#Forgotten Empires book 1

[about-faces]

Batman: Caped Crusader, Episodes 1-2 thoughts (SPOILERS)

First things first, Harvey is as bad as I’d expected. I honestly can’t tell whether this is worse than the version we got in the last Timm-produced animated Batman show, “Beware the Batman.” That Harvey was a humorless prick straight out of the William Atherton school of jerkasses, while this one is a smug sleazebag who would be someone you’d love to hate if he weren’t also a complete inversion of a great tragic hero turned villain.

I’m just so sick of people portraying Harvey as a politician first and foremost, performing for the cameras and thinking about his career ambitions. I’m sick of him being a corrupt asshole and even an authoritarian. I’m sick him being two-faced, when the irony of his character is that he himself never WAS. Now that that’s out of my system, I’ll move on, because I know he has an arc in store that may prove more interesting than the usual Asshole Harvey takes.

They tried several things with the Penguin, and I’m not sure they gelled into anything that worked for me this time out. Making her a woman, that’s no problem, and I appreciate her classic style and appearance in a time when everyone just wants to turn Cobblepot into a boring Tony Soprano knockoff.

Ultimately, though, it all just served to make her a standard “Ma Barker” archetype. You know, the alleged matriarchal crime boss who was killed by Hoover’s FBI, who may have dragged her name through the mud to excuse their killing of an old woman? There used to be several takes on her in pop culture, although nowadays the only famous one is probably Ma Beagle from “DuckTales.”

With that in mind, they should have just cast Margo Martindale. Excuse me, didn’t use her full name: Beloved Character Actress Margo Martindale. Minnie Driver is a fantastic actress (I’m still mad that “The Riches” was not only cancelled but totally forgotten), but it was a waste not to let her use her real accent. As it was, she was fine, but she didn’t bring anything special to match the physical design. As an actress, she deserved more to play with.

Also, “Oswalda” is a terrible fake name. Like come on guys, you can do better. That’s on par with Revolver Ocelot’s real Russian name being “Adamska.”

The biggest problem with this take on Penguin is that she’s set up as some kind of brilliant mastermind, only to act incredibly stupid, reckless, and gullible. She kills not one but two innocent goons, including her own son, without so much as an investigation or even keeping tabs on the suspected rats to use them as pawns against Thorne! To paraphrase Dijkstra from the “Witcher” books, you don’t kill spies, you USE them. You feed them misinformation! You blackmail them into being double agents! This Penguin is bad at her job, so no wonder she loses everything within hours. It’s amazing she was able to build a crime empire in the first place!

I also dislike Bullock being a corrupt cop in the mob’s pocket. That fits Flass perfectly, but Bullock? Fuck no. Bullock IS dirty, but he’s dirty in a very acceptable way to cops. He’s brutal, he cuts corners, he’s crass, and he’s probably not above planting or concealing evidence, but selling out to the mob? Hell no. That’s just wrong. Hate that choice. Unless it’s a misdirection. This show sure does love its misdirections from what I’ve seen so far.

Batman himself is… fine. He’s Batman. He’s not a bad Batman. He’s serviceable but unremarkable. But at least he wasn’t an irritating asshole, which is more than I can say for most Batman depictions these days. I liked Bruce trying his “falling off a boat” joke a second time, delivered verbatim after it flopped with Barbara.

Barbara being a defense attorney is a rather contrived choice, one that gets to put her at odds with Harvey while also giving her a professional in with both Batman and Gordon. Essentially, she’s in the role Harvey Dent is supposed to play. Except here she’s a defense attorney, which SHOULD put her at odds with her dad, since lawyers and cops don’t seem to like one another, for SOME reason!

And Harvey, even as District Attorney, can’t be in the role of legal ally to either Gordon, because the story is far more focused on making him a mayoral candidate who throws people under the bus for his own advancement! Feh.

Anyway, that was episode one. It was fine, I guess.

The screenplay is by novelist and DC veteran Greg Rucka, so of course Renee Montoya is the central focus. Seeing her interact with Sleazebag Harvey gave me war flashbacks to what Rucka did with Renee and Harvey in the comics: setting them up with a poignant dynamic of tenuous respect and kindness before dashing it all with “Gotham Central: Half a Life,” which solidified the perception of Harvey as a creepy, obsessive stalker for a generation of fans. That version of them was very much of display here. Sigh.

Also, Lucius Fox is Bruce’s lawyer now? Why? And also, what the hell? God, poor Lucius. He starts off in comics as the guy actually running Wayne Enterprises, then “Batman: The Animated Series” makes him Bruce’s right-hand-man, then Nolan and Goyer get the inspired idea to make him the Q to Bruce’s 007, while the comics don’t know what to do with him and even make him an authoritarian to cause friction with his vigilante son, and now this? It’s such a random choice. There’s no reason why this character should be Lucius. Hell, Lucius could have shown up there WITH the lawyer and that would have been fine. As it is, it’s just weird.

That said! I overall liked this episode an awful lot! For DECADES now, I’ve wanted to see someone remember that Basil Karlo was an older actor in the classic horror movie vein (his name is literally a combination of Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff), but ever since “Batman: The Animated Series,” everyone has just tried to make him BTAS’ Matt Hagen. Like, I really liked the “One Bad Day” issue for Clayface, where he gradually killed his way to the top of Hollywood stardom, but even that was still BTAS Hagen, the Serious Actor, not Karlo, the old horror ham actor.

But with this episode, someone finally drew on the old Hollywood horror roots of the character, and they found a way to combine his shape shifting abilities into the mix! I’m so happy!

Of course, this is me, so I still have criticisms. Like, I think it was unnecessary to frame it as a mystery, because that added unnecessary complications. I know the original Clayface story was a whodunnit and you can’t do that now that everyone knows that Karlo is Clayface. I was annoyed by the misdirection of Karlo’s “death,” in part because I feared this would be another Clever Subversion, just like how the animated adaptations of “Gotham By Gaslight,” “Hush,” and “The Long Halloween” purposely went against expectations from the source material in stupid ways. Hell, they’re doing the same thing now with Penguin (“But wait, there’s a twist: she’s a woman!”) and Harvey (“But wait, there’s a twist: he’s an asshole!”), so I was afraid this Clayface would end up being someone else entirely. I was okay with it in the end, but I’m annoyed at the cheap fakeout as a plot point.

Furthermore, I don’t get why Basil disguised himself as the doctor (whose name I don’t remember) for the benefit of the actress (whose name I don’t remember) he had chained up in his hideout. What benefit was there in making her think he was the doctor? She was already aware she was a prisoner and was scared, so why the facade? It served no purpose in context, only just to misdirect the viewers.

This is what happens when you try to make something a mystery when it would work better as a thriller. Stop trying to wow audiences with twists and surprises when you could just be focusing on telling a good story. So what if everyone figures out Karlo is Clayface? Who cares! Just go with it! Let them be in on it while Batman and Montoya figure it out themselves, that’s where the tension lies! Stop trying to be clever.

Regardless, I really liked this episode. I want this to now be the canon comics origin for Basil Karlo’s Clayface. Just explain that the treatments for his face gradually affected his whole body, and boom, you’ve successfully explained how classic Slasher Clayface became Mud Monster Clayface. This is how Karlo should always be written from now on. If you really want a sensitive, angsty lug Clayface, bring back Hagen. Let Karlo be the gloriously hammy monster with aspirations of stardom.

[wanderingnork]

Githyanki Deep Dive: Aberrations and Antiheroes in 4th Edition D&D

So according to the githyanki poll I ran a few weeks ago, this was the third most popular option for a deep dive. (After this we'll be hitting up the original Fiend Folio and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone.) It's also one close to my heart, because it's the edition where I first fell in love with the gith--and especially the githyanki.

In 4th Edition, the githyanki that were virtually unchanged from the Fiend Folio through 2nd and 3rd Editions suddenly switched gears. They were still vicious pirates and terrifying opponents, but also developed another side that has lasted through to the githyanki we know and love in Baldur's Gate 3.

4th Edition Primer

Before we get into the githyanki, though, I have to give a crash course in 4th Edition D&D. Since so many people started playing in 5th Edition or came into the hobby through the gateway of Critical Role or Baldur's Gate 3, you may not know just how...strange...4th Edition was in the context of the game as a whole. I speak from a place of love, because full disclosure I prefer 4E to 5E as DM and as player, but I acknowledge that it was weird.

4th Edition was partially developed as a response to the goings-on of 3.5 D&D. (Don't worry about 3rd Edition, that is a whole other post.) In 3.5, there was a serious problem with system bloat. From the three core books (Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook, Monster Manual), the game exploded. Five Monster Manuals. Two Player's Handbooks. Two Dungeon Master's Guides. The eight "Complete..." books. Campaign settings. The list goes on and on and on.

It added up fast. Players had vast suites of rules and mechanics that could easily lead to a single character requiring three or four books to run. A single monster could be an entire page and a half of rules and require a DM to have access to three or four books just to understand what a monster's feats could do (because yes, monsters had feats, and they could take class levels). To put it mildly...it was a mess.

So along comes 4th Edition, a well-intentioned new mess.

4E set out to streamline the problem. While it would eventually introduce its own mess of system bloat thanks to the sheer volume of books, its origin maintained some control over mechanical chaos. Instead of vast lists of feats and abilities, players had "powers" that defined exactly what a given ability could do and how often. The sprawling skill list of 3.5 was drastically pared down. Monsters went from an entire page or more of abilities and feats to single "stat blocks" that covered, even for the highest-level monsters, half a page. Movement in feet became movement in squares. Non-combat abilities were stripped down to a bare minimum.

You can spot a few things that 5th Edition kept when it was released. We still have the tight skill list from 4E (minus the "endurance" skill which still makes me grumpy). The idea of the "monster stat block" is retained. The feat list has dramatically shrunk and while 5E has put out many more feats since, it's really, really not at the level of 3.5.

4E also introduced the idea of "tiers" of play: levels 1-10 were the "heroic tier," 11-20 were the "paragon tier," and 21-30 were the "epic tier." Generally speaking, the heroic tier was about fighting your typical mundane monsters. The paragon tier would introduce higher-level mundane monsters and low-level extraplanar monsters. The epic tier almost always required players to leave the Material Plane behind and head onto another plane to find level-appropriate challenges. (Yes, this will be relevant to the githyanki later!)

