#Cowardly Lion

[doodlemxsings]

[Continued from [x] @ascheming !]

Blades was, well, a bit of the smaller side, but tended to not feel small around people that were much larger than him. This was an exception. His rotors twitch again behind him as he took a step back from the air being vented at him. "I mean, I did take a shower earlier today."

Now that he mentioned it, the other mech looked like he could use a good power washing-- was that optics under there? That totally was. You know what? He's not going to comment on it.

"I guess that depends on what you need? I have a few extra energon cubes in my subspace if you need it right away," he offered.

[lady-ashfade]

⚡︎The Prophecy Of Oz⚡︎

´*: ･ﾟ⋆˒ Percy Jackson X Princess!Fem!Reader (wizard of oz au)

╰･ﾟ✧☽ Collaboration with @queenpiranhadon

╰･ﾟ✧☽ you can fine the others here.

╰･ﾟ✧☽ Summary: Three champions choose their next grand quest, the journey to a unknown island to speak to a wizard. Enemies lying at every twist and turn, but all they have to do is follow the yellow brick road.

╰･ﾟ✧☽ words: 977

╰･ﾟ✧☽ warnings: short story, a twist on wizard of oz, fantasy au/champion au, Older Percy Jackson & characters, romantic story lines, rushed ending.

This movie scares me and brings up old memories I wanna cry too.

The twisted trees blocked the peaking sunrise from the pathed road, monsters howl and squeal getting further away from the morning sky.

They had fought a few monsters since they arrived on the island when the moon was just approaching, the sea was more kind to them than whatever evil rested here. The blue blood stained their clothes along with the red was a horrific sight, but Grover had it the worst. A giant gargoyle trampled over him, opening its mouth to hiss while it's saliva poured out and made his skin and clothes sticky.

"Out of all the quests, you two had to pick this one?" Grover used a hush tone and still annoyance was made known. The other two shared a glance while keeping silence against his words, he knew why.

This was the hardest quest. And one for them to show the most bravery.

“It seemed easy at the time,” Percy tried to reason with his friend even though he himself wanted to do a different quest.

Annabeth rolled her eyes as the two started to bicker back-and-for, she was the one who held the map in her hands since she didn’t trust either of them. Last time she trusted Percy to lead them the right way, they almost died from the monster cave they ended up in. Nonetheless she spotted a glow from between a few trees ahead, the turn in the path was near and seemed to give off a bright light.

She started to try and get them to stop talking but they didn’t seem to care about anything. “Guys!” Finally she shouted and got the boy’s attention to stop fighting. They noticed almost immediately at the brighten area ahead and gave each other a wary look. The oracle said to follow a yellow brick road, this must be it!!

From beside them, in the lightly brightened forest a sound of a tree branch snapped and had their heads turned quickly to scanned the area for potential threats.

Dispute their sharp eyes trained to see in more darken areas, and senses that tell when enemies are near they hadn't been sensing anything.

Quick to draw their swords the group backed up and formed a circle, with their backs touching each others. All eyes faced another direction and searched for the target. Annabeth poked Percy with her arms still staying quiet, the boy looked over and saw his friend staring into the dark. A pair of green eyes steadily watched them, and deep, rough breathes like a horse snout could be heard.

"Who's there!" Percy called out throughout the forest. The eyes blink slowly, a small thump of something hitting the dirt and leaves repeatedly hit their ears softly.

“You-Your the ones" the voice was highly contrast from itself. Whoever spoke had a deep and un natural tone, one that tumbled the air when it spoke, a growl undertone. A strong voice shouldn't sound so...

Cowardly.

Suddenly the figure emerged from the dark area, and what they saw was a confusing sight. A lion…Walking with two feet and human like features, and he doesn’t look as dangerous as a real lion. He stood there awkwardly and tense under the glaze and hated the swords they held so high.

“I mean no harm—I couldn’t hurt even if I wanted to, forgive me champions,” his tail hid between his legs and helped himself in his own arms, “I am one of the three from your quest, the coward lion at your service.” He shook while bowing his head so slightly and backed away from the three humans.

“Oh,” they dropped their blades realizing who it was. The Oracle never said exactly who they needed to help and never did they expect a talking lion-man. “Sorry, we thought you were one of those flying monkeys, or something else.”

The lion roared a chuckle, “They are brave even if they are evil.”

The lion turned its head quickly after speaking and a unknown sound got closer. Like little twinkling sounds or water, or magic and of course that’s what it was. A glowing bubble rushed toward them from the road ahead as the sun followed and the forest got brighter. Two frames walked on either sides just as strange as the lion. One was a man made of tin and metal, a coal burner for a stomach and on the other side was a man made of it straw…A scarecrow?

As the bubble inched closer it grew in size and the group stepped back, worried it was something bad. The tint and color of the bubble was pink, and it flowed beautifully, and once it was in front of the champions soon it bursted and a woman appeared.

A human like them with features of beauty, a big dress the same color of pink as her bubble and a golden crown rested upon her head. Her lips gave a kind smile and eyes that drew Percy in for more.

Percy thought she was unlike anything he’s ever seen before, like a statue back on his homeland. He never met royalty but he was sure if he did, she would beat them all in looks.

“Welcome, champions,” the mystery woman bowed her head slightly, “We have been awaiting your arrival for a long time.” in her hands a glowing wand.

“How many of you know we are there? We have been attacked to no end, so why are all of you welcoming?”

They followed her down the yellow brick road hesitantly incase of a attack but nothing came. Instead they saw a huge castle with the brightest sky they had ever seen, villages and creatures happy and content around. It was out of a storybook from their youth.

“Now I really know we aren’t at camp anymore.” Grover said in awe.

Extra:

“You say the wizard, Oz, is far away?” Percy and the Princess stood alone in a room, his gaze never falling from a mischievous one.

“Hmm.”

As the dark haired boy walked towards the princess, a smirk tightened his lips while reaching her. “Might I have your blessing? For the travels to come, a princesses luck is sure to be good here, yes?” she smirks and playfully rolls her eyes.

“You have all my luck and prayers, Percy. If you happen to make it back, I shall grant you with a special thing,” she leaned in with a giggle that made his cheeks flush.

“A kiss.”

Writer speaks: there will mostly likely be no part two. I wrote a whole different thing for this event but hated it so this was the rewrite, so I dislike this but I can’t do anything about it! But a huge thanks to @queenpiranhadon for thinking of me and asking me to be apart of this huge thing. If you ever want me again I will be better than this time, but I understand because I was all over the place-

[wizardpink]

That episode of the Venture Bros where they do group Halloween costumes every year, and every year Hank ruins it because he always has to be Batman,

But it's the IWTV mains and every year Armand has to be Rick Deckard from Blade Runner.

Claudia as Dorothy, Louis as the Scarecrow, Lestat as the Cowardly Lion, Daniel as Oz, Madeleine as The Wicked Witch, and Armand as Rick Deckard. ("Are you fucking-- where is your Tin Man costume?!)

Louis as Luke Skywalker, Madeleine as Han Solo, Claudia as Princess Leia, Lestat as Chewbacca, Daniel as Darth Vader, and Armand as Rick Deckard. ("You literally BEGGED to be Lando!")

Claudia as Magenta, Daniel as Riff Raff, Lestat as Rocky, Louis as Brad, Madeleine as Janet, and Armand as Rick Deckard ("We NEVER should have let him be Frankenfurter, we look RIDICULOUS.")

[echantedtoon]

Most Of All

Scarecrow reminisces about his past.

She loves me.

She loves me not. 

The redness of poppy petals swirled around, twirling and dancing in the air with delight as a gentle wind blew them idly by. The petals were joined by a few strands of straw escaping his body and joining their dance of joy. It had been quite a while. Before they ultimately fluttered to the ground and landed amongst poppy flowers and soft blades of grass while others blew away on the breeze and fluttered away to faraway lands unknown to him. 

She loves me.

She loves me not.

A sigh escaped his lips as his fingers had plucked the last petal from the stem. Eyes looking at it in sadness. How long had it been since Dorothy left? Five maybe six years now? It seemed like only yesterday she was here holding his hand as they skipped on down the yellow brick road and faced the dangers of the witches. Smiling that beautiful smile. Shiny red heels clicking down the road on her way to Emerald City. 

She loves me. 

She loves me not.

It had been so long.. He's never forgotten about her. Neither did their friends of course. Cowardly Lion was currently ruling over the forest they had first met in taking over his pride there, and Tinman was doing quite well for himself owning his very successful logging business. Of course replanting every tree they chop down because of his heart. They'd still stop by when they could, and it was always so good to see them and catch up like old times.

But he still missed her. Despite knowing she's home now safe and sound, he couldn't stop wondering what happened to her when she got back. Did she get back to her family? Was she safe and ok now? Did she get married? Did she have a family now? With a small farm of her own and a perfect Pickett fence life like she said she was from? Did she still have Toto? 

