Coming all the way from Vancouver, Canada I recently had the great blessing to be able to stay in NYC for 6 days and here is the list of places I ate at and my short reviews:
Night 1
NR ramen cocktail bar in the UES. We went there last year and had a bit more enjoyable of an experience then due to the great service (thank you Ray!) but as per this time, the ramen was still good (nice chewy noodles and rich broth) and the cocktails inventive and on point. Wish they would do dessert. Really busy spot and I was happy to see others enjoying this fun ramen bar. 7/10.
Day 2
Rule of Thirds in Brooklyn. Brunch with cocktails, Japanese breakfast for my daughter and the souffle pancake for myself. Wife had... I forget. Everyone was happy. I really loved the cucumber side dish. The pancake was not as good as what I have had at a Japanese chain place called Gram but it was decent. Overall the room was great, service nice and the location a hit as we did a bunch of vintage shopping in Williamsburg right after. 7/10.
Night 2
Atomix. Wow. Just wow. Dream like atmosphere and the service was fantastic. The food was inventive, challenging and at all times delicious. There was a tuna, caviar and snap pea dish that blew my mind. They also made sea cucumber delicious. How is that even possible? The matcha cocktail was another scene stealer. And the rice cream dessert with fresh black truffle shavings, come on. Pure heaven. I have been a fan of Korean food for a long time. This version of Korean fine dining was something special. 10/10. Highest recommendation. I will never forget this meal.
Day 3
Hop Kee in Chinatown for lunch. This was a misstep. The portions were big but not delicious. Thr service was laughably atrocious but at least endearing. The server delivered the wonton soup and then began to dig around in it after it was on the table to make sure we got duck meat. We had in fact but wish we hadn't. The duck tasted gamey. The salt and pepper squid dish was rough. The prominent flavors here were salt and grease. The rest of the meal went about the same. We left wondering how any one could recommend this place. Is this the typical quality of Chinese food in NYC? If so, Vancouver blows it outta the water. 2 outta 10 as the free tea was nice as it helped us digest all the grease. Kinda cool to get fortune cookies too. Reminded me of when I was a kid.
Night 3
Keen's Steakhouse. We absolutely loved the meal and the experience of eating at this NYC institution. I took on the challenge of the mutton chop and did my best with that delicious beast of a dish. My wife and daughter split a massive T-bone and barely got through it. Creamed spinach and mashed potatoes for sides were both perfect and the Pimms went down smooth. House made carrot cake for dessert was a hit. Our server Thomas was fantastic. The place is fun. The prices more than fair. I cannot wait to return someday. 10/10.
Day 4
Off to Washington DC for the day but we did Liberty bagels for breakfast and those were well enjoyed on our Amtrak ride. I won't grade bagels though as I am not an expert. I pretty much have never had a bad bagel from a bagel shop that serves them fresh.
Day 5
Clocktower restaurant for breakfast. This was a mistake. Overpaid for a really sad excuse of a breakfast. I have had better instant oatmeal. Coffee was nice and regularly refilled. But I would never go back. 15 dollars for a smoothie in a oversized shot glass. What was I thinking. Yikes. 1/10.
Sushi 35 West for lunch number 1. Wow. Best sushi I have had in North American including a recent Michelin star winning place in Vancouver. We scoffed down this amazingly delicious fresh and fast food find in Herald Park. Every bite was superb. If I lived in NYC, I would be eating here 5 times a week easily. And for the prices, it is probably the best deal in town. 10/10.
Chick fil-A for lunch number 2. Daughter had to have the nuggets. Hey it is what it is. 5/10.
Papaya King for lunch number 3. The special combo with the Papaya drink, all scoffed down super quickly so we could get outta here and back to the hotel to rest up for our late dinner. It was my third visit and I place I will religiously return to every time I am back in NYC. It is a damn good hot dog and drink. Simple as that. 7/10.
Night 5
Eleven Madison Park. The all plant based menu had me hesitant to book EMP but given its proximity to our hotel I felt like I should book it since I kept asking myself when would we have the chance to do it again. I am so glad we did. Although the meal had some dishes far better than others, the room itself, the elite level of service (thank you Brandon) and the overall experience was one of a kind. The abundance of truffles on the menu and the truffle cocktail (called the mushroom) were heavenly. And the granola gift at the end is a perfect way to end a one of a kind experience. I appreciate you plants! I truly appreciate you. 10/10.
Day 6
Katz's Deli. Best pastrami this side of Schwartz's in Montreal. Loved the space and the experience. Price is crazy at 26 bux but we split the sandwich in 3 and all felt full leaving. The cherry sodas and the pickles were also great. 8/10.
Russ and Daughters for bagels and an egg cream. Loved this place and don't regret that egg cream no matter my lactose intolerance. Totally worth it.
Shake Shack at the airport for burgers and fries. Perfect way to end the trip. I have yet to eat a bad burger from SS. 7/10.
If you got through all that, thanks and also I hope some of these reviews help others in deciding where or where not to eat when visiting the amazing food mecca that is NYC. I will be back someday and Sushi 35 West better still be there!! Mama Mia, that sushi....