While the mechanical changes hit hard, the changes to the lore and default world of D&D were just as drastic. The default world of Greyhawk from 3.5 shifted to the "Points of Light" setting. This setting established a background--that two great empires clashed some centuries ago then fell, leaving the world mostly a monster-infested disaster, studded with small points of safe civilization--then set players loose. It also crushed older D&D cosmology. Gone was the Great Wheel of planes and demiplanes. In its place were the Feywild, Shadowfell, Astral Sea, Elemental Chaos, and Far Realm. What Forgotten Realms had to do to make this new cosmology make sense...I don't wanna go into it, but it's a lot to unpack.

This streamlining of the cosmology also changed a lot of monster lore. Many "typical" monsters of the heroic tier (goblins, magical animals, elementals, and the like) stayed largely the same. It's on the other planes and at higher levels that things got weird. The tarrasque was reskinned as an abomination, the spawn of the war between the primordials and the gods. The shadar-kai changed from messed-up shadow fey to eerie servants of the Raven Queen. And so on, and so forth.

On the surface, the githyanki didn't change very much in comparison to other monsters. They still lived on the Astral Sea. They were still piratical. They still hated illithids and githzerai. But, thanks in large part to the cosmology changes at the base of 4E, they were about to take on an entirely new dimension.

The githyanki were about to save the universe.

Githyanki, Old and New

The githyanki make their 4E debut in the first Monster Manual, on page 128. The first line of their writeup sets the stage:

Born out of slavery, the githyanki are fierce psychic warriors that ply the Astral Sea and fight with silver swords.

Hell of an opening line, that. It hands us the key characteristics that 4E wants us to associate with the githyanki. Compare it to the first introduction of the githyanki in the first Monster Manual for 3.5 (p.127):

Githyanki are an ancient line of humanlike beings residing on the Astral Plane, filling their armories for their next skirmish, raid, or war.

Right off the bat, we're dealing with two completely different perspectives. 3.5 tells us the githyanki are ancient, tells us where they live, and informs us that they spend all their time in preparing for war and plunder. 4E's language, on the other hand, frames them in a more...adventurous light. Ferocity, plying the Astral Sea, fighting with silver swords, not much different than any extraplanar adventurer.

Most importantly, the first WORDS of their write-up in 4E tells us their history: they are a lineage of freed slaves. Whose slaves, how they got free, all that is on the next page. (It's the same in 3.5, The Lore is on the next page.) But there it is: if you don't read the "alignment" tag in the stat block and see that little word "evil," what you'll see is freed slaves who adventure in the Astral Sea.

The next change is the art style. The githyanki illustration in the 3.5 Monster Manual makes the warrior look totally skeletal. She's wearing gloriously alien armor, many-colored gems, and has her hair in a strange style. Her knees have those weird bulbous knobs and her feet don't look remotely human. In 4E, our first look at the githyanki is completely different. No more shrinkwrapping here: these are just some weird humans. Their silver armor is elaborate and set with rubies, but it's very much armor a mundane warrior would wear. (Indeed, it's about identical to BG3 armor.) They look away from the viewer, presumably at the same foe, psionic powers and swords at the ready. The githyanki of 3.5 is a monster standing alone. The githyanki of 4E are an adventuring party fighting together.

Sailing the Astral Sea

Cut to The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea. This supplement focused on all things Astral Sea. Here, 4E finally gets into the deep parts of githyanki lore. The first illustration in the book is a githyanki knight riding a red dragon. From there, they appear frequently. Pirates, tenuous allies, the center of a dramatic campaign arc. The Astral Sea is their home, and as soon as player characters arrive they're trespassing.

(Side note: here we will be setting aside the Scales of War adventure path from Dragon magazine. Even though it's a huge part of githyanki lore, it's acknowledged in "The Plane Above" that the adventure path is an alternate history. It's not a core part of the githyanki story in 4E.)

The shifted characterization of the githyanki continues into this book. On page 12, in discussion of githyanki pirates, we get the following: "few of the githyanki of the Astral Sea bother with kidnapping. It might turn out to be profitable, but it's clearly a criminal act rather than a military operation, and thus beneath them."

So...according to this book, they're still thieves and killers, but within the D&D ethical framework these are often forgivable traits. There's no mention of slavery or other depravity in this or any other section of the book about the githyanki. Other Astral denizens are mentioned keeping and trading in slaves--not the githyanki. The Manual of the Planes mentions githyanki slavers precisely once, on page 110; in all other references, they're simply raiders and plunderers. Dragon magazine #377, "Tu'narath: City of Death," QUITE clearly and thoroughly establishes that the githyanki take and keep slaves. However, many D&D players didn't read Dragon magazine. If they only read The Plane Above, Manual of the Planes, or the Monster Manual, they'd come away with a rather nobler view of the githyanki than 3.5 ever left.

If you are, for some reason, following along with the book itself--skip what you see on page 13. We're gonna come back to that.

The githyanki get a mention on what feels like every other page. But the most focused discussion of the githyanki in this book appears from pages 94-97, in a deep dive on their culture, and from 142-149 with the new stat blocks--including one for Vlaakith herself. Here, we discover that in 4E the githyanki have been broken into factions. There's mainstream githyanki society, the group that lives in Tu'narath and generally behaves as we expect githyanki to behave. Then there are the Far Travelers, a group of githyanki who never settled in Tu'narath. With Gith's blessing, they became true nomads. They don't have silver swords or benefit from the red dragon pact, but they do enjoy immense freedom.

And then there are the gul'othran. While mainstream githyanki society enjoys superiority to other people, pillaging and then departing, the gul'othran take it a step further. They conquer other worlds and rule over them. It's repeatedly mentioned that githyanki players encounter on the Material Plane are probably gul'othran. Not typical githyanki, but extremists. Githyanki bent on conquest, perfectly acceptable opponents for any adventuring party.

Gith's Three Stratagems

The githyanki story in The Plane Above starts with the story of their liberation. Here, the war on mind flayers is defined: not just a perpetual hatred, but an Eternal Crusade decreed by Gith herself. Zerthimon, as usual, objects and the githzerai depart for the Elemental Chaos. The githyanki, left homeless, desperate, and fractured, sail into the Astral Sea. Here, Gith establishes a plan for the future of her people, founded on three stratagems.

First, she wanted a fortified capital. After a long time--anywhere from a few decades to centuries--the githyanki arrived at the One in the Void and founded the city of Tu'narath there. First stratagem, check. Second, Gith sought an alliance with another power. With the first Vlaakith's support, Gith reached out to Tiamat. She sold herself for a pact with the red dragons, who would be allies and friends of the githyanki so long as the pact lasted. (In the 4E Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, we get to meet the "pact dragons," red dragons who've spent so long with the githyanki that they've taken on the magic of the Astral Sea.)

Finally, before leaving her people, Gith established the tradition of the silver swords. As has been true since the earliest githyanki lore, the silver swords are capable of cutting silver cords that hold Astral travelers to their material bodies. That makes them highly effective weapons against astral-projecting mind flayers and elder brains, which exist at once on the Astral Sea and the Material Plane. In a previous edition, there was even an incident in the mind flayer city of Ch'Chitl where a githyanki hunting party killed the Astral part of an elder brain.

But 4E takes this a step further. The greatest silver swords are forged to incorporate a tiny fragment of the Living Gate, a strange artifact that held back the Far Realm itself before it was destroyed. In the hands of a powerful githyanki, the swords are able to resonate with the Far Realm and aberrant beings. Fun fact: despite over a decade of separation from the publication of "The Plane Above," Baldur's Gate 3 retains this piece of lore. Talk to Lae'zel after she gets her silver sword. She'll tell you all about it.

What she doesn't tell you is just how important that really is.

4th Edition: It's All About the Far Realm

Throughout 4E, the setting steadily shifted gears and pointed toward the Far Realm as a sort of "ultimate evil." Why that happened is speculation for another post, but what matters here is that it did. The Monster Manual mostly presented your standard aberrant beings (mind flayers, aboleths, beholders, gibbering mouthers). They're mostly designed for paragon and epic tier heroes (levels 11-30), with the least powerful (carrion crawler, grick, and grell) being rated for level 7. Aberrations are high-level foes.

Then in comes the Monster Manual 2, with the fell taints (p. 102-105). These cute little blobs of tentacles and eyes, born from the contact of the Far Realm with reality, are rated for level 2. A low-level beholder, the gauth, is rated for level 5. Suddenly, aberrations and the Far Realm are acceptable foes for adventurers just starting out in their career. Ominously, this book also introduces the horrifying star spawn. They're the heralds of the aberrant stars, avatars in the mortal world. One of them, the Maw of Acamar, is literally A BLACK HOLE.

In the Underdark sourcebook, EXTENSIVE time is spent on mind flayers and their ancient destroyed empire of Nihilath. The gith only get a couple sidebar mentions, but for anyone who knows their lore they loom large. In that book, there's also a heavy focus on the aboleths and beholders, who have vast and bizarre realms in the Underdark. In the aboleth realm of Xarcorr, the stone itself flows like water and the laws of physics break down. A singularity somewhere in Xarcorr is even gradually devouring the substance of the Underdark. The Far Realm is tearing at the seams of reality.

And the Monster Manual 3 seals the deal. Cloakers, derro, more beholders, foulspawn, intellect devourers, krakens, PAGES of mind flayers with an elder brain. It all culminates in the star spawn, and what might be the ultimate creature to fight in all of 4E. You can take on Orcus, Tiamat, Lolth, Asmodeus, and that's cool...but this book offers the chance to fight Allabar, the Opener of the Way.

It's a star.

An entire fucking star covered in eyes and tentacles that wants to tear open reality and let the Far Realm devour everything.

Heroes and Villains

And this is what the githyanki are ultimately contending with. In 4E, their fight isn't just against the mind flayers. The Eternal Crusade the githyanki fight is against the Far Realm itself. The silver swords allow them to recognize the times when the Far Realm manages to seep into the Astral Sea. They marshal a "savage and decisive military response" that ends the threat immediately. Most people don't even realize how often this happens, because the githyanki are always ready.

