#tos: npcs

[candycryptids]

Sometimes you just gotta. Shut somebody up because he’s been doing nothing but spouting nonsense that’s been getting under your fur all day!!!!

And it made Sadu laugh so hard her stomach kinda hurts… so…

This isn’t canon to anything I just thought it would be funny to suplex Magnai (I was right btw) [Also, Tangy the Hrothgar uses She/Her pronouns mwah mwah thank you 💖] *oh also shader is Arkana Summer with the intense reflections (I think that’s what it’s called) ticked on in gpose settings*

[berryetto]

It's just a teeny tiny bit of a pet peeve of mine when Seres (from Tales of Berseria) and Seles Wilder (from Tales of Symphonia) get mixed up. I don't blame them because the "L" and "R" is just a slight change from eachother. Although, even if you try to romanize it in Japanese the katakana for Seres's name has more characters than Seles's name. The pronunciation is somewhat different too.

[yamsgarden]

basically all the futur ports of Tales of Symphonia I ever played...

looong Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Vesperia rambling incoming:

I was chatting with my buddy about Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Symphonia and idk by what miracle this could ever happen, but I truly wish someday Bandai Namco could make a TRUE remake of Tales of Symphonia but with Tales of Vesperia's cel shade graphics

Because so far, all "remakes" are just more or less good ports from what I read/ saw? And TOV still holds up to this day, even 20+ years after even if the animation is a liiiittle stiff it' still works, but yeah TOS could really have a fantstic revamp

I want her so bad to experiement this journey too, but I totally get it that the graphics are a turn off... Which is also so sad because to me they still feel cute and I grew up with them OTL

idk... I understand TOS isn't necessarily the most insane RPG out there, same with Baten Kaitos but they have their own identity and amazing writting and complex stories and charming characters aaa even 20+ years later and I still hold these games in my heart and still listen to their OST, it really feels like magic

It's not like today where you have to constantly play daily for grinding or worry about being tempted to buy micro items in the shop with real money, it was a one time payment and one shot story and had an end... And that's what made it great too imo... if that makes sense, idk what I'm saying anymore, I guess I just miss so much how things used to be haha

Where games had more soul and personnality and passion behind it and ofc you still have that today but i feel it's... Rarer and back then I feel it was still experimental but that's what made it so great, now there are so many copy cats and it feels like a race to which one can be the next lottery... and I know they're all companies BUT LIKE at least I could feel my money was well spent you know?!

Now it's feels like, "we have your money AND you have shitty rushed half-baked product, you're welcome"

If only Llyod could have made it into Super Smash Bros Melee at the time, I feel it could have helped the Tales of popularity even more OTL I remember reading somewhere he was considered to be added to the roaster but maybe it was rumors too... But the thought of it is so cool. I rly don't think it's for nothing TOV and TOS keep getting so high in popularity polls when it comes to general Tales Of games, those two are really memroable and beautiful.

TOS almost feels like the blueprint for TOV to me, so they are very similar but different enough as well. I must have played TOS on my gamecube at least 10 times in my whole life and everytime my gameplay reaches 60h-80h+hours, it's just so much fun everytime

aaa but yeah.. all that to say I just wish it could get the remake of a lifetime so more poeple could experiment it too OTL I don't think it'll ever happen but yeah.... If only if only if only...

and lowkey so i would have more poeple to talk and gush about it.

[hermitcraftguesstheauthorevent]

GUESS THE AUTHOR IS BACK! 

Get to your keyboard and get those betting slips ready, because it’s Guess The Author time again! This is the third annual GTA! Wow! 

But what IS Guess the Author? It's a writing challenge and a guessing game, all in one!

Our fabulous authors will have until THE DEADLINE to write a new work (or dust off an unpublished thing you’ve had rotting in your drafts, we won’t judge) and post it to our anonymous collection. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have any clue who’s who- we’ll publish a list of our authors to make guessing easier. From there, readers will have one week to guess who wrote what! 

After that week, we’ll reveal the collection in full and you can see how you did! It’s like Guess Who, but with more block men and word documents. 

