rhodrymavelyne

Forever Knight is a show I was obsessed with (Dark Knightie, Dark Trinity, Cousin, Unnamed Faction, Ravenette, Immortal Beloved, with a dash of Unholy Alliance). I bought the entire series of DVDs, when it came out. I go back and watch Forever Knight again periodically. It’s part of my comfort zone, beautifully goth without grit, and managing to be very attractive on a limited budget; using camera angles, candles, Fred Mollin’s haunting score, and the striking performances of the actors. Yes, there were cheesy moments, yet there were plenty of gorgeous scenes and gorgeous snippets of acting.

Like many a fan, I wasn’t happy with the conclusion, Watching Last Night again, I realized it did have beautiful scenes and many a stirring soliloquy from Nigel Bennett as LaCroix. Dr. Natalie Lambert, however, acted completely out of character. She herself admitted she was acting out of character.

The entire arc for Natalie in the episode; her friend, Dr. Laura Haynes (psychiatrists do have a way of getting to Nat during third season), Dr. Haynes committing suicide and leaving Nat a journal felt like something that could have been arranged via vampire powers. Nat’s response also felt like something a vampire might have triggered in her.

LaCroix had enemies. Some of them could have been ancient. Some of them might remember what he did, not only as a vampire, but as a mortal in Gaul. Some of them might have played a long game to get revenge upon him through his vulnerable point; his son.

Speaking of Games, I found myself drawn to the idea of making Natalie Lambert and Tracy Vetter Immortal, a la Highlander. This was a chance to expand upon the roles of Katherine and Kyra (introduced in only an episode on the series) and Cassandra as mentors for younger Immortals. Being perverse, I decided to have Janette du Charme turn Tessa Noel into a vampire. Add a drunken enounter between Duncan MacLeod with a hungry Nicholas and Janette, plus the games Death played with General Lucius; and I was having a lot of fun with all these crazy crossovers (see what rhodrymavelyne has posted at Archive of Our Own to check them out).

I’m not sure if I would have gotten all of these story ideas, if not for Last Night. I’m still not happy with the end, but my unhappiness lead to creativity. Thank you for the inspiration.

I know I’m obsessed with Critical Role; when the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s Fate of Ophelia change; words “fate of Ophelia” become “Thjazi Fang”.

Chorus lines in the video become a battlefield, where the Tattered Banner struggles to survive against the sorcerous might of the Sundered Houses. Kattigan Vale and Azune Nayar lay dying to see Teor looming over them with glowing hands, Thimble fly at an enemy wizard, while many a Thjazi darts in different directions.

Taylor Swift fighting on the deck of a ship against pirates becomes Occtis Tachonis, tugged in one direction by his family and the other by Thaisha Lloy, while Sir Julien Davinos and Vaelus battle salivating and mournful ghouls around them.

Lines about pledging a hand and a heart become Bolaire kneeling to take Halandil Fang’s hand as Lady Aranessa presents Thjazi with Thimble. Ethrand Tachnonis cannot help ruining the romance by skulking off with an evil grin, brandishing Occtis’s heart.

I know I’m obsessed with Critical Role when I listen to Linkin Park’s The Emptiness Machine; only to find myself visualizing Caleb Widogast and Beauregard Lionett singing the lines, raging against the Empire, the Cerberus Assembly, and corruption in Cobalt Soul. I grin as I visualize Lucien creeping behind both of them to lay a hand upon Caleb and Beau’s shoulders, singing Lady Gaga’s Disease; offering them the seductive terrors of the Nine Eyes to fill the emptiness.

This isn’t the first time Lucien crept into my imagination singing Lady Gaga. The lyrics of Bloody Mary changed to match a jerky dance of the Nonagon’s minions, while Lucien sang mockingly to the poor deluded teammates of Mollymauk Tealeaf, whom thought they’d gotten their precious Molly back with Lucien’s resurrection in a crazy visual which came to me.

What is it with my association of Lucien with Lady Gaga? Is it because Matt Mercer played Lucien in Campaign 2, and Matt did such a good job dancing to Lady Gaga, once upon a time?

