, absolutely fantastic stuff on that blog, and writes things that I'm very interested in.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

The sheer difference between any writers, I've never seen such a large community with such different tastes hype each other up, even if some of those people absolutely do not make the same content, or even consume the same content.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

Being so new to the community, I haven't seen anything just yet. Everyone seems so nice and open to talking to others, even newer people like myself. I've only seen positivity so far from writeblrs.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I could absolutely be doing more. As of right now, I don't interact too terribly much, as I'm still trying to get set up and find my feet in the community. But I'm trying to worm my way into the community through events like this, getting my name on people's dashes so I don't feel so bad about posting my own writing, or ranting about my wips to no one.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

I love interacting with any post that asks questions about your current wip. I love talking about my writing, even if it's just to myself in the tags.

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

My own writing ideas, or a story that a specific song felt like.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

@whonsper, my main blog, or on discord, whonsper#9454

Questions For Fun:

If you could time travel, what time period would you go to? Why?

If I could time travel, I'd probably want to go back to ancient Rome. It seems like the safest option, what with women owning property and indoor plumbing and all, but I'm also really interested in learning about what life was like back then. What small details of life have slipped under our radar but are prevalent in day to day life for ancient Romans? What's similar about human nature and culture through all of time? What hidden gems do they have that historians today would be pissing themselves to get?

If your writing was a food, what foof would it be and why?

I'd want to say my writing is like a bowl of soup. I always want it to feel comfortable and natural reading my stories, but you never know what you're gonna get. Is it cheddar broccoli today with a side of high fantasy romance? It is Italian wedding soup with some magical realism? Is it chicken noodle like your mom used to make, but oh no I've done something to your beloved fairytale. Or maybe I just really like soup.

Do you have a favorite fantasy creature? What makes it your favorite?

Through the years, I've picked up my brother's love of dragons. The amount of magic you can play around with in dragons is incredible, and with so many different breeds and physical characteristics and personalities. They're also very intelligent, which leads to them usually being even more of a problem than anyone signed up for, which I love. They're an incredibly versatile creature to see used in fantasy, and I always get super excited when I see one.

[randomvideogameblog]

The Character Customization Files

The God Eater Series + Code Vein

Genre: Anime Style Hack and Slash/RPG

Customization: Yes

Romance: Haha. No. But we can dream.

I am biased. I love this series with a passion and I'm excited to see what the next entry will bring in terms of lore. Lore that was expanded upon slightly with Code Vein offering new questions. With that said here's what can be said about the games in terms of customization/gameplay.

God Eater 1/Resurrection:

Hoh boy. The game shows its age now. But it's a classic. In the facial category, it's lackluster. Giving you a set of faces to work with and few hairstyles, but for me the clothes were always something I loved. There's a good plenty to be unlocked as you play. The story is a bit rushed; I wish it was more fleshed out and drawn out. But what is there is enough, the characters are iconic and absolutely lovable. As for romance, ha-ha I wish. But we have Alisa, who seems to have a crush on the player. That's a plus. Also, background romances? Yes.

God Eater 2/Rage Burst:

This game also shows its age. It lacks polish, like really lacks it. Translation errors and dialogue not matching what was said. I may have to go back but I swear in a cutscene that was meant to be heart felt my character was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was the generic male protag. When I played as a girl. I laughed because it was hilarious. This time around in the customization the clothes are still plentiful, more so in fact. I... like to collect them all.

The characters this time around are a bit more extra. Whether that's good or bad, depends on who plays it. Because I loved some but loathed others. Just one. But even he grew on me to some degree. Romance? Not you there's not. Implied? Maybe. If you squint.

God Eater 3:

I miss the clothing from its predecessors, the variety isn't there in this one. But the overall aesthetic and look of your protagonist is good. The model itself is good. I just don't like the hair shine, but that's a small thing.

There isn't romance, but oh boy. You play the game and tell me there isn't love. Platonic or romantic whatever is going on between your protagonist and Hugo. I love it. Found family. I live for it. While the game could do with more fleshing out of relationships and in general being longer it does have DLC that's free that expands a bit further.

Code Vein:

Hello, good looking! The character customization is off the charts in terms of options. Not clothes, which is a bummer. But hair, accessories and make up galore! The options to make an absolutely unique character are there. The characters still suffer a bit from the same issue I had with God Eater. Lack of overall interaction with the characters. I wanted more. Still, I enjoyed it very much. There's no romance. But that's fine. There are characters who's romances I enjoyed to see.

Code Vein is special since you don't have to play the God Eater series to enjoy the game. I believe it was said it was not in the same universe as the God Eater series. But that's only a half truth. It does, but it requires no knowledge of the God Eater lore to play. It exists somewhere alongside it, a side story existing in its own bubble.

With the God Eater games I like to say the story carries on from each one. Almost like a cause and effect. God Eater 3 can be played alone as it's not as tight knit as the other two but is a delight to play when you see a certain character appear again having been there from the beginning.

If you want to start with this series start the old ones first. Here's my reasons why.

First. The older games are clunkier. If you start with the more recent titles going back will psyche you out. They'll feel heavy and it's a relief when you get to the more recent titles.

Second. Lore wise. I liked getting to see the story progress throughout the series. You get to know them and get attached to them.

Third. I feel like the older ones are more likely to go on sale. Don't get them full price.

Counter point:

If you'd like. Play the newer ones first. God Eater 3 and Code Vein make good introductions on their own. They're smoother to play and you don't need to play the others unless you'd like to.

Ratings:

God Eater Series

Overall: 7/10

Would I recommend? Yes and no. Yes, because I am biased. No, if it's not to your taste.

Code Vein

Overall: 8/10

Yes, I would recommend. Like I said. This game can be played alone without the others, offers a good introduction to the world via a teaser. The customization is amazing too.

[findroleplay]

Arranged Marriage Sci-fi RP, looking for a strong writer

I’m a 25 year old guy in America. I write in the 3rd person. This is a dark romance science fiction themed fantasy. Including action/adventure, magic, fantasy, music, aliens, and other futuristic stuff like that. Long term. I’m heavy on world-building too. I love good world building. And it will be crucial to the story.

As far as the gender of the writer, I don’t care. You’d just have to be good playing in a male on male RP. But please be over 18.

Our characters would be playing two princes from opposite kingdoms. Around the ages of 24-26. Also: I won’t be using Dune lore specifically, just using the character and his family as a part of the story. But everything else will be original content.

Your character would be playing Feyd Rautha from Dune 2. So he would be a highly possessive/obsessive character.

I’m looking for strong RPers. Your character would be a very wild/different character to play. Many have told me he’s too out there for them. There could be a lot going on in the RP. So a strong partner is required. Or if you’re experienced playing psychopaths or sociopaths, that works too.

Storyline: Our boys have found themselves in an arranged marriage. Whether they like it or not. Two kingdoms that are seeking a joint venture - through their children - to help further each of their own agenda’s. And now they have to navigate that, along with all the politics that come with it. Along with the drama of getting into each others personal lives. Things could get very treacherous, especially as these opposite personalities are forced to deal with each other. But they’ll grow to love each other.

Your character: You’d be playing Feyd Rautha. Don’t worry about not knowing about him, I’ve got plenty of reference material for him (his attitude, his voice, etc). I won’t leave you hanging on him. He’s violent. Calculated. Somewhat psychotic. Possessive and obsessive. Let’s no one near what he seems as “his”. An incredible fighter, and an even better lover. His family has been an old industrial powerhouse for generations. But they need someone to help elevate them on the political landscape as their power has been waning in the galaxy. And that person would be their son. He’s the complete opposite of my character.

My character: He’s an OC I created. I do have refs for him. His family recently rose to power after assuming the throne. They’ve survived an earth rattling blackout that’s nearly crippled the kingdom. And now they’re tasked with rebuilding it, among other things. He likes to entertain and sing. But he’s also a spy and a mage. A high level one at that. He’s more on the flashy side and never shy’s away from a camera. Which helps to distract from his work behind the scenes. However, his family is new to the galactic political scene. And they’re looking to make a statement. And that statement would be with their son.

