#frog's five reviews

[couldtheycatchkira]

FAQ

Is this about Kira Yoshikage? This is about the international serial killer "Kira" who kills through an indetectable, contactless, remote method. He might be in Japan, though.

Can you put a "Don't know this character/See Results" option? No. This is an active global serial murder investigation and time is of the essence. If you truly don't know who they are, either: look them up, ot just go by what I'm told are called "vibes". Do not default to "Could Not, Would Die" or "Could Catch, Would Survive" simply because you don't know who the character is.

What is the current wait time? About a year, maybe, and counting.

I thought this was for detectives only? We're desperate. Why do you think this is a suicide squad?

How many submissions can I send in one ask? Six. If you go to seven I am deleting the submission without review. Don't even think about attempting eight.

Do submissions need pictures? Not necessarily, but if you want to, make sure it's at the least an OFFICIAL RENDER. I don't like using fanart! (Nothing against fanartists, I just don't want to search something like "Kermit" and get images of strangely muscular frogs (you can imagine the hell I went trying to avoid AI images for Ramona Flowers)). IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING SOMEONE'S FANART FOR A CANONICALLY-UNSEEN CHARACTER (such as, for example, Adolin Kholin), LINK THEIR TUMBLR BLOG SO THAT I MAY CONTACT THEM FOR EXPLICIT PERMISSION.

If a character was already submitted as a standalone/part of a group, can I submit them as part of a group/a standalone? Yes, however you need to wait the full seven days after their poll goes up. In the event that both are submitted in a short amount of time from one another, I shall personally space them out in the queue so that there are at least seven days between them. This is to prevent a situation where, say, Princess Zelda is submitted in quick succession to "The Triforce Wielders" as a group, and you have two polls with Zelda running at once.

Can I submit a real human? No. Pets aren't allowed because they'd sweep, but do not send me video essayists or the like. I will not put them on the blog unless they, themself, send in their name on an official Tumblr account. I fully doubt this will happen, obviously, so simply do not do this.

Can I submit [ANYONE ELSE]? Baby life is short when you're dealing with a guy who can kill from a distance at any time. You should do whatever you like. Submit a guy who can't separate his darks from his lights. Move to a new city. Find a 200 sqft apartment. Get five roommates. Ghost all of them. Start a company that sells leg warmers for dogs. Declare bankruptcy. Move to a different new city. Enter a torrid romance with a guy who calls himself "The Creature". Cheat on him with a different guy who calls himself "Monsieur Beast", a legally distinct entity unaffiliated with MrBeast. Start an electro-flamenco band with both of your exes. Get trapped in a stupid and gay little maze. Fight your way to the castle beyond the Goblin City and take back what has been stolen from you. Eat a lettuce wrap. Move back to your hometown and tell no one.

[adobe-outdesign]

A grundo neopet review, perhaps? For the soul?

Grundo are somewhat under-appreciated in my experience, which is a shame, because I really like them. They occupy a specific niche in Neopets, being the only alien species (save for Aishas, but they seem to be related to aliens rather than just straight-up being aliens) and serving an important role in many of the original Virtupets-based plots.

Their designs are nothing fancy, just being monocolor (save for their eyes, which are often though not always red) and lacking any noticeable markings. However, their solid-color eyes, fairly rare among Neopets, pop really nicely, and their ears have this really nice doubled-tube shape that is one of the most memorable things about them. They're pretty cute looking overall, and I really like the facial anatomy on these guys, which is almost frog-like in a weird way.

Grundos also faired really well when it comes to customization, in that they're exactly the same save for some standard unification stuff like shading adjustments. The bad news is that they were saddled with not one but two fists, but the good news is that they look at least somewhat natural and it's not like their hands were ever particularly well-drawn to begin with.

Favorite Colours:

Transparent: Transparent is usually a pretty good-looking color by default, but the transparent Grundo goes the extra mile by embracing their alien nature and giving them these really cool looking glowing green organs, the only pet to get this treatment. The organs go great with the pale blue body color, and most of the anatomy looks solid. Granted, I'm not totally sure if the ears would have bones in them or not, and the ribs don't actually connect to anything... but then again, you can always say that's just because they're an alien and move on.

Faerie: Solid-colored faerie pets are usually a miss for me, as they often just look like regular pets but with wings. The faerie Grundo, however, is abosolutely beautiful. The dark blue base with cyan eyes and toenails is unique (or at least it was until the stealthy Grundo came out, but I digress), and the dark color helps cover for how plain the body is. Most importantly, though, are the wings, which are designed to look like the night sky. It's a great nod to the Grundo's space origins and is super different than the standard faerie fair (say that five times fast).

A UC/styled version is available, though the design changed so little that the differences are pretty negligible.

Woodland: I literally just went over this one in my woodland review so I'll keep this brief, but the woodland Grundo is super pretty. The leaf ears are absolutely perfect and the subtle gradient and leaf-like veins over the body are lovely.

BONUS: It's always neat when pets get a species-specific color. In all honestly I have no idea why the mallow Grundo exists because there seems to be no rationale behind it and Grundos don't usually get food colours (unlike, say, Chias), but hey, I'll take it; its fun and silly.

Strictly speaking the UC/styled version is better because it looks way more marshmallow-y, but there's something just deeply uncanny about the face that I can't place but I really don't care for.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - August 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!

1. Safari park welcomes flamingo chicks

“An animal park has said it is experiencing a "baby boom", including new flamingo chicks that have hatched. Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire has also recently welcomed rare Amur tiger cubs and an endangered cotton top tamarin monkey baby. [… Flamingos] live 15-20 years in the wild, however in captivity and safe from predators, they can reach ages of 70 years.”

2. Golf clubs fight biodiversity loss

“The project aims to help green-keepers create havens for wildlife, particularly bees and butterflies, as well as introduce mowing methods to protect rare chalk grassland and encourage wildflowers. […] “Clubs doing this are seeing significant increases in pollinators, such as butterflies, without impeding the game."”

3. ‘We’ve got baby owls again’: how farming policy is helping English wildlife

“[In Abby Allen’s] lush Devon fields native cattle graze alongside 400-year-old hedgerows, with birds and butterflies enjoying the species-rich pasture. [… The Environmental Land Management Scheme] pays farmers for things such as planting hedges, sowing wildflowers for birds to feed on and leaving corners of their land wild for nature.”

4. $440 Million to Support Pregnant and New Moms, Infants, and Children through Voluntary Home Visiting Programs

“Through this program […] trained health workers […] provide support on breastfeeding, safe sleep for babies, learning and communications practices that promote early language development, developmental screening, getting children ready to succeed in school, and connecting with key services and resources in the community – like affordable childcare or job and educational opportunities. […] In addition, the [CDC] announced a new investment of $118.5 million, over five years, to 46 states [and] six territories […] to continue building the public health infrastructure to better identify and prevent pregnancy-related deaths.”

5. Endangered leopard frogs released into the wild

“More than a hundred leopard frogs have been released into the wild at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state. Leopard frogs are endemic to North America but have been classed as endangered since 1999.”

6. Heat-based batteries are a surprisingly versatile tool

“[T]hermal energy storage [… is] expected to be more cost-effective than conventional lithium-ion batteries for storing cheap clean electricity over longer durations[….] Thermal storage systems take up less space per unit of energy stored than lithium-ion batteries do, [… and] can also deliver their stored energy without the efficiency losses that occur in converting electricity from [AC to DC and back].”

7. Dolly Parton is sending free books to children across 21 states — and around the world

“[In 21 states,] all children under the age of 5 can enroll to have books mailed to their homes monthly. […] Since the program started, books have been sent to more than 240 million to [sic] kids in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.”

8. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $100 Million to Navigators Who Will Help Millions of Americans - Especially in Underserved Communities - Sign Up for Health Coverage

“The grants are part of a commitment of up to $500 million over five years - the longest grant period and financial commitment to date, and a critical boost for recruiting trusted local organizations to better connect with those who often face barriers to obtaining health care coverage. […] Navigators offer free assistance to people exploring health coverage options through HealthCare.gov, from reviewing available plans to assisting with eligibility and enrollment forms, and post-enrollment services such as using their coverage to get care.”

9. ‘Ultra-Accommodating’ Hotel Concept Goes Beyond ADA Accessible

“The property […] will feature wider hallways, larger guest rooms, easy access to elevators and other modifications that exceed the standards required under the [ADA]. Staff will be trained in disability etiquette, how to assist with mobility devices and provide various accommodations ranging from hearing aid loops to sensory-sensitive lighting. […] The location in San Antonio is expected to be the first — not the only one — developed under this concept.”

10. Melbourne zoo welcomes rare southern white rhino calf to the world

“Kipenzi and the new calf have been closely monitored this week, with mother and baby being kept in a secluded area accessible only to keepers while they get to know each other and bond. […] The calf has already been showing a forthright personality, snorting and stomping around his enclosure[….]”

August 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[redgoldsparks]

March Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 4 by Ryoko Kui

I'm reading these books so fast I can barely remember which parts of the plot happened in which volume but know that I am still having a great time!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 5 by Ryoko Kui

Oh, this story has taken a darker turn, and also just introduced a whole bunch more characters. Will I be able to keep track of them all? I hope so!

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, read by Anne Flosnik 

Unfortunately, this is definitely the weakest Robin Hobb book I've read so far. I was expecting to like it less than the glorious, 5-star previous trilogy, but I actually think I'm going to skip the rest of the Rain Wild Chronicles and read summaries online to get to the next Fitz books. This book follows five main POV characters. This works fairly well for the first half, when the characters are all in different physical locations. However once all of the characters meet up, we start getting the same scene from multiple different POVs, which feels extremely repetitive. Also, almost EVERY SCENE includes a flashback, often a lengthy flashback, sometimes to something that happened only the previous day and could have been told as present-moment action. This writing choice baffled me. It's something I can't remember struggling with in any of Hobb's previous books, but by the end it was driving me up a wall. The book also moved very slowly; the stakes feel lower, and the character far less emotionally true than in the two Fitz trilogies. Disappointing, but I will keep moving forward towards the next part of the series I want to read.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 6 by Ryoko Kui

Damn, a lot of characters get murdered in this volume! Good thing almost everyone who dies in the dungeon can be revived. Also, very excited to finally meet the cat ninja I've been seeing fan art of since before I even started the series :3

Delicious in Dungeon vol 7 by Ryoko Kui

I am still completely caught up in this series. I love the glimpse of Senshi's past revealed in this volume, and the lore of the dungeon that is still being revealed. There was a line in here about how the dungeon leaves you alone if you don't ask much of it, but that if you have strong desires it throws even more obstacles into your way. Our heroes have such big goals right now, but they're marching ahead regardless!

School Trip by Jerry Craft 

A satisfying new installment in the New Kid series from funny, talented, charming Jerry Craft! I appreciated how this volume started to complicate some of the students who had been left a bit one-dimensional in previous books. Several people stood up to and called out a bully; new friendships were built; and Jordan Banks left Paris even more inspired than ever to follow his dreams of becoming an artist. This series has a lot of jokes, but also a lot of heart!

A Frog in Fall (and Later On) by Linnea Sterte 

Minor frog is less than a year old, and is dismayed when winter begins to steal all of the light and warmth from his world. Instead of bunking down safely with his mentor to wait for spring, he sets out on a journey with two vagabond toads passing by on a quest to make it all the way to the tropics. They tramp through the Japanese countryside, encountering tree spirits, new friends, dangers, and views the likes of which minor frog had never even imagined. This is a gorgeous book; every page worth pouring over, an economy of line and detail building a beautiful and mysterious world of talking animals and miniature packaged foods. Made me want to draw.

Dark Rise by CS Pacat read by Christian Coulson 

In 1820s London, orphaned Will tries to earn enough as a dockworker to survive- and evade the killers pursuing him. Violet dresses in her half-brother's clothes and sneaks onto a ship in the Thames to watch a man be branded with his master's mark. Katherine excitedly anticipates her engagement to one of London's richest and most mysterious lords; his gallantry nearly makes up for the fact that he's twice her age. And in the bowels of one of that lord's ships, James tortures a man for information. All of these characters are 16 or 17 years old, but all of them are tangled in an ancient conflict between the Light and the Dark which stretches back into an age of magic before history. This is CS Pacat's YA fantasy debut, and it contains a lot of tropes very familiar to both YA and high fantasy- there are shades of both Tolkien and Rowling in this. Its fast-paced and action-packed, but especially in the first third of the story, the characters all felt fairly thin. None of them have quirks, hobbies, career hopes, relationships outside of immediate family, school, or work; or much more than a brief sketch of past. It took until the mid-way point for what I consider Pacat's major strengths as a writer to emerge: intense, homoerotic interpersonal sparring between characters operating under major power imbalances. Every scene in which the seductive, manipulative, powerful evil gay faced off against the good boy chosen one crackled with energy. Unfortunately, there were only four of these scenes in the whole book. It ends on a cliff-hanger, because of course it does, with a tempting set up for book two; but that doesn't entirely excuse the fact that the first 50% felt like set up. I will definitely keep reading, but long-time Pacat fans should take note that this is toned down version of what I expected based on Captive Prince.

