#nicholas will get Scorpion soon as well

[clancross]

Winter had ended, the days were getting warmer. Deep in the Viridian Forest snow had already melted and green buds had begun to grow despite the lingering chill in the air.

Micah bristled against the cold, her fluffy fur proofing out and warning her and the new hatchlings as she let the little ones out to play.

The clan was already bustling with energy as the merchants worked to open the bazaar nearby and some wandering travelers already emerged from the Owlcat Inn furthur down the lake.

The tree that made up her home was connected to the hatchery, a fitting place for her as hatchery mother. Doreak and Chrysalis had recently had a brood of eggs, and the hatchlings from Orion and Ostara were almost old enough to find new homes of their own.

The hatchlings in question were in the playpen, a little ingenious work Micah had made between the trees and off the road by the lake. It was fenced in preventing the little ones from escaping and with a little rune work and a few golems stationed on the posts it ensured the hatchlings could play and Micah didn't have to worry about one slipping off without her notice.

A flapping of wings got Micah's attention and the tundra turned to see a familiar fae, Beltane.

She had a pouch filled to the brim with vials with mysterious liquids.

"Keep the hatchlings close. Void said a Gaoler was spotted nearby." Beltane's monotone voice came as the fae settled on one of the fence posts leading to the playpen. Micah blinked.

"A gaoler? But they only work to contain the Shade and I've never heard of one leaving the Icewarden's territory." She said. Beltane shook her head.

"Lately things seem stranger than normal. Have you ever seen a gaoler before?" Beltane asked. Micah shook her head.

"I was born in the forests, so sadly I have not." Micah admitted. The little fae twitched one of their ears, the fan like protrusions from their head and neck quivering slightly. Fae were notorious for being hard to read, but Beltane seemed harder then most. At least to Micah.

"Pity," Beltane said, though Micah couldn't tell if she was actually disappointed or not, "But still. Keep an eye out. Kayce said he would stop by later."

With that the little fae took off, her little wings allowing her to glide past the much larger dragons and off to her own tree. Micah wondered if perhaps a new golem would appear soon, but turned her attention to the hatchlings.

Something had gotten their interest, the hatchlings crowding around one of the playhouses. One, a spiral, was trying to poke their head in but would dart back and a squeal would go through the group.

Worried that some sort of danger might have snuck in, Micah quickly went into the playpen.

"Let me see what you've found." She said gently, using a gentle push on the hatchlings to peer inside the playhouse.

It took a moment for her to see it clearly, and at first she thought it was a pile of snow until its pale eyes blinked at her.

The creature looked like a tundra hatchling, though a little strange compared to what Micah had seen before.

"Hello little one, are you lost?" Micah said softly, laying her body down flat and appearing as non threatening as possible. The hatchling blinked but didn't say anything.

"My name is Micah. Are you hungry? I have some food inside if you are." Micah offered. The hatching blinked again.

".... ark..." its voice was hoarse and trembled. Micah tilted her head to the side.

"Pardon, could you repeat that?"

"Is..it.... dark....?" It spoke slowly. Micah shook her head.

"Why no, it isn't! The morning sun has already come up and it's very bright out here! Would you like to see?" Micah asked. The tundra hatchling slowly got up, keeping their body low as they slowly crawled their way out. The other hatchlings had wisely backed off, playing elsewhere in the pen or watching with interest.

Once outside, Micah purred happily, gently reaching down and nudging the hatchling with her snout. The hatchling smelled of winter, crisp and minty, but otherwise seemed fine.

"...bri... ght..." the hatchling murmured. Micah nodded.

"Yup! Now, could you tell me your name?" She asked. The hatchling blinked at her then shook their head.

"...do...nt.... have... one...." it said. Micah felt a pang in her chest but shook her head. Wasn't the first time she had heard of an abandoned hatchling finding their way to a clan after all. she looked the dragon over, thinking for a moment.

"Well. For now let's call you.... Nicholas." She purred. She extended a wing so the hatchling could climb onto her back, and with the strangle young tundra trembling between her shoulders as she carried it to her den she wondered just where it could have come from.

[lestatslestits]

Phantom of the Opera/Sherlock Holmes Crossover Masterpost

@wheel-of-fish and @jennyfair7 requested a master post of all of the Sherlock Holmes and Phantom of the Opera crossovers that I know of, so after a few days of compiling, here it is! These books range from the (fairly) well known to the rather obsessively obscure, and include any books I know of where the Holmes and Phantom universes overlap. I’ve taken this as a chance to review the ones I’ve read, and I’ll hopefully be able to update this post with more info on the others once I finish them. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Note: this is only a list of crossovers published and available for purchase, and of which I am aware. If anyone else knows of more, please let me know!

The Angel of the Opera by Sam Siciliano

This is the first Phantom/Sherlock crossover I ever read. For me it’s a bit hit or miss. The author decided to forgo including Watson, and instead included a character named Doctor Henry Vernier, a cousin of Holmes’, as the narrator. I believe that Henry Vernier is most likely a reference to Doctor Verner, Holmes’ cousin who ended up buying Watson’s medical practice after the death of Mary Watson. Which is to say, it’s a book written by a person who seemingly remembered a single line from a single Sherlock Holmes story about Holmes having a physician cousin named Verner (presumably made into Vernier for the purposes of the book’s French setting, and to reflect Holmes’ French heritage), but still managed to confuse the Grasshopper and the Scorpion, and occasionally spell Erik as “Eric.” It makes some sense, though, as Siciliano is mostly a Sherlockian, with several other pastiches under his belt. For my money, he’s not my favorite interpreter of Holmes as a character, although it could be that his choice of narrators impacts how Holmes is portrayed. Although it does tend to fall into some Phantom-centric tropes that I don’t care for, overall The Angel of the Opera is long enough to flesh out the story more fully than some Holmes/Phantom crossovers manage, and in general the style feels consistent with what you would expect from a Holmes story. It absolutely pulled me in when I read it at a young age, and I’m hoping to have the chance to revisit it soon.

The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer

The Canary Trainer is the second book (chronologically) in a trio of Holmes novels that take place during The Great Hiatus, the years between “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House,” during which time Holmes is assumed dead. The first book, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, involves Holmes meeting Sigmund Freud and undergoing psychotherapy to cope with his drug addiction. The Canary Trainer finds Holmes in France, taking a violinist position at the Opera House and coming face to face (so to speak) with Erik. Nicholas Meyer is perhaps best known for directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a well-known Holmes pastiche (which I will admit I’ve never read). The Canary Trainer is a bit more obscure.

