#Charity King

[purgatory-shenanigans]

The OC of the Day is Charity King!

Age: 29

Birthdate: February 29th, 1896

Date of Assassination: November 10th, 1924

Death Date: Dec 16th, 1924

Gender: Cis female, she/her

Orientation: Heterosexual

Backstory: Charity King was a flapper and singer during the Harlem Renaissance when she was in her teens to her early twenties. However, it didn't feel like enough. She didn't get the fame she wanted. When she got introduced to the then-popular Harry Houdini, she fell in love with his style and the art of escape. She would try to replicate his stunts, but she often failed and was seen as crazy. Wanting to prove everyone wrong and boost her popularity, she went to Hungary and tried to kill the head-of-state, Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya, and escape without getting caught. She managed to do that by disguising herself as a prostitute for the king's son and sliced the the head-of-state's throat. She returns to America and tracks down Houdini, telling him what she has done. Houdini was disgusted and reported her. She was then found guilty and executed.

Likes: Fame, crazy stunts, Harry Houdini, singing, dancing, the thrill of escape, edging on death

Dislikes: Being restricted, being unknown, her sister

[spearzreloaded]

Sounds Fun :

[tuserlivia]

THE GREAT | S3E10 "Once upon a time"

[emlan]

A "share some abandoned WIPs" meme gave me an excuse to post this "Romeo accidentally fires an arrow right into Carlo's blinking weak point à la Zelda" piece .

(shelved bcs the paneling/bubble layout ended up bad and redoing it all would've been too much work)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

[hrhzaratindall]

Zara and Mike Tindall 🩷 Belfry charity golf day

[thelibrarian1895]

Social Profile

Brucie Wayne is often invited to charities, galas, openings to future trendy spots, and other similar things that the rich/famous are invited to attend and can't always refuse without social repercussions. Bruce has an algorithm that lets him figure out how many of these things he has to go to in order to most effectively maintain the Brucie mask and do the most good while still being able to have time for Batman/being a social awkward introvert. Bruce helps each of his kids adjust the algorithm to suit each of them and their social batteries and social persona.

The other awkward part of being famous, whether or not they come with a date. Brucie Wayne famously attends with various models, actresses, actors, singers, artists, and Selina Kyle who is a category to herself. The models/actors/actresses etc are chosen based on how likely they are to notice if Bruce sneaks away and how much they're really just wanting to go to an event for their own social networking. Most of them have no physical interest in Bruce but are willing to let people think they slept with Brucie because why not? Bruce is slightly less of a slut than he appears in that he doesn't tend to sleep with civilians though he won't necessarily say no.

Dick goes to events almost exclusively with Barbara, Donna, or Kori or as part of Bruce's group. In a pinch Stephanie might put on some makeup to look older and be his arm candy but he'd have to bribe her a lot. He's able to dodge most events since he has a much lower civilian profile. Dick will always show up as a volunteer for charity events.

Jason laughs at all his siblings and sometimes watches the news reports of events while eating popcorn. In this one situation, it's good to be dead. On occasion he might stage a kidnapping. He will also be on standby to help save the day/provide a distraction if an event where a Bat is attending as a civilian is attacked somehow. He is there as security and a volunteer for charity events.

If Jason is forced back into the limelight, he will claim trauma and be famously a hermit and still stay at home and laugh at whichever sucker is stuck attending while he eats popcorn/watches to make sure that nothing goes wrong. If it's a charity event where something is actually being done, like a walk for charity or handing out things then Jason will be there as one of the volunteers and not as Jason Wayne.

Tim Drake Wayne is stuck going to the most events after Bruce and he is enormously annoyed by the fact. He has his own algorithm. He'll either go to an event as part of Bruce's group or he'll get a member of YJ to come as his arm candy. He, of course, makes sure they have a dress or suit that's appropriate for the evening. Cissie is the one who acts as arm candy for him most often since she can use the events for her own networking and has the most patience for all that nonsense. Bart will do many things for Tim, but he won't do this. He will, however, be ready to extract Tim and Tim's companion at a moment's notice. Cassie, Greta, and Anita will only go if there's going to be really good food or Tim treats them to something extra delicious and an opportunity to beat something up afterwards, Tim also has to pay for babysitters for Anita. Kon is the one who goes with Tim most often after Cissie and he and Tim whisper various commentary to one another about the other attendees. Whoever makes the other laugh out loud picks their next outing together. All of them will show up for charity events, handing out food and drinks or doing whatever, as long as their schedules will allow.