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (re-read before event)

What an accomplishment! I savored every page of Feeding Ghosts, absolutely floored by the labor and courage that went into the writing of this book. The inking is gorgeous, the history is clear, digestible, and devastating. This book threads the line between honesty and compassion in a way that I appreciate so much in any memoir, but especially one dealing with family. Hulls lays out the story of three generations of women starting with her grandmother, Sun Yi, a Shanghai journalist who faced intense persecution during the rise of Communism in China, who penned a popular and scandalous memoir and then suffered a mental breakdown. This left her only daughter, Rose, a student at an elite boarding school with no parental figures and no other family to lean on. Eventually Rose earned a scholarship to an American university and in the end moved her mother into her California home. Sun Yi haunted that home during the author's own childhood. The unexamined trauma and codependency of Sun Yi and Rose drove the author to the extreme edges of the Earth, seeking freedom from their ghosts. But in the end, she stopped running from her family history and turned, instead, to face it. Shelve this book with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis and The Best We Could Do. Re-read it for a second time and got even more out of it on a second pass.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 8 by Ryoko Kui

Laios and company realize that their encounter with changling mushroom rings had more consequences than they'd realized- its the body swap episode! This visual humor is contrasted against increasing dangers from both above and below, as nastier monsters and political machinations begin to close in on our heroic adventuring party. I'm now over halfway through this series and almost feel like I should start reading it more slowly to savor it, but I'll probably just keep devouring it instead.

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham

High school senior Val grew up knowing her family was unlucky in love; for generations, relationships in her family have ended in heartbreak. Her childhood love of Valentines Day ends with a shocking family revelation and what feels like the beginning of a curse. Then her Vietnamese grandmother sweeps her off to a Lunar New Year celebration in downtown Oakland and a pair of cute lion dancer boys catch her eye. Could one of them break the spell on her heart? This story offers a classic and satisfying rom-com, with Val torn between an outgoing, rich, but flaky boy and a broody, shy, loyal one. The story takes several kdrama style twists and includes ghosts, saints, red envelopes, confessions, fights, reunions, tears, and kisses. For a comic, its wordy; the pages are dense with small panels and thick with dialogue, but also illustrated with such warm, humor, and realism. I really liked that the story included as much of Val's relationship with her family and best friend as romance. And the lion dancing scenes practically leap off the page with color and energy!

Witch Hat Atelier vol 10 by Kamome Shirahama

This series remains as visually stunning as ever but I'm struggling with how every single book expands the cast. There are so many characters now that I don't care about that much, and have trouble remembering from volume to volume. I wish the story line would stick more closely to Coco, her classmates, and their main mentors!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 9 by Ryoko Kui

Oh the stories are all converging! The savior at the bottom of the dungeon is probably a demon! Ituzumi saves the day! I am still having a great time reading this series.

A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson read by Abby Craden 

A short, very queer, very poly retelling of Dracula focusing on his coven of enthralled lovers. I liked the way the book breezed through history, as the dysfunctional little family moved from one major European city to the next, with snatched moments of glittering joy interwoven with violence and plague. The story is fairly simple, and has a happier ending than I expected, or honestly think the characters deserved.

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

I DNFed the previous book in this series and just read a summary online before skipping ahead to this one. I think that was a very good choice for me. This third one was more engaging and a bit more action packed, with some cool discoveries about the city of Kelsingra and the nature of Elderlings. But the Rain Wild Chronicles as a whole do not stand up to the quality of the Farseer books. There are so many POV characters that a few of them get only two or three scenes in this whole book. I don't feel that I deeply know any of these characters; while at the same time watching Hobb pair them off at an extraordinary rate- in the last book five sets of characters got together and in this book an additional two couples are developing feelings for each other. Between this and a kidnapping, a birth, a murder, and a lot of blackmail, this series feels like a soap opera.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 10 by Ryoko Kui

Almost two TPKs in this volume, yikes!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 11 by Ryoko Kui

You know shit's getting serious when the character who has been the series main villain up until now is partially devoured by a different, worse villain. Exciting changes coming to this dungeon under it's new lord and master!

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

When Becca gets invited to sit with the popular girl clique at her new high school, she's thrilled. But the friendship turns bloody and complicated when she learns that her new friends are actually werewolves who need to kill and feed on a human once a month. If she joins them, Becca will gain superhuman strength and a pack; she'll never have to fear a male predator again, because she will be a predator herself. I loved the queer rep and the twist on werewolf lore; I wish it had been a little longer and more developed. Give me multi-page transformations sequences!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 12 by Ryoko Kui

I love seeing all these plot lines come together! Building towards a wild climax.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 13 by Ryoko Kui

I went out and *bought* vol 13 of this series because my library didn't have it yet, that's how hooked I am. And now I have to wait until JULY for the final volume! (But also, thank goodness I didn't get into this series any sooner or I'd have a much longer wait).

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Pop'n Tanks

This article is part of our Japanese Obscurities feature. We put out a whole book about them, which is available as both a full color hardcover and a Kindle ebook from Amazon! If you’d like to see more of these features, please check out the book and if you enjoyed it, leave a five star review so we can do a follow up with even more interesting, offbeat, or historically important Japanese games!

Pop’n Tanks features miniature vehicles called Puchi-Tanks, similar to the type seen in games like Metal Slug and anime like Dominion Tank Police. Taking place in a colorful, anime inspired world, various characters and their unique tanks enter a tournament, engaging in duels for mechanical supremacy. The artwork is provided by Mine Yoshizaki, the artist behind the manga Sgt. Frog. The whole game has an upeat, blue skies vibe similar to Mega Man Legends and Detana! TwinBee!, the latter of which had a manga adaptation that was also illustrated by Yoshizaki.

Read more...

[ravenwriter16]

Creative Minds Think Alike!

Episode 1---Episode 2---Episode 3—Episode Four---Episode Five--Episode Six

Featuring the amazing: @amymaleneart

Reminder! If the content creator doesn't approve of how i represented them, or their AUs/OCs then I will edit my work or DELETE it. It's not my intention to mock or belittle anyone's work. This series is supposed to showcase amazing creators!

I do not beta read! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

I hum a random Disney song to myself while I finish up preening my wings. I grunt when I untangle and pluck a few of my downy feathers. Holding the offending feathers up to my face I narrow my eyes at them.

I exam each one before selecting a couple to keep, tossing the rest into the bag hanging by a hook nailed into the side of my desk.

My hands smooth over my preened wing before the whole thing shifts back behind my back. I roll my shoulders, getting comfortable. I hold the smaller feathers in hand close to my chest as I lean back in my spot on the windowsill.

It was a very relaxing day today. A few complaints here and there from Residents, a couple certificates stating new worlds starting up, and some even came over and registered their OCs. Very easy paper work, so easy in fact that I had handed the reigns over to my little servants.

The robots handling the records after some sprites review them for any falsities or spelling errors. A small Mothman wearing reading glasses was signing documents in the corner. Whenever one of my servants finishes a document, record, or more commonly a letter, they wrap the parchment up, tie it with a strand or ribbon, then hand it off to my messenger ravens.

I open the door with a small smile as one of said ravens waddle up to me. I nod my head in courtesy as it takes to the skies. A small white roll of paper tied to its leg.

I hum and get to my feet, stretching while I suppress a yawn. “I should do some work to pass the time…”

Looking down at the feathers in my hand an idea comes to mind. Snapping my fingers, two plushies encased in a green light float over. They weren’t sewn shut yet, so it made it easier to deposit equal amount of the feathers into each of them.

I wave my hand and they seal with magical thread. I grin and hold out my palms. The green fades from them and they drop into my awaiting hands. Two Squishmellow-like plushies, with one looking like a cute frog the other a baby bat.

As I head to the door with the plushies in hand, a couple pixies fly over with my cloak, my Archivist coat of arms pin, and side satchel. I thank them, taking each object one by one.

They bow, giggling as they head back to their cleaning tasks.

I eye them suspiciously but end up just sighing and heading out. It was noon right now, and I take a few steps away from my mushroom before stretching my wings out fully. I hum in content before folding them back up and heading down the cobblestone path to the Castle.

I wave to castle workers, mainly gardeners currently, and to creators who happen to be out or were tidying up their houses. It was a peaceful day…

Which made it a very boring day…

I sigh and fold my hands behind my head as I walk, biting the side of my lip slightly. “I know I need to protect this place from thieves and assassins…But I could really go for anything like that right now…”

Hmmm…

When in doubt, head to the art room!

Now here’s something you must understand about the Castle’s Legendary Art Room. It is HUGE!!!

Of course it has to be, with all the creators here who uses this room and its materials for their own enjoyment. It was like a grand extravagant ballroom but with multiple floors connected by floating stepping stones. The room having enough space for canvases of any size. You can find whatever color paint you could think of and a plethora of brushes, paints, markers and pencils.

If you choose a spot to use and want privacy, you can even raise up walls that block everything out. There you could change your surroundings, add music to help you to focus, and even the smell to suit your tastes.

Already there were a bunch of creators, some taking a little snack break and sitting at the tables in the middle of the room. On either side of the walls were a few boxes and opening areas in use. The sunlight falls in through the glass ceiling, providing a comforting warmth.

A few people pass by me, either carrying their new creation out of the room, or hurrying into the room with a huge smile on their face that gave away their excitement to start on a new project.

I head into the room, arms falling to my sides and wings folding in closer to my back, not wanting to knock anything over.

I reach an open wall on the first floor. A small easel with a blank canvas is positioned in front of a simple wooden stool. On a small table near the canvas was a simple six well pallet, three already filled with simple green, red, and blue. Next to it was a small tin can, with paint splatters all over, which was filled with paint brushes.

I grunt softly as I take a seat on the stool, my wings draped behind me and on the floor. Lucky it the floor looked newly cleaned, so I didn’t worry too much about dirt getting on my freshly preened feathers.

I sigh and eye the brushes. A flat acrylic brush with white bristles stands out. The white wooden handle covered in splattered paint of various bright colors, most of yellow. I reach into my bag and pull out white fingerless gloves, making sure they stay tight around my palm as I slide them on. Then I snap my fingers and my wings melt into my shadow. My clothes turn white and my leather bag becomes a light beige, slightly fuzzy material.

Now prepared, I reach over and lift the brush I was looking at earlier. It feels rough and light in my hand.

I dip the brush in the green paint and lift it to the canvas. It’s sloppy and I think I made it too small, but I enjoy myself as I paint a simple door. I finish up with a small circle that made up the knob and then I set the brush down.

I can’t help but smile and wiggle un my seat in excitement as I lift my fist up to the canvas. I knock on my painted door, green staining my knuckles. I pull my hand back and wait.

I hear the sound of the keys jingling, then metal shifting against metal, then the door knob turns. The door slowly opens and a bright light greets me.

I laugh as the light becomes blinding. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I get tossed into a room, landing roughly on my bottom. I yelp and groan in pain while standing up and rubbing my back side.

“Oww~…Forgot about the rough landing…” I grumble.

The room I was in was white and bright. No shadows around expect for my own under my feet. I dust my pants off, making sure I still have everything on me. I straighten up and take a deep breath.

What happens next is going to be a tad difficult but nothing I haven’t managed to do before.

I plant my feet down fully and flex my hands into fists then relax them. I repeat this action while taking a deep breath.

It all happens so quickly. A bunch of bright and popping colors start splatting on the white walls, floor and ceilings. It was strange yet amazing to look at.

Though there was the usual itch at the front of my mind that told me to move, I knew it was better to just let it happen and go with the flow of colors.

Moving one foot in front of the other, the splatters start to actually form real illustrations.

Soon I was under a bright blue sky with a couple white clouds. I smile as a small breeze blows by, rustling a few trees nearby. A multitude of flowers surround me, scattered around these grassy hills that made up this strange painting-like world.

Everything seemed to be painted into existence. While I walk, paint squishes underfoot. Splattering on and staining my white clothing. Seeing some brighter flowers in the distance and up a small hill, I break off running.

Laughing as I’m covered in paint.

When I reach the top of the hill, I spread my arms out and take in this world’s sunlight. Covered in bright pinks, reds, yellows, blues, and greens.

A long and high whistle draws my attention. I look around, holding my hand over my eyes as I scan the fields.

I smile when I see a familiar yellow Fox Fae waving excitedly down the way. I wave back and start my descent down the hill. I lose my footing and start tumbling down instead of the graceful run that I had envisioned.

I hit the bottom in a face plant. Groaning in embarrassment when I hear the fae give a windchime like giggle. I hold up a finger, face still planted in the ground.

“Not…a word…”

More laughter than something poking my head. I look up and meet a green and blue gaze. Her yellow, gray, and black fur puffing out as She keeps trying to contain her laughter. She wears her usual blue overalls with the multi colored sleeves and legs.

A big bushy black tail, which had yellow paint coating most of the tip, swings happily behind her. Her ears pull back slightly as she covers her mouth.

“Oh ha, ha. Yeah, laugh it up.” I halfheartedly scold.

After getting back to my feet. I take in the giant colorful splatter all on my front and probably on my face as well. I gesture to my messy cheeks and raise a brow.

The fae giggles again, holding out both her paws. The yellow pads on her left paw turn white and she dips her right clawed index finger. It becomes coated in paint and she begins drawing in the air.

I watch and hold out my hand underneath the magical drawing. She pulls back with a smile and snaps her fingers. A handkerchief falls into my awaiting palm.

“Thanks, Color.” I wipe my face off with the offered cloth while the Fae nods her head happily before turning around and heading back to her easel and canvases.

I pull the handkerchief away enough to get a peek at the already completed sixty-four paintings. Yes, I counted them…I WAS JUST CURIOUS!!!

Anyway…Twenty-two of these canvases have the familiar blue and yellow aliens with their little human pet. I smile, laughing evilly but quietly so Color won’t hear me. Both Veterinarians were really nice and Stardust was so cute when they found out I could understand them.

Color scolded me though for teasing them…So of course I’m gonna do it again today!

Tucking the dirtied hanky into my satchel, I walk over to stand behind Color as she works on her newest painting. It was still in the beginning phase of her creative process, but I could already make out two VERY worried aliens and a very loopy looking Stardust.

“Painting #23 looks great, Color. Though, I expect nothing less from a talented Resident such as yourself!”

Color nods her head, claws flying over the canvas with such ease. She pulls back from the finished product and holds her chin, tiling her head. I watch as she turns her gaze to me and gestures to the painting.

I blink owlishly at her before something clicks. I smile and the feathers in my hair start to puff out in excitement. That’s all she needs as she grabs my arm, fur glowing a bright yellow as she jumps into her painting, with me screaming in confused delight behind her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ship was pristine and busy. Species of all types in various uniforms pass by the two of us. To fit in better, I had allowed my wings to come out once more. Color walks next to me, leading the way.

A few people recognize the emblem pin on the strap of Color’s overalls. Color was not only the creator of this world, but she was also the Head Chef on this ship, making food for both Alien and Human alike. I watch as she smiles and waves at people she knows, my eyes wander to her new pair of arms that she made of paint.

I snicker and look down at my own arms, only the one pair. I was glad I could play my whole appearance on being from a distant planet. Color helped me with that when I first met her, letting me volunteer at a human shelter for a while so I could better integrate into this world.

“Miss Color!” I look up to find a white-feathered Cosmodian wearing a pink uniform walking towards us. She had a sash around her chest that was bulging with two wiggling bumps.

Color beams and waves at the ship’s head scientist. As Dr. Chica Cygnus walks up, Color starts doing her usual sign language. Luckily, with a little translation spell, I could understand her like everyone else on this ship…with some extra words that the signs couldn’t express.

-Hello Chica! How are you?-

“Just dandy! These two little sweeties are so well behaved!” She pats the sash and two cute little chubby faces pop out.

I gasp and try to keep my squeal to myself as I fish out the two plushies. Color smiles and pets the yellow and white/blue heads. The harpy toddler versions of Sun and Moon chirp, Sun’s blue eyes sparkling as he almost jumps out of the sash, while Moon’s red eyes only peak out from the fabric.

Color keeps Sun in the sash, Chica and her fussing and lightly scolding him, while I put the small plushies into the sash.

Sun immediately dives after the frog while Moon raises the bat and starts to chew on its head. I smile then look to Chica, “Giving their Caretaker a break?”

Chica nods, “Poor thing is working so hard. Thought ze might like a small breather!”

-That’s really sweet of you Chica! When I get back I’ll do a little check in with ze.- Color signs, giving one last scratch to both the harpy chicks, who purr in response.

“Miss Color?” a familiar voice calls out, drawing our attention down the hall.

There they were, Dr. Sunafetia Obqaurtz, Dr. Moontiedea Obquartz, and Captain Dawntitus Eclipseso. All looking profession in their uniforms, and looking very cute with their fluffy ears. I could just reach up and run my talons through the fluff all day—,

I clear my throat and look away while Color and Chica greet them. Chica gives a small bow before taking her leave, cooing at the two little bundles of feathers and happiness as they play with their new toys. I stop her subtly and place two more of my longer and softer feathers.

I say a quiet thank you before turning my attention back to the conversation color was having with the three boys.

Dr Sun was smiling, cradling a small form close to his chest, “It’s so good to see you again, is everything well?”

Color nods her head, ears happily twitching. -How’s little Stardust?-

“Not so good, I will admit,” Sun looks down at the little human in his arms with small pink, star-shaped scars all over their skin. They whine and nestle their nose deeper into his fur. “Poor thing got into Monty’s medicine. But after they sleep it off, everything will be fine.”

I snicker, very happy with the whole situation. Last time I was here , the little brat that Sun was holding, threw their lunch at me, bit me, and thought it would be funny to toss their toys at me in a nice game of catch…but only with my face.

Don’t get me wrong! I do hope they get better and I understand that they were forced into this. They were fun to hang out with and I…kind of deserved all their onslaughts…

Color and I can understand human speak as well as Cosmodian tongue. So, I might have…teased Stardust with it for a while…

…

IT WAS FUNNY!

Moon spares me a glance, raising a brow, “Miss Raven. Fancy seeing you out here.”

“Oh uh…Yes, I’m here because Ms. Color invited me over for…” I spare her a glance, “Tea?”

She snorts, covering her mouth, her ears shaking. She calms down and raises her arms, -I wanted to show her around the ship a bit more. Were’s the harm?-

The Captain rolls his eyes, all of his ears, folding back slightly as one of his canines peaks out from his lips. “The harm is, last time you brought this certain Cosmodian, it resulted in an all-out brawl with her and Private Lunesetia. Which ended with both of them in the infirmary.”

“Great job by the way.” Moon comments and I smirk. Sun was trying to hide his amusement by checking on Stardust.

“Not helping.” Eclipse growls.

I hold up my hands, “With all due respect, she had it coming.”

“Really?” He crosses his arms, “And why, in the great abyss, is that?”

I look to Color for help, eyes pleading.

She raises a brow, a mischievous smile splitting her lips as she takes a step back, her tail happily swishing to and fro behind her. Her yellow fur gaining a pinkish hue, reminding me if a sunrise. My wings puff up in surprise before my gaze darts back to Eclipse.

Sun was now standing to the side with Color, Moon joining them as well, leaving me alone to have a stare-off with Eclipse.

“Traitors…” I mumble, blowing some hair out of my eyes.

“I’m waiting.” Eclipse steadily taps a finger against his arm.

“Okay so uhm…funny story actually—,” I fidget with my hands, rubbing the leather of my gloves. Why was this feeling like I was getting scolded by a parent.

“YOU!” a shrill voice shrieks.

Color flinches, ears twitching irritably, in fact, all of the four Cosmodians present fold their ears back. My wings jolt up, spreading out and hitting a poor cleaning bot. Slamming the poor thing to the ground.

Before I offer my apologize, a gray blur charges towards me. I yelp and grab both the oncoming fists, making sure to keep a steady hold on them. I slide back a bit, the force almost knocking me off my feet. I grit my teeth and look up at the offender.

My green eyes meet burning yellow eyes. I grunt and take in a sharp inhale, “Heya Roxy! How’s it going? Lip feeling any better—,”

“SHUT UP!” She growls, spinning me around.

As I’m turning, I shoot a glare at Color, once again asking for help. But she was holding Stardust now, rubbing their hair while giving me a coy grin, her fur bristling.

“You’re evil!”

Moon raises a brow, “The Private or Ms. Color?”

“Both—?”

“I SAID SHUT UP!” Roxanne yanks one of her fist away from my grip. She rears it back before sending it hurtling towards my jaw.

I barely have time to dodge, releasing her other hand. She’s slams on the floor, face first. I shout as I tackle her, keeping my weight on her to pin her down. Ny wings were very helpful in that regard, adding more weight.

She growls as I grab her arms and pin them on her back. She twists and turns, trying to snap her giant teeth at me.

My chest rises and falls as I greedily gulp down air. Roxanne, though a jerk, was a worthy advisory in combat. I really need to brush up on my training.

“Yield?!” I ask.

“LIKE HELL I WILL—,”

“Enough! I will not have this on MY ship!” Eclipse’s booming voice causes both of us to still.

Moon and Color snicker while Sun, covers his mouth. But his flapping ears give away his real feelings towards all of this.

“Raven, get off the private, NOW.” Eclipse levels me with a hard stare as I climb off the gray Cosmodian.

Roxanna scrambles to her feet, giving me a stare that screamed murder. Then she dusts off her red uniform, growling slightly at the massive boot print I left on the side.

“Private, you were out of line—,”

“WHAT?! BUT SHE—,”

“Was doing NOTHING that warranted you charging at her.” Eclipse takes a step forward, his tall stature dwarfing both of us. “You’re already on thin ice already! I ordered you to stay in my office while we went to fetch human 411811*13112-8.”

“I received no such order from you, Captain.” She puffs out her chest in defiance, though I could see the slight tremor in her form as Eclipse flexes his hands in an attempt to calm himself.

I balk at her boldness, eyes darting between Eclipse and her while my mouth hanged open.

Before Roxanne can make her situation worse, Color steps in. Having handing calming blue to Moon, she was free to use her hands. Her colors changing to a calming mixture of blue and green.

 -Captain…if I may be so bold?-

Eclipse looks down at her, eyes losing some of their fire now that they aren’t directed at me or the Private. He takes a deep breath, “You may.”

-I would like to be in charge of their punishment. I can assure you that this won’t happen again.-

“I’m not so sure…” Eclipse looks over her and straight at us. The wolf and I flinch, then shuffle away from each other.

-Trust me…-

Eclipse sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Fine…You’ve never steered me wrong before.”

He then waves to us, “Be my guest, Ms. Color.”

Sun chuckles while Moon grins. The oldest of the twins lets out a whistle, “You guys are in for it now~.”

She smiles and turns around. She spares a glance at me, and upon seeing the evil twinkle in her eye I’m suddenly very afraid. She turns all her attention to Roxanne.

-Private. You will help the cleaning crew with caring for uniforms for the rest of the day

“WHAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS—,”

“Private!” Eclipse warns, making her shrink into herself slightly.

Color just raises a brow, a small streak of red piercing through her calm greens and blues. -I hope this will help you reflect on the error of your actions today…-

Roxanne growls lowly, clenching her paws into fists. She turns tail and storms off, her stomps booming thanks to the sound echoing off the walls. Her tails swishes angrily behind her.

Color smiles then looks at me and I flinch, a shudder going down my spine.

As an Archivist I have a sort of…Spider Sense so to speak. I’m able to sense a Creator’s Aurora, a small pulse of otherworldly power that ebbs out of their body. Every Aurora feels different, unique to its user.

Color’s—Amymalenart’s Auora felt like invisible feathers flying through the wind, soft enough to tickle. Though as her stare continues to linger on me, I could feel the wing pick up, making the feathers slightly sharp as they fly over my skin.

My own feathers bristle at the feeling.

I swallow the lump in my throat. I wish they taught me how to deal with handling these type of things when I was back at the Academy.

-You…will help me in the kitchen!-

I blink, my wings stilling. “That…That’s it?”

“Boo…” Moon voices, yelping when Sun elbows him, reminding him to behave.

Sun steps up to Color, who gives him a warm smile. The yellow Cosmodian gives a small bow, “Moonie and I will take our leave now. It was nice seeing you again.”

Moon rolls his eyes, rubbing Stardust’s back as he begins walking away. When he reaches my side, he leans in slightly, “Next time, put more strength into your grip.”

I give him a pointed look. Of course he would want me to get into MORE trouble…

Sun pats my shoulder when he also passes me, giving me a reassuring smile. The brothers turn down the hall, removing themselves from view. Eclipse steps between me and Color.

He folds his hand behind his back, “Behave…BOTH of you.”

‘Fat chance…’

I roll my eyes mentally while I assure him I won’t and Color does the same. He gives us a look that said he didn’t believe us, but sighs tiredly before leaving, following after his younger brothers.

I let out a sigh myself, “That was a lot…”

-You’re not done yet~.-

I eye her, “Well I know I have to help you in the kitchen, but like…only as a taste tester right? Or helping you cook something?”

Color lets out her usual chime-like laughter. Her magic wavers and I see her human form. Blue hair framing pink glasses. Her black and yellow sweater having a few paint spells. She wipes a tear from her eye, her fae form returning.

-Hardly! I received a shipment of…We’ll say potatoes. AND THEY WON’T PEEL THEMSELVES!-

She snatches my arm and drags me to the kitchen. I groan which she ignores, laughing. I can’t help but laugh as well, Color’s joy contagious.

I shrug, resigned to my fate of peeling alien tubers with my colorful friend.

Guess I’ll have something to do today after all…

***

Episode Three is completed!

I want to say my most gracious thanks to @amymalenart! Thank you for letting me write your AUs and you amazing Fae-sona.

And thank you for roleplaying with you on your blog! I've been having so much fun!

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as i had writing it!

Have a Fantastic day or night!

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Teen and Up Rated Fics Masterlist (25)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 /Part 19 /Part 20 / Part 21 /Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 /

Created: March 14th, 2024

Last Checked:—-

Paint-Chele20035 (ao3) Summary: Sometimes you just have to get out of the house... Painting the Hurt-HGfanonezillion (ao3) Summary: Katniss walks in to find Peeta in the wake of a flashback coping in a way that is uniquely him. Panem's Daughter-DustWriter (ff.net) Summary: Peeta Mellark is the accidental Victor of the 74th Hunger Games. Yet victory has its price. When he is offered a deal he cannot refuse, he unknowingly embarks on a journey to change the nation of Panem forever.  Peeta Mellark's Five Favorite Things to Bake-Aimmyarrowshigh (ao3) Summary: Peeta Mellark is ninety-six years old and the most beloved person in the Coal Estate, which was once – a long time ago, now – known as District 12. Peeta the Friendly Ghost-Alliswell (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen and her mother move to the haunted Mockingjay Manor, to share their home with a foursome of ghostly beings, in this Halloween story of finding Happy Endings and Everlasting Friendship. Pictures of Egypt-Ameiko (ao3) Summary: Modern day AU. Gale comes home from college expecting to win the love of his childhood best friend, but when tragedy strikes, he needs to make some very tough choices about what he wants from his life. Pieces in Their Games-crazyundeadfairy (ff.net) Summary: President Snow sets out to show that no Victor is truly safe before the Quarter Quell announcement. Slight AU tweaking of a cannon event. Katniss/Peeta. Play It Again-Dracoisalooker76 (ao3) Summary: When Katniss Everdeen's favorite musician comes to town, she knows she wants to go to the concert. Little does she know it won't be Luke Bryan capturing her attention. Modern AU. Please Say Yes-HGfanonezillion (ao3) Summary: Gale and Prim both have a plan to propose. Who will get to it first? Companion piece to the Everlark one shot Long As I Got You. PR Nightmare-HGfanonezillion (ao3) Summary: Johanna heaved a sigh. "Look, I know the frog is crap. All the toys are. But we rely on good reviews from people that just want the chance at free stuff." Cressida felt her face dropping into a scowl. "I just want my kid to have something fun. It shouldn't be too much to ask."

[baldwinivmybeloved]

🍶 Charper Twenty Eight  𓈒   ⁺ 𓏵 Xica x Baldwin IV

Time passed quickly, like a rushing river that stops for nothing. The seasons followed one another, bringing changes both in the landscape and in the hearts of those who lived in the castle. The winter winds had taken the leaves from the trees, and now spring bloomed in all its splendor. During this time, Inés de Courtenay had fled her fate, finding refuge with some influential relatives, only to succumb to illness shortly after. The news of her death reached the castle, leaving Baldwin and Sibylla in silent melancholy.

Xica was in the twins' room, watching them sleep peacefully. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Inés, the woman who had been a constant source of anguish and pain, but who was also the grandmother of her children.

"Despite all the harm she wished upon us, she is still a part of our history, Baldwin. The grandmother of Arik and Ariella," Xica whispered as she caressed Ariella's forehead.

Baldwin approached and hugged her from behind, whispering in her ear.

"It's hard to reconcile those feelings, but life goes on. We must look forward and take care of our family."

Xica nodded, feeling the warmth of her husband. Despite the sadness she felt, there was peace in knowing they were together, facing the future as a unit.

In those days, Xica had been exchanging letters with the young prince, Baldwin's nephew, who was receiving treatment in a distant land. The letters were a mix of nostalgia and hope, a bond that kept the connection between the different branches of their family alive.

One morning, while Xica was reviewing her correspondence, she found a letter from the prince. She opened it carefully and read it aloud to Baldwin:

Dear Xica,

I am greatly surprised by everything that has happened since I left. The news of your marriage to my uncle Baldwin left me speechless. I never imagined that fate could unite you in such a way. And the twins… what joy to know the family has grown! I look forward to the day I can return and meet my cousins.

Although I am far away, I feel that part of me is always with you. Stay strong and take good care of yourselves.

With love,

Your nephew,

The Prince

Xica smiled as she read the young prince's words, feeling warmth in her heart. Baldwin watched her, a soft smile on his face.

"He's a good boy. I hope he can return soon," said Baldwin.

Time had transformed both Baldwin and Xica. They were no longer the young people who had met under difficult circumstances. Now they were adults, parents of two children who filled their days with love and challenges. At five years old, Arik and Ariella were the embodiment of vitality and the promise of the future.

Arik, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, had an adventurous spirit that led him to explore every corner of the castle. His energy was contagious, and Baldwin and Xica were often seen laughing at his antics.

"Mom, look what I found!" Arik shouted one day, running towards Xica with a frog in his hand.

"Arik! Not inside the castle!" said Xica, trying to keep a serious expression while Baldwin suppressed a laugh.

Ariella, on the other hand, was more serious and reflective. Her eyes were also a deep blue, but her gaze had an intensity that reflected her intellectual curiosity. She spent hours riding with her father or reading with her mother.

"Dad, will you teach me more about the old traditions today?" Ariella asked, her tone showing her passion for knowledge.

"Of course, my little one. There is always something new to learn," Baldwin replied, stroking her hair.

The days were filled with moments like these, a mix of laughter and learning. One afternoon, while the children were playing in the garden, Baldwin decided to talk to them about the future.

"Arik, Ariella, come here," Baldwin called, sitting on a bench under a large oak tree.

The twins ran to their father and sat beside him, looking at him with curiosity.

"I want to tell you a story," Baldwin began, his voice full of gravity and tenderness. "One day, when you grow up, one of you will become the king or queen of Jerusalem. It will be a great responsibility, but also a great honor."

Arik looked at his father with wide eyes.

"Me? King?" he asked, unable to hide his excitement.

"Yes, son. You or your sister. It will depend on who is ready and who is chosen by the people," Baldwin replied, smiling.

Ariella, with her reflective nature, asked:

"And how will we know what to do, Dad?"

Baldwin caressed his daughter's cheek.

"You will know because you will be prepared. Your mother and I will teach you everything you need to know. And you will always have the wise advice of Tiberias, Godfrey, and all those who have helped us govern."

Xica, who had been watching from a distance, approached and joined them.

"We will always be here to support and guide you," she said, taking Baldwin's hand.

The days were filled with precious moments of teaching and love. Baldwin and Xica shared the upbringing of their children, teaching them not only the skills needed to rule but also the values of compassion, justice, and love.

One afternoon, Baldwin and Xica were in the library, reading a book about the old traditions of Jerusalem. Ariella was beside them, following the words with her finger.

"Dad, can you tell me more about the ancient kings?" Ariella asked, her voice full of curiosity.

"Of course, my daughter. There was a king named David, who was brave and wise. He ruled with justice and always thought of his people before himself. I want you to remember that, you must always put your people first," Baldwin replied.

Meanwhile, Arik was outside, practicing with his wooden sword, imitating the knights he had seen in training.

"Look, Mom! I'm a brave knight!" Arik shouted, waving his sword in the air.

Xica smiled, seeing her son's determination and spirit.

"Yes, you are, my brave knight," she said, laughing as she approached to hug him.

The nights were moments of peace and reflection. After the children fell asleep, Baldwin and Xica stayed awake, talking about the future and their dreams.

"Do you think they'll be ready when the time comes?" Xica asked, lying on Baldwin's chest.

"They will be. Because they will have our love and teachings. And because they are our children, brave and wise," Baldwin replied, kissing her forehead.

The love and unity of their family were unbreakable, a fortress on which everyone could rely. The days passed, filled with laughter, learning, and shared dreams.

Xica and Baldwin watched their children with pride, knowing that the future was in good hands. And although the path would not always be easy, they were ready to face any challenge together, as a family.

Night shadows began to fall over the castle, painting the sky a deep dark blue dotted with bright stars. Within the stone walls, Arik and Ariella prepared for bed in their room, which was decorated with carefully crafted tapestries and furniture.

Ariella was sitting on the bed, reading a book of ancient stories by the light of an oil lamp. Arik, on the other hand, was on the floor, playing with his wooden toys, a miniature knight and a dragon, recreating an epic battle.

"Ariella, don't you ever get bored of reading all the time?" Arik asked, looking up at his sister.

Ariella lifted her eyes from her book and looked at him with a slight smile.

"No, Arik. I like learning about our past. It's important to know where we come from to understand where we are going."

Arik sighed and flopped down on the carpet.

"But you never do anything fun. Everything is so… serious with you. You should learn to relax a bit."

Ariella closed the book and leaned forward, interested in the conversation.

"Relax? And what do you propose I do to relax, brother?"

Arik grinned mischievously and sat up, moving closer to his sister.

"We could go explore the garden at night. Dad told us stories about how he used to catch fireflies when he was a boy. It would be exciting, don't you think?"

Ariella shook her head gently but firmly.

"That sounds… dangerous. And Dad always says we need to be safe. Besides, I'd rather stay here and read. There are so many fascinating stories in these books."

Arik frowned in frustration and crossed his arms.

"You're always so proper, Ariella. You don't know what you're missing!"

Ariella shrugged and reopened her book, but her eyes stayed on Arik, feeling the urgency in his voice.

"Maybe someday, Arik. But for now, I'm happy like this. Besides, you can always tell me about your adventures, and it's like I'm living them too."

Arik lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind full of dreams and plans.

"I want to be a brave knight like Dad, saving kingdoms and fighting dragons. Wouldn't you like to be part of that, Ariella?"

Ariella smiled tenderly, knowing how much those dreams meant to her brother.

"Of course, Arik. But we also need people who think and plan. Someone has to make sure everything is in order while the brave knights are on their adventures."

Arik sighed, resigned but understanding his sister's point of view.

"I guess you're right. But promise me that someday you'll come with me on one of my adventures."

Ariella nodded slowly.

"I promise, Arik. Someday."

The conversation faded into a comfortable silence as they both settled into their beds. Ariella turned off the oil lamp, letting the starlight fill the room with a soft glow.

"Good night, Arik," Ariella said, closing her eyes.

"Good night, Ariella," Arik replied, looking at the stars through the window.

The twins fell asleep, each with their own dreams and aspirations, but always united by the unbreakable bond of their sibling love. The stars shone above them, silent witnesses to their promise of adventures and knowledge, bravery and wisdom.

Baldwin and Xica, watching from the ajar door, looked at each other with pride and love.

"Our children are destined for great things, Baldwin. I feel it in my heart," Xica whispered, taking her husband's hand.

"They are. And together, we'll guide them to find their path," Baldwin replied, gently squeezing Xica's hand.

The night stretched over the castle, enveloping the family in a mantle of peace and hope, as the seasons continued their eternal cycle, carrying with them the dreams and promises of the future.

I would like to know how you thought of the story, what else would you like me to add? It's almost the final stretch sadly but I already thought of a new story with our beloved Baldwin

[apomaro-mellow]

Dimension Hopping 3

What started as an intimate affair at an Italian dignitary’s home, turned into an explosion, a car chase, and someone veering off a cliff. 

That someone was Harrington. 

Steve Harrington. 

Luckily he had a parachute and the yacht was waiting for him as he jumped out of his car and slowly descended. He brushed some imaginary dust off his navy blue suit and made himself a drink. He was settling in to sip and relax when a woman entered. Normally he appreciated a good romp after a mission but not when it was his boss.

“Agent.”

“Commissioner? What brings you here?” In person too, that was rare.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had some face time. Let’s do a review  of your career, shall we?”, she said as a television rose down from the ceiling.

“Are you evaluating me?”

The screen showed his profile. “Steve Harrington. Codename: Agent Green-”

“Is this really necessary?”

“-A field agent, typically tasked with international espionage. Information gathering and data retrieval. A position meant for stealth, subtlety, and most of all discretion. And yet-”, she pressed a button and now it was showing a montage of his exploits from security cameras. “He sees the need to leave everywhere with either an explosion, a car chase, a shoot out, or some distressed woman who fell into his bed.”

“You made a highlight reel? Thank you”, Steve said, sarcasm in his voice.

“Well you gave me the perfect angles.”

“Joyce-”

“Commissioner. Or Miss Prism, if you prefer.”

“Grand Headmistress of the Rainbow was taken?”

“I have another mission for you.”

“Shocker.”

“And it’s your last chance.”

That got Steve to clam up. Spies only got two endings. In a coffin, or had their memories erased. Neither was a viable option, in his opinion. He downed the rest of his drink and straightened up.

“What’s the target?”

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

“Agent Gray, pleasure to see you again!”

The agent in question watched Steve approach his work bench in the lab and immediately opened up a case and opened it up, revealing a plethora of tools and gadgets.

“Looks like you were expecting me, Jon.”

“Miss Prism told us you were coming. She also said it was your last chance, Green.”

Steve glanced around to see if the other lab rats heard. “Does everyone know about it?”

“Well, I might’ve mentioned it to Black, and he might’ve-”

“Blabbed to everyone. Henderson! I’m gonna kill you!”, Steve turned to the other scientist across the room, in the middle of doing…something with a frog’s leg.

“Not my fault you can’t keep your own job a secret. You’ve gotta be the world’s worst spy”, Dustin said.

“Or the world’s sexiest, most bombastic spy that everyone is jealous of.” Steve closed the case and took it off the table.

“You don’t even want my usual spiel where I explain everything?”, Jonathan asked.

“I know what they all do.”

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

Steve was one again in a tailored suit. This time it was in a light green color. He entered a casino, right in the middle of Paris. His task was simple. He needed to locate one of their Russian rivals and get a bug on him. Once they found out where he was staying, he could sneak inside and take whatever it was that was being toted around to negotiate with the French.

He passed by the slot games and the betting tables and went into the lounge area. It took only five seconds to spot the man. He was sitting at the bar, talking up the bartender. Steve walked over, not even giving either a glance as he sat on the stool next to him. He ordered his own drink and took a few sips before standing up again, pretending to stumble as using the Russian spy to steady himself.

“Watch yourself”, he said in a warning tone, accent thick. Clearly not even trying to blend in.

“My apologies”, Steve said, patting him on the back. The bug was planted. Now to smoothly make his escape, blend in, and wait for the loca-

“Going so soon, Big Boy?”

Steve looked over to see a man whose face must’ve been carved by the gods. He was dressed in a white suit and black tie. Steve remembered seeing suits like that earlier. He was with the band then.

The man chuckled as he sat on a stool. “Were you a fish in a past life?”

Steve realized his jaw had dropped and it hadn’t come back up yet. “You know very well that I was a prince the last time.” He sat back down, Russian intel forgotten.

“And what’re you now? James Bond?”

Steve laughed when he realized that’s exactly what he was. It was like he’d been in a dream and seeing Eddie’s face awakened him to his memories. Then he gave Eddie a funny look.

“If I’m Bond…does that make you my Bond girl?”

“Hey now, I could just as easily be the villain”, Eddie said. “Bond had just as much chemistry with his antagonists. Sometimes even more.”

They talked more and Steve didn’t even notice when the other spy walked away. Eddie was done playing for the night, so of course, Steve invited him back to his hotel. 

“This is weird, right? All of this is weird”, Steve said, as they walked the Parisian streets.

“I think we established that when you married a dragon”, Eddie agreed.

“No, I mean, I still know Dustin and Jonathan. And Joyce too, and some of the others. They’re here and they’re still…It’s like they’re in a dream too, going through the motions of…all of this.” It had been odd seeing his mother and father as a literal king and queen, but Steve hadn’t had a lot of time to think about it before he and Eddie went off on their quest.

Eddie looked up at the sky, not that he could see much with the light pollution, but he knew the stars were up there. “Do you think any of this matters?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, between now and the credits rolling, does it matter if you follow your mission? Can’t we just say fuck it and run off somewhere?”

Steve stopped and pinched Eddie’s cheek, hard.

“Ow! Shit! Harrington! Ow!”

Then he grabbed Eddie by the waist and kissed where he had pinched. His lips made a trail from his cheek, to his lips, caring very little for the fact that they were in public on a busy street.

“I think it matters if we want it to. Our friends are all here, living their lives somewhere. It might be in a weird, magic mirror world where everything’s off, but we all ended up meeting again somehow. Including you and me. That’s gotta mean something.”

“So you’ve met your soulmate again?”, Eddie teased.

“I actually have no idea where Robin is.” Now that he remembered her existence, Steve could feel her absence in his heart. But the universe brought him back to so many of the people he loved already. She had to be somewhere in this world. Steve brought Eddie back to his hotel room. Any thoughts to anything happening outside of it were gone as he remapped his boyfriend’s body with his lips and tongue. It was a body he knew very well, but there were a few new scars.

Steve thought nothing of it until his wristwatch communicator woke him with a start with Dustin’s frantic voice.

“Steve?! Steve!! Agent Black to Agent Green! Agent Green! You’ve got a Code Red!”

Eddie groaned as he rolled over and grabbed the watch that was yelling at his boyfriend. “What’s that code for? Is Nancy coming?”

“No it’s-Wait, who are you? How do you know Agent White?”

“It’s a long story”, Steve said, reaching over Eddie and grabbing the watch with one hand while rubbing the sleep out of his eye with the other. “What’s the Code Red for?”

Then someone was banging on his door, shouting in Russian.

“For that! I don’t know how they found you Steve, but they’re there and they know who you are and-”

“Got it. Coffin or vegetable”, Steve said, rushing out of bed and putting some pants on. He tossed a shirt to Eddie and then checked his gun for bullets. Only two. Shit. When was the last time he reloaded?

The banging got louder and louder. Eddie grabbed Steve’s arm and led him towards a window. He was carrying a duffel bag. Steve thought it might just be clothes as he climbed out behind him, they were pretty much on the top floor, so it took almost nothing to get to the roof. One Russian stuck his head out the window and started to climb and Steve gave them a headshot. Once he and Eddie got to the roof, a helicopter was there.

“Who is this? Why are they here?”, Steve asked.

The driver said something that Steve didn’t know but understood quite well. He was one of them. What surprised him was when Eddie spoke right back to him, speaking perfect Russian.

“You…”

“You need to come with us, Steve”, Eddie said.

“I’m not-! I can’t! Eddie, how can you be with them! And how can you think I’d just go with you?!”

“You need to trust me!”

“I just killed one of your comrades!”

The blades of the copter started to spin. Just as Steve’s head was. This made no sense. Eddie was a Russian spy? Steve was trying to understand but it was like solving a 500 piece puzzle blindfolded. Was this why Eddie asked if any of this mattered? Because he knew he was going to betray Steve? He was fighting between two ideas. The Eddie he knew and loved, had fought for and with, who had stepped up when he learned about a hell dimension and protected Dustin from demobats and helped them defeat Vecna. 

And this Eddie. The one who had lied to him. Was working with the enemy, was running off with what Steve realized now were his gadgets from Jonathan. So Eddie had his own mission the whole time. Eddie got on the copter, his shirt and hair billowing as he held out his hand one last time while it began to rise in the air.

In reply, Steve aimed his gun. He had one bullet left. He could take down Eddie, or maybe even the helicopter… It got higher and higher. Eddie didn’t look one bit afraid. Only sad.

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

Steve stormed into HQ, a man possessed. He didn’t go to Joyce’s office. He went straight to Dustin and Jonathan. 

“You can’t be here”, Jonathan said first.

“Cut the bullshit and give me what I need.”

“Miss Prism said-”

“I know what she said! But I’m not done yet. Not yet. I can still find these guys and get what I need.”

“And how’re you gonna do that?”, Dustin asked, arms crossed.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to do it even if I have to infiltrate every goddamn Russian base in this world!”

The two scientists looked to one another, then Dustin grinned. “Well, you’re in luck. Because your guy? From the casino? He’s still bugged.”

“...What?”

Jonathan nodded. “Signal is still going strong. It was on the move but it’s stayed in the same place now.”

“Where?”

“Where do you think?”, Dustin snarked.

Russia. Of course. Which was where Steve found himself not long after that conversation. There was no guarantee that this particular base would be where Eddie was, but if he knew his movies, there was a 90% chance. And sure enough, after a few hours staking it out, he saw Eddie entering.

And also, of course, it was all part of his plan when he was captured for trying to sneak in. He had a very coded conversation with a man who must be in charge of this whole operation, but Steve only had eyes for Eddie, who stood at his side. And who later visited him when Steve was put into a cell.

“You should’ve come with me when I asked you. Then you wouldn’t be in this mess”

“I remember Hopper’s stories. This is pretty much the Hilton of Russian cells.” It was still cold and damp but at least all four walls kept the fatal freeze outside.

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy enough to believe you actually had a reason for double crossing me?”, Steve asked.

Eddie’s lips turned to a thin line.

“And crazy enough to know you’d come down here alone. And maaaybe just crazy enough to believe you’d help me with my plan now.”

“See, this is why you should’ve come with me. No one escapes from these prisons.”

Steve smirked. “Wanna bet?”

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

One mini-explosion, a fight on the railing, a Russian spy falling off said railing, some gunplay and even some swordplay later, Eddie and Steve were taking off on a plane, flying for the coast of wherever.

“I can’t believe that all worked”, Eddie said.

“Hey, you’ve seen just as many Bond movies as me. You know how they end. Bond and his girl ride off into the sunset”, Steve said as they got further and further from the plot and towards the rolling credits.

“Yeah, or the girl dies….”, Eddie paused for a while. “Or there’s the reveal at the end.”

“Reveal? Like what?”

Eddie took a deep breath. “I know where Robin is.”

Steve put the plane into autopilot and gave Eddie his full attention. “Where is she?”

“The Russians have her.”

“....Shit.”

Eddie smiled awkwardly. “How’s that for a sequel hook?”

Part 5

Tag Team

@goodolefashionedloverboi @xjessicafaithx @newtstabber

[legion1227]

What We Do In The Shadows: Season 5 A Review.

I would put this season on par with season 3.

As the last season had fun escapades highlighted by a child version of Colin Robinson, who steadily grows up and eventually becomes his old self by the season four finale, its ending point seemed to leave our characters barely different from when the season started or any previous season, for that matter. However, a crucial scene towards the end of the season four finale shows Guillermo, tired of waiting for his master Nandor to turn him into a vampire, going to his vampire friend Derek to do so instead. Most of season five deals with the ramifications of that decision made, alongside all the other vampires eventually finding out one by one before Nandor. Other season-long storylines include Nadja connecting with another family from her old country, The Guide trying to figure out where she fits in with her fellow vampires, and Colin Robinson's shenanigans.

What We Do In The Shadows is consistently hilarious, yet this season is up there with its third season as some of the best comedic and heartfelt storytelling put to television.

Within ten episodes, the cast and creative team were able to achieve multiple gut-busters and craft memorable, iconic moments in the show's history. Episode one's "The Mall" gave the great, big reveal that Guillermo's vampification process wasn't taking on as it should've and multiple hilarious line deliveries from the sublime Matt Berry as Laszlo. Kayvan Novak's Nandor is just as much a comedic genius as the rest of the cast, but his terrible treatment of Guillermo and utter obliviousness in scenarios elevate the character's work to another level. Most of the other episodes operate on another level of excellence. "Pride Parade" has a wild ending to the episode that left me dying, "The Campaign" touches the heart as Nadja tries reconnecting with her old roots, "Local News" has the vampires at their dumbest to provide hilarious results, "Hybrid Creatures" has one of my favorite quotables, ("The only hairy frog I'm interested in is in-between your legs, my darling), and "Exit Interview" pays off the Guillermo as a vampire story, something years in the making, in a satisfying manner.

If there's any downside, I'd say it's a shame that Laslzlo didn't do much in "The Roast" episode as he was stuck in a trance, but even the delivery of "yes, yes very good. Thank you." has been ingrained into my brain for months. He has to be my favorite character on the show, but everyone brought their A-game this season. Especially Kristen Schaal as The Guide, who I'm glad has been promoted to being a core member of the cast with Guillermo and the others.

In conclusion, this season was one of the funniest seasons of television this year and will rank high on my list of shows for this year.

[starlightmeadowbloom]

Disney’s Greatest Lad

Sebastian (the Little Mermaid): [talking] You honestly think we should trust these guys?

Scuttle (the Little Mermaid): [talking] Hey, we having more unusual guests coming here in this studio! What more could we ask for?

Flounder (the Little Mermaid): [talking] Ask them to leave?

Hades (Hercules): [talking] Ha, ha, ha! Alright, then… [singing] Haha! Looks like we could use some help
From the Big Boss of Hell himself
Check out his glowing reviews on Yelp

Pain (Hercules): [talking] Five stars!

Panic (Hercules): [talking] Flawless!

The Fates (Hercules): [talking] Greater than great!

Gaston (Beauty and the Beast): [singing] And with a punch of a pentagram
LeFou (Beauty and the Beast): [singing] He wap-bam-boom, alakazam!
Cogsworth (Beauty and the Beast): [singing] Usually, he charge a sacrificial lamb
Lumière (Beauty and the Beast): [singing] But we’ll get the Disney rate!

Belle and the Bimbettes (Beauty and the Beast): [talking] You don’t say!

Prince Hans (Frozen): [singing] This will be great now that we’ve got ourselves a chef
The Mice (Cinderella): [singing] (Woh-oh-oh!)
Ratigan (the Great Mouse Detective): [singing] Michelin tasting menu, free à la carte
Prince John (Robin Hood): [singing] He’ll rig the game for us because he’s the ref!

Dr. Facilier (the Princess and the Frog): [singing]: Champagne fountains
Jack Skeleton (Nightmare Before Christmas): [singing] Caviar mountains
Both: [singing] That's just a start!

King Magnifico (Wish): [singing] Can we stop for a sec?
We don’t even know the rest
He’s a Fallen Angel than a King of Hell
Don’t you honestly think this is the best?

Asha (Wish): [talking] He might be right.

Bruno Madrigal (Encanto): [singing] He maybe our guy, our day-to-day
But I’m sure he’s won’t be our future teller
Camilo Madrigal (Encanto): [singing] Now, that would be interesting if it’s today

Antonio Madrigal (Encanto): [talking] But Tio Bruno is the best uncle!

Olaf (Frozen): [talking] I agree!

The Genie (Aladdin): [singing] We’d be honored that We’d built such a bond

Jasmine (Aladdin): [talking] Maybe…

Prince Naveen (the Princess and the Frog): [singing] We’ll asked him to grant our wishes that we still have

Princess Tiana (the Princess and the Frog): [talking] Oh, you…

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Epic Mickey): [singing] I hate to say this, but seem like it’s worth a shot!

Mickey Mouse: [talking] Hold on, now…

Alastor (Hazbin Hotel): [singing] It’d be funny
You could call him Disney lad!

(Lucifer plays a golden fiddle)
(Alastor plays piano)
(Lucifer plays accordion)

Gremlin Gus (Epic Mickey): [talking] …what the fuck…?

Alastor (Hazbin Hotel): [singing] They say when you're looking for assistance
It's smart to pick the path of least resistance

Lucifer MorningStar (Hazbin Hotel): [singing] Others say that in your needy hour
There's no substitute for pure angelic power!

The Mad Doctor (Epic Mickey): [singing] Thank you, we’re appreciate, but sorry, no thanks!

The Devil (Cuphead: Casino Cups): [singing] No wait, don’t go

We need you to solve this problem

King Magnifico (Wish): [singing] Which we can actually handle this by ourselves

King Dice (Cuphead: Casino Cups): [singing] But we need him than you guys think

Gremlin Gus (Epic Mickey): [talking] Can we just shut up and leave him alone?

The Devil (Cuphead: Casino Cups): [talking] But, Gusie, he might help you guys.

King Dice (Cuphead: Casino Cups): [talking] Why being a pussy unless you’re fancy the king?

Gremlin Gus (Epic Mickey): [talking] Oh, you two sassy piece of—!

Viva (Trolls): [singing] It's me!
And the band!
I know you were all waiting for us!

Poppy (Trolls): [singing] I'm here!
What a gas!
Took a while but we’re present at last!

Viva and Poppy (Trolls): [singing] It's the band!
Viva (Trolls): [singing] Viva!
Poppy (Trolls): [singing] And Popppyyyyyyyyyy!


Mickey Mouse: [talking] The fuck?

[lost-carcosa]

The Devastating Effects of Fireworks on Pets and Wildlife

By: Kendra Coulter     

Fireworks have become a fixture of many celebrations around the world, from weddings to national holidays. But there are many among us, including the furry, feathered and finned, who feel fear with every thundering boom.

Animal caretakers, wildlife rehabilitators and fire services see firsthand the damaging — and sometimes fatal — effects whenever and wherever fireworks are deployed.

Real risks for animals

Cats and dogs both experience sounds at far greater intensity than humans. Fireworks appear for them as discordant noise without warning.

Studies suggest up to 50 percent of dogs are afraid of fireworks. Frightened animals awakened from sleep or startled from a state of relaxation will hide, pace, shake, cry or flee, unable to process what is going on or find a safe haven.

I had a tough and confident rescue dog named Ms Macey who was only afraid of one thing: fireworks. She would try to find reprieve by hiding in the bathtub.

Horses’ innate fear responses can take over when they hear fireworks. This led to the tragic death of a horse in Nova Scotia in 2022, neither the first nor last related equine casualty.

So far this year, Murphy and Tallulah were two horse victims of fireworks, the latter so afraid she ran through a wooden fence.

It’s not only animals who are at risk either. Spooking horses can accidentally hurt people trying to handle and comfort them. Bystanders can also be injured when horses bolt out of fear.

Wild animals’ responses

The dangers are serious for wild animals like birds, squirrels, frogs and fish too. During fireworks explosions, nearby resting birds will flee in fear en masse from trees and ponds, and fly off into the night sky.

Some birds have flown so far out to sea, they would not physically have been able to return to land alive. Birds can crash into buildings, get lost and disoriented and literally fall, by the thousands, onto communities.

Because fireworks are launched at night, the full effects on wild animals are challenging to document. Researchers expect that millions of birds are affected around the world and that the results linger after the smoke has disappeared.

In spring and early summer, when animals like birds and squirrels are nesting or in the early stages of rearing their offspring, the risks are even greater. Babies die of dehydration or starvation when terrified or disoriented animal parents cannot find their way back to their nests and burrows. These painful deaths are particularly tragic because they are completely avoidable.

Risks to people

The negative impacts of fireworks extend beyond animals — they can also trigger refugees and veterans.

When set off, fireworks can release toxic chemicals and pollute the environment. And during warnings of the potential of an intense and dangerous fire season, the incendiary risks of fireworks are even more dire.

Nearly 20,000 blazes were started by fireworks in the United States in 2018 alone, killing five people and injuring dozens more. The fact that fires are already decimating forests and communities makes these facts even more alarming. It’s difficult to see why fireworks are permitted at all.

Harm is nothing to celebrate

Thankfully, some communities are taking action and exploring alternatives to conventional fireworks.

In 2018, the Italian town of Collecchio made headlines as the first in the world to implement “silent” fireworks; they aren’t completely noiseless, but make far less noise than traditional fireworks.

That same year Banff, Alta. moved to a much quieter pyrotechnic display for its Canada Day event. And this year, the city suspended the light show to “review the impacts of noise and light flashes on wildlife and the secondary impacts on pets and people in the community,” which is laudable.

It is a disturbing display of ego that the human desire to light up the quiet night sky with explosions continues despite the serious effects it has on vulnerable people, other species and our shared environment (not to mention the cost when governments are footing the bill).

Since backyard and community-run fireworks continue in most places, concerned animal caretakers should take steps to protect their animals.

But individual actions aren’t enough to mitigate the damaging effects of fireworks on domesticated and wild animals. The more this issue is raised, the more likely this harmful practice will be replaced with alternatives that are more respectful and genuinely joyful. Harm should be prevented not cheered. Governments ought to ensure celebrations consider the well-being of humans and other animals alike.

[gildead]

a stranger reviewed this blog!

let me tell you that as someone who watched (and got scared) by lost silver in middle school, seeing what you've done with Gold is extremely fascinating / POS POS POS. Did I ever think Gold would be adopted by wario from warioland along with a pink italian frog no a couple years ago??? no. am I loving it? YEAAAAAH BABY anyways. i love you gold i love you gildead and i love u vetra

first things first, pour one out for cotton candy. rip cc, you would've killed wesker where he stood within five seconds of his fucked up experiments.

seriously though, thank you! honestly, gold's been one of my favorite muses i've written for on this site. i never even thought i'd pick him up either, to be honest, but i guess monochrome wormed its way into my brain and hasn't left since. lost silver's one of my favorite creepypastas anyway, mostly for the psychological/existential horror aspects woven in aside from the uh. the obvious gore?

[thecomicsnexus]

TMNT: SATURDAY MORNING ADVENTURES #4

AUGUST 2023

BY ERIK BURNHAM, DAN SCHOENING, LUIS ANTONIO DELGADO AND ED DUKESHIRE

The turtles and the Punk Frogs have to split up to recover a device sent from Dimension X to the Florida swamps without leaving the city unattended. But of course, the device would fall into Leatherhead's hands.

SCORE: 10

If you are like me (and several other people) and you cannot tell the punk frogs apart... then this issue will not make a difference about it, but at least it doubles the chances of getting it right.

Now, as I am writing this... I only know that one of the frogs is Rasputin, let me check...

Ok, I had to actually check online, the other frog was Attila... and it wasn't the one I thought I was looking at (I confused Rasputin for Attila). As you can see... it's complicated. But I guess it doesn't matter much.

As the previous issue was overly complex for the amount of pages it had, this one was overly simplistic. It's barely an adventure... yet... it got a 10... why?

Well, to start with, it's a full chapter. If this was a different book, the moment Leatherhead showed up would be the cliffhanger. But in this case, they knew it was simple, and they let it be simple.

But I think the big reason for the high score is the art. Every time I look at the panels I cannot help but be reminded of those original five episodes. And to be more specific, the sticker album from the Turtlemania years. So this "10" is super biased by nostalgia. I am actually intrigued, if you weren't around during Turtlemania, what do you think of this book?

At point, though, I started wondering the implications of the art. Dan is recreating the style of the cartoon, something that for any licensed product is kind of usual business... but in the past that didn't mean the style HAD TO BE exactly like the cartoon. I've seen (and reviewed) Dan's art in the past and he was always a little cartoonish, so this isn't too far away from his style. Yet it so identical to the cartoon that it almost feels like the artist completely disappeared.

But you won't hear fans complain. This is the style the show should have kept for its 10 seasons. So to many, this is the one that worked the best. To be fair, the style of season 7 was also very good, in my opinion. But nothing really beats season one.

In any case, not much happened in this issue, but your brain goes into a dopamine explosion just by looking at the panels.

I can't get enough of this book.

How long until Paramount releases a reunion show in this style?

[popculturebuffet]

Morphin Time: A Boom Studios Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Retrospective: Issues 0 and 1 (Patreon Review for Brotoman.exe)

It's Morphin Time all you happy people! Yes folks it's time once again to launch another respective! And this time we're looking at a series i've only glanced at. Yes it's time to let the power protect us as we look at the BOOM Studios! Power Rangers Comics.

If your reading this post you probably DON'T need an introduction to the mighty morphin power rangers, but the short version for those of you who stumbled into this because you like kermit the frog, because you have good taste and deserve good things: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the first in the long running massively popular Power Rangers Franchise, a cheesy series that followed five 90's as hell saved by the bell looking teenagers with attitude who were picked by a blue tube man and his nerdy robot son to fight the evil sorceress rita replusa, who tube man zordon had left on the moon in a dumpster which astronauts found. Our heroes would spend the days with various teen shenanigans, fight a monster, then Rita would MAKE HER MONSTER GROW, they'd get in a super fighting robot using stock footage and the day would be saved. The teens also reguarly delt with bumbling dumbasses and everyone's faviorite characters bulk and skull. Rita eventually remembered she had a shiny power coin of her own, so she turned new kid and franchise icon Tommy Oliver into her own green ranger. After a dope as hell 5 parter, the rangers defeated their new counterpart, freed him and turned him to his side. There's a bunch more including peace confrences, australian cat women, failed kamen rider spinoffs, aliens, flying cars, robot ninjas, ooze men who aren't canon sadly, skydiving that also isn't canon, marriage being the greatest evil scheme of all, baby carraiges, many a cast change, and explosions. And that's just the first series, but for today's comic we really only need to get up to when Tommy joined as that's when this story began.

The comic came about during Boom's big mid 10's liscensing boom period, with tons of licenses from Adventure Time, Regular Show and Steven Universe, to Rocko and Rugrats, to John Fucking Carpenter himself co writing a Big Trouble in Little China comic. It was really the companies golden age as big hits like Giant Days were also out and about, though the companies mildly pivoted more towards the indies these days. Not a bad move given their backlog includes Giant Days, Once and Future and Lumberjanes. The former two are some of my faviorite comics period with Giant Days possibly being my faviorite comics run period, while the latter is something I badly want adapted but keeps getting jerked around in that regard.

BOOM is kinda the middle child of the big indies. Image is the big shadow looming over all, regularly churning out era defining comics like Invincible, Radiant Black (A comic I badly want to read from the same creator as this book and it's sister book go go power rangers), Saga (Which I haven't read but have heard good things) or the Wicket + The Divine, as well as smaller stone cold classics still close to my heart like Chew and Farmhand, with it now getting into lisensed work with the Energon Universe. IDW was at least for a long time ahead lisensing wise and tends to recover quickly there and still has both Sonic, which has had an impressive and healthy run and TMNT, which ran for 150 issues and has had nearly that many alongside it in mini series, crossovers, mini series for other continuities, and one shots and is about to relaunch next month, and Dark Horse which while fumbling for a bit has steadily rebounded becoming both a lisensing juggernaught once again. In contrast boom used to lean heavily on it's lisenses while allowing it to take risks on indie titles, oftne paying off with stuff like again Giant Days.

Still Power Rangers , likely like TMNT at IDW, provides a nice stable backbone overall, with this very book having ran for 8 years ending this year, and it being clear Hasbro isn't leaving BOOM. In addition to a long as hell main book, the series has had two diffrent companion series: GoGo Power Rangers, my personal faviorite, which covers the teams adventures just after getting their powers up to right before green with evil, and Mighty Morphin, which followed a second team I can't get into much but you've probably heard about. And that's not getting into the mini series, graphic novels, and other various power rangers spinoffs, alternate universe things, etc. Boom has been good to the franchise, this franchise has been good to him and despite wondering if the end of the mighty morphin series means the end of power rangers, it's clear the company has no signs of loosing their cash cow even after Saban sold it to Hasbro.

So that brings us to this series. The Boom Continuity is a soft reboot of the Mighty Morphin era: It's now set in modern day with modern fashion and Bulk and Skull naturally running a youtube channel, more on that later, but a lot of the event sof the show still happened. No word on if they fought the rapping pumpkin still but i'm inclined to go with "Yes". So the series picks up right after green with evil but dosen't take place in the same universe as the live action shows, something they seemed to bounce back and forth about for a bit before deciding "Nah".

They also decided to start right after green with evil instead of adapt it though I expect it's part an audience thing, most people picking it up or reading this various article know the broad strokes, and part simply wanting to tell their own stories, as that's more attractive to fans than an adaptation anyways.

So our series picks up with the team having a new member and decides to play with that a bit, with our first arc having Tommy adapting to being a ranger, having a tight knit friend group, and the voice of the woman who brainwashed him in his head voicing all his insecurities. So you know, high school. It leads into a larger arc with a big beastie, world destruction and an evil tommy I haven't read, having only read this first 6 issues and thought they were fine. I later read gogo in full and read through the necessary evil era by writer Ryan Parrot, so I haven't dove into this era of rangers that deeply. But now thanks to brotoman i'm going in deep, from the start to at least the massive shattered grid crossover. Wether we go on AFTER that... is up to him, but i'm fine wither way and curious to see if this series improves a bit in my eyes on a second look. So get out your morpher, shout tyransaurus or doot on a flute, however you prefer and let's look at MMPR #0 and #1

We start at 0. This was, as far as I can tell so they could release an issue before the proper run to hype the series up at conventions and such, something I can't blame them for: Power Rangers had had a history in comics, a marvel series at their height, a few others after, and most recently before this a few graphic novels by papercutz for samurai, mega force and mighty morphin itself. Nothing bad, but not really the big nostalgic rollout other franchises had had in comics and nothing aimed at older fans of the franchise like this, so they had every reason to hype it.

Picking mighty morphin was also a good call. It's what the public knows as power rangers, it has a simple enough setup to explore with some depth while stilll getting that nostalgia pop that makes money. I do hope they move on from it as while I like MMPR, I grew up with it and all the franchise has had a MASSIVE life after it I've discovered thanks to history of power rangers. MMPR isn't bad and some projects kinda HAVE to be this: launching in it was the right call as is the upcoming brawler rita's rewind, which I intend to buy as soon as it comes out, being set there as MMPR had a smorgasbord of games in the 16 bit era, I just think expanding a bit beyond one arc covering a team made up of legacy rangers and a few graphic novels isn't a bad idea and i'm glad ranger academy exists for that. At the very least i'm mistified they've only done the dream team concept once so far.

We begin the issue with the green ranger having.. killed everyone with Rita praising him and him willing to serve and please make it stop. '

Thankfully it does as this was all just a dream by one Tommy Oliver, the ranger among rangers. Jason asks what ya dreamin about bud but can't really get through to him, with Tommy deflecting it's just nervous it's his first day. And I do like the response a lot. It's one of the better scenes in these first two issues

It's simple but it really works for me and shows the sheer pressure they have. YOu may of also noticed rita. This isn't the real her but a voice in the back of tommy's head voicing all his doubts. I hear you tommy, my anxiety also resembles a witch. WOn't stop rhyming or talking about that bear and bird. It's exhausting.

I like this concept: That Tommy dosen't get over his guilt at what he did while mind controlled or his doubts easily and has trouble fitting into the gang: while Jason and Kimberly warmly welcome him, it's clear they already have a vibe going, with the gang being blindsided by a test they thought was next week. It's hard to crack in and Rita may be all of tommy's insecurities manifested as his greatest enemy.. but she has a point: do they even want him too. And as we'll find out next issue while most are open to it, one of them very much dosen't.

That said while I like this concept.. it has flaws. For one focusing so heavily on Tommy.. means the others don't really get to do much this issue, bantering a bit about Billy's push notification obession and setting up who they are for new readers, as well as hinting at Zack not liking tommy much, but otherwise it's mostly on tommy and most we get from him at least early on is he's a sad boy. I'm not saying he has no reason to be.. but it may of not been the best choice to do this story arc one. It would've been better to have some time to get to know our six, let tommy's unease and zack's tension build.. but instead at arc one tommy is at a pretty low point, and the story goes up to 10 right after this with a huge crisis. There isn't time for our characters to settle before the world gets flipped upside down.

Part of this is being spoiled by later series GoGo Power Rangers, with Ryan Parrot having a more relaxed take: There's an ongoing story to it, but it's more focused on fleshing out the five teenagers with attitude (minus Tommy as it takes place before Green with Evil). It's why his later run with necessary evil, while also starting with the rangers in a tight spot as it takes place just after the transfer of power and has team adjusting to three new recurits and tommy adjusting to leadership... flows better to me. It let the characters build so when it puts them in a tight spot, you feel more. Here it feels like Kyle Higgins has a LOT of plot he wants to get to so he lets the characters hurt a bit. We do get more character intreractoin next issue that helps a bit but i'm hoping this arc has more than I remember.

At class we get a talk about counter intellegence before i'ts morphin time: Rita has evil plans, as we see iwth a cutaway to her moon fortress which looks as cool as ever, and she sends Bullzer down.

And look I don't want to make this review "Oops all gripes".. but we have another problem right away: the monster design.

As you can see... Bullzer.. is really generic and trying to be scary. And i'm not against making a monster intimidating, tha'ts fine. But it dosen't look.. power rangers. I'm not asking the artists to imitate cheap rubber or have it be a skeleton with a fancy hat. I would prefer bones but I love skellingtons. I just do. But the monsters were creative. You had guys like my guy eye guy whose just made of eyes or pudgy pig whose a pig head in a roman soldier helmet. I mean sure looking thorugh a gallery of season 1 monsters there were duds

But even mr ticklesneezer, and yes that is his legal god given name, is at least creative being trini's childhood doll made into this abomination. They even had, to my shock a better looking gamera knockoff

Is he a tad goofier? Yes. Does he still have dope claws and the name shell shock. Yes. Im not saying you have to be as campy.. but it's weird to have no camp when the costumes and zords aren't changed. You didn't update the zords to look more realistic, thank god, why are the monsters suddenly trying to be more down to earth? I'm not asking for rapping pumpkins or pudgy pigs or that fucking elf, please for mr ticklesneezer's sake

But it put me off the book instantly that the first monster they fight and most they do , if my memory serves..a re just bland generic monsters. I like a good turtle boy, but this is just... trying too hard to be "ADULT" and "EDGIER". I"m not saying power rangers can't tackle complex topics but I am saying you can't forget that it's still power rangers

To contrast this I went to look up gogo's first monster and I do wish he was a tad campier too

But while Flog here is also generic.. he at least dosen't stick out as much like a sore thumb. He's still perhaps a bit too hyper realistic for this universe, but details like the simple mildly goofy name, the earring, the bhoots.. it feels like they put a bit more effort in. I get Bullzer is just a one off.. but so was most every other power rangers monster. The people at super sentai put hard work into these things.. most of the time and the people on saban's end had to come up with new names and gimmicks. Sometimes they were horrible ideas but it feels like more effort was put in. Hopefully this gets better.

The fight itself thoguh is neat as the team has to use strategy as gamera's angsty teenage son has thick armor, while Tomm'ys ptsd anxiety ghost rita causes him to freeze up at points. he's able to beat the monster, giving it a drill that will pierce the heavens.. but freezes when trying to save a bridge. Tommy blames it on technicals and Jason.. is a bit of a dick and blames it on tommy not following orders, as he rushedin at the start of a fight. Zordon tells them both to cut that shit out: Jason needs to help loop tommy in better and Tommy needs to ask for help. And they both need to prepare: while getting Tommy back from rita was a big victory, Rita is petty.. and her revenge is coming. Rather than possess a teenager struggling with his sexualityt hough her plan is instead to have Scorpia fish a crystal out of a river. A new era begins.

We then get a backup story that was in the back of my trade so I only read it as I wrote this, but boy it is fun: The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk and Skull. Since BOOM! knew who the real heroes were, we got this backup feature with our heroes in all their glory, written by gay icon Steve Orlando. Orlando's been easily one of my favoirite comics writers, currently writing the phenominal scarlet witch ongoing at marvel and formerly having reinvented midnighter at dc before taking on the justice league with his own nicely mismatched team.

It's a short two issue gag story as Bulk and Skull deal with Principal Caplan: Caplan is an excessively minor power rangers character who as far as I can tell mainly showed up to be a foil to our faviorite goofuses. It's still a nice deep cut and I love the joke about him having taken up glassblowing for the stress, made a scream jar and somehow filled it. "Screams have no mass! Your not supposed to fill it!". They use a large deli lunch order to escape and then try to hit on some girls unsuccessfully who are more intrested in the rangers. It's there Bulk gets a terrible idea: if girls like the power rangers, then they'll BECOME power rangers. A truly perfect bulk and skull shenanigan.

There's another backup that's beautfiully drawn, but i'll mostly skip as it's just a one off fight with goldar. Not bad at all, lot of fun, but not why we're here. Granted Bulk and Skull isn't either, but it's both a dedicated backup and a nice bit of levity after all the emo.

Speaking of which our proper first issue opens with the dynamic duo giving a recap of events up to the start of this series on their youtube channel RANGER STATION. Ranger Station is a fantastic concept: our doofy heroes always had some shenanigan or hustle going and later zeroed in on finding out who the rangers were... this just combines their two schticks perfectly. I love Skull interjecting, Bulk saying every episode is someone's first and their gateway to susbscribe which is how I approach my blog so, respect, and we have Skull plugging their premium content which would be on a patreon these days, just like the early days of this blog. My patreon is still active by the way and 5 dollar contributors get a 5 dollar review a month. If they can shill for themselves so can I.

They recap the events so far: how the power rangers came about when rita did, green with evil and now the shocking development from the 0 issue: The Green Ranger has joined the team. Bulk is naturally super pumped but asks the average citzen what they think. Some think due to the bridge mishap, Tommy's still evil, the first woman theya sk has the very valid point of wanting the rangers to you know, explain why the guy who tried to kill everyone is now on their side. And given the Rangers DO have the valid explination of "the person behind the monster sbrainwashed them"... yeah probably shoudl've done a press release. And one guy thinks it's too many colors. He later died of cardiac arrest when we got up to 8 ranger teams.

Bulk and Skull end up talking to tommy, who is awkard and Kim luckily is able to ward them off. Tommy plans to get some training in after school so Kim joins him to spend time with her crush then hopefully get a coffee date. Kim has game.

Issue 1 is step up in tone. I complained a lot and likely will again about the sries sometimes bleak tone... but this issue ballances the every day stuff better with the teenagers with attitude. Since Tommy isn't seeing PTSD Rita EVERY second, we get a chance to breathe, still feel him doubting himself and wallowing in self loathing, but not be strangled by it.

We then get Jason and Zack in class where an assholish teacher wakes Zack up from his nap and puts him in detention for it. Now you might say "Jake that's not exactly a dick move, he shouldn't sleep in class" and to that I say... captain beard has no idea WHY Zack did. He could have a job, of had an emergency. All Zack says is "I didn't get enough sleep", but given how stressful teenagers lives are, there's a LOT of reasons for that beyond "Ranger Stuff". I"m not saying it's good to sleep in class but i'm saying maybe talk to your student. And when Jason tries to stand up for him... he also gets detttention.

The rangers have lunch and break down their plans; Kim's hanging with tommy, Jason and Zack are in a dettention Zack boldy assumes he could get out of.. though then again I do have this pet theory that like zack morris he can freeze time because all zacks have that power, so maybe Jason jumped in too soon. Tommy tries to join in but they all gotta go, diffrent lunch periods. We then get Bulk interviewing Jason who stands up for Tommy.. but it's clear Zack's a bit more hesitant.

Meanwhile we go to Rita's Moon Castle, where she's working on her vauge evil plan: the mystery crystal what Scorpina dredged out of the river is charged a bit thanks to the bullzer but it needs more energy... apparnetly too much green energy can be dangerous too.

In class Jason clearly knows SOMETHING'S up with Zack and why he can't sleep no good, and tells zack he's ready to listen when he's ready to tell him. IT's a nice friendship moment. After Zack asks if Jason's SURRREEE all this okay. Jason admits that Zordon adding tommy to the team without asking them sucks.. but Zordon picked them. If he has faith in tommy, they have to trust that. I do like this tension, that adding someone who just attacked them, brainwashed or not isn't easy. I also like that, as we'll get later, ther'es more to Zack's issues than just being the token douche. His backstory behind this is still a TAD douchey but it's intresting.

Tommy and Kim are up next running a training sim. Unfortunately for them... it's a kobiashi maru bitch. The survivors their leading from some putties.. get lead straight into some and if they hadn't, they would've gotten squished. Tommy.. can't accept that and Kim sadly accepts she's not getting a date... but dosen't you know.. TELL him she's upset. "Sigh" Teen Angst, I do not like reliving it.

We end the issue with Tommy mopnig at home.. only for Scorpina to hav ea knife to this throat.

TO BE CONTINUED

We continue bulk and skulls antics before we go: the two race to the scene of a battle and accidently knock out a putty thinking he's a guy asking for directions. Good stuff. Bulk decides he can use this. He'll fight the thing for a raging crowd! or something.

So that ends our first look at boom and while I had a LOT to gripe about the first issue the second.. is much better. It feels like the characters have more room to breathe and thus get fleshed out. Granted issue 0 was just supposed to be a slow start.. but given there was a backup story thrown in there to fill the issue, it would've made more sense ot just.. do a full issue teaser since issue 0 still kicks off events. Still so far the series isn't bad and might be better than I remember. Either way this is going to be a long trip and I thank you all for coming with me. May the power protect you.

[garaksapprentice]

Review: the Daedalus Falcon e-spinner

Originally posted on my blog: https://garaksapprentice.blogspot.com/2023/09/review-daedalus-falcon-e-spinner.html

(There's a ton of photos in this one and much as I love you all, I cannot brain moving them all over here. So if you want all the pics, please check the blog.)

I confess, this is a departure from my usual "let's do things with the least amount of money we can get away with" style. In my defence, I strive to be frugal rather than cheap. I don't mind spending the money to get a good quality, durable product, if it's something I know will get a lot of use. An e-spinner definitely fits that category for me, for several reasons.

One, I fall well on the frog hair end of the spinning spectrum, something most traditional wheels just aren't designed to accommodate. I actually found it faster (and easier on my legs) to use a spindle for the kinds of fine, high-twist yarns I prefer to spin. But, there are limits to how fine I can comfortably go on a spindle - anything past about 50 WPI and I have to concentrate just on the spinning. Not good when you typically use a spindle on the go.

Two, I have a lingering knee injury that doesn't like the treadle action of most spinning wheels (something I find hilariously frustrating given I ride a cargo bike anywhere I can't take the train).

Three, I spin mostly to weave. Much as I love spinning, I like it to end eventually so I can move onto the weaving part of the equation.

After three straight months of research, the Daedalus Falcon came out as the hands-down winner for my goals of speed, fine yarn, and product durability.

Why Daedalus?

Daedalus manufacture high-end e-spinners and spinning accessories. All their products are designed to need little to no maintenance, and to last 20+ years - they're seriously well put together.

They make five different e-spinners to suit just about any spinning preference, from super bulky art yarn to ultra fine frog hair. The Falcon is specifically designed for production spinning of fine yarns - it can reach speeds of 4,200 RPM, over twice what I could get from my Ashford Traditional wheel.

Ordering

I'll be honest, I spent a long time thinking about which model, and whether to order a Daedalus at all. These beauties are high-performance machines built to last. But, that means they come with the price tag of a high-performance machine. Plus currency exchange. Plus postage. (Yikes.) In all, I spent just under AU$2,000 on my Falcon set-up (I ordered three extra bobbins at US$90 and some yarn control cards for US$24).

At the time I ordered (November 2022), there was an estimated wait time of 12 months or more. Luckily for me, if not my bank account, Daedalus expanded their production capacity over the 2022 Christmas break. I reached the front of the Falcon queue in June 2023 (seven months from sign-up). At the time of writing (September 2023) there is no queue for the Falcon, and the Daedalus team are working to banish their waitlists completely.

The package

My Falcon came party disassembled, cradled in bubble wrap. (I wasn't thinking about writing a review when I ordered it, so I didn't take pictures.) The flyer assembly was individually wrapped for transport, as were the speed controller, inverter, cables, and welcome pack/spares bag.

The inverter is a standard laptop style pack. It comes with a US-ended jug plug, but that's easy to change out for whatever your local plug end is. I dove into my box of spare cables and leads and had a compatible jug plug in less than two minutes. If you don't have a box of old computer cords lying around, what century did you time travel from plan ahead and buy a new one.

Importantly, the inverter outputs 15 volts! Make absolutely sure that you've got the right one when you go to spin! Most laptops nowadays run on 20 volts - you don't want to damage the motor by running it faster than it's designed for.

{pic on blog}

The extension cable for the speed controller, and the power end on the motor itself, is some non-standard end that I've never seen before. (It's probably very common among people who know things about electronics; I'm not one of them.) It's similar to USB-A connectors in that the ends are directional; if you don't get them the right way up, they won't connect. The cord itself has a protective, braided outer and feels very sturdy.

From top to bottom: the outside of both ends, the female end, and the male end.

The Instructions

The guidebook (also available as a PDF on their website) is beautifully designed, and clearly written. The parts diagrams are clearly photographed and labelled. I've found the instructions easy to follow, even with a scattered brain.

It includes:

getting started

fine tuning the tension

how to use the speed controller

a page of "handy tips"

how to change the bobbin

an RPM speed table

changing settings in the speed controller menu

maintenance

flat packing for travel

the Daedalus battery (purchased separately)

Daedalus' social media and contact details

The first page has a QR code that takes you directly to the Daedalus YouTube channel, where you can find videos on how to assemble and disassemble each model. My one quibble here is that the QR code takes you to the channel as a whole, rather than to the specific playlist for the model you bought. The videos themselves are short, to the point, and well shot with clear lighting and narration.

Also, the manual states that the speed controller has been limited to 50% max speed in the settings - mine wasn't. I've seen other folks on social media also say their controller wasn't speed limited for this model, so it's something to watch out for.

About that battery

Daedalus offer a battery bank that's designed to work with all their e-spinners (yay!). Unfortunately, due to issues with postage, they don't mail them outside the continental US (boo!).

While their website does say that they'll help you find a compatible battery that you can purchase in your country, this is complicated by the part where all their stuff runs on 15 volts. In Australia at least, 15v battery banks with a standard laptop cable input simply don't exist. I spent six weeks trying to find somewhere to buy a battery - I eventually gave up due to my brain frying any time I tried to look at listings.

While I'd like the option of a battery eventually (it would be much easier to set up in the back yard that way), for now I've made peace with needing to lug extension cords anywhere I want to spin.

Spinning Experience

So far I've only spun commercially prepared wools, so this won't be a thorough review of the Falcon's performance over a variety of fibres and preps. (I'll attempt that later, when I get the chance. And finer wool cards.)

Noise

It's quiet. Really quiet. At least two people at every guild meeting I've taken it to have commented on how quiet it is. Most of the noise comes from the flyer rotation, and considerably less from the motor. I'm quite sensitive to noise, especially higher pitches, so I was concerned about this. Luckily it hasn't been an issue. (If you're the sort of person who can hear electricity, it may bother you. I've lost that mysterious ability as I've aged, for the most part, so I can't say for sure.)

I have noticed that the noise changes/gets louder at speeds above about 70% - again, this is simply due to the fact that the flyer is turning at ~3,000+ RPM. At worst I have to turn the laptop up slightly to better hear the video I have playing. The breeze off the flyer sure helps with air circulation on a warm day, too.

Threading

The size of the hooks (loops, really) and the inner part of the orifice make threading a breeze. I do occasionally struggle with very fine, high twist threads, especially when I'm rethreading after a break. That's partly finding the right angle to hold the thread at so that it catches in the hook, and partly my fingers not always co-operating.This is the position I find works best for threading the orifice.

I wouldn't want to try it with a non-Daedalus orifice hook, though - there's quite a bend in the hook, and it's there for good reason. Luckily the Falcon body has magnets on it to always keep your hook nearby.

The magnets + hook combo is great for holding the end of the thread when you're not spinning, too. I just wrap it around the middle of the hook a few times and stick it back on the magnets.

Take-up and tensioning

The take-up is wonderfully light, and can be ridiculously fine-tuned to match what you're spinning. When take-up drops below an acceptable level (once or twice per layer of bobbin filling), a tiny adjustment (less than a quarter turn) is usually enough to get things back on track.

I've filled four part-bobbins so far (two I'm still working on, one I ran out of fibre), at ~65 WPI, 45 WPI, and ~85 WPI. On each empty bobbin, I started with the spring completely compressed and the cord just barely tight/without slack. It took a few minutes of trial and error with each fibre to dial in the correct tension, but once I did, it was basically hassle-free for each spinning session thereafter.

That being said - I found correct tensioning quite tricky to dial in at first, because the hook and dial had shifted on their arms during shipping. If you put your wheel in something to travel with and find the tension is all screwy next time you go to spin, that's something to look at.

This circumstance isn't covered in the guide book, so it took me a while to work out why my "maximum tension" on the dial still wasn't enough to draw on the yarn I was spinning (it only became apparent about a third into the bobbin). Once I realised that the tension dial had rotated on the shaft in transport, I was able to reset it by simply rotating it back to a more vertical position.

{pic on blog}

This is an extreme example, but both the tension dial and the spring hook opposite it can rotate like this if you're not careful.

Starting/Stopping

At first I didn't think I'd need the foot pedal extension cord - surely I'd just be able to bop the controller on and off with my hand while I was spinning?

I was quickly disabused of this notion partway through my second bobbin. When things go wrong while spinning a 60 WPI single at 2,500 RPM, they go wrong fast. Being able to turn the Falcon off with my foot, while frantically trying to salvage whatever's gone wrong, is essential.

A really nice bonus to the foot pedal is that I'm not stuck in one position while spinning - I can sit, stand, rock from side to side, even crouch or kneel. I have back and shoulder problems and an old knee injury, so being able to freely change posture is a godsend for keeping my muscles happy.

And the soft stop/start - oh. my. Dog. I did not realise how much nicer my wheel spinning life could be. A soft stop is built in to spindle spinning by default, and I genuinely didn't realise how much I missed that on a wheel until I started spinning on the Falcon. I sing its praises whenever the thread breaks - the end stays loose and easy to find on top of the bobbin. No matter how gently I tried to stop my treadle wheel, more often than not the thread end would be buried somewhere in the hills and valleys on the bobbin, and there would be much swearing during retrieval.

Bobbin size

Daedalus advertises the Falcon bobbin as holding "two ounces (60 g) of 30 WPI singles". After plying a couple of bobbins of sock yarn with it, I would call this a conservative estimate. I managed to fit 70g of a 32 WPI, two-ply yarn on one bobbin - and it wasn't even well packed!

I've included a couple of in-progress bobbin shots, and what the singles on them currently measure/weight, below. None of them are even close to full, unfortunately - this is the order I spun them in, and right now I need to concentrate on the last one since it's due by December.

{pics on blog}

Sliver from Bendigo Woollen Mills. ~75 WPI, 31g. 19.5 micron merino top from Nundle Farms. ~82 WPI, 29g.  Handpainted 20 micron merino from Kathy's Fibres, ~82 WPI, 12g.

Final thoughts

This powerhouse is not for everyone. It's made for a specific purpose, and it fulfils that purpose beautifully. But it would probably suck at doing things it's not designed for.

While I'm sure you could spin 20 WPI or even 10 WPI singles with it, it won't do the job as well as an e-spinner designed for that. The other Daedalus offerings are worth a look, if you're not as into spinning frog hair as me.

But if you have a deep, abiding love for spinning lace-weight and finer yarns, this is an e-spinner worth looking at. Expensive though it was, it's one of the best fibre-related purchases I've made. (It easily beats the sewing machine and the overlocker combined.)

I'm definitely an outlier here - I have the not-at-all-typical goal of one day having a completely hand-spun, handwoven, and hand-sewn wardrobe. As such, production spinning is my jam - I want fine, high-twist yarns, that commercial mills simply can't replicate. And I want them as fast as my skills will let me go. With that in mind, the Falcon makes complete sense for my spinning goals.

Obligatory disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Daedalus, and this post isn't sponsored (not that I'm against that, mind. This apprentice has to eat). All opinions are my own.