#cam essentially made him immortal

[theno1joelhater]

oh, sweet religion. the potential of a cgcu heaven and a cgcu hell. like 90% of the characters are being sent to the realm of fire and brimstone, including wayne.

i have little to no thoughts on the afterlife itself. i don’t know what happens after you die. but heaven and hell? i can work with that. wayne isn’t making past the pearly gates.

so in those brief moments between his death and rebirths (plural is crazy) (like was jesus even resurrected that many times? idk i’ve never read the bible) he’d experience hell. the worst torture known to mankind. not dissimilar to what he put cam through, for “i like torturing my favs” crowd (it’s us we’re the crowd).

for the first time ever, wayne was scared. even though his visit was brief, it still terrified him. he experienced real torture for the first time, raw fear and pain and nothing else. when he was brought back, he was relieved. so fucking relieved. he took a brief break, bc yk. just got back from being resurrected. needs time. but maybe, cam wants him to keep pranking. and he does, just less on cam and more on the other characters. he can’t risk going back to hell.

but when he goes off and pranks justin (top ten biggest mistakes in history and it isn’t 2-10!), he’s scared again. he doesn’t want to go to hell. even though he’ll probably get resurrected again he still doesn’t want to risk it. he can’t go through it all again. he can’t.

riffing off your ideas, i don’t truly believe wayne thought his situation was that serious. maybe, deep down, he understood. but he tried to make light of his situation. he didn’t treat it seriously, as he does with most things. so he tried to escape. sure, justin was prepared for everything, but wayne didn’t think so. he underestimated justin. he knew that there was a chance he could get caught and he was a bit scared of what could happen if justin found him, but his confidence took over. he tried to get out, but he was too reckless. justin found him and forced him to watch a cloning process. safe to say that was a huge wake up call for wayne. again, wayne felt true fear. what would happen after he’s taken over by the microchip? would he be sent back to hell? that thought terrified him.

the showing of the cloning process, i think justin would be selective on that. if they tried to escape, and if justin thought it would ruin their morale, he would. otherwise he’d just do some other method of making them stay. what that method is idk go ask justin.

and the gap between his second death and second revival had to have been longer, right? jctm1 takes like 1 day but we don’t know how long it takes for robin and max to figure out richard has god on speed dial. they probably took a small break or something to digest the justin stuff too. either way, it’s the longest wayne had been dead. and he’s more fearful then ever. you think at some point he might become desensitized to all the pain, and maybe that’s true. maybe he gets used to it, but physical isn’t the only form of torture out there. his mind keeps him occupied. he thinks of everything he’s done. he thinks of how he’s hurt everyone he knows and that this is all deserved. all these feelings he hid deep down, for the first time, surface. they all bubble to the top, and it’s all wayne can think about. his mind is torturing him.

i think i’ve said this before but cameron doesn’t like wayne at all, he only keeps him around for views n stuff. he doesn’t kill him because he doesn’t have a valid reason to other than “he’s annoying”. he came up with the perfect excuse to do so, but he brought wayne back. and wayne died again. and he was brought back again. it’s a cycle of wayne going tufar, getting killed, and being brought back. if that isn’t suffering i don’t know what is.

AAAAAAAAA JUSTIN CASE UPDATE??? WHAT THE FUCK WHY DID HE JUST POST RHE SPOILERS TO THE NEXT INSTALLEMENT OF THE STROY RIGHT THERE INSREA DOF BEING LIKE YEAH IM DOING IT IM KILLING CAM RN FUCK ME (ron intended)

anywayssssss

nathaniel is dead, not very skibidi sigma of him at all but i’m not too surprised, cam’s been trying to get rid of ol’ nathan for a WHILE (besides, look at his last name. it was inevitable)

cam added a mary sue self insert oc that’s basically a god into the cgcu who’s summoned by racism and sexual jokes. damn.

i get the ending and it’s alright, but also seems anticlimactic. like cam shows up and tells justin “dude you’re a fictional made up character on the internet you’re already immortal 💀” and justin’s like “oh fr then ig i’ll stop” which isn’t that satisfying at all. i don’t like that ending the discord’s ending (ask me for an invite link if ur interested in the server, we’re all very cool) is much better since yk. it has actual character development.

personally? i don’t like this ending much and i am unsatisfied. it might be better if he actually posts it but i still don’t like it much. if only…….i finished the goddamn animation……..ughhh

also……….max? whipping it out? right there? cam you better film this part or else /hj

[darkestcorners]

Do you think the stories would differ in anyway if the roles were reversed, like darknets jk being the victim or raven y/n being a cult leader. I just find this idea very interesting and was wondering if it would be different. Could you explain for all the jks please??? 🥰😘👀

Ooo that’s indeed interesting, I think maybe they could differ in a way. ❤️🤔

For Polarity, I think Ive mentioned this before somewhere but the roles were actually going to be reversed! So, I think this story in particular would be a similar in a lot ways. The MC would be the ‘girlfriend’ of Jungkook’s best friend and their meeting would go down in a similar way. The MC would end up cornering Jungkook with blackmail, manipulating him to the point of a breakdown & emotionally start playing a lot of mind games with him, gaslighting him ect. She’d try to seduce him a lot too so I think he’d easily fall or be tempted at first before realizing how insane she was. She would be the one with a wealthy background so she’d have that obvious advantage. Or it could go in the direction that the MC stays the same financially and Eunji is still in the picture but instead she actively goes after Jungkook in an attempt to steal him from Eunji because of her yanderism. Things would differ in this scenario because if their financial positions didn’t change then I think Jungkook could actually escape her yanderism with that lack of power dynamic & things would end sourly for the yandere MC.

With Darknets, a female human trafficker is definitely a turn of events 😅 ( I think this is what you mean by the roles being switched , if it’s not that let me know & I’ll answer in another ask haha ) . I believe it would most likely have been a little harder for her to kidnap Jungkook but she would have most likely had help from her cousin so that would have made things easier. I think she would have actually injected him with a tranquilizer as opposed to knocking him out with a vase actually ( think smarter not harder ) . Also, she probably would have been hacked into discord or some other game server since he would more likely fall for that & easily interact. From there, I think things would go down similarly, she would mainly view him as her “little new toy” and want to dress him up for cam shows. She would have her own “golden boy” at first but then as her obsession and yanderism grew, she’d make Jungkook her golden boy. She’d have the same torture methods really, chain him up and threaten to starve him if he didn’t comply with her & he’d be thrown into this business with a group of other guys that are in the same position.

