[Sundays Kinda-Campaign] Have you seen Corrie?

So this past week, I went back to Sunday at Cultivate Coworking, I ran a short adventure where Corrie was missing.

Coriander "Corrie" Gardner is another halfling from the Gardner clan. She and her siblings run a bakery in town. Corrie has gone into the forest to harvest a unique bark with a very unique flavor.

So enter adventurers...

In the end, a "poor" little bard stayed for five days and learned the mating rights of the evil dryad...

The Gardners did not find any potential bridges/grooms, but they paid for the return of their sister.

[Kinda Book Report] Essential X-Men Vol 2

I finally found the final 2 Essential X-Men that I missed, allowing me to have all 10 "issues" (which covers ~1975-1992). I left comments about those in previous years, about #1. Since it's been a few years since I read them, I decided to treat myself to the whole series. From "Giant-Size X-men" to around X-Men 250.

There is something about this series that is just brilliant. When you read it all in a short period, you get to notice all the little side-plots and foreshadowing. Seriously, this is a masterclass in long-term plotting. Not only does the writing feel at the same time to be very fast-paced and slow-paced, with stories given time to rise to the front. From the Shiar Empire, to the Savage Lands, with team splits and returns, this is one never-ending series of comic writing an drawing (John Byrne is at the top of his game here and co-plots).

I cannot recommend it enough. I've been foregoing sleephours to read.

Now, the culmination of it all... The Dark Phoenix Saga... Dang... That shit is good.

That final issue, where the X-men fight the Imperial Guard on the moon to determine Phoenix's fate is gut-wrenching. The final exchange between Phoenix and Cyclops... It gets to me still.

She must die. But... she's such a great character. And the reasons for her to die and live... Sheer brilliance. Even after reading that issue several times... It gets me. Even knowning Jean would return later, it's still a punch to the gut.

I know several people hate Jim Shooter, but I love the man's work. How he cared for the characters and their integrity... Marvel even produced an alternative ending - that Claremont and Byrne wanted where Phoenix survived. To me, this felt more tragic. Yes, Phoenix had to die. I will have to write one day about how JS influenced how I write and create FOE adventures.

To follow-up this story... we go from Dark Phoenix to "Days of Futures Past" a distopian future I was first introduce to via the Marvel Super Heroes RPG... Sentinels everywhere, Sprite is Colossus' wife, Wolverine getting obliterated, the underhanded introduction of "Rachel"...

If you wonder the score... it's a solid 5/5. On all fronts. I can't wait to keep reading the continuation of the storylines...