When heroes work together

So the Man of Steel and Batman are to team up and fight crime together.

 

Or are they? Are they, as some have suggested, about to become enemies and not a dual fighting force? Superheroes fans are a little anxious at the moment. Personally, I will watch the film which ever way it turns out. But I know there are some serious fans out there who really do not want a 'versus' situation.

 

Two heads are better than one, even if one of those heads is the Super head of an alien Man of Steel. But this is not my area. My area is the Dark Ages, and it led me to consider some partnerships in the past. 

 

The first that came to my mind is one I have researched intensively: Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Gwynedd. An unlikely pairing, Penda was a pagan and an Anglo-Saxon and the enemy, in most cases, of Christian Britons, which Cadwallon was. But they did form an alliance and fought together in a number of battles. The most famous of these was against Northumbria and the king there, Edwin. Edwin was defeated during the battle at Hatfield Chase, in 633 AD. The result certainly put Mercia and Penda into the history books.

 

Originally my book Gulfyrian was to start at this point and I had planned to develop the relationship between Penda and Cadwallon. Cadwallon was the senior king at this time and Penda must have been serving his apprenticeship as a successful warrior. There was so much information as well as a huge timescale that I eventually decided to drop this part of Penda's life in Gulfyrian. However, all the information - research, ideas, plot lines - are still saved on my pc to be brought out another day. And they will.

 

Other notable duos include Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, Lennon and McCartney, Starsky and Hutch, Pierre and Marie Curie and some not on the good side such as Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Thelma and Louise. Famous adversaries are David and Goliath, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide and Dr Who and the Daleks. Duos are the way forward, one way or another.

 

I will conclude with two quotes. The first is from the actor Tommy Lee Jones: "Partnerships are good engines for narrative."

 

Second, from English footballer Wayne Rooney: "Perfect partners don't exist. Perfect conditions exist for a limited time in which partnerships express themselves best."

 

So on that basis, Superman and Batman can work together for a while. Unless they are enemies. Either way, it will make a good film. I think.

The Dark Garden, Chapter 7

A little wooden sword, that had never borne witness to an oath or a killing, was dropped in the grave beside the prince. Blackberries, too, for the journey to the afterlife. Jeffrey liked blackberries.

Read on... http://www.ajsefton.com/#!serialised-novel/c1yda

How role play has evolved

It is another one of those shameful secrets adults like to keep to themselves. But it has always taken place. There are appropriate names - nobody uses their real ones in case they are 'outed'. Code words, passwords, secret rendezvous. It's a serious and dark world for the role-player.

 

It is not the same as acting. These people are not, nor aspire to become, thespians. 

 

There are three types of adult role-player. First, the historical re-enactor. They are people who pretend as if they are from a past period and often will re-enact events - usually famous battles. This has been a pastime for thousands of years. There is evidence that the ancient Romans and Chinese indulges in such role-play.

 

In modern times the re-enactors take their role-playing very seriously. Everything from weapons, clothes and food are reproduced accurately as possible. Old techniques such as wool dying are carried out in the same ways they were in the re-enactment period. The re-enactors can spend thousands of pounds when purchasing a replica sword. 

 

Whilst not a re-enactor myself, I am a spectator. The re-enactors' craft is invaluable to me as it gives me a unique insight as to what it may have been like in Anglo-Saxon times during battle. The camp followers, the sounds of battle, clothes and cooking are all fairly accurate and help me create scenes for my stories.

 

The second type of role-play is the game (RPG), where people take on the part of characters in order to create a story. This is further divided into live action role-play (LARP) and the original format, the tabletop RPG. In the original tabletop version the story develops through discussion. In both types of RPG there is a game master (GM) who decides on the rules and setting and acts as a kind of umpire. The first famous example is Dungeons and Dragons. This was inspired by fantasy literature and those wonderful Early Medieval tales of King Arthur: a mix of folklore, pagan beliefs and magic as well as heroic quests and square jawed heroes.

 

The natural evolution was the transfer to electronic versions and it happened as early as the 1970s. With an Internet connection for educational purposes, university students developed Multi-User Dungeons (MUD). As technology progressed so did the games. Whole worlds have been created and include a host of species and have involved millions of users throughout the world. The most successful game, World of Warcraft, has had over ten million subscribers. I have dabbled in this game as well as Diablo and my first and favourite role-playing computer game, Dungeon Siege. My hero was named Gulfyrian.

 

There are trends in gaming as much as any other area of life and I know that a number of teenagers are creating their own fantasy role-playing. Similar to the Fanfics theme, people choose their fictional characters from films such as the Marvel franchise, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek and the television series Heroes. Often these role-plays are carried out on social network sites like Twitter. They seem like a lot of fun.

 

As for me, as a teacher I was role-playing all the time. Now and again, when there was time, I dressed up as an historical figure, King Charles I, for example. In character I could threaten those pupils who forgot their homework with wonderful punishments like walking the plank, the gallows or - for persistent offenders - being hung drawn and quartered.

 

Very evolutionary.

To see an example from a Star Trek role play click here

Chapter 5 of The Dark Garden is out tomorrow

The Dark Garden has its next chapter tomorrow, Wednesday. Catch up with previous chapters here:

The Dark Garden

Superman's lost his - why everyone should have a utility belt

I went to see the new Superman film Man of Steel recently. I found it enjoyable but was caught up in the controversy over his new outfit. I do believe that the producers made the right decision in letting the poor man wear his underwear under his outside clothes. Besides being a totally daft look that made the superhero an international laughing stock, it was so 1950s. I'm not sure why the concept of wearing clothes in the wrong order is reminiscent of the rock'n'roll decade that was the 1950s, but it is. So at least the new Superman has progressed into a twenty-first century version, just like Batman and Thor.

 

Fans have claimed that in the next film Superman will have a little bit of a makeover in as much as he will regain his belt. Not external panties though. Which is good news because everyone should wear a belt.

 

 

Batman would be lost without his. Like those of police officers, Batman's belt is part of his toolkit for crime fighting and not just a fashion accessory or for keeping up his trousers. It contains various canisters and bat shaped implements called batarangs, which work as throwing weapons that return like boomerangs. The belt also has handcuffs similar to those used by police officers. I particularly like the canisters that contain whatever is necessary for his particular predicament. In one instance there was shark repellent. Very useful. He also carries napalm, lasers, tasers, smoke pellets, explosive gel and Kryptonite, in case he comes up against Superman.

 

 

Other supporters of utility belts are Ninja warriors to enable them to carry their weapons and Jedi warriors (from Star Wars). I wear one when travelling abroad to house my money, headache tablets, insect repellent, moist wipes and other bits and bobs I deem vital for that particular journey.

 

 

The thing is, no matter how great and modern I feel utility belts are, the Anglo-Saxons were using them at least a thousand years before anyone I mentioned above. They tied in the tunics or dresses, so were practical. But they were essential for the survival of the people in their daily lives. Examinations of grave sites have given us a glimpse of what they carried with them. There was always a seax for the free people, which was a knife, or dagger, that was used as a culinary knife or a cutting tool for day to day living. It was probably not used as a weapon although it had that capability, and was carried by all men and women who were not slaves. Hanging from the thin leather or fabric belt would have been keys (made from wood, bone or horn) and a pouch. Inside the pouch coins, combs and flint have been recovered. The flint stones would have been like matches to light fires. The combs tell us that they took care of their hair. Which is a nice thought.

 

 

To see replicas of Anglo-Saxon utility belts take a look at my Pinterest page.

 

 

I'm off to the birthplace of Zeus in a couple of weeks and I'm just assessing what I should put in my utility belt this time. Superman - take note.