#actually its THE shelter of THE city hero

[thelostpretzel]

a shelter of a city hero

[with-my-calamitous-love]

BAREFOOT IN THE KITCHEN / SACRED NEW BEGINNINGS

shouto todoroki x reader

shouto makes a mental checklist of all the things he loves about his home. (you.)

inspired by cornelia street

houses and homes are two different things for many different people.

for shouto, a house was simply a structure that sheltered the most personal details of ones life. the family, the fights, the scars… a house was a place he was forced to be in, forced to grow up in. it was never happy for him.

and shouto knew his childhood house well, as if there were key signs that warned him of incoming disaster. the stillness of the house, even the old floorboards refusing to move. the sudden change of tension in the air the moment the front door opens. the lack of his siblings laughter, all hiding away from him.

the worst kinds of hurt come from the people who should be protecting you.

so he’s hesitant when it comes to getting close to people. his worst fear, now as an independent pro-hero, is going back to one of those still, tear-filled houses.

and you can’t blame him. he doesn’t know what a home is, at first.

1) home is your apartment.

first, shouto learns that home is going to your apartment after work, because he knows your fridge is actually filled and you’ll have clean towels for him to dry off. as self sufficient as he may be, he’s a youngest child at heart. that means be loves to have people to lean on- though they’re far and in between.

as he drives through the city, its as though the street lights point him in your direction. he’s completely mystified, wanting nothing more than to seek your refuge. he barely has a chance to fumble with his keys before you’re already opening the front door for him, as if you just sensed his presence.

“how was work?” he asks you, wrapping his arms around your waist while you cook food on the stove. you love him when he walks out of the shower, wearing nothing but his black sweatpants with a loosely tied jaw string. his perfect muscles are glistening with water, and his hair smells like your shampoo.

he hums as he listens to you, clinging with zero interest of letting go. he loves this, and loves coming home to you after gruelling days at work. sure, his house was bigger, maybe more lavish with unreasonable monthly rent, but all of that doesn’t compare to your laughter at his shitty jokes. it pails in comparison to your favourite mug and the specific way you take your coffee. its the mundane things that make you so beautiful to him.

2) home is your cooking.

he’s used to running on an empty stomach. he doesn’t pay too much attention to his self care, despite his status and previous training. he simply just doesn’t have the time to sit down and have a proper meal, not when he has to work hard and maintain his rank.

all of that changes, however, when you begin your ritual of making soba for him every friday night. at first, he’s confused- not that its incredibly hard to make, or that it would take you that much time- no. he’s confused as to why you did it specifically for him. i mean, sure, you two are dating, and it was a really sweet gesture, but it was also so personal. you could have surprised him with flowers, or treats, or lacy lingerie, but instead you crafted the dish he loves so much.

and it tastes so good.

“your mom told me its your favourite.” you sheepishly admit, referring to the phone call you had with rei earlier. “did she?” shouto smiles, slurping up that last piece of soba eagerly. it makes him warm, knowing that you actively talk with his mom, even when he’s not around.

and she loves you, because you’re an extension of who shouto is. and he will proudly announce that to his family, wanting to share that love with others too. he wants to thank you not just for the food, but for everything else too. though he can’t quite grasp just everything you’ve done for him.

3) home is your smile.

its a no brainer that shouto has money. he grew up rich, and has become one of the most successful pro heroes to date. he loves to spoil you, because he loves seeing the way your eyes light up when he hands you a bouquet of your favourite flowers or that new book you’ve been raving about.

he’s also a man of style. he loves to buy quality clothes and comfortable fabrics, obviously for himself but more so for you. he loves seeing that the jacket around your shoulders is his, walking around in the autumn air.

“you’ll get cold.” you almost whine, but fail to make an actual protest as he leaves his long trench coat around your shoulders. you love the smell, his cologne on your skin. shouto just smiles- he’s never really been impacted by temperatures too much anyway. “its alright, beautiful. it looks better on you, anyway.”

he loves to see you basking in the summer sun, walking through the subtle crisp of autumn leaves, spring pollen making your nose scrunch up adorably, or the way the snowflakes sit on your eyelashes. he loves you all the time.

or the fancy dates he takes you out on, long nights of drinking and laughter. and he’ll happily call you two a taxi, hoping that the person on the other end of the line can excuse his happy-intoxicated slurs. you two sit in the backseat, drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar.

“you’re so cute when you’re drunk, love.”

“you’re -hic!- just as drunk as me, sho.”

“am i?”

he’s also the type to almost forget your address when the driver asks- he’s way too drunk, half off of the alcohol and half off of you.

4) home is your arguments.

familial arguments aren’t a new thing for shouto. he’s used to it- the tears, the yelling, the scars that cut deep. but for the first time, maybe ever, he doesn’t want to back his bags and leave before you even know he’s gone.

he finds himself wanting to stay, wanting to make things right. he’ll distance himself, let himself cool off before going to talk with you. he doesn’t dare to say the wrong thing, to let something slip at the heat of the moment. he needs you to know that he loves you not just through every kiss, but through every argument too. he’s here for the good and the bad.

he hates seeing you cry. your pain, the person he loves more than anything being in pain is a kind of heartbreak time could never mend. he’s terrified if you ever walk away. you’re the one person he can’t lose. absolutely not.

“i’m sorry, gorgeous.” he hums, laying down on the bed next to you. he makes it impossible to stay mad at him, for whatever has happened. you just sigh, any traces of anger disappearing when he touches you, pulling you in and forcing you to look at him. he has puppy dog eyes and doesn’t even know what they do to you- and it drives you insane. “i’m sorry too.”

you don’t say anything else, but you opt to leave a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose before drifting off to sleep in his arms. in the morning he’ll call in sick for you and bring you your coffee in bed. it doesn’t matter how stupid, how petty or how hurtful the argument was- you two will make up.

5) home is the memories you’ve made.

shouto can’t dance. and for a man who is supposedly good at everything, you find that absolutely adorable.

“am i doing this right?” he asks, holding your waist close to him as the two of you sway together. the lights are off, the soft glow of the refrigerator light illuminating the two of you like a snow globe, round and round.

you nod reassuringly, the sounds of some american singer playing on the radio. both of your bare feet creak beneath the wooden floorboards, as if the house itself was humming along to the tune.

this is your religion. and this is a sacred new beginning for shouto. the first house he had ever felt was home.

“i love you.” you whisper, getting on your tip-toes slightly to kiss his jawline. “i love you so much, darling.” he hums back, vowing to remember this moment forever.

6) home is wherever you two are, together.

he never wants to lose you. he physically, cannot lose the floorboards, the streets, and the home he’s loved you on. he’d never walk these streets again. if they don’t lead to you, they don’t lead home.

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

So like, it's okay to be good and nobody is born evil and anyone can change the path they're on, yadda yadda yadda, but I actually think one of the biggest lessons Megamind learns over the course of the film is the shocking revelation that actions have consequences.

I'm not even kidding. When you put aside the whole 'evil' thing, one of Megamind's biggest flaws is his entirely screwed up notion of cause and effect.

Like, the whole reason the plot happens is because it apparently never occurred to Megamind that 'carrying out elaborate plots to kill Metroman' could ever result in 'dead Metroman'. Nor that creating a new hero with the specific motivation of defeating him, Megamind, could lead to negative consequences for him, Megamind. Or that riling said hero up into a murderous rage could have the unforeseen consequence of that hero raging around murderously.

Dude spent at least a few years kidnapping Roxanne, threatening her with alligators and lasers and various other villainous knick-knacks, only to disguise himself as somebody else and lie to her until she fell in love with this fake identity he'd created and is genuinely shocked when she is upset upon finding this out.

Not just that she did find out, but that post-her finding out he is unable to talk her into continuing the relationship.

“We don't judge a book by its cover or a person by their appearance… we judge them based on their actions.”

“Seems kinda petty, don't you think?”

Megamind may be a genius when it comes to inventions and evil plans, but he's a fucking idiot when it comes to predicting and anticipating the obvious results of his actions.

And thing is, it makes total sense why he would be like that.

He spent his childhood being consistently punished by the adults in his life, often for no reason that he could understand or even for no reason at all. As a result, he stops viewing punishment as a consequence of his behaviour and starts seeing it as a consequence of him being 'evil', which of course leads to him leaning into his evil persona and eventually becoming a supervillain.

And, as a supervillain, ironically enough, he's completely sheltered from consequence by his greatest enemy, Metroman.

Megamind doesn't need to worry about his evil plans hurting any citizens, because Metroman will use his powers to save them. Megamind doesn't have to worry about the damage he does to the city, because Metroman can fix it.

Megamind does in theory have to worry about social consequences for his behaviour, but the social consequences are being locked in prison and having everybody hate him which is like, the default status quo of his existence since he was a baby.

He literally calls the prison as 'home', a word he does not use to refer to his Evil Lair or indeed anywhere else in the film barring his home planet. Going there is an inconvenience, maybe, but it's not really a punishment. It's where he lives.

Metroman's 'death' changes all that.

Not only does one of Megamind's evil plans finally destroy something that (seemingly) can't be fixed, but he's then turned loose on the city with no superhero to run around after him cleaning up his mess.

Now, if he steals all the artwork in the gallery, then Metro City will no longer have artwork in it's gallery, and people (Roxanne) will miss it and be upset. If he doesn't take care to clean the streets then the streets… will be dirty, and people (Roxanne) will be negatively affected.

If he gives a random, unstable, person superpowers and then goes out of his way to piss that person off, then that person can't be guaranteed upon to “play the game” just because that's what Metroman did, and people (Megamind… then everybody else) will be negatively affected.

And the flipside of this is that, by the end of the film, he wins the battle because he realises "hey, I can change this". If his negative actions have negative consequences then he can choose to do the positive thing instead and save the city.

