#rowan against his creator/parent thing

[nenyunavi]

Happy new years everyone I spend the last 5 days working on an oc mv to one of my favourite songs

[lootthekey]

My “Shot in the Dark” Prediction for Magic’s Next Year of Story

Wilds of Eldraine

We already know this story, but its contents are worth revisiting in order to have context for the rest of the story. Ashiok has helped Eriette, seemingly the aunt of Rowan and Will and a truly devious witch, prolong the sleep curse that was used to put all the Phyrexians invading Eldraine to sleep. Now, the curse is spreading and the Kindly Lord of the fae, Talion, is enlisting the help of others to correct a mistake they made by brokering a deal with three witches to construct this curse.

Talion enlists Kellan, a half-fae child and one of the main protagonists of the next year of story at least, to defeat the three witches they worked with to construct the curse. Kellan wishes to know who his father is, so he accepts this quest. Meanwhile, Rowan has been deeply traumatized by the loss of her parents during the Phyrexian Invasion, and is slowly descending into a mad lust for power. And not just any power, but the power to change the world around her as she pleases. She hates how Will, a much bigger pacifist than her, is handling the whole situation, and has decided to take matters into her own hands.

Her quest eventually leads her to Eriette, who convinces Rowan to join her so that The Realm can live happily ever after in their dreams forever. After a climactic battle involving Rowan, Will, Eriette, Kellan, and Ashiok, The Realms are saved from the curse of slumber. Eriette is defeated by Kellan and Ruby, a companion Kellan met along the way who assisted him in defeating the various witches in his quest. Will plays as a game of Magic against Rowan, using a Control strategy to survive her Aggro strategy, so that he could stall until he had an opening to force Ashiok to flee by sending a bolt of ice at Ashiok’s chest. Rowan is then forced to flee.

Kellan, having completed his quest, eventually learns that his biological father is Oko, the bastard from the previous Eldraine set that famously turned King Kenrith (and most of Magic) into an elk. He then finds an Omenpath and unknowingly likely leaves Eldraine for a long time, having been transported to a different plane with no easy way to return. It is then implied that Eriette, after being broken out of jail by Ashiok, does the same.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Now we get into the realm of speculation as we venture into the next set: Lost Caverns of Ixalan. We know little of this set except that it is a “Race to the Center of the Earth” style of story that will also have us meet various mythical figures from Ixalan’s mythology. However, there are three particular, currently unconfirmed characters I want to speak about appearing in Ixalan, as their presence is either very significant for the remaining story or was hinted at in earlier sets.

Vraska was last seen on Ravnica, recently compleated and sent off by Elesh Norn to do the same to the rest of Ravnica. However, she was defeated by Ral and then mysteriously vanished after having a vision of Jace flash within her mind. Seeing as Ixalan is where Jace and Vraska’s love for each other first blossomed, I believe it is likely the last remains of uncompleated Vraska’s instinctively planeswalked to Ixalan as she was defeated by Ral. Due to the fact that Phyrexian planeswalkers were compleated likely through corrupting their sparks, the loss of her spark could cause Vraska to revert back to her normal form on Ixalan. This is important as she has both a role to play later and a familiar enemy to face.

Azor, the one responsible for the Guildpact system of Ravnica, the creator of the Immortal Sun, and one of few characters who were once planeswalkers still alive to possibly rival Bolas as far as meddling goes, is currently still on Ixalan. However, with the appearance of Omenpaths, Azor has a new route to renew his meddling ways and potentially even return to Ravnica. Well, its a good thing the next set isn’t set on Ravnica yeah?

Finally, Quintorius was last seen on Arcavios defeating the Phyrexians who invaded Strixhaven. At the end of his own quest, Quint sparked. While his role is yet to be seen, a set themed entirely around diving down to uncover the lost history of Ixalan sounds right up Quint’s alley.

Murders at Karlov Manor

Oh would you look at that, the next set actually is on Ravnica. Someone has been murdered at Teysa’s manor, which, for a family most well known for turning into ghosts, isn’t particularly crazy sounding to me personally. However, it’s still a big deal as someone is going to get framed for these murders, and Ravnica is going to need a judge to decide who is guilty. Who could fill that role…

Oh right. I think it’s likely Azor and Vraska return to Ravnica, only for Azor to meddle and attempt to put the blame on those he sees as the most chaotic for Ravnica, being Vraska and our favorite demon…

…Rakdos. Whether they actually did it is meaningless, as this leads to the finale.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction

This is where fates collide. Vraska and Rakdos flee through an Omenpath to the wild west, where they meet Oko and, eventually, Kellan as well. After joining with two other individuals, the “Magnificent Six” will face off against the cruel face of corrupt law, Azor, and change all of their fates forever. Eventually, Azor will be defeated, and likely flee to his other unfinished business partner, Ugin. This leads to the next story arc: the Dragonstorm Arc.

