Goodbye 2016

On a personal level, I don't really have any  real complaints regarding 2016. On a more general scale though? Yeah, this has not been a great year, has it? Thankfully, its almost over and with that in mind, I'd like to wish all my readers the very best for the coming year. So, from all of me to all of you:

Happy New Year

Christmas With the Plantagenets

With the yuletide season upon us, I thought it appropriate to write a little something about one of my favorite Christmas movies. However, before we get to heart of the matter, there's something I want to make clear:
The way I see it a Christmas movie can usually be slot into one of two categories. In the first category, we have movies that incorporate the themes and meanings of the Holiday. You know, "goodwill to all men" and all that jazz. The second category consists of movies which simply happens to take place during the Holiday. The movie which is the subject of this post, belong in the later category (there's very little, if any, goodwill to be found in it) and if you happen to look at the title of the post and immediately guessed The Lion In Winter, then congratulations; you were right.

For those of you not familiar with it, The Lion In Winter is a 1968 movie  based on a play by James Goldman (brother of William, author of The Marathon Man), directed by Anthony Harvey and featuring such actors as Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Antony Hopkins (in his film debut) and Timothy Dalton, among others.

So, what's the film about? Well, its 1183 and Henry II has summoned the rest of England's royal family; his scheming wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three surviving sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to his residence in Chinon, Anjou. Also present are Henry's lover, Alais and her brother Philip II, king of France.
Ten years earlier, Henry's and Eleanor's oldest son, also named Henry had, with the help of Richard and Geoffrey rebelled against his father. Eleanor was the brains behind the rebellion and as punishment, Henry II has kept her in house arrest, only letting her out on certain special occasions, such as Christmas. With the younger Henry having passed away, England is left without an heir. Henry favors John, the youngest who did not take part in the rebellion, but Eleanor is determined to have her favorite Richard, inherit the throne.

That's the basic gist of it. I should point out that while the characters and their relationships with one another are (somewhat) historically accurate, the plot is entirely fictional. Not that it matters; The Lion in Winter isn't really a history lesson, but rather a family drama and at that, it excels. The plot of the movie is gripping with its many schemes and betrayals carried out by its fascinatingly wicked characters, all of whom are wonderfully brought to life by the cast of highly talented actors, with O'Toole and Hepburn being the obvious stand-outs. In addition, The Lion in Winter also features some of the best dialogue I've ever heard in a movie,  with lines ranging from hilariously wicked and snarky to genuinely moving. I can safely say that this is among the most quotable movies I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

Some Silverlinings

(Disclaimer: Title and idea for this post was shamelessly nicked from here, credit where credit is due).

Usually, my favorite characters tend to come from works of fiction that I consider to be genuinely great (or at least, very good), which I think make a lot of sense. However, even works that I either dislike or am ambivalent towards can on occasion produce some genuinely compelling characters. The characters below are all examples of these and while the works they're from may be of varying quality, each of them made the work of fiction they hail from a bit better with their presence.

Alejanda Coldthorn (Las Lindas)

I should first like to say that I can't stand most of the cast of Las Lindas. By and large, the characters can be divided into two categories: Annoying or bland. Alejandra Coldthorn (and to a lesser extent, her assistant, Tootsie) was the exception to this rule, being the only genuinely good character to come out of this web-comic. The antagonist of Las Lindas, Alejandra was introduced as a cold-hearted corporate villain with a grudge against the main character, Mora, she gradually developed into the only genuinely sympathetic character in the comic. However, even back when she was merely the villain, I couldn't help but root for Alejandra and sympathize with her far more than her rival and hoping in vain that she'd score some small victory that would knock Mora down a peg.

Benjamin Linus (Lost)

Lost is a show that seems to have suffered some backlash since it ended and quite frankly, I can't say its completely undeserved. Now, I watched the show all the way to the end when it first aired, but even then I can't deny that it was very hit-and-miss and I don't really have any desire to re-visit it. One thing about Lost that was consistently great though was Michael Emerson's portrayal of Benjamin Linus, introduced in the show's second season. The Man In Black may have been the ultimate big bad of the show, but for me, Ben will always be the villain of Lost, as far as I'm concerned. The leader of the Others, Ben was a devious, ruthless and complex character and I always enjoyed watching him plot his schemes.

Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)

Pretty sure that if it wasn't for this kickass redhead, I would have ended up dropping the Fairy Tail anime way earlier than I actually did.

Shizuka (Queen's Blade)

Believe it or not, but Queen's Blade, an anime famous (or infamous) for its amount of fan-service, actually had quite a few characters that I genuinely liked. If I had to pick one though, I'll go with Shizuka. If you've seen the show, this may seem like an odd choice. After all, Shizuka is not really a central character and her main purpose in the plot is to serve as a cataclysm for another character's (Tomoe) growth. However, she plays that role very well and her more realistic outlook on life and down-to-earth persona serves as a great compliment and contrast to Tomoe's idealism and naivete. Plus, she's at the heart of what is, to me, the most emotional scene in this anime.

Silver (Treasure Planet)

While far from one of Disney's worst movies, I'd definitely classify Treasure Planet as one of the lesser films to come out of the House of Mouse (at least, if we're limiting ourselves to the so-called canon). That said, its take on Long John Silver was great and easily rank among the best depictions of Robert Louis Stevenson's greatest character. The movie did a terrific job capturing Silver's ambiguous personality and his dual-role as both a father figure to Jim and a villainous pirate, thus providing him with a level of depth rarely seen in a Disney-villain (let's face it, while there are plenty of good and even great villains in Disney's animated features, few of them are what I would call complex, not that they really need to be).

Chapter 14

For the time being, we shall leave Risha, Merees, Leorin and Luke lying on that foreign beach, all four of them seemingly dead to the world and instead return to the nation which the princess and the two siblings had left behind. During the course of this chapter, your humble narrator, will attempt to shed some light on the events which transpired from the moment the trio met with Samuel, to when they, alongside their new companion, escaped from captain Cerewan's ship.

It did not take long for Argath to understand how her sister had duped the guard and manage to leave the palace. The knowledge that Merees had managed to escape her clutches, troubled the older Princess and she gave voice to her vexation by picking up a paperweight which stood on what previously had been her late father's desk and throw it at the wall. Having gotten that out of her system, Argath calmed down and began to ponder the situation: For the moment, Merees was not an immediate threat, being a refugee with no power-base and no support. The important thing was to figure out where she had gone and deal with her before she acquired either of these things. In the meantime, more pressing matters demanded her attention.

The guests, many of which had already been displeased by their confinement had begun to voice their dissent more loudly. Realizing, that she could not keep them in the palace any longer, Argath agreed to open up the gates and let everyone return to their respective homes and so they did, each of them wondering what the future would have in store.

After embracing wife, wishing her good luck and telling her to be careful, Jeraddin too set out for the journey back home, in order to inform Albert about the new circumstances regarding the family. At first, Jeraddin had considered only sending a messenger, but he eventually decided that the old servant deserved to hear the sad news from him personally.

I wonder how he's going to take it, the lynx thought as he walked the path up to his estate. Well, I guess I'll soon find out.

As he entered the foyer, Jeraddin found Albert waiting for him, as usual.

"Welcome home, sir" the goat said, taking Jeraddin's coat and hanging it on the rack. "Lady Nasari and the children are not with you?" He asked, surprised by their absence.

Jeraddin shook his head sadly.

"No, they are not with me. Come with me, Albert. There's something I have to tell you."

Albert followed his master into the living room. There, Jeraddin bid him sit down and poured him a drink. Albert made as if to decline, but Jeraddin insisted.

"Trust me", he said. "You are going to want this."

Puzzled,  Albert accepted the drink. Once he had done that, Jeraddin sat down next to him and revealed everything that happened while they were in the capital.

"There you have it", Jeraddin said, once he had finished.

Albert  did not answer, for some time he had only been staring wide-eyed at the General, hearing the latter's words as if they had spoken from a distance. With an unsteady hand, he raised the glass to his lips and downed it in one gulp. Then, he sat silent, staring down at the floor.

"Terrible", he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Simply terrible."

You can say that again, Jeraddin thought.

He stood up and Albert followed his example.

"I'll be in the garden", he said.

"Very good, sir".

Albert's voice betrayed no emotion.

