Fosterson Fic Rec Masterlist: Multichapters

The Main Reclist has been split to fix the links that tumblr decided to break if there were too many of them in a single post. I’ll be keeping the main reclist updated (even if the links appear broken) as well as maintaining this list and the list for oneshots.

I need help expanding this list! If you have any favorites or fics of your own of your own you don’t see included in this list and you’d like to submit for consideration, please drop me a line.

List updated April 2020. New additions marked with **

Updated during this wild quarantined time, which should serve as a reminder to everyone to APPRECIATE YOUR CONTENT CREATORS! Leave all the comments and kudos to show our love for everything they do. Big thanks to everyone who recommended and/or created content for this amazing ship.

Rated G/K-K+

**The World has Turned and Left Me Here by alwaysaprilia: Jane Foster’s mission is impossible: build a wormhole, save the world. Thor Odinson thinks his task is even more impossible: keep Jane Foster alive long enough for her to accomplish her mission. AKA: What-to-do-when-the-damsel-in-distress-keeps-distressing-you. Rec: This is such a lovely little AU fic, brings in such an expansive world so succinctly and smoothly. | 16k | In progress

**Unspoken by igi_pigi: Post bringing his brother back to Asgard from Midgard, Thor is told by Heimdall that Jane Foster has decided to stop looking for him. [Set after Avengers1.] Rec: Angsty, with some nice Frigga content. | 4.8k | Complete

**Overlapping Spaces by khilari, Persephone_Kore: Thor returns to Earth a month after the Chitauri invasion to keep his promises -- to see Jane again, and take her to see Asgard, even if the rainbow bridge is still undergoing repairs. Not that Jane is complaining about watching the repairs. But she wasn't expecting Loki to be haunting the palace library, even in psychiatric care; and Loki wasn't expecting to make friends with Thor's mortal girlfriend. Rec: If you’re looking for a good, long Jane-centric fic that also features endgame fosterson, a well written Loki, and really interesting take on Asgardian culture, this is the fic for you. | 107k | Complete

IW Coda by hariboowrites: THOR AND JANE FOCUSED CODA TO IW bc i am who i am. Rec: We all need a fosterson followup to Infinity War, and this one has an ending that made me scream internally with excitement. Make this the opening of the next Avengers movie pls. | ~4k | Complete

Five Times Jane Was Kinda Jealous And One Time Thor Was by shinyopals: ‘Hello, Jane,’ said Thor. He gave her a smile that would move mountains and definitely still made her stomach flutter. ‘This is Rachael and Amanda. They wished to give their regards for my help during the Convergence. Although of course without you we would have been hopeless.’ He turned back to Rachael and Amanda. ‘This is my dear friend Dr Jane Foster, of whom I was speaking.’ Dear friend? Jane blinked. They’d been sleeping together for a couple of weeks and had had a slightly awkward conversation to establish where they stood with each other (what Jane called dating exclusively and Thor called a courtship). “Friend”, however “dear”, seemed a bit of an understatement. Sometimes dating a gorgeous world-saving alien prince has its drawbacks. Rec: BURY ME AND HAVE THIS JEALOUSY FIC PRINTED ON MY TOMBSTONE. I usually don’t like the toxicity most jealousy fics are infused with, but this one is so pure and wonderful. I could read it every damn day. | 14k | Complete

The Arizona Banana Famine by Niobium: Thor experiences the simpler side of Earth. Rec: Absolutely hilarious. Thor + shenanigans of living on Earth and trying to hide his identity + Jane helping him to varying effect. | 7k | Complete

Non Est Ad Astra Mollis e Terris Via (there is no easy way from the earth to the stars) by Rozilla: Jane Foster keeps out of social media mostly, but does keep a blog for all things science. With a few personal posts thrown in. Edited (with sarcastic asides) by Darcy Lewis. Rec: Fosterson is mentioned often, but Jane’s voice is incredibly worthwhile. | 10.4k | Complete

Hidden resonances by kes: After the vision Wanda Maximoff gave him, Thor had more questions than answers, and so he sought truth with Jane, in a cave beneath the mountains. Rec: A really great fix-it taking place during AOU, plus some fosterson feels. | 6k | Complete

Time and Trouble by shinyopals: Frigga thinks she knows exactly what to expect from the rest of her life. Then one son perishes and returns, whilst the other falls for a mortal woman who’s like nothing Frigga could have predicted.(Frigga’s POV from the end of Thor right through to post-TDW.) Rec: BLESS ALL FRIGGA-CENTRIC FICS. Great outside perspective fosterson, plus a TDW fix-it. | 14k | Complete

If You Want To Live series by hariboo: They lost Loki when they sunk Manhattan. Three years laters Loki finds them and that’s really when everything begins. This is that beginning. Rec: Terminator fusion AU that you didn’t realize you needed until now. Knowledge of the Terminator films is helpful but not required. The 'needing each other’ that comes along with a desperate post-apocalyptic situation really lends itself well to fosterson. It also hurts a hell of a lot. I wish it wasn’t finished. | 5k | Complete

Fabulous Baking Sisters or How to (not) Get Over A Norse God in 730 Days by Rozilla: After seeing Jane in a slump one too many times, Darcy decides to get her into stress baking… and soon regrets it. Rec: A lot of Jane/Darcy brotp, but lots of fosterson goodness especially near the end. The phrase “sex coma” is definitely used. | 8.5k | Complete

Waking Ease by Salmon_Pink: Thor/Jane, rated G. Set after Thor: The Dark World. Written for Comic Drabbles, prompt "halo”. Rec: very, very short, but cute. This is a part of a larger series by this author, but this is the only fosterson chapter I’ve seen so far. | <1k | In progress

Hold the Sun by writerblocked: Thor and Jane (and everyone else) share a meal. Rec: A nice peek into regular life, complete with some touches of angst and fluff at the same time. This story, like the above rec, is a part of a larger work that does not solely include fosterson. | <1k | Complete

If She Is Worthy by Mr. Chaos: During the battle with The Destroyer, Mjolnir returns to Thor’s hand. But what if Selvig hadn’t pulled Jane away? And what if it wasn’t just Thor that had proven himself worthy? Rec: Jane kicking ass and taking names with Mjolnir. Nuff said. Downside? A giant twist at the end and still waiting for a sequel. | 4.5k | Complete

A Story of Us by me: Short and sweet prompt fills. All feature Thor and Jane as the main couple and are all just ridiculous fluff. Rec: A collection of my prompt fills from tumblr. It wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 26.2k | In progress

Rated T

The Foster Edition series by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae: What happens when Jane Foster is in the Battle of Manhattan? In short, it changes everything. Rec: FIXING MARVEL WITH JANE FOSTER IS THE BEST, NAY, THE ONLY SOLUTION I WILL ACCEPT. | 60k | In progress

Game Changer by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae: In the aftermath of the Convergence, Jane and Thor return to Earth in search of the scepter, and the Avengers slowly begin to reassemble. Across the cosmos and on Earth itself, enemies begin to gather, enemies that threaten everything the team has ever fought for, and Jane is faced with something just as daunting, but far more personal. Evolving from a mortal to a goddess. From a spectator to a player. From a scientist to a queen. Rec: A fluffy setup for something big, I can feel it. | 8k | In progress

A Magical Solution to the Einstein Field Equations by shinyopals: Jane Foster has got enough on her plate, what with being a full time researcher, giving lectures, applying for grants, writing books, and consulting for Stark Industries. When Thor drops off the face of the universe and leaves her on Earth with no clues as to where he is, she doesn’t know what to do or how to find him.Then an attack on Stark Industries changes everything, and she finds herself getting thrown into a life that she’s previously only watched from the sidelines, and where getting punched through a wall is suddenly just an average day of the week. Rec: THE MOST PERFECT RAGNAROK AU TO EVER EXIST ANYWHERE EVER. EASILY ONE OF MY FAVORITE FICS OF ALL TIME. | 56k | Complete

Ace in the Hole by MissChrisDaae: Working alongside Selvig on Project PEGASUS, Jane manages to escape when Loki arrives, bringing with her the data on the Tesseract, and making herself SHIELD's biggest resource in combating the rogue trickster. At least until her semi-boyfriend finally makes good on his promise to come back, and she finds herself caught in the middle of a war. And she might be a key part in stopping it. Rec: MOAR JANE IN THE AVENGERS. MOAR JANE BEING VALUED IN THE MCU. MOOOOAAAAAR. | 11.5k | Complete | Part of The Foster Edition series

Wild Card by MissChrisDaae: Separation is, for Thor and Jane, a little easier in knowing what's happening to each other, but they have their own trials to face. In the midst of a war, Thor learns of a force greater than anything he has ever faced, one that could change the fates of both himself and and the woman he loves. Nothing is certain, and the burdens of his family, his life, and his love are weighing heavily upon him. Working with Betty Ross, Jane works to understand the secrets of the universe, unaware of the fact that she's being tested with every move she makes. When she temporarily moves to look after her mother's house in London, she and Darcy come across the Convergence. And, for the third time, Jane's life is turned upside down by an ancient force from another realm. Rec: Canon divergent Fosterson is my freakin JaaaaAAAAm. Also BETTY ROSS. A great replacement for canon if you’re feeling Salty. | 33k | In progress | Part of The Foster Edition series

Dancer in the Dark by MissChrisDaae: Jane Foster has always been a member of the corps de ballet, and has never voiced complaint until one night when she indulges in the fantasy of being the prima ballerina. A mysterious voice calls out to her, tempting her, coaching her, offering to make her a star, and she accepts. Months later, the prophecy comes to light when the star of the company becomes mysteriously indisposed. Jane is suddenly cast into the spotlight, becoming an immediate success, but she only has eyes for Thor, the young scion to the ballet's greatest patron family, who has been masquerading as a stagehand in order to continue a longstanding liaison with her. But Jane's made a deal with something far worse than the devil, and now he's coming to claim his due. Rec: A ballet AU that reminds me a lot of Black Swan tone-wise. Warning though, there is a love triangle that includes Lokane. | 9.6k | In progress

Five Times Having An Alien Prince's Baby Sucked A Lot, And One Time It Didn't by shinyopals: It was the doctor’s turn to look nonplussed. ‘Dr Foster,’ she said quietly, ‘you’re around four weeks pregnant.’ ‘No I’m not,’ said Jane again. She was pretty sure she’d remember if Thor had reappeared for some awesome sex a month ago. He had not. She’d gotten through enough batteries to prove it. Jane isn't quite sure how this all happened. She just knows it's a lot of work and it keeps taking her away from her Physics. Rec: The Definitive™ Fosterson babyfic. I’m generally not much for babyfic because I’m not much for babies. But I’ve read this so many times and it’s so incredibly wonderful. | 24k | Complete

Strange Earth series by Niobium: The apocalypse has come and gone, leaving the Earth strange and altered in its wake. What was once a thriving world of magic and science has become a tractless, untamed Wilderness teeming with dangerous creatures born of warped energy pouring through rents in the fabric of space and time. Society has withdrawn into magically-walled Wards to keep itself safe as it seeks a way to reclaim the planet before it’s twisted beyond all recognition, and its Seers and Champions struggle to protect humanity and one another. Rec: An incredibly imaginative ghost hunting AU. Great world building, and fantastic interaction between Jane and Thor. | 12.6k | In progress

The Obloquy of Newness by Niobium: Jane just wants to present her findings and maybe win a Nobel Prize. That would be a lot easier if all these xenophobes, science deniers, and robots bent on world destruction would stop getting in the way. Or, Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, and what they were up to before, during, and after Avengers: Age of Ultron. Rec: A really delightful companion to AOU. | 17.4k | Complete

Sex Ed For Asgardians (Isn’t Exactly Necessary) by shinyopals: 'It’s a condom,’ Jane said eventually, reminding herself she was an adult in an adult relationship, albeit a very new one with an alien forty times her age who could hardly be expected to know what Earth birth control was like. Jane and Pepper learn that some myths and legends are true. Rec: I have no idea why this wasn’t on the reclist before. It’s hilarious and also really heartfelt. I love Respectfulinthebedroom!Thor. I love the open communication between them. Lawd. | 3.4k | Complete

Pedulum: Beginning by hariboo: Kept apart, with worlds between them, Jane and Thor do not give up on one day finding each other again. Rec: Exquisite buildup to a reunion. Both Jane and Thor are in-character with their own agency, but its obvious they’re nuts for each other. | 28.5k | Complete | Part of in progress series, Pendulum

Pendulum: Between by hariboo: Having found each other again doesn’t mean things have gotten easier for Thor and Jane. In some ways things are only getting more complicated. At least now they can face whatever comes their way together. Rec: Continiation of Beginning (recced above). Nuanced, sweet, messy, fantastic character dynamics, and with a great plot. | 56.8k | Complete | Part of in progress series, Pendulum

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Guardians of the Galaxy by Maybug: Jane Foster and Thor are finally getting married! Most couples go a little crazy when they’re ecstatically happy, unfortunately for these two going crazy involves knocking a hole in spacetime and marooning themselves and two of Jane’s friends on a desolate and dangerous planet halfway across the galaxy. Meanwhile Darcy, Sif and Bill are trying to find them in Skuttlebutt. Will they survive? Will they make it to the wedding in time? Will Thor’s attempts to communicate with Groot drive everyone crazy? Will Darcy get to witness Jane’s brief Goth phase? Will Jane’s friend Sayed get over his Star-Trek inspired fantasies about green-skinned alien women? Find out in the next exciting installment of Journey into Mishap! Rec: Part of a really great series by a great author. Humorous and kind of cracky. Mixture of MCU and comic canon. Just one chapter short of completion. | 12.7k | In progress | Part of Journey into Mishap and the Fosterson Files

Welcome to the Fall by Niobium: The Avengers pick up the pieces in the aftermath of Sokovia. Inter- and post-film gap-fillers and ficlets, with varying POV characters. A couple of them are slightly canon divergent and will be labeled as such. Rec: A really solid piece of prose, careful of canon while building upon it/improving it. The fosterson is handled really well. | 5.5k | Complete

The House of Foster by ArticulatioHumeri: She had set out to study wormholes. Never would Jane Foster have thought that it would lay the foundations of a family clan. Rec: Great fosterson moments, and with proper time devoted to them. A good, long read. Probably the longest fic I have on this list, and the longest Marvel fic that actually legitimately features Fosterson prominently. | 224k | Complete

The Measure of a Man by fayedartmouth: Thor is banished to Earth. Reclaiming his worth is harder than he thinks it will be. AU of the movie Thor. Rec: By now, y’all know I love fics where Thor was on Earth longer than in canon. This is probably my favorite, because Thor is incredibly well-written, and the cultural/personal struggles he encounters are written fantastically. The fosterson is incredibly organic and lovely. | 140.7k | Complete

