Bounty hunter in action.

I'm quite proud of this drawing qvq

NPC Dialogue for Kiran and Jessie

@sanddusted-wisteria inspired me and I finally got around to doing this. I was just going to do Kiran but I figured I would throw in a few lines for Jessie too because, I mean, it's Jessie and I feel like people like him a lot more than Kiran. Rightfully so. This is all cheese and kind of makes fun of them but I also kind of love it?

KIRAN:

Intro: “Hey. I'm Kiran. People around here think I'm kind of a big deal. Can't imagine why, though. You're a builder too? Huh. Lots of those around recently.”

Acquaintance:

How's it going? Find anything weird in the ruins lately?

Hey, you haven't seen a ring lying around in the sand have you? No? Okay. No reason...

Sometimes the best thing you can do is zone out. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing right now.

Sorry, did you say something? I wasn't paying attention.

Buddy:

So you're from Highwind too, huh? You know that ruin down by the beach? That obscene drawing on the wall in there? Yeah, that was me. Pretty funny, huh?

Well you see, I lost my wrench about three days ago. Do you mind if I borrow yours?

Best tip when Cooper goes on a rant? Stare directly at his forehead and just wait it out.

If you're every behind on commissions, try spreading out everything one thing at a time. If that doesn't work, you're probably in the wrong profession...Maybe I'm in the wrong profession...?

Everyone here is really friendly. It is kind of off-putting at first, cause everyone wants to know your business and all that. Everyone's gotta talk to you every day and ask how you're doing. By the way, how're you doing?

Good Friend:

If you find any weird bones in the ruins, you should show my brother Jessie. He studied anthropology. What? Wrong thing? I'll admit I have no idea what it means either.

My mom keeps sending me letters about what's going on while I'm not home. Truthfully, I think she just likes to put her inner thoughts on paper. Ever heard of journaling, Ma?

I broke a guitar string last night. Sometimes you can really get into it, ya know?

Hey, I know I've asked you a dozen times, but if you see a ring in the sand anywhere - please return it ASAP.

Sandstorm: Whatever you do, don't look up. Or down. Or sideways. You know what, just stay inside. What am I doing out here? Builds character.

Rain: Oh man, my boots are gonna get all sandy and muddy!

Player has a new haircut: Lookin' good, builder. I can fix up those bangs if you want. Hm? Yeah sure. I know how.

Player has panda eyes: I see I am not the only one who stares at the ceiling all night.

Player cuts a tree in front of Kiran: Listen, I'll mind my own business if you promise not to tell on me when you see me do that!

Player attacks Kiran with a weapon: Whoa! Nice aim. Let's just try to keep it away from my ankles, yeah?

Birthday: My birthday is the 6th of Spring. But my mother always said it was cold and rainy when I was born. You know what? I haven't seen my birth certificate in a few years...

Day of the Bright Sun: When I was little Jessie convinced me that we were supposed to stare into the sun as long as possible on this holiday...You can imagine how that went.

Showdown at High Noon: Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you've been practicing. Me? No, I haven't really, but I'm still pretty confident I can take you down.

Day of Memories: People around here can get a bit somber this time of the year. I'm just worried I'll see that weird ghost lady...Kinda the same thing?

Tour de Rock: I tried a glider in Highwind when I was a teen. That was the day I learned that extreme sports ain't for me.

Running of the Yakmel: The only thing these beasts are good for is tipping. Don't believe me? What do you mean you're going to tell Coop?

Winter Solstice: Dancing I'm not a fan of. But the drinking? That I can get behind.

Loved gifts:

Gold ring: YOU FOUND IT? Peach's left nut! I was about to tear my kitchen sink apart!

Intoxicating Dream: It's no Highwinds Finest, but it'll do.

Liked gifts:

Clothing: I keep telling myself I got to wear anything other than these jeans. Guess I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Liked dishes (sweets): Oh man, you don't wanna see me with a sugar rush but I don't really have the heart to say no because that looks REALLY good.

Tools or Materials: Thanks! Now I have two of these!

Neutral gifts: Huh. Thanks. I'll make sure I don't lose this in a drawer somewhere.

Disliked gifts: Umm, not a big fan.

Hated gifts: Is this a joke?

Complimenting appearance: Thanks! I don't really take the time to really put myself together, so it's nice to hear that someone notices I guess.

Complimenting work: Heh. It's just what I do. People complain I'm too modest about it. But it gives me something to do, at least.

Complimenting personality: What about it? My ability to go on about a random topic or my ability to provide a story of my own every time you tell one?

Asked about her past:

It's not something I really like to bring up. I had to...leave something behind a few years ago. But we all make mistakes, right? What matters is how we move on from them...Or distract ourselves enough.

My pop was a member of The Flying Pigs. He was really good at it too. But one day before I was born he got half is leg blown off by Duvos on a mission. He...well, rightfully never got over it.

My brother and I fight a lot. One time I broke his nose. The other day, I was THIS close to knocking his teeth out. But he's a pretty great dude.

I never knew how much I liked a sunset until I moved here. It's kind of one of those things you have to stop and look at when you catch it, don't you think?

Asked about work:

I don't think I'm the best at what I do, even though everyone around here seems to think otherwise. But this community is strange, an neurotic, and apparently incapable of constructing stable water towers.

Asked what she likes to do:

My dad taught me how to play guitar when I was really little. Every time I wanna wind down, I pick it up and play some of the things he taught me. We don't get along that much anymore, but we'll always have that I guess.

I really like hanging out with horses. Sometimes even more than people. Twister doesn't like a lot of people, so I guess he and I are a perfect match.

It's easy to get distracted, but even harder at finding the perfect distraction when you WANT to be distracted. That being said, if you know of any good distractions that involve looking for UFO's or causing havoc in some way, let me know.

JESSIE:

Intro: Hey pal. What brings you here? You're a builder? That's cool. I'm Jessie. Make sure you don't go messing with my sister - just kidding, mess with her all you want. I encourage it.

Acquaintance:

Not enough people take their shirts off around here when it get's hot out....What? Why are you looking at me like that?

You seen Kiran around? If you do, remind her to eat something. Or not. I can't control what you do.

Don't mind me. I'm just debating if I should go running now or later.

Buddy:

The people of Sandrock certainly have...interesting personalities. Not saying that's a bad thing, but I'm not saying it's a good thing either.

I would highly advise against running in the open desert. Mirages are real. If you see a giant purple chicken, you probably should turn back. Trust me.

Good Friend:

Rian lives the life I wish I had. Not worrying about a thing. Slacking off from work. Must be nice not to worry about things all the time at every given moment - anyway, what are you up too?

If I had made it into The Flying Pigs I would have been a pilot. Say, how much would it cost me to commission a plane from you? You know what...forget it.

You didn't hear it from me, but Zeke has a 'secret garden' up at the farm, if ya catch my drift...

Sandstorm: Oh, please! I used to go out running in all types of weather!

Rain: If you're going to make a wet t-shirt comment, do it now before I get too self conscious.

Player has a new haircut: My mom used to cut my hair. It was...well, she should stick to being a chiropractor.

Player has panda eyes: Light! What is with people not sleeping around here? Is it the desert air or something?

Player cuts a tree in front of Jessie: The better man in me tells me I should tell on you, but the better man in me doesn't want to deal with talking to Burgess.

Player attacks Jessie with a weapon: Hey! Watch it!

Birthday: Birthday? Mine? It's the 5th of Winter. Yikes, I'm getting old.

Day of the Bright Sun: Did Kiran tell you the story already about what I told her when she was a kid? Ha!

Showdown at High Noon: Hey, I'm all for knocking people out if they deserve it, especially Logan. You wanna place a bet?

Day of Memories: I was out on the cliffside today and saw some weird lady out there. Don't worry, she disappeared right after I talked to her - wait.

Tour de Rock: These people will do anything dangerous about half a dozen times, huh?

Running of the Yakmel: You go ahead. I'll just watch.

Winter Solstice: Another year has passed, builder. I'm not one to make resolutions or anything, I'm just here for the food.

Complimenting appearance: Huh. Well, thanks. People say I look a lot like my dad...you know, minus the missing let part.

Complimenting work: Not many people understand what I do. I don't blame them. If you think people are weird now, just imagine what they were like in the Old World! Whole bunch of weirdos.

Complimenting personality: Wow, at least SOMEBODY appreciates my sense of humor.

Asked about his past:

I wanted to join The Flying Pigs after my old man. I trained every day for a long time - just to totally flunk the entrance exam. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

I went to Atara University and got a degree in Anthropology. I didn't know what to pick when I was enrolling, so I picked that.

Asked about work:

I study a lot of relics to try and learn what people were like in the old world. Although, most of my research focuses on old music. It doesn't really benefit the advancement of the modern world according to Qi, but at least people have new stuff to listen to on the radio.

Asked what he likes to do:

Break hearts. Take names. Make no promises. Just kidding, I like stargazing and playing guitar.

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

2001: A Space Odyssey was famously inspired by the early Clarke short story "The Sentinel", but the screenplay borrows elements from other Clarke stories too:

Encounter In The Dawn (1953)- aliens influence the development of early hominids.

The Sentinel (1951) Monolithic alien artefact discovered on the Moon; signals its builders.

Sands Of Mars (novel, 1951) - dumbell-shaped spacecraft with a similar layout to the Discovery.

