#all hail fanfic writers

[chaos-and-sparkles]

My second favourite fanfiction phenomenon is when a writer says "ahaha yeah this was supposed to be a silly one shot, we'll see where it goes, it might stretch out to three chapters max" and then you scroll up and it is Fifty One Chapters Long

[yeeiguess]

Thinking about them (Burning Bright Zukka)

[localravenclaw]

When you send a writer a request or prompt and they completely outdo themselves and come up with an absolute masterpiece then go "Oh, I'm so relieved you like it!" like, bro, you could write me one paragraph and I would absolutely be over the moon because you took the time of day to create something, and that for me, is more than enough and I will never ever stop being grateful!

[malakaiijames]

The tma brainrot has consumed me..I've officially gone to ao3 for sustenance while I painfully wait out this slow burn. Once we hit the ao3 stage, it only goes down from here..hyperfixation is about to take over my entire life

[kimlockholmes]

Firm believer in the fanfics-are-the-holy-grail-of-literature agenda

Does that make sense? No? It definitely would now if a someone wrote a past life rivals to lovers 300k angst no comfort dystopian AU about it.

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

[skyrigel]

" Fanfictions aren't literatu—" PULLS THE TRIGGER.

[watchertvzine]

Watcher TV Zine is a non-profit e-zine, raising money for an AAPI charity in honor of Steven Lim

══════════ ◈ ══════════

Zine FAQ | Creator Interest Form

[tag list below]

tagging some blogs to help us get the word out! please reblog to help a fandom charity project <3

@dishgranted @fancybois @tolerateit @brunchcrush @steven–lim

@demonproofboi @wheezingghoulbois @worthitupdates

@all-zine-apps @welovezines @zine-scene

[noblecorgi]

Chapter 17: A Thousand Words

I liiiiiiiiiiive.

And here is a new chapter!!

TWs for this chapter are less intense but no less sad than the last chapter, so psychosis, self loathing, hospitals and blood.

@artsyunderstudy @alexalexinii @angelsfalling16 @asocialpessimist @stitchy-queerista @skee3000 @stardustasincocaine @fiend-for-culture @facewithoutheart @wellbelesbian @emeryhall @emjaydellyone @edenalix @erzbethluna @thehoneyedhufflepuff @theearlgreymage @thewholelemon @that-disabled-princess @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @ichooseyousnowbaz @ic3-que3n @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife

@palimpsessed @prettygoododds @philaet0s @lonleyhumanbeing @letraspal @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @cutestkilla @cosmicalart @confused-bi-queer @valeffelees @beastmonstertitan @brilla-brilla-estrellita @bazisplottingsomething @ninemagicks @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersworld @messofthejess @monbons @mooncello @rbkzz @run-for-chamo-miles @roomwithanopenfire @raenestee @rimeswithpurple

[peony-always]

Going a little feral for this rn

Villain!Bakugo thirst incoming: Imagine being in the LoV with him and you're about the same age so you get along pretty well. One night you're hanging out with him and his mentor, Dabi, and throughout the conversation Dabi puts two and two together and is like "Oh my god, both of you are still virgins!" and starts cackling madly because at this point you and Katsuki are both wanted criminals in your early 20's. Luckily he's an amazing mentor so he spends the night giving Katsuki detailed instructions on how to pull orgasm after orgasm out of you while he lounges in his chair with a cigarette and watches.

I am sooooo obsessed with this!! Dabi sitting back watching, cigarette hanging between his lips as he lazily fists his cock. And imagine he’s told Bakugou how to fuck you or eat you out, but he’s not doing it quite right so Dabi has to get up and show him how?😫

But also I love the idea of Dabi goading Bakugou into it too? Like knowing that he’s a virgin, and making out like he’s too much of a pussy to even touch you. But Bakugou is so determined to prove him wrong?