The Canary Trainer takes on a lot of cool concepts (a story that takes place during The Great Hiatus, perspective on Erik’s time as an architect and builder, etc.), but it also makes a lot of baffling choices, such as having Gaston Leroux show up as a character, and including Irene Adler only to under-utilize her as little more than a love interest for Holmes (her lukewarm friendship with Christine is one of the most disappointing parts of the book, in my opinion). It also barely allows Erik and Holmes to interact. Erik is such a profoundly sympathetic antagonist and Holmes is capable of such extreme empathy that it’s a shame to not let them engage with each other.

Rendezvous at the Populaire and I Will Find the Answer by Kate Workman

While most Holmes/Phantom crossovers focus on Leroux’s novel, Rendezvous at the Populaire, as its name suggests, pulls heavily from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. So heavily, in fact, that a major chunk of the dialogue and descriptions comes directly from lyrics, which can be distracting. Stylistically, Rendezvous at the Populaire reads differently than your typical Holmes pastiche, drawing from multiple points of view instead of one narrator. It can feel rather rough around the edges, but I ultimately found it a fun read. It’s nice to read a crossover that features Watson, and Holmes and Erik have a nice dynamic. This book prompted a sequel, I Will Find the Answer, in which Holmes, Watson, and Erik join forces to solve the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. In the same way that Rendezvous at the Populaire draws primarily from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, I Will Find the Answer draws more heavily from Jekyll and Hyde than from Robert Louis Stevenson’s book. Workman’s style progresses nicely between books, making I Will Find the Answer a bit easier of a read, less reliant on song lyrics for its text. If she ever decides to publish her proposed third book featuring Holmes and Erik solving the Jack the Ripper murders, I’ll be interested to read it.

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Opera Ghost by Steven Philip Jones and Aldin Baroza

This is two part comic is part of a series pitting Holmes against various gothic literary icons and monsters. It draws heavily from Leroux and Kay. The comic takes place after The Great Hiatus and the death of Mary Watson. The story had to be pretty heavily condensed to fit the two issue format, but it accomplishes a lot in a short space, hitting high points in the story. There is a subplot that heavily focuses on Watson mourning Mary’s death, which leads to a unique twist on the end of the story. The art style is cool and has a nice vintage black and white look. I would love to see this concept extended into a longer series, but as it stands it’s a nice, quick read. Due to its brevity it does get a little confusing at times, including a point where Mary appears to call Watson “James” instead of John (although it’s hard to fault the comics for a mistake Doyle himself occasionally made), but it’s a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out.

Angels of Music by Kim Newman

This is a crossover that breaks the mold! Instead of pitting Holmes against Erik, this book features Irene Adler (among other fictional woman, including Christine Daaé and some of Newman’s own characters from other books) working with Erik as a sort of spy. It’s Charlie’s Angels by way of The Phantom of the Opera, and I’m only a few pages into it, but I’m certainly excited to read more. In some ways Irene Adler is a more natural fit into Phantom than Holmes himself is, so I’m always interested to find crossovers that include her. I’ll likely update this post once I’ve finished the book.

The Phantom of the Opera Carmen by Regina Goncalves

I had to do a lot of digging to find any information about this book and I’m still not entirely sure what it’s about, but I wanted to include it for the sake of thoroughness. Hopefully I’ll be able to read it and provide an update later.

The Phantom of the Opera Carmen is one story in a series of educational books for young readers. The stories focus on a time traveler named Caius Zip who travels and learns about the connection between art and science. This story features Caius teaming up with Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells to solve the mystery of our favorite ghost while the opera house attempts to mount a production of Carmen. There also seems to be a story about Caius and Sherlock meeting some of the masters of Impressionism and learning about their art. How, if at all, this ties in with the Phantom plot isn’t clear. This book is on my list once I finish Angels of Music, so I hope to be able to report back later.

Sherlock Holmes contro il Fantasma dell’Opera by Antonella Mecenero

 Sherlock Holmes contro il Fantasma dell’Opera is an e-book short story/novella in which Sherlock Holmes once again takes a position as a violinist at the opera house in order to solve the mystery of the Phantom. I know very little about this book as it exclusively available in Italian, which I don’t read or speak. Special thanks to @letyourfantasiesunwind1981 for pointing out this story to me!

[beyondconfessor]

The Infernal Contracts [10/16]

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Lilith/Zelda Spellman

Summary: It had seemed like semantics, but what did demons argue for in their contracts, if not the finer details?

N.B.: Also posted on AO3

Zelda laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. The memories of last night repeated through her mind, reminding her sharply of every mistake. Her actions had been reckless. She should never have allowed Lilith into her home in the first place, she shouldn't have sat next to her, and she should never have kissed her –– amongst other things.

She almost ruined everything, and for what? Some superfluous addition to her magic?  

Not only was she hiding the Dark Lord's involvement from Sabrina (made easier by the fact that her niece was seemingly avoiding her) but she was emotionally and physically binding herself to the self-proclaimed Mother of Demons, expecting to not get bitten as a result.

How many times had she, herself, re-iterated the story of the Scorpian and the Frog to Sabrina, reminding her that hell-beings were never to be trusted.

And here she was, swimming across the river with the scorpion on her back.

No. She needed to terminate the contract before anyone found out.

Climbing out of bed, Zelda bathed and then moved to wardrobe to choose an appropriate outfit. It needed to sufficiently show that, yes she was attractive, no she wasn't attainable, not even by the Mother of Demon. Not any more.

It admittedly took longer than it should have to choose, but finally, she ended up deciding on a pair of tailored high-waisted trousers. This way, there was no skirt hiking, no slipping underneath the material. Lilith would have to get creative to seduce her.

Zelda sat at her dresser, choosing her jewellery carefully before pausing at her rings. She still wore the ring Lilith had provided her. It had felt more comfortable on her right hand than the wedding band did on her left. Fiddling with it, she considered removing it to make her decision apparent.

She turned it three times over and then decided that no. It had been a gift, and if Lilith wanted it back, she would need to ask for it.

Besides, it went with all her clothes––which was a rare find in rings these days.

Rising before the vanity mirrors, she looked herself over, ensuring that she looked desirable and unattainable before she left the room.

First thing first, she would drop in for morning tea with Hilda, having promised her the other day. It would make it easy to check on how Sabrina and Ambrose were doing, and then she would make her leave for Lilith's home afterwards, giving her plenty of time to return to the Academy before dinner.

When she arrived at the Mortuary, Sabrina took one look at her and returned upstairs to her room, under the guise of studying.

