Looking for a little cheat sheet for my upcoming superflex draft.
Also, who should I take at 1.03? I’m assuming Mahomes and Allen go 1/2.

Sometimes I wonder if it's just me. I listen to songs over and over, play along to them, but when I'm at the audition, I can't remember all the little nuances, where the breaks are, how the song starts, where it ends, cymbal bell or hi hat? I can play just about anything out there reasonably well, but man it's tough remembering all the innards. I tried creating a cheat sheet, but you can only write so much down. Starting to think I need to play along to sheet music until I get it all down? Anyone have tips or tricks for quickly learning new songs?

Okay take a deep breath and clean ur glasses/lick your eyeballs cause this one is HEFTY.
All the Strangers is a campaign playable skirmish game based on Best Case Scenario + Luke Gearing's Violence + Laws of the Land Indoor Terrain Expansion + FIST + X-Com-Type Downtime.
The post contains everything needed to run the campaign, including 2 complete scenarios, character, map, and enemy generation, and supplemental aids like a downtime cheat sheet / combat tracker.
The Strangers are here.
People Upstairs don’t want anyone knowing about them.
Especially not us, the Pawns they send to kill and capture them.
Despite that, we know four things:

1. Each is entirely unique
2. Their biology is semi-human (no matter what they say, there's no hiding that from us)
3. We fascinate them. Our children, our praying.
4. Unless things change, we will not survive them

This is the second idea I'm presenting here. If you want to check my other idea, click here
Expansion Idea: Journey to the Center of Azeroth (Jules Verne inspired set) : hearthstone (reddit.com)
(Imitating Jaster Gallywix)
Intro: Welcome! Are you'se a bored hero with a ton of free time and lots o' cash? Then come down to my Pleasure Palace! Jaster Gallywix here, reknown cartel leader, big military boss, and all around lovable billionaire! And my Pleasure Palace is the ultimate in luxury and all around good time!
Come to our tables and take part in exciting high stakes games, which fortune can be won with a single roll of a dice or flip of a card! Or perhaps youse are more into something more engaging and unpredictable? We've got races featuring the best ridahs all over Azeroth for betting and winning loads of cashola!
When yer done with our fine gambling activities, we got loads more to entertain ya! Watch our exciting magic shows and our live trick animal acts! Come to our luxury spa, run by the lovely Madam Izu-Mi and her husband, Zieg. Feel like cutting loose? Our night club hosts an assortment of great talent, such as our resident singah, Sarah Screachsong! And feel free to take part in our nightly dance competition against our resident champion, Aviss Speedstep!
Feelin' hungry? We've got da best restaurants on Azeroth too! First, we've got the Felgirl Grill, run by our 7-star chef, Greeta Felgrill, who uses actual fel fire for dat extra smokey taste! Want something a little more fancy? We also have Chez Frostoven, run by our other 7--star chef, Tilly Frostoven! She serves da finest and fanciest dishes, the coldest desserts, and the best aged wine and cheeses all around!
And don't worry about your safety; I've hired da best security in all of Azeroth, so no would-be thieves are gonna break into my super secure vault!
Come to Gallywix's Pleasure Palace! We've got it all! (...Except refunds)
Explanation: This idea is based on Gallywix's actual existing Pleasure Palace, and doing the Hearthstone twist of altering it for the game. Here, Gallywix has turned his base of operations into a luxury casino resort for the wealthy. The cards will be themed around different parts and characters of the resort, as well of the idea of "gambling".
The Classes: Each class will be based on a specific character for that part of the casino. To give some variety, especially since these characters have potential to be hero portaits, I picked new race/class combos not in the game yet to stand out.
Death Knight: Chef Tilly Frostoven. Gnome. Supposely she is claimed to be the personal chef of the Lich King in her previous job. She is a fancy and quite haughty chef, whose specialties are the bloodiest meats (blood), coldest desserts (frost), and most aged cheeses and wines (Unholy). Has a heated rivalry with Geeta Felgrill, whose restaurant is right across from hers. Gambling angle is preparing food without ruining it.
Demon Hunter: Aviss Felstep. Blood Elf. The current champion of the resort's dancing contest. With his incredible footwork and aerial manueveribility, he is a tough contender for anyone seeking the trophy. Gambling angle is not missing a step and scoring in the contest.
Druid: Sieg Moontea. Worgen. The husband of Madam Izu-Mi, he helps his beloved wife run the spa, using animal and plant-based therapies for weary and stressed customers.
Gambling angle is making guests happy.
Hunter: Ra'gor. Troll. Is the head of the animal-based acts. His menagerie of well-trained and beloved pets entertain all with their beauty and intelligence. Gambling angle is entertaining the crowd with the proper tricks.
Mage: Fenn. Night Elf. Aided by his silent vulpera partner, Jeller, the two put on a magnificent magic show. Gambling here is about entertaining the folks without them figuring out their tricks.
Paladin: Kacie Metalflash. Dark Iron Dwarf. The champion of the races. She and her personal ram, Dark Comet, have won more races than any other rider. Gambling here is keeping their place in the race without tiring.
Priest: Sarah Screachsong. Undead. The lead singer of the night club. Despite being dead, her voice still attracts all who hear her sing...even if she also have a deadly wail that can shatter glass and ear drums when she's angry. Gambling is moving the crowd.
Rogue: Flynn Fairewind. Kul Tiran/Human. (The only character here who actually exists in WOW). While coming as a guest, this sneaky rogue has come to loot both the tables and the secrets in Gallywix's vault. The gambling here is outwitting the dealers and navigating the security.
Shaman: Izu-Mi. Pandaren. The head of the Gallywix's Spa, she prides herself on her elementals making the most comfortable conditions for her customers, such as steam for steamrooms, fire for saunas, and water elementals for soaking. She also makes a delicious tea, helped brewed by her beloved husband, Zieg.
Warlock: Greeta Felgrill. Goblin. The head cook of Felgirl Grill. It is said she made certain deals with demons to cook the best food that would bring tons of cash into her wallet. Her more flashy and commerical cooking puts her at ends with rival chef, Frostoven. Gambling is cooking her food without burning it.
Warrior: Kalandu Staffsword. Nightborne. The head of Gallywix's security, he heads all of the muscle to boot out any troublemakers and would-be thieves to his boss's casino. He has combined his people's anti-arcane technology with Gallywix's (bargain bin) goblin tech to keep even mages out. Though that may not be such a reliable idea...
The story here is Flynn Fairewind is on a heist of Gallywix's casino. The other characters will be his partners in the heist, secret security, and/or rivaling treasure hunters.
The term here is "Gamble"; the game does have some random chance in it, but mostly its not really penalizing beyond not getting the cards you want on time. Here, whether you choose to gamble can be a game-changer for you or your opponent.
Gamble is basically a term for an effect (such as battlecry, deathrattle, attack, etc) that has an additional effect if you decide to take the risk. Basically, it will be a coin flip, and you're betting one additional mana and possibility a backlash effect if you fail. This is always optional, but the idea is to add a risk and rewards twist to the game.
Example:
High-roller Pit Boss. Warrior. 5-mana. 5/5. Any excess damage done between this and another monster is directed to the owner of the losing monster. Gamble: When this monster attacked or is attacked, flip a coin. Heads: Double this monster's attack. Tails: Double opposing monster's attack. (Basically, you can choose to make this monster stronger for a chance to cause more damage and possibly destroy a powerful monster, as well as cause excess damage to your opponent. But you also run the risk of making your enemy's monster stronger instead and doing excess damage to you instead)
Boxes of Vanishing: Mage. 3-mana spell. Arcane. Target one of your minions and one of your oponent's minions. Remove both from the game. Gamble. Win: Only your opponent's minion is removed. (Artwork is Fenn and Jeller standing in front of two boxes covered with sheets)
So some gambles will be more powerful and will carry an extra risk beyond spending one more additional mana to use. Also, gambles can never cost 0, so you always put in one (so they can't be cheated somehow)
Not all cards will be gambles though, obviously. Here's one non-gamble I thought of:
Kitten Treatment: Druid. 3-cost spell. Nature. Give all your minions this deathrattle: Summon a level 1 1/1 Kitten. Its keeps all enchantments from this monster except for deathrattles (so basically, you give your minions a deathrattle where they summon kittens that keep all the special buffs and effects you gave the original monsters, such as increased health and attack. Other deathrattles don't count to prevent abuse, such as doing two Kitten Treatments and getting an endless barrage of kittens) (Artwork is a night elf man, pandaren woman, and orc woman in spa robes with multiple cats all around them. The night elf man has two in his arms and smiling, the pandaren woman is petting the one on her lap, and the orc woman is blushing as she struggles to try and pet a sleeping one by her)
Gallywix himself will be a neutral legendary with a powerful effect for gamblers, but also worked so he will not become another Dentharius or Renethal. (In fact, he'll fit the theme while being opposite)
Gallywix, Casino Boss. Neutral. 7-star. 6/8. If this card is in your deck, you can only have 20 cards. As long as this minion is on your field, all gambles will be successful (so basically you have to cut your deck shorter as another gamble, and he only works as long as he's on the field. He gets removed, your gambles go back to normal). (Artwork is Jaster in a blinged out mech suit, wearing sunglasses and furs)
Feel free to comment and add your own ideas!

