#lerna is best girl

[comicsiswild]

Rumble (2017) #13

[zwy01]

Noble OCs - Agvain

Making five OCs for every clan!

Typhon Agvain: Pureblood. Entered eternal sleep, belonged to Lagus’ generation.

Typhon was the father and predecessor of Calytrix, the mother and predecessor of Urokai. He was also the father of Rubino Elenor, the father and predecessor of Rozaria. Typhon pretty much raised Calytrix with free-range parenting. He was happy to let her run around and play to her heart’s content, which defined her childhood as one filled with pure joy. His fellow Clan Leaders raised their eyebrows at him once they learned that he never really pushed his daughter with her education either. He ignored the standard successor training procedure which was an extremely unusual decision at that time. It still is mostly unheard of in the present day. Typhon’s philosophy of life emphasized how children should be able to enjoy their childhood while it lasts and the work can happen later. No one needs to be shackled to a suffocating life of grinding just because “ancient tradition” said so or whatever, he thought. His predecessor raised him with a fairly relaxed attitude, and he turned out fine. Typhon had full faith in little Calytrix. If she took after him, then she’d naturally fall in love with studying just like how he himself suddenly went from neutral to passionate during his teenage years, so he had no worries. Even if she didn’t, he would’ve fully supported her as her father anyway. If Calytrix wanted a carefree life of leisure and freedom even after succeeding Typhon, he’d gladly do Clan Leader work in her stead for as long as she wanted him there. He wouldn’t mind. After all, he chose to bring her into this world and of course he’d want the best for her. In Calytrix’s case, she did find clan duties to be somewhat entertaining so naturally she integrated the studying and training into her routine without any influence from external pressure. Her beloved father asked her if she did it because she truly wanted to and not because of the adults’ whispers, to which she giggled and responded of course, why would she ever lie to her amazing Pa. Typhon was extremely grateful towards his predecessor for letting him decide his own pace of life and thus parented his daughter the same way. Calytrix’s peers watched her with admiration and envy as she laughed and rolled around in the grass while they drowned in piles of books. Luckily for them, Calytrix was very smart and helped them sneak out to play with her and snuck them back in before their tutors noticed. Typhon’s so proud of his little girl, aww. Isn’t she so generous. Father and daughter treasured each other very much. When Trixie’s younger half-brother Rubino was born much later, Typhon suggested raising him free-range like his older sister but the Elenor Clan Leader rejected the idea and insisted on following tradition. Welp, guess that couldn’t be helped, Ruby wasn’t Typhon’s heir so he had no say in his upbringing. Still, with a wink and a playful smirk, he let little Ruby know he was welcome to come visit Pa’s home anytime. Typhon’s love for his family meant he stuck around for a long while. He was present for the entire duration of Calytrix being Clan Leader and only entered eternal sleep after her retirement. Typhon’s partner was an unnamed Blerster, the mother of Calytrix.

Lerna Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Gejutel’s generation.

Lerna was the mentor of Urokai. Her placement in such an important position wasn’t a mere coincidence. Everything she had ever worked for was an effort on her part to approach the Agvain heir. She didn’t do it because she cared about him, though. As a matter of fact, her concern for any of the Agvains was minimal. Lerna simply wanted to see chaos unfold and she’d be the one to make it happen. That’s right. She approached Urokai to sabotage his life. And she started early to achieve the ideal results. It would be wrong to say Lerna is just another amongst the crowd, because she isn’t a nobody; she was actually Calytrix’s childhood companion, by pure luck. Typhon was a kind-hearted man and one day, he passed by a young clan member who seemed unhappy and after he knelt down and talked to her, he found out it was due to her less-than-ideal family. He wanted to offer her a chance to escape from that environment, so he asked if she was interested in becoming her future Clan Leader’s playmate, and she accepted because she desperately needed the opportunity. Little did Typhon know that his single act of kindness would result in disaster in the far future thanks to the snake he invited in his den. But of course he wouldn’t have known, because she was just a child. Perhaps Typhon underestimated what children were capable of. In Lerna’s case, it was the amount of hatred she could manifest inside her. Turns out Lerna wasn’t exactly grateful for the opportunity she was given. She made sure to look like she did, though. She’s an excellent actress and even fooled Calytrix into thinking they were best friends. In reality, Lerna despised Calytrix. Her position as companion just allowed her to witness Calytrix’s wonderful life up-close which fueled her discontent and jealousy. Typhon spoiling his beloved Trixie, the servants adoring her, their clan members promising to serve her well, etc… instead of being happy for her future Clan Leader, Lerna grew bitter and hateful. It didn’t matter if Typhon was super nice to her and treated her as if she were Calytrix’s sister and part of their family. She simply wanted to destroy them just because, and she had to do it discreetly. So she waited. All those years of pretending to love Trixie paid off. When Urokai was born, naturally Calytrix asked Lerna first whether she’d like to be his mentor. She pretended to cry happy tears and hugged Calytrix as she exclaimed yes nonstop. Great, now she could finally get her schemes going. Urokai was a difficult child. That’s just in his nature. He could’ve turned out a bit more normal with proper guidance but any efforts to improve him would be countered by Lerna in the shadows. Long story short, she slowly poisoned his mind. She never turned away from opportunities to smite any budding hope in his character and constantly fed him with hatred to keep him angry. She whispered into his ears ���You’re the best in the world and everything you do is right”, “Those who disagree with you are wrong and deserve punishment”, “When you’re denied of what you desire, cry and scream and fight for it until you get it” and “If someone doesn’t love you back, get rid of them”. Again, Lerna pretended to love Urokai. As expected, Urokai genuinely loved her back. He soaked up her “teachings” and heavily relied on them for guidance and comfort. It’d be a lie to say Lerna didn’t care for Urokai at all because she kind of did have affection for him though her feelings were too complicated and twisted thus difficult to convey through words. Lerna was successful at molding Urokai into an angry, explosive, agitated, and violent person. She even got him to turn against his other parent, Isolde. After learning of Urokai’s execution, Lerna is silent then laments the loss of her prized source of entertainment. Unbeknownst to her, someone may or may not have unintentionally eavesdropped on her confession monologue. In the present day, Lerna works as a babysitter for Agvain children. Unbelievable, right? Lerna’s partner is an unnamed Ru.

