AbnormalvAverage a.k.a. J.D. Mullenary Sr. posts
Good news, bad news
Howdy everyone,
So here's the announcement:
Bad news: I have a fever of 102 and feel like straight dodo. Like, really bad. I'm trying to edit the chapters already written, but it's REALLY not turning out well. I'd expand on that, but this is already taking more energy than I have.
So, here's the deal.
Good news: I have the next two weeks off, and I'm planning on writing up a fury. Only, I have to wait until I feel better. I'm editing Chapter 5 right n...
2025-12-20 16:37:45 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright BK2 C4: A Whole New World(I)
Cass’s guide led him through a few turns, walking at a steady pace as they fast left the golden Atrium behind. Though Cass tried to be polite and make small talk, the young man only gave clipped answers that didn’t allow for a true rebuttal.
It’s like he’s scared to talk to me. But why? He seemed normal in the Uncalled Way.
After walking another five minutes, they climbed a short flight of stairs to a small metal alcove. The young man walked in and then gestured f...
2025-12-13 21:39:51 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright BK2 C3: Golden Smiles
Author's note:
Sorry for how late this is. I'm still making edits to C4 at this moment. The reason things got delayed further than I wanted is two-fold.
One, my school is in the middle of midterms, which means I have morning meetings and emails out the wazoo. Hard to write when all my additional time is taken up every single day.
Two, I had an eSports tournament today that held me up from 6am to 1pm (I just got home). So, I'll be posting Chapter 4 after a few betarea...
2025-12-13 19:49:49 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright BK2 C2: Notified
It took Cass some time to calm down once he realized they weren’t going to let him go. Images of his friends and family continued to filter through his mindscape, with the only shining beacon being the feeling of Bella still chasing after him.
Even if we can leave, where would we even go? Dark Guilds? Try to survive for a time in the wilderness? No. What I need to do is get powerful enough that things like this can’t happen again. I won’t let this happen again.
Ren ...
2025-12-06 15:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright BK2 C1: Agency
Author note: Welcome back from the break!
Hope the delay wasn't too bad. I honestly planned on writing a little over my break, but really, I actually needed the break. As I said before, the price won't go up until we hit 25 chapters, and to my knowledge, we're only 16 or 17 chapters ahead right now. So, I got my break, now we dive into book 2. The second chapter will post one hour after this one. I split them as otherwise it would've pushed past the 5k mark.
The attitude of this b...
2025-12-06 14:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostMonthly Poll
Haven't done one for a minute.
A few quick updates:
I'm working on a cover for book 2. Hired a solid artist duo and it should be good to go soonish. I'll post it here the moment it's done.
First three chapters of book 2 should be done soon, but we'll have a normal weekend of 2 chapters coming up. I need more time on the third before I'm confident it's good to go.
This poll. I'm curious, do you all want a google doc version of boo...
2025-11-30 21:42:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Big Author Update
Howdy folks,
So, this is the big author update I promised. A matching update will strike RR today, which is a little against how I like to do things, but as the message is the same, I see it as worth it.
I know some can't be bothered, so I put a tl'dr at the bottom.
So, how's the story so far? I'm hoping you're enjoying it to the utmost. Between both RR and Patreon, I've seen some comments circling a few ideas and plot elements within the story, and for the most p...
2025-11-25 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe QuestWright: Book 1 Epilogue
Author note:
Warning: This should be read with the previous chapter (the Finale). It's going to seem too grandiose without reading the finale beforehand. If you combine the two, it should create a swell of emotion that's hard to deny.
Now, after this, I'm taking a week off for family, my brain, and numerous other reasons. We'll be back and posting chapters in early December, and I promise I'll make up the ones that were lost due to the break as we go. I'm planning on just speedw...
2025-11-22 15:14:02 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 69: The Chase
Author note:
Early! So, a reminder that there will be no new chapters next weekend, thus, this is ANOTHER double chapter! Also, the epilogue will still strike on Saturday, which means after this cliff, you'll have to wait.
I know, I'm a stinker.
Or you could, you know, wait. Up to you.
All future chapters following the epilogue will be titled thusly:
The QuestWright BK2 C1: Blah Blah
Anyways, this was planned out to happen around the first ten chapters o...
2025-11-19 15:17:45 +0000 UTC View PostNovember 2025 Newsletter
Yes, it's late lol.
If you'd like the link to Symphony 1, here you go.
Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, yada yada. You can also find Book 2 on Amazon for pre-order.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FG5H9L7X
2025-11-16 19:49:55 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 68: An Unexpected Decision in an Impossible Situation
Author's note: Hiya!
So this came out Saturday rather than Friday because I had an expected fight with my betareaders that looks like this:
What if we did...this!
Contrived!
I don't think we need this...
Expand!
Man, I love this sc-
Not enough description!
So, here we are. I thought it was done at 2.4k; it's now ballooned into a second double chapter, which I guess is fair for a finale. Enjoy. One chapter and an epilogue to go, and the ...
2025-11-15 13:09:16 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 67: The Last Vellum
Author's note: Surprise! I have an eSports tournament I'm managing this weekend, so I'm releasing the weekend chapters a few days early. This has a big cliff, a mondo cliff, really, but it'll pay off the moment you get to the next, which then has another cliff.
You know how finales work.
This is a double-chapter, no doubt about it. The next will be rather long as well. My beta-readers and I argued about a lot of things that are obvious in this weekend's chapters, and what's less o...
2025-11-13 15:14:05 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 66: All the Time in the World
Adya…
The monsters were still acting strangely. Only a few hundred yards away was a sizeable group of interspersed Skreels, Scroungers, and that one Driftclaw they’d seen wandering around.
It was twice the size of those she’d fought within the Rings, with oddly luminescent green streaks patterned across its skin. And it was constantly looking around as if trying to find something to eat.
Just looking at it gave her the shivers.
She glanced ...
2025-11-08 21:01:57 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 65 + ReaderQuest!
Author's note:
Howdy!
You guys(non-gendered) ready for the finale next weekend? But how to set up such gloriousness?
The second chapter will post later today, as I have to make sure it's just right, or nothing will make sense. As for now, here's the new ReaderQuest!
Quest ID: JDM-0001-X-EA
[Tier 1 Experimental Quest]
Assignment: Delay the Reward
You are being watched…by yourself. The wor...
2025-11-08 18:26:41 +0000 UTC View PostQuicky quick update
Howdy folks,
So we're coming to a close on QuestWright book 1. My running title for book 1 is QuestWright: The Guildhall Grind, whereas my running title for book 2 is QuestWright: City on Fire, though that may change. I already have the series plotted, with book 3's title being tentatively held as QuestWright: Into the Wild. As is standard, when I finish a book, I prefer to take a week off from writing, then dive back in with extra energy. Should have (maybe) 3 chapters, th...
2025-11-04 15:50:18 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 64: The Tactician's Gambit
Author note: Got a Readerquest here for you. Hope this chapter satisfies. My thoughts are, about 3-4 more to go, then the book ends. I try to keep all my novels under 200k words if I can, or it makes it hard to create an audiobook. Enjoy!
Quest ID: JDM-0002-T-EA
[Tier 1 Training Quest]
Assignment: Do Not Interrupt
Most people interrupt or respond before others are finished speaking. This quest is designed to correct t...
2025-11-01 12:22:49 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 63: Foundations of Command
Cass had seen Amelia off with a Guild Clerk some time ago. She still looked more than a little estranged at the whole of her life changing in a moment, but he was as kind to her as he could be. This wasn’t a fair situation, but war could be like that.
Moore and Pellin dropped by. The System Engineers' prototype, code-named Whispr, resembled a small black box with a light-blue glow. Just by touching its oddly cold surface, Cass’s screen updated.
>Whispr active… 2025-11-01 12:12:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Chapter 62: Unlocked
The newest QuestWright in Liora didn’t respond immediately to his question. Cass had to sit up just to look at her, pulling on whatever remaining energy he had left in the tank with the effort.
Eyes wide as saucers, trembling hands, and a certain feeling of terror were all plainly shown in her stance. He got the sense she wasn’t taking things well.
Though he thought he knew the answer, Cass still had to ask, “If you’re this scared, why did you accept the Calling?”
...
2025-10-25 20:25:50 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 61: The Calling
Author Note:
Howdy,
61 is hitting now, with 62 to follow in not too long. I also have a new ReaderQuest here if you're interested.
Quest ID: JDM-0001-SE-EA
[Special Edition Reader Quest]
Assignment: Anchor the Good
Some spaces carry weight. Some days feel heavy. But Reader Quests allow us to rebalance the field now and then.
Your Task:
Create a tiny, physical ...