As he walked through the garden, Jeraddin found himself overwhelmed by memories of the past; a past which seemed as if it had occurred both recently and in the distant past at the same time: Here was the apple-tree which had his and Nasari's name carved in its trunk, the same tree in which their children had practiced climbing in and, on occasion, fallen out off. There was the small pond which he had once been pushed into by his better half, as the result of a heated argument between the two of them. The reason for their argument had long since slipped from Jeraddin's mind. What he did remember, however, was how it had ended, with the two of them both sopping wet, lying next to each other in the grass and laughing, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes

In the shade of a tree stood a bench, Jeraddin sat down on it and looked out at the garden.

I had hoped that one day, when I am with my ancestors, one of my children would stay here and fill this place with children of their own. Now those days will never come and I have sold my soul to the person responsible for it, but at least I can take comfort in the thought that my children are safe.

The thought of his son and daughter, still alive but gone forever, proved too much for Jeraddin. He threw his head back and from his throat rose a mournful, wailing sound.

*****

Deep in the palace dungeons, in a dark and cramped cell, Bureno languished. On the floor the bowl of gruel which one of the guards had brought him sat, untouched. Ever since the guards had searched his room and found the money and the letter hidden away, objects which to them proved without any shadow of a doubt that Bureno was guilty of poisoning the king, the former master of the kitchen had felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare, which he couldn't wake up from. 

The sound of keys turning caused Bureno to look up, as he did he saw the door to his cell open and seconds later, he found himself looking up at Lorenzo, who was accompanied by two guards.

"Get up, traitor", the fox commanded.

Bureno obliged, though Lorenzo's insult stung at the very core of his being.

"I'm innocent!" He protested. "I swear it, someone planted those things in my...."

The Boar was not able to finish the sentence, a hard smack on the mouth, courtesy of Lorenzo, shut him up.

"Tell it to the judge."

"T-the judge?" Bureno stammered. "You don't mean?"

"That's right, we're taking you to court. Personally, I think its a waste of time, but do you know what Her Royal Highness, our soon to be Queen said when I told her that?"

Bureno shook his head.

"She said that anyone had the right to a fair trial, including a regicide. After all, its what the old King would have wanted."

These words stirred something inside Bureno. If the Princess was willing to listen then maybe there was hope for him after all? It was a slim chance, but he held onto it, like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood. After all, it was the only thing he had.
Led outside, his hands shackled behind his back, Bureno winced and blinked a few times in the strong sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, the first thing he saw was a large crowd that stared with him with hatred in its eyes.

"There he is!" Someone shouted. "There's the killer!"

"Murderer!" A female voice shrieked.

"Give him to us!" A third voice demanded. "There's no need for a trial!"

Although several armed guards stood between him and the mob, Bureno still found himself shaking with fear. He knew that in that mass of people there were a thousand claws and a thousand teeth that would tear him to pieces if given the opportunity. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his shoulder caused Bureno to wince. Then he felt Lorenzo's hot breath on his face.

"Well, Master-Chef" the fox whispered, pronouncing the title in a mocking, sarcastic tone. "What do you think? Shall we oblige these good people and give them what they want?"

He wouldn't, Bureno thought, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. The Princess wants me to stand trial and he would never defy her orders. He's just toying with me, that's all. 

"Ah, get a move on!" Lorenzo barked, giving Bureno a hard shove, which caused him to loose his balance and land face-first in a puddle, two of the guards dragged him to his feet. With that the march towards the courthouse was continued. However, the mob, feeling that slinging verbal abuse towards the accused was no longer enough had decided to switch to a more physical approach. Some individual had taken the initiative to bring a few rotten tomatoes with them and soon, the unfortunate Bureno found himself assaulted by an endless bombardment of the horrible fruit.

Eventually, tired, bruised and with his clothes covered in tomato-juice and mud-stains, Bureno and his escort reached the courthouse building. He was just about to begin the climb up the stairs which led to the entrance when a shot went out. The next moment, Bureno was lying on his back, his brains splattered all over the white stairs.

As the years went by, two popular theories surfaced in regards to Bureno's assassination. The first theory meant that the assassin had been one of the boar's co-conspirators, who had silenced him before he could divulge any important information to the court. The Second theory instead, proposed the idea that the assassination had been carrying out by a misguided patriot. There was also a third theory, but it never gained much traction. Mostly because in the years that followed, those who subscribed that theory learned to keep it to themselves.

Despite the police combing the city, under Lorenzo's supervision, the mysterious assassin was never found.

Chapter 13

As the night slowly but surely continued its inevitable metamorphosis into day, Merees continued to row the boat across the endless ocean. Both Leorin and Luke had fallen asleep and now lied snoring close together, having covered themselves with a tarp. Risha looked at the two sleepers and then turned to her friend.

"I can take over, if you want to rest", she said.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I'll tell you when I get tired."

"You do that."

With that, the conversation came to halt. Merees continued to row, while Risha looked down into the dark depths of the ocean. The lynx-girl began to wonder what sort of creatures could be swimming underneath their boat, right at this very moment. Back home, she had owned a book about rare and legendary beings of the sea, which she had received as a birthday gift. It had been an illustrated book and one illustration in particular had made a huge impression on Risha's younger self, when she had first turned the page and gazed upon it:
The picture in question depicted a ship being attacked by something which the caption identified as a 'kraken'. Rising up from below, one of the monster's tentacles were wrapped around the ship's mast, snapping it in two, while another had snatched an unfortunate crewman by the ankle and was dangling him upside down. According the author, the picture had been based on an actual eye-witness account, from the sole surviving member of a kraken-attack.

Why did I have to remember such a thing at a moment like this? Risha wondered. With a shudder, she turned away from the water. That picture was probably a load of bunk anyway, she told herself in order to calm her nerves. Most likely, the ship just sank and the sailor made up the whole story. Or maybe it was the author who made it up. What was the name of the ship again?

Risha was just about to remember the name of the ship when her thoughts were interrupted by Merees addressing her.

"Hey, Risha."

"Yes?" She said, shaking her head like a person who, up until that point, had been in trance.

"Come to think of it, I could actually use a little break", Merees said, while massaging her stiff shoulders. "Could you take the oars for a bit, while I get some rest?"

"Of course, you can count on me."

With that, they switched places. Risha took the oars, while Merees laid down in the front of the boat, using the sack of provisions as a pillow. Eventually, the Princess joined the two boys in the land of dreams and Risha found herself the only person still awake, at least in the immediate vicinity. She soon discovered that the oars were a lot heavier than they had seemed to be when Merees had been using them and after spending what felt like an eternity on the exhausting and monotonous task of rowing the boat ever closer to its intended destination, the lynx-girl decided that she could use a little break. Thus, she let the boat drift, while occasionally keeping an eye on the compass, to make sure they didn't get off course.

Suddenly, something bumped against the boat, causing it to rock ever so slightly. Risha felt her heart doing cartwheels in her chest. Could it be the kraken, or some other sea-monster? It was true that she had dismissed that old picture as a lot of nonsense, but now her conviction in this matter was beginning to falter.
Nervously, Risha peered down over the side of the boat and could just make out a vague silver-colored shape, swimming away with great speed. Risha relaxed, whatever sort of sea-creature that thing had been, it clearly did not pose a threat.

Feeling sufficiently rested, Risha continued to row the boat, while from time to time, she looked at the three sleepers. It soon became clear that while both Leorin and Luke were sleeping soundly, the same could not be said for Merees; the princess tossed and turned in her sleep, causing the boat to rock slightly. Once in awhile, a pained groan escaped her mouth.
Feeling bad for her friend, Risha was just about to wake Merees up, when she suddenly sat up straight and, with her eyes still closed, let out a miserable, wailing sound.
Risha looked at the two boys to see if the sound had disturbed them, but the only one who seemed bothered was Luke, who muttered drowsily in his sleep and rolled over on his side. Having made sure of that, she reached out and gently shook Merees' shoulder.

"Hey, hey", she called out, trying to get the dragon's attention.

The attempt was successful, Merees slowly opened her eyes and, noticing where she was, relaxed and then brought a clawed hand up to her brow.

"That was horrible", she muttered.

"Was it that nightmare again?" Risha asked.

"Yes, but this time, it was even worse than before. I didn't bother anyone, did I?"

"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, everyone has nightmares. Although, this one is more vivid than any I've had before."

"Would you like to talk about it? Maybe it will help. In any case, I'm all ears."

