#geodes are very fun to find but not very useful... same for all the plant life

[shoechoe]

Playing vanilla Minecraft for the first time in a while for the new 1.20 update and I know this isn't a new feature, but- holy shit I haven't had this much fun exploring cave systems in vanilla Minecraft since I did it for the first time as a seven year old

[far-side-skies]

You're the #1 person i think would answer this in earnest so, what do you think the edge of the atmos is? So we obviously know about the far side being seperated by impassable mountains, but the other ends, do the sky cities stop and become a flatland? A desert? An ocean? The atmos has to be a continent right? But there has to be a point where they stop and different ecosystems begin. Are there other continents past the atmos that run on different rules? How would they cross the gap? What creatures or dieties rule in the other lands? Figured i'd ask you

This... this got long. Holy shit it got long. The readmore is there for a reason.

I noticed this ask when I was at work with about an hour left on my shift. You have no idea how tempted I was to make a video response to this question through pure enthusiasm and finally launch into my ambition of making YouTube videos about this cartoon XD

First of all, thank you so much for thinking of me, and I will absolutely answer this question with 100% earnest.

Secondly, I didn't really have an answer for this question until you asked it. Having full-on continents isn't really something I really felt a need for in Storm Hawks and Atmos, especially after I came up with headcanons to explain how Terras work and why they work that way. However this ask got me thinking :3

Let's start at the beginning. Atmos was made by a storm. Specifically the First Storm, believed to be the birth of a god of the same name, and the total destruction of an old world. Chaotic, destructive this newborn god shattered what would become Atmos into thousands of pieces and in its youthful madness it struck out at its elders. Death (aka Decay) lost an eye, Magic lost a heart that was flung into the path of a comet, which was one of the fire avatar's children. They caught fire like sparks to kindling. The howling drew the curiosity of the Flesh (aka Life), and the ire of the Manywing (the winds).

Whatever flat, unblemished world existed before this event is long gone and devoured by Decay, though it's possible a few traces of its inhabitants survived. Though they were changed by the energy of this great cataclysm. Atmos calls the descendants of these survivors the Giants.

"Storms made us. Storms tore us apart. And now storms will help us rebuild" - Master Cyclonis, Age of Heroes Pt. 2, timestamp ~13:05

Please ignore how YouTube absolutely bungled that auto caption, but this is the line that inspired the headcanon for an Atmos creation 'myth' (it is a very real event but gets heavily debated in-universe), which I've held onto for a good two or so years now.

This wave of destruction created the Wastelands, and Terras came about when pieces of raw crystal energy fell to Atmos and eventually formed giant crystal deposits, around which earth, dirt and stone formed, making way for new life such as plants and animals. So essentially Terras are giant crystal geodes. The type of crystal that makes up their core is likely to affect its climate, which is how I am able to get away with worldbuilding choices such as placing Blizaris on the same longitude as, say, Tropica.

Because of this, I never considered any actual continents on Atmos. The First Storm was an event of worldwide destruction, absolutely nowhere was left unscathed, so no matter how far someone travels, it's Terras all over.

But this ask got me thinking 'ok what if there was? Why would there be any?'

Well the answer is that a continent did survive the First Storm. Maybe more than one, but I want to focus on what you can find there, and that is giants.

Time to bring in Gundstaff. Fun fact, I made him despicable. But that's not what we're here to discuss.

Who the fuck is this man besides a crystal hoarder who gets robbed for plot??? In the three episodes he's in, for a total amount of screentime that I'm pretty sure doesn't exceed even five minutes, all we learn about him is that he hates people, is a giant, has a huge crystal collection, and his unnamed, blink-and-you-miss-it wife and child are presumably being held captive by Cyclonia. The only reason I'm not saying the wife and child are dead is because if they were, Gundstaff would likely have gone "fuck it, I'm working against you because you have nothing to hold over my head" long before Payback when he whoops ass for Piper.

RIP to Gundstaff's family, currently residing somewhere in the fridge. Photo seen in Payback.

Gundstaff's very existence, and that of his supposed familiy, brings up several questions. Why do we not see any other giants in Atmos? Why does the cast not seem to treat his existence like a total anomaly? Is he the last giant in existance? I personally don't think so. If that's the case, then where the hell are they all?? How far flung are they that we only see a single member of this race three times across 52 episodes over a space of at least 36 Terras if you count the ones that aren't physically visited in the show?

This is Gundstaff's home as seen in Five Days about 60 seconds in. It's... pretty small. Bro doesn't have a lot of space to move, and there's no sign of any other inhabitants, least of all any his size.

So where are the giants? Why is Gundstaff living in a place that doesn't feel very suited to his stature?

Because it's not really where he belongs.

The biggest landmasses in Atmos are the homelands of giants. There's space for them to move freely, they don't have to worry about crossing the Wastelands to get anywhere (though I do headcanon giants to have powerful innate magic that allows them to travel great distances without worry, and that the greatest of giants can grow to the size of Terras). I think these continents, aka Giant Country, are relatively flat and follow more 'logical' geology more akin to what we'd find in real life. I'm not set on what kind of climate it is just yet. Crystals are quite scarce here, as the ground isn't suitable for deposits to develop, so giants will venture out into the wider Atmos to gather resources. Some will stay long-term for various reasons such as for research, to make Champions (something of an 'art' among giants gifted with what I call "Artisan magic"), or because they were exiled.