Stephanie, like Jason, watches with popcorn since she's not an official Wayne. She'll sometimes be Tim or even Dick's arm candy but otherwise is suited up and ready to cover the attendee's patrol or save the hapless civilians at a moment's notice. Never has she been more glad to not be famous than after an evening of attending ONE trendy event and being patronized and unable to punch someone the entire evening. She will also be one of the volunteers at charity events that have volunteers.

Cass will accompany Bruce or Tim and then hang out by the food. She has little interest in being at whatever event, unless it's for charity, and is plotting how to be another Wayne family hermit. She does like being a volunteer at charity events.

Duke sticks to Cass at events if he has to go or he sticks to Bruce. He plans to be exclusively the Wayne that goes to charity events, something he'll have to battle with all the rest of the family about since they all would rather be the Wayne at charity events.

Damian, a child, is not looking forward to the various social activities that help maintain a civilian mask. He's torn between being the next Wayne of Wayne enterprises or following Dick's footsteps and going for a lower civilian profile.

[speedybeta]

The pitch invasion has me so pissed and disappointed like bro how the hell r u gonna invade a charity match game

[dredgesnails]

waiting anxiously for the day where bdubs and joel are in the same room together irl and they can have a height-off

[totkzine]

💛 Art Preview: Nolvini 💛

Sidon and Yona's bond is so precious! We're so happy to see them together in @nolvini's art contribution!

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[thisisnotthenerd]

The Art of Conspiracy: Schemes and Stratagems in the World of Spyre

~ from the Library of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy~

Adventuring fundamentally involves violent deranged lunatics imposing their will upon the world at varying scales; generally in opposition to assumed threats. This defines adventurers as a reactive force: investigators of opposition and defenders of allies/the faith/nations/etc.

In the current age, the endless push and pull of antagonism drives the world. Without villains, the system would collapse; the occurrence of apocalypses is a known factor and a foundational aspect of the age.

Those that fill the niche have a propensity for plots and plans. It takes work to be an effective villain, you see. World domination doesn't only involve violence--it takes patience, negotiation, and a willingness to do what it takes. An accomplished villain can conceal their hand over time while still having the strength to cast fear in the hearts of the people.

This analysis takes a look at a few examples of the various plots and plans of villains in the world of Spyre and rates them on a 5 point scale with regard to:

Plot Complexity: How much work was involved in this plan? What did the villain need to accomplish to achieve success? How much time did they invest in this process?

Threat Scale: What kind of threat did they pose? how did they rate among the many apocalypses Spyre endures on a regular basis?

Relative Success: How close did they get before it was snatched away by some bumbling band of heroes? How much of the plan did they actually execute?

Induced Involvement: How did the heroes get invested in the scheme? Is there a level of personal vengeance that resulted in the heroes foiling the scheme?

Poetic Retribution: How powerful was the schadenfreude that resulted from them getting dunked on? What was their ultimate fate?

The mastermind of a given plan will be given the title of Main Antagonist. This title may be shared among multiple beings, assuming they have similar levels of impact upon the plan. If there are multiple plans at work, the mastermind of the greater/more evil/more complex plan will be emphasized.

---------------- AAA ----------------

Fantasy High Freshman Year

Main Antagonist(s): The Emperor of the Red Waste, Scourge of Solace, Kalvaxus

Villainous Allies:

The Cult of the Harvestmen: Coach Daybreak, Dayne Blayde, Penelope Everpetal, Ragh Barkrock, Zayn Darkshadow, Alston Hughes, Johnny Spells

The Attendants of the Nightmare King: The Shadow Cat Kalina, Aelwyn Abernant

Miscellaneous: Biz Glitterdew

Main Objective: To restore Kalvaxus to power by fulfilling the prophecy of the Elven Oracle Eleminthindriel, as shared below:

When Kalvaxus once again beholds his glittering treasure And seven maidens are once more chained at the mouth of his lair When war befalls the realm And a king and queen are crowned anew in solace Then will the Emperor of the Red Waste be released from bondage His destruction will know no bound The sun shall fall from the heavens And the world as we know it shall perish forever.

Ancillary Objectives:

The capture of seven virgins for use at the lair of Kalvaxus

The fulfillment of perditional contradoxy via the opening of a hellmouth in the body of Kristen Applebees, the chosen of Helio. This would incite war between Solace and Highcourt by violating the treaty that prevents the damnation of the chosen of the sun god Sol. It would further serve to cause the 'fall of the sun' as the Helioic faith reeled from the cataclysm.