With the joint union of these two sons, both families would further their own agenda’s while combining their power. Becoming a true force to be reckoned with. However, there is a lot of treacherous activity that goes on behind the scenes as these two families become entwined with each other. And that’s not even accounting for the princes either. They’re opposite in every way, and yet they’ve been forced to marry. Who knows what will happen.

I’d like someone who can reply in a timely fashion. I’ve had lots of people tell me they can do the RP just to ghost me. So timely communication is a must. I get that we all have lives, but if something comes up, tell me. Don’t ghost me after agreeing to do the RP.

I want you to contribute to the RP as well. I’d love to hear your ideas for characters, places, plot-points, etc. It’s no fun if one person does all the heavy lifting. And I think that the more collaborative an RP is, the better it is. I’m fond of OOC chatter as well. I’m also fond of playing more than 1 character. So if you have side characters, or characters that contribute to the story I’d love to hear them and include them in.

Would deal with topics of magic, alien species, music, futuristic societies, heavy world building. Possibly warring kingdoms as well.

Discord: questioninglife_

-

[sasquatchsightings]

Adding my two cents:

On the one hand, I get that they need to make the game approachable for new people. You don’t want characters spouting off proper nouns all over the place without proper context. And with it being a decade later, there are some choices that can be negated or left out as not being important. I’m not denying that. (I will set aside how many people I’ve seen streaming the series on Twitch and posting vids of their first playthrough on Twitter, due to comparisons to BG3, but I feel like there are plenty of newbies who are CURRENTLY in the process of becoming fans who are going to be very salty when they get their shiny new copy of DATV.)

Plus I feel they want to create as much of a clean cut as they can from the original trilogy to avoid what I’m calling the Pokemon Problem. Pokémon’s issue with its premise is that if each game is in a new area and new areas necessitate new characters (ie the Pokemon) to interact with as the main gameplay mechanic, then they can either make each region totally separate or constantly add about 100 new ‘mons to the roster every generation and have to juggle an exponentially growing number of possible team combinations. Dragon Age logistically can’t keep giving us ever more complicated branching paths for an ever increasing number of blorbos without spending a huge amount of dev time trying to write just those paths and how to give players an update on all those quantum characters.

But to give us so little to tie over when responsiveness to player choice has always been a key aspect of the series is bonkers. The excuse I keep seeing is “it’s 10 years later and we’re in the North, so nothing we did matters.” Excuse me, but the Waking Sea isn’t a fucking Iron Curtain. Orlais is a political powerhouse who trades with literally everyone, and the legacy of Queen Asha of Antiva ensures that all the ruling families are both connected by politics and by blood.

And to say those choices don’t matter means we won’t so much as get a Codex entry or an NPC conversion about what happened in regards to our choices without it being written in the most neutral, passive language. Like, if we’re in Nevarra, it would be pretty conspicuous for no one anywhere to comment on their neighboring country if a war hawk is on the throne or if they’ve radically changed their stance on elves.

Not to mention that “the North” isn’t just Tevinter. Antiva, Nevarra, and allegedly Rivain are all part of the SOUTHERN Chantry, so who is Divine still applies. You can’t tell me that a softened Leliana reacted to the invasion of Qunari in Antiva and responded in the exact same way as she would have had she been hardened, and in the same way as Cassandra AND Vivienne. And you can’t tell we spent all that time getting her elected only for her to abdicate the throne in under 10 years. 

The Morrigan thing, I can see how they can bend the lore to make the Well not matter, if maybe the effect was temporary due to Flemmeth dying, but it still would beg the question how Morrigan gained all her knowledge. If she doesn’t drink from the Well, she never becomes fluent in elvish. If she does, that is what gives her the ability to turn into a dragon, so if she does that in a world where she didn’t drink, that will be odd. And many people have brought up how she is going to be “surprisingly involved” in the story, so that also begs the question of where is Kieren.

And another thing! One of the choices is who you romanced, but there isn’t anything about their fate. This is probably fine for a few of the romance options, but several of them have the chance to end in tragedy, especially Bull, Cullen, and Blackwall. Plus Cassandra can be a romance option AND the Divine. If we meet the Inquisitor and they talk about loving Cassandra, is no one going to bring up that “Hey, Cassandra Pentaghast? Isn’t that Divine Victoria’s proper name?” To me, the only way of squaring this is that the romance option question is stealthily just asking “did you romance Solas: yes or no?” And I get that he’s popular in the fandom, but people who haven’t been rabidly talking about the egg for the past decade probably just remember him as the nerdy elf who turns out to be the guy who started all the bad stuff in DAI, because his romance is locked behind a subset of a subset of a subset of the players. So making two of the three choices exclusive to his story is…a choice.

Folks, I gotta be real with you: Yes I too am disappointed that there aren't more choices carrying over in The Veilguard from the last three games, but I think the current fandom rage is a little over the top. It's not the end of the world. Can we just take a breath for a second and remember that this new game is set in Northern Thedas, where 99% of decisions made in Southern Thedas ten or more more years ago of course aren't going to matter, if you think about it? And on a meta level, I imagine the goal is to make this game as friendly as possible to brand new players, not out of spite towards existing fans.

[halcyon-hyacinth]

Which webtoons are your faves?

To those of y'all unfamiliar to webtoons, they're free comics you can read online. They're generally updated weekly and there's all sorts of stories from every genre covered. The ones I have listed are all ongoing and can be found here. Two are on hiatus atm but they'll be back soon.

Generally I like to read Fantasy/Action+Adventure/Romance.

My favorite to read out of all of these so far has been Finding Wonderland which is a different take on Alice in Wonderland. The plot is really intriguing and I love how everything's being slowly revealed.

Summary: In Wonderland, Alex is the Ace. When tasked with hunting down the nefarious Black Knave and his scourge of Nightmares, Alex begins to have visions of another world beyond: our world. In reality, Alex is a normal teen who has been placed in a dangerous simulation to draw out a scientist’s lost son. And time is quickly running out.

This webtoon has my favorite art style by far. The colors are super vibrant and the transitions/character design is on point. It's also near and dear to my heart because there's some unresolved history between Alex and Lucky (the white rabbit) that I'm dying to know more about. While romance isn't the focus of the webtoon I love seeing it as a side development and their chemistry is on point.

Some words on the other ones I have listed:

Purple Hyacinth (Mystery) - A cop with an ability to detect lies teams up with an assassin to fight corruption/plots by a criminal organization to overthrow the ruling monarchy. I don't usually like stories with cops in them but this one has a clear critique of the criminal justice system/policing so it's been pretty fun to read.

Your Smile is a Trap (Romance) - Kiyu is an ex-idol trainee starting at a new high school. He's always gotten way too much attention than he's comfortable with for his good looks so he decides to hide his features with a pair of glasses with thick frames. But try as he might to make some friends, he's socially awkward, his new seat mate is unapproachable, and his fans have tracked him down. Hijinks ensue.

Odd Girl Out (Drama) - Nari starts high school and somehow ends up getting the three most popular girls in the school to hang out with her, when all she wants is a normal life. This one has great found family vibes and the character relationships/dynamics are super well done. Also the art has improved a lot over time so it's been cool to see that develop as well.

Jackson's Diary (Supernatural) - A teenager named Jackson starts at a new school and can't help but feel that something is off about one of the school's most popular students, Exer. This one gives me Stranger Things vibes cause it's set in 1989 and has supernatural elements and I appreciate the character dynamics and the slow reveal of what the hell is going on, lol.

Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell (Comedy) - A teenager named Paul summons a demon to get love advice from to help talk to his crush. Supernatural shenanigans ensue. By far one of the funniest webtoons I've read, with plenty of twists along the way.

Lore Olympus (Romance) - Retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades. Really like their interpretation of all the gods, the character development and plot progression has been super good. Also, it's going to be turned into a Netflix show!!! :))

Mom I'm Sorry (Drama) - A college kid named Henry makes a deal with a lifespan dealer to give away part of his lifespan so that his dying mom can live. Now his mom is his age and they're able to go to college together as Henry decides to live his remaining days helping her live life to the fullest. Shenanigans ensue. I really like the character dynamics and all the different conflicts they run into. It's a pretty engaging story.