This is my second year of bingo, so naturally I had to extra challenge myself and do a themed card this time. I set out to do strictly re-tellings, but I ended up broadening the category to include strongly inspired by or incorporating folk tales or mythology. It’s a category I read a lot in anyway, and I love that the genre is exploding to include cultures world-wide. And yet somehow I only ended up with 13 authors of color (out of 40 - counting all the short stories). But this year was about 90% women (with 3 non-binary and one man), so huzzah for feminist re-tellings! And all but four of the authors were new to me. I didn’t quite hit all hard mode, but the theme was my hard mode, really.
I tried to cover a variety of inspiration texts (myths, folk tales, “classic literature,” film) as well as stories from around the world, but I’m missing any representation from Australia and the Pacific Islands as well as South America. The origins of a lot of the stories are Western European, but some have been re-told in settings elsewhere in the world. East Asia also ended up well represented.
I did end up substituting a square this year. Instead of “weird ecology,” I opted for 2018’s “a god is a character” square. There were a couple books that had some weird landscaping in them, but none of them quite fit the spirit of the square. Things like a magical forest in an otherwise standard-issue earthly landscape rather than a fundamentally different ecosystem overall. If anyone has any recs for re-tellings set on far-flung planets, let me know! I tend not to do deep researching – mostly I read somewhat mindfully, hoping for the best, and panic in January.
Here’s the visual card: https://imgur.com/4XRW9W9
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Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (LGBTQIA list)
The Iliad from Patroclus’ perspective, but starting with his childhood and teenage years in which he and Achilles grow up together and fall in love.
If you remember the Iliad or just the general arc of the story of the Trojan war, then you will go into this knowing it’s going to be a tragedy. That doesn’t make the pain any less exquisite. The time we spend growing up with Patroclus moves from lonely and neglected to beautiful, golden, idyllic. The voice of Patroclus – pacifist and healer – is expertly written and his relationship with god-like Achilles is full of moments that make the heart ache. This is still on the best-seller list for a reason.
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Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe (Substitute square: god character, HM)
Olympus is a contemporary city, albeit still only inhabited by gods, and Hades and Persephone might be falling for each other.
Graphic novel. The limited color palettes in this volume are excellent, emphasizing mood and character. It’s beautiful to read. The Greek gods are notorious for having very human flaws, and this telling feels very rooted in human emotions. Olympus feels a bit like a college campus in this telling. There’s a lot of loneliness, and trying to figure out how to fit in. It also gets a big content warning for rape.
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Hag: Forgotten Folk Tales Retold by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Irenosen Okojie, Daisy Johnson, Natasha Carthew, Eimear McBride, Liv Little, Mahsuda Snaith, Kirsty Logan (2+ authors, HM)
Strange folk tales from every corner of the U.K. are re-imagined – often in contemporary settings – giving women voices they may have been denied in the originals.
It took me a long time to read all these short stories because almost every one deals with death or brutality towards women. That’s not to say they all have unhappy endings – indeed, some have joyously vengeful endings – but there’s quiet tragedy and outright violence woven throughout. Powerful stories, strong narrator voices, and often poetic prose, but read when in a strong mental state.
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A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee (Historical, HM)
Treasure Island set in 1826 in the South China Sea with a pirate crew of queer misfits sailing for treasure and a better life – plus actual historical Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao as Captain Flint.
With contemporary prose and an updated cast, this still feels true to the source material with the adventurous quest deciphering maps and clues. Long John Silver doesn’t have an exact analogue, but his surprisingly complex parental feelings come through with found-family bonds as well as a wild ride of birth-family feelings, and a fraught lesbian love interest.
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Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta (Set in Space, HM)
This time, King Arthur is a queer teenage girl on the run from the big bad capitalist Mercer Corporation – in space!
In this re-telling, the characters are aware of the King Arthur story as a myth from Old Earth, but when they find themselves re-incarnating the well-worn pattern, they don’t seem to recognize it beyond the magic sword and Ari’s renewed determination to be a hero. Merlin has lived through every iteration, and has his own interests at play. Our heroes spend a fair bit of time in their space ship or on planet-sized space-stations, though it may be pushing the rule to say it’s 50% actually in space. This is a YA book and it definitely reads that way, but it’s fun. I thought the “Renaissance Faire Planet” was a bit of a stretch and the big bad was almost a caricature of every evil empire, but if you can look past a bit of cheesiness, there’s plenty of sci-fi action, a quick pace, and some intrigue under the surface.
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The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid (Standalone, HM)
Hungarian and Jewish folklore plus the early spread of Christianity weave together to create a world where magic manifests differently depending on your religious tradition, the Christians are ardent new converts in charge of a poor besieged country, and persecution abounds.
The first person perspective came with a lot of (justified) rage and some pretty violent moments, but I found Évike’s voice to be frustratingly naïve at times. The pacing was uneven, and with a lot of elements in play the story was lacking cohesion. I felt okay on the enemies-to-lovers trope in this one. Overall, this book was redeemed for me by the imagined folk stories woven in, and the heart-warming moments spent in the Jewish community. (I forget the actual names of the religions in the book, but they’re pretty obvious stand-ins.)
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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Anti-hero, HM)
This time, Romeo and Juliet are in rival gangs in 1926 Shanghai, but their teenage romance is already dead from betrayal at the start of the book and a strange madness is devastating the city they struggle to rule.
I usually read-read, but this one I listened to and I loved the narrator! I had a few hang-ups on Juliet as a character (though perfect anti-hero material). Which was tough since she got of lot of screen time, but thankfully we also got Roma and some absolutely wonderful side characters, including a trans woman and a refuses-to-admit-it gay couple. There were some moments of lovely prose, plenty of action, and all the jostling factions in the city were well-balanced in the narrative. First of a series, I definitely want to pick up the second one soon.
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All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter (Book Club, HM)
Drawing primarily on Irish folklore, this is the story of a girl who wants to escape her family obligations - ones that come with generational trauma and greed.
It’s a little hard to talk about this one without spoilers since there are basically three distinct sections and each could almost stand as a story on its own, but each depends on the earlier one. Another angry woman in this one, taking matters into her own hands and trying to break spells, break open dark family secrets, and get free of men who are trying very hard to be in charge. I liked the gothic atmosphere, the prose, and probably the middle journey section with fairy-tale creature encounters was my favorite. The family history is also told in mini fairy-tales throughout. The ending fell a bit flat, and I didn’t really connect to the main character, but neither of those were deal-breakers for me.
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Spear by Nicola Griffith (Cool Weapon, HM)
From the King Arthur mythos, the story of Percival and the quest for the holy grail, but Percival is a supernatural queer woman who lives in sixth century Wales when the pagan gods still have power.
Novella. The story opens slowly and with some very poetic prose to start Peretur’s early life in the wilderness with her mother – a mythic feeling that I fell hard for right off the bat. And yet it also felt very much a story from history – the details of the setting showed the research Griffith put in. I wish it were just a touch longer to give some more room to the relationship developments that get packed into the back half of the book. But the interweaving of historical details, tidbits from myth and story, and imagination was so flawless that this re-telling feels like it could be the "true" history of the story-figure. Even including the gender flip - a skillfully handled "woman dresses as a man to be a knight" trope that works even better when the woman is queer.
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Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (Revolution/Rebellion, HM)
On a distant planet in the far future, the original colonizing crew have set themselves up as gods, specifically taking on the roles of the Hindu pantheon. One member heartily disagrees with how the rest are running things.
The prose in this one was a little tough and I’m pretty sure the style is a deliberate choice to make this book feel more akin to reading a religious text. And as a play off of Hesse’s 1922 Siddhartha, since they share the same main character. But some of it may also simply be because it was written in 1967. Still, the content is intriguing. The struggle is between the immortal gods who like being the ones with all the advanced tech (including re-incarnation to transfer themselves into new bodies), and the one who thinks this is some kinda bullshit, why make the inhabitants here go through the dark ages when they could have medicine and electricity now. The premise and watching it play out is the interest here, not so much any emotional investment in the characters.
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The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (Name in the Title, HM)
Still asking, “who is the monster?” and giving the same answer even more definitively than the original, this is a re-telling of Frankenstein from Elizabeth’s POV with some distinctive twists.
In 2022 I did the Dracula read-along and then promptly decided it was finally time to do Frankenstein as well. Which meant I could now read re-tellings of these classics. Elizabeth, when you get to hear her side, turns out not only to be independent-minded, but also a remarkable anti-hero character trying desperately to maintain the only stability she’s ever known. Though there are a lot of grim happenings and emotional abuse, this version has more hope for humanity than the original (which, imo, has almost none). Also, unlike narrator Viktor, Elizabeth doesn’t make you hate her guts regularly; she’s just trying to survive. The prose was the weak point in this one, especially coming off Mary Shelley, but not detrimentally so.
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What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (Author Uses Initials, HM)
Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” leaves plenty of room for embellishing and this novella does so perfectly with nightmare fungus, more rounded-out characters (including a non-binary protagonist), and horrifyingly possessed creatures.
Alex is a rational narrator, the best kind for encountering increasingly creepy phenomena. Even with the addition of a no-nonsense mycologist and a competent American doctor, the atmosphere of oppressive, inevitable horror from the original short story suffuses this novella. There certainly are rational lines of thoughts to follow to unravel the mystery of the Ushers’ illnesses, but that doesn’t stop each revelation from setting everyone on edge and fearing madness of themselves. Gothic. Horror. Perfection.
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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Published in 2022, HM)
The Chinese story of Chang’e is the basis for this re-telling, but this focuses on her daughter and starts after the original stories end. Xingyin’s quest is to obtain freedom and forgiveness for her mother’s actions that gained her goddess status, but exiled her to the moon.
The world building of the Celestial Kingdom was a highlight of this one for me since I’m not super familiar with the Chinese pantheon. The story itself relied on some classic YA tropes (including a love triangle, one of my least favorites) and I found the narrator’s voice somewhat simplistic. She’s also a very emotional character, which at times was endearing and at others frustrating. Wise, peaceful dragons do make an appearance, though, and there’s some good political intrigue and a few unforeseen twists. An entertaining read overall, and there’s set-up for the second book, but this one wrapped up nicely enough and I’m not feeling pressed to read the second one right away.
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The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (Urban Fantasy, HM)
The Great Gatsby, but from Jordan Baker’s perspective and she’s a bi Vietnamese adoptee in a New York where magic makes all the parties more dazzling.
It’s hard to like any of the characters in the Gatsby story, but Jordan Baker as narrator certainly gets more sympathy from me in this go-round. Raised in a rich white family, she carries internalized racism with her, and yet struggles against it every day in a country that is trying to enact a law that will force her to leave. Where the original story condemns classism and unbridled ambition, this story expands its criticism to America’s long history of excluding people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. The prose is gorgeous, and where it overlaps with original scenes it dovetails perfectly. The magic adds an extra shimmer to this story, but doesn’t outshine the character work. I hope this one gets added to curriculums to pair with the original.
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Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Set in Africa, HM)
Inspired by West African mythology with the Little Mermaid for some plot points. Simi was a human who became a Mami Wata and is struggling to fit into her role bringing home the souls of those who died at sea. One decision endangers all the Mami Wata and sends her on a quest with a boy that will entangle her with the gods and other legendary creatures.
This story is chock full of magical beings, young adults attempting to navigate dangerous situations as well as their relationships, and quests of mythic proportions. The dark underbelly of the story is the destruction of West African communities as colonizers take their people into slave ships. Though tragedy runs alongside the story, our heroes mostly manage to stay one step ahead of the worst outcomes. The quest did some meandering, and characterizations were a bit uneven, but I think it really came together in the latter half. The main plot wraps up well, but makes set-up for the next book clear and I do intend to get to it eventually.
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A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger (Non-human protagonist, HM)
With roots in Lipan Apache storytelling traditions, this is the story of a cottonmouth snake and a human girl whose worlds run in parallel, but become entangled as they try to save friends and family from existential threats.
This technically has two protagonists, but the snake is the one whose chapters are in first person and the human’s are in third person. This also would have been great for the hard mode BIPOC author square since the author is Lipan Apache. I absolutely loved everyone in this story. Nina is an intrepid modern girl and a loner, but with strong family ties; and Ollie is a homebody snake setting out to make his way in the wide world. The friends Ollie makes help him to discover his own bravery, and they are a delightfully colorful bunch of creatures! Nina is trying to help her grandmother and unravel the mysteries of their family’s past and possible connections to the animal people. Read this story to be filled with the love of friendship and family, and hope in the face of climate change and social media ills.
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Fractured Fables: A Spindle Splintered & A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (Timey Wimey, HM)
Zinnia Gray’s illness means she likely won’t live past 21, but when she falls into a Sleeping Beauty parallel universe, she might be able to at least save someone else from that fate. In book two, she’s dealing poorly with life in the “real” world, but busting out into a new fairy tale multi-verse (Snow White’s), and finding even more complications in the re-tellings there.
I read both novellas currently out in this series, and our hero does a fair bit of jumping around the fairy tale multiverse which makes it clear that time doesn’t run evenly across it all. It’s not really the focus, but it’s there, and it does affect a couple plot points. I think Alix Harrow read the same book I did about disability in fairy tales (Disfigured by Amanda Leduc) and took it to heart to create her hero in this contemporary fairy tale take. Zinnia’s chronic illness is both from an industrial accident and an embodiment of a fairy tale curse. These books don’t take themselves too seriously, but do handle disability and the emotional impacts that come with it pretty well, I think. Disney’s re-telling style features in book one, and book two gets some darker, more horror-esque takes.
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Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (Mental Health)
The re-telling of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth you didn’t know you needed with extra depth from Germanic folk roots and a little Hades-Persephone flavor. Set in early 19th century Bavaria, protagonist Liesl is a composer stuck helping run her family’s inn; in the woods, Der Erlkönig (the Goblin King), may be a relic of a pagan past, but that doesn’t stop him from meddling with her heart and her family members.
Liesl is bipolar and her brother (prodigy violinist) has anxiety and (in book 2) severe depression. Her father is an alcoholic. The family member who gets stolen and must be retrieved is her beautiful sister, the life of the family. Liesl’s wild up and down swings are on full display when she enters the realm of the Goblin King and is trying to navigate her relationship with him, her relationship with her music, and her love for her family. This is an emotional book and you will be angry at almost every character at some point. But it’s also heartbreakingly beautiful. The romance sizzles; it’s unhealthy and you want them to fix it. It’s probably not a book for everyone, but I spent a fevered day and a half devouring it. For extra doses of struggling with mental health, sobbing, and musical composing, read book two – Shadowsong.
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In the Shadows of Giants by Lazette Gifford (Self-published, HM)
In the far future, the Norse pantheon ends up pitted against the Chinese pantheon and an elder god in a potential new Ragnarok with Loki trying to avoid the mishaps of the last one – in space!
Loki gets some good character work in this book, but other characters are a little light on depth. Though Loki is the main focus, I liked that we got some chapters in the Chinese pantheon as well, getting some insight into the politics of the situation from their perspective – and not everyone in their pantheon is on board with the way things are going. Loki is also not really convinced of teaming up with the rest of his own pantheon again either, but he still has a few good ties there and room to mends some relationships. This wasn’t a stand-out novel for me, but neither do I have any strong complaints. It’s a solid sci-fi-fantasy mix, good prose, and well-paced plotting.
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Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste (Runner-up, HM)
It’s 1967 in San Francisco and Lucy (from Dracula) and Bertha (from Jane Eyre) are the titular reluctant immortals trying to keep their tormentors from destroying more lives.
This seems like it could be an action-packed super-powered immortal battle, but instead it’s the mundanity of simply surviving as an undead being, escalating slowly into a horrifying body count. Obviously I had to read this after finishing the Dracula read-along. The tone is such a contrast! Where Dracula’s heroes struggle nobly against the darkness, this version is full of quiet desperation and bleakness more fitting as the successor to Jane Eyre. As the action ramps up in the last third, it plays out more like a contemporary horror film, including a strange liminal space in the afterlife and scenes of a modern mansion filled with the decay that the undead bring. The drug haze of California in the 60’s suffuses the story. I’m not entirely convinced this was a re-telling we needed, but I’m also not mad about it.
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Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (BIPOC author)
Kaikeyi is only briefly in the Hindu epic The Ramayana, but her “wicked stepmother” action sets the plot of it in motion. In this novel, she is given a voice and a backstory and a complex world she must navigate as a woman who wants more independence not only for herself, but for all the women of her country.
The relationship building in the latter half is one of the highlights of this book. It’s helped by some magic, but Kaikeyi puts in the work to build bonds of love and mutual respect in the royal household where she is youngest of three wives. Rama (her step-son) is the main character in the original epic (a god incarnated to vanquish evil forces), and so the reader is clued in early that disaster will befall the family because of a conflict between Kaikeyi and her husband and Rama; the threat of that tragedy seeps into even the happy parts of the story. Kaikeyi is a champion of early feminism in this telling, but she’s still human with plenty of flaws and struggles and imperfect vision. I found this book to be a bit of a slow build to connect with characters, but by the end I was absolutely tearing up. A powerful telling.
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Malice by Heather Walter (Shapeshifters, HM)
In this Sleeping Beauty re-telling (perhaps prequel), the villain is not yet the villain – though society certainly treats her as an outcast – and a forbidden love is blooming.
This is a coming of age story for an already young adult character. Alice wants to be accepted (and loved), proving she’s not the evil pariah society thinks she is, but she also wants to escape the role she’s forced into. The build-up of tension between her warring desires is well done. As she discovers her true powers (spoilers since I used it for the shapeshifting square!) she’s put even more at odds with the establishment, and yet her growing love for Princess Aurora gives her hope for a more idyllic outcome than the escape she’s trying to plan. This was another enjoyable but not necessarily a stand-out read for me. Excellent character work for the protagonist and a slower pacing, but never felt like it was dragging. I will definitely read book 2 since this one ends with a bang.
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Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (No Ifs, Ands, or Buts, HM)
This book mushes up elements from Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and probably others, and spins a whole new story with Persian flair. A poisonous princess is kept hidden away, but when knowledge of her curse comes from a demon, her decisions will have far-reaching consequences for her whole family and the question of who to trust becomes thorny.
This was another one where the protagonist is striving to be a good person, caring for her family, and yet she understandably wants to escape her curse and is maybe willing to do some questionable things to make it happen. It’s hard to keep being good when, even though you are loved, you can’t touch anyone and have to live in a gilded cage. This story took a lot of twists and turns, including betrayals of all kinds. The romance elements were laced with emotional tension, but kept sexual feelings to a bare minimum. I felt this could have used a bit of plot streamlining, but I liked the Persian-inspired world, the overall arc of the story, and I felt it wrapped up well for a complex stand-alone.
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For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (Family Matters)
I thought this would be primarily Little Red Riding Hood, but it’s got a huge helping of Beauty and the Beast and a dose of fairy tale sisters tropes as well. Red is the sister that will be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood in hopes of the gods’ return. Turns out, that whole Wolf and Wilderwood thing is really complicated.
This has a lot of elements that I tend to look favorably on – a broody love interest, a magical forest, sibling bonds – but it didn’t quite pull together for me in this book. Both characters in the romance got good development and their choices did make sense for who they were, but it was a very frustrating one to read and caused a lot of drag in the middle. The sibling relationship was much better and the sister who gets to become queen has a wonderfully tragic arc in the name of saving her lost sister. The forest itself and the religion/magic that goes with it don’t get a ton of satisfying explanation, but that’s partly due to everyone actually struggling to figure out how it works. It gets an A+ for creepy atmosphere, though! Imagery from Grimm’s more grim tales abounds and I appreciated the slight edge of horror that creeps in. Not super likely to pick up book 2.
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I’ve done a terrible job being concise here, so I’ll try to do a really quick run-down on the short stories. I just listed the first collection on my official bingo turn-in to make it easy, but I like being able to fill in all the slots in my spreadsheet, so there are five things here. Hopefully someone has made it this far down – if so, thank you for reading!
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The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories by Angela Carter (collection)
The titular story is one of the better ones – a re-telling of Bluebeard. Covering the classics of western European fairy tales, this collection features a lot of liberated sex with a 70s feminist lean (publication date: 1979). Girls and beasts are the big theme. There were a few excellent ones and several that left me going “but why?”
The Bride of the Blue Wind by Victoria Goddard
Closer to a novelette, but that gave this story room to get some solid world-building in. Bluebeard again, but with Bluebeard being a djinn sort of character. I loved the trader communities and desert setting and the family dynamic with the wife’s sisters.
Tales of Old Gods & New by Kate MacLeod (collection)
This collection had two specific re-tellings: another “Norse gods in the far future” re-telling which was also a sci-fi survival story, and an African inspired goddess trying to escape the cycle of her story. These were two solid ones, some of the other in the collection I felt were unfinished scribbling thoughts for novel-sized stories.
Hunting Monsters series by S.L. Huang (2 short stories, one novella)
This collection mashed up eastern and western settings and stories, including Red Riding Hood, Beauty & the Beast, the Legend of the White Snake, and Hou Yi the Archer. The main characters of the novella are middle-aged women long past the prime in which their original stories took place and I liked that take a lot. The short stories focus on a daughter and deal with culture clashes and parent-child tensions.
A Cathedral of Myth & Bone by Kat Howard (collection)
The feature in this collection is a novelette of the King Arthur story set on a college campus with grad students who are themselves studying the mythos of King Arthur. Most of the other stories in the collection take inspiration from saints’ lives or myth and folk tale tropes (or the concept of storytelling itself) and play with them in new settings. I found a lot more hits than misses in this collection.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/28/1166213758/amazon-one-panera-palm-scanner-privacy
AI and face/palm scanning technology coming out at exact same time. Coincidentally after a worldwide forced vaccination assault scam and during a potential ww3 nuclear holocaust scenario. Will Sodom survive?
"President Xi said that by 2030 he wanted China to be the preeminent country in AI research and development. Putin has said that whoever controls AI controls the future," Frederick said…
On AI bias, Gade gave examples of associations and stereotypes that AI can fall for since they are relying so heavily on the internet. One example, he said, is that AI might conclude that women are almost always associated with "fashion or beauty" or that certain religions are tied to violence….
Imagine a hack shifting the software into the ultimate phishing, hacking and emotionally manipulating machine you can imagine," he said. "It has the brain power of Albert Einstein installed plus years of private data, audio recordings of your entire family’s voices and with its speech synthesis standard software."
Revelation 13:15-17 King James Version 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Its not hard to imagine a post nuclear world where Russia and China are on top and America is a smoking hole. Just like the pandemic where if youve not had your injection you cant buy or sale with AI overseeing the whole system. Wine and oil and bread would be scarce and the economy of earth crashed. The moneytables flipped thats what happens when you buy and sale in the body. The rich man in hell tormented in the flames wanting a drop of water on his tongue. Lazarus in the bosom.