I'm not sure why Gundstaff isn't living in Giant Country just yet. Maybe he was exiled, or he was staying in Atmos for research, or he and his wife were making plans to return to Giant Country with their child, but got torn apart by Cyclonia just before that plan was set into motion. If it weren't for his wife and child, I feel like Gundstaff would've returned to Giant Country long ago.

So to answer your question, I don't really think there is an 'edge' of Atmos. If it weren't for the Barrier Cliffs, if you travelled in one direction for long enough, you'd wind up back where you started without running into an 'edge'. But you might just find Giant Country, and that may as well feel like the edge of Atmos. It's quite different there.

I was not expecting to go this in-depth regarding this question, but this was a blast to figure out so thanks a ton for asking me about this Peregrine :3 I hope this answer satisfies you.

[creepygoth666]

Okay so.

Mobile sucks and wouldnt let me just reply to your post but - grounding really depends on you and what your attracted to. For me, fossils and petrified wood, rutilated quartz, and black tourmaline seem to help. I like the patterns petrified wood can have and it's soothing to just have them and rub them with my thumb, but I'll stick them and a few other stones (blood red jasper, bloodstone, moonstone, etc) in my bra if I am feeling depressed and have to be around a lot of people. Again, though, it's whatever calls to you. I don't honestly do all the spiritual/witchy things like cleansing them in moon water, I think I've only done a sage smudge on them once in the decade I've had most of them. I was a dino kid so collecting fossils and geodes in general is super fun and interesting to me - heck, there will be days I just run my hands over a fossilized bison leg bone I have or a fossilized antler I have just to ground me from an anxiety attack or when I'm feeling overwhelmed at home. I'll pick out ammonite fossil bits or shark teeth or other stones from a sandbox I filled with fossils and gemstones for my nephews while I'm outside, because I find it calming to do so. I'll let the sand run through my fingers, or just bury my hand in it - even sand is small stone fragments, coral, shell, silica.

It's all personal and unique to each individual. Even my nephews will pick out specific stones that call to them - my oldest nephew will go for agate slices, granite and Petoskey, while the youngest goes for the jade, calcite and fossilized snail shells.

Especially since you stated having an interest in rocks in general, I'd start there - just start picking up interesting ones and focus on it in your hand - the weight, color, how it makes you specifically feel when you hold it. Is it joy? Calmness? Do you feel planted where you sit/stand with it, or do you feel light? Those kinds of things. Wherever you are at - a park, neighborhood, Riverside, in a store with a polished stone bin, spiritual store.. don't really put too much into what they say the stone means, and just focus on what it means and feels like to you.

Beyond that, if you want to get deeper into the metaphysical, then you can start researching what gods/goddesses/spirits/elements are associated with the stones you chose, and learn how to work with them from there. Or just for the fun thought of "oh, so and so is associated with this. Neat." It still is a very personal journey for everyone, though. Keep journals about what you feel with each stone, what you've found out about it - from metaphysical or geologic points, or however helps you to understand the stone and it's meaning to you better.

It's the same with tarot! Pick decks that really call out to you. That feel good in your hand. I've got four tarot decks and a bunch of oracle decks that I use for clarification on certain things - and I just keep shuffling until a card or five come jumping out. If none do, then I switch to another deck cause obviously the message wasn't in the one I was using. I go by what's drawn on the cards, not the written meaning, and what the card makes me feel and think. I get a healer from either my Egyptian deck or druid deck, and I know it has to do with my health and to stop ignoring symptoms as normal. Just an example.

I hope this makes sense! Good luck in your journey!

so i guess im getting into crystals and gems? talked to my therapist about the ones i bought (black obsidian star and round rose quartz i believe, and also a bismuth keychain). she told me she wouldnt recc obsidian to anyone but for me it works out cuz im mexican (teehee) but to be very careful if that shit fractures cuz it cuts like crazy. anyway. idk where to start with all these gems and crystals and im def interested in something that can just ground me? idk. i love rocks too. so does anyone have some resources on where to start with crystals/gemstones, any rituals/practices, etc?

[xaz-fr]

I like Clarissa. Like the other two she was also made via smacking the random button on the scrying workshop a few times. And she’s basically your grandma if your grandma could get it. Better not think too hard about that. 

Sliver of the Sun 2

The temple complex of Sirius was the biggest, most extravagant, lavish building Niek had ever seen. It housed fourteen priests and a huge collection of clerics and all the people needed to run such a huge complex. It was a wide garden with a huge structure in the middle sitting in the middle of the largest city in the known word, meandering paths wound through the grounds from the gates to the temple at its heart.

Niek held Ravi’s hand as they walked. She and Ernst were open mouthed staring since they arrived at Sirius. Ernst had no excuse, he’d grown up in Adhara, another large city in the same town chain as Sirius. Niek had to assume he’d been raised in a pond to be shocked by the sights of the city. Little Ravi had every excuse. She’d never seen anything like this.