[aavanireads]

The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1)

THE FINE PRINT - A BOOK REVIEW

- by aakanksha and shivani

The book revolves around Rowan who is the Director of a Disney-like amusement park called Dreamland and Zahra is an employee of Dreamland. Rowan’s grandfather has died and left behind a huge estate, Now for Rowan to get a part of it (which is equivalent to some 12 billion dollars, which is obviously such a small amount) he has to do some magic work in the dreamland and that is where Zahra pops in. Every employee is asked to put in ideas and hers is the best so she is promoted to a Creator team, they propose new ideas to Rowan to try and improve the park. They start off as two people who don’t see eye to eye on everything (not exactly enemies) but then they also have their moments and at the end they get their HEA.

I was so excited to read this book after being suggested multiple times. And my experience actually reading it started out well. Was it too corny from the get-go? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Also, yes. I liked the tension building between Rowan and Zahra along with their bickering. There were too many cringy scenes and dialogues, especially on Zahra's part but I let it slide because she (and her love for Pride and Prejudice and bodice ripper books) was slowly growing on me. AND THE DIVERSITY (she even added a Hindu mandap! my Indian self was so happy to read it).

The book started off good and by started I mean the first two chapters only.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

But then it went downhill, The plot was INSTA lust, INSTA attraction, INSTA everything. Like his dick twitched in the second chapter, she was panting by chapter 3, they kissed by chapter 9 all while grinding against each other. I didn’t even know them as a person yet I knew all the desire they had for each other. I couldn’t feel anything for them, I couldn’t even feel the chemistry, like CHILL we are only few chapters in and you’re already devouring each other? 

They didn't do anything romantic until midway. Where’s the buildup? Where’s the chemistry? Why couldn't it have been a semi slow-burn instead of this insta-lust and then nothing for over 40% of the book??

Also, things were super repetitive and boring. Rowen lying, again and again, Zahra getting mad at him, Rowan asking for forgiveness, and Zahra forgiving him after some grovelling on his part. The entire plot was built on cliché and it made me cringe so hard

Zahra was so annoying.How can she talk back to her boss? Especially when he gave her a promotion even after she was anything but professional? Her sunshine barbie persona reminded me of why I don't like summer. She would make the dumbest joke and would laugh like her jaw will drop on the floor any second. The cringe side characters like Claire—she's the bubbly gay best friend with no individual traits. OF COURSE. And the ever so jolly parents of Zahra, Rowan's cold father who turns into a good guy by the end out of nowhere, after being portrayed as an evil conspirator???

And then there is Rowan. He's portrayed to be this cold-hearted anti-hero in the beginning but it's all just a smokescreen. I hate when a character doesn't live up to their expectations and turns into a softie. Whatever chemistry Zahra had with Rowen at the beginning drowned in the gutter halfway through the book and I had to finish it just for the sake of it. And him taking Zahra on fancy dates and going out of his way to do things for her and then denying his feelings to her and making her feel unwanted??? That was a dick move, and there wasn’t enough groveling afterwards. He was forgiven too easily. Needless to say, the smut was NOT GOOD. I had so much hope for at least the smut (given Rowan's advertisement for needing a measuring tape for obvious reasons). I've never skimmed through smut before but this book made me. It just wasn't spicy, it didn't make me feel things. And the whole impromptu NYC trip made me internally scream—the private jet, the skyscraper, the sugar daddy vibes—screamed a knock off version of Fifty Shades of Grey, albeit the BDSM. ALL I ASK FOR IS SOME GOOD SMUT AND SWOON-WORTHY CHEMISTRY. IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

The author wanted to make some breakthrough with the last few chapters and the board's meeting but all I felt was underwhelmed. And when Zahra gave that wannabe badass speech to Rowan's father and flipped him off I lost my shit. Girl what?