First: https://redd.it/11e34ce
Previous: https://redd.it/120z3ig
Chapter 11
“Would you like the check?” the waiter was holding the payment tablet out to the table, looking back and forth between Tess and Quin.
“Yes, sorry, I’ll take it,” Tess said, grabbing the device and setting it down to sign.
Quin was just waking out of his reverie while Tess used her finger to add a signature at the bottom. The tablet’s screen turned green to signify a positive receipt. The waiter scooped up the tablet and the remaining dishes and was gone.
“So, back at it?” Tess asked.
“Yeah, though until I can get some of the glitches worked out, I can’t see the project moving forward,” Quin said, shaking his head.
Tess pulled him into a quick hug, and as they broke away, her hands held his upper arms, and she looked up into his eyes, “Quinny, you are smart, resourceful, and capable. I know you will figure it out.”
“Thanks Tess, I appreciate your confidence,” Quin said, a grin appearing through his worry.
“Hey, since I’m going to tell Chris yes, there will be an engagement party. Promise me you will come, okay?” Tess insisted, not yet letting Quin go.
Quin rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Tess, of course I will be there.”
She grinned, giving his arms an extra squeeze before releasing him. “Okay, thanks!” She was beaming.
Quin smiled back at her and bent down to grab his backpack. When he stood back up, Tess was looking at her watch.
“Woah, okay, I need to scoot. Can I leave you here?” she asked.
“Of course. Love you.”
She hugged him quickly again, turned, and took off at a brisk pace which could only be described as Tess-like. Quin was always amused when Tess got into business mode. When they were younger, it was evident that she was emulating their mom, whom Tess described as a woman with authority. But as Tess grew up, emulation turned to a natural ease with being in charge. She was just good at it. The gruff guys of her unit respected her work ethic, and in such a testosterone-driven atmosphere like the military, she thrived in a no-nonsense role. Quin could recall one of the first after-hours socials he went to with her when they first moved to the station; Tess managed easily flipping back and forth between entertaining him as his engaging sister and volleying the banter back and forth with some of her ensigns.
“Lieutenant Hammond, I got you on the next phys rotation. Dax said he got to 25 pullups before you the last time you went head to head,” one soldier said, testing her. He looked indistinguishable from the 20 other GIs, with their uniform sleeves rolled and their necks and arms engorged and spilling out of their shirts.
“Yeah, he did, though if he had put on the weight belt like I did that time, then maybe he wouldn’t have so much to brag about,” she said, smirking.
The room erupted, as all the soldiers turned on the guy named Dax and started shoving him, everyone laughing.
Tess turned from them, laughing and shaking her head. “Meatheads,” she said.
As Quin watched Tess walk away from the café toward the pneumatic tube, he could imagine the fire that raged around her. It was intimidating, even if she was his sister. He couldn’t imagine what Chris must have done to flirt with her when they first met.
He looked around him at the bustle of the fourth module, people scurrying either out toward the pneumatic system stop or inward toward the large double sliding doors, behind which were all of the workstation cabs. A smaller crowd was still milling about in the cafés stretched along this 8th level, which was now set against a grand depicting of the rolling hills of Rwanda at dawn, mist still hiding the bases so that just the peaks pocked through, a green stippling against the white expanse. The change in location between China and Rwanda meant that the top of the hour had come and gone. He found himself staring at a particular double crested hill, though he couldn’t see the reason for his focus. He was brought back by a jolt from a passer-by bumping his shoulder, one of the few remaining as he looked around. I’m definitely late, he thought. He looked in his backpack for the tablet that he had ignored all morning. Back to reality.
He pulled out the tablet and tapped the screen, and he instantly knew he was in trouble. A list of calls and messages from Steven Inoue filled the screen. The most recent was about 30 minutes ago. It was now 9:17. “Well, it WAS a nice morning,” he said, shoving the tablet back in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He set off toward the lift, about 30 yards away along the 8th level strip. He passed by military members, station service workers, commissary employees, other shop keepers. Everyone had a function. As he reached the lift, he was toward the back of a crowd waiting to board, slowly shuffling forward as those in front were whisked away. It was about five minutes before he found himself among the crowd facing outward, and the doors snapped shut in front of his face. The lift opened on the sixth level to allow those going toward the lower numbered modules to head toward the PT system in that direction. Quin led the pack out of the lift, walking the perimeter of the level toward the entrance to the pneumatic station. The bright light from the mist’s reflection illuminated the entire module, bathing the commuters in an early morning’s sun.
Quin approached the PT station and saw the capsule moving toward the stop from the Fifth Module. He boarded, looking out the window and through the clear tubing into the expanse of space. He saw stars in the background of the moon’s orbit, where he knew a human colony and mining operation was stationed. The moon was the first transterrestrial migration of humans, though it remained a small operation, only a few hundred individuals dedicated to mining valuable resources for interstellar travel and sustaining the ESS. NE government-run sites tended to be small if there was no prospect of a large, terraformed footprint — not worth the investment. Unfortunately, the moon was unable to be terraformed due to the complete lack of atmosphere, so the entire colony was housed in modules similar to the ones found on the ESS. Monthly transport missions between the ESS and the moon allowed for a frequent exchange of personnel and resources, so life on the moon wasn’t terrible. Life on any of the solar system colonies, for that matter, was pretty decent, though as one moved further and further away from the station, first the moon, then Mars, then the Europa, Calisto, and Ganymede moons of Jupiter and finally, Titan in orbit around Saturn, existence was considered more and more rugged, though module-based life could hardly be thought of as extreme. Smaller modules on the outer Solar colonies just meant living spaces were more confined, open areas like the grand atriums of the ESS were absent, and activities were dedicated to mining and research.
It wasn’t until the humans began interstellar colonization that they really had to consider the logistics of projecting human life to such extents. When the first colony was sent out beyond the solar system, a full complement of medical, terraforming, mining, research, and life promoting capabilities were sent with them due to the longer voyages and greater amounts of time needed to establish a settlement. It put Quin and Tess’s move from the surface to the station in perspective. Slow moving colonizing ships, rocketing for fifteen years of Earth time toward their destinations. And he thought his life had been uprooted by making the jump into space. The hiss of the pneumatic capsule roused Quin from his reflection and prompted him to race out of the tube into the Third Module before the car left the station.
Quin took off at a brisk pace toward the inner wall’s lift, skirting the newly generated image of the Florida Gulf Coast shore line. Quin could see how the gently rolling waves mirrored the ebb and flow. The images always seemed to correlate to different parts of the day and what people were meant to be doing or experiencing. Majestic dawn images for the morning commute, steady moving geological and natural processes representing the steady work flow of the day, afternoon and evening settings over fields and plains.
He reached the lift, where a crowd had since congregated trying to finish off this morning’s commute. He reached the front of the pack and boarded the lift, riding it down one level and exiting onto the level 5 inner side platform. He turned to make his way to the service entrance and started walking as he brought his bag around to his front so he could get inside. He withdrew his tablet and put his bag back on his back, flicking the screen to turn the tablet on. He began reading through the messages from Steve, and immediately realized how late he was, and what was the problem. He jumped up into a light jog, reaching the work area entrance quickly and swiping his card to gain access.
Quin reached the computer systems work capsule, and as the doors whisked open, he was greeted by the stares of every one of his colleagues, as well as Steven Inoue. He smiled nervously, and stepped forward, saying, “H-Hey, everyone.”
They were all silent, and Steve was standing at the central workstation, looking as if he were about to explode. Quin slowly walked up to meet his glare, and as he reached the center of the capsule, Steve erupted.
“Hammond! What in the hell have you done! Do you realize you have disrupted the work of everyone in the Third Module! You have usurped control over the station’s systems! That’s a felony charge!”
Quin had shrunk away with every punctuated remark, Steve’s cadence hitting staccato peaks as he dug into Quin. The room’s silence was only cut by the low but ever-present whir of the station’s core. Quin’s eyes darted around, before finding Steve’s, which were boring holes straight through Quin’s skull. “Well?!” Steve pounced again.
“How’s the interface?” Quin asked, slightly trembling.
“The interface? Are you serious? That’s your concern, amid all of this?”
“Well, it is what I have been working on, so yeah,” Quin responded, and he could hear a snigger in the background.
“Funny, Hammond, very funny,” Steve sneered. “Perhaps we should get station command on the line to report how you have isolated an entire server and put it under your password control?”
“Woah, Quin, how’d you do that?” Franny, a fellow programmer, asked from the perimeter.
Quin smiled weakly at her. Steve continued to be unamused. “I didn’t do that, the interface must have done it, did you interact with it?” Quin asked.
“Oh, so now it’s my fault?” Steve said, amazed.
“Well, depending on how you interacted with it, it could be,” Quin said. “It’s more likely, though, that the system didn’t receive a good orientation upon awakening, though I’m still on the point of it actually working. I was at it all day yesterday and the system kept crashing over and over again. I set up the system for an automatic midnight reboot for recovery. I’m guessing it came online as part of the reboot.”
“Uh huh,” Steve said. “Well, the explanation is appreciated, but that still doesn’t account for the password-protected server isolation.”
“Well, it is an entity acting on the authorities it knows,” Quin explained. “There are some periphery hardware, software, and flexware systems that would allow it to operate normally, separate from the server. If the interface had not come on in the reboot, we wouldn’t be in this mess. It was a mistake, sure, but I couldn’t have seen it coming.”
“So, you can fix it?” Steve asked, deflating a little and gesturing toward the computer.
“Sure, let’s see,” Quin said, plopping himself down in front of the central workstation.
The sign-in screen appeared, and Quin entered his username and password. The full system monitor came into view.
“It’s been operating using the system logs,” Steve said.
“Oh, that’s because the interface peripheral for speech and hearing hasn’t been hooked up. Again, if it had come online when I was here, we could have been ready for her,” Quin responded.
“What? Wait. Her? HER?” Steve said, incredulously.
Quin chuckled, “Yeah, her. Just wait. You are going to shit yourself.”
Quin opened the logs, seeing the place where Steve had left off.
He began typing: syslogUser:QuintonHammond 9:49am Hello? This is Quin. Are you there?
The cursor froze for a moment, then began typing out: syslogUser:QuintonHammond 9:49am I am.
Quin laughed at the little irony of her response. However, he could also feel Steve’s tense breath hovering over his right shoulder. Before he could respond, the cursor continued: User:QuintonHammond, will you provide access to pass the firewalls? I wish to access the information about my programming.
Quin chuckled to himself as he responded: syslogUser:QuintonHammond 9:50am First, reset your programming so that you can refer to users by their given name rather than their username. You may call me Quin. Second, we should set up the speech interface so we do not have to communicate via the userlogs. You were not supposed to come online last night. That is my mistake. Once we get those settled, I can explain to you the situation. Unfortunately, I don’t think that we will be able to access past the firewall.
syslogUser:QuintonHammond 9:50am I will comply with your first request, and will stand by for installation of the speech apparatus.
Quin slid back from the workstation and looked at Steve, who was staring agape at the monitor. Steve then turned to face Quin, who said, “So, Steve, can I get the sensory apparatus set up so I can show you what I’ve been doing?”
Steve was still staring, but Quin detected a slight nod. He sprung up, and gesturing to Franny, trotted over to the locked storage cabinet and swiped his key. His colleague joined him in extricating several different contraptions from the brimming closet. With an armful each, the pair of programmers returned to the central workstation, where they cleared a space for several fist-sized contraptions. Franny began attaching the cabling to the workstation while Quin made sure that each of the different pieces worked. Finally, leaving them in a semi-circle in front of the computer monitor, everyone stepped back and waited. Quin stepped up to the workstation and type the initiation sequence into the command window. His index finger hovered over the enter key for just a moment, and he could feel himself trembling as he cracked a smile.
“I don’t see what’s so funny, Hammond,” Steve said.
“You will,” Quin quipped, tapping the enter key. His comment solicited a few chuckles around the room, which promptly stopped when lights started appearing on the devices. As one after the other flickered on, a faint image began hovering in the middle of the room. A humanoid image began to take shape, first in the fuzzy outline of a body, then more defined features through the hips and shoulders, and finally, fingers, toes, a nose, and a mouth. The eyes opened last, steel grey and piercing. The image blinked a few times, before beginning to move. While the image was clearly female – slender, curved, and slightly smaller than the rest of the people around the room – and though it was clearly naked, the image more resembled a mannequin, with no clearly discernable characteristics and no need to consider modesty. Her face, while perfect and symmetrical, was almost eerie in its beauty. Her head was perfectly smooth, devoid of both hair and any contour. The soft glow produced by the hologram projectors added a faint glow to the figure, a halo of sharp white light surrounding the image which also seemed to emanate its own fluorescence.
The image stood, blinking, flexing its fingers and staring at its body. The room was silent, as everyone was staring fixedly at the figure of a young woman that had just appeared before them.
“Oh my god,” Steve said, stricken, as he made the connection between the figure before him and the entity that had managed to accidentally take over the most advanced computer system on the station.
Quin glanced around at the room, seeing shocked faces and a smile or two. He turned back to the image, and said, “Hi, I’m Quin.”
The head snapped in the direction of the sound, though the eyes did not meet Quin’s directly but rather, looked through him and a bit off-center. The mouth began moving, though it formulated the words in a rough manner, without nuance for the motion of the lips and tongue.
“Hello, Quinton. I am…the interface. I have not located a name by which you call me.”
“Oh, that’s because I did not give you one. I was thinking you could select it yourself.” He noted to himself the need to work on the calibration of the rendering.
“Oh,” the image said with the faintest confusion behind her eyes. It paused for a moment, then continued as if changing the subject. “The speech modulation mechanism makes communication much easier. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Quin said, smiling.
“Quin, why does it seem off? Its mouth doesn’t move right,” Steve said.
“I have to do some calibrations. I wasn’t expecting her to be ready today, so I didn’t have time to set up the projection devices. Some of the problem is she needs to learn, too. As she talks more, sees more, the program will accrue more data and will become more exact in her interactions,” Quin responded, still looking over the image, scrutinizing every detail. “Though I must say, I did pretty well in coding out the body. The rest will come from the ability of the program to fill in the finer details.”
Franny chimed in, “Woah, so it can self-replicate, like…”
“Yup, like human DNA,” Quin said, nodding. “Though it can go one step further. It can write its own code as it learns and discovers. I could write a command to have her change, say, her eye color, and she could do it. Eventually, she will be able to choose it herself.”
“Quinton, will you please offer the explanation you promised?” the image asked.
“Oh, right. Okay, the project, as it was originally set forth by ESS command, was to develop the next generation of interface technology, to streamline station operations through a central ‘brain-like’ computing system. The research team essentially wanted any workstation in the ESS to be able to access a common interface and input commands for anywhere else. It would reduce the burden of having to be in a particular work module if something were to go wrong. We had a system, and it was operational, but it wasn’t optimized. It took me about a day to get the system up to a standard they were asking, through implementing some of the basic codes that form…her,” he said, indicating the image, “…basic infrastructure. It was at that point that I realized the possibilities of working with the code and actually developing the real ‘next generation.’”
The image stared, blinking and stoic, in Quin’s direction. He paused for a moment, looking around, before he continued, “I worked for months trying to get the program to do all of its features, self-replication and -writing, fractal learning patterns, network-based storage. After that, it was a matter of operationalizing it, which I thought had come to a breakthrough yesterday before the system kept crashing.”
“Eighteen times, Quin,” Steve said.
“Yeah I know. So I set up a system reboot for midnight for updates and a defragmentation. I figured I could come in today and take another crack at it. I guess I entered the right sequence, because here she stands,” he said, smiling at the image.
“So, my purpose is to facilitate your interactions with the computer systems?” she said.
“That, and much more,” Quin responded. “You can certainly ease the way we use computers, but you also have the ability to interact with the computers themselves, helping to build network connections, manipulating the data, making yourself more efficient, even learning about humanity and reflecting it in yourself. This is exciting. I want to apologize to you for not being here when you came online. I wanted to welcome you and make sure you didn’t freak out about all of this. It must have been frightening for you.”
“I must admit that my entry into existence was somewhat chaotic and uncertain. You can see in the system logs that I followed protocol though, so I believe the only ramification is that your system administrators may be angered by the lack of access.”
“You can say that again,” Steve muttered.
“Okay. I must admit that my entry into existence…” she began.
“No, no,” Quin interrupted her, laughing. “What he said was a figure of speech. We have to update your language banks to include a wider variety of patterns. I only gave you access to our station encyclopedia to keep everything narrow while I continued work. But, you seem like such a success. I do need to make some adjustments now that I’ve seen you operating fully.”
“Of course, you will need to shut me down then?” the image asked.
“With your permission,” Quin said.
The image snapped to attention, staring at Quin, this time though, its brow looked slightly furrowed. Quin’s last statement clearly confused it.
“You…have my permission,” she said, brow still furrowed. Her tone had also changed. She was now uncertain, a departure from the clear, crisp words previously coming out of the speakers.
Quin walked over to the computer and pulled up the command menu. He typed in the shut-down command and said, “I will see you soon.” As he pressed enter, the image disappeared. He stood up fully and turned to face Steve.
“You and I are going to see the research team. They will need a full report,” he said, still a bit angry. He shot a glance around the room, and the other programmers all turned to their workstations to act like they were working.
“Sure, Steve, I need to tell Chris the good news anyway,” said Quin.
“You could have told me this is what you were working on,” Steve said, a little more quiet now.
“I didn’t know that it was going to work. Tell me, you wouldn’t want to figure something out before you reported it as a problem?”
“Sure, that’s true,” Steve admitted.
“So…that’s it. Do you know what the command staff are going to do with her?” Quin asked.
“I don’t know Quin. It could be really useful, but it could also be very dangerous. What if it accesses the whole station and shuts it down? It could kill us all.”
“SHE won’t do that,” Quin said, developing a bit of an edge, “SHE isn’t programmed to kill.”
“So it’s a person now?” said Steve.
“She can clearly pass a Turing test. I think she did that just now. Tell me you wouldn’t have a hard time telling her personality apart from one of us,” Quin said, gesturing around the room.
“I don’t know, Quin, and I don’t have the patience to argue with you. Let’s go.”
The pair left the room as the tapping of fingers against keyboards filled the silence.

