#ANYWAY. That was an adventure. Crisis averted.

[tweltchy]

Another rare pic of Valene smiling. lol.

[prismatoxic]

before the golden country episode, i was so worried about what was going to happen with thistle's name.

it was already pretty bad, mind--people were pissed at yen press for mistranslating it as "sissel" and then doubling down and never correcting it. i didn't know many sissel defenders; i was one, i figured it was the official translation so it had to be right, but the romanji in the jp adventurer's guide did always kind of disprove that. 😔

i figured if the jp and eng versions of the anime disagreed, things would get very frustrating. (i didn't consider anything beyond those versions since the majority of fans i know watch either the jp sub or the eng dub.) a lot of anime-onlys would suddenly be calling him sissel, and there'd be some stupid discourse about which version was "correct" that would be compounded by more people thinking it was sissel.

but that didn't happen! eng and jp both called him thistle. crisis averted, and also i switched to calling him thistle since the anime calling him such confirmed for me that the intent was, in fact, always to call him thistle. (the facts were always on that side, i'm just stubborn and sissel was the first name i knew for him.)

anyway i just found out that at least one dub (the german one) went with sissel instead. idk if there's others. what the fuck

[keepingupwiththecullensblog]

🌟🎬 Welcome back to “Keeping Up with the Cullens”! Or more accurately, “Keeping Up with Bella’s Most Awkward Movie Date Ever.” 🎥🙄 Today, we’re diving into the cringiest third-wheel adventure known to humankind—featuring Bella, Jake, and Mike. It’s an uncomfortable love triangle, complete with awkward hand placements, a puking incident, and, of course, the infamous flu. 😂💀

So here’s the setup: Bella, bless her heart, is just trying to enjoy a “friendly” movie night, but we all know what’s *really* going on. Jake is full-on (and painfully) trying to win her heart, while poor Mike doesn’t stand a chance but gives it his best shot anyway. 💔 Mike’s all in, despite the fact that he’s basically the third wheel, and Bella is doing everything in her power to *firmly* place Jake in the friend zone. 🛑 But Jake? He’s having none of it. 😂

The rest of the group, of course, bails on the movie, leaving Bella smack in the middle of Jake and Mike. Naturally, both of them have their hands on the armrests, palms open, practically begging for her to hold them. 🖐️🖐️ It’s like an unspoken competition for Bella’s affection, and she’s just trying to focus on the screen, pretending not to notice the passive-aggressive hand positioning happening on either side of her. 🙄🍿

Then, the real chaos begins. Mike, clearly not built for horror movies—or maybe just the love triangle tension—gets *really* sick. 🤢 Bella’s already trying to manage the awkwardness of the situation, and now she’s got a barfing Mike to deal with. They have to leave the theater *mid-movie* because Mike is about to explode! 💀

As Mike is hunched over the theater restroom toilet, Jake, sensing his big moment, decides it’s the perfect time to have a heart-to-heart with Bella. 💬 He basically tells her that he’s not giving up, and that he’ll keep trying to win her heart. And Bella’s thinking, “Really, Jake? Now? This is what we’re doing while Mike’s puking his guts out?” Talk about timing! 😂💀

Thankfully, Jake is quick on his feet and, smart guy that he is, grabs a popcorn bucket for the ride home to spare his freshly fixed rabbit from Mike’s barf. 🍿🤢 And it's a good thing, too, because Mike was definitely not done. 🛠️✨ Crisis averted—sort of. After dropping off Mike, Jake starts feeling sick too, and they assume it’s that flu that’s been making the rounds. 🤧 Bella’s thinking, “Great, now it’s my turn to feel like death,” and she’s not wrong because, that night, she catches the infamous flu as well. 🤒💤

Now here’s the part that really gets me—where the heck is Edward? 😤 This is prime boyfriend material. Your girl is passed out, feverish, and in desperate need of some TLC, and you’re just missing in action? 👀 I’m actually *pissed* about this. Edward, my guy, this is your moment! Wouldn’t Alice *see* Bella’s suffering and give you a heads-up? And you just... let her deal with the flu all alone? Not cool. Meanwhile, Ben is over here being the best boyfriend, taking care of Angela while *she’s* sick. Take notes, Edward. 😠

And don’t even get me started on Charlie. Bella said he probably went to work just to have a “free bathroom.” 🚽 Really, Charlie? Your daughter’s passed out on the bathroom floor with a fever, and all you do is leave her a glass of water before you head off to work? Sure, you put her to bed that night, but come on! If she had passed out from her fever, you’d be a strong contender for Worst Dad of the Year. 😒

A couple of days later, Bella starts feeling better and naturally, she starts calling Jake’s house to see how he’s doing. She’s been trying to get in touch with him, but he’s completely MIA. 📞 When she finally gets a hold of him, Jake drops a bombshell: “I don’t think I have the flu…” He’s all confused, not knowing exactly what’s happening to him yet. Meanwhile, Bella’s still thinking it’s just the flu, while we, the audience, are sitting here like, “Oh sweetie, if only you knew…” 😬🐺

But here’s the kicker: Edward would *totally* have lost his mind if he knew about this awkward movie date. You *know* how jealous Edward gets over Mike of all people. The fact that Bella was caught in a third-wheel situation with Mike? Edward would’ve been mentally planning how to “accidentally” leave Mike in the woods for the wolves. 😤 It still kills me how much Edward was jealous of Mike at this point. Poor Mike doesn’t stand a chance, and yet, here’s Edward, low-key (or high-key) wanting to murder him. 😂

In the end, this whole thing was a *complete* mess. Bella’s awkward love triangle movie date turned into a flu-ridden disaster. Mike’s puking, Jake’s confessing his undying love while holding a popcorn bucket, and Bella’s trying to piece it all together while dealing with the flu. And where was Edward? MIA, as usual, during the one moment where Bella actually needed him to be there. 😒

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer, Sonic the Hedgehog - Free Comic Book Day 2022

So, before we can finally move on to Imposter Syndrome, we still have one more Issue to cover, that being Sonic the Hedgehog - Free Comic Book Day 2022, featuring two stories; one focusing on Sonic, Tails and Knuckles and the other being a recap of events narrated by Starline, Surge and Kit.

Story #1: Deep Trouble

Our first story starts off with Sonic and Tails visiting Angel Island and Knuckles spotting the Tornado in the distance before jumping off the cliff and gliding towards it. Honestly, I’m glad that we get to see Knuckles again, since we haven’t seen him since the Zombot Fiasco.

Sonic and Tails jump off the Tornado, both happy to see him again, with Sonic saying how he can’t think of the last time Knuckles invited them here. Knuckles tells him that they bring nothing but trouble, with Sonic giving him a confused look, only for Knuckles to yell at him for what happened during the Metal Virus Saga and bringing all that trouble to Angel Island.

Tails quickly steps between the two, noting that thanks to Knuckles’ help, they all came together to save the world and that is what’s important, right?

After the two glare at each other, Knuckles turns around, responding how Tails is right (and Tails sighs in relief; crisis averted, I guess). He then proceeds to explain how there were some strange rumblings in Marble Garden and how he decided to call them for help. Sonic is happy to see that Knuckles is counting on them for help, but Knuckles responds how they can count on Sonic for trouble and on Tails to keep an eye on Sonic.

Honestly, I just love how these three interact, it’s so fun! Not to mention, Team Heroes is back together and on another mission, with Sonic leading the team towards another adventure.

On their way to Marble Garden, Sonic notes how that’s on the other side of the Island and Tails adds how it’ll be a long trip. Sonic suggests they could use the Tornado to fly over or just use a shortcut through Hydro City, with Tails noting how it’s Hydrocity.

Okay, I can’t believe that Sonic and Tails now got into an argument whether the correct pronunciation is Hydro City or Hydrocity. It’s kind of hilarious, and if you ask me, I would go with Sonic’s logic here, but I’m not going to start a debate on that. Anyways, as the two are arguing, Knuckles pushes a boulder away from a cave entrance, deciding they’ll use that to get to Marble Garden.

Once inside, Sonic and Tails are in awe, with Tails noting how he’s impressed how well Knuckles knows the Island’s secrets, and Knuckles appears to be quite proud of himself. Sonic just remarks how this was the only way Knuckles could stay ahead from him (oh, really? *raises an eyebrow*) and Knuckles responds how he doesn’t know all of the Island’s secrets. He only found this tunnel while scouring the Island for the Metal Virus remains and that there are still regions he hadn’t explored, something he doesn’t like.

They reach the exit, entering Marble Garden, with Sonic being rather careful as the place had been quite unstable the last time he was here. Knuckles adds how the quakes have only gotten worse and that he should watch his step. Sonic notes how that was only because of Eggman’s reckless drilling, and Knuckles agrees, only for all three of them to jump away when a drill mech breaks through the wall.

We then get two hilarious reaction panels as Team Heroes and Dr. Eggman stare at each other, slack-jawed. I love it!

Eggman screams at them, asking what they’re doing here and Knuckles yells back how this is his home. Eggman then quickly corrects himself, as his question was directed towards Sonic and Tails, with Sonic replying how they were invited here by Knuckles and that Eggman is the intruder.

Eggman tells them how he had been mining for rare minerals, but since they’re already here, he might as well drill a hole or a few into them.

Eggman attacks them by drilling into the ceiling and dropping boulders on them, which Sonic dodges, spin-dashing into the mech. Knuckles then punches it, attempting to crack the cockpit.

Eggman’s response to this is to drill into the ground, opening a chasm between the three. While Knuckles manages to glide to safety, Sonic falls into the abyss.

Fortunately for Sonic, Tails manages to grab him and send him flying, with Sonic using the falling boulders to jump back up, while Knuckles is using his spikes to climb up.

After one more leap, Tails grabs onto Sonic, throwing him right into the drill mech, much to Eggman’s dismay, with Knuckles punching through another part of it and Tails then delivering the finishing blow.

Eggman escapes in his Egg Mobile as the mech falls apart, claiming victory simply because he did damage to Marble Garden. Tails yells back how they beat him, with Sonic concluding that they’re in the clear and Knuckles hoping that he’s right.