If y'all want some specific recs lemme know! There's a couple of really good sapphic webtoons out there that I've checked out :,)

[torisave]

If Bella Goth Never Went Missing

I always loved the idea of an alternate universe where Bella Goth never went missing and always wondered how that would impact other households. In the end I made this save file simply called If Bella Goth Never Went Missing filled with my own imaginings of how some of the most iconic sims 2 families with many differences. Because Bella never went missing families have changed in big ways and small ways which I wont spoil here and let you explore for yourself.

This is not a base game only save file though don’t let that stop you from downloading the save file. The packs used were all expansions, all game packs except Journey to Batuu, Wedding stories, and Werewolves, all stuff packs except Luxury Party and My First Pet Stuff, and also NO kits were used.

I have edited every lot in every world except for the lots built by other simmers though I did clear out all houses without residents to make it more realistic. All families have been edited to include more packs into their outfits and over all just to make them look better. To go with the outfit changes I made sure all child sims looked good when they aged up. 

I also tried to give every family a good family tree but for some reason the game started deleting some of the dead sims so some trees might not be complete like the Crumplebottoms which had probably the biggest family tree. I added extra lore and relationships to families that previously didn’t have any.

In Willow Creek I renovated/rebuilt all the lots except for the Haunted house lot which I just loved too much. This Is where the Goths, Dreammers, and Brokes live.

In Oasis Springs all lots where renovated/rebuilt with the museum being replaced by a restaurant lot. This is where the Curious, Singles, Monty, Caliente, and Lotharios live.

Newcrest is completely built from all empty lots also there is a vegan restaurant and a lot perfect for homeless let’s play in this world. The rest of the Monty family and Crumplebottom families live here. Also there are two Agnes Crumplebottoms since Cottage Living has an Agnes so she’s just another Agnes in the family tree.

Magnolia Promenade has also been renovated now having a graveyard, cat café, and Italian restaurant. The cat café was the first lot I ever built and has a special place in my heart.

In Windenburg all lots got rebuilt/renovated there is a lot perfect for a homeless let’s play and a Restaurant which attracts vampires. The Capp and Pleasant families live here.

In San Myshuno all apartments have atleast 1 family living in them to make neighbors for your sims to live with. I have added a spa where the gym used to be and the arts center is now a museum but still can be used as an arts center. Also the old salt factory is now a community project lot. The Debateau, Alto, and the rest of the Capp family live here.

In Forgotten Hollow all lots have been rebuilt/renovated their is an abandoned starter lot perfect for renovating and Lore between the families has been added.

In Brindleton Bay the meuseum has been turned into a house and has a family living there. There is also a restaurant which is like a food stand more so than a restaurant. I have also built a abandoned hangout for the local teens and young adults.

In Del Sol Valley all lots have been renovated and the lounge now has an upstairs movie theater there is also a cute coffee shop instead of a park. Also I added more lore to the townies especially Judith because I like making my sims suffer. 

In Strangerville there is one starter lot that is a rundown Victorian but there is plenty of lore with the families along with plenty of creepy basements. The Smith, Grunt, Spector, and Beaker families live here.

In Sulani a spa has been added and I made some family drama to go around along with a secret mermaid family. The new families here were inspired by the Altos from the sims 3 isla paradiso.

In Glimmerbrook I made the bar more of like a community space with a secret spellcaster room and green house. I have also added the Cordial sisters, The good witch Phoebe, and the evil witch Frances. Also I gave the Charm family way more lore.

Britechester is now a completely university students only world by having no residential lots. All lots are renovated and currently there are two Sorority-frats for your sims to join or not. Also Angela and Lilith are teens in this save file so I edited their sims 4 versions making them Elderberries instead. They are now Brianna and Sherry Elderberry and will appear in the family tree as Rohans sisters.

In Evergreen Harbor I added a arts center and a Asian restaurant which doubles as a park. Also all apartments have a family living in one of the units in each building. I have also expanded the Tinker family to include the Tinkers from the sims 2.

In Mt. Komorebi no longer has vacation lots, you can change this but you’ll miss out on some cool storylines I’ve created. I tried not to touch any of the lots and only built a spa on the empty one. Although I did empty the starter homes for realism. The rest of the Capp family lives here also.

In Henford-on-Bagley I added an abandoned cottage and changed the rental lot to a residential. I also tried not to change the houses too much but I did have to renovate the mansion for the Summerdream family which are spellcasters for now.

In Moonwood Mill I emptied out the starter house and made it look more run down inside. Also I built a trailer park on the empty lot and added the trailer sims from the gallary. I also had them join the current wolf packs so they are filled out a bit more.

Here is the download link please enjoy the save file :)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ai1nFMLJ07QaVWPloVBm6GVI5ZZPLRr3/view?usp=sharing

Here’s the link if you have the Werewolf’s pack :)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UvoN9QIQsiA4b-rgXI3xHJ9if2H4ZbGe/view?usp=sharing

High School Years Save

I added a fixer upper vet clinic in place of the stater home and I added in the Beckett family which has the football player from the high school years trailer. I had to move out the Prescott family and put the Beckett family in their house. I also built an old lookout tower where the empty lot used to be. I also built a new high school with every skill I could fit in along with making it easy to play in. The auditorium and all its lot types is included and I have play tested prom, career day, and graduation to make sure every thing is functional.

In this save I replaced the old cat cafe and turned it into a boba tea and thrift shop cat cafe. I also renovated the bathe de rill lot again, the Brindleton bay pawspitle, and turned the south square coffee into a boba tea spot.

Download for Highschool years is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_t5z5mZtj0Znz7mWhME3CvTWzSWnwcCA/view?usp=drive_link

Made this save when I was in High school and now I have edited it again now that I am older. Most of the lots are still the same but I had to edit a family to add more story and change it from what it was. Here’s the new link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-legN7ElcaHOyIyzWfnJuqktG0-klJx/view?usp=drive_link

Growing Together update

I edited the Recreational Center to have stuff from all packs almost the only thing it doesn’t have is a pool and bowling alley. Besides that I made all the homes without sims into empty shells with only kitchens and bathrooms. I tried to add a treehouse to the fixer upper but it made it too expensive so I took it away. 

I also added a vet clinic

Its perfect for anyone looking to have a fully functional vet clinic with plenty of room to expand on the upper levels.

I also added a community space to San Sequoia

It starts off as just a place to have weddings with 3 locations to have them with everything you need for a base game wedding. With an added hot tub.

I also edited all the parks and pools in other worlds to have the splash pad.

I also added Recreational lots to both Windenburg and Newcrest.

Windenburg has 2 because I wanted their to be a more Tudor looking building and a modern one.

And finally here is the Growing Together Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MjvxCef9HRyJ0YWeXlHdJZS3MrDLJT7r/view?usp=drive_link

[marbarmars-arts]

Welcome to my art blog~!

This is where you see all the fun stuff from me, ur favorite host, Marley! hehe :)

(#Marbars2024 is the current art tag!)

Here’s a run-down of the tags used around here if you’re looking for something specific (there are a lot of tags I apologize lmao):

#PreMiiverse = any art I can dig up before I was 10 years old

#Miiverse = my art during the golden age of my childhood lmao

You also have art from years 2017 onward that will usually go by #Marbars2017 and so on, y’all know Miiverse collapsed by then

#MarbarsDoodles = Where all the nondigital sketchbook doodles, paintings, and just irl stuff I make goes. If I remember what year I made it

#MarbarsWrites = Where all the writing stuff goes like fanfiction, poetry, etc.

