#lars battle born

[spooky-donut-ghost-house]

I never understood why The Battle-Borns treat The Grey-Manes as if they are poor

I know they're rivals and all but here's the thing

The Grey-Manes much like The Battle-Borns live in The Wind District which is basically where the upper class live save for Amren's family and Carlotta plus The Grey-Manes run the most notorious forge in the country Eorlund is considered the best blacksmith in Skyrim Eorlund makes weapons and armor for The Companions Fralia sells jewelry made by Eorlund Olfina works at The Bannered Mare the only ones who don't have jobs is Avulstein, Thorald and Vignar

Yeah The Battle-Borns run a farm but you can't expect me to believe that a farm makes more money than the most notorious blacksmith in the country who is literally talked about by every single blacksmith in the country even Whiterun's other blacksmith speaks of Eorlund and The Skyforge you really expect me to believe Olfrid's little farm who has so much competition in the hold with Nazeem, Severio Palegia, Sigurd's farm in Riverwood, Vantus Lorius down the road and Rorikstead which is said to be the most thriving farming community in the hold? I know there's like two other blacksmiths in the hold but you can't expect me to believe that Adrienne and Alvor make more money than Eorlund

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (Allora part 3)

Lucia: *holding Allora's hand as they head off to the Gildergleam tree for her to say goodbye to it and her friends, waving at Mila and Lars as she spies them hanging out* Hi!

Mila: *perks up, waving back* Hey! Hello Ms. Lucia's mom!

Allora: *smiles and chuckles* Hello dear.

Mila: *to Lucia* Are you ready to play? You've been home for a while.

Lars: Did you get sick?

Lucia: Oh, no, we've been packing! We're going to visit Lucien-papa's parents in Cyrodiil!

Allora: *brushes Lucia's hair behind her ear* They're your grand parents now, you know. I'm sure they'll be very excited to meet you.

Lucia: *visibly vibrating at the concept of having such a big family* I hope so!!

Lars: *frowns* Wait... how long will you be gone?

Allora: We're not entirely sure yet, but upwards of a month, maybe two. We'll be travelling along Bruma and the Imperial City for some time.

Mila: *frowns* Oh... that's a long time.

Lucia: *deflates a little, realizing she had friends for the first time and that they'd miss her* Um... I'll try to send letters. Can we, mama?

Allora: *hums, tilting her head* We could certainly try. Couriers aren't exactly faster than we are. But, if you'd like, we can find your friends some souvenirs while we're gone.

Lars: *furrows his eyebrows* Soo-ven-ears? What are those?

Allora: *chuckles* Souvenirs. Gifts, while you're out travelling. Something that reminded you of someone while you were away, and give them when you return.

Mila: *blinks* Really? That's... really kind, Miss! Thank you! *smiles at Lucia* I'm excited to see what you bring back!

Lars: Me too!

Lucia: *smiles, squeezing Allora's hand in thanks* I'll bring back something really cool! For both of you!

Mila: When are you leaving?

Allora: We'll be heading out the day after tomorrow. We still have some packing to do, but Lucia wanted to say a proper farewell.

Lars: *hops off the bench and hugs Lucia* We'll miss you!

Mila: *hurriedly joins him in the hug* Yeah! We'll miss you lots!

Lucia: *swallowing thickly and slips her hand from Allora's to hug them back* I'll... miss you guys too.

Allora: *holding her hands in front of her chest, trying to keep from tearing up* Oh my heart...

[whencyclopedia]

Lars Porsenna

Lars Porsenna was the semi-legendary Etruscan king of Chiusi who famously attacked and probably occupied Rome c. 508 BCE when the city had just exiled its last king and was moving towards becoming a republic. His extravagant tomb is described by Pliny but has never been found.

Details of the early life of Lars Porsenna (also spelt Larth Porsina), his accession, and even the dates of his reign are all lacking. This is perhaps not surprising for a figure who is more legend than fact. He sprang into history only via the records of Greek and Roman historians writing centuries after his lifetime and who were only concerned with his infamous siege of Rome. More is known of his kingdom Chiusi, Etruscan name Clevsin and Clusium to the Romans, which was a powerful city in central Italy and a prominent member of the Etruscan League. The growth and prosperity of Chiusi in precisely the period of Porsenna's reign is attested by archaeological evidence.

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (the 'Proud') was a member of the Etruscan Tarquinii clan from Tarquinia. He was Rome's seventh, and in the event, last king. Following his tyrannical reign and the rape of the Roman noblewoman Lucretia by Tarquinius' son Sextus and her subsequent suicide, the aristocrats of Rome, led by Lucius Iunius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, persuaded the assembly to exile their king in 510 BCE. Brutus and Collatinus declared themselves Rome's first consuls, and the Roman Republic was born. However, Tarquinius was actually away laying siege to Ardea at the time of his exile vote and so was still both willing and able to make a serious attempt to retake his throne. Tarquinius first joined forces with the Etruscan cities of Cerveteri, Tarquinia, and Veii. A combined force attacked Rome but was defeated at the battle of Silva Arsia. Undeterred Tarquinius then convinced Lars Porsenna, to lay siege to Rome c. 508 BCE.

Continue reading...

[omegatheimmortaldragonborn]

Character Study: Idolaf Battle-Born

Because I'm tired of seeing how quickly people kill him off, let's see if I can get myself to understand why you would OR show you why you shouldn't.