In Raven, I can actually envision this one pretty well. The MC would have most likely seduced poor villager Jungkook as she put a spell on his village. She probably wouldn’t even have had to put up an “innocent baker girl” act, she’d just use her own charm & sex appeal to try to bed him since considering the sexist time period, Jungkook wouldn’t really ‘have’ to be forced into marrying or it wouldn’t be a big focus for his character since he is a man. So, she’d be working to have him eating out of her palm per say, make him not really think about looking in any other way and be completely bewitched by her. With Raven, I’d probably switch the roles of the parents too so it would be Jungkook living with his mother only & her suffering with health issues. When Jungkook eventually realized what the MC was and about her being a witch, I think the difference is he’d try to kill her . He’d probably think he could do it easily but since the MC is incredibly powerful & essentially immortal, it would be impossible. She’d have him on his knees in no time. Most likely at the end, she would have slaughtered his mother as a punishment for his disobedience and would have taken him after she finished burning the rest of the village and taking the rest of the victims for her cult. In the same sense, she’d force him to impregnate her so she could bear his child for sinister reasons ( sacrifices ).

[starlitangels]

ooooooh, into the meridian for the director's cut game?????

Hoo boy! I loved writing Into the Meridian!

So, like I mentioned in that Author's Note which I know no one reads anyway no matter how short they are, ItM was basically what I was hoping for with Avior/Starlight's story going forward

Because here's the thing: Avior's an immortal demon. Starlight is a mortal human. I want them to live happily ever after together without Starlight getting old and Avior staying timeless. They deserve to be happy together forever

Gavin and Deviant have the same problem but, tbh, I think Gavin would be more inclined to become mortal if that were even possible, but Avior loves Aria so much too that it felt more right for Starlight to become immortal to see the home Avior loves so much

So, I had to figure out how to make Starlight become a demon

Hence, "Starlight gets absorbed by the Meridian and the sheer amount of magic that floods their system doesn't dissolve them but instead converts their body into magic itself"

This was also long before Cataclysm showed that Starlight can and will survive being absorbed by the Meridian void, and Regulus' fairy tale about Elaetum and Min'Ara still being in the Meridian, so I was just vibing with what lore I knew at the time

So, with the beginning I decided Starlight and Avior were already in love because I'm stubborn and staunchly believing that Starlight will fall in love with Avior again because they are meant to be

And I really wanted to believe they could get out. I still want them to get out, tbh, but I wanted to write them getting out

Something that I'm not sure I made obvious enough was that when that surge of magic exploded out of Avior when he finds himself in Aria alone, believing Starlight is gone, that surge of magic was the pulling Starlight was feeling as the Meridian was burning them up

The "burning them up" in darkness yet bright light was my way of trying to describe the magic flooding their body and turning it into magic itself to make Starlight a demon. Like how when you're in a lot of pain and you see those random lights in your vision? That's essentially what Starlight was going through

I don't particularly care how people interpret Starlight pulling them along the rope of Avior's magic reaching out to them, I figure it was their own magic following it

Now, the barrier Starlight bumped into was obviously the side of the Meridian leading to Aria, which is why it appeared in a knit-like pattern that Starlight could actually see. The little needle holes that kept appearing that magic slipped through "like a breeze" was empowered humans reaching for their powers through the Meridian, as it's often described

Then the hole that Starlight tears open is later revealed to be the second half of a rift

But the fact that it was meant to be Avior's magic pulling Starlight toward him is why they ended up so near him in Aria, despite the fact that they could have ended up anywhere

I made up a lot about how I think Aria works for this, too. I think daemons' Astral Forms look like nebulae. But Starlight's newly-formed, and still-somewhat-human daemon mind interpreted that nebula into seeing Avior's physical form because their magic recognized his

Of course, Starlight is super overwhelmed by everything happening and he's a Good Guy so he figures the best way to help is to get back to Elegy and put Starlight back in "their" body

And it is their body, because while it's implied that all daemons can change their appearances (though stated that such a thing is most often practiced by Incubi and Succubi), I think each demon has a default physical appearance. Like, Caelum will always look like Caelum unless he chooses to change how he looks. Same with Avior, Gavin, Vega, Cam, etc.

So Starlight still looks like Starlight did as a human. But now they're a demon. And the scar is missing from their hand because their body is no longer biologically made the same. I think demons have to somewhat-consciously assemble their physical form every time they rift to Elegy, so I don't think they actually scar because it's (technically) new cells every time, fully made by magic

Am I overthinking that? Probably. But it seems right to me

So... yeah. That's all the things I think I have commentary for, but I also really loved the idea of Avior escaping Hell, and immediately jumping back into his job. But for the sake of his partner who is a new demon and has no clue what's going on

I also made Starlight an Inchoate because they're a Freelancer so it felt like it fit better than making them a specialist. Plus then they can match with Avior

Director's Commentary Game

[sanglantromantique]

Some Altered Fates: Seattle Chronicle art.

Conext/Backstory: the Seattle Chronicle started with every player in the group as a mortal and becoming something else as the game went on (usually due to a near death experience.) Cain died when the Technocracy came after their Mage friend and ended up becoming an Immortal. Morgan was Embraced a few months after this -- being the last member of the group to shed their mortal status which made her...very much the damsel in distress and caused Cain to treat her like a child and become kind of inflexible.

After about a month of this, they start getting into arguments which culminate in her essentially calling him her dad and running off on her own without the rest of the group... and cheating on him (impulsivity and splitting whoo the fun parts of BPD).

She immediately deeply regrets this and tries to apologize but regardless, they end up broken up for the next few sessions -- mostly because he entirely misunderstood wtf she meant when she gave him her wedding ring and said "I fucked up, I don't deserve this".

