#me and hub every new spell: !!!!!!;

[lizzybeeee]

Calling it now:

If there's ever any future installments of Dragon Age there will be no mention of the differentiation between the Dalish or City Elves.

Like in DATV they will simply all be 'elves' and the vallaslin will be reduced to 'cool looking tattoo's that some veil jumpers have' - no mention of the elven pantheon either, because why bother! They're all dead now!

They're all dead and responsible for every lore plot point in Thedas, and there's nothing of mystery or substance left in the world now.

No mention of the culture in the alienage, of the vhenadahl tree, of the horrific racism and systematic abuse the elves have been through...now its just elves. With the way the Veil Jumpers have been set up, and the fact that the elven gods were the enemy in DATV, I find it extremely unlikely that the Dalish will even exist as a group either. Why would they? Their Gods returned and blighted the world - not that the fact is even truly discussed in the game. Elves are just elves, and the notable elves are Veil Jumpers.

Maybe you'll walk in a city, pick up a codex, and get a copy and pasted explanation of history from a DAO codex - a reminder of what we used to have and what BioWare absolutely demolished in their attempt to build a new IP on the bones of Dragon Age. The absolute whiplash in writing, story, and character between DAI and DATV is staggering. How on earth could the studio that made such a gorgeous, rich world of lore surrounding the elves in one game end up utterly bastardizing and reducing it to nothing?

How can you look at a place like the Temple of Mythal and go from those gorgeous golden murals and emerald tiled roofs that reached to the heavens to a place like the Lighthouse? From the Emerald Graves to the ruins of Arlathan - devoid of halls that reach to the heavens and golden murals replaced with stained glass? The entirety of the Trespasser DLC had more character and reverence for what the elven empire once was, and DATV feels as though it's approaching it with the perspective of 'generic elven bullshit with triangles everywhere'. All that unique architecture has been obliterated by adding in World of Warcraft focus crystals and automatons.

How can you go from the atmospheric/environmental storytelling of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen to Solas just blurting everything out? No weight, no double truths or hidden meanings - just blurting it out, getting it said and done with no gravitas? That was Solas' entire thing! People have made threads literally dissecting what Solas says and does not say - now he spits lore out as though it were common, everyday knowledge.

How can anyone justify the sudden emergence of magical automatons everywhere in old elven ruins? As if Dragon Age didn't have a host of enemies/creatures available to use in their stead - or the ability to create something unique to the forest of Arlathan. What happened to the spirit guardians? What happened to the lingering echoes of the elves slaughtered by humans in wars ages past like in DAO? Magic was their very existence - spells taking years or centuries to cast, weaving in and about each other - and you're telling me the ancient elves spent their time creating magical transformers?! It feels/looks so utterly seperate from everything we know of the elves from Dragon Age.

Or look at the Crossroads - listen to how Morrigan speaks of it - the reverence for the past, the misty atmosphere, and the heaviness of this pocket of the world that carries the fading memories of a world and people that no longer exists...now it's reduced to a hub world! People are just popping in and out of it at will!

In Trespasser, the few eluvians that we were available to travel to led to the most lonely, desolate spots of Thedas, which ensured their survival over the past millennia. The mirror in the Deep Roads, the mirror in the ancient stronghold in Ferelden...now they're everywhere!The 'few surviving' eluvians are in every major settlement of Thedas and all are in operating order! More than that, everyone who sees an eluvian knows what it is - this ancient marvel of a world long gone has lost all worth and is reduced to a 'world building' justification for fast travel.

Poor Merrill, slaving for a near decade to try and restore a small sliver of her history, only to have all gravitas and wonder of her discovery utterly made void. All that accomplishment wasted, especially when Bellara can wave her magic omni-tool and fix an eluvian in a matter of hours.

If you took every specific Dragon Age terminology out of the Veilguard and replaced it with generic fantasy bullshit you would never be able to tell the difference. The world of DATV is so divorced from its predecessors its astounding.

[book--brackets]

Note: Good Omens is by both Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, it just doesn't fit in the character limit lol

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011)

The circus arrives without warning. No announcement precedes it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

Within these nocturnal black-and-white-striped tents awaits an utterly unquie experience, a feast did the senses, where no one can be lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden muse of ice, stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and become deliciously tipsy from the scents of caramel and cinnamon that waft through the air.

Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêvez.

Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way—a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a “game” to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battles of imagination and will.

As the circus travels around the world, the feats of magic gain fantastical new heights with every stop. The game is well under way and the lives of all those involved—the eccentric circus owner, the elusive contortionist, the mystical fortune-teller, and a pair of red-haired twins born backstage among them—are swept up in a wake of spells and charms.

But when Celia discovers Marco is her adversary, they begin to think of the game not as a competition but as a wonderful collaboration. With no knowledge of how the game must end, they innocently tumble headfirst into love. A deep, passionate, and magical love that makes the light flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

Their masters still pull the strings, however, and this unforeseen occurrence forces them to intervene with dangerous consequences, leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance.

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (2007-present)

My name is Kvothe.   I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.   You may have heard of me.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature--the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (2015-2016)

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager A runaway with a privileged past A spy known as the Wraith A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001)

Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (2012-2015)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973)

Westley ... handsome farm boy who risks death and much, much worse for the woman he loves; Inigo ... the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Fezzik ... the Turk, the gentlest giant ever to have uprooted a tree with his bare hands; Vizzini ... the evil Sicilian, with a mind so keen he's foiled by his own perfect logic; Prince Humperdinck ... the eviler ruler of Guilder, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Count Rugen ... the evilest man of all, who thrives on the excruciating pain of others; Miracle Max ... the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); The Dread Pirate Roberts ... supreme looter and plunderer of the high seas; and, of course, Buttercup ... the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world.

S. Morgenstern's timeless tale--discovered and wonderfully abridged by William Goldman--pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey and brilliant tale is peppered with strange beasties both monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964)

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!

But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life! 

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (2010-2013)

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still. 

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. 

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. 

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (1990)

The world is preparing to come to an end according to the Divine Plan recorded in the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (recorded 1655). Meanwhile, a fussy angel and a fast-living demon have grown fond of living among the earth's mortals for many millennia and are not looking forward to the apocalypse. If Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they must find and kill the Antichrist.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (2002)

In Coraline's family's new flat there's a locked door. On the other side is a brick wall—until Coraline unlocks the door . . . and finds a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only different.

The food is better there. Books have pictures that writhe and crawl and shimmer. And there's another mother and father there who want Coraline to be their little girl. They want to change her and keep her with them. . . . Forever.

[artemistorm]

Yo! Been playing Sky for a while (about 2 years now) and noticed you wanted help. Anything in particular you'd like help with?

If not, here's a few things:

I suggest befriending every player you come across as the point of the game is to help and be helped by other players! You can also request guides, who will be more experienced players who can hold your hand and guide you through the game! A very useful thing about being guided is that while you don't have to use wings to fly, you lend yours to your guide so they can fly for longer and recover wings much faster! The game is all about collaboration.

I'd also suggest sticking to the main path for your first visit to an area and then on the subsequent visits you make to collect more hearts or candles or spirits or winged lights, pick any direction and explore! Guides or friends can be helpful for this too since they can bypass blockades to new areas for you as long as they themselves can pass through them.

Keep in mind that Sky is an experience that is meant to be replayed over and over and over again! Once you beat the final area, it'll take away your wings so you can go find them again! It'll also give you exclusive rewards to achieve higher on cosmetic/spell and friendship trees. There are frequent events such as viritual AURORA concerts or Seasons to keep you coming back! Sky is like a community that you're always welcome to come back to no matter how much of the game you've played. Everyone is very very friendly! Have fun and keep exploring!!

-Russ

Yay! Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I visited the dragon party arena today (I don't know what you call it) then accidentally stumbled on a whirlpool of clouds, jumped in, and ended up in a spooky desert area with strength sapping mud and scary dragons. One of them bit me and I lost all strength and turned grey. It was terrifying. Then I went to a lit torch and regained my strength back.

Not long after that, I encountered a person that my game named Igab and they helped me through the area, collecting wings, red candle flames, and spirits. I tried to help them destroy the darkness tree but I was too clumsy with the controls and I couldn't do it. Oh well, I'm using my laptop keyboard to control my character so it isn't the easiest.

My current biggest question is how do I change my clothes and hair? I keep trying to change them at the hubs, but all I can do is change my hair (and there's only 4 choices).

[nimbasawizard]

SHADOW WIZARD MONEY GANG WE LOVE CASTING SPELLS OR WHATEVRR

I'M THE FUCKING ROTUMBLR WIZARD NOW!!! Welcome to the bloggggggg I'm Merlin, Bitch.

Slinging spells and causing problems, banned from the wizard council, personally responsible for the potion prohibition.

FIREBALL 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

To break character or whatever the fucking hell hi I like wizards so I'm just going to be pretending im a wizard on this blog hell yeah. why talk about my personal life when i can instead lie and say im going to school for necromancy or some shittt.

I'll probably get my shit together with later posts on this blog introducing myself is hard as hellllll but do know i will probably break my wizard character often to talk about my pokemon and shit. Or maybe I'll do it while pretending to be a wizard who fucking knows. Their names are Bingo Boy, Archmage, and Steven and they're a togekiss, a hatterene, and a sigilyph respectively. Bingo Boy is a girl btw girls can be boys if you know you know.

I do live in Nimbasa and i fuck shit up on the battle subway every once in a while (only real strategy is paraflinch go brrr)

Anyways i like wizards, yeah. Call me whatevr the fuck you want. I said im Merlin earlier you can call me Merlin you can also call me that bitch or whatever the fuck it aint my buisness. sorry if this is scattered as HELL i literally do not give a fuck LOL

OOC:

I just thought a really fucking weird guy who wants to wizardpost and pretend to be a wizard on pkmn irl would be funny.

