#darkages

There was a civilian child walking towards the invading army from the infinite realms lead by their tyrannical ruler. The Justice League tried to stop force their way through, save the boy.

Instead of that, however, they were blocked by multiple ghosts, all hellbent on not leaving them alone. Superman tried to get close to the kid? Piles upon piles of ghosts knocked him back. Wonder Woman? The same thing happened.

The thing was, that wasn't even the ground army who did it. But the ones in the sky.

So the kid was walking towards an entire army by himself. One hellbent on taking over Earth and have no qualms about ending the short life of a human boy.

Instead of watching a child die, a life they failed to save. Something else happened.

The army parted for him.

Just as Moses parted the Red Sea, the same happened with the ghosts. They made a clear-cut line for him to walk straight towards their king with no obstacle, even clearing the way of anything that could pose as one.

Again, the Justice League tried to go down to drag the boy away, only to again be denied by the ghosts flying through the sky. Only to stop chasing as soon as they retreated a certain distance.

The ghosts stood still, and only moved as they got close, unlike their previous acts of causing havoc and mayhem. So, the Justice League, as much as they didn't want too, stood still and watched.

The boy stood at a stop before the king, painfully tiny in comparison to the massive ghostly tyrant standing before him with his arms crossed.

"Yo, dad." The boy said, and the Justice League froze in shock.

===

"Yo, dad." Danny lifted a hand up in greeting, before dropping that hand to rub at his neck. "Funny seeing you here, I guess."

"Phantom..." Pariah Dark's voice was soft yet booming and seemed to echo throughout the battlefield. "We meet once again on the field of battle, come to challenge me again, little one? Without your armor, no less?" Pariah tilted his head to the side slightly, questioning.

"Oh that? Yea that got destroyed ages ago," Danny shrugged, as if not having it didn't bother him at all. "Parents couldn't exactly, you know, finish it. Plus, they had other things to work on, so they just decided to scrap the thing altogether." He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged again. "So, yea..."

Pariah looked the boy over, his eyes hardening and he clicked his tongue at what he saw.

"You come here, not with armor," Pariah began, strength in his voice and a fire (literally) in his eyes. "Nor a weapon, or a shield, and no allies of any kind-"

"Well those guys are there" Danny pointed behind him, straight at the Justice League.

"-Walk up to a hostile force with no gauge of their strength." But Pariah just barreled on as if the Justice League were an afterthought. "And face their leader and do not expect to come to harm!?" The Ghost King scowled, and the Justice League tensed.

But just tilted his head slightly. "Well, are you going to harm me?" He asked.

Pariah Dark blinked, then whispered. "I could, child. I could kill you." He put a strong emphasis on the word kill.

"You could," Danny nodded. "But are you going to hurt me?"

The Ghost King remained silent, but his gaze intensified.

Danny shrugged, this time with a smile. "See? You wouldn't hurt me so it's fine. Ya big softie."

Pariah's scowl intensified. "I am not soft, child."

"Oh really?" Danny leaned forward and his smile took on a more playful edge. "Then what's you're reason for visiting Earth, hmmmm?"

"To wage war and fight against this world's mightiest heroes." The Ghost King answered quickly.

"Annnnnnnd?"

The king remained silent for a moment and Danny stepped forwards before he face planted onto concrete. "C'mon, dad. Tell me the other reason you came here." Danny crossed his arms, mimicking the Ghost King's pose.

They stared each other in the eyes for a moment, before Pariah looked off the side with green dusting his cheeks. "You have not visited in 50 years, son..." He whispered, but everyone heard it.

"Hah! Knew you missed me!" Danny said shamelessly with a satisfied and smug smile.

"And your father forced me out of the realms because I upset him." Small embers started igniting themselves on the tips of the king's hair.

Silence echoed over the battlefield, before Danny burst out laughing. Pariah Dark's hair fully exploded into green fire as he reached a hand to cover his face. "Of course, alongside the shameless and cheekiness, you get Clockwork's sense of humor as well..."

The Making of the Middle Ages: An Atlas of Europe

An in-depth historical atlas that examines the history of Europe from circa 117 CE to 1000 CE. The focus of the book is not on the full period of medieval Europe but rather on how the Europe that we recognise today was formed during the early Middle Ages. It does so using fantastic maps, short and varied descriptive chapters, and many detailed illustrations.

John Haywood, who received a PhD in early medieval European history, is a veteran of creating historical atlases, and his latest book does not disappoint. The Making of the Middle Ages focuses on the period that has traditionally been described as the "Dark Ages", from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the High Medieval Period (c. 400-1000 CE). It is during this period that Europe as we know it today was formed as power transitioned from the ancient Mediterranean empires to the kingdoms of northern Europe.

This volume contains a plethora of beautifully designed maps. Each map examines one aspect of history, making the maps both in-depth and not overwhelming. Unlike some of Haywood's earlier atlases, there are more pages containing text than there are map pages: Between each map, there are two to three pages of text explaining the history that the maps examine.

The texts in this book are divided into many short chapters (they tend to be a couple of pages in length at most) that succinctly explain facets of medieval history, easily accessible to a general reader. All of the major kingdoms, wars, and events of the period are covered, from the fall of the Roman Empire and the Migration Age to the rise of the Frankish kingdoms, the German Empire, the Rus, and the Vikings.

Haywood explores cultural practices, such as "The Germanic Warrior", individual cities like Ravenna, or questions on mythology, such as his chapter titled "King Arthur, man or myth?" Equally, daily life is explored in chapters such as "Towns, Trade and Farming".

As medieval Europe is very much defined by its adoption of Christianity, there are many maps and chapters looking at Christian Europe from different angles: The spread of Christianity, the building of churches, and the clerical divisions of the late Roman Empire. Several chapters are devoted to the interaction between religion and science, as well as Monasticism.

While the book focuses on Christian Europe, several chapters and maps examine other religions, including the rise of Muhammad, the Islamic Civilisation, and the Jews in Europe under both Christian and Muslim rule.

The book also covers a range of topics that are often glanced over in histories of the European Middle Ages. I was surprised to find chapters on "Scandinavia before the Vikings" and multiple chapters and maps on the Magyars. These are not common topics in medieval studies, and covering them makes this book even more interesting to read.

The Making of the Middle Ages: An Atlas of Europe is well-written and accessible. The maps are of high quality, and the matte print makes for a pleasant reading experience. The text pages contain plenty of white space for illustrations, smaller maps, and photographs to complete the reading and learning experience. This is a highly recommended book, but it must be noted that the title is somewhat misleading, as it only covers the early Middle Ages, not the entirety of the period.

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from that time i found a risoprinter in osaka so i made a little zine using real recipes used in england over 1000 years ago, brought to you by my oc sanguine

the term "lǣċe-bōc", or "leechbook" in more modern english, more or less means "book of medicine". the zine is based on real recipes for maladies and sicknesses found in a book called Bald's Leechbook, as well as Lacnunga, which is a collection of Anglo Saxon medicial texts, charms and prayers. both these texts are extraordinary as they were both written about 1000 years ago and are some of very few if not the only surviving records of any medical practice in the dark ages in England. I really like the way the lines between what we might consider "magic" or "medical" are blurred in these texts, really making the world these recipes are from feel otherworldly and fantastical. this project was just an idea of how i could play with the texts. it was fun

i made a mistake in the printing files so the real zine covers are all hand finished in red pencil because i accidentally left out a layer 😭 but it made them all unique and special and i completely sold out

Æthelflæd wasn’t just a ruler in name—she personally led military strategy and fortress-building campaigns that helped reshape early England’s defenses.

After her husband Æthelred’s death, she governed Mercia independently for years and earned loyalty not just through inheritance, but through effective leadership. Some Anglo-Saxon sources even treat her almost like a king in all but title, calling her actions decisive in pushing back Viking control across the Midlands.

One of her most lasting achievements was the expansion of the “burh” system—fortified towns that became the backbone of England’s later defensive network.

The dark and awesome art of Daniel Shaw