This makes me wonder: will Taliesin Jaffe be playing Lucien as well as Molly in The Mighty Nein animated series? Will Lucien stalk Molly within his mind, the way Molly stalked Lucien in Campaign 2 and the novel; The Nine Eyes of Lucien? Will Caduceus Clay have a part in the series? It would be great to have Nine as well as Nein with Jester, Fjord, Caleb, Nott, Yasha, Beau, Molly, Cad, and Essek as part of the team.

I’m delighted to see Essek so soon and that Matt Mercer is doing his voice. I hope with all my heart we’ll get his romance with Caleb in the animated series. It would be lovely to have the homoerotic healing arc of Molly kissing Caleb’s forehead, only for Caleb in turn to kiss Essek; some of my favorite moments in Campaign 2.

I’m delighted we got the beginnings of Fjord and Jester’s romance; flowers appearing around Fjord when Jester first sees him. Jester truly swept Fjord off his feet, not long after he’d been swept off his feet by Uka’toa, a great sequence.

I’m delighted how Jester is a bit of Disney princess with an adult twist, which utterly empowers her. What happened at Jester’s wedding just completes that touch of classic fantasy as well as the Disney princess impression.

I love how Halandil Fang also reminds me of a Disney princess in his interaction with birds and how he takes care of everyone. He’s been at the heart of some truly beautiful moments in Dol-Makjar, becoming the embodiment of what the Schemers are fighting for. I get the impression Bolaire and Azune will find themselves allies in fighting like angry knights against anyone who’d threaten Hal and his family.

You can see how obsessed I am with Critical Role by this blog. Thank you, Critical Role, for being a welcome distraction and positive force during a harsh year. You’ve been one of the best things about 2025. Thank you for carrying on. You give me the courage to carry on myself.

All sorts of ideas have been bubbling in my head, creating a weird pot of crossover concepts melting into each other.

The Pattern’s incarnation lures the Logrus Serpent of the Amber Chronicles into chasing it into the heart of order, burning the poor wyrm. It sheds its lovely unicorn form and becomes a pattern spider, the Pattern Spider…the Weaver.

The Weaver traps the Logrus in its web, where it burns from the proximity too much order, leaking chaos into the Pattern. Something escapes, the best of it, becoming Wyld, fleeing into the Wyld.

The Weaver takes the Logrus’s other eye. It thrashes, melting, kept from being utterly obliterated by its cocoon, trapped and corrupted. It becomes the Wyrm.

No one can walked the Pattern or traverse the Logrus in its state of corruption. To do so is to be caught in a Black Spiral Dance of madness.

A hideous old witch, a bit like Mombi in the Oz Books, watches over the corrupted Pattern and Logrus. They have a beautiful princess of Amber or a lord of Chaos captive. The princesses have been forced into male form since birth, but they can sense what they are. They long to escape. The lords of Chaos can no longer shapeshifter. They must escape, before they are transformed into marble statues.

Wizards in cities and government agents sense something is amiss in the world, monsters and anomalies manifesting in response to the wrongness, but they’re unsure what the exact cause is.

See what happens when I have all these fannish ideas in my head? Eventually they emerge from the soup and take flight, making me marvel at their mad form. (wry grin)

Tight, intimate detail draws me into a series, especially involving character interaction. I loved it in Hannibal and American Gods.

I’m seeing it in some of Marvel’s mini-series; Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and especially Daredevil.

World of Darkness sourcebooks encouraged players to storytelling with such detail, bringing the setting, along with the characters to life.

The New York City Marvel has created for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Matt Murdock, Danny Rand, and the people whom interact with them feels like a city in the World of Darkness; in its shadows, violence, and intimate detail.

It’s a self-contained little world in this city; where Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, and the various corners are explored by the characters.

I know these corners will overlap. I haven’t seen The Defenders yet, although I want to. I’m wanting to get to know each of the superheroes on their own terms first.

Charlie Cox brings a compelling energy to the character of Matt Murdock. Jessica Jones manages to be tough and damaged in a way I cannot look away from. Luke Cage created a shell for himself, which is nowhere as damage proof as he is. Danny Rand explodes into moments of rage, which reveal just how much damage he’s endured.

I’m looking forward to seeing how they interact. They’ve already gathered a host of interesting characters around them; Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Elektra, Trish/Patsy, Malcolm, and Jeri Hogarth. Their foes are fascinating as well; Kilgrave, Wilson Fisk, Cottonmouth, and Madam Gao.

