#i hope the campaign will take us to their main city eventually i would LOVE that

[wvrlock]

// speaking of tatu one day I'll transcribe some of the lore on alijae elves that my dm sent me because it's soooo good. "the other elves are stuck-ups who aren't willing to do what needs to be done, but WE are ready to throw our traditions off the window, reveal our ancient secrets and pact with demons if that's what it takes to preserve our homeland. also we built our entire new culture around writing down information and sharing stories in case we went extinct for choosing to fight instead of being cowards 😘"

[crestfallenmermaidan]

This is Fayree Thistlespring. My DnD character who’s campaign just ended. She is a Halfling Rouge with a thief subclass. So yeah, basic bitch. She became very different from her original concept. Both in personality and from her physical appearance.  She is the daughter of a prostitute who basically raised herself on the streets of the most lawless crime cities in the kingdom, Ship haven. Eventually she also came to care for her younger half siblings Idogin and Jaybrix, Ginny and Brix for short. She gained her talents though hard work and practice with the motivator to keep them alive. One day her sister and mother fell sick, her mother dying and while Ginny survived she was left with severe lung condition that needed expensive medication inhalants.  She became bolder, taking more risky jobs. She had too. Survival is all that mattered.   She turned to honing her thieving skills, even taking on jobs from the mob families and thieves guild when she could, as they paid the best. And when Idogin got sick 3 years later, she became more desperate and took more and more dangerous jobs. During one of these jobs she got into a scuffle with another halfling, an older man by the name of Vari Deephollow. It happened in a dark alley at night as she was making her way out to meet at a drop off point. She had run smack dab into the man while he was teaching one of his men a lesson. Turns out he was the leader of one of mob families in town. One who did not like being interrupted, much less by a child who spoke out about his cruelty at the sight of his men. A scuffle broke out, she had just been meaning to get away and slip back home, but it became deadly fast. She reacted when she saw the knife and grappled him, just wanting to get the knife away. Run with it and hope he couldn't see her face under her hood well enough to recognize her on the streets. But in the struggle and with desperation high the knife ended up in the side of his neck as his friends arrived. What happened next was all a blur. Because of traditions within the family, and with witnesses, Fayree at age 16 became the new boss of the Silver Eyes Organization. Originally she was a small, young blonde halfling. I imagined her as one of those short haired blonde female fatale types, appearance wise, like in those crime noir movies. She was skittish, paranoids, but very innocent. 

AS YOU CAN TELL....Fayree didn’t like fitting in that box and she became so much more. You can’t see in the pictures but she got a magic brand on her neck of a fire serpent by answering correctly to a dungeons riddle. It now comes to life and sets things ablaze once a day on command. (she also got Sally, her sentient cross bow in the same dungeon, more on her later). The purple hair came from a temporary spell while in a magic school....she ended up liking it and finding someone to cast the spell permanently.  Personality....well she kept the paranoid part, but dialed it up to 11. I’m talking ‘the birds work for the bourgeoisie’ levels. She was was a severe alcoholic cause you know...trauma. She was loud, proud, a crazy. She has trust issues (all but one other party member didn’t ‘betray her’ in some way...most of the time the others were possessed when commiting the act but still. became a running joke. ) She could hold a grudge for YEARS. Especially if you cared for you and you hurt her.  She became a meme, a legend, and beloved by everyone. Her character arc of bringing all the other crime families to heel and under her banner (crushing those who refused.)  was fun for all and really entertaining. 

Sally her crossbow was...complicated and connected to the main plot. Basically dungeons are alive and have dungeon cores. Her dad was one and she was a baby one who wanted to see the world. She is also a murder hobo. Believe it or not she loved Fayree by the end and Fayree was a good influence (like how!?), curbing her murderous tendencies! She eventually became a full dungeon that was used to train her gang members, but would always turn into a fayree’s gun (yeah crossbow turned into a gun at the end)) when the girl went out into the world for buisness. There is a lot more to her and her relationships but this is already super long! it was a two year campaign and I have so many good and found memories of this character and my friends and I playing this campaign. I might right more if asked!! PS: the last pic is the emoji my Friend Luka made for our discord!

oh...and the end game was blowing up one of the moons....

[hamingo]

could you tell me about your vtm campaign :3

Yes absolutely I can!!! :3

Under a cut cause this is gonna get long, I have so many feelings lol

So I guess basics first?

The campaign is a Giovanni-focused one, because the Giovanni are my favourite clan of all time and I wanted my first game to be something that I'm passionate and know a lot about! I named it "Family Matters" because I think I'm really funny, naming a game about the vampire mafia "Family Matters".

I have five players, which seems like a lot for a first time story-teller, but only three of them consistently... do things. The other two are mostly just here to hang out with us, so their characters typically are comic relief who join in during very important scenes. It works for us, though. (We've got the two serious characters, Cordell Wilford and Akari Matsumoto, one who's serious sometimes but is a total dope, Wolfgang Cullen (because he had to make a vampire with the surname Cullen) and then our comic relief team, Paul Allen (yes that one) and Soup).

These five vampires are the hired help of Miss Mercer, who without getting too much into it is several steps down from the actual E Division, and deals with shit that they don't think is important enough to deal with themselves. Mercer has a wide range of contacts that she'll call up for different jobs, throw into random groups together, and send them off to deal with super natural discrepancies that the actual Camarilla higher ups don't want to bother themselves with.

So anyways, Mercer calls in these five to deal with a sudden uptick in ghost activity in Venice, which normally she would never pay attention to because that's Giovanni territory, but the Giovanni don't seem to be doing anything and humans are dying and starting to become suspicious and the Camarilla can't have that. She only wants them to essentially poke their heads in, see what's up, hunt some ghosts if they can, and then come back and report to her without engaging the Giovanni and alerting them to Camarilla presence in the city.

Obviously this does not happen because this is a ttrpg, and on session fucking 2 they're tracking down Giovanni. Because of course they are.

However. This lets me introduce my next major NPC's!! The gang essentially shakes down Anthonio, everyone's favourite ghoul, to get the locations of his bosses (is there a word for a vampire who has a ghoul?? There must be..) the twins! Eleanora and Rosario Giovanni are so evil and fucked up <3 I love them <3 <3

From there, the party has met Magdalene De Rossi, the twins' sire, Enzio Giovanni, Magdalene's sire, and they're still trying to work their way up the Giovanni chain of power, eventually hoping to meet Augustus himself, I think. Which won't happen, because this campaign takes place in 2016, and if anyone knows their Giovanni lore, well... (The reason there's so many ghosties wreaking havoc on the city is because they were Augustus' little servants and now that he's, uhhh, "missing", they're off on their own and fucking pissed.)

Aside from all of that, each member of the party has their own ambitions regarding Venice, the main two being Cordell wanting to become an ally of The Family and live in Venice, and Akari (who's hooked up with and grown attached to Anthonio) wanting to get her favourite little boy toy away from the twins and out of Italy because she doesn't like how he's treated here.

We've got a few overlapping story lines, with Akari and co. working with Rosario to find a new body for his ghost fiancee in return for him weaning Anthonio off of his blood and onto Akari's, and also the gang betrayed Miss Mercer so she's being delivered to Venice next session, and they're still hunting ghosts on top of it all.

I have a whole thing planned out where the ghosts have started targeting the Giovanni family themselves, but my players haven't picked up on it yet... idk how much more obvious I'm gonna have to be but that's the next major plot point so we'll see how it goes lol.

Anyways this got rambly but yeah! A basic rundown of my VtM campaign!

It's a lot but also it's so fun. I'm always looking forward to Saturdays, me and my friends always have a good time together :)

[ottomanladies]

Thanks! Basically I didnt check in these recent months your inbox is opened or not! Still very grateful to you! :) Anyway, I want to ask you details about Nurbanu Sultans reign during her son Murats period. How she acted and have impact on her sons decision! Please do write in detail! I herad that Pinaar"s book "atik valide sultan mosque" is a great source of her, if you can please do qoute from here! Have a good day! :)

I am sorry for the late reply but I am sick and writing basically a historiography essay is quite hard at the moment. Just so you know, I'm not even studying for my university exams, so that's where I am.

Now back to your question. I don't know how in detail I will be able to go because the dissertation you mentioned is not about her tenure as valide sultan but about her mosque complex.

That said, Nurbanu started out her tenure as valide sultan unofficially on the night of Selim II's death, when she decided to hide his body while sending out a messenger to call Murad back to Istanbul. This was done primarily because in Topkapi Palace lived Selim II's younger sons; while Murad had been proclaimed heir, he was the only prince far from Istanbul at the moment of Selim's death. This is the reason why Nurbanu was extra careful about it.

Upon the judgment of the mother of Sultan Murad—may God protect his felicity—no one was made privy to this secret [except Sokollu] and the blessed body was preserved in the ice room. On the advice of the Grand Vizier, full of prudence and sound judgment, a letter indicating the termination as well as the commencement of sovereignty was sent to Manisa through Hasan Çavuş. Meanwhile Admiral Kilıç Ali Pasha outfitted a frigate and a reserve and set out to sea [to pick up Murad from Mudanya]. — Selaniki

Murad arrived in Istanbul after 5 days, at night, and at dawn, everything was ready for his coronation. According to Finkel, Nurbanu had retired to the Old Palace when he docked at Istanbul, and that's where she met him.

Two days afterwards, Nurbanu was ceremoniously brought to Topkapi Palace as Valide Sultan.

Tradition also places in Murad's reign the inception of what became in later years the processional transfer, shortly after a sultan's accession, of the valide sultan and other members of the new sultan's harem from the Old Palace to the harem quarters in the New Palace. Known as "the procession of the valide sultan" (valide alayı), this event developed in later centuries into an elaborate ceremonial. Virtually all echelons of the governing elite were represented in the procession: the palace hierarchy as well as the outer administration, the military establishment as well as the religious institution. As the procession made its way across the city of Istanbul, the valide sultan received the obeisance of the agha of the Janissaries and in turn distributed bonuses to his troops (much as the sultan, upon his accession, customarily granted an accession bonus to these troops). The valide sultan was received in the palace by her son, who awaited her on foot and greeted her with obeisance (an honor accorded by the sultan to no other person). She marked her installation in her new office and residence by dispatching to the grand vezir on the day after the procession an imperial order giving him formal notice of her arrival, which she accompanied with the gift of a ceremonial robe of honor and a dagger. The symbolism of this ceremonial suggests that its purpose was to give public sanction to the valide sultan's role not only as the head of her son's private household but also as a partner in sultanic sovereignty. While this ceremonial as it was constructed for Nurbanu (if indeed it did occur as such during Murad Ill's reign) may not have been of the scale it later acquired, the fact that tradition accepted the valide sultan's procession as having originated with her testifies to the authority she exercised. — Leslie P. Peirce, The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

Foreign relations

An undated letter from Catherine de' Medici was sent to Nurbanu (presumably early in Murad's reign); in it, the regent of France hoped to have the Capitulations confirmed (every time a new sultan acceded to the throne, foreign treaties had to be re-confirmed).

It is not known whether Nurbanu actually responded to this letter, but from the continual laments of Catherine’s ambassador Jacques de Germigny to the effect that he mustered scanty attention from the Queen Mother, it appears that the relations between the two realms never rose to the level it had attained in the first half of the century. — Pinar Kayaalp-Aktan, The Atik Valide Mosque Complex: A testament of Nurbanu's prestige, power and piety

A warmer relationship was Nurbanu's with Venice and its ambassadors. She was on amicable terms with Jacopo Soranzo but most especially Paolo Contarini. It was him who convinced the Venetian Senate to send Nurbanu gifts.

In that letter, Contarini reminds the Senators how lucky they should consider themselves that this powerful Sultana cherished the most cordial memories for the land in which she was born, to which sentiment the Most Serene Republic ought to respond with commensurate generosity. Contarini’s position did not change in the aftermath of the delivery of the presents and his eventual return to Venice. [...] In Contarini’s opinion, the Valide Sultan should be regarded as the most appropriate recipient of such gifts, since she “is interested not in the quality of the donatives, but in the attestation of your esteem, which she yearns to be shown to her from all [foreign] princes, but especially from Your Serenity, since she was born in this city.” — Pinar Kayaalp-Aktan, The Atik Valide Mosque Complex: A testament of Nurbanu's prestige, power and piety

Nurbanu's relationship with Venice remained warm throughout her life, even after Murad's had cooled down.

Shortly before her death, the valide sultan may have performed her greatest service to her homeland by preventing a possible Ottoman invasion of Crete, a Venetian possession. Upon learning that the admiral Kilıç Ali Pasha planned to propose such an invasion as one of a number of possible plans for the following year, Nurbanu sent word to him that under no circumstances should war be waged against Venice, since that would bring more harm than good to the sultan's realm. In addition, she warned that in no way was the admiral to raise the possibility with Murad. On his way to his audience with the sultan, the admiral dropped the paper carrying the proposal, and when one of his attendants picked it up and returned it to him, he tore it up, saying that it was no longer of any use since the valide sultan opposed its contents." — Leslie P. Peirce, The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

Political involvement

Not everyone liked that Nurbanu counselled Murad on basically everything: both the army and the ulema said to Venetian ambassadors that the sultan trusted the government of the empire "to those who are not meritorious, just because he heeds the counsel of women". The ulema, on the other hand, said that the sultan "was of little intelligence, unpredictable, and one who could not do anything without the counsel of women". This what the French Ambassador said of Nurbanu:

[the valide sultan] who is currently called Queen, for her great prudence, authority, and esteem at this Porte in managing the affairs of importance ... allows the pashas to mete out all the favors and principal offices of this state, taking away and sharing with her Highness the [concomitant] payments, with which the said pashas enrich themselves without remitting even one asper to the treasury. The aforementioned Seigneur, [Murad], does not see any wickedness in all this, out of his love and respect that he has for his mother, as well as his avarice and desire to accumulate money. — French ambassador Jacques de Germigny

It must be said, though, that he was particularly bitter because at the Ottoman court he was largely ignored.

Nevertheless, Murad III continued to trust her mother's advice:

Of the post-Suleymanic sultans, Murad III was one of the most devoted to his mother and dependent upon her counsel. According to Paolo Contarini, who submitted his report to the Venetian government shortly before Nurbanu's death in December 1583, Murad's mother was the person on whom he most relied for guidance: "[He bases] his policies principally on the advice of his mother, it appearing to him that he could have no other advice as loving and loyal as hers, hence the reverence which he shows toward her and the esteem that he hears for her unusual qualities and many virtues. — Leslie P. Peirce. The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

Nurbanu also secured appointments for members of her faction: two were particularly frowned upon because they had been two cooks. Ferhad and Çiğalazade Yusuf were first elevated to the rank of Paşa and then appointed "serdar of the eastern campaign and beylerbeyi of Revan".

Safiye Sultan

According to Paolo Contarini, the main reason why Nurbanu decided to neutralise Safiye was purely political: Safiye had begun to gather a faction around her (most notably Ayşe Hümaşah, Mihrimah's daughter, and her husband, the second vizier). The dismissal of Grand Vizier Sinan Paşa in 1582 was done for the same reason:

I personally believe that the Sultana’s reason to ruin Sinan Pasha was not so that she could promote this favorite Agha in his place: it was because she wanted to take vengeance for the words uttered by Sinan that empires cannot be governed through women’s counsel, [and moreover that authority did not rest with her, even though she might try to make it seem so, but rather with the sultana consort.] Thus, to conclude this argument without further divergence, I say that all the good and all the bad depends on the Valide Sultan.