Into The Comet (1960) - onboard computer malfunction and a loss of communication with Earth; speculation about the ship arriving at Jupiter with most of the crew dead.

Islands In The Sky (novel, 1952) - cylindrical "space suits" equipped with rocket motors that resemble 2001's EVA pods.

Take A Deep Breath (1957) - astronaut without a space suit has to survive in vacuum. A similar scene appears in Earthlight (novel, 1955).

Jupiter Five (1953) - ancient alien artefact discovered on one of Jupiter's moons.

Playback (1966) super-advanced aliens attempt to reconstruct a lone surviving astronaut (in this case, unsuccessfully).

Childhood's End (novel, 1953) - humans ascend to a new evolutionary stage

I've probably missed some.

.:New Poison Revealed:.

Chapter 28: New Poison Revealed

[TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF DEATH AND MONSTERS]

Hey guys! I just looked at the chapter number and holy hell I didn't expect that I would be at chapter 28 with the big 3-0 milestone peeking around the corner. It is still forever mind-boggling how all of this stared as a one-shot that I wasn't even planning on writing out.

And thanks to your support of my mad ramblings in fanfic form, that one-shot grew into something I couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams. So, thank you all for reading.

A special thank you goes out to @rogueshadeaux. She has given me so much, her friendship, her encouragement, her mentorship, I dare say if it wasn't for her encouraging me to throw my metaphorical hat in the ring, chapter 1 would have never been written. She is also a brilliant writer and her story will grab you by the throat and chokeslam you into the ground with feels. Please give InFAMOUS: Erosion a read when you're done here.

Another thanks to Rogue for letting me borrow her twins.

Enough of my rambling, let's jump in!

---------

How much time has passed since I peeked on the two builders playing with legos? I have no idea, and at this moment I don’t give an iota of a damn as an infuriating sight dares to walk out of the Quiet Room and into my line of sight.

That fucking tin-can carrying Kestrel like she was some princess in a god-damn fairy tale. It’s gag-worthy.

My eye twitches and my blood seethes in my veins as Coyote gently places the passed out bird onto a sleeping cot before tucking her in, for god’s sake… As if this couldn’t get anymore saccharine sweet.

“Poor girl’s out steel cold. Fell asleep on the floor.” The shiny fucker pipes up for probably the first time in I don’t give a shit. I’m not paying much attention as my mind is going in several different directions at once. I’m still confused as all hell as why seeing Kestrel and Coyote playing with god-damn legos like good friends was making me look at the younger man like he was a lightning rod, now this?! This was bringing back some urges from my Empire City days. His face is looking more and more punchable by the second, but why?!?

Why is this enraging me so much?! Why is every dark urge in my head screaming at me to kill this man?!?  Why am I giving so much of a shit about who does what kind gestures to her?!? 

We. Hate. Each-other.

I’m struggling not to bear my teeth and growl at Coyote when the bay doors open and out comes the black haired woman… Crow, was it? It’s the only other name that doesn’t have a face to it aside from the absolutely ridiculous ones. Her arrival snaps me out of my murderous fury and draws my eyes to her.

“Okay guys.” She starts. “I need to know exactly what went down with Pangolin, beginning and end. There are other Misfit groups out there and the Defense Teams need to know what’s going on. It’ll also help me dial in Pangolin’s treatment.”

Mako starts giving a play by play of what went down out there, I’m half-paying attention as rage is still boiling hot when I remembered something that had been bugging me for a while. I remember Jean saying something about an “anti-corrodium” or some nonsense like that, it’s something that needed answers.

“Hey, uhm… Crow, was it?” I jump in and ask when there’s a break in the convo, she turns her head with a “hm?” and a tilt of her head. “What in the hell is Corrodium?” The raven-haired woman blinks at me and raises an eyebrow before looking at Mako.

“D- Did you not tell him about Corrodium…?” Crow questions Mako with a pointed look, she throws her hands up defensively. “We really didn’t have a lot of time between the chaos that broke out when we first picked him up, Kes trying to complete her project, the Summoner and now this!” Great, another goddamn thing that nobody fucking told me about, though Mako does have a point about things being a roller coaster ride from the beginning to now, kinda hard to squeeze in a Wildlands 101, so I guess I can let it slide…. For now, anyway.

I can see the woman pinch the bridge of her nose and let out an irritated sigh before looking at the two of us.

 “Okay, let’s all get something to eat before I go hangry bitch on both of you.” Crow grumbles while looking at Mako with a glare.

“Yeah, I’m not sure when we last ate.” Mako murmurs while rubbing the back of her head. ”Coyote can keep an eye on sleeping beauty over there.” Hold the god-damn phone!! Tin-man’s gonna be watching Kes?! “Though we should be sure to bring her back a couple of funnel cakes, she’s going to be ravenous when she wakes up.” My eye twitches as I glare at Mako. Did she really suggest that?! The fire in my chest flares hot again at that thought and the train-wreck in my head starts back up again. 

“It should be me watching her, not him.” The devil on my shoulder hisses in my ear, it shocks the ever loving shit out of me. Why did I think that?? Why do I care who watches her?! Why do I give a damn?! WHY?!?

I open my mouth to protest, but my stomach tells a different story as it growls obnoxiously loud at the thought of carnival food, causing the girls to look at me with amusement. I feel a bit of heat tinge my cheeks as I grumble and rub the back of my head.

“Well, I think that decides that.” Mako hums with a smile and I roll my eyes, but I follow the two women outside, leaving Kes behind with Coyote… Much to my bewildering chagrin.

Some funnel cake does sound really good at the moment, maybe a churro or two.

I shield my eyes from the blinding sun as we step outside of the hospital into a literal carnival, so many colors every which way, with tents and rides and holy shit there’s just so much to look at, so much to explore and climb.

“So, Corrodium.” Crow hums as we head off to what I can guess is this city’s Junk Food Alley. “To put it as simply as possible, Corrodium is basically Conduit poison. The parasitic bastard child of lead and some kind of anti-rayacite. It’s so dangerous, it’s commonly called “Conduit’s Bane” around here.”

“Uh-huh, that’s nice and all but that don’t tell me much.” I huff in irritation, Crow gives me an aggravated look as the tips of her raven locks seem to melt and liquify into water.

Oh fuck, she’s a Water Conduit…

“I was getting to that.”  She hisses in annoyance before taking a deep breath.

“The reason it’s so feared and you should have been warned about from the very beginning….” Crow gives Mako a heated glare. “Is because of its effects. If a Conduit is even so much as exposed to it, it weakens them greatly. However, it becomes so much more dangerous if it’s injected, like through a bite or a sting. It royally fucks them up, corrupting their bodies and powers.” I bring my hand to my chin and rub the stubble on it, my mind processing all of this. This brings questions into my head, why didn’t anyone tell me? I mean, I get that the chaos me joining the party caused did turn everything on its head, but nobody said anything at all. Were the Misfits just so used to this being common knowledge that it just slipped their mind?

“Corrodium Poisoning can be treated with various Ray Field Radiation treatments and Rayacite infusions, but there’s no real silver bullet cure-all for this.” She continues. “Every treatment plan has to be tailored to the patient's unique biology and power signature and they have to remain under constant surveillance until everything is flushed out completely.” Jesus, sounds like Pango’s gonna be stuck in the hospital for a good while.

“You guys were extremely lucky that you got Pangolin in when you did.” Crow points out with a worried look. “If you had been even a second later, then Pangolin’s prognosis would have been really grim.” The seriousness gives me pause, now I’m really starting to wonder why nobody said anything about this shit before.

She continues, going into medical jargon that I couldn’t really understand much, so my mind starts to wander and look at all the new sights around me.

Good God, saying that this is a city that the circus took over is just the tip of the iceberg. Tents stood tall, with the three-pointed one dwarfing the rest, so many colors, so many sounds and smells. There were stands with souvenirs and rigged games, rides that looked like Mad Max had a field day constructing them out of rusted scrap and old buildings and…

Holy shit, is that one of those Slingshot rides?? Without a cage?? I watch the ride release the ball in between the springs and literally launch whatever poor son of a bitch was in there, sending him sky high! Good thing Conduits don’t go splat from high places… Still hurts like a bitch if you botch the landing though.

The sound of screaming catches my attention as I… That’s a big-ass roller coaster…. And an Ice Conduit is skating on the track while being chased by the train??? It takes all of my willpower to not galavant off to go ride the rides… Besides, bad idea to go climbing on an empty stomach.

I make a mental note to hit these rides up before we leave.

“That reminds me…” I murmur when I hear a lull in Crow’s medical jargon. “You said Corrodium has a power weakening effect when a Conduit’s exposed to it, but when the Misfits and I fought those Blink Scorpion bastards, my powers were fine and it seemed like everyone else’s was fine too… What’s that all about?”

“Corrodium… It’s a very nasty and very adaptive metal.” Crow answers with a soft hum. “The properties of that stuff can vary depending on what form the Conduit is exposed to. The Corrodium in Blink Scorpion venom? The energy produced messes with a Conduit’s perception, making them appear that they’re teleporting around.” Well, that explains why I could still detect them with Radar Pulse.

“The power weakening effect is most prominent in metallic Corrodium, be it raw or refined.” Refined? That’s not good. Metals don’t just start being refined for shits and giggles, there’s always a reason. Something like this shit being refined? I smell trouble, but I put a pin in it for the time being, more questions to be asked.

