#ls heros spirit

[fanartfunart]

[Image Description: A 16 panel lineart comic featuring Hyrule Warriors Link and Young Link. Panel 1: Young Link takes off his hat, revealing a ponytail of leafy hair. Panel 2: He tries to take out the ponytail, and his eyes widen with an exclamation point of surprise. Panel 3: A wobbly panel of Majora's Mask Deku Link's eyes and leaf hair. Panel 4: Young Link's hand grabs a sword hilt. Panel 5: He cuts off the ponytail with his sword with a yell "HhAH!" Panel 6: Link, in their tent and bedroll, wakes up startled. Proxi is asleep next to them, curled in their scarf. Panel 7: Link holds their sword low, slowly approaching Young Link. He hiccups tearfully. Panel 8: A thought box reads "Site Clear?" the campsite is empty except for Young Link, who looks just slightly over his shoulder. Panel 9: Link lowers their sword entirely, confused as they look down at a tearful Young Link holding his hands to his chest. Link utters "Hah?" Panel 10: They lower to a crouch, leaving their sword on the ground, offering a hand to Young Link. Panel 11: Young Link tackles them into a hug. Panel 12: Young Link wails as he curls up against Link. Link looks forward with furrowed brows holding him protectively. Panel 13: Young Link pulls back, sniffing. Link looks down sympathetically, brushing a hand over the back of his head. Panel 14: Link mimes scissors with their hand while Young Link looks up tearfully. Panel 15: Young Link nods. Panel 16: Link sits on the ground with Young Link curled up in front of them. They trim the hair at the back of his head, humming. End ID]

Technically a Linked Spirit au backstory moment but I mean. It was just easier to ID it this way lol... but if it's unclear: deku mask magic started to affect the kiddo and he was *not* excited.

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

Hey can ya'll watch them for a little while? Be right back

[Image Description: A chibi, flat colored drawing of Linked Spirit's Hero's Spirit. They stand, pouting. End ID]

[smilesrobotlover]

Twi link is my fav link so here’s a bunch of twi links! :D

In order:

Twi from @linkbetweenlinksau by yours truly

Daybreak made by @ladye-zelda

Twilight from @recalled11 made by @l3ominor

Twilight from @linked-maze made by @frulleboi

Twilight from @zelda-the-sacred-realm

Ordon from @linkedspirit-fanartfunart made by @fanartfunart

Twi from @houseofheroesau made by @phoenix-arts7

And Twilight from @limited-hero by @kenxboi !

[fever-project]

Happy births to the Zelda CD-i games! Drew 5 different CD-i Links from 5 different Links Meet AUs(yes, that includes the mouse). I like the sillies. They are now 31 years old :) I’ll say which one belongs to which AU under the cut, as well as some rambling about them. Also, gif version of this.

Now, from right to left:

Kori from @team-timeless-au: The goofball of all goofballs! He’s just a goofy little guy, a goofy goober <3 also love his design and how much its built off of his canon design. Idk if that made sense lol but yeah his design is fire

Koridai from @linked-maze: You know him, you might love him, it’s this grumpy little fella! Well, he was kinda grumpy when we last checked in on him. My second time drawing him and I think I did him much better this time. Although I definitely made his ears too big but whatever, it’s cute.

Kori from @uncanon-fates: My AU hehe. Perpetually has a shadow over his face from the Winged Helmet because I like it :) haven’t actually done anything with him yet in my comiccc but very soon I will. Love this guy.

Mouse from @linkedspirit-fanartfunart: Combining CD-i Link with the Hero of Men is a banger idea, and then making him be able to be a mouse on top of it as well? Very creative, much love. My first time every drawing a mouse as well and he’s in a silly little pose. I could’ve drawn him as a normal Link, but this is funnier.

Hero from @realmsofhylia: A combination of CD-i Link with the Link of the Zelda Cartoon is so fun. He hasn’t appeared in the fic yet(here’s the fic btw), but I do like his design and concept. Also, in the fic, there’s little pixel art of the characters sprinkled about the chapters and it’s just the cutest thing, I cannot wait to see all the characters, go read the fic it’s great.

