#and refs especially with this height range are always a pain to post

[cupidleporis]

this year's artfight lineup!

[nuttyrabbit]

Forge the Coelacanth Bio

So a couple of days ago,an anon sent me an ask telling me to talk about my OC Forge. Seeing as how I’ve never formally introduced him on here, I thought I’d instead just post a ref an a brief description of him.  Instead, that turned into writing him a full on fucking bio.

So once again, before diving into the bio proper, I should give a major shout out to @pidgeonspen for not only designing Forge, but also helping to beta read and edit his bio. 

With that out of the way, let’s get into the bio proper. Like always, everything is under the cut

Name: Forge the Coelacanth

Age: 1000+

Height: 6'0

Occupation: (Former) Commander of the Atlantean Knights

Personality:  Contrary to what his imposing size, booming voice, and various scars may imply, Forge is an incredibly affable and endearing individual.  His commitment to those he is sworn to protect goes beyond the purview of his duties, going so far as to try to befriend or at least get to know most of the people within Atlantis, especially those he fights alongside.  Because of his extended lifespan, Forge has formed friendships that transcended generations, from the first  of a line to the last. As a result, many considered him just as much a part of their family as those related by blood.  

Forge is also an incredibly jovial person, often indulging in revelry with others following a successful mission or other joyous occasion. In these instances, his love for telling stories, singing classic Atlantean songs, and of course, his boisterous laughter all make themselves readily apparent.  His jovial nature also shows itself around children.  Forge absolutely adores children, having raised many himself over his long, long life and even having adopted some who had become orphaned.  But above all else, Forge  has an unwaveringly strong devotion to both Atlantis and what he believes to be “justice”, even two centuries after its fall.  As a result, he has no tolerance for anything he either perceives or is told is “evil” or a threat to Atlantis and resorting to any means he deems necessary to get rid of it.  On that note, Forge's morality is rather black and white, firmly believing in notions of objective "good" and "evil", leaving little to no room for any sort of nuance or moral "gray" area.  

All of these traits have in some way or another contributed to him becoming a sort of "living legend" amongst his people, treated with immense respect and in some cases, even reverence. 

 While Forge appreciated and even sometimes used his status as a living legend to inspire his people both on and off the battlefield, he disliked the idea of being out and out worshipped and even discouraged the few that partook in it from doing so.  At one point, Forge was rather religious. He  often prayed to Atlantis' patron  "god" of Levias for a variety of reasons, ranging from victory  in battle to the continued propserity and safety of Atlantis.  But as Atlantis fell to nothing, so too did his faith, feeling that he was no longer worthy of his god’s protection for one reason or another 

Skills: One of the things that gave Forge his status as a living legend amongst his people was his nearly unmatched skill in combat.  In particular, he is extremely skilled and adept in the realm of lightning magic, channeling it through both his armor and his sword  to devastating effect.  His most frequent application of this magic is simply shooting lightning from his sword, but he can also cover his entire body in lightning as a makeshift barrier, create massive shockwaves by slamming his charged sword into the ground, use it to supercharge his limbs, giving him a significant boost in strength, and even call down bolts of lightning.  Even without his magic, he is still devastatingly adept with his sword. The sword itself is a massive greatsword, forged by Forge himself from pure Atlantean steel and named "Tempest". The sword is also magical in nature, being attuned to Forge specifically.Despite having centuries of formal training,his  style  actually forgoes finesse and formal technique in favor of a surprisingly loose style, revolving around using a combination of swinging Tempest around, using his lightning magic, and his own raw power to simply overwhelm foes.  As stated before, Forge is able to use his status as a living legend to inspire his allies, especially on the battlefield.  

Hobbies: Forge is someone who has rarely, if ever had the time to truly pursue any hobbies between his duties as an Atlantean Knight,  his duties as a father and husband to the families he has helped to raise over his extensive lifespan, and other miscellanous matters. On the rare occasion he had a usable amount of free time, he usually either spent it honing his abilities through training.  However, that changed once he decided to not start another new family after the 2nd one he had formed ultimately ran its course.  With all this newfound free time, Forge had to find something to do, and indeed he did. He rediscovered a field he had very briefly considered pursuing a long, long time ago: blacksmithing, using it not only to craft novelty items, but also repair and improve both his equipment and that of his fighting companions.

