About the Avatar: First part of the education done, now it's on to the degree towards the right career! I just love this image from Jim Henson's The Storyteller from the story 'The True Bride'. This is an image of Anja seated next to the Thought Lion during her third and most awful task from her other, the troll. It is in the destiny of every princess to do more than serve, love the message of the story. Watch it, you might just enjoy the other incredible stories as well!

About the Author (such as it is):

Occupation: Tutor, freelance writer, student of Education in Literature and Language (we need more teachers!). Stay in school, kids, the rest of the world is counting on you!

Inspiration: conversations, films (of course), dialogue and interesting facts from multiple books (of course), stories heard, friends and family, Ling So (an energizing force that drives me and is never stingy with encouragement)

Always have loved: magic, cats, tea, fairytales, dragons, fairies, nature, dark chocolate, story-telling, the stars, happy endings!

Favourite writer/author of all time: I would have to say Beatrix Potter; I love the New England Transcendentalists, Romanticists from the Americas and the United Kingdom, Wilde, and Shakespeare’s comedies, but Potter was like the unsung heroine of her day. She rose against society’s expectations and studied parts of nature most people do not even consider as important; she saw such significance and beauty in small, simple things.

About my Storylines: I write because I want happy endings and that is what I intend to put in every story. I also hinge on the idea that redemption is a must and is entirely contingent on the kindness of the fair maiden type characters. Purity conquers evil.

About the Stories:

The Moon Cat’s Cradle Series

Film/Book inspiration- Stephen King’s The Night Flier, specifically the scenes in the film toward the end where you see the photo album being kept by Dwight and at the very end where Dwight’s human form is truly revealed and he spits out blood in disgust of what he is.

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoy vampiric/lycanthropic fiction that is NOT the Twilight Saga, you like stories that incorporate a great deal of medical information that can create a believable picture (seriously, I got to speak with professors about how different areas would be affected and how vampiricism would be set up as a pathology), you like comic relief, you really enjoy stories that take unexpected and expected turns

Interesting thought- The Center for Preternatural Disease Control and Prevention; knowing what we do now we could almost say that the CDC itself deals with preternatural conditions. After all, weren’t most illnesses at some time considered to be preternatural? Think about how many diseases we have labeled now that were thought of as curses and, in some places, still are!

Reflections of Truth

Film/Book inspiration- Van Helsing

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoy the ‘going back through past incidents to uncover truth’ stories, like stories where the ending seems hopeless and then springs back to happy, loved Richard Roxborgh’s Dracula portrayal

Interesting thought- They said in the film that they had tried clubbing Dracula to death. What the . . .?! How on earth did they attempt that? Corner him and start beating away? That would actually have been comical to see on film. Coming soon, Quentin Tarantino’s Dracula!

Suffer the Little Children

Film/Book inspiration- The Village

You might like to read this story if . . . you are curious about whether or not the creatures were real and thought that maybe they were not evil, you would like to see what the offspring of Ivy and Lucius would be like

Interesting thought- Does anyone know whether or not Shyamalan created the Covington myth about those creatures or was there an actual American legend about that? Something to research . . .

One of Many Forms of Courage

Film/Book inspiration- Gladiator

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoy action sequences, love Christian or historical fiction, love passionate romances that begin as enmity between characters, felt bad for Commodus, believed that Falco was the real villain all along

Interesting thought- The Celts that remained in the highland areas of modern day Scotland were so feared and respected by the Romans that they survived total domination preserving parts of their culture and language. Honestly, even if you were a Roman army how scary is it to walk up on a group of men with nearly glowing white skin, bright red hair, wearing nothing but kilts, and tossing trees around for sport?

The Book of Ursa

Film/Book inspiration- Gladiator and One Night With The King

You might like to read this story if . . . you love romances with a steamy sequence (my first and only to date), you love the idea of the king/emperor falling for the servant girl, you really felt bad for Commodus and Lucilla, love the Biblical story of Esther

Interesting thought- How weird would it have been to live in a day where beauty pageants were the deciding factors in selecting a wife especially for royalty? The talent section would have been the only place for real selection if you ask me!

Abigail Quatermain

Film/Book inspiration- LXG (and all the novels from whence the respective characters came)

You might like to read this story if . . . you really read and loved the novels the characters appeared in, you thought that Allan was a jerk for a reason and was really a marshmallow at heart, you felt bad for Dorian but had it bad for Tom Sawyer, you like stories with powerful women in training

Interesting thought- In the story, the Picture of Dorian Gray, I’ve always been concerned about the way in which his fiancée killed herself. It sounded sketchy and it was odd that the person truly against their union was the one to break the news to him. Suspicious, yes? Oh, and for those of you that underestimate how awesome and attractive Captain Nemo was, two words: Kama Sutra.

