#s. lukas dictating

[m-shelley-head-archivist]

"I almost can't believe Michael and I are getting married tomorrow... We've been together for almost eight years, but it's still so... surreal. Good-surreal."

[m-shelley-head-archivist]

"What's the other me like? Mike said you were sort of friends with another version of me."

Oh, hi. Michael mentioned you, but I didn't think I'd actually run across you myself, hah.

-S. Lukas ( @m-shelley-head-archivist )

Hey. Can I, uh, help you with something?

[fabseg-creator]

My review about Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir

This is a (first) review about a Miraculous element (especially an episode form Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir).

This post contains spoilers.

Today, I've watched the Special Episode. I am prepared for the watching. I will reveal my aggregation in the end of the post.

And now, time to read:

Plot:

This happens in the same moment (at the night) as the episode Destruction (5.03). After Monarch has been cataclysmed at the left arm and before he configurates the stolen Miraculouses.

In a parallel world, a Butterfly superhero named Hesperia (Gabriel Agreste/Gabi Grassette) who is helped by Alya, Nino, Max and Markov, leaves his homeworld universe for escape from Shadybug (Toxinelle) and Claw Noire (Griffe Noire), two evil versions of Ladybug and Cat Noir. When the three characters come to the Ladybug and Cat Noir main universe, Hesperia teams up with the two titular heroes for make the ShadyClaw duo into good people. At the other side, the evil counterparts try to steal the Butterfly miraculous to Hesperia (and later to try to combine the Ladybug and Cat powers for make their wishes).

I've learned about news elements in the Miraculous lore by watching the Special:

They exist some billions an infinity of Parallel Worlds in the lore.

Each Parallel World is home to one Tikki and one Plagg (so One Ladybug holder and one Cat holder).

The inconvenients from the Ladybug's and Cat's powers (secondary effects)due to their excessive using. Shadybug and Claw Noire cause their own deterioration in their bodies by using their power for the evil.

The morale about the hope in dark and sad moments (Thanks, Hesperia.)

The parallel world (ShadyClaw/Hesperia's world) is a dystopian world ruled by the Supreme

Hesperia's, Shadybug's and Claw Noir's backstories

What I liked:

The Hesperia opening in the intro (that was WTF but that was fun)

The coming of Shadybug and Claw Noire, their odd relationships

The Claw Noir's lines and moments

The Kamiko (good alternate name to Akuma)

The akumatization forms: Chat Céleste (Cat Noir) and Ubiquity (first Alya and later Ladybug)

Ladyfly (Marinette with Ladybug + Butterfly unification)

The travels across multiple parallel worlds (Hi, Scarabella and Kitty Noire. Hi, Mister Bug and Ladynoire.)

The concept of Re-Verse (the idea of what would Marinette and Adrien have looked like if theirs lives had been different from the Canon)

The thing how Monarch has failed (again) to take the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses when he travelled across parallel worlds.

What I disliked:

The lack of end post-credits scene: I would like to see what happens in the Hesperia's world after the battle (interractions between the reformed Shabybug and Claw Noire, Hesperia, Alya ans Nino about reconciliation ans reorganisation of the Resistance against the Supreme).

The absence of other Miraclass counterparts, Luka, Kagami, Félix, Zoé, Chloé and Lila/Cerise (Only Alya, Nino, Max and Markov from the class appear in the episode as parallel counterparts)

The missing full appearance of the Supreme (his/her appearance from the shadow for reveal himself/herself/themself to spectators could make the cliffhanger effect for a sequel).

What I want to know for the future:

The most intriguing point, for me, is: The Supreme (This hidden character I have just mentioned in this post)

Who is the Supreme ? Human or Deity ? Big Brother (1984, George Orwell) ? How do s/he looks like ?

All I've learned about him/her/them is:

The Supreme is an entity/being who rules the Hesperia's homeworld (possibly the Hesperia's entire universe).

S/He is a tyrant, a dictator (worst than Chloé, possibly more machiavelic and charismatic than Cerise, more dangerous than Monarch) on this Earth (or simply Paris).

S/He hates the Love, the Freedom/Liberty, the Justice, the Happiness, positive emotions and particularly the superheroes.

It's him/her/they who is THE overarching antagonist of the Paris Special (even if s/he is only mentioned many times). S/He's so more antagonistical than Monarch.

S/He makes Hesperia and the Resistance from this world (and by extension Ladybug 2 (former Shadybug) and Cat Noir 2/Paw Noir (former Claw Noir)) as Outlaws.

It's him/her/them who given the Ladybug and Cat miraculous to Emo Marinette and Emo Adrien. Ironical and Ridiculous from the Supreme !

S/He is too powerful, too surnatural and too overcheated: s/he has a great control on the Miraculous Ultimate Absolute Power. S/He has implanted a blockage spell on Tikki and Plagg for prevent anyone to summon Gimmi.

ML theory: I'm thinking the Supreme is probably a evil type of Guardian of Miraculouses. A Fallen Guardian (NOT Master Fu NOR Su-Han). S/He has many knowledges about Miraculouses and their using + the Absolute Power.

My personal aggregation on the Paris Special:

I've enjoyed to see the episode. The narrative is excellent. The idea of Multiverse in the Miraculous lore is well found. The various animations from the episode are fun. Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noire is a wonderful episode.

Result: 10/10

[merxxki]

‘ ewan mitchell, cisgender man, he/him, 27 / 270 , high fae / daemati ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems vatavios acheson has finally made it to the capital, the lord from spring court is said to be loyal and is said to describe themselves with a gentleman's poise with a knife's edge underneath, a laugh that distracts from calculated plans, eyes that hold secrets and sorrows alike, a phantom of the court, vanishing when necessary and with all of this in mind their amoral nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

general details.

full name:  vatavios aurelian elrich acheson nickname(s): vaati & vios (dandelion by narcissa only) age:  270 date of birth:  march 01st gender: Cisgender man pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: demisexual romantic orientation: panromantic occupation:  lord / family's attack dog guardian extracurricular: studying: physical combat, magic combat, ethics & philosophy studies, history, flying character theme song: leave out all the rest - linkin park character intro song: the light we cast - jessica curry animal form: barn owl

physical appearance, etc.

faceclaim:  ewan mitchell height: 6'2 distinguishing characteristics: the sharp uplift to his mouth, the eyepatch with the long scar showing underneath signature scent:  a blend of: bergamot, sandalwood, black pepper, lavender, vetiver, leather and musk

personality.

tropes:  the anti-hero, the protector & the loyal retainer inspiration: thomas shelby, john wick, sand dan glokta, alfred pennyworth positive traits:  loyal, resourceful, resilient, protective negative traits: ruthless, emotionally detached, stubborn, obsessive & vindictive likes:  solitude, books, blacksmithing, weaponcrafting, enchanting & his family, dislikes: crowded areas, long political discussions, blind dates, planned-ahead-dates, holidays (except birthdays). fears:  losing a sibling, failing, becoming his father, being forgotten habits: morning & evening training hobbies: reading, cartography / cartography illustration

family, relationships, etc.

mother: circe acheson-cartwings (nee leowynn) father: loukas acheson (deceased) adoptive uncle: richard cartwings (deceased) adopted cousin(s): eldest son of richard cartwings (deceased), tbd sibling(s)/halfsibling(s):, emilio (370/360), luka 30/300), milo (28/280), narcissca (28/280) significant other: none Relationships: --- neia: (general) tbd --- emilios: (brother) tbd --- preston: (2nd-in-command) --- luka: (brother) tbd --- milo: (brother) tbd --- narcissca : (sister) tbd --- reila: (lower noble) tbd --- miren: (lady-in-waiting) tbd) --- devina: (cousin) tbd

backstory.