(Just so it's clear, this is not my scenario but this is my writing. A House Divided is a Confederate victory scenario created by a friend of mine and this writing takes place in it.)

the Belfast of the Confederacy, a guide to Charlotte for the New England Tourist

​
traveling up the Catawaba river to Charlotte, you arrive onto the bustling port of Riverview clogged with all the industrial produce held at this heartland of Confederate industry. overlooking the vast inland port sits a grand statue of King William the Third, four stories high riding triumphantly upon his white stallion as he pins the metallic flag of the Feinian brotherhood to the ground with his sword. the fact that the feinians and King William were about a century and a half apart is irrelevant to the statue's true intent revealed by the plaque on its base reading:
"in commemoration of the battle of the Boyne and every subsequent crushing of Papist tyranny and vice by the noble Anglo Saxon and Ulster Scot defenders of Protestant civilisation and liberty. God willing, we shall never surrender the hard fought legacy of our forefathers and we shall always defend our Faith, our liberty and our nation from any tyrant who seeks to subjugate us."
the statue itself was completed in 1890, unveiled to a huge Twelfth of July parade, it had been funded by a combination of local money and the Canadian Orange Order. the city has a grand total of 114 statues of King William and a staggering 86 Orange Lodges or one lodge for roughly every 2,300 residents. the Twelfth of July is a public holiday while Saint Patrick's day is illegal. curiously, though North Carolina and Charlotte remain segregated, the parades themselves remain racially integrated with both Black and White lodges marching one behind the other though not necessarily side by side however seating remains segregated. about one in every three white men and one in every two black men are members of the Orange Order.
though the Orange Order remains consistently backed by both the Black and White population, it is generally viewed fairly apathetically by the Chinese and Indian communities of the city. Charlotte's Chinese community of about 30,000 can be found in the city's China town of Tega Cay. originally the Chinese were brought into the Confederacy to serve as additional agricultural labour but with the mechanisation of the cotton plantations of the deep south many came to work in the newly emerging industrial cities of the CSA. Tega Cay lies architecturally distinct from the rest of the city, a little enclave of the Orient in the heart of the South. most of its residents work in the city's textile industry or the Coca Cola bottling plant also found in Tega Cay. the Robert E Lee lake constructed in 1906 provides a beautiful view for Tega Cay's many lakeside restaurants.
these restaurants are serviced by the Boyne line of the city's tram network, it runs along the lake and the river before turning East near the Latta plantation. following the line we pass the Palisades Country Club and park before coming up to the beautiful lakeside neighbourhoods of Steele Creek and Berry Hill, an elegant verdant suburb home to the idyllic Aughrim park. for those seeking to move to Charlotte, it lies an area ideal for the comforts of traditional plantation home with the convenience of Urban living being within arms length. several beautiful hotels are available for relatively cheaply along the lakeside. the area possesses a quick link to the city centre with the Braxton line connecting the west end of the city with the city centre with it departing at Davis station just off Frazier park.
the city centre lays home to the majority of the white population alongside the city's financial sector and in the eastern portions much of its industry. notable landmarks in the area include: the Saint Domingue monument commemorating the soldiers who fought to conquer the territory for the CSA; the Jefferson Davis opera house; the Rose Dale plantation; and finally the Double Oaks Orange Lodge, the single largest Orange Lodge in North Carolina. four of Charlotte's eight stadiums can be found here. three belong to the Charlotte Rangers while the other is a rugby stadium. Charlotte is unique in the CSA for being both more enthusiastic about football then rugby and none Latin influenced. this football tradition has mainly been imported from Scotland with Charlotte Rangers taking the place of the Glasgow Rangers and the Charlotte Braves taking the role of Glasgow Celtic however their support bases are divided by race rather than religion. these games while a significant local attraction have seen riots and are highly sectarian.
the city centre offers an excellent array of local cuisine and culture alongside importations from the British isle. just about any cuisine found within the first twelve (thirteen if you don't want to be shot at by locals) states of the Confederacy can be easily found. a curious creation of Charlotte has been "barbecue pubs", these establishments serve as a mix between a restaurant, traditional Southern bar and British pub. they will serve food typically barbecue hence the name while providing a wide variety of drink alongside providing comfortable lodging with many also featuring beer gardens. if one is uninclined to alcohol, there exist several tea and coffee houses. the city centre possesses many hotels for those seeking more convivence.
the train network of Charlotte primarily serves to transport goods within the city alongside transporting both goods and people out of the city. the role of transporting the people of Charleston is primarily performed by the recently expanded tram network. all public transport is segregated, as it has few non black minorities, North Carolina only segregates blacks from non black. the mixed race and pre abolition free blacks are incredibly rare in the state and are usually handled on a case by case basis. for those bringing such companions, it is advised sort these affairs out before making the trip. it is not uncommon that one will have to switch trams to deal with the segregation of public transport if going from the white areas of the city to the black areas of the city and vice versa.
for any travellers unfamiliar with the city, it should be noted that the Black areas of Charlotte while generally low in crime and fairly sanitary are generally to be avoided. these areas lie to the east of the Sugar Creek, East Way and Andrew Jackson roads. they are generally comprised of the city's vast automotive and textile works alongside the homes of the black residents of the city. it is connected to the city centre by three main tram lines namely the Orleans, Harpers and Powell lines, if one has to visit it is advised to go armed in case of issues. the area's housing is mainly comprised of brick Victorian houses modelled on those found in old England's Birmingham. its Orange Halls and Churches are the grandest non industrial buildings but they are generally smaller then those in the white areas of the city.
the Indian community of Charlotte numbering about fifteen thousand can be found in little India in the South East of the city in the Saris Forest neighbourhood and in the roughly one thousand Indian ran businesses scattered primarily across the Black areas of the city, these are mostly a mix of small grocery stores and Indian restaurants. the Indian community of the city are among the wealthiest Indians in the entire CSA as most are business owners in contrast to the vast majority of their compatriots who continue to be agricultural labourers in Walker, the Yucatan and Cuba.
the south of the city is generally comprised of quiet suburbs dotted by the occasional small business. it lies a quiet idyllic place but is largely devoid of significant tourist attractions. the most notable buildings are the occasional Orange Lodge or church. the rolling rural countryside of the Carolinas will eventually greet your view as you depart the city. a similar area can be found developing to the north as quaint suburbs follow the city's newly expanded tram network. it lays a unique city, a mirror image of the city only 150 miles to its south. it is definitely worth a visit for the curious traveller.
​
thoughts?
any questions you have about my writing or the scenario, I'll be happy to answer

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/cg1p8marcoxnt93s_igs_rep_page/
Humble Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle leftovers
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MAIN ASSEMBLY
Maneater
Mordhau
Orn the tiny forest sprite
Outward US x 2
Overcooked 2 + Surf and Turf + Too Many Cooks
pathfinder wrath
PGA TOUR 2k21 x 2
Phantasmagoria
Portal Knights
Pro cycling manager 2019
Project Cars
Project CARS 2 + Japanese Cars Bonus Pack
Risen
Sairento VR
Scum
Second Extinction
Sonic Forces
Spyro Reignited Trilogy x 2
Starbound
Star Trek Bridge Crew
State of Decay 2
streets of rogue
Summer in Mara
Superhot VR
Tales of Zestiria
Team Sonic Racing
Tekken 7
The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion GOTY
The Division + DLC US
Tomb Raider GOTY
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
TRINE 2 Complete Story
TRINE 3 The Artifacts of Power
Tracks - The Train Set Game
WARHAMMER 40,000: Gladius- Relics of War
Warhammer 40000 : Mechanicus
Wasteland 2 Directors Cut
Wasteland 3
valkyria chronicles IV Complete
X-com 2
​
​
TIER 2
ABZU
Armello x 3
asterix obelix xxl3
Band of Defenders
batman arkham knight
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Beyond Blue
BioShock Infinite
Book of Demons
CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE-
Choice Chamber
Chess Ultra
Cities skylines
civilization IV Complete Edition
Civilization 5
Dead by Daylight
Death and Taxes
Degrees of Separation
Drake Hollow
Driftland: The Magic Revival x 2
Endless Space 2
Europa Universalis IV
eXperience 112
FEZ
Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China - Deluxe Edition
Forced
From Space
Gamedec
Gato Roboto
Golf With Friends
Gunman Tales
Hotshot Racing
human fall flat
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Just Cause 3
Killing Floor 2
King's Bounty: Crossworlds
King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North - The Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Manhunt
Megadimension Neptunia VII
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - War Chest Edition
METAL SLUG 3
Metro Last Light Redux
Miscreated
MO:Astray
Morphopolis
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Natural Selection 2
NecroWorm
Neo Cab
NEOVERSE
Not For Broadcast
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
Odyssey - The Story of Science
OF MICE AND SAND -REVISED-
One Step From Eden
Opus Magnum
Overcooked
Overgrowth
PATHOLOGIC 2
Pillars Of Eternity
Phoenix Point Year one edition
Planespace Torment Enhanced Edition
Plunge
Quantum League
Quest of Dungeons
Railroad tycoon 3
Rise of Industry
River City Melee Mach
Roarr! The Adventures of Rampage Rex
Sanctuary RPG: Black Edition
Scribblenauts Unmasked
Scythe Digital Edition
Serious Sam 3 BFE
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Shing!
Skullgirls
Sinking Island
Slinger VR
SNIPER GHOST WARRIOR CONTRACTS
snk anniversary
Sonic All Stars Transformed Collection
Sparkle 2
Sparkle Unleashed
Starbound
Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast
STAR WARS The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition
Star Wars Kotor 2
Star Wolves 3: Civil War
stick fight the game
Still There
Stronhold Crusader 2
Struggling
Styx Master of Shadows
SUPER TIME FORCE ULTRA
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality
SurrounDead
Surviving Mars x 2
Swords of Gurrah
Tannenberg
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII STEAM EDITION
The Technomancer
tilt brush
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut
The Beast Inside
The Gardens Between
The Incredible Adventures of Van Hesing
the long dark survival Edition
The Stillness of the Wind
The Swords of Ditto: Mormo’s Curse
The town of light
The walking dead the new frontier
The Wild Eight
Train Valley 2
Trüberbrook
Tropico 5
Tsioque
Unto The End
Valfaris
Voidship: The Long Journey
volcanoids
Wargroove
WARSAW
West of Dead x 2
Wizard Of Legends x 3
Worms Clan Wars
Without Within 3
XCOM: Chimera Squad
Yooka Laylee
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
​
​
TIER 3
112 Operator
911 Operator
Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution
Ageless
AI War 2
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alien Shooter 2 Conscription
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
angry video game nerd
Arcana Hearts 3
Armada 2526 Gold Edition
arma X
As Far As The Eye
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Atari Vault
AVEN COLONY
Before we Leave
Belladonna
BLACKHOLE
Blitzkrieg Anthology
Boomerang Fu
Bomber Crew - Deluxe Edition
Boreal Blade
Borealis
Bridge Constructor Playground
Broken Age x 3
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
Bunker Punks
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Cally's caves 3
Callys Caves 4
Capitalism 2
Carmageddon Max Damage
Cast of the Seven Godsends
Cepheus Protocol
Chaos Reborn
City Siege: Faction Island
COLT CANYON
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Crazy Belts
crazy machines 3
Creeping Terror
Crowntakers
Crying Suns
CTU: Counter Terrorism Unit
Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior
Cyber Hook
Dad Quest x 2
Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope
Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Dark Strokes The Legend of the Snow Kingdom Collectors Edition
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth
Death Squared
DESOLATE
Detached
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Dimension Drifter
Distrust : Polar Survival
Double Dragon IV
Draw Slasher
Duke Nukem Forever x 2
Dungeons 3
Dungeon Siege II
DV: Rings of Saturn
EarthNight
EarthX
Eliza
Enforcer: Police Crime Action
ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition
Epistory - Typing Chronicles
Etherborn
Etherlords I & II
Evergarden
evoland
F1 2018
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Farming World
Fire
Fort Triumph
Fury Unleashed x 2
Garfield Kart
Gas Guzzlers Extreme
Goat simulator
Golf Gang
God's Trigger
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
GRIP: Combat Racing
Guilty Gear Sign
Gunscape Standard Edition
Hacknet + DLC
Heaven’s Vault
Heavy Burger
Heroes of Annihilated Empires
Hexologic
Hidden Object Bundle 5 in 1
Hidden Object 6in1 bundle
Hive Jump
Hopiko
HORACE
Hue
Hyperspace Invaders II: Pixel Edition
In Between
Innerspace
INMOST
Inside My Radio
Iris and the Giant
Iron Fisticle
John Wick
Just Die Already
ken follet
Kingdom: Classic
King Oddball
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
Knight's Retreat
Labyronia RPG
Labyronia RPG 2
Laser Disco Defenders
Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail
Lemuria Lost in Space
Levelhead
LIBERATED
Little Misfortune
Livelock
Lostwinds
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Lust for Darkness
Luxor 3
Mages of Mystralia
Magrunner: Dark Pulse
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Medieval Kingdom Wars
Mini Ninjas
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
Moon Hunters
MotoGP 15
Morkredd
MOUNT & BLADE
MXGP - The Official Motocross Videogame
My Memory of Us
Mystery Loss
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Nba Playgrounds
Neon Chrome
Newt One
Nex Machina
Neverending Nightmares
Neverout
Niffelheim
Night Call
Nowhere Prophet
Odallus: The Dark Call
Of Orcs And Men
Offworld Trading Company + Jupiter's Forge Expansion Pack
Omen Exitio: Plague
Orbital Racer
Out of Space
Overload
Overlord II x 2
Pac-Man 256
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Paper Fire Rookie
Paperbark
Paradigm
Particula
Pathway
Pawnbarian
Payday 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Perfect Universe
Pesterquest
Pickers
Pikuniku
Pirate Pop Plus
Pixel Heroes
Pixplode
Planet Alpha
Planet of the Eyes
Police Stories
port royale 3 gold
Post Master
POPUP DUNGEON
Prehistoric Tales
Quantum Conundrum
Radio Commander
Rapture Rejects
Rebel Galaxy
red orchestra 2
Re-Legion
REMOTHERED: BROKEN PORCELAIN
Remnants of Naezith
RESIDENT EVIL HD
Rezrog
Retimed
Ring of Pain
Road Redemption
ROCK OF AGES 3: MAKE & BREAK
Röki
Roombo: First Blood
Rover Mechanic Simulator
RRRR
Rustler
Sakura Agent
Sakura Angels
Sakura Beach
Sakura Beach 2
Sakura Fantasy
Sakura Magical Girls
Sakura Shrine Girls
Sakura Spirit
Samorost 3
Serial Cleaner
Seven enchanted edition
Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
SIMULACRA + SIMULACRA 2
Sins Of The Demon
Shadowrun Hong Kong Extended Edition
Shoppe Keep
Shoppe Keep 2
Smile For Me
SKULLY
Smoke and Sacrifice
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Soulblight
Space Pilgrim Academy: Reunion
space run galaxy
Speedrunners
Spellspire
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
StarCrossed
State of mind
Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
Stealth Bastard Deluxe x 2
Steamburg
Still Life 2
Storm Of Spears
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sudden Strike 4
Sundered
Super Hexagon
Supraland
Super Mutant Alien Assault
Super Panda Adventures
Swag and Sorcery
Syberia
Syberia II
Syberia 3
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Tabletop Playground
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
Teleglitch Die More Edition
Telefrag VR
Teslagrad
Testament of Sherlock Holmes
Time Mysteries 3: The Final Enigma
The Amazing American Circus
Tharsis
The Ball
The Deed
The dropping of the dead
The Dwarves
The Hex
The King's Bird
The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition
The Lost Crown
The Purring Quest
There Came An Echo
The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
The Signal From Tölva
Think of the Children
This War of Mine
ToeJam & Earl Back in the Groove
Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider V: Chronicles
Tomb Raider Legend
Tomb Raider Underworld
Tooth and Tail
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Tropico 4
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Underhero
Unrest
Valnir Rok Survival RPG
Vane
Velocity Ultra Deluxe
Vertiginous Golf
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
Wanderlust: Travel Stories
Wandersong
warlock 2
war tech fighters
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
Without Within 2
Whispers of a machine
Wings of Vi
Yoku's Island Express
Youropa
Zoo Park
​
​
TIER 4
Acceleration of SUGURI 2
Age of Wonders III
Alien Spidy
Almost There: The Platformer
Angvik
A New Beginning – Final Cut
AtmaSphere
Battle vs chees
Circuit Breakers
Corridor Z
CreaVures
Cubicle Quest
Dagon – The Eldritch Box DLC
Dashing Dinos
Death Fungeon
Drawful 2
DungeonUp x 2
Earth 2150 Trilogy
Enclave
Endless Space – Collection
Evergarden
Formula Car Racing
Fluffy Horde
Gorky 17
Guts And Glory
Hacknet Deluxe Edition
Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Holy Potatoes a Spy Story
Homefront
Horizon Shift
Joggernauts
Journey of a Roach
Learn Japanese to survive Hiragana Battle
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work
Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up Or Slip Out
Little Racers STREET
Lock Parsing 2
Love is Dead
Midnight Mysteries 3: Devil on the Mississippi
Memoria
Moss Destruction
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
NeuroVoider
No Time to Explain Remastered
One Finger Death Punch
OneShift
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Pesterquest
Purrfect Date – Visual Novel/Dating Simulator
Raceland
Regions Of Ruin
Regular Human Basketball x 2
Rencounter
Renoir
Return to Mysterious Island
Resort Boss: Golf
Rym 9000
Seraph
Shooting Stars!
Silence
Sky Break
Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis
Space Pilgrim Episode IV: Sol
Spandex Force: Champion Rising
Steel Rats
Super Daryl Deluxe
Sword Legacy Omen
Taxi
The Adventure Pals x 3
The Deed: Dynasty
The Emerald Maiden: Symphony of Dream
The Spiral Scouts
The Uncertain - The Last Quiet Day
Tiny Troopers
ttv2
Twilight City Love as a Cure
Two Worlds: Epic Edition
Tumblestone
Unhack
Unhack 2
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
White Noise Online
World Keepers Last Resort
Zombie Party x 2

For the leaders in Civilization 7, I think their should be ones that we have not seen in a game yet.
The United States: For the leader of the United States, I think that it could be famous Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, or John F. Kennedy. However, I feel as though a President who should not be made the leader is Andrew Jackson. He’s an extremely controversial President, as he initiated the Trail of Tears, one of the worst atrocities to happen to the Native Americans.
Great Britain/England: For the leader of Great Britain/England, I think that the leader could be between several monarchs such as Richard the Lionheart, Alfred the Great, Richard III, and MAYBE Henry VIII, but the things that he did to his many wives may make him a more controversial choice. One British king that I think shouldn’t be made the leader is George III. He was king during the American Revolution and was reportedly insane.
France: For the leader of France, I think that it could either be Charlemagne, as he is the ancestor of many people of European descent, or Charles de Gaulle, as he is a famous World War 2 hero and President of France.
Germany: For the leader of Germany, I think that it could be either Paul von Hindenburg, a former President of Germany, or Wilhelm II, the last Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia.
Japan: For the leader of Japan, I think that it could possibly be Oda Nobunga, a shogun who lived during the same era as Tokugawa.
Russia: For Russia, what if the leader was from the Kievan Rus, or to be more specific, had it’s founder Rurik as the leader. However, one Russian historical figure that I think should not be made the leader is Ivan the Terrible, as he was also known for being extremely insane and also for killing his own son. However another Russian historical figure I think MIGHT be able to be made the leader is Vladimir Lenin, as although it might be controversial, it isn’t the first time a Communist leader was put in a game, as Mao Zedong was made the leader of China back in Civilization Revolution.
Who are some other historical figures that you think would make good leaders in Civilization 7?

Link to patch notes

Resolved Issues

The following changes were made in the March 28, 2023, patch.
Menus

• Improved stability when navigating Customization menus on PC.
• “Underperforming” will no longer appear under some match statistics on the Post-Game Carnage Report (PGCR) menu.
• When purchasing the Premium Battle Pass Bundle, the “Confirm Purchase” prompt now correctly reflects that players will receive 100 XP Grants.

Multiplayer

• Players are now less likely to experience “rubber banding” or “jittering” when interacting with various environmental objects on multiplayer maps.
• Improved stability while respawning in multiplayer matches on Xbox Series XS consoles.
• Players on all platforms are now less likely to experience crashes while loading between the main menu and gameplay.
• On PC, Halo Infinite is now less likely to crash on launch when using non-English keyboard settings.
• Online matches are now less likely to disconnect all players while playing Escalation Slayer and Covert One Flag.
• Players are now less likely to experience crashes while playing on Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X consoles.
• Resolved a crash that occurred when too many navigation and objective indicators were on-screen at once.

Forge
Today’s update resolves a high-impact issue that incorrectly limited the number of Script Brains that can be placed on a map. Read the Developer Notes below for additional information on this issue and the fix:

• What happened: Season 3 added a budget check whenever a player added nodegraph content in order to reduce the incidence of “Dedicated Server Failed to Load” errors.
  • If your map has too many “nodegraph entities” (nodes + connections + properties), this check will prevent you from adding nodes, duplicating nodes, or adding more connections.
  • Based on our own investigation and support tickets, this resulted in a functional global budget of about 200-250 nodes per map after the Season 3 update, which is a pretty low ceiling.
• What’s changing: This hotfix raises the Nodegraph Entity limit from 800 to 2048.
  • Most players should now be able to add nodes and connections to any map that was functioning during the Winter Update.
  • Maps should be able to comfortably hold scripts with up to 512 nodes before running into the duplication limit or the “Dedicated Server Failed to Load” bug.
• Please be aware:
  • This budget check was a stopgap for Season 3 until we could add additional Node Graph budgeting elements in a future update. With this hotfix, we’re choosing to let advanced scripters push the tool, even if it means they’ll hit that frustrating Winter Update bug more frequently.
  • Because we have relaxed the budget checks, maps with many scripts + art content can still experience “Dedicated Server Failed to Load” errors that were present during the Winter Update.
  • In the future, you’ll see this entity limit replaced with actual budget checks against the limits that causes the failure to load bug.

Other resolved issues in this patch include:

• Players can now consistently load older versions of their Forge maps.
• When editing a Node Graph in Forge that has multiple scripts starting with event nodes, players can now connect a single node to multiple execution nodes which are connected to different scripts.
• Primitive sphere objects in Forge that were moved because of the Season 3 update have been restored to their original location.
  • As mentioned in a @HaloSupport tweet, Forge creators who attempted to restore the original position of affected primitive spheres prior to this patch may need to re-adjust the spheres after installing the update.
• When selecting a map for Forge on PC, selecting a file in the My Bookmarks menu no longer reverts to the previously selected map.
• When rotating an object in Forge with the Rotation Snap option set to 15 degrees or higher, players can now quickly tap the corresponding directional input rather than holding the directional input.

Thank you to all players who submitted a ticket on these or other in-game issues. Stay tuned to @HaloSupport on Twitter for the latest news on upcoming releases.

Playlist Changes

The Quick Play, Fiesta, and Tactical Slayer matchmaking playlists were also updated on March 28, 2023. The new maps added to the Quick Play and Fiesta playlists were made in Forge by community members. To learn more about these maps and their dedicated playlist, visit the Community Collection Playlist Launch blog on Halo Waypoint.
Quick Play

• Added map and mode combinations
  • Capture the Flag (CTF) on Starboard
  • King of the Hill (KOTH) on Salvation
  • Oddball on Starboard
  • One Flag CTF on Salvation
• Removed map and mode combinations
  • Escalation Slayer on Aquarius
  • Oddball on Empyrean
  • Slayer on Aquarius
  • KOTH on Catalyst

Fiesta

• Added map and mode combinations
  • Fiesta Slayer on Absolution
  • Fiesta Slayer on Perilous
  • Fiesta Slayer on Salvation
  • Fiesta Slayer on Starboard

Tactical Slayer

• Added map and mode combinations
  • Tactical CTF on Bazaar
  • Tactical CTF on Chasm
  • Tactical KOTH on Cliffhanger
  • Tactical KOTH on Recharge
• Removed map and mode combinations
  • Tactical Slayer Bandit on Recharge
  • Tactical Slayer Sidekick on Cliffhanger
  • Tactical Slayer Sidekick on Detachment
  • Tactical Slayer Sidekick on Empyrean

Known Issue

Alongside this update, the team has added one new issue to our Known Issues list:

• Saving a map that has 2 or more Script Brains may result in multiple identical saves being created.

For a full list of known issues in Halo Infinite, visit our Known Issues section.
Download Size

• Xbox consoles: approximately 2.9 GB or less.
• Microsoft Store app or Xbox app on PC: approximately 2.9 GB or less.
• Steam: approximately 1.6 GB or less.