"Very well", Merees said and with that, she began:

"My dream begins with me standing in a field of flowers. The sky is blue and the sun is shining, the sweet fragrance of the flowers fill my nostrils. Suddenly, I hear the voice of my father calling my name. Unable to see him, I look around until I see his silhouette in the distance. With my heart pounding because of excitement, I begin to run towards my father, but before I can reach him, I find that my feet are stuck in the ground.
As I struggle to get free, I only sink deeper and deeper. Meanwhile, my father is still calling me, though his voice is growing fainter and fainter. Then, as I'm almost completely swallowed up by the ground, it starts to rain. The black raindrops land on the flowers, causing them to wither and die. Then, the sound of my... of Argath laughing fills the air. I try to cover my ears, but they're stuck and so I'm forced to listen to it. Its not a malevolent-sounding laughter; in fact, its a very joyful laugh, the kind that would come out of the mouth of someone who had just been told a particularly funny joke, but to me, it was the most horrible sound in the entire world."

Merees paused and, with a smile, grabbed hold of one of Risha's paws.

"Fortunately, at that point, I noticed someone touching my shoulder and heard your voice calling my name, which woke me up. Thank you."

"Aww", the lynx-girl said, blushing. "It was nothing, really."

By now, the sun was beginning to rise and as it shone its light down at the boat, the two sleepers began to wake up: Leorin and Luke rubbed their eyes, stretched their limbs and looked around. They were greeted by the two girls wishing them good-morning.

"What's for breakfast?" Leorin yawned.

"Let's take a look", Risha said.

She opened up the sack of provisions and began rummaging through it, taking out a cheese, some fruit and a few pieces of dried fish.

"There's quite a lot of food in here", she said and turned to Luke. "Did you clean out the pantry or something?"

The Squirrel shook his head.

"No, but I should have. I'd rather the captain and his crew starved than us"

"He must have been furious when he noticed that we were gone", Leorin said with a chuckle.

"That's probably true", Luke agreed, smiling broadly.


"Do you think he will come after us?" Merees asked.

Luke shrugged.

"Maybe, but I don't think we need to worry about it for now. He will most likely stop somewhere and stock up on provisions first."

"Let's hope you're right."

"Speaking of provisions", Leorin said. "Can we eat already? I'm starving."

The others thought this was a good idea and so, they sat down and enjoyed their breakfast. After they had finished eating, Merees took the oars again and their journey across the ocean continued. For a long time, the hours crawled by, not containing anything that would be of interest to this narrative, except for Leorin spotting the fin of a shark at one point. Then, sometime past noon, a sound above their heads caught the small crew's attention. Looking up they saw a flock of sea-gulls, circling above.
Realizing that they were close to land, the quartet joyfully embraced each other and then began to excitedly look for land. It was Leorin who discovered it:

"There!" He said, pointing at the distance."

"Got it", Merees said and began rowing the boat even faster towards their destination.

As they drew closer and the mass of land became bigger and bigger, the sun was abruptly concealed behind a veil of dark clouds. Then, the storm came and in the blink of an eye, the calm ocean became an aquatic inferno, with the small vessel tossed around by the waves.


"Hold on for your lives!" Risha shouted over the noise. She buried her claws into the deck, before seeing the sack of provisions getting swept away.

"We're almost there", Merees grunted through clenched teeth. "Just a bit longer."

The Princess was fighting against the elements with all the strength she could muster, smoke coming out of her nostrils and tiny drops of blood running down the corner of her mouth. However, it was an uneven battle, for what can one person, even a dragon do in the face of such overwhelming power?

****

Fortunately, the rage of the Ocean-God does not last forever. Eventually, the ocean returned to its previous calm state, with the sun shining over it. However, on the nearby beach, close to the remains of a lifeboat, four figures lied unconscious in the sand.

Hail Caesar!

To those of my readers who took a quick glance at the title of this post expecting it to be about the latest oeuvre from the Cohen Brothers; I'm afraid I must disappoint you. Seeing as how I have not yet seen the movie, Hail Caesar, it follows that I can't write about it. My apologies for the deception. That said, the title is appropriate, you see, I recently begun another re-watch of one of my favorite shows: I, Claudius.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, I, Claudius is a British mini-series from the 1970's, created by Jack Pullman and based on the two novels, I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves. The novels and the series tells the story of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who because of his stutter and twitching, was dismissed and treated as a fool by most of his family. Something which allowed the sharp-witted Claudius to survive the rules of three emperors: Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula, while most of his relatives ended up murdering each other.
I was introduced to the mini-series as a child in the 90's. when it was shown on re-runs on Television. I was immediately hooked by this show, which was unlike anything I had seen on TV at that point (I'm almost 100% certain that I, Claudius was the first TV-series meant for a mature audience that I ever watched). Years later, I bought the DVD box-set. Needless to say, I, Claudius has had a permanent place among my all-time favorites ever since and I re-watch it regularly.

It should be acknowledged that if a modern viewer decided to watch I, Claudius for the first time, they're likely to find certain elements of the series dated. It should be remembered that this is a low-budget British mini-series made in the 1970's, which means that its going to resemble a play more than anything else and that most of the plot will be conveyed via dialogue. Certainly, there are plenty of modern TV-dramas that are far more impressive on the visual front, with more striking cinematography and convincing special-effects.
However, at the end of the day, none of that truly matters. Why? Because I, Claudius demonstrates that the two things that truly serves to make a show great are acting and writing and this show really shines in these two areas; particularly in the latter, with Derek Jacobi, Sîan Philips, John Hurt and Brian Blessed among others, delivering some of their best work here.

Jacobi's Claudius is a great protagonist, one who is really easy to sympathize with as we see the way that he's treated by pretty much everyone around here. However, the show never makes Claudius just a figure of pity, showing us his cleverness and how good he is at adapting to various situations and reading people. Claudius is certainly no fool, but he's very good at playing the fool in order to survive. Hurt does an excellent job portraying one of history's most infamous tyrants, his Caligula being very entertaining to watch, but also unpredictable and utterly terrifying. The episodes that focuses on his rule are some of the most intense this series has to offer. Brian Blessed's Augustus is as entertainingly hammy as one would come to expect from the actor. However, Blessed also shows that he can be subdued when the situation calls for it. Augustus' death-scene must surely go down as one of the best seen on television.
That said, at the end of the day, my favorite performance in I, Claudius must be that of Philips, whose Livia is the definite example of the evil matriarch type of character. A smart and ruthless woman who gets some of the show's best lines (which is saying a lot), Livia is best described by Tiberius, who sums up his mother with the following words:
"They say a snake bit her once and died."

I, Claudius is, to put it simply, a master-piece. For years now, it has been the benchmark by which I judge not just other mini-series, but other book-to-TV adaptations as well and while I have come across shows in either or both categories that I find to be outstanding, it remains my favorite.
Long live the emperor.

Chapter 12

It is now the second day of our sea-voyage. The weather continues to be fine, with the breeze blowing and the sun shining, warming the ship's deck. Were it not for the terrible circumstances which has put us on this vessel, one could almost be tempted to treat this as a pleasant cruise. Our cabin contains a bed, large enough so that two persons can sleep in it, if they squeeze together and a hammock. As soon as we entered the cabin, Leorin immediately pounced upon the hammock, declaring it his sleeping-place, so now, I'm sharing a bed with Merees. Speaking of, last night, I was awakened by her tossing and turning in bed and at one point, she let out a small cry.

Not that my own sleep is much better. No matter how much I try, I can't help but think of my parents. The Princess promised that we would return to Vinoli one day, but the chances of that ever happening seems slim. I'm not going to share my opinion with Leorin, though; he's still a kid and could use all the hope he can get. Besides, as the older sibling, its my responsibility to protect him.

That is not the only reason my sleep is troubled, though. Lying so close to Merees, feeling her breath on my neck is driving me crazy. Since our first meeting I have wanted us to be more than friends. Oh, I can't continue like this, I have to tell her how I feel. Oh, but what if she doesn't feel the same way? Could we still continue to be friends like we are now?

Anyway, in the cabin I happened to find this notebook, perhaps forgotten there by a previous passenger. Curious, I opened it to discover what secrets it might hold. However, I was disappointed to find that notebook contained only a few sketches of the crew on the first few pages, the rest being empty. Well, since the original owner is unlikely to reclaim it, I've decided to make use of this notebook, In order to have something to do during our voyage. Luckily, the previous owner of the notebook have also left behind a pencil. so now I sit here on deck, while trying to put my thoughts on paper.