Hammurabi Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Gejutel’s generation.

Hammurabi works in the judicial branch of the noble government. He is a just legislator who places a strong emphasis in balance. The law should be neither too relaxed nor too strict, and they must find a suitable middle ground between the two extremes. Hammurabi’s greatest rival is his colleague and fellow legislator Phachoen Mergas, an advocate for extreme justice and unreasonably harsh punishments as a full-on authoritarian who refuses to see things any other way. Unfortunately, Phachoen has many strong networks in Lukedonia at his fingertips. His group of loyal followers support him in whatever he does. His excessively harsh laws get passed one after another while the more reasonable and humane ones by other legislators don’t, to Hammurabi’s dismay. The two of them argue constantly which mostly results in Phachoen winning because the court at the time leaned towards authoritarianism thus favored the extreme over the reasonable. Hammurabi tries to alert everyone of the dangers of total blindness towards nuance and perspective but his voice gets buried and almost no one votes for him. Centuries pass and nothing has changed as Phachoen still dominates the court and Hammurabi starts to give up. Feeling utterly defeated and frustrated, he quits his job as legislator and goes back to his home in the Agvain territory to make intricate voodoo dolls instead. He also maps out backup plans for his family and himself to move out of Lukedonia in case things become a total wreck with the ever-increasing terrible laws. Hammurabi manages to convince all but one of his family members, his own son Samsu-iluna Agvain. Under the effects of Phachoen’s laws, more torturers are being hired and the job is in high demand. Samsu-iluna is one of the torturers and frankly he quite enjoys the work and thinks his father is being over-sensitive and delusional. How bad can it get, he scoffs at his father. Hammurabi once again admits defeat to his stubborn son and makes plans with the rest of his family instead. He then decides to scout the human world by himself for potential new homes to move to. During his travels, he may or may not have bestowed upon a group a humans some legal texts on a stele to give them a starting point in civilization. He could have lent his name to them too. Hammurabi neither confirms nor denies these claims. Phachoen, at one point, makes a remark on how his “dear old colleague” is aimlessly loitering in the outside world because he’s unable to live with his own inferiority and mingling with the humans is his only way to feel validation. Phachoen’s basically pitying Hammurabi for bringing himself down to the humans’ level. Meanwhile Hammurabi thinks humans have much more potential than nobles, and those who can’t see past that are too sheltered and deeply buried in the nobles’ closed ecosystem. Hammurabi eventually returns to work as a legislator after Phachoen gets assassinated. He doesn’t exactly want the job anymore but sees it as necessary to help fix Lukedonia back in the right direction after a certain someone screwed it up. Hammurabi’s hobby is making voodoo dolls, and he’ll never stop making them. His favorite voodoo doll with pins all over the torso area has short grey hair and an ugly frown on its face. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it.

Sangria Agvain: Pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Raskreia’s generation.

Sangria is the study buddy, playmate, and sparring partner of Raskreia. She’s also Raskreia’s not-so-distant relative from her mother Desdemona’s side. The two children didn’t get along too well because little Raskreia suspected that her mother chose Sangria to be her companion in order to monitor her even though that wasn’t the case at all. In reality, Desdemona picked Sangria for her competence and potential as Lord’s heir’s companion and the Previous Lord approved the decision. They promptly made arrangements for the children to meet each other. Upon Sangria’s arrival, Raskreia scowled at her for two seconds but was polite enough to acknowledge her with a proper greeting and introduced herself as the Princess, saying the standard filler of how she looks forward to spending time together blah blah blah. Sangria wasn’t dumb either and immediately realized that Raskreia was hesitant if not reluctant to accept her as her companion. She knew even if she tried her hardest to bond with the future Lord, her efforts wouldn’t be reciprocated easily. Still, Sangria wanted to give it an honest shot. After all, she admired the mysterious Lady Desdemona and was willing do it for her even if it meant spending the next couple hundred years dealing with her difficult daughter. Sangria truly cared for Raskreia’s wellbeing despite the latter always keeping a distance between them; she was polite, but not nice. Raskreia needed Sangria but wouldn’t admit it, and pushed her away when she got too close. Raskreia didn’t realize what she was doing, but she basically used her companion as a crutch: one she didn’t fully accept but couldn’t let go of either. Sangria felt hurt at times. Nevertheless, she never stopped trying to form a bond with Raskreia in hopes that she’d let down her guard one day but her efforts only made things worse. They were just “proof�� of Desdemona picking Sangria to conveniently spy on her daughter for whatever reasons. Raskreia was too proud to ask questions and consequently her only option was to internally reinforce her misunderstandings of Sangria, to the eventual detriment of the latter’s mental health. The Previous Lord and high-ranking nobles in Lukedonia all praised the heir-companion duo for their excellence, friendship, and how they set up a great example of “model peer relationships” for noble youth. That’d be a superficial observation, of course, because somehow the two of them have an unspoken agreement where they’d pretend to be best friends when the older adults were watching.