Towards the Storm by iwillavengeyou: Jane Foster is worthy. Jane Foster is the Mighty Thor. But was she always this way? This fic seeks to examine Jane’s path to picking up the mighty hammer Mjolnir, and her journey as a heroine who, underneath it all, is only human. Rec: One of the few fics I’ve been able to find and enjoy that deals with Jane’s place as Thor in the 616 universe. I like the story’s trajectory, but it has since been orphaned. If anyone wants to... ya know... pick it up... that’d be swell. | 1.5k | In progress

As You Wish by MissChrisDaae: After the apparent death of the only man she will ever love, Jane finds herself the unwilling bride-to-be of the kingdom’s icy hearted crown prince, whose interest in her is almost as unnerving as the man himself. Before the wedding can take place, Jane finds herself in the hands of three kidnappers, her life in danger, and a mysterious figure in black pursuing them. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles. What more does a story need? Rec: THE PRINCESS BRIDE FUSION THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED UNTIL NOW. Also Sif is Indigo Montoya. If the fosterson wasn’t enough to get you to read it. | 21.3k | Complete

Girls’ Night by Maybug: With Thor in Asgard and the other Avengers away on a mission, Darcy, Betty, Pepper and Jane decide to have a girls’ night. A certain supervillain has other plans, but it’s nothing they can’t handle. Rec: fosterson is background, but you all know I can’t resist a good Marvel ladies asskicking story. Story is mostly from Jane’s POV, so good insights on fosterson. | 11.2k | In progress

Thor 2 Rewritten: The Shaded Tree by kes: Rec: A series of oneshots and short multichapters that rewrite the second Thor movie. Not everything is over fosterson, but it’s always an undercurrent. Worth the read. Such a great alternative to canon. | 44k | Incomplete, abandoned

don’t need no ammunition (ain’t the bridge that’s falling down) by anthropologicalhands: Thor (2011) AU. After the battle at Jotunheim, something goes wrong and Sif finds herself stranded on Midgard. Jane is still chasing bridges and wants to know how this strange woman got in her atmospheric disturbance. Darcy’s psyched…and a little freaked out. Meanwhile, Thor and Loki embark on an quest (actually: intergalactic road trip) to rescue Sif. Thor has to prove himself. Loki is having an identity crisis. Do the math. Rec: Great interactions with everyone. Jane and Thor are still absolutely smitten despite the different circumstances. Loki/Sif is also a main pairing. | 39k | Complete

Fate Has Brought Us Together by asoulofstars: A series of one-shots detailing the lives of Thor Odinson and Jane Foster. Set after the events of Thor: The Dark World. Rec: We all know I’m a sucker for fosterson fluffies. The chapters are generally short and sweet. Read for smiles and butterflies and rainbow puking. | 9.9k | In progress

We Have Joyed To Be Forlorn by Niobium: Jane Foster’s life carries on in the wake of the Convergence, complete with exciting new research prospects, a displaced and grieving alien, considerations on the functionality of magic, and massive shakeups in world espionage. Or, The continuing adventures of Jane Foster, from the end of Thor: The Dark World to just after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Rec: What it says on the tin. I highly recommend reading anything by this author. Both Jane and Thor are done justice to, beautifully. Lots of cutesy Fosterson that feels very real and not just like a fangirl threw up on a page. Really a gorgeous story. | 13.8k | Complete

Rowing in Eden by ancarett: The Bifrost is no longer broken but is becoming unpredictable: delivering its travellers far afield. With Midgard’s link to Asgard at risk, Jane and Thor have to restore stability to the wormhole or risk being separated forever. Rec: Jane and Thor doing science together and being cute together. Features all the Avengers. | 34.5k | Complete

Fundamental Forces by nayanroo: In an attempt to rein in the son that remains to her after Thor’s banishment, Frigga arranges a marriage between two old friends in the hopes that they can work together to heal an eroded realm. On Earth, a prince searches for identity after his world is turned upside-down. And in the darkness, something stirs. Rec: mostly a Loki/Sif pairing story, but there is enough fosterson to give a rec. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still rec it somewhere else. One of the most well-thought out stories I’ve read (part of an amazing series, which contains gratuitous fosterson) with incredible characterizations. Great plot, monstrous word counts in chapters. | 181k | Complete | Part of in progress series, The Kingsverse

When the Stars Fall Up by Nyxelestia: Loki is not so foolish as to let his pride get in the way of his plans. And Thor learns there is a lot more to being a king than being brave. Rec: Despite a Loki-heavy intro, we get some good Jane/Thor in the second chapter. It’s incomplete, and hasn’t been update in a long time, but I feel like it is going somewhere good if it is continued. | 7.3k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Watchtower by me: When research on the Tesseract begins, SHIELD recruits Jane Foster instead of Eric Selvig to harness the other-worldly artifact. When Loki raids the facility, he takes over the mind of the mortal woman his brother loves. The Avengers with Jane Foster in Eric Selvig’s place. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. (although tbh I’m tempted to take this off the rec list because I hate the way I wrote it so much XD) | 56k | Complete

Let Me Follow You Down by me: Jane is sick of her family always pushing her towards a relationship. She thinks she’s figured out the perfect solution. Fake Dating AU. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 24k | Complete

Rebuild All Your Ruins by me: Ragnarok AU. Despite his hunt for the Infinity Stones taking him far beyond Jane’s galaxy, Thor had always managed to get word to her that he was safe. When months pass without any word from him, Lady Sif arrives with a dire message: Thor has gone missing, Heimdall has been removed from his post as Gatekeeper, and the Warriors Three wonder if their king is truly Odin. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 11.2k | In progress, slow updates because it’s me and I’m garbage

Rated M (these won’t contain the smuts unless otherwise noted)

**Stalemate by igi_pigi: "It appears we're at a stalemate, Miss Foster." He meets her eyes at last with his bloodshot ones. "My association with you will continue to doom you with mortal dangers at every turn. And you will continue to inexplicably not hold me blameworthy for it." (Alternatively, how it should have been instead of how it was in Thor3.) [Well after Thor2.] Rec: PAIN. LOTS OF IT. Contains some smut | 8.7k | Complete

Symbiosis: Part I by SteeleHoltingOn: Jane and Thor have to decide if they can make their relationship work. She’s a scientist. He’s a prince. It’s the ultimate of long-distance relationships. It seems that Odin isn’t (wasn’t?) the only Asgardian who is unhappy with Thor’s fascination with Jane. Rec: An amazing look at Thor and Jane post-Dark World building their relationship, as well as all the pitfalls and heartache that comes with that. This author really plunges their hands into the nitty gritty problems with Jane and Thor, their cultural differences, their age/lifespan difference, and so on, yet it is still clear how much they love each other and their determination to make it work. | Contains some smut, but nothing very explicit | 92.5k | Complete

Symbiosis: Part II by SteeleHoltingOn: Loki ascends the throne of Jotunheim. He might have been lonely, but for the little hitchhiker in his head. Thor and Jane have their hands full with their daughter, Val, and the demands of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Rec: A lot of Loki, but also copious amounts of married Fosterson. As someone who isn’t always Loki’s biggest fan, especially when it comes to fan portrayals, I can say that this one is very true to canon and is an incredibly interesting read, and is balanced well with Jane and Thor-ness. The political drama is done very well. The plot planning seems meticulous and is absolutely admirable. I still have the same praise for it as its predecessor. | Contains some smut | 41.4k | Complete

Terrestrial Constellations by NightOwl360: For Jane and Darcy bringing Thor back to Earth is only the beginning of the adventure. Relationships are never easy, the past is always just a step behind, and sometimes the people we know best have the biggest secrets. Rec: Great characterization of Jane and Thor, and fabulous buildup until they meet again. Packed with not just fluff, some inevitable angst, as well as an intriguing storyline. Only downside: I’m pretty sure it’s been abandoned, and on a hell of a cliff hanger. | 78k | In progress, possibly abandoned

The Poetic Edda (was almost entirely wrong) by PhoenixVictoria: In Which: Thor is from a warrior culture (and Jane Foster understands); Loki is badass (but also kind of a puppy); Thor grows a pair and fixes his mistakes (and is a good brother); Loki is a slut (and is a good brother when he has no knives); Darcy Lewis is The Geek Whisperer (which really turns Loki on); And the Odinsons have no idea how to act in front of the media (and wouldn’t care if they did.) Rec: Almost entirely for Thor. He is so well-written in this. Loki and Thor fixing the damage they’ve done, and Jane being a great person. I love this so far (it is a WIP). Later chapters make Tasertricks a thing, so a heads up if you’re not into that ship. | Contains some smut, graphic imagery of torturing/punishment | 81k | In progress, possibly abandoned

One and the Same Thing by MissChrisDaae: Jane Foster is born to the bloodline of the Alchemysts, and the first woman to be inducted into the order. After the murder of her mentor, Jane becomes the first Alchemyst to mix the study of alchemy with that of magic, trying to enhance the art and find a way to avenge him. This is seen as bastardizing the craft, and she is cast out of the order, still working her craft as she wanders the realm. Forbidden from using the title of Alchemyst, Jane instead calls herself Ástkona Óþekktur, a Mistress of the Unknown. On her travels, she picks up an apprentice in Darcy Lewis and the two women meet another very unusual pair: the crown prince, Thor, and his foster brother, Loki, on the run from Amora, the sorceress who murdered Thor’s father and usurped the throne, the same woman who killed Jane’s teacher. Finding common ground, the four agree to join forces in taking down the Enchantress. Even if Jane won’t admit it, she finds herself drawn to the older prince, and Thor seems to be returning her affections, much to the annoyance of Loki, who sees the Ástkona Óþekktur as an unneeded distraction from what matters. If they win the war, there may still be something left to lose. Rec: You can see by the description that this is way AU. Incredibly imaginative, with a good characterization of Jane. | 33k | Complete

The Salt Skin by hariboo: One day Sif walks to the edge of the Bifrost to see compelled to see where Loki had fallen. At the same time Jane is testing a way to open the Bifrost. By accident Sif falls to Earth, what happens after she never would have expected, and then she finds Loki. Post-film. Rec: I can’t believe I haven’t recced this yet. A long, Sif-centric fic that is respectful to fosterson is hard to find, but this one hits all my must haves. Jane and Thor are beautiful idiots, and the outside view of their relationship is great. Very well-written. Loki/Sif is also very prominently featured. | 44.4k | Complete

Off The Grid by Shawn30: As stated by Phil Coulson in 'Agents of Shield’ episode 1-15, "Thor is currently off the grid.” So the question is, where are Thor, Jane, Darcy, and Eric post 'The Dark World’? Rec: This person was one of my FAVORITE fic authors of all time because of their Star Wars fics, and then THEY WRITE A FOSTERSON STORY. I was over the damn moon. There’s a unique take of all the characters, and there’s promise of really great things coming from this story. This fic would be a wise investment. Only problem is that sometimes their fics have very slow updates. Contains some smut | 15k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Lost in a World Full of Terrors by psychollama: Inspired by typhoidcandy - “After Darcy attempts to perform one of Loki’s spells, things go awry and she’s sent to another universe. In this medieval-like universe, Loki is King, Thor is banished and living in the forests, and Jane is an arrow wielding rebel. Can Darcy make it home before the real Loki finds out what she did? Or before medieval Loki captures her and either kills her or makes her his slave?” Rec: A different take on a medieval AU. The first and only chapter is very fosterson-centric, and sets up the action nicely. Jane and Thor are handled very well in the different context. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated since 2013, so I fear it has been abandoned. |4.4k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Stop All The Clocks series by Della19: Rec: NOT fosterson centric. This series is, I think, the first thing I read on AO3, and I was blown away. This person has constructed a great world around Supersoldier!Peggy Carter, and I rec the whole series, as the world and the characters are all vibrant and well-rounded. The stories, while connected, can easily be read as standalones. The fosterson, when it’s a larger focus, is absolutely lovely. | 49k | In progress

Rain Upon the Ashes by me: Medieval Fantasy AU. An ancient evil threatens Yggdrasil. An illegitimate heir sits upon the throne of Asgard, and an unknown menace seeks to destroy the Royal Family. Thor Odinson, true heir to the throne and banished years before, emerges as one of the leaders of the Rebellion, further endangering his family. Known publicly only as the Raven, Jane Foster, once a high-born Lady of Midgard, finds herself fighting a war when she once only desired to see the stars. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 33k | In progress, slow updates because it’s me and I’m garbage

Rated E (these will contain the smuts unless otherwise noted)

The Secret of Mind and Memory by capitainpistol: Jane and Thor wake up to an empty Asgard and zero memory of their pasts or each other. PWP. Rec: The Amesiacs Who Are Instinctually Drawn to Each Other AU that I never knew I needed in my life. I can’t wait to see how it ends. | 2k | In progress

Love in a Time of Tentacles (or How We Hired Out Our Sex Parts To Tentacle Monsters in Exchange for Remaining in Space) by Rozilla: Jane and Thor’s ship is left drifting in space and the only option is to take up the offer of a Bio-Engineering corporation to submit their bodies to science. Science in this case being mostly tentacles. It’s a good thing Jane’s into this sort of thing. Rec: I hope you’re into wild space porn because that is exactly what this is. Woop woop. Mind the warnings. | 13.2k | Complete

Edging Towards the Light by Shawn30: Thor and Jane navigate the treacherous relationship waters of ambition, duty, passion, and love. Rec: SMUT WITH PLOT YUM. A unique but plausible take on Fosterson. | 30k | In progress

Play Along Prisoner by Rozilla: You’re so used to being not listened to, put down, doubted and generally made to feel worthless when you work twice as hard as everyone else, sometimes you need a hobby like this one. Especially when you have such a willing participant. Rec: AU, Domme!Jane and Sub!Thor. Mmmmyes. Mind the warnings. | 15.3k | In progress

For The Days Inbetween by Simple.White.Lie: Heroes are seldom allowed happiness, and far too often Duty comes before Love. That only means he must fight even harder for that which he desires. Rec: While it isn’t always the prime example of great writing, this fic is still very good. It is a long multichapter which features gratuitous smut (hurrah!) while still maintaining good plot. Jane and Thor’s ups and downs as a couple are well written, and if you’re a sucker for married Fosterson, check this one out. | 79k | Complete

On the Outside by Simple.White.Lie: The King and Queen of Asgard are not prepared for the dish Fate has served for them. To be tossed out like a ship in the wind is more than their hearts can take. Their love is something to fight for.. Isn’t it? Rec: Sequel to For The Days Inbetween (recced above). Both stories feature a very strong Jane, which is a big plus. Again, while the writing isn’t always stellar, it is a worthwhile read. | 33k | Complete

Thor Pwns Walmart by charis2770: Jane and Thor have found a way to be together at last. It’s all she could have wished for, and then some. But it’s playing heck on her worldly possessions! Jane takes Thor shopping at Wal Mart so she can replace all the things which have been torn or broken during their reunion. And buy more pop tarts. This turns out to be an adventure. And hotter than you might think. Rec: Okay, holy high heavens this story is well done. The author does BDSM amazingly, and I recommend their other stories, too. Mind the warnings. Also, if BDSM isn’t your thing, I still recommend the bits in between the smut because it is hilarious and perfect. | 35k | Complete

Stealing Away by charis2770: This is what happens when the Black Widow puts herself in charge of planning a weekend getaway for four friends, three of whom happen to be Super Heroes, and one of whom has an unfortunate tendency to be a little hard on Midgardian buildings. Rec: a continuation of Thor Pwns Walmart, and also features a good deal of BDSM Clint/Natasha. This author remains a good example of how to properly write good BDSM. Mind the warnings. Also, if BDSM isn’t your thing, I still recommend the bits in between the smut because it is hilarious and perfect. | 30.4k | Complete

My Thoughts on FFVIIR

It’s been a few days since I finished FFVIIR, and I wanted to put my thoughts on the game into words, but I gotta get a few housekeeping things out of the way.