he thought from a young age that his name would dictate his fate. his brothers, emilio (to strive, excel, rival), luka (bringer of light), milo (dear/beloved), or his sister, narcissa (daffodil). yet him? vatavios held no meaning. his mother was often too sad to tell him what she had in mind when he was gifted that name. aurelian (gold) -- perhaps for his hair, though he heard it likened to fallen snow. elrich (ever-powerful). Was his name meant to be a blessing? a promise? a memory carried forth? or was he named without thought. he was not the family eldest/first son; he was not clever and the one in reserve, he was not sickly, or the little girl. He simply was ... the fourth son and fifth child overall. what value did he bring into the world, innately? the second son could be known for his support to the high lord. the sickly would be remembered for the good and light he brought into the world, and his sister had the weight of marrying well on her shoulders. there were no such expectations for him - and neither were there any firsts. he couldn't have claimed to have walked first among his siblings, talk first, cry first, get sick first, nearly die, have an accident, break a bone, say something cute or funny -- he simply was whatever leftover parts were floating in the aether and pressed together to form a recycled soul from refuse. when his father died, he didn't understand. the idea that his father could be there one moment and gone in the other confused and scared him. he realized then that his family could die and dying was not something that could be recovered from - not unless they were given another chance at life, in another life. as his mother battled her depression, he grew up under the care and tutelage of his father's second-in-command... or at least, one of the second-in-command's men. by the time he was old enough to start training, the second-in-command had moved on from training the acheson sons. when he wasn't training, he was learning. he never wanted to make the attempt to outshine his brothers, but he wanted to be ready to support them in whatever they needed. he needed to feel useful. he was the last of their family line and already had so little that he could claim as his own, innately. So, he claimed the entire family as his - if they succeeded, if they are cared for, if they are able to achieve their dreams -- then his life would matter. his life would matter because their life matters. if he had a personal motto, it would be for the blood - as his family is his driving force. vaati does not take credit or draw attention to himself. he blends into the background -- and yet, a touch to the arm ... to the back of a hand... and he gains the information he needs so he can pass it onto those who could make use of it. he can shatter the mind of a threat. he doesn't tell others what he does. he listens to his siblings to ensure that they are safe and keeping up with their schedule... yet, while he is calculating and focused - he is his father's son. the lengths he will go to protect his family is madness - a madness that he hides well, but is there nonetheless. he lost his father. he has no relationship with his mother and feels as though he's the leftover parts of his siblings-- they can't die, if they die, he'll lose a piece of himself. he trained to be a soldier to take the fight to those who threatened his family. as a member of the elite family, he dominated his training and rose through the ranks until he had enough clout and prestige to run a small guerilla team. he gained the reputation of being a mad dog on the battlefield, a berserker who would ignore the rules of mercy. when he left the military, recalled to his oldest brother's side, he began building a shadow group that could keep track of his family so he could protect them. He practiced winnowing despite wishing to fly in his owl form. he traveled not to broaden his horizons but to learn about potential enemies.

he is on the brink of becoming a monster worse than his father because he will become a monster out of love, and love causes the worst behaviors.

possible character goal: form his own identity & develop a meaning for his name.

headcanons.

-- if vaati wasn't born into the family, he would have been an accomplished weapon's crafter and artificer.

-- as a daemati, he wears gloves as a means of keeping himself from entering the minds of those he loves/cares for. he's not sure he would be able to keep himself from digging into their minds if he touched them with his gloves.

-- he does not like skin on skin contact when he is not the one initiating the contact.

-- weapons: feathered daggers, windsteel longbow, zephyr whip and aero blades. (dominant weapons: feathered daggers & the zephyr whip).

-- outstanding abilities: preternaturally swift and agile, able to becoming invisible due to air distortion, thunderclap (like a swan magnified)

wanted connections.

the best friend, the soulmate, the betrayer, the greatest regret, shadow allies, mercenary associates, the one who confuses him the most

[m-shelley-head-archivist]

"Oh. Ew."

M-Mister Bouchard? W-well, not the one I know. He's not blond... But why are you on this website?

-M. Shelley ( @m-shelley-head-archivist )

Hello Michael! Fancy meeting you here, and so... regular-looking.

I am on this website because I pressed the little "log in" button. Is that not something you're familiar with?

[is-nino-actually-luka]

rank ml characters based on how likely they are to be insane about revue starlight

or just put as what kind of fan they are/what character is their fav

I see you found out about my secret third blog, but to answer your question, they're all insane about revue starlight because I'm insane about revue starlight and I'm the one making the list

But I gotta say, I think Kagami would gravitate to the show. I just think she'd resonate with the anime with the swordfighting wlw who all aim to be the top star. She'd like that I think. She'd especially like Maya, getting how Maya always held herself to a perfect standard until her rival (who happens to be part french btw) managed to beat her and convince her to be herself instead. I just think Kagami would get that.

Luka, I think, would be all over it too. He's constantly going on about how music can reveal a person's heart, and revue starlight definitely runs with that idea, with the revue songs having the characters reveal their most honest and vulnerable feelings. Actually he'd love musicals in general now that I think about it. He'd definitely see himself in Nana, with how she watches over everyone from the background, but then episode 7 happens and he very much doesn't think he's similar to Nana anymore but like, Second Chance you know? The connection is there.

The movie has a bunch of references to other films, so Nino may like those. But then again, Nino is a bit of an amateur so they'd likely go over his head, just like with me. At the very least, he’d appreciate the visual spectacle of the revues. As for his favorite, my gut says Mahiru since he dealt with similar feelings of jealousy and worries that he's inadequate compared to others in Rocketear and Anasai respectively, but the truth dictates that his favorite character is Nana, so I'm gonna go with that instead, i mean she too is a sort of a director with some control freak tendancies.

As for Alya, she likes superheroes so she’d probably like the overdramatic fights that clash each stage girl’s ideals and philosophies, even if there is no clear cut justice in the fights. I’d say she’d probably root for the underdogs like Futaba and Mahiru, but especially Junna.

Sabrina thinks that she and Chloe are like Futaba and Kaoruko, but no, they’re not. Chloe doesn’t have the love that Kaoruko has for Futaba, and Sabrina doesn’t have the self determination of Futaba. 

Marinette, especially post guardianship, would very much see herself in Hikari. Like how she tries to take the burden of everyone's struggles and tries to deal with the stage of fate alone because she's the only one who knows what becoming the top star means. Marinette would empathize is all im saying. And the way that was resolved, with Karen still coming back for Hikari even when Karen kept getting pushed away, I just think Marinette would appreciate that too, like when she lost the miracle box but everyone was still there for her.

Adrien probably really likes the banana puns, but realistically I think what would draw Adrien to the show is just the passion each of them have towards being an actor. Like Adrien is pretty apathetic towards most of the work he does for his father. He doesn't really want to be a model and he's always glad to ditch most of his bookings when there's an akuma attack going on to interrupt it. But despite that, he always tries to help his friend’s projects. He’s been an actor in Nino’s various movies and is always willing to model for Marinette’s work or Kagami’s art. He likes being able to help his friends, that’s part of it yes, but it’s because his friends are passionate about what they’re making and he wants to help them with that. Adrien himself doesn’t really know exactly what he wants to do yet, which is why I think he feels drawn to passionate people who know what they want. It’s why he fell in love with Ladybug when she stood up to Hawkmoth in front of the whole city. As for his favorite, he’s a romantic and likes being overdramatic, so I could see Karen being his favorite. Especially because of her 12 year long promise to perform starlight with Hikari. He’d like that kind of devotion I think.

So yeah, in conclusion, watch revue starlight. it’s good and the miraculous characters like it so you should try it too. 

[venfx]

magnus fic roundup

as tma comes to a close, i thought i'd post some of my favorite fics to come out of this fandom. most of these are classics, listed in no particular order.

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed​ | 3K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

↳ this is such a well-done exploration of jon’s character and his relationship with touch, and i’ve re-read it at least five times. sweet and sad and phenomenally well-written.

in the chillest land and on the strangest sea by imperfectcircle, singlecrow | 20K | Safehouse, S1-S4 | Jon & Daisy, Jon/Martin | Complete

Jon remembers a statement he read years ago given by a Jesuit priest, who said that the shortest prayer he knew was, just, fuck it, as in fuck it; it's in God's hands. He takes Daisy's hand and trails on after her.

or; hope is a thing with feathers.

↳ hey, you wanna fuckin..... feel things? read this.

The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs by shinyopals | 26K | Series | S3 | Pre-Jon/Martin | Complete

The Magnus Institute hires a Data Protection Officer. He sets about diligently booking in meetings, writing policy documents, and training all the staff in the importance of confidentiality. Now if only he could get hold of the Head Archivist, who seems to have vanished again...

(Jon is only trying to save the world, but apparently some people think he should still be doing his day job.)

↳ i’d be surprised to find people who haven’t read this series, but it’s the definition of “the magnus archives is a workplace comedy”. also, alasdair stuart has actually read some clips of this on Twitch, so that’s a fun bonus.

Bell, Book, and Candle by yellow_caballero | 102K | Series | S3 into S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete 

In accordance with the Ride or Die Pact of 2009, Jonathan Sims can call upon Georgie Barker at any time for aid with no strings attached. Despite their rocky history, their childhood friendship, and Jon’s barely recovered alcoholism, this pact is sacred and must be upheld.

Georgie Barker may regret this. She may regret it when she discovers that the world is full of monsters and eldritch gods and dickhead managers. She may regret it when a punk rocker who should be dead collapses on their doorstep, a teenager again who needs their help. She may regret it when her stupid ex-boyfriend starts selling his soul for knowledge and the ability to keep his new family safe.

But she probably won’t. Georgie isn’t scared of anything - not a Clown’s apocalypse, not the apocalypse that Jon is destined to begin, and not Jon’s own loss of humanity.