When Daredevil began; Matt, Foggy, and Karen in their little Hell’s Kitchen offices reminded me of Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia Chase at the very beginning of Angel, when they worked out of their small L.A. office. There was energy, which felt similar, despite distinctive differences.

Luke and Danny just lost their place and are searching for it. Jessica’s office and apartment give Bo and Kenzi’s flat in Lost Girl a run for its money in being run-down. Jess gets to know everyone in that apartment, just as Luke seemed to know everyone at Pop’s barber shop. Danny wandered through places which were no longer his.

It was truly scary, seeing David Tennant play Kilgrave after seeing him as the Doctor. Crowley on Good Omens seemed warm and fuzzy by comparison, but that’s another story.

Cottonmouth promises to be even more complex than Wilson Fisk. I marvel at how Fisk managed to be a monster and man, in his relationships with Vanessa and Wesley. Seeing him gave me Francis Dolarhyde and Hannibal Lecter flashbacks. The Adagio in D playing in the restaurant helped with that, plus it made me smile.

The City of Darkness takes its heroes on an interesting journey, different from the one of explosions and earth-shaking battles that the other Marvel heroes fight.

We’re on a more intimate level for this struggle. I’m curious where it will lead.

At last, I saw the second seasons for Interview with the Vampire and The Mayfair Witches, after a very long hesitation.

Why the hesistation? Interview with the Vampire remains one of my favorite books ever. The entire Vampire Chronicles is one of my favorite series. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel as a fan about the changes the television series was making as they advanced.

Parts of Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches I loved. Other parts were traumatically nightmarish. I wasn’t sure which parts would become part of the TV series and which would be dropped.

Daring to see both TV series, I found I enjoyed them a lot.

Armand felt far more toxic than he did in the books. All right, he was pretty bad, yet seductively, deliciously bad, until he reached Queen of the Damned, where he became hilariously adorable as Daniel’s sugar daddy. I recall Anne Rice saying in an interview that she intended for Armand to have a larger part in her third book, but he wasn’t evil enough.

I wonder if the makers of Interview with the Vampire didn’t decide to go for that evil. At the same time, Armand of the TV series was charming, cultured, seductive, and ruthless; qualities he possessed in the books.

I wonder if Armand didn’t love both Louis and Daniel deeply, even if he was also capable of sacrificing both of them?

Rowan and Lasher were far less toxic in the TV series than they were in the books. Letting the nonconsensual aspects of their relationship go made for a more complex and loving bond, which still managed to be disturbing. The Taltos remained innocent and destructive, yet less willfully so.

The Mayfairs were the truly wicked ones. The most wicked of them all was Julien Mayfair.

Gone was Lasher’s lover, the moments of romance between Julien and his familiar. All that was left was the pretense; the ruthless protégé of Marguerite Mayfair, a role Julien didn’t care to dwell upon when telling his story to Michael Curry in the books.

Julien became far more of a villain than Lasher. This startled me, yet why wasn’t he capable of such a role? The books indicated he was, for all his charm.
Julien boasted in the book Lasher of his immunity to Lasher’s charm, due to his masculinity. The softness of femininity conveyed a vulnerability to the Mayfair familar, one which could be used to overpower and kill the women.

This bothered me when I read the book, even though I enjoyed the parts with Julien and Lasher.

There is a certain logic in taking this assertion of male immunity to Lasher, showing how cold and ruthless it could be. It lead a man to be capable of brutal murder of his own flesh and blood, of innocents in order to achieve his goal.

This happened in the book. It also happened in the series.

Both Lestat and Julien became quite brutal in the TV series, yet I feel that both were capable of such brutality in the books, even if they may not have expressed them in the same ways. They could be both cruel and tender to their loved ones.

I wonder if Julien and Lestat will end up warring over Rowan as they did in the book? It would be interesting, if they also fought over Louis.

I could imagine Julien Mayfair as being a patron of a mortal Louis de Pointe du Lac’s establishment in the red light district. There may always have been an attraction between them, even though Louis didn’t acknowledge it, let alone act upon it.