Final rating : 2/5

I'm sorry if you liked this book and had to go through my review, but it's how I feel. It had potential to be mind-blowing, especially with the diversity but it ended up not being.

[corinthbayrpg]

NAME. Rowan Smith AGE & BIRTH DATE. 25 & October 16th, 1995 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her SPECIES. Phoenix OCCUPATION. Barkeep FACE CLAIM. Imogen Poots

BIOGRAPHY

( tw: abduction, drugs, death ) Rowan started off her life normal and sweet, her father had never really been in the picture and her mother was on the younger side of things, having a baby at twenty one without much parental support from Rowan’s grandparents. Her mother’s boyfriend had bailed when the pregnancy was announced and it had been her mother and her against the world ever since. Since it was just the female force of the two of them, she rarely asked about her father’s identity, chalking his absence up to just another scared kid and not wanting to upset her mother’s already fragile state. Rowan’s birth was easy, just another Tuesday at New York City general hospital but her life had quickly been picking up its sorrow as she came screaming into the world, and time has taken a strange toll on their life. If questioned, Rowan would answer that she never thought of the shadow of a father that had been, that he simply never crossed her mind and she had better things to put her energy towards but she kept journals from whenever her mother would speak of him and was slowly piecing together the human that made up half of her DNA.

Rowan grew up quick, though she stayed impish in nature. It was natural for a beaming smile with a few loose teeth to adorn her mouth as a child and she collected bandaids on her kneecaps as often as she collected pokemon cards. Life was hard around their household, they always made the bills but barely. Her mother worked as a waitress and a bartender to keep the roof over their home, and the hardworking service atmosphere that her mother worked installed in her a funloving and fierce approach to life that she taught to her daughter, they only had so long in this world and they had to make the most out of all the time they had left. Like most children who have had to watch their parents struggle to make ends meet, Rowan had a certain maturity and wit that came early for her age. There was never a shortage of loud music and laughter in their home, Rowan completing her homework on diner tables as her mom worked hard. Rowan had the ability to make good friends, and she did have some deep friendship bonds with her peers but she was a bit of a lone wolf, trust came harder for her because she had a secret fear that those she loved would one day disappear.

Unfortunately, a terrible thing happened on the eve of Rowan’s nineteen birthday, one of Rowan’s biggest fears was that the people she loved would vanish, and the night before Rowan was meant to turn nineteen that’s exactly what happened to her mother. It was a tradition for her mother to bake cupcakes to celebrate Rowan’s birthday and normally they stayed up all night eating cupcakes and watching whatever movies Rowan choose that night, they celebrated her mother’s birthday in the same way. Only on October 15th as Rowan waited for the noise of familiar keys in the lock, the sunset beginning to turn the sky into beautiful orange and pink colors, a paralyzing fear overcame her ribcage causing a panic attack to be induced in the heart it carried and she knew — her mother wasn’t coming home. The house sounded so empty with just Rowan to fill it that it ached. When the tears had finally dried and her breath had resided to normal did she found the strength to pick herself up off the couch and leave their apartment, her birthday completely forgotten in her mind and filed a missing person report for her mother.

The world turned cold for Rowan for a while, alone in the world she had to figure out a way to make ends meet and to ensure the roof stayed above her head. She began to work as a dishwasher in the very diner that her mom had vanished from and applied for any odd jobs that came up. Her hard-working mother had made Rowan get a job at sixteen and luckily she had experience to fill out a resume with, the money she made from whatever jobs she was able to get were barely making ends meet again. One day a coworker who worked as the other dishwasher on days that she had off approached her, he knew of her bad luck and bad situation and offered for her to become a drug dealer just as he was. With very few options on her plate, Rowan agreed to work for them. It started off small, she had a list of loyal clients that simply had to dial her burner phones number and they were in contact with her as a delivery service for recreational marijuana. The extra money was something that she was grateful for but it still wasn’t enough to build a comfortable life so she began to deal harsher and heavier drugs, opening her catalog to acid, mdma and mushrooms. Months went by without any word from her mother and without any incident during the trades, drugs were becoming more mainstream and a small drug dealer was far from the worst problems that the concrete jungle known as New York City had.