Tails asks Knuckles whether he wants to fly back with them to Restoration HQ and relax a bit, but Knuckles rejects his offer. He still wants to uncover more mysteries that Angel Island is hiding and Sonic tells him that he can always call them in case he needs back-up.

Knuckles thanks them for the help, fist-bumping with Sonic, as Tails cheers them on. All is well.

Story #2: Prelude To Disaster

As I had stated at the beginning, the second story is basically a recap of all the events prior to Issue #50, preparing us for the big clash. Honestly, there isn’t much to say, as I had already done my own recap of all the stories, save for Imposter Syndrome, but it is worth noting that it is narrated by Starline, with Surge and Kit interrupting and giving their commentary.

Surge calls Sonic a big faker poser not-the-fastest loser, but Starline tells her not to underestimate him, as he had foiled many of Eggman’s plans, usually with the help of Tails, with Kit piping in and saying how he can deal with Sonic’s friends while Surge finishes them off.

Starline then proceeds to recap what happened to Mr. Tinker and how he created Belle, as well as Neo Metal Sonic’s attack. He also tells them about what happened during the Metal Virus Saga and the involvement of the Zeti, calling Eggman out for betraying him. While Super Sonic and Super Silver were busy saving the day, Starline prepared for his own plan, roping Zavok, Mimic, Rough and Tumble into gathering the materials necessary for the Tricore and taking over Egg Base Sigma.

He goes over how he used the bio-data Neo Metal Sonic had gathered from Sonic and Shadow, as well as Tails DNA and Belle’s coding to create his pawns. Surge and Kit get angry about being called pawns and subservient (well, mostly Surge).

“Aaaand reboot.”

Starline notes just how resilient and strong the two are, mentioning the events from Imposter Syndrome, noting how anyone who takes on Surge and Kit should better watch out.

Next time, we will see just what exactly makes them so dangerous.

Links:

#Previous Issue

#Next Issue

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

[backofthebookshelf]

Horror Recs for Magnus Fans, Part the Second

Last time I did this I was assuming that anyone who was listening to a horror podcast already knew some horror, but I have since learned that this is not the case, so there are a few more classics in here, as well as some more of my faves.

For anyone and everyone who listens to TMA: Sarah Monette's Kyle Murchison Booth stories, many (though not all) of which are collected in The Bone Key. Queer information professional would very much like for ghosts and monsters to leave him alone, does not get what he wants; can't resist the impulse to help out people who are more fucked over than him anyway. I love Booth so much, he deserves much better things than he gets.

For Web stans: Blindsight by Peter Watts, a sci-fi horror novel about free will and consciousness. Lydia Nicholas named this as one of her favorite books in the first Assistant's Round Table; I respect her for it, but I read this once and it gave me an existential crisis. Highly recommended, but make sure you've got a palate cleanser.

For jonelias fans and/or fans of the Corruption: Candyman (1992). With bonus folklore & urban legend meta! Kissing bees into your (potential) lover's mouth in order to convince them to become a murderous spirit of vengeance just like you! "All you have left is my desire for you"!!! It's extremely sexy, is what I'm saying, in all the best ways. (Trigger warnings for violence against children and a fair amount of gore, in addition to the aforementioned bees.)

If you love the no-holds-barred social commentary of season five: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. No, I will not shut up about this book until absolutely everyone in the world has read it. It's short! You could read it in an afternoon! This is Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook" from the point of view of a black musician and hustler who's hired to help out with the ritual, and it's incredible. (If you're enjoying Lovecraft Country, absolutely do not miss this.)

If you miss the standalone statements of season one and two: the works of the early 20th century cosmic horror and ghost story writers: M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen. Machen has a tendency to get pretty eugenics-y, and they're all either misogynistic or don't have women in their stories at all, but goddamn do they do atmosphere. ("The Magnus Archives" is named after James's "Count Magnus," Jonny's favorite M.R. James story.)

For Stranger fans and those who love unexplained mysteries: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, a Southern horror (not a Gothic) about a woman who goes to clean out her abusive grandmother's house to sell it only to find that there are things other than his wife that her grandfather was afraid of, and for good reason. Features hot competent neighbors, extremely practical reactions to terrible monsters, and a Very Good Dog (the dog does not die).

For Lonely bitches: "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant, the story I use to describe my depression to people. That's a pretty good content warning, honestly.

If you loved the "Am I still human?" plotline: The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht, a grotesque little novella about monsters in (dysfunctional) love. I'm a bit iffy on the ending, but honestly landing the ending of horror is so tricky that I'll almost never discount something just because I'm iffy on the ending. The body horror and emotional repression throughout make up for it.

If you crave the supernatural adventure series starring Gerry Keay: The Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey - modern noir, so gritty you can feel it in your teeth, featuring all kinds of monsters, demons, curses, and narrowly-averted apocalypses. Not as misogynistic as noir can get, but it is noir so there's definitely a bit of that (but definitely not as misogynistic as Jim Butcher). Trigger warnings all over the place; this is B-movie horror in book form.

For Distortion fans: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Bears almost no resemblance to the Netflix series of the same name, or any of the movies based on it; this is a twisty psychological novel with a profoundly unreliable narrator and a lot of repressed queerness. Michael/Helen would be right at home in Hill House. (Content warning for suicidality.)

If you want your horror to make you cry: El Orfanado, directed by Guillermo del Toro; a family moves into a house that used to be an orphanage, that is, of course, haunted. This is a tremendous distillation of the way that horror movies are so often centered around women not being believed, so content warning for gaslighting (and for harm to children); I saw this movie once and entire scenes are embedded in my brain in full color. (Honestly you can't go wrong with any Guillermo del Toro movies; he's fantastic.)

If you want your horror to make you cry, but make it gay: In the Flesh, two seasons of a zombie TV show tragically cut short (yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, I’m sorry). Uses zombies as a metaphor for homophobia, but also includes actual queer people. Content warning for small-town-typical homophobia and tragic gays. Please come yell with me about Simon Monroe, I love him so much.

For Slaughter fans: The Shining by Stephen King - look, look, I know. He's not great. He needs an editor. The movie is all kinds of fucked up. But this book is one of the most raw, personal horror stories I've ever read, and it's got an excellent combination of supernatural influence and real-life mundane fear of addiction and personal weakness that really grabs you by the intestines. Again, an iffy ending, but it's worth it for the slow descent into paranoia and madness.

If you just want to try to find some authors to read: The Borderlands anthology series, paperbacks from the height of the 80s horror boom; there are so many different kinds of stories in here that I can pretty much guarantee you that you won't like some of them but you might well find something new to fall in love with. A lot of these writers are out of print but readily available at used bookstores or for pennies on Amazon.

As always, let me know if you liked any of these or if you have a specific need: it is no longer my job to recommend books and media to people but it is still my very favorite thing to do and I will be obnoxious about it forever

[luminescentauthor]

random fun RatLD hcs

you came here for RatLD shitposts and that’s what you’re gonna get!

SPOILERS AND LOTS OF THEM BELOW THE CUT, IF U HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET PROCEED AT UR OWN RISK.

I refuse to post about this movie without acknowledging the cultural significance of the first SEA disney princess and I will continue to do so until people on this website start remembering that this movie is about amazing cultures and trust and overall a WHOLE lot more than just the sapphics (as great as they are.)

anyway, so, headcanon time, my dudes!

The Next Adventure

Talon is a total mess after everyone gets un-stoned. (Ok so just for posterity, my marvel fan brain just went “un-snapped” on instinct and I hate it here.) The two chiefs are fighting for control, and Noi, being a baby, is not really in a position to help (unlike Raya, Naamari, and Tong.)

As such, the crew has to go undercover in Talon to try and, you know, stop the chiefs from destroying their people with their infighting. Tong insists on coming. Naamari happened to be in Heart and gets dragged along by Sisu and Raya, complaining the whole time, but everyone knows she doesn’t mean it. Boun also shows up and exactly no one is surprised.

During this misadventure, Noi’s mother names Tong as Noi’s godfather/honorary uncle/whatever, undercover Naamari and Raya go “noooooo, we’re not the princesses of Fang and Heart, what on earth are you talking about???” on at least five separate occasions, and the crew discovers that Noi inherited her sticky fingers from her very clever mother. She’s basically a grade-A spy and thief but she’s also just like, genuinely a very nice woman.

Rayaari!

Raya and Naamari take a long time literally just figuring things out and reconstructing their friendship, because really, as much as I love sapphics, there’s also a whole lot of messy there, and because these are my headcanons, they work out their problems and have a healthy friendship for a couple years before any romance happens, because that’s how Real Life works and I don’t believe in ignoring those Pretty Important Things in fiction.

They do eventually start a relationship, but they take their time. A bit into it, Benja accidentally mentions that Raya told him she liked Naamari when they met. Naamari’s like “ha you did?” and Raya goes “BA NO.” Then Virana immediately says “oh yes, Naamari also liked her, she didn’t stop crying because she thought Raya turned to stone for like three days” and Raya goes “you did, hmm???” while Naamari turns bright red.

Before they start dating, as their feelings grow, they start calling each other “dep la” more and more and everyone is just kinda of like “oh my GOD just date already???”

Eventually Raya and Naamari get married and become the leaders of Kumandra. No I Won’t Change My Mind.

Unification of Kumandra

The unification of Kumandra felt a bit shoehorned, and I suspect the nations aren't united under one leader(s): it's more that they're now becoming close-knit again. Perhaps they have a meeting council of all their leaders that makes decisions that affect the whole land, otherwise that probably becomes a thing at some point.

When Kumandra eventually becomes totally unified, the capital of Heart (which I believe is on the island we see on the map of Kumandra) eventually becomes the capital. It still has five provinces/states, though.

Fang and Heart

Heart and Fang help each other out a lot with recovering from the “most of our people got turned into the statues” stuff. Heart has more resources, but most of its people have been stone for 6 years. So the two states/countries are both capable of different things.

Of all the kingdoms, Heart and Fang have the most to rebuild: Fang’s only standing city was destroyed in the finale of the movie, while Heart has been growing over for six years. Sure, Spine’s been stone for a while, and some of Talon’s docks and water ships and whatnot collapsed when the water vanished, but it’s still significantly easier to repair than “six years of overgrowth and rot and rust” or “literally the ground collapsed underneath us and wow um I don’t think that’s reparable.” So they really team up to fix it, and the others help them a lot.

