#phoenix faction

[kay-elle-cee]

in the latter days || Read Chapter 1 on Ao3 A First War AU || 4.7K || Rated M || Playlist || Start from the beginning

In February of 1983, a cataclysmic shift occurred in the wizarding world, plunging it into chaos. Four years later, revelations shake the core of James Potter’s new reality when, on a mission, he discovers another faction of the Order of the Phoenix — and with them, the woman he thought he’d lost forever.

Now the two broken factions of the Order must team up to finish what they once started, while James and Lily work through four years of loss and rediscovery.

Chapter 1: Four Years Later

James blinks and the sounds of the pub—warm laughter, staticky music, the clinking of glasses and plates—flood his senses once more, pulling him from his thoughts as much as the hand squeezing his shoulder. He readjusts his glasses and looks to his right, where Sirius stares at him with hard grey eyes. “It’s your birthday, mate, leave it behind for a night.” Easier said than done, James wants to grumble in return, but he swallows it. He knows the three of them—Sirius, as well as Remus and Peter—all think he puts too much of himself into the Order. How, ever since it’s re-formed, he’s replaced one vice with another. But they’d made a big effort to give him a night free of that, covering and swapping intel missions with some of the others so that tonight they could be with him on his birthday. A celebration of another year older. He instantly wishes the butterbeer in front of him was something stronger, though he still tries to rinse the bitterness from his mouth with its sweetness all the same. “Right, yeah. Can do,” he nods with a forced smile.

Shhhh I'm breaking my rules of not posting a chapter until I'm done writing another because this month has been hell and I need the dopamine of people reading this and yelling at me in the comments.

From the playlist: evermore — Taylor Swift & Bon Iver; In the Woods Somewhere — Hozier

[banshee-king]

I have mixed feelings on the Emperor’s Children release, and I think I can sum it up best as I’m happy for what we got, but disappointed by what we didn’t. Other people have already talked about how the models look, but kitbashing is a thing and they’ve shown cosmetic options anyway so that’s not what I want to discuss.

I’m more interested in what units we got, and here is where I’m disappointed. Noise Marines, Lucius, and Fulgrim were a given, and I’m happy to say I really like how many weapon options the Lord Exultant has. The other units though?

I just think 4 different infantry units is a bit redundant. Did we need Tormentors and Infractors when Noise Marines and Flawless Blades do the same thing? Other Chaos factions have a cultist and Marine unit, basic and elite. EC skipping the cultist unit for a slightly cheaper Marine unit only closes the gap and makes them more redundant. Are Noise Marines even the equivalent of the other 3 mono-god units now? Or are they more elite, and Tormentors/Infractors are the Rubic/Plague Marine equal?

I like the lore how Flawless Baldes are a mirror of Palatine Blades, but what about Phoenix Terminators? Where’s their mirror unit? The new EC army doesn’t come with new Terminators, or bikes, or jump pack infantry, no vehicles, no aircraft, not even a new dreadnought with sonic weapons. It’s just 4 infantry on foot.

I mean, Palatine Blades could take jump packs in HH, so why not give the Flawless Blades them? If all 4 of the new EC units are also equipped with anti-infantry weapons, no dedicated tank killers, then their roles will overlap even more. I fear one unit will be most cost effective for their points, and the other three will simply languish unused. Until a balance patch changes which of the 3 units are inferior.

So overall I do like how the models look, I just wish we got more variety of units.

[charmsandtealeaves]

My partner’s last week of holiday leave so made the most of being able to read on the beach while fishing 🏖️

Read This Week (12/1/2025):

This month's book club read:

We haven’t set a book for January yet, but I’ve continued working through all the summer swap books. So this week was Longbourn by Jo Baker which I am still yet to start.

Other Reads:

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Fics:

Fearlessly Red by @petals2fish

Complete (199.5k), Muggle AU Jily, Rated E

Red. It was such an interesting color to correlate with emotion because it was on both ends of the spectrum. On one end there was happiness, falling in love, passion, all that. On the other end was jealousy, fear and frustration. Maybe that's why James thought the nickname fit Lily so well. (Bodyguard!James/Celebrity!Lily)

Before the Crossword by Petals2fish

Complete (700w), HP missing moments, Rated G

During the events of Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid is taken to Azkaban and finds himself locked in a cell across from Sirius Black.

A Life With You by @kay-elle-cee

Complete (15.1k), Jily lives AU, rated T

A Jily Lives AU collection of small moments from Hogwarts onwards, using the 31 Jilytober tumblr prompts.

In Search Of Something More by kay-elle-cee (Ch.7)

WIP, Regency Jily, Rated M

In the sunlit garden of her sister’s home, Lord Potter had promised Lily a life of her own design, with minimal expectations—her presence at community events, companionship, and an heir. As the two stumble into the routine of marriage and work to make a life together at Stinchcombe Hall, unsolicited feelings provoke each to start wondering if this is merely a marriage…or if it could be something more.

In The Latter Days by kay-elle-cee

WIP, canon divergent Jily, Rated M

In February of 1983, a cataclysmic shift occurred in the wizarding world, plunging it into chaos. Four years later, revelations shake the core of James Potter’s new reality when, on a mission, he discovers another faction of the Order of the Phoenix — and with them, the woman he thought he’d lost forever. Now the two broken factions of the Order must team up to finish what they once started, while James and Lily work through four years of loss and rediscovery

The Professional by @annabtg

Complete (941w), muggle AU jily, Rated T

James Potter is nothing if not a professional - yet his new co-worker, a gorgeous woman who seems to hate him, is putting his sense of professionalism to the test...

Alright, Potter? By annabtg

Complete (1.8k), canon divergent Jily, Rated G

On a sunny day after the Defence Against the Dark Arts OWLs, Lily Evans finds herself in a fight with her nemesis - until James Potter interferes.

