#looking every bit the experienced veteran hero/adventurer?

[invinciblerodent]

i decided to play just a tiny bit of my Inquisitor-as-Tav game I had lined up, and I just.... god, i love this old man

he looks so tired, and kindly, and he's a good head taller than everyone

Lae'zel is so damn tiny next to him, I think he needs to pat her head very sweetly (and then succeed a DC18 dex save to avoid getting his fingers bitten off) (it'll be worth it though, maybe it'll calm her down)

[bluemooncove]

It was the morning after their trials at the square. A small number, less than a dozen, of those who participated had received an invitation to one of the upper rooms of Blue Moon Cove. The bar where Sassafras and Spruce had first met with Pugilist. Given so few had been called upon, it seemed obvious that they were the ones to be accepted as apprentices. Still, there was a small aura of unease hanging in the air.

Spruce, Sassafras, and Seeker had mingled for a short time with their fellow hopefuls but soon found themselves pulled aside by Secretary. They had actually not been quite sure if she was a member of the guild when they did their paperwork. Her presence here seemed to indicate that they were.

"Here you three are! I'd been looking for you. We're having one small paperwork issue. You see, alongside your names you were meant to write down a provisional guild name. It's just that Sassafras and Spruce, the two of you seemed to have forgotten ... and Seeker you just wrote your name twice."

"Hmmmm? But I do seek things. So my guild name can be Seeker."

"Yeah, I didn't put something down intentionally. I was trying to avoid it while my abilities were being kept hidden. After our match, Phantom came and gave me an idea though. Duskwitch, helps to conceal the fact that I'm not using magic."

"Oh I uhhh ... I never came up with one. I thought I'd just be given it."

"You've been dreaming of this your whole life and you never thought of what they were going to call you? You were captain of your village guards, weren't you? How about Guardian."

"I'm not really much of a protector. ... How about ... How about Sentinel?"

"Ah, great, thank you all for sorting that out. A bit strange on Seeker's part but I suppose there's no rule against it. I'll get this to Meister Quartermaster now."

Secretary slipped across the room, handing a sheet of paper to Armor Knight. Armor Knight read it over, handed it back, then stepped to the room's center. Those hopefuls that had taken seats suddenly stood at attention.

"Thank you all for being here. I am proud to say that you have all been chosen for surpassing the expectations of the eight guild members that oversaw yesterday's events. Much of our membership is chosen from the crop of experienced veteran adventurers, however, every half a year a small number of hopefuls that show great potential are chosen to be apprentices of our guild. We take it upon ourselves to shape these blossoming heroes of the future into the best form that they can be.

Adventuring and heroism is a funny thing. In my many years I've come to understand that almost everyone thinks they're in the right. A hero and a villain are sides of the shame coin, but we do our best to uphold the virtues that our guild defines as right. There are undeniably esteemed heroes among our ranks and, as apprentices, you will gain the opportunity to become heroes of a new era.

It is with pride that I formally accept the following as apprentices into our guild:

Bokor

Duskwitch

Geoturge

Falconer

Pathfinder

Seeker

Sentinel

And Winter Witch."

Hearing these words the tension that hung over the room evaporated in an instant. It was replaced with a mixture of clapping and cheering from the new apprentices and the judges that attended the ceremony. As it started to die down, Armor Knight spoke again.

"Come, we can show you to the guild hall later. For now, lets do what adventurers do best and celebrate!"

「Seeker has joined the party」

「Duskwitch has joined the party」

「Sentinel has joined the party」

[fandoms-uniteds-blog]

My Top 10 Favorite Cartoons!

Number 10 Octonauts

What attracted me to this show when I was ten was the lessons on animals since most shows for little kids are about shapes, numbers, letter, and other boring stuff. But not the Octonauts! They talk about two of my favorite things: science and animals. And sea creatures no less. When was the last time you’ve seen a show meant for young children that educated them on the ocean and everything in it? Maybe that one show on PBS with the Cat in the Hat? But I like Octonauts better. Just look at those designs. Absolutely adorable!

It’s simple, it’s cute, and it’s surprisingly interesting sometimes.

I used to be super embarrassed for watching a show meant for toddlers since I’m in my twenties, but then I found out that their are grown adults that enjoy wholesome shows too, like Paw Patrol and PJ Masks! It was a nice relief to know that I wasn’t the only one.

Number 9 Wander over Yonder

This has got to be the sweetest show to every be put on Television. Most main characters have to be strong and cool and have an internal struggle to be impressing, but Wander doesn’t. He’s the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls!

All he does is travel the universe with his bestie Sylvia (in a bubble!) and goes sightseeing. And if he happens to help people along the way, even better!

What gets me about this show is that Wonder’s optimistic and naivety doesn’t always lead to everything being hunky dory. Sometimes being nice gets him in trouble or makes even the simplest tasks harder than necessary. Heck, if Sylvia wasn’t there to have his back, his kindness would be a lot easier to take advantage of.

And I love that because it’s true that sometime being nice doesn’t feel as accomplishing as is should and can even backfire on us. But even though Wander’s experienced betrayal and hardships in his life, he still has enough hope in his heart to keep helping people.

Number 8 LEGO Ninjago

I remember when this show came out all those years ago. Back when TV’s were these big, chunky machines and you had to prop them up on tables instead of mounting them on walls.

This show is full of so much creativity and lore. From the elemental powers, to Ninjago City’s history, to the characters, and even the ideas that were dropped, it’s no wonder why the show’s still going. It’s great watching Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane make friends, battle enemies, learn life lessons, discover secrets about themselves, and go on the craziest adventures.

I ended up being too busy because of middle school after season 3 ended and missed out of the rest of it up until Sea Bound was announced. Thanks to the birthday specials LEGO did for Ninjago’s anniversary, I learned that the show was still running and on Netflix. So me and my sister binge watched the series from the start and we fell right back in love with it.

Number 7 Transformers Animated

Out of all the Transformers series, this one is my personal favorite. Yes the other shows are pretty good too, but this one is different from all the other shows, comics, games, and movies. And I like different!

Optimus Prime has been depicted as a lot of things. A war hero that keeps his men’s spirits up with good humor and cheesy quips (G1). A powerful warrior who has become jaded after a millennia of war (Bay). A stoic leader and friend who won’t give up hope for a better future (Prime). But TFA Optimus isn’t any of that. If anything, he’s a little bit of everything but still his own thing.

And Optimus’s not the only one who’s different. Prowl is a nature loving ninja, Ratchet is a grouchy war veteran who cares about his team, Bulkhead is full of knowledge and creativity, and Bumblebee is the kid of the group with a lot to learn. The Decepticons are just as entertaining too with their own unique abilities and personalities.

All in all, there isn’t any other version of Transformers like this one and I wish more long time franchises would try something new from time to time.

Number 6 LEGO Monkie Kid

Based on one of the four classic Chinese literatures, Monkie Kid is a wonderful adaptation of a four hundred year old book that’s had a crap ton of movies, shows, and even an upcoming video game inspired by it.

I’m very picky about shows and movies based on history, mythology, or folklore. I like it when it’s accurate, but understand when things have to be changed around. It’s why I’m not the biggest Disney’s Hercules fan since they got the mythology completely and utterly wrong.

But Monkie Kid is freaking amazing. The amination is so colorful and lively and exhilarating! MK, the Monkey King, and all of their friends are so much fun to watch and I love all of them. The story is wild and mystical, which is fitting since Chinese folklore makes little to no sense but is still entertaining as heck. Don’t believe me? Read the original Journey to the West novels and just try to make logical sense out of it. Like why the dragon stays a horse for 95% of the book when he can be a huge fire breathing dragon!

I used to bug my little sister to watch this show with me all the time. And her being the little sh*t that she is always said “no” just because she has this weird habit of turning me down. But I was finally able to tie her down and force her to watch the first season! And guess what? She liked it! All this talk about NoT bEiNg InTeReStEd and now she’s getting ready to go cosplay as MK for a convention!

Number 5 Gargoyles

This has got to be Disney’s coolest show of all time. Disney usually sticks with cutey family friendly stuff like Duck Tales and Goof Troop, but they decided to take a risk and try to gain an older audience with Gargoyles. And they succeeded!

The show’s based on some of Shakespeare's books and has a good mix of fantasy and sci-fi. Especially when it takes places in 90′s New York. It also teaches a lot of mature life lessons like the importance of taking responsibility for your actions, the dangers of being stubborn and in denial, prejudice, gun safety, death, and so much more.

The characters are all lovable tropes of the 90′s, including the smart one (Lexington), the big eater (Broadway), the guy who wants to look cool but is actually a dork (Brooklyn), the dog (Bronx), the wise mentor (Hutson), the badass leader (goliath), and the girl of the group (Elisa). But their personalities and arcs are expanded on after the first few episodes. And the people they met also get a chance to shine in their own way and I appreciate that.