“And Pangolin?” I mention. “What would have happened if we didn’t make it in time?” I notice Mako’s face go an off color and Crow’s head lower as she sighs.

“Best case…? His powers either weaken greatly or he loses them outright. Everything. Worst case….” She licks her lips to wet them and her eyes narrow. “He dies from the poisoning or he becomes… One of them….”

“One of them.” 

That thought, it echoes in my head like a scream in an auditorium. An ice-cold chill shoots down my spine as everything starts to sink in. I had thought death by RFI was the worst way for a Conduit to go, memories of that fateful day flicker in my head as I remember the searing agony of my own body being torn asunder from the inside out by that damned machine before Zeke used the Amp to free me from its clutches… And that thing wasn’t even fully charged.

At least the RFI would have killed cleanly. This Corrodium shit? It makes the RFI look like a bullet to the head, quick, painless and gets the job done.

Not only can this metal poison strip a Conduit of their power as a best case scenario… It turns them into literal monsters in the worst case. God… And that’s what was happening to Pangolin. He was slowly dying right before everyone’s eyes.

The weight of this situation, not just in the here and now, but what this means for everyone… It sits in my stomach like a lead weight. I can feel the color drain from my face and my empty stomach curl in on itself, making me want to throw up what little contents it had. Before I know it, Mako and Crow are guiding me to the nearest bench, fearing I might faint. Flickers of Trish flash in my head as the raven-haired woman has me sit down. My mind reels from it all.

I put my hand to my mouth as I try to digest everything… God, now I truly understand why Dove was so beside himself and why Kestrel went completely nuclear when she was given permission to drop her mask. Every second they weren’t in the hospital was a second closer to Pangolin’s end. To the death of a big brother and their leader… And they were helpless to stop it.

“Has… Has anyone… Survived after the window shut…?” I ask breathlessly as Crow hands me a bottle of water, no doubt one she poured on the fly. I eagerly take the bottle and drink it down in hopes of calming myself some. The Water Conduit shakes her head before speaking.

“Honestly… Not really.” She murmurs with slight hesitation. “It’s only happened twice and if I’m to be frank, a lot of us in the medical group here in Tri-Point chalked them up to either miracles or dumb luck as even they didn’t come out completely unscathed.” Two? Hmm… Might be worth looking into who those two are.

“We have the brightest minds among us studying these two cases to see what made the difference for them, what allowed them to keep their humanity.” They won’t be the only ones looking into them now.

I stare off into the distance as I sit on the bench, my mind racing a mile a minute. This… This is just so much for me to process, especially after all the chaos that unfolded not that long before. A brand new metal… One that can spell the death or zombiefication of all of Conduit-kind. New fears begin to form as my brain starts creating what ifs. What would happen if I became exposed to that crap? Would it rob me of all of my powers? What if I had gotten stung? What manner of horrors would I be subjected to or worse… What would that shit turn me into? The fear that trumped them all, however, is this.

If a bunch of rag-tag survivor types know about it, then who else knows?

These guys, as tough and creative as they are, don't have access to state-of-the-art tech or vast information pools… And if these guys know about Corrodium… Then it’s an absolute guarantee that certain other parties have known about it far longer than the Wildlanders have. How long has this Pandora’s box been open? It has to have been a long time since there was a refined version of it made. Long enough for it to be made into things.

This could be something that could spell disaster. Something that would make even the Ray Field Plague look like a sniffle.

Something that could truly kill us all.

for the ask meme, 30, 7, and 39

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

I pretty regularly write outside my comfort zone if for no other reason than writing is extremely uncomfortable to me. To answer less literally - almost anything I've written for Ace of Diamond is outside my comfort zone due to the setting. I'm a very casual baseball fan, have never had the opportunity to go to Japan, and very rarely write anything set in non-fantasy settings.

Probably the furthest I've reached outside my comfort zone was Unspoken, which is a fic with no dialogue. Do I love it? Not really, but I'm glad I tried it. As someone who hears and sees the characters in my head first, anything spoken is a huge crutch for me while writing. I regularly write entire fics of just conversations and then have to build prose around it, trying to get the rhythm of words to evoke the mood I'm going for while still carrying enough information to tell what's going on. Also, Endless Song was a huge departure. It is both the only thing I've ever written in 1st person, and is inspired by Xianxia; a truly crazy combination for a fic about baseball kids.

As far as how this writing has impacted me - it's made me more okay with following inspiration rather than factual nuance when writing. I'm a detailed world builder, so playing in a place where I'm not 100% confident I know what things are 'really like' has been freeing. I still research to anchor the space, of course. I just spend less time freaking out about leaning on the occasional literary shorthand of stereotypes to keep things moving in casual, small fics where the world is not the focus.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Veridian Sky is no doubt the king of this for me. I had so much fun researching to piece together an Almyran culture, and I still think about it (and the final two missing chapters...) regularly.

Honorable mentions for other fandoms to: Endless Song (Ace of Diamond) - unfortunately not very visible in the fic due to it being unfinished and in 1st person, but I have a crazy amount of notes for it since it's completely fantasy and therefore needed an entire world built. Asylum Obscura (Fire Emblem: Fates) - also unfinished, and being years old it's something where I don't love all the writing. However, deeply exploring the commoner cultures of a world you barely see in game, especially how it clashes across national and class borders, was really fun. Life, Loss, and Bearfaced Lies (Baldur's Gate 3) - just finished this, so it's fresh in my mind. The worldbuilding is so insanely complex for this one, and it makes me a little sad that it's tied to a premise which almost no one but me would find interesting in that fandom. I may end up writing some other things that are more accessible to play with this world some more.

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

I honestly am not involved enough in the writing community to get a ton of inspiration from others' processes. That said, I do borrow quite a lot from fic writers I admire stylistically. Ones like you (mareza) or now OAKtoONT in the Daiya space have me re-reading what you write from time to time and trying to identify what feels so good about the words or stories you've chosen. It has me often adjusting my own flow or trying to come at a fic idea from an angle I hadn't considered before.

Book Review

The Last Days of Louisiana Red by Ishmael Reed

There is a chapter in Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra portraying a tightrope walker. The tightrope walk is an attempt the man makes to leave the commonplace behind, to explore new possibilities, to see new lands, to expand the parameters of life, to move on to something better...a higher state of existence. However, below the tightrope is the audience, made up of the masses of the narrow-minded, the simple folk, the ordinary citizens, the littlepeople, the flies of the marketplace as Nietzsche calls them. They aspire towards nothing but mediocrity and the maintenance of the status quo. These people resent the tightrope walker’s attempt at finding a new way of life, so halfway through the stunt, they pull him down from the rope so that he dies in the fall.

Ishmael Reed, in his novel The Last Days of Louisiana Red, transplants this dilemma to a different context. He applies it to the African-American community in Oakland during the 1970s where the politics of the New Left, Black Power, and the feminist movement are in full swing. I don’t know if Reed consciously borrowed the allegory of the tightrope walker from Nietzsche or not (probably not), but it does serve as a legitimate point of comparison. Ed Yellings, the businessman who starts the Gumbo Works business, can easily replace the tightrope walker; Ed Yellings gets murdered early in the book, but as it is, he stands in for the upwardly mobile element of the African-American community in the post Civil Rights Movement era. He represents the builders and founders of an African-American economic class that is self-deterministic and independent of white America. And s the envious mediocrities of Nietzsche’s town, the ones who kill the tightrope walker, correspond to the Moochers, Reed’s portrayal of the radicals and activists, some of which come from privileged backgrounds, who refuse to build a better society and instead insist on simultaneously destroying the society that exists while demanding that everything be given to them because they are an oppressed minority. This conflict might sound shocking to younger readers who weren’t alive in the 1970s, especially considering it is being articulated by Ishmael Reed, an African-American author, but he is addressing a real social problem with detrimental consequences in the real world.

Ed Yellings’ Gumbo Works is an instant success. The gumbo is sold in a restaurant and manufactured in a factory but little is said about these establishments. This lack of detail is, I think, one of the many flaws in the novel. The business is actually a front for a secret voodoo operation which involves the defeat of Louisiana Red who is not actually a character but more like a spirit of sorts that brings negative energy into the African-American community. Ed Yellings becomes a millionaire and raises a family of four children in a mansion. Wolf grows up to be a business man, following in his father’s footsteps in preparation to take over the company. Street is a Black Power-type radical and criminal who is obviously a caricature of Eldridge Cleaver. The passage about Street committing murder then fleeing to Algeria where he is given a villa free of charge by the government is lifted directly from that Black Panther Party leader’s life. Sister barely figures into the story but probably represents the Back to Africa ideal of the 1970s since her clothes are African-inspired and she associates with a Nigerian friend. Minnie is the one who plays the most prominent role in the story. Based on Cab Calloway’s classic jive anthem “Minnie the Moocher”, she is a prominent member of the Moochers, but she falls out of favor with them because she shows up at rallies to give speeches about ontology and epistemology and other pseudo-intellectual crap that puts people to sleep. She represents the feminist element of the radical Left and insists she is entitled to take over Gumbo Works even though she has no knowledge of business. The inclusion of all these representatives in one family is of symbolic importance. Not only do African-American people bond by colloquially referring to each other as Sister and Brother, but but the idea of the community as an extension of the family makes Reed’s whole point more clear. He is depicting the African-American community as a family which is supposed to be closely knit and supportive of each other despite their individual differences yet at the same time he is showing how this family is one that is dysfunctional.

