Hermit

Gods, Religions, and Religious institutions as unimportant and lacking any power or purpose save as healing shops.
It's such a waste of material to use it that way. And it often throws me off. Even if the gods don't feel chatty, religious leaders can still exert enough influence and power to hobble or raise up rulers, they can direct codes as strong as any secular set of laws. And, unless one is speaking of 'chaching, the God of #$#You, Payme!', their entire purpose should never be confined to just taking gold and then curing that STD you got at Madame Stonegate's House of Dwarven pleasures.
 
Not meaning any disrespect to anyone who follows Chaching
 
And I always appreciate when the not priestly types still have a spiritual side, and pay a bit of respect to the gods. NPCs who are farmers, bartenders, or the like who tip their hat to the local holy man, or pray for good weather etc are small touches, but it shows off nicely. Heck, even creative ways of using a god's name in anger can reflect wel. But when a fantasy village seems to be entirely secular to a man, unless there's an in setting reason, it kind of jars me a bit. I don't expect Hozanas and Psalms all the time, but the idea of "Who do these god people think they are anyway?" Should not be the norm unless you're going for a Monty python skit
 
 
But that's just me.. just sort of makes me roll my eyes and disrupts my immersion a bit.
 
 

Gods, Religions, and Religious institutions as unimportant and lacking any power or purpose save as healing shops.
It's such a waste of material to use it that way. And it often throws me off. Even if the gods don't feel chatty, religious leaders can still exert enough influence and power to hobble or raise up rulers, they can direct codes as strong as any secular set of laws. And, unless one is speaking of 'chaching, the God of #$#You, Payme!', their entire purpose should never be confined to just taking gold and then curing that STD you got at Madame Stonegate's House of Dwarven pleasures.
 
Not meaning any disrespect to anyone who follows Chaching
 
And I always appreciate when the not priestly types still have a spiritual side, and pay a bit of respect to the gods. NPCs who are farmers, bartenders, or the like who tip their hat to the local holy man, or pray for good weather etc are small touches, but it shows off nicely. Heck, even creative ways of using a god's name in anger can reflect wel. But when a fantasy village seems to be entirely secular to a man, unless there's an in setting reason, it kind of jars me a bit. I don't expect Hozanas and Psalms all the time, but the idea of "Who do these god people think they are anyway?" Should not be the norm unless you're going for a Monty python skit
 
 
But that's just me.. just sort of makes me roll my eyes and disrupts my immersion a bit.
 
 

I loved The Knight's Tale, partly for its anachronisms.  I created a variant Car Wars setting once that was basically this, except with cars, guns, and magic.  Cars and weapons could be repaired, reloaded, and refueled by medieval blacksmiths with hammers and anvils and other medieval tools.  It would have been glorious (at least, to me).  

Gods, Religions, and Religious institutions as unimportant and lacking any power or purpose save as healing shops.
It's such a waste of material to use it that way. And it often throws me off. Even if the gods don't feel chatty, religious leaders can still exert enough influence and power to hobble or raise up rulers, they can direct codes as strong as any secular set of laws. And, unless one is speaking of 'chaching, the God of #$#You, Payme!', their entire purpose should never be confined to just taking gold and then curing that STD you got at Madame Stonegate's House of Dwarven pleasures.
 
Not meaning any disrespect to anyone who follows Chaching
 
And I always appreciate when the not priestly types still have a spiritual side, and pay a bit of respect to the gods. NPCs who are farmers, bartenders, or the like who tip their hat to the local holy man, or pray for good weather etc are small touches, but it shows off nicely. Heck, even creative ways of using a god's name in anger can reflect wel. But when a fantasy village seems to be entirely secular to a man, unless there's an in setting reason, it kind of jars me a bit. I don't expect Hozanas and Psalms all the time, but the idea of "Who do these god people think they are anyway?" Should not be the norm unless you're going for a Monty python skit
 
 
But that's just me.. just sort of makes me roll my eyes and disrupts my immersion a bit.
 
 

This is more a complaint for fantasy artwork, and video games, but: Giant weapons for human-sized fighters. Seven-foot swords. Hundred-pound hammers. Axes as broad as a car door. All of the insecurity-overcompensating, penis-substituting, power-fantasizing behemoth bodkins that even Conan couldn't swing in a fight.

Nurse Kellye was great.  Season by season we got to see her and she could be a voice of sanity in a room of self avowed lunatics and nuts in denial. And a voice for diversity long before her time "Doctor, could you put that in ethnic measurements I can understand?"
 
and damn it, she was indeed cute as a button!
 
 

Okay doke, I think I can finish up now with my big elaborate scheme, (but I can't type). My final option is the Ferengi, as a side contact, the ultimate fences if ever there were a race so inclined. 
 

 
And the title of my play:  Three Card Jedi  🤑

Option: The Gateway from "The City On the Edge of Forever"
 

Speaking of which, the end of the video for Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" is pretty amazing (compliments of William Shatner).
 
 

Stupid Muse hitting at 3 am. Why couldn't I make my picks at civilized hours, on the days I was supposed to?
 
Adversary 1: Professor Hugo Strange
Adversary 2: Ultron
Option: Dinosaurs
Option: A young boy named Timmy

He dreamed of Atlantis again, not one Atlantis, but all of them. He wished he could get back on his drugs. He didn't know why he kept being told to Dream of Atlantis, but that's all that was asked of him. Asked? hell, he was being made to dream. And if it was any comfort that his obedience was causing frustration to his captor, that comfort was lost in sensations of confusion, and helplessness.
 
He wished he could get back on his drugs again.
 
Option: George Orr, from Ursula K. Guin's Lathe of Heaven

Adversary number one, Harcourt Fenton Mudd, con man and smuggler  entrepreneur. 
 

 
 

Adversary 2: Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter)         Support: Carl Spackler, the Groundskeeper (Caddyshack)  

Adversary #2:  Glory (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
 
The title changes to:  Ash v. Cthulhu v Glory 
 

 
 

A Knight's Tale
A peasant squire who pretends to be a knight and enters jousting tournaments with his merry band of misfits along for the ride.  Fun, underrated story of medieval historical fantasy interspersed with modern rock/pop songs.

If I could give a shout out to a more recent character who was compelling and strong...and female? 
 Mako Mori from Pacific Rim.  She had a back story of her own separate from the male protagonist, she had her own hopes and ambitions, she was polite but firm. She loved her adoptive dad, and was as dedicated to the mission as any other in the program- a true professional without being a jerk to people. She was interesting in and of herself, and yet, and I can't stress this enough, the writers didn't have her throw other characters in a pit just so she could stand taller. Even her reasons for  sparring with Raleigh was clear, professional, and damn he did ask her opinion.  She wasn't perfect, she had flaws, but she overcame them with determination.
 
Props to Raleigh too by the way. He didn't want her as co pilot because she was cute, he wanted her there because she was the right person for the job and it was a waste to have her benched!  This was a male character who could have been written as profoundly insecure about having a woman who was his equal (or better in some areas), instead he was impressed and supported her own desire to be a pilot because he saw she had every right to it and they need good pilots. 
 
Mako Mori was an action girl, and a rather quiet dignified example of Girl Power done right imo.
 
