M.L. Crabb's Blog: The Command Deck, page 13

One Grumpy Morning

I take my coffee with almond milk or just straight black. What is your morning go-to drink?


Jadelynn Jackson has a case of the morning grumps
Don't you dare suggest she have a pumpkin spice latte!

The public affairs department is forcing us to "human-ify" the RIA...I mean "Oh, look! We're normal just like you guys!" ...Because being in the RIA somehow makes us Extreme!Human. It's not like we wake up just like regular civilians, whine about going to work, and shake off our crankiness by a super powered drink.

Here's my top secret morning routine! I imagine a lot of this will be diluted into some sort of bland ritual involving "Oh, I must have my pumpkin spice latte before donning my perfectly pressed uniform! Emperor Be Praised!"

Okay, so here it goes. My alarm goes off every morning at five a.m. unless I'm working on a special case or I just pulled an all nighter. You better believe that I slam my fist on that annoying buzz machine. I can't use my chit because one time I threw it across the room and shattered the screen. Yep. Not doing that again.



Once I grumble and curse the morning--Emperor, it's not even light out yet--I throw my covers off, begrudgingly stagger across the room, and pull my workout gear out of my wall locker. A quick sonic shower, change, and Grumpy!Me is heading to RIA headquarters for the most irritating part of my day.

An hour later, I'm back at home. Oh, I'm awake all right, but word to the wise: until I've had my Space Cola (don't knock the lame name 'till you've tried it!) or coffee, steer clear. Steer very clear. You think I'm exaggerating? Ask my neighbor about the time he accidentally knocked on my door to ask me about the fires in Coda Springs. That poor man. That poor, poor man.

Moving on! Okay, so I'm home. I've just had to do an insane workout. I'm cranky. Space Cola. Now. I rip my fridge open and grab the nearest can. Coffee is for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays (days we don't work out).

My mouth waters when it makes that awesome swish sound as I open it. As soon as that first gulp hits my tongue, I'm no longer Scary!Jadelynn, the Friday Night Fright. I take the can, walk over to my balcony, and sit in my favorite chair. I'm not due into the office until eight a.m.

How do you start your morning? Share on Facebook or Twitter! 
* As you can see, I've changed the decor a bit. Expect to see a few tweaks with fonts here and there!

In a Parallel Universe...

I'm knitting socks for my 15 cats. What are you doing?


Who is my alternate universe self? How many parallel universes are out there? Yes, these are questions that keep me up at night. Maybe I read too much sci-fi, or maybe my imagination is far too active, but...well, who is my alternate self?

*Warning!* Humor ahead! ~ All in good fun ~
Alternate Self #1Senior Airman Me has been stationed at the same, stateside base for 10 years, never deployed. She slips through the cracks and does a mediocre job at best. Her uniform is never ironed, but is never crinkled like a ball of foil. She knows how to touch the line without crossing it. Getting promoted or noticed is not on her priority list. Nope.

Her priorities are Legolas, Misty, Bastet, Elrond, Haldir, Princess, Midnight, Thranduil, Tux, Minx, Binx, Pepper, Salt, Katniss, and Spock--her 15 cats. 
SrA Me is getting anxious...she has to get promoted soon, else it's a set of civies for her! Uh Oh! Looks like it's time to clean up all those cat toys and half finished knitting projects!


Alternate Self #2
Where SrA Me is an apathetic cat lover, Master Sergeant Me is awesome. She's seen the world, knows jujitsu, and looks out for her subordinates. Her uniform is always pressed as though she had just walked out of the dry cleaners.

Right now she's staring out a window in some far off place contemplating writing a novel (hey, this *is*  me, after all!). Uh oh! The phone's ringing. It looks like she's going to have to work late.

Who is your alternate self?

What is your alternate self doing right now?Tell me and the world all about your alternate self on Facebook or Twitter! 

They Say it's Your Birthday!

It also just so happens that I have the day off!