Bad Egg by annabtg

Complete (1.1k), crack fic treated serious, Jily, Rated G

After her first overnight stay at James Potter's house, Lily Evans is met with an unpleasant surprise.

Waylaid by @missgryffin

Complete (16k), muggle AU Jily, Rated E

Lily Evans is thirty years old, single, and racing a blizzard to get home for Christmas when James Potter crashes into her life. Literally.

All Buttered Up by @wearingaberetinparis

Complete (6.6k), muggle AU Jily, Rated T

James Potter, one of the youngest and most charismatic MPs in Parliament, never expected his viral baking blunder on the Great Christmas Celebrity Bake Off to land him back in the tent. But when the show’s host, Gilderoy Lockhart, falls victim to ironic food poisoning, James is asked to step in at the last minute — opposite BBC presenter Lily Evans, the sharp, no-nonsense woman he’s had a painfully obvious crush on for the past year. As filming heats up, James must face his trauma, while navigating burnt pastries, soggy bottoms, and sparks that might just turn into something real.

The Parent Trap by wearingaberetinparis

Complete (22.8k), second chances Jily AU, Rated M

After falling pregnant at university, Lily Evans and James Potter are co-parents to their seven-year-old son, Harry. When James unexpectedly shows up at Lily’s Cokeworth flat on Christmas Eve, a blizzard traps them inside together. Forced to spend Christmas under one roof, old tensions between the former lovers resurface. A 3-Part Second Chance Jily Romance

even if it's a false god, we'd still worship this love by wearingaberetinparis

Complete (34.2K), mythology AU Jily , Rated M

Being a God is divine - until it’s not. James, the Sun God, has had enough of immortality, celestial parties, and endless adoration. He’s ready to trade in his golden throne for something far more thrilling: mortality. Enter Lily Evans, a mortal desperate for anything to break the monotony of her very ordinary life. But when their paths cross, the line between mortal and divine begins to blur, drawing them into a tangled web of prophecy, power, and peril. As shadows stir and the God of the Underworld sets his sights on Lily, James must face the one thing even a God cannot control: fate.

So Bring Us Some Plummy Pudding by @merlinsbbeard

Complete (2.6k), James at Christmas, Rated G

In which James Potter adores Christmas.

Keep Pace by @gigglesandfreckles-hp

Complete (8.6k), Hogwarts Jily, Rated T

“So,” she says after a moment, her voice light, “is this a thing you do? Invite girls to kill themselves on a run after you find them crying. Or am I special?” Sirius laughs. It’s a sharp sound, almost surprised, but it makes her stomach loosen. “You’re special,” he says dryly, finally turning to look at her properly. He watches her for a beat longer than she expects, like he’s searching for something in her face—some answer she doesn’t know how to give. Whatever it is, he seems to find it.

Sip Happens by @eastwindmlk

Complete (4.6k), muggle AU prongsfoot, Rated T

After a very long, bad, not so good, terrible day James Potter finds himself alone in a cocktail bar and finds companionship and flirtations with the handsome bartender and his sinful forearms.

Safe by @yallthemwitches

Complete (1.6k), order! Jilypad, Rated M

It was an arrangement out of necessity than anything else. The safe house was nothing more than a glorified shack, barely habitable besides a creaky iron bed with an ancient quilt tucked in under the mattress. He had offered to sleep on the ground. "I'm a dog after all." But Lily wouldn’t hear of it. So they shared the bed so to speak. One couple and their mangy best mate at their feet.

[blueikeproductions]

Alright I’ve been thinking of it long enough: rough AU timeline for the evolution of the Terrans as a species and faction.

Eons ago, the ancient Prime, Quintus Prime, left Cybertron with the goal to seed life on barren planets with the hopes these new Transformer descendants would eventually forge peaceful relations with Cybertron. His first born, the Quintessons, put a wrinkle in this lofty goal, instead conquering or outright obliterating their cousins after developing daddy issues with Quintus Prime. Hunting down their creator, desiring the life giving Emberstone, the Quintessons would corner the Prime on Earth in its prehistory.

It was this conflict, which saw the rise of Terratronus and her crew, that also saw the extinction of the dinosaurs. While the Quintessons were driven off, Quintus’ last act on Earth was to use the Emberstone to restore life on the planet, and leaving Terratronus and Apelinq’s remaining early Terrans to safeguard the Stone and help life on Earth flourish.

The first to reclaim Earth were the reptilian humanoids of the Cobra-La race, but the Cobra-Laians were disgusted by their mechanical progenitors, preferring their “organic” technology, and attempted to exterminate the Terrans by abusing the Emberstone. An uneasy ceasefire was later agreed on with both factions sticking to their own territories, though the Terrans would take back control of the Emberstone, hiding it underground in Terratronus’ city mode. An ice age largely wiped out the majority of Cobra-Laians, with their descendants living in an arctic region undisturbed until 4 million years later when Megatron’s body was uncovered.

Sub-Atlantica was another faction of organic fish like humanoids that evolved by the power of the Emberstone, but they mostly kept to themselves, sticking to their underwater civilization and barely interacting with Cobra-La or Terratronus. In the modern era, they were besieged by the Decepticons, and were assisted by Autobot Seaspray, GHOST Agent Alanna, the Maltobot Terrans and Witwiccan Terrans.

Humans evolved, becoming the dominate species of Earth, with the early Terrans helping guide their development, though withholding using the Emberstone, for fear of repeating Cobra-La. Quintus’ spirit felt confident a group of chosen humans would one day inherit his power, though it came in a form he didn’t quite anticipate. After choosing the Malto children, and creating the first two modern Terrans in a millennia, Quintus was surprised to see a small group of dimensionally displaced children, Grahm and his friends from one of the Cyberverse universes. Cross referencing with his brother Vector Prime, Quintus felt confident Grahm’s group was also worthy, bestowing them with Cyber Sleeves and Terrans also.

