Critical Role Fanfiction: "Dreamscape" Chapter 3:

Hello everyone. It has been a while since I have written Critical Role fanfiction. It has actually been a year which is crazy. Life is moving on fast. To tell the truth, my heart and mind had lost inspiration as of late. It happens. Everyone can get writers block from time to time. I recently got a surge of inspiration and I want to continue this story for as long as I can. Thank you all who have read the prologue to Chapter 2. I greatly appreciate the support. For those who are new and have no idea what story I am talking about and want to catch up, click here,

(http://www.otakusandgeeks.com/articles/2015/6/19/critical-role-fanfiction/author?rq=dreamscape) 

and here

(http://www.otakusandgeeks.com/articles/2015/6/26/dreamscape-chapter-2-a-journey-of-a-thousand-miles/author?rq=dreamscape%20)

Enjoy!

The dented armored man sits next to Vex and addresses the group with a low gravely voice. "Excuse me for staring. It's been a rough couple of weeks and as you all can gleen from my appearance, I barely made it out of there alive. My name is Andreus Fallform. I'm a guard in my sovereign's  army which has been torn asunder by the evil that has started to gather there. Unfortunately, this armor is the only article of clothing that I have on me for the time being, so pardon for my appearance. The reason for the sudden stares from across the room, you holy gnome, was in my vision." Pike looks at him with a confused look on her face.  "You had a vision too? I mean I had one and it seems that we've gotten different beginnings but the same ending: a feeling that something is wrong."

Andreus nodded his head. "I was told by the denizens of Imon that a person with your description was the one that I had to set out for. My lady who gave me the vision in the first place, said that I would find you here and also find the group Vox Machina. I assume these are they." He gestures to his eyes each and every member, including Grog who is over at the bar still drinking away. "I've heard some tales about this group of strange of heroes that have fought a dragon and lived to tell the tale as well as other hell spawn of the world. I need your help Vox Machina, and I would like to have your cleric come with me to help my soverign and people."

As Andrus was speaking, Vax was looking very closely at Andrus and was also taking in every word he said, including the inflections that he has made.  Vax notices something else on Andrus. On his face, he has a fresh burn mark. Vax speaks to Andrus. "Before we rush in the situation, as we usually do, what ails the land and your ruler? Also why in the hell haven't you went into detail about the fight that happened on the way to the forum. especially with the burn mark on your face?" Andrus looks at Vax with a stern glance yet the corners of his mouth move upwards into a mischievous grin. "Is there somewhere else where we can have this conversation?"

Back at the keep, Tiberius joins the group around the table and Pike fills him in on what happened. Tiberius snorts and says "Sounds to me that we are going to be dealing with some buttholes again, aren't we?" As everyone settled down at the table, Andrus looks at the group and at the latest guest. Andrus raises an eyebrow curiously at Tiberius. He still has that mischievous grin on his face. "A Dragonborn. Not everyday that I see one around these parts." Tiberius looks at Andrus and says in his own special greeting "Hello. I am Tiberius Stormwind of Draconia." Andrus grin turns into a smile that gives Keyleth shivers down her spine. She is sitting next to Percy and leans over to whisper in his ear, "Percy that smile. I got a bad feeling about this." 

"I am with you on this feeling, however if we don't show that we trust him up until this point, he will shut us out. That means no more information about a cause that we may not want to involve ourselves in." 

Keyleth gives him a resigned look. "Fine but after the whole Clarota fiasco and Lady Kima, I'm starting to get worried by the company we keep or attract. My instincts are out of it, I guess." 

Percy says, "You have every right to be nervous. Don't lose that sense. That just means your on to something."  

Andrus looks at everyone one more time and begins to tell the story.  

 "The kingdom that I grew up at is at the cusp of a forest called Lunaity. The kingdom has no name except for what outsidera call the Emerald City. We established the city about 4 years ago after moving from a desert near a city called Marcett. 

Baywatch Reboot Actor in Talks to play Black Manta

The Get Down actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in talks to star in Aquaman as the villain, Black Manta, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The actor recently finished filming a role in the upcoming Baywatch reboot, which co-stars DC's upcoming Black Adam, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Little is known about the role on film, however in comic books Black Manta is a man from the surface world who now lives under the ocean and has sworn revenge on his former home.

Abdul-Mateen would join Jason Momoa in the title role, alongside Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master.

Aquaman is due out in theaters October 5, 2018.

CLOAK AND DAGGER TV SERIES CAST THE LEADS

Freeform's Marvel TV series Cloak & Dagger has cast its leads, both former Disney Channel stars. Olivia Holt will play Tandy Bowen, A.K.A. Dagger, who has the power to throw bolts of light, while Aubrey Joseph will play Tyrone Johnson, who has the power to maipulate darkness.

Cloak & Dagger has been in the works for almost five years, according to the report, and will center on the romance between Tyrone and Tandy.

“The characters of Tandy and Tyrone have always stood out to me ever since I first met them in the pages of Marvel comics when I was a boy," explained showrunner Joe Pokaski. "When  Olivia and Aubrey read for the roles, these characters leapt off the page. We’re so excited to see what these talented young actors bring to the Marvel Universe."

Marvel also released official descriptions of the characters. It describes Tandy as follows: "Once a privileged little girl, Tandy Bowen watched as her family was destroyed by a disastrous storm that uprooted her life. Now in her late teens, an unexpected encounter with a boy named Tyrone sparks a life changing event."

Meanwhile, Tyrone is described as such: "Young Tyrone Johnson wanted nothing more than to prove he was fearless.  But when everything he held close was taken away, life taught Tyrone to be afraid.  Now older and more sheltered, Tyrone closes himself off. But when he meets a girl named Tandy his life changes Forever."

No projected premiere date has been announced for Cloak & Dagger.

Where Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Ranks with the Rest of the Franchise

Written By Adam Hayes 

If you know know anything about first person shooter video games, you have heard of the Call of Duty franchise put out by Activision. From its very first game released in 2003, it has sold massive quantities of a new installment every single year. However, this year was somewhat different. After Activision released their trailer for Infinite Warfare on Youtube, it quickly became the second most disliked video on the site. When it was released in November, its sales were abysmal when compared to previous iterations of the franchise. In spite of all the hate, it still managed to get good scores from various game reviews.

Though some various game reviewing companies gave it decent scores, the gaming community did not seem to get behind it. So what went wrong? The campaign seemed to be something straight out of movie. With celebrities such as Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington and UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor, there is no way it could have been bad. In spite of the big names attached to it, the campaign fell short of previous endeavors-even short of Call of Duty Black Ops III's wacky/sci-fi entwined campaign, which is the highest selling Xbox One game of all-time. Many people disliked the predictability that we have come to know all too well from the Call of Duty campaigns.

The lackluster campaign goes to show that not even big-name actors can save something that was stale from the very beginning. Of course, not all people are fans of the campaign. Call of Duty is known for its massive online community that spend countless hours in multiplayer lobbies. Usually, something new is introduced. In Advanced Warfare, we had the rise of combat rigs-suits that soldiers wore to jump around and boost forwards around the maps. Black Ops III introduced specialists-premade soldiers that the player can outfit with various-and sometimes outlandish-outfits. Each of these specialists offered some type of unique ability or weapon that was sure to give you an advantage out on the battlefield.

With Infinite Warfare, nothing new really stood out. This gave the multiplayer a feeling of a reskinned previous game. This ultimately led to its downfall in sales. Perhaps the biggest draw to the recent Call of Duty games have been the various zombie modes. First introduced as sort of an easter egg at the end of World at War, it has quickly become the favorite game mode for many players. If there was a redeeming quality of Infinite Warfare, this mode would be it. With a zany space-themed park as the backdrop, surviving waves of the undead was somewhat fresh and inviting.

Ultimately, Infinite Warfare in itself was not a bad game. However, whenever you put it up against previous record breaking games that have been released under the Call of Duty banner, it fails miserably. If Activision wants to continue having their success, they need to listen to what the people want and deliver a fresh and exciting game for the next installment. Otherwise, they won't survive.

Lenni Reviews: "The Haunting of Timber Manor" by F. E. Feeley Jr.

(Image Source)

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+.

Daniel Donnelly has sadly lost his parents in a terrible accident. He gets a phone call from his estranged aunt who tells him he is now heir to a fortune and a house called Timber Manor. On the way there, Daniel has to pull over in a huge storm and Sherriff Hale Davis - a native of the town near Timber Manor - helps him out. But the manor holds a dark and powerful secret that puts Daniel's life in great peril

While Daniel and Hale make a good couple and you're rooting for them, the novel makes a great ghost story. The tone is perfect for curling up in a blanket and reading this on a stormy night.It was good to have the story switch perspectives to get everyone's thoughts on what's happening but I feel the supernatural story development had more care put to it than the romantic development. Daniel and Hale have that insta-love thing going on that will bug you if that's an aspect of romances that bug you.

And can Francine get a spin-off series!? PLEASE!!

Giving this a 3.7 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Jackass Flats" by Julia Talbot

(Image Source)

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Tate is a 30 something cowboy who believes the best days of his life are behind him.He spends his nights getting hammered in bars and one night a young soldier named Dave helps Tate bumble back to his apartment. The two become close and form a relationship but Dave's military life poses a threat to their relationship.

Mild spoilers so skip this paragraph if you wanna avoid them but around 30% in, sudden gay married friend is sudden! I mean, geez what an asshole...

Anyway, other than the out of nowhere dickweed friend, the story felt well paced and very realistic. Dave and Tate take things slow at Tate's request and the patient way they come together is refreshing to see. Their chemistry goes beyond a 'hookup-turned- relationship,' their feelings come through the pages. Yes, of course there are some steamy scenes but just having Tate and Dave interact with each other left me with a happy feeling when the story was done and I wouldn't mind reading more in this series or by this author. 3.9 out of 5.