Story specific Tags:

#The_Verse = Basically what I call the lore during Miiverse, “The Verse” or just “Verse” is the world some of my OCs used to reside in. Not all miiverse drawings will have this tag, but if it does I consider it to be canon to what happens in the Verse. #The_Canto = This is the lore after Miiverse/The Verse, “The Canto” or just “Canto” is a world that my persona creates as a safe place and a continuation of stories from the Verse.  #Golden Eyes = It’s a power that my persona has that will make some appearances. It also comes with plenty of cool tricks and definitely some lore :) #Marlin Fools/April Fools = Ah April Fools, it’s such a tricky holiday lol. This is a storyline I do every year featuring the Genderbent Dimension, where Marlin takes over my social media for a week. Dimentio is also a featured character, usually wreaking havoc with his deadly vacation ideas... #Halloween Madness = Spooky month...I love Halloween! The colors, the candy, not to mention the scary transformations--wait what? This is a relatively new thing I’m doing for every October where everybody gets a new coat of Halloween paint...and even featuring a certain green bean... #Life of the Soul Sister = A Velva-centric spinoff where she travels around the world of Canto (and maybe even other worlds too, with the assistance of some dimensional hoppers) to help those in need, and even help herself. The only power she has is her words, will that be enough to get through the day? #Journeys of Chaos = A MaraDERP-centric spinoff where she wreaks havoc across the dimensions, recruiting chaotic beings such as herself to form a little family/team of her own. As she learns what it means to be a leader, a certain cosmic entity of order watches over her band of misfits. Stardra, a mere grunt of an organization is given orders from her superiors to wipe out MaraDERP’s group and replace their personalities to fit what these space beings see as “perfect and orderly”. With a battle between Chaos and Order breaking out, what will happen to these two former friends? #Talk in Action! = A Cellcia and Sprite-centric spinoff where they both host a talk show, with guests of all shapes and sizes. This wacky show comes with its own dubious surprises as we not only get to see their wit, but their strength too. Fights ensue, and then after the day is done, we get to learn about our characters and how their life-long friendship as evolved...  #Frostbite = An Ice and Carnation-centric spinoff where we explore a hybrid species in Canto. Humans, but with the powers of the elements. Exploring what it means to be one of these, Ice, struggles to make people open their hearts and accept her kind of people. #Minty Frazzles = My M&L series comic! A love letter to the series that gave me...uh...the one I love! Fawful! There isn’t any issues of it atm as I’m a one-band team and I’m still working on the concept of it, but I have tons of doodles! It’s about a girl named Minty meeting Fawful after the events of Bowser’s Inside Story, and their journey to become friends and then...something more?? Things start out real rocky, but it gets better as time passes on. While these two are a huge part of the comic, I also want to make sure this REALLY feels like a M&L side story. :) #Fawful Night Funkin AU = This is a FNF AU of Minty Frazzles, where the story takes a more musical turn. Fawful, looking into the ways of controlling the masses, observes that people tend to obey music...specifically funky rapping. He’s got the musical talent, but with him being absolutely terrible at singing, he looks for a singer to fill his spot. Minty, a rapper hobbyist, accidentally runs into the bean, and is immediately lovestruck and wants nothing more than to impress him, perhaps even get a toothy kiss! ...Even if it means world conquest through song. #Fawful Menthos = Uhhh a very edgy AU of Minty Frazzles whose concept is still in the works. But it’s a what if situation: if Fawful did conquer the world during BIS? What if Minty was caught in the middle of this conquest? ...What if Fawful was lovestruck instead of Minty when they first meet? The story has a major overhaul and is a lot darker in tone (like a lot more death and a 3-way war lmao), but if one thing didn’t change was the fact that love is complicated. Especially if they were planning on stabbing each other in the back.

#MF Childhood AU = An AU based on the concept: ”What if Fawful and Minty met as children?” Take a dive into a more wholesome version of the ship you’ll get to know and love, to see Minty’s involvement during Superstar Saga through Bowser’s Inside Story. And...you’ll even see fankids in this AU. Because of course I would make fankids for this ship even if they’re not technically canon-- #Smoker Toad RP = My very very very big fanfiction that’s in the works, it features the main character of Smoker Toad, a 35 year-old Toad who was the formally named Bucken-Berry that used to save the Princess over and over again. He saved her so many times...in the same ways...it felt like it was all staged. And being a famous star came with its own set of problems. Not wanting to live in the lies of fame, he moves out of Toad Town and into the depths of Neo Bowser City. Down on his luck, he falls into addiction, which is where the nickname comes from. But just as things look real grim, Smoker finds his chance to be the true hero he always wanted to be. And it all starts with an encounter with a group of misfits, and a villain mastermind plagued by the dead. (And this is all just part 1! This also gets a part 2!) #Camentio AU = A lighthearted alternate universe of Smoker Toad RP where the roles of Fawful and Dimentio has been switched. Personality swaps and have been applied to the rest of the cast. Now with a tale of a shyer Casadora falling in love with Dimentio, a new story starts to form. (Camentio is the name of the ship btw! It’s the biggest change of the AU so that’s why it’s named after it) #Smoker Toad Future = This canonically takes place 25 years in the future after the events of Smoker Toad RP part 2, where the children of the usual cast are the main characters. I don’t have too many stories planned but it’s more of a fun way to continue the series even after everyone is old lmao. #Noncanon = This tag is where drawings I do that aren’t considered canon to any universe (so old drawings, one-shot stuff, and crossover stuff) belongs here.

There’s also OC tags as well, some lived in Verse (previously) but now live in Canto (so far):

MarleyMarbar (Art that contains my persona character)

VelvaFircas

MaraDERP

CellciaSnapper

SpriteNite

IceSirius

CarnationLibitr

AriaOmega

Stardra

RaindropBluu

KukuZee (This is my gf’s OC I’m allowed to use for shipping purposes)

Any genderbent version of these characters get (GB) added at the end.

Minty Frazzles characters tags (so far):

Minty(MF)

Fawful(MF)

Chilli(MF)

Salem(MF)

Midbus(MF)

Velvina(MF)

Frost(MF)

Pepper(MF)

Spear(MF)

Fawful Night Funkin versions get (FNF) added instead, Fawful Menthos versions get (FM), Childhood AU versions get (CH).

Smoker Toad character tags (so far):

SmokerToad(STP1) and SmokerToad(STP2)

Joseph(STP1) and Joseph(STP2)

Fawful(STP1) and Fawful(STP2)

Casadora(STP1) and Casadora (STP2)

Frank(STP1) and Frank(STP2)

Charlie(STP1) and Charlie(STP2)

Egadd(STP1) and Egadd(STP2)

Pike(STP1) and Pike(STP2)

JMom(STP1) and JMom(STP2)

Cackletta(STP1)

Midbus(STP1)

Dimentio(STP2)

Goombella(STP2)

Any Camentio versions of these characters get (CM1) or (CM2) instead, and Smoker Toad Future versions get (STF).

Also some ship tags (so far)!

IceHot = Ice x Carnation

IceCold = Ice x Raindrop (they’re exes now though)

Spooky = Sprite x Kuku

Mintful = Minty x Fawful(MF)

Jike = Joseph x Pike

Cawfie = Casadora x Fawful(ST)

Camentio = Casadora x Dimentio (Camentio AU only)

Buckbella = Smoker Toad x Goombella (STP2 only)

Fawley = Marley x Fawful (silly selfshipping hehe)

Marmentio = Marley x Dimentio (more selfshipping)

Marvig = Marley x Ludwig von Koopa (even more selfshipping)

Verry = Velva x Larry Koopa (it’s only temporary lol)

I hope y’all enjoy this REALLY LONG POST. (And use this post for reference when you’re confused about something I post)

[sisaloofafump]

I second all of those! And also:

Batman: Hush (2002) is amazing at introducing so many important characters at an entry level: Bruce, Dick, Tim, Alfred, Harley Quinn and the Joker, and Gordon. It also reintroduces Catwoman and starts her relationship with Batman, and explores his friendship with Clark and Lois. It also gets into much more about his upbringing than just the night of his parent's murder. My only hesitation is that it came out right before Jason’s return and lays the early foundation for it, so it’s important to have some backstory regarding that going in. The art and the writing is great and while the story line gets intense, it has plenty of lighter interactions and art. It was originally published as Batman #608-619.

An in-depth recommendation list:

Gold/Silver/Bronze Age

If you’re interested in his goofy Gold and Silver Age comics—start with a highlight collection! I recommend Batman Annual #5 (1963) from the 1940 Batman run. My personal favourite sub-era to read is the early 60s because it is both weird and easy to read.

