#lionkingch

[swynlake-rp]

*laughs*

FULL NAME: Edrick “Ed”  Bungu BASED ON: Ed FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-to-Player SEXUALITY: Up-to-Player CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information: 

Born into a high profile political yet Magick family in Chicago the only option was to follow in the families footsteps 

When it was clear to his parents he was different than his older siblings and his magic had the potential to be destructive, they treated him differently 

Ashamed of being different Ed felt like a waste of space. It was his older siblings who brought him out of that dark place.

MAFIA a radical organization with a vision for a magic-superior world was always the goal. Skipping out on the college experience Ed went looking to join asap!

Using his magical abilities on behalf of the MAFIA Ed found himself in hands of the law after a job gone awry

✓ silly, awkward, caring

✖ chaotic, impulsive, impressionable 

Character Suggestion:

Black (18-22) Neurodivergent

Current Relationships:

     Banzai Bungu (older brother)       Shenzi Bungu (older sister)

Possible Relationships:

Click here!

Magical Abilities:

Up-to-player -- unlike his siblings, Ed is not a sorcerer -- and his magic has the potential for great destruction!

[orbemnews]

Miss Broadway musicals? Try Clubhouse Clubhouse, which is still in beta testing, is an invitation-only app with hundreds of audio chat rooms where its millions of users can talk about a wide range of subjects. For Broadway afficionados, it has provided a platform for actors and artists around the world to connect and get their performing arts fix. And while audio drama isn’t a new concept, Clubhouse users have used their own creative backgrounds to revolutionize the app experience. On her first day using the app in September 2020, Noelle Chesnut Whitmore — who was on furlough from her music festival marketing job — joined a Clubhouse room called “The Cotton Club.” Created and led by singer-songwriter Bomani X, the room resembled a real-life jazz club experience where people virtually mingle and designated users act as the club’s bartender and DJ. Participants were required to change their profile photos to a black-and-white image of their favorite jazz musician, tapping into Clubhouse’s visual capabilities that are limited to user profile photos. Whitmore’s “Cotton Club” experience inspired her to find her own way to get creative. Within two months, she began working on a Clubhouse-based “Lion King: The Musical,” connecting with other artists who were interested in pursuing musical opportunities on the app, and it wasn’t long before she saw the benefits. During a music industry panel that Whitmore hosted, she connected with the CEO of Geojam, a rewards-based music platform, which is how she landed her current position as chief marketing officer at the company. The musical went live on Clubhouse on December 26 with afternoon and evening performances. The production followed the 1994 movie script of “The Lion King” word-for-word, with an added original narration by Mir Harris — a creative strategist who starred in and produced the musical — to compensate for the lack of visual components in the performance. “Lion King: The Musical” took off, serving as the impetus for other Clubhouse performances, including “The Wiz” and “Dreamgirls.” The musicals revived a century-old form of entertainment: radio drama. “Audio theater was the standard for our grandparents,” said Sherita Carthon, the casting and creative director for “The Wiz” on Clubhouse. “Through the drop-in audio app, we pulled on the spirit of times past to open up our audience’s imagination through pictures and sound.” Listeners tuned in from as far as Germany and Afghanistan, Carthon said. “There is no way for a locally based theater production to have that type of reach,” she said. While many platforms lend themselves to creative use cases for artists, Clubhouse differentiates itself by placing an emphasis on feedback from users, who can recommend features and products that they want to see on the app. Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, the app’s founders, hold town hall meetings in a Clubhouse room every Sunday, a conversation that is open to all users until the room hits its capacity of 8,000 people. Users who don’t make the cut create overflow rooms so additional people can listen to a live recording of the meeting. “They tell us what is being rolled out, and we could submit questions on a weekly basis or live to talk about things or suggest product features, and that is definitely not normal for most platforms,” Whitmore said. “We as creators kind of get to influence the app, and what the future of the app is, and I’ve never seen that before.” Whitmore held auditions for “The Lion King” in Clubhouse rooms, with more than 60 people from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada trying out, vying for roles in the musical. When it was finally show time, the “Lion King” cast members kicked off the audio performance by making their profile image a red curtain like those used in theaters. Once the music began, the performers changed their profile pictures, and the icons transitioned into the corresponding character images. Around 5,000 people tuned in for each show — the maximum allowed in a Clubhouse room, which has since increased. The performance received rave reviews on Twitter, with fanfare extending beyond Clubhouse. During the show’s afternoon debut, #TheLionKingCH was a trending topic on Twitter. “Wasn’t it beautiful? Hats off to director @noellechesnutw and every talented person who brought joy today through #LionKingCH. A gorgeous indie production,” film director Ana DuVernay tweeted after listening to the show on Clubhouse. “Strong and compelling performances. Crew was on point. You all did that! Black excellence on @joinClubhouse. Jus’ sayin’.” And while the audio experience isn’t comparable to what audience members would experience at in-person shows, with Broadway, theaters and music venues closed, artists are making it work. “A lot of what we do now has been relegated to online, said “Dreamgirls” musical director Elle.Morris. Leroy Church, Elle.Morris’ fellow cast member, worked as the casting and artistic director for “Dreamgirls” on Clubhouse, but he was part of the Broadway cast of “The Lion King” before the pandemic. Church said putting together a musical on the audio app highlighted how to “bridge the gap to make a digital theater space” and get creative when in-person Broadway shows come back. As for that timeline, in March, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expects Broadway and off-Broadway to return by September 2021. Source link Orbem News #Broadway #Clubhouse #creatorsareturningtoClubhousefortheirmusicalfix-CNN #musicals #Tech #WithBroadwayonpause

