AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

 This afternoon, we finished watching this action adventure fantasy series on Netflix, which is based off the animated series of the same name "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Over the last 8 days at lunchtime, we have watched an episode and it has been brilliant.

"The series is set in a war-torn world inspired by various Asian and Indigenous cultures where certain people can "bend" one of the four classical elements—water, earth, fire or air. Aang, the "Avatar" and the last living Airbender, is the bridge between the mortal and spirit worlds, and the only one capable of bending all four of the elements instead of just one. The Avatar maintains the balance of the world and nature to bring peace, and Aang is now faced with the responsibility of ending the ambitions of the militaristic Fire Nation to conquer the world. With his new companions Katara and Sokka, Aang sets out to master the four elements while pursued by Zuko, the exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, who seeks to regain his honour by capturing him."

They have done a damn good job at telling the story and extracting the essence and spirit of the original show by adapting the first season of the animated series. The visuals are stunning and the cast are all fitting in their roles. It really is like watching live action animated characters come alive.

The fighting scenes are all amazing and the bending looks so powerful and devasting in the battles.

The show most definitely does not deserve the mixed reception and reviews it has had, It is 100% better than the movie adaption from 2010.

Watching this series has brought a nostalgic tear to my eyes, as we have only seen the animated series up to the half way point of season 2 due to the TV schedules at the time.

Seeing Appa the SkyBison and MoMo has been wonderful as well, and I wish they were featured a lot more but due to a budget for the CGI, I can understand why they don't.

I really hope we will get a second season of this live action show as I can't wait to meet the blind Earthbender Toph!

I shall rate this Netflix series a score of 10/10.

We will now watch the animated series from the very beginning next.

Peter Capaldi reads a letter from WW1 Captain Reginald John Armes to his...

OCCULT DETECTIVE

  Jonah Hobbs

**Age:** 32

**Appearance:** Jonah Hobbs cuts a striking figure, his rugged features softened by an air of mystery and intrigue. Despite his youth, his face bears the weathered lines of someone who has seen more than his fair share of darkness. His piercing blue eyes, framed by a tangle of dark, unkempt hair, hold a depth of experience far beyond his years. A scruffy beard adorns his angular jawline, adding to his rugged charm. Jonah's attire exudes a sense of timeless elegance, with a well-worn trench coat draped over an untucked dress shirt and a loosened tie. His ensemble is completed by a pair of faded jeans and sturdy boots, a practical nod to his rugged lifestyle.

**Background:** From a young age, Jonah felt drawn to the darkness lurking in the shadows, compelled to confront the supernatural horrors that plagued his hometown. Armed with little more than his wits and determination, he embarked on a journey of self-discovery, honing his skills as an occult detective and vigilante. Despite his youth, Jonah possesses a wisdom and maturity far beyond his years, forged in the crucible of battle against forces beyond human comprehension.

**Personality:** Jonah is a brooding and introspective soul, haunted by the demons that lurk in the darkness of his past. He carries himself with a quiet confidence, his words measured and deliberate. Despite his gruff exterior, Jonah harbors a fierce sense of compassion and justice, driven by a desire to protect the innocent from the horrors of the supernatural. He is fiercely independent, preferring to work alone rather than rely on others, but he recognizes the value of allies in his ongoing battle against darkness.

**Abilities:** Jonah's expertise lies in the arcane arts, honed through years of study and practice. He possesses a keen intellect and a sharp intuition, able to decipher the mysteries of the occult with ease. His skills extend beyond mere knowledge, however, as Jonah is also a capable combatant, proficient in both hand-to-hand combat and the use of various weapons. He possesses a natural affinity for the supernatural, able to detect and counteract dark forces with a precision that few can match.

**Weaknesses:** Despite his formidable abilities, Jonah is not invulnerable. His constant exposure to the darkness of the occult has taken a toll on his psyche, leaving him prone to bouts of inner turmoil and self-doubt. He is also fiercely independent to a fault, often reluctant to seek help or rely on others, even when facing overwhelming odds.

**Affiliation:** Jonah operates as a solitary figure, a lone wolf prowling the shadows in search of the truth. While he may occasionally cross paths with other like-minded individuals, he prefers to work alone, trusting in his own instincts and abilities to see him through even the darkest of nights.