Likes: Atlantis (Obviously), children, Octopus/squid (His favorite food. Don't worry, they're just normal animals, not mobians), storytelling, mead, combat/battle, blacksmithing, singing.

Dislikes: What he perceives as "evil" and general injustice, being the object of worship/reverence,  bureaucracy (Politics just goes over his head), his near-immortality, bitter foods.

Backstory: Forge was born into the world as Atlantis, which was but a  a small, simple city at the time started its expansion into the empire it would come to be mythologized as.   As such, Forge grew up hearing about the glorious conquests of the Atlantean armies, the brilliant innovations of Atlantean scientists, and how the people of Atlantis were the noblest, smartest, and strongest people of the Seven Seas. But above all else, Forge heard and witnessed countless tales regarding the Knights of Atlantis (Or more simply known as the Atlantean Knights); an elite group of soldiers and guardians who were said to represent the very best of Atlantis, men of unmatched valor and heroism whose explots inspired some of Atlantis' finest artistry.  The young coelacanth  could not help but be enraptured by these tales, by these men who seemed to be larger than life, who represented everything noble and good about Atlantis, who were equal parts loved and revered.  

As he grew up, Forge's fascination with the Atlantean Knights continued to grow larger and larger, as did his nationalistic attitude about Atlantis and all it stood for.  On the cusp of adulthood, Forge knew that he wanted to serve his country someway, somehow, but he wasn't sure as to how until it hit him. Instead of merely fawning over the Atlantean Knights like everyone else did, he could *become* one, be the shining knight that all others aspired to be.   Even though he knew it would require a nearly Herculean amount of time, effort, and perhaps even blood to do so, if it served Atlantis well, it would all be worth it.

And so, Forge enlisted in the Atlantean army. It was there he would earn his trademark armor, his legendary blade and mastery of magic. With these in hand, Forge would come to aid Atlantis in many of her conquests, quickly climbing the ranks and gaining the attention of his superiors due to a combination of his combat aptitude, valor in battle, and unmatched dedication to Atlantis' cause. Before he knew it, several decades had passed and  before he knew it, Forge would finally take his place amongst the Atlantean Knights, fulfilling his near-lifelong ambition, and even starting a family along the way. But something else had shown itself.  Despite his many battle scars and literal decades given to Atlantis' conquests, Forge himself looked as if he had barely aged at all.  

Forge continued to serve Atlantis, taking part in her many conquests, leading her crusades - all the while continuing to raise his family. Decades came and went, his love eventually passing on to the next world, their children growing older and older... and for Forge, time had seemed to stop. He outlived them all, never seeming to age further. No matter what he did, whether it be forming yet another family, leading endless crusades against Atlantis' enemies, or throwing himself fully into his duties and working tirelessly to uphold his personal sense of justice and righteousness, he could not escape one simple fact: he would come to outlive everyone he would ever know and loved. He would be forced to watch everyone he cared about wither and die, and no matter how much he tried not to, he would come to feel immense pain at every loss he suffered.   Forge tried to keep himself busy; starting yet another family, leading crusade after crusade against the enemies of Atlantis, burying himself into his work- but little of it helped to distract him from the truth: he would come to outlive them all. As time went on, he would bury everyone he came to know and care for, and it never did get easier. When the last of his children from his second marriage passed on, Forge solemnly decided that bloodline would be his last, instead focusing on his duties as Grand Commander of the Atlantean Knights. He defended his homeland against all her enemies, both real and imagined, his loyalty to those in power absolute and unwavering.