The actual leaders stay in their capitals to lead until things have calmed down a WHOLE lot, so Raya and Naamari travel around Kumandra on their parents’ behalf a lot, and wind up going between Fang and Heart a lot to establish diplomatic relations and also to help with rebuilding.

Over this period, and while doing diplomatic meetings later on, Virana and Benja come to realize that the other person is actual quite decent. There’s some mess and distrust because of Virana’s thing with the Dragon Gem, but it eventually gets worked out. (Virana’s reaction is “yes that’s fair. In my defense, I was trying to do what I thought was right for my people, who were starving, but Yes, That’s Fair.” Benja’s reaction is “honestly if your people were starving from famine and you thought the Gem would help, that makes more sense.”) After a while, they become pretty good friends.

And suddenly Raya and Naamari regret everything. See, Naamari mentioned that both parents make terrible jokes. The girls are Suffering. Help them.

Sisu loves the bad jokes. Sisu also makes bad jokes. Raya and Naamari are silently dying.

It’s silly, but I like the idea that 3-4 years down the line, Virana and Benja consider getting married just for political reasons (alliance and all that) (they’re not actually interested in each other, it’s just practicality) and Naamari and Raya, who are not dating but are definitely in deep for each other at this point, are immediately like “NO. NO. DO NOT MAKE MY CRUSH MY STEPSISTER. DO NOT.”

Virana and Benja (mostly Benja) tease them by “considering” it for a bit longer, but they don’t, since they talked about it and both kids are uncomfortable with it. (”They like each other, don’t they?” Virana asks dryly. “Ohhh yeah,” Benja replies.)

Music? Music!

I was listening to a youtube mix this morning and “Too Far Gone” by Hidden Citizens popped up and it just reminded me of Raya’s attitude towards Kumandra at the start of the movie. Also it’s just a beautiful song.

“Knife in my Back” by Alec Benjamin is Raya @ Naamari before they figured things out, change my mind.

Other Stuff!

We can guess based off how long it took the crew to get from Tail to Fang even with side adventures (I think it was 3-4 days max, I wasn't totally paying attention) that one can navigate from one end of the river to the other within a couple days even in a boat like Boun's, and the royal families probably have even faster modes of transportation. (I.e. Naamari got from Tail to Fang in a couple days, then to Spine, then beat the crew back to Fang. On land.) Therefore, unlike I was originally thinking, it's actually totally realistic for the crew to be visiting each other once or twice a month.

It's even more realistic for Naamari to crash Raya's place on a weekly basis, since that's probably like six hours on cat at max.

I don't know what the cats are, so I will be calling them saber-cats until someone corrects me.

TUMBLR JUST MYSTERIOUSLY STOPPED ACCPTING MY "E" KY HLP I HAV TO US COPY PAST

Wait I think I fixed it. Crisis averted! Sorry about that.

Because Naamari is in Heart half the time, Virana visits quite frequently too. It’s not a long trip, anyway.

Virana is not straight (haircut) but I can’t decide if she’s a lesbian or what. She doesn’t have a spouse and never did. Only those Virana closely trusts know who Naamari’s dad is. Naamari does know and she’s met him, because Virana figured she had a right to. He and Virana never had a relationship, Virana just sort of needed an heir and a trusted personal friend offered to father the kid.

Tong’s wife is a total badass and instantly fits in with the crew. She and Noi’s mother quickly become very close friends.

Noi and Tong’s kid also immediately get along. As in, they constantly throw things at each other while giggling madly and both love the Ongis, and -- are they whispering to each other in that corner?? They might be conspiring to take over the world. Who knows.

Noi learns how to talk and becomes about 5 times more chaotic. Everyone is Regret (except Tong.)

[shepherds-of-haven]

Did you name your novels or were they just ShoH 1, ShoH 2, ShoH 3, etc.? (If yes, can you also tell their names please?)

Hi there, thanks for the question! In my head they were Volumes 1-20-something--actually, if you’ll believe it, in my head for a long time I named the books after colors, and somehow kept track... but at some point I did put a formal list of potential titles together. I never used the “real” titles mentally, except for The Bridge of Bones, Fortress of the Dead, and the books in Series II and III: I still remember thinking of the first book in Series I as “red” and the second book as “orange”... 😬 And the files/scenes in each book were labelled “aaa”, “bb”, “++”. The more letters there were, the number of times the scene had been rewritten (so “a” was a first draft of the first scene in the book, and “aaa” was the same scene, but more polished... what was I thinking?)

Anyway, I had to go digging to remember my ideas for the titles of some of the earlier books, so please forgive any cringyness lol, I was pretty young when I wrote Series I! I also don’t know if these are all of the ShoH novels--these are just the main chronological ones, but there were some spin-offs and AUs that I don’t name here!

Series I: World Without End

The Witching Wheel 

Blood and Fire

Gunpowder Magic

Battle Mage

The Knife That Spoke

Oathbreaker

Shadowsight 

The Code of War

The City of Midnight

The Foundling’s Soul

The Silver Covenant

The Gates of the Earth

Child of the Stars

Series II: The Storm of the Worlds

The Thunder March

The Lightning War

The Conquered Sky

Series III: The Land of the Gods

The Eternal Sea

The Country Cloaked in Moon

Bridge Series: 

Fortress of the Dead

The Bridge of Bones

The Razor Crown

The God-King’s Sun

Series IV: The Naming of All Things

Harlequin

Valkyrie

Jeremiad

The Council of Kingmakers

Canticle of the Namer

The Blessed Isles

Read below if you want as concise of an explanation for these titles as I can provide!

In case you’re curious, Series I up until Battle Mage follows the protagonist, Arainia, as a young girl (I think 11 or 13) after the death of her mother, being sent to Solhadur amidst family conflict with her father and older sister, her various adventures there at school (meeting Red, Pan, Neon, etc.), graduating, attempting to join the Ket army (it’s complicated), and then deciding to join the Shepherds at around 18 or 19. She undergoes training in the academy, joins her squad (this is where Trouble, Riel, Chase, Halek, and the rest come in), and becomes a Shepherd officer alongside her childhood best friend Blade in Battle Mage. The Knife that Spoke and onward details various missions, investigations, battles, recruitments, and adventures that they all embark on as young adults into their twenties, with some books following different perspectives in the squad (Blade, Riel, Trouble, Chase, Halek, Red, Wintry, and Junoth [the last two not in the game] all get their turn narrating a book or at least a large part of one), with Shery, Ayla, Mimir, Lavinet, Tallys, Neon, Croelle, and many other characters featuring heavily. Around this time, civil war is brewing between the Elves, Ket, and certain factions of Mages, and Endarkened attacks soon begin to rise as the Order struggles to keep the peace. 

Series II details the outbreak of total world war that is essentially the Castigation in the game, with Western Norm kingdoms and territories suddenly and unexpectedly marching on the East--except in the novels, demons and demon armies are also involved, and the war is ultimately averted/ended in a truce as both sides finally unite to confront the Endarkened. It’s during this time period that Riel defects and seemingly betrays the group in favor of “the other side.” Blade is also seemingly killed at the end of the first book of this series and doesn’t reappear again until the third book, Arainia is captured and held as a prisoner of war all while thinking her best friend is dead, and it’s an upsetting time for everybody. Junoth also actually dies. RIP. Croelle pops in to save the day!

Series III details the aftermath of the war and a mission to find unoccupied land for displaced factions of soldiers, diplomats, traders, and civilians from the Norm territories (led by Riel), leading to a voyage across the Mirror Sea to explore the vast continent to the south of Blest, called colloquially “the Land of the Gods.” The second book in this series is also when Blade and Arainia FINALLY confess their feelings for each other and get together, and the big love triangle in the series is finally mostly settled. Oh, but things also aren’t perfect because the Order forbids relationships between officers (like they’ll actually be fired, not Blade’s lame rule in the game lmao), so they live in fear of being discovered because neither wants to quit being a Shepherd! Their hope is that Blade will be named Commander when the current one resigns, and then he can just... change the rule LOL. 

The Bridge Series has some companion novels that take place in between Series III and IV; Fortress of the Dead is Croelle-centric (this is when he informally joins the Order in the books) and The Bridge of Bones details some political bullshit and coups and conspiracies within the Order when its Commander dies unexpectedly and seemingly names a shady outsider (Edric) as the new Commander instead of Blade. The group is placed on different squads to split them up and prevent rebellion from brewing (it happens anyway), and it’s all very crazy. This is also when Lavinet sort of becomes a good guy, Shery becomes a badass, Shyf Cian first appears as the HR rep everyone hates, and this book is also pretty Chase-centric (he pretty much saves the day) and features a Mage serial killer, a psychopathic criminal syndicate leader, and an evil Changeling! I think it’s my favorite novel of the series. From what I remember, The Razor Crown and The God-King’s Sun are just super angsty for no good reason other than I guess I felt like writing a lot of angst--though the God-King’s Sun is also the first appearance of a true Autarch in the series. 

By the time we get to Series IV, the characters are in their thirties, settling into adulthood and their respective roles in life. Blade finally assumes command of the Order, Blade and Arainia get married, Halek and Wintry have a baby (Kana!), Halek turns 33 and has a life crisis, Arainia gets pregnant (and then kidnapped for a large part of her pregnancy lolll), Riel and Chase finally make reluctant peace, some other stuff happens, uh there’s some Mimir stuff in there, Red successfully makes a trip to another world, and Arainia gives birth to a Ket-Mage son in... I think it was either The Canticle of the Namer or The Blessed Isles. 

So... yeah! 28+ main novels, and I’m still going, just for me! 😂 I tend to write a lot of AUs of the series in my off-time, though sometimes the AUs are just “what if this took place in the same world but things are totally different--like what if they were politicians instead of Shepherds, what if the Shepherds functioned differently due to a different historical event occurring, what if the Castigation happened but it was Mages who instigated it, what if they were soldiers in a war 5000 years before the main series takes place, etc.”; or they take place in totally different worlds, like the characters as cops in a modern world that has cell phones and cars but also still has the Diminished races and magic somehow!

