#lion forge entertainment

[graphicpolicy]

Lion Forge Entertainment heads to Virtuous Con with an exclusive first look at 'Iyanu' Animated Series

Lion Forge Entertainment heads to Virtuous Con with an exclusive first look at 'Iyanu' Animated Series #virtuouscon #animation

Virtuous Con, the premier online convention celebrating independent Black creators, proudly announces a captivating panel discussion called “The Magic of Iyanu: The Creation of an Animated Series” centered around the highly anticipated animated series, Iyanu. Sponsored by the Academy Award-winning production studio Lion Forge Entertainment, this exclusive event offers attendees an inside look…

[redsnerdden]

All-Nigerian Voice Cast Revealed for Iyanu, Series To Be Released In 2025

All-Nigerian Voice Cast Revealed for Iyanu, Series To Be Released In 2025 #Iyanu #Animation #MAX #CartoonNetwork #LionForgeEntertainment #YouNeekStudios

Cartoon Network and MAX announce the new cast list for the upcoming animated series adapted from award-winning Nigerian creator and producer, Roye Okupe’s Graphic Novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder. Both companies have confirmed that the new series will have an All-Nigerian Voice Cast, the series being pushed back to 2025. Listed below are the new voice cast members: Iyanu– Serah Johnson…

[wolfie245]

Characters of the upcoming animated show Iyanu.

[fatehbaz]

what does your username mean?

Cat ghost.

As child. Would go to library, to look at books about creatures, with a pen and notepad. Or sit before a television watching "nature" documentary stuff, with a pen and notepad. Was fixated on habitats. The context. Did not like to isolate an individual creature from the wider ecological community. This led to interest in geography, distribution range maps. Was aware that, in popular perception, some creatures were strongly associated with a particular place. "Lion is an African animal. Tiger is an Asian animal." Allegedly. And other stereotypes (many of them, I would later come to learn, due to chauvinism, exoticism, Orientalism, colonialism, etc.). Came across a kind of large textbook on wild cats. Saw the historical distribution maps. Only a few centuries ago, tigers were in Anatolia, the Caucasus, near the shores of the Black Sea. Was intrigued. From the middle of the twentieth century onward, the lion and cheetah were so closely associated with Africa, where like over 99% of their range was located. And yet. There remains a small remnant population of nearly-extinct Asiatic lions far away within India''s borders. And there remains a small remnant population of nearly-extinct Asiatic cheetahs within Iran's borders. And all that space, in between, where both cats were now extinct. Only 100 years ago, tiger, lion, leopard, and cheetah all lived generally near each other, still, in eastern Anatolia, near Mesopotamia, etc. And now, only a few dozen wild native cheetah remain on the entire continent of Asia.

"Cheetah". The word for this cat is from South Asia. Through Hindi, from Sanskrit.

"What happened?" I read on. Cheetahs were present within the national borders of what is now India, along with tigers, lions, and leopards. By the 1500s, there was a tradition in South Asia, where some in the Mughal aristocracy enjoyed using cheetahs as companions in sport hunting. The cats would be captured in the wild, and then trained, and then brought along on royal hunts. The cat was the star athlete, goaded into chasing down prey, for the entertainment of the hunting party. There are elaborate paintings, commissioned by Mughal courts and some now displayed in collections of European museums, depicting trained cheetah hunts. It has since been popularly said that Akbar was particularly fond of cheetahs. (Akbar the Great was the "emperor" who is credited often for consolidating Mughal state power across India, solidifying regional power by building administrative systems/structures in India ["forging an empire out of fiefdoms"] that would later eventually be manipulated and overtaken by the British Empire. According to some tellings of the historical narrative.)

Accurate or not, it was said that at any one time, Akbar possessed one thousand cheetahs. A vast royal menagerie. The names of several of the most celebrated cheetahs are still known. In some stories, when he was still young, Akbar was presented with a gift. His very first cheetah: Fatehbaz.

This disturbed me. A child, reading this book, I was upset by the idea of such a vast menagerie of wild animals. Large wild animals, with great need for food, space, enrichment. I was upset by the exploitation of captive wild animals as displays of aristocratic wealth, not just in the Mughal state(s), but also those menageires and exhibitions elsewhere, both earlier and later in time: the royal hunts of Assyrian kings, the Roman arenas, Charlemagne's elephants, European circuses.

So, as a child, I imagined that Fatehbaz resisted the captivity. Like in a daydream, a fantasy. I imagined a royal menagerie breaking free from restraint. I imagined elephants and rhinos and tigers and lions and leopards and jackals and crocodiles. I imagined the beasts attacking an emperor's court. But there are now less than one hundred cheetahs which survive in the wild in Asia. And when Mughal statecraft gave way to European statecraft, when Britain moved into South Asia, the bounty hunting specifically targeted big cats. And, meanwhile, the cats were confronted indirectly with habitat destruction, commodity crop monocultures, industrial-scale resource extraction. So I came to imagine the ghosts of cats. The ghost of a cheetah like Fatehbaz on the Indus plain. The ghost of a jaguar in the Sonoran desert. The ghost of a lion on the Mediterranean coast. The ghost of a tiger on the Amu Darya shore beyond Bukhara, where even the Aral Sea itself has vanished.

[inusmasha]

Mountain Miko on A03

Summary:

In a secluded mountain village run by a society of mysterious women, Kagome, a young initiate, embarks on a transformative journey under the mentorship of their highly esteemed miko, Kikyo

Prologue – A Dark Fairytale 

In the beginning, within a realm where ancient magic held sway, there once lived a man renowned for his ability to weave spells that brought good fortune to those willing to pay. His performances were nothing short of captivating spectacles, drawing in many who gasped in the grandeur of his rituals. Over time, growing more and more powerful by the day, his glittering magical displays began to draw in the curiosity of wealthy patrons far and wide. 

"How do you do it?"

"You need only to give voice to what you desire." 