[dingydiamond]

#LionKingCH: A Group Of Talented Black Creatives Lead By Noelle Chesnut Whitmore Was The Highlight Of Clubhouse Christmas

#LionKingCH: A Group Of Talented Black Creatives Lead By Noelle Chesnut Whitmore Was The Highlight Of Clubhouse Christmas

If you aren’t on Clubhouse, still haven’t gotten an invite, or worse, you have an Android, then you missed one of the greatest moments of a pretty tumultuous 2020. Source: SCOGÉ / SCOGÉ Clubhouse is a social media app that demands your attention, literally. The conversations, the jokes, the insight, the drama, the moans, you have to be there to be in on the action. There are no retweets or…

[swynlake-rp]

"Yeah! You hear that? If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"

FULL NAME: Banzai Bungu BASED ON: Banzai FACE CLAIM: Jonathan Daviss  PRONOUNS: he/him/they BIRTHDAY: 20 November 2000 CURRENT STATUS: Taken

Character Information:

You will be great. You will be great. You will be the greatest. You will be the greatest. This was the daily affirmations echoing through the halls of the Bungu estate. Banzai had no other option than to meet the measure set before him. Summer 2024 was supposed to be all time. Freshly off the graduation stage Banzai was planning on spending half his summer abroad with his sister and friends. They deserved that much after four grueling years in college. Graduating top of your class at Trimount University along with sitting as  president of your magikal society you deserve a damn break. That all came crashing down when his phone rang at 3am on that dark spring morning. Hell he hadn’t even started packing up his town house. Graduation was yesterday! “How did you let him do this B.” the booming voice of his father rang from the other side of  the phone. Banzai cringed. There was only one him he could be speaking about. “YOU ANSWER ME BOY. HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN.” The booming voice now shouting. Banzai felt his blood boil. Not only was he being blamed for something out of his control but clearly there was something wrong and it had to be Ed. It was rare for Banzai to speak to his father in any other way but through admiration but in moments like these…he had no choice. “Excuse me Sir but I know you are not insinuating that this is my fucking fault!” Banzai was in Boston. How as he supposed to have control over his younger brother from here. Hell if his father had treated the young kid better none of this would have happened. “I can’t control him if you treat him like a nuisance! Last I heard he was heading to meet some MAFIA members in the UK.” Banzai had gained a little bit of composure.  “So you take your responsibilities lightly, is that it boy!” His father snapped. “How do you expect to amount to anything beyond college boy if you let things like this slip through your fucking fingers!” Blatant disrespect. Why couldn’t his father cut him some slack? “I can’t be in two places at once! You expected me to babysit. He is 19! What happened? He just not answer a phone call! Tough luck Father…Ed doesn’t do phones!” “Can't answer the phone boy when he is in prison! Fix it! Before I have to!” The phone went silent. 

Banzai whipped his phone at the wall. How the fuck did he end up in jail. No prison. 

Pacing back and forth in his office his blood was boiling. There were so many people he needed to call. This was going to change everything. He knew his father would get over this initial blow of the scandal. Luckily it wasn’t being broadcast all over the news but he knew MAFIA probably had that covered. Whatever had happened was being hidden…except it was his brother being used as collateral damage. Banzai knew there was no need to spiral about this. Europe was already in the picture. They were heading there anyways. Plus if Ed was contained somewhere he was at least safe….he could spin that in his own head to be okay with it for the time being. What wasn’t sitting right with him was the lack of contact from any of his MAFIA constituents already. They just jumped the Bungu chain of command and went straight to his father!  Were they not taking him serious? Had they not told Shenzi?! Tell her at least before you tell father! The paranoia was kicking in. Only for the moment. Banzai was the greatest. That was proven on paper and in person. Nobody was able to reach him at least from where he was standing. Good luck to anyone who tried. Yet here he was getting calls from his father at 3am instead of those he has been working with so far. That would have to change. It was time to alert the masses at least. Scouring the corner where he threw his phone he finally found it. Okay a crew cracks on the screen. Big deal. Yeah right. Sending out a few texts to push their schedule forward he planned to head to England first; nobody seemed to have any qualms.