Thanks for your question, and for reading this long talk! 😅

[thewritewolf]

Adventure to the Heart Chapter 16: Sunrise

A crisis only barely averted.

First | Previous | Next | Last

@adrinetteapril​

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

For once, Marinette got out of bed as the sun rose over Paris. She much preferred sleeping in, but this time she was too excited to stay under the covers.

Still in her pajamas, she dropped into the swivel chair in front of her computer, spinning in a few lazy circles before coming to a stop with a lovesick sigh.

“You’re awfully energetic for this early in the morning.” Tikki floated over her, a slight smile on her face as she watched her chosen.

“How can I be anything else?” Marinette reached up to cup Tikki in her hands.  “Adrien is going to be here again, today!”

“‘Here’ as in back in Paris, or ‘here’, like in your room?”

“Both!” Marinette stood up and started rifling through her game books. “Its been a couple weeks since we had a session - I should start getting ready extra early just to be sure.”

“Uh… the session is today?”

The worried tone of voice pulled Marinette’s attention back to Tikki. “Well, yeah. Its the weekend, and the same day Adrien is coming back! We’ve had this planned for a few days now.”

“Isn’t today the day your parents are going to need your help getting ready for that wedding?”

“No that’s Saturday.” Marinette’s heart dropped and her eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “That’s Saturday!” Her hands flew to the sides of her head. “Tikki, today is Saturday!”

“I know, that’s what I’m saying!” Tikki zipped around to keep in front of Marinette as she started pacing.

“How am I going to break it to them? Adrien was looking forward to this so much! And I even managed to get everyone together for this one.” She tugged at her hair and fell to her knees. “This is such a disaster!”

“Don’t worry, Marinette, we can figure something out. Your parents won’t need you for the whole day right?”

“Well, no… but with how often they’ll be pulling me downstairs for one thing or another, I can’t leave the house and they’ll be on their own for half the session anyway!”

“Hm…” Tikki tapped one of her paws to her chin. “Do they need you to be there for the whole time?”

“I guess not, at least for this session. They’ll be planning what they’re going to do about the nobles, they still haven’t really gotten a chance to do anything about it so far.” The panic drained from her pacing and during slow and thoughtful. “But if I brought them over then it would still be super distracting if I just kept running up and down the stairs. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to feed them all with the kitchen occupied the whole time.”

“What if you don’t have the session here?”

Marinette blinked. “Like an online one? I’ve never done it before but that’s going to be the only way out of this, isn’t it?” She climbed up her ladder to get her phone, which she had left by her bed.

“See? I told you we’d find a way to get this to work!”

“Mhm,” Marinette mumbled in reply as she sat on her bed, quickly typing out a message to the others.

“And hey! This way, you can send private messages to Adrien without anyone else knowing! You won’t be limited to just sending goo goo eyes at each other over the table.”

Marinette yelped and nearly dropped her phone. “TIKKI!”

Her kwami simply giggled and flew away to hide.

[eclectic-feathers]

Hello! Here’s my submission for @50yearsofqueen’s event. Posted nearing midnight for the drama. It’s a Doctor Who crossover that doesn’t really have much to do with the franchise other than in concept. It’s a very complex show, but canon’s already constantly challenged so I might as well challenge it even more. Thanks to my partner @bananavarina who made the art for this chapter and other chapters to come. Special thanks to @anne-white-star for helping me with the concept. Hope y’all enjoy!

———————————————

Humans succumb rather easily to trickery. After all, an unfortunate amount of them lead such jaded lives to the point they gradually lose the ability of thinking outside the box. This particular box is all these humans have ever known, yet, still, it serves as a case study in the development of claustrophobia. It’s stuck moving at a steady pace in a singular direction: forward. No turning back, no jumping ahead. Worst of all, the box never takes you anywhere. You need gasoline for that and gasoline, as you may well know, is expensive.

And if you don’t prefer a cheaper alternative for transportation, you’re either very well off or there’s something terribly wrong with you.

Thus, when presented with a different box, a time-traveling, space-hopping one which happens to accommodate much bigger dimensions on the inside, humans are easily fooled into stepping right in, putting aside all reasonable caution.

It’s for this reason that The Doctor recruits folks aboard his TARDIS with relative ease. It’s an art form he has nearly mastered, effectively trapping starry-eyed wanderers under the guise of adventure into a lifetime’s worth of the terror they least expect upon boarding. This terror had plagued dozens of Earthlings whose narrow understanding of space and time rendered them rather clueless as to how they might defeat it. This entity was, as brave Jamie McCrimmon ever so rudely proclaimed, a threat less comprehensible than Cybermen. This threat was unwanted exposition.

(Which is more commonly referred to as rambling.)

Countless humans have fondly (and exasperatedly, as certified human, Tegan Jovanka may attest) listened to The Doctor ramble for hours on end. It was a familiar dynamic, one The Doctor found comfort in. Perhaps, most of his companions never truly understood what he would be rambling on about, but it was, and still is, part of their exchange. The Doctor finds joy in showing such excitement, such beauty and wonder, to his friends. In return, his friends put the fun in his travels and gawk, accordingly, to all that they witness.

The Doctor always expected his companions to marvel in the sights and let him ramble on and on from topic to topic. What he didn’t expect was for them to stop marveling and start rambling back.

-

“Your mama loved scarves. They were all she had managed to pack from home when she was taken here.”

Brian slipped on his rubber footwear, his feet secured by tiny pieces of braided cloth cut from a scarf threaded through unevenly punctured holes. Haru had called them flip flops although he wasn’t quite sure whether it was a name he’d invented to cheer him up when he was little (like when he used to call lightbulbs fireflies) or if it happened to be the effect of inherent human silliness, thus making it the correct term.

“This is your papa’s favorite pair of pants. Your mama doodled stars and planets on it for his birthday. He loved them as he loved her...you love them too, don’t you?”

He pulled the pants up and fastened it with a belt. It was rather long and baggy for a ten-year-old. Still, Brian tried to make it work, bunching up the cloth and standing as tall as he could. He wondered if his father was out there, unaware of the existence of a son, finally home among the stars drawn daintily across his trousers.

“We all had to wear long sleeved shirts back in the metropolis. I wore green. He wore white.”

Brian put one on accordingly. The sleeves flopped and swallowed his arms as the shirt engulfed his skinny frame.

“Your mama had sewn him a vest. He wasn’t particularly fond of vests but he was very fond of your mama.”

He put on the black vest

Little Brian stared at the mirror in front of him, unsure what to feel. He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, yet he wasn’t quite sure if it were right to mourn for something he’d never known.

“Bri?”

Brian looked up to find Haru standing at the doorway. His face was blank, yet a storm seemed to brew in his eyes. Perhaps, he was upset that the child he’d loved and raised as if he were his own was wearing the painful reminder of his friends long gone. Or, perhaps, he was disheartened that said child wasn’t satisfied enough with his care to stop yearning for his parents’ presence. Perhaps, he was neither of those. Perhaps, he was angry.

Brian hoped he was angry.

A moment of silence passed between them. Then another. Brian had read about moments like this in fictional Earthling books. He was steeling himself for those angry outbursts he always read about. Haru rarely got upset, yet Ian had never messed up this terribly before. So he braced himself…

Only to be engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

Brian quickly hugged Haru back as the latter trembled. He felt the pitter patter of tears falling on his shoulder and for the first time in his life, he felt the crushing weight of loss.

“You deserve to know your father,” Haru croaked as he regained his composure. Brian merely buried his face in his shoulder as he finally let his own tears flow.

“I already do, Dad.”

—————————-

“Doctor, your library’s collection of medical books is incomplete,” proclaimed Brian, a young man clad in white, signifying his status as an esteemed astronaut of Planet Rhye.

The Doctor gasped theatrically, startling Deacy, a man from 21st century Leicester, younger and less knowledgeable than Brian, yet seemingly much wiser. He’d been tinkering with a malfunctioning lever for about an hour now.

The Doctor merely smiled in apology to which Deacy responded with a fond shake of his head.

“Oh the TARDIS hasn’t been fixed yet?,” Brian inquired as he sank into a lavish red sofa situated in the console room.

“Not to my knowledge, no,” Deacy replied.

The Doctor laughed.

“Cheeky now, aren’t we?”

“Well, I deserve to be cheeky. After all it wasn’t me who busted the wiring in the butterfly room for a photoshoot.”

The Doctor scoffed as Brian let out a snort of his own.

“I’ll have you know, darling, that we’re perfectly safe and untarnished. I managed to avert the crisis by rearranging the wires before anyone could get hurt.”

“Did you, now?,” Deacy asked, his confusion evident.

“Of course I did!”

“Then how come the wires here are all mismatched and tangled up?”

A sudden silence swept across the room.

“Oh! You managed to rearrange them well enough for the TARDIS not to combust but they still weren’t in the correct order because based on the times we were on Itakam and the time we went to Roman occupied Greece, you’re no good at technical repairs,” Brian piped up, rather satisfied with himself. Deacy chuckled as The Doctor gaped at his lack of tact.

“Brian...do tell me about the library,” The Doctor muttered, as Deacy amusedly returned to his work.

“I’ve searched high and low in every single shelf of your library and found references to every single medical lung condition I’ve read of back home. They were all there...except for one.”

“Well, that’s silly, darling! The book dealer had been very sincere. I couldn’t have been tricked!”

“Perhaps, you’d simply been gullible?,” Roger suggested as he entered the room. He was exceptionally beautiful with no trace of wrinkles, pores, or even a philtrum. His skin was smooth as silk save for a pair of gills which rested on either side of his neck. He sat next to Brian and plopped his feet on the former’s lap. It was no secret that this Doctor, unlike the last two of his incarnations, was reserved around strangers. That being said, soaked up every last trace of physical affection from his friends like a sponge. Yet, even he chuckled at the display of such disregard for human manners.

Brian was human. However he’d been raised far from Earth, isolated from society with no one but Dad for company. Etiquette was unimportant in his little world and Dad hadn’t known enough about human custom to teach him anything of substance. Brian hadn’t known touch for years and he embraced, quite literally, its sudden return in the form of team cuddles. It seems rather funny, doesn’t it? That there are things you never realize you lost until you find it and cherish it once more? Ian seemed to believe so.