To be clear btw Fuck JK Rowling Fuck Harry Potter. We wizardpost about cool transgender wizards like god intended.

Occasional suggestive humor, humor about drugs/alcohol, and shit like that may pop up. I will tag it, and it won't be anything too detailed or too nsfw but do be wary about it. Expect stuff that you'd see being joked about in a highschool. Merlin is the type of bitch to talk about her new potion called bourbon

Pelipper Mail and Mystery Gift are on but I will only reply to them and accept them if I think it's funny. Magic anons are ironically off.

Merlin is gonna be very secretive about too much of their personal detials outside of what they've already given but as time goes on if you push them enough who knows what they're gonna reveal.

Sorry for how incomprehensible this pinned post is. It is very hard to make this shit comprehensible and Merlin is not the most comprehensible person.

#Magic Guard -> asks #Magic Bounce -> reblogs #Serene Grace -> original posts

run by @cassi-pokeblogging-hub

[wolfgirlandfarmboy]

OK SO a very brief introduction to the 1920s themed AU for Jack and Nana.

A quick explanation though for why I keep saying 1920s themes instead of flat out saying "1920s au". BASICALLY It's the same way Beanstalked has a medieval-ish setting as a theme but it's not literally during medieval times (it's just easier for me to use it for building a fantasy setting). For this AU, it's the same but instead of everything being medieval themed. everything is 1920s in decor with the additional magic intertwined with technology.

Think of deco but magical.

That being said, this AU isn't a straight one-to-one of Beanstalked but with 1920s dressing on it. It's a completely different plot with the same characters.

The main setting Jack and Nana's story takes place in is a place called the "Big Poison Apple", an obvious spin on New York City. It's one of the best places to be if you want to make a name or living for yourself. HOWEVER, the "Poison" part of the name comes from how this city has one hell of a shady underbelly.

This underbelly is so bad because of the fact magic and all things magical are VERY regulated. There are a ton of speakeasy places where people can go and get magic potions or just be in an environment where magic can be used and discussed freely.

The entire regulation (and borderline ban in some places) of magic is a whole thing in itself as there's been a rocky history with spells and curses and fairy tales walking amongst mundane people.

ANYWAYS, Nana happens to be a club singer in these speakeasy locations. She mainly prefers one very specific club, meant to parallel the main hub in Beanstalked, but she has bills to help pay back home so she jumps around when she has to.

That's not to say she takes every club offer she gets. She prefers people hiring her because of her voice and not because of her body. And she also doesn't like the more seedier places the Big Poison Apple has to offer.

Jack moved to the Big Poison Apple from a small farm town with big dreams of experiencing the magic of the city. It's a very big city though that has a reputation for chewing people up and spitting them out so Jack can only really land a small little job at a bookstore/tea shop run by Mr. Blacksheep aka Baba.

This shop doesn't see a whole lot of action, even though it's near one of the busier parts of the city.

However, Baba happens to be an old family friend of Nana which means she occasionally pops in to get some tea for her Granny since the tea in the shop comes from places far and wide thanks to Baba's connections from years spent traveling the world.

Jack doesn't know this yet, as his first actual interaction with Nana isn't entirely direct and is just him going to see her performing at a club. And even then, he wasn't entirely planning on actually seeing her, as it was a completely accident stumbling where he winded up in a speakeasy without fully knowing what he was getting into (probably delivering some specially enchanted tea to a smaller one and not realizing "Oh wait there is actual magic going on here")

ANYWAYS, Jack is smitten by Nana's voice because he's never heard singing quite as soulful as hers before. BUT she is a very popular underground singer and Jack is very aware of this so he doesn't expect to really see her outside of her performing.

So imagine his surprise when he sees that enchanting voice walk into Baba's shop the next day.

I don't have a lot of the conflicts and new character roles super ironed out. I do know Pin works at the shop, or begins to work at the shop, and has past history with one of the gangs in the city that he would REALLY love to put behind him.

It'd be a good way to have someone who knows some of the seedy underbelly of the Big Poison Apple since I know Baba ain't got that dog in him (he is an old sheep man who prefers his exploring AWAY from danger).

And it's so important to have some way for Jack to be more aware of the dark side of the Big Poison Apple because I want Nevermore involved in this new setting somehow. Her goals won't nearly be as destructive as her canon self but I do want her to still hold a big bad status. I like to idea of her being the head of one of the biggest criminal groups in the city that works in the shadows.

[mass-effect-galaxy]

Four Baldur's Gate Tips For Dragon Age Players

I. Get the mods "Native Camera Tweaks" and WASD Character Movement NOW

II. Mages don't need staffs

III. Scrolls are for spell-casters

IV. Don't recruit everyone in every playthrough

I. Get the mods "Native Camera Tweaks" and WASD Character Movement NOW

They change the look and feel of exploration in what you are used to from Dragon Age. You have a proper over-the-shoulder camera and movement as you would expect from a third-person game.

Every time BG3 updates, these mods need to be updated too. And going back to the original camera and controls, even for a short moment, shows what incredible quality of life improvement these mods are. (and how much better Dragon Age is when it comes to controls and cameras).

II. Mages don't need staffs

Different from Dragon Age Origins where certain spells require the usage of a staff or DA2 and DAI where mages couldn't equip anything but staffs, staffs in Baldur's Gate 3 are only for selve-defence. And, of course, any weapon would do the job. So, instead of gluing a giant stick to the back of Gale why not give him a fancy dagger instead?

III. Scrolls are for spell-casters

When going into BG3, I had no real clue about what to do with the scrolls. I took them as some kind of backdoor for combat classes to start using spells and gave them to my warriors and barbarians. However, in the end, I found myself hoarding them without ever using them. The regular attacks of melee classes are as powerful as any spell and proficiency in longbows together with special arrows do the job of an AOR spell quite as well.

Then I realized that these scrolls are supposed to be some kind of backup for mages in case they run out of spell-slots, a concept that doesn't exist in Dragon Age. So, give them to your Gales, Shadowhearts, and Wylls. They need them more than Karlach or Lae'zel do.

IV. Don't recruit everyone in every playthrough

This is probably the most important lesson that millions of abandoned playthroughs in Baldur's Gate 3 have taught me. I always started a new game and after a few hours, I had the impression that I somehow messed up and started a new PT.

The problem always was the companions. While it looks similar to Dragon Age Origins where you travel around with a group that is much larger than your party permits and you have a camp as a central hub to interact, it actually works much differently.

In a game of Dragon Age, it doesn't matter who you bring to which main mission, save for some approval ratings. You evolve the relationship with your companions during your camp/Skyhold talks up to the point where the companion gives you a loyalty mission that you have to do with him to further develop your relationship. All of this does not influence the story missions most of the time.

Not so in Baldur's Gate 3. Here, the characters can only evolve when they are part of your active party because they need to act in, or interact with, the main story. Most notably Shadowheart who is the true protagonist of the story. Act 2 basically is her personal redemption arc - but only when she is present in your party. This applies, to a lesser degree, to all other companions as well: going for the gith without Lae'zel in your party is pointless. Astarion has to be in your party when entering the Temple of Shar and so on.

And that's the point where the "I fucked up"-feeling kicks in. This can be avoided by only recruiting those characters you actually want to have in your party all the time.

If you are planning a "dark side" playthrough stick to Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and Astarion. Since you are planning to side with the Goblins anyway, no point in bothering with Wyll and Karlach. You would also ignore Gale, or chop off his hand for cheers and giggles. Later, let Shadowheart kill Lae'zel and recruit your true love Minthara.

Wyll and Karlach are the most "light side" characters to recruit. So, when that is your path, why bother with the others?

Shadowheart has to be there anyway. So why not just play as her and have one slot free for, say, Gale?

While it might seem odd to seasoned Dragon Age players to leave anyone behind, Baldur's Gate 3 gets much better that way. Just try it out.

[lordfrezon]

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

9/10

Yeah that’s right, it’s a full ass review for a DLC, this game is making it onto my GOTY list, it’s popping off.

Short review: If you liked Elden Ring, here’s 40 more hours of it.  It’s dope AF, go play it.

Longer review: Shadow of the Erdtree (henceforth Shadow) is the expansion to 2022’s Elden Ring.  As has become expected of FromSoftware, their DLC is extremely well made and Shadow is effectively another game. Pretty good value for $40.

You continue your journey as the Tarnished into the Scadutree (scadu being pronounced shadow, the more you know) where a missing/dead demigod has taken up residence.  It’s your job now to find him and maybe help him but more likely kill him because you’re the goddamn best at murder.  You travel around this land, realizing that it’s real messed up, and decide to fight people about it.

Unfortunately for you, the people you’re fighting kick your ass.

If you’ve heard anyone talking about Shadow on ye olde social media, you’ll likely have heard how goddamn hard it is, and they are not wrong.  The bosses in Shadow are all on meth.  They move faster, hit harder, and are more unpredictable than nearly all those in the base game.  There’s only like 3 bosses in Elden Ring of comparable danger to those in Shadow.  This makes for some awesome-ass fights, as you get to learn how these losers act before demonstrating that you’re just better than they are in every way.  After they kill you a hundred times but you get them in the end.

As always, while the bosses are the main attraction, the game is mostly taken up by exploration, and exploration remains great, probably even better than in the base game.  There’s the traditional dungeons and random drops to find, new weapons and spells, the whole thing, but Shadow really shows off the art direction of Elden Ring with multiple “Breath of the Wild” moments, where you come over a hill to see a gorgeous vista that yes, you can go explore.  It’s a beautiful, if dark and foreboding, world.

