#a wild cian appears

[kits-shrine]

One of the brothers must have brushed Cian’s rune as he appeared with a stretch and toothy yawn, “was that something about a babe, I heard? Who’s and how do I meet them?”

Surprisingly, the old shuck was exceptionally fond of little ones.

“You can't just ask that, Cian; it's rude!” Ziz scolded the beast, who didn't look the least bit put out.

Tamashii seemed unperturbed, actually quite happy as he pulled out his phone and opened up the gallery to show off many pictures of a baby bone's skeleton with translucent ears and a tail. In the majority of the pictures the baby's echo parts and eyelights were a soft purple, but in some they were caught flashing through other colors. He was often with a kitsune woman or a couple younger kitsune children all with varying looks. "My son, Touma." He said proudly. "And this is his mother Kit, and his adopted siblings: Shakko, Reiko, and Byakko." he pointed first at the woman (who Ziz noted had 4 tails compared to all the others one), a set of red headed older children one rambunctious boy and one girl with wild curly hair, and a small white haired little girl.

He sighed forlornly "And I'm afraid right now Kit has taken him and the others to another world to visit friends there. I'm not sure when they'll be back."

[jardin-des-anges]

Muses + Short Mun Bio

My name is Lana, and I’m the mun of this blog.  I’m a high school student who primarily writes horror and mystery stories, with emphasis on lying, manipulation, and physical and psychological torment, but I enjoy simpler, more slice-of-life stories, so long as there’s a good plot.  My pronouns are she / they.

Muses are right below the cut!!

Adrian Michaels - A dancer performing alongside her sister all across America.  She’s rather shy, but with her performances, she’s found herself becoming a bit more outgoing.  She normally wears darker colors.  Her resolve is stronger than it seems, and she’s normally the voice of reason in dire situations. 24 years old || Female || She / they || 5′ 7″ || African-American || Bisexual

Bella Michaels - A singer performing alongside her sister all across America.  She’s outgoing and loves people, and wants to gain friends and fans all over the country.  She wears brighter colors.  She’s often rash and impulsive, but keeps herself from lashing out at others.  Her entire life, she’s enjoyed sewing, and makes both her and her sister’s costumes. 24 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 8″ || African-American || Heterosexual

Caden Contiman - A former college student who dropped out due to a variety of factors, mainly emotional stress.  He lives with his parents and isn’t allowed to leave the house, but he sneaks out at night and stays out until dawn before heading home to sleep all day.  He studied psychology in college, which has led to an almost intimate knowledge of the human mind and an ability to read almost any emotion and action.  He’s somewhat cruel, and tends to play mean-spirited pranks on everyone who catches his eye.  He doesn’t allow anyone to know anything personal about him, but always pries into others’ lives and minds. 19 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 10″ || Welsh || Homosexual

Casey Allman - A strange writer who works himself near death.  He’s believed to be the only living member of his family, and spent quite a bit of time in the limelight during the collapse of the Allman family, which was spread out over three years.  He’s antisocial, and freezes up if confronted by another person.  The only thing that seems to bring him any joy anymore is his writing.  When describing things, he goes into way more detail than is necessary.  He has several bizarre quirks that tend to freak out the people around him. 22 years old || Male || He / they || 5′ 11″ || Korean-American || Homosexual

Charlie Patten - An assassin who travels the world, learning about every place he goes on every mission.  While on missions, he poses as a tourist, and when the job’s done, he doesn’t bother to stick around for much longer.  He’s rather confident, bordering on cocky, and can rarely be swayed to do something if money isn’t involved.  When he’s not on the job, he’s a pretty sweet and approachable guy, if always on-guard and somewhat suspicious of everyone. 24 years old || Male || He / him || 6′ 1″ || Canadian || Bisexual

Christopher Simon - A waiter living in a large city, having to work multiple jobs to support himself and his younger brother.  He’s quite cynical, which is different from his more optimistic, sweet little brother.  He only does things for money, even if it’s unethical or dangerous.  His constant struggle to survive has spawned a distaste for frivolous things or luxuries, seeing them as a waste of money.  Despite being so cynical (and, for the most part, tired), he completely changes when around his brother, washing away to show a happier, much less tense.  He despises his appearance and avoids mirrors and other reflective surfaces. 25 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 9″ || British || Homosexual

“Cian” - A mysterious chemist living on the edge of a small town in Ireland, calling himself an alchemist.  He has a love of plants, wild animals, and nature in general, a love only heightened by the dense forest behind his home.  He’s very quiet and somewhat secretive, but passionate about his work and loves to talk about it.  He can be quite blunt or uncooperative at times, but he does enjoy company, especially when the discussion turns to chemicals. 25 years old || Male || He / him || 6′ 6″ || Irish || Homosexual

Ciara McCormack - A ruthless queen whose family has ruled a small part of southern Ireland for generations.  Having been raised with a cutthroat mentality and trained to eliminate all competition, Ciara has grown up to have that exact approach to everything in her life, making her a fearsome opponent to say the least.  She’s quick to cut out anything she doesn’t need, which includes banishing or even executing anyone who even shows any chance of being a danger to her reign. 27 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 9″ || Irish || Heterosexual

Corianna Sutton - An assistant investigator to her older cousin Evian, despite not fully believing in ghosts.  She has a bit of an obsession with fire, which is shown in the burn scars and bandages covering the right side of her body.  She’s cynical but still friendly and approachable, although her demeanor can come off as bizarre.  She drinks often, and keeps a flask painted with the lesbian flag hooked on her belt. 28 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 6″ || German || Homosexual

Daniel Hirsch - A teenage street urchin and graffiti artist who is almost never seen without his sister.  He’s annoying and troublemaking, but not without a kind heart.  He doesn’t find it easy to make friends, but considers that unimportant, knowing that he’ll always have his twin by his side.  He’s more verbally restrained than his sister, but just as irritating as she is. 14 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 4″ || German || Bisexual

Evian Sutton - A paranormal investigator who explores all sorts of “haunted” places, recording them for her YouTube channel.  She doesn’t always carry around all of her equipment, but she makes sure to keep a recorder on her at all times.  She’s unapproachable and abrasive, and isn’t very friendly towards anyone other than her younger cousin Corianna.  Normally, when she’s approached by someone else, she’ll simply brush them off with a few crass words.  She’s normally very uninterested when it comes to most things, but the paranormal piques her interest and gets her truly passionate. 29 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 9″ || German || Asexual

Grace Hirsch - A teenage street urchin and graffiti artist who is almost never seen without her brother.  She’s a loudmouth with little control over what she says, and she often instigates fights, even without meaning to.  She has a teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, with rips and patches all over it, that she considers the closest thing to her aside from her brother.  Every possession she owns is stored inside of a large backpack she carries slung over one shoulder. 14 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 4″ || German || Heterosexual

Kai “Shōakuma” Misaki - A high school student often accompanied outside of school by his loyal falcon Chieko.  He’s social and charismatic, with an ability to capture almost anyone’s attention with his wild stories.  He’s absolutely fascinated by history, especially religion, as well as the supernatural.  Despite his eccentricities, he’s a good person, with a strong moral compass and a warm, kind heart. 17 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 2″ || Japanese || Bisexual

Kunimasa Sakurai - A young man living with his family while attending the local college.  He’s stuck to a strict fitness regimen for years, and has a passion for physical health, believing it links back to everything in one’s life.  He holds family and friendship close to his heart, and would die to protect the people he loves. 20 years old || Male || He / they || 5′ 6″ || African-Japanese || Asexual

