#his name is Khy

[nortimer]

dnd pc Blythe is back with a vengence

i love herrrrr

[mrinafria]

[contains spoilers]

I'm an eternal digger of good narrative techniques. A decent story becomes great in my eyes if the narrative is done right. And it's one of the hardest things to do really, since there's no one-size-fits-all rule for what technique works well with a particular story and what doesn't. One of the primary reasons I keep obsessing over Lovely Runner is its' narrative technique. In all honesty, if it had a linear, singular narrative, I would not be hyperventilating over it on a constant basis (I still would just a certain amount, because both Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon deserve awards for what they are doing). One reason it has managed to knock it out off the park and take the top spot in my forever-favorite list is how wonderfully well the narrative is done.

The primary perspective used in this show is Im Sol's. It's through her we're introduced to the story. Her perspective gives shape to the plot, the characters, because we learn things through her. Her perspective is absolutely critical for exposition. Without her thoughts and way of viewing things, you would never realize why saving Seon Jae means so much to her, or why she would bend the rules and bulldoze ahead when it comes to his safety (exhibit A, her leaving home on the day of the accident, despite knowing about her fate). She'd rather have him alive than have him in her life. Without her narrative, you'd think it's really all about a fan saving her idol (thanks to everyone who'd rejected the script listening to that pitch by the way, I'm grateful we have BWS and KHY as the leads because of that, I would not change it for anyone else). With Im Sol's perspective, you realize, she is not just a fan: she's an ardent admirer, a cheerleader, a well-wisher, a protector, an invisible friend trying to support her friend any way she can, someone who respects Seon Jae, sees him as an idol but also as a human, someone who wants to give back to him the same kindness, empathy and love she had once received from him over a radio call. To her, Seon Jae is first a guardian angel and then an idol, the angel who changed her view of life, made her appreciate things even amidst all that could be wrong with the world and her life. He saved her. Not just on that day at the hospital but every time she struggled and faltered since then, he was there, as invisible as it may have been. So this time, she wants to save him, no matter the price.

Then comes Seon Jae. Oof. If Im Sol's perspective gives the story its beautiful, beautiful shape, Seon Jae's perspective breathes literal life in to the body of the story. The show wouldn't be what it is today if not for his perspective. Without his view into things, Im Sol appears as a fangirl going to extreme measures to save her idol, clinging onto him like a monkey (yes I mean the poster) embarrassing the heck out of herself, making you cringe (in a good, enjoyable way) throughout. Then you reach the end of episode 2 and it knocks the breath out of you because WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN. It all clicks.

All this while we kept thinking Seon Jae was caught off guard and just kind enough to tolerate her antics, and maybe he'd slowly fall for her now, only to realize we were completely oblivious to a whole different side of the story. If Im Sol's narrative draws you in and keeps you hooked, making you root for her to succeed, it's Seon Jae's narrative that makes you irredeemably fall in love with them and sincerely, genuinely, desperately hope they get their happy ending together after all the storm.

And the motifs. Walking/running, for instance. I'll focus on just one scene here. I recall seeing a bts where KHY is discussing the OG 2008 accident scene, and it explains how she has to slow down, while running away, for just a moment, only to be hit by the taxi driver. Have you ever been in a situation of absolute panic, desperation and stress, then suddenly found a familiar face or a name or a thing you could connect to, and felt a wave of relief rush through you? She sees Seon Jae, a person who is calling out her name. Even if she didn't know him back then, the fact that he knew her (and that he had his uniform on), gives her a sense of safety she badly needed that moment. That momentary relief, so visible in her features, then overtakes the crippling fear she felt running in the middle of nowhere with no one in sight in the dead of the night. Her body, already exhausted beyond anything, responds to the relief she feels for those few seconds, slowing down her steps.

And that is when she is caught off-guard and hit. That also might have added to Im Sol's anger at the hospital when she is screaming at Seon Jae, her internal anguish that if only she had not paused seeing Seon Jae, and kept on running, then maybe she wouldn't be hit, wouldn't fall, wouldn't lose her ability to walk. It's one thing to have tropes and symbolic things, but it's a very different thing to know how to use them effectively so they elicit very specific types of emotions/reactions out of people. Lovely Runner excels in that. All kdramas more or less have 'things' that take on different meanings for the couples/viewers. It's the way motifs are used to narrate the story in this one that has me going back over and over again to all the episodes aired so far. These are not just their 'things', these are 'things' that drive the plot forward, tell you about their characters, their personal motivations, what they mean to each other and so much more.

This is getting longer that I intended it to be so will end with this. I feel valued when watching Lovely Runner. And I've seen people saying the same thing. It feels like they respect your critical thinking skills, and your ability to infer, so they don't spoon-feed you everything from the get-go, and you can't predict much despite it being primarily a rom-com. You'd be pulling your hair out (again, in a good way) trying to figure out what they will show next, and you will be somewhat or very far from the truth, which will compel you to think further about the story, the characters, long after an episode has aired...I can't remember the last time it happened with a drama. I love this storytelling.

[toky502]

"Prototype chimeras"

Artificial experiments with soul attributes, hybrid beings mixed with animals, they are varied in size and abilities! created as pets, familiars, or guardians specifically for the monsters of the containment unit from alternate universe 502. The little creatures are loyal, loving and powerful! The only sound they can make is "Khy!" every time they express themselves. Their gender is undefined when they are born, only until they reach a certain physical maturity is it known what gender they are. They all have the reproductive ability to lay eggs.

Prototype number 1: Golden chimera

Mixed with lizards, a dog and a vision and the attribute of determination in its purest form. The little being is cheerful and curious about his surroundings, he demonstrated wall-climbing abilities and immutable supernatural resistance at its best, being the first of his kind, he has more similarities with a human domestic dog. failed to calculate its gluttony with respect to food since the creature is capable of eating more food than it normal, sometimes what he eats does not even have to be food since on one occasion he ate a steel desk in 30 minutes. His condition is not very stable, his body is physically strong but I fear that his mind will collapse at any moment. I have decided to keep him under observation and subject him to more tests to find a cure for this strange disease he suffers from and repair his unstable mind, since he has to be healthy for mass production, if I don't have a cure soon. I may have to put him in a suspension chamber until further notice to prevent him from dying prematurely.

Dr. Wayne Ding Gaster

Prototype number 2: Purple chimera

Mixed with otters, and a cat and a chameleon and the attribute of perseverance. The little being is relaxed and carefree, he has more similarities to a human domestic cat, he demonstrated abilities to deform his physical structure and become invisible, he is sociable and friendly, his physical structure is stable, he passed his tests successfully in a week. Mass production will be carried out as soon as possible, my oldest son likes this creature. Maybe I'll give it to him as a gift.

Dr. Wayne Ding Gaster

Prototype number 3: Blue chimera

Mixed with rabbits, an oyster and a hamster and the attribute of integrity. The little being is quite happy despite not having two eyes, he has more similarities with a human rabbit since he likes to jump everywhere too much, he demonstrated abilities to petrify and turn objects and living beings into stone, as well as the ability to make pearls. He is sociable and friendly, sometimes he has a certain suspicion that his pearls will be stolen, his petrification ability is long-lasting, but nothing that cannot be reversed in a day, his physical structure is stable, he passed his tests successfully in 2 weeks. Mass production will take place as soon as possible, my assistant Alphys adore the prototype too very much, she constantly tells me that it is like a lamp as she shines her pearl in her tail when she is happy. She gave this creature a name, she called it "Light", I for one will consider her request for adoption, as I do not want the prototype to further petrify my laboratory!

Dr. Wayne Ding Gaster

Prototype number 4: Cyan chimera

Mixed with iguanas, a fruit bat and an orangutan and the attribute of patience. The little being is quite restless and flies a lot, it has more similarities with the human bat, but it is very patient like a thoughtful human orangutan. He demonstrated abilities to lift extremely heavy things and cut objects quite easily, as well as hunger from eating a lot of fruits, nothing serious honestly, just a little annoying since he steals food. He is sociable and friendly, sometimes he tends to follow and observe any being that catches his attention, his physical structure is stable, he passed his tests successfully in 4 days, due to his kindness and consideration. Mass production will be carried out as soon as possible. The ex queen Toriel constantly brings the prototype back to the lab, as it escapes too often. Prototype 4 really likes the ex queen since he constantly follows her everywhere indiscriminately and as I always asked to her if she wanted to adopt him, the queen accepted, it is a relief on my part since I will be able to eat my peaches in peace!

Dr. Wayne Ding Gaster

NEXT

[thedeepwinter]

Letter 010

 23.0103 | Parañaque, PHL

Dear Ciel,

Let me tell you a story of a magnificent woman this world ought to learn from.

Born as the eldest of 12 siblings. She lived her childhood days with a silver-spoon. Their house was built beside the bay, with a back balcony stairs that will give your feet the soft warmth of the sand as you view the glistening horizon in front of you. She grew up full of grace, as her mom taught her everything there is to know for a proper lady especially as the eldest. Naturally, her siblings adored her, relied on her, for her warmth that radiates just as the sun grows on you even if it blinds you. However, she likely adored her father as she followed his shadow even as she grew up as a lady working for her father's company as a treasurer.