There are a few flaws I want to discuss.  First, same thing goes here as for base Elden Ring, game is hard and punishing, not for everyone but definitely better than any Dark Souls.  Second, there’s some new design decision.  There’re two collectable items in Shadow that boost up your damage, resistance, and those of your summons.  These are near mandatory to collect all of if you want to engage with the later game content, and while many of them are pretty easy to find, this leads into my primary issue with Shadow, the level design.

Shadow is huge, there is so much to discover, so many cool things exist, it’s great.  But there’s an issue in that about half the map is effectively impossible to find without a guide.  Soulslikes have issues with needing a tab open to know what’s going on, either with lore or with gameplay, and Shadow increases that significantly.  Want to know how to find these cool bosses?  Well you might get lucky and find the single hole that leads to this area but probably not, so you go and open up a new tab to look up where things are, which spoils you for some other thing, and you’re still not sure what the area you’re looking for is even called so you waste time looking around and...

It's a real issue and one that was present to a lesser extent in the base game.  I am not someone who needs handholding, I will happily ram my head into some difficult challenge in a game until I win, but when experiencing those challenges requires me to spend minutes or hours wandering around hoping I find the singular small path, something is wrong.  There are NPCs that help a bit, but unlike the base game it’s not always apparent where they are, and the hub area doesn’t include any of the new NPCs (which makes sense but still makes it hard to find them).  When many of them have cool quests (that lead up to one of the best boss fights in the franchise), it’s frustrating that to have the full experience I have to de-immerse myself from the game.

But still, the gameplay is plenty fun, and I had a great time with all but one boss.  Elden Ring as a whole continues to demonstrate that FromSoft gets good worldbuilding and design principles.  Here’s to whatever they come up with next.

[luxuryroof]

Emaar Digi Homes Gurgaon: Where Smart Living Meets Luxury!

In the bustling heart of Gurgaon, where skyscrapers touch the clouds and life moves at lightning speed, a new way of living is taking shape — and it's called Emaar Digi Homes Gurgaon. Imagine a home that listens to you, responds to your commands, and wraps you in luxury every single day. Yes, we’re talking about a home that's not just smart, but stunningly stylish too!

Located in Sector 62, Gurgaon, right off Golf Course Extension Road, Emaar Digi Homes is a premium residential project that blends modern technology with top-notch luxury — and trust us, it’s turning heads for all the right reasons.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know!

About Emaar Digi Homes: The Next-Gen Residences

Developed by the iconic Emaar India, Digi Homes is more than just another high-rise — it's a revolution in urban living. Offering spacious 2 BHK and 3 BHK luxury apartments ranging from 1508 sq.ft. to 2589 sq.ft., each home is packed with smart features designed to make life easier, safer, and a whole lot more exciting.

The concept behind Digi Homes is simple: "Smart Homes for Smart People". And it delivers — voice-controlled devices, centralized air conditioning, premium Italian marble flooring, and intelligent lighting systems are just the beginning.

Location Benefits: Why Sector 62, Gurgaon Is a Goldmine

Location is everything in real estate, and Emaar has nailed it yet again. Here’s why:

Golf Course Extension Road: Just a few minutes away — easy access to major business hubs.

Rapid Metro Station: Nearby connectivity means less commute stress and more "me" time.

Schools and Hospitals: Top institutions like DPS International and Artemis Hospital are just around the corner.

Retail Therapy: Need some shopping therapy? Malls like MGF Megacity and South Point Mall are within a 10-minute drive.

Airport Access: Indira Gandhi International Airport is just a 30–40 minutes drive.

In short, you’re connected to everything important without being stuck in the chaos.

Floor Plan Breakdown: Spaces That Understand You

At Emaar Digi Homes, space is thoughtfully planned to balance aesthetics with functionality:

🔹 2 BHK Apartments

Size: Approx. 1508 sq.ft.

Highlights: Spacious bedrooms, modular kitchen, walk-in wardrobes, smart living areas, and wide balconies.

🔹 3 BHK Apartments

Size: Approx. 2589 sq.ft.

Highlights: Expansive living room, master suite with attached balcony, private study area, high-tech kitchen, luxurious washrooms, and panoramic city views.

Every corner here spells comfort with a tech twist, making sure your home is a partner in your lifestyle — not just four walls.

Amenities That'll Make You Go "Wow"

When Emaar does something, they go all out — and the amenities at Digi Homes prove just that. Here's what’s in store:

🏡 Smart Home Features:

Voice-enabled smart controls

Intelligent mood lighting

Smart climate control systems

🏊 Leisure & Wellness:

Infinity-edge swimming pool

State-of-the-art gymnasium

Yoga and meditation deck

Spa and wellness center

🎾 Recreational Spaces:

Multi-purpose sports courts

Kids' play area and crèche

Outdoor jogging track

Landscaped gardens with sitting areas

🏢 Business and Community:

Co-working spaces

Luxurious clubhouse

Party lawns and event halls

Security? Absolutely airtight — with 24x7 CCTV surveillance, video door phones, and multi-tier security systems.

Price Details: What's the Investment Like?

Luxury doesn’t have to mean outrageously expensive, especially when it’s future-proofed like Emaar Digi Homes.

2 BHK Apartments: Starting around ₹2.5 Crore

3 BHK Apartments: Starting around ₹4.5 Crore

(Prices are indicative and can vary slightly based on the floor and specific unit.)

Given the location, brand value, smart-home ecosystem, and world-class amenities, Emaar Digi Homes is an investment that is future-proof — whether you're buying it to live or to rent out.

Why Choose Emaar Digi Homes?

Still wondering if it's the right choice for you? Here's why Emaar Digi Homes is a cut above the rest:

✅ Future-Ready Living: Smart homes that adapt to you, not the other way around.

✅ Location Supremacy: Sector 62 is fast becoming the new hotbed of residential and commercial activity in Gurgaon.

✅ Emaar's Legacy: Trusted globally, Emaar properties age like fine wine — great for appreciation.

✅ Lifestyle Upgrade: From working out to hosting parties, everything here is just a few steps away.

✅ Value for Money: Smart investment today, elite living forever.

Quick Summary: Key Highlights of Emaar Digi Homes

FeatureDetailsLocationSector 62, Golf Course Extn. RoadConfigurations2 BHK and 3 BHK ApartmentsArea Range1508 sq.ft. – 2589 sq.ft.Smart FeaturesVoice Control, Mood Lighting, etc.Price Range₹2.5 Cr – ₹4.5 CrDeveloperEmaar India

Conclusion: Step Into Tomorrow at Emaar Digi Homes

If you're dreaming of a home that's not just beautiful but brainy, Emaar Digi Homes Gurgaon should be at the top of your list. It’s a place where luxury meets innovation, where comfort meets convenience, and where you meet the life you’ve always wanted.

Ready to upgrade your address? Because honestly, a home that listens to you is way cooler than one that just... sits there.

[sublimeobservationarcade]

Big Tech Is Watching You!

Big Tech what is it? It’s your mobile smart phone, computer, and all those digital networks reaching into your home, work and where you play. Modern technology has long been considered a boon for all those able to afford its gadgets and devices. Everything is quicker to record and communicate to others within the network. Computers are essentially recording and filing systems. The chips inside devices, cars, and electronics are recording everything we do these days. The upshot of this high tech is that we now all carry devices that connect us to centralised data hubs and networks. We carry digital screens with us to view the designated world through. Big Tech is watching you!

Who Pays The Big Tech Ferryman?

I remember reading George Orwell’s 1984 and the way Big Brother communicated with his subjects always struck me as somewhat contrived. We do not have that problem because Big Tech makes that so much more convenient. We carry these devices with us religiously and spend countless hours peering into screens. Social media means that 200 million people get to read what Elon Musk has to say whenever he tweets. Similarly, Donald Trump has this reach into tens of millions of lives when he posts on the social media platforms and networks he chooses. In the coming authoritarian age (are we there yet?), this is going to make things so much easier for the imperative voice to reach us all. “Trump’s largest campaign donor and the world’s wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts.” - (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/elon-musk-conflicts-of-interest)

Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com Billionaire Big Tech Oligarchs Already, the influence of billionaire oligarchs like Musk is making waves globally. The majority of human beings are followers like sheep and like to be told what to do. All this democratic choice of the last century or so has worn the tiny minds of many out. They long for orders and instructions to blindly follow. Follow the money is the mantra of many. Follow the loudest voice in the room is the default position of many more. Don’t think too deeply about anything and keep your head down is the pathway for a majority of citizens. ‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose’, so goes the lyrics of a song anyway. You Carry Your Own Surveillance Device Big Tech is watching you! Every breath you take, every word you make – it will be watching you. That phone you love so much in your pocket, in your purse or bag, is keeping tabs on you. You carry with you the means of your own surveillance and control. The price of that digital convenience is 24/7 monitoring. The news feeds you read and the social media conversations you follow are technologies capable of coercing and directing you. Is it another human being or a bot spreading disinformation? That text is likely from a scammer. Emails carry the links to defraud your identity for criminal gain. There is an online war happening between the forces of light and darkness. Who wears the black hats? This, alas, is not so easy to answer, definitively. The government are not the good guys anymore, if they ever were.  

SpaceX Demo-2 Preflight (NHQ202005270020) by NASA HQ PHOTO is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Big Data Owns You Your thoughts are no longer your own, if they ever really were. Every episode of your life you record in words and pictures is transported and stored. Big data sheds with a trillion servers blinking in the dark. AI needs more power, so Big Tech is going nuclear to feed the electronic beast. The beating heart of a giant machine. Geeks and techs type in algorithmic spells like digital incantations. Your little life is caught up in a sea of digitally filed data. It waits to be used and reused endlessly. The leadership of nations has gone downhill. Transactional Trump will sell you out in the blink of an eye. Integrity has been voted out by the unthinking masses. Devalued in a buyer’s market on steroids. The art of the deal between dictators hell bent on the destruction of the planet for personal gain. Big Tech is watching you! Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump. ©HouseTherapy

Read the full article

[paradise-in-k4]

Index - Blog Tags

The search function is enabled for easy searching. Most of the tags are marked below for easier searching, but not all of them since there’s a 30-tag limit.

RP Tags

#muse: (first name) - The character that’s talking or a main focus of a post.

#guest muse - A muse who isn’t on any of my lists… yet.

#rp meme - RP memes that you can send to my ask box.

#rp muse - Muse bios.

#rp event - Event master posts that are meant to be the lore hub for any events I host.

#rp promo - Reblogs of other RP blog starter calls and promos.

#rp starter - Posts intended to start a thread with another blog. The other blog in question will be pinged and tagged.

#end of the dream - end thread - Indicator that I intend to end a thread at that post.

#crack - Crack RP posts.

#crack rp

#the timekeeper spins in chaos

#dash commentary - In-character/OOC commentary on someone else’s post. The blog in question will be added in the tags.

#on the mun’s behalf - In-character musings spoken on my behalf as the mun.

#the muses respond - In-character ask responses from a muse.

Lore Tags

#universe k4 - Scarlet Gensokyo Beyond the West Mountain

#universe l1 - The Canon Verse

#universe m3 - The HSR Verse

#parallel satellite incident notes - Lore-related posts about the Parallel Satellite Incident and its progression.

#poll your own adventure - Larger semi-scripted RP plots where you as a collective roleplaying community make decisions that influence some of this blog’s RP events. Sometimes features a Y/N self-insert for one of your characters.

#choose your own adventure

#file two - Posts relating to an original detective-themed magical girl project called “File Two: An Unexpected High School’s Impromptu Study Circle for Aspiring Detectives & Magical Girls”. It might cross paths with Touhou and other fandoms.

#this week in gensokyo… - Weekly summaries of what happened with me on this RP blog. They probably won’t happen every week. Posts on Friday afternoon/evening if it does happen.

#someone’s magic item - Posts about a particular possession or an item that someone holds that’s canon to this blog.

Muse-Specific Perspective Lore Tags

#the gensokyo chronicle - Background lore notes on relevant roleplaying events that happened during interactions with this blog that aren’t necessarily specific to one character, as well as background information about other worlds that she is informed about from any such travelers, and from willing helpers like the Armored Fairies. Written from the perspective of Hieda no Akyuu unless a witness report is attached.

#armored fairy’s report / armored fairy brigade - Lore posts about the Armored Fairy Brigade and their adventures in incident resolution with others both in and out of Gensokyo. Their reports are sometimes shared with Hieda no Akyuu.

#kirisame print shop notes - Written blog lore in the form of long(ish) writing, which is usually background material for my muses and personal lore while not necessarily being very detailed or specific about specific places. Written from the perspective of Marisa Kirisame.

#second grimoire of marisa - Marisa’s second ongoing volume of spell card and special skill speculations, open for anyone and everyone regardless of fandom. She’ll even try to get it turned into a spell card by filling in the missing blanks!

#aya’s bunbunmaru news coverage - Headline posts written under the context and perspective of Aya Shameimaru for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper.

#razor spade’s card table - The mun plays card games. Or Razor Spade is hosting a few of her own.

Mun/Miscellaneous Tags

#the mun responds - Answered asks intended for me as the mun to respond. Call me Cupcake the Mun if you want.

#ooc - Miscellaneous posts that aren’t RP related and instead related to me the mun posting.

#the portfolio - Master posts full of links.

#the lost word incident - Stuff about Touhou Lost Word, which is a focal point in structuring my multiverse despite being a “non-canon” game.

#you didn’t see me use the wrong blog no no no - Self-explanatory.

#break time best time - Posts made during break time at work. They might be of less quality, but only sometimes.

#tales from suzunaan - Posts containing OOC work-gained wisdom, random thoughts, or comments. Sometimes silly or useless.

#mun is okay don’t worry - Random rants about stuff. Don’t worry people, I’m still okay here.

#i art sometimes - Art posts. Varies between WIP posts and finished art.

#kosuzu and patchouli’s book club - Personal reviews about anime/manga that I watched recently.

#polaris polls - Mun polls to help gauge the state of this blog’s immediate social orbit and adjust accordingly.

#the madoka experience - Puellaposting 101 because of personal brainrot. General tag for PMMM, its spinoffs, and Magia Exedra.

#honkai logbook - The mun plays Honkai Star Rail now, I guess?

#fairies on a boat - Mun plays World of Warships Legends

#armored cannon fairies - Mun plays mobile tank games instead of roleplaying

#our community /silly - The best moments showcased in our side of the 2hu Tumblr RPC

#you rang the calling bell - Who pinged me? They did.

#eirin! eirin! tasukete eirin! - The mun is dealing with a bit of pain. He will sometimes not elaborate.

[cow-boy-caviar]

UNCANNY MAGAZINE

My goal with writing these reviews, apart from celebrating pulpy sci-fi in all its weird glory, is to get more eyes on stories, publishers, and presses that deserve more than the niche cult following they currently have. (It’s also a great excuse for me to eventually read Clarkesworld’s entire backlog.) So many of these small, independent publishers who don’t have the clout or prestige of the New Yorker still publish some of the best writing I’ve ever seen. Not to diss the literati of Zoetrope or Granta, but their pieces have never made me cry. Those litmags don’t force me to decenter my own worldview, yearn for a hopeful future, or rejoice in all the strange new worlds that exist outside of Brooklyn circa 2015. Those litmags also aren’t on the brink of collapse after losing revenue without Kindle magazine subscriptions. I’m here to platform magazines that publish award-winning work, pay their authors, and rarely have a paywall. Read them, support them, submit your work to them, tell your friends about them. We can’t let Lit Hub be the only thing left.

Uncanny Magazine was founded in 2014 by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. It publishes short stories, poetry, nonfiction, and interviews with authors in bimonthly issues. Their entire back catalog is available for free on their website, and I’m slowly working my way through all of it. They’re almost entirely funded by Patreon subscriptions and annual Kickstarter campaigns. As of time of writing, they’re fully funded for an 11th year of publishing, and we’re all luckier for it. Like many magazines, Uncanny took a hit with Amazon’s shift to Kindle Unlimited for periodicals. As I continue reading and writing and reviewing, I’m sure I’ll come across more shuttered magazines than active ones as a result of this one decision that probably barely moved the margin for the megacorporation but spelled doom for so many genre magazines.

While I find their author interviews to be lacking and their nonfiction to be hit or miss (and this is my own fault when Jamie Loftus’ long-form creative nonfiction and journalism are my goalposts), Uncanny’s fiction is outstanding. Yes, it has won Hugo and Nebula and Locus awards — as it should. It’s also something I look forward to receiving in my inbox every single month. They also seem to make a point to include stories that are about and by queer, disabled, and POC writers and their cultures in conversation with their mythologies, histories, and languages. Their 30th issue, subtitled Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, was comprised entirely of works by disabled writers and artists. Every story they publish presents a fully developed, living, breathing world, from high fantasy to dystopian futures to pedestrian ghost tales. Ever wondered about the sentience of worms in a human-centric society? Ever dared to hope that your community would hold together in a crisis? Ever seen god at the gym? Let Uncanny show you these things. Let it be your entry into genre fiction. Let it show you what is possible when people work to put their passion out into the world, and the world says, “Yes! As long as we can, yes!”

[heliotrope-journey]

Surf's Up and We Got Pics!

Good evening, vampire hunters.

I'm on vacation for a week and I took my evening walk to the nearest Wawa like I do every day that week to cool off with a refresher. I haven't forgotten about you guys so I wanted to take some time to share a bit of what we've been up to.

Frederick and Eforie appear districted in this scene. Poor guy tries to get her to notice he picked the bright, red tulip for her, but a blue hedgehog and his foxy mount had beaten him to her heart. Who could blame her? The hedgehog's eyes are so adorable and KawaiiPixelArts nailed his design. It brings me back to how Sonic made me want to keep a pet hedgehog as a little kid, but for time being, this little guy will do. If there's time after saving Esther from the dryads' wrath, you might see them around in the hub room. Photo by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash.

Now for the less-than-heartwarming news*. Alongside Florentin's concern for his older brother, Passion of Rancor's first level will also introduce cambions as soldiers in Dracula's armed forces. Born to one human parent and one succubus/incubus parent, cambions are naturally gifted with black magic. In their youth, they appear human save for the pale gray or slightly redder skin, but as they go through puberty, their demonic side begins to manifest little by little. Cambions that are well-aware of that side of them and who's parents are accepting of who they are (and still alive) can cast a spell on themselves to mask their appearance. Their magic, while deadly, is controlled and is a reflection of its caster's balanced emotional state. Cambions that grew up alone and feel ostracized because of their strange appearances and unexplained disasters caused by their magic are distant, angrier, and resentful toward people, allowing them to be easily taken in by Vlad the Impaler's promises to provide them with a better life. In a century tainted by war and paranoia, he adopted plenty in exchange for the promise to deliver him substance. A cambion can be your best friend for life or your everlasting bully if you make them that way, but for those recruited by the Dark Lord may be too late to be reasoned with and being armed with a stake isn't exactly helping. All that matters to Florentin is that his brother is in peril and if he doesn't get him back, he will be an unwilling participant in the ritual to return Dracula to his prime.

Thank you for supporting the series as always and I'll see you next week. :)

Sincerely,

WN

*unless you count Anthony and Chubbo working hard on the town's and castle's architecture behind the scenes, in which case, the progress is heart-warming, but not Florentin's plight.