Feel free to request a character study in my ask box! It will help me keep track of them!

Neurological traits & Personality

There's a good chance he's neurodivergent, please bare with as I'm using my own experiences with this.

This isn't to say this is how all ND people act, although I shouldn't have to clarify that

He has a strong sense of justice - we see this with the imperial legion, he's a very strong supporter

He seems to lack the ability to feel empathy - eg. When talking to Fralia at the market (this isn't to say this applies to all ND people, as some experience quite the opposite)

While this could be just the voice acting, his voice lacks emotion (which i personally struggle with)

He doesn't actually seem to hate the Gray-Manes, only their choice in support. There's no dialogue in game where he insults or "drags" any of the family members. While yes, he can say he wants to throw Avulstein in jail, this can be linked back to the strong sense of justice

THORALD!!! He was looking into it himself, and if your speech is high enough you can persuade him to tell you. While his reasoning is blurry, it can be presumed he asked about because of concern. He mentions that they used to be friends, no doubt close too.

He knew the risks of asking about him, and he tells us he was told to mind his business but kept pushing for an answer

He believes letting the Gray-Manes think Thorald died would've been easier than telling them that no, he's alive, held captive by the Thalmor, in a place where you don't ever come out, and probably being tortured. - sense of Justice AGAIN

He gives you the letter anyway, too!

The market scene reinforces the lack of empathy theory, and the strong sense of justice, because he clearly cared enough about Thorald to go asking about him, had his answers (worse case scenario ones too) and came to the conclusion she was better off not knowing.

I think people tend to forget he grew up around the Gray-Manes too, so he's going to know their character alot better than the DB ever will.

Fralia already seems heartbroken over him going missing, which is probably why he made the decision not to tell her.

Often considered prideful, for example - would rather bend his knee to Ulfric than ask Eorlund for help. Again though, he grew up with the Gray-Manes and so them not picking the same side he did probably hurt like a bitch. (Sense of justiceeee)

Parenting

This part is the only part where I can fully understand why people may not like him as Lars is still being bullied.

There may be multiple reasons for this

Lars hasn't told him - very unlikely though since Alfhild (Idolafs wife) knows about it but he may just be closer with her

Has a more traditional approach to it, and tries to get him to stand up to her, which is most likely as it seems to be a common theme throughout Nords in general that you handle your own problems.

He has spoken to Armen and/or Sapphia about Braiths behaviour, but nothing came of it. Which to be fair is also a decent possibility, as someone who has been bullied most of my school life, typically parental intervention never really helps 💀

Other than that, he seems to try a decent amount. He tries to keep Lars out of trouble with the guards (climbing Dragonsreach cannot be legal 💀🤣), and Lars is outside most of the day too so he probably encourages him to play with the other kids in the hold. (Maybe not braith but yknow)

Anyway, if there's something I've missed feel free to leave a reply, I'm happy to try and explain them some more! :> not that I'm expecting anyone to see this like who actually scrolls Idolaf's tag 💀

Me, I do :)

[stargazing-sapphire2]

Full Name: Gunnar Akseli Pääkkönen

Date of Birth: June 16th, 1905. Lapland, Finland

Date of Death: February 1st, 1947.

Nationality: Finnish

Occupation: Finnish Defense Forces

Rank(s): Captain

Age: 42 years old (at time of death)

Family / Relatives:

-Unnamed father (Deceased)

-Unnamed mother (Deceased)

-Svetlana Attila - Wife (Deceased)

-Lars Pääkkönen - Son (Alive)

-Aleksi and Sveta Pääkkönen - Grandchildren (Alive)

Appearance:

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Brown

Height: 6'5 / 195 cm

Scars/ Beauty marks / blemishes: A scar across the bridge of his nose; his nose is somewhat crooked due to it having been broken when he was 15 and it never healed properly.

Faceclaim: Clive Standen

Personality:

To all those that know him, Gunnar is a closed book, metaphorically speaking. He is not one to be open with his emotions and wishing to keep them under wrap, nor is he someone you would seek comfort for. Due to his trauma from childhood, he has difficulty trusting people and opening up to them, but give him a good reason to trust you, and he will watch your back until the very end.

Background:

Gunnar was born on June 16th, 1905 in Lapland, Finland. By the time of his birth, Finland had still been under the control of Imperial Russia. His father was a soldier in the imperial Navy, while his mother was a sex worker whom his father had laid with for one night, and never saw the other again, the man being unaware of his son's existence. By the time the first World War engulfed Europe, his father would later die in combat, while his mother passed on due to illness, leaving him orphaned. He would later be brought into an orphanage with other children, of which various forms of abuse by the caretakers would take place. At age 14, Gunnar eventually ran away in the dead of night to start a new life for himself, although he would forever be left with the scars and painful memories of that place.

At age 18, Gunnar joined the Finnish Army.

In 1929, Gunnar married his wife Svetlana Attilan, a farmer's daughter who had been sweet on in their late teens. They had a happy marriage, and in 1935, they had a son, whom Gunnar would name Lars, his father's pride and joy.

In 1939, the Soviets invaded Finland, kick-starting what would be known as the Winter War, with Gunnar bidding his family goodbye to answer the call to defend his country. Into the conflict, Gunnar was captured during an ambush and sent to a POW camp in Russia, where he underwent physical and psychological torture. When the League of Nations had expelled Russian forces from the country, Gunnar was released alongside several other of his comrades, however, he would never be the same, following the Lapland War and watching many of his friends die in battle.

