#lion forge entertainment

[meredithmcclaren]

Happy Zombie Day!

A festive holiday to all that celebrate! And a reminder that I've got my own flesh consuming book coming out next July!

You can read the announcement over at The Daily Dead :)

[melanatedmedia2]

✨ Exciting news! Iyanu, based on Roye Okupe’s comic, follows a young orphan on a journey to reclaim her powers and break a curse. Premiering in 44 African countries soon! 🌍�� #Iyanu #AfricanAnimation

[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…

[thegeekiary]

Lion Forge Entertainment and series creators previewed Nigerian-inspired animated series Iyanu at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

READ MORE: Lion Forge Entertainment Previews Animated Series “Iyanu” at SDCC 2024

[wolfie245]

Characters of the upcoming animated show Iyanu.

[newshuntermag]

Popular Streaming Platform, Showmax to Stream Epic Nigerian Superhero Animation 'Iyanu' Across Africa

Lion Forge Entertainment has announced that Iyanu, Roye Okupe’s epic Nigerian superhero animated series, is set to launch in both the U.S. and across Africa in 2025. The series will be available on Showmax in 44 African countries, while U.S. viewers can watch it on Cartoon Network and Max.  Continue reading Popular Streaming Platform, Showmax to Stream Epic Nigerian Superhero Animation ‘Iyanu’…

[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…

[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.

[leojurand]

so i finished my to lie with lions reread yesterday and i really don't know how to talk about it because i think it's a perfect book.

there's just nothing i don't like about it. i can't even nitpick. to me, it's +600 pages of as close to flawless as anything can be literature. it's crazy that someone can write a perfectly paced and executed long and dense 6th book in a series but dunnett did it.

and it couldn't have been easy because this is probably the most chaotic book when it comes to characterization, specifically that of nicholas and gelis. they're not simple characters at all. they have very complex and layered motivations and emotions, but especially on reread i feel like they were written masterfully.

nicholas de fleury is truly one of a kind. there's no protagonist like him in any genre. getting to a point where you understand him is not easy at all, maybe even close to impossible for the first half of the series (a feature, not a bug!), even though you follow his pov very often, unlike francis. but he still hides things from you, and from himself, and he surprises you all the time, and you have to judge for yourself and decide which actions or feelings are genuine, and what is a part of a scheme, maybe both things at the same time. and that to me is one of the best things about this series, because nicholas himself is a puzzle you have to try and solve, and it works because he's one of the most complex and interesting fictional characters of all time.

and if nicholas is complicated, gelis even more so. it's genuinely so hard to get her and the reasoning behind everything she does. in fact, i don't think you can really know 100% of the whys of gelis, just like with nicholas you have to pay attention and decide the truths and the lies. and she's so fucking good, man. i love that she's allowed to be so messy and flawed and entertaining. and still live, you know lol

the culmination of everything nicholas and gelis go through and do to each other is, again, masterful. an incredible pay-off that i don't think anyone else could have written better. the heightened emotions, the reveals, the insanity of it all... peak literature.

there's just too much i could praise this book for and i can't do it all in one post but of course i need to mention iceland.

part 3 of this book is almost like its own novella that can exist by itself, and i love that so much because in a way that's also how nicholas feels about it. this beautiful adventure away from the chaos of his life, untouchable, untainted, that he will never forget.

the beauty of the prose matches the beauty of the land. i adore the comparisons to nordic myths (the baldur light, and loki fire). i love that you can see how much iceland affects nicholas because he compares things that happen to the volcano hekla, or gelis's eyes to the icelandic glaciers. the language in this part of the book is gorgeous and intentional and it has weight, if that makes sense.

from the start, with the excitement of the trade scheme and the battles on ship, to the beautiful bond nicholas forges with kathi (and that is, honestly, the main event of the whole thing), everything about iceland is perfect. and i've used that word so much throughout this post that maybe it has lost its meaning, but really. if someone asked me to give an example of what dorothy dunnett is capable of doing as an author, i'd show them iceland without a doubt.

and that's it! maybe! next is caprice and rondo and i'll get to it whenever... but i'll keep talking about house of niccolò of course, that's my whole brand 🫡

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Be careful, Christian, and do not entertain the many idols that seek to creep into your life.

Whether it be politics, sports, fame, money, power, prestige, the desire to be liked, etc., they will all drag your heart from Christ and seek to destroy you as the lion devours his prey.

"The human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols." ‌John Calvin

[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

[graphicpolicy]

NYCC 2024: IYANU gets the spotlight with new trailer, clips and more!

NYCC 2024: IYANU gets the spotlight with new trailer, clips and more! #nycc #nycc2024 #nycc24 #animnation

At New York Comic Con, Cartoon Network, Max, and Lion Forge Entertainment released the first feature trailer for the highly-anticipated series Iyanu. In this trailer, viewers are treated to a breathtaking introduction to the series’ captivating story based on Nigerian culture and mythology. The scene opens in a lush, vibrant landscape, where the main characters, Iyanu and Biyi, find themselves in…

[diary-of-a-wimpy-kid]

since i don’t see any love for chad w beckerman here on tumblr, allow me to educate you all about him and the amazing things he’s accomplished so far! (the art above isn’t mine btw!)

chad w beckerman is an award-winning designer and art director who oversaw the design of picture books, novels, graphic novels, and art/entertainment books under the abrams appleseed, abrams books for young readers, amulet books, and abrams comicarts imprints. during that time, he helped create over 40 nyt bestsellers.

he also has his own studio called chad w beckerman art & design studio, which specializes in art direction, graphic novels, cover & book design, illustration, and photography. their clients include wimpy kid inc, harpercollins/greenwillow, smartink books llc, levine querido, lion forge comics, ftrf foundation, and abrams.

although he may be best known for his work on diary of a wimpy kid, his work also includes the questioneers (iggy, rosie, and ada), origami yoga, nerds, nathan hale’s hazardous tales, frank einstein, the terrible two, peter peter reynolds’s i am books, and bill nye’s jack and geniuses.

chad studied illustration as a undergraduate at risd and helps illustrators get to their next creative level and he says that seeing them through a story is one of his greatest joys. chad loves working with other illustrators and has had the honor of working with some great ones in the past.

you can check out his work on his website http://www.chadwbeckerman.com. his username is chadwbecks if you want to follow him on social media. he overall seems like a nice guy and anyone would be lucky to get to work with him! :D

sorry if this post was long! i hope you enjoyed reading! now get out there and show this guy some more love 💕

[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.