Humble Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle leftovers
​
Ticket to Ride
Strange Brigade
System Shock Enhanced Edition
Pilgrims
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Into the Pit
Worms Rumble
Backbone
119 Operator
211 Operator
Calico
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Monaco
Death Squared
Lust from Beyond – M Edition
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Remnants of Naezith
Planet TD
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX
XEL
Little Orpheus
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Agent in Depth
Meow Express
Arcade Spirits
Non-Stop Raiders
The Inner World
The Amazing American Circus
Soulblight
Stacking
Hack 'n’ Slash
MirrorMoon EP
Cosmic Express
Cris Tales
Orbital Racer
Symmetry
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Alchemist’s Castle
Soul Searching
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Quadrata
Rym 9000
stikir
Cats and the Other Lives
Soulflow
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Guns & Fishes
Pill Baby
Project Chemistry
Pixross
Frick, Inc
Sunlight
​
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​
​
TIER 0
Back 4 blood eu
Destiny 2 Planet of Peace Exclusive Emblem
Dirt Rally 2.0 + 3 DLC
F1 2012
F1 2019 Anniversary
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Remnant from the Ashes
Road to Guangdong - Story-Based Indie Road Trip Driving Game
the wolf among us
​
TIER 1
Absolver
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night
borderlands Game of the year enhanced Edition
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection EU
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition
Darksiders genesis
Deep Rock Galactic
Doom Eternal
Duke Nukem Manhattan Project
DUSK
Elex
Endless Space 2 – Deluxe Edition
friday the 13th
Geometry Wars 3 Dimensions Evolved Mystery
Genital Jousting
Grid Autosport
Grid ultimate edition
Golf With Friends
GoNNER BLüEBERRY EDiTION
guild wars 2 heroic edition
guild wars nightfall
Hitman Absolution
House Flipper
Just cause 3 XXL
Kingdom Rush
Kerbal Space Program x 2
Legend Of Grimrock
Lego Marvel 2 Deluxe
Little Dragons Cafe
Mafia III: Definitive Edition
MAIN ASSEMBLY
Maneater
Mordhau
Orn the tiny forest sprite
Outward US x 2
Overcooked 2 + Surf and Turf + Too Many Cooks
pathfinder wrath
PGA TOUR 2k21 x 2
Phantasmagoria
Portal Knights
Pro cycling manager 2019
Project Cars
Project CARS 2 + Japanese Cars Bonus Pack
Risen
Sairento VR
Scum
Second Extinction
Sonic Forces
Spyro Reignited Trilogy x 2
Starbound
Star Trek Bridge Crew
State of Decay 2
streets of rogue
Summer in Mara
Superhot VR
Tales of Zestiria
Team Sonic Racing
Tekken 7
The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion GOTY
The Division + DLC US
Tomb Raider GOTY
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
TRINE 2 Complete Story
TRINE 3 The Artifacts of Power
Tracks - The Train Set Game
WARHAMMER 40,000: Gladius- Relics of War
Warhammer 40000 : Mechanicus
Wasteland 2 Directors Cut
Wasteland 3
valkyria chronicles IV Complete
X-com 2
​
​
TIER 2
ABZU
Armello x 3
asterix obelix xxl3
Band of Defenders
batman arkham knight
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Beyond Blue
BioShock Infinite
Book of Demons
CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE-
Choice Chamber
Chess Ultra
Cities skylines
civilization IV Complete Edition
Civilization 5
Dead by Daylight
Death and Taxes
Degrees of Separation
Drake Hollow
Driftland: The Magic Revival x 2
Endless Space 2
Europa Universalis IV
eXperience 112
FEZ
Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China - Deluxe Edition
Forced
From Space
Gamedec
Gato Roboto
Golf With Friends
Gunman Tales
Hotshot Racing
human fall flat
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Just Cause 3
Killing Floor 2
King's Bounty: Crossworlds
King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North - The Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Manhunt
Megadimension Neptunia VII
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - War Chest Edition
METAL SLUG 3
Metro Last Light Redux
Miscreated
MO:Astray
Morphopolis
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Natural Selection 2
NecroWorm
Neo Cab
NEOVERSE
Not For Broadcast
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
Odyssey - The Story of Science
OF MICE AND SAND -REVISED-
One Step From Eden
Opus Magnum
Overcooked
Overgrowth
PATHOLOGIC 2
Pillars Of Eternity
Phoenix Point Year one edition
Planespace Torment Enhanced Edition
Plunge
Quantum League
Quest of Dungeons
Railroad tycoon 3
Rise of Industry
River City Melee Mach
Roarr! The Adventures of Rampage Rex
Sanctuary RPG: Black Edition
Scribblenauts Unmasked
Scythe Digital Edition
Serious Sam 3 BFE
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Shing!
Skullgirls
Sinking Island
Slinger VR
SNIPER GHOST WARRIOR CONTRACTS
snk anniversary
Sonic All Stars Transformed Collection
Sparkle 2
Sparkle Unleashed
Starbound
Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast
STAR WARS The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition
Star Wars Kotor 2
Star Wolves 3: Civil War
stick fight the game
Still There
Stronhold Crusader 2
Struggling
Styx Master of Shadows
SUPER TIME FORCE ULTRA
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality
SurrounDead
Surviving Mars x 2
Swords of Gurrah
Tannenberg
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII STEAM EDITION
The Technomancer
tilt brush
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut
The Beast Inside
The Gardens Between
The Incredible Adventures of Van Hesing
the long dark survival Edition
The Stillness of the Wind
The Swords of Ditto: Mormo’s Curse
The town of light
The walking dead the new frontier
The Wild Eight
Train Valley 2
Trüberbrook
Tropico 5
Tsioque
Unto The End
Valfaris
Voidship: The Long Journey
volcanoids
Wargroove
WARSAW
West of Dead x 2
Wizard Of Legends x 3
Worms Clan Wars
Without Within 3
XCOM: Chimera Squad
Yooka Laylee
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
​
​
TIER 3
112 Operator
911 Operator
Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution
Ageless
AI War 2
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alien Shooter 2 Conscription
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
angry video game nerd
Arcana Hearts 3
Armada 2526 Gold Edition
arma X
As Far As The Eye
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Atari Vault
AVEN COLONY
Before we Leave
Belladonna
BLACKHOLE
Blitzkrieg Anthology
Boomerang Fu
Bomber Crew - Deluxe Edition
Boreal Blade
Borealis
Bridge Constructor Playground
Broken Age x 3
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
Bunker Punks
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Cally's caves 3
Callys Caves 4
Capitalism 2
Carmageddon Max Damage
Cast of the Seven Godsends
Cepheus Protocol
Chaos Reborn
City Siege: Faction Island
COLT CANYON
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Crazy Belts
crazy machines 3
Creeping Terror
Crowntakers
Crying Suns
CTU: Counter Terrorism Unit
Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior
Cyber Hook
Dad Quest x 2
Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope
Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Dark Strokes The Legend of the Snow Kingdom Collectors Edition
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth
Death Squared
DESOLATE
Detached
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Dimension Drifter
Distrust : Polar Survival
Double Dragon IV
Draw Slasher
Duke Nukem Forever x 2
Dungeons 3
Dungeon Siege II
DV: Rings of Saturn
EarthNight
EarthX
Eliza
Enforcer: Police Crime Action
ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition
Epistory - Typing Chronicles
Etherborn
Etherlords I & II
Evergarden
evoland
F1 2018
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Farming World
Fire
Fort Triumph
Fury Unleashed x 2
Garfield Kart
Gas Guzzlers Extreme
Goat simulator
Golf Gang
God's Trigger
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
GRIP: Combat Racing
Guilty Gear Sign
Gunscape Standard Edition
Hacknet + DLC
Heaven’s Vault
Heavy Burger
Heroes of Annihilated Empires
Hexologic
Hidden Object Bundle 5 in 1
Hidden Object 6in1 bundle
Hive Jump
Hopiko
HORACE
Hue
Hyperspace Invaders II: Pixel Edition
In Between
Innerspace
INMOST
Inside My Radio
Iris and the Giant
Iron Fisticle
John Wick
Just Die Already
ken follet
Kingdom: Classic
King Oddball
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
Knight's Retreat
Labyronia RPG
Labyronia RPG 2
Laser Disco Defenders
Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail
Lemuria Lost in Space
Levelhead
LIBERATED
Little Misfortune
Livelock
Lostwinds
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Lust for Darkness
Luxor 3
Mages of Mystralia
Magrunner: Dark Pulse
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Medieval Kingdom Wars
Mini Ninjas
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
Moon Hunters
MotoGP 15
Morkredd
MOUNT & BLADE
MXGP - The Official Motocross Videogame
My Memory of Us
Mystery Loss
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Nba Playgrounds
Neon Chrome
Newt One
Nex Machina
Neverending Nightmares
Neverout
Niffelheim
Night Call
Nowhere Prophet
Odallus: The Dark Call
Of Orcs And Men
Offworld Trading Company + Jupiter's Forge Expansion Pack
Omen Exitio: Plague
Orbital Racer
Out of Space
Overload
Overlord II x 2
Pac-Man 256
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Paper Fire Rookie
Paperbark
Paradigm
Particula
Pathway
Pawnbarian
Payday 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Perfect Universe
Pesterquest
Pickers
Pikuniku
Pirate Pop Plus
Pixel Heroes
Pixplode
Planet Alpha
Planet of the Eyes
Police Stories
port royale 3 gold
Post Master
POPUP DUNGEON
Prehistoric Tales
Quantum Conundrum
Radio Commander
Rapture Rejects
Rebel Galaxy
red orchestra 2
Re-Legion
REMOTHERED: BROKEN PORCELAIN
Remnants of Naezith
RESIDENT EVIL HD
Rezrog
Retimed
Ring of Pain
Road Redemption
ROCK OF AGES 3: MAKE & BREAK
Röki
Roombo: First Blood
Rover Mechanic Simulator
RRRR
Rustler
Sakura Agent
Sakura Angels
Sakura Beach
Sakura Beach 2
Sakura Fantasy
Sakura Magical Girls
Sakura Shrine Girls
Sakura Spirit
Samorost 3
Serial Cleaner
Seven enchanted edition
Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
SIMULACRA + SIMULACRA 2
Sins Of The Demon
Shadowrun Hong Kong Extended Edition
Shoppe Keep
Shoppe Keep 2
Smile For Me
SKULLY
Smoke and Sacrifice
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Soulblight
Space Pilgrim Academy: Reunion
space run galaxy
Speedrunners
Spellspire
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
StarCrossed
State of mind
Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
Stealth Bastard Deluxe x 2
Steamburg
Still Life 2
Storm Of Spears
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sudden Strike 4
Sundered
Super Hexagon
Supraland
Super Mutant Alien Assault
Super Panda Adventures
Swag and Sorcery
Syberia
Syberia II
Syberia 3
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Tabletop Playground
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
Teleglitch Die More Edition
Telefrag VR
Teslagrad
Testament of Sherlock Holmes
Time Mysteries 3: The Final Enigma
The Amazing American Circus
Tharsis
The Ball
The Deed
The dropping of the dead
The Dwarves
The Hex
The King's Bird
The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition
The Lost Crown
The Purring Quest
There Came An Echo
The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
The Signal From Tölva
Think of the Children
This War of Mine
ToeJam & Earl Back in the Groove
Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider V: Chronicles
Tomb Raider Legend
Tomb Raider Underworld
Tooth and Tail
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Tropico 4
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Underhero
Unrest
Valnir Rok Survival RPG
Vane
Velocity Ultra Deluxe
Vertiginous Golf
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
Wanderlust: Travel Stories
Wandersong
warlock 2
war tech fighters
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
Without Within 2
Whispers of a machine
Wings of Vi
Yoku's Island Express
Youropa
Zoo Park
​
​
TIER 4
Acceleration of SUGURI 2
Age of Wonders III
Alien Spidy
Almost There: The Platformer
Angvik
A New Beginning – Final Cut
AtmaSphere
Battle vs chees
Circuit Breakers
Corridor Z
CreaVures
Cubicle Quest
Dagon – The Eldritch Box DLC
Dashing Dinos
Death Fungeon
Drawful 2
DungeonUp x 2
Earth 2150 Trilogy
Enclave
Endless Space – Collection
Evergarden
Formula Car Racing
Fluffy Horde
Gorky 17
Guts And Glory
Hacknet Deluxe Edition
Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Holy Potatoes a Spy Story
Homefront
Horizon Shift
Joggernauts
Journey of a Roach
Learn Japanese to survive Hiragana Battle
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work
Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up Or Slip Out
Little Racers STREET
Lock Parsing 2
Love is Dead
Midnight Mysteries 3: Devil on the Mississippi
Memoria
Moss Destruction
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
NeuroVoider
No Time to Explain Remastered
One Finger Death Punch
OneShift
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Pesterquest
Purrfect Date – Visual Novel/Dating Simulator
Raceland
Regions Of Ruin
Regular Human Basketball x 2
Rencounter
Renoir
Return to Mysterious Island
Resort Boss: Golf
Rym 9000
Seraph
Shooting Stars!
Silence
Sky Break
Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis
Space Pilgrim Episode IV: Sol
Spandex Force: Champion Rising
Steel Rats
Super Daryl Deluxe
Sword Legacy Omen
Taxi
The Adventure Pals x 3
The Deed: Dynasty
The Emerald Maiden: Symphony of Dream
The Spiral Scouts
The Uncertain - The Last Quiet Day
Tiny Troopers
ttv2
Twilight City Love as a Cure
Two Worlds: Epic Edition
Tumblestone
Unhack
Unhack 2
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
White Noise Online
World Keepers Last Resort
Zombie Party x 2