Maybe she should be.

↳ if you’re looking for an everyone-lives-no-one-dies-happy-ending fic that also happens to be massively chaotic, look no further. 

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by @wolftraps​ | 98K | AU, S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

↳ quintessential time travel AUs. plot-wise, i feel like these can be difficult to write, but op does a fantastic job of tying things together in a way that makes sense. plus, it’s just fun to read.

jon sims v the nhs by @thoughtsbubble​ | 12K | Series | S3 | Complete

Joan Bright has a new patient. He's carrying an old tape recorder and is covered head to toe in scars. Jonathan Sims looks dangerous, but Dr Bright has dealt with all sorts of atypical individuals. She has no reason to be nervous.

Right?

↳ if you’ve ever thought “hey, jon should probably go to therapy”, then 1) you’re absolutely right and 2) this is... probably what would’ve happened. prior knowledge of The Bright Sessions is not required. also, apparently, this fic is written by the showrunner of The Underwood Collection? wild.

Family, Found by Dribbledscribbles | 9K | S4 | Complete

It’s Basira who catches onto it.

The collective shift that seems to come over them when heading in or out of the Institute. Not just the oppressive sensation of being observed, their every move catalogued for the voyeuristic cravings of some unseen Eye(s). That feeling remained with them even when they left the Institute these days, but it was always stronger inside its walls. That wasn’t the change. Nor was it the point.

The point was: making life worse for Jonathan Sims.

↳ i think being part of the avengers fandom circa 2012 has given me permanent found-family-trope brainrot, but you know what. jonathan sims can have a little happiness, as a treat. 

Road to Damascus by @titanfalling​ | 107K | Series | S4 | Jon & Tim | Complete

n. an important moment of insight, typically one that leads to a dramatic transformation of attitude or belief

Or, in which Tim becomes an avatar for the end of all things.

↳ tim dies and then he doesn’t. there is catharsis and world building. just....read it.

Come, Change Your Ring With Me by @backofthebookshelf​ | 29K | S3 | Peter/Jon, Jon/Martin, Peter/Elias | Complete

The Lukases demand the Archivist marry into the family, and the Institute relies on them too much to say no. Peter is smug. Elias is fuming. Martin is suffering. Jon thinks this might be tolerable if only Peter would hurry up and leave him alone already.

OR, the soap opera we call an Archives revolves around Peter Lukas this time.

↳ superb evil-bastards-in-love content, feat. martin pining, tim being obnoxious, and jon being... well, tired, mostly. i will literally never get tired of how op writes peter. 

creatures that i briefly move along by @dotsayers​ | 16K | Series | AU, Post-S4 | background Jon/Martin 

Mr Sims was so weird, was the thing. Miss Grant always said calling people weird was rude, and Anna sort of agreed, but she didn’t know what other word to use to describe Mr Sims.

He’d only been in with the class for a few days, really, and half of that he just sat at the back listening, but that didn’t stop her from making a swift judgement. 5BG had had student teachers before, back when they were 3ST, and they’d been uniformly normal.

Mr Sims was… actually, Anna had a better adjective. He was interesting.

↳ i just.... love teacher!jon fics. this series delivers. 

Once Bitten by @apatheticbutterflies | 1K | S4 | Jon & Daisy | Complete

Jon Sims has always been a jumpy kind of guy. Nervous. Twitchy. Daisy used to think it meant he was guilty. Turns out he was. Just not of what she’d thought.

Daisy learns how to peel an orange.

↳ daisy and jon’s relationship is an example of an instance where i’m happy to say “fuck what you wrote mr. jonny ‘chocolate torte of tragedy’ sims, i want them to be friends”.

pins and needles by mutterandmumble | 13K | S1-S4 | Complete

He’s got a reputation to uphold anyways; an uptight, rigid reputation that dictates the way that he interacts and functions and is such an integral part of him that he can’t let go of it anytime soon. He likes his safety nets. He likes his contingencies. He likes his privacy, and everything around this place right down to the walls seems to have ears, so he’ll stay tight-lipped up to and beyond the threat of death.

He’s good at that.

In which Jon takes up embroidery and bumbles through life the best that he can.

↳ out of all the introspective jon pieces i’ve read (and there are many), this one stands out. maybe it’s the symbolism or the characterisation, or maybe it’s the fact that i have an embroidery kit lurking in the back of my closet along with a hundred other half-pursued hyperfixations. whatever. this is excellent.

sleeping in by @ivelostmyspectacles | 5K | S2 | Jon/Tim | Complete

“Who are you trying to convince?”

Jon gives up, letting his head sag against Tim’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”

aka Elias gets tired of Jon and Tim's bickering, sends them away for a "team-building" weekend trip, and is sure to book them a room with only one bed

↳ this has everything you’d need from a “oh no there’s only one bed” fic. someone please get these men therapy.

if you try, sometimes (you get what you knead) by @ajcrawly​ | 3.5K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin, Tim/Sasha | Complete

It starts with an abundance of boeuf bourguignon and ends up as a team tradition.

Food and love in uncertain times.

↳ more found family fic, this time with a diverse og!archival staff and food as a metaphor for love. hurt in all the right ways. made me hungry in the process.

[artisticflutter]

AU August - Day Four: Soulmates

Haha! My work schedule is trash right now! Thanks certain virus that continues the trainwreck that was 2020! Also, have some minor angst!

Series: Miraculous Ladybug Rating: G Genre: General, Fluff, Angst Pairing(s): MariChat Summary: Marinette doesn’t want to believe in soulmates. It’s not that they don’t exist, but given their rarity, they might as well not. And yet, for each failing relationship she has, she keeps coming back to the same masked boy willing to hear her out. Warning: Nope! This is safe!

Ever since she found the café, their relationship had been like this. Marinette would sit nursing a black coffee after another break up, watching the steam rise, and managing the barest smile as the blonde barista did his best to cheer her up. She didn’t know his name - he preferred going by ‘Chat Noir’ for some reason - but it felt comfortable coming back to him anyway. Besides, he distracted her from her spiraling thoughts - of wondering if maybe she should try finding her soulmate again - and she loathed those intrusive thoughts.

Why were soulmates a thing? Why should people’s lives and true happiness apparently be dictated by something so rare? People should be happy with whomever they pleased!

Nathaniel was happy with Marc after their break-up after all!

And Kim had Ondine…

Nino and Alya…

Luka…

She thought things would really work with Luka. They’d been happy, and she traveled with him for some of his performances, and he came to her fashion exhibitions - they’d supported each other so much, so how had it not been enough? And she hadn’t been the only one to feel like that either; it had been mutual and they agreed to being just friends.

“Why don’t you take a break from dating for a while?” Chat Noir asked, tilting his head. “Aren’t you applying for a position at a fashion house soon? Sounds like this stuff’s just stressing you out.”

“But then I’ll be too busy to date, Chat,” she sighed. “Once I finish designing for one season, it’ll already be time to work on the next, and then the next, and the next… I’ll get swallowed up by my career and wake up forty years later still single! No offense to anyone who doesn’t want to get married, but I’ve dreamed of having a family. I love work, but I don’t want to marry my career.”

“Well… then why not reward yourself with trying to date? Once you get into whatever fashion house you apply for, get back into the game before you get pulled into that whole whirlwind you mentioned.”

“... You know what, Chat, I might do that,” she hummed, taking a sip of her coffee. “It’ll take a while to fill out applications and flesh out my portfolio. And I won’t be hearing from them for a few months either! Alya would throw a party to celebrate and I could meet someone there; and they would already know because of the party what my workload would be in the future! This could totally work!”

Drinking down the rest of her coffee, she leapt to her feet with a grin.

“Thanks for the talk! Now, I have three companies I want to apply to and two more I wanna look into! See you!”

Running out with a smile on her face, Marinette missed Chat’s wave and smile, and missed the way his hand remained up as his smile fell. Sighing himself, he looked towards her abandoned mug and reached for it, his eyes catching the needle tattoo on his index finger. Their fingers had accidentally brushed the first time she’d come in, but that had been after her first break-up. She’d mentioned in subsequent visits that she didn’t believe in soulmates, but he wanted to believe so badly. Still, his soulmate didn’t want to look for him, but he would continue being right here in her favorite café, waiting to help her the next time her heart broke.

[thesaltyoceanwaves]

Bewitched Part 2

Ao3

@lenoreofraven

Today’s musical numbers: “Reason to Become a Witch” and “Congratulations” (cut from Hamilton)

“You trampled on my love and laughed. You clung on to a foolish love. The reason I became a witch, the reason why I’m cursing you… Hurry and run away, I’m a girl with a gun” - Reason to Become a Witch, NS Yoon-G

-~-~-~

There’s something exciting about sitting on top of the academy rooftop, despite Bewitched being used to running and swinging over the city all the time. Right now, she bides her time and can appreciate just how small and ant-like everyone looks from this perspective. It reminds her that the problems of her past life will be just as petty and meaningless after her plans come to fruition.