Roger was a fish.

“That’s impossible, for how all that pretentiousness my sixth face had, he simply wasn’t one to be tricked.”

“I beg to differ,” Roger countered. “I’ve met him. You’re absolutely rubbish at spaceship maintenance, I give you that. But you’re actually quite clever...very creative even. He was witty and creative too, but he wasn’t clever. He was mostly a bumbling fool.”

The Doctor didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.

“What medical condition were you looking for anyway?,” Deacy inquired as he rolled up the sleeves of his turtleneck and took off his spliced button up.

“Hanahaki disease.”

At this, Roger quickly turned away from Brian, trying to hold in his laughter. The Doctor buried his smiling face in Deacy’s shoulder as the latter forcibly schooled his expression into one of nonchalance. He was well aware that Hanahaki disease was fictional, after all, his girlfriend, Ronnie used to write fiction in her spare time and he’d be the beta reader. He nodded politely, as Brian happily hummed a little tune, oblivious to his friends’ antics.

You know you’ve got a terrible grasp on human custom when even a fish is more culturally aware than you.

“Well, either way,” Brian piped up, still blissfully unaware, “your collection’s incomplete. Maybe we should go look for the missing volume after Deacy repairs the console?”

“I reckon we need another adventure,” Roger agreed as he set his legs on the floor and yanked The Doctor towards the couch. Brian scooted closer, letting his head rest on Roger’s shoulder as The Doctor climbed in and rested his upper body on his companions’ laps.

“I’m afraid we’ll be stranded here for a little while,” Deacy remarked.

“Then what are you waiting for?,” Brian asked as he beckoned Deacy over to the couch. The latter smiled as he joined in what he believed to be the best part of traveling with The Doctor: cuddle piles.

—————————————-

“Are we gonna tell him…?”

“No!”

“How dare you?! I invited you onboard expecting a starry-eyed audience to gawk at everything I do but instead I got someone who seems to know my TARDIS better than me!”

“There’s no point in complaining about free maintenance.”

“You’re one to talk, fishman. There’s no point in bringing you along with me to witness the universe if you’ve already seen it all!”

“Yet you still keep us around.”

“...I suppose I do. Now wipe those smug looks off your faces. We’re going to 2012. Just to appease him.”

[septembersghost]

I had this ridiculously elaborate dream that somehow involved Dean, an ancient, magical artifact that played music which put people into dangerous trances, and an enigmatic English guy (my mind tells me this was also someone recognizable, but it has slipped like water from my memory) who I had to pretend to want to marry because he held the key to a vault (?) that was connected to the spooky artifact and was going to unleash some horrific force upon the world. the wedding was huge and very elaborate (something I would not want), and my dress had this impossibly voluminous skirt, which I accidentally ripped while hiding a dagger in my garter, so Dean paper-clipped it back together as we ran around, dressed up, trying to avert disaster. at some point, I realized all the wedding guests were in terrible danger, and @xxsparksxx was there, and I was begging Dean to get her out, and Sam was still in Kansas for some reason? (we were in London. a place I have definitely never been.) and he was just like, "it's gonna be fine, sweetheart," but it was NOT fine, the stars were turning red.

anyway, if my dreams are sequential, this follows Sam and me resurrecting him, because a few weeks back, I had a dream that I was very distressed, demanding Sam tell me what happened and where Dean was, and he got so upset that he hit me right across the face for acting hysterical (which...lol), which was mostly just a cover because he was practically out of his own mind with terror and grief, and told me we were going to "fix it," no matter what it took. I guess we did and then some new crisis came up, as usual!

the maddening thing is how I get the scares and adventures, but never the resolution. this dream today was so crystal clear in my head when it first awakened me, but as is the way with dreams, it faded too much between that time and the moment I could sit down and try to recall it that all I have is the fragmented, shadowy silhouette of it.

[regrettablewritings]

Navy, indigo, cobalt, teal, ocean, peacock, cerulean, lapis, and baby blue for Poe Dameron, please? If it’s not too much to ask

A rainbow of blue . . . Stuff’s below the cut!

Navy (If they could own any animal, either real or mythological, what would they pick?): A tiger. Oh, wait, no -- a winged tiger! Hell yeah! He loves orange for one, but also tigers are just plain neat. And if that bad boy can fly, then they could do all sorts of neat aerial tricks and traverse the land adventurer-style!

Indigo (What’s their favorite scent?): It’s very specific, but he misses the smell of the woods around his childhood home. Of course, it’s one that can’t really be replicated, but it’s still one he deeply enjoys recalling for obvious reasons. Aside from that, though, his guilty pleasure smell is the combination of metal and grease and the like from the mechanic shop on base. It helps him feel closer to his mother if truth be told. (He also really likes donuts!)

Cobalt (Childhood fear?): If you were to ask him yourself, Poe would’ve said monkeys. He still doesn’t like them. They’re too . . . “fingery”. But for a few years, Poe had a fear of water and of doctors. Nobody knows where the water thing came from, but needless to say, it made bathing difficult and he started showering younger than most tend to. Thankfully, it was a relatively brief period in his life, as Shara and Kes were able to slowly able to get him to be okay with having his head submerged in water. What wasn’t a short-lived fear, however, was his fear of doctors. When Shara had gotten sick, the expectation was that, with her fiery spirit, she could fight it off with no problem. Poe especially thought this -- she was his hero, after all. But when she didn’t recover, it left a huge impression on him. After all, he was only eight years old. He didn’t mean for it to, but the experience left him with a long-spanning fear of doctors and medical situations. Whenever Kes would take him for his pediatrician check-up, it was always a huge struggle to get Poe to behave or sit still. Not even the promise of a lollipop or a reward from the treasure chest of trinkets was enough to get Poe to stop running away from the waiting room. Thankfully, he’s grown out of it. Most of it, at least. Once he became a professional pilot, though, Poe sort of had to clean up his act about doctor visits and being afraid of hearing potentially bad diagnoses. He’s still a bit iffy about getting shots but he’ll do it; there’s just this primal fear about it going wrong or, if it’s for blood work, that it’ll come back with traces of some unknown disease that’ll claim him.

Teal (How do they flirt?): Come on, with a face like that? Does he really need to actually flirt? Poe is aware of how good he apparently looks to others, though he doesn’t really invest much stock into it. He honestly finds it a bit silly (and embarrassing, given how they once used his likeness to get people interested in joining their piloting unit. That being said, he’s not above using the looks people praise him for having. There have admittedly been a few occasions where he’s had to flash that dashing smile of his to get some information in a nonviolent way but if we’re talking about when he’s genuinely interested, it’s a lot less smooth. He fumbles over his words more, his smiles are less controlled and more clumsy . . . It’s admittedly adorable but definitely not the effect he wants to have. This is generally why Poe tends to fair better with and prefer those with whom he’s established a more friend or companion-based connection. He knows them, they know him, the banter comes along a lot easier because of a shared history that includes inside jokes. That being said, Poe works best when he’s allowed to be humorous. He likes making people smile, and the one he intends to flirt with is absolutely no exception. He’ll pull out his best material, offering quip after pun after so-bad-it’s-good dad joke until he at least gets a scoff-cloaked chuckle out of them. The moment he sees a glimmer of mirth in their eyes, he knows he’s got them.

Ocean (What are their hugs like?): You know that feeling of the early morning sun’s rays slowly creeping onto your skin, washing you in the golden light of a new day? Poe’s hugs are a lot like that, only more personal. You can feel how happy he is to have you around in every flex of his arms. He holds you close and tight, like he’s squeezing out any worries you had before releasing you, feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever’s next. If you’re lucky and he’s in an especially good mood, he’s not above picking you up and giving the hug a little spin, usually accompanied by a laugh (because, usually, this hug happens when a crisis has been averted).

Peacock (Do they prefer showers, or baths?): Showers. Due to his stint with aquaphobia, Poe took to showering as a kid. Even after he got over it, though, he preferred the efficiency of showering. By the time he reached adulthood, showers were about all he had the option of anyway: The ships he became familiar with during the Resistance tended to only offering showers due to the space it allowed, and because showers require less water and time. On the rare occasion he does want a bath over a shower, it’s usually to have a more encompassed way of relaxing after way too long on his feet. Normally, these are reserved for the rare event that he’s home, or when he wants to try out a strange new oil that works best in a bath.

Cerulean (What’s their laugh like?): Surprisingly, they’re not huge belly laughs, but they’re appealing and even contagious nonetheless. In a word, it’s effervescent. Soft yet bubbly. Not in a flirtatious way, but in that there are slopes to it. If what made him laugh was a word or sentence, he tends to repeat it just to taste those words and keep the joy alive a bit longer. Once he’s laughing, it’s hard to not start laughing yourself, especially if you catch him muttering whatever words might’ve put him in such a state. The bigger laughs that have him bending over aren’t much louder but they do have the delightful addition of a cute hiccupy sound.

Lapis (Are they superstitious?): Surprisingly, yes, to a degree. A lot of pilots are, in fact. He’s not fond of talking about ghosts or snubbing the dead, he doesn’t really believe in gremlins all that much but would rather not tempt fate. He respects hallowed ground and collects talismans meant to bring protection while on his travels. He says it’s because they’re nifty and look nice in his apartment, but let’s be real: He likes the extra protection just in case. He’s made a bit of a hobby out of it, researching the various superstitions of cultures prominent in the areas he’s flying to so that he better understands cultural graces and boundaries.

Baby Blue (What Greek god/goddess are they most like?): Poe looks like Apollo and acts like Hermes. For the most part. Of course, Poe stunning good looks, musical capabilities (he is able to sing quite well), and tendency to take to the skies is reminiscent of the chariot-driving Apollo. However, his ability to travel at great speeds and travel about the galaxy brings Hermes to mind. Plus, Poe can be a bit of a delightful scoundrel both in and out of unpleasant situations.

Thank you for asking!