I haven't had any real contact with the sailors, not wanting to disturb them in their work. My brother, on the other hand, has no such qualms: At one point, I heard him call out my name and looked up to see him waving to me from the rigging. Immediately, my head was filled with terrible visions, images of my brother being swallowed up by the ocean or lying on deck, his body twisted like a pretzel. With my heart pounding in my chest, I was about to tell Leorin to get down from there at once, when I remembered that his inborn agility and sense of balance would prevent any accidents from happening. Realizing that I had no cause for fear, I returned his wave and went back to doing my own thing.

The Captain, whose name I've since learned is Cerewan, invited us to his table last evening. During the dinner, he regaled us with stories of his many voyages on the high-seas. He also told us that we'll be arriving at the island of Kabula the day after tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, it will be nice to have solid ground under my feet again, if only for a short while. 

*****

Here, Risha paused for a moment, to think about what her next sentence should be. As she pondered this, she chewed on the top of the pencil. Having reached a decision, she was just about to start writing again, when she found her concentration being chased away by the sound of a loud, angry voice.

"Apologize, now."

Risha looked up and saw one of the crew, the squirrel involved in an argument with a large alligator.

"But, you're the one who bumped into me", the squirrel protested.

"Are you talking back to me?" The gator growled, grabbing hold of the squirrel's collar. "I'll teach you some manners", he added, raising a leathery hand over his head.

Before the blow could land, however, a voice called out:

"Don't!"

The gator and the squirrel both turned as one and saw an angry lynx glaring at them.

"Stay out of this, girlie", the gator growled, his eyes narrowing menacingly. "This doesn't concern you."

Risha felt her body trembling, but she stood her ground, she would not be intimidated by this bully. Was she not the daughter of one Vinoli's heroes? She knew that her father would never have tolerated a person picking on someone weaker than themselves in his proximity and neither would she.

"Let. Him.Go." She said, clenching her teeth. "Let him go, or else the Captain will hear about this."

The alligator snorted mockingly, but then let the squirrel go and stomped away, muttering angrily.

"Why did you help me?" The squirrel asked, as he stood up and dusted off his tattered pants.

Risha was somewhat taken aback by this question, she had expected a "thank you" or something in a similar vein.

"Well, um, because it was the right thing to do."

The squirrel stared at her in surprise, then he lowered his eyes.

"S-sorry", he stuttered. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, its just that no-one's done that before. By the way, my name is Luke."

"I'm Risha. Tell me, Luke, do these sort of things happen to you often?"

"From time to time, I am the smallest and youngest member of the crew and someone has to be at the bottom of the pecking order.

"That's awful!" Risha cried out indignantly. "Why don't you tell the captain about this? I'm sure if he knew, he wouldn't allow the rest of the crew to treat you this way."
The squirrel let out a dismissive sound.

"What makes you think he don't know?" He wondered. "By the way, there's something you should know about old Cerewan."

"What's that?"

Luke looked around, darting his head from left to right like a cornered animal. Suddenly, he froze up, his bushy tail standing on end.

"I can't talk now. Listen, I'm having the first watch this evening, meet me here then and bring your friends. For now, I can only tell you one thing."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"Don't trust the Captain, that's all."

Having said that, the squirrel quickly scampered away, leaving Risha alone. The lynx-girl looked after Luke for awhile, wondering what could have made him so nervous. She got her answer as she turned around and saw that Captain Cerewan was standing on the bridge. The Captain was standing with his arms behind his back while staring at the horizon. He then turned his gaze towards the deck and upon seeing Risha, he raised his right paw in a greeting. With the squirrel's warning fresh in her mind, the lynx-girl first considered ignoring the gesture.
Hold on, she thought to herself. If I treat the Captain coldly, he might be suspicious.
Thus, she waved back, while flashing the Captain the most charming smile she could muster.

*****

Later that evening, as the crescent moon bathed the ship in its pale light, Luke was alone on deck, waiting for Risha and her friends to show up. It was a rather chilly evening and the squirrel couldn't prevent himself from sneezing.

"Bless you", a voice said.

Nervously, Luke turned to the direction the voice had come from. He breathed a sigh of relief, when he realized that it was the three people he had decided to meet.

"At last", he said. "I was starting to get worried."

"Why don't we introduce ourselves", Risha suggested. "You already know my name and these two are my brother, Leorin and Merees. Guys, this is Luke."

"Pleased to meet you", Leorin said cheerfully.

"You had something to tell us", Merees asked, cutting right to the chase. "What is it?"

Before he could answer, Luke let out another sneeze. He noticed that his nose was running and was just about to wipe it on the back of his sleeve, when he saw that Merees was holding out a handkerchief to him. Grateful, he took the object and used it as intended, before stuffing it in his pocket.

"Thanks. Now, before I begin I should tell you that this is only my third voyage aboard this ship. On my first, we had two passengers, a man and a woman who wanted to get out of Vinoli. I think they were lovers and planned to elope before the woman's husband discovered their affair. Or maybe it was the man who was married? Anyway, its not important. What's important is this; just like it will do tomorrow, the ship laid anchor at Kabula and the couple went on shore, accompanied by the Captain and a few sailors. However, by nightfall, the Captain and the sailors returned, alone.

"Maybe the couple stayed behind?" Leorin suggested.

"That's just it! They were supposed to continue their journey, so I thought it was strange that they didn't come back. Also, when he returned, I noticed that the Captain was carrying this purse, which looked pretty heavy. Later, the Captain had a keg of beer carried out on deck and opened up. I remember that part, because we all drank from it, but I couldn't help but wonder what became of our passengers."

"I think I can guess", Risha muttered.

"We need to get off this ship as soon as possible", Merees said. She went over to one of the lifeboats, which hung by the ship's side. "We'll take one of these, but first, we need a compass, not to mention food and water."

"There's a spare compass in the Captain's cabin", said Luke. "He never locks his door because he knows that no-one among the crew would dare steal from him."

"I'll go get it", Leorin said. "I can be very quiet when I need to be."

Risha was just about to protest, stating that as the older sibling, she should take the risk, but before she could say something, Leorin had already disappeared in the direction of the captain's cabin. Merees, Luke and Risha watched as he opened the door slightly and slipped inside.

"I'll go get the other things we need", Luke said and headed for the galley.

As the two girls stood there all by themselves, Merees turned to Risha.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, what are friends for?"

"I....", the dragon hesitated, as if she was suddenly unsure whether this was something she wanted to share with anyone else. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt something. Opening her eyes, she saw that Risha was holding her hand.

"Its OK", the lynx said in a soothing voice. "Take your time."

Merees smiled.

"You know, I'm the oldest of us and yet, you're the one comforting me."

"Well, I've had experience. When he was much younger Leorin would sometimes come to me when he was feeling sad and our mother wasn't available. Besides, I'm sure there will be times when I'll need someone to take my hand."

"I'll be more than happy to be that someone."

"I know that. So, feeling ready to tell me what was on your mind?"

"Let's just stand like this for awhile. It was nothing important anyway, just a silly nightmare, nothing more."
And so, the two of them stood there, looking out at the ocean which was spread out endlessly in front of them. Deciding that now was the time, Risha turned to Merees.

"Princess" she began. "There is something I wish to tell you."

She didn't get the opportunity though, because the next moment a familiar voice could be heard behind both their backs.

"Hi, I'm back.!

Risha and Merees turned around and saw Leorin standing there, looking up at them.

"Leo, why did you sneak up on us like that?" Risha whispered, annoyed with the interruption.

The small cat looked at his sister, his face the very picture of innocence.

"I've got the compass" he said and reaching down his shirt, he produced a small leather pouch, attached to a cord hanging around his neck.

Neither Risha nor Merees had noticed it at first. Leorin   proceeded to open the pouch and take out the compass.

"Good work", Merees congratulated him. "Was it hard to find?"

Leorin shook his head.

"Not at all, it was lying on top of the Captain's desk. All I had to do was take it."

"Let's hope that Luke had the same luck", Risha said. "He left at the same time as you, but he hasn't returned yet."

Shortly after she had uttered those words, the squirrel showed up, with a bag slung over his shoulder and carrying a rolling-pin in one of his paws.

"What's that for?" Leorin asked, pointing at the blunt object.

Luke held up the rolling-pin and looked at it, as if he hadn't noticed that he was carrying it.

"This? Oh, the cook was about to wake up, so I had to help him back to sleep, that's all. Anyway, I took as much from the pantry as I could, there's food and water in here to last us for days."