Prominent Series:

Detective Comics (1937): It was originally an anthology series but (almost) each issue #27 onwards has Batman in it! There are stories about other characters like the Martian Manhunter, and various non-hero detectives in each issue too.

Batman (1940): A Batman solo series. Often includes three stories in each issue.

World's Finest Comics (1941): He has a solo story in the first 70 issues. Issue #71 onwards are team ups with Superman!

Batman Family (1975–78): A short bronze age anthology staring Batman, Batgirl (Barbara), and Robin (Dick), however it really focused on highlighting supporting characters like Vicki Vale, Huntress, and Ace the Bat-Hound. It mostly includes reprints but each issue should have an original story as well. This was later merged with Detective Comics for 15 issues.

Prominent Character Issues:

Detective Comics #27 (1939): Introduces Bruce/Batman

Batman #1 (1940): Introduces Selina/"The Cat"

Detective Comics #38 (1940): Introduces Dick Grayson/Robin

Batman #16 (1943): Introduces Alfred (although his last name is Beagle, not Pennyworth)

Superman #76 (1952): Oh no! There's only one room left on this cruise and we have to share (Batman & Superman's first meeting)

Detective Comics #233 (1956): Introduces Kathy Kane aka the first version of Batwoman

Batman #139 (1961): Introduces Bette Kane aka the first version of a Bat-Girl

Detective Comics #359 (1967): Introduces Barbara Gordon aka current canon's "first" Batgirl

Detective Comics #357 (1983): Introduces Jason Todd. (His backstory is rewritten a few years later however)

Dark Age

These are a few very important comics to Batman's history and you'll often see them referenced. You don't have to read any of them but it's important to loosely familiarize yourself with the contents.

Batman: Year One (1987): When they reset all of DC's continuity, this was the Batman origin they created. It set a new gritty vibe that some people loved, some people hated, but needless to say it is one of the most influential comics DC has ever put out. Features Bruce, Gordon, Selina, Alfred, and Harvey.

Batman: The Killing Joke (1988): This is a majorly influential Joker story and quite dark. It solidified the Joker's modern characterization and parallels to Batman. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is assaulted and permanently(ish) paralyzed in it.

Batman: A Death in the Family (1988): Jason's death arc. The readers had voted on whether he would live or die. This was the result. Also published as Batman #426–429

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989): Dave McKean illustrated this!!. That's all I should need to tell you. It is a very interesting abstract exploration of Batman and Gotham's rogues and leans heavily on the horror aspect. I'll warn up front that there is a lot of demonization of mental health issues. It established Arkham Asylum as a major part of Gotham lore.

also the very famous but non-canonical:

The Dark Knight Returns (1986): A hypothetical future story where Bruce comes out of retirement. Carrie Kelley is the the new (and female!) Robin and helps him fight the Joker, Two-Face, and Superman. This is the first (and the best) of a trilogy.

Modern Age:

(I'm stretching the timeline categorization definitions here but trust me)

World's Finest (1990): This is a wonderful Superman & Batman team up from the early 90s and has really great interactions between everyone's various personas. Steve Rude's art is so much fun and his versions of Lois and Bruce Wayne make me want to cry with how beautiful they are.

Kingdom Come (1996): a hypothetical story about the Justice League turning into villains. Deeply influential and famous but more importantly, absolutely gorgeous. Do yourself a favour and just go stare and Alex Ross' art for a while (including in 2005's canonical series Justice)

Trinity (2008): A great look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. The first half focuses on the Trinity's similarities and differences in what they symbolize. It has a very interesting integration of Tarot too. However, they're absent for the vast majority of the second half — focusing on what the rest of the JL does in their absence. You don't need to read all of it.

New 52 & Rebirth

The New 52 (2011) relaunch event made a few major backstory changes to the Batfamily. It unparalyzed Barbara and reinstated her as Batgirl. Cass and Stephanie both lost their Batgirl (and Robin) histories and were completely set back to ground zero, ready to be reintroduced with new origins.

Honestly just avoid all of the New-52 for as long as you can, but if you do get tempted later on:

We are Robin (2015) and Robin War (2016): Features Duke Thomas, his friends, and later Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. If you're going to read anything, read this. It is genuinely very good and worthwhile.

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015) focuses on the whole family (including Harper Row/Bluebird!!) and re-introduces Cass and Azreal. It has a LOT of family bickering and team ups. Ironically, it doesn't really have Bruce or Damian in it.

The Rebirth era and following (2016–) does mostly keep the same canon as the New 52 created. However, following the Dark Crisis event, everyone's backstories were merged with their previous incarnations. It is not clear to what degree this effects each character, however Stephanie is back to having been Robin now.

If you’re reading the Rebirth era, I recommend starting with the Detective Comics run rather than Batman. This is just personal preference but I strongly stand by it. It highlights lesser known characters (initially Kate/Batwoman, Steph, Cass, Azreal and Batwing, with Tim and Bruce) but most importantly, it’s way better written. There are a lot of batfamily crossover events (like Joker War, or Fear State). So yourself a favour and read the collected editions so you catch all of it in one place. Just be mindful that two major events happen in the Batman run that affect the whole stream (Batman #51 and #77).

Batman & The Outsiders: is amazing and I want to second its recommendation. It focuses on Cassandra and Duke. Read Detective Comics #983–987 first. B&tO is continuing off from it.

Batman: The Knight: a 10 issue series about Bruce's training years and the friendships he made. Introduces a prominent character who shows up a lot in Batman #100 onwards. This is just really great

Batman: the Brave and the Bold: There are a lot of stories under this title. The 2016 launch features Duke Thomas with Batman blasting heavy metal music out of his chest. The new 2023 one is an ongoing collection of gorgeous and semi-experimental stories

Batgirls: If you like Barbara, Cass, and Stephanie, I highly recommend reading the first arc of this. The art and the story are a lot of fun

Task Force Z: Jason is roped into leading a government team of resurrected villains. It is quite an interesting exploration of his current ethics. The rest of the family do make appearances as well.

and additionally:

Wayne Family Adventures: an official (but non-canonical) Webtoon about the various domestic shenanigans of the Batfamily. It's light and funny and heartfelt and updates every Thursday.

-------------------------------

The recommendations that OP provided are amazing for getting to know individual batfamily characters and a great starting place. I hope this helps flesh out other avenues too.

I know that seeing lists like this can be super daunting. Honestly, just choose whatever and start. You'll pick up a lot along the way. If you're ever stuck or want to meet a certain character, OP provided great recommendations for that.

Lastly, I want to recommend my favourite oneshot, and it has absolutely no bearing on any plot, characters, or world.

Batman: Dreamland (2000): It's Batman exploring Area 51 and he looks like this:

What more could you possibly want?

hey if i wanted to get into batman comics where would i start. i am asking this purely on the basis that u reblog a ton of comic stuff so u don’t have to answer if u dont want to haha

@amongusbabiescustodybattle

I'm so sorry I don't know how long this has been in my asks. Disclaimer: I haven't read comics in a while and these are purely my own opinions.

If this list is too overwhelming, start at either Detective Comics #568 (if you want 80s batfam vibes) or Detective Comics #934 (if you want modern batfam vibes).

I'd say a good starting place if you want a place to jump in featuring the entire modern cast of characters is Batman (2016) and Detective Comics (2016). A few Batfam characters have solos from this time too (These are at the start of Rebirth, which is one of the more recent reboots, this is where I started).

For individual characters, here are some recs. Most of these will not be from within the past 10 years.

Batgirl (2000): Cassandra Cain's solo, fleshed out her character a bunch. There's a few problems that are relics of the time but it's generally pretty well regarded

Batman and the Outsiders (Rebirth) is good for both Cass and Duke Thomas

Two good Duke comics are We Are Robin (2015 I think?) and Batman and the Signal (2018)

Batgirl (2009): this is Stephanie Brown's solo that only has (I think) 12 issues because of the New 52 reboot

SIDE NOTE DO NOT READ THE NEW 52 COMICS THEYRE SHIT AT LEAST MOST OF THEM

The 90s runs of Nightwing and Robin, starring Dick Grayson and Tim Drake respectively

Birds of Prey (1999): This is where you'll find a lot of Barbara Gordon as Oracle content

Batman and Robin (2009): Dick Grayson as Batman after Bruce's presumed death. Damian Wayne as Robin.