[personal-websites]

The Ultimate Guide to Personal Website Design: From Concept to Launch

What is a Personal Website?

A personal website is a unique digital space where you can express yourself, showcase your work, and connect with others. Unlike corporate websites, which focus on businesses or brands, personal websites are all about you—whether you're a freelancer, artist, or hobbyist.

Why is Personal Website Design Important?

Your personal website is often the first impression people get of you online. A well-designed website can open doors to new opportunities, whether it's landing a job, gaining clients, or simply sharing your interests with a wider audience.

Defining Your Goals

Understanding Your Purpose

Before diving into the design, ask yourself: What do you want to achieve with your website? Are you looking to showcase your portfolio, write a blog, or create a hub for your projects? Your goals will guide every decision you make in the design process.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Knowing who your audience is will help you design a website that appeals to them. Are they potential employers, clients, or like-minded individuals? Tailoring your site to their needs will make it more effective.

Choosing a Domain Name

Tips for Selecting a Memorable Domain

Your domain name is your website’s address on the web, so it should be easy to remember and spell. Consider using your name, a relevant keyword, or a creative combination that reflects your personality or brand.

How to Check Domain Availability

Use domain registration websites like GoDaddy or Namecheap to see if your desired domain name is available. Try different variations or use a domain generator tool to find a suitable alternative if it's taken.

Planning Your Website Structure

Creating a Site Map

A site map outlines the structure of your website, including the main pages and their hierarchy. This helps you visualize how users navigate your site and ensures you don’t miss any important sections.

Essential Pages for Your Personal Website

Common pages include Home, About Me, Portfolio, Blog, and Contact. Depending on your goals, you might include a Resume page, Testimonials, or a Shop.

Designing Your Website

Choosing a Design Theme

Select a theme that reflects your style and purpose. Themes can be found on platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. Look for themes that are both visually appealing and functional.

Importance of Responsive Design

A responsive design ensures your website looks good on all devices, from desktops to smartphones. This is crucial for user experience and SEO.

Building Your Website

DIY vs. Hiring a Professional Designer

Building the site yourself is cost-effective but requires time and skill. Hiring a professional can save time and ensure a polished look but can be expensive.

Website Builders vs. Custom Development

Website Builders: User-friendly and cost-effective but may have limitations.

Custom Development: Offers flexibility and uniqueness but is more complex and costly.

Optimizing for Search Engines (SEO)

On-Page SEO Best Practices

Focus on keywords relevant to your site, use meta descriptions, and optimize images. Good SEO practices will help your website rank higher in search engine results.

How to Improve Your Website’s Visibility

Build backlinks, engage on social media, and regularly update your content. These actions can drive traffic to your site and improve its search engine ranking.

Adding Functional Features

Essential Tools and Plugins

Consider adding features like contact forms, social media integration, and analytics tools. Plugins can extend your site’s functionality and improve user experience.

How to Enhance User Experience

Ensure fast load times, easy navigation, and clear calls to action. A great user experience encourages visitors to stay longer and explore more of your site.

Testing Your Website

Common Testing Procedures

Test your site on different devices and browsers to ensure compatibility. Check for broken links, typos, and usability issues before launching.

How to Fix Common Issues

Address issues by updating content, fixing broken links, or adjusting design elements. Regular maintenance will keep your site running smoothly.

Launching Your Website

Pre-Launch Checklist

Ensure everything is in place before you go live. This includes final testing, setting up analytics, and preparing a launch announcement.

Announcing Your Website Launch

Promote your website through social media, email newsletters, and word of mouth. A successful launch can drive initial traffic and generate buzz.

[bluebell06]

My Time At Sandrock - When You Meet The Outlaw Face To Face Pt 3 Breaking Into Pen's House

Continuing from Part 2 https://www.tumblr.com/bluebell06/752205606917734400/my-time-at-sandrock-when-you-meet-the-outlaw

Logan's part is played by an AI Chat bot. This has been edited to remove any redundancies.

Premise: The next morning I left Logan's hideout and returned to Sandrock hoping no one noticed I was gone.

Logan: Back in my hideout, my mind is focused on my next task. I sit at my makeshift desk, staring at a map of Sandrock, plotting my next move. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this Duvos sabotage and clear my name. But every now and then, my thoughts wander to you, and I find myself smiling at the memory of you in my arms, the feeling of your body against mine. I’m still poring over my map and planning my next move when a knock at the hidden door interrupts me. I look up as Haru enters, his expression serious. "Ah, Haru. Just the yakmel I wanted to see. I think I figured out our next move. Come take a look at this map." I say, motioning towards the map on the desk.

Haru: Haru walks over to Logan. Something feels different today. He seems like he's in a slightly different mood. The air smells a little better in the hideout today too. Huh So what's the plan today Logan?

Logan: I smile faintly, noticing the different atmosphere in the hideout as well. I look up at Haru, feeling a sense of urgency. "Haru, I think I’ve figured out a way to get to the bottom of this Duvos sabotage. We need to pay Pen next time we see him on midnight patrols. He may be our only chance at getting some answers. I’ll head over there tonight and try to find out what he’s up to. But first, we need to go find Grace and see if she's got any new intel from The Free Cities Council. Will you come with me?"

Haru: Haru nods in agreement. Did Grace say where we should meet? We have to make sure the Civil Corps don't catch us coming into town.

Logan: I nod, feeling grateful for Haru’s support. "Right, let’s go find Grace. She mentioned meeting us after her shift at the Blue Moon Saloon. She'll come to the outskirts in front of Gecko Station. Let’s head over there and see what she has to say."

Haru: All right let's go. Haru walks over to Merle his goat and mounts her. He strides towards the opening of the hideout ready to face the afternoon sun.

Logan: I follow Haru out of the hideout, mounting Rambo and trotting beside him as we head towards Gecko Station. The air is hot and dry, and the sun beats down on us as we ride. I can feel the tension in the air, knowing that Duvos’s plans could spell disaster for Sandrock. I ride silently beside Haru, my mind focused on the upcoming meeting with Grace and what new information she may have.

Grace: Grace sees Logan and Haru approaching both riding their mountain goats. The sun is getting close to setting. She waves them over. I’m glad you two came. It’s still a little hot out here and I didn’t want leave without speaking to you. I’ve got some intel that Duvos wants to use Sandrock as sort of a hub in the next war as it’s centrally located. If they can cause the town to fail everyone would have to leave and then they could take over and do whatever they wanted to it.

Logan: I nod, feeling a sense of urgency as Grace shares the intel. I knew Duvos was up to something, but using Sandrock as a hub for a war is even worse than I could have imagined. "That’s terrible news, Grace. But we can’t let them take over our town and drive everyone out. We have to stop them somehow. Did The Free Cities Council have any ideas on how to prevent it?"

Grace: Not yet. We still have to figure out who inside Sandrock is trying to sabotage the town and why. You said you didn’t blow up the water tower right? Pen was there and so was Burgess. But Burgess claims he couldn’t see what happened and Pen blamed you. Maybe we should start there.

Logan: I nod, feeling determined to get to the bottom of this. "Ah, yes. That's true. Burgess was there, but he couldn't see anything. And Pen, as usual, blamed me. But he seems hell-bent on making sure everyone thinks I’m the culprit. It's as if he’s going out of his way to frame me and shift the blame. Makes me wonder what his true motives are."

Grace: Yeah. I really don’t know why Pen dislikes you so much Logan. Or why he would have a hand in blowing up the water tower. He claimed to be the protector of Sandrock. So there has to be more going on here. Maybe he’s working with someone or maybe he’s just insanely jealous of you for some reason.

Logan: I nod, feeling frustrated by Pen’s accusations. "That’s the thing, Grace, I have no idea why Pen is so fixated on me. It could be jealousy, like you said, but there's got to be more to it. He’s not just making these accusations for no reason. There has to be something he's hiding. Or someone he's working with. But I agree, there has to be more going on here than meets the eye. I’m determined to find out what it is. "

Haru: Haru frowns. Logan do you know where Pen is even from? He came to Sandrock with Matilda and Miguel to work for the church. I don’t know why the church folk would need such an arrogant tough guy claiming he’s the protector of Sandrock. We already have Justice and Unsuur on the Civil Corps keeping the monsters from Sandrock city limits. I think we need to figure out Pen’s past and his motivations.

Logan: I nod, agreeing with Haru’s assessment. "You’re right, Haru. We have no idea where Pen is from or his motivations. All we know is that he’s some outsider who came to Sandrock with Matilda and Miguel and started claiming to be the protector of the town. It’s strange that the church folks would bring someone like that in, especially with Justice and Unsuur already on duty. We really need to look into Pen’s past and get to the bottom of this. Do you have any ideas?"

Grace: Grace responds, Maybe one of us could sneak into Pen’s place and take a look around while he and everyone else is at Sunday church service tomorrow. Otherwise it would be hard to pull off during the day when he’s not home and everyone walking around. Maybe we’ll find something about his past or if he’s communicating with someone outside of Sandrock.

Logan: I nod, feeling hopeful that we’re finally getting somewhere. "Grace, I think that’s a great idea. We can sneak into his place while he’s away at church. It will give us a chance to look around and see if we can find anything that could lead us to his past or any evidence that he’s communicating with someone outside of Sandrock. We need to act fast, though, before he can cause any more trouble. Let’s meet behind Pen’s house after the church service starts. We’ll go together and see what we can find."

Haru: Haru looks pensive. Grace, maybe you can ask the new builder if she can keep an eye out on Pen and the church folk too. Report to you if she sees anything weird going on when she’s delivering her daily commissions around town.