[mdhwrites]

Sushang: HSR's Lovable Dumbass

What makes stupid good? It's a tough question in writing because intelligence is such a coveted trait but some of the most beloved characters in all of creation are utter morons. Even the MC for Star Rail is mostly characterized by being a deranged menace to society who's two braincells are composed of a trashcan rubbing up against a Stellaron. Most anime protagonists are some of the dumbest, densest rocks in existence that would make a diamond tell them to loosen up so why do we love them?

Well, I wanted to talk about Sushang and I feel like she's actually a good insight to this paradox, especially since people do like to bag on her and for good reason. She is one of the characters in HSR with an explicit Third Impact parallel, down to the name, and the comparison is uh... Not flattering from what I understand. In Third Impact, she's a leader of people, a grand warrior and someone to look up to. In Star Rail, Sushang is at best suffering from some sort of learning disability, potentially even dyslexia due to her trouble reading, and literally can't wield her sword properly despite having been training for potentially over a century. Reminder: The first time they ever met, Guinaifen, the street performer, disarmed Sushang like it was nothing. This is not some grand warrior we're dealing with.

No, we're dealing with a hero instead, potentially the most true version of one in the game. Luka is probably the close second but Luka by his own admission is in it more for the fight than anything else. He wants to inspire and help but those are secondary to throwing everything he has into the ring and I love him for that. But Sushang is markedly different and it actually explains a LOT of what's kind of odd about her.

Sushang grew up on stories about her mom and the High Cloud Quintet. She technically trains to be a Cloud Knight to follow after her mom but she treats the job VASTLY different from literally every other Cloud Knight we have ever met due to the fact that she views it from the lens of her stories. She adopted a philosophy of helping one person every day from that. Why does she keep getting wrangled into Guinaifen's performances? Because she's in lo Because when someone asks her for help, she wouldn't even consider saying no. How many times has she been distracted from military strategy lessons or personal exercise because a nice old lady in her neighborhood asked her to help her with a few things, or even just to chat because she was lonely? Nothing about Sushang says she'd say no to that, bolstered by a carefree spirit that doesn't diminish playtime just because she has lofty ambitions of being a great knight.

Essentially, she's a Herbo, the female version of a Himbo (at least, if you're like me and don't think Bimbo fits as the female version of one.) And that's a good thing! Himbo has come to be such a beloved term because someone who's lacking in brains but has a big heart is usually the most reliable, sweetest, most honest person you can meet. They also don't ever back down from when they're needed and yet keep things light when otherwise the stone cold badass with rippling muscles might be as bland as a brick. This is why Sushang is afraid of ghosts, because it helps add a silliness to her that is just charming, especially when you remember that she's a knight while the person who didn't pass out is a literal live streamer.

But this also can very quickly make someone look bad and that certainly is the case for Sushang too. She has taken a LOOOOT of Ls during her time on the Loufu and not had a lot to show for it. Guinaifen has had more wins... But I don't think that's a bad thing. She and Guigui in most material are used for comic relief after all and make for a really compelling duo. The short lifed species member who is uncertain of her place in the world trying to find the form of her passion that makes her the happiest and doing unhinged shit while she works on that and the long lifed species member so intently sure of what she wants to be that she's let what others may consider the most important traits for her job slide. One makes the bad ideas while the other gives them a happy victim. Straight man and Punch(or sledgehammer)line. It's not there isn't more to these characters but it's not the focus.

We also do get glimpses into the fact that Sushang is potentially just a late bloomer. She is able to wield her family's ancestral sword and call upon its spirit, despite her other issues as a fighter. She went against Yanqing and even though he was holding back, she managed to buy the rest of the Ghost Hunting Squad at least a couple dozen minutes and come out okay. No one would have expected her to last a minute even with him having one hand tied behind his back. I think the lightcone Swordplay is even trying to hint that the problem is less the wielder but the weapon for what is holding Sushang back. She currently thinks the weapon, its heft and destructive force, is more important than how it is used, hence why she mocks Luocha's rapier for potentially not even harming something struck by it. However, imagine what she could do with a weapon she could properly move with. One that she wasn't always having to fight against the weight of. She must know something about combat after all to have survived the St. Medicus troops she fought with Dan Heng and held her own against Yanqing and she's doing it with a weapon that is actively harming her ability to fight. It's like how a Greatsword user in Monster Hunter knows how every monster fights better than literally anyone else because if you don't know what it's going to do and where it's going to land, you're never going to hit with a weapon that makes you immobile while you hold it out.