"Don't worry about her, love. She's just adjusting to change. We all are," Hilda said as she pushed a cup of tea into her hands.

"Adjusting is one way to put it. She's switched from my classes at the Academy. You'd think that I'd ruined her life rather than saving our family."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry. You know how teenagers are, melodramatic about every slight."

"Certainly true," Zelda agreed as she took a sip of the tea. However, she couldn't help but feel hurt by Sabrina's absence. She'd like nothing more than to move past this, but it seemed that was entirely up to her niece.

It made her less inclined to tell her the truth, knowing that it would be the final straw for Sabrina. However, the longer she held onto it, the worse the outcome would be.

She needed to tell her soon.

"Everything alright, Zelds?" Hilda prompted. "He hasn't…tried anything since Rome?"

Zelda looked up from her tea, shaking her head. "No, we're at a stalemate for the moment. He's liking waiting for an opportune moment to get retaliation, but as so far it seems we're held in a ceasefire." Except for how she was occasionally charming him with dreams to soothe their relationship. Eventually, he'd catch on to that too.

Zelda felt as though she was spinning a vast web, and if she weren't careful, she'd get tangled in her own lies.

"I see. And how did the dinner party go?"

Zelda drew in a breath, trying to forget the kiss she'd shared with the Mother of Demons. Or the feeling of the woman's hand, sliding up her thigh. Or how her body had–– "Quite well, I'll have the books returned to you later, during the week."

"Okay, well, not to push but you're bit with the fairies at the moment. Has something happened?"

Zelda stared at her sister, narrowing her eyes. Before she could assure her sister that she was fine and there was nothing discuss (because there wasn't), the sound of the front door opening and shutting interrupted her.

"Are you expecting someone?"

"I'll go see who that is," Hilda said before running off to the foyer.

Zelda rolled her eyes, drawing a sip of her tea. Within a few moments, Mr Scratch was entering the parlour with a book under his arm. "Lady Blackwood," he greeted politely, with a short nod of his head.

Zelda felt her chest constrict at the name. "Mr Scratch," she greeted. "I take it you're here to visit Sabrina?" she asked, hearing the sound of Hilda's footsteps climbing the many stairs towards Sabrina's bedroom.

"Yes, I…"

"With a book?" she asked, gesturing to it. She watched his hand curl tighter around it.

"Yes, uh. For us to study," Nicholas said, looking awkward as he forcibly tried to relax. Zelda rose, coming to stand before him. Nicholas had the look of a warlock trying to hide something and Zelda did not appreciate men coming into her house with the intention of hiding things from her.

She reached out and took the book, watching as the boy briefly fought her before thinking better of it.

"A book of prophecies?" she asked, turning it over. It seemed amusing at first and then realising that Sabrina was involved and Nicholas Scratch had clearly not wanted her to know his intention, her heart began to sink in her chest. "Why are you bringing a book of prophecies to Sabrina?"

"We're studying prophecies in class," he said in an abysmal attempt to lie.

Zelda narrowed her eyes, coming to stand tall before him. "Try again," she suggested.

Nick drew in a breath, looking over his shoulder as if Sabrina might appear at any moment and help, but her niece was still upstairs, likely arguing with Hilda going by the muffled sounds.

"I will not ask again, Mr Scratch, and I don't think I need to remind you as to just what I would do to ensure Sabrina's safety."

In a rush of words, Nick explained everything. Beginning with Sabrina's party, how Harvey and Theo interrupted and drew them to the mines, how there was a prophecy imprinted there depicting Sabrina of being the Herald of Hell. He went on to say how Sabrina had attempted to speak to Ms Wardwell about this (and Zelda felt herself grow cold at the mention of the teacher), but the woman had been strangely absent from her home, so Nicholas advised that he'd moved to the library for research and had found a footnote prophecy, likely discussing Sabrina.

"Which one?" she asked.

Nicholas reached for the book and turned to the page, pointing to the prophecy.

It took two reads to understands, and then Zelda could feel her growing anger and fury. Not only had Sabrina hidden this from her, but this was the goal the Dark Lord had planned.

How fucking dare he.

She snapped the book shut and looked at Nicholas. "Thank you, Mr Scratch," she said, schooling her features. "I appreciate honesty in this house." And then she reached out and placed her hand on his left shoulder, staring into his eye. "But I think you should forget this. After all, you're here to see Sabrina and help her study, are you not?"

The thrum of magic shot through her hand and Zelda watched as Nicholas' eyes became foggy, the spell eating at the memory until it turned to dust. "Sorry, could you say that again?" he asked.

Zelda smiled, drawing her hand away. "I said it's lovely that you came here to help Sabrina study. I expect she has a lot to catch up on with her new classes."

"Ah, yes," Nicholas nodded, turning to look over his shoulder at the sounds of Sabrina approaching. "She's doing well, though."

"I expect nothing less," Zelda said. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some business to attend to."

Zelda left, exiting out of the parlour to the foyer just as Sabrina was coming down the stairs. Zelda considered confronting her about the so-called Herald of Hell mosaic, but bit her tongue instead and smiled politely to her and Hilda both.

"You're leaving already?" Hilda asked. "I thought we might have a spot of lunch?"

"I'm afraid I have some business to attend to."

"Oh, is that why you're so dressed up?" Hilda asked.

"So you're off to some date with his Unholy eminence?" Sabrina snarked.

Zelda felt a sharp comment rise in her throat and then thought better of it. The last thing she needed to do was place any more kindling on that fire burning inside of Sabrina. Given everything that was revealed, no doubt her niece had an amount of pent-up rage, and instead of thoughtfully managing it like an adult, she decided that picking fights were a better use of her time.

"Goodbye. Enjoy your afternoons," Zelda said, before exiting out of the Mortuary to where her car was.

She placed the book of prophecy on the passenger seat before closing the driver's door and starting the car. Her own fury began to burn inside of her as she thought over the prophecy's words again, and what they meant.

Lilith raising her niece to be the Dark Lord's Herald was one thing, possibly something she could view as an honour if it were to happen far in the future, once Sabrina had completed her education. But the prophecy was advising that Sabrina was to sit at his side on the throne, and there was no way in Heaven she would allow her niece to become some child bride. Not to the Dark Lord, nor to anyone for that matter.

Did Lilith know? Was this her true intentions?

No, Zelda couldn't believe it. And yet, it made more sense than she wanted it to.

Arriving at the cottage on the edge of the forest, Zelda parked the car. She took two deep breaths, deciding to get answers first and then seek retribution, before exiting the vehicle.