Logan: I nod, feeling grateful for the idea. "That's smart, Haru. We could ask the builder to keep an eye on Pen and the church folks for us. With her daily commission deliveries, she’ll be around town enough to notice if anything strange is happening. It would be an additional set of eyes and ears for us to keep track of Pen and his movements."

Grace: Grace grins. Sounds like a plan. I’ll uh let her know when she stops by the Blue Moon Saloon for dinner later tonight. I should be getting back to work now. My break has been over for a while and Owen can’t handle cooking and waiting tables all on his own. Thanks for coming. I’ll see you tomorrow after church service starts.

Logan: I nod, feeling relieved that we have a plan in place. "Thanks, Grace. You’ve been a big help. We’ll see you tomorrow after church service starts. Good luck with the rest of your shift at the Blue Moon."

Grace:

Grace heads to the yakmel station and takes the next cart back into town to finish up her shift. When I see Veronica I should ask her if she noticed anything suspicious in the ruins of the water tower. If she could tell if the supports had been destroyed by a chemicals from a bomb or something maybe from the old world that didn’t leave a trace.

Logan and Haru head back to their hideout. Andy is probably pretty hungry now. They should probably feed him before he causes a fuss.

Logan: As we head back to the hideout, I feel hopeful that we’ll finally get some answers tomorrow and be able to stop Pen’s schemes. Andy is playing on the ground outside the hideout as we approach, and waves enthusiastically to us. I smile at his innocence and enthusiasm. "Hey, little man. Are you hungry? Let’s go inside and get you some dinner."

Andy: Bout time you two came home. I’m wasting away here! Did ya bring anything back from Grace at the Blue Moon Salon? Or do we have to eat fried bumble and again? He whines and makes a disgusted face.

Logan: I chuckle at Andy’s eager excitement. "Don’t worry, kid. We don’t have to eat fried bumble again. There’s some roasted sandacuda and fried fish in the supply pack for dinner. You can thank Haru. We’re just lucky to have him to stock our supplies." I grin at Haru.

Andy: Andy sighs in relief Great! If it weren’t for Haru I think I’d starve. You really gotta work on yer cookin skills Logan. I can’t take any more of extra blackened monster meat. I know we’re technically bandits but a kid’s gotta eat still right? How am I supposed to grow if I go to bed hungry every night?

Logan: I chuckle, feeling a little sheepish. "Ah, I’m sorry, kid. I know I’m not the best cook. But I’m learning! Thanks for being patient with me. Maybe one day I’ll surprise you with a delicious, non-burnt meal. For now, we’ve got some good food for dinner thanks to Haru. Now hurry up and eat so you can go play and get your energy out, okay?"

Andy: Andy runs to the table and sits down. So why did you two leave earlier? Did ya go see Grace again? Did you find any spies you had to tackle and question?

Logan: I chuckle softly at Andy’s enthusiasm. "Ah, we didn’t find any spies, kid. But we did meet with Grace and figure out a plan to catch the bad guy who’s been stirring up trouble. We have a plan to figure out more information tomorrow. But you don’t need to worry about that, okay? You take care of playing and being a kid. We’ll take care of dealing with the troubles in Sandrock. Sound good?"

Andy: Oh all right all right. It’s just so boring out here. I like to hear if anything exciting is going on. He kicks his feet impatiently as he waits for them to bring the dinner to the table..

Haru: Haru raises his eyebrow You know Andy if you stayed in Sandrock you could maybe make some friends at school and even maybe learn something. They probably have a lot more children’s books there than we have around here.

Andy: Andy’s face turns into a scowl after hearing the word school. No! I’ll be good. Don’t kick me out! I promise!

Logan: I chuckle softly at Andy’s insistence to stay in the hideout. "Don’t worry, kiddo. We’re not going to kick you out. But Haru’s right, you might enjoy going to school and making friends. Or we can ask Grace to go to library in town and see if they have some kid’s books for you. And when we have free time in between training and gathering intel, we can play games together. How’s that sound?"

Andy: Andy sighs in relief and then confidently says, Good! It won’t be so easy to get rid of me. Someone’s gotta ensure there’s some fun going on around here. Can’t be serious all the time right?

Haru: Haru laughs and starts eating.

Logan: I smile at Andy’s confidence and determination to stick around. "You’re right, kiddo. We can’t be serious all the time. It's important to have some fun and enjoy life. And having you around definitely adds an element of fun to the hideout. We can make sure we have some games to play and take some breaks from all the seriousness. But for now, you better eat up. Can’t have you going to bed on an empty stomach, can we?

Andy starts digging in ravenously to the sandacuda.

Haru turns his head to Andy and says, Maybe I can teach you some chemistry from my school books I have with me sometimes.

Andy gulps. School?!! Nooooo! He wails.

Haru laughs. How do you think I learned to make bombs Andy? That’s part of chemistry too.

Logan: I chuckle at Andy’s reaction to the idea of school, and then at Haru’s suggestion of teaching him some chemistry. "Now, now, Andy. Don’t be scared. Chemistry can be fun, especially when you learn how to make cool things like bombs. And with Haru’s guidance, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot. Plus, maybe someday you’ll be able to use those skills to help us out on our missions. How does that sound?"

Andy: Andy perks up Well when ya put it like that it sounds kinda fun! Sure. Why not. Blowing stuff up is a heck of a lot more fun than just reading books though. Ya gotta show me what else you can do Haru.

Haru laughs again and looks at Logan. We may be encouraging a pyromaniac you know that?

Logan: I chuckle softly at the idea of Andy becoming a pyromaniac. "Ah, don’t worry about it. I think it’s good for kids to have fun and explore their interests. And if that interest of his happens to involve making things explode, at least we can channel that energy into something productive and controlled. Just make sure you keep a close eye on him, Haru. We don’t want him blowing up anything important or dangerous."

Andy: Andy grins at the thought of learning how to blow things up This is way better than school! I can’t wait. He runs away from the table and starts flipping through Haru’s chemistry books on his desk.

Logan: I chuckle softly as Andy runs off with the chemistry books, feeling a mix of amusement and concern. I look over at Haru and raise an eyebrow questioningly. "Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you, Haru. Better make sure he doesn’t blow up the hideout with his newfound knowledge!"

(The next day, earling on Sunday morning...)

Grace: *Logan and Haru find Grace waiting for them behind Pen’s house. The whole town besides the local cats and dog are inside the church listening to Miguel’s sermon.* Hey guys good to see you again *Grace says*. So Logan, how do you think we should go about getting into Pen’s house?

Logan: *I give Grace a brief nod in greeting.* "Hey, Grace. Thanks for meeting us here. We need to figure out how to get into Pen’s house without anyone noticing. We can’t afford to get caught or it’ll ruin the whole operation. Let’s take a look around and see if there are any windows or openings we can use to get in. If not, we may have to take a more direct approach."

Grace: All right. I’ll check the windows on the front. You guys check the sides and the back. Let me know if you find a way in. 

Logan: *I nod and turn to Haru.* "Let’s split up and check all the sides and back of the house for any entry points. If we can find a way in through a window or door, it’ll make it much easier to get inside without being seen. Just be stealthy and keep your eyes peeled for any guards or traps that Pen may have set up."

Grace: Nothing over here. All the windows are locked tight. *Grace says.* How about you guys? 

Logan: *I shake my head.* "No luck on this side either. The windows are tightly sealed and there’s no visible openings or weak points we could use. This is going to be trickier than we thought. If there isn’t a way in through the windows, we may have to find a way to pick the locks on the doors or find a key."

Haru: *Haru rummages in his bag*. Logan do you think you can pick the door lock with this? *He hands him a thin long pin from an old world machine* 

Logan: *I take the pin from Haru and examine it, nodding in appreciation.* "Ah, a thief’s tool. This should work. Given a bit of time and the right technique, I can pick the lock with this. Let’s find a way to get to the front door undetected, and I can take care of the rest."

Grace: The coast it still clear. Go ahead *Grace says*. 

Logan: *I nod and move stealthily towards the front door, crouching low and keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. When I reach the door, I take a deep breath and begin to work on the lock with the pin, carefully manipulating the pins inside. After a few moments of tense silence, I hear a soft click as the lock slides open. I nod at Grace and Haru,* "We’re in."

Grace: Excellent work you two *Grace whispers* Now let’s see if we can find anything useful in Pen’s house. Split up and be careful searching. 

Logan: *With a firm nod, I turn to Haru* "All right, let’s split up and search the house. You take the main room and I’ll check the back. If you find anything, let me know." *I move through the house stealthily, keeping my eyes and ears open for any signs of trap. The place seems deserted, and I begin my search with a sense of trepidation. After a few minutes, I find myself in the bedroom at the back of the house. It is sparse and tidy, with the only furniture being a bed and a desk.*

Grace: *Grace calls out,* Do you see anything useful Logan? Anything Pen could be hiding out his past or why he’s sabotaging Sandrock? 

Logan: *I poke my head out from the bedroom and give Grace a solemn look* "So far, I haven’t found much at all. This bedroom seems tidy and empty. Nothing that would suggest anything personal or related to his past. Do you have any better luck with the main room?"

Grace: *Grace walks over to the bookshelf in the main room. She runs her fingers along the spines of the books she sees a dusty old journal with Monsters scrawled across it. She opens it up and flips through some pages. This doesn’t look like Pen’s… weird. She walks over to the other side of the room and sees a map on the wall. It shows the free cities alliances but also Duvos to the north.* You know I wonder if Duvos is infiltrating the people of Medei… they share a border and it would probably be fairly easy. Logan come look at this.