Landon Garrison - A bounty hunter residing on the deep web, hidden behind the pseudonym “Black Mask”.  For a price, he can find anyone’s personal information and give it to his client.  He doesn’t socialize much, preferring to hide indoors on his computer.  When he is accompanied by someone else, he’s notably tense, and refuses to do anything that can make him seem vulnerable. 24 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 11″ || British || Bisexual

Logan Garrison - A talented painter who has somehow lacked emotions since birth.  He’s managed to learn how to adapt to any situation and show whatever emotions he needs to, comparing it to painting, and despite his inability to feel empathy, he’s able to sympathize with others, and knows right from wrong.  He’s extremely protective of his brother, Landon, and fears for his safety, knowing the dark web can be dangerous.  Most of his life is taken up by his art. 24 years old || Male || He / him || 6′ 1″ || British || Asexual

Lyrica Jansen - A wealthy heiress with a high net worth.  Her older sister vanished mysteriously, causing her to become the sole heir to the family fortune.  She looks dangerous and unkind, but despite her icy exterior, she’s kind and welcoming to others, but not without many threats towards those who disobey her.  Her clothing and jewelry are elaborate and she’s quite tall, making her somewhat intimidating to be around. 19 years old || Female || She / her || 6′ 3″ || Dutch || Homosexual

Maysilee Patten - A former soldier on the search for the people who destroyed her home.  She’s a sweet person, but her fuse is unbelievably short, and she’s easily sent into a rage.  She’s skilled with nearly every kind of weapon, her preferred weapon being knives.  Her loyalty is unmatched, but so is her ability to hold a grudge. 22 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 10″ || Irish || Pansexual

Minka Himura - A sarcastic high school student working part-time at her family’s butcher shop, deli, and restaurant.  She loves to play pranks on her family and classmates, some of which have dangerous consequences.  Although she’s quite mean-spirited, she has a soft spot for her siblings, and is a hard worker. 16 years old || Female || She / they || 5′ 3″ || Polish-Japanese || Questioning

Myla Crimm - A doll-like teenager with a knack for collecting random items.  They don’t speak much, and prefer to blend into the background.  She resides in her childhood home, which is now decrepit after the death of her mother.  Because they live alone, they have quite a bit of experience and can take care of themself just fine.  He’s levelheaded, but curious, and is aware of how off-putting he can sometimes appear to others. 18 years old || Genderfluid || She / he / they || 5′ 4″ || American || Bisexual

Onacona Pierce - A high school student and the head of his school’s music club.  He’s a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to instruments, playing most, if not all, with skill, but he prefers the guitar.  He’s easygoing and fun to be around, with an unexpected love of horror movies and literature.  They have an online presence where they perform music.  Currently, he mostly performs covers, but he’s been starting to write more and more original work. 17 years old || Male || He / they || 5′ 11″ || Native American || Heterosexual

Reiko Wakabayashi - A hardworking surgeon traveling overseas to perform surgeries for the less fortunate.  She was a child prodigy, and as such, had a lot of pressure put on her to succeed; pressure that has resulted in a constant need to do well and please everyone else.  Although she’s quite quiet, she’s fine with large groups, and loves to have her ear talked off by someone who’s passionate about someone.  She cares deeply for children, women, and weak or ill people. 27 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 6″ || Japanese || Asexual

“Rusty” - A runaway fleeing the law and their past.  He’s plagued by several problems with his health, including blindness, an extremely low weight, and a whole host of diseases.  Because of these problems, he tries to remain in one place for as long as he can to restore his stamina, but he refuses to stay somewhere for longer than two weeks.  He resembles a skeleton.  They’re constantly paranoid, avoiding human contact as much as possible and relying only on their own intuition and four working senses to help them. 25 years old || Demiboy || He / they || 5′ 9″ || Korean-American || Pansexual

Sam Fields - A mechanic working at their family-owned autobody shop.  They spend most of their time holed away in the garage, hard at work, smeared with oil and gasoline.  Most of their skeleton is metal and most of their skin is covered in burn scars due to a past accident.  They’re social and warm, and very physically affectionate.  They can be reckless, even if they’re warned about dangers. 25 years old || Non-binary || They / them || 5′ 7″ || American || Bisexual

Shira Hadley - A pickpocket who’s normally only found darting through crowds, stealing trinkets and jewelry, and before someone can realize something’s gone, she’s already vanished.  She had her vocal cords cut as a teenager, resulting in her being completely unable to communicate outside of noises, half-uttered syllables, and gestures.  Due to her constant fear of getting caught, she tends to stick to shadows, and is extremely paranoid when encountered by anyone. 21 years old || Female || She / her || 5′ 7″ || Dutch || Grey-Asexual

Volya Orlov - A DJ who’s famous at several different clubs.  He’s rebellious and tough, but mostly friendly towards people on his side.  A bizarre incident has altered his body to the point where he emits sparks when he gets emotional, which is why many of his friends call him “Sparkplug” or “Sparky”.  He’s often spotted alone, but doesn’t mind company. 21 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 9″ || Russian || Heterosexual

William Simon - A child living with his older brother, who’s struggling to make ends meet.  He recognizes the sacrifices his brother makes for him and wants to help, but is stopped and always told not to grow up too quickly.  He often stays at his brother’s main workplace, a small cafe and diner, where he sits in the breakroom, coloring and talking with the other workers when they come in for their own breaks.  He’s friendly, but cautious, having been taught to always be careful around others. 12 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 2″ || British || Asexual

Zenjiro Himura - A peculiar man whose family has owned and operated a combination butcher shop, deli, and restaurant in the heart of Kotohira, Kagawa for generations.  He’s the eldest of sixteen siblings, all living and working with their mother.  He’s approachable and friendly, but has a knack for getting excited over extremely macabre and disturbing things.  As the oldest brother, he has an instinct to protect and care for anyone younger or weaker than he is. 26 years old || Male || He / him || 5′ 9″ || Japanese || Pansexual

[korcariapostate]

@call-2-arms said:

      “stop trying to act like you’re not bleeding out in front of me!! this is serious!” @Abzi

      the sentinels of the arbor wilds were MOST infuriating , and as they returned to skyhold -- the well of sorrows drank by a somebody other than herself , morrigan found insult quite literally being added onto injury . sword slashed through her side , the mages brought along had managed to stabilize her , yet not quite alleviate her pain . . . but then came the elf , DAMN the elf !! 

      he was a mage , but for whatever reason , he didn’t contribute to her healing -- odd , but as he drew closer , morrigan could sense it . it was an old magic that flowed through him . . . one others may have considered taboo . most interesting , yet as she sat clutching just above her wound , she couldn’t bring herself to rightly CARE for his magic . they had conversed , but as the talks grew more heated , he raised his voice .

      very well , she could do the same .

        ❝ ‘twould be less serious if the blessed herald of andraste had trusted his advisor from the start !!  ❞        morrigan growled , pointedly looking at the unfocused cian of velun . most infuriating indeed !! 