Next was to text his one sturdy connection in the UK. Voyd.

Banzai: Voyd. It has been brought to my attention that my brother is incarcerated. If you knew about this and failed to alert me first - you well know we have a problem. Banzai: Expect my arrival in Swynlake sooner than later. Banzai: For the love of god let me know what bullshit I will be walking into.

Whipping his phone back on top of his desk Banzai made his way across to the cypher locked door in the corner. Rotating the cypher back and forth as it hit the right numbers and letters the audible click sounded through the silence. Banzai could unlock this door sized safe in his sleep. The waft of death hit his face as he crossed the threshold into his sorcery den. Grabbing an old plugged chemistry vile the glowed white he lifted it up to the light and looked at it. Eyes devilish. “Well old boy looks like we’ve got some work to get back to. Vacation is over.” Banzai reached for his travel case and set the vile inside. The soul he had captured inside glowing like a heartbeat. The souls were coming with him. 

✓ protective, calm, strong willed 

✖ aggressive, sinister, vengeful 

Character Suggestion:

    Black

Current Relationships:

     Shenzi Bungu (twin sister)       Edrick “Ed” Bungu (younger brother)

Possible Relationships:

Click here!

Magical Abilities:

Sorcery - Necromancy

[swynlake-rp]

“Sometimes bad things happen and there’s nothing you can do about it, so why worry?”

FULL NAME: Onyango “Simba” Lyons BASED ON: Simba (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Alfred Enoch PRONOUNS: He/him BIRTHDAY: August 18, 1991 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information  || cw: death ||

Simba was the only child of Mufasa and Sarabi Lyons. In his young child he was doted upon by his parents, given everything that he wanted—loved unconditionally. He was not spoiled, but had learned to expect a certain comfort in life. His mother had many sisters and as a child, he grew up alongside his cousins. Nala Calame, the daughter of his mother’s best friend, grew up in this circle with him too—they had been playmates since they were in diapers.

Yet, this all changed when Simba turned ten years old. He remembers so vividly his father taking him into his study and sitting him down at one of his large, leather chairs. In his deep, commanding voice he told him that he was to go to boarding school to finish his education. It was for the good of InterPride.

He was shipped off to school, despite his rambunctious protests (including running away quite a few times). He harbored a bitter resentment towards everything InterPride was—blaming it for taking the happy father he remembered from his childhood. He only barely passed through most of school, spending more time in the principal’s office than class. The only reason he did well at all was that Nala had been sent along with him. She made sure he kept to his studies.

In college, he discovered to his surprise that he had quite a head for business—at least the negotiation side of things. His natural charm and intellect impressed most of his professors—even if his testing results lacked a reflection of this. Graduating felt—for a fleeting moment—like a weight lifted off his shoulders. But then, his father drew him aside, congratulating him on making COO.

He was so proud.

Simba had not been sure at the time, how to tell this near stranger that he had never wanted this. Instead, he smiled at his father and pulled him into a hug. At the celebration for his graduation he felt like an outsider at his own party—so many faces he knew as a child that were hardly recognizable any more came up to congratulate him on something he did not feel he’d earned.

At the end of the night, things took a tragic turn.

He only remembers being in the car with his father—heading home after the party…then, waking up in a hospital bed with his uncle standing solemnly by the bed.

He’s dead. You killed him.

The condemnation was the only thing he heard, even when his mother came in to see him—tears streaking down her handsome face. Even when Nala sat by his side for how long? He didn’t know. He was released the next day with a broken arm and minor concussion.

The day after was the funeral.

The day after that, he left his mother a note: “Gone, but not far. Please don’t look for me. Will check in soon.”

That was the last contact he’d had with his family. He took his money and a single bag and fled on the first international flight at the airport–no plan, no hesitance. He traveled for six months, wandering from country to country, living in hotel rooms, making friends everywhere he went–the shadow of his guilt following behind him. Whenever people began to ask questions, he ran.

Eventually, his demons caught up with him and he returned to Swynlake, to his childhood home–to find his mother gone, Nala gone, his uncle gone. He decided then, the best way to hide was in plain sight. Buying a house on the outskirts of Atlantis Lake, he settled in to live with his demons. He begun hanging around Pixie, drowning himself in his troubles and alcohol. There, two bartenders took him under their wings when they discovered his charisma and pinpointed him as the perfect protege.

Now, he works for Pixie, where not even the owner—who was kind enough to not ask any questions (she doesn’t even know his last name)—knows his true identity. Will he be able to lead this new life? Will his charm and easy-going attitude overcome his shame? Or will he break down and go back to his family?

✓  Headstrong, understanding, adventurous

✖  Over-protective, melodramatic, clumsy

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Taka “Scar” Lyons (uncle, paternal) Kiara Capulet (cousin, maternal/adopted daughter) Kiongozi Kimani (cousin, maternal) Nala Calame (childhood best friend)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“I’ll never let it go!”

FULL NAME: Zira (Lyons) Blackwell BASED ON: Zira (The Lion King: Simba’s Pride) FACE CLAIM: Danai Gurira PRONOUNS: She/Her BIRTHDAY: January 29, 984 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information || cw: death ||

Revenge: n. the action of inflicting harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.

Zira’s revenge will be sweeter than all the blood that she’s drank over the years. Sweeter than sex and sweeter than love. She may not remember, anymore, the exact colour of her daughter’s eyes, or how she felt when wrapped in Zira’s arms, but she still remembers feeling as if her heart had been ripped from her chest when she realized that she was dead. It is that feeling that fueled Zira to Morgana’s lair, where they concocted a plan to undo the Charter of Swynlake, created upon the death of Zira’s daughter by Merlin, signed by King Arthur Pendragon and Mohatu Lyons. When Merlin realized what Morgana was attempting to do, he set up a counter curse of his own, which would impede Zira’s progress. But, that was alright with Zira. Patience is a virtue and now a vampire, she had infinite patience.

Zira’s revenge is for justice and she won’t stop until her hunger has been sated.

Zira’s revenge is Machiavellian (she met Machiavelli, she wasn’t impressed): the ends justify the means. For a thousand years, she has wanted to enact her retribution on the Lyons and Pendragon families. She has moved the chest pieces slowly, slowly, always watching from the shadows, stalking Swynlake like a lioness in the Savannah grass. She has waited patiently, her need for vengeance fossilizing inside of her.

Zira’s revenge, every hundred or so years, whenever a third child is born to the Lyons family, inches a step closer. In the between time, she grooms her children–these third childs–for hatred, pouring her righteousness into them and cultivating their viciousness. She’s very proud of them. If anything could distract her from her holy war, it is her children, but they are good soldiers, her faithful army. They come to break Swynlake in half, to tear it between their teeth.

Will they succeed?

✓  Protective, mothering, intelligent

✖  Wounded, belligerent, cynical

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Nuka Blackwell (son) Vitani Blackwell (daughter)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“I’m a rogue, judge me now, for who I am. Or am I to be blamed for a crime I didn’t commit?”

FULL NAME: Kovu Otieno BASED ON: Kovu (The Lion King: Simba’s Pride) FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-to-Player CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

Kovu grew up in a rough environment, around adults that didn’t seem to care much about him.

He grew up tough and learned how to look out for himself. He learned that the world wasn’t a nice place and everyone was out for themselves.

The people around him always quipped about how he thought he was smarter than the rest of them, but that was because he was.

The crime boss he’d grown up around noticed his potential and took him under their wing.

Now, he’s been sent to Swynlake to infiltrate InterPride and attempt to embezzle funds from the nonprofit.

But wait--doesn’t this nonprofit help people? For the first time in his life, now out on his own and making friends, Kovu is conflicted about his motivations...

✓  Charismatic, brave, protective

✖  Vengeful, hardened, deceptive

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

None

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“Asante sana, squash banana, we we nuga, mi mi apana…”

FULL NAME: Rafiki BASED ON: Rafiki (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-to-Player (40+) CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

Does not remember how old he is or where he came from.

Lost his eyesight at a young age.

It wasn’t until later that he began to see flashes of the past.

And after that, he learned he also had a knack for foreseeing the future.

Now, he works as the kooky art teacher at PrideU, giving unsolicited advice to his students.

Most think he’s more senile than foreseeing, but some heed his advice (if they can figure out what it means.)

✓  Humorous, sage, clever

✖  Unintelligible, oracular, senile

Character Suggestions

Black, 40+

Current Relationships

None

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

Can see the past, predict the future.

[swynlake-rp]

“I, Madame, am the king’s majordomo!”

FULL NAME: Zazu Apeloko BASED ON: Zazu (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: 50+ CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

His family has long been the “right-hand men” of the Lyons family

Zazu was born into this tradition and taught to look over and nurture a young Mufasa

The Lyons family paid for his schooling as well and he graduated with honors as a business major, immediately beginning work at InterPride and helping guide Mufasa into the role.

Was a close friend and caretaker to young Simba and Nala when he was born.

When Mufasa died, Zazu stayed loyal to InterPride

Now that InterPride is a nonprofit and Simba has moved on with his life, is it time for Zazu to do the same?

✓  Loyal, organized, pragmatic

✖  Controlling, strict, jumps to conclusions

Character Suggestions

Black, 50+

Current Relationships

None

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“Hevi kabisa!”