Sushang is in a similar position so what could happen with some proper strength training? Or with a different weapon? Or just anything to help her not be slowed down? She has the heart of a hero so is she just waiting for her own blade, and not one that casts a shadow over her like her mother's? And do you need to think about any of this to enjoy the fact that right now, she summons a giant chicken for her ult because that's delightfully silly and fits with the general vibe of the character? No. Because she's HSR's lovable dumbass and I wouldn't want her any other way. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I do love how Guigui is the real easy one to go "Look, HSR is willing to give a 4 star character depth" but Sushang brings that home with, "No, they're cooking SOMETHING with even the most jokey of 4 stars, you just have to be willing to look a little deeper."

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[tatlstalesofthekingdom]

Little Devils That Live Underground

I want to put a spotlight on an old enemy we haven't seen since ALBW release. He might help us solve a mystery!

Goriya

Their first appearance dates all the way back to the first game in the series. They are described as "little devils that live underground. They use boomerangs to attack."

Canine-like darkness dwellers who specialize in throwing... Could the Mysterious Statues leading to the Abandoned Central Mine in Tears Of The Kingdom perhaps be Goriya?

Why would the statues be some old forgotten enemies? Wouldn't Mogma make more sense since they're friendly?

Let's take a closer look at some Goriya.

Red Goriya appearance in Zelda II. It's common for Goriya to be depicted with a raised arm to throw. (super sorry about the quality) This pose reminds me of the pose the Mysterious statues are carved in on the tablet Josha had you reassemble.

Red Goriya artwork for Zelda II compared to the sprite version. Goriya are known as one of the few enemies across the series capable of speech and reasoning. In Zelda II there is a hungry Goriya blocking your path until you feed him. Not all Goriya are aggressive.

Goriya fighting alongside Moblins in Zelda II. (Artwork source: Arts and Artifacts Dark Horse Books.) They don't seem to be little like their description says.

This Goriyas armor reminds me somewhat of the Barbarian armor...

Not exact, but they give similar design elements and silhouettes.

The Mysterious statues appear to hold Brightbloom seeds rather than Boomerangs. Which makes sense since these ones supposedly mine the Depths. Is there any creatures in Hyrule more skilled at throwing than a Goriya?

Speaking of boomerangs let's look at the in game descriptions for some boomerangs in both botw and totk:

First Pic is from BOTW Second is from TOTK

These boomerangs are massive and a challenge to handle even for Link. I'm assuming they aren't made for Hylians or perhaps even by Hylians given how RARE they are in TOTK. There's only a small handful of places on the surface you can obtain them from. Lizalfos and Moblins are now seen using them in battle.

Interestingly, the Giant Boomerang spawn points in the Depths are also specific to certain areas on the map, just like all the pristine weapons made by the other races of Hyrule. Pristine Giant Boomerangs can be found in the Faron region, Tanagar Canyon, Gerudo Highlands, and Eventide island in the Depths.

Eventide island particularly interests me because I believe the island is somewhat of a reference to Koholint Island. Where, most recently in Link's Awakening Remake, a friendly Goriya was introduced! He's a secret so keep it from everybody.

He trades your shovel for the boomerang at the end of the trading quest in that game. This ls the most recent appearance Goriya have made in the series. So maybe not as forgotten as we thought... just secret.

Green Goriya made their first appearance in ALTTP and more recently ALBW. The Goriya in these games behave quite differently. Rather than chasing you with boomerangs, they mirror all of Link's movements to block his path in a few Dark World/Lorulean dungeons.

I cant think of any other enemies across the games that mirror Link quite like that and isn't a boss like Shadow Link/ Dark Link.