[ifuckingloveryoshu]

I said Id keep all murder on the warp express spoilers till 8/31 but. *BIG Spoilers FOR MURDER ON THE WARP TRAIN EXPRESS AND DISTORTION DETECTIVE*

I originally just wanted to make a horny post but here we are now, Don post. And keep in mind, all of this is speculation all hearsay and I have not read Don's book.

I might redesign and just redo my self insert oc for one if Bloodfeinds have a thing with masks and if the Pinky Finger has blood feinds? Its only heavy spectulation on my end given the scrapes and blood on the finer from Ryoshu's art. Unrelated but the mask make me thing about Jojo and the Pillar Men. Uhh, more speculation actually, maybe all Kindred in their culture, take the mantel of another role or face? For Don, its the valiant hero. With blood being part of their image, their goal is extending their influnce.

Go further, maybe the Mask and Rocinante can be related in the roles they want to play. The Barber was mentioned and I heard the original Don took the shaving thing used to collect hair from the barber and used it as a hat. I'm thinking for Casstti at least, the technology of that mask after getting enough blood would make him look all human.

From Distortion Detective Chapters 41 and 42 before they axed the series, here we have:

For context: Moses is talking to an older Bloodfeind in this fancy hotel because she wants Moses to murder her. For one, yeah they do feed on human but their not overtly evil? It's a hidden evil but tame for City standards. Elena was just a big exception but popular enough to give the whole species a bad reputation.

From Distortion Detective, we get the information that Bloodfeinds like keeping their numbers low.

There honestly must be cultural diffrences between blood feind populations of diffrent Districts. Don might actually be an Elder.

Also, it's not a new plot point with a bloodfeind who doesn't conciously know their a blood feind.

So does the Distortion inside bloodfeinds have to be awaken? I have no idea, but Rocinante seems to be Don's anchor.

When we meet another Bloodfeind, perhaps an elder one, it doesn't seem in the norm for Bloodfeinds in general to do giant blood bag and conversion things. This is a very hopeful reading of what can easily get retconed but my guess is Elder Bloodfeinds just drink a little bit and then normally let their victims go. But again, we never found out if this person was reliable or not because Project Moon discontinued Distortion Detective. Elena is an outliar among bloodfeinds and Casstti is put into a warp train as a blood feind, in an enviornment that gives as much blood as you want.

Wherever Casstti's from, he was running away to make his own 'kingdom' because where hes from was awful. He had no idea how the Warp Train would opperate. None of this was planned, everything was incidental.

My theory on the events: Cassetti hides in the freightcar to escape wherever he is from and hes been hiding there eversince to get enough blood to make his mask so he can blend in with the City residents, hide his bloodfeind features, maybe fuse with his mask. But, the bus woke him up and maybe he was spotted by the multi-armed fixers where he feels compelled to make Sasha a Kindred after her helplessness. Then our gang comes and fights him. Yeah. So many things to look forward to. And if the connection of the Barber in Don's story, a one off thing, Cassetti might be coming from P Corp. Two things i've just seen from Lob Corp's Shelter from the 27th of March and the Library Of Ruina Wiki:

We're off for a ride next Canto, that is certain. Thank you to anyone who decides to read this. If anyone else would love to build off this or correct me, that would be heavily appreciated.

[strawberrystepmom]

okay so satoken witch au….this is a book

basically this isn’t like historical it’s fantasy au and the village i live in is small and very set in its ways. farming is the main source of income for everyone who lives in the village and livestock is prized for that reason and it all starts when my family’s two goats both die of an illness nobody can explain.

there’s suspicion immediately because witches and hexing are literally the main theme of the folktales parents in my village tell their children to make them behave. everyone is deeply fearful of witches and magic except for me (they caught me reading a book of spells i found in the woods once) so yk my bad although more proof is warranted bc the opinion of me is mixed. some of the other villagers like me because i help them (childcare, taking care of their livestock if they’re ill or unable, caring for the ill if not their goats and cows etc), the other half is so suspicious it doesn’t matter how good i’ve been to them in the past.

the evidence mounts. i’m withdrawn from the village (spending more time foraging in the woods because winter is coming), every cat in the village flocks to me when i return (these must be her familiars she has spy on us), i’ve started reading more books publicly than ever before (they must be spell books shout the villagers who won’t let me read aloud to them to prove otherwise) and it comes to a head in wintertime, on the night of the first snowfall. two other goats in the village fall ill and she.

the accusation is levied and my family is powerless to defend me but little do i know all of these happenstance things (finding a spell book, some of the cats that have just shown up at my door) are carefully laid but not evil traps by an actual witch - satoru. he’s from the city closest to my village, he’s kind of an oddball but they let him do his thing. nobody speculates he’s a witch bc he’s a man.

he first noticed me a few years prior to the actual hero moment because he came to the village to trade for a friend who didn’t feel safe coming on their own for a big load of meat and he could tell immediately there was magic somewhere in the village. lo and behold, it’s the very girl he’s picking up a freshly processed cow from!

the reputation of my village precedes it and he keeps an eye on me from afar from that day on. leaving a spell book out, sending familiars to follow me, showing up on occasion on his own so when he finds out the plot to burn the witch is on - he already knows what he has to do.

(sadly he’s a drama queen and waits until I’m bound in the stake. you know how he is.)

but he has a safe cave he hides me in for around six months and then we go to the city and he shelters me there. my village is screaming about him being a witch and harboring one but the people in the city are somewhat less superstitious and see my village as a bit hysterical.

so yeah!!!!! happily ever after (of course)

[laspocelliere]

Day Twenty-Eight: Deleterious

In darkness and silence, the Ascian appeared in Ishgard.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with the city. In recent years, even, it had come to resemble his familiar Garlemald, locked in an icy grip from which its citizens needed to shelter against. It made them, in his opinion, all the easier to control; fear was quite conveniently sowed where challenges and difficulty lie.

It would likely be ripe to revisit in a few short years. When certain…inconveniences had died off.

In the snow-capped night, Emet-Selch gazed, unimpressed, down on one such inconvenience.

He was asleep, and the state didn’t improve him any. It had taken very little effort for the Ascian to trace the glamoured ring on the hero’s finger to the hollow attempt at a knight who currently lay atop his fully made bed, brow furrowed with restless sleep and nightmares. Worry, likely, and the simplicity and naivete of it all made him want to slit the Commander’s throat where he lay. Save him the mess and the heartbreak that was certain to follow, if he continued to follow his current path.

If he continued to follow her.

Despite knowing the hero of the Source for only a short period, Emet-Selch had known her, instantly and immediately. She reeked of death; destruction followed her like a plague. There was armageddon in those eyes of hers, and anyone who fell into their path would be met with only doom.

He had encountered eyes like hers before.

Only one of them had walked out of it alive.

The same fate waited for this son of Ishgard. The Ascian peered down at him with vague disgust in the darkness, watching the nightmares flit worry across his closed eyelids. With their hero stranded on the First, clearly the pair had been separated, and it was taking its pathetic toll; Emet-Selch could see the dull shadows under the boy’s eyes even in the dim light. He longed and yearned for her in ways that the man Emet-Selch had once been might have done, centuries ago.

Back before he knew what women of her sort could do. What the follies of hearts not meant to be could do to topple a society, to fracture and destroy thousands of lives.

This Warrior held the same nuclear power in her very being.

He intended to use it. Incidentally, by turning her into the weapon she had been designed to become, he would unintentionally save this poor, unassuming boy from the fallout of her blast.

Tilting his head as though studying an insect beneath a magnifying glass, Emet-Selch considered the sleeping knight. He found him lacking and sorely wanting in every way, and the disappointment he felt annoyed him more than it should have. What about this powerless, unimpressive knight had turned the hero’s head on that lovely neck of hers? He was plain, and Emet-Selch had seen similar of his ilk dozens of times over the centuries; princes who thought they could make a difference.

They bled just the same as every one who had come before them.

After a few moments, as his annoyance grew, the Ascian disappeared as seamlessly as he’d arrived. Back to the First, back to the plans he’d laid, and back to their precious hero with her icy anger and fire-torn eyes.

Maybe, in her destruction, he might actually create a net good for the first time in millennia.

[zerm2v0hg]

RWBY - Fixing the V8 Exodus Strategy

It's no secret that some of us in the 'RWBY' fandom think that Team RWBY using the Staff of Creation at the end of Volume 8 to just force-emigrate Atlas and Mantle's populations straight into Vacuo to get Team RWBY themselves closer to defending Relic Number 3... wasn't exactly the best thing they could have done if it was played realistically.

Vacuo is basically a failed state with no law outside Shade, its desert climate is on the polar opposite extreme to what the peoples of subarctic Atlas-Mantle are used to which will guarantee health problems and deaths by heat stroke, resources are very scarce, the anarchist locals have a history of bad blood with Atlas-Mantle; and it's very unlikely Shade and its oasis will have enough food, space and resources to house, feed and protect the majority of an entire foreign nation's population, even less likely that the Atlas-Mantle refugees consuming Shade's resources won't rub a lot of Vacuans the wrong way on account of Vacuo's past of being exploited.

So, yeah. Not a good way of convincing us that RWBY/JNR are any better for "saving Remnant" than the villains or Ironwood. Or that they really give as much of a shit about any of the civilians as people instead of set dressing as they claim to. :/

Probably my biggest criticism against Unicorn of War's otherwise-delightful RWBY Volume 8 rewrite is that she kept the plan to expunge the Atlas-Mantle population to Shade unchanged, with even Ironwood getting onboard with it, and it looks like it'll be a few years yet before we can find out how Fixing RWBY will tackle it if it does at all.