"Good", Risha said. "Now, let's leave this place before we're discovered.

They all got into one of the lifeboat and slowly and carefully, lowered it into the water. Merees, being the strongest of the four, took the oars. Soon the ship became smaller and smaller as the distant between it and the lifeboat grew wider.

His Dream of the Skyland

His Dream of the Skyland, written by Anne Opotowsky and Aya Mortin is the first volume in The Walled City Trilogy, a comic I became aware thanks to Andy Shaw's review of it on Grovel (found here). I knew immediately that this was a comic I had to get my hands on, since it seemed like something that would be right up my alley and I was not disappointed.

Set in Hong Kong sometime between the two world wars, His Dream of the Skyland introduces the reader to Lu Song; a young man who has just gotten his first job, at the post-office. There he is tasked with the job of sorting so-called 'dead letters'; letters that, for some reason, could not be delivered. Being a diligent youth and possessing a talent for solving riddles, Song sets out to find the addressees of the letters. His task soon takes him into the no-man's land of Kowloon walled city, where he gradually finds himself becoming more and more involved with the lives of its inhabitants.

Anne Opotowsky is a name that was completely unknown to me before reading His Dream of the Skyland, but she has apparently written for several movies and TV-shows and she definitely shows her talent as a storyteller here, crafting an engaging plot and populating it with a cast of vividly drawn characters. The most prominent character, naturally, is Song. He's a good protagonist; a young man on the cusp of adulthood, Song is something of a romantic and a dreamer. After his father, a petty thief, is sentenced to prison for a year, Song has to take on the role as the primary breadwinner of his family. During the course of the volume, Song becomes more and more aware of the harsh realities of the world and the corruption that festers under Hong Kong's seemingly well-kept surface. His is not the only story found between His Dream of the Skyland's covers, however: A sub-plot focuses on Song's acrobat friend Xi becoming the protege of shady businessman Mr. Furnier. There's also the mystery surrounding the disappearances of children from within the walled city. A mystery which the local authorities have chosen to turn a blind eye to.

Being the first volume, His Dream of the Skyland has the important job of introducing the reader to the characters and the world they inhabit as well as set up story-lines that will, hopefully, get resolved in later volumes. This, Opotowsky succeds admirably at. I've read through His Dream... twice now and never found it to be less than completely engrossing.

Aya Morton is another name that's completely new to me, but her artwork seen in His Dream... is certainly interesting. Her panels are packed with details and often she has multiple actions going on into a single panel. In addition, while there's nothing overtly supernatural to the story, the heavy use of the color blue gives the comic an almost dreamlike feeling. Upon my first read-through, there were times when I found the layout a bit confusing and have to look twice at certain pages to be sure I had grasped what was going on, but since that was not a problem I had upon my re-read, so I'm willing to chalk it up to me not being used to Morton's style.

All in all, His Dream of the Skyland comes highly recommended and I'm looking greatly forward to read the other volumes in The Walled City Trilogy, of which the second has already been out for some time.

Chapter 11

The ship which Samuel led the trio towards, was a clipper with three masts. Following the otter, they boarded the vessel and as they did, they were seen by two members of the crew. The first of these was a bulldog, with a brutish expression stamped over his broad face. He was overseeing the work of a squirrel whose age seemed close to either Risha's or Leorin's. The youth was scrubbing the deck and as he lifted his head to get a look at the newcomers, his face was a picture of unhappiness.

"Ahoy, Samuel!" The Bulldog called out. "Who are they?"

"Paying customers", the otter explained. "I'm taking them to see the Captain. Is he in his cabin?"

"He has not appeared on deck, so I guess so" ,the bulldog replied.  "Unless, he has learned to turn himself invisible", he added snickering.

Samuel rolled his eyes and went over to the door which led to the captain's cabin. After he had knocked on it, a deep, cultivated voice issued from the other side:

"Yes?"

"Its, Samuel, captain. I've brought some people who'd like to meet you."

"Bring them inside", the voice commanded, "and shut the door after you."

Samuel opened the door and he, Risha, Merees and Leorin, stepped inside the cabin. On deck, the bulldog looked after them and as soon as they were out of sight, he turned to the squirrel and kicked him right below the youth's bushy tail.

"Get back to work, you lazy wretch", he growled. "This is not a pleasure cruise". As he uttered these words, he delivered a few more kicks for good measure, causing a yelp to escape from the poor recipient's throat.

When Samuel and the others entered the cabin, they found its owner, a tiger, seated behind a desk; scribbling into a large tome which could only be a logbook. The pen moved rapidly across the paper, occasionally leaving blotches of ink on its surface.

"Thank you, Samuel", the Captain said, without looking up. "You may go."

The otter left without a word. As soon as he was gone, the Captain put the book aside, removed the glasses he had been wearing and looked at the three newcomers.
They, in turn, looked back at the Captain, now seeing his face clearly, for the first time. It could have been a handsome face and, no doubt, had been so at one point, before it had become marred by the scar, which could be seen on the left side of its owner's face.

"Have a seat", he said, indicating with a gesture the chair, which stood on the other side of the desk. After a bit of hesitation, Merees sat down, while Risha and Leorin remained standing.

"You wished to see me". This was phrased not as a question, but a statement of facts. "Well, what is it I can do for you?" Before Merees could answer, the captain held up a paw. "Wait! Let me guess. You wish to charter my ship for some purpose, am I correct?"

Merees nodded.

"That is quite right, Captain. We were told that you, on occasion, take on passengers. I am willing to pay you handsomely, if you can take us to Leporia."


"Leporia", the Captain mused, rubbing his chin. "That's quite a coincidence, we were just headed in that direction. I have some business on the island of Kabula, not far from Leporia. Very well, once that business has been cleared up,  I'll take you to your destination."

"Thank you, Captain", Merees said, with genuine gratitude in her voice. She took out her purse.
"How much do I owe you?"

The Captain named a sum, which caused the princess' eyes to widen beneath the hood. However, it was nothing to do and so, she counted up the demanded sum and put the coins on the desk.

"Much obliged", the Captain chuckled. "For this modest fee, you are entitled to your own cabin, instead of sleeping with the crew, among other privileges.
"We should like to leave immediately", Merees said.
Now it was the Captain's turn to be surprised.

"Really?" He said. "You don't have any belongings you wish to bring with you? Clothes and such?"

The Princess shook her head.

"I'm afraid not", she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "We didn't have time to take any with us. Its vital that we leave Vinoli as soon as possible."

"Trouble with the authorities, perhaps?" The Captain said, with a chuckle "Well, its none of my business, my passengers are entitled to their privacy. Provided, of course, that they pay. "Besides", he continued, with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Between us, you're not the first passengers I've had that did not relish prospect of being guests of His Majesty for an extended period of time."

Having made this revelation, the captain took the coins which laid on the table, stood up and walked over to a safe, which was located in one of the corners of the cabin. He crouched down and after some fiddling with the lock, opened the safe and put the money inside of it. Having done so, he walked toward the cabin door and motioned for his guests to follow him:

"Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Merees wondered.

"Don't fret", the Captain replied, flashing a smile which caused his scar to twist. "I'm just going to introduce you to the crew."

Once they were out in the open air, the Captain inhaled and then let out a powerful roar. As if in the blink of an eye, the members of the crew appeared before him and the trio. Merees, Leorin and Risha looked at the sailors standing before them, aside from the fact that they were all male, the crew-members varied in terms of species and age, with the squirrel being the youngest. Curiously enough, Samuel was not among them.

"Listen up, boys!" The Captain bellowed. "These three have paid handsomely for us to take them to the shores of Leporia. During our journey, I expect you to treat them with the utmost respect. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" The crew shouted back in one voice.

Satisfied, the Captain gave order to set sail. The three friends remained on deck for a long time, watching the capital, slowly but surely grow smaller and smaller, until they could no longer see it.

Chapter 10

At the moment Risha, Merees and Leorin set foot in the harbor, they found the area bustling with activity: Ships, which had returned after months, perhaps even a year, at sea, were unloading their cargo, storing them in warehouses, under the scrutinizing eye of the officials. The fishmongers had set up their wares and in loud voices, extolled the freshness and quality of their goods, the smell of which lingered in the breeze. Here and there, street-urchins, clothes dirty and in tatters ran around, picked pockets, got into fights with another, or begged,  an action which was often ignored and sometimes rewarded with either a coin, or the threat of getting smacked on the head if they didn't get out of the way.

In short, it was a typical day in the capital's harbor.

"Let's find a ship", Merees said. Despite the warm weather, she had kept the hood of her cloak up.

A rumbling noise escaped Risha's stomach, alerting her to the fact that she hadn't had anything to eat since the cake which had been served at the banquet. She was just about to put forth the suggestion that perhaps they could have some breakfast, when her brother piped up:

"I'm hungry", he announced in a tone of voice which made it clear that someone had better do something about this problem and fast.

Merees looked at the two siblings. She had promised their parents that she would care for them and that, surely, must include keeping them fed. Besides, she was beginning to feel a bit peckish herself.

"You're right", she said. "We should eat something first."

With Risha and Leorin in tow, Merees made her way towards one of the restaurants that lined the area. A gorilla, wearing an apron, devoid of any stains, stood by its entrance. When he saw three potential customers approaching, he put out the cigarette he had been smoking in a nearby flowerpot and flashed the trio a smile, showing two rows of teeth whose whiteness matched that of his apron.

"Welcome honored guests", he said, executing a flawless bow. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Is there a table for three available?" Merees asked, casually.

The Gorilla nodded.

"You're in luck", he said. "Follow me."

Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing the group noticed was the fact that it was almost completely devoid of people. In fact, the only other customer was a grey-furred otter, who was busy noisily slurping soup, tiny drops of his meal were stuck at the tip of his whiskers. The restaurant itself was decorated with a fisherman-theme; nets hung from the ceiling and the jawbone of a shark had been put up on the wall.

"You may pick whichever table you like", the gorilla said, addressing Merees, whom he had sized up as the spokesperson of the trio.

The Princess picked out a table in the corner and once everyone was seated, the gorilla asked if they would like to look at the menu.

"No", said Merees. "Just give us today's special". Assuming that this place has a special, she thought to herself, while glancing at a stain of indeterminable origin on the table.

"As you wish", the gorilla said. He whipped out a small notebook and scribbled something in it. With that, he thanked them and headed for the kitchen.

Once they were alone, Risha turned to Merees.

"Princess", she said. "There's something I've noticed."

"What's that? Oh, and I think it would be best if we disposed with the titles. Just call me by my first-name from now on."

"Well, I just can't help but notice that no-one seems to realize who you are."

"You're right", Leorin said. "Why is that?"

From the depths of her hood, Merees let out a small chuckle.

"Its because of this cloak", she explained. "Its no ordinary piece of clothing. You see, as long as you wear the hood up, the person who's looking at you sees not the real you, but rather someone else."

Risha let out an impressed whistle.

"That's really convenient. So, where did you get it from?"

"It belonged to my father, a leftover from his adventuring days. He told me once that, at the beginning of his rule, he'd on occasion put it on and go out in the capital  incognito; mingling with his subjects and discovering if anyone was discontent or if there was any corruption going on. I remembered that he still had it, so I snuck into his chambers and took it. I thought it would come in handy, simple as that. Besides, she thought, while fingering the cloak's pin, I wanted to have at least some memento of him.

"Hold on!" Leorin protested. "If that cloak hides your true appearance from whoever's looking at you, how come you don't look different to me?"

"Simple, you and your sister already know its me underneath the hood."

At that moment, the gorilla returned with their food; three bowls of soup and all conversation came to halt.

The soup was hot and rich and everyone ate with good appetite. Even Merees, used as she was to the food served in the palace, had to admit that it was better than she thought it would be. Once they had finished, the Princess signaled to the gorilla that they were ready to pay.

"I hope the meal was satisfactory", the gorilla said, as he pocketed the coins Merees had put on the table.

"Very much so, thank you. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know a captain that would be willing to rent out their ship for a longer journey at sea?"

"Well", the gorilla said, pointing at the otter. "There's always old Samuel over there, the ship he works on have been known to take passengers, from time to time. Hold on a second..."

Without another word, the gorilla went over to the otter's table and began talking to him. Shortly thereafter, he returned, accompanied by the otter.

"So", the latter said, wiping his mouth with the back of his paw. "I'm told that you folks are looking to charter a ship."

"That's right", Merees said. "Would your Captain be willing to have us?"

Samuel smiled, revealing a row of yellowing teeth.

"Oh, the captain will take anyone providing that they can pay for the journey and from the looks of your purse, that shouldn't be a problem."

"It won't be. Take us to your captain and we'll sort out the details with him."

Samuel's eyes narrowed slightly, whoever the person in the hood was, she couldn't be just anyone. Judging by the tone that had crept into her voice when she had talked to him, it was clear that she was someone who was quite used to giving orders and it was obvious that she did not lack for funds either. Yes, the otter thought to himself, the captain will surely be pleased with this latest catch.

5 Favorite MLP: FIM Characters

Regular visitors of this blog (hopefully, I have a few of those), may recall that I have on occasion, mentioned my deep fondness for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It's hands down, one of my favorite cartoons and, in my opinion, a perfect example of the saying that "concept is nothing, execution is everything". As with many of my favorite works of fiction, the one thing in particular that made me a fan of this show (I do not, however, consider myself a brony, mostly because I do not like to define myself based on the shows I watch) was the characters. The characters of Friendship Is Magic are, as a rule, enormously entertaining to watch, surprisingly well-rounded, with dynamic personalities and are brought to life wonderfully by their voice-actors. As such, I thought I'd make a list of what I consider to be my five favorite characters in the show. I should point out that, with the exception of my number one, whose place at the top is set in stone, the position a character occupy on the list is mostly random and may change, depending on how well an episode portrays them and how I feel at the moment. Basically, as with pretty much any top list, the order isn't really that important. After all, each one of these characters made it into my top 5, so obviously I really like all of them. Anyway, without further ado; these are my 5 Favorite MLP: FIM Characters:

5. Starlight Glimmer

"I may have been a tiny bit completely and utterly evil."

As the newest character on this list, Starlight is also the most divisive. Fans seem to either love her or hate her. Me? As you can tell, I'm firmly in the former camp. As George R.R. Martin once said: "There's nothing like a good villain" and Starlight was an excellent villain, arguably the best the show's had so far and definitely the most interesting, chiefly because how different she was from all the villains that came before her: Rather than being some ancient evil, a chaos spirit or a parasitic shape-shifter, Starlight was a seemingly regular unicorn, who also happened to be the leader of a cult. Starlight's brand of evil was also something new to the show; she was a self-righteous fanatic, who believed that her actions and warped ideology were for the greater good and not based on her own experiences in the past. This, to me, made her more compelling than a more stereotypical villain like Tirek. In fact, Starlight was so good in the role of the villain, that after she was redeemed in the season finale, I was a bit concerned that Starlight would lose what made her so interesting. I need not have worried, as season six have handled the character very well. Basically, Starlight is a great addition to the cast and I'm looking forward to see what the show will do with her in the future.

4. Twilight Sparkle

"I'm beginning to think that after friendship, the greatest magic of all, is proper silverware placement!"

Being the main character of a cartoon is not a guarantee that you're going to make it on to my list of favorites. Take Avatar: The Last Airbender, for example; I love that show, but Aang was rather overshadowed by a large part of his supporting cast, including some of the villains. So the fact that I have Twilight on this list should tell you something about how much I enjoy her as a main character. As a matter of fact, there was a time when Twilight was my favorite character in the show. Her smarts and love of reading just made her into an extremely appealing character. in my experience, its rare to have a lead in a cartoon aimed at kids, as brainy as Twilight. I also like the fact that even now, after she has gone from student and protege to a princess with a pupil of her own, Twilight is not presented as infallible; she still has moments where she lets her priorities be skewed or is just plain in the wrong, something that adds to her character. At the end of the day, I don't think Friendship Is Magic could ask for a better protagonist.

3. Maude Pie

"I like that fissure in the sidewalk. Its an elegant example of thermal expansion and soil settlement."

At first, I considered having the two most prominent Pie-sisters share a spot on this list. After all, a lot of Maude's appeal stems from how her stoic, deadpan personality, serves as contrast to Pinkie's exuberance However, I ultimately decided against it. You see, the thing about Pinkie is that I find her a very hit-and-miss character. When in the hands of a writer who gets her, she's great, when not, she can easily come off as grating and obnoxious (granted, this can be true for any of the main six, but I feel its especially notable with Pinkie). Maude, on the other hand, is consistently great, she's one of those characters who makes an episode a bit better, simply by being in it. Definitely my favorite supporting character (by which I mean that she's not one of the main six, a princess, or a villain) in the series. Of course, the fact that the episode she's introduced in is a strong contender for my favorite episode doesn't hurt things either.

2. Princess Celestia

"Now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self, I can protect my subjects from you!"

Praise the sun!

Admittedly, Celestia is one of those characters that I like mostly for aesthetic reasons. Her design, voice and demeanor are simply incredibly appealing to me. She has an undeniable presence, being one of those characters who dominates every scene she's in. Of course, I relish all the little moments where we see the more human side of her, whether its sadness over having been forced to banish her sister (though to be fair, Luna only had herself to blame for that) or the sheer joy on her face, when she tells Twilight that "this has been the most fun gala in years". I should point out, that despite her having the least amount of development out of any character on this list (save for Maude, who doesn't need any), I do find Celestia to be a compelling character: She's a great ruler who puts the well-being of her subjects above all else, but at the same time, she also possesses a mischievous streak and has a bit of the trickster in her. To put it simply, I feel that Celestia is a deeply underappreciated character and an episode that focuses on her is what I want the most from the show at this point.

1. Rarity

"Why, look! There's our friend Rarity, going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic?!"

Unlike Twilight, Rarity wasn't a character that I took an immediate liking towards. However, the more I saw of her, the more I enjoyed her until she eventually became my favorite. Certainly, Rarity has plenty of flaws; she's vain, fussy and a bit narcissistic, the kind of character that could easily (as has been pointed out elsewhere) have been reduced to the role of a minor villain, or antagonist; a nuisance whose only purpose would be to make life difficult for Twilight and her friends on a day-to-day basis. However, Rarity is one of the show's main characters and her flaws are balanced by her many virtues. Time and time again, she has proven herself to be smart, resourceful and deeply caring towards others. At the beginning of this list, I mentioned that the characters in Friendship  Is Magic are surprisingly well-rounded. Well, no character in the show demonstrates this more than Rarity and that is why she's my favorite.

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Before reading Habibi, the only work of Craig Thompson's that I was familiar with was Goodbye Chunky Rice, his debut comic, which I read when I was in fifth grade (or maybe sixth, my memory is a bit vague). As for Thompson's later comics, such as Blankets, at the time they came out, they didn't seem like the sort of thing I'd be into, so I never paid much attention to them. Habibi, on the other hand was a comic that had me intrigued from the moment I became aware of it and recently, I finally got around to read it and without giving too much away, I only wished I had read it sooner.

Originally published in 2011, Habibi is set in a fictional Middle-Eastern land. It is here that we meet our main characters; Dodola and Zam, refugee child-slaves, who have made a home for themselves in a ship, stranded in the desert. Dodola, the older of the two by nine years, takes it upon herself to act as a surrogate-parent to Zam, nurturing him and teaching him to read and write. Life is harsh, however and eventually, Dodola sees no other option but to prostitute herself to the passing caravans in exchange for food and other things she and Zam need to survive. One day, Dodola vanishes and Zam, having learned what his caretaker had to go through and feeling wracked with guilt, sets out to find her.

Stretching across six-hundred pages, the story of Habibi is truly epic in scope, allowing Thompson to show what a truly gifted storyteller he is. The story does not unfold in a linear fashion, but jumps back and forth in time and as it does, the reader is treated to new revelations about the characters and the world they inhabit. Dodola and Zam are both very engaging protagonists, particularly the former, who ranks among my favorite female leads in any work of fiction. The author does a great job making us root for these two and hoping that they and the love they share will prevail, allowing them to overcome the many horrible things they have to endure during the course of the story and find happiness.
Religion plays an important part in Habibi. When they were children, Dodola would tell Zam stories from the Quran. These stories are woven into the main plot, much like the stories-within-stories, seen in such works as Potocki's The Manuscript Found in Saragossa and, of course, The One-Thousand and One Nights. While not a religious person myself, I did find the way Thompson would compare and contrast the stories found in the Quran with their counterparts from the Old Testament (such as Abraham's sacrifice of his son) to be interesting.

The richness of Habibi's plot is matched by its art, which is some of the best black-and-white artwork I've ever seen. Apparently, it took Thompson six years to complete and I can definitely see why. Inspired by Islamic art and calligraphy, there are panels and pages here so intricate, that a reader can find themselves lost in them.

Habibi is well deserving of the praise that it has received over the years since it was first published. Craig Thompson has crafted an astonishing masterpiece, one which belongs on any list of great comics.

Chapter 9

With Merees leading the way, the trio began making their way down the stairs and through the hallways of the palace. On occasion, they almost bumped into servants hurrying to their duties and guards on patrol. At first, Risha and Leorin had both been nervous when they ran into a guard, or more, but since they were never stopped or asked what they were doing, walking around the corridors, their anxiety soon faded away. Eventually, they came to the kitchen, which was curiously empty.

"Its just around the corner", Merees said.

At that moment, a terrible noise filled the air, drowning out all other sounds. It conjured up images of both thunderstorms and of something worse, something old and hungry and it almost caused the trio to jump out of their skins.

"W-what is that?" Leorin asked, instinctively drawing closer to his sister.

"I-I'm going to check it out", Merees said. She steeled herself and, mustering all her courage, peeked around the corner.

"Well, Princess?" Risha asked. "What is it? What's making that awful sound?"

Merees let out a sigh of relief, causing a tiny cloud of smoke to escape her throat.

"Its just a sleeping guard", she said. "Unfortunately, he's blocking our only exit."

"How do we get him to leave?" Leorin wondered.

The three of them pondered this problem for a moment, brows wrinkled in deep thought. Eventually, Risha snapped her fingers, in a eureka-moment.

"I've got it!" She said excitedly and somewhat louder than she had meant. Nervously, she covered her mouth, in case the guard had heard something, but the snoring continued, uninterrupted. She motioned for the others to come closer.

"What do you think?" She said, having explained her idea.

"Its worth a shot", Merees said. "At any rate, I'm out of ideas and besides, we don't have much time."

"I can't think of anything either", Leorin admitted.

Earlier, the guard, a rhinoceros, had been ordered to keep watch over the small door next to the kitchen. He had not been told why it needed to be guarded. True, beyond that door laid the dungeon, but the only prisoner in it was locked up tightly in his cell, with no chance of getting out.

 At first, our guard had demonstrated the vigilance and alertness so necessary in his line of work, but alas, eventually, his eyes began to feel heavier and heavier and so, having made sure that no-one else was in sight,  he sat down, leaned against the door and, with his head resting on his chest, set course for the realm of King Morpheus. He had just arrived at a particularly pleasant part of his journey there, when a loud voice reached his ears, abruptly returning him to the real world.

As he opened his eyes, the first thing that the guard saw, was a female dragon who glared at him, while stomping irritably with her foot.

"P-princess Merees", the guard stammered, standing up, while trying his best to look professional, something he did not succeed very well at.

 "How may I be of service, Your Highness? By the way", he continued, babbling nervously. "Allow me to express my condolences regarding the death of your father. He was truly a great..."

He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that the princess had put up her hand in the universal gesture for telling, not asking, someone to be quiet.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Merees asked, in a frosty tone of voice.

The guard shook his head dumbly, while doing his best to avoid the princess' withering look. He was the taller of the two, but at the moment, he felt as if he was the one being made to look up on her.

"I bring a message from my sister", Merees continued. "There is a change of plans. She has decided that guarding this door is no longer necessary, you may leave."

She glared at the guard, but to her dismay (and concern), he did not show any signs of abandoning his post.

"Well? I gave you an order, what are you still doing here?"

The Guard swallowed nervously.

"Forgive me, Your Highness", he began. "Its just that your sister gave me strict orders not to leave this door, unless she, or Lorenzo told me so, in person.

"Really?" Merees said, her voice now dripping with poisoned honey. "In that case, I better go and bring one of them here. Though they both seemed very busy when I last saw them and besides, I don't think they would be very pleased to learn that you've been shirking your duty, don't you?"

She turned around demonstratively and made as if to leave, when the guard called out to her:

"Your Highness! Wait!"

Merees allowed herself to relax. So far, so good. Now, all she had to do was keep up the charade.

"Yeees?" She said, slowly drawing out the consonant, while raising her left eyebrow in a disdainful manner."

"T-there's no need to tell anyone about my little mishap", the guard stammered and the look on his face was so pathetic that for a moment, the Princess almost felt sorry for him.