Ed Yellings gets assassinated, his factory gets burned down, and the two brothers shoot each other while Minnie insists that she inherit everything her father left behind. This is not the way families are supposed to work.

So far it sounds like a lot of interesting and legitimate ideas are introduced into the story. And it is true, a lot of them are interesting and legitimate and there is an abundance of them. A lot of them barely go anywhere after being introduced though. Sister is the easiest example of this as she only makes two brief appearances and doesn’t contribute in any significant way to anything that happens. Street and Wolf are not developed much more as characters either. Street’s only purpose in the book seems to be for the sake of mocking Eldridge Cleaver without mentioning him by name. Some of the supporting characters actually do a lot more than the main members of the family. Nanny, a woman from Louisiana, gets hired to raise the family but her ulterior motive is to groom Minnie for the sake of disrupting Gumbo Works. Nanny is a representation of the old, southern African-American way of life that the urban professional class wants to leave behind. She is actually a practitioner of voodoo and intends to spread the chaos of Louisiana Red through the Oakland Black community.

Nanny’s opposition is Papa LaBas, a houngan who is brought in to replace Ed Yellings as head of the Gumbo Works corporation. The two are engaged in a magical combat that is an updated version of the voodoo war between Doc John and Marie Laveau. The history and folklore surrounding those two legendary figures from New Orleans is sufficiently explained in one chapter. You might remember Papa LaBas as a catalyst of the action in Ishmael Reed’s previous, and far superior novel, Mumbo Jumbo. Aside from running the company, his most memorable part is when he gives Minnie a marsh and misogynistic lecture about how Black women should stay in their traditional places. His twisted logic is that women are already powerful because they provide men with sex, something which makes men obedient and submissive. I suppose that line of reasoning works if you are the type of sex-obsessed man who thinks with the wrong head, but for those of us with a more diverse range of interests, it comes off as a rather infantile view of sexuality and power.

The author’s misogyny is extreme, even by 1970s standards yet it is totally in line with what a lot of African-American men were thinking at that time. Black hyper-masculinity and sexual potency were big components of the Black Power movement and those were the progressives of their time. Read up on the Black Panther’s approach to women and sexuality if you don’t believe me. One Black Panther, I forget who, famously said, “The only place for Black women in the Revolution is on their backs.” The more conservative members of the Black community then, as represented in this story, were even more traditional and domineering in their approach to sex and gender politics.

By far, the most interesting characters are Kingfish and Elder, representatives of the lumpenproletariate who Reed despises. These two clownish characters refuse to work and survive by collecting welfare and committing petty crimes like stealing, burglary, scamming, and begging. They are obviously capable of being useful but refuse to indulge in thing like employment, instead paying for beer and weed by swiping tips off the tables in restaurants. “Owning a business is something that Black people don’t do,” says one of them. This is the type of attitude Ishmael Reed is addressing in this novel in an attempt at correcting it for the sake of his people. Kingfish and Elder stand out here because they are the most direct and clear criticism offered up by Reed and they work well as comic relief.

The least successful character is Chorus, a man who acts as the chorus of the story, explaining what is happening and what is yet to come. He provides counter-narratives about Isis and Osiris, the Egyptian deities, and Antigone, the Greek daughter of Oedipus. These plots correspond to what is happening with Minnie, Ed Yellings, and Papa LaBas. But the stories are confusing and poorly narrated. The purpose of a dramatic chorus is to clarify a story, but in this case Chorus muddles the narrative to the point where skipping these chapters might actually make the book easier to read.

I am wondering if this novel was originally intended to be a play written for theatrical production. The inclusion of Chorus, as well as a scene in a theater where Minnie heckles the performers (sound familiar Leftist millennial students at Berkeley?) are obvious references to the theater. But the whole story is told through dialogue the way a stage performance would be. Even the assassination, the shootings, and the fire at the factory are explained through conversation rather than shown as part of the narrative. This might have been conceived of as a play but written as a novel for some reason I can’t comprehend.

The aforementioned lack of detail is a real weakness. As previously mentioned, the violence and the fire are relayed to the audience by speech. There is also no description of the restaurant or the factory. Even worse, for a book about voodoo, it is disappointing that the actual rites and ceremonies are not described. Rather than having these things talked about in casual conversation, actually showing them visually bulks up the writing, fills in the blank spaces, and makes the story more complete. It allows the audience to experience these events emotionally and creates depth by drawing us into the environment and the action. If the characters only talk about these things than we just move on to the next page without really connecting with them in our imagination.

The other big problem is that Reed introduces too many ideas but never follows through on them. The different characters all represent different aspects of the African-American community but they are little more than hollow receptacles of ideas. What they symbolize is obvious but beyond the symbolism they have no life of their own. With such underdeveloped characters and themes, it is hard to tell if Ishmael Reed is being fair in his critique or not. You can find plenty of things to criticize in the Black bourgeoisie, the Back to Africa ideal, the gangster, the Black Power movement, and the feminists but there are a lot of things those people got right too. By not addressing all sides of these issues, the author does a disservice to his claims by making his criticism look shallow, uninformed, and rudimentary.

The Last Days of Louisiana Red is the follow up novel to Ishmael Reed’s most celebrated work Mumbo Jumbo, a novel that deserves all the praise it gets. The main idea of that book is that if white people stand back and give African-American people enough space then their culture will grow and thrive. I think the main idea of The Last Days of Louisiana Red is that, now that Black people have sufficient space to grow and thrive, they have to deal with some problems internal to the Black community. Notice how prominent a role the white people play in Mumbo Jumbo and how marginal the white people are in Louisiana Red. Reed has progressed to a new set of parameters here. But this latter novel is less successful because he introduces too much information into those parameters. It is like a chef making a pot of gumbo and using every ingredient he finds in the kitchen so that no individual flavor stands out and whatever is there in the pot doesn’t blend in with everything else. Reed could have left a lot of the content out to give more room for the important ideas to take hold or he could have expanded the novel to three times its length to fully develop everything he introduces. Otherwise, he does raise a legitimate issue, that of some members of the African-American community working against its greater interests. even if Some of his criticisms, particularly of feminism, are not entirely justified. I like to think that Reed is too good an author to write this kind of book since he certainly showed what he is capable of in Mumbo Jumbo, but in comparison this just ends up being another novel that doesn’t live up to its potential.

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Top 5-10 favorite video games?

Preamble to say the only consoles I ever owned were a Sega Genesis, as a kid, and I played a shit out of that with my sister. And an X-Box 360, where I mostly played one game I also owned on PC. I'm a PC gamer.

Going from how much play and replay time I got out of them

10. Bloons TD6 - A simple tower defense game, you can even play this on mobile. It's a fun time killer. Like most games, I feel like, if you're good at math, you'll do better at it. I'm not good at math. But I have fun. I always go back to it when nothing else works.

9. Darkest Dungeon - I actually only have 82.6 hours in this game but the only reason I don't play it more, is, again, I'm bad at math, and not good at it, but I really like it. It is the type of game where suffering is the point tho, so if you're into that, I recommend. Turn based RPG game. Really cool art too.

8. Orcs Must Die 2 - Another tower defense game, but this one is a blend with a shooter. It's quick paced and fun and the characters and orcs are funny. I love this one.

7. Frostpunk - Dystopian ice age city builder. The art is also amazing. Again...math...so...I do what I can...which usually means turning down difficulty but I still love it. It's a bit depressing but...I like that.

6. Banished - Medieval/Cononial periods inspired city builder. The base game is good enough, but I admit I can no longer play without one of he handful of massive mods that make it a lot more involved and rewarding. Also, I like going all agricultural age all over the map. Playing it right now in a borrowed laptop and enjoying it still.

5. Stardew Valley - At first glance I didn't think I'd enjoy it so much but I played the heck out of this during the first leg of the pandemic. There's a lot to do in this game, farming, animal husbandry, mining and killing monsters, making friends with locals, choosing one of the handful of dull villagers to tie the knots with, having babies who never grow up, meeting the wizard, finding the witch hut, sailing to an island with more crap to do. It's a lot of fun. One of the games I miss playing since my laptop broke again.

4. Don't Starve [Together] - Survival games have a special spot in my introvert, lonely heart and DS is one of the first I got into. It's got beautiful Tim Burton-esque art and funny characters and music and it was very spooky to me when I first played it. I probably played the co-op version, Don't Starve Together, longer, because I played it with friends as well as alone because it's doable and DST offers thing you don't have in the regular game.

3. Dark Souls - I actually only managed to get my hands on (it was a gift) this game and try it recently. I gave up multiple times because it's more than challenging. It's hard. Probably not for "pro gamers" but it was for me and I beat it the first time only with the help of a cheaty mod that let me turn down difficulty. I have played it the normal way several times since and it's definitely taught me to play defensively and to actually think about my moves more than any other game. I know it's an oldie, but I love it and miss it since the pooter when poof.