[useyourglutes]

i'm going back and re-reading all the fics i've posted on ao3 cuz i second guess myself but like, WHY AM I LOWKEY EATING WITH THESE??? HOLY SHIT THE 4AM FUMES MADE ME MODERN FUCKING SHAKESPEARE BRO

[mossycereustea]

do y’all ever just read a super amazing heart wrenching wonderful show-stopping breathtaking fantastic unbelievable soul shattering fanfic that is so horribly under-appreciated? (I’m sure the answer will probably be yes for many people)

because I found this fanfic that made me physically hurt- (honestly that might be because I’m a sucker for slow-burn and love watching the characters ache for one another as the anticipation tears apart my soul) and I’ve tried giving kudos at least ten times per chapter.

PLEASE AO3 TELEPATHICALLY SEND MY KUDOS

THIS FIC IS NOW MY LIFE TAKE MY KUDOS

TAKE MY SOUL

CAN THAT LITTLE SMILEY FACE FEEL MY PAIN

if there was a function that let the author see how many times i tried to give kudos to this fic after the first time they would be flooded with re-kudos

i need this fic injected into my veins

i’ll pay you

anyways we should have a re-kudos function

(i understand that spamming is likely a reason why this function does not exist along with the fact that usually that is now how “likes” and such on these type of platforms work, but this is just me expressing my love for this fic and devotion to the author- don’t take my proposal too seriously)

thank you fanfic authors you are doing the work of god.

[bisexualamy]

I see people talk about fanfiction and novels being different mediums a lot, and while I don’t necessarily disagree, I don’t feel like I understand either. In your opinion, what makes them different mediums from each other? What decides that two things are separate mediums like in general? It’s totally cool if you don’t wanna answer this btw, I know it’s kind of a lot

No worries I think that's an interesting question! With any categories, the boundaries on this are going to be fuzzy, but the reason I believe they're different mediums is that fundamentally, on a metatextual level, the languages are different. What do I mean by this? Let's use film as an example, a medium that I'd argue is very obviously a different medium than novels, even if we may not be able to articulate all the reasons why.

What are some attributes of film that differentiate it from novels (another storytelling medium) or paintings (another visual medium)? Films and novels are both storytelling mediums, but films have visual and auditory components. They also mainly consist of storytelling through visual cues and dialogue. Exposition is given visually or in media res by characters speaking. In a novel, your omniscient narrator giving you a few paragraphs of background on your main characters is common, and so expected it probably flies over the reader's head. In a film, a narrator doing the exact same thing for all the main characters often comes off clumsy. It takes you out of the story in a film, where it doesn't in a novel.

Film is also a time-based medium. A film unfolds over time, and you cannot experience the entire film in one moment or glance. That's not true of a painting (at least traditionally). With a painting, you can view the whole painting in one look. Now, you can sit with a painting, pick out details, analyze the craft or ponder it for a long time and watch as new aspects jump out at you. Fundamentally, however, if you wanted to view a whole painting in one look, you can, and it would still make sense. You cannot do that with a film. On the other hand, a painting is typically not an auditory experience. To do so would be an experimental use of the form. In modern film-making, the exact opposite is true. Music, dialogue, and environmental sound, all of these things are essential to how a film tells a story. To not use them would be considered experimental or odd.

These are three different mediums with three different "languages" in how they interact with their audience. They may share parts of their languages, like I said above, but they don't speak the same language. What works well for one medium can come off clumsy or strange in another.

I believe fanfic and novels have sufficiently different languages that they should be considered different mediums. Both of them are short or long form written mediums telling some sort of story. But fanfic's relationship to its source material is such an inherent trait that novels do not have. The relationship doesn't have to be positive (it's often, in fact, argumentative or strained or dismissive), but the relationship exists. Even in AU fanfiction. Even in fics full of OCs.

In canon compliant and even canon divergent fics, this relationship is more obvious. These fics are both conversations with the source material as much as they are stories. They're playing in the author's sandbox, or they're wrecking their sandcastle and building something else. They're saying "I like/dislike what you did with this specific story, and I'm going to show you that by rewriting or expanding it." They take large aspects of the author's story whole cloth: the characters, the setting, the magic system, the tech, etc.