One day, at church, her eyes met with a lad her age. He had this soft curls that she thought almost contrast his sharp look and stern persona. He wasn't friendly entirely, he appears as someone who'd start a fight just because. But, those curls, and how his smile seemed more gentle than the dew drops after a summer rain, something about these characteristics of his gave just enough charm for her to be captivated so much so she sought to remember his name.

The next time they saw each other, was on a lazy afternoon, when the sisters coaxed her into dipping into the ocean for a change of scenery from all her house-lessons. She rarely went out, so her skin gave the palest porcelain glow in contrast from her full velvet blue swimsuit. And there he was once again, the times they both stole shy glances from one another, she could not count but the memory has burned at the back of her mind.

When a time came he visited her at her home, they have long been acquainted with each other that even her youngest sister felt almost close as family to him as well to be lingering around where the two would stay and talk. At some point, the young lad thought the little one had slipped away, he took the chance to kiss the eldest on her cheek. But even before the lady could react, the youngest started announcing to the whole family household what had happened, "he kissed her! He kissed manay!", running around like a siren, shouting the sweetest tease.

Well, my dear, Ciel. In those days, the tradition follows an almost ridiculous belief about a kiss even if it was an accident or a joke. And they followed that, they went ahead and got married. But you see, their fairytale had its twists and turns. There's a reason why I haven't written it down. I wanted to be as accurate as I can, with no other distractions pending to derail me. Like now.

I would love to tell you more about them. One night, Sky mentioned how he grew up with his parents reading him bedtime stories. I wondered why it wasn't like that in my household, and partially I blamed how my parents were never exactly there to have the time to read.

Then, I remembered. Although that's the case, growing up with Ma and Pa, they didn't read us bedtime stories either. Considering the number of blackouts, whenever the kerosene lamps where lit up, my siblings and I would start fixing up the mosquito nets on our beds, one twin-size beside another queen-size bed. The five of us would fit there, from left to right, it would be Ate Khy, Papa, me, Mama, and Toto. Oh, the sixth one would be Potchi slowly circling until she settles in a curled bun beside my feet away from Mama so she won't be let out of the bed. When we're complete, that's when the stories begin.

Our topics would be... From the adventures Papa had at the sea, or about the new project around the house. In Mama's case, she loved telling stories about Mommy when she was our age. If not, it would be their love story, how they met, found love, and stayed in love. Or stories of other family relatives, her siblings or Papa's siblings. Our version of bedtime stories were never about dragons or princesses. They were filled with real-life passion, growth, reverence, faith. I guess, there'd be moments Papa would tell us about ghostly-encounters or he'd share one of his favorite daily quips. But most of their stories breathed air, ran blood; theirs had a heart.

That's what I am hoping to pass on to you, dear child. Just as Mama had lost no second to remind us of ––– our beating hearts, and its capability to love and feel everything. And as powerful as a heartbeat, as resilient as hers, and as gentle as her kind of warmth. May you choose to love despite. Never because, or out of pity even. May you recognize love when you've laid eyes on them. Let's both not let the frost devour our hearts to surrender and be preserved for eternity's liberty to decay. 

Allow your heart to break for what breaks His. It's the only kind of pain that will teach you to be humble in a certain way so you'd understand better. There is a certain grace in feeling pain, dear child. We feel not to let it consume us, nor to delude ourselves that eventually the feeling will change on its own. My child, I'm sorry it doesn't work that way.

Just as what I told Sky, eventually, we will all need to mourn and grieve our loss. Not so we can wallow in our own regrets. Not to search for a way to forget. There's a reason why others call it a day of remembrance. We try to remember how they lived amongst us. We share the laughter, the pieces of warmth they left behind. I wish we lived in that culture. I think I understand why Sky prefers the living to celebrate instead of grieving. Like welcoming of a birth of a child. But for me, I couldn't agree that death meant I have to say goodbye. In a way, I find it difficult to find an ounce of energy to celebrate parting. 

I pray, as much as my heart remembers, as my mind slips a clip or two, images of our memories inside that house... I pray He'd let me pass it on to you as you create an image of your own. May you carry a piece of her light with you, dearest Ciel. As for me, I'll try to retrace her footsteps as much as I can. Her steps that kept leading back to him, and through time to Him. I will try to listen to her advice. I will not let it turn to stone, not again. I will continue walking with Him until He leads me to him if that is indeed His will, just as she had long placed her faith on. Their love will continue to live on through me, as I live and breathe.

May you learn love like the one this blessed couple built and cherished together, Ciel.

Yours truly,

M

[hangingthoughts]

Dear F,

I'm going to tell you something. I think it's time I come clean (also because my friends already knew this but I want you to learn it from me). I have a happy crush. Apparently, such a thing exist now. I think it means you like someone pero not that deeply. Just admiration. Ata? Anyway, believe me it's not intentional. Orrr, is it? Kasi you're taking a long time, naghanap tuloy ako. I'm kidding! ✌️ Let's just name him EJ. He's from my rotc class. You can learn a lot from someone pala just by observing them. The first time I was aware of his existence was during my first day in rotc. It was during that time when they're picking an escort na guy to be part of the officers. He was late. Like almost always. And I saw him thread the stone steps towards his platoon. Echo 1st. (In my head I was saying 'they should pick this guy'.) I know I shouldn't care, but crap, my focus automatically shifted to him. When the officers did a roll call for attendance, I was listening intently. And then I got it. A faint sound of the syllables of his name. Then months passed by and I forgot about him. Comes 2nd semester. Saturday early morning class. Jen and I were chatting and waiting for the rotc class to start. Lo and behold there he was, asking the officer if the line of chairs infront of us belongs to his platoon. He walked towards us pero he pulled a chair infront of me so he can get in sa designated chair ng platoon niya. He was sitting in front of Jen. Then I read his name. I cannot believe it. I badly wanted to tell Jen but was too shy to do so. That i guess is when the observation started. Hahaha creepy me. I'm sorry. He really looked like Percy Jackson. Tall, lean, shy and awkward. So adorable. I was able to talk to him na and even use his phone pero, ehem, that's about it. I promise, I'm loyal to you. 🖐️ He joined in the war games too. We're in the same bus and platoon! Andddddd, during the firing, even though a mishap has befallen me, that was diminished because I saw that the next person who used my gun and sandbag was him. Does it mean that there's a possibility he was watching me while I was sprawled there, ready to engage in combat? Idk. All I know is he used my rifle and sandbag. (⁠〃ﾟ⁠3ﾟ⁠〃⁠) F, you should see him. He's really cute. Oh, and he's a reader too. I melt. During the rope course, I saw him looking at our direction. It was so intent that I can only conclude he's having a conversation in his head. I tried to look at him ng kunti but only lasted around 3 or so seconds. And kanina. Oh wasted opportunity. Kidding! Kidding F! ✌️ Ri was telling me & Jam to sit beside her but Jam declined. Who did I see seating infront of Ri when the lecture resumed but him? He's wearing glasses. By jove, how can he not know someone blushed from that. He tanned though. An evidence of his war games involvement. And when the officer was calling for recitations, i saw him looked at our direction twice and hold it. Of course, i did too. At first. The second time around, I lost. He always goes home immediately after every rotc class so :( but i hope i can take a picture with him soon. I don't know why I want that. I just woke up one day and that was the first thought in my head. A picture with Jap. He's taking bachelor in engineering. Well, there, you have it, F. I think he's a recluse but I can't say for sure. Everytime i see him, he's always alone. I hope he enjoys his college life. I really do.

Oh and also, Alfonso brought up War and Peace kanina. Out of the blue. I was surprised by that. And Khy said na hindi dapat kita minamadali. She's the second person to tell me that. So I will not call that a coincidence. Kaya my ice bear, live your life. Grow into maturity. Both in spirit, mind, body, emotions, associations and finances. I'll be here waiting. Take care!

See you soon,

Irish

[graysongraysoff]

Title: At The Torn Scroll Tavern “Fandom”: @kallende-dnd​ Characters: Seren Swift, A Boy Warnings: Alcohol Consumption/Abuse Words: 836

When Seren opened her eyes, her first thought was that she must have been more drunk the night before than she realized. At least, that was the only way she could justify to herself that what she’d opened her eyes on was the face of The Torn Scroll Tavern’s bartender.

She shut her eyes again. Shit.

Memories of the night before floated to the surface of her mind, a dehydration headache riding on their tail. She had been fresh off a raid. She hadn’t yet found her way back to The Shark, but there was no shortage of odd jobs for a pirate if one knew where to look, and she had been homesick for the whisper of waves, for the saltwater air, for the pitch and roll of a wooden deck beneath her feet.

The problem with that -- with the entire expanse of the open sea -- was that it only made her miss Ravi more. That was how she’d ended up at the tavern, trying to drown the only way a mermaid could. The man beside her now -- Khy, she remembered, his name is Khy -- had stopped her from doing so.