Eventually the stress takes a toll on Sangria’s mind in her teenage years and she resorts to self harm. At some point she discovers that her blood, in certain conditions, develops a fruity, almost alcoholic aroma. Out of curiosity, she tastes a drop and to her surprise, it’s sweet and delightful. Soon enough Sangria starts self-harming to relieve stress and to drink her own blood. Her routine is serve Raskreia, go home, self-harm, drink, then heal up before returning work the next day. Curiously, Sangria stays with Raskreia even after the latter reaches 200 years old and no longer needs a companion by noble traditions. Perhaps she still feels like she has a responsibility to take care of the princess. Meanwhile Raskreia never tells Sangria to pack her bags and go away permanently either. Her feelings regarding her companion are complicated, specifically how she “knows too much”. Sangria has a good understanding of Raskreia’s habits, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses etc. Even though Raskreia feels uneasy about someone knowing so much about the details of her life, it’s oddly comforting and thus a possible explanation of why she allows Sangria to stay. Raskreia suspects her, but is attached to her. In the present day, Sangria works as one of Raskreia’s secretaries. She knows her Lord still suspects her of being Desdemona’s spy, which hurts more or less. She keeps it to herself and copes with the stress by self-harming as usual. Sangria’s hobby is plucking seeds off strawberries and collecting them in a small treasure chest. As for the strawberries, she doesn’t eat them and instead hangs them from the ceiling with clips and throws them out once they dry up. Sangria’s partner is an unnamed Mergas.

Rojas Saffron Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Rojas has a weird hobby which she calls her job. It might as well be one, but that depends on who witnesses her do it. An Agvain would call it a job while others would frown and walk away in disgust, confusion, or both. Rojas likes to decapitate herself. Burning or freezing it off, cleaving it off in a single quick blow, sawing it off inch by inch, or twisting it around so her spine cracks and the muscle fibers snap until it’s easily pulled off… she gets real creative. She has tons of ways to experiment with her body. There’s several reasons behind her rather violent “fun”. Firstly, Agvains are the only nobles who are impossible to kill through decapitation. Or, near impossible, to be considerate of the slightest possibilities. There are no records of any Agvain being killed from getting their head blown off, though it’s worth noting the rest of their body parts are more fragile as a balance. It’s one of the many strange abilities of the clan and some are quite proud of it. So Rojas here is simply testing how true this statement is by challenging the odds. So far it’s true according to her “data”. As soon as her head gets detached from her body, her neck muscles bunch up to halt blood loss. If her head is still lying somewhere, she can place it onto where it’s been cut off and it’ll seamlessly reattach itself to her body. If her head is destroyed, she’ll just grow a new one though it’d take a few decades. If she were a pureblood, it’d only take a few months. With special potions, the head regrowing process can be expedited though it partially depends on the individual too. Rojas thinks it’s fascinating. No Agvain would constantly chop off their heads just for the sake of studying themselves yet clearly dear Rojas here is crazy enough for it. Agvains feel pain like normal people after all, leading to the second point of how Rojas enjoys the sensation of losing her head. It’s kind of addicting and therapeutic, in a way. It’s also pretty to look at and she thinks the blood is a really neat tool for artistic projects. She insists it’s romantic though those who run away screaming when she asks them out by using her head as a paintbrush to write “Will you go out with me?” on the walls say otherwise. Curiously, one of them doesn’t reject Rojas and agrees to the proposal, and that is Rojas’ current partner named Poppy Tradio. They are head over heels for each other and the Poppy is completely smitten with Rojas’ dedication to her “research” and even helps her with it. Maybe that’s also because both of them are pretty unhinged. They think they’re the normal ones and everyone else is weird. Poppy uses her noble superpowers to invent new kinds of flowers and gives one of her creations her lovely Agvain girlfriend’s middle name; lo and behold a beautiful purple and red flower just like the two of them when they’re together. How romantic! Rojas is super flattered. Currently, Rojas has a gig in the human world as a model for the fashion industry and people always praise her for how realistic her “special effects” are. They don’t need to know that she really is walking without a head there.

Thank you for reading! Kravei is next!

[bardicknowledgeblogger]

RPG Minis Guide: Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica (Gruul)

This round up will be focusing on miniatures that best embody the Gruul for you to use for your Ravnica games/campaigns. I’ve done Golgari and Dimir so far, and plan to eventually get through all the guilds (what’s after that? Who knows!)

The Gruul were actually pretty fun to find minis for - while some basic barbarian minis certainly work, there’s a lot of really cool specialties and facets within the Gruul that lend to some really cool minis working their way in!