Over the years the man turned sorcerer grew proud and prouder still, having forgotten what humble beginnings he crawled out of. He wore his wealth on his body, he adorned his beard with sickly sweet smelling oils and lined his fingers with ostentatious rings. In the era of spell making, the Sorcerer had made this life by his own hand...a hand in possession of a certain Jewel. A small nothing looking bead that was easy to miss even though it hung in plain sight. It's presence barely felt, barely a whisper, only a quiet gnawing at the bottom of his being. 

In the dark night, the heavy shadow of some blackguard, from some dying noble house, made its way to the Sorcerer with big news. A big problem that required a big idea. This truly fair and noble family was harboring a plot to unseat the current emperor and had come to him for help to remedy the issue. 

"What you ask is treason."

"What I ask is to entertain possibilities."

Truth be told; if they had the coin then it did not matter what the request was. He would entertain their hypocrisies. They can keep their dull innocence, keep their hands clean, while he did the unseemly. Though it was dangerous to play with this sort of magic, it's practically what it was there for. 

"What say you, Sorcerer?" 

...it has to be you.. only you could do it.. wish maker ..wishmaker.. wish-

A sinister alliance was forged that night, and he sought to orchestrate their rise to power through sinister rites. 

 His displays of enchantment evolved into bloody ceremonies with costly offerings, ranging from the most humble of creatures to majestic beasts. First a sparrow, a snake, a cat, a wolf to lions, tigers, and- it wasn't enough! To ensure their success, the sorcerer needed more potent sources of power, and he turned to darker methods. He began raiding graveyards for human bones, believing that spirits of the deceased would grant him greater strength. However, he soon realized that live human sacrifices to the Jewel would yield even stronger results. 

Of course! 

Yes, there was a war. 

There was an empty seat in an empty dank room. 

Once the new emperor assumed that cold throne for his own, he called for the Sorcerer to come join him at his royal court and to squat on the lap of luxury. That's what those savage acts were for.. but that damn cursed gnawing hunger never left. It wasn't enough. 

And then...Their paths crossed that fateful evening when he was summoned to perform before their Lord. This was it! Oh! His journey had led him to the fair maiden with black silk for hair. The Sorcerer's infatuation with the woman was relentless, an unquenchable burning within him. Her every word, her every glance, fueled this insatiable longing. He wanted her as his bride. 

But alas she did not want him for her heart belonged to-

It did not matter. He would take her.

In his desperation to possess her he believed that the Jewel, his divine potent resource, could make her love him. The Jewel, fatter still, fed on his fixation. He hated her. He loved her. He hated her. He loved her. The Jewel had never tasted something so sickly sweet. 

"You need only to give voice to what you desire." 

He wished for the woman.

In a final, frenzied act, he sought to give the Jewel a tangible form, giving it arms and legs in which to carry out the deed. Not as some caricature but as something living, with blood and bones. 

"..This flesh is your flesh, these hands your hands!"

At the altar, with great suffering, he relinquished what little was left of his human to the bloody pearl. This was the deep dark material in which miracles sprang forth. He would conjure heaven.. but in the morning there was nothing but the cold dank air, and ash. The fate of both he and the now missing maiden was shrouded in mystery. The ending to this story is always the same.

Now, the Jewel, revered and closely guarded, rests within the new emperor's grasp. It's true nature forgotten. Though the emperor may hold suspicions about the Sorcerer's demise, he chose to remain oblivious of the perils. The relic remained concealed, subject to constant study that often exacted a grim toll and a long list of names never to be spoken of. The Jewel passes from one ruler to the next, as an heirloom of both great power and who's hunger continues to shape the endless road of petty human conflict. 

And we exist in its consequence.   

Many generations pass and eventually the one named Midoriko is born.

[discordiansamba]

spitballing some more ideas for the oops! all Galra AU:

Lance still has a very large family. They're all connected to the Blade of Marmora, although only his older siblings are actually involved in undercover work. His parents are both non-combatants.

Veronica gets Krolia's canon undercover position under Warlord Ranveig.

Shiro has been on Earth for around five years in total before the failure of the Kerberos mission. Sam and Matt are still on the crew, but Adam is the pilot. If he were able, Shiro would tear the Galra Empire apart himself to look for Adam, but he is more or less stuck on Earth.

Hunk's gotten caught sneaking extra food to the Balmerans before and has gotten his meals revoked as punishment. Each time, Shay sneaks him some cave bug jerky even though he tells her she doesn't have to.

Visiting Olkarion has been Pidge's dream ever since she was little. She's thrilled when she finally gets the chance to go, and so angry that it's because it's been taken over by the Empire.

Galra Pidge has cat ears, but specifically ones that are bigger than her head. This is because the idea is endlessly entertaining to me.

Somehow being Galra just makes Hunk even more shaped like a friend. He's more like a big, fuzzy teddy bear than anything else.

Lance is definitely more of a lizard-type Galra.

Shiro is more of a purple humanoid, like Krolia than anything else. It does help concealing his true appearance with illusion tech a little easier than it would be otherwise.

Shiro also discovers that he has a passion for teaching. Who knew?

Krolia forged a pair of blades at the start of the war, one that she took with her and would eventually be passed down through the Blade leadership. The other she left with Keith.

Keith's father died in the war before the destruction of Altea.

Allura learned to fight alongside Keith. They're sparring buddies.

They all just sort of stumble upon the Blade of Marmora's main base after they get the blue lion, because Allura was following the thread of quintessence that linked it to its paladin. She doesn't expect to find an entire group of Galra rebels. Neither Pidge nor Shiro has ever heard of them.

Kolivan's definitely not prepared for the Castle of Lions to show up at their doorstep, but is goaded into tentatively negotiating with them by Ulaz, despite the presence of a former imperial officer onboard.

[robodove]

SHOW US THE PIRATE STUFF DO THE MERMAID STUFF ALKNASDAS

OKAY I FINALLY HAVE A LITTLE TIME ARRGAGRG I hope this aimless infodump is readable

so! Their designs and junk are a mess rn but I do have some stuff of them!!

