#Llew The Lion

[chicago-geniza]

Particularly pleased with Hild's byname Cath Llew in Menewood (Modern Welsh for cat lion/lynx), in part because my initials spell the common word for lynx in many Slavic languages and I use that as my signature 😎

[iron-hearts-ablaze]

// Have you guys ever made Tavs/Durges for games you haven't even played yet? Already out here designing and making up a backstory for a campaign I cannot play for MONTHS yet. Got to wait for cross platform to finally be a thing.

// I love him already. I need to be slapped. Got the Gale and Astarion Origins, my Jason Todd Durge, Amaltel evil co-op run and a Githyanki run I want to do first while waiting for cross platform.

// Before and after the adventure.

Osian Llew. (Osh-ann th-lew. Welsh name. Means 'Stag/Fawn Lion')

He's a Wizard/Rogue.

[saltiestboy]

Brothers are curious things.

I used to call him "Llew" one letter off of his name but it meant lion in our language. Its because I thought he was brave. He must've been, he saw the worst side of me that i could produce at the age of age and still hid under the covers with me. He'd call my depression Ed and my Joy Fun Ed, and i think the most painful memory i hold is when one morning i didnt respond to his joke and he sighed and a tear fell into his cheerios as he muttered, "i guess you're not fun Ed today".

Now were both older. Hes seen me dead and seen me too happy for life. But now he averts his gaze, hes scared of how sad i become and i think he doesn't want to be close to me, so when i burm up as i always do, he won't get scorched.

But i still adore him with my full Heart, so when i go out searching for him in the streets on dark nights. Alone a girl and afraid. He wont answer my calls, i know, our text message history is 5 messages long, even though weve both owned our phones for longer than that. He'll be ok, he has his friends with him. But im scared, and so i hope my anger (fear) wards off strangers on the street, and receive news from my mam that he's home when I'm deep into alleyways.

He sees my missed calls. He doesn't answer or call back. And ill cry in cold parks with the company of smoke from passersby's and a flickwrong light.

But ill still love him, i could replace friends and lovers but my mam's too old for me to have a new brother.

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Bios: Rhodri Rhydderch

The Ogre King of C.R.C Rhodri Rhydderch (2020)

Kirby's uncle and the brother of Hywel, Rhodri. An Irish-Catholic living in Wales and a goal-orientated but kind-hearted father. Don't mess with his children, especially not Fionn.

"You want your Shrek quotes, go to Fionn, not me."

Name

Full Legal Name: Rhodri Riagán Llew Cathassach Rhydderch

First Name: Rhodri

Meaning: From the Old Welsh name 'Rotri', derived from 'Rod' 'Wheel' and 'Ri' 'King'

Pronunciation: RAW-dree

Origin: Welsh

Middle Name(s): Riagán, Llew, Cathassach

Meaning(s): Riagán: From Old Irish 'Riacán', probably derived from 'Ri' 'King' combined with a diminutive suffix. Llew: Variant of 'Lleu' (Probably a Welsh form of 'Lugus', which is possibly from one of the Indo-European roots 'Lewk' 'Light, Brightness', 'Lewg' 'Dark' or 'Lewgh' 'Oath'), short form of 'Llewelyn' (A variant of 'Llywelyn' influenced by the Welsh word 'Llew' 'Lion'). Coincides with the Welsh word 'Llew' meaning 'Lion'. Cathassach: Means 'Vigilant' in Irish

Pronunciation(s): REE-a-gan. SHEW. KA-ha-sakh

Origin(s): Irish. Welsh, Welsh Mythology. Old Irish

Surname: Rhydderch

Meaning: From the given name 'Rhydderch' from the Old Welsh name 'Riderch', derived from 'Ri' 'King' and 'Derch' Exalted'

Pronunciation: HRUDH-ehrkh

Origin: Welsh

Alias: Ogre King, Rhodri Rhydderch

Reason: This is Rhodri's ring name

Titles: Mr

Characteristics

Age: 77

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: Welsh. Irish-Welsh Mix. Dual Citizenship ROI-UK

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: December 5th 1943

Symbols: Ogres, Ogresses, Crowns

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Religion: Irish-Catholic

Native Language: Irish

Spoken Languages: Irish, Welsh, Scottish (Scots Gaelic), English

Relationship Status: Married

Astrological Sign: Sagittarius

Theme Song: 'Tutti Frutti' - Little Richard (1961-)

Voice Actor: Brendan Gleeson

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Tullahought, Kilkenny, Ireland

Current Location: Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, Wales

Hometown: Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, Wales

Appearance

Height: 6'0" / 182 cm

Weight: 172 lbs / 78 kg

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: (Born Blond) Black

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: An 'Average' Spread

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Tattoos: (As of Jan 2020) 20

Piercings: Ear Lobe (Both)

Scars: Surgical scars on his back

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Smoker, Social Drinker

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Allies: (As of Jan 2020) The Rhydderch Clan

Enemies: (As of Jan 2020) None

Friends: Naoise Rhydderch, Uinseann Rhydderch, Yorath Rhydderch, Bran Rhydderch, Delwyn Rhydderch, Fergus Rhydderch, Hywel Rhydderch, Conall Pritchard

Colleagues: The C.R.C Locker Rooms / Too Many To List

Rivals: None

Closest Confidant: Grania Rhydderch

Mentor: Gearalt Rhydderch

Significant Other: Grania Rhydderch

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Gearalt Rhydderch (R.I.P, Father), Angharad Rhydderch (101, Mother, Née MacMathan)