Could the Ancient Hero's Aspect be the spirit of a Green Goriya cloaking Link's current Hylian shape? Green Goriya variants, since introduced, always mirrored Link rather than throwing boomerangs.

What about the Mogma?

I think the Mogma are prehistoric ancestors to Goriya. They do share a lot of similarities, like living underground and being canine-like.

TLDR: Goriya are the Mysterious race of people depicted by the statues in the Depths and that they could've decended from Mogma. Their races' unique weapon is the Giant Boomerang.

[h0n3yk1tt3n]

The last post full of out of context quotes was getting long as fuck so MORE QUOTES WITH @biscuitbakerbecca LETS GO

•2024 is being a 2020-whore

•Phone a little confused but it got the spirit

•Whatever, writing gay fanfic on the clock in rebellion

•:(((((( Saddy Discord is homophobic

•"I did not have sexual relations with your daughter"

•Goddamn these dads just ain’t daddys

•Why must we have an organ that hates us so

•bby girl the food doesn’t go on the floor

•"Is it lazy of me to not change Jeremy’s parents names between fics or am I just Keeping Consistent"

"I'd call that consistency but that's just bc I'm lazy lmao"

•We don't talk about

Hands

•Apparently so scared I used the wrong “to”

•✨️climate change✨️

•The narrative has a cruel sense of humor

•NO NO ITS TOO LATE FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT AXE LADY

•Money can buy science

•You gave me enough dad feelings by putting him in a coma I'm never gonna recover

•GOD FUCKING DAMMIG

•DAD FEELINGS HAVE ENTERED THE CHAT THANKS BECCA

•Maybe if I pass out while writing I’ll dream up an epic fight scene to write poorly

•L2C Jer is full of rage but Jake still outclasses him in everything

•Pussy before pussy amiright????

•Abracaoof

•Deliberate misgenderers get the stab stab

•Jolly ranchers do not make up for your lack of proper gendering skills peasant

•THE WILDERNESS IS PLOTTING AGAINST YOU

•MICHAEL MELL DID YOU MANIFEST AS THE BUG I JUST KILLED???

•MY GOD BECCA WHOS NEXT

•i am not beating the angstlord allegations

•man i traumatized you so bad you blocked out the memory

•I love shoving customers under the sink

•fr we both took our childhood hyperfixations and went "what if blorbo" and just ran with it

•Like dude you just made a pez dispenser for your spider jizz

•…sighed is a word last I checked

•Idk what to put on the shoes

•I was hoping Jeremy would stab him

•American English is so dumb sometimes. No, I'm gonna spell cancelled with two Ls. I'm gonna spell worshipped with two Ps. SHUT UP ITS GREY OK MISS ME WITH THAT GRAY SHIT

•You only know how to write caffeine addicted hero Jeremy, I only know how to write overprotective nearing the point of obsession Michael

•Scraped out of it with tinnitus and ptsd BUT STILL

•So what I'm hearing is they're switches

•I want Jeremy to fight people all the time the man has so much rage in such a sick Victorian child body

•Why did I think you lived with six people

•Mother nature is smokin some shit

•Discord are you smoking the same shit mother nature is

•Oh GOD ITS ACCUMULATING

•Twinkie: Lol

•Tbf this goes way too hard to be in a fast food drive thru

•Sex On A School Night WOULD be an awesome band name

•Fae portal closed before everyone could go thru

•Bitch ass tic tac

[pryotra]

Having just reread all of First and Lunar Shadows, I have a question about LS's last chapter - more specifically, Nitocris. She says to Hakuno when they all think she's about to sacrifice herself that “I was scared too. That day, and I was sure nothing was waiting for me, but I’m sure someone will be there for you. The Great Ozymandias would be sure of it as well.” does that mean she knew Gilgamesh would save Hakuno, or that she thought Hakuno was going to end up in the Throne of Heroes for everything she'd done? Or is she talking about the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife? I really like the idea that Nitocris thought Hakuno would end up in the Throne after dying, cause let's be real she probably will!