Forge was so convinced that this was what he was meant to be - a paladin of his people, carrying out Atlantis' will and standing as a testament to her greatness. He would gladly give his life and soul to protect his home from the perceived evils that dared threaten her... but he as unable to see that the greatest enemy to Atlantis came from within. The rulers of the great city, the aristocrats and the councilmen, nobles and advisors -- all of them polluting the seemingly unfaltering city with their greed and corruption. Forge was so eager to please, to abide by his superiors and do whatever it took to keep his city safe, that he didn't see any of it for what it was. He never questioned the crusades he was told to lead, the atrocities committed during those wars, the supposed heresy he was called to put an end to - he did it all for his homeland, for his people. He had to, in his mind, lest Atlantis fall for a moments hesitation.

But no matter how hard Forge fought to smite the "evils" plaguing Atlantis, he ultimately could not stave off the inevitable.  Centuries of greed, corruption, and in-fighting came to a head and the once seemingly invincible empire of Atlantis tore itself asunder from the inside out.  Soon, despite Forge's best efforts, the once great empire of Atlantis that had stood triumphantly and unfaltering for centuries, her capital city a shining beacon of greatness and prosperity, was reduced to naught but ash.  Her once vast empire, which stretched for endless miles, was shattered, with her territories either abandoned or fought over by the very people they had once conquered. And her people, once innumerable, were reduced to none but a select few surviors, amongst which was Forge.  Soon enough, they too would perish, leaving Forge as the sole survivor of his people, the last relic of a once glorious civilization.

Forge's worst fears had come to pass. Not only did he outlive all those he cared about, but he even outlived the very thing he had loved so dearly, the empire he had spent centuries helping to build and defend.  The streets he had spent his life patrolling, the houses he had raised his families in, the taverns in which he celebrated his greatest victories, the graveyards where he mourned his worst losses, they were all gone, which nothing but ash and rubble in their place.   There was nothing left for him there, but he couldn't just abandon all he had fought for for so long, could he?   No, he decided, he could not. He had sworn an oath so very long ago that he would defend Atlantis to his last dying breath from all that may harm her, and even though there was nobody left to defend, nothing left to protect, he could never break that oath.

And there he stayed, guarding the ashes of what little remained; an unmoving, unwavering sentinel with nothing left to protect. As he partook in his seemingly fruitless patrols, his mind couldn't help but wander, and it always end up at the same place asking the same question: Why? Why did Atlantis fall?  What had destroyed it?   And the answers to those questions would always pin the blame on one person and one person only: himself.  Forge had failed Atlantis somehow. Maybe he hadn't fought hard enough. Maybe he wasn't vigilant enough and let an "evil" in that had destroyed her people.  Maybe he wasn't able to unite the people in a time of crisis and be the leader that they had needed. No matter what it was, the blame would always shift inwards.   But he wouldn't fail them now, he couldn't. He may not have been able to save his people, but he can at least try to save what's left.   If there was anything to be gained from this curse of his, it was that he could stand vigilant forever,  and that the legacy and spirit of his people would never truly be lost.

For over a century, the coelacanth continued to stand vigil at the tomb of an empire, bound there by his unwavering sense of justice and his oath. Things would change over time, for a threat unlike any other would come to this hallowed ground: creatures of pure darkness and reek of fetid evil began to manifest, drawn to the very ruins Forge swore to protect with his life. And protect the remains of Atlantis he did -  but no matter how many of the foul creatures he smote, more would spawn as night fell.  The horde was unending, and Forge eventually realized to put an end to this evil, he would have to destroy it at its source, whatever and wherever it may be... and that meant he'd have to leave Atlantis to find it. Even if it meant  temporarily leaving the ruins at the mercy of these monsters, he knew he could not idly stand by while such vile creatures existed, seemingly intent on destruction. It was time to take action and to put a stop to these monsters for good.

And so, in his search for answers, he emerged from the depths to a land none of his kind had dared to venture: the surface world.  A world so vastly different from everything he's ever known, where the black & white ethicality he'd so strictly followed would be challenged, a land where he would be confronted with an evil far beyond anything he had ever encountered... and where he would ultimately come to face the truth about what really caused the fall of Atlantis.

[junker-town]

What we learned from Extreme Rules 2017

RAW has a new number one contender, new tag champs, a new Intercontinental champ, and yet, something was missing from Extreme Rules.