The gul'othran, the faction that wants to conquer everyone? They do what they do because they want to deny the mind flayers a future empire by conquering everything first. It's horrifying extremism in the face of an apocalypse that could rip all of reality to shreds.

That "page 13" I said to ignore earlier is a description of a possible campaign arc where the githyanki finally go on a full offensive. They want to invade the Far Realm themselves and take the fight to their enemies. The players are tasked with stopping this invasion, because unzipping the Far Realm is a VERY bad idea in general, but in context of the rest of the 4E lore...well. Anyone who hears about Allabar, or experiences the trypophobia-inducing Hatchlands of the beholders, or bears witness to the ruins of the ancient mind flayer empire, might be tempted to let it happen. After all, even with all the horrible things they've done, the githyanki have the weapons, experience, and allies to hold the line. They've been holding the line for eons.

And everyone in the world of 4th Edition should pray to whatever god is listening that the githyanki keep doing that.

[dalekowrites]

What would your favourite choice of the games interactive stories be? Would you have a favourite type? Romance, Fantasy etc. and did any of the inspire you with the ones you are currently writing? 😁

Oh boy! This is going to be a long answer, brace yourself lol

Let me start by saying that I have a degree in English literature (in fact, I'm going to do a PhD on it), so reading, in general, is one of the core activities of my life.

As for text adventures, even if not from Choice of Games Ltd., I'd like to mention a few inspirations: my passion first came from the original Choose Your Own Adventure series, and I still remember which numbers obsessed me as a child: Mountain Survival #28, The Dragons' Den #33, and more than any other, Space Patrol #22! (The latter may have also fueled my unhealthy obsession with Star Trek TOS, actually). For those unfamiliar with this fantastic book series, the genres of the three books I mentioned are, respectively, adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi. This gives you an idea of how varied my tastes are...

Later on, I discovered interactive fictions and text adventures. Dude, it was a dream come true. I started with Adventure ('76, never finished it, of course) and Zork ('79, never finished that either… of course. How damn hard were they?!). Then Mystery Mansion ('78), Castle Adventure ('82), and too many, many others. I'm a sucker for Sorcery! from inkle, and I deeply loved Magium (RIP Chris, you won't be forgotten). For my Italian-speaking friends, I also really enjoyed the Fra Tenebra e Abisso series (although its current status is unknown).

But back to CoG-related things. I've read a lot, and I'd probably be faster telling you what I didn't like! As you may have figured out by now, I don't have any particular genre preferences as long as a story is well-written, though horror-thriller stories usually grab my attention more easily.

Important note: I've read a lot of stories and, with a few exceptions, I liked most of them. To avoid writing a too-long list, here are the published stories that really impressed me:

A Crown of Sorcery and Steel,

A Midsummer Night's Choice,

Blood for Poppies,

Blood Moon,

Broadway: 1849,

Choice of the Cat,

Choice of the Vampire,

Donor,

Doomsday on Demand (1 and 2),

Gilded Rails,

Golden Rose: Book One,

Jazz Age,

Lies Under Ice,

Life of a Mercenary,

Life of a Space Force Captain,

MetaHuman Inc.,

Noblesse Oblige,

Paradox Factor,

The Evertree Saga (all four books),

Rent-a-Vice,

Revolution Diabolique,

Siege of Treboulain,

Tally Ho,

The Daily Blackmail,

The Dragon and the Djinn,

The Fernweh Saga: Book One,

The Fog Knows Your Name,

The Gray Painter,

The Grim and I,

The Ghost and the Golem,

The Lost Heir,

The Midnight Saga: The Monster,

The Parenting Simulator,

The Play's the Thing,

The Soul Stone War (1 and 2),

The War for the West,

Tudor Intrigue,

Vampire Regent,

Vampire: The Masquerade (all of them),

Way Walkers: University (1 and 2),

Welcome to Moreytown,

Werewolves: Haven Raising,

Zombie Exodus,

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven.

And now, onto works in progress! There aren’t that many because I barely have time to follow my own (heh…), so here, in alphabetical order, are the ones I'm following with the most interest:

Adoriel's Tears (@adoriels-tears-if),

A Father's Love (@kal-down),

Crown of Ashes and Flames (@coeluvr),

Dawn Chorus (@dawnchorus-if)

Disenchanted (@disenchantedif),

Dragon's Edged (@dragonedged-if),

Elysium (@elysiumcircusif),

Fallen Lights (@fallenlightsif),

For King and Country (@forkingandcountry-if),

From The Ashes We Rise (@kal-down),

Hubris (@hubris-the-if-game),

Kingdoms and Empires (@kingdoms-and-empires),

Return to Misty Cove (@fluorescent-if),

The Abyssal Song (@ri-writes-if),

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - An affair of the heart (@doriana-gray-games),

The Lonely Shore (@thelonelyshore-if),

The King's Hound (@the-kingshound),

The Reaper Watches Me (@thereaperwatchesme),

The Bureau (@thebureau),

The Unseelie (@theunseelieif),

Van Helsing (@vanhelsing-if),

When Life Gives You Lemons (@when-life-gives-you-lemons-if).

Okay, that was… a lot. As for direct inspirations, I don't have any direct ones, but I can say I felt like writing a post-apocalyptic story after reading Doomsday on Demand! Other than that, I guess the collection of narrative, text adventures, and interactive fiction I've read have led me to where I am now.

Damn, it took me hours to write this answer. I hope it's satisfying at least! Thanks for asking ☺

[bumblebugwrites]

no evil angel but love - series masterlist

Pairing: Victor!Treech x fem!Reader

Summary: After winning the ninth annual Hunger Games, Y/N L/N returns home to District 10 with a promise: that she may live the rest of her life in peace. One year later, Treech Elmore is granted the same immunity following his victory in the tenth Games. So what happens when that promise is a lie?

With the eleventh annual Hunger Games quickly approaching, the Capitol sets out to make its biggest changes yet, starting with the mentorship system.

General Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Cursing, Suggestive Themes, Use of Weapons, Mention of Injuries, Character Death, Liberal Use of Both Book and Movie Canon. (Warnings will vary from update to update.)

chapter 1: nothing's new | word count: 6.5k

“You’re evil.” And it is not a question. You are certain.

“Not evil, just practical.”

chapter 2: vampire empire | word count: 7.1k

“You really shouldn’t tell people so much.” And it hurts to say. It burns like hot guilt in his chest, but he knows it is right.

“Why? You gonna spill all my secrets to the Capitol, pretty boy?”

chapter 3: oh, children | word count: 7.6k

“You never answered my last letter.”

“I–” he begins, but then seems to think better of what he was going to say, instead clearing his throat before continuing. “I must have forgotten.”

chapter 4: i bet on losing dogs | word count: 6.2k

3. Something moves in the water. Something large.

2. The boy from 8 steps off his platform a split second too early. It blows. To his left, Bee brings both hands up to shield her face, sinking away in panic. Her heel nearly slips, and you feel like throwing up. 

1. The room is silent. Dead silent. On the screen, the tributes begin to run.

chapter 5: killer | word count: 9.3k

You can hardly imagine a world where, upon being faced with you, the Capitol citizens can manage anything other than sheer horror. Still, if some party is all that’s standing between you and returning home, you’ll find a way to get through it, even if you have to grit your teeth and bite your tongue until it bleeds.

chapter 6: bite the hand | word count: 6.6k

“I hate you.” And he flinched as though the words had hurt him. As though he hadn’t spent every moment of the last three years trying to probe that very reaction from your lips. And you knew he must not have meant it. That it was nothing more than the residual regret leaving his body, but a part of you relished it. Relished causing him pain after the torture he had put you through.

“Good.”

chapter 7: sign of the times | word count: 6.7k

“You still love him, don’t you?” The question nearly has you jumping out of your skin. Still, you elect to avoid any direct sort of answer because the truth is, you aren’t sure.

“How would you know?”

“I’m your sister. I know you better than I know myself.”

[odditycircus-2002]

Mortal Kombat 1 Intros with Medusa!Reader Part II

Li Mei

Y/N: Are you sure we cannot keep the traitor as a lovely ornament?

Li Mei: Reiko has to face trial like anyone else, Y/N.

/

Y/N: I still regret that I could not have done more for Sindel.

Li Mei: I know it pains you, but no one is accusing you of doing nothing.

/

Y/N: I am not sure I can give a testimony without trying to kill Shang Tsung on sight.

Li Mei: Justice cannot function properly unless you follow it thoroughly.

/

Y/N: I hope you're still not holding it against Syzoth for disturbing the lantern festival.

Li Mei: After everything he's done for the Empire? I'll let him off with a warning this time.

/

Li Mei: It is thanks to you that most of Sun Do's constables survived our battle with Shao and his allies.

Y/N: I am glad to hear they made full recoveries.

/

Li Mei: You must put your faith in justice.

Y/N: There is no such thing as it, the best I could hope for is revenge.

/

Li Mei: It still baffles me that you managed to slip away from me the first time you came to the palace.

Y/N: What can I say? I've always been the slippery type.

Kitana

Y/N: I am presuming that Li Mei wishes to speak with me about slipping hallucinogenic mushrooms into the rebel army's food supply.

Kitana: You did what now?!

/

Y/N wistfully: It seems like only yesterday to me that I helped bring you into the world.

Kitana: Time tends to fly by like that, Y/N.

/

Y/N surprised: I understand honoring Baraka, but Mileena wants to do the same with me?

Kitana: You have served Outworld with as much determination and loyalty as any honored soldier, Y/N

/

Y/N: I am truly sorry I couldn't save your mother.

Kitana: My family and I know more than anyone how hard you try to keep her alive.

/

Kitana: By the gods, NO! That is absolutely a cruel idea.

Y/N: How is throwing food that is secretly explosives worse than Shao weaponizing Onaga?

/

Kitana: Perhaps you should stop coming to the strategy meetings...

Y/N: Is this about my latest suggestion?