I’d recommend this to anyone who’s into Shakespeare or anyone who needs something to push their interest towards those kinds of stories.

Number 4 Arcane

I’m not a gamer, so I have little to no information on League of Legends. I don’t know the characters, the landscapes, the items, the history, or the lore of this world. But you don’t need to be a LoL fan to watch Arcane.

The animation? Gorgeous. The music? Amazing. The action? Thrilling! The characters? Complex. The voice acting? Impressive. And the story in general? Captivating.

I like how this show demonstrates how everyone’s actions have consequences and that there’s more to people than meets the eyes. Humans (and whatever other creatures exist in this world) are complex being and the choices we make don’t just affect our own life, but the lives of others too. Seeing the domino effect of everyone’s actions is as entertaining as it is nerve wracking since no one knows what the end results will be until it’s too late.

Another thing I love about this show is that it’s a Netflix original so it’s translated in Spanish. I was able to watch Arcane with my parents and they loved it. It was so much fun watching their reactions to the action, the conflict, and the sisters’ relationship because the two of them are very vocal and expressive. When the season one finale ended with that jaw dropper of a cliffhanger, they were both waiting for me to put on the next episode. They were devastated when I told them that that was it and had to wait for season two.

Number 3 Final Space

Like most animated series nowadays, Final Space is a mix of goofy, angsty, and lore heavy. But then, as the series progresses, the angst is doubled, if not tripled, and the side characters are given a chance to be fleshed out.

Everyone in the show has a story to tell. Gary, Mooncake, Avocato, Little Cato, Quinn, HUE, and everyone else have a past that ends with them being brought together to help each other reach their goals. Each with their own strength, weaknesses, and arcs to go through that make us love or hate them.

The first season is easily a fun space adventure with a few mysterious for us to look forward to and heart felt moments that have us sobbing. Then season two ups the stakes with the universe needing saving and more trauma for the characters to endure. And then there’s season three, which hits us in the feels in every episode and leaves us with an ending like no other.

If you're going to watch this show, then I’d advise you to prepare yourself emotionally.

Number 2 Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

If you haven’t guessed one of my guilty pleasures from my favorite Transformers shows, I like it when the usual formula is shaken up a bit.

The TMNT franchise has had dozens of shows, movies, comics, and video games dedicated to these guys. All of them about four mutant turtles in their teens being raised as ninjas by their rat father and using their skills to fight all kinds of evil lurking in New York City.

But Rise turns the sci-fi into fantasy and use that to give us something brand new. Not just rebooted, but reimagined! Each turtle is a different species, they have their own unique powers, they have different personalities from their previous incarnations, and the adventures they go on feel a lot more fun and sometimes grander than before.

And it’s not just the TMNT part that I love. The animation is jaw dropping. The voice acting is very fitting. The humor leaves me laughing every time. The action scenes are so fast and creative. The characters are likable and memorable. And the brotherly relationship of Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey are put front and center for us to gush over.

I know some people have a thing about changes, but if you give this show a chance, I swear you’ll love it.

Number 1 Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

I have never related to a fictional character before, much less three, yet here they are in the form of a grumpy cat with big dreams, a cybernetic badger with a big imagination, and a chaotic bat with a big heart.

And if you’ve watched even one episode of the show and know what I mean when I say that I relate to them, then yes, you should be very concern for my mental health.

This show is truly a treasure. It has everything I love in a cartoon and more. It has fluff, angst, mystery, comedy, friendship, bromance, humor, hurt/comfort, sci-fi, fantasy, anthro animals, and the classic found family trope all rolled into one! What else is there to say other than this show is nothing less than amazing. The characters are charming, the world is interesting, the adventures are entertaining, the visual humor is hilarious, and the main trio have their own tragic backstories that make them easy to sympathize with.

Funny story: me and my little sister were watching it together and she started laughing her butt off when Badgerclops was complaining to Mao Mao and Adorabat about having too many chores. I was glad she was enjoying herself until it got to the part where Badgerclops was says something along the lines of “It’s always Badgerclops, fix the arocycle. Badgerclops, go get groceries. It’s overwhelming dude!” Then my b*tch of a sister turns to me with a sh*t eating grin and goes “Rose, do the dishes. Rose, clean the bathroom,” and laughed in my face!

It’s not my fault I live with a bunch of gluttons who can’t put their dirty dishes in the kitchen or wipe the bathroom sink after they splash water everywhere!

...

Wait a minute, why do a lot of of my favorite shows end in tragedy?! And I don’t mean the final episode or whatever, I mean the program as a whole! Final Space was canceled after giving us a depressing season three finale, Gargoyles had a terrible season three because Disney switched their writers with people who knew nothing about the show and had to wing it, Transformers Animated was cancelled when a season four was planned, ROTTMNT was “put on hold” for years until the movie came out with hopes of bringing it back, Wander over Yonder was going to have a season three with an ever bigger baddy but was shot down, and Mao Mao was promised a season two until a certain company that will burn in hell took that away from us!

Hopefully Ninjago, Arcane, Octonauts, and Monkie Kid aren’t hit with the same bad luck.

Just how many more amazing shows were screwed over and why are they always the ones I love?!

[ordonianhero]

Dawn of a new Adventure

A Linked Universe fan fiction. No real warnings needed other then a bit of language. its 2,408 words. Angst/fluff. Little bit of everyone involved. 

Synopsis: The weather get really bad and they just need to find shelter. However the more they journey the worst their moral and mood get. Things get testy. will they find shelter?

Authors note: this came about with our own stormy winter weather blasting through where I live. I hope you enjoy. feel free to create art from any of this or any of my other writings. I would love to see what stuck out to all you creators out there. I love the whole family platonic like bond like thing...so for the life of me don’t go turning this in to LINKCEST or anything NSFW.  The Creator Jojo has requested so and I am with them on that. thank you. Now enjoy. 

*******************************************************************

Wind: dang we missed the before the story stuff.

Hyrule: well someone had to take their time.

War: excuse me?! I can’t just go walking out in plublic in nothing but lounge wear.

Legend: SHHHHH shut up you three. the story is about the begin.

-silence-

loud popcorn crunching comes in the direction of Wild. Everyone angrily looks at him. Twilight take the bowl away.

story begins- loud sounds of Hyrule entertainment played by kudzus, by fairies. Time having to swat them away. “Enough!”

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "It's raining sideways!" grumbled the Veteran. The rain blasting at them all as they trudged through a storm. The hair dripping and sticking to their faces. "Surprised its you who is complaining and not our Captain." The smith stated, his hood over his head. The heroes all had experienced unwelcoming weather. However it never makes for an easy journey. The leader of the group was equally not in a pleasant mood with such weather. The cold temperature and soaked clothing seeped into his sore joints from old injuries. He kept his mood to himself, however I knew they best find some sort of shelter. Cloaks did nothing to protect them with the wind blowing harshly, and Rain blinding them with every step they took. Their boots muddy and soggy. If they didn't find shelter soon, they were bound to catch a cold from it.

 They all halted under some Trees for some cover after some time. The rancher blew into his hands attempting warm part of himself up. The wind picked up again, the Trees creaked and moaned. The rain pounding ever hard. This was some storm that had happened. It being winter, that'd be expected. The leader of their group rubbed his sore joints. "So do any of you know which Hyrule we are in?" asked the captain, attempting to ring out his royal blue scarf. Pointless really. They all looked at each other. None of them knew. The young sailor seem to cling to Sky, as he shivered. "only if we had a map or something to show us a place for shelter." The smith stated shaking out his boot. Wild has been quiet, he had done on his warm doublet and his hood, however now even those were failing him.  The rancher shook out, rain water getting ever, a useless thing to do. however it helped him at least be able to see things better. The water droplets had started to form on his eye lashes. "I am sure if we keep moving we will find something." He then suggested. Standing around getting more soaked wasn't going to fix their situation. They all nodded. "so would you like to take the lead then?" suggest the Leader. Rancher looked over at them and then over the rest. "I can take over." He replies, adjusting his sword and pelt. The leader came over and placed his hand on his shoulder. The rancher could tell the Old man was hurting bad. The rain was starting to slow down enough. "Okay, let's get going then." he states as he turned to lead them down the path more. He wasn't very comfortable taking lead. The captain stuck closer to the old leader then, while the wild one and traveler joined the rancher in the front. ********  They had wonder for hours it seemed, as the rancher lead them through the dense woods. It only provide them with some protection from the raging storm going on. The mood in the group had started to get very unpleasant. Some grumbled under their breaths, some whined, and some just stayed quiet. Their mind filled with images how much a warm bath would be nice or a warm fire, with a warm drink. A bed for comfort. It's amazing how weather can make one romanticize little things other's take for granted. Even Wild, who enjoyed the outdoors was thinking about the comfort of a good shelter. His Hyrule always being unpredictable with the weather. The rancher even was thinking how much he would give anything to have a bowl of warm soup. That also reminded him of the time he visited the yetis. Dunking warm baked bread in to a bowl of soup. All their minds were swimming with wishes and images of comforts. So much so that they were all so lost in thought. As the rain once more came down hard. Big, hard, Fat rain drops. "Okay, Could Hylia please let up on us for once." Grumbled the Veteran and in a what would of been comical moment, they all seem to slip and fall like dominoes in the mud. The young sailor sat up and slammed his fists into the puddle he fell in and sob, "I can't do this. This is fucking miserable. I would take being flung out of a canon then this." Sky came over and helped the young sailor up and held him. The captain helped the Older leader up. "probably best we find a cave or something." he tried gently suggesting. "too bad the wild child's stupid slate cant bother work or we wouldn't be this stuck." the veteran angrily says trying to get some of the mud off his tunic.  