[katedrawscomics]

been poking at this picture of our D&D squad for a couple of weeks and i think it's about done! we're about halfway through the Zeitgeist adventure path and very much enjoying it.

at the top is our shifter barbarian scientist mhairi, who once averted a diplomatic crisis with a headbutt and has a very pleasant scots accent (while stabbing).

middle is my kindly playwright tiefling bard sonnet, who is probably more trusting than he ought to be while looking into an international evil conspiracy, but you work with what you have

and at the bottom is malachi, our protective warden (and world's best grandpa) who really ought to be retiring with a good pint and a dinner but here he is anyway. he also sees dead people, which is deeply unfortunate considering how many of those we run into.

[raisingsupergirl]

A Recipe For a Pho Night

Okay, this typically isn't a food blog, but guys, if you've never had pho, you're missing out. And now that 2020 quarantines have made it even harder to sit down at a Vietnamese restaurant, how will we ever enjoy this most excellent of savory soups? Well, by making it at home, of course! And now that winter's creeping in (it's currently a cold, rainy Sunday as I write this) there's no better time to fill the house with delicious smells! But before you freak out over the ingredients list, don’t worry! Pretty much everything can be substituted, altered, or just left out based on your preferences and availability (I happen to dislike sweet broth, so I didn't use much brown sugar). Even the measurements are only there because SOME of you can't make anything without having exact amounts spelled out (hey, nobody's perfect). The whole point of pho night is to have fun, so get creative, and let your family join in. My daughters absolutely loved picking out their ingredients for the spring rolls and the soup, and watching it all cook right before their eyes really sealed the deal (though they needed my help rolling the spring rolls). And now, without further adieu, here's my recipe for fresh spring rolls and pho (because of their similar ingredients and fun, do-it-yourself assembly, they pair perfectly):

INGREDIENTS

Marinated beef: • 1 brisket (sliced thin) • 4 tbsp oyster sauce • 1 cup soy sauce • 2 tbsp minced garlic

Broth: • 16 cups beef stock (or 3 soup bones if making from scratch) • 1 large onion • 2 golf ball-sized chunks of ginger (what? That's totally a legit measure) • 3 cinnamon sticks • 5 star anise • 4 cloves • 1 tbsp coriander seeds • 4 garlic cloves (optional) • 1 tbsp brown sugar (or to taste) • 1 tbsp fish sauce (or to taste) • 2 tbsp soy sauce (or to taste) • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Noodles: • 1 box rice noodles (I used thin in this recipe) • sesame oil (or any oil)

Garnish: • ½ package medium shrimp (raw, deveined, no shell) • 1 bunch of cilantro • 1 bunch of rosemary (because I couldn't find Thai basil) • 1 bunch of mint (because it grows in my back yard) • 6 whole baby bella mushrooms • 2 serrano peppers • ½ red bell pepper • ½ yellow bell pepper • 6 green onions • 1 can bean sprouts • 1 lime (cut into wedges)

Spring rolls (because you're not going to cut up all those delicious veggies and NOT wrap some in rice paper!): • 1 package spring roll wrappers • ½ package medium shrimp (cooked, deveined, no shell) • ½ cup matchstick carrots • ½ cucumber • ½ avocado • any other veggies/herbs you’ve prepared for the pho garnish

Serve with: • Soy sauce • Sriracha • Hoisin sauce • 1 bottle of sake (to drink!)

INSTRUCTIONS

First, let's start with the brisket. You'll need to prepare it earlier in the day so it can marinate. And it's worth noting now that pretty much everything you cut up for this meal will need to be SUPER thin (so it can cook in the broth in your bowl), and the beef is no exception. And because of that, it's easiest to slice it with a sharp knife while it's STILL FROZEN. First, cut the fat off of the top, then slice/shave it perpendicular to the grain (to make it more tender) as thin as you can. Then cut the slices into 2-inch pieces (or smaller if you prefer). Prepare the marinade (oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic) and combine it with the beef in a sealed container or bag. Set aside for at least three hours and no more than 12 (to avoid getting too mushy), and mix it occasionally throughout the day.

Next, lets talk about the foundation of this recipe: the broth. Because it's so important, you want to make sure to start out with a high quality beef stock. I made my own the day before by boiling 3 soup bones in about 2 gallons of water (it reduces) for 4 hours on low heat (then refrigerating it until the next day so I could skim the fat off of the top), but buying it significantly speeds up the process. Whichever way you choose, pour the broth in a large stockpot and set it to high heat. While it's coming to a boil, preheat your oven's broiler, then slice the onion and ginger into large chunks. Spread out the chunks in an oiled, oven-safe pan. Then, place the cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seeds, and cloves in another oven-safe container (these spices are all complimentary in flavor—along with cardamom pods, which I couldn't find—and give pho it's signature taste, so try to find as many of them as you can. Also, whole spices make them easier to remove later for a clearer broth), and pop it all (onions, ginger, and spices) in the broiler until they're all lightly toasted—about five minutes for the spices (until they're just aromatic) and ten minutes for the onions/ginger (until they get a good char).

Once your stock is boiling, throw in the onions, ginger, and toasted spices, then cover and reduce to medium-low heat for at least twenty minutes (and up to an hour while you're preparing everything else). Strain/scoop out all the solids after thirty minutes or so, then either keep the broth on low heat or just turn it off for now.

Now's as good of a time as any to cook your rice noodles according to the instructions on the package (they don't take long, so don't overcook them!). When they're done, rinse with cold water (so they don't keep cooking and fall apart) and toss with a couple tablespoons of sesame oil (or whatever oil you prefer) to keep them from clumping. Dump them in a bowl and set aside for later.

Now it's time to start slicing the vegetables! Like I said before, everything should be super thin so it cooks quicker, so take your time and enjoy the process (hopefully with a glass of sake and some good conversation… heck, you can find some more knives and put your dinner guests to work). Full disclosure, the veggie bill is totally up to you, but in this case, I recommend green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, hot peppers (jalapeño or Serrano), bean sprouts, lime, cilantro, mint, and Thai basil (though I couldn't find any basil, so I substituted rosemary, which actually worked great). Remember to slice everything thin and 2-3 inches long (with the obvious exception of the sprouts and herbs, which can be left whole, and the lime, which can be quartered) so they work with the pho AND the spring rolls.

And since we're talking about the spring rolls, go ahead and cut up everything (carrots, cucumber, avocado) for those, as well. And if you're putting shrimp in them, go ahead and throw half of the bag of medium shrimp into your boiling pho broth for 20-30 seconds (to flavor the shrimp AND the broth), then scoop them out and put them in a serving dish (side note: I almost cooked my rice noodles in the broth, as well, then remembered that the noodles leave behind milky, starchy water, which would have ruined the broth. Crisis averted!). While you're at it, fill a pan or other container (it has to be slightly larger than the size of your rice paper) about an inch deep with cold water (or pho broth, if you're feeling really adventurous!) and set aside.

Place all of your a la carte ingredients in little piles across a large cutting/serving board or in individual bowls and set them in the middle of your dinner table. You want to show off all of your hard work!

Speaking of the dinner table, time to turn to the final (and most fun) phase. Other than your garnishes, set up the table with your raw brisket (yes, raw), raw and cooked shrimp, noodles, optional sauces (sriracha, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce), rice paper, pan of water, plates, bowls, soup spoons, forks/chop sticks, and your preferred drinks. Crank the covered broth to a rolling boil on the stove and direct your lucky guests to their seats—the show is about to begin!

SPRING ROLL ASSEMBLY

As your broth heats up, start with the spring rolls. Place one sheet in the pan of cold water for about 30 seconds or until soft (like Goldilocks, you don't want them too hard or too soft/brittle. If this is your first time, you may waste a sheet or two before you get it right). Remove it, place it on a plate, and fill it like a tiny burrito with whatever ingredients you prefer. Be sure to experiment with all of the herbs, veggies, and cooked shrimp (do NOT use the raw shrimp or beef. Yes, I have to say this. Yes, there are people out there who need to be told the obvious). You want your filling to be about the same size and shape as a hotdog, and it should be offset to one side of the rice paper. Now it's time to try your hand at rolling that bad boy. Fold the sides first (each end of the "hotdog") to seal it up. Then fold the short side of the rice paper over your "hotdog" and tuck it under the ingredients to tighten them up. Lastly, roll the whole thing up. If you get a little tear (shredded carrots are sharp), don't worry. You'll have a couple layers by the time it's completely rolled, so it should seal. If not, who cares? You're about to dip it in your favorite sauce and devour it. Remember, have fun!

PHO ASSEMBLY

By the time you've had a few spring rolls, your pho broth should be boiling. Time to assemble the main course! Place about a half-cup of rice noodles in the bottom of each bowl, then top them with the same amount of raw beef or shrimp (or both!). Now, carefully bring in that big pot of steaming, delicious-smelling broth and ladle it over each bowl of rice/protein. Sit back and enjoy the oohs and aahs as the shrimp turns pink and the beef turns brown (that marinated beef really helps elevate the pho broth). NOTE: Cooking in the bowls is the fun/traditional way to do it, but briefly pan frying the beef instead actually gives a slightly better flavor. Alternately, throwing the protein into the pot of broth before ladling is just fine, too, but be careful to not overcook it! Anyway, you do you.

Now that your protein is cooked, instruct your guests to fill the bowl with anything and everything their hearts desire. It's best to go quick and start with the "harder" (mushrooms, herbs) ingredients first, so they have the best chance of cooking through and imparting those delicious flavors. Also, it's possible to put in TOO much stuff (know from experience...), which will cool the broth down too much, so when it doubt, do several smaller bowls to try out different combinations.

Take a few pictures of your masterpiece, stir it all in, let it steep for a couple of minutes, and then dig in! Like everything else with this recipe, there's no wrong way to eat pho. Chop sticks, forks, soup spoons—go at it however you like. And finally, when everyone has tilted up their bowls to drink those last, irresistible drops of soup, store the remaining ingredients in separate containers, and your leftovers will make a delicious stir-fry later in the week!

Well, that's all I've got. If this isn't the perfect recipe for a dinner party (whether it's with friends or a quarantined family, rain or shine, winter or summer), I don't know what is. My family loved getting creative with all of the possibilities, and their end results were (almost) always delicious. Pho night is sure to become a regular at my house, and hopefully it will at yours, too!