1.       These are all MY opinions. I understand and respect that others may have different opinions from me, however, that does not make this an open invitation for argument in the comments, bashing, etc. I have no problem blocking anyone who wants to be an asshole. Just be nice, please.

2.       I grew up playing FFVII and all of its spin-offs. FFVII was my first RPG, and ultimately what got me into playing video games. Nostalgia is a -huge- part of why I enjoyed FFVIIR so much, and therefore I am openly biased towards the game. I’m interested to hear the thoughts of people not familiar with the original, because they’re seeing the story with a fresh set of eyes.

3.       With that being said, I’ve already noticed drama surrounding FFVIIR fans who -have- played the original vs. those who haven’t, or those who haven’t played Crisis Core, etc. I am firmly of the belief that this is a great game for new and old fans and won’t tolerate any condescending attitudes in either direction. Video games are supposed to be fun, so let’s just all agree to enjoy the thing TOGETHER, shall we?

Alright, now that those things are out of the way, onto my thoughts. **MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**

I’m going to be breaking this up into sections, because there is just too much to dissect! Let’s start with the characters.

“The Good Guys”

Cloud: Still my favorite character of all time, even more so after playing the remake. And of course, he is gorgeous. I could stare into his eyes all day. I know there has been a lot of controversy over getting new voice actors for the remake, but I feel like his VA did a great job. They nailed his personality of “broody asshole with a heart of gold”, and I think the remake had reasonable and believable character development when it came to Cloud’s interactions with the other party members. His dynamic with Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett was also spot on. I think it was a good move on Squeenix’s part to keep him pretty much the same, because he’s such an iconic character for the entire Final Fantasy series, so no complaints on my part!

Jessie: Okay, so, I hated Jessie at first. She was too flirty and all over Cloud for my liking, and I felt this strange disconnect between the “I used to be an actress but now I’m fighting for the planet” part of her backstory. Yes, she was still spunky in the original, but they didn’t draw it out nearly as much (I assume because she was killed off early). I -do- appreciate that the developer’s felt the need to give her more depth and show more interactions between her and Cloud and everyone else, but I also thought it detracted from Cloud’s relationships with Tifa and Aerith to an extent, especially the whole scene where she was asking him to come back to her place with him (yikes). And, true to Squeenix form, they killed off her character, even while letting Biggs and Wedge live (they both died in the original). So, in that sense, I didn’t really care that much for her, although her final scene with Cloud was very moving and redeemed her in some ways for me. So, yay for more screen time, but c’mon Squeenix, why do you gotta use your female characters this way?!

Biggs & Wedge: I loved the updates to their character models, and like with Jessie, I appreciate they tried to give them more depth and dialogue to make their involvement more significant. It did throw me for a loop when they both ended up living instead of dying when the Sector 7 plate fell. I was delighted to discover they survived (until I found out Jessie died and they didn’t). At times, I felt like their exalted importance detracted from other characters, especially at the end in Shinra HQ where Wedge shows up to warn everyone and Avalanche comes in to try and rescue Cloud & the gang, only to imply that he dies -there- instead. To me, it felt like an unnecessary moment to add in, but hey, there are only so many characters in the remake that people get to see, so why not give the Avalanche crew a more important role? I’m interested to see if this means that they’ll be returning in the next installments as they may be ‘fated’ to survive.

Barrett: What a glow up! Barrett looked good, he sounded good, his character was solid and true to the original. I have to say my favorite thing to see was how the banter and dialogue shifted between him and Cloud as you progressed through the remake. They went from basically hating on each other to complimenting each other and being buddy-buddy, and it was truly heartwarming. I even enjoyed using Barrett in battle (more on the fighting system later), which was refreshing. It was a good move on Squeenix’s part to show his softer side by including more scenes with Marlene, and he’s an excellent foil to Cloud’s character, which I feel was consistent for both games.

Tifa: My lady, the love of my life, my HERO. Tifa was -amazing- for me. Also, her VA was probably my favorite of the bunch. The updates to her outfit were much needed, yet she still retained her sexy allure, even if it was a little awkward to hear all the male NPC’s talking about how hot she was all the time. Other than Cloud, she was my favorite party member to use in battle—what a total badass!—and the scenes with her and Cloud made me squeal with delight. I was grateful for the extra attention put into their relationship, and how it was made clear that she was just as important and strong as the male characters.

Aerith: First, the positives. They expanded Aerith’s fighting range, which was appreciated, because in the original I only used her as healer. Her personality shone through a bit more, as she was even ore outgoing than I remembered her being (and even cursed a few times!), and I loved all of her interactions with Tifa and Cloud (my favorite trio/love triangle). Her backstory was pretty well communicated regarding the Ancients and her relationship with Shinra. On the flip side of things, I found her party banter annoying as hell and her voice grating at times (it reminded me of a high school girl), and I’m not sure how I feel about her interactions with the Whispers and what that implies for future installments. There was some hinting at the end of the remake that Aerith may not die like she did in the original (at least that was my interpretation), and I’m not sure whether I like that possibility or not, mainly because Aerith’s death is one of the most memorable scenes of FFVII, and that would change the entire plot. For better or for worse, who’s to say?

Red XIII: I loved all of the scenes with Red! His voice fit him really well, and they showed a lot of character development with him and the group in a short amount of time. I was sad you couldn’t control him in your party, but I’m hoping that will change in the next installment. I’m excited to see his backstory in Cosmo Canyon when we finally get to that point in the remake.

Chadley: This kid was annoying and weird, and I wasn’t sure exactly what his deal was, but he was definitely shady AF. Not sure why he was entirely necessary if he was simply a way to upgrade your materia, but hey, I’ll take that assess materia from ya buddy if it means new stuff for me to use. 

Johnny: Johnny grew on me. Was he also annoying and weird too? Yes. But he reminded me of a Prompto-Gladio lovechild and turned out to be a sweetheart, so I say he can stay, Squeenix.

“The Bad Guys”

Shinra executives: Not much to say here for me other than great job in bringing this diabolic group to life. Yep, still hate every one of ‘em. They stayed pretty much true to their original selves, and all of them matched what I remembered of them, right down to the dialogue. I thought it was an interesting choice to see Sephiroth kill President Shinra (in the original you just find him dead at his desk, impaled on Sephiroth’s sword), but I’m not complaining. That guy was a grade A asshole.

The Turks: Love, love, love how they portrayed each of these guys, and showed how they are also unwilling participants in all of Shinra’s shit. They definitely made them more likeable from the get-go and I felt a lot of callbacks to Advent Children. Reno cursing and being sassy was probably one of my favorite things out of the entire game. He had -so- many great lines, even if they weren’t direct translations of the Japanese. I’m hoping they will include more of the Turks in future installments (like Cissnei in Crisis Core) and continue fleshing out their story arcs.

Rosche: Okay, unpopular opinion, but I did not like this guy at all. I’m not sure what the hype is about him all over my social media. Could be the mullet, which is an automatic ‘no’ for me (Gladio from FFXV being the only exception), but he seemed like an irritating and very pointless addition to the game. His sole purpose appeared to be to prepare you for escaping Shinra and fighting from Cloud’s motorcycle towards the end, but I felt like he could have been taken out of the story entirely without missing anything. I didn’t hate as many of the newer characters (like Leslie) as much as I did him, but I guess he and I just didn’t vibe. I’m assuming he’ll return later on, so maybe my opinion will change. (I sure hope so.)

Leslie: Okay, at first, I was like, “who is this knock-off Noctis wannabe?” but I really enjoyed the backstory and depth they gave this seemingly minor character. I see that Squeenix is trying to provide new things for older fans to take interest in, and in this case, I felt he was a nice touch. (Edit: I was told that Leslie, Kyrie, and some of the other new NPCs were featured in an audio book?! Which I had no idea even existed, so...the more you know!)

Don Corneo: Even slimier and creepier in HD! Honestly, hats off to Squeenix for translating what was possibly the most cringy and controversial part of the original in a ‘tasteful’ way in regard to all of Wall Market. This guy was definitely a worthy villain in the remake.

Rufus: Holy hell. I never ever in my life thought I’d be saying this, but wow, is Rufus hotter than I remember. Thank you, Squeenix for giving me another foxy bad boy to drool over. He was also, for me, the hardest and most frustrating boss battle (even more so than Sephiroth), but it was totally worth dying to watch all the cut scenes with him over again. Can’t wait to see more of him in the next installment.

Hojo: God, I hate this guy. I know you’re -supposed- to, but he is such a creep. Hearing his dialogue in the remake was even worse than reading it in the original. Gotta say, dealing with his four wards in Shinra HQ was my least favorite part of the game by far, but I know he will get his comeuppance later down the road. All the dialogue was just as shocking as I remember, so, yeah. Good job?!

Sephiroth: Alright, anyone else feel like they made Sephiroth EXTRA SEXUAL in this remake?! You too? Oh, good, good, same bro. Now, it could just be me projecting, but anytime he came on the screen…panties were dropping y’all. Of course, I’m not one to complain about Sephiroth content. On the contrary, I lap it up like I just walked through the desert and found an oasis, BUT, I will say this…you barely see Sephiroth at all at this point in the original. As a reminder, the remake only covered the first 4-6 hours of the original game, and I get you can’t really do a remake without at least SHOWING Sephiroth for the people who have been waiting to see him in HD, but with that being said, he was VERY involved. I love Sephiroth, he’s a great villain, but they are definitely changing things with him, so I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

My one criticism? His voice was my least favorite out of the main characters. Not saying the VA didn’t do a great job, but it didn’t sound deep enough to be as intimidating. I prefer the VA who voiced him in Advent Children, but I’m sure it will grow on me in time.

Gameplay

Battle system: When the remake’s demo was released, I remember a lot of people were complaining about how ‘difficult’ the new battle system was, but I absolutely love it. It’s just the perfect balance of turn-based and real-time, with plenty of options for customization. If you want more real time, you can set your short cuts, and if you want more turn-based, you also have that option. My only real complaint was that item use is also tied to the ATB bar, but overtime I figured out when to heal myself in a timely fashion (after dying more than a handful of times). Button mashers won’t enjoy this battle system because it requires a little more strategy, but I think the point was to create an updated version of the original fighting style that would appeal to both old and new players, and it definitely delivered. Seeing the classic limit breaks used and being able to run around during battle was so much fun for me, and I about died when I saw Cloud strike his OG victory pose in Wall Market’s coliseum. Also, the transition between running through Midgar and entering battle was SO incredibly smooth and seamless that at times you didn’t notice the shift. Phenomenal.

o   Boss Battles: As much as I enjoyed the battle system of remake, some of the bosses felt unnecessarily hard and/or tedious (I’m looking at you, Hell House). Making use of the assess materia early on definitely helped me out, but I legit got bored at times, especially that damn giant robot you fight with only Barrett and Aerith when escaping Shinra HQ. This is really just a minor complaint, but there were a couple bosses where I died several times (*cough* Rufus *cough*) before I figured out the secret to defeating them, while others were super easy or just not that interesting. Meh. For context, I played on “normal” mode, but it truly felt hard in certain scenarios. (That could just have been me trying to get used to the new fighting style.)

o   Materia: speaking of materia, I did notice some new materia in the game, which was neat, and although I didn’t care for Chadley (dude, where are your parents?) it was nice to have a way to develop and earn new materia throughout. I found it somewhat strange that summon materia was just a thing you could get so early on instead of having to work for it, but I was excited to use it. Shiva and Ifrit were definitely my favorite summons (which hasn’t changed from the original for me). My one big question: where is the freaking ‘all’ materia?! I know they kinda split ‘all’ up into many different types of materia, and you do have ‘pray’ for healing your entire party, but man, that was so versatile in the original so that was a hard adjustment for me not to have use of it.

o   Weapons: I think it’s cool that they developed an upgrade system to make use of your weapons long term, giving them their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Made me think of FFX where you used the spheres to upgrade your characters. Also? I loved being able to see materia in my weapons when I switched them out. That was a really neat touch. 

Music: And here I thought they couldn’t make the music of the original game any more epic, but they definitely outdid themselves in the remake. I enjoyed hearing all the remixes and ways they wove the classic themes into different parts of the games. I think my favorite was when you’re going through sector 5 with Aerith and have to control the giant robotic hands. The music in that section SLAPPED. The in-game jukebox was also a nice way to honor the old school classics. Hearing Aerith’s theme for the first time just about made me cry, and listening to One-Winged Angel fighting Sephiroth? Nothing could beat that moment musically for me.

Side quests: I’m not sure about anyone else, but I really didn’t care for the side quests. They weren’t very fun for the most part, and considering how linear the game is, they felt more like chores that needed to be completed because I had to, and not because I wanted to. The only exception was Wall Market, but all-in-all, most of them didn’t add much to the story, unlike in FFXV where I could go down a rabbit hole of sidequests for hours and hours.

Graphics: This is clearly stating the obvious, as anyone with eyes will tell you, the game is nothing short of gorgeous. I cannot tell you how many screencaps I took of just Cloud. It was definitely a world that I wanted to run around in for hours (and did) and will do so again and again just to look at all the little details. My favorite thing to do is watch comparison videos of the original and remake openings side-by-side. How crazy is it that technology has come this far!

Playtime: My biggest critique of this game is that it was too damn short. Stretching the first 4-6 hours of the original into 40 was definitely impressive, but considering I waited 20+ years for the remake, it was pretty disappointing to finish the game in less than a week. Like most people, I’m wondering just how long they plan on stretching this out, how many installments there will be, and when the second part will be released. Hopefully not another ten years, but it -is- Squeenix we’re talking about...

Storyline

Most people who played will tell you that most of the remake stayed very true to the original, even lifting some of the exact dialogue and scenes. The nostalgia hit me so hard in parts that I was literally in tears. The first time I watched the opening in the demo, I cried. That’s the power this game has over many people, including myself.

In other ways, the remake improved on parts of the story or re-imagined them. We always knew it wasn’t going to be a copy and paste of the original story, which I’m sincerely grateful for. I would seriously hope that after 20+ years they would have thought of ways to improve or polish FFVII and make it new and exciting for returning fans and people just picking it up.

My pros regarding the updates in the story:

- They fleshed out many background characters and added in new ones. Most of the core group spent more time interacting, and the party banter felt natural and progressed realistically as the game went on.

