Build a City Challenge: Walden - Masterpost
Since Walden is 1 year old now and several hundred posts long, I decided to write a little recap to help both new readers and old keep track of everything that’s happened so far, as well as provide a few useful chronological links.
Bear in mind though that these links only cover the main events - for the “full experience” you are encouraged to read the whole thing by going through the Walden tag.
The founding families:
Abby Shepard
Eli & Imogen Calhoun
Larkin Meade
Julius Merridew
Character aesthetics
Character profiles (contain spoilers)
[SPOILERS] below!
If you’re new to Walden and want to start from the beginning, click here for the first episode. Otherwise, read on.
Year 1
The settlers move in
There are sparks flying between Imogen and Larkin right away
Abby and Julius have a one night stand
But Abby is more attracted to Eli, to Julius’ disappointment
Abby and Julius agree to remain friends
There is still some tension between Julius and Eli however
Which they resolve amicably
Imogen first pitches her restaurant idea to Abby
There is friction between Larkin and Julius, the only one who senses her true nature
Abby lets curiosity get the better of her and forces Julius into an admission he wasn’t comfortable with, thus straining their friendship
Julius and Imogen grow closer, though she is still involved with Larkin
Larkin Meade commissions Eli to paint her portrait
Imogen is displeased when she finds out, and storms off
Meanwhile, Abby discovers that she is pregnant
Eli is taken aback by the news
Imogen confronts her brother about Larkin’s portrait, claiming she has ulterior motives; Eli denies it though he feels drawn to the mysterious beauty
Abby adopts a stray ginger cat named Snaggles
Eli finishes Larkin’s portrait, who makes him an offer he can’t refuse
Larkin explains her motives, and some personal lore about fairies
The pact is sealed, the deed is done
Eli proposes to Abby
Walden’s first wedding takes place, a modest affair
Abby and Eli’s first child, Eleanor, is born
On the rebound from Larkin, Imogen pursues Julius
Which leads to her getting pregnant
Julius is quite overwhelmed by the news
He has a confession of his own to make
He proposes on the spur of the moment, and Imogen agrees
Julius and Imogen get married
Their son Jacob is born
Meanwhile, Larkin gives birth to a daughter, Vernoraxia
Eli begins to slip into madness
Imogen makes her first attempt at entrepreneurship, and she is pregnant again
Imogen shares her anxieties about her children’s magical potential
Jacob’s musical talent manifests, though no magic powers
The Merridew-Calhouns received an unexpected boon
Imogen and Julius’ daughter, Fiona, is born
Who, as it turns out, has inherited her father’s powers
Vernoraxia begins school and is worried the other kids won’t accept her
As fate would have it, she makes friends with her half-sister, though neither of them are aware of the fact
Christmas comes to Walden!
Kate Murray moves into town
She gets a job as a waitress at Imogen’s newly-opened restaurant to pay the bills while working on her AI research
She meets Leann, a local alien woman and Patrick, who turns out to be a bit of a creep
Tess Orwell moves to Walden
She makes friends with Julius
Who cannot help but feel drawn to her
Tess and Julius discuss her condition
Tess visits Larkin’s flower shop and is immediately infatuated with her
She adopts a cat named Cymorial
Julius tries to warn his friend off Larkin Meade
Abby is expecting again
Eli is working on his secret portfolio which he plans to unveil at an exhibition, while his grip on reality keeps slipping
Louis is born
Eleanor, Vernoraxia and Jacob have all become close - “The Gang” is formed
Vernoraxia unnerves Abby with her precociousness
Eli finally realises who his daughter’s friend really is
He tries to break them apart
Abby has a chat with Larkin about their children
Which leads to Larkin paying Eli a visit
They argue, Larkin threatens him into submission
Larkin pursues Tess, invites her over to her cottage
She reveals her true nature to her
Tess is unsure whether to trust her or Julius, Larkin attempts to persuade her to her point of view
Imogen struggles with the challenges of parenthood
A rivalry begins to develop between the Merridew-Calhoun siblings
Imogen can’t seem to be able to get Larkin Meade out of her mind
Year 2
Ellie is beginning to notice her father’s worrying behaviour
She becomes moody and withdrawn as a result, and starts avoiding home
Fiona is too smart for her own good, but Tess is worried
The Merridew-Calhouns adopt a puppy named Merlin
Julius learns all there is to know about neutral magic
Imogen fears she might be pregnant again, which would put a wrench in her career plans
Vernoraxia’s powers are starting to develop
But living among humans has its price
Angry at her mother, she confronts her about her treatment of Tess
Imogen pays her old flame a visit
Which Vernoraxia witnesses
Imogen confides in Larkin about her unhappiness
Tess tries to take her relationship with Larkin to the next level and is cruelly rejected
Heartbroken, Tess cries on Julius’ shoulder, which leads him to impulsively kiss her
They agree to pretend it never happened
Kate hits the jackpot at the lottery, so she quits her job to focus on her research full-time
She reconnects with an old uni acquaintance
And has a pregnancy scare
Kalvin buys her the first of several extravagant and somewhat bizarre gifts
During a date at Imogen’s restaurant, he clashes with Patrick, who had replaced Kate as waiter
Eleanor is beginning to consider her options for college
Snaggles and Cymorial have a litter of kittens
The big day has arrived - Eli prepares to open his art gallery to the public
But not all is well...