Parents-In-Law: Arran Kavanaugh (R.I.P, Father-In-Law), Briallen Kavanaugh (R.I.P, Mother-In-Law, Née Mac Ghabhann)

Siblings: Naoise Rhydderch (80, Brother), Uinseann Rhydderch (74, Brother), Yorath Rhydderch (71, Brother), Bran Rhydderch (68, Brother), Delwyn Rhydderch (65, Brother), Fergus Rhydderch (62, Brother), Hywel Rhydderch (59, Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: Too Many To List

Nieces & Nephews: Too Many To List

Children: Fionn Rhydderch (47, Son), Aisling O'Hannigan (44, Daughter, Née Rhydderch), Caoimhe O'Hannegan (41, Daughter, Née Rhydderch), Uilliam Rhydderch (38, Son), Ivor Rhydderch (35, Son), Eithne O'Hannagan (32, Daughter, Née Rhydderch)

Children-In-Law: Unity Rhydderch (48, Fionn's Wife, Née Sauvageon), Keaton O'Hannigan (45, Aisling's Husband), Cadell O'Hannegan (42, Caoimhe's Husband), Whitney Rhydderch (39, Uilliam's Wife, Née Sauvageau), Oneida Rhydderch (36, Ivor's Wife, Née Richelieu), Januarius O'Hannagan (33, Eithne's Husband)

Grandkids: Rachel MacGregor (27, Granddaughter, Née Rhydderch), Bruce MacGregor (28, Rachel's Husband), Queen MacEntire (24, Granddaughter, Née Rhydderch), Coinneach MacEntire (25, Queen's Husband), Pace Rhydderch (21, Grandson), Urve Rhydderch (22, Pace's Wife, Née MacEalair), Odin Rhydderch (18, Grandson), Naomh Rhydderch (15, Granddaughter), Macy Rhydderch (12, Granddaughter), Comhghall Rhydderch (9, Grandson), Kaiser Rhydderch (6, Grandson), Jacinth Rhydderch (3, Granddaughter), Ida Scott (24, Granddaughter, Née O'Hannigan), Cillian Scott (25, Ida's Husband), Hale O'Hannigan (21, Grandson), Briallen O'Hannigan (22, Hale's Wife, Née Sangster), Gabriel O'Hannigan (18, Grandson), Faith O'Hannigan (15, Granddaughter), Eartha O'Hannigan (12, Granddaughter), Dagda O'Hannigan (9, Grandson), Cade O'Hannigan (6, Grandson), Bambi O'Hannigan (3, Granddaughter), Aaliyah Wallace (21, Granddaughter, Née O'Hannegan), Matháin Wallace (22, Aaliyah's Husband), Zayden O'Hannegan (18, Grandson), Yorick O'Hannegan (15, Grandson), Xavia O'Hannegan (12, Granddaughter), Wednesday O'Hannegan (9, Granddaughter), Vance O'Hannegan (6, Grandson), Uhtric O'Hannegan (3, Grandson), Tacey Rhydderch (18, Granddaughter), Sadb Rhydderch (15, Granddaughter), Raeburn Rhydderch (12, Grandson), Quirinus Rhydderch (9, Grandson), Paisley Rhydderch (6, Granddaughter), Olive Rhydderch (3, Granddaughter), Napoleon Rhydderch (15, Grandson), Macdara Rhydderch (12, Grandson), Lalla Rhydderch (9, Granddaughter), Kayleen Rhydderch (6, Granddaughter), James Rhydderch (3, Grandson), Iain O'Hannagan (12, Grandson) Haidee O'Hannagan (9, Granddaughter), Garnet O'Hannagan (6, Granddaughter), Fabius O'Hannagan (3, Grandson)

Great Grandkids: Craig MacGregor (7, Great Grandson), Ceinwen MacGregor (4, Great Granddaughter), Ceridwen MacGregor (1, Great Granddaughter), Donald MacEntire (4, Great Grandson), Dougal MacEntire (1, Great Grandson), Vilija Rhydderch (1, Great Granddaughter), Commgán Scott (4, Great Grandson), Alexandria Scott (1, Great Granddaughter), Orlagh O'Hannigan (1, Great Granddaughter), Gwilym Wallace (1, Grandson)

Wrestling

Billed From: Kilkenny, Ireland

Trainer: The C.R.C Wrestling School, Gearalt Rhydderch

Managers: Grania Rhydderch

Wrestlers Managed: Grania Rhydderch

Debut: 1961

Debut Match: Rhodri Rhydderch VS Gearalt Rhydderch. Double Count Out

Retired: N/A

Retirement Match: N/A

Wrestling Style: Grappler

Stables: The Rhydderch Clan (1961-)

Teams: No Team Names

Regular Moves: Rotating Punch To The Stomach, Backbreaker, Running Knee Lift, Belly To Belly Suplex, Diving Shoulder Block, Dropkick, Gorilla Press, Lariat, Scoop Powerslam, Spinning Spinebuster, Three Point Stance Tackle, Tiger Suplex

Finishers: Boston Crab, Senton, Sitout Gutwrench Powerbomb, High Angle Belly To Back Suplex

Refers To Fans As: The Fans, The Family

Extras

Backstory: Rhodri Rhydderch of the C.R.C (Welsh Wrestling League / Cynghrair Reslo Cymru) owning Rhydderch family. Rhodri has a 1/8th ownership of the promotion and is the 'Ogre Style’ (Grappler) trainer. He’s Half-Irish, Half-Welsh.