(until they find out that someone has been hunting down and murdering supernaturals in the area and literally firebombed the Warrens and then they realize they could both Legit Die and make up...and another player helped a lot as well, doing full-on sitcom bullshit to get the back together)

Anyway. First picture is some angst art from that, second is some comfort art from that little arc (fiance and I did most of the reconciliation outside of session)

The dialogue in the second pic is bc when Morgan was dying, she hears a voice ask her if she's ready to die ((player's answer determined what they would be, although Morgan had already gotten the attention of several diff vampires, it was more which clan) and she says no -- that she wants more time with her husband. Hence "I cam back for you"))

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 2 September 2019

Quick Bits:

Agents of Atlas #2 again seems to focus more on Amadeus Cho and his perspective than the rest of the team, but it’s still very entertaining. Greg Pak, Nico Leon, Pop Mhan, Federico Blee, and Joe Sabino continue to weave together intrigue, superhero action, and romance with a very interesting mystery evolving. 

| Published by Marvel

Animosity #23 is part one of “Rites of Passage” from Marguerite Bennett, Elton Thomasi, Roberto De Latorre, Rob Schwager, and Taylor Esposito. While Jesse and her caravan continue to try to make it out west, her animal friends attempt to plan for her upcoming 13th birthday. Wonderful character moments here and further insight into the horrors that the animals have seen.

| Published by AfterShock

Battlepug #1 brings the web comic to regular monthly print comics from Mike Norton, Allen Passalaqua, and Crank! While it does help to have read the previous adventures, you can pick up and enjoy this humorous take on sword and sorcery fairly easily. Some very nice humour in the “Covfefe” puppet.

| Published by Image

Berserker Unbound #2 is another wonderful issue from Jeff Lemire, Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin, and Steve Wands. The art alone from Deodato and Martin is wonderful, deftly mixing the modern and the archaic. It’s also very interesting to see the barbarian trying to navigate our strange modern world and the fact that he can’t understand anything that anyone is saying.

| Published by Dark Horse

Birthright #39 gives us the confrontation with Mastema. Learning that she’s pretty much thoroughly insane and that the entire two worlds are screwed. At least, from her perspective. The colour work here from Adriano Lucas is positively brilliant.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Breaklands #1 is a Comixology digital original from Justin Jordan, Tyasseta, Sarah Stern, and Rachel Deering. It’s different, bloody, and intriguing as to what’s going on. The opening suggests a kind of weird cult, the past gives the impression of post-apocalyptic tribes or gangs. 

| Published by Justin Jordan

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #8 is a prelude to the “Hellmouth” crossover event with Angel, but I’ll say that it is essential to the overall storyline. This issue basically sets up the entire thing, even while still doing prologuey things. Great art from David López and Raúl Angulo. And, despite what Angel (at least that’s who I assume is in that devil mask) and Xander say, the “bat” costume is great, even if it doesn’t make sense.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Conan the Barbarian #9 takes us on a trip through Conan’s hallucinations of monsters he felled in battle as he tries to lead a group of people caught underground in the lair of the Undergod. Incredibly impressive artwork from Mahmud Asrar and Matthew Wilson. As we get a bit of reminiscence here, it feels as though we’re approaching the end of this arc.

| Published by Marvel

Crowded #9 is pretty intense as Vita and Charlie breach a hotel and try to get the information on who set up the Reapr campaign from one of Charlie’s old “friends”. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Tríona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae continue to keep this story on its toes, speeding along as fast as it can.

| Published by Image

Dark Red #6 begins the next arc from Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Carlos Mangual. It tosses more complications into Chip’s life in the form of a “cleaner” enthralled to another vampire and a family of were-jaguars fleeing from an El Salvadoran gang.

| Published by AfterShock

DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1 expands the story a bit further with this one shot featuring a reunion of some of the Bwa-Ha-Ha era of the Justice League and a few other guests. Great art from Laura Braga, Darick Robertson, Richard Friend, Trevor Scott, and Rain Beredo.

| Published by DC Comics

Deathstroke #47 continues “Deathstroke RIP” and it’s going to do your head in a bit. A banged, bruised, beaten-up, and confused Slade shows up with a bad attitude and we’re unsure how he’s back from the dead and acting fairly un-Slade-like. Also, Jericho gets his Doctor Manhattan moment. Priest, Fernando Pasarin, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Cam Smith, Wade von Grawbadger, Jeromy Cox, and Willie Schubert are definitely continuing to keep this interesting.

| Published by DC Comics

Die #7 catches up with the other half of the party in Isabelle and Chuck and, well, Chuck is an asshole. Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles manage to out-bleak the previous issue, but in a way that doesn’t elicit sympathy this time. It’s interesting as to how they build up Chuck, elaborate on his backstory, and make him even more thoroughly unlikeable.

| Published by Image

Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #3 is fairly impressive, with Gerard Way, Jeremy Lambert, Steve Orlando, Doc Shaner, Tamra Bonvillain, and Simon Bowland managing to become even more inventive with the narrative for an already incredibly inventive series. This one takes the convention of a flashforward and presents it as an issue of Doom Patrol in the future, weaving in some hard-boiled narration through a series of novels. Great work here all around.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

Everything #1 is weird. Very weird. This first issue from Christopher Cantwell, INJ Culbard, and Steve Wands feels like it’s mostly about setting up the atmosphere and briefly introducing many of the characters as the new Everything Store opens up in Michigan. Love the art from Culbard.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Fallen World #5 concludes what has been an excellent series setting up the next stage of the 4002 AD time period of the Valiant universe from Dan Abnett, Adam Pollina, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. The art from Pollina and Arreola is gorgeous, really leaning hard into the weird and wonderful of the future.

| Published by Valiant

Fantastic Four #14 kicks off “Point of Origin” celebrating the initial launch of the Fantastic Four’s expedition that turned them into the Fantastic Four. The shifting timeline makes this feel weird, but it’s still an interesting premise. Great art from Paco Medina and Jesus Aburtov.

| Published by Marvel

Future Foundation #2 is more fun from Jeremy Whitley, Will Robson, Paco Diaz, Daniele Orlandini, Greg Menzie, Chris O’Halloran, and Joe Caramagna. Why exactly the kids would mistake a younger looking Maker as their own Reed Richards is anyone’s guess, but this is still an entertaining prison break story building upon loose threads from Secret Wars.