The murder of the Elven Oracle Eleminthindriel on the Harpy, the flagship of Kalvaxus' fleet, was performed in order to transfer the title of Elven Oracle to Adaine Abernant, such that the book Watches and Wards could be removed from the Library of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, thereby removing the protections placed on the school to prevent Kalvaxus from taking power again.

The removal of Arthur Aguefort from the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, further removing the protections placed on the school to prevent Kalvaxus from taking power again.

The restoration of monarchy in Spyre via the institution of prom king and queen.

The relocation of the Hoard of Kalvaxus to KVX Bank, where he could behold his glittering treasure for the first time in centuries.

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 3.5/5. This plot had a large number of moving pieces, as shown by the number of ancillary objectives. However, the objectives were relatively straightforward and corresponded to the given prophecy. Kalvaxus spent centuries marinating on his vengeance and rebuilding his wealth, but the majority of the plan was executed within the span of a year and a half.

Scale of Threat: 3/5. The restoration of Kalvaxus threatened the nation of Solace primarily and would have extended further, given time for Kalvaxus to make contact with his forces. However, his rapid defeat stymied these efforts and contained the threat to the Aguefort Adventuring Academy.

Relative Success: 4/5. Most of the objectives were accomplished as intended: the maidens were successfully captured, the Oracle and Principal were killed, the Hoard was relocated, and Penelope and Dayne were crowned as monarchs in Solace. However, the specific objective of perditional contradoxy was prevented and the Cult of the Harvestmen was eliminated. The objective of war was accomplished with Aelwyn Abernant's capture, as her rescue from Solesian prison by Elven strike teams incited hostilities between Solace and Fallinel. The fall of the sun was accomplished by Arthur Aguefort, after he piggybacked his way to the Heavenly Heights of Elysium.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. This is due to the uneven distribution of personal enmity and heroic involvement; Kalvaxus personally ate Pok Gukgak, father of Riz Gukgak, who dealt the final blow to Kalvaxus and avenged his father. The Cult of the Harvestmen intended to use Kristen Applebees to start the apocalypse, thereby triggering her crisis of faith and creation of a new deity. Aelwyn Abernant acted as a rival to Adaine Abernant by making her the Elven Oracle and generally participating in the scheme before her imprisonment. The villainous party as a whole threatened the families of the heroic party and burned their homes down.

Poetic Retribution: 4/5. Kalvaxus was restored to his glorious form, but was summarily defeated in the span of a few minutes (extended by chronomancy) by an adventuring party of freshman and a few of their allies. He was revivified and defeated again by the seven maidens who were captured for the plot. After his final demise, Kalvaxus descended to the Nine Hells, where he was turned into a boat by the Cult of Bill Seacaster and sailed upon for the remainder of eternity.

Overall Score: 17/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Fantasy High Sophomore Year

Main Antagonist(s): The Nightmare King & The Shadow Cat Kalina

Villainous Allies:

The Abernant Family & Elvish Associates: Arianwen Abernant, Angwyn Abernant, Aelwyn Abernant, Killian, Kir

The Court of Elders: The Great Unicorn, Leader of the Wood Elves, Leader of the Treants, Leader of the Sprites, Leader of the Centaurs

Abyssal Demons: Employees of the Hotel Cavalier, Marilith

Main Objective: The restoration of the Nightmare King to physical form using the Crown of the Nightmare King as well as the spread of his influence across the world.

Ancillary Objectives:

Retrieval of the Crown of the Nightmare King and dispersal of its effects on an individual

The spread of the curses of the Nightmare King such that the Nightmare King and her servants could influence the minds of the world of Spyre, detailed below:

her spellbook, the cursed coin that carried her influence to the minds of the dreaming her familiar, the plague of the shadow cat, who lived among the illusions and sought the return of her deity her cottage, a curse to abjure the celestial from the forest of sylvaire, that the gods would not be able to seize her power again her broomstick, the tree at the center of the forest, that twisted the fears of those intruding upon her holy forest her name, the crown which symbolized her presence on the material plane and anchored her as a deific being

The return of the Elven Oracle to the shores of Fallinel

The acquisition of Infernal permission to enter the Nightmare King's Forest via the capture of Gorthalax the Insatiable and subsequent implantation into the wood elf Killian

The creation of a ritual that allows control of the fear shown by the Nightmare King's forest; in other words, to oppose the effects of the curse of the Great Tree, involving the use of dusk moss.