Ignore the little dragon in the last I'm still working on Lloyd's whole... business. And! Don't mind the text in the pink one, I was just tryna think up silly nicknames!

Anyways! They aren't really... Traditional pirates? Y'know.. cause their crew size is like 5 + a child and ancient beast.

Under division is a small ramble

Cole's the "captain" and is a selkie (although I know they're usually seals I accidentally chose a sea lion)! He's the sea lion in the pictures and I'm desperately trying to work his skin into the design. I thought it'd be silly since he was raised in dance and entertainment.. and hey! Sea lions are known for that too!

(he wasn't meant to look so forsaken here, sorry Cole)

Jay is a mermaid (thing?) When in the water, he has the lower half reminiscent of an electric eel (I saw reminiscent as there are some major differences)! No one really has powers in this but he can still shock like that,, Ed and Edna are still human in this and I'm trying to remember if they still lived at a scrapyard or a shipyard.

Both Kai and Nya are only half mermaid! Nya ended up inheriting way more mermaid traits than her brother, who doesn't even have a tail in water, but still has a lot of human drawbacks. She can only breathe underwater for so long and ironically Kai can last down there longer. He just chooses not to since I thought it'd be funny to still let him be scared of water in this 😭 sorry Kai. He still has the recognizable sharper teeth and has bits and flashes of shimmery scales but is overall the most human of the bunch once you count out Cole's unskinned form.

I couldn't resist myself on Zane and ended up making him a siren. Mainly because.. bird! And also if he was going to be organic, I wanted to isolate him from the other sea related creatures. He has the wings and feathers of a gyrfalcon and can't swim as well in the ocean! He ends up bonding with Kai over this Kai originally hadn't liked him too much! Reasonably so since.. y'know.. sirens eat people. And mermaids in this.. although Zane eats human things as he was raised on it by a still very human Dr. Julien (who I guess is more of a bird-oriented wildlife scientist in this? ornithologist?). insert joke about him being a hand raised bird.

I don't have my sketchbook with me right now so I'm scrambling for pictures but ! Like all their designs, he's still a work in progress. Will most likely make his legs longer or something but this is just my ideas LOL

And anyways! Onto Lloyd! (And the others?)

I was struggling to decide what Lloyd should be,, like? A dragon could still very much work and his normal version is already so cool?? However, I ended up on leviathan.. a baby one. The serpentine aren't decided but Lloyd's still pretty much not taken seriously by the town. Still winds up being taken in by the "ninja!"

Garmadon is still locked up, although now at the bottom of the ocean! The Skulkin are drowned/dead pirates?

Wu is who I've been struggling to decide on as well! For whatever reason I've been contemplating making him like just some statue in the Destiny's Bounty that speaks to them.

There's plenty of other things going on,, Kai and Nya come to them on accident and Jay is over the moon to see other moons and wants to show them their "ways" despite having never even met others before. Cole is desperately trying to keep everyone in one place as they've accidentally made the perfect collection of the world's most valuable pelts.

Kai still raises Nya at the forge (which in this, is beachside), but years later there's a rise in pricing for the scales of mers and the boy decides that they need to leave in effort to protect her. Nya is devastated because this is their home! Where else would they even go?? They barely have any cash! Kai's decision is further inland AND with the money they get from selling the forge. Yadda, yadda, the buyer turns on them and they wind up in the ocean near their home! Kai's knocked cold, which is for the better as Nya swims them further and further into open ocean.

For the first time, Nya meets another mer as she tries to save her brother, and he helps them aboard a ship! The Destiny's Bounty! (Or perhaps a ship before it? It's all still up in air)

I'd expand more but I'm out of time </3 please give any suggestions if you'd like to! I'd always appreciate criticism

[troutfur]

Not related to the augar asks. But a thought that has been swirling in my head

How do you think the three would be with Firestar raising them as a single father? (either Sandstorm died or got taken by the twolegs).

I like thinking about the politics and social standings and how the three would live since to them, they have clan blood but are the leaders kits.

One thing I really like about Jay, Holly, and Lion in Po3 is how they are set up to be these absolute self-important brats. I think it makes for really entertaining internal monologues and it is really central to how I understand their characters.

In canon they have plenty of excuses they can use to dismiss their kittypet heritage ("well, mom and dad were both clanborn", "Firestar doesn't count as a kittypet", "even if Firestar counted he'd be one of the good ones", "we're the deputy's kids", "our parents were both prophecy cats", "dad comes from a long line of leaders, that kinda cancels it out"). Even if they are not brought up in canon I think they have plenty to feel self-important about beyond just prophecy and whenever I take away the that plot element in my AUs I always make sure to plug the hole with one or more of these.

However, if Firestar's children and not grandchildren, presumably as known orphaned loners or even presumed oopsie kits, I think this changes the dynamic in an itneresting way. They can still feel self important about being related to a hero leader, but the lack of a generation in between and them having no idea of any mother they can really not make that many excuses. They would have to face a contradiction in their worldview head on from a young age.

This is similar to the single dad Bramble AU ficlets I write from time to time where a major theme is the tension between "we're special because our dad is deputy" and "everyone knows we're just the loner kits Brambleclaw dragged into camp and they'll never see us like true Clan kits". The way I want the Brambledad ficlets to pan out, the kids are going to go around snooping in hopes of finding their true parents and once they get the answer they've been looking for they kinda just don't want it anymore.

They come to a happy ending by a combination of growing into their own people, preceded by a self-forged reputation rather than just parentage, and realizing that what their dad did for them is ultimately what matters. I cana see them coming to a similar realization with Firestar as a dad.