Clutching the book of prophecy to herself, Zelda walked up to the house and rapped her knuckles onto the front door.

She heard the muffled sound of heels clicking from inside and then the lock turned, the door opening wide for Lilith to lean against the frame and run her eyes over Zelda's body. "Miss me?"

Zelda pushed past the woman into her home. She was too angry (and admittedly a fair amount of worked up) to engage in flirting. Setting the book of prophecy down on the table, she pointed to it and raised her eyebrows at the woman. "Did you know?"

"Did I know…what?" Lilith asked dryly.

"Did you know that about the prophecy?" she hissed.

Lilith's eyes narrowed, all amusement fading as she stepped closer and picked up the book, going to where the page had been bookmarked.

Zelda studied her expression, watching it harden into a neutral mask as she traced her fingers over the footnote prophecy (someone didn't want it to be noticed, but it was stated that all predictions must be written down). "I didn't know about this one," Lilith said as she looked up, snapping the book shut. All playfulness had left the woman, and for the first time since Zelda had met her, Lilith looked unsettled.  

No, she couldn't believe her because a few muscles pulled in a particular expression.

"So the miracles, the exorcism, fixing the mortal friend's blindness, that wasn't at your direction?" Zelda asked. "Because I distinctly recall you sauntering into my home-"

"Obviously, that was me, but I didn't know it would––" She cut herself off, drawing in a deep breath. "I thought she was to replace my position as the right hand, which would allow me to ascend to the throne. But obviously not." Zelda watched as the woman's lips pressed tightly, a familiar rage building and then simmering inside of her. "You don't need to believe me, but it is the truth."

"You didn't know?" Zelda asked

"Why would I throw away everything I worked for to some child?" she snapped and then recoiled, looking around the woman as if aware that someone might be listening. "I didn't lie to you, Zelda."

"How am I meant to believe that?"

Lilith gave her a tired look. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Zelda closed her eyes, feeling a pulling headache surface. She didn't want to believe Lilith, and yet the idea of her stepping aside for Sabrina willingly seemed...wrong.

"Does she know about this?"

Zelda thought better of admitting the entire truth, (there was safety in ignorance after all) and instead stated, "This prophecy was discovered by Mr Scratch who's conveniently forgotten all about it for the moment, so we have time."

"When did this occur?"

"Only moments before I left for here."

Lilith stared at Zelda before a slow smile graced her lips. "And you came rushing to me with the book?"

Zelda flushed, discomforted by the change in mood, knowing where it was likely to go. "I was already planning to visit if you recall. We have matters to discuss. And I came here to accuse you, not do whatever you're inferring."

"Is that so?" Lilith set the book on the table and stepped towards Zelda. "And what 'matters' do we have to discuss?"

Zelda resisted the urge to step back, refusing to allow herself to be corned again. "The contract for one, and that I need to reclaim Leviathan."

"Of course," Lilith nodded, now standing terribly close. "And what problems with the contract do you have?"

"I want to end it."

"I told you, you can end it whenever you desire to." Lilith's hand had begun playing with the collar of Zelda's blouse, smoothing it across her chest, so it sat flush. The touch was innocent enough, but it was pulling a strange desire in Zelda's chest, a longing for the fingers to draw against her skin. "Is that why you came here, to close our contract? Or did you perhaps come here in want of fixing a little problem?"

"I want it to end," Zelda said, but the words had thickened with arousal.

Lilith's smirk widened, "Ending this has nothing to do with want."

Zelda blinked, going to argue that she had explicitly stated only moments ago that contact was about her want to exit from it––and then Zelda realised that no, she hadn't. When they initiated the contract, Lilith had stipulated it was about desiring to leave, not wanting. Panic grew inside of her. "What do you mean it's not about 'want?"

"Oh, I think you know," Lilith said as she tilted her head to look at her. Her fingers began trailing down her blouse, over Zelda's ribs, down to her waist where the trousers rested. "Tell me, Zelda, do you desire to end our contract?" Lilith was leaning forward now, one hand pressing flush against her abdomen, the other coming to curl over the waist of her pants. "Be honest."

It had seemed like semantics, but what did demons argue for in their contracts, if not the finer details?

She drew a breath, feeling the woman's fingers begin to undo the top of the slacks, flicking the button undone.

She wanted the consequence of this relationship to cease. She wanted the desperation she felt when she was near the woman to disappear. She wanted to be lying in bed at night without daydreaming of Lilith next to a man she didn't care for. She wanted to wake up and not feel the sudden longing in her chest. Satan save her, she wanted so many things.

But the ending of this infernal contract? She was at war with herself, knowing that it would likely destroy her and knowing with great certainty that she would happily allow it to if it meant Lilith would look at her like she had last night.

The woman was everywhere in her thoughts. Zelda may not want it, but she did crave the woman's presence in her life. Her touch, her perfume, her voice. May Hell forgive her, she wanted to hear Lilith moan her name again.

"Lilith," she husked. "This will not end well for us."

"Few things do for women like you and me."

The quiet sat with those words, Lilith holding her waist firmly, looking up at her with wide blue eyes, asking her to say the words and Zelda looking down at her, feeling them on her tongue.

She should tell her no, tell her that she couldn't. That she must return to Sabrina and advise her of this prophecy, she must protect the Blackwood children. But her heart was pounding, and Lilith's hands felt as if they were made to hold her.

"Come now, Zelda, say the words," Lilith purred. "You may even get a reward."

"I want you," Zelda admitted. "I yearn for you every other moment of the day and right now all I want, all I desire, is to fall at your knees and worship you."

Lilith's eyes darkened with arousal, before she slipped her heels off, kicking them away. And then she slowly knelt onto her knees before Zelda, as if she were about to pray.

Zelda had only a moment to prepare herself, before she watched the woman's mouth part, her teeth catching the tab of the zipper from her pants, pulling it down with more eroticism than any one person had a right to.

Zelda couldn't recall the last time a lover had been on their knees before her, and as Lilith pulled down her pants, Zelda was sure she'd never been more aroused in her life. She couldn't think to say anything, only stare at the woman with awe as the woman's hands drew up her bare legs, coming to rest on her thighs.

Lilith held for a moment, looking up as if waiting for Zelda to say or do something –– when no response was summoned, she leant forward and pressed her mouth to Zelda's sex, her tongue slipping between her folds and tasting the growing arousal. Zelda moaned, feeling a rush of electricity run down her spine with each slow, firm stroke.