..Did she already love someone else before they even met?

She loves me.

He liked to come out here into the poppy fields just outside of the Emerald City. It was always calm and beautiful and it was one of the last places that they didn't have trouble or she left him. And it was now where he sat down with the breeze threatening to blow away the hat on his head as he silently stared down at the petal in his palm before it allowed the wind to claim it too.

"She loves me not.."

Sadness filled his eyes before looking back to the barren stem, and pausing as a small red thing persisted from the stem. Sn underdeveloped petal, barely grown pushing up from the middle and still clinging to life even as his leather gloves fingers gently rubbed over it. As if it was a fragile little creature.

"Scarecrow, I think I'll miss you most of all."

"...She does love me."

Him. She loved him most of all.

A sad smile graced his features as the little red occupant finally broke awake from its stem. Fluttering up and far away on the breeze towards somewhere far away. A place far, far away that loved resides and just maybe the small little red gifts would head there too. 

A small part of him making their way to the one person he loved most of all.

[sepelios]

[ olivia cooke, cis-woman, she/her ] look who just landed! WREN PALMER, i sure hope you packed all you need. perhaps you’re not worried as an X CODER at X ACADEMY & INFORMANT for THE GREY LILIES. the city has plenty of spots for a 32 year old HUMAN like you. you’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE TRAITOR, being INQUISITIVE and ANXIOUS.

.ACCESSREQUEST record; employee number 039278 authorising... ACCESS GRANTED

EMPLOYEE NUMBER 039278 <BASICS>

full name: wren palmer

nickname: none (but is open to them!)

date of birth: 12th march, 2373

gender: cis woman

pronouns: she/her

sexual orientation: bisexual (women/nb)

romantic orientation: biromantic

current age: thirty two

modification: human

affiliation: x academy the grey lilies

birthplace: melbourne, australia (earth)

current neighbourhood: akumu

occupation: x coder, specialising in android programming

known languages: english, indonesian, japanese

<PERSONALITY>

positive traits: inquisitive, compassionate, observant, just

neutral traits: analytical, intelligent, unassuming, inhibited

negative traits: anxious, sensitive, impatient, obsessive

peeves: being interrupted, people who don't apologise, doors left ajar, code that doesn't work, gum chewing

fears: getting caught as an informant by her employers, confrontation in general, hospitals, feeling lonely for the rest of her life

skills: coding and programming, going unnoticed, problem solving, listening attentively

goals: help expose the true nature of x academy, find some sort of closure for the death of her brother

<APPEARANCE>

faceclaim: olivia cooke

height: 5’6”

eye colour: dark brown

hair colour: auburn

clothing style: best described as dark academia reimagined by someone who works in tech — typically soft, loose fabrics in warmer earth tones, wide-legged trousers, oversized shirts and knitwear, graphic tshirts, boots or sneakers

jewellery: small hoop earrings, a simple gold necklace with a small star pendant, a gold signet ring

tattoos: a bird in flight on the back of her right shoulder

marks/scars: none

modifications: none

scent/fragrance: violet, musk, bergamot

<INSPIRATIONS>

quote: "i learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

label: the traitor — a person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle

tropes: cowardly lion; amateur sleuth; fighting from the inside; the atoner; taking up the mantle; beware the quiet ones

parallels: elisa esposito (the shape of water); mabel mora (only murders in the building); peeta mellark (the hunger games); klaus baudelaire (a series of unfortunate events); allison cameron (house)

song: the body is a blade — japanese breakfast

<FAVOURITES>

likes: waking up early, the ritual of a coffee and a pastry every morning on her way to work, burning candles, oversized knitwear, avoiding social obligations, antiques

dislikes: sweltering heat, having her photograph taken, ketchup, large crowds, frequent feelings of overwhelming dread

hobbies: visiting the cemetery, cooking for herself, people watching, long runs, weekly phonecalls with her parents that she always tries to avoid

habits: stress smoking, tucking a pen or pencil behind her ear, spending hours walking around the grocery store, cracking her knuckles when nervous

cherished item: the gold ring she wears at all times that belonged to her brother

<SUMMARY> death of a loved one tw

the palmers moved from earth to new jakarta with their two children, having bought into the propaganda of there being a better life available for everyone on mars. as it turned out, this better life was out of reach for them. the only place they could afford to live was the slums in akumu, and the well-paying jobs that they had been promised failed to materialise, forcing them into blue-collar labour for minimal wages.

wren grew up wanting to live a more comfortable life, and when she developed an interest in tech, she used this to drive her, aspiring to one day work for x academy. her twin brother, robin, took a different path, instead growing bitter about the disparity of wealth in the city and wanting to punish those in positions of power who exploited the lower classes.

eventually, wren was accepted at the university in sora around the same time her brother was inducted into the grey lilies. though she didn't judge his choices, and even empathised with him, she didn't engage with that side of his life, though he repeatedly told her that her skills in coding could be useful to the gang. they maintained a relationship, even as she was offered a job at x academy after her graduation and he begged her not to take it, even as he repeatedly put himself in more danger and she tried to get him to stop taking risks with his life. this back and forth, endless worrying about the other, last for several years.

when robin told her that he thought there was a link between the golden tears and x academy, wren dismissed it as a lie designed to get her on his side. the two fought bitterly over it, and she stormed out of his apartment. several days later, wren was notified that he had been killed in a clash with the golden tears.

after taking as much bereavement leave as she was allowed to take, wren returned to work at x academy with her brother's warnings echoing around her mind, and decided that it was finally time for her to hear him out. incrementally, and without drawing attention to herself, she began to look into this where she could, only to discover that he had been correct. horrified at the company for its association with the gang, and at herself for living in denial, she approached the grey lilies with an offer to be their informant, replacing robin.

[ofspvrta]

—    Kassandra of Agiad: The Keeper

general.

★    ★    ★    ★     ★    ★   ★    ★   ★    ☆     —  strength: 9

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆     —  offense:  9

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆    ☆    ☆     —  defense:  7

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆    ☆     —  speed:  8

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★     —  durability:  10

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆    ☆     —  accuracy:  8  

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆     —  agility:  9

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★     —  stamina:  10

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆    ☆    ☆    ☆    ☆     —  teamwork:  6

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆     —  stealth:  9

specifics.

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ★   ★     —  close combat:  10

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ★   ★     —  bladed weapons: 10

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ★   ☆     —  blunt weapons:  8

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ★   ★     —  ranged weapons:  10  

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ★   ★       —  superpowers / abilities:  10

★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ★    ☆    ☆   ☆   ☆     —  traps / setups:  6

★    ★    ★    ★    ★   ☆    ☆    ☆    ☆   ☆      —  medic:  5

lasting injuries:   none, any and all wounds sustained heal within a day or two at most.

scars: multiple. ones adorning her face (chin, cheek, nose), 3 on her right bicep from an animal attack (lion), 1 on her left arm and collarbone, a long gash scar across her lower abdomen, burn marks on her left ribcage and left thigh.

fighting style. ( bold any that apply. italicize any that sort of apply )

commander / duelist / honorable / dishonorable / would have others do their fighting / stealthy / long - ranged / mid - ranged / melee / technological / sorcery / superhuman abilities / has fought in a tourney / a lover of fighting / a hater of fighting / cowardly / reckless / strategic / uses underhanded tricks / renowned for their skill / trained / untrained / keeps skills a secret / won a battle / lost a battle / ruthless / merciful.

tagged by:  @torntruth​ this was a fun one. keeper kass is kind of like living life on god mode whoops.

tagging: @shadxwcd​ (ezio), @dimeremantiro​ (regina), @paddyfuck​, @seeasunset​ , and you!

[hostilecityshowdown]

"Swear to me," Roddy and Adrian ;_;

Like Saskatoon, Poughkeepsie was cold, but New York cold was a totally different kind of cold. Up North, a chilly night slid between your ribs like the concealed blade in all your worst nightmares but, down in Upstate, the cold wind just seemed to want every warm-blooded thing to get the hell out of its way. Despite his ability to be comfortable in his blue jeans and beat up flight jacket, Roddy was more than happy to move aside as soon as he could get up the courage to do so.

Rubbing his hands together, he paced the concrete outside the Edison motor lodge, walking from one side of his shared room's window to the other and back again. Shut away behind off-cream curtains and, hopefully, tucked under the olive green comforters was his travel buddy, but the words spoken to him hours earlier replayed in his mind like the man was still shaking him by the shoulders and spitting them at him. They'd taken on a cassette quality, popping and grainy as the tape rolled, rewound in a supernatural mili-second, and started playing all over again. Tinnitus was starting to ring in his left ear and Roddy smacked at it a few times to ward the sound off, his pacing grinding to a halt with his hand still flattening his unruly hair to the side of his head when those gaudy curtains fluttered. An edge was pushed aside and, clearly not nestled in bed dreaming of sugarplums and knocking out teeth, Adrian squinted out at him. They stared at each other until Adrian jerked his head backwards, not unlike a shotgun cocking, and released the curtain.

"Yeah," Roddy muttered, more than a little miffed that his four AM fretting session was rudely interrupted. He hadn't even been pacing long enough to sport chilblains for his efforts. Regardless, he marched to the faux birchwood door. "Get me a house, and build you a room with a view! Only thing you love more than a front row seat is the limelight."

By the time he'd eased the door shut behind him, Adrian had already illuminated the light bar over both beds. He sat on the one Roddy was more likely to claim, arms crossed over his golden shirt so faded, it took Roddy months to decipher the words that had once been boldly printed across it. Now, "I'm afraid there's no denyin', I'm just a dandy lion" was about as legible as the quote's speaker was cowardly. Somehow, the shirt perfectly coordinated with the ruby slipper red carpeting, the deep brown wood panel walls, those fatigue green bedsheets that looked emerald under the sickly wall lamp, and the fresh egg-coloured curtains. Adrian looked like he belonged here, despite his expression so serious it darkened his eyes to the exact shade that sent shivers down Roddy's spine, head to tail. He eased out of his beat up work boots without loosening the laces and toed them off to the side, shrugging his jacket off before Adrian's stare made him overheat. 

"Now, I know for a fact those curtains are too thick for-"

"Piper." The growl was enough to shut his trap, chin almost dropping to his chest. All at once, the exhaustion of the day came rushing in. The gruelling travel schedule, the cold, his earlier outburst, Adrian's commands so assertive, calling them advice was a laughable mistake- Just this once, he wanted to climb into bed behind his buddy, curl up around the small of his back, and go the hell to sleep without worrying himself into tossing and turning for hours. Instead, he stood there, emulating the effect of looking up at Adrian through his eyelashes and wavy bangs despite still standing. Adrian inhaled deeply and took him in, contemplative, before patting the bed. "Siddown."

Roddy complied, collapsing heavily beside the other man and refraining from telling him how much he loved the way New Yorkers spoke, sure, and Buffalonians and Manhattaners and whatever, yeah, but he especially loved the way Adrian spoke. Instead, he let the pathetic mattress slide him down until he was shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with Adrian. He smelled like stale cologne, greasy diner food, and Downy. Instead of turning his head and burying it in that scent like he wanted to, Roddy fell the rest of the way backwards and scoot until he was awkwardly half on and half off the bed. His hair cascaded over the opposite side. Adrian's hand clapped down on his thigh and squeezed hard before rubbing a circle into the denim so softly it hurt.

"You better take my advice to heart. So help me, if you think I was kidding-"

"No," Roddy sighed, one hand smushing and rubbing at his own face. He needed to fidget but couldn't get his feet on the ground like this, not like Adrian, whose heel tapped a staccato rhythm on the carpet that looked plusher than it was. "No, I know. Get a house. For the family."

"For you," Adonis snapped, thumping his fist on Roddy's hip. Instinctively, he jerked his leg up, bent at the knee, and had nowhere to drop it but against his friend's firm side once the tension drained back out of him. "You get the house for you. For your stability, for your family. So you can wear trenches in your floors without freezing your ass off, you moron."

Roddy snorted a laugh. He wiggled up onto the bed more and oriented himself more comfortably, half behind Adrian, calves and feet still hanging off the ledge. His hand fell against Adrian's back, where his shirt was torn in the perfect way to show off a few scars. Palm pressed flat against him, they felt cooler than Adrian's unmarred flesh and softer than the over worn t-shirt. They felt familiar. Safe. He sighed and shrugged, knowing the motion would be felt. "You're not so bad, Adri."

The brunette twisted, kept twisting until he was a tornado, one leg over Roddy's so his knee was jammed into his inner thigh and their ankles crossed, one hand fisted in the front of his shirt but tugging and pinning it to the bed at his waist, one hand under his chin with a finger aimed like a pistol. Adrian was looming over him, his eyes hurt and scared but his face stern. "I am not trying to get rid of you. You hear me? If I wanted to get rid of you, oh, daddy, you'd already have a box in the cold case department." 

Unsurprised and unafraid, Roddy pat Adrian's pointing hand. He opened his mouth to speak but Adrian swat his hand away like an angry cat and doubled down, eyes boring into his, noses almost touching. "You swear to me. You swear to me, Piper, you'll make a home for your family better than in all your wildest, starving desperado dreams - That you'll go and you'll stay for them. You- You better swear, so help me god, you won't stay now or go then for me, Roddy. You put them first, you hear me?"

"I hear, I hear," he replied, grabbing Adrian's hand in his and wiggling his fingers until Adrian's were between them, callouses squeezed together. Frowning, Roddy knocked their elbows together gently, not trying to accomplish much more than giving himself some time to process everything. "Alright. I swear."

"You swear what?"

"You didn't let me finish." He couldn't help but grin, carefully turning his leg until his friend wasn't cutting off circulation in it. "I swear I'll put my family first. But, Adrian-"

"No buts."

"But," Roddy insisted, bringing his elbow up and gently knocking his forearm into Adrian's jaw and shoulder. Willing to play along, he toppled sideways, dragging Roddy with him until they were laying side by side on the comforter. Up close, Roddy realised it was the colour of green carnations, the little white pansies dotting it, the pattern so subtle as to be conspiratorial. No doubt, it was something Adrian noticed when they booked the room. He always noticed everything, and the thought made Roddy smile with his teeth no matter how much Adrian glowered. "You're family too, you know."

[disgracedvessel]

Where One Least Expects It

Warlock Mastery : 647 words

He had almost forgotten that magic had once been effortless. The year that separated the ordinary student of the Officers Academy from the vessel of the fell god who could be defied by no one but one of Naga’s puppets seemed to span a lifetime. Julius had maintained only a scattering of hazy memories from the end of that old life, but remembered well how merely the spread of his fingers could conjure a dozen meteors out of thin air to crush his opposition like insects hiding futilely beneath blades of grass. Or how the dead would rise and dance under his command. Magic came to him as naturally and easily as breathing.

He had thought that he had always been that way, ever since he was a child. The sages had called him a prodigy. The priests called him their savior. He couldn’t recall a single lesson on magic that he had not passed with flying colors, and it hadn’t been long before his private tutors were relegated to obsolescence. Certainly that had been long before the book of Loptous had entered his possession. It had to have been. He couldn’t accept the possibility that his gifts were solely those of the god who had come to dwell within him. What was he then? More importantly, what was he now?

His arrival in Fódlan had injected him with a feeling he had never been acquainted with outside of cowardly subordinates (and, near the end of his life, his own father). Every basic fire spell that sparked but would not ignite. The concentration it took simply to gather dark energy into something he could command. Each training session or skirmish that would leave him winded and dizzy. Doubt grew long roots deep into his heart, and there it remained firmly planted. Magic was cast differently in Fódlan; it didn’t require books and staves to channel it, but that shouldn’t have mattered. What was a prodigy if not one who could effortlessly conquer what would be a challenge to any ordinary man? He wasn’t used to struggling, and failure belonged unwaveringly to the world of mediocrity.

But fail he did. A showcase of magical skill in Fhirdiad. The Battle of the Eagle and Lion. The phantasmic arena. The time spent hiding and sulking within the shadows of his room grew less and less with each taste though, and with the battle against the illusions in particular, his companions (what an odd word... but he couldn’t say he hated the sound of it) had affirmed his contribution and strength.

He stood on a low hill near the base of Garreg Mach now enjoying the early spring sun. A pit full of the remnants of training dummies, split rocks, and logs tied with thick rope stretched on below him. It was an old battlefield used now to train soldiers in formation, empty this morning. Julius gazed down at it for a moment, left hand idly massaging the wrist and forearm of his right. The burns had long-since healed, and the scars left behind were light - hardly noticeable to anyone who wasn’t looking. He couldn’t say he was pleased with the reminders of each loss that now marked his once unmarred skin, but the sight of them when he undressed or bathed did not bother him as much anymore. The toughest veterans of war wore theirs like accolades, after all, and he was no longer a prince who slung spells from the safety of fortresses.

The frontlines were where the challenges were, weren’t they? And he hadn’t died yet.

He stretched his right hand up toward the sky, his fingers flared, and flaming boulders crashed through ozone and cloud. The field turned dark and crimson-stained. Julius threw his arm forward, and each meteor plummeted into the rocky pit with a swell of smoke and debris.

He counted twenty that time.

Julius has mastered Warlock!