Ethan Meridian was the final child of Earth to be blessed with Terrans and a Cyber Sleeve, and when questioned by Vector Prime, Mo and Thompson, Quintus felt confident in Ethan to not become like his father, Dr. Mandroid. Quintus was correct of course.

Sometime later, sympathetic to the disenfranchised GHOST Autobots, Hashtag sent a pulse wave into space using her internet powers to see if there truly are other Transformers out in space. First, Hashtag got a reply from Cathy the Catharsian, who later came to Earth aboard a Velgrox ship to visit her, but soon more Colony Transformers began responding to the pulse wave, followed up by Regulus Magnus’ Autobots and Megaplex’s Decepticons from Cybertron. The Quintessons also became aware of this pulse wave, recognizing it as Emberstone energy, and infuriated they were tricked off Earth, went back to claim what was rightfully theirs.

Grahm, Phoenix, Robbie and Nightshade would later discover Apelinq, looking into local legends of the Witwicky Bigfoot, where the Ancient Terran would reveal the secret of the origins of the Earthbound Terrans and how their new colony friends are their relatives. To make it easier, Nightshade offers to collectively call all their Emberstone descendants Terrans as a faction. It is Quintus’ hope the chosen Maltobots and Witwiccans can unite the “family” and put a stop to Megaplex and the Quintessons’ machinations. Lingering in the background however is a further corruption that wants to obliterate what Quintus Prime desires, the mysterious Transformer Dark Nova…

The Autobots, Maltobots and Witwiccans would find themselves clashing with Dr. Mandroid’s Arachnamechs, the rouge GHOST AI TORQ, Starscream’s Chaos Terrans, Turmoil’s ramshackle Earth Decepticons, and Megaplex’s Decepticons. It was the invasion of Dark Nova, a fallen Prime using the power of the Dead Universe to counter the power of Quintus’ Emberstone that saw true unification begin among the Terrans, Autobots and Decepticons.

At series end, with Dark Nova, the Quintessons and Decepticons defeated, Quintus’ dream is accomplished with Terratronus serving as the capital city of a thriving Unified Cybertron Alliance on Earth.

Ancient Earth Terrans:

Terratronus (MetroTitan, later a Quintesson like space cruiser Vehicle Mode)

Apelinq (Bigfoot Beast Mode)

Catilla (Saber Tooth Tiger Beast Mode)

Terrashock (Prehistoric bull Beast Mode)

Divebomb (Prehistoric bird Beast Mode, based on the TFP version)

Retrax (Prehistoric Insecticon Beast Mode)

Maltobots:

Twitch (Drone Vehicle Mode)

Thrash (Motorbike Vehicle Mode)

Jawbreaker (Dinosaur Beast Mode)

Hashtag (Surveillance Van Vehicle Mode)

Nightshade (Owl Beast Mode)

Cathy (Catharsian, Custom Space Car Vehicle Mode)

Browser (Cassette, Reptar like Robot Mode)

Bit & Byte (Cassette, CatDog like Robot Mode)

Shelldon (Cassette, Rise of the TMNT Donnie like Robot Mode)

Galvatron (Megatron evolved by inheriting the power of Quintus Prime)

Witwiccans:

Phoenix (Partnered to Grahm Witwicky, Humanoid bird Robot Mode, Firebird Vehicle Mode)

Landhammer (Partnered to Thompson Cabezon, Gorilla Robot Mode, Off-road SUV Vehicle Mode)

Nightscream (Partnered to Milo Meister, Giant Bat Beast Mode)

Abhorrous (Partnered to Maddie Witwicky, Monsterbot Scorpion Beast Mode)

Rebarbarous (Partnered to Ethan Meridian, Name from Rebarbative. Monsterbot Dinosaur Beast Mode)

Camshaft (Partnered to Ethan Meridian, Griffin Motors 1995 Windblazer Vehicle Mode, nicknamed Cam, after Ethan’s deceased brother Cameron. Seems to be something of a clone from Ethan’s memories, but with a Bravern slant)

Oppugnuos (Partnered to Ethan Meridian, Name from Oppugnant, Monsterbot Arachnamech Beast Mode)

Triplex (Partnered to Ethan Meridian, Combiner, made up of Camshaft, Rebarbarous and Oppugnuos)

Chaos Terrans:

Aftermath (tow truck Vehicle Mode)

Spitfire (drone Vehicle Mode, recolor of Twitch)

Clickbait (surveillance van Vehicle Mode, recolor of Hashtag)

Horri-Bull (bull Beast Mode, retool of Jawbreaker)

Super Starscream (evolved by stealing the power of Quintus Prime when the Emberstone was up for grabs)

Named Refugee Terrans:

Rubble (Lithone)

Arbulus (Lithone)

Lickity-Split (Gorlam Prime)

Hi Score (Martian)

Swift (Paradron)

Sideswipe (Martian)

Gauge (Gorlam Prime)

Geomotus (Lithone)

Sandstorm (Paradron)

Lightbright (Arduria)

Skar (Dinosaur)

Slash (Dinosaur)

Regulus Magnus’ crew:

Regulon (Evolved Autobot-Ammonite, Headmaster, combines with the headless Amazonus Prime to become Regulus Magnus. Space Amazon delivery van Vehicle Mode)

Springlock (Unidentified colony, space amphibian Beast Mode)

Oilpan: (Unidentified colony, space slug Beast Mode)

Quackshot (Ardurian Roc, humanoid duck like Robot Mode, space jet Vehicle Mode)

Gnaw (Sharkticon Robot Mode, truck Vehicle Mode)

Wheelie (Evolved Autobot-Ammonite. Child soldier as Bumblebee once was. Best friends with Gnaw. Space car Vehicle Mode. The son of Endo, a prominent Autobot scientist on Cybertron Termagax worked with before the Great War.)