Red Robin (2009): Tim goes off the rails

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2005). Jason is back and murderous.

I'm also a big fan of Batman (2016) Annual #3 because of the Alfred content

Those are all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure some other comic people can think of a lot more (@junkoandthediamonds you are The Comic Person maybe you could give them some recs? No pressure)

Some individual issues I would recommend are:

Jason's robin run from the 80s: Batman #408-425 and Detective Comics #568-582 (thank you @dailyjasontodd because your post came up on google for this)

Tim's entrance: As a normal dude, Batman #436. As Robin, Batman #457. These issues are from 1989 and 1990 respectively.

Steph's debut: Detective Comics #647 in 1992

Steph's Robin run, Robin #126-128 in 2003 or 2004ish?

War Games. This is a 2004 event spanning multiple comic runs and crossovers. Stephanie's (fake) death. I'm not sure how good it actually is.

No Man's Land. This 1999 event was the debut of Cass.

That issue where Jason comes back and beats the shit out of Tim. It's in Teen Titans vol 3 issue 29

Damian's debut: Batman #665 (2006)

This is all I can think of atm. I hope it helped! If anyone else has some recs please rb with em!!

<3

[misterewrites]

Mystery at the Salt-Irons

Hey everyone! E here with a new chapter! kept you waiting huh? Haha sorry it's been a busy few weeks. Nothing serious but I had to keep starting and stopping this chapter so it threw me off but it's here, it's ready and I hope you enjoy it!

I have some special guests in this story, some ocs made by my friends because you know what I can so I will and honestly, they were really great oc ideas guys. so keep an eye out for @hains-mae and Biz_fantasist  OC(I don’t know if she has a tumblr but it’s late so I’ll edit it later) 

That's it for me! I hope you are all stay safe, keep your loved ones safe, wash your hands, wear your masks, push to give everyone the vaccine cuz this is getting ridiculous. I hope you have a great week, thank you for reading. I deeply appreciate and feel free to share it with your friends, give me feedback. Reblog and comments all that fun stuff! Thanks and I'll see you soon!

Here’s the chapter over at Ao3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/85394095

Here’s the story from the beginning if you’re curious what this is about

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

and here’s a list of all my work both original and the various fandoms I write for

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/works

Summary:  Finnrick is called to solve a mysterious case as per his job as the city's only Private Investigator wizard but as he sinks deeper into the case, the more it seems that something is happening behind the scenes. Of course with an old friend in town and dark magic surrounding the case, Finnrick is as busy as ever. Ain't no rest for the wicked.

-----

The Salt-Iron Flats weren’t anything special on the surface: An unassuming apartment complex on the north side of Newton Haven, the only thing most people remembered about the place was how the price tag hurt their souls.

Of course, unlike the general housing market, the Salt-Irons (affectionately referred to by the locals) actually had a very reasonable reason for fetching such a high rate: The salt and cold iron baked into every single brick that formed the building.

If you weren’t in the magical know, you’d think it utterly insane that you’d be forced to pay such a large amount of cash because some weirdo decided to make a new age artistic statement with bricks. Of course, if you are aware of the greater community at large, you’d knew you were paying the insanely large sum because someone decided to make the Salt-Irons the single most protective location in the city.

Most mortals have forgotten their history, their lore and collective knowledge passed down throughout the generations: Why their ancestors used to place lines of salt in front of the door and windows, why the elders always suggested to the braver, recklessly youthful family members to carry iron whenever they ventured through the wild.

Outer beings were repelled by salt and iron. No one really had an idea why fae, angels and demons weren’t fond of salt or iron and there's been plenty of arguing about the subject but all in all the fact remained they did not do well when faced with either.

That was the main reason Finnrick didn’t find himself in the north side of town often.

Well that and the zealous Gate Keepers. Those guys were freaks but between them and the Salt-Irons being the only supernatural community up here, Finn never got a case from the area.

Until today.

The Salt-Irons were great at protecting you from any outside threats that wished you ill will: It didn’t protect you from anything you decided to bring in with you.

It was five in the morning when Finnrick got the call. The M.R.R.D representative didn’t have much to offer beyond the address and floor but he thanked her all the same.

Finnrick yawned tiredly, stretching the tension out of his neck while he sipped his coffee. He let out a sigh of relief as the sun slowly rose into the sky.

The Salt-Irons was a twelve story tall building painted a ghastly pale green that made Finnrick sick just looking at it.

“People are paying how much to live in that shade? I’d ask for discount if I were them.” Finnrick laughing to himself, making his way into the apartment complex.

Luckily the interior was much nicer than the outside: Everything was well kept and cleaned. Not a single speck of dust in sight and the wooden stairs didn’t creak when Finnrick placed his foot on them.

Which was good given Finnrick needed to go up seven flights of stairs.

Finnrick wheezed a little, wiping the sweat from his brow when he reached the seventh floor. He glanced down the hall one way then the other as he began to search for room 707 which basic deductive reasoning suggested should be around the corner.

Finnrick crushed the empty foam cup and tucked it into his coat pocket as he made his way to 707. It was a simple wooden door and immaculately spotless just like the rest of the place. He rose his hand and gently rapped on the door.

No response.

He frowned, checking if he was still alone in the empty hallway and rose his hand towards the door frame.

His eyes glowed with a blue energy as he whispered softly “Revelis”

The door gleamed with a bluish hue for a moment before fading away without a trace.

No protective spells laced over the frame so the only thing Finn had to worry about now if it was locked.

He tried the knob, unsurprised when it swung open silently.

“It’s not breaking and entering if someone’s expecting you” Finnrick justified to himself as he pushed the door in.

He nearly staggered backwards: The air tasted thick and foul like something had been left rotting inside. His skin prickled with anxiety, a chill running down his spine with each step he took further in.

Finnrick took deep, calming breathes while doing his best to ignore the bitter taste that seem to cling the air within.

He noticed the trail of footsteps, perfectly preserved in what appeared to be black dust leading deeper into the living room.

“Hey da! You here?” Finnrick called out, carefully stepping closer “You and ma still married?”

There was a deep grunt of acknowledgment before a voice responded “Sorry son, we’re divorced now. She got custody of you.”

“Well fuck. I guess I’m going to be eating kale and poorly cooked spinach for the rest of my life.”

Garrus Valka was not in fact Finnrick’s father, adoptive or otherwise. He was actually one of the highest ranked officers of the Magical Rapid Response Department: An elf clocking in at 200 years old with richly tanned skin. His bluish gray hair was slicked back in his preferred style. Garrus’s had his back turned to the detective but Finn knew his sliverish gray eyes were deep in concentration as he took down notes about the surroundings. His beautifully inhuman features were marred with a scar on the right side of his face: burnt skin on his cheek, healed by time and various surgeries. An old war wound though Finn never got the full story.

He was dressed in typical M.R.R.D fashion: Dark blue windbreaker, jeans and a blue shirt with the words “Powered by coffee and spite” splashed across the front. His Winchester rifle was slung across his back, ready for any action that may befall the elf.

“Drift.” Garrus greeted teasingly while offering a hand.

Finnrick gave it a playful shake “Da. So is mom here or she trying to smite pigeons again?”

“THEY TRIED TO STEAL MY HOTDOG!” Garrus’s partner Eden screamed from another room “I SHALL BRING MY GOD’S WRATH UPON THEM!”

“You know when they mean justice.” Finnrick called out “I don’t think they mean against winged rats.”

Eden chuckled darkly “You know not their sins.”

“Okay.” Finnrick nodded despite the fact she couldn’t see him “If you say so. What happened Da? Aside powerful necromancy.”

“Powerful necromancy” Garrus replied cheekily “and missing persons.”

Finnrick rose an eyebrow “Persons? More than one?”

“Two: A father and son. Richard Charles and his son Richard Jr. Recluses it seems. Neighbors hardly saw them. Mostly kept to themselves.”

Finnrick pursed his lips thoughtfully “Any magical abilities?”