Prick, she thought.

As carefully as she could, she lifted herself from the bed, comforted somewhat by the realization that she was still fully clothed. She found her pack and her boots lying in a pile by the door and rifled quickly through them to be sure that nothing had been taken. Nothing had. Which, of course, made her fingers itch.

She scanned the modest dwelling while she pulled her boots on for something she could palm on the way out, but she deliberated a moment too long; before she had decided between the tiny stone owl on the nightstand and something that glinted at her from beneath the bed, Khy took a sharp breath in, pushed both hands up through his dark curls, and opened his eyes.

He laughed when he saw her standing frozen by the door.

“Well, good morning to you, too,” he said.

“Don’t get cute,” Seren snapped. “This isn’t a -- a -- a -- a thing, alright? We are not -- this isn’t anything. You got it?”

“I wasn’t under the impression that it was,” Khy said, pushing himself up so that he sat against the headboard, and Seren could see that he, too, was dressed. “Unless being friends counts as a thing.”

“It does,” Seren assured him.

“Oh. Well, my bad, then.” Khy smirked at her, eyes sparkling. Seren scowled.

She threw her pack over her shoulder and yanked open the door to the hallway, but found she couldn’t storm through it. Not until she knew.

“We didn’t… you know.” She turned to meet his eyes as she asked it, but wasn’t quite able to. Her cheeks burned, equal parts embarrassment and fury. She was pretty sure she knew -- pretty sure she hadn’t been drunk to the point of truly forgetting -- but it never hurt to be certain. “Did we?”

In her periphery, she saw Khy shake his head.

“You didn’t want to,” he said.

Her heart lurched into her throat. Double-shit. She turned the rest of the way back toward him, glaring.

“What’s your game, then?” she asked.

Khy had the nerve to roll his eyes at that.

“You know, I thought you might be the type to think everyone’s out to get you,” he said.

“If you gave every sadsack who walked up to that bar a shoulder to cry on and a free bed for the night you’d be a pretty shitty bartender,” Seren shot back.

“Who said this was free?” Khy rejoined, smirking again. He was loving this. Seren’s hands curled into fists at her sides.

“Why me?” she insisted.

Khy sighed, shaking a hand absently through his hair. Seren realized he was deciding whether or not to lie to her.

“Honestly?” he said, settling on the truth. “At first? Because I thought you were cute.”

Seren smiled, knife-sharp, humorless.

“Didn’t anyone teach you that’s how mermaids lure their prey?” she asked. She stayed rooted to the spot, however. Snagged on the words at first.

Khy gestured at her legs, eyebrows raised in a way that asked How the fuck was I supposed to know? Seren shrugged in a way that said Fair enough.

“Anyway, that’s why I started talking to you. But then, I dunno. I liked talking to you.” He smiled, sincerely this time, the mischief of his smirk nowhere to be seen. “And you seemed like you needed someone to listen.”

Seren didn’t answer immediately, worried her voice might not make it past the tightness in her throat.

“You cut me off,” she grumbled.

Khy spread his palms before him in something like a shrug.

“That’s my job,” he said. “Bartender.”

Seren took a breath. Then another. And a third, in through her nose and out through her mouth.

“This still isn’t a thing,” she said at last, setting her pack back down beside the door.

Khy’s smile widened.

“Does being friends still count as a thing?” he asked.

Seren closed the door. Pulled off one boot, then the other. Sat down on the bed beside him, her shoulder barely touching his.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

[dirhwangdaseul-archived]

How ‘Lord of the Rings’ Inspires Italy’s Giorgia Meloni - The New York Times

posted the entire thing was behind paywall

ROME — Giorgia Meloni, the hard-right leader who is likely to be the next prime minister of Italy, used to dress up as a hobbit.

As a youth activist in the post-Fascist Italian Social Movement, she and her fellowship of militants, with nicknames like Frodo and Hobbit, revered “The Lord of the Rings” and other works by the British writer J.R.R. Tolkien. They visited schools in character. They gathered at the “sounding of the horn of Boromir” for cultural chats. She attended “Hobbit Camp” and sang along with the extremist folk band Compagnia dell’Anello, or Fellowship of the Ring.

All of that might seem some youthful infatuation with a work usually associated with fantasy-fiction and big-budget epics rather than political militancy. But in Italy, “The Lord of the Rings” has for a half-century been a central pillar upon which descendants of post-Fascism reconstructed a hard-right identity, looking to a traditionalist mythic age for symbols, heroes and creation myths free of Fascist taboos.

“I think that Tolkien could say better than us what conservatives believe in,” said Ms. Meloni, 45. More than just her favorite book series, “The Lord of the Rings” was also a sacred text. “I don’t consider ‘The Lord of the Rings’ fantasy,” she said.

Tolkien’s agrarian universe, full of virtuous good guys defending their idyllic, wooded kingdoms from hordes of dark and violent orcs, has for decades prompted scholarly, and convention center, debate over the author’s racial and ideological biases, his view of modernity and globalization. More recently, his works have also provided a fertile shire for nationalists who see themselves in his heroic archetypes.

But in Italy, the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the maps of Mordor have informed generations of post-Fascist youths, including Ms. Meloni, who, the latest polls strongly suggest, will emerge from the election on Sunday as Italy’s first female prime minister — and the first descended from post-Fascist roots.

Ms. Meloni, who leads the hard-right Brothers of Italy party, and who has called for a naval blockade against illegal migrants and warns her supporters about the dark, conspiratorial forces of internationalist bankers, first read Tolkien, a conservative who once called Hitler a “ruddy little ignoramus,” at age 11. She became a fantasy fanatic.

In her early 20s, she surfaced in chat rooms under the nickname Khy-ri, calling herself the “little dragon of the Italian undernet.” More recently, she named her political conference Atreju, an Italian rendering of the name of the hero of “The NeverEnding Story,” best known as a 1980s cult film featuring a flying animatronic character that appeared to be half dragon, half Labrador retriever.

As a government minister in 2008, Ms. Meloni posed for a magazine profile next to a statue of the wizard Gandalf. In 2019, she honored a manga character, Captain Harlock, the “space pirate,” as a “symbol of a generation that challenged the apathy and indifference of people.” Last month, she lamented that her busy campaign schedule had kept her from mainlining Amazon’s new “Rings of Power” series.

But Ms. Meloni’s otherworldly interests have as much to do with politics as personal taste.

“The genre of fantasy in Italy has always been cultivated by the right,” said Umberto Croppi, a former member of the Italian Social Movement who is now the director of a national association of public and private agencies in Italy’s culture industry. He said that the two worlds shared a “vision of spirituality against materialism, a metaphysical vision of life against the forms of the modern world.”

The modern world did not work out so well for the die-hard Fascists who stayed loyal to Hitler and Mussolini after the official Italian government switched sides to join the Allies during World War II.

After the war, many of those Fascists flocked to the Italian Social Movement, but the party’s efforts to reintegrate into Italy’s institutions eventually hit a wall. Its younger members, feeling excluded from civil society, seized on an Italian edition of “The Lord of the Rings,” prefaced by Elémire Zolla, a philosopher who was a point of reference on the hard right and who argued that Tolkien was “talking about everything we confront every day.”

That resonated with a small group of the party’s Youth Front, already bristling at the cultural dominance of the left. They saw themselves, as one of their leaders, Generoso Simeone, put it, as “inhabitants of the mythical Middle-earth, also struggling with dragons, orcs, and other creatures.” Seeking a more palatable alternative to quoting Mussolini’s speeches and spray-painting Swastikas, which, Mr. Croppi pointed out, “was easy to reproduce on walls,” in 1977, they created the first Camp Hobbit festival.

“The idea to call it Camp Hobbit came from a real strategy,” said Mr. Croppi, one of the founders. The thinking was to move beyond the old symbols and to capitalize on the party’s isolation, smallness and victimization by violent leftist enemies to make their hero “not the warrior Aragorn, but the little hobbit — we wanted to get out of this militarist, heroic idea.”

The party’s old guard was perplexed. But, with the support of hard-liners, Camp Hobbit festivals emerged as formative touchstones for the young activists. Celtic cross flags that meshed perfectly with the Tolkien aesthetic waved. The band Fellowship of the Ring played songs about European identity, including what became the anthem of the party’s Youth Front, “Tomorrow Belongs to Us.”

The song echoed a ballad “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” sung by a member of the Hitler Youth in a chilling scene in the movie “Cabaret.” Mr. Croppi acknowledged that the camps had their fair share of Fascist salutes, but argued they were “ironic.”

When Ms. Meloni entered the picture as a teenage activist in the Youth Front in Rome in the 1990s, the far right — especially in the capital — was still in a trenchlike mentality, struggling to break with the previous generation.

Francesco Lollobrigida, a leader in Ms. Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy (as well as her brother-in-law), said that he and others had a desire starting in the 1980s “to break with the patterns of a party that still had inside of it people who had been in the Social Republic, who had done fascism.”

Ms. Meloni, seated across from him, agreed.

“There was a desire to get out of that,” she said.