Mentlar (Evolved Autobot-Ammonite, space radar truck Vehicle Mode)

Chemico (Evolved Autobot-Ammonite, Energon chemical truck Vehicle Mode)

Tanker (Evolved Autobot-Ammonite, space tank Vehicle Mode)

Emberstone created Colony Planets:

Catharsia (Cathy’s home planet)

Quintessa (Quintesson home planet)

Arduria (status unclear, though last record indicates severe climate change affecting the planet)

Gorlam Prime (destroyed by Quintessons, survivors aboard MetroTitan Gorlamus)

Dinosaur (destroyed by Quintessons, survivors aboard MetroTitan Cretaceous)

Mars (Surface rendered uninhabitable to Transformer life during a Quintesson attack, but survivors built a civilization underground, and does not require moms. It’s implied organic lifeforms exist alongside the Martian Transformers, and that the humanoid Martians also have Cyber Sleeves.)

Stentaria (The Autobots on Cybertron had to make a bargain with the built for war Ammonites in order to get a leg up with the out of control Decepticons on Cybertron. The Terradores are a bit annoyed the Autobots didn’t come to them for help, but understand why their Ammonite cousins were chosen instead…)

Lithone (destroyed by Quintessons, survivors aboard MetroTitan Acasta Gneiss)

Antilla (destroyed by Quintessons using invasive Rust Worm species)

Paradron (destroyed by Quintessons detonating Energon Core)

Aquatron (status unclear, conflicting information)

Neutronia

The Tenth Planet of the Sol System

[samueldays]

Sam Reviews: Phoenix Point, part 1

Phoenix Point is down to ten bucks on GOG, DLC included!

I bought it, figuring even a half-decent XCOM clone is worth it for ten bucks. So far it feels like a $10 game indeed. I'm probably not going to finish it before the sale ends, I have a job, so here's my initial impressions for those interested and I'll come back with part 2 later.

Tutorial missions, fine. First regular mission against crab monsters, fine. Second regular mission pits me against gun-happy human bandits, and I am unpleasantly surprised that they return fire whenever they're shot at, getting 4 counter-attacks in a turn if 4 people shoot at them, they even "return fire" upon having a grenade thrown at them.

Solution: run up and bash them in the head with the butt of a gun repeatedly, they don't get to return fire from that. I grumbled about that, and the game feels like 'that' repeatedly.

I didn't like the puzzle boss nature of infinite return fire. One return fire per turn would have been cool, and enabled tactical counterplay options. Unlimited return fire breaks the action economy, breaks my immersion for the game abstraction of "action points", and makes me feel this is going to be a game about cheesing AP limits and ruleslawyer combos. Also, the infinite return fire ability was on multiple nameless minions in that mission, not even reserved for a boss. Bash bash bash bash!

I didn't like the lack of game hints in this context. I had Hints turned on for a first run at low difficulty. The Hints make suggestions for what to research, how game mechanics work, and provide informative popups the first time a new strain of crab monster appears. But there was no Hint popup about the first encounter with an enemy having the Return Fire ability, no tooltip on mouseover of enemy, nor was there any indication of what actions trigger Return Fire, despite this being significantly more impactful than "this crab monster regenerates".

I didn't like the solution, which felt like a rules loophole rather than a sensible way to approach rapid-firing enemies. Oh yeah here's a guy who can interrupt your turn to shoot multiple times per turn, you should all walk up to him and punch him and he'll politely submit to the beatings.

I really didn't like that compared to recent XCOM games, Phoenix Point added a micromanagement tracker for Weapon Durability, and bashing the return-fire-goons in the head damages your weapon! Also they brought back ammo management, so now your weapon has two stats that can run out during combat.

But I also recognize that these things aren't bugs or crashes or typos or other objectively wrong things about the game, they're design decisions that I disagree with. The game runs fine. I have a series of grumbles and no dealbreakers.

Moving on from the Return Fire-associated crap...

This is an XCOM-genre game, definitely. It has base building, squad management, research and production, capturing crab monsters for research, psychic mind control, a strategic "Geoscape" layer and numerous tactical battle missions. The one thing that's oddly missing is gear upgrades. New gear is mostly sidegrades and tactical options, on the other hand it offers far stronger character upgrades than in most XCOM games, to the point of looking partly like a CRPG with classes, levels and skill points.

The Geoscape has more content than the waiting game that was some previous xcoms. There are other factions moving on the map, there's some trade and diplomacy with them, there are unknown sites to explore, you reactivate old bases instead of building them from scratch. Sometimes this means clearing them of crab monsters.

The Phoenix Point interface inherits a lot of XCOM 2's cutscenery that I dislike. It is very beautiful, very zoomed in, and wants to make sure you see it. There's frequent waiting to watch stuff resolve, and the game insists on having the camera follow unimportant actions like the run animation of every soldier's every move, and locking the interface during this. Move orders (particularly out of sight of enemies) should not hog control, I should be able to tab to the next soldier and begin giving a new move order immediately after the previous! Each individual animation is short, but multiply it by several soldiers, on each of several turns, on each of several missions, and my frustration at an unresponsive interface accumulates.

The zoom-out is limited. Soldiers will frequently be so far away from each other that I can't see them on the same screen, and have to pan back and forth. Bleh.