Warhammer Minis

These minis are not going to be quite the same scale as traditional D&D minis, so keep that in mind - and maybe buy smaller bases

Wardokk

Mournfang Pack

Huskard on Thundertusk

Stonehorn Beastriders

Aleguzzler Gargant

Savage Boarboys

Maneater

Scraplauncher

Maniak Weirdnob

Wurrgog Prophet

Savage Big Boss

Branchwych

Branchwraith

Wayfinder

War Hydra

Skink Starpriest

Razordon

Kroxigor

Wizkids: Nolzur’s Marvelous Minis

72642: Elf Druid

72641: Elf Druid

72575: Centaur

73400: Flesh Golem

73392: Fomorian

73541: Goliath Fighter

72643: Human Barbarian

72644: Human Barbarian

73390: Human Druid

72639: Human Druid

72628: Human Sorcerer

72557: Kobolds

72577: Minotaur

73398: Nameless One

73404: Panther & Leopard

73681: Stone Giant

Wizkids: Deep Cuts Unpainted Minis

73553: Timber Wolves

73554: Wild Boar

Wizkids: Pathfinder Battles Deep Cuts Minis

73414: Female Human Barbarian

73412: Male Human Barbarian

73547: Orc on Dire Wolf

73696: Orcs

73184: Dire Wolf

72613: Half-Orc Male Barbarian

72614: Half-Orc Female Barbarian

72604: Human Female Sorcerer

Reaper Minis

This is the longest list of minis to peruse, but should have PLENTY of choices!

03140: Ollamiel, Male Sea Elf

03141: Sushanthe, Female Sea Elf

14385: Isiri Warrior

14590: Liela Mordollwen, Dark Elf Sorceress

60064: Nature Warden

77123: Zalash, Dark Elf Assassin

77122: Tierdeleira, Dark Elf Cleric

77121: Liela, Dark Elf Wizard

03648: Hyrekia, Dragonthrall Mage

60162: Nolevniss Azrinae

89022: Alahazra, Iconic Oracle

02527: Dire Boar

03435: Dire Boar

03570: Sabertooth Tiger

14592: Sable Guard

77202: Warg

77353: Ursula, Dwarven Bear Rider

77593: Bluferg, Fire Giant Jailor

03431: Svetlana, Frost Giant Princess

77005: Ogre Chieftain

77004: Cave Troll

77006: Great Worm

77013: Minotaur

77025: Giant Spider

77170: Clay Golem

77169: Flesh Golem

77395: Cadirith, Demonic Colossal Spider

14086: Giant Eagle

02876: Goblin Leader & Shaman

03001: Phoenix

03269: Moor Troll

14455: Uskuluz Greyhide

14489: Centaur Warrior

14497: Chiral, Centaur Captain

02203: Hydra Of Lerna

77191: Hydra

02198: Ferocious Felines

02404: Lizardman Tyrant

02351: S’athka, Lizardman

77047: Goldar, Male Barbarian

02331: Lizard Hunting Pack

14609: Darkshade Raider

14610: Barbarian Berserker Of Icingstead

89008: Feiya, Iconic Witch

89006: Seoni, Iconic Sorceress

03656: Witch of the Dark Moors

03734: Andriessa, Female Wizard

03607: Lizardman Shaman

03705: Lizardman w/ Club & Shield

03879: Gon’Tarr, Orc Shaman

03289: Ilana, Female Shaman

02926: Gungor, Half-Orc Monk

77454: Ogre Clubber

77314: Golan, Hill Giant

03710: Ogre Smasher

77103: Nor’Okk, Ettin (with some modelling clay you can make him Ruric Thar!)

14396: Reven Cyclops and Goblin Mage

03253: Jungle Girl with Sabre Tooth Tiger

89027: Lini, Iconic Gnome Druid

03492: Autumn Bronzeleaf, Female Elf Wizard

03294: Tobias Winterhorn, Druid

14624: Dhalea Duormidhaz, Dark Elf Wizard

14600: Kaya the Reaper, Female Barbarian Sergeant

60048: Feiya, Iconic Witch & Fox Familiar

14579: Handmaiden of Keskura, Icingstead

14562: Hurgg the Bloody

60183: Kess, Iconic Brawler

60067: Nyrissa, Dryad Queen

50092: Lab Mutant

14521: Graverot, Ghast Sergeant

14453: Elven Hunting Cat

77059: Orc Beserker (Two Handed Sword)

14451: Durthen, Dwarven Berserker on Boar

02953: Cyclops

14044: Uru, River Troll Chief

77579: Goremaw, Great Worm

77613: Vanja, Fire Giant Queen

77222: Aaron the Conjurer

77080: Wall of Fire (3)

60017: Goblin Pyros (4)

02470: Kobold Raiders

03322: Efreeti Emir

[full-moon-phoenix]

Juno Sagina was taken aback.

"Like I said, I was in the Realm of Magic a REALLY long time. But..."

She knew what she could do next ...but it was almost as daunting as facing Jester again herself. And yet, Lerna was so thoughtful, so willing to accept her despite their peoples' grievances, Juno found herself not wanting to let her down. She at least deserved to know what happened to her son.

"...I do know a way we could find out. See, the Realm of Magic exists outside the boundaries of time, and I'm still tethered to it magically. It might require sneaking a peek at multiple timelines, but I could probably look into his and see what we've missed since we left."

The warrior stood, looming over Lerna and Alyssa as they sat, and slowly lifted her hand in the air with intense focus. The air between them swirled into a sort of round screen three feet in diameter, showing the Realm of Magic in all its hypnotic golden glory on the other side. The other women huddled by Juno's side, ready for what she would show them. But she paused. Her ready hand flinched. Was she ready to do this?

Alyssa grabbed her free hand and squeezed slightly, lowering Juno's uneasiness. She forced an exhale and calmed herself. She could feel the weight of their anticipated gazes, and somehow that gave her the motivation she needed. And at least, this way, she might finally find out what happened to her daughter.