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 4/5. The specific plan was simple: retrieve the Crown of the Nightmare King, acquire infernal permission to enter the Forest, and successfully traverse Sylvaire to raise the Nightmare King into the height of his power once more. The Shadow Cat Kalina spent centuries spreading her influence through Fallinel and the world of Spyre via her contacts e.g. Landrin Lier, but this particular plan was executed over the course of a year, and accelerated in the week of the ritual.

Scale of Threat: 5/5. The Nightmare King threatened the world of Spyre as well as the stability of the Solesian pantheon (Sol-Galicaea-Helio). Given physical form, the Nightmare King would be able to dominate the realm.

Relative Success: 4.5/5. The plan, for the most part, went off without a hitch; the villainous party went relatively unhindered in their schemes before they entered the Forest of Sylvaire. They faced disruption in the final stages of their scheme, as the opposing party passed through the Forest of the Nightmare King and successfully dispelled the curses of the Nightmare King that provided power for the ritual.

Induced Involvement: 4/5. Kalina previously worked with Pok Gukgak; when he began investigating the Harpy-Cerulean connection as well as the nature of Kalina's existence, Kalina eliminated his citizenship such that Kalvaxus could consume him. The Abernant family abandoned Adaine Abernant in Solace, then captured her once more in the name of the Court of Stars alongside her sister Aelwyn. They repeatedly threatened and endangered her to the point of death. The Nightmare King possessed Figueroth Faeth to force her into capturing her father, Gorthalax the Insatiable. Kristen Applebees, while searching for a new deity and engaging with the philosophy of Cassandra, was murdered by the Great Unicorn until her self-resurrection.

Poetic Retribution: 3/5. Most of these antagonists were defeated by straightforward means with a few exceptions: Angwyn Abernant was punched to death by his daughter, Arianwen Abernant lost the use of her magic and was condemned to be chased by the Vands (Van with Hands) through Sylvaire. Kalina was struck down and dispelled, though she returned to aid her deity after some time. The Nightmare King returned to their previous state as the deity Cassandra, after being resurrected from the void by the Blessed Saint Kristen Applebees.

Overall Score: 20.5/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Pirates of Leviathan

Main Antagonist(s): Langley Sheffield-Harrington & Storm-Druid Alamaria

Villainous Allies:

The Crescent Moon Trading Company: Clive Mardres, Various Soldiers

Sylvarian Druids of the Storm King

Mutinous Warlocks of Archdevil Bill Seacaster: Alistair Ash

Main Objective: To strategically destroy Leviathan in a ritual summoning the wrath of the Storm King Kahaerin such that all damages would be deemed 'acts of god', thus allowing for the collection of multiple highly profitable insurance policies.

Ancillary Objectives:

To secure various properties across the City of Leviathan and insure them such that they can be leveraged through a divine ritual to collect on the insurance policies

To acquire and return the Daughter of Storms to her father, the Storm King Kahaerin

To create infernal lamp ritual anchors for the containment of tiefling souls

To bind the souls of 15 tieflings for use as anchors in the summoning of Captain Bill Seacaster and the Storm King Kahaerin

To create an interplanar trade network by utilizing magically gifted gnomes to interface with interplanar roots of the Forest of the Nightmare King

To summon and bind Captain Bill Seacaster in order to remove the aegis of Jamina Joy from Leviathan

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. This plot combines a complex divine ritual with legendary artifacts with insurance law and property acquisition. Anyone could try to destroy Leviathan--they did it for the insurance policy.

Scale of Threat: 2/5. Mostly a threat to Leviathan, with a side of divine wrath. The threat was contained to the city, and the dangers of the rituals were rapidly dealt with.

Relative Success: 2.5/5. The heroic party prevented the summoning of Captain Bill Seacaster and subsequently warned the bosun Jamina Joy, who brought the forces of the city to bear. Furthermore, the heroic party freed the Ramble and interrupted the ritual before Kahaerin's physical manifestation.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. This is due to the uneven distribution of personal enmity and heroic involvement; Marcid the Typhoon was set up as the scapegoat of the plan if it were to fail. Jack Brakkow and his crew were used as the guinea pig of the summoning ritual by Clive McDoon, leading to a long-term curse and Jack's haunting. Cheese Stormcrank's brother Spaulding, among many other gnome pilgrims, was captured and used for divination rituals on the shores of Sylvaire.