But here's how I think Team RWBY's plan to evacuate Atlas and Mantle's populations could potentially be fixed in rewrites, if it still comes down to losing Atlas-Mantle and evacuating the populations:

I think the heroes, if they'd been actually thinking when they used the Staff of Creation, could have used the staff to connect the portal network's exits not to just the one destination in Vacuo, but to multiple inhabited destinations across Remnant. So that the heroes could disperse the Atlas-Mantle civilians to multiple habitations across Remnant in small groups where they're not concentrated, won't likely strain the destinations' local resources, and won't on their own produce enough collective negativity to mass-attract the Grimm; and then the heroes could use the Vacuo exit portal to get themselves to Vacuo to protect the next Relic. (This would've still been throwing the evacuees to the wolves to a degree, but at least it wouldn't have been herding-America's-population-into-Afghanistan-or-El-Salvador level of throwing them to wolves.)

I think Mistral's capital would've been a far better place than Vacuo for evacuees to go in large numbers.

Despite the crippled huntsman population thanks to Lionheart, Mistral's infrastructure is otherwise still intact unlike the other kingdoms, it doesn't have the (purported) resource problem or racial tensions that Menagerie would have had, the local climate isn't nearly so life-threateningly far on the opposite extreme from the Atlas-Mantle people's native climate, and the Mistralian terrain could help shelter the refugees from the Grimm just like it did for Mistral's founders in the past. Plus Atlesian military personnel sent to Mistral with the civilians could even make up for Mistral’s lost huntsmen in the bigger picture. And unlike Vacuo, Salem has no real reason to be interested in Mistral anymore, because there aren't any Relics there as of V6, and neither of the Maidens needed to unlock the remaining two Relics' vaults are in Anima.

The criminal elements infesting Mistral would still be a major downside, but with all the listed perks in mind, Mistral definitely seems to me like a better option than Vacuo for the exodus.

Team RWBY don't just need to stuff the evacuees into the kingdoms' capital cities either: there's also Patch and other well-off seeming frontier towns that have their own huntsmen that they could connect the other exit portals to.

[a-cat-in-toffee]

okay chat its time i actually talk about the villain au i've been thinkign about. rotating them in my mind

william's backstory is basically the same except after gaining his powers he's caught up in an accident and blamed for it and instead of like. trying to do anything to teach this powered teen what to do with his powers theyre just like. alright. to jail with you.

after the surgery dakota kind of runs rampant feral style until he's caught and instead of re: teaching this kid how to use his powers or like. getting him some noise canceling headphone they throw him right in with william.

virion is basically the same.

ashe is like the main change in this au because instead of mark becoming a lizard she gets kidnapped as a kid and turned into a weird little freak. at some point one of mark's jobs gets fucked up because he didnt wanna endanger some kid and so overlord got pissed and took his kid. normal reaction to have. ashe grows up sheltered because mark is terrified of loosing her again, moreso now since it Happened. but at some point mark goes missing and ashe has to fill his place to "pay his debt" so to speak.

william, dakota, and virion do the same prison break but instead of Blowing Up The Fucking Moon they chill out and do more low-key crime. like fighting heros in the middle of cities. they mak a Lot of enemies, not jut with heros because theyve got very The World Is Corrupt which generally includes villains so they get a hit put on them. ashe is sent to track them down and take them out but shes like. lmao y'all hilarious.

and thats all i really have.

[reflection-s-of-stars]

[ID: A reply on a post from the original poster, @/katakaluptastrophy, reading “@/sunshine-fruit-of-the-vine Ooh, your point in the tags about Corona’s comment to Judith is really interesting! Though I suppose it could also be interpreted as the Second being the ones doing the business contracts? Also please tell me more about your political headcanons…” /End ID.]

@katakaluptastrophy this is old but you absolutely do not have to ask me twice oh my god. This is where I reveal exactly how much of a history dork I am so be warned. I have also indicated Vibes in case that is helpful to anybody

So the common denominator among the Houses (as well as among societies as a whole, I spent like half a unit in my sociology class on this last year) is that there’s always a small upper class/nobility/etc and the population gets larger as you go down the ladder. That manifests in different ways within the different Houses, but it’s the same principle: The rich are few, and the poor are many.

That being said…

SECOND: The military leaders of the Nine, the Second are the ones who do the actual conquering of planets. However, Corona’s comment about how “as a Second, [Judith] should be willing to sell her birthright for economics” suggests they might not be getting their share of the profits. A huge portion of the Second lives in poverty, especially the capital city of Trentham, and pretty much the only way to escape it is to join the Cohort. The wealthy and powerful (generals, admirals and war heroes) vehemently deny there ever being a problem. For vibes, think New York City or Chicago but A Little Worse.

THIRD: The economic center of the Nine, the Third is a trade powerhouse and a hub for merchants and artisans. But they also export something a little less palatable: Propaganda for the Empire. The capital, Ida, is an enormous massive palace very similar to Versailles, where the best of the best workers (and the friends of the royal family) are privileged to live. Unlike the Second, where hard work actually can bring you up in the world, success in Ida comes out of bribes, flattery and sex. For vibes, think Paris but even less subtle, and crazy on the amethysts.

FOURTH: Supposedly a backup to the Second. In actuality, the lack of any real leadership has left the small and vulnerable population (veterans, the sick and disabled) to the mercy of the Fourth’s criminal underbelly. The capital city of Tisis is functionally a ghost town, mostly full of impotent, sheltered nobles and extensions of the mafia collecting bribes, and the other cities aren’t much better. For vibes, think Piltover (I don’t play league of legends but I LOVE Arcane), but the upper city is way more depressing and abandoned and the whole thing has kind of an ancient Roman feel as well.

FIFTH: The administration of the Nine, the Fifth works closely with the Emperor himself to keep the internal workings of His Empire running smoothly. Koniortos Court is a complex and many-armed bureaucracy, managed by its Lords or Ladies (and Seneschals, who do most of the actual diplomacy) like clockwork. It lies nestled in the capital of Rhax, where the majority of the Fifth’s population lives and works. There are frequent rebellions, but they’re snuffed out with alarming ease. For vibes, think combination of Victorian London and the city from Ulysses Dies At Dawn.

SIXTH: Less of its own independent state and more of the Emperor’s House of Wisdom, the Sixth House is the center of learning in the Nine Houses. Almost all the Houses send the best of their best to study there, so there’s a lot of people, but its native population is incredibly small- the size of a single city on the Third. Most of the Sixth is a single huge, labyrinthine library, surrounded by dormitories and a few spaceship ports for trade with the Seventh. Rank is decided not by birth, but by ability and age (in theory, anyway; in practice, they’ve strayed a bit from Cassiopeia’s vision). It’s still very communal, and everyone considers each other family on some level. For vibes, think a walled city combined with a super old university.

SEVENTH: The Seventh is responsible for most of the beautiful things made in the Empire. They export and import a lot of art, from pottery to poetry, and are considered superior craftsmen to the Third (which is why Ianthe thinks so poorly of their cloud formation poems). Outside this, they’re largely self-sufficient and very insular, doing their own farming making regular contact with only the Sixth. The lower classes are mostly farmers, while the aristocracy is just a few families, which is how Heptanary cancer happened. For vibes, think the romanticized version of the antebellum South from old books that like to gloss over the slavery thing, but a little bit sickly and weird-looking.

EIGHTH: The religious center of the Nine, the Eighth is in control of the worship of the Emperor and his Saints, as well as the Nine’s religious traditions. They’re also responsible for a chunk of Imperial propaganda- less than the Third, though, and directed less to the shepherd worlds and more within the Nine Houses. They live similarly to the Ninth House, with religious decadence, everyday asceticism and very little social mobility. The population of the Eighth House is actually very diverse, full of pilgrims from all over the Empire. For vibes, think medieval Italy but it’s all minimalist white and it ruins the whole thing.

NINTH: We know about the Ninth. We got like ten chapters about the Ninth. For vibes, think the Ninth.

[luminnara]

Lumi’s 6k follower rec list!

I’ve been reading a wide and weird variety lately! I really mostly read fics on AO3 so almost all of these are links there 😅 thank y’all so much for following me, and as always, if you read (or write!) any fics from fandoms I’m in that you think I’d like, send em my way!

Dune

Ex Nihilo - Marweli

No House, no wealth, no future.

As the only daughter of a renegade house, you never expected to be able to leave the hidden planet your ancestors sought refuge on. That is until an unlikely alliance proposed by House Harkonnen has the potential to change your life forever. But nothing comes without a price.

Feyd-Rautha is a terrifying man. You should hate him, and part of you does. And yet there is the undeniable pull of desire and his terrible potential that holds the key to both of your futures.

Thrown To The Wolves - @sansaorgana

After receiving the news from the Emperor about moving to Arrakis, Duke Leto suspects the upcoming war with the Harkonnens. His daughter's marriage with the Baron's heir is supposed to create an alliance and ensure his family's safety. Previously sheltered and protected Princess Atreides must now face the harsh reality on her own.

BG3

Reconnecting With Nature - the_littlest_raindrop

A few months after saving the day, you decide it’s high time to pay your lover a visit, to see if your hearts still beat as one.

Demon Slayer

Secrets from the Sound Hashira - Obscure_proxy

Being married to the Sound Hashira was exciting, flamboyant, and adventurous. However, trying to keep secrets in a full house with a husband who can hear through walls turns out to be quite difficult. Resulting in a lot of miscommunication, but lots of steamy sessions. A story in which the reader finds themselves pregnant, trying to navigate the best way to tell their husband Uzui Tengen, and failing miserably.

DC

The Pizza Delivery Girl’s Guide To Gotham City - Morveren

People who lived outside of Gotham City would most often think of it in terms of its heroes and villains. About Batman and Robin, Joker and Harley Quinn.

People who actually live in Gotham City would only think of one thing: surviving.

Who cares about the people in costumes when your house has been bombed for the fifth time, or your wife has been taken hostage just because she worked in a bank?

Or, in your case, when you have to make regular deliveries to places where even Batman feared to tread?

Because let's face it. In a world full of superheroes and costumed villains, the real heroes are the ones who make sure that people get their pizzas in forty-five minutes or less.