2. The Long Dark - Another survival game and possibly my favorite. You're alone in Great Bear Island (Canada). Probably alone in the world after a geomagnetic storm that took out electricity and nothing works anymore and the world is getting colder. There's a story mode but I actually never played it much, I play survival mode. You can make it as difficult or as easy as you want. It's challenging and you can die from hunger, from cold, from predators, all that good stuff! I am currently playing it in my borrowed pooter.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - This one gets the first spot because I've played it, A LOT, in both PC and x-box 360. The replayability for me was great. I played it many times, trying different builds. And yes the game is buggy and glitchy as hell and it's got many issues, but I love it. I love the freedom it gave me to do what I wanted. It countered all of its weaknesses for me. I never had a beefy enough computer to play it with all the best mods, but I dream of the day I winthe lottery and buy the best PC to really beef up this game and play it all over again.

writing asks: 10, 11, 19 and 30, please and thank you :)

yayyy thanks bud

10. Top three favourite fic tropes & 11. Three tropes that are fine but overrated.

Combining this answer into one with the help of handy-dandy meme:

Top three remains true; overrated would probably be the... B tier? I definitely think sharing a bed is wildly overrated. But, of course, all of this depends on execution. I won't click on anything just because of a 'mutual pining' tag -- tropes are helpful tools but you have to be a decent builder to use them properly.

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

Something about the flick of the woman's long fingers, the reference. Sam's face heats and Dean sees, of course, and gives him a narrow-eyed look, but apparently he's reading it as embarrassment because he breaks out in a grin. New expression on this new face: this woman's got a slightly crooked canine and a smile that gives her slanting fox-eyes, charming and wicked. "Sammy," Dean says, sing-song and high, and Sam drags a hand over his face. "Shouldn't do it if you can't talk about it."

"Any-way," Sam says, while Dean sniggers. Figures, Dean chills out while Sam gets more flustered. Jerk. "We've got approximately squat to go on. We've got random details but we have no idea why, for any of it. We've got to figure out why it happened if we're gonna have any chance of fixing it."

The smile dims, although there's still a sorta-twinkle in Dean's borrowed eye. "We know how to fix it," he says, oddly neutral.

Sam stands up, flipping his legal pad into his bag and packing up, though with no clear idea of where they'll go. "Let's aim for a fix that's more long-term."

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn’t.

Oh, tough one. I have a bunch of fics that are still allegedly waiting to be written, on the long long long to-do list. A slightly different answer, a fic that was intended to go one way and went entirely another? I wrote a s2 fic a while back called in tenebris veritas (stupid title, but oh well), and the actual first idea for the fic was pretty different. What I ended up writing was a Dean POV fic where he and Sam had had blackout, unexpectedly violent sex, and Sam was deeply embarrassed and ashamed, and Dean ended up making Sam feel better because it turns out he’ll take whatever Sam will dish out. Which, okay. Fine.

What I wanted to write was a Sam POV story with the same inciting premise, but one in which he woke up and went, wow, we were pretty crazy last night, and it’s a slow dawning horror that he (it turns out) was fairly rough and violent and Dean’s actually quite hurt, this morning. He was going to be ashamed and, particularly, ashamedly turned on, because we know that Sammy is an animal in the sack and I think it’s very interesting to peek into the ways he wants to want things, in particular the ways he wants not to want things. We got a bit of that in the fic that was published. But what I really wanted to do was have Dean be a mystery -- that Sam would look into his face and not know, not for sure, whether Dean liked it or not -- whether Dean was lying about being fine or whether he was actually fine -- whether Dean were just trying to make Sam feel better -- whether he was, and this is key, afraid of what Sam might be or do. All of that tied into the larger s2 story of Dean keeping secrets + “is something wrong with Sam?”  Somehow, though, when I went to write it, I just... couldn’t. (And it was a bad depression day and my brain was lying to me about how I was a terrible writer, because it’s a dick.) So I flipped it, and went for the more boring but easier version.

I sometimes think about doing the exercise of rewriting it. A diptych, or something. But there’s always the next story, so -- it may just be lost to the ether.

the silence drowns (part twelve)

Summary: Morgan interrupted Foyet in Hotch’s apartment and saw everything. Now Hotch is staying with Jessica, Morgan is trying to figure out how to save the day and Foyet is on the road.

Warnings: Actually, for this chapter, really nothing. You get a short reprieve...it's just Derek dealing with the fallout from the last two chapters so we're all caught up and on the same page finally as we enter the final stretch.

Pairings: Hotch/Morgan

Words: 1.8k

Notes: It's coming along. We're getting there. Things are falling into place. The final showdown will be a blaze of violent glory. None of these people go down without a fight.

Chapter List

Read on AO3: The Silence Drowns

**

It all happened at once.

Or at least that's what it felt like. A week of quiet reflection on a shitty situation, existing in a weird stasis inside of Hotch's apartment while he was far enough away that Derek could only hope he had some semblance of peace. Every text, every call between he and Jessica they assumed would be monitored, they kept it to a minimum. Passing messages through her parents, outside channels that Foyet couldn't track, he knew so little. Sometimes, late at night, he wondered if they weren't giving Foyet too much credit...would he really be watching everything? Was he really that smart, or had he just been lucky? The further into the abyss Derek went, the less he knew.

He couldn't say he'd had any peace over the last few days...weeks now?...the calendar meant nothing to him anymore. The place was quiet, just he and Clooney talking to the ghosts in the walls. He'd removed every trace of blood he could find, borrowed sensitive equipment from the guys down in forensics just to make sure...clean slate, that's all he was hoping for. They both needed it. He wasn't sure everything could be mended, humans couldn't be put together with spackle and masking tape and he was coming to the sad realization that Hotch's wounds might heal on the outside but he'd carry them forever anyway. His canvas couldn't be painted over.

Staring at the gaping wall, the small square of drywall ready to be placed and taped in, he lost himself in thought. The bullet had long since been pulled, but it still smelled like a smoking gun somehow...maybe only his imagination. Probably. He'd shoved the crime scene tape inside already. Memories or something. There was a builder's tradition, placing something like a time capsule, a memento from the person doing the work to the next person to open her up. His fingers twitched at his side, thumb rubbing at the pad of his middle finger. He could put anything here. Anything. Hotch would never open it again. Probably no one would, not until the place was demolished...you don't treat apartments like you do houses. You don't renovate, you don't restore, you just destroy and start over. Nothing worth keeping in the walls. But he wanted something more than the tape, twisted and balled up after an angry night of feeling hopeless, powerless, alone. He would like to fish the tape out now but it felt right in there anyway, a reminder. It needed something else now, something better. A good luck charm maybe. Even if he was the only one who ever knew it was there.

Except the apartment spoke to him and it spoke loud, and it had other plans. He heard a gun, a low voice, felt the carpet on his chin and the blood on his hands. The apartment let out a scream, it echoed through his head and then all at once went silent. Left listening to the hush and stillness, searching out the fear he'd been trying to so hard to mask, he realized what he needed to put there. Not a good luck charm, an insurance policy. Just like old times. The taping, the mud, the sanding, that all came easy once he made the decision.

As if given permission by some cosmic force, his phone started ringing. First his mother, even if she hadn't been the first contacted she was the first to call.

“Bear-bear,” she began, hardly waiting for more than his first syllables. He wondered how long it had been since she'd called him by that name. “A man who claimed to be from the Tribune called me asking about you and Aaron,” she said softly. “I don't believe that's who he was at all. I hung up and called the Tribune right away and they weren't able to find anyone who called me, no one writing a story about you. Derek, something is going on...is Aaron alright?” She knew he wasn't, not really, she knew the story. But something about that phone call made her veins run ice cold.

“Mama,” he glanced around, like the walls might betray him. Clooney wouldn't but he couldn't trust the rest. “I don't know. He's alive.” That was all he had to offer. She made a noise of disgust and he could almost predict what would come next.

“Derek Morgan.” No more Bear-bear, he thought sourly. “Please do not tell me that you aren't with him now. Of all the silly, stupid, arrogant...”

“It isn't safe.”

“Oh PAH...who cares? If I could have been with your father in those last moments, I'd give it all up to be there. You wise up, young man.” She didn't stop there, but he couldn't hear her anymore, her voice was static. He thought back to that night in the hospital, pacing the ICU, waiting to be allowed inside only to get that fucking call from Strauss...had he really not even SEEN Hotch in that long? Not even once? His mom was right. Fuck.

“Okay. Okay mom. Listen, don't take any more calls you hear me? I don't know who that was but if I had to guess...”

“It was him, Bear. It was him, I know it was. I knew it from the moment he answered. You go find Aaron and take care of him, do you hear me?” Fran Morgan was not a woman to challenge, he'd learned that from an early age. He could credit her with an awful lot of his own hard-headed traits.

He smiled in spite of himself. “What about me, mama?” He was mostly joking, trying to inject some amount of levity into a situation that made him feel utterly out of his depths.

“Aaron will do the same for you. That's why you two work.” She paused, waited for him to come up with some arrogant reply, something that sounded just like him and when he didn't, she continued. “Call him. You put eyes on him and you don't stop putting eyes on him until that monster is in custody, do you hear me child?”

The walls closed in, or at least he thought they did. What an odd feeling. This place was really getting to him.

“Yes,” he started and she clicked her teeth at him. He had flashbacks to being a teenager.

“Yes what?” He could hear the smile in her voice, but it didn't scare him any less. His veins ran with ice.

“Yes, ma'am.”