“Ernst, stop looking like a slack jawed tourist,” Niek snapped at him. Ernst looked straight but his eyes still darted around looking at everything.

People moved quickly around their group. Here to worship or to enjoy the big garden, or just to work. With Niek in the lead they had to go at the pace of his hobbling cane. It made getting to the temple take even longer but there was no rush.

Finally the temple loomed overhead. Ravi’s head tipped back to look at the whole thing. During the night a beam of light shot out the top and pierced the heavens, pointed right at Sirius’ star in the sky. “Big,” she said, her pale eyes wide.

“Yes. For the brightest star in the sky,” Niek said nicely.

“Ohhh,” she said and they passed through the entrance of the temple. In here there were more clerics, noticeable as their pale blue robes and long braided hair.

Niek hailed a cleric. “Yes, my child, can I help you?” Niek didn’t like that they called him that, the cleric he’d hailed was barely older than Ernst!

“I need to see a priest,” Niek said.

“I’m sorry but the priests are not available to everyone,” the cleric said.

“Don’t give me that garbage,” Niek growled. He pulled out his alchemist badge. “I’m an alchemist. I will see one of Sirius’ priests now.” He stamped his cane to punctuate his point.

The cleric was only marginally impressed. “I see. Well you may put in a request-

“Ravi, dear,” Niek looked down at the girl. She looked from her gawking to him. “Will you show this stupid man here that trick you showed Ernst and I?”

“Huh? This?” she asked and held out her hand. The cleric shouted when a super heated light ray shot out of her hand and caught a nearby potted plant on fire.

“Yes, that, Ravi. Thank you,” Niek said. Then he turned back to the cleric. “Now I’d like to speak to a priest,” he said seriously.

The cleric was staring between the new fire and Ravi. He wasn’t the only one. “Ah— that won’t be necessary. I will take her-

“Oh no you will not,” Niek used his cane to crack the knuckles of the cleric when he reached to grab Ravi’s other hand. “You will take myself, my apprentice Ernst, and young Ravi to a priest.”

The cleric rubbed their hand painfully. A few other clerics had also noticed the fire and were rubber necking or approaching to see what the commotion was about. “Very well,” they said. They could at least get some credit by bringing Niek and the others to the priests. “Follow me,” he beckoned. They followed him, walking past the burning plant. Ernst had his eyes down now, cowed by what Ravi had done.

They walked through the atrium of the temple and past the front facing facade of the temple to the back chambers. The place Sirius’ harem of priests lived and did whatever it was priests of the most powerful star did. The open hallways were empty back here but the cleric didn’t mind. He led them back through the halls to a large chamber. It looked like the fanciest office Niek had ever seen but also a throne room somehow. A very very old woman was seated on the throne/desk chair looking at several scrolls stretched across the table.

Despite her age there was no confusion about what they were looking at. This was a priest. A very old one. At her age and power the priest shimmered softly in the light from the windows. “Excuse me, madam,” the cleric bowed respectfully.

“What do you bother me for now, Richken?” the priest asked, not looking up at him.

“I brought an alchemist and his apprentice-

“Then you should have showed them to priest Vani, you know he is more-

“And their charge, who can use magic,” Richken said, speaking over the priest.

The priest paused in what she was doing and slowly looked up at the group. “Come again?” she asked.

Richken went to speak but Niek pushed him aside. “Madam priest, I am Niek Nahuis, this is my charge Ravi,” Niek said, stepping forward up to the desk and leaning on his cane, still holding Ravi’s hand. “She fell from the sky like a star. But she is not a star.”

The priest looked at Niek, looked at Ravi, and then at Richken. “You may go, cleric,” she said.

“Ah— yes, of course, madam,” he bowed and left but seemed displeased to being sent away.

“I’m afraid I did not get your name, madam,” Niek said.

“Clarissa,” the priest said and stood. She stood without a stoop to her shoulders and had a proud stance. It was as though her age only touched her face but the rest of her body was still spry. She came around the side of the desk. “Ravi, you said her name was?” she asked Niek.

“Indeed,” Niek nodded.

“You name her that?”

“No,” Ravi said. “That is my name.”

Clarissa knelt in front of Ravi. “It is a nice name,” she said kindly. “Do you know where you are?” Ravi took a moment and then shook her head. 

“She knows she’s in the temple of Sirius,” Niek offered.

“Do you know where you come from?”

Ravi looked thoughtful. “Only that it is very bright,” she said. “And then it wasn’t bright, because everyone was so sad.”

“Do you remember how you came here?”

“Hmmm,” she looked up at Niek. “I remember waking up with Mr. Nahuis, in the middle of a- a geo?” she asked him.

“The rock that fell to earth was like a geode. The inside hollow full of natural crystal formations. She was also within the geode,” Niek elaborated.

“I see,” Clarissa said slowly. “Did you bring some of the crystal?”

“Yes. Ernst,” he said sharply. Ernst hopped forward and fumbled with the clasp on the bag longer than necessary to open it and pull out one of the large, transparent, yellow crystals. It was about the length of Ernst’s hand and an octagon in circumference. The inside looked not unlike it was glowing and in the dark it was able to be seen despite giving off no light itself. “All the crystals in the geode were this type.”

