A Dream of Atlantis (?)

 

 I just dreamed that I read an entire story. I wasn't sure it was a dream until I woke up and remembered it. It felt like I remembered it too deeply for it to be a dream. But now I realize that the dream was a mix of reading text and seeing images that may have been comic book pages or something on TV, and that mix of media in the same experience could only be a dream,

It was parallel stories of several people who believed that they had found a way to get to the underground world of Atlantis. In each case, it involved following someone who said they were from Atlantis into walking into the ocean. The thing is, though, that no one had ever reported coming back from these journeys. But each person in these stories, by different means, was convinced that they had found the way.

There was an old man in a wheelchair, a young man skeptical of the fellow who said he was from Atlantis, and a couple more who I don't remember so well. In each story, the person was led by the "Atlantean" to a place in the ocean where they stood on a platform.

That was the moment of commitment, where those who had no doubt would go forward right away, and those who were unsure had to make their decision.

Once made, the person would walk forward, guided by the Atlantean, and the front of the platform would extend and drop down, like an elevator, but would form invisible barriers around it so that you descended down a rectangular shaftway, like a bucket pushed partway below the surface of a pool or tub.

But as the platform descended down and forward, the water at the surface would start leaking over the top and filling up the shaft, just like if you continued pushing that bucket so that the rim would be just at surface level, but the lapping of the waves at the surface would spill water over the sides into the bucket.

At that point it was revealed that this was a trap. The water would fill up, and the people would disappear under the waves forever, and no one would ever find out the secret of Atlantis.

 The trick of writing this story will be to make the reader buy into the story being about Atlantis, but then throw them that Twilight Zone/Outer Limits twist without disappointing the reader. As the dreamer, I was satisfied with the conclusion as I woke up and tried to figure out if I had dreamed the entire thing.

The picture is from a Reddit post about how a picture of people standing on the bottom of the ocean is "oddly unsettling."

Captain Z goes to NYCC, Day 1 haul!

Here is my second video about the 2025 New York Comic Con, in which I show and illustrate certain items I picked up that day, which are relevant to my Captain Marvel Culture project.

Captain Marvel Culture 

Capt Zorikh goes to NY Comic Con 2025 Day 1

 Here is a little video of the first things I saw at NY Comic Con opening day, October 9, 2025, followed by a report after I got back and a haul reveal.

Capt Z Talks: What Medieval Armored Combat Means to Me Today

I've been going through some stuff lately, but as I was building some new armor for someone while Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was playing, I got to realizing a thing or two about what it means to me to be involved in the sport of medieval armored combat today.

Armored Combat, Cosplay, and Martial Arts Over the Next Three Weeks.

Hi Friends! Captain Zorikh here. I know it ha been a while since you have heard from me by this media, but if you have been following me on Facebook you know how crazy my life has been.

However, since I am through with a particular responsibility, I now have a more free schedule with which I can try to harness my energy and creativity to do something more personally meaningful and positively impactful on the world (that’s the plan anyway). One of those things is that I can get back to letting you all know when I will be making appearances in public entertainments spectacles, events, conventions, and other sorts of things.

With that in mind, who here likes Medieval Knight fighting? Martial arts? Comic books? Zombies? Cosplay? We got all that coming u in the next three weeks!

First, this Saturday, May 10th, GladiatorsNYC is doing its monthly second-Saturday exhibition of full contact medieval armored combat with steel weapons! This is the same kind of combat that I did at the Battle of the Nations and the IMCF world championships and about which I made a lot of videos on my New York Knights YouTube channel before the COVID shutdown. Now, with my various injuries, I don’t fight as often, but rather focus my energy in training new fighters, being a referee, and doing the announcing/MC work at these exhibitions and tournaments!

Being as this is in Central Park from 2-5 PM, it is a perfect opportunity to bring out a picnic blanket and basket, take some wine and cheese and a special someone or bunch of friends or whole family, and have a bucolically pleasurable time in the park watching men and women bash each other with steal weapons in full-contact glory, and observe me explaining all the action. If you are unfamiliar with what-all I am talking about, you can go to the Instagram page of Gladiators NYC to see highlights and get more information.
https://www.instagram.com/gladiatorsnyc/ 

The specific location is right outside the south-west corner of the Metropolitan Museum of art. Simply enter the park just north of 79th Street at 5th Ave, walk straight past the playground towards the tunnel under the bridge and look to your left. You should see a natural amphitheater on the left with several folks putting on armor or fighting in armor, depending on when exactly you get there.

I advise getting there early so you can get a good picnic spot. Next Saturday, May 17th, not only will there be knight fighting, there will also me legendary martial arts masters and celebrities, a karate tournament, zombies, a mini-comic con, and CAPTAIN ZORIKH’S COSPLAY OPEN at EXPO 19, a martial arts/pop culture convention at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City!

I have been a guest at this convention several times in the past, introducing the medieval armored combat we do to the world of traditional martial arts. It was great watching the skilled masters observe full-contact, full-force fighting with weapons. Some of them took great glee in using steel weapons to strike us in our armor.

GladiatorsNYC will be bringing a small group of fighter to do a featured bout or two, display the armor, show the techniques, and answer questions.

Also, I will be bringing my famous costume contest to this event. So if you are a cosplay, costume enthusiast, or someone who loves to watch them strut their stuff come eon down! The prizes on the Table of Wonder will be there, as well as gift certificates to comic and costume shops and even some cash prizes! The winners will be chosen by the patented “Captain Z Applause-o-Meter” as usual. And the best part is that you can get discount tickets through the website by following this link:
https://square.link/u/yhcYsIBD 

These tickets are only $35, a $20 savings off the full price. There are also special VIP tickets at higher prices that allow early entry and the awards dinner that night, if such things interest you. For those tickets, and for more information about the overall event, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AQRwNMN2p/ 

For more information about the Cosplay Open, and to let me know that you are coming and, if competing in the Open, what costume/character you will bringing, go to the Facebook event page for the contest:
https://www.facebook.com/events/3976624952610289 

The address of Expo 19 is:
Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel
1201 Arctic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ 08401-4511

And finally, what’s happening in the third week from now (Saturday, May 23, to be precise) is the Armored League (the newest organization in the sport of full contact medieval armored combat, featuring GladiatorsNYC) is having an unlimited-weight tournament at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, NJ! I would tell you more, but this message is long enough. I guess you will have to wait until next time!

Check out the Instagram page of the Armored League for highlights from their last two tournaments and links to more info about the American Dream tournament on May 23.
https://www.instagram.com/thearmoredleague/

 Onward and upward!