Lestat and Julien was far too alike in the many ways. They loved the same women. Perhaps they’d love the same men as well? (They did both love Quinn Blackwood in the books, although I have no idea if that character will make an appearance in any of the TV series.)

One of the things I missed in The Mayfair Witches was the male intimacy from the books. I loved how the bond developed between Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner, Michael Curry and Julien Mayfair, and even between Julien Mayfair and Lasher.

Every character who overshadowed Rowan Mayfair was removed from the narrative; Michael Curry, Aaron Lightner, and even Mona Mayfair. She was able to take center stage in a way she didn’t in the books, for all she was a very strong character.

There’s an opportunity for feminine intimacy in the TV series; an intimacy I enjoyed when it flourished in the books between Rowan and Mona, Mona and Mary Jane, Rowan and Dolly Jean. I see some of that same intimacy between Rowan and Dolly Jean in the TV series, along with potential for it to blossom between Rowan and Jojo, Rowan and Moira.

I loved the character of Jojo, a trans woman as one of the Mayfair witches, Cortland’s favorite, and Rowan’s confidante.

I enjoyed how Moira did the opposite of Mona, starting out as a jealous rival, only to become more of an ally, as opposed to the intimacy which blossomed magically between Rowan and Mona in the book Taltos, only to turn into jealous adversity in The Blood Canticle. I’m hoping Rowan and Moira’s relationship becomes a more intimate one.

I wish both TV series could have done more pick-ups of exquisite detail, like the ones both Hannibal and American Gods displayed. Such moments are a chance to capture with the camera a sense of Anne Rice’s flowery prose. There was one scene with a statue in Paris with that lingering detail. I wish there had been more.

Overall, I really enjoyed both of the second seasons, the television drama made of the books. I enjoyed how the intimacy rekindled between Louis and Daniel at the end of the interview, after realizing how Armand played with both of their lives. I enjoyed the linking of the two worlds, noting how much more sinister the Talamasca is in both.

I wonder how those worlds will collide. I wonder if the Talamasca makes both collide.

I hope The Mayfair Witches contines. I hope The Vampire Lestat will have it debut on television.

One of Darth Vader’s compelling traits as a villain isn’t just his iconic armor, the sinister sound of his breathing; although those things are compelling. Nor is it the fact that he took a suit meant to compensate for life-threatening disabilies and turned it into an expression of power; complementing his formidable mastery of the Force.

All of these traits make him one of the most memorable villains of all time. I’m struck by a quality which drives the plots with Darth Vader, making him again a force to be reckoned with.

This character is obsessive to the point of madness. He directs all of his considerable strength; personal and temporal towards his obsession.

When he was Anakin Skywalker, he was obsessed with Padme. When he became Darth Vader, he became obsessed with Obi-Wan Kenobi. No longer was he restained by morality or anything else. He was set up finding his old master, defeating him, and triumphing over him.

Neither of these obsessions ever left Vader, not completely. They rekindled and became one when he discovered Padme had children, a child Obi-Wan had been training. They became fixated upon Luke Skywalker, his son. Luke was the only legacy of his love for Padme (or so he thought). Young Skywalker had been Obi-Wan’s remaining triumph over Vader, the hope he died for.

An obsession with reclaiming his son threatened to tear the galaxy apart, completely focused upon Luke and anyone in his way.

Maybe the very thought of Leia enduring being the focus of that dangerous obsession drove Luke to fight his father with all his checked rage in Return of the Jedi. In the end, Luke stopped himself, stopped his rage.

Did Vader ever stop himself? Did he let others stop him? I’ve wondered at the way Obi-Wan, Padme, Luke, and even Leia have slipped through his fingers in the movies and the series.

Vader told Obi-Wan that he betrayed and murdered Anakin Skywalker in his battle with his former master at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi; a lie Ben chose to embrace and pass on to Luke.

This turned out to be a lie in more ways than one. Maybe Anakin was always there, making Vader hesitate at crucial moments, rather than lashing out with his full power.

It’s something I find myself thinking about, after seeing the movies and certain series multiple times.
Yes, I’ve seen them multiple times. I’ve got something in common with Darth Vader; I can be obsessive.

I’ve sometimes imagined having the power to push aside or rip apart anything which stands between myself and what I want. When I was a child, I used to imagine having such power.

As an adult, I sometimes still visualize such an ability vibrating in my entire body, wanting to get out, wanting to lash out.

It’s just as well I don’t have such a power. Such a power could very difficult to stop. You might need others to help stop you.

Perhaps Vader did have those people, even if he didn’t realize it at the time.

It’s something to wonder about.

I was so obsessed with Star Wars as a child, particularly the light sabers. The way they glowed, hummed, and crackled when they hit another saber.

I marvel that this particular universe and story has prevailed, carrying on to generation after generation. My niece and nephews all love Star Wars. They’ve seen all sorts of TV series on Disney+ I haven’t.

Hanging out at my in-laws’s home over the holidays, I saw the first few episodes of Acolyte. Once again, twins are playing a major part in a Star Wars story, only this time they’re identical and both girls.

In a curious way, they’re reminding me of Beth and Kate Kane from Batwoman more than Luke and Leia. They’re closer than anyone, yet divided by allegiences to the Jedi and the coven which raised them.

There is something irresistible about creating a coven of witches in the Star Wars universe. Yes, the Jedi knights exist, but they’re more like a priesthood with a strict code of ethics, not allowing room for wildness. The Sith feel like their shadow, absorbing all their negative emotions, inverting and mirroring their power.

I was wary of being drawn into Star Wars again, because it’s been a powerful obsession in my life. As a child, I collected figures. I was fascinated by Darth Vader, his sheer sinister power; by the fact that he was the father to these slight, white-clad adversaries; Luke and Leia. I was fascinated by how close he was to them, yet opposed.

There had never been anything like that I’d ever seen as a child, your own father being the villain. Now it’s become almost iconic and I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else, embracing the notion of family as a protagonist’s adversary.

There’s no foe worse than those closest to you, yet Lord Vader is hardly the worst father out there. At least he seems to want his children, even if they’re on the opposite side.

I’ve been drawn to the development of this relationship in the comics; reading some of the ones about Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, enjoying how Han Solo, Artoo (amused at how foul-mouthed the little droid is when he’s not around Luke or Leia), Threepio. Chewbacca, and Lando interact with them; delighting in the addition of characters like Dr. Aphra.

Now we have Disney+. Now I have a chance to try some of those TV series my family have been watching.

Time to indulge.

I keep thinking of a myth I’ve forgotten most of, yet I remember a painting of it. Athena triumphs over Ares, forcing warfare to slink away from the battlefield, giving way to wisdom.

I saw this, long before I ever watched Hercules or Xena: Warrior Princess; where Kevin Smith made Ares sexy and sympathetic, if a very manipulative bad boy.

Ares didn’t strike me as being sympathetic in many of the original myths. He provoked quarrels, violence, and bloodshed. He made the world an unstable, unhappy place.

Athena could outwit him and outfight him, but she had many skills beyond applying her wits to war. She used them to guard, guide, and educate. She was a weaver and a patron of knowledge. She could be a champion for those trying to think of a way out of their difficulties as well as to the mighty.

Athena had flaws, but I marveled at how well-rounded she was. Athena was capable of many things, accomplishing, and helping others to accomplish many tasks.

Ares specialized in one thing; something warriors relished and reveled in, yet also kindled their horror and regret. He spread unhappiness, encouraging other to spread it as well.

I’m thinking of this myth a lot right now. It feels as if there’s been too much war and not enough wisdom.

I’m hoping wisdom will get the upper hand in the world.

Most of my life I’ve taken flights of fanciful fandom.

I’ve lost track of the times I’ve gone to Oz or Wonderland as a child. I’m not sure if I was aware of the concept of fanfic until I was an adult. I imagined, talked, and roleplayed it, driving many people crazy as I dragged them into it with the enthusiasm of an obsessive. I played out crazy crossovers with a mixture of Star Wars figures, Smurfs, and Strawberry Shortcake miniatures.

I enjoyed reading fanfics and visualized my own, not quite daring to write any; not until Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game.

One of the ways to get extra character points was to write a journal for my character. Rowan, daughter of Deirdre (none of the male players got the Anne Rice reference, although they smirked whenever my character was around Martin) was fleshed out exquisitely.

I’ve returned to The Chronicles of Amber while keeping a promise I made to myself during lockdown; to return to the books I loved and write reviews for them. I was one of the few people who enjoyed the Merlin books as much as the Corwin books, although I needed the Corwin books to enjoy them. I needed to get to know Corwin and Brand first to appreciate the hungry holes of need they left in Merlin and Rinaldo’s lives, holes which would be a shared bond between the two young Amberites. I needed to encounter Dara with Corwin; appreciating her with, strength, and ambition to see what Merlin was grappling with, to catch a glimpse of what a forbidden passion as well as a power project the Silver Rose of Amber might be.

I’ve found myself writing fanfic about Dara along with some of the other women of Amber. Flora and Llewella have discovered voices which surprised me. I wonder about Nayda; once a more ambiguous life form being shaped into something more definite as Gail, finding herself trapped in a body. I consider the more sinister impression she must have of Mandor than Merlin does, not to mention Dara. I think of how much she impressed the Pattern, how interesting it would be if the ultimate entity of Order continued a more friendly relationship with this Chaos demon.

I find new characters popping into my head as I chortle over the stoned boys at the Wonderland bar; singing, watching the man paint while the Cheshire Cat grins. I imagine a non-binary bartender named Alys with the blood of Amber and Chaos, yet no knowledge of either Pattern or Logrus. All Alys knows is the mural, reflecting a shifting reality which they’re helping the man create. Sometimes Alys arm-wrestles visitors and borrows the Vorpal Sword to fight bandersnatches. They sport a bandersnatch tattoo, pouring drinks for Merle and Luke when they come to visit. They listen as the two kings get drunk and sing.

I find myself hanging onto Mandor’s every word as he wines and dines Merlin with such charm, courts Fiona, and entertains Jasra; all the while noting his casual mention of the hells he’s personally designed.

There’s so much potential in Amber and Chaos. It’s a creative cauldron of a vast array of worlds overlapping each other, sometimes shifting and changing along with their denizens.

How could I resist?

There wasn’t much anime at FanimeCon 2024. I might have enjoyed some of what was playing at the Doubletree, anime my husband saw, but didn’t get into.

I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the panel on queer fandom. I felt like I was reliving my youth; as significant events and changes were cited over the years.

I remembered my furtive visits to fanfic sites as our panel host shared them in the early 1990s. It was such a guilty pleasure, going to them. I didn’t dare tell anyone about that pleasure, yet I wouldn’t have given it up. At a time when most of the TV shows I enjoyed were pushing the most contrived heterosexual relationships to deny the homoerotic power crackling between many characters of the same gender; fanfiction was like a drink of cool water upon a parched throat.

I remembered all of that as I sat there, listening. I remembered when the world became aware of slash fanfction. Our enemies screamed abuse and did everything to stop up, putting pressure on the sites where slash fanfic could be found to deny readers their passion. I remembered the crushing sense of betrayal when beloved authors sides with our enemies in opposing our passion, making it all the more guilty.

Thank all the powers in existence for Storm Constantine. It made all the difference in the world that she was there for us, supporting us. It made all the difference to me as a writer, having her as a source of inspiration. It still does. Her words live on to generate creativity, even though we lost her.

No way was I not going to mention her when I realized our panel host had never heard of her. I’m going to remind slash fiction readers and writers of her every chance I get. I remember how much it mattered to me when I found her and started reading her. I connected with Storm Constantine’s writing in a way I hadn’t anyone’s other than Anne Rice’s. This was my writing. This was a writer I felt represented me; what was in my heart that I fumbled to express.

It wasn’t just the Wraeththu books; the amazing, post-apocalyptic, androgynous flowering hope they presented to a binary world. It was everything she wrote. I felt connected to everything.

I’m still mourning her loss. I still draw upon her words for inspiration.

We’ve come so far since that time when Storm Constantine first began to inspire me. It’s taken much of my life and all of my youth to become a published author of original stories and poems along with a prolific fanfiction author at Archive of Our Own.

At least I’ve lived to see these things happen. Not everyone is so lucky.

Thank every power for Archive of Our Own. Thank you for being a place where I can post all of these stories; fanfiction for series lost past which still bubble up inside. Like Storm Constantine, you’ve become a haven, an inspiration, and a historical landmark in fandom.

We are all the better for having you.