Extreme Rules did not get all that extreme. And that’s even just considering within the realm of what WWE’s PG-era programming allows in terms of being extreme. A match about trying not to get disqualified, a mixed tag match, really dumb cage match rules, and a submissions match that was basically a regular match except you couldn’t pin your opponent don’t really merit the “extreme” tag.

And the one match that should have been extreme given its emphasis on weapons — well, weapon — was a rush job that made sure RAW’s women got as little screen time as possible.

It wasn’t all bad or middling, at least, even if the show was poorly titled. There were some real high points to Extreme Rules, which we’ll get to... now.

The Miz def. Dean Ambrose to become the Intercontinental Champion

Your mileage may vary, but this match worked for me even if the stipulation for it was not used in the way it was expected to be. The assumption was that Miz would constantly attempt to get Ambrose disqualified since a DQ would force Dean to drop the Intercontinental belt, which is not the usual setup in a championship match. Instead, Miz wrestled a hard-fought and mostly even match with Ambrose until he decided that doing it on his own wasn’t going to cut it: that’s when the shenanigans began.

This is actually highly consistent with Miz’s character. He says things that are often true and correct, or at least said in a way where you can see where he’s coming from. He’s often distorting the truth, though, by telling his version of events that paint him in a heroic light in his own mind, and rubbing as many people the wrong way in the process as possible. So, Miz not immediately trying to get Ambrose to DQ himself works here — holding it in reserve until he absolutely has to, then trying to use the stipulation to his advantage in a way where he can brag about it later while fudging his retelling of events, is far more Miz than presenting Ambrose with a chair or having Maryse immediately attack her own husband to earn a DQ would have been.

Plus, the ref didn’t buy Maryse slapping Miz toward the back-end of the match — he wasn’t going to fall for that at the time the bell rang, either. Miz used to tag with R-Truth, he knows what’s up.

What we learned: Miz is still a clever opponent who you’ll get in trouble against if you underestimate that brain of his. Ambrose let Miz take control of the match, getting thrown into the referee then spending his time begging to not get disqualified, which allowed Miz to sneak up behind him and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale. Miz gets to take credit for actually pinning Ambrose, and even though he leaned into the match’s stipulation to defeat Dean, he’s going to talk it up (and already has, on the post-show RAW Talk) as if he did this entirely on his own without any foul play to help him through it.

WWE.com

Sasha Banks and Rich Swann def. Alicia Fox and Noam Dar

This was fun for what it was, which sounds even more backhanded compliment-y when it gets the add-on of “and that’s more than you can say for most of this show.” Mixed tag matches are tough to pull off effectively, though, and they managed this feat. Alicia Fox and Noam Dar tagging each other with desperate hugs was wonderful each time it happened, as was Sasha dropping knees on Dar from the turnbuckle to the outside.

What we learned: It doesn’t look like WWE is going to pull Sasha Banks off 205 Live duty just yet, as she and Swann showed some real chemistry in the ring and on RAW Talk, to the point that Banks had to remind any writers watching that she’s married so that they don’t start shipping the pair. And as always, seeing Alicia Fox on screen reminded us that we never get to see Alicia Fox often enough. Give her some wins and a story on RAW, y’all.

Alexa Bliss defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley

WWE has no idea what they’re doing with Bayley. Letting Alexa retain is just fine, but it’s not like Bayley looked good in defeat. Of course, Bliss didn’t get to look very good in victory, either, since this was a rush job that saw the kendo stick on a pole secured the first time either competitor went for it. No buildup, no drama, no oh-so-close attempts that would help to a payoff later. Nope, they just reached for it, dropped it into the ring, tried to be the first to pick it up, and then the match was over nearly as soon as it had begun.

Bayley looks like a hapless chump, but at least Alexa can get away from what has been a pretty toxic program for a couple of weeks now.

What we learned: See above with regard to WWE not having any idea what they’re doing with Bayley. Maybe RAW will remember they have Nia Jax around now, at least, since they’re only capable of showcasing a couple of women at a time.