/

Kitana: You have a sister?

Y/N: Yes, but we're not as close as you and Mileena.

Liu Kang

Liu Kang: Even though he proves to be resilient, I’d be wary of Baraka loosing control.

Y/N: Have you forgotten I too was once a beauty now a turned beast?

/

Liu Kang: Baraka and his fellow Tarkatans view you as a beacon of hope for all you’ve done for them.

Y/N: Only because NO ONE elssse would help those poor unfortunate soulsss!

/

Liu Kang: Do not become tempted by Shang Tsung’s Well of Souls.

Y/N: If you had any chance of saving the one you loved from a cruel fate, wouldn’t you take it? /

Y/N: I asked you to kill me in a previous timeline???

Liu Kang: Kronika made it so you cannot go on without Shang Tsung. /

Y/N: I was a dangerous enemy in a past timeline, why didn’t you erase me for good?

Liu Kang: Because I had hoped that with better circumstances, you’d turn out kinder.

/

Y/N: I am grateful that you didn’t have me predestined to marry Shang Tsung

Liu Kang: As am I that you had an actual choice to choose who to love.

/

Y/N: I hope you do not expect I pray to you, not when I have to rely on myself to heal others.

Liu Kang: No, I do not need any of the sort, Y/N.

Kiu Liang (Scorpion)

Y/N: For freeing me from Shang Tsung and Quan-chi, I am in your debt till death.

Kiu Liang: I could not stand idly by and let the Sorcerers continue to use you.

/

Y/N: Thank you again for those earthrealm medical books you've gifted me.

Kiu Liang: May they prove to greatly help your cause.

/

Y/N: Truth be told, I envy that you and your new bride have life to look forward to together.

Kiu Liang: I understand why your heart would be in such turmoil.

/

Y/N: My venom is more than strong enough to overpower yours.

Kiu Liang: But can you take the force of my sting?

/

Kiu Liang: Baraka and the rest of the Colony are fortunate to have you as their healer.

Y/N: As is the Shirai Ryu for having you as Grandmaster.

/

Kiu Liang: I promise you, my clan and I will ensure that Bi-han is tried for his crimes-

Y/N angrily hisses: I do NOT care that he'sssss your brother! He must be cut like the tumor he is for hisssss attack on the colony!

/

Kiu Liang: You taught Outworlds High Mage hydromancy?

Y/N: Only the basics. He bringsssss me great shame for abusing the magic he's learned.

Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)

Y/N: Kuia-Liang will be disappointed that he's not the one who finished you.

Bi-Han: He will be disappointed to know you died thinking you could.

/

Y/N: You are plague to everything you touch.

Bi-Han: Only to those who would stand against me or my clan.

/

Y/N angrily and hissing: You killed my patientssss!!!

Bi-Han: I did them a favor by releasing them from their misery.

/

Y/N: Taking Shang Tsung's offer was a foolish mistake.

Bi-Han: You're right. I do not need his sorcery to bring power and glory to my clan.

/

Bi-Han: What manner of illness did you give my Lin Kuei, witch?!

Y/N patronizingly: I thought your clan was supposed to be stronger.

/

Bi-Han: I know your cold blood will stand no chance against my cryomancy.

Y/N: Actually, I ssstill remain warm-blooded.

/

Bi-Han: Your hydromancy has no chance against my cryromancy.

Y/N: Have you forgotten what ice is made from, Bi-han?

Rain

Rain: Why did you never teach ME how to control blood?

Y/N: I wished to spare you of the magic’s cost of madness.

/

Rain: I will always regret my crimes against Seido

Y/N: If you’re truly remorseful, then their ssssouls shall haunt you till the day you die. /

Y/N: I did NOT teach you how to control water, sssso you could dishonor me or your family!

Rain: I know how deeply I’ve shamed all of you. /

Rain: With the magic you know, why did you never pursue becoming High Mage?

Y/N: To avoid being overwhelmed with ambition asssss you were. /

Y/N: Your once cleansing water are ssssstained with the blood of Seido’s victims.

Rain: It is something I can never truly wash away. /

Rain: I have surpassed your water magic!

Y/N: How bold to assume that I’ve taught you EVERYTHING about water’s capabilitiessss.

/

Y/N: You want to come with ME into the Kytinn Hive???

Rain: So I can finally start my penance.

[rottonfishie]

The Ivory Girl AU Fic will be posted on Ao3 and Tumblr.

Ivory Girl AU : A Hero Is Born - Chapter 1

‐--------------------------------○●○--------------------------

"The thing you need to understand about the old legends is that the story is never finished. There may be no pages left to turn, but there is always more to the journey."

Rising from the sea, The Dragon King Of The West attacked a defenceless village. No one could stop him. No one could resist him. No one expect.. The Legendary Lady Ivory. The Lady Ivory, with her mythical skeleton key, that no other being could bend to their will, created a powerful seal trapping the Dragon King beneath the sea he once reigned over.

With the battle won, The Lady Ivory vanished, never to be seen again. Legend says that the key lies buried, forgotten, never to be found. Being the one thing keeping our world from total devastation. And, with the Dragon King Of The West gone, civilization was able to advance into the amazing city we live in today. A world of elegant cultures, gentle loving people, a city brimming with delicious sweet treats...

"And, all because of the Lady Ivory!" The woman finished her tale, folding her hands onto her lap, covered by a long dark violet skirt that draped modestly over her legs. Her lavender cardigan was buttoned up over her mint green top. She looked over to her one-person audience, who was grinning widely back at her. The young girl's deep chestnut eyes gleamed with pure excitement.

"Oh!! That was so awesome!" The young girl cheered, hopping off of the table she was sitting on. "Lady Ivory's so cool! She's so intelligent and beautiful–"

"Oh, I would've assumed you knew all of Lady Ivory's stories, Bai he" The woman cut in before the young girl could continue her fawning. The woman's eyebrow arched in question, challenging the young girl's knowledge.

"Of course, I know all of Lady Ivory's stories!" Bai he proclaimed, pulling out a cyan book with a skull and bones drawn on the cover. "I got her whole life documented extensively in this unauthorized autobiography of Lady Ivory."

"Written and illustrated by yours truly." Bai he added, pointing to her name written on the corner of the book. "Like I knew she was born from the bones of a beautiful woman, and how she lives in a lost empire that she stole from a tyrannical ruler with all her ghostie friends!" Bai he explained, swipping quickly through the pages. "And- and- and- Oh!"

"Bai he." The woman said, gaining the young girl's attention as she pointed down at the pile of loose pages on the floor. "The pages are falling out."

"Ah, Dammit!" Bai He exclaimed, plopping the book onto the woman's lap before dropping to her knees to pick up the fallen pages.

The woman chuckled at the muttered curses coming from Bai he as she gathered up the pages. "Im glad to know that someone else still has interest in these stories." The woman commented, skimming through the book. "Even if their a tad bit biased.." She muttered under her breath, looking at one of many loose drawings of the Lady Ivory.

"What was that?" Bai He asked, standing up with a messy pile of pages in her hand.

"Nothing!" The woman quickly replied, clearing her throat. She handed back the book to Bai he, who unceremoniously shoved back in the loose pages. "Now, you know the deal, I give you stories of wisdom and you give me..."

"A free box of mint ice-cream filled Gua Bao." Bai he finished the woman's sentence, already walking behind the display case where freshly made Gua Bao were sat enticingly inside. She grabbed a lavander box with a mint ribbon tied into a bow, a spider broach sitting in the middle.

"So how heavy do you think the WHOLE sea is?" Bai he asked, pushing open the sliding door into the display case. "Like compared to like– OW!" A sharp pain erupts through through her hand, causing her to recoil.

"Ah! What the fuck–" Bai he growls, quickly changing her demeanour when she sees the lavander skinned spider demoness standing behind her with a pair of metal tongs. Her lime green eyes staring down at down at Bai he, who glupped and gave her an innocent smile.

"Free? Nobody gets anything for free!" Queenie asserted, taking the empty box from Bai he and slapping it back down into its rightful place. "This ain't Queenie's Charity, it's Queenie's Bakery!" She snapped, her glare landing on the women, who waved innocently at the raging demoness.

"And I'm sure you're aware, I'm not running no charity service, Xiezi." Queenie stated, walking over to where the women sat off in a small booth by herself. "So, cough up the money, yeah, freeloader!" She spat.

"Ah, but, Queenie, I was paying wisdom." Xiezi explained, wiggling her fingers for dramatic affect. Queenie didn't seem very assumed by her display.

"Yeah? Well, wisdom doesn't pay the rent." Queenie retorted, returning her attention to Bai he who was attempting to sneak out. "And you!" She pointed out Bai he who froze in her tracks.

"You've been slacking off all morning! I've got a dozen orders that need to go out!" Queenie ordered, throwing Bai he her lavander fanal shirt with mint sleeves.

"Well, you see, I was about to take my break, so..." Bai he informed, carefully sidestepping closer to the exit with her work shirt in her arms.

"Break? Break!? There's no time for breaks!" Queenie claimed. "I need workers, soliders in the name of Queenie's Bakery!" She stated.

"How else am I going to expand my business into the enemies territory!?" Queenie asked, glaring out the large window of the bakery.

"Uh, do you mean across the street?" Bai he asked, pointing at the bakery across the street with a bird demon with colourful feathers, making bread in view of her window. She locked eyes with Queenie, gathering tension almost instantly before Queenie looked back to Bai he.

"I stand by my statement!" Queenie declared, placing her hand on her hip. "Now, hurry up, I want not a signal call about ice cream being melted." She warned. As Bai he quickly pulled off her pastel yellow cardigan, replacing it with her flanal shirt.

"Yes, ma'am!" Bai he replied, throwing her cardigan into an empty booth as she ran out the door. Queenie watched as Bai he darted out to her scooter, sighing as she picked up the cardigan that was carelessly sprawled over the seats.

"That girl, I swear." Queenie muttered as she folded the cardigan onto her arm. She looked back at Xiezi, who was busy guiltless stuffing her face with Gua Bao. Xiezi slowly looked over to Queenie, whose eye twitched in anger.