Ms. Meloni attended a new iteration of Camp Hobbit in 1993, which she called a “political laboratory” and where she sang along with Fellowship of the Ring and discussed culture and books.

“We read everything,” Ms. Meloni said.

The bookstore of choice for the hard right in Rome was Europa, just outside the Vatican walls. On a recent visit, it displayed titles like “Mussolini Boys” and “The Occult Origins of Nazism.” A picture of Hitler stood watch above the register next to a cup of pens.

Europa has a section dedicated to Julius Evola, an esoteric, deeply taboo, Nazi-affiliated Italian philosopher who became a favorite of Italy’s post-Fascist terrorists and bourgeoisie-loathing nostalgists. Evola argued that progress and equality were poisonous illusions.

“A bit boring,” Mr. Lollobrigida said of Evola’s work.

Ms. Meloni said that instead a more influential writer at the time was the more mainstream Ernst Jünger, a German former soldier, who sought to make sense of war but also glorified combat.

But for Ms. Meloni, all of those took a back shelf to “The Lord of the Rings.” She said she had learned from dwarves and elves and hobbits the “value of specificity” with “each indispensable for the fact of being particular.” She extrapolated that as a lesson about protecting Europe’s sovereign nations and unique identities.

In the 1990s, after becoming the leader of the youth wing of the National Alliance, the party that succeeded the Italian Social Movement, Ms. Meloni started her own political festival, which she called “similar” to Camp Hobbit. But this time, she named it Atreju. “It was the symbol of a boy in battle against nihilism, against the Nothing that advances,” she said.

She joked that Italians could hardly pronounce Atreju, but she said that the annual conventions, including the first one, in 1998, which was about the dangers of globalization, had reach.

“We wanted to say that globalization, you have to govern it,” she said. “If you look around, we weren’t wrong, were we?” she added.

At the Atreju convention in 2018, the guest of honor, Stephen K. Bannon, walked by patriotic posters of “Italy’s heroes” and desks selling Evola-themed T-shirts and works by Evola. Ms. Meloni’s supporters have interpreted her calls to defend Italy from mass migration — and the replacement of native Italians by invaders — as a battle cry to protect Middle-earth. This month, at a rally in Sardinia, Davide Anedda, 21, the leader of the local youth wing of the Brothers of Italy, wore a T-shirt reading “Hobbit.”

“If you’re not from our world, it’s very hard to understand,” Mr. Anedda said, explaining that Hobbit was a post-Fascist far-right rock band and that Tolkien had written “a fundamental part of our history.”

And for Italy, maybe a part of its future.

Ms. Meloni, who seems poised to grab her own brass ring after decades in the political trenches, said that her understanding of power and its ability to corrupt and isolate a person was “closely tied to Tolkien’s reading.”

“I consider power very dangerous,” she said. “I consider it an enemy and not a friend.”

@vague-humanoid @antifaspiderman @beserkerjewel

[pumpkachubby]

Sven’s Route - Part 2

The group talks about finding a proper name for their newest addition, but how that casual talk could connect with Volke and a lost bond from his childhood? Check it in this new chapter!

Make sure to check the Story Archive for past chapters!

“We need to give him a name” – Said Wolter as we finished packing up our stuff and ready to move forward in our travel – “We can’t just call him Chesnaught, right?”

“Are you stupid?” – Argued Volke – “We can’t just name someone else’s Pokémon, right?”

“Do you realize that he is no longer just a Pokémon, right? He is no different than us!”

“Well, I can recognize when I’m being insensible, I’m sorry Chesnaught…”

“No worries!” – He replied, scratching the back of his head –“It’s still hard to get used to it, I still don’t know what exactly I am now… I mean, I’m still a Chesnaught, right?”

“Yeah, we hybrids have some level of pride on what species each of us are”- Started to explain Volke- “I’m a toxtricity raised by a family of musicians, Wolter is a Wooloo who was born in a yarn and we are proud to be like this, feel free to call yourself as you feel like… but… yeah I think we should give you at least a nickname, any ideas?”

He looked straight at me demanding an answer and I panicked, I never named anything before so I just panicked

“He- he is a Chesnaught, so… Chess?”

“That’s the most awfully uninspired nickname I’ve ever heard” – He replied with a disgusted expression and turning to Wolter – “If you can’t come up with something better I’m leaving this band”

“We are not a band, what are you talking about…? Wait, did you just casually mentioned that your family is full of musician? Are they famous?” – Asked Wolter with genuine interest, but by looking at how disgusted Volke’s expression was turning he realized he was going far away from the current topic –“a- anyway, a nickname, hm… what about… let me improvise… Khethocsmagne?”

“How in the hell did you improvised that name!?” – Replied Volke so surprised he almost fell to the floor – “ hm… Khethoc… Khy…what about Khyto? Maybe it’s a bit too cute…”

“Oh I like that! You can call me that!!” – Replied Chesnaught exited – “It sounds cool! Pleased to meet you! I’m Khyto! hahahahaha”

We kept talking as we moved forward, after all Wolter still needed to find someone who would endorse him so he can participate in this year’s gym challenge, he expected to find someone around Motoske city since apparently  it’s well known that those willing to sponsor new trainers are usually at that area in this time.

As we walked behind a large bridge Volke’s phone started to ring, someone was calling him and after looking at it he put a serious face and asked us to wait for him since it was important and it would take him a while.

“Sure, we can take a break and have lunch!” – I said

“Great, just make sure you don’t find another guy in trouble when I’m out, ok?” – He said, half joke, half serious.

…

 But I failed

The next moment we saw each other, I was holding a phantump on my arms.

  Volke walked fast and made sure he was as far away from the group as possible when he was talking to the phone. When he was sure his friends wouldn’t be able to find him quickly he found a spot in the shadow of a berry tree and put his phone against a rock in the floor, it was going to be a video call after all.

“I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon, is this situation this urgent?” – He asked – “Or maybe, you are suspicious of me?  You are glad I have an expensive phone with a reception good enough to properly see my face”

“I knew that you would, after all you are the younger son of that family, right, Volke? Or should I call you by your real name, Khethocsmagne?”

Volke’s real name was Khethocsmagne, his family had the old tradition of coming up with a new and original name for their children to make them feel special since the day of their birth, but that name was only used in formal documents, after all they had to come up with an artistic pseudonym for their public life, “Volke” was that pseudonym.  

“How do you know that stupid name? What the hell is my life anymore, first Wolter casually dropping that name too and now you too, Horacio”

“Sorry sorry, I just wanted to tease you a little, your father used to call you by your real name when you were little, he was super proud for that creation. Last night when you texted me with your phone number to be in contact after Sven’s situation, I remembered that small Toxel that one day told me his name was going to be Volke and I needed to check if my hunch was right”

“Same for me, but how long has it been? 15 years? Sorry to ask this so sudden but… why did you stop visiting us?”

“You know I’ll forever be grateful of your father for giving me the support for my studies, I’ll never be able to pay him back… You know I had to travel for my studies and when I came back to Galar I had so much work to do at the laboratory and then… well… things got complicated and I had to run…”

“I know that, but you should have send me a letter or something at least…” – Replied Volke, turning his head to the left – “You were like a big brother to me you know, better than my own…” – He whispered.

“um? What did you said?” – Asked Horacio, who couldn’t listen to the last part.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Let’s go back to the topic: Sven. What’s going on with him? I mean, besides well, everything around him.”

“Do you know a grimmsnarl named Noah Grimm?”

“Ugh, he is an asshole, my dad pushed me to do some musical work for his company, a little tune for a tv spot or something, I only met him once a couple of years ago and I’m glad our paths have never crossed again. I know it’s an awful Dark-type stereotype but there is something about him that I don’t like, he is… dangerous, he don’t see people as nothing more than test subjects, he gives a strong mad scientist vibe. But what’s going on with him?”

“He is after Sven”- Replied Horacio, his voice almost breaking.

“WHA- What..!? How? Is he aware of his situation!? But as far as I know Sven never left Kalos until this travel, right? Then why…”

“It’s my fault… you see, he and I… we know each other, I did something awful to him in the past and he kept a close eye on me and my friends, right now he is using Sven as a hostage to force me to collaborate with a potentially dangerous work”

“That asshole! Are you ok? I knew he was dangerous…”

“I’m ok, I just need to finish this work and he promised to let us go, and if there is still a part of the Noah I knew when I was young he will keep his word, but even so… I’m scared that he could try to do something bad to Sven if I don’t give him the results he wants”

“Don’t worry Horacio, I’ll protect Sven with my life” –Volke’s words hit Horacio harder than he expected and the old Incineroar couldn’t hold up tears, it was like if all the weight that was on his shoulders since they arrived to Galar had finally loosen up just a little.

Voke waited until his old friend got it together to continue the talk, he had already realized how important was Sven to him with the phone call last night when neither of them was aware they were talking to each other.

“Thank you… *snif* I know I am no one to ask you this, but still, please take care of Sven, he is a dear friend of mine and I couldn’t keep living if something happened to him for my fault…”

“Don’t say that! You are really important to me too… if I can pay you back for those happy days I spend with you back then… I will do my best.”