I combined Peirce's and Kayaalp-Aktan's translations because Peirce's lacked the first part of the sentence and Kayaalp-Aktan's had mistakes in the middle.

Probably around this time as well, Nurbanu and her daughter Ismihan successfully divided Murad and Safiye's monogamous relationship:

A vexing incident of some importance has occurred these days concerning the Most Serene Signor [Murad] and his wife ... [I]t is common knowledge that... this Most Serene Signor ... has never wished to get intimate with any other woman though he has been constantly solicited by his mother and sisters to have children from another wife. Not succeeding to achieve this objective, they resorted to presenting beautiful female slaves to excite [Murad]. However, they have not succeeded to persuade him to change his will, since he is very much in love with his wife ... [Ismihan], seeing that [Safiye] got ugly and could no longer have children—not to mention that she is in great favor of the Gran-Signor and that she challenges the authority of the Mother Sultan, which is [considered] a very insolent thing among this people— invited [her brother] on the day the Mother Sultan would return from the baths to sojourn in a palace of [Ismihan’s] a little outside the walls of Constantinople. The Most Serene Signor, having received the invitation, immediately showed up to see his mother and to spend that night with her and his sister, leaving his wife with his son in a palace called Cinque Case [Beşevler] belonging to Her Majesty [Nurbanu]. The occasion of having her son unaccompanied by his wife helped the Mother Sultan to renew the proposal she made on many cases previously that he should produce male children with other women, since [Safiye] could have no chance of having any. And seeing that [Murad] was firm in the same decision, [Ismihan and Nurbanu] began saying that this resolution was the result of a spell cast by his wife, reminding him that many women dealing in witchcraft frequented [the Harem]. The Gran-Signor laughed it off...

In any case, when Murad returned to Topkapi the following morning, he prohibited Safiye to have visitors from outside. Nurbanu then produced a letter for Safiye in which it was mentioned an aphrodisiac; at this point, Murad started believing the accusations of witchcraft and ordered Safiye, her daughters and her servants to move to the Old Palace.

Thus Safiye was dealt with, and Nurbanu was now the only high ranking woman in the harem.

Mehmed's circumcision fest

In this same period, Şehzade Mehmed - the future Mehmed III - was circumcised.

Nurbanu is reported to have arrived in a procession of fifty-three vehicles to watch the celebration through the red lattices of the raised pavilion facing the first courtyard allocated for the female members of the imperial harem. In the following year, Nurbanu witnessed the ceremony inaugurating the commencement of her grandson’s political career and the completion of her grand philanthropic work, the Atik Valide Mosque Complex. The year 1583 simultaneously marked the high point of Nurbanu’s hegemony over the Harem, having banished Safiye and her faction to the Palace of Tears. Unfortunately, however, the Valide Sultan’s health took a bad turn. — Pinar Kayaalp-Aktan, The Atik Valide Mosque Complex: A testament of Nurbanu's prestige, power and piety

Nurbanu's death

On 6 December 1583, the Sultan, clad in black, hurried to Bahçesaray the moment he received the word that his mother was in her deathbed. There Nurbanu made her last testament, leaving two thirds of her wealth to Murad and the rest to her pious foundation, not counting some miscellaneous bequeathals. She died the following morning, with Murad at her bedside. He was inconsolable at the loss of his mother, as demonstrated by his throwing off his turban on the floor and sobbing that he was now an orphan, without help and counsel to carry the heavy burden of the empire. The news of Nurbanu’s death spread rapidly throughout Istanbul. The public reaction was that which would be accorded to the death of a padishah to the extent that Murad ordered the Head of the Janissaries and high-ranking officers to take measures against their troops’ looting the capital as they customarily would upon a sultan’s passing. A citywide curfew was simultaneously declared requiring the immediate closing of all stores and the Bedesten. The funeral procession was also of the magnitude accorded to a sultan. Murad, in his black mourning robe, led his mother’s coffin on foot up to the front gate of the palace, where he mounted his horse and trot behind the procession, with his viziers, commanders, and the ulema behind him. The black eunuchs carried the Queen Mother’s coffin on their shoulders from Nurbanu’s palace in Yenikapi to her final resting place. — Pinar Kayaalp-Aktan, The Atik Valide Mosque Complex: A testament of Nurbanu's prestige, power and piety

Nurbanu was buried next to Selim II in his mausoleum, the first consort to have been accorded this honour.

Please do not ask me again such questions, it took me at least 4 days and at the end I was pretty tired, as you can tell. I understand that not everyone has the chance to read these papers but I cannot make a summary of a 300-page dissertation and go in detail. It's like doing homework

[jcmorrigan]

I saw the tag- I am gonna ask you about the crossover universe- (omg I’m literally gushing about this)

OH, IT IS TIME!

 So you can find a lot of this on the “What is the WHAM ARMY?” page on my blog – I’ll try to remember to link it; I’m drafting this in a word processor first so I don’t use it. Essentially, this is the universe I’ve created for my fanfic “Taking Back the Crown,” which is about…basically my favorite villains all moving into the same house and trying to take over the multiverse. And then it got lore. And more lore. Because I cannot write anything normal. The fic is nearing its 150th chapter and I’m nowhere NEAR exhausted of all the ideas I want to put in it – it’s just my big playground for hyperfixation fun. Anyway, here’s a rundown of the major points of it!

 THE CAST

 The main characters are the eight villains who are the founders of the WHAM ARMY. The faction name is an acronym of their first initials. They’re my ultrafaves, the villains I always get fluttery heart for, and probably the biggest collection of losers you can imagine. I’ll put them in order of the acronym and give you some background on how each entered the team.

Wuya (Xiaolin Showdown) – So the connecting factor between these people is that Mozenrath (his name is a few slots down) is their team leader and the one who decided to build a team in the first place. Wuya was recruited when Mozenrath found her puzzle box in an ancient vault. This is set post-series for XS (and Chronicles is not at all canon), so what had happened is in the big Showdown right after Raimundo was named team leader officially in the finale, the Xiaolin Monks won ALL the Shen Gong Wu to their side and stuffed Wuya in the box. So Mozenrath found her and let her out so they could be pals. A magic potion let her regain human form fairly early on, and her power isn’t even nerfed either the way Chase Young would’ve done.

Huntsman (American Dragon: Jake Long) – ADJL is also post-series in this timeline. Mozenrath has the power to resurrect people from the dead at will because he’s memorized an ancient and incredibly complex ritual that he can execute mentally (note that this means you can remove this ability from him by tampering with his memories). The Huntsman was resurrected so as to show Mozenrath around the old Huntsclan vault (which is where they found Wuya’s puzzle box). No other Huntsclan member survived the purge except Rose (and 88 and 89, but they don’t count and aren’t in this story), so the Huntsman is starting from square one.

Ayam Aghoul (Aladdin: The Animated Series): Basically just got sick of losing. He’d teamed up with a few other rando Aladdin rogues to try and pick a fight with Maleficent, and she sent him packing. So he ended up finding one of the few residents of the Seven Deserts who was powerful enough to match him AND had a similar grudge against Maleficent.

Mozenrath (Aladdin: The Animated Series): The man of the hour and the creator of the entire team. He starts the fic by crashing Maleficent’s KH Disney Villain alliance and trying to add himself to it, but…ends up being such a disrespectful nuisance that Hades just drags him straight down to the Underworld. That moment inspired him to get his OWN band of friends and start making a name for himself.

Archibald Snatcher (The Boxtrolls): Met Mozenrath in the Underworld after his death in film canon. Annoyed Hades one too many times by claiming that he wasn’t actually supposed to die, seeing as he isn’t allergic to dairy (he is), so Hades threw him in the same cell as Mozenrath and…

Roman Torchwick (RWBY): I started writing this fic in 2016, immediately post-V3, so it’s canon-divergent after the last episode of V3 (but I got all the later-game characters to show up eventually). Which means Roman is ALSO dead at the start of this fic. He ALSO comes storming up to Hades insisting he’s not even supposed to be dead. At the same time as Snatcher is already pestering him. Which is how Mozenrath, Snatcher, and Roman end up in the same jail cell in Tartarus and get the idea that maybe they should break back into the world of the living and try to build something BETTER than what any of the three had beforehand.

Mad Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone): Mozenrath, immediately after breaking out of the Underworld, attempted to take over Arthur’s kingdom by just walking in and throwing magic around. It backfired horribly when Merlin showed up. But then Mim showed up to counter Merlin and realized that maybe she had a potential friend here who was as blackhearted as she.

Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove): Post-TENG, no KNG or TENS (but I reference things from TENS every now and again). Merlin turned Mozenrath into a rat, so Mim brought him to Yzma’s Secret Lab to change him back. There, they found Yzma as a cat, and she so desperately wanted out of her living situation that she added herself to the team. She was also restored to human form shortly thereafter.

 There is a potential ninth member of the core in the form of Vexen (Kingdom Hearts). KH is canon-divergent after DDD and basically ignores almost every game that comes out after Fragmentary Passage. Vexen, as Even, was trying to integrate into life as a hero in Radiant Garden, except everyone annoyed him way too much, so he decided to go be with people that would give right back any insults he dished out. And then realized he was much happier being on the evil team and doing mad science with no ethics. However, he will not be promoted to the upper ranks because 1. it would spoil the acronym and 2. he is unanimously agreed-upon to be the biggest wet blanket of the group and nobody wants him at the founder parties.

(Imagine my disbelief when the actual canon arc for Vexen was THE REVERSE ONE IN WHICH HE JUST DECIDES TO GO LIVE AT RADIANT GARDEN AND NOT BE ANNOYED BY ANYTHING and that’s why JC doesn’t like Kingdom Hearts III)

 Anyway, this crew is a bunch of silly friends who enjoy partying, singing, dancing, drag, indulging in vices, causing mayhem, taking over cities, arranging for mass murder, piecing together smear campaigns…but they’re all pretty much ride or die for each other. And that goes double for the ships of the set: Mozenrath/Huntsman, Mim/Aghoul, Wuya/Yzma, and my favorite ship to end all favorites, Roman/Snatcher (RedHatBlackHat is the ship name).

From there, you have a B-Squad of, like, seventy other people based on my faves. Nonnie, I know you saw this because of Vincent Edgeworth, Victor Blake, and Albert Krueger, and they are three of COUNTLESS examples. It’s a found crime family that keeps getting bigger as I get more fave villains and there’s hardly a rhyme or a reason. Currently, they live in a floating fortress designed when they stole Terra Cyclonia (Storm Hawks) and hefted it out into the aether between worlds with crystal technology.

 They have a rival hero faction in the form of the Cinnamons: a gathering of people who they’ve wronged who turned out to make pretty good friends themselves. While the WHAM ARMY are the villain-protag team that you feel slightly bad loving the escapades of, the Cinnamons are the rainbows, fluff, sunshine, (secret crippling depression and anxiety), and pep-talkers of the multiverse. They’re the deuteragonist team as opposed to the “villains” of the story. They also have eight “leaders,” but they were picked up a little less quickly than the WHAM ARMY founders, instead coming together over the span of a much longer quest. These people are:

Sora (Kingdom Hearts): Heart of the team and the person who pulled them all together, because Sora loves everyone. He, Riku, and Kairi witnessed the WHAM ARMY wreaking destruction on both Radiant Garden and Disney Castle, and Sora decided no one gets to treat his homes-away-from-home like that and get away with it! Between Mozenrath and the still-looming threats of Maleficent and Xehanort, he’s now collecting pals from all worlds to fight against evil and do as much good as they can do! (While having sleepovers.)

Ruby Rose (RWBY): Before she, Nora, Ren, and Jaune could get into Mistral, Sora interrupted them on their path and directed them right back around to Vale with the news that Roman Torchwick was back in action. After an incident involving the Destiny Trio and Team RNJR having to team up and actually kill the massive Grimm unleashed in the V3 endgame, they all headed out to Radiant Garden together to continue their mission.

Papyrus (Undertale): Sora found him while exploring worlds and they clicked immediately as pals. Then the WHAM ARMY, who was living in Mt. Ebott at the time, sparked an anti-monster racist sentiment through the town, and Papyrus was advised to leave the world for his own safety, so he went traveling with Sora.

Stork (Storm Hawks): Maleficent, who is also an active player in this game, made a power play by destroying the Condor with the entire Storm Hawks team onboard while they were on the Far Side of Atmos (post-series). Stork, believing himself to be the only survivor, attempted to take his own life – only for Sora to show up just in time and offer him something better: hope that his friends survived, and new friends to tag along with until they could prove either way.

Jasmine (Aladdin): The Cinnamons came looking to Agrabah for more information on Mozenrath. When Jasmine heard he was causing chaos, she decided to get personally involved.

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Post-ATLA, no LoK. Sora made a trip to the Fire Nation to see if he could head off the WHAM ARMY’s latest scheme, and ran into the Gaang along the way. After helping Katara, Aang, and Zuko protect the Fire Nation from a very near miss, Sora invited them to come travel with him. Only Katara accepted at first, the other two wanting to clean things up on their homeworld.

Kazuichi Soda (DanganRonpa): Post-SDR2, no DR3. Xehanort requested Izuru Kamukura be used as a vessel, and Kazuichi went in Izuru/Hajime’s place so his buddy didn’t have to. But the first chance he got, Kazuichi turned and ran from the Castle That Never Was…where Sora had just crash-landed. Kazuichi patched up Sora’s ship, and immediately became part of his crew. (Worth noting: in this AU, the Remnants of Despair were never brainwashed and were completely aware of what they were doing. Kazuichi is basically a redemption story, trying to be a better person to make up for the hell he caused. Also, while on the Despair side, he’d hacked off his leg to sew Junko’s in its place, disabling himself – that leg goes through an arc regarding what prosthesis is in its place.)

Rapunzel (Tangled): After the Vardaros arc of S2 of Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. Rapunzel was targeted by the WHAM ARMY because she was essentially a living MacGuffin for one of their spells. Sora showed up, and Rapunzel decided to go along with him for safety AND fun, leaving Cassandra to continue the pilgrimage to the Dark Kingdom. (Wrote this before KHIII was out. And before the Evil Cass twist.)

 And just like the WHAM ARMY, these folks have a huge B-squad that lives in the Radiant Garden castle and helps them deal with the various tragedies they have to clean up after. Riku, Kairi, and Jaune Arc in particular get a decent amount of stage time.

 As you can see, Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty/Kingdom Hearts) and her forces are another big set of chess pieces on the board! After she sent Mozenrath to gay baby jail and it didn’t stick, she’s been trying to continue plans for domination as usual but ALSO wipe the WHAM ARMY off the face of the multiverse. She, Jafar (Aladdin), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), and Hades (Hercules) all came straight here from KH. But I’m working to model that team’s inner circle on the team in “Quite a Glittering Assemblage,” the sister fic by gavillain (it’s basically this premise but Maleficent gets a team to start instead, but similarities end there, his is a whole different, fresh, and fun flavor). I’ve just gotten all these characters intro’d instory, but the other biggies are Loki (Marvel – I based him in the Cinematic Universe but he’s kind of just an amalgamation of Lokis), Dr. Doom (Marvel), Captain Hook (Once Upon a Time), Russell Edgington (True Blood), and Fish Mooney (Gotham). Currently, they operate out of the Forbidden Mountain in the Enchanted Dominion.