These fanfics often have little exposition at the top because they presume a familiarity with the characters, the world, or both. This alone makes them really different from novels. Creatively and seamlessly integrating exposition, immersing your audience in a new world and convincing them to stay, is a really important aspect of a novel that these fics don't have to contend with. This alone fundamentally changes how you'd structure a story.

For AU fics, both fics in AU settings and AU fics full of OCs, the above still applies. These fics are still a conversation with the source material. Something about the source material compelled an author to flip it and remix it and change it around. That conversation might be "in the source material, these characters suffered, and I don't want them to suffer any longer" or it could be "I felt the story had a vacancy that this OC fills" or it could be "if these characters had the time/awareness/ability to grow closer, they would've fallen in love." These are all direct commentaries on the original work.

An exercise that I believe illustrates this point the best is to try and adapt an AU fanfic to an original work. Try to file the serial numbers off. I've done this with some of my fic, and it just doesn't work. You don't realize how much you presume the audience knows until you have to cater to an audience who knows nothing of the source material. That hilarious joke you wrote? Turns out it's only funny because it's a nod to this character's original characterization. This awesome climatic plot point that ties the whole story together? Turns out in relies on a specific bit of lore, a quirk of the magic system, or an aspect of the character's past history or personality. Now that this is a novel, you have to back-fill all of that exposition. And you can try to do that, but watch how your story gets clunky and bloated. You will have to start viciously killing your darlings, as you realize that your favorite scene is beautiful in a fic, but sounds awkward and out of place in a novel. Soon, you're basically just rewriting the whole thing to fit a different medium.

Many fanfic writers are extremely talented. And much of that talent, that wit, that perfect line that you can't get out of your head, is integrally informed by your knowledge of the source material. The irony falls flat without having read the source books. The relationships suddenly feel shallow when you don't have seasons of backstory to deepen them. You do not realize how much of fanfic writing consists of this back and forth until you go looking for it.

And here's the thing: if your fanfic has a totally AU setting and it consists of completely original characters, I'd argue that's just a novel posted to AO3. If all you need to do is change the names to make it work, that's a novel. This is why Clueless is inspired by Jane Austen's Emma and not an AU fanfic of it. If you've never read Emma, if you went into Clueless not knowing that Emma was the inspiration for it, you'd perfectly understand the movie.

In fanfic, the source material is always present. It can be obviously present with canon compliant fic. It can be antagonistically present with canon divergent or AU fic. And it is still present, floating in the background, with totally AU fic. Ultimately, the changes a fanfic author makes to the source material are, themselves, as integral to the fanfic as the words on the page. It is a dialogue with the source material: what it did well, what it could've done better, what this author believes is the essence of the story, or the world pushed to its limit, that even though we're in space or in a coffee shop or 1920s New York, we're still, on some level talking about the source material.

This is an aspect of fanfic I love that novels do not have. Novels have a lot of other great stuff! I love novels! But while novels are often engaged in a dialogue with their present society or their predecessors in a genre, that conversation is much more nebulous than it is with fanfic. You can read Slaughterhouse-Five or Gravity's Rainbow, and while knowing their contexts helps you understand them on a deeper level, that is unnecessary to their enjoyment. They are fundamentally more standalone works than fanfic will ever be.

This is ultimately why I think comparing fanfic and novels is comparing apples to oranges. They're different mediums. They use different languages. They require different skills and they fill different artistic niches. You might as well be comparing a film to a painting just because they're both visual art.

[tailoredsnob]

The Transformers Vol.1: All Hail Starscream - Chapter 2 - All Hail Starscream & Return To The Light!

The Story is now in motion!

Even though i gave myself a deadline of 2 months and i gave myself stress that people would just think i forgot about the story, i had a fun time writing this chapter and i personally feel like this is written better than the first chapter! I hope you love it!!

Enjoy!!!!

I didn't exactly know what to name this chapter, but i think it gives a good indication of who the villains are going to be.