FULL NAME: Kiongozi Kimani Lorrin BASED ON: Kion (The Lion Guard) FACE CLAIM: Up-To-Player PRONOUNS: Up-To-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-To-Player CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

Kion grew up with a big family in Kenya, being one of the youngest and one of the only boys, he was babied.

His mum and dad were slightly overprotective, but Kion understood and usually followed the rules.

Once he hit puberty, however, strange things started happening. He would get angry for no reason and sometimes it was hard to control his temper.

Turns out, Kion has magic! He is still learning to control his ability and has found that it can affect his emotions.

His parents aren’t sure how to help him, so they’ve sent him to live in England with his cousin Simba, to attend PrideU and hopefully get control of his magic.

Will Kion be able to start to control his powers? Or will he do what he’s most afraid of and hurt someone?

✓  Intelligent, strategic, brave

✖  Controlling, stubborn, proud

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Simba Lyons (cousin, maternal) Kiara Lyons (cousin, maternal)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

Up to Mun (suggestions include: elemental magic, empath, medium)

[swynlake-rp]

“THEY CALL ME MR. PIG”

FULL NAME: Pumbaa Nguruwe BASED ON: Pumbaa (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-to-Player CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

Was born with a chronic stomach issue to a family that could not afford health insurance

His quality of life was affected and he struggled with making friends

Lonely and shy about his condition, he turned to books instead and spent most of his childhood studying from his bedroom

Managed to get a scholarship to pursue university and improve his status

It was in college he met his first real friend–a charismatic big-idea dreamer–who he has followed ever since.

Will Pumbaa step out of his friend’s shadow or stay a sidekick?

✓  Supportive, generous, intelligent

✖  Pushover, nervous, childish

Character Suggestions

Plus-sized, Black

Current Relationships

None

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“Don’t you understand? You’re our only hope.”

FULL NAME: Amondi “Nala” Calame BASED ON: Nala (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Lupita Nyong’o PRONOUNS: She/Her BIRTHDAY: May 19, 1991 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information  || cw: death ||

In a Luo village in May, with the sun hanging on the Kenyan horizon like a sizzling egg yolk, Amondi Calame came into the world already destined for greatness… according to her parents. Sarafina and Okoth Calame were both teachers with sights set on the Western world for their daughter. They were already in the process of immigrating and found their golden ticket as soon as Nala was born.

See, Sarafina’s childhood friend Sarabi had recently married into a wealthy family in England and given birth to a son named Simba. It was quickly decided: Simba and Nala would be arranged to be married at the appropriate age and in the meantime, Okoth Calame would come to work at InterPride with Mufasa Lyon.

With these promises and the proper arrangements made, the Calames left behind their home when their daughter was just one year old. With the move, they chose a pet name for her to use professionally, based on their dreams for grand success in life: Nala.

Nala’s childhood, then, was split in two. There were her play-dates with Simba, in a proper English household where she would get up to rambunctious trouble, spurred on by her best friend. Then there were the hours she spent at home with her dutiful parents, who made sure to bestow in Nala the hard-working spirit of her name, as well as the heritage of the world they left behind. The Luo influence led Nala to become driven, dedicated and sharp as a tack, as opposed to the freewheeling Simba. This influence began to take over as the children grew and responsibilities became more pressing.

By the time Simba was ready to be sent off to boarding school, Nala was already prepared to accompany him—to grow up, as it were. She packed her bags with little complaint, kissed her parents farewell, and smiled at her second family, the Lyons, giving her promise to look after Simba and make sure he grew into the heir Mufasa needed.

At the boarding school, she was good to her word, quickly becoming one of the top students. Simba and she had an odd reputation since Simba continued to prefer an adventure to an afternoon of books, but no one understood their heavy history nor knew of the promise of their future. Besides, the thing they shared in common was the most important of all: pride in their family names.

In terms of the engagement—that spoken contract all those years ago—it began to loom closer as they grew, but in Nala’s mind, it only got farther away. She felt a loyalty to Simba that was more familial than romantic and found a knack for business right along beside him. She started to want more in life besides the plan written for her and looked outward: beyond Simba, beyond InterPride—beyond England.The accident confirmed these dreams.

With Mufasa’s death, all those promises fell apart. Simba disappeared without a word left for her. Sarabi felt into grief with only Sarafina to comfort her. And Nala found the only way she could cope was to throw herself into her professional life.

She was hired in management for a firm in London and flocked off where she excelled in true Nala fashion. In her spare time, she began to consult for NGOs and look back toward Kenya, at her roots, as she pursued financing clean water projects in areas of dereliect. All this and only at 24.She was closer than ever to snatching an investment when Taka contacted her office, bringing the past back to her present.

He offered her a lucrative job as second only to the CFO, claiming to admire her talent, wishing to “keep InterPride among family.” Missing her family, attracted by the prestige and rather large salary—as well as knowing that InterPride had begun to face some financial trouble according to investors— Nala considered it. But she would not return for these reasons alone. She would return because of Simba.

She’d not heard any word from him, could not contact him, and realized that InterPride was the only place where she would find any leads.

She would return to Swynlake and to the life she’d been designed for for her oldest and dearest friend. And to protect his legacy, if nothing else.

✓  Fierce, strong-willed, protective

✖  Stern, serious, shrewd

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Simba Lyons (childhood best friend) Kiara Capulet (adopted daughter)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“I’m at the shallow end of the gene pool.”

FULL NAME: Taka Lyons BASED ON: Scar (The Lion King) FACE CLAIM: Idris Elba PRONOUNS: He/him BIRTHDAY: December 09, 1996 CURRENT STATUS: Closed 

Character Information  || cw: death, drugs ||

Over shadowed from the moment of conception, Taka Lyons was nothing more than a son that shouldn’t have been. The product of a night spent celebrating a business deal, neither parent was entirely overjoyed to find out about the pregnancy. However, they couldn’t deny the excitement their eldest son showed when he discovered he’d be having a sibling and thus decided that getting rid of the slowly growing child was out of the question.

Being twelve years younger than the oldest Lyons son there was no denying that Taka was more neglected than Mufasa. While both sons were given the best education and the means to achieve what they wanted, Mufasa was the one that was doted on. The one who got rewards for going above and beyond what was asked of him. It didn’t matter that Taka did just as well, pushed himself just as hard. It was never good enough for his parents, he was always pushed to the side.

The only person who really believed in him or even seemed to care for him at all was his brother. Even from a young age the oldest Lyons was always more than excited to be around his younger brother, doting on him and cheering him on every chance he got. With most it would have endeared the youngest Lyons to the older, made him love him unconditionally. But Taka, as different as he was, only began to foster a deep dislike for his older brother. Day after day, despite the praise he received from his brother, saw how he was ignored in favor of the prodigy. After all it was Mufasa that  was the prodigy, the one that would run the company business when all was said and done. Taka was left with the scraps; trash as he liked to think of it, much like his name.

It was this deep loathing for his family that set Taka apart. It drew him to the wrong sorts of crowds. Ones that thought it was some form of cool rebellion that brought the well off Lyons to their doorstep, so to speak. And that was what it was at first. Silly little stunts that were sure to garner some sort of reaction from his parents. But as their reactions stayed the same, always focused on their precious Mufasa, and Mufasa began to breathe down his neck more, the reasons behind Taka’s rebellion changed.

No longer was he concerned with proving that he could be something worthwhile to his parents. If they wanted nothing to do with him then he would have nothing to do with them.

It was in his mid teens when he began peddling drugs. It was a simple thing that brought him a bit of cash that he didn’t exactly need but was still proud to say that was his. It made him street wise, knowledgeable in how to survive on his own away from the influence of his family. Made him a valuable asset to the various higher members in the gang he associated himself with. Because of it, he moved up within the ranks quickly. Before he knew it, he was right there with the big guys helping with everything.

It came as no surprise that at seventeen Taka was disowned. His antics had garnered too much attention that they didn’t need and they were sick of having to deal with their son being high nearly every waking moment. He was something that they didn’t need. And so he was instructed to leave, find his own home with the low life degenerates he hung around with. And, annoyingly, through all of the mess there was Mufasa to try and help him clean up the mess. Again, an act that showed just how much his older brother cared only further enraged Taka, making him more than hate the heir to everything it seemed.

Two years passed, Mufasa always trying to pry his way into Taka’s life when his presence wasn’t wanted and Taka managing to evade his help at every turn. He was coming up in the drug business and he was determined to make his name one that was important.

When he disappeared only two years after being kicked out Mufasa was the only one who cared.cared. Taka certainly didn’t and made it difficult for his brother to find him. A fight had left him slightly disfigured, a jagged scar moving down the right side of his face, over the eyelid and stopping abruptly at the corner of his lips, and had given him a near perfect alias. One that allowed him to remain in hiding while also giving him a credibility that rivaled a few of the other drug lords he was competing with. Appropriately nicknamed Scar, he began to make his way further into the drug world.

Soon he wasn’t only hiring people to sell product but was making his own. He had chemists at his disposal making the purest molly, ecstasy, heroin, anything. You named it Scar had it or could produce it. It amassed him a following and a wealth that rivaled his parents. It seemed that everything was going his way for once. He’d even found a girl, one who was loyal to a fault and partook in his entire world without belittling him. He was in love, just as she was with him. It was all perfect.

And then it wasn’t.

He’d heard news of his father’s death and subsequent take over from Mufasa. He’d kept track of that, interested more than he cared to admit. There was a niggling idea. One that wanted to fester and grow but was kept on a back burner. That was until he’d heard news of his own imminent child. Not wanting to be a father and not wanting the responsibility it brought, Taka fled. It didn’t bother him that he was leaving the woman he’d cared for alone to do whatever with the fetus inside of her. He didn’t care one way or another.

Instead, he turned his attention towards InterPRide. With his parents out of the picture and Mufasa in charge, he knew it would be all too easy to manipulate the situation to garner some sort of control. If he could do that then his own personal business could boom, he’d have everyone eating out of the palms of his hand. It’d be all too easy.

As was predicted, Mufasa had welcomed his long lost brother back with open arms, more than happy to have the missing piece of the family back again. Taka hated it but played the part well, apologizing for his previous actions; even going as far as to act contrite and saddened by the news of their father’s death. Everything went perfectly, really. Mufasa named him COO after only a few months of being back and behind Mufasa’s back Taka was able to bring himself some more wealth to counteract the speed bumps he’d hit in his side ventures.

But Taka always craved more power. wanted to be more, achieve more things. Wanted everything for himself. Soon being COO wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to rise even higher, to take Mufasa’s position. It didn’t matter that he technically was no longer next in line. Simba could be dealt with as well. He was easy to manipulate, was practically wrapped around his dear Uncle Taka’s finger. All he needed to do was get Mufasa out of the picture. Then everything would fall into place.

The perfect opportunity came when he was forced to back down from his position as COO, instead told to give the position to the darling Simba. Taka had grinned, agreed, and began plotting.

The night of the announcement, Taka had been drinking and laughing with everyone. He’d put his game face on. He was going to throw suspicion off of himself, of course. No one needed to know that there were men waiting for his command at every block. The plan was going to go accordingly and come the early hours of the next morning, Taka would be well on his way to amassing InterPride and everything associated with it. When Mufasa announced his son as the new COO of the company, Taka clapped with everyone else, congratulated the young Lyons’ heir.

But he saw what everyone else did. Apprehension. It was clear as day. After all how could Uncle Taka not see that his only nephew was struggling with the decision still. Between the others coming up and congratulating him and his annoying father, Taka fed him drink after drink; watching as Simba slowly began to show signs of inebriation. One more drink was all it would take, a little slight of hand, and it would be in the basket.

It didn’t take much longer before Taka had excused himself with the excuse of needing fresh air and to make a phone call. From the shadows he watched as Simba was led out of the party by Mufasa and ushered into the passenger seat of the all too expensive looking car. Pity the thing would get ruined. With Mufasa behind the wheel and the car moving from it’s parked position, Taka put the phone to his ear once again, this time with a change in plans and an order to run down the car that had just left.

hen the ambulance and police cars went whizzing by not ten minutes later, no one paid any attention but Taka. A grin split his lips but was soon gone when he heard an all too familiar cry ring out from the room. The news had hit and he left quickly, not bothering to console his now dead brother’s wife. His focus was on if Simba had survived or not.

At the hospital he’d found that Simba was alive, though he couldn’t remember what had happened. Yet another blessing handed to him from whatever higher being was out there. Alone with the boy, he explained what had happened. How he had been drunk, how he’d crashed the vehicle and killed his father. He’d felt oddly satisfied as he watched his nephews face crumple. But he wasn’t done. Had to finish playing his part. He promised he’d take care of the whole mess, that Simba would never be implicated in it. It’d be a drunk driver that had hit them rather than a drunken Simba who’d hit someone else. And then, to make sure that everything would work out properly for him, Taka planted the last seed he would need to ensure his ascension.

Run. Run and don’t look back.

Simba was gone not too long after Mufasa’s funeral and Taka announced that the shareholders had named him CEO in place of Mufasa. In one swoop Taka had gotten everything he had wanted. InterPride, Mufasa’s position on the the Board, more money than he knew what to do with, and power. The one thing he had wanted all this time.

Moving the offices back to London so he could resmue work on his underground work, taka had everything he could wish for. And then, three years after his rise to power, his empire was threatned. A new drug was popping up in Swynlake, one that was far better it seemed than anything else he had produced and that was not something that he could have. Needing to know what was going on, he made the plans to move the InterPride offices back to Swynlake claiming that it was high time.

✓  Intelligent, charismatic, debonair

✖  Arrogant, manipulative, selfish

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Simba Lyons (nephew)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“I’m sorry, Mother. I tried.”

FULL NAME: Nuka (Lyons) Blackwell BASED ON: Nuka (The Lion King: Simba’s Pride) FACE CLAIM: Jesse Willaims PRONOUNS: He/Him   BIRTHDAY: October 30 1230 // Turned July 23 1258 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information || cw: child death, drowning, death ||

Life was never promised to be easy. Life was hard work. You worked hard. You gave back to the community and you lived the best life you could live.