And without further ado:

THE DEADLINE WILL BE JULY 6TH, 2025, AT MIDNIGHT EDT.

(Here’s a handy little countdown clock for you!)

You have until THE DEADLINE to get your work in the collection, and you can find instructions to do that by checking our handy post right here! 

All that fun aside, we do have a few rules: 

-THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO EXTENSIONS TO THE DEADLINE. We will not make exceptions. If your work isn’t in the collection by THE DEADLINE, it’s not getting in. If you don’t make it, you shouldn’t despair- post it anyway! This challenge is all about getting people writing, not some silly collection. That said, we will not reopen the collection for any reason.

-Your work must be Hermit-centric! This is a Hermitcraft event, we’re Hermitcraft fans. Feel free to have other people show up, but the focus should be on at least one Hermit! (NPC’s or Hermit characters such as NPC Grian, Grimdog, Goatman, EX, Hels, and so on are all fine!)

-No smut. Period. Sorry. Cut around it, fade to black, heavily imply it, just no onscreen NSFW action. Everything else is fine!

-Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT or whatever flavour of the Plagiarism Machine is popular this week is strictly banned. This is a writing challenge for human creativity, and we want to hear your own unique voice! Any submitted works found to be AI-generated will be removed from the collection and you will be blacklisted from this and future challenges. 

-Don’t do anything that breaks TOS. Tumblr’s or AO3’s. 

-Minimum wordcount is 50 words. There is no maximum wordcount. 

-A maximum of ten posted works per author, please! If you want to have more, consider creating a single “Collection” piece where each chapter is a new work. Thank you! 

-The mod team reserves the right to remove works from the collection that violate these rules or violate the spirit of the challenge. That means, for example, please don’t add a work that’s a part of your ongoing series! That’s just spoiling the fun.

-If AO3 implodes on launch day again, the mod team reserves the right to scream. 

Other than that, do what you like! We don’t care! There are no rules around content. Horror, shipping, high school AU’s, space opera, Shakespeare…go nuts! We can’t wait to see what you create! 

You’re encouraged to lie, misdirect people, write in another author’s style, write about Hermits you don’t usually write! Any trick you want to use is fair game.

For those wanting a more formal schedule for their calendars, here it is: 

May 4th, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT: Event begins, collection opens! That’s right now! 

July 6th, 2025, 12:00 AM EDT: THE DEADLINE. Writing period ends, collection closes, and guessing begins! 

July 13th 2025, 12:00 AM EDT: Guessing concludes! All works are de-anonymized, and readers and writers celebrate! All works will be promoted on the blog for readers to pick through at their leisure. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask the blog. We have five mods: 

-Mod Bayonet 

-Mod Butterfly Knife 

-Mod Machete

-Mod Rapier

-Mod 🔪

What are you waiting for? Get out there and get writing! Can’t wait to see you in the collection!

Lastly, if you want to chat about your work anonymously, head over to our NEWLY OFFICIAL buddy blog @hcguesstheauthormessageboard!

@mcytblrsource

[regretevator-confessions]

one thing that bugs me is that yeucc always says they can’t include dialogue like split and bive flirting because it’s “against roblox tos” but that’s just not true. i double checked and the community guidelines and restricted experience guidelines only specify romance is prohibited between users, real people. it doesn’t say anything about npcs being in relationships, and it’s not even because of homophobia because it’s against roblox tos to BE homophobic. it just kind of irritates me that yeucc always says they can’t add dialogue hinting at romance cuz of tos when it’s not even true.

.

[pawborough]

Beta Expectations and Our Development Goals

Hi everyone! This document serves as an outline for starting expectations when beginning Closed Beta. 

Things to remember as we move into Closed Beta are: 

Cursing is allowed! We’ve dialed back our filters quite a bit, but absolutely no innuendo or sexual content. Details are outlined in our TOS.

In this beginning, the application feels closer to the Alpha state than it does the full game. It is in a mid-development limbo, which is why we are stressing that it is the Closed Beta state. Our biggest milestones have been backend technical foundations that have taken significant time. If the game were a cake, we have finished baking the base, which is what we’re starting the testing for. We’ll be making aggressive updates throughout the next few months of the test, which will introduce the “frosting,” and advance general playability. We plan to roll out new mechanics every month. You will find a list below of what these goals are.