So my friends started playing DnD very recently, by that I mean yesterday we had our second one-shot, and I am already having problems with dealing with this friend of mine about her in game behaviors. We are always quite the big party ( 7 this time) making hard to give everyone their time in the campaign, but she still wants to shine...
She is a problem in every part of the DnD game. She wasn't invited for this session since new people wanted to try DnD, we didn't want a super big party and she claimed to be busy 'til the end of the month while we talked casually. She eventually got to know about the event and made herself a guest.
​
Since she has indeed busy, she did again the same mistake of the first time she played: she proceeded to have an idea for a super cool character, not do her own sheet, asking her boyfriend and his friend to do it, and read it all in the last 2 days, so basically being completely unprepared for it . What eventually lead to this was a fight where every time it was her turn she would stop the game for about 5 minute to think what to do, cast spells wrong, being confused with actions and bonus actions, and eventually being mad for the game rules not bending her will (She wanted to do multiple attack with a vial of acid while flying and I told her she was not allowed to do that, but any advice of how I could work that in the game, I am all ears). She had 7 players and 14 wolfs to think about her actions, and tbh, non of the new players where having problems of this kind, specially after we run the basic rules with a first small encounter. That aside, because she can't really give time to playing, she still doesn't know basic rules, and she even got mad when 2 players got 20 initiative on the big fight (she had 19), telling them to lie to me when I came back from the bathroom so she could do what she wanted first. (This was told by my Bf, since I only heard that she saying that she had a cool idea but it was whatever).
And then the worst part, the roleplaying. Cuz worst than a player that is continually trying to do a bonus attack when she doesn't really have a one atm, is a player that takes all and every conversation. She as a person has somewhat a very political discourse while talking more seriously, and she REALLY took it to the game. She takes 5 minutes to pass a 1 minute idea and she's always the first one taking every npc conversation. Her PC had like 8 charisma and that really fucked up some of the teams checks. She would basically talk, do a persuasion check, fail, and then she would let our Halfling with persuasion proficiency talk (since the party was big, I was only allowing 2 checks for the team) I eventually had to cut her off with the NPC, just to not tell her to shut up and let others play. I have to admit I was getting so done with it.
But, in the end, she is a nice person and no one wanted to cause drama. She even apologized for getting mad at the fights, but I think she is being completely ignorant about everything else. In the first time she played we told her that she was talking to much with the NPCs making the game boring for everyone else, but I guess she didn't got it. I can't say its the only time I have seen her like this, she is also like this in team works, what annoys me a bit, but since we get the work done at the end it's whatever. I always gave it to her having a bit of main character personality, but damn, it is showing to much in DnD and I really don't know how to make her understand and actively correct her behavior.
​
Well, any advice is welcome, I bet a lot of people had this friend eventually :) and after this we just gotta deal with the guy that cheats the dice rolls T_T