        ❝ ‘tis not as grave as it appears , ❞        morrigan finally admitted softly . it hurt , yes , but so did a great many things .         ❝ i shall recover , and in a days time it shall be an unpleasant memory . why people FEAR magic is beyond me , quite truthfully . ❞

[aidanxoconnor]

[ charlie cox, thirty-one, cis male, he/him ] ━ did y'all see [ aidan o’connor ] walkin’ into [ wild flour bakery ]? they’ve lived in frostford for [ twenty-three years ] and you can catch ‘em around town working as a [ designer / game shop owner]. I reckon they’re pretty [ creative & passionate ] but I hear they can also be kinda [ absent minded & obsessive. ] if ya see ‘em around, be sure to say hi. ━ [ physical abuse tw, biphobia tw, verbal abuse tw. teal ]

BASIC INFORMATION  !!

full name & nickname(s), if any:  aidan cian o’connor

age: 31

date of birth: april 9

hometown:   frostford, alabama

nationality: american, irish

gender: cis-male

pronouns: he/him/his

orientation: pansexual

religion: catholic

occupation: graphic designer / game shop owner

highest education level:    bachelor’s in fine arts

language(s) spoken: english

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE  !!

hair color: dark brown

tattoos: a triforce tattoo on his ankle, power button behind his left ear

piercings: none

clothing style: it varies anywhere between nice fitted suits and cosplay

PERSONALITY !!

positive traits: witty, affectionate, loyal, creative, passionate

negative traits: outspoken, flaky, obsessive, sarcastic

goals/desires: to get his shop up and running. get another tattoo. start a d&d campaign. love?

fears: abandonment. wasps. 

hobbies: d&d. video games. running. fishing. eating sweets. learning random stuff. sketching. playing with his dog.

habits: rubs the back of his neck when he’s in thought. walks out when conflict get too heated. will learn something new and tell anyone and everyone about it (multiple times). 

EXTRAS !!

zodiac sign: aries

hogwarts house: hufflepuff

moral alignment: chaotic good

primary vice: gluttony

primary virtue: kindness

element: fire

HISTORY CHEAT SHEET !!

born and stayed in frostford until graduation

was small and and stayed that way until his sophomore year

never stopped talking. Ever.

was that kid that’d do anything he was dared to. often the butt of jokes.

weird. but he accepted it. at school anyway.

at home, he tried to fly under the radar. 

father died when he was young. Stepfather was an abusive alcoholic both to him and his mother.

after getting his arm broken, trying to protect his mother, child protective services investigated. He was removed from the home for a 6 months.

when he arrived home, his stepdad was gone and aidan helped his mother put the pieces back together.

life wasn’t smooth sailing after that but it was manageable enough.

he graduated and after receiving a partial scholarship and working several part time jobs, he went away to college.

He went to an art school in florida, graduated and stayed. 

He arrived back in frostford 5 years ago. He says it’s the only place he can afford his own gaming shop, bu really, he kind of missed it.

[summervanlife]

15 August

The Shrimpton clan safely departed at 7am, as planned - not that any of the Haig's witnessed the event...... We surfaced at a slightly later hour, and enjoyed a welcome breakfast once up. The day was not looking as bright as yesterday, and Mike checked the weather forecast through three separate sites, all of which suggested a 90% chance of rain in the afternoon. It was decided we should take advantage of the dry morning and head to Lamanere, a small village about 15 minutes drive away, which had a good walk culminating at an interesting rock formation. The Haig's jumped into the jeep with Matt, and Mike led in their other car with Sal and Jo. Lamanere is the most Southerly village in continental France, just nudging the Spanish border. Catalan is the local dialect. The village itself is pretty small, and our tour guide Matt advised the population shrinks to about 50 in the winter months, whilst during summer it gets much busier with the holiday home owners. It is currently 'Fete' week in the local area (a week long religious celebration of the Assumption of Mary) and the bunting was strung up in the village. We drove through, past the 'Maison De Chasse' where the locals bring their gains from the winter wild boar hunts to share out the produce (nothing is wasted, apparently), and on up a rough track, which got progressively rougher as we gained height. We reached a point where we could cut up a scree slope on foot, following the reddish purple coloured rock up hill, and the Petches and Haig's set off, armed with secateurs and loppers to tackle any overgrown branches. Sal and Mike had elected to continue on up the even rougher track in the jeep, and would meet us on the rock at the top. We didn't have to tackle too much undergrowth, but did find ourselves regularly wrapped up in the silk trails from hundreds of tiny hanging caterpillars - quite an unnerving sensation! It didn't take long to reach the track at the top, where we spotted Sal and Mike atop the incredible rock step formation. We hurried over and scrambled up it (although Clare wasn't brave enough to look over the edge at the sheer drop below, unlike the rest of the party.) We spent some time exploring up top, before heading back to the jeep, which Mike and Sal had left for our return journey as they had walked back to the car down below. Jo took the wheel, and the Petches cleared it with Clare that it would be OK for Nia and Cian to hang off the back whilst Jo drove the jeep down the track (apparently this was a tried and tested method, so no need to worry!) Nia and Cian loved it, changing once the roughest part was negotiated to lying across the roof top holding on (with Matt acting as safety officer.) Naturally, they loved it, and were quite reluctant to get back into the jeep for the journey back along the road. Hungry bellies were filled upon return to the ranch with a lovely couscous and veg medley, complete with succulent sweetcorn from the veggie patch which Cian barbecued masterfully. Matt and Jo had some more friends arriving later for a couple of nights - Alex and Steve, who used to teach at the same school as Jo. We had run low on various supplies (with all us guests around), and so whilst Jo and Nia made the beds in the Haig's new dwellings (we had taken over the guest pad which the Shrimptons had been staying in, and were now even more spoilt with 2 bedrooms and private bathroom), Matt, Cian and Clare headed off to Saint Laurent, the closest nearby town with a supermarket. The roads surrounding Mike and Sal's property are winding..... Very, very winding! It took 25 minutes to navigate the bends, and we finally arrived after passing many properties with families sitting out enjoying an afternoon meal on their patios. Strange, for a Thursday, we thought - why weren't they at work? When we drove to the supermarket, it's shutters were down - it was closed. This was the only option in the nearby vacinity... We rang the ranch to advise, and they confirmed we would have to abort and return empty handed - Jo would ring her friends and give them a long shopping list of things to pick up on their way. We made the return journey, with Cian changing the jeep's gears for 'practice', along the many, many bends. Even the driver was feeling peeky, and Clare thought she may have to make use of the 'bag for life' she was clutching in the back seat, but we made it through unscathed. When we arrived home empty handed, Mike asked what the date was. Ah - Thursday the 15th August - Assumption Day itself...... No wonder the shop was shut! It was a bank holiday. No matter, Jo's friends were on the case. They arrived around 5.30 with their offerings. Cian and Clare decided to have a game of table tennis, which was located on one of the terraces. Their technique left much to be desired... They were joined by Sal, who was much more proficient, and then by Matt, who christened Cian 'pancake wacker', due to his interesting hitting style. Nia took over from Clare (she was the best of the Haigs, but still had a unique style at times), and there followed a master class by Matt, with much improvement made (Clare should have hung around for it....) It was dinner time, and the rain had still not appeared for the day - all three forecasts had got it wrong! So the table was laid outside, and we all settled down to yet another magnificent feast - pate, cheese and toast starter, made with fresh bread which Sal, Nia and Cian had made earlier in the day, followed by egg and bean tomatoe casserole served with freshly dug potatoes. Yum. It was just after 9, and although Clare had asked Jay to let them know when he was stopped for the night, she still hadn't heard. She had held back from texting earlier, not wanting to detract from his driving, but given the hour she wanted to check all was ok. She asked if he had stopped for the night yet. The reply came back "see you in 2 minutes" What?? Was he joking? Surely he was joking? Although the drive could be done in 12 hours, that would be non stop driving... She took herself off down the drive to text again to ascertain where he really was, without alerting anyone. As she rounded the first bend, she heard a car from below. This was followed by shouts of disbelief from the party at the dinner table. There coming up the drive was our Ford Focus, with Mr Haig at the wheel! He was greeted with hugs from his family, followed by hugs from everyone else, alongside much telling off for making such a long drive in one stint. But we couldn't stay cross - we were just so glad to have him back in one piece! (It was actually Alex who arrived today who won the 'Jay arrival time' bet, being the closest with her guess of 2pm tomorrow.) We settled back at the table for pudding and more wine, before tired bunnies requested to go to bed.... Upstairs for book, and Nia and Cian settled into their new separate beds for the night (no feet in faces tonight!), and Clare and Jay went back down to chat with the others some more (goodness knows how Jay managed to keep going after such a long day!) Hoorah - we once again have the 4 of us together with our own wheels to carry on with the journey in a few days, but only after we have had some more fun here with the Petches and Shrimpton elders and other fellow guests first.