 There’s also a very new addition as of the 140’s chapters: the Heathens. This is a squad of villains with moral lines in the sand (and some antiheroes or corrupted heroes). Basically, these aren’t your killers for fun. These are the people who steal candy from the gas station and think they’re slick, but the point is they’re enjoying themselves so just let it happen. The four founders of this one are Harley Quinn (DC – based on The Batman but an amalgamation of Harleys that leans sympathetic), Yang Xiao Long (RWBY), Giovanni Potage (Epithet Erased), and Velvet Crowe (Tales of Berseria). Currently, they operate out of the old mansion in Twilight Town.

 The Xehanorts are here, and that team is largely who you think it is – though I stripped away Vexen, Demyx, Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord in order to replace them ALL with Xaldin. More crossover shenanigans to come on this front. This team isn’t very active – they’re waiting for the Keyblade War – but they’re operating out of the World That Never Was.

 There’s also another side villain faction: the Morbians, led by Mirage (Aladdin: The Animated Series). These are the demons of fear, the stuff that lurks in your nightmares, and…the villains I really like but who I don’t quite think fit in with the WHAM ARMY or any other more prominent group. But to give you an idea of what the flavor of this team is, she’s recruited not one but TWO Boogeymen – Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians) and Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas).

 There will be more villain factions to come, and I kind of want to splinter the Cinnamons to multiple bases as well. Obviously it’s easier to split villains up because they’re fun to write at war with each other – when I have hero teams come up against each other, usually they end up becoming best buddies instead of fighting, and that’s how I like it, but that’s why there’s just ONE BIG HERO TEAM as opposed to the many villain squads rattling around.

 THE SETTING

 So as you have probably gleaned, the multiverse setup is largely based on Kingdom Hearts, which is one of my favorite things (in the KH1 through Fragmentary Passage era anyway). There are many worlds that can be visited either by Gummi Ship or Corridor of Darkness. Basically any evil-aligned sorcerer can use Corridors in this ‘verse – they’ve opened their souls to Darkness and have magic, so they can do so.

 The implication is that every world represents a separate “story” or part of one. As in if it’s a work of fiction HERE, it’s a world THERE. Some characters are actually savvy enough to know they’re fictional (e.g. Megavolt from Darkwing Duck, Xayide from The Neverending Story). Most of them aren’t built to handle the news, though, and just shrug it off if told. (No, really, the cosmic order prevents them from taking that news seriously if they’re not from something that regularly leans on the fourth wall anyway.)

 But sometimes, things get AU’d in without their full worlds. I was inspired by how Final Fantasy is treated in canon KH, and once I started bringing in more FF stuff by the same method, I felt motivated to do that with MORE fandoms if I felt the characters could be divorced from their settings and histories easily. I’ve done it for most Disney Channel non-animated properties as well as Satellite City (ain’t that the worst combo you’ve ever looked at). I’m planning to do it for Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn because I’m coming up on a location I want to delve into the civilization of but don’t have many canon characters for, so guess what, you get the FE cast now.

 Major worlds or relevant locations in play are the Cyclonian warship, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and occasionally the Enchanted Dominion, but we move from plotline to plotline with journeys to many, many, MANY worlds of things I want to play with the settings and casts of. Also, the Cyclonian warship is about to get replaced with another WHAM ARMY base; we’ll get there.

 THE STORY

 For the first major “book” of TBTC, the WHAM ARMY has found a spell that they think will let them conquer the entire multiverse by giving them control over Kingdom Hearts itself. All they have do to is collect a bunch of MacGuffins that correspond to twelve elements: fire, water, earth, air, light, darkness, life, death, time, space, entropy, and aether. In order to do this, they visit the worlds of KH, RWBY, Avatar, Storm Hawks, Okami, Undertale, Wakfu, The Legend of Zelda, The Neverending Story, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and many many more. The Cinnamons catch wind of what they’re doing and start assembling. Meanwhile Maleficent is on the hunt for the Book of Prophecies and starts hiring villains on her team as well. After many madcap adventures and some devastating tragedies near endgame, the Cinnamons accidentally put the Book of Prophecies in Maleficent’s hands at the same time that Maleficent finally captures Mozenrath and gets him under heel. The WHAM ARMY and Cinnamons both launch attacks on Maleficent’s forces, and each walks away with what they came for. This is also the part where we slowburn up to the four major WHAM ARMY ships and many Cinnamon ships. In the end, the WHAM ARMY actually gets all the ingredients for their spell, but what they don’t know is it will actually cause the DESTRUCTION of the worlds. So an outside force intervenes (Discord from MLPFIM, who later joins the WHAM ARMY because he wants friends who actually appreciate him as a villain and won’t make him change) to stop them, and the next thing they know, they’re starting from square one.

 We’re now in the second “book” of this story. The Cinnamons are gathering up all lost friends – the rest of Team RWBY, the Gaang, the Storm Hawks (who did in fact survive the explosion), the lost KH characters. The WHAM ARMY, on the other hand, is gathering up more villains to bolster their forces for a new evil plan: to conquer the worlds one by one, starting with Atlantis (Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire) and using portals to link to other territories of interest. While the WHAM ARMY is essentially working through a to-do list of what they need before they can launch such a massive invasion, the Cinnamons are finding strength in numbers because the writing’s on the wall that between Mozenrath, Maleficent, Mirage, and Xehanort, things are going to get worse before they get better, and as evil builds, good will need to rise to protect the innocent. As for Maleficent, she’s no longer able to chase the Book of Prophecies, and so, because she’s got Hades, Loki, and Salem (RWBY) there and they’re all like “Even though we’re pretty godlike, we are not that happy with how the gods we knew have run things,” Maleficent’s new goal is to slaughter the gods of all pantheons (minus those in her care) and replace them with her allies.

 Anyway, as I had said in the post you saw, Anon – I basically take everything fictional I love and shove it into this AU for daydreams because it lets me imagine my faves having CROSSOVER INTERACTIONS and doing cool epic stuff on a multi-world scale. (But as much as I’ve talked up the epic aspect, a lot of it is just…like…people fucking around and hosting karaoke nights.) Anyway, I hope this gave you a good sense of the madness, and I hope it serves as a reminder to everyone that they can and should just. Make a daydream and/or fanfic universe that’s indulgent as hell. Just do it.

[julia-drusilla-xii]

Okay so, @haec-est-fides​ and @fizzkiz​ wanted to know more about my OCs. I was going to put them all on one post, but then I got too carried away with writing just one of them 😂

If everyone wants to hear the rest of them, I’ll make more posts. There’s also a drawing at the very end <3

Aeliana Maxima Novius

Sixth-generation legacy of Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy.

She has two first names. Her first name starts with A because her mother’s name started with an A. And her second first name starts with M because her father’s name started with an M. 

 Has a middle name, but never really mentions it because...why let everyone know her full name??

And her middle name is her mother’s maiden name and no one can ever pronounce it correctly so she decided that it was better to never let anyone know at all, after letting a few people know.

And she’s biracial, her mother is a mortal from the Philippines. 

After her father served his time in the legion, he left to live in San Francisco because he wanted to see what it’s like living outside of the place where he grew up. Besides, he knew legacies weren’t likely to be sniffed up by the monsters. He figured that as a legacy and trained legionnaire, he could take care of himself just fine.

Her parents met at a library. Her mom, at the time, wanted to write but had writer’s block. And her dad just liked reading. The legion was nice and all, but being in the city at least meant he didn’t have to worry about his usual duties.

When raising Aeliana, her parents tended to speak to her in a mixture of English and their language. Meaning her father spoke to her in either Latin or English or having a little of both in a sentence. And her mother spoke to her in either Tagalog or English or had a little of both in a sentence. Since they mainly spoke English, Aeliana ended up learning to speak, write, and understand English. 

She understood her parents’ other languages perfectly but never learned to actually speak either.

Mainly because going to school in San Francisco, she learned that everyone only ever spoke English.

And decided it wasn’t worth learning to speak something she’d never use.

Especially when she found out Latin was a dead language.

When she finally did go to Camp Jupiter and had to be taught Latin, it usually ended up with her mind going through the following moods: “Wait I know this.” “No, I don’t know this.” “Shit, what’s the word in Latin??” “I know this word in Tagalog but what is it in Latin-” 

The above does not have to be in that order or all at once, take your pick.

It takes a while for her to be fluent in the language, but she’s determined, because she hated not knowing the Latin side conversations in the legion.

Started going to Camp Jupiter at eleven years old, currently eighteen years.

A member of the First Cohort.

Being raised as a Roman by her father, she already disliked the Greeks, but she was mostly indifferent because for the most part she never met them.

And because she knew what it was like for people to assume things about you, she voted to not really gain an opinion until she met them. 

 Absolutely loathed for a while the moment they set fire to New Rome. (When Leo, unintentionally, launched the Argo II’s weapons in the Mark of Athena.)

She eventually calmed herself down, since the Greeks that came to camp didn’t seem that bad.

Octavian made it difficult for her to see the other point of view.

What made it easier was knowing that Octavian always hated the Greeks so she brushed it off as his bias.

If anything else, she was still wary of the Greeks.

Octavian’s been a thorn in her side for years actually.

Mainly because she was ambitious.

She had her own agenda for power and would’ve gone for Praetorship if it weren’t for how he found blackmail against her.

That never stopped her for at least campaigning for a spot in the Senate, the moment she became a Centurion.

She’s known of the Triumvirate since the war against the Titans, through a complicated series of events. (I’d elaborate, but she’s mostly my ToA OC)

When she was invited to come aboard Caligula’s yachts, was absolutely shocked by the pure amount of boats.

Immediately began to wonder what was in each and every one of them.

Definitely in awe of the display of wealth, even if she was wary of the water.

Admired how much power the Triumvirate had.

And so, when she was granted an opportunity to work for them, she took her first opportunity. (Happened during the war against the Titans.)

Her plan consisted of leeching off the Triumvirate’s resources in the most subtle ways possible. She didn’t exactly approve of everything they did, but she never showed it because she was worried about the consequences.

When Apollo was missing and connections started dying down, that’s when she knew something was going to happen.

By this point, she’s been in two wars. And has been eyeing for chances for power since the beginning.

If there were one thing she’d know, then that would be spying events ripe for a tragedy.

Especially when she heard, via the Triumvirate, that Apollo was now a mortal named Lester.

Apollo was part of the main twelve Olympians. Someone that important would figure out a way to gain back his own immortality with help.

Regardless of her little information, she knew Apollo still had a good chance of becoming immortal once more, the moment he had a demigod on his side.

She had seen Jason Grace, a demigod, defeat a Titan with his own hands.

But she did know that equally meant that demigods, as always, would suffer a blow and tragedy would at least befall on them, even if Apollo did gain back his immortality.

She continued to wait, deciding to let more events fall into place until there was a clear winner, but getting more involved with Caligula’s portion of the Triumvirate.

If Apollo were to succeed, then she decided to take advantage of Caligula’s defeat in hopes of taking over the power vacuum.

If Apollo were to fail, then she hoped that she could be on the emperor’s good side and possibly at least get a high position of power.

Preferably not too close to him, knowing that Caligula naturally was wary of those around him. One wrong step and she would be done for.

Every interaction with Caligula was spent with her being eternally grateful that she had a way with words and was smart enough to know how to navigate around him.

She gained a regular habit of offering sacrifices as thanks to Melpomene because of that actually.

She doubted that Melpomene actually intervened, but that still never stopped her from being thankful to her anyways.

On more unrelated notes, she has a good singing voice, she just doesn’t like to sing that much.

Vibes with most genres of music, so long as she likes the lyrics and the beat. 

When she was younger, she used to be jealous of how she didn’t get any fancy flashy powers like the demigods.

Loves listening to gossip. It’s her source of entertainment. And while you never see her be the person directly spreading rumors, she has started some.

Finds the Lares both entertaining and annoying.

Spends most of her free time wandering around either Camp Jupiter or New Rome.

The first time she had a meal in camp, she was extremely surprised to see adobo on the plate.

Like...she could see the wind spirits somehow bringing the food they liked, but that still completely shocked her.

She still believed her mother’s adobo was better.

Speaking of which, she always loved it when her mother’s side of the family sent snacks. Especially polvorón. The problem was they didn’t send stuff often.

Sure American brand names are great, but she did love 

She’s more a planner with ambitions and isn’t really good in things relating to math or science.

She did always love history and learning about the history of other places in the world.

And she’s obviously proud of her own history, because of her parents.

[jeanjauthor]

Hello I came from the ask on waoiaf. I’m a different anon but I thought your answer was pretty cool. Hope you do not mind me asking but I am in a similar boat with merging two cultures. I am making a female prevelant book with five female POV’s and most are in the merchant world which I took inspired from the late mediveal- Renaissance Italian era, I have two that are in the nobility which takes more after 16th century France and partakes in Salic law. Do you have any worldbuilding fem tips?

I don’t mind being asked, no worries!  My thoughts & ideas might work, or might not, but then that’s true for any answer I’d give, lol.  It all depends on the situation.

Okay...so if I understand correctly, it’s not real-world history, but you’ve got a created world culture with some late medieval Italian renaissance flair and some age of exploration French aristocracy with Salic law issues.  Had to look up Salic law, lol (for those curious, the wiki article is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salic_law ), but yeah...basically criminal laws that evolved to include inheritance laws & patriarchal/misogyny based issues as well, predominantly the “women cannot inherit titles /powers /duties /property” bs for royalty & nobility...

Mkay, first question, and this is a genuine one:  Is it necessary to have misogyny imposed by law for inheritances?  If so, is it part of the story, driving either the plot or the character’s struggles and growth?  If so for either of those, remembering that you’re writing for a modern audience (and that readers’ tastes have shifted quite a bit in the last 10 years alone!), are these issues going to be addressed in the story and overcome in a meaningful way?

These questions are predicated on the basis that you’re not writing real-world history, but rather a created world based upon, but not dependent on, these incorporated influences.

One of the reasons why patriarchy & misogyny are so heavily incorporated into European history is because of the patriarchal & misogynistic influences of the Christian Church after around 300 CE, iirc; my memory of the exact dates is fuzzy, but that’s about when it gets going--prior to this point, the Christian Church was a lot more egalitarian.  So egalitarian, in fact, that many major early Church leaders were women, to the point that it actually started to overshadow the standards of Roman custom, culture, & law of the day--Roman women could own property and run businesses, even if they couldn’t vote...but the Christians! *le gasp!* They were letting women vote on how their cultural government should be run??

Yeah, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, not in a widespread way...but at some point, male leaders in positions of power (secular and/or religious) decided to NOPE women out of positions of power, to make them second class citizens, and even nope them all the way down into being barefoot preggers in the kitchen, etc, chattel.  They used the Christian religion as their vehicle to gain power, influence, and dominance over society, warping the original Christian culture and its values away from egalitarianism.

But that is the real world.  So does your created world have that kind of religious /historical /cultural influence?  This is important because we know that in our world’s history, Salic law remained pretty firmly in place for well over a thousand years...and we’re still fighting to change it for the better today.  Your world is different.

If the inherent misogyny, etc, in a Salic law system is going to be an issue for your characters, can they overcome it in meaningful ways?  Are there going to be changes to the customs, whether local or regional?  Are there going to be changes to the laws, whether local, regional, or national?--This particular plot setup & payoff would be absolutely lovely to see in a fantasy / historical-esque world setting, to see actual changes happening, and not merely token-esque changes or an “exception made for this one (1) character.”  A meaningful change is one that affects not just the main characters, but secondary and tertiary characters’ lives as well.

You may have to bring some A-Game arguments into the story for these females arguing for their rights to inherit land, property, businesses, to run said businesses, to not have to be married or under the domination of their fathers, husbands, brothers, etc.  And it would be great if some of the males in these ladies’ lives showed some open support for them...and absolutely smashing for males in positions of power & authority who can change the laws to do so in a publicly acknowledging way. 