Trivia: Nothing of Note

[nicksheri]

flash fiction: lion clicker

the lion in front of me, llew, now laying on the ground, finding his breath, finding my breath—they say he’s around 13 years old, tired, they say he’s already been trained, that i should find this job easy, just start  by getting to know llew, walk around, i point my finger to the left, supposedly he jumps to where i point and then lies down, but he doesn’t move, so i don’t click the clicker that indicates a trick done correctly nor does he get a treat—13 years old, really? they live to maybe 15 at the most, the males, maybe a female can go longer—it’s been a couple months since the accident, or some say the intention, when llew attacked the last trainer, a guy about 30 years old, from bolivia, it was all unexplainable they say, llew was laying there licking his paw while the bolivian was looking at his phone, and llew turned on him and bit him in the arm and the neck—the bolivian survived but barely—

and they say after the bolivian

released the most gurgling horrific scream while his hand separated, the lion let out his proudest roar—people rushed in pretty quickly, but llew didn’t move much, they say the bolivian made a big deal out of pardoning the lion, asking they don’t kill it or punish or alter its situation in any way, or force it into retirement, he said llew still had a few years of shows left in him—a few days ago i met him, the bolivian, he had a tanned face, almost red, the stub on his hand was healing well, he even mistakenly held out his hand to shake, not wanting to embarrass him i leaned forward to shake the stub, but he pulled back his arm stub and looked at me like i should have said something instead of just moving on with the charade—llew laid with lazy stares behind bars, watching the conversation, and the bolivian turn to him and said, i’ll deal with you later—

i have a bucket of sticks of beef treats

and the clicker, a few notes from the bolivian on hand signals, and a training stick, just to see how llew reacts—my meeting with the bolivian was overly superficial, i didn’t have full background on llew’s motivations, triggers, fears and desires, the bolivian blamed himself for the accident, saying once llew started at him he ran away from llew, without saying what he was running to or why he was running at all—so the bolivian’s advice was to not make sudden moves, avoid running to or from the cat, which i already know and any professional trainer should know or for that anyone with simple sense in them, so I’m just doing trial and error, seeing what llew reacts to or not—

i return the next day

to find llew laying on his side, breathing heavily, his teeth bared and his eyes small slits, sick with something, maybe dying—he shouldn’t be doing shows, he’s done with it, biting the bolivian was his last act, defiance that he figured would end it for him, if it were his life then fine even preferable—understood but my job is to figure out how if this were in fact true, i leave the bucket of treats and place the clicker on the ground, i a walk to llew and sit next to him, i think to place my hand on him, his head, his heart, but that may not go well—after sitting next to him in silence for about 5 minutes, i tell him, talk to me llew—he moves his head just enough to see me, and he stares a few seconds, like he’s waiting, and he puts his head down—i sit still for longer, and he does it again—i get up and walk back to the bucket and the clicker, i pick up the clicker, and i point to the left and llew lets out a frightening roar—I stand my ground and once again i point to the left, like the bolivian showed me, and llew reluctantly gets up and jumps sideways, facing me, and i clicker the clicker and give him his beef treat—

[asitis-and-asitwas]

The Evolution of My Tongue

“ESIO TROT, ESIO TROT, TEG REGGIB REGGIB, EMOC NO, ESIO TROT, WORG PU, FFUP PU, TOOHS PU, GNIRPS PU, WOLB PU, LLEWS PU! EGROG! ELZZUG! FFUTS! PLUG,TUP NO TAF, ESIO TROT, TUP NO TAF, TEG NO, TEG NO, ELBBOG DOOF.” A quote from the fictious children’s’ novel, “Esio Trot, Esio Trot” by Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl, the most authentic English voice I knew, before I knew my own. Up until my forced introduction to the English language, I spoke a messy Afrikaans - but what is Afrikaans if not messy? At five, having no siblings, I rambled through the aggressive g’s and r’s in empty-headed attempts to talk and talk and talk myself into feeling accompanied by pets, furniture and parents.

Entering my pre-primary education, my parents placed my clumsy tongue and I into an entirely English school because my mother believed that “university is better taught in English”.

The language came to me quickly. I liked how the sounds left my mouth without the force of wind or use of stomach muscles. My first teacher, Roald Dahl, guided me through learning a very playful English, introducing me to extravagant onomatopoeia, grossly long descriptions of familiar everyday life and mostly the creativity that could come from speaking a language I’m comfortable with.

Searching for an escape from Johannesburg, my mother and I moved to Rustenburg where I learnt the local tongue: Setswana. Not only did I learn a new South African language, but also of the power that is within the English language. At school, although we were taught Setswana, nobody was allowed to speak it because “the white kids don't understand”.

It was a while till I was able to come to grips with the superpower of English: the common tongue. English was no longer a creative tool, but one that standardized the way I spoke and was spoken to.

I regret to say that my Setswana tongue is now stupid and only as valuable as the few words it remembers after leaving Rustenburg such as “tau” (lion) and “Tswêê-tswêê” (please).

Nearing the end of my pre-teens I discovered that my love for English had come from my love of its power instead of its playfulness, despite my early fascination with Mr. Dahl.

Almost-immediately, English felt boring, unchallenging and common. As if it was no longer a skill but rather general knowledge. I spoke a tired and thoughtless English. Suddenly, I missed my mother tongue.