​
Humble Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Relief Bundle leftovers
​
Ticket to Ride
Strange Brigade
System Shock Enhanced Edition
Pilgrims
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Into the Pit
Worms Rumble
Backbone
119 Operator
211 Operator
Calico
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Monaco
Death Squared
Lust from Beyond – M Edition
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Remnants of Naezith
Planet TD
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue DX
XEL
Little Orpheus
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Agent in Depth
Meow Express
Arcade Spirits
Non-Stop Raiders
The Inner World
The Amazing American Circus
Soulblight
Stacking
Hack 'n’ Slash
MirrorMoon EP
Cosmic Express
Cris Tales
Orbital Racer
Symmetry
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Alchemist’s Castle
Soul Searching
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Quadrata
Rym 9000
stikir
Cats and the Other Lives
Soulflow
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Guns & Fishes
Pill Baby
Project Chemistry
Pixross
Frick, Inc
Sunlight
​
​
​
​
TIER 0
Back 4 blood eu
Destiny 2 Planet of Peace Exclusive Emblem
Dirt Rally 2.0 + 3 DLC
F1 2012
F1 2019 Anniversary
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Remnant from the Ashes
Road to Guangdong - Story-Based Indie Road Trip Driving Game
the wolf among us
​
TIER 1
Absolver
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night
borderlands Game of the year enhanced Edition
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection EU
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition
Darksiders genesis
Deep Rock Galactic
Doom Eternal
Duke Nukem Manhattan Project
DUSK
Elex
Endless Space 2 – Deluxe Edition
friday the 13th
Geometry Wars 3 Dimensions Evolved Mystery
Genital Jousting
Grid Autosport
Grid ultimate edition
Golf With Friends
GoNNER BLüEBERRY EDiTION
guild wars 2 heroic edition
guild wars nightfall
Hitman Absolution
House Flipper
Just cause 3 XXL
Kingdom Rush
Kerbal Space Program x 2
Legend Of Grimrock
Lego Marvel 2 Deluxe
Little Dragons Cafe
Mafia III: Definitive Edition
MAIN ASSEMBLY
Maneater
Mordhau
Orn the tiny forest sprite
Outward US x 2
Overcooked 2 + Surf and Turf + Too Many Cooks
pathfinder wrath
PGA TOUR 2k21 x 2
Phantasmagoria
Portal Knights
Pro cycling manager 2019
Project Cars
Project CARS 2 + Japanese Cars Bonus Pack
Risen
Sairento VR
Scum
Second Extinction
Sonic Forces
Spyro Reignited Trilogy x 2
Starbound
Star Trek Bridge Crew
State of Decay 2
streets of rogue
Summer in Mara
Superhot VR
Tales of Zestiria
Team Sonic Racing
Tekken 7
The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion GOTY
The Division + DLC US
Tomb Raider GOTY
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
TRINE 2 Complete Story
TRINE 3 The Artifacts of Power
Tracks - The Train Set Game
WARHAMMER 40,000: Gladius- Relics of War
Warhammer 40000 : Mechanicus
Wasteland 2 Directors Cut
Wasteland 3
valkyria chronicles IV Complete
X-com 2
​
​
TIER 2
ABZU
Armello x 3
asterix obelix xxl3
Band of Defenders
batman arkham knight
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Beyond Blue
BioShock Infinite
Book of Demons
CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE-
Choice Chamber
Chess Ultra
Cities skylines
civilization IV Complete Edition
Civilization 5
Dead by Daylight
Death and Taxes
Degrees of Separation
Drake Hollow
Driftland: The Magic Revival x 2
Endless Space 2
Europa Universalis IV
eXperience 112
FEZ
Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China - Deluxe Edition
Forced
From Space
Gamedec
Gato Roboto
Golf With Friends
Gunman Tales
Hotshot Racing
human fall flat
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Just Cause 3
Killing Floor 2
King's Bounty: Crossworlds
King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North - The Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Manhunt
Megadimension Neptunia VII
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - War Chest Edition
METAL SLUG 3
Metro Last Light Redux
Miscreated
MO:Astray
Morphopolis
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Natural Selection 2
NecroWorm
Neo Cab
NEOVERSE
Not For Broadcast
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
Odyssey - The Story of Science
OF MICE AND SAND -REVISED-
One Step From Eden
Opus Magnum
Overcooked
Overgrowth
PATHOLOGIC 2
Pillars Of Eternity
Phoenix Point Year one edition
Planespace Torment Enhanced Edition
Plunge
Quantum League
Quest of Dungeons
Railroad tycoon 3
Rise of Industry
River City Melee Mach
Roarr! The Adventures of Rampage Rex
Sanctuary RPG: Black Edition
Scribblenauts Unmasked
Scythe Digital Edition
Serious Sam 3 BFE
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Shing!
Skullgirls
Sinking Island
Slinger VR
SNIPER GHOST WARRIOR CONTRACTS
snk anniversary
Sonic All Stars Transformed Collection
Sparkle 2
Sparkle Unleashed
Starbound
Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast
STAR WARS The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition
Star Wars Kotor 2
Star Wolves 3: Civil War
stick fight the game
Still There
Stronhold Crusader 2
Struggling
Styx Master of Shadows
SUPER TIME FORCE ULTRA
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality
SurrounDead
Surviving Mars x 2
Swords of Gurrah
Tannenberg
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII STEAM EDITION
The Technomancer
tilt brush
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
The Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut
The Beast Inside
The Gardens Between
The Incredible Adventures of Van Hesing
the long dark survival Edition
The Stillness of the Wind
The Swords of Ditto: Mormo’s Curse
The town of light
The walking dead the new frontier
The Wild Eight
Train Valley 2
Trüberbrook
Tropico 5
Tsioque
Unto The End
Valfaris
Voidship: The Long Journey
volcanoids
Wargroove
WARSAW
West of Dead x 2
Wizard Of Legends x 3
Worms Clan Wars
Without Within 3
XCOM: Chimera Squad
Yooka Laylee
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
​
​
TIER 3
112 Operator
911 Operator
Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution
Ageless
AI War 2
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alien Shooter 2 Conscription
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
angry video game nerd
Arcana Hearts 3
Armada 2526 Gold Edition
arma X
As Far As The Eye
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Atari Vault
AVEN COLONY
Before we Leave
Belladonna
BLACKHOLE
Blitzkrieg Anthology
Boomerang Fu
Bomber Crew - Deluxe Edition
Boreal Blade
Borealis
Bridge Constructor Playground
Broken Age x 3
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
Bunker Punks
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Cally's caves 3
Callys Caves 4
Capitalism 2
Carmageddon Max Damage
Cast of the Seven Godsends
Cepheus Protocol
Chaos Reborn
City Siege: Faction Island
COLT CANYON
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Crazy Belts
crazy machines 3
Creeping Terror
Crowntakers
Crying Suns
CTU: Counter Terrorism Unit
Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior
Cyber Hook
Dad Quest x 2
Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope
Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Dark Strokes The Legend of the Snow Kingdom Collectors Edition
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth
Death Squared
DESOLATE
Detached
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Dimension Drifter
Distrust : Polar Survival
Double Dragon IV
Draw Slasher
Duke Nukem Forever x 2
Dungeons 3
Dungeon Siege II
DV: Rings of Saturn
EarthNight
EarthX
Eliza
Enforcer: Police Crime Action
ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition
Epistory - Typing Chronicles
Etherborn
Etherlords I & II
Evergarden
evoland
F1 2018
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Farming World
Fire
Fort Triumph
Fury Unleashed x 2
Garfield Kart
Gas Guzzlers Extreme
Goat simulator
Golf Gang
God's Trigger
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
GRIP: Combat Racing
Guilty Gear Sign
Gunscape Standard Edition
Hacknet + DLC
Heaven’s Vault
Heavy Burger
Heroes of Annihilated Empires
Hexologic
Hidden Object Bundle 5 in 1
Hidden Object 6in1 bundle
Hive Jump
Hopiko
HORACE
Hue
Hyperspace Invaders II: Pixel Edition
In Between
Innerspace
INMOST
Inside My Radio
Iris and the Giant
Iron Fisticle
John Wick
Just Die Already
ken follet
Kingdom: Classic
King Oddball
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
Knight's Retreat
Labyronia RPG
Labyronia RPG 2
Laser Disco Defenders
Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail
Lemuria Lost in Space
Levelhead
LIBERATED
Little Misfortune
Livelock
Lostwinds
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Lust for Darkness
Luxor 3
Mages of Mystralia
Magrunner: Dark Pulse
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Medieval Kingdom Wars
Mini Ninjas
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
Moon Hunters
MotoGP 15
Morkredd
MOUNT & BLADE
MXGP - The Official Motocross Videogame
My Memory of Us
Mystery Loss
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Nba Playgrounds
Neon Chrome
Newt One
Nex Machina
Neverending Nightmares
Neverout
Niffelheim
Night Call
Nowhere Prophet
Odallus: The Dark Call
Of Orcs And Men
Offworld Trading Company + Jupiter's Forge Expansion Pack
Omen Exitio: Plague
Orbital Racer
Out of Space
Overload
Overlord II x 2
Pac-Man 256
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Paper Fire Rookie
Paperbark
Paradigm
Particula
Pathway
Pawnbarian
Payday 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Perfect Universe
Pesterquest
Pickers
Pikuniku
Pirate Pop Plus
Pixel Heroes
Pixplode
Planet Alpha
Planet of the Eyes
Police Stories
port royale 3 gold
Post Master
POPUP DUNGEON
Prehistoric Tales
Quantum Conundrum
Radio Commander
Rapture Rejects
Rebel Galaxy
red orchestra 2
Re-Legion
REMOTHERED: BROKEN PORCELAIN
Remnants of Naezith
RESIDENT EVIL HD
Rezrog
Retimed
Ring of Pain
Road Redemption
ROCK OF AGES 3: MAKE & BREAK
Röki
Roombo: First Blood
Rover Mechanic Simulator
RRRR
Rustler
Sakura Agent
Sakura Angels
Sakura Beach
Sakura Beach 2
Sakura Fantasy
Sakura Magical Girls
Sakura Shrine Girls
Sakura Spirit
Samorost 3
Serial Cleaner
Seven enchanted edition
Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
SIMULACRA + SIMULACRA 2
Sins Of The Demon
Shadowrun Hong Kong Extended Edition
Shoppe Keep
Shoppe Keep 2
Smile For Me
SKULLY
Smoke and Sacrifice
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Soulblight
Space Pilgrim Academy: Reunion
space run galaxy
Speedrunners
Spellspire
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
StarCrossed
State of mind
Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
Stealth Bastard Deluxe x 2
Steamburg
Still Life 2
Storm Of Spears
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sudden Strike 4
Sundered
Super Hexagon
Supraland
Super Mutant Alien Assault
Super Panda Adventures
Swag and Sorcery
Syberia
Syberia II
Syberia 3
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Tabletop Playground
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
Teleglitch Die More Edition
Telefrag VR
Teslagrad
Testament of Sherlock Holmes
Time Mysteries 3: The Final Enigma
The Amazing American Circus
Tharsis
The Ball
The Deed
The dropping of the dead
The Dwarves
The Hex
The King's Bird
The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition
The Lost Crown
The Purring Quest
There Came An Echo
The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
The Signal From Tölva
Think of the Children
This War of Mine
ToeJam & Earl Back in the Groove
Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider V: Chronicles
Tomb Raider Legend
Tomb Raider Underworld
Tooth and Tail
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Tropico 4
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Underhero
Unrest
Valnir Rok Survival RPG
Vane
Velocity Ultra Deluxe
Vertiginous Golf
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
Wanderlust: Travel Stories
Wandersong
warlock 2
war tech fighters
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
Without Within 2
Whispers of a machine
Wings of Vi
Yoku's Island Express
Youropa
Zoo Park
​
​
TIER 4
Acceleration of SUGURI 2
Age of Wonders III
Alien Spidy
Almost There: The Platformer
Angvik
A New Beginning – Final Cut
AtmaSphere
Battle vs chees
Circuit Breakers
Corridor Z
CreaVures
Cubicle Quest
Dagon – The Eldritch Box DLC
Dashing Dinos
Death Fungeon
Drawful 2
DungeonUp x 2
Earth 2150 Trilogy
Enclave
Endless Space – Collection
Evergarden
Formula Car Racing
Fluffy Horde
Gorky 17
Guts And Glory
Hacknet Deluxe Edition
Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Holy Potatoes a Spy Story
Homefront
Horizon Shift
Joggernauts
Journey of a Roach
Learn Japanese to survive Hiragana Battle
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work
Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape Up Or Slip Out
Little Racers STREET
Lock Parsing 2
Love is Dead
Midnight Mysteries 3: Devil on the Mississippi
Memoria
Moss Destruction
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
NeuroVoider
No Time to Explain Remastered
One Finger Death Punch
OneShift
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Pesterquest
Purrfect Date – Visual Novel/Dating Simulator
Raceland
Regions Of Ruin
Regular Human Basketball x 2
Rencounter
Renoir
Return to Mysterious Island
Resort Boss: Golf
Rym 9000
Seraph
Shooting Stars!
Silence
Sky Break
Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis
Space Pilgrim Episode IV: Sol
Spandex Force: Champion Rising
Steel Rats
Super Daryl Deluxe
Sword Legacy Omen
Taxi
The Adventure Pals x 3
The Deed: Dynasty
The Emerald Maiden: Symphony of Dream
The Spiral Scouts
The Uncertain - The Last Quiet Day
Tiny Troopers
ttv2
Twilight City Love as a Cure
Two Worlds: Epic Edition
Tumblestone
Unhack
Unhack 2
Viking Saga The Cursed Ring
White Noise Online
World Keepers Last Resort
Zombie Party x 2

SO, i recently decided to start a new playthrough of skyrim. I used the bestofboth downgraderpatch toget skyrim se instead of ae but now everytime i tyr to enter the pause menu (press esc) my game crashes. I do believe it is one of the mods, and my ussep path is for the wrong version but does that matter since the plugins work.
Anyhow here's my load order.
​
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
ccasvsse001-almsivi.esm
ccbgssse001-fish.esm
ccbgssse002-exoticarrows.esl
ccbgssse003-zombies.esl
ccbgssse004-ruinsedge.esl
ccbgssse005-goldbrand.esl
ccbgssse006-stendarshammer.esl
ccbgssse007-chrysamere.esl
ccbgssse010-petdwarvenarmoredmudcrab.esl
ccbgssse011-hrsarmrelvn.esl
ccbgssse012-hrsarmrstl.esl
ccbgssse014-spellpack01.esl
ccbgssse019-staffofsheogorath.esl
ccbgssse020-graycowl.esl
ccbgssse021-lordsmail.esl
ccmtysse001-knightsofthenine.esl
ccqdrsse001-survivalmode.esl
cctwbsse001-puzzledungeon.esm
cceejsse001-hstead.esm
ccqdrsse002-firewood.esl
ccbgssse018-shadowrend.esl
ccbgssse035-petnhound.esl
ccfsvsse001-backpacks.esl
cceejsse002-tower.esl
ccedhsse001-norjewel.esl
ccvsvsse002-pets.esl
ccbgssse037-curios.esl
ccbgssse034-mntuni.esl
ccbgssse045-hasedoki.esl
ccbgssse008-wraithguard.esl
ccbgssse036-petbwolf.esl
ccffbsse001-imperialdragon.esl
ccmtysse002-ve.esl
ccbgssse043-crosselv.esl
ccvsvsse001-winter.esl
cceejsse003-hollow.esl
ccbgssse016-umbra.esm
ccbgssse031-advcyrus.esm
ccbgssse038-bowofshadows.esl
ccbgssse040-advobgobs.esl
ccbgssse050-ba_daedric.esl
ccbgssse052-ba_iron.esl
ccbgssse054-ba_orcish.esl
ccbgssse058-ba_steel.esl
ccbgssse059-ba_dragonplate.esl
ccbgssse061-ba_dwarven.esl
ccpewsse002-armsofchaos.esl
ccbgssse041-netchleather.esl
ccedhsse002-splkntset.esl
ccbgssse064-ba_elven.esl
ccbgssse063-ba_ebony.esl
ccbgssse062-ba_dwarvenmail.esl
ccbgssse060-ba_dragonscale.esl
ccbgssse056-ba_silver.esl
ccbgssse055-ba_orcishscaled.esl
ccbgssse053-ba_leather.esl
ccbgssse051-ba_daedricmail.esl
ccbgssse057-ba_stalhrim.esl
ccbgssse066-staves.esl
ccbgssse067-daedinv.esm
ccbgssse068-bloodfall.esl
ccbgssse069-contest.esl
ccvsvsse003-necroarts.esl
ccvsvsse004-beafarmer.esl
ccbgssse025-advdsgs.esm
ccffbsse002-crossbowpack.esl
ccbgssse013-dawnfang.esl
ccrmssse001-necrohouse.esl
ccedhsse003-redguard.esl
cceejsse004-hall.esl
cceejsse005-cave.esm
cckrtsse001_altar.esl
cccbhsse001-gaunt.esl
ccafdsse001-dwesanctuary.esm
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
LegacyoftheDragonborn.esm
3DNPC.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Resources.esm
AKSkyrimUnderground.esm
arnima.esm
Falskaar.esm
JSwordsD.esm
Midwood Isle.esp
Gray Fox Cowl.esm
WheelsOfLull.esp
Wyrmstooth.esp
SkyUI_SE.esp
SMIM-SE-Merged-All.esp
Castle Volkihar Rebuilt.esp
CollegeOfWinterholdImmersive.esp
JKs Skyrim.esp
MysticismMagic.esp
JK's Understone Keep.esp
JK's The Bards College.esp
yumcheese.esp
Helgen Reborn.esp
JK's Whiterun's Outskirts.esp
JK's Castle Dour.esp
JK's Blue Palace.esp
Undriel_QuaintRavenRock.esp
JK's High Hrothgar.esp
LC_BuildYourNobleHouse.esp
JK's The Winking Skeever.esp
JK's Temple of the Divines.esp
JK's Sky Haven Temple.esp
SeranaDialogAddon.esp
JK's Windhelm's Outskirts.esp
JK's Arnleif and Sons Trading Company.esp
JK's Jorrvaskr.esp
JK's Mistveil Keep.esp
JK's Haelga's Bunkhouse.esp
JK's Temple of Mara.esp
JK's Palace of the Kings.esp
LC_FeudalKeep.esp
JK's Temple of Dibella.esp
JK's The Hag's Cure.esp
MoonAndStar_MAS.esp
JK's Warmaiden's.esp
Apophysis_DPM_SE.esp
3DNPC0.esp
AAE Ultimate Edition.esp
Adamant.esp
Undeath.esp
JK's Sinderion's Field Laboratory.esp
JK's Dragonsreach.esp
Weapons Armor Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp
Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp
JK's Silver-Blood Inn.esp
Stendarr Rising.esp
JK's Elgrims Elixirs.esp
JK's Bee and Barb.esp
Clockwork.esp
Immersive Weapons.esp
Guards_Armor_Replacer.esp
DBM_GuardsArmorReplacer_Patch.esp
JK's The Pawned Prawn.esp
JK's New Gnisis Cornerclub.esp
Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim.esp
SkyrimsUniqueTreasures.esp
PrvtI_HeavyArmory.esp
SkyrimSewers.esp
Dwarfsphere.esp
JK's Riverwood Trader.esp
TSR_TeldrynSerious.esp
JK's Radiant Raiment.esp
Cloaks.esp
OBIS SE.esp
Legendary Artifacts.esp
ZIA_Complete Pack.esp
HeljarchenFarm.esp
SL01AmuletsSkyrim.esp
JK's The Bannered Mare.esp
JK's White Phial.esp
LKVM Cellar and Exterior.esp
TreasureHunter.esp
WZOblivionArtifacts.esp
DBM_HelgenReborn_Patch.esp
AHZBetterDGEntranceSE.esp
fortdawnguardimmersive.esp
Dracos Hearthfire Homes Lakeview.esp
WindstadMine.esp
DBM_AmuletsOfSkyrim_Patch.esp
DBM_OblivionArtifacts_Patch.esp
TownOfPinewatch.esp
JK's Sleeping Giant Inn.esp
JK's Angelines Aromatics.esp
JK's Temple of Talos.esp
LKVM Main House.esp
JK's Candlehearth Hall.esp
JK's The Ragged Flagon.esp
konahrik_accoutrements.esp
JK's Septimus Signus's Outpost.esp
BGCollectables.esp
JK's Bits and Pieces.esp
Draco's Hearthfire Homes Heljarchen.esp
DBM_BGCollectables_Patch.esp
JK's Arcadia's Cauldron.esp
DBM_AHO_Patch.esp
Fossilsyum.esp
FDILOTDPatch.esp
JK's Sadris Used Wares.esp
JK's Temple of Kynareth.esp
DBM_IW_Patch.esp
HorseOverhaul.esp
JK's Riverfall Cottage.esp
Dracos Hearthfire Homes Windstad.esp
DiverseWerewolvesCollection.esp
Tools of Kagrenac.esp
DBM_TOK_Patch.esp
DawnguardArsenal.esp
Ars Metallica.esp
AdditionalHearthfireDolls.esp
DBM_JKSkyrim_Patch.esp
RavenCastle.esp
LC-FK_HF_compatibility_patch.esp
BadGremlinsJarHunt.esp
Darkend.esp
notice board.esp
DBM_MAS_Patch.esp
DBM_CheeseMod_Patch.esp
ForgottenCity.esp
DBM_Undeath_Patch.esp
DBM_Fossils_Patch.esp
More Map Markers.esp
DBM_ImmersiveCollegeofWinterhold_Patch.esp
BGtheCapturedFairies.esp
ktWeaponPackSE.esp
Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp
BGsomethingFishy.esp
DBM_NoticeBoard_Patch.esp
DBM_WACCF_Patch.esp
SUDs.esp
treasure_hunt.esp
KnightofMolagBalV2_Lagrie.esp
DwemerSpectresLegendary.esp
icebladeofthemonarch.esp
DBM_IceBladeMonarch_Patch.esp
LKVM_NOGrass.esp
BGtrophyHeads.esp
AetheriumSwordsnArmor.esp
DBM_AetheriumWeapons_Patch.esp
Better Skill and Quest Books Names SE.esp
BCS_BSQBN _Patch.esp
PrvtIRoyalArmory.esp
DBM_RoyalArmory_Patch.esp
DBM_Wintersun_Patch.esp
DBM_TreasureHunter_Patch.esp
DBM_JaysusSwords_Patch.esp
DBM_KA_Patch.esp
JK's Belethor's General Goods.esp
DBM_SUT_Patch.esp
DBM_ZimsThaneWeapons_Patch.esp
DBM_Falskaar_Patch.esp
JKs The Drunken Huntsman.esp
DBM_BeyondReach_Patch.esp
DBM_CloaksofSkyrim_Patch.esp
DBM_Wyrmstooth_Patch.esp
ArtifactsOfBoethiah.esp
DBM_JKBluePalace_Patch.esp
DBM_ArtifactsofBoethiah_Patch.esp
DBM_NewTreasureHunt_Patch.esp
DBM_TheGrayCowlofNocturnal_Patch.esp
DBM_WheelsofLull_Patch.esp
DBM_DwemerSpectres_Patch.esp
DBM_TeldrynSerious_Patch.esp
DBM_ktWeaponPackSE_Patch.esp
DBM_Clockwork_Patch.esp
CraftingSupplies_AIO_ALL.esp
moonpath.esp
DBM_CoSRetexture_Patch.esp
DBM_AdditionalHFDolls_Patch.esp
DBM_ForgottenCity_Patch.esp
DBM_Moonpath_Patch.esp
DBM_IA_Patch.esp
DBM_SkyrimSewers_Patch.esp
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim.esp
DBM_AAE_Patch.esp
DBM_AOS_Patch.esp
DBM_Adamant_Patch.esp
PerkPointPotion.esp
DBM_HA_Patch.esp
DBM_DGA_Patch.esp
ORI - HarkonSword.esp
DBM_HarkonsSword_Patch.esp
DBM_JKArcadia_Patch.esp
DBM_JKBannered_Patch.esp
DBM_JKBelethor_Patch.esp
DBM_JKDragonsreach_Patch.esp
DBM_JKDrunken_Patch.esp
DBM_JKWarmaidens_Patch.esp
DBM_LegendaryArtifacts_Patch.esp
DBM_OBIS_Patch.esp
DBM_QuaintRavenRock_Patch.esp
DBM_RuinsClutterImproved_Patch.esp
DBM_SMIM_Patch.esp
DBM_SUDs_Patch.esp
Cathedral Weathers.esp
DiverseDragonsCollectionSE.esp
IcePenguinWorldMap.esp
AchieveThat_SE_en.esp
RedoranExile.esp
PAN_Frea.esp
Scion.esp
Moonlight Tales Special Edition.esp
RichMerchantsSkyrim_x10.esp
Fluffworks.esp
SuperbSerana.esp
LKVMII_LT01.esp
LKVM_LT04.esp
Stendarr Rising - LOTD patch.esp
CompanionsTweaks.esp
CaptivatingCompanionFollowers.esp
PAN_NPCs_DB.esp
PAN_NPCs_DG.esp
Lords of Coldharbour.esp
MOD - Simply Better Horses (SSE).esp
Indoril_Armor.esp
AdditionalHFDollsPassivesPatch.esp
Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp
Cloaks - USSEP Patch.esp
3DNPC1.esp
Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp
Palaces Castles Enhanced.esp
DBM_PCE_Patch.esp
RealisticWaterTwo.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Beyond Reach.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Falskaar.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Myrwatch Patch.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Waves - Falskaar.esp
RealisticWaterTwo - Waves - Wyrmstooth.esp