The students flood the schoolyard, none of them the wiser about what’s to come. She waits until all three of her potential targets enter the area - Adrien rushing in last and going over to Alya - and while doing so, charges up a red energy into her left hand. In the meantime, she overhears a glimpse of the conversation that they have, including a few moments where Nino actually called Adrien out for his behavior.

Hm. Perhaps I’ll spare him a cruel fate.

Once ready, she points her fingers like a gun in Lila’s general direction and fires.

All of the girls surrounding the liar - Rose, Juleka, Mylene and two girls from another class - shriek at the sight of Lila getting blasted. Sure enough, all of the attention now comes to Bewitched.

“I hope you all had a good morning, because it’ll be the last time any of you know good fortune.”

She allows for a few moments of collective gasps and hurried studying of her new form. No one, it seemed, could believe that it was actually her standing there above them. Even Lila, still frozen from her blast, has her thoughts immediately betrayed by her facial expressions.

But from high above, all of their judgments and stares mean nothing. It’s only fair considering she apparently meant nothing to them when she was a good and fair princess. The only expressions she finds intriguing, are the ones realizing just how much they messed up this time.

“M-Marinette?”

She practically rolls her eyes at the sound of this name. Damn, did he always sound this annoying? She glowers at the pathetic, wannabe knight, and dictates, “I am not Marinette. I am Bewitched. And to those who cursed me,” she pauses to cast venomous glances at both Lila and Adrien, giving her a glorious moment of seeing the two squirm, “Well, allow me to return the favor.”

The burst of red energy cackles around Lila, and the liar is forced to turn her entire body toward Bewitched. Her mouth and hands tremble, and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

“P-Please, Marinette,” she begs, “I-It doesn’t have to be like this!”

“Oh, it’s too late for that,” Bewitched cooes, “You can’t simply return to this school, lie to everyone, and then threaten me in the bathroom for not following your lead. And painting me to look like the envious one?” she clucks her tongue, “That’s just tasteless, Lie-la.”

Yet another collective gasp erupts across the schoolyard. All of the girls that just moments ago, were fawning over the Italian, are now studying her with raised eyebrows. Bewitched isn’t so pompous as to believe that the girls realize the lies all on their own. No, she predicts Lila’s next actions quite easily.

“That’s not true! I never lied!”

Bewitched can only laugh as she says her line, word for word. What a predictable turn of events.

By this time, Alya already has her phone out and is recording the entire interaction. Excellent.

“I’m not sure I really believe you. So, allow for me to fix that.” The red energy around Lila flares brighter than before, blinding anyone who stands too close to her. The girl group has all evacuated at least twenty feet away from the Italian. “Lila Rossi, you are now cursed to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. Anytime you try and speak a lie, you will choke on your own words until the truth comes out.”

The red flash dissipates, leaving Lila only with a red symbol on her forehead - the Chinese symbol for “cursed”. When she realizes this, her hands race up to cover it.

“W-What did you do to me?”

“Excuse you, I’ll be asking the questions around here,” she scoffs. God, how did none of these people get sick of Lila’s whiny, cowering attitude all the time? She proclaims to be related to top martial artists and bodyguards, not to mention a superhero whose position she inherited, have secret training, but oh no, someone come save her, please! People actually eating this up though and not getting tired of all the bragging is the most tragic part. But after today, that will change. Smirking, she crosses her arms over her chest, hiding her hands so as to gather more energy. “Tell me, Lila. Have you really met Ladybug?”

She lets out a breath. “Oh, of course I have. We’re best frie-” The gagging is immediate and her hands drop from forehead to around her throat. Some of the girls that ran away earlier, are now back surrounding Lila, trying to help her stand up.

“Marinette!” Rose squeaks, “Make it stop! You’re hurting her!”

“She’s only hurting herself,” Bewitched shrugs, “If she’d only tell the truth about her relationship with Ladybug, then it’ll stop. So Lila, tell us the truth. When did you really meet Ladybug for the first time?”

The panting slows down a bit, but tears still form in the corner of the girl’s eyes. Honestly, is her pride and reputation so important that she would refuse to tell the truth? How pathetic. Hawkmoth honestly chose to akumatize this girl twice?

“A-At the park…” she gasps, “It was m-my first day… here… I was with… A-Adrien. S-She got mad at me… for lying about her on Alya’s blog.”

The liar collapses to the ground, clearly trying to keep herself from retching. Satisfied with her response, she turns her attention to Alya and Nino. She almost frowns when she realizes that Adrien is long gone, and doing a quick scan of the courtyard, Chloe, Kagami and Felix are also gone.We’ll just have to fix that, won’t we? she notes, feeling the warmth of her energy charged finger guns.

“Well, did you get that, Ladyblogger? It turns out the whole time you were reporting about Lila and Ladybug’s legendary friendship, you were getting played for a fool the entire time. Someone who refuses to fact check and blindly believes that they’re right and yet gets fame and attention for it is just asking to be cursed.”

Before anyone can object, she fires the red beam at Alya. For good measure, she also fires a pink beam from her right hand at Nino. The couple exchange a horrified glance, trying to move toward one another, but Bewitched will not allow it.

“Alya Cesaire. You are now cursed to be wrong about everything. Every decision you make, every word you utter, whether you mean it to or not, will be incorrect. No one will ever be able to take you seriously again.”

Again, the light disappears, and the symbol appears on her forehead. Satisfied, she then turns to Nino.

“As for you, Nino Lahiffe, I’ve decided to spare you. You could have done better at defending my honor, but you at least tried, unlike a supposed best friend of mine. I’m willing to give you a second chance as one of my familiars.”

The pink light overtakes him and transforms him. His outfit converts from his usual street wear, to all black attire. Jeans, shirt, jacket… his glasses are now sunglasses, and his cap is on backwards, with cat ears present. A bit cartoony for her tastes, but it works with her general aesthetic. The chain belt tail is a nice touch though.

“Marinette, stop this!” Alya shouts, trying to run toward her. She only trips over her feet. Sitting herself back up, she clears her throat. “I know that this is just a ploy to get everyone to turn against Lila! There’s no way she’s lying!”

If she hadn’t already been akumatized, Bewitched would have predicted a butterfly being sent her way by now. Thankfully, the students in the courtyard below all see reason and merely shake their heads at Alya’s words. It feels so nice to finally be believed for once.

That doesn’t mean she’ll spare them all.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more familiars at her side.

Some of the students start running away, so she needs to be quick in her decision making. Marc Anciel starts running toward Nathaniel. He is one of the few people to not buy into Lila’s pack of lies, and actually seems grateful for her help. He's lacking in the self-confidence department, but that’s easily adjusted. When the pink beam hits him, his outfit becomes not too dissimilar to that of Nino’s, though his cat ears are sewn onto his hoodie.

Aurore Boureal stands in front of a classroom door, ushering other students inside. How noble and brave. The two of them hadn’t interacted much, but Bewitched always sort of liked Aurore, and could relate to her. She knew what it was like to have to juggle so many activities and responsibilities, and how draining it could for no one to appreciate her best efforts. What a fitting candidate for her familiar.

Aurore’s outfit maintains the shape of her dress, but also gives her a pair of shorts and plain stockings. She owns some fishnet gloves, cutting off at the knuckles and a cat ear headband. The parasol she so iconically carries is black with white cat heads, and she uses it to close the classroom door, before pointing it at students that dare try to approach.

Most of the students are gone by this point, even Alya and Lila who are now free to move about. Still, she doesn’t want to settle for just any old people to serve as her trustworthy familiars - they have to be worthy, unlike that troubling Chat Noir. Her eyes fall on Juleka, and sure enough, the goth girl is now a part of her pack. Perhaps she believed Lila’s lies as well, but she was also Luka’s younger sister - she could afford to show a little mercy in her case. Not to mention that her outfit is already perfect for a familiar, so she just gains some cat-themed accessories.

The effects of Alya’s curse are to her benefit, though, Already, Bewitched sees her ushering everyone into the classroom. Honestly, did she think that would be an ideal location? From the look on her face, that doesn’t seem to be the case, but Bewitched isn’t complaining.

She commands her familiars to go forward.

--

An essential lesson in any form of martial art is self-control. Competitive matches could get heated, but a practitioner always held back a certain degree of power and force in their attacks. It was the difference between fierce competition and bloodsport.

Even as Riposte, Kagami has never wanted to throttle Adrien as violently as she does now, ignoring all of the rules of competition. The only thing holding her back at this point is Felix’s pointed glare at the clueless Agreste. And even that is only helping a little.