Kudos if you read the rest of this post! :)

I plan on making Vol.1, 15 chapters long. It gives me enough time to flesh out the story, characters, and even sneak in some fluff! Without giving much away, there will be three chapters dedicated to Cybertron! One of which will be a flashback chapter!

Still working on plans for Vol.2 though, right now that one's sitting at 20 chapters.

Also, let me know if you want me to share my playlist of the Soundtrack on Spotify or Youtube! I just made up the playlists so i can listen to them whenever i'm writing or working, it really makes time go by quicker! I also already know what the soundtracks are going to look like for both Volumes!!

[miriamforster]

Wha’s it called when you read a fic and you don’t want to kink shame but also THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS??? AT ALL???

Like I have a whole list going at this point lol.

[luceracastro]

OMG AMIRA AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I AM DROOLING MY LOVE!!!!!!!

ALL HAIL AMIRA! ALL HAIL AMIRA!🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

I AM WEAK MY LOVE BLESS YOU FOR THIS MY SWEET WIFE I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

sending kuku dirty texts in a room full of the rest of LSDLN cast 😶‍🌫️

𐙚 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘, 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘.

ೀ amira speaks! : two fics in one day?? zoo wee mama! anyways,, (n/n) means ((your) (nickname),, enjoy this my baby! 😘 ˗ˏˋ ꒰ summary : request above. ♡ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ word count : 503.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ genre : suggestiveness, mentions of smut, drabble. ˗ˏˋ ꒰ pairing : Esteban Kukuriczka x (fem!)Reader, Matías slightly appearing.

(n/n) 💗 is typing. . .

The Argentine man’s coffee-coloured eyes stared down at his phone attentively, awaiting for your message. Despite his insisting, you preferred to stay at home, rather than go to the small getaway the boys of the cast organised— and your boyfriend respected your decision.

But you still managed to get your fun, somehow.

(n/n) 💗: Kukuuuu (n/n) 💗: Tebiiiii (n/n) 💗: Miss me, darling? Because I do. (n/n) 💗: I wish you were here with me, I feel horny as fuck for you, you have no idea

A warm fluster occupied his face, his pale, freckled skin turning into a crimson haze. Gods, you were such a teasing girl. It was hard for him to ignore such bold texting.

It didn’t matter what the other boys were talking and laughing about, all the background noise faded away, as his eyes were glued to the screen of his phone.

(n/n) 💗: I don’t know where the fuck are you, (n/n) 💗: but if you are sitting on a chair and have a table in front of you, (n/n) 💗: Don’t doubt for a second that I would be fisting your cock under the table (n/n) 💗: and you’d have to keep quiet (n/n) 💗: Unless you want someone to find us, right? 🥰

Fuck. You knew exactly what to do, and say, to get to him. Had you stayed at home just to tease him like this? Maybe you did.

It was a bit of an impossible task to keep himself, pretending he was simply on his phone. It was already a dreadful pain to fight back his growing erection from appearing, not when you sending messages like that.

“Demanding girlfriend, eh?” Matias’ voiced surprised him, making him rapidly stare away from the phone, right when Kukuriczka was about to reply back to you. Was it too obvious? Perhaps it was because his phone was constantly chimming, and his eyes wouldn’t leave the screen. The younger Argentine scoffed.

“Don’t answer that. I can tell.” he retorted teasingly without allowing Kuku to answer, before leaving once again to be with the rest of the cast. It was too obvious, and who wouldn’t be in that state in his place?

(n/n) 💗: Wouldn’t it be fun if I were there, (n/n) 💗: And I took you to somewhere more private with an excuse... (n/n) 💗: And I sucked your cock until I milked every last drop, having me drooling and gagging? (n/n) 💗: in exchange, you could fuck my wet, aching pussy. ♥️

That’s it. He wouldn’t stay any longer on the little organised getaway by the cast. Kukuriczka could come up with an excuse, after all. Not being able to bury his cock deep inside your dripping pussy was painful enough, already.

Kuku 💍 is typing. . .

But after all your messages, you wouldn’t so easily get away from this. He’d make it clear, the horny feelings are always mutual.