[weatherw1tch]

basics.

name: sabina plessner.

alias:  drucilla pritchard. / dru, cilla. hellcat.

age:  31-33, main verse. 10-28, verse dependent.

dob: may 17th.

gender:  female.

pronouns:  she/her.

orientation:  bisexual.

occupation: merchant (verse dependent.) first mate of the siren pirates (verse dependent.) pirate (verse dependent.) revolutionary (verse dependent.)

birthplace: ohara, west blue.

residence: the siren's call (pirate ship, verse dependent.) kuraigana island (verse dependent.) revolutionary army headquarters (verse dependent.)

species: human.

ethnicity: irish.

hair: long, red hair with sun-bleached roots. slightly wavy texture, amplified by salty sea air.

eye color: pale blue.

height: 5'10".

notable features: the scar carving down her left eyelid. freckles along her nose, cheeks, and forehead. slightly elongated canines.

alignment: true neutral.

positives: loyal, loving, ambitious, adaptable.

negatives: flighty, aggressive, cowardly, selfish.

parents: conan plessner (father, deceased.) eorann plessner (mother, deceased.) iona pritchard (adoptive mother, deceased.)

siblings: n/a, unless you count her crewmates.

significant other:  verse dependent. in independent writing, dracule mihawk or rob lucci.

children: n/a.

pets:  n/a.

skills & abilities.

devil fruit: neko neko no mi, model: lion. she bears two forms, reflective of her powers levels -- that of a housecat and that of a lion.

haki: tbd.

weapons.

Twin gem-encrusted cutlasses dubbed her "fangs," carried in a hand-woven holster around her hips, as well as a well-worn, jagged-bladed dagger carried in her right boot.

bounty.

tbd.

the crew.

Isabela, captain

Casavir, previous first mate

Brand, helmsman

history.

Born to two of Dragon's Freedom Fighters on the island of Ohara, Sabina lived the first few years of her life amongst the division there until her parents decided a revolution, though necessary, was no place to raise a child. They left their ranks and the island to become merchants, and until the age of ten, she knew a happy childhood.

Until Marines came looking for them.

They told her to run, and run she did, raising herself for a few years and hardening herself in the process. She named herself Drucilla, afraid to be taken in, and ate a Devi Fruit, knowing it would grant her protection.

A fortune teller by the name of Iona Pritchard took her in, feeling sorry for the child. No one else cared to put up with the girl's petulant behavior, because, angry and lost and at the mercy of her devil-granted powers, Drucilla was adamant in keeping the spirit of her parents (and former life) alive and ready to fight anyone who seemed to get in the way.

What only further cemented her belief of not belonging was the day she mauled a boy in the village who’d enjoyed ridiculing her, turning into her lion form and sinking her fangs into his legs.

Drucilla left the village shortly after that night, with no word to Iona, content to be on her own rather than be judged. She was found by a woman named Isabela, a pirate captain who offered her a position on her crew, giving Drucilla purpose and a place for her grief (finding some months later before setting out to sea, that Iona had died, Drucilla took her last name in an act of honor.) This sparked a loyalty to her new captain and crew, unlike any other.

Drucilla took to the life of a pirate like she'd been born for it, sailing the seas as the Siren Pirates' first mate for ten plus years, until one night, on a mission to steal a log on the history of the world's Poneglyphs in order to appease a deal her captain had struck to get a crimelord off their backs, their ship was chased down by Marines, near rocky cliffs mid-thunderstorm and it went under. Only Drucilla and her captain survived, and in the midst of panic, remembering her parents all those years ago, and near-death, she ran while Isabela was taken into custody.

Now, using her merchant's talent for spinning lies and her years of experience in piracy, Drucilla plans to sneak her way into the Marines long enough to be able to break her captain out of Impel Down.

[apieters]

From my interviews with High Shepherd Yan:

Peter the Marshal? Of course I knew him! And oh, how I miss him to this day.

Many years have gone by, and I am no longer the little boy of 12 or 13 that I was when I met him—as you can plainly see. I see nothing plainly anymore, not in front of these dim old eyes. But I still see him, plain as day. “He is more real to me than you are,” I still remember an old master saying once, or something to that effect. I understand him now—would that Peter had gotten the chance…

The Kingdom of Heimar remembers well the great warrior-prince, charging dismounted with his men, his greatsword Dragonsbane in hand. The Lord of the Isles, they called him by right of birth; the Marshal of Heimar he became at Torin’s proclamation; the Lion’s Cub, they call him in some of the ballads—he was never fond of bards and troubadours, but never seemed to mind that particular moniker. Everyone remembers the stern, strong warrior, the man who exercised the authority of a king, with his auburn beard and red-gold hair, girded in dented armor and a tattered surcoat, ready to lead the charge at the decisive moment of a battle, with Dragonsbane whistling through the air, ready to cleave its way to victory.

But that is not the face I see now. No, before my mind’s eye I see a round-faced youth, with smooth cheeks and shaggy red-gold hair, his shoulders broad from hammering at a smith’s anvil, armored only in a heavy leather apron. I remember his tattered old plaid that he wore in defiance of the bans whenever he could, the pride and the gravity that came over him when he placed his lordly circlet of red gold upon his brow.

He didn’t smile much then, for then he had little to smile about. When I first met him, it was perhaps the darkest point in his life—seven years he and Torin had hidden themselves as itinerant laborers, wandering all over Heimar to remain unrecognized and undetected by Tiberian and his spies after the cowardly assassination of Peter’s father, Claas Perseyn, the Red Lion. We mustn’t be too harsh when we judge him in that era—the sole survivor of an ancient and noble lineage, living in fear for his life everyday, unable to mourn the death of the one who meant the world to him. What is truly the miracle—and he and I later thanked Torin every day for this—is that when I met him, he had any human compassion left at all.

And yet, after I had been kidnapped from my home in Pushta and taken north to Alpan, there to be sold as a slave in the mines, it was Peter who noticed me crying on the auction block. It was Peter who bartered away a precious dragonsteel blade—worth twice its weight in gold, if one was a miser and a cheat—that he had forged in secret in order to buy back our lives. I only latter learned the great danger he exposed himself to, for only the Lords of the Isles could forge such blades, and in trading such a blade would have alerted anyone with any sense that the Red Lion’s cub was still alive. Fortunately, the slaver’s avarice outweighed his common sense, and he sold us all to Peter on the spot—and Peter freed us right then and there, in front of the slaver’s face.

Like all slaves, I was stripped to the waist (so that the slave drivers could flog us at a moment’s notice), even in the winter. After freeing me, Peter singled me out and wrapped his plaid around me and lead me to his smithy to warm up. He did not show me any other particular affection, and certainly did not smile. Yet we have a saying here in Heimar—perhaps you have a similar saying in your distant land—which says, “The heart lies in the hands.” Some foolish minstrels say that the eyes are the window to the heart, or other such nonsense. They are wrong. A man’s heart is revealed by what he does with his hands, not with his eyes or his tongue. Peter’s face betrayed nothing to me that cold late winter’s day of the noble character that made him almost a king later in life. His tongue, dare I say, was gruff and harsh. But his hands—his hands were gentle and tender, the hands of a father or a skillful craftsman.

And so he proved to be.

[doodlemxsings]

🍍🍉🍌for Blades!

🍍  :    how comfortable is my muse in their body?  how do they feel about their height,  weight,  strength,  and body type?  how important is being attractive to them? 

Blades is comfortable with himself for the most part. He does get a bit insecure about his over all shape and height sometimes.

🍉  :    which of the four seasons suits my muse best,  and why? 

Spring! It's one of the more mild seasons, and it's warm

🍌  :    is my muse inclined to help others,  or will they only do it when it benefits them,  if at all?  what makes them this way?  has it ever gotten them into trouble,  or inconvenienced them? 

Naturally, he's more inclined to help. He is a Rescue Bot, after all! It's gotten him into a pinch every so often, though nothing that his friends couldn't help him with.

[midnightmoonkiss]

Afjskxjowoe DUDE PIRATE IZUKU IS JUST MMMMMM I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED IT UNTIL NOW AND I'M HERE TO CONTRIBUTE

Imagine one poor fellow, new to the crew stumbles upon her when she's in the captain's quarters and Izuku's not there or anything. The guy clearly has no idea that the captain has staked his 'claim' on her, and just curiously approaches her. She get more upset as he comes closer and that's when Izuku hears her cry out from the deck and comes fown to see what the hell is happening.

It does not end well for the poor guy when Izuku sees him over her while she's practically shaking. Bonus points if she clings onto Izuku after the whole thing!

- 🍊 anon

WELCOME TO THE PIRATE DEKU TRAIN!! WE’RE ALL GOIN CRAZY OVER HERE WITH LUST FOR THIS DAMN PIRATE!!!

The second he hears her yelp he’s rushing to his quarters, kicking open the door with such furosity that the whole crew can hear its bang against the wall.

“And just what the hell do you think you’re doing, you rotten, flea bitten, foul bilge rat?”