Zelda

Interim - starkraving

She has no throne. Girls without thrones should not have knights, but hers won’t go. Princess Zelda – the girl who killed Calamity – would love to fade into legend, but Link’s bought a house, he’s fighting off monsters, and he’s selling giant horses to strangely familiar Gerudo men. She'll never have any peace now.

Mass Effect

Bloodlines - AceQueenKing

In the aftermath of the Reaper war, Garrus Vakarian's father struggles with some new additions to the Vakarian family.

[thousandbuns]

Oh yeah baby, it’s time for the unhinged, unscheduled and unstructured Ylthin rambles, today’s topic: loose thoughts on the overall structure of “Horus Rising” (based on my increasingly more faded memories so forgive me for any inaccuracies) and how it contrasts the first few chapters of “Flight of the Eisenstein”.

*cough*

So, in no particular order, and jumping around subjects a bit...

Remembrancers. I know you probably don’t care about them because they’re either annoying, forgettable, blatant writer self-inserts so that Graham McNeill can ogle some fictional women, or have the misfortune of competing for attention with Astartes and Primarchs, but... they are so goddamn important to the story structure, characterization and theming in “Horus Rising”. They are sheltered civilians and bohema-roleplayers fed mountains of propaganda before getting shipped off to create more propaganda about “our brave boys”... and they get reality-checked on multiple levels.

They expect glorious, refined, “peak of humanity” warriors - they get barracks filled with what’s at best scaled-up teenagers, and at worst actively hostile war machines. The Astartes typically dismiss them, avoid them, treat them as a nuisance - which is why someone like Mersadie or Ignace having direct access to Garviel Loken is such a big deal for both sides. They get to talk to a company Captain and Mournival member - and he doesn’t shun them. He’s actually a little sympathetic to them even if he doesn’t quite understand them. That sets him up to be a “good guy” type - an image that is then viciously (and forgive me for using a word so abused it’s lost all meaning) subverted, because...

Whisperheads. The Remembrancers perhaps expect the scattered strands of humanity to kneel before the majesty of the Great Crusade, then rise into a glorious new future - and then they see the reality of ruined cities filled with hostile locals and keeps lined up with mangled bodies. And remember - Luna Wolves don’t particularly revel in violence, they specialize in fast, precise assaults to decapitate the enemy. The action at Whisperheads isn’t a malicious slaughter. It’s an execution, a burst of gruesome yet detached violence, and its aftermath shocks the Remembrancers even before the supernatural gets involved. It has what may be one of my favourite moments in 40K novels - Loken calmly, yet callously dismissing a grievously injured soldier’s pleas for spiritual solace by calling them “superstition”, then mercy-killing him through a decapitation. This is our “hero”. This is a man we’ve seen cheering and fraternizing with his battle-brothers like a middle-school kid. This is a man considered to be a good leader, respected and liked by his men. This is one of the kinder, more mortal-friendly Astartes.

And then there are the others. Abaddon, who can be choleric and brash, but not a blood-addled fool or a sadist, whom we see frolicking with the rest of the Mournival and trying to ease Loken after the Whisperheads - who then gets into a vicious argument with his own Primarch, to the point of driving usually calm and fatherly Horus to throw his wine glass, command him out of the room, threaten demotion and only consider showing mercy if his First Captain comes back groveling and begging for it. All of it over Horus’ refusal to conduct a direct military action against the Interex clashing with Abaddon’s warmongering attitude and disdain for the “deviant” civilization. Torgaddon, the king of witty retorts and master of dad jokes, an “older friend” type to Loken - and yet you don’t see him fraternizing with the Remembrancers. Wish I could say something more about Aximand - but his silence and general withdrawal is also somewhat telling. You see their human side, yet they stay away from mortal humans and keep to their insular little coven of warrior-brothers instead.

“Horus Rising” succeeds at making its Astartes human-yet-dehumanized by having them interact with - or avoid - mortals, and all of it plays into the further themes - the intended nuance and tragedy across the loyalist-traitor divide. The doubt over the veracity of Imperium’s stated goal. The insidious nature of propaganda, the inherently repressive nature of this authoritarian state. The fallen idol of gold we see in 42nd millennium was standing on feet of clay from the very beginning, and the book isn’t subtle about it. Doesn’t have to be - nuance and subtlety aren’t inseparable - and shouldn’t be because the 40K fanbase is full of people like me, who need to be whacked over the head to understand something, and also people who wouldn’t get the memo even if it gave them a wedgie and stole their lunch money, like some of BL’s own writers.

I’ll spare you the extended screaming match over “False Gods” killing all nuance, assassinating half the cast (for now figuratively) and taking a massive step towards an oversimplified “good Imperium vs. evil Chaos” storyline that misses the entire goddamn point and actively makes the whole series less entertaining. I’ll also fast-forward over “Galaxy in Flames” struggling to pick up the pieces as it has to rush forward and cover a major event without having the same amount of time and word count to flesh out some of the key players in it, and deepening or firmly rooting in the problems of the previous two books as a result. We’re now at “Flight of the Eisenstein” scrambling to flesh out Death Guard the way “Horus Rising” fleshed out Luna Wolves.

And I’m just 4 chapters in, about 70 pages out of 280-ish (discounting all the superfluous marketing/publisher crap inflating the pagecount of BL novels). Things could change. I could be wrong and full of shit, and I’ll be the first to admit it if the novel somehow corrects itself on the problems I have with it right now: namely that everything is once again so goddamn flat and simplified.

Remember the nuance with which both halves of the Mournival were written? Fuck that. Grulgor is a brash dick with no redeeming qualities, Garro is a saint of a man and Typhon is Erebus Mini. Remember how the Remembrancers served to highlight that even the kindest Astartes is still a cold, uncaring war machine at the core? Fuck that, so far the only mortal character - Garro’s housecarl - is here to show you that Grulgor is a dick and Garro is a saint. The divide between diminishing ranks of “watered and fed” Terran-borns and Barbaros Legionaries whose ancestors struggled in extreme conditions - and how it feeds into some really toxic mindsets (I’m not apologising for this awful pun) across the Legion - may as well end up being another botched “good-evil” binary, and I saw enough derision towards the “lows” of society (working class deriding the margins, working-ascended-to-middle class looking down at both, big city middle class sneering at them all) to feel afraid.

I’ll give it benefit of a doubt in one area for now - remember how “Horus Rising” focused mostly on conflict against “normal” humans - not insane technobarbarians, not deranged Chaos worshipers, but conventionally acceptable “civilized” worlds, some of which proclaimed themselves to be the Sole Human Empire In The Galaxy (what could Dan Abnett mean by this, I wonder) - and only introduced a planet of “hostile xenos” as a (forgive me for using this cursed word again) subversion to once again remind you with the subtlety of a brick through the window that the Imperium’s policies are horseshit across the board? “Flight...” opens with an assault on the world-ship of distinctly inhuman xenos who go as far as to implant combat augments into their “children”, which has potential to be another stab against the Imperium and Astartes... but unless it gets elaborated upon later, it may as well end up being a footnote in the story, a cool little setpiece to introduce the characters and little more - or worse, be repurposed into yet another pro-Imperial argument without a hint of self-awareness. After all, we’re already setting up an abridged rehash of “Galaxy in Flames” so we’ll have the basis for Garro turning against his Primarch, siding with the Emperor and flying the titular ship to deliver the news of the Heresy.

A story that could easily have the same nuance and message as “Horus Rising”, but that will most likely end up being boring “good guys outsmart the bad guys” drivel.

Wake me up when Heresy remembers what does “no good guys” actually mean again.

[der-karibisch-heyder]

Christmas Seasons During the Voyage Canon (as of draft 0.4)

I thought I did a proper post on Christmas during the time of Devil's Eye but apparently I have not. I'll get to work on that later. I also may revise my other historical context posts with some actual citations so they aren't just aimless ramblings without any evidence. But that's for later.

In the canon story of Devil's Eye, the adventure lasts about 7 years. That's 7 Christmases to celebrate in different parts of the world each time! So where do they align? As of our current draft they're thus:

December 1721 takes place in France, specifically in Paris. The focus is exclusively on the Barracuda's crew, who just weeks earlier lost their titular ship to an attack by La Demonia in the port of Le Havre, and forced them to escape inland by the Seine River. Losing the trail of the Sins, they realize they're without shelter or money in the city of Paris, and the story arc focuses on their collaborative efforts to stay alive during the particularly harsh winter of northern France during the Little Ice Age. This is the point where the story sheds its pretenses of being just a seafaring adventure, as the survival of the characters depends greatly on their ability to adapt to circumstances going beyond their control.

December 1722 takes place across Northern Italy, most likely between Turin and Milan. Having spent the previous spring traveling across southern France, the summer across Spain, and the autumn across central Italy, the Barracuda crew have located and been pursuing the Spanish branch of the Montego family, distant descendants of Saint Emilio, for one of the Keys to the Eye is in their possession. Finally they confront the family in the winter, but they are seen only as stalking thieves and are not given the key. In response, Ravyn commands her crew to take it by force, which is done begrudgingly. It's a sour note that welcomes the new year, and shows our heroes aren't necessarily just.

December 1723 takes place in the Ottoman Levant, between the cities of Antioch and Damascus. Unlike the previous two winters, this time Christmas happens to land upon incidental stops along the way to a more important destination: Jerusalem. There is little time for merriment or mirth among any of the practicing members of the Barracuda crew, as the journey between Antioch and Damascus takes almost the whole month, and then the journey from Damascus to Jerusalem takes nearly another, and the time spent in between is dedicated entirely to resting and resupplying. All the while, their continued persistence at this venture has finally caught the attention of the Master, who now plans to play his hand directly against them.