Literally, if the ladies campaign for the right to own property and run businesses and be inheritors for their fathers & mothers, then have the King or whoever show it by publicly decreeing or announcing,  “We have labored for far too long under the assumptions of misogyny, and have been held back by the weight of these pointless chains, which shall now be removed...”

or “I was wrong to assume that Lady Allania could only have brought her family’s merchant business to absolute ruin.  Instead, she has created alliances with former enemies and prospered our kingdom...and I must admit that she is not the only woman so gifted and capable.  When any female is given the same respect, training, education, and opportunity as a male, they, too, can do just as many wonderful things, and it is time this kingdom’s laws reflected this great, untapped potential, thus I am revoking or altering the following laws (blah blah blah)...”  or at least something along those lines.

It’d be some hard work, but if you go this route, a lot of readers will love your story all the more for it, since it genuinely will be something different.  If you don’t...a lot of readers will do the *eyeroll* thing and go “ho hum, another standard ‘fantasy world based on Europe’ and all its historical problems... Next?”  Not all by any means, but it is something to consider.

...Now with all that said, the next question is, which part of Italy in the Renaissance is being copied?  Because if it’s Venetian, you’ve got the Doge Era for hundreds of years, which was pretty much a mix of royalty, arosticracy, republic, and democracy ruling the city, all of which helped to spread the strength and wealth of the merchant class.  But if it’s based on Milan, that was a centralized monarchy.  And Rome, of course, was ruled by the papacy, which, hoo boy, was misogynistic AF as well as hypocritical in how it sent out a LOT of mixed messages, lots of bribery and usury, plenty of power-grabbing maneuverings, plus most high-ranking members kept mistresses, etc, while decrying sex out of marriage, blah blah blah...

From the way you mention merchant classes, I’m presuming it’s much more of a Venetian (or possibly Genoese) influence.  Running with that idea as the main cultural influence...how deeply involved are women in the merchanting and crafting businesses?  The fact that these women are engaged in business means that they could theoretically be interacting not only with men, but with a lot of women--the workers of these industries, even if the vast majority of them are not allowed to be owners or decision-makers.

Skipping up to England, in London in Tudor times, there was a whole guild of women who specifically made thread-of-gold for export.  They were pretty much the only ones doing this (because it’s expensive to make, for the first part), and doing it of such fine quality that they could command hefty prices for their skills.  They had influence on the textiles industry, demanding the best materials for thread, and influence on the goldsmithing industry, in their demands for the perfect type of gold foil, just the right thickness and plibility for wrapping around threads. 

It was a small corner of the textiles industry in England, but it was a commodity highly valued by nobles & royals across the length and breadth of Europe, including all the way down to Venice & beyond...because Venetian merchants would trade in this thread-of-gold and cloth-of-gold that these English women were making.

You can see the power and influence that the crafting trades and merchant classes could have.  One of the strengths of females throughout history has been our ability to bring together communities to work for the betterment of that community.  Are these women leading or otherwise involved in a revolution (peaceful or otherwise) that will pressure changes to these Salic style laws?  Who are they working with? And are they working with the noble-born women you mentioned to try to leverage the powers-that-be into granting women their rights in areas of inheritance, property, and commerce?

This will depend upon the overall plot, of course, but if you want to have a strong female presence in your story, then consider how daily life runs for females, how constrictive the culture and its laws are, how much these women can and will push at those constrictive boundaries (because we all do that; it’s just a fact of humanity), and how both the other females and the males around them will react.

Being only scandalized /outraged /reactionary to such things is definitely an overdone reaction, but you can get rid of that tired trope by having those who are scandalized or reactionary eventually getting over it, coming to accept it, or even be enthused by it.  Also, there will always a number of people who will be intrigued and even excited by these proposed or attempted changes.  You can build some of these struggles into a popular movement--and you don’t even have to show all of it “on screen” as it were. 

Maybe your characters in their struggle to maintain control over the family pottery business talked with other female potters about their problems, their demands, and asked for solidarity in the face of misogyny.  Maybe these others carried the news to other towns, and suddenly Altraltia, a city a few days’ travel away, center of the finest porcelains being produced in the known land, is experiencing a high revolution by the women who do most of the actual work with the ceramics, demanding that they be given rights and powers equal with the men, or they will not make any more porcelain.

Since the men of Altraltia were depending on their women to do all the fancy stuff (women tending to have modestly better fine motor skills), now that the women are on strike, these men can’t fulfill all these orders that the nobles have commissioned.  The city is in chaos, word has come back to your main characters that the strikers are demanding that the king change the laws--and maybe the next thing you know, women in other fields, basketmaking, weaving, etc, are also demanding the right to have their jobs and skills and capacities for running businesses and receiving inheritances respected... All while your main characters are shocked, and maybe even doing their equivalent of the Steve Urkel thing of *blinkblink* Did I do thaaaaat?  (And then celebrating, of course, when the king does change the laws for the better.)

Sweeping social movements and cultural changes don’t have to happen just during the era of social media.  People will travel, people will talk, people will write letters or communicate in various ways.  And those who know how to bring communities together, to instill senses of injustice, demands for change, expressions of how to change for the better...these communities united in these ways will cause those changes.

And because it’s not based on Earth’s history...you can get these types of Salic laws changed, presenting a pro-fem story in your own created world.

...Again, it’ll depend upon your plot, but for sure, women will lean in toward other women for advice, for help, for change.  Throw in some men who genuinely want to support these changes that will better their lives and their world, and you’ll have a powerful story that can inspire readers in this world to lean in, work together, and change our world for the better, too.

Hope at least some of that gives you some ideas!

(*The trope of women fighting each other, ruining each other’s chances of advancement, is also another tired old trope that can be flipped or tossed aside. Watch Legally Blonde to witness how the main female rival reacts to the main character, toward the end, to see how this is done believably.)

[rainmaker221]

Skyjacks Fanfic: Two Conspiracies and a Murder

While nobody actually called Burza Nyth “the city of birds” they were such a common enough appearance that nobody thought twice when they were seen. And just a few yards down from Nobody, was people with too much time on their hands.

“I’m telling ya,” The skinny well dressed man said, “There have been more ravens lately.”

“Uh huh,” Said his companion, clearly already bored of this conversation they’ve had before.

“I’ve been counting,” He assured, taking a small leap onto a ledge to get a better look at a bird gliding above. “I swear I used ta only see a couple a month. But I saw at least  12 last week alone.” 

“Are you sure you didn’t just see one raven 12 times?” The Companion asked, holding back audible laughter, but not a smirk.

For a  moment the man seemed willing to consider this idea. This doubt was quickly squashed.

There was no slow build, no first one then the other. Where once there were no Ravens, there now were many. They rose into the sky, a tornado of jet black feathers and loud caws. They seemed endless, rising into the sky by the legion and quickly dispersing around the city. They carried no letters or missives, though the odd raven rasped out an ominous “Hello dears.” or “Bargain me,” while poking at shiner keepsakes. An expert in their behavior would deduce their happiness and joy. There were few Raven experts in Burza Nyth.

One particular Raven broke from the pack, as if on a mission, they made their way across Burza Nyth and into the office of the Keeper of the traders skull.

Too wrapped up in the work of the day, the Keeper had not noticed the Raven’s and their dramatic revelry.

But he was not surprised by the sight of the Raven on his desk.

He was, however, greatly perturbed by what happened next. The raven poked at the glass attached to their leg, thinking it was meant for him he reached for it only for his hand to be pecked away. Finally the glass shattered and the raven took a noticeable inhale of the mist emanating from the shards. He looked at the keeper, and tilted his head.

“Hello?” the raven spoke, witn a voice far too human to be their own, “Can you hear me sir?”

For a moment the Keeper reeled at the sight.

“Sir?” The Raven repeated, head uncocking, “I apologize if I have disturbed you, but I do need to know if you can hear me.”

“Yes,” The keeper replied, quickly regaining his composure, “Yes I can hear you.” He stood up straighter in his chair, as if to intimidate the raven.

“Oh good.” The relief and amusement was clear in the tone, if not the posture of the Raven. “Old magic like this doesn’t always work the way you’d expect. And this is my first time trying something like this.”

“Who are you?” The Keeper demanded, “And how can you talk?”

“Oh,” a quick but somehow distant sounding laugh was heard through the raven, “My apologies I am not, in fact, a raven I am merely talking to you through this raven.”  The keeper briefly hoped the voice on the other end couldn’t see him, as he utterly failed to hide his sheepish response to the correction.

“My name however is” The was the slightest of bumps and pauses, “Immaterial, I am taking over the offices and responsibilities of the Broker. I am telling you this as a courtesy, we will likely meet in person and I do not wish for you to be surprised.”

“Well what If I don’t want to deal with you?” The Keeper asked, attempting to regain some control of this bizarre conversation.

“Then you don’t get to deal with the Broker.” Even the Raven seemed agitated by this question, “and you of all people should know that business at your level requires the aid of my offices.”

“What happened to the old broker.”

“He is no longer your concern, Keeper,” The voice said, “but do not worry, I intend to live up to both the spirit and the letter of codes of business of Burza Nyth.”The keeper readied to ask another question but was quickly shut down. “Have a pleasant evening Sir. I look forward to a mutually beneficial arrangement. You’ll be hearing from one of my agents soon enough” A red mist was quickly exhaled from the raven, who promptly fell dead to the desk.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the town, in an unassuming corner of an assuming distinct, wild haired and exhausted looking young man slumped over in his desk, shuffling some papers around he looked at the raven on the desk.

“Well at least he stuck to the script.” he said, scanning a list of names, “So who's next?”

The Broker is a story and title as old as the market of Burza Nythe, the title passed from person to person.

Death, retirement, coup, sometimes the passage over power is quick and concise, other times its all out war.

This is the tale of a broker who shattered the mold, of a boy who grew old too fast and shouldered the burden of a city.

He is the  Broker, and will be for some time yet. But who was he before his title?

Well he was many things.

But his name? Was Corvid.

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a quick word : I love skyjacks, I also love the Broker, i’m curious about his story and decided to write a story. I know nothing about Neo-scum so unfortunately i can’t go with the self told story about an assassin named Corvid. I will however be using name Corvid, and abiding 3 primary “Important things to keep in mind” the @campaignskyjacks tumblr reminded me of: the broker is not the first broker, the broker is ace, and the brokers main role is running the black market and arranging deals.

If anyone has any ideas or recomendations or even and “Oh shit this would be cool.” feel free to holler at me.

If you enjoyed this fic please support the official Campaign Skyjacks. They deserve nice things. tell em I sent ya (or don’t I’m a blog not a cop)

 I also know fuck all about ravens. and yes this can be found on AO3 (eventually)

Edit: send skyjacks aesthetic music...please.

[dviciousbikefemme]

This past week has been full of ups and downs. From long days in the desert to warm and quality company, we’ve been dealt a set of experiences that are unforgettable. Times have been tough. Phoenix wasn’t too inviting at first and I am thankful for the Warmshowers we ended up with last night. We will remain here until the rain is over. For those of you that don’t know what a Warmshowers is, it is a hosting network that puts long distance cyclists up in individuals’ homes for free. It’s essentially couch surfing for cyclists.

Once again, I think posting once or twice a week will be normal for me until I’m at a better cadence. Everyday is a little unpredictable and I never am quite sure where we will end up. But that’s the point and we’ve made it work so far. In so many ways this lifestyle has released a lot of anxiety and is relief from the sort of stories and assumptions I create in my head around daily interactions and subtleties. You know what I’m talking about. Mind chatter. I don’t have my therapist with me on the road but being on the road forces complete presence.

And when I’m typing these little snippets of life out, it always takes longer than I’d ever expect. You kinda rack your brain with “What do I want to share?””I want to be authentic” “Is this boring?”. This is for me as much as it is for y’all so looking back on these memories, I want to be able to connect with every flavor of feeling.

Since Ocotillo, we’ve pedaled through some major stretches. Leaving Ocotillo on the fourth day started out pleasant in the morning sun. We followed SR98 through the Yuha Desert and its interesting terrain. We paralleled the border with open skies and the mountains of Mexico on our south side. The temperature was great and I was feeling hopeful and touched from the night before. Upon exiting the Yuha, the landscape quickly changed as we drew closer to El Centro and Calexico city limits. Miles and miles of solar panels and broccoli that would never touch the small grocery stores in the very region that grows it. Small towns in the deserts are very much food deserts. You typically can find only packaged foods and meat. Vegetables are scarce and when you do run into them, they are brown and slimey. Once we reached Calexico, the traffic became heavy. There we entered SR111 where we did several miles beside semis and big box corporate stores. At the end of this 50 mile day we settled into a Days Inn in Brawley. We treated ourselves as we foresaw another long stretch ahead. Between the town of Brawley and the town of Blythe there’s about 80miles of limited resources. We wanted to be well rested for day five. That evening we stocked up on groceries and water and caught ourselves up on the Democratic campaign and Coronavirus drama.

Leaving Brawley we pushed through more agricultural land and passed by several sad lil CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). This day was one of our hardest as it was roughly 65 miles and through some tough conditions. When we continued east on SR78, the landscape changed dramatically, once again. We entered into the Algodones Dunes of Southern California that would lead to the “town” of Glamis. Glamis is a town that exists seasonally. It’s a giant playground for folks with a lot of money. We saw some seriously fancy off-road vehicles in the Dunes. It’s scattered about with millions of dollars worth of trailers and RVs, dune buggies and generators. You have to see it for yourself. I didn’t quite capture this stretch in any quality photographs as it was a tough climb with a lot of sand on the shoulders, but I certainly never saw anything like it in my life. We had one guy dipped down off the road under the shade of his trailer awning, hollering up at us, wondering if we might like a beer. We politely declined with a peace sign as we thought it might be dangerous to try and slide down there. A couple miles after the friendly stranger, we dropped into the convenience store of this “town” for an ice cold cola and water refill. There I fantasized about riding around in the buggies. Sure would’ve been fun.

From Glamis on, the road conditions became worse as we proceeded down the shoulder-less 78 in high sun and head wind with cars traveling at about 65mph. Toward the end of it there were several miles in the desert full of dips in the road, making visibility very difficult for both us and for cars and trucks. I grew tired and hungry and frustrated. And with every little hill that came my way I would audibly groan a mighty groan. At about 5:30pm we reached the BLM Oxbow Campground, resting peacefully on the Colorado River. It had a very clean pit toilet but with no access to potable water. We wouldn’t reach all services again until the next day, 20 miles away in Blythe. Our moods quickly transformed from sour to sweet as we enjoyed the beautiful, cool and clear night sitting in the silence of the moonlight— silently loving, silently relieving pain and silently oozing with pride of the hard day’s work.

On Saturday morning we didn’t have much of an agenda and decided to take it easy. One of the snowbirds at the grounds asked us if we needed anything —we said YES COFFEE PLEASE. So we shared our morning with Don and Judy of British Columbia. We talked about music and the great North American landscape and the other bikers they’ve met through their years of travel. They eventually reminded us of the time and we began to pack up and head to Blythe.