- New mini-games and side quests expanded on the slums and made the areas larger and more interactive, yet they still kept the nostalgia of iconic locales.

- Plenty of fuel to fan shipping fires with emotionally charged scenes and pretty boys abounding (Cloti and Clerith especially).

- All of Wall Market was brilliantly done. I was wondering how they’d update it for the new generation, and it was seriously the best part of the game for me (and had me laughing the entire time).

-  Hinting that Zack is alive and/or Aerith may live is something I’m listing as a pro, only because I would love to see these characters used to their full potential, however, this is also a con for me, and I’ll explain why.

My cons:

Whispers: If you played the original, you probably had the same reaction as I did when the ‘Whispers’ showed up. “Wtf are these dementor-looking things?” At first, I thought they might be something similar to what we saw in Advent Children, and that they were ‘remnants’ or parts of Sephiroth, or somehow his minions, or even souls from the Lifestream, etc. When I found out they were actually supposed to be ‘protectors of fate’ or whatever, I rolled my eyes, especially when Barret was ‘killed’ by Sephiroth and then miraculously brought back to life. It felt very ‘deus ex machina’ to me in the sense that ‘everything has to go a certain way because we said so.’ While it makes sense, I really wasn’t buying it, but I’m assuming that we will learn more about them in the second installment. 

The Ending: The whole final boss battle of the remake was surprising, because it felt almost exactly like the final boss bottle of the original game, right down to the cutscene where Cloud is thrown through space and faces off against Sephiroth one-on-one. Before you defeat the ‘harbinger of fate’ (anyone else get KH heartless vibes?) and fight Sephiroth as the final boss, Aerith goes on her long spiel about ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ and ‘this will change us,’ and it’s laid on so thick that it’s almost like they were setting us up for an alternate timeline, which is entirely possible, but that’s all speculation at this point. Regardless, they made it clear that whatever is coming next is going to be -very- different from the original, or possibly is going to be another timeline of the story, especially since Zack was shown alive and well. One criticism I heard from someone who hadn’t played the original game was that they treated Sephiroth and Zack like people you were supposed to know, and I can agree with that. They didn’t spend -any- time explaining their significance, backstory, or why people were so afraid of Sephiroth other than showing you little flashbacks into Cloud’s deranged memories, so in that sense, the ending might have fallen flat for those who don’t know exactly what Sephiroth represents or who he is, or why he stole Jenova from Hojo’s lab, etc, etc. Plus, throwing in Zack at the end is something that anyone who played the original game or Crisis Core would get, but new fans would also not understand the significance of. Personally, I screamed when I saw Zack because I was so happy , but I can see why that ending would be very unsatisfying and/or confusing for some.

Overall: 9/10

No, it doesn’t get a 10/10 for me, even as someone who absolutely loves Final Fantasy VII, but hey, no game is perfect. It’s honestly hard to live up to the hype this game has created since it was officially announced, and all things considered, Squeenix -did- live up to it. I will still be eagerly awaiting part two, playing the shit out of this game and squeezing the most I can out of it until I get to experience more.

I’d love to hear what other people thought (so long as the discourse is respectful of course). If you read this far, thanks for listening to my ramblings!

The Viridian Vanguard (Part 1)

Summary: It’s a brand new day in the Viridian Valley, and Weiss has got a packed year in front of her:

Alongside getting a handle on her recently empowered and even more out-of-control magic, she’s also got to venture outside the safety of the Bastion’s walls, try to hunt or tame animals more akin to the monsters from fantasy holos, and just learn how to live full-time in the Fae terriotires now that she’s one of Avalon’s Most Wanted, as far as the humans are concerned.

Luckily, she’s got her older sister Winter back, friends new and old, and a recently mended relationship with her girlfriend Ruby, all of whom are ready to support her however they can!

Meanwhile, ancient conspiracies are being exposed, human civilization is rapidly unraveling and devolving into anarchy and civil unrest as truth and lies spread like wildfire, and the rapidly expanding and strengthening Heralds of the New World Order are only too happy to pour gas on the ever growing inferno.

That’s not really Weiss’ concern, though.

Notes: Sequel to the Keeper of the Grove, part of the series of the same name.

Alternate Universe, set in the Avalon Universe.

Updates once a week.

“Hey Weiss!” Ruby said via comm-crystal. “Don’t freak out or anything, but I’m pretty sure your sister and my uncle are going to try and kill each other! Okay, going back to trying to stop them now, bye!”

Weiss blankly stared at the space where Ruby’s holo had just been.

“I’d go look into that as quickly as I could, if I were you,” Taiyang said, gently nudging Weiss towards the direction of the training grounds.

She bolted off, weaving around the freshly planted crops and saplings, vaulting right over the fence, and tearing up the well-worn path. She was sweating, panting, and red-faced by the time she came to the entrance, found Qrow and Winter warming up some distance away, and everyone else by the benches on the side.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!” Weiss screeched.

“Your sister and Qrow‘re going to fight.” Blake explained.

“To the death?!”

“If neither of them decide to yield before that point, yes.” Ren replied calmly.

Weiss struggled for words. “I—how—what happened...?!”

“I accidentally killed Jaune while I was sparring with him, and things just got worse from there...” Ruby replied, her ears drooping.

“You killed Jaune?!”

“Don’t worry—Penny brought him back!” Nora said, thumbing to the side.

Weiss looked, and noticed that Jaune was laid out flat on the ground, dangerously pale and dead to the world around him, Penny kneeling over him as she slowly ran her glowing hands up and down his body, Zwei watching over the both of them.

“His brain activity only ceased for a very brief moment, before any serious damage or organ failure could occur!” she chirped. “He’ll be perfectly fine, and the emergency menders are already on their way.”

Weiss turned back to the others. “Then why are they fighting if he’s alive again?”

“Yeah, that’s mostly Uncle Qrow’s fault,” Yang replied. “He made a crack about how humans can’t match up to the Fae, even a Queensguard like your sister. They argued for a while but didn’t really get anywhere, so now they’re finding out the definitive way!”

“And you’re all just going so sit here?! Why aren’t any of you stopping them?!”

“I’m really sorry, Weiss, we tried our best, but it seems neither of them will be moved...” Pyrrha replied.

“And before you ask about forcibly stopping them, the power level differences between all of us plus Winter’s magic would make that really messy.” Ren said. “I’m also rather sure they’ll just decide to have a duel anyway at a later date.”

Weiss scowled. “So what, you’re all just going to sit here and wait for them to finish going at each other’s throats?”

“Affirmative!” “Yep!” “Pre’ey much.” “It seems to be the only thing we really can do.” “Woof!”

“Try to look on the bright side, though, Weiss!” Yang said.

“What bright side?!” Weiss snapped, her voice now growing hoarse.

“Now you can watch and cheer on your sister in a fair fight with Uncle Qrow!” Yang said. “To be honest, it was really humiliating how easily she fell for that trap, especially with the suit.”

“And now we get to see an actual Queensguard in action, live and up close without the risk of getting killed by them!” Nora cried. “This is going to be awesome!” she cried, throwing her arms up in the air.

Nora started to bring them back down as freezing cold mist spilled out of Weiss’ mouth and nose, the surrounding temperature dropped dramatically, and the runes of her gauntlet started to hum and whine at an ominous frequency.

Everyone slowly began to take cover behind the solid wooden bench or Zwei, except for Ruby who stood up and calmly walked towards Weiss.

“Weiss…?” Ruby said as she carefully held her hand out.

The mist and the humming stopped, Weiss spun around. “I need to stop this...” she grumbled as she stormed off.

Ruby watched her go, hand still out, before she sighed, and sat back down on the bench. Yang got out of cover and sat beside her, putting her arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

Weiss headed to Winter first, slowed down and came to a stop a good distance away from the dirt circle where she was warming up. She was mostly just practicing her acrobatics and footwork with a practice sword, but the dummy she was attacking was still rapidly coming apart at the seams, losing limbs and gaining grievous injuries faster than Weiss could see the strikes that caused them.

Winter dashed forward with an upwards slash!

The dummy shot up into the air, splitting in two as it hit its peak, the halves falling apart into even more neatly sliced chunks.

Winter lowered her sword, turned to face Weiss. “You should really rehydrate and relax, Weiss, you look terrible,” she said calmly.

One of Winter’s summons appeared, and handed Weiss a water bottle from the case in the corner. “That’s not really my top priority right now, but thank you...” Weiss said as she took it. “Moving on: please don’t fight Qrow!”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Weiss,” Winter said as she sheathed her sword, began to set up a new training dummy. “I will admit I lost my composure earlier, but I have still put the honour of the Queensguard on the line, and I feel obligated to defend it, even if I am a deserter now.”

“And is it really worth the risk of getting killed?!” Weiss snapped, her voice cracking.

Winter gave her a stern look, pointed at the water; Weiss groaned, cracked it open, and gulped down a good bit of it.

“Better?” Winter asked.

“Slightly...” Weiss grumbled, before she put on a pleading look. “Winter, please: just forfeit the fight! I don’t want to lose you again!”

“And you won’t, Weiss,” Winter said warmly, stepping up and putting her free hand on her shoulder. “I know it feels like this was all just an impulsive reaction to Jaune getting killed earlier, and I’ll admit part of it is, but believe me, my reasons run deeper than that.”

“And would you care to explain…?” Weiss asked testily.

“I don’t feel I can say it right now, Weiss,” Winter said, her eyes turning up to Penny and Qrow in the distance. “I’m still not aware how far they can hear, and how much those chronicles of theirs can pick-up—just trust that your big sister has got this, alright?” she asked, smiling at Weiss.

Weiss scowled at her, before she sighed. “Alright...”

Winter kissed Weiss on her forehead. “Thank you, Weiss. Now just go on back to the benches and relax; if this duel is going to be anything like Qrow is saying it will be, I don’t want you getting overexcited,” she said as she gently coaxed Weiss off.

Weiss shot her a look, before she turned around, and walked off to where Qrow was training. Unlike Winter, he was just rapidly going through a series of stances and maneuvers with his practice sword.

“You need something, princess?” Qrow asked, still training.

“Yes, actually!” Weiss replied. “if you could please not fight my sister to the death, that would be much appreciated.”

“No can do, Weiss!” Qrow said as he stabbed the ground, spun around and kicked his weapon back up to his talons with just his legs. “I know you aren’t too well-versed in Watcher culture, but forfeiting a duel is a really big deal, especially when you were the one that asked for it, and it’s a fight between equals.”

“How is this a ‘fight between equals’ when you’re a veteran Watcher, and Winter doesn’t have the magitech that help give the Queensguard their edge over everyone else, nor any real mastery over her magic?!”

“When it’s a Tooth and Claw Duel.” Qrow replied, throwing his sword up in an arc. “No martial arts, no magic, standardized equipment!” he cried as he leaped up and caught it. He landed, neatly spun around to face Weiss again, and said, “It’s about as pure skill and innate strength as we can get.”

“Just please go easy on her, Qrow...” Weiss muttered.

“Yeah, not a snowball’s chance in Sekhmet for that,” Qrow replied, shaking his head. “Ice Queen over there is insisting that all her Queensguard training and mods will put us both on even ground, in spite of the guy who really can accurately remember the last time he or anyone other watcher has gone toe-to-toe with ‘Avalon’s best.’

“It’d be an insult to her, the Royals, and the Watchers if I don’t give her everything I can within the rules and restrictions.”

“You’re not going to intentionally kill her, are you?”

Qrow shot her a look. “Do you think she’ll surrender at any point before I have to, so I don’t get murdered myself…?”

“...”

Qrow nodded. “And there’s your answer.” He turned around, resumed training. “I gotta finish warming up, talk to me later, princess.”

“If you’re still alive by then...” Weiss grumbled.

“That’s what Penny’s for.” Qrow said calmly.

Weiss sighed, turned around, and trudged back to the others, now back on the bench, minus Jaune, and plus some emergency menders setting up supplies and equipment nearby, no doubt for the duel.

“How’d it go?” Ruby asked.

“Take a wild guess...” Weiss grumbled before she plopped herself down on Ruby’s lap, nestled her head against her chest.

Ruby frowned. “There, there, Weiss...” she said as she hugged her, started soothingly stroking her back.

Beside them, Yang sucked in a sharp breath and scowled.

Ruby shot her a dirty look.

Yang groaned, she got up and walked away, muttering something in Actaeon under her breath.

Ruby turned back to Weiss. “How are you feeling, Weiss?”

“Angry! Upset!” Weiss snapped, before she sniffed. “Mostly just resigned that things are rapidly going to shit all over again, and yet I was still surprised! I was having a good day, damn it!”

“There, there, Weiss...” Ruby said soothingly. “Do you need a tissue?”

“No...”

“Cookies?” Ruby said. “I can go run back to the house and get some, or maybe someone else can!”

“Maybe later...”

“Want to just stay here and snuggle for a while?” Ruby asked.

“Yes.” Weiss said, before she sighed and looked up at Ruby. “This is going to be a regular part of my life from here on out, huh?”

“Oh, definitely!” Taiyang said as he came up to them, several baskets worth of food and snacks hanging off his arms and in his hands. “In case you haven’t noticed, violence and combat is a very big part of Fae culture, especially when you live with a house full of watchers and the Keeper!”

Weiss looked at him, and frowned. “What are you doing with all that food?”

“Snacks for the audience!” Taiyang chirped.

Before Weiss could ask, she heard the makers and weavers doing construction in the Grove streaming into the area, chattering excitedly among themselves as they found grass and comfortable tree branches to sit themselves on.

“That’s our cue!” Nora said as she got up off the bench.

“What cue?!” Weiss snapped.

“Our cue to set up the borders of the dueling arena, and officiate it,” Ren explained as he, Zwei, and Blake followed suit and headed to the equipment shed.

“...”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it eventually!” Taiyang said. “It’s like living in a house full of kids who like to roughhouse all the time, except with live weapons and possible death and dismemberment.”

Weiss scowled, mist starting to pour out her nose once more.

“Snacks?” Taiyang asked, unfazed as he gestured to the baskets. “It always tends to go fast, just warning you!”

“Dibs on the popcorn!” Yang cried as she ran back to the bench, grabbed a bowl and took a seat again.

Ruby reached out for the cookies, before she hesitated and looked at Weiss.

Weiss sighed. “Don’t let me stop you...” she said as she slipped off Ruby’s lap, sat with her elbows on her thighs, her chin in her hands, and a resigned look on her face.

“Are things always this eventful here…?” Pyrrha asked.

“Absolutely!” Taiyang said. “It’s more surprising when something isn’t up, in the Grove, in the Bastion, or anywhere else in the Valley! Last call, sure you’re not hungry?”

“No thank you, Tai,” Pyrrha said.

“I’m off, then!” Taiyang said as he picked up the baskets and made the rounds with the rest of the audience, the baskets rapidly emptying.

And so Weiss’ life began its latest downhill slide into hell.