“Volke… thank you.”

“Then? What’s the plan? What do you think I should do to keep him safe from Noah?”

“Well… I think that just by being by his side is enough to keep him from doing anything risky, after all you are the son of a very powerful person, as long as Sven can keep traveling without knowing about Noah we should be fine”

“I can’t believe the day when I’m glad I was born in a famous family is here… Ok Horacio, I’ll keep a close eye on him for you, he is a good friend to me too after all. You focus on that work for that asshole and let’s meet again to celebrate once this is over!”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best!”

After saying goodbye to Horacio and promising to send him periodic updates of their location Volke was ready to go back to camp when he realized he wasn’t alone, someone was hiding behind the bushes close to the tree he was under and probably listened to their talk. The idea of them being an spy from Noah immediately crossed his mind and got ready to challenge the possible treat, as he hold a pokeball on his hand tiny bits of electricity started to surround him, but they completely dissipated when he saw who was behind the bushes.

“Wait wait it’s just me, Wolter!” – Said the wooloo as he jumped out of the bush – “Man, you are really scary when you get serious…”

“What the hell are YOU doing here!? I made sure no one would be able to follow me!”

“Well… I went to the nearby lake for some water and before I realized I found you…”

“That lake was a couple of feet away from where I left you… to think that you would get lost…” – Volke was exhausted and he dropped to the floor, he was being too paranoid, not even Horacio suggested the possibility of a spy but he was already considering it. The wild area was too large to find a single person and even so they wouldn’t had a reason to spy him after all.

“How long did you hear?”

“From the moment you whispered he was like a brother to you…” – Replied Wolter, a bit ashamed of his unintentional eavesdropping

“So, from the very beginning…”

“Is that Noah guy that dangerous?”

“Yeah, he is the head of a very important laboratory, they not only study odd health-related situations, they even supply people from different regions with vital medicine. To put it simply no one would believe us… all we can do is make sure Sven is safe, that’s all.”

“I see… then I have an idea to make sure he is safe!”

“An idea?”

“Yeah, and a really good one! All we need to do is to make sure Sven joins the Gym Challenge too! Believe it or not the security at gyms is really good, especially for trainers participating, if he is in the eyes of everyone then there is no way that Noah guy would try to kidnap him”

“Hm… that’s not a bad idea, but your plan has a big flaw: Sven doesn’t want to become a Pokémon trainer.”

“tch! You are right… well, I’m sure we can come up with something!”

But we didn’t even had to try, because when we came back to the camp a few minutes later our friend was sitting nervously at the camp holding a shiny Phantump in his arms

[vespertine-legacy]

Legacy update part 2/3, tagged by @legacystarwarred​

Here come the alts! Information is under the cut. (warning for potential spoilers for most classes classes.) At least one of these, this may be the first time you’re getting any real information about them.

Time for Legacy Updates on: Mara!Shara, Mahzarin, Khynan, Zydras, Nustia, Lark, Coda, and Anahk!

Name: Shara Jenn Gender: Female Species: Human Status/Position: Alive Relationship: Vero’razimiri’vosis, “Raz” (engaged) About: Former Watcher Two/Keeper of Imperial Intelligence. After spending her entire life in Intelligence, she has a Sith awakening when an attempt to break her loyalty conditioning instead breaks the lock on her Force abilities. Apprentices under Darth Marr in secret, which leads to her being on his flagship in Wild Space when it is attacked by the Eternal Empire. Manages to get a message out to Raz before being captured by Arcann and thrown in carbonite. Serves as Valkorion’s vessel, even though Sija is blamed for his death and named the “Outlander” who had caused all of this chaos and strife for Zakuul.

Name: Akise Toradte, aka Mahzarin Auksas Gender: Female Species: Human/Cyborg Status/Position: Alive Relationship: Moxie Brood (on-again-off-again) About: Born to moderately well-off Ziosti family, but shunned and abused for lack of Force sensitivity. Runs away to Korriban to attempt Sith trials anyway after teaching herself to fake a number of Force abilities with exploits using her cybernetics. Apprentices briefly under Overseer Ragate, who puts Mahzarin through the Rite of Blood and Bone and sees more potential in her than she had seen in another Sith hopeful in years. Is eventually taken on as an apprentice by Mena. As a Lord, she retakes her given last name as a point of honor and a bit of a fuck-you to her family. Assists Mena and Sija with the strike on the Jedi Temple on Tython and the subsequent re-taking of the Sith Academy on Korriban (during the battle on Korriban, Overseer Ragate died in her arms and congratulated her for making it as far as she did, suggesting that she had always known Mahzarin’s secret). Is confronted by Lana on Manaan about needing to be more careful with her secret. Briefly leaves Mena’s team while Mena and Sija go to Rishi; during that time she has her fling with Sotaga (which Does Not Go Well). Rejoins the team for the strike on Yavin IV and seems...different. Mena tries to keep Mahzarin from coming to the surface on Ziost but she disobeys. Confronts her brothers on Ziost, has to injure and incapacitate Talos and Jaesa, and has to kill Karuvis while the three of them are possessed by Vitiate. Vurija (unpossessed) watches and laughs.

Name: Khynan “Khy” Xandal Gender: Male Species: Cathar Status/Position: Alive, the Wrath of the Empress Relationship: N/A (he’s up for grabs) About: Khy is selected to be Acina’s Wrath after Mena turns down the position (considers himself to be her nemesis due to her still calling herself “the Empire’s Wrath”). (I don’t really know yet how he’ll get to that point, but that’s a problem for future!november.)

Name: Zydras Nesanto Gender: Male Species: Togruta Status/Position: Male, Darth Imperius Relationship: Ashara Zavros About: Apprentice to Sija, takes over her Sphere while she is missing.

Name: Nustia Dalin Gender: Female Species: Human Status/Position: Deceased Relationship: N/A (she’s up for grabs, but, uh... she gonna die ;-;) About: Apprentice to Sija, eventual casualty of the war with Zakuul

Name: Niebo’ksallarhsop, “Lark” Gender: Male Species: Twi’lek Status/Position: Alive, Co-Champion of the Great Hunt (a year after Moxie) Relationship: @astrifer-bound​‘s Beint’echo’therates, “Echo” (queerplatonic partner in crime?) About: Just trying to keep Echo from getting them killed, no connection to Sija’s Eternal Alliance aside from having been mentored by Moxie/being friends with her

Name: Orcodaa “Coda” Vadesh Gender: Female Species: Togruta Status/Position: Alive, Hype-man for the Champion of the Great Hunt (a couple years after Moxie and Lark) Relationship: @miss-spooky-eyes​‘s Indirae Jexqzk (accidental wife) About: Forces her way onto Indy’s crew/Great Hunt team, accidentally gets them life-bonded, hijinks ensue and they realize maybe it isn’t so bad after all. No connection to Sija’s Eternal Alliance so far, or to any of my other OCs except for her twin sister, Cershaa, and I’m working on shoehorning her in there.

Name: Sihsan’ahk’ir “Anahk” Gender: Male Species: Chiss Status/Position: Alive, Cipher Agent Relationship: Raina Temple About: I have not developed Anahk enough at all, but he’s an agent while Raz is Keeper, and his name is a pseudonym that means “trouble maker,” and I’m pretty sure he’s part of a genetic engineering program.

[jamiebluewind]

Character Descriptions for Fantasy High 2.9!

***

As always, let me know if I need to edit or add anything and tag/ask/PM me about art and stories so I can check them out!

Warning: trauma, abuse, mental abuse, neglect, starvation, manipulation, memory loss mention, dark themes, isolation, imprisonment, fantasy racism, vomit mention (please let me know if I missed any)

All pronounciations typed out have a rolled R.

***

Facts

The party is currently at 44,100 exp. each. Next level is at 48,000 (which will probably take 3 more big battles, 2 if Brennan is super generous with RP awards).

Abernant family had all their land and wealth reclaimed by The Court of Stars for their treachery and failure to prevent a war with Solace. Elianwyn committed treason and betrayal as well.

To save Adaine, the group decided to break up into 3 teams: Pylon 1 (Ragh, Tracker, Cathilda, and Sandra Lynn), Pylon 2 (Gorgug, Fabian, and Riz), and Recovery (Ayda, Fig, and Kristen). Team 1 and 2 would simultaneously take out the pylons. Then, the recovery team would go in (invisible and/or disguised) and gets Adaine and Aelwyn. They would all meet back at Van where they would most likely use Ayda's teleport to leave Fallinel (or regroup to plan their next move).

***

New Characters

Tell-ah-mine Low-men-el-da

Fabian's grandpapa

Tall elf with regal green robes, a silver circlet, long platinum white blond hair with a widows peak, and shimmering blue eyes

Crinkle in the corners of his eyes shows his age in sort of an Elrond way. He look of a dude in his late 40s/early 50s who took excellent care of his body and kept it tight

Moves with supernatural grace

Can turn into silver sand and float away

Has no concept of what time means

Obsessed with the fact that his grandson will die before him (Your human blood has brought mortality to this family. You will one day die.)