[ahagia-sophia]

Story Time

Vlog? Episode 1: A Man of Constant Sorrow

 Hey guys, I’m Jacob. I’ve always wanted to do a sort of blog type thing. But, I could never figure out what I wanted to make it about, you know? I like history, mostly. But then again so does literally every white guy on the planet. [rambling] Not to say that my love of history is basic, or that anyone’s passions and interests are basic its just- Never mind, that’s not what we’re here for.

I had considered doing a history sort of thing, but I decided against it for various reasons. Sadly, I didn’t have any other passions that might be interesting to other people. At least, that’s what I thought. Until the other day when my friend was going on about how I was a central point in a lot of the stories he was telling his new girlfriend. Specifically, I was what he described as, ‘the unluckiest man on earth.’

And you know what? People love real stories. Stories of people having terrible no-good very bad times adventures. And buddy, I’ve gone on a few adventures. So, I figured I’d tell a story or two. Mostly because I really love telling stories, but also because I crave attention love entertaining people.

I have a few eye-catching stories, like; Getting Cornered In a Carpet Shop, Getting Robbed by a Rapist(?), Civil War Reenacting, The Rape Accusation, Accidentally Becoming A Harem Anime Protagonist, Being a Terrible Person, and others. But I thought I’d start with something relatively tame.

Jacob Utterly Fails and Gets Congratulated Publicly For It.

Okay so this one takes place in a small-town high school in 2015. Which should already set off some alarm bells for people who were in small-town high schools in 2015. It was senior year and I was the Battalion S-5 for our school’s Army JROTC branch. The S-5 was basically the media officer, and the place where you threw useless seniors who had stuck with the program for four years and hadn’t done anything that could get them thrown out. Which was me. I was seniors.

I was the pale skinny white kid in high school who had charisma, but was too angsty to use it, you know? I didn’t have any real self-confidence; I would flinch if someone threw a ball toward me while playing Sport. I listened to metal and Irish folk music. I spent all my time playing video games with my friends and actively pretending that the future didn’t exist.

                                   Here I am, in all my glory

Not much has changed.

Anyway, these qualities did not lend themselves to what was essentially a military recruitment program. What I did have going for me was an intense need to please authority figures and a slightly above average mind.

To fully demonstrate my inadequacy, allow me to take you back in time to the distant year of 2011 and lay out how I could not master walking.

This is not a joke.

One of the key components of JROTC is walking in straight lines in various directions and formations. This practice was called Drill. Drill cover such intense concepts as, ‘turn while standing still’ and, ‘turn while moving.’ These advanced maneuvers were, however, based on one simple principle. Walking. Specifically, the advanced form of walking referred to by professionals as, ‘walking without stepping on other people’s feet.’ Or, more concisely, ‘walking in step.’

I was utterly unable to do this. Just completely, totally, categorically unable to do this. Even with such helpful aids as a person walking next to me actively telling me which foot should be hitting the ground. I just could not do it. I would walk in step for a few paces and then immediately fall out of step and have to perform what is called a ‘change step’ which I interpreted at the time as kicking yourself in the back of the heel in order to skip and land back on the correct step. In hindsight I was probably supposed to just drag the heel of my foot. There’s an allegory in there somewhere.

So, I couldn’t master walking. This has been established. This has been abundantly established. And it had been established at the time too. Everyone knew that my drill scores were terrible. Everyone knew that I was very unable to walk. However, I aced the academic side of things, and managed to get my shit together enough to pass the Walking Final with a solid B+, which in retrospect was absolutely a pity grade from the students who were grading the final. My legacy of mediocrity was secured, and I advanced on to the next year.

I was given the coveted position of Assistant Squad Leader and the enviable rank of Cadet Sergeant. What this meant was that everyone acknowledged my lack of ability on the drill pad and also the fact that this wasn’t the real military and they couldn’t drum me out for gross incompetence. Very quickly, however, everyone came to realize that despite having absolutely no actual responsibilities, I was failing terribly in my task of ‘Be the guy at the front of the line while we walk.’ For all of the above-mentioned reasons.

This began my career as what soldierly-types would call ‘regimental bitch.’ I worked exclusively inside. I wrote memos for the Officers (read: upperclassmen), I did numbers for fundraisers, I made lists of names and T-shirt sizes, and generally fucked about in my new walking free paradise. For an entire school year, I was behind the scenes, only going outside for Inspection on Thursday’s.

This, of course, meant the everyone had forgotten that I no ability with the ordered walking. And what little ability I might have possessed had absolutely gone to rust as I spent the year (or two, my memory is hazy) hiding from the sun. (This was in Louisiana, so hiding from the sun was not as shameful as it could have been.) Logically, therefore, the higher up types decided that on one of the last drill days of the year good old Jacob should take the reins and march the assembled company (Class, about 30 people) in a straight line, a turn, and then another straight line.

Sub Story: How I Caused a 30-Person Pile Up, Literally

Pretty much what the title says, really. I was given command of the company. I said ‘Forward, March!’ and everyone started to walk forward. A result which I was completely unprepared for. They started walking, you know, at the pace the people walking in, like, a bit of a hurry would walk. Which was entirely too fast for me.

They walked far too fast. So fast that by the time they had reached the point where I was supposed to tell them to turn, I had completely lost the plot. And the front rank, in one of those moments of blind obedience that you can never recreate when you need blind obedience, walked directly into a brick wall. And then the rank behind them, and the rank behind them, and the rank behind them.

It was a slow-motion pile of human idiocy with me as its conductor. In that moment I could almost hear the the universe stand proudly from her director’s chair and loudly call, ‘Scene!’

I was never given command again.

Sub Story: A Principal’s Principles

Alright, its 2015 or so at this point. I’ve skulked my way up to Cadet Captain and a position of theoretical importance. It’s Veterans Day. I have to do exactly two things. Read a script and put people’s names on chairs. I’ve got this. There’s no possible way I could fuck this up, right?

Did you know that there are two different spellings for the word Principal? I sure didn’t. I was given a very sudden and unforgettable lesson when First Sergeant (one of the two JROTC instructors) burst into the office with my sins printed on paper and asked me if I had passed 3rd Grade spelling. (Which I had, but only because I cheated.) Picture a 6-foot-tall, well-muscled, angry veteran yelling at a pale white kid who flinched when stuff fell off the table. It is not a lesson that will ever leave my mind.

Thankfully, my spelling error was corrected before anyone important could see it. Crisis averted. Now I just had to deliver a speech about a table set for a soldier or something. I was literate, it didn’t have to be fantastic. There’s no way I could fuck this up, right? Well, two things. I had rehearsed this speech, but I had only rehearsed this speech alone with the script. Not with anyone who knew how the speech was supposed to sound. So, they dim the lights, the spotlight falls on the table in the center of the gym, and I read my speech. I gave a damn good speech. It was rousing, it was passionate, and I’m pretty sure I got genuine applause at the end of it.

However.

I stepped down from the podium, awash in the afterglow of a Genuine Success, when First Sergeant pulled me aside and in a very forced whisper informed me that this was supposed to be a somber speech given in mourning for those who would never come home.

Fuck.

It is a common theme in my life that if I do something really well, I have invariably done it wrong. This is a phenomenon that I first noticed in second grade when I proudly presented my beautiful handwriting (I normally have terrible handwriting) to the teacher only to be informed that I had spelled the word wrong.

Now whenever my handwriting looks particularly good, I double check all my spelling.

               It was around this time that it was unilaterally decided (without my consent) that Jacob would never be put in charge of anything ever again. Which was something that was honestly a long time coming. But still hurt when I was informed.

               It hurt my pride so much that I fought it. I fought it hard. I demanded, in no uncertain terms, that I should be in charge of the Very Big and Important Slideshow at the banquet that we hold at the end of the year.

Jacob Utterly Fails and Gets Congratulated Publicly For It.

This was no normal end of the year banquet. These were not your average cold beans and dry chicken. Oh no. I cannot fail during such a mundane affair. This was the year that Colonel, a much beloved man who had held the program together through sheer competence and wisdom, was retiring. This was his last banquet. This was his send off, the blow out, the thank you for all of his years of service and sage advice.

This meant that graduates of the program were coming in from across the country to send off their beloved father figure. And, on top of that, this banquet hadn’t really deviated from its standard form in the past few years. So absolutely everyone knew how this was going to go.

Food, Slideshow, Speeches, Send-off.

This is how the banquet had gone since like 2004. Perhaps earlier, I don’t really know.

I was, as a result of my own arguing and everyone else’s poor judgement, solely in charge of The Slideshow. You know, 1/4 of the entire evening was entirely at my mercy.

Two weeks before the big event I put together my slideshow. I spend hours on the stupid thing. I comb the picture archives from each of the ‘Companies’ and make sure that absolutely everyone appears in the slideshow at least once. Then I go through all the old photo albums and scan in a bunch of pictures of Young Colonel and stuff. To really just nail it, you know?

If you can see where this is going, kudos, because I somehow missed all the signs.

One week before the event I submit my flash drive to First Sergeant to make sure that everything checks out. He gives me some corrections and sends it back. I make the corrections and save it all on the flash drive.

I save it all on the flash drive and only on the flash drive.

Yeah.

The flash drive, as is the way of things, dies. Can’t access the files. Can’t open the power-point, can’t do anything. I spend a solid day trying to unfuck this situation before I admit defeat and tell everyone what’s happened. At this point we’re two or so days out from the banquet and there simply isn’t enough time to make a new one. The slideshow is cut from the evening, and literally every single senior wants to hang me by my guts. Which was fair.

We come to the night of the event, it goes pretty smoothly. I think that maybe I can just slide by and no one will ask questions about the mysteriously absent slideshow.

Boy was I wrong.

In front of all the graduating seniors a few of the returning cadets (probably in their mid/late 20s) publicly praise me for having the clout and balls to cut the slideshow out of the formula. As they had never liked it and thought it was a massive drag on the evening.

I’m pretty sure I’m still living under some of the curses that the other seniors hurled at me over that.

That’s it. That’s the story.

No one chewed me out, no one came to afterward to tell me what a useless idiot I was. No one said anything.