[kennak]

北朝鮮が管理していたとみられるクラウドストレージサーバから、米国、日本などのアニメ作品に関係するファイルが見つかった問題で、名前の挙がっていた日米のアニメ制作会社などが今週、相次いで関与を否定する声明を出した。 　問題のサーバから自社のレイアウト用紙が見つかった北海道のアニメ制作会社・エカチエピルカは、レイアウト用紙が下請け企業から流出したと推測。「弊社からは過去に発注をしたこともなく、当該事実は一切ない」という。「弊社のレイアウト用紙が許可なく勝手に使われており、描かれた絵や作品とは無関係」。 　米国のアニメ制作会社・Skybound Entertainmentも「当社は北朝鮮の企業やその関連団体とは協力しておらず、当社のアニメーションに北朝鮮企業が取り組んでいることについては全く知らない」という。今後、徹底的な内部調査を行う方針だ。 　7月から放送予定のアニメ「魔導具師ダリヤはうつむかない」製作委員会も「製作委員会および制作スタジオも把握していない情報」として調査を進める考え。併せて、ファンに対して公式Xアカウントなどによる情報発信をこれまで通り続ける方針を示している。 　問題のクラウドストレージサーバからは、Skyboundの「Invincible」（インビンシブル ～無敵のヒーロー～）や、米Lion Forge Entertainmentの「Iyanu: Child of Wonder」、そして「魔導具師ダリヤはうつむかない」に関連するファイルなどが見つかった。一部には中国語による編集コメントや指示がハングルの翻訳と共に入っており、北朝鮮のアニメスタジオが下請けとして作業を行っていた疑惑が浮上している。

「全く知らない」「勝手に使われた」──日米のアニメ制作会社が相次ぎ声明 北朝鮮のサーバから関連ファイルが見つかった問題で

[sekhisadventures]

Adventures in Azeroth: Stories of Avalon and Savage United

Table of Contents

Forward

What follows is 100% non-canonical but anyone who plays the games should realize that pretty quickly.

This is the stories in my own personal headcannon for my characters in the online RPG World of Warcraft. I claim no ownership of the Warcraft franchise or any of the elements therein and this should be considered a work of fanfiction and naught besides. All elements in these stories, save for my characters themselves, are the intellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment.

I’ve been a WoW player since just before the launch of Burning Crusade, but I’ve been playing Warcraft games since the very first Warcraft Orcs and Humans on the PC back in the 1990s. Its safe to say that I consider Azeroth a second home at this point, for as goofy as some parts of the story can become its still a world I can’t imagine living without anymore.

Because of that my characters in the game have taken on a sort of life of their own for me, some of them have been around for years themselves, and thus I decided to actually give them some stories beyond just ‘today I killed fifteen kobolds and sold their ears for a tuppence apiece.’

Also, I tend to re-read this a lot and edit when I catch something I goofed up or something that bugs me. Don't be shocked if it really isn't the same the second time you read it.

!!!NEWEST CHAPTERS!!!

The Time Between: Suffer a Witch to Un-Live

The Time Between: The Avatar of Y’shaarj

The Time Between: For Quel’thalas

Characters

!!!UPDATE 09/19: All Character Pages now have links to up to three important chapters for the characters, to help you get started if you want to follow a specific character’s story!!!

Protagonists

Members of Avalon

Nelen Fullmoon

Jaie Swiftpaw

Samantha Montebank

Dareley Steelhammer

Shalandrae Deeproots

Zhan-min Irontummy

Aziguni

Members of Savage United

Grimo B. Blamstick

Nitika Dawnhoof

Mola'raum

Sekhi

Galdia Grimaxe

Edwood Vargas

Laurelgosa

Krag’thar Stoneshaper

Merihim Suneater

Others

Jeemjazo Redmane & Murgly Jim

Leza

Malgum

Antagonists

Members of Unlimited Sin

Dissonantia, Witch of the Blackwald

The Demons of Unlimited Sin

Gremori Autumnleaves

House Wintersky

Alalestria Wintersky

Sinranir Downstrider

Others

Nyloc Athel of Suramar

The Story

As follows, the story’s chapters are listed in chronological order starting with The Witch of the Blackwald. Simply start there and continue on from that point.

Pre-Warcraft Era

The Witch of the Blackwald

Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos/Frozen Throne

On a Pale Horse, He Rode

Broken Wands

Steel in my Hammer

Arugal's Solution

Sam, I am

World of Warcraft Classic

Preludes to Adventure

Burning Crusade

Whose Side are You On?

What Have You Given?

Wrath of the Lich King

The Forge and the Forest

Cataclysm

The Worgen Wizard and Witch

Open for Business

A Wrathful Guard

Friends Among Enemies

Dark Dreams

Mists of Pandaria

Pandaren in the Big City

A Barrel of Hozen

Experiments with Darkness

The Breath of Y'shaarj

The Sha Within

The Song of the World

Warlords of Draenor

What Could Have Been

Legion

Home Sweet Hellhole

Lok'tar Ogar

Thunderstruck

Battle for Azeroth

Welcome to the Dark SIde

Thief For Hire

Flames, Smoke, Pain, & Death

A Good Soldier

To Ashes, To Dust

Hey Foxy Lady!

A Mag'har Orc in the Banshee Queen's Horde

Lost Home, Found Hope

The New Hire

Shadowlands

The Uncrowned King

The Young Lion in Chains

Enemies Off the Port Bow

Savage United We Stand

Battle Plans

The Maw

Marileth's Marvelous Slimes

I am You, Who am I?

The Void Sees Many Things

Fur Black as Night

Time for Tea

For Those We Lost

Domination

The Maw Opens Wide

The Singing Sands

The Lords of Dread

Dead Men and the Tales They Tell

Burned Bridges

You Are Who You Eat

Beyond Death Itself

How to Conquer Reality

Preparations

Answers

Villainess

The Warlock of Dark Waters

The Shamanbrewer

Back to Bilgewater

Three Years of Peace

Further Adventures in Azeroth

Why Do I Fight?