[empresskatariah]

Lore: Irusan, King of the Cats

(Disclaimer: this is in no way actual lore and applies only to my story!)

The Fomorians were the ancient rulers of Britain before the Tuatha De conquered it. Like the Tuatha De, they were lofty folk who used magic as part of everyday life and possessed supernatural powers. They were responsible for creating many fairy races by taking ordinary animals and blessing them with both intelligence and magical abilities.

It was Eithne, daughter of the fearsome Fomorian king Balor, who created the first Cat Sith. Confined to a tower and beset by loneliness, she had one of her handmaidens capture a wild cat in hopes that she might be able to tame it. To her delight, the cat (which she named Arusan) was pregnant and gave birth to a small litter of kittens. But as time passed, Eithne realized that they longed for the wilderness and that keeping them cooped up would be cruel. She had the mother and kittens set free, but kept one kitten for herself; smaller and weaker than the rest, he had been rejected by his mother and Eithne had cared for him instead. She named him Irusan and loved him as she might love her own child.

Years passed and Eithne found that even though she loved Irusan’s company, she desired someone to talk to besides her caretakers. She used her power to imbue Irusan with reasoning, speech and fairy magic so that he might be her equal instead of her pet. He became her best friend and closest confidant, learning songs and stories from her and telling her tales of the outside world after returning from occasional forays out of the tower. He was utterly devoted to her and loved her dearly, vowing that he would only ever consider her his master.

Everything changed when the Tuatha De hero Cian, who gained access to Eithne’s tower thanks to his desire for revenge against Balor and a leannan sith’s magic, impregnated the princess. Irusan was out roaming the moors at the time and when he returned, he found Eithne sobbing as the enchantments Cian had used to seduce her wore off. Feeling violated and afraid of what her father might do if he learned of what happened, Eithne became quiet and withdrawn where she had once been vibrant and full of laughter. Irusan resolved to never leave her side again, ceasing his trips, and stayed with her as she decided to carry the pregnancy to term.

Eithne eventually gave birth to triplets and her father Balor, desperate to avoid the prophecy that his own grandson would kill him, had the babies thrown into the sea. One of them survived and would become the hero Lugh. But Eithne was unaware of this and fell into despair, believing that her father would always take away anything she loved. Irusan attempted to defend Eithne from her father but was easily cast aside and cursed so that instead of being immortal, he would only possess nine lives. In one final gesture of cruelty, Balor imposed upon Irusan a powerful geas: that he would leave Eithne and never return to her side. With that, Balor cast Irusan out of the tower and banished him into the wilds.

Irusan wandered for many years that turned into centuries. He witnessed the fall of the Fomorians, who fled to the sea and transformed themselves into eldritch beasts to abide in the depths. He then witnessed the fall of the Tuatha De, who fled to the Otherworld of Tir na nOg to escape the humans that conquered their lands as they had conquered the Fomorians. He became bitter and spiteful in his loneliness, though he granted other cats the ability to think and use magic as he did, for he pined after the lost Eithne and the love they had shared. Though he was clever and cheated death on many occasions, he took to consuming the souls of recently deceased humans that had not received proper funeral rites in order to bolster his own life-force. However, he did not hate humans and would show favor to them if they performed certain rituals like leaving cream out for him on Samhain night.

Over time he became known as the “King of the Cats,” a title given by humans due to his unusual size (sometimes as large as an ox) and tales that told of his wrath against people who slandered or mistreated cats. He was regarded as neither good nor bad, a wild creature that could bless or curse depending on its whimsy. Another name given to him was Cath Palug and some believed he killed King Arthur, though in truth he merely killed a great number of Arthur’s knights that tried to hunt him down. Though most forgot his association with the Fomorians of old, some legends retained the connection and painted him as a guardian of the Fomorians’ buried treasures.

Irusan’s powers include but are not limited to: shapeshifting, soul-eating, elemental magic, illusions, and the ability to regenerate quickly when wounded. He is not weak to iron like most other fairies because of his origin as an ordinary cat. His appearance is that of a large cat with long and thick hair, all black except for a white streak on his chest, and green eyes.

[wickedharlotblogs]

Cian Callaghan spotted outside, what reports claim, to be a wild house party that got the police called on it sometime around 4 am last night. Other notable names at the party were Sabrina Price who appeared to leave with Cian shortly after the police arrived. | 2/7/20

[cuilective]

Character Sheet: Cav

CW for mentions of violence/death here and there

BASICS

Full name: Cian Amarante Cavanaugh

Nickname(s): Cav

Title(s): n/a, unless ‘old man’ or ‘actual dumpster fire’ count.

Sex: Male

Gender: Male

Height: 6′6″

Age: Chronologically? Heck, bruh. Thousands of years old in any given verse. Physically stuck between late 30′s to mid 40′s which was around the age he was cursed.

Zodiac: shrug emoji

Spoken languages: Most fluent in English, Irish and Scots Gaelic, and French, both modern and some ancient variants. He is approximately conversational in many other languages, though there’s surely languages even he hasn’t encountered yet.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Black, or a very very very dark brown

Skin tone: Has a bit of an olive complexion

Body type: These days he’s rocking a bit of a dad bod. The muscle is there somewhere under a bit of pudge.

Voice: Singing Examples: [1] [2] [3] unfortunately I currently haven’t found a fitting example for his everyday speech, but hopefully this at least gets the general feel across!

Dominant hand: Right

Posture: Relaxed, tends to rest his weight on one side, droopy shoulders and casual lackadaisical gait

Scars: A gash over his heart is one scar he has in common between every verse, along with various battle scars. In his general fantasy verse he has a scar all the way around his neck from his first true ‘death’ by beheading.

Tattoos: None

Birthmarks: None

Most noticeable feature(s): Scruffy, appears a bit unkempt just about at all times. Never seen without his scarf or gloves.

CHILDHOOD

Place of birth: Near what’s now known as Postwick, Galar

Hometown: +gestures vaguely at galar+

Birth weight/height: What an oddly specific question. He was probably a bit of a chonker, above average birth weight. may his mother rest in peace

First words: an adorable attempt at saying rookidee, though it probably just came out as ‘wookie’

Siblings: Adoptive half-brother. He doesn’t know much of anything of his birth family. Some verses he has a twin sister, I should really flesh one of those out bc she’s just as much of a gremlin as he is.

Parents: Unknown and/or deceased. Death by backstory, they deserved better

Parental involvement: He doesn’t remember much before he was adopted, but he was raised with a lot of love and care by just about every set of parents he’s ever had in any verse.

Children: Also depends on the verse, tbh. Haven’t quite figured out how to go about it, hence why it may not be applicable to every verse, but... in theory, he has a daughter. She is a gorgeous eldritch abomination shaped like a lady and he couldn’t be more proud of her

Prominently: Cav was honestly pretty dense. He was happy and friendly and got along with everyone, but mostly just because he had no idea how some people around him didn’t like him. Ignorance is truly bliss

ADULT LIFE

Occupation: Oh, a bit of everything. In modern times he tends to taxi folk around.

Current residence: N/A, travels anywhere and everywhere.

Close friends: What’re thooooooooooooooose

Relationship status: Single in his pokeverse. Married or engaged in just about every other.