 

"Thanks for the help," Aquaman said to the heroine who had come to their aid. "I'm a little confused how you knew where we were, let alone that we were in trouble?"
"You might have been in trouble, I was winning," Namor scoffed, then added, "Eventually." He eyed the woman suspiciously, "It seems a coincidence you should show at such a time. I do not trust coincidences. Is this world your home?"
"Wherever the light of my father can be seen is my home," the woman assured, "Any world, any place, any Canada. I help you for the same reason you help them. Under the dome of the sky, there are no strangers, merely fellow souls we have not yet met. You believe it too, or you'd not fight so hard to protect them."
Aquaman actually felt a little guilty, "In truth, we came here largely just to learn what the scientists here knew."
"Of course,  Aquaman," The demi goddess smiled, "Did you think extended hands to help only traveled one way? Even the mighty are not truly alone, unless they choose to be, and even the meek may have strengths to be relied upon."
"Good words," He agreed, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" 
 
"Did I not say? Call me..."
 

 
The Heart: Nelvana of the Northern Lights
 

On a personal level, a lot of it sucked. I was bullied a lot, particularly in jr. high. As a military dependent and an introvert I made friends at the speed of rare only to have those rare friends whisked away by yet another move. High school was better, though I would love to be able to go back and warn my younger self of some of the screw ups I was making.
 
And yet, nostalgia is a heck of a drug. I was proud of my country. I had faith in the future that it would get better.
I miss that faith.
 
 
The music was good, I liked big hair bands, and a lot of the movies. The Olympics were awesome, the space shuttle program had me enthused until the Challenger disaster and even after, technology was leaping ahead in amazing ways.
 
So early 80s C +, Late 80s B-
 
Or is it the other way around? 😕
 
 
 
 
 

The average human mind cannot even begin to comprehend the intricacies of quantum physics in regards to dimensional mechanics. The exceptional human mind, properly trained and educated, can scratch the surface of possibilities and still wander clueless in anything more concrete than  theoretical guesswork. 
 
Brainiac 5 ? He realized he was in the wrong reality as well as the wrong time in less than 50 Earth seconds.
 
He noticed Aquaman, of course, but there was no recognition in the Atlantean King's eyes, meaning all their prior meetings did not exist for this version of Aquaman, or perhaps that some form of Chronal erasure had occurred.
 
"Oh dear god I'm too intelligent to believe in, what is the crisis this time?" He had been in the middle of an experiment. "So help me, if it's the Anti-Monitor again I'm going to find a way to put HIM in a bottle."
 
The Smart Guy: Brainiac 5
 

 
 

Graduated High school in 1982.  Flunked out of college in 1984, and worked a series of dead end jobs. At this point school didn't matter, other than to learn graphics, and animation skills, because...

I went to Dance clubs. I played a huge amount of games. Got involved in a whole slew of gaming fanzines. Got invited to play with the Hero games folks, and got my first paid illustration gigs.  Worked in Comic books.  Worked the stands as an usher during the 84 Olympics, and saw Brazil beat Italy decisively in soccer. I started collecting the music I ran across in Clubs,  collecting orange crates full of  12 in. Dance singles and Motion Picture soundtracks.
 
Lots of great action movies, and delectable Trash Cinema (The Sword & The Sorcerer), and I was healthy enough to eat anything (Jack in The Box Ultimate Cheese burgers, with a side of Bacon Cheddar Potato wedges.). Ronald Reagan broke the back of the Soviet union, and it collapsed 6 months after he left office. (Victory over Communism!) Went through three cars.   Started to travel to big conventions, like WorldCon, Gencon, and Comic-con.
 
For me, the 80's were a grand, young person's Adventure, so I have to Grade it as an A!

The average human mind cannot even begin to comprehend the intricacies of quantum physics in regards to dimensional mechanics. The exceptional human mind, properly trained and educated, can scratch the surface of possibilities and still wander clueless in anything more concrete than  theoretical guesswork. 
 
Brainiac 5 ? He realized he was in the wrong reality as well as the wrong time in less than 50 Earth seconds.
 
He noticed Aquaman, of course, but there was no recognition in the Atlantean King's eyes, meaning all their prior meetings did not exist for this version of Aquaman, or perhaps that some form of Chronal erasure had occurred.
 
"Oh dear god I'm too intelligent to believe in, what is the crisis this time?" He had been in the middle of an experiment. "So help me, if it's the Anti-Monitor again I'm going to find a way to put HIM in a bottle."
 
The Smart Guy: Brainiac 5
 

 
 

The average human mind cannot even begin to comprehend the intricacies of quantum physics in regards to dimensional mechanics. The exceptional human mind, properly trained and educated, can scratch the surface of possibilities and still wander clueless in anything more concrete than  theoretical guesswork. 
 
Brainiac 5 ? He realized he was in the wrong reality as well as the wrong time in less than 50 Earth seconds.
 
He noticed Aquaman, of course, but there was no recognition in the Atlantean King's eyes, meaning all their prior meetings did not exist for this version of Aquaman, or perhaps that some form of Chronal erasure had occurred.
 
"Oh dear god I'm too intelligent to believe in, what is the crisis this time?" He had been in the middle of an experiment. "So help me, if it's the Anti-Monitor again I'm going to find a way to put HIM in a bottle."
 
The Smart Guy: Brainiac 5
 

 
 

What had been meant to be a farewell party turned into a sortie, with Lady Obsidian and the crew set to go in a few hours instead grabbing their gear and starting up their transport right away. 

The full details would come later, but to nutshell the situation? A police officer had mouthed off to a supervillain and insulted his mother while trying to demand compliance. I don't know if the cop was nuts, just fed up, a rookie, or an idiot. Not only did the villain break both his legs, he then proceeded to the police station that officer was assigned to, and brought it crumbling down. Someone there was on the ball and told everyone to get the hell out before the ceiling began to fall on them, but there were still casualties and several injured. The exact tally I'd get later.
 
This is the nightmare for so much of the populace. Mouth off to one guy, and he doesn't just hurt you (Or kill you) but destroys your work place of raging spite and you can't do anything about it? The fear that generates is both understandable, and dangerous in its own right. I've seen extremists on all sides say things like "Put superheroes in charge" and, on the other end, "Genetic testing for all, and draft/sterilize the freaks". It comes to the same thing, fear of the loss of control and looking for quick fixes. You do not want supers to be God-Kings of your cities, trust me. I know superheroes, brave and moral ones, who forget to pay their water bills. You do not want those noble yahoos to handle a city's budget.  And do I really need to go into the immorality of enslaving any minority or just plain wiping them out?
 
Historically, and satirically, that latter tends to lend you the not so proud mantle of 'the baddies', but the world wants simple solutions. Hell, I want simple solutions. I am in a calling where I literally can make the world a better place by punching people. If I thought about it too much, I might have to concede why some folks envy superheroes. I mean, it does inspire a very petty part of the imagination.
 
Looks like the stockholders want to deny us our Christmas bonuses this year but upper management isn't getting any cuts at all.

No problem, I'll go beat their asses with their own golf clubs!
 
Great! Good luck at the negotiations then! Have fun!
 
You know I will!
 
But the world doesn't work that way, it can't really. We wouldn't want it to if we thought about it.  The world has nuance, and complexities, and points of view. Facts are facts, but truths are trickier to pin down. Mayo, a good friend of mine, once told me I should thank people for letting me rescue them.
I've had a lot of time to think about that, on and off, and it has slowly sunk in.
 
A chance to do the right thing, without equivocation, without complication, is, in some ways a gift. One too many of us spurn even when we do have the  means.
 
There is something about staring at an untouched cake and a cooler with a plethora of coke and beer cans ignored within that makes one feel a touch philosophical. I was not alone, of course, others had shown up to send them off. Viewpoint, Pogo, Valerosa and even Slime.
But with one announcement, we were half of what we were, who we were, and I wasn't the only one staring at untouched cake.
 
"Well," Pogo finally said, in a tone that indicated she needed someone to say something, "This isn't a fun party at all."
 
That actually got a few chuckles from the lot of us.
 
"So," Viewpoint said, looking at Valerosa and myself curiously, "What's the plan?"
 
"Huh?" Ariana turned, "Why are you asking me?"
 
Because, Slime scrolled, answering for Viewpoint, You are the team leaders now.
 
I gave my girlfriend a look. Not the one that said I got your back, or whoops brain fart. Nope, the look was simply to let her know that, until Viewpoint had said something: I had forgotten that too.
 
She nodded, and seemed to gain strength from it. Nothing like a slip shared to make you feel a wee bit less embarrassed, then she answered, "Trainees are coming in tomorrow and both Eel and I need to meet them, which means we need you guys to take up our slack, such as it is." She sounded a little apologetic.
 
"Good news is," I said in what i hoped was firm but supportive, "Our own city remains relatively villain free, with a few exceptions. And the dark forces that be probably won't realize we've split the team until tonight's news, and even they won't know it's now the new status quo. I think we can afford to stagger our shifts, Pogo and Viewpoint, you guys try to get seen just a bit more often, reassure the populace. Slime? I hate to say it but, well, biases."
 
It's okay, the words rolled along his surface, I understand you humans are intimidated by my natural good looks. Envy, it's a helluva drug.
 
Another spat of chuckles escaped us, it looked like the tension that had built up from having half our number reduced was on the ease. 
 
"Fine, Viewpoint and Pogo get seen by the public, Slime sees whose going where they aren't, and the two Co-Captains are on standby as we talk to the trainees. We'll sort out schedules or shifts more formally later, " I nodded at Ariana to see if she was cool with that.
 
She was, and added, "Do not hesitate to call us if you need us or even think something weird we need to know has arisen. Much as we want to help the rookies learn, our priority is still helping our fellow citizens. Don't worry," Valerosa said, glancing especially at Pogo "We got your back when you need it."
 
Pogo beamed, "We won't let you down, Cap," eyes bright and energy raring even at this late hour, "I know Viewpoint and Slime might have better senses at night, but I can really get around the city during the day and little will escape the pouncing prowess of Pogo!"
 
I felt my own pang of envy. Cap was a great nickname for superheroes, attributed to some real winners. I wanted to be a Cap, but at last, I figured now that Pogo had affixed it to Ariana, I was out of luck getting to share the unofficial title.
Ah well, vanity is ultimately an arrow one aims at one's own ego.

Or some other faux Zen  thing.
 
"Then, let's clean this food up, and Slime can take monitor duty if he's okay with it," I asked and Slime immediately bobbed in the approximation of a nod, "While the rest of us rest."
 
"Our first mission, Cake clean up," Viewpoint said, "Works for me. Keeps me humble."
 
"Humble? We're the new New Samaritans," Pogo exclaimed, "We're superheroes! We can handle any-"
 
"Don't jinx us!" Valerosa, Viewpoint, and I blurted simultaneously before she could finish that phrase. Even Slime burbled in alarm.
 
"Geeze," She said a bit sullenly, "You guys are even more superstitious than my grandmother."
 
"The grandmother who is old as dirt and still alive?" I countered.
 
"Yeah," She said cautiously.
 
"Well," I stated, "Ever wonder how she managed that?"
 
Pogo, the possessor of pouncing prowess, pouted.

 

On a personal level, a lot of it sucked. I was bullied a lot, particularly in jr. high. As a military dependent and an introvert I made friends at the speed of rare only to have those rare friends whisked away by yet another move. High school was better, though I would love to be able to go back and warn my younger self of some of the screw ups I was making.
 
And yet, nostalgia is a heck of a drug. I was proud of my country. I had faith in the future that it would get better.
I miss that faith.
 
 
The music was good, I liked big hair bands, and a lot of the movies. The Olympics were awesome, the space shuttle program had me enthused until the Challenger disaster and even after, technology was leaping ahead in amazing ways.
 
So early 80s C +, Late 80s B-
 
Or is it the other way around? 😕