Quick Symphony Update
Heyo,
Got the preview for Symphony Book 2: Displacement, here. I find it very interesting that Podium chose the most complicated chapter in the series as a preview.
As such, I want to give a heads-up: Symphony 2's chapters will soon disappear from both Royal Road and my Patreon, as they're required for the November 25th publishing date.
Thanks!
2025-10-23 01:20:21 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 60: The Attack
The room seemed almost to hold its breath before a sound pierced everyone’s ears.
It began as a choked bark that cracked and stretched into a shriek so loud that Cass’s teeth ached. Flint’s scream from making contact with electricity barely sounded human as it tapered into something else. Something that didn’t fit the mold of man they all knew. The Silver Officer held onto the man, but the dial was no longer pressed as they both fell to the ground.
Those guarding ...
2025-10-18 17:36:40 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 59: The Boy-King
Author's note:
Big duo set here. Lots to unpack as you read along. Hope you enjoy it, and we have a Reader Quest!
Quest ID: JDM-0001-X-EA
[Tier 2 Experimental Quest]
Assignment: Interruption Protocol
You are authorized to break a personal norm. Not for rebellion, but for observation.
Step 1:
Identify one small routine or habit that’s completely automated. Something you do t...
QuestWright Chapter 58: Plans and Meetings
Chapter 58 Plans and Meetings
Even as he sat there, his thoughtful planning didn’t end. Monsters, Dark Guilds, people’s lives on the line. A city in great peril. His city, now in more ways than one.
The city needed a unification of priorities. Hope. A clear-cut messaging system. Leadership. A figure they can stand behind, rather than just a figurehead. There were steps he could take, many unpleasant. But he’d see things through.
He just had to see the forest th...
2025-10-12 16:51:08 +0000 UTC View PostQuestWright Chapter 57: The Letter
Author note: This is almost a double chapter, and the chapter that follows has a lot of information. I'm going to be finishing it up today, but I need to give my betareaders time to look it over before posting. Thus, one chapter today, one tomorrow. If it makes you feel better for waiting, this is a very heavy chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 57: The Letter
Cass, Adya, and Kara hurried to the Guild Master’s office within the Atrium. The Guild’s paths were empty, with not so mu...
2025-10-11 16:14:48 +0000 UTC View PostJDM Sr. B-day: So a preview
As it's my birthday, I thought I would drop in here with some funzies.
Yes, the story is about to expand in scope quite a bit.
Yes, Hollis was attacked by a Changeling.
No, he's not dead, and while I wanted to reach out and give you an early chapter because of the cliffhanger, I'm still waiting on feedback from my betareaders.
It's true, I've hit 40, which is a far longer road in life than I ever expected I'd travel. I figured after my time in Afghanistan, I'd ...
2025-10-09 13:21:15 +0000 UTC View PostBonus Chapter 56: Trouble
This is almost a double-chapter in size. Enjoy!
Quest ID: JDM-0001-T-EA
[Tier 1 Training Quest]
Assignment: Sit Down and Shut Up (Respectfully)
It's time to train the mind, not wrangle it.
Objective:
Sit still, stay quiet, and do nothing on purpose for 7 minutes.
Parameters:
– No phone.
– No music.
– No podcast....
Chapter 55: A Bit of Goodwill
Author note I forgot to add: Yep, these chapters are a bit shorter than usual. I have several things about to hit and wanted to touch on a few spools I'd left dangling in the wind first. The next chapter is similar, and a deeper dive into the logistics of how Pathfinder works during a wartime environment.
Chapter 55: A Bit of Goodwill
The ninth day after the Contract was signed, and more than three weeks after Pathfinder had begun...
2025-10-04 19:02:25 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 54: Time
Author note: Next chapter popping soon. If I have a bonus chapter ready for you by tomorrow, I'll drop it with the new Reader Quest.
Chapter 54: Time
Once Pellin left, Adya made a bit of small talk, which was a rare moment for her. After she left as well, there was a gaping hole where her feelings had once filled. It was amazing to him how fast you could get used to something that once felt so strange.
Things were better ...
2025-10-04 18:58:53 +0000 UTC View PostOctober Monthly Newsletter and Reader Quest!
Howdy!
So, before I dive into the ReaderQuest, here's how the raffle works.
For all of you who have been completing Quests, you now have the chance to earn a fancy badge. That's right, there are two badges on my Etsy located here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AbnormalVAverage?ref=dashboard-he...