In Afrikaans, one can regurgitate words like “mengelmoeskatoes”, meaning a mixture of anything and everything. Similarly, “skouervlieg”, which directly translates to “shoulder-fly”, means backseat driver. Amid conversations about politics and the weather, there is a surplus of philosophical descriptors for you to choose from such as “geluksalig” (blissfully happy) and ontsagwekkend (awe-inspiring). Descriptions take obnoxiously long and one can debate for hours about the relevance of Afrikaans’ famously absurd idioms such as “jakkels trou met wolf se vrou”, meaning it’s raining while the sun is out but strangely translating to, “the jackal is marrying the wolf’s wife”.

Despite the love I had for the annoying uniqueness of the Afrikaans language, too much time had passed since I fell in love with English and my Afrikaans tongue had become estranged and naïve.

For years now, in my uncomfortable and desperate attempt to preserve my original tongue, I’ve forced myself to speak a very basic Afrikaans when speaking to my mother. Over time, it has become less strenuous, I might even say my Afrikaans has become lovely…

Most recently, I’ve found myself accidentally forgetting certain English words and mindlessly replacing them with the Afrikaans translation instead, which has been a pleasant surprise.

Synchronously, I’ve been trying to love English once again by engaging in more stimulating content. Instead, I found I was simply pushing through conversations without thought about what I was saying and letting the words flow without effort.

My boredom of the English language was halted when I started studying the language in uni, where I was finally confronted with the solution to my English fatigue – live English. I have learnt how to excite my English tongue back to life through the challenge of speaking an English that eradicates cliché and strives to be intensely original. An English like that of Roald Dahl, in which the quote above can mean the quote below. 

“Tortoise, Tortoise get bigger, bigger. Come on Tortoise grow up, puff up, shoot up! Spring up, Blow up swell up! Gorge! Guzzle! Stuff! Gulp! Put on fat, Tortoise, Put on fat! get on, Get on! Gobble food!!” A quote from the fictious children’s’ novel, “Esio Trot, Esio Trot” by Roald Dahl.

[nicolagriffith]

Hild's bynames #5: Cath Llew

In HILD, Hild acquires four bynames or epithets. In MENEWOOD she acquires more, the first of which is Cath Llew, or lynx. Here's a post—maps! drawings!—about how and when that happened.

This is the fifth in an occasional series on Hild’s bynames. In Hild, the first novel, Hild as a child and then adolescent girl acquires four bynames. In the second, Menewood, she acquires three more, the first of which is Cath Llew. Vocabularly ‘Cath Llew’ is Modern Welsh for ‘cat lion’, that is, ‘lynx’.1 Here I’m thinking of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), apex predators powerful enough to…

[jeffersonvann]

Daniel stayed the course.

20230705 Llew Glynllifon Lion by Alan Fryer is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0 Daniel stayed the course. Daniel 6:16-18 (JDV) Daniel 6:16 Then the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!”Daniel 6:17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it…

[beatsforbrothels]

Huw Marc Bennett - Llew The Lion

[straycatj]

Ms Landlady, your next cat could be named Llew. In my language Welsh it means "lion", and it begins with L!

That's a great name but it's a little bit difficult for me to pronounce ll sound correctly. But, but, furthermore...... I hope my next cat would be gentle and smaller......

[ask-hetalia-cymru]

So fi di gweld llawer o enwau wahanol i Gymru yn rehedeg o gwmpas yr wê ac on i’n meddwl gallen i siarad amdanynt ac wedyn esbonio pa enw fydden i yn defnyddio. Ni fyddai une cyfieithu hyn oherwydd dwi ddim eisiau ysgrifennu popeth dwy waith. Os chi’n siarad cymraeg chi siwr o fod yn gwybod rhan fwyaf o beth dwi’n esbonio ta beth.

So I’ve seen a lot of different names for Wales running around the internet and I thought I could talk about them and then explain what name I would use for him.

Enwau cyffredin/Common names:

David (Dafydd) is a fairly common name. I know one or two and there are definitely enough well known welshmen called so. There’s also the joke about all the farmers being called Daf Jones. The problem is that David is very much an English name and I see Wales very much embodying the Welsh struggle for identity and language. A big part of modern Welsh history is about the struggle against English erasure and oppression of Welsh culture. (see. Darn Bach o Bapur Pren a Chansen. Sorry about only finding sites selling these books)

Dylan is also a very good name. Especially if you like Dylan Thomos. This is Wales’ name in moonlighten’s Feel the Fear series. It’s really good.

Owain has a lot of important connotations in Welsh history (see Owain Glyndŵr). It’s also a fairly common name in Wales.

Owen was used for Wales by Sunruner in their epic Snakeskins which I highly recommend if you want really good uk bros interactions. And other stuff too. Again this name is a very popular Welsh name.

Rhys is, again, a very popular Welsh name. Again, a bunch of important Welsh people have this name (so many football and rugby players 😅)

And many more.

I, however, would call him either

Gryffydd

Or

Llywelyn

Gryffydd is incredibly popular in wales. I had 4 Gruff’s in my year at primary school alone. It has a lot of historical basis. I also personally really like this name. And it’s one of those names that - like Llywelyn - English speakers seem incapable of saying correctly. Which would really appeal to Cymru because he loves spiting England/Arthur. The shortened version of this name is Gruff. No, it’s not pronounced how you think it is. This is how it’s said

Llywelyn is similar in that it’s even harder to pronounce than Gryffydd. It only has 3 consonants in Welsh (figure out which ones as a challenge). Arthur cannot for the life of him say Llywelyn and this satisfies Cymru’s petty passive aggressive heart so much. Llywelyn is also the name of a bunch of important Welsh princes and it’s pretty common these days. Especially as a last name. The shortened version of this one is Llew which means lion.

I’m not really sure which one to go with but I’m leaning more towards Llywelyn just because England wouldn’t be able to pronounce it. Feel free to comment your thoughts and suggestions for other names for Cymru

Diolch am ddarllen!!

[kerra-and-company]

💖🍊⭐🍐💙🔮🎀 from the jumbo asks for Cal (@likemesomesalads)

Oh HELL yes, that's so many asks for them and I am absolutely down!! Tyty :D GW1 kiddo hours! Also, for everyone who doesn't know who the heck this is, have the picrew I made of Cal:

Answers under a cut because they all got Long!

💖 Has your OC ever been in love, be it romantic or platonic or otherwise? Who with and did they ever express their feelings or keep it private? How long did these feelings persist / do they still feel this way?

Yes, definitely! The (romantic) love of Cal's life is Daisy Llew, and I'll give you the picrew I made of her too 'cause why not:

Daisy's from Ascalon, and Cal meets her there about a year and a half or so before the Searing (and therefore a year or so before the start of the GW1 in-game storyline). Since you can dual-class in GW1, Daisy's specifically a necromancer/monk, and she chose that combo to spite people who insisted that you were only supposed to deal in life OR death magic. (And in part to spite her tutor at the time, Verata.) She's skilled enough in magic that she serves as an informal sort of protector for her village, which is a bit to the east of Rin. She shares a house with her mother, Grace, who she loves a whole lot; her father's been dead since she was five, but he was horrible, so she's not sad about it. (And there's more about her character I could definitely share, but since that's not the point of this post, I'll stop here for now xD)

The entire reason Cal's even in Ascalon at that point is because they were traveling--they really wanted to see the world, so they sailed to Lion's Arch, traveled through a great deal of Kryta and over the mountains, and ended up in Ascalon. They didn't plan on staying long, but they managed to make some friends (including Rurik), and then they met and started falling for Daisy, and...yeah, their plans of moving on quickly got fully halted for a While.

Cal did indeed express their feelings! :) They and Daisy were officially dating for about six-ish months before the Searing, and they stayed together until their deaths many years later. They had two children, and one of their descendants (Maya) participates in some of the major events in my GW2 story.

🍊 What is your OC’s favorite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes?

Meal (though it could kinda be a snack too): drake kabobs, both for the taste and because they remind Cal of Kamadan; snack: fried banana chips, because that's something their dad made for them growing up; dessert: pumpkin bread, thanks to Daisy's mom; and, drink: spiced apple cider, literally just because they like it.

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

Ooh, interesting. I can't think of any specific phobias that Cal has, but the biggest fear they have comes later down the line. Once they're settled, sometime after the events of Eye of the North, in Istan with Daisy (and, later, their kids), they are terrified of a threat coming to uproot that. They've seen enough of that in their life, both in other places and in Istan--the Searing, the White Mantle, Khilbron, Shiro, Nightfall/Abbadon, Primordus on some levels, the Ministry of Purity (though they're less directly involved in that situation)--and, at this point, they're done moving around. They've seen enough of the world. They want it to be safe enough that their children can grow up in peace. They have to work through a lot of emotions around this over the years, especially when the kids are very little, but they manage to work through it. And then, about 10-ish years later, Joko starts raiding the Vabbian border, and there's a new (old?) threat coming back to haunt them again, and their kids might not be safe--it's a Lot. It's a lot.

Cal was definitely scared plenty of times during the main GW1 story, but they're good at compartmentalizing, so it mainly comes up after the fact. They'll hold onto someone (Daisy, one of their friends, etc.) to make sure they're still there; they'll take deep breaths and try to calm down; they'll craft new arrows or work on improvements to their staff (they're pretty decent at making magical weapons and made their staff themself!). They use those same kind of coping skills again after the main storyline when they're dealing with the fear of their home being destroyed, but the symptoms of this fear also are slightly more severe. They struggle with panic attacks for a while, and they have trouble sleeping--not nightmares, they just can't get to sleep very easily and don't sleep well when they do.

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

A bit of both, I think--Cal's more realistic than anything, but they lean more positive as a child than they do as an adult, and even just as a younger adult than they do later on. They're extremely excited to see the world when they leave Istan at ~22, and they legitimately think it will, overall, go well. Sure, it'll be different than home, but that's the point! And if it's dangerous, they know how to fight.

After the Searing, they become a lot more cautious, and even if they don't expect the negative outcomes, they plan for them. Cal becomes the monarch of contingency plans, and, as they begin to take on more and more of a leadership role, they are very careful not to send someone into a situation they won't be able to get out of. Losing Rurik in the mountains does not really help this overplanning situation, and there's a few weeks where they're kinda spiraling in this regard before they manage to stop, take a breath, and remind themself that they can't control everything or predict everything. And that's the mentality they stick with for years and years afterwards--they'll have backup plans, but even those might not catch all the possible situations, and that's life. They can improvise if they have to.

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

Cal really wasn't sure. They thought maybe something to do with trading, like their mother, or helping the Zaishen take care of their animals, or maybe they'd just be a traveler and a kinda jack-of-all-trades. They didn't have anything set in their mind other than they wanted to see the world, do some good maybe (though they hadn't planned on it being on such a grand scale, and they hadn't planned to be a leader), and come back home--and I guess they did do that, so...dreams accomplished, I guess alsdjfasdf? They accomplished their main goal And Then Some.

Fun fact, they trained a little with the Sunspear recruits when they were a teenager. They were an accomplished fighter, but they refused to officially join--they weren't sure that that was what they wanted, and they wanted to travel so badly too; they didn't want to feel trapped in Istan or Elona as a whole. They didn't know Kormir well during this time period, but they did know her, and they told her their reasons for not wanting to join. She heard them and told them to let her know if they did ever come back to Elona, and if they changed their mind. Funnily enough, though, when they did meet again, Kormir was the one who came to Cal in Lion's Arch to request their assistance with the beginnings of Nightfall, rather than them going to her. (Also worth noting--during and after Nightfall, when they actually are working with the Sunspears, they always consider any Sunspear title they earn/hold to be honorary at best.)

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

Star gazing, snuggles, late nights :)

🎀 Do they wear a specific accessory with a special meaning behind it? What is their usual fashion sense like? What do they wear when they want to be comfortable and what do they wear when they’re going to a fancy party? Or do they just not care?

For the first question--not really, honestly! The closest they get to that is the fact that they basically do the one-earring thing, but that's more because they like the style than because the actual earrings themselves mean anything specific to them. Their weapons do have special meaning to them, but they're not quite going to be wearing those.

Their usual fashion sense is mostly practical, but it's also going to incorporate some kind of personal flair, whether that's sewn-on patches or symbols or just using styles they enjoy from home, and it's probably going to involve burnt/sunset orange in some way, since that's their favorite color :)

When they want to be comfy? Depends if they're going out and about or not--if they are, what I said in the bit above this one, and if they're not, probably comfy pajamas, haha. When it's a fancy party, you're going to see them with a touch more jewelry, clothes that definitely look ironed, maybe a suit of some kind if they think it's appropriate, but nothing past that. And it's still going to be comfortable. They are never touching high heels with a ten-foot pole.

[thinksandthings]

dandelion

I absolutely never noticed this, but now that I’ve seen it, I cannot believe it never occurred to me. Dandelion, the flower of my childhood, is a borrowing from the French name dent de lion, which is literally “lion’s teeth.” 

I think this is the most adorable thing and I love it very much. 

The French came through the Middle English, spelled alternately as dantdelyon or dendelyoun. This phrase has also popped up in related languages, such as the Welsh dant y llew, and the Spanish diente de léon.

At the very base of it is the Latin dens leonis, which translates pretty much the same as its linguistic descendants. 

Interestingly, in looking around some dictionaries, I found this entry from an anthology of plants written in 1578: 

The great Groundlwel, hath rough whitish leaves, deeply jagged and knawen upo both sides, like to the leaves of the white Mustard or lenuie. The stalke is two foote high or more: at the top where-of growe smal knoppes, which do open into smal yellow flowers the which are lodenly gone, changed into downie blowbawles like to the heades of Dantdelyon, and are blowen away with the winde.

I’m not sure I transcribed that right, but I really like the last bit: “changed into downie blowbawles like to the heades of Dantdelyon, and are blowen away with the winde.” 

[thebladeblaster]

Pokémon: the Dark Circuit (aka Vanguard Descends season 2)

Chapter 10 The Sneaky First Match! The Legend Q4 Is Born!

Aichi’s current team

Level 90 Takuto (Solgealeo) steel/psychic

Moves:

Sunsteel Strike

Flare Blitz

Solar Beam

Psychic Fangs

Level 93 Wingal (Lycanroc (dusk)) rock

Moves:

Stealth rock

Crunch

Stone edge

Play rough

Level 91 Llew (Golisopod) water/bug

Moves:

Sucker punch

Blizzard

Liquidation

First impression

Level 95 Gancelot (Lucario) fighting/steel

Moves:

Focus blast

Stone edge

Meteor mash

Dragon pulse

Level 100 Soul Saver (Haxorus) dragon

Moves:

Outrage

Iron tail

Dragon dance

Scale shot

Level 100 Alfred (Aegislash) ghost/steel

Moves:

Sacred sword

King’s shield

Iron head

Shadow Claw

From his seat in his booth Gin watched on with interest as the pairings were announced. The first match was team Q4 vs team Ninja.From the entrance to the battleground stood Misaki, Kai, Shin, and Kamui. Strangely, Aichi was currently missing.

“What’s with that weird name?”, Misaki questioned.

“It’s short for Quadrifoglio which is Italian for four leaf clover, the ultimate symbol of luck.”, Shin explained.

“I like it!”, Kamui replied.

“I’m a bit worried. Aichi still hasn’t shown up yet. Do you think there’s any foul play from Team Asteroid?”, Shin questioned.

“It’s nothing like that. He’s just running late.”, Kai replied, with his eyes closed and crossing his arms.

“How do you know?”, Kamui asked.

“Because I was training with him. His final test has been taking awhile. Takuto wants to make sure he’s really ready.”, Kai replied.

The others gasped in shock hearing that Kai trained with Aichi.

Back in Kakusa many recognizable faces gathered around their TVs to watch the Circuit. At the Sendou household along with its usual residents was Mr. Mark, Miwa, Naoki, Mikuru, and Chrono. They watched the screen intently and Shizuka did a prayer for her son.

“I thought this was a tournament of 4 why do they only have 3 guys?”, Kamui questioned.

“The fourth person is as a alternate just in case and another person to switch out to. You technically can compete with just 3.”, Shin explained.

On the opposite side to team Q4 was team Ninja. The tallest of their members had cyan and black hair with grey eyes. He wore a fishnet shirt with a red scarf and a silver necklace. Another was a redhead with slicked back hair and red eyes. He also wore a fishnet top along with a purple and grey jacket. The shortest one who was even shorter than Kamui had blue hair covered by his hood and yellow eyes. He had a white hood and a gold part covering his mouth. Underneath it he wore an orange shirt and red arm warmers on his arms.

“Where’s your leader 003v? He’s not scared is he?”, the tallest one taunted.

“Hey, Aichi isn’t scared of anyone! He’s just late! That’s all!”, Kamui replied.

“Well then which one of you has the courage to go up first against a world class team.”, the redheaded one asked.

“I’ll be glad to kick your dory cuts!”, Kamui said, raising up his fist.

“Sorry butts you mean.”, Misaki corrected, making Kamui sweat drop.

“Whatever! I, Kamui the great, am gonna take you losers down!”, Kamui announced.

“We’ll see about that. I’ll be your opponent. I am Crank, a master of the grass type”, the shortest one said.

“I’m master of uhh...the winning type!”, Kamui replied as he walked up to the battlefield causing Misaki to face palm.

“Remember Kamui you only get to select one Pokémon in this battle so be careful. If you get defeated then one of us is up next against Crank.”, Misaki said.

“For team Ninja we have the master of grass, a veteran in this circuit, Crank. And for team Q4 we have the whirlwind fighter hailing from the Kakusa region, Katsuragi Kamui!”, MC Miya introduced.

“Go, Ludicolo!”, Crank called out.

“Go, Buster!”, Kamui called out.

Leon narrowed his eyes from his booth.

“003v us somewhere near here, but it seems he’s learned to suppress the energy his Psyqualia gives off.”, Leon thought.

He could feel him very vaguely somewhere near the arena. He didn’t know why he hadn’t appeared yet though.

Back to the battle…

“Buster use blaze kick!”, Kamui commanded.

Buster kicked off, launching a flying flame-covered kick at Ludicolo.

“You must really be a fool! Ludicolo is also a water type! Ludicolo ninja arts of hydro pump!”, Crank said.

Ludicolo shot a torrent of water at Buster.

“Oh no!”, Miwa said, watching the match on the tv.

“Buster!”, Kamui called out as he did Buster twisted mid air away from the water.

Buster then landed briefly, kicking off the ground and delivering a rising flame kick to Ludicolo’s face.

“Ninja art of hydro pump!”, Crank ordered.

As another torrent of water was shot Buster spun out of the way of the attack.

“Wow, Kamui’s Blazekin sure is fast.”, Emi commented, as she watched.

“My! My! It looks like Crank’s mon can’t even touch Kamui’s! We’ll our rookies get actually win over our veterans team Ninja?”, MC Miya said.

Buster was very light on its feet, easily dodging the watery blasts sent its way.

“Buster use thunder punch!”, Kamui commanded.

Buster moved swiftly like lightning before Crank could give his next order Buster struck Ludicolo with its lightning punch. Ludicolo stubbled a bit but as it tried to right itself and was hit by another punch. With every hit the was a crackle of thunder following it.

“Ludicolo ninja art of-gah?!”, Crank gasped in shock as Ludicolo fell to the ground fainting.

“Heh! Is that all you got world class losers?!”, Kamui taunted as he did Buster bounced around punching the air.

“Why you little…”, The tallest one grumbled.

“Don’t worry Jack I’m gonna teach that cocky brat a lesson.”, the redheaded one saint, putting his hand on his shoulder and smirking.

“I’ll be your next opponent. I am Lizard master of the water type.”, the redheaded one introduced.

“All you’ll be is another loser!”, Kamui replied.

Many of those back at the Sendou household sweat dropped at Kamui’s confidence.

“Let’s just hope he can continue to back it up. At least they got one win so far. That’s good.”, Shuka commented.

“Woah, that Blazekin is so rad. I should catch something like that.”, Naoki commented.

“I wonder where Aichi is though…”, Shizuka thought.

Somewhere near the area…

“Takuto!!! Takuto!!! Wait the match has started should we be-AHHH!!!”, Aichi screamed comedically as he ran from the sun lion shooting beams of light at him.

“You must be completely prepared, Aichi now fight me!”, Takuto said as Solgealeo.

Aichi looked over at the restraint bracers nervously. They seemed to be upgraded, their gems were now black and there was another one around his neck.

“But, you shut off my powers, how can I fight you without my Pokémon?!”, Aichi questioned, before squealing as he narrowly dodged another beam of light.

Back with Kamui…

Lizard walked up to the arena pulling out a Poké ball. Jack crossed his arms smirking, ignoring the sulking Crank.

“I don’t understand. I’m a veteran how did I lose to a rookie kid like him?”, Crank questioned.

“You can still redeem yourself, Crank.”, Jack whispered to him, causing Crank to turn to him and nod.

“Up next for team Ninja we have the master of the deep, Lizard!”, MC Miya announced.

“Go, Greninja!”, Lizard called out.

Buster faced the water Pokémon who got in a fighting stance.

“Greninja ninja art of spikes.”, Lizard ordered.

“Buster use thunder-“, Kamui was saying before he was caught off.

“Ninja art of smoke screen!”, Lizard cut him off.

Greninja made a hand sign and smoke filled the arena.

“What the heck now I can’t see!”, Kamui complained.

“This isn’t good. Greninja will likely be able to find Buster. But, Buster can’t see him.”, Yugi commented.

“How can Greninja see but Buster can’t?”, Jonouchi asked.

“Think Jonouchi, think. Why would he use this strategy if he didn’t have a way to find his opponent.”, a new voice said who entered.

He had black hair in a ponytail and green eyes. He had a black shirt with a red vest and pants. He wore dice earrings and had a red headband. He also had black makeup on his face under his right eye.

“I don’t remember asking you Ryuji!”, Jonouchi grumbled as Ryuji smirked at him.

“I thought you’d graduate from being a Lillipup before this tournament began. I hope you don’t hold us back.”, Ryuji teased.

This made Jonouchi growl.

“Hey! Hey! Settle down guys!”, Honda said, getting between the two and raising up his hands.

Kamui squinted his eyes trying to see through the fog.

“Oh no! Lizard has already set up his specialty! This could be the beginning of the end for our rookie team!”, MC Miya announced.

“Greninja use ninja art of water shuriken!”, Lizard ordered.

Kamui could hear a loud splash and a stumble from within the smoke clouds which was likely Buster getting hit by the attack. Kamui growled in frustration at not being able to see what’s going on.

“Buster use thunder punch! Punch around till you find him!”, Kamui ordered.

They could hear Buster swinging but no impact while instead hearing loud splashes and stumbling.

“This isn’t good.”, Shin commented.

They could hear feet running and a loud thunder crack as Greninja was sent flying out the smoke.

“Darn! He got a lucky shot!”, Lizard said angrily.

Out from the smoke Buster pulled back a fist ready to strike Greninja again.

“Greninja use hydro pump quick!!!”, Lizard ordered.

At almost the same time the lightning punch and torrent of water connected with their intended targets. Both Pokémon fell over fainting.

“Darn. I hoped I could sweep the whole team! You did good, Buster. Who’s tagging in next?”, Kamui said, returning Buster.

“I’m up next.”, Misaki said, before they high fives signaling Kamui tagging out.

“Oh my oh my! A double knock out! This battle just keeps getting more thrilling! The rookies may really win this match at this rate! All who’s left for team Ninja is their leader Jack, master of the inferno! However he’s the strongest of them all! If anyone can pull of a comeback victory for his team it’s him!”, MC Miya announced.

“So, fire type huh.”, Misaki thought.

“For team Q4 we have Tokura Misaki, the Kakusa region’s own Psychic type gym leader! She’s been rumored to have mystic powers which she uses to completely dominate her opponents!”, MC Miya announced.

A tick mark appeared on Misaki’s head after MC Miya announced the rumor. Kamui and Shin nervously stepped back from Misaki.

“I don’t have any powers, you moron!!! Just photographic memory!!!”, Misaki yelled in annoyance at the commentator who nervously flinched.

Yugi and his friends sweat dropped from the stands hearing Misaki’s outburst.

“Woah, she’s as feisty as she is beautiful.”, Ryuji commented, cupping his chin.

“She would break you in half Ryuji…”, Anzu replied, still sweat dropping.

The two competitors brought out a Poké ball.

“Go! Incineroar!”, Jack called out.

“Go, Sakuya!”, Misaki called out.

Sakuya winced as her feet dug into the spikes laid in the previous match.

[vielsprachig]

Anifeiliaid yn Gymraeg

aderyn - bird afanc - beaver alarch - swan animal - anifail arth - bear asyn - donkey blaidd - wolf bochdew - hamster buwch - cow carw - deer cath - cat ceiliog - cockerel ceffyl - horse ci - dog cimwch - lobster copyn - spider cranc - crab crwban - tortoise crwban y môr - turtle cwningen - rabbit dafad - sheep dylluan - owl dolffin - dolphin dyfrgi - otter eliffant - elephant gafr - goat gwenynen - bee gŵydd - goose hwyaden - duck iâr - hen llew - lion llwynog - fox llygoden - mouse madfall - lizard morfarch - seahorse mochyn - pig mochyn cwta - guinea pig morfil - whale mwnci - monkey neidr - snake octopws - octopus panda - panda pelican - pelican pili-pala - butterfly pryf - insect pysgodyn - fish pysgodyn jeli - jelly fish seren fôr - starfish siarc - shark teigr - tiger ystlum - bat jiráff - giraffe

[white-cloaked]

It was the Lone Moon in Llew.

Llew was a town in what had once been western Faerghus. No-one quite knew if it had been there before it had become the winter quarters of the Silver Lions mercenary company, or if it existed solely because of said mercenary company. Either way, it was aptly named, Llew translating to Lion in one of Faerghus’ old dialects. Nestled in a mountain valley, it was sheltered from the worst of the mountaintop weather, and the fortified barracks complex of the company stood between it and the mouth of the valley. When the Lions rode out in spring, a solid garrison and all the Lions-in-training remained behind. As it was almost the end of the winter recess, the company’s Captain, Ilya Silverblade, could be found in their office, pouring over contracts and running the numbers of risk versus gain. Tall and sandy blonde, they wore leather only a hair finer than that of their highest-ranking officers.

Silver-eyed, the trait that contributed to half of their moniker, they were leanly muscled and moved with the deadly grace of a mountain cat. Believing in fair wage for fair work, it was said that they ‘fussed’ over the people they commanded, which made their company a popular choice for new recruits. They didn’t talk much about themself, only vaguely implying they may have seen certain historic events, but that was by personality and by design. Anyone who still knew them as Ilya Avery Blaiddyd, Kingsguard in service to Dimitri (and his cousin besides), was considered an enemy first and foremost. But their past had finally caught up to them. Busy cross-referencing contracts with ledgers and the map spread over their desk, they didn’t look up when their second in command entered and told them that they had a visitor. Attention on their work, the blonde spoke without looking up.

“I’d offer you a seat,” they began, frankly and directly.

“But people don’t like it when I stand over them.”