Financial status: A bit complicated. He probably has a slew of secret offshore accounts he’s built up over the years. Probably well off, just doesn’t really show it.

Criminal record: Well! He tries not to get caught because it’s terribly hard to explain why he has a record dating back centuries. Thankfully most just believe it to be a coincidence. He’s done so much freaking crime though, almost entirely petty stuff... maybe a bit of grand theft auto if he’s particularly bored. He loves cars. Oh, maybe even a touch of arson if he’s absolutely certain the target is abandoned and no one gets hurt.

Vices: Yes. If going by cardinal sins... sloth? Gluttony? A sadomasochistic blend of lust and wrath? Nothing like purposefully picking fights to get the everloving crap beat out of you to feel something while simultaneously draining the life of your attacker with every bit of direct contact. How thrilling!

SEX & ROMANCE

Sexual orientation: Straight? Probably? Mostly.

Preferred emotional role: submissive | dominant | switch

Preferred sexual role: submissive | dominant | switch | Doesn’t care

Libido: Lowkey. It’s definitely there but he typically just ignores it.

Turn ons: Loves elegant women, the more confident and authoritative the better. Though anyone’s welcome to stab him 28 times in the torso, that’ll definitely get him excited.

Turn offs: Ppl who chew with their mouth open. Close ya damn mouth. Not very into wild hairstyles or extreme body mods. In that aspect he’s a bit like a boring old man.

Love language: He can and will devolve into a lovestruck puppy. He can be a bit clingy, but more than anything he is just... completely and utterly devoted. Very touchy feely, lots of traditionally ‘romantic’ gifts like flowers and whatnot. Or even just little reminders that he’s thinking of his SO, like a brief text or a little sticky note where she’ll see it. Just wants to be with them as much as possible, even if they’re just silently existing in the same room doing their own thing.

Relationship tendencies: Will brag about his SO to anyone who will listen (and even to those who won’t, you can’t stop him). Probably carries 50 pictures of his SO in his wallet and gets choked up just thinking about them. Will take her to restaurants and be like ‘we’re celebrating our anniversary’ any part of the year whether its their anniversary or not and when called out on it he’ll just be like ‘i’m always celebrating us’ and sappy nonsense like that. (though he also absolutely says it for the free desserts a lot of places give out to couples on their anniversary, but that’s just a bonus)

MISCELLANEOUS

Character’s theme song(s): Slaps this playlist down. I honestly can’t just pick one, buuut... I’m particularly liking Burning Alive lately, it’s very fitting for him.

Hobbies to pass time: Ogling cars, writing absurd Yelp reviews for anywhere and everywhere he goes, hoarding pigeons in his coat and offering them to unsuspecting strangers, heckling golfers, heckling comedians, engaging in fisticuffs with geese, going to chinese restaurants to crack open the fortune cookies and only eat the paper fortune inside, general people watching. likes watching movies in the theater. if anyone uses their phone while the movie is going he will snap the phone in half and eat as much of it as he can to prove a point

Mental illnesses: Uh. Well. I mean. Honestly? I have no idea. If you asked him he’d say he’s totally fine.

Physical illnesses: None. Often pretends to be injured or disabled one way or another if it’ll get him something he wants.

Left or right brained: He has 0 braincells

Fears: Heights, small dogs. Not afraid of dragonfruit but deeply offended by its existence as it is nothing but a flamboyant kiwi with no integrity to flavor. On a more serious note, intimacy of any sort with anyone or anything. Falling for someone knowing that he’ll outlive them anyway.

Self-confidence level: Oh it’s up there. Probably. He’s super confident, even if he doesn’t think he’ll succeed that doesn’t mean he won’t try. Unstoppable. Trust me, people have tried 2 stop him and nothing works.

Vulnerabilities: Genuine compliments from cute girls. Genuine compliments from just about anyone. Children. Baby animals. Cute things in general. Bad jokes. Literally any form of intimacy will make him want to aliven’t because he doesn’t deserve it and he might just up and run away in the middle of a conversation if it starts getting genuinely sappy.

[junker-town]

How Baker Mayfield and the Browns can fix their offense

Baker Mayfield’s early struggles can be fixed.

The Browns offense has been surprisingly dull and unproductive, but it’s not doomed to be that way all year.

The Cleveland Browns offense was supposed to be exciting in 2019. So far, it’s anything but.

Baker Mayfield threw an NFL rookie-record 27 touchdown passes last season despite not starting until Week 4. When the Browns added Odell Beckham Jr. to Mayfield’s offensive arsenal in March, the hype train ran wild.

An offense with Mayfield, Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and David Njoku sure sounded unstoppable. Then the regular season arrived and the Browns lost 43-13 to the Titans in their opener. The offense only looked marginally better in a 23-3 win over the Jets in Week 2, and was back in neutral in a 20-13 loss to the Rams in Week 3.

Three weeks into the season, the Browns average 16.3 points per game, better than only the Raiders, Broncos, Jets, and Dolphins. Mayfield has thrown three touchdowns with five interceptions, and his 70.3 passer rating is the worst among quarterbacks who started all three weeks.

“Blame me,” Browns first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens told reporters after their Week 3 loss, via Cleveland.com. “The first thing we can do is, I can start calling better plays and putting our guys in better situations.”

Kitchens got the job after he was credited with helping Mayfield to a tremendous second half of the 2018 season as offensive coordinator. But amidst the criticism of the Browns’ slow start, and his own admission that he deserves blame, Kitchens isn’t passing the sticks.

#Browns Freddie Kitchens on giving up the playcalling: 'That's not even being considered'

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 23, 2019

Are the Browns doomed to a whole season of disappointing play from Mayfield and the rest of the offense? Not necessarily. Cleveland can still sort things out. But it needs to do so quickly.

The Browns don’t have much receiving depth behind their stars

In the first half of Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to the Titans, wide receiver Rashard Higgins was rolled up from behind on a screen pass. He suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for the remainder of that game and the next two weeks.

Prior to his departure, Higgins caught passes for 11 and 35 yards on the Browns’ opening drive of the season. Those were Higgins’ only two receptions before he left the game. That particular trip down the field ended with a four-yard rushing touchdown for running back Dontrell Hilliard.

Higgins was a large part of what kept the Browns offense moving in 2018, too. He only caught 39 passes that year, but 27 resulted in first downs for Cleveland for the highest percentage on the team.

Fortunately for the Browns, Higgins should be back soon. He’s been limited in practice the last two weeks and questionable for Weeks 2 and 3. A return to action appears on the way.

That’s good because without Higgins, Mayfield hasn’t had a safety blanket to move the chains. The lack of receiving depth behind Beckham and Landry has hurt the team, and has led to Mayfield been waiting way too long for somebody to get open.

Mayfield’s lack of faith in his line is worse than the actual blocking

The Browns did a better job protecting Mayfield in 2018, but not that much better. The offensive line allowed 177 pressures last season (11.1 per game) and has given up 46 (15.3 per game) so far in 2019.

That’s a jump, but the raw numbers don’t account for how long Mayfield has been holding the ball.

Mayfield’s average pass attempt took 2.57 seconds in 2018, and it took an average of 3.26 seconds to sack him. Those numbers have climbed to 2.74 and 3.61 seconds, respectively.

It isn’t just that Mayfield’s waiting longer to throw in 2019, however; it’s how he has stood in the pocket. Mayfield has been unusually skiddish, limiting his receiving options by bailing to the right side of the field. Far too often he has scrambled despite standing in a clean pocket.

Here’s an example from the last drive of the Browns’ loss to the Rams:

The Rams did well in coverage on the play, but Mayfield puts pressure on himself by leaving the pocket. He also eliminates his two options on the left side of the field and shrinks the windows to his three receivers on the right. (It doesn’t help that those receivers bunched together.)