Pokémon Sword Avatar Challenge Playthrough Part 12

This is it, folks!  Our second to last update and our last update of the main game (the pre-credits game).  It’s been an enjoyable playthrough using some fun new Poke-friends that I hadn’t gotten a chance to use before.

If you missed Part 1, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 2, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 3, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 4, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 5, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 6, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 7, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 8, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 9, it’s available HERE.   If you missed Part 10, it’s available HERE. If you missed Part 11, it’s available HERE.

Let’s go beat the Champion!

We gear up to go into battle against Leon, but oh?  Oh my. Rose has apparently lost his mind. Well, what to do.  I mean, obviously go stop him from absolutely destroying everything.  I’m telling you, if Macro Cosmos had just invested in renewable energy we wouldn’t be in this mess.  Now we have to save the planet.  Again.

We go with Hop back to the Slumbering Weald to find the Sword and Shield Pokemon of myth.  Gee, wonder how the games got their names. Amazing.  I love our mother watching us run off into the place we’re forbidden to go where we passed out last time after hearing that Rose is trying to recreate a storm that almost destroyed the region and she’s just smiling and waving like “I’ll make pot roast!”  Muuuuuuum….

We gather up a boatload of goodies laying on the ground, including TM86 Phandom Force, one of my favorite moves which absolutely no one on our team can learn.  Of course.  We meet up with Hop and as soon as he mentions the fog it gets even worse.  And out walk the two Pokemon of legend, all chill like “Yeah, what’s up?”  I’ve gotta say, the shrine for the sword and the shield is a gorgeous little cut-scene. That place looks really cool.

The sword and the shield are rusted and worn down, but I’m sure they’ll still be usable because plot.

We head to Hammerlocke to meet up with Leon at the stadium.  Raihan is waiting for us outside to basically warn us that things are bad.  I mean, Rose is trying to summon the Darkest Day, so yeah.  We head inside where Oleana has apparently decided to stop being crazy long enough to be helpful.  Helpful enough to drop the big name: Eternatus.

Does the basement remind anyone else just a little of where we fought Xerneas/Yveltal in X/Y?  Just me?  Okay.

Rose is so dedicated to protecting the future that he doesn’t care what happens to the present, which is astonishingly poignant in many ways right now.  At least he looks like he regrets it as the angelic choir kicks in.  (“Seph-i-roth!”)  His line-up is so Steel-type heavy that Okama the Centiskorch pretty much one-shots his way through with just a quick Hyper Potion from us since he’s a little slow. These Macro Cosmos battles were why we took the time to replace our Orbeetle and Vanilluxe to get a Fire-type on the team.

I’m so glad giving Rose a beat-down was enough to bring him back to his senses.  Too bad we didn’t manage it before he decided to cause the regional apocalypse.  We take the lift up to the roof and yeah, okay.  That dragon is… not intimidating?  Maybe it would have been before Giratina.  But whatever!  Leon’s got this.  He’s just got to toss a Pokeball and… oh, right.  It’s never that easy.  Thanks, Charizard, for the quick save!

When Eternatus wants to battle we take it down quickly with Aleyla’s Psychic blasts.  Easy peasy!  But, of course, Eternatus isn’t going down so easily.  It rises up into the sky like a black hole above the roof and, yeah, okay.  *That* looks much more intimidating!  Good job!

We just have to stick it out for a couple of turns while we’re unable to move.  This feels familiar.  Hop has the idea to raise the ancient Sword and Shield and, interestingly enough, it works!  The ancient Pokemon hear our call and teleport to our rescue or something.

Now it’s four-on-one with possibly my favorite version of the regular battle theme.  That high piano?  That guitar?  Dude. Xacian and Zamazenta are ready to fight, armed with the legendary tools of war.  It’s a good chance to see what each of the legendaries does with Xacian hitting a Howl and Zamazenta immediately putting up Light Screen.  Us nailing Psychic is doing about as much damage as the Behemoth moves, so Eternatus goes down in no time at all.  We get the chance to catch it, and we have one Premier Ball – I can’t resist.

The sun comes out, showing that we’ve ended the Darkest Day!

I think they could have really expanded this part of the story, personally.  But okay.  It is what it is.  Most of my complaints with this game are about the rushed legendary plot.

Three days later we’re back and ready for the Championship Match.  Before that, I do pause and take a look at our Eternatus.  Technically since it’s a Poison-type, we could chuck it onto the team.  But it’s only level 60, actually five to nine levels lower than our base team.  It’s Lax nature so more Defense and less Sp. Defense with the ability Pressure which is really not that interesting.  Oh well.  Just curious.

We go to the stadium and face off against Leon.  Stupid pose and all!  I send out Rajuna the Greedent again Aegislash to nail some Bites since we won’t need Rajuna for most of the fight and she can tank Sacred Swords.  The Attack drop from King’s Shield is a pain but not enough to keep us from taking Aegislash to a sliver before Leon uses a Full Restore.  On our very next attack we land a critical hit Bite, taking Aegislash down just like that.

The only option for dealing with Seismitoad is Makuda the Flapple.  One Grav Apple is double super effective and ends that Seismitoad before it can let off a single attack.  Makuda is just too good, you guys!  Team MVP.

Aleyla the Mr. Rime goes up against Haxorus, but we get hit with a brutal Iron Tail that brings us down to a single hit point!  How do we survive?  Our first Freeze-Dry freezes Haxorus!  We’re going to do this!  Except… Haxorus thaws on the first turn?  We only have one hit point!  Haxorus goes for the finishing Iron Head – and misses!  A second Freeze Dry takes it down.  That was a rollercoaster from start to finish!

We switch into Amal the Dreadnaw to deal with Cinderace, the evolution of the Scorbunny neither Hop nor I took at the beginning of the game, which is a precious little call-back.  Not so precious that we don’t destroy it with a single Liquidation, but still precious.

We go back out to Makuda to deal with the Dragapult, pitting dragon against dragon (dragon wins!)  We get some unfortunate Paralysis as we trade in and then awful luck getting paralyzed against Dragon Breath and actually have to pull Makuda out and switch Okama in.  Makuda, we were just praising you!  Okama can hit hard with Crunch, enough to end this battle.

The last Pokemon is his Charizard, and this is what we’ve been holding Haku back for.  Charizard is faster and Gigantamaxes, getting off a Max Rockfall that is very, very fortunately not a Ground-type move.  But then his next move, G-Max Wildfire, is enough to take Haku down.  That… didn’t go as planned.  We send out Okama to make the sacrifice as we use a Max Revive on Haku, but it wasn’t actually necessary.  In a moment of sheer irony, the sandstorm caused by Charizard’s own Max Rockfall does enough chip damage to take it down.

I’ll… I’ll take the W!

And just like that, we’re the new Champion of Galar!  Look at the pride on Mum’s face!  Look at Hop’s joy!  Of course Bede and Marnie are too cool to smile, but you know they’re feeling it too. Ooh, fireworks!

Witch Hunt V

The two set off into the streets of Rome, and again, out of the city and onto the E35 north and out of the city.

“What did you see, Allyson?” He asked her, watching her as she drove.

“Visions, of people close to me dying all from the past,” she said quietly, “people who were just like you.” This cut her deep, but she knew what he would say, “Portia has... she killed a few of them to get to me. She can’t kill me herself, but what she can do is hurt me.”

“And that fed your anger, and what you did to Julius,” he stated carefully.

“Yes,” she admitted a bit shamefully.

“You need to get a handle on it, Ally,” Michael told her quietly. “Because it can eat you up, and I don’t want that to happen to you,” he looked out the window at the quickly passing countryside out the Porsche’s window. “It happened to me, and it’s gotten people killed,” he said sadly.

“I remember the story,” Ally replied. “I’m just worried that this... vendetta, will get you killed, too.”

“I should be dead right now, Ally,” he smirked, glancing over at her. “Should have died in the jungle, should’ve died in that Siberian gulag, should have stayed dead after Novaya Zhelmya. I’m hard to kill.”  

“I know that,” she smiled thinly as she made minute adjustments to the wheel as they drove. “I’m just worried that your confidence, and my confidence in you, will get you killed.”

Michael was touched, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “It hasn’t yet,” he told her with a smirk. “We’ll take these guys,” he promised the blonde. “And that’ll be the end of it, nobody else dies.”

“I sure hope so,” Ally lamented, before her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her pocket and tossed it to Michael, “what’s coming in?”

Michael picked the phone up, and read the messages coming in. “Rani came through on the translation, old dialect, and what she can make out, it’s tales of a lich,” he explained.

“Wait, what do they want with liches?” Ally asked suddenly.

“Part of the texts is how the subject of the book became a lich, and the creation of their phylactery,” he added, reading through the translation. “What is a lich, exactly?” he asked Ally.

“A magic user that goes through a complex spell to basically become immortal, they bind their soul to an object they call a phylactery,” she explained. “If they die, they’ll basically reincarnate at their phylactery, and they are more powerful magic users. What else does the translation say?”

“Describes a ritual, sounds bloody and dark,” he commented, not bothering to read out the details. “What would they want with this book?”

“It’s kind of obvious,” Ally stated, “Madame von Portia wants to become a lich. She’s nearing the end of her natural lifespan, and this is one of the ways she can become one of the most powerful magic users on the planet and effectively live forever.”

“But we’re not going to let that happen,” he finished.

The rest of the ride past in silence, the two of them traveling through Italy and past the Swiss border. The practical removal of borders throughout the western European continent made travel trivial, where a checkpoint would have stood, a “Welcome to Switzerland” sign welcomed them to the neutral nation. It was too easy, and a border would have destroyed their operation. After all, a couple pounds of high explosive and several weapons would be frowned upon on the continent.

The road was scenic, into the white capped mountains and pristine forests. Until the ancient city of Zurich appeared on the horizon, and the yellow Porsche glided into it at high speed. “Where’s the bank?” Michael asked, looking around at the sights.

“Defender’s dream, attacker’s nightmare,” Ally mused. “It’s on a spit of land between the Limmat River and an ancient irrigation canal,” she told him, pointing out the windshield at the sparkling lake, “and backed up to the lake.” She took an exit off the highway and into the city itself, narrating. “Only one street in, and it’s heavily guarded.”

“Speaking from experience,” he noted.

“During the last World War, I thought about breaking in to get at the vault and acquire some things for myself. I’m good, but I’m not that good,” she stated. “The Schnee Bank has been in business for almost three centuries, they know how to protect things. And not just from humans, because a fair number of special individuals have accounts and deposit boxes there. It’s been tried, but nobody has beat the vault, and it only got harder to crack with time.

“They built the vault to expand, in their basement, with plenty of space to grow. The inner layer is all the old style, stone on stone, then it expands outward into rebarred concrete, steel plates, lead,” she shook her head. “The lock is again, old and new. No doubt updated from when I cased the place,” she stated. “Our options for getting in are slim to none, there’s a reason they call it a fortress,” Allyson told him. She guided them to a hotel nearby, “pop the glove box,” she told him, “pull the roll of gold coins, please,” she asked kindly.

Michael opened the box up, and searched through it until he withdrew a roll of shoddily wrapped gold coins, printed with strange engravings. “Secret society stuff?” he asked.

“Welcome to the most exclusive hotel in Switzerland,” she smirked. Allyson drove into a covered parking garage, then once they parked alighted the car. Michael joined her as they strode to a set of double doors, pulled open by a doorman with a smile. Ally confidently led the way up to the front desk, the pair drawing the eye of nearly everyone in the room. The interior was impeccably maintained, despite looking hundreds of years old. The blonde walked to the counter, and set one of the gold coins on the counter top. “I’d like to get a room,” she told the concierge as the woman behind the counter inspected the coin.

“Of course, ma’am,” the concierge finally responded, “will you require any services during your stay?” she asked.

“A change of clothes would be nice, we forgot to pack,” the blonde smiled sheepishly.

“That can be arranged. You know where everything is, Miss Allyson,” she smiled pleasantly, passing over a hefty and ancient looking key with 501 engraved on the sides.

Ally picked up the key with nimble fingers, and looked up at her human companion, “come on, let’s relax a little,” she told him, before walking to a bank of elevators. “If we didn’t have our weapons, we could get them here, too,” she explained as she called the elevator, and leaned on the wall next to the door. “They even offer tailoring, if you wanted a new suit,” she told him.

“Telling me I need a new suit?” he teased her.

“You could use one or two new ones,” she agreed, pushing off the wall when the elevator dinged and arrived. The two entered the brass interior, and Ally looked to the operator and told him to bring them to the fifth floor. The ride was smooth, and the doors opened into an ornate hallway. Ally led the way out, and to their rented room. Sliding the key into the lock, she pushed the heavy door open into their room, a sizable space fit for a millionare. Two doors branched off along the left wall leading to bedrooms, and a kitchen and bathroom hid behind doors on the right. The outer wall was a row of windows, looking out over the city.

“You know how to pick a room,” Michael commented, before lowering his voice, “are we secure in here?” he asked.

Allyson knew he checked for hidden microphones, and wanted to know just how safe they were. “We are. I’ve had much more firepower than we have in here before without a problem, you can relax.”  

Michael sighed, then sat down on an ornate couch and relaxed. “So, what’s our plan to deal with the bank?”

“We’ll need to case the place, and do as much research as possible,” she told him, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking down at him. “I can outsource some of the research, but we need to get on the ground and eye the place up. Fortunately,” she walked across the room to a small desk, and tosses a brochure from it to Michael.

“Tours of Zurich?” he asked, opening it and reading glancing at the advertisement.

“Third panel,” she directed.

Michael did as she suggested, finding a list of sites on the page, reading through it until he reached about halfway. “The bank. You aren’t going to tell me we’re going on a tour,” he looked up at her.

“The tour doesn’t go into the vault, but it gives us a look into the lobby and the front line we’ll have to get past,” she said. “We’ll have to think this one through pretty hard,” Ally stated needlessly.

“Well, the first thing we’ll have to do is scout the place out,” Michael said, looking at the brochure, before looking to the blonde. “Anything else we can do to prepare?” he asked her.

“You need a suit,” she smiled, looking over at him.

“A new one?”

“You could use a few new suits,” Ally teased, writing on a notepad. “They’ve got tailoring here, and it doesn’t disappoint,” she promised.

“And what are you going to do?” he asked.

“Take a peek around the neighborhood,” she said, stretching and setting a few coins on the counter by the notepad. “Use this to pay for the tailoring,” the blonde said, before turning and going for the door.

“Ally,” Michael called out, standing and looking to her.

The blond turned, eyeing him, “yes?”

“Be careful,” he told her, knowing she wouldn’t, but he had to hope.

“Always,” she smiled thinly at him, before she opened the door and slid out.

BITE: Chapter 9

percy jackson / teen wolf crossover i'm so sorry about the ridiculous wait!! i participated in the stydia big bang and that sort of took all of my fic writing energy for a bit. that fic is called colorblind, if you'd like to read it!! thank you for being so patient, and i hope you enjoy the update. 9/? - Stiles

“You couldn’t have this meeting outside?” Melissa said sadly, looking at the wet patches on her couch.