"If Princess Argath no longer wants me to guard the door, then I shall take your word for it, your highness", he went on. "Where should I go instead? Did she say anything about that?"

"Go to the western gate and relieve whoever's there", Merees replied and dismissed the guard with a gesture.

The guard gave a somewhat shaky salute and went away to his new assignment.

Risha and Leorin had been out of sight during all of this. As soon as the coast was clear, they rushed up to Merees and congratulated her:

"That was great, Princess", Leorin said, admiringly.  "You almost had me fooled for a second."

"Me too", Risha agreed. "You should become an actress."

"Thank you", Merees replied, somewhat overwhelmed by the praise. She turned to Risha. "I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to carry out your plan", she said. "I guess it was fortunate for us that the guard felt guilty about being caught sleeping on the job. Anyway, let's go."

The wooden door which had been previously blocked by the guard, was unlocked. The trio stepped inside and found themselves in a cramped corridor. To the left was a locked iron door, with a hatch at the bottom. A flight of stairs led down into pitch-black darkness.

"That's where we're going", said Merees.

She grabbed a lantern, which hung on a hook nearby, opened it and lit the candle with her breath. "I know that you two can probably see fine in the dark, but I'm afraid that's an ability I'm not blessed with. Let's go."

"Come on Leorin", Risha said.

She stopped and looked at her brother; curiosity had taken hold off Leorin, he was now seated on the floor, peering into the hatch, which he had slid open.

"What are you doing?" His sister asked, a hint of irritation in her voice. "We have to go."

"There's someone in there", her brother replied.

"Who is it?" Risha couldn't help but ask.

"Its a bit hard to tell from here, but I think its that boar we saw at the dinner. What was his name, again?"

"Bureno", said Merees. "He is the head of the kitchen. If he's locked up here, it means that the guards must have found something that implicated him in the assassination of my father and half-brother."

"But we know he's innocent", Risha said. "Can't we do something? Maybe take him with us."

Merees shook her head despondently.

"I'm afraid not. We don't have the keys and it would take too long for my fire to melt through the steel. We simply don't have the time."

All three glanced at the door. Merees remembered the times in the past when she had snuck into the kitchen. Despite how busy he usually was, Bureno had always had time for her, often giving her a foretaste of whatever delicious dish he and his colleagues had prepared. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. She wiped it away, before the others noticed.

"Come", she said in a thick voice. "There's no point in remaining here any longer."

******

It is unnecessary to provide a detail account of the trio's trek through the tunnel, seeing as how it was quite eventful. They walked in silence, contemplating the life and the people they had left behind. Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel and soon found themselves on the city-streets. During their trek, the sun had risen and bathed the everything with its warm light. It seemed, by all indication, to be  the beginning of a pleasant day, one of those days that can make a person temporarily forget all the evil things which exist in the world.

"We should head for the harbor and charter a ship", Merees said. "Any ideas where we should go?"

"Our mom has relatives in another country", Leorin said. "Dad thought that they would take us in, but I can't remember what the country was called."

"Leporia", his sister said. "Do you know of it, princess?" She asked, turning to Merees.

"The name does ring a bell. I must admit though that geography was never my subject. My brother, Keron would have known a lot more though. Its too bad he chose to stay behind."

"Why would he do that?" Leorin wondered, incredulity stamped all over his tiny face. "That doesn't seem very smart, if you ask me. Ow!"

Leorin turned around.

"Why did you slap me for?" He demanded to know, glaring angrily at his sister.

"Don't be so rude", Risha replied. "If the Princess' brother chose to stay behind, I'm sure he had a good reason for doing so."

"Oh, yeah?" Leorin retorted, while massaging the back of his head. "Why don't you ask her about it, then?"

For a moment, Risha considered this. She had to admit that she too wondered why Prince Keron had stayed behind. Was it because he was unable to walk? She was just about to broach the subject to Merees, when she realized that the princess was no longer with them. Where could she have gone? She looked around, when Merees' voice reached her ears:

"Hey! What are you two standing there for? Hurry!"

The lynx-girl looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw Merees standing at the entrance to the harbor, the hood on her cloak once again pulled up. She grabbed Leorin's left paw and the two of them started running.

Back in the 90's, I was in a very famous TV-show...

Recently, I finished the third season of Netflix's original animated series Bojack Horseman and so, I decided to write a post about it.
Picture, if you will, the typical western cartoon made for an adult audience. These kinds of cartoons tend to have certain things in common: A main character who is basically a dick to everyone he interacts with. Plenty of vulgar humor, wacky hijinks and, finally, heavy drug- and/or alcohol abuse. For its first few episodes, Bojack Horseman comes across as yet another example of this type of cartoon; it certainly contains all of the ingredients mentioned above. However, if that was the case, I would hardly dedicate an entire post to the show. Fortunately, Bojack Horseman is a show that's far more interesting (and better) than the impression it initially gives.

Bojack Horseman takes place in a world that's pretty much our own, with the exception that a sizable part of the population consists of anthropomorphic animals. Its here that we meet the horseman himself; Bojack. Back in the 90's, Bojack was the star of the super-popular sitcom Horsin' Around (basically Full House, with a talking horse), but he hasn't done anything of note since the show ended and now spends his days either throwing parties or attempting to drown himself in drugs and alcohol. That is, until his agent tells him that he needs to finish the memoirs he promised to write years ago, in order to help revive his career. Tired of waiting, the publishing company has issued Bojack a ghost-writer, Diane Nguyen. As Bojack opens up more and more to Diane, it slowly dawns on him what life he has led and what kind of person he has been, or rather still is.

One of the things that sets Bojack Horseman apart from other shows of its type is how heavily serialized it is. Sure, shows like Archer and, especially, The Venture Bros featured continuity and on-going story-arcs, before Bojack existed.  However, those shows still started out being mostly episodic with plenty of self-contained episodes (it is, for example, completely possible for someone who has never seen Archer. to watch, say, the blimp episode from season 1 without any prior familiarity with the characters). This is not the case here; from the very beginning, its crucial that you watch the episodes in order. The lack of a status quo also serves to make Bojack Horseman the most realistic series of its type that I've seen (yes, despite the talking animals). Unlike, say, Homer Simpson, Bojack and the other characters inhabit a world in which their actions and choices have actual consequences (as Bojack's former friend and mentor Herb tells him in one of the show's most memorable moments: "You're going to live with the shitty thing you did, for the rest of your life).

Speaking of characters, while the show features quite a large cast, I'm going to limit myself to presenting only the five members of the main group. Aside from the aforementioned Bojack and Diane, we also have the former's agent and on-again-off-again girlfriend, Princess Carolyn. Todd, a slacker who showed up to one of Bojack's parties and never left and finally, Mr. Peanutbutter; a rival actor whom Bojack resents, mostly due to the fact that Mr. Peanutbutter is much happier and more well-adjusted than he himself is.
All of these characters play off each other really well and their voice actors (Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, etc) does a fine job portraying them. As the show has gone on, new sides of their personalities are revealed with even the characters which at first seem relegated to being just wacky comic-relief, turning out to be more well-rounded than they initially seem.

Seeing as how he's the star of the show, it should come as little surprise that Bojack gets fleshed out the most of all the characters. As Bojack Horseman progresses, Bojack goes from being merely another comedic asshole to, in my opinion, one of the most genuinely tragic characters in western animation. He's not tragic in the same way that the Ice-King from Adventure Time (to name one example) is though. No, Bojack's tragedy stems from the fact that he, from time to time, genuinely tries to become a better person, but his many personal flaws, hangups and neuroses, always seem to trip him up, leading him to fall back into his old habits.

The weakest part of Bojack Horseman, in my opinion, are the visuals. I don't find the art of the show unappealing to look at (if I did, I would've quit watching long ago), but I can't say that it's ever impressed me either, especially when compared to that of several other cartoons. I think its safe to say that in this case, the visuals play second fiddle to the writing. Thankfully, the writing is up to the task.
Bojack Horseman is a show that takes a while before it hits its stride. The early episodes of season one doesn't really do much to help the show stand out from others of its kind and if someone watched the show and decided to bail on it based on those episodes? Well, I can't really say I blame them for it.
That said, if you preserve, you'll find a show that's well worth watching. Bojack Horseman ranks as one of the best animated cartoons for adults to come out in recent years and is a close runner-up for the title of my favorite cartoon starring an anthropomorphic equine.