That’s why the extra time that Mayfield can buy with his legs isn’t helping.

Last year, Mayfield had a 94.5 passer rating when he got the ball out of his hand in less than 2.5 seconds, and a 93.9 passer rating when he waited longer than that. His passer rating is still 92.3 when he gets the ball out in less than 2.5 seconds, but now it’s just 48.0 on throws after that mark.

That’s from a quarterback who was great outside the pocket in 2018.

No AFC North QB had a higher grade on passes from outside the pocket than Browns QB Baker Mayfield did in 2018. pic.twitter.com/ot3HIlNRlG

— PFF (@PFF) April 2, 2019

It’s good to have a quarterback who can keep a play alive when the pocket falls apart. But scrambling becomes a problem when that player leans on that ability when it isn’t necessary. That was especially true against the Rams.

The @RamsNFL pass rush was too much for Baker Mayfield and the Browns OL (46% pressure rate). Mayfield struggled when throwing from outside the tackle box: Inside Box: 17/26, 176 yards, 1 TD (97.6 passer rating) Outside Box: 1/10, 19 yards, 1 INT (0.0 passer rating)#LARvsCLE pic.twitter.com/mxJvz0Mb8c

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 23, 2019

Fixing that issue for Mayfield is probably easier said than done. The Browns could add more tempo to the offense and draw up more plays that get the ball out fast. The impending return of Higgins could also help. But Mayfield may also simply need a few big plays to get his trademark swagger back.

Mayfield isn’t missing explosive plays by that much

Much of what made the rookie version of Mayfield fun was his fearless-bordering-on-reckless style. He had a 107.6 passer rating on deep balls (20 yards or more downfield) and was among the NFL’s most accurate quarterbacks on tight-window throws.

.@Browns @bakermayfield just keeps on ripping this league apart. How confident must you be to make these throws? Merry Christmas Cleveland! You got the greatest gift of all. A real NFL QB. REJOICE. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/vP42erfcDJ

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 24, 2018

That has changed in 2019. Mayfield’s passer rating on deep balls in 2019 is 47.9 with five completions, an interceptions, and no touchdowns on 14 attempts.

His trust that he can complete tight window throws has also resulted in a league-leading amount of ill-advised pass attempts.

Baker Mayfield has thrown into double coverage at the highest rate (6.4%) in the NFL through Week 3. Throwing into double coverage has not worked out for quarterbacks league-wide this season: 14/55, 175 yards, 3 TD, 9 INT (30.6% average completion probability) pic.twitter.com/pWU8yYia6S

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 24, 2019

Those risks need to be dialed back, but the statistics might also make Mayfield look more off the mark than he has been. Mayfield has made multiple plays that were razor close to being game-changing highlights for the Browns.

This drop from Landry was a huge play. 31-yard dime on Third-and-14 that would have moved them to the goal line. Instead punting late in the second quarter at 3-3. pic.twitter.com/eeBCZmlw2Y

— Cian (@Cianaf) September 23, 2019

What's amazing is that despite that crummy design, Mayfield and Ratley almost pulled off a miracle. pic.twitter.com/TwkekKvKKg

— Jake Burns (@jake_burns18) September 23, 2019

Of course, Mayfield could also help himself by taking the easier option when it’s available.

Baker Mayfield said he’ll have nightmares about this third down play because he knows he missed Jarvis Landry underneath. pic.twitter.com/vm3WFItyaX

— Everything Cleveland (@EverythingCLE_) September 23, 2019

Ultimately, the Browns’ surprising offensive ineptitude in September stems from multiple problems, but most of them are fixable.

Kitchens deserves plenty of blame for some stale and uncreative play calling, like eight running back screens against the Rams and a draw on fourth down. But the solution very well may be as simple as getting Mayfield in rhythm.

A more comfortable Mayfield will also be a more confident one. That may be all it takes to get the Browns offense back on track, because it’s really not that far off as is.

[withinycu-arch]

formerly: ildanach

NAME: Lugh Lamhfada SPECIES: god ORIENTATION: omnisexual GENDER: Male-ish

APPEARANCE

The Celtic gods were always wild. Their beauty is less an idealized form and more the terror of the forest, the cliff edge or open sea. Lugh himself is the embodiment of light in all its myriad forms and metaphors. Electricity travels through his hair causing it to change constantly between black, red and gold. Each eye holds seven pupils with the outer three revolving constantly around the central fourth. His skin glistens with iridescence. 

faceclaim: Aiden Turner

RELATIONSHIPS

FAMILY: Ethniu {mother}, Cian {father}, Morgen/Tailtiu {foster mother}

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: -

CHILDREN: Cú Chulainn {son/creation} 

PERSONALITY

Nothing is quite so terrible as a talented man who has lived their entire life adored. Such is the burden and blessing of Lugh Lamhfada, everything comes easily to him- poetry, magic, music, war and as a godling he was raised on the island of Avalon where he was loved and adored by Morgen of the Nine and the Druidic population there. 

NEED TO KNOWS

Lugh is a shameless flirt and expects to be loved. He does not handle rejection well. 

He isn’t the Pan-Celtic Lugus but rather a reincarnation of sorts of him. The original Lugus died sometime before the first century and Lugh was born sometime later.

He can be very cunning and manipulative but isn’t without his softer points and can be reasoned with.

[entergamingxp]

Let your mind wander with 40 of our best reads • Eurogamer.net

We’ve been lucky enough to publish some wonderful work on Eurogamer over the years, written by some wonderful writers, and we thought pulling some of it together at a time like this would be a nice thing to do.

If you see something you like, scroll down to the bottom of the piece and click on the author’s name to see what else they’ve written. There are some real treats I haven’t been able to include here – it’s a long enough list as it is!

Thank you everyone who contributes to Eurogamer and helps make it what it is, and thank you for reading it. Have a nice Easter weekend.

How Age of Empires 2 got some Scottish kids into RTS – Here’s a question: How do you get a bunch of disillusioned kids in the arse end of Scotland into real-time strategy games? Sam Greer remembers the 90s in Scotland and an unlikely gaming champion.

Petscop, the internet’s favourite haunted video game – Last March, a YouTube channel titled Petscop began releasing Let’s Play-style videos of what appeared to be a bargain-bin Playstation One game designed to entice undiscerning children. But things quickly took a darker turn, as Sara Elsam finds out.

An ode to video game doors – It’s easy to underestimate doors, Andreas Inderwildi writes, and yet they are also imbued with a kind of magic. If you’ve ever wanted to see a lot of lovely video game doors, now’s your chance.

After half my life, Ace Attorney’s re-release brought me full circle – Some games can have profound influences on our lives. Jay Castello grew up with the Ace Attorney series and wanted to be a lawyer – but life doesn’t always go the way it was planned.

I went Christmas carolling in Rust with a real piano, and got shot a hell of a lot – When Emma Kent heard that craftable pianos were coming to Rust (with MIDI support) and she could plug a microphone in too, there was only one thing she wanted to do. But would her fellow Rust players share in her festive spirit?

The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on – Imagine one day getting an email thanking you for the companion you made for Oblivion, signed by someone claiming to be author Terry Pratchett. Then imagine discovering, many letters later, it really was him. Cian Maher tells an unlikely story of friendship and collaboration.

The Lords of Midnight: on the legacy of a truly epic wargame – Even now, there’s little else remotely like it. Jennifer Allen remembers a cruel but magical adventure for Commodore 64. And thanks to devoted fans, there is now a way to play it.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 have one crucial thing in common – companionship – From perishable squad mates to tales around a camp fire, Vivek Gohil digs into what makes companions in Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 so special.