The three of them are panting furiously, trying not to gag at the odors radiating in the sewers. Her only wish at this point is for Luka to meet up with them, and for them to find all sort of shelter to come up with a plan to properly save Marinette.

But for now…

“Congratulations, Adrien Agreste,” Kagami scowls, “You’ve managed to make one of the kindest, most hard working girls in our entire school into the most vengeful akuma Hawkmoth has ever created. I thought Chloe Bourgeois was reckless with her bullying, but at least she attempted to change her ways. You on the other hand…”

“You’re on a whole new level of stupid,” Felix adds on, “Did you honestly think that Marinette was going to want your pushy, obsessive behavior in a relationship? You know better than anyone that she hates bullies.”

“I’m not a bully!” he objects.

“Oh? Then what would you call yourself then? A hero? No, I don’t think you’re worthy of that title anymore,” Kagami barks, “You know if it were my decision to make, you wouldn’t even have that ring anymore.”

His eyes widened. Even Felix couldn’t contain his surprise at the statement, his hands shaking.

“You mean to say… that this obsessive, entitled doormat of a human being… is Chat Noir?”

“Y-You’re not supposed to know that!” Adrien exclaims, “H-How did you-”

“I had my suspicions, but your reaction confirmed it. Not to mention, when Ladybug decided to take a break, her reasons and story was awfully familiar to Marinette’s,” she sighs, “That means you went to that journalist girl and made her write stories and articles trying to get you two to date…”

Oh god. Images of Marinette scrambling across the school yard, plastering fake smiles, attempting to keep her voice even and level, anxiously reading from her phone only to hide it from the three of them… screw keeping her composure, Kagami wants nothing less to vomit then and there. Just what the hell snapped in this kid’s mind to make him act out the way he did?

For a moment, she weighs the idea that maybe she might be at fault. Had she tried veering Adrien away from Marinette on the ice skating date, might this all have been averted?

No, she reminds herself. It doesn’t matter the reason for his obsessive behavior. It’s still wrong. She glances over at Felix to remind herself of that. He’d point out just how irrational that all was.

Neither her nor Marinette were responsible for this temper tantrum .

She’s not sure how he managed to do it, but Luka has somehow managed to find them in the sewers, and leaps over to them. He’s completely winded, and Kagami can’t help but wonder just how far he had to run to get here. The fact that he made it here so quickly too doesn’t do much to ease her anxieties, either.

“What did I miss?” he asks in between breaths.

“Apparently, Mr. Model Behavior here is actually Chat Noir,” Felix scowls, “And not only has been playing the part of the Nice Guy to Marinette as a civilian, but also as a so-called hero. Hence, our current situation.”

Luka is one of the softest, most gentle souls Kagami has ever known. From time to time, she teases him about this, and her and Felix would refer to Luka and Marinette as cotton candy or marshmallows for their sweet and silly behavior.

But Luka once admitted to having a bit more impulsive, and angry side. This was as a result of him having problems using the right words to speak. He often kept this in check through meditation and his music. When he felt like screaming, he listened to Jagged Stone or heavier music and just let it all out. He worked hard to keep it under control and Kagami never would have suspected his problem unless he told her about it.

The flash of anger that races across his eyes is still a surprise to her.

“What the hell were you thinking, Adrien?”

“Woah, take it easy there-”

Luka slamming his hand across the wall is enough to make them all collectively jump. “Shut the hell up. Don’t tell me what to do. You didn’t take it easy on Marinette when you decided to ruthlessly pursue her into being your girlfriend. You remember that day at the ice rink?” The scowl in the back of his voice starts to dissipate a bit. Kagami can’t help but wonder if Luka is actually on the verge of tears from everything. “I told Marinette to go after you, not because I wanted her to, but because I thought it would make her happy. I cared about her a lot, but I knew for a fact that she wasn’t mine to control. Knowing that you went out of your way to hurt her for your own selfish purposes…” he looks away, his voice faltering, “Damn, you really know how to sicken a guy.”

“You’re just jealous that she confessed to me and not you,” Adrien retorts.

“As I recall,” Felix interrupts, “ You rejected her. It seems you were only interested in her once you found out she was Ladybug.”

Luka lifts his face up and regards Adrien with an even harder glare. “What?”

“Enough,” Kagami scowls, rubbing her temples. After this entire situation was fixed, she was going to get herself a nice pot and a half of tea to alleviate the headache she was going to have. “This isn’t going to get us anywhere. Adrien,” she spits, regarding him with a cold glare, “You and I will go and get Chloe. Luka and Felix, I’m leaving this with you.” From her inside jacket pocket, she pulls out the snake miraculous, “Only use it if you have to. See if you can calm Marinette down from her emotional state.”

“I should be the one to go to Marinette,” Adrien mutters, trying to get away.

“Marinette is looking to give you the worst curse she can muster,” Kagami points out, “Going in without backup is the dumbest idea you have, and you’ve had plenty of those today.” The boy has the nerve to pout, but she fights back the urge to retort any further. “Luka… are you going to be alright?”

His eyes are closed, and he lets out a breath. She knows that later he’ll probably be blasting Jagged over the Seine, but with Felix gently touching his shoulder, Luka sighs and let’s it go. “I’ll be fine. If we can just help Marinette... “

“We’ll manage something,” Felix says assuredly, “Hurry up and get Queen Bee. We’re going to need all of the help we can get.”

Longg and Tikki pop out of her pocket, only giving her a silent nod of agreement. With everyone on the same page, the two groups split up, and Kagami only hoped that Chloe managed to keep herself hidden away from Bewitched.

[m-shelley-head-archivist]

Scale 1-10, how in danger do you feel?

"E-eight or nine."

"I'm the same as Michael, I think."

[lukasmcsbr]

Fanmade MCSM season 3 Idea

Hello people,so,i am a fan of Minecraft Story Mode for a time,and i gotta say,i'm really pissed that there's presumably no season 3 for MCSM,so i'l share with u guys an idea i had for MCSM season 3 right Now:

When Aiden finally leaves jail,he reunites with his friends Gill and Maya,and they form the Blaze Rods again,then,Aiden heards about the whole Admin adventure and starts to see him as Lord and true leader who would bring order to beacontown,he learns that there's a way to ressurect the Admin by searching and uniting three Magical Stones that gives special powers to it's owners,then,Jesse's gang would find out about Aiden's plan and try to stop them from collecting the three powerfull stones,but Jesse and his friends eventually fail and The Blaze Rods are able to ressurect The Admin,who was reborn with a tremendous Power that he used to create a Prismarine Collossus,and then he and The Blaze Rods would conquer Beacontown and The Admin woud become the town's opressive emperor,unfortunately,the Admin woud also teleport Axel,Olívia,Gabriel,Radar,Jack and Nurm back to the Sunshine Institute,where they must fight against the institute's guards and escape the prison once again to help Jesse,Lukas,Petra and Ivor(who were under the impression their friends were all dead instead of going to the institute)defeat the Admin and The Blaze Rods,i would say that The Admin is the main antagonist of this season,while the Sunshine Institute guards and The Blaze Rods would serve as the villanous factions of the Sunshine Institute and Beacontown respectvely

NOTE:Aiden would be able to recruit over 300 new members for The Blaze Rods,who all also saw The Admin as a respectul and powerful Dictator who could be the Perfect and rightfully Emperor for Beacontown

This Idea i had is inspired in seasons 8 and 9 of Ninjago:Masters of Spinjitsu,season 8 is called Sons of Garmadon and season 9 is called Hunted,Ninjago is a series i really like,and since i like to fuse the storys of the series i like,i came up with this Idea of a season 3 for Minecraft Story Mode,i hope u guys enjoyed,since i don't know how to make fanfictions here on Tumblr,i don't know if will be able to write the full season 3's story Sorry :-(.But that's all,i hope u guys enjoyed this Idea for season 3 of MCSM,bye✌

[zedecksiew]

DIY D&D, October 2018

Google Plus, where I found all my best nerd-friends, is closing down. It was where I found the DIY D&D / Old School Renaissance community. This community:

Gave me my best roleplaying game experiences; Gave me the confidence to start writing RPG material; Taught me a lot about building a functional community. 

I’ve gotten paychecks from people in DIY D&D. I’ve gotten postcards. In this day of social-media instant connectivity? Postcards. In my mailbox. With actual ink, and a stamp.

+

Google may be killing G+, but DIY D&D isn’t going away.

The OSR started as a network of blogs. Here’s a list. (Here it is as a thingy you can plug into your RSS reader.)

People are moving en masse to different platforms. Here’s a massive Discord server. Here’s a cool forum. Here’s a nice MeWe group.

+

Zak S has a questionnaire up for DIY D&D types. I’m answering because it’ll brew a snapshot of the scene + myself, as part of the scene.

OSR Guide For The Perplexed Questionnaire 

1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me:

“... after a run-in with some "filthy dwarf-types" (kobolds from the wandering monster list) Max lopped off a monster-leg and stuck it in his backpack. At the time, I thought he was just being weird. But later he very effectively distracted some white apes by throwing the grisly limb among them. The apes were much more willing to brawl among themselves over a quick snack rather than fight people bearing torches and swords. Max wasn't content to let his brief character sheet dictate what he could and couldn't do. He went out there and grabbed that dungeon by the collar and gave it a good shaking. And here's the kicker: Max is twelve years old and today was his first time playing D&D!”

All Hail Max, Jeff Rients. Pretty basic stuff, at this point. Still pretty fucking baller.

2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark:

“The thing I really really dislike about how people use terms like problematic and "interrogate"  "critical awareness" etc is they rarely (if ever) provide a framework to objectively measure harm or benefit. So if you say "classic adventures are problematic because it's kinda like a Victorian narrative about invading people and taking their stuff" that's your subjective opinion , which then , when one publishes or writes something extremely similar, you can turn around and declare you have "critical awareness"  , and therefore not problematic. Which is utterly perfect for performing wokeness for marketing purposes while never actually doing anything different, e.g Evil Hat's whole business model Compare this to saying to pointing out something which can be used to hold ones on behaviour to a standard: "There are very little women artists in rpgs", "there needs to be more takes on colonialism other than one favourable to the invader" "freelance writers don't get paid a living wage" Then , you yourself can demonstrate that you are actually committed to your wokeness by doing something you can be held accountable for. Because you actually pay people, hire people and publish people in ways that benefit the people whose struggle you are using for marketing purposes.”

Scrap Princess, from this excellent G+ thread. Saying stuff that needs to be said about woke white indie RPG creators who’ve made a career handwringing about how games might be sexist / racist / colonialist / queer-phobic / etc -- 

But who never quite get around to hiring or paying non-white people / queer people.

(PS: the OSR does. Zak’s paid me. Hydra Cooperative is publishing something I wrote.)

3. Best OSR module/supplement:

“Veins of the Earth”. That blackest brick of a book. I love it most.

4. My favorite house rule (by someone else):

I like usage die! “Torches (d6)” means you roll d6 after every turn that torch is used? 1-2, it drops a die size. 1-2 on a d4 means it’s gone. From The Black Hack, I think?

5. How I found out about the OSR:

Back-of-the-book blurbs, for real. Le Guin, who blurbed China Mieville, who blurbed Scrap & Patrick’s “Fire on the Velvet Horizon”. 

6. My favorite OSR online resource/toy:

Not really a utility, more a personal thing. The Lavender Marshes. Filling in a few of its hexes was my first taste of Gygaxian Democracy. Thank you, Ramanan S.

Otherwise, Links to Wisdom.

7. Best place to talk to other OSR gamers:

It is still G+, right this very moment ... 

8. Other places I might be found hanging out talking games:

Feel free to add me, at these places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zedeck.siew Twitter: https://twitter.com/zedecksiew Discord: zedeck.siew#4237  MeWe: mewe.com/i/zedeck.siew

And these forums, I guess?

(I really want to do comments on this blog, too. But Tumblr makes it fiddly.)

9. My awesome, pithy OSR take nobody appreciates enough:

“Play your character, not the screenwriter writing your character.”

Because I hate hate HATE games trying to get into Creative Writing 101 rules-of-good-narrative nonsense.

10. My favorite non-OSR RPG:

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, because I have a strange inexplicable love for Warhammer.

11. Why I like OSR stuff:

Nowhere else in roleplaying games do you get writing this fecund, this poetic, this muscular, this good. Serious: I’m in with the DIY D&D crowd because of the writing.

12. Two other cool OSR things you should know about that I haven’t named yet:

Khairul Hisham is a old-school Star Wars nerd who’s written about Malay-language references in Star Wars; Dirk Detweiler Leichty should get gallery shows:

13. If I could read but one other RPG blog but my own it would be:

Patrick Stuart still has my heart.

14. A game thing I made that I like quite a lot is:

How to kill a god, and then turn it into a mine.

15. I'm currently running/playing:

Patrick’s running Yoon-Suin using Johnstone Metzger’s “The Nightmares Underneath”; Camilla Greer’s running Luka Rejec’s Ultraviolet Grasslands with The Black Hack 2E.

16. I don't care whether you use ascending or descending AC because:

Honestly I wasn’t around for this particular nerd bush-war, so I haven’t the faintest what’s ascending vs descending AC is even about???

17. The OSRest picture I could post on short notice: 

Is at the top of this post. (Source)

The roundabout ingenuity required to turn the arse of a demon entity from mad alter realities into something as mundane as a cannon is totes OSR.

[loominggaia]

Glenvar Thunderhorn

(more under cut. WARNING: the following text contains spoilers for the Freelance Good Guys series.)

Name: Glenvar Oggson Thunderhorn

Place of Origin: Kirkmar of Red Tundra, Halostira

Date of Birth: Winter, 5978

Species: Human

Occupation: Fisherman (former), Mercenary

Known Relatives: Vingevar Hammercrest (father), Oggsa Thunderhorn (mother), Elgavara Thunderhorn (sister), Hundelgi Stormsunder (sister), Henrik Stormsunder (brother-in-law), Nora Stormsunder (niece), Olivar Stormsunder (nephew)

First Appearance: Flopper and the Whopper

History: Glenvar hails from the religious and warlike Maskamar tribe. The Maskamar believe their day of birth dictates their destiny, so when Glenvar was born under the sign of the whale, his mother tried to prepare him for a rough life at sea.

When he was a teenager, she took him out into the tundra to hunt an ancient kaldvurm. Glenvar’s mother ripped a magical object called a “flamcor” from the kaldvurm’s belly and gifted it to Glenvar. As long as he wore it close to his heart, he would never succumb to the cold. 

Glenvar set off towards the sea and eventually found his way to the coastal town of Odens, where he became a fisherman. One day his crew ensnared a mermaid. The captain tried to remove her scales, but Glenvar defended her while she escaped.

The mermaid told the ocean divines of his good deed, so when Glenvar was thrown overboard for mutiny, he was rescued by Salina and Marina. They rewarded him by merging the flamcor with his heart, making him permanently immune to the cold.

He met the Freelance Good Guys aboard a transport ship. When this ship was suddenly attacked by pirates, Glenvar proved his worth by defending them and joined their company.

Personality: Carefree and good-humored, Glenvar is always the life of the party. He is not always responsible, however, and he avoids any kind of commitment. He hits hard and drinks harder. He is notorious for his rowdy, drunken behavior.

Glenvar smokes, drinks, and eats as much as he pleases with little regard for his health. He is a devout Sylvanist who practices his religion daily. He is repulsed by the world of technology and prefers to live a more primitive life closer to nature.

TRIVIA

Favorite Food(s): Brodfesk (“cheese ‘n chovies), fried pickles, whisky

Favorite Color(s): Red

Favorite Animal(s): Whales, wolves, elk

Hobbies/Skills: Drinking, whittling, fishing, cooking, hairstyling, drumming

Religious Affiliation(s): Sylvanist

Likes: Nature, boating, hunting, seafood, Sylvanist rituals

Dislikes: Cities, high-tech gadgets, stairs, being mistaken for a dworf, spiders

Gender Identity/Pronouns: Man. He/Him.

Sexual Orientation: Attracted to females.

Medical Record: Alcoholism. Appendix removal. Flamcor-infused heart, granting immunity to freezing. Chronic wenchitis (venereal disease). Early-stage liver cirrhosis.

Other Trivia:

Glenvar’s name translates to “born in the forest” in Volkaspek.

Began drinking at age 13 and is a self-proclaimed alcoholic.

Besides alcohol, he occasionally indulges in other drugs like tobacco, dreamleaf, joy juice, and crazy beans.

Evan and Lukas taught him how to read and write when he was a teenager. Due to a lack of practice, he does so quite poorly and usually asks others to read things to him.

Refuses to wear underwear.

He honors his religion by burning a little piece of every animal he eats, believing the smoke carries its soul to the celestials.

Sucks his thumb when he’s bored or anxious.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

*

[russellcuffe]

Next up in my World Cup series: Luka Modrić Croatia are one game away from reaching their second consecutive World Cup final. People often sleep on Croatia but they've only been playing competitive matches since the early 90's. In their first World Cup in 1998 they finished 3rd and produced the top scorer. 20 years later they were runners up and this man, Modrić, was player of the tournament. He orchestrates and dictates play from the middle of the field. Captain and most capped for the national team, this will likely be his swansong. They are such a small nation which continues to produce quality players Edo Murtić was the inspiration for this piece. I thought his mosiac style is a good match for the checkerboard kit the team play in. #worldcup2022 #qatar2022 #qatarworldcup2022 #qatar #worldcup #2022worldcup #2022qatar #2022qatarworldcup #semi #semis #semifinal #semifinals #croatiavsargentina #worldcupsemifinals https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHiQP4sokg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blackkudos]

Forest Whitaker

Forest Steven Whitaker III (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, and director.

Whitaker has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird, Platoon, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and The Butler, and for his work in independent films and for his recurring role as LAPD Internal Affairs Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the Emmy Award-winning television series The Shield.

For his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, Whitaker won the Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and various critics groups awards.

Early life

Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas, the son of Laura Francis (née Smith), a special education teacher who put herself through college and earned two master's degrees while raising her children, and Forest Steven Jr., an insurance salesman. According to DNA tests, his father was of Igbo descent, while his mother had Akan ancestry. When Whitaker was four, his family moved to Carson, California. Whitaker has two younger brothers, Kenn Whitaker, an actor, and Damon, and an older sister, Deborah. Whitaker's first role as an actor was the lead in Dylan Thomas' play Under Milk Wood.

Whitaker attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona on a football scholarship, but a back injury made him change his major to music (singing). He toured England with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers in 1980. While still at Cal Poly, he briefly changed his major to drama. He was accepted to the Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor, and subsequently was accepted into the University's Drama Conservatory. He graduated from USC in 1982. He also earned a scholarship to the Berkeley, California branch of the Drama Studio London. Whitaker was pursuing a degree in "The Core of Conflict: Studies in Peace and Reconciliation" at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2004.

Career

Film work

Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and actors, as well as, for a brief period of time, working in direct-to-video films alongside novice actors such as Lil Wayne, Maggie Grace, and 50 Cent. In his first onscreen performance of note, he had a supporting role playing a high school football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money and Oliver Stone's Platoon. The following year, he co-starred in the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam. In 1988, Whitaker appeared in the film Bloodsport and had his first lead role starring as musician Charlie "Bird" Parker in Clint Eastwood's Bird. To prepare himself for the part, he sequestered himself in a loft with only a bed, couch, and saxophone, having also conducted extensive research and taken alto sax lessons. His performance, which has been called "transcendent", earned him the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.

Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s. He starred in the 1990 film Downtown and was cast in the pivotal role of Jody, a captive British soldier in the 1992 film The Crying Game, for which he used an English accent. Todd McCarthy of Variety described Whitaker's performance as "big-hearted", "hugely emotional", and "simply terrific". In 1994, he was a member of the cast that won the first ever National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for Robert Altman's film, Prêt-à-Porter. He gave a "characteristically emotional performance" in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's 1995 film, Smoke.

Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising, bushido-following, mob hit man in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, a 1999 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Many consider this to have been a "definitive role" for Whitaker. In a manner similar to his preparation for Bird, he again immersed himself in his character's world—he studied Eastern philosophy and meditated for long hours "to hone his inner spiritual hitman." Jarmusch has told interviewers that he developed the title character with Whitaker in mind; The New York Times review of the film observed that "[I]t's hard to think of another actor who could play a cold-blooded killer with such warmth and humanity."

Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the worst films ever made, the 2000 production of Battlefield Earth, based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard. The film was widely criticized as a notorious commercial and critical disaster. However, Whitaker's performance was lauded by the film's director, Roger Christian, who commented that, "Everybody's going to be very surprised" by Whitaker, who "found this huge voice and laugh." Battlefield Earth won seven Razzie Awards; Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to his co-star, Barry Pepper. Whitaker later expressed his regret for participating in the film.

In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the Wong Kar-wai-directed The Follow, one of five short films produced by BMW that year to promote its cars. He co-starred in Joel Schumacher's 2002 thriller, Phone Booth, with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. His performance as the film's "bad guy" was described as "a subtle chemistry of aggression and empathy."

Whitaker's 2006 portrayal of Idi Amin in the film, The Last King of Scotland earned him positive reviews by critics as well as multiple awards and honors. To portray the dictator, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage featuring Amin, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin's East African accent. His performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the fourth African-American actor in history to do so, joining the ranks of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx. For that same role, he was also recognized with the British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and accolades from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, London Film Critics’ Circle Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics, and New York Film Critics Circle among others.

In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in The Great Debaters, for which he received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2008, Whitaker appeared in three films, first as a business man known only as Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film The Air I Breathe. He also portrayed a rogue police captain in Street Kings, and a heroic tourist in Vantage Point.

In 2013, after working in several limited releases and independent features such as Freelancers and Pawn, Whitaker has enjoyed a bit of career resurgence, having played the lead role in Lee Daniels' The Butler, which has become one of his greatest critical and commercial successes to date.

Whitaker also starred in the film Black Nativity, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, and Jacob Latimore. He also co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2013's The Last Stand, playing an FBI agent chasing an escaped drug cartel leader.

Whitaker played Saw Gerrera in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Television work

After completing several films in the early 1980s, Whitaker gained additional roles in multiple television shows. On the series, Diff'rent Strokes, he played a bully in the 1985 episode "Bully for Arnold". That same year, Whitaker also played the part of a comic book salesman in the Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye Acorns". He appeared in the first and second parts of North and South in 1985 and 1986. Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker mainly had roles in television films which aired on HBO, including Criminal Justice, The Enemy Within, and Witness Protection.

From 2002 to 2003, Whitaker was the host and narrator of 44 new episodes of the Rod Serling classic, The Twilight Zone, which lasted one season on UPN. After working in several film roles, he returned to television in 2006 when he joined the cast of FX's police serial The Shield, as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, who was determined to prove that the lead character, Vic Mackey, is a dirty cop. As opposed to his previous character work, Whitaker stated that he merely had to draw on his childhood years growing up in South Central Los Angeles for the role. He received rave reviews for his performance—Variety called it a "crackling-good guest stint"—and he reprised the role in the show's 2007 season.

In the fall of 2006, Whitaker started a multi-episode story arc on ER as Curtis Ames, a man who comes into the ER with a cough, but quickly faces the long-term consequences of a paralyzing stroke; he sues, then takes out his anger on Dr. Luka Kovač, who he blames for the strokes. Whitaker received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the series. Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.

Whitaker was cast in the Criminal Minds spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, that was subsequently cancelled by CBS on May 17, 2011.

In December 2016, it was announced that Whitaker would reprise his role as Saw Gerrera from Rogue One for the Star Wars Rebelsanimated series.

Theatre

Whitaker made his Broadway debut in 2016 in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie at the Booth Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage.

Producing and directing

Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He co-produced and co-starred in A Rage in Harlem in 1991. He made his directorial debut with a grim film about inner-city gun violence, Strapped, for HBO in 1993. In 1995, he directed his first theatrical feature, Waiting to Exhale, which was based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Roger Ebert observed that the tone of the film resembled Whitaker's own acting style: "measured, serene, confident." Whitaker also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".

Whitaker continued his directing career with the 1998 romantic comedy, Hope Floats, starring Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr. He directed Katie Holmes in the romantic comedy, First Daughter in 2004 while also serving as executive producer; he had previously co-starred with Holmes in Phone Booth in 2002. He had previously gained experience as the executive producer of several made-for-television movies, most notably the 2002 Emmy-award-winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy. He produced these projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.

Whitaker and his partner Nina Yang Bongiovi produced the film Fruitvale Station, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, as well as Repentance (2014), Dope (2015) and the upcoming Sorry to Bother You.

JuntoBox Films

Whitaker plays an active role as co-chair of JuntoBox Films since his initial involvement as co-chair with the collaborative film studio starting in March 2012. JuntoBox was developed as a social-media platform for filmmakers and fans to share ideas to create films and then collaborate to make them. Since Whitaker joined as co-chair, five projects have been greenlit for production.

Honors

In addition to the numerous awards Whitaker won for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, he has also received several other honors. In September 2006, the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival presented him with its "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award," calling him "one of Hollywood's most accomplished actors." He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award.

Previously, in 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him. On April 16, 2007, Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures industry at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Dominguez Hills on May 16, 2015.

Personal life

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash, whom he met on the set of Blown Away. They have four children: two daughters together (Sonnet and True), and his son (Ocean) and her daughter (Autumn) from their previous relationships.

Whitaker studies yoga and has a black belt in kenpō. He also trains in the Filipino martial art of Arnis, under Dan Inosanto. Inosanto is best known for having been a student of the late Bruce Lee and has trained actors such as Denzel Washington and Brandon Lee.

Whitaker's left eye ptosis has been called "intriguing" by some critics and "gives him a lazy, contemplative look". Whitaker has explained that the condition is hereditary and that he has considered having surgery to correct it, not for cosmetic reasons but because it affects his vision.

Activism

Charity work

Whitaker, who is a vegetarian, recorded a PSA with his daughter, True, promoting vegetarianism on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He is also a supporter and public advocate for Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for escaped child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country's civil war.

Politics

In politics, Whitaker supported and spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. On April 6, 2009, he was given a chieftaincy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Whitaker, who was named a chief among the Igbo community of Nkwerre, was given the title Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means A Brother in a Foreign Land.

Whitaker was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, in a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters on June 21, 2011. As Goodwill Ambassador, Whitaker works with UNESCO to support and develop initiatives that empower youths and keep them from entering or remaining in cycles of violence. At the induction ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion described Whitaker as a "perfect choice as a Goodwill Ambassador... he has exemplified compassion in every area of his life, with humility and grace. He does this because it's the right thing to do."

In 2010, Whitaker received the Artist Citizen of the World Award (France).

Whitaker co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Launched during the international Newark Peace Education Summit, IIP's mission is to develop programs and strategic partnerships to address cutting-edge issues such as increasing citizen security through community-building; the role of women and spiritual and religious leaders in peacebuilding; the impact of climate change; and the reduction of poverty. IIP operates under the auspices of UNESCO as a Category 2 Center.

Wikipedia

[ashe-guide]

How to Play Ashe Like a Pro

Ashe saw a steady rise in popularity throughout the LEC Summer Season 2020, and the Frost Archer is currently the highest contested marksman choose at the World Championship 2020. Why do our groups have such a high priority on Ashe recently? A few take a look. Abilities Ashe’s passive, Frost Shot, allows the girl basic attacks to slow their target. Ashe’s fundamental attacks always critically strike, but only deal extra damage based on her critical strike chance, and also twice Frost Shot’s slow strength. This makes Ashe a kiting monster who becomes even stronger once she is in a position to hit multiple enemies with Frost Shot via Runaan’s Hurricane. After attacking champions or minions four occasions, Ashe can activate her Q, Ranger’s Focus. Ranger’s Focus gives Ashe bonus attack speed and locations a flurry of arrows with each basic assault. Each arrow in the flurry activates Frost Shot, coping its bonus damage and slowing enemies. Ranger’s Emphasis aids Ashe in dealing tons of damage in both skirmishes and full scale fights later on into the game. Volley allows Ashe to catch opponents with Frost Photo at a longer distance than normal. This can help her to help kite multiple opponents, or to catch up to them. Volley is definitely an incredible early game tool which helps to dictate the end result of the lane, thanks to its poke and pick possible. Landing Volley on the opposing marksman or support can result in them being out of position, and can end in a free eliminate for Ashe and her team. Hawkshot is an extremely strong tool for competitive play, and is one of the biggest causes of Ashe Guide prominence. Hawkshot can reveal where the opposing squad is on the map. Having knowledge of where the enemy team's jungler is on the map is quite possibly the most important info a team can get. You’ll see the likes of G2 Esports and MAD Lions abuse this knowledge a great deal in order to get advantages elsewhere, where the enemy jungle can’t react. Ashe’s ultimate is Enchanted Crystal Arrow. This is a worldwide stun which is usually used to engage fights. The most important thing to understand Enchanted Crystal Arrow is that the stun duration increases depending on distance travelled. This means that a long ranged arrow can potentially stun someone for almost four seconds. That's an incredibly long period of time in League of Legends, and is almost always long enough that will spell the demise of whoever is struck. Luka “Perkz” Perkovic, known for being one of the best Ashe players in the West, will almost always manage to land a clutch arrow to make a massive pick opportunity for his team, which can often result in huge advantages and even wins. Anyone who was watching professional League of Legends at the time will remember this famous moment at the 2016 World Championship, where ROX Tigers’ Kim "PraY" Jong-in snipes SK Telecom T1’s Shelter "Duke" Ho-seong with an across-the-map Enchanted Crystal Arrow to prevent his teleport and win the game for his company. Needless to say, Ashe is deadly in the right hands. Ability Max Order During the LEC Summer Playoffs 2020, Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság managed to pick up a win against G2 on Ashe. Let's look at what his skill purchase was for that game. He started off by maxing their W, Volley. This is for stronger lane presence and kiting potential. Volley also has the most use early on, as it does not have any conditionals that have to be met like Hunter’s Focus offers. Hunter’s Focus is maxed second, as it scales nicely later into the game once some items are completed. This grants Ashe most of her damage in team arguements, especially once she has Runaan’s Hurricane. Hawkshot is remaining for last, as it has no real benefits from extra factors, and the combat effectiveness from the other two abilities are much more important. Enchanted Crystal Arrow gets points at stage 6, 11, and 16. Runes Perkz and Carzzy will always choose Lethal Tempo as their keystone rune. Provides Ashe a nice ramp up in team fights, right around whenever Ranger’s Focus can be activated. This allows her to put away more damage in that time window. There are some slight changes with regards to minor runes on Ashe. These usually change based on what the core first item will be. Overheal is almost usually the first minor rune taken, and is then followed up through either Legend: Alacrity or Legend: Bloodline. The final rune in the precision tree is Cut Down. They follow up with the actual Inspiration tree, taking Approach Velocity and either Cookie Delivery or Magical Footwear. Item Build Ashe participants will often change their core first item depending on the team comps. If Ashe has to deal more damage because of the enemy having a lot of tanks, players will go forBlade from the Ruined King, and if she wants to be more utility targeted players can pick up an Essence Reaver. We’ll check out how Perkz built Ashe in his game against Group Liquid during their Group Stage win at Worlds. Perkz starts off with a Doran’s Blade and Health Potion for your laning phase. On his early recalls, he picks up the B. F. Sword and Berserker Greaves. He applies to an Essence Reaver as his first item, followed up by Runaan’s Hurricane. He then decides to purchase an Infinity Edge before grabbing a Quicksilver Sash and Enthusiasm, which he likely would’ve finished into a Phantom Dancer or Rapidfire Cannon. This build allows Perkz to supply tons of utility for his team while still as being a DPS monster in team fights, able to deal amazing amounts of damage to whoever he can get in range of. This develop also provides a decent amount of cooldown reduction, allowing the dog to have his abilities, but most importantly his ultimate, on the lower cooldown, which allows him to use it to go with regard to picks more often.

Laning Ashe will usually have the advantage whilst taking trades in lane. This is due to her ability to kite her opponents, or keep them in range of her with her recurring slow. She deals a moderate amount of damage and it has a decent amount of poke with Volley. Try to poke your own opponents and take advantageous fights with your support. You may also help to set up a gank by slowing your competitors, or with an Enchanted Crystal arrow when you hit levels 6. You’ll usually see Perkz walking out of eyesight or into a bush in order to use Enchanted Crystal Hare out of vision from his opponents, giving them less time towards react and move out of its path. Below is simply one example of how Ashe can punish out of position people. Perkz and Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle use their slows down to keep Team Liquid’s Edward "Tactical" Ra and Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in from retreating, allowing Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski to come in for a gank and G2 to two times kill them. Here’s another example of the same thing happening so that you can G2. Carzzy keeps Perkz in combat for lengthy enough to almost finish him off, making sure he can not join in on Jankos’ gank attempt. Carzzy then changes his focus to Jankos and keeps him retarded for long enough to make sure he isn’t able to back out, making him to try and commit to killing Norman "Kaiser" Kaiser, however ends up with nothing. Team fighting Ashe likes to search for picks with her ultimate which, in turn, allows her group to start off a fight pretty easily. Once the fight’s began, Ashe will normally sit on the outskirts of a battle, hitting anyone she can without being in too much risk of dying. Ashe’s job is to do as much harm as possible to as many targets as she can along with help of Runaan’s Hurricane, allowing her to keep Ranger’s Target up for almost the entire duration of most fights. It’s close to impossible for enemies to simply run away from Ashe due to the potency of her slows, meaning that she is probably focused heavily and, with no escape tools, she is a sitting duck if left to her own devices. Therefore, our pros, such as Kaiser and Mikyx know this particular all too well, and know how to keep their carry secure. If Ashe manages to melt through the front type of the enemy team, she can usually wipe out a crew – or allow her team to – ready ability to perma-slow a team and stop them from running. Here during the Summer Playoffs, Carzzy lands a stun on Perkz with Enchanted Crystal Arrow, keeping him or her in place long enough for Carzzy to take him down. Carzzy then helps to clean up the rest of G2 with the incredible staff fight damage Ashe gets from Ranger’s Focus as well as Runaan’s Hurricane combo. Conclusion Ashe is a utility centered marksman who has the agency to carry games with her capability to slow, stun, and melt through the enemy team's wellness bars – not to mention her ability to find enemies hidden in the fog of war with Hawkshot. This capability alone gives her team a huge advantage in both expert and personal play. If you are in the market for a new, fun, utility-focused marksman who can aid your team to victory, then Ashe could be what you’re looking for.