First/Previous
Okay everyone. Chiyo began, as all members of the household settled down and sat cross legged in a circle in the living room. We're going to try out a guided meditation. It should help with stress and anxiety, and it's really relaxing! Start by gently breathing deeply through your nose, and then keep repeating this until the guide tells you what to do next…
It was getting late in the evening, and Jack had only returned about an hour ago, having very much lost track of time before he finally made his way back. He had a little trouble finding a path back through the districts despite being able to use a marker on his commlink to pinpoint the location of home. The hot tub, which was slightly larger than Jack had expected, had been mostly finished by the time he arrived. However, due to several employee absences the team leader apologised and promised to finish the last of the plumbing the following afternoon after the group got back from school, which Alora quickly planned out with them. Sephy had swept the area for any possible bugs or electronic tags an undercover enemy could plant, but had fortunately found nothing.
A few of them looked sceptical as Chiyo put on a guided meditation program with some relaxing music in the background, which to Jack sounded like the most bizarre series of timbres and pitches unlike anything he had heard. It had the peaceful, slow quality of meditative music from earth, but it still jarred him somewhat due to its unnatural nature.
Still, he tried to follow Chiyo’s instructions as the Ilithii floated back to the circle to sit next to Sephy, who already looked like she was having trouble concentrating, though she made the effort for Chiyo’s sake. Next to him, Nika was already controlling and slowing down her breathing along with him, both of them semi-used to the concept of meditation already, and it looked like Alora was doing something more akin to prayer. The twins and Vanya seemed to be able to cope enough as well, all having some kind of magical ability that required some basic kind of mental concentration.
“Now, bring your attention to your physical form…” The soothing voice of the instructor gently called out over the background music. “Feel your body pressing into the surface beneath you, and take note of any areas of tension or discomfort…”
“I’m well aware of my injuries you dumb bit-” Nika grumbled before Chiyo psychically reminded her to be quiet during the meditation.
“Do not try to change anything with these sensations, merely observe them…”
Relax Sephy… Chiyo quietly told the Skritta, who was slightly fidgeting. Try not to overthink it!
“Now return your attention to your breathing, noticing all the sensations as you inhale, then gently exhale…” The voice continued. They did so, though by the sounds some of them were making they were overdoing it.
“As you continue to breath, bring yourself mentally to your peaceful place. This could be any location that brings you a sense of tranquillity and relaxation. Now imagine yourself in this place, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells that make it special to you…”
Jack’s mind brought forth an image of home. His mother, his father, his brothers, his sister, his grandparents all surrounding him. He was safe, he was with his family. He had his whole life ahead of him…
And it had all been taken away from him.
Jack squirmed involuntarily as his mind was dragged back to a dark place, his grief threatening to overwhelm him again…
“As you bask in this tranquil scene, allow yourself to let go of your worries and concerns that may be weighing on your mind. Imagine them fading away, leaving you at ease…”
All the faces of the people he would never see again stared at him coldly, judgingly. He had committed acts of horror he never thought he would ever have to commit. Even if there was a chance he could return to Earth, could his family even recognise the shell of a person he had become? What would they say?
“When you are ready, take a deep breath, and as you exhale, slowly open your eyes, and reorient yourself with your surroundings. Carry this sense of calm and relaxation with you into the rest of your day…”
As the guided meditation came to an end Jack quickly got to his feet to get a drink.
“Jack, is everything alright?” Alora asked him in alarm.
“All good.” He lied. “My legs are just a bit stiff, and the meditation was a bit hard.”
“Yeah I get what you mean.” Sephy used her wings to help her kick up. “I don’t really understand the whole ‘sit-and-do-nothing’ thing to be honest, it’s like I need to be actually doing something. But hell, I still gave it a go…”
Thanks for trying it anyway Sephy! Chiyo smiled.
“So what do we do now?” Nika asked everyone, as Jack returned with some canned drinks for all of them. “Still got a few hours before we probably need to go to bed."
“Nothing exhausting, please. Let’s just watch a movie?” Alora suggested after a few seconds of nobody contributing anything.
Perhaps some of our new housemates have a suggestion? Chiyo asked, looking to Vanya and the two Squa’Kaar, who hadn’t been confident enough to suggest anything as the newest additions to the household.
“I’m only a temporary housemate, I still have my own place.” Vanya smiled softly. But maybe WageMage?”
“That’s a good classic to start with!” Sephy grinned. “Have you seen it before Jack?”
“Can’t say I have, the Temple of Hope didn’t really have movie nights.” Jack reminded her with a smile. “What’s it about?”
“It’s basically a comedy film about an office worker that uses magic to get ahead and prank her bosses!” Vanya told him. “But you really need to watch it!”
“I’ll get some snacks.” Alora called, quickly grabbing a few bags of sweets out of one of the cupboards while the others tried to get comfortable on the sofa. It was large enough for all of them…just about.
“We should probably go furniture shopping at some point.” Sephy pointed out the obvious problem. “Especially if you’re gonna offer refuge for those that need it, Alora.”
“Damn, well, we are gonna hit a few of the rubbish heaps and scrapyards for materials we can use to fix up the shuttle, and anything else that we could use for home improvements.” Nika reasoned. “We even got this sofa from one of them though it was a bitch to drag all the way back here!”
At least we have more people that could help now. Maybe even more depending on who joins us. Chiyo added. Because I remember helping you spend half the day dragging that here, and I swore never to do manual labour ever again!
“Well, perhaps we can find a better way this time.” Alora concluded as she came back with the sweets while everyone sat down, and took a few blankets to warm themselves up with. Jack took one of the ends of the sofa so he wouldn’t be squished between two people this time, and Vanya was quick to sit next to him, even putting an arm around him, which he wasn’t opposed to. The thick, warm brown fur of the Chuna made him feel comfortable, and he subconsciously leaned in and relaxed.
“Ooof!” He grunted, as Sephy sat on his lap, pulling the blanket over them and cuddling up to him. Jack reflexively put his other arm around her to keep her in place, lamenting that he could no longer reach for the bag of sweets until Chiyo telepathically sent one his way.
“Hey Chiyo, could I have one as well?” Sephy cheekily asked the Ilithii.
Sure! Chiyo agreed, sending another sweet floating towards Sephy, before pinging it off her forehead,
“Ow!” Sephy grunted as they started the movie.
Jack appreciated the humour and plot of the movie, with the hapless office worker using magic to explode her boss’s tea, and accidently making her manager believe his wife was cheating on him, only to later discover that she actually was. He could see why this movie was a favourite with the girls, though he didn’t know if it would be well received on earth. Though this film was well written and amusing (despite him not understanding much of the humour), he could imagine it being received as too woke back on Earth. When the plot eventually evolved into the protagonist trying desperately to avoid the investigations of the alien equivalent of ‘HR’, it really ramped up the humour, which had even him chuckling on occasion.
However he was more subdued as the others laughed freely at the shenanigans, his mind going back to the horrible experiences he'd had, and his grief from being separated from his family. Yet all around him, like a beacon of hope was a home full of friends having a good time with him.
Could he get used to this?
Yeah. He thought he could.
*****
Svaartal snarled as his arms ever so slowly pushed the weighted bar up, feeling the burn in his chest and arms as he repeated the motion, over and over, his heart pounding as he pushed himself to lift more weight than he had ever lifted before with his natural strength. Forcing himself beyond his limits, he felt his muscles straining as his breaths became more and more laboured. He knew he was overdoing it, but he didn’t care. He was determined to become stronger, more focused, more powerful. He had Carrow watching over Svaarti, so this gave him the opportunity to really cut loose.
Devil’s Daughter would come for him and Svaarti again. He barely won their previous encounter and it took all he had to stand a chance against the raw power of her spells. Next time he would be better. He had heard the words she spoke to his sister, calling Svaarti a thief, though as far as he was concerned, if his mother looted the Golden Staff during the Demonfire War from the Stygians, it was hers by right of conquest. Not that the Devilspawn would care. If Devil’s Daughter was going to target him, Svaartal had no doubt she would attempt to do so through his sister, so he needed to be ready.
He had been pushing himself harder and harder ever since he first faced Frost to a standstill in that ambush, fully expecting to face him again soon, especially after the Drow of House Mal’Kar recruited him. He had been thoroughly changed by that experience, and he suspected the Outsider was changed by it too. From open hostility towards one another in their first week to caution in the next, it was a strange dance the two of them did.
But now?
Something about the Klown attack had changed him even more. For just a moment the two of them had fought side by side for a common cause, and though he did strongly consider it, he didn’t stick with the human. Despite that however, the words Frost told him certainly stuck with him.
Help me stop them.
And he did, didn’t he? He stopped to rescue several of the trapped partygoers and had cut them a path to safety, only to then decimate the Klown numbers with his most powerful spells. He had been considered a hero of the battle, alongside Frost himself and the dragon-bitch that officially kicked him out of the Red Legion. In a strange way, it felt…gratifying?
‘Though the greatest hero that night may not recover from her sacrifice…’ Svaartal thought to himself sadly. Why, Svaarti?’
He got up from the bench and slowly slunk over to the tension cable, cranking up the weight as high as he dared. Taking a deep breath he grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled, yanking the cable over his shoulder before releasing, then doing the same exercise over his other shoulder.
His memories of his fight with Devil’s Daughter came back to him, though he cursed not having a recording so he could better recall. Many of his actions had been instinctual, so much so that he could barely remember what he even did in several instants. He was fortunate that he kept a versatile array of spells prepared and ready for use in any situation, though it was his blade and quick thinking with his illusion and spacial magic that allowed him to slip through the Stygian’s defences.
But though he focused on the fight, her words still rang out in his mind.
‘Why the hell do you hate my people so much?!’
Dumb question. The Devilspawn killed his mother, and even after the Demonfire War many of their kind went rabid, committing horrific acts on innocent people, just the same as they did when Azazel, Lord of Torment was still alive.
But something about the sheer hurt in Devil’s Daughter’s expression tugged away at the back of his mind, like an itch that wouldn’t go away. Perhaps it was…
He was interrupted by the noise of someone approaching. Letting go of the handle, the cable he was pulling quickly snapped back to ping against the weights as he collapsed to the floor, his body dangerously overheated and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He quickly activated the enchantment of his Riverspray Ring, sending out a cloud of cooling mist that instantly made him feel slightly better.
“Good evening, Dextra.” Svaartal greeted the drow politely as he slinked over to where he had left a towel.
“Hey.” She replied, before something caught her eye and she pointed to his bare back. “What happened there?”
“What do you mean?” Svaartal stiffened at the sensitive question, having an idea what Dextra was referring to.
“By the gods…” She muttered. “Your scales are cracked and fucked up, and you’ve got a lot of scars, how?”
“I am aware that my scales need grooming.” Svaartal replied tersely, trying to be patient with the inquisitive drow despite the sensitive subject. “However I did not have anyone to teach me how to do it growing up. If it displeases you I will attempt to rectify the issue…”
“I’m not my sister, so you can shut up.” Dextra snorted. “You’ve got a fuckton of scars too, that can’t be good for you…”
“It is not.” Svaartal growled in anger before he quickly steadied himself, realising he was talking to a Drow Noble. “My apologies Lady Mal’Kar, what did you wish from me?”
Dextra snorted at the sudden formality, but she paid it no mind as she showed him her commlink. Displayed was a NetTube video from a channel by the name of ‘DevilLover69’.
“What is this?” Svaartal asked, confused.
“You might find this kinda funny!” She grinned, and played the video, the thumbnail of which displayed a medium sized, overweight looking being with pinkish-brown fur, a long cone-like trunk, huge grey bulbous eyes and thin, spindly arms.
“Ahem, attention everyone! Listen up, for I have a message for all of you! Recently, I have heard rumours that somebody out there has apparently defeated my beloved waifu, Devil’s Daughter, in combat! Let me tell you, that is something that will not go unpunished! I have spent countless hours defending her honour online, but now I have heard the call, and The Supreme Gentleman will step up and avenge her!”
“I’ve been training hard all this time, inspired by the queen herself! I’ve watched all of her fights, and I’ve practised martial arts on my Devil’s Daughter body pillow! So I hope the killer is watching, because I’m ready, and I’m coming for you! And I promise you, when I defeat you, you will wish you had never been born! I’ll see you on the streets, punk!”
“Pretty funny right?” Dextra asked, as Svaartal gave a slight grin.
“I really hope that’s not a troll!” he chuckled.
“Well if The Supreme Gentleman is legit and if he comes for you, it’ll give the others a good laugh.” Dextra giggled. “And…um…I could try and help you with the scales if you want? The datanet should have some videos and I could do your back if you want?”
Svaartal considered it for a moment, knowing where this would likely end up. He had not been requested by Izadora tonight, who seemed to be particularly busy with House Mal’Kar business, and they had never been anything more than casual so he had the freedom to do as he wished.
“I don’t see why not.” The Nirah shrugged, as he followed the bubbly drow to her chambers.
*****
“He’s her son.” Grandmaster Ilvella told her with a sad look on closing the door to his quarters. “I knew it the moment I saw him, though I couldn’t believe it.”
“What?” Nya exclaimed, having broken protocol and immediately followed her master to talk, with Rena trying to stop her. “Not a chance! There’s no way! They’re nothing alike! He’s evil, he can’t be!”
“I knew Svaarvali for a long time.” the Grandmaster sighed, drained from sharing his painful memory. “Even if he didn’t resemble her physically, there were subtle things I saw in just those few moments meeting him that could only have been from one of her line.”
“Are you certain he is not a different relation to the Saviour, Master?” Rena asked stoically.
“I am certain.” The Grandmaster nodded, closing his eyes. “But irrespective of how I may feel on the matter I will not sacrifice everything we have built for sentiment. Our plans do not change.”
“What are your orders, Master?” Nya tentatively asked.
“Do not engage this…Svaartal under any circumstances, unless in self-defence, and maintain your civilian cover.” He strictly told them both. “He will no doubt expect Devil’s Daughter to retaliate soon if she is able, so we will be patient and wait. I have not seen this Svaarti you are familiar with, but it seems like she may be more receptive than her brother if she is able to recover. If she does, continue to be her friend and get closer to her.”
His gaze then returned to the steely look Nya was used to from her master.
“However, Devil’s Daughter must be sighted soon, unharmed and doing something good to restore the people’s faith. A few days of inactivity will be expected before you must return, and with luck we can completely obscure the truth of your defeat as mere rumours.”
“I don’t think Head Whisperer Ratai has anything recent, save for the possible signs of the latest Killer Klown attack.” Nya reasoned. “And Scholar Volus is still deciphering what was discovered at the Pallid Pit, though Jack and his group have not relinquished the Gloom Cauldron they discovered as far as I am aware, which had ties to the ritual room, and which they’re theorising might have worked as some kind of beacon, though for what I have no idea.”
“I am sure we will find something.” Ilvella concluded. “Perhaps you and Rena can discover something in your civilian lives? The Outsider for one certainly seems to be a good source of trouble. Regardless, you two are dismissed. Heal up and rest early. You have school tomorrow.”
With that, Nya and Rena took their leave.
“This is…” Rena began.
“Impossible.” Nya snapped. “I refuse to believe it.”
“Nya…” Rena gently called to her, understanding the Stygian’s pain.
No, Rena.” Nya snarled, causing the usually stoic Vulsta to take a step back in shock. This wasn’t like her friend at all. “I should have killed him when I had the chance during our fight, and now I learn he’s related to the Saviour? Her son?!”
“You have another chance in the future.” Rena pointed out. “And you can lay the groundwork for that by preparing and training. Taking a loss like that is difficult, but it can be a blessing if you learn from it.”
Nya looked at her friend conflicted, and Rena was glad that the stone corridor of the monastery was deserted.
“Yes.” Nya sighed as she let go of her anger and returned to her normal self. “You’re right. I’ve taken losses before and I’ve come out stronger. I even faced the Killer Klown himself and sent him fleeing, so the problem isn’t necessarily my abilities, but my mind.”
Rena nodded calmly, seeing that Nya was pulling herself up. “And what is your next move?”
“The Grandmaster is right that I need to make a quick reappearance as Devil’s Daughter.” Nya began, sounding more like her usual self. “The Cult of the Destroyer would be an obvious target but the ones at the Pallid Pit were wiped out when my friends decided to go there for some reason, though at least we were able to kill the Stygian masquerading as me and tarnishing our people’s reputation."
“As a civilian I am already friends with Svaarti.” Nya then reasoned. “And unlike her brother, I can actually believe her being related to the Saviour. I can only hope that she wakes and recovers from her arcane backlash. I did talk to her in astral form, so I have faith.”
“So what will you do now?” Rena prompted. The coolly composed Vulsta still expected an answer to her previous question as Nya closed her eyes to think.
“The Whisperers might have something for me.” She decided. “Though there was clearly nothing worthy of Grandmaster Ilvella’s attention, maybe they have something smaller or less reliable I can use to at least been seen by the public.”
“That would be wise.” Rena agreed. “You still need to heal.”
The Chamber of Whispers was set on the ground floor of the monastery, hidden away and far from the entrance or anything else. Following the subtly different pattern of dim lights, the two quickly made their way to the hidden underground bunker that served as their resident spy headquarters.
“BWAH! I knew you’d be up and ready for more work in no time!” A jovial voice called out before they had a chance to knock on the doors. “Hello to you too, Rena!”
“My footsteps were silent…” Rena muttered as they entered the room.
Upon entering, the first thing that struck Nya’s attention was the sheer number of lights illuminating the chamber, bathing the entire room in powerful brightness, and allowing for no shadows to form in heavy contrast to the route they took to get here. Then she focused on the huge table in the middle, with a large map projection of Naganai City, complete with many extensive annotations on several notable districts, and with one of the Whisperers compiling a report on the Pallid Pit.
The walls of the room were lined with the blue glow of several monitors, either displaying popular all-day news outlets or with investigation boards on notable personages. In one of the side rooms Nya could see one of the monks at a console talking away on a headset, likely tapping into the community’s small network of contacts in the city from the safety of their remote system.
“Nya!” Head Whisperer Ratai grinned as the chubby Stygian waltzed over and gave her a gentle bear hug that still lifted her off her feet. “I’m glad you’re back! We’ve got news but it’s not urgent, so you should probably rest…”
Ratai gave her a knowing wink.
“What’s new Ratai?” Nya smiled, used to acting familiar around the man despite his high position.
“HAH!” The Stygian chuckled. “We mostly have reports of the post-klown cleanup, but a few players have already made their moves. Nothing too big but interestingly I’ve received a reliable rumour that our Outsider friend decided that massacring the klowns wasn’t enough for him and was involved in liberating a thinly populated swamp district."
“He’s claiming it as territory?” Rena asked, suddenly alert. “He may be more of a threat than I had initially warned…”
“No, no.” Ratai’s grin got wider. “Nobody seems to have claimed the land, but interestingly enough Clan Ashtail seems to have rehomed the vast majority of the population, and they seem to be sincere in allowing them to rebuild and recover in their newly annexed territory.”
“Do you consider Clan Ashtail a threat?” Nya asked.
“Of course!” Ratai snorted in amusement. “Vetch Ashtail was the one who all but hinted at the damnable rumour in his last correspondence to me, the smug bastard! His clan plays the game well, but there are many other more nefarious groups that will attempt to take advantage of the chaos. I'm particularly concerned about what Corvin Enterprises will try to do, but if they are planning on making a play, which I am almost positive that they are, then they are being very subtle about it.”
“Anything immediate?” Nya asked.
“That admirer of yours was quick to post a new video!” Ratai teased, causing Nya to bury her face in her hands in embarrassment.
“Don’t remind me.” She groaned. “That guy is pure cringe and you need to stop mentioning him to me!”
“Hah! Well I haven’t gotten much within the city itself, but we’ve found a series of accounts online about gangs trying to run protection rackets and establish themselves as local powers. Maybe you can crush a few of the weaker ones to make an appearance as you recover to full strength?”
“Nya will still need some time to recover.” Rena cautioned. “But if we approach this like any other mission and I act from the shadows, it will be fine.”
“Excellent, I shall begin my delving and let you know.” Ratai smiled. “In the meantime, you kids should go to bed!”
“I wish I didn’t have to.” Nya sighed.
“I didn’t exactly have much of a weekend.”
*****
First/Previous
And with that, the weekend is over for our....heroes?
If you're impatient for the next chapter, why not check out my previous series?
Some pictures have been added to The Galactic High Info Sheet! If you have any fanart or any pictures you think might fit one of the entries, please let us know on the discord!
Don't forget! You all have the ability to leave comments and notes to the entries, which I encourage you to do!
As always I love to see the comments on what you guys think!
Don't forget to join the discussion with us on Discord, and consider checking me out on Youtube if you haven't already! Until next week, it's goodbye for now!

My previous romance is still in the trenches, but I wrote the wait and finished another book! I posted this query months ago on a "Where Would You Stop Reading" thread, and the feedback I got there said that it felt a little long or wordy, but nothing stuck out as specifically cut-able.
Comp-wise, I would appreciate suggestions, even TV/Movies. I scour the sapphic contemp romance market all the time and unfortunately, it is not the most adventurous subgenre in trad at the moment. The one comp I have is the only thing that jumps out at me. It sold really well, so that's something.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to crit/comment!
--
POLY ANNA is a subversive queer romcom, a 76,000-word sex farce romp with a sapphic best friends-idiots-to-lovers as its gooey center. It will appeal to fans of Meryl Wilsner’s Mistakes Were Made.
Marlena has abandoned her dream of marrying rich—at 29 with zero job history, her last hope is marrying sorta-well-off. Her best friend and roommate Britt is bound to tire of paying all their bills in exchange for Marlena’s impeccable domestic talents. Marlena’s had a confusing thing for Britt since high school, but Britt’s type is models and moguls, not a glorified live-in maid unsure of her own sexuality. Marlena rejoices after five perfect dates with a lawyer… until she discovers he’s already married.
Britt wishes her best friend would stop dating like she’s a penniless society woman circa 1892. Britt has almost confessed her love for Marlena a million times, but Marlena’s chasing a straight happily ever after, and Britt’s an emotionally stunted lesbian whose favorite hobby is racking up bedpost notches. Britt offers to spare Marlena the task of telling that lawyer douche’s wife he’s cheating, only, his wife is a smoking hot bi fitness celebrity, so Britt sleeps with her instead. Honest mistake.
Realizing they’re dating two halves of the same failing marriage, Britt and Marlena see only one way to restore their romantic karma and become good people again: Reunite the couple through the power of polyamory. That’s not how polyamory works, but “facts” and “logic” won’t get in the way of their epic redemption arc. Nothing will. Definitely not the secret attraction between them that this whole twisted plan drags into the light.
They’re best friends trying to save a marriage with elaborately staged orgies. The last thing they need is to make things weird.
[Bio + Thank you for your time and consideration + Content warnings]
---
First 300:
​

Marlena’s bed smelled like sex for the first time in months. Fantastic sex, so good she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to change the sheets right away. She debated it as Lucas stirred.
“That was…” he whispered. “You were…”
She couldn’t see him through the glaring sun, but her memory filled in the blanks. The way his roundish face had transformed as he’d watched her come on his tongue, his hands, his—
“Marlena,” he said gently. “Are you asleep?”
She propped herself up. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re a sex god?”
“What didn’t I tell you?”
“That you’re a Sex. God.”
“Oh, that.” He rolled out of bed, blushing, jaw tense. “ You wouldn’t have believed me.”
Fair. She had trouble believing it now, watching him mutter drat and fumble with his belt. How had this man made her body sing like a Stradivarius last night?
That was such a cliché, woman-as-musical-instrument, but when everything came together, clichés became real and true and the only words big enough for the moment. A perfect summer day, and suddenly ‘life goes by so fast.’ A shy, sweater-wearing traffic attorney made a symphony spring from her clit—the same clit that hadn’t come without mechanical aid in three calendar years—and yeah. He played her pussy like Mozart.
Marlena sighed.
Lucas wasn’t the typical male that populated the reality dating shows Marlena watched with religious fervor. Mostly because he was fifty years old (making him more than 20 years Marlena’s senior, which she knew Britt was about to give her so much shit about, but, whatever). Lucas was in good shape, but he wasn’t blessed with the strongest of jaws or a full head of hair. But when he smiled at her like that? A sheen in his eyes from a job well done?
Below the flutter of her heartbeat, her lizard-brain whispered This is it.

---
Thanks again!

Hello everyone, I have zero knowledge of Excel, but where I'm working I made these little cheat sheets out of a basic sheet on Excel, but I made the separate columns and the sections with different sized columns in pen. These get dirty and the paper gets frayed from erasing them every day, so I was wondering how I could separate the top andbottom sections in the actual program so I can print a new one when the paper gets too Worn.
I tried to post a picture, but picture posts are not allowed.
Any help is appreciated, and sorry in advance for being a complete dunce on the terminology.

Are you ready to grow? Are you ready to dig deep? Are you ready to release and repeat? Come join the journey and live a life by design. 80+ color pages in the workbook. PowerPoints, Assignments, Evaluations, excursions, and cheat sheets! All in the name of Making a better life!

Article Link w/ Screen Shots: https://www.cheatsheetpros.com/post/mlb-nba-prize-picks-props
MLB & NBA "Prize Picks" & Props for Thursday, June 1st, 2023!
QUICK NEWS & NOTES:
After the long weekend I wanted to get some plays out today for the NBA finals game #1 and show people what to look for on the NBA & MLB CheatSheets! I made several updates to the MLB which you can see below!
JUNE MLB CheatSheet Updates > https://youtu.be/hnQ30qa-R_Y
Free Facebook Group (Free Sheets on Thursdays!)
www.Facebook.com/groups/HazeSheets/
Get full access to our daily MLB, PGA & NBA CheatSheets for ONLY $15/month!
Sign up at CheatSheetPros.com & Join our Facebook chat group!
PRIZE PICKS FOR THURSDAY!
📷
Two plays jump out at me on the MLB Prize Picks tab and those are 1) Ryan McMahon over 7.5 Hitter Fantasy Score and 2) Hunter Greene over 6.0 Strikeouts. Now you need to understand what I'm looking for so you can find the other plays hidden in the cheatsheet. Ryan McMahon is averaging a whopping 19.2 fantasy score over the last 5 games and that is a different of 11.7 fantasy score points than his line so that should jump out at you. Second, he is facing Zach Davies who is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA so that should also slap you in the face and make you want to dig into him further. The next thing I would check is his BVP history and stats vs pitcher handedness. Hunter Green has a whopping 11, 10 and 8 strikeouts in the last 3 games and also has an average of 8.0 strikeouts per game over the last 5 games which is 2 strikeouts higher than his Prize Pick line of 6.0 meaning 5 and less gives you a loss so 6 is even a push so we like that. Now see the yellow arrow he is facing a team that has the 6th lowest K% so the matchup isn't great but that is built into the line at 6.0.
Kevin Gausman is one that I'm really considering in a same game parlay today but PrizePicks has a tight line. He has a great matchup facing a team with the 28th highest K% over the last two weeks and has been over his line of 7.5 in 3 of the last 4 games so don't mind it and the upside is there. If it was 7.0 I'd be all over it, but 7.5 is tight so I'll likely go to DK where I can get over 5.5 and over 6.5 and lay some juice.
Hunter Green Game Logs - Quick Tip!
📷
Make sure that when you find a player you want to use that you look at his last 7 game logs on the cheatsheet. Here you can usually find out if he has faced this team recently and how he did against that team. Looking at his strikeouts I'd give him a range of 7-10 as a range of possible outcomes and then look at the PrizePicks line. Here we see a line of 6.0 so I like taking the over as his range of outcomes is well over that number giving us a high possibility of going over.
📷
Let's dive over to NBA and Jamal Murray over 41.5 fantasy score is just glaring at me. Here you can see he has a 100% hit rate over the last 5 and 80% hit rate over the last 10 games. His last 5 average shows a fantasy score of 54.2 which is a whopping 12.7 points higher than his line. I like to find plays that have a high difference than the line so we have some cushion. Nikola Jokic is always a solid play but we can see he has a difference of only 3.5 and 8 on his props but Murray gives us a difference of 12.7 so I'd lean to Murray.
📷
Caleb Martin has been in every NBA playoff bet I have made, specifically his 2+ and 3+ 3PM shots made. I can get a good line on DK at 2+ to start off a same game parlay and we can see he has 4, 4, 2, 2, 4, 3 and 3 over his last 7 games. If you can get 3+ you are usually at plus money but haven't checked it today. I'm sure PrizePicks will have a 2.5 line on it and I'd lean to the over if you only have access to Prize Picks. Miami should be down and playing catch up which should lead to more Caleb Martin beyond the arc shots. I will have a same game parlay on TwitteFacebook today for the NBA games and I guarantee he will be in it. I'm also impressed with his 10 and 15 rebounds the last 2 games giving us a look at his Points + Rebounds + Assists prop line at 24.5 but the 5, 4, 3, 4 and 4 score me a little in the prior games.
📷
I would look at something like this and gobble up that free square on Jokic!
BONUS SCREEN SHOTS FROM THE NBA AND MLB CHEATSHEET:
Hopefully you can blow these up and look at them and find some plays!
📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷 📷
SAME GAME PARLAY - FOR MY $20 BONUS BET:
📷
Good Luck,
Haze!

Hi everyone! I love the animations and blur with the themes I have seen other people posted online, especially in unixporn in relation to hyperland. I have only ever used DEs like KDE, but the look/ animation of hyprland has convinced me to stay on arch and move from Fedora. Arch is just perfect in every way.
I tried looking in the aur for this wiki for after install for customization and keyboard commands…and checked the arch wiki but it was a little difficult to find what I was looking for in terms of hyprland config and keyboard shortcuts.
Is there a cheat sheet for the hyprland WM, for keyboard commands and configuration? After install of this WM?
Thanks a so much for your help in advance!

Hey, everyone! Since I imagine the entire Sato community is scrambling to play the recently-dumped Rolypolys 2, I figured I might as well help some of you out by posting this mini-guide on how to get the game running, as well as some other info.

Getting The Game

Pre-converted

A pre-converted ISO can be found here.

Via Archive

If you downloaded the ISO from the above, you can skip this entire section. Otherwise, read on!
Head on over to the sidebar of this subreddit (you might have to switch to old Reddit) and click the link for Rolypolys 2. On that page, scroll down to the Download Options section. You should see a few links on the right side of the page; click the one that says "ISO IMAGE". Give it a little bit to download, it's 500MB and Archive downloads tend to be quite slow.
Despite what the page says, the file in question is actually a .img file, which won't be accepted by most programs out of the box. To convert it into a more usable .iso format, I would recommend using WinCDEmu for Windows, but other CD-related tools should be able to do the job as well. I don't know of any solutions for MacOS or Linux; comments for those platforms would be appreciated!

• Install WinCDEmu.
• Right-click the IMG file and mount it. The default mounting settings should be fine.
• Once it's mounted, right-click the newly-mounted disc and click "Convert to ISO".
• WinCDEmu might tell you there were corrupted sectors. Click "Ignore and save"; the corrupted sectors don't appear to affect anything.

If all went well, you should now have an ISO file of Rolypolys 2, ready to be used!

Running The Game

As Rolypolys 2 is a hybrid disc like the first game, it is simultaneously a Windows 9x game and a MacOS game. Therefore, emulators/virtual machines of both should be able to run it.

• VirtualBox and VMWare Player are both virtual machine programs that can run a variety of OSes, including old versions of Windows. Rolypolys 2 should run just fine in both of them, although you may have to change the game's compatiability mode settings. I've tested the game in VirtualBox running Windows XP and have had zero issues so far.
  
• SheepShaver is a virtual machine program for running macOS, particularly the early PowerPC-era ones. It can run Rolypolys 2 just fine, although setting it up can take a bit of doin'. This guide should get you started; a Japanese copy of MacOS is currently thought to be best suited to Rolypolys 2.
  
• Believe it or not, modern versions of Windows (tested on Windows 10) should be able to run the game as well, so long as you set the game's compatiability mode settings to force 256 colors and 640x480 resolution. Windows 10 seems to have rather harsh audio issues, however.
  

Known Issues / Doesn't Work

• Notably, unlike Rolypolys 1, you cannot run it in DOSbox. This is because the game is a 32-bit executable, and 32-bit support was simply not present in Windows 3.1, the latest stable Windows version that can be run in DOSbox.
  
• Basilisk II, at least for me, had issues when it came to loading game saves. It also had an issue where sound cut out entirely about an hour into the game, so I cannot personally recommend it for this particular game. I was recommended SheepShaver as an alternative.
  
• ScummVM, which has been working on Adobe Director support, can detect the game (thank you @mistydemeo <3), but trying to run it will softlock you on the game's title screen, unable to click anything. It's likely this will be fixed in the future, but for now I can't recommend it for this particular game.
  

Some Notes

• The game is entirely in Japanese, with no English translation currently in existence. However, I was able to brunt my way through the game (so far anyways) without reading anything aside from some numbers used to solve puzzles, so it's not strictly necessary to progress. Still, if you can read Japanese, you'll very likely have an easier time than I did.
  
• Since the UI is also in Japanese, I made this cheat sheet for it. It's not particularly difficult to memorize or figure it out yourself through trial-and-error, but having the cheat sheet does help a bit!
  
• Without spoiling much, this game seems to be considerably longer than Rolypolys 1. Don't be afraid to take breaks and save often!
  

That should be about all you need to get going. Thanks for your time, and have fun!