“They’re not on records if that’s what you mean.” Garrus answered “Never signed up in the academy, not registered with The Council. If they were practitioners they didn’t tell anyone.”

“So what was the spell? I just smell the remnants of spookiness.”

“Hadn’t noticed the rest of the room huh?”

Finnrick frowned before finally getting a good look at the rest of the room: Every inch of the apartment was blanketed with the same black dust that he found in the entrance way. Inches and inches of the substance and that wasn’t the strangest part.

Everything was bent at different and odd angles: chair with crooked legs, the wall clock warped and twisted, the fridge leaning like someone folded it in half. Floorboard reached for the sky and walls split inward.

There was a common misconception about magic. Most people thought spell casters, especially wizards, could command reality to their wills. That magic was capable of impossible feats and it was as simple as snapping your fingers.

The truth was all magic, ranging from divinity to free range nature, was performed on a micro scale. Practitioners did not alter reality but rather shortcut it. Throwing fireballs was as simple as rapidly heating the air until it combusted. Turning invisible was less about vanishing completely as it was bending the light around you to not be seen. Magic was rooted in reality and imagination. If you had the magical strength to perform the magic, the magic often followed your lead.

Of course there were spells that required much more than magical hand and willpower. Powerful magic, like summoning outer beings or raising an army of zombies, required both time and materials. Magic was like any other energy: you needed enough of it to perform what you wanted. The human body could only generate so much magic without dying and resting was necessary to replace any expended in the use of spells. Materials were guidelines for the spell. Feathers for anything with flight, ash for fireballs etc etc.

The other thing needed was to gather energy and store it for the spell’s use. There were different ways to achieve this: Wands, talismans, potions were basically magic soups. The most efficient way to gather energy was the wizards preferred way: Circles.

Finnrick eyed the room closely this time, murmuring under his breath about angles and trajectory. Garrus paid him no mind, well familiar with the private investigators methods.

“If this went like that” he gestured to the wall clock “and that went here.”

Finnrick glanced about, carefully walking about as if worried he was going to step on a landmine.

“Here.” Finnrick found himself staring at a spot in the middle of the room “Ventus.”

He gestured with a hand and light breeze filled the room. It brushed away some of the dust covering floor, revealing the outline of a half melted metal ring.

“What is it?” Garrus turned curiously

“Spell circle. The source of the explosion. I’m willing to bet it’s custom made. Copper, steel. Maybe some bits of tin couldn’t stand the surge.”

“No iron or sliver?”

Finnrick shook his head “That’s for containing or repelling monsters. Necromancy is more about drawing in the evil entities. Or sucking out life.”

Garrus sighed tiredly “Don’t touch?”

“Only if you want to live to see retirement. Might have some pent up magic ready to blow outwards.”

“Understood. I’ll call in our guys. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

Finn nodded gratefully while pulling out a vial and motioning to the elf “Mind if I do?”

“Be my guest, you might find something we’d miss.”

Finnrick smiled gratefully before scooping up some of the dust and sealing it within the vial.

“Take care Garrus, stop fighting birds Ma!”

“Flying rats!”

-----

The cafe was lively despite being early but that was no surprise given it was Mother’s. Mother’s was the single best food establishment in all Newton Haven and if anyone disagreed, they were allowed to have their opinions.

They were also allowed to be wrong.

Finnrick paused in the doorway, breathing in the scent of well cooked eggs and sweet lemonade. The pop and sizzle of heated grease brought a sense of comfort to the hard working private investigator.

“Finny Drift!” Maddie Copperstone called from behind the counter “How’s my favorite customer holding up?”

Maddie was 40 years young with tastefully curled dark brown hair. Human, little on the short side but fierce. She wore a simple red blouse and jeans, both stained with flour that the apron around her waist did not prevent.

Finnrick bounced over cheerfully, reaching over the counter to give the matron the biggest hug he could muster “I’m good Maddie. Working a case.”

Maddie’s brown eyes searched his face carefully “You always working Finny. You resting as much?”

“Scout’s honor.”

Maddie let out a disbelieving chuckle “You weren’t ever a Scout.”

“Honorary scout after I stopped that bear from eating them.”

“Thought it was a giant raccoon.”

“Yes but people don’t take giant raccoon seriously. He here?”

Maddie clicked her tongue disappointingly but motioned to the booth at the far end of the establishment “Rest.”

Finnrick rose his hand in surrender “After.”

“Never you mean!” Maddie shouted after him.

Amos Frye hadn’t changed much since last he was roaming around Finnrick’s neck of the woods: Handsome with soft gray eyes that reminded Finn of gathering storm clouds. His long black hair was tied in a messy bun held up by a golden pin, a braided strand hung loosely near his face. His beard was much shorter than what Finnrick remembered though he noted the unkempt split ends indicated that Amos hadn’t trimmed it in a few weeks. His iconic dark red sleeveless jerkin and black jean combination would look ridiculous on a lesser man but had allowed the monster hunter to show off his muscular frame. His brown skin was a bit more pale than usual so no doubt Amos had been operating at night lately.

“Finnrick, you cheeky bastard! I am so glad you came!” Amos beamed happily, his various bangles and bracelets clinking together in equally joyous celebration as the two shook hands.

“Amos! Happy to see you.” Finn beamed brightly as he slid into the booth across his old friend “Why though? Family trouble?”

Amos’s joyfully gleam turned dark for a moment.

“No. Have you…?”

Finnrick shook his head quickly “Not a word. Sorry, I hadn’t meant to…”

Amos waved the apology away “No worries cuz. I understand why you’d think that. Coming across the pond isn’t a spur of the moment thing and Os has always been the black sheep of the family. I suppose no news is good news.”

“Right.” Finnrick cleared his throat awkwardly “So what’s the trouble? I doubt you’d call me up for a nip and chat.”

“Rightly so.” Amos confirmed, reaching into the bag at his side and pulling out a folder “Hunting business as usual cuz.”

That made sense: Amos was the latest of a long family whose specialized business was monster hunting. The Fryes had been striking at things that went bump in the night for centuries ever since the first Frye defended the folk of some underground society.

Amos was an average wizard if Finnrick was being generous. That was not a slight against his old friend, it was a matter of fact: Amos spent most of his time honing the physical aspects of his profession which was obvious given the size of his arms. Any spells he knew were purely for defensive or preventive measures so he often communicated with Finnrick for higher quality and complex spellwork.

Finnrick took the folder from Amos and began pouring over its contents.

Most were quickly scrawled notes Amos had noticed about his quarry: Long sliver hairs, canine in nature. Large paw prints found in the areas it had been sighted, far too big to any natural wolf. Wulfvur and werewolf were hastily written and as quickly crossed out. A pattern of hanging out in wild areas, often forests and swamps.

There were pictures too: flashes of sliver, blurs of fangs and muzzles darting in and out of camera frame. It was always a distance away, sprinting deeper into the wildness. It was hard to tell from the photos but Finn guessed it might’ve been 10 feet tall at the very least.

“Why we hunting wolves now?” Finnrick asked curiously.

Amos flagged down the waitress “Contract given to my pa. It was hanging around the marsh lands of the jolly old isles. Someone wanted it gone.”

Something wasn’t clicking with Finn “and you followed it here? From England?”

“Nah cuz” Amos gave a cheeky grin “I tackled it through a portal and found I illegally crossed into America.”

“Ah.” Finnrick nodded in understanding “Fae.”

“Fae?” Amos frowned thoughtfully “I thought that too but I never heard of any snarling wolfie breaking into homes and snatching out wee younglings in them old folktales.”

“Fae are weird.” Finnrick shrugged “Their whole shtick is not making any sense. I had to expel a cat the size of a bus once. Double decker tall.”

Amos whistled in appreciation as he scratched his bread “So fae. Slippy fellow as you can tell. Whatcha recommend?”

“What’s the contract?”

“Banishment. It’s looking like wolfie ended up in the wrong part of town.”

“I think you mean next town over. Fixed a pattern yet?”

“Not yet but I wasn’t looking for one.” Amos admitted “Thought I was tracking some mutant. Fae changes a lot. Magical circles?”