New Finds, Old Friends

Virulence

The Family Business

The Deep Dark Woods

Holiday Traditions

Goblin Ingenuity

Dragonflight

Homeward

Coming Troubles, New Adventurers

Taking Flight

Setting Sail

Fractured Order

The Witch Returns

Unlimited Sin

Landfall

Weapon Repairs

Sibling Rivalry

Green Flame and Rot

Brightflame, Dim Memories

The Heir to House Wintersky

The Storm Eater

Anger Incarnate

Lost and Found

Remembrance

A Pirate’s Life

After the Storm

Memories of Darkness

Her Final Song

On the Nature of Souls

Earth Quakes, Paths Open

Securing the Path

What an Ale Needs

The Sapphire of House Wintersky

A Brief Interlude

Firefox

Matters of Family

Cutlasses and Caves

Azure Light in the Winter Sky

Battle at Bilgewater

Unnatural Beings

Druid Disappeared

Demons

Aziguni’s Lucky Number

Soon to Dream

Shining Unity

Dissonantia

Home Once More

The Time Between

Infinite Problems

Adventurers in Time

Sins of the Father

Pandaren Paradox

Suffer a Witch to Un-Live

The Avatar of Y’shaarj

For Quel’thalas

The War Within

(Coming Soon!)

Appendix A - Personal Lore

What follows is some personal snatches of Lore I wrote for my characters in their TRP profiles. I’d been meaning to copy it over for ages, now I have an excuse to do so, so why not? These bits are just flavor and fluff to flesh out my roster. The dialogue for them is all in the character’s own words.

Members of Avalon

Nelen's Library

Jaie's Favorite Recipes

Dareley's Scars of War

Sam's Trophies of Treasure Hunting

Zhan-Min's Elemental Brews

Members of Savage United

Grimo's Invention Scrapbook

Galdia's Memories of Draenor

Sekhi on the Songs of the Shadowlands

Other Characters

Dissonantia's Attempts at Immortality

Appendix B - Important Locations

What follows is a list of important story locations for Adventures in Azeroth and the heroes of Avalon and Savage United. I’m going to update this as the story continues. The maps represent places that have no actual in-game location and were made using the Inkarnate D&D map creator.

Avalon House

Offices of Grimo's Savage United LLC

Nelen's Sanctum

Dissonantia's Lair

Sekhi's Cart

Appendix C - Random Fun Junk

This section is simply for goofy random stuff that I made for giggles. These are just fun trivia.

Failed Adventures in Azeroth Characters

What Every Adventurer Needs: Avalon

What Every Adventurer Needs: Savage United

What Every Adventurer Needs: Others

[historyhermann]

Young Love Spoiler-Filled Review

Young Love is a mature animated comedy spun off from the short film, Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith. Cherry, who created this series, began working in the entertainment industry in 2007. Downing created the Afrofuturist series My Dad the Bounty Hunter. Smith created The Proud Family and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Sony Pictures Animation, Blue Key Entertainment, and Lion Forge Animation produced this series. This article was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of actors currently on strike, Young Love, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fifty-third article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on October 18, 2023.

This series comes at a time that there are growing number of Black-centered animated series on streaming services, including My Dad the Bounty Hunter, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Craig of the Creek, Supa Team 4, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Central Park, and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. There are also ongoing indie animations, like Guardian Instance, Diver: The Animated Series, and Silver Lin, by Black animator Brandon Wright. In addition, indie animations such as Defenders of Alodia, LimeLight, and Captain Zero are in development. Iwájú, Dantai, Cookies & Milk, Tiana, and Iyanu: Child of Wonder are five animated series set to premiere on streaming platforms in the future.

Young Love follows a tight-knit Black family trying to pursue their dreams. It goes beyond what is depicted in Hair Love. Only Angela Young (voiced by Issa Rae), spoke in that film. In this series, Rae reprises her role. Kid Cudi and Brooke Monroe Conaway join her. Cudi voices her partner, Stephen Love. Conaway voices her daughter, Zuri Michaela Young-Love. The first episode pulls you into their world, as does the animation style. Stephen is an aspiring music producer. Angela is a hair stylist. She enters her workplace, the salon, Sister Locs, two months after she left the hospital, but is out of practice.

The episode goes on from there, with Stephen and Angela showing support for their daughter at a school auction. Star (voiced by Tamar Braxton) and Angela's parents, Russell Young (voiced by Henry Lennix) and Gigi Young (voiced by Loretta Devine), are introduced. Stephen and Angela rent their apartment from Russell, who is often hounding Stephen to pay the rent. Stephen, Angela, and Zuri often have fun together, despite their challenges. However, there are tensions. Angela wants to complete her bucket list, which she put together before her chemotherapy. Zuri has dug tunnels through the apartment, so she moves through undetected. At other times, Stephen and Angela help Zuri with her school projects.

Through it all, comedy is part and parcel of this series, mixed with occasional coarse language, suggestive dialogue, and violence. Young Love doesn't sugarcoat life in Chicago or tense family dynamics, but shows them realistically instead. At the same time, the series highlights the role of the sharing economy, sexist beliefs from men (claims of women's incapability), and gangs. The latter is manifested in Lil Ankh (voiced by Idrys). He is a rap/hip hop star and Stephen works for him. When it comes to the sharing economy, Angela convinces her fellow co-worker, Cheri, to use a digital app for booking appointments.

The series has a strong slice-of-life vibe, from the fight between Russell and a 1970s washing machine (he finally wins when he puts it at the curb), Zuri and Gigi going to apartments managed by Russell to collect rent (to prove women aren't incapable). At the same time, it provides commentary on social media influencers. In the fourth episode, for instance, Zuri becomes friends with Stacy, after she objects to the book selection by the school librarian, Ms. Green and feels guilt for her homelessness, resulting in her inviting Stacey and her family to stay in the Young's apartment.

This quickly goes wrong when Angela becomes a social media influencer and exploits the new residents, using them to gain followers. They strike back by mooching off her. Angela and Zuri get their new occupants (Stacey and her family) to leave by getting them a hotel room. In the end, they do very well for themselves. Supporters gift them an entire house, while Zuri, Stephen, and Angela don't even have a whole house. In some ways, Angela and Zuri get what they deserve. Overall, the episode is critical of social media influencers and their negative influence. Crowdfunding's positives are hinted. This episode has a similar message to that communicated about such individuals in Karma's World and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

The value of art and the creative process is key theme in Young Love. For instance, in the fourth episode, Stephen connects with his nephew, Amir (voiced by Noah Cottrell), who likes to spray paint. He brings him to a modern art exhibit, exciting him. This goes further in the next episode, when Stephen puts aside his contract with Lil Ankh, after the latter rejects his beats, and tries to ink a deal with a White male advertising executive. He hopes that this will help him break free of Ankh.