Would it kill you to actually feature your women on television and on pay-per-view, RAW? Kate Foray’s RAW Breakdown is great for seeing this sort of thing, and since it’s Patreon-funded I won’t share exact figures with you, but just know that the RAW Women’s Championship got a single-digit percentage of a three-hour show’s in-ring time, and it was the only women’s match on the card.

Cesaro and Sheamus def. the Hardys to become RAW Tag Team Champions

Maybe we were all misunderstanding what “Extreme Rules” meant. We assumed that the rules would allow for extreme stipulations, but no, what the title refers to is how extremely strict the rules for these matches would be. Take this championship tag match between Sheamus and Cesaro and the Hardy Boyz: there are no pinfalls or submissions in this cage match for some reason, so it turns into a game of who can escape the cage first. And that is further complicated by WWE’s insistence on having a door to the cage, one that either pair could have easily just walked out of a number of times.

Wrestling is all about suspension of disbelief, but it’s the job of the writers to make sure fans can maintain said suspension. These kinds of cage matches make it nearly impossible, especially when rules change to fit a story instead of a story fitting within rules everyone already knows exist and can react to without mid-match explanations detailing why actually your assumptions are wrong.

This was some WCW-level problem creation, and the live audience must have been confused as hell once it turned out Jeff Hardy’s initial escape didn’t count since he came back in.

#RAW #TagTeamChampion @JEFFHARDYBRAND will go GREAT heights to save his brother! @MATTHARDYBRAND #ExtremeRules http://pic.twitter.com/tYoRpStoVa

— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2017

What we learned: And that’s all a shame because this foursome actually put on a physical and mostly entertaining match — it was just dragged down by the minds that devised it all in the writers’ room. Maybe we’ll end up getting a split of the Hardys out of it, though, and the pair will get some characters attached to them outside of pure nostalgia.

Neville defends WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries

Speaking of rules not being made clear from the start and changing to fit the story being told, Austin Aries caused Neville to submit on the outside of the ring, but it didn’t count because it didn’t happen inside the ring. So... it’s not an extreme match at all, really. It’s a match where there are no pinfalls and you can hit a guy with a chair if you want to since the only way to end the match is with a submission. Assuming the submission happens in the right place, anyway. There’s nothing more extreme than fine print, kids.

The match was actually pretty good in spite of this easily avoidable issue, with the only real complaint being that Neville targeted Aries’ knee throughout, but then ignored it entirely for the finish. The finish was pretty cool anyway, though, with Neville landing his Red Arrow finisher — one he’s only used when he absolutely has to as a heel as it’s a fan favorite move — on Aries’ back instead of his front, in order to help him lock in the most painful Rings of Saturn submission possible.

WWE.com

What we learned: This is likely the end of this feud, as Neville has won all three encounters and didn’t have to cheat his way to victory in this one like he did the last two times they matched up. Granted, that’s because there was no cheating in this submission match, but still.

Now we’ll have to wait and see who will rise up against Neville next, as Aries vs. Neville has propped up the cruiserweight division for months now. Will the next challenger be able to do the same?

Samoa Joe defeats Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt to become No. 1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship

Don’t worry, this is a match where I have no complaints. Everyone was on top of their game here, with Bray Wyatt joining forces with Samoa Joe for a time to wreck the babyfaces, only for it to end up costing Bray in the end when he finally turned on Joe and paid for it. Everyone had their chance to star, with Finn Balor coming out looking the best as the guy who was capable of going toe-to-toe with Reigns, but also as the one looking good fighting off both Wyatt and Joe.

Samoa Joe would end up winning due to effective timing, which is how these kinds of matches work — Balor had this thing most likely won, but Joe was recovered at just the right moment to slap on his submission and cause Finn to pass out.

What we learned: Yoooooooo Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar is some dream match action that we are going to get to see next month. Joe is one of the few people you could believe WWE would allow to actually look game against Brock, and seeing Brock and Paul Heyman act bemused about Joe the Destroyer’s chances against the Beast Incarnate are going to be even funnier when Joe manages to get offense in against Lesnar.

It’s unclear what other feuds are spawning out of this match, if any, but it’s perfectly fine that the primary focus was on crowning a number one contender and dealing with next steps for everyone else until Monday’s show.