It's a bit of a mix honestly. Nito was...pretty sure Gil was going to at least go in there with her, but she does think that Hakuno will probably be engraved after making the wish she did. Essentially she restarted a dying timeline and gave them the hope to continue. Even if only one person remembers that, and knows that it happened, it did happen, and it did matter.

So while she was pretty sure that Gil wasn't going to let things end that miserably, she was also sure that if she does die, her spirit will be engraved.

Thanks for asking!

[sharinglaudatosi]

Remembrances of Pope Francis

Easter...the passing of Pope Francis...Earth Day.  The stars truly aligned.

The stars shone in their watches and were glad; 

   God called them, and they said, "Here we are!"

   They shone with gladness for the One who made them. (Baruch 3:34-35)

Pope Francis addressed his encyclical Laudato Si' not only to the Catholic Church but to all the people of the world: "The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. "   (LS 13)

Since his passing, words of appreciation have poured in from individuals and organizations outside of the Catholic Church.  Here are just two:

Just in case I thought one couldn’t feel more forlorn right now, the word came this morning of the death of Pope Francis. It hit me hard—not because I’m a Catholic (I’m a Methodist) but because I had always felt buoyed by his remarkable spirit. If he could bring new hope and energy to an institution as hidebound as the Vatican, there was reason for all of us to go on working on our own hidebound institutions—and if he could stand so completely in solidarity with the world’s poor and vulnerable, then it gave the rest of us something to aim for.  (Bill McKibben, noted environmental activist and writer)

   This past Monday, the world lost an environmental hero.      Pope Francis was more than just the esteemed leader of the Catholic Church—with a papal name based on the patron saint of ecology, he was a prominent advocate for environmental stewardship and climate change mitigation.       Over his 12 years of leadership, he reframed climate change as a spiritual issue and argued that we have a moral imperative to address it, one rooted in the sanctity of the Earth and believers’ God-given duties.    (Brett at Climate Action Now)

Sharing Laudato Si' comes to you from the St. Andrew the Apostle Care for Creation Ministry, Brooklyn, New York, affiliated with the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement.

               Please share!

[iambestthingintheworld]

Remember who tf you are

I want to basically talk to myself, right? And I think that’s the best thing I can do right now. I want to talk to myself — kind of like a pep talk.

Okay.

Hi.

I’m talking to you.

The girl who’s not just a survivor, but a champion, a winner.

The girl who comes out on top, above everyone. The girl who was on that stage, winning the cup for Best Results for A/Ls. The girl who’s always known that she is here to conquer, win, accomplish, and get everything she’s ever wanted in life.

The girl who sat there at the school library, saying, I’m going to go abroad for my Master’s, and believed that — even when she saw nothing, even when she had no reason to believe it — and then freaking accomplished it.

The girl who quit a 10K job because she thought she deserved better, and then landed a 90K job within a month.

I’m talking to the girl who doubted herself for months, and then became the best performer in sales on her team, over and over again.

I’m talking to the girl who has always accomplished everything she’s ever wanted, because she never took no for an answer.

I’m talking to the girl who’s always won and kept winning, because she has the spirit and drive to keep going.

I’m talking to the girl who made a promise to herself when she was younger — and kept every one of those promises.

I’m talking to the girl who knows she’s not destined for small things, but for things much greater than she could ever even imagine or believe in.

Because this girl knows — she is protected by God, loved by God, cared for and provided for by God.

And she believes in herself.

Even when she had nothing, she believed in herself.

And I’m talking to that girl right now.

Because I know she’s still in there.

I know she’s in there.

And you —

You don’t want to fucking play small.

You’re not here to play small.

You’ll never play small.

You’re you.

You come out on top.

You’re the number one.

You’re the best.

And you always accomplish the best.

Of course you reach your greatest potential — it’s you.

If anyone on Earth reaches their greatest potential, it’s you.

You are the most capable, most worthy, most self-confident, and most powerful person — and I cannot stress this enough:

If there’s anyone on this fucking planet who can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, it’s you.

You came from no home, a broken home, a broken family, from an abusive background, lived through a cycle of poverty — and you still became the breadwinner by the age of 21.

You earned in one month what people earn in two years, because you are that girl.