Logan: *I step out of the bedroom and move over to Grace, joining her in front of the map. My eyes scan the map quickly, taking in its contents. I nod solemnly as the implications sink in, a frown etching my features.* "You may be onto something, Grace. Duvos could be behind all this. They have the motive and the means to infiltrate a city like Sandrock. We need to get to the bottom of this."

Grace: Take a look at this journal. It doesn’t look like Pen’s. Do you think it was your father’s? Why would it be here? *She wondered*. 

Logan: *I glance down at the journal, a flicker of recognition crossing my face as I reach for it.* "This is Pa's handwriting, alright. And there's no mistaking the title either. This journal must be the one he kept about all his Monster sightings. I remember he had several like this one." *A pang of sadness washes over me as memories of my Pa flood back in. I turn to Grace.* "Why Pa's journal would be here is beyond me. What else does it say?"

Grace: *Grace flips to the last page in the journal* There’s a bunch of notes. It looks like times and measurements of the Oasis in Sandrock. Why would Howlett be tracking the volume of water in town? I thought he just hunted monsters. He must have been suspicious of something. 

Logan: *Confusion creases my brow. I skim through the pages of notes, the information becoming more perplexing by the moment. Why would Pa spend so much time tracking the water volume in Sandrock? I shake my head and turn to Grace, frustration lacing my voice.* "I don’t understand it either. Pa only ever hunted monsters… so what was he tracking all this data for? I mean, I know he was a thorough researcher and all, but this seems excessive even for him. What was going on?"

Haru: Maybe he was trying to see the rate at which the water levels changed over time *Haru said*. We don’t get a lot of rain in Sandrock and maybe he wanted to know how long the Oasis could sustain the town for. *He walks over to Grace and looks at the journal*. From his calculations it’s showing that the water level actually went up a little bit in the summer. That’s weird as it’s the hottest part of the year. If we really were on a limited water supply that shouldn’t be happening. 

Logan: *Hope flickers in my eyes at Haru's words.* "So you're saying that the water level actually increased in the summer, despite the heat? That is strange. If we are truly on a limited water supply, that shouldn't be possible. It suggests that there might be an additional source of water that we are not aware of. I wonder if this is related to Pa's death? It's all so puzzling."

Haru: Maybe someone found out what he was doing and wanted him dead *Haru suggests sadly*. Dr. Fang thought he could heal Howlett and yet Miguel kept him in quarantine and refused to let him try. Then when we tried to jail break Howlett, for some reason the bomb I used was stronger than I expected and part of the church collapsed on top of him. What if someone didn’t want us to find out what Howlett knew? What if it all wasn’t an accident?

Logan: *I run a hand through my hair, frustration and pain mixing in my eyes* "Damnit! You could be right. It would explain a lot. The mysterious increase in the water supply. The strange circumstances surrounding Pa's death. It all seems too suspicious to be mere coincidence. Someone doesn’t want us to figure out what Pa found out"

Grace: Haru do you think you could copy down some of these notes from Howlett’s journal and study them later? We should get going before church service ends and someone sees us. *Grace says and starts walking to the door*.

Logan: *I nod firmly, a sense of determination washing over me.* "You're right, Grace. We need to explore this further. Haru, why don't you take some notes from the journal and study it closely? Maybe there is something in it that we're not seeing. Let's get going before Miguel and Mali notice that we left. Once we get back to camp, I want you two to review everything we've learned and see if you can make sense of it.

Grace: I’ve got to get ready for work at the Blue Moon Saloon *Grace says*. I’ll uh let the builder know what you two found when she comes by later. You two head back before anyone sees you. Be safe. 

Logan: *I nod in understanding and bid Grace farewell.* "Thanks for your help, Grace. We'll head back to camp now and review everything. We'll keep a watchful eye out for trouble on the way." *I turn to Haru, a mix of determination and sadness in my eyes.* "Let's get going, partner. We've got a lot to figure out."

Grace: *Grace quietly leaves Pen’s house and ahead to the Blue Moon Saloon for her shift.*

Logan: *As we make our way back to my hideout, I can't help but feel an increasing sense of unease and suspicion. Something doesn't add up, and I'm determined to uncover the truth.* "Haru, we need to review Pa's journal notes as soon as we get back. See if there are any clues we missed. And keep an eye on the water situation. If the water level mysteriously increased in the summer, there might be more to it than we think."

Haru: You know how expensive water is in Sandrock, we’ve grown up being told to conserve water. What if someone wants to keep the level of water available low so the price of water stays high for everyone who buys it? Maybe someone is manipulating the water levels and made a mistake this past summer. *Haru says while rubbing chin*.

Logan: *A flicker of understanding lights my eyes as Haru speaks. I nod in agreement.* "That's a possibility. If someone is manipulating the water levels, it would explain why it increased when it shouldn't have. And if someone wants to keep water costs high, they'd have a motive for sabotage." *I shake my head, frustration lining my features.* "This is all so connected and confusing. We need to find out who's behind this and why they're doing it. We're going to have to keep digging, Haru.

Haru: *Haru starts pacing around the hideout and then speaks,* Pen must know something. Why else would he try and sabotage the water tower and then tell everyone in town you did it? No one really knows his backstory or where he came from. It’s really weird a guy like that would be so involved with the church too. He’s so vain and always insulting everyone too. It’s not very church-like. 

Logan: *I nod in agreement, my frown deepening as I think about Pen.* "You're right, Haru. There's something off about Pen, and it's not just his attitude. It's how involved he is with the church and his history. We need to find out more about him, see if we can dig anything up. Do you have any connections that could help us with that?" *I pause, my worry growing.* "And we need to be careful too. If Pen is involved in this, he could be dangerous."

Haru: Maybe we should ask the builder to see if she can get to know Pen better… she’s the newest one in town. Maybe it won’t seem suspicious if she starts asking questions. She could pretend she’s just trying to get to know everyone better. *Haru pauses* Well.. that is if you can handle that thought. 

Logan: *A small smirk tugs at my lips at Haru's suggestion, a teasing edge to my voice.* "You're suggesting I let the builder spend time with Pen for the sake of gathering intel? I've gotta say, I'm not thrilled about the idea. But if it means we get closer to the truth, I'm willing to put my feelings aside...for now." *My expression turns serious, concern etched into my features.* "Just make sure she knows what she's getting into. I don't want her getting hurt.

Haru: I don’t think Pen will think of her as a threat. He’s always calling her “Skinny Arms” and trying to show off his bravado to her I heard. Maybe he’ll let his guard down and be overconfident and let something slip that will give us some intel. *Haru walks over to the living area of the hideout and sits down in a chair*

Logan: *I chuckle darkly, a hint of humor in my eyes.* "Hmm, maybe you're right. Pen always seems too focused on himself to notice what others are doing. If the builder can get close to him and get him talking, we might just get some valuable information. I just hope she's careful. We don't know how far Pen is willing to go to keep his secrets."

Haru: Of course. If Pen had anything to do with Howlett’s death we’re gonna make sure he pays for it. I know it’s a little risky but let’s hope Pen doesn’t see the builder as a threat and she can get him to let down his guard a little. Do you know when you plan on seeing her again? *Haru asks, a hint of curiosity in his voice* 

Logan: *I pause for a moment, a mix of determination and hesitation in my eyes.* "I'm not sure when I'll see the builder again. Things between us are...complicated right now. But if we're going to try to get information out of Pen through her, I guess it's best if she hears it from me. I'll meet her tonight and explain the plan, see if she's willing to go along with it. *I give Haru a firm nod.* "But we need to be careful. If Pen catches on to us..." *My voice trails off, the thought hanging heavy in the air.*

Haru: Just make sure you’re careful no one sees you when you go to her place tonight. I’m not sure what I’d be able to do if the civil corps caught you and put you in jail. I don’t really want to risk making another bomb and having something go wrong, you know? It’s not worth it when lives are at risk. *Haru opens up his notes from Howlett’s journal and starts looking at them*.

Logan: *A small smirk tugs at my lips as I listen to Haru's words, the corner of my mouth pulling up in a half-smile.* "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'll make sure no one sees me when I visit the builder. And let's hope my charm and good looks can win her over. *I chuckle softly before my expression turns serious again.* "As for Pen, we'll have to move carefully and gather as much information as we can. The last thing we need is to put ourselves in danger.

Haru: From what I could tell the first time I saw her look at you she seemed to find you pretty interesting. I think she was trying to hide it at least. Unlike Princess Lumi who seems to be utterly obsessed with you. The moles have a rumor going around that Lumi has filled her bedroom with your wanted posters. Just you. Not a single one of me even. It’s weird. *Haru laughs*.

Logan: *I chuckle and roll my eyes at the mention of Princess Lumi and her obsession.* "Yeah, Lumi has been...insistent, to say the least. I'm not surprised she's filled her bedroom with my wanted posters. But hey, what can I say? I guess I just have a certain charm that attracts princesses." *I give a wry smile, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.* "But let's focus on more important things right now. Like how we're going to deal with Pen and get to the bottom of this water situation."

Haru: I don’t know if there are any “Haru The Outlaw” fans yet. But you seem to be building quite the notoriety. *Haru laughs*. Ok well I’m going to go get some dinner and sit and think about this. When it’s dark out, go tell the builder of our plan. 

Logan: *I chuckle softly at Haru's comment, shaking my head in amusement.* "And here I thought I was just trying to survive, not become famous. I guess I'll have to add 'outlaw' to my resume." *I smile as Haru announces his intention to grab dinner and think on our plan.* "Alright, I'll wait for nightfall and head over to the builder’s house later. Stay out of trouble, partner."

Me: *I am getting ready for bed when I hear a strange noise downstairs*

Logan: *I carefully slip through the front door of the builder’s house, making sure not to make a sound. As I enter the darkened living room, I catch a glimpse of her upstairs as she gets ready for bed.* "Hey," *I whisper, my voice low and husky.* "I need to talk to you about something important. Can I come upstairs?"