Big, Yellow Taxi

Film/Book inspiration- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (and several other films and books listed for creative input)

You might like to read this story if . . . you love stories where tons of old myths and stories are referenced and used, you love Prince Nuada, you think that environmentalism is worth pursuing peacefully, you love stories where the hero is completely surprised and often a little confused by their role

Interesting thought- When I first saw the film it was with the room filled with my gaming friends and I was so ready to hate it (someone having jokingly/seriously predicted that I was destined to see it and fall for the prince). The moment the prince spoke the line, “The humans have forgotten the Gods, destroyed the earth and for what? Parking Lots. Shopping Malls. Greed has burned a hole in their hearts that will never be filled, they will never have enough!” I thought to myself, that is so the song Big, Yellow Taxi.

Twintholgoy: Tales of the Children of Balor

Film/Book inspiration- Hellboy II: The Golden Army

You might like to read this story if . . . you like prequels explaining future character traits that are developed as opposites, you like Disney, you got the feeling Nuala was really the stronger and more aggressive of the two if it came down to it, you like fiction with children characters having innocent adventures

Interesting thought- The last few minutes of the film (after the library sequence where Nuada stabs Red) I was really thinking to myself, it’s his sister, it has to be. She’s the evil one and he’s just a puppet at her mercy. What if, right? What if Nuala was really the one putting the hatred and angst in her brother by pushing it away from herself?

The Same Parents: Sequel to Big, Yellow Taxi

Film/Book inspiration- Hellboy II: The Golden Army

You might like to read this story if . . . you liked Big, Yellow Taxi, you are curious about the other elves at the court, you still want the incorporation of Rasputin and Kroenen and lovable Meyers, you think that the Golden Army was destined to turn against even Prince Nuada, you like watching characters transition from fearful to powerful

Interesting thought- I got the idea for the title from one of Enigma's newest songs 'The Same Parents' on their album 'Seven Lives: Many Faces'. The lyrics state 'We all had the same parents, many million years ago," which is typical of a liberalist point of view. In the film and book it states that mankind AND magical beings were created and the elves knew about Satan and God (Nuala points out that she recognizes Hellboy as the Son of the Fallen One) as well as the Celtic gods and goddesses leading me to believe what many modernists believe about those gods . . . they were real people (like Egypt's Imhotep) that accomplished amazing feats and inspired others therefore acheiving 'god'hood and deserving recognition. Nuada seemed to mourn that they had forgotten the gods, not that they no longer worshipped them which would mean more to a pagan than just forgetfulness. I theorize that elves and men are equal save in one regard, the hole in man's heart needs to be filled with Christ and love while elves along with magical beings (immortal to begin with) need only nature and nurturing.

The Rune Nauthiz

Film/Book inspiration- Thor (as well as The Avengers which make brief appearances)

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoyed the Shakespearean flare of Thor and the more mystical side to Norse mythology, you wonder about why Loki does not look entirely like a Jotun even when on Jotunheim or touching the casket, you enjoyed Darcy's character, you think Loki has the same potential to be considered a hero as Thor as well as a potential for even more mischief than we've already seen!

Interesting thought- Has anyone else sat back and thought about how screwed up Asgard is? So Loki allowed some Jotuns in . . . not actually a crime, even Odin pointed that out. Thor committed high treason in setting off for Jotunheim, Heimdall committed high treason in allowing it for selfish reasons, Frigga placed Loki on the throne (as was her right), The Warriors 3/Sif/and Heimdall all committed treason in going after Thor, Thor committed treason in returning home (becoming noble would reclaim him Mjolnir, but Odin did NOT say that it would be what would permit him to return), and Loki got the short end of Gungir! He was, essentially, a liar and a trickster that was the only person that didn't commit treason outside of Frigga! Did Odin ever think that maybe lying to a child and encouraging him to brawl with his obviously larger brother might cause a teensy bit of a complex? And I thought my family was messed up!

Betwixed: A Twinthology Crossover

Film/Book inspiration- Hellboy 2: The Golden Army & Thor

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoyed the sequence seeing Thor and Loki as children and indeed enjoy all developing hero stories about their childhoods, you know about the odd relationship between Asgard and the magical worlds in Midgard, you enjoy a good splash of irony.

Interesting thought- When Loki was done conquering Earth with the Chitauri,and had established his throne and made it to mirror Asgard's with a guard like Heimdall and everything, what would he have done if 70 times 7 golden soldiers all of a sudden marched right into his precious new palace led by a fierce elf? Picture it, the guard is tossed towards him as Nuada glares at him and states flatly, "Your gatekeeper failed, Son of Odin." Priceless . . . more frightening for the trickster than the Hulk, methinks!

