#taz northern migration

[miamaroo]

i hate to be this person and im certain youve gotten this ask a bazillion times over but i really enjoyed northern migration! i hope it updates again soon but if not know that it kept me in suspense pretty much the whole time and i severely severely enjoyed reading it. i felt like a little kid reading percy jackson again and kept having to put it down and pick it back up later cuz i was so excited lol

Actually, this is the first time I’ve gotten an ask like this so you’re golden lol

I’m really touched that you like taz nm so much! It really means a whole lot to me. I’m not sure when I’m going to update again. I’m still interested in finishing the story, especially since there is an end in sight, but my personal life and responsibilities have been overwhelming me. I’ll do my best to do right by the readers who do want me to continue, whether it be continuing the story again or officially ending it with a summary of what would have happened plotwise if I continued it. I’ve done that last one before and people are surprisingly receptive of it, believe it or not. 

I wish I could have a more definitive answer for you, but I honestly don’t even have a definitive answer for myself. I’m sorry, but I hope what little I can say, helps. 

[ladyfl4me]

what other writing inspires you? like other fics or stories?

Hmmmm. I haven’t been doing much new reading lately, outside of stuff I do for my coursework. That being said, there are a lot of works I like to return to. (Sorry about this long, long infodump on my favorite works, but boy howdy do I love these. I’m probably forgetting about five million other things, but those are the ones that come to mind right away.)

As far as fic goes, I used to read a lot of MCU stuff; I even wrote a few in my day, before mainstream fandom got too exhausting/the franchise went to shit and I was swept up by TAZ. I always cite @miamaroo​‘s Northern Migration as the fic that inspired me to take the leap into long-form intricate TAZ AUs. I also adore Seven Raptors by DragonWrites. If I hadn’t discovered these two stories while on a Balance fic binge last year, I definitely wouldn’t have written The Moth who Came In from the Cold. @morganeashton​‘s fic Running Home is also a stunning work that I regret not reading sooner. The chapters are short, but each one blew me away. Morgie paid incredibly close attention to even the most minor characters, fleshing them out in quick brushstrokes of dialogue and action that made me fall in love with the characters in brand new ways. I highly recommend reading it.

Outside of fic, there are three books that I always keep on my desk when I’m looking for inspiration, or just trying to find something to model/use as a guide:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This is a big one. I keep a copy of it on my desk to page through when I have trouble with dialogue, and balancing inner character monologues with external events. It’s also a good book for me to read while trying to work out The Children of Sylvain; I have a lot of moving parts in it, much like American Gods does.

Salamander by Thomas Wharton. I read this one and was like, you can do that?? With words???? Damn, son. It’s about a 18th century book printer who makes novelty books; he gets hired by a duke who’s obsessed with puzzles, to the point that he rigged his entire castle to rearrange its own fucking floor plan like an architectural Rubik’s cube. I’m talking beds leaving their rooms to zip around the castle on rails, in the middle of the night; moving walls; entire bookshelves leaving the library to make loops around the building. Some serious steampunk shit. This duke hires the printer to make a book that never ends, and this quest leads him on a journey across the world to gather the materials to print and bind his book. It is not as boring as it sounds, I promise. I mostly remember it for the lesbian pirate who liberates slave ships, but also for the really good prose, which is one of the reasons why I keep it on the desk for reference.

Sabriel by Garth Nix. Amazing worldbuilding, excellent prose, great characters and relationships, an incredibly compelling narrative and a protagonist on the front cover (of my edition) that I’m very gay for. 

[ID: the cover of the book Sabriel, by Garth Nix. The cover art shows a young white woman, from about the knees up. Her eyes are hooded and pensive. She wears a flowing blue overcoat with white trim, patterned with silver keys. Twelve small bells in protective leather pouches hang from a bandolier across her chest. A scabbard hangs from a belt around her waist; across the bottom of the picture, just barely visible, she holds an unsheathed sword with arcane symbols carved into it. She holds one small bell in her hand. A blurred, formless black shadow with glowing orange slits for eyes reaches towards her shoulder with a gnarled hand. The woman looks slightly over her shoulder, eyes hooded and pensive. End ID.]

The titular protagonist is part of a divine line of necromancers sworn to make sure the dead stay dead. She’s forced to journey from her current residence - a country like WWII-era Europe, except everyone can do magic and has a sword - across the border into the Old Kingdom, when her father goes missing and dead things everywhere start rising. I keep this one around for help with basically everything.

Other passive sources of inspiration for me include:

Lord of the Rings. My first fandom and one I’ll always return to. It informs so, so much of how I structure arcs and characters. It’s a good thing that most of the friends I bounce things off of/write for aren’t super familiar with it, because they’d be able to guess the plot of TCOS in like 5 minutes if they did.

TAZ, of course

the MCU, before the franchise went to shit and I developed critical thinking skills

the Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale (more of an elementary-middle school inspiration for me, which convinced me to take a leap into novel writing. I still have 3 or 4 of the books from this 10-book monolith)

video games:

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

Beyond Good and Evil

Myst, games 1-3

I’m also subscribed to the Poetry Foundation’s poem of the day newsletter, which often sends me something that fucking Gets Me. At the moment, I’ve been really taken with the poems of Catherine Pierce; she came to do a reading at my college recently, and we read her collection The Tornado is the World for my poetry workshop course. I can’t recommend her enough. She’s got a gift for saying a lot in a frank, arresting way. Here’s an excerpt from “The Mother Warns the Tornado,” which is from that book (time to see if tumblr fucks up the formatting):

I will heed the warning

protocol, I will cover him with my body, I will

wait with mattress and flashlight,

but know this: If you come down here—if you splinter your way through our pines,

if you suck the roof off this red-doored ranch,

if you reach out a smoky arm for my child—

I will turn hacksaw. I will turn grenade.

I will invent for you a throat and choke you.

I will find your stupid wicked whirling

head and cut it off. Do not test me.

If you come down here, I will teach you about

greed and hunger. I will slice you into palm-

sized gusts. Then I will feed you to yourself.

Good shit. Reminds me a lot of Mama. I highly recommend giving The Tornado is the World a read! Not every poem in the book is quite as visceral as “The Mother Warns the Tornado;” some are melancholy, some are brash and cocky, some are sad, some are sinister, some are overcome with joy. It’s a beautiful anthology, and I found it very easy to read and relate to. I annotated my copy to hell and back and I’m definitely keeping it for years to come.