| Published by Marvel

Ghost Spider Annual #1 continues the “Acts of Evil” theme running through this year’s annuals as Gwen takes on Arcade and a host of Spider-Man’s villains and allies. It’s a good story from Vita Ayala, Pere Pérez, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles that helps Gwen get a sense of place when it comes to some of the differences between Earths-65 and -616/

| Published by Marvel

Giant Days #54 is the end to the series, but there’s one more issue in the story in the Giant Days: As Time Goes By special. Still, John Allison, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell gives us one last hurrah as Daisy, Esther, and Susan spend the summer together before graduation, tying up some loose ends, before saying goodbye to one another. It’s an emotional end, full of the eccentricities and humour that have been a hallmark of the series.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Green Lantern #11 continues the multiversal adventure. This is really some of the fun, eccentric science fiction-y superheroics that Grant Morrison really excels at along with gorgeous artwork from Liam Sharp and Steve Oliff. I quite like Sharp’s Neal Adams-esque Batman GL and it’s neat to see the Green Lantern oath’s differences across multiple universes.

| Published by DC Comics

Harley Quinn #65 kind of does an end run around the “Year of the Villain” content, incorporating it as a couple pages of the comic within the comic, while the rest of the issue is devoted to Harley dealing with the grief of the loss of her mother. By kind of ignoring it. Escaping to the Coney Island Volcano Island and getting a bit...rustic. Sam Humphries, Sami Basri, Hi-Fi, and Dave Sharpe also keep Harley’s trials going along nicely.

| Published by DC Comics

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #1 follows up on Poison Ivy’s new status after regrowing herself from the death sustained in Heroes in Crisis. Now, I can’t say I exactly liked that series or what happened, but I do think that Jody Houser, Adriano Melo, Mark Morales, Hi-Fi, and Gabriela Downie make the most of it and turn it around into an entertaining start to this new story. Also, a nice pick up on both the broader “Year of the Villain” event (even though there’s no event banner) and on the new developments in Justice League Dark about the Parliament of Flowers and the Floronic Man.

| Published by DC Comics

Immortal Hulk #23 brings the fight to Fortean. It’s absolutely brutal on both sides. Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Belardino Brabo, Paul Mounts, and Matt Milla really do an incredible job with the action here. And the end is stuff of nightmares.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League #31 continues the “Justice/Doom War”. It’s very, very nice to see the Justice Society back in the mainline DC universe. Combined with the Legion of Super-Heroes back, it’s a wonderful time to see these two teams back. Feels good. It also helps that Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, and Tom Napolitano have JSA nestled within a great story, flinging the Justice League through the past and future.

| Published by DC Comics

Lois Lane #3 is worth it for the art from Mike Perkins and Paul Mounts by itself. The fight between the two Questions is incredible, beautiful flow of action and energy all through the exchange. Also, we get some follow up on Superman protecting Lois adding complications. There could be an argument made that this story is unfolding at roughly a snail’s pace, but that would overlook the wonderful character moments occurring, the atmosphere, and epic action sequences. 

| Published by DC Comics

Midnight Vista #1 is a wonderful start to this story from Eliot Rahal, Clara Meath, Mark Englert, and Taylor Esposito. It’s an alien abduction story told pretty much straight and its intriguing as to how the disbelievers in this tale are going to deal with, even amid the very real kidnapping and lost time that occurs. I love Meath’s line art here.

| Published by AfterShock

No One Left to Fight #3 hits hard a couple times, first in Winda’s decidedly horrible way of handling rejection and jealousy and then in the Hierophant’s temptation of rebuilding Valé, fixing what ails him. More great work from Aubrey Sitterson, Fico Ossio, Raciel Avila, and Taylor Esposito. This book is a feast.

| Published by Dark Horse

Pretty Deadly: The Rat #1 is a very welcome return of this series, shifting time frame again to ‘30s Los Angeles and adopting a noir style. The artwork from Emma Rios and Jordie Bellaire is drop dead gorgeous, seemingly coming up with new styles and approaches to storytelling. The film stills in particular are very impressive.

| Published by Image

Savage Avengers #5 brings a bloody and brutal “end” to the first arc from Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin, and Travis Lanham. It’s not so much a conclusion as a chapter break, ending the bit with the Marrow God, but transitioning into whatever will come next in the war against Kulan Gath.

| Published by Marvel

Sea of Stars #3 is another showcase for Stephen Green and Rico Renzi to just illustrate the hell out of some really cool stuff. This one shifts primary focus back to Kadyn and his interstellar entourage and it’s hilarious. The kid does kid things that drive his space monkey and space whale friends insane. Especially taunting a quarkshark.

| Published by Image

Something is Killing the Children #1 begins a rather disquieting horror series from James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto, and AndWorld Design. It’s brutal, bloody, and filled with all of the terror that you get from a frightened kid who just watched his friends get butchered. This is a visceral horror that punches you right in the gut. Very well done.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Spawn #300 is not a bad anniversary issue, a fairly hefty book featuring a lead “chapter” with gorgeous artwork from returning long term Spawn line artist Greg Capullo, kicking off with something disturbing, then leading into a combination of the story threads that Todd McFarlane has been weaving for some time now. While there is a foundation on the old, this one also sets up a fair amount of what’s coming. Great art throughout from Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, J. Scott Campbell, Jason Shawn Alexander, Jerome Opeña, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, Brian Haberlin, Peter Steigerwald, and Matt Hollingsworth.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - Dark Temple #1 is a tie in to the forthcoming video game from Electronic Arts by Matthew Rosenberg, Paolo Villanelli, Arif Prianto, and Joe Sabino. It centres around a padawan who somehow managed to escape Order 66 on a recently-joined Republic world of Ontotho and the mystery of a temple that she was sent to investigate.

| Published by Marvel

Supergirl #33 concludes Kara’s quest and “The House of El: United”, giving her perspective on the founding of the United Planets in Superman #14. It’s a decent end here, opening up new possibilities for what we’ll see next.

| Published by DC Comics

Triage #1 is a very impressive debut from Phillip Sevy and Frank Cvetkovic. Interesting set up of variations on the same woman, Evie, across multiple worlds, and a mystery as to what’s going on. Sevy’s art here is gorgeous.

| Published by Dark Horse

Usagi Yojimbo #4 begins a new two-part arc in “The Hero” as Usagi agrees to escort an author caught in a controlling, loveless marriage to her father. There’s a really nice opening sequence in this one with zombies.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella/Red Sonja #1 is a pretty good start to this series from Jordie Bellaire, Drew Moss, Rebecca Nalty, and Becca Carey. It’s set in 1969 and built around the Dyatlov Pass Incident, which sends Vampirella out there to investigate to potentially find a “friend”. Beautiful art from Moss and Nalty. 