Everyone had gotten to their feet when she’d arrived, Scott and Stiles moving forward to greet her and everyone else hovering awkwardly in the lounge, trying to wring the excess water out of their hair with the towels still draped over their shoulders.

“I’m really sorry, Mom,” Scott said, almost pleading.

Stiles quickly came to his defence, gesturing to the bottom of the doorframe. “We couldn’t talk outside, we needed to be inside the mountain ash barrier.”

Melissa didn’t look comforted. Her gaze flickered over the group, lingering on the demigods - demigods! Actual, real live, half-gods standing in Scott’s house, Stiles could hardly believe it - before settling back on Scott. “What’s happened now? And who are your new friends?”

“Mom, this is Percy, Annabeth, Hazel and Frank,” Scott introduced, pointing to each of them in turn.

Annabeth and Percy smiled, looking about as welcoming and polite as Stiles had ever seen them. Hazel and Frank smiled, too, but they were clearly exhausted and overwhelmed. When Frank raised his hand in a small wave, Melissa frowned.

“What happened to your wrist?” she asked, dropping her bag onto the table and stepping over to him. Stiles could physically see the switch from annoyed mom to concerned nurse.

Frank flinched back, but Hazel and Percy both put a steadying hand on his arms. Scott rushed over, hovering by his mom’s side. “Frank, Mom’s a nurse. She can help.”

“I’m not sure how much she’ll be able to help with this,” Percy said carefully. The look he gave Scott made it clear that he wasn’t sure how much Melissa knew, and he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. Stiles appreciated the respect.

“Trust me, I can help,” Melissa mused, eyebrows drawn together as she carefully turned Frank’s wrist over in her hands. “How did you get these wounds? It looks like you were chained…” Frank winced, and Melissa’s hands stilled. Her eyes flashed, and then her lips set into a thin line. She looked to Scott. “Tell me everything. Right now.”

Scott chewed his bottom lip. “Well -”

“Well, uh, so, things have… expanded, slightly,” Stiles said, waving a hand at Annabeth, who batted it away. “And there’s some new monsters in town -”

Melissa rolled her eyes, which was not quite the response Stiles had been expecting, but he thought it was fitting anyway. “Of course there are,” she muttered.

“- But these guys have fought them before and won, so everything’s fine, we’ve definitely got a plan and you have absolutely nothing to worry about,” Stiles finished, smiling brightly.

Melissa blinked at him before turning to Scott and asking flatly, “What are we up against?”

“We were just getting to that bit,” Scott said. “Hazel was about to tell us what she’d heard.”

Hazel shuffled her feet slightly against the carpet. “It’s not good,” she said warningly. “We have fought him before - well, not us, exactly, but our friends have - and they didn’t exactly win. They just sort of… survived.”

Allison folded her arms across her chest, pressing the wet towel down her front. “Who is he?”

“Lycaon,” Hazel said grimly.

“The first werewolf?” Stiles and Allison asked in shocked unison.

That was impossible. That couldn’t be true. Lycaon was ancient, he was a myth, he was - an all powerful werewolf, the original Alpha. When Scott had first got the bite, Stiles had done a lot of research. Lycaon had come up a fair bit, and nothing about him was good. Even back when he was a human, he was a nasty guy. It takes a sick sort of person to not only murder their own son but then to feed him to someone, especially to Zeus - Who was apparently real, if Annabeth and Percy were telling the truth?

Which they probably were, Stiles couldn’t see any reason for them to lie, and if they were going to lie this was a weird backstory to go with, pretty unnecessarily complicated. It explained Percy’s ability to manipulate water, and the fact that they were unfazed by Scott and the others transforming, and their weapons, and the way they’d known to take down that monster in the preserve…

But anyway, the point was, Lycaon was a dick, but he was also really dangerous. If he was in Beacon Hills, they were in trouble.

Scott rounded on Derek. “Did you know about this?”

“I had my suspicions,” Derek said quietly. He sounded genuinely remorseful. “I was hoping it wasn’t the case.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Allison asked Hazel.

Hazel nodded, twisting her hands together in front of herself. “I’m sure. I never saw him, but I heard them talking about him, they called him by name.”

“Who are they?” Annabeth asked. Her expression was one of steely determination, her gaze far away, as though she was already mentally drawing up a plan of attack.

“His followers, his pack,” Hazel explained.

“Didn’t we just defeat an Alpha pack?” Isaac asked. “How could another one come to town so quickly?”

“This isn’t another Alpha pack,” Derek said sourly. “This is the first ever werewolf, the first Alpha. He’s worse than Deucalion. Much worse.”

“You said your friends had faced him before,” Stiles said to Hazel. “How did they survive?”

“Luck,” Percy said immediately. “Reinforcements arrived just in time, the first time, and the second time… well, no other demigod would have been able to get away.”

Stiles clapped his hands together. “So call them! Your friends who’ve fought him before.” Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Stiles barrelled on through. “Yeah, it might not have been the best fight, but at least they’ve met him before. They can tell us what we’re up against.”

“That’s what you meant, back at the loft,” Annabeth said to Derek, “When you said we might need reinforcements.”

Derek nodded. “I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to it, but if Lycaon is really in Beacon Hills, then our two worlds might finally have to meet.”

Percy shook his head. “I don’t want to drag them into this.”

“Perce, he’s trying to get to Camp Jupiter,” Hazel said. “If we don’t stop him here, he’s going to attack them.”

“It’d be better for him to try attacking the camp,” Annabeth said, turning on her heel and breaking away from the group. She started pacing across the lounge, fingers steepled in front of herself. “Their defences are better there, and Lupa would never allow him to pose a real threat.”

“Do you really think so? Camp’s pretty fractured after the war, Annabeth, I don’t know if they could stand another attack,” Hazel said softly.

War? Stiles shared a look with Scott, making a mental note to research that later.

Annabeth wavered. “We can’t face him here, we’re at a disadvantage. We don’t know the surroundings -”

“But we do,” Scott said, eyes flashing red. “We’ll help you. We’ve fought Alphas who thought they were stronger than us before, and we’ve won. We’ll do it again.”

“You don’t understand what you’re up against,” Annabeth protested. “Lycaon is dangerous, really dangerous. And none of this is a coincidence. There are plenty of different directions he could have come from to get to the camp, but he chose this town for a reason. He kept Hazel and Frank alive for a reason. He -”

Percy grabbed Annabeth’s hand, stopping her pacing. He spun her around to face him, holding her gaze. “Annabeth. We’re going to figure this out, just like we’ve figured everything else out. But for now -”

Annabeth’s fingers twitched in his hold. “But -”

“Right now,” Percy said firmly, “Frank and Hazel need ambrosia and rest, and we need to contact Reyna. We’ll talk to her and Chiron and we’ll figure out what to do with their help, okay?”

It took a few seconds before Annabeth nodded stiffly. “Okay.”

Percy went to let go of her hand, but she tightened her hold. He glanced down at their interlocked fingers, a surprised smile lighting up his face, and tugged her over to stand against his side.

Stiles glanced over at Lydia, who had sat back on the couch and was watching the exchange curiously. When she felt him looking she glanced up and met his eye, and Stiles knew that she was as intrigued by everything they didn’t know about these demigods as he was.

“You can stay here for the night,” Melissa said. “As long as you don’t mind sleeping on the couch, or mattresses on the floor.”

“You really don’t have to -” Annabeth started to say.

At the same time, Percy said, “That’d be great, Ms McCall. Thank you.”

Melissa nodded, and that was settled. “Just let me get my first aid kit, I want to put some disinfectant on your wrists before you go to sleep.”

Frank glanced up at Annabeth, as if checking this was okay.

“It can’t hurt,” was all she said.

Everyone started to move, sensing that the conversation had drawn to a close for the night. Isaac drifted towards Allison, the back of his hand brushing hers, and she turned to talk to him in a hushed voice. Scott winced and turned away, following his mom out of the room.

“Uh, Ms McCall,” Percy said, getting everyone’s attention. “Do you have a sink we could borrow?”

With a mirror, a flashlight, the kitchen tap and a coin, Percy and Annabeth had made some sort of mythical Skype call back to the demigod camp: Camp Jupiter, they’d called it. A girl with long, dark hair in a detailed braid and a stern face was talking to them, although it had taken a bit of convincing to get her to talk freely with everyone else around. Scott and Derek were in on the conversation, too, acting as Alpha and liaison, and Melissa was sitting at the kitchen table, tending to Frank and Hazel’s wounds with the care only a registered nurse could provide.

Stiles was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, running through all of the information they had. Which wasn’t really all that much, the more he thought about it.

“We need to figure out what can kill him,” Allison said, coming to stand beside Stiles.

He glanced down to see she was holding her empty quiver. She must have lost all of her arrows in the flood.

“Wolfsbane?” Stiles offered. “That almost killed Derek.”

“Maybe Lycaon’s different, though,” Lydia said, coming around Allison’s other side. “All the myths say he can only be harmed by silver.”

“He can’t be hurt with our usual weapons,” Hazel offered from the table. Stiles was surprised that she’d been listening to them; her eyes had been locked on Frank the whole time Melissa had been treating him. “Celestial bronze and imperial gold don’t work against him. Silver arrows have hurt him, in the past.”

“Okay, so we try both silver and wolfsbane, then,” Stiles said.

“I’ll get my dad to help,” Allison offered. “I’ll go home now and start collecting bullets and arrows.”

“I’ll drive you,” Isaac said.

Stiles was glad that Scott was too engrossed in his conversation to see them leave, Isaac’s hand hovering just above the small of Allison’s back. He’d thought that Lydia would want to go with them, but she’d declined, saying that she wanted to get some more information before heading home. Once Allison and Isaac were gone, however, she didn’t move from Stiles’s side.

“Annabeth’s right,” she said, voice low. “This isn’t a coincidence.”

“Definitely not,” Stiles agreed, in the same tone.

“Stiles, Lycaon is the original Alpha. The bestiary says that he has powers other Alphas don’t.”

He tried to hide his alarm. “What do you mean?”

Lydia grabbed his elbow and dragged him around the corner. Once they were out of sight of the others she let him go, but neither of them stepped back, keeping their heads bowed close together.

“The bestiary says that he has control over all other werewolves,” Lydia whispered.

Stiles’s stomach turned to lead. “What? No, that can’t be - Are you sure you translated it correctly?”

Lydia glared at him.

“Okay, sorry, you translated it correctly,” he apologised. “So… so he can control other werewolves? And you think that’s why he came to Beacon Hills, to - what, to recruit more into his pack before attacking the demigods?”

Lydia licked her lips. “Not just more of them… I think he came here for someone specifically.”

Stiles’s eyes widened. He straightened up as her meaning sunk in. “You don’t think…?”

Lydia nodded solemnly. “Scott.”

Stiles swallowed thickly and turned back to peer into the kitchen, where Scott was standing with a straight spine beside Percy, deep in discussion about how to keep their homes safe. “Lycaon wants a True Alpha.”

.

The Masters Tools for Dark Eras Companion by Justin Norman

  Shhhhh.

Don’t startle the bronco, as so far it’s a bit of a calmer start to this week than last. (Last week’s blog was entitled “Bucking Broncos” for those unfortunate few who missed it). While I expect that horse to start buckin’ any minute now, let’s enjoy the calm between yee-haws!

I’m feeling better this week, thanks for asking. The coughing can still be back-muscle-tearing intense, but the spells are less frequent and I finally got some decent sleep this weekend.

Much more capable of getting things done.

The first thing that I got done was the prepping of the shipping sheets for both the Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition Kickstarter and the Deluxe W20 Shattered Dreams Kickstarter. KS allows creators to download Excel spreadsheets containing the backers’ shipping addresses as well as their responses to the Backer Survey, which is where backers note the Add-on items that they have added money to their pledges for.

It is the Add-ons which are the time killer because there is no programmatic way to assemble that info besides the spreadsheet as adding on to your pledge is something KS creators invented, not Kickstarter itself. (Another reason why adopting BackerKit as our back-end program was so helpful, as they do add up and keep track of Add-ons).

The Ex3 KS has five possible physical Add-ons as well as upgrading to the Ultra Deluxe, and something like 4,000 backers getting physical rewards. So it was necessary to go backer by backer, line by line, through each spread sheet and reconcile the pledge amount with the amount added and the Add-ons selected by the backer. Let’s just say that these numbers often did not match.

And it is really important to us that backers get the items they are expecting, especially since they have had such a long wait.

  Fire Orchid for the EX3 Jumpstart by Melissa Uran

    Then I did the Shattered Dreams sheets and they took 1/10th the time. Book and maybe Screen? Fiendishly simple!

While I’m reconciling the pledges and add-ons, I’m also making a very simple list next to each backer containing the number of each item that will go in their rewards box that the shipper packs. We’ve discovered painfully that we need to create what is basically a bill of lading for each backer in order to increase the odds they’ll get the right stuff.

Finally, I delete any columns that contain information that the shipper doesn’t need. Like what names the backers gave us for inclusion in the book, that sort of info. And now the shipper sheets are out to our fulfillment shippers, and they are reviewing them and already have gotten back to me with questions, which is a very good thing.

Much as we always say to freelancers: communication is key. A shipper who feels he can talk with you and ask questions can often point out mistakes before they bother the backers, and can suggest better methods that may improve things all around, or even save us money.

Which with shipping costs where they are, we need all the help we can get.

    Fall of Iserion for Dark Eras Companion by Alex Sheikman

    The thing is, and one of the reasons I shared this process, is that with feeling ill and my concentration being a bit short, this all pretty much took up my week along with the aftermath of last week’s upset. In an organization the size of Onyx Path, it only takes one of us to get sick, and some things just don’t get done.

But a lot more got done than if this had happened last year, because we now have Rollickin’ Rose and Mighty Matt on board. Now, they can pick up tasks when I can’t do them, and visa versa. In addition, between the three of us we now have the bandwidth/infrastructure to step in and assist projects, or entire game lines, get back on track. Or even onto a whole nother track that is better.

I’ll be writing more about those sorts of changes in the weeks to come as I let you in on some of the leaps forward we are making.

    BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER!

I’m finishing up the KS pages for the Prince’s Gambit casual card game this week. Things look good, and we are all for starting the KS in early March so long as the process of pulling the KS together cooperates. If so, then Monarchies of Mau KS would be next, after Gambit.

  ON SALE!

DTRPG’s GM’s Day Sale starts March 2nd and runs for about a week! Check out all sorts of sales and bargains on Onyx Path and White Wolf PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com!

      Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!

    Continuing our individual Dark Eras chapters, we’re hoping that we can offer you Dark Eras: Fallen Blossoms this Wednesday, March 1st, if the USPS fates are kind to us and we get the PoD proof!

    From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Doubting Souls (Hunter 1690-1695 Salem). Immigrants and tribes struggled to co-exist on the Eastern Seaboard in the ever-expanding Colonies. Violent clashes, supernatural beliefs, and demonic influences spelled disaster for Salem Village and its surrounding towns, while others fought werewolves and vampires on the frontier. With so much at risk, only god-fearing men and women were deemed innocent — and those were few indeed.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2kKOrfm

  From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Bowery Dogs (Werewolf 1969-1979 NYC). New York City in the 1970s. Crime. Drugs. Gang violence. Vast economic disparity. And werewolves. It’s a lean, ugly time to be alive, and the lone wolf doesn’t stand a chance out there. In the end, all you really have is family.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2lM0Tzv

    The Locker is open; the Chronicles of Darkness: Hurt Locker, that is! PDF and physical copy PoDs are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2gbM9me

Hurt Locker features:

Treatment of violence in the Chronicles of Darkness. Lasting trauma, scene framing, and other tools for making your stories hurt.

Many new player options, including Merits, supernatural knacks, and even new character types like psychic vampires and sleeper cell soldiers.

Expanded equipment and equipment rules.

Hurt Locker requires the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook or any other standalone Chronicles of Darkness rulebook such as Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, or Beast: The Primordial to use.

      Both the Beast: the Primordial http://ift.tt/2fEMsdO & Promethean: the Created 2nd Edition Condition Cards http://ift.tt/2iSein1 are now on sale on DTRPG in PDF and physical card PoD versions! Great for keeping track of the Conditions that are on your characters!

      From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Ruins of Empire (Mummy 1893-1924). Perhaps the quintessential era of the mummy in the minds of Westerners, this period saw the decline of the two greatest empires of the age: British and Ottoman. Walk with the Arisen as they bear witness to the death of the Victorian age, to pivotal mortal discoveries in Egypt, and to the horrors of the Great War.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k0XDhX

    From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Sundered World (Werewolf and Mage 5500-5000 BCE). At the birth of civilization, in the shadow of the Fall, the Awakened stand as champions and protectors of the agricultural villages spread across the Balkans. In a world without a Gauntlet, where Shadow and flesh mingle, the steady taming of the world by humanity conflicts with the half-spirit children of Father Wolf.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k16mRj

    Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial is available now as an Advance PDF: http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO

This book includes: 

An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.

A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.

Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.

    The PDF and physical book PoD versions of Reap the Whirlwind, the Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition Jumpstart swirls into being on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2i1WPpD

You are a vampire, a junkie. Every night, you beg and you borrow and you steal just a little more life, just a few more sweet moments. But there’s a guy at the top. The Prince. He’s got everything. The money, the secrets, the blood.

Tonight, you’re going to take it from him. Tomorrow, there’ll be hell to pay.

This updated edition of Reap the Whirlwind features revisions to match the core rulebook for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition. Text edits and rules clarifications have also been updated.

Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes:

Rules for creating and playing vampires in the Chronicles of Darkness

The first two levels of every clan Discipline, the dark powers of the dead

A complete adventure by noted horror author Chuck Wendig

This new revised Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes an updated booklet, 7 condition cards, and the interactive Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition character sheet.

        It is now the preordained time for Dawn of Heresies, the Mummy: the Curse novel written by internationally renowned author Brian Hodge to arise! Both PDF/electronic and physical book PoD versions are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2iEP9dW

Rawhead and bloody bones

Steals naughty children from their homes,

Takes them to his dirty den

And they are never seen again. 

So says the nursery rhyme that gives birth to Rawhead, the most fearsome entity to imperil the living since the infamous Roller. Once an obedient mummy by name of Benefre, a desperate bid by his cult fails in tragic fashion, and in so doing, sends him to the Devourerís waiting, corruptive maw. What remains of Benefreís ambitious soul rises again, impure and unholy, set to the execution of a scheme so baleful, it constitutes a heresy even among his own misbegotten kind.

All that stands between Rawhead and his terrible aim are a lone mummy, Kemsiyet, and what little remains of her cult following its destruction at Rawhead’s hands. Declan, her prized security aide, and Fiona, an Irish researcher only just recently inducted into the cult and its blood-soaked world, must fight both the odds and the clock in order to prevent a calamity the likes of which the world hasnít seen since the days of the mummies’ creation.

About the Author:

BRIAN HODGE is the acclaimed author of 11 novels, almost 125 short stories, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater among the 113 best books of modern horror. Heís currently wrapping up his fifth, The Immaculate Void. Among gamers, he is perhaps best known as the author of the first official Hellboy novel, On Earth as It Is in Hell.

Recent works include “The Weight of the Dead,” from Tor, and novelettes of cosmic horror in The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu and Children of Lovecraft. His oft-reprinted 2013 novella, “The Same Deep Waters as You” has recently been optioned by a London-based production studio for development for television. Brian lives in Colorado.

    Open the V20 Dark Ages: Tome of Secrets now on DTRPG! Both PDF and physical book PoD versions are now available! http://ift.tt/2i1XOXd

The Tome of Secrets is a treatment of numerous topics about Cainites and stranger things in the Dark Medieval World. It’s about peeling back the curtain, and digging a little deeper. Inside, you’ll find:

• Expanded treatment of Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Necromancy, and Setite Sorcery

• A look at Cainite knightly orders, faith movements, and even human witchcraft

• Letters and diaries from all over the Dark Medieval World

              CONVENTIONS!

Starting this Wednesday, Mighty Matt McElroy will be at Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon, walking the floor, taking meetings, and generally talking the talk. Make sure you say hi if you see him there!

Impish Ian Watson will be on a Q&A panel at CAiNE http://ift.tt/2m5ejGC being hosted in Hamilton Ontario March 16 to 19th 2017!

Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

        And now, the new project status updates!

    DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

CtD C20 Jumpstart (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

  Redlines

Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

  Second Draft

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)

Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

  Development

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

BtP Building a Legend (Beast: the Primordial)

  Editing:

W20 Song of Unmaking novel (Bridges) (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

CtD C20 Anthology (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

  Post-Editing Development:

CtL fiction anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

VtR A Thousand Years of Night (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

  Indexing:

      ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – new stuff AD’d

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook

V20 Dark Ages Companion – More sketches… need to ping a couple of artists as they missed sketch deadline.

Dagger of Spiragos  – Sketches in and approved… as far as I know maps are on schedule.

VTR: Thousand Years of Night

Cavaliers of Mars – Sending notes out.

Monarchies of Mau Early Access – Prepping notes for artists

  Marketing Stuff

  In Layout

Prince’s Gambit – Kickstarter Prep.

C20 – With Aileen

M20 Book of Secrets – Moving into layout, but still dealing with artist shenanigans. It’s a large book… so it’ll be a while before it hits proofing.

Pugmire – Inputting errata and prepping final file for indexing.

  Proofing

EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – first proof.

Dark Eras Companion – First Proof… and hopefully artist shenanigans wrapping up soon.

V20 Lore of the Bloodlines

  At Press

Ex 3 Screen – Shipped to fulfillment shippers.

Ex 3 core book – Shipped to fulfillment shippers. Addresses at shippers.

Secrets of the Covenants – PoD proofs ordered and we are waiting..

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

W20 Shattered Dreams – Shipped to fulfillment shippers.

Shattered Dreams Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Beast Conquering Heroes – Prepping PoD files.

Mortal Remains: Beast- Red In Tooth and Claw – Uploaded and processing.

Dark Eras : Fallen Blossoms – PoD proof ordered, may go on sale Wednesday if we get the proof in in time.

Dark Eras: Beneath the Skin – Uploaded and Processing.

Dark Eras: Out of the Cold – Uploaded and Processing.

Necropolis Rio – Uploaded and processing.

      TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Tomorrow is Gen Con Exhibitor hotel room allocation day! Celebrate because you don’t have to go through this, and Mighty Matt and I do!

Version 365

windows

zip

exe

os x

app

linux

tar.gz

source

tar.gz

I had a good week. The new repository processing works faster, and collections have a neat new collect/separate option.

repository processing

The non-interrupting repo processing from last week went well! There don't seem to be any big problems, and speeds were ok. As I hoped, I have improved how it 'throttles' itself, letting it speed up and slow down depending on how busy the rest of the client is, so all users should see significant speed-up in most situations and also have smoother browsing and tagging when you want to do something else.

I would like to copy this nicer synchronisation workflow to other large jobs such as Hydrus Tag Archive import and export.

collect and other things

For a long, long time, the 'collect by' dropdown on search pages has been some hacky ancient code. I have updated it all this week, bringing it in line with other systems in the program, and have added a second dropdown that chooses whether to collect or leave separate 'unmatched' thumbnails.

This means that if you collect by 'creator', you can now choose whether files that have no creator are all collected into one thumbnail collection or left as separate thumbs. You can switch back and forth quickly. A related change here is that files that do 'match' will always form a collection even if they are on their own--they will have the little collection icon and "1" count on their thumbnail--whereas previously they would be come out as uncollected, single thumbnails. If you are into collections, you'll soon notice this. It isn't a super-big change, but it does look different, and right-clicking on a one-file collection doesn't give you detailed file info. I am not sure if it is annoying or not for IRL workflows, but now that I can update the collections object easily, I think I will add another option to change this behaviour back to the old system if you want.

Otherwise, I added and fixed some small things. The filename tagging panel--that launches when you add some tags to files you are about to import from your hard drive--now pushes tags to the 'recent' tags list. An issue where a media panel (usually an importer) could rarely get duplicate thumbnails should be fixed. I also started a framework to pre-sort results before system:limit is applied, so we'll soon have some support for saying 'show the 64 largest files in this search' if you system:limit=64 and have 'sort by largest filesize first' set. And I updated the Deviant Art file page parser again to fix 'embed' file url links and title tags. The new Deviant Art login script breaks for some users but works for others, so I think they are still serving up the old layout to some sessions--if you have trouble with it, check out the Hydrus Companion to copy your web browser's cookies over.

client api

Searching files with /get_files/search_files now sorts the results by import time, newest to oldest! If you have been writing a booru wrapper or similar and want easy pagination, let me know how this works. It is hardcoded for now, but I expect to add some options here as I improve support for search-sorted on the UI side as well.

I also added a prototype for /manage_pages/get_page_info. This can give a whole bunch of data for import pages, including down to the individual file import url status level. If you have wanted to queue up new downloads to individual pages or change highlights or similar, have a play with this first 'what's the current status' part and let me know what you think. It may throw some errors! I will put some more work into it, expand the help about it, and round it out with some proper unit tests. Once we are happy, I'll start adding some actions to alter page info.

full list

new repo processing:

improved the new asynchronous repository processing system in several ways:

- it now uses the time it is allotted more accurately. when it has 0.45s to work, it hits this mark more often, especially on slower machines

- it is now politer to the ui if plenty of other work is going on--if the db is loading search results or you are viewing video, it should pause for milliseconds as needed

- it can now work up to 90% of the time during a manual 'process now' run

- when it is working faster than expected, it accelerates its load to operate more efficiently

as a result, the new system should now have faster rows/s and lag out the ui less

.

client api:

improved how parameters are fetched and tested against expected type and given default values if appropriate, and updated all client api code to use this new system

added /manage_pages/get_page_info, which gives simple or detailed info on a given page, found by page_key

added page info response to hdd importers, simple downloaders, url downloaders, gallery downloaders, watcher downloaders--they say their pause status and file/gallery import info as appropriate

added page info response to file import caches--they say their status and num_done/num_to_do, and in detailed mode report file import item info, which is url/path, created, modified, and source times, current status, and any note

added page info response to gallery logs--they say their status and num_done/num_to_do, and in detailed mode report gallery log info, which is url, created and modified times, current status, and any note

added page info response to thumbnail panes--they say their total num files, and in detailed mode list their ordered hashes

started some help for this expansion, but it will need some feedback and more work to finish

the client api now sorts /get-files/search_files results by import time, newest to oldest. this first hardcoded sort comes to help implement booru-like pagination, but will be expanded to support more types as I flesh out the ui side (as below) as well

hydrus services, including the client, should now be able to handle larger request header+path total size (16KB->1MB). this helps some larger GET queries in the client api. let's see how this goes

client api is now version 11

.

collect improvements:

the collect data attached to pages is updated to its own object. the default value and existing page settings should update. all ui now handles the new clean object, rather than the old messy list

the new collect object supports an option for whether to collect 'unmatched' thumbs or to leave them separate. this displays in the ui as a dropdown beside the collect-by checkboxlist

to better distinguish between unmatched singles and matched collections with just one item, all one-item collections will now act as collections, with the little '1' collection icon in their corner (previously, they were split into singles). if this is annoying, I will add another option to control whether this occurs

removed some old 'integrate media into existing collected structure code' that was complicated, never used, and now broken

misc sort/collect refactoring

deleted some old unused collection code

.

the rest:

entering tags in the filename tagging panel, either for all or just selected, now pushes those tags to the 'recent tags' list in later manage tags dialogs

added a framework to start sorting search results before the system:limit is applied--I will soon extend this to start catching the current ui sort (say, 'largest files first', and cut a system:limit appropriately, rather than the current random sample)

added a faster table size check on the analyze maintenance call that will recognise fast-growing tables (e.g. initially empty/tiny repository processing tables that may have seen a ton of recent work) and schedule them better (this was previously potentially hanging certain maintenance checks/shutdown by several minutes when hitting a surprisingly giant table)

reduced the analyze frequency for established tables

the client will now explicitly count as 'idle' and 'very idle' during shutdown maintenance time, in case any shutdown job is considering that for how greedy it should be with work time

fixed an issue where appending new media (thumbnails) to a page that already had that media but within a collection could create a duplicate media entry and invalidate some internal data links to the old media

subscriptions will no longer print full traceback information when a network error causes a sync fail

updated to yet another deviant art file page parser. title tags and embedded image links should be fixed again, post/source time is not fixed

the deviant current art login script is confirmed to work for some users. my guess is certain people are getting cloudflare blocked or aren't being shown the new login page all the time yet, please send in any more info you discover

the client will now recover from a missing options object by putting in a fresh one with default values, including a popup notifying you of the error and giving you a chance to bail out

added a warning and link to the quicksync to the access_keys help page

if the os commands the client to close due to a log off or system shut down, the client will kindly ask for a bit more time do to so if it is available

updated the WTFPL license to v3

next week

Next week is a cleanup week. For the big tags job, I would like to improve importing and exporting tag data, perhaps making a Hydrus Sibling/Parent Archive, and otherwise I will do some boring but important code cleaning and updates.

Unfortunately, endchan is down right now as they undergo some migration, so I am only posting a release post here this week. If they come back in a few days and seem stable, I will post there again, but if not, I may make a new board on another bunker or I may wait until we know more about 8chan after September 5th before I make any decisions. I do want to have an imageboard to discuss hydrus issues, so if you have opinions on a good place for us to be as these events go on, I am interested to hear them. Otherwise, I will keep working as normal.

The Latest News for September 2018 You Need to Know on SEO

The entire 12 months 2018 is already in complete swing, and it is quick becoming interesting for SEO. With just about all that said…SEO is still regarding content and links. Use long-tail key phrases, full sentences and questions -- although your present keywords are usually still important and play the big part in SEO, even more people are choosing to research in full questions now, due to the fact they're speaking, instead of within short term. This is the component of an SEO strategy that will focuses on building quality exterior referral links that trust the given site as an specialist or source in the focused categories. Eliminated are the days where very much of what one did with regard to SEO was purely for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (link building, highly optimized articles, content only for the various search engines, etc). Well, backlinks are the particular evergreen ranking factor of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, there's no doubt about this. But times are changing plus so does the things. I've been ranking video clips last few weeks for key word like SEO Outsourcing” and Wp training London” and some SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agency terms here. The biggest pattern of SEO 2018 according in order to me could be the use of Synthetic intelligence by the Google plus the increase in the quantity of character within the meta description. I actually see a couple of present trends that will continue in order to dominate SEO in 2018. Google offers stated on the record that will page loading speed is a good SEO ranking signal (and these people recently made PageSpeed even EVEN MORE important ). You are capable to boost your site rate by using a CDN, compressing images, and switching to quicker hosting. It is perhaps one of the most important Local SEO ranking factors for local business websites. SEO indicates exactly what it meant within 1997, right about the period I started writing about this. Easily expressed: Creating good, understandable, content that individuals feel motivated to share (a definition simply as frustrating now to individuals who want overcomplicated answers because it was two decades ago). Search Engine Optimization, which usually is also known as SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, is the process of growing the volume and quality associated with traffic to a website through search engines via organic or even search engine results. Matt Cutts (no longer along with Google) consistent SEO advice was in order to focus on a satisfying consumer experience. Finally, in case you don't have enough site visitors, knowing SEO can help a person figure out exactly why your own site lacks visibility and lead you in taking steps in order to improve your rankings. It's not the perfect SEO page title since of the multiple distinct providers, but the structure can offer rise to rankings for a few long-tail keyword phrases. The SEO fads keep expanding with time and, hence the particular individuals and business organizations as well should get their act jointly to have effect on the particular Google algorithm. It will certainly serve one well to keep in mind that building great backlinks making use of link-building is a valuable search engine optimization tactic. Improvements in search algorithms and within people's searching patterns and the particular mobile over desktop preferences are usually changing the nature of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. However, cellular trends in SEO have turn out to be quite compelling. Task an effective Local SEO marketing campaign will allow your business in order to appear on Page 1 associated with Google's search results pages, each in the Map Pack” plus the Organic Listings”. To get success in 2018, it is necessary to follow latest SEO approach which can be a combination of regional SEO, organic SEO, and Mobile phone SEO, so that you will certainly be ready to dominate the particular marketplace search with best outcomes. Portable SEO in 2018 is heading to be all about Developing Web Apps (PWAs). SEO is getting more important every single year and individuals who spend time on growing the quality and experience associated with their sites will benefit significantly. Off Page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION has to do with marketing techniques, for the purpose associated with ranking a website higher inside the search results. This is definitely a time-honored SEO practice known as broken link building. Consumer experience is going to become among the top SEO trends within 2018. Local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION will play a great function in mobile searches is almost all about content. SEO content re-emphasizes the objective and meaning of what specifically is seen on the web site, and it also increases search positions. The demand for AMP is expected to increase by 2018 and believe adoption of AMP will keep on to lead the top SEO trends. However, SEOs tend to prefer links increased on a page. On the SMB side, there is a higher expectation of SEO performance however often an inability to finish (or pay-to-complete) hours dedicated towards improving content, links, or on the internet branding, ” which are almost all important to growing performance. Advanced SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION really doesn't have everything in order to do with acquiring links for any Website. As a good SEO, this means that a person have to significantly raise your own standards around quality content plus links in order to obtain top search engine rankings. This will end up being a growth opportunity for content material marketing-specific agencies and a essential and justified budget line product for in-house SEO teams. Brian Dean stated that Without having Keywords there is no this kind of thing as SEO”. The strategies in online advertising are as competitive or mainly because quickly evolving as search motor optimization (SEO). As the particular main foundation elements of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION for example keywords, metadata and optimised images will remain an essential part of an SEO technique, this will no longer end up being the main priority. one. Guest Posting - Link developing will be a huge SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION practice in 2018 and over and SEO 2019 Slide above, because it has been for very some time. Ultimately, success within SEO in 2018 and ahead is determined by creating amazing content plus which makes it as simple as possible for search motors to understand precisely what that will content is about. SEO is a marketing and advertising discipline focused on growing presence in organic (non-paid) search motor results. It will be helpful when you share some on-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION tips and how to carry out a keyword research. There are many keyword study tips that SEO experts make use of on a daily basis. In order to see when your SEO efforts have already been paying off, you will desire to compare visitors your web site over time. I am just not exaggerating when I state that without keywords, there's simply no such thing as SEO. Visual Search is usually the next big SEO method of 2018, so be ready! Rank Watch is the toolset for SEO professionals that will provides Internet marketing tools with regard to search engine optimization (SEO”) interpersonal media management (SMM) website optimisation, including research and analysis, hyperlink building, campaign management, automated monitoring of search engine performance, analytics and conversion tracking, and SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION reports. Here are six SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends you should be maintaining in mind when sprucing your own website in 2018. SEOs also pay even more attention to the formatting plus structure of content to allow it to be easier for Google to draw relevant information for featured thoughts. Back in times, people utilized to manipulate the particular search results using some popular black hat SEO techniques. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking factors will continue in order to act as the bottom associated with SEO pillars in spite associated with whatever search engine updates. If a person are reading this blog today, you'd probably know what Research Engine Optimization” is. It will be quite commonly called SEO Now i'm giving you a quick short on Search Engine Optimization, sorts of SEO techniques, the techniques involved in these processes plus so forth Seo is techniques that will search engines recommend as great practice and black hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is those techniques that lookup engines do not approve associated with. For SEO consultants who practice seo, they tend to generate results that be very long lasting. Follow along and you will have done your most readily useful Local SEO audit in know time. SEO strategies that will once were on top associated with the game might not use to the current search motors. 5. Mobile Initial Index @jambad 2018 SEO Developments - 5 Ways To Remain Ahead of the Curve SEOmeter 91 What exactly is this? Of course, there will end up being the normal offerings of incredible content, link building (acquisition) plus technical SEO (Auditing), but 2017 is going to be the big year for mobile. Essential I reached out in order to more than 60 SEO specialists and asked them how they will would define what seo is usually now. Yes, I actually agree with you Karthikeyan Maruthai, We ought to Know Over Off-page SEO Methods to Achieve Quite Good Ranking. The particular top SEO trends 2018 consists of the maximum uses of video clips and images. When Google was within its infancy, Keyword Density dominated SEO. The Ancient greek language philosopher Heraclitus said, Change is definitely the only constant in lifestyle. ” If he were living today, one might think that will he was referring to Search engine optimization (SEO). I notice it as more of the need now for SEOs in order to make websites search engine pleasant. This SEO guide explains obtaining links from external domains. This particular is a list of the particular most prominent SEO trends that will will make a smashing influence in 2018. Focusing on satisfying consumer intent will produce far better results for the SEO within 2018, rather than a focus on keywords. Hobo UK SEO - The Beginner's Guide (2018) is the free pdf ebook you may DOWNLOAD TOTALLY FREE from right here (2mb) that contains my notes about driving increased organic visitors a site within Google's instructions. Information is designed in order to describe all areas of SEO—from finding the terms and key phrases (keywords) that generate traffic in order to your website, in order in order to your site friendly to research engines, to building links plus marketing the initial value associated with your internet site. OK so might created your High-Retention video, is actually time upload and optimize this for SEO. Search Motor Optimisation (SEO) involves various aspects, but we are confident that will a super fast website ought to be your number one concern in 2018. We aren't saying that will SEO page ranking is simply no longer relevant; it is nevertheless, but it's a little even more complicated. SEO helps us create websites that are more search-engine pleasant, and sites that deliver the much better user experience. 1. Whenever you publish an SEO-optimized movie on YouTube, you improve your own visibility in Google as the whole. The importance associated with keywords in SEO has transformed a little bit. What is more vital that you understand that SEO is currently changing so that as we all move towards the year 2018 only focusing on organic possibilities must not be your ultimate goal, rather using the evolution search engines presently there are multiple for you to increase your own site rankings. Many respondents furthermore anticipated User experience, user intention, link building, knowledge graph plus social media to be a single of the major trends in order to influence the SEO industry within 2018. The particular channel could be a number of different things: SEO, compensated search, email marketing, content advertising, etc. What SEO trends plus techniques does 2018 hold intended for us? It appears that with YouTube once the channel is quite popular(as within big) in a given Specific niche market, you are able to nearly throw out a large piece from the SEO On web page off page optimizations, ect, plus the video will rank upward on page one(also online search)…. Keywords have always been the particular heart of SEO. Backlinks are one associated with the foundations of good SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. You should swap out your first image This video is definitely ranking #3 for the key phrase โ€SEO strategyโ€… today your video clip is ranking #2 for that will keyword. In order to learn more, examine this infographic from Digital Marketing and advertising Philippines, which discusses the really best developments that you should know in case you want to improve your own SEO strategy this 2018. Yet without mobile SEO and AMPLIFIER we won't be in a position to accomplish organic traffic growth in 2017. SEO professionals is just not have to be puzzled within search of that valuable SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking factors anymore. Search engine optimization Professional ( SEO Expert ), one of highly rated Honest SEO Expert posses excellent control over organic SEO, purely white-hat SEO techniques, knowledge and true time industry connection with customizing various theme website, e-commerce SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, small and large size company website's SEO. Thank a person for your awesome In-depth Guidebook, There are learnt some new SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Strategies, I will start along with improving my site's Dwell Period Beside Creating Visual Content, We will really appreciate In situation you could Write an In-depth Guide about Creating Embeddable Images”, I have to understand it better. The biggest trend for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION in 2018 is evergreen, long-form blog content. Guest post- Guest post is definitely second smart and effective away page SEO technique after hyperlink building. So, the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION experts will try to web page link your app with many additional business apps so that the particular search engines can index plus rank the app. Say, for example, I discuss this off-page SEO techniques write-up across my social channels. While videos are great intended for SEO, make sure you may create video content just due to the fact the format works better. The rise associated with Google-featured-content has provided its very own challenges for SEO practitioners. Our testimonials of the 10 leading search engine optimization (SEO) tools help you choose the right solution. The expression SEO, ” otherwise known because search engine optimization, ” offers increased in popularity over the particular past few years. The truth is that a person can get top Search Motor Rankings spending a little little bit of money and doing the particular work yourself or paying a good expert SEO company thousands associated with dollars to get your Web site around the first page. When you stop plus take a look back from where seo (SEO) started, really pretty incredible how far really come in the past several years — even the previous couple of months. On the various other hand, focusing on mobile SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is a must, whereas cellular friendliness and user experience are usually considered as a major positioning factor in SEO Trends within 2018. I must declare your talk about techniques and research based factors are really helping to improved SEO back linking. Although We asked about online marketing techniques, nearly every marketing practitioner I actually reached out to mentioned SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION being crucial aspect of expanding either their businesses or their particular clients. 5. Implementing SEO methods enables you to gain useful knowledge of keywords used simply by your potential clients to discover the services or products a person offer. As a marketing strategy regarding increasing a site's relevance, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION considers how search algorithms function and what people search with regard to. If you've study from the beginning, you realize that links are a important SEO ranking factor. I believe that will these types of trends may gradually force us to utilize the broad view in online marketing and advertising, instead of merely look at, with regard to instance, SEO. Plus that is local SEO which usually has different ranking factors (Google My Business, citations, reviews). SEO is about the consumer experience and creating great web sites for your users. This particular really is more tedious plus tasking than inorganic SEO mainly because this is where all associated with the keywords get a complete blast of attention. In the article, we will consider ten important SEO trends, which are worth watching within the coming year 2018. Users' happiness is furthermore an excellent factor, that's the reason why one of the best methods for SEO is to reduce down on as much articles as possible and only compose necessary information with necessary phrases to make the website super-fast for users. 5. SEO or search motor optimization helps you in obtaining good Google page rankings. Links and technical SEO are usually the largest pieces of the particular pie, but multimedia efforts like video, photos, and podcasts might be the game changer plus differentiator in several competitive markets. In case we're looking with regard to a bigger trend it's that will SEO and what we contact real marketing” will continue in order to blur the lines between all of them as the job of a good SEO becomes that of the conventional marketer - having in order to understand the user, the rivals, the marketplace and also the particular implementation side. The traditional strategy to SEO has been focused on creating excellent content that will is easily searchable via web search engine bots. To understand SEO, you'll also need to know how Google search works. Primarily, technical SEO is concerned along with how a website works, plus how search engines are capable to crawl and index the pages. Some self-created link building strategies tend toward black hat SEO and are usually frowned upon by search motors, so tread lightly here. In the estimation, Google's actions around showcased snippets, knowledge panels, and much better instant answers in the Search engines overall, coupled with more intense ads and slowing search development (at least within the Usa States), will lead to presently there being slightly less SEO possibility in 2018 than what we all had in 2017. These will not only generate a lot of visitors your own website but help in enhancing your rank as per SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. Off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION isn't only about building hyperlinks. Voice lookup is taking SEO to brand-new and exciting levels. After all of the particular above pointers, SEO is nevertheless all about your content plus links. Many small company owners (and marketing consultants) carry on to be using outdated SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION tactics. Off-page SEO very efficiently within promoting your company where cultural media, bookmarking sites, forums, blog site directory, Q&A, articles, videos, picture and infographic sharing, and record sharing play well. However, SEO - and search within general - is typically soloed into focusing on The Google” and not really considered with regard to other tactics. 5. If the answer in order to item 4. is the truth that Google does penalise the particular site's rankings for repeating SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION heading mark-ups on the exact same page, then just one associated with two things can be the particular outcome - SEO heading mark-ups become almost redundant on long-scrolling pages OR Google changes the method of the repetition associated with the same mark-ups on these types of long-scrolling pages and treats areas as separate pages. Plus spending all your time (or paying some SEO firm) in order to sit there and build inbound links to suit your needs laced with keywords… this is a waste of your own time and money. With a very aggressive technique, proper keyword research, great SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION content, on-page and off web page SEO, you could begin in order to see the rewards of search positions within a few months. Nicely, Hyperlocal SEO should be out there right at the end associated with 2017, many experts believe this and so do I. Nevertheless, it may come anytime plus it's time to focus upon local search as your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION opportunities in 2018. SEO is getting more important year after yr and people who spend time upon increasing the standard and experience associated with their sites will benefit significantly. In today's quickly shifting world, SEO techniques may change on a dime—and the particular worst part is that a person may not even know this. Hacks that could have earned you a front-page result simply because recently as 2016 are not really only obsolete now, but they will may even hurt your cyberspace rankings.