Poetic Retribution: 4/5. Clive McDoon was sent to walk the plank off of the Ramble into the depths of the Celestine Sea. Langley Sheffield-Harrington was drop kicked and crushed under an infernal lamp within the Ramble. Alamaria was turned into light & fireworks that dispelled the storm over Leviathan.

Overall Score: 17/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

The Seven

Main Antagonist: Charity Blythe & Talura, the Ending of All Things

Villainous Allies:

Talura, the Ending of All Things

The Ministry of Adventure: Preston, Jana Cleaver, Various Soldiers

Main Objective: In keeping with Project Reset, to capture and bind an Eidolon and utilize her power to grant wishes in order to cause more conflict in the world, thus promoting the adventuring industry.

Ancillary Objectives:

To reclaim the Legendarium Extraordia, an artifact which would enable the Ministry of Adventure to track all ongoing quests in the world of Spyre

To assassinate Tectonya Karkovnya, the Superintendent of the Solesian School District, for stealing the Legendarium Extraordia and absconding with it, and for advocating for the rights of adventurers as well as affected communities

To track and hinder powerful adventurers via honeypot missions from agents of the Ministry of Adventure, i.e. Jana Cleaver for Karl Cleaver

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. Another highly complex plot, this time relying on stolen research, covert assassinations, and government policies.

Scale of Threat: 5/5. Though Talura threatened the world in her own scope, via her reality destruction and gathering of her sisters, this plot would direct that across the world to all independent adventurers and upend the world for the sake of causing more conflict.

Relative Success: 4/5. They got most of the way through it by tracking the heroic party and stealing back the Legendarium, but face difficulties as the heroic party revived Tectonya Karkovnya and faced the perils of the Necronomikron by taking on the blessings of the Eidolons.

Induced Involvement: 2.5/5. Antiope Jones was considered for an internship at the Ministry of Adventure, but then tracked and nearly murdered by her boss and work crush. Katja Cleaver was abandoned by her mother Jana for the sake of ehr work with the Ministry of Adventure. Sam Nightingale independently formed a pact with the Eidolon Talura, and thus was invested in ensuring her freedom and infinite release.

Poetic Retribution: 5/5. Preston was disintegrated by Tectonya Karkovnya with a final reveal of his chariot tattoo. Jana Cleaver was killed in one round by her daughter Katja, raging for the first time. Charity Blythe was one-shotted by Antiope Jones, during which Antiope critically struck her, insulted her, showed her ass, and walked away. Talura was guided by her warlock and her sisters, as channeled by the heroic party, to infinite form.

Overall Score: 21.5/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Summer of the Long Night

Main Antagonist: The Night Yorb

Villainous Allies:

Cult of the Night Yorb

Main Objective: To raise the Night Yorb and cast the world into endless night, in a very slow apocalypse.

Ancillary Objectives:

To grant power to the Night Yorb via the sharing of its name; corollary to 'Speak not of the Night Yorb'

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 2/5. The Night Yorb sought an endless night and accomplished it via eventual release from Riz Gukgak's tattoo after overuse of its name. The Yorbies followed up on this by continuing to worship its name.

Scale of Threat: 4/5. While slow, the Night Yorb's apocalypse spelled disaster for agriculture, for sun deities, and the general function of circadian rhythm.

Relative Success: 3.5/5. While the Long Night did occur, the Yorbies did not get the Night Yorb to the point of conquering the world in its name.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. The Bad Kids released the Night Yorb by speaking of it, and thus were responsible for dealing with it. They did not, however, have personal vengeance beyond this responsibility.

Poetic Retribution: 3/5. The Night Yorb was sealed into the Hangvan by "Gorgug Thistlespring" [Figueroth Faeth], and the Cult of the NIght Yorb was summarily defeated.

Overall Score: 16/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Fantasy High Junior Year

Main Antagonist: Porter Cliffbreaker

Villainous Allies:

Jace Stardiamond

The Rat Grinders: Kipperlilly Copperkettle, Oisín Hakinvar, Ruben Hopclap, Buddy Dawn, Ivy Embra, Mary Ann Skuttle

Ankarna, Infernal Goddess of Fire and Rage, formerly the Giant Goddess of Dawn, Summer, and Justice

The Nightmare King’s Cult: Kalina, Baron from the Baronies

The Church of Sol/Helioic Church: Bobby Dawn, Pamela Dawn

Main Objective: To resurrect and subsequently destroy Ankarna in order to raise Porter Cliffbreaker as a new deity of war.