December 1724 takes place in the Barbary Coast in the cities of Tripoli and Alexandria. Having been driven into the Sahara and hidden among the trade caravans over the past year, the Barracuda crew slowly rebuild their assets to try and resume the voyage again. Meanwhile, the oldest Heyder child, Helen, was taken captive by the Sins and made their hostage. In the city of Tripoli, the crew hijacks a new ship, the Arabian Xebec known as the Zumurruda. They then turn towards Alexandria to rescue Helen, and encounter La Demonia there. A battle breaks out, and the two forces welcome the new year with renewed conflict.

December 1725 brings the adventure to Ottoman Arabia and the city of Jeddah, the home of Amir. By this point a lot has changed in the past year: two more ships have joined the cause, the navy frigate HMS Cavalier and the Dutch smuggling fluyt Diantha. As well, the Sins of La Demonia have entered an uneasy alliance with the heroes, deciding to seek the Keys to the Eye together so that the Master can be stopped from obtaining his prize, even at the cost of their own souls. As for Jeddah itself, Amir is forced to reconcile with the choices he made decades ago to abandon his family in search for adventure, something that some crewmates are supportive of and others find a distraction from the greater objective.

December 1726 brings the voyage to the place that holds painful memories for almost everyone involved: the port of Guangzhou in China. Having raided it 15 years prior, the Sins are still wracked with guilt over what they had done, and among the heroes, Ravyn's foster father, Mortimer Hurley, died protecting his crew from the Master. The uneasy alliance nearly breaks apart as the tensions between past and present begin to boil over before plans can even be made to search for the final key of Saint Emilio, especially when the local Black Dog Bandits learn of the arrival of the Black Ship with Red Sails, and seek to avenge those who died as well.

December 1727 is the last winter of the voyage, and is when the crews year-long efforts in China finally result in them finding the final key of Saint Emilio, which has been guarded on Mount Song in the central China plain. With all seven keys in tow, the collective crews share a brief respite of relaxation before they make preparations to claim the Eye and defeat the Master forever.

[ladyelissarose]

‘Caught In 🕸 Web’

This is my first chapter for this story, I hope you guys really like it. It’s my first time writing for the ATSV. So please, let me know if y’all are interested for more, or see something I need to correct. My inbox, messages, and taglist is open for y’all! Enjoy!🤟🏼🕸

Warnings: nothing really heavy yet, just some good information about my two OC’s. But all chapters will have their own warnings as things progress.

‘My Story’📰

Chapter 1

Setting;

In a particular universe of 2055, settles this story in New York City, that has its very own special features in it. Like the Statue of Liberty- no. Oh Time Square that’s around the corner- another no. Empire State Building- it’s nice but yeah.. no. What makes this NYC ‘The’ NYC is having the damn privilege of owning a Peter C. Parker- other known as Spider-Man (but no one knows that the nerdy guy that is a sweet roommate and crazy assistant of the assistant of the CEO for ‘Stark Industries’ is the ‘Strong, Red ‘n Blue suited hero that makes swinging off the skyscrapers look hotter that Brad Pitt) so yeah. *takes deep breath and sips ‘chai tea’* Anyways... this universe also possesses a certain woman with terrible ‘I have no family’ issues, crazy boss who bought her knee pads, and a secret admirer. Everyone called her ‘CEO’s Sidechick’ or the famous one ‘Bosses Pet’. But her name is actually Carla Ferrari. While the spider universe... had actually deemed her as Spider-Woman, or how a certain spider pal will call her that everyone picks up on- Spider-Lady. Yeahhh... I know- shut up.

Carla Ferrari’s POV

So let’s do this one time. My name, is Carla Ferrari- and no I’m not related to any Ferrari bloodline and shit. My Pa was Italian and my Ma was American.. that’s why I have the Italian last name. (Though I’d kill for one of those hot rides but yeah) So I’m a 22 yr. old personal assistant for the CEO of ‘Stark Industries’. Is it an exciting life? Not exactly, I have no background that’s exciting either- that’s for sure.

Quick back up story- I was orphaned after a large city catastrophe killed my parents *timeskip*

Then I lived all my life in homes here and there, never got adopted because I worked terribly with people and never got used to the term family *timeskip*

After that I got too old to stay at shelter homes for girls once I turned ‘Magnificent 18’ so I was given the boot and a nice paycheck that can barely cover 3 full days at a Motel 6 or 1 day at the most expensive hotel in New York City *timeskip*

So to survive I worked at the most expensive diner in Manhattan for 6 months until a certain rich bastard decided to spill his wine all over my white uniform, then suggested that a great apology would be for him to offer me a good job. Anyways, they say my charm is what got me under the wing of who is now my boss, the CEO of ‘Stark Industries’ but I have to say it’s my stealth, patience, and great mathematical skills that has me managing all his business purchases- oh and also how I methodically get everything done.

*timeskip to present*

“Shoot! B.P.!! (Aka Bosses Pet) I forgot to pick up Stark’s coffee at Starbucks on my way here!! Can you get it?? He’ll be happy to see you crawling in with it anyways-“

I flared my nose while slamming my file on the table wishing Leslie’s head was the table, I scoffed lightly while glaring,

“Why do you all keep saying things like- ‘crawling’ or ‘cat walking’ my way to boss’ office?-“

Leslie flipped her damaged and dry sweet potato colored looking hair as she squeaked while using bunny ears on certain words,

“Maybe it’s cause he got you ‘knee pads’!? Like yeah we get he’s the boss and your his personal assistant but damn don’t bring your ‘50 Shades of Stark’ here!”

She giggled like a hyena and mocked my disgusted face, which I expressed because after their latest Boss died, Tony Stark, they brought in his closest cousin who looked like the deceased version of him, and he was now my boss. But if Tony was still around... maybe I’d try to make that 50 shades shit happen.. but yeah not with Martin Stark. Ew.

Anyways I only took up her offer because I needed some fresh air after being stuck up on the 50th floor for 11 hours writing down appointments and managing Stark’s purchases that went through the roof for every girl he laid eyes on, trying to gain ‘Great Star Reviews’ for his business but more like he was gaining more ‘absent-fathered children’ as he was a playboy and irresponsible of course. Now I stood up and straightened my black checkered pants as I sighed lightly,

“Fine.. I’ll go get it.”

“What a good girl. Ha! Bet you hear that often-“

“Yeah well at least I’m not left dry and hanging all the time and called ‘Dusty Leslie’.”

Sending a cheeky wink I was walking away with a proud smirk and a held high chin. I heard her scoff in hurt as I of course stabbed her altered ego. I obviously overheard the gossip desk ladies chat about that she hadn’t been laid in a long while, so yeah... that’s why you don’t share your secrets and personal issues with people that are snakes in disguise, Dusty Leslie.

As you see, my life is sorta hectic, I quite practically live for my boss so I can get paid by making his life easier. All he has to do, is show up, eat, take a crap, mess with women, and sleep- repeat. And to be honest I’m a little jelly at the fact he never works, yet wears clothes that cost 10 times more than all the money I’ve ever spent and worked for combined! And I’m the one running back and forth, making appointments, fixing his vendettas at bars he likes to pick fights at, feed him breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between when he calls for it. And what ticks me off- is that half the time he won’t even eat it, he’ll leave it there for later (which turns to never) or complain saying he wasn’t hungry anymore because he didn’t like something about it.

So what would I do? Take it back saying sweet and professional things like, ‘I’m so sorry about the inconvenience sir let me fix it for you.’ ‘Let’s get you something else.’ Or the most used line- ‘Yes sir, I’ll call them and email a bad review for you.’

Ugh!! I hated doing that. These cooks did everything right, Martin was just a spoiled asshole that thought the world should revolve around him and run his way. (By the way I never wrote bad reviews I just said I would, so he wouldn’t bother them or me about it again.) And the food he left untouched, I’d take to Uncle Joey, the guy at the corner of the street who played with his little wooden drums all day for spare change. Seeing his smile made my day mostly sense he was eating fine cuisine 99% of the time.

Anyways, now I’m taking my 10 minute break to run to Starbucks to get his coffee, and in the meanwhile get something for myself, I haven’t eaten sense yesterday at lunch time- and it’s already 12:34pm today. The fresh air did me some good to relieve some tension, as I finally made it out of the tall hell house I called work or my job. What also lifted my spirits was this happy sight. It felt good to see happy and calm people around me, they all walked around and lived as if they knew nothing could hurt or touch them. And to be honest once again, they could. You know why? Spider-Man.

He made that possible, he helped in ways no one else could, from big things to small things, he gave up his time and life for the city, and so far it has paid off well. I admire the man much, he has inspired me to take what little time I have to make someone smile, or help where I could.

My best friend, assistant, and roommate, Peter C. Parker, always harmlessly made fun of how I lived to be like Spider-Man. Peter was a great guy by the way, and no matter how much he denied it when I told him, he had a big heart like Spider-Man. Always helping where he could and being a sunshine in my world. When my boyfriend wouldn’t be the nicest or leave me hanging after he promised he’d wait after work, Peter would invite me to the movies or do something that got the tears and pouts off my face. It was nice to have someone like him around, humble as heck with his heart on his sleeve, I wouldn’t trade my best friend for anything in the world.

He kept me on my feet and happy, reminding me of the good things in life even on the cloudy days. And like right now, in ‘all of a sudden’ moments when my boss and boyfriend Nelson would call unexpectedly at once, I could count on him to adapt to change and help me to the perfect ‘T’. Unlike my boss who went crazy if one thing went wrong or not his way. I could only let out a deep breath as I debated for a moment on who to answer first.

‘If I pick up Nelson’s he might just ask me out again and chat about his new modeling job, then my boss will be pissed for missing his call and might deducted $25 from my paycheck for every minute I don’t answer him. Or I could pick up boss’ call and hear him yell some kind of thing he wants me to do and make Nelson upset again for not picking up his call. Shit!! Ugh I hate this so bad.’

I declined Nelson’s call and texted a quick ‘sorry, give me a minute’ and picked up my boss’ call and mustered a fake, happy voice with professionalism.

‘I really hate this man- but I need my job. Sorry Nelson.’