Kama Loki/Sacred Darcy

Film/Book inspiration- The Rune Nauthiz, Thor, The Avengers (specifically Tony Stark’s Iron Man), The Vatsayarna Kama Sutra, India’s Love Lyrics, One Night with The King, and The Complete Guide to Tantric Yoga

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoyed ‘The Rune Nauthiz’ and would like to see more of how their relationship progressed as a married couple with a child and with Uncle Tony, you enjoy Hindu Culture and Literature, you believe that love-making is not about sex but about honesty and tenderness with one another, you just can’t get enough of that wicked Loki!

Interesting thought- in the mythologies Loki was all over everyone’s woman and several other creatures in either male or female form (we’re only told of him turning into a mare, but I have a feeling being the notorious trickster who loved to make trouble then changing genders would have then become part of his repertoire . . . the veritable Bugs Bunny of Asgard). So who does he end up marrying? The goddess of Fidelity. Is that not the definition of Irony?

Kindred Captives

Film/Book inspiration- The Avengers, Thor, and various other films that make appearances in the dream sequences (Aladdin, Sleepy Hollow, Silent Hill, the Page Master, Breaking Dawn . . .)

You might like to read this story if . . . you still like the Loki and Darcy pairing and felt that it was a bit of a letdown she was not in The Avengers, you want Coulson alive . . . NOW, you believe there was more to Loki’s presence on earth than just vengeance ergo being controlled by Thanos and ‘The One’ from a distance, you believe Loki was tortured and harmed in his travels after being taken captive by Thanos and that a human not afraid of death could help free him from that unspeakable bargain they made.

Interesting thought- When you mistreat the enemy you become as bad as they are . . . that muzzle was unnecessary and cruel. I really hope Thor gets slapped harshly by his mother when he drags his brother in with the muzzle and chains on. Loki was responsible for the deaths of humans? Thor was trying to kill humans, too and had no problem attacking them (he had no way of knowing Iron Man would survive an attack right out or that Captain America’s shield would deflect Mjolnir’s blow . . . he was ready to just get them out of the way, Thor is in that sense much WORSE than Loki!)! Still, this was a better alternative to the cruel torture they put him through in the comics: sewing his lips shut.

Seize the Night

Film/Book inspiration- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Breaking Dawn (it was a book first, people, like so much else in Hollywood), Daphnis and Chloe, Italian Culture in general

You might like to read this story if . . . you do or DO NOT like the Twilight Saga (I am not a fan, but the structure and presence of the Volturi are incredible), you believe that Aro’s story is more complex than any character in the story and he probably has some half-breed children he doesn’t know about after all these years, you believe Didyme did not really die, you love Demitri’s suave presence and debonair aura, you think that the Volturi with their power and presence would’ve had their own dark and disturbing holidays that would’ve involved mass slaughter of humans, you’re interested in European (specifically Italian and Gitano Romany) Culture.

Interesting thought- Aro is a Finnish name that didn’t come into being until hundreds of years after Aro was born. I think Aro is an abbreviated taken name, something he chose or the nickname Didyme used with him. I personally think Aro is short for Aristatole or Aristotle (both given names in Greece at the time of his birth) and their meanings fit him more than the Finnish ‘swamp or wet marsh’ . . . Aristotle and Aristatole mean ‘high purpose’. Is that not what he seeks to acquire vicariously through the gifts of others?

Revelation of Desire

Film/Book inspiration- The Avengers and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (the Volturi’s Throne Room Sequence . . . I much prefer the first versions of all three)

You might like to read this story if . . . you do or DO NOT like The Twilight Saga, you truly enjoy Loki’s dialogue in general, you love watching two powerful characters spar verbally, you love dialogue from specific sequences manipulated into other scenes, you are into one-shots and/or crossovers that have enough action and dialogue to keep them from being a descriptive essay.

Interesting thought- I’ve often wondered with the creatures that seek dominion or destruction of humanity; how would the vampiric world react? If Prince Nuada really started a war with humanity to end them all, would vampires start a war against the magical world for threatening their food supply? If Loki sought to subjugate ALL of Midgard’s creatures, would he alert his presence to some of the more powerful and unnatural creatures as well in order to ensure total obedience?

Poems/Songs

Film/Book inspiration- Van Helsing, The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean, The Phantom of the Opera, Pan’s Labyrinth, The True Bride (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller), Hellboy II: The Golden Army

You might like to read this story if . . . you enjoy poetry, especially poetry inspired by songs or written as songs

Interesting thought- Has anyone here even seen Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series? You should, it is incredible! My favourite aside from the True Bride was Sapsorrow. There was also one entailing Greek Myths. Love Jim Henson, love old fairytales and folklore! At a recent lecture/activity I gave for our local writers’ guild, one of the members analyzed a picture of the true bride and the enormous white lion by talking about the setting as being mournful in that the lion had defeated a foe and was sorrowing for the loss of an enemy due to his passionate love of all living things; powerful, Jinx, very beautiful and powerful!

"Censorship is like denying a man a steak simply because a baby cannot chew it!" - Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Namaste'