Zelda reached out and drew her hands through the thick mane of hair, encouraging her closer, and as Lilith's pace increased, she found herself falling back against the wall of the room, one hand curling tighter in Lilith's hair, as the other pressed against the wall, trying to hold herself steady.

"Lilith," she whined, feeling the tongue curl against her. "Lilith I-" the praise cut off in a strangled gasp as she looked down to find Lilith's eyes watching her. She knew the woman was smirking between her thighs, absolutely enjoying the hedonistic indulgence she was placing on her.

Zelda stifled a moan, her hand tightening in the woman's hair, eyes squeezing shut as she felt the wave ebb closer. Her body clenched and released, an exhaled breath barely leaving her before she was inhaling again in short-sharp gasps as Lilith began sucking on her clit.

"Satan in Heaven," Zelda hissed as she felt the wave rise, the climax within reach — and then Lilith was pulling away from her, and the Zelda felt as if she was falling.

No, she was falling.

Zelda gasped, her legs tumbling out from under her as she was tugged to the ground, thrown onto her back before Lilith straddled her torso, just over her clavicle, so the weight of her made it difficult to breathe.

Lilith looked down at her, grinning as if she was so delighted that Zelda had defied her. "Here I was offering you a grand prize, and you brought Him into it," Lilith tsked. "I thought I taught you better than that."

"I…" Zelda tried to speak, but the woman's fingertips pressed to her lips, a warning look in her eyes.

"Oh no, language like that will need to be punished." And then Zelda watched as the woman slipped off her clothes, the lingerie underneath being tugged of far faster than Zelda would like. "But I don't know if you really learnt your lesson last time, so I've decided that you're going to be a good girl and use your mouth until such a time as I think of a good lesson. Understood?"

Zelda nodded.

"Now, little witch, open up."

Zelda stared up at the woman, wondering if she was serious about the theatrics, before deciding very quickly that she was.

She parted her lips, looking up at the woman with raised eyebrows. Lilith grinned from above before pushing up onto her knees. There was a moment where she adjusted herself, moving her legs on either side of Zelda's body before she curled her hand into Zelda's hair.

"Remember, no sooner," she said, her tone carrying a warning.

Zelda lifted her head between the woman's thighs and obeyed. She drew her tongue over the woman, tasting the sweet arousal.

Lilith was quiet in pleasure, restrained almost (which only annoyed Zelda as she knew the woman was deliberately holding back her contentment). When she came, it was with a deep breath she held in her lungs, as her hips rocked against Zelda's face. The hand in Zelda's hair grew tight and then loose before she let go altogether and then exhaled with a warm chuckle as she looked down at Zelda.

"You know, I don't think I've thought of anything yet," Lilith said to her. "I hope you have nowhere else to be because you're all mine until I'm done."

Zelda grinned up at her, feeling the chuckle rise. The truth was, at this moment, there was nothing in her thoughts but Lilith. Lilith's body, Lilith's voice. She wanted to worship it all.

Her hands drew up the warm legs, as the sex lowered over her mouth again. She had places to be, she couldn't stay here for all eternity, and yet she wanted to, desired to.

It was as if she was in the most divine worship, and there was nothing that could make her leave this moment.

[neoraven]

What’s Joe Watching - May 2020

So, I have a bunch of free time, everyone has a bunch of free time, and this is some of the stuff I've been watching so far in 2020. This is mostly TV shows, I’m leaving out a few movies I watched only partially. I'm including some things that I bounced off and quit watching, but I fully reserve the right to go back to them a little later.

Justified - Pilot I intended to just watch the opening Tommy Buck scene, but I fucked up and saw the whole episode since everyone is so darn compelling. And every interaction with Dewey Crowe and Raylan is a treasure. It's amusing to see the Florida Crowe Clan brought up in the show's first 10 minutes or so. This episode is completely fantastic, but it also kinda made me realize how the whole first season is a pilot. Despite him looming over a few scenes, Raylan's father never even shows up. I don't think I'm going to do a full watch through the entire series, but this was extremely fun.

6 Underground - A Michael Bay Film I loved the action, and usage of Dave Franco (cough). As usual, the movie thinks it's way more clever than it actually is. I mostly enjoyed it, definitely has action a cut above the average Transformers movie. The characters don't live up to the likes of Pain & Gain or The Rock, though. Ryan Reynolds felt like way too much of a Deadpool-Mary Sue fantasy of a badass in 2020.

Tremors 1 and Tremors 2 Definitely started the sequel without knowing that Bacon was nowhere to be seen. That was okay though. These movies are fun, and at least early on, they manage to make each one different enough to hide the fact that they're losing recognizable faces with each movie.

The Rookie - Season 2 I'm going to tiptoe around and not spoil it out of abundance of caution, but the reveal was pretty thoroughly lame, expected, yet also seemed hurried and out of left field? It was all done pretty well, and the episodes were usually good, but I'm slightly dreading Season 3. Every character other than Nolan ended up in a pretty okay or even promising place, though, so they could just write their way out of it.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle This sequel has some great moments, but mostly suffers from the normal "too much more" problem that affects nearly all sequels.

Super Troopers 2 Still mostly funny! Even when retreading jokes from the old one. Full disclosure, I fell asleep before the big climax/finale, but It went off fine and everyone lived happily ever after anyways.

911 Lone Star - Season 1 This show was ridiculous for all the right reasons, and seemed to have the right mix of the Glee creative forces to make something goofy and fun. Really hopeful to see it picked up for a bigger and better second season.

Lincoln Rhyme The Hunt For The Bone Collector Did I like this show just because of the long, funny title? Probably. But it was still pretty fun. Parts of it felt like a movie length story stretched into a short season of TV, but the cases of the week helped with that, I guess. Despite the twist ending, I think this is going to end up a one and done show.

Mission Impossible 1 & 2 The first is such a great De Palma classic. I used to think of the second as "bad, but at least it's John Woo", but watching it this time it just felt bad period. I'm probably going to watch the rest soon, since the rest are extremely enjoyable.

Superstore - Season 5 Holy shit, this show was really funny, and the union storyline has been surprisingly good. I'm a little upset that real life circumstances are kind of boxing the show into a corner, between the season not being able to finish filming as well as it being America Ferrera's last on the show. However, I'm pretty confident the show will keep on being entertaining in some way. The Office survived Michael Scott's departure, obviously. That's an idea, Robert California buying Cloud 9 in season 6. Is The Blacklist still going?

This next group of things I started watching for some period of time, but walked away. I don't want to say they all completely fucking suck, though! I definitely might go back to them, but they're at least on a big pause.