“Yes, Mr.Stark?”

Peter C. (Carlos) Parker’s POV

Let’s do this one last time- I’m Peter Carlos Parker. As 20 yr old, I’m New York’s one and only Spider-Man, and did I love my life? So far I did. I’ve had bumps and bruises on the way, crazy lifesaving stories and sad ones too that match the scars I’ve grown to earn every time. No but honestly my life is manageable but still crazy, let me just tell you what happened today so you’ll see why I say so. So, I just got back into my jeans and white button down with the stupid crooked tie after I as Spider-Man handed over a dumb, bank thief to the cops. Yes, he tried to threaten everyone behind and in front of the counters, but thankfully I was there to take out $20 to get lunch at the hotdog stand outside of work. Anyways with that said, quickly I took him down after some arguing about how unprepared and wild his ‘stealing’ was.

Flashback-

“Sir! You realize they are going to track down your information with the ID you just gave the kind banker lady?”

I kid you not, he handed over his ID to the lady, claiming he was old enough to demand money- like what an idiot! He should’ve come in without the mask while he was at it right? Oh and if it wasn’t bad enough already, there was a large hole on the side of his makeshift bag. Like yeah Pinky you’re going to come out inanely rich for sure with that bag, let me know if we can go to Disneyland when you’re out- like c’mon!! But yeah, he went on to argue with me of course.

“She doesn’t know it’s me Spider-Man! I’m wearing a mask- like you, can’t you see!? I just need her to know that I’m old enough to do this!”

He angrily pointed at his paper bag mask, that he drew dark angry eyebrows on, trying to show me that indeed it was good. Oh and I could clearly tell his gun was a small nerf gun spray painted black. He’d definitely make it on the wall of ‘Stupids Hall of Fame’ As much as I would’ve liked to keep the debate going (because I knew I was going to win in the end) I knew my Boss- aka my best friend Carly was going to need my assistance soon, so I cut it short with some webbing. With a crack to my knuckles, I sighed,

“Alright, can’t wait to see your face on the news, but buy me a PS5 first.”

Phewt-Phewt!!

In seconds he was webbed up by the door.

I heard sighs of relief and a couple cheering while others cussed out the poor dummy. I then waved my hands calmly as I pointed out.

“You all are safe now, just called NYPD. Keep safe- I swinging out.”

With a peace sign given to a little kid by me I then disappeared. (I actually webbed away to the back, then walked out to the front watching the cops take my guy away. And he had his paper mask off by this point. But at least we all knew he was old enough to rob a bank, and that his name was Chad Robins.

-End of flashback.

I smiled with peace knowing he wasn’t going to be around for a while, scaring kids and the old ladies who are working hard to buy their little ones Christmas gifts. Up ahead I saw my favorite hotdog stand, I could smell the hot bacon-wrapped wieners from here

‘Talk about my heightened spider senses right!?’

But then something else caught my attention when I heard my name being called out.

‘Carly!!’

“Oh Peter!! Thank God I found you! Listen here’s $20. Get something to eat for yourself and get the triple chocolate mocha with 3 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 pinch of pumpkin spice with lactose free whip cream and some cinnamon sprinkled on top?”

I fixed my glasses after they almost slipped off my nose from me speedily scribbling down the crazy coffee order. That was of course Carly, (Carla Ferrari) who told me all of this. Not that I minded though, I was her personal helper. She requested for one after work got a little to much for her, but her boss wasn’t happy about having that happen, so I was paid through her paycheck. (What a stingy and evil boss huh? Oh and I’d always beg her to not pay me much, but she always gave up half of her paycheck anyways without hesitation or a problem)

When we first met I had just gotten out of college looking for a job, something easy to start with while I looked for a job that suited my passion for chemical engineering. And at the same time she was looking for help, so we made a deal to become roommates while I worked for her, sense the job was not too much, but for now it worked perfectly fine, and she was a great roommate too. Soon we of course became the best of friends, she gave me so much smart advice about the world and now dating tips. (Especially after I told her about my deep interests in the sweet florist Mary Jane- I’ll tell y’all about her later) Carly also had a great listening ear and healing words, even on her worst nights she made great company. Anyways, I took the $20 from her after she personally grabbed my hand and stuff the dollar bill in there and said,

“Use this money Peter, not yours. And get lunch- you haven’t eaten, I know you haven’t.”

I reluctantly took it as I sighed an excuse,

“But you haven’t either-“

She mindlessly fixed my tie as she interrupted,

“Don’t worry about me honey, worry about yourself. Now get please, boss needs me in his office, I just got off the phone with him before I saw you.”

I squeezed my pinky with hers, it was our ‘good luck’ ‘good bye’ and ‘good day’ sign.

“Oh!”

But this time, I felt an electric shock run through me from where we touched, and I felt waves surround me for a split second before it stopped completely. I know she felt it too for her eyes went wide, but she shook it off as quickly as it had happened.

Then she sent me a small smile and a wink before running in her high heels back to the office. I chuckled with confusion as I looked at my black shoes thinking,

‘Everyday I admire women more.. I could never run in heels.. I wonder what that was by the way… it felt weird. But with a sense of familiarity?’

For now I shook it off as she did. Taking a moment I was looking up and around at the lively city I could only breathe in and out calmly, the people looked happy, peaceful, and it all appeared to be still for now. It’s been about a couple of months ever sense I fought a life-threatening villain, KingPin. But thankfully we’ve been ok for now, if not almost too perfect.

Miguel O’Hara’s POV

Bueno, Lets do this, one last time, my name is Mig-

“Miggggyyyy! Omg you’ve been eyeballing’ 2055 universe for the past 2 weeks already?! You got some interest on Peter C. Parker- it’s ok you can tell me!!”

‘Ay coño… another time I’ll introduce myself.’

Running a hand down my face I argued lazily,

“No Lyla I don’t. I’m straight-“

“Are you? Look at your hunched over posture, certainly it’s not straight-

“That doesn’t determine my sexuality though!-“

“It could-“

“Lyla. No. I’m just.. just checking something out. So please.”

Sometimes Greta Lee aka Lyla can get on my nerves with her ideas, I mean, who would’ve that an AI would be so stubborn and determined on certain ideas? Like her only job is to gather up information about tech or any universal catastrophes. Yet here she is trying to decipher what my sex is by the way I’m standing. Que dolor de cabeza. But I was being honest about this... this universe 2055 that’s been on my watch for the past few days.

Something about it has intrigued my mind and drawn my attention to it strongly, unlike any other universe. I don’t have spider senses perhaps, but I do have suspicions and a gut that tells me things. So I considered checking it out, passing by in person to see if I perhaps caught something off that I could probably call P.C.P. (Peter Carlos Parker) on. I’ve never personally met him before or even thought of intruding into his place or giving him more as far as letting him into the multiverse, he handled what he had very well so far on his own. It was his universe anyways, and to be honest he did his absolute best at guarding it and protecting it. His every breath was spent on saving the city and a change during a blink of his eye wouldn’t go unnoticed, he’d sense and act upon it. He was what I called, ‘Gentle-Spider’. His heart for the community was larger than New York itself.

Yes, he had his typical hero side that was rough and sharp, effortlessly taking down who needed to be put down, but after that? He’d walk the old ladies across the street, have late night dinners with random joes who were alone and homeless, play with the neighborhood kids, he even taught a few teenagers how to parallel park. All this I have witnessed and couldn’t admire him more.

His only job as a Spider-Man was to defend the city from villains and anomaly’s... but P.C.P.? He made the city a brighter place day and night, 24/7, he gave New York his heart and every breath he took was spent on them. His regular life though, behind the mask, he was the same, caring and kind. Just more quiet and a bit shy. The only one I saw him communicate well with was his roommate. She was just as kind. I never really looked into her, all I knew was that she made him breakfast everyday and wore high heels 99% of the time- oh and he’d call her Carly.

I don’t think she knew about Peter’s secret life, only because she had a crazy schedule herself, she was the main and personal assistant of CEO Martin Stark. So yeah, her life was basically a mess and busy. But I’ve seen her a few times around too, doing careless acts to protect people. Careless why? She thought of others before herself. Ella me asusta a veces.

She literally almost gone run over the other day just because she tried to retrieve a baby doll that a little girl dropped as her mother carried her across the street. To save the homeless guy’s kitten she went down to the tracks of the subway to get its paw unstuck from when it fell, and seconds before that damn thing made her a tortilla, she was able to get out with the kitten clinging onto her for life. She’s also convinced people to not jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Supongo que sé más sobre su vida de lo que pensaba.

Anyways she had a busy life too, but when she had a few seconds to spare, she gave it to others. I guess she looked up to Spider-Man a lot, and chose to be like him, a good person. But today, I saw and caught something that was off, and electric and dimensional shock went through both of them. And according to canon, he’s the only Spider-Man, and she was only supposed to be like his best friend. That’s it. So what was that all about? It looked all too familiar from our last incident with Miles Morales.. I just hoped it wasn’t the same or much worse, if not unfixable. And why did it make me feel- nervous?

Spanish translations

1- Que dolor de cabeza. - What a headache.

2- Ella me asusta a veces.- She scares me sometimes.

3- Supongo que sé más sobre su vida de lo que pensaba. - I guess I know more about her life than I thought I did.

[radioactivepeasant]

Primary Characters in the Previously Unmentioned Riftfall AU:

(Quick explanation, this is something @sparguscityangel and I kept throwing back and forth at each other until one day it grew a Plot and legs and now its just sitting here, looking at us ominously.)

The premise is that when the Rift Rider blew up at the beginning of Jak 2, where each person fell out determined what year/location they actually landed in.

Daxter landed one year before they were supposed to, but falling one year back through the timestream undid his ottselification so he's as confused as you are. He ends up befriending Ximon and becoming the unofficial third member of Ximon and Osmo's family. He learns to drive, to shave, to pay taxes...and just how messed-up life in Haven City is. Osmo teaches him how to support the resistance when it's not safe to openly rebel. Daxter gets very very good at talking his way out of most security checkpoints. And all the while he wonders where everyone else landed.

Samos landed the same year, and got arrested on suspicion of being The Shadow. While he doesn't sell out Jak exactly, he does mention his existence. This will come back to bite everyone later. He also begs them to tell him if his daughter is alright, assuming they've all been found like last time. He tells them she studies dark eco, in order to make them interested enough to spare her.

This will also come back to bite everyone.

Keira fell out second, after Jak, so she lands further back. She crashes into the agricultural sector as a skinny twelve year old and immediately gets stuck in a tree. Ashelin Praxis is the one who finds her, and when the Baron realizes a year later that the "inventor orphan" his daughter brings food to out of pity is the sage's kid, he starts Plotting. Keira is brought into the palace and offered "sage" training, made to believe she's the only survivor of the crash. Devastated, the thirteen year old turns to Ashelin for advice and comfort. Considering Praxis's similarities to Samos as a cranky, strict, "I'm doing this to save the world" guy, the poor kid ends up being manipulated into seeing him as a surrogate father.

Dark eco is slipped into her food and drink, little by little, in an attempt to build her tolerance to it. Likewise, the kind of propaganda Ashelin has bought into is also slipped into her daily life until Keira, sheltered from the reality of life in Haven, believes it. She's praised and thanked for her inventions, told she's helping the war effort. When she begins to show dark eco symptoms, they're brushed away as a particularly gnarly puberty and she begins combat training. Keira is paraded around upper class schools to spur recruitment for the Junior Krimzon Guard cadets. Posters spring up around the city: "Our Girl Genius is Helping the War Effort, What About You?" and "Darling Dark Angel says, "Many Hands Make the Work Light! Let's Make our Quota Together!"

She's called Girl Genius so many times that when the KG start jokingly calling her Little G.G. Praxis, she doesn't correct them. It's something to distract her from the sorrow connected to her own name and her past for a while. She can't have Jak and Daxter and her father back. But she can make darned sure nobody else in this city will lose their loved ones to metalheads like she must have. Praxis is right: now it's her turn to be the hero.

Jak was the first to fall out of the Rift Rider, and was knocked five years back through the timestream. He also fell straight into the ocean. It was not a good day for Jak. Lucky for him, a fishing boat was trawling those waters that day, and when the captain found a shivering ten year old clinging to one of her buoys, she immediately hauled him aboard. It takes an hour or two to find enough common signs between them to have a conversation, but even so it leaves Captain Phobos with more questions than answers.

Unbeknownst to Jak, who -- like Keira -- believes himself to be the sole survivor, he's right between what used to be Misty Island and a place called Spargus. There are more warriors there than he's ever seen in his life, and nobody's heard of his friends. But the woman who found him introduces him to her husband, who is shockingly kind for a complete stranger.

Damas and Phobos have been trying for a child for two years at this point with no success, so when Jak literally falls from the sky into their lives, it doesn't take long for them to start wondering if he's been sent as an answer to their prayers. Jak is bewildered and a little freaked out by this at first, having absolutely no experience with present and intentional parental figures outside of vicariously via Keira and Samos. But after a year or two, he settles into calling them mom and dad. In his heart, however, he still longs for closure about his friends and what happened to Sandover.

When Jak is about to turn thirteen, Phobos becomes pregnant at last. Half the time Jak worries he's being replaced, the other half he worries about whether his new brother or sister will like him. And then little Mar is born and Jak cries, because all he wants is to share this moment with his best friends, and he can't. So he devotes himself to his baby brother. And it goes great! Until it doesn't.

Until he's almost 15 and Count Veger sends spies disguised as monks into Spargus to snatch the Child Heir and "dispose of the spare". Jak barely survives the aftermath of Mar’s kidnapping, and despite his parents growing increasingly protective, he vows that he'll bring his brother home no matter what.

(Next Character is on loan from @sparguscityangel )

Ru has no grand lineage or powers. She's not afraid of blood, buuuut this is primarily because she's a vet tech at the only veterinary office in North Haven. Whether or not that strong stomach extends to human blood is yet untested. Ru, like Daxter, lives the day to day life of a Havenite civilian. She dodges the bullets of bored Guards like everyone else, but where some run missions for the Underground and engage in covert and not so covert warfare, Ru is just trying to get through the day without getting scratched or bitten at work.

She hates walking home in the dark, but her loving parents, grandmother, and slightly pesky little sister are always waiting with a warm meal and a sense of safety. Ru wishes the outside world felt as safe as home. But even home feels a little less safe from the concerns of the city when Girl Genius posters are tucked into her sister's backpack on the way home from school.

Disclaimer: all images I made out of existing Disney faces with a lasso tool and a generic free art app on my phone

[feyrevelry]

ℒord Sylverian ; The  gaudy-rich &. decadent social butterfly of HIGH HOUSE SELEMCHANT with an unyielding thirst for 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐑𝐘. ⸺⸺

𝓪 selective &. independent portrayal of an original character set in the 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐔𝐑'𝐒 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐈𝐈 verse. 25+ only / 𝓶ature &. potentially triggering themes will be present. Grandson of OBERON, Archfey &. KING of the Seelie Court.

∗ . 👑 A STUDY IN . . . decadance and luxury, a sheltered life of privilege, unintentional Marie Antoinette-ism, aspiring (and failing?) to live up to high expectations and finding his place in the world, escapism, addiction ;; a study in GROWTH, transcending shallow reputation &. his own limitations, discovering true courage —— BECOMING A HERO.

RULES MUSE (under the cut) MEMES VERSES RELEVANT HEADCANONS GALLERY

MORE UNDER THE CUT.

NAME: Sylverian Selemchant

TITLE: Lord / Prince

FAMILY: Maryan Selemchant (Human, Mother, City Matriarch, Lady, alive) / Anarion (Father, runaway Prince of the Summer Court, deceased) / Oberon (Archfey, Grandfather, King of the Summer Court, alive)

AGE: 30s

RACE: Half-Elf ( due to his heiritage, he has Eladrin stats! )

GENDER: Trans masc. (he/him)

SEXUALITY: Pansexual, male lean. Polyamorous.

BACKGROUND: (Feylost) Noble.

NOTES:

The lavish parties Sylverian hosts (when his mother is away) are famous in all of Faerûn for their sheer decdance. There is gold even in the food (and there are rumors of, uh, drugs and orgies).

The High House of Selemchant is known for its wealth and influence even beyond Amn —— they sponsor the Cowled Wizards of Athkatla, hold a seat at the Council, and they own the land by the Tethir Road, an important trade route.

Sylverian is known for his beauty and wealth, but there are also many rumors surround him (which is the case for most nobles and influental people); about his alleged struggles with addiction, about him being a spoiled brat, about his sexual escapades, the list goes on. Despite the rumors, he remains the center of attention at social gatherings, surrounded by a retinue of admirers seeking his favor.

APPEARANCE:

Long golden hair that falls in soft curls down to his hips.

Aquamrine eyes; slightly iridescent like teal opals.

Fair complexion, healthy glow, rosy lips.

Tall and lithe.

He’s beauty, he’s grace.

ALWAYS dressed to impress and flaunt his wealth; the fanciest robes, dripping with jewelry, hair done, eyeliner matching his outfit.

Medusa piercing.

PERSONALITY:

Vain.

Flirty.

Spoiled. Used to getting what he wants, when he wants.

Charming, polite; elegant and poised.

Gossips a lot.

Actually very empathetic and kind-hearted.

Easily bored, short attention span. Politics or scholarly pursuits are tedious and dull.

Hedonistic, decadent, indulgent. Enjoys the finer things in life and spares no expense to attain them. Only the very best is good enough.

Always in need of some sort of escapism; sex, parties, drugs.

Give him all the attention and compliments or he will wither like a flower. He craves the spotlight and being fawned over.

Naive, guillible, 0 street smarts due to his sheltered upbringing.

A bit of a fantasy "Marie Antoinette". Poor people exist?? *pikachu face*

Drama Queen.

HISTORY

Sylverian Selemchant was born into a life of privilege as the only child of Lady Maryan Selemchant and Anarion, son of King Oberon of the Summer Court, a powerful Archfey and spouse of Queen Titania.

Raised in luxury, without any hardships and spoiled to no end, Sylverian grew up in a world of gold and glitter. He is blissfully unaware of the struggles faced by ordinary people. It's not that he is cold-hearted (quite the contrary!); rather, he has never been exposed to the harsh realities of life, and he has a tendency to turn a blind eye to anything that doesn't fit his desires and pleasures.

While he was home-schooled by esteemed scholars and being presented with endless opportunities, he has always been only interested in matters of fashion and high-society gossip and cares little about arcane studies, swordmanship or politics, much to his mother's dismay.

SPIRTED AWAY

When he was merely six years old his grandfather Oberon kidnapped him and spirited him away to the Feywild. Bringing a child to the vibrant plane of the Fey is akin to giving it potent drugs; it leaves a mark and shapes their perception forever.

While his Fey blood certainly played a role, this incident amplified Sylverian's longing for excitement. It's a significant factor behind his chronic boredom with the mundane, driving him towards wild parties, this insanely lavish lifestyle, sex and drugs.

MORE ABOUT HIS GRANDFATHER (and why Sylverian doesn't want to become his patron)

TOUGH LOVE

After Sylverian's father passed away, his mother decided to kick him out, believing it was time for him to learn the harsh realities of the world.

While his father had dismissed Sylverian's antics as nothing more than the playful behavior of a youngling (after all, to an Elf, 30 years was merely the age of a child), his mother held a very different perspective. She felt it was high time Sylverian stopped relying on their family's wealth and started making something meaningful out of his life and learn responsibilty ; after all he was the sole heir of the Selemchant name.

Of course, she still loved her son dearly and knew he wouldn't last a day without protection, so she sent a Knight with him for protection.