By the time Gunnar returned home, he was but a shell of his former self, broken and scarred from war. This dark cloud would overshadow the joy of his family, and would subsequently effect them negatively.

To cope with the grief and pain, Gunnar turned to alcohol, as a way to drown his sorrows and escape the nightmares, only for it to fuel the pain. There were times that Gunnar would become so drunk that he wouldn't recognize Svetlana's face, much less Lars'. There were times that he would also turn violent, and while Svetlana did her best to shield her son from it, Lars would still catch glimpses of it all, of his mother's tears, of his father's rage and pain. Something that would haunt him for years to come.

On February 1st, 1947, Gunnar's body would eventually be found in an old chapel a few miles away from his home, having been found by a passing hunter. The cause of his death is undetermined to this day, whether he drank himself to death, froze on the steps in the frigid air, or took his own life, but Lars speculates that his father had simply allowed himself to die, either out of guilt for what he had done or to finally rid himself of the torment.

Years after his passing, Lars looks back on his last years of his father's life, and only hopes that whatever afterlife there is, that Gunnar found peace after a lifetime of suffering.

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Lucia: You’ll have to use your instincts.

Lars Battle-Born: About that . . . I, uh, don’t have any.

[illuminatedquill]

Well, that was certainly a finale.

Initial thoughts below (SPOILERS AHEAD):

Ahsoka 1x08:

THE JEDI, THE WITCH, AND THE WARLORD

I’m a bundle of many emotions but first -

Look, nothing’s over. Okay? Filoni is clearly playing a long game here with these characters. So let’s all calm down and wait for the next season.

There was simply too much to show in this final episode for it to be satisfying on every front. I think, for the most part, he succeeded in ending this first season and setting up What Comes Next.

But I do feel like some of the character stuff was resolved a little too neatly, in my opinion.

There’s such potential in these relationships and I feel like Filoni was laser focused on getting the groundwork laid down for the future. And it’s Big.

(THE MORTIS GODS ON PERIDEA. ANAKIN FORCE GHOST. I SCREAMED WHEN I SAW IT.)

I’m not 100% pleased with where Sabine ended up and the fact that she just irrevocably altered the fabric of her home galaxy due to her decision seemed to have been glossed over by Ahsoka and STILL not found out by Ezra.

I mean, there’s HUGE ramifications from what she did. And I’m worried that none of it will be played out to it’s proper devastating conclusion.

Yet, I’m willing to let it slide because it’s clear that there will be more. So, we just have to wait.

Also, the exploration of why Sabine made her choice was never addressed. At least, not in a way that was satisfactory to me. Again, I’m hoping that’s explored in the future . . . but I don’t know.

Even Thrawn was confused about her decision! He couldn’t understand it. And this is Thrawn we’re talking about.

How can you not interpret everything Sabine did in this season as being driven by something more than just friendship. Even the casual fans picked up on it.

(It’s me! I’m the casual fan. Didn’t ship it before and then I saw the first Ahsoka trailer and it suddenly clicked.)

She officially cemented her place in the Disaster Lineage when she made the choice to hand over the map to Baylan! Gambled the fate of an entire galaxy just for the chance to see Ezra again!

That’s peak romance! Literally have not seen a character’s choice forever alter the future on a galactic scale of this magnitude since the main man, Anakin Skywalker, himself!

All for love!

And, yeah, I know the Wolfwren fans are pleased with Shin also being on Peridea. I know Filoni is on the record being against an Ezra/Sabine romance (at least during Rebels, which made sense at the time to me) but I don’t see that pairing being a thing.

We’ve gotten prime examples of healthy, loving, supportive romance from him: Sabine’s parents, Kanan and Hera, Ezra’s parents.

Shin would need to mellow out her murderous nature by 100% to be friends with Sabine. If that happens, I would be cool with it.

Don’t see her doing that anytime soon with her last scene being that. She’s too power hungry.

Other thoughts:

Fantastic battle scenes - highlight being the final duel between Morgan and Ashoka. She went out like a fighter.

Thrawn was excellent, as always. Lars Mikkelsen was born to play this role. His cold, calculating menace is balanced perfectly by some flickers of emotion here and there; the regret when he asked Morgan to stay and his annoyance at Ahsoka escaping his hellfire.

Eman is Ezra. Fantastic casting.

As for Natasha as Sabine . . .

I want more from her. Just more of her as Sabine, forever and always. Still my favorite character on the show. I think there’s more emotional depths to be explored (LIKE HER FEELINGS FOR EZRA) but I’m putting that on Filoni.

(. . . This post is a mess. Sorry for rambling. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same.)

Just want to emphasize that it’ll probably be fine. Nothing’s been decided, one way or the other. And the success of this season should hopefully guarantee more of these beloved characters on our screens soon enough.

And, well, there’s nothing a good fanfic can’t fix. I expect we’ll be seeing plenty of those after this.

[inspofromancientworld]

Lays of Ancient Rome and its Ancient Origins

By Photograph by MichaelMaggs; original artist unknown. - Own photo of original book cover, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2198606

Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) 1st Baron Macaulay was a British poet and historian who also served as the Secretary at War and Paymaster General. He was born in Scotland, England, India, then returned to Scotland at the end of his life via Rome.He started the Lays of Ancient Rome, a collection of poems that he started while in India and continued as he went through Rome before publishing them in 1842. He wrote an introduction to each Lay, identifying the myths, legends, and history that he addresses in the poem.