 Wild looked down, his wet hair covering his face. Rancher turned and snapped, "Hey, that aint his fault. We're all in this. Sorry we don't have some 'magical' tool that will just go 'hey, there's a good shelter over there!' " his finger pointing out in some random spot. He bore a face which the veteran has never seen. the rancher rarely snaps and is often more comforting or stern. However never snippy or angry. If he was, he never let it on or turn on other. The veteran now felt guilty for lashing out. The rancher was often protective for sure. he knew he picked the wrong person to go after. "Okay let all take it easy." said the Older leader, rubbing his side he fell on. "Getting snappy won't get us anywhere. we got to just got to keep a look out."  They all stood quiet for a bit, the young sailor was still buried into sky, softly sobbing and shivering.

 The rancher turned and closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. His breath could be seen in the cold that was creeping in more. He placed his hand on the back of wild and rubbed it gently before moving forward. The other's then followed in step. It was only when they walked a few more miles, they all saw in the distance, illuminated by light among the dark woods. "A CABIN!"  Squealed the Traveler. "wonder if anyone live there?" questioned sky as they all made their way towards it. "who'd want to live way out in the middle of nowhere in thick forest?" stated the Captain. The older leader stayed quiet. "some just do." replied the rancher. The veteran snored, "right." As they approached there was a sign that sated, "Traveling camp cabin."

 "oh! it like the cabin's I came across in my hyrule. It's a place for travelers of all sorts to take shelter in." wild explain. "Is that so?" said the smith. "Yeah. see- they have a place where you can even house your horses." they all looked. "well that mighty nice." the rancher said with a smile. They opened the cabin door. The room was semi large. a single bed, a old wooden table where a leather book laid open. A fire place with cooking pot and kettle hung. Wood off to the side of it. It looked unvisited for some time. the room floors creaked and the building smelt of smoke from previous visitors. A few spiders had made their home there in the odd corner of the building. Rancher tended to making sure Epona was set up in the side horse stall with fresh water and food. Dry bedding and a warm blanket over her back. After he dried her off. He then brought in everyone's packs. Wild had gotten a fire started.

 The group respectfully left their muddy boots by the door. Then they each shed their soaked clothing and put on dry ones. Placing the soaked ones to hang on a well placed wire. One of them brought in some water from the nearby stream, placing some off for cooking and the rest was to wash the mud and grime. it wasn't a warm bath, but it would do in the mean time. They had all agreed the Older leader could take the bed. The rest placed their bedding off to the side for when they would go to sleep. Wild made work on making some hearty soup and Traveler went about making tea. They stayed quiet for some time. some took to doing a bit of work on their items. Such as patching up hole in their clothing, placing new chainmail links and removing damaged ones. Traveler came around handing them a nice herbal tea. To sip on while food was still being work on. The Moment the warm liquid touched their lips, there a unison sigh from everyone. The tea hit the spot in helping in warming their cold bodies up and the warm fire heating up the space.

 The smell of the food wild was preparing was also welcomed. Just a simple soup of creamy meat soup. which consisted of whatever meat wild had on hand, milk, herbs and vegetables. There was a little rack above it for warming bread, which he did. The Rancher had his blanket over his head as he stared down at his chainmail and made work with getting all the broken rings off and putting in new one. The young sailor looked over his shoulder and watched in awe. The Veteran also doing so. The Captain, Old leader and Smith worked on their weapons. Sky stuck with Traveler and Wild, helping where he could. When the rancher spotted the little Sailor watching him, he motioned them to sit beside him. He asked if they wanted to learn how to work on chainmail. The sailor nodded. There was a soft chuckle that came from the Veteran. Rancher paid no attention be then gently started teaching the young one the trick. then hand his chainmail over to them. The nervously looked up at the rancher, who placed a hand on their shoulder. The sailor then fidgeted be felt unsuccessful, so the rancher shifted his sitting spot and placed his hand over the sailors and helped them till they finally were able to do it on their own. in which the rancher praised them. The room filled with warm laughter when the sailor enthusiastically whooped that he did it. The fact they were out of the rain, warm shelter, and food on the way improved everyone's moral.

  Once food was ready, they each got a bowl with some honey wheat bread. "MMM. I am so going to food coma after this." Moaned the Veteran. "Oh please do. Think we had enough salt for the day." the Captain joked, with a mouth semi full of soup and bread. "Zing. One point for Captain. what you going to do about it Vet?" laughed Rancher. with a dead pan look at Captain and replied. "Throw salt at them."

"Oi, no thro-" The Old leader was about to say.

 The Veteran placed his bowl of food down and leaped across to tackle the Captain, who had to quickly put his own food down before he was toppled over. "OOF." Everyone in the room chuckled. "Ah now I get it." said Sky, softly chuckling. "wait- were you like the old man and thought he was going to literally toss salt?" questioned Traveler. "well you never know in this group. Sometimes it takes a bit to realize things- like the Old man's horrible dad joke." chuckled the Smith. The room erupted in laughter. "I think my jokes are rather dadtastic." the old leader said with a gently laugh. "okay, say that when you're around your wife next time." The Vet teases as he was getting off the caption and returning to his own food. There was another roar of laughter from the group. Once after several helpings of soup and all of them had finished their food, a few helped with clean up.

 Bed rolls were laid out ready for sleep. The old leader took to reading a few letter his wife sent. The more younger members took to watch as Captain was once again losing to Rancher in a game of poker. "I for the life of me have no idea how you do it." captain said smiling back at the Rancher. There was a smirk on the rancher's face as he shuffled the deck. "He just that good. You maybe a strategist in this group, but he is the one to read through you bullshit talk and look." Sky chuckled. "Oh is that so, country? predicting my moves are you?" the Captain smirked with a flashy smile. The Rancher didn't reply but handed out the cards again. Then he just smirked once more up at the Captain. The played at least one last round. Which resulted in the Captain fling his cards at Rancher and everyone chuckling.

 Wild made some warm honey and cinnamon milk to help the younger ones to fall asleep easily. Which they drank and fell in to warm milk drunk sleep stage. Everyone else crawled into their bed roll and laid down to sleep. a few snuggled up with certain members. The rancher was last one up. He tossed in two more logs to keep the fire going a bit more before heading to his bed roll. He then caught the eye of the Older leader, who quietly motioned him over. He quietly made his way over. The old leader shifted and motioned for him to sleep beside him. Rancher joined him and curled up in their arms. Soon falling asleep in their arms. "I am so proud of you." whispered the old leader as looked over his blood. Then softly fell asleep himself. The only sound left, was the sound of the heavy rain falling, soft breathing of nine sleeping heroes and the crackling of the fire. Safe and Sound, snug and warm, and forgotten memory how the day first was. *****  When they woke, the warm sun streamed through the window. The fire was out, but the ambers still smoldering, and could be seen dancing in the light. The resident birds chirped. Only a few still not woke. Not shockingly sky being one, but the Old leader and Rancher. Who were known to be early birds in the group. by habit. The Captain suggested to let them sleep in a little more, while getting sky to wake, but grudgingly not ready to get up. Wild set to work making some breakfast. Veteran and Wind went about feeding Epona and giving her some attention. The Traveler Stretched and lout a yawn. "A Dawn of a new day. New adventure awaits us." -Fin.

[guildofempyreans]

I feel like talking about something kinda-sorta more casual again,,, last time I talked about certain character’s name origins... This time I wanna talk about... hmm....

Concept Design/Portrait/Character Story Choices I Made Before I Finalized Them!! Yea!!!

Because a lot of characters appearances look very different than how they are now. And even some characters acted differently, or some “concept” characters who no longer exist had a similar role to these “finalized” characters! And a lot of characters had aspects of themselves & their reasons for being in Maginia changed... 

It’s all very fun to reminisce about, for me 😅.

Anyway, again, stuff under rm because this one is Long. Let’s start with...

