Y'all need to understand, Kent Connolly wasn’t just a super fan.
From the personal terminal of Sharon Rivers, aka the Mistress of Mystery:
I wanted to complain about the history of the Eye of Ra as depicted in Season 7, Episode 12, "The Thieves of Thebes." This episode seems to suggest that the Mistress may not have possessed the Eye during her second expedition to Egypt to vanquish the Cult of the Unseen Seer. As I'm sure you know, in Mistress of Mystery #141, a flashback shows the Mistress wearing the Eye at a museum gala that must have occurred between the first and second expeditions. The fan consensus is that she obtained the Eye during the first expedition, although I personally think it was among the relics she inherited from her father the archaeologist.
Your line could be taken to mean that she didn't have it with her at the time, but that seems unlikely, since she wore it (or a similar brooch) in several panels near the beginning of the Sorcerous Plague arc, which is set only a few days later.
As a longtime fan of your work, I know how important maintaining the history and continuity of the Mistress' canon is to you, and I hope you will speak with the writers about being more careful with this in the future.
P.S. Like many fans, I was dismayed by the changes to the Grab of Secrets introduced in the most recent issue. While I understand the difficulty of actually fighting in a full evening dress in the upcoming television show (and possible feature films?), the full-length dress has been a staple of the Mistress' costume since her debut. I'm planning to organize a letter-writing campaign about this, and I'd appreciate your support.
P.P.S. I'm a huge fan of your work, and I'm looking forward to your appearance in the Silver Shroud show next year.
So yeah, he was that guy. 😑
But then you find the terminal of Fredrick Rivers, husband of Sharon. Engineer, Silver Shroud enthusiast, & absolute madman (affectionate):
----------------------------- HOLOTAPE CORRESPONDENCE
Date: 3/8/77 From: Connolly, Kent To: Fred Subj: RE: Mistress of Mystery -----------------------------
This is really something. When you said you had a whole base laid out, I expected a couple of sketches, not architectural diagrams.
I mean, look, I'm no electrician. I can't critique your wiring. But this looks incredible. The Hall of Trials is spot-on with the training montage from issue #102. The color scheme is right out of the comics. The detailing's phenomenal.
Let me stick to what I can comment on. I've got some notes on your last round of proposals. Love to hear what you think.
Chatting about the Mistress' stealth doohickey:
I like your second approach better. Why integrate the cloaking device and the gas when just wiring the gas release to the field switch will do? Sure makes assembly easier. Getting the explosive-release valve right is going to be tricky, but this should cut down on potential leaks.
You sure you want to use HalluciGen Gas though? Their HQ is up my way, and word on the street is that stuff's bad news. If you decide to try this out, make sure you've got enough ventilation, just in case.
The Veil!!! (My favorite gas mask of ALL time.)
If you're thinking about building that Phantom Device, you need to make sure your Veil has built in gas filtration.
Much as I hate to admit it, you'll want to use the mask from the Mistress' new costume. The traditional one would never give you a good enough seal. Try a multilayered asbestos liner. Activated charcoal would work better, but there's no way you can make that work in a cloth veil.
Kent! Baby! Coming in with the brilliance!
Really? You're seriously going with the new Garb? I mean, look, I get it. It's more practical than the traditional dress. But it just isn't her! The Mistress of Mystery has always worn a full-length gown! (Except for the Scourge of the Sahara arc. Let's not go there.)
I'm putting together a letter-writing campaign about it. I'm even going to write Shannon Rivers (the voice actress for the Mistress). If we can get her on board, Hubris is bound to listen. You're obviously as much of a fan of the Mistress as I am. You mind writing her too?
Yeah, Kent thought he was just talking with another fan. Had no idea he was fandom besties with the Mistress' hubby. 🤣
So anyway, Fredrick ended up building the Mistress' hideout from the show. Because his main hobby, after being the world's most supportive husband, was making his wife's character's world REAL.
What do you mean 'you built it'?
Look, Fred, that's a little much, even from you. I've seen those plans, remember? I mean, sure, you got all the details down. You're as into this as I am. But you're never going to get that kind of hardware. Military-grade mainframe? Combat simulator? It'd cost millions! You have a fortune you haven't been telling me about?
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see whatever it is you've built. A model? Some kind of get-up in your garage? Mail me some photos along with your next tape. Always great talking with you.
Ahahahahaha, it was literally a whole ass LAIR underneath Riverside Manner. "Garage." Ha.
Yeah, I know it's what they're using in the TV show. And believe me, I'm looking forward to it. The Silver Shroud is my all-time favorite hero! I just don't think it's the right call for the Mistress.
One way or the other, though, you should think about adding some kind of protection to the costume. I saw an article in Guns and Ammo about a new concept for ballistic weave. You've got connections. Any chance you could get your hands on it? If you do, could you send some my way?
Kent? What do you need ballistic weave for???
God, don't get me started on this. Yeah, sure, incendiary cartridges would work. So would resonance ammo, or hypersonic shot, or even EMP bullets.
We've complained about the Voice for years, but Hubris just keeps retconning it. If you want a gun that can handle whatever crazy thing they come up with next, your best bet might be to build a stable hollow receiver so you can swap out the mechanics.
Sooo, yeah. Kent helped Fredrick make it real. & after the bombs fell, Sharon became the Mistress for realsies. Beating up bad guys (at 46+yrs old, no less). Saving the day. She took in as many girl orphans as they could & trained them to be Mistresses, too.
It's THE BEST quest in FO76 & almost no one does it. Idk why. You get such a cool outfit in the end, too! Also, I legit cried. I cried, y'all.
Anyway! Kent = alpha fan. King of fans.