By John Reinhard Weguelin - Scan of Illustration from book "The Lays of Ancient Rome", Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2711627

The first Lay, Horatius, talks about how Publius Horatius Cocles, Spurius Larcius, and Titus Herminius held the Sublican bridge, which crossed the Tiber at Rome, against Lars Porsena, the King of Clusium, a Etruscan city, who were at war with the Romans. The bridge was the only crossing the Tiber into Rome and Rome itself was poorly defended.

By John Reinhard Weguelin - Scan of Illustration from book "The Lays of Ancient Rome", Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2711862

The second Lay, The Battle of Lake Regillus, is about the titular battle which takes place after the retreat of King Lars, when Rome was under threat of the Latin League, a confederation of villages around the Latium area near Rome and led by Lucius Tarquinius Supberbus, the deposed king of Rome, and his son and son-in-law. It imitates Homer's style from the Iliad as it describes battles, which only is ended by the descent of Castor and Pollux, the twin gods of sailors and horsemanship, who were later set up as Gemini in the night sky.

By Giovanni Folo after Vincenzo Camuccini - Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC•Catalog: https://library.nga.gov/permalink/01NGA_INST/1p5jkvq/alma991742963804896, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108018319

The third lay, Virginia, tells the story of Virginius' only daughter, Virginia. He was a poor farmer and Appius Claudius, a member of Rome's upper class (the patrician class) and member of the ruling body, the decemvirs, who lusted after Virginia, who is portrayed as 'beautiful and virtuous'. He claims she is a run away slave, knowing the judge is in his purse (pockets weren't quite a thing yet as they appeared in approximately the 13th century). Her father is determined to save her by any means, even death. The result is a change to laws.

The next is the Prophecy of Capys, which tells the story of Romulus and Remus returning to their grandfather, Capys. Capys is a blind man who then has a prophetic vision of Romulus' descendants victories in the Pyrrhic and Punic wars, making them great.

You can read the Lays here.

[scotianostra]

Happy birthday Scottish actor Hugh Ross.

Ross was born in Glasgow on 28th April 1945, where his parents were both doctors. He was educated at The Glasgow Academy. Hugh continued his education at St. Andrew's University for two years, where he became interested in drama, dropped out of his course, and, after working as a teacher, enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Hugh has a long and distinguished career in theatre, film, radio and television.

TV credits include The Team with Lars Mikkelsen, An Honourable Woman, Poirot, Absolutely Fabulous, Midsomer Murders, The Palace, and notably as Major Mungo Munro in Sharpe’s Gold, Sharpe’s Battle and Sharpe’s Sword.

Outlander fans will know him as Arch Bug,, he was a recurring character in the popular series.

Hugh’s films include Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, Patriot Games (with Harrison Ford), Trainspotting, Charlotte Gray (with Cate Blanchett), Before You Go (with Tom Wilkinson and Julie Walters), The Four Feathers (with Heath Ledger), and most recently The Iron Lady and Sunset Song.

Recent theatre productions include Twelfth Night for English Touring Theatre, Macbeth with James McAvoy, Hamlet with John Simm, 5/11 at Chichester, Pyrenees for Paine’s Plough at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Pinter’s The New World Order at the Brighton Festival, Waste at the Almeida Theatre.

His production company, The Other Cheek, in association with Cahoots Theatre Company, recently presented a revival of J.B. Priestley’s The Roundabout, which Hugh directed, at the Park Theatre, London, which subsequently played a season in New York . Hugh also recently redirected the West End production of The Mousetrap at the St. Martin’s Theatre.

Hugh has also narrated a number of books that are available through audible website.

[sonofthedunes]

ok. ok. i’ve teased it long enough: it’s time to meet my star wars oc. if you’re interested, venture below the cut…

and here she is: andrie mykarrah of tatooine. her faceclaim is saoirse ronan, specifically in her role as jo in little women-when i began to consider what andrie looked like, this face appeared to me immediately and just fit. (saoirse is perhaps my favorite young actress working today, and in fact auditioned for rey in tfa!) i’m not going to lay out her whole life story for you here, but i’ll tease out some facts for you-and if it piques your interest, she’ll be a character in my next one-shot! for it may shock you to know that she’s luke’s love interest in my little fancanon. :p

born in 19 ABY, about 3 weeks after the twins. of her mother’s eight pregnancies, she was the only surviving full-term child

Andrie’s mother was never especially maternal and abandoned the family when Andrie was eight; they saw each other only occasionally afterward. Andrie’s father loved her but was never around much; he died when Andrie was 13. she was raised on the mykarrah farm with her great-grandmother, grandmother and two uncles

by her own admission is rather hotheaded and temperamental, fighting when cornered and gathering every scrap of agency she can in her sheltered world. this can serve her well in combat later, but admittedly she must work hard to control it

is force-sensitive, but this was suppressed for much of her early life. had at least one relative who was murdered for displaying force powers, and her grandmother feared what might happen to the family if her abilities became known

encountered Luke a few times when they were children, but only properly met him when they were 18 and he came to her farm with his aunt and uncle…because the older women were trying to marry Andrie off in order to continue the family line

of course the marriage didn’t happen (Owen vehemently objected to his nephew being treated like breeding stock), but Luke and Andrie discovered they were kindred spirits who yearned for life beyond the desert and over the course of the next year became friends (of which they both have precious few). neither of them know it, but this is the force guiding the future builders of the new jedi order together…the whole slowly falling in love thing is just a bonus