TAV VERSE

Only a few days after his mother kicked him out, Sylverian was abducted by Illithids. What fate awaits him? Only the dice hold the answer.

Class: Bard ; he brought his violin on his (involuntary) travels, hoping to make a name of himself as a musician as the thought of actual labor never crossed his mind. Weapon: A very fancy golden rapier STR: 7 (-2) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 13 (+1) INT: 15 (+2) WIS: 9 (-1) CHA: 20 (+5)

VERSES. COMPANION QUEST

[fyeahwebnovels]

COMPLETED

Webnovels on this list are officially finished (the author has confirmed the story is wrapped up and there are no plans to continue).

Anathema by chrysalis (superhero, sci-fi)

Two years ago, The Pulse—a sudden shift in Earth’s electromagnetic field—caused a global blackout and wiped a minute from mankind’s collective memory. This event introduced superhuman powers to our world. But the worst was yet to come. Now two teenagers are caught in the chaos of a changing world: Christina Chung, an antisocial misfit whose force fields are fueled by the social bonds she broke during the event of her transition. Former coke addict Sarina Baumann, whose reality-altering power forces her to abandon everything she holds dear. The two girls find themselves entangled with the renegade hero Radiant and the authorities that made him. The three must find a way—and a place—to be the heroes they’re destined to become. But sometimes, even the heroes fall…

Caelum Lex by khronos (space opera, sci-fi)

It’s a trying time in the central clusters of the galaxy. A shadow organization of powerful figures are tightening their grip to seize control, free planets are struggling to maintain their independence, and Leta Adler somehow ended up on a pirate ship. This is Caelum Lex, a sci-fi space opera following the crew of the Dionysian (the irony of the name is not lost on any of them) and its mission to stay afloat in a Span ever more trying to shoot it down. Join Leta, a not-so-sheltered-anymore doctor with a mission of her own, the captain she can’t stop butting heads with, his engineering genius of a brother, and the whole crew as they traverse the trials and tribulations of the universe, the mysterious Society, and each other.

Domina Urbana by DeathIsSilver (supernatural, urban fantasy)

Domina City. “The City of the Lady.” Built on a trash island in the West Atlantic by the labor of white-collar criminals, paid for by the United States and the Vatican, Domina was meant to be a beacon of hope and prosperity. A test, proving that criminals could be put to a better use than clogging up prisons. Thirty years after building started, Domina is a blight on the face of the world, soaked in the blood of millions. Death is a fact of daily life. Gangs rule by no other than law their own strength, and entire cultures have arisen built on legends. Angels, demons, vampires and more fight each other for money and control. The fey release their monsters on the streets for no reason other than their own amusement, and bystanders are always caught in the crossfire. Every living soul in the city is a killer. But even so, life goes on. People go to work, fall in love, raise families. The city grinds away, and the people survive. Into this maelstrom of chaos comes Adam Anders, a young man trying to go to college with his friend. He has no idea what he has just stepped into. But then, Domina is in for a few surprises as well…

The Dream Quest of Henry Sinclair by Tony Maravilla

The year is 199W and Henry Sinclair is a young magic practitioner on the cusp of entering high school. Before he goes, he must undergo a quest, a coming of age journey to be seen in the eyes of his witch clan. He will journey into the Dreamlands, a world less real than his own, where he will meet fictional characters come to life, Dream Lords, djinni, dinosaurs, and his own dark reflection. Will he make it back home unscathed?

Familiar Thing by Den Page (romance, urban fantasy, queer)

Quentin thought that that thing where you write on skin and recite a litany was just a weird thing nobody but him and his abusive ex liked. Now it turns out that there’s a whole community, and that he can channel power for actual magic. He manages to find Henry, a magic partner that shares his interest in nonsexual magic - but of course then Quentin starts falling for him…

The Five Dollar Mail by Regina F. Shelley (historical romance, adventure)

Five dollars to mail a letter seems like a lot of money to shy farm girl Lily McMillian. And when she's hired in the spring of 1860 by Old Man Lynch as a cook for his stagecoach and Pony Express station, she finds out why it's so expensive. Dropped into a whirlwind of rowdy men and boys, fast horses, and frightening conflict, she inherits more than a busy kitchen and a pile of dirty laundry. She gains an unlikely band of brothers, a motley collection of rounders, miscreants, and troublemakers, all of whom are in sore need of someone to keep them in line.

The Last Skull by The Great Hippo (superhero)

The Last Skull is a teenage superheroine fantasy mixed with what I hope is a realistic (but still comic-rooted) touch. I started writing it out of a mixture of love for the genre, a desire to see a muscular, wolverine-esque teenage girl beating the snot out of costumed supervillains, and a burning need to write something, anything before I went mad.

Magicacademy by MusedMoose (fantasy, slice of life)

Arts Magika University: sorcery classes, elven professors, dwarven fraternities, interspecies dating, and magikal duels. It's odd, it's mildly bizarre, and it's a wonder the students get any studying done. It's college the way it should have been.

Pact by Wildbow (supernatural, drama)

Blake Thorburn was driven away from home and family by a vicious fight over inheritance, returning only for a deathbed visit with the grandmother who set it in motion. Blake soon finds himself next in line to inherit the property, a trove of dark supernatural knowledge, and the many enemies his grandmother left behind her in the small town of Jacob’s Bell.

A Practical Guide to Evil by erraticerrata (YA, fantasy, dramedy)

The Empire stands triumphant. For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife. Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.

Symbiote by farmerbob1 (sci fi, speculative)

It’s something of an exploration into human/machine singularity or transhumanism. I explore my own ideas about how a moderately-educated individual would react to sharing a body and headspace with an advanced AI, and how they might grow together.

A Traveling Mage's Almanac by Loaka of the Wind (fantasy, adventure, furry)

Yenna Bookbinder loves learning magic. As a teacher of the Arcane, she has helped countless students to become mages—yet the world outside her classroom beckons to her. When a band of adventurers comes through town as part of a grand expedition to parts unknown, she finds herself offered a position on the crew as the party’s mage. Leaving behind her old life for exciting days on the road, Yenna travels with new allies to uncover all manner of magical mysteries. Between uneasy alliances, ancient dark magic and a plot that threatens to swallow the expedition whole, Yenna Bookbinder’s discoveries may shape the future of magic irrevocably—but will she live to see her findings published?

Twig by Wildbow (historical, fantasy, speculative)

The year is 1921, and a little over a century has passed since a great mind unraveled the underpinnings of life itself.  Every week, it seems, the papers announce great advances, solving the riddle of immortality, successfully reviving the dead, the cloning of living beings, or blending of two animals into one.  For those on the ground, every week brings new mutterings of work taken by ‘stitched’ men of patchwork flesh that do not need to sleep, or more fearful glances as they have to step off the sidewalks to make room for great laboratory-grown beasts.  Often felt but rarely voiced is the notion that events are already spiraling out of the control of the academies that teach these things. It is only this generation, they say, that the youth and children are able to take the mad changes in stride, accepting it all as a part of day to day life.  Of those children, a small group of strange youths from the Lambsbridge Orphanage stand out, taking a more direct hand in events.

Twisted Cogs by Malcom Hemmings (superhero, historical, fantasy)

It is the turn of the 16th Century, and the world has entered a golden age of art, invention, and architecture. This renaissance of literature and learning in Europa is suddenly thrown into overdrive when a chosen few “Stormtouched” begin displaying supernatural abilities. Torn between the age’s burgeoning love of science and the dark promises of magic, Europa has become a powder-keg of clockwork and sorcery. Elena Lucciano doesn’t care about increasing mankind’s knowledge or exploring the mysterious workings of magic. Even though she herself is Stormtouched, Elena doesn’t have high ambitions. All she wants is for her mother to be proud of her, for her teacher to accept her, and to become one of the best artists in all of Italoza, content to ignore all thoughts of science and magic. Unfortunately for Elena, the tides of invention and magic are sometimes not content to ignore those who ignore them…

An Unauthorized Fan Treatise by Lauren James (mystery, crime)

Gottie is a fangirl for Loch & Ness, a TV show about paranormal detectives. She’s convinced that two of the male actors are secretly dating, and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it. When her online investigations accidentally uncover far more than she expects, she becomes complicit in secrets beyond just a romantic conspiracy theory. An internet thriller told in a ‘true crime’ style recollection of events, the novel includes social media extracts such as modern Tumblr posts and early-noughties LiveJournal blog entries.

World Domination in Retrospect by Psycho Gecko (superhero, dark comedy)

Tell me something… do you root for the bad guy? Is an evil laugh a work of art for you? Do masks count as casual wear? Do you enjoy beating PETA members to death with baby cows? Do you have trouble fitting both testicles in your thong? Do you sometimes find yourself using the phrase “quake in buttery fear”? If you answered yes to any of those, this might be the place for you. Except for the thong thing which could be dangerous if people start writing Dr. Seuss erotica. This is still the place for you, but I can provide little relief for you from this dimension. Yeah, another dimension. Lucky you. A dimension of sight. A dimension of sound. A dimension of smells. Bad smells. Freaky smells. Anal smells. Smells you don’t have to sniff because you’re not here, man! Luckily for you, I, the Great and Devious Psycho Gecko, have acquired a device allowing me to share my adopted dimension with you. Let my eyes be your eyes. My ears be your ears. My fists be your fists. My sphincter be your sphincter. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your rears! Now sit them right down in that chair every Wednesday and Sunday and enjoy a trip through life with an unrepentant, murderous supervillain. You were expecting a heroic figure forced down a dark path, fighting to be a good man despite society forcing him into evil acts? Well cut that shit out right now. Tie up your kiddies in the other room and hold on to your sphincters. It’s time for World Domination in Retrospect!

Worm by Wildbow (superhero, drama)

An introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower, Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local ‘cape’ scene’s politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. As she risks life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons.