#I found a pic with her and the man the myth the legend that is jon ola sand so I had to post it lmao

[moongothic]

I want to preface this by saying that this is meant to be kind of a shitpost. I just. The thought passed my mind. I laughed at it. Thought about it again, laughed some more and I just had to get it out of my system. So here we are

So when I read the myth of Toyotama Hime I did start to wonder if it could be used as fuel for the Crocodad Fire, the myth being about Toyotama coming from Ryuugyuu Castle to give birth on land etc. And in One Piece, we do have that very castle on Fishman Island. Which isn't surprising or anything, Oda getting inspo/names from various mythologies is nothing new by a long shot, and it's unlikely you could somehow tie Crocodile to Fishman Island through that myth. Like Toyotama coming "from the ocean" could just be turned into "Crocodile coming from the sea as a pirate", doesn't have to be deeper than that

But then I thought

...Do we actually know Crocodile isn't part-merman

Like. You see--

We know half-merfolk-half-humans do keep their fishtails like full-merfolk (see Charlotte Praline), and we know that while mermaids split their tails after 30, mermen never do. So between that and us having The Most Scandalous Feet Pics of Sir Crocodile (from the jailbreak cover story), well, we know he has basic ass human feet, so we know for certain he can't be half-merman

But also

Chimney is 1/4th mermaid. The only mermaid features she inherited from her grandmother were her hair color and her being a "good swimmer". Chimney is part-mermaid, and she has human feet

Like the only thing that could debunk this idea (based on what we know about Chimney) would be if Crocodile was a shit swimmer, but he's a Devil Fruit user so of course he can't fucking swim. So we have literally nothing to prove or debunk the idea.

So like

You've heard of "Crocodile is Whitebeard's bio-son" You've heard of "Crocodile is the missing Kuja Empress" You've even heard of "Crocodile is Xebec's son".

So how about

"Crocodile is 1/4th merman"

Why the fuck not

But the funny thing is

Not only would it weirdly explain why the fuck our beloved Sand Man Who Can't Fucking Swim is named after an animal known for swimming (like OP has weird fucking names, see; Smoker, Baby 5, Monkey D. Dragon, etc. What bugs me about Crocodile is the slightly contradictatory theming, but if he was named "Crocodile" by his merfolk parents, suddenly, it kind of works)

But also like. We know Crocodile fucking Hates the Government. And to be fair, there's plenty of reasons for anyone to hate the World Government, you don't need a personal grudge to hate them.

But if he had merfolk parents (who might be stuck living on the surface because they wouldn't have been able to get their child to Fishman Island without someone essentially delivering him there, 'cause he wouldn't have been able to just SWIM there), then there's a genuinely possibility said parent(s) could've ended up getting caught and turned into slaves. And boy would that give someone A Personal Fucking Grudge Against The Government

But also, due to the in-universe discrimination against merfolk, if Crocodile was part-merman it could mean he could've been harassed for it since a young age, or worse yet, could've become a target for slavers if anybody found out. And somehow, having to hide that part about his heritage would work really well into his trust issues

Not to mention, after escaping Impel Down, Croc and Jinbei have this brief convo (that turns racist) where Croc expresses his surprise over Jinbei being able to summon fish, having thought only merfolk could do that. Of course, Croc being a seasoned pirate and all you could totally expect him to like know about mermaid legends etc, but him having no knowledge about Fishmen is a bit odd. Especially because we know he's been to the New World, so you'd think he must've gone to Fishman Island at least once before? Although, his former Shichibukai Rights probably would've allowed him to cross over the Red Line through Marijois instead of having to pass through Fishman Island, but regardless, it's odd, is it not? But if Crocodile did have merfolk parents whom he got separated from at a young age?? Maybe he learned a thing or two about that side of his family, but never enough?? And then having to hide that side of his heritage could've left him just estranged????

Also IDK if it's worth anything but in the cover stories, we were introduced to our first mermaid Camie at the tail end of Alabasta, while the Miss Goldenweek coverstory ran during Water 7 where we meet Kokoro and Chimney. IDK it's a funny coincidence

I just

Could you fucking imagine

How fucking insane would that be, if Crocodile was part-merman

[mirai-desu]

Some photos of Daneliya from Junior Eurovision 2018 [source]

[scotianostra]

On 27th March 1625, King James VI died.

James Charles Stuart has many facts, myths and urban legends surrounding him, this is just one of them.

Rumours have abounded for centuries that James was a homosexual, I'm not saying he wasn't but at very least you might call him bisexual, he did after all father  seven children to his wife, only three of whom survived. Known for writing poetry, there is little doubt he loved his wife, Anne, and wrote many poems and love letters to her throughout their marriage. Most of the rumours of James’ sexual orientation came from Sir Anthony Weldon, who was a bitter enemy of the king, whose writings were published long after James was dead.

One of the most amusing quotes from King James regarding marriage and women was when, at the Hampton Court Conference, the Puritan leaders complained of a line in English wedding vows where the groom says to bride “with my body, I thee worship.” James’ response was “If you had a good wife yourself, you would think all worship and honour you could do her, were well bestowed upon her.”

  James supposed lover was George Villiers was a courtier who became a favourite of King James I. The King became infatuated with him and made him Viscount in 1616, Earl in 1617, Marquis in 1618 and Duke of Buckingham in 1623. Outmanoeuvring his rivals the Howards, Villiers was appointed Lord High Admiral in 1619. He manipulated the lovestruck King James to gain unprecedented control over royal patronage, rewarding himself and his family generously. He married his relations into the most important families in England. His own marriage was to Lady Catherine Manners, only daughter of the wealthy Earl of Rutland. Was their friendship more than platonic? To coin a Scottish phrase, 

"Mibbes aye mibbes naw."

James had a deep and terrible fear of witchcraft and personally oversaw many witch trials while ruling in Scotland. He saw witchcraft as a branch of theology and even wrote a famous treatise titled Daemonologie, in which he dealt with sorcery, magic, and even vampires and werewolves!

James had a relatively peaceful reign, except for the infamous Gunpowder Plot, and kept taxes low. He was known as both the British Solomon and was called “the wisest fool in Christendom” by the King of France. James was both a brute and a gentleman, a sloth and a scholar, a boor and a poet, paranoid and cunning.

It's always best to get first hand knowledge about history, in this case his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, French Emissary Monsieur de Fontenay who had the following to say regarding the young James’ character and traits:

“I have been well received by the king, who has treated me better in reality than in appearance.  He give me much credit, but does not show me much kindness.  Since the day of my arrival he has ordered me to live in his house along with the earls and lords, and that I shall have access to him in his cabinet just as the others have… .To tell you truly what I think of him – I consider him the first prince in the world for his age. … . He apprehends and conceives quickly, he judges ripely and with reason, and he retains much and for a long time.  In questioning he is quick and piercing, and solid in his answers. … He is learned in many languages, sciences, and affairs of state. more so than probably anyone in his realm. In a word he has a miraculous wit, and moreover is full of noble glory and a good opinion of himself.

Having been brought up in the midst of constant fears, he is timid and will not venture to contradict the great lords; yet he wishes to be thought brave.He hates dancing and music in general and especially all the mincing affectations of the court … .From want of proper instruction his manners are boorish and very rough, as well in his way of speaking, eating. dress, amusements and conversation, even in the company of women.

He is never at rest in one place but takes a singular pleasure in walking; but his gait is very ungainly and his step is wandering and unsteady, even in a room.  His voice is thick and very deep as he speaks. … He is weak of body … But to sum up, he is an old young man. …He misunderstands the real extent of his poverty and weakness; he boasts too much of himself and he despises other princes.  In the second place, he disregards the wishes of his subjects; and lastly, he is too idle and careless in business and too much addicted to his own pleasures, chiefly hunting. … He told me that he really gave greater attention to business than he seemed to do for he could get through more work in one hour than others could in a day. …"

James ruled Scotland as James VI from  24th July 1567;  James ruled in England and Ireland as James I from 24th March, 1603. He died 27th March 1625 at the age of 58 after suffering a stroke and a case of dysentery following a malarial fever. Although the aforementioned George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, was widely accused of poisoning the King in the days prior to his death, no clear evidence was ever found. James is buried at Westminster Abbey and was succeeded by his son, Charles I.

Pics are of James, the last one is inside his tomb James body (the largest) with Henry VII and his queen in vault

[mleighlikes]

M’L Instants #36  ~Moons~ :)

Hey there lovelies, this months Instants were a lot of fun for me. What I did was take the names of some of the solar systems moons and found out the definitions of their names as well as there mythological origins for these short poems. I hope if you missed them then this collection will be fun for you to check out. Have a great day my friends :) .

Ganymede...

Beautiful youth come here be glad, for your purpose fits into the Gods plan.

From the land know as Troy a lad of great body and mind. 

He pleases the Supreme God sitting on Olympus a mountain high. 

Taken up made to pure the heavenly wine, given a gift immortal never to be lost to ravish of age. 

Forever beautiful forever thine.

Europa...

On far as the sun begins to set upon the land. 

A young woman more than her mere virtue a princess desired by he who is on high. 

He who seeks her company hides as a bull if only to see the beauty in her wide bright eyes. 

In time they become one a union made divine. 

All in the open, no longer any need to run, to be a shy lie.

Callisto...

Nymph of the land air or sea, beauty not unknowingly belonged to such a being. 

Already betrothed to another yet sought due to the desires of another. 

Behind the back kept in secret they meet, those two not meant to be a pair. 

A creature most lovely forced in to a curse to live in punishment as a bear. 

Still unsafe from wrath on high. 

Placed among the stars Ursa Major is the price paid within a beauty laid crime.

Titan...

Come to me child, union of Heaven and Earth

Great beings for a time, rule the very elements they were born from

In turn give birth to the lands and seas to the lush and arid

Colossus is your might, place down your will create the world in your image

Fear you in life, morn you in death

Your ways not long for a world such as savage as this

In time over thrown by your youth, the fear shifts from the old order to the new

Enceladous...

One thought to be birthed through Earth and Sky an ancient power over steps it's bounds

A giant massive in rage and power taken on by the next generation in the hopes of making things better

A being made to stand then to fall to it's knees in shame and dis-pare for its alliance to the side of brute existence

Struck down by the thunder of he on high made to lay waste under the ground, life without fault as a mountain crushing it under foot…

Tethys...

One of two seas taken as a daughter wife in the times of Earth and Sky

From her river there will flow the streams, lakes, and ponds

Within them will be born even more of the water of this world in the oceanids and more

Life flows from a mother to her children then from them to the rest of being on and on throughout the rest of times existence...

Despina...

Birth from the union of the sea upon the ocean.

A young woman a goddess perused by a higher being.

She takes on her natural for, not being That of a woman but of a mare.

Still seeking her, he who is great takes on the form of a stallion...

Left with child a mystery was born

One in truth as well as one in fantasy...

Galatea...

Born of a carpenter King

Hands mold, sculpt, chip away at the ivory

A form comes into being, she who is milky white stands before he

So entranced by his creation, soon becoming the object of his longing

Goddess of love soon takes pity upon he making his love a reality

Once together, a union not to break

Soon true birth, a daughter these two lives create…

Halimede...

Lady of the brine

Daughter of the old sea

Housed as one among a collection

Creatures that embody nature wild and free

A sister a daughter a spirit set free

One nymph among many calling those near to the sea...

Titania...

Greatness of a fairy Queen, we'd to her love

Yet in time another catches her eye

A young changing given a crown, made to be her joy

This is not the norm, a rival in kind makes her sleep

When she wakes her heart now in karma’s grasp

Eyes fall upon he with the head of a donkey

Her heart swooned, in time the spell will break

The glory of a fairy pale moon...

Oberon...

Noble King with the spirit of a bear

His queens light has been taken from him

Her heart longs for another, is rage builds

He seeks to punish all parties

To sleep his love must fall, he seeks aid

A potion from a loyal servant and all Now goes his way

When she wakes her disgrace complete

The Kings pride restored in a whisper and an evil scheme dream...

Umbriel...

Hidden in shadow, a crime takes place on a love

Times are proper, any defilement is cause for punishment

Only to have a simple lock of a loves hair without consent

One has snatched, grabbed, carried off what did not yet belong to anyone other than it's barer

Grief come down and smite thee

Tears of joy turn to streams of sorrow

The shadow is now ones home

The shadow will take one's soul

 Vega...

Found a home among the western sky

Lyra said to be the spirit within the lyre of Orpheus

Sad was the song of a love lost, sad was the trial of trying to reclaim a life from death

As the song played God nor man could turn away

Vega placed among the stars still resonates as the harp star today...

Polaris...

Look to the North, it's the brightest point in the night sky

Tales that say it's the end of a spike around which the world rotates

Myths and legends call it the peg that holds the world together...

What ever your fancy look to the night heavens and you'll find it there burning bright

Guiding the world from dusk to dawn through the darkest nights

Luna...

King of day sky rises and rests after his rein in the day as the Sun of dawn

Queen of night rises and rests after her rein in the night as the Moon of dusk

Divinely embody the spirit of the moon

Worshiped in times of being full or new

Shining pale is her light, just bright enough to see the world through the darkness

image: google.com/ moons of space pics

Let me know what you think and pass the thought along.

[rotten-sourberry]

Sasusaku Month 2019, day 11, prompt: Chills

A sasusaku vampire au one-shot, because why not –and a little silly doodle inspired from the story :) Feel free to share your thoughts with me!

Rating: T

mini-Summary: When Sakura is dared to go inside the “haunted”-as everyone in town says- Uchiha mansions, she thinks it’s all just fairy tails. But, what started as a simple Truth or Dare game, might affect her life more than she could ever imagine.

  Sakura had heard the stories about the haunted Uchiha mansion. But still, she knew these stories were for children and she was not afraid, even though it was past midnight, and the woods near the mansion seemed to have a weird aura.

  The huge house loomed over her. The walls seemed black in the dark, and there wasn’t a single broken window.

   Weird, Sakura thought, no one has lived in that mansion, in about 200 years, they say. Why is it in such a good state?

   A sudden wind blew and she almost dropped her flashlight startled.

   It’s just the wind, no evil spirit or vampire, Sakura!, her inner self told her. Why did Ino picked that challenge in truth or dare? Why did I say dare in the first place? the pinkette wondered.

  She knew her friends were somewhere nearby, waiting for her. The only thing she had to do was to get in, go to the highest floor and take a few pictures of the interior, then get back to the car.

 She had stopped outside the massive doors. Fire symbols were carved all over the metal and in the middle was the Uchiha symbol, a fan.

  Sakura took a deep breath, pushed the doors open and picked inside. She saw a large staircase in the back and on the right the living room. Everything was in perfect order, there wasn’t even dust covering the furniture.

  She started to panic. She wasn’t the first to enter the mansion in 200 years, it wasn’t possible. But why was everything so neat as if somebody lived there? An old lady had once told her that who ever dared trespass the Uchiha compound, always came back with no memory of ever going in there. Those were just superstitions according to Sakura.

  Okay… Why don’t I just run upstairs,take the pics and get the hell out of here?, she thought.

  And so she did. She braced herself and started running up the stairs, floor by floor. Suddenly something caught her eye. On the second floor near the staircase was a portrait of a family. She moved closer to take a better look.

  Sakura felt her breath hitch. They were the most beautiful people she had ever seen. A mother, a father and two sons, the Uchiha, as the legends said. All with the same dark hair and terrifying but beautiful red eyes. Her eyes lingered to the youngest son, he appeared to be her age. Sakura for an instance thought she had seen him once, somewhere, but that didn’t make sense, so she pushed that thought aside. She decided to take a photo of the portrait before she continued rushing to the third and final floor.

  She stopped and looked around. It was a hall with a large window in th back. Sakura could see the entrance of the mansion and in the distance Ino’s silver car glowing in the deem moonlight.

 "That could be enough proof" Sakura laughed for her accomplishment and got her phone out ,once more, to capture the evidence of her victory.

   Suddenly, she felt chills as if somebody was breathing near her neck.

   "Proof for what?“ a cold, elegant voice made her jump from her place and land on her bottom.

   She looked back and felt her throat get dry. In front of her stood the youngest son looking as young and handsome as he was drawn in that portrait. If Sakura wasn’t terrified, she would probably be blushing like crazy right now.

  His eyes were blood red and had her captivated. His face like carved marble, hair like black feathers and an elegant cloak covered his body.

  "Well?” he demanded.

  Sakura felt she had to answer him, as if her life was depending on it.

  “I…I thought the mansion was abandoned. We… everyone in town did. They said it hasn’t been inhabited in about 200 years” Sakura stattered.

  “Hm, just like that time…” he smirked and Sakura felt some very weird things in her body, things that meant she was turned on by that complete -probably not human- stranger.

  “What do you mean? Who are you?” she dared asked.

  His eyes flashed even redder and suddenly she saw her twelve year old self in front of her. She was standing in front of the young Uchiha trembling in fear.

  “Nobody is supposed to live here” she heard her younger self say.

  “What’s your name?” the red eyed man had asked her.

  “Sa…Sakura Haruno…What is your name? Why do your eyes glow red?What are you doing here?”.            

     Little Sakura was quite courageous.

  “I am Sasuke Uchiha, I live here. As for my eyes… well, I am what you humans might call a vampire” he  had answered calmly.

  Sakura saw herself getting a few steps back in terror.

  “Don’t be afraid Sakura.” the man, Sasuke had said “ I won’t hurt you”.

  And her young self had relaxed just as he had said that. His eyes had powers, she thought, the myths of vampires always said so.

  More images followed, of her going back to mansion, her face bright pink everytime she had looked at Sasuke, chills rushing through her body.

  Every time he had told her to never speak of him and to not come back. She only did the first one.

   Until one day, when she saw the young Uchiha, getting closer to her and staring deep in little Sakura’s eyes.

  “Sakura, don’t come back in here. If you do, I will drink your blood”.

  Her younger self had giggled at that.

  “But you are all alone Sasuke kun, I want to be with you” she had blurted and her cheeks had the same color of Sasuke’s eyes.

 "I must be alone" he had said “but someday you might see me again”.

 "When?“ Her eyes had watered and his hands tapped her forehead.

  "I’ll tell you next time” Sasuke’s eyes had spinned and had wipped Sakura of all memories of him.  

   Older Sakura started to remember. These things had truly happend.

   In an instance, she was back at the mansion. She looked at her body. It was her nineteen self, on the floor. His eyes weren’t glowing now.

  “Why did you do that then, Sasuke kun?” Sakura said still in shock.

  “ It was the right think to do” he answered coldly.

  “But I cared about you! I loved you!” she almost screamed.

  “You were very young and weak. You would have died if you were near me any longer” his face was serious.

  “This time, I won’t let you do it again! You won’t erase my memories!” she stood up.

  “Hn” he smirked.

  “What is it?” she asked.  

  “I had warned you Sakura” he said seductively “next time you’d be here, I would drink your blood. You smell quite… delicious.” at the he leaked his lips slowly.

  Sakura thought he was trying to intimidate her, but at the same time the sound of his voice made her want to do whatever he asked of her.

   "Well , I am not afraid of you, Sasuke kun!“

   "Okay, then…” he moved very close to her face, close enough that his enticing smell had her knees weak, sending heat in certain parts of her body. With his hand, he moved a few pink locks that had escaped her ponytail, to the side and opening his mouth. His breath was hot when his fangs digged in her neck.

Sakura let out a little cry of pain and Sasuke put his hand around her waist, pulling her closer. The pain didn’t last long and as he drunk, she started feeling lightweight, her head dizzy and a weird kind of bliss. A moan escaped her lips. The young Uchiha stopped drinking and licked her neck before moving his face right in front of hers.

  “You taste even better than you smell, Sakura” his lips were inches away from hers.

   She was mesmerized. She liked the way he touched her, so close to his body and she couldn’t help herself from moving her lips closer to his.

  The kiss was soft, Sasuke’s lips cold like metal, Sakura’s hot, almost feverish. This felt so right to Sakura. She never wanted to stop kissing him. Sasuke stopped the kiss and looked at her.

   "Aren’t you going to answer if?“ he asked

   She was baffled for a moment. Then she realized her phone had been ringing for a while now.

  She reached for her pocket and took it out, Sasuke’s hand still on her waist. She picked it up.    

  "Forehead, what the hell? What’s taking you so long?” Ino’s voice sounded a little worried.

  “ Em… I…” the pinkette looked at the Uchiha, trying to figure out how to answer that question.

  The young man watched her with a daring smile, waiting to hear her lie to her friend.

  “I can’t go in!” she blurted. “ It’s too dark and I think it’s partly collapsed inside.”

  “Hm, makes sense” her best friend said “I mean, 200 years is a long time. Anyway, I’ll just find another challenge, now get your pretty butt over here” and with that she hanged up.

  “I should….” Sakura was founding it hard to talk with Sasuke looking at her so intently.

  “Go” he offered.

  “Yes… But I’ll be back! And you can’t do nothing about it!” she said with determination, before landing a quick kiss on his lips and running down the stairs and out of the mansion, before he could ever thought of erasing her memories.

  She made it to the car panting and breathing hard, but smiling as crazy.

  “Why the smile, Forehead?” Ino wondered.

 "Nothing! Just remembered something, Ino pig" she told her.

  As the car was moving towards the town, Sakura looked at mansion.

  Tomorrow, she thought, tommorow she would go back and the day after tomorrow and even after that.

[nunoxaviermoreira]

The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne- pic 26 by Ilaria Cerutti La leggenda di Diarmuid e Gráinne Il Benbulben (in gaelico Benn Gulbain) è una particolarissima altura situata nella contea di Sligo nella Repubblica d’Irlanda. Il Gleniff horseshoe drive è un percorso a forma di ferro di cavallo alle pendici del monte. Il Benbulben è stato teatro di tanti episodi letterari: scenario della morte di Diarmuid nella saga di Fion Mac Cumhail, ferito a morte da un verro mitologico e lasciato da solo senza cure dal suo generale Fionn, geloso e disperato per il suo amore per Graìnne; ma anche il principale posto ispirativo per il poeta W.B. Yeats. Percorrendo la strada a ferro di cavallo, complici l’atmosfera grigia e la pioggia leggera tipiche del clima irlandese, si viene inevitabilmente trasportati in un’ambientazione talmente suggestiva e misteriosa che spinge a cercare informazioni su eventuali miti e leggende del luogo anche se non se ne era mai letto nulla prima. _____ Grainne era la donna più bella d’Irlanda, era anche la figlia di Cormac MacAirt, l’Alto re d’Irlanda. Grainne fu corteggiata dai più eleggibili principi e capi tribù d’Irlanda, compreso il vecchio ormai anziano Fionn MacCool, che voleva la giovane cameriera come seconda moglie. Lui le chiese di sposarlo, lei accettò e una grande festa fu istituita per celebrare la nuova coppia. Ma quella sera Grainne incontrò Diarmuid, uno dei migliori guerrieri di Fionn e fu amore a prima vista. Grainne era pronta a fare di tutto per ottenere il suo uomo e drogò l’intero gruppo, a parte Diarmuid. Con Diarmuid tutto per sé, Grainne confessò il suo amore per lui, ma Diarmuid rifiutò, essendo fedele al suo leader Fionn. Grainne non si rassegnò e gli fece un incantesimo che lo fece innamorare di lei. I due scapparono insieme, inseguiti dall’ira di Fionn e dei suoi uomini. La coppia fuggì, e in tutta l’Irlanda ci sono grotte, alberi e ogni tipo di caverne dentro le quali la leggenda narra che Diarmuid e Grainne si nascondevano e giacevano insieme. Dopo lunghi anni in fuga, Grainne rimase incinta del figlio di Diarmuid, ma il destino stava per raggiungerli. Un giorno nel deserto, con Fionn e i suoi uomini che si avvicinavano, Diarmuid e Grainne attraversarono la brughiera di Benbulben presso Sligo, dove un cinghiale gigantesco li affrontò. Mentre il cinghiale caricava, Diarmuid, proteggendo Grainne incinta, lo affrontò in battaglia. Il guerriero uccise il cinghiale con la sua spada, ma non prima che il cinghiale avesse ferito mortalmente Diarmuid, che spirò tra le braccia dell’amata. Grainne, disperata, sapeva che aveva solo una possibilità di salvarlo. Implorò Fionn di mostrare pietà e salvare il suo ex amico curando Diarmuid offrendogli dell’acqua a coppa tra le sue mani magiche. Ma Fionn rifiutò, ancora ferito dal fatto che il suo migliore amico fosse fuggito con la sua fidanzata. Gli uomini di Fionn lo pregarono di aiutare questo grande guerriero a vivere. Ma ancora Fionn rifiutò. Fu solo quando il figlio di Fionn Oisin sfidò suo padre e minacciò di ucciderlo, che Fionn accettò di aiutare Diarmuid. Ma era troppo tardi, prima che Fionn avesse preso l’acqua, Diarmuid era morto. ___ The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne The Benbulben (in Gaelic Benn Gulbain) is a very special hill located in the county of Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. The Gleniff horseshoe drive is a horseshoe-shaped course on the slopes of the mountain. The Benbulben was the scene of many literary episodes: the scene of the death of Diarmuid in the saga of Fion Mac Cumhail, mortally wounded by a mythological boar and left alone without care by his general Fionn, jealous and desperate for his love for Graìnne; but also the main inspirational place for the poet W.B. Yeats. Driving along the horseshoe road, accomplices the gray atmosphere and the light rain typical of the Irish climate, one is inevitably transported in such a suggestive setting that leads one to look for information on local myths and legends even if one had never read anything before. _____ Grainne was the most beautiful woman in Ireland, she was also the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the High King of Ireland. Grainne was courted by Ireland’s most eligible Princes and Chieftains, including the now ageing chief Fionn MacCool, who wanted the young maid as his second wife. He asked her to marry him, she agreed and a great feast was set up to celebrate the newly engaged couple. But on that night Grainne met Diarmuid, one of Fionn’s best warriors and it was love at first sight. Grainne was prepared to go to any lengths to get her man and drugged the entire party, apart from Diarmuid. With Diarmuid all to herself, Grainne confessed her love for him, but Diarmuid backed off, as he was loyal to his leader Fionn. But Grainne wasn’t taking no for an answer, so she put a spell on him and he fell in love with her. The two ran off together, hotly pursued by angry Fionn and his men. All across Ireland the eloping couple ran and there are trees and all kinds of nooks and crannies, under or inside of which, local legend says that Diarmuid and Grainne laid and hid together. After long years on the run, Grainne fell pregnant with Diarmuid’s child, but fate was about to catch up with them. One day out in the wilderness, with Fionn and his men closing in, Diarmuid and Grainne came across the heath of Benbulben near Sligo where a giant boar confronted them. As the boar charged, Diarmuid, protecting his heavily pregnant lover, wrestled it to the gound; he killed the boar with his sword, but not before the boar had gored Diarmuid, fatally wounding him. As Fionn and his men came upon their long sought quarry, he found Diarmuid dying in a heavily pregnant Grainne’s arms. A despairing Grainne knew she had just one chance to save her lover. She implored Fionn to show mercy and save his former friend by curing Diarmuid with a drink of water cupped by his magical hands. But Fionn refused, still hurt that his best friend had eloped with his betrothed. With Diarmuid dying, Fionn’s men begged him to help this once great warrior to live. But still Fionn refused. It was only when Fionn’s son Oisin his father and threatened to kill him that Fionn agreed to help Diarmuid. But it was too late, before Fionn had got the water, Diarmuid had died. https://flic.kr/p/2gyoLAj

[the-quitter]

I’m going to go out of order for a bit because the last character is... oh man, Like, my first oc I think?

This one however is a nice one. I like this one. She’s supposed to have the signature duckbutt hairstyle, and she constantly colors it. She’s featured most prominently sporting the fire-blazing look. A part-time model, not too popular, but well liked by people. She used to have a super dramatic, backstory, I’m talking, murder, sister-killing, really heavy guilting stuff. But she would definitely not turnout as happy as she is today!

I prefer her Model name (Ellena York) to her actual name (Akanotame Hyo).

Link

Link for the two above --> ads tho

Now her backstory might be undefined, but she has a very interesting present!

The story goes that she and one of the Love Interests (more on him later), went to the beach and found another Love Interest who’s... well, not human at all. Surprisingly in universe, absolutely no one is shocked or surprised about the creature except human Love Interest. Even Ellena doesn’t seem to care. I mean, she is curious about him, and teaches him the human language and reading and what-not. Like she knows he’s different, but sort of treats him like... well, it’s weird. Like you know this thing is an alien, and you do have so many questions, but. None of the questions are pressing ones, they’re just. There.

York houses him in her home, and even her parents don’t blink at it. It’s as if he’s a normal house guest that they know very well.

Her entire story is supposed to be light and whimsical and comedic. With I guess shocking moments of truth, when the non-human Love Interest displays too much aggression and/or animalistic traits.

Non-Human Love Interest is named Kida Tora by Ellena. Not sure if she ever taught him about his own name, usually she just grabs him if she wants his attention. His gender is also imposed onto him by York. But I never thought of him as a full complete male. Perhaps it has a unique gender that isn’t found in the human species? In any case. Here’s some pics.

Missing Link - I tried my best, I just couldn’t seem to find it...

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Also also, just want to point out the purple lamb there is just Ellena’s favorite plushie. That is her guitar, and yes she does play. Kida does not. In reality I don’t think she’d let him hold the guitar since even his ‘human’ appearance has nails that are too long and sharp (they’re bone instead of skin). However, I can’t see her denying him things or being strict. Chances are she carefully guided him on how to hold and strum, after he sees her play and asks to try it (at this point in time, he probably didn’t know how to speak properly, and just held out his hands in the most child-like grabby motion).

I do not play the guitar. I cannot tell you anything more other than the fact that Ellena is quite good at it. Doesn’t really have an interest in making her own songs, but she does enjoy switching lyrics in other songs to fit her mood. She mostly plays mainstream music, and in very rare cases, she’s played songs for her family and friends. Definitely plays it in her free time when she feels like it, and is more comfortable performing for herself. She does occasionally play in school if it’s required of her to do so. Or if enough people request it.

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Now this character isn’t actually fleshed out fully. My theory is that he was originally human, when something or someone turned him into a non-human creature. (How he went from white to brown we will never know.)

I did have more theories, but as I typed out the previous words, I thought it made more sense for him to originally be human. It would explain why he can take a human-ish appearance when he needs to. Maybe even say that he became brown from years spent at sea (as both sea creature and human).

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another cute one. Aw. My theory is Ellena has a sea of plushies in her room.

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in picture titles I usually write notes. It says here that the hair on Kida is 100% accurate. Huh. I look at it now though, and I don’t like it, simply because it’s covering his eye, and that’s not want I want him to look like now. Perhaps I drew him differently on paper. We’ll find out when I sort through all my art. After sorting through all the dress-up games!

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again, the title implies this is accurate. But I’m thinking I want this design changed big time. Though I suppose the necklace can stay.

And now, On to our other human friend. One of the few male characters that I’ve made, that feels realistic (to me at least).

His name is Wilton West. He’s the obligatory transfer student (again, all made in my anime phase). The whole story takes place in japan I suppose, but I’m changing that right now. Because. It just. In seems like it would fit better in my vampire universe, somewhere far in the future. Perhaps mana will be overshadowed by technology. Avatar style (I’m still not watching Legend of Korra tho, I’m sorry).

He’s a skeptic, a pessimist and maybe sometimes a realist when he’s right. He’s also a gamer. Not a hardcore one, he just likes passing his time with games. I’ve written somewhere that he may or may not have a motorcycle. But chances are it’s his grandfather’s, and he’s definitely not allowed to touch it.

Wilton is also the first character I’ve created that requires glasses. Which is weird. I mean glasses is like, a normal thing. Why is he the first character to need them.

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Now while Wilton and Ellena do spend time together, they have more of a frenemy relationship. Wilton spends too much time finding faults in what Ellena says and does. Like having a constant critic, who will never sing your praises and always look for more of your flaws.

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this is a myth, Wilton rarely smiles.

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listen bro, he’s only smirking cause he’s about to get that Fortnite win.

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The title says, ‘this is how they met’. To be honest, it probably is! Ellena loves swimming, and it seems while on her way to the swim meet after school, she bumped into West and scattered his almost late essay to the wind!

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‘his style’

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dat witty banter(tm) tho!

OH NO I can’t find the Link! Please help.

maybe he has a dog? But he seems more of a cat person. You know what. screw it. He has a cat. Sorry good doggo. But ya gotta go.

And this last one is a crossover with my other O.C. that I’ll be talking about soon in another post.

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[allmyloveavery]

wherever you are ~ c.b

A/N: The first part of this is gonna be your point of view and then it switches to Corbyn. The italic parts are song lyrics. anyway, I love this song so much and I hope I did it justice with the story. this is almost 2k words so i put a read more lmao. quick disclaimer this is just fiction and based on song lyrics don’t come at me pls 

ps: I’m so sorry this took so long holy crap this request has been sitting in my inbox for ages.

Requested: yes

Summary: basically the plot of the song wherever you are by 5sos but if you don’t know what that’s about I’m gonna give a quick summary anyway. You and Corbyn break up and he leaves you heartbroken. You fly back home and time passes but he can’t seem to stop thinking about you.

You drove into the airport parking lot, with tears burning in your eyes you parked your car and sat there for a minute staring through the window. You couldn’t take it any longer, the feeling of tears burning behind your eyes turned into a complete waterfall of tears streaming down your cheeks. Usually, you weren’t one to cry but today, your spirit, hope, and dreams had been shattered in just a matter of seconds. You lay your head on your arms that were crossed over the steering wheel and you felt the tears stain your sleeve.

 On the backseat of your car, there’s a faint buzzing sound, it’s your phone, but you can’t even hear it over your violent sobbing. In between sobs you manage to let out your anger and scream as you slam the steering wheel with both of your hands. “It was a mistake coming here” you say as you look through your bag for some tissues to clean up the mess that this sobbing session had created.  You check yourself out in your mirror and rub your eyes one last time before grabbing your stuff and walking inside the airport. One more glance over your shoulder at the sun setting in L.A before you step foot inside the airport and you leave forever. As you walk towards your gate you grab your phone and dial your mom’s number. “Hi mom” you almost break down after this and you hear the voice of your concerned mom on the other side of the line, asking you if you’re okay. “I’m coming home.” It stays silent on your mom’s side of the line. It’s like you can’t even react to anything and like everything is moving in slow-motion. You hear your mom say that she’ll pick you up at the airport in your hometown if you text her the time you land and that you’ll be alright and she loves you. All you manage to get out in response is an almost muted “okay” as you stare at your gate before boarding. 

You got on the plane and looked for your spot. When you finally found it and sat down you saw the missed calls from your now ex-boyfriend. As much as it pains you to do it, you decide it’s for the best. You open your contacts on your phone and scroll to his name. “delete contact” you hesitate for a second but end up clicking it. Tears well up in your eyes as you shut down your phone looking out the window, waiting for the plane to take you back home.

“For a while we pretended That we never had to end it But we knew we’d have to say goodbye You were crying at the airport When they finally closed the plane door I could barely hold it all inside”

He was driving on the freeway, one hand on the steering wheel, the other to his ear trying to call you for the fourth time. “come on y/n, pick up the phone…please” The boy makes his way to the airport as fast as possible. It’s a race against the clock to make it there before you board and you’re gone forever. Jonah is sitting in the passenger side and gives Corbyn a sympathetic look as he watches him dial your number once again muttering “please pick up, babe, this was a mistake” to himself. “Dude it’s no use, she’s not gonna pick up. You broke her heart, she probably doesn’t even want to talk to you right now.“ When you don’t pick up the sixth time he throws his phone on the backseat. “I have to talk to her, Jonah. I have to.”

They pull up in the parking lot and Corbyn doesn’t even bother to lock the car. He jumps out of the car sprinting towards the doors of the main entrance. Once he’s inside he frantically looks for your flight on the boards, but he can’t find it. As he’s running towards the service desk to ask where you’re boarding there’s an announcement over the intercom. “Boarding for the flight KL601 is closed.”  Corbyn’s heart sinks into his chest and his eyes fall down as he stops running. “I’m too late.”

His entire body got washed over by defeat as he slowly made his way back to the car. His chest felt heavy and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or scream. As he walked up to his car he saw Jonah sitting in the passenger’s seat, patiently waiting for him. Once Jonah spots his friend he gets out of the car. “You didn’t make it in time?” he asks as he walks up to his friend to give him a hug. Corbyn can’t even bring himself to answer because he knows he’ll break down, so he just shakes his head. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

Exactly three months had passed since you left L.A and went back home.  It was about 3 am but he couldn’t sleep. He’d been up all night thinking of you. He tried so hard to fall asleep but he just missed you too much. He grabbed his phone searching through his contacts until he got to your name. His finger hovered over the number and the calling button for a few seconds. “I shouldn’t. It’s better this way.” He sighs and shuts off his phone.

“Torn in two And I know I shouldn’t tell you But I just can’t stop thinking of you Wherever you are You Wherever you are Every night I almost call you Just to say it always will be you Wherever you are”

He looked at the bulletin board on his desk. You may have been gone but the memories weren’t. The board was filled with Polaroid’s of the two of you, little notes and postcards you had given him throughout the relationship. He knew he should probably get rid of them or at least put them away somewhere he wasn’t reminded of the painful fact that half of his heart was missing. He grabbed his favorite polaroid picture from the board. It was a picture he took of you when you were out on a date for Valentine’s Day because he thought you looked so pretty and he was a lucky guy. He felt tears well up in the back of his eyes and fought the urge to cry. He holds the picture up, looking at it for a while. “I miss you.”

“I could fly a thousand oceans But there’s nothing that compares to What we had, and so I walk alone”

The thought of booking a plane ticket and just flying to you to say he’s sorry and ask you to come back home, to him, in L.A, had crossed his mind almost every night. Yesterday he almost did, but he refrained. You’d probably turn him down anyway.  He sighed at the thought. He missed everything about you, your touch, playing with your hair, your laugh, the way you would do a little dance if you were excited about something, the back and forth quoting of your favorite vines, you sending him memes in the middle of the night saying “this reminded me of you”. He’d give anything to just hold you in his arms one more time.

The next morning he scrolled through his Instagram and saw that you had posted something.  You hadn’t posted anything ever since you left L.A, except for a picture with your two best friends hugging them, captioned: “I missed my girls.” The picture you had posted was a selfie of you and some guy at a club with drinks in your hands both smiling and looking happy. The picture was captioned: “@ScottH the man, the myth, the legend.”

“I wish I didn’t have to be gone Maybe you’ve already moved on But the truth is I don’t want to know”

Corbyn clicked the tag in the picture you gave Scott and went to his account. He found the same pic you had posted and saw that you had commented a heart under the picture. He wondered if you had moved on but couldn’t bring himself to think about it any longer. The thought of you being over him and with someone else pained him deep in his soul.

He went to his Spotify playlist and found the playlists you had made him over the course of the relationship. “Mixtape I for my sunshine’, ‘songs that remind me of you II’, ‘mixtape for the bean III” He looked at the titles with a soft smile on his face. From time to time he would still listen to them, like reading an old love letter. Almost as if in a desperate attempt to cling to you, hoping that one day you would come back.

It was one of those days on which he lied awake until four in the morning thinking about you, so he plugged in his earphones and played the very first mixtape you made him in an attempt to feel something and fill the void in his heart.

“You can say we’ll be together Someday Nothing lasts forever Nothing stays the same So why can’t I stop feeling this way Torn in two And I know I shouldn’t tell you But I just can’t stop thinking of you Wherever you are You Wherever you are”

What he didn’t know was that you still listened to his mixtapes every once in a while too. Even though you deleted his number, you had it memorized and you thought about calling him every now and then, but just like Corbyn, you thought it was probably better this way.

“Every night I almost call you Just to say it always will be you Wherever you are”

[hermanwatts]

Sensor Sweep: Rialto’s Market, Castle Amber, Freas, David Drake

Fiction (Goodman Games): Jack Holbrook Vance was summoned into this world just over a century ago in San Francisco on August 28, 1916. A writer of multiple genres, he is best known to fans of Dungeons and Dragons for his Dying Earth novels, one of the inspirations for the magic system, often called ‘Vancian’, in which magic-users memorize spells from their librams, and once cast, forget them for the day.

Gamergate (Walker’s Retreat): Among all the other events of the last week or so was the anniversary of Gamergate. To which I find this Tweet and its pic very much my mood.

Poetry (Kairos): Kipling’s famous–some might say infamous–poem “The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon” has gained a great deal of traction in dissident circles. I maintain that a major reason why this poem has resonated with the current generations of young men on the right is that it highlights the masculine virtues they were never taught.

Fiction (DMR Books): Since April 9, 2018, I’ve been periodically posting blog entries devoted to what I call the “Forefathers of Sword and Sorcery”. Those would be the men—writers like Doyle and London—who influenced the First Dynasty of S&S authors such as Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and C.L. Moore. Apparently, there are some very confused people out there on the Webz. I thought it best to define some terms and parameters so further misapprehensions don’t occur.

Art (Rafeeq McGiveron): s July draweth to a close, I suddenly realize that the last month and a half has been pretty busy in terms of updates to my Heinlein cover art galleries.  In addition to new-to-me editions of books like Waldo and Magic, Inc., Orphans of the Sky, The Man Who Sold the Moon, Time for the Stars, and Podkayne of Mars, I also have come across quite a bit of things from magazines.

Terry Pratchett (The Wert Zone): Following the publication of yet another publicity image from BBC America’s The Watch, a TV series loosely “inspired by” Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, his family and associates have once again made it clear that they do not approve of the project and have distanced themselves from it.

Pulp (Pulp Net): I recently obtained The Doc Vandal Omnibus: Vol. 1, which has the first three novels by Dave Robinson featuring Doc Vandal, a steampunk take on Doc Savage. Doc Vandal was influenced by Doc Savage, but also Captain Future and Perry Rhodan. He exists in a different world where aliens exist and other strange things. Born on the Moon and raised by alien AIs, Vandal is an improved human who uses his skills and knowledge to create inventions and stand up against evil.

Gaming (Grognardia): Naturally, we’re not playing these games face-to-face. Instead, we’re making use of VASSAL, a virtual tabletop created for wargamers (specifically Advanced Squad Leader). VASSAL has proven surprisingly easy to use, not to mention fun. Based on my friend’s recommendation, we began my education with GMT’s Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar. Partly this was done because it’s a period of history I know a bit about and partly because Falling Sky is an entry in GMT’s COIN series, which my friend thought would appeal to me.

History (Legends of Men): A while ago, I picked up an old book on pirates for cheap at a used bookstore. It’s General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates. by Daniel Defoe. You may recognize the name Daniel Defoe as the author of Robinson Crusoe and other novels. He’s one of the first early English novelists, and his authorship of this book is disputed but highly probable. This book is loaded with more than 20 stories of actual pirates, their exploits, successes, failures, and deaths.

Fiction (Benespen): King David’s Spaceship [Amazon link] is the first book by Jerry Pournelle I remember reading. I picked it up from the local library in 2006, and I could not put it down. Colonel Nathan MacKinnie’s desperate quest to find a forgotten database of ancient technology on a barbaric planet, and then spirit that information home under the watchful eyes of the Imperial Navy is a classic adventure. Jerry Pournelle’s style is the place where intrigue, politics, and technology meet, often with a heavy dose of military tactics. King David’s Spaceship is all that and more.

Conan (Conan.com): We’re happy to announce the launch of the official Conan store, called Rialto’s Market, here on Conan.com! It’s headed by the merchant Rialto, someone you’ll learn more about in the near future. We’ve got T-shirts, Thulsa Doom bottle openers, phone cases, mugs, and more for you in Rialto’s Market. You can also pre-order the Conan the Cimmerian: The Tower of the Elephant board game, if you missed out on the successful Kickstarter.

RPG (Pelgrane Press): The term: table sense. It’s what developers look for when you write scenarios or source material for roleplaying games. It’s what game masters need from you when they read your material. Table sense is what it sounds like: the ability to forecast what will happen at the gaming table when the scene, magic item, background detail, monster or whatever it is comes into use. How do you get it? By playing roleplaying games of the sort you’re writing for. And more importantly: by picturing the play experience as you write, away from your table.

Vampirella (Monster Librarian): From the Stars…a Vampiress provides a great reference guide to one of the most recognizable female horror comics heroines, Vampirella. The first section, “The Vampire Who Fell to Earth”, tells her story from her initial creation by James Warren and Forrest J. Ackerman, and other writers and artists who helped her development such as Archie Goodwin, Jose Gonzalez, Trina Robbins, Frank Frazetta, Gonzalo Mayo, and many more, to her cancellation in 1982 after Warren Publishing closed its doors.

Science Fiction (Digital Bibliophilia): Rogue Ship is one the novels Vogt constructed from previously issued stories into a ‘fix-up’ and has a complicated history. From the notes in my 1975 Panther paperback edition it started life as three seperate stories that were rewritten for this single novel. Beginning in 1947, with Centaurus II, which was first published in ‘Astounding Science Fiction’ (which became the magazine ‘Analog Science Fact – Science Fiction’), we then move on to Rogue Ship published in ‘Super Science Fiction’ three years later, and lastly have a story called The Expendables published within the pages of ‘IF Worlds of Science Fiction’ in 1963.

RPG (Goodman Games): It’s time! We’re opening the doors on Original Adventures Reincarnated #5: Castle Amber, and you are all invited inside. The fifth release in our Original Adventures Reincarnated line is now up and available for pre-order from our online store. It’s your chance to get in line for the first wave of shipments of this great new release.

Cinema (Flickering Myth): When The Expendables was first announced in late 2009, my excitement levels went through the roof. Initially it was Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li on board and that was exciting enough. Then Dolph Lundgren signed on, and the rest followed. By the time a mid-shoot addition of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger was announced (in a surprise cameo where the surprise was blown long before release sadly) I was bouncing around like a toddler high on Dib Dab. The first film came out 10 years ago today.

Cinema (Made in Atlantis): During the 1899 to 1901 Boxer Rebellion, Peking is an open city with the Chinese, and several European countries vie for control. The Boxers, who oppose Christianity and the western powers, who still exercised complete sovereignty over their compounds and their citizens. The head of the U.S. garrison is Marine Major Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston), an experienced China hand who knows local conditions well. He meets exiled Russian Baroness Natalie Ivanoff (Ava Gardner), with whom he falls in love.

Science Fiction (Frank Ormond): I have previously written on my favorite science fiction series, Count to the Eschaton Sequence, before. The first book is Count to a Trillion and is an excellent adventure science fiction novel. This retrospective was a long time coming. I’ve found John C. Wright’s work fascinating, if not a bit verbose in areas, and creative. He’s held up in some circles as a master of the craft, and it’s easy to see why.

Art (DMR Books): The late, great Kelly Freas* would’ve turned ninety-eight today. As I’ve noted elsewhere, Freas started out in Weird Tales and could have had a fine career illustrating fantasy and weird fiction. However, he tied his star to the burgeoning science fiction market and became one of the all-time greats. For me, without question, Freas’ art epitomizes the look of what’s known as the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Gorgeous color, beautiful women, sleek spaceships and a universe blazing with stars.

Comic Books (Comicsradio): Everyone falls in love with Cave Girl. It apparently can’t be helped. Over the course of the first three stories included in Cave Girl #11 (her debut issue despite the numbering), two men have fallen in love with the blonde Jungle Girl already. In fact, in this issue’s final story (still written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Bob Powell), Luke and Alan haven’t given up yet. They are attempting to cross the mountains that surround Cave Girl’s home jungle, still determined to talk her into coming back to civilization and claiming her inheritance.

Anime (Karavansara): As a kid I watched a lot of movies and TV series, cartoons both western and Japanese, I read comics, I read novels and short stories and non fiction… each of these shaped the way I think about stories, and I think it might be fun to try and take a look at all these influences. And I’m starting with anime because… ah, because we need to start somewhere, right? As I probably already mentioned in the past, Italy was at the forefront of the anime invasion that started at the very tail-end of the ’70s.

D&D (Mystical Trash Heap): As a hobby for nerds, there’s a strong appetite among D&D fans to make lists and categorize things, and this extends not just to elements within the game but to meta-level discussion about the game itself. The most obvious breaking point is TSR-D&D (1974-97) and Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro D&D (1998-present), with the 1998-99 period (after Wizards took over but before D&D 3.0 was released) as a transition period.  The next most obvious is the various editions: Original (1974-77*), 1st Edition Advanced (1978-88), 2nd Edition Advanced (1989-99), 3rd (2000-2007), 4th (2008-2013), and 5th (2014-present) editions.

Science Fiction (Chapleboro): David Drake almost missed our interview. Although the incident occurred two weeks before we met, Drake was directly involved while riding one of his three motorcycles. As we discussed the crash, Drake casually stated that being rear-ended on his bike was one of the ways he thought he might die. Fortunately, he walked away with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises – not too bad, considering his motorcycle was sandwiched between two SUVs.

Sensor Sweep: Rialto’s Market, Castle Amber, Freas, David Drake published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[ios-newzealand]

Rites of Passage (Add Pic Later FRICK Tumblr)

Our final four went through each of the sixteen fallen castaways in a special Rites of Passage! Let’s see what everyone had to say!

You can view BC’s Rites of Passage here!

Amanda, UGH ROBBED GODDESS <3 QUEEN OF FIRST BOOTS! SO THREATENING THE FAVES VOTED HER OUT FIRST... HER MIND, SO POWERFUL!!! For real tho, I was deeply saddened when you left early. You're one of the nicest people I've met in the ORG community! You definitely have a lot of game to you and I hope the next game, Shade franchise or not, we can work together! Til then, queen...!

Billy, I don't really know you that well so idrk what to say djdkdjf but what I will say is that you seem really cool and I admire how you battled your way back on your OG season!

Lauren, like Billy, idrk you but you seemed chill and likable. Hopefully we can work together in another game!

Bridgette, ANOTHER ROBBED QUEEN <3 You were so nice to me and we clicked instantly. I'm sorry that you had to leave so suddenly (screw Six for idoling you out btw :p) for real tho, you're an awesome person and you shouldn't let your placement dictate how you are as a person/player. You're a good player as well and I definitely think the Tumblr community as a whole underrates you a lot.

Six, while we were never truly aligned, I was right when I said I did like you a lot. I loved your spunk and outlook on life! You playing that rap song as the votes were read at our first tc was iconic <3 Unfortunately, you were too much of a wildcard after your whole "blowup" and I think that you were never able to recuperate. Also, had you made the swap, you would've 100% flipped on the fans at any given moment and that was risky. I'm sorry you had to go though!!! I'm definitely looking forward to talk to you after all of this :)

Grace, you were quite the delight honestly! From the moment we first spoke, I knew that I would like you a lot. I didn't even know about your dominance in ORGs which is quite impressive if I must say so myself. Unfortunately, once I heard you were targeting me, I had to vote you out but regardless, I think you played a great social game and could've taken it all had you made it farther!

Joseph, you are a SNAKE bro. I <3 you but you're such a snake lmao. I trusted you a lot and I really wanted to work with you, but for whatever reason, you obvi liked Liam more than me and wanted me gone (which ok I understand; it's a game). However, when you were making up lies to my face and trying to snake me out, I knew you couldn't be trusted and had to take the shot I could when it was between you and Dana. No hard feelings, I'm sure you're a nice guy! I hope to talk to you after this is all over so we can clear some things up! <3

Victor, ROBBED KING!!! The nuKaumatua tribe did you DIRTY! I really wanted to work with you. I would have considered you my #1 and Kevin my #2 so it just sucked when I got on a swap tribe with none of my super close allies. I think you had a lot of potential, and if it wasn't a double tribal, I think you could've won the next few challenges til the merge and made a run for the end. Better luck next time and I hope we stay in touch!

Zakriah, I felt so bad blindsiding you because you definitely were a cool dude. Unfortunately, you never really talked to me and I knew you were closer w/Dana than me so when your name came up for the vote, I was fine voting for you over Ally/Dana. Despite that, it was nice meeting you and hopefully we can work together in another game!

Liam, I unfortunately don't have much to say about you. This is not to be rude, but we have had NO connection, game or personal or indifferent. Every time I tried to reach out to you, you basically ignored me and when you tried to talk to me, it was just for a vote. I knew you were using me for my vote and that you/Joseph both were targeting me; I even confronted you about this and you straight up lied to my face when I know that wasn't the truth. So, for my game, between you and Michael, it made more sense for you to go over Michael because Michael actually spoke to me whereas you did not unfortunately. Regardless, you seemed really chill and if we talked more, I'm sure we would've gotten along better.

Dana, I straight up LOVED talking to you this season. You were definitely one of my closest allies, so seeing you go was heart-breaking. I wanted to protect you and go to the end with you, but unfortunately you were taken out before I got the chance. Idk why you were targeted so much; it seemed like pettiness to me :P. Hope you had fun and we can play again soon! <3

Tate, you were a really chill dude tbh. I liked our convos, although most were short. I established a connection with you early on in the game at Waitomo Caves, but you did not seem receptive at first. Eventually, I believe you came around to me, which allowed us to have a good working relationship which was nice. I appreciated a lot of what you told me, including the whole dynamics of everyone on our swap tribe knowing each other beforehand lol. I'm glad we met and I'm sorry you had to go, but your inactivity made you an easy target. :( Nevertheless, it was nice meeting you!

Kevin, MY MAN!!! After Victor left, you were 100% my ride or die. Even before, I shared everything with either you or him. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with you. Despite our rocky relationship in the game that shall not be named (Kevin knows which one that is ;) ) I'm glad we connected in this one. The thing that caused me to start distrusting you was when you brought up my name as a potential target going into F10 tc which was odd since we had been allies all game. I very much wanted to work with you and wanted to save you at F8, however, the numbers weren't there and unfortunately you were taken out as a social threat. Hopefully the next game we don't turn on each other AND we can make it to the end togeher! <3 So long!!!

Ally, one of my OG Epicmafia friends. I had never played an ORG with you b4, but now I know how you do so well in them. You were great socially, I loved getting to know you <3 You were sweet as can be but you also suffered a disease called "flipper-itis" and it affected our relationship a lot (at least on my end). I didn't know if I could trust you long term, so when the opportunity arose to take you out I had to take it. Despite that, you're an awesome girl, an awesome player, and I can't wait til our next game together!

Heather, you were definitely one of the people coming in I said I wanted to work with. We connected well in Big Brother Pokemon: Alola so I was hoping that we could do the same here. Except... neither of us really talked to each other that much lol. We were on the same "side" per say, but we were never allies I guess. I wanted to trust you and work with you, but I KNOW you would've chosen Colin/Michael over me. Additionally, you straight up told me that I was gone if Drew won live night immunity so that was the red flag in my book that made me stop and think about moving forward with you. Despite that, I know you're a sweet girl <3 and I hope the next survivor game we play, we can actually work together!

Michael, last but not least, the man, the myth, the legend LMAO. Idk what it was about you but something just pulled me into you so quickly (no homo bro lol) seriously tho, you had a calming presence that I think goes understated. You were a HUGE underdog in the sense that you had a lot of connections yet still found yourself targeted many rounds. You should be proud of the immensely great social game you played, as well as your strategic game as well. I definitely think had Colin not idoled you out you would've been the winner of the game over any of us 4 remaining, so I think it was best for all of us in a way to have you go home. You are such a sweet angel and I can't wait to talk to you and the rest after this is all over! <3

You can view Colin’s Rites of Passage here!

Amanda - Unfortunately we didn’t get to play together for very long. I’ve heard only good things about you so I’m kinda disappointed we couldn’t play together more. I hope ur doing well!!

Billy - Ugh we stan scorpios. I’m so BITTER we didn’t get to play longer. If we ever find each other in a game again can we, like, make a scorpio f2 pls and ty.

Lauren - Girl you REALLY tried it this game. I was shook. but to be fair I tried it as well so! You know I adore you and have always been ur ultimate stan. Stay in touch pls, ily!!

Bridgette - ahhhHHH I was so shook when I saw you were in this game. And then I was so sad when you were idoled out. It’s been so long since we’ve spoken and I really wanted to catch up with you!! You’re a living legend and I hope ur doing okay!!

Six - idk you but uhhh iconic idol play

Grace - WHEW. Meeting you and working with you was absolutely one of my favorite things about this game. You’re so gorgeous and fun to talk to and uhmmmm ily?? I hope all is well with u!!

Joseph - Idk you but i hope ur doing okay too!!

Victor -  Tbh I thought I was gonna try to work with you and we were gonna be some fun underdog opposite sides duo butttttt that obviously never happened. I’m sorry laskdjglks. I still think you’re really fun and yeah hope ur doing well!!

Zakriah - I love how we worked together more in this game than we did when we were a blood vs water pair in New Orleans. I’m really really happy we got to play together tbh?? I loved getting to know you more and I genuinely loved talking to you, even putting game completely aside. Hope ur okay!!

Liam - King, icon, legend. We literally aren’t close at all but I still feel like I know you and I think you’re great. I think you seem to have that effect on a lot of people and that says a lot about you!! You’re a genuinely good person and I hope we can talk to each other more in the future

Dana - Ugh I just wanna be your friend tbh. You’re so fun and an interesting personality tbh. I’m sorry I didn’t really put forth too much effort to talk with you, one of my main regrets on a personal level is not trying to get closer to you. I hope you’re doing well!!

Tate - King of negating two votes. Honestly,,,, you were kinda victim to my first personal backstab and I’m SORRY for that skjgdkgj. You were fun to talk to, and I don’t know why but I just found it hard to trust you, even though looking back I felt like you were actually genuinely loyal. I’m just a mess. I really hope you’re doing alright and I hope we can talk again more, I think you’re great!!

Kevin - Another fave moment of mine in this game was meeting you!! You’re such a genuine person and a fun personality and the circumstances around your vote off is honestly kinda tragic. Nonetheless, you were absolutely a power player in this game and you were frankly robbed. Pls keep in touch after the game, I adore you!! Hehe hope ur doing okay

Ally - So, like, I’m really sorry because I know this is definitely just as much my fault as yours but we didn’t really have any connection in this game at all?? And that’s kinda disappointing to me considering how long we played together. It’s another one of my regrets because I’ve heard so much about what a fun person and player u are, and I didn’t get to see that. I really hope ur doing well and I’m sorry again!!

Heather - Ugh okay so I wanna keep this relatively lighthearted so I don’t cry (thats ur job, ur the cancer) dskjsdgkj. You are one of the nicest and most easy to talk to people I’ve ever met in this community. I think you’re AMAZING and I’m so glad we can call each other friends. Murdering you in the live night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in an org, it was last minute and very very heart wrenching, especially after what happened in Alaska. I really hope u don’t hold any resentment because I think so highly of you. I can’t wait to talk to you after this game and I hope all is well with you!!

Michael - This is another one that’s very hard to write for me. I loved our arc in this game, from when you voted to me round 3 to you becoming one of my closest allies. You’re so funny and I literally adore you SO much. King of being relatable and literally just never fucking sleeping. Pls pls stay in touch after this game because I really genuinely enjoyed talking with you. Hope you’re okay, I know it sucks going out at f5 :(

You can view Drew’s Rites of Passage here!

Amanda - Amanda my fallen queen and Hokkaido sister, I didn’t know how this was gonna play out after HOS20, but I was down to explore that with you. But then over half the tribe said they’d barely heard from you, and that’s just nnnn death

Billy - LOVE OF MY LIFE AND FUTURE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN!!!!!

Lauren - Hey luv! Your rehearsal and performance schedule kept us from making the best connection, but at least you were right about Colin making it deep!

Bridgette - Rip my cave buddy <3

Six - I don’t know you but you’re an icon, are you still afraid of Seven?

Grace - The actual best person I have ever met. I was so ready to throw my entire game away for you...

Joseph - We never met in-game but now I’m hosting you so KING OF CAYMAN ISLANDS!!!

Victor - When the Favorites lost their second immunity challenge and I was in my feelings about losing Billy, I made maybe my only confessional of the game to say “I just want to get to merge to get to individual challenges, but Victor can’t be there or he’ll stop me.” And based on your exit message, it’s maybe the best call I made all game.

Zakriah - I love you so much, I was really excited to play this with you, we got really close to making it back...

Liam - Ugh my Canadienne dad, lowkey wish I’d gone home instead of Keaton so we could share a placement in each other’s worlds. I still lowkey have no idea what happened on swap whatever your tribe was, but it did you in

Dana - Queen of barely being around and still slaying my faves, it honestly wasn’t even supposed to be you that night, but at least we can say we play orgs together in the same way that we host them: in borderline silence for days then throwing everything together in the last second like it was the plan all along!!!

Tate - I’d say you leaving wouldn’t have happened if I’d been voting but um...ily? I was psyched to play with the final third of the holy trinity, but our agendas didn’t line back up once merge hit

Kevin - Kevin why did you come for me, we were doing so well!!!!!!!! I love you, you’re one of my longest friendships in this community, and just so we’re both on the same page, I am NOT taking the blame for this one <3

Ally - Ugh Chilltowns, our one plot together this season went off without a hitch the week before!! I do wish you’d been more present with the game, this isn’t what I’d hoped for when we eventually found out way into a game together, but it was fun while it lasted. Also hmu for 703 Amazing Race if you haven’t played yet, we would slay

Heather - I still wanna know who played that fuckin disadvantage on me in the word search tbh...anyway working with you was a dream and everything I DESERVED after the last FvF we played together that shall not be named despite its incredible winner. I think you’re the only boot I made all season that was specifically because you would win if you were still here.

Michael - Tbh I knew we weren’t making the end together during the Kevin vote, with how hard I had to push to get you to not vote for me then. But if there’s one thing I admire about you, it’s your ability to put game aside and just have chill light conversations. Playing a game with you has been everything I’d hoped it would be.

And finally, you can view Medha’s Rites of Passage here!

Pre-merge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMP0NcPS4qI&feature=youtu.be

Merge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbPVaFkIZgs&feature=youtu.be

There you go! The FINAL Immunity Challenge will be posted shortly!

[thebookrat]

Joining me today is Maria Grace, whose Austenesque stories you already know I love, and who is currently celebrating the release of the final book in her Jane Austen's Dragons series! Check out what she has to say about bringing this unique series to life, and the inspiration behind it, and then enter to win a copy of your choice of the three books in the series, below! And don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for my thoughts on book 2, Longbourn: Dragon Entail!

The Myth and the Mashup

I’m utterly tickled to announce that the Pride and Prejudice arc of my Jane Austen’s Dragons series is complete with the release of Netherfield: Rogue Dragon. Now wait, I can hear you muttering and rolling your eyes, “Dragons? Really? Seriously—dragons? Why—just why?” You’re not the first to roll their eyes at me and mutter that, expecting an answer like “Because zombies, vampires and werewolves have already been done.” And while that is utterly true, and the sort of thing I might say if you caught me at just the right—or wrong—moment, it isn’t a very good answer. You’re rolling your eyes at me again. I know just it, but give me a chance and hear me out. I promise, Jane Austen would approve. Why, you say, rolling your eyes yet again. Because, if you take a glance at English mythology, it is full of dragons. Seriously, they are everywhere. Don’t believe me, here’s just a partial list: the Lambton Worm, the Dragon of Mordiford, the Dragon of Unsworth, the Dragon of Wantly, the Dragon of Longwitton, the Dragon of Loschy Hill, the Bisterne Dragon, the Worm of Linton, the Stoor Worm, the Sockburn Worm (or Wyvern), Blue Ben, and the Lyminster Knucker. Even the father of fabled King Arthur has a dragon connection. King Uther Pendragon was said to have seen a dragon shaped comet that inspired the dragons that graced the standards he carried. With dragons just about everywhere in English myth, it seems likely that Jane Austen herself was familiar with many of these dragon legends. One of the fascinating—and crazy making—aspects of studying mythology is the number of different accounts of the same story. Since, until the early modern era, tales relied on oral tradition for transmission, each teller would craft a slightly different version of the story, making finding the ‘real’ story nearly impossible. While there were moments in the research that made me want to beat my head against the wall, it did lead to an interesting line of thinking: What if… (A word of caution, when a writer says “what if”, it might be a good time to politely excuse yourself…) So, what if those dragon myths contained a large helping of reality and there really were dragons in England? What it they weren’t just a thing of the medieval era, but continued to be a very real presence in British society into the modern era? How might that work? That would require a research trip back to medieval dragons. The best known version of Uther’s story comes from Geoffrey's Historia Regum Britanniae (1136). Uther is the youngest son of King of Britannia, Constantine III upon whose death, Constans, his eldest son succeeds to the throne. Constans though is murdered by an advisor Vortigern, who seizes the throne. Uther and his other brother, Aurelius, flee to Brittany, when they grow to adulthood in safety. As adults, Aurelius and Uther return to Britannia, where Aurelius kills Vortigern and becomes king. Under Aurelius’ reign, Uther helps Merlin bring the stones of Stonehenge from Ireland to Britain. Later, while Aurelius is too ill for battle, Uther leads his army against Vortigern's son and his Saxon allies. On the way to the battle, Uther sees a comet in the shape of a dragon, which Merlin interprets as a sign of Aurelius' death and Uther's glorious future. Uther wins the battle, but returns to find that Aurelius has been poisoned. Uther becomes king and adopts the use of a golden dragon as his standard. So, what if Uther Pendragon was embroiled in battle not just with the Saxons, but with dragons as well and he saw a real dragon who could speak with him, not a comet as most stories suggested? Would not others have heard it too? Wait, no—what if the dragons had a way of hiding in plain sight that only a select few people could see through and Uther was one of those and made peace with dragonkind… Suddenly I saw a world, hundreds of years removed from medieval England, where mankind and dragonkind could coexist, governed by the Blue Order, an organization founded by Uther Pendragon himself, on human and dragon partnership, dedicated to protecting the safety and interests of both species while keeping the dragons secret from the very large segment of the human population with hearing insufficient to detect dragon voices. Moreover, another myth, that of the Lambton Worm, began to inform my hero, Mr. Darcy, whose estate, Pemberley, (according to Austen) was in walking distance from Lambton. The legend of the Lambton Worm originates from County Durham in North East England, near the River Wear. In it, John Lambton, an heir of the Lambton Estate, battles with a giant worm (an early reference to a dragon) that had been terrorizing the local villages. John Lambton is actually responsible for the presence of the worm himself. As a young man, he skipped church on Sunday and went fishing in the River Wear. There he caught an odd creature whose description varies with different tellings of the myth. All agree that it was ‘no fit fish’ he caught and he discards the creature in a nearby well that later became the wishing-well known as “Worm Well.” John forgets about the creature and goes off the fight in the crusades as penance for his youthful follies. When he returns, he discovers that his father’s estate has been laid waste by the creature. His father keeps it placated with daily offerings of twenty gallons of milk. Realizing he is responsible for the creature, John seeks the advice of a witch that allows him to defeat the creature in an epic struggle. Like many other British dragon stories, the myth connects the slaying of a dragon to the provenance of some aristocratic family and their self-proclaimed right to rule over the domain they protected from the dragon. So many inspirations in this tale. Dragons and the landed class tied together; a dragon in Lambton, so near Pemberley, and connected to a local estate; a baby dragon who grows up abandoned in a strange place…oh so many things that came to play in crafting Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon. And Darcy was not the only one shaped by dragon legends. The Mordiford Dragon, began to inform my heroine, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a woman whose sympathy for and understanding of dragonkind goes far and away beyond anything England has ever known. The story of Maud and the Mordiford dragon (a wyvern actually, not the more typical ‘worm’) is set in the Herefordshire village of Mordiford. Maud finds a green baby wyvern while out walking one morning. Maud takes the baby back to her home as a pet and feeds it milk, comforting it by stoking its claws and cuddling it. As the creature grows older, it starts dining on the Mordiford villagers, but refuses to injure his friend Maud. Not surprisingly, the villagers insist this is intolerable and find a nobleman (or condemned convict, depending on the version of the tale) to dispatch the beast. Maud was described as ‘insane with rage’ over the death of her wyvern. A painting of the creature hung in the village church until 1811 when the vicar ordered it destroyed as a ‘sign of the devil’. So many inspirations in this tale! A girl who loved a baby dragon; who rescues dragons and cuddles with them; a grumpy wyvern that others cannot seem to get along with; Herefordshire/Hertfordshire, Mordiford/Meryton, ok, not the same, but it did make me do a double take for sure…oh so many things that came to play in crafting the characters of both Elizabeth Bennet and her wyvern Longbourn. All the being said, I present for you, what Pride and Prejudice might have been had Jane Austen known about the Uther Pendragon’s Blue Order. If you’re not totally hooked by now, here’s a preview of Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon, to give you a taste of this world:

Click the link or the pic to be taken to an excerpt of Pemberley: Mr Darcy's Dragon!

What do you think about dragons and Jane Austen? Fill out the Rafflecopter and leave me a comment below for a chance to win your choice of e-books from this series! a Rafflecopter giveaway

about the book:

Elizabeth Bennet thought she was prepared to do anything to make the Dragon Conclave accept her beloved young dragon, Pemberley, into the Blue Order, but she had not anticipated it would leave her banished from her ancestral home and betrothed to none other than Mr. Darcy. But before Elizabeth and Darcy wed, they must find a dangerous rogue dragon before it provokes a war amongst the dragons and brings the fragile peace between dragons and mankind to a catastrophic end. Nothing written in the annals of dragon lore has prepared Elizabeth to manage a dragon not governed by the Blue Order. Dragons have always loved her, but this one finds her arrogant, selfish and insensitive to others. With only her instincts to guide her, she must convince the rogue of her good intentions before the Blue Order loses patience and decides on more drastic measures. Called away to the other side of the kingdom, trying to settle the dragons' unrest, Darcy learns the nature of the force poisoning the rogue dragon against Elizabeth. One nearer and dearer than they could have imagined. Can Elizabeth and Darcy convince with rogue dragon to cooperate before darker forces turn it against them, without destroying the fragile bonds uniting the couple?

about the author:

Though Maria Grace has been writing fiction since she was ten years old, those early efforts happily reside in a file drawer and are unlikely to see the light of day again, for which many are grateful. After penning five file-drawer novels in high school, she took a break from writing to pursue college and earn her doctorate in Educational Psychology. After 16 years of university teaching, she returned to her first love, fiction writing. She has one husband and one grandson, two graduate degrees and two black belts, three sons, four undergraduate majors, five nieces, is starting her sixth year blogging on Random Bits of Fascination, has built seven websites, attended eight English country dance balls, sewn nine Regency era costumes, and shared her life with ten cats.

via The Book Rat