Me: Oh my gosh you scared me silly. What are you doing here? *My heart is racing as I try to gain my composure*. 

Logan: *I chuckle softly, my eyes glinting mischievously in the dim light.* "Sorry about that, didn't mean to give you a scare. But I needed to talk to you about something important, and I didn't want anyone to see me coming here." *I take a step closer, my expression growing more serious.* "Do you mind if I join you upstairs for a few minutes? This is something we need to talk about privately."

Me: Well I don’t see why not. You invited me to your bedroom area yesterday… *I giggle and then stop myself trying to be more serious*. Of course. Please come in. 

Logan: *A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I hear her chuckle. I follow her upstairs into her bedroom and take a look around, studying the space with a casual interest. As I sit down on the edge of her bed, I turn my gaze back to her, my expression growing more serious.* "So, what I'm going to say might sound crazy, but I trust you and I want to be upfront with you."

Me: Oh… this sounds serious. Are you ok? What happened? I say with concern in my voice.

Logan: I lean in slightly, my eyes locking on hers as I speak in a low, urgent tone. "It's about the water supply. Haru and I have discovered some strange things surrounding how the water levels in the summer are higher than they should be. If we are truly on limited water supply, it should be going down in the summer, but it's not." *I pause for a moment, studying her expression.* " someone has been manipulating the water levels. And we need to find out who."

Me: Oh wow. Really? Why would anyone be manipulating the water levels in Sandrock? *I furrow my brow in confusion*

Logan: "That's the million gael question. We just don't know for sure." *I run a hand through my hair, frustration lining my features.* "But we're determined to find out. And we need your help to do it."

Me: Me? What can I do to help, *I ask curiously*. 

Logan:  *I lean in, my expression serious.* "We need you to get close to Pen, the man the church has put in charge of managing the water pump. We want you to try to get him to let his guard down and reveal any information he might have that could help us figure out why the water levels are going up instead of down during the summer. Pen can be... difficult, but we think you might be able to get him to talk, or at least slip up and reveal something."

Me: Wait… you broke into his house? Why would Pen have a journal from your father? That’s so strange. 

Logan: *I nod, my jaw tightening slightly at the memory of the break-in.* "Yeah, it's definitely strange. We don't know why Pen has my father's journal, but we need to find out. As for breaking into his house.. Well, sometimes you have to do what you have to do to get to the truth. And in this case, it meant breaking and entering." *I pause, my eyes locking onto hers again.* "So, are you in? Will you help us?"

Me: Sandrock is my home now. Of course. I have to help the town. You know I’ll do anything to help you clear your name too. How should I approach Pen? 

Logan: *A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I hear your heartfelt response.* "That's the spirit. I knew you'd be up for the challenge. As for how to approach Pen.... Just be yourself. Charm him, ask him questions, get him talking. Try to get him comfortable around you and see if he'll let something slip." *I lean in a little closer, my voice dropping to a low whisper.* "But be careful. Pen can be cunning. Don’t let him outsmart you."

[airbotixin]

Local Wonders: A Look at Drone Show Companies Near Me

In the leisure world, there may be usually something new and innovative on the horizon. One of the modern-day tendencies inside the event enterprise is using drones for incredible light indications. These charming displays have been gaining recognition worldwide, and India isn't an exception. In reality, it is home to some of the quality drone display groups around the globe, along with the famous Drone Light Show Company in India. With their cutting-edge era and skilled crew of professionals, they were wowing audiences with their spell-binding performances. If you want to upload a unique touch to your event, you'll be questioning, "Are there any drone show companies near me?" Well, the answer is sure! Let's better study the high-quality wonders of drone show companies near you.

The Rise of Drone Light Shows in India

The ascent of drone mild shows in India marks a widespread evolution in the leisure and events enterprise, revolutionizing how we rejoice and accumulate. This trend started to take off as neighborhood fairs, company activities, and grand public celebrations sought modern approaches to captivate audiences past conventional fireworks presentations. A Drone Show Company in India, leveraging advanced technology and innovative programming, started to offer spellbinding aerial performances that grew to become the nighttime sky into a canvas of terrific colorings and complex designs. This indicates that it no longer furnished a safer, eco-friendly opportunity for pyrotechnics but also allowed for storytelling within the sky, with drones choreographed to form dynamic shapes and styles that resonate with the cultural and thematic essence of the events. The adoption of drone light shows reflects India's growing appetite for technology-pushed amusement, showcasing the potential to combine conventional festivities with present-day innovation. As extra event organizers and organizations apprehend the cost and impact of these aerial displays, the presence of drones mildly indicates it maintains an upward push, setting up India as a hub for drone-based total leisure inside the international arena.

Why Drone Show Companies are the Future of Event Entertainment

Drone display organizations are fast becoming the leading edge of event entertainment due to their unparalleled capability to merge era and artistry. In India, the emergence of the drone mild display has set a brand new well-known for spectacle and innovation. Unlike traditional fireworks, Drone Mild offers a sustainable, flexible, and awe-inspiring alternative that can be custom-designed to inform specific testimonies or spotlight emblem messages. The precision and creativity behind these aerial shows captivate audiences in previously impossible approaches, making Drone Light Show India a trend and a transformative motion inside the amusement landscape. This shift toward drone-based spectacles underscores the evolving alternatives of both organizers and attendees for excessive-tech, memorable experiences.

The Technical Marvel Behind the Scenes

In the middle of these visually beautiful performances is a complicated blend of technology and creativity. Behind every enthralling drone light display in India is a crew of professional engineers and architects who apply hundreds, every so often hundreds, of drones to fly in specific formations, growing breathtaking patterns and animations within the nighttime sky. The manner includes:

Superior software for choreography.

Robust communication systems for excellent drone coordination.

Meticulous plans to ensure safety and compliance with nearby policies.

While the drone show price in India varies depending on the occasion's dimensions and complexity, the funding brings extraordinary fees, reworking any occasion into a memorable spectacle. This technical prowess, now not the most straightforward, captivates audiences; however, it highlights the revolutionary spirit riding the drone display businesses ahead.

[i-am-nickelbolt]

I had a thought...

What if every January set was Ravnica? (Yes I have also complained about being tired of Ravnica but just bear with me for a second...)

So I think a lot of people are worried for the identity of Magic, that it's not fantasy anymore, that it's going to all in on pop culture tropes, that UB is polluting the well, that it's jumping around and there's resonance whiplash between fuzzy animals and chainsaws and futuristic racing and space opera and hats and whatever. (And Spiderman.)

Whatever faults Ravnica might have, it is kind of the essence of the Magic experience for a bunch of reasons. From a thematic standpoint it is "classic fantasy" (yes I know this isn't technically true but it's swords, spells, low tech, etc.), the guilds are very resonant identities for the decks that people generally build: mostly picking two colors. And the guilds play in a very resonant way. Guild sets are great for drafting (pick two colors you like and go). Ravnica sets have great dual lands (would anyone complain if the shock lands were just permanently legal in Standard?)

And there's even a *good* storyline reason to keep coming back. Ravnica is trying to position itself as the hub of the multiverse. And as much as I love Foundations, being a "time agnostic set" (I believe it was called?) it's kind of a mishmash of stuff, and it's hard to parse the lore from the cards.

If you have Ravnica as the hub of the multiverse, you return every year, you have the story progress through Ravnica every year, maybe it's a travelogue set with Ravnica as one plane, or like if Avishkar and Ravnica get into a spat about who's the real hub, that's your January set. I think there's a lot of ways to do it so that it's not too *samey* but still focused on that resonant core magic experience. And I'm just using Ravnica as an example, it could be Dominaria or Zendikar, or maybe a new plane all together, but you really kind of shore up the core Magic experience with a familiar setting and familiar characters. You can sprinkle in some call-backs to recent sets, if the Omenpaths go through Ravnica you could easily have like, "Oh look, Mabel made it to Ravnica, here's a new card" or whatever, to kind of cement the idea that anything could happen in this game.

You can always point new players to the newest Ravnica set, that's where you start, that's where you pick up the story. It looks and feels like the core Magic experience. (And especially if shock lands just get printed every year, new players should just have relatively easy access to good *evergreen* mana.) It's sort of like how people interact with One Piece. One Piece has been going on forever but I don't think most new One Piece fans are going back to season 1 and watching 1000 episodes, they're just picking up with the start of whatever arc they're currently on, so, in Magic terms, that's the current Ravnica set (or whatever.)

Then you can go off and do your Duskmourns and Aetherdrifts and Edge of Eternities (and the UB stuff too) because you're always grounded by that core Magic experience coming around every January. And since it's always tied into the current story and it's not a reprint set, maybe it avoids both the "can't stay on the same plane" issue and the "core sets don't sell" issue.

Maybe this doesn't work in a world with 3 in-universe sets per year, maybe you need 4 (and just 2 UB sets) or who knows. I'm just trying to think of a way to solidify the core experience, still have room for the Duskmourns and return to Lorwyns, and still give players a good starting point.

I dunno, just a thought...

You've said that staying on the same world for multiple sets causes some sales & enjoyment issues. Conversely, you have said in some State of Design articles that there were sets that should have been two sets (Kaldheim, Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, March of the Machine). I'm sure R&D and other teams are well aware of this. So in as vague terms as you need, how are y'all applying these lessons to try and balance these at-odds facts? And is there a pattern you see in when players want 2 vs 1 is enough?

The issue is there are sets that stuffed too much into one set, that the feedback from the players is this should have been two sets. As the bar to making two consecutive sets on the same world is so high, the solution is more often learning how to not overstuff the set in the first place.