Darkest Suburbia...and Beyond!

Oh, a gambler I, and a rogue as well, and a gentleman besides,
And I've traveled round this world and back on some most peculiar tides;
I can tell of treasures best left lost and of ill-kept bargains made,
For I live my life in the shadows:
I am he who's called the Shade.

I freely grant I am no pure saint - I'm a thief, and yes, I've killed,
But the righteous need not fear my hand, for it's not their blood I've spilled;
I thrive by night and avoid high noon, for of darkness am I made;
And my soul is that of a shadow,
For I truly am the Shade.

Now a living Shade commands the dark and the shadows heed his call,
He may shape them too, howe'er he will, to hold his foes in thrall;
Yet I tell you this and I tell you true: you should rather be afraid
Of the evil beyond the shadow
Far more deadly than the Shade.

A shadow's edge is defined by light; in the dark it disappears;
And a shadow always stands alone, sharing neither joy no tears,
For the shadow never truly dies, though the mortal friends he's made
Turn to dust in the hands of the shadow
Who is doomed to be the Shade.

Yes, a gambler I, and a rogue as well, and a gentleman unwise,
For I find I cannot flee the trap that I fear I helped devise;
So between the light and dark I stand, my decision freely made:
For I am the eternal shadow;
I shall always be - the Shade.
 

Very belatedly posted; I premiered this at OryCon this past November.

Errantry Anthem

words: © 2015 John C. Bunnell
music: “Don’t Slay That Potato” (Tom Paxton)

Inspired by Diane Duane’s “Young Wizards” novels (and some of the fanworks that have drawn on them). 

Oh, magic, they say, is a game for the young, that’s played for the ultimate stake.
It comes with a language unique and complete, and a vow ev’ry wizard must take;
There’s also a guidebook with useful advice; still, there is no guarantee
That wizardry’s gift will ensure you survive first contact with your Enemy….

‘Ware, now, the Fairest and Fallen, Death in its pocket again;
A Choice it proposes, its voice wine and roses,
Its offer beguiling, its countenance smiling;
But wizards well know, if down that road you go
From Death you cannot turn aside;
‘Ware, then, the Lone One’s temptation; instead in Life’s service abide!

Stories are told of three kids from New York who’ve had an astonishing run.
They’ve taken the Lone One down time after time, and still seem to think that it’s fun;
They’ve traveled the spaceways, brought planets to life, and saved us from Martian attack;
And even their friends who have died for the cause still seem to find ways to come back….

REFRAIN

The thing about this sort of magic: it spreads, and rumors, of course soon ensue
That all sorts of people have gotten the Book and taken up wizardry too;
Black Widow and Falcon, we rather suspect, might prove decent hands at the Art,
But a certain small boy with a tiger of plush?  The thought puts a chill in our heart….

REFRAIN

The Powers are fickle, and choose whom They will; don’t fret that they haven’t picked you.
Not all They select will survive their Ordeals, and Death takes all too many who do;
But magic’s not needed to live by the Oath, so if that commitment you’d make,
Then wizard or not, simply live by these words: “In Life’s name and for all Life’s sake….”

REFRAIN

Avast and heave to, ye lads and lasses -- 'tis Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Ah, but that 'ain't all; 'tis the natal day of the Dread Pirate coreolis.

[insert roar of cannons here]

Aye, and it also be the natal day, says a swab by the name o' filkertom, o' a saucy wizard-lass called Hermione Granger.  And that swab bein' a crazy fast hand wi' a quill (an' a keyboard, an' a MIDI setup), thar be a birthday chanty for Miz Granger that ye really oughta give a listen to here.

Arr, this talkin' like a pirate be wearin'....

cadhla points out that today is the 17th anniversary of a historic incident on a fictional island off the coast of Costa Rica, wherein a gentleman named Hammond -- not the one from Stargate SG-1 -- managed to lose a lot of his guests to a horde of ravening velociraptors (among other things).  In the comment thread, pope_guilty asks the musical question, "How did Hammond go from a scheming, investor-defrauding bastard in the book to Walt Disney in the movie?"

( It occurs to me that I sort of formulated the musical answer a number of years back.... )

....to comment here on one of my most satisfying entertainment purchases for the summer.  No, not the movie tickets to Superman Returns or Dead Man's Chest (the first was Weird; the second was swashbuckling).

No, not the theater tickets either (there having been no forgetting involved).

No, this almost-too-late consumer alert is intended to make you run right out to your local Internet and acquire your minimum annual nutritional requirement of zombies, ghosts, wood-sprites, and other relentlessly introspective natural, unnatural, and supernatural creatures.  You need a copy of Seanan McGuire's  Pretty Little Dead Girl, and you need it now (before she closes out the online order form).

( Full review under the cut.... )