Kuku 💍: I’m going back home. And you are keeping your promises, nena.

◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ ` taglist .ᐟ

@luceracastro @castawaycherry @creative-heart @deepinsideyourbeing

[elspethdekarios]

Places in Waterdeep

According to this reddit comment, Gale’s tower is most likely in the Dock Ward on the corner of Sea Lion and Sail Street. Assuming Gale and Tav spend most of their time in Waterdeep either at home or at Blackstaff (well, depending on what your tav does for a living! I imagine mine works nearby), here are some possible locations for all your fanfic needs. I’m using this map and the descriptions it gives for the locations. This is not an exhaustive list–just the ones I thought might be the most useful to writers.

- Near Gale’s Tower (Dock Ward) -

Taverns and Inns:

The Quaffing Quaggoth

Tavern. A favorite among sailors, merchants, and young nobles, this dwarven owned and operated establishment is known for its own specialty brew – the Quaggoth, a thick house-brewed stout mixed with a shot of a house secret liquor.

The Sailors' Own

Tavern. The place is low-beamed and crowded, with weary sailors slumped on benches playing at board games, cards, or merely getting thoroughly drunk. This place is just what its name implies. It belongs to the sailors, and they don't really want anyone else here. The proprietor is Guthlakh 'Hands' Imyiir. (so, maybe not likely for them to frequent this one, but who knows!)

The Pickled Fisherman

Tavern

The Soaring Pegasus

Tavern

Bard inn

A cozy inn owned by a family of past adventurers, it appears to have been fixed up recently. Most of its visitors are sailors, but it has been known to house meetings between gangs in order to keep the peace. In the basement is a hidden underground fighting ring.

The Angry Coxswain

The tavern contains a one-way portal connecting with a prison cell in the slave market in the Mulhorandi city of Skuld.

The Yawning Portal

Inn. Built in 1306 DR on the ruins of Halaster Blackcloak's old tower, the Yawning Portal gained most of its renown for being the primary open route to the Undermountain. The Portal's innkeeper, Durnan, is a former adventurer of great power and renown.

The Gray Griffon

Tavern

Darth's Dolphyntyde

Tavern

Selune's Smile

Tavern

Azuth's Mug

Tavern

The Rearing Hippocampus

Inn. Probably the classiest inn in Dock Ward. Favored by many caravan masters and merchants who want a good, secure place to sleep, and regular visitors to the city who have business near the harbor.

The Splintered Stair

Inn. The entry hall of this room rises up three floors, overlooked by interior balconies linked by elegantly spiraling stairs.

The Blackstar Inn

This dignified, even haughty inn is like a fortress on the outside, with barred windows, stone walls, and a slate roof. Its lobby has two armed guards, and the four hostlers in the locked stables are also armed. Fees are high, but in return, guests get almost soundproof rooms. Each room has a hip-bath, a double bed, water and wine provided for drinking and various pamphlets and chapbooks provided for light reading. Each room also has its own fireplace, albeit with a miserly supply of firewood, and the patrons tend to keep to themselves. A good place to get a long soundsleep. Asiyra Boldwinter is the proprietress of this inn. Her manner is one of uppercrust, noble dignity.

The Empty Keg

The Empty Keg is a rowdy beer-hall. Later at night, it sees visits from workers from Mother Salinka's next door to reinvigorate business there.

The Red-Eyed Owl

This is the closest thing Waterdeep has to a comfortable, unimpressive, welcoming gathering place for the neighborhood. It is the kind of place where friends will come in and hail each other across the room. The food and drink are pleasant, if unspectacular, and you'll be allowed to sit in peace. It is a rambling old wooden building that looks as if it's about to fall into the street. Balarg 'Twofists' Dathen, a man with long, red hair, owns and runs the tavern.

The Sleepy Sylph

Tavern. Locals in the neighborhood come here for a single drink, to enjoy the music and to watch the waitresses (wearing diaphanous robe), and then go to the Owl, just steps away to eat and drink at about a third the price. The owner is Callanter Rollingshoulder, a tall man dressed in dark silken robes with a magnificent mustache.