I’m going to regret this later, probably, but! If anyone has any recommendations for books, TV shows, podcasts, whatever, send me an ask! I’ll make a list. Or, knowing me, a spreadsheet. Have at thee!

[antoine-roquentin]

For over a year a team of taz reporters has been trying to find an answer to the following questions: Is there a right-wing underground network in Germany in which opponents of the government connect, radicalise, and prepare themselves for armed struggle? Does this network have strong ties to German state authorities, such as the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution – Germany's security agency that is tasked amongst others to safeguard against threats to the national democratic order? Or even to the highest ranks of the German Bundeswehr?

During these investigations, we met so called „preppers“. Preppers are people who stock up on foods like preserved vegetables. We also looked at the inquiry of the Federal Prosecutor’s office whose officers had believed that they had discovered a right-wing terrorist group in Northern Germany. We were able to go through secret telegram chats and were able to speak with men who had been ordering books from far-right publishers – but who nevertheless saw nothing wrong with their declared nationalist German Völkish worldviews.

When we published our first larger text „Kommando Heimatschutz“back in December 2017, we did not yet know the true identity of the person behind the pseudonym Hannibal. We had learned that Hannibal was held to be the administrator of a nationwide chat-network of so called preppers. At that time, we had reasons to ask ourselves if there could be a possibility that „Hannibal“ is an officer serving actively in the German Bundeswehr and moreover, that he may have directly helped to build an underground network from within the German Army. Today we know much more.

We are now aware of Hannibal’s true identity.

André S. was born in 1985 in the city of Halle (Saale), which, back then, was still part of the communist GDR. He became a member of the KSK, in the South West German town Calw. He is also founder and chairman of an association in which elite German combatants meet. It has a postal address in Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia. We also know his surname. Due to his personal rights, we are withholding his full name here.

After one year of investigations, our research leads us to a single conclusion: In many parts of Germany, but also in Switzerland and Austria, groups had been formed that tried to establish what could be seen as a state within a state. Members of these groups are policemen and soldiers, reservists, civil servants and members of intelligence services.

Once they receive a sign, once “Day X“ has arrived, they wanted to be ready to take up arms. That “Day X“ was discussed frequently in their chat-groups. Some of their plans are shockingly explicit. The German news magazine Focus called it an “Underground Army“.

We see different groups that are interconnected like a web, and our research revealed that the individual threads, again and again, led to one single individual: Hannibal.

Who is this Hannibal? How could it be that nationwide extremist cells appear to have been administrated from within the Graf-Zeppelin Barracks in Calw? How is it possible that Hannibal appears to have been warned by the MAD?

Dubious Civil Servants

It is late August in 2017: Officers acting on behalf of the General German Federal Prosecution search homes and offices in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, East Germany. They also search those belonging to a police officer and an attorney. The allegations: Individuals were suspected to have planned the apprehension or „liquidation“ of politicians and other people associated with the wider German political Left. The investigations are still ongoing today.

There is something curious about these raids. Public prosecutors did not entrust this job to civil servants of the North of Germany. There is no state police involved. Not even the state-minister for Interior Affairs of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was notified until the very last moment, just before the raids were about to be carried out.

The raided attorney and police-officer in question did not act alone. Other men were supposed to have been part of this group, for example, a member of the German Special Police (Spezialeinsatzkommando – SEK) as well as a former soldier. In 2017 he still headed a company of the reserves preparing for an assignment at the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July 2017.

These men are all part of a broader group from northern Germany that is ready for national catastrophes such as blackouts, heavy storms, or severe food shortages, any situation really, during which the German State could no longer provide for the safety of its citizens. They usually got together in different online chat-groups. One goes by the name of „Nordkreuz“ („North Cross“), another by „Nord.Com“. Their members discussed vaccine shortages and troop movements in Eastern Europe.

A third group is merely called „Nord“ („North“). The man that supplies this particular group with confidential information and internal reports from the German Bundeswehr is Hannibal. His messages create a feeling of belonging to an inner circle and of enjoying privileges due to the provision of knowledge labelled as confidential and secret.

The fact that groups like these grew in autumn 2015 is certainly no coincidence. It is the time when the migration policy of Germany became a central national topic of debate, no lesser so inside these chatgroups. Members started to discuss, how to fight the official German migration policy.

[energysolutions]

Full-scale development of Yamal’s Kharasaveyskoye field to start in 2019 has been published on Energy Solutions News

New Post has been published on http://www.energybrokers.co.uk/news/gazprom/full-scale-development-of-yamals-kharasaveyskoye-field-to-start-in-2019

Full-scale development of Yamal’s Kharasaveyskoye field to start in 2019

July 12, 2018

Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, today held in Bovanenkovo (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area) a meeting on the pre-development project for the Kharasaveyskoye gas and condensate field and the gas transmission system.

Prior to the meeting, Alexey Miller inspected the construction site of Gas Production Facility No. 3 at the Bovanenkovskoye field and the utility system at Kharasaveyskoye.

The meeting was attended by Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee; Oleg Aksyutin, Vladimir Markov, Vyacheslav Mikhalenko and Sergey Prozorov, Members of the Management Committee and Heads of Departments; Andrey Skrepnyuk and Sergey Pankratov, Heads of Departments; and the heads of Gazprom Dobycha Nadym, Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta, Gazpromtrans, Gazprom Proyektirovaniye and VNIPIgazdobycha.

It was noted that the Yamal Peninsula was of strategic importance to the Russian gas industry and the long-term reliability of gas supplies to consumers. In this region, the Company established and systematically develops a major new gas production center. The Yamal gas production center is on a path toward becoming the largest such center in Russia and replacing the dwindling reserves of the Nadym-Pur-Taz region.

Currently, two gas production facilities are successfully operating at the Bovanenkovskoye field, which forms the basis of the Yamal center. This year will see the launch of the third and final gas production facility, which will bring the field to its design production capacity of 115 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

It was resolved at the meeting to begin the full-scale development of the Kharasaveyskoye field in 2019. Kharasaveyskoye is located north of Bovanenkovskoye, mostly onshore in the Yamal Peninsula and partly offshore in the basin of the Kara Sea. The field is unique thanks to its enormous gas reserves, which amount to 2 trillion cubic meters (C1+C2 categories). Its Cenomanian-Aptian deposits will be a priority, with the start of gas production slated for 2023 at a design capacity of 32 billion cubic meters per year. It is planned to develop the deeper-lying Neocomian-Jurassic deposits later.

By now, Kharasaveyskoye has a utility system with a camp for shift workers and an auxiliary power station. The pre-development project envisages the construction of a comprehensive gas treatment unit, a booster compressor station, clusters of producing gas wells, and transport and power infrastructure. Offshore wells will be drilled from onshore.

Gazprom places increased emphasis on maintaining a high level of industrial safety and preserving the unique Arctic environment. Kharasaveyskoye is characterized by complex geocryological conditions, including thick permafrost and high soil salinity, which makes it especially difficult to set up facilities in the area. In order to avoid the risks of permafrost melting, it is planned to widely use vapor-liquid cooling systems. To prevent permafrost from melting during gas production, wells will be constructed with thermally-insulated tubings and casings. Closed-loop water supply systems will help avoid soil and water pollution. The field’s linear facilities will be provided with special crossings for deer and wildlife migration.

To transmit gas extracted from Kharasaveyskoye, a connecting gas pipeline stretching some 100 kilometers to Bovanenkovskoye will be built. The gas will then be fed into Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System. The Company is already conducting design works to expand the capacities of the northern gas transmission corridor.

Particular attention at the meeting was paid to shipping logistics for the pre-development of Kharasaveyskoye. Over 1.5 million tons of equipment and materials will be delivered to the field during the construction period. In winter, it is planned to use for that purpose the Obskaya – Bovanenkovo railroad and a winter road between the Karskaya station and Kharasaveyskoye. In summer, shipments to the Kharasavey port station will be delivered by sea and river transport.

“The development of the Yamal gas production center is an ambitious strategic goal of national importance. The center is key and essential to the domestic gas industry in the 21st century. It offers a new frame of reference for gas flows in Russia and export markets. Bringing Bovanenkovskoye to its full capacity, exploring Kharasaveyskoye and later the other Yamal-based fields, and expanding the northern gas transmission corridor are all crucial activities for the Company,” said Alexey Miller.

At the end of the meeting, the Company’s specialized structural units were instructed to provide for the commissioning of the Kharasaveyskoye field in 2023.

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration- Chapter 30 (Notes)

Yikes, it’s been a while. I’m not sure I have any excuses beyond that I am a fully realized creation with a multitude of real life responsibilities I am absolutely drowning in. But, hey! This chapter is here and it’s out. Yay for that.

Like always, these notes will contain spoilers, so be sure to read the actual chapter before hitting this guy up. Without any further ado—

I kinda have a niche for interpersonal drama, and this chapter’s usage of Julia and Taako is very illustrative of the reasons why. Julia’s flaws show more intensely when you see them directed at a particular person. I’ve always believed that people by themselves will be generally decent; it’s only when they’re put up against something or someone they don’t like will actual flaws present themselves. Similarly, Taako’s starting to realize that he doesn’t like having so much bitterness towards Julia when he can see himself in her. I just really like character conflict, okay?

I’ve always avoided using DND jargon in dialogue and such because I’ve always felt like it takes me out of the narrative too much. What little jargon I do use, like “spell slots,” I typically mean to be a part of the in-universe slang or terminology for magic users. So, for example, spell slots is an imprecise measuring system magic-users use to not only calculate how much energy a spell will use, but how much energy they have left to use at a certain time.

The scene on the Starblaster was written in two parts: the first back in April, starting from Magnus going to Davenport and ending at the same point it does in the chapter. The second part, the first half wherein Magnus and Stevie are whittling wood, was added within this past week. What happened? I realized belatedly that if I wanted to have Angus disguise himself as Merle, I needed to pre-establish his magic use. Not only that, but I knew that I needed to plant some seeds that would pay off in the next chapter. I can see where the scene splits off, and to me it’s really obvious, but I hope that’s only because I know how it originally looked.

That being said, the original reason Magnus went to Davenport wasn’t for reassurance, but because Lucretia left without getting winter clothes for Angus and Magnus wanted to see if anything Davenport owned would fit him.

Should I have written out that scene where Taako reveals the prophecy he got years ago? Yeah, but we literally just got through a bunch of chapters where people learned a prophecy and were amazed by it. I’m not going to write the same scene again for the, like, fifth time.

I like Sloane. I like her understated friendship with Johann and the fact that she’s kinda the underdog. What a legend.

This fic should be a musical. I feel like I’m writing a song every other chapter. The Crystal Kingdom verse featured here should fit the tune of the original song. I borrowed some of the rhymes from part 3, but honestly, who cares?

Here are some rejected lyrics for the second to last line: “Imprisoned by all my misdeeds” / “My own destruction I foresee” / “A lost legacy I foresee”

Lucretia backstory! It’s hard to believe that I’m 30 chapters in and there’s still light sprinklings of backstory I need to write about. I mean, I still have to cover the formation of the pseudo-BOB and the flashback chapters to how the Starblaster mission came about, but that’s different.

I like the idea that Kravitz’s corporeal form does weird things when you try to mess with it. I also like the idea that Kravitz can shapeshift.

I know people wanted a bigger splash for Johann and, so far, I kinda under-played his presence, but I do have plans for him. Granted, he’s still the Greatest Bard Ever and can kick everyone’s butts. So he’s done something. But if you’re a Johann fan and are upset that he hasn’t done more, have no fear. He will have his time to shine.

Taako and Ren reunion! They actually never had their reunion back in Wonderland (which happened a long time ago holy crap), so it’s finally happening. And again, I am team Taako Really Does Care For Ren, so take your bully!Taako headcanons and get out of here.

Lup

Lup, Lup, Lup.

Where do we start?

I wrote that scene months ago, and I remember not being too happy with it the first time around. Now that I’m looking at it again, I actually really like it. I so this pseudo-stream of consciousness style whenever I try to get into someone’s head during a moment of realization, and I like the way it works here. It really does help what his physically just Taako just staring at an umbrella feel as grand as it should be.

But there’s a particular manipulation of Taako and Lup’s famous “always an outcast, but never alone” that I’m doing that is not only incredibly on brand for me (I do love the manipulation of canon), but also demonstrative of how Taako’s character development is different here than in the show and (to be honest) fanon. I don’t like the narrative that Lup is so important to Taako that her absence destroyed him. I don’t like the idea that restoring his memory of her is what helps him recover. The show itself doesn’t do that to a serious degree, but I see a lot of fics play up that angle for angst. So my intention is to do what the show did, which is letting Taako learn how to love but doing it times 10.

I’m not sure how else to articulate this, and at this rate, I’m going to have to come back with a clarification to really convey my thoughts on this. Because Taako’s development is that he learns that he is loved no matter what, and that’s his happy ending.  But here, his development is centered on this idea that he is an extremely emotional person who does not want to be emotional. And he does this by slipping into denial. So to have Taako make a connection with Ren is demonstrative that he’s learning to accept that he cares about people. Putting him back on the Starblaster where there is still a lot of bitterness causes him to double down on denying how much he loves the people he’s upset with. And he needs to learn if he wants to be loved in return.

I don’t know how else to put it.

 And that’s it! Unfortunately, there isn’t going to be a preview for the next chapter since literally every scene involves a reveal. I will tell you that we’re definitely in the latter half of the fic. There’s no definitive outline, but every time I do a count in my head, I can only see around 20 more chapters, which would put us a little over the halfway point. So while we still have this, an interlude, and another relic arc before the finale: the end is nonetheless finally within sight!

And Barry is still kidnapped.

Fuck.

[miamaroo]

⭐ gimme the deetz

okay, you wanna know something I’ve wanted to break down for a while?? That moment when Ren “sees” all of Lup’s history. That’s one heck of a scene to talk about, so I’m just going to break it down line by line.

This is her response: a memory of a flat disc—a plane—swallowed by a living storm, a hunger eating it from within. There are seven on the ship, escaping through the reaches of the universe. 

Obviously, this is a throwback to the famous Seven Birds speech, which is a little funny to think about considering a similar prophecy is given later in the chapter. The trick here is that Ren can’t learn everything explicitly because looking too deep into the workings of the universe will make her lose her mind and probably die (like Maureen). You can kind of see this restriction apply throughout the rest of the paragraph as I try to make it clear to the reader what is going on while keeping it vague enough that Ren won’t lose her mind. 

All the places they’ve seen— planes of people, planes of flames, planes orbiting each other in a dance, planes of places never to be seen, planes of everything, planes of nothing—and it’s too much—the picture changes. 

You get this little moment here building up the idea that knowing about so many realities will ruin someone’s mind. I remember reading a fan theory somewhere that the reason this information is so damaging is that it was erased by the Voidfish, but I personally like the drama of a Lovecraftian, forbidden knowledge much more. 

There are seven, but there are twins. One a philosopher, guarded behind the fabrications of his thoughts. Dressed in red. All in red. 

Naturally, this is a reference to Taako. He’s been the common link between Ren and Lup, so he’s used as a means to anchor Ren. I refer to him as a philosopher here because that is the part of him Ren understands the most. She doesn’t view Taako mainly as a skilled wizard or transmutation expert, but as a man who thinks deeply about the world. 

“Fabrications” was a very purposeful word choice on my part since it not only establishes Ren’s understanding of all the lies Taako tells himself, but it’s related to “fabric,” which firmly links his idiosyncrasies with his uniform and therefore his role on the Starblaster. This is carried through with the idea of him being dressed in red, and “all in red.” When someone is in all red, it alludes violence and guilt. Red is the color of blood. It’s anger and hatred. Taako is a part of the Red Robes, and as such is a part of a horrible history of heroes who failed to save the day. And Ren may not understand that last part fully, but she understands that Lup is linking their work to save the universe as a horrible task. 

At his side is a woman. She’s smart, she’s beautiful, she’s dead, she’s alive, she’s dead, she’s fighting, she’s escaping, she’s laughing, and she’s dead—

And finally, we have Lup. If this was a movie, this right here would be a montage of scenes from the Stolen Century. I like the repetition of “she’s dead” the most since it not only emphasizes the nature of the cycles, but also her later state of undeadness. 

she’s in love, and the beat of a passionate heart lies in a man who twists his wedding ring when he’s worried, who’s as stuck in a loop as she. 

And here’s Barry. His wedding ring is a constant symbol of his longing for Lup, as stated fairly clearly here.

One thing I wanted to do that I feel like I failed at is do a little wordplay between “loop” and Lup.” The cycles are like time loops, but to say that he’s “stuck in a loop” also asks the reader to note that he’s stuck the idea of Lup. Now that I’m going back to this paragraph, I think I could have done a lot more with the wordplay, but maybe the way it is now (that is, subtle) works to it’s advantage. There’s nothing worse than a writer smacking you over the head with an obvious literary device. 

She’s living, then she’s dead, then she’s both at once—nothing and everything in a world that makes no sense. 

Now Lup is showing that she’s a lich, though the exact concept is somewhat lost on Ren. Saying she’s “nothing and everything” not only draws attention to the inherent paradox that being a lich embodies, but also the existential irony of Lup’s existence. She’s so important to Barry and Taako, but as of right now, she’s literally living a questionable existence. 

But there’s guilt. The plane of guilt. And war. And life. And freedom. And guilt. And death. And she’s lost—trapped by a metaphor. An allegory, a fitting defeat. Trapped and yearning, but now she’s here, and she’s asking, she’s pleading, she’s—

And we finally end with her arrival to Faerun and how the Grand Relics affected her. She created a plan that would give her family freedom from the cycles, but in doing so, created so much catastrophe. In a way, being trapped by the umbra staff is a fitting “punishment.” She trapped the world with her weapons, and now one of her weapons have imprisoned her. 

Of course, as I’m sure I mentioned in my notes for the chapter, the last line is in reference to the motif of the phrase “she is Lup.” Her greatest act of rebellion against the world is her very existence. Bu simply being herself, she is a symbol of strength. She endows her husband and brother with the courage to do so much. She is Lup, and that fact within itself is incredible.

And that’s all I have to say about this one scene. I’m sure none of it is nothing new, but it was still pretty fun to go over again. Thanks for asking!

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration- Chapter 18 (Notes + Preview)

This is an extra long chapter because I not only felt like treating you guys to something special, but also that splitting it up would’ve definitely ruined the pacing. Either way, there are now even more things I have to say about this than normal, so let’s get started. 

Spoilers Ahead!

So here we are with the very last Ren/Taako flashback scene. I hope this has lived up to expectations. Because I was not about to write another Wonderland sequence, I cheated and used the games and format from the show. Since Ren and Taako had a year of adventuring together, I feel like Monster Factory is a sensible match for them anyway so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. But if you think I only did it to avoid having to write through a bunch of games, you'll be right.

Charmed Person is a scary spell. I originally was going to have Taako press the button before using a spell to launch Ren onto the platform, but Wonderland has this whole thing about the person doing the thing being required to go through with it, so I presume the button to escape is exactly the same.

I think Ren also has a high charisma score, hence why Taako had to hurt her before she was distracted enough to fail her save.

Fun fact: originally, Avi and Davenport's game was going to be a round of poker where they had to bet using sacrifices from the wheel on their teammates, but this was cut for a variety of reasons-- that idea was originally for a hypothetical campaign I will never run, I failed to establish Davenport's love of card games and gambling in the story, and I really wanted to use the fact that they're both engineers.

After I wrote the Johann/Sloane scene, I went onto the Adventure Zone wikipedia and realized that Sloane's weapon is a whip. But I already sort of fell in love with my harpoon/gauntlet idea, so I'm just going to take creative liberties.

I know everyone knowing each other is annoying, but Avi's connection to Sloane has been planned since the beginning! I can't quit it now!

Also, hey! It's taken me forever to write a scene with Johann as the main focus. I can finally shoe in one of the themes for this story. I can also miss my opportunity to casually drop the fact that Johann has a MASSIVE CRUSH ON AVI ONCE AGAIN but I'll fix that next chapter.

Okay, time to break down that train scene. This is going to be a lot.

So with the atmosphere, I really was trying to convey in the least amount of words possible something similar to the dream funeral scene in Heathers. If you haven't seen that movie yet, don't worry about it.

I know Griffin is against the idea of Davenport's first name being Drew (or in this case, Andrew), but I really like what the idea of him having this sort of forgotten first name means for his character. The fact that no one, not even Merle, calls him Andrew and yet the illusion of his mother does (and the reaction he has to that), is important and demostrates a lot of how closed off he is emotionally to everyone he cares about.

Don Burnsides! In case it wasn't clear enough in the text, this is Magnus's dad. I have to grand scheme in my head of what the two-sunned planet (Tusolia) is like, what everyone's backgrounds is, and how the Starblaster mission came to be. I have plans for doing an entire chapter in as a flashback that will basically walk us through Barry's life story, starting with him first joining IPRE at eightteen and ending in his forties when the Hunger comes. If you can't tell already, I'm very excited for it and I couldn't resist including just the tiniest bit of reference to it. Unfortunately, that chapter is still a long ways off so don't get too excited just yet.

And yes, I know Travis said that Magnus is an only child but that's stupid. Magnus has an obvious case of middle child syndrome, and I will make him have eleven brothers and sisters. No powers on earth will change my mind on this.

If having a harpoon in his shoulder isn't obvious enough, Avi saw an illusion of Sloane on his train. She wasn't too happy with him.

And finally, that cliffhanger. Next chapter will feature more details about how that sacrifice has resulted in Davenport becoming the wordless one. That explanation, however, is a spoiler so I'm not going to reveal it just yet.

Most of the chapter titles for this fic is going to be meaningless, but I like this one (In Which Davenport Hears His Name) since it shows that each of the turning points for the chapter correlates with when his name is spoken out loud, whether it’s being called captain by Avi or hearing his first name for the first time in years. 

Also, do note that back in chapter one, when I rewrote the seven birds speech and gave everyone new titles, Davenport's never changed. That's right. I've had this planned since the beginning. I'm sorry.

Next chapter is going to take a bit longer to get out since I need to work on some other stuff for a bit, so please enjoy this short sampling from the next chapter to staunch your appetite. 

“Here’s your lunch,” Johann says, placing the plate on top of the splayed pages.

“Uh, thank you.” Sildar adjusts the clunky glasses on his nose, giving a smile that wants to be at ease but is mostly strained. “Did you make it?”

Ren made it, making sure to mark on the side of the container how to reheat it. She doesn’t trust anyone to cook without her around. Johann shrugs in response, burying his hands in his pockets as he starts to walk away.

“Hey, wait.” He hears how Sildar shifts in the bed, setting aside both the book and the plate of food. “Can you just open the window please? It gets pretty stuffy in here and everything and—”

“Yeah, dude. Sure.” Johann marches back to the window, pretending not to notice how Sildar scrutinizes every inch of his skin. He unlocks the window and slides it upwards. Cooler air floods the room.

“Shaving accident?”

“What?” Johann says.

Sildar points to the junction of his chin and neck—where the bandage sits on his neck. He drips with earnestness as he says, “Looks nasty. I’ve never been good at it myself.”

Johann places a hand over the bandage, feeling a new flush travel from the tips of his ears down the column of his neck. “Yeah, dude. Sure.”

There’s a loud shout—distant, but harsh. Following it, the nasty crash of glass shattering into a million pieces.

Johann looks out the window, pressing his cheek as close to it as he so that he can look directly down. An inconspicuous battlewagon sits with its motor still running in front of the store. A couple of thugs in familiar looking black leather jackets linger by it while others file inside. The ruckus of whatever they’re doing to Leon follows it.  

“Shit!” Johann races out of the room, ignoring Sildar’s shouts of confusion as he bolts into his own bedroom. His violin sits on his bed, and he’s quick to grab it and its bow before making his way back into the living room. He makes it just in time to see the door to the stairs burst open.

Johann sticks his violin under his chin and plays a powerful note.

[miamaroo]

you're trying to kill me. I know you are, you must be. this fic is fucking lethal and i cant get enough and i just need to see my burnsides family reunite ily thanks for pain

me, dragging you to the back before i shoot you like old yeller: damn son, check out that next chapter preview 

[miamaroo]

So I always write a chapter ahead. Like I have to since I don’t keep an outline for nm and I sometimes have to go in and rearrange scenes between chapters to make things flow.

So my problem is that I’m so close to finishing chapter 21 but it’s so freaking long that it’s literally burned me out. So I think I’m going to post chapter 20 tomorrow so that I can sort of clear my head and get back into the groove of things. Will this maybe fuck me up in the long run? Yeah. But like I gotta it’s driving me nuts that I only need to write another few pages and I can’t because I’m just so DONE

[miamaroo]

i LOVED the battle pov switches. they felt very organic and flowed well imo. im also pretty much always pro john redemption but!!! this is a very different universe than canon! and he is in fact manipulating a small child! idk how ill feel about him after a few of these scene! (also i forgot to mention this in my ao3 comment but i really enjoyed the part where john kept mentioning Our Planet things)

ALSO FUCK I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS IN BOTH OF MY COMMENTS BUT: ren’s “three two one let’s go” made me LOSE MY MIND i was dying its just,,, such an excellent little part

lol you’re just having the worst of luck when it comes to writing these things

But hey! I’m glad you picked up on the reason why i made him mention fleetwood mac and tea bags. I really want to do a chapter someday where we explore his past but in case that never happens, i wanted to make sure that there’s hints pointing towards the idea that John is from our world. 

And, yeah. John’s kinda hitting a bunch of different balls this time around. I’m going to pay attention to what everyone thinks about him and see if him being redeemed will even be possible because I do like how Griffin let John try to make things right at the very end, but the John in NM is also going to try to pull a fast on over a ten year old so we’ll have to see what happens

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration- Chapter 16 (Note + Preview)

You can’t believe I’m already updating? Neither can I! There’s a lot of parts of this chapter that came to me really easily, and I can only hope that you guys have as much fun reading them as I did writing them. As always, before you give the rest of this post a read over, please read the actual chapter beforehand so that you’ll actually know what the heck I’m talking about.

Spoilers Ahead!

I just want to mention that this scene with Taako and Ren originally went on for so much longer than it does here. There was about twice the amount of bantering and an entire scene with Johann that I had to cut due to space. Knowing that this scene used to look like, this genuinely feels like the bare bones of what I wanted to write.

So why cut it down so much? I originally planned for it to be about 1.5K words long. It was 4.5K. I managed to just about cut it in half, but still. A lot of this arc is going to be weirdly paced now that this took over more space here than it should have. As you may have guessed, I did not take into account needing to write not only the Wonderland scenes but also advance all 20 of my subplots before deciding to spread the Taako and Ren backstory throughout the arc.

I’m still not going to make an outline lmao

Since he’s dead, I’m legally obligated to feature Brian as much as I can during flashback scenes. I love him and I’m sad he had to die off screen back in chapter 2.

I set up about two chapters ago that Taako is a strong enough wizard to make Ren susceptible to sleeping spells. That actually did not come out of left field.

I don’t actually know what I can say about the Wonderland scenes. I definitely feel like the fighting here is better than it was in the last arc, though trust me when I say that the goofiness of the glass shark reference is not lost on me. I got to make it even more MBMBAM filled than it already is.

Okay, so let’s talk about Sloane and Hurley. I’ve always wanted to put them in this fic, especially since this is an ensemble story so I have no reason not to feature them. The problem came in how they were originally in a plotline with Angus that I ended up changing at the last minute in order to do something else with his character. Without really knowing where I was going to go with their storyline now, I ended up putting off their introductions over and over again until finally figuring out where they were going to piece into things. The problem then became that, unlike Isaak who I introduced long before his plot is really going to get started, they’re now being introduced one chapter and then basically springing into their storyline right away. It’s technically better pacing to not let things just sit like I have been, but I am aware of how really quickly inserting them in is going to make it seem like their plot is rushed and shoved in there. So, to everyone out there, I’m sorry. I’m just a damn fool who can’t make up her mind with what she wants to do with certain characters.

Also, I should talk about Sloane’s characterization. So after looking over some of Sloane’s scenes again, I kind of realize that Griffin didn’t really give us a lot on her. I can presume a lot about her based upon her being a thief and such, but beyond that? There’s not a lot. We do know that she fell to the Gaia Sash’s thrall because it offered her power. I really focused in on that idea for her characterization, sort of incorporating what fanon says is her personality with this sense of powerlessness. I hope it works as well as I hope it does.

And, lastly, here’s the preview for the next chapter:

Six bulbs gleam over the Wheel of Sacrifice.

“You’re kidding!” Davenport exclaims, struggling to his uncertain feet. He squints at the lights, as if his bad vision will clear and it will just all be a misunderstanding. “That’s nuts!”

Lydia rolls her shoulders, humming a note as she sways in a little dance. “Wonderland is all about giving up the things you don’t need in order to get the things you want,” she says. “If you don’t think there’s anything else to give up, you’re free to leave. But the Animus Bell will go to those, mmm, other people by default. And aren’t you on some sort of god given mission?” She turns away. “But what do I know? If you want to leave, then I’ll point you to the door.”

“Captain,” Lucretia says. She kneels next to Julia, sorting through her bag for her mundane medical kit. Even if she can’t heal, she can at least stop the bleeding. “This feels bad.”

“Totally, but we gotta keep going.” Julia bites back a groan as she turns herself over, able to face the wheel. “That whole last round was on me and I messed up. You both have a hundred years more experience that any of those guys. It has—” She coughs, a little spurt of blood dripping down her chin. “It has to get better.”

“We can only pray,” Davenport says. “But we still have six spins.”

“That’s two each,” Julia says.

“Or it’s three for Davenport and me, and none for you.” Lucretia starts unspooling a roll of white bandages. “Julia, you’re barely alive right now. We can’t make you do that.”

Julia huffs. “Well, you’ve two options. You fix me up and let me have my share, or I get up right now, march over there, and spin as many times as I can before I die from blood loss.”

Lucretia scowls. “I will not hesitate to cast hold person on you.”

“Julia, we’ll see how you’re feeling in a bit. If you’re fine, you can go last.” Davenport ignores how Lucretia mutters under her breath, focusing on adjusting his red uniform so that he can have some semblance of dignity. He combs his fingers through his hair, adjusts his mustache, then marches over to the wheel. “Alright, Lydia. I’m ready.”

She grins, large and broad like a Cheshire cat. “And here I was thinking you were going to quit on me. You’re very noble, captain.”

He doesn’t respond, merely taking the wheel in hand and giving it a hearty push.

The wheel clicks and clacks as it spins, the colors shifting as an optical illusion before it slows to a stop. Instinctively, he steps forward, trying to make out the symbol through his blurry vision.

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Lydia says.

[miamaroo]

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Davenport/Merle Highchurch, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Starblaster Family, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: The Director | Lucretia, Magnus Burnsides, Davenport (The Adventure Zone), Merle Highchurch, Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup (The Adventure Zone), Barry Bluejeans, Julia Burnsides, The Hunger | John, Avi (The Adventure Zone), Killian (The Adventure Zone), Ren (The Adventure Zone), Johan (The Adventure Zone), Angus McDonald, Ensemble, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Spoilers for taz balance, Angst and Humor, Team as Family, What if Lucretia doesn’t wipe everyone’s memories and the IPRE get to hunt down the relics together

Summary:They erased all knowledge of the Grand Relics, ending the war their attempts to stall the apocalypse had caused. Knowing that the world is finally saved from both the Hunger and themselves, the Seven Birds go their separate ways. They start families, change careers, and seek retirement. It's not all happy, but it's the simple life they've earned. For a while, everything is great.

Until the Hunger finds them.

Now the Seven Birds have one year to reclaim all their relics and stop the apocalypse from happening again. Coming out of retirement is never easy, but when you're travelers from another plane, there's no one else who can do the job better. Or, so they say.

Hey, it’s a new chapter! Why not roll on over and give this a quick little read?

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration Chapter 15 (Notes + Preview)

  We’re finally inside Wonderland, so you know what that means! I hope everyone is ready and geared up for what is ultimately going to be a very strange version of everyone’s most painful taz arc. Like always, these notes are going to contain spoilers for the new chapter, so make sure to read that first before giving this a read. You have been warned.

Spoilers Ahead!

I think that given the fact that both Taako and Lucretia were wandering Faerun at the same time in search of the same person, it would be a little strange if they didn’t run into each other at some point. I think this scene kind of highlights one of the things I find to be the most interesting part of Taako—how little of a grasp he has on his own emotions. He seems like someone who is guided by really strong feelings, but he doesn’t want to be so he has to twist his logic around to make it seem like he’s in the right. He sort of knows deep down at his anger towards his family has reached irrationality, but it’s easier on himself to just believe that he still has a reason to be upset. This is probably a bonkers interpretation of his character, but it’s a tad too late for me to back out on it now.

Ren doesn’t remember meeting Lucretia because, honestly, it was a long time ago. She hasn’t really put two and two together yet.

Sorry for all the sudden scene changes throughout this chapter. If I wrote out everything in detail like I usually do, we wouldn’t have gotten to Wonderland this chapter.

Carey isn’t gone! We’ll come back to her!

I am legally obligated to have a Magnus and Julia scene every arc where they’re just being a good couple. 

FYI, Davenport got a new wand off screen. I was supposed to have mentioned Magnus and Stevie picking up a new wand for him when they were shopping a few chapters back and I forgot like the damn fool I am.

Fun fact, originally they were going to meet up with Killian, Avi, and Ren outside of Wonderland via realizing that they were being followed. I cut this out for logistical reasons, but there was going to be a gag where everyone got a billboard with their chosen reward on it. Ren’s was going to be an image of one of the Wonderland elves holding a finger over their lips that says “you know” (like the Griffin meme) in order to imply that Taako’s life could be won back. I’m sad that this joke was cut, but ultimately the chapter works better this way.

Okay, this is going to be a whole can of worms. But let’s talk about the actual changes to the Wonderland formula I had to make. As we know, I try not to do a retelling of the podcast. I think it’s both boring to read and impossible with how many changes I’ve already made. So I felt like I couldn’t do Monster Factory again. This time around, our heroes haven’t had forty odd episodes of hunting down monsters. Having a tournament where they can go up against characters that we already know the motivations and abilities of works better thematically. And, honestly, the added drama of that is going to work better in print than a straight up DND fight will. Luckily, in canon we know that the trials of Wonderland changes based upon who’s competing so I hope that this at least isn’t coming out of nowhere.

Trust and Forsake was also met with an unfortunate cut from the story. I tried making it work here, but the fact that it wouldn’t be anonymous really detracted from its effectiveness. It ended up just making the whole process feel bloated. Hopefully, the tournament style will make up for the lost drama.

Also I will mention now that I’m going to do my best to keep the whole tournament MBMBAM themed. 

And, finally, we’re at the wheel spins for Killian, Avi, and Ren. As mentioned in the chapter, Avi took one of Ren’s spins because he didn’t want her to lose any more than she already has. So he got hand and brain which means he lost his left thumb (which will really hurt his ability to do his engineering work) and the knowledge of why he wanted to try to become a member of the militia in the first place. We haven’t really covered much about that yet in his backstory, but just know that he did some things he regrets in order to make it as far as he did in the process. Killian, meanwhile, landed on eye. She sacrificed her ability to see color.

One final note: yes, the spins are going to be a lot meaner than they were in the show. This was still a fairly nice round, though I did try to raise the gravity of it by having Edward not give glasses to Davenport and having Lydia take Avi’s thumb (which is a very important finger). It will get worse, trust me.

And that’s that. That was a whole heck of a lot to go over. Wow. Anyways, here’s your preview for the next chapter. Until next time!

Music that rattles the space between their bones pulses through the air, matching the flashing neon lights as the crowd roars their enthusiasm. Lucretia still tries to yank her feet out of the metal binding her to the ground as Davenport keeps a wary eye between where the Wonderland elves lounge on their thrones to where their enemy team stands in a similar state of frantic confusion.

Julia has her shield in one hand and her sword in another, taking a step back so that she can hear over the music. “Guys, what do I do?” she asks. “This is sadistic.”

“I don’t think they’re going to attack us yet,” Davenport says.

“I can’t get this to…” Lucretia groans and pulls out her wand, muttering angry words under her breath as she fires a spell. The blue sparks of her magic zip over the metal before crackling, turning black as it ricochet’s up her leg. She yelps, dropping her wand as she tendons go rigid.

“Careful.” Julia scoops the wand off the ground and hands it back to her, smoothing her hand over Lucretia’s cheek and shoulder. “Istus all mighty—are you alright?”

“Yes. Thank you.” She winces, squirming as she continues to try to free her legs. “Damn it. That was supposed to be an unlocking spell.”

Up on the elevated dais. Edward throws a lazy head back as he holds up a goblet of wine. “Dear Lydia,” he says. “This is getting a bit boring. I don’t think either team is taking this game too seriously.”

Lydia hums. A wicked grin curls through her lips. “I think it’s time we raise the stakes a bit.” She rises from her throne, coming to the edge of the dais so that the spotlight can shine on her. “For this game, we’re going to need some volunteers from the audience.”

From the audience encircling the arena, beams of light arc through the air—about half a hundred. They strike the ground like meteors, bluish smoke wafting into the air as humanoid figures rise from the wreckage. “A quick rule change—now we’re going to have some new participants playing alongside you guys. If any of them hit either button, then you both will lose and face the penalty.” She flicks her half curtain of hair. “I suggest you protect your button very carefully.”

[miamaroo]

Chapters: 16/? Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Davenport/Merle Highchurch, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Starblaster Family, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: The Director | Lucretia, Magnus Burnsides, Davenport (The Adventure Zone), Merle Highchurch, Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup (The Adventure Zone), Barry Bluejeans, Julia Burnsides, The Hunger | John, Avi (The Adventure Zone), Killian (The Adventure Zone), Ren (The Adventure Zone), Johan (The Adventure Zone), Angus McDonald, Ensemble, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Spoilers for taz balance, Angst and Humor, Team as Family, What if Lucretia doesn’t wipe everyone’s memories and the IPRE get to hunt down the relics together

Summary: They erased all knowledge of the Grand Relics, ending the war their attempts to stall the apocalypse had caused. Knowing that the world is finally saved from both the Hunger and themselves, the Seven Birds go their separate ways. They start families, change careers, and seek retirement. It's not all happy, but it's the simple life they've earned. For a while, everything is great.

Until the Hunger finds them.

Now the Seven Birds have one year to reclaim all their relics and stop the apocalypse from happening again. Coming out of retirement is never easy, but when you're travelers from another plane, there's no one else who can do the job better. Or, so they say.

I Can’t Believe It’s a New Chapter ™ ! 

Please go give it a read! Love ya!

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration: Chapter 13 Notes + Next Chapter Preview

  It’s finally here! The start of the next relic arc. I hope you guys are ready for everything is arc is going to contain, because I’ve sure as hell been dying to get to it. Remember to give the chapter [13: In Which Julia Receives a Very Special Invitation] a read before looking through this as there are many spoilers within.

Spoilers Ahead!

Angus MacDonald is back in the story, now with backstory! I know that most people stick to a runaway narrative for him, but with all the world building I’ve been doing with the lords, I figured that it would be more fitting to give Angus a noble title. In case it was unclear: noble titles in Faerun are based solely on land ownership. Since Angus’s grandfather gambled away all of the lands, Angus has essentially lost his right to lordship. He definitely doesn’t mind, though. He much rather prefers being a detective.

For anyone curious, Angus’s other mom is named Adeline. All of his family members are named in honor of Sherlock Holmes references (Irene and Adeline for Irene Adler; Benedict MacDonald for you know).

One day, I’m going to figure out a way to get the entire psuedo-BOB origin story nicely incorporated into this fic without having to make, like, a really big one shot for it. There’s a lot that went into this ragtag team finding each other and stumbling upon this common goal. But it’s also more fun to just reveal everything about it in bits and pieces, so…

Can I just ignore the character arc Artemis Sterling had in the original show and give him a new one? Is that legal? Can I do that?

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s something innately satisfying about writing Magnus as a very good but also very unsure dad. It’s made even better by the fact that I was that kind of kid that never spoke up about her feelings even when being asked about them. It’s just fun, guys.

The story of the Bard and the Raven Queen is actually more than just fluffy world building. Give it ten chapters and you’ll see how relevant it’s going to be.

Brad Bradson was bound to be a minor character in this. I know it must be getting annoying that everyone seems to know each other in one form or another, but like. It’s such an easy way out of having to write character introductions. Let me live.

This Taako reveal scene has literally been planned since the beginning, down to have Julia be the first one to find him. While I think I could’ve added a bit more tension to all of it, I’m also fairly happy with how it came out. 

Yes, you’re suppose to have figure out by now pretty much exactly what happened to Taako. We’re not keeping any of this a coy secret. I want you all to feel the tension of everyone in the story not realizing the truth. Consider yourselves lucky because I almost didn’t include the Taako POV scene a few chapters back. Imagine getting all of this without any foreshadowing. Imagine.

And lastly, here’s a preview of the next chapter:

When Julia wakes up, she sees both Brad and the dragonborn woman from the bar crouching next to her. Brad has a hand hovering over her chest, whistling through a song of healing. She blinks, head swimming when his eyes meets her. “How are you feeling?” he asks.

“Uh…” The lamp above her head is too bright, and she squints to alieve the pain the glow of its fire causes. She tried to lift an arm, but gasps when her muscles scream their protest. “Holy fucking shit—fuck that’s a bitch.”

“I called Magnus,” Brad says. “He says he’s coming, so just hang in there tight.”

Julia makes a noise that could be an agreement, feeling herself sink deeper into the rumble. Her head clears more, and she can start to see how the wall of the tavern had crumbled from the impact. A particular broken wood board digs into her back, and she wants nothing more than to get it away from her, but the slightest twitch of her fingers makes jolts of agony travel through her nerves. People try to stare and spectate, but the dragonborn woman glares until many feel too embarrassed to stay. Julia swallows, gathering the strength to raise her voice above Brad’s whistling. “Hey,” she croaks. “What—who are you?”

Yellow eyes dart to her. “Just a rogue who’s kinda curious.” She holds up a blue envelop, one garnished in an overload of glitter and calligraphy. “So just to let you know—I read this and it’s kinda fucked up.”

“Julia!” Magnus pushes his way through the tavern door, knocking aside a poor dwarf trying to leave. He’s pale, soaking wet as his chest heaves. Stevie sits on his back, trying to clutch both their wet shopping bags and his shirt for dear life. Julia’s sure he ran from the craftsmen district to downtown in the pouring rain, a fact she’s only more sure of the moment he sees her. He gasps, somehow getting paler, and barrels through the tables and chairs littering his path. “Oh my god—Jules, are you alright?”

[miamaroo]

Chapters: 13/? Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Davenport/Merle Highchurch, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Starblaster Family, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Spoilers for taz balance, Angst and Humor, Team as Family, What if Lucretia doesn’t wipe everyone’s memories and the IPRE get to hunt down the relics together

Summary:They erased all knowledge of the Grand Relics, ending the war their attempts to stall the apocalypse had caused. Knowing that the world is finally saved from both the Hunger and themselves, the Seven Birds go their separate ways. They start families, change careers, and seek retirement. It's not all happy, but it's the simple life they've earned. For a while, everything is great.

Until the Hunger finds them.

Now the Seven Birds have one year to reclaim all their relics and stop the apocalypse from happening again. Coming out of retirement is never easy, but when you're travelers from another plane, there's no one else who can do the job better. Or, so they say.

Sorry for the long wait between chapters! I had to work on another project for a bit, but now I’m back (mostly)! Go give it a read!