The firm is steeped in White bro culture. It is racist but hidden behind niceties. The executive he met previously is joined by a few others. They all dress like Black people, claim they "get" them, and are "allies." While he cringes, he goes along with it because of the compensation. This episode criticizes "inclusive" corporate culture. In reality, the culture of this corporation is the "same old race shit." This gets worse when Stephen uncovers that he's making a racially tinged laundry detergent jingle.

What follows is a funny sequence: a Twitter bird chases Stephen and Star. They are confronted by historical Black figures who warn them against making the jingle. They ignore this, and make a subversive jingle, with Black power themes. The White ad execs don't know better. This is squashed when Lil Ankh releases a similar song, and they have to return the money. Even worse, Lil Ankh calls out Stephen as "trash" and a "traitor." It is no accident that in the same episode, Angela bonds with a new client, a Black woman named Jade, one of the only Black women who leads a PR firm. Zuri tries to sell cookies to "get back" at the Girl Scouts.

This series is more than a mix of slice-of-life and drama. The episodes often come with warnings for strong or coarse language, and occasional violence. Unlike other series, aimed at all ages, Young Love is aimed at mature adults. It doesn't whitewash anything. Take for example, the sixth episode, when Stephen tries to figure out who he is without Lil Ankh, who stole his beats without credit, and ends up in a bad funk. After he brings Zuri to school, his beat-up car breaks down. He gets four flat tires. It is almost a manifestation of 1998 hit by The Coup, "Cars & Shoes."

If that isn't bad enough, Ankh refuses to give him credit. Star continues working with Ankh despite him being a scumbag. With this defeat, he imagines everyone criticizing his work, and even fills out employment applications that Russell gave him. There is then a twist: Russell once was drummer for a funk band! He declares that he sees potential in Stephen, saying he believes in him and says music is Stephen's identity. This is just the inspiration he needs. It is not mistake that everyone learns a lesson by the end of the episode: Angela learns that she should stop meddling in people's lives as a life coach and Zuri stops trying to tell people's fortunes with a demonic cootie-catcher. The episode ends with Stephen teaching Zuri piano chords. Angela welcomes further bonding between Zuri and Stephen.

The next episode of Young Love is one of my favorites since it contains social commentary on pyramid schemes, video game addiction, and comedy (known as throwing shade in this series). For the first of these topics, Angela tries to extract her mom from a pyramid scheme called Ruminate, to sell reported "holy water." This changes when the devious speaker declares that a benefit is an "all-exclusive" trip to Paris. She then accepts it since a vacation to Paris is on her bucket list.

They end up hawking this to more people until they realize the obvious: it is a swindle. They get a ticket, but to Paris, Illinois, not Paris, France, infuriating them. Angela says that Chicago's broken educational system was a cause for her poor choice. She thanks her mom for teaching her to believe in herself again. While Angela and her mom round up "the crew" (those they roped into the scheme) to take down Ruminate, no one believes their tall tale, which appears partially fabricated.

The commentary on video game addiction and comedy is more straightforward. Stephen becomes resolute and determined to beat Hustle Quest, a video game that his nephew Amir made. After several days, he is victorious. However, Zuri easily beats the game in a few minutes, surprising Stephen. The latter makes clear that becoming obsessed with something short-lived is a waste of time. It implies that people have different forms of obsession. Video game addiction is listed in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, there isn't a consensus on whether it is separate disorder or manifestation of other disorders.

When it comes to comedy, Zuri learns from Amir how to show "shade" on people. She stands up to Twan (voiced by Debra Wilson), who is calling people names. Both end up in the principal's office. He chastises them for their behavior. The principal says that if they continue, they will become comedians who charge pennies for jokes. Zuri and Twan decide to team up and tell jokes together, and charge people for it.

The principal's line may be a dig at comedians and how some will do anything to be funny, even if it takes others down. On the other hand, it might be more tongue-and-cheek, considering the comedy of Young Love itself. Consider the next episode. Zuri believes that her parents are having sex. Instead, they are trying to coordinate a schedule. Zuri's initiation is somewhat right: after she leaves, they try to have sex. However, Stephen's desire for chicken wins out, annoying Angela.

Of all the episodes, the eighth episode touches on the value of artwork, drug use in the Black community, the value of artwork, and "spicing up" romance. For the first of these topics, Amir bonds with Zuri. Amir honors his father by spray painting on a wall. Zuri unknowingly helps him, as does a young Black man wearing a face mask. This empowering message about art fits with other episodes. In comparison, series such as The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder do not have similar messages.

On the second of the topics, Stephen and Angela try to find a place where they went early on in their relationship. However, the restaurant has disappeared, and they feel out of place in a now-gentrified neighborhood. Focusing on gentrification in Young Love is not unique. Kizazi Moto, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, City of Ghosts, and Birdie Wing did the same. Stephen and Angela are skeptical about going into a shop, sitting where the restaurant they loved was located. They only enter to charge their phones. A White woman runs the store. She welcomes them, bowing, and welcomes them with "namaste." In some ways, she represents spiritualist White people.

This soon changes. Angela and Stephen drink their tea. It's infused with THC, otherwise known as tetrahydrocannabinol. It's the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. They remain high for the rest of the episode. This doesn't stop them from giving zingers to White people. Angela calls gentrification "domestic imperialism" and describes a nearby White shop owner as a "colonizer." They find the food truck run by the chef who once ran their beloved restaurant. They are so high that Angela doesn't discipline Zuri for leaving the house (she was supposed to stay put). Stephen just vibes while this happens.