You are the same girl who cried in school because she couldn’t pay her school fees — and then went on to earn more than all of your classmates, probably more than the entire batch.

THATS WHO YOU ARE.

You are my center. My world. My life. My prize.

YOU ARE MY HERO.

[gogiberries]

Rewatching mha and could only think of her during this scene

[fanartfunart]

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Hi @smilesrobotlover I'm doing this and you can't stop me :P .... I have. Many.

Post albw rinku

Forests backstory

Wind & ph

Winter’s Break

LS Smith & Minish -lead to outfit change

Marin backstory

Linked Spirit Hope & 10

Linked Spirit Train

Ravio Backstory

Ls Ordon & Aror- Home

Shadow & Link

Hero of Men

The Return of Ganon

Shadow & Viola Compete for MMP (most manipulative player)

Smith's FSA

Captain N Hope

Rinku & Uncle

Hope vs Ganon

Little Mermaid

LS Malice Backstory

WW Dink

Artist Revalink

Forest & aging

Rinku & Past Self

Tri Force Heroes -Rinku, Glider & Hope

Coming Home - Hope

Bean OoT

Uuhhhhh idk where to even begin with the tag part so do it if you want to!

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

[Image Description: A 7 paneled colored page for Linked Spirit Legend of Zelda AU. Panel 1: Everyone sits or lays around a campfire, except Sky, who stands further off, back to them. Hero lounges on Wolf Link's back. Panel 2: Hope grins, hands behind his head as he lays on the ground, "I missed sleeping outdoors. The hard ground under your back, the air, the dirt-" Panel 3: Hero grumbles, "I don't." Looking to the side. Panel 4: Hope leans up, grinning, "Are we Dirt Buddies?" Hero's Spirit raises an eyebrow, lightly amused. Panel 5: They look down, "I grew up on the street." Panel 6: "I miss the barracks beds..." they lament. Panel 7: "Soldier?" asks Glider, brows pinched. Ordon looks at them curiously. "Kni- ah.... Squire." Hero says haltingly, their face partially changing to Sky's and partly to Glider's, "Not as far up as a lot of you, yet..." They say. End ID]

masterpost

First-

Timeline 1- Era of the Wild: Previous (47) - 48^ - Next (49)

Timeline 2- Era of the Four Spirit: 35.2

[nancyheart11]

hee it's the boi!

Twi link is my fav link so here’s a bunch of twi links! :D

In order:

Twi from @linkbetweenlinksau by yours truly

Daybreak made by @ladye-zelda

Twilight from @recalled11 made by @l3ominor

Twilight from @linked-maze made by @frulleboi

Twilight from @zelda-the-sacred-realm

Ordon from @linkedspirit-fanartfunart made by @fanartfunart

Twi from @houseofheroesau made by @phoenix-arts7

And Twilight from @limited-hero by @kenxboi !

[logo-comics]

Fortune Lover Superheroes DLC

Fun Fact: This was almost a Hero School DLC, but I wasn't sure if that was the intent, so I went with full-on superheroes.

Welcome to the City of Sorcier, Home to the Superhero Team The Guardians!

Meet Maria Campbell! Recently moved to Sorcier, she is secretly the detective superheroine, Miss Flashbang! What she lacks in superpowers, she more than makes up for in ingenuity, kindness, and more gadgets than you'd expect someone her height to be able to carry on their person!

Join her as she meets the local superheroes who make up The Guardians:

Flame Prince: Geordo Stuart - The leader of The Guardians, he wields control over flames, utilizing specialized gloves to generate the spark he needs with ease. Ruthless on the battlefield, is there more than meets the eye behind that flame-styled mask?

Iceheart: Alan Stuart - Geordo's twin brother and his partner before the founding of the Guardians, he can generate ice for various purposes using the water in the air. A cool professional, can any warmth be found in his heart?

The Duke: Keith Claes - Cocky, flirtatious, and somewhat arrogant, he has such control over the earth that he can create "dirt dolls" of any size from any form of stone or earth. Always looking for the next fling, can such a wild spirit be tamed?