Offers to send word to an elf who is a fabled eye smith who lives on the high mountains at the heart of Fallinel that can craft a working eye (from songs, whispers, beams of moonlight, jeweled edges of the blue of the sea, and shimmering poems pulled from the ether itself) for Fabian, but has no clue how long it will take (a moment, a year, or a hundred years).

Can't pronounce words in common very well, especially words he's never heard before (which delights Fabian and pisses off Gorgug)

Calls Fabian Aramais Seacaster fa-bee-ahn ah-rye-ah-my-ess Seacaster (which might actually be the proper pronouncations of his name in that region as "Seacaster" was said correctly and that's how all the other elves say his name as well) and calls Hallariel ha-lair-ee-el

Weeps without moving his face, but also sometimes makes a soft eeehhhh sound when he cries (at one point he cried over a drop of water)

Gifted stewardship of Khy-low Meh-new-rah 3000 years ago after he crafted The Sword of the North Star (he was the smith of fung-dran-ghoor) for the ancient king of Fallinel Th-wrist-win Eversong.

"Without the Elven Oracle, we are lost."

Saw the Abernants as power hungry and cruel and can't understand why they would leave Fallinel. He found Anguin in particular to be a crass and small man with no nobility, only a thirst for power.

Thinks Riz has a harsh energy, is "a little dick", and calls him "a strange green mouse thing"

Got physically ill when a gun was explained to him, calling it gross and some dwarven kind of thing before vomiting which he turns into a flock of white crows

Vhan-lair-ee-el

Fabian's aunt

Tried to heal Fabian's pneumonia with elvan singing

Said "I have failed" when her singing doesn't work before she fades into starlight and vanishes

Hal-door-in and [unnamed youth]

Elven teens in white linen shorts arguing because [unnamed] believes Hal-door-in took his lute.

Calmed by a distant song which stopped their fight.

Faf-threth-riel

Lithe elven youth (around 17 or 18 years old) with a blond mop of hair covering one eye

Bakes elven whey bread

Lived a sheltered life

Ragh was the first half-orc he met

Mostly into Ragh due to Ragh being half orc, excessively talking about his green skin (like the boughs of a tree leafy, my leafy man), being big and beefy (your legs are like the mighty trunks of trees), was really into rage (like when Ragh punched a seat cushion) to the point of it making Ragh uncomfortable

Sang in bed

Treth-thren-ren

Elven youth who does morning dance yoga

Tried to get Fabian to eat a grape

Oak Warriors

Elemental plant based automaton soldiers made of pure magic

Look like 8 foot tall green men with leaves coming from their faces

***

Changes to Established Characters

Aelwyn

Matted long blond hair

Dry skin, chapped colorless lips, and thick bags under her eyes

Severely dehydrated and trance deprived (probably hasn't been allowed to trance for nearly a year)

5 points of exhaustion. Only magic is keeping her from going to the 6th level and dying.

Her "room" is a large large beautiful elven chamber with silver and marble. Ambiant light glows from the white stone.

Trapped inside a 15 foot diameter orb that's constantly turning so she can't trance

Crawling on hands and knees while trapped, shaking with the effort

Doesn't give Adaine up to Kear

Can still remember how to cast the message cantrip

Feels strange and addled (unable to think clearly; confused), can't remember what's real or imagined anymore, doesn't clearly remember what happened in her past (including what she did to get imprisoned), and forgets what she and Adaine have already talked about (causing a lot of reputation).

Thinks her parents "tried their best they could" and that "they expected quite a lot of us, but isn't that what- doesn't that... didn't that make us great?" (possibly due to something her father said or did since her imprisonment as it echoes a few things he's said)

Gilear

Looks scruffy (from not shaving), dirty, and has pit stains

Somehow didn't mess up being diplomatic with Fabian's grandpapa

Unbuttons the top button on his shirt when he "lets loose"

To Fig about Sandra Lynn and Garthy: Are you aware of such... hanky panky?

Learning of Sandra Lynn's infidelity with Garthy "Honestly? Perhaps this is... fucked up. It makes me feel... like there wasn't something uniquely wrong with me. Maybe a tiny little w for Gilear."

Spent the night walking through the forest with Hallariel's father, reciting poetry (badly)

To Fabian after Hallariel's father threw up "You're low and he's low. It's Gilear's day baby! It's Gilear's day."

Tried to ask Hallariel's father for her hand, but even though Fig gave him bardic inspiration and Riz helped by covering Fabian's mouth, he failed... so much. ("Lord Tell-ah-mine of Khy-low Meh-new-rah I like you am-" *makes himself throw up* "We get it. We both get it. We... We're the throw up boys." *passes out*)

Ayda

Hid in the van the entire visit

Might have rejection sensitive dysphoria (which is common in those with autism or ADHD)

Did a sending spell to Zelda for Gorgug for 150 gold (after reminding him that she very much does not like anyone in her debt or visa versa)

Offered to exact vengeance on Zelda for Gorgug

Is powerful enough to know teleport and learn plane shift (so level 13 or higher)

Stated that Adaine is her best friend and decides that since Fig is also Adaine's best friend, by the transitive property she is best friends with Fig as well (and Fig agreed). Learning this, she says "Fantastic. I grow richer by the day. I'm emotional." before starting to cry fire "I'm emotional. I'm gonna fly away." She then flew away, returning after she had calmed down.

Ragh

Ate grapes and started burping musical notes after he left Khy-low Meh-new-rah.

Lost his virginity to Faf-threth-riel who then got creepy and kinda racist, making Ragh very uncomfortable (and want to get out of there asap)

Fabian

Lost both points of exhaustion thanks to the 8000 thread count elven sheets (did they get to keep the sheets or at least one sheet for help with exhaustion?)

Felt really good when he tried out dance yoga, even wondering if he should be some kind of yoga dancer instead of a fighter (how about a whirling dervish dancer like Cathilda?)

The grapes he put in his pocket (after refusing to eat them) turned into song

Indifferent towards saving Aelwyn and doesn't want to be on the retrieval team

When he started feeling anxious about the Aelwyn stuff, Riz told him to lose himself in dancing again to feel free (Riz: You are the only one that I wanna see dancing right now.) It made him feel much better.

***

Other Characters

Adaine

Taken by Court of Stars

Her jacket and spellbook were taken

Trapped in an orb which is soft and doesn't hurt her, but the constant movement of its slow turning doesn't allow her to be still or trance

The walls of her room glow with runes and there are many perminant magical effects, making her captors capable of some crazy things (like prepared directional counter spells), but the setup wouldn't counter cantrips

Escaped the orb with dispel magic (dc 15) which makes a couple counter spells go off and an alarm sound

Hid in Aelwyn's room. The sister's spoke before she was recaptured and placed back in her orb. Adaine told Aelwyn that she was going to get her out

Discovered that her room was close enough to Aelwyn to talk to her via the message cantrip

Repeatedly cast Ray of Frost to turn her orb into a slip and slide to stay entertained

Instead of speaking to her father in elvish, she responded in common. Also cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter on him.

Anguin and Kear said she would be executed for treason for staying in Solace and refusing to cooperate. She demanded a lawyer and then the Ambassador to Solace, citing her age and being a student at Augefort Adventuring Academy which summoned a recorded hologram of Arthur Augefort.

Arthur Augefort

Has a recorded hologram that is activated when a student claims the need of his diplomatic help in foreign affairs.

It threatens the listeners with graphic and terrifying violence and doom, giving them the options of either rectify the actions that summoned him (Yes) or refuse and welcome the aforementioned punishment for their actions (No).

Gorgug

Fabian's grandfather called him Jhor-judge

Finally got a message to Zelda via Ayda using her sending spell (Zelda. Safe in Fallinel. Gonna finish cell tower soon. Sorry about everything, but hope your break is going well in spite of this. Miss you.) and got a reply the next morning a little while after waking up (Sorry. Was at a party. You don't have to build a cell tower. That's crazy. It's all whatever Gorgug. I don't blame you.)

Didn't sleep well, but still got the benefit of a full night's sleep due to elven sheets.

Kristen

Got in a fight with Tracker and then got 3 nat 1s on persuasion checks when she tried to make up with her.

Slept in Adaine's room

Doesn't know how to make a cell tower

Took one of the 40 to 50 foot long diaphanous silk scarves with her

Gave (inspiring?) speech ending with "Friendship is thinker than water and we need water to live." which gave everyone 11 temp hit points

Accidentally called Pok a "smiling elf" and then blew it off as being due to her being human

Can now see Shadow Cat in the picture (along with Tracker, Sandra Lynn, Garthy, Riz, and Sklonda and possibly the dead cambian, Pok, Jace, and Adaine's mom) and reacted by saying "Was I spooning the cat all night in the milk!?"

Sandra Lynn

Dropped out senior year and got her diploma after the fact to join an adventuring party

Joined as a replacement member for an existing adventuring party that was already active in the world and included an older much more powerful married couple.

Fresh out of high school, fell in love with one person from the couple (nonbinary or gender intentionally hidden) who "did not treat her very kindly"

When it all came out, she was ejected from the adventuring party, her romantic partner took great pains to smear her name (so no one would accept her), no other party would take her as a replacement, and she was forced to become a Celesian Ranger

Gilear knows who the couple were, but doesn't want to tell Fig (could she know the people involved?)

Key-heir/Khear

Child-like elven maiden with long brown braided hair, a white gown, and a large staff.

When confronted by Arthur Augefort's hologram, she chose to not heed his warnings.

***

More from 2.9!

***

Previous

[experimentjr]

Schimmig Backstories

oh hi, it’s-a me >:3 so, all of you know about my Schimmig AU and that I’ve been posted about Schimmig OCs since the creation of this blog, even if my Schimmig OCs aren’t as much famous or known by most of you as the other OCs from SVTFOE, but I know there is a couple of you that want to know more about each one of them, so I had this idea: what if I post some of my OCs backstory, their facts and, if possible, their royal painting :v pretty good idea right qq? And I will start with one of your and my favorite Schimmig:

Ou”n”cablould, “The Queen of Goodies”

Since little, Ou”n”cablould has always been in love with sweets and stuff, but, despite being a princess and extremely rich, the candies she could buy or that she payed candymakers to make were not so appetizing. The candies were not sugary but they used a kind of "juice" that gave a very weak flavor and most of the candies had a very watery taste, it was then that she, at age 10, started to leave her castle and even her kingdom only to look for other sweets and, also, learn about them. By the age of 20 she was known as a "Sweet Thief", for stealing from different donations around the country, various recipes for her special cookbook and with the help of her power — which gave her the ability to remain unnoticed by beings — she could go unnoticed and steal them. At 30, she had her first daughter and decided to teach her everything about being a natural candymaker. Around age 45, she decided to go to sea like a pirate and she sailed for several years, returning at age 120, where, after all those years stealing and learning about the cuisine related to desserts and sweets from various empires and kingdoms, she was known as “Queen of Goodies” after a party (also a competition between the sweetmeats) with all the kingdoms of the empire, making all the guests delighted in her incredible sweets and desserts. Several years passed and she kept creating more and more recipes for her book, which had already turned into a huge block so much recipes that had been put in it. That was when, in the year 307 (around the year 1,800, by the Gregorian calendar) an immense war between another empire called Khy (name of the empire of the demons in their language) began. Ou”n”cablould used her recipes, with the sugar of the dimension discovered by her, to increase the stamina and strength of the soldiers, besides participating directly in several naval battles, since she was in the navy of the kingdom. During the war, Ou”n”cablould took to steal hundreds of recipes from enemy kingdoms and bases, so much so that she received another title: "Sweet Shade", because she could enter places and steal recipes without anyone noticing anything. Unfortunately, in one of her raids to steal recipes, she was pursued by her enemies and wounded by a special type of weapon, which had a venom that by that time was deadly, and although she managed to get away and bring back her recipes, a few days later, in the year 389, she died on account of the poison at 323 years.

Facts

Ou”n”cablould had the titles of:

“Ghost”

“Candy Thief”

“Maniac Candymaker”

“Recipe Pirate”

“Queen of Goodies” (the most famous)

“Sweet Candy”

She was so successful and was so recognized for helping the Schimmig cuisine that she was honored to have her name as the term for a certain type of dish and got her name on her most famous dish.

Ou”n”cablould is the name given to something very cold and very sweet, like ice cream, açai, snow cone, etc ... And it is the name of the dish that takes processed fruits (or candies) with the milk of the dimension. Basically an ice cream.

She had not only a daughter but also had a son with a king from a kingdom of the Carbonus empire while sailing the world and had another son with a king from a kingdom of the Tanq khy empire.

Her ship was considered the strangest and most colorful because it was actually an immense cake inside a pot and her flag was a spiral-shaped face licking a lollipop. The ship was known as the largest Schimmig ship of all.

When she died, all the candymakers of the immense Schimmig empire mourned.

The "O"n"cablould’s Cookbook,"Eternal Love for Sweets" is the most sacred object among the candymakers and the best sheltered book among them.

Even when she died, she was happy because she knew that even if she couldn’t continue, there would be several other candymakers who would increase her book even more.

Royal Painting

(and yes, this is her tongue :v I actually might redraw it, but I still like this painting hafeuh)

[timespakistan]

Work on KP’s first Ali Sadpara climbing wall completed PESHAWAR – The first climbing wall named af­ter international climber and he­roic Shaheed Muhammad Ali Sad­para completed here at Peshawar Sports Complex with the total cost of Rs10 million under the Prime Minister 1000 Playground Facili­ties Project. The climbing wall has been named after national hero Mu­hammad Ali Sadpara was a Paki­stani high-altitude mountaineer. He was part of the team (which included Italian alpinist Simone Moro) that successfully completed the first-ever winter ascent to the summit of Nanga Parbat in 2016. Muhammad Ali Sadpara, along with his 21-year-old son, Sa­jid (who had also climbed K2 in 2019), teamed up with Icelan­dic mountaineer John Snorri Sig­urjónsson and Chilean mountain­eer Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto for a joint-ascent of K2, and left the highest camp on the evening of Feb 4, 2021. Sajid was later forced to descend due an Oxygen regula­tor malfunction, leaving the oth­er members of the team at the K2 Bottleneck, close to the summit.  Ali Sadpara, Sigurjónsson and Prieto continued their ascent to K2’s summit, but did not return by night as planned, and were de­clared missing on Feb 5, 2021. A rescue mission with two Pakistan Army helicopters was organised on Feb 6, 2021 to search for the team. On Feb 18, 2021, Pakistani author­ities announced that the three men were officially presumed dead, but the search for their remains would continue. Sadpara’s family also de­clared him as presumably dead on the same day. To pay rich tribute to Shaheed Sadpara, the govt of Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa decided to name after the Climbing Wall as Sadpara, Sec­retary Sports KP Abid Majeed told media persons. He said Chief Sec­retary KP Dr. Kazim Niaz would formally inaugurate the Shaheed Sadpara Climbing Wall very soon.  During inspection, Abid Majeed said that the installation of the first Climbing Wall was to moti­vate youngsters toward climbing. Director General Sports Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa Asfandyar Khan Khattak and Project Direc­tor of Prime Minister 1000 Play­ground Facilities Project Murad Ali Mohmand accompanied him. The players present on the occa­sion gave a spectacular demon­stration of speed wall and na­tional athlete Engr. Paras Ahmad, who also looked after the ongoing work, was the first one to climb the Shaheed Sadpara Wall in a re­cord time. https://timespakistan.com/work-on-kps-first-ali-sadpara-climbing-wall-completed/12351/

[bride-and-bride]

in some AU somewhere I definitely want to know what a Khyran and Defiant baby would look like

I, a fool, moved to mobile, so these are gonna start getting less well-formatted as I refuse to stop answering memes!Name: Peony BrideGender: GirlGeneral Appearance: A bit pale, a bit small, a bit soft... Almost entirely raen-looking, with a long tail, but relatively small horns and few scales beyond her neck and hips. Always looks a lil bit sad, but just has resting melancholy face. Dark hair, very curly! Has Khy's nose, and he kind of feels guilty about that.Personality: Though she seems timid and quiet, Peony has a strong personality and a deep-rooted sense of self that drives her to pursue her passions. She believes in right and wrong and will do whatever she can to see RIGHT done, and people taken care of! Extremely loving, prone to depression when she gets set back, but always ready to try again.Special Talents: Very sensitive, and good with animals, plants, and children, which all seem to love her.Who they like better: She loves both her mom and dad equally, despite their problems... Picking one over the other might make one feel bad, and so she won't! (She likes Uncle Toviel)Who they take after more: A lil bit more Khy, in looks and personality... But with the support of two loving parents and much less self-destructive feelings.Personal Headcanon: She awakens to the Echo as an adult, able to look into people's memories as her father does... But with far less power, unable to manipulate them. It intially freaks Khy the hell out, but realizing that he can help his daughter to learn and understand gives him a measure of peace again.

[kieranoruadhain]

Hit me... with an Aran/Khyran ... hybrid. o.o

Name: Alrek Aethersmith

Gender: Male

General Appearance: A lithe fellow in his adulthood, Alrek is far healthier than his father but somehow manages to look a bit stretched in his proportions, as being a mix of Ala Mhigan and La Noscean blood. He has fiery red hair and bright teal eyes, taking after his mother. He’s got a sharp, hooked nose much like his father, and a thin beard that is decidedly black while the rest of his hair is red.

Personality: A frustrated, rebellious and disgruntled young man, Alrek definitely went through several phases in his life of feeling like he didn’t need anyone or anything and he could very well take care of himself. Other times, however, he was significantly vulnerable and wanted nothing more than happiness and stability. Despite his tendency to shelve his emotions and put on some facade of uncaring stone, he’s a bleeding heart deep down and wants to do the right thing for others. When presented with hard choices, he typically takes the moral high ground and takes the self-sacrificial approach.

Special Talents: He inherited the aspect of fire from his mother, and is particularly good at mimicking her fiery swords-dance. 

Who they like better: Aran. He doesn’t know Khyran super well, even though he likes him alright, he oftentimes blames Khyran for being absent in pockets throughout his life.

Who they take after more: Aran.

Personal Headcanon: Alrek was unfortunately the result of a drunken night filled with conversation about guilt and duty. Aran seemed rather disgruntled in her drunkenness and put herself quite uncomfortably close to Khy. He found himself thinking he owed something to her, for her happiness and comfort. Neither of them talked about it in the morning and tried to pretend it never happened.  And they never did it again, even after Alrek entered the equation. In fact, Alrek didn’t even know who his father was until he was six, when guilt urged Khyran to tell the poor boy the truth. He had always taken care of Alrek from a distance though, feeling responsible for him despite being otherwise absent from his life until the boy was a bit older. Khyran became a better parent a few years later, but tension between him and Aran always remained. The two disagreed on things more often than not, but they never outright hated each other or had any sort of falling out. They remained trusted friends.

[imran16829]

Michigan State Star Cassius Winston's Brother Dies: Zachary Winston Bio, Wiki, Age, Married, Net Worth, Twitter, Instagram, Fast Facts You Need to Know

Zachary Winston Bio

Zachary Winston was best known as the brother of American basketball player Cassius Winston. Zachary Winston, a sophomore at Albion College, was killed on Saturday night after being struck by a train. Arigh, LOOK, His name is Zachary Winston. Have some respect for him and his family! Cassius and his family are already going through enough pain losing ason/brother, and now y’all wanna make his name The subject of the death of his brother? STOP disrespecting him and his family! — Rari 💯🏎 (@24robinsonDBU) November 10, 2019

Zachary Winston Age

He was 19 years old.

Zachary Winston Earlier Life & Career

@michiganstateu State basketball All-American 🏀#CassiusWinston 🏀 & his family suffered a major tragedy Sat. 😥night. Winston’s brother #Zachary was struck & killed by an 🇺🇸 Amtrak train 🚊 at Erie Street crossing in #Albion around 8:30 p.m. 09.11.2019 pic.twitter.com/XAmA4ZkK8e — @HeadStrong INK.❤️ (@danadanewfame) November 10, 2019 Zachary Winston Education Zachary Winston was born in 2000. He studies at Albion College. Zachary Winston College Career He was a sophomore forward on the Albion College men’s basketball team, a team that the youngest brother, Khy, also plays for as a freshman. Zachary Winston University Career Before college, he was a three-year varsity basketball player at the University of Detroit Jesuit (coached by Pat Donnelly) who was a member of three district and regional champion and one state champion squads. Zachary Winston Professional Career Achieved all-league and all-city distinction. Inducted into the National Honor Society, says the Albion biography. For the 2018-19 season, he was a substitute in all 28 games, averaging nearly 14 minutes per game. According to his College biography, He chose Albion because it felt like a second home ever since his first campus visit. Winston listed like to talk and learn about others and their everyday lives as an interest off the basketball court and was a finance major who is concentrating in Albion’s Carl A. Gerstacker Institute for Business and Management. Dished out a season-high six assists in 18 minutes on the court in Albion’s home loss to Trine. Produced nine points in 17 minutes off the bench in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship game victory over Trine. Stuffed the box score with nine points, five rebounds and three assists in the NCAA Division III Championship first-round game vs. Loras, Iowa.

Zachary Winston Accident

Albion Chief of Public Safety Scott Kipp confirmed Winston was struck by a westbound Amtrak train around 8:30 p.m. near the Erie Street crossing in Albion. The investigation revealed that Winston, 19, appeared to intentionally step in front of the train. “According to the engineer, the student stepped out in front of the train,” Kipp said. “It appears to be intentionally done.” On Sunday afternoon, Albion College President Mauri Ditzler released a statement. "As a community, our hearts are broken today as we share the news of the passing of one of our students, Zachary Winston," the statement read. "Zach was a finance major, a student in the Gerstacker Institute for Business and Management, and member of the Albion College men’s basketball team. Beyond that, he was an extremely charismatic young man with an infectious smile. Zach was a recognized leader who was well known across every facet of our campus, He was a fantastic student with a world of potential before him. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed. "As a campus, we have provided opportunities for students, faculty and staff to receive counseling and support in the challenging days ahead. We want all students to know they are not alone. "Our hearts go out to his brothers, Khy, who is a freshman at Albion, and Cassius, who is a senior at Michigan State University, his parents and his extended family. We echo the family’s request in asking everyone to respect their privacy at this time." No. 1 Michigan State is scheduled to play Binghamton at 7 p.m. on Sunday night. There has been no word on whether Cassius Winston intends to play for the Spartans. On Sunday afternoon, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo released a statement on behalf of the Spartans' program. “Our hearts are filled with sorrow for the Winston family," the statement read. "Their pain over the sudden loss of Zachary is unimaginable. It’s impossible to find the right words in this moment, other than to say that we will support the family in whatever way they need."

Death and Tributes

Zachary Winston has died on 10 November 2019 after being struck by an Amtrak train. in social media tributes. people are saying “Thinking of the Albion College community today. Prayers sent for family, teammates, and friends,” wrote one. “Heartbreaking. I had limited interactions with Zachary, but he was certainly an amazing young man and leader of his peers. Thoughts go out to the Winston and Albion Families,” wrote another. Praying for Winston family. Remember when smoothie would always be in my chair cause it was next to cassius in locker room and he just start smiling and laughing and joking. RIP Zach Winston — Matthew Mcquaid (@mattblast3) November 10, 2019 Prayers up for my brother Cash and the rest of the Winston family man. Smoothie was like a lil brother to me damn this one hit home — Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) November 10, 2019 Rest easy, Brother Z. That smile always lit the room/gym up. We will take care of your family. Appreciate all that you did! #ZachWinston — Dane Fife (@CoachDaneFife) November 10, 2019 I would give everything away to just see you smile one more time 💔 rest easy Z smoothie until I see you again🖤 #bestbuddy — Elijah Collins (@24foshow) November 10, 2019

Fast Facts You Need to Know

Read the full article

[ddcjas]

[ read ] your muse reading something to mine. hassan x ana / [ calm ] your muse telling mine to ‘ just breathe ‘. ezra x aphrodite / [ swat ] your muse swatting mine’s hand away from something they’re not supposed to touch. zakari x emerald

non-sexual acts of dominance.

hassan & ana—

“why are you readin’ me to sleep? i’m a grown ass man.” remaining true to his word, hassan did everything he said he would do by putting things on pause. and rather than a show every night and a hotel room to follow, he’s at square one by living back at her place again. and it’s homely. sure, he misses being in his own bed— she offers her own at least a million times before he ran out of ways to tell her no politefully. and even if the couch makes him feel bad, he’ll live with it. this time, she’d spent a record high of two and a half hours putting both children down to sleep for the night before deciding to turn in herself, but not before her persuasiveness causes him to spend one night in her bed for once. reading dr. seuss, of all things. “just ‘cause you read this shit to khy every time he come in here don’t mean i need it every time you see me tossin’ and turnin’. i’m good on that.”

aphrodite & ezra—

he’d caught her in the act of doing it again, but this time, it wasn’t by her own force. nearly two years later, she’s still seeing his face as clear as day, still able to feel the pull of her scalp as he tugged her hair and the way venom seemed to drip off of each command he gave her that night. you will stay. aphrodite never needed to tell ezra about omar— in a way, he knew. he read between the lines of her music, tried to make sense of each of the visions she’d talked about and understood the dead-end answers to each of the questions he gave about unfamiliar scar lines etched around her arms and her neck. and he knew about the infrequent eating habits, just another thing her mother had given her even if she hadn’t seen the woman in almost three years. but the nightmare? she’d been able to smell his rotten flesh, lifeless eyes sunken into omar’s skull and the blood that still pooled around dead wrists. he spoke her name and aphrodite bolted loudly out of her sleep, screaming into her toilet bowl, hyperventilating even in ezra’s arms before concentrating on his lips long enough to return what she always gave him. dead-end silence.

emerald & zakari—

“excuse me?” if she were to be honest with herself, emerald wasn’t sure what to expect. she’d been with controlling men before. guys were who overly dominant, sticks in the mud that acted as if they had something to prove. guys who overstepped their boundaries, even before the first real date. and although she should be used to it— materializing when she doesn’t ask for it, chastising her for her use of religion, mocking her purity, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t get irritated. it especially didn’t mean she never got fed up with it. but he seemed to take her seriously at the threat of damning him back to where he came from, even if the pendant in her hands didn’t bring any fear to him. a spellbook, though? “before you go off into this whole ‘marriage’ bullshit, let me remind you that if you make me uncomfortable in any way, i will ship your ass back to hell. and god help me, i will keep you there for eternity, asmodeus. give me my space or i’ll give you plenty of space—take your pick.”