#c: sword maverick

[legends-and-savages]

Tag Dump

[accio-victuuri]

bobo the piggy. 🐽 + cpns

i think it’s about time to make some kind of compilation about this aspect of the fandom. mainly because xz seems to be attached to it lately. this characterization of him is more of good natured teasing and endearment — nothing derogatory. i know there is a negative impression when someone is a “pig” but that’s not the case at all with yibo. it’s more of the cute side, and to represent that “soft side” of yibo when he’s not on lion or panther mode.

a huge part of this is mugui laoshi’s bobi character that everyone loves and why it’s really stuck with the fandom. who wouldn’t love that cute character? in the same way that yibo also has that cute side to him we all adore.

let me start first with yibo and his connection to the “pig” title. with him being known as the Little Golden Pig in c-ent. i’m getting this one from Baidu:

"Little Golden Pig" is a nickname for entertainment star Wang Yibo. This title comes from his extremely high popularity in the industry. With great influence, he is regarded as one of the top artists. The commercial value is so high that in the activities he participated in such as Weibo night or YH Family concert. Using his name the prices of related products will rise rapidly. Therefore, he known as the "Little Golden Pig" in recognition of his achievements in the business field.

TOTALLY AGREE. <3

other instances of this association:

• videos of him with pigs for your pleasure ( trying to be friends with one and this show actually had him rapping to this pig lol and feeding a pig at DDU )

• the miniso collab doll that is supposed to be yibo is a cute pig.

• he once wore Nike shows that’s called Pink Pig.

• the fact that we associate Pink as being his other favorite color and how he seems to associate that with romance.

• that viral pig meme that danced to Wugan 😂😂

• meme/expressions of him sometimes used by fans where he looks like a pig.

i bet there is some more, but i will stop here cause i know people ( and me personally ) want to move to the cpn side of things already! the first one will have to be PEPPA PIG. something that started within the crew and has somehow evolved into being about wangxian — and by extension — yizhan. ( some cpns here here and here )

• this video by BYS ( by your side ) of a behind the scenes clip when xz called wyb a pig. that’s it, in the video he calls his attention by shouting “pig” and then asks him to catch the sword and then they proceed to their usual banter.

• there is an lrlg rumor where xz was talking about a piggy nose. i think he really fixates on that. and the way xz says it, you can see that it’s good natured teasing. then wyb compares him to a black pig.

• his pig drawing, but it is doing a finger heart sign. a pose wyb was fond of at some point.

• the book xz was photographed with “The Maverick Pig” by Wang Xiaobo. i mean, look at the cover and the name of the author. tho we know that xz loves to read a variety of books and this one seems interesting.

and there was an lrlg rumor where it looked like wyb was reading a letter by xz to him. he started with “i give you my whole soul..” and xz cuts him off. like he is embarrassed and doesn’t want wyb to continue on. cpfs thought it’s from a poem by the same author called loving you is like loving life.

I give you my whole soul, along with its quirks, tantrums, flickers, 1800 bad habits. It's really annoying, there’s only a little good, Love you.

🫠🫠🫠🫠

• pig on his phone! 📲 i think this one is more telling and personal. you can explain it differently and say that since gg is superstitious, he believes that it’s some form of attracting prosperity. which could be true. but at the same time, wyb does the same for him. his piggy who brought him happiness and good fortune in life.

• fake rumor of them arguing as they usually do and then xz saying “the pig is angry” pertaining to wyb.

• another cute rumor:

🟢"It's cold, I'm afraid he'll freeze his head. Doesn't this look good with a hat?"

🔴"Yeah, you're pretty good at taking care of yourself."

Teacher Wang locked his phone. You're not going to reply? Hahahahaha. It's a piglet doll wearing a hat with the number "16" on it. It's pretty cute.

people are pointing at this stuffed toy as the alleged pig that yibo is taking care of. and the fact that it has 16 on it. 👀

and it’s a cow piglet!!!! 💕

just thinking about xz giving bobo a doll to take care of is making me somft!

• and another rumor 😂😂😂

XZ: There is a pig here wyb! [There is a pig sticker on the side of the makeup mirror. I don't know who put it there. ]

then xz was saying it’s cute, wyb then says “don’t say it looks like me!” to which xz replied: “I didn’t plan to say it! Why do you always think about yourself?” 🤣🤣🤣

they are so chaotic!!!!

there is something funny in all of this because with all the symbolism we have associated with them like the moon — xz chose the pig. maybe it’s because there is no room to misunderstand the meaning or association. you can explain what the moon, stars and umbrellas are for in a non-cpn way when he posts about it, but this leaves almost no room for escape. xz is really out here going on vacation and relaxed but leaving us stressed out with the candies he drops!

source.

[alterpack-drivethru]

dearest mod packet will you please bless us with a Dream or Wilbur alter... go crazy with it, I'd love to see ur take on either of em!! just be sure to include names that arent too related to "Dream" or "Wilbur" dnjshfj :3 thank you mod packet !!!

– @bloodpumping

You're only given a little spark of madness...

A C!Wilbur & C!Dream Alter Inspiration Pack. Packs will not be a 1 to 1 to the headmate! Scrap whatever isnt needed!

TW FOR: Religious Trauma mentions, Mind Control Mentions, Drug mentions

⋆₊ ♱ name: Wilson, Wil, Terrence, Maverick, Maddoc, Abel, Ozwald, Vesper, Icarus, Simon,

⋆₊ ♱ age: Chrono 40+, DistantAge (An age that feels distant to your being, for whatever reason that may be) TransPerma25

⋆₊ ♱ gender: Grimegender, Rotgender, oddthing, deaddfluid, somethingmasc, Chaos Gender

⋆₊ ♱ pronouns: Hx/Ix/Thxy/He/It/They/Vi/Vim/Dead/Rot/Hollows/Golds/Things/Dusts/Reviveself/Soulself

⋆₊ ♱ source: DSMP

Did not leave for utah for "selfish reasons", as hx will say

Gained complicated forgiveness from Tommy, due to still having high regards for Dream.

⋆₊ ♱ species: Human-thing, Zombie Equivalent. Was once purely human, but the process of revival had taken away many parts of his original humanness. He is often numb to most forms of pain, and refers to it as feeling like he has a body made of stones and bricks.

⋆₊ ♱ relationship ids: Gay, Aroweird, Caligosexual

⋆₊ ♱ cis-ids: Revived, Cane user, Disabled, Mind controlled, Drug User (Uses to self soothe), Low Empathy, Cold blooded, Harmful, Stitched, CPTSD, Depression, BPD, Schizoaffective, God Complex, Severe Flashbacks, Amnesia, Emotion Repression, Manic, Manipulative, Manipulated, Groomed, Perci-Villian

⋆₊ ♱ trans-ids: Transliving, Minecraft Heart, TransPolyhearted (where one feels they should have multiple hearts either literally, or by soul), TransPOTS, Trissreligioustrauma, TransSevProgramming, TransRomantic, TransCOTARD's, TransNPD, TransSevTrauma, Trisbirace, TransObsessive, Transgermanaccent, TransDystonia

⋆₊ ♱ extra-ids: PermaSickly, PermaAbusen (abused + abusive), PermaAge25, PermaManic, NullSoul, PermaCold, PermaLonely, PermaRotScentic, PermaFrankenstine (Limbs are from different people. From test experiments to Dreams revival process)

⋆₊ ♱ roles: Hyperludusian, Compulsion Keeper, Pain Absorber, Cassmate, Shock Absorber, BPD Delusion Calmer, Depression Holder, Distortionist, Hypnotical Persecutor, Guilt Trip Fighter, Chef, Sickness Nuller

⋆₊ ♱ triggers:

Pos: When They Come for Me, Cigarettes, Trains, Strategy Games, Ravens, Cooking, Flags/Researching Flag History, Debating

Neu/Complicated: Philza, Caramel Pie, Journals/Planners, Little Brother Figures, Diamond Swords, Train Stations, Bright red lights

Neg: Teddy's Taxidermy, Explosions, Prime (Religion), Needles, Deserts, Hands Being bound/Restricted, Hot Tea, Bad drug trips, Hospital/Emergency Room Settings

⋆₊ ♱ faceclaim:

⋆₊ ♱ name: Dremyr, Tristin, Ridge, Fawn/Folly, Wolfen/Wolf, Iso, Dread, Morana, Sol,

⋆₊ ♱ age: Chrono 200+, Immortal, AgeForever

⋆₊ ♱ gender: EndermanGender, Xeno-Intersex, Masc Agender, Innoruien, SickThing, timarix

⋆₊ ♱ pronouns: He/Him/Thxt/Thxng/Hym/Faer/Bliss/Gods/Shi/Hirs/Muttself/Nxghtself

(Thxt/thxng is pronounced That thing, that things, that thingself. Nxght/Nxghtself is Night)

⋆₊ ♱ source: DSMP

Hir Revival involved more than a revival book, and is more medically trained due to it.

Is from the farlands before thxt thxng's home was destroyed

⋆₊ ♱ species: Disguised, Will often try an hide thxt thxng's identity from visual perception. Is a White Enderman. May have more sensitivities than normal Enderman alters. May disguise thxt thxngself to be another headmate, but with unmistakable details.

⋆₊ ♱ relationship ids: Hypersexual BPD, Guiltsexual, CupidoRomantic, AcaniRomantic

⋆₊ ♱ cis-ids: Autistic, BPD, NPD, Moral OCD, Mind controller, Programmer, Scarred, PermaMasked, PermaDisguised, Green Blood, Abusive, Manipulative, Grave Robber, Killer, Apathetic, Enderman, Hypersexual

⋆₊ ♱ trans-ids: TransPredator, TransSevHarmful, TransMortal, TransHuman, PanAccent, TransConabuse, TransPerci-Monster, TransASPD, TransDelusional, TransSemi-mute, TransGod, TransMinecraftDeity, TransController, TransPanOCD, TransSwordsman, TransPsychosis

⋆₊ ♱ extra-ids: TransPermaShapeshifter, PermaController, PermaProgrammer, PermaBloody, Permabloodstainedfur

⋆₊ ♱ roles: Apathy Holder/Cassmate, Interventioner, Bodily Caretaker, Apperance Morpher (More frequent to change the bodys outfit to hide more), Hypersexual Holder, Emergency Responder, Mortician, Death Distractor, Trauma Holder

⋆₊ ♱ triggers:

Pos: Stone Wall Stone Fence, Picking Fruit, Grave Robbing, Bridges, Painting, Cleaning, Panthers

Neu/Complicated: Tommy & Wilbur, Water, Ticking Clocks, Cabins, Snow, Being in friend groups

Neg: Empty Plains Fields, Butterflies, Being surrounded, Unwanted Sexualness, Bubbling Lava, Lava Sounds, Sam (gets angry rather than scared)

⋆₊ ♱ faceclaim:

[mikkolyytinen]

Danger Zone

Continuing from previous work mythical animals, this one shares motifs with many myths around the world. My inspiration comes from the Finnish mythology , where the River of Tuoni is a black river that the dead must cross after their passing. It is sometimes a burning rapid with sharp blades of swords, battle axes and sewing needles in it. Sometimes it is a calm stream where a swan can be seen swimming in. In the story of Lemminkäinen in the Kalevala, as his final task in pursuit to marry the maiden of the north, he was asked by his to be mother-in-law to kill the bird. As he comes to the river and is about to shoot the swan with his bow, he is ambushed by a vengeful cattle herder who Lemminkäinen previously insulted. The herder raises a viper from the water and sends it off like a magical spear piercing through several organs of Lemminkäinen. The herder then tosses him into the river and chops the body to pieces. I am curious the symbolism of the swan in this story. What it is the meaning of this bird that lives in such a dark and treacherous place. Around these parts swan was thought to be a sacred animal related to humans and whoever would kill one would be doomed. Obviously, that was plan of the mistress of the North when she gave the task. Across the world the swan has many meanings, it is considered to be a symbol of things like purity and light, beauty and grace, eternal love, fidelity, wisdom, and transformation. Like in this story it is connected to the otherworld, due to it is capability to travel through different elements. Regarding love, the swan are known to mate for life and are also fierce protectors of their young. Self-love also comes up - as it is a sole swan, it does kind of resonate. Lemminkäinen had a wife from before, but after she broke her promise of not “going out to town”, in anger he broke his vow of not going to war and set out to pillage and plunder and seek out a new wife from the perilous north- against the advice of his mother. While working on this piece many synchronicities happen and I’m reminded of the movie Top Gun where the hotheaded main character Maverick is playing to that archetype. Reckless hero like Lemminkäinen, he also has a taste for women, is skilled in warfare and always trying to prove himself. The big twist in the film is when his friend and co-pilot Goose dies, not directly because of him. but his recklessness caught in his rival, the otherwise composed character Iceman. If you follow my musings, the birds, goose and swan are somewhat similar in behavior, and they do share a lot of symbolism. Maverick carries the blame of Goose’s death on himself despite being officially cleared and almost gives up his career as a pilot. He has lost his self, trying to sneak while her love affair also happens to be moving on to new and better things with her career. He will eventually find himself after talking with his commanding officer Viper, who tells him about his father and his heroism when they flew together. Maverick returns to do what he does best and saves the day, gets the girl back, for the moment at least, and in the end chooses to become an instructor in Top Gun. Lemminkäinen’s mother will come and rake the pieces of his son from the river and resurrect him. He will find trouble again, as will Maverick. My previous works with animals have had some symbolism related to crypto. It was not in my mind initially with this one, but the swan through its qualities is also connected to the moon, the desired destination of cryptonauts in hopes of their particular investment shooting upwards. Putting everything on the line for that to happen is why many to crash and burn. I’ve had my taste too, hoping to have learned something over the years. There is a reason for the myths to exist and talk to us through the ages inspiring art.

Danger Zone Mikko Lyytinen 2023

[ofandrastes]

maverick blackstone, general fantasy/DnD/baldur's gate 3

statistics.

FULL NAME Maverick Joris Blackstone.

NICKNAMES Mav, Blackstone.

RACE Human.

GENDER & PRONOUNS Cisgender male, he/him/his

FACECLAIM Richard Madden

SEXUALITY Bisexual.

BACKGROUND Soldier.

POSITIVE TRAITS Diplomatic, loyal, resilient, courageous

NEGATIVE TRAITS Judgmental, Stubborn, Vengeful, Withdrawn

skills & abilities.

CLASS Ranger.

SUBCLASS Gloomstalker.

WEAPON Bow & Arrow.

biography under the cut.

In the heart of the small town of Daggerford, nestled along the greater Swordcoast, Maverick Blackthorne came into the world, a beacon of hope in his parents' lives after years of longing. Harohld Blackthorne, a weathered miner, and Rhea Blackthorne, a soft-spoken seamstress, immediately fell in love, their little, modest family now complete.

From the moment he could toddle, Maverick's laughter echoed the cobbled streets, his curious gaze alight with wonder as he explored the world around him. Always friendly and affable, with a boldness to his words and confidence in his step, Maverick never had a reason to believe he couldn't do anything he set his mind to.

Harohld, a former adventurer, saw within Maverick a spark of potential, a flicker of the same fire that once burned within his own heart as a young man. Once Maverick was old enough to hold a weapon in his hands, he imparted the wisdom of combat upon his son, teaching him the art of swordplay and archery, hunting and tracking. Maverick flourished under his father's tutelage, becoming especially adept with a bow and arrow, wielding it as if it were a natural extension of his body. At the age of eighteen, he heeded the call to arms, joining the ranks of the Daggerford militia with a sense of duty burning bright within his heart. While deployments were rather sparse, Maverick enjoyed serving as a town guard, keeping his community safe. Under the watchful eye of his comrades, Maverick's skills were honed to a razor's edge, his dedication to his training unwavering.

Yet, even amidst the camaraderie of his fellow soldiers, shadows lurked on the horizon, casting a pall over Maverick's once-peaceful existence. A sudden illness stole his mother from them, leaving behind an ache that echoed in the depths of his soul. And when tragedy struck again, claiming his father's arm (and his sanity) during an accident in the mines, Maverick found himself in the role of sole breadwinner. With each passing day, the weight of his father's struggles bore down upon him, threatening to crush his spirit beneath its burden. Unbeknownst to Maverick, his father, consumed by bitterness and desperation, had been drinking all of his hard work away. Not only that, but the old man had turned to gambling in the hopes that he could turn their fortune, instead digging himself a bigger hole, getting himself in debt with some very dangerous figures.

And then, on a day that began like any other, Maverick returned home from a late night patrol to see his humble home lay in ruins, the echoes of violence still lingering in the air, and his father's lifeless form lying bloodsoaked upon the floor. Whispers of betrayal and corruption within the militia swirled through the streets, casting a pall over Daggerford and staining Maverick's heart with righteous fury.In the coming months, he'd discover who was responsible -- a high-ranking member of the militia and a former comrade of his, as rumored -- and kill them in cold blood in the depths of night. An arrow to the heart from a long distance, in the shadow of darkness, before scurrying down to the local tavern only moments later to solidify an alibi. No one ever knew.

With nothing left to tie him to Daggerford but memories too painful to bear, Maverick turned his back on the only home he had ever known, setting forth into the wide world beyond. Venturing across the Sword Coast, Maverick pursues contracts to apprehend criminals in order to serve justice to those who deserve it, acquiring an extensive coin collection along the way.

THE NAUTILOID (BG3 VERSE) Maverick was abducted by the Nautiloid whilst pursuing a contract in the in Baldur's Gate, following a string of ritual murders that had taken place across the city.

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

I fucking love be this idea so much, consider this as a low key follow up.

X “Grew up” watching all sorts of classic movies that especially old Disney movies when he was still under Dr. Cain’s care but before reploids where created. The reason why is that Dr. Cain has the idea to allow X to appreciate the arts and a form of entertainment for him to enjoy.

He gets in awe of whimsical and magical they were, it also turned him into an emotional wreck in the emotional scenes. He’s aware of the history behind it cause he would do research of its productions. Also acknowledges certain Movies problematic history but couldn’t help to be fascinated of Mankind’s innovation to create such works of art.

His all time movie favs were

Pinocchio, The Great mouse Detective, Lilo and Stitch and Meet the Robinsons gee wonder why-

Also fave princess is Cinderella and Tiana cause they are the best-

He would absolutely drag Zero to watch it with him when they became friends. It took a while to get Him to watch one movie with him, as a bonding thing. Zero reluctantly gave in and watched the movie with him.

Zero will never admit it. But Mary Poppins, Mulan, Sword in the Stone are his personal favorites. If you catch him humming “A man out of you” or Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” you will be at the mercy of his fucking Z-Saber point blank at your face.

But thanks to the Mavericks Wars and his duties as a hunter. The movies’s magic faded on him. But watches them in brief occasions as a form of comfort and nostalgia holding a small fragment of his “innocence”. He was involved in the hunter’s annual movie nights by slipping in some of those movies.

When so when he gets recruited to help out with the Movies, let’s just say he was very shy and awkward to be involved in these productions. He was shy and awkward at first but secretly he was extremely excited to be involved and promises that he’ll do his very best. Even if it means he’ll be clumsy or mess up a specific line. But the film and production crews love him to bits. Even on breaks X checks up the actors, animals and the teams making sure that they are okay. Some of l Humans and reploids are fans of him especially one human actor straight up tells him that he’s her childhood role model. It made this man fucking cry.

He requested for a temporary break of his duties to help out with the productions of the films, as a form of helping morale but also requested to be covered up for privacy reasons. Cause he feels that the actors and the team behind these movies deserves more praise and credit then him.

The roles when it comes to X involved in these movies where

A. A the main character’s stunt double when it comes to the animal interactions if the main actor struggles with the animals. Yes that also includes musical numbers.

B. They make him chill in the background being covered by big a green blanket to green screen the shit out of him. While the actors can directly interact with the animals with his presence.

C. He’ll occasionally ask if it’s okay if some of the hunters and friends get involved for fun. Axl was terrifyingly good in improv and Zero accidentally traumatized and inspired some real the action choreographers with some of his movement. at one point was dressed up as Rapunzel to play as the stunt double cause the first one has her leg broken from an accident and Zero’s iconic long mane was too perfect for this role. The Gang have that in a frame photo somewhere in their offices yes thats includes Signas’s. Yes the main actress that plays Rapunzel and the Stunt Double has that shit framed in their homes.

The bloopers reels were fucking gold it be X just accidentally doing something awkward or that one time when he got ran over by a stampede of reindeer. Or a dumb improv moment with Axl.

It was temporarily, but he had a lot of fun and learned so much about movie production and the teams that work behind them. Glad that some of the hunters helped out with this. They were given special tickets to be in the premieres of the movies.

He got very emotional when he sees a MASSIVE bouquet of flowers, gifts, autographs, disks of the movies and its progress.

So yeah it was very sweet, and these movies are going to be given to humans and reploids that sense of fun, nostalgia and hope. Like the old ones that once gave X hope

A fav headcanon that I always have for X is that animals are drawn to him.

For me he’s the type of guy, who would feed stray animals and those said animals tend to follow him. It’s his naturally good heart that causes them to approach him. Even some wild animals couldn’t help to be naturally curious of him.

Like one time on a mission in a nature preserve, wild owls just sat in top of his helm or a herd of deer following him around. A funnier incident is that an possum ended up holding on his back.

X’s always stalked by animals and the variety can get to just regular stray animals to ridiculous bullshit

It’s a phenomenon that everyone where trying to understand why is this even possible. Even X doesn’t know how he does it. Is it something that dr light installed on to him? He’s genuinely confused by the weird trait that be possess. X loves animals and there’s no denying that it’s ridiculous.

He won’t deny that it gave him an opportunity to pet them if these creatures approach him. Plus the mental image of him awkwardly standing while wild animals are just vibing.

Another downside of this quirk is that he’s been teased of being called a Disney princess by his colleagues especially from Axl.

(When he found out)

Axl: So you’re telling me that X can just magically attract Animals for no reason?

Zero: Yes, it’s a strange ability that he has. Believe me I seen it.

Axl: Dude that’s like really weird coming from someone like you, there’s absolutely no way that’s actually possible.

Zero: Oh really? watch this *Fucking grabs X and puts him infront of a forest entrance*

X: Zero, what are you-

*All the sudden all of the forest critters surrounds him, even the elusive ones*

Axl: AINT NO WAY, HE’S ACTUALLY DISNEY FUCKING PRINCESS AHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!

Zero: Told you

X: *Covering his face in embarrassment while a Possum is just in top of him* Not again…Zero we talked about this.

[overcaffeinated-creative]

What would be the ultimate happy endings for your OCs?

Gonna start with this can get really long depending on who I use and which verse. So, in my desperate attempts to keep everything short (it’s probably going to fail) I’m sticking to my Main Verse and about ten of my characters. Rest assured all of them want better lives for the Clones and deeply dislike the Empire. However, how their individual character arcs would have played out changes the prominence of certain things in her mind.  

First off, Lumi wants the Jedi Order to still be a thing and for Order 66 to have never happened. Her and Mace would’ve parted on much better terms than the strife of their last few months followed by his death. She so desperately wants closure with him after everything that happened. In the end she’s still the little youngling he helped learn to control such an overwhelming gift. As much strife as the Clone Wars brought, she would not begrudge the Clones their chances to live and thrive. Because they came into the Galaxy as unique lives and deserve ever chance to live and experience life to its fullest. However, when the War was over (with a much better ending) she would still elect to leave. Her calling is somewhere else, with something better. She’d still end up with Fenn because there’s some things the Galaxy wants to happen. Same as she would still train Hera because that’s her little sister now. She’d probably live out her days in the Mandalore Sector with her friends and family, helping teach Force Sensitives (Solus absolutely refused to let the Jedi Order touch) and flying and maintain starfighters.

Solus wants a united Mandalore with a more peaceful transfer of power back to the people who are unashamed of their heritage. No part of her wants to be Manda’lor but she does want to serve next to them (and she knows exactly why she can’t be), as an adviser and sometimes spy. She wants to live on Krownest in her ancestral home, wear her armor, and help her people flourish and thrive again. She’d end up adopting any Clone (or anyone really) who wished become Mandalorian and needed a home. Krownest is difficult planet but her people are tougher. Solus also desperately wants to get married and raise warriors with her spouses. Once she really got to know Ahsoka she knew they were always meant to be. Them and their third form a merry little Triad where everyone feels safe and loved. Her leaving of the Order would’ve been mutually agreed upon thing, and while she does believe Mandalorians have no place among the current Jedi, she does keep contact with her Master Kit. It is also a no-brainer that she wants Lumi and Jazari by her side because they’re a set.

Following her best friends’ lead I believe Jazari would end leaving the Order as well. There’s a lot of reform that needs to happen there and she is not volunteering for the monumental task alone. There would be a lot of free travel between Mandalore (I see her thriving in Keldabe among the ancient and modern, bustling, shifting, thriving city) and her home city of Jedha. She finally opens her happy little sex shop, making her own wares for sell and offering information sessions and donating to charities. She works to limit the various slave rings plaguing the planets bet it funneling money into groups that help or taking more direct action, aided by her teammates, in directly stopping problems. 

Two parts domestic fantasy and one part power fantasy Kamelia wants it all. She makes it to the rank of Master within the Order, at an impressive age, and then retires to return to either rural Corellia or a nice mid-rim planet. She opens a clinic but still has time to be wonderful homemaker. Definitely gets married to a man (imagine women’s magazine cover Hugh Jackman meets like a beloved firefighter/EMT who climbs trees to rescue Tooka and thinks she’s the absolutely hottest, most wholesome thing to ever walk) and has two children, spaced really far apart so she doesn’t have to worry about playing favorites, and gets to be the unholy product of Florence Nightingale and Martha Stewart. There’s not task too big or small for her and everyone has wonderful things to say about her. Finally, she gets to claim some kind of victory of Lumi, Solus, and Jazari who were nothing but wash outs in the end. They failed at being Jedi but she got to rise, then surpass, every dream she had.

Erkan stays within the Jedi Order and lives. That’s a very important thing. He also does the shocking thing of helping to reform the Order to the best of his abilities. Throughout the lead up to the war and the after effects he was able to see both the best and worst of the Temple. Despite, lacking the political savvy starting out (which he wants to pick up) he works to return them to their roots of helping people without the Senate holding their strings. He wants to open more Temples across the Galaxy and move them further out again. No longer would the Jedi spend the bulk of their time in the Temples when not on missions but they would be out and about and fully learning about the Galaxy. He wants their range to expand further than Republic allied worlds because the Force is for everyone. He doesn’t like the exclusivity that they have now, this kind of uppity feeling that the Force is only for those lucky enough to be born free. He also wants to see the rules for attachment reevaluated because relationships are the corner stone of civilizations. There’s not reason to forbid them in a sense because some people can’t separate love and compassion from possession. Those people would have that problem anyway and they might even be able to work through it if they felt comfortable in coming forward.  He becomes the regular Qui-Gon Jinn sauntering around the Galaxy and helping he considered he could’ve became moments before dying.

Jai and Harti share a joint dream because their dream is to be together. Their family is reunited, like the people, and they finally get to settle down. For decades they have fought and now it is time to grow old together in a happily married bliss. They’ve got their beloved Solus back, along with the little gaggle of rebels Harti picked up and Solus’ constant companions. Jai not only lived but so did Jango. He’s protecting Jango for Jaster and watching Boba grow next to Solus. Harti complains they’re all trying to eat him out of house and home when his living room plays host to a verifiable horde of hunters. But, he absolutely loves it. Everything feels like a community and a family again. People are happy, Ursa doesn’t look so tense and alone, and frankly watching Solus play with Tristan and Sabine gives him hopes for great-grandchildren. Jai adopts a literal horde of Clones too. They’re his boys because he trained them and Krownest gets a population spike.

Commander Mav, rarely mentioned but important, would live in his best ending. His brothers are free and he finally gets to choose what he does with his life. That being said, he would 100% still end on Krownest with Solus after some soul searching on his own. He still trains because he likes being able to protect people but that’s not his main focus anymore. The Republic wanted him to be a soldier but that’s not who he is. Now he has so much freedom. He studies various things and picks up a knack for writing novels and art appreciating and cooking. He gets to be Solus’ friend and equal in the eyes of everyone, beyond just her and their group. I could see him taking up helping raise a bunch of the small clones and strongly advocating giving them the serum to slow their aging so they get to have proper childhoods.

Bounty hunting, like the Original, ends up calling to Alpha ARC Tranyc when the war is over. He didn’t much like serving the Republic as a soldier but he does like using his training. Bounty Hunting seems like a nice compromise in still getting to use his skills but living on his own terms. He doesn’t settle into Mandalore but does the occasional breeze by to annoy the fuck out of Mav and try and rope Solus into shenanigans. He succeeds a lot. She makes a great get away/pick up pilot or extra gun. But, he does comm Mav a lot because he likes the overly polite bastard despite his assertion that he’s an asshole loner. They probably talk nearly every day. Even in his happiest world he doesn’t admit feels more for Mav and Solus than her really should. They weren’t supposed to get hot but here they are. 

Iviin has the same dream of a united Mandalore as the rest of the Mandalorians. He doesn’t want to see Death Watch, Shadow Collective, or anyone else ruling. Jaster’s line needs to continue. He never had to become Manda’lor because they still had Jango. There was no need for him to take on that role in his life and it means he gets to serve under a Fett Manda’lor. He happily works from Concord Dawn, and Keldabe or Krownest on occasion, and has Solus as his partner. She’s the pilot of the duo and his sniper when need be. He’s also happy to have Solus’ little Force Sensitive crew running around with them. Call him crazy but he thinks Jazari and Lumi are fun. 

[roseprincesskristina]

Zero's Delicious Revenge

((Hey guys and gals. Just wanna revamp a few sentences to make really clear and steamy for ya. Once again for those who are young, you don't need to read this fiction. It's for adults only. So without any further ado, please enjoy the story! 😊))

Downwards into the dark yet unknown torture room, somewhere hidden or secret underneath the Hunter Base, that no one, not even the pacifist hunter would even try to find out about it. For it is unlike any other styles that anyone saw into a horror movie or shows watched on TV. Someone crazed for domination to arrive towards humanity to become rid of from earth before the true beginning of a new world for only the strongest reploids to stand by his side until there's nothing left. A former commander of the Maverick Hunters whose morality have morphed from sane to mad due to the unavoidable Wily Virus, have been chained against or to the walls built with auto control restraints just to cease him from planning to flee. He is known as Sigma, supreme king of the Mavericks. He would slowly open his eyes to regain his consciousness. The last thing that he had remembered is from the previous battle with Zero, now becoming stronger than he was in the past and won. Secondly, thinking about trying to become victorious until the continuation of his usual schemes by erasing the existence of all organic individuals once and for all. Before delivering the drastic finale, the fire colored hunter would then pull out a powerful trick from his sleeve, by transforming into the unstoppable Absolute Zero. Ending the epic duel at once with a quick swift of his Calamitous Arts, damaging his arch foe without hesitation thus far. Humiliation has clothed him for his arrogance against the Class A sword wielder, the sins poured upon his greatness as punishment for the destruction of mankind while his enemy calls for backup to arrest him. 

"This is not over yet, hunter... In return, I will regain my dream of creating a new world for only the strongest reploids to become free of the disdainful humans..." Pledged the defeated boss, growling of vengeance. Before escorting him to the containment jail, the scarlet crusaders proceeded toward him with hands planted on the hips and smirked at him mockingly.

"Honestly, I hardly felt bad for you, Sigma. For your so called dreams for a grand world, always end up being turned into ruin by us Maverick Hunters. And yet, you still don't learn. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll earn yourself a private underground cell for not so long time until you're a good boy." He chuckled. "And by the way, I'll be your harden warden from now on." Then he patted the bald villain's head until snapping his fingers as a signal for the other hunters to take him away to HQ.

And now, here he is. Trapped within the doorless shack of a prison facility, covered into the wounds of his nemesis's claws and arms completely destroyed or hacked off permanently.

"Argh.... C...Curse him.... I had almost dismantled him if I didn't gain the chance to strike him down before his transformation...." Staggered the irregular boss, coughing up a few drops of blood while trying to speak clearly. "W...Where am I? And....what happened to my arms?!"

His answers to a few mysterious questions was right above him the entire time, from the last fight as he was hanging upside down like a bat into the cave. But this time, he's the repli-fied version.

"He he he he he he...... Oh poor useless commander... You still haven't learn, have you? Always posing yourself as the large hotshot whose too perfect to clean his pride... Or maybe to wash his own ass..." Said the unknown reploid. Chuckling darkly at his failure.

"You... Show yourself this instant and face me!" Screamed the big boss of the Maverick society, looking into a slow condition to view who is was.

A surprise has rained down upon him when the blacked themed android hovers by land, revealing himself to him as, you guest it, Zero. He grinned with a menacing plot in store for the scarred villain in chains, with no arsenal or hands to protect him from his deadly claws.

"Peek-a-boo...."

"So it is you, Zero..."

"Hello, Sigma... How do you like your new home? It suits your doomed misery quite well, obviously. But enough of that. Because I'm your worst nightmare now and this time, my revenge for turning me against my boyfriend by your pathetic control is strongly personal.... "

"Hmph... Ignorant hunter.... Do you really think your feeble threats would even phase me, the unbeatable Sigma? You're completely out of your elements..." He scoffed. "No one would ever hope to defeat m-!"

Then, he was interrupted by the clawed hand grasping violently just to shut him up. But the goth themed vampire was still calm with expression, not even amazed by his gloating whatsoever.

"Sigma Sigma Sigma... Seriously, are you even listening to yourself? That sad attempted speech of yours is always humiliating to me. Plus, it really annoys the hell out of me completely more than Axl's immaturity. No matter what you always do in order to change the world for your disgusting amusement, it will always fail by my hands, including X's. Using me as your so called "prized creation" just to force my decisions into beating my beloved boyfriend, but not this time. Nor ever. From now on, I'm in control of my own self today, and let's just say, that you're positively shit out of luck here. Without your precious minions to cover your helpless ass or anything that you hold dear within your pockets, it's all gone. Every. Single. One. And guess what, big boy? You're gonna be much more fun to play with when nobody's even around to interrupt our alone time... And additionally, my bitch..."

Proceeding his face and body towards him into a close action while placing the claws onto his chest, grinning once more but showing his devious white diamond fangs. Ready to pierce some flesh and synthetics. Before doing to what Sigma would've thought of his opponent would do, he whispers into his ear port with a flirtatious manner.

"But you know what, I think you're actually kinda hot when you're vaguely miserable and weak in that naughty condition~ In fact, it makes me very, VERY horny to just suck your wounded lips right now~ And mostly, I find you aggressively attractive~" He said with a quiet yet sultry tone, placing his hands onto the big bad wolf's cheeks. Staring into his eyes before the beginning of this "tortuous interrogation". "How about a little fun, or maybe perhaps, a kiss~?"

"W...What?!" He said in a surprised state, weakly blushing. Hardly anything in his mind to reply, but alas, he was silenced by the biting kiss in the mouth.

"Hissssssssssssss~ Hush your shitty tongue, "commander"~ And let me drain your glorious bravery from your broken chatterbox...sexually~" Hissed the terrifying blood sucker silently, attempting to zip his trap by pressing his mouth into the former commanding officer's.

And finally during the horrifying talk towards him, the blond demon would desperately began to make out with his enemy all over as well as the jacked neck. Hands stroking from behind the back so smoothly, running his tongue across the face and travels into his mouth by a deep kiss. So hungrily that the core inside of him is pleading for more, but his revenge needs it instead.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" He once again shouted, trying to break away the unbreakable mouth lock.

"Mmmm~ Oh yes~ I want to hear your crying squeals, big boy~ It really increases my thirsty needs~" Moaned Zero, craving for more of such delectable hollers. How it does represent the music to his hearing ports. Much more beautiful to enjoy.

In difficult situations like the ones during a kidnapping scene, where a victim was abducted by a criminal for a proper beating of sexual abuse in order to get what they want. Right now, it's almost similar to what the winged Wily bot is doing to the irregular king, but with a tortuous seduction with no conclusion until vengeance has been earned immediately. He is strongly mad for such a massive neck like Sigma's during his love making madness. Scratching his bald head into a circulatory motion, slurping in his mouth all forcibly as the starving loin waiting for his prey to appear for dinner. Such depraved agony for the doomed ex commander, now trapped within the palms of his vampiric warden.

He finally started to shiver in cowardice increasingly due to the visions he had. Now, that nightmare has came true to scare away his soul, if he had one. Attempting to retrieve his bravery by shrugging his head to get away, but a futile trickery such as that will grant him the maximum dose of terrorized punishment.

"It's effortless to think about fighting back in your weak condition, big man~ In fact, there isn't gonna BE any hope for you now~ He he he he~" Chuckled the menacing android. Continuously slobbering more pain and destruction upon the crushed master of evil. Instead, with a passionate position during his permanent mouth to mouth kiss.

"Mmmmph....!  Mmmmmmmph!"

"Mmm~ Mmmmmm~ God, your bruised lips are so hot, papa~ It's just the way I like it for the first time~ The desirable pain from you has gotten me REALLY satisfied~" For he's quite right, this torturing phenomenon was incredibly intriguing to him. "Give it to me, ya big bitch~"

"You are...foolishly insane, Zero...." Coughed the battered evil doer, whose spirit will be crushed soon until the nightmare was over.

"That's right~ I'm correctly bat shit for your helplessness showering all over me, running all over my crotch just to please me~ But now, I want more from you~" Licking his pale lips of a starving attitude, he approached himself to the large baddie for a second of his weaken but scrumptious kiss.

"Pucker up, daddy~" Whispered the hard killing droid, yearning for some kinky tongue to tongue action. Inserting his into the enemy for a slow search of his cowardice to eat. Deeper than ever before.

Sigma, also known as the ultimate leader of all things irregular who rules with a powerful yet gruesome fist than iron, has now become the frantic victim of unlimited chaos which is standing in front of him. No hope, dreams, weapons or arms. All that he have ever possessed was already taken from him by force. Along with his rank, popularity, fearlessness and spirit, now belonging to the evil dark themed hunter to steal. It was all over for him as he began to talon his whole body, instead of ripping it off. Having his entire armor to freeze with more restraint. Greatly scared for his life, Zero forcibly pins him to the wall for some delectable playtime at last. Or otherwise, his dinner.

"Well, Sigma~ I'd really hate to stop our get together activity so soon, however, there's nothing more better than to snack onto something....fierce~ Ah~ And finally it was there in front of me the whole time~"

"No.... P...Please.... I beg of you.... Anything but this...." He shattered with fear.

"Shhh~ Don't worry, big bear~ I'm fully aware that it won't hurt....much~" Purred the onyx incubus, with red eyes glowing unlike the dangerous monster in the closet.

The grand finale has made its appearance, for the long patience has been concluded at last. He tilted his head closely to the neck of a muscular maverick who is permanently victimized and surrounded by the ghosts of Nightmare Viruses floating above him, taunting his failures for not destroying the elite forces or to achieve his desires for a paradise world for reploids only. All will go against him for eternity when it comes to weaknesses. For he had no other choice but to give in of being a slave.

"Do as you wish.... For I lack the reason to live without the purpose... You have won... Maverick Hunter Zero..." He finally admitted towards him. Losing his chances to establish a new world to rid the humans from hoping to ever exist alongside reploids.

"Now that's more like it~... But unfortunately, it's too late for apologies this time~"

Then, finally, he have inserted his fangs deeply into his opponent's neck, sexually feasting in peace until Sigma began to scream loudly just to satisfy his extreme vengeance forever.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Yeeeeeeeeessss~ Scream for me now, big daddy~" He whispered, impaling the pointed fangs deeper.  Ohh, you're such a naughty maverick, aren't ya~? Looks like I'm gonna have to punish you more~" Aroused Zero.

He kept preying even harder, but moans in complete and utter silence while holding the threatening villain down. Wrapping his arms around the body to claw diagonally into a calm pace to full his enjoyment. Grinding his black armored anatomy onto his with extreme lust, grasping his enormous ass with one of his hands and slaps it into a hot way during his fun time. Secondly, participated into the tongue lock as well before folding his wings around both of them for a darker privacy in mind. WIthout interferences.

"Mmmmmm~ Oh Sigma~ Sweet Sigma~ How I love your terrifying squeals of the night~ For it bounds before my superiority as the new and true badass of Abel City to welcome my powerfulness~ Feed me more of your fear~ For my hunger for revenge has reached its end~ But my meal will never become the conclusion~" He spoke, licking his ear port all the way. Once again, hissing very loudly to return to the neck for an endless supper.

"No.... It couldn't be....No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

"He he he.... Keep howling, Sigma boy~ But nobody's gonna hear it from you~ And now, it's dinner time~" Running his extended tongue once more and across his decimated body before going back on his dinner. Caressing over his steel crotch by interest has shown a lustful smirk upon his pale face for just a little scavenger hunt.

"Damn, Sigma~ That's a nice looking bolt you got down here~" Impressed the shadowed blonde, soothing the maverick lord's glory box.

"U...Ugh...." Groaned the threatening villain whose throat have been crippled, felt of his rival's bladed claws tighten of the grasp by the crotch.

"Mmm~ You know, it would be very bad of me just to ruin a sexy piece of massiveness, but it makes a perfect chance for me to punish it~" And so, with that of a remarkable thought in mind of interrogation, he grips the golden treasure of his arch enemy due to the extreme hardness, provoking the scarred eyed devastator to groan of a scream for a clear taste. Including a few slappings, motioning, etc to force him to cry.

"Oh yes~ I wanna hear more of your agonizing squeals, big baby~ it makes my body feel so hot~" Intrigued the black clad vampire. "Even your low hardness really inspires my interests when I "abuse" it~"

And so, he does that when dominating the large superior's hard bolt so sensually. Caressing, groping along with a little thirsty cheek licking to rise up the mood of this dungeon as well as his interests. 

"Man, you must've been exercising that brave box quite a lot, Sigma~" He meowed, while running his tongue all over the face. "But, I bet it can hardly survive against my bloody palms~"

"Grr...." He snarled, like an impatient toddler. 

"Oh there's no need to get all pouty, my commanding slave~ While I'm the king of this jungle, all I can do now is torment your fragile yet gorgeous body with mine~ All the time~" Leaning his body against the enemy's for an even fascinating fun, secondly with his hand remained attached towards the harden maverick jewel by grip. Purring rapidly into his ear port and advancing his tongue all over him including the neck, legs, lips and ears. Grinding endlessly, anatomy to anatomy into a sensually condition. Every single time or day and night. 

"U...Unh..." Moaned the irregular predator, who either enjoys the torment or despise it. 

"Mmmm~ Come on, big bitch~ You know you love it when I ground you for being a naughty maverick~" He hissed seductively, taking the other hand to spank his massive ass. "Unh~ Mmm~ Now who's your master~? 

"H...Hmph..." He refused. But without his bravery or fearlessness to save him from the clad hunter. "You are...."

"Good boy~ Now let me kiss you and everything you have, so violently~" He purred again, pulling his face towards for an aggressive lip to lip in order to please his hunger. Deeply with force all over with no stopping whatsoever, along with the grabbing of the ass and polishing his body by smooth grinding. 

"Unh.... U... Unh...."

"Oh yes~ Yes~ Give it to me, big boy~ Unh~ Unh~ God, you're even more sexier in your disintegrated state~" He moaned without ever needing to rest. 

Then, the enormous overlord have descended his heartbroken tears from his peers, wanting the ex maverick to wipe them all out by his tongue and silencing his sobbing with a relaxing mouth lock once more. Returning to yet another of his private torture by sensually neck kissing all the way before it's done.

"Mmm~ Your bold neck is so delectable and yet, very sexy as hell, big daddy~" He said to the leader of the mavericks with an invigorating tone, making love to it. "Somehow, I'm amused of its crippled feature right now, but I still think of it as honestly hot~"

And that, it's absolutely true. For the horrid neck does look very tasty at its best for the shadow armored hunter's sexual liking. For his attempt to abuse it for a slight minute would even cause him to blush of naughtiness. Or perhaps something else. But no matter to him anyway for his continuation of the victim's neck will be the most scrumptious meal of all.

"C...Curse you once more, Zero.... Curse your impudent foolishness for destroying my schemes...." Growled the half broken mad maverick weakly.

"Aww, tryna burf out your little insults at me~? Now that's not very nice at all~ But since you've been an honest prick of a maverick, I'll decide to let you off with a warning~" Spoke the reploid demon. Slurping his tongue all across the ear port and the bulk chest before going back to his playful supper.

"I'm gonna enjoy violating you in your dreams so badly, bitch~" He said, continuously crippling the ex superior by punishing his body after everything he took away that was dear to him, sucking on his nose and mouth very hard.

"Y...You barbaric maniac..." He spilled. All cramped and battered from an endless torture. 

"Mmm~ I love it when your low level insults kept pouring all over me~ It feels so hot~" The blond was intrigued, caressing his body while imagining himself being showered by his bald nemesis's crappy ridicules. Rocking his tongue around like crazy. Resuming his private business by slobbering once more all over the irregular king by fangs, pleasuring his iron crotch into a loop while breathing a sultry hiss towards his face. 

"Hisssssssssssss~"

"U...Ugh... Argh...."

Unfortunately, his endless playtime with Sigma had almost arrive to a close, but not until it's over as the blonde blade wielder could punish him again by granting a poisonous smooch by the mouth, in order to drain his strategies and movements along. Without any hope not freedom to slice off the unbreakable chains of trapped seduction. He have felt the deadly serum venturing inside his mind or traveling everywhere, losing his consciousness that quickly.

"That's for ruining everyone and both mine as well as my friend's lives by your damn stench of human obliteration.... " Hissed Zero, extending his clawed hand into a reach to grab his prisoner's chin before "cursing" him with one last kiss.

He chuckled as his final words before meeting his critical demise by death.

"Sleep tight forever, my former commander~" He grinned menacingly, pushing his pale yet frost lips with a deep force into the irregular king's. Laying his hands upon his boned face for an icy love/torture making of a lifetime before the gruesome decapitation to shut his existence for good.

"And good riddance~" Before ending the crumbled maverick villain's existence, he offered the frosty smooch once more into the lips for the last time. Never to look or think about his devious comeback no longer.

"Mmmm~ Ahhh~" Gifting him this frosted "curse" should be able to permanently force the arrogant ex leader of HQ to slumber for all eternity until the final decapitation. By a quick swipe of his claws to end the life of Sigma, severing his head from the body. "And lastly, thanks for the perfect meal~" The deed has been finished. No mavericks, no problems. He then taste his blood by licking his hand. Finger by finger. 

"Mmmm~ Delicious~"

And thus, his revenge has purposely created a new ending. Perhaps a peaceful version, to be exact. However, the full course was no longer done just yet until every drip of blood was driven dry from his body. Thankfully, his very schemes have been declined for good this time. And tranquility had once again return to embrace all beings as well as reploids and humanity. All thanks to the heroic Maverick Hunters.

Few days later when nighttime arises, peace has regain its true colors once more due to the rigorous defeat of the insanely mastermind of the mavericks, plus, to allow all civilians and reploids to live as equals forever. At least for now. Hovering above the building in front of the blissfully snow themed moon,  The dark vampiric droid would be able to live free from the horrid shackles of bad memories grappling him down, or to become a mindless puppet to use for trying to kill the blue B Class. But it's all over. Within his hand, grasps the head of his frighten victim after his "interrogation" from earlier. However, it was quite intriguing. Before descending towards a new mission, he lifted it up and closely to make love by kissing it one last time.

"Thanks again for the wonderful evening we have together, big boy~ Quite a shame that you won't be around to view my victories after all~" He purred, pressing his lips softly and hard deeply into Sigma's. Sadly, that was his first and last tongue kiss he had with the bat themed individual, even though that he is decapitated from his body. Deserting the broken head by hurling it faraway into the ocean of force. 

"And good bye, you sexy bitch~" He blew a kiss after tossing his enemy's damaged head for good, never to be seen again until he heads for a new reconnaissance. 

In conclusion, the war was completely done with as we speak. Not only justice was decently served at last, but his vengeance as well. To him, revenge is the most scrumptious dish ever made cold.

The End

[grigori77]

Movies of 2019 - My Pre-Summer Favourites (Part 1)

The Runners-Up:

20.  THE HEAD HUNTER – coming in VERY low under the radar, this wildly imaginative and stylish low budget chiller plays like a survival horror take on the Skyrim video games.  Essentially a one-man show, it follows the bloody, muddy daily grind of a professional monster slayer in a sword-and-sorcery kingdom driven to vengeance by brutal personal tragedy.  Christopher Rygh is broody, grizzled and genuinely heartbreaking as the warrior, while debuting writer-director Jordan Downey shows great future potential.

19.  HELLBOY – I’d be the first to agree we really don’t need a Hellboy movie reboot (just let Guillermo finish his trilogy, dammit!), but if Hollywood MUST disagree then we could do A LOT worse than this far bloodier R-rated full-on horror flick from Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall, who really cranks up the darkness inherent in the franchise.  Ultimately this is more for hardcore fans of Mike Mignola’s original comics than the uneducated masses, but Stranger Things star David Harbour’s “Big Red” is just one of many pleasures here.

18.  THE SISTERS BROTHERS – writer-director Jacques Audiard (The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Rust & Bone) crafts a languid, introspective and richly character-driven western from the novel by Thomas Bidegain (who also co-wrote here).  Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly are both typically excellent as the titular bounty-hunter siblings who are the nominal focus of the story, but the film is as much focused on their prey, a pair of gold prospectors (Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed) with a revolutionary scientific method.

17.  THE DIRT – in a year when they’re jumping on the biopic bandwagon in a big way (we’ve also seen the hunt for Bonny & Clyde in The Higwaymen), Netflix got particularly ambitious with this warts-and-all, thoroughly OTT and often very funny account of the rise/fall/rise-again of notorious glam metal band Mötley Crüe from Jackass director Jeff Tremaine.  Douglas Booth (Romeo & Juliet), Colson Backer (aka Machine Gun Kelly), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) and Daniel Webber (11.22.63) bring the band to life in all their debauched glory.

16.  COLD PURSUIT – Liam Neeson gently sends up his geriatric-arse-kicker persona in this jet black comedy thriller from acclaimed Norwegian director Hans Petter Morland, adapted from his own hit film In Order of Disappearance (originally starring Stellan Skarsgaard).  Neeson is huge fun as the snow-plough driver out to avenge the murder of his son at the hands of jumped-up Denver drug kingpin “Viking” (TV’s Jekyll & Hyde’s Thomas Bateman), causing all kinds of bloody hell to break loose in the snowbound Colorado wilderness.

15.  VICE – Anchorman writer-director Adam McKay continues down the more semi-serious road he began with his 2015 hit The Big Short with this incendiary ���biopic” of the rise to power of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, rumoured to be the true “power behind the throne” of George W. Bush’s controversial term in office at the White House.  Christian Bale delivers one of the finest performances of his career as the unassumingly Machiavellian master manipulator behind the WMD Conspiracy, et al.  MAYBE …

14.  ON THE BASIS OF SEX – director Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker, Deep Impact) returns to the big screen with a vengeance with this powerful, thought-provoking and very important courtroom drama following the early career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the crusading firebrand lawyer campaigning for women’s equal rights who ultimately became Chief Justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.  Rogue One star Felicity Jones is perfectly cast as a woman who let NOTHING stand in the way of her dreams, even the laws of the United States.

13.  DESTROYER – Karyn Kusama has had a somewhat mixed career since her directorial debut with Girlfight in 2000 (Jennifer’s Body was enjoyable, but Aeon Flux was pretty embarrassing), but this edgy, doom-laden modern LA-Noir is a spectacular return to form, driven by a powerhouse, vanity-free career-best performance from Nicole Kidman as the self-destructive maverick LAPD cop whose youthful misadventures undercover return haunt her, with bloody consequences.

12.  THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING – Louis Ashbourne Serkis (son of Andy) proves he takes right after his dad as an unassuming British schoolboy who discovers he’s the long-lost heir of King Arthur, destined to wield Excalibur in the battle to prevent the cataclysmic return of evil sorceress Morgana (Mission: Impossible’s Rebecca Ferguson).  Attack the Block writer-director Joe Cornish brings us something more family-friendly with his long-awaited follow-up, but his gleefully dark, anarchic sense of humour remains intact.

11.  TRIPLE FRONTIER – Margin Call writer-director J.C. Chandor teams up with Oscar-winning screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) on what is EASILY the best Netflix Originals feature this year (so far, at least), a nail-bitingly tense, morally ambiguous suspense thriller following a group of former special forces operatives (Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal) who rob a drug lord and then have to fight their way out of the notorious titular South American region.

[krinsbez]

GI Joe: Remixed, Semi-Random Trivia, About Semi-Random Joes

An incomplete list of Joes who are members of minority groups; please make suggestions for additions, as there are many, many Joes with whom I am unfamiliar:

(some of these placements will be elaborated on below)

AFRICAN-AMERICAN:

Stalker

Roadblock

Doc

Doc II

Alpine

Stretcher

Hardball

Iceberg

Heavy Duty

Big Lob

Freight

Quick Stryke

Grill

Cool Breeze

Ripcord

ASIAN-AMERICAN:

Jinx

Quick Kick

Budo

Tunnel Rat

Ronin

Rico

Firewall

Black Dragon (?)

DESI:

Hashtag

LATINO:

Shipwreck

Law

Lady Jaye

Alpine

Dynamite

Hot Sauce

ARAB-AMERICAN:

Breaker

Sgt. Slaughter

NATIVE AMERICAN:

Spirit

Airborne

PACIFIC ISLANDER:

Torpedo

Red Dog

SIKH:

Hashtag

JEWISH:

Clutch

Bazooka

Budo

ISLAMIC:

Breaker

Sgt. Slaughter

QUAKER:

Lifeline

NEURO-ATYPICAL:

Helix

-Sgt. Slaughter is NOT the professional wrestler born Robert Remus, but received his codename due to a coincidental resemblance to said pro wrestler. That said, he did wrestle in college, where he majored in Classics. Note that he is still serious about his classics studies; he is fluent in both Ancient Greek and Latin, and is knowledgeable about not only Classical literature, but also the history, mythology, culture, etc. of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

-Alpine is mixed-race, having African-American, Caucasian, and Latin ancestry; people's efforts to pin him down to one or the other and inability to do so is a constant source of amusement to him.

-Lady Jaye is biracial; her father is as WASP as one can be without being a Boston Brahmin (although they're adjacent), while her mother is from Latin America; note that her mother's family is also filthy rich and aristocratic. Also, she's a distant cousin of Destro and Darklon.

-Rico is a character of our own creation, a Fillipina-American who's primary MOS is powered armor, specifically the Accelerator suit from Rise of Cobra

-Firewall is a young, Asian woman ala DDP rather than an older, Caucasian woman ala IDW.

-Riffing on Rise of Cobra, Breaker's parents are from Morocco.

-Budo periodically notes that both sets of grandparents spent WWII in camps; his paternal grandparents in an internment camp, his maternal grandparents in a concentration camp.

-Ripcord and Cover Girl have more-or-less their IDW backstories.

-Lifeline's aikido skills are such that he's one of the top ten best hand-to-hand combatants in GI Joe. Granted, his pacifist beliefs mean he rarely showcases them; "getting Lifeline in the ring" is a Joe colloquialism for a task that is very difficult and unlikely to end well for you.

-As with many other military regulations, the rules against fraternization are not strictly enforced for Joes, so Flint/Lady Jaye, Scarlett/Snake Eyes, and Jinx/Falcon are things.

-Dial-Tone and Hard Drive are A: female, and B: hot.

-Dial-Tone is the nerdiest nerd to ever nerd, or at least, as much as possibly whilst being an attractive woman. She also barely qualified to be a Joe physically. That said, she did, in fact, qualify, and is thus eminently capable of kicking your ass.

-Clockspring is kinda a creeper. He hasn't done anything explicitly against the regs, but he's come veeery close. As a result, Hard Drive, Firewall, Dial-Tone, and Hashtag frequently receive sympathy from other female Joes about having to work with him, which leaves them confused, because while Clockspring is aware of their gender, he slots them into his head as fellow nerds and doesn't creep on them at all.

-Clockspring also posts on a number of Incel/MRA/RedPill sites, although he keeps getting banned for telling other posters to take it down a few notches.

-Quick Kick has always been a movie guy; he got into martial arts because he realized that Hollywood is kinda racist and expects Asian-American performers to know chop socky stuff. That said, he turned out to be better at it than at acting, so ended up becoming a stunt double. Then the Cobra War happened, he joined the Army and eventually ended up in GI Joe.

-Freight, somewhat similarly, was a star linebacker, who walked away from a multi-million dollar contract to enlist when the Cobra War began. He greatly dislikes being compared to Pat Tillman.

-Contrary to what you'd expect, Freight and Red Dog (who could've been a star if he hadn't been tossed out of the NFL for frequent unnecessary roughness) get along really well.

-GI Joe's first fighter ace, somewhat ironically, was not Ace (who's codename comes form being a card shark), but Slipstream. However, Ace was the first Joe to become Ace In A Day.

-No one can remember Ghostrider The Stealth Pilot's codename, which he is surprisingly OK with, as long as they don't call him by someone else's codename...whereupon he will start calling that person by someone else's codename.

-All the Joe pilots are qualified to fly all Joe aircraft, with the possible exceptions of the Defiant and SHARCs, so Wild Bill can fly a Skystriker and Ace can fly a Tomahawk and Lift-Ticket can fly a Phantom and Ghostrider The Stealth Pilot can fly a Mudfighter and Dogfight can fly a Vector and Maverick can fly a C-130 or Dragonfly, etc.

-Quick Kick holds regular movie nights; Sgt. Slaughter is banned due to his habit of pointing out all the inaccuracies whenever QK puts on a sword-and-sandal flick.

-Roadblock and Heavy Duty are cousins. In addition to their size (which is not just "big" but freakishly its-a-miracle-they-don't-have-health-problems HUGE) and fondness for MOAR DAKKA, they also share a passion for cooking. Roadblock is a master chef, specializing in Soul Food and French haute cuisine (both nouvelle and classique), though he's also excellent at classic Italian and most American regional specialties. In general, Heavy Duty is almost as good and in some cases better (he is an internationally ranked sushi chef, for example), but rather than rely on a standard repertoire, he prefers to experiment, either with exotic foreign or newly-invented dishes he's just heard of or bizarre creations of his own; his success is...mixed.

-Quick Kick has a habit of reciting quotes from Little Caesar every time he runs into Rico in a hallway or whatever. She does not know that's what he's doing and is generally puzzled by the whole thing.

-Mainframe has a thing going on with Zarana.

-When Jinx and Falcon started dating, they got shovel speeches from Duke and Snake Eyes, respectively (yes, despite Snake Eyes being unable to talk). In addition, Storm Shadow kidnapped Falcon...then took him out to dinner, cuz he wanted to get to know his cousin's boyfriend. And because Falcon is Falcon, they ended up bar/club-hopping. Meanwhile, Duke, who only knew his baby brother was abducted by Cobra Commander's personal assassin, was ready to start World War III.

-Cross-Country believes he has a duty to reclaim the family honor he believes was lost when his ancestors took up arms to fight for slavery. His choice of outfit is bait, to trick racists and CSA apologists to make themselves known to him so he can punch them in the face.

-Quick Kick has a Japanese father and a Korean mother. As a result, when he fights the Red Ninjas, they call him a half-breed and talk shit about his mom. He deals with it by kicking their asses.

-Clutch and Rock'n'Roll are best buds. Ditto Bazooka and Alpine. Also Leatherneck and Wetsuit, albeit of the vitriolic kind where they fight constantly.

-Shipwreck is a SEAL.

-Clutch and Budo once went out together to get tattoos of their grandparent's numbers.

-Quick Kick took it upon himself to put together a crash course in cinema since the '70s for Sgt. Savage, and had to be reminded that showing him movies about Vietnam maybe wasn't the best idea.

-Grand Slam, Sci-Fi, and Red Spot are SF/F nerds. Flash is not, and gets annoyed when people assume he is.

-Spirit does not look particularly stereotypical.

-Among GI Joe's many secret mini-bases is one located in a Las Vegas casino; Ace regularly requests a transfer there, as it is the only way he will ever be allowed into a Las Vegas Casino.

-Airborne is genuinely psychic. That said, he's not very powerful; he just has "hunches" that are always right.

-Clutch has an unfortunate habit of running into secret Cobra activity whenever he goes on leave. Seriously, Every. Single. Time.

-Order is much, much more obedient than Junkyard, partially due to natural temperament but largely because Law trained him that way; Law's...kinda contemptuous of the fact that Mutt has not similarly trained Junkyard, and the two of them don't really get along because of it.

-Falcon used to hate Shipwreck, because every strategy he came up with to try and smuggle hookers into the Pit failed because 'Wreck had already tried it. Though, he's mellowed out about it since he started dating Jinx.

-Snake Eyes is under orders to have regular therapy sessions with Psyche-Out (because for obvious reason he's kind of a mess, psychologically); that Etch-a-Sketch is real handy.

-GI Joe has official social media, run by Hashtag, of course. However, the Joes take turns running the official GI Joe twitter account which leads to WMG from the people following trying to figure out who is doing it at any given time, which leads to the Joes deliberately trying to do it in other Joe's style. So, say, Shipwreck will fill it up with rhymes about cooking so people will think it's Roadblock, and Roadblock will do it in French and keep mentioning gumbo and gators so people think it's Gung Ho, and Gung-Ho keeps throwing in Star Wars references so people think it's Sci-Fi, etc. Duke hates doing it, so is very terse, so everyone always assumes he's Snake Eyes (which is hilarious to people who know Snake, who was an inveterate chatterbox before he became mute).

-Note that they also are allowed to have their own social media.

-Cover Girl's social media is a battleground, between her fans from her modeling/reality-show days and her fans since joining GI Joe.

-Heavy Duty has a youtube show where he discusses his cooking experiments. The episodes where Roadblock guest-stars are the most popular, since you now have a 100% chance of the result being edible instead of 50/50.

-Snake Eyes has a Twitter account under his real name, which is really, really active, and really, really inane, because he needs some outlet for his natural chatterbox tendencies.

-As stated, Duke does not believe in social media. As a result, there is a bit of a competition amongst the Joes to trick him into appearing on theirs.

-Cross-Country has a blog where he calls out Confederate apologists. He's been banned from multiple Civil War forums and subreddits and such for flaming same.

-Barbecue mostly goes on about Boston sports

[hcro]

lily luna potter ;; biosheet

❝ and i will STAY UP through the night. and let’s be clear, won’t close my eyes. and i KNOW that i can survive. i’ll walk through fire to save my life. and i want it, i want my LIFE so bad. i’m doing everything i can. then another one bites the dust. it’s hard to lose a chosen one. you did not break me. i’m still fighting for p e a c e. well, i’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart, but your blade - it might be too sharp. i’m like a rubber band until you pull too hard. yeah, i may snap and i move fast but you won’t see me fall apart ‘cause i’ve got an ELASTIC HEART. ❞

basics

name

lily { lil ◦ ee } :  the name lily is of old english origins, it was taken from the name of the plant having delicate, trumpet-shaped flowers regarded as a symbol of purity and perfection. the word is derived from the middle english lilie, which is from the old english and latin lilium (lily). alternatively, lily is used as a pet form of both lilian (lily) and lilith (of the night).

“people with this name have a deep inner desire to serve humanity and to give to others by sharing money, knowledge and experience, or creative and artistic ability. people with this name tend to be a powerful force to all whose lives they touch. they are capable, charismatic leaders who often undertake large endeavors with great success. they value truth, justice, and discipline, and may be quick-tempered with those who do not. if they fail to develop their potential, they may become impractical and rigid.” [ x ]

luna { loon ◦ a } : the name is directly derived from the latin luna (the moon), she was the roman mythological goddess of the moon and is equated with the greek selene. luna can be used as an astrological name for those born under the sign of cancer, which is ruled by the moon.

“people with this name have a deep inner desire for order and physical creativity, and want to be involved in conventional, safe activities. people with this name tend to be creative and excellent at expressing themselves. they are drawn to the arts, and often enjoy life immensely. they are often the center of attention, and enjoy careers that put them in the limelight. they tend to become involved in many different activities, and are sometimes reckless with both their energies and with money.” [ x ]

potter { pot ◦ ter } : the surname potter is an occupational name for a maker of drinking and storage vessels, from an agent derivative of middle english, middle low german pot. in the middle ages the term covered workers in metal as well as earthenware and clay.

—

they named you lily luna potter.

lily was after a girl with hair redder than dragon fire, just like you. your grandmother was not only an extraordinary witch but a beacon of light. lily evans-potter represented the faith that unselfish love could defeat the greatest of evils: death. she had stood for kindness, for strength, for wit, and most of all, for courage ― the fortitude to stand up to enemies and friends alike, to forge one’s own path. the right path. 

but for all of her virtue, there was a certain duality to her, and the same double-edged sword cuts through your heart. you might have her capacity for love, but you also have her overwhelming fury and ferocity. it rages within you like a unstoppable forest fire, burning so bright that anything in the vicinity will be consumed in the flames – including you. sometimes you wish you could tear your bounding heart from your body, just so you could stop this unrelenting aching in your chest, once and for all. you don’t know how to handle your passion, your spark, and you almost feel ruination is all you know. and then a thought presses at your mind, so petrifying it makes your blood runs cold: you could destroy yourself one day. the brightest flames burn out the quickest.

luna was for a woman who carries a different sort of grit than your grandma did: the boldness to always be herself without remorse, without apologies. sometimes you wonder if your godmother ever tried to change. did she ever listen when the world told her what she ought to be? since the day you were born, humanity expected nothing less than greatness from you, and you don’t remember who exactly you were before they molded you into something else. you taught yourself to be fearless and brazen and strong. but even now that you’re following in your parents’ footsteps, you’re still not enough for yourself. slowly, you’re learning not to feel shame and regret when you look into the mirror, but you find the strength to steel yourself somehow, just as luna did. in front of the flashing cameras, you paste the roguish of smiles on your face, never letting them see the cracks in your armor. people are bound to talk. you’ll give them something to talk about.

and much like your namesake luna, you treasure your friends and family with all that you have too. it was always instilled in you that nothing mattered more than your loved ones, and you took that lesson to heart, sharing with them a softness that most people have never witnessed from you. they see the girl behind the facades you wear – the bounding heart you’ve learned to keep hidden away, lest the world finally manages to break it for good.

and everyone knows what potter means. whenever you walk by, people whisper. they point. you hail from the most famous wizarding family there is, and you wear your surname like a badge of honor. you are proud to be a potter and a weasley. the accomplishments your family has amounted are extraordinary. but that’s just it, isn’t it? all your life, you’ve chased glory and praise, but when your father is the wizarding world’s savior, it is impossible to measure up to the world’s expectations of you. you’re not enough, never enough.

you take pride in your name. but you are a walking memorial of a girl, named after a martyr and a maverick. you are never only yourself; you are the names of all that came before you.

and you’ll be in their shadow for the rest of your life.

birthday

august 13, 2008

“august 13 birthday - the horoscope of the sharpshooter

your greatest challenge is: coping with your anger and impatience

the way forward is: to step outside yourself when your emotions reach boiling point. this will remind you that you alone are in charge of your feelings.

people born on august 13 zodiac are no strangers to conflict and controversy. they are sharpshooters who always aim true, and their urge to break with convention compels them to take on challenges or make waves, whatever situation they are in.

the unconventional vision, resilience and tenacity of purpose that are key characteristics of these people can earn both the admiration and the disapproval of others. this is because despite the wounding criticism of those who regard their rebellious notions as ridiculous or fanciful, they always remain faithful to their beliefs. if life doesn’t go their way, they refuse to be crushed by disappointment. and as their unusual imagination is supported by solid analytical skills, more often than not those who start out disagreeing with or disapproving of them will end up admiring their bravery, even if not agreeing with their standpoint.

as risk takers, they have all the courage, discipline and energy to attract success; what they sometimes lack is perfect timing. they need to learn when to cut their losses and move on, when to be patient, and when to pounce.

dynamic and sociable, people born on august 13 zodiac often have a wide circle of friends, and their deeply felt passions and zest for life are incredibly attractive to romantic partners. however, deep insecurities underneath the bravado may block their dreams of intimacy and true love.

on the dark size: brash, insensitive, unrealistic

at your best: ambitious, resilient, courageous” [ x ]

lily came into this world only two days after her mum’s birthday, predestining her to a lifetime of comparisons to ginny. like her mother before her, she was the youngest and only girl, born at the height of summer, with hair as red as hellfire and dark, dark eyes. but anyone who’s truly paying attention could deduce the truth: there is so much harry within lily, far more than there is ginny. it’s uncanny.

because of the proximity of the dates, she’s never had a celebration to herself, and for a girl with two borrowed names, she finds herself craving something – anything – to call her own. would there ever come a day where someone would think of her without thinking of her crippling legacy? she loves her ancestry so much that she would never dare think of breaking free, but sometimes she’s not sure if she’s truly her own person or just a crude amalgam of her family.

gender

a cis-woman

sexuality

bisexual demiromantic

somewhere deep down, lily always had an inkling that she was bisexual, but it took several years for her to come to this revelation while she navigated through her internalized fear and doubt. it certainly wasn’t her family that instilled this as they had always been so accepting and supportive, but society had ingrained compulsory heterosexuality into her, making it difficult for her to find validity in her feelings for girls. she’s still not publicly out, as she isn’t ready to face the vitriol of the media, but her close friends and family all know.

much like her mother in her youth, lily has never dated anyone for long. see, while she often experiences sexual attraction, lily hasn’t quite felt a romantic attraction to anyone in years. there have been inklings of feelings here and there, yes, but never anything truly substantial. lily worries she might never fall in love again, a thought that terrifies her. but what terrifies her even more is falling in love. she’s a contradiction in that regard–she longs for intimacy but she’s afraid to be vulnerable. a highly distrustful and guarded person, she isn’t used to letting her guard down. to lily, that’s how you get hurt.

because she’s demiromantic (although she hasn’t realized it yet), lily needs to feel a romantic attraction, there needs to be an established emotional connection, a kinship. she will never have instant romantic feelings for someone. it takes time for lily to love you–and even more time for her to accept it. falling in love, after all, is opening yourself up to someone who might not feel the same. falling in love means making sacrifices for someone who might betray you. falling in love makes you weak and takes away your control, and that is what scares lily more than almost anything. so it takes a lot of trust for her to willingly admit she’s fallen in love, trust that is very hard for someone to earn.

when lily does love though, she loves recklessly. lily is always consumed by her emotions, and love is far from the exception. for those that she loves, she would eternally condemn herself to the depths of hell without a second of thought. she will bleed and ache and suffer without complaint to protect them. she’ll even kill.

blood status

halfblood

hogwarts house

gryffindor

there was never a doubt in her mind where she would be sorted until she let the sorting hat fall over her eyes. she expected to hear him bellow “gryffindor!” in a matter of seconds, but the hat took his sweet time, telling her that she could find a home with the snakes, if she wished to forge a separate path for herself.

not slytherin, she nearly cried out, clenching the edges of the stool so tightly that her nails sunk into the wood. clearing her throat, she whispered to the hat in a voice so imperious it could order kings to bow, “i will accept nothing less than gryffindor. that is where you will place me.”

the hat considered, lily’s heart pounding so fast it threatened to burst from her chest. “ordering around an all-knowing hat is definitely bold of you, if not incredibly foolish. have it your way then – it’ll have to be gryffindor!”

[ on pottermore, lily has been sorted into slytherin and gryffindor about an equal amount of times. at first glance, lily comes off as the quintessential gryffindor. however, much like her father, lily is someone who could have gone a different path into the snake pit, but ultimately, that was not what she wanted for herself. she exhibits the slytherin qualities of determination, resourcefulness, guile, and ambition, but she doesn’t value them nearly as much as she lauds her bravery, chivalry, and righteousness. and in fact, she scorns slytherin’s tendency towards self preservation. furthermore, lily’s black-and-white views of morality is just so very gryffindor at its heart – her quench for retribution is downright bloodthirsty and ruthless, but in her mind, it’s justice. she is perhaps the darkest and most dangerous sort of gryffindor – the way she sees the world is so skewed, but she views herself as right. whether she is a hero, villain, or something in between is up for debate; wickedness isn’t inherently a slytherin trait, just as goodness isn’t inherently a gryffindor trait. but she’s a gryffindor through and through.

i do think that she possesses many of the traits that salazar slytherin admires in a person though, as much as she tries to deny it. lily doesn’t hate all slytherins, but she remains prejudiced towards the house as a whole. it’s hypocritical and paranoid, really. for a girl so against bigotry, she treats a great deal of slytherins with disdain, perhaps loathing many of them more than they loathe her. the worst part is, she does see parts of herself in every slytherin, and it disgusts her. ]

religion

agnostic christian

religion was never an integral part of the potter household. her memories of attending sunday morning church are few and far between, but lily still identifies as christian, celebrating christmas and easter at the burrow every year. and there is no time better than christmas time in lily’s book. she loves sitting by the crackling fire with a cup of hot cocoa—topped with whipped cream and tiny marshmallows of course. she loves the smell of the fresh pine trees. she loves decorating the house with ornaments and lights and garlands. and if she’s in a particularly good mood, she’ll even attempt to help with the cooking and the baking. (but in all honesty, if she can make it five minutes without destroying the kitchen, that’s a christmas miracle in itself.)

nationality

english

student functions

dueling club captain, gryffindor chaser, s.p.e.w. club member, debate club member

dueling club captain

it might come as a shock that the daughter of two renowned quidditch players would rather be president of the dueling club than the gryffindor quidditch team, but lily’s never had her sights set on pursuing quidditch as a profession. she’s always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps and joining the auror ranks, so dueling club was the natural first step to honing her combat skills. she’s been a member since the start of her hogwarts career, but it was only this year that she was finally granted that elusive captaincy.

with the sheer strength behind her spellwork and her stellar instincts in a scrimmage, she’s considered to be a dueling prodigy of sorts and has amassed a number of trophies over the years. her marks in defense against the dark arts and charms are unparalleled among her peers because she works so immensely hard to eclipse everyone else – she hopes that some glowing recommendations will prove to them (and herself) that she has earned her spot with the aurors. it won’t be handed to her because of her family name and influence but through painstakingly hard work.

but dueling club isn’t simply a means to an end to lily. there is nothing she covets more than the glorious burn in her muscles in a seething fight – the adrenaline rush when she’s high on a win. she relishes in the pain because it’s a reminder that she’s still alive, that the ice hasn’t completely turned her numb. lily always needs to be moving or else she’ll remember everything she’s trying so hard to forget.

the staff must think of her father and dumbledore’s army when they survey her demonstrations, but little do they know she and the rest of the club have tampered with the dark arts. “is it better to outmonster the monster or to be quietly devoured?” lily doesn’t know the answer, but she thinks of her father’s cold, cold body and the spell that stole his life. she’ll only call upon such terrible magic in the direst of circumstances, but it’s best that she’s aware of exactly what she’s fighting against as far as she’s concerned.

gryffindor chaser

quidditch might be less of a priority to lily than dueling club, but she still cherishes the sport more than she could ever express aloud. she loves the smooth handle of her prized broom, given to her by her dad on her eleventh birthday, engraved with her initials. she relishes in the freedom of the rushing wind against her skin, how alive she feels when she flies. (it’s hard to feel alive these days.) quidditch is her chance to escape herself, to be unfettered from all the thoughts swirling around in her head.

when she learned how to play, she took to the quaffle, not the snitch. lily can never see herself choosing to wait when she can still move – racing around the pitch and scoring goal after goal is better than squinting in the wind, praying for something to happen. there’s nothing like the excitement of the match to get her blood rushing. she knows that when they cheer for her, it’s not because of who she is but because of the points she just scored. there’s no better feeling than that.

she’s thought about quitting – who could think of quidditch in a time like this? but it was her father who taught her how to soar through the sky, and now that he’s gone, she can’t bear to sever that connection to him. so for once, she’ll let herself be selfish.

physical appearance

hair

red. the same red as her mother’s hair, although ginny’s has slightly faded overtime with age. lily’s has natural loose waves, but she has been known to straighten or curl it from time to time. it depends on her whims that day, really. save for one disastrous haircut when she was nine though, her hair has never been short. it’s almost impossible to style short hair after all, and lily adores playing around with different styles. her hair is most often–and unsurprisingly–the first thing people notice about her. it’s hard to miss hair that red in a crowd.

eyes

brown and almond-shaped like her mother. lily breathes passion and emotion, so it’s no surprise that despite her best efforts to conceal her emotions, her eyes are often the window to her soul; they’re so very expressive. lily will make deliberate eye contact almost always–even when lying–except in moments where she’s feeling particularly vulnerable. that is when she will look away. but the expression she makes most often? eye rolls. she’s perfected them over the years.

height

5’0. she’s fairly sure she’s already done growing; she’s about as tall as her mum who stopped growing around sixteen. lily isn’t insecure about her height, but she loathes being underestimated for it. she refuses to allow herself to be disregarded and thought of as a little girl merely because she’s small–as her uncle says, “size is no guarantee of power,” and lily is the utter proof of that.

weight

98 lbs

body type

short and petite

voice

energetic and loud—if one wishes to be heard in the weasley family, loudness is a necessity. and if she’s particularly upset, it’s not uncommon for lily’s voice to turn shrill, high pitched, and piercing. lily also tends to speak in exaggerated tones with a great deal of emphasis placed on her words, and she’s no stranger to swears either, often struggling to tone it down among her superiors. lily’s been told she’s mouthy, and it’s true; she talks a far deal, so much so that it’s hard to get a word in with her around.

gait

lily tends to move swiftly from one place to another, never one to waste time to stop and smell the roses; she has things to do, for merlin’s sake. luckily, she was blessed with grace and coordination unlike some people (hem, hem, teddy), and her posture is decent by all accounts except her aunt fleur’s.

piercings

ears, once on each side.

markings/scars

various scrapes and scars. some of them are from the childhood adventures she used to drag her cousins into; one particular time she attempted to climb the tall oak tree in the burrow’s backyard, which resulted in a concussion, a broken leg, and a large scar on her arm that she covers via magic and makeup. but the vast majority are the product of raging fights and heart-palpitating duels – they are her shining battle scars. she keeps them carefully glamoured to prevent the mirage of her delicacy from shattering, but the truth is, she’s proud of them. they are a symbol of every war she’s won. everything she’s overcome.

personal style

[ tw: sexualization of a minor ]

feminine. lily has always been very comfortable in her femininity, her aunt fleur teaching her from a young age that it’s possible to be both effeminate and strong. she is a strong believer that females should be allowed to dress as they please and not be discriminated against for it, and she loathes it when people write her off as a weak little princess for her fashion choices. lily most often wears blood red lipstick and nail polish–her battle armor in the fight against feminism. most people are surprised to see that a little girl with such “girly” taste has such a mouth on her, but lily potter is no princess in distress. lily potter is the dragon standing guard.

and growing up in the weasley-potter household, she was no stranger to muggle culture, so thus her clothing choices are much more similar to that of a teenage muggle girl than a budding witch. she loves dresses and skirts and blouses and crop tops, and don’t even get her started on stilettos. she has one particular leather jacket though, given to her by her brother victoire, that she actually doesn’t mind wearing—as long as she has her stockings and leather miniskirt on. she’s almost never seen without makeup on–blush, lipstick, and mascara at the very least–and she keeps her nails sharp and painted. lily has actually assisted her uncle with the wonderwitch line at weasley’s wizard wheezes before; she helped george develop a line of long-staying lipstick and nail polish. 

her wardrobe choices are considered promiscuous by the media. her skirts are too short. too much of her cleavage shows in her tops. she exposes her midriff more than she should. but lily doesn’t dress the way that she does to attract people–she dresses the way that she does because she likes it. she won’t stand for accusations of “distracting the males around her.” it isn’t her job to dress more modestly to aid their self control. if a boy touches her without her permission or uses misogynistic slurs towards her, she will destroy them without a single thought.

the media made the mistake of sexualizing her from a young age, calling her all sorts of names like whore and slag. her clothes are a “fuck you” to rita skeeter and the journalists at witch weekly. you want to see a girl gone wild? then that’s what you’ll get, darling. (the anger seethes in her body so long that it rots her bones – one day she’ll come for them all.)

headcanons

fears

losing more family, not living up to expectations, disappointing her family and not living up to the family name, never finding love, opening up to be rejected or betrayed, the thought of being afraid itself, being powerless or limited, not being in control of herself, being perceived as weak, not being able to save the people she cares about, falling in love with the wrong person, the possibility that she’s just as terrible as the people she loathes, not making it as an auror

her fears are most often abstract rather than physical, tangible things. in fact, lily’s boggart manifests into her body on the floor, trapped in a full body bind while helplessly watching a faceless person murder the people she cares about, one by one. the deadliest foes will not make her blink but the very thought of being powerless when she needs her the strength the most? it can be crippling. when she was first faced with her boggart in her third year whilst in dada class, lily froze for several seconds, absolutely paralyzed by the image, a fact she still denies to this day. she is a potter. she is the strong one. she isn’t supposed to know fear. (oh but she does.)

goals

[ tw: parental death ]

ending the war, becoming an auror, living up to her name, freeing herself from her family’s shadow, making the world a better place, finding a way to impose justice on those who’ve wronged her

lily longs to make her family proud of her, but even more so, she wishes to escape their shadow, to be seen as a separate entity. she wants to earn her accomplishments, not be handed them on a silver platter. she wants to make a change, a true difference. it’s idealistic of her, but that’s what she wants. if lily glimpsed into the mirror of erised before her father’s death, she would have seen herself finally free from her father’s shadow, being given the order of merlin first class, her proud family in the background. but now? if she were to look, all she would see is her father, standing right by her side.

amortentia

firewhiskey, petrichor, firewood, hot chocolate, broom polish, old books, roses, treacle tart, strawberries and whipped cream, french vanilla, the sea, chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, cinnamon, cherries, cloves

patronus

phoenix.

“the phoenix is a difficult patronus to come by, and if you do happen to have it, it signifies a very strong heart. these people have been through a lot in their life, and have risen from the ashes of it and become driven, daring, and a bit stubborn. they will not let anything bring them down, because they’ve been there before and never want to go back to that place. they have fire-like emotions, and can therefore be a bit tense at times. they are natural therapists, wanting to help others get out of tough places to allow them to rise as well. the most common house for a phoenix patronus is gryffindor. the most common signs are leo and taurus.” [ x ]

everything in that description is so lily to me, but because i like to be thorough, i’m going to delve in a little deeper.

the phoenix is a bird with red and gold plumage–the colors of gryffindor. and although lily does have traits from the other houses as well, she is essentially the textbook gryffindor. their scarlet body feathers glow in the darkness, and their gold tail feathers are scorching to the touch, a perfect metaphor for the flames within her.

phoenixes are said to be capable of carrying tremendously large loads, and this also screams lily to me because this is the girl who’s trying to carry the world on her shoulders. she may be failing, but merlin is she trying. and the truth is, lily can withstand a great deal before hitting her limit, her breaking point. just like a phoenix.

phoenixes are symbols of rebirth and healing; they may go up in flames every now and again, but every time, they come back from it. they come back from it just as strong as they were before. this is lily. she is the girl with the elastic heart, the girl who’s overcome so much in her small time on earth thus far. and she will do whatever it takes to heal her loved ones until her last dying breath.

the phoenix song evokes bravery in the hearts of the righteous and strikes terror into the hearts of the wicked – lily is a person who has the capacity to save the planet from the brink of devastation or set it on flames herself. but one thing is for certain: she will change the world.

lastly, the phoenix is of course the symbol of the order of the phoenix. her loyalty to the order’s values and her family is unwavering, and to me, it makes sense that her patronus would also reflect that.

wand

[ tw: parental death ]

12 inches, cypress, dragon heartstring, hard

“cypress - cypress wands are associated with nobility. the great medieval wandmaker, geraint ollivander, wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death. fortunately, in these less blood-thirsty times, the possessors of cypress wands are rarely called upon to lay down their lives, though doubtless many of them would do so if required. wands of cypress find their soul mates among the brave, the bold and the self-sacrificing: those who are unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others’ natures.

dragon heartstring - symbolizes power and wisdom. those who are strong, wise, compassionate, dedicated, relentless, resilient, bold, strong-minded, head-strong, powerful, ambitious, highly determined and driven (to obsessive), have strong desire and/or stubborn would have this wand core. having such a wand core suggests that you can be bossy at times, but also have a fiery disposition and have firm convictions, which will lead you down the road to leadership, as well as being devoted and selfless. this is the best core to have for hexes, the dark arts and all manner of elemental magic. it is a core predominantly found among those of house slytherin, but can also bond well with those of house ravenclaw and house gryffindor. as a rule, dragon heartstring cores produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. wands with dragon heartstring cores tend to learn more quickly than other types. in elemental magic, dragon heartstring cores are the most flexible of all the common cores, being that they work well with all manner of elemental spells, but no doubt that fire spells are among the most potent with this core type. while they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. such wands also tend to be easiest to turn to the dark arts, though they will not incline that way of their own accord. such wands are also the most prone to the ‘three cores to accidents’, being somewhat temperamental. dragon heartstring cores are a powerful wand core with a lot of magical “heft”. they are not the wand core you want for subtlety, but for sheer power, they are definitely the best. although they are the most common core among dark wizards and dark witches, they are most certainly not their most common users. dragon heartstring cores are by far the most common wand core amongst slytherins, but their power often bonds well to gryffindors and ravenclaws as well. however, they tend to overwhelm the archetypal hufflepuff personality.

hard - a wand of this flexibility is very difficult to work with and its loyalty is not won easily. hard wands are great for complex and advanced levels of magic, so beginning wizards and witches may find extra difficulty with this wand when it doesn’t perform well for simple magic. as such, this type of wand is best suited for wizards and witches who are gifted, stubborn, and never give up. owners of this wand also have a tendency to view things in absolutes; black or white. some people may find them intimidating or difficult to approach.” [ x ]

in classical antiquity, the cypress tree was a symbol of mourning, death, and the underworld, and it remains the most common cemetery tree in europe. her wand wood is not only a metaphor for lily’s name and all that her family has lost but also a poignant symbol of her underlying trauma – the early death of her childhood. the most well-known myth about the cypress tree is the tale of cyparissus and his beloved stag companion, who he accidentally murdered with his hunting javelin. his sorrow was so consuming that he begged to weep forever, transforming into a cypress tee, with the tree’s sap as his tears. as the stag is of course harry’s patronus, it all relates back to her father and her grief over him.

bad habits

becoming so intensely focused that she forgets to eat, over-straining or over-extenuating herself, being quick to anger, drinking too much, reality television, swearing, using romantic relationships and hook-ups as a means to feel better about herself, staying up too late, having too many cups of coffee per day, lying to others (and herself), seeing things too black-and-white, being too loud, over-involving herself into others’ affairs, letting her emotions completely consume her, placing blame where it does not belong (on both herself and others), deflecting with sarcasm

likes

peonies and roses (her favorite flowers, not lilies), pop music (she likes upbeat songs she can dance to -- her favorite artists are lorde, beyonce, rihanna, sia, and marina and the diamonds and she almost exclusively listens to female artists), quidditch (she plays chaser like her mum), reality television (a guilty pleasure), the sea (when she’s around water, she feels at peace for once for it soothes the flames burning within her), coffee, hot chocolate (it reminds her of christmas, her favorite time of the year), the color red, muggle literature, family, romance movies (another guilty pleasure though she’ll never admit it), french food, dueling, honeydukes chocolate, treacle tart (it’s her favorite, much like her father), alcohol, fashion, puppies (she will not tolerate cats), warm weather, fire, dueling, nail polish (she has a plethora of colors), stilettos, and surprisingly a great deal of “nerdy” things (such as star wars, lord of the rings, and comic books) but if you try to call her a nerd she’s likely to punch you

quirks

lily cannot cook at all and has set her kitchen on fire multiple occasions.

she loves to sing but is so horrifically tone deaf that she truly shouldn’t. (her favorite genre is pop.)

her art consists of poorly colored stick figures, honestly resembling that of a child’s.

for someone so fiery, she is very averse to the winter. three minutes in the cold and she’ll be absolutely freezing—goosebumps and all.

she much prefers muggle clothes to robes.

secrets

[ tw: emotional abuse, binge drinking/developing alcoholism, ptsd ]

lily has always been brazen and intrepid and fierce, but as a child, she was just a bit softer, before the world hardened her. unfortunately, growing up under the microscope of the media, she was still left vulnerable to vitriol and sexualization, and it forced her to grow up too fast, despite her family’s best efforts to shield their little girl. this is when her insecurities truly started to grapple her, but she responded by putting on an unbreakable facade and feigning confidence. when she was in her third year, she dated someone for the first time, a fifth year named adonis. he was utterly beguiling, like a python before it swallows you whole. at first, there was the honeymoon period where she felt as though she were on top of the world – a beautiful older boy was interested in her. but it was all a cruel game to him, and over time, he pinpointed her insecurities and used them to influence and control her in a manner that was so sly it took her ages to realize it. this was all while convincing her to keep their relationship a secret, so her family would be none the wiser, which isolated her from those who truly cared about her. after about five or six months, she finally recognized something was very wrong and broke free from him, but the emotional abuse and gaslighting left its toll on her as she came to terms with it. never in her life had she felt so stupid, so foolish, and she vowed to never lose control again. this heavily contributed to her fear of falling in love. nowadays, she never lasts in a romantic relationship long, flitting from person to person. she hasn’t ever talked about what happened, but in his seventh year (her fifth), she discovered that he was isolating and manipulating another girl, and she clandestinely struck with a curse that left him permanently blind. never again would he be able to touch her – or anyone else. she can only hope the taste of her was worth it.

after she broke up with him, she also started drinking at parties to endure the fame and trauma, savoring how the firewhiskey numbed her and allowed her an temporary escape from herself. it started out innocuous, but over the years, she’s fallen deeper into alcoholism as it’s very much a coping mechanism for her. while she doesn’t truly hide her drinking, she shuts down anyone who tries to tell her she has a problem. 

she’s still a virgin. she’s fooled around before, but every time she comes close to letting someone truly see her, she thinks about how she almost slept with someone she shouldn’t have. she’s never properly dealt with the trauma from her first relationship, but as far she’s concerned, she’s perfectly fine.

her confidence is merely a mask for her insecurities about not being good enough. fake it until you make it, muggles say, and lily cannot disagree.

she pretends as if she isn’t afraid of anything—as if nothing fazes her—when in reality, she knows fear just as much as everyone else. she simply won’t admit it.

jung type

enfj. (extroversion over introversion; intuition over sense; feelings over thoughts; judging over perceiving)

“enfjs are the benevolent ‘pedagogues’ of humanity. they have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. many enfjs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. but it’s usually not meant as manipulation — enfjs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are.

enfjs are global learners. they see the big picture. the enfjs focus is expansive. some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously.many enfjs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.

enfjs are, by definition, js, with whom we associate organization and decisiveness. but they don’t resemble the sjs or even the ntjs in organization of the environment nor occasional recalcitrance. enfjs are organized in the arena of interpersonal affairs. their offices may or may not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than those of their nfp counterparts.

enfjs know and appreciate people. like most nfs, (and feelers in general), they are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. they have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. enfjs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear.” [ x ]

moral alignment

chaotic good.

“chaotic stands overall for freedom and adaptability, and especially chaotic good embodies that. characters of this alignment disdain bureaucratic organisations that get in the way of social improvement and place high value on personal freedom - but not just their own, but the personal freedom of others as well. since they are on the good axis, they are altruistic and intend to do what is right, regardless of what society may think of it, or whether they go against the law while doing it. think of a vigilante that’s a champion of the people, but frequently breaks the law helping people. they’re not much for planning and extensive organisation versus improvisation, and may create conflict in a team if they feel being pushed around (by, for instance, a lawful character). chaotic good characters might best work independently for that reason, or at least with someone who will respect their personal boundaries.

traits: rebellious, free-spirited, listens to their conscience, follows own moral compass, independent, kind, benevolent, believes in goodness, cares little for laws and regulations, good-natured, unpredictable, value freedom, believe people should follow their own desires, responsible, doubt their government, reckless

positives: combines a good heart with a free spirit, encourages selflessness, encourages freedom and equality, doing good is not seen as a duty, doing good is their responsibility, punishes evil and protects the innocent, keep their word, helps those in need, never kills for pleasure

negatives: disrupts the order of society, punishes those who do well for themselves, often resent authority, refuse to do good as a duty even if they end up doing it anyway on their own terms, promote society with little control from the government, occasionally breaks the law, may resort to torture when deemed necessary, may kill when deemed necessary” [ x ]

temperament

choleric.

“the choleric is an extroverted, hot-tempered, quick thinking, active, practical, strong-willed and easily annoyed person. cholerics are self-confident, self-sufficient and very independent minded. they are decisive and opinionated and find it easy to make decisions for themselves as well as others. cholerics tend to leave little room for negotiating. the choleric is a visionary and seems to never run out of ideas, plans and goals, which are usually very practical. the choleric does not require as much sleep as the other temperaments so their activity seems endless. their activity almost always has a purpose because they are by nature result-oriented. they usually do not give in to the pressure of what others think unless they see that they cannot get the desired results. cholerics can be crusaders against social injustice as they love to fight for a cause. cholerics are both direct and firm when responding to others. they are slow to build relationships because results tend to be more important than people. they do not easily empathize with the feelings of others or show compassion. cholerics think big and seek positions of authority.” [ x ]

enneagram

type eight (with a type seven wing).

“the powerful, dominating type:

self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational

generally, eights are strong, assertive, resourceful, independent, determined, action-oriented, pragmatic, competitive, straight-talking, shrewd, and insistent.

eights get into conflicts by being blunt, willful, domineering, forceful, defiant, confrontational, bad-tempered, rageful, cynical, and vengeful.

at their best, eights are honorable, heroic, empowering, generous, gentle, constructive, initiating, decisive, and inspiring.

enneagram type 8 with the 7 wing desire to appear commanding and see themselves as outspoken, innovative, intense, daring, striking, attractive and tenderhearted.

basic fear: of being harmed or controlled by others.

basic desire: to protect themselves, to be in control of their own life and destiny.

basic motivations: want to be self-reliant, to prove their strength and resist weakness, to be important in their world, to dominate the environment, and to stay in control of their situation.

stress point: type five - withdraws, avoids people, observes and thinks, consolidates plans.

security point: type two - protector of the weak, generous, helpful, charming.” [ x ]

soul type

the warrior.

the source i used for this one was another long page [ x ], so i’m just going to copy and paste the quotes that seemed particularly lily-ish.

“warriors are forceful souls; they embody qualities of strength, courage and determination. like kings, warriors are action-oriented beings, and therefore down-to-earth, single-minded and very willful. unlike kings, however, they tend to be more attracted to the cut and thrust of battle (whether real or metaphorical), preferring to just get stuck in rather than to stand back pulling all the strings.”

“warrior souls tend to see life in terms of confrontations and rising to the challenge. there are causes to serve, struggles to be overcome, battles to be won. they like to be on the front line with their trusted comrades, and strongly value both courage and loyalty. the basic drive of any warrior is to uphold something “right” and defeat something “wrong”, however those two are defined.”

“in the positive pole, persuasion, a warrior is forceful and effective without being overbearing. in other words, respectfully persuasive, courageous and protective. in the negative pole, coercion, the warrior descends into intimidation.”

zodiac

her sun sign is leo.

“the lion.

fixed, fire, yang - planetary ruler: the sun. keywords: i will

leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac and rules the back, the spine, and the heart. positive traits include creativity, charisma, generosity, warmth, enthusiasm, a natural talent for leadership, and a great deal of inner power; negative traits are haughtiness, snobbery, an expectation that one is the centre of attention and should be waited on by everyone else, profligacy, lack of realism, dominance that can lead to bullying, and a refusal to change one’s mind even in the face of solid facts.

this is a natural sign for gryffindors, not least because the griffin is part lion. gryffindors born under this sign are outgoing, friendly, affectionate, and likeable. they make friends easily and are crushed when their advances are rejected. their romantic, chivalrous nature makes them perfect examples of all that is best in their house. however, they are also bossy, domineering, spendthrift, and overly dramatic (ever heard the phrase ‘drama queen?’) they have sharp tempers and need to learn to direct their anger toward only needful causes. the natural creativity and flamboyance of leo makes gryffindors born under this sign good at most everything they attempt, provided they apply themselves to learning magic rather than using magic to hog the limelight.” [ x ]

her moon sign is scorpio, a fixed water sign. the moon sign explanation i’m using [ x ] is particularly long, so i’m not going to copy and paste the whole thing, but here are some things on there that i feel really apply to lily.

“because the depth of your emotions – their strength and potential power – can be so intense, they can at times be overwhelming. early on in life, you may find yourself swinging between extremes of emotional peaks and troughs, feeling intensely and acutely every dimension of life. you are reminded not to collapse yourself into your emotions, or believe just because an emotion has intensity it must be acted upon. part of your nature requires you to allow strong feelings to unfold without being overcome by them.”

“you feel intensely, for better or for worse. this can at times make you seem vulnerable, but in truth you are likely to have much strength. your emotional nature combines sensitivity with the instinctual awareness that real growth only happens through episodes of pain and transformation.”

“there may be a tendency to try and protect this vulnerability, hiding the true depths of what you really feel. this tendency to suppress your emotions can go both ways. on the one hand, you may try to detach from uncomfortable emotions, and avoid circumstances that will really get you to feel. you may protect yourself from close encounters with others, and find emotional release through fictional or fantasy-based sources. or, you may attempt to control and dominate others with moodiness, lashing out at them before they can ‘get to you’. defense is used as a form of offense to prevent others discovering how sensitive and vulnerable you really feel.”

“at its highest level, the moon in scorpio gives you the ability to transform your own and others lives. you can act as an agent for change to become a catalyst for greater growth and awareness. you can help others shift their psychological values. the potential power contained here is enormous. you have the opportunity to be a force for change.”

lastly her ascendant sign is aries, with mars also in aries. again, the page i’m using [ x ] is long, so i’m just going to copy and paste some things that stand out to me.

“people with aries ascendants are direct and quick. their first instinct is to do, rather than think.”

“some aries rising people are competitive, but they generally put most of the pressure on themselves. these people love to come out ahead in all that they do. they get ready quickly, walk quickly, and have little patience for dilly-dallying. their temper is quick, too.”

“your ruling planet, mars, is also in aries: you are a fireball of vitality and a true warrior. become a master of yourself and conquer your own arrogance, impatience, and anger before you go out to conquer the world or burn yourself out.”  

tropes

action girl, chronic hero syndrome, determinator, good is not soft, tsundere, lady of adventure, red is heroic, fool for love, the idealist, rebellious spirit, lethal chef, go-getter girl, fiery redhead

character parallels

blossom (powerpuff girls), barbara gordon (batman comics), rose hathaway (vampire academy), buffy summers (buffy: the vampire slayer), anastasia (anastasia 1997), leia organa (star wars), mary jane watson (spiderman), nina zenik (six of crows), kim possible (kim possible), kayley (quest for camelot), sabrina spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina), arya stark (a song of ice and fire), rey (star wars)

element

fire

lily is the living embodiment of fire – most of the time, she is a seething forest fire, and all she knows is destruction. but some days, she’s reduced down to a mere spark, a flicker. no matter what though, she’s always burning.

deadly sin

wrath

she is choleric and vindictive and ferocious and wicked. she knows this, and deep down, she’s utterly terrified that she might truly be a horrible person. she wasn’t always this bitter, this cruel, but she is never going to be the girl she once was. she isn’t ever coming back.

heavenly virtue

charity

lily isn’t infallible – she’s a teenage girl after all – but she’s surprisingly selfless when it comes to the people she cares about. she’d do just about anything for them. hell, she’d sacrifice herself for any of them without hesitation if it ever came down to it. her wand wood is cypress for a reason.

history

birthplace

st. mungo’s hospital

residence

godric’s hallow

socioeconomic status

upper class, wealthy

pets

a little cairn terrier named toto

lily is such a dog person – once during her first year she and hagrid tried to sneak in another three-headed puppy into hogwarts; he was a vicious little thing named buddy (because these two consider any dog their buddy, even if it could bite their head off). but minerva mcgonagall caught her in the nick of time and the poor headmistress chewed them out so loudly that the hogsmeade villagers most likely heard. and buddy was given back to his original owner. but now lily owns a little cairn terrier who means the world to her – the only boy she’s ever loved, or so she claims. his name is toto because he looks suspiciously like toto from wizard of oz, a favorite childhood movie of hers, and he was given to lily last year by her close friend, clarabel, who’s particularly talented at conjuring animals. curiously, his personality and disposition almost mirrors clarabel’s, most likely because she was the one who brought him to life. as toto isn’t technically “real” (please don’t say this to her), he does not age and could disappear at any given moment, which was the only reason why she was allowed to bring him to hogwarts. granted, it took several impassioned speeches to mcgonagall that went something along the lines of “albus is allowed to bring a ferret, but i can’t bring a dog? ferrets carry diseases, headmistress!” it’s almost remarkable how a girl this hardened can be so soft in the presence of dogs.

father

[ tw: parental death ]

lily adored her father to the point of idolization. from a young age, lily became convinced that he could do no wrong, that he was impervious to evil and completely invincible. he was the savior of the wizarding world. the world’s hero. her hero. she would have followed him to the end of the world. it is because of him that she has always dreamed of becoming an auror. she wanted to make him proud, and moreover, she wants to do some good in the world herself. however, her idolization of her father certainly has its negative effects; she puts him on so high of a pedestal that she can’t admit his faults, especially now. not to mention, she’s so concerned about not living up to the expectations of the potter name and is convinced she will never be able to. she will never live up to her dad. and she will spend the rest of her life not knowing how proud of her he really was.

mother

her relationship with her mother is much healthier than her relationship with her father. although she’s always been a bit closer to harry, ginny and lily are still close to each other, and ginny is most protective over her youngest daughter because she always longed for a girl. while harry taught her how to fly, it was ginny who taught her how to play quidditch. lily inherited her natural chaser skills (among other things). lily would confide in her mother almost anything. yes, they do argue because their personalities are both so strong, but there is complete trust and respect between the two of them.

siblings

in the potter-weasley clan, family is valued over anything, and her older siblings are no exception. although they are older in age, lily is viciously protective over them. she watches out for them because she needs them—she needs albus and james. she has no clue what she’d do without her brothers around, but she never wants to find out. lily would lay down her lives for them in a heartbeat, no hesitation at all, no questions asked. because if it’s between them or her, she’d choose herself every time. they have their rows–all siblings do–but at the end of the day, she’s with them until the end of the line.

early history

i. rooting

your relatives always tell the same little anecdotes about your birth. after all those times you hear them over family dinner, birthday parties, the frequent family outings ― any time and place your parents could embarrass you, honestly ― you memorize them.

mum will always go on and on about the pain, how it felt like “a bloody watermelon was coming out of my birth canal,” and dad will always reminisce about how she cursed like a sailor at him every five minutes for “putting this goddamn demon baby in my tiny stomach” and how she threatened to strangle him later. uncle ron will always talk about how he almost fainted when you came out of mum because holy crap the blood. and of course, grandma will always reprimand them for exaggerating and reassure everyone that mum never once called you a demon.

but here’s the part that always sticks to you the most: you were the hardest, most painful birth out of the three. when your mother finally did manage to push you out, you kicked and screamed and cried, and she looked at you and faintly murmured, still weak from the pain, “that’s it. i’m done.”

and you are their final child.

✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿

the youngest and smallest daughter of a prodigious family, you grow up showered with unadulterated affection and care ― you are so loved that you could drown in its depths. there is never a single moment you doubt just how much they cherish you. it’s in every bear hug, every kiss to your forehead, every pinched cheek. they love you more than the world itself, giving you everything that they have, teaching you all that they know.

grandpa instills in you a curiosity and compassion for the mortal world, like the foolhardy little mermaid’s fascination with the shore up above. “just because they don’t share the same powers we do doesn’t mean they’re magicless,” he insists. “everyone has magic flowing inside of their veins. there are people out there who somehow manage to remember every tune on the radio, children who always know how to make their big siblings laugh, grandmas who always brew a perfect cup of tea. you don’t think there’s something magic to that? all you have to do is look, lils. you’ll see it.”

grandma tries to teach you how to cook, but you’re so quickly infuriated in the kitchen that your magic bubbles to a boil as steaming as dragon fire. before you can stop it, it bursts through the seams of your body and sets the food alight. every damn time. after aquamenti’s spluttered out for the fifteenth time amongst the thick and engulfing smoke, molly just heaves a sigh and shakes her head. “well, we’ll try again when you’re older, darling.” (why is it so much easier for you to destroy than create? sometimes you feel as though you are ruination entrapped in a tiny slip of a girl as it pounds and hollers to be set free. nurture is the gene that you failed to inherit, and it haunts you.)

but mum shows you how to wield those flames inside of you, to take the destruction and demolition thumping in your chest and weaponize it. “your family will always be here to fight for you, but it’s still important that you learn how to fend for yourself.” you learn how to fight tooth and nail. the muggle way, without the divinity of a wand. you’re the spitting image of your mother, small as they come, but size is no guarantee of power. you know that well. when you play make believe, you never demand to be the princess but the knight in shining armor, sword and shield in hand.

from your uncle ron, you learn to have courage in the presence of fear, and from aunt hermione, social justice and protest. uncle bill and aunt fleur teach you that inner beauty is as valuable, if not more, than outer beauty. uncle charlie shows you that there was no harm in a little (or a lot of) danger. uncle george and fred illustrate the indispensable power of laughter and tomfoolery ― what good’s existence if you don’t know how to live? uncle percy’s lesson is perhaps the most important, a lesson he almost understood too late: never to abandon your family. “always remember this, lily, we all love you so much no matter what.” percy stresses.

they love you.

and your dad ― he teaches you how to love them back.

ii. rising

then you’re a little ten-year-old upset that your brothers, your godbrother, and your cousins have left you. in the dust. for a castle ― a magical castle where there are ghosts and trolls and a talking hat. a talking sorting hat who somehow shoulders the responsibility of deciding your entire fucking future. (gryffindor? oh merlin, please, gryffindor.)

and most of them can’t even be bothered to pick up the quill and properly write.

but you don’t cry over these things, see? you never cry. (everyone says you’re like your mum. she never cries. dad secretly likes that about mum. dad isn’t much for tears.)

dad doesn’t mind if you cry, he says, but you don’t want to bother him. he’s a weary war hero, even if he pretends to not be for you. he’s had enough. he’s seen enough. he’s felt enough pain for a lifetime. and all is finally well for him, apparently.

you don’t want him to have to deal with your problems.

last time you ever allowed yourself to cry ― you were around five or six? there was a thunderstorm. it was the first one you remembered in your life. (yeah. you fucking cried over a thunderstorm.) no one seemed to be able to calm you down, no one but james. james came over, wet and unruly hair sticking up on all ends, and said “it’s going to be okay, lils, i’m here. no one’s going to hurt you.”

no one will hurt you while your family’s here. so what use is getting upset over anything? they will always be there. to protect you.

and anyways. you’re lily fucking potter.

you’re the chosen one’s daughter.

what the hell do you need tears for? tears are for the weak.

you should be able to bloody take care of yourself.

you should be able to bloody protect them.

✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿

growing up in such a large family, you have become accustom to chaos and pandemonium and a cacophony of hollering voices. but with so many of them gone away, it’s so disturbingly quiet when you come around the burrow.

your uncle ron takes it upon himself to teach you wizard chess.

of course, you lose at first.

but you’re not one for giving up.

also there’s something satisfying about controlling your pieces and planning your moves ― having power over something feels good.

there’s also something very desensitizing about winning a match and seeing your opponent’s piece violently ― barbarically as your aunt hermione says ― shatter to crumbs.

but maybe that’s a little twisted. getting satisfaction off of that.

aunt hermione seems to be concerned about it.

the point is though ― you get good.

you’re bold and reckless and instinctual in your moves, yes. but you get very good.

iii. blooming

[ tw: emotional abuse and alcoholism ]

you’re finally at hogwarts.

and you’re a gryffindor. thank merlin. (the hat said almost slytherin. but definitely gryffindor. you begged and told it “not slytherin.” and so it put you into gryffindor almost immediately after.

as far you’re concerned, that hat was probably rather tipsy that night. if it can talk and sing songs and make decisions, it can get drunk, okay?

and the words that it said while it was intoxicated? can’t be held accounted for.

so thus: you’re a gryffindor. through and through.

no one else needs to know anything different.)

you owl your entire family about it. they’re all proud. most of them say you could have been in any house and it would have been absolutely fine. but they’re all quite proud.

✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿

in third year, you date a boy for the first time.

he sends you love letters. meets with you outside of school. tells you not to tell anyone about him. that sends off warning signs immediately. why can’t your family know? what the fuck is going on?

“let’s keep it a secret, just for now. i don’t want anyone to screw us up, lil. i don’t think they’d like me.”

“why wouldn’t my family like you? i like you. i’d make them like you.”

“please, lil, we can tell them eventually. i’m just scared to right now. you’re the first person i’ve ever had feelings for.”

you’ve always had a very low trust for people, there’s something you love about being called lil though. so you’re wary. but you decide to listen. this time.

but this time turns into just one more time. and it cycles. you excuse things you shouldn’t, all in the name of love. he isolates you, and he knows just how to push your buttons, to pinpoint your insecurities and lash out like a snake.

it takes you months, but you finally come to your senses and see it for what it is: plain and simple abuse. you untether yourself from him.

and then you try your best to forget about it.

maybe that’s part of the reason why you enjoy firewhiskey the first time you try it, just after you turn fourteen.

it burns like it should. it makes you numb. it’s a proper escape.

and it’s pretty damn clear: love gets in the way of things. love is pointless.

also, no one’s allowed to call you lil. ever again.

iv: wilting

[ tw: parental death ]

you’re sixteen. you just turned fucking sixteen.

and your dad’s dead.

your dad’s dead and you didn’t get to say goodbye and the last fucking thing you have of him? it’s his map.

you’d protect that map with your life. even if you’d rather have him.

✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿

it’s all a blur for a while. the condolences, the flowers, the funeral, the memorial, the tears…it’s all just a blur.

you just…you don’t understand why he’s dead.

a war hero. the head of the auror department. the savior. the chosen one.

he was the best of the best.

and he’s dead.

what hope does anyone still have?

practically none.

but dad would want you to have hope.

so you do your best to have some.

your family is just so clearly a mess though. even if they’re all mostly trying to hide it.

you’re the only one in mcgonagall’s army who actually seems to give a damn about people and this hopeless fucking world that’s probably not even worth saving in the first place.

so it’s just all on you now.

because dad’s not here.

he was supposed to always be there.

but he’s not anymore.

but it’s all right. (it’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right. you’re the hero of this story. don’t need to saved.)

you need to do something. you can’t just sit down and cry about it.

dad was always so selfless and concerned about the people he loved, but now that he’s not here? you don’t think that dad would really want you to just let his world go to hell.

when you were younger? you knew you wanted to be an auror. and he was proud of that. he helped train you. he was preparing you for this. maybe in some sick, twisted way…the universe meant for this to happen, for him to be taken away from you.

maybe he knew it too. and that’s why he tried so hard to prepare you.

the reasons don’t really matter, you don’t want to fucking talk to anyone about it. this is all just your job now.

that’s it.

iv: falling

you become harsh and hopeless, a storm that never seems to break. gone is the girl who was terrified of lightning and thunder – now you embody them, reveling in the demolition. you are untouchable, and you’re not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse.

if your father was still alive, you wonder if he would be proud.

but you know in your heart, he wouldn’t.

personality

strengths

caring, protective, loyal, intelligent, passionate, determined, brave, outgoing, selfless, witty, cunning, chivalrous, charismatic, adventurous, capable, ambitious, bold, independent, kind, generous, loving, well-intentioned, heroic, willful, free-spirited, warm, revolutionary, compassionate, decisive, hard-working, intuitive, pro-active, family-oriented

weaknesses

paranoid, envious, grudge-holder, blunt, outspoken, misconstrued perceptions, over-drinks, distrustful, stubborn, argumentative, hotheaded, feels the overwhelming need to save everyone and fix everything, too emotionally driven to the point of being illogical, impatient, reckless, lack of regard for her own life, sarcastic, insecure, unyielding, inability to admit she’s wrong, worrier, perfectionist, dishonest, controlling, competitive, unpredictable, erratic, tempestuous, difficulty resisting temptation, spiteful, fearless to the point of harming herself, self-righteous, judgmental, vengeful, violent, manipulative, hypocritical

personality overview

lily is known for her liveliness and her energy. the girl can’t stand being bored, and sitting around doing nothing frustrates her more than anything. most of the gryffindors view her as fun, but her idea of fun doesn’t align with everyone. she likes excitement and adventure. she’d take a swim in the lake when it’s freezing cold outside; she’d drink until she’s completely wasted; she’d set off fireworks in the great hall with her friends; she’d even explore the forbidden forest at night if she’s bored enough.

she’s also known for her quick wit and sense of humor, always ready with a comeback. her favorite teachers call her cheeky, while her least favorite call her a troublemaker. she’ll mouth off to anyone, consequences be damned, and it’s earned her a fair amount of detention sentences over the years. she just can’t help it but sass most of the time. it’s almost a defense mechanism, a way for lily to deflect.

lily knows how to lie, and admittedly, she’s very often dishonest. but she knows how to persuade. she speaks with conviction, her voice unwavering as she spins her webs, a stellar actress. she’s not pathological, but there’s a lot she likes to keep to herself. a lot of weakness and vulnerability that she doesn’t like to share with just anyone. at times, lily is so talented at lying that she is capable of deluding herself, burying some things that she doesn’t care to admit so far in the cobwebs of her mind that the denial becomes subconscious.

she has the heart of a lion. fierce, bold, and strong, lily’s the type of person you’d want beside you in a time of crisis. she’s a textbook gryffindor, ready for a fight and nearly impossible to scare. the girl could be considered too brave; her unwavering courageousness could easily get her killed someday. things that should terrify any sane person, such as bloodthirsty death eaters or hungarian horntails, never scare her. lily is recklessly dauntless, and she’s proud of it. there is nothing she values about herself more than her bravery. if you want lily to go berserk, all you have to do is call her a coward.

lily isn’t afraid to say what she thinks or stand up to people. she’s blunt and outspoken–sometimes harsh – always feeling the need to express her opinion. to make matters worse, she’s very argumentative and steadfast on her beliefs; she could debate for hours about something. in fact, lily actually enjoys arguing and debate, sometimes even picking fights with blood elitists and slytherins merely due to boredom, provoking them for no reason other than craving combat. incredibly hot-tempered, she’s usually fighting with someone about one thing or another and isn’t afraid to resort to violence if her point isn’t coming across.

there is a softer, kinder side to lily behind all her bravado though. she isn’t exactly nice, but she is caring and selfless. and she isn’t inherently cruel. she’d never hurt someone on purpose unless they didn’t absolutely deserve it in her opinion ( though she’s been wrong before on so many occasions ). she’s passionate, loyal, and protective about the things and people that she loves. she would sacrifice her life for someone she cares about in a heartbeat. she has a weakness for heroics, feeling a need to save people and fix everything, carrying the world on her shoulders. this is, of course, unreasonable, but she believes she has to be that way because of the family she comes from. from day one, she has had expectations placed on her because she’s a potter, and rather than fight them, she feels the need to live up to them. she feels as if the world is expecting her to be a hero because her family is so respected and moral. these expectations and complexes of hers are what drives lily.

she is a perfectionist. lily is constantly pushing herself past her limits and often tries to do far more than what she is capable of. lily refuses to stop and rest, and she’ll continue to refuse until the day she dies. she stays up too late to maintain her near-perfect grades. she practices for quidditch nearly every morning. she pours over her dada textbooks for hours on end so that she’ll win every duel in dueling club. lily is competitive and feels the need to be the best because her insecurities cause her to worry that she isn’t good enough, that she’ll never be good enough. it’s self-induced pressure–no one places unrealistic expectations on the girl but herself. in actuality, people may expect lily to be brave and heroic like her parents, but no one expects her to be the best at everything, and she puts most of the pressure on herself due to her own insecurities. it’s only lily who thinks she isn’t good enough, and one of her biggest flaws is her tendency to compare herself to other people rather than seeing herself as her own person. people who are better than her are often met with green, envy rattling in her core, as much as she tries to ignore it.

even though she appears completely fearless to most, lily is actually only almost devoid of fear, not that she would ever admit she was anything less than dauntless. she rarely ever speaks of emotions of fear in front of other people, pretending that nothing fazes her. she doesn’t want anyone to know that she can be scared or weak sometimes. she’s a gryffindor and a potter, so as far as she’s concerned, she’s not allowed to be. lily is expected to be strong and fearless, just like her parents, so that’s what she claims to be whereas, in reality, she can be afraid just like any other person; she’s just good at hiding things. the thought of losing people she cares about absolutely terrifies her, especially with the war. along with that, she has always felt pressure to be great; lily has spent her whole life worrying whether or not she’s good enough due to her family’s achievements. just like her father, she’s always felt the need to be a hero. lately she’s been afraid that she isn’t doing enough to help the order, that her dad would be ashamed of her if he was still alive. that’s one of the reasons why she’ll try to push her outlandish ideas on mcgonagall’s army members even though she knows deep down that she’s suggesting suicide missions.

it’s frightening, really, how much little regard she has for her own life. her self worth is nonexistent in the scheme of things. she’ll fight nail and tooth to live but only because she wants to be there to protect her loved ones; she sees her life as second to theirs. if she thought she could help bring about the end of the war by dying, if there was even the slightest possibility of saving those she views as good, lily would do it in an instant. without thinking. because lily truly believes that her loved ones would get over it, maybe not at first but eventually. and she’s okay with that. she’d want them to move on with their loves, to stop mourning her and find happiness. for lily, there is no better way to go than to go down fighting. to go down while defending her loved ones and her beliefs.

but if she lives through the war, lily plans on becoming an auror, just like her father. it’s just what she’s always wanted to do. again, the girl has a hero complex. and her ambition is great–she wants to be the youngest auror ever accepted into their department and one day make her way up to head auror. lily believes her true calling in life is on the battlefield, protecting the innocent and bringing justice to the world.

lily is a control freak–bossy, domineering, and assertive. losing control is her greatest fear, so she’d never let anyone get the best of her. lily always needs to do something because that’s how she finds control in her own destiny. it always takes time to earn her trust because she fears betrayal and manipulating, causing her to be naturally suspicious of others’ intentions. she’ll fight like hell when others get in the way of her plans; her fear of losing control doesn’t allow her to adapt to change easily. when her father died, she felt weak and powerless, wishing she could just bring back, wishing that she could just do something, anything; her worst fear became a reality, and she swears she is never going to allow herself to feel that way again. she will never be vulnerable again. she will never lose control again. oddly enough, even though she’s been surrounded by love her entire life, she’s even afraid of falling in love for those very reasons. the thought of falling for someone who may or may not love her back, allowing herself to be that vulnerable in front of someone, has always scared her more than she would care to admit. lily needs to feel safe, and being in love with someone who could break your heart is something only fools would do in her opinion.

lily won’t admit to sadness or heartache either, not wanting others to think less of her. through sheer willpower alone, the girl has not cried since she was six though there have been moments where she wished she could allow herself to, such as her father’s funeral. when she saw her father in that casket, she felt like knives were in her ribs, and all she wanted to do was run back to her home, cry, grab a beater’s bat, and destroy all the objects in her home one by one, but her face looked stoic. when asked, lily claims that she’s completely all right about her father’s death, and most believe it. she’ll barely ever talk about him at all. it’s like she isn’t even mourning. there are subtle nuances that she is though. her smile and laugh are more demure than it was before. she’s even more fiercely protective of her family and friends now, and her weakness for heroics has also increased; she’ll go to great lengths to protect and save others with little regard for her own safety. it’s partly because she wants to make her father proud by being brave and partly because she doesn’t value herself much as a person due to her insecurities.

but ironically, even though she hides her emotions the majority of the time, she is consumed by them. they control and drive her, often even to the point of recklessness. logic falls on deaf ears to this girl, making her much more likely to make mistakes and get into trouble. she has a good brain on her shoulders and should know better than to act without thinking, but she doesn’t. lily’s impulsive, reckless, and impetuous, mostly relying on pure instinct. and she’s as stubborn as a mule as well. it’s very hard to convince her not to do something once her mind is set. and bare nerves, stubbornness, and recklessness is a dangerous combination–a mixture not usually found in those who like to live long lives. lily is aware of how foolish she can be, but she just doesn’t care. as far as she’s concerned, if something’s the right thing to do, it’s the right thing to do, regardless of the possible consequences.

but here’s the problem: she’s so often wrong. her black-and-white and self-righteous beliefs are so instilled in her that she can’t see the bigger picture. she can’t recognize that the population isn’t capable of being sorted in categories of good and evil. she doesn’t see shades of grey, judging others by their actions and beliefs regardless of the circumstances. death eaters are not seen by lily as people–only monsters incapable of human emotion. whenever she looks at a death eater, all she can see is her father’s dead face. she doesn’t know who was responsible, so instead she blames them all. she hates them all so intensely that she is blind to the fact that expectations are placed on those from traditionalist families too. and most of all, she doesn’t realize that the other side is just as capable of loving others to the point of consumption as she is. and they should be feared for that.

describe your character through a particular weather temperament or season. / could your character be described in two rival parts, and if so, what would they be? / ( +bonus: if your character could choose their own form of death, what would it be? )

i. lily luna potter was born at the height of summer, on a muggy august night, and as such, she truly embodies every aspect of the season. she’s the unrelenting sun beating down on you — she is always burning burning burning, and she’s impossible to put out. everything she chooses to do is carried out with a tremendous intensity and passion, almost as though she is pouring her entire heart into it, and perhaps she really is. (”they told me to pour my heart into everything i do. so that’s what i did, i poured and poured and poured. now they ask me why i’m so empty.”) when she’s determined to accomplish something, nothing else matters in that moment. she’s overpowering, a girl with the capability to set the whole damn world on fiendfyre if she wanted to. she’s just so much all at once — too much, really. she’s been told that by exes before, that she’s just too much for them, and lily always responds, her voice so piercing it could slit a throat, “or maybe you’re just not enough.” even when she’s cold, it’s with this ferocity that still manages to burn you to the core.

lily can’t ever be any other season than summer, but sometimes she wishes she could be. she longs for the rebirth of spring, the balance of autumn, the chill of winter. but she’ll always burn like summer.

ii. lumos – a fire-haired girl who dons robes of scarlet and gold, as striking as a beacon of light / the family legacy you swore to protect / brain and nerve and bounding heart / a deafening roar of laughter after a brilliant joke / being so incredibly drunk you’re as giddy as a toddler, the life of the party / shielding young girls as though you are the mighty huntress artemis / a magnificent silver phoenix burst from the tip of your wand, summoned by the many faces of your family / the indescribable solace found from wrapping your arms tightly around your big brother, not ever wanting to let go / the callow little girl within yourself that you couldn’t quite manage to kill, a girl who wished on shooting stars and cried during thunderstorms

nox – a meadow of wildflowers wilting away / the fury deep within your core that burns like dragon fire, threatening to consume you / a memory you’ve tried to bury deep within the crevices of your mind, a memory you’d rip from your skull if you could / swearing off love because what good is it anyway / clenched fists so tight that your red, red nails bite crescent moons on your palms / the glorious burn of your muscles during a seething fight / a thunderous cry for retribution, even if it means destroying yourself in the process / feeding into your rage because if you falter for just a moment, you’ll remember just how hollow you are / a ruinous lightning storm encased within a pint-sized girl

iii. she can’t ever picture herself dying quietly. whenever the veil inevitably comes to shroud her, she will take her sharp nails and try to tear it into shreds – she is a forest fire that refuses to snuffed. rage is all she knows, all she’s good at. her beloved cypress wand bears a reminder she carved in runic scripture: “never give up without a fight.”  and lily never will. she will struggle and struggle and struggle before they take her.

it’s not that the prospect of death petrifies her. there have been cold nights where she feels hollow and so very small, and she thinks about how she doesn’t want to die – no, she doesn’t want to die – but still she would appreciate the rest, the quietness, the peace. it had been her own father who had sat her down at age six, her very first taste with death (her great-great aunt muriel finally decided to fucking croak) and bestowed upon her the wise words of albus dumbledore just before they left for the funeral, “do not pity the dead. pity the living.” and oh, she does. lily is just sixteen years old, and she’s already so exhausted.

no, she’s not petrified of death, but rather petrified of what she’d leave behind: a family she treasures more than anything. lily doesn’t place much value in her own life. she ultimately views herself as just a person and not a very good one at that, but still she will fight until her dying breath. she will do it for them – all this struggle is for their sake. she needs to stick around to protect them.

but of course, if she could die to save someone she loved, she would do it in an instant. lily’s loyalty is hard-won, but once it’s earned, there isn’t anything she won’t do for you. so that’s how she’d choose to die, fighting but fighting for something – or someone – worth dying for. on those cold hollow nights when she’s wondering what it’s all for, she has to remind herself that it’s for them.

she might not matter, but they do.

drabble

lily luna potter – the woman, the myth, the legend. the only daughter of the chosen one, the world hailed her as a figure of hope from the moment she was born, waiting with baited breath to see what she will go on to accomplish. lily’s so beguiling she could be the sun – she never manages to dim. she’ll lull you to a stupor when she struts past, as ostentatious as ever, and you’ll be rendered gormless in her wake. she’ll leave you wondering whether she’s a dream or a nightmare, but that’s the very point, isn’t it? you laud her as your hero, thrust her with expectations she could never live up to, and when she seems to rise to the occasion, you forget. you forget that she is just a teenager, not a blinding sun or a sharp crack of lightning or a ruinous earthquake, but a girl who’s barely sixteen. a girl who’s lost more than you could ever imagine. children should never be viewed as metaphors, but from the second she came into this world, it was already too late.

               / / /

self-righteous but vindictive, girlish but bloodthirsty, idealistic but cynical, emotional but hardened, tender but acrimonious, coquettish but closed off, well-intentioned but wicked, fiery but icy, radiating but deathly – lily is a girl of contradictions and paradoxes. she possesses so many opposing traits that it’s difficult to make sense of her. with her full face of makeup and voguish outfits, she is ever so carefully put together, but it only serves to hide the storm raging underneath her skin. her countenance is a purposeful illusion – she doesn’t want you to see the red scars on her skin or the dark circles underneath her eyes. everybody is always watching her, so she must look her best. but there’s more to it, isn’t there? he always used to tell her she wore too much makeup, and since breaking up with him on the cusp of her fourth year, she has never stepped outside without a full face. it’s a permanent two-fingered salute. “fuck you, i’m beautiful.” but why does she feel so ugly and mangled?

              / / /

on some days, she burns as bright as a brush fire, incinerating everything in her path. but on others, she’s as hollowed out as a glacier cave, the coldness seeping inside her body, freezing over her heart – those days, nothing and no one can really touch her. somehow, she always fluctuates between passion and numbness, a vicious cycle she can’t seem to control. lily either feels so intensely or feels absolutely nothing at all, and she’s not quite sure which is worse. when her emotions are tearing her apart, she longs to shut them off, but once they’re gone, she’ll do anything just to feel something again. how can she be so passionate yet so hardened at the same time? sometimes she misses the bitter tang of tears, the sweet release – it’s been ten long years since she’s allowed herself to cry. but she won’t allow herself to be weak again. she’s come too far. perhaps it really is best to have a heart that’s forgotten how to beat; dead hearts can’t break.

              / / /

she’s furious and she’s bitter and she’s tired. she’s so goddamn tired. it’s always so exhausting to be her. some days, she wonders what is the point of it all. why does she keep struggling when all she wants to do is lay down her weary arms, close her eyes, and rest? but she knows she can’t. she was born to fight – that’s all she knows how to do at this point. so she will soldier on.

[dallasareaopinion]

A little Dallas sports talk, ‘cause the election is gonna suck

They absolutely need a none of the above box where if none of the above wins they have to start the process over and the candidates on the ballot can’t run again. Politicians might be a bit more aware of what the people want.

And on a side note, none of the above gets free advertising, like a public service announcement that explains what the means a couple times a week leading up to the election. I bet we hear much different from the candidates or at least it is a worthwhile pipe dream.

Anyway, the Cowboys are a pleasant surprise so far this year. There are still some holes overall, yet there is also more promise shown that I thought going into the season. And Cooper Rush shown exactly what it means to be “the” back up quarterback. You know he isn’t going to start in the long run, but he is well worth having on the roster.

I still have high hopes for the Mavericks, yet like the Cowboys they have some holes to fill. The JaVale McGee experiment is not working out well, but I think we still keep him for now even as a starter to see if he just needs to work out kinks or find out if he is passed any sort of prime he had. We need big man play eventually and so having him on the roster to find out where he stands will benefit in the long run. If he doesn’t work out, Kidd will have to figure out the adjustments like last year, but hopefully he has enough to help us in the moments he is needed.

And stop all the hypothetical trades for all these crazy superstars. Why do all the sports sites want to have the Mavericks bail out some other team with their problems. I did think why not Durant and who would we need to trade. There is no perfect solution that is equitable or benefits the Mavericks unless we just get KD. He is still good, but fitting him into the current core that the Mavericks need to keep means giving up too much of that core and the Nets are not taking peripheral players. Unless we get a super promising young player under 26 or 25 I would keep the core and hope Coach Kidd can realign the defense like he did last year. It is real early in the season so there is time. 

And for that core to work, Luka’s assists need to remain high. It means people are making baskets and just as important the ball is moving around. The ball movement should also bring up the team average for assists. To me the assists/ball movement along with better defense is the Mavericks better chance of being successful than forcing a “second star” into the mix. One needs to be developed. It might have been Jalen Brunson, but that ship has sailed, so hopefully C. Woods can develop and morph into the working second scorer and keep everyone else averaging in the teens up through the 8th or 9th man in the rotation then the Mavs should do just fine. Or Spencer and Woods average about the same right around 20 points each behind Luka and then things could really pop. And Woods does help with the rebounding so that also helps Luka a bit. Maybe not as many triple doubles, but rather have the points and assists being the lead for Luka. 

The Cowboys have gotten lucky with the two back approach since Pollard has come into his own. Zeke may not be what he use to be, yet he can be a heavy hitting back and run people over in the fourth quarter still so in the long run having both backs is a blessing. And speaking of trades, I wonder what happened with the trade for the Houston receiver that did not pan out at the deadline. Never hurts to have that third or fourth receiver that is consistent. Wide receivers are a unique bunch to say the least, but when talented a joy to watch. 

And if you like your mind expanded, oops I mean your world expanded, the World Cup begins soon. Even though there are many controversaries about what went on in Qatar to build it, the players and the game should be what you watch. We can put international pressure on the country at the same time the games are going on. Hopefully it can be a double edge sword for Qatar with being in the limelight and people realizing the lack of respect for others, workers and life their elitist culture as wrought. 

I like to vote on election day, however this year because of circumstances I did vote early. And again we need a none of the above choice. I live and vote in Dallas County and most and I do mean most of the races had only one choice. And on top of that Dallas County created a list of all the candidates with no opposition and you had to scroll through it to finish the ballot. So why bother if we are stuck with just one choice of even putting them on the ballot? I didn’t like the look or the feel and I know a few of the people running unopposed and would have voted for them even with a competitive race so not being able to acknowledge or vote against the choice seems to be like we are short changing the process and democracy.

The mid terms are less than a week away so go vote and go throw up because that is where we are now. Too many choices that are so partisan there is no way we are getting a functional government anymore. Like the ex president says “sad”.

[aiweirdness]

Neural networks + Kittens = !!!

It was inevitable that the neural network, having named all kinds of internet datasets, should turn its talents to naming cats.

And what an occasion! The AFK Cat Rescue of Huntsville, Alabama contacted me because they had an exceptionally adorable bunch of kittens (plus one magnificent Persian) who need names and homes. June is kitten season here in the USA, so shelters are inundated with new kittens right now, and AFK takes the very high-risk cases, kittens who are too small to survive in regular shelters, or who are sick or injured, or have neurological disorders.

To be sure, the AFK Cat Rescue’s kitten-naming game is strong. They’ve got a black and orange kitten pair named Shere Khan and Bagheera, and they have another pair of cats named Grindylow and Pooka. With their full list of the several hundred cat names they’ve used over the years, plus the list of several thousand cats registered in Toronto (thanks to Tumblr user @maverick-ornithography), I had comfortably enough to train a neural network with.

I fired up my trusty karpathy-char-rnn neural network framework, and sat down to watch it learn.

Colzyy Mumhan Tygrar Juolb Ggonooo Byn Malgacor Gatbewl Mrror Rglslwelph Aarla Teaw Mos Tilypsronvynkor

“Very good,” I said. “Coming right along. Nice work on Aarla, maybe not try so hard on Teaw Mos Tilypsronvynkor.” I said all this to myself, of course, because the neural network operates entirely without my input once training starts. I can shout “No, you fool!” at it all day if I like and it ignores me perfectly.

Soon, however, I began to notice that quite a few of these cats had last names, and sounded actually rather grand.

Jarlag Argon Mankith Cuttim Aeggerooy Jozga Andend of Karlans Irtenda of Tiyra Sittrobt Torg? Arten Sword Lord Magian Welu-the Manwys Parihen the Thawk Haldir of the Saleword Barga Mr. Yetheract Belfine Bracken Belis Goodbrook Bentone Ballywood Grim Wyyne Gorihand Molgo

I had, as it turned out, accidentally trained the neural network on another dataset, a list of character names from Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, C. S. Lewis, Robert E Howard, and Terry Pratchett (sent in by reader Thomas Pugh).

AFK Cat Rescue, however, decided to roll with it. First neural network kitten: Parihen the Thawk!

Parihen the Thawk: This guy was surrendered to an animal shelter after he hitched a ride in the engine of a car. He had a dislocated leg but it's healing well with rest. He's shy, tiny and misses his bff who is in the hospital right now for her much worse injuries. He's got a lot of energy and loves to show off his belly.

I finally got the neural network training on the proper dataset, but I was worried when, by the time I went to bed it was producing literally the following names over and over:

Hurter Hurler Hunty Hurty Hunter Hurker

Some who are not so fond of cats may argue that these are in fact the best cat names. Fortunately for the AFK Cat Rescue, the names did eventually become more suitable. I present to you:

Jexley Pickle - This little girl is a hoot and a half. She's full of energy, bounce and comedy. She loves to nurse on ear lobes and finger tips. She's about 6 weeks old and was found after being chased up a tree by a dog. 

Mag Jeggles - When you touch him he rattles from head to tail with purrs. He's so sweet. He was simply too young to be made available for adoption, and was rescued from a shelter that could not care for him.

Snox Boops - He was in a room with a lot of kittens that were too small to place up for adoption and even much smaller than the others in the room. When you pick him up he capsizes in your hands and starts purring. He's got a huge voice and a huge demand for love and attention. 

Mumcake - She was brought into a shelter as a stray, but she was too young for adoption and if she wasn't pulled by rescue she would have been subject for euthanasia. She's adorable, loving, outgoing and shoots sunshine right out of her butt. (Sunshine ejection not shown; you have AFK’s word for it.)

Tilly Mapper - This little girl also took a ride in a car engine and her rear leg was nearly completely severed as a result. She's been stitched up but she's had an infection set in. She is only around 8 weeks old and she's in very poor body condition from having tried to make it on the streets. We hospitalized her yesterday and she's doing much better. We hope to have her back to foster home by Friday.

Big Wiggy Bool - He is a doll-faced persian that was surrendered to a kill shelter when his family could not take him on their cross country move. He's five years old and has obviously been doted on. He's super affectionate, very easy going and a talker!  He's been recently groomed and trimmed up by Robyn Warner with Goin to the Dogs and Cats Mobile Grooming Service. And he loves belly rubs. Rubbing that fluffy, soft belly is an experience so wonderful it can only be discussed in breathless whispers.

Photos of the above cats by volunteer Amy Harrell.

And, since it IS kitten season, the neural network is happy to provide a list of cat names (some more usable than others), for use in naming cats, computer servers, firstborn, etc.

Jeckle Elbent Jenderina Roober Snorp Snox Boops Cylon Sookabear Frere Sonney Mrow Jexley Pickle Marper Foppin Toby Booch Snowpie Big Wiggy Bool Macha Boo Mr Whinkles Timble Macfallon Machaka Licky Cat Mr Bincheh Macnaw Maxy Fay Tim Hike Mr Gruffles Grips Liony Oli Lingo Lingley Conkie Lasley Goo Mr Took Linky Marvish Mag Jeggles Corko Maggin Mcguntton Mara Tatters Mr Tiggie Mr. Skuffles Mr. Hinkles Mush Jam Tilly-Mapper Mr. Jubble Mumcake Muppin Mr O

Perhaps backup choices:

Cutzerinda Galorub Pans Sofa Shotkie Ouiho Pope Kogon Ro Larky Rorka Bot leperaONtiea Malool Scagkaleoru Clagmlh Mice iiia Ha LuoleryPlogalasnfalon Hubla Ssrerosti Negflun Mery Booii Balllucidoux

Definitely backup choices:

Trickles Poot Moosh Papper Clotter Moan Toot Cloobie Slarkbir Jenky Pissy Schitty Retchion Pappy Dopia Pilly Scabbys Pish Mesladewench Souffungy Mr Tinkles

[placetobenation]

Whither the WWE Draft. A double-edged sword it has always been for the WWE, especially this year.

On one hand, it’s an awesome way to generate a two-night event on both RAW and SmackDown and an even better way to reset the roster. After all, we can all agree that RAW could use a breath of fresh air after the past month or two of SmackDown kicking its ass week after week.

Yet, on the other hand, this year’s draft comes in the midst of the build-up to the Hell in a Cell PPV in two weeks. Moving superstars around before the PPV might signal a way for feuds to end or for storylines to just disappear. It looks like that even though draft choices are announced, they don’t go into full effect until after the PPV. So there, it’s good news and bad news in some cases. We’ll break down night one below in our SmackDown recap. Still, we’ll get more over social media over the weekend and then on night two on Monday Night RAW.

Overall, for night one, here’s how it went down as The Draft takes our Star of the Week spot this week.

Round 1:

Round 1 of the 2020 #WWEDraft is in the books!

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/AzFPo5TAoS

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Round 2:

Some BIG MOVES just went down in Round 2 of the 2020 #WWEDraft!

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/HMfdmRhYvH

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Round 3:

Round 3⃣ of the 2020 #WWEDraft

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/aeBMwrUekX

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Round 4:

Round 4 of the #WWEDraft is a SHOCKER.

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ARVkJ5n1oH

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

RAW

RESULTS

Asuka, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke defeated Natalya, Lana & Zelina Vega

Seth Rollins & Murphy defeated Dominik Mysterio & Humberto Carrillo

Exhibition Match: Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee ended in double count-out

24/7 Championship: Drew Gulak defeated R-Truth / R-Truth defeated Drew Gulak

Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin defeated Ricochet & Apollo Crews

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defeated The Riott Squad

Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler defeated Drew McIntyre & The Street Profits

Overall:

Is that a smile on @RandyOrton's face? You better believe it, because #TheViper just PINNED #WWEChampion @DMcIntyreWWE! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/CgBOnN0t6a

— WWE (@WWE) October 6, 2020

There were some bright spots, but for what seems like every Monday night for a month, RAW is disjointed and not clicking on all cylinders like its NXT and SmackDown counterparts. The main event was very good, as it should be with the talent in it. But, most did not. The two women’s tag team matches did little to impress. A good idea with Lee vs. Strowman was poorly executed. And, do we really need more 24/7 title changes between the same three guys? At least, Mustafa Ali got a spotlight!

Finally:

Disciple no more?! The budding tension between @WWE_Murphy and @WWERollins has finally come to a head! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/Akv8ozTayY

— WWE (@WWE) October 6, 2020

Disciple, I am not – Thankfully, we’ve finally gotten to the stage of the Seth Rollins and Murphy relationship where Murphy has decided to not take The Monday Night Messiah’s message any longer. Now, with Aalyah Mysterio by his side, he’s ready to take Rollins down. Got to wonder who Seth will get now to replace him. After all, the Messiah needs his minions. BTW: What is the WWE’s fascination with kendo sticks?

Interesting:

Some dreams die so others can live. pic.twitter.com/lxlpms4vX7

— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) October 6, 2020

Ali, the leader – RETRIBUTION has a leader now and his name is Mustafa Ali. A curious decision by WWE to have Ali, who’s been blowing in the wind the past few months with no real direction, but this one puts him squarely out front of one of their bigger angles. We know he has the skills in the ring, does he have them on the mic as the leader? I’m interested enough to find out and that’s a good thing considering RETRIBUTION was a laughing stock just two weeks ago.

Huh:

Rematch, please.#WWERaw @RealKeithLee @BraunStrowman pic.twitter.com/NwaCpr6eS8

— WWE (@WWE) October 6, 2020

Lee vs. Strowman – An exhibition match? WTF is that?! What a waste of our time. Especially with the draft starting this Friday on SmackDown, it makes no sense to do things like this and worse yet, end them in double count-outs. This only solidifies that Lee or Strowman are moving to move this feud along. Now, having said all that, the spot off the ramp was pretty cool.

NXT

RESULTS

Tommaso Ciampa defeated KUSHIDA by DQ

Drake Maverick & Killian Dain defeated Ever-Rise

Austin Theory defeated Leon Ruff

Dexter Lumis defeated Austin Theory

Ridge Holland defeated Danny Burch

Shotzi Blackheart defeated Xia Li

Ember Moon & Rhea Ripley defeated Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

LOVED IT:

Capitol Wrestling Center – Triple H was right, this is a game changer! Getting NXT out of Full Sail and into the revamped Performance Center complete with a combination of live fans and the Thunderdome experience is an absolutely home run. Looks amazing. Sounds real, loud and LIVE. Well done!

Three’s a crowd:

RAGE. #WWENXT @NXTCiampa @KUSHIDA_0904 pic.twitter.com/8EA5ivz8UV

— WWE (@WWE) October 8, 2020

KUSHIDA vs. Ciampa – Loved the opening match between KUSHIDA and Tommaso Ciampa! That is up until the point where The Velveteen Dream needlessly interfered. I get it, their feuding, but let’s not bow down to the lowest common denominator. Have him attach AFTER the match. DQ finishes are lazy, especially in this day and age. The new attitude of KUSHIDA is really awesome to watch and I’m looking forward to a rematch between these two or if they want a triple threat with a clean finish. Even the new look works for KUSHIDA with the jeans. Gives him an EDGE.

Ready to Fight:

NOW HOLD ON A MINUTE!@RealKingRegal has made the following tag team match official for TONIGHT on #WWENXT: @RheaRipley_WWE & @WWEEmberMoon vs. @DakotaKai_WWE & @RaquelWWE TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/1ZK2OJYWHc

— WWE (@WWE) October 8, 2020

E

C

L

I

P

S

E To say we "missed" this move is an UNDERSTATEMENT. @WWEEmberMoon secures the victory for herself & @RheaRipley_WWE on #WWENXT! @DakotaKai_WWE @RaquelWWE pic.twitter.com/dp90sHCLeW

— WWE (@WWE) October 8, 2020

Ember vs. Io: What’s better than Io Shirai getting ready to take on the returning Ember Moon? Well, how about adding Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai to the mix! And speaking of additions. That was a pretty sweet video re-introduction of Toni Storm to the NXT American audience. Things are looking up for the women’s division in NXT, a division that was already one of the best going in the biz! A welcome sight to see Moon getting over in the main event too after battling all the back, missing over a year, from that Achilles injury. There’s a good moon a rising folks!

Bad asses:

Wishing you a speedy recovery, @RidgeWWE. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/FqFwtSCsbA

— WWE (@WWE) October 8, 2020

Dexter & Ridge – It seems like we got a pair of NXT bad asses, one good, one bad. Dexter Lumis and Ridge Holland are taking no prisoners these days. Holland has his sights set a bit higher after his attack on Adam Cole at NXT:TakeOver 31. Or should we say HAD his sights set on Adam Cole. After trying to catch Danny Burch from his over the top rope leap after their match, Holland got stretchered out with ankle, knee and tendon injuries. Tough break there for a guy who was about to get a big break. It would’ve been nice to see Holland and Lumis team up at Halloween Havoc in a spin the wheel, make the deal match. 

Hated it:

Short stuff – What’s up all the short matches? Austin Theory with a pair of them, plus Holland, Lumis and Shotzi Blackheart all went less than four minutes. Seems like a bit of forced stuff trying to get everyone in there instead of quantity.

Planting seeds:

.@JohnnyGargano & @CandiceLeRae are really starting to like @indi_hartwell. Bright future… 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/4DT14PwsIT

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 8, 2020

Indi & Xia – Nice piece of work by Indi Hartwell, sending the Garganos a big screen tv so they can watch her helping out Candice LeRae during the #1 Contenders Battle Royale. Looks like Candice may have a new pet. As for Xia, what was in that letter from Boa? Hmmmmmm….. sure seemed upset.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Big E defeated Sheamus

Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle defeated The Miz & John Morrison

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks defeated Bayley by DQ; Bayley retains title

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura to win the titles

The Fiend defeated Kevin Owens

LOVED IT:

No disqualifications, no count-outs, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚! It’s #FallsCountAnywhere rules in this heated battle between @WWEBigE and @WWESheamus! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/duv4lFoKKy

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

DAMN – That Falls Count Anywhere match between Big E and Sheamus was everything I wanted it to be. Physical as hell. Fun and messy. Weapons-filled with kendo sticks (of course), duct tape, cars, flour & eggs and cars (of course). Plus, the right guy went over! And how about the welts and the marks and the blood left all over Sheamus’ pale white body. Felt that even through the TV!

“It didn’t have to be like this.”@WWERomanReigns has officially challenged Jey @WWEUsos to an #IQuit Match inside Hell in a Cell! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/KaHqROpqTa

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Roman ups the stakes – Not only do we get Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso, part 2 in a Hell in a Cell match, but this time, for the first time ever, it’ll be an I Quit match too! Roman is making sure that if he beats up his cousin again, he’ll have to say it to the Tribal Leader’s face.

…#SmackDown #TheFiend @AlexaBliss_WWE @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/xz5GqgRJih

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Fiendish Friday Night Fight – Kevin Owens against The Fiend in his first match on SmackDown was exactly what we expected. Two guys that don’t exactly look like they should be able to do what they do, but they do and giving us our money’s worth in a main event while they do it. Have to hope that these two, along with Alexa Bliss, end up on the same show after night 2 of the WWE Draft so we can see it again!  

The Draft, Night 1:

What they got right:

Seth Rollins moving to SmackDown – The Monday Night Messiah gig was getting old. Will it get new life on Friday night’s? Or will Rollins join up or take on old friend Roman Reigns and the Universal Championship?

The Miz & John Morrison to RAW – The Miz on USA Network makes perfect sense considering his two shows there including Miz & Mrs. that returns next month. Plus, the two were getting stale and becoming pushovers on Friday night.

Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston to RAW – This will bring some new energy to Monday nights, along with some fun. They should’ve brought all 3 members of The New Day to RAW though.

What they got wrong:

AJ Styles – He must really not like Paul Heyman, right? Why trade him to SmackDown a few months ago only to draft him back? Makes little sense.

Rey & Dominik Mysterio to SmackDown – Once Seth Rollins said he was glad to not have to see the Mysterios again, you knew they were getting drafted to Friday nights. Too bad, the paternity storyline is tired! Murphy joins them too after a Saturday morning draft announcement.

BREAKING NEWS: The New Day has been split up due to the #WWEDraft! pic.twitter.com/gCsnWM93SR

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) October 10, 2020

Breaking up The New Day – Hated it. For obvious reasons, the trio of Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston should stay together on the same show. Sometimes, you just don’t have to change things. And oh yeah, what about those new titles that Woods & Kingston just won? They said titles go with the superstars, so….??? Makes me think The Street Profits are headed to Friday night and a switch of champions could be in the offing.

Broetry in motion:

@LarsSWWE is HERE!! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/NNJCryF7YC

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Jeff & Matt together again – No, it’s not a Hardy Boys reunion, but Riddle & Hardy looking good with a win over The Miz & Morrison before a returning Lars Sullivan beat up both teams. The Friday night Freak is back to terrorize the WWE. Here’s hoping he stays for a bit longer this time. We’ll have to wait until Monday night to see where he gets drafted to on night two of the WWE Draft.

Champion’s advantage:

Bayley – Brilliant move by Bayley, getting herself disqualified in order to keep her title against Sasha Banks. The aftermath was better than the match as the two former besties tried to get the best of each other with that vaunted chair. Up next, Hell in a Cell for these BFFs.

Welcome back, it’s a New Day!

#AndNEW!!!!! #SmackDown @TrueKofi @AustinCreedWins @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/l6y8Lq7nF7

— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2020

Woods & Kofi return – Xavier Woods missed almost a year with an Achilles tendon injury. Kofi Kingston missed almost three months with undisclosed injuries at Extreme Rules: Horror Show. Both are back to take over the tag team division and it was oh so good to see the Dynamic Duo back together while Big E takes out Sheamus. Kinda cool to see them get right back at it with a title victory over the SmackDown Champs, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura. Can you say 9-time Champs!

Parting Shots:

I love having Halloween Havoc to return on NXT the Wednesday before Halloween. I love even more that it will be hosted by Shotzi Blackheart. Now, just give me a night of Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal and I’ll be ecstatic!

Hell in a Cell PPV – Updated Card:

WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

Universal Championship Hell in a Cell I Quit Match: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso

SmackDown Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Coming up this week:

RAW: WWE Superstar Draft – Night 2

NXT: TBD

SMACKDOWN: Season premiere Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman The New Day’s Farewell Match: The New Day vs. Sheamus, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[grand-alter]

Disgaea Conversion #5

We return to the personal conversions for this one, and it is one from quite the polarizing spin-off to a famous game series. The fifth of these characters to take up the spotlight is none other than the lightning soldier of Maverick.

Raiden from Metal Gear Rising

<GIF from Metal Gear Rising: Teaser Trailer - Lightning Bolt Action>

Title

Cyborg Mercenary (Based on his profession as an employed hand who happens to be part robotic for a small organization known as Maverick Security Consulting.)

Aptitudes

HP: 110%

SP: 90%

ATK: 120%

DEF: 100%

INT: 80%

RES: 85%

HIT: 100%

SPD: 115%

Mastery

Fist: B

Sword: S

Spear: A

Bow: D

Gun: B

Axe: C

Staff: E

Armor: C

Resistances

Magic

Fire: -20%

Water: 0%

Wind: 20%

Star: 0%

Weaponry

Fist: 10%

Sword: 20%

Spear: 0%

Bow: -15%

Gun: 20%

Axe: 0%

Staff: -15%

Monster: -10%

Evilities

Primary

Core Siphon: When this Unit inflicts Damage through a Weapon Attack, Recover 10% of its Maximum SP (Based on the ability of his HF Blade to absorb the electrolytes from opposing cyborgs into his own body.)

First Secondary

Visor Registry: Decreases the SPD of Enemy Units within 2 Panels of this Unit by 5% for each one of them (Based on a feature of his headgear which enhances his view of the world around him through Augmented Reality.)

Second Secondary

Riposte Motion: When this Unit performs a Counter Attack on a Parried Weapon Attack, Make its Critical Rate 100% for that Attack (Based on the Parry mechanic from the game which allows him to counter practically any attack.)

Third Secondary

Lock Thrust: Increases the Movement Speed of this Unit by 1 if its SP is 50% or More of its Total Amount (Based on his bolstered movement capabilities which increase his speed on the more energy he stores.)

Skills

First Unique

Surge Combat [SPD } ATK] (Based on the moments in the game where he makes use of his fists as opposed to his sword.)

Second Unique

Blade Stream [ATK } SPD] (Based on his usage of Blade Mode which allows him to cut objects with an accelerated perception.)

Ultimate Unique

Armament Unleash [ATK } SPD] (Based on the copies of boss weapons which were utilized by him through the game.)

<PNG from Metal Gear Rising: Chapter 3 - Monsoon>

Overload

Crimson Descent

Increases the Stats of this Unit by 50%, and Allows it to Parry with all Weapon Types for 3 Turns (Based on his repressed personality known as Jack the Ripper who emerges due to his past with violence.)

All in all, I see Raiden as a more offensive Unit who can maintain a flexible defense against enemies in close combat. He also has several Evilities which can make him benefit from his quick replenishment of energy. I would also love for his game to get a sequel, but that seems less likely with each passing day.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/ten-things-to-look-forward-to-in-ipl-2019/

Ten things to look forward to in IPL 2019

There’s a sense of apprehension around the Indian Premier League that starts in Chennai next Saturday. The World Cup is just round the corner and many feel players should think twice before going flat out in a T20 tournament that takes a lot out of these stars, many of whom will be part of the quadrennial showpiece starting May 30. Still, the franchises demand nothing but the best from these guys, on whom they spend a fortune, and once the ball rolls, it is difficult for any cricketer not to give his 100 %. While most teams know their World Cup 15, some of the sides, including India, will be following the performances of a few players in the IPL with interest.

TOI takes a look at the 10 things to look forward to in this IPL…

TEST OF VIRAT’S CAPTAINCY

Not that Virat Kohli’s captaincy is under any threat whatsoever, but lately, he seems to have banked a little too much on the calmness and experience of MS Dhoni in limited overs cricket. In the IPL, he will be on his own and in addition to that, there is the pressure of ensuring that Royal Challengers Bangalore, the biggest underachievers of the IPL, come close to winning the title for the first time. The fact that the team will bank heavily on Kohli to deliver with the bat won’t make the maverick’s job as captain any easier.

INDIAN PACERS AND HOW TO MANAGE WORKLOAD

Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami will have a lot on their plates for MI, SRH and Delhi respectively. In an ideal world, they should have been resting so that they get to the World Cup fresh. But that’s not going to happen and the trainers and physios of the respective franchises will have to work overtime to keep the trio fit for the World Cup. The Indian cricket fan would also probably hope that the three get rotated by their franchises from time to time so that there’s something left in the tank for them when they go to England. Is it possible that the franchises play them only in their respective home games to avoid the travel?

CAN STERLING IPL SHOW HELP RAHANE SERVE A REMINDER TO DOUBTERS?

The Indian think-tank has given enough indication by not picking Rahane in any of the ODI teams that they are not looking at him as a middle-order option for the World Cup. But the Mumbai man, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, still believes he has a chance if he has a great IPL. His belief is probably built on the fact that both KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu had average performances in the series Down Under and at home. Still, it’s tough for Rahane because a couple of impressive shows by Rahul and Rayudu might send him into limited-overs oblivion.

FINGER SPINNERS AND THEIR BATTLE TO STAY RELEVANT IN ODIS AND T20S

Top finger-spinners like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have suddenly lost their relevance in limited overs cricket with the emergence of wrist spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. While Jadeja still gets a few chances in limited-overs format and is not completely ruled out of the World Cup race, things are really getting tricky for Ashwin. Jadeja plays for Chennai Super Kings and the pitch at his home ground in Chepauk will help him. Ashwin, leading Kings XI Punjab at Mohali, is bound to find things tougher to stay in the mix.

VIJAY SHANKAR’S BATTING PROWESS TO BE TESTED BY SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

Over the last couple of months, the way the Indian team management has handled him, it seems Vijay Shankar will be on that plane to England. He has often been tried out as the back-up No. 4 batsman, in addition to making him bowl those few overs in the middle. During the IPL, Shankar will get chances to bat within the top-5 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Kane Williamson. The Kiwi is reportedly chuffed with the way Shankar performed in New Zealand, but chances in IPL can be a double-edged sword. A few failures early on can make things tricky.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AND THE SURPRISE ELEMENT THEY CAN BRING

C. Varun, the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu, was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 8.4 crore. All eyes will be on him, along with the likes of Shivam Dubey (Rs 5 crore by RCB), Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 4.8 crore by KXIP) and Akashdeep Nath (Rs 3.6 crore by RCB), who are unknown commodities. Meanwhile Aussie middle-order batsman Ashton Turner (Rs 50 lakh for RR), who made a name for himself in Big Bash and the recently-concluded India-Australia series, can turn into one of the super hits of this season with his ability to clear boundaries easily.

RETURN OF SMITH AND WARNER

The Australian management hasn’t allowed its premier pace bowlers to play in the IPL but they are keenly following how Steve Smith and David Warner, who returned to cricket this month after serving a one-year ban for ball tampering, shape up. While Warner will be opening the batting for Sunrisers Hyderabad and will be keen to show the world that he has not lost his ability to provide those fantastic starts, Smith, holding the Rajasthan Royals middle-order, will try to return to his 2015 form that went a long way in making Australia World Champions.

HARDIK AND HIS RETURN FROM INJURY

Hardik Pandya is a crucial cog in the Indian wheel. He has been injury-prone of late and that prompted the team management to rest him for the home leg of the limited-overs series that India lost to Australia. But Mumbai Indians, who depend heavily on him, won’t be able to keep him wrapped in cotton wool, especially if things start getting as tricky. The all-rounder will have to bat, bowl and field with equal intensity game after game in the heat and it could be interesting to see if he stays fit for the World Cup.

LAST TANGO FOR YUVRAJ AND BHAJJI?

Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh are surely on the last legs of their illustrious careers. While Yuvi, playing for Mumbai Indians for the first time, will probably have a degree of freedom to just enjoy himself in a team full of current superstars, Bhajji, too, won’t be under too much pressure in the CSK set-up, which has all its bases covered. Both their franchises would hope that these stars make good use of their experience and make a difference in a few important games over the course of the next one-and-a-half months.

FORM OF RISHABH PANT AND DINESH KARTHIK

The Indian team management might have already made up its mind about who will don the gloves as MS Dhoni’s reserve for the World Cup, but from the outside, it seems there hasn’t been a clear winner. Both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik have had their moments in the few chances they have got, but neither has done enough to settle the issue. The selectors may be keen to see how Pant, playing for Delhi Capitals, and Karthik, leading Kolkata Knight Riders, shape up for that backup finisher’s slot.