The events that changed Rowan’s life seemed to coincide.  Five minutes before a waitress was meant to start her serving shift, she called in sick leaving the diner scrambling for coverage and the other serving staff weren’t picking up their phones. Rowan told her boss not to worry, it was a slow enough day that she could cover serving and doing the dishes. Watching her mother serve as she grew up and practically having the diner be a second home for her, it was something she had the experience to pull off. It was a stressful day but one that passed without much disturbance, the only odd customer that really stood out in her mind was a man with yellow eyes that she served a slice of apple pie too. It was common for Rowan to make conversation with her costumers, chatting with them distracted her from the ever-present kitchen drama and if she was lucky provided her with better tips. She talked for a while with the man with yellow eyes, discussing dreams of travel and something better than where she was, he listened patiently and thanked her for her kind spirit. A compliment that warmed her heart and she was grateful for his respectful treatment of her as she served him.

When the shift was over, her dish-washing coworker approached her again. He was pissed because one of the drivers had flaked on his shift and Rowan couldn’t help the small simper, expected and used to the world in which people in her line of work commonly quit without notice. She agreed to take the job for him, although it was a higher job than she normally carried out. This time she was to carry cocaine and ketamine, still in the realm of party drugs and she figured the payout would be worth it. Her delivery was scheduled for an apartment in Brooklyn, not too far away from where she was living. After a couple of subway stops, she had arrived at her destination, the apartment door was located far into a dark alley and all she simply had to do was knock. She showed no fear for growing up in New York City, she was used to shady places and back alleyways. Rowan was however surprised by the stranger’s presence in the alleyway, one second he was there when there had been no trace of him just minutes prior. There was a dark desperate look in his eyes and when he pulled the handgun, there was not enough time for the prayers to leave Rowan’s lips before the sharp pain hit her ribs, a scream left her lungs in that instant as the dark blossoming blood began to stain her shirt where the bullet had entered. Gasping mewls were all that could be heard as Rowan collapsed to the pavement, panic and fear overriding her senses that she would bleed out and die on the streets of New York, accomplishing nothing and being nothing more than another statistic. The stranger stole the drugs that Rowan was carrying, oddly enough knowing that she carried them.

As her unblinking eyes stared up at the sky above her, believing it to be the last time she would ever see the sun, a man came into her vision. The man from the diner with the yellow eyes was the last thing Rowan saw as she lost consciousness. Hours later she awoke in a mysterious apartment and in the company of the yellow-eyed man, he introduced himself as the creator of phoenixes and explained to her that she was now one of his creations, a firebird like himself and something a little bit like hope ignited in Rowan. He explained that this city was not the place for her, and there was a town in which she was needed and that he needed the help of the phoenixes to determine the identity of his sister’s killer and with his words, Rowan booked a one-way ticket to Corinth Bay.

PERSONALITY

+ kind, adventuresome, resilient - impish, damaged, lonely

PLAYED BY AMY. PST. She/Her.

[dyke-mecha]

@glowingmooncreations

Of course I can!

Aralon

At first there was only void, the only thing with matter was Kenós, the god of void. But being alone for an eternity is boring, so Kenós decided to create two equal beings, forced to fight each other forever. These two warriors will later be known as Life and Death, but for now, the two were just fighting beings. After a while, probably a few thousand years, Life and Death decided they won't be fighting to amuse Kenós anymore. So they combined their powers turned against their creator and created six gods by themselves: Gi, the god of earth, Neró, the godness of water, Fotiá, the godness of fire, Aéras, the god of air, Fos, the god of light and Skiá, the godness of darkness. Gi, Neró, Fotiá and Aéras created a giant orb, nowadays known as Aralon, Fos created another orb, made of pure light, called the sun and Skiá created the counterpart to it, an orb made of pure darkness, called the moon. While thw six new gods accomplished their work, Life and Death banished Kenós from the newly created universe into another void. Then, Life created more and more beings who lived on Aralon. But Death suddenly realized that their powers were near the end, so he killed the oldest beings that lived on Aralon. Life used that new gained power to create more beings, and Death had to kill the oldest again. And again. And again.

But suddenly, Kenós escaped from his prison and wipped out the entire work the gods had created. There were no more beings on Aralon, the only thing that remembered at them were the giant cities they built and the technology they made. Luckily, the gods could banish Kenós a second time, but he screamed that he would come back one day.

The gods were more vigilant since then. They created new beings who lived on Aralon again. With time, the gods perfected their work, by editing small details. Of course this wasn't unnoticed by the beings. They turned towards one of the gods and slowly bond with them and their element. Different sorts of beings were born, like the waterbeings, who lived near or even underwater. Not all beings bonded with one god, so some of them remained powerless.

