Today's story ventures farther back into the past of the Yekara Universe farther than we have ever gone before. "Before the Fall" is set roughly 30 years before the events of Right of Succession.

Those who have read the novel will notice a few familiar names; however, the story makes sense on its own and does not contain spoilers for the novel.

I did adjust the wording of the last sentence in this dialogue prompt just a bit to fit more with the setting, but the meaning and tone remains the same.

It's the fifth Tuesday of the month, so it's time for a Blast from the Past post. The one I picked this time was part of a 30 day blogging challenge I did back in 2012. I've learned a lot about myself since then, and some things have changed. So I thought I'd have a bit of fun with it and point out where I was way off base with a few things and whatnot.

New comments will be written in green. Everything else is from the original post from January 7, 2012.

We are back in Little Pearlington in the Icarus Universe today. "The Lesser of Two" is set the evening before "An Awkward Tea Party."

It is not necessary to have read any of the other stories in the universe to understand this one.

We're back in the Supers Universe today with a story set about fifteen minutes after the events of "Off Night."

It does follow the events of "Off Night" and vague references to other stories or characters are made, but the story can be understood on its own.

We're back in the Myth and Science Universe this week with a story set right around the same time as "Return to the Wood."

Reading might be a bit more fun if you have read at least up until that point, but it is not necessary to understand the story.

Today's flash fic is set in the AI Universe a few hours after "A Lesson in Politics." Reading up to that point in the universe will fill you in on perspectives outside those of the characters shown here, but it is not necessary to understanding what is going on.

The title of today's post is kind of a misnomer. I will be giving an update on the quarterly goals "series," but it's not the kind of update you'd expect.

Actually, the whole update can be summed up as quarterly goals will be suspended indefinitely. Details are below the break if you are interested, if not, that last sentence is what it all boils down too anyway.

You can tell a lot about a person through their preferred art across the spectrum. Whether we are the ones to create it or not, aspects of our personality and thought processes influence the music, images, stories, and more we find ourselves drawn to throughout our lives.

I think we lose a lot when we remove artistic education from our curricula and skimp in areas where our children could explore the arts. Of course, there are arguments insisting different art forms can boost and bolster academic performance, but even looking beyond that, art and art education has much to offer kids and adolescents.