His green glare is hostile and murderous, hand at the ready to draw his blade and slice the fucker dead, the poor sap who wandered into a lions den shaking in his boots.

“S-sir-!” He sputters, hands raised in cowardly defense, “Sir I-!”

The captains blade was at the mans neck in a heartbeat, coolness of sharp steel nudging him away from Deku’s treasure. Pirates were quite possessive over what was theirs, after all.

A guttural growl reverberated deep in his chest, faced scrunched in anger.

She clung to Izuku’s hips, fear of her own in her innocent eyes as she hid behind her protector, still sitting on the bed.

“What’s your name?” Izuku demanded, venom stinging every dark word uttered.

The newbie was frozen with complete fear, having never expected such an outcome, having expected kindness and understanding from the infamous captain like tales told.

He wasnt expecting a dirty blade to his throat within his first hour aboard the vessel.

The crewman gulps, adams apple kissing the point of the blade, nearly drawing blood. The captains eyes were as cold as the blade itself.

The rest of the crew knew better than to be nosy, and so he was all alone.

“You name.” Izuku repeated with a snarl.

“Mmm.. mm m-my n-name..”

Patience running all too thin, but mercy burning his veins while in front of you, he sheithed his sword, muscular body making the unnamed man look like a toothpick in comparison.

He was shoved out of the quarters, back slamming against the dirty wood of the deck, scrabbling backwards like a mouse who had its tail chopped off.

He stared with fear up at his new captain, who only looked down at him with disgust and hatred.

“Iida!” Izuku called for his first mate, who was quick to respond, “Throw this lilly-livered, mangy swab into the brig.”

“Aye, captain.”

“T-the brig-?!” The crewman cried out, “But I!”

“You entered my quarters without permission after you were trusted enough to step foot onto my ship,” Izuku seethed,

“Welcome aboard the Sleepin Dove.”

With that, Izuku slammed his door shut.

Lesson learned? Curiosity really can kill the cat.

[lost-in-fanfic]

The Woman - Thomas Shelby x reader (Part 4)

A/N: Here is Part 4, I hope you enjoy. I just want to say thank you for the kind messages, comments and the likes i have received for the series so far. They mean so much. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list. Not my Gif and please don’t post my work on other websites. 

Warnings: Strong Violence and swearing

A brief summary: Y/N is heading home to London and is doing her best to put Birmingham and Tommy out of her mind. Tommy on the other hand is determined to track her down.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 

Word Count:  1939

Tommy leaned against the wall of the warehouse, casually smoking, staring coldly at the two Ricci brothers sat in front of him.  The Ricci’s were small time criminals compared to the notoriety of the Peaky Blinder’s and when they had realised that Tommy would be out for revenge for trying have him killed, they had been quick to try and flee. Not quick enough though, a couple of Peaky boys had brought them to an empty warehouse where the Shelby brothers had been waiting. The two men were already bloody from the punches they had taken on the way here, but they both did their best to hold their nerve under the three pairs of dangerous eyes looking at them.

“You cowardly fuckers put out a hit on my brother.” Arthur said, his voice dripping with menace. He slowly circled the Ricci’s, like a lion evaluating its pray, waiting for Tommy to give him the order to pounce. “Don’t even have the balls to try and take us on yourselves.” John spat in the face of the younger of the two, although both men were considerably older than he was. “Maybe we should take off what balls they have got? Clearly don’t know how to use them.” Arthur moved in front of the older brother, holding his cap in his hand, bending the peak of it back to show of the razor blades sewn inside. “Bastardo!” the man shouted. In less time than it takes to blink Arthurs fist smashed into the side of his head knocking him off the chair on to the floor. He covered his head as Arthur kicked him repeatedly. “Who. Said. You. Could. Fucking. Speak!” He shouted between kicks. John had started punching the younger brother, who had tried to make a move when Arthur had thrown the first punch. Tommy dropped his cigarette, stepping on it to put it out, he slowly walked over to his brothers who were mercilessly beating the men in front of them. “That’s enough.” Tommy’s voice was deep and calm, despite the scene in front of him, instantly halting his brother’s onslaught.

The older of the men simply laid on the floor moaning quietly, his brother pushed himself up and spat out a mouthful of blood which landed straight on John’s shoes. Tommy’s hand grabbed John’s arm as he moved forward, questions needed to be answered, meaning one of the Ricci’s had to still be able to speak. “Now, tell me” Tommy began, taking one of the chairs and sitting in front of the man knelt before him. “how did you contact the person you hired to kill me?” Tommy was leaning into the mans face. “Why should I tell you anything?” Ricci asked, “will you just let us go if I tell you?” Arthur let out a cold laugh, John smiled while chewing on a toothpick and Tommy leaned even closer. “You tried to have me killed Mr Ricci, if I let you go what sort of example would that set?” Tommy’s voice was so steady and relaxed he could easily have been discussing a small business deal, not the fates of the two men in front of him. “But I’ll tell you what, you tell me what I want to know, and Arthur and John here won’t go to pay your family a visit.” Leaning back in his chair Tommy took out his pocket watch and examined it, before letting his eyes lift to meet the wide eyed, panicked man before him. “They will be about halfway to the house you sent them to now wont they. You see Mr Ricci, the taxi driver is on our payroll, so I know the exact address they will be staying at.” Tommy couldn’t help but relish in the look of realisation dawning over Ricci’s face, it was the look of a man who knew he had been cornered and had no way out.

“Fine. There is an address in London, you tie a red ribbon around the metal railings there. You must write your name on it, with the address of where you are staying, then you will be contacted.” Mr Ricci’s eyes were down to the floor in defeat, his brother was still whimpering on the floor next to him, but he could feel the icy daggers of Tommy Shelby’s eyes piercing his flesh. Tommy held out a piece of paper and a pen, “Write it down.” He ordered, watching as the address was noted and the paper handed back to him. “Good.” Tommy said simply, standing up and putting the paper carefully in his pocket, he waved his hand and in a flash Arthur and John brought down their caps and took the eyes of both Ricci brothers. Turning and walking out he barely registered the dying cry’s behind him, to wrapped up in the excitement of being one step closer to Y/N.

Tommy inhaled on his cigarette, a victorious smile played across his lips, it was remarkably bright compared to the dingy warehouse.  He stood their basking in the afternoon sun and in his triumph as Arthur and John came out to join him. “Get rid of ‘em.” Arthur said to the two Blinders who had been waiting on orders. “What next Tom?” John asked, his blood pumping with adrenaline and excitement. Tommy looked at his brothers, seeing the love they had for this life dancing in their wild eyes. “I’m going to London. Alone.” He added quickly as Arthur went to speak. “I’ll drive down from here and stay with Ada and Freddie tonight, they aren’t far from this address.” Tommy patted the pocket where he had safely stored the paper. “Ring Ada for me John, let her know I’m coming, and ask her to go out and buy me a bit of red ribbon.” Tommy flicked the ash from his cigarette and began to walk away. “What about me Tom?” Arthur called after him. “Do whatever you want Arthur.” Tommy called back over his shoulder, he was too excited to stop, he hadn’t felt this exhilarated in what felt to him like a lifetime.

Y/N looked out of the train window at the passing countryside, she was now far from the dirt and smoke of Birmingham and was enjoying the bright colours and clear skies before the inevitable return to dirt and smoke that awaited her in London. She knew that each mile being put between her and Tommy should make her feel calmer, but instead she had an overwhelming desire to get off this train at the next station and go straight back to Birmingham. Being near to Tommy had been like standing at the very edge of a cliff looking out at the most beautiful view she had ever seen and even though she knew the ground could fall from beneath her feet at any second, there was still a voice in her head telling her to jump over and into the sea below. Y/N spent the rest of the journey having a fierce internal battle, half of her was committed to forgetting Thomas Shelby even existed and thinking it ridiculous that he had any effect on her at all in such a short amount of time. The other half of her was able to offer no coherent argument or firm reasoning but instead longed desperately to be back under the gaze of his eyes.

When she got off the train in London it was already nearing dinner time and hunger had overtaken all other emotions. Y/N moved quickly through the busy London streets, listening to the calls of the stallholders who were trying to sell at least one last thing before packing up for the night, and after stopping briefly to grab some bits for dinner she was finally home. She lived on the middle floor of a shared tenement house, it wasn’t much and with her savings she could certainly afford more, but this was the world she felt comfortable in. The back door was just for her use, it meant she could come and go without drawing attention and the neighbours were less likely to notice if she were away for days at a time. Y/N tried not to get to attached to people or places, but this was the house she had lived in the longest, and despite her best efforts she had grown to care for some, if not all, of her neighbours. The family upstairs consisted of a father, who was either at work or drinking his wages at the pub, a mother who gambled away what little money made it home and their four children. Most of the food on their table was thanks to the money the older children earned running errands for Y/N. She never asked anything dangerous of them, but she paid them good money to keep a look out for red ribbons tied to a gate three streets away. Downstairs, there was a nice couple with a young baby who mostly kept to themselves, Y/N wasn’t even sure of their names, but still the wife was pleasant enough speak to when their paths crossed.