He tried to change the subject, like he had time...he missed his mom. And the thought that Foyet called her, he didn't want to think about what that implied. He'd either looked her up, or worse...he'd been in Chicago, and if he was in Chicago...if he knew where she lived...he knew now exactly how badly they'd all underestimated Foyet's capabilities. It wasn't done because he wasn't done.

When he said it all happened at once, what he meant was this: as soon as the call from his mother ended, Jessica was calling him.

“Sean says a man came to see him at the bar a few days ago,” she started, sounding out of breath. “He knew about what happened to you and Aaron. He knew about Foyet. What are the odds, Derek? Not good right? Right?” She sounded panicked, and Derek wondered where she was. Was she with Aaron? Was she away from him so he didn't know about Sean?

“Right,” he assured her as calmly as possible, “Not good at all. It was probably Foyet.” They went over the stories together, matching them up. Derek didn't want to call Penelope, but he had no choice, had to drag her in. It didn't take long before the whole team was involved, trying to track Foyet to no avail. He wasn't using any of his known aliases and none of them were quite foolish enough to believe those were all he had on hand.

A call from Hotch was the nail in the coffin. “Derek?” His voice had the consistency of a sick September wind, that last dying gasp of summer over early crisped leaves. Derek almost didn't realize it was him, not at first. He chalked it up to a number he didn't recognize but it was more than that.

“Aaron?” His heart stopped. No, he thought, it didn't just stop...it felt like it vanished. His chest became an empty cavity as the silent seconds ticked by. He checked his phone, made sure the call hadn't disconnected.

“He was in my mother's home.” His voice cracked on the word home, like he didn't mean it in the way it should have sounded. Like he had no idea what words to use. Every part of that sentence was strained through fear. That wasn't a home, not for him, but there was still something there...some awful tie and Hotch sounded like he might be sick. That probably wasn't as surprising as it felt. Derek fell into the couch and pressed one hand to his face. It all happened at once.

“Are you sure it was him?”

“He claimed to be Roy Colson, the reporter from Boston who wrote the books about the Reaper years ago. I called Roy,” he paused, sucking in a breath that Derek knew sounded like pain. Like he'd twisted wrong, said too many words in one go, he couldn't be sure because he had no fucking clue what Hotch even looked like right now. Was he healing? Was he worse? “Roy never spoke to my mother, and I believe him. He would have asked my permission first. I trust him, Derek. So that leaves us with...”

“Foyet.” Derek couldn't really focus on the words, he knew they were important but the voice...hearing Hotch's voice...he hadn't realized how badly he'd needed that one simple thing. “Come home,” he blurted out and was met with silence. “You and Jessica, come here. I can't protect you if you're not here.”

“Derek,” Hotch started, his voice hardly more than a whisper. “It isn't that simple.”

Derek had no idea what that meant, but he hated it. Made him want to scream. He didn't, though, he didn't scream. He just said “Okay” and stayed on the line as long as Hotch would hang on, hoping for nothing more than hearing him breathing.

(x)

“Have you seen Hotch?” Penelope asked, when she had Derek to herself after a long conference call with everyone. Always awkward, everyone tried to speak over one another, a steady stream of jumbled voices loud enough to make Derek's head pound. Now it was just the two of them, though. . He paced the apartment, staring at the newly mudded wall waiting for him to sand and paint. Little insurance policy tucked neatly inside for a rainy day, safe and sound.

“Not yet.”

“What are you waiting for?”

Derek closed his eyes, shoulders slumping. “Him.”

2, 7, and 12 for the fic writer questions!

Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

Those tags are: Alternate Universe, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

I was about to say, "Oh, I'm not really a world builder" but then I realized, that isn't quite true? It's just that I'm not a world builder in the way, say, Tolkien is where he's going to spend a book and a half explaining epic battles and families vying for power that have set the stage for the tale you're about to read. I prefer to reveal the world through hints and clues that are there for people to find, but are more to enhance the story than be a part of it.

I think this is really easy to see in Ask Nelson and Murderdock where the details are there on the page to see (even if they are a little subtle) but as for pure fic, I have a story called "The Man in the Mask" which is a Spideypool story about a (unfortunately prophetic) global pandemic that ends up getting pinned on mutants and eventually anyone with super powers. I did borrow plenty of lore from the comics, but it's one of those slow-reveals where the reader has to piece together the chain of events, and I think I did a good job of it there.

Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I don't think I was ever opposed to monster/creature AUs but it wasn't until recently that I started seeing more of the appeal and having more ideas for them? I guess it's all about the company you keep, haha.

I can't say that I'm GUNG HO about historical AUs, but that probably has more to do with how little I know about history and how much research I'd need to do to satisfy myself before typing a single word. Still, I can see the appeal of exploring some specific environments that only existed on Earth for a brief period of time, for whatever reason.

Use These Tips To Experience Home Business Success

Perhaps you are one of the many Americans who constantly thinks about opening a home business. There are ai shopify store builder like you, who may have a great idea but are unsure of how to implement it. This article contains some tips and advice for people who are interested in a home business. Before starting a home business, be sure to research your market fully. If your product is something that your target market doesn't want or need, you won't get many sales. Rather than spending all your energy trying to force the market to buy your product, spend that energy designing and promoting a product the market wants. Make a plan for your home business before you just go jumping in. If you know what you're going to do and when you're going to do it, you'll be much more likely to meet your goals. Starting a business without a plan is like trying to drive to an unknown location without a map - even if you know where you'd like to end up, you probably won't get there in any reasonable timeframe. Come up with a business plan. When you have a plan and write it down, you not only feel more organized but also it helps your mind to come up with great ideas. Before you know it, you'll be coming up with all sorts of imaginative ways to develop your business, that you would never have thought of, if you hadn't put your plan on paper. Be sure to dress well. You might want to wear pajamas while working from home. As with any other job, you should dress for success. This puts you in the right mindset to be as productive as possible. Take regular breaks even if you work from home. Work can be stressful, even in the comfort of your own surroundings. Break time is for relaxation, meals, and other personal tasks. Make a little free time part of your normal work day and you and your home business will run a little more smoothly! Figuring your tax deductions for your home-based business can be made infinitely easier if you designate a separate area or room of your home entirely to your business, and use it for that purpose only. It is much easier to compute, and you are much more likely to get, the largest write-offs possible if you have a set, defined space. Trying to add up bits of space here and there that may have only been used temporarily, are called combined-use areas or transitional spaces, and make computing allowable expenses next to impossible to calculate. If you are just getting started it is a good idea to offer something free to your customers. Many people do not want to invest their money into something they are not sure of, so offering them free products/services will give them an idea of what you are selling and let them know the quality of it. In order to make sure your business is financially set, you should always have emergency funds available. Having an emergency fund will help cover surprise expenses without causing your business operations to sputter. Only withdrawal money from the emergency fund when an emergency occurs though. Remember you are only borrowing money from yourself. You should make sure that you fully support the product or service you are offering. If you have any qualms about a product or service that you are attempting to sell it can be very difficult to push the product or service and make a profit. It is important to advertise things that you can completely support. Be marketing hook that the home business that you are considering is safe for you and your family to get involved with. Look in to any chemicals or products that may cause your children harm and learn about the best way to keep them stored safely and out of your child's reach. Opening a home business often seems like an insurmountable task, but if you start simple and follow the tips that you read here, you will have a great chance of success. Starting your home business can be very rewarding and although it is difficult, it is certainly not in the realm of the impossible!

8 Important Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

Everyone knows the importance of the credit score. If you are one of those who haven't heard about it , let us tell you that a credit score is a score which is a consideration as an important factor by lenders while offering you home loans, credit cards and other credit services. 

Unlock Your Credit Potential: A Comprehensive Guide to Fast Credit Score Growth

But, if your credit score is below the average, be assured there is always room to improve. This post will talk about the easy actions that you can take to make it good within no time. So, read this piece of article from Kreditwala News to know everything which can help you to make your credit score above 800+.

1. Check Your Credit Report Regularly:

To get started, contact the major credit bureaus like CIBIL, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to obtain your credit report. Do a full verification of it in order to find out any mistakes or falsehoods that might prove to be your mistake. Check for any inaccuracies in your report and make necessary corrections so that you have an accurate picture of your credit score.

2. Pay Your Bills on Time:

The most important thing that you should never forget is probably paying your bills on time. Ensure payment of all the dues, including the credit card bills, loans, and the bills of the utilities as per the schedule. You can create notifications or set up automatic payment. Not making the payments on time leads to your credit score reduction and causes you some difficulties with getting credit in future. 

Therefore, please try to make payment on schedule and in time. If you are struggling to pay off a bill, the option of reaching out to the company to discuss a possible installment plan is a good idea. Make sure that you take care of your bills on time in order to achieve quick improvement of the credit score.

3. Reduce Credit Card Balances:

If you have a high balance on your credit cards, there is a chance that you will have a poor credit score. Attempt to spend only 30% of your total credit limit. To increase the credit score, debts should be paid off timely or with unused limits, you can ask for a higher limit.

4. Limit New Credit Applications:

For each time you submit an application for a new credit, your credit score will be decreased. Therefore, do not request new credit unless you really require it, and unless you are already improving your score. When you apply for a new credit, the company goes to check the details of your credit report, and that's what we call a hard inquiry. 

A couple of hard inquiries may appear too risky to lenders and thus will bring the credit score down. Concentrate on good credit usage rather than opening new accounts. Only take on new credit when it is absolutely necessary. This will help you avoid frustrating situations in the future, as your credit score will be great.