Maddened by his obsession with Larkin Meade, Eli takes drastic measures (tw: blood, self-injury for the second link)
Eli is brought home, but he is not well
Tess risks her life to help him, exposing her secret in the process
Julius suggests that Eli’s condition isn’t medical, but supernatural and points to the culprit
Meanwhile, Vernoraxia confronts her mother about Eli, and finds out that he is her father
Larkin explains what happened to him and gives a bit more insight into her past
Vernoraxia begs Larkin to save her father’s life
Abby angrily confronts Larkin, Julius finally sees what had been staring him in the face all along
Larkin makes a veiled threat, but she agrees to save Eli
Confused and angry, Eleanor rejects Vernoraxia
Larkin tells the others that saving Eli’s life has a price
Which Abby agrees to
Eli lives, and admits to having had an affair with Larkin which resulted in Vernoraxia being born
Abby decides to forgive him, and pin the blame solely on Larkin
Julius and Imogen discuss the upcoming birth of their third child, with very different feelings on the matter
Fiona is excited by the news
But she is less excited by the fact that she would have to bunk in with her brother
The two siblings clash again
Rowan is born
Eli changes his look
But he hasn’t forgiven Julius for keeping what he knew about Larkin a secret
Eleanor is troubled, and Fiona’s attempt at making friends with her fails
The enmity between Jacob and Fiona escalates
Vernoraxia shares some of her fears with Larkin
And is heartbroken by her sister’s rejection
Meanwhile, Jacob tries to convince Eleanor to clear the air between the two of them
Fiona overhears, and has a plan
The sisters meet and talk things out
Fiona attempts to curse Vernoraxia in revenge, but hits Eleanor instead
Larkin decides to let the...proper authorities handle the young witch
Julius is furious with his daughter and deals her a severe punishment
Tess, on the other hand, is concerned that Fiona was acting out due to deeper issues
Kate works tirelessly, while her boyfriend, Kalvin, gives her another bizarre gift
At last, she has done it, she has the breakthrough she’d been waiting for!
A burglar tries to break into her house, but is warded off by her Sentry Bot
Abby is quite concerned by the fact that there’s a criminal in her town, however
Kalvin’s gift doesn’t get quite the reaction he’d hoped for
They argue over it and he storms off
AIOS is activated, with some glitches along the way
He explains his reaction
AIOS seeks his life’s purpose
And secretly, Kate feels a strong attraction towards her own creation
The first public park in Walden opens its gates
Abby takes steps to apprehend the burglar and make her citizens feel safe
AIOS agrees to take on law enforcement duties in town
Tess visits the park and is shocked to find out she’s not the only vampire in Walden
She is conflicted; on the one hand, she doesn’t want to expose Damien, on the other, the idea that he’s preying on the townies doesn’t sit right with her
She has to admit that plasma fruit is nothing like the real thing
She gets a visit from Abby, who makes some really good points about vampire doctors
Determined to deal with Damien herself, Tess tries to locate him using her vampiric powers
Instead, she makes an unexpected new acquaintance
Who promises a generous donation towards the construction of a clinic in town
Tess and Damien come face to face again and she offers him an ultimatum; Damien’s cocky vampire facade begins to crack under pressure
The clinic is completed
And is ready to welcome its Chief of Staff
Fiona struggles to accept that her powers are truly gone
Her relationship with most of her family worsens
The only one she is close to is her baby sister Rowan
She decides to skip school one day, but is found out and grounded
Fiona makes a drastic decision which horrifies her family
The entire town mobilises to search for the missing teen, but they fail to find her
Abby climbs her way up the political ladder, while Eli struggles with his inability to create
He decides to take out a loan to start a new business, without telling his wife; Abby is unimpressed
Eli’s ill-fated art gallery is converted into a gym
Eleanor and Vernoraxia, having mended their relationship, talk about their imminent move to university
Eli reconnects with his children
We discover just where Fiona went on the night of her disappearance
How she persuaded Larkin Meade to help her, and what price she paid for it
In return, Fiona got her powers back, and was magically transported away to a destination of her choice
Vernoraxia ponders what it means to become more fae-like
Eli’s gym seems to be going well, although he has ulterior motives for enjoying the change of pace
AIOS continues to explore the human condition
He makes some mistakes along the way
Kate attempts to introduce him to Kalvin, which goes poorly
Kate and AIOS are bonding further
But all is thrown into chaos by a most unexpected event
A post on my take on Sixam/Aliens lore
At first, Kate is simply exhilarated by the experience, but she has a strange nightmare and soon starts feeling unwell
The unthinkable is confirmed - she is pregnant with an alien baby
Kate struggles with the idea, tries to fill in the gaps in her memories, to no avail
AIOS offers his support, points out she can’t keep it from Kalvin forever
Kalvin mistakenly thinks the baby is his; the ensuing argument leads to them breaking up
Kate and AIOS move into a bigger house, pending the birth of Kate’s baby
Kate reconnects with an old acquaintance
She receives some shocking news during a routine checkup!
Aster and Nova Murray are born
Jacob, Eleanor and Vernoraxia move to Providence University
Jacob has his first kiss and a most unfortunate accident
He also has a rival
Ellie finds a none-too-secret admirer
Vernoraxia gets a crush, but is reluctant to pursue it
Evelyn’s new friends are shocked to discover her secret
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