when the news of the lars’ murder reaches her, Andrie assumes Luke’s been killed too and in her grief vows to travel the galaxy for both of them, no longer willing to allow others to control her life. she runs away from home and makes her way to mos eisley, where in her search for a ship she comes upon a certain corellian freighter on which to stow away…

and thus begins a journey on which Andrie helps rescue a princess, joins the rebel alliance, reaches at least the rank of lieutenant (possibly higher?), becomes a head of the reconnaissance team, sees planets and battles beyond her wildest dreams, recognizes her worth as a woman and soldier, feels accepted for perhaps the first time in her life, fights for an end to tyranny…and eventually opens herself to the power of the force, becoming both padawan and bride to luke. their love, which bloomed in a desert and was solidified by a whirlwind rescue mission, changes the jedi order forever and shakes the stars. not bad for two farm kids.

that’s enough to start on i think :p i’m always open to questions about Andrie, so feel free to drop them in the inbox! and thank you all for indulging me

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (Kaidan part 9)

Lucia: *warily playing around the flowers of the Gildergleam again, ushered to play by both her fathers, visibly wilting as badly as the crushed flowers from two days ago* ....

Lars: *running around with Mila, laughing, before spying Lucia, and perks up* Hey!

Lucia: *jolts and looks at him fearfully, though soothed lightly by Mila's presence after being told she got her papa* ...hi.

Mila: Hey! You look a lot better. Are you okay?

Lucia: *swallows and nods, turning back to the flowers* Mhm. My papas took care of me. You don't have to stick around. I'm sure Braith would hate that.

Lars: *wrinkles his nose* Braith's a bully! I heard what she did to you. I'm real sorry. The name's Lars! I'm a Battle-Born!

Lucia: *smiles a little, relaxing a bit* ...hi. My name's Lucia. *blinks, thinking for a moment* ...I don't know if I have a last name.

Mila: You don't know?

Lucia: Well, my mama isn't married to my papas yet. So I don't know if I take her last name, or if I take theirs- but I don't know which Papa's last name I'd take. *scrunches her face* I don't think some of them have a last name...

Lars: *stars in his eyes* How many papas do you have??

Lucia: *counting on her fingers* Um... four. Just one mama. *smiles softly* I love them a lot. They saved me from being an orphan. I'm real grateful.

Mila + Lars: *lightly blushing, glancing at each other*

Lars: That's really cool. Um... do you wanna play tag?

Mila: With us? *flushes as Lars gives her a confused look, shrugging*

Lucia: *perks up, blinking in surprise* Wait... really? But... Braith...

Mila: As far as I've heard, her parents were really angry about her hurting you, so she's in time out. It's just us.

Lars: Yeah, and if she does try to hurt you again- I'll... uh... get help!

Lucia: *giggles, standing up* My papa- er... Tali-papa has been teaching me hand to hand combat. I can take her. *sticks her nose up like Kaidan, crossing her arms* She hits like a milk-drinker.

Mila: *snorts, covering her mouth, giggling*

Lucia: *flushes, slumping a bit* ...Okay. Maybe harder than a milk-drinker.

Mila: O-oh, no, I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you...

Lucia: *looks at her quizzically* What were you laughing at then?

Mila: *too shy to say she was laughing at how cute Lucia looked, turning her head away* Um... because you're it! *reaches over and tags Lucia before bolting*

Lars: *jolts, chasing after her* Wait up!

Lucia: *blinks, shakes her head and smiles, racing after them* I'm going to get you!

[klirk-hammurton]

February 10, 1962

On this day, we celebrate what would have been the 61st birthday for Clifford Lee Burton. Cliff Burton was an American musician/bassist for heavy metal band, Metallica. He was famously known for his infamous bass rifts in songs such as For Whom The Bell Tolls, Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth), and Orion.

Born in Castro Valley, California, Cliff grew up in a fairly normal life until tragedy struck after his 13th birthday when he lost his elder brother Scott. The tragedy lead Cliff to pick up the bass permanently and become the bass player to exist. With influences from his brother and also Rush bassist Geddy Lee, Cliff would practice for hours on end to make his brother proud.

After high school, Cliff entered college where he joined his first official band, Trauma. After winning battle of the bands in 1982, things got boring for him. That is until future bandmates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich head hunted him to join their amateur band, Metallica.

Cliff shredded away on his bass, earning himself his rightful spot in Metallica to replace former bassist Ron McGocney. Bass became his life passion, and so did touring. There was only one thing Cliff loved more than his music: being home. As much of a thrashing metal head he was, Cliff was known to be quite the homebody.

After tragedy struck in 1986, the world was stripped away of his talent, leaving behind an unforgettable memory that'll remain in the hearts and minds of Metal Heads around the globe. February 10, 2018, his birthday had officially become known as Cliff Burton Day within the music community. Today is not to be a day for us to be sad of his memory, but to be grateful for the memories that remain to keep his spirit alive. At only 24 years old, Cliff truly did become the best bassist to have lived in the music community.

[thebonnevillegamepodcast]

It's time to learn a little more about our lead characters!