1) Zandiel

Uh... His primary design never looked any different NHGNKG... This entire fic partially started because of a sort of domino effect that started with “wow I’ve never made Hero M1 in EOX before! Maybe I should! Surely this will not come back to alter my life in any form :) ...Anyway I want this dude to have bright green hair, brown eyes, dark skin, Voice 8 or 15, and... name? Hmmm, Ain? Maybe? Zandiel...?”

Soooo... yeah. His design/personality was the same through the earliest concepts to right now. Of course, as he started to become “the protag of an EOX fic I wanna write” I had to start thinking of his actual story & abilities!

2) Siegril

His portrait/personality was the same throughout. Also I can’t remember exactly what he did before I decided “he’s an assassin who was sent to kill Zandy”, but now that I think about it, I think he was always that. 

Zandiel & Siegril gave me the least amount of trouble. Absolute kings.

Anyway, Siegirl has had some slight cosmetic changes that actually started happening AFTER I started the fic. Like, his hair became poofier (in drawings), he has big yellow bubble accessories that hold the front part of his hair together instead of those tiny gold cylinder accessories, and his ears are shorter/slightly rounder than Celestrian’s ears.

He never did have those Warlock arm-tubes, though. And boy howdy do I have a reason fo--

3) Ylva

Alright, now here’s where we start REALLY getting into changes.

Originally, the character who fulfilled the role of “Wing’s owner & an experienced explorer, also a guide of sorts” was actually going to be Dragoon 2 (Eyepatch Dragoon), and her name wasn’t Ylva (I forgot her name,,,). She was practically a different character.

She and Wing were going to be a pair of “veteran explorers” who viewed things much more seriously. You actually wouldn’t have met them until the Lush Woodlands, where they would be helping beginner adventurers through that labyrinth.

And then at another point in OtL’s concept phase, Ylva was originally going to have the appearance of Therian F! At this point, her name actually did become Ylva, and you would meet her & Wing the same way you do in the finalized version! 

Though, at this time, the tavern Zan & Sieg met them at WAS actually going to be... K... Kv-- bro I can’t even say it. Anyway, stan Ethis.

Alright, back to Ylva, I eventually ended up changing her design to this one, and things were pretty much set from there! Earthlain F babey,,,

4) Tenmaar

At first... Tenmaar was simple enough. At first, his overall role was going to be fulfilled by a dude named “Neo”, and Neo had the appearance of Masurao M2. He also acted much more chipper, but in a mischief-causing way. I guess if you wanted to compare Neo to any of the final characters, he was like a mix of finalized Luxes/Alverion/Kor?

Anyway, this guy still used a Drive Blade, and you still had your first “real” meeting with him in the Eastern Shrine. The scene played out slightly differently, where “Neo” was actually in the middle of fighting the Blossombeast itself, and he ends up joining the Empyrean guild after that (Siegril was still wary of Neo, similarly to the way he is with Tenmaar. However, for Neo, it was more because of the way he acted as opposed to Tenmaar’s whole “mana” deal).

Eventually, for one reason or another (I’m pretty sure it’s because I decided on Luxes being a character) I decided I wanted to change this “Neo” lad’s personality. And I wanted an appearance change along with it.

AND THIS IS WHERE IT ALL WENT TO SHIT FOR A BIT.

TENMAAR (whose name probably wasn’t even finalized yet) ENDED UP BECOMING THE MOST DIFFICULT CHARACTER TO DECIDE ON A DESIGN AND PESONALITY FOR.

We had Fencer 1, Dark Hunter 1, Highlander M, Shogun 1 (yes, Leonidas’ final design), Ninja 1, Landsknecht 1, Masurao 1 of course, and... probably more that I considered momentarily, but these were the primary ones I was juggling between for 3000 years. We had all kinds of personality ideas, too.

In the end, I was starting to lean towards Fencer or Dark Hunter, but felt that he and Siegril would have felt a bit too similar to me if he was the Dark Hunter. I can’t fully explain it, but I just didn’t like it, and there was no way I was changing Sieg’s design for Tenmaar’s sake. So I ended up with Masu 1... an astounding conclusion to the worst design-choosing tale in this story: going from Masurao to Masurao Again.

And in Fencer’s case, his design just didn’t feel right for Tenmaar.

Aaand yep I’m very happy with Masu 1 Tenmaar. Damn ya tits fat, what’s ya pronouns

5) Biscotti

My guy was gonna look like Buccaneer 1 for a bit, actually.

Yeah he was still gonna be dressed like a medic, as Biscotti was always intended to be a medic, but he was originally gonna be,.... Pretty Different. In looks and in personality. Much less chill & joke-y. In the end, I much preferred the idea of Biscotti acting the way he does now, so I dropped the old personality. Soon, I changed the looks, too.

Also, for a while, Biscotti was originally going to be a part of the Seafarers’ crew, which meant that you literally wouldn’t have met him until WHEN THE SEAFARERS PULL UP--

When I got to the point where I decided that Biscotti would run a hospital in Maginia (design & personality change already done by this point), he was originally going to have a husband who worked as an apothecary (sidenote: Kor & Ruki didn’t exist at this point. Sure there’s nothing wrong with 3 apothecaries but I’ll just put that out there because why not--).

You may be wondering why I keep saying Biscotti and not including Flynn, well that’s because:

6) Flynn & Sheria

While Flynn’s design stayed the same the entire time, his role was much different. He was originally not “Biscotti’s little brother who works as the Leader of the Redray Rescue Division” (there was a brief moment where I decided they straight up weren’t even related) but instead...

“Sheria’s retainer who traveled around dungeons with her as a duo and was Biscotti’s long-lost brother, though he had no recollection of Biscotti” 

Yeah... Flynn’s role and story sure has changed a lot. He & Sheria were originally going to be a duo that you’d meet every once in a while in towns or labyrinths, where they’d both be strolling around & having a grand ol’ fun time every time you saw them. 

The Empyreans would always wonder if the two were gonna be alright, and just HOW they’ve been able to make it this far. Not just because it’s only two of them, but because of how frivolous they seemed to be inside of the labyrinths.

Still, the two would help the Empyreans whenever they crossed paths, and would eventually both join the guild!

7) Kaida

Kaida was originally going to have the appearance of Protector 2 (pigtails protector), and you would have met her-- unconscious-- in the Small Orchard where her friend (this character ended up being dropped, but her name was Perrine) would ask the Empyreans for help because of a monster (Owlbeast) that attacked Kaida.

I can’t say much about what Kaida “was and was not going to be like in terms of aspirations and stuff” because, at this point of ET: OtL, I haven’t given much info about her in the actual story. So, you know, wouldn’t want to spoil or anything.

Just know that she was originally going to act more gung-ho, and her friend was the more sensible one who’d try and stop her from being reckless. Kaida & Perrine would then be like Sheria & Flynn: a duo that the Empyreans occasionally see in town/dungeons and eventually end up recruiting.

==

Alright, that’s that for now. My arms hurt... Though one more thing: 

Originally, EVERYONE was meant to join the Empyrean guild. See how Biscotti didn’t own a hospital and Sheria wasn’t leading her own guild. Yep, they were all originally intended to be full-time Empyreans. Eventually it kinda hit me that “Hey, not everything here has to be centered around the Empyrean Guild. Oh, and not everyone HAS to join them, either.” so... yep there’s that!

This was a lotta fun to write & reminisce about, like I said earlier ghkgn... 

And if you’d wanna see any more posts about “concept character designs/story” or have any questions about a character in general, lemme know 👀👀

[maneaterwithtail]

Episode Appreciation- Duck of Always

Really when you get right down to it there's a lot of positives about this episode and it also shows the series stepping up its game and promising what I think is its best qualities.

I've said before that I think fangbone being an episodic series that focuses on just being really good at action adventure means that it doesn't hit the highs of some of the animation nerd Darlings such as Adventure Time, Steven Universe, or Gravity Falls or what have you. But it also avoids a lot of their pitfalls in particular where there's this sense of nothing happening with character or normie Focus episodes. Basically this happens because you need to be able to put out General episodes were the characters just play off of each other and setting. But if you have radical changes then we want to see those changes even if that runs the risk of undermining the initial setup of the series

well the collective internet criticisms circle were scarred forever due to some long-term hiatuses such as I think it's called the three years summer I Harry Potter fandom and then there was the ridiculous filler Arc that happened in Naruto.[can skip next paragraph]

*When you get to Naruto it's not so much that the series is bad so much as it was such a radical departure for anime consumption as a whole. This was the rise of digital fansubs so we were getting the equivalent of one episode a week when before we were getting maybe two or three episodes every two months and having to pay nearly $50 for them. Add and what we thought we wanted for actual translation and it was an enormous departure. Especially because instead of getting a series completed we were following it along with no real understanding of what went on behind it. It really did change the overall perspective and how we experienced it. So when we hit the enormous filler Arc after sasuke defects... especially considering all that happened before there's a real sense of failure and disappointment for the enjoyment that the audience could get. We work constantly getting more on a developing and expanding world we were sort of stuck on a treadmill period and not a very fun one either*

Really when you get right down to it a lot of it is the sudden change from expectation. And just remember these were high-end professional Productions that had lots of money behind them with teams of people. And they built up a ridiculous amount of bad will just for not even being absent in Naruto's case but the sudden quality shift or overall flow of progression changing.

this is very important for the up-and-coming or amateur Tumblr artist. I completely understand that real life gets in the way but just a reminder in real life if your product isn't regularly available you will lose customer loyalty and just simple attention.

people will forget about you. Sometimes this is necessary many musical artists choose to take a step back behind the scenes or not pop out big billboard topping sort of work so that they can just sort of focus on the craft or just do something else.

And then they pop up again

All this rambling is leading to a point.

Here's the thing when lapis lazuli gets out of the mirror in Steven universe that hints at a large and enormous change that unfortunately the show often feels the need to walk back or not actually follow through on. Which is so frustrating. we just learned that there are now aliens and life forms in space and that there are captured gems that can eat up entire oceans and or heroes are behind and involved in it?. And now we want to go back to who's going to get the next slushy?

After those highs going back to regular can feel really out of place. To be fair this is kind of the point of the series how the day-to-day General Life and how the magical meets the mundane and the ideal perfect has to deal with regular reality and how they relate to each other has been something that Rebecca sugar has pointed out from the beginning. Hence why super goddess rose quartz Falls for what could look no more Mortal and disappointing Then Greg universe.

However that still doesn't mean that it's not a really difficult thing to deal with when effectively the results and consequences of these big events are constantly kicked down the line or ignored so that that way we can keep focusing on what feels like a completely divorced normal. I mean after jailbreak there is no reason why everything should be the same again next episode

I mean these people just experienced the equivalent of Hurricane Katrina tearing down their town in the form of an alien invasion. But don't worry the only person who cares is obviously a self-obsessed nerd so the problem is him

Getting this to actually Fangbone the series The Duck of always represents one of those changes, first two part episode, but it's not that radical one even if there's a lot of new and big stuff thrown in. First we establish the city of minkwater then we established the secret society of the Shadowsteppers then we have to establish Sid herself as well as her Mission and relationship to one-eye.

In fact what's interesting is that arguably the biggest changes are the stuff that's on the margins. When you get right down to it the duck of always it's just another new monster of the week. one that's giving a lot more character and they definitely take advantage of both the humor and strategic potential of an immortal waterfowl. But for the most part we spend a lot of it just examining the characters and what they want to do. How they do it. Why and their attitudes.

It's not an entirely radical change of the setting so much as it is a change in our perspective of the setting and characters that when we inevitably step down after the events it won't feel as if we're ignoring anything that's happened. Sure the duck of always isn't going to be a regular, but it's been established why. he's going to travel the world in order to enjoy new life with A New Perspective.

Moreover the ending and implications of this isn't much different than in the first episode or at least the first double episode that I can buy squeak of Might and lies of Truth. There it is established that bill has a spirit companion that's going to come to his rescue in a time of great need and that there is a vagabond clan of skullbanians on Earth. With the implication that there may be new connections that will appear on Earth that aren't related to drool directly and Fangbone and bill influencing each other

The result is without a necessarily intense serial ongoing story we can then go back to relatively episodic adventures and they acquire a sense of depth while at the same time not feeling like we're ignoring any of the big events.

The character growth and change in perspective is something that you can integrate and examine with the characters and story elements that are staying. And it's actually going to be followed up on. Maybe not immediately but in ways that will be established further. Fangbone suddenly takes a love of knitting? Well guess what happens a few episodes later? it turns out that Ms. Gillian sees his talent as being a very creative artist! Or even earlier than that, this helps establish more of the characters of the class 3-g and Fangbones relationship with them.

Of course they will use the character of Sid to good effect off and on as a pretty good guest star in order to spice things up. Particularly as she comes from Skullbania but comes from a different perspective on everything. Which also does a good job of fleshing out the entire fantasy world and the conflicts that are going on there. In fact it establishes a nice third faction which keeps things just a little bit more interesting. by tapping into the implications of the Shadow steppers fangbone's homeland becomes a richer world

also it feels we really get to expand the character Arc for Bill dealing with well his uncertainty about being able to keep the mission. This replaces the giant cave ape with horns and a helmet from birthday party of dread but it is a similar plot with a waterfowl but that's good because, as I established in the adaptation project, it gives us more motion and set pieces to integrate with. Since the real focus is in fact on bills changing perspective and understanding of what the hell's going on it also means it doesn't feel like we're keeping everything locked behind doors after we've had a peek inside of it. No person who can give us a non crystal gem perspective flying off into literal outer space only to be hinted at knowing things and then turn out to know nothing later. or no desperate science experiment that's on a Doomsday Clock that will create evil monsters more powerful than any that have been faced suddenly having to be interrupted because we've run out of manga to adapt so let's have I don't know let's say vampires.

We don't necessarily hit quite the same Highs but the overall average is very solid because the focus stays on the main characters and the main characters get to understand or do whatever is happening in are the main focus. also on a more appreciative note of what the show does when running through the cliche o matic. Fangbone keeps on saying Bill shouldn't fear failure and he shouldn't give up and all this stuff. But it's not just enough to say The Virtue we get to see Bill work it out and understand what it means to him personally. So it feels as if we're not just getting a moral platitude but we're getting to see someone, to a certain Journey.

@cordset pointed out that arguably Bill actually coaxes the equivalent of a world-weary war veteran out of suicide. I hadn't considered that perspective and for again a relatively simple tail that ultimately is centered around a conflict such as Monster of the week plus an additional interloper it's pretty interesting. And the shadow steppers are used to good effect as well because it actually makes us wonder if this is a good plan having the toe kept with Fang bone

This is a very complete story that feels like it goes through so much and it's just a basic 22-minute piece. And again the focus is aside from the interruption of Sid a standard monster-of-the-week sort of plot. All of which is used to give time to characterize everyone going forward. This will be how fangbone would use its big events. When things are over we will go back to normal. But that's true for even the animated Darlings which will reveal big amazing things and then after the break will be back to episodes like who wants to go on a date or something. Because it doesn't promise to do something so radically different it can actually focus on the changes that it can do or the effects that it will use

At least to me

@ericriverava @wkdart @wedgekun @cartoonemotion @sunder-the-gold @g-00lden @pame-chan-xx @chikachika6

@redlydoom

Basically like I always I want to get some discussion going what are your thoughts on the episode The Duck of always? What did you like about it who did you like about it? How do you think it compares to other series or just in general

@pirateshenani

[tenleaguesbeneath]

A bunch of the notes on my post had comments about being bad at Darkest Dungeon, so here’s what worked for me.

Persist. This is the core of Darkest Dungeon and all you really need. Even if you lose 90% of the time you will make progress, because anything you lose, you can regain, and you’ll be in a better place to regain it than you were to gain it in the first place if you’ve made good choices with your town upgrades. No matter how badly an adventure goes, you can’t lose the game, you can only be set back and need to re-level new heroes (and you can lose trinkets, but most of those are replaceable). Also, if you persist, you’ll learn the game.

If you made bad choices with your town upgrades, it’s not too late to turn around and make better ones (I spent my first, like, hundred crests on upgrades to the Abbey and Tavern; those should be among your lowest priorities). The stagecoach upgrade that lets it drop more experienced heroes is highest priority (it saves gold too, since any hero who comes in above level 0 starts out with all abilities maxed for their level and appropriately geared), with the hero barracks and stagecoach network upgrades being secondary.

Take an easy-come-easy-go attitude toward gold. It’s easy to gather, but its primary use is upgrading your heroes and returning them to the battlefield, and every hero, even if you’ve sunk tens of thousands of gold into upgrading their equipment and purging bad traits and locking in good ones, is expendable.

It’s tempting to put your stressed heroes directly into stress recovery activities right after coming back from the dungeon; that is the trope, after all; adventurers go out, come back, and spend the loot on booze or gamble it all away. Resist the temptation. A hero at 30-40 stress will probably be fine for a short excursion into the dungeon, and the gold might be better spent on upgrades.

Take an easy-come-easy-go approach to low-level heroes. A bit of advice I received was that before you give a newly-level-1 hero skill and gear upgrades and stress and disease recovery and stuff, figure out the amount of gold that’ll cost, figure how soon you can expect someone just as good to hop off the stagecoach, and decide if it’s better to spend the gold or send them packing.

Each new tier of adventures is harder than the last; enemy stats grow faster than yours do. Make sure you have heroes upgraded to the appropriate weapon, armor, and skill tiers before trying them, and also tactics that worked in the previous tier will get people killed in the higher tiers. Expect that your first several adventures in each tier will be a culling of your roster (but it’s not like you could use those heroes for the adventures you were doing). The best way to cut your losses on losing a hero is to win the battle they’re in (so you get their trinkets back) and then abandon the quest; only rarely can you finish a quest with a less-than-full party.

Because of this, I’m a lot stricter about my party composition in Champion adventures than Veteran or Apprentice ones. Going into a Veteran dungeon with nobody who can stun the enemy is a challenge. Going into a Champion dungeon with nobody who can stun the enemy is a waste of a week.

Some good party compositions: For the ruins, I like Crusader, Bounty Hunter, Vestal, Plague Doctor. All four of them bring stuns; the Bounty Hunter brings abilities to disrupt the enemy formation (both stuns do this, and also Come Hither). The Vestal brings Divine Comfort (party heal) and Judgement (damage and self-heal) in addition to Dazzling Light, the Plague Doctor brings a multi-stun for the enemy’s back rank, and also blights, meaning that you can lock your enemies down or a turn and still do something, and the Crusader has good damage against Unholy enemies. The Crusader and Plague Doctor can also both be equipped with minor heals to accompany the Vestal’s healing; my Legend Crusader also has ruins-favorable traits locked in (Ruins Explorer, Ruins Tactician, and Slugger), making him a solid specialist in Ruins runs. Another good combo is Hellion, Houndmaster, Occultist, Arbalest. You only have the two stuns (Hellion and Houndmaster), but the Hellion has an area stun, albeit one that debuffs her damage for 3 rounds. The Occultist in this group is the healer, with Wyrd Reconstruction, and also paints targets with Vulnerability Hex. His other two abilities can vary; I generally pick them out of Abyssal Artillery, Sacrificial Stab, and Demon’s Pull. Vulnerability Hex marks targets, and also drops their Dodge, opening them up to substantial bonus damage from the Houndmaster and Arbalest. On enemies with high PROT, you can use Target Whistle on the Houndmaster (I think? I might be mixing that up, but someone in this group has a PROT-reducer) to mark them instead. A Hellion in first position is also especially good against bosses that hang out in position 4, since a Hellion can do full damage to an enemy in the 4th position while holding the front rank (contrast: Lepers can’t hit position 4 at all, Crusaders can hit position 4 with an ability they can only use from the back two positions that brings them forward one, Men-at-arms are reduced to bellowing). While it’s somewhat less ideal, a Bounty Hunter can also take the front rank here, with Collect Bounty to contribute to dogpiling marked targets (although second position is the only one that can be hit by both the Bounty Hunter and Arbalest’s attacks against marked targets, so a bit niche). Occultists and Plague Doctors also play well together, both in both being very strong multi-hitters from the back two positions (Blinding Gas/Plague Grenade and Abyssal Artillery), and because Battlefield Medicine can clean up accidents let by Wyrd Reconstruction. I’ve also theorycrafted a formation with a Grave Robber and Jester, probably with an Occultist and a front-liner of some kind. The idea is that the mage stays in one of the back two lots and the front-liner in the front two, and the others dance throughout the formation (the biggest problem being the lack of stuns, aside from Shadow Fade; maybe a Hellion and Vestal bringing the formation up can bring those, and the reliance on both Blight and Bleed damage)

A complete party needs a supply of stuns (if you have two stuns and can switch up targets to alternate which enemies you stun, you’re good, but more stuns is better. If you can take advantage of surprise to stun everything and set them up for a beating next round, that’s great), a healer, and someone who can deal with traps, in addition to having everyone be at home in their place in the marching order. For trappers, look to classes that have to do with the law (lawmen or criminals); the Jester also handles traps reasonably. An incomplete party will struggle, but if a role is missing, you can still send a party out. I’d advise against doing that at the Champion level though unless you want your shortage of heroes to get worse. In general, for Apprentice adventures, the only roles you need concern yourself with are marching order positions (as long as everyone is at home in their place in the marching order, your party is capable of handling the adventure)

[hermanwatts]

The Avenger and Awaken Online: Ember

“In the roaring heart of the crucible, steel is made. In the raging flame of tragedy, men are forged into something more than human. 

“Crime’s greed turned the retired adventurer, Richard Henry Benson, into—

“The Avenger.”

Some men are, like Doc Savage, raised from birth to fight crime. Others, like the Shadow, just want to watch the underworld burn. Benson, however, was made at the very moment when his wife and daughter vanished mid-flight from the seats next to his. Everyone thinks Benson is insane, with a brain flu that tells him he has family not his own. But cracks form in that gaslighting when a cabbie tells Benson that he remembers Benson together with his family. Suddenly, Benson, now a man of steel and gray, leaps into action.

During his treatment in the sanitorium, Benson’s face was paralyzed and his complexion reduced to a ghostly pallor. Clad in gray, he looks more like a gun waiting to fire than a man. And his first taste of vengeance is three toughs trying to silence his investigations. Benson subdues the men for the police, who release the criminals hours later. But the encounter was worthwhile, for it leads him to Fergus MacMurdie, who wants to help Benson.

MacMurdie has a special hate for mobsters, who killed his family in an insurance-racket bombing. MacMurdie recognizes a kindred spirit, and, even better for Benson, he knows that more people have vanished during similar routine flights on the same flight path. The two men decide to work together to investigate. There’s just one rule:

No Police.

Their first investigation reveals the plane and the trapdoor used to get Benson’s wife and daughter off the plane. But the mechanics capture Benson. Thanks to a disguise, the crooks think Benson is a detective, and not himself. Benson escapes after they attempt to murder him. He discovers another scheme by the same gang against a millionaire. The rich man is disappeared, but not before Benson picks up another ally: Smitty, an MIT engineer fallen on hard times. With that, the core for what will become Justice, Inc. is assembled.

Benson and companions finally trace the operation to an island in the Great Lakes in a bit of a running rollercoaster of action sequences. While there, they break up the gang, rescue the millionaire, and discover the motive and method for the sky disappearances. But Benson’s family is nowhere to be found. Fueled by the faintest of hopes and a burning desire to stamp out the kinds of men who robbed him of his family, Benson sets up shop with his companions in New York and becomes–

The Avenger!

The Avenger succeeds at being the third of a power trio of heroes where The Whisperer failed in that, while both are inspired by Doc and The Shadow, The Avenger is not copying either the way the Whisperer did. The personal stakes are also higher and relatable in The Avenger, and, while Benson does take a few lumps in the course of learning his new trade, he isn’t getting jobbed out to every henchman, so he stays strong in the readers’ eyes, unlike Wildcat Gordon. And, those few lumps Benson gets, he immediately gets payback for, as well.

The difference comes down to relatability, and what fosters it. The Avenger shows that common experience, that of the sorrow of losing a loved one, matters more than looking like the audience, the way The Whisperer’s Wildcat Gordon and his folksiness attempted to.

The Avenger was born out of a need to fill the demand for more Doc Savage and Shadow stories. Try as Dent and Gibson might, two stories a month was about the limit of the production pipeline. So a third hero pulp was created, with significant input from Dent and Gibson. The two-fisted action and the aversion to murder are straight from Doc Savage, while the imposing visage and penchant for misdirection and disguise are from the Shadow. But it’s pulp veteran Paul Ernst that makes Benson’s quest for his family a real page-turner.

Successful in weird fiction, detective fiction, science fiction and more, Ernst concentrates on telling a compelling story without feeling the need to copy Dent or Gibson’s word choice and style. The familiar tag waving of Dent and Gibson’s refrain of…The Shadow! aren’t here. As such, The Avenger is a solid introduction to the hero pulps, especially for those current-day readers unused to the thcker styles of the Man of Bronze or the Knight of Darkness.

Ever since his wife died in an accident, elder programmer Finn Harris has been a sullen hermit. But when his daughter browbeats him into trying the new Awaken Online game, he finds himself in a new world, with new challenges, and the favor of an elemental god. What started as a simple quest to get his online passwords back from his well-meaning but mischievous daughter turned into a quest to win a brutal mages’ tournament and a kingdom. For Finn’s connection to Awaken Online runs deeper that he knows, and the elemental god’s quest reward is something he cannot ignore—the return of his wife.

Awaken Online: Ember, by Travis Bagwell, is the first in a side series to Awaken Online, a futuristic litRPG power fantasy that delves into the reasons why people pursue power. While the main series concerns itself more with evil—true evil, not edgy heroes in black or mustache twirling villains—Ember instead examines curiosity, challenge, and obsession. This is a relief, as the main AO series is a little too good at giving agency to evil. Finn is driven by the need to tinker with and improve upon puzzles, and his puzzle is the linguistic key to Awaken Online’s magic system. And he needs to master it quickly, as he has been thrown into a meatgrinder of an Arena PvP tournament.

Finn is yet another retiree in a recent line of older, more mature, and more experienced litRPG and progression fantasy protagonists. Much of progression fantasy deals with min/maxing a set of existing rules into overwhelming advantages instead of relying on strength. While young power gamers have the drive, age and treachery have their benefits, too. A lifetime of experience offers the ability to perceive more opportunities as well as understand more ways to seize the moment than just force. However, moody widower moving heaven and earth to be reunited with his lost wife is starting to become cliché.