Which was probably the worst part. My general incompetence had become such a common feature in the JROTC program that everyone who actually knew what happened was just. Totally unsurprised.

[northoftheroad]

All about Alfred

I’ve come to realize I’ve got some mixed feelings about Alfred. One one hand, I love reading (and writing) his dry snark as much as the next person. 

Nightwing vol 2 # 86. By Devin Grayson, art Patrick Zircher, Andy Owens and Sean Parsons.

Nightwing # 141. By Peter J. Tomasi, art Rags Morales and Michael Bair.

Throwing away an empty dish to make a point to Bruce. Priceless. I mean, who can not love this chap?

Batman/TMNT Adventures # 1. By Matthew Manning, art Jon Sommariva.

On the other hand, I think he gets far too much credit. Especially in fanfic. For one thing, it is not humanly possible for one person to take care of the Manor, the cave and everyone in it and, on top of that, bake cookies every day. (Anyone who has ever had an old house knows they are a lot of work, and the Manor and the cave are huge!)

More importantly, if Alfred had been an okay caretaker for Bruce, there wouldn’t be a Batman. 

Initially, of course, Alfred (then Beagle) came to the Wayne household after Dick. This was retconned after Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986). Since then, Alfred Pennyworth has raised Bruce after the murder of his parents. And clearly, failed at helping the boy to heal mentally. 

Dark Victory has a nice panel where it’s clear he feels he failed Bruce when he was a child, and that he want to do better with Dick.

Dark Victory. By Jeph Loeb, art Tim Sale.

It should also be noted that Alfred originally was nothing like the competent and sassy character we know today. He was more of a blundering, comical figure and when he managed to solve a crime, it was down to pure luck. 

To be fair, Alfred has, at times, questioned Bruce.

Nightwing vol 2 # 53. By Devin Grayson, art Rick Burchett and Rodney Ramos.

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet. By Bruce Canwell, art Lee Weeks.

But what Alfred mostly does is enabling Bruce, and his taking children into the war on crime. He can be passive-aggressive all he wants, as long as he tidies up the Manor and the cave and cooks and takes the kids to school, he is still making it possible for Bruce to spend his life as Batman – with sidekicks – fighting crime in tights.

Detective Comics # 523. By Gerry Conway, art Gene Colan and Tony DeZuniga.

Batman # 340. By Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, art Gene Colan and Adrian Gonzales.

Batman vol 3 # 58. By Tom King, art Mikel Janín. 

Once, Alfred actually had enough and left Bruce. Not because he kicked Dick out and told him to leave the key, not when he let younger teenager Jason become Robin shortly after he deemed the position too dangerous for Dick, not when Jason was killed, not when he fired Tim and made Stephanie a very temporary Robin, or any other time when Bruce has been an ass to one of his fellow humans.

No, the tipping point for Alfred is when Bruce does not take care of himself.

In Batman # 440, when Bruce is shattered after Jason’s death and is careless and gets hurt a lot, Alfred threatens to leave. ”I do not intend to spend the rest of my life playing nurse.”

Batman # 440. By Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, art Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo.

Now, we all know that Tim turns up and becomes Robin, and Batman needs a Robin, so things look up for a period. However, Alfred finally carries out his threat to leave during Knightfall. Once again, the reason is that he thinks Bruce is self-destructive. After Bane broke his back, Bruce and Alfred travel to the Caribbean and England to search for Jack Drake and Shondra Kinsolving, Bruce’s physical therapist and current love interest. Finally, while in England, Alfred has had it with Bruce’s refusal to rest and recuperate; he resigns.

Shadow of the Bat # 31. By Alan Grant, art Bret Blevins.

Incidentally, you didn’t think that Bruce actually would search out Alfred and have a heart-to-heart about this, did you? Didn’t think so. (In Dick’s words, Bruce has too much respect for Alfred even to try to find out where Alfred went. Not unlike how Bruce wants to respect Dick’s wishes to have nothing to do with the family after he was shot in the head, recently. Now, you can discuss if this is respect or emotional cowardice. But that is another story.)

Of course, it’s Dick who goes to London and talks to Alfred. Possibly Dick wants him back because he doesn’t want to be stuck cooking, washing, and taking care of the Manor again, as he did when he and Tim were Batman and Robin in Knightfall Prodigal…

Batman # 513. By Doug Moench, art Mike Gustovich and Romeo Tanghal.

Anyway, the Alfred and Dick duo averts an anti-European Union terrorist attack and a military coup in the United Kingdom. In the end, Alfred goes back to Gotham.

Nightwing: Alfred’s Return. By Alan Grant, art Dick Giordano.

Alfred also leaves Wayne Manor another time, this time on Bruce’s order, to live with Tim at his boarding school Brentwood Academy. He leaves Tim and returns to Gotham when Bruce is accused of murder in ”Bruce Wayne: Murderer”.

Robin # 98. By Chuck Dixon, art Pete Woods and Andrew Pepoy.

Now, I’m not saying that he didn’t have his priorities right, in this instance. But Bruce always comes first, second, third and fourth for Alfred. The Manor probably takes a measly fifth place.

This boils down to that Alfred is a flawed character. Which is good, right? It makes him more relatable and interesting. He can be cool and sassy and still have done a poor job of helping Bruce to heal after his parents’ murder, and he lets Bruce get away with far too much in his relationship with the family. I still have a lot of love for Alfred. I’m just a teeny bit annoyed when he is put on a pedestal. 

And damn it, Bruce. Get some more hired help to take care of Wayne Manor. At least hire a few gardeners and take in some cleaning staff. Alfred isn’t getting any younger, you know...

This blog post is dedicated to Lightsider, who has written some of my favourite Batman/Young Justice the tv version-fics (do give them a try, you’ll find them on fanfic.net and AO3). It was exchanging comments about one of them that I got the idea to write this.

[bran-writes]

11/11/11 Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @anomaly00

1. If you could have a conversation with any of your OCs, who would it be?

I think that’d definitely be Marco, from Atlas Jump. Funny thing is, Marco is actually based off a real 15 year old I’m friends with who’s enrolled in Harvard for Biology now! So obviously Marco from Atlas Jump was inspired by him and he we spend a lot of time talking about biology and science and cool ideas for his character. 

Which character do you struggle writing the most?

Niko Vast from Frontiersman- mostly because he’s existed in my head for so long but I didn’t really know him as much as I knew what he'd been through, so he kinda of comes off as a boring, blank slate character. I still need to work on how to make him unique and personable and interesting. He’s a work in progress. 

What’s your writing process?

Well, if I’m starting a new WIP I often have a brief outline and some inspiration images gathered in a folder already, then I kind start with the character profiles before getting to the nitty gritty. 

What are your thoughts on worldbuilding?

I love it! I do it all the time! Constantly! I will say that writers have to be careful and not let world-building stop them from actually writing the story, though. It’s too easy to find yourself explaining to someone, “Yeah I’ve got this huge fantasy/sci-fi novel I’m working on, but I can’t write it yet cause I’m still worldbuilding.” but then also find yourself saying that years down the road. It’s okay to do some world-building, but my rule of thumb I start with what you’re gonna need to tell your story and make it make sense, then branch out from there as you’re actually writing. 

What’s something interesting in your wip?

Frontiersman: Space pirates and space leviathans!

Farm Boy Blues: The fall of an American Private Gov’t leading to economic crisis only averted by help from Luna, because the moon is it’s own country!

Atlas Jump- Just general life on a space station? I guess? Also, haunted space station sector Halloween episode!

Plotter? Pantser? Plantser?

Plantser, definitely

If you put your OCs in any other genre, which would it be?

You don't know how many times I've wanted to put my 3 main Atlas Jump MCs in a horror story lol

What’s the significant meaning of one of your OCs name?

I’d say for Sunny from FBB, that’s not his actual name. It was a name given to him by a group of mercenaries he ran away to live with when he was eleven and he's never ever let go of it. He wants to be known as Sunny for the rest of his life. The fact that his actual records are sealed helps, so nobody outside a select few even know his real name anyways. But on his driver’s license and other forms of IDs, his name is Sunny Keaton. The mercs gave him that because, at the time, he was pretty laid back and optimistic for what he’d been through before he lived with them. 

How did you come up with the title for your wip?

Farm Boy Blues just came into my head, don’t remember why or how, but it was fitting so I kept it lol

Frontiersman was pretty simple, that’s what Niko is, it’s the life he lives, it’s the stories I’m telling about him. 

Atlas Jump came from the name of the station, and “jump” being a jazz music term(which inspired me while writing stuff for the world, it has a very jazzy, classy feel to it) as well as a term for how they arrived from Mars to the station, it’s called The Atlas Jump. 

Do you write regularly at a set time, or do you do writing sprints with days in between? 

I’d say sprints. I wish I wrote regularly at a set time, though

What was the inspiration for your wip?

Frontiersman was inspired by a childhood of watching Outlaw Star, Star Wars, etc. I love sci-fi and adventure and fantasy so, it’s those all rolled into one!

Farm Boy Blues was inspired by detective stories, a few movies here and there like Blade Runner and Payback: The Director’s Cut, the Cyberpunk table top game, all that. 

Atlas Jump was actually inspired by Fallout, of all things

So this was fun!

I tag @neirawrites @the-violet-writer @writerinafury @oneleggedflamingo @ink-flavored @lnspired-insomniac @carmina-solis @dcdarrells @starlitesymphony @izzuniiwrites @touchingmadness

My questions are

1. If you could meet any of your OCs, who would it be?

2. Which of your OCs is most likely to get in a fight during a night out(probably under the influence of liquid courage)

3. What’s your favorite thing about your writing?

4. What’s your favorite writing memory?

5. Do you have multiple WIPs? And if so, how do you manage writing them?

6. You’ve been invited to a wedding and it’s too late to back out! You want to bring a date to keep you company, which of your OCs are you bringing?

7. Do you have any regrets about writing? Things you wish you’d started by now or earlier? Old writings you wish you never trashed?

8. How long have you been writing? 

9. What’s your favorite genre to read?

10. Which WIP, if any would you have adapted to TV or Film?

11. Do you actually know how awesome you are?