Ancillary Objectives:

To infect Elmville with rage crystals via implantation in the soil and ritual occurrence at the Root Warden

To spread shatterstars throughout Elmville and make the populace more susceptible to rage through subliminal messaging

To elect Kipperlilly Copperkettle as student body president such that she could take control of the school and thus alter the bylaws to remove the arcane protections placed by Arthur Aguefort

To find the name of the ancestral deity marked for slaughter, Ankarna

To find a location where a deity was borne in order to properly resurrect Ankarna

To promote a champion of Ankarna in her original aspect and thus gather their binding magical signature as approval for the adaptation of her domain

To gather the divine attributes (weapons, etc.) of Ankarna and grant them to the rising deity, Porter Cliffbreaker

To convince Ankarna to grant her power to Porter through deceitful prayer using devil’s honey

To prepare the body of the fetal deity, Porter, via the ingestion of ambrosia

To utilize the protective aegis of the Nightmare King, as brought back from the goddex Cassandra

To sabotage the Bad Kids and inflict stress and struggle upon them

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. This plot involved years of planning accelerated into a single year, as the masterminds took advantage of the previous years' chaos to hon in on their plan and gather allies. The divine ritual involved the preparation of multiple distinctive elements that ranged in rarity from divine attributes to a name hidden by Obliviati Mori. When key aspects of the plan fell through they were forced to restructure on the fly, as the delicate web fell apart.

Scale of Threat: 4/5. This plot threatened Elmville primarily, as the location of the most recent new deity's birth and bearing, but also caused chaos across the nation of Spyre and had the potential to spread beyond it. It further caused havoc within the Solesian pantheon as the deity Ankarna was raised from the Astral Sea.

Relative Success: 3.5/5. This party accomplished the majority of their objectives, but were foiled in a few key respects:

- Kristen Applebees' successful campaign for the role of student body president with the aid of Riz Gukgak and Fabian Seacaster - Adaine Abernant breaking Obliviati Mori on Ankarna's name - Figueroth Faeth's acquisition of Ankarna's domain in the Bottomless Pit and subsequent appointment as the champion of her original aspects - Kristen Applebees bearing witness to the death and resurrection of Buddy Dawn - Figueroth Faeth's deception with regard to Ankarna's true name - Riz Gukgak eliminating Kipperlilly Copperkettle before the votes could be counted

Induced Involvement: 4/5. Each member of the victorious party faced personal rivalry from their adversaries, the Rat Grinders. Without these instigations, the heroic party might have had an entirely different involvement in the plan.Furthermore, Gorgug Thistlespring and Figueroth Faeth suffered through Cliffbreaker's poor instruction and intentional infuriation, as he attempted to make either the champion of Ankarna's original aspect. Kristen Applebees' goddex, Cassandra, was targeted over the course of the plot in order to call forth the Nightmare King.

Poetic Retribution: 5/5. Porter Cliffbreaker was absolutely dunked on by Gorgug Thistlespring, and then summarily destroyed by a Divine Intervention from Ankarna. Each of the Bad Kids' rivals was dealt with quickly and with extreme violence. The goddess herself was resurrected in her original aspect to join a new pantheon, initiated by Kristen Applebees and Figueroth Faeth.

Overall Score: 21.5/5

[avengers-21]

today’s verse ✨

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

[royalchildreneurope]

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Princess Sofia of Sweden and Prince Alexander of Sweden attend a charity piano concert and Prince Alexander's summer graduation concert on the piano, at Hedvig Eleonora kyrka Church in Östermalm in Stockholm, Sweden -June 9th 2024.

[wagingmywarsbehindmyface]

JONAH HAUER-KING at Appreciation Station for Soccer Aid and UNICEF UK during the football match ⚽️💙✨

[witch-of-fanart]

A Royal Crush page 26-30

Princess' plan is being set in motion but will she be able to handle when the work actually begins? Meanwhile Ace visits his Granny?

(note: I know what is depicted is not an actual sponge bath but I didn't know/want to have her just in her bed while they clean her. Also since sponge baths are usually for people bedridden and can't get into the tub, but this lady was able to drag the tied up Gangreen Gang back to her apartment, I think she can handle getting into a tub with some help. It seems she more needed help getting in and out, and getting those hard to reach spots since she isn't as limber as she used to be.)

[alexisnoir]

Look what I've purchased - yup When the Rose Speaks its Name a Sherlock Holmes Anthology, a charity anthology showcasing queer Holmes and Watson inspired by the original Arthur Conan Doyle canon.

I can't wait to start to read it but right now I need to finish something before I do so later today :)

@whentherosespeaks