| Published by Dynamite

Web of Black Widow #1 is wonderful. Stephen Mooney was born to draw espionage thrillers, having done so incredibly on his own Half Past Danger as well as The Dead Hand and James Bond 007. He has a style that reminds me of Dave Stevens and it just works perfectly for this kind of story. Add to that Jody Houser, Tríona Farrell, and Cory Petit, throw in a mystery born out of Natasha’s past and continued questioning her own status as her since she was brought back from death, and you’ve got a recipe for a near perfect storm of a debut.

| Published by Marvel

Wyrd #4 concludes what has been an intriguing series from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers.  This has been a rather interesting story of superpowers seemingly gone wrong and it ties up with a Superman analogue as a child going homicidal. It’s dark, but it feels real.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Absolute Carnage: Scream #2, Absolute Carnage: Symbiote Spider-Man #1, Alpha Flight: True North #1, Amazing Spider-Man: Going Big #1, Archie #707, Batman/TMNT III #5, Champions #9, Charlie’s Angels vs. Bionic Woman #3, Curse Words #24, The Death-Defying Devil #2, Descendent #5, The Dreaming #13, The Goon #6, House of X #4, Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #8, Nuclear Winter - Volume 3, Old Man Quill #9, The Punisher #15, Redneck #23, Rick and Morty Present Flesh Curtains #1, Section Zero #6, Space Bandits #3, Star Trek: Discovery - Aftermath #1, Star Wars #71, Superman: Up in the Sky #3, Transformers/Ghostbusters #4, Turok #5, The Wicked + The Divine #45

Recommended Collections: Age of X-Man: Prisoner X, Black Badge - Volume 2, Catwoman - Volume 2: Far From Gotham, Hellboy and the BPRD: 1956, Immortal Hulk - Volume 4: Abomination, Infinite Dark - Volume 2, Outcast - Volume 7, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider - Volume 2: Impossible Year, Superb - Volume 4: The Kids aren’t Alright, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas, X-Force - Volume 2: Counterfeit King

d. emerson eddy is currently suffering the effects of a very gassy pug.

[fatehowl]

CAM’S MYTHOS

so i need to work out the small details (  hang on with me here & they’ll be written about at a later time  ), but cam is not just a “werewolf with cool powers”, he’s a MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE and to some, a deity. “legend” has it- or rather, it’s been foretold and prophesied since the very first werewolves took their place in this world, that one wolf in particular would stick out from the rest. a wolf that could see all, a wolf that sees too much, a wolf with EYES OF ICE AND FIRE ( sound familiar?  ). THEY CALL HIM THE ALLSEEING WOLF.

but it wasn’t just about the eyes. those who had his gift of seeing- the Seers and those who’d encountered his echo in the afterlife, spoke about a wolf that would be a leader and not just a leader of a pack but a leader of countless others and not just wolves either, a wolf that would bring PEACE- and in him you’d find safety, in him you’d find belonging, you’d find your way, you’d find love and family. this figure was also known particularly for his PAIN AND SUFFERING of which was so awful that the rage crawling under his skin, his wrath and vengeance as an outcome of his pain and suffering would strike terror in the hearts of those he would deem an enemy. he was equally adored and feared, and those who feared the wolves in general (  the humans and vampires etc.  ) feared their demise at the hands of THIS particular wolf (  as most do when threatened with something powerful/something they don’t understand  )- which is why so many people turn in fear, why so many people dare not cross him, and alternatively why so many align themselves with him and trust him.

this is why cam is in so much danger once people realise who he is, which is why other than not wanting to See, cam covers his eye and/or wears a ring that temporarily gives the illusion of both of his eyes being blue (  one which can be seen through if one were to look into them long enough, due to the nature of his eye  ). his eyes ultimately give him away, but some others have deducted who he is by simply encountering him or rather feeling his particularly potent and overbearing presence. it is to note that through the years, a werewolf would come along that people thought was the allseeing wolf and they could’ve tried to be but in the end they never were, they never fit the criteria or fulfilled the prophecy. none until cam, and his characteristics aside, the heterochromia is unique enough that he is��without a doubt this figure. it’s his mark.

anyways, so like how the norse and greek gods etc. are gods of a specific thing or rather things, cam was believed to become or rather is a figure/deity of the following things which could be taken multiple ways: wrath/rage/ruin, revenge/vengeance, truth/trust/honesty, strength/courage/bravery and family/kindred/community. in particular, i personally view cam as a combo of VENGEANCE, TRUTH AND BRAVERY but it’s all about one’s own perspective, really.

once he reaches the status of a deity after being executed when he is just shy of turning 21, cam becomes a true legend and mythological figure as the prophecy has been fulfilled and he becomes a proper immortal- thus meaning, he ages at a much slower rate than humans, is stronger with heightened abilities and is capable of taking much heavier damage. at the time of his death (  and later resurrection  ), cam has many followers. and these aren’t just people he’s saved or helped or those who’ve allied themselves with him, at this point- and over time (  since it’s been building since he was 15  ) he essentially has “worshippers”, but i don’t like to call them that it’s less worshipping and more love, loyalty and belief. people believe in him, they feel safe just knowing he’s out there, they feel blessed that he suffers and bleeds to bring them peace and safety, and his sacrifices are honoured. it was his execution and death witnessed in front of at least a 50+ individuals that made him a deity- kind of like the tale that if you believe in something enough, it becomes real/comes into existence. he died a martyr, and the total loss and grief people felt as a result of cam’s death was so strong and PROFOUND that it reached into purgatory and plucked his soul from the clutches of death.

and like his first death, the death that gave him his ability to See and showed him who he was to become in the future, his second death was destiny- it was his fate, or rather fate unravelled again as it always does. when he died, rather than being that 14 year old boy meeting an echo of himself at 20 (  read about this here  ) there was no future ghost, no future him to see because he had become that echo, as he was meant to. and what i find interesting about this is that he’s not any one with overpowered abilities to back him up and make it easy, he hasn’t got the galaxies in his palms. hell, he’s barely powered at all in a standpoint of someone who can wipe out cities because he doesn’t NEED that kind of power, his power rests in his mentality, in his bravery, in his actions and community and his eye of course but he is no th*anos or god tier ph*oenix/j*ean grey- he’s just a werewolf, he’s just a 14 - 20+ something year old werewolf that can’t be beaten into defeat.

anyways holy fuck i got onto a tangent, but the point is- cam is a legend, he is a figure from stories and mythology, he is a deity, he is spoken of and heard of, HE IS SOMEONE. people tell tales of him, his name rests on the tongues of many and while this might not be canon irl or canon the way our own mythos is in fiction, his mythos is very much real and very much equal.

[cupnoodle-queen]

CHASING SUNS: Chapter 17 Nest

2,863 words

FOUR. CHAPTERS. LEFT. I’m so hype guys you don’t even know. Also, if you haven’t yet you should go read @nifwrites short Please Don’t Go: Part One that accompanies this chapter but from Raine and Ignis’s POV - Ya’ll have no idea how excited I am for the second part. 

Tagging some additional faves and part of the soulmate pals @blindbae and @themissimmortal, and I’m also going to shout out to @hanalwayssolo who’s probably one of the biggest fans of this story and who’s tags for each new chapter give me life ♥

Cam was lost.

Days melded together one after the other, without much to distinguish time passing save for the increased hollowness inside of her. The void was not a stranger but an old friend, one she’d last been acquainted with during her stay in Lestallum. It hadn’t forgotten about her; it merely waited to swallow her whole once she finally broke.

The routine never changed; she woke, lived, slept, rinse and repeat, over and over, the world going forward and pressing on but Cam was still, never moving with the tide.  

Often spending her time alone, whenever she did speak it bothered her throat going stale from lack of use, the sound of her voice becoming unfamiliar. People would look up when she said anything as it was rare occasion.

Eventually she was allowed to freely hunt again, not having to rely on Greyson to sneak her weapons out or turn in hunts for bounty. She often left with a stack of flyers early in the morning, coming back long after supper was served, waiting out the evening tucked in the darkest corner of the bar, seldom looking up from her drink.

But soon the hunts were less a getaway and became a burden; her skills diminished more and more each day, her wrists swelled and tender from the motions that had once been second-nature to her, but she kept at it because she needed the distractions, needed to feel again, needed to kill.

On one particular hunt she’d made a beginner’s mistake, left herself wide open and came dangerously close to losing a limb. It was pathetic, she thought. She’d once bested the Immortal himself, and now she couldn’t take on a small group of bashuras on her own. What was happening to her?

Reluctantly she’d stowed her swords under her bunk and looped the leather holster around her belt before reloading the pistols. Iris’s pistols.

Cam’s stomach dropped lower into the pit within. She’d let the girl down. Iris deserved to learn how to fight, to protect herself and others, make a difference as she’d said. Cam had texted her and apologized for what happened, but didn't receive a reply. Perhaps Gladio told her not to talk to her. Perhaps She didn’t want to talk to her.

Gladio….

She’d broken his trust. Sure he’d reacted harsher than Cam would have liked, but at the end of the day she’d still lied to him. It wouldn’t have taken too much out of her to pull him aside, explain the situation and give him time to consider the pros. But she didn’t, and now they didn’t speak. Her soulmate, the sun in the dark, the one who helped pull her from the very pit she’d re-immersed in…

How was it so simple for him? He went about his day as if nothing changed, as if she didn’t exist. The moment he’d last spoken to her was the last she felt of their connection, her marking just an imprint in her skin now and nothing more. She missed it so much it actually hurt, the tingling and burning sensation she got in his proximity or just by thinking of him, the constant reminder that she had someone. That she was someone’s other half. That she mattered. That she wasn’t alone.

She was so alone.

Tears visited every night, though she’d long since graduated from body-shaking sobs and whimpers and simply let them flow, her pillow a damp and tacky surface to rest her face on. The pain was a double-whammy, not only losing the loyalty of her soulmate and close friend, but seeing her fiance in such gruesome conditions, and be downed so violently, even though he was already dead…

Word quickly spread that the monster was Nolan. Some of the hunters recognized his face, what was left of it at least, plus his small dragon tattoo was a dead giveaway. A few of them expressed their sympathies to her, saying how ‘messed up’ it was he’d be turned into such a monstrosity, that it was a horrible coincidence. Cam wasn’t stupid; their house was far south from HQ and he was entering from the northwest. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

It was a message. A message, for her. She had an inkling as to who delivered it.

One night after tracking Steph’s schedule, almost predicting when the woman would be in the showers, Cam played her at her own game and slid into the locker rooms. She rifled through two lockers before finding Stephs, the signature wet-look leather pants she wore folded neatly on top of her personal belongings. She found her phone, silently praying she didn’t have a lock on it and was relieved to find the phone unlocked automatically without a security measure.

A cheerful selfie of Steph with a little girl, perhaps five or six years old was set as her wallpaper, the two of them laying on a striped blanket and their red hair splayed wildly around them. The girl was beaming, her two front teeth with the tooth fairy, the spitting image of Steph…

A slight pang of guilt knotted Cam’s insides, but she quickly opened the messaging app to block out the background image. Immediately she caught sight of a suspicious chain of messages from a contact with no name. She scrolled through them, but the texts were so ambiguous and riddled with acronyms and terms Cam couldn’t place, that they didn’t make much sense. The messages to Gladio consisted of paragraphs of texts sent and one word responses in return. He’d been a lot wordier with Cam in his texts; for some reason that made her smile.

On the home screen, a folder labelled ‘targets’ stuck out like a sore thumb. Cam tapped on it and a selection of ten photos popped up, four of them with red X’s through them. Immediately her spine shivered as she swiped through them, one by one. Three of the crossed-out faces she’d recognized as veteran hunters, all whom currently had their faces plastered on a newly erected board labelled ‘MIA’; the fourth...was the initiate, that Cam caught with Steph…

The rest...oh God…

The Marshal…

Dave…

Greyson…

Cam’s hand shook, the phone trembling in her grasp as she kept going through the photos.

Ignis...Not a new father, she thought, not him…

Prompto...Not her friend…

The last one…Oh, oh god no no NO-

A door opened behind her and she nearly sprang out of her skin, snapping her head back to see who came into the locker room.

It wasn’t Steph, thankfully, but it was enough warning to tell her she had to get out of there. She locked the phone, tried to place it as she’d found it and left as quickly as she’d arrived.

Rounding the corner of the locker rooms she almost slammed into the redhead, who gave her a frosty look as Cam brushed past, noting how close she’d come to being sighted. The second Cam was outside her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Hesitantly given the situation moments before, she pulled the phone out and read the incoming message. It was from Greyson: Emergency meeting in five mins, hope you’re around HQ.

Cam frowned, typing a quick on my way before pocketing her phone again. Some days she regretted her little stunt with Cor; she was still known as the one who disarmed the Immortal and it was cause for her to be summoned to meetings, classified alongside veteran hunters. None of them knew of her diminished skillset except Prompto, but he’d passed it as an off day or something. She stopped by her bunk to grab a sweater, dropped off her weapons and made for the main office building.

Greyson and Prompto were there before her, otherwise she was early. She grabbed a seat between them, leaning over to ask her former fiance’s best friend what the meeting was called for. “No idea, to be honest,” He shrugged, tugging his leather chestpiece down over his stomach self-consciously. “For once I know nothing, so color me curious. Dave seemed pretty rushed on the phone, though.”

“I overheard one of the gunners,” Prompto mentioned as he pulled his chair closer to the pair. “They found what was causing the infrared readings, and it’s something near HQ.”

“Shit,” Cam breathed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms and legs. People began to file in, some familiar high-ranking hunters, Dino and Steph, tieing her damp hair into a bun at her nape. Dave shuffled in behind them, followed by Ignis, Cor, and Gladio. He glimpsed at Cam but averted his eyes immediately. It stung.

Ignis pulled up a seat next to Prompto, who looked unseasonably weathered. Prompto noticed and questioned his old friend. “Dude, everything alright? You look beat.”

He shook his head in response, the scar on his bottom lip hidden, mouth pressed into a hard line, his arms folded and chin held low. Cam sensed an air of tension. Something wasn’t right…

Cor greeted them and interrupted her thought process. “Evening,” he nodded, the ever-present serious tone in his voice quieting the group. “Thanks for attending on such short notice, I assure you the situation is dire otherwise we would have given a heads up.” He pulled a map from the bulletin board behind him, unfolding it. Cam immediately recognized the area as the woods surrounding Hunter HQ, though something was circled a short distance to the north of base.

“This,” he gestured to the circled spot, “Is the cause for the high infrared readings our scout patrols have been encountering. This, is a daemon nest.”

Heads turned to look at one another in confusion at the never before heard term. The Marshal continued over the hushed whispers. “Essentially, a cave-like construct that appeared recently, and daemons have been spouting from it at a rate of four per minute.”

“That’s nothing,” Greyson piped up, “we get a good patrol on the spot and they won’t be able to keep up.”

“Not an ideal solution,” Cor replied, pinning the map back to the board, “and that amount is rising by the day. The scouts have determined by zero-hour tomorrow, that amount will double.” he paced around the room, reading the perplexed expressions watching him. “They also appear to be random in threat level, which is cause for concern as we have no means of predicting what will come out of it next…”

Dave piped up as the Marshal trailed off. “We think this is cause for the spike in hunters going MIA, or the increased amount of tags we’re finding in the surrounding area. A heavy attack on the base could certainly cause multiple deaths and damages beyond repair. We’re arranging a full-scale assault, dividing our best into three shifts so that we can break to rest in between, but it will not be easy.” he rubbed his forehead. “Gil is tight right now, but we’ve managed to increase our weapons and armor restock in time for this.”

“Exactly when is ‘time for this’ anyhow?” one of the veteran hunters asked.

“Tomorrow.” All eyes landed on the Marshal as he spoke. “We push the attack out any further and we risk overwhelming ourselves. It’s unclear how many the nest will be generating days from now.”

Cor pulled a whiteboard down from the ceiling near the back wall, drawing out a route and plan of action. “We station the front line at the east, near the backside of the construct, and will change shifts every three hours. It’s short, but this way we will keep alert while keeping consistent pressure on the spawns.” He drew out a general representation of the ‘nest’, an almost pyramid-like shape with a hole in the side. “We’ll get Dino setup with a first aid station along with someone on triage duty, and stock him with potions and elixirs at the ready.” He turned back to the group. “With any luck, we should be able to push back the daemon hordes and destroy the structure.”

“Questions?” Dave asked, though he was met with silence. Cam considered bringing up the evidence she found in Steph’s phone, but decided against it at the last minute, the consequence of her previous attempt to prove her guilt still fresh in her mind. “Very well. Meet back here at zero-six hundred hours. We’ll go over the plan and get you geared up and into shifts. Meeting adjourned.”

One by one the group disintegrated. Cam hung back from the attendees, waiting for the crowd to disperse, surprised to see Gladio was still seated with his head leaning against the wall. His eyes were shut, his face looking...exhausted? The man looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks…

“Meet you at the bar?” Prompto tapped her on the shoulder and she nodded, giving him a forced grin as he left with Greyson, and then almost by happy accident, they were alone together.

Several uncomfortable seconds passed in silence before Cam finally spoke, her throat almost forgetting how to work and cracking her words. “I’m sorry for lying to you.”

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” he replied, looking up at her with sleep-deprived eyes. Perhaps he was feeling some effect to their spat. “What’s done is done, your apologies can’t fix it. Iris is chomping at the bit to get back out there, and I have to be the protective older brother saying no. Thanks for that.” Cam sighed. “Gladio, I didn’t mean to lie to you. She asked me and I said yes, I know I should have told you but, I-I know you would have denied it and -”

“Then why do it?”

“Because I wanted to help her, that’s why.” She paced closer to him. “Because she needs to be able to defend herself. You’re not always going to be around to protect her. Today’s meeting should have opened your eyes to that-”

“The hell are you implying?” Gladio stood abruptly, almost towering over her, his amber eyes on fire.

Cam stepped back. “You’re not invincible, Gladio. What happens if that t-thing kills us all?! Then what, what happens to your sister?!” She raked her hands through her hair, getting frustrated. “If she’s unable to defend herself when they-"

Gladio’s fist smacked the wall, the vibration hitting Cam in her boots. “That’s not going to happen! She’s MY sister, MY family! You don’t know what’s BEST FOR EVERYONE, CAM,” he was almost yelling now, “MAYBE THAT’S WHY YOU DON’T HAVE A FAMILY.”

Cam’s jaw dropped a fraction, the sharp intake of breath causing her lips to quiver. “Fuck off, Gladio.”

Seething, he grabbed his leather jacket from the back of his chair, gave her a look drenched in hatred, and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Defeated, Cam fell against the desk behind her and crumpled in a heap, tears streaming down red-hot cheeks as she pulled her knees into her chest. So that’s how it would be, then, she thought. Her heart couldn’t take much more of it, still bearing the wounds from their first ordeal, her soulmate marking still dormant and inactive despite being near him once more. Was this something that signalled release from his tie? Were they even considered soulmates, anymore?

And he had no idea. It infuriated her…

Her sobs gained volume at the pained realization, how easily the Astrals could release their bind, how empty it left her. How lonely she was…

She didn’t notice someone had entered until their boots were right in front of her. Cam looked up, wiping the mess of tears from her face.

It was Prompto. “Oh my gosh, Cam, what’s wrong?” he bent down to help her up and pushed the strands of hair from her face, his eyes worried and concerned. “Talk to me.”

Cam’s breath wasn’t cooperating and she fought to keep a steady inhale, but the surprise of someone walking in on her so vulnerable caused fresh sobs to shake her ribs. Prompto didn’t know what to do, so he pulled her into a hug, his hands stroking her back from underneath her sweater and his chin rubbing her head. “Hey, it’s alright, I’m here for you…”

He really was, she thought.

Gladio was gone, he’d made his feelings painfully clear on that note. Any attachment to him was purely residual by now, she had to guess, her pull to him nonexistent, at least so she thought but was it what she wanted? Was it what she needed?

Right now, she needed comfort. She needed closeness. She needed to feel.

Prompto felt nice.

Cam pulled back, sniffling as she looked up into inviting lavender pools, his eyelids flickering as his breath hitched in his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. A moment passed and the air shifted around them.  

“Cam…” her name fell from his lips in a whisper and it was enough. She pushed forward on her toes, pressing against him and urged her lips against his.

The sun on her hip came to life with a furious stabbing pain, absolute agony underneath her skin, but Cam ignored it.

[booksandwords]

At Death's Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Deadman’s Cross, #3 Read Time: 2 Days Rating: 4/5

The quote: Pish to the posh on that. I don't believe in catering to male egos. Figure yours is large enough already. Why make it grow any larger? — Valynda Moore (to Adarian Malachai - Valynda is a total badass, shes takes no shit from no man)

Let me start by saying this is quite a difficult book to review and rate. I'm giving it 4 stars because it is for fans. I'm not sold on this being a book that is able to be gifted or picked up by a person with no knowledge of Sherri's works. There is a lot of assumed knowledge and interconnectivity. It feels like a lot and can be quite overwhelming if you don't know Sherri and her Hunter world. For some background on where I am on that, I've read about half of the Chronicles of Nick, and come and go from the Hunter world (Dark, Were and Dream-Hunters). I've read maybe half a dozen and really want to read more. While the previous two books could be read without confusion, this one it depends on the reader.

To start with the relationship in play here is very different from the two before it. Valynda and Nibo have been lovers for years her lack of a body makes it difficult but they make it work. That relationship and Valynda's insecurities are used against her because Adarian is around doing his Malachi thing. Perhaps the element that requires the most adjustment is the names. Valynda uses the name Xuri for Nibo, his true name, she is basically the only one that does, including him. He and everyone else refers to him has Nibo.

The plot isn't predictable, and I appreciated the core of the ending. It is paced well and can be followed with ease largely. The characters are the complication, that is where the connectivity comes in. The characters from the previous books make appearances. There is are some plot holes but I've read Deadman Walking and Death Doesn't Bargain in the last 3 days so they are recent for me. The story does end though in a largely satisfying way, there are some loose ends but nothing pressing. The two main characters Nibo and Valynda are charming, I wanted their happiness. I liked that we knew what they didn't, that there was no malice between them, but that they were conspired against. Nibo in particular is nothing like what I was expecting, the man is honestly terrifying, he wields an awful lot of power for the Hunter world, even if he does belong to an entirely different pantheon. Overall it is a pleasant read.

Some dot points to just get down some of the things I really liked.

The whole The Flying Dutchman plot point.

Belle's story. No one deserves the shit Sherri has gone through and this story just hit close.

I think At Death's Door was supposed to be the last story in a trilogy, if there is a third it will be Jake and Sancha. Sancha getting some peace made me happy.

There are so many great quotes about women and life in here. Mostly from Nibo which I didn't expect.

It paints an interesting picture of Jaden. I know of Jaden. But he's a little more selfless than I thought.

The illustrations above the chapters are lovely. I liked the variety. So much of it was tied to Nibo and his people. The illustration of Nibo and I'm assuming Valynda is gorgeous. I love it

SIMI CAMEO!!!! "Baron Sexy! It's so good to see you!" - Simi on Nibo. And Simi my love I can 100% get on board with that. Also, Simi in 1700s clothes is still the cutest thing.

I did find the theme to the Deadman's Cross novels. Devyl, Kalder and Nibo are all on friendly-ish terms with the big 3 from the Hunter world (Sav, Ash and Thorn), Kalder in particular. All three man ave similar personality traits even if their skill sets are different. These 3 books are all about very old, nearly immortal men with serious darkness within them and their younger women, their calming forces, anchors to their humanity. Devyl and Mara age is not an issue they are both ancient but I got the feeling that he was older than her. Kalder is as old as Devyl, Cam is human (ish). Nibo is complicated but essentially he's long, long dead, Val is also complicated but they met when she was 16ish. As with virtually all of Sherri's relationships the women are in total control, whether they know it or not is a completely different issue.

A word of advice there is three ways to read At Death Door, 1. know the Hunter World, 2. know the basics and keep a wiki nearby or 3. let it all wash over you and stay for the Deadmen. I went with option 2. I used a wiki a lot a tried to keep everyone and their insane families, names and interwoven stories straight. But it is a lot, the Hunter world is a lot. Deadman Walking and Death Doesn't Bargain do not prepare you for At Death's Door. They are glimpses of the Hunter world this is all in. I would like to know where it fits chronologically though. The 1700s. The epilogue gives some clues but not enough.

I think I will need to read this again. While this is a long review I feel like I haven't done the book justice. I think I need to reread it now I know the plot. To find what I missed, the connections, the people. I do recommend it but only to people who enjoyed books 1&2 and Sherri's fans