**Goals:** Jonah's primary goal is to rid the world of the supernatural threats that lurk in the shadows, using whatever means necessary to protect the innocent and uphold the balance between light and dark. He seeks to uncover the mysteries of the occult and unravel the secrets of his own past, driven by a relentless pursuit of truth and justice in a world shrouded in darkness.

THE PLAY

 Do you ever feel that some mundane part of life suddenly seems to carry meaning?

You stop on the corner of a street, and feel all of a sudden that it was very important that you stopped just there, just at that time?

You see a book out of place on a library shelf and you choose to put it back, see it's upside down, but then leave it that way anyway.

You add a stone to a small cairn in a hollow in a cliff by the sea, or you say a hello to a magpie who then flies off as if carrying a message.

You take a walk at night, and the world feels poised on the edge of something happen, as if even the stars are waiting.

You turn left, not right, or you throw a stick into a stream or you add a mark to a wall covered in chalk or you step a particular way across paving stones, making your own pattern as if there is meaning to it, and it is very important. There is, and it is.

You are playing your role as one of the cast in the play. There are forty-seven of you, and the play has been performed without stopping for the last three hundred and seven years. A new player joins the moment the light disappears from another player's eyes. Only four of the cast know that they are in the play, and the four of them are all from the original cast who played the very first scene.

Sometimes, though, the other forty-three of you wonder. You feel, and you wonder…something.

One day, the play will finish, and depending upon the final scene this may be a very bad thing for everyone who lives in this world..

DOCTOR SHERLOCK

Mike Sherlock the Freelance Wizard

Mike was born under a very unique statistical anomaly, for whatever reason it would appear that he was the only person born that day, anywhere. Although this would not be immediately noticeable this resulted in Mike being something of a “Weirdness Magnet” always coming across phenomena and situations that couldn’t be explained by conventional science. Wanting to find conventional ways of explaining this Mike initially became interested in the sciences, even going as far as joining medical school after college.

It was after graduation that Mike became convinced that there was more than science at play when he came across a young woman, who was possessed by a demon. In an act of desperation, Mike turned to the magical arts to cure the woman. It was from that point on that he dedicated himself to all forms of magic and sorcery. But sorcery doesn’t pay the bills, using his newfound talents, he said himself up in a small office off of a garage in a Norristown neighborhood and started booking himself as a consultant for the local Medical Examiner’s offices, specifically dealing with unexplained deaths that the Coroner cannot solve.

Powers and Abilities: sorcery, weirdness magnet

SLEEPWALKER

 Sleepwalker

Real Name: Charles Livingstone

Base of Operations: The realms of dreams and nightmares.

Special abilities: Able to walk the Nightmare realm, Flight, Mystical Powers

Long ago, in a time when the world was still shrouded in darkness, there lived a lonely man by the name of Charles Livingstone. He was an outcast to the streets by his family's fear for his ability to communicate with the spirits of the night. Charles found sanctuary in a small encampment outside of town home to many outcasts such as him.

One fateful night, as Charles was performing a sacred ritual to protect him from the dark energies that roamed the city, a powerful spirit of the nightmares appeared before him. The spirit was dark and twisted, with eyes that glowed like fiery embers.

The spirit spoke to Charles, telling him of the perils that lay in the nightmare realm, and how the creatures that dwelled there sought to prey on the dreams of the living. Charles, recognizing the danger posed by these malevolent entities, sought to find a way to protect his people from them.

Determined to find a solution, Charles delved deep into ancient knowledge, seeking the wisdom of the spirits of the night. Through days and nights of meditation and communion with the unseen world, Charles discovered a means to transform himself into a powerful guardian spirit that could slip into the nightmare realm and protect his people from the horrors that awaited them there.

Driven by his dedication to his people, Charles underwent a powerful ritual that imbued him with the essence of the night and transformed him into a spectral being of shadow and light. Now, as the spirit of the plains of night, Charles walks the ethereal realm as Sleepwalker slipping into the nightmare realm to vanquish the creatures that seek to prey upon the dreams of the living.

Today, the Sleepwalker is known as the protector of the night, a guardian of the dream world who roams the plains, keeping the nightmares at bay and ensuring that the spirits of the living are safe from the terrors that lie beyond the veil of sleep.

SAME EVIL, DIFFERENT ERA!