Blythe was only about 20 miles out and once we arrived in Blythe we didn’t leave. We went to the Ace Hardware for some camping fuel. Outside the store we met Robin, a town local who invited us to his drinking hole that doubled as a Warmshowers host. We weren’t quite sure if we wanted to quit for the day. We went out to grab lunch (a delicious huevos rancheros!) and discussed what to do next. We wanted to check this Warmshowers out before completely dismissing it. It is located at the B and B (beer and bait shop) a couple of miles outside the main stretch. Upon arrival, we were greeted with ice cold Coors Lites... and another round... and another round... and another... and then we bought a round... and before we knew it we were setting up our tent behind the shop and getting a car ride to the grocery store. The property holds the shop, a few trailers with residents and a rescue goose named Lucy. We had a wonderful afternoon with a handful of kind folks and colorful stories. One man told us of “transporting bodies”. He’s rotated his work between being a medic and working in the prison system. Scott, on the other side of the table, was witness to a completely different set of experiences. He is a former addict and was incarcerated for several years. This group of sweet people spoke of the man, Wayne, that started the communal property and his love for everyone that came through. Warmshowers has been running there for 10+ years, still thriving, even after he sold the property to take care of his sick wife. I was touched by one of the community members that approached Bobby and I while we were setting up camp saying “Blythe is the armpit of CA. We feel forgotten about, but we do have each other here. We want you to feel comfortable and at home. Whatever is ours is yours and if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. We rely on one another in this town”. We felt grateful to have passed through Blythe and crossed such heart warming folks.

On Sunday morning, we rose early in the dark with the time change. We spent a lot of time going east on the I-10 that day. We met a couple of cyclists at a rest stop. One of them is from the US, the other from Australia. We expected to see them again, and the next day did at a Mexican restaurant whilst stopping for lunch. We did about 50 miles yet again and camped at Ramblin’ Roads RV Park in a place called Hope, AZ. We talked to another cycling group, this one consisting of three women from Maine. Mary chatted us up a bunch. They were not looking to stop quite yet and had a few more miles to do that day. We had a lot of time that evening so we made glorified Ramen and dug into the books we are reading. I caught up with my mama on the phone and encountered some of the cleanest showers I bathed in thus far.

Monday we trekked far into Wickenburg, our final stop before going into Phoenix. We stopped halfway for lunch and ran into both groups of women. The three from Maine goofed off and snacked on Mexican sweets in front of a convenience store. They were also heading to Wickenburg and figured we all might end up camping together. And we did that night at the Aztec Village RV Park. We had a grand time with these fine women. Noreen, the matriarch of the group, is hesitant to introduce herself to people at first and knows how she likes things. She is direct and communicates very well. I really like her— she’s very gentle and nurturing once she gets to know you a little more. She is a former Acadia National Park ranger. Working there is how she got to know Mary. Mary’s got a hankering for finding Gila monster skins and armadillo tails. Auralie (sp?) was the third and youngest of the group. Noreen met her by “shushing” her at a French film viewing. Auralie is French-American and is quite funny. She kept reminding us all that gender and time are both social constructs. Can’t say I disagree. We cooked dinner together and spoke of our adventures and about how much fun we were all having. They are a splendid group that really made me homesick for my SHRIMPS. Shrimps are the gals I bike and bond with back home in WA. Don’t ask as to why we are shrimps. We just are. That night it began to rain, it covered up the loud sound of traffic rushing by. We all woke up to wet tents. Bobby and I got an early start to Phoenix. Before taking off we said “See you later down the road” to our new cycling friends.

[paladin-andric]

WIP Prep Tag Game

Tagged by @corishadowfang! Thank you, this is pretty big, but I liked it a lot!

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag as many people as there are questions (or as many as you can).

As usual, I’ll be doing Blackheart.

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

Demons invade the world, decimating a city and casting the land around it in a dark fog. A knight pierces through the blanket of darkness, in an effort to find the demons’ source and destroy it.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

Single book. The ending’s VERY conclusive. Though the world itself? I think we’ll be seeing more of it...

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Oppressive fog, monsters, lone figures walking down the road, ruined cities

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

The game Demon’s Souls inspired a lot of the setting (a ruined city full of demons wrapped in a fog), while D&D inspiring much of the world, with the various fantasy races throughout.

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

Once again, inspirations make themselves apparent.

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Sir Alexander, of House Angelus. The youngest child of a large family, estranged from his noble family, who has forsaken any possible rulership for a life of knighthood. While he has prepared well for his mission, he still struggles. He’s not superhuman, nor does he know any magic, which puts him at a disadvanage against inhumanly powerful demons, well versed in unholy arts of magic. He IS determined, however. He can take a lot of punishment, and he never gives up.

7. Who is their closest ally?

Since he doesn’t really favor one of his group majorly over the others, I’ll just put the rest of the heroes.

Senci, an excitable young kobold raised by humans. He dreams of becoming a famous hero one day, and traveling the land to help people in need.

Leianna, a cleric who tends to stir up trouble. She always speaks her mind and throws jabs, even when not wholly appropriate. Despite this she cares deeply for others, it’s why she volunteered to journey to the shrouded city, and risked her life saving Tourthun.

Lexius, a quiet and unassuming priest. Unable to stand by and watch people vanish into the fog, never to be seen again, he used the last bit of money he had on basic equipment and set out, leaving only a note explaining himself to the rest of the monastery. His powers may seem lacking at the moment, but he’ll be pushed to his limits down the line...

Tourthun, a young, red dragon who was nearly captured by the demons. Borderline pacifistic and bitter over his past, the fall of Palethorn, the city covered by fog was an extremely trying time for him. Finally forced to fight, he finds himself lacking in this respect, his own disdain towards killing making it even more challenging. While he carries a deep love for humanity and the rest of the small races, his inexperience makes his support less decisive than it might normally be. Still he fights on, driven by a desire to save the others...

Razorwing, a birdman archer. Very much a classical hero, he is famous and beloved for his various exploits throughout his life of adventure. His ability to fly and pinpoint accuracy makes him a deadly adversary.

Paul, a bounty hunter. Cold, calculating and decisive, he is well versed in the art of killing, though demonslaying is something he’ll need to adjust to, his usual target being man. He hides both his face and his emotions behind a mask.

Charles, a young half-dragon magician. Most unusual for his kind, he’s shy, timid and often easily flustered. He shows extraordinary potential for magic, and already is quite strong. He has a ways to go before he’s a master sorcerer, however.

Andric, an aging paladin. Having raised Senci, he’s become something of a tutor in his older age, though he’s still incredibly powerful from decades of battle and honing his holy powers. Extraordinarily powerful, and a huge boon to the heroes’ efforts.

8. Who is their enemy?

Demonkind at large. Several demons, varying in power, have entered through the portal to the underworld. They have left corrupted in their wake, those who have fallen to demonic corruption and lost their minds, becoming thoughtless beasts bent on slaughter. They have to destroy the portal, no matter the cost.

9. What do they want more than anything?

To be left in peace, able to relax at his manor inbetween military campaigns.

10. Why can’t they have it?

Alexander has been honored as “Geralthin’s Finest Knight” for his heroics in war. As such, whenever a problem arises, or a crisis is revealed, the kingdom always sends for him right away. He’s constantly pulled from his quaint homestead out in the countryside, and thrown at the head of an army. He just wants a bit more time to himself, and slightly less overwhelming responsibilities.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Alexander thinks of himself as bland, plain, boring and uninspiring. He doesn’t understand why he’s so often wanted to lead armies, seeing as zealous speeches and raw charisma aren’t his forte. The truth is that his unshakable courage and willingness to always be in the thick of the fight with his men is why the soldiers flock to him. He fights and risks dying alongside them, as opposed to most generals who lead from the back lines...and while he may order a retreat, he’ll always be the last to pull back, to ensure no one else is left behind.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

This is technically cheating, as my friend drew this, but I can’t draw for the life of me. He’s gonna refine this and color it at some point, but he’s a very busy man.

Ah, and here’s a version done by the wonderful @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword!

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

While the story’s mainly focused on the actual conflict, there’s some growth and character development throughout.

Alexander learns that non-humans aren’t as wild, barbaric and evil as he’s been led to believe, and understands that he has to trust his new, inhuman teammates.

Senci, for the first time, gets into real, actual fights. While he’s always wanted to be a hero, he is quickly forced to learn just what that entails.

Leianna is fairly static, though she does learn that there’s a time and place for jesting. While she may use humor to hide anger or fear, she eventually understand that it’s time to get serious, and that it’s okay to show those feelings sometimes.

Lexius is just a priest. He’s a weak and outmatched in almost every respect. Over time, he will find his courage and resolve when he needs it most.

Tourthun has to forgive the most grievous of crimes, and is forced to come to terms with the horrors of his past. In addition, a final enemy within himself will be the final challenge...

Razorwing overcomes the one part of his past that fills him with anger, hatred and fear.

Paul learns how to express his feelings, and that not everyone is out to get him.

Charles, timid and self-doubting, sees that he’s more valuable than he thought.

Andric is forced to trust Senci on his own, and see just how well he’s prepared his protege...

14. What is the external conflict?

The heroes journey through the ruined city of Palethorn, and seek out the source of the demons, the Blackheart, a great portal that allows demons to travel to the world. Along the way, many corrupted stand in their way, and demons plot against them. Finding the source of the Blackheart itself proves a challenge...

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?  

Failing his quest, unable to destroy the Blackheart, until demons overwhelm Geralthin and plunge the entire world into darkness. Just like the city, the entire would would be destroyed, the last specs of humanity surviving by hiding deep underground, praying that the demons above don’t find them.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

A twist I’d rather not reveal. I think it’s going to hit you VERY hard, though.

17. Do you know how it ends?

Yes, and once again I’d rather not spoil it.

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?  

Trust and understanding. In the human realm, many non-humans are looked upon with suspicion, disdain, fear, hatred, or sometimes several at once. Notable examples are the wolfmen, feared and loathed for their violent tendencies, kobolds, looked down on with disgust for their pathetic and barbaric actions, and half-dragons, feared and hated for their frightening appearance and their great strength. In this ruined city full of corrupted beasts however, Alexander is forced into an alliance with the survivors, nearly all of them non-human, as this city is where the kingdom had exiled them to. Over time though living among these creatures, the knight learns that these preconceptions are very often wrong, and that just like humans, they’re not some predictable hivemind.

Forgiveness and redemption. Through several revelations, Tourthun has to make peace with his past, and though he’s been so horribly wronged, and he would be completely justified in never forgiving those that wronged him, he comes to understand hatred is a repeating, unending cycle of misery, sending suffering unto another, and making them hate and cause suffering to other innocents in return. He thus decides to break the cycle. In addition, corruption, no matter how powerful, is not all-encompassing. Not all who fall to the demons are lost forever...

Determination and hope. Though things are so horrible, the heroes seem so outmatched, and the end of the world looks to be drawing near, everyone works hard against the demons’ plot, never falling to apathy or stoic acceptance of the end. Every person that falls to the demons only furthers the convictions of the heroes. It can’t happen to the rest of the world. No more must die. This far, and no farther!

19. What is a recurring symbol?  

Ruin. The city, unmaintained due to the crisis, is starting to fall apart. It serves to emphasize how horrid the demons are, and just what’s in store for the rest of the world if the heroes fail.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

The Kingdom of Geralthin, ancestral homeland of humanity, once the heart of an empire that sprawled across all of the continent of Deaco. Through destruction at the hands of dragonkind, the empire was destroyed, and collapsed into city-states while the other races reclaimed their independence. Centuries of struggle, advancement and the discovery of magic allowed humanity to cast the dragons out of their cities, though many still roam the countryside. Afterwards Geralthin unified and become a powerful kingdom. Once a melting pot and the heart of trade in all the known world, Geralthin has become homogeneous as the most recent king decided to outlaw non-humans from the kingdom, rounding them up and forcing them into the city of Palethorn. This was a wildly unpopular move and led to uprisings, riots, and traitorous sentiment in many corners of the kingdom.

In the city, all was finally starting to calm down when the demons arrived. Now cut off from the outside world through the dark fog, no one knows what goes on inside, for all who enter the fog never come back. This dark, corrupted city is crumbling and abandoned, filled only with the husks of creatures that were once citizens, stumbling through the streets, seeking out any survivors to kill for their masters. Deep in the sewer systems that were never finished before the attack, the last remnants of the city hide out in an underground encampment, a few scavengers often traveling to the surface in a desperate bit to gather what the group needs to stay alive. It is here the heroes plot out their mission, and bring their wounded to rest and recover.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already? 

Yes. I’m pretty interested to see what I can do with them.

22. What excited you about this story?  

Mixing dark fantasy with high fantasy, knights and dragons with evil and darkness. I’ve always been massively interested in fantasy, particularly magic and monsters, and how they effect what would otherwise be a mundane medieval world. How does castle design and city defenses have to adapt when you need to account for dragons? How much do numbers count for in armies when the opposition can call down lightning, or teleport? How do monsters like griffins and drakes affect hunters, and villages out in the deep wilds? How would society see people who exchange their humanity for power?

Seeing this new, strange world, and forces like dragons and demons clashing is incredibly interesting to me, which is why I enjoy writing about it so much.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method! 

Eh. I put on some music and just...go, I guess. I have a basic framework for the plot, and I know the ending, but aside from that I just...write. I guess I’ll look more into the flow of everything after I’m done, editing and altering from there. Also upon rereading the chapter after I post I notice like 20 typos, whoops.

WOW. This was really long and tiring, but I really enjoyed blabbering about my book. Thanks again!

I’ll be tagging @oceanwriter, @lady-redshield-writes, @homesteadhorner and @sheralynnramsey. Honestly this is pretty insane, I’m not gonna tag that many people, and if you don’t want to do this I totally understand.

[helloportfolioshotbyzach]

ShotByZach

Monica Bowden

Jim Leyden

Writing Workshop

Shot by Zach

Zach Miscavage is Philadelphia based portrait and fashion photographer who had an unconventional way of finding his path. His love for photography became more of a passion after his original career path failed. Zach has grown a lot since he has started photography and plans on taking over the city of Philadelphia with his collaborative approach of working with other local creatives.

Before he got started with photography, Zach’s main interest was graphic design. His pursuance began in high school when he enrolled in an intro graphic design course as an elective with his best friend, Jordan Marcus. He had no real interest in graphic design at the time, being that he only enrolled to hangout with Jordan in class. Yet Zach learned a lot as the course progressed, and found he had a gift in design. A realization occured that he should pursue this more seriously, especially when people started noticing his talent. He talked to his guidance counselor and expressed how much he loved it and how he wanted to go to technical school to further his education in graphic design.

Zach knew he made the right decision when he arrived at his technical school. He reached the top of the class by having the highest grades and the best work. He quickly progressed to become the president of his class, and then eventually president of the whole school. While attending tech school, he started his first internship: Barb Print, a screenprinting shop in Norristown. He designed logos and graphics for shirts. He learned more about the business behind art and how to the handle the clientele, being any of the small businesses in the area. “I was happy with where my future was leading” said Zach with a smile. He created professional social media accounts for his graphics on Facebook and Instagram. Zach’s main focus was freelance graphic design, photography was just a hobby. He only had a small following on his social media at the time so it was hard to get established. His hopes for a future in graphic design started to dwindle when he wasn’t getting noticed. Zach described the feeling of going unnoticed as “discouraging… you spend hours conceptualizing a design and creating it just to get a couple likes on Instagram. It was like working for less than minimum wage in terms of recognition” He learned the importance of marketing, how to brand himself better, and present himself to capture people’s attention. He carried those lessons with him throughout the rest of his creative career.