Apart from The Freak Brothers, an indie animated series which is absolute dreck, and an allusion in an episode of Steven Universe Future, I can't think of any other series which gives a positive portrayal of getting high. None of the other Black animated series I mentioned earlier even approach the topic of drug use at all. Executives would consider it "too mature" for all-ages series. Perhaps they think it could increase drug use since one study suggested popular music about cannabis could do. More likely, they have certain perceptions of children's wants, which don't always align with reality.

Otherwise, the final plot thread, of spicing up romance, takes place between Russell and Gigi. They give each other presents, but Gigi remains annoyed that each year repeats itself. Rain continues to stop Russell's plans to go out for their romantic anniversary. She demands they change things up and Russell ends up delivering. He returns in the uniform of a letter carrier (his former job). The message this communicates is that love is possible between anyone, no matter their age. It fits with the rest of the series, in which Russell, Gigi, Angela, Stephen, and Zuri live in the same building. In fact, Stephen, Zuri, and Angela live above Gigi and Russell, and have a cat named Rocky, who is a character in some ways, but never speaks.

Later episodes involve Stephen and Angela either helping their daughter, Zuri, or trying to bond with others. The latter is on display when Amir goes with Stephen to buy expensive sneakers, which cost $300.00. Angela begins to come into her own, as she runs the salon, known as Sister Locs, and realizes that she can't be the "cool" boss, but needs firm instead. Stephen tries to compose some beats and realizes he shouldn't be like Lil Ankh, but should chart his own path. When it comes to helping Zuri, her parents get her out of a situation where she caused students to riot over coffee cake, after she thought she was Angela Davis.

These episodes set the stage for the final two episodes of Young Love. In the first of these episodes, Angela's parents (and Zuri's grandparents by extension) demand that Zuri come to church after she complains that God is ignoring her prayers. They are horrified after Stephen calls out religion as corrupt and Angela says spirituality is what is best for Zuri. Going to church is uncomfortable for Stephen and Angela. In the process, Angela lies. She claims she's married to Stephen. At the same time, the episode shows how certain people can be charlatans. Zuri poses as the "chosen one" so she can one-up her friend, Sky. She even tries to take away the Star student idea when Sky begins questioning her.

In this series, God is a Black man. He is remarkably busy and claims to not have time to involve himself in people's affairs. He is similar to the God, with a light bulb as a head, in Disenchantment, voiced by Phil LaMarr, a well-known Black male voice actor. The episode has an interesting twist. It turns out that the financial advisor who helped Angela and Stephen get their finances in order, and deal with their overdue payments, was God himself. In addition, the Principal's worry about lawsuits (when Zuri claims she is the chosen one) and separation of church and state is timely, since some sneer at legal prohibition of religious involvement in public schools, in the U.S., and desire the re-introduction of (Christian) prayer.

This nuanced approach to religion in Young Love, ending with Angela's parents remaining religious, while Angela, Zuri, and Stephen are spiritualists, is unique. It differs from lip service the Simpsons family shows to churchgoing in The Simpsons, or lack of religious worship in The Proud Family, and its reboot. This nuance reflects the fact that only 16% of Americans committed to attending religious services in person. A 2021 survey is even more pertinent. One-in-five Black Americans told survey takers they are religiously unaffiliated. Instead, they identify as agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.” This is especially the case among Gen Z and Millennials. In addition, a recent survey attested that over 10% of Asian Americans are non-religious.

The Young Love series finale builds upon the penultimate episode. It begins with Zuri's declaration that she will marry her classmate, BJ. This goes awry when he swallows a strawberry with a ring inside. Following this, Zuri, and Angela's parents, pressure Stephen and Angela to get married. At first, neither wants this. They laud their freedom from "binding chains of matrimony." Both describe themselves, to the school principal, as loving parents committed to providing Zuri with a stable home. Non-marriage between Angela and Stephen remained in part because of Stephen's repeated failures to propose marriage.

Russell's claim that no weddings or marriages will cause an apocalypse impacts this decision. A recent poll is relevant: Americans expressed worries about declining marriages. Even so, Catholics and historically Black Protestants, especially, had less concern about those with fewer children. That poll also noted that larger groups took a neutral view. They believed that the declining number of marriages is neither positive nor negative for society. At the same time, many women said, in a related poll, of Americans that they took the traditional, and patriarchal route, by taking their husband's surname in opposite-sex marriages.

As such, Russell's view is unhinged. Society has existed, and will continue to exist, without marriage. There is public support among Americans for a nuclear family, even though few see parenthood or marriage as "central to living a fulfilling life." Russell's response is akin to the "No on Infinity" ad in the Futurama "Proposition Infinity" episode. That ad satirizes people against same-sex marriage. Russell's fear combines with Angela's fear that she will become a 1950s-style housewife, a path she thinks Zuri will follow. At the same time, Stephen fears Angela will leave him, causing him to live alone in a house in 1980s-style situation.

The episode ends with both eschewing the idea of marriage, after Angela says they are going too fast, Stephen remains unsure, and Angela's therapist says she should not put everyone else's needs before her own. Gigi stops Zuri's brainless child bride marriage proposal to BJ. Stephen and Angela agree to have a very long romantic engagement instead of marriage, saying that love is holding their little family together. Even so, there is a marriage between Gigi and Russell. It is a re-marriage, a re-stating of commitment between them. The wedding goes on its head, after they play a song Stephen produced and begin throwing cake at each other. Overall, this episode is a clever way to end Young Love. It makes clear that love isn't only possible through marriage.

In this way, it makes a different point that Spy x Family, with Loid and Yor's marriage of convenience, made without either being in love with one another, at first. The views of Angela and Stephen on marriage align with criticism of the marriage institution, even of same-sex marriage. Critics argue that marriage perpetuates a system which makes married people "more worthy of...health care and economic rights" than others. Such critics include Michael Warner (in his book The Trouble with Normal), Kate Millett, Shulamith Firestone, Simone de Beauvoir, Eleanor Leacock, Clare Chambers, and Dean Spade.