I was in Football Manager and I don’t know how to feel about it – Imagine our surprise when writer Chris Tapsell turns around and announces he was once in a Football Manager game, a series he loves – but as a football player. If it weren’t for a shoulder injury he may well have been a professional footballer today. But something always bothered him about his FM representation: his stats weren’t right. His height, his birthday, his eccentricity. This is the story of him getting to the bottom of it.

Roleplaying across the internet – It doesn’t have to be people sitting around a table. In its purest form, roleplaying is when a person says, “Let me tell you a story,” and the other person says, “Me too.” Giada Zavarise takes into the world of forum roleplaying.

If Ubisoft wants to cling on to Clancy, it’s time to talk politics – Tom Clancy relished a political drama so why does Ubisoft try to avoid it in his name? Is such a thing even possible? Edwin Evans-Thirlwell takes a closer look at Clancy and the legacy he left behind.

I owe everything I am to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday – You’re in a game shop in the mid-1990s and you have £15 to spend, and that’s a lot – you’re a kid and you’re poor. Jennifer Allen had a choice on her hands. What to choose? Pele? Streets of Rage? Or how about this box with the hero and the aliens on…?

Kazunori’s War: the world of Gran Turismo’s creator – He keeps a selection of pre-packed bags by his desk so he can leave at a moment’s notice. He’s an occasional racing driver. And he spun out a car at 200km/h as a very naughty youth. He is Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of Gran Turismo, and Martin Robinson travels to Japan to meet him.

It’s not easy being green: a brief history of orcs in video games – Who invented orcs, how did they get their green colour, and when did they start being more than dumb enemies? Nic Reuben seeks answers.

Why did ancient Egypt spend 3000 years playing a game nobody else liked? – Here’s a game responsible for one of the first ever instances of trash talk, a game played by pharaohs, but even after 3000 years of play, Senet went the way of the disonaur. Christian Donlan tries to find out what happened.

The boy who stole Half-Life 2 – In May 2004, a German boy wakes to find his bed surrounded by armed police officers. Seven months earlier, the source code to the in-development-and-late Half-Life 2 leaks onto the internet. Simon Parkin tells the story of a global hacker hunt, from both sides.

The six-year story of GTA Online’s long-vacant casino – When GTA Online launched, the Vinewood Casino was there. It wasn’t open but it was “opening soon”, according to a sign on the door. One year later, still closed; two years later, still closed. Nearly six years later, still closed. Why did it take so long? Jordan Oloman digs into a troubled development.

The cult of Hideo Kojima – What is it about Hideo Kojima that has crowds turn out in their hundreds to meet him? Khee Hoon Chan waits among one such crowd in Singapore, and then all of a sudden, spotlight on, Kojima is there.

Hearts and minds – Tom Bramwell puts on his best suit for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and it leaves him wondering why there aren’t more heroes in games.

The US town ruled by an AI storyteller – Great storytellers talk about creative partnerships with all kinds of things, from drugs to religion to half-awake states of mind. Can artificial intelligence now be added to the list? Emily Gera shines a light on a fascinating storytelling experiment.

The God who Peter Molyneux forgot – Do you remember Curiosity and the promise of a life-changing prize for whoever tapped the last block? Brayn Henderson does – he tapped it. But did it change his life? Wesley Yin-Poole travels to Scotland to find out.

The Wind Waker inspired me to build a boat – Ever decided to build a boat because you really liked a game about sailing around? No of course not. Nor, I bet, have you ever bought an ocarina instrument because of a game, or fashioned your hair to look like Nathan Drake. Or have you? Omar Hafeez-Bore ponders the influence of games.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and the feud that keeps on running – This time he’s demanding a single coconut. Philippa Warr tells the a hilarious story of two lifelong friends falling out over a valentine.

Brando and Bowie: The amazing stories of a man you’ve never heard about – He alone witnessed Marlon Brando’s last ever performance, and David Bowie kissed him on the lips. He held high positions in the video game world and directed big games for big companies. And yet, he never quite found success as we know it. Or did he? Bertie tells a long story.

Why can’t video games get shoulders right? What an inspired question! And it turns out it’s all in the shoulder blades. Alan Wen investigates.

Viva Piñata places a brutal lens on late-stage capitalism – Don’t be fooled by its cutesy looks. Viva Piñata is, as Hazel Southwell tells us, maybe the only game where the kind of business psychopathy preached on Huel-based wellness retreats outside San Francisco will actually work.

The promise of a game world you can touch – James Holland puts his hands in front of him and as the on-screen bubbles start to pop, he feels them popping on his skin, on his bare skin – he’s not wearing gloves or equipment of any kind. Is this the tech of the future?

Inside Tomb of Horrors, the hardest D&D module ever made – Just getting inside can be an ordeal, as two of the entrances lead to certain death, and losing a character level 10 or higher – all that time invested – really hurts. Why would someone make something like that? Malindy Hetfield takes a closer look.

PS2: The Insiders’ Story – The PlayStation 2 is still the best-selling console in the world. It was a landmark machine and its success made Sony feel invincible. Ellie Gibson takes us back to a time of David Lynch adverts and wild parties.

VR has already taken people with dementia to the seaside, and now video games are exploring neurological disease itself – Watching a participant literally cry with happiness as they remove the headset is not a sight writer Luke Kemp will soon forget.

Decoding Shenzhen: The Chinese city that makes the world’s tech – Known as the mecca of manufacturing, Shenzhen is a fishing city turned megatropolis, where an idea can be made a reality and sold in a market stall in two weeks. Arshiya Khullar investigates.

The human cost of Red Dead Redemption 2 – In October 2018, Red Dead Redemption set a new benchmark for the kind of production values a video game could reach. Technically, it was a marvel. But at what cost?

The folklore roots of Sekiro’s anus-ball snatching enemies – Why does an enemy in Sekiro grab a pale fleshy thing from your behind, hold it up like a trophy, then devour it in its own behind? It’s all to do with some disturbing monsters in Japanese folklore, as Ewan Wilson finds out.

Why I play video games – Dr Omar Hafeez-Bore believes a good part of why he chose to pursue medicine was because of video games, and not for the reasons you may think.

Stories with dice: the thrill of old-school D&D – Even 40 years on, video games have a lot to learn from Dungeons & Dragons. Oli Welsh discovers the joy of pen-and-paper role-playing games.

A horse named Gizmondo: The inside story of the world’s greatest failed console – It’s like it never existed now, but for a while Gizmondo – a handheld gaming machine – was going to conquer the world. The 2005 launch party even featured Pharrell Williams and Sting. But less than a year later, the company behind Gizmondo collapsed into bankruptcy. Ellie Gibson hears the whole shady story from the people who were there.

Passing on the gift of games – Have you ever passed the gift of gaming on and watched someone come to terms with it like you once did? Oh the tantrums I used to throw playing Street Fighter! Emad Ahmed has a niece and nephew to pass the gift onto, with surprising effects.

After I stepped into Yakuza’s world, Yakuza’s world seeped into mine – Wish you were there, in Japan? Well, there are few games better than the Yakuza series for taking you there. They helped Malindy remember happy years studying there, and overcome a painful memory.

The quest for Shadow of the Colossus’ last big secret – What if everything in Fumito Ueda’s renowned game had not been found? Could there be a 17th colossi hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered? Craig Owens takes us into a world of unsolved mysteries and secret hunters.