The Great - Season 1 This just dropped on Hulu. It's really promising! It has Elle Fanning as the titular (Catherine) The Great, and Nicholas Hoult as her husband Peter. It's got a really weird vibe to it. One reviewer said it was more sketch comedy than historical epic. Peter came off as David Brent, but actually slaughtering people. It just hit a little too dark and uncomfortable type humor. I usually love that, and love the Office! But this just felt pushed a little far over the line for me to stay with. More uncomfortable than funny. But it's a really amazingly well made and clever idea for a show.

Tacoma FD - Season 1 - TruTV Looked like Super Troopers plus Reno 911 at first glance. But it just didn't really click. Actually, sitting here, I'm struggling to remember much about it.

Battlefield Earth (Rifftrax) Not sure why I'm including this on here, I've seen this (and the riff trax with it) a bunch of times. The movie was just too painful this time. Maybe I'm getting weaker in my old age to stand John Travolta's voice in this movie.

Mortal Kombat: Scorpion's Revenge This is an animated Mortal Kombat movie that I vaguely knew was R+ rated for violence. It was uncomfortably like what a 13 year old would consider cool gory violence. Like just cutting dozens of ninjas lengthwise and huge cartoon intestines sputtering everywhere. It was well animated and the action was fairly cool, but it was just gross to look at. I lasted long enough to briefly appreciate Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, though.

Brews Brothers - Season 1 - Netflix I don't have anything overwhelmingly bad to say about this one. The humor just didn't super click for me, and I bailed out fast. It's made by the gentlemen behind The League. I liked the title/pun/idea about two different brothers running a brewery together. It just kinda suffered from a bad cold opening of the first episode real bad.

Happy Endings - Season 1 Okay stop yelling at me for not liking this show. I gave it a shot based on the cast and rave reviews and loads of folks with good TV opinions trying to get it saved. The way the series starts just struck me way more sad than funny? I guess that's the point, and I'm not letting them get to the titular happy ending. But eh.

Okay, that's a lot of words, next up will be a bunch of shows I'm currently watching/enjoying/excited to finish! Or it will probably be so long that they will convert into completed shows!!! Who knows?

[tipsycad147]

Meet The Plants | Lemon Balm Benefits & Uses

Written by Sass Ayres

For such a soft, light green herb that grows like a weed, the food and medicine of lemon balm is pretty mighty. It’s a powerful mood-elevating herb, a serious antiviral, and a incredibly versatile culinary ingredient. Like salt and pepper, lemon balm’s bright, lemony flavor and fragrance compliment nearly anything you’d put on your kitchen table.

If you don’t know lemon balm yet, I hope you’ll get to know her soon. The extraordinary food and medicine of lemon balm kind of makes me feel like a better human, especially for those times when you might feel like you need a little rescuing from yourself.

Once it sprouts in your garden, you will never get rid of it. It will attach itself to your boots and go with you when you move.

Kami McBride, The Herbal Kitchen

say hello to lemon balm

Meet Melissa officinalis. Here’s the skinny:

Lemon balm is in the mint family, and if you know anything about the mint family, you know that once you plant it, it’ll be with you forever and might even take over your garden. Bring this plant to your garden enthusiastically, but also with intention. Its relatives include basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender, and of course, all the mints.

It’s an upright, herbaceous perennial with oval-shaped, round-toothed leaves that can get rather bushy. Lemon balm can grown anywhere from 8″ to 5′ in height and 12-24″ wide.

Lemon balm’s flower is two-lipped and usually pale yellow, white, or pinkish. They grow in whorled clusters along the stems.

It will grow practically anywhere. Anywhere! Lemon balm is one of those plants that will push through asphalt and sidewalk cracks just to reach the sun. Although, it’s happiest in moist, but well-drained soil.

Lemon balm is known for its lemony fragrance and flavor which is due to its essential oil composition. The main essential oils that are responsible for the lemony smell are citral and citronellal, but lemon balm also contains geraniol, which is rose-scented, and linalool, which is lavender-scented. This combination of essential oils make up lemon balm’s unique scent!

Bees love it! The genus, Melissa, means “bee” in Greek and was likely named for its ability to attract honey bees.

Lemon balm has been associated with the feminine, the moon, and water. In the temple of the Ancient Roman goddess Dianna, lemon balm was considered a sacred herb.

lemon balm as medicine

Lemon balm has a long history of medicinal use. As far back as the 1st century, Greek physicians were using lemon balm to promote menstruation, to help relieve gout, and to remedy toothaches. If mixed with wine, it was said that lemon balm could also be used to treat scorpion stings and dog bites.

Through the centuries, lemon balm, like most plant medicines, served many a purpose.

Early 17th century English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper believed lemon balm was good for the heart, mind, liver, spleen, digestion, and fainting.

16th century Swiss physicians believed that lemon balm was an elixir of life that could help to increase vitality and strength, as well as to lengthen life.

11th century, physicians would use lemon balm to help treat depression.

Medieval monks and nuns used alcohol to help preserve the healing powers of many botanicals. Lemon balm was one of many herbs used in traditional cordials used to treat digestive illnesses, including Carmelite water. Carmelite water dates back 600 years and was traditionally made herbs like lemon balm and angelica infused in distilled alcohol and used to treat a wide variety of illnesses.

Today, the incredible dignity of lemon balm’s medicine lies in its use as a serious antiviral and a powerful nerve tonic. Recent research has confirmed the historical use of lemon balm as a mild and uplifting sedative. Its effects on the central nervous system are so valuable to the human population’s rampant struggle with stress and anxiety brought on by our culture’s glorification of the hustle. Lemon balm is, in fact, the perfect herbal companion to help counteract anxiety, tension, and stress-related fatigue.

The incredible dignity of lemon balm’s medicine lies in its use as a serious antiviral & a powerful nerve tonic that can help relieve anxiety & emotional turmoil.

lemon balm as food

While lemon balm is perhaps known more for its medicine, mostly because it’s not a very popular culinary herb, it is, in fact, an incredibly pleasant and versatile culinary herb. Its culinary use spans both savory and sweet. In fact, there’s hardly a dish you could name that lemon balm wouldn’t fit in to. Seriously.

Early colonists in North America would use lemon balm as a substitute for lemon in jams and jellies. It can be added to so many dishes, anything from cheeses to egg dishes to vegetables and fish to custards, jams, jellies, and cakes to herb vinegars and marinades. Lemon balm also compliments many fruits and is a great herb to add into fruit salads. Lemon balm syrups can be added to soda water, desserts, or tea.

As a food, lemon balm is incredibly high in flavonoids, which contribute to its high antioxidant capacity. It’s also high in vitamin C and thiamin, a B vitamin that is essential for glucose metabolism and plays an important role in nerve, muscle, and heart function.

Lemon Balm 101

Species Melissa officinalis

Family Lamiaceae (the Mint Family)

Part(s) Used Leaves, stem, flowers 

Origin Native to Europe, central Asia, & Iran, but now naturalized world-wide

When to Harvest Whenever green & vibrant. (The top half of the plant is usually the most medicinal & nutritional.)

As a Medicine Nervine, Sedative, Anti-viral, Antioxidant, Carminative Mild antidepressant, Mild antispasmodic, Vasodilating hypotensive (helpful in the treatment of hypertension)

As a Food Rich in flavonoids (antioxidant) Contains vitamin C & thiamin (a B vitamin)

Cautions Regular use is not advised with hypothyroidism & is contraindicated during pregnancy unless under the guidance of a qualified health professional.

Other Uses Cosmetics Dye plant (flowers can be used to make a rose-coloured dye) Bring some of the food and medicine of lemon balm into your life. I promise you won’t regret it!

Sources:

The Herbal Kitchen: bring lasting health to you and your family with 50 easy-to-find common herbs and over 250 recipes by Kami McBride (2019)

Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth by Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner (2009)

Lemon Balm: an Herb Society of America Guide by The Herb Society of America (2007)

Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections by Stephen Harrod Buhner (2013)

https://www.botanyculture.com/meet-the-plants-the-food-medicine-of-lemon-balm/

[lilthreadsclothes]

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[ciathyzareposts]

Game 330: House of Usher (1980)

                House of Usher

United States

Crystalware (developer and publisher)

Released in 1980 for Apple II and Atari 800

Date Started: 27 May 2019

Date Finished: 27 May 2019

Total Hours: 5 Difficulty: Moderate (3/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)

A few months ago, commenter Dungy alerted me to a little-known 1980s developer called Crystalware. Around the same time, their catalog of games, all dating from 1980 to 1982, went up on MobyGames. House of Usher was listed as an RPG when it first went up, but it has since been revised to “action/adventure.” I played it anyway because I found it hard to categorize. It’s one of the oddest and most original games I’ve played since starting this blog, although that doesn’t mean that it was “good.” I’m really not sure how I feel about it.

The game is based loosely on Poe’s famous 1839 short story, and it begins with an appropriately gothic tone. A few strains of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” appear behind the title screen, which swiftly dissolves into an image of a mansion in a thunderstorm. Lightning bolts flash across the screen with accompanying sound effects–all impressive for a 1980 title. After about 30 seconds of loading, your character appears on the front walkway of the titular House of Usher, and the game begins.

             A briefly animated introduction is unusual for 1980.

            The player starts with a stamina of 999, no courage, an offense score of 25, a defense score of 50, no wealth, 150 pounds in weight, and a gun with several dozen bullets (or a bow with arrows; the game and manual are inconsistent).

            Beginning in the front yard.

          It is 18:00 when the game starts; you must achieve one of three winning conditions by 06:00 or you lose. This only takes about five minutes in real-time. Your stamina also decreases rapidly during this period, but unless you over-burden yourself, it stays behind the timer.

           Running out of time is a common way for the game to end.

         Your task is made all the more difficult by a routine that ensures items, treasures, and monsters appear in randomized locations, although the layout of the mansion remains fixed. There are only 7 commands to the game: four directions of movement (using, unintuitively, the 1-4 keys), fire your weapon in the direction you last moved (5), use a carried item (6), and drop a carried item (7).

            Doing a little inventory management.

           The three winning conditions, any one of which brings up a winning screen, are:

           Collect 1,000 wealth points

Increase courage to 1,000

Solve the mystery

             It’s worth a quick review of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which I’ve always liked least among Poe’s work. An unnamed narrator goes and stays at the dilapidated mansion of his friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick’s sister, Madeline, also inhabits the house. Neither is doing very well, mentally or physically. Madeline is suffering from some kind of paralytic catatonia, and Roderick as a consequence is a pale, nervous wreck. After a few days, Roderick announces that Madeline has died, and gains his friend’s help in interring her in the family tomb in the basement. For the next few days and nights, the men are plagued by noises, visual hallucinations, insomnia, and a general worsening vexation. At last, they come to the realization that they in fact buried Madeline alive–an epiphany accompanied by Madeline herself, bloody and emaciated, having crawled out of her living tomb, suddenly appearing at the door and falling into her brother’s arms. The siblings collapse on the floor, both dead, Madeline apparently from the effort of her ordeal and Roderick from terror. The horrified narrator flees the house just before it splits in two (along a crack that the narrator previously noted) and sinks into an adjacent lake.

There are lots of interpretations of the story. Depending on how you read it, you can see Roderick and Madeline as incestuous, or vampires, or ghosts, or whatever. However you interpret it, it seems a strange source material for a video game, but not only did it produce this House of Usher but also a 1984 platformer.

             The game adds some lore elements. There’s no “Virginia” in Poe’s story.

           In this game, the player can visit around 40 rooms, although you’ll never hit even half that in a single session. Some of the rooms are drawn from the book, like the crypt and the guest room. Others are simply imagined from such an estate. The layout is complete chaos, as my Trizbort map shows:

                  The layout of the House of Usher (click to enlarge).

           Partly responsible for the chaos are a handful of “maze rooms,” including the “secret passages,” two “catacombs,” and a “cell block,” all of which connect rooms quite far apart and in somewhat random directions. All of these special rooms have borders on the rooms’ interiors that draw randomly every time you enter, sometimes allowing passage through the room, sometimes blocking it.

           Trying to navigate the “cell block” is mostly a waste of time.

           Many of the rooms have pieces of furniture or other objects represented by large grey squares. Bumping into these items produces random results. Sometimes you get a message or bit of lore about the house. Other times, there’s some positive or negative consequence. For instance, bumping into a grave in the graveyard can result in a message about a heavy breathing heard nearby, the player falling into a grave and finding treasure, the player falling into the grave and getting seriously wounded, or a hand grasping at the player’s leg and causing a loss in courage. Bumping up against the piano in the conservatory might cause it to play (and put you to sleep for an hour) or snap shut on your fingers.

         A bad outcome from bumping into a grave marker.

          Smaller grey squares are randomly scattered throughout the rooms, representing items. These might be treasures of various values and weight (e.g., pouches of gold or silver, pocket watches, statues, copper kettle), melee weapons that increase offensive skill, or items of armor that increase defensive skill. Occasionally, you find nutrients or potions that you can use later to restore stamina. They might also be harmful items like spider’s nests, ghosts, or human heads which do various bad things to your statistics.

            A helpful item.

          Finally, monsters occasionally appear, including mummies, corpses, slimes, scorpions, and “hatchet men.” The game gives you a few seconds’ warning when you enter a room with a monster, and you have that long to try to line up shots. Most creatures take several hits or shots to kill. If they manage to get within melee range, they usually deplete your stamina too fast to defend.

           A giant scorpion appears in the wine cellar.

         I couldn’t quite catch the shot in-flight in my combat with this mummy.

           For all their limited graphics, I find the rooms a lot of fun with their different configurations and fixtures, suggesting possibilities perhaps too advanced for a 1980 title, yet intriguing and evocative all the same. One room, the “room of death,” actually shrinks slowly after you enter it, squishing you between the walls if you’re not fast enough. Why didn’t Poe put one of those in “Usher”? That would have livened up a dreary story.

          I have to get to that top doorway to escape the Room of Death.

         The easiest way to win is to get courage to 1,000. It only takes two or three enemies. You just have to find them. On one play, I had them in the first two rooms and won with many hours to spare. Winning by finding treasure is harder because you have to carry it. As your encumbrance goes up, your stamina depletion also increases. After a few hundred pounds, it runs faster than the clock.

The hardest way–at least until you figure it out–is by solving the mystery. It’s also perhaps the only satisfying way. I haven’t done it yet, though I feel like I’m on the right track. Here is “The Mystery” as given by the game manual:

               Part 1

Son coeur est un luth suspendu;

Sitot qu’on le touche il résonne.

Part 2

While, like a rapid ghastly river,

    Through the pale door

A hideous throng rush out forever

And laugh–but smile no more.

Ververt et Chartreuse Belphegor

Directorium Inquisitorium

Part 3

. . . there did stand the lofty and enshrouded figure of Lady Madeline of Usher. There was blood upon her white robes and the evidence of some bitter struggle on every portion of her emaciated frame . . .

               The two lines of “Part 1” are the epigraph of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” presented before the text. They mean, “His heart is a lute suspended / As soon as one touches it, it resonates.” 

The lines of the first part of “Part 2” are from Poe’s “The Haunted Palace.” “Ververt et Chartreuse” refer to two separate 1734 poems by Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset: “Vert-Vert” and “La Chartreuse.” “Vert-Vert” is a comic poem about a parrot; I have no idea what “Chartreuse” is about other than it’s a liqueur. Both poems are mentioned as existing in Roderick’s library in “Usher.” So are Machiavelli’s Belphegor (1549), about a demonic prince coming to Earth to find a mate, and Nicholas Eymerich’s Directorium Inquisitorum (1376), a manual to help inquisitors investigate and prosecute witchcraft.

“Part 3” is a direct quote from the conclusion of “Usher.”

The best I can figure is that they’re instructions for a specific order of rooms, probably starting with the conservatory, where you can nudge the piano into playing a tune. The haunted lines that begin “Part 2” may refer to the graveyard or crypt, both of which are a short distance from the conservatory. One move away from the graveyard is the “summer house” and various plants, which might have something to do with the “green-green” of vert-vert. One screen away from the summer house is the vineyards; chartreuse isn’t a wine, but the authors would have had to work with the allusions they could find. From the vineyards, it’s only a short distance to the “seance room,” which could have connections to either demonology or fighting it. (There’s no library, or else I would have assumed that all of the books might be associated with it.) Touching the table in the seance room has a chance of sending you through a “vortex” to a random location in the house.

Unfortunately, if my logic hasn’t fallen apart by then, it does afterwards, as I can find no good location to conclude the path. In the book, the quoted scene takes place in the guest room, but I’ve tried that (it’s pretty far from the seance room, unless you’re lucky with the vortex) to no avail. I’ve also tried ending in the other various bedrooms. One potentially-promising room is the “red room,” which has a humanoid figure on one of the items of furniture, but I can’t get anything to happen there.

              I feel like there must be something to do in this “red room,” with its figure on a bed (?).

            I fiddled with other potential paths. Another goes conservatory (Part 1), graveyard (Part 2 first), garden paths (vert-vert), wine cellar (chartreuse), seance room (Belphegor), chapel (inquisitorium), and then to any of the possible end rooms. This is a lot harder because the rooms are spaced farther apart and you can barely make it in time. Another possibility, of course, is that you’re supposed to get things to happen in each of the rooms (or some of them), but no I can’t figure out the combination no matter what. The game manual promised a $100 prize to the first person to solve the mystery. I assume someone did. Until the solution comes to light, I’ll just have to be happy with my courage-based win.

            Not the most satisfying of the ways to win, but a win nonetheless.

           It’s best not to belabor the GIMLET on this one, since it’s not really much of an RPG. It gets a 14, doing best in “gameplay” (4: quick, replayable, challenging) and “quests” (3: multiple ways to win), but scoring 0 on the important “character development” category, since all development is by inventory. Even the inventory-based “development” is questionable because the game is over so fast you’re more likely to time out than to actually employ that chain mail against a mummy.

             The manual had decent production values, and of course the promise of a $100 prize.

            If Crystalware’s first outing is notable for its originality, it would definitely continue in that tradition. Between 1980 and 1982, the developer put out games set in ancient Sumeria, modern Egypt, the Iran-Iraq War, Arthurian Britain, a Westworld-style fantasy land, and several science fiction settings. MobyGames currently tags seven of them as RPGs: Beneath the Pyramids (1980), Escape from Vulcan’s Isle (1981), King Arthur’s Heir (1981), Fantasyland 2041 A.D. (1981), Sands of Mars (1981), Crypt of the Undead (1982), and The Haunted Palace (1982). These are all tentatively on my list pending confirmation of their RPG elements.

The titles are mostly credited to Crystalware owners John and Patty Bell, although Mike Potter is credited on the Atari 800 translations. Crystalware apparently started as Crystal Computer, a physical store in Sunnyvale, California, that transitioned into game development and publishing.

                          After its brief heyday, the company seems to have taken some odd turns. My Google searches turn up John Bell now associated with “Crystalware Defense and Nanotechnology” in West Virginia, although he seems to have returned to gaming with a virtual reality title called World of Twine scheduled for a 2019 release. As I work through the load of Crystalware titles dumped onto the list, I’ll try to contact Mr. Bell and find more about the inspiration for these unusual settings.

             source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-330-house-of-usher-1980/