Temper your starting expectations, but get excited for how much we’re going to continuously develop and update!

We will not be moving into Open Beta until we feel the game is close to done. Think of Closed Beta as phase 1, and Open Beta as phase 2.

Things will break the moment you try them. This is normal and expected. Always report!

Because of this, things won’t be very fun yet. But as we roll out improvements and new things, users will get to give live feedback on what they want to see and how things feel.

Early Access will be less smooth than full Closed Beta as we detect the kinks of letting more people in en masse. It’s the nature of early launching. Brace yourselves!

In the same vein, several aspects are temporary. Topher takes the place of icons in the queue, and compromises we’ve made for early economic simulation (example: a placeholder merchant to simulate the Processing mechanic) will be barren. NPCs are sketches, UI colors may be temporary, and UI banners are sketches.

Any and all prices of items or features are temporary or subject to change. Things like the price of kit rolling or accessory items will be tooled.

All updates and communications with testers will be posted publicly instead of through email. Eventually, we’ll use the site forums, but not until we can guarantee no more content wipes, and we’ve developed the sticky system on the User Dashboard.

Everything in this test, minus your username, password, account ID, and purchases is temporary. Your account content will be erased at some point in time, and when it is your Kickstarter and Alpha reward codes will be re-activated for use.

If anything is broken about your code, please report! We’ll fix it!

Any premium purchases you make will be restored upon wipes, and exist in this state as a means to support us moreso than to stimulate longterm collecting. By purchasing any currency, you’re helping us develop! But please do not feel pressured!

Bundles will be added come the full Closed Beta.

Pelt submissions are open for user testing, but you’ll have to re-submit upon any wipes.

When you complete registration (entering your DOB and confirming agreement to the TOS), your founder and follower IDs will be reserved, so you can take your time going over the details.

These starting cats will be wiped completely, and when Open Beta begins, follower and founder IDs will be totally up for grabs again upon first-come first-serve login and confirmation.

We’ll be around to grind for the next two weeks. Then, in two weeks, there will be a bit of a lull as our developers take a breather and regroup, and we’ll be back in March. We’re making this plan known so it doesn’t look like an abandonment or nervous silence. We’re simply planning rest and pacing ahead of time!

We’ll be sending out periodic surveys to get honest criticism and check how the economy is feeling.

The first survey is ready and waiting for your input! This survey focuses specifically on the economy, and can be filled out once per day. Please do not feel pressured to do so every day, but we encourage you to respond as many times as possible. Your input is immeasurably valuable for the fine-tuning of our economy, and guaranteeing the long-term enjoyability of the site. Please find the survey here.

With over 700 items on this site, we may have missed necessary data entry for some as we learn the ins and outs of our own program. Always report and we’ll fix it!

Some accessories are in the re-coloring queue, and if so will have their recolors seeded into the economy as we finish them.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We’re ready to hit the ground running, but it will be a long journey. We’re excited to embark on it together!

Here is a list of things available from the get-go (hopefully useable, if not they will be!):

Cooking and Crafting

Daily Duties

Flea Market and Merchants 

Breeding

Dress up and general cat customization

Beta retirement (bare bones)

Cat relationships and cross-cat gift giving

Archetype discovery (we are adding new ones as you play!)

Forum posting and custom board creation (image hosting!)

Cat profile CSS boxes

User profile CSS boxes

Storage and stash functionality for item organization

Bank functionality for currency storage

User customization settings (icon selection, pronoun and slogan editing, Borough swapping, username swapping)

Crest application

Beta guild play (basic errands)

Multiplayer guilds

Incense and metamorphic functionality

Pelt submissions (the refined pelt rules are a work in progress, because for this chaotic testing phase we’d like everyone to go nuts and have some fun! The only steadfast rules are no gore, copyrighted materials, religious iconography, or sexual content!)