Windbreaker: Nicol Ascart - A skilled master of the wind, he is not usually one to leap into action without prompting, and often acts as Everywhere's voice when interacting with others.

Sirius: Raphael Walt - Formerly the host of Miss Flashbang's archnemesis, the villainous ghost "Dark Mage," he has dedicated himself to protecting people from magical threats using a talisman he received from his mysterious benefactor "LS" ever since the foul villain was finally exorcised from the mortal realm. Can he be saved from the shadows of his past?

Lady Garden: Mary Hunt - A refined gentlewoman who can control plant life, she is the definition of grace and poise, even as she strikes down her foes with enchanted vines. Can she be taught to let loose?

Everywhere: Sophia Ascart - Formerly Winter Wind, she had to retire from fighting when she realized she lacked the durability for sustained combat, but refuses to let that stop her from helping save the day! The coordinator and researcher, she is the best at what she does and what she does is vital. Can anyone crack the code to her heart?

And, of course, what sort of superhero story is complete without villains, or in this case villainesses! Meet the four major players of the opposition:

The Villainess: Katarina Claes - The undisputed center of a criminal empire despite having no superpowers of her own, she might look odd in her medieval-styled dress, but it is vital to never mistake eccentricity for foolishness, as she single-handedly conquered all of the criminal organizations in Sorcier by the age of 7 and is always looking for a new hero to turn her attentions to.

Anne: Anne Shelley - Katarina's loyal servant, she is her undisputed right hand woman. Dressed in formal maid attire, if there is something that her employer asks of her, it will be done.

The Network: Sienna Nelson - Formerly the heroine Whisper, she was considered a twelfth stringer in the superhero community with her power to use the wind to have her voice project any distance at any volume. Where hero groups saw little value, Katarina saw potential and made her into her spymaster. Can her pure heart be mended?

The Modern Villainess: Noelia Flores - The only person who calls herself by her villainous title, Noelia views herself as a better Katarina due to having a modern aesthetic while failing to have Katarina's level of control or menace. Hiring thugs from out of town, she is a frequent opponent in the game's combat mechanic, in contrast to the other three.

And then, of course, there's our brand new content!

Combat and Stealth!

Investigation Mode!

New Romance Targets Among The Original Cast!

New Romance Flags!

Go Up, Up, And Away in Fortune Lover's Super Romance DLC!

Addendum: Admittedly, we should have expected for there to be an interest in romancing a supervillainess version of Katarina when there was the Sienna route available. You can find the Katarina Route patch on our website to download it for free!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 1, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

In honor of this year's Kentucky Derby (won today by Medina Spirit), I'm posting a piece my friend Michael S. Green and I wrote together a number of years ago on Ten Famous American Horses. It has no deep meaning... it's just fun. It remains one of my favorite things I had a hand in writing, and I'm pleased to have an excuse to share it.

I'll be back on the usual beat tomorrow.

1) Traveller

General Robert E. Lee rode Traveller (spelled with two Ls, in the British style) from February 1862 until the general’s death in 1870. Traveller was a grey American Saddlebred of 16 hands. He had great endurance for long marches, and was generally unflappable in battle, although he once broke both of General Lee’s hands when he shied at enemy movements. Lee brought Traveller with him when he assumed the presidency of Washington and Lee University. Traveller died of tetanus in 1871. He is buried on campus, where the safe ride program still uses his name.

2) Comanche

Comanche was attached to General Custer’s detachment of the 7th Cavalry when it engaged the Lakota in 1876 at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The troops in the detachment were all killed in the engagement, but soldiers found Comanche, badly wounded, two days later. They nursed him back to health, and he became the 7th Cavalry’s mascot. The commanding officer decreed that the horse would never again be ridden, and that he would always be paraded, draped in black, in all military ceremonies involving the 7th Cavalry. When Comanche died of colic in 1891, he was given a full military funeral (the only other horse so honored was Black Jack, who served in more than a thousand military funerals in the 1950s and 1960s). Comanche’s taxidermied body is preserved in the Natural History Museum at the University Of Kansas.

3) Beautiful Jim Key

Beautiful Jim Key was a performing horse trained by formerly enslaved veterinarian Dr. William Key. Key demonstrated how Beautiful Jim could read, write, do math, tell time, spell, sort mail, and recite the Bible. Beautiful Jim performed from 1897 to 1906 and became a legend. An estimated ten million Americans saw him perform, and others collected his memorabilia – buttons, photos, and postcards – or danced the Beautiful Jim Key two-step. Dr. Key insisted that he had taught Beautiful Jim using only kindness, and Beautiful Jim Key’s popularity was important in preventing cruelty to animals in America, with more than 2 million children signing the Jim Key Band of Mercy, in which they pledged: “I promise always to be kind to animals.”

4) Man o’ War

Named for his owner, August Belmont, Jr., who was overseas in WWI, Man o’ War is widely regarded as the top Thoroughbred racehorse of all time. He won 20 of his 21 races and almost a quarter of a million dollars in the early twentieth century. His one loss – to “Upset” – came after a bad start. Man o’ War sired many of America’s famous racehorses, including Hard Tack, which in turn sired Seabiscuit, the small horse that came to symbolize hope during the Great Depression.

5) Trigger

Entertainer Roy Rogers chose the palomino Trigger from five rented horses to be his mount in a Western film in the 1930s, changing his name from Golden Cloud to Trigger because of his quick mind and feet. Rogers rode Trigger in his 1950s television series, making the horse a household name. When Trigger died, Rogers had his skin draped over a Styrofoam mold and displayed it in the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in California. He also had a 24-foot statue of Trigger made from steel and fiberglass. One other copy of that mold was also made: it is “Bucky the Bronco,” which rears above the Denver Broncos stadium south scoreboard.

6) Sergeant Reckless

American Marines in Korea bought a mare in October 1952 from a Korean stable boy who needed the money to buy an artificial leg for his sister, who had stepped on a land mine. The marines named her Reckless after their unit’s nickname, the Reckless Rifles. They made a pet of her, and trained her to carry supplies and to evacuate wounded. She learned to travel supply routes without a guide: on one notable day she made 51 solo trips. Wounded twice, she was given a battlefield rank of corporal in 1953 and promoted to sergeant after the war, when she was also awarded two Purple Hearts and a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.

7) Mr. Ed

Mr. Ed was a talking palomino in a 1960s television show by the same name. At a time when Westerns dominated American television, Mr. Ed was the anti-Western, with the main human character a klutzy architect and the hero a horse that was fond of his meals and his comfortable life, and spoke with the voice of Allan “Rocky” Lane, who made dozens of “B” westerns. But the show was a five-year hit as it married the past to the future. Mr. Ed offered a gentle homely wisdom that enabled him to straighten out the troubles of the humans around him. The startling special effects that made it appear that the horse was talking melded modern technology with the comforting traditional community depicted in the show.

8) Black Jack

Black Jack, named for John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, was the riderless black horse in the funerals of John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, and Douglas MacArthur, as well as more than a thousand other funerals with full military honors. A riderless horse, with boots reversed in the stirrups, symbolized a fallen leader, while Black Jack’s brands – a US brand and an army serial number – recalled the army’s history. Black Jack himself was buried with full military honors; the only other horse honored with a military funeral was Comanche.

9) Khartoum

Khartoum was the prize stud horse of Jack Woltz, the fictional Hollywood mogul in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. In one of the film version’s most famous scenes, after Woltz refuses requests from Don Vito Corleone to cast singer Johnny Fontane in a movie, Woltz wakes up to find Khartoum’s head in bed with him… and agrees to use Fontane in the film. In the novel, Fontane wins the Academy Award for his performance. According to old Hollywood rumor, the story referred to real events. The rumor was that mobsters persuaded Columbia Pictures executive Harry Cohn to cast Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity. As Maggio, Sinatra revived his sagging film career and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

10) Secretariat

Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 25 years. His records in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes still stand. After Secretariat was stricken with a painful infection and euthanized in 1989, an autopsy revealed that he had an unusually big heart. Sportswriter Red Smith once asked his trainer how Secretariat had run one morning; Charlie Hatton replied, “The trees swayed.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON