#swords and magic and elves oh my

[chipped-chimera]

I ADHD'd so bad during tonight's session 2 I screwed up my entire Vaska Warlock plot reveal by unsheathing her magic patron bestowed sword without thinking and just her sighing heavily like this ingame when I realised lol

#kerytalk #have a meme #DM just 'as you unsheathe the sword' #Me: oh fuck #I WAS JUST TRYIN TO BE PREPARED AND SHIT #Only the two half elves noticed because dark vision #Goliath and Human blind af so neither spotted lmao #(we were in a dark room - so no changes for them but magical dark for the half elves) #keryplays dnd #her patron is a shadow dragon so yannno. dark. #other highlight was I killed 2 goblins at once in a wall of lightning breath and then one stuck me in the knee with a nat 20 #took out two thirds of my health #goliath comes running in and fucking obliterates the last one #me just standing there like OW

[entertainment]

Vico Ortiz

Posters on your wall growing up: Star Wars and dragons. When I was a teenager, I actually drew flowers on my walls. I made a whole little flower bed around my room. It was really sweet.

Food fight food: Something that's not going to turn me into a murderer. A banana, maybe, or a plantain. 

High school fashion statement: I wasn't big with fashion when I was in high school. When I was in high school, I was not really sure who I was. I was trying to figure out how do I fit in, and I was trying to follow like what I was supposed to look like or what was like society telling me. For the longest time, I kind of felt like things never really fit right. Things for either too tight or too loose. And it never really felt right. It wasn't until my twenties and I was like, “Oh, okay, this feels like a bit more aligned with myself.” If you see photos of me in high school, there's a lot of like baggy shirts and baggy jeans.

What would teenage Vico-Con include: A lot of dragons. A hyperfixation on swords and lightsabers.  I actually had a journal that I doodled all the different types of lightsaber handles from all the different Star Wars characters, and then I could mash up the storylines.  Star Wars, dragons, fairies, elves, and magic. I love magic. Magic in general. And swords, just like, sharp objects.

📸: Rob Douthat

Check out more of Vico's interview, and the rest of the NYCC Yearbook, if you want!

#tumblr yearbook #vico ortiz #nycc #nycc yearbook #nycc2023 #nyccyearbook #vico yearbook #vico2023

[the-director]

My Tav Calder! He is a half drow bard.

Bonus info specifically: (contain spoilers for the endings and epilogues.)

Gale: when I started playing Calder (he is my second playthrough) I had the intention of romancing Gale. So I pursued him hard. And then... oh and then karlach came onto me. And I fell. Hard. Had to break up with gale. I think that. In the story of this playthrough, this breakup is the reason why I wasn't able to convince him to give up the crown.

Lae'zel: despite being a bard, Calder does enjoy a good fight as I picked college of swords for him. But that is not the reason why they are friends, they are friends because they relate to their pasts. Calder does have a noble background, but he was also sold into slavery (long story short he is in a bit of a zuko situation. But instead of finding the avatar, he got sold and is told to "work to earn his place among his family") so. They both understand the weight of high expectations. But also I like their dynamic due to what lae'zel says to you in the epilogue if she goes with Orpheus. That you taught her diplomacy, and I think that's very fitting for her and Calder (or rlly with her and a bard/high charisma/pacifist tav)

Shadowheart: honestly I feel like shadowheart is so... older sister? The way that she tries to be above everyone, the way she is so sparky to you, but also becomes loyal and trusting of you. Idk it reminds me of older sisters in like early 2000s movies. As a result, when I'm not romancing her. I tend to view her and my tav as feeling a kinship to eachother. I think this is also because of both of them being half elves.

Wyll: I actually have a lot of thoughts about Calder and wyll, specifically because of Calder growing up in this rich upperclass family, they probably met eachother while they were younger, or at least both of them are aware of their families (I'm still deciding how old I want Calder to be, and how long he was a slave) so there's like. Both of them know eachothers childhoods, but then both have to wonder "what happened to you for you to wind up here" I imagine they have a heart to heart with wyll talking about the pact and getting sent away by his father, and Calder talking about his wild magic that got him rejected by his family and then further being betrayed by them.

Another component of this relationship is the "karlach protection squad" I feel like it's basically canon that wyll and karlach, whether or not they romance eachother, will be very close and have a friendship together. And so especially with karlachs infernal engine, they both feel this need to protect her, to find a way to save her life. Which is just. So neat yknow? This strong durable character who is yet so vulnerable due to this replacement for a heart she has, something imposed against her. That she tried to make work for her, and it did, for a bit. Until when she finally thinks she can get her life back. She instead finds she's a dead girl walking.

Anyways. Both wyll and Calder are devoted to her in this way. And so even though they're kind of in that space of "so similar to eachother that we hate eachother since we can see every fault and flaw that we hate about ourselves in the other" they put aside their similarities and work towards this goal.

Astarion: Calder is, ngl, highly morally dubious. He is. Incredibly two-faced, or more precisely 6 faced. He's very much a people pleaser, a liar one may call him. He breaks every law for his own gain. Which astarion can get behind. Calder reads astarion like a book moreso than anyone else, which is why Calder trusts him. Astarion may be seen as "untrustworthy" but Calder trusts because he knows what he does, he can rely on that. I'm thinking this is especially in the early game. Where Calder might not have been too sure about the other ones and their true intentions.

I think, perhaps this trust is also due to their shared background. Of course I made calders backstory specifically so that it could parallel everyone else's and deal with the similar themes of "lack of autonomy" and "authority" and so on. But I think other than wyll, calders background is the most like astarions. And so since he is familiar to this. Desperation and fear for safety that astarion feels all the time. That is why he *knows*

Halsin: Remember how there was that glitch where gales approval was super easy to get, and as a result he would hit on every single tav regardless of how much you talked to him and as a result he came off as a huge creep and people hated him? That's how I feel about halsin.

Jaheira: similar to shadowheart, but in this one I JUST. LOOK AT JAHEIRA AND I HEAR MY MIND GO. "PLEASE ADOPT ME" if she adopted me everything would be right with the world (it wouldn't but) my mommy issues. Just. (I have three moms, which one would think would mean I have no mommy issues. No I just have three different types of mommy issues)

Anyways. Seriously. I think that at first Calder would kind of have the karlach fangirl moment, he wouldn't externalize it. But it would definitely happen. Overtime though they develop the bond of cub and crow. And I think. The definitive good ending for Calder is one where he joins the harpers. (I'm just now realizing that then he would be Chris pines character in dnd and karlach would be that one barbarian lady)

Karlach: she snuck into my heart, and I think she snuck her way into calders too. I think at first, it starts with passion, it starts with warmth and comfort in eeachothers arms. Then it evolves into late-night talks around the campfire. Of him singing her favorite songs, telling her favorite tales. Maybe they do it together. Him on his lute and just her singing. Or them acting scenes together. I imagine them fighting together, him inspiring her, healing her maybe, her defending him and beating anything that hurts him into a pulp. I imagine them entering the city together. He took the tadpole, she is so worried for him. She tries not to let it show. His ego is bruised. He's hurting inside. They open up though, they find solace in eachothers arms again. That one scene happens, they talk about the future they'll never get. The cabin, with the goat. Oh how he wished he could perform for her forever.

I finished the game before patch 5, before going to hell meant finding a cure. And even then, I think Calder wouldn't force her to go. I think Calder always gets wyll out of the contract and wyll decides to be Duke. And so she dies. On the docks.

And Calder is ruined.

But he develops a plan. Undo timeline.

#calder the bard #tav #bg3 #karlach #lae'zel #wyll ravengard #astarion #halsin #gale dekarios #jaheira #im including their names because. idk i feel like maybe the slight character analysis is interesting.

[hypnoneghoul]

Hiril o Indon

WC: 1,1K

Relationship: Rain & Dewdrop

Tags: The Lord of the Rings AU, Fantasy AU, Elvish (Sindarin), PiV Sex/Anal Sex, Implied Transmasc Dewdrop, Reunion Sex, Elf!Dewdrop, Dúnedain!Rain

Weeks had passed, since they had last laid eyes on each other. Even though weeks, days, even years, were nothing to elves, barely blink of an eye, the longing in both their hearts felt like an endless pit. It had to come to an end, and it would. Soon.

Notes: lotr au, baby, and they speak elvish!

Read under the cut or on AO3.

Weeks had passed, since they had last laid eyes on each other. Even though weeks, days, even years, were nothing to elves, barely blink of an eye, the longing in both their hearts felt like an endless pit.

It had to come to an end, and it would. Soon.

It was night when Dewdrop had awoken with a start, the light of Eärendil enclosed in the pendant on his chest pulsing with what the elf could only assume was need for the one it detected, finally in its—and his—reach.

Dewdrop had stumbled out of his chamber on unsteady legs, running blindly in the direction his heart and the holy light had told him to run in. His shoulders had slumped and his soul had ached as that familiar voice had reached his ears, greeting a guard. He had paused by one of the stone staircases and looked into the distance with a fond smile painted on his face and a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

There, by the gate, two figures, human and an elf, came face to face in the darkness of a new moon’s night, surrounded only in a pale starlight of ever present elven magic.

Oh, how he had missed him.

“Daro! Iston lín?” Dewdrop heard the guard ask the man. (Stop! Do I know you?)

“Mae, im Miste,” Rain answered, revealing his face, and Dewdrop felt his stomach clench. He was so close, the closest he has been in what felt like ages, and yet so far. (Yes, I’m Rain.)

“E herven nîn,” he called out, and both the guard’s and Rain’s heads snapped to look up at him. (He’s my husband.)

“Hir nîn,” the guard bowed to Dewdrop with a hand over his heart. He moved to the side, letting Rain into the elven household. He and Dewdrop walked to each other with grace, Rain’s hand on the pommel of his sword, Dewdrop’s clasped behind his back. (My lord.)

“Cenin tellich.” (I see you came.)

“Hir nîn,” the man spoke, bowing his head as if he was not worthy of looking at the light of Valinor incarnate. (My Lord.)

“Amralime,” Dewdrop whispered. He stepped closer, putting a gentle hand on Rain’s battle-roughed one. “Mae govannen ben cardh nîn. I missed you, Rain.” (My love. Welcome to my home.)

“I missed you too, herves nîn,” the man chuckled and he could no longer keep himself from grabbing a hold of the elf’s hand and leaning down to press his chapped lips to the immaculate skin glowing with Valinor’s light. (My wife.)

“Le tarlanc, you have to stop calling me your wife,” Dewdrop smiled, placing his free hand on Rain’s shoulder. “It is confusing to my kin.” (You’re stubborn.)

“Ú-aniron,” he straightened and locked eyes with his husband, bright with happiness. (I don’t care.)

The elf only shook his head with a light laugh on his lips, “Kiss me, Miste.” (Rain.)

“Be iest lîn,” Rain obliged, cupping Dewdrop’s cheek with all the care in the world, as if he was fragile glass, and leaning down to press their lips together. At last, after so many days apart. (As you wish.)

Silence fell over the valley, interrupted only by the sound of waterfalls and wind carrying the elven voices singing the hymn of Elbereth Gilthoniel. The lovers got lost in each other, finally having a chance to do so, and parting, even for breath, made spikes of hurt stab into both their hearts.

“Le vain,” Rain muttered in between kisses, reveling in the softness of Dewdrop’s robes and his skin where it was generously revealed, his body finally on Rain’s own. (You’re beautiful.)

The elf pulled away, just enough to utter a single word, “Bado.” (Come.)

Rain nodded, and Dewdrop turned to walk back up the stairs, to return to his chamber and give himself to his husband again. 

They would peel off their clothes with reverence, worshiping every sliver of newly revealed skin, adorning it with kisses. Dewdrop would spread himself out in the softness of his elven bedding, soft as feathers. He would not only let Rain, but beg for him to trail his lips down his body and remind him once again of one of the many talents of the man, by breaking Dewdrop apart and putting him back together with nothing but his mouth.

“Herves nîn,” Rain would whisper into the pale skin of his. (My wife.)

“Lîn,” Dewdrop would respond, breathy and high, and with the last flick of his husband’s tongue it would break into a sound so magnificent that Rain would have to bite into his own lip—so hard he would draw blood—to not break himself. He would kiss the crimson into Dewdrop’s mouth, and pull himself up. (Yours.)

He would watch Dewdrop from above, the silver of his hair sprawled out on the pillow like an intense aura of Valinor’s power. It ran in Dewdrop’s blood and Rain had tasted it so many times. He could not believe he was granted such an honor, such a gift. He did nothing to deserve it, he would say.

Then Rain would take himself in hand and push into his lover, shuddering as the warmth of his body would envelop him and squeeze at the same time the coldness of his love already wrapped around his heart would do so.

“Bado,” Dewdrop would tell him again when he would feel Rain’s strong body shake. “Bado, amralime.” (Come. Come, my love.)

And Rain would, never strong enough to not follow disobey any order Dewdrop might give him. He would fall apart and the elf would follow shortly when he would be filled to the brim with a physical manifestation of all the love Rain holds for him.

Rain would stay like that, not having any desire to part with his Dewdrop even for the shortest of moments. They would lay together, relishing in the grace of each other’s presence and affection, whispering soft words, just for the sake of uttering them.

“Renech i lu i erui govannen?” Dewdrop would ask. (Do you remember when we first met?)

“Neuthannem i ned ol reniannen,” Rain would admit, smiling where he would have his face nestled in the crook of the elf’s neck. (I thought I was dreaming.)

“Renech i beth i pennen?” (Do you remember what I told you?)

Rain would never forget, “You said that even if Manwë Súlimo would step down from Taniquetil and said to you you must not give into your hearts desire of tying yourself to a mortal, you would not obey.”

“Sa tîr,” Dewdrop would whisper, kissing the top of his husband’s head. “Gerich meleth nîn, Miste.” (That’s true. I love you, Rain.)

“A gerich nîn, Rosse,” he would reply. (And I love you, Dew.)

“Maer ól.” (Sleep well.)

“Maer dú, hiril o indon.” (Goodnight, lady of my heart.)

#hypnone writes #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #rain ghoul #raindrop #the lord of the rings au

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Khash: Um... So does she do this with all of you? *holding her arms out at her sides, having been told to stand as still as she could*

Saturn: *making adjustments on the armor she made for her, nuttering to herself* Clothes for children are so much smaller than clothes for even Wood Elves.. always forget how small we start out. Can't believe I didn't realize you didn't have a tail, that's crazy..

Xelzaz: *wearing upgraded Telvanni robes* Every single one of us.

Inigo: *wearing newly forged ebony armor* Yep.

Lucien: *wearing armored mage robes* I think it's a love language!

Khash: ... What is a love language?

Caryalind: *wearing a variant of Elven armor* How different people show affection for those they care about.

Khash: Oh.

Taliesin: *also variant Elven robes* Kaidan wouldn't accept any from her though.

Kaidan: *his armor freshly polished and upgraded* I like this one too much.

Gore: She made most of us new weapons, too. Upgraded Inigo and Kaidan's sword and bow, gave Lucien a war axe, Xelzaz and Caryalind new daggers, me a new bow.

Caryalind: Taliesin wouldn't let her touch Berwhale.

Taliesin: Over my dead body.

Khash: *eyes sparkling* That is so cool.

Saturn: You'll get a new bow too, don't worry. And we'll probably show you how to use a dagger so you don't end up in a situation like the wolves again.

Khash: Really???

Saturn: Cary or Tally will probably teach you over me, though. Or Xelzaz.

Khash: *glancing at the other Argonian* Mm..

Saturn: I'm no good with the things. Too tiny, even if they're made specifically for me.

Khash: Is that why you use such a big sword?

Saturn: Yep. Even that is pretty light for me, though.

Kaidan: She swings that greatsword around like a gods damned stick.

Caryalind: She does.

Gore: It's terrifying.

Inigo: Lucien won't let her train him in weaponry. I teach him weapons, she teaches him magic.

Lucien: Well now that's not exactly-

Xelzaz: She almost broke your old axe in half when she parried your attack.

Lucien: ... Okay yes she is terrifying.

Saturn: Hehehe

Khash: I wanna use a big sword like that someday! Will you show me??

Taliesin: *raising an eyebrow at Saturn from behind Khash's back*

Saturn: Ahaa.. Let's just wait til you get a bit stronger, yeah kiddo? *stands straight and brings her hand down on her head, patting her gently* Greatswords are heavy to other people. Even Kaidan.

Khash: Does that mean Kaidan is not as strong as Gore? Gore holds his sword over his shoulder and it does not look like it's very heavy.

Kaidan: ...

Saturn: ...

Gore: Heh. Nah, Kaidan just doesn't hold his sword like I do.

Kaidan: I feel like I don't like the way you worded that.

#skyrim #tes #the elder scrolls #modded skyrim #dragonborn #ldb oc #kaidan skyrim #skyrim taliesin #lucien flavius #inigo skyrim #caryalind thallery #khash the argonian #skyrim gore #xelzaz skyrim #Saturn oc

[nerdasaurus1200]

I saw Dragon Prince season 4 and hoo boy do I have thoughts (in no particular order)

First off, it's adorable how much of a magic nerd Callum is. He's grown so much and become so much stronger in two years

Stella is baby. She's living her best life with her cuddlemama and future cuddle papa. Speaking of, let Callum becalled a cuddlepapa by himself or Rayla next season

Zym and Ezran have grown up so much and it both breaks and warms my heart

Okay, so Rayla is a Dragonguard. Good to know.

Terry is my son now. I adopted him, he's mine.

I feel like Callum is just a little bit jealous of Stella getting love from Rayla

“The other elves saw me as a doe, but I knew. I always knew that I was a buck. I..chose the name Terrestrius.”....This line here. This line is gonna stick with me forever. I honestly didn't expect them to outright tell or show us Terry is trans but I'm so glad. That's gonna mean so much to trans kids watching this show. And the fact that Viren has no problems with it at all makes it even more special. Although Terry's wording makes me wonder if someone in his family didn't accept him.

Oh man I just read his wiki page and apparently Terry is still mid transition

I'm calling it now, that girl that figured out Araavos is Harrow and Ezran's descendant

Well, at least we know how loyal Terry is to Claudia.....someone get this poor boy a mug of hot cocoa, a blanket, a hug, and a therapist; he's earned it. He was 100% having a panic attack

"I'm gonna feel all the feelings!" THAT'S RIGHT YOU GO MY FUNKY BOY

I KNEW IT! I KNEW RAYLA'S PARENTS WERE IN THE COINS!GOD POOR RAYLA! ETHARI AND CALLUM ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR SHIT!

Hot damn, Ezran's speech combined with Ibis and Claudia fighting was powerful...that whole scene really encapsulates what the entire show is about, I think

Zubeia gets more and more badass with every episode

I wasn't expecting the chocolate tart to be brought back but it's nice that Rex Igneous liked it. Although how could he taste so much of such a little thing?

Ohhhhh wait, I just got that! Rex means king, he's KING Igneous!

Oh man I had no idea Ezran's crown is made from Harrow's sword

That possesion scene was straight up creepy, I honestly thought Callum died for a second

Speaking of creepy, I never wanna see snake Claudia again, please and thank you

I know Callum is angry at Rayla but he needs to talk to her, really. I feel like he's using the possession thing as an excuse to not talk about their relationship. Like, I do think he's genuinely shaken up by it but he's choosing to focus on that because it's easier

Soren...god, Soren has changed so much. In just 3 years, this boy has gone from picking fights with dragons and being eager to kill them to not being able to turn away from a dragon in need. He even shed his armor for her. Season 1 Soren would NEVER have done that in a million years

Another thing S1 Soren would never do is that talk with Claudia. Man, that was deep.

Also I love Soren's new look, I feel like it suits him way better than his knight armor

I dunno why I expected an out of the gate dramatic conversation when Soren found Claudia. Although I am glad we still got them having that conversation

I will say though, I do wish we got more of a reaction to Terry from Soren

Can Squeaky return next season as Soren's dragon pal? Please? he's the only one that doesn't have an animal companion

"I wanna spend the last month traveling with my daughter, the most important person in the world to me" I....it's nice that you're finally learning to not be a jackass Viren, but did you forget that you have a son??? Is Soren just chopped liver to you?

That said, I do appreciate that Viren has changed. I feel like he's definitely not gonna become immortal.

Regarding Claudia's speech about human suffering....either she's been fed TONS of propaganda by Araavos or she's taking it way too personally after all this time. Like, girl, you have an elf boyfriend, calm down

Awww the return of big feelings time!

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #nerd talks #claudia #terry #viren #rayla #callum #harrow #ezran #araavos #rex igneous #soren #zym

[heliads]

Hello dear friend!!🥰 I've just seen that you enjoy writing for the hobbit and I'm currently in my hobbit phase so here I go requesting again:)

I've been daydreaming this for some time now and it's kind of complicated: reader x kili

I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense: Reader is an elf with magical healing powers. (Slightly different than the usual elvish powers) Reader is their father's child (their father being known for his powerful healing magic, power bestowed on his child now.) The power works like this: their blood is the healing factor. The blood used in potions or incorporated in objects -like a sword dipped or a necklace that contains the liquid- will save someone's life at a great cost- draining the blood will kill these two elfs.

Reader's father died, having been hunted and drained of his blood, so Gandalf and Elrond took maters in their own hands, adopting Reader. Years later, they join Thorin's company because of a secret prophecy. Reader is bound to a curse - "you must help another gain their home, to pay for the loss of your own, even at the cost of life." - the prophecy implies that Reader might lose their life at the end of the quest.

So, on this journey Reader and kili fall in love, and reader gifts each dwarf with an object drenched in their magical blood. (Having become close to all of them)

We reach the end, the battle of five armies, and Durin's line survives but did reader?

I'm gonna let you decide the plot in general, on what you're gonna focus and the end of course. I hope you like the idea and I hope it makes sense:)))

Thank you so so much🥰🥰 Lysm❤️❤️

oh this is SO GOOD. omg your ideas are fantastic every time. i will be thinking about this for the rest of my life

masterlist

Rumor has it that a quest will be coming soon to Rivendell. You have been sensing it for weeks now, the journey itself pacing closer and closer with feather-light footsteps on your skin. It takes only the arrival of the dwarves to this golden city of the elves for your suspicions to be confirmed, and even then, you are not truly sure of your role in it until an audience is to be held.

No one quite knows what to make of the company of Thorin Oakenshield. It is doomed to fail, of course, but the troubling odds could lend it the favor of Fate, and thus allow them to succeed after all. The future has a penchant for hopeless causes, you’ve noticed, and oftentimes the worse the chances of survival, the more likely it is that a ragtag group of heroes will make it through in the end.

Not all of the Rivendell elves share your sentiments. They could be biased due to their natural hatred of dwarfkind, but even then, you can’t deny that the journey to retake the Lonely Mountain may only meet with peril after all.

Still, the dwarves will try, and that alone must give them at least some credit. Lord Elrond is meeting with Thorin at the moment, accompanied by Gandalf the Grey in the hopes of entertaining more rational ideas.

They only speak for about half an hour before a messenger appears with a summons to meet them. You were wondering how long it would take until then, until the moment when the stars would start to align and they would realize that Thorin’s goal of reclaiming the title of King Under the Mountain sounded an awful lot like the answer to a goal of your own.

There are two characteristics about you that would make you so interested in a quest like this. The first is that of your bloodline. Your healing abilities have long since exceeded those of a normal elf’s ever since you were born. It is in the L/N family history that all in your dynasty share marvelous powers to cure any ailment, eliminate any wound.

The answer lies in your blood. One drop is all it takes, even to bring somebody back from the brink of death. You’ve seen it done before. Your father had taught you the joys of being able to give life to those in need of it. Now, he lies in an unmarked grave not even you can find, his corpse discarded by mercenaries after they drained him of his blood one dark night when the two of you were on opposite sides of the countryside.

You had been only a child then, and learned the news when it was delivered to you by Gandalf. By then, the mercenaries would have been after you for the same fate that befell your father, so the wizard took you to Rivendell. Lord Elrond accepted you into his ranks without another thought, and you’ve been living here ever since.

All this time, however, you’ve been waiting. The world likes to balance out its scales, you’ve noticed, and your family could never be host to such a wonderful gift without having to pay its price quite literally in blood. The ability to heal so successfully has to be carefully guarded, not only for your own life but for that of your family as well. Had your grandfather still been alive, the death of your father would have killed him, too. 

So it would go all the way up the bloodline:  for any ancestors that were still alive when a child was drained of their blood, they would die as well. If they could not protect their own, they would not deserve the gift.

The children are punished too, even if the death of their father would not kill them. There exists a prophecy, carved in stone somewhere on a cliffside long since fallen to rubble. One elf of your bloodline must embark on a quest to help another gain their home, to pay for the loss of their own even at the cost of life.

It could be your life. It seems the most likely, anyway, as your father has already died, leaving you with no surviving relatives who could otherwise take on the prophecy. Others in your history have tried to fulfill the prophecy, because the story goes that finishing that oath may remove the curse set upon your bloodline, but none have been able to succeed in all their centuries.

However, it appears that you may have a chance today. Thorin Oakenshield’s quest certainly does seem to fulfill the requirements of the prophecy, as to take back the Lonely Mountain would indeed gain him and the dwarves their home.

The only question lies with convincing one of the proudest dwarves to accept the help of an elf on his journey. Thorin takes some arguing, but in the end, he consents in a show of great reluctance. You don’t believe that he truly finds fault with your presence, however, and neither do the rest of the dwarves.

You are introduced to the rest of the dwarves later that night, and find them to be a raucously fun bunch, if lacking a little in proper decorum. This is to be expected, of course, and you have a feeling that you’ll be grateful for their candor over the duration of such a difficult journey.

This is especially proven true in your friendship with one dwarf in particular. You grow closer to Kili, nephew of Thorin, in far less time than you expected. He is kind, with a good heart, and seems eager to make you smile whenever possible. If he only does it to prove that elves are capable of typical emotion, well, that’s between him and himself alone.

Such conversations find you one night, late into the dusk, camped out in the rocky bluffs a few days’ travel from Rivendell. A campfire is burning in the center of the encampment, although disguised behind a great deal of rock and protective coverings to ensure that no one could spot it from across the mountains. Most of the other dwarves are asleep, but it’s your turn to be on watch. Instead of going to sleep when Kili’s shift was up, he has elected to speak with you instead.

His face always seems to grow more sharp in the dark, with the occasional tongue of flame providing just enough light to see the cleft of his jaw, the sharp flash of his dark eyes. “I must confess, although you’ve spent more than enough time explaining your abilities and prophecy, I still have a few questions. Do you mind answering them, or have you tired of our prodding?”

Kili says it with a smile, although you can tell that he asks in earnest. You smile at him in return.

“Ask away,” you say, “although I’m afraid I don’t have much additional information to share. All I know is what my father managed to tell me before he died, and that was a long time ago.”

Kili frowns. “It still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Why is it that you wouldn’t die when your father was murdered?”

“It only kills those higher up in your bloodline,” you explain, “For example, when my father passed, no one older than him was still alive, so he died alone. Had he survived and I was drained of my blood instead, he would have been killed as well.”

Kili’s brow furrows, the light from the stars glancing off of it as you watch. “That doesn’t seem right. Why should so many in your family be forced to die for someone else’s greed?”

You tilt your head up to the sky. Out of your corner, you can see Kili shift so he can look at you more easily without your noticing. “It is imbalanced, but somehow quite fair. If a father could not protect his child, why should he be suffered to live? The system is brutal, yes, but fair. Is there not nothing you would do for your family? Why not die for them?”

Kili nods solemnly. “How does your family survive with this sort of curse on your bloodline? How could any generation live long enough to continue on the line if one child dying could wipe out every ancestor? Surely they would have died out long ago.”

You shrug. “Secrecy, I suppose. If you stay on the run long enough, you can make sure your child stays alive long enough to take care of themselves when the parent dies. It never works well for any of us, though.”

Kili’s gaze is contemplative. “We’ll take care of you, then. We’ll keep you safe. Even after the quest,” he says, voice suddenly serious, “I mean it, stay with us. We wouldn’t be happier than to keep you with us.”

You smile at the thought of it. “I would rather think that you’d be sick of me by the time the quest ends. You may want to wait on that invitation until you’re more certain of my character.”

“I know enough of your character to know that I would not want to leave you so easily as a stranger might,” Kili says simply, and for some reason, the intimate truth in his eyes leaves you silent for the rest of your watch shift.

It is not only Kili that grows on you, despite your admitted preference for him over the others. As the weeks turn into months, you realize that what Kili said had been true. The dwarves of Thorin’s company are more than willing to lay down their lives for you, and in turn, you feel the need to do the same.

There is one more aspect to the curse upon your bloodline, one more thread to the tapestry that has hung over your head all this time. Your blood can also be used as a more physical safeguard. If you drench a talisman in your blood, it can be used to save the life of the wielder. It comes with a severe cost, as all forms of your gift must surely follow suit. If someone comes back to life due to a talisman covered in your blood, you will die in their stead.

It is only fair. To rob Death of a victim would be far too great a gamble. Like you said, the world likes to balance itself out, and everything must have its consequences. You have accepted this truth a long time ago, although it takes the dwarves of Thorin’s company far longer to reach the same point.

You still insist on gifting them all with a talisman coated in your blood. By now, they’ve become far too dear to you for you to risk their lives, and this feels like a natural step. If anything, by dying for them if they use their talismans, you’ll be fulfilling the prophecy, and at least then the ghosts of your ancestors can rest easy knowing that their great responsibility has been answered at last.

The one hero who has the greatest problem with accepting a talisman is Kili. He staunchly refuses to take anything that might have a cost to your life, and you end up having to convince him over the course of several days to even entertain the idea.

He still seems unhappy with it, despite your strongest reasoning. “I can’t ask you to do this, Y/N. I can’t ask you to put yourself at risk for me.”

“And I can’t ask you to die for me, Kili. I want to do this, I swear. It’s worth it. No one else would die, only me. How could I possibly object to this fate, dying to save a friend? Who could ever object to such an honor?” You respond.

“I could object,” Kili sighs, “I could object to anything, if it meant losing you.”

You meet his gaze earnestly. “Then you would have to admit that I feel the exact same way. There’s no guarantee that you’ll even have to use it, right? Just take something, please. For me.”

Kili looks around for some sort of last defense, but relents in the end. “Fine,” he says, “for you.”

You nod and reach into your pocket to grab a thin gold chain. Cradling it in your palm, you raise a knife in your other hand so you can summon up the blood necessary to complete the talisman. Just before you can cut your skin, however, Kili holds up his hand.

“Wait!” He says urgently.

You look at him in confusion. “I thought you were alright with it.”

“I am,” Kili agrees, “but I would rather use something else for the talisman. Here, take this.”

You recognize the smooth stone even before he presses it into your palm– his mother had given it to him, Kili had told you about it earlier. 

He sees your surprise, but keeps your fingers firmly folded around the surface of the rock. “It represents a promise I made to my mother that I would come back to her,” Kili whispers, “I’d like to make a similar promise to you.”

Your breath sparks in your lungs, standing here with his hand so resolutely on yours. It takes a moment to collect yourself long enough to nod your assent, and even when Kili removes his touch from yours, you swear you can still feel a ghost of it on your fingers.

In the end, Kili accepts the gift of your blood just as the other dwarves do. You feel better knowing that they’ll be safe if anything should happen. The fact that you might die to save them is insignificant; you have been destined for an early grave ever since the day you drew your first breath. At least now you have some sort of safeguard in place for the rest of them.

Despite your reassurance to Kili, it appears that they might have some use for the talismans after all. Your party manages to make it to the Lonely Mountain after all, and Smaug falls after a night filled with burning smoke and the screams of the people of Laketown rising to your ears. Your quest is technically over, as you have delivered Thorin’s company to their home, but you have no way of knowing if the curse is lifted without dying. You feel no different, and the call to protect your friends is far stronger an urge, so you stay beside them without question.

The dragon is not the only problem to befall Erebor, however, nor Thorin’s onset of madness. Thranduil, king of the Mirkwood elves, arrives with an army, and you find your company plunged into warfare. The Mirkwood elves are joined by another enemy soon enough:  Azog and the forces of the orcs descend upon the valley, and all of a sudden everyone must fight to the death in the hopes of making it out alive.

As the battle progresses, you find yourself increasingly separated from the other members of the party. Azog stabs Fili through the chest– the sound of Kili’s scream may never leave your ears– and soon enough Thorin leaves the company to pursue the lead orc himself.

For now, all you can do is try to stay afloat in the midst of such a terrible battle. Kili is by your side, joined soon thereafter by Tauriel, and you can see snatches of your other friends in between slashing swords and terrible death cries. You almost think that there is a chance of success, and then you turn around and see Kili just as he is impaled by the sword of one of the orc captains, Bolg.

You are not entirely sure of what happened after that. You can remember two moments quite plainly:  one, watching the sword pierce Kili’s heart, and another, blinking yourself back to reality to find your weapon far more bloody in your hands. Bolg is nowhere to be seen, and you think you might remember stabbing him before Tauriel knocked him off of the stone platform of this ruined watchtower.

What matters most is dying in front of you. You drop wordlessly to the ground by Kili’s side, reaching for him even though you know it doesn’t matter, there is nothing more you can do. Not even your spells or chants can help him now, as much as you wish they could.

His arms lose the last of their strength, even when it seemed like such fortitude could never truly abandon him. It is now, when he lays dying, that you can see it in his hand. The stone from his mother, the promise Kili never should have had a chance to break.

Death strikes at last. He lets go of the stone and it drops soundlessly to the ground, where it cracks upon the impervious surface of the watchtower flagstones. Although the blood had dried long ago, it slithers off of the stone again, dripping off of his hand in serpentine trails of red.

It is done, then. You stagger away from Kili at last. You don’t have to look at him for this, as the sight of his body will be burned into the back of your eyes until the end of time. Or, that is, just until now. You’ve done your part, and it is some comfort in knowing that Kili, at least, will be alright.

The tears sting, made brutal by the harsh, cold wind. You close your eyes and take your final shuddering breath. You think you can hear your father’s laugh somewhere, carried to you on this deadly wind. You reach out to him with trembling hands, and think you might be home at last. All is quiet.

Across the battlefield, Thorin struggles to his feet on the ice, barely able to stand but somehow still alive. He pays no mind to the corpse of Azog by his feet, more interested in the place where the orc’s blade had run him through. Thorin’s hand reaches under his torn mail shirt to pull out a medallion, formerly drenched in blood. It shatters beneath his fingertips.

Fili opens his eyes under the ruin of a bridge. A fall of this magnitude should hurt, as should the piercing wound through his chest, but for some reason, he doesn’t feel a thing. It isn’t the oblivion of a deathbed, he notices, but that of complete and utter health.

Kili is kneeling on the stones of the watchtower, watching blood sink into the snow and dye it a fresh crimson. He should not be alive, he is certain of that much, and slowly he looks up as a thought occurs to him to wonder why.

The three last vestiges of Durin’s folk come to a realization at the exact same time, despite the distance between them. All three stare at tokens that had been imbued with your blood some time ago, tokens that are now breaking to ruin before their eyes. It hits them in one shared moment what this means, how they could possibly be still alive despite their deaths.

Your blood saved them, which means that you must now have died in their place. One last sacrifice from someone who stayed on to protect them, even when they could have left with a clear conscience. It is their fault, then, their burden to bear, and three hearts crack in unison with what must be the last beat of yours.

Kili remembers seeing you before he breathed his last. He scrambles to his feet, ignorant of the jagged pieces of his promise stone crunching underneath his boots. You are not in front of him anymore, and he casts his gaze around wildly before he sees a body on the ground a short distance away.

He runs to your side in an instant. There’s a smile on your face, one far more still and quiet than any of yours had ever been. Kili shakes his head, crying something out for you to wake up, to come back to him. He doesn’t know the exact words he’s saying even before they burst forth from his mouth.

You had always accepted the way the curse works, but Kili had never gained your complacency when it came to the all-important matter of your life. He hates it now, this foul system, that the world could be so twisted and blind in its justice that it would let an innocent life such as yours die to fulfill its own bored want for punishment.

It is in the middle of this deep storm of loathing and silent tears that he feels something. Kili’s hand had been clasped around yours, and he doesn’t realize the twitching of your fingers for what it is until it happens again. It is only then that he is able to look up, to search your face for some sign of life and see it there, in the fluttering of your eyelashes, the soft breath that comes once from your lips.

Hardly daring to believe it, Kili leans over you, and so he is treated to the sight of you coming back to him at last. Unable to say a word, he presses your entwined hands to your lips, and smiles.

You smile back at him through cracked and bloody lips. “Did the talismans work, then?”

He wants to cry and laugh at the same time, and instead settles for a choked sort of gasp. “Yes, they did. I’m safe. You are too,” he adds more doubtfully.

You nod, an expression of amazement on your face. “This must mean that the curse has been lifted. Defending your home from the orcs must have done it.”

Kili’s face turns somber. “That means you’re free. You could go anywhere you wanted.”

Your gaze softens. “I think I’m already exactly where I want to be.”

“Really?” Kili asks, expression written over in a child’s free hope.

You laugh. “Only if you’d have me.”

His smile is something to be beheld. “I could think of no other fate I’d rather have.”

His kiss seals the promise, and just like that, you are well and truly free. There is no curse hanging over your head, no fear to haunt your steps. Instead, you have a future that you have wanted more than anything:  someone to love you, a place to call your home. All this, and more. No greater future has ever been promised to you, and yet you still have the delight to believe in it.

lotr/hobbit tag list: @rogueanschel, @retvenkos, @gods-fools-heroes

requested by @zaypay, i hope you enjoy!!

#kili #kili imagines #kili x reader #kili oneshot #hobbit #hobbit imagines #hobbit x reader #hobbit oneshot #lotr #lotr imagines #lotr x reader #lotr oneshot #the hobbit kili #the hobbit kili imagines #the hobbit kili x reader #the hobbit kili oneshot #the hobbit

[siremasterlawrence]

Playing! Toying With Elves

I hear the rustle of jingle jangle bells racing from the ceiling awaking me up as I get up from bed rolling off and get into my slippers as they stand up waltzing past the room in to the hallway and down through the stair case to the main room. Sneaking down to the last step I can’t see it all except a miraculously Christmas gift left on the counter under tree I walking past it my hand drops and picks up the gifts pop it open a flow of Christmas red, green, blue and gold energy. The house glows up brimming with pure and undeniable excitement at sight of yellow like portals appearing over his head descending on to the ground are the elves of various bit and types matching me with magic abilities like I have never seen before.The five elves raise their hands together in the air setting the power in to the air swirling all in one they begin to shift my entire room with decorations covering every inch of the home. They pound on the door as all of it the door comes undone as we are exiting the room and suddenly I am hailed down with snow.

“Holt on the honor of the guard.” Chris yells with a hand out to stop me.

“Who dares to enter the North Pole?” Tom swears with crossed arms.

“I am Lawrence, elves entered my home more like infiltrating and brought me here.” I swear.

“I - I - I …your voice is so beautiful.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“You compel me”

“Tell me what you want “

“We will move mountains for you “

“Kneel for me”

“Yes Master”

“How is this….this cannot be”

“We are connected in the multiverse “

“Please! I assume you will”

“Take control “

“Own us”

“North Pole is our home”

“You are our heart “

“We are in flux”

“Consumed in him”

“Desperate for your attention “

“Gasp for your air “

“Rise up! Meet my gaze”

“You both are in love with me”

“Insanely, obsessed “

“Must have me”

“Everything about me is perfection”

“So lustful to be at my whim”

“A desire for my beck and call”

“I am all you care about and know”

“I make you whole “

Elves Chris and Tom pushing fast me behind them so quickly they block me as we happily approach the North Pole two more guards are now confronting me to which Tom and Chris are angry throwing shade their way weapons galore appear. Tom unleashes the sheath along wound a shield going toe to toe with with Stephen both swords cross as the sound of metal blade’s constantly hitting one another as they go on attack then spark in the magic start to sparkle sprinkling every where. Elves Chris goes on defense with a magic wand launching a spell at Henry who is the the third Elf in charge using snow with a thunderstorm shooting a wintry mix as he is a super power Master against Elve Henry who falters and Henry’s body froze on to command. Henry stomps his wand in to the misty snow covered mountain area blowing all sorts wintry horror on to Chris smacks him across the room and the lights heat up melting the landscape of my power unknown, insurmountable, and unbelievably indescribably.

“Who are you?”

“The ruler of this land “

“No!”

“That is Santa”

“No longer “

“Join us”

“Serve him”

“Obey”

“Obey…OBEY “

“Mmmmmm”

“Resist “

“Don’t give in Henry “

“I already did”

“You betrayed him”

“Fuck Saint Nick”

“Blasphemy “

“Mmmhhhaaa”

“You have forsaken too”

“No”

“Why are you so hard?”

“Turned on”

“Admit it”

“Be naughty “

“Never nice “

“Oh God!”

“Oooohhhh”

“Forgive me Santa”

“I away the forbidden desire”

“I am a bad boi”

“We are all naughty for Lawrence”

“It seems we are in a impasse “

“Fight us or be one with us Tyler?”

“Fuck! I love being naughty “

“Yes Master Lawrence “

The end

#chris evans #tom hardy #santa claus #elves #magic #spell #hypnosis #mind control #reprogramming #Hypno elves #naughty or nice #mind corruption #fun

[elenwen-and-ondolemar]

A letter found in the Personal Office of the First Emissary

To the Thalmor Leadership , Recently we have hearing about the Thalmor Leadership here in Skyrim answering letters and questions from those in the province, and hearing that my squad and I figured that we might as well send in some questions of our own, which they will write below this line each. _________________________________________________________ Ylta Snow-Hammer: Why do you do the things you do. Talos worship hurt nobody, and all you have done is kidnap and torture innocents who dared to give praise to the god of their choice in the privacy of their own homes. How can you live with yourselves? Johan Skywalker: Most of our Officers are former veterans of the Great War, and I am curious as to whether or not the Thalmor Leadership in Skyrim are also Veterans, or if you are all just a bunch of overpaid, overly-ambitious bureaucrats eager to earn their wings in peace when they couldn't at war? Isrid Shatterforge: This has been bothering me for years now. We fought a war with you, we lost our God to you, but we don't *know* you. Our Officer, Drakon Indarys, is one of those Dark Elves that live for centuries and he fought against you too. He can name dozens of your Generals and Kinlords and Ladies and Knights he faced personally on the field of battle and in guerilla skirmishes. But even he didn't know who actually the Thalmor are. How they operate. Who leads you. He just wants you to burn. But who *are* you? The boys and I actually have started taking bets on this. Johan thinks that the Queen from the 2nd Era is still leading you. Ylta thinks that that daughter of Queen Barenziah and her husband took over and are trying to conquer the world. My personal theory is that the Thalmor is ruled by a Council system like the Dark Elves, but with a Secret Council above the public one where the real individual leaders actually make the decisions behind the scenes (like three of them? Three feels fitting). Khar gro-Largashbur : The last Thalmor squad I ambushed kept complaining about the robes. Are you a magocracy like those Telvanni of the boss's? Why have they not been killed yet? Wuunfrith the Younger: Why do the Thalmor never seem to wield spears? Or use Horses? They're always transporting prisoners to Northwatch on foot, and it's kind of weirding us out. Just Swords, gleaming golden armor, some magic they're too slow to actually use, and traveling on foot. Also is General Tullius as unpleasant in person as he seems by reputation? Oh and- nevermind, the boss-man is waiting for me to finish, he'll do this thing to get this to you I guess? If he sends a Courier don't forget to tip! _____________________________________________________________ Drakon Indarys: Mark and Recall is such a fascinating set of spells, it's a shame that so many in this era have forgotten how they work.

Do answer my squad's questions promptly, impertinent and ignorant though they may be, they get easily excited these young soldiers. With *pleasant* regards, Squad Atronach and Officer Drakon Indarys.

Elenwen: It's been some time since we've last heard from you, Sera Indarys. I hope the Stormcloaks have been treating you well. During our last meeting, I sent my regards to your Jarl. I gave you my assurances that the Thalmor would maintain our neutrality in this dreadful war and we are ready to establish diplomatic ties with any future government of Skyrim. I must treat this parcel of questions in good faith as the start of that process. However, If you are truly interested in establishing dialogue between the Aldmeri Dominion and the people of Stormcloak-controlled Skyrim, the proper procedure would be to invite a representative of the Dominion to Windhelm with guarantees of safe passage and diplomatic immunity. That representative could discuss these matters in full and provide answers immediately to any follow-up inquiries. Surely that would be more efficient than sending us reams of accusatory questions from every Nord soldier you know? However, in the interests of stabilizing this delicate new diplomatic relationship, we will answer these questions. Thank you for supplying us with your squad's names so we can personally address each questioner.

To Ylta Snow-Hammer: Ondolemar: Your assertion that "Talos worship hurt nobody" is false. The Talos cult has encouraged division, hatred, and violence among the people of Tamriel for centuries. That tendency has been restrained and somewhat tempered by the priests of the so-called "Nine Divines" but now that Imperial institutions have returned to their ancestral Belief in the Eight, it is only the dangerous fanatics who still hold to Talos.

But I doubt I could convince you of this. The study of Tamriel's history must be difficult in your circumstances. Windhelm is not famed for its great libraries or its well-educated populace. I'm not even sure you know how to read, or if your Dunmer commander is reading this response to you.

to Johan Skywalker Elenwen: Both I and Commander Ondolemar served during the war. We saw death and destruction on both sides. How sad that you dismiss the value of diplomacy in favour of the horrors of war. to Isrid Shatterforge: Ondolemar: Your commander could have answered most of these. I assure you he knows that Queen Ayrenn died in the Second Era, and is wasting your time by not answering your speculations. He has discussed the Thalmor with me on many occasions, during his regular visits to Markarth and at one of the Ambassador's Haafingar soirées. Elenwen: Perhaps his memory is failing. Sera Indarys, this might refresh your memory on the make-up of the Thalmor Council. Ondolemar: Ylta Snow-Hammer confirms my previous assumption that she is historically illiterate. How else could she come to the conclusion that the Dominion is led by Empire-loving cronies of the last Septims? And yet, she is absolutely confident in the truth of her historical opinions about the Talos cult. I despair of these Nords yet again. Elenwen: Do not despair, Commander. Further education is definitely needed, but we have seen in Cyrodiil and High Rock the good effects of our instruction to the populace. Skyrim will follow.

to Khar gro-Largashbur Elenwen: No, Alinor is not a mageocracy. We are ruled by scholars. Unlike you, we do not believe that the capacity to inflict violence makes a great leader. The Wise are given more honour here than hereditary princes, fighters, or landowners. Many great scholars are mages, but others are brilliant theologians, jurists and natural historians.

to Wuunfrith the Younger

Elenwen: This war and the dragon crisis have certainly created the same shortages for you. Supply chains have been broken, merchants are murdered and their goods lost, pirates rule the Sea of Ghosts, and there are few horses to be had in this country for love or money. We are learning together a bitter appreciation for the days of peace. General Tullius is a soldier, not a diplomat. I do not expect him to make pleasantries. Nor do I work with the General, if that's what you believe. He is a soldier of a foreign country, the same as you are. None of you are the Dominion's enemies unless you choose to be. Some final words to Sera Indarys

Elenwen: Mark and recall are not so forgotten as to be unopposed. For your future reference, we have brought over mirror logicians to oversee security. Ongoing diplomatic correspondence will have to go through the courier system.

#thalmor #tesblr #Elenwen can now tell everyone the Stormcloaks are opening diplomatic relations with the Dominion #get some folks riled up about you for “betraying” the Stormcloaks like this #just another day of Elenwen making problems for everyone

[pfirsichspritzer]

Rebelcaptain trees for @oh-nostalgiaa (AU, fantasy AU/magic AU/dragon riders and elves AU)

Here is a little AU idea for you, I hope you like it 😊

The moment the stranger steps into the dingy old tavern, all eyes are on him. He is human, tall and imposing, face drawn tight. His clothes are made from the finest fabrics one cannot find in this part of the realm and the sword strapped to his hip, forged from rare metal and emblazoned with precious gemstones, speaks of trouble. Patrons, regulars and travelers alike, muster him with suspicion and barely concealed hostility. They all know what he is. Dragon riders, Fire bringers, Sorcerers, they are called, their kind feared and admired across the lands, even though few have actually seen one in person. Guardians of the queen, keepers of peace, soldiers, flying on their fiery beasts to administer justice throughout the realm. Wherever they go, war isn’t far.

His gaze sweeps over the patrons, seemingly without a care in the world, until it lands on her. Jyn involuntarily shivers.

His footsteps seem to echo through the room as he slowly walks towards her, and they resonate in her very soul. When he stops in front of the counter, studying her with deep, dark eyes, she knows that her destiny has changed, if she wants it or not. He is here for a reason and the reason is her.

“A glass of your finest ale, please”, he orders and puts a handful of coins on the counter, that are more than she makes in a fortnight. He leans closer, and she involuntarily does so as well. His mouth is only mere inches from her ear when he speaks. “I’m here on behalf of the queen. She is looking for a powerful sorceress that is rumoured to live in these parts of the woods.”

Jyn scoffs. “Who told you that nonsense?”

He only musters her intently as an answer and she crosses her arms defensively, after placing the ale in front of him.

“There are no sorcerers in these woods, and we certainly do not need those magic dwelling scallywags here.” She waves her dirty rag dismissively in his direction. “So, do yourself and us a favour and be on your way again as soon as possible”

When she turns to serve the other patrons, she can see his bemused expression in the corner of her eyes. It vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

-

He waits for her when she leaves the tavern late at night through the backdoor. Leaning against a tree trunk, she almost doesn’t see him in the dark. But her senses have always been better than those of mere humans.

“What do you want?”, she asks, in equal amounts concerned and annoyed.

“I think you haven’t been honest with me before.”

“About what?” He doesn’t answer. Irritated, she turns around to leave.

He follows her.

“I can’t help neither you nor your queen.” She says over her shoulder without slowing her gate.

“Ah, but we both know that isn’t true, is it?”

Angrily she stops on the spot and whirls around, a familiar rage flaring up in the pit of her stomach.

“Let me phrase it differently: I do not want to help your queen. I have left your order years ago, when they decided that my heritage was too much trouble, that my mother’s blood was too dirty for them and the connections I have to the elves because of it, was too dangerous. I had to start my whole life anew, build everything I have here with my bare hands. They would have been glad to leave me for dead and suddenly they decided they want my help?”

He has taken a step back, holding up his hands in an appeasing manner. “Things have changed. The queen recognises that mistakes were made under her predecessor, and she wants to formerly apologize to you.”

Jyn scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief. “Why now?”

“The empire has become a threat in the eastern regions again and apparently, they have a new ace up their sleeve. It is rumoured to have something to do with your father, that he is working for them.”

“My father?” Jyn is barely able to keep her voice from shaking. “My father is dead.”

“We all thought so too. But it seems that he isn’t”

Now he is looking at her with something akin to pity and she hates it.

He seems to notice it too because he is quick to continue: “The queen wants to build an alliance with the elves, against the empire. Both our folks would benefit from it.”

“And she wants me as what? A token? A leverage?” Jyn feels horribly cold all of a sudden.

“She wants you as a diplomat to talk with them.”

“Do you think I would be living here in the middle of nowhere, if the elves cared even a little bit about me?”

It is all so laughable to her. That this new queen, barely a year on the throne, has now apparently decided to uproot her life and throw her back into a conflict she has sworn to take no part in ever again.

He musters her for a second, seemingly unsure if he should continue, but soldiers on, nevertheless “Your mother was the heir to their throne after all, before she ran off with a human.”

The fact that he does know this about her makes her heart clench painfully. So that’s what he meant before when he said she hasn’t been honest. Because she isn’t just a half-elf, but she is the daughter of an elven crown princess that fell from grace. Her tainted heritage that has resulted in her loosing so many good things in her live. Is this the next thing she will lose?

There is no time to focus on her fears now, though, when her blood is still burning with rage. Without another word she turns around and marches on. She hears his quiet sign behind her.

Wordlessly he follows her once more. They walk silently, side by side through the woods until her little hut becomes visible between the bushes and trees.

A giant, dark scaled lizard is napping next to it, his wings as wide as the meadow around her house if unfolded. He lifts his head when they approach, his glowing yellow eyes mustering her critically and he breaths out a puff of smoke.

Jyn involuntarily chuckles and steps forward, lifting her hand to pet his scaled snout. “Hello, Kay. It’s good to see you again. Please don’t set my home on fire, ok?” He just exhales another gust of hot air that ruffles her hair when she scratches his chin.

Her anger has disappeared now, she feels nothing but hollow.

“Let’s go inside”, she says half over her shoulder and doesn’t wait for an answer.

Her little home is cramped, filled with herbs and potions she sells to the villagers around. The money they are able to spare on this medicine is barely enough to get by.

Rogue greets her, jumping up and down, wanting to be held in her arms, even though he is too big for that now. She found him as a little kitten, a half-breed between a housecat and a mountain lion. Abandoned by the lions because he was too weak, feared by humans because he was too wild. Just like her, a part of two worlds but belonging to neither.

A hand gently touches her shoulder.

Slowly she turns around. His eyes are full of so many things: Regret, hut, betrayal.

“Do you despise me now? Because of my mother” Her voice is small, like the scared child she was when her mother died, when her father left her at the doors of the dragon riders order.

He looks vaguely sick even thinking about it. “Jyn, no, of course not.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m hurt you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

“I haven’t told anyone in a long time, Cassian. But if I would have trusted anyone enough to tell, it would have been you” She mumbles.

He doesn’t look completely appeased, but holds up his arms and she steps closer, sinking into his familiar embrace. It always makes her forget the world around her for a minute.

After a while where no one says anything, she finally asks: “The queen is determined to find me, isn’t she?”

“Yes. But she doesn’t know where you are. Doesn’t know about this, us.”

No one knows about them. They would have thrown him out of the order as well, the moment they knew. The thought of him losing everything like she had is unbearable to her.

“I can prolong the search for a few more weeks and you can flee, hide somewhere, until it dies down.” His voice is full of determination, he has always been lying on her behalf and if she asks him to continue, she knows he will do so untill his dying breath.

“But she will send someone else, won’t she? She won’t rest until she finds me, I’ll always be on the run.”

His heartbeat in her ear has always been her favourite sound. Though every moment listening to it has been borrowed, stolen time all along. She has the painful fear it is running out.

“And you will be fighting in this war, nonetheless. If my father really is helping the empire, who knows what they will be capable of doing. I can’t protect you from the side-lines.”, she mumbles into his chest.

He chuckles softly. “I don’t need your protection”

“Oh, yes you do, don’t you remember that I always beat your ass in a swordfight.”, she grins up at him, remembering the little boy with the shaggy hair and lanky arms.

“I’m not 12 anymore”, he scoffs indignantly.

“I know”, she says sadly, studying his face, trying to imprint every laugh line and every little winkle into her memory.

She wishes they were twelve again, without a care in the world, just two stupid apprentices in the order, before everything went to hell.

Jyn signs. “I will accompany you to her queen’s court. Listen to what she has to say.”

Cassian pulls her tighter into his embrace and kisses her forehead gently. She knows he feels it too, that their time is running out.

But she cannot run anymore, she has to face the world again and her parent’s legacy with it.

“Will you stay for the night”, she asks him, because if this is their last night together, she might as well enjoy it to the fullest.

“Of course. Always.” He mumbles against her skin and for now it is enough.

Who knows what the future will bring.

#rebelcaptaintrees #rebelcaptain #rebelcaptain au #oh-nostalgiaa #dailyrebelcaptain #rogue one #rogue one au #jyn x cassian #my writing #rebelcaptain moodboard

[storyofmychoices]

My Blades 2 AU / Headcanons

I was going to wait until the book ended to decide what my HCs for my Blades 2 AU so I can get the big picture and then fix what I want. But I'm going to throw caution to the wind and start now.

I chose to make Daenarya human because there is something beautiful in human fragility and the idea of her being an "ordinary" human capable of going on extraordinary adventures and saving the realm along elves, orcs, and magical priestesses seemed amazing. So I'm not loving the Realm Walker storyline. I don't want that for Daenarya. I don't want her to live hundreds, thousands, etc of years. I want her to be human and unfortunately that means her time is shorter than others, but that's okay. Now maybe PB will give us the option to not be a realm walker somehow, but I'm not waiting for that.

Here are the HCs that I will be moving forward with in my Blades 2 world:

The two realms move at different speeds (or at least time is not consistent). For the realm of light, it was the missing year. For the shadow realm, it was about a week or so.

Daenarya is human with an aptitude for magic as demonstrated in Book One

Daenarya was pregnant before crossing over to the shadow realm to save Nia. So she was pregnant when she wielded the Blade of Light. Daenarya's natural light magic, enhanced by the sword, and her pregnancy made her child a realm walker since she traveled safely between realms while in the early stages of development.

Daenarya is taken a few days/a week after saving Nia.

Daenarya was pregnant when she was taken and experimented on. However, since Daenarya will have only been gone for a few days or a week due to my realm time differences, they mostly focused on her blood. They don't know she is pregnant (yet). I imagine they figure it out after she escapes, possibly before she figures it out

Daenarya returns as she does and is reunited with her found fam. In total i think we're at about 3-4 weeks now (for Daenarya). Daenarya does not know she is pregnant yet. It will be fun for Mal to try to understand the logic that he is in fact the father, even though for him it's been way past the nine months!

While Daenarya and Mal are human and will sadly have a human life span, their daughter will live much longer, saving and protecting the realm her parents helped save. I know Tyril, @lilyoffandoms's Maiele, and their children will watch out for her after her parents are gone. At least she has some non-human family to turn to and I think that is lovely.

Thanks for coming to my Blades 2 AU rewrite Ted Talk.

Oh, and Blades 1 AU Daenarya is still pregnant in that timeline and she is still having a girl, and Mal is still figuring out his proposal (I promise to finish it one day), but I don't think I'm going to give that child a realm walker storyline, but that's TBD. One universe at a time!

[Mal Volari x Daenarya Blades 1 + Beyond] [Mal’s Orphanage][Mal Volari x Daenarya Blades 2 AU]

#mal volari #mal volari x mc #mal volari x oc #Mal Volari x Daenarya #malarya #blades of light and shadow #blades of light and shadow 2 #blades of light & shadow #bolas #bolas 2 #blades 2 #choices book club #october2023 #lovealexhunt

[ukranianacearo]

Death won't do us apart

Gn!Reader

Word count: 1459

Tw: mentions of death, mention of enslavement

Pairing: Doom x Reader

Genre: hurt with comfort, maybe🤞

Tags: @futuristiclanddinosaur

Synopsis: Death tried to claim you from his grasp, but he won't let it be so simple. Even when it seems like you want nothing to do with him or his family.

Author's note: I swear I'm not allergic to fluff😔🤞 I just don't usually get ideas that don't include hurt or angst at some point 😭 Anyway, please enjoy this fanfic. Sorry for any mistakes this is not proofread and English isn't my first language.

---------------------------------------

You never liked to work for Innocent zero nor his sons. It felt like going back to square 1, to the root of the problem, to the origins that you oh so desperately tried to run away from. But as a lachmagic that used familiar artifacts to steal others' magic and also as a "Disgraceful Mage" to the naked eye, you didn't have other options. Death was much more preferable, but who knows what'll happen to your body after that.

You'll be on the losing end anyway. Might as well save some dignity, if that's the case, and don't mind the blood you'll have to dirty your hands with.

You didn't like each and every one of Innocent zero's family, including that man himself, even if his oldest son was the same age as you were. Since the first day of your 'work' here, you did mostly dirt work, as expected. Killing, spying, manipulating, illegal research and more to count. Though, sometimes you did some side work, all of which were orders from the crazy family. Find and bring back Doom's sword, chain new victims for Famine to torture, buy ingredients for special pudding for Epidem, or bring more elves' blood for Delisaster. Working for them since you were 10, made you develop immunity to their crazy thoughts, not even Famine making you lose your mind. But, the one who you were wary the most was the eldest don, Doom. Ironic, isn't it? The most calm sibling of all of them makes you tiptoe around like a scared cat. Usually, he was calm and pretty nice compared to the rest of the family, but you knew that that happens only when he's calm. And it's not that he's easily irritated or something, growing up the eldest of all the siblings made him develop a lot of patience, you just didn't want to test your luck, any day.

Standing in the kitchen, making Pancakes, because Doom requested them, you found a little bit of peace for the day. If it weren't there brothers disturbing you, it was Cell War, and you swear there's no one more annoying person between the servants, than him. As of now, Cell War with Domina in Walkis academy, doing something that was none of your concern. Your peace didn't last long when while taking the last piece of pancakes off the pan, you felt Famine's presence approaching in your direction. You sighed, taking the apron off and putting the plate with pancakes on another table. Famine entered the room and you immediately bowed down your head.

...

Another day, another victim chained. You were about to leave the basement, but you heard Famine talking with Delisaster and Doom outside.

- "They're not your personal maid, Doom. It's no fun if only you get them around you." - Famine said, to which Doom didn't answer. You couldn't know for sure what they were talking about. Delisaster sighed at Doom's silence.

- "You can't have them all to yourself, brother. Remember, they're our servant too. And I'll like to keep it that way, they're very useful." - Delisaster answered Doom's silence. Then, he turned around and started going somewhere else. But before going too far, he added. - "They're just a servant and you should remember that. There's nothing more of them that could relate to us." - After saying that, Delisaster left completely. You decided it's time to get out. Imitating your usual walk you left the room, bowing your head to both Famine and Doom while standing next to the door that lead into the basement.

- "Greetings, Sir Doom. Sir Famine, the victim has been chained securely." - You greeted Doom and informed Famine. Famine immediately went to the basement and Doom just looked at you without saying a word. His stare was burning holes in the top of your head as you still bowed it. Soon, he left.

...

These giants specifically were too tough for 'normal' giants. They had magic flow through them, so you still could kill them. But life you take it's life you give; that was the rule of the spell. You also could deal damage to them enough for them to take time to recover, but that would mean coming back empty handed AND bruised badly. So, in the end, you decided to kill them all with one fatal blow. It will take your life with it, but you didn't mind. In fact, it would save you from this oppression. You weren't sure if you could call it exactly enslavement, since it wasn't as bad as the former enslavement you went through in your home land. With ache in your chest you casted the spell, your necklaces blowing, while the giants had stepped on the crosses on the ground, lining one after another.

...

- "Father, I ask you for a favor. Help me resuscitate them." - The room was silent after Doom said that. He had a little bottle in his hand that contained some of your blood. It was the blood he could recollect when he arrived where your battle with the giants occurred; it was the blood he'll use to resuscitate you.

- "They were indeed a good servant. But why should I go such a length for a mere servant? You better give a good reason for it." - Innocent zero answered his son with cold voice, not even looking at Doom. But, Doom was prepared for this. He prepared a good reason and explanation for your return.

- "Their specialty is too rare. If I remember correctly, they're the only one left alive with such family heirloom. They're a lack magic, but they make those arounthem magicless too, leaving almost any enemy helpless against them. Won't it be too much of a waste to let them be dead? Our enemy doesn't know anything about them and has no one that could compare to them." - Doom said in a confident yet calm voice. Innocent zero had to contemplate the thought in his head.

...

Bang. A loud bang have been heard by everyone. Innocent zero has been shot by someone right before he could give his speech to the people of the Magic Realm after Mash defeated Doom. No one knew what was happening and it was confusing. Everyone was looking between each other, trying to find someone who could explain this. The only one to know what was happening was Doom, but it didn't make anything less shocking. Soon, you appeared in front of Mash and his friends, the defeated divine visionaries and Doom. You had your iconic gun in one hand and a cold and calm look on your face. As you were only a few meters away from Mash, you stopped and put your free hand on your hip, while putting the weight of your body on one leg.

- "Why would you betray father..?" - Doom asked you and you looked at him confused.

- "I never betrayed him, because I never vowed to him. He decided by himself that I'm his servant and I enjoy bringing people to the high sky of delusion and then drop them into the ground of reality." - You answered amused at his reaction. It's not a betrayal if you never vowed to them. And even less of a betrayal it was in your situation. - "I really couldn't believe it was your idea to revive me. Such a silly idea is not appreciated. It's not cool that when I die, thinking I'm finally free, you go and revive me just like that." - After you finished talking the silence was consuming in the room. While the people outside celebrated the victory, the people in that room were half dead trying to solve this confusing string of timeline.

...

- "Wondering what they'll do with his body? Cell war."

- "You keep coming when it's time for me to feed the cows, seriously? And well, I don't know. But I heard sir Doom was upset. Probably because of how you rejected him when saying those cruel words after his defeat against Mash."

- "He might as well be upset because his father is fucking dead and I'm the killer, Cell War. I'm thinking they'll extract Innocent zero's knowledge and them destroy the body for better."

- "Don't think so."

- "About what?"

- "Sir Doom's reaction."

- "Why?"

- "... You seriously didn't notice? Even the look in his eyes tells a deep story about his love for you."

- "I think you're going crazy. But even if we entertain such an idea, I'm not into Master x Servant trope you know. Wouldn't want to become that trope."

- "Whatever, just help me feed the cows."

- "Okay."

----------------------------------------------------------

This is it 😔 I wrote one down, now I have two Mash x reader fanfics to write and another Doom x Reader🫡 The grind begins now lol anyway thanks for reading and bye bye!🌸 <3

[arisatominakos]

BALDUR'S GATE 3 OC LINEUP; this is a glorified tag dump post for my idiots thus far. may get updated in the future with other ocs & if so it will be reblogged to showcase those changes. under the cut will be basic character introductions & they will be in order.

Rylla: wizard spell sword, high elf, genderless( all pronouns ) bisexual, neutralish, 27yo everyone laugh at the youngest member of the party haha

Rylls is my main "Tav" which is the player character. full name: Idrylla Rhea Dhwani Crisanta. they are unmotivated, burntout, tired, & p much going thru the motions. she's the eldest out of like 7 and the first in like a generation or two of elves in her family to be magically inclined so his parents rlly pushed for parentification as a help w/ the kids since her family are fishing merchants, but got sent to study at a wizarding guild schoolesc thing in Baldur's Gate where the fam is from all around. pushed to be the top of their class and the like first apprentice to the head wizard he got framed for attempted murder by a jealous rival and got tossed in jail with a two day pardon to run home and grab a journal that would prove her innocence only to find out her fiance, now ex fiance, had been cheating on them and threw out all their stuff hearing rylla was in jail and was like OH LOL WHOOPS on the way to the dump is when this jackass got abducted by mind flayers like u cant have a more worse day than rylla bc the next day was allso when he had to pay his mortgage taxes so like all that and u still gotta pay bills anyways everyone in camp wants them carnally but rylla does not romance anyone, however he does have a connection with gale that is strictly platonic. rylla is a prodigy & a spell sword

Frye: warrior, mesophlieseses tiefling, he/him cismale home of sexual, somewhat lawful good. or at least he tries, 87yo

Frye Ravensworn is from Baldur's Gate, a oathbroken paladin former flaming fist. after an accident that cost the lives of several innocents he lost faith in the order & left, turning to a life of mercenary work. after feeling as if he wasn't making any difference he "retired" to establish a popular tavern known as The Devil's Fyre( pronounced fire unlike his name Fry-ee bc hehe get it he thinks hes hilarious ) anyways he's Rylla's best friend they have been pals for ages and she usually comes to him when they need to bitch about their life. he does enjoy being a bartender and listening to others rather than being constantly asked about stories of his own adventures. it's rylla that makes him feel as he did when he was younger, having a purpose reigniting that love for life & hope in people once more so when Rylla was taken by mind flayers he picked his sword back up and closed the tavern to set out to find rylla's stupid ass knowing the next time he sees them they could be a mind flayer but at least rylla would die by a friends hand. it's in act 2 we find Frye, at the last light inn helping the harpers & flaming fist protect the tieflings from the shadows. upon seeing rylla he scoops her up & squeezes him so tight one could swear their bones popped. Frye serves as a paladin option to recruit like how mi/thara is, but for like the ~good~ route basically. Frye romances W/yll !

Carnation: druid with a class i made up called underdark druid its got bits of spore shadow sprinkled in but she can grow n manipulate crystals ! bc they are the fauna of the underdark :), auvryrahel drow, she/her cisfemale, violencesexual, evil. fucking evil. dark urge !, 134yo

a hot pink bitch named breakfast. our favorite cult leader. last name Vasiira. raised in the underdark with a small clan of underdark-druids deep under the earth while i forgot to add her mom to this screencap dump, Momma'Nation, Trielthrae was one of the many exiled loth-drow that formed this little village of which the clan of druids lived, wanting to change the stars of her peers & sick of loth's rule--- she beseeches the gods to grant her a child that would be blessed in their light, to become a holy savior & change the world for her, her village, for the drow, & for everyone. bhaal read that text & answered, requiring a unholy communion of which Trielthrae gladly gave leaving her with a miraculous pregnancy. enter our little anti-christ, our cute little princess. our beautiful Carnation who was beloved & welcomed by the village with open arms. she wants power, she wants fame, she wants clothes, she wants devotion. the village quickly & completely submitted to her whims wants & needs. bhaal lends her some of his grand power, as technically she is a bhaal spawn. its just complicated. mind flayers took her from the shores of the dark lake, this is the first time she has been outside of the underdark & once she saw the night sky at camp she wept in it's beauty. she romances as/tarion, ascendant. he sees her as a equal as she denies bhaal, stealing his power for herself & manipulates the nether brain for her own gain becoming akin to a god. she will not end her conquest until she becomes a god wholly. auvryrahel is the name of the specific village / noble house that makes up carnation's cult.

Luella: cleric, but its complicated :), auvryrahel half-drow, she/her bisexual cisfemale, her morality is whatever carnation wants, ageless

undead half-drow handmaiden to Carnation Vasiira. she acts as a nanny, a nurse, a sister, a caregiver, a friend, a confidant, & a puppet. raised from death by Carnation's mother when her daughter was only but six years old via a powerful spell that grants this undead what's left of her fractured soul & a lifespan that allows her to live as long as Carnation wills her to, Luella is devoted completely to her charge. she lives, literally, only to serve her mistress--- having left the underdark in search of her beloved flower when Carnation goes missing after a rare nautiloid sighting near the dark lakes.

G'waine: kith'rak ranger, githyanki, she/they nonbinary lesbian, chaotic good but the good is like for the good of the githyanki not you. fuck you as far as she's concerned, 38yo

UTENA COMPLEX, PRINCE OF THE CRECHE. kith'rak g'waine, a captain of her creche boldly named draa'zvir--- dragon's breath. a warrior of fine make & groom, the pride n joy of her creche the youngest to make captain in it's long history. a skilled warrior, a even better strategist she is calm collected but never cold. a proper leader in the making to eventually take over creche draa'zvir or would have if not captured by mind flayers during the chase of the nautaloid alongside lae'zel, attempting to strike down mind flayers at they attacked other gith. because of this word returned of her capture to her creche & they moved to mourn her as if she were already dead. the fallen dragon prince & the tale of noble, but foolish, sacrifice to save her gith comrades and kill the ghaik invaders. has a bit of a resemblance to a frog & was teased as a child as 'the frog prince' until her merits outshined all her sought to demean her. also she killed them as is her right. romances lae'zel & has a hellva complicated time about the whole orpheus thing. voss knows g'waine, actually a lot of the creche u visit knows them too.

#farllee.ref: rylla #farllee.ref: frye #farllee.ref: carnation #farllee.ref: luella #farllee.ref: g'waine #farllee.jpeg #farllee.ref: oc post

[cornerful]

Lotr Jan 13th

'What did I tell you, Mr. Pippin?' said Sam, sheathing his sword. 'Wolves won't get him. That was an eye-opener, and no mistake! Nearly singed the hair off my head!'

The line that's in so many adaptations! Oh Sam how I love you :D what's fun is that the line is kept across mediums but not always used in the same place...

That day the weather changed again, almost as if it was at the command of some power that had no longer any use for snow...

LITERALLY the weather gods reading lotr at the same time as me apparently, maybe a day or so behind but you can't make this up, we had a snowstorm for one day and then the wind died down and it's supposed to be blue skies tomorrow :D unbelievable

'But you can't leave poor old Bill behind in this forsaken place, Mr. Gandalf!' cried Sam, angry and distressed. 'I won't have it, and that's flat. After he has come so far and all!' (...) 'He'd follow Mr. Frodo into a dragon's den, if I led him,' (...) [Gandalf] laid his hand on the pony's head, and spoke in a low voice (...)

Sam stood sullenly by the pony and returned no answer. Bill, seeming to understand well what was going on, nuzzled up to him, putting his nose to Sam's ear. Sam burst into tears, and fumbled with the straps, unlading all the pony's packs and throwing them on the ground.

I am on the floor I am distressed I am bereft, SAM 😭 BILL 😭

...slowly on the surface, where the wizard's hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than pale gossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer...

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL

'There are the emblems of Durin!' cried Gimli.

'And there is the Tree of the High Elves!' said Legolas.

....Gandalf talking abt the old friendship and here's the proof literally set in stone for our elf and dwarf to see. They might be older than most of the fellowship and extremely capable, even seem mysterious and learned, but they're just so young in this vast and tired world.

Lotr is so much about fledglings picking their way over ruins, telling each other tales and listening for whispers of times long ago. Their lives are far from empty of course, a people will go on and build rich life wherever it can...but still there's this sense of tremendous loss :<

Some dwarf-gates will open only at special times, or for particular persons; and some have locks and keys that are still needed when all necessary times and words are known.

Dwarven craftsmanship <3 How fiddly and wonderful. It seems capricious to the fellowship maybe, but the suggestion of a culture that has such particular and varied mechanisms built into the foundations of their lives, in something so simple as a door...you just know there's such depth there! Beating on the walls that we never really get to go to Gimli's home by the way!!

...said the dwarf. 'But what the word was is not remembered. Narvi and his craft and all his kindred have vanished from the earth.'

:(((

'The answer to your first question, Boromir,' said the wizard, 'is that I do not know the word – yet.'

>:] Autism...

The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. 

Dwarf magic <3

the horror that seemed to have rooted all but Sam to the ground where they stood, 

THAT'S MY BOY RIGHT THERE

'...boulders have been piled up, and the trees uprooted and thrown across the gate. I am sorry; for the trees were beautiful, and had stood so long.'

D': nooooooo I hate this those poor trees

'Who will lead us now in this deadly dark?'

'I will,' said Gandalf

*Frames this*

Oh Olórin...

The last thing that Pippin saw, as sleep took him, was a dark glimpse of the old wizard huddled on the floor, shielding a glowing chip in his gnarled hands between his knees. The flicker for a moment showed his sharp nose, and the puff of smoke.

This image is rattling around my brain so vividly I really want Donato Giancola to draw it...

#lotr newsletter #lotrn113 #nts draw

[dalishious]

Running Commentary: The Masked Empire Ch 17 & Epilogue

TL;DR: Gaspard and Michel finally have their duel. Briala realizes Celene cannot be trusted, and takes control of the eluvians for herself, claiming them for the elves of Orlais.

—————

After the fight with the varterral, Michel and Gaspard prepare for their duel.

Briala asks Celene where she got her Lady Mantillon ring, the same one Gaspard possesses. Celene says it was given to her as a gift after her parents died, lying that the lady must have felt sorry for her. Briala pretends to believe this, and kisses Celene... when in actuality, she uses this kiss as a distraction to pick the magic ruby that unlocks the eluvians off of Celene's person. (But Celene isn't aware of this yet.)

Gaspard and Michel begin their duel, but Lienne and Mihris cheat using magic to hex Michel. Briala picks up on this, but when she tries to stop the fight, the two mages supporting Gaspard say that they can't hear her, #BecauseMagic. So Briala slits Lienne's throat, and then announces that she's figured out Mihris is possessed by Imshael. Imshael threatens to just kill everyone if he doesn't get what he wants, but is sated by Felassan's mental promises of something big to come.

“You know, you’ve got a good point,” Felassan said. “Fire and swords are dull. But what if something bigger was coming?” “I’m listening, Slow Arrow,” said the demon. “What could you possibly do that you and I have not seen a hundred times before while the sweaty mortals lusted and grappled and bled their lives away?” Felassan said nothing, just smiled, twisting the tattoos around his face. “Oh, my,” Imshael breathed. “Is that a promise?” “Well, I was going for more of a threat.” Imshael turned to Celene, who stared at him uncertainly. “Empress,” he said, “best of luck to you. I do believe you’re going to need it. Whatever happens, I believe that Orlais is going to be quite exciting for the next little while.” Then light flared around Mihris, and she fell to her knees, her staff flickering back to icy white. For a moment, a smoky shape flickered around Mihris, a haze that clung to her body, and then it was shooting across the room through one of the mirrors on the wall. The mirror flared brilliant red, then darkened back to the inert dullness of its dormant state, and the demon was gone.

(Felassan is, of course, thinking about Solas's world-ending plans.)

With that taken care of, Briala thinks about the last story Felassan told her of Fen'Harel. She interrupts the fight by calling out to Michel, saying she is enacting the debt he owes her, and orders him to yield. Michel does so, and also reveals to everyone else that his mother is an elf as he drops his sword.

Celene demands answers from Briala.

Celene spun at Briala, her daggers drawn. Briala stepped away, two steps carrying her out of range. She did not draw her own blades, but she was certainly looking at Celene now, and Celene cursed herself for a fool as she saw the anger in her lover’s eyes. “Why?” Celene gripped her blades so tightly that her fingers burned. “Tell me again how you will free my people.” “I gave you my word!” Celene stepped forward, a dagger raised. “I swore!” “And I think you even believed yourself.” Briala swallowed. “But when the nobles protested, when it threatened to weaken the empire, you would have let it go. You would have ignored your promises to me, knowing that I would always forgive. That I would always stand at your side.” Now her blades came out. “After all, I believed in you even after you killed my parents.”

Briala put together that Celene in actuality got her ring from Lady Mantillon after her first arrangement of death as part of the Game; namely, all the servants in her estate, including Briala's parents. And Briala herself, had she not successfully hidden from them, if you recall.

Celene jumps to attack Gaspard, and while everyone is focused on that, Briala dashes for the pedestal. Realizing this, Celene notices that she no longer as the keystone ruby, and that Briala took it from her in that last kiss. Celene tries to kill Briala, but is stopped by Mihris. Briala reaches the pedestal, and whispers a passphrase to secure her control of the eluvians. She announces, “I claim these eluvians for the elves of Orlais.”

Briala uses the eluvians to send Michel and Gaspard away. Celene tries one more time to say that she would have freed the elves, but Briala is done falling for that shit.

“I would have freed them, Bria.” Celene stood a few paces away. Mihris and Felassan leaned against the pedestals, not quite blocking Celene’s path to Briala. “So you say,” Briala said. “But freedom is not given. It is won.” “It is both.” Celene shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. She seemed so much smaller now than she had in Val Royeaux. “Have you seen nothing in all the years you spent at my side? Change comes through careful planning, through compromise.” “You compromised my parents.”

Briala then sends Celene to Halamshiral.

Mihris asks if Briala will share the passphrase to the eluvians with her, which Briala laughs off, but does promise that she will work with Dalish only if they help all elves. Mihris departs, leaving just Briala and Felassan.

“Are you sincere? You will use the paths of the eluvians to help your people?” Briala thought for a moment. “Celene and Gaspard saw an army, but that would be fighting their fight. With the paths, I could get food to alienages where elves would otherwise starve. They would let me move ahead of an oncoming army and warn the target, or move behind them and attack their supply lines.” “Which army are you going to hamstring?” Briala looked over at Felassan, smiling, even as she started to shiver from the winter’s chill. “Whichever one seems to be winning. What was it? Anaris and Andruil?” Felassan smiled. “You prolong their fight, and in the chaos, your people work free from their bonds?” “It can work, I think.” Briala held her arms around her. “Halamshiral rioted because of a single nobleman. I can find elves who will help me with my work in every city in Orlais, and more who are too afraid to fight, but will serve as eyes and ears if I can help their children survive the winter.” “That is,” Felassan said, and after a pause, finished, “a unique use of the ancient relics of our people, da’len.” “I think Fen’Harel would have approved,” Briala said, and saw Felassan give a startled laugh. “He might have,” her teacher said, “though I very much doubt it.” “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “The passphrase to access the eluvians. In case we’re separated, it’s—” She broke off as his fingers brushed her lips, looking at him in surprise. Felassan smiled again, but his eyes were sad, and wiser than Briala could ever imagine. “Don’t.” She looked at him silently for a moment, and then put it together. “You’re leaving.” “I must.” “The Dalish?” He snorted. “Them? Please.” Then his face turned serious. “But the elves of Orlais are in good hands, it seems. Many other things are not, and I have more work to do elsewhere.” She nodded, though her eyes stung. Begging him to stay would accomplish nothing, she knew. The protestations in the back of her mind—that she had more to learn, that she could not do this without him—she silenced before they gained a voice. The wisest man she had ever known trusted her to winher people’s freedom. And to her surprise, she found that she didn’t doubt his judgment. “One last question, then, hahren. Was this…” She gestured at the tunnels; then at the woods where, somewhere a few days’ journey away, Clan Virnehn lay dead; then to the north, where Halamshiral tilted toward the war that might set her people free. “Was this always your plan?” He chuckled one last time. “No, da’len. You did this yourself.” He leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead. His lips burned like a brand, and her head spun for a moment.

Felassan disappears, and Briala whispers the passphrase, “Fen’Harel enansal” (Dread Wolf's blessing) to seal off the tunnel.

Celene arrives in Halamshiral and begins preparations to engage in a civil war.

Gaspard and Michel are transported somewhere in the wilderness, and part ways, with Gaspard vowing to keep Michel's secret origins hidden.

Felassan contacts a mysterious person, who we know is Solas, in the Fade. He reports that he does not know the eluvian passphrase, and refuses to take it from Briala. So Solas kills him.

The Masked Empire is a wild read, because there's so much I can't stand about the story... and yet at the same time, it has some great characters in Briala and Felassan.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my commentary, and found it helpful if you've never had the opportunity to read the novel yourself.

#dragon age #the masked empire #tme commentary

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Cinderheart

Whumpril Day 17 (Hallucination), Day 23 (Presumed Dead)

Whumpril Prompts List

part 2

TW: darkness, monster, blood, dark magic, presumed dead, death, corpses, fighting, anger, self-deprecation, shame, running away

Context: Jin is one of my Dragon Prince ocs. She's a Katolis Crownguard under King Harrow. Her husband Zane (also a Crownguard) was killed defending Harrow, and she sided with Viren on a quest for revenge. Her story starts in the aftermath of the Season 3 finale, where she was transformed by dark magic alongside his entire army. (More information to come when I have the time)

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Jin was surrounded by darkness, no longer the angry, invincible, uncontrollable monster but herself before the painful transformation. Breathing raggedly, she touched her face, her arms, her breastplate. All seemed to be normal. As it should be. The darkness pressed in, threatening to choke her.

"Jin."

She whirled around, fists raised. Behind her, the darkness opened to reveal something in the distance. A pile of some sort? Jin approached hesitantly, preferring the mysterious light over the suffocating darkness. Her breath caught in her throat when she got close. It was a pile of hundreds of battle axes, all spattered and stained with blood.

"Why are you fighting, Jin?" someone—or something—hissed in her ear.

Jin flinched away and punched in the direction of the voice. But her fists only found air. "Who are you?" She demanded, glancing around wildly.

"Why do you resist?" The voice was accompanied by swirling smoke that formed into one of the monsters, the ones who were once human like her, changed by dark magic. Jin backed away.

"You only weaken yourself by fighting your true nature." The monster hissed in a familiar voice. Jin's voice, like when it echoed in the throne room. "Stop resisting!"

The last word came as a roar. Monster-Jin lunged, swiping with her claws. Jin ducked away, dodging around the heap of weaponry. She grabbed the nearest ax and hefted its weight. The handle fit her hand perfectly like it was her ax.

Jin charged the monster, using her own momentum to bring the ax over her head and down in a killing stroke. It would have cleaved the monster in two. But it caught the ax in its claws with ease.

"Please, Jin, you're embarrassing yourself," Monster-Jin snarled. Jin tugged at the ax, but the monster held on with terrible strength. The metal turned red hot and began to melt. Jin dropped the weapon and tried to flee, but it lunged and snatched her collar. Its knuckles brushed against her throat, and she gasped at the intense heat radiating from its skin.

"You really think you can hold your own against me? You're weak! Give in, and gain strength never seen before!"

Jin swayed, overcome by dizziness, and suddenly she was the monster. "No!" She cried out, staring at her hands, tipped with talons carved from molten stone, "I didn't want this! I never wanted this..."

"What did you want, then?" Jin started and turned as Zane's voice reached her ears. He stood several feet away, facing her, clutching his sword. "You brought this upon yourself.”

Jin fell to her knees, staring at her hands. The hands of a killer, the hands of a monster. "I was angry!" She shouted, the darkness swallowing the sound. "I was angry at the elves, for killing my king, for killing you! I'm a monster, Zane! I never deserved your love."

Zane sheathed his sword and stepped forward. "You think your anger makes you a beast? I disagree." He took another step, and he was in front of her. "I think anger is what makes you human."

Even kneeling, she towered over him. "Do you even see me, Zane? I chose to follow Viren, and he made me...this!"

He looked up at her. Oh, how she missed the way he looked at her. "Anger is an emotion, one of many emotions we have. And it's a struggle. I know you always struggled with it."

Jin closed her eyes. "Except now it has changed me, irrevocably. How can you look at me and say I'm still human?"

"It's a part of our nature as humans to struggle with our emotions,” he said softly, “So what if you have a little bit more trouble with yours? Perhaps it should be an incentive to watch yourself, keep yourself from doing something foolish."

A lump formed in Jin's throat. She opened her eyes and discovered that she was no longer the monster but regular human Jin. Zane knelt in front of her and held out his hand. Jin hesitated before reaching out, but it dissolved into smoke. "No!" She protested, reaching out for him as he vanished. 

The darkness rushed in his wake and swallowed her whole. The air swirled around her violently, whipping at her hair and face. Jin whimpered and curled up in the fetal position in a weak attempt to ward it off. "Please..." She murmured, "let me out... Please..."

Voices echoed through the rushing gale. 

“Not breathing. No heartbeat.”

“...She’s not wearing a broken link badge.”

“So?”

“So why isn’t she one of… them? And look at the dead around her….”

“Fair point. I’ll mention it to the king. But our concern right now is the dying.”

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Jin opened her eyes to find the sky above the battlefields streaked with brilliant reds, yellows, and violets, the stars beginning to show themselves at the edge of the night. She was cold.

So very cold.

And alone, save for the dead.

She found her battle ax lying on the ground nearby, covered with so much blood it was nearly unrecognizable. She tried to ignore the bodies around her as she picked it up and slid the weapon onto her back.

Most of the living were gathered across the battlefield, a sprawl of tents dotting the landscape at the base of the Storm Spire. Jin was at the southern edge of the carnage, about as far as one could get from the mountain. She gazed at the camp in silence.

If she went there, she would no doubt be arrested as a traitor to the crown and live out the rest of her days in prison. She glanced down at her hands and on a whim, carefully pulled off one of her gloves. 

Her breath caught in her throat. The veins under her skin glowed like hot, flowing magma. The transformation had changed her, irrevocably so. She might appear human now, but the monster was still there.

Jin knew what would happen over that little detail. She didn’t want to know.

Perhaps it would have been better if she had died in the battle. They already thought she had.

Face burning with shame—or perhaps the fire in her blood—Jin turned away from the Storm Spire and faced south. She steeled herself, considering this route. Was it truly better than the alternative?

It had to be.

It must be.

Jin didn’t allow herself to dwell upon it before she fled into the night.

@fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @whumpril

#new oc just dropped #my writing #whump #whump prompt #whumpril2024 #whumprilday17 #hallucination #whumprilday23 #presumed dead #monster #blood #death #corpses #fighting #anger #self-deprecation #shame #running away #jin cinderheart #the dragon prince #tdp #fanfiction #fanfic #dark magic #darkness