<3

I should have looked at their character sheet beforehand, so its kind of my own fault I guess.
Basically in a nutshell, one of my players is playing a druid as of late, they have been using spells once and never using them again. I got rather suspicious and looked at his sheet on DnD Beyond, and they have no assigned spells. Cantrips and all levelled spells have not been assigned or prepared, and his sheet for spells is completely empty leading me to believe they have been picking from ALL their available spells at his level (7). As a result, they have been kind of messing with any balance I have put in front of the whole party, but they do use their spell slots to give him some credit.
Is there any way I can punish him in a fun and goofy way so that he will know not to cheat again but won't outright kill his character or his enjoyment of my Campaign?

“I’m sorry; we’re going to astral travel to a flea market?” Charlotte asked incredulously as she watched Genevieve and I set up a meditation circle under the shade of a towering old willow tree in my cemetery. “What if we want to buy something? How will we bring it back?”
“We’re not going there to shop, Lottie. Samantha’s finally had a vision about Emrys,” Genevieve explained.
The Veil between the Physical and Astral Planes is exceptionally weak in my cemetery, especially at night and on hallowed days. When I sleep there, my subconscious mind is highly receptive to all manner of revelations from the Spirit World. When I saw a Blood Moon rise on the night of May fifth, the same night as a penumbral eclipse, I knew that my dreams would be prophetic.
“I had a dream about him last Friday,” I expounded. “He’s at some sort of otherworldly marketplace, one that’s not connected to the Crypto Chthonic Cuniculi, so it’s mostly inaccessible to the Ophion Occult Order. In my dream, Emrys invited us to come and speak with him while we were lucid. He drew a sigil for me, the same one I’ve drawn in the middle of the mediation circle. He said that all I’d have to do is toss an Undying Rose – the earthly effigy of the rose Persephone used to steal a drop of his blood – into the sigil and it will become an astral portal to where he is.”
I held up the deep purple rose that I had cut from its bush earlier that day. I don’t know for certain where the roses came from, but my best guess is that they were made by the same Occultist who hallowed my cemetery to Persephone; Artaxerxes Crow. They have some connection to Emrys as well, since the only other time I saw someone else use one was when his avatar was summoned into the Physical Plane on Halloween 2020.
Knowing that Emrys wouldn’t dare to set foot in a place that was sacred to the Goddess who was ultimately responsible for his cosmic defeat, I gently tossed the rose into the middle of the sigil.
“He invited all of us?” Charlotte asked with an incredulous raising of her eyebrow.
“He said me and my coven. If he had just meant me or me and Genevieve he would have said that,” I replied. “You and Elam are coming too. I want as many eyes on this place as possible so that we don’t miss anything. We may not get an opportunity like this again.”
“And this is safe? Visiting some random flea market between worlds?” Charlotte asked.
“Samantha and I have visited the Underworld and come back no problem,” Genevieve reminded her. “So long as we’re bound to our bodies and Elam is bound to Samantha, we can come back anytime. Don’t worry; this is going to be a blast! Adventures like these are the best part of being a Witch.”
“The only reason you were able to go to the Underworld is because Samantha’s cemetery came with an astral portal in the back,” Charlotte countered, gesticulating in the general direction of the archway that was still partially visible behind the light spring foliage. “Other than that, when have any of us ever done anything useful with our astral projection? This is still a physical place, right? We don’t have any of our physical senses available to us when we astral project, and I get extremely disoriented trying to navigate the mortal plane with clairvoyance alone.”
“It is a physical place, but one saturated with astral energy and full of occultists and occult artifacts. It will be extremely illuminated to our clairvoyance,” I assured her. “Elam will also be there to guide us. As a ghost, he’s much more practiced at traversing the mortal plane in an astral form.”
Charlotte folded her arms over her chest and turned to look at Elam, who was leaning up against the willow tree as he waited for us.
“I don’t suppose you could go and scout the place out for us ahead of time?” she asked.
“I can’t go too far from Samantha, and definitely not across planes,” he said with a shake of his head. “But Eve’s right. Your astral bodies will be in no danger, and you can return here in an instant whenever you want.”
“But what about Emrys? Didn’t that book Leon gave you say that he’s some sort of soul-flayer?” Charlotte asked me.
“It did,” I admitted. “Keep in mind though, that book was written by his enemies. I want to hear his side of things before this conflict of theirs spirals out of control.”
“Any update from Chamberlin about that?” Elam asked.
“Yeah, he said that after he failed to purify the Sigil Sand, Ivy’s onboard with negotiating some kind of truce with Emrys,” I replied. “The Grand Adderman’s still reticent, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s running out of options. I need to find out if Emrys will agree to peace talks.”
“Um, I get that, but I’m still kind of hung up on him potentially flaying our souls,” Charlotte reiterated.
“If Emrys and the Ophion Occult Order go to all-out war, there’ll be a lot of collateral damage and innocent souls caught in the crossfire,” Genevieve told her, gently grabbing hold of her and looking her straight in the eye. “Samantha, Elam, and I are doing this because if there’s any chance we can put an end to this before it starts, then it’s our responsibility to try. You don’t have to come with us, Lottie, but you’re still a member of our coven. Samantha and I would both feel a lot better with you there to help us.”
“Arghhh! All right, fine! I’ll come with you,” Charlotte gave in, plopping her butt down on the edge of the meditation circle. “If we’re holding hands, that will help keep our astral bodies together too, right?”
“I believe it should, yes,” I smiled at her, sitting down and reaching out for her hand.
Genevieve lit the incense and her bong filled with the entheogenic Delphi Dream, before sitting down to join us. She took a hit from the bong before passing it to me, and then to Charlotte before setting it aside out of the circle.
“Start with taking a deep breath, completely filling the lungs, and holding it for five heartbeats,” she guided us as she took hold of each of our hands. “Exhale completely, and wait five more heartbeats before breathing in again. Eyes closed, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Focus on the astral energies flowing through you with each breath, gently aligning each chakra until those energies are enough to lift you up and out of your body.”
In unison with one another, the three of us slowly breathed in and out, ignoring the material world around us and focusing upon the task at hand. Eve was first, as usual, and because we were all holding hands, Charlotte and I felt her eagerly tugging us up to speed us along.
I opened my eyes, and beheld the dull and muted Physical Plane through my clairvoyance, everything outshined by the radiant forms of my coven mates. I noted that Genevieve had eschewed her normal skyclad form when astral projecting and instead wore a cloak like Charlotte and I.
“Are you worried this place might have a no shirt, no shoes, no souls, no service policy?” I teased her.
“I just don’t want to risk a confrontation over it. I realize how important this is,” she answered. “Though I’m not actually wearing shoes, now that you mention it.”
“Christ, look at the sigil Samantha drew!” Charlotte said, pointing down at the meditation circle beneath us. The sigil wasn’t just glowing but flowing as well, churning the Aether around it in a misty, spectral vortex. “It’s an astral portal, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah. It’s not stable, though. Good for one trip only,” Genevieve said with a delighted smile. “And Lottie, since we’re Neopagan Witches, try not to swear by Christ, okay?”
“Jesus!” she swore, both in defiance and in genuine annoyance.
“Elam! Elam, come join the circle! I don’t want to take any chances of severing our bond,” I instructed, letting go of Charlotte’s hand and waving him in between us.
Faithful Familiar that he was, he obeyed without hesitation. Despite my concerns, I think that he probably could have stayed behind if he had wanted. The fact that he was willing to follow me to an unknown otherworld without complaint really made me appreciate how devoted he was to me.
“We step in together on the count of three, got it?” I instructed, each of them nodding clearly in response. “One. Two. Three!”
We all extended our right feet into the vortex together, and the instant we did we were swept away, falling out of our own world and tumbling between the cracks of countless others. They weren’t real, I don’t think. At least, not as real as our world. They were potential realities, or realities that could have been once but now can never be, or fantasies that are so persistent in the minds of real people that in some sense or another, they become real themselves. I only saw glimmers of them, glimmers in nebulas made of primeval chaos and uttermost void.
It was outside of time, that place we travelled through, or at least we had no sense of it there. Our souls were haphazardly spat out upon a surreal landscape of earth, sea, and fire. Hilly plains of volcanic ash, incandescent calderas of lava and bubbling hot springs all intermeshed in a chaotic mosaic that didn’t seem to abide by any laws of geology or geography that I was familiar with. A strong but slow wind pushed fractal formations of dark silver clouds through a pale silver sky, illuminated by a single white orb which could have been either a bright moon or a faint sun.
While our spectral feet left no trace upon the ash we now stood upon, our presence nonetheless elicited a response from some of the local fauna. We were just able to catch a glimpse of some kind of shimmering scarabs burrowing themselves into the ash to escape the four otherworldly ghosts that had invaded their territory.
“Holy shit,” Charlotte murmured as we all gazed out upon the strange world we had found ourselves on. “This really isn’t on the Astral Plane. This is a real planet. This a real, alien planet! This is unbelievable!”
Genevieve glided over to one of the bubbling pools and peered into it, looking for any more signs of life.
“There’s some kind of bluish-grey algae growing on the rocks down there, and I think I can make out some small arthropods too. This planet’s alive!” she announced with glee, smiling and looking up at the alien sky.
Conjuring an astral approximation of my staff, I plunged it into a small mound of ash beside me. I watched curiously as the scarabs shot out in all directions, moving too quickly for me to get a good look at them, before scurrying back into the surrounding ash.
“These bugs can sense our presence,” I remarked. “How and why would clairvoyance evolve in insects on this world, and why would their first instinct be to flee?”
“Samantha!” Elam called out. “I think I found the Flea Market.”
We all gathered around him and looked where he was pointing. On a distant dune, we beheld the moulted carapace of a colossal insect, gleaming a brilliant, lustrous gold in the broken white light.
“That’s impossible!” Charlotte claimed. “That thing must be hundreds of meters long! No insect, no animal period could ever get that big on the Physical Plane!”
“It could be the Incarnation of some kind of Titan,” Genevieve suggested. “But… it’s dead. I can tell that even from here. It’s dead. It’s the corpse of a dead god, and now it’s being used as a swap meet with a punny name. Either whatever killed it just abandoned it, or…”
“Or is running the place,” I finished for her. “Well, we should see if we can find Emrys.”
In an instant, the world moved around us until we were at the entrance to the Flea Market. The colossal carapace was hollow inside, of course, and had been filled with a bustling city that looked like it had been created in the most ad hoc manner possible. There wasn’t a single straight street to be seen, and they converged with one another at random intervals. Stalls and buildings varied wildly in both design and materials, all imported from a plethora of different cultures across the planes.
Enormous shards of luminous glass levitated above the throng like a thousand Swords of Damocles, any or all of them seeming capable of succumbing to gravity at any moment. In the very center of the moulted husk dangled a great spiralling chrysalis or hive woven of iridescent silk, its function not being immediately apparent to me.
There must have been thousands of people there, and hundreds of merchants hawking their wares. Most of those who looked human still seemed a little off, like they were members of ethnicities that didn’t exist in our world. Some of the beings were near-human in appearance, many seemingly some kind of Fey or Seelie folk. There was even a small handful of people that weren’t remotely human at all.
The only thing they all had in common was that none were native to this world.
“Most of these people are here in person, aren’t they?” Charlotte asked.
“It would’ve been quite a feat for them to have built all of this while astral projecting,” Genevieve agreed.
“But if this place isn’t connected to the Cuniculi, then how did they get here?” Charlotte asked. “We’re on another planet, maybe even in another dimension. If getting here is beyond the Ooo’s abilities, then what sort of ungodly reality benders decided to turn it into a Flea Market?”
“Ladies, gentlemen, and any beings either too ancient and alien or too modern and alienated to settle on one or the other, come bear witness to one of the most astounding and atrocious abominations on this or any other world!” a fast-paced male voice rang out over the din of the crowd.
We turned to see a short, skinny, old-timey sort of carnival barker standing on a literal soap box, placed next to a large object draped in a black tarp.
“For the paltry price of a single three-headed coin, you can peer beneath the veil and behold with your own unbelieving eyes the mangled and mutilated monstrosity that lurks beneath!” the carnival barker continued. “But I must warn you, it is not possible to truly understand what dwells underneath without seeing it first! I cannot guarantee that you will still retain your sanity or will to live after witnessing the proverbial Mountains of Madness, for this low creature is truly like no other and serves only as a grim testament to the cruel sadism of the Lord Above! Anyone plagued by even the faintest lingering doubt as to their spiritual fortitude should not dare to even contemplate what might lie before me! But, for those brave, noble few who are truly dauntless of heart and incorrigible of spirit, I am proud to share with you this rare, unfathomable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness sublime –”
The carnival barker was interrupted by a man yanking the sheet off the object beside him, revealing it to be a mirror.
“Whelp, that was a hell of an Im14andthisisdeep post, eh?” Charlotte mused.
Genevieve and I, however, were far too stunned to be amused; not by the mirror, but by the man who had unveiled it.
“It’s him, Lottie. That’s Emrys,” Genevieve whispered.
We had only seen him briefly once before, more than two-and-a-half years ago, but he was far from what anyone would call forgettable. He was tall and gaunt, with literal blue blood flowing beneath translucent skin. His long, receding hair and regal beard were pitch black, and dark miasma wafted from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He was dressed in dark sable robes with three overlapping Ouroboros’s tattooed on his forehead, with a pair of ophidian pupils lying in the spaces between them.
What stood out the most to us were the six silver Ouroboros chains bound around his wrists, ankles, waist, and neck. These were the chains the Ophion Occult Order had made to limit the power of his physical avatar, and it seemed he had not yet found a way to free himself from them.
“Are you still here?” Emrys asked in exasperation, tossing the veil back at the carnival barker in disdain.
“…Possibly,” the strange man replied evasively. “But not definitively, for purely legalistic reasons.”
“I believe Mathom-meister was quite clear when he said that your rather pitiful chicanery wasn’t welcomed here,” Emrys reminded him.
“And who is he to judge chicanery from cutthroat, capitalistic competition? Should not the Flea Market be a free market?” the charlatan demanded. “And while we’re on the topic of commerce, I don’t suppose you have enough three-headed coins to pay for all the poor souls you have so discourteously exposed to my exhibit against their will? I’d hate to have to start shaking people down to get my due.”
“Hard to believe your own circus threw you out,” Emrys said with a sardonic eye roll as he tossed him a small medallion. “You get one coin. Take it and get out of my sight.”
The charlatan flipped the coin in the air thrice, presumably to confirm it actually had three heads. Satisfied with its impossible dimensions, he shoved it into his pocket.
“It will cover the trolley ride home, at least,” he acquiesced, stepping off his soap box and turning to face his looking glass. “A shame though you can’t see the genius in my little avant-garde performance piece here, Emmy. Even I know that the monster in the mirror is often the hardest to recognize.”
As the man reached to pick up his mirror, his reflection’s arms shot through the glass and grabbed him by the wrists, pulling him in. Emrys immediately tried to chase after him, but bounced off the glass as if there was nothing supernatural about it at all.
“Bastard!” he cursed under his breath, before turning towards us and giving us a small apologetic smile. “I’m sorry you had to see that rather pathetic display. Unfortunately, the few meeting places I know of that are relatively safe from any Ophionic incursion also attract their fair share of other annoying miscreants.”
“If it didn’t attract a little bit of everything, it wouldn’t be a Flea Market, would it?” I asked rhetorically. “Thank you, Emrys, for inviting us. I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
“And thank you for accepting. Samantha, Genevieve, it’s a pleasure to see you again, and a relief that you have not fallen under the auspices of the Ophion Occult Order,” he said with a gentle bow. “Elam, I remember you as well. Valiant but not reckless, you remained atop Pendragon Hill during my battle with the Darlings until your mistress was well out of harm’s way, and then you got the hell out of dodge yourself. Samantha couldn’t hope for a better Familiar. And Charlotte, any Witch that Samantha deemed worthy to induct into her coven is obviously someone whose acquaintance I am pleased to make. Welcome, all of you, to Mathom-meister’s Flea Market!”
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out the past two years?” Genevieve asked.
“Oh no. Far too Cosmopolitan for my tastes,” Emrys replied. “No, this is just a friendly place to meet those I consider friends – or potential friends, at least. I’d offer to show you around, but I know it’s difficult for you to astral travel for prolonged periods. Come with me to Mathom-meister’s house where we can talk freely, and we’ll discuss the situation with the Order.”
I gave him a small, single nod in response, and gestured with my staff that he should lead the way. He responded by pointing upwards, then vanished into his shadow form. When we looked up, we saw him waving at us from a balcony atop the great silken chrysalis.
We exchanged hesitant glances with one another, but ultimately followed him into the strange structure, moving from the ground to the balcony in an instant by will alone.
“How would an incarnate being get up here if they couldn’t fly or teleport?” Charlotte asked as she peered over the balcony’s teetering edge.
As though answering a summons, a humanoid creature apparated beside her in a flash of dark vapours. The hunched-back entity stood over six-and-a-half feet tall, and was clad in golden-brown erudite robes. Its squid-like skin was of a similar colour, and its entire face was a single gaping orifice that held a wispy, glowing orb in the center of its skull which I immediately recognized as its soul. A pair of long, fanged tentacles lined with pores and tendrils hung down from its head like a long, forked beard, and the seven digits shared by its two hands all bore wicked-looking talons, as did its two-toed, digitigrade feet.
“Not fly or teleport? What sort of pedestrian house guests do you think I entertain here?” the being asked wryly, its voice seeming to come from nowhere in particular.
Charlotte instinctively backed away from the creature and into the protective fold of our coven, but Emrys was quick to hold up his hand to plead for calm.
“Please, there’s no need for alarm. This is our host, Mathom-meister. He’s the only reason any of this is here in the first place,” Emrys informed us. “A year or two ago a companion of his unfortunately became one of the Darling Twin’s victims, and when he heard of my vendetta with them, he tracked me down; which is no small feat, I assure you.”
“It is for us. My people are a race of Planeswalkers. Traversing the many worlds of Creation is second nature to us,” Mathom-meister explained.
“I’ve… I’ve heard of your people, I think,” I said, softly and unsurely. “A friend of mine had an encounter with an artifact that gave her a vision of a race of strange and powerful sorcerers slaying their own god. I take it you’re the ones who slayed this Scarab Titan as well? That’s, that’s…”
“Horrifying, yes. That’s the idea,” he nodded. “You have nothing to worry about, young Witch. My people have no special interest in your world. This is purely personal. My friend is dead, and I want his murderers brought to justice; a goal which Emrys and I happen to have in common.”
“Feel free to share this information with the Ophion Occult Order, Samantha,” Emrys said. “I’d very much like for the Darling Twins to know what’s hunting them. Mathom-meister, please excuse me while I take my guests inside. We do have pressing business to discuss and their time is limited.”
The squid-cyclopes bowed gracefully, and my coven and I quickly scurried after Emrys as he led us inside through a towering hallway and into a large chamber that had been appointed as a living space.
I had thought that Emrys would want to speak with us alone, which was why I was surprised to see a young woman sitting cross-legged on a spongey yet chitinous object that I will for the sake of my sanity call a bean bag chair. Like Emrys, she was pale and blue-blooded, her choppy hair as black as coal. She wore a black robe and heavy black eyeliner, but these could not conceal the fact that she too had thin wisps of miasma emanating from her eyes.
“Is that your… daughter?” Charlotte asked, as baffled by her presence as any of us. The woman smiled warmly at the question.
“In a way. I was dead, and Emrys gave me new life. Now a part of the Outer Primordial Darkness he represents lives in me too,” she said serenely.
Hovering above her left palm were three small bluish-green orbs, lazily going around in a circle. They were translucent and held something inside them that I couldn’t make out, but the orbs themselves appeared to be melting and solidifying by the woman’s will.
“You’re Petra, aren’t you?” I asked as I cautiously approached her. “Chamberlin had mentioned that Emrys had taken an acolyte. I’m Samantha, and this is Genevieve, Elam, and Charlotte.”
“I know. The whole reason we’re here is to speak with you,” she nodded.
“The Ophion Occult Order calls me a soul-flayer, and I’m sure you were all wondering exactly what that meant before you came here,” Emrys said, standing proudly behind his acolyte. “Well, this is it. The Darkness Beyond is now a part of her, and a part of her now lives within the Darkness Beyond. She is not unchanged from what she was before, but neither has what she was been lost.”
“My interpretation of the term ‘soul-flaying’ was the complete removal of a person’s consciousness from their astral and physical bodies to be subsumed by your Darkness,” I countered. “They told me that what you’ve done with Petra here is just the limit of your power while you’re bound in their chains. Are you telling me that if your chains were broken, you wouldn’t be able to do any worse than this?”
“On my physical avatar? No. So long as my astral form remains chained and bound with the World Serpent, I cannot cleave a conscious mind from its astral substrate,” Emrys assured me.
“But that is your ultimate goal, isn’t it? Breaking the chains the Ophion Occult Order put on you is just a stepping stone to breaking the ones the gods bound you with?” Genevieve asked. “You’ve allied yourself with a literal god slayer. Do you expect us to believe that his people’s abilities aren’t something you intend to put to your own ends?”
“I don’t have an ultimate goal so much as I have a fundamental principle of opposing tyranny,” he claimed. “When I was a mere man, thousands of years ago, I was a tyrant. I believed that might made right so unquestionably that when my might began to fail me, the only thing I could think to do was to try everything in my power to restore it. This quest eventually led to me becoming one with the Darkness Beyond, which gave me not only the might I coveted but the wisdom I didn’t know I needed. It gave me perspective. It made me stronger than any human alive at that point but still let me realize how insignificant I was. It was humbling, and enlightening, and filled me both with remorse over my past actions and an impetus to use my newfound gifts to rectify them. I tried to overthrow the gods themselves which, in hindsight, was overly ambitious. I not only failed but had my soul devoured by the World Serpent, where it still resides to this day.
“I am not eager to bring the wrath of the gods down upon me once again. No, for now, I will be content to end the tyranny of the Ophion Occult Order. This is the message I’d like you to relay to them. If the Grand Adderman agrees to unbind my chains and step down from his post, I will spare his life. If he declines, I want the rest of the Order to know that I will show mercy to any who sides with me over him. I am willing to allow the Order to exist so long as it agrees to become more decentralized, democratic, and accountable. They will have to forfeit certain artifacts and individuals in their possession over to me, chief among them the Darling Twins, but I am willing to negotiate. If they aren’t, then I will overthrow the Grand Adderman by whatever means necessary and see the Order scattered to the four winds. It is entirely up to them whether or not the conflict between us escalates to full-on war. Have I made myself clear, Samantha?”
“I think so,” I said as I pensively considered everything he had said. “Why should they trust you to keep your word once your chains are broken? For that matter, why should we?”
He took a moment to consider his response, eyeing me over as though he was trying to divine something that would win over my trust.
“Samantha, you made a pact with Persephone to get your Spirit Familiar there; one where she swore by the River Styx. Is that correct?” he asked.
“It is,” I nodded.
“And in the years since, has Persephone ever broken that pact she swore to?” he asked.
“No, she hasn’t,” I replied.
“I may not be an Old God, but so long as my astral form remains bound by their chains, they have power over me,” he said. “Samantha Sumner, Hedge Witch of Harrowick Woods, I swear on the River Styx that I have spoken no lies to you today. I swear by the River Styx that I will abide by any Covenant that I and the Ophion Occult Order agree to in good faith and fair dealing that they do not break first. I swear by the River Styx that when my chains are broken, I will give you no cause to fear me or regret your trust in me.”
I gave a questioning glance to Genevieve, and then Elam, both of whom nodded in the affirmative.
“All right. An oath sworn on the River Styx is good enough for me. I’ll deliver your terms to Seneca Chamberlin,” I agreed. “I’m very grateful for the trust and respect you’ve shown for me and my coven, Emrys, though I can’t say I quite understand it. Out of all the guests that were there on the Hallow’s Eve you were summoned, why did Evie and I stand out to you?”
“The Ophion Occult Order deemed you worthy of inclusion in their cult, an offer you rejected on principle. You cheated Persephone, but you did it not to gain immortality for yourself but to save your friend from hell. You came here, thinking I could very well tear your souls asunder, but did so because you believed it was your duty to prevent needless suffering,” Emrys answered. “You are extraordinary in your craft, courage, and conscience, the latter of which especially stood out among the degenerates at that party. I do apologize if I frightened you at that event. I was a bit… irritable, given the circumstances. I’m glad we were able to meet again under more pleasant conditions.”
“So am I, Emrys,” I nodded. “I’m not sure exactly what this means or how relevant it is, but Seneca wanted me to tell you that he’s able to offer you the Dream Demon Red Ruck as a sacrifice.”
“Pffft. Tell him it’s hardly a sacrifice if I’m getting rid of a boogie man for him,” he scoffed. “In fact, now that you mention it, Ruck’s one egregore that might be of more use to me alive.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but we were suddenly interrupted by the rapid pounding of a gong somewhere down below. It seemed to be an alarm of some kind, as we could hear the panicked shouting and frantic racing of people either battening down or forsaking the Flea Market altogether.
Mathom-meister apparated into the middle of the room, his facial tentacles reflexively raised in a defensive position.
“Were you outside the market?” he demanded of us.
“The portal we came through deposited us a few miles outside of the market, yes,” I admitted.
“Damn,” Emrys cursed softly, though he sounded more frustrated than angry. “Meister, it’s not their fault. I knew they weren’t experienced Planeswalkers, I could have – ”
“It doesn’t matter!” Mathom-meister interjected. “They need to leave, now!”
“Why, what’s going on?” Genevieve demanded.
“The scarabs are swarming,” Petra explained. “Don’t feel bad; it happens often enough that they’re prepared for it.”
I wanted to press for more details, but I could hear the humming of a vast winged swarm steadily encroaching upon us.
“Don’t worry. Once you leave the swarm will disperse… eventually,” Emrys told us. “We’ve said all that need be said for now. Return home, and I’ll reach out to you again shortly, Samantha.”
Again, I wanted to object, but the swarm outside was growing louder and louder, and it occurred to me that we might not be completely safe from a biblical swarm of insects that could not only sense but evidently sought out souls.
This occurred to Charlotte as well, as she was the first of us to vanish and awaken back in her body. We could all feel the weight of her reembodied soul tugging on us to return with her. Genevieve immediately grabbed hold of my right hand and Elam my left, both of them refusing to leave before I did.
I spared one final glance at Emrys, lamenting that we couldn’t have had more time.
“I’ll relay everything you said to the Order. I’ll make sure they know you’re willing to negotiate a truce,” I vowed.
He gave me a gracious nod, and just as we heard the swarm start to pelt the exterior of the market, I forced my physical eyes open and was back in my body, still safely under a willow tree in my cemetery.
I immediately looked beside me to Genevieve, and saw that she was awake as well, and then around me for Elam, who seemed to be suffering a bit of spectral whiplash from being pulled back with me so suddenly, but was otherwise all right. Sighing with relief, I turned lastly to Charlotte, and saw that she was looking down at the mediation circle in dreaded horror.
Following her gaze, I saw that the Undying Rose was gone – spent, perhaps, in exchange for our passage – and in its place was the inert, and hopefully dead, body of one of the shimmering scarabs.