(Just to clarify two things, the moon of Aralon isn't like our moon, it really is the counterpart of the sun. The sky at day is bright but the sun is even brighter and at night the sky is dark but the moon is even darker. And the beings didn't bonded with Life or Death, just with the six newer gods.)

Beings (Also called humans)

These beings didn't bond with a god and remained powerless. They usually live in small towns across Aralon. They can be found almost everywhere, in the coldest regions as well as in the hottest. They want to know as much as possible, and are generally open minded. But these beings are also ruthless and sometimes mean.

Waterbeings (also called the watervolk)

Thanks to Neró, the waterbeings learned how to breathe underwater and even live there. Over time, they evolved scales and gills. However, they still look a lot like humans, but are taller. The watervolks are always nice and caring, but also a bit naive. You usually find this volk at beaches or underwater.

Firebeings (also called firevolk)

With the power of Fotiá, these beings can't feel heat or cold anymore. They are smaller than humans and usually can be found near vulcanoes or living in deserts. These beings are reckless and hotheaded, but once you've befriended one of them, it's guaranteed that you will experience amazing adventures, since they need action in their lifes.

Airbeings (also called airvolk)

With Aéras' help, these beings learned to live at the highest mountains, where the border between Aralon and the sphere of the gods very thin is. These beings are almost the same high as humans, but they look quite unreal, like ghosts. This volk is calm and wise, but they'll keep their knowledge to themselves and are always suspiciously. This volk can usually only be found on the highest mountains.

Lightbeings (also called lightvolk)

These beings decided long ago to bond with Fos, who gave them the power of light. Lightbeings are way taller than humans and have giant wings. The lightvolk can be found on the flying islands around Aralon. They are egocentric and snooty, but once you broke their shell, these beings will turn into the funniest and happiest beings you'll ever find.

Shadowbeings (also called shadowvolk)

These beings gained their powers from Skiá. These beings don't look like humans anymore, they transformed into something else. They evolved dark scales and horns and can only be found in the darkest areas of Aralon. This volk is wild and untamed, but they are also the loyalest beings on Aralon. Once you've befriended one of them, their whole clan will protect you forever. No matter what you did, they'll be there for you.

Earthbeings (also called earthvolk)

With the help of Gi, these beings are probably the strongest on Aralon. They are taller and wider as humans and can be found everywhere where you can also find stone. They may look like big roughnecks but are actually really good company.

Aurora

She is a pretty small, adult firebeing and I wrote almost 1k words about her in her sheet, so I'm only going to tell you the most important. She earns her money with exploring ancient ruins and finding cores in them. Cores are powerful, tiny ball-like things the ancient folk must've created. The people nowadays use them to light up their houses or similar things. She lives in a small room in Rowans travern, but she usually spends the nights outside exploring. She has two weapons, an ancient lance and a small dagger. The lance is powered with a core and shocks everything she attacks with it, while the dagger is just a normal dagger.

Shell

She is a fifteen year old waterbeing and also the daughter of the ruler of her volk. She is supposed to stay underwater and learn more about her volk, but she rather spends her freetime exploring the beaches of the Halfmoon Island. She has a trident, but it's more a symol than a weapon. She has an older brother, who will be the next ruler one day

Rusty

He is a pretty young airbeing without parents. He still lives in their house, but spends the nights sometimes by Robin, his best friend. He met the girl at the graveyard and since then they're friends. Robins mother died after she was born, so she only has her father, the grave keeper, left. Rusty makes candles and sells them, although he doesn't need the money, because the others are giving him food for free. Everybody knew his parents, and everybody feels like they need to help Rusty. He has also lost his sister, Copper, but her ghost will always be with him.

Chloe

She is a young adult human. She likes it at home, but her parents are only talking about her lost brother Ryan, so she decided to explore the world on her own. Her family is pretty rich, so she only knows the best.

Rowan

He is also adult and Auroras boyfriend. He has a travern in Spero, a small village in the Northern Lands. Rowan knows everybody in Spero, just like Aurora. He is friendly and has full understanding for Aurora, who sometimes is gone for days.

Voice

He is a voice in Auroras head and is there as long Aurora can remember. Voice is something like her family, he thought her most things after her parents died. He claims to be pretty old and never told Aurora his real name.

Oh well... This is longer than I thought, and that's not even all!