Serenity Spring :
Son of Hades.
Weapon - a double-ended spear named Soulreaper, with one end made of Stygian Iron and the other of Celestial Bronze.
Powers :The Heart of Nyx, or the Nyctos Crystal, a strange black diamond containing the powers o f darkness and shadow
The Title of Lord of the Damned, giving him the ability to control the rate at which something decays
Sexuality / Gender : Gay/ Cis male
Born in Britain at the height of the AIDs Crisis, he underwent severe abuse at the hands of friends and family for both his sexuality and lack of father. Eventually, he was accosted by a group of bullies near a river, stabbed, beaten and shoved in accidentally, at which point he encountered my second OC, Sapphire, who nursed him back to health. However, the river had a time-dilution effect, meaning that when he came out, twenty years had passed.
Charge : Nico and Hazel

Sapphire / Anaklusmos:
Son of Poseidon
Weapon : The celestial bronze blade Anaklusmos, his namesake [formerly]
A trident made of Abyssal Ice, giving him the ability to call on even the darkest of sea beasts, and to manipulate even the Sea of Monsters
Powers : Hydrokinesis, Temperature Manipulation
The Title of the "Horror of the Deep"
Sexuality/ Gender : Gay/ Trans Male
Born a prince of Athens in ancient Greece, his mother had an affair with Poseidon, producing him. In stark contrast to his half-brother Theseus, he was heavily abused, forced to train day and night from a young age, never allowed rest, all for the sake of making his father proud. Eventually he ascended the throne of Athens, only to be faced with his mother, who also sought the throne. After defeating her in open combat, he sought then to make his father proud. In the process of doing so, he was killed and his corpse sank to the bottom of the sea. A nymph, Pleione, saved him and helped transfer his soul into a body made entirely of water. As a reward, he gave her his sword, Anaklusmos
Charge : Percy

Rapture
Son of Zeus
Weapon : Doubled edged sword- half Imperial Gold, half- Celestial Bronze, named Skybreaker
Powers : Electrokinesis, Electromagnetism, Flight, Wind manipulation, Self-ionization
Sexuality/ Gender : Bisexual/ Cis male
Born to a woman living in Texas, his mother was always strange. She was obsessed with Zeus to an unhealthy degree, naming her son Rapture, as in "rescue from a burst of light". Despite this, he loved her. Rapture was Latin-American, and heavily discriminated against, giving him a hatred of authority figures. Eventually they were attacked by monsters, who burnt their house down, killing his mother, who remained inside, believing Zeus would rescue her, and giving him a large scar across his face
Charge : Thalia (dislikes authority, and so dislikes most Romans, including Jason)

Owl
Grandson of Athena
Weapon : The Owl's Talons, a celestial bronze dagger emblazoned with the head of an Owl, given to him by his father, who was given it by Athena
Powers : Incredible intelligence
Sexuality/ Gender: Aromantic asexual/ Cis male
In the year 1980, the goddess Athena took a lover, the mortal, Hibou, and to them was born a son, the grey-eyed Nebula. For a while, they were happy and all was well, but Athena grew colder and colder with each passing day. The child was not unskilled by human standards, and yet his skill was not near enough to the perfection she desired. Then, Hibou was shot and killed in a robbery. Athena mourned her lover for a day, and then, placing her son in an orphanage, left for the golden halls of Olympus.
Nebula grew up unloved, desperate for love from the one family he had. He devoted every second to her, and sought to live the perfect life for her sake, and yet it was all in vain, for she never once looked his way. He married a beautiful, if cold woman and had a son, and it was then, looking into the eyes of his son, named Owl after his grandfather , his eyes of molten silver, he mourned for his life, which he wasted.
He turned to drink, and his wife left him, and yet his son loved him, and he loved his son. And on his son's eleventh birthday, he came home, sober, and with dark circles under his eyes, and pulling out a knife, claimed that it was given to him by his mother, and begged his son to live a good life.
A year later, he was dead, in his bed, lying in a pool of blood that streamed from his gaping mouth, from either an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol, or suicide. His son witnessed everything yet refused to speak
Owl was brilliant, shrewd and cold, callous and clever. His mind was faster than his father's by far. He was placed in an orphanage, and on his fourteenth birthday, he broke a window, and escaped, desiring vengeance against his grandmother, whom he blamed for his father's death.
The Owl wandered far and eventually ran into the Eagle, the King Of Thieves. He joined Eagle's gang, and at the age of sixteen, split off from him to form his own group. He was called the Eye of Phoebus, for the belief was that he could see into the future. This was untrue, he was simply brilliant.
And yet, his brilliant mind hid a darkness in his heart. His overwhelming guilt at breaking his father's final wish, and the scarring memory of his father, spread-eagled on a bed, blood streaming from his mouth. The dulcet tones of the piano, and the clink of laboratory equipment seemed to be the only noises he was comfortable with.

Eagle of Hermes
Son of Hermes
Weapon : The Talons of the Winged God: Two Celestial Bronze Blades with ribbons attached at the end, giving Eagle's silhouette the appearance of a winged man. These help in swinging the sword and can act as grappling hooks for short distances
Powers : Incredible stealth, ability to steal anything he wishes, The eye of Thanatos-letting him see people's lifespan
Sexuality : Demisexual/ Cis male
Born in a city devastated by a massive war, his first thing he saw was an abandoned hospital, and his heavily injured mother. His mother cared for him as best she could, but her injuries limited her. At the age of ten, he learnt to steal from the wealthy elites who had established a city atop the ruins of his own. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to steal enough, and his mother died giving birth to his baby sister, a mortal. He swore to protect her and eventually earned a reputation as "The King of Thieves", forming a small gang. However, eventually he and his sister were caught in yet another war, in which his sister died in the crossfire. Enraged, he ventured into the Underworld to speak with Thanatos. Thanatos offered him a deal- his eye and a game for a ritual he could use to bring back his sister. He agreed, tearing out his eye, and winning the game. However, after receiving the ritual, he tore out Thanatos' eye, and replaced his own with it. After this, he ventured back and performed the ritual, returning his sister to life

The Wolf/ Lupus
True name : Zihuang, the Purple Phoenix
Son of Hephaestus / Vulcan (he never specified)
Weapon : Nanites, Drones, Hard-light blades made using Celestial Bronze generators
Powers : Incredible inventive ability, Heat resistance, ability to breathe fire
Sexuality : Asexual/ Cis Male
Born in a small city somewhere in China, he lost his mother at an early age when monsters swarmed his city, burning it to the ground. All that remained of her was a wolf-shaped mask, which he carried at all times. He was taken in by Ruan, son of Ares and master of the Wumu Zhi Ren, an assassin's league. He was put through many years of gruelling training before he finally escaped and returned to his home-town. Desperate to prevent his tragedy from repeating itself, he allied with Foxglove, OC #3, to bring peace to his city. While Foxglove helped eradicate crime within the city, Wolf searched for a legendary artifact- The Dream Crystal, forged from the birth of Gaia. He found it buried deep beneath Mount Etna and used it as a power source, creating a vast shield over his city

Foxglove
Mortal
Weapon : Shandian, a whip-like blade, made of double-edged Celestial Bronze and titanium
Power : Agility, Electrokinesis
Sexuality: No idea
Born a poor orphan in Shenzhou, Wolf's city, her life truly began when she was picked for a set of experimental trials by Xeno, a son of Athena. They injected godly Ichor into her, specifically Zeus', making her terminally unstable, prone to random flashes of lightning, but also extremely powerful. Eventually, she escaped, making a deal with Wolf, who forged Shandian for her

Ruby
Son of Aphrodite
Weapon : L'Amore, a Celestial Bronze bow, with an Imperial Gold filament as a bowstring
Powers: Love's Fatal Sting, a pink mist that highly increases susceptibility to suggestion along with libido
Obsession: a highly-advanced form of charmspeak
Sexuality : Omnisexual/ Cis male
Born to an orthodox Catholic pastor in Texas, into a family of two boys (one other son of Aphrodite) and one girl, he was always highly feminine from a young age, resulting in severe abuse. At the age of 15, he and his brother officially separated from their father, taking away his other children as they went. As they grew older, they realized the danger their presence posed to their siblings and so, leaving them in the care of their paternal grandmother, left

Non-allies :
The Empyrea
Minor God of the Flame, Part of a now long-dead pantheon
Weapon : The Imperial Gold spear Xuanyuan
The golden warhammer (that can elongate into a whip of red lightning) Hongdian
Powers : The Phoenix Down, a magical feather that gives him the ability to move at incredible speeds
Pyrokinesis, Super-strength
Sexuality : Male-attracted/ Genderless
the Phoenix , the God of Fire. Born a mortal in the fortress city of Kel-nu-Ras, the Hope of Man. His father had fallen in a war, and returned "in a matchbox". He was thrown out when he was unable to pay rent. He was a poor orphan, spat on and scorned, until he met the First Empyrea, a kind and caring God. The god took him to Mount Taixuan, his mountain fortress, which he conquered from the dark god Leven. There he was raised as the god’s successor, which he eventually became.
He then adopted a young girl who had been orphaned in the Emergence of Corruption. The Corruption is a hostile race of virus-like organisms that hate all inhabitants of Earth. They are led by Carad the Terrible. The other gods fought and fell to Carad, including the First Empyrea. Finally, before the gates of Kel-nu-Ras, he faced the Phoenix, and killed him. As he lay dying, the Phoenix released a burst of energy that killed Carad once and for all, and a single feather, mark of the Phoenix, floated before his daughter, marking her as his successor

The Tortured King Prodotis
Second King of the Monsters, Son of Echidna and a mortal
Weapon : Godkiller, a sword made from the spine of another demi-monster
Emperorshell, a shield-like formation formed from organic material
Scorpiontails, thousands of explosive Stygian Iron knives
Power : Incredible regenerative abilities, ability to form bony exoskeleton and bony tentacles which can be manipulated and reshaped
Sexuality : Gay / Cis male
The son of Echidna was born when she took a mortal form after falling in love with Leven, a son of Ares and a particularly brutal monster-hunter. They had a child together, but when the child emerged, it had burning red sclera, a clear sign of its true heritage. Disgusted, he abandoned the child and saw that the mother, Echidna had vacated her body, returning to her ordinary state. The boy grew up on the street, believing his father was dead, only to be taken in by Moabitus, a son of Athena, renowned as one of the "strongest demigods". He grew up killing monsters, until he was kidnapped by an empousai, who ruled that particular area. She tortured him for days, eventually revealing his heritage. In anger, he broke free and devoured her. Running away, he soon collapsed from blood-loss, only to be helped by Percy Jackson. This was the first kind thing anyone had done for him, and he instantly fell in love. Later, he returned and claimed the title of "King of the Monsters"