Obviously, Young Love is not some political manifesto extolling how marriage is not the be-all, end-all for love. But it is a breath of fresh air from the many series out there, either directly (Tangled) or indirectly stating that marriage is the only way to ensure that love can be long-lasting. There can still be romantic friendships and romances without any legally binding life-long commitments. Unfortunately, popular culture depictions of those friendships or romances are rare. Instead, shows fit with the societal expectation of marriage and the idea that unmarried/single people are abhorrent, bizarre, or "suspicious." This mentality has seeped into online communities of fans who enjoy yuri or yaoi. Such fans believe that two or more characters in love need to marry.

The fact that Young Love grew from a short film named Hair Love, which is less than seven minutes long, is phenomenal. Hair Love features a young Black girl awoken by a cat, trying out a new hair style, and following a video of her mother, who has an easy-to-use hair tutorial. In Hair Love, neither she, nor her dad, who tries to help her with her hair, which he fights, akin to what Moon Girl/Lunella in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur did, speaks. Her mother has the only speaking role.

Young Love wasn't crowdfunded like Hair Love. However, the same company produced it: Lion Forge Animation, along with other companies. That animation studio, a division of Lion Forge Entertainment, is known for Drawn In, Rhymes Through the Times, The Park Bench; and Rise Up, Sing Out. In addition, the studio announced work on a film (Heiress) and TV series (Iyanu: Child of Wonder and Hero's Journey the Series).

As I mentioned in my last review, Max screwed over this series by posting four episodes a week. This made the series almost impossible to keep up with. It ensured that not even one Wikipedian would create a page for the series. Instead, the series is only a redirect on the Hair Love page. This is unfortunate, since social media chatter on X/Twitter is generally positive, except for a few people using clips out of context to bash the show. Users call it cute, slick, cool, hilarious, hip, perfect, and heartwarming. On other social media platforms, and among critics, the reception appears to be positive.

Issa Rae, Kid Cudi, Brooke Monroe Conaway, Tamar Braxton, Henry Lennix, Loretta Devine, Idrys, Debra Wilson, and Noah Cottrell, voice actors for this series, bring their talent to the table. Mara Junot (as Cynthia Love), Mike Smith (as Dwayne), and many others, join them. Their experience allows the series to tackle topics like bullying, masculinity, gender roles, marketing, racial justice, exploitation of Black culture with ease. Even so, not everything gets equal emotional weight.

Rae is new to voice acting, apart from voicing the mother in Hair Love and Jessica Drew in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Similarly, Cudi voiced Jabari in Entergalactic and Clay in Trolls Band Together. Junot recently voiced Beta in My Dad the Bounty Hunter. Devine has voiced many characters, as have Lennix and Smith. Wilson recently voiced Amanda Waller in My Adventures with Superman, Terra Snapdragon in The Owl House, Quinn's mother in Final Space, and Z'oto in Star Trek: Lower Decks. In contrast, this series is the first voice role for Conaway, Cottrell, and Braxton.

I hope that this series gets a second season. It would give new/newish screenwriters like Brian Ashburn, Breannah Gibson, R. Malcolm Jones, Kelsey Barry, Jackson DeLoach, Juston Gordon-Montgomery, Guillermo Martinez, story writer Jeanine Daniels, executive story editor Keisha Zollar, and seasoned writers such as Willie Hunter, Carl Jones, Randa Sheppard, and Dayna Lynne North, a chance to shine again. Knowing how turbulent the animation industry, in the U.S., is right now, and how the executives are stonewalling SAG-AFTRA (resulting in a continued actor's strike), I am doubting it will happen.

Young Love is currently streaming on Max.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[graphicpolicy]

An All-Nigerian voice cast has been unveiled for Iyanu based on the comic from Roye Okupe and YouNeek Studios

An All-Nigerian voice cast has been unveiled for Iyanu based on the comic from Roye Okupe and YouNeek Studios #animation

[dailynicknews]

via NickALive!

[lareinamaria]

@thunyielding , mary's apartments at hampton court

Weary though she was after retiring from the evening's festivities, Mary knew well that there was a matter of importance to attend to. Despite the years and distance of a channel between them, she bore a deep fondness for her younger sister, forged by the days in her nursery and an enduring correspondence. Strong as her resentment toward Anne Boleyn remained, Mary had never had the heart to blame her children for the situation they found themselves in, and certainly not now that they were among the only blood that remained to her in England. It had been difficult, at first, to acknowlege someone else as England's princess, but her heart had softened quickly as Elizabeth

Reunited, England's princesses might seem a fearsome pair to some; the lion's two daughters, who carried the same red mane and sharp bite. As they say in Mary's rooms, worn from dancing and splendor, they were simply two sisters, sharing stories and a final glass of wine to lull them toward sleep.

The conversation had taken a somber bent after a while, Mary's curiosity getting the better of her as she sipped from her goblet. "How was it, when he died?" She asked, no need to clarify who he might be, the he that had hung over their lives for so long. "Is it true that he choked? I always supposed that to be a cruel rumour, but it doesn't seem unlike him, either. That he would... perish from his own excesses." She huffed a quiet sound, looking away. "I've entertained the thought of visiting Westminster, to pay my respects, but I'm still unsure if I have the fortitude. Even in death, he is remarkably difficult to face, somehow."

[raybizzle]

Here's a first look at new animated series Young Love Series which is based on our Oscar winning animated short 'Hair Love' & is coming to HBO Max this Fall. It stars Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, Issa Rae, Loretta Devine, Tamar Braxton, Brooke Conaway and Harry Lennix. The series is set in Chicago & follows the Young-Love family, parents Stephen Love & Angela Young, daughter Zuri & their pet cat Rocky as they juggle their careers, relationships, parenthood, social issues & multi-generational dynamics while trying to make a better life for themselves. Creator and Executive Producer: Matthew A. Cherry Executive Producer: Monica Young for Blue Key Entertainment Executive Producers: Karen Toliver and Carl Jones Executive Producers: Carl Reed and David Steward II for Lion Forge Animation Studio/Prod Co: Produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation.