#fabled beast chronicles

[scarlett-calpaldi-16]

Feel free to reblog/share

[foolish-gold]

Reread the fabled beasts chronicles again recently and I am tempted to draw the entire cast (as like. Young adults because like many artists of my ilk I am chronically incapable of drawing children) however I am very aware that that would involve me drawing a lot of characters that I have a very limited mental picture of so we'll see.

Lee, however, I very much do have a mental image of because that boy is undeniably and unabashedly my favourite and I love him. I may at a future date fuck with this piece and add his sword but I didn't feel like designing a sword atm lmao

[wordbash]

First Aid For Fairies And Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don: Chapter 4

I have no reason to be this tired in the middle of the day lolll but I managed to get a chapter in anyway. In today's episode a book just fucking flies away

Chapter recap: Yann Rona and Lavender tell Helen more about the thing they stole; a book that contains the answer to any question. The group of fabled beast friends stole the book because they doubted their parents' judgement and wanted guidance, but the book flew off before they could ask it anything and they are now trying to get it back before the end of the week when Yann's father will say the words meant to release the book for the winter solstice (which is one of the two times a year the fabled beasts are actually supposed to be able to ask it three questions) and find out it's missing. They also tell Helen about the Master of the Maze, a minotaur who was cast out because he wanted to read the whole book at once and use it's power to outgrow the humans; obviously, they're concerned that he might be after the book as well now. After this, Helen goes to get the teeth for Yann like they agreed, but another fabled beast flies into her. Yann introduces this fourth beast as Catesby, a phoenix, and Catesby tells them that their dragon friend Sapphire has been hurt and followed by one of the Master's creatures. Helen offers her help, and with some deliberation (and defiance, mostly from Yann) eventually the group agrees to let her come.

Okay my first thought here with all of this is that there might end up being parallels with the fabled beast kids and the Master of the Maze maybe. Perchance. Because of how they both wanted to read more of the book than they were supposed to and You know, obtain forbidden quantities of knowledge etc etc. Obviously the fabled beast kids didn't seem to want as much as he did but they still tried to learn more than they were supposed to even if their intentions were more pure and less balance-disrupt-y so maaaaybe.

Also Yann the king of sulking always lmaoooo.

[inspofromancientworld]

Legendary creatures: Kitsune, Kumiho, hồ ly tinh, and huli jing

Fox spirits such as kitsune (狐, きつね) of Japan, kumiho (Hangul 구미호 or Hanja 九尾狐) of Korea, hồ ly tinh (狐狸精) of Vietnam, or huli jing (狐狸精) of China are shape-shifting fox spirits, usually having nine tails. They are typically tricksters that can be either benevolent or malevolent.

By Unknown painter from late 4th to mid 5th century A.D., unknown photographer - http://www.sohu.com/a/193975015_556515, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73024755

The oldest version of the nine-tailed fox spirits was from China. The first story that has the juli jing was the Shanhaijin (山海经 Classic of Mountains and Seas) which was compiled sometime in the fourth century BCE, but the currently known form wasn't completed until the early Han dynasty (202 BCE - 9 CE). It contained stories fables of the pre-Qin dynasty (prior to about 700 BCE). It says '靑丘國在其北其人食五穀衣絲帛其狐四足九尾。 The Land of Blue Hills lies to the north where the inhabitants consume the Five Grains, wear silk and worship foxes that have four legs and nine tails.' The nine-tailed fox was seen as a good omen, only appearing in times of peace. However, it also says 'Three hundred li [150km/93.2 miles]farther east is Qingqiu Mountain, where much jade can be found on its south slope and green cinnabar on its north. There is a beast here whose form resembles a fox with nine tails. It makes a sound like a baby and is a man-eater. Whoever eats it will be protected against insect-poison (gu).' During the Han dynasty, the mythology added the ability to shape-shift into humans as they became older, one description of which was by Guo Pu (郭璞, 276-326 CE) 'When a fox is fifty years old, it can transform itself into a woman; when a hundred years old, it becomes a beautiful female, or a spirit medium, or an adult male who has sexual intercourse with women. Such beings are able to know things at more than a thousand miles' distance; they can poison men by sorcery, or possess and bewilder them, so that they lose their memory and knowledge; and when a fox is thousand years old, it ascends to heaven and becomes a celestial fox.'

By Chris Gladis (MShades) from Kyoto, Japan - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=748434

Fox worship arrived in Japan sometime during the Jomon period (14,000-300 BCE) as evidenced by necklaces including canine teeth and jawbones of foxes. Stories from China were brought to Japan by merchants who traded and brought in as kyuubi no kitsune (九尾の狐, nine-tailed fox). In the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, the Chronicles of Japan), which is the second-oldest book of Japanese history, mentions foxes twice, both times as omens. It records that in 657 a byakko (white fox) in Iwami Province was a good omen. In 659, a fox bit a vine a construction worker and it was seen as an ill omen. There were tales of kitsune turning into kitsune nyoubo (狐女房 fox wife) that are revealed as foxes after pet dogs that were recorded in the Nihon Ryouki (日本霊異記) book of fables during the Heian period (recorded between 787-824).

By Hùng Phong Lê - Hùng Phong Lê, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134883158

The Hồ ly tinh have specific ages that they have to reach to gain their tails. They must practice for a hundred years to have three tails and be considered a 'demon fox', for a thousand years to become a 'ghost fox' with six tails. When it gains nine tails, it's considered a 'celestial fox' and can turn its tails into humans. If the fox loses its tail, it dies. In the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư (chữ Hán: 大越史記全書, Complete annals of Đại Việt), compiled in 1697, states that Emperor Lê Thái Tổ was saved by a hồ ly tinh when he was hiding in Lam Sơn from the Ming army. He took the time during his hiding to bury a girl in a white dress and that a white fox distracted the army when he was almost caught.

source: https://www.deviantart.com/auroreblackcat/art/Gumiho-283762936

The kumiho are able to become beautiful women who seduce men to eat their liver or heart. The Chinese story entered into Korea during the Three Kingdoms period (삼국시대, from about 494-562) and state that foxes become kumiho with great age and become stronger with that age, too. The kumiho were largely viewed neutrally, though self-centered in their need for human organs and souls. It wasn't until later that they were viewed as evil, bloodthirsty fox-human hybrids that might turn into humans if they can avoid eating human flesh for a thousand years. Something unique to the kumiho is that they develop and pass along 'yeowoo geseul' (여우구슬, 'fox marbles' that they give to and then take back from humans by an action that looks like kissing. It can only remain in the human part of the chain for a year before it can kill them completely. When it's returned to the fox part of the chain, the human has no memory of the yeowoo guseul or the kumino.

[treasure-goblin]

Ok, I'm tired. Here's the Elementary Au kiddos' favorite movie/show

Time - lord of the rings

Warriors - chronicles of Narnia

Twilight - brother bear

Sky - the guardians of ga'hoole

Legend - Peter rabbit (also his favorite book)

Four - inside out

Wild - Wild Kratts

Hyrule- any tinkerbell movie

Wind - Treasure Planet, obviously

---

Artemis - chronicles of Narnia

Sun - Marley and me

Lullaby - pirates of the Caribbean, but she won't ever admit it

Dusk - Mulan

Fable - beauty and the beast

Dawn - gravity falls

Aurora - sleeping beauty

Dot - my little pony

Flora - wild kratts

Tetra - Peter pan

---

I am tired, here you go

[bestfictionalplant]

Bracket reveal

Text version under cut!

The tourney is split into 4 32 brackets, and the winners of each will go to the semi finals! I'll make a different post about HOW the tourney will run, and this will serve as a pinned post for round 1 :)

Bracket 1, Side 1

Peppino (Vampire Survivors) vs Winged Strawberry (Celeste)

Herb (Monster Hunter) vs Triffids (Day of the Triffids)

Gigi (Xiaolin Showdown) vs Silent Princess (The Legend of Zelda)

Breath of Evil (Wings of Fire) vs Thorn Thallid (Magic the Gathering)

Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors) vs Farewell Flower (Mistborn)

Togemon (Digimon) vs Silverwood Tree (Witch Hat Atelier)

Golden Apple Tree (Greek Mythology) vs Potbelly (My Singing Monsters)

Sculk (Minecraft) vs MocDonald (One Piece)

Bracket 1, Side 2

Vida (The Promised Neverland) vs Glaze Lily (Genshin Impact)

Dr Brewer's Clone (Goosebumps) vs The Spring (Friends at the Table)

Kite Eating Tree (Peanuts) vs Zotoh Zhaan (Farscape)

Wheel Tree (His Dark Materials) vs Mushtree (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Medusoid Mycelium (A Series of Unfortunate Events) vs Radial (Ooblets)

Chikorita (Pokemon) vs Blast Cone (League of Legends)

Gooloog (AAAHH!!! Real Monsters) vs Venus (Bug Fables)

The Thorian (Mass Effect) vs Yggdrasil (Norse Mythology)

Bracket 2, Side 1

Deku Tree (The Legend of Zelda) vs Blood Blossoms (Danny Phantom)

Hotblonde37159 (Angel: The Series) vs Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

Kinoko (Don't Hurt Me, My Healer) vs Wolfsbane (The Vampire Diaries)

Plant (Monster Rancher) vs Flower of Life (Mesopotamian Mythology)

Truffula Tree (The Lorax) vs Slurperon Enchantress (Internet Scam)

The Brain Tree (Neopets) vs Ginseng Baby (Scarlet Hollow)

Chompy (Bug Fables) vs Whispy Woods (Kirby)

Clavu (Overlord) vs Ivern (League of Legends)

Bracket 2, Side 2

Bulbasaur (Pokemon) vs The Trees of Valinor (Lord of the Rings)

Leslie (The Amazing World of Gumball) vs Hayzee Dayzee (Paper Mario)

Piranha Plant (Mario) vs Specimen 34/The Blessed Eternal (Wolf 359)

Potted Plant (Wander Over Yonder) vs Morbuzakh (Bionicle)

Jabe & the Trees of Cheem (Doctor Who) vs Black Mercy (DC)

Mr Plant (The World of Mr Plant) vs Feculant Gnarlmaw (Warhammer 40k)

Tree Rex (Skylanders) vs Flowey (Undertale)

Sundrop Flower (Tangled) vs Venus McFlytrap (Monster High)

Bracket 3, Side 1

Pinchley (Long Gone Gulch) vs Frank the Plant (Harley Quinn: the Animated Series)

The Venus (Hello From the Hallowoods) vs Nirnroot (The Elder Scrolls)

Food Fight (Skylanders) vs Paopu Fruit (Kingdom Hearts)

Phillogenous esk Piemondum (Rod Albright Alien Adventures) vs Plant (Wall E)

Tannot Root (Farscape) vs The Broccoloids (The Powerpuff Girls)

Rockbud (The Stormlight Archive) vs Sylvan Hound (Guild Wars 2)

Eldridge Johnson-Mayer (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) vs Hyacinth/Hyacinthus (Greek Mythology)

Selas Flower (Kingkiller Chronicle) vs Treant (Disgaea)

Bracket 3, Side 2

Dragonflame Cacti (Wings of Fire) vs Sunflower (Plants vs Zombies)

The Bioplant (The Rising of the Shield Hero) vs Turnip Boy (Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion)

Shambling Mound (Dungeons and Dragons) vs Mandrake (Shin Megami Tensei/Persona)

Cowplant (The Sims) vs Ebony Queen's Apple (Limbus Company)

Devil Fruits (One Piece) vs Donkey-Cabbage (Enchanted Forest Chronicles)

Oaktopus (My Singing Monsters) vs Field Dungeon (Rune Factory 4)

Mushroom Tree (Stardew Valley) vs Jumpkin (Cassette Beasts)

Undergrowth (Danny Phantom) vs Karzahni (Bionicle)

Bracket 4, Side 1

Dreamstalk (Kirby) vs Myconid (Balders Gate 3)

Stingbulb (Fablehaven) vs Treebeard (Lord of the Rings)

Stray Cat (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) vs Peashooter (Plants vs Zombies)

Giant Turnip (Codename: Kids Next Door) vs Treasure Mushroom (Guild Wars 2)

Tree of Wisdom (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Fire Flower (Mario)

Stump (The Angry Beavers) vs Groot (Marvel)

Maise (Oneshot) vs Konohana Tree (Okami)

Red Weed (War of the Worlds) vs Pod Plant (Fortnite)

Bracket 4, Side 2

Plantera (Terraria) vs The Grass Snake (Friends at the Table)

Breathweed (Warhammer 40k) vs Campestri (Dungeons and Dragons)

Neo Alraune (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle) vs Kringlefucker (Homestuck)

Slimefoot the Stowaway (Magic: The Gathering) vs Gatfruit Tree (Space Station 13/14)

Sex Pollen Plant (Fanfiction) vs The Rumor Weed (VeggieTales: Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed)

Dr Madley Radish (Papa Louie) vs Vervain (The Vampire Diaries)

Yatevon (OCTAHEDRON: Transfixed Edition) vs Echo Flower (Undertale)

Wither Rose (Minecraft) vs Hydramon (Digimon)

[readerbookclub]

This month’s list features books where the sea plays an important role.  I tried to include a variety of books that felt different in their tone and genre. So I hope you like it! And thanks to someone in last month’s survey for suggesting this topic :)

As always, please vote for which one we should read next using the link at the end of this post.

The Sea, the Sea - by Iris Murdoch

Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor both professionally and personally, and to amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into a riveting chronicle of the strange events and unexpected visitors--some real, some spectral--that disrupt his world and shake his oversized ego to its very core.

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Following the death of bloodthirsty buccaneer Captain Flint, young Jim Hawkins finds himself with the key to a fortune - he has discovered a map that will lead him to the fabled Treasure Island. But a gang of villains, wild beasts and deadly swashbucklers stand between him and the stash of gold. Not to mention the most infamous pirate ever to sail the high seas . .

The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson

An elderly artist and her six-year-old granddaughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. Gradually, the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings for independence, and a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the island itself, with its mossy rocks, windswept firs and unpredictable seas.

Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem

In Solaris, Kris Kelvin arrives on an orbiting research station to study the remarkable ocean that covers the planet’s surface. But his fellow scientists appear to be losing their grip on reality, plagued by physical manifestations of their repressed memories. When Kelvin’s long-dead wife suddenly reappears, he is forced to confront the pain of his past - while living a future that never was. Can Kelvin unlock the mystery of Solaris? Does he even want to?

The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home and livelihood is taken away. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey

Vote for our next book here.

[steelbluehome]

"Stan . . . is at his greatest whenever he taps into this marriage between a swollen superiority complex and paralyzing insecurity that make up the fabric of the reality TV star turned unlikely President of the United States"

The Playlist

The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump? It Works! (click for article)

Rafa Sales Ross

May 20, 2024 3:22 pm

Five years ago, Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi broke out internationally with the Oscar-nominated “Border,” a thorny little beast of a fable about love, complicity, and guilt. His latest prods at some of the same themes, although the thorny little beast at the center of “The Apprentice” is far from a fictional creature of fables.

Abbasi’s newest chronicles the rise of former American president Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) through his relationship with lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Before diving into the fatidical first meeting between the two men, the director makes an important disclaimer about the film that is to come: the people you will see on-screen are real; their stories might have been fictionalized. Then, he cuts into a very factual piece of footage: Nixon’s infamous 1973 speech at the height of Watergate. The grainy tape shows the soon-to-be-fallen president sternly claiming: “I’m not a crook!”

This on-the-nose initial parallel brilliantly sets the tone for the two hours ahead, a ride that does away with subtlety without leaning into overexposition. Said ride begins in a swanky members-only club in New York, where the overconfident Cohn gravitates towards a meek, unsure Trump. He brings him under his wing, first offering to help get him out of a discrimination lawsuit filed against his family’s property development business and later stepping into a much more fatherly position. His advice ranged from Bribery 101 to the clauses that should be added to his pre-nuptial agreement.

The crucial decade separating that initial meeting and the tragic demise of the relationship between the two men encompasses many of the main tidbits we associate with the Trump of today, from his unstoppable quest to build a phallic-shaped empire at the heart of the Big Apple with his Trump Tower to his troubled marriage with Czech-American model turned socialite Ivana Trump (Maria Bakalova). The cinematography follows this transition, going from the lush, grainy texture of ’70s film to the washed-out hues of ’80s camcorders.

When the project was first announced, many were skeptical of the idea of a biopic about one of the most contentious public figures of modern times starring a hunky Marvel alum and eyeing a big premiere at a glitzy film festival. While all these concerns remain true, especially given this is an election year in the US, Abbasi manages to thread the lines between tabloid fodder and veiled endorsement with great skill. There’s a running comic vein throughout the film that flirts with mockery while bypassing the pastiche, like when the camera catches a glimpse of an empty-brained Donald as he sits alone at the big boys’ table, with no big boys to play with or when the broad man bumps into the slim, cool Andy Warhol at a party he has no business being in, his ineptitude making him feel smaller and smaller while his ego begins showing the first signs of inflation.

Stan finds in Strong a great match. Abbasi’s latest sees the “Succession” actor play a Roy once more, although this time he is not as much the plagued victim of daddy issues as his benefiting perpetrator. The big, boisterous Roy of the early ’70s is much, much fun to watch, and when the larger-than-life scammer disguised as a prosecutor begins suffering the consequences of AIDS, Strong plays him with a pained reticence that is at once greatly moving and deeply effective in its understanding of how the illness affects the dynamics between the duo. Cohn was a closeted gay man for all professional intents but led a very open life with his younger partner, who also died from the complications of AIDS.

With “The Apprentice,” Stan continues his run of lining up weird, big-swing projects of the likes of “Fresh” and “A Different Man” to shake off the ghost of Bucky Barnes. The bet pays off. Stan plays Trump without an overreliance on the frazzled blonde wig and increasingly pronounced prosthetics. The actor is at his greatest whenever he taps into this marriage between a swollen superiority complex and paralyzing insecurity that make up the fabric of the reality TV star turned unlikely President of the United States.

Trump’s reaction to Cohn’s lifestyle is one of the most interesting (and formative) aspects of the evolution of the central relationship. While at first young Donald emulates Cohn in all major aspects of his life — from copying the prosecutor’s number plate to leaning more and more into the orange-hued pleasures of fake tan — Cohn’s frailing health nags at the mogul, not necessarily because it is a physical reminder of his mentor’s sexuality, but because it makes him look weak.

Weakness, of course, has no space in the life of Donald Trump. No longer the whining mentee of his much savvier friend and pumped to the nines with diet pills filled with amphetamines, Trump morphs into a delusional broken radio, one stuck on the audiobook for his best-selling business bible “The Art of the Deal.” There is, of course, a fear that a film like “The Apprentice” might pose a dangerous chance to endear this buffoon to audiences. Alas, the Trump at the center of Abbasi’s sleek satire is the same Trump already etched in the cultural consciousness — an incompetent, disloyal, criminal fool. That, one hopes, will only cater only to those already indoctrinated. [B+]

[obraveyouth]

❛ isn’t it warming you, the world going up in flames? ❜

❝ △ &. 𝐡𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

transcription  of  ballads  and  oral  tradition  full  of  fable  and  mythos  was  the  least  unerring  way  to  transmit  the  chronicle  of  the  world’s  populace     —     pieces  of  hoodwinked  certitude  solely  foretold  by  the  battlefield’s  conqueror  in  a  triumph  scribed  in  slain  ichor.      when  was  not  the  world  flickering?      when  wasn’t  link’s  prerecorded  destiny  paved  in  carnage  and  slaughter?     ( it  always  had  been  and  as  forebode,  would  always  be  just  so ):     balsam  poplars  wept  a  fallen  hero’s  hymn  of  spring�� born  viridescent    ( all  hoary  and  clareta ):     vernal  equinox  gave  cloudburst  of  damp  cotyledon  and  sun  beamed  achromatic  tributary  flowed     ,     as  sanctified  hylia  scripture  in  the  ever  revered  and  ever  worshipped  hidden  scared  realm  of  golden  goddesses  and  a  mortal  worn  deity.    a  courage  baring  luminary  written  out  of  the  ancient  gospel  narrative    ( a  holy  text  he’d  never  desired  to  be  apart  of ):     casted  aside  from  his  known  existence  by  the  completion  of  a  role  bounded  soul  but  a  flesh  and  bone  unshackled  to  legislation  nor  homeland.  itinerant  woven  core  served  as  remnants  of  a what  if eulogy.

femme  fatale  sprouted  verity  as  bethlehem  exclaimed  praises  of  a  newly  green  clad  incarnated  savior,  a  brave  adolescent  and  a  proud  beatific  eyed  beast.  that  is,  her  eyes  spoke  of  life  and  ruin    ( of  desert  flora  and  a  million  ghost  eyes ):     a  look  of  a  bygone  paradisal  era  once  gulped  in  earnest  by  a  harsh  solar  radiation  that  held  the  comforts  of  battle  and  home.     ❝ but  wha  can  i  do  of  it  but  extinguish  da  embers.  no  betta  would  i  be  than  any  otha  if  i  gave  into the  worst  parts  of  me. ❞     perhaps     ,     link     ,     too  had  a  bit  more  warfare  than  peaceful  aspiration  inside.      perhaps  perpetual  viridity  held  more  ache  than  contentment  ( but,  truly,  was  dawn  and  dusk  courage  ever  gratified?  had  he  ever  been? ):     maybe     ,  he  too     ,     wanted  to  see  all  of  golden  creation  burn.      conceivably  who  could  see  fault  in  all  of  his  vexation  and  rightfully  contained  fury.     a  mere  puppet  to  be  used  then  discarded  until  the  kingdom  saw  need  of  him  again     ,     until  destiny  bore  another  of  valorous  pneuma  once  more.     the  hero  of  twilight’s  tombstone  was  already  moss  pelted  prior  to  his  first  breath     ,     a  living  necropolis  of  antiquity.

even  if  link  yearned  for  it     ,     even  if  he  contemplated  it.     proud  green  garb  adorned  proscribed  all  prospects.     for     ,      those  pure  of  heart  could  still  falter     ,     could  still  be  led  astray.      sacrilegious  articulation  may  boil  from  behind  teeth  but  the  aptitude  to  act  in  spite  of anger    ,    hatred    ,    rage    ,     and  abhorrence    —    is  what  made  the  goddesses  newest  chosen  hero   ,     albeit  an  oxymoron  of  a  divine  and  impious  exemplar.      it  had  been  said  that  courage  was  the  magic  that  turns  dreams  into  reality     ,      but  what  if  the  reality  one sought  was  one  steeped  by  the  embrace  of  netherworld  eclipsed  embers?  ❝ da  world  gives  me  nothin’  but  misfortunes.     it  takes  when  ‘m  ‘pposed  ta  give  and  give.     wha  am  i  if  i  stop  givin’     ,      what  am  i  if  i  wanna  be  the  one  ta  set  da  world  ablaze  too? ❞

[doomedandstoned]

Wyoming Young and Strong Return with Another Pacific Northwest Gem

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

I've had my earphones filled with the sounds WYOMING YOUNG AND STRONG this week. The Seattle trio generates a brooding atmosphere on the order of Black Tusk and Kylesa, and similarly shout their lyrics (often in unison). There's something quite fierce, and even a bit joyful, about such a presentation. There are, after all, fantastic tales to be told!

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first-listen to Wyoming Young & Strong's spirited new single, "Tursulas," from the upcoming concept album, 'Wicked Upon You' (2023). The band has created a whole lore about this song:

"Tursulas" is the first song we wrote and recorded as a three piece. We’re really happy with how much more we can do with as a three piece. This song finds Wyoming right after the Winter War. He’s signed on to a ballista team, on the repurposed war ship that is to return the Tappurien Witches to their home. The Witches had been hired to support his side in the war but alas, even with their help the cause was hopeless.

After days at sea the crew encounters a monstrosity known as the Tursalas. The Tursalas is a tentacled horror that dwarfs the warship. They try in vain to escape but the ship is lost. Wyoming is thrown overboard but the witches manage to open some kind of magical portal, much like the portal that rescued him while he was floating in space after escaping the Shaman of Deimos. They seem to escape through it with a few of his fellow crew members. The song ends with Wyoming adrift and alone.

As the song opens, we are greeted by angsty arpeggios that finally erupt in a full-out riot. Strong bass tones, doomy guitar chords, and furious drumming both ground us and rock our world during the stormy five-and-a-half minute ride. The band crafts episodic moments that stimulate the imagination of the listener, inviting us to wonder. The recording falls easy on the ears, with all the instruments given realistic presence.

Look for Wyoming Young & Strong's Wicked Upon You, the band's second full-length album, on February 9th (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with early-Mastodon, Big Business, and Zirakzigil.

Give ear...

Wicked Upon You by Wyoming Young and Strong

SOME BUZZ

'Wicked Upon You,' Wyoming Young & Strong’s latest release, continues to tell the tale of our fabled hero Wyoming, a man who has journeyed across time and space after being forcibly and unwittingly transported to an unforgiving future. Wyoming has overcome challenges and grown through his adventures, learning about the evolution of humankind and his own magical lineage. His current path ties to his past, as his past ties to his future.

This release finds Wyoming in the midst of realization. Following the events chronicled on the previous Bend the Night 7-inch release, he has been a part of losing battle in the Winter War and is now tasked with returning the witches of Tappurien to their home. En route, their ship is attacked and destroyed by an ancient, gargantuan beast known as the Tursulas.

After floating at sea for days on the wreckage he is captured by the Grey Blade. This horrific submersible also holds other enslaved victims of the gods, and one regales him with the tale of Burned Path, outlining how his world has fallen and why Wyoming must find a way through this new hellish landscape of destruction.

The Grey Blade then delivers him to an old enemy of humankind that can best be described as an omniscient celestial. This being is all powerful, but yet still derives pleasure from tormenting humans. In the final saga Space Wizard, we hear about one of the mighty but delusional Magi that Wyoming previously met. His recollection of this event helps him understand more about how the Magi can at times falter, and what they must do for humankind to ascend.

Wyoming Young and Strong has been singing folk songs dedicated to this epic hero since their inception. Josh, Jason, and Josh have arranged these songs in the tradition of bass, drums, guitar, and vocals. Just like the Triad of the Vision before them, they wind the tales of Wyoming through the lens of stoner and noise rock. Taking inspiration from the Melvins, Shellac and Sleep.

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[genderenvyelimination]

Second Round Masterlist:

4/3/2023:

Baron | The Cat Returns vs. Sylvie | Epithet Erased

Hunter | Rain World vs. Pure Vessel | Hollow Knight

Otachi | Pacific Rim vs. Zagreus | Hades (Supergiant Games)

Rika | Pokemon vs. Transformed Howl | Howl's Moving Castle

Ganon's Corpse | Breath of the Wild 2 vs. Kaworu Nagisa |Neon Genesis Evangelion

Milo Thatch | Atlantis vs. Ryo Asuka | Devilman 1972

Gomez Addams | Addams Family vs. Thanatos | Hades

Blahaj | IKEA vs. Marcy Wu | Amphibia

Calcifer | Howl's Moving Castle vs. Nausicaa | Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Toy Soldier | The Mechanisms vs. Dio Brando | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Mollymauk Tealeaf | Critical Role vs. Crona | Soul Eater

Herbert West | Reanimator vs. Magnus Chase | Magnus Chase Series

4/4/3023:

Desire | Sandman vs. Candace Flynn | Phineas and Ferb

Goblin King | Labyrinth vs. Kimiko Ross | Dresden Codak

Link | Breath of the Wind vs. Cecil | Welcome to Night Vale

Lucienne | Sandman vs. Testament | Guilty Gear

Ekko | Arcane vs. Stevonnie | Steven Universe

Newt Geisler | Pacific Rim vs. Gabrielle De Lioncourt | Vampire Chronicles

Rohan Kishibe | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vs. Yamato | One Piece

Koki Kariya | The World Ends With You vs. Super Star Rockin' Jay | Ninjago

Legolas | Lord of the Rings vs. N | Pokemon

Goro Akechi | Persona 5 Royale vs. Garry | Ib

Bold & Brash | Spongebob Squarepants vs. Simon Petrikov | Adventure Time

Byleth | Fire Emblem 3 Houses vs. Spectile | Pokemon

4/5/2023:

Hawks | BNHA vs. Meta Knight | Kirby

Professor Venomous | OKKO vs. Double Trouble | She-ra

Johnny C. | Johnny The Homicidal Maniac vs. Lyfrassir Edda | The Mechanisms

Dr. Robotnik | Sonic Movie vs. Zuko | Avatar the Last Airbender

Blue Spirit | Avatar the Last Airbender vs. Kaname Date | Ai: Somnium Files

Will Graham | Hannibal vs. Kusuriuri | Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales

Lewis Pepper | Mystery Skulls vs. Eda Clawthorne | The Owl House

E-boy Wojak | Meme Culture vs. Spectra | Bakugan

Cure Chocolat | Kira Kira Precure a la Mode vs. Maleficient | Maleficient

Dean Winchester | Supernatural vs. Onceler | Lorax

Joker | Persona 5 Royale vs. Dr. Franken Stein | Soul Eater

Nagito Komaeda | Danganronpa vs. Donatello Hamato | ROTTMNT

4/6/2023:

Greg House | House MD vs. Carla | Dumbing of Age

Klavier Gavin | Ace Attorney vs. Marty McFly | Back to the Future

Elias | Ancient Magnus Bride vs. 4th Phase Ghouls | Ghost

John Mitchell | Being Human UK vs. Zasp | Bug Fables

Kuvira | ATLA vs. Ed Elric | FMA

Mr. Fox | Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Fujimoto | Ponyo

Jean Descole | Professor Layton vs. Ryan Akagi | Infinity Train

Blackbeard | OFMD vs. Aragorn | LOTR

Alex Fierro | Magnus Chase vs. Juno Steel | Penumbra Podcast

Red Lizard | Rain World vs. Mae | Night in the Woods

Jinx | Arcane vs. Grusha | Pokemon

Jack Sparrow | POTC vs. Medic | TF2

4/7/2023:

Korra | Legend of Korra vs. Tim Curry Characters | Clue, Rocky Horror

Gunpowder Tim | The Mechanisms vs. Wizard | wizardisananimal

Sonic | Sonic vs. Team Rocket | Pokemon

Ilima | Pokemon vs. Grell Sutcliff | Black Butler

Espresso Cookie | Cookie Run vs. Ralsei | Deltarune

Ellie Sattler | Jurassic Park vs. Ryuko | Kill La Kill

Columbo | Columbo vs. Beast Wirt | OTGW

Jennifer Check - Jennifer's Body vs. JD - Heathers

Gerry Keay | TMA vs. Kris Dreemurr | Deltarune

Ranma Saotome | Ranma 1/2 vs. Alucard/Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes | Castlevania

ENA | ENA vs. Raine Whispers | TOH

Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom vs. Papa Emeritus III | Ghost bc

Rouxls Kaard | Deltarune vs. Arven | Pokemon

Denji | Chainsaw Man vs. Haruka Tenou | Sailor Moon

[tiagoschinese-literatureblog]

10 interesting Chinese novels

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

Strange Beasts of China is set in the city of Yong’an. Here, many races of humanoid ‘beasts’ live amongst the humans, in a similar fashion to Tolkien’s elves and dwarves.

These beasts all have aesthetic and behavioural characteristics which identify them as part of the Sacrificial Beasts, Flourishing Beasts, Sorrowful Beasts etc. (booksandbao)

Fu Ping by Wang Anyi

Fu Ping is set in Shanghai, at a moment in time that is neither modern nor ancient, as the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party has forever changed the landscape of China. (booksandbao)

Monkey King by Wu Cheng’en

Sun Wukong travels and studies and gets ever stronger until he has mastered death itself and ends up picking a fight with every angel in heaven. He is then sealed beneath a mountain for 500 years by Buddha himself.

The rest of the novel follows the fabled journey to the West, as a young monk is tasked by heaven to deliver some scriptures from China to India.

Early on his travels, he stumbles across the sealed Monkey King, frees him, and takes him on as an apprentice in an attempt to reform the wild Sun Wukong. (booksandbao)

The Shadow Book of Ji Yun by Ji Yun

Ji Yun was an 18th Century Chinese philosopher and politician who wrote a frankly obscene number of short accounts concerning supernatural phenomena and spiritual experiences.(booksandbao)

The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth.(us.macmillan)

Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan

In Chinese science fiction author Chen Qiufan's debut novel Waste Tide, a young woman finds herself transformed and stuck in the midst of a vicious power struggle between factions in the polluted, fictitious Silicon Isle in Guiyu, China. (theverge)

Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua

A man named Xu Sanguan learns that you can sell your own blood for a good price — all you have to do is make sure to drink an inordinate number of bowls of water before you go. As he grows into a husband and father, part of a complicated family, he continues to return to the hospital through famine and struggle. This book is compelling for the twists and turns of its family turmoil, but also for the description of this blood-selling subculture and the questions it raises. What does it mean to be family — is it only defined by blood? And what if the only capital you have is your own body, your own energy, your own blood?(bookriot)

The Day the Sun Died by Lan Yianke

One evening in early June, in a small Chinese town, Li Niannian notices that something is wrong. Everyone should be going home, heading to sleep. But instead, they’re all wandering in the darkness — sleepwalking. And over the course of one night, these sleeping townspeople will fall into chaos: secrets revealed, violence unleashed, past hurts unearthed. Lianke’s novel is a dystopian tale meant to challenge the “Chinese dream” promoted by President Xi Jinping, parodying the sunny vision of the government of what the Chinese people believe, contrasting it with the shame and madness of what’s unearthed in the darkness of night as Li Niannian and his father try to wake up their town. (bookriot)

I Live in the Slums by Can Xue

Can Xue’s works are famously surreal, strange, and amorphous. So her absurd short stories are probably the best place to try out her style. In this book, the characters flee and shift, trying to fit in, trying to find a place free of abuse, where they can be safe, in a world defined by scattered-ness, by lack of community, by inequality. A young man searches for a magic pond, a Kafka-esque rat-person tries to find peace, a magpie protects its partner from human neighbors. Can Xue’s pen name refers to the snow left over at the end of winter — she chose to write under a pseudonym to hide her gender while publishing her radical, experimental fiction. (bookriot)

The Seventh Day by Yu Hua

Arguably, the prolific and acclaimed Yu Hua’s best-known novel in English, The Seventh Day, is the story of Yang Fei, a foundling brought up in the Chinese countryside who becomes an outsider to its society, only to die and roam the afterlife revisiting the people he has lost in the course of his life. The result is a composite of China’s panoramic history with all of its highs and lows. (theculturetrip)

@mrwrightsenglishclass

[humanity-curse]

List of my favorite party members in every single RPG ive ever played as of now

“now” being January 9th 2023.

Pokemon not included because that would just be a list of my favorite pokemon in each generation.

Maybe cheating, but i really liked the cleric from dragon quest 3. Yes you do CREATE the party members, but the class is really good!

ninten be goated. im sorry

Princess Alena is just so based okay. okay? she kicks ass. shes russian. “in soviet Zamoksva, Princess save YOU!”

Jeff has damage output AND a boyfriend? based.

I love Sundown Kid (Live a Live) because i love cowboys

Frog chrono trigger my beloved. hes a cool medieval knight. hes a cute frog. hes a good battler and healer. truly a party member for the ages.

Geno is based as hell.

Who doesnt love Citan Uzuki from Xenogears (classic game)

i love goombas. hes a cute one. goombario is cool.

I may have only played xenosaga 1, but i can PROMISE you that KOS-MOS will be first place for the entire series.

I played a lot of FE Blazing Blade as a kid. Lyn was always my favorite. Still my favorite protag.

Love me a good goomba

Boney mother 3 is simply. a little guy.

Persona 3.... has a dog...... and im easy to please

dumbass tough guys are cool (Beat, The World Ends With You)

RIKI THE HEROPON!!!! (Xenoblade Chronicles 1)

Love me a weird interdimensional/eternal merchant girl! (Fire Emblem awakening specifically)

BE TRANSGENDER. BEE TRAANSGENDERR  (Naoto Shirogane Persona 4)

is... is this cheating?

She slays and Slays. (sexy and also MURDER.) Jade Dragon Quest 11

I liked Genny Fire Emblem Shadows of Valentia. I do not remember why.

I do not remember a lot but shes epic

I do not like this game nor did i finish it. Tressa is so autism though. (Octopath Traveler)

This bitch ass cat is a banging healer fr fr (persona 5)

Cute green girl. I liked a lot of characters in 3 Houses actually but i like. always used her. No idea why. Green? (Flayn)

*slaps roof* look at how much trauma i can fit in this bug (Leif Bug Fables)

OKAY so i tried to avoid smt since it is a lot like pokemon in terms of party members. But i kept this beast in my party until the FINAL BOSS. his name is Cirronup. he was in SMT V btw. Love him. i beefed him up with every stat boost item i found.

Mage is one of, if not, the best class in miitopia. kinda cheating, but, idc. 

she is everything to me

SHES THE GIRL WITH THE GALL! (Sena Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

I love robot girls! (Poppi Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

Jodie Caldwell, Super Lesbian Animal RPG

Whats this? a COWBOY? (Xenoblade 2 Torna, Minoth)

Queen Roger RUNS the based Department. (Lisa the Painful) If i think of any more i will update. 

[wordbash]

First Aid For Fairies And Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don: Chapter 3

Got in a quick chapter before bed! :3

Chapter recap; the two-headed Beast from the last chapter was in fact not two-headed; it was Yann with a girl riding on his back (and something flying around his head). He introduces Helen to the girl and the one who was flying around them; they are Rona - a selkie - and Lavender, a fairy. Yann wants Helen to promise not to tell anyone about their story before he tells it, but Helen refuses. Because of her reasoning for refusing, Rona tells Yann to tell her the story after all, and Lavender agrees, because they recognise her forethought as being more valuable than her having emptily agreed to keep it secret without knowing what it was. Yann then says that they stole something, that it's ended up in the wrong hands, and that they intend to put it back.

Okay yeah I was right about liking the selkie girl when I read this before I think because I am already feeling like I'll be fond of her. Rona slaying tbh. I'm also growing more fond of Yann already too he's sort of like a soggy cat to me. I am imagining him with the saddest wettest eyes ever to exist. He's also a bit of a whiny bitch but I say that with affection lol

Come to think of it I have a sneaking suspicion that Rona might just be the reason I love selkies because I think she would've been my first exposure to them lmao

Also fucking hilarious the deadpan "No." that Helen gives to Yann's whole ass yap of "I can tell You our story, but only if You take a pledge that You will keep it secret. That You will not write it down, nor tell it to anyone ... Any human person, fabled beast or true animal. That You will hold the secret in Your heart and never let it go." he's like FUCK YOU MEAN "nuh uh"! /ref

[ash-and-books]

Rating:5/5

Book Blurb: He’s the God of Death. She’s the bride sent to kill him. Their union may be the end of them both. The Everfrost is ruled by the King in his castle of ice. Some call him the Ice Phoenix, others the God of Death. The clans survive by one law alone: pay the King the homage he is due and never take what belongs to him. But when Sunnëva Morkhàn’s brother falls gravely ill, she will have to do exactly that. Against every warning, she sneaks into the castle to steal the one thing that would save him—a magical rose. But you don’t steal from the King and live to tell the tale. When the Ice Phoenix discovers her theft and demands payment, the cost is too steep. Mourning and enraged, she challenges him, only to lose. To spare her clan from the King’s wrath, her father offers her as a bride, and for a reason she cannot fathom, the King agrees. Revenge is a delicate game Sunnëva is determined to play, even if killing the God of Death is no easy feat. But as secrets unfold around the alluring King, and dark threats emerge from the shadows, Sunnëva struggles to hold on to her hatred—and her heart. Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, King’s Bride is the first book in Beck Michaels’ companion prequel series, the Chronicles of Urn—dark fables founded in forbidden love and strong-willed women who bring kings to their knees.

Review:

A Bride sent to kill the God of Death in this gorgeous Beaty and the Beast inspired story. The Everfrost is a land ruled by the King in his castle of Ice, he is known as the Ice Phoenix or the God of Death. The clans that live in the land know only one rule to survive: paying the King his due and never taking what belongs to him. When Sunnëva’s brother is injured and the only way to cure him is stealing a rose from the King’s castle, she is willing to do anything.... but that rose has a cost and the next thing she knows the King has come to collect... specifically collect in the form of Sunnëva as his bride. Her father commands that she kill the king least her sister pay the price of his abuse if she does not, yet the more Sunnëva discovers of her new husband the more she begins to question where her alliances truly lie and if the monster she thought she knew was actually the villain. With betrayals at every corner and Gods who want revenge and to start wars. can Sunnëva figure out who she can trust before it’s too late. The God of Death has his own secrets for wanting Sunnëva as his bride. yet with honeyed words, care, and love she has never known, Sunnëva finds herself falling for the one person she was suppose to hate... but when his secrets are revealed, will she be able to love the monster inside? This was such a fantastic story that only got better and better with each chapter. Seriously, I was hooked by the end and the romance between Sunnëva and Jökull  was AMAZING. The dude just LOVES HER SO MUCH, He was a fantastic love interests and the SPICE, I am just fanning myself from how good it was. This is the first book in a series (they can be read as standalones) but I already know I will be reading the rest of these books cuz THIS ONE WAS AMAZING!!! You get to see Sunnëva  grow so much throughout the books and you get to see her journey of healing and opening herself to love, and that was just so so beautiful to read. She goes through so much and she’s a warrior for sure. Gosh, I really can’t even begin to put into words how good this book was, definitely pick it up if you love fantasy romances!!!

*Thank you Beck Michaels for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[accidental-spice]

Book recs!

(I'm just gonna give a long list, you've probably already read most of these haha)

Fantasy: Chronicles of Prydain, Inheritance Cycle, Fablehaven, Beyonders, Dragonwatch, Fabled Beast Chronicles (Lari Don)

Sci-fi/Superhero: Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation (this is one of my all time favorite trilogies), The Missing series (Haddix), Reckoners (Brandon Sanderson)

Other: Not If I Save You First (by Ally Carter, cute survival romance thingy, but very tame romance), A Night Divided (Nielsen, historical fiction set in East Germany), The Glass Sentence (alternative historical fiction), the I, Q series (Roland Smith), also Zach's Lie/Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, and Peak (all by Roland Smith), Amulet graphic novels

Asdfhhkljdruh thank you SO much!!!!!!! This list is AMAZING!!!

I definitely have read some of these, but not all of them!! And I got a hold of Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation for sure!!!! And man, I should really re-read The Glass Sentence!

Thanks for the ask!!!