The gun system is quite detailed with damage types, damage values, accuracy modifiers, weapon ranges, armor, armor-shredding weapons, body part targeting and hit location, disabled limbs, bleeding, cover, et cetera. The game then offers options to skip a lot of this gunnery where enemies get to resist, and instead go for special abilities that Just Work, like War Cry:

AOE, autohit, no save, renders most enemies unable to attack for a turn.

About that limbs stuff, Phoenix Point has tried hard to make hit locations relevant. Crab monsters have game-relevant organs and limbs that can be disabled for far less damage than it takes to kill the whole monster. It's neat, but feels a little underwhelming. I don't blame the devs much for this, balance is hard when there's hefty player optionality plus RNG, and there's a fine line between making targeting relevant and making a monster the Shootmeinthegland monster where shooting it in the gland simply becomes the new default target instead of shooting it in the head/center mass.

Guns are weak, and armor is powerful as part of making limb targeting relevant. Also, armor-shredding weapons. This feels related to the CRPG class-and-level stuff: with the smaller squad and the more personalized characters and the more important individuals, the game has to give more leeway for characters to survive being hit to avoid player frustration. We've moved a long way from X-COM:UFO where casualties were routine and replacements were cheap.

I don't know if it's good or bad that the game plays "fair" about the least relevant nameless NPCs being similarly padded, but I know one of my mutuals will hate this combination of health padding and detailed targeting:

I have caught this thief at close range (2 tiles). I am about to launch a six-round burst from my character's assault rifle into his head. The targeting reticle, the highlighted yellow outline, and the info popup all agree that these bullets will go into his head if I fire here and now. The segmented bar at the top indicates that the result of close-range burst fire to the head through the front of the face is that the thief will lose about half his hitpoints.

To underscore that I've gotten a head hit, not a glancing blow off the helmet, the game displays the thief with a bloody face and blood-splattered clothes after the shot. But he lives. Somehow.

There's also a plot to Phoenix Point. I don't play xcoms for the plot, but there's definitely been some work on the plot beyond "kill and loot aliums :)". After the second world war, blah blah secret organization, moonbase, something something precursor civilization. It looks like good lore, I'll re-read the accumulated notes when I have more notes and fewer darkly hinting clue-scraps bereft of context.

(update: part 2)

[vintagerpg]

The Demon Pits of Caeldo is sort of the reason Gamelords existed. Kerry Lloyd had written it as a companion to Mines of Keridav, but Phoenix Games folded before it was published. So Lloyd founded Gamelords with some friends. It took a few years to get around to re-publishing Mines and then getting Demon Pits on shelves.

Largely worth the wait. The ruins of Castle Caeldo were detailed in brief as one of the hexes in Mines. The castle is reputed to be haunted, but it turns out demons roost there, not ghosts; it fell in a single night thanks to a summoning gone wrong (I love this concept) and has stood in ruin ever since. The thrust of the adventure is simple: clean out the castle in hopes that the player’s can claim it, and the surrounding barony. Despite being a mid-sized dungeon complex, though, reclamation is no easy task thanks to the power of the infernal defenders and the schemes of many factions of interested non-player characters. And, once the players pass through the castle proper to the titular pits, matters get decidedly more difficult, and surreal — there is a room full of nooses, a cursed treasure chamber and stranger things to be found in the demon-warped cellars. A classic of the early day, if a largely forgotten one.

VM Wyman on the cover again. Bob Charrette and Larry Shade inside, delivering some really nice illustrations. I particularly dig that demon prince, Aryok, who seems to be knocking off every cool villain ever, simultaneously.

[rogunetocentral]

Through the Ages: A look at the Roguneto ship.

Age of Apocalypse (Earth 295)

Set in an alt-timeline caused by a time travelling Legion, the ancient mutant Apocalypse has taken over the world and enslaved the human race; however not all mutants agree with Apocalypse’s tyrannic reign. A team of mutant freedom fighters know as the X-Men, led by Magneto, fight to save the world from Apocalypse nefarious hold. 

Rogue is a new recruit brought in by Mystique to help fight against Apocalypse. Rogue becomes Magneto’s second-in-command after both Jean Grey and Weapon X (Wolverine) leave the X-Men.

However, both Rogue and Magneto have developed romantic feelings for the other. Unbeknownst to Rogue, her current beau, Gambit, who is coincidentally Magneto’s best friend has previously commissioned Magneto to help find a way around Rogue’s powers. While interrupting a training session, Gambit asks Magneto to further research away around Rogue’s powerset. To which Magneto, knowing his own feelings for Rogue, reluctantly agrees to continue helping.

After sharing a rather intense personal moment while go over mission details, Rogue tries to speak with Magneto’s son, Pietro (Quicksilver) about her feelings for Magneto and her relationship with Gambit. Before anything could be said Gambit appears in front of the two, and after a quick exchange Rogue leaves to be by herself.

Rogue sees Gambit and Magneto speaking, about the aforementioned request, and asks to speak with Magneto alone. Once alone, Rogue reveals that to Magneto that she has feelings for him but doesn’t know if it’s right to act on them. Magneto reveals that while working on a way to neutralize Rogue’s powers, he discovered that he can create a biomagnetic shield around his body to shield from the affects of Rogue’s power, possible due to Rogue having permanently absorbed the mutant Polaris who shared Magneto’s mutant power of magnetism.

Before things can be further discussed the intruder alarms blares through the X-Mansion grounds and the X-Men quickly assembles to deal with the threat.

During the fight with “Wolverine”, Rogue chooses to save a injured Magneto from being killed leaving Gambit to be taunted by Wolverine. After the battle, Gambit decides to leave the X-Men after realizing that Rogue is in love with Magneto.

An undisclosed amount of time passes and we see that Rogue and Magneto are happily married with a son named, Charles.