Bagwell manages the delicate balance between game system mechanics and story, minimizing the exposition needed to cover the myriad little progressions Finn makes as he levels up in game. This allows more focus to be spent on the action in the duels and the various challenges that chivy Finn towards victory. That Finn will win is not in doubt—especially for those who have read the main series—but the journey is where the fun is.

The Avenger and Awaken Online: Ember published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[ffstlanguage-blog]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Heroes from the Underworld

During this course I have learnt that things may not be as they seem and that every piece of art, be it literature or any other type of art, should be explored a bit more and be brought to some new light. In that spirit, I chose to write about a famous children’s animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (to be precise, the 2003 series). Many of us have grown up watching the adventures of four anthropomorphic turtles who are guided through their lives by the useful advice of a nice old talking rat and who live together as a family in the sewer beneath New York City. Being put this way, it seems that there is not much to add to it, but every cartoon we used to watch when we were children seems a lot different when we recall it later in life. This can also be applied to Ninja Turtles, who (in my opinion) can be used as an interesting example of a piece of contemporary art which could be explored in connection to the Underworld and ecological problems of today.

Sewer as the Underworld

The first and most obvious notion of the Underworld is the fact that the protagonists live in the sewer – beneath the surface of the earth and away from the light of day. The sewer can be seen as the unknown underworld, something that we are not closely familiar with, but know that it exists and is only a manhole away. The sewer tunnels represent a home to the turtles and their sensei Master Splinter, but if we try to find out a little bit more about the sewer tunnels, we can see that the life in the underground is not a mere fiction. There are actually people who live in the sewer just like the protagonists of the series.

One of the most famous examples of underground homes is in Las Vegas, where a thousand people created their homes in the dark tunnels under the sparkling surface. When we think of Las Vegas, we usually instantly visualise big glittering billboards and colourful advertisements which sparkle and draw our attention to many luxurious hotels and casinos, but this city has its dark side underneath this sparkling surface full of everyday bustle. This dark side reveals itself in 200 miles of sewer tunnels who are a "home to 1,000 people who eke out a living in the strip’s dark underbelly" ("The Tunnel People" 2010). That "underbelly" is the complete opposite of the surface of the city. The city which is for some people heavenly oasis on earth hides a version of hell under its surface.

So why do those people willingly descend into the underground to live in hell? All of them have their reasons for such decisions, but the people interviewed in the Daily Mail article have revealed their stories and they seem to have experienced hell even before descending into those gloomy tunnels. A man named Steven told the reporter that he was forced into the tunnels "after his heroin addiction led to him losing his job" ("The Tunnel People" 2010). From this we can see that his terrible decisions have turned his life on the surface into hell and he turned to the underground to find consolation and shelter. This situation reminded me of one moment in Don DeLillo’s novel Underworld, where the novel’s protagonist describes how Jeff told him about the people going to uranium mines in order to cure themselves. According to Jeff’s story "they sit in tunnels under rangeland in Montana, where the radon emissions are many hundreds of times higher than the federal safety level" (DeLillo 1997: 795). The people from the novel were trying to find cure for their illnesses in a truly weird way because radioactivity is known to be really harmful for living creatures, but they had nothing else to try and that seems to be the last hope for them. We could also look at living in the sewer tunnels under Las Vegas as the last hope for people who do not have anything left in this world. They were forced into those tunnels just like the people from the novel and the tunnels represent the last chance for curing their lives. They had nowhere else to go so as a result, they descended into the sewer. In a similar manner we could also look at the protagonists of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. They descended into the sewer because Master Splinter knew that the world above would not accept them and New York City’s sewer represents their last chance for survival. That is why Splinter tells the turtles: "You four are different in ways that surface dwellers will never understand" (TMNT 2003: S01E01). From these words and everything mentioned above, we can notice some indications of incarceration. Physically nothing stops the tunnel people and the turtles from going out on the surface, but they are somehow doomed to the underground world in a way that they are aware of the fact that the outside world would not and does not welcome them. Their destinies are affected by the fact that they are different than the rest of the world, but both tunnel people and ninja turtles might work their way out of the underground. They can break the partial incarceration by attempting to integrate themselves into society. The turtles do that by fighting crime on the streets of New York in the night and the tunnel people could try to regain their lives by earning some money and getting their old jobs back. In those cases understanding and support of the society for such individuals are important, but we can see the lack of such thinking even in the animated series because ninja turtles are seen as weird creatures even though they help the community. Because of this, the partial incarceration of both ninja turtles and tunnel people seems to be always present and they can rarely get away.

The next people interviewed in the Daily Mail article were Amy and Junior, who "lost their home when they became addicted to drugs after the death of their son Brady at only four months old" ("The Tunnel People" 2010). Their story is even worse than Steven’s, but we can see the similarity in the fact that the drug addiction has forced them into such horrible living conditions. They also lost their home on the surface so they turned to the underground to find shelter. Matthew O’Brien, a reporter who discovered the tunnel people on one occasion, says that "these are normal people of all ages who’ve lost their way, generally after a tragic event (...) Many are war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress" ("The Tunnel People" 2010). From these examples we can see that life in the sewer is not just something that we watch for fun on the television, but it is a horrible reality for some people. Some terrible set of circumstances has forced them to live like animals in inhumane conditions.

Tunnel people have created homes for themselves by using furniture and clothes that people have thrown away. This way, they are somehow recycling a fair part of the stuff that most people consider to be garbage, as Steven has put it this way: "One man’s junk is another man’s gold" ("The Tunnel People" 2010). They reuse the stuff that other people throw away and try to make the sewer tunnels look like home. There is even a part of the tunnels which serves the purpose of an art gallery. That part is completely covered in graffiti and it could be said that it represents the art of their Underworld. It is still sometimes arguable if graffiti are considered to be art, but it is a fact that they are the closest thing to art that the tunnel people have. The graffiti section of the tunnels looks like the subterranean gallery of urban art which somehow both reflects the sorrow of the people who live there and enlightens the dark tunnels with vivid colours. It is questionable if this could be considered as beautiful, but even though the graffiti are in an ugly place and some of them look really grotesque, there is something beautiful in the fact that art finds its place everywhere in many different shapes.

The fact that most people consider graffiti as pure vandalism also somehow fits in the whole picture because there is probably nothing that would represent the artistic expression of groups of marginalised people in a more appropriate way. They ended in the tunnels because of their inappropriate behaviour which got them into troubles and they created a whole new city underground. As every city has its galleries, their subterranean city has its unusual spot where grotesque art finds its place and reflects the spirit of the city’s inhabitants. Both the tunnels and the graffiti "gallery" could be considered as the cultural landscape of this group of people. As Theodor Adorno puts it, cultural landscape is "an artifactitious domain that must at first seem totally opposed to natural beauty" (1997: 64). We can see that it really is in opposition to natural beauty, but the question is if it is only at first. There seems to be nothing natural in the environment in which those people live, not only at first, but also at every other time we look at it. On the other hand, what is natural here is the instinct of survival, which is the main cause for the occurrence of the underground city, and the urge to make the environment look more appealing, which is the reason for the attempts of making a gallery and decorating living rooms in the sewer. From this we could make out that there is something natural in the background of this and that justifies the usage of the term cultural landscape in this example.

Furthermore, Adorno continues to develop the idea of cultural landscape by saying that historical works are "considered beautiful that have some relation to their geographical setting" (1997: 64) and he uses hillside towns which are related to their geographical environment by using its stone as an example. In this sense, we could look at the underground city also as being related to its setting through the use of second-hand furniture, decorations and clothes. The setting here is not the nature, but another construct made by humans and tunnel people have taken some parts from it to make another construct underneath it. By using materials from the surface they integrate themselves in a way into the society that has rejected them earlier. This integration is maybe not visible at first, but their existence serves as a reminder to the others that the tunnels are waiting for them if they lose their way. This oxymoron situation makes them social rejects and integrates their existence in the overall picture both at the same time.

In the first episode of season one of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splinter gives a lesson to the turtles and tells them: "Your path in life will not be an easy one. The outside world will not be a friendly place for you" (TMNT 2003: S01E01). These sentences could partially be applied to the tunnel people of Las Vegas because their path in life is certainly not an easy one and the outside world is definitively not a friendly place for them. It can be partially applied because some of them have chosen their path and it is only their fault for getting themselves into such troubles, but some of them were struck by tragedies which affected them greatly and they were not able to cope with the situation. These tragedies and wrong paths are the reasons for the fact that "the destitute and hopeless have constructed a community beneath the city and have even dedicated one section of tunnels to an art gallery filled with intricate graffiti" ("The Tunnel People" 2010).

The Origin of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Threats to Eco-systems

The reason why the turtles and Splinter are doomed to life in the underground is the fact that they are different from any other living creature on earth and the cause of that is actually a mini ecological disaster. They used to be normal turtles when they were born, but according to Splinter’s story, they were accidentally exposed to some sort of a mutagen. A little boy was holding them and then a truck accident almost occurred. A truck with the logo T.C.R.I. almost hit a blind man crossing the road and a man tried to help him hurriedly so he accidentally pushed the boy who has then dropped his little turtles on the floor. A bottle of some ooze fell out from the truck and spilled all over the turtles that fell into the sewer drain. The logo is significant because it stands for Techno Cosmic Research Institute which performs laboratory testing and the truck was transferring some dangerous chemicals with which the animals got in contact during the accident. After the accident Splinter took the turtles and found them shelter in the sewer. He also got exposed to the mutagen so all of them started gaining some of human body characteristics and developed intelligence and speech (TMNT 2003: S01E03).

The story about these turtles that become ninjas and save the city from the villains is an interesting idea for a TV series, but on the other hand, it makes us think about what happens to the real living beings when they get exposed to such chemicals or radiation. It is a question if we really are aware of the threats that chemicals pose to the eco-systems on earth today. Science has advanced a lot and we seem to use it more for bad purposes than for something that would help us keep our environment safe and sound. The levels of pollution all around the world have been rising and that affects the wildlife greatly, but many people do not seem to be interested in those problems. We see a motif of pollution and exposure of animals to chemicals in the animated series in a highly unlikely way where animals gain human characteristics, but accidents with chemicals and radiation happen also in real life with different consequences for living beings.

Some parallels could be drawn between the story of ninja turtles’ origin and the part of DeLillo’s final chapter of Underworld where the protagonist speaks about deformations caused by radiation. The protagonist and his friend were spending some time in the city of Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan and their guide Viktor Maltsev decided to take them to the so called Museum of Misshapens. That place is a part of the Medical Institute and it displays the horribly deformed foetuses in different display cases, some even in pickle jars: "There is the two-headed specimen. There is the single head that is twice the size of the body. There is the normal head that is located in the wrong place, perched on the right shoulder" (DeLillo 1997: 792). The author shocks us by giving these descriptions so simply and the fact that the foetuses are created by human activities which destroy nature makes us aware of the fact that we are destroying ourselves slowly. Even though this is a fiction novel, the message of this part is a strong one and we should become aware of the dangers of nuclear weapons as well as of chemical testing before we get to witness such horrible occurrences. Furthermore, DeLillo continues to shock us with detailed descriptions of people affected by radiation. He talks about Viktor who takes the protagonist and his friend Brian in the clinic for victims of radiation, which he has visited four times, and then proceeds to describe the victims:

This is a man who is trying to merchandise nuclear explosions – using safer methods, no doubt – and he comes here to challenge himself perhaps, to prove to himself he is not blind to the consequences. It is the victims who are blind. It is the boy with skin where his eyes ought to be, a bolus of spongy flesh, oddly like a mushroom cap, springing from each brow. It is the bald-headed children standing along a wall in their underwear, waiting to be examined. It is the man with the growth beneath his chin, a thing with a life of its own, embryonic and pulsing. It is the dwarf girl (...) It is the cheerful cretin who walks the halls with his arms folded. It is the woman with features intact but only half a face somehow, everything fitted into a tilted arc that floats above her shoulders like the crescent moon (1997: 793).

From this we can see that Viktor may represent the whole humankind because he continues doing his job sometimes oblivious of what is happening to the people, but at some points in time his conscience wakes up and he tries to prove to himself that he is aware of the threats that are posed to these people and of their horrible misfortune. After describing the reasons of Viktor’s visit to the clinic, DeLillo continues describing the people affected by radiation as if that is something normal. The simplicity with which he talks about these people is actually disturbing because he describes their deformations as if they are something normal. What is even more horrifying is the fact that these deformations were not the result of an accident, but Viktor says that the Russian Red Army detonated hydrogen bombs and left a hundred villagers around only to see what effect on people it would have (DeLillo 1997: 793). This part of the novel seems to be a critique of the modern warfare and the society as a whole in a way that it shows how far the development of weapons and its testing might go, if they have not gone too far already.

When talking about the disastrous strength of radioactivity, we cannot talk only about nuclear weapons because more damage to the environment and the people has been done due to accidents. The most famous accident that has ever occurred is the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which has released "400 times more radioactivity in the atmosphere than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945" (Mousseau 2016). According to professor Mousseau, "radiation exposure has caused genetic damage and increased mutation rates in many organisms in the Chernobyl region" (2016). Furthermore, he says that birds and mammals have cataracts in their eyes and smaller brains due to being exposed to ionizing radiation in air, food and water. Human survivors of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had also suffered from these consequences. Tumours are also obvious on the birds from areas of high radiation, just like developmental abnormalities in some insects and plants and the populations of many species in highly contaminated areas have shrunk (Mousseau 2016).

From these results of the research conducted we can see that deformations and mutations are really present in the wildlife and that it is not just fiction. The things we read about or watch on television are far more real than they seem to us. All of that seems so far from us, but the effects of radioactive pollution are highly dangerous for all of us as they can spread really far. The most recent nuclear disaster happened in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan and many areas close to it were affected by radiation. Now we see that this is not something that is under our control and that these things happen even in the 21st century, a period when many people think that we can rule the world completely and keep the things under control. From these accidents we should learn that we have created something that is much stronger than us and that it might be deadly not only for us, but also for other innocent living beings on earth.

Even though we had our chances, little did we learn from these disasters. According to professor Mousseau, there are still more than 400 nuclear reactors in operation all around the world and around 65 were under construction in 2016. Also, more than 165 were planned to be built at that time (2016). From these numbers we can see that we continued playing with the nature and our lives instead of turning to some better renewable energy sources. We keep on getting shocked and disgusted when reading about deformations (both real and fictional), but nuclear reactors keep sprouting and laboratory tests are being conducted anyway. It is a fact that there are more accidents to come and that "all operating nuclear power plants are generating large quantities of nuclear waste that will need to be stored for thousands of years to come" (Mousseau 2016). This waste is the problem that needs to be dealt with when accidents happen because it all goes into the atmosphere, soil and water and causes severe pollution. Some people got an idea how to get rid of the nuclear waste for a long time and it resulted in the process of creating of Onkalo waste repository in Finland on the island of Olkiluoto. It is planned to consist of long tunnels which would go far underground and nuclear waste would be disposed there for a hundred years (Into Eternity 2010). We can find some resemblance here with the already mentioned going underground of the tunnel people and the turtles. They descended into the underground because they had nowhere else to go on the surface of the earth and the same thing happens here with the waste. We have nowhere else to put it where it would not cause great problems, but deep in the underground. It is actually an attempt of hiding what we have created after we have realised how badly it affects life on the surface.

When mentioning waste, we could take into consideration the fact that the sewer is also a place where the waste is disposed and in that light we could analyse the life in the sewer. In this sense, ninja turtles could be seen as chemical or nuclear waste which should be hidden underground, away from the light of day and out of sight. Even though they are away from our sight, it does not mean that they are not there (except the fact that they are fictional characters from an animated series) and the turtles show their existence when they fight the criminals on the surface. Furthermore, they can also be seen as the waste of the society, or better to say as something that the society has disposed of due to physical deformations which cause fear among the human population.

 In this essay Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were seen as something deeper than just a children’s TV series with which we used to spend our weekend mornings. The fact that they dwell in the sewer allows the connection to the Underworld and opens up a whole new world in the real life, the world of people who share similar destiny with the fictional characters. Living in the underground is their reality and we are sometimes blind to the fact that such a thing exists under the glittering lights of one of the most famous cities in the world. Furthermore, the turtles are condemned to the sewer because of their mutations which were caused by human-made chemicals. Seeing it this way, they are being punished for being something that man has created. The fact that they are a result of an accident makes them a chemical disaster and some parallels can be drawn between them and mutated animals in areas of high radiation. When we think of that, we can see how badly we affect the environment and its inhabitants, including us as well. We look at the people who live underground as some weirdoes and even consider them dangerous, but we might also be forced to live underground in some bunkers because, as Master Splinter has put it nicely, "the world above is a dangerous place."

Marija Močić

References:

Adorno, Theodor (1997). "Natural Beauty",  Aesthetic Theory. 

DeLillo, Don (1997). "Epilogue: Das Kapital", Underworld.

Mousseau, Timothy A. (2016). "At Chernobyl and Fukushima, radioactivity has seriously harmed wildlife".

"The tunnel people of Las Vegas: How 1,000 live in flooded labyrinth under Sin City's shimmering strip". Daily Mail, 3 November 2010

Into Eternity: A Film for the Future. Dir. Michael Madsen, Atmo Media Corporation, 2010.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Executive producer: Gary Richardson, Viacom Media Networks, 2003.