I woke up to see that Google had a cute little graphic for me! 
I've been extremely busy as of late, but I made time to sneak some fan art in (between editing several different things, work, and adulting). I'm working on a huge project that I'm excited about, but I won't say more until it's in the final stages...Call me paranoid, but I don't like squeeing, jumping up and down, and chatting about a project until it is practically ready (you never know when a serious case of unavoidable, annoying adulting busy-beeness will strike!).

A vacation is just over the horizon, and by vacation, I mean I am parking my butt here and writing. It will be nice to have some time off! *Must make it...must make it!*

And here's to wishing you a very Triluminary day!

Delenn from Babylon 5 as a Disney Princess

Off to work we go

My faithful bag companion has a +5 Holding attribute, but a - 15 Fashion detractor, and you're about to see everything!


What do you carry? Do you carry a backpack? An awesome satchel of hipster proportions? Or are you a bold soul who carries nothing? If you're brave enough to share, join me on Facebook and make your bag take a selfie at The Command Deck's Facebook Page!
Bonus points if you post your bag's stats! 

Top to bottom, left to right: WalletLock (to secure my bag at work)A notebookA book (I mean...that one is hard :P)A leather bag of change--I needz coffee!Yes, that is an Ipod Classic (5th Generation)--mandatory for my commute!An Umbrella--I told you it had a +5 Holding stat!Hand sanitizer I've never used. Hey, it was free!Lipstick and chapstick. The lipstick is just in case my chapstick gets sucked away into the void (it has happened on occasion). My lips get extremely dry. I need more pens. I do not have enough.Old Dart passes--I always end up tossing them into my bag when they are used up!** Not in my bag right now, but is always a part of my work commute **My lunchAn extra shirt 
Need to cure the incurable cubicle boredom? Click on the image to expand it, right click, and then select "Print."*Fixed! Yes, that is my handwriting. 
 Find the answers here:  Click on the image to view full size

Glory, Pride, and the Maiden Vain: Part 3

Luthandra must flee Westridge! To be sentenced to wed a man with a severe lack of hygiene is to be sentenced to a life of misery! Her elf companion returns and offers a way out, but little does she know that she is walking into a trap.


Part I: Luthandra Raikin
Part II: Dráiden Kaldor


III. Elven TidingsWind whipped the pine trees overhead, making their black silhouettes look like seething dragons with outstretched claws. Luthandra struggled to keep from nodding off. She dug her fingers into the handle on the saddle in an effort to force herself to be alert. He had returned. He had come back for her. The mysterious elf from Adaina Pass had rescued her."I know of an elf lord, my lady," he had said. "I've sent word to my people, and he's agreed to offer his hand! I know I am but a lowly sword-smith, but he...a powerful elf lord with blonde hair. His blade is unmatched! Some say he’s even more skilled than Avanduil."Between the sobs and the lingering odor in her mouth from Lord Kaldor's slimy, grotesque tongue, Luthandra felt she had no other choice. A shudder ran through her when she thought about that wretched kiss. The elf tightened his grip on her torso, mistaking the movement for clumsiness. "I'm okay," she cried. I can't let him think I'm weak. I'm just tired and...She winced. Kaldor was a monster! Oh, the dreadful way he had embraced her! The putrid stench that nearly made her retch right then and there! Then there was the matter of his sadistic sentencing. She couldn't get the image out of her mind...The blood...the fear in the criminal’s eyes as Kaldor sliced his left cheek....because beheading him wasn’t enough... "Hang in there!" the elf called. "We're almost there!" Half the night had gone by, and Luthandra supposed she only had a few hours left until Braynia would wake up to find her mistress gone. The foliage grew thicker the farther they traveled; the trees seemingly banded together like some sort of dark, twisted symphony of the night. She caught the elf occasionally whispering in some unknown, ancient tongue. They were now in The Wunderlands, she knew, the long stretch of forest between Westridge and the elven kingdom of Álainn. No one entered The Wunderlands unless the elves summoned you, and they never summoned you, or so Braynia would say in her stories. The horse slowed to a trot, and she sucked in a deep breath. Finally. Luthandra was sick to death of traveling! She wanted nothing more than to fall into her future husband's arms and bury her face into his beautiful, elven hair.Shadows drifted between the trees as three tiny blue lights flickered into existence. Another elf appeared with two dark figures flanking him. He was adorned in leather and chain-mail so fine that she couldn't distinguish the different links in it. These don't look like regular patrol wardens...Why wear such fancy armor? Is my new husband eager to meet me? She smiled at that. She didn't wait to be helped off the horse. Luthandra swung her legs over and landed on her feet in the cool forest bed. "Celmyra's Gift, Wench," said the elf with the glimmering chain-mail. Her gem began to glow. Metal slid against leather, and she counted three swords being unsheathed as the two shadows stepped into the clearing to join their leader. "I-" she paused, bringing a hand up to her jewel. She covered it. "I'm sorry?" Perhaps wench meant something else in their tongue."You heard me loud and clear. Hand it over, or we rip it from that unworthy neck of yours." Her companion slid down from his horse, and she heard him unsheathe his sword. Its pointy tip pressed against the small of her back."But...I...am...to be married to an elven lord with long blonde hair. We are to have children, and-"The leader laughed, a sneer marring his pale face. "You had your chance." He pressed closer. She covered the amulet with both hands. The elves proved stronger, for she was just a maid of eighteen years. They gripped her wrists and tore her hands from her neck while her companion sliced the chain that held her family's heirloom in place. “How dare you!” she shrieked. “My father will hear-” Her companion backhanded her and grabbed the front of her dress. Luthandra winced. Tears came bursting forth, and she found she had no control over herself. Heat seared from her forehead as her blood boiled beneath her skin. She screamed a series of words she did not know and had no business coming from the mouth of a high born maid.His hands tore the thick fabric of her blue traveling gown. Its sleeves fell down her arms as the thing coiled at her feet. Stars studded her vision, but it was no deed of the elves which blinded her fury so.“I AM LUTHANDRA RAIKIN! I AM GOING TO BE LADY OF WESTRIDGE!”“Glory and riches wants she, the Maiden Vain,” they laughed. The leader swept his torso into a mocking bow as his fellows continued chanting their impromptu song. “How can you be Lady of Westridge if you run away from your betrothed?” he sneered. “Leave her with just her chemise,” he barked. The others dropped their haughty grins. “Let her wander The Wunderlands in her own misguided blindness.” There was a hiss, and the elves were gone.

Oh Look, a Penny!

Do you carry around a lucky charm, a favorite key chain, or wear a special necklace to help get you through the day?


Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have that one "lucky" little talisman we carry around in our pockets, grab before a big event, or keep in a special spot in a special place. There is some part of us that likes the idea of clutching onto hope. Even characters have secret little good luck charms!


Meet JFK JR! Elly's lucky fifty-cent piece. Before the big incident of 2012, she carried it around in her wallet. It was one of those things she came across back in 2003, at the height of the Iraq War. Something felt weird and off when she stepped forward to board the bus that would ferry her to the airport.

Elly glanced down to see a dated piece of Americana staring up at her. A smile pleated her nervous face as she plucked it from the asphalt. In the months that followed, nerves were best dealt with by flipping the coin between her forefinger and thumb.

It had earned itself a permanent spot in her black, leather wallet when she made it back to the States. By the summer of 2012, she had almost forgotten it was there.

The empire took every thing she had on her that fated day she crossed the anomaly. The Lafayette snatched it all up before Lieutenant Braxton could log it into his system.

50¢ Facts:
Share your own lucky charms, favorite objects, and awesome objects made of pure awesomeness on Facebook! 

I'll be there posting one of my own!


Want more US 50¢ coin facts? Head on over to Wikipedia for more info!

A Very Glittertastic Commission Sale

It's a sale!
I'm offering 10% off on all commissions for the entire month of August!

Head on over to Commission Corner for a sample of my digital work!

I am throwing in the option to choose a pencil and ink drawing for a flat rate of $10.*

If you want the picture shipped to you, please let me know when you place the order (you will have to pay S&H). I tend to fill my sheets of paper to the brim!

*Includes one character inked and shaded with or without a basic background

How to claim your glittertastic discount:
Shoot me an email at thecommanddeck[at]outlook[dot]com with glittertastic10 as the subject header.

* replace [at] with @ and [dot] with .
* I accept Paypal!
*Note: I work a full time job, so depending on the complicity of the commission, it can take anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks. 

Pencil and Ink Drawing Samples:

There are no Zombies When Adulting

*Dusts my precious little blog off*

I've been sidetracked by a case of having too many ideas and only two hands to type with. Bouncing back and forth between The Maiden and a new short story I'm working on has been an wild ride of troubled characters doing dramatic things they shouldn't be doing.

Aaron "Earendil" Winters decided he wanted to be in the limelight of a story that takes place a year after the events in The Year is Now. I have a special plans for that tale, but before I make any solid announcements, I want to make sure I have everything set in stone first. I mean, you can't build a house on a barely there foundation.

As for my adulting life in real time? Adulting. Adulting. More adulting. There's nothing exciting going on as of late unless you count walking around Costco and pretending it is a post-apocalyptic bunker... I am happy to report that no zombies got in. It is a Grade-A Zombie Free Zone.

Mission: Pluto Station

Hello, hello, everyone! I feel like it's been ages since I've written a post in here. I hope you are all enjoying you summers so far.

Original photo is courtesy of NASA. 
Tomorrow marks NASA's first ever flyby of Major Pierson's favorite rock in the universe. I am super excited about this because Pluto plays a huge role in The Year is Now! I spent a lot of time researching it before I even created the empire's Atlas V project and Pluto Station.
To see all of NASA's latest pictures from New Horizons of Pluto, Charon, and that part of our solar system brings me goosebumps! If you've been following me on Twitter and Facebook, you're already in the loop.
It just so happens that I have tomorrow off. I feel like I'm in an episode of Fortune Favors the Writer. I get to see how close my imagination was to the real thing (along with research done by astronomers up to this point). And for burps and giggles, I wonder if they'll discover any anomalies.
You can follow NASA's mission here: New Horizons
As for me, I've been busy with work and the mundane adulting stuff of real life. I'm hoping I'm in for a not-busy, yet creatively productive spell next. This seems to come and go in waves. 
Here's to wishing you a smooth Monday.

Glory, Pride, and the Maiden Vain: Part 2

Lord Dráiden Kaldor will do anything for his betrothed. All of the grand plans he had for a feast are thrown out the window when a situation that requires his immediate attention arises. He takes Luthandra with him, for she must learn that life in Westridge is rough.

Part 1: Luthandra Raikin


II. Dráiden KaldorHe knew he wasn't a looker, and he knew women whispered behind closed doors. He was hideous with an incurable case of foul breath, but that didn't mean he was a fool. Dráiden gazed at his future wife with a sense of satisfaction. At least she stood firm and masked whatever ill-begotten thoughts she might be thinking behind an expressionless face. Most women produced a shudder at the very least. This one will stay. I can feel it.The fingers of his right hand twitched. She's holding her breath. Had he forgotten to chew on mint leaves!? He had been so sure that everything was ready...Dráiden extended his arm towards his betrothed. It's no matter. She would have found out anyway. Better I know her reactions now than find out later..."Ride with me," he said with a soft smile. "I'll show you your new home." ..."My lord...My beloved," his lovely Luthandra started. She was still in the traveling dress he had sent her, and her pale face was traced with lines of exhaustion. She frowned. Her brows made a cute dimple when they scrunched the way they did. She doesn't want to offend me! Something in his gut fluttered. Women liked to mistake his unsightly appearance for cowardice and ignorance. They underestimated him. Always. "Forgive me if I am speaking out of place, but I am not yet Lady Kaldor, and I-" She stopped before the gilded chair beside his throne. Her pale fingers did not flinch as her eyes studied the intricate rose petals carved into the wood. His mother had sat in that chair, and her mother before her..."You will sit in the empty throne beside my own," he said before she could stammer her beauty away. "Life can be rough here, and you will soon be Lady of this place. There are times when Duty calls me elsewhere," he smiled and gazed at her. She blushed, but complied and sat down. Her skirts swished in all the right ways as she moved. Luthandra's fingers twitched on the armrests. She's young. Remember that, Dráiden. She'll get used to this. "An unfortunate emergency has arisen. I am most sorry for this. I promise that we will feast when it is over.""As you wish, my lord," she bowed her head, and none too soon. The doors to the throne room swung open. One of his wardens came rushing in, his chainmail clinking and slinking with his strides. The man went to one knee before speaking. "We've caught him, and he told us where he hid the boy." Kaldor twirled the hair on his chin and waited. "The rumors....are true. My men were able to get it out of him...""Then he will be punished accordingly. Fit him with a collar and bring him to the courtyard." He glanced over at his groom, his chief servant. "Fetch me Arrowheart." Preston bowed his head before shifting from his position below the tapestries that hung to Dráiden's right.Dráiden rose, his thick, velvet clothing rustling with his movement. "Ready my horse, one for my betrothed, and five men. I'll bring the boy back myself. It was I who put that man in charge of Helenion's Citadel for the Gifted." ...He walked arm in arm with Luthandra along the dimly lit halls of his castle. Darkness had replaced the bright sun which had brought her to him. He hoped she liked the suite he had set aside for her. A fire in a homely fireplace was waiting for her. Her handmaiden, he knew, would be there to bathe her in the warm bath his servants had readied.He stopped when they came to the rosewood doors of her suite. Whatever artist had carved the thousand flowers in the ancient wood had died eons ago, and some wondered if the person was even Man at all.He placed his hands onto her shoulders, gently turning her so that he could look at her. Circles weighed her eyes down, and she couldn't hide the frown on her face with one of her polite smiles. He cupped her chin."I know that wasn't what you expected, my sweet," he purred. She stiffened and regarded him in silence. The frown on her face twitched, but she said nothing. "You did well today. Your riding skills are commendable, and the way you handled the child when we pulled him from the cave..." he paused. No. That isn't what is bothering her, and you know it. It seemed that Arel had sheltered his daughter from the bloodier parts of lordship. The fool."I'm the one who carried out the sentence, and thus it was me who had to do the final deed.""I," she started, he ran his finger over her cheek. "I know. Never trust a lord who hires and hides behind a masked executioner." Her town was weary, and he knew that she was tired, but--He kissed her. He kissed her hard.His tongue ruled her mouth while his hands brought her close to his body so that he could feel her soft form against his. Dráiden broke away when he felt her weaken. She is exhausted...leave her be. It took great restraint to let go of her and open the doors to her chamber. "Goodnight, Luthandra," he whispered. She bowed her head, her sandy hair hiding her face."Goodnight," she whimpered. "I...fear...I'm...too tired..." He let the heavy door fall shut behind her.Dráiden headed for his own chambers across the large hall which joined the two master suites. He drifted in a mindless daze until he was standing at his favorite balcony. It was a secluded place. It was his thinking spot...And brooding post. His eyes fell over the garden below.The moon was a crescent sliver, barely bathing Westridge in any light at all. Still, he could see twinges of its soft glow reflecting off of the water trickling from the fountain. A hooded figure approached it, throwing back its cloak to reveal the face of a handsome elf. Something within Dráiden's chest tightened. I hate it when Ciallmhar's people come waltzing around here as if they own the place. He turned. Though his relationship with the elves was neutral, he couldn't help but be jealous. Elves were never unsightly. No. I will not ruin such a fine day as this! Closing his eyes, he focused on the day's events. Finally a woman who won't shudder at the sight of me or try to overstep her place because I am ugly. He sighed, rubbed his head, and went into his chambers.