The secrets of Dark Souls lore explained and explored – It’s not easy to get at the story in Dark Souls because unlike in other games, it’s scattered and hidden away. Richard Stanton connects the dots for us.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[summervanlife]

28 July

A lovely cool night with just a blanket to keep us warm. The morning was lazy. Nia and Jay snoozed in bed, Cian was up with the racket and shuttlecock, Clare at the shower. By the time we were all up a new game had appeared at the van. It had been loaned by Pierre (not real name) at reception to Clare (whom we all think may have a slight crush on Pierre!) The game was called Molkky. We had not heard of it before. 12 batons with flat bases but angled heads, each with its value etched on (1 - 12). They are arranged in a bunch with the highest numbers protected by the lower ones. The Molkky is thrown by the first player at the bunch. If a single baton is knocked down the value of that baton is the players score, if multiple baton are knocked down then the quantity of fully flat batons is the score. All batons are then stood up exactly where they came to rest and it is the next players throw. This continues until a player scores exactly 50. They are the winner. A score over 50 drops them back to 25. It is a very addictive game. After our first round we had late breakfast. Thereafter we played a lot more games. Then some badminton. Then some more Molkky. Right up to lunch time! Tuna sandwiches. Then more Molkky (it was under our skin, part of us!) Clare made us stop before we spiralled out of control in an all consuming Molkky vortex. We went for a walk. The village was a few hundred metres from the campsite along a lovely path bounded by a four meter strip of wild meadow flower. Beyond the flowers were crops. In front of us was the abbey with an avenue of trees to enhance it. Nia and Cian tried to capture crickets and grasshoppers on camera. We also spotted dragonflies and frogs. The abbey was an obvious landmark. The huge arches with intricate carvings at the bosses were a giveaway. Abbey Fleury was founded in around 600ad. It contains the relics of St.Benoit (Benedict - through this is strongly disputed, and yet not proved). It's history offer the town it's name and is probably the most renowned Benedictine monastery in France. There are still practicing monks living in the abbey. King Philipe 1st is buried in front of the alter. It feels like a big deal! Several monks wandered in and out of the abbey. One conducted a ceremony in some shade at the front of the building. Another was giving a tour and describing the stories behind stone carvings around the western entrance. Stepping inside offered full immersion into placidity. It was cool and calm. Very religious in lots of ways (it being a church) but there were some beautiful differences. There were stained glass windows, but none of the depicted anything religious. There were just lovely, earthy colours, all conteibuting to the amazing peaceful ambience. Descending into a lower crypt we were met by huge structural pillars, and a lovely calm. Candles lit the way. It was silent. We spent ages in the abbey. Back at ground level stone carvings with carved wooden frames adorned the walls depicting the journey of the cross (like the ones on the Hebrides - kind of). Outside it was still hot. We walked into the village and bought ice creams and fruit from the local store. Then wandered along the street, gradually making our way back to the river and our camp. Back at the van we returned to our set routine; slackline vs badminton vs chess vs nine man morris before dinner. After dinner it came to light that Nia and Cian also got to watch some 'Only Fools and Horses' in secret. Jay was outraged!! However during their absence a large hedgehog came to visit the camp. It took a wander under our table and sat for a while in the torchlight of Jay's phone. Jay likes to think they made friends before Mr Hedgehog retired to snuffle for grubs. The night concluded with some silly story, long after the rest of the site residents were asleep. Another rest day tomorrow we think!

[louisianalostones]

Izzy and anyone he wants for CRACK

@ofviolentdeath

send me a pair name and I’ll tell you what I think it would be like if they had a child.

Name: Storm

Gender: female but definitely thinks gender is bullshit; will use she/her or they/them pronouns

General Appearance: definitely more like her mom than her dad. a little on the wild and rough side. looks like she could kick your ass, would.

Personality: mmmm. you know what should never mix? the silver line and the fischer line. you know what she is? she got izzy’s sort of... let’s call it ‘apathy’ towards consequences. and she got willow’s harsh attitude. she’s immortal as fuck so she’s reckless beyond any logical reason. she doesn’t care about the family business because it’s boring and she just wants to have a good time, fuck shit up. she tends to lean more towards izzy’s side of duties, but she’s got a faint hint of keres in her that makes her feel like murder is no big deal.

Special Talents: immortal. whatever weird chaotic magic izzy’s got. her eyes can go black but that’s about as much as the keres shows up in her.

Who they like better: she loves them both actually but izzy’s more fun, even if he’s a shit parent.

Who they take after more: idk man she got like a lot of willow’s good but a lot of izzy’s bad?

Personal Headcanon: she does not care for izzy’s other kids, but she does like some of her mom’s family. clyde is fun. cian is also a good time when he’s not moping about tru.

she’s also like.... hella bad with feelings which she gets from both of her parents and when someone is sad around her she just kind of... peaces out bc she has 0 concept of how to handle that shit.

Face Claim: jessica gr.een

[newsforday-blog]

Conor McGregor condemned for UFC 223 transport assault

Conor McGregor's UFC 223 court fight has reached an end. The previous featherweight and lightweight UFC champion consented to a request bargain at a hearing at Kings County Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday which saw all crime represents a mark against the mainstream contender expelled. Per the terms of the supplication bargain, McGregor pled blameworthy to one tally of messy lead and will be compelled to experience five long periods of network benefit, 1-3 long stretches of an outrage administration assessment, and will be required to pay compensation for the harm he incurred on a UFC warrior transport amid UFC 223 battle week. Three requests of securities were likewise served against McGregor, including two by UFC warriors Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa. McGregor won't be allowed close them until July 2020. McGregor's consent to the supplication arrangement won't influence McGregor's movement visa, and signifies "The Notorious" will get no correctional facility time and won't have a criminal record. McGregor, 30, instigated a skirmish on April 5 when he and his escort raged into Brooklyn's Barclays Center in a wild scene following UFC 223's media day and assaulted the UFC warrior transport conveying lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The episode finished in a notorious grouping that saw McGregor throw a dolly through a transport window, which at last left a few warriors shaken up and constrained UFC contenders Chiesa and Borg to pull back from their particular UFC 223 battles because of wounds experienced the broken glass. Chiesa as of late revealed to ESPN that "the wheels are in movement" for him to make lawful move against McGregor. McGregor's colleague Artem Lobov was likewise engaged with the skirmish and was in this way pulled from his UFC 223 planned session against Alex Caceres. McGregor and partner Cian Cowley transformed themselves into the New York Police Department the evening of the occurrence and were discharged on $50,000 and $25,000 bond, individually. McGregor confronted a potential 12 criminal allegations for his part in the scuffle. The two men educated the court in a June 14 hearing that they wanted to arrange a request bargain. Cowley likewise pled liable to one tally of tumultuous lead on Thursday. With McGregor's legitimate issues presently settled, the street toward a UFC return seems clear. UFC president Dana White has more than once expressed over late months that the advancement would not advance with its previous two-division champion hanging in legitimate limbo. With that off the beaten path, a blockbuster title matchup against Nurmagomedov could in all likelihood be the subsequent stage, conceivably on Oct. 6 in Las Vegas at UFC 229, Nov. 3 at UFC 230 at New York's Madison Square Garden, or on Dec. 29 for the advancement's year-end Las Vegas appear, UFC 232. A Nurmagomedov versus McGregor matchup would probably be one of the most noteworthy offering MMA battles ever. McGregor (21-3) has not contended in MMA since overcoming Eddie Alvarez through second-round TKO at UFC 205 in Nov. 2016 to wind up the first-historically speaking UFC champion to all the while hold titles in two unique divisions. Through and through, the Irishman holds a 9-1 Octagon record and conveys a large number of eminent triumphs over any semblance of Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, and Chad Mendes, among others. Most as of late, McGregor influenced his expert enclosing to make a big appearance a major cash coordinate against Floyd Mayweather in Aug. 2017, losing to Mayweather by means of tenth round TKO. Read the full article