Friend requests and adding friends

Premium shop (intended for user support, benefits are bare for at least the next week or so while we focus on user bug reports)

Now without further ado… here is what we’ll be working on in the coming months, in order of general priority! Open Beta will not happen until we finish this list.

Replacing frontend assets with final renders.

Updating item cards to reflect dynamic button displays depending on the page in which the card is being viewed.

User report system for all user-ran content.

Wardrobe functionality; full sandbox dress up available to any visitor.

Infrastructure for sharing sandbox creations in comments and forum posts; text language like :catID: to paste an image link of a cat.

User to user DM functionality.

User to user private trading.

Item database and lore encyclopedia.

Processing functionality + dye system. For now, recolors are seeded in a temporary merchant.

Visual faunapedia record for fauna studying (including unlockable lore.)

Adding a slew of archetypes. Dedicated archetype collection page with user featured display.

Sitewide search functionality of all user content.

Aesthetic updates to comments + addition of comments onto cat pages.

Splitting the Undercoat into two patterns: Dilute (dynamically lightened) and Standard.

Adding a white patch selector into the creator and founder designer.

Dashboard refinement + forum news widget and stickies.

Splitting cooking and crafting to bring back Winnipeg and keep the mechanics more organized.

Farming.

Much of it has been started already, and we’ll continue to share our progress. We plan to stay in Closed Beta likely over the summer, but it will be as long as these developments take.

And then we will move into Open Beta! Where we can focus on the following:

User notebook entries (blog posts.)

Forum board updates to better accommodate posting

Sitewide tagging and filtering.

Cross-account breeding.

Dedicated Guild refinement and updates.

Achievement system.

Referral system.

Team features like a team hoard, team notes, and shared scenes.

Refinement of any feature feedback we get :) 

And from there… it’s full launch, baby! 

Again, a marathon, not a sprint. This list may seem long and arduous, but we’ll continue visual content updates (patterns, breeds, etc.) throughout the length of development.

Let’s get crackin’, catfolk!

[forsakenscreenshots]

important

so, some. Really bad stuff just got brought to light about forsaken (not the old stuff we already know about, I mean like. Recently)

apparently they’re adding (or were thinking of adding) back an npc that is a straight up real life person (and a VERY BAD person at that) who I cannot name because it breaks tos

Since I’m not entirely sure if this is misinformation or not, I am going to cease all activity on this blog (aside from already queued posts) until further notice. If this is all true, I just can’t support a game like this anymore.

sorry everyone.

(also, submissions will be closed for the time being because of this. sorry)

[santae-salt]

CJ (Santae Entertainment LLC) has made a habit of tossing his attorney’s name around — so let’s make it worth her time. If you’ve been affected by or are concerned about the way Santae is being run, here’s a neat little list of things you can forward to Alexa Stabler Adams, his legal counsel.

This isn’t drama — these are potential legal violations of U.S. law, EU regulations, labor laws, FTC guidelines, and Kickstarter’s own policies

1. Terms of Service Changes Without Notice

CJ has been changing the site’s TOS without notifying players. This is a violation of consumer protection laws in both the U.S. and EU.

2. Deceptive “Discounts” on Cash Shop Items (FTC Violation)

Items have been marked as “on sale” before ever being listed at full price, with frequent price changes afterward.

This is considered false advertising under the FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing and may be reported at reportfraud.ftc.gov

3. Harassment & Doxxing of Staff

Former and current staff members have reported doxxing, stalking, intimidation, and even being screamed at by CJ in front of others.

4. Labor Law Violations (U.S. & EU)

Staff are labeled as “volunteers” but are subject to required and maximum hour quotas, assigned structured tasks, and are paid only in “San Cash” (the site’s virtual currency).

In their own Terms of Service, Santae states that San Cash holds no real-world monetary value.

Paying workers in a currency that explicitly has no value, while demanding labor under a quota system, violates U.S. and EU labor laws.

5. Kickstarter Policy Violations (AI Use)

CJ claimed the site didn’t use AI on Kickstarter, but has since admitted to using AI-generated NPCs and assets which are shown in the Kickstarter video itself. This directly violates Kickstarter’s transparency rules regarding AI usage.

☁️

[mcytunderdogevent]

MCYT UNDERDOG EVENT RULES, TIMELINE, FAQ, AND ELIGIBILITY

Rules:

1. Fics cannot break the AO3 or Tumblr TOS

2. You can only write for people who are not in the top percent of fics in their fandom (check below for eligibility). Non eligible characters may be in the fic, but only as a side characters and cannot have too much of a main focus

3. No NSFW. Suggestive stuff is fine, but the fic cannot be explicit.

4. That's it! Have fun!

Timeframe

Event start: Now! As soon as this is posted!

Collection opens: Collection name is MCYTUnderdogEvent2024

Event ends: May 31 at 10pm cst, with the close of the collection

FAQ

How will eligibility be determined?

It will be determined by the amount of fics the character is tagged in for the fandom in question. Then, the characters with the most fics for them (about top ten for larger fandoms, will change depending on the fandom/smp size) will be excluded

What about characters who are in a lot of fics but not the main character?

Sadly, they will still be excluded if they are in the top percent, as there is no way to consistently tell main characters without searching through fics, which would take too long.

What about non player characters, like NPCs?

They are considered characters for this! Some are even popular enough that they aren't eligible! So if you want to write about an NPC who is eligible, go for it!

Do fics need to be a certain length?

Nope! Can be a drabble, a one shot, a multi chapter, or a small poem! All it has to be is about one or more of the eligible characters.

Do fics have to be finished to add them to the collection?

They do not have to be! It can be a fic that you plan to work on even after the event ends, or just an idea you want to get out there

Eligibility

To avoid having to write too many names (as the eligible characters outnumber the non eligible characters) the characters listed below for each fandom are the non eligible characters. Your fic cannot focus on any of these characters. If the fandom you want to write for is not listed below, then all characters in that fandom are eligible! List below as to not make this post too long.

Hermitcraft:

Grian

Scar

Mumbo

Xisuma

Impulse

Tango

Pearl

Bdubs

Doc

Etho

Traffic life:

Grian

Scar

Jimmy

Scott

Martyn

Tango

Joel

Etho

Pearl

Ren

DSMP:

Tommy

Wilbur

Techno

Phil

Dream

Tubbo

Ranboo

Quackity

Sapnap

George

QSMP:

Phil

Cellbit

Roier

Quackity

Tallulah

Wilbur

Foolish

Badboyhalo

Charlie Slimecicle

Chayanne

Lifesteal:

Clownpierce

Branzy

Ashswag

Reddoons

Princezam

ParrotX2

Vitalasy

ItzSubz

Spokeishere

Rekrap

Empires:

Jimmy

Scott

Joel

Fwip

Sausage

Evo:

Grian

Jimmy

Martyn

Witchcraft:

Scott

Cleo

Yogscast:

Alex

Chris

Ross

Lewis

Duncan

Rats smp:

Scott

Owen

Martyn

Jimmy

Oli

YHS:

Sam

Grian

Taurtis

Pirates SMP:

Scott

Acho

Martyn

Owen

Sausage

Cleo

Oli

Origins SMP:

Tommy

Phil

Ranboo

Techno

Tubbo

Nihachu

Jack Manifold

Scott

Sneeg

[blucifer08]

‼️C_ommissions Open ‼️

I'm now offering a few different cmmission types through Vgen, including the stained glass/mosaic type pieces, lineless, and a few others.

If you're interested, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!

✨ Vgen.co/Blucifer08 ✨ More info below⤵️

If you need a way to contact me before ordering, please check the ToS on my listings as it includes that. I will draw from any fandom, I will draw OCs or NPCs. I will draw furries and monsters, mecha. I will draw suggestive works but these options are not for full on sex scenes.

I would love to draw ur OC 🫵 Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I will get back to you ASAP !

[doriana-gray-games]

Where did you learn to write? Your writing style and language is really beautiful!! Do you offer classes?

For a more general question, I was wondering if you have a favorite NPC so far? The carriage driver? The bartender? Mrs Hudson, or maybe the maid?

Beautiful story, thank you for writing it <3

Hi haha, I know who this isssss <3

I did not learn anywhere, tbh... I mean, I think I've told this story at least twice here, so I am sorry for repeating it, but it began as a Covid hobby to try and learn to write creatively. Just tried to be methodical about it. I read a lot, looked at text analytically, and did a lot of writing exercises, how-tos, etc. I imagine that might be the reason if my style is a bit unique; it's just homemade. (+ Not being an English native might add to any "uniqueness", too, haha.)

Hmmm. I mean, favourite is maybe a bit strong, but I like writing Mrs Hudson. She's... so much. Too much. And that can be fun to do. Although I always worry it exits comical and enters the absurd.

[bedrock-to-buildheight]

In short:

$35 for a fullbody with full details. This is your “I want this character doing this action” tier

$65 for a whole scene. You can specify damn near anything. This is your “200 words description of a character’s bedroom, or a visit to Insert Fantasy Location” tier

$20 for a comic as specified, or six portraits. If your party’s smaller consider getting one of your fav NPC, or even better, your DM’s fav NPC

TOS can be found here. As always, contact me via dm, discord @wikwalker, or langhel.walker@gmail.com

[missiodei]

[FFXIV] YCH CHIBI COMMISSIONS

Hello I'm offering YCH chibis for FFXIV characters. These start at $45 USD for lined flat colors, and $60 USD for lined rendered chibis.

Note:

You MAY ALSO order these for ocs and characters not related to FFXIV. You will still need to specify which posing you would like, and provide references of your character and their weapon(s).

Please click below to learn more.

ALL PAYMENTS ARE IN USD.

If interested or if you have questions please contact me via Tumblr dms, my email @ missiodeicomms@gmail.com or discord if you have me added. You may also put in a request via Vgen, which will help me to get verified there.

Payment will be processed via Vgen if you place an order there. For all else, Paypal will be used.

Includes

A chibi of your character and their weapon of choice, lined and with flat colors. (Starting at $45.)

OR

A chibi of your character and their weapon of choice, lined and rendered. (Starting at $60.)

Details

You will receive the full-sized .png with a transparent background.

Slight modifications/alterations to the base pose may occur if the weapon would obscure too much of the body or face.

BLM includes the thunderball shown in the sample image free of charge.

Add-ons

More complex designs may incur additional fees.

Additional effects (flames, sparks, flowers etc.) will incur additional fees.

Vanilla Carbuncle/Egi/Fairy summons for SMN/SCH are an additional $5.

Bahamut/Phoenix summons, as well as modded summons (ie. Nald'Thal, Hades, etc.) will be counted as a second character and charged/calculated as such (ie. Bahamut/Phoenix will be $45 or $60. Hades/Nald'Thal summons will be the base of $45 or $60, plus extra for how complex they are.)

Vanilla MCH Automaton Queen will be treated and charged as an additional character.

Vanilla RPR avatar is an additional $5. Any modded avatars, depending on how complex, may incur additional fees or be charged as an additional character.

Fray or any modded Living Shadow will be charged and treated as an additional character for DRK.

I could mix and match poses (ie draw a caster with the drg/sam pose), though this may incur additional fees if it requires me to redraw much of the base.

Important

All transactions/Communication are via PayPal/Tumblr DMs/Email/Vgen.

I will draw all FFXIV races.

I will draw NPCs.

I will draw modded characters.

I don't mind topless characters including those with breasts, but I will not draw genitals. The vanilla look for the Emperor's New Breeches is what I will draw for bottoms if you want them near-nude.

I will not draw sexual content.

Please view my ToS here.

[hermitcraftguesstheauthorevent]

GUESS THE AUTHOR IS BACK!

That’s right, it’s that time of year again! Hop to your keyboards and get your betting slips ready, because it’s HERMITCRAFT GUESS THE AUTHOR 2024!

But what IS Guess The Author? Simple! You’ll have until THE DEADLINE to write a work (or multiple works, or dust off an old WIP, we won’t judge) and get it in the collection. (Which can be viewed right there!)

When THE DEADLINE hits, we will reveal the collection while keeping it anonymous. Once it’s open, the readers go and guess who wrote what! One week later, we’ll reveal who our authors are!

Don’t worry, we’ll be posting weekly reminders, just like last time!

Now, on to the important stuff!

THE DEADLINE will be July 7th, 2024, at Midnight EST.

(Here’s a handy little countdown clock we’ve made just for the occasion!)

The collection (To where you’ll post your works) can be added to by following the instructions HERE. 

Now, we do have some ground rules:

-THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO EXTENSIONS TO THE DEADLINE, PERIOD. We will not make exceptions. If your work isn’t in the collection by THE DEADLINE, it’s not getting in. If you don’t make it, you shouldn’t despair- post it anyway! This challenge is all about getting people writing, not some silly collection. That said, we will not reopen it for any reason.

-No smut. Sorry. Cut away from it, fade to black, heavily imply it, just no onscreen smut. Everything else is fine.

-Nothing explicitly illegal.

-No causing us to break TOS (Tumblr or Ao3!)

-Minimum wordcount of 50. There is no maximum!

-Hermit-centric! This is a Hermitcraft event, we’re Hermitcraft fans. Feel free to have other people show up, but the focus should be on at least one Hermit! (NPC’s or Hermit characters such as NPC Grian, Grimdog, Goatman, EX, Hels, and so on are all fine!)

-The mod team reserves the right to remove works from the collection that violate these rules or violate the spirit of the challenge. That means, for example, please don’t add a work that’s a part of your ongoing series! That’s just spoiling the fun.

-Adding on to that, we will allow a maximum of ten fics per author in the collection, to keep guessing varied and fun. You're welcome to add "compilation" fics, where each chapter is a separate story.

-if AO3 implodes on launch day again, the mods reserve the right to scream.

Other than that, do what you like! Horror, shipping, coffeeshops, we don’t care! The point is to write and have fun!

You’re encouraged to lie, misdirect people, write in another author’s style, write about Hermits you don’t usually write! Any trick you want to use is fair game.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask the blog. We have five mods: 

-Mod Bayonet 

-Mod Butterfly Knife 

-Mod Machete

-Mod Rapier

-Mod 🔪

Now get out there and WRITE! Can’t wait to see you in the collection!

Lastly, if you want to chat about your work anonymously, head over to @hcguesstheauthormessageboard !

@mcytblrsource

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E9: Firewalker

Case: After eight long episodes, Mulder and Scully are finally back where they belong—together as partners on the X-Files. Safe in the knowledge that they definitely, for sure, will certainly never have to face losing the X-Files or each other ever again, the two of them take on their first new case. Dr. Pierce has arrived at our beloved basement office with an ominous home movie of his dead coworker and an unexplainable shadow moving inside a volcano, where a team of scientists are doing volcano experiments in what Wikipedia tells me is Oregon, or maybe Washington (unclear). Pierce explains that he used to do volcano experiments too, but he left after he got into it with his project partner/Mozart to his Salieri, Daniel Trepkos, who had been, evidently, "slipping into madness." 

Mulder—a man with a deep appreciation for visual aids—agrees to investigate the mysterious murder volcano. Despite Mulder's concern that she should maybe take more time to heal up after the whole "kidnapped from her home, shoved into the trunk of a car, abducted by ???, had ??? done to her body, and returned under mysterious circumstances on the brink of death and several months of her life missing" thing, Scully insists that she has lost enough time already, and is ready to get back to work, because the alternative would be processing her trauma, and that is just not something these characters know how to do.

So our heroes make their way to the research site, and when they suddenly don their Adventuring Gear™️, it soon becomes clear that we have been thrust inside a "we dug too deep and unleashed something deadly" episode, after we learn that the research team dug too deep and unleashed something deadly. While the episode itself is not as cool as "Ice" or "Darkness Falls," the "Alien"-esque way the overgrown spores burst out of peoples' throats is fairly delightful, and so although I often forget this episode even exists, it does get points for that. 

Trepkos has either made a terrifying discovery down in the volcano that is a threat to all humankind, or he hasn't taken his lithium—one of the two; The X-Files fulfills its duty as a science fiction show by discussing the possibility of a silicon-based lifeform (I'm partial to Star Trek TOS's "The Horta" myself); I am aware that it's bc everyone is full of evil spore parasites, but the vibes on the research base are Rancid, and I dislike every NPC we're introduced to, with the exception of maybe Dr. Pierce, but he and his beautiful mustache unfortunately get murdered, which, given the other deaths in this episode, is actually not the worst way to go; Scully, who has repressed all her emotions and is ready to take life by the horns now that she's not on her deathbed, is almost once again on her deathbed when one of the NPCs purposefully tries to infect her with the exploding neck spores, meanwhile Mulder is trying to get information from Trepkos, who looks like a hotdog you dropped into a firepit and won't stop talking like the know-it-all white boy in your philosophy 101 class; and Mr. and Mrs. Spooky take a his & hers quarantine for A MONTH, because time in this show makes less sense than the episodes themselves.

Does someone die in the cold open: I believe they are already dead.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, but we still got visual aids.

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Nope! Mulder says at the end that his report is the literal only record of what happened, lmfao.

Whodunit: Silicon fungus spores? I think?

Convictions: Trepkos should have been arrested for murder, but since everyone else already exploded, Mulder let him go tell lava rocks about the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant or whatever until he beefs it. 

Did they solve it: I'm torn between "yes" and "yes, but." If I use "Ice" rules, like I did for "Darkness Falls," then technically I should give it to them, but also in those episodes there were other surviving witnesses, and in this one, Mulder did just sort of... let a known murderer go. Like, I get that Trepkos wasn't going to offer anything substantial, and also Trepkos was trying not to infect the entire human population, so I don't blame him necessarily, but from a legal point of view I think that's like, ill-advised... Yeah, man, as much as I want to give them a win on their first case back on the X-Files together, I think I'm gonna have to go with—yes, but they let a murderer loose and Mulder lied about it in his case report, and also there's no physical evidence and no other witnesses, so while they probably can close the case and be chill about it, going by my scale, they didn't pass the test this time around. 

(I legit am sitting here being like, "okay, but should I give this one to them??" but I think that if you have to lie on your official report about stuff, then you didn't solve the crime in a way the justice system would be down with. So. That's my ruling, and I'm sticking to it. It be like that sometimes. Or like, a lot of times, if you work for the X-Files division.)

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Time meaning nothing. Do you often find yourself watching, let's say, a popular 90s sci-fi television show, only to begin questioning how the timeline works out if you're using like, linear time as your metric? Well, this is a public service announcement to let you know that in all things, but ESPECIALLY in popular 90s sci-fi television shows (definitely not naming names), time means nothing. How long has it been since a particular event? Doesn't matter. What year is it? How could it still be that year? How have that many things happened in that short amount of time? Don't worry about it!  Remember — time means nothing, and also nothing matters at all!

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 15 (I'M SORRY, BUT HE LET A MURDERER GO, OK??)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 9

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6 (no, but there was fun dramatic irony of us knowing she was stuck with an infected jesse while she didn't)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 13 (even if trepkos didn't hold him at gunpoint, being at risk of exposure to the spores is instant mortal danger imo) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 13 (i mean, yeah)

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 18 (i actually wasn't going to up this stat, bc i didn't think anything mulder said was really over the line in terms of how you would speak to a coworker/good friend, but then i rewatched the scene where he tells scully he's counting on her to save their lives, and the intensity of his heart eyes was overpowering. between that and him gently cupping her chin at the end, i feel justified in upping the stat)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (wasn't on screen, unfortunately, but at least she's able to do autopsies again!)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2 (reminder that this stat is for when she gets pulled into a hospital to help or starts treating someone's wounds or something) 

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 21

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3 

Total Number of Times People Fight in a Parking Garage: 1

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 4 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2 

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 16 

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 3

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 3

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 3 (no more krycek for right now 😔. but like mulder's projector, i want to believe he will return)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 12½ (could not have even began to guess)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 6