“I’ve never seen something like that,” Clarissa said. “Have you?”

“No,” Niek admitted.

She took the crystal and did something to it with magic. “It means nothing to me but several of my fellows will find this of great interest,” she said. She haded the crystal back to Ernst. “But you, young Ravi,” she turned her attention back to the little girl. “Can you do magic?” Ravi shrugged. “Could you show me?”

Ravi looked up at Niek. “Go on,” he encouraged her. “Just perhaps don’t set anything on fire, hmm?”

“But that’s the fun part,” Ravi said.

Clarissa chuckled. “It is. Here,” and with a wave of her hand she produced several sheets of paper. “You may burn this, Ravi.”

“Oh. Okay,” and she pointed at the papers. The super heated beam of light shot out of her finger tip and instantly the papers caught on fire. Clarissa let out a cry of delight and wonder.

“Oh my! That is... Major and Minor, I’ve never seen such a thing. Give me a moment,” and Clarissa stepped back to her desk. She picked up a glowing rock on the desk and closed her eyes. “Sirius, I know it is day, but please wake. Something requires your express attention,” she said softly but no softly they couldn’t hear.

“Mr. NAME, who’s Sirius?” Ravi asked.

“I told you,” he said with all little patience he had. “He is the brightest star in the sky.” There was no movement. “So, is he coming?” Niek asked Clarissa.

“Be patient,” Clarissa said, eyes still closed. She squeezed the stone, “Sirius, wake up. Come here. Now.”

Ernst gave a shout when a pillar of flame erupted from a circle of burnt stone on the floor. And there he was. Sirius. Resplendent, decedent. He looked like one of them with a dazzling display of antlers and liquid golden eyes with white pupils and overly large clothes like the type Niek would wear to bed. Next to him Ernst dropped to his hands and knees. Niek bowed low but not so low to hurt his back.

“Clarisssaaaa, what are calling me for? It’s so bright out,” Sirius groaned, sounding exhausted.

“Apologies, Sirius, but you must see this,” Clarissa said. “This girl, Ravi,” and Niek glanced up to see the two of them standing side by side, looking at the three of them. “Sirius? Why the look? Do you know this girl?”

Ravi’’s mouth was open a little, “I know you,” she pointed at him.

Niek’s eyes nearly fell out of his head at what Sirius did. “Ravi— oh Ravi,” and he bowed, deeply to the girl. “I fear knowing what brought you here to us.”

Ravi pulled her little hand out of Niek’s and walked over to Sirius. Niek straightened himself to watch. “Why are you bowing?”

Sirius stood up. “Clarissa, the brief?”

“She was a falling star. This alchemist found her and brought her here,” Clarissa said.

“Ah. Falling does knock the sense out of you,” Sirius said softly.

“Not that you have much to begin with,” Clarissa said like she just couldn’t help herself. From the ground Ernst gasped in shock Clarissa would say that to Sirius.

“Clarissa, not in front of the guests,” he scolded her. Clarissa just giggled. Then he returned his attention to Ravi and took a knee before her. “What do you remember? Tell me?”

“I remember it was very bright, and hot. Then it wasn’t. And it wasn’t because there was a lot of sadness.”

“Yes,” Sirius nodded.

Ravi looked at Sirius and then frowned. “I’m not— hmm!”

“What? You can say whatever you want,” Sirius took her hand.

“I’m not looking for you,” she said. “I’m looking for... I don’t know,” she admitted.

“I think I know,” Sirius said.

“You do?”

“Yes,” Sirius nodded.

“Your godliness,” Niek couldn’t help but interrupt. The god turned his attention to him and Niek admitted it was a bit intimidating. “What is this girl? Is she a star?”

“No,” Sirius said. “No no no,” he stood up, still holding her hand. “She is much more than that. Perhaps not all of it. But enough.”

“Then what is she?”

Sirius was thoughtful. “Do you know, alchemist, that the sun is also a star?” Niek nodded slowly. Based on observations it was determined that the same things that made up their stars also made up their sun when they were celestial bodies. No one was sure exactly what those compositions were of course but the alchemists did know they were similar. “The biggest star in the sky, that we only see during the day.” Niek still didn’t understand. “Large enough and powerful enough that it could lose part of itself and not even notice, that no one would even notice.” Niek’s eyes widened. “What sweet Ravi here isn’t a star really. She’s a piece of the sun.”

Niek dropped down on his hands and knees next to Ernst. That seemed like a good place to start.

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark Review

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Into the Dark by Claudia Gray, the first young adult entry in The High Republic series of Star Wars novels and comics, is inventive and adventurous. Ancient aliens, a space station haunted in more ways than one, and space pirates make it a grab bag of what the new era has to offer, all of it explored by well-meaning but burdened Jedi. The main character is the least compelling of the gang, and some twists are signposted as bright as a lightsaber. Despite that, Into the Dark, which is set 200 years before The Phantom Menace, is a good introduction to the High Republic era, and a fun but not particularly deep Jedi fantasy.