After unpacking and having a quick dinner Y/N was ready for bed, it wasn’t particularly late, but the events of the past few days had taken their toll, she was just about to change for bed when someone knocked at her door. Y/N grabbed a knife and made her way downstairs, she didn’t get visitors and it was to late to be one of the children from upstairs. Slowly she opened the door revealing the face of the woman from downstairs. “Oh, good evening, everything alright?” Y/N asked, carefully keeping the knife hidden behind the door as she held it open. “Yeah, I’m sorry to bother you, it’s just I was wondering if you had a bit of ribbon going spare?” The woman was young and had thick Birmingham accent that Y/N had never taken much notice of before. “Ribbon.” It was the only word Y/N could manage, it was more of a statement then a question and she was trying hard not to panic. “Yeah,” her neighbour continued “red if you’ve got it. My bloody brother has invited himself down and wants me to get him some ribbon. God knows why he wants it and why it has to be red, but I left it to late to get the shop. Karl hasn’t been very well today, so I had to wait for my Freddie to get home and watch him. You don’t look to well yourself.” Y/N had been frozen as she listened, a cold sweat beginning to form on her brow. “No. I haven’t.” again she had to fight with herself to get words to come out “Night.” She muttered as she pushed the door shut. Y/N felt her legs begin to wobble beneath her, so she sunk to the floor, listening to the footsteps moving away on the other side of the door.

“Fuck.” Y/N whispered, holding her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Why had she never bothered to remember what her neighbours name was? She had done her research in Birmingham and knew that the Shelby brothers had a sister named Ada who had moved to London, but when she learned that the sister was nowhere near, she hadn’t looked any further into her. Y/N had thought her irrelevant to her job. If she had dug a bit deeper in Birmingham, if she had gotten to know her neighbour better, she would have realised sooner than this, that Ada Shelby lived downstairs from her. “Fuck!”

@comebackjessica​ @nemesis729​ @spacenijntje​ @hinagiku0​ @fruitloopzzz​ 

[nerdythebard]

#6: Anhur, Slayer of Enemies

Gods and Goddesses!

This time, we journey to the land of Egypt. The realm of scorching deserts, mysterious magic, and ancient kings. And on this journey, we're protected by Anhur. Sometimes also known as Onuris or Han-her, this son of Ra is the personification of elite royal warriors. Master of tactics and spear, Anhur is a cunning and deadly foe to anyone foolish enough to disturb peace in Egypt.

Next Time: WHO LET THE DOG OUT!? (from his coffin)

Okay, with the mandatory reference done, we now get to think about what we need from Anhur:

Spears for Days: Anhur's spear is able to pin enemies to walls and structure, and his Ultimate hurls a volley of spears all around. We need to be of almost equal spear mastery to Achilles... except we use ours to hunt.

Sand Manipulation: Anhur can create obelisks with swirling sand vortexes, which slow any enemies that come in contact with it.

Not-so-Cowardly Lion: Seems obvious, we're a lion god (yes, I know Ancient Egyptians didn't believe their gods have animal heads, shush) and we're one of the best hunters and warriors of the Egyptian pantheon.

---

Starting with Anhur's race, we're lucky Wizards of the Coast provided us this time with a clear and canon solution. Anhur is a Leonin, this lion-folk race gets +2 Constitution and +1 Strength, 60 feet of Darkvision, and slightly faster than average walking speed of 35 feet. We know Common and Leonin languages, and we are equipped with natural weapons – our Claws, which let us make an unarmed strike that deals [1d4 + our Constitution modifier] slashing damage. We also have Daunting Roar, which lets us unleash a mighty roar as a bonus action once per short or long rest.

Creatures of our choosing within 10 feet of us must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC: 8 + our proficiency + our Constitution modifier) or be frightened of us until the end of our next turn (or 6 seconds, for out-of-combat use). We also have Hunter's Instincts, which lets us pick two skills from a list; let's go for Perception and Intimidation.

For Anhur's background, we're gonna modify the City Watch option a little bit: we're going to keep the proficiencies in Athletics and Insight (along with two languages of our choice), but we're shall swap out the Watcher's Eye feature for Fearsome Reputation from Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. Basically, we are known for being ruthless and scary, and the NPCs will think twice before trying to provoke us. We can also get away with minor criminal offences.

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start with Dexterity since we're going to need it for our weapon. Constitution is next, always good to have a solid Hit Point base. We need Wisdom to follow, as we're a competent tactician and hunter (and also for multi-class later... spoilers).

Strength is next, as our weapon - the spear - is not a finesse one, we need this for basic attacks. We continue with Intelligence, and we'll dump Charisma.

CLASS

Level 1 - Fighter: We'll start with the classic warrior. We start with a d10 Hit Dice and [10 + Constitution modifier] Hit Points. We gain proficiency in light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. For Anhur, I'd choose a studded leather armour (AC: 12 + DEX) and, of course, we gotta go with a spear. Our saving throws proficiencies are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills: let's go for Acrobatics and Survival.

This is also where we select our Fighting Style, and for Anhur it's crucial to get good with the spear, so we'll choose Thrown Weapon Fighting. Because ranged weapons and thrown weapons are two different things, we need some boost to our spear (who uses Strength for its damage and attack rolls) - with this, we get a +2 to the damage roll of our spear if we throw it.

We also get a quick healing option with Second Wind. Once per short or long rest, we can use a bonus action to heal [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points.

Level 2 - Fighter: Here, we get Action Surge, which lets us take another Action doing our turn once per short or long rest. This effectively lets us attack twice in crucial moments.

Level 3 - Fighter: We pick our Martial Archetype, and it's going to come off as a surprise to some of you because we're going Eldritch Knight with this one!

With this, we get access to the Weapon Bond feature. This makes us and our spear practically inseparable; we cannot be disarmed if we're conscious and not incapacitated, and if we throw our weapon (or lose it) and it is still on the same Plane as we are, we can use our bonus action to teleport it to our hand.

Eldritch Knights also get some Spellcasting ability. Intelligence is our casting ability and the Save DC is [8 + proficiency bonus + Intelligence modifier]. We start with two cantrips:

Sword Burst creates a circle of blades (or spears :D) around us, forcing all creatures within 5 feet of us to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 force damage (damage increases when we level up).

Gust lets us unleash a puff of wind to either push a creature away, move an object weighing 5 pounds or less up to 10 feet or create a sensory effect like howling of the wind or closing the shutters/doors.

We also get three 1st-level spells (with two spell slots), two of which must be either abjuration or evocation type:

Jump triples the jump distance of any creature we touch, for 1 minute. In D&D there is a Long Jump – after 10 feet of running start we can cover a number of feet equal to our Strength score (NOT modifier) – and a High Jump, which is simply [3 + Strength modifier] feet of jumping up in the air.

Magic Missile creates up to three magical darts (or mini-spears :D) that always hit the selected target. Each dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage and we can choose to target three separate creatures.

Shield is a reaction spell. If we're being attacked and it's a hit, we can add a +5 bonus to our AC until the end of our next turn.

Level 4 - Fighter: Time for the first Ability Score Improvement of this build! We increase our Strength and Dexterity with this one.

We get another spell slot, and we can pick another 1st-level spell: Earth Tremor causes the ground to shake. Each creature in 10 feet radius around us must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.

Level 5 - Ranger: Time to develop our hunting skills, by multi-classing into Ranger. I was considering playing around with the Spell-less variant of the class from Unearthed Arcana: Modifying Classes, but let's stick to the Revised class for now.

We still have the d10 Hit Dice, and we get to pick one Ranger skill to be proficient in; let's go for Investigation. We start with a Favoured Enemy, which if you've seen my Ah Muzen Cab build means we once again invoke the power of Fantasy Racism™ to be more efficient against a certain type of creatures (beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead). Just pick the type that fits your campaign the most to get a +2 bonus to damage against it and an advantage to Survival checks when tracking the chosen type.

We are also a Natural Explorer, which gives benefits to us and our party. For us:

We ignore the effects of difficult terrain;

We have an advantage on initiative rolls;

On our first turn during combat, we have an advantage on an attack against a creature that hadn't attacked yet.

Meanwhile, while travelling for 1 hour or more:

Difficult terrain doesn't slow the group down;

The group can't become lost, unless by means of magic;

The group cannot be surprised/ambushed;

If we're travelling alone, we can move stealthily at a normal pace;

We find twice as much food and water while foraging;

When tracking creatures, we learn their size, exact number, and how long ago they passed through the area we're in now.