The Bloody Fist

Tavern. Bullies and angry people come here to pick fights, and a room upstairs is retained for a succession of novice priests of Tempus who dress broken bones and perform minor healing magics in return for donations to the war god. Members of the Bull Elk Tribe can usually be found drinking here. Proprietor: Uglukh Vorl, a half-orc.

The Sleeping Snake

Tavern. This rowdy place is roughly furnished in hastily mended furniture. Members of the Black Boar Tribe can usually be found drinking here.

Festhalls and Entertainment:

From the Forgotten Realms wiki: “A festhall was an establishment combining the services of brothels, casinos, and private clubs. Festhalls provided a variety of adult-themed leisure activities and entertainment, including sex work, gambling, day spas, dining, exotic dancing, companionship, role-play, and other specialized interests.”

The Mermaid's Arms

Festhall. Elegant dining lounges, in which one dines or just drinks with an attractive host or hostess (or alone). Increasingly, the Arms is being used by single gentlefolk for a night of love. In other words, patrons are going there to meet each other, not to hire a host or hostess for the night. The Arms is large, well-lit, always busy, and can be quite expensive.

The Hanging Lantern

Festhall. The Lantern, an escort service known for the stunning beauty of its workers, and for the skill of its matchmakers, is famous up and down the Sword Coast.

Blushing Nymph

Festhall. The long stair links the oubliette of the Blushing Nymph festhall with Undermountain's first level.

Mother Salinka's House of Pleasures

This is a dingy low-coin festhall owned by halflings and frequented by those who are there for a 'brief visit', or can't afford or are turned away from the Yawning Portal.

Three Pearls Nightclub

Festhall. Pearls, as it is called, is a popular evening destination for Waterdhavians, offering stand-up comics, trained animal acts, illusionists' recitals, bards, orators, and exotic dancing. It has a low ceiling and is usually hot and smoky. The manager, Xandos Waeverym, is known as 'the Dandy'.

Seven Masks Theater

The theater caters to a lower-class clientele, and ship captains and sailors are admitted for free. The owner of the theater is a burly and jovial Shou man with a braided goatee named Rongquan Mystere.

The Purple Palace

Festhall. This is the closest thing Waterdeep has to a Calishite silks-boudoir. Its lavender silk draperies and gauzy hangings are heavily perfumed. Everything is cushions, soft carpets, music, and purple-tinted, spiced wine. Companionship is expensive and very good.

The Smiling Succubus

Festhall. Not exactly the pride of Wharf Street, but one of its most popular destinations.

Businesses and Shopping:

Whistling Blades

Business. Weapons.

The Fishscale Smithy

Adventuring gear

Talnu's Ropeworks

Adventuring gear

The Old Xoblob Shop

This curiosity shop is filled with lots of battle trophies and souvenirs from Undermountain. Worth a look to see the stuffed beholder for which the shop is named. The shopkeeper is a deep gnome.

House of Pride Perfumes

Business. The House of Pride is crammed with a forest of glass bottles of all sizes, shapes, and hues. It is protected by a special enchantment that prevents glass from breaking. The shop is run by two sisters and is guarded by trained hunting dogs.

Khostal Hannass, Fine Nuts

Business. Food.

Felhaur's Fine Fish

Business. Food.

Miscellaneous:

Mirt's Mansion

Villa. Mirt is a friend of Durnan (see The Yawning Portal). Both used magic to extend their lives.

House of Two Hands

Monastery. Order of the Even-Handed.

Harborwatch Tower

City building

The Griffon

The walking statue called the Griffon is shaped like the beast for which it is named. Though it stands on all four legs, its back is fully twenty feet off the ground, making it a mount fit for a storm giant. Although it has shown itself to be capable of flight, with the granite feathers of its wings spreading like a bird's, the Griffon now merely stands in a regal pose near Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, looking to the southeast over the Dock Ward. Newcomers sometimes assume it to be a monument to Waterdeep's Griffon Cavalry, but Waterdavians know better.

Peaktop Aerie

City building

Castle Waterdeep

Thick-walled stronghold that broods over Castle Ward from the flanks of Mount Waterdeep. Pennants and banners are often hung and flown from its battlements to signal the arrival of diplomats or the commencement of ceremonies.

Starry Cradles orphanage

The Starry Cradles orphanage is a Dock Ward orphanage run by Matron Griselda Hoppletun, a halfling care-taker, and funded by the House of the Moon and the Selûnite clergy thereof.

- Near Blackstaff Tower (Castle Ward) -

Taverns and Inns:

Sapphire House

Expensive rooming house on Swords Street. The inn is a five-story building.

Tavern of the Flagon Dragon

Tavern. Three Stories high, stone dragons at the base of the walls are all gouting fire, two dragon helmed guards at the door. Caters more to the less-than-noble class.

The Singing Sword

Tavern. Three floors of busy diners enjoy one of the largest menus in Waterdeep. They are entertained by the high-voiced ballads of the wondrous magical blade for which the tavern is named. Gothmorgan Ilibuld, the proprietor, is a polite host.

Wyrmbones Inn

Inn

The Pampered Traveler

Inn. This inn stands like an exotic castle. There is inside a library filled with books and a reading table with a glass top, under which can be seen a map of the known Realms as far west as the Moonshaes, as far east as Thay, and as far south as the Shaar. All in all, a quietly luxurious place to stay. This is undoubtedly the wealthy scholar's choice of hostel. The inn is run by Brathan Zilmer, guildmaster of the Fellowship of Innkeepers.

Dauntlyn's Doors

Luxury Inn

The Elfstone Tavern

Tavern. This old, dimly lit tavern caters to elves. By night, dancing lights spells bathe the place in soft, floating, blue motes of light. Gentle harp, pipe, flute, and choral music is performed and service is fast and graceful. Dwarves and half-orcs will be driven away; humans and halflings are tolerated in small parties; half-elves are just accepted. Yaereene Ilbaereth is the tavern's proprietress.

The Blue Jack

Tavern. The tavern specializes in low prices and fast service, and it's a success. Immithar the Glove, the tavern's proprietor, is quick with a joke or to mimic the speech of other.

The Jade Jug

Inn. Waterdeep's plushest inn. Guests are attended by a personal servant for the duration of their stay and their every need is attended to. The charming, beautiful, one-armed hostess is Amaratha Ruendarr. She notices every detail.

The Dragon's Head Tavern

Tavern. This modest place is aimed at those who like to sit quietly and chat over their drinks. The proprietor is Vorn Laskadarr.

The Asp's Strike

Tavern

Festhalls and Entertainment:

Jhural's Dance

Festhall

Silavene's

Festhall

The Smiling Siren

Festhall. Nightclub & Theater. Home to a company of popular local actors who can perform everything from rowdy comedy to high tragedy. Nobles often hire the place for an evening for exclusive performances. The Siren is also home to traveling troupes of vaudeville jugglers, comedians, and nearly nude dancers or burlesque dancers. Before and between performances, the place is used for drinking and dancing to live music, sometimes with show dancers on the stage. The mage Perendel Wintamer runs this nightclub.

Lightsinger Theater

Business. Entertainers.

Mother Tathlorn's House of Pleasure

Festhall. Entertainers. The most famous house of pleasure in Waterdeep is a large, five-floored building with two additional levels of dungeons below ground. Mother Tathlorn's has on staff several priests of Sune. The most popular service performed at Mother Tathlorn's is massage and bathing, but all of this luxury and pleasure doesn't come cheaply.

Businesses and Shopping:

The Market

Open marketplace. Largest open space in the city surrounded by stone buildings that enclose the maze of temporary stalls and carts that appear here day and night.

Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes

Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes is a posh retail shop, located in the shadow of the God Catcher statue. Owned and operated by the Blackwell family, Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes specializes in rare and antique manuscripts. The shop is especially known, among the noble set, for its restoration, document preservation, as well as transcription services. Mr Blackwell's son, Aldous, has been known to keep an eye on any ancient texts which spend time in the family's shoppe.

The Bookstore occupies the bottom of a three story building. The upper two stories are the Blackwell's lavish townhome apartment.

Paethier's Pipeweed

Business

Eilean's Maztican Delights

Business

Sharkroar - Harth Shalark's Broadsheets

Business

Sorynth's Silverware

Business

The Curious Past

Business is run by Bronwyn Caradoon, dealing in exotic items while also being a front for Harper Activity.

Diloontier's Apothecary

Assassins. Drugs. Poisons. Potions. Now renamed to 'Diloontier's & Sons Apothecary'.

This upscale store catered to the elite of Waterdhavian society. Those who had the right credentials and money for it could quietly purchase poisons and more nefarious potions from the proprietor.

Balthorr's Rare & Wondrous Treasures

Business. Magic items. Balthorr 'the Bold' Olaskos will fence stolen items for 40% market value.

Old Knot Shop

Adventuring gear

Rebeleigh's Elegant Headwear

Business. Clothing.

Halls of Hilmer, Master Armorer

Armor. Hilmer, a tall, strong, and soft-spoken man, with shoulders as wide as most doors, only makes plate, but he's known as the best, or among the best, in all the Sword Coast lands. He's a master craftsman.

Halambar Lutes & Harps

Business. Entertainers. This shop sells all sorts of stringed musical instruments. Kriios Halambar, guildmaster of the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers, and Choristers owns and runs this shop.

The Golden Key Locksmiths

Business. The proprietor, Ansilver, makes custom locks to order, and guarantees that he's never sold a key that will open the lock you buy from him to anyone else.

Phalantar's Philtres & Components

Business. Drugs. Poisons. Potions. Here you can buy medicines, herbs, and rare substances used in the making of perfumes, scented oils, poisons, and as material components in the casting of spells. Phalantar Orivan will fence stolen goods for 40% market value. He is said to be fabulously rich.

Olmhazan's Jewels

Business. All the gems one can think of, except very rare or magical sorts. Jhauntar Olmhazan, Gentleman Speaker for the Jewelers' Guild, owns and runs this shop.

Temples:

Font of Knowledge

Temple of Oghma. Largest public library in the city.

Halls of Justice

Temple of Tyr. Holy Order of the Knights of Samular.

Spires of the Morning

Temple of Lathander. Order of the Aster.

Temple of the Seldarine

Temple of all elven deities.

Miscellaneous:

Melody Mount Walk

A magically lit tunnel that runs west up to the cliffs on which the New Olamn barding college is situated. The tunnel contains a little-known portal between Waterdeep and the keep in Rassalantar. The tunnel continuously resounds with music due to an ongoing concert known as the Neverending String of Pearls that is performed by bardic students from New Olamn in a small alcove in the tunnel.

Syndra Wands' Tower

Wizard's domicile.

The Lady Dreaming

One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. This statue has the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.

The Great Drunkard

One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. The unconscious pose of the statue and the tavern in its lap made the name of the Great Drunkard a natural fit.

Duir's Alley

This busy, winding passage is often the scene of spell demonstrations and practice, as patrons or staff spill out of the rear of the Elfstone Tavern and unleash magic down the alley.

Cat Alley

Recently, a masked, rapier-wielding, quietly chuckling assailant has made this a dangerous place for women after dark.

The God Catcher

One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. This is perhaps the most famous walking statue in the city, thanks to its dramatic pose : a well-muscled but impassive male human with a sphere of stone floating above its right hand raised skyward.

Piergeiron's Palace

White marble Palace and main office location for many city officials, the majority of which are dedicated to the administration of city services, such as the Watch, the Guard, city clerks, and the Loyal Order of Street Laborers. The ruler of the city - the Open Lord of Waterdeep - resides and works here.

Tower of the Order

Guildhall. Magic items. Scrolls. Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors.

House of the Fine Carvers

Guildhall. Guild of Fine Carvers.

The Map House

Guildhall. Surveyors', Map & Chart-makers' Guild.