5. Diversify Your Credit Mix:

The use of various types of credit accounts like credit cards, loans, and mortgages would have a positive impact on the credit scores. In addition, if you have just one credit account, add more accounts into your portfolio (but be cautious).

7. Keep Old Accounts Open:

The credit history, which is also an important factor in computing the credit score, is also another one of the factors in credit scoring. Do not consider closing old credit accounts, even though you may not use them that frequently. These reports of the accounts which, in addition to the extension of the credit history, make the score better.

8. Use Credit-Builder Loans:

In case you fail to secure credit on a regular basis, then you can consider taking a credit-builder loan. Such loans are designed to assist the customers in establishing or improving their credit by creating a repayment history, which is the crucial step in the credit rating analysis. 

In these types of loans, you have to borrow a small amount of money  for a short time period. After that you are asked to repay it in EMIs. If you make all the repayments on time, it sends a message to the bureaus that you're a responsible person who repays his loans timely. This results in improvement of your credit scores instantly. 

Conclusion:

You can not improve your credit score in one night. However, you can see a little growth every month if you follow the above mentioned tips told by Kreditwala. If you want more guidance on improving your credit score, Kredit Wala is here to help you. Contact them now to make progress in improving the credit score and gaining access to greater financial possibilities. You may be amazed at how much your life will change when you take the credits as a responsibility and begin to create your own financial success story.

Augusta Precious Metals Review - Is It Value Your Cash?

Frank sufficient, what really will get net design Augusta going is an concept that has been designed for max influence. To be frank enough, the designers solely believes in mission and values and that is why they design their customer's web site with the intention of drawing better variety of target market. Frank sufficient, it's always vital to ensure that the business has suitable on-line attraction to its buyer base and this is possible only through brand designing. Although plumbers might not usually be in the type of business that provides maintenance earlier than it's a necessity, that doesn't mean that they will not come out and carry it out for you if that is what you would like. Goldco will help with the mandatory paperwork and assist to streamline the method as much as possible. Most people don't know that they will get all the benefits of gold investing with out ever shopping for any. Can I Purchase Gold or Silver for my IRA with Augusta Precious Metals? Find out, what kind of merchandise you intend to sell and based mostly on that get in contact with the emblem designers. You will not have to promote your property or borrow cash to unravel any of those issues.

There is not any sense in wasting considerable time and money by hiring someone who, in the long run, seems to be unworthy of the faith which you set into them to do the job effectively, effectively, and correctly. Precious metals might be saved in a vault or other safe place. The corporate adds that the precious metals will probably be saved in a protected, insured Delaware Depository vault. Can My precious metals IRAs be saved at home? A diversified retirement portfolio helps to safeguard your future and precious metals are a good way to do this. By making certain your plumbing is updated and that there is nothing stuck in there you will have the capability to avoid some pricey repairs afterwards down the road. Whereas Buying to get a Toyota Prius in Augusta,GA stopping at Milton Ruben dealership the Range one seller of Toyota's in Augusta, is really a superb place to discover a Toyota Prius. With much more cars, decrease costs, plus the greatest service Buying to get a Toyota Prius in Augusta,GA is effortless thanks in the direction of the employees at Milton Ruben. The Prius comes in both a normal and computerized transmission, While utilizing computerized getting 50 miles per gallon, and in addition the manual getting slightly a lot more. Though the 2010 Prius is totally different from the unique Prius that was released in 1997, it nonetheless has the identical philosophy that it was founded with.

Subsequent Thursday, the world's greatest golfers will convene at Augusta Nationwide Golf Club to play within the 2010 Masters Tournament. They have a method of speaking, such that the consumer will be at liberty to share all details concerning the case with the lawyer. If you’re seeking to diversify your portfolio with gold and silver but nonetheless have questions, then APM is the precise selection for you. Meaning any lower rankings accounted for such a small part of the response it still rounded up to a perfect 5. Nonetheless, additionally it is a soiled enterprise and regardless of the security in it, there's typically still greater than enough work to go around to all of the companies, regardless of how huge or small, in terms of plumbing. Following the route, business gets enough possibility of integrating social networking software. There are lots of of the builders who will give you personalised residence options even when you are not fulfilling the minimal credit score score of seven hundred points. Deciding on an efficient lawyer may be very essential so far as claims concerning a car accident is worried. We know that buying a automotive is an expensive ordeal, and we enable you to conserve revenue.

There's nothing quite like shopping for stuff on-line with on-line coupons & cash back. There are also url related to shopping for and maintaining gold bullion. Nowadays, you will find horde of website design providers in Augusta who're incorporating the ability of custom web design services to retain better visibility and on-line presence. Each webpage developed by companies is optimized for highest possible search engine rankings, cross browser tested to make sure a constant consumer expertise. Be it all- inclusive company profiles, brilliant e-commerce websites or well interactive Internet 2.Zero technology primarily based sites, internet design firms in Augusta make everything potential, bringing professional web design companies. First thing first. In the event you keep at Augusta and urgently in search of for good brand design in Augusta, it can be crucial to seek out these designers who keep close by and have quick access. Be taught about the expertise, experience, and designing technique of the designers alongside their portfolio. The need assist designers focusing on a distinct segment market and generate greater visitors at specific product. Augusta residence builders. help you to to avail Residence Mortgage in Augusta , however will even present constructing and development mortgage even in case your credit score score falls beneath seven hundred factors.

Should I Buy or Build a House in Henderson NV

The question of whether to buy or build a house in Henderson NV is a complex one, hinging on several key factors that vary from individual to individual. The decision, in essence, is a balance between personal needs and financial feasibility, with aspects such as budget, timeframe, location, and the desire for customization playing a crucial role. While buying an existing house offers immediacy and a sense of community, building a home offers the opportunity for customization and potentially greater energy efficiency. Understanding the intricacies of the local housing market and available incentives or programs can significantly impact the final decision. This discourse aims to dissect these factors and provide a detailed exploration to guide potential homeowners in making an informed decision. Stay tuned as we delve into the intricacies of this buy or build a house in Henderson NV decision-making process.

Key Takeaways

- Budget: Consider your financial status and feasibility of constructing a home within your budget. - Timeframe: Decide if you need a quick move-in process or if you are willing to wait for the construction process. - Location: Evaluate the availability of land and any constraints that may affect your choices. - Customization preferences: Determine how important customization and control over design and finishes are to you.

Assessing Your Budget

When contemplating the decision to buy or build a house in Henderson NV, a critical starting point lies in a comprehensive assessment of your budget. This involves examining your financial capability for a substantial down payment - a factor that significantly reduces your monthly mortgage loan. Consulting a real estate agent can provide an understanding of the Henderson housing market, ensuring a suitable property selection within your budget. It's essential for a first-time buyer to get pre-approved for a mortgage to ascertain their borrowing capacity and probable interest rate. If considering building, thorough research on construction costs in Henderson is vital. Don't forget to factor in ongoing costs like property taxes, homeowners insurance, utilities, and maintenance, which are integral parts of affordable housing.

Understanding Timeframe Needs

Navigating the labyrinth of buy or build a house in Henderson NV, necessitates a clear understanding of your timeframe needs, a crucial factor that significantly impacts your decision-making process. Purchasing an existing house typically requires 30-60 days, while construction of a new home could take 6-12 months, or longer depending on design complexity. If your need for a home is immediate, buying may be more feasible. If you prioritize customization and can afford to wait, construction could be the ideal choice. Factors such as builder availability, supply chain issues, and personal preferences can also influence this timeline. Your ultimate decision should balance your timeframe needs with your individual priorities and risk tolerance in the vibrant Nevada real estate market.

Evaluating Location Choices Should I Buy or Build a House in Henderson NV

In the pursuit of a dream home in Henderson, NV, the significance of location cannot be overstated, as it influences not only daily living but also the long-term value of the investment. Prospective homeowners should consider factors like zoning regulations, the reputation of the homeowner association, and the sense of community in various locations. The real estate market in areas like Green Valley, Anthem, and Seven Hills offers unique benefits, each with their distinct charm and advantages. Green Valley is known for its excellent schools and amenities, while Seven Hills offers stunning valley views. Proximity to Las Vegas also adds to the allure of locations like Whitney Ranch. Evaluating these factors can help inform your decision to buy or build a house in Henderson NV.

Comparing Customization Options

One significant factor that potential homeowners must grapple with when deciding between buy or build a house in Henderson NV is the degree of customization desired. Buying an existing house offers limited customization as you are confined to the existing layout and features of the dwelling. While minor changes like painting or changing fixtures are feasible, extensive modifications can be expensive and disruptive. On the other hand, building a house allows for extensive customization. You have complete control over the design, layout, materials, and features of your home. This includes efficient energy use options which can lead to long-term savings. This comes with a longer timeframe and potentially higher upfront costs. The degree of desired customization plays a significant role in this decision.

Navigating Incentives and Programs

After assessing the customization options, it's imperative to understand the various incentives and programs available for buy or build a house in Henderson NV. You may be eligible for benefits from the Nevada Housing Division or for federal tax credits for energy-efficient homes. * **Home is Possible**: This program offers down payment assistance for low- and moderate-income buyers. * **Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC)**: This federal tax credit allows you to claim a portion of the mortgage interest paid. * **Green Building Programs**: Local utilities or organizations may offer rebates or incentives for energy-efficient building practices. Understanding these incentives can have a significant impact on your decision to buy or build a house in Henderson NV. Consult with a real estate agent, lender, or housing counselor to make an informed decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Typical Costs Associated With Building a House in Henderson, NV? The cost of building a house in Henderson, NV can vary widely depending on a number of factors, but here's a breakdown of some typical costs to consider: Land: Land prices in Henderson can range from $50,000 to over $500,000, depending on the size, location, and amenities of the lot. Developed lots with utilities and access to city services will be more expensive than raw land. Construction: The average cost per square foot to build a house in Nevada is around $167, but this can vary depending on the complexity of the design, the quality of materials used, and labor costs. A basic 2,000 square foot house could cost around $334,000 to build, while a more elaborate custom home could run into the millions. Other Costs: Permits and fees: The City of Henderson charges various fees for building permits, inspections, and other services. You can use the city's permit fee estimator to get a rough idea of these costs: https://www.cityofhenderson.com/government/departments/building-and-fire-safety/building-online-services/permit-fee-estimator Architect and engineer fees: If you are building a custom home, you will need to hire an architect and engineer to design your home and obtain the necessary permits. Contingency fund: It is always a good idea to have a contingency fund to cover unexpected costs during construction. Here are some additional factors that can affect the cost of building a house in Henderson: The size and complexity of the house: Larger and more complex houses will cost more to build. The quality of materials: Higher-quality materials will cost more than lower-quality materials. Labor costs: Labor costs can vary depending on the experience and skill of the contractor and subcontractors. The time of year: Building costs can be higher during the busy season (spring and summer). Here are some resources that can help you estimate the cost of building a house in Henderson: Houzeo: https://www.houzeo.com/pricing All Homes Las Vegas: https://www.homebuilderdigest.com/cost-guides/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house-in-las-vegas/ Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/research/zillow-housing-predictions-2023-31714/ It is important to get quotes from several different contractors before you start building your house. This will help you ensure that you are getting the best possible price for the quality of work you want. What Is the Average Time It Takes to Build a House in Henderson, NV Compared to the Average Home Buying Process? Buy or Build a House in Henderson NV: Timeframe Comparison Choosing between buy or build a house in Henderson NV, involves several factors, including time. Here's a breakdown of the average timeframes for each process: Building a House: Planning and pre-construction: This can take 2-4 months, including finding land, acquiring permits, finalizing designs, and securing financing. Construction: The actual construction phase typically takes 3-6 months for a standard house, but can extend up to 10-16 months for custom builds with added complexity. Total timeframe: Expect to wait 5-10 months on average for a new build, potentially longer for intricate designs or unforeseen delays. Buying a House: Searching and negotiations: Finding a suitable house and closing the deal can take 1-3 months, depending on market conditions and your negotiating skills. Loan pre-approval and processing: Securing a mortgage can take 30-60 days, requiring paperwork and credit checks. Closing and possession: Finalizing title transfer and taking ownership usually takes 30-45 days after loan approval. Total timeframe: Purchasing a house typically takes 4-6 months on average, though faster or slower timelines are possible depending on individual circumstances. Comparison: Building is generally slower: Expect to wait 1-4 months longer on average to move into a new build compared to buying a pre-existing house. Factors affecting timeframe: Size, complexity, and unexpected delays can significantly extend the building process. Market conditions influence buying: A competitive market might require quicker decisions and shorter search times for buying. Additional Considerations: Customization: Building offers greater control over design and features, while buying is limited to existing options. Financial flexibility: Buying often requires less upfront money than building, although construction gives you more control over final costs. Risk and maintenance: Building comes with construction risks and potential delays, while buying may necessitate immediate repairs or renovations. The best option for you depends on your individual priorities and needs. Consider your timeframe preferences, budget, desired level of customization, and tolerance for risk when making your decision. How Can I Find Reliable Builders in Henderson, NV for Constructing a New Home? Finding reliable builders for your new home in Henderson, NV can be exciting but overwhelming. Here are some tips to narrow down your search and find the perfect partner: Gather Recommendations: Ask friends, family, and neighbors: They might have built recently or know someone who did and can recommend quality builders. Real estate agents: They often interact with builders and have insights into their reputation and work. Local building associations: The Home Builders Association of Greater Las Vegas is a good resource for builder referrals: https://snhba.com/. Research Online: Review websites and social media pages: Look for builders with established websites showcasing their work, testimonials, and awards. Check online directories and review platforms: Websites like Houzz, Yelp, and BBB offer information and reviews about builders: https://www.houzz.com/ https://www.yelp.com/locations/states https://www.bbb.org/search Read industry publications: Local magazines and newspapers may feature articles on top builders in your area. Vet Potential Builders: Contact shortlisted builders: Request detailed proposals outlining costs, timelines, materials, and warranties. Meet with the builders: Discuss your vision, budget, and expectations. Ask about their experience, communication style, and references. Check licenses and insurance: Ensure the builder is licensed in Nevada and carries liability insurance. Request references: Contact past clients and inquire about their experience with the builder. Additional Tips: Get multiple quotes: Compare prices, services, and guarantees from different builders before making a decision. Be clear about your budget and expectations: Communicate your needs openly and ask questions throughout the process. Sign a detailed contract: Ensure the contract outlines all project details, payment schedule, and dispute resolution procedures. By following these tips, you can significantly increase your chances of finding a reliable and trustworthy builder for your dream home in Henderson, NV. Building a new home is a significant investment, so take your time, do your research, and choose a builder you feel comfortable with and confident in. Are There Specific Building Regulations or Constraints in Henderson, NV That I Should Be Aware Of? Yes, there are specific building regulations and constraints in Henderson, Nevada, that you should be aware of when planning a new home construction project. Here are some key areas to consider: 1. Zoning Ordinances: Determine the zoning of your property: This dictates what types of structures are permitted, density requirements, setbacks from property lines, and more.

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www.cityofhenderson.com Zoning Map Henderson NV Review Henderson's Zoning Ordinance Map: Available online or at the city's Planning Department. Common zoning restrictions: Maximum building height Minimum lot size Fence height and type Pool placement Garage placement 2. Building Codes: Adhere to the International Building Code (IBC): Henderson adopts this code with some local amendments. Ensure structural integrity, safety, and accessibility: The IBC covers aspects like: Foundations Framing Electrical systems Plumbing systems Fire protection Energy efficiency 3. Read the full article

#HorrorRPGs2016 The End of the World: Alien Invasion

Fantasy Flight has a well-deserved reputation for slick products and smart packaging. Edge of the Empire and Warhammer FRP 3e illustrated how they were able to elevate rpgs into a hybrid project. We’ve seen the legacy of that with later games which take a new approach to form factors: Zombie World, Gloomhaven. 

The End of the World series was another unusual direction, though a more conventional rpg than other recent FFG releases. Some of that may come from TEotW's origin as a Spanish language rpg series, El Fin Del Mundo from 2013.

Each volume of The End of the World offers a complete game with a complete apocalypse. I debated about putting these just on the post-apocalyptic lists, but the use of classic horror tropes slots them here as well. All share a simple basic system: six stats in three categories rated from one to five. Features expand the details (i.e. flaws/assets). Players roll a pool of positive and negative d6s. Matching negatives cancel out positives and every remaining die under the relevant stat counts as a success. Those rules take up 40 pages of a 144 page book.

Each volume then each offers a set of sketchy scenarios, each with a slightly different twist on the events. In some cases they're given clear bridges between, but in others the elements feel like they exclude one another. If you're expecting a toolbox for developing the themes, you might be disappointed. As well if you buy multiple volumes, you're repeating much of the basic material (about 33%).

The End of the World has one big hook: you play yourselves. Scenarios have flexible starting locations so you can tailor events to your own hometown or city. There's even a mechanic for painfully deciding your own stats. That works with TEotW’s fairly simple system, both easy to pick up and get running. But a large part of your enjoyment will rely on how much you like playing yourself getting murderized. I burned out on that long ago. If you remove that element, then you're left with a fairly standard set of light rules with a bog standard Armageddon.

One of the two 2016 releases, Alien Invasion, is a surprisingly rare one in post-apocalyptic ttrpgs– despite it being a strong sci-fi trope. The one I can think of off the top of my head is Necessary Evil, Systems Failure (as of this writing available on the Bundle of Holding), and The Mechanoid Invasion. It includes five different alien invasions, with details on how they played out. Each is followed by a scenario frame for how you can integrate the players into the story. This allows you a choice of playing out during the invasion or in the aftermath. 

The five scenarios are: War Between Worlds, which offers a classic martian invasion. Part of the hook here is that the opponents look like greys or other classic depictions of aliens. Brotherhood of Babylon has a group of aliens who shaped humanity’s evolution and have now return to take control of the world. It’s a little like if the Stargate builders came to take back what was theirs. This one has reptiloids, which I’m not fond of given its association with conspiracy theories. There’s also a little bit of the Chariot of Gods implied racism buried in there as well. 

Rising Tides offers an alien people who come not from space, but from the depths of the ocean. Atlantis invades using their superior technology. Skitter has an alien invasion closer to classic monster movies, a swarm of giant interstellar ants which lands on Earth to harvest our resources. You could probably borrow some elements from War Against the Chtorr for this. Finally Visages is, as you might guess, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with plant-like replicants taking over.