“Easiest way to catch it.” Finnrick agreed “Sliver for sure. Iron would hurt it and based on your files, it hasn’t done anything than thin the local wildlife population. No need to anger mister big bad wolf.”

“Good call. I got some talent to handle a few circles but tracking is not really my speed.”

“I’m on a case but if you swing by the M.R.R.D, maybe they’ll loan you a wizard.”

Amos let out a disappointed sigh “I need to take care this sometime this year Finny. Bloody bureaucracy probably set me back a month at least.”

“There’s always Jaime but she’s pretty busy at work.”

“Jaime huh?” Amos smiled mischievously “I haven’t talked to your sister in a long time.”

“I will curse you.” Finnrick playfully threatened “And not no simple hex either. I’ll make you bald.”

Amos gasped dramatically, clutching at his hair protectively “You wouldn’t dare mate.”

“Shinier than the sun.”

“Okay, okay” Amos conceded “I’m kidding. She’s with Casey anyway. Good couple. Cute couple. He still hopelessly selfless and she still trying to fast track her way to power?”

“Yep.”

“You gonna fix that?”

Finnrick shook his head “It’s their lives. Their choices.”

“Idiots.” Amos chuckled “the lot of them.”

“All you need is love?”

“Spoken true the gospel of my land.”

-----

A few hours later with a brainstorm session completed and a promise to help out the next day, Finnrick left Amos to his work and continued with his own.

It was noon now and as the sun rose high in the sky, Finnrick found himself at the Grimyard.

The Grimyard was the premiere spot for all things magical in Newton Haven: Rows and rows of shops specifically catering to the magic community. The streets were paved with century old cobblestone and the buildings here were various hues of faded brick and mortar. It was easy to get lost in the Grimyard if it was your first time as the Grimyard did not spread out, it stacked downward. Layers upon layers of the Grimyard were actually underground to allow those with issues against the sun to sell their goods and services at all times of the day. Don’t let the dark fool you, anyone with worthy talent or product was here in the Grimyard.

Normally Finnrick would wander around a bit, checking out the various businesses and protective wards around the mile long patch of land but he was on the clock and the sooner he began to figure out what was going on, the sooner he could stop it.

Luckily for him, his destination was right here on the top floor of the marketplace. Specifically furthest back corner.

Knightly Ore was ran by the Knight family. Originally they only sold rare metals and ores which were necessary components for some of the more complicated magicks. At some point the owners expanded into selling more alchemical materials and eventually brewing potions, salves and such for a fee.

Despite decent business, it was the most rundown building in this part of the Grimyard: Broken window shudders with the paint faded down to the original shade when the business first opened decades ago. The humble black door was crooked and creaked whenever it moved

Finnrick knew the owners fairly well but here wasn’t here for them. He was here to see their son.

He pushed past the building, ducking into the alley that led to the lot directly behind the shop.

“Halt!” A voice called out “Who seeks the Brewmaster of the Grimyard?”

“It is I, Finnrick the detective. I got money and I need work done”

The Brewmaster was Theodore Knight, an incredibly talented alchemist who didn’t have the same opportunities Finnrick did: He was pretty tall for his age (14 or 15, Finnrick lost track once or twice) but clearly a teenager given his short lavender hair had a few strands dyed red. His eyes were an unnatural pale blue, paler than the blue of the sky. He wore the usual attire Finn often found him in: A sleeveless dark blue hoodie with a fist sized red gem clasped in front just under his neck and a lighter shade blue t-shirt. He wore black finger-less gloves gripping his brown messenger bag slung around his shoulder. A matching brown pouch hung around the waist of his gray cargo shorts and his brown boots were kept clean despite his place of business was in an alley behind his parents shop.

Theo jumped out from a hidden shadowy corner of the lot “Finn, whatcha got for me now?”

Finnrick reached into his pocket, showing the eager teen the vial that held blacken dust within.

“That’s it?” Theo scoffed, rolling his eyes “I was expecting something…...cooler.”

He took the vial and raised it to the sun. Theo gave it a rough shake and watched it carefully for any properties the strange substance would display.

Theo frowned, clearly unsatisfied by what he saw “You brought me ash? Plain ash? It’s your money but even I think it’s a waste.”

“It’s ash?”

Theo shot the detective a look that screamed how obvious it should’ve been “Yes, ash. Thicker than what I’ve seen but ash all the same.”

Finnrick bit his cheek thoughtfully.

“Look Finn, you know my rates. I dunno what you want me to do but standard fees apply.”

“I’ll paying double.”

The Brewmaster’s eyes narrowed suspiciously “Double for ash? What’s so special about it?”

“Oh nothing." Finnrick pretended to look disinterested “Aside it was taken directly from a crime scene: Necromancy and cast via a half melted spell circle.”

It took Theo a minute to allow the implications of what Finnrick said to sink in. His eyes shifted from suspicion to wild excitement.

“Really?!” Theo clutched the vial like it was his first born child “Necromancy really doesn’t like many alchemy processes. It’s not going to be easy for me.”

“I know right?” Finnrick grinned impishly “It’s almost like I’m going to have to pay double for it.”

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to….” Theo pouted unhappily “Ha freaking ha. Okay smart guy, pay up.”

Finnrick handed over 50 gold. Theo took it eagerly, his eyes lightening up with glee.

Theo paused for a moment, his face turning oddly serious for a teenager.

“It might take me awhile depending on what you want.”

“I want to know what’s in it. Necromancy requires specific ingredients. After that it’ll be easier to track the seller.”

“And the buyer!” Theo blurted out excitedly “Smart.”

Finnrick ruffled his hair playfully “I wish I thought of it. You keep this up and you’re going to run me out of business.”

“I’ll text you when I have something.”

“Pleasure as always Theo.”

“It’s Brewmaster.”

-----

It was 2 in the afternoon when Finnrick made his way back to the Salt-Iron. He stood outside the complex, tossing the remains of his pizza into his waiting maw and crumpling the can of soda he was drinking before tucking into his coat pocket.

“What’s this?” Finnrick asked, utterly confused by the crushed foam cup he pulled from within “Oh right my coffee. I’ve been really at today.”

Finnrick wiped his hands clean and made his way inside the Salt-Iron once more, mulling over the details of the case as he ascended up the stairway.

Blacken ash cast by a spell circle. Both father and son missing with no indication where they went too. Recluses and rarely seen. Necromancy within a threshold.

It was hard to tell how deeply the father and son were involved in spell. Someone who had access to the apartment was behind it no doubt. Spell circles were the most consistent way to cast magic but they took time to build, set and channel energy. You didn’t build a spell circle without knowing exactly what you plan to do with it.

The nature of the magic was also a mystery: Dark magic had various applications and not a single one was good. Finnrick hadn’t much experience with that branch of magic but there was nothing logical about the aftereffects: Ash spread throughout the apartment, clinging to everything like a second skin. There was no signs of an outward blast given that nothing bent in the same direction. Everything in that room decided to twist in whatever wayit felt like. If the spell was supposed to draw in something then chair legs and wall tiles would’ve been pulled directly towards the circle.

“Curiouser and curiouser Alice” Finnrick spoke to no one in particular.

He was on the fifth floor when he noticed something odd.

Finnrick raised an eyebrow as the skies outside the window darken, black and stormy.

A thunderstorm it seems.

Finnrick peered out the window, glancing upwards to see what was going on.

Dark clouds swirled directly overhead. Rain began to lightly drizzle as the skies boomed. Thunder and a moment later lightning trailing across the gathering storm.

A thunderstorm that formed directly above this building.

Without warning.

“Well that’s not ominous.”

Finnrick made the mistake of leaning closer to the window, peering around to see if he could see where exactly the storm was coming from when it happened.

“Watch out below!”

Finnrick noticed three things in that moment: First, was of course, someone shouting to watch out below. Second was the distant sound of claws scratching something wooden, the walls perhaps. Lastly was the thudding of something falling down quickly and towards him.

Finnrick rose his hand, pivoting on his heels in time to see something crash into him.

It wasn’t much of a contest: Both Finnrick and whatever slammed into him broke through the fifth story window and went sprawling into a freefall.