We are really going to miss these people! Inklings Craft AND Community are our tribe. Yes, singular.
Here’s the rundown of the evening, by Daniel Martinez.
“Nine – Nueve – Nove – Neuf – Neun – Negen – Devet – Nente
For the second straight session, Inklings-Craft made it through a reading list nine entries long, an achievement that once seemed like a long shot.
I read first, bringing the fifth chapter of ‘The Captain of the Guard’. In this segment, Senator Trevor Creel brought his prized girlfriend Susanna to meet his adopted family of Larry, Ginny, and Joey, along with Joey’s would-be fiance’ Nadine. Things are generally hopeful, but Trevor, despite having seemingly everything he could want, remains haunted by a past of trauma and loss.
The soon-to-be-married ( 
š ) Samuel read Ch. 15 of ‘Fractured Heroes’. Another in a consistently-entertaining and informative string of flashbacks, this showed us the early years of Jonathan Leonard, when he first gained the ability to read minds (his interaction with his girlfriend, LOL) from the Gabore Formula. Meanwhile, another person who gained powers from the Gabore Formula was one Robbie McGuire, a small-time criminal/security thug for the Bennettellis, who barely escaped Enrico’s murder massacre. Robbie may be in danger, but that didn’t stop him from having his interest piqued by one Maria Bennettelli, leading to an amusing episode that will forever be known as “Rubicle: Origins”…
Zombie Tess Stockslager reminded us what a trip caffeine can be, how depressing Minnesota is, and that it was Rabbit’s door Winnie the Pooh once got stuck in, not his own. 
š Amidst the zombie apocalypse, Sam, Adrian, and new friend/hitchhiker Ramona return to Sam’s hometown of Hibbing, MN, where he finds his dad a clan leader of sorts, his formerly depressed mom healthy and happy, and his old friend Frankie, who has “the arms of someone who spends a lot of time at the gym and the abs of someone who spends a lot of time around garlic bread” ^^
Tyler Warner dodged any talk of a sophomore slump with his eagerly-awaited second effort, in which the Ashleys’ German neighbor Stryker gave teasing hints of a childhood run-in with vampires, Charles Ashley went about town with his friend Tom and his friend Tom, and Charles ran into an amiable, pretty childhood friend Genevieve (also known as Jenny). With lots of humor and a spark of romantic interest between Charles and Jenny, things are pretty upbeat, but what to make of the dark details of a bloody cockfight, and significant early discussion on the meaning and validity of Fear?
Also remember, if someone says they are “somewhat familiar” with a certain subject, that means they know nothing about it xD
Dragon Tess Curtis read Chapter 8 of “Dragonsayer”, in which Saera sat down to a dinner with her father awaiting a distraction so she could partake in a most important errand. The distraction comes (an unbalanced person wielding a knife in the Great Hall), Saera is left alone, and she finds the dragon eggs, despite smug wisecracks in her head from Thayna the dragon. Saera puts the eggs in a sack and sends a maid to take them to Shirinna, but can they keep this up without being found out?
While Josiah Brown promised more of his sci-fi story about Jared and the Kraken in the future, he brought a few entertaining bits of his comic strip “When in Rome”. Passing the pages around, we got to see some of main characters’ Carl and Marcus’ hi-jinks, which included an attempt to spear a sleeping lion and just roman about.
Bethany Dewhurst read from her “Skye” story, in which her troubled, on-the-run protagonist falls in with a pair of renegade animists (people who can change into animals), named Pack and Raven. They offer to help her find her mother, who she believes has been imprisoned in the capital city of Apex. Meanwhile, in Apex, a series of villains with awesome names (Ersus, Inferno, Lucana and Ash) scheme of a way to kill Skye and all her fellow renegades.
Our hostess Whitney Akers reminded us no one does descriptions — or reading voices — quite like her, in a doozy of a scene in which Odette was taken prisoner, she and Wolfheart had to work together to kill her captor Hedian, and then Odette, showing serious backbone, calls Wolfheart’s bluff (“you care about me”). She doesn’t even back down when he calls her a daft wench xD He can’t quite hide his appreciation/feelings for her, and he offers to help her get home. Aww, our big bad Wolfheart goin’ all soft on us.
Also, am I the only one who thinks Whitney, Tyler, and Erik Marsh could provide all the voices of an animated series just between the three of them? Because I think they could.
Last but certainly not least, timekeeper Kelsey read a scene (Ch. 4, “Sapphires”) from the classic “Dreamteller”. Despite Kelsey’s claims, it WASN’T a particularly awkward scene, one in which Shannyn gets a feel for Adrian for the first time–his rough-and-toughness, his determination, but also his charm and his *cough* attractive masculinity. He presented her with a necklace, and promised to hunt down the dastardly rebels who broke into the citadel. Shannyn is still worried about her tendency to keep secrets (and have crazy dreams), but she’s feeling drawn to Adrian. Her life certainly is getting much more interesting.
As usual, Inklings Craft was great. Big thanks to Whitney, Nathan, and the whole Akers crew for their kindness and hospitality, thank you to everyone for your reading and input, and Happy (Belated) Birthday to Shaq S. Lambert!!! We’ve missed you at Inklings these past few times, but hope you had a great day celebrating!
Also, shout-out to the Meltons, who made their last Inklings III visit last night because they are #movingtofreakingPoland. Remember, Inklings, if you’re ever in Eastern Europe and in need of hospitality, they said they have “a couch open”. In the meantime, you can stay up-to-date and follow their exploits on Kami‘s new blog MeanderingMeltons.com.
Food. Fun. Fiction. Fellowship. Friends. Inklings-Craft always delivers. You guys rock. Thanks for reading. š
Meandering Meltons 