However, due to the mysterious mutant Bishop arriving in their world and the startling revelation that their world is not the “correct” one. Rogue, now a leader of her own team, and the remaining X-Men kick into gear and take the fight to Apocalypse in the hopes of finally putting an end to his reign of terror.

After Apocalypse is defeated, knowing their world isn’t meant to survive, Rogue, Magneto, and their son Charles stand together as a bright wave of light sweeps over them.

In the 10th anniversary special it is revealed that the world of AoA, did not in fact die, but the phoenix possessed Jean Grey had saved everyone from certain death before vanishing.

When the people awoke to see that their world still stands they mistakenly believed that Magneto, in his battle with Apocalypse, found a way to save them all. Only Magneto knew the truth of Jean Grey but it kept it a long buried secret in order to focus on ridding the world of remaining factions loyal to Apocalypse and creating a new world where human and mutants can live in harmony.  This proved to be too much on his conscious over the years and when Sinister confronted him with the truth and a possessed Jean Grey herself, Magneto finally was able to clear his conscious and let himself be arrested (for lying or something, idk) leaving Jean Grey to be the leader once again. 

AoA was once again revisited In Uncanny X-Force vol 1.  X-Force of the 616  having traveled to AoA meet with the remaining X-Men of the world. It is now 10 years after the events of the anniversary.

Special note: There are discrepancies between the revisit to Earth 295 in X-Force and the two previous AoA stories as little matches up with the events of the special and several dead mutants from the original AoA are now mysteriously alive again and Magneto is no longer in prison or was even mentioned as being in prison.

During the Uncanny X-Force revisit, Apocalypse was revealed to be back but in the form of Weapon X (Wolverine) has become more dangerous than ever. After the 616 X-Force return home, it’s up to the AoA X-Men to deal with Weapon X. Sadly, Rogue and Magneto are killed by Weapon X before they can stop him from further destroying their world (as told in David Lapham’s 2012 AoA series).

The Relationship:

The relationship between Rogue and Magneto was very much one that was on equal footing both of them were devoted and loyal to each other to the end.

They were able to conceive and raise a son together something that would have been incredibly difficult given the structure of the world they lived in and the constant threat of attacked by the forces of Apocalypse.

Due to this constant threat Rogue became one of the leaders of her own strike team during the fight against apocalypse, something kept her away from her young son much to her disdain. Pietro, Magneto’s elder son, and Rogue became close friends and helped each other watch out for Magneto and Charles until Pietro’s death years later.

After Apocalypse was defeated and the world on the edge of re-building itself, both Rogue and Magneto were able to find a better balance between fighting the remaining apocalypse factions and raising a happy, healthy, normal 6 year old son.  

Throughout everything Rogue and Magneto remained fiercely protective of each other and their son. Even after the death of a 6-7 year old Charles Lehnsherr and Magneto’s paralysis, Rogue and Magneto stayed together until their untimely deaths at the hand of Weapon X.

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 5

We All Lift Together from Warframe: Fortuna

vs.

Pursuit - Corner the Culprit from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

We All Lift Together:

This song was originally used to reveal a new area and friendly faction. Endless workers, struggling under an oppressive regime who work together to make life better. But it has become also an anthem for the player base at large. It is the strength of the many against the powerful. As the song plays you are lifted up on the shoulders of your comrades. It is an amazing song

Pursuit - Corner the Culprit:

The second-most smug theme to ever exist

it happens to be one of the most epic song I’ve ever heard and I found it in a visual novel

[choiceofgames]

New game drop day

New game! “Magehunter: Phoenix Flame” by Nic Vasudeva-Barkdull is now available on Steam, iOS, and Android. It’s on sale until Dec. 4th. Please reshare this with friends! The more downloads we get in the first week, the higher we’ll rank in the App Store and Steam.

https://www.choiceofgames.com/magehunter-phoenix-flame/

Wield ancient technology to overthrow your mage oppressors! Can your secret order of mage hunters save the kingdom, or will internal strife tear you apart?

Magehunter: Phoenix Flame is an interactive fantasy novel by Nic Vasudeva-Barkdull, set in the same world as Battlemage: Magic By Mail. It's entirely text-based, 300,000 words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Generations ago, invaders brought magic to the Kingdom of Jubai, setting battlemages at the top of the noble power structure and leaving everyone else oppressed. Now, a secret organization of mage hunters has risen up, phoenixlike, to stand against the mages' power and overthrow their rule.

As one of these mage hunters, you wield the power of slipflame, a potent energy source that powers hunter technology. When you are called to go into battle against the mages, will you blast explosive bolts from your bow, throw silence bombs to cover your stealthy approach, or control your enemies from afar with puppet darts?

But the mages are not the only foes that you will face. The mage hunters have split into factions, and internal discord threatens their mission. Is there still hope for peaceful elections—and if so, which candidate will you support? What secrets lie buried in the history of your realm? When the time comes for your uprising against the mages, will you stay loyal to your order—or will the mages' power lure you to their cause?

[lucigoo]

Weekly Roundup: 25th November - 1st December

So, I managed to write 65,309 words this month for my WIP finish NaNoMo. I also finished a noce, round 20 wips (though not all are pubished yet and some are from/for fests) so I am feeling very accomplished.

As always here are the fi recs, and then I will add mine. I have 5 fivs to share

Disruption of the Harmony - Morg47 - The Hobbit - (Bilbo/Thorin. Check out the enitre serie!!! They are amazing and @shipper47 deserves so much praise for such a clever concept!)

Summary: Melkor may have been banished to the Void, but he could still see some of what happened on Ea. Sauron might have been defeated by the elves and men, but Melkor had an ace up his sleeve. One that none of the other Valar would ever suspect.

What to do when one has died? Dig of course. - DBlack13 - Multifandom (Bilbo/Thorin. Afterlife shennanigans!)

Summary: After death, Bilbo is bored. He misses his adventures, and although Yavanna’s Garden is everything a hobbit would wish for, Bilbo can’t help missing his friends in the Company, and above all, a certain blue-eyed leader…

For here you are, standing there, loving me (whether or not you should) - OptimisticDinosaur - Harry Potter (Srius/Remus, Sound of music au all!!!)

Summary: After adopting the nine children of his fallen Order of the Phoenix companions, Lord Sirius Black finds himself the head of a household full of unprocessed grief, a string of failed tutors (who all quit after one too many pranks from Fred and George), and no clue how to parent other than keeping his chaotic family safely hidden away from the rising Death Eater factions that remain.

Enter Remus Lupin: a restless young academic, eager to get out into the world after growing up sheltered in a hidden werewolf sanctuary. When he accepts a position in Lord Black’s household as the new tutor, little does he know that soon he’ll learn to love this clan of rambunctious children and their handsome, grief-stricken father… who may just love him back.

A Road from the Garden - Chrononautical - Multifandom (Bilbo/Thorin, a phenominal quest reimganing)

Summary: Bilbo Baggins has a brother. Worried about gossiping neighbors, his parents are very careful to hide Kili's nature. Long used to hiding his own nature, Bilbo accepts the same responsibility for his brother as he grows up. But hiding anything becomes impossible when dwarves come to the Shire.

The Lesson of You - thecouchsofa - Harry Potter (Harry/Drac)

Summary: Harry likes kids. That doesn't mean he's ready for a small boy to turn up on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place insisting that Harry is his father. That was weird enough, but the child identifying Draco Malfoy as his other parent was something Harry had no bloody idea how to handle.

Got A Secret Need To Keep It - BindiTheSkunk - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Mpreg!)

Summary: Bilbo tries to do what Thorin told him to with his supposedly dying breaths and return home to his books and armchair...but a sudden revelation makes him go to return to the place his heart was left at, but he is set upon by Mirkwood's elves who wish to use him...

Have a wonderful week all, and happy reading <3

Now, as I said, I managed to complete a whoel 20 out of 63 wips and I'm ngl, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. So here are th elast of Novembers fics, hope you like them.

When the ripples finally still - Lucigoo89 - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, technically MCD but I proinse its fluffy lol. Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial, prompt 281 - ripple effect

Summary: Bilbo found a ring, one small ring and his action in picking it up caused so much harm, so much pain to himself and all those he loved.

His time is coming to an end, he knows, he can feel it, and all he can do is hope he is allowed to reunite with his lost love. That the Valar will have mercy on one little hobbit who accidentlly became the ripples in the pond.

Bernard's Castle - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, Moody/Kingsley, written for a wonderful friend of mine.)

Summary: One day! Just one nice, normal day out. That was all Harry wanted. He supposes its too much to ask for when VOldemort wants to kill you andall of his death eaters are out to kill you.

No matter what though, those who love him will make sure he has just one nice, normal (ish) day out.

Bilbo's Big Adventure - Lucigoo89 - The Hobbit (adult) Bilbo/Thorin) Written fro the Scribbles and Drabbles fest, Slide 29 from @hobbityalse

Summary: Belladonna is on a visit to Rivendell, imagine her surprise when she opens her bags and finds her faunt that she left at home, safe with his father ...

The crown that should not have been mine - Lucigoo89 - The Hobbit (Fili/Legolas, also written for the scribbles and drabbles fest. Slide 55)

Summary: Fili is king. Fili does not wish to be king. Fili wants to be back in Ered Luin, sharing a too small house with his brother, mother and his now gone uncle. Fili does not want to be king, but he is and the crown weighs heavy on his head, and heavier on his heart than he could have ever imagined.

And finally To share a sunset - Lucigoo89 - The Lord of the Rings (Sam/Frodo, also fro the Scribbles and Drabbles fest, slide 26)

Summary: Sam and Frodo are finally at peace, sat side by side as they share a sunset. SOmething they could have never imagined whilst traversing Middle Earth to save it and one another.

See you al next week <3

[andscene-if]

L Alvarez pictured above. Photo credits to GreyLens images.

TROUBLE BEHIND THE SCENES ALREADY?

An insider has spilled piping hot tea on L Alvarez's lukewarm reception to the grand reveal of [MC] as their co-star and steamy love interest in Claire White's upcoming blockbuster.

Rumour has it, the Lumina-nominated sensation wasn't tossing confetti at the announcement—sources even suggest a colourful burst of curses escaped their usually poised lips.

Dear L Alvarez, if you're reading this, do the terms "undeserving" and "untalented" strike a chord? Friendly advice: consider trimming that circle of yours a teensy bit—those lips seem to be letting out more than whispers. ;)

While the cameras are yet to roll, tensions are already heating up hotter than a summer day in town. The million-dollar question lingers: Can L Alvarez, the master of mesmerising performances, rise above the backstage drama, cast frustrations into shadows, and once again dazzle us with an award-worthy showcase?

In the tightrope walk between love and hate, an awful lot of passion simmers, and fans are hedging their bets. Our recent poll paints a rather modest picture, with only 24% of the actor's fans placing their chips on L Alvarez and [MC]'s upcoming onscreen romance, begrudgingly admitting, “Well, at least they’d look hot together.”

Meanwhile, a vocal faction voices discontent with Claire White's casting of the Nepo Baby, yearning for the rumoured Phoenix Ryder—a rags-to-riches virtuoso with a sparkling résumé.

Oh uh, space is a luxury, and we're running out! But fear not, for any pulse-pounding developments fit for our gorgeous audience—you'll get the scoop first on your unparalleled celeb gossip hub, PinkCelebTea.

Keep those eyes sparkling and your gaze sharp, ready to catch the latest wave of celebrity drama. And if you stumble upon anything thrilling, discreetly drop it in our inbox—your secrets are safe with us.

Until then, stay hydrated, darlings! XOXO

***

NEXT UP: Ever wondered what type of fruit defines you? Well, ponder no more—dive into our poll and discover your fruity identity!🍉🍌🍓

[kay-elle-cee]

in the latter days || Read the Prologue on Ao3 A First War AU || 1.4K || Rated M || Playlist

In February of 1983, a cataclysmic shift occurred in the wizarding world, plunging it into chaos. Four years later, revelations shake the core of James Potter’s new reality when, on a mission, he discovers another faction of the Order of the Phoenix — and with them, the woman he thought he’d lost forever.

Now the two broken factions of the Order must team up to finish what they once started, while James and Lily work through four years of loss and rediscovery.

Prologue

At 11:57am, on the 23rd of February, 1983, a curious, blinding light suddenly erupted from the Portishead coastline. A giant, glowing dome of silver and white rested upon the sand for several minutes before burning in on itself with a deafening crack—like wood splintering—and a powerful blast of hot air knocked the many spectators to their knees as they scrambled to see the aftermath.  At 11:57am, on the 23rd of February, 1983, Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort both perished at the hand of the other, after years of war, after countless dead on each side. On a chilly shore in Portishead, the two most powerful wizards of their time fell, and the delicate balance of the wizarding world shattered. At 11:58am, on the 23rd of February, 1983, chaos enveloped the wizarding world in the aftermath of what would become known as The Fall.

From the playlist: The Origin of Love — Hedwig And The Angry Inch

[corsair-princess-nenime]

LELITH HESPERAX LIVEREAD

We’ve known NOTHING about the eldar since the tragic end of the Ynnari series and DISASTROUS phoenix rising plot. Fans of the best faction everywhere are asking, what are the eldar up to???

Mike Brooks of Brutal Kunnin fame has answers

(Cont.)

[neveromininart]

Oh yeah I made a webcomic!!!! Here's a trailer for it, it's going up on Friday the 13th

🩸Sunset Phoenix⚔️

There were 5 immortal criminal kingpins - until Emilia was framed for the murder of one. Now she & immortal Valentine have to find the culprit before Emilia loses her life and the city succumbs to war between the criminal factions.

Modern Fantasy Murder Mystery

[blueikeproductions]

It always seemed like the staff on EarthSpark didn’t fully understand what they were doing, as the “G1.5” setting could be rife with other characters related to G1.

For example, the show, at least at first, was big on allegories between Transformers and humans, and considering official media and thirsty fans, you’d think some humans in-story would have romantic relationships with TFs.

So I thought it’d be funny if Astoria was present, with her openly dating Powerglide, with Powerglide being the stepdad to Astoria’s daughter. Astoria’s company is a big shareholder in GHOST, and wants to see results in apprehending all evil Decepticons on the planet after their role in her father and previous husband’s demise following a botched energy scheme. Like many, she’s not particularly pleased at Megatron’s presence, and more than once has said she wants him arrested too once matters are settled. Astoria fell for Powerglide the moment he saved her and her daughter Charlie from their collapsing company building. Charlie’s a little unsure about Powerglide at first, because she thought he was a Decepticon Jet, but was won over by the plane’s charm and that he took her into the clouds to see the beauty of it all.

Charlie is best friends with Max, the son of GHOST agent Alanna and Autobot Seaspray. The two kids often tag along with the Witwiccans (Phoenix and Grahm’s Terran group) and the Maltobots. The two don’t receive Cyber Sleeves though, probably due to being too young for the responsibility.

Beachcomber I saw as a victim of Mandroid’s reprogramming, one of several Autobots and Decepticons forced into the Arachnamech faction. Upon being freed of that, he becomes another mentor figure to the Terrans, passing on his laid back “hippie” way of thinking to the more high strung Phoenix, Ethan, Jawbreaker, Thrash and Camshaft.

He’s one of the few Autobots Dot actually likes, as they both bond over a shared love of nature.

Gears is trans in this version of events, though in story it’s not really dwelled on. The only real hint she is beyond just being another gender bend like Skywarp and Frenzy is Gears remarking she got an overhaul during the Earth conflict and never felt better. Something about upgrading from a stick shift, as a confused Thrash would describe it. Gears is still a bit of a grump though, annoyed at Megatron being an Autobot and having an existential crisis at the possibility the Transformers stuck on Earth are the only ones left in the universe. It’s this moment that sees Hashtag use her internet power to send a signal out into space to see whether or not other Autobots still exist. Gears is pleased to later learn Cybertron is ok, but sour at it being under Decepticon control at the moment. She also is surprised to hear the Colony Worlds are for the most part still intact after the Cosmic Rust incident, and several are actually descendants of Quintus Prime like the Terrans.

[artful-browniebites]

Paranatural Joshua!

Joshua is the most recent in his family to be the medium of Phoenix, a powerful spirit that is said to be a portion of an even more powerful one that has the power to reshape the very world. In the city of Valisthea, there are different factions for some of these powerful spirits, trying to be the one whose spirit will absorb the others. While this is supposed to be what happens, it has never actually been done. Joshua hasn’t yet started to show any outward signs of change from being a medium.

A bit of a sickly kid with chronic health issues, it doesn’t stop Joshua from wanting to always be at his brother’s side. Clive indulges Joshua where he can - cuts his hair, even took him to get his ear pierced - but still worries over his brother’s health. The Phoenix can control fire and has healing properties, and hopefully it’ll help Joshua.