In spite of this discouragement, Zach decided to attend Montgomery County Community College to continue his education in graphic design. His plan at community college was to get his general education classes out of the way then transfer to Parsons School of Design. At MCCC, he was so advanced that his professors had him aid other students that were not up to par. He felt as though he could not excel at the college- that it is was only holding him back, and it was wasting a lot of money. He knew he wanted something else for his future and he ended up dropping out before the first semester ended.

After MCCC, Zach started bringing his camera everywhere, taking photos of anything that caught his eye. Zach believed he would become better with more and more practice. His friends were really into cars at the same time, so he would take photos of their cars and post them to the same professional social media accounts. Car photography became a huge interest for Zach and he really wanted to build on it. With a friend, he created Grey Nation, a social media brand that takes professional photos of cars, attends car related events (car shows, meetups, dealership events), and sells custom merchandise. Grey Nation soon grew to over 3K followers and they got featured on accounts that were even more popular. This was when Zach’s photography started getting noticed.

Zach was also working retail at the time at Urban Outfitters. During a discussion with coworker Khayir Lewis, he realized they both enjoyed photography. Khayir was also working outside of retail, as a freelance model. Zach liked being behind the camera- Khayir liked being in front of it. Khayir told Zach about Urban’s extracurricular opportunities. It was not paid, but they got to engage with the company more by checking out clothing, shooting it, then returning it afterwards. Urban Outfitters looked at it as a way to connect the associates with the brand more. “It gave their social media a more relaxed presence. [Zach could] shoot a dress on a girl [he] knew, instead of how other companies only show their pieces on supermodels.” It was a way to create a bridge between a large company and their customers. Zach took out multiple outfits from the store and he had his first photo shoot with a model ever. “The photoshoot was set in an abandoned building and it turned out great. Three photos got posted on the Urban Outfitters Men’s page, and one got used for an email campaign. I gained about 70 new followers just from those few photos”. Zach and Khayir worked extremely well together and decided to shoot more often.

Their duo eventually turned into a larger team which consisted of Zach, the lead photographer; Khayir, the lead model; plus a stylist and a second photographer. They worked on a few projects and thought they were a good team. All three of them tried becoming more official and wanted Zach to sign a contract, stating they would take 40% of his revenue. It was never made clear what they were putting his revenue towards, so Zach rejected the offer. They resentfully told him they “just had creative differences and that [he] would never make it in Philadelphia without them.” That team fell apart.

But Zach kept shooting. He was able to build a good following off Urban Outfitters because they would post his photos to their social media and he became associated with the Philadelphia based stores (King Of Prussia, Walnut Street, Ardmore, University of Pennsylvania). Zach enjoyed the road it was taking him down. He loved how the photos turned out and Urban Outfitters really pushed his aesthetic- close up portraits with high exposures and bright colors. Zach was having consistent photo shoots with different people all over the city, and even reaching out to West Chester, Pennsylvania too. Zach was happy to be working for Urban and decided to apply for a summer internship at the home office, but he did not get hired. This rejection sparked a major change in him.

Zach no longer wanted to follow the original aesthetic that he had developed for Urban Outfitters. So he changed up his style. For Urban, he had based his aesthetic off the great responses he was receiving from social media, management, and even headquarters, but never had the chance to find his own personal style. Not only did Zach’s photos change, but he also quit Urban Outfitters due to personal interests. He felt he simply outgrew the company and it’s “look” and wanted a more mature, high fashion, look. He still kept contact with the social media managers after he left.

With the change in jobs, his outlook on art changed too. There were many influences in Zach’s life, but the one that stood out the most to him was Maria Svarbova. He loved her minimalistic style and her use of colors that make her images pop. Her photos rely on her locations almost more than they rely on the models, which is something he wanted to do in his photos. Zach compared his short term career goals to Brendan Lowry. Some of Lowry’s projects that Zach highlighted were his Trashcan Takeover and Track Takeover. These takeovers are small art installations that can be found throughout Philadelphia’s streets and public transportation. The Barbera Autoland trash cans and similar ads at the Walnut-Locust stop on the Broad Street Line were turned into canvases for Philadelphia creatives.

Zach began working with awesome companies in the city such as My Coral Home, Wolven Threads, and other boutiques in Philadelphia. On top of that, he started his first ongoing project where he would rent out unique Airbnbs in the city for a weekend and use them as studio space. He was able to focus on refining his work to an editorial style and learning how to incorporate architecture into his photos better. Renting out these Airbnbs inspired Zach to seek his own studio space. The Airbnbs gave him an indoor space to shoot which was hard for him to find regularly, but he wanted a space that allowed him to expand his resources and invest more into his work.

Since he found his true style- cleaner, more editorial, and higher fashion, he decided the next phase in his career would be owning a studio and learning what goes into that type of work. He took on a four month lease at the James Oliver Gallery located in Center City so he could get used to shooting in that environment. But Zach has to walk through the art gallery, a shared kitchen, a handful of other personal studios, and up two flights of steps until he gets to his own studio, so he wants something more accessible to him.

Photography has taught Zach many lessons- the most important lesson being proper micromanagement. “Being a freelance photographer really puts you in control of the final outcome” said Zach. There are a more variables being introduced such as finding locations, conceptualizing the shoots, organizing schedules, coordinating which models would look best in which outfit, or which poses would show off the details of an outfit the best. Micromanagement taught him how to focus on multiple sides of the photoshoot at once. Zach believes he has this ability under his belt, so what is next?

A large motivation for Zach has been collaboration because his overall goal in life is to have a production company. Zach says “It’s all about building a team and collaborating. It’s more rewarding because you only have to focus on one aspect. That aspect can have all of your attention; rather than be spread out by having to style, come up with props, do hair and makeup, this and that. It will also allow better opportunity for commercial work and paid work because of networking.” He is currently working toward that goal by having a small team of creatives on hand that will make his start up easier. Zach has been working with a stylist, a hair and makeup artist, an industrial engineer from Temple University to create props in his studio, and even letting his photographer friends use his studio space for their personal work, which all can allow him to get more involved in producing and directing projects.

Zach also wants to build on his studio space so he can bring more collaborative work into it. He compares his ideal studio to “REC-Philly, which would be having a room for editing, music, writing, and even engineering. That way, there are more assets available to people and make it a great collab space.” By having this, Zach can potentially change the idea that Philadelphia is only a small pond of creative opportunity and can rule out the idea of relocating to New York City. Once Zach gains the right reputation, he knows brands and publishing companies from more cities will begin reaching out to him. Ideally he will have the ability to pitch ideas to brands he wants to work with specifically, rather than taking whatever paid work he can find.

At some point, Zach sees himself outgrowing photography after having a production team. Though it will be hard for him to move past, he wants to “go down every avenue of photography before [he] outgrows it”. He still sees room for improvement in his studio work, and wants to explore other lanes, such as working in videography, set design, and construction. He wants his work “to build on more of a scene that can tell a story instead of just having a set of photos that focuses on aesthetic. I want to pick locations based on the story they tell then work the model and styling in based on that.”

Even after being told he was “never going to make it”, Zach Miscavage has proven to be successful in his field. He has made countless connections and continues to work with notable companies such as Kodak. Recently he shot his first magazine cover for Drexel University, as well as his first wedding. With more experience, he will have more opportunities to get his name out there and become a more renown photographer. He has come a long way since his graphic design days, and looks forward to learning more.

[transfemininomenon]

hey alice I've seen you mention then before and they seem really interesting and I was wondering if you could tell us more about your dnd characters! (Whichever your favorite is or who you feel like talking about) or even a tag you have where I could read up more!

:O i would LOVE to talk about some of my dnd characters

my three main ones are my half-elf raven queen warlock gwyndolin (aka gwyn), my human swashbuckler rogue gertrude, and my life cleric alicia 

gwyn was the character i played when @speechjam was DMing who is a half-moon elf with Parental Baggage (because what’s a half-elf who doesnt have an iffy relationship with their parents) who is very gay and very trans and canonically Really Hot because she has a literally goddess gifted body. her parents raised her in an elf city where she experienced a lifetime of racism for being a half-elf, and that combined with not having a great relationship with her parents as well as dealing with dysphoria eventually led to her attempting suicide. however when this happened, she suddenly found herself before the raven queen, who told her it was not yet her time, and offered her a deal - a new body and some of her power in exchange for making a pact with her. she readily agreed, and was reborn as gwyndolin

since then she’s spent a few years acting as a servant of the raven queen, acting as a sort of soul bounty hunter tracking down people who had unnaturally escaped death and dealing with necromancers/undead infestations. eventually she happened to take a job that led to her meeting the party, including happening to bump into her elf druid cousin solira played by @lyssatbqh

she’s also a total Disaster Lesbian and cant talk to women to save her life which is a problem when Lots of women want to talk to her on account of being Really Hot. she has a thing for knives and has like 8 of them on her. she also has a spirit familiar in the form of a raven named crawford who she always makes keep watch for her at night instead of doing it herself

THEN gertrude is the character i play in @lyssatbqh‘s campaign, which is a homebrew campaign set in the dark souls world. gertrude’s whole life was spent believing that humanity didnt matter and only existed to serve the gods - lessons instilled in her from birth by her parents. often being left alone while her parents were off doing whatever religious things they were off doing, she grew used to wondering the city of anor londo by herself, exploring every alley and climbing every roof top, having just a dagger given to her by her parents as a form of protection 

as she grew older her parents tried getting her more involved in the way of white (the religious organization they were a part of), and gertrude never really quite got the whole “sit and study and pray” part of it, but she found ways to use her natural charisma and dexterity to instead serve the gods by acting as a spy against people who might speak out against the gods. this is how she met the party initially, being sent by one of the gods to spy on a book club founded by @speechjam‘s character brillin. long story short the party ended up encountering some of the witches of izalith, went to izalith right as the witch of izalith was trying to recreate the first flame, and they all fucking DIED 

some long period of time later the party all mysteriously came back to life, and have since came back to life any time they have died, always returning to whatever fire they’d rested at. the whole experience of dying and coming back forced gertrude to, for the first time in her life, have to think about being a human and what humanity meant and what her place in the world was, and she proceeded to go into a several week long existential crisis. during this time the party investigated some mysterious happenings around the city of new londo involving other people coming back to life, fought some demons, and eventually made their way back to anor londo

the whole time gertrude was hoping returning to anor londo would get her some answers from the god she had been working for by the name of flame god flann. however, upon returning he offered no real help, and seemingly didnt even remember that she had worked for him. this furthered her growing crisis and fear and doubt, and eventually the party confronted her about her sneakiness and dodging questions, and she confessed the nature by which she’d originally joined the group, and asked for their forgiveness and explained that she’d suddenly had a Lot to think about and that a lot of things she thought she’d known had been thrown out the window. the party was initially hurt, especially brillin, and gertrude suddenly found herself for the first time Caring about other people and how her actions had effected them, but they eventually forgave her and they continued to all work together to maybe figure out a little more on what was happening

encountering two strange people known as skin man and skeleton man, the party worked with them and eventually learned that skin man also was coming back from the dead, but also seemed to be fading away more and more each time he came back - becoming less of himself and more just a blank husk. eventually skin man went missing, and the party found him by a mysterious machine that could answer questions for them - in exchange for memories

gertrude used it to ask two questions, choosing first between the memories of her time working for flann, her time with the way of white, and her memories of brillin, who she had grown increasingly close with throughout their travels (because gertrude is a Fool and JUST kept jokingly flirting until she fooled around and caught real feelings), eventually choosing the way of white. she then had the option of flann, brillin, or her forgetting the memories and associations that her daggers had with her, eventually choosing daggers

her questions were if the gods cared about her, about people, and then the second was if she, too, was gonna steadily fade away the more she died. she received a simple answer for both - no, and yes 

initially going into another crisis, she soon shock that feeling off and decided on a new course of action, a flame suddenly lighting in her as she realized that she couldn’t rely on the gods anymore, and that it was people, and her new found friends, that she had to rely on. the gods were seemingly uncaring about their current plight, and she would find answers on her own. no longer being shackled by the gods, she would suddenly live as she was meant to - as a person, as a human 

the party eventually fought a couple more demons and, with the help of skeleton man, defeated them. in the aftermath, gertrude and brillin FINALLY smooched and it was RAD, and they later had a roof top discussion about everything and about Them. they came to the conclusion that neither of them really knew what was happening, or what their place in the universe was, and the weight of the inevitably of them both hollowing was ever present, but they wouldn’t focus on that - they would focus on the now, on living as best they could in the moment, and deciding that they would eventually figure things out, and they would do that Together 

dang i didn’t mean to do just a plot summary of that whole campaign so far but i got TOO into talking about gertrude i just……………….. love her so much guys she has learned and grown so much she literally started off as half a joke character i literally threw her concept together 10 minutes before the first session started and she became so!!!!! much more than i could’ve ever expected

anyway my other character is alicia aka the Divine Lady who i cant talk about TOO much because i just started playing her and friends in that campaign follow me and there’s #spoilers but she’s a life cleric who was once a shy awkward little boy named joey who has grown in to a slightly less awkward but no less shy but STRONG woman. she’s a life cleric and JUST wants to help people she’s really caring and is always worried about someone and i love her she’s such a change of pace from my usual edgy characters she is TOO good for this world and has two beautiful lesbian blacksmith moms and a million adopted “cousins” who she all loves dearly 

she’s surprisingly Buff, enjoys blacksmithing (she made all of her armor and weapons), is a big fan of beauty in all forms, is an avid reader, and is constantly writing letters home to her family and keeping a diary of her adventures. she worships lethandar (aka god of birth & renewal) as well as sune (aka goddess of beauty), with the symbol of sune crafted into her shield and her mace designed to have a sun motive for lethandar, and she has big dorky glasses because she’s blind as a bat

some other side characters include primrose my college of swords bard who is JUST primrose from octopath traveler, ailce my water genasi druid that i usually play in one shots who in the most recent one shot i played her in adopted a wonderful child who has bat ears and was NOT appreciated by their parents and she loves them with all her heart, and ari “the banshee” who is a city cleric in a modern space based campaign who is an anarchist and part of a punk rock band 

oh! also i have a tag for gwyn (which is just #gwyn tag) and TWO for gertrude (#former gertrude tag and #gertrude tag, former being for dagger related things since she lost her love of them) and im sure i’ll get an alicia one going! its all just like aesthetic stuff or things i relate to them but you can get a good sense of those characters through those 

[nova-kismet]

just finished the first chapter of a quick little fic i’m writing (based on a couple of characters from the d&d homebrew campaign i’m putting together). figured i’d drop it here on the offchance that anyone would like to read it. more below the cut.

~1~               

“It has come time to serve your family once more.”

Mother’s words still tugged at the corners of my subconscious as I hitched my horse by the Market District gates. With an exhausted sigh, I pulled my plain black cloak closer to my shoulders and made my way from the stables up the darkened flagstone streets. Even for near-midnight on a Sunday, the typically busy center of Starfeld commerce seemed strangely deserted. As nice as it was to be able to make my way up the main path without having to weave through a sea of people, I couldn’t stomach another moment of quiet. At this point I was desperate for anything to distract myself from the thoughts racing through my head.

Just a few feet ahead, a weather worn wooden sign marked my destination; The Crossroads Inn. My home away from home.

A tall, iron-framed wooden door stood before me, flanked by two thick stone columns. I could already hear the soft, lilting tune of a lyre coming from within as I approached, accompanied by clinking dinnerware and muffled voices. Sounds like I had dropped by in the middle of one of Hilda’s weekly performances.

As I stepped inside, the strong scent of heady wine and cooked meats filled my nose. The flames in the gilded lanterns lining the crimson-painted walls were low, bathing the few patrons seated underneath them in a subdued orange glow. The diminutive halfling form of the lyre-wielding bard, Hilda, stood front-and-center of the room, swaying languidly with the tempo of the music that flowed from her fingers. A large stained glass window set into the middle of the ceiling reflected shimmering, multi colored light in an intricate geometric pattern on the floor with the full moon just visible beyond its surface.

I made my way straight to the counter off to the right, which was being tended by a familiar Dragonborn man by the name of Alzax. His scaly brow raised as I approached and sat down on a stool. I could tell I was about to receive an enthusiastic welcome, as I normally did, so I raised a hand to him and smiled. Understanding my intentions, he nodded and grabbed a glass from under the counter. While I normally enjoyed his exuberance, I just wasn’t in the mood for it tonight.

“Evening, Zax.” I said as he began pouring a drink. At this point, I didn’t even have to tell him what I wanted.

“Ezra! I wasn’t expecting you here tonight. How’ve you been?” He placed the white wine in front of me and leaned on his elbows as he responded. I pulled a few gold pieces out of my coin purse and laid them down for him.

“Oh, just splendid,” I replied, almost musing to myself. “This past week has been an absolute shitshow.”

Realization dawned on the red-tinged lizardfolk’s face, and he nodded. “I just heard the news today. You’re gonna end up with some Laurelian princess, right?”

“Regrettably, yes.”

“Ah,” Alzax reached across the counter and gave me a hearty pat on the shoulder as I took a long sip of my drink. “Hang in there, big guy. Arranged marriages never last anyway. And besides, I hear Laurelians are big party people. At least there’s a chance she won’t be boring.”

It took an incredible amount of willpower to keep myself focused on the conversation, as the prospect of my future (or lack, thereof) being the topic is nothing short of exhausting. My so-called “Princely Duties” were precisely what I was trying to distract myself from in the first place.

I sighed and held my head up with the heel of my palm, my other hand focused on halfheartedly swirling the glass of pale alcohol in front of me. “As much as I enjoy the notion of living out the rest of my years in eternal party mode, I think I would prefer to do something that actually matters. I couldn’t care less about some King I’ve only ever met twice at political gatherings.”

“Such is the nature of ruling a nation, my friend. If you inherit the throne, dealing with people you don’t give a rat’s ass about is going to be part of the everyday minutiae.”

“I’d rather give that responsibility to my sister. She seems more patient than I am with these things.”

At that moment, Hilda’s final song finally tapered to an end, eliciting a wave of applause from the modest number of patrons across the room. She bowed, left her tip jar and lyre on the table beside her, and sidled up to the counter, taking purchase on a stool at the other end. Alzax regarded me briefly, then moved to attend to her.

With this newfound solitude, I turned to survey the people behind me, searching for any other familiar faces. They were all strangers this time around, but a group stationed in the corner briefly caught my eye-- there were six of them sitting around two tables they had pushed together, carrying on a lively conversation, each with large steins in their hands. As my gaze passed over them, I couldn’t help but notice one of them staring at me.    

I was met with ocean-blue eyes. The emerald-skinned man making careful eye contact with me had his studded leather boots propped up on the table, his feet crossed at the ankles. Covering his shoulders was a Sea Captain’s coat, open at the chest--inky black with silver and red trim. He appeared to be Triton, which was a rare sight in Fallreven, much less so far inland. His watchful eyes made me the slightest bit unnerved, but at this point in my life I was used to people gawking. I almost had to double-take when I saw a faint, wry smirk play across his lips. Shaking it off, I turned around and went back to emptily watching my drink swirl in its glass.

About an hour passed without major incident. I was beginning to feel restless, and the alcohol sitting in my stomach didn’t help. I bid Alzax farewell and exited the inn, not sure where I was headed next. As long as it wasn’t home.

Once back out on the city streets, I walked to the nearest fenced-in platform overlooking the Twine District below and leaned on it, trying to gather my thoughts.

I knew this arrangement would happen eventually, but now its inevitability hung over my head like a dark stormcloud. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to pretend to be in love with a perfect stranger, just so we received outside help for the war with Zhilthorn. I didn’t even want to broach the subject of having kids.

But, Laurelia has what we need to turn the tides. As much as the thought irks me, I would do almost anything to put an end to this ridiculous fighting.

A few minutes passed as I stared blankly at the sprawling residential district below, the cool Autumn breeze ruffling my hair and playing at the edges of my cloak. I couldn’t help but wonder what life as a working-class commoner was like--what it would be like to wake up each morning and not have three handmaidens fussing over me, dressing me up like a doll. Perhaps a simpler life would be more fulfilling.    

I was about to make my way back to my horse when a shout from a few feet away dragged me from my quiet contemplation.

“Oi! If you were trying to be sneaky, you’re not doing a very good job of it!”

I whipped around to face the source of the voice, then was immediately tackled and pinned down by a brawny, shadowed form--almost taller than myself. As I fell to the ground with it, the sound of quick, distant footsteps pounding across the flagstone towards us met my ears. I hardly had time to recover from the initial shock before the glint of a dagger poised above my throat demanded my immediate attention.

“Fuck!” I cursed as I attempted to free my pinned arms and wriggle out from under the masked man’s crushing weight. The knife came down and I threw my head to the side to dodge it, the sharp steel making hard contact with the stone beside me. Not enjoying being pinned against the cold, hard ground, I reared back and slammed my horns into the assailant’s forehead, eliciting an agonized yell. While he was still recovering from the headbutt, I leveraged my weight against his and threw him off, finally scrambling to my feet.

Before my hand could touch the hilt of the sword sheathed at my side, a lithe figure sped up behind the attacker and pierced a rapier through the back of his throat. The would-be assassin’s hands weakly reached up to the hole in his neck as blood began to trickle down, a wretched gurgle bubbling from his mouth. The blade was pulled from his skin and wiped off with a handkerchief as the man eventually quieted and slumped to the ground, a pool of blood gathering by his head.

I let out the breath I’d been holding in through the entire scuffle, and finally got a good look at my savior--it was the Triton man I had seen at the inn just a few moments ago.

“Shit...What a terrible assassin.” I breathed, mostly to myself. After affixing the thin blade back to a belt under his coat, the Triton let out a soft chuckle.

“I’m sure you had it all handled, I was just feeling generous.” He spoke with a pleasant Northern lilt. If honey was a sound, it would be his voice.

He then reached out and brushed some of the dirt off of my cloak with the same smirk he had given me the first time I saw him. “No way he could’ve taken out a battle-hardened Prince such as yourself, hm?” Before I could open my mouth to respond, he winked at me. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

Something about his face made it difficult to focus and find the right words. I instead found myself blushing under his gaze. “Th...Thanks.” was all I managed to get out. Clearly amused by my floundering, he clicked his tongue as he looked down to the corpse at our feet. “The guards’ll take care of him, right?” he quipped, an ironically light tone to his voice.       

“I should hope so.” I replied as I knelt down by the body and peeled his cape away from his chest. My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted a scroll poking out from a pocket on his hip--an illustration of a boar’s head in profile, surrounded by a wreath of thorny vines marked the heading of the parchment. The crest of one of Zhilthorn’s wealthiest families. The letter contained information for a hit and bounty on my head. Not surprising, but not really enjoyable to read with my own eyes, regardless. I sighed and pocketed the note. “I always knew the Vargharods hated me.” I muttered to myself as I straightened back up to my full height. The still unnamed man watched with a curious glint in his eye. Before he could ask any questions, I stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder.  

“I know we were both just in there, but I believe I owe you a drink…Uh,” I trailed off, just then realizing I didn’t know what to call him.

“Arin. And don’t worry about that, friend. We--or you in particular, should probably stay sober if there could be another hitman on the loose.” he said. My hand dropped back to my side and I nodded, the shock finally wearing off, then the reality of the situation starting to set in.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“If you’re so insistent on repaying me, you could give me a ride up to the palace.” Arin continued. I looked at him for a brief moment, bewildered by his request. 

Seeing this, he pulled a folded note from his own pocket. It bore my family’s seal and the Queen’s own handwriting. “Your ma wanted to see me.” he explained, flashing the note at me.

I suppose I did remember Mother mentioning that she planned on receiving a guest sometime this week. I just nodded and started back on the road toward the Northern Gate. “This way, then.” He followed behind me without a word.     

[classyfoxdestiny]

US Open PIX: Fearless Fernandez knocks out Kerber

US Open PIX: Fearless Fernandez knocks out Kerber

Images from  Day 7 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Sunday.

IMAGE: Leylah Fernandez of Canada celebrates winning her round of 16 match against Angelique Kerber of Germany on Day Seven of the 2021 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on Sunday. Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

Leylah Fernandez brushed aside yet another former champion as the fearless Canadian teenager stormed into the quarter-finals of the US Open on Sunday with a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 win over 16th seed Angelique Kerber.

  It was a precocious and poised performance from Fernandez, who celebrates her 19th birthday on Monday and had already sent a jolt through Flushing Meadows on Friday when she stunned third seed and defending champion Naomi Osaka.

There would be no letdown for Fernandez after the biggest win of her fledgling career, the youngster soaking up the energy from a seething Louis Armstrong crowd after dropping the opening set to three-times Grand Slam winner Kerber.

“Honestly, the crowd has been amazing, so thanks to them I was able to win,” said Fernandez, who next faces fifth seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

“I was just trusting my game. She’s an incredible fighter, incredible player.

“Just putting one more ball back in, fighting, and just having fun on the court.”

IMAGE: Leylah Fernandez, who celebrates her 19th birthday on Monday, had already sent a jolt through Flushing Meadows on Friday when she stunned third seed and defending champion Naomi Osaka. Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

Fernandez had grabbed the early break at 4-2 but could not consolidate it as Kerber, the 2016 US Open winner, broke right back with the help of a pair of double-faults by the Canadian.

Having made the breakthrough, the experienced German quickly took command, winning four straight games to open up a 1-0 lead.

But Fernandez remained unfazed, fist-pumping and screaming with each winner throughout a tight second set that went to a tie-break that she took 7-5.

Kerber, 15 years older than her opponent, countered Fernandez’s enthusiasm with veteran calm and focus, but it was the 73rd ranked Canadian taking charge in the third, sweeping the final five games to clinch a breathtaking victory.

“I think it was a tough one,” said Kerber. “I mean I gave everything I had today. She played I think an unbelievable match, especially in the third set.”

“I think she played also one of her best matches in her career, and she had nothing to lose. “She went out there, she played her tennis. She really is going for her winners.”

Krejcikova beats Muguruza to reach quarter-finals

IMAGE: Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic celebrates winning a set against Garbine Muguruza of Spain during their fourth round match. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Barbora Krejcikova survived a Garbine Muguruza fightback and late injury issue to claim a 6-3, 7-6(4) win and move into the quarter-finals of the US Open on Sunday, while her Spanish opponent’s run at Flushing Meadows ended at a familiar roadblock.

Playing in the US Open main draw for the first time after failing to qualify on five occasions, Czech Krejcikova has suddenly found form on the New York hardcourts, at times looking as comfortable as she did earlier this year on clay winning the French Open.

However, Krejcikova, who called a medical time out late in the second set, looked in distress after the match and was helped off the court by medical staff.

For Muguruza, it was a familiar end to her Flushing Meadows campaign.

IMAGE: Barbora Krejcikova was playing in the US Open main draw for the first time after failing to qualify on five occasions. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The Spaniard has won the French Open and Wimbledon, reached the final in Australia but has failed to reach the quarter-finals at the US Open.

With the clock ticking towards midnight in New York, Muguruza sleepwalked through the early games as Krejcikova surged to a 3-0 lead.

The Spaniard eventually emerged from her slumber but Krejcikova was already in full stride, sweeping through seven straight games to take the opening set and a 4-0 lead in the second at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Muguruza mounted a determined comeback, piling on the pressure to win five games on the trot to move ahead 5-4.

With the score at 6-5 and preparing to serve to force a tie-break, Krejcikova called a medical timeout and left the court clutching her abdomen.

After returning to the court, the Czech held serve to love to force the tie-break, which she easily won 7-4.

Svitolina stays in hunt by beating Halep in fourth round

IMAGE: Elina Svitolina is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year, and is on an eight-match winning streak after triumphing in Chicago last month. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Olympic bronze medallist Elina Svitolina stepped up her bid to secure a first major title when she produced a ruthless performance to dispatch Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth round of the US Open on Sunday.

Following the shock exits of pre-tournament favourites Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka, fifth seed Svitolina will be among those whose chances of triumphing at Flushing Meadows have been boosted and she made sure she stayed in the hunt by getting rid of another multiple Grand Slam champion.

The 12th-seeded Halep, who triumphed at the French Open in 2018 and at Wimbledon a year later, won an epic 33-shot rally in the second game but a dozen unforced errors in the first set handed Svitolina the upper hand.

With the set tied 3-3, the Ukrainian fended off two break points to hold serve, prompting the frustrated Romanian to fling her racquet to the ground.

“In the first set the key game was coming back from 15-40 at 3-All. It was really important to take one point at a time and fight to come back,” Svitolina said. “I think it was really strong performance from me on the important moments.”

Svitolina kept up the momentum in the second set, producing three aces and winning more than 80% of her first-serve points.

She survived a number of long rallies to break the two-time Grand Slam winner’s serve in the seventh game on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Tokyo bronze medallist said she was thrilled to topple “big fighter” Halep as she hopes to reach her first Grand Slam final at Flushing Meadows.

“We really missed you guys,” Svitolina told the fans. “It’s an unbelievable atmosphere each time… I have goosebumps right now.”

The 2019 semi-finalist has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year, and is on an eight-match winning streak after triumphing in Chicago last month.

“I’m playing really aggressive right now. I think the most aggressive I’ve ever been, making lots of winners, serving really good,” she said. “I want to keep this going, feeling that I’m in a good mind.”

Halep, who missed the French Open, Wimbledon, the Olympics after tearing a calf muscle in May, said she felt positive about her performance after getting little playing time in the run up to the year’s final major.

“No pain, no injury. So this is the most important thing,” said Halep, adding that she would speak with her doctors before deciding whether to compete at Indian Wells next month.

“I need a little bit of rest and to reflect a little bit what I have to do better next time against her because always it’s been a tough match with her.”

Alcaraz youngest in Open era to reach men’s quarters

IMAGE: Carlos Alcaraz, who is 18 years and four months old, is eight days younger than Andre Agassi when the American reached the 1988 US Open quarter-finals and semi-finals. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player in the Open era to reach the quarter-finals of the men’s tournament at Flushing Meadows after the 18-year-old Spaniard beat Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 at the US Open on Sunday.

Alcaraz, who is 18 years and four months old, is eight days younger than Andre Agassi when the American reached the 1988 US Open quarter-finals and semi-finals, according to US Open stats.

The Spaniard is also the youngest to reach this stage in New York since Brazilian Thomaz Koch in 1963, five years before the sport turned professional, when the tournament was known as the US Championships.

“It’s really tough to play these kind of matches, to play fifth sets,” Alcaraz told reporters.

“I hope to play more second weeks, to play more quarter-finals of Grand Slams. I didn’t expect to play (in the) quarter-finals here.”

Gojowczyk, 14 years older than Alcaraz and playing in the fourth round of a major for the first time, made a bright start to edge the first set, but was hampered by an injury to his thigh and took a medical timeout midway through the fourth.

The German fought hard but faded badly as the match wore on, labouring behind the baseline as Alcaraz closed out the match with a bagel in the decider, sealing victory in three hours, 31 minutes when Gojowczyk sent a forehand sailing long.

Alcaraz smashed 35 winners and seven aces while winning 15 points at the net, feeding off the energy of the vocal crowd on Grandstand, while his opponent ended the match with a whopping 84 unforced errors.

“In the first sets I thought that I reached my limit physically and mentally. I think the crowd was really, really important for me in this situation,” Alcaraz added.

“I felt the energy of the crowd pushing me up… without the crowd, it couldn’t be possible to be here.”

Next up for the Spaniard is 12th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who dispatched American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Auger-Aliassime breaks down Tiafoe’s defences to reach quarters

IMAGE: Felix Auger-Aliassime celebrates after reaching his second consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final. Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Felix Auger-Aliassime broke through Frances Tiafoe’s defences to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-4 at the US Open on Sunday in a fourth-round battle between two of the sport’s brightest young talents.

Both players came into the tie at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the back of tough five-setters and it was 23-year-old Tiafoe who started the brighter, going up a break after the first game and shutting down all eight of the Canadian’s break point opportunities to go up 1-0.

Auger-Aliassime, 21, came roaring back in the second set, however, winning all but one of his first-serve points and making just four unforced errors to level the match.

Auger-Aliassime, seeded 12th, rocketed four aces in the ninth game of the third set and twice had a chance to close out the set in the 10th but American Tiafoe dug in his heels to hold serve and fire up his fans in the New York crowd.

Feeding off the energy, Tiafoe then went 3-1 up in a tiebreak but Auger-Aliassime battled back before clinching the final three points to close out the set.

Auger-Aliassime broke to kick off the fourth set and immediately fought off three break points to hold his own serve, going on to clinch the match with a forehand winner and reach his second consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final.

Tiafoe left the court to wild applause and his opponent praised his efforts.

“I understand supporting your fellow American — he deserves the applause, he’s done an amazing effort,” he said in an on-court interview.

Tiafoe said there had not been much between them.

“It was a tough start for me – a lot of nerves,” he said. “I played a great second set and then the third set was almost a coin toss.”

Next up for Auger-Aliassime is 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest male player to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in the Open era.

“He’s a great player. At some point, age is just a number and he already feels like a player that’s established,” said the Canadian.

Speedy Medvedev makes quick work of Evans

IMAGE: Daniil Medvedev outclassed Dan Evans of Great Britain in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals for the third year in a row. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Daniil Medvedev fired off 13 aces to end British hope Dan Evans’ US Open challenge with a quickfire 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the fourth round on Sunday.

Evans had survived a fifth set tiebreak against Alexei Popyrin to reach the last 16 but on day seven of the hardcourt major, he was no match for the Russian second seed.

Evans handed Medvedev the early break with a double fault in the fourth game of the first set and never recovered from that setback as the Russian belted 43 winners.

Medvedev, who lost in the final to Rafa Nadal two years ago, closed out the final game of the second set in less than a minute with a pair of aces and a service winner and won all of his first-serve points in the third on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

He sealed the match in one hour and 43 minutes to roars from the rowdy New York crowd, which he won over in a remarkable transformation from villain to fan-favourite in 2019, reaching the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.

“I knew I had to keep my focus from start to finish. I was serving good,” said Medvedev. “I was trying to change up the game, mix up the game, and I’m really happy that I beat such tough opponent with that score and with that much energy left.”

He next faces Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp, who continued his unexpected run in the tournament by taming Argentine battler Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1.

Ticketholders looking to maximize their time inside Flushing Meadows’ famed stadiums would do well to steer clear of the world number two, as he has defeated each of his opponents in under two hours and has yet to drop a set.

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[spinyax]

Hey there!!! I saw the post asking about dnd character questions if we have them and hey!! I would love to hear an absolute infodump about your dnd characters because I love hearing about characterssss

IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED (under a read more bc its uh. very long)

SO starting off we have Orchid, my true neutral tiefling Ranger/Druid!

(art by @.spectralfelinae / @.spectralscribbles go check him out!)

- he has a pet swarm of butterflies and can turn into them since he's a circle of the swarm druid (the butterflies look identical to anyone else but he can identify each and every one of them)

- he doesn't speak! he's not mute, but in his culture they just don't talk. i haven't come up with a specific reason yet so if he comes into a campaign ill just let the dm figure that out lmao. he communicates with magic sign-language and if a spell requires verbal components he just whistles and makes bird calls instead

- he's lived in the forest for his whole life so any modern technology is VERY confusing to him and he's probably stabbed a train before

- one day im gonna hide him in a flower patch to ambush a target and its gonna look sick as hell

- personality wise he's very calm and serene, but also super brutal and unfeeling. kinda like Shinobu from Demon Slayer. (though the butterfly motif is unintentional aksjdhask)

- - -

NEXT we have Taliesin, my neutral good Dragonborn Grave Cleric!

- He has a Russian/eastern european accent

- Taliesin (or tallie) used to be a battle medic in the military before the war ended and left him real fucked up.

- He eventually found sanctuary in a temple devoted to the Eternal Shepherd and became an acolyte, eventually becoming head of the temple

- That's also where he found his son, Galahad! He was left at the temple a la baby left on the steps of a church but instead of a baby its an egg and instead of a church its a death temple. Talie was the only one who remotely knew how to take care of an egg so he was put in charge of it.

- Admittedly, Talie had no fuckin clue how to take care of a kid, and a lot of his parenting techniques were probably fucked up in retrospect (teaching galahad to read via obituaries, teaching him math with bones, playing hide and seek in a cemetery, etc) but he genuinely loves his son and everytime i think about them i cry

- Galahad is grown up now and probably doing something in the world that makes talie proud

- It's not super well shown but talie wears skirts/dresses bc pants are a Hassle for dragonborn so he said fuck it

- He also has a pet bearded vulture named Carry it's short for Carrion) she helps him find stray corpses for him to bless and properly bury

- Personality: Taliesin is basically a healing/support main that's too old for this shit and is 👌 this fuckin close to snapping

- - -

Xyraga Takimros! My first ever dnd character and the one i've changed the most over the years. She's a chaotic neutral half-elf rogue

[aight so i don't have recent art of her so uuuhhhhhh imagine there's a picture here]

- she's a dark skinned half-elf with long dark curly hair in a ponytail with a little bit covering her face. she has 3 scars on her face (one going over the bridge of her nose, one over her left eye bisecting the first scar, and another one on the corner of her chin) and yellow eyes.

- She used to be a member of the Courtyard of Miracles, a thieves/smuggler's den that focused on going out and stealing from rich cities to redistribute to their poor community

- she joined the court because her unofficial dad/caretaker was a founding member and she kinda got in because of that

- i have a whole bunch written on the court and how it was run but all you need to know is that xyra was the one who got stolen goods from point A to point B

- Xyra was a prominent member, known for being the fastest runner and the one who's been caught the least

- That's also where she met Bharu her orc husband. he was a bodyguard for her sometimes when they were transporting goods and eventually fell in love

- one day the courtyard is raided and xyra loses bharu in the chaos, so she's on a quest to find her dumbass husband and get the fuck out of dodge

- she also has a tattoo of a roadrunner bc that was her nickname when she still worked for the court (design isnt finalized but thats the Vibes im going for)

---

Up next is Oni! Oni's a neutral evil tiefling/half-orc/half-demon/????? barbarian/warlock

(i know the sketch is super rough but it gets the idea across)

- Oni is a half-demon/half-orc who's essentially the antichrist. i'll be honest i'm probably not gonna stat her out like a proper PC but i might make her a BBEG if i ever DM (which is super unlikely but the chance isnt 0%)

- Her patron is her dad and they both loath that fact

- Her entire goal in life is to kill enough gods to gain enough power to kill her dad, since he has her lifeforce in the palm of his hand and can decide on a whim if she dies or not and she's not about that shit

- she looked and grew up like a normal orc until she hit puberty, and then all the demon features came in

- She's like, super tall. even for an orc at about 8 1/2-9ish feet

---

THEN we have Halfey! She's my chaotic good high elf monk/bard

[i uh,,,, dont have an actual picture for her but i have a goofy lil sktch that'll just Have to Do]

- she's a dark skinned sun elf with a half-shaved head and bright red/pink curly hair

- she says she's 100 but she's actually only 75 years old (like 16 in Elf years)

- originally she and xyra were going to be twins separated at birth but i decided against it bc that was Too Much

- her parents are both high-ranking nobles and he was supposed to grow to be a proper noblewoman and be a bargain chip to marry some rich duke for the sake of alliances or whatever

- she instead grew up loud and rambunctious as hell and was the exact opposite her parents wanted her to be

- eventually they get fed up with her and sent her to live in a monastery in hopes the strict lifestyle would tame her in some way

- that didn't work lmao and she spent the next few decades miserable before the circus came into town and she snuck out to see it

- she fell in love with the general chaos of the circus and ran away with them, getting a job as a trapeze artist /tightrope walker and occasional dancer

---

FINALLY We have Connie! She's a lawful evil fallen aasimar paladin

[uhhhhh no image here, but one day i will]

- she's a pale-skinned aasimar with short wavy blonde hair done in that marilyn monroe hairstyle and has pure white and slightly glowy eyes. she also has a barely-there halo around her head. she's also got a southern belle accent

- her full name is Condemnation Odette Nancy Delilah Elizabeth Maybelle Newman the Third, but her friends call her Connie

- her deity is the first horseman of the apocalypse, Conquest (or Pestilence depending on who you ask) and she does everything in her power to bring on the end times

- tbh she's more of a joke character that i haven't fully thought out yet but she's fun

[papermoonloveslucy]

TIME BUDGETING

April 22, 1949

“Time Budgeting” (aka “George and His Trained Seals”) is episode #40 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on April 22, 1949 on the CBS radio network.

Synopsis ~ George is so fed up with Liz's being late for everything that he puts her on a strict schedule.

Note ~ This script was the basis for “Lucy’s Schedule” (ILL S1;E33) filmed on April 18, 1952, and first aired on May 26, 1952.  Directed by Marc Daniels. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. 

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

Benadaret had not yet become a series regular, but plays the role she would assume as Iris Atterbury. 

Gale Gordon does not appear in this episode. He had not yet been signed as a regular cast member in the role of Rudolph Atterbury, which is here played by Hans Conried. Coincidentally, however, he is the actor who will play Ricky’s boss, Alvin Littlefield, in “Lucy’s Schedule” on “I Love Lucy” and would eventually speak most of the dialogue here taken by Hans Conried as Mr. Atterbury. 

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Rudolph Atterbury, George’s Boss) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

At this point in the series, the role of Rudolph Atterbury had not yet been assumed by Gale Gordon.

EPISODE

Announcer: “As we look in on the Coopers tonight, we find a familiar domestic drama taking place. They’re invited to the Atterbury’s for dinner. George is standing in the downstairs hall, fully dressed, with his top coat on. Liz is upstairs going through an ancient ritual known to wives as getting ready to go out, and known to husbands as ‘what do they do up there that takes so long?’. Right now George is looking at his watch for the eleventh time.” 

George gets tired of waiting and goes upstairs to discover that she’s still in her slip. He reminds her that the Atterburys like them to be on time.  Liz still hasn’t even chosen an outfit. George gets frustrated waiting for Liz. Just as she’s getting close to ready, she smears her nail polish and has to start all over again. 

LIZ: “I’ll be ready in a minute, dear!”

When she finally gets ready, she discovers him sitting on the bed in his shorts. He has turned the tables on Liz.  

GEORGE: “I’ll be ready in a minute, dear!”

Liz and George pull up to the Atterbury home. They are starving, but luckily George sees them in the living room and thinks they haven’t eaten yet.  George and Liz makes apologies for their lateness. 

They discover that the Atterburys’ have already eaten. Iris (Bea Benadaret) says they prepared pork chops knowing it was Liz’s favorite. Rudolph describes the meal in mouth-watering detail. While Liz would love their maid to prepare her a plate, George insists they have already eaten while waiting for the car to be fixed. 

While Liz and George try to make casual conversation, Liz wolfs down all their after-dinner mints and starts on their fruit bowl.  They foursome decide to go to the movies. Liz isn’t particular about which picture, as long as they sell popcorn. Mr. Atterbury suggests a film at the Strand: Chicken Every Sunday!

LIZ: “Oh, noooo!�� 

Chicken Every Sunday premiered on January 18, 1949. It starred Dan Dailey and Celeste Holm, and featured Roy Roberts (Mr. Cheever) and in an uncredited role, Frank J. Scannell (Buffo the Clown). 

When they get home, George and Liz clean out the ice box, waking up Katie the Maid by their feasting. Katie has put a bowl of her hair wave treatment in the fridge, but Liz has devoured it thinking it was custard. 

LIZ: “Look at us, Katie.  Which stomach has the Toni?” 

Liz is punning on the popular ad campaign of Toni Home Permanents: “Which Twin has the Toni?” The campaign was so overwhelmingly successful, that the phrase could often be found in pop culture, like “My Favorite Husband!”  Liz also joked about the slogan three episodes earlier in “April Fools Day” (episode #37) as well as in “Young Matrons League Tryouts” (episode #11). 

George is still mad at Liz for making them late and embarrassing him about dinner. He insists that she start budgeting her time, just like she budgets her money.  Well, like normal people budget money.

GEORGE: “I’ll make up a  chart for you. Fifteen minutes for this, half an hour for that, ten minutes for something else.” LIZ: “I’ll need more than ten minutes for something else.” 

The next day, the schedule is posted on the kitchen door, but Katie is not eager to be told when to do what. That night, dinner is on the table promptly at six o’clock. She serves George dinner and  breakfast simultaneously to save time the next morning. 

A week later, Liz is thrilled that the time schedule has worked. Liz wants to spend all the free time she has saved smooching with her favorite husband. 

Next day, Mr. Atterbury tells George that the fourth Vice President of the bank is leaving to become a school teacher. He has George in mind for the open position, but is reluctant considering is tardiness at dinner. George says he’s fixed the problem, and has Liz and Katie hopping around like trained seals. He invites Mr. Atterbury over for dinner to prove it.  Mr. Atterbury is eager to show his wife that a home can be run on a schedule, so he accepts. 

Meanwhile, at the Cooper home, Liz gets a visit from Iris, who is appalled to discover that Liz is indeed using a schedule.  Iris calls Liz a ‘Benedict Arnold’ for being a traitor to women everywhere. 

Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) was a general during the American Revolutionary War, who fought for the American Continental Army, and later famously defected to the British Army. The name Benedict Arnold quickly became a byword for treason or betrayal. This comparison is also included in the television version of the script, but spoken by Mrs. Littlefield.  In 1965′s “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (TLS S3;E26), Lucy is angry that Mr. Mooney has also entered (and won) a radio contest after he said it was silly.  She calls him a “banking Benedict Arnold.”

Iris says that George is going around the bank saying he has her running around like a trained seals. This doesn’t sit well with Liz, who tears up the time charts and tells Iris that she is going to make it a dinner to remember.

LIZ: “Trained seals of the world unite.”

At dinner that evening, Liz rushes Mr. Atterbury through small talk, and right to the dinner table, claiming she must keep to schedule. Soup is served, and quickly un-served as Katie clears the plates before anyone can get a spoonful in their mouths. 

Mr. Atterbury finds a shirt button in his water glass. Liz explains that she’s washing the dishes and clothes together.  Katie serves a frozen roast and George finally has had enough.  Mr. Atterbury says that George has the new job. George admits he’s been to strict, and Liz is glad to be a trained seal married to a fourth Vice President!