Nothing was promised to you.

Nuka’s eldest sister wasn’t even given the time to learn this lesson. She passed quietly in the middle of the night before her first birthday.

His older sister faired better than the eldest. She lived in the shadow though of the first. His Mother never truly recovered from losing her first born but his Father wanted his baby boy so they kept trying until he was born and quickly he learned his lesson to work hard. Spoiled as he was from being the youngest her Father needed someone to help him with work.

From morning to dusk Nuka worked until he was ready to fall asleep standing up but it was good work. Strong work.

Day in and day out he continued this work. He met a lovely lady he had kids. He was set to take over for his Father. It was a hard life but it was rewarding.

At least until he lost his daughter and son.

It was an accident. They played just a little close to the water and when one tripped they both went down. It took a moment but when the town found the bodies Nuka was never quite the same.

Every sound caused him irritation. Everyone bothered him. Soon he was snapping at everyone. Threatening everyone. Daring them to come near him he would kill them if they bothered him enough.

Then his wife died.

And Nuka truly snapped.

He wasn’t the man anyone could last around. Even his family had pulled away unable to handle his sudden outbursts.

It wasn’t long until Nuka was outlasted from his own town and as one can only imagine this didn’t sit well with the man.

He wanted so much more.

Zira gave him that. A choice to be more powerful than those that wronged him. More powerful so he couldn’t lose anything else.

Without anything to lose Nuka took the offer and only once looked back.

Not to see what he missed just to kill a few people from that town.

To this day Nuka has never been able to fully control his anger and is prone to snapping when his younger siblings annoy him but since it’s difficult to kill them anyway, truly there is no harm done when he slams them through a wall to tell them to shut up.

There’s no true harm when he destroys a room and pays to have it fixed and compels the worker to never remember how bad it was.

Life is unfair.

Nuka just had the cheat code now.

✓  Loyal, determined, committed

✖  Neurotic, bitter, sadistic

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Vitani Blackwell (younger sister) Zira Blackwell (mother)  

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“Get him! What are you waiting for?”

FULL NAME: Judith Lyons Walter Vitani (Lyons) Blackwell BASED ON: Vitani (The Lion King: Simba’s Pride) FACE CLAIM: Kat Graham   PRONOUNS: She/Her BIRTHDAY: March 27, 1600 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information

Judith Lyons was born in Swynlake in 1600, the third child and second daughter of the main branch of the Lyons family. Judith and her older sister were well aware that even in a town full of magic, a woman’s job was to behave and marry well and that’s what Judith did when she accepted John Walter’s hand in marriage in 1622.

Judith Lyons Walter, according to her husband, didn’t remember to learn what a married woman’s one job was. Their home was full of the pitter-patter of little feet, but John’s children were grown in the womb of another woman - two other women. Love was an emotion women of good breeding in the 1620s often didn’t have the luxury of, and Judith was no exception. She supposed she should feel hurt over her husband’s betrayal, but instead she was just glad she wasn’t the poor fool sweating and screaming as she gave birth to his children. Playing the part of loving mother was easy enough compared to what her husband’s mistresses went through. It was while raising “her” children that she realized motherhood wasn’t for her and she thanked God for her barren womb.

Judith died on May 8th, 1626.

A new and better person stood where Judith Lyons once stood, wearing her flesh, carrying her memories, but no longer bound to the expectation of being Mrs. John Walter. The woman called Zira, to Judith Lyons Walter, was a god, an impossible gift to her sad existence. A part of her missed her older sister, who she did love deeply, but she laughed at the idea of her older brother who thought he was the Lyons who had inherited everything. No, her cockroach of a brother had no idea what he missed out on by being the second born. How lucky Judith was, for being the third born child, for being the one Zira needed. It was she who was born into the most glorious inheritance: the inheritance of eternal life.

✓  Confident, loyal, calm

✖  Vicious, mischievous, sly

Character Suggestions

Black

Current Relationships

Zira Blackwell (mother) Nuka Blackwell (older brother)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[swynlake-rp]

“If there’s so much I must be, can’t I still just be me, the way I am?”

FULL NAME: Kiara Capulet BASED ON: Kiara (The Lion King: Simba’s Pride) FACE CLAIM: Ashley Frangipane // Halsey PRONOUNS: She / her BIRTHDAY: August 25, 1999 CURRENT STATUS: Closed

Character Information

This character is closed.

✓  Adventurous, selfless, romantic

✖  Impulsive, rebellious, stubborn

Character Suggestions

Half-Black/Half-White

Current Relationships

Simba Lyons (cousin, adoptive father) Kiongozi Kimani (cousin, maternal) Nala Calame (adoptive mother)

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None