Level 6 - Ranger: This is where Rangers get their Spellcasting ability. We gotta manage two of those now, as the Rangers' casting ability is Wisdom. Rangers don't learn cantrips, we have two 1-st level spell slots, and we learn two 1-st level spells:

Ensnaring Strike is a bonus action that causes vines and weeds (or, in our case, perhaps a vortex of shifting sands) to wrap around the target if we manage to successfully hit it with our weapon attack. The target must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the spell ends (1 minute, concentration). While restrained, the target also receives 1d6 piercing damage at the start of each of its turns.

Hunter's Mark is a bonus action, designating one target as your prey. For the spell's duration (1 hour, concentration), we add extra 1d6 damage to the target if we hit them with our weapon attack, and we have an advantage on Perception and Survival checks related to tracking the marked target. If the target dies before the spell ends, we can use our bonus action on the next turn to mark a new target.

We also get to pick a second Fighting Style (yes, they stack if we multi-class). Defence style is nice and simple, it gives us a +1 to our AC.

Level 7 - Ranger: We get Primeval Awareness, which lets us communicate simple ideas with non-hostile beasts, and read their mood and intent. They are not under our control, so we might still need to roll Persuasion or Intimidation (and face consequences), but because of this, encountering wild animals doesn't instantly result in a fight. We can also spend 1 minute in concentration and determine if our Favoured Enemy creature type is within 5 miles of us. If they are, we learn their numbers, distance from us, and general direction.

Three levels into the Ranger class, we get to pick our Ranger Conclave. For Anhur, we're going to pick the Hunter Conclave (duh). Our starting feature is Hunter's Prey, which lets us pick one of three benefits; let's go for Colossus Slayer – once per turn, we can add extra 1d8 damage to a successful weapon attack if our target is already injured ("below their Maximum Hit Points").

We also get another spell: Cure Wounds is a good healing option, letting a creature we touch (or ourselves) regaining [1d8 + our spellcasting ability] Hit Points, with the number increasing by 1d8 if we use higher spell slots.

Level 8 - Ranger: Time for another ASI! This time, let's boost our spellcasting abilities by putting points in Wisdom and Intelligence. We don't learn new spells at this level.

Level 9 - Ranger: Our Conclave gives us some more attacking options with Extra Attack. We can now attack twice instead of once whenever we choose to attack on our turn. In practice, this means we can combine it with the Fighter's Action Surge to attack one enemy four times.

We also unlock 2nd-level spell slots and get to pick another spell: with Spike Growth we can select a 20-foot-radius area within 150 feet of us and transform it into spikes (or perhaps spiky, sharpened sand? :D). When a creature moves into or through the area, they take 2d4 piercing damage for every 5 feet they move.

Level 10 - Ranger: Halfway through the build and we get Greater Favoured Enemy, which upgrades the creatures we're more efficient against into one of the following: aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, fiends, or giants. Again, tailor your choice to the overall campaign theme (if you're playing Horde of the Dragon Queen, it'd be pointless to pick 'giants', wouldn't it?)

Level 11 - Ranger: At this level we get another subclass upgrade. With Defensive Tactics we get to pick one of three options to get us some better protections. Multiattack Defence gives us a +4 to our AC, when we're hit and for all subsequent attacks done by that enemy for the rest of the turn. Many enemies use multiattack, so it's good to be prepared for that.

For this level's spell, Magic Weapon transforms our non-magical weapon into a magical one for up to 1 hour (concentration). Until the spell ends, that weapon has a +1 to both attack and damage rolls, and counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. The bonus increases if we use higher-level spell slots.

Level 12 - Ranger: Time for ASI! Let's tend to some of our weak spots: Intelligence and Charisma.

We also get the Fleet of Foot feature. We can now use the Dash option as a bonus action, which means if we really need to book it, we can now move 70 feet on our turn (105 if the DM agrees to utilize Dash as both action and bonus action - the wording is can not must ;D)

Level 13 - Ranger: At this level we get... well, nothing. Except access to 3rd-level spells, that is. And we shall take Conjure Barrage for this one; it lets us use a piece of ammunition (or a thrown weapon) and multiply it in a 60-foot cone. Each creature within the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer 3d8 points of damage (type of which is determined by the ammunition/weapon used) and half as much on a successful save.

Level 14 - Ranger: We get the Hide in Plain Sight feature, which makes our sneaky hunter lion extra sneaky. When we're hiding on our turn, we can opt to sacrifice our movement this round to impose a penalty (-10 to Perception checks) on enemies that search for us. If we move or fall prone (no matter if we want to, or are forced), we loose the benefit. Otherwise, we can keep using it indefinitely.

Level 15 - Ranger: Here, we get another subclass upgrade. Multiattack gives us an option to go against multiple foes at once. If you have a ranged weapon in your build, pick Volley, but here we'll go for Whirlwind Attack – it lets us make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of us (we roll for each attack and damage).

We get another 3rd-level spell in our repertoire: Protection from Energy lasts for 1 hour (concentration) and grants us resistance to one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.

Level 16 - Ranger: Another ASI! Time to scrape those high-levels of ability, so let's get a +2 to our Dexterity.

Level 17 - Ranger: Once again, we get no class features, just access to 4th-level spells. Freedom of Movement protects us from effects that would normally hinder our... well, movement. For 1 hour we (or any willing creature we touch) are immune to difficult terrain and spells that would cause us to lose our speed (such as Haste), as well as paralysis and being restrained. Nothing can stop the hunter from chasing its prey. We can also spend 5 feet of movement to escape non-magical restraints, such as shackles or ropes.

Level 18 - Ranger: Here, we learn how to Vanish. We can use the Hide action as a bonus action from now own, and we cannot be tracked by non-magical means, unless we decide to leave trail.

Level 19 - Ranger: We get our last subclass upgrade. Superior Hunter's Defence gives us a choice to enhance our defences.

Not necessarily, T'Challa...

We will, however, get Evasion, as it's too good not to take. If we're forced to make a Dexterity saving throw, which results in taking half-damage on a successful one (such as Fireball), we instead take no damage.

And for our final spell of this build, Stoneskin gives us resistance to non-magical piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage for 1 hour (concentration).

Level 20 - Ranger: Our capstone is... an ASI? Apparently, so let's bump up our Strength by 2 points.

---

A'right, that is Anhur. Let's see what we have:

Well, we are a very nimble, spear-throwing lion. With a +4 to our Initiative, we are almost guaranteed to be somewhere in the beginning of a fight. With an average of 184 Hit Points and 17 AC at level 20, we can take some damage. We also have a nice combat-related abilities with two 16s and one 18.

Charisma is, unfortunately, our lowest and most hindering ability. With that, we might be in trouble when facing such spells as Banishment, Zone of Truth, involuntary Plane Shift, or trying to escape the Forcecage.

---

Anyway, I hoped you enjoy this hunt with Anhur, and I'll see you in the next one!

- Nerdy out!

[blaydiud]

“Prince Dimitri,” Eir smiles, and nearly it would have been an odd brightness to her complexion— were it not that such moments as friends be shared between them before. She had hoped to see him before the day passed, eager to extend her gift so carefully procured. She hesitates, before extending it outwards towards the prince. “Happy birthday.”

Offered in her hands is a dagger within its sheath, carefully weighed and tempered. The emblem of a lion adorns one side of the weapon’s cross-guard, and a gardenia flower upon the other— pale gold and white, both noticeably a novice’s handiwork with scrutiny. Wrapped around the darkly coloured grip is a thin white ribbon. If the prince were to extract it from the scabbard, he would find a blade gleaming silver and sharp by its edges. Pressed into the fuller, the runes Tiwaz and Dagaz.

A Faerghan tradition, or so she has learned, the act of bestowing daggers towards others one cared for. Eir can only hope that this was an acceptable offering as such.

“This life… your life is special,” she says, tone gentle and firm both, “it would do you well to remember to cherish it.”

"Eir..." It wasn't exactly the dagger that had him speechless- the weapon was nothing short of beautiful and its symbolism truly tugged on his heart along with the idea that she went as far as to research Faerghus' traditions just for his birthday, but her words' weight forced his mind into a pause.

"Your life is special."

Is it truly?

"It would do you well to remember to cherish it."

When was the last time I did that?

Dimitri barely commemorated his own birthday nowadays, the date either passing by idly to him or at worst leaving a bitter taste in his mouth- another undeserved year survived. There was no joy to be found, only lukewarm content or a dull disappointment.

He couldn't promise Eir that he'd do all of that, that he'd cherish his own existence or acknowledge its importance, because he knows it wouldn't last.

"...I will try my best." But he wouldn't deny efforts, no. "To be there, for as long as my heart allows me to." The certain duration was unsure, but human bodies were sturdy in their own might. I can't give a definite answer, not now. But I can at least try.

It is cowardly for a royal of Faerghus to give up amidst the blizzard. Honor the star in your crest and march forward.

The prince smiled, aquamarine eyes losing some of their iciness and replacing it with a warmer dew. "Thank you, Eir. I shall remember your words forevermore."

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Inside Jokes and References in the Full Bios

Mainly for @spacelizardtrashboys and @kuruumiya

Also: Any time strikethrough text is used it's because it's meant to be secret information, for example on the small bios any time 'Lucifarian' truly isn't their last name their is strikethrough test after saying that it's not their real name. This is to say that no matter what is written or if it's strikethrough text or not, it is there for a reason.

Damien - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for him refers back to his 'King of Hell' gimmick, as does his middle name, Rex means king.

He's protective, like a dad, but also way too overprotective over the gimmicks for the girls. He's an old, old school guy so he enjoys card games with the boys.

He's supposed to sound like a young Hugh Laurie, mainly because if I heard a young Hugh Laurie say Damien's bio quote I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

His main finisher (Seventh Circle) refers back to (a) him being the king of hell and (b) the seventh circle is for violence, and well, he's a wrestler, that's a pretty violent job.

He calls fans both 'peasants' and his 'loyal subjects' because he's like an asshole-ish king who'd quickly be dethroned if they rebelled.

Vickie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for her refers back to her gimmick along with the old saying 'pride comes before the fall'.

She's called 'Victoria' because of both (a) it meaning victory and (b) the fact that Queen Victoria ruled back when Britain had an empire, then the empire fell (as in pride [Vickie] before a fall)

Both Her and Damien are born in August and are the only two to share a birth month as they are Father and Daughter (non-kayfabe, as in they share DNA)

She's raised Christian as back when she was growing up England was a lot more Christian than when she became an adult so she got lax in her beliefs

Her personality is supposed to make her come across as a vain, rich, arse of a person, yet deep down she's still redeemable, she's got a long way to go before she actually redeems herself though

She's the type of person who makes sure EVERY little detail of her matches and promos are PERFECT to the point that she will control what other people do or say, down to the moment it's said/done and the way it's said/done

She only likes the other D.O.D (Daughters of Darkness) members because she has only made enemies in the short while they've been in the company, she especially dislikes George 'The Animal' Steele because of his very messy style going against her 'everything should be perfect' views

She's the leader, the brain and the mouth because of her control over the group, if she let them have more control, there might be less arguments about her amount of control

Her named moves are also references to both her gimmick and other things. Beheader is named because of the Tudor monarchs of England having kind of a thing for killing people in this way (ex. Henry VIII).

Lineage Ender is named that because if she ever botches that one specific move (it'll make sense in context/ she does it during a training scene) it could end either her own Lineage or the person she's doing it to.

Lion's den is called that because she traps them in a near-inescapable crucifix pin, and normally if someone goes into a den of Lions, they aren't escaping in one piece.

Family Pride is named that because not only is her gimmick the sin of pride, but she's got pride in her family and she's her dad's 'pride and joy' because she's his only child.

Wish for this (her main finishing move) is called that because it's an inside joke of "you're gonna 'wish for this' to be over soon"

As she's Damien's blood daughter, a 'prodigal son' joke seemed somewhat appropriate.

Billie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the Guerreros and the whole 'Latin lover' trope

She was born in February because of Valentine's day, hence why her birthday is two days before the 14th

She's 1/2 Cuban (just in general - both Mexican and Cuban culture is interesting to me) But she's 1/2 Cuban in case I ever need to write for Razor Ramon, I can get away with making the joke of 'my Cuban accent's better than yours'.

Her casual style is 'Suggestive' because how else is Lust supposed to dress.

She dislikes Hulk Hogan because she finds him incredibly annoying and she dislikes Jesse Ventura because she dislikes his fashion choices.

I imagine her uncle Hugo looks like Luis Guzman and her dad's like Raul Julia. Try to imagine those two wrestling as a luchador tag team.

Her mother was basically a valet to her dad, which was usually Billie's role before she was part of the D.O.D.

Her move name references are all song references: Love me Tender - Elvis' song of the same name, Personal Aphrodite - a reference to / joke on 'Personal Jesus', Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye's song of the same name.

Also, I hope to eventually use the joke 'The Babe, the babe with the power,' 'What power?' 'Power of voodoo' 'Who do?' 'You do' 'Do what?' 'Remind me of the babe' because of one of her commentary nicknames being 'The Babe'

P.G - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is in reference to her being greed and (right at the start of the story) her thoughts on money actually being able to buy her happiness

her surname 'Voronin' means crow, and well, crows like shiny things, like money

she wears 'fancy but simple' clothing because if she bought designer clothes she'd be in debt, but she still wants to look like she has more money than everyone else

she's cowardly in a Jimmy Hart way, she'll piss someone off during a promo and run away once she feels like she's in danger

she's a showman because she's more show than work, meaning she works exceptionally quick matches.

Her moves are basically jokes on the fact that she is greed, such as Gold-digger and Diamond Ring. However, Money Maker is also a joke on the fact that it's a facebuster and usually an actor's face is called their 'money maker'

She hates Hulk Hogan and Sgt slaughter because of how patriotic they are

Kirby - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to (a) the fact that she's Gluttony, (b) her being the only one who wears a mask constantly and (c) her basically being the group's scare tactic against people who think they can push them around.

I am planning on eventually making her a part of the machines, maybe as a valet, maybe as a wrestler, not 100% sure as of right now

Her mother is the Norwegian-Scottish one and her father is the Irish-Welsh one

She is the tallest (not the heaviest, that's Damien) but she's still 9 inches shorter than André.

She's willing to bleed hardway, but hates blading

She hates Big John Studd because of his disrespect, she hates Hulk Hogan because she thinks he's obnoxiously 'American', she dislikes Lord Alfred Hayes and Dynamite Kid because they are so insistent on calling her '1/4 Icelandic' whenever she talks about being 1/4 Norwegian. She hates Brutus Beefcake because he's just 'so, so much' energy-wise.

She's always been tall, always shorter than André though, she was 5'6" when she was 12, which is still taller than Sam, P.G and Eli.

Kirby's the best at using folk tales and mythology references in her promos and still keeping them dark and scary.

Her speaking voice is Jessica Hynes, but I imagine her singing voice (which will be important later) to be that of Deee-lite's Lady Miss Kier. On that note, I will be putting up a post on this part of the fic's canon.

Feeding Frenzy is meant to look similar to Roddy's wild punches, hence the 'frenzy' part of the name.

Organ grinder is named because it's meant to look really hard (like she's putting all her force and weight into it) as if she's grinding her opponents organs

Hungry for Blood is an in-joke of during her toughest matches she seems hungry to give the fans the sight of blood

Consummation is a joke of 'the match will soon be over, the match will soon be concluded, or consummated' not the sex-based meaning of that word.

Number of the beast, which is 666, is a reference to the 619, and is a modified 619 basically.

Vampire's Bite is a reference to her sitout jawbreaker looking like she could possibly bite someone's neck, like a vampire, as she performs the move

I didn't want to call her chops, chops, so I made a joke of 'oh it's chopping, like a butcher's knife'

Overfeeding is another basic gluttony reference. Cheshire Grin is a facelock-based joke. Let Them Eat Cake is a butt=cake joke

The ogress is a thinly-veiled way of the commentary team calling her ugly, because why else would she be the only one in a mask

Holly - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is written that way because I always wanted her to sound like she comes from New Jersey

She's very cuddly towards the rest of the D.O.D and thus gets called a teddy bear by the others

She's Pansexual because she doesn't care what your gender is, she loves people just being themselves

She's the only ginger because I've never seen a ginger wrestler from New Jersey

She was raised Catholic but lost her faith upon realising how bad gay people are treated by the church (Holly literally just goes "Y'all it is 1984, how are y'all gonna reject people based on who they love?")

Holly's very much the person who'll ask permission to cut a promo on someone but won't tell them how harsh she's going to be

She's the group's mom friend (mum friend?)

Before she started travelling with another member of the group (Holly travels with Sam a lot) she would accidentally no-show events

She does accidentally give incredibly stiff shots

Holly likes Gorilla Monsoon because their friendship is very much a weird pseudo-dad-daughter friendship, so basically, she's using him as her new dad

Her voice is Angie Harmon because I think Harmon sounds like a badass from New Jersey

Naptime, Dirt Nap and Lullaby are jokes of 'I'm gonna knock you out'

Eli - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a joke of 'this is why she doesn't do a lot of promos'

She's the most likely to be on one of those 'too hot for TV' blooper reels from her promos

Both she and Sam hate people taller than them

Sam - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the fact that her tattoos are her 'masterpiece'

she dresses athletically because she's always ready for a fight, especially because she's usually the one picking fights

She likes Lou because he's like a crazy uncle to her and she likes George Steele because, unlike Vickie, she likes the wild man side of his gimmick

She's voiced by Melissa Etheridge because she's still feminine but is the most masculine sounding