"Well... they don't call me Juno the Daring for nothing."

She moved each finger on her lifted hand down individually, cracking each knuckle. The movement seemed to trigger the screen to switch images, and the many timelines of Toffee of Septarsis came into life.

"Let's see, where to stop...I guess the easiest place would be my own timeline. At least until it converges with all his others; it seems there's a point where most versions of himself, including all our's, appear roughly on the same timeline."

Juno skimmed through a bunch of different events, taking in the information herself but not considering it useful to the others. Yet Lerna focused on the screen anyway, and Juno could tell that she was seeing everything she wanted to know without having to ask.

"What? He met Tivi again?! Lucky bastard...and lost her just as quickly. And Eclipsa had a what? And that's why they took my kid?! UGH! Let's see, crystallized, crystallized, crystallized (yeesh, long time crystallized). Oh! Nice to see his gadgets are still intact! Ugh, the sneaky punk keeps the best ones for himself; that mace is beautiful."

"Do you mind?" Lerna was getting annoyed at the constant unnecessary feedback.

"I vocalize a lot when I'm surprised. Sue me. Ah, here we are! The convergence! Hm...it seems he had a disagreement with my 4th great granddaughter, Queen Comet. She struck a bad nerve with him and he- oh wow, you're gonna love this, Lerna -he led a revolt and killed her. My own descendant; unbelievable.

Then her daughter, Moon, was in so much grief that she struck a deal with Eclipsa: her freedom for Toffee's life. She missed his heart, though...I think, and the spell only took his finger and Eclipsa stayed crystallized. Then he went into hiding for 20-something years. Good Lord, he did a lot of research since then!! By the time Moon's daughter, Star, started her magic training, Toffee had discovered quite a few secrets about the wand...and the different forms of magic itself.

Hm, I've never seen this family before. Avarius? Their son, Ludo, was a pawn in Toffee's plan. Toffee...managed...to...temporarily destroy the Royal Magic Wand? AND changed the form of magic itself?!!?!?!! Oh my gosh! This sent the entire magical monarchy into absolute entropy!! Just look at the screen! Look what he did to the Realm!"

Juno extended her arms toward the screen in an exaggerated manner, showing the girls every bit of Toffee's main timeline. She stepped back while they got a closer look. A realization overwhelmed her, the coincidence...that Jester had done this to the Realm of Magic around the same time she'd gotten her awareness back and left it. Could this be...

Juno's eyes flicked back toward the screen. The timelines were starting to come undone around one crucial point: his demise.

"It can't be. Alyssa was right. He's gone. Star destroyed him.

But...there are so many different paths this is separating into. It's impossible to know which one is the main timeline. See, here's Alyssa's, where he's safe and sound on Earth. And here's what ...might... be mine? I guess he's in a coma and slowly being consumed by black magic? There's too much going on to know for sure."

Juno turned to a speechless Lerna, the lizard's brows furrowed, eyes locked on the screen in disbelief. Or contemplation? Lord knows what she must be thinking at this point.

"I'm sorry, Lerna...I don't know what else to say. What do you think about all this?"

@reptilian-aristocrat @lizards-and-co

(I hope you don't mind me asking you here.) "What about you, Lerna?" Juno asked thoughtlessly, shifting the subject a bit. "What's Toffee like in your timeline?"

The Septarian lady listened attentively to the words of those two, apparently Toffee knew well how to treat a woman, at least in other realities. That made her happy, she would have liked to know what her son would be like if he were married on her timeline. Lerna did not remember much talking to him about love, and less about women, maybe because of how strangely distant he became when he was a teenager or maybe… because she never heard him talking about a girlfriend. She only remember one time that they have talked about it. It was when, one day he came to ask her for some advice about a girl he liked, but he was not sure if what he felt was right. Lerna did the best she could to tell him everything she knew, and apparently it worked because she saw him in a better mood after that. But time later she realised that the girl his son was talking about was… a mewman, guess it turned out the same in other timelines.

Quickly the question of the redhaired girl pulled her out of her thoughts…

“What about you, Lerna?” Juno asked thoughtlessly, shifting the subject a bit. “What’s Toffee like in your timeline?”

“Toffee…” Lerna paused “Oh where do i start! since he learned how to talk he was a brilliant boy, a child thirsty for knowledge. He absorbed each lesson quickly and applied it to every aspect of his life. His education and training were a very important aspect for me and I made sure to give him the life that I couldn’t have when I was younger…” Lerna spoke animatedly while continuing to remember….

“ignorance is the cradle of fear” … she used to tell her child … “ And Toffee wasn’t afraid to ask "why”. It wasn’t a causality the way he questioned everything, even the authority, there wasn’t worse thing for Toffee than have a “because i sai so” for an answer. For him, everything needed to have a reason, a purpose, a good purpose…“

…"As soon as he began his maturity, his father started to train him in the physical arts, weapons and combat, of course I didn’t oppose, that was as important as intellectual knowledge. But it really bothered me to see how everything in his life went all about training (an it bother Toffee too). Seth told me it was necessary, for not having been strict enough (whitch i actually was) with him, and left him getting weak for so many years. So… when Seth wasn’t around, i let him sneak out to small gatherings in the woods, where the young ones used to have fun, as any good boy deserved…”

… “And as he grew, his popularity grew with him, little by little he gained a name among the young and it was to be expected, he was a very attractive boy and, having inherited his father’s "gift of the word”, made him totally irresistible for the masses. Toffee inspired confidence and security, he had clear ideas and didn’t hesitate to conquer  all his goals, a future leader I was very proud of … “

Lerna suddenly stoped, so many memories mede her ramble too much, an it was hard not to do it, those are very precious memories for her. Of courses the fact that she was dead didn’t let her see what her son become a complete adult or what had been his life…. but maybe….

…"Do you girls know what happened with toffee in my timeline? what does he do? how was his life?…” @lizards-and-co @full-moon-phoenix (just tell her what happened in the show.)

[haltraveler]

RWBY: Argent Dawn Chapter Two

Tarnished Silver

Content warning: Mature themes

Argo

“Lerna,” Argo said, stepping back from the man who loomed over him, “if your business is with me, then I’d like to request you dispense with the theatrics and do no further harm to my associate.”

“Love ya too!” Rowan shouted, his voice muffled due to his face being firmly planted in the wall.

Lerna sheathed his sword. “Very well. But if either of you makes another move on me or my boys, then you both die. Understood?”

Argo nodded. “Barging into a place like this with weapons drawn wasn't exactly the politest way of saying hello. Can you blame us for assuming our lives were in danger?”

Lerna chuckled. “Who’s to say they ain’t?”

Rowan pulled himself free of the wall and dusted himself off. “Right, that’s all spooky and stuff, but who are you?”

“This,” Argo answered for him, “is Lerna Fen. He’s a mercenary, hitman, and all around scumbag.”

Lerna feigned offense. “Is that any way to talk about family?”

“You’re no family of mine, Fen. And if you were, I’d have insulted you far worse than that.”

“Venom runs thicker than blood, boy.” Lerna reminded him. His father had drilled those words into his head every day when he was younger. “And in any case I am here on behalf of your dear old dad.”

So that was it. Argo’s father, Hamadryas, was one of the most influential men in Remnant’s underworld. Argo had parted ways with the organization almost six years prior after years under his father’s heel. He had thought that he was free of that life, but he should have known it wouldn’t be that simple.

Argo nodded. “So I’d assumed. What does he want? I told him I wanted nothing more to do with him, and he seemed to return the sentiment.” Argo could still hear the venom that his father had put into his words that night.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Lerna snarled, “you stole from us, welp.”

Ah. So that was what this was about. “I do not recall stealing anything.” Argo said, which was technically true. “Are you sure you aren’t thinking of one of my father’s other sons? There are many of us, after all.”

Lerna lurched forward with a roar, grabbing Argo by the throat. “Hamadryas knows you snitched on him to Professor Ozpin! Do you have any idea the kind of damage you did to the family?” He released Argo but kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. “You gotta pay for your betrayal, through Lien or blood.”

“I’m not particularly afraid of you.” Argo said.

“Don’t have to be.”

Argo studied the man for a few seconds. He was confident. Too confident. Argo had seen Lerna Fen fight before, and though he was strong, he was also smart enough to know that engaging both him and Rowan was a dangerous prospect. Which meant… Argo felt fear start to creep into his chest. “You’re not alone, are you?”

A giggle from directly behind him and the sensation of someone’s breath on his neck answered that question. “Ooh,” a high pitched voice said, “he’s a clever one!”

Argo tried to keep his composure, even as his heart raced. “Piper Bryce, I assume?” He asked, trying desperately to appear calm. “Your reputation precedes you.”

Piper leapt over his head and landed in front of him on all fours with a disturbing grace. She was a young girl, perhaps fifteen years old, but that didn’t detract from her aura of menace in the slightest. Her tangled mess of hair covered much of her face, but it wasn’t enough to conceal the slight red glow to her eyes or her twisted grin filled with sharpened teeth. Tiny carved trinkets hung from her bloodstained clothing that appeared to be carved from human bone.

Lerna smiled. “So, here’s how it’s gonna go. You pay over the cash equal to the damage you did, or I leave you in the tender care of my dear partner.”

Argo had seen the girl’s handiwork before, even if they had never met face-to-face. He had little-to-no chance of escaping her attentions alive. “I don’t have the money with me,” he explained, “but I can get it to you. Please! Just give me a week, I can get it to you!”

The two mercenaries looked at each other and were silent for a few seconds. “I say we give it to him,” Piper said, grinning ear-to-ear, “the kill’s always more fun when the prey has time to… anticipate it.”

Lerna chuckled. “Sure, why not. I’ve got time to kill. Very well. You’ve got seven days to get together thirty million lien for us.”

Argo stared at him in shock. “Thirty million? That’s absurd! The Codes dictate that-”

“That you repay the value of what you stole, I know. The information you gave Ozpin helped take down some of our best operatives. Hamadryas reckons that’s about how much revenue was lost, and the other lords agreed. So that’s what you pay.” He smirked at Argo, baring his yellowed teeth. “If you have a problem, take it up with him. Don’t think he’ll much care to listen though. See you in a week.” He turned to leave, but not before spitting in Rowan’s direction. “Don’t think you’ll get off easy either, blondie. You attacked my men, that means your whole little team is on the line for this.”

With that, he walked out the door. Piper gave Argo another razor-toothed grin, then seemed to fade away into the shadows, vanishing before his eyes.

Rowan whistled. “What the fuck was that? You knew those people?”  

Argo shook his head. “From a… professional standpoint. Look, I’ll explain later. For now, call your sister. We need to have a talk as a team.”

James

James Ironwood sat at his desk, poring over the reports from the various teachers who worked at Atlas Academy. He hated this part of the job. He’d become a huntsman to take action against humanity’s enemies, not to evaluate report cards and detention slips. He sighed as he glanced at the next paper on the pile. Complaints about Team FNKI’s behavior, again. He was beginning to wonder if it had been worth admitting that Katt girl into Atlas to begin with.  

A ringing sound came from his desk, and James felt a rush of relief. Finally, a distraction from this tedium. He answered the call and a holographic screen appeared in front of him, displaying the face of Professor Redcap, the Academy’s survival instructor. She was a middle-aged woman with short, spiky, platinum blonde hair and a pair of thin-rimmed spectacles. “Sir,” she said, “Councilman Pike is here to see you. I’d suggest you let him in before he up and dies of old age.”

“Thank you, Robin,” he said, and ended the call before pressing the button to buzz in his guest. The doors slid open and the Councilman walked, or rather hobbled, into his office. James had never met anyone else who could make such a limping gait seem intimidating, but the elderly veteran somehow managed it. The first thing that struck you about the Councilman was his age. At almost a century old, Timur Pike was one of the last surviving veterans of the Great War and possibly the only one who still had any sort of public life. His pale skin, nearly translucent white hair, and sunken grey-green eyes made him seem almost like a corpse which had decided that it wasn’t going to let something as minor as death stand in its way.

His wrinkled lips curled into a smile at the sight of James. “General Ironwood,” he boomed, in a voice far deeper and stronger than his frail form would suggest, “I hope I am not interrupting anything important.”

“Nothing that can’t wait for an old friend,” James said. “Please,” he gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, “sit down. Would you like something to drink? Tea, perhaps?”

“That would be much appreciated,” Councilman Pike said as he sat down, laying down his grizzled black cane as he did so. He gazed around the office. “I never thought I’d see this old place again. You know, back in the day, they tried to make me headmaster.”

“Tried?”

“I didn’t want the job. It was like I told the Council; I’m a soldier, not a huntsman. As similar as the two disciplines may be, the differences were enough that I didn’t trust myself to run a place like this.” He smiled as James handed him a cup of tea and sipped it slowly. “Looking back, I made the right choice. I can think of no one, myself included, who deserves to sit in that chair more than you.”

James sighed. “I wish I could agree. Sometimes I feel like I have no clue what I’m doing. Running an army is one thing, but teaching children? I never learned how to do that!”

“And I never learned how to be a politician. We’ve made do, which is the best we could do. Besides, I never said you were perfect.” He sat back in his chair and sipped his tea. “She’s playing you, you know.”

James looked at him quizzically. “I’m sorry?”

“Councilwoman Lumina, I mean. I heard what you two discussed last night, and I’m warning you not to fall for it.”

“Wait, how did you-”

“James, listen to me. We’re soldiers, not politicians. We’re on her turf now, and that means we have to be cautious. She’s offering you an olive branch, but be careful it doesn’t come with a dagger in your back.”

James regarded the old man for a few seconds. He certainly seemed to think this was of dire importance. “Well, of course I’m not going to just act like nothing ever happened between us, but Dawn is a good person. If she wants to mend things between us, I can’t say no; it’d make me look like the bad guy here.”

“And she knows that. For all her good intentions, she didn't get to where she is by being straightforward and honest with her rivals. She’s put you in a tricky position, and I don’t think she has your interests in mind. Just remember that.” He glanced at his watch. “And now, I’m afraid I must be going. My daughter expects me at her house for lunch.”

He limped off, leaving James alone with the warning still in his mind. Councilman Pike had a point, he knew. He and Councilwoman Lumina had been on bad terms for years, and the fact that she wanted to make up so suddenly was certainly unexpected, but she’d never struck him as the deceitful type, and he couldn't afford to ignore this opportunity. This was going to be difficult.

[b-sidemusic]

THE B-SIDE MONDAY MEGAMIX

Every Monday one of our writers takes you on a journey into sound, armed with a picnic of musical treats in a hamper hewn from wisdom.  This week, Paul Jenkins rolls out the blanket and fends off the ants. 

FAINTEST IDEA – CIRCLING THE DRAIN

Signed to TNS, Kings Lynn’s finest Faintest Idea deliver feisty, downright furious ska-core. For all the anger being channeled, they also write damned good songs and are bloody good fun.

See them live at: Kingston-upon Thames Fighting Cocks, 11th Nov; High Wycombe Phoenix 17th Nov; London Camden Underworld 9th Dec; Bristol Fleece 10th Dec. Now listen to: 'Increasing The Minimum Rage', out now on TNS. Follow: Facebook - Twitter

MATT WATSON - STORIES FROM THE SEA

I first saw Matt Watson a while back, playing solo somewhere in Norwich. Whilst I don’t normally go for solo singer/songwriters playing acoustic, there was something indefinable that grabbed my attention. Having got to know Matt relatively well since, it turns out that he is a thoroughly good chap, a fine songwriter and someone with (mostly) impeccable good musical taste. Currently working feverishly on a new LP, Matt is gigging almost continually around Norfolk and Suffolk and is well worth catching.

See him live at: Norwich Epic Studios, 23rd Nov.   Now listen to: 'The Endless Shipwreck' LP, available through his website. Follow: Facebook - Twitter

SINK YA TEETH - GLASS

Maria, formerly of Girl In A Thunderbolt, and Gemma have been performing as Sink Ya Teeth for a couple of years but are already making waves. Better people than me have described them as “making minimal-maximal post punk pop from their bedrooms” and “the Raincoats produced by Mr Fingers”. And I can’t come up with anything better than that!

See them live at: Glasgow Stereo, 31st Oct; Manchester Gorilla, 1st Nov; London Camden Electric Ballroom 2nd Nov; Norwich Waterfront 6th Nov; London Social, 4th Dec. Now listen to: 'Glass' single, out now, via Bandcamp. Follow: Facebook - Twitter   

HYDRA LERNA - CLEAN LIKE YOU

A graduate of local hero Annie Catwoman’s Sonic Youths program, Abigail Blake has gone from being just another acoustic singer-songwriter to the genuinely exciting electronic pop of her Hydra Lerna alter-ego in a short time. As a budding producer/engineer, she does all the studio work, writing and programming, topping it all off with sparkling voice and harp.

See her live at: No shows scheduled at the moment (but surely there will be something soon…) Now listen to: Clean Like You, download via her website. Follow: Facebook - Twitter 

LAST GREAT DREAMERS - DOPE SCHOOL

I’ll declare an interest here: I’ve been mates with two of the four dreamers in Last Great Dreamers for over two and a half decades. I roadie, drive and sell merch for them. Much as I love ‘em as people, I am putting this on here because I also love their music, irrespective of the personal relationships. This is rock, straight from the garage, drenched in powerpop, glam and old school punk and all the better for it. There is a Pledge campaign to fund a new album, if you fancy seeking it out.

See them live at: Wolverhampton Giffard Arms, 1st Dec; Croydon Rocks Festival 2nd Dec; Birmingham Asylum, 17th Dec; Islington O2 Academy, 22nd Dec. Now listen to: ‘Transmissions From Oblivion’, vinyl/CD/download, via their website. Follow: Facebook- Twitter 

MEGA EMOTION - OK MAYBE OK

Ah, the shambolic wonder that is Mega Emotion. Fixtures in the Norwich scene since I returned to the city in 2011, Mega Emotion write strikingly good songs. Theirs is an experimental music that is equal parts pure pop and industrial rock. 

See them live at: Norwich Open, 31st Oct; London Lexington, 26th Nov. Now listen to: ‘Sick Burn’ single, via Bandcamp. Follow: Facebook - Twitter 

MAGOO - CALL OUT THE CRASH SQUAD

2017 has seen the mighty Magoo celebrate their 20th anniversary. They may not gig as much as they did in the past, the gaps between new releases may be getting longer but the frankly brilliant 20th anniversary show at Norwich Arts Centre showed just how relevant this lot still are. The band promise that new music is on its way, and that is a good thing. In the meantime, there is a serious back catalogue to investigate.

See them live at: Not currently touring. Now listen to: The entire back catalogue, there is too much to list! Follow: Facebook- Twitter 

HOT RAISIN - WHISKY GINGER (LIVE)

Americana from East Anglia? Surely that will be shite? Erm, no, actually. Along with the likes of Yarmouth’s Feral Mouth, Hot Raisin take music that is rooted in the rural USA, keep the spirit of the best country, avoid the pitfalls of the worst and make something that is soulful, spirited and, well, just thoroughly enjoyable.

See them live at: Norwich Flamingo, 15th Nov. Now listen to: ‘Whisky Ginger’ EP, via Bandcamp. Follow: Facebook- Twitter

WOODEN ARMS – LOST IN YOUR OWN HOME

How to sum up Wooden Arms? I dunno, but “like Montreal’s Constellation Collective (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Esmerine et al) covering Talk Talk” kinda sums it up. This is far from the noisy rock that I normally go for but Wooden Arms produce beguilingly beautiful, orchestral chamber-pop.

See them live at: Cambridge Portland Arms, 13th Dec; Norwich Open, 14th Dec; London Lexington, 16th Dec. Now listen to: ‘Trick of the Light’ LP, out now on Fierce Panda. Follow: Facebook - Twitter

BLOODY KNEES - MAYBE IT’S EASY

I first saw Cambridge’s Bloody Knees a good while back, playing with Dingus Khan at Olive’s, a cafe/deli in Norwich with no stage and little experience in putting on shows like this. At the time, they were a decent punk-pop band. Since then, I’ve seen ‘em a few times and, having found their own sound and identity, they’ve just got better and better.

See them live at: Brighton Komedia, 1st Nov; Camden Assembly, 2nd Nov; Bristol Old England, 4th Nov; Hull Polar Bear, 7th Nov; Glasgow Broadcast, 8th Nov; Leeds Headrow House, 9th Nov; Sheffield Picture House Social, 10th Nov. Now listen to: ‘Maybe It’s Easy’ EP, on Soundcloud. Follow: Facebook - Twitter 

RATS AS BIG AS DOGS - PRINT

If Rats As Big As Dogs have not split up (and I am fairly sure they have), they are certainly on a lengthy hiatus. So why include this? It is on the ‘This Was The Sound Of Sugar Town’ compilation which is both brilliant and in aid of a very worthwhile cause, and it is also utterly bloody brilliant. Jay, Reuben, Shannon and George have all been involved in other things but may rarely if ever top this.

See them live at: No chance. Now listen to: ‘This Was The Sound Of Sugar Town’ download LP, via Bandcamp. Follow: Facebook

Photo: Sink Ya Teeth by Joanna Millington

[comicsiswild]

Rumble (2017) #1

[comicsiswild]

her name is lerna and she's best girl

Rumble (2017) #13