When a group of Jedi and smugglers are stranded on a space station, they find something strange: ancient idols and plant life that shouldn’t be able to grow so well in space inhabit the alien structure. Jedi apprentice Reath Silas, in particular, doesn’t feel ready for this mission; he’d much rather be reading about someone else’s adventures. But when the Jedi’s choice to disturb the idols releases ancient and murderous alien captives, the station becomes a problem only Reath can solve.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Unlike Light of the Jedi, the first adult entry in the series, Into the Dark does very much have a main character. Whether or not you like Reath will probably affect whether you enjoy this book. I found him a strange point of view character. He doesn’t tell us anything particularly new about the Jedi or this era, and he doesn’t have a personal connection to the space station. He’s most interesting when he’s grieving, and the plot does deal a lot with his discovery that adventures also involve a lot of death, but that it’s worth it to be brave and forge on anyway.

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But nearly everyone else has a more personal and specific emotional through-line. My favorite characters were the older Jedi, Cohmac and Orla, whose doubts on an earlier mission lead to disaster and make interesting cracks in their friendship. Cohmac and Orla have the most characterization out of the bunch, with Cohmac interested in folklore and Orla trying to figure out whether she should become a Jedi Wayseeker, authorized by the Jedi Council but working independently. Both seem unstable enough to be amusingly unpredictable and also to genuinely care about each other.

On the other hand, Reath is more predictable, and feels disconnected from his peers. His perspective lacks humor, and instead is at its best when he sinks into the kind of angst that might play well with certain readers. In particular, Reath and his friend Dez have good chemistry, but only when they’re in mortal danger. Until then, I kept waiting for one of them to reveal a hidden talent that would make me want to root for them a little more. Not accomplished enough to be cool nor inept enough to be a sympathetic underdog, Reath fails by falling right in the middle.

The smugglers have strong relationships, too: young pilot Affie and her stoner mentor Leox (yes, you read that correctly) clearly care for each other. During the adventure, Affie discovers her foster mom’s smuggling enterprise uses shady indentured servitude, and has to choose whether to secure her own spot in the business or tear it all down to expose the injustice. Affie, Leox, and their navigator Geode are all so funny and energetic. Geode never speaks, never moves on screen, and ends up being one of the funniest characters in the book. Meanwhile, even though Leox’s speech is elaborate, he at least sounds like he could be doing that on purpose.

The Jedi dialogue is stiff, and I’d be more likely to believe this was an intentional choice to reflect their cloistered upbringing if the prose itself and the Nihil’s dialogue didn’t sometimes slip into the same choppiness. This book also contains the line “Your sorcery cannot save you!” which I adore, actually. I just wish it was more intentionally over-the-top.

The space station setting creates a locked-door mystery with traps and secrets piled on top of one another. I really enjoyed the several reveals toward the end that showed things were about to get more complicated than expected. However, the “surprise” introduction of the Nihil, the punk pirates who seem to serve as the series’ main antagonists, was easy to spot from a mile away.

Read more

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Star Wars The High Republic: A Test of Courage Review

By Megan Crouse

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By Megan Crouse

Into the Dark also has the same problem all of The High Republic books do so far. Needing to create a connected universe of characters, settings, and events from the start, the beginning is a flurry of new character names and ideas without any time to sink into them. At worst, The High Republic feels like it was designed by committee rather than individual voices, erring on the side of bland rather than weird. The tone flip-flops between antics that could suit an episode of Scooby-Doo and heavy angst. But at other times, it’s charming and funny. You can almost see this book becoming more sure of itself as it goes on, the ending touching on coherent character arcs in a way that should have been more present from the very beginning.

Sometimes, reading The High Republic has felt like watching authors develop their characters in real time. I can’t wait to see how the dice will roll for these people, how I’ll gradually become more interested in their relationships as experiences flesh them out. But for now, the character work already on the page isn’t strong enough to fully fill the Jedi in to the point that they feel like people. Affie and Leox do, but it’s easier for them: they have home worlds, and unique experiences.

In a book all about Jedi, Into the Dark doesn’t quite seem to know how to differentiate the space monks. And in a series like Star Wars, where the original appeal came in part from natural-sounding dialogue and natural-looking cinematography in an outlandish setting, the fact that The High Republic seems keen to swap those traits isn’t an encouraging start.

The post Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[riddlemethisbatboy]

Hi, I have an idea for a fic for you! So the Riddler gets himself into some trouble with someone (who is up to you). Things aren't looking too good for Eddie, but then his human disasterpiece of a best friend shows up to rescue him! How successful they are and the ending is completely up to you. Have fun!

I totally loved writing this! How have you been disasterpiece friendo? I hope you enjoy this token of the, happy reading!

@flamefatalis helped me out with this. I got all the rock facts to make sure you guys get learnt haha. I, yet again, hope you lovely ladies, gents, and other beautiful denizens! )

The ginger riddle meister was enjoying a nice night to himself, he had written up the schematics for several new traps, built a good dozen Riddler’s Trophies, and was working on building a scale model of a building for creating the newest of dreams.

Halfway through building the first floor maze, he received a call.

“Eddie open up it’s ya favourite friend,” a familiar voice cheered over the intercom system. “I got us the gig of a lifetime if you’re interested!”

He rolled his eyes, then hid his contraptions with the flip of a switch. As the floor lowered to the ground from the three foot height it once stood at, Eddie nonchalantly trotted towards the door. His fingers slid through the excessive amount of locks with lightning fast precision.

On the other side, stood a five foot two, kinda chubby siren who he immediately recognised. Opening the door all the way, he gestured for her to enter.

“I like what you’ve done with the place, Eddie,” Harley complimented her friends home as she sat down. “Let’s talk business now, shall we?”

“Thank you, but yes. Let’s,” he nodded, pulling up a seat as well. “You said it was the gig of the century, I want in!”

Harley laughed, then complied with his request, and soon enough the two were headed out. Little did they know that plan was doomed from the very birth of the idea planted into Miss Quinn’s mind.

The two stopped the vehicle two blocks from some new history museum that was set to open in a few days. Their target: the gem room.

Once ready to roll, Harley lays down her plan one final time.

“O-kay Eddie,” she rehearsed. “We have about fourty-five minutes to get in and get out if we don’t set off the silent alarms. Once in, you head to Cleopatra’s monument to rid the security cameras with this dummy chip that will loop the last 15 minutes three times. Then, meet me at the new exhibit and we’ll get those rocks and tumble out asap! Capiche?”

Ed nodded, then the two started on their heinous crime plan. Once the chip was in place, the two of them set off into the ‘How to Make A Gem’ exhibit. He stopped momentarily to marvel at the entrance, it had been built to look like a mine shaft, with the exhibition on either side of the walls, there were three priceless gems at the end, with his and his partner to share once they were out and away from the all hearing ears of the Batman.

He strolled casually to Harley, reading the placards as he walked along the left wall.

‘Ironically, coal and diamonds are the complete opposites of each other,’ the first shadow box lit to show coal and diamonds. ‘Graphite, however, is made of pure carbon, which is the exact same thing diamonds are made of!’

Eddie walked along, continuing to read the notes as each respective display showed the process furthering until there was a large, gorgeous uncut diamond geode. He bumped into Harley, both of their mouths agape in awe.

“We gotta take all of them,” Harl basically begged her buddy for the night. “you get a glass cutter and I got this one.”

She handed Eddie the small, metal tool and before they knew it the two had met back at the entrance. While attempting their greatest escape, they miscounted the fact that, if it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t true.

The Bat was standing like a silhouette of the night, watching them load the boxes one by one into the van then drive off. He tracked them in the batjet, Black Bat and Robin took the high road.

Eddie was the first to notice they were doomed. He caught of a glimpse of the two side kicks from the corner of his eye.

“Harleen, I don’t know how to say this.”

She looked over to him, rolling her eyes at his sudden onset of worry. “Just spit it out then.”

He hesitated, “the batbrats are tailing us.”

Ed pulled his phone out, typed a quick message then looked confidently to his buddy. “Never mind, I have a trick or two up my sleeve. Head to the portside and we’ll go from there.”

The brilliant woman did as she was told, taking a sharp right onto the underpass, they lost Batman and the children for the moment. Sitting in the van, in their temporary hiding spot, the riddler popped up an interesting question.

“I know it’ll take them a few minutes to find us,” he began to ramble. “Do you think we can put up a bit of a fight? You see, I have this friend, and..”

Harley cut him off, “we’re totally gonna put up a fight. Black Bat and I have beef.” She gestured to the pineapple bits falling from the back of her pigtails.

“But what I’m saying is, my friend would totally go ape..”

He was once again, rudely interrupted. This time by the sound of something slamming into the van. The two stuffed what they could into a to-go satchel and bolted, sand and loose gravel dusting the area in their frantic race. The van’s alarm dinged three times, then not too far from where they were once parked it sputtered to a complete stop in what must have been a small runoff from the nearby canal.

The two sat in a flabbergasted silence for a few seconds.

“Miss Quinn,” Eddie tried to act proper in an effort to lighten the steadily sinking mood. “Can you swim?”

They made eye contact, the air thick enough to cut. Harleen nodded slowly, a frozen panic streaking her face. Ed looked around, then quickly came up with an idea.

“I’m going to open the door,” he bargained attempting to appease her fears. “Grab onto my back and put the stuff between us. I’ll swim to the other side then we’ll keep running.”

Having no other choice, the two swam to shore. As soon as poor Eddie felt sand beneath his no doubt ruined shoes, he started running. Harley, from his back, started cheering him on.

He didn’t stop running until he knew that they were close to his secret meet up spot, the three vigilantes cornered them.

“Oh boy,” Harley exhaled. “The end is nigh, my Nygma friend.”

“Hold it you two,” the dark knight demanded from an unknown location.

“You’re cornered,” the young boy wonder stood fervently by his father’s side. “Put the jewels and geodes and the lady down, Nygma.”

“Ok, you got me,” Harley dropped from his back, the stolen goods safe and secure in the best hiding spots. Her hands went above her head, and she shot a quick look towards Ed.

Gotham’s silent protector and his not so silent sidekick, Robin, swooped authoritatively downward, landing in front of the two villains. Harley made the first move swiftly, grabbing a nearby rock and hurling it full strength at batbrat, who was rambling rights to the two of them.

“it’s sedimentary, my dear batson!” Harleen cracked up, ready to rumble.

The two dastardly thieves were apprehended in nearly minutes. From the bindings, the riddler began to chuckle softly to himself. Batman was tending to the knocked out side kick, the Black Bat was calling the cops, and his magna schema had finally come to fruition.

At the very last moment, there was a flash of neon green and purple. You had on the most ridiculously gaudy costume on as you somehow gracefully knocked back the guardian bat girl without a sound. You had come well prepared, at least as well as you could.

You zip-tied the subdued vigilant, then untied your friends. Batman whirled around to see what happened, only to be momentarily blinded by your homemade flashbang.

As the three of you made your realgreatest escape this, you couldn’t help but let out a terrified yet giddy laugh, unable to believe that your plans had worked. No one made any other conversation on the way to a safe space.

Once carefully inside, Ed wrapped you in the biggest hug ever. Then planted a few happy kisses on your cheeks and the top of your head before thanking you properly.

“You were pretty freaking awesome back there,” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this, though.”

Harley broke up your sweet little moment, “I’m honestly just happy to be alive. I hit the batbrat with a rock.”

The three of you sat in the safety and comfort of the safe house for a few days, making sure to share with everyone else the story of how his disasterpiece bestie saved his tail.

[foolsiwillshowthemall]

Farm Report:  Last days of fall

Wednesday the 24th.  My darling wife has gotten up early and fed the animals - probably after I mentioned all the animals I've been keeping in comparison to her guinea pig.

Dear, that's very sweet of you, and I love you, but the barn and coop both have auto-feeders.

Aww, I appreciate the attempt anyway.  Gimmie a kiss.

Harvesting amaranth today.  Not a highly valuable crop, but useful in some recipes.  These spots will not be re-planted - we're late enough in the season that there are no crops I can plant here that will mature before winter.  My farm is winding down for the year.

The ducks must have approved of Abby's needless attention this morning.  I have a duck feather - this would go to the community center if I hadn't already found one on the traveling wagon.  We also have a good selection of large eggs, and the rabbits have shed wool.  Still no feet, however.

After searching around the farm for the explosion sound that woke us last night, I find this spiky purple ... thing among the pine trees.  A meteorite?  I'm just glad it didn't hit anything important.  I wonder if my gold pick-axe is strong enough to smash it?

First, I clear out the trees around it, so I can get a better look at this thing.

Spent at least 10 minutes in-game smashing at this thing with my pickaxe before it broke.

Stone, some geodes, and ... iridium ore!  That's great, I can actually smelt a bar of iridium now.  This is one way to get iridium without ever going to the really dangerous end-game mines.  Not a good way, since it's slow and random and tends to damage parts of the farm when the meteorite lands, but still an alternate source of that resource.

Smelting that iridium.  I have no idea how long this takes, but probably quite a while.

Spending the day doing errands around town.  Harvesting sea urchins and coral from the tide pools.  These are a good source of cash in the early game, but now I'm stockpiling them for making fertilizer.

I return to the farm, hours later.  The iridium is still smelting.  I don't expect it to be completed today, the more valuable an ore is, the longer it takes to smelt.

The casks that came with the cellar are by this time full of aging goat cheese, mead, and wine.  I'm going to need a lot more for the starfruit wine crop I'm planning.  Starting to lay them along the walls.  It's going to be a tricky layout, I want to place as many as I can but I still need to leave corridors to get to them all.

The next day, as I head out, Abby has a present for me:  A cherry bomb, that I can use to defend myself in the wild.  I hardly ever use bombs, but I still appreciate the gift.

I've got my sword with me, sweetie, but I'll keep the bomb on hand.

Now, I had been considering going to the mines today.  There's less and less for me to do on the farm as the season winds down, and I need to harvest ore and delve deeper to reach the bottom of the mines.  I consult the spirits, and they seem non-committal.  Won't be the easiest time, won't be the hardest.

Harvesting the artichokes.  Another patch in my farm that will be left bare.

The Sweet Gem Berry I planted at the start of the season has fruited. It's actually almost useless to me.  The trick to get a Stardrop from the statue in the Secret Woods doesn't work twice.  It's for some strange reason inedible, and can't be made into wine or preserves.  It does sell fairly well, however, so into the shipping bin it goes.

I'm still sure if I want to risk the mines today.  There's more progress I'd like to make on getting to the bottom of the mines, but the levels I'm heading in to are dangerous and the spirits were not favorable.  I wonder what Abby has to say?  Hey Abby, can I interrupt your contemplation of that giant amethyst geode for a moment?

She is concerned about my life!  The mines are a dangerous place, full of monsters.

Don't worry about it, sweetie.  The mines can wait for a more favorable day.  I'll do other errands around town today.  After all, it's not just my life at stake here anymore.

Other errands include taking the geodes from the meteorite to Clint for processing.  Nothing really special, although there is one additional unique gem to donate to the museum.

No, this does not count as going to the mines.  I'm just here to see the Dwarf - I'm not going downstairs.

One of the things I found in a geode was a "Dwarf Helm".  It's not worth much to sell, and I already donate one to the museum, and I certainly can't wear it.  I figure that the Dwarf might want it.  They are appreciative.

I assure you, sir or madam, that the only connection I have with the Shadow People is when I kill them after they attack me for invading their home.

Cutting down trees for the rest of the afternoon, nice and safe with no monsters around.  I've decided that I will clear-cut this area and then plant new trees during the winter.

Of course we should go, it's your favorite holiday, isn't it?

Friday the 26th.  The rabbits have once again failed to deliver even a single foot.  Rabbits, I am disappointed in you.  This is what I get for naming you all after a bunch of rebels who refused to follow orders.  I bet if I had given you names like "Flopsy" and "Cottontail' you'd be more cooperative.

My poor farm is starting to go patchy.  The melons are the last big crop I'll get for the year.

I'm still checking the traveling cart every time I get, since the rabbits are failing me.  No foot there either, but there is a Lingcod.  I've never heard of this fish.  I don't need it at the moment, but I might as well buy it and hold onto it in case there's some quest that needs it.

Saturday the 27th.  Today is Spirit's Eve, but that's not till later.  For now, my darling wife is giving me a private flute performance.  I can't bear to interrupt her, even to tell her I love her, so I just listen to the music in silence.

Harvesting pumpkins while listening to my wife's flute music, makes the task easier and more fun.  This is the last harvest for this patch.  I'm not even sure what I'll do with this area for the spring, I may decide to re-think this whole arrangement.

Later that day, after the flute recital is over and I've given her an amethyst, I head off to the mines.  It's another day to harvest iron ore and coal.

I make it a quick trip, before returning home to kiss my wife again.

This is what I wanted to grab those last few iron ore chunks for.  After Abby confessed her concerns for my safety, I decided to look into upgrading my gear.   I don't know how good the 'Ring of Yoba' actually is, but I figure it should help at least a little.

And now, it's time for Spirit's Eve.  Abby ran ahead into the maze, but I want to catch up with people first.  I haven't seen much of everyone since getting married.

I'm not worried, Marlon.  I've killed dozens of these things in the mines.

I think they shipped it all off to that wizarding school, Shane.  You should have let me know, I would have set some aside for you.

Elliott is being minimally cordial to me, but that's about it.

Demetrius, Maru is a grown woman who can take care of herself for a few hours.  I'd offer to go look for her, but I suspect that might just make you even more worried.

Clint!  You have iridium weapons all this time and you don't sell them to me?  I would love to have an iridium mace for the mines.  So either you're holding out on me, or you're just bragging about having something you don't really.  Either way, you suck.

Don't worry, sweetie.  I'll scout ahead and let you know what horrors lay beyond the spiders.

Secret cavern, and yet another Golden Pumpkin.  Same maze as last year.  They really should mix it up next year.  I'll have to suggest that to Lewis, maybe Abby can help them design a better maze.

I never noticed the Wizard and Linus hanging out above the maze before.  Are those two pals?

Last day of winter, and it's time for more serious conversation with Abigail.  This having a kid thing is actually going through.  I hope we're ready to be parents.

Hey, that's what I promised you way back when we met, wasn't it?  That you could come and hang out here wherever you wanted?  Just following through with it, sweetie.

It's the last day of fall, and the last cranberry harvest.  This has been an extremely lucrative crop for me.

It's also time for yet another batch of wine to be sold.  This is all pomegranate wine, but I'll be putting pumpkins in after this for another batch of pumpkin juice.

I also need to buy a heater from Marnie to put in the coop, so that the chickens, ducks, and rabbits will be happy during the winter.  Maybe even happy enough to give me a rabbit's foot, if I'm lucky.

The starfruits in the greenhouse are coming along well, but these do take a while to grow.

This grass will all die tomorrow, so I'm harvesting it now.  When you cut grass with the scythe, it generates hay that is immediately stored in my silos.  The auto-feeders will feed that to the animals all winter, when they can't go outside.

All cleaned up.  The field will lay bare, except for the lightning rods, till the spring.

Good night, cranberry patch.  You did well for me this season.

The last day of fall was one of my most profitable, with over 50K in earnings.  The thing is, it's gotten to the point where money barely matters anymore.  I passed the 1 million gold total earnings point sometime in late fall, and at about that time I also stopped being able to even spend all the money I was making.  It's a strange feeling.  For nearly the entire time I was playing this game, I was spending money as fast as I made it, on seeds, animals, and farm buildings, re-investing all my profits on my farm as soon as they came in.  Now, I don't need more animals, there are only a few buildings left to buy and they aren't that urgent, and I don't need seeds for the winter.  It's a strange feeling, to have over two hundred thousand gold and not being sure what to do with it.

I need to take a moment and evaluate my goals for the winter.  I won't be growing much on the farm, only a few winter seed crops and the starfruit in the greenhouse.  I still need to finish the community center, but that's mostly a luck-based mission at this point.  Getting to the bottom of the mines should not be difficult, and doesn't take money either.

Maybe I should start decorating the farmhouse?  It is a bit spartan at the moment.