Araminta "Minty" Lam

Full Name: Araminta Joy Lam Nicknames: Minty, Mint, and the Spooky Girl Age: 25 Birthday: November 22 Pronouns: She/Her Gender: Female Orientation: Bisexual Height: 5’4” Nationality: Chinese and Filipino American Religion: Spiritual but not religious  Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Occupation: Supernatural Podcaster (The Night Owls of Philly) and Graphic Designer Face Model: Lydia Shum and Joyce Cheng Voice: Rachanee Lumayno

Minty is excitable and bubbly. She's a kind-hearted, friendly, and cheerful spooky goth girl. She can be one-track minded, especially when it comes to anything related to the supernatural. This can make Minty seem rude when she’s just bulldozing right past someone’s point or attempt at changing the topic. She’s a little too confident in her knowledge of the occult, believing she can handle whatever is thrown at her because she’s seen a lot of scary movies. She’d never be “stupid” like a horror movie character would be.

She’s a healthy skeptic. She doesn’t believe everything she hears and prefers to investigate before she buys into something. She knows there are a lot of scam artists out there that will take advantage of people who believe in the supernatural.

Minty desperately wants to find proof of ghosts and the afterlife. So far, she’s come up empty and that disappoints her.

She is very family oriented and gets along with most of her family. Her father passed away when she was young, and she currently lives with her mom and older sister.

Likes: Her friends and family, horror and sci-fi, romcoms, queer media, socks, laughing at Hallmark movies with her mom and sister, scary stories, podcasts, podcasting, autumn, rainstorms, MST3K, rock, death rock, goth rock, post punk, rockabilly, coffee shops, and video games

Dislikes: Humidity, feet, styrofoam, doing laundry, glue smell, cold fries, wearing pants, beer, fatphobia, and flies

Favorite Foods: Grilled Cheese and Pickle Sandwiches, Siopao Asado, Picarones, Hong Kong Egg Tarts, Egg and Banana Roti, Mooncakes, and Wawa Soft Pretzels

Favorite Drinks: Boba Milk Tea and Amaretto Sour

Favorite Animal: Bats

Favorite Color: Green

Laura Bates

Full Name: Laura Marion Bates Nicknames: Laurie, Lulu, Lars, and Lala Age: 25 Birthday: March 4 Pronouns: She/Her Gender: Female Orientation: Lesbian Height: 5’6” Nationality: Black American Religion: Agnostic, but exploring Witchcraft Place of Birth: Somewhere in Pennsylvania (It'll be revealed later!) Occupation: Supernatural Podcaster (The Night Owls of Philly) and Accountant Face Models: Bern Nadette Stanis and Cicely Tyson Voice: Krystal Gem

While Laura’s love of all things supernatural and macabre could rival Minty’s, she’s a lot less excitable. She’s sarcastic with deadpan sense of humor without being cynical. Laura is blunt about her opinions, but she has some sense of tact. She can be just as dorky as Minty and she feels absolutely no shame about it. Life is too short to worry about what other people think.

Laura is a natural born leader. She’s talented and brilliant, but she doesn’t trust people easily. Minty and Ingrid are the only two people she truly trusts. She struggles with her self-worth and PTSD, preferring to fight her inner demons in private. Laura doesn’t reach out for help nearly as often as she should. She is a lot better at helping other people with their problems and she’s a humanitarian at heart.

Likes: The macabre, scary movies, Halloween, autumn, the countryside, small cottages and cabins, farms, theme parks (especally abandoned ones), sci-fi, the Star Battles franchise, terrible YA romance books and movies, murder mysteries, punk rock, reading, books, video games, dark academia, and cottagecore

Dislikes: Talking about her past, washing dishes by hand, heights, parking, this economy, balloons, and sports

Favorite Foods: Seafood, Croquettes, Chocoflan, Philly Cheesesteak, Sweet Potato Muffins, Pineapple Salsa, and Guava Pastries

Favorite Drinks: Strawberry Mint Tea and Long Island Iced Tea

Favorite Animal: Horses

Favorite Color: Orange

Ingrid Sullenberger

Full Name: Ingrid Ellen Sullenberger Nicknames: Inga, Ingri, and Ing Age: 24 Birthday: February 22 Pronouns: She/Her Gender: Female Orientation: Pansexual Height: 5’3" Nationality: White American (German, Norwegian, and English) Religion: Pagan Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Occupation: Supernatural Podcaster (The Night Owls of Philly) and Tattoo Artist Face Models: Macha Méril and Lynn Lowry Voice: Kat Walker Shea

Ingrid is soft-spoken and timid. She can be shy, but once she feels comfortable, she loves to talk! She seems like she would be the polar opposite of Minty, but she’s just as into horror, spooky things, and alternative culture. She just also really likes cutesy things and romance movies.

Most of her tattoos are also very easy to hide with clothing, making her appear more conservative than she actually is. While she's gained respect in the tattoo community, she does still stick out like a sore thumb among her own.

She’s a pushover and she lacks assertiveness. While she’ll always come through in a clutch, she is the easiest to scare. She must overcome her intense fears to help Minty go toe-to-toe with O'Malley the Smiling Demon. She's the type of person who forces herself to power through her terror. Ingrid is incredibly kind and she has a strong sense of empathy.

She believes in the paranormal and she takes it deathly serious. She will often butt heads with Minty over not being cautious enough. She and Laura don't always agree on matters of the supernatural, but immensely respect each other.

Likes: Tattoos, tattoo artistry, drawing, paganism, witchcraft, scary movies, Halloween, Christmas, romance movies, cute accessories, stuffed spiders, sweets, animals, autumn, sweaters, musicals, cinema history, the beach, forests, and winter

Dislikes: Disrespecting the occult, standing up for herself, baking or cooking, animatronics, sand (it gets everywhere), and bitter foods

Favorite Foods: Strawberries, Hidden Rose Apple Toast, Pasta, Black Bean Burgers, Tacos de Papa, Potato Soup, and Russian Honey Cake

Favorite Drinks: Thai Iced Coffee and Mai Tai

Favorite Animal: Spiders

Favorite Color: Blue

Rebecca "Bex" McQuoid

Full Name: Rebecca Elspeth McQuoid Nicknames: Bex, Beck, and Becka Age: 36 Birthday: October 5 Pronouns: She/Her Gender: Female Orientation: Pansexual Height: 5’6” Nationality: White American (Scottish, Irish, and German) Religion: Atheist  Place of Birth: Bonneville, Pennsylvania Occupation: Cook at Bonneville Podcasters' Retreat Face Models: Melanie Papalia Voice: Kat Walker Shea

Bex is a little weird. You have to be a little weird when you’re raised in a white trash family in the middle of nowhere. Bex is intelligent, but flippant. Not very many things upset her, but when they do anger her, she goes from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye. She can typically diffuse tense situations simply by a lack of reaction or by telling a joke. She generally keeps a cool head, so much so it seems like she doesn’t care. In reality, she’s tired. She’s seen some shit and she is over it.

She's friendly yet apathetic to most people when she meets them at first. She doesn't hate a lot of people either. Someone would really have to press her buttons or give her a reason to hate them. She struggles to trust people on a deeper level, yet she continues to seek out connection with others. Under all her bluster, she has a good heart. She's just used to taking care of herself with little to no help from anybody else.

She’s blunt, but she’s never intentionally hurtful. Sometimes she just sucks at wording herself. She’s never been one to brush off someone else’s hurt feelings with “I’m just being honest” either.

Her life is mostly ruled by giving into the existential dread and some form of nihilism, which can make it difficult for her to form and maintain relationships with people.

Likes: Her dog and cat, animals, money, cooking, baking, discovering new recipes and foods, working out, being outside, collecting cookbooks, oat milk, and reading

Dislikes: Cops, debt collectors, working customer service, large crowds, amusement parks, almond milk, and being seen as “soft”

Favorite Foods: Homemade Bread, Macarons, Brownies, Kimchi Carbonara, Paella, Bobotie, and Pretzel Pot Pie

Favorite Drinks: Vanilla Lattes and Corpse Reviver

Favorite Animal: Cats and Dogs

Favorite Color: Pink

[aardvark-123]

~Excessively Twee Skyrim Headcanons: Whiterun Edition~

Irileth is an honourary big sis to the entire Whiterun guard brigade. Commander Caius is only a little bit jealous of the respect she commands among them.

Despite her usual miserable attitude, Saffir managed to give her daughter Braith one decent piece of advice: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. This led Braith to try to woo Lars by making him an apple pie.

Picture Braith, red-faced and scowling terribly, holding out a pie for poor Lars. "J-just eat it, you stupid milk-drinker! I need you to be strong so you can fight back... or something! Would you prefer horker and ash yam stew?! I-I don't care if you'd prefer horker and ash yam stew!"

Whiterun has a population of 512,830 if you count the farms and meaderies in the Greater Whiterun Metropolitan Area.

There never seem to be any vampires in Whiterun. There have been an alarming number of reported werewolf sightings in the city, mostly from drunkards and people up late, yet no actual attacks. It is said that creatures of the night dare not come to Whiterun because they know the Companions are there; make of that what you will.

There's a fancy clothes shop in the Wind District. Ysolda and Olfina have managed to try on every item of clothing in there without actually buying anything. "Babe, that tunic looks soooooo vanilla-plus on you! Is it really less than two thousand polygons?!"

Ulfberth War-Bear is a talented blacksmith, although he specialises in repairs and making custom pieces rather than forging an endless stream of iron daggers. He sometimes takes commissions.

Sigurd, who works for Belethor at the general store, has always wanted to make a difference in the world. Although he isn't in a position to do great deeds, he tries to help people wherever he can, be it by helping fix people's houses after a dragon attack or giving Lucia a blanket and some food. He fancies Alfhild Battle-Born, but he's accepted that she and Idolaf are happy together now, so that ship has sailed.

Ria is a certified Eager Beaver. Aela the Huntress once talked her into carrying all her things "for exercise" when they were out exploring. Kodlak once talked her into mopping all the floors in Jorrvaskr "for two-handed weapon practice". Uthgerd once talked her into polishing her armour "for armour-polishing practice". Lydia once took her out to lunch and helped her re-string her bow.

Farengar Secret-Fire was sulking for days over not getting to see the dragon at the watchtower.

[humanoidtyphoons]

hitsukarin as my favourite xianxia otps for this upcoming halloween! xianxias are usually chinese dramas, about cultivation, immortals (demons and/or heavenly beings) and mortals, and three loves three lifetimes. they also tend to be long.

eternal love of dream. karin is the sole red nine-tailed fox is in the world. one day, karin is attacked by a savage beast, and ends up getting saved by the first emperor of heaven, hitsugaya toushirou. grateful, and feeling indebted, karin accompanies toushirou to vanquish the demon lord. as the two spend time together, karin realizes her gratitude towards toushirou has slowly evolved into love. unfortunately, toushirou has long forgotten what love is. although the coldest hearts can melt with time, will countless lifeimes be sufficient to bring these two hearts together?

love between fairy and demon. in order to obtain terrible power, hitsugaya toushirou became an emotionless monster. luckily, the god of war managed to seal him away before he could destroy the world. legend has it that if hitsuagaya toushirou were to escape, the world would be in danger once more, and only the goddess of xishan can prevent this catastrophe, but unfortunately, she's vanished without a trace. 30,000 years later, karin, a weak and low-ranking flower fairy, accidentally stumbles into the dimension where hitsugaya toushirou is trapped, and their encounter sets off a chain of events that threaten to change the fate of the world once again.

love and redemption. 1000 years ago, a cosmic battle between the demons and heavens took place, and the souls of the god of war and the star of mosha/devil star, were sent to the mortal realm to serve penance. in present day, karin is deprived of her six senses, and meets toushirou, a skilled disciple who wears a mask. discovering that they're born on the same day, the two develop a friendship during a tournament. four years later, they meet again, and while travelling together, recovered memories of their past lives surface, revealing secrets and conspiracies involving themselves and the three realms: demons, heavenly and mortal. these revelations has a profound impact on their relationship, creating an imbalance in all three realms.

till the end of the moon. hitsugaya toushirou is the harbinger of doom and set on bringing the apocalypse. in order to prevent this, karin volunteers to travel back in time prevent toushirou from becoming the fearsome devil lord, back when he was just a mortal man. in the past, karin assumes a new identity, unbeknownst to her, the wife of hitsugaya toushirou, who is a captive and powerless prince of the country they're now in. determined to destroy him, all too aware that he will massacre many, karin tries to understand how he became the figure that she hates. but as she witnesses hitsugaya toushirou's past life and rise to power, another emotion within her begins to complicate her mission.

things of note/brief primer, ig:

3 loves 3 lifetimes explanation. Immortal beings tend to go through trials -- becoming reincarnated as a mortal, live, love, die and become more powerful when they reawaken as an immortal. So life 1 and 3, they tend to be the same person, but some xianxias play around with who is going through the trial in the mortal realm, it doesn't always have to be the mains! Dreams arcs can count as this, TBH. Sometimes more than one trial is necessary, tho.

characters tend to be be dubbed. ML of LBFAD is def. dubbed, FL dubs her own voice. I'm fairly certain ELOD and LAR leads are dubbed, but I haven't confirmed it. TTEOTM, FL and ML are using their own voices. I'd say give the shows you're interested in a couple of eps before you decide continuing/dropping it, FL voices of LBFAD and LAR and ELOD are pretty high pitched, so they might need some time to get used to. Modern day cdramas don't tend to be dubbed, but might if the actor's natural accent is too strong? Whereas as xianxias get dubbed to suit the character more.

I guess these are variations on a theme. There's certain recurring tropes, and not all xianxias focus on lacking senses, but unfortunately, my faves do. They're handled extremely different though!

ELOD works as a standalone, but it does include some references to it's parent story Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossom. Here's the thing, the main couple of ELOD are the b-couple of TMOPB, but everything that happens to them in TMOPB doesn't impact ELOD in the slightest, it was just made up content because the the producers didn't have the rights to the book. I don't really like TMOPB's main couple, but I was charmed by the b-couple, even if they get a bittersweet ending in TMOPB. They're characterized slightly differently in ELOD. Same actors tho! Which is nice!

(LBFAD, LAR and TTEOTM are standalone tho.)

They're all based on books! I'm sure you can look them up online, if you want to check them out, though I haven't read them myself. I've heard they do change a lot, though. LBFAD does have a cartoon -- though chinese animation is called donghua -- which apparently is closer to the book. It's still v. cute.

TTEOTM leads have worked previously in a modern day romcom called Love Is Sweet, and they're super cute in it.

TTEOTM is unfortunately truncated. It was supposed to be 60ish episodes, but got cut down to 40 instead. It still works and is cohesive enough, but man, I am sad that there's cut content because I love them most.

LAR relies a lot on misunderstandings, but the charm of the lead couple, who are very soft for each other, will hopefully carry you through it. The worst one is the misunderstood love triangle, IMO? But it's dealt with pretty quickly, considering that this show is pretty long! (Might be a matter of perspective, tho, bc at the time it's a bit of a drag, but I think it's 3-4 episodes long, and it happens early on.) But I was okay with the rest of the misunderstandings, they don't feel as painful? I mean, it's fine, and it suits the characters, but, a little irritating. Angst and the ML suffering to an art form is pretty strong in this one.

LBFAD uses a bit of cgi accessories? IMO they look awful, but they don't get used that much. Nevertheless, whenever SML and the villain wore them, they looked terrible.

Bad wigs are a given. Just a head's up.

There's a lot of bloody mouths/spitting blood in all of them? I think LAR and TTEOTM are the ones where it happens the most, but it is just a recurring trope in xianxias.

I think all can be found on YT, and I wouldn't advise watching them on Netflix/Prime just becomes they don't give out occasional contextual notes. Personal choice, tho, you can look them up on MyDramaList on where else to watch them.

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Lars Battle-Born: I can be tough too!

Lucia, dressed in mini Wolf Armor™: Just the other day you were crying about ice wraiths.

Lars, tearing up: They don’t have any arms!