Queenie snatched a pair of metal tongs from behind the counters attached to the display case. "We can talk about this..." Xiezi suggested, hopping up out of the booth as Queenie menacingly approached.

"Yeah, yeah we can talk, FREELOADER!!!" Queenie replied, Hopping over the table of the booth. She chased Xiezi around the bakery. throwing things as she yelled.

"Get back here coward!"

"No, Queenie!"

"I WANT MY MONEY!"

Bai He listened to the chaos that was erupting from the bakery and made a quick decision. "Sorry, Ms. Xiezi, but everyman for themselves.." She muttered, slipping in her cat shaped earphones as she started up her lavander scooter. Driving away into the impressive city that was Megaprolis.

Bai he follows the directions shown on her phone, driving her scooter through the twists and turns deeper into the construction zone of the city. Planks and metal beams stood tall around, leading her way to a mechanical elevator where she parked her scooter in front of. She hopped off of her scooter, grabbing the delivery out of the portable freezer on the back.

Bai he stepped into the elevator, bopping her head up and down to the beat of her music. She smacked her fist into the large red button, which began the descend of the elevator into the underground.

The sound of the elevator stopping echoed through the cavern. Bai he pulled her earphones from her ears, shoving them into the pocket of her bubblegum coloured skirt as she stepped out into the cavern. The muddy floor squashed against her shoes, sticking to the soles of her feet.

"Ugh.." Bai he moaned, lifting her foot off of the sticky mud. "Who wants to eat anything here?" She wondered, walking further into the cavern. Looking around at the unfinished construction, she heard distant chatter and walks towards its. Hiding behind a pile of rubble, she peers over the edge.

She sees two women, one with black hair cut into a clean black chin-length bob. She wore a green floor length, elegant dress that had lighter green flame design on her sleeves. She stood beside a younger looking woman who starkly contrasted her clean appearance.

She had spiky black hair, tied into two ponytails with the rest at chin length. The tips of her hair were dyed, a bright green. She wore a punk look that made her impressive cyber-esc gear stand out. They almost looked human expect, for the older woman moved, revealing her bottom half of snake.

Bai He gasped, shoving the delivery underneath her arm as she crawled up the knocked over supports up onto the pipes. She listened closely to the conversation between the creatures.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

[yarpharp]

Hi yes welcome again to my weird thoughts on Solas at inappropriate times past midnight. The newest one that hit me at this lovely time of 1:30ish am?

I bet you real, hard-earned American dollars that Solas has no idea what a werewolf is. Why do I say this? Because based on the lore of Dragon Age: Origins and other related works pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition, werewolves in Thedas are made only three possible ways: doing a ritual that binds a spirit to wolf and compel it to bite humans (they subsequently get the curse), a wolf is possessed by a rage demon, or a human is possessed by a hunger demon. Solas is from an ancient era where demons didn't really actually happen (no Veil to cause problems). And what few indicators we have of the ancient elves dealing with demons only really happened LATE in the empire's existence. And specifically with the Forgotten Ones. And while Solas might have had some relations with them (Fen'Harel and his interesting alliances with both Evanuri and Forgotten Ones), I'm not quite sure he actually would never have any interest in learning such magic in the first place.

So thus, with these facts, I personally suspect werewolves are a modern monster phenomenon. And Solas? If you snoop around his desk and also snoop around some spots in Skyhold with some acquisition requests lying about, you'll find a book list written by Solas requesting all sorts of books, for all sorts of topics. The elf is scrambling to catch up with history and shit he missed. He also has a very low opinion of humans. I bet you he never even HEARD about the famous folklore in Ferelden about Dane and the Werewolf.

In a fantasy scenario, I would love to be there when he learns werewolves are A Thing. Like, clearly wolves were an Important creature among the Elvhen even before Solas took on the title of Dread Wolf. The Emerald Knights had wolf companions! And they emulated ancient Elvhen warriors! There are references to "people wolves" and shit in ancient tombs. Solas has very strong feelings about saving those wolves from a terror demon in the Hinterlands! (I say strong because you get Solas Approves instead of the painful blip of Solas Slightly Approves) And knowing his guilt-ridden ass, I bet you even more money that he would internally panic over it. "Is this yet another side effect of my failures? Had my magic which created the Veil warped the very creatures I once emulated?"

Idk y'all I'd delight in hearing him scramble to say something constructive and intelligent about werewolves while knowing absolutely nothing about werewolves.

[evelasco-art]

Hello hello I started following you after seeing your wonderful LeGuin art, and I was really curious about your novel as well, if you’d be willing to share a little bit about it…👀

Oooooooh, thank you so much!!!!! 🥺 Omg, my novel… Thank you for asking this question. Tbh I can talk about it for hours, but I’ll do my best to be concise.

Disclaimer: I mostly write in Spanish, which is my native language, and the novel is far from being completed (I'm currently at around 25% of the first draft of the first book). So don't expect to find it in the shelves of your local bookshop any time soon, sorry...

Anyways, I actually believe my story is partly inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s work. I first read The Left Hand Of Darkness when I was around 23, which was also the time I started to develop stories of my own (mostly through GMing), and also got heavily interested in human evolution and anthropology. And I know LHOD had a heavy influence on me (on how I understand gender and humanity, for instance). So it would make sense that there is some of it in my work.

The story I'm working on will probably be a bilogy or trilogy. It explores the theme of two different human groups making contact with each other after being isolated for hundreds of thousands of years (at this point they’re two different species). It’s epic fantasy with a substantial science component (mostly anthropology and cell biology) and delves deep into colonialism, genocide, faith, trauma, queerness and empathy.

Now, to the juicy stuff. There are two main characters: Delshed and Vahna.

Delshed is a military officer from the Celestial Empire. After years hating what his job has made him do, he has left the army to pursue diplomacy. However, he is called back to it and tasked with the mission to eradicate the ‘demons’ that are attacking the empire’s eastern border. He then says: well okay let’s go they’re demons they have no soul so I can go kill them with my mind at peace (he is very religious, and celestial faith states all souls are sacred, hence his conflict with his own occupation). The problem is the enemy is way harder to fight than anyone had expected, and his soldiers pay the price. Which tears him apart. And let's say he doesn’t have the healthiest coping mechanisms in the world.

Here’s an old sketch of the problematic yet handsome man:

On the other hand, Vahna (she/they), whose name is Keahane at the start of the novel, is a warrior of a Heruze clan, aka one of the ‘demons’ that are attacking the empire. When the Celestials first arrived to their native land, the Heruze were massacred and displaced, and now they’re cornered into a barely inhabitable mountain range, hiding and slowly dying from hunger. So they decide to try and take back their land. Their advantages are: 1) the empire has mostly forgotten them and 2) they have the power to grow and modify the tissues in their own bodies at will. Keahane is a bleeder (one of the 3 Heruze genders), an expert at body modification, and one of their best warriors. However, horrified after being ordered to kill a whole family from the empire, they do something that is forbidden for their gender: voicing their opinion. They are then banished from the clan and stripped from their name (the worst possible punishment for their people). Their whole arc then revolves around finding out who they really are and what they want.

Here's a sketch of Intensity Queen aka Vahna:

So the story starts with a war between these groups, which leads to Delshed and Vahna unexpectedly clashing in the battlefield. The central point of the novel is how they, instead of killing each other, end up bridging the gap that exists between them and, after much conflict, become a sort of precarious link between the two species. Which ends up spiraling into a revolution that will rattle the predatory foundations of the empire itself.

You may have seen other characters in my pieces. Such as Isenjat, one of Delshed’s officers and also his best friend. She is totally on board with eradicating the Heruze because one of them killed her first love and left her with permanent injuries that turned her life into a nightmare. She can be an insufferable spite-driven asshole sometimes but I love her.

And the other icon I draw the most is Tairitz, who appears quite late in the story, but also has me obsessed. He's a musician and a storyteller, of an ethnic minority absorbed by the empire long ago. He has lost everything yet somehow manages to be the emotionally healthiest and most deconstructed member of the cast. As an anarchist, he will be more than happy to join a revolution. It may pose a bit of an internal conflict if he falls for the imperial prince tho. Which he totally won't.

As you may have guessed, most of the cast is queer. I really really wanted an ace protagonist who would manage to have beautiful romantic relationships in which their identity is not only respected but honoured, and that is Delshed. Vahna, through the discovery of her own identity, allows me to question the whole construct of gender. And I don't know, I was craving complex and beautiful stories about queer people healing together and making the world a better place. There aren't that many in fantasy (although thankfully that's changing).

If you've read through all this, you have my eternal gratitude. I love these characters with my whole heart and they are the thing that has kept me going through very dark times. 🥺

Once again, thank you for asking. 🧡

[bestanimatedmovie]

Tumblr’s favorite animated movie, Round 2!

Classification round | Round 1 | Round 3 | Round 4

These are the matches for round 2!

Results overview

Part one:

Alice in Wonderland vs The Adventures of Tintin

Anastasia vs Wreck-it-Ralph

Atlantis: The Lost Empire vs Megamind

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus vs Rango

Beauty and the Beast vs The Prince of Egypt

Big Hero 6 vs My Neighbor Totoro

Brave vs The Iron Giant

Coco vs Toy Story

Coraline vs The Lion King

Encanto vs Grave of the Fireflies

Fantastic Mr Fox vs Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Finding Nemo vs Kiki's Delivery Service

Hercules vs Perfect Blue

How To Train Your Dragon vs Up

Howl's moving castle vs The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Inside Out vs Wolfwalkers

Kung Fu Panda vs Treasure Planet

Kung Fu Panda 2 vs Who Framed Roger Rabbit vs Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper

Lilo & Stitch vs Ratatouille

Monsters Inc vs Princess Mononoke

Mulan vs Shrek

Ponyo vs Song of the Sea

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish vs Shrek 2

Rise of the Guardians vs The Emperor's New Groove

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie vs The LEGO Movie

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron vs The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Spirited Away vs The Princess and the Frog 

Tangled vs The Incredibles

The Last Unicorn vs Toy Story 2

The Lorax vs Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie vs Turning Red

WALL-E vs Your Name

Part two:

101 Dalmatians vs Sailor Moon R: The Movie

A Goofy Movie vs Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

A Silent Voice vs Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Astro Boy vs The Pagemaster

Barbie Fairy Secret vs Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children vs Star☆Twinkle Precure the Movie: Wish Upon a Song of Stars

Brother Bear vs Meet the Robinsons

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie vs Isle of Dogs

Chicken Run vs Watership Down

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time vs Klaus

Ernest & Celestine vs Liz and the Blue Bird

Fantastic Planet vs Kirikou and the Sorceress

Hoodwinked! vs The Nightmare Before Christmas

In This Corner of the World vs Ringing Bell

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem vs Persepolis

Kubo and the Two Strings vs Robots

Lu Over the Wall vs The Legend of Hei

Metropolis vs Whisper of the Heart

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind vs The Great Mouse Detective

Night Is Short, Walk on Girl vs The Secret World of Arrietty

ParaNorman vs The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Penguins of Madagascar vs Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension vs Promare

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion vs The Secret of Kells

Stormy Night vs Digimon Adventure: Our War Game

Tehran Taboo vs The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The Book of Life vs The Sea Beast

The Boy and the Beast vs Tokyo Godfathers

The Brave Little Toaster vs Unicorn Wars

The Breadwinner vs Zombillenium

The Little Prince vs The Thief and the Cobbler

Wolf Children vs The Phantom Tollbooth

[celestiall0tus]

Rapture - Chapter 1 - Not Prepared

Next

            A knock came from the door. A pair of tiny creatures with small bodies and large heads raised their heads. They watched the door as it opened and the handmaiden, Rose, stepped into the room. She smiled and waved at the creatures before she threw back the curtains and let in the early morning light.

            “Rise and shine, your Majesty!” Rose sang.

            Rose threw open more curtains as the sun’s rays hit Marinette’s face. Marinette groaned and pulled her blanket over her face. Rose giggled and ripped the blanket off of Marinette.

            “Now, now, your Majesty, you mustn’t go back to sleep. Today is a very important day. Surely you haven’t forgotten, have you?”

            Marinette huffed and yawned. “Of course not. What… what day is it?”

            “What other day, your Majesty? The Diamond Gala starts today.”

            Marinette sighed and rolled back over. “Ah, yes. The Diamond Gala.”

            Rose stood and waited a few seconds before Marinette sat up with a frantic expression.

            “Oh no! It’s the Diamond Gala!”

            Marinette scrambled and fell off her bed as she fought to get to her feet. She ran around the room while Rose made up her bed, then headed into the bathroom. She ran from bookcase to bookcase as she collected a stack of books. She dumped them onto her desk and disturbed the creatures. They flew up as she took a seat and scoured them.

            “Marinette, what are you doing?” Gimmi, the creature with a white body and cicada wings, asked.

            “Studying. I have only a few hours, if that, before the bulk of the nobles arrive. Then, even fewer hours before I’m presented before them. Then I’ll be expected to mingle with them,” Marinette blurted.

            “But you’ve mingled with nobles before. This isn’t that different,” Vana, the creature with a colorful chameleon body, commented.

            “But it is different! I won’t just be mingling. I’ll be courting! I’ve got to flirt and… and other stuff! And I’m not ready!”

            “Oh, come now, it’s not that hard. It’s just like talking,” Gimmi reassured.

            “No, it’s not. At least, not according to all my books,” Marinette whined.

            “Marinette, those are trashy romance novels made for cheap arousal,” Gimmi commented.

            Marinette gasped and hugged a book. “How dare you! These are works of art.”

            “Yeah, I’m not dealing with this. Vana, she’s all yours,” Gimmi remarked and vanished.

            “Oh, Vana, what am I going to do? I’m not ready. I need more time. I need more books. Rose, sweetie?”

            “Now, hold on. You’ve read plenty of these books. You have an idea of how courting works, right?”

            “Well, I guess?”

            “And you’ve been educated on how this works from Sabine, right?”

            “I mean, sorta.”

            “That’s all you need. Besides, you also have us. You have nothing to worry about.”

            Rose poked her head out of the bathroom. “And me! Don’t forget me! Oh, and your bath is ready, your Majesty.”

            “Go on. Relax and then we’ll go meet with Sabine.”

            Marinette nodded and stepped into the bathroom. Rose undressed Marinette and left the room as Marinette stepped into the bath. She washed herself with the oils and gels that Rose selected. She smiled as she took a deep breath and inhaled the intoxicating scent of roses, jasmine, and vanilla. She sighed and reveled in them. She lounged as she played with the bubbles and thought of the day ahead of her.

            Marinette would be participating in her first Diamond Gala. She had seen others and participated in few others, but this one would be different. She had seen twenty-one summers and was of age. It was time for her to find her royal consort and prepare to take over the empire. It was her duty as all others before. A duty she embraced, but she feared what was to come at the Diamond Gala.

            Given Marinette’s inclusion and purpose, the Diamond Gala this year would be a month-long affair instead of the usual week. All eyes would be on her as every noble from the kings and queen to the barons and baronesses would do everything to win her approval and her heart. If this gala were like all the others, she’d be eager to participate. It was the highlight of the year for her. To meet the nobles from far and wide. To learn from them personally about their kingdoms, customs, everything. It was something she could never get from her books, and she loved it. However, with her needing to choose a consort, everything would be different.

            Marinette took a sharp breath as she fought the oncoming nerves and thoughts. She could just enjoy a simple conversation and tea with a noble. Every move, every word, every action would have a motive to it. She would be the jewel to every power hungry noble her mother, Sabine, had warned her to watch out for. Sabine taught her what to look out for, but what if there was something she missed? What if there was something that Sabine didn’t know? Would she fall victim to such a noble? Would she be played for a fool?

            Marinette’s mind spiraled and her heart pounded. Each new breath came harder as she envisioned ravenous snakes and wolves that nipped at her heels, all too eager to devour her. She brought her knees to her chest as she vividly imagined every possible trick they’d use to fool and deceive her. She took deep, hallow breaths as the snakes and wolves closed in on her, lost in inescapable darkness.

            “Rose!” Marinette screeched.

            Rose burst into the room and up to Marinette. “What’s wrong? Allergic reaction? I told the Queen those oils would be bad for you! Let me get the good ones.”

            “Rose, what am I going to do? The gala starts today! The nobles will be here today! And they’ll all want me. Oh, what if I make a mistake? What if one plays me for a fool? What will I do? I’m not ready for this.”

            “Oh, well, uh, oh! Just look for the ones in your books.”

            “My books?”

            “That’s right. The dashing, charming, and super attentive women that would worship the ground you walk on.”

            “And men.”

            “What?”

            “Women and men. Actually, thinking on that, shouldn’t I choose a male consort? I’d need to produce an heir and-.”

            Marinette stopped mid-sentence as she paled. Rose opened her mouth but was cut off by Marinette.

            “Rose! What if the nobles want to… to… you know… with me? Mom said it’d be ok, and I’d be protected from unintended consequences, but am I ready? Every book I’ve read has ended with such a momentous act, but have I read enough to know what to do? What if I forget? What if I make a fool of myself? I’ll be the laughingstock of all the courts!”

            “Your Majesty, please, you’re working yourself up. Try to relax and not worry about it.”

            “How? It’s in a few hours and then I’ll be thrown to the wolves!”

            “No, you won’t.”

            “I won’t? What do you mean?”

            “You’ll have me, Mari. You know you’ll always have me at your side. Only death can take me away, but even I doubt death can keep me from you.”

            Marinette smiled. “You’ll be there? You’ll keep me safe?”

            “I always have, Mari. No one has ever or will ever harm you so long as I’m here. And I’ll always be here.”

            “What would I do without you, Rose?”

            “You’ll never have to worry about that. Now, let’s get you ready. I have your gown selected and everything.”

            Marinette nodded and got out. Rose dried Marinette off and got her dressed. Marinette and Rose headed towards Sabine and Tom’s sitting room with Gimmi and Vana. They all stepped inside with Marinette, Gimmi, and Vana approached Sabine and Tom while Rose stayed at the door.

            “Oh, look at you. All grown up. My darling girl,” Sabine said.

            “How you feeling, kiddo?” Tom asked.

            “Nervous. Very nervous,” Marinette answered.

            “Well, we have the first day all planned out. We’ll do a quick introduction in the throne room, present you, and have you escorted to the private gardens. We had Vana and Gimmi set up a nice little area for you and some of the other nobility to mingle. You know, give you a chance to see what’s available,” Sabine explained.

            “I… I won’t be alone, will I?”

            “Not at all. You’ll have Rose with you. She’s-.”

            “But not just Rose. Your old man managed to get you a little extra security. Vana, Gimmi, bring her in,” Tom interrupted.

            “Tom, I thought we-.”

            Gimmi and Vana opened a portal that cut off Sabine. They all watched as a short woman with wild, spiked red hair and bright, pale blue armor stepped through. The knight flashed a smile and fell to her knees in a bow.

            “Pleased to make the acquaintance of the royal family. I am Ser Alix, at your service.”

            Marinette’s eyes widened as she grinned. “Ser Alix? As in the Ser Alix? The wandering knight known across the realm for their valiant, selfless deeds that have saved countless people?”

            Alix rose and winked. “The very same, your Grace.”

            Marinette squealed. “You must have so many stories from all your travels. You must tell them to me. I want to hear all about your glorious deeds.”

            “It would be my honor.”

            “Oh, excellent! I’ve heard many things, but it’ll be amazing to-.”

            Sabine cleared her throat, interrupting Marinette. “This can wait until after, Marinette. First, business.”

            Marinette nodded and stood up. Sabine called on Gimmi and Vana. The pair phased into light and vanished into Sabine. Marinette watched Sabine’s hair bloom into a prismatic mane, two additional sets of eyes open, and an ethereal, prismatic tail flowed behind her. Sabine held out her hands and created a white circlet with an angelic glow. Sabine placed it on Marinette’s head.

            “This will keep you safe for the event. No poison shall fall you, no blade shall pierce you, and no bastards.”

            Marinette’s face flushed as she looked away. She glanced back as Vana and Gimmi left Sabine who reverted to normal.

            “Alright, the nobles will have gathered in the throne room by now. Are you ready to be introduced?” Sabine asked.

            “As ready as I can be,” Marinette answered.

            Sabine smiled and cupped Marinette’s cheek. “You’ll do well, my darling girl. Never forget what I’ve taught you. And always trust your heart.”

            “I will. I won’t let you do.”

            “You never have.”

            Marinette beamed and kissed Sabine’s cheek, who returned the gesture.

            “Come. The nobles await us.”

Patreon || Discord || Ko-Fi

[caesarinsalata]

[BLOOD WARNING!] PART 1

Strap in for another short read!

I was planning to wait to post this, but I'm curious how this will translate to people 🤔

Part 1: 5 years later

“Hohenheim! Where is Hohenheim?!”

King Xerxes punched the arm of his throne, coughing right after. His subjects frantically whispered amongst themselves. Wondering who last saw Hohenheim.

“Your highness! He’s here!”

Hohenheim came into the throne room escorted by a guard, not looking too happy.

“Hohenheim! You know I detest waiting.” Drumming his fingers.

Hohenheim sighs, stepping up to the base stair of the throne platform. “Yes, yes, I know, your highness. What was it that you needed? I’m very busy with many of your requests.”

The King exhales through his nose. “I’ll choose to overlook that tone. How close are we to immortality? I haven’t got forever, Hohenheim.”

Hohenheim clears his throat, wiping his hands on his clothes. He hated these updates the King forced him to report every other day like this sort of thing he was attempting to give him was achievable overnight. “Your Highness, we’ve been through this. It takes time to gather the resources and the science is complicated.”

“You’re-” The King coughs into the back of his hand. “You’re just making excuses! Where is that Dwarf? He knows a lot more than you and doesn’t make excuses!”

“Everything we know about this immortality nonsense is from him! Of course he’d know!” Hohenheim was getting frustrated with this whole immortality thing! At first he was all for helping The King, but the more information he gathered about this supposed immortality was just driving their King crazy. Crazier than he already was, he didn’t particularly favor their King as the years went on. Too many people were way too obsessed with this immortality thing once their age began to surface.

“Hohenheim.” The King suddenly stood up. “I’m tired of waiting.”

“The Dwarf has already told you how this will work! It’s bound to take a handful of years. Especially when you order the death of your own people from all across the country!” Hohenheim was getting irritated. Why did he go along with this make believe? No King should live forever regardless. Being in power had a nasty habit of corrupting people.

“Hohenheim! Have you forgotten your place? Need I remind you? I am your King!” The King had a coughing fit and sat back down. The nearby subjects inched closer in worry. Wheezing out the words, “I’m fine…” and glaring down at Hohenheim. Seeming to think of something devilish, he turned to his right hand guard. Glancing to Hohenheim. “I think you need a reminder…” Clapping his hands at the guard signaling him to leave.

“What does that mean? Your Highness, just be reasonable!”

“We’re passed that now, Hohenheim. You obviously need some inspiration and a reminder of your mortality.”

Hohenheim was just confused now.

Moments later the guard returned with an 11 year old holding his hand. It was Edward. But he wasn’t bothered to look up from his book he was holding in his other hand. He was guided to the middle of the throne room.

“Edward? Why is he here?” Only then, Ed looked up and around. Not really caring about whatever was going on right now. His gaze went from the King to Hohenheim then back down to his book. “Your Highness, he can’t be in here.”

“You’ve left me no choice, Hohenheim. You obviously haven't sacrificed enough yet to understand the gravity of what immortality will do for this empire!”

Hohenheim’s breath caught in his throat. “What are you planning to do?”

“Don’t worry, I won't kill your eldest son.”

“Wha-?” Hohenheim lurched forward but was stopped by the other guards. “Ed! Get out of here!”

Edward whipped his head up, startled by Hohenheim’s exclamation. Feeling the tension in the room, he was only able to tug at the guards hold on him. “What the- What the hells going on here?” Dropping his book when another guard grabbed his other ar. He fought against their hold to no avail. Guided to the ground, they held him down despite his kicking and cursing.

“Good timing too. You haven’t been teaching your boy proper manners. Proceed.”

“What are you doing??!!” Hohenheim fought against the guards holding him back, one of them elbowing him in the gut causing him to double over.

A guard unsheathed his sword and stepped closer to Edward.

Understanding the situation finally, Edward’s eyes grew wide. He was suddenly scared out of his mind. “Get that thing away from me! What the hell is this?!”

“Ugh,” The King groaned, leaning his head on his hand. “Children are nothing but annoying nuisances.”

The guard held the sword in both hands over his head. Edward could tell from his face he didn’t wanna do this. Whatever it was he was going to do to him, it wasn’t going to be anything good for Ed. He couldn’t hear Hohenheim yelling his name while he struggled against four guards. His heart throbbed in his ear.

This is bad.

He’s got to move.

He’s got to do /something/.

NOW!

Ed started to kick and scream more ferociously, startling the guard and throwing him off his aim. Depending on what he was actually aiming for, that is. The sword came down and all Ed could hear was his screams and the slice of metal getting clean through flesh and bone. He choked on his own tongue when the sudden pain sent a shock through him. A moment of silence passed over him before he sucked in as much air as possible, stifling a choked gasp and screamed from the top of his lungs. The guards had let go of him and backed away, guilt plastered all over their faces. His hands shot down to his dismembered leg. Trying to lift himself to see how bad it was, the color of deep red was all he could see. Everywhere. All over the place. Barely making out Hohenheim sprinting right at him, tears in his eyes. He lifted Ed's upper half up, desperately trying to keep him from passing out, but the shock and pain were too much for such a small boy to handle.

[anchanted-one]

Cover for Book 5

So I'm at Book Five! This is crazy!

Let me know if this is good.

Summary: Set in the five-year gap between chapter 1 and 3 of Knights of the Forgotten Empire, this book follows Lana Beniko in her hunt for Vajra, the Jedi Knight who slew the Emperor.

[capnmachete]

The Man in the Mirror A Tommy x Alfie/Sholomons short fic Chapter 4: The Thaw

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR An Alfie x Tommy short fic in 5 parts Alfie Solomons' Jewish air of absolute certainty falters in the wake of the shooting at Margate Thank you for reading! Tags by request: @justrainandcoffee; @loricasquamata; @hoodeddreams13 Also thank the 3 of you for your amazing commentary! Y'all have all remarked on the angst and how vulnerable Alfie is here. And that's true -- and I am honestly not a huge angst writer, BUT -- So often in both canon and fanon it's Tommy who's broken and traumatized and trying to recover (often, at least in fanon, with Alfie's help and comfort). And Alfie is always seemingly indestructible, never vulnerable. And I got to thinking about how, in canon, there's this huge and awful turning point in Alfie's life -- his empire largely in ruins, and Alfie himself suddenly disfigured and half-blind, living alone and in exile after a failed suicide-by-boyfriend. And how profoundly disorienting and traumatic a thing that must have been, even for someone like Alfie, and how infrequently that's explored. Anyway I digress (not surprising LMAO)...I'm done now, getting on with it... Chapter 1 / Chapter 2/Chapter 3

Chapter 4 The Thaw Someone presses their teeth to your skin, and shows just how needed you are. -- Alex Dimitrov, The Weather of Our Lives Allelu et Adonai; miracle of miracles.  What could have been a disaster, a sad and disappointing postscript, was not. 

It was a slow process – took time, as good things do. That was the fucking nature of the universe, yeah?  Bad things – they happened in an instant, in the blink of an eye.  Good things happened slowly, when they happened at all.

But they did happen sometimes, baruch Hashem.

Lethe House lived up to its name, in some respects.  The past – the bad blood of it, anyway, the guilt and anger and betrayal on both sides – was forgotten, packed away, part of a former life that was no more.  Any lingering rancor was set aside, fairly quickly, washed away by the simple pleasure of being in each other’s presence again.

In some respects, nothing had changed.  In others, everything had.

The camaraderie – the lively arguments, the long rambling conversations, the sharp but fond verbal jousting – came back quickly, as though no time had passed at all. Tommy’s visits, occasional at first, grew more frequent.

On clement days they walked along the beach or boardwalk together, Cyril cantering along the sand ahead of them, just as Alfie had dreamed.  Sometimes they walked arm in arm, sometimes Alfie’s hand rested on Tommy’s shoulder or Tommy hung onto Alfie’s sleeve.  The small gestures of affection were easily passed off in public as nothing more than a pair of friends, the younger and healthier of them lending support to the older and more infirm one. 

When it rained out – Margate being as prone to chilly, pissing downpours as the rest of the bloody country – they played endless games of chess and backgammon.  Alfie taught Tommy to play svoy koziri, a convoluted Russian card game that depended on almost supernatural card-counting abilities.  Alfie’s business ambition may have fizzled somewhat; he seemed content to leave the running of what was left of his empire to his underlings.  But in other matters he remained as fiercely competitive as ever. And so did Tommy.  As a result, the games were always lively, sometimes noisy. And occasionally resulted in tables being overturned and minor shouting matches that lasted until Chana bustled in and shouted at them both to stop behaving like ill-mannered children and clean up after themselves, please.

Evenings, they listened to the latest news on the radio, the troubling rise of fascism, still nascent in England but more entrenched elsewhere.  Or sat quietly by the fire, Alfie absorbed in a book while Tommy smoked and pored over business-related paperwork.  Alfie would sometimes cook, as he had done occasionally in the house on Hawley Road back in Camden Town.

Chana was competent enough in the kitchen.  Alfie, however, found her mastery of Russian Jewish cuisine sorely lacking, and tended to it himself instead – tzimmes and cholent and borscht, standing over the stove with sleeves rolled and a tea towel tossed over one shoulder.  And then stood over Tommy and badgered him into eating a little something -- pontificating, loudly and to no-one in particular, about ribs sticking out and malnourishment and ungrateful cunts who didn’t appreciate the luxury of a good home-cooked meal, until Tommy finally caved and took a few bites. Other aspects of their longtime association were slower to recover – a surprise to Tommy, but one he accepted, waiting Alfie out.  Small affections began to creep in again.  Tommy rubbed Alfie’s tired shoulders, brushed occasional lips across the big man's scarred knuckles; tangled his feet together with Alfie's under the dinner table. 

Alfie rested a big, gold-ringed hand on Tommy’s knee or on the nape of his neck, embraced him – tentatively at first, then with more ease.  But always from behind.  And he always sat or walked with Tommy to his right, the scarred cheek and milky eye turned away. And that was the extent of things – small touches, little affections, embraces that were barely more than brotherly.  Until one evening, sitting together on the sofa having tea and listening to the Victrola, when Tommy abruptly decided he'd had enough. And -- impulsively and apropos of nothing, or so it seemed to Alfie, at least -- reached over and forcibly turned Alfie’s chin, to face him head-on.  “What?”  Alfie asked mildly, unaccustomed to being handled in that manner. " 'm fuckin' reading here." Nudging Tommy away accomplished nothing; he glared until Alfie carefully folded the page of his book – Middlemarch – and set it in his lap, in order to give Tommy his full attention. "What the fuck are you doing, Thomas?" “I’m telling you to stop being a stupid, prudish git,” Tommy told him, blue eyes locked onto Alfie’s now mismatched ones.  “Enough’s enough.  For whatever reason, we’ve been granted a do-over, you and me, so stop being so fucking proud, and quit wasting it.”  And he yanked Alfie close in by a handful of waistcoat and kissed him soundly, teeth clacking together, nipping at Alfie's full lower lip hard enough to draw blood, clacking their teeth together, and knocking Middlemarch to the floor. It was the ferocity of the move -- the sharp teeth, the snarl, the fingers that dug in, the tang of his own blood -- that did it. Softness would have felt like pity; its opposite awoke the thing that still lived in Alfie, dormant but present, somewhere beneath the grandfatherish cardigans and the blind eye and the scar tissue. He made a guttural sound, a mix of surprise and urgency and relief; his big ringed hands hovering uselessly in the empty air for a moment before Tommy drew back.  And before Alfie could explain that neither pride nor prudishness was really the issue, or object to the callous mistreatment of a fine literary masterpiece, Tommy was in his lap, tongue in his mouth, pulling at Alfie’s sweater, grinding unashamedly against the big man’s groin. Alfie’s hands finally settled on Tommy’s narrow hips, clutching hard enough to leave fingermarks.  Coming up for air, he blinked, a little breathless.  “Tommy, I don't -- I ain't sure if I can – “ he began. And stopped midsentence when his cock, rapidly thickening in his trousers under Tommy’s weight, demonstrated that yes, he most certainly could. “Stop talking, Alfie, for fuck’s sake, or I’ll give you something better to do with that mouth,” Tommy threatened sharply, in a near-growl.  Hardly a threat, yeah?  But instead he slithered down to the floor between Alfie’s knees, shoving them roughly them apart and working at his trouser buttons. “Fuck…Thomas…”  Alfie bucked up against Thomas’ hands, then summoned just enough self-restraint to still them with his own big paws. “Fucking...Chana, she's just in the ....,” he rasped, having lost his normal facility with language, reduced to brief, telegraphic utterances.  “Upstairs," he finally managed to demand. "Now." Upstairs, Tommy made short work of Alfie’s trousers and his own, not wasting time with niceties like waistcoats or shirts or anything else.  And resisted Alfie’s attempts to take him from behind, squirming out from under the big man and dragging him down to the duvet with more strength than Alfie remembered him having. “No,” he’d huffed, stroking himself. “I want to see you.” 

Alfie had no more landed on his back and managed a surprised oath in untranslatable Ashkenazi before Tommy was on him.  He speared himself on Alfie’s cock with no more than a hasty double-handful of spit, then rode him like a Derby-day jockey until they were both sweaty and sticky and spent. And until Alfie had entirely forgotten, at least for the moment, exactly why he’d been wary of being looked at in the first place.

---

And that was that.  And while Alfie never quite lost the urge to keep Tommy on what Tommy insisted on calling his ‘pretty side’ – the insolent little cunt – the awkward distance between them evaporated entirely, and they were shtupping on the regular again.  Lazily, in the mornings or in the bath; slowly and almost tenderly after long or difficult days. Ravenously, with adrenaline-fueled vigor, after an argument or a particularly rousing game of chess -- the ones that ended with both men first arguing, then shouting, then half-dressed and wrangling furiously, biting and sucking and scratching on the Turkish rug, surrounded by scattered rooks and knights and discarded clothing.

And -- occasionally -- doing so loudly enough that Chana spent the entire next day silent as the tomb and studiously avoiding both men’s eyes. Alfie – having become rather fond of the old girl and reluctant to lose her services – said nothing, but surreptitiously began slipping an extra three quid into her pay envelope each week from that point forward.  And Chana – no fool, and now the best-paid housemaid in the town – said nothing and kept working.  She did, however, buy herself a variety of new hats.  And a radio of her own, which she kept in her room – turning its volume up on evenings when she noticed Alfie and Tommy looking at each other in a particular way, or when they appeared to be unusually rambunctious. 

It was a pleasant life.  Tommy spent long weekends at the house in Margate, falling into an almost-domestic routine with Alfie that he rather enjoyed.  And Alfie was perfectly content, spending part of the week with Tommy and the other part alone – at the baths and the synagogue and the market, now that he was a bit less reluctant to show himself in public.  Or at home, reading and listening to opera, and catching up on the sleep he invariably missed during Tommy’s weekends at Margate.

And things would have continued that way, undisturbed, had Tommy not started campaigning to bring his children out to Margate. 

[burninglights]

“Race, Colonialism & Politics in the African, Caribbean & Black Diasporas” reading list:

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala

The Anatomy of a South African Genocide by Mohamed Adhikari

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch

The World's War by David Olusoga

Behold, America by Sarah Churchwell

Sweet Land of Liberty? by Robert Cook

The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism by David Olusoga

From Protest to Challenge, Vol. 1: A Documentary History of African Politics by Gwendolyn M. Carter & Thomas Karis

Lilly (@the-azzangna) has a far more comprehensive list of books, articles and YouTube videos, as this is her area of study; this is merely a springboard into reading material.

[modern-inheritance]

Okay everyone (this means YOU, @saphira-approves @inheritance-cycles @lords-of-the-empire @someeragonmemes and any others I’ve forgotten please forgive me it’s been a while) I have good news.

1. I went to a bookstore and found out that there are several new copies of Eragon out with covers that I had not seen before, so my collection of that particular book will grow (bad news is my roomie stopped me)

2. The store ALSO had store exclusive versions of ALL the books in the series WITH A EXCERPT FROM MURTAGH INCLUDED.

3. I thumbed through said excerpt and skimmed a few scattered paragraphs. It is NOT the BS I was expecting after TFWatW. In fact it looks pretty good. We do get to hear Thorn and Murtagh conversing. I won’t say more.

4. I have only a single (much loved hard cover) copy of Inheritance, so I picked up a copy with the excerpt.

This concludes my announcement. Here’s to hoping the rest of the book is just as good!

[dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth]

I just wish I had someone who appreciated my original fiction the way I do. Someone, just 1 person, who would read my own universes and be inspired and want to partake in them and their lore. A single person to read what I make up from my own mind, and appreciate the effort I put into it genuinely and wholely. Instead, it's just my fanfiction, which I don't really write much of, that garners attention. Every piece that takes place in established universes, gets way more likes and reads and attention, versus what I pour my entire heart and soul and life essence into coming up with all on my own, which gets none ever at all. It doesn't matter if I tag and reblog the story 50 times, all 50 notes are from my reblogs and not 1 person even gave it a like. I've paid for advertising my books on multiple platforms. I've shared everything I've ever written as a rough draft for free on my pages so people can get interested in the final product. But no one even looks at those ads, or at the free 5,000+ word stories I write, let alone buys anything from me... I'm seriously pissed... My original ideas are creative, unique, and epic. And nobody cares.

Want to read about the legends of gigantic robots the size of mountains, which were piloted by people who, when they died, they'd lay down in empty fields in their mechs and pass peacefully as nature grew over the mech and turned it into an actual mountain? Go read my dream of the Titan Mechs, then.

What about a man who loves another man he can't remember? And every day the two meet by chance, one angry that he keeps crossing paths with someone not of his realm, and the other frustrated he can't remember this man at all but has a connection to him? And they search for a way to remain in each other's hearts and minds across dimensions that won't allow for such a romance as theirs to prevail? Go read Forgotten Magick, then.

What about sentient robots called Kydons whose queen forged a sword long ago that could control all technology anywhere in the world, and when she died, she hid the blade where nobody could reach it for fear that someone would use it to end her world? And Humankind rises up to find that blade believing the spearhead of the hunt will build something great for Earth with it, only for one Human to find out that spearhead is planning to ruin both Earth and Antu'rok and all life to rebuild everything in his image as the one ruler? So that single Human who found this out must betray his people and find the sword with the help of the Kydons to get it before the spearhead does? Go read my excerpt for Golden Horizons, then.

Are you curious to see how a single man serving Death goes on to become a god of all things good and righteous by inheriting the power of an ancient god who he freed from control of a wicked warlord and then, with said powers, kills to free the universe from falling into an empire of wrath? Go read Ascending Death, then.

Maybe you'd be interested in a universe where the world is made from four giants, all of whom embody a single trait, and when one giant chooses to make Humans, Death, in a jealous rage, casts a plague upon them all in attempt to end them, and one lone Human goes on a quest to find Death and beg for a cure? Go read A Means to an End, then.

Perhaps you'd like a world where Dwarves and Humans once existed, but the Dwarven mines collapsed and all Humans thought Dwarves to be extinct? And for centuries, the stories and evidence of Dwarves faded out until they were nothing but legend? But one Human man is determined to prove the existence of Dwarves, and find out if any are alive still or not? Go read the story of The Forgemasters, then.

And I have infinite more universes to look into, if you're ever curious. I'm always coming up with more and more of them, by the day